Thursday, January 30, 2014

Tuesdays with Morrie: 2nd of 15 Books to Read


News feeds on media nowadays are all about Vhong Navarro’s issue.   Well, we can’t do about it because people found the topic so interesting.  Better yet, because of discussions we learned something about the law and the details.  But we can’t help also to judge the individuals related to the crime.  As for myself, I pity to all of them.  To the girl, she’s really a victim.  But what had happen to her is the consequence of allowing her self to be a victim.  To the suspect guy, I pity him so much because he don't know what he is doing.   In any angle, I can’t understand him.  To Vhong, he must realize the lessons of the situation.  This is my quote to all of them.

“Be compassionate.  And take responsibility for each other.  If we only learned those lessons, this world would be a so much better a place.”-Moorie Schwartz


I got this conversation from the 2nd book I finished just recently. 

Tuesdays with Moorie. 



It is all about Moorie Schwartz’s class to Mitch Albom for the last few months of his life.  The topic is “The Meaning of Life”. Moorie is Mitch’s favorite professor way back in his college life.  Mitch Albom is a columnist and host.  He is also the author of The Five People you Meet in Heaven.

His professor had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS), a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system.  It is like a lit candle: it melts your nerves and leaves your body a pile of wax.  Moorie gave the life’s great lessons to Mitch.  And here are their conversation that touched my life’s journey.

“I decided I’m going to live—or at least try to live—the way I want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure.”

“So many people walk around with meaningless life.  They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important.  This is because they’re chasing the wrong doings.  The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”

“Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel.  And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too---even when you’re in the dark.  Even when you’re falling.”

“To know you’re going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time.  That’s better.  That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you’re living.”

“We are involved in materialistic things, and they don’t satisfy us.  The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted.”


“It’s what I missed so much when my mother died----what I call your ‘spiritual security’-----knowing that your FAMILY will be there watching out for you.  Nothing else will give you that.  Not money.  Not fame.”

“There is no experience like having children.  That’s all.  There is no substitute for it.  You cannot do it with a friend.  You cannot do it with a lover.  If you want the experience of having complete responsibility for other human being, and to learn how to love and bound in the deepest way, then you should have children.”

“Don’t cling to things, because everything is impermanent.”

“As you grow, you learn more.  If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two.  Aging is not just decay, you know.  It’s growth.  It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s also the positive that you understand you’re going to die, and that you live better life because of it.”

Mitch: Why do people always say, “Oh if I were young again.” You never hear people say, “I wish I were sixty five.”
Moorie: “You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives.  Lives that haven’t found meaning.  Because if you’ve found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back.  You want to go forward.  You want to see more, do more.  You can’t wait until sixty-five.

“You have to find what’s good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now.  Looking back makes you competitive.  And, age is not a competitive issue.”

“Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness.  I can tell you, as I’m sitting here dying, when you most need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling you’re looking for, no matter how much of them you have.”

“Devote yourself to others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

“If you’re trying to show off for people at the top, forget it.  They will look down at you anyhow.  And if you’re trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it.  They will only envy you.  Status will get you nowhere.  Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.”

“I think marriage is a very important thing to do, and you’re missing a hell of a lot if you don’t try it.”

“We all have the same beginning---birth--- and we all have the same end—death.  So how different can we be?  Invest in human family.  Invest in people.  Build a community of those you love and who love you.”

“In the beginning of life, when we are infants, we need others to survive, right?  And at the end of life, when you get like me, you need others to survive, right?  But here’s the secret: in between, we need others as well.”

For me, living means I can be responsive to the other person.  It means I can show my emotions and my feelings.  Talk to them.  Fell with them…..”


“The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

“As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away.  All the love you created is still there.  All the memories are still there.  You live on--- in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.”


Those are the words of Moorie that I can relate much. When I was reading the book, it reminded me of my father during the last year of his life.  I’m so glad because I had a chance to share with him my time when he needed me.  Maybe that time was not enough but I know and feel that he was happy.  I saw him enjoyed his life after his retirement.  That makes us his kids proud and thankful of him.

This book is a reminder for me to find more time with my mother.  Sorry Inay, I have lots of excuses.  I’m so shame and feel sorry!  But as Moorie said; “There is no such thing as too late in life.”

Everyday, we got great lessons in life.  Never waste a time to realize and live with it. 

Yipee!!! 13 books to go.  So far, I’m doing good with my goal.  Can you recommend a book for my next?
Monday, January 20, 2014

Hooray for Today

Gooood Morning Everyone!

We have lots of things to be proud of every day we wake up.  I am so amaze that anybody else make my day though I don't know them personally.  Messages from people reading my blog are such a great thing every day.  Comments and suggestions of people from the social media are soooo boosting!  I love mornings!!!!!

Hooray for today!  La la la la la la la la........




Hooray for today! It starts today.  Things will go your way!

Have a good day ahead!


Sunday, January 19, 2014

Patience and Attitude



It’s Monday morning and I’m supposedly concentrating on my duty today.  But I can’t compose myself.  I can’t concentrate and focus on my task.  I took a deep breath and analyze myself. Huh!  It really bothers my emotions.  I had a troubled weekend.  My schedules were totally wreck because of some expectations that didn’t met.  It made me ruin the weekend and I’m still handling it horribly. 
I need to meditate and talk to myself first before the whole week will become a totally waste.  Excuse me for being such a “Drama Queen” today.  Sometimes, I need to be true to myself.  That I expect and I got disappointed.  That I extend my patience yet got tired of it.  That I lose my attitude and I fail. 

No! No! No! Noooooooooooo!

Inhale! Exhale! Aja! I can handle this.

I have to digest the impact of this…..


How much is my patience when I have nothing? What is my attitude when I have everything? Awwww! 

How about you, what's your answer? Can you help me make my day?

Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Alchemist: 1st of 15 Books to Read



It’s second Monday of January! Yehey, always happy and excited!  Aside from today is my niece Sheila Marie’s birthday(happy birthday! Mwaah! Mwaah!) I am also looking forward for the payday.  In two days time I will receive it.  I have amount to budget again.  Yey!

I’m glad today because I’ve done reading my first of my 15 BOOKS TO READ for 2014.  My number one goal for this year is to improve my reading habit.  I listed about 15 books and have to finish it within a year.  I’d like to enjoy the benefits of reading and believe that it will help me reach my other goals.

THE ALCHEMIST


It’s written by one of the bestselling and most influential authors in the world Paulo Coelho.  He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1947.  A Catholic and believes that religion is a way of having discipline and collective worship with persons who share the same mystery. 

He also wrote other bestselling books about Temptation-The Devil and Miss Prym, about Obsession-The Zahir, about Faith-The Fifth Mountain, about Hope-The Valkyries, about Courage-Warrior of Light(his biography), about Love-Eleven Minutes, about Redemption-Veronika Decides to Die and about Forgiveness-By the River Piedra I sat down and wept.

The Alchemist is about wisdom.  This story breaks down the journey we all take to find the most meaningful treasures in our lives into steps that are at once natural and magical.  It is about faith, power, and courage we all have within us to pursue the intricate path of a Personal Legend, a path chartered by the mysterious magnet of destiny but obscured by distractions.  The character shows how along the way we learn to trust our hearts, read the seemingly inconspicuous signs and understand that as we look to fulfill a dream, it looks to find us just the same, if we let it.

I admit, Nosebleed!   I repeated the lines most of the time for me to understand clearly and read between the lines.

I’d like to share to you my favorite lines in the novel.

“It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.  That’s the world’s greatest lie.”

“The boy didn’t know what a person’s “Personal Legend” was.  “It is what you have always wanted to accomplish.  Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.  At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible.  They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives.  But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.”

“One great truth in this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do. When you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe.  It’s your mission on earth.”

“The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness and also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy.  To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation.”

“That’s the way it always is.  It’s called the principle of favorability.  When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win.  Beginner’s luck!  Because there is a force that warns you to realize a Personal Legend; it whets your appetite with a taste of success.”

“Making a decision was only the beginning of things.  When someone makes a decision, he is diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future, I’m interested only in the present.  If you concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man.”

“The secret is here in the present.  If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it.  And if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.”

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dreams.”


“It’s not what enters men’s mouth that’s evil, it’s what comes out of their mouths that is.”


“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.  You’ve got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense.”


“One is loved because one is loved.  No reason is needed for loving.”


"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil.  And one can always come back.  If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.”


“There is only one way to learn.  It’s through action.  Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”


“Naturally it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.”


“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.  And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encountered with God and with eternity.”


“When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.”


“Trust in your heart, but never forget that you’re in the desert.  No one fails to suffer the consequences of everything under the sun.”


“There is only one thing that makes a dream possible to achieve: the fear of failure.”


“It’s true; life is generous to those who pursue their Personal Legend.”

I am truly touched by the journey of Santiago’s character.  He is an inspiration to all!
Sunday, January 5, 2014

2014: Goal Inspirations


Since birth, I am living in my comfort zone.  I just do what life offers me.  No complains and thankful for what it shares.  I studied then got a job.  I do my job to best that I can do. I dreamt of being someone but I couldn’t so I accepted it and live happily and contented.  I got married and became a mom, so I am a homemaker.  I am working to the best that I can do at the same time earning just enough for a beautiful life.  Now, my kids are grown-ups.  I found time to read and explore.  That’s why I started this blog as part of my aspiration being a writer.  Yet I sought it’s really fun.  I have lots of aha moments that drives me to go out of the comfort zone and jump up to my courage zone.

2014 offers me more challenging experiences and dreams.  I became passionate of all the things that I learned from reading.  Being a smart money woman, a passionate dreamer and acting as inspiration to others are driving me crazy to live this year more exciting and fun.

As a start of this wonderful year, I’d like to share to you my Goal Inspirations as my guide in fulfilling my dreams and goals.
  1. Be aggressive and dream a biggest DREAM!
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes interesting.”-Paulo Coelho
Grabbed from Lifeafterbreafast
 2.    Never stop learning! Read more! Do more!

“There is only one way to learn.  It’s through action.  Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”-Paulo Coelho

3. Speak less Listen more
Think before you speak.  Listen before jumping to conclusions.  Get know others better. 
“We first need to understand to be understood.”-Stephen Covey
Sometimes we can’t resist talking about people.  We can easily jump into conclusions just by observation.  "Everyone seems to have a clear ideas of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."-Paulo Coelho.  Yes, we can learn from the experience of others but it's better to talk about smart ideas.

4.  Early to bed Early to rise
It makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

5.  There are no gains, without pains.
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.  And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search for its dreams.”-Paulo Coelho

6. Write more
“When you’re writing, something very interesting will happen: you will be forced to “listen” to yourself.  You will be expose to your own thoughts and emotions.  You will get to know yourself better.  Or, you will start to discover who you are.-Lifehack

7. Lost time is never found again
Spend time on things that really matter. Make your life meaningful to others.  Never say I don’t have time because if there’s a will there is a way.

8.  Enjoy the present time
“The secret is here in the present.  If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it.  And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.”-Paolo Coelho

9.  Stick to your main end GOAL
“It is important that you never loose your sight of the big picture and always be determined by keeping the main thing the MAIN THING.” –Stephen Covey

10. A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two different things.






Life is as exciting as you want it to be.  Be courageous, optimistic and faithful in believing in your dreams.


What do you think? Is it easy to achieve? Do you have your inspirations too?  Share it!