Apple

Which one Is more difficult to do? Having Self-control or doing what you think you would never do? 

First, let’s present some simple situations. You have 3 pesos in your pocket. You’re very hungry and you find a basket of apples being sold by a merchant. You can’t afford to buy it but an opportunity comes when the merchant goes off for a while to get something from the back of her store. No one is watching, you can’t afford it… but you can take it for free. 

On the other hand, with the same situation, the merchant leaves for a while to get something from the back of her store. You’re standing near the basket with no one watching. You’re thinking, if I take this, no one will ever know and no harm done. But if I take it, my conscience will hunt me, I also harm the merchant from stealing from her. So then, you decided not to take anything. This case you have self-control.

Therefore, which one is more difficult: Having self-control or doing what your heart’s desire thinking only of your own gain? Same goes with any situation. Given opportunity to do two things… having a clear conscience or a colloid conscience harming others and in the long run, yourself. Which one is more important: Your fleshly desires or a clear conscience? 

Finally, the merchant comes back sees you looking at the apples. Then she gives you one, knowing that you didn’t take anything even if there was an opportunity. She smiles at you and thanked you. This case, you satisfied your hunger and you still have a clear conscience. You also gained a friend. 

Lesson: Self-control, there is no law against it. In the long run, you gain more. And you win!

Remembering why you love...

I came across an article in yahoo entitled "Do you love your job?" by Olivia Yao. Number three on her list is

"3. Doing what you love
There are a fortunate few who get to do what they love every day. Sadly, most of them will slowly come to the frustrating realization that there are always bumps in the road. If this happens to you, it’s important to go back to why you are doing it and what you loved about it in the first place. That way, you can stay focused on the big picture when the little problems come along."

I think this applies to every aspect of our lives and i would like to point out "relationships with important people in our lives". In every relationships there are ups and downs a long the way. it’s important to go back to why and what you loved about that person in the first place. "That way, you can stay focused on the big picture when the little problems come along."

And in that way, life is much happier and fulfilling.

:)

Things i do when i feel depressed

Have you felt the feeling when your whole body feels like a candle melting? I can recognize the same feeling when i feel terribly downhearted - i guess it's depression?

There are few things that i do to feel better:
1. I cry
2. I pray earnestly and read the bible
3. I write honestly but not destructively
4. I remember the positive or good side of something or somebody (that made me feel upset)
5. Continue writing
6. Listen to some of my favorite music
7. Talk to people I love (even without words, just seeing them is enough to lift my spirits up)

It works for me. Maybe it will work for you too.

A Broken Headset

I never felt so downhearted over some "stuff", except today.
My headset got broken. Maybe it just fell off.

Anyway, the headset was already broken before, i just patched it up with a masking tape so i can use it. It was my sister's. I asked her to give it to me since she doesn't really need it. Weeks ago i bought a new headset. But the quality isn't good and so I use my sister's headset.

You see, It's not only a "stuff". I guess it has something to do with my self esteem or whatever you call it. You see, a headset, a computer, a good connection and my voice are the things i need in order to earn from home.

I'm still thankful about today though. I'm thankful that in-spite of a broken headset, (i forgot to mention, my video camera didn't work at that moment as well) I still was able to conduct my class well and successfully. I credit it all to God. I asked his assistance before I started my day. ^^,

Proverbs 7:1-27

"1My son, keep my sayings, and may you treasure up my own commandments with you. 2Keep my commandments and continue living, and my law like the pupil of your eyes. 3Tie them upon your fingers, and write them upon the tablet of your heart. 4Say to wisdom: “You are my sister”; and may you call understanding itself “Kinswoman,” 5to guard you against the woman stranger, against the foreigner who has made her own sayings smooth. 6For at the window of my house, through my lattice I looked down, 7that I might peer upon the inexperienced ones. I was interested in discerning among the sons a young man in want of heart, 8passing along on the street near her corner, and in the way to her house he marches, 9in the twilight, in the evening of the day, at the approach of the night and the gloom. 10And, look! there was a woman to meet him, with the garment of a prostitute and cunning of heart. 11She is boisterous and stubborn. In her house her feet do not keep residing. 12Now she is outdoors, now she is in the public squares, and near every corner she lies in wait. 13And she has grabbed hold of him and given him a kiss. She has put on a bold face, and she begins to say to him:14“Communion sacrifices were incumbent upon me. Today I have paid my vows. 15That is why I have come out to meet you, to look for your face, that I may find you. 16With coverlets I have bedecked my divan, with many-colored things, linen of Egypt. 17I have besprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. 18Do come, let us drink our fill of love until the morning; do let us enjoy each other with love expressions. 19For the husband is not in his house; he has gone traveling on a way of some distance. 20A bag of money he has taken in his hand. On the day of the full moon he will come to his house.”
21She has misled him by the abundance of her persuasiveness. By the smoothness of her lips she seduces him. 22All of a sudden he is going after her, like a bull that comes even to the slaughter, and just as if fettered for the discipline of a foolish man, 23until an arrow cleaves open his liver, just as a bird hastens into the trap, and he has not known that it involves his very soul.
24And now, O sons, listen to me and pay attention to the sayings of my mouth. 25May your heart not turn aside to her ways. Do not wander into her roadways. 26For many are the ones she has caused to fall down slain, and all those being killed by her are numerous. 27The ways to She´ol her house is; they are descending to the interior rooms of death."

What do you think about this bible text?

Undeserved Kindness

I thank God each day for giving me undeserved kindness.

Heart Conscience Result Equation ^^

Everything around us are the result of the choices we make. I wanted to know how what causes our actions, may it be positive or negative result, and here's what I've come up with. I hope it's easy to understand. This is an equation of how the heart becomes the culprit of all the results of the choices we make in our lives.

HCR Equation
From the heart + entertaining thoughts = deeds = results [positive or negative]

alternative

From the heart - entertaining thoughts + conscience = deeds = Positive results

example:

From the heart (negative thoughts) + entertaining thoughts (considering negative thoughts) = deeds according to plan = Ruinous results (consequences)

another:

therefore: negative thoughts = Ruinous results [think before leaping]
therefore: positive thoughts = positive results

Question: How did thoughts think about those negative things in the first place? 
Answer: It was the heart that first felt it. The heart doesn't think. Isn't that the reason why the head was strategically placed above the heart?

I conclude that the heart is the seat of selfish motives unless conscience is trained, results can be positive.

Another question: How can we train the conscience?
Answer: Seek and you shall find. 

by: RAK

What is Success?

Success is not measured by the amount of money one has accumulated but by the fulfillment of hopes and dreams which cannot be bought by money. Money can be a tool for materializing dreams but is not the sole reason for success and does not bring true happiness. Here are the top on my list of things which I consider a success: a happy family and the fulfillment of having to help others.

For me, having a happy family is a success. Being able help provide all the necessities for my family namely: food, shelter, and clothing; being able to send our future children to good schools; being able to give my family unconditional love, spend wonderful years with them and the pleasure of growing old with my husband are success for me. That happiness cannot be bought by any material things, not even money. 

Another thing which I consider a success is by helping others. As a human being, we live in this world not only to live for ourselves but also to live for others. We cannot deny the fact that sharing gives more happiness than receiving and the fulfillment it brings to our lives is unimaginable. Also, by helping others in a small way, it makes a big difference in the world and in peoples’ lives. 

For others success might mean differently and I cannot judge them for that. But for me, having a happy family and helping others bring unprecedented happiness and fulfillment in my life and that’s what I consider a success.

Fast Food vs. Sitdown Restaurant

The graph compares the number of meals per year between fast food and sitdown restaurant meals between the years 1970 and 2000.

It can be clearly seen that the number of meals annually for both fast food and sitdown restaurant meals has steadily increased throughout the period of three decades, although a distinguishable gap rate continuously grew between the two food industries. 

Both food industries stood at about 20 points in the year 1970. After which, the fast food meals increased slightly to  9 points while a higher estimated growth rate of 15 points for sitdown restaurant between years 1970 and 1980. This shows that in the early years, sitdown restaurant meals were more preferred. 

On the other hand, the graph reveals that the demand of fast food meals escalated after 1980s. There was a significant rise from below 30 to approximately 85 points in the number of meals per year for fast food between 1980 and 2000. Although extremely lower than fast food meals, sitdown restaurant meals also show a gradual rise from roughly 20 to nearly 50 points in the same years.

In conclusion, fastfood meals are more favored than sitdown restaurants from 1990s to the present.

Importance of Physical Education

Revised

Why is physical education important? Should physical education be required or optional?

Physical education is important for students in various ways. It promotes wellness to both body and mind. It helps primary and elementary students develop good motor skills that would help them later in life. For high school and university students, this subject helps them develop more advanced physical training and one of the reasons is to promote useful habits for good health.

Physical education incorporates all kinds of physical activities, which include sports, dance, exercise and even martial arts. It also gives the students a chance to learn about their own culture as well as with other cultures. For example, they are introduced to numerous kinds of traditional dances in the islands of Philippines. Learn how dances are used to express love, hate, courtship, revenge, grief and worship. Learn the culture of sports in other countries, and the like. It would also develop future athletes.

The subject also promotes stress-reduction. Physical activities help pump up a feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins to the brain. Physical activities also improve mood by increasing self confidence and lower the symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. This is very helpful for students having bombarded with heavy loads of home works, projects and other things that adds stress. This way, it promotes good health and positive outlook. This would not only help students in their present situation but also would help them cope with stress all throughout their lives.

Another reason is that physical education would lessen if not totally eradicate the number of out of school youths in the country. This would also mold them to become better citizens by keeping them out of the streets by having them engage into sports. For these reasons, schools should require able students and optional only to those with health problems in all levels of learning to take physical education subject for their own wellbeing and for the good of the country.

Sitting in college classes

The world offers divisions that will always be a challenge for people to overcome. Society would emphasize the difference of one from another in terms of colors, languages, beliefs, height or even weight. A place called “college”, however, welcomes such divisions in the degrees, majors, subjects and schedules students take. Divisions in college can also be found in unrecognized areas like the case of sitting arrangement.

The sitting arrangements in class give each individual an identity and the freedom to choose from. Students can choose from front, middle, back or the outside-the-room rows. The choice they make can be influenced by many aspects. 

The front rows are often preferred by students who are more or less considered intelligent. Students who choose or forced to sit in the first row are mostly students who feel the subject is interesting; thinks the teacher is attractive; likes challenging subjects; or students who didn’t have a choice otherwise they end up sitting on the floor at the back. 

The middle row reflects those students who are neutral. They occupy probably, the 3^rd,4^th to 5^th rows if there are 8 rows. They want to be safe, not to be called upon frequently, do not like challenges much, and they don’t like to get the professor’s attention either. Or students who have grudges because the first and the second row are already full. 

The back row, on the other hand, welcomes students who relax and learn at the same time. They are those who like chatting with their friends more than listening to their professors. They like to eat, nap, day dream during classes. Well, that is when their professors are busy writing stuff on the board not knowing that scrambled paper are dropping like bombs from behind. Or paper planes carrying love letters fly from Romeo to Juliet. But these students cannot be under estimated, they get high scores if not highest during exams. There are disguised geniuses and human scanner among their midst. 

There is another division that shouldn’t be forgotten. They are those who occupy the chairs outside the room. Those are the early birds for the next class. 

There would be instances, however, that the different divisions of sitting arrangement would change in terms of student preference, classroom environment, and other personal reasons. Some students would choose a combination of the two or even all kinds of divisions each according to the subjects they take. Again, they can choose from the 4 divisions or rows. The front row for those who are considered to be more or less intelligent, middle rows for students who are neutral, back rows for those who like a relaxed way to learn, and the outside-the-room rows for those who came late. 

by: RAK

editor: Adel

Upbringing

Ever since we were little, our parents have always emphasized to us that we should pay respect to the elderly. Growing up as a child, every time we go to my mother’s province where she grew up, we would always go around the village and visit grandparents, relatives,

What Makes a Marriage Last?

Have you noticed, lately many problems occur around us? Mortality rate increased everyday, earthquake happens more frequently, disasters both natural and man-made are rampant. Where can we find safety? Where can we find peace? The answer is within the family. There is no place safer than being with the ones we love, than being with our own family. Yes, our family gives us a sense of security.

However, life is no fairytale. Even families experience tribulations. We should ask ourselves, how can a family stay strong amidst all the chaos? How can a marriage couple make a lasting marriage despite of all differences and hectic schedule? What is the meaning of marriage? Does it come with responsibilities? Why is a strong foundation in marriage important?

Read more... What Makes a Marriage Last?

Capturing moments

There are but millions to zillions of words to describe the natural beauty around us every day. And there is but one moment to capture them on still pictures or in our memories, thus sadly to say, that moment can never be returned… however, we are blessed to make more memories every day and better if we can capture each special moments on pictures for the future.

Freedom = Accoutability

Freedom brings with it accountability. Whatever way we use our freedom, the consequences of those actions are and will be unavoidable. Only shrewd ones considers his steps, only then freedom can be truly called freedom.

Paraprosdokian

I learned a new word today, and it's paraprosdokian. I came a cross this word while i was reading a blog about grammar. I tried checking its meaning in a dictionary, guess it wasn't there yet, but it's in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian.

A paraprosdokian (/pærəprɒsˈdoʊkiən/) is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists.


Examples:

Catcher in The Rye

Plot Summary

Catcher in the Rye is written in the first person point of view. The main character, Holden Cauldfield a drop out from Pencey Prep., Agerstown, Pennsylvania talks about his weekend journey and about people he met in school and before going home after being expelled.. He talks about the hypocrisy, selfishness of the society, and about the superficial life of New Yorkers in 1940’s. He is fond of his younger sister, Phoebe. Phoebe’s character depicts the innocence and pureness of being a child which Holden tries to preserve from the cruel society. Holden struggles for the search of his identity, tries to please people but ends up frustrating himself.

by: Rachelle Kim

Get What You Want Out of Life

We all have dreams, here are some points on how to make them come true.

1. Define your objectives
Goals should be achievable.
2. Put it on paper
Writing goals crystallizes in mind.

My Home

Wherever my husband is where my home is. There's no place like home. Nothing feels better than being with my husband. I love him so much.

The mystery in Reading

Reading. Is like a time machine that gives me the chance to be in different places and time in every page I flip.


It allows me to explore the wonderful and magical worlds out there or even the mysterious worlds inside of us to the microscopic worlds just below our toes.


As I read different things, I become more curious and interested in learning more. I can feel that a lifetime isn’t enough to be able to explore even 1% from all the mystery this life time can offer.


That’s why all of us, has an inborn desire that will always be there until we die. That is to live forever.