Mariposa Learns to Write Again

I want to write again.
 
I need to write again.
 
So here I am finding myself trying to write again.
 
This place has always been my comfort for years now. And lately I find myself reading old posts and I can't help but smile and be proud of myself. Wow. I have been through a lot and I have achieved a lot. So many things just to be grateful for. In a way, this blog had been a memoir of Mariposa.
 
Then I have this light bulb moment. If I want to write again, I write about my life and make a memoir. Well, sort of! Yet, I am so inclined to write through  my own fiction. As they say, it is easier to get to the truth by not claiming that you are speaking it. For there are some things that can be said in fiction that can never be said in a memoir. So here, I will attempt to put down all the good things I ought to have done...and try to leave out the bad ones I did do well.
 
Reading through my posts here you may discover that I never had any fixed aim before my eyes and that my system (for the lack of better word) has been to glide away unconcernedly on the stream of life, trusting to the wind wherever it led.

After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind.
***wink

NABloPoMo January

This year I resolved to be blogging more often...and what better way to do it than by committing to NaBloPoMo? Yes, I am committed to blogging every day of January. I am hopeful that this will add more balance to my so imbalance life right now. This will allow me time to sit and be with myself...blogging is always about me spending time with myself. For the past years, I'd say this has kept my sanity. =)

Wish me luck with my first New Year resolution! 

Fun Monday - It's All About Friendship!

This is my first attempt to revive FUN MONDAY and my theme for this week is It's All About Friendship! Everything will be about friends and friendship...and I am so hoping and praying that people will get to join me this week.

I have been blogging to years now...make that 5 years this November specifically. This little space in the web have become so much part of me that I have met so many people and make friends with them. I have come to know friendship despite the distance...and friendship despite lack of personal meetings. Friends here have picked me up many times...and even in one of my downiest moment. I could never imagine talking to someone miles away whom I just get to know about through blogs just to make sure I am fine or otherwise. I have extended my home and family to theirs. And Fun Monday played a significant role in my friendship with people online. It was through Fun Monday that I get to circulate around blogosphere. I met so many wonderful people and have learned so many wonderful things from them...and this just makes me so sad to see it go.

My take for this week's theme is very simple...I want to thank all the people I have made friends with through Mariposa's Tales. You may have not realize it but you have made a great mark in my life and that I will forever cherish. Once again...this week's friendship is all about the friendship I have found in this little corner of the web...something special, beautiful and hopefully lasting! I will not mention names because if you are reading this, then  you are one of them. :)

Please visit other FUN MONDAY participants --

Sayre Smiles

Pamela

Jill

Beyond My Slab

Faye

CynicalGirl

If you are playing FUN MONDAY, kindly inform me in the comment box and will add your link...while I am trying to set up Mr. Linky back.

Happy FUN MONDAY to all and may you all have a wonderful week ahead!

Sending You All...

(((HUGS))) and KISSES!

This is a short shout out to tell everyone that I miss you blogging and more than anything else I miss reading all your blogs! I should be back soon...and I mean the old me writing again. 

Please keep me in your thoughts and wish me luck!

A Fun Week!

It's 5AM here and it's a Monday!

Today is Eid ul-Fitr and is a holiday here. Not a manic Monday for me but I have to be at the office later around 9AM for some magazine interview...anyhow it feels good to be doing FUN MONDAY again!

Sayre Smiles is our lovely hostess this week and she said -- If you had a WEEK with no obligation and money was no object, what would you do with it?

Ha! This is FUN! Let's see --

It's a week...so I have 7 days...168 hours.

Day 1 - Will be my super lazy day. I'll be at the farm of my Grandparents watch sunrise sipping coffee...munching some toasted bread with strawberry jam! It will not end there of course as I plan to sit on my @$$ the whole day doing/thinking nothing but just listening to some nice country music. I'm going to spoil myself with lots of fruits especially watermelon. Then comes the sunset...and I'm going to enjoy the sunset sipping margarita! Then I'm going to meet silver moon...stare at it for awhile...and hopefully by then I've had enough margaritas that I'll just pass out...

Day 2 - I will be up feeling to refresh and alive...knowing I have nothing to do! I'm going to visit my farm...plow and harvest and fill it with buildings, fences, flowers, paths and other decorations. But of course, I'm talking about my Farmtown and Farmville accounts at Facebook! Day 2 will be about the Internet. I will blog...read blogs...and play!

Day 3 - I will be at one with sea. I will go island hopping....watch dolphins...do SCUBA diving and will enjoy the sun and the sands! I need lots of fresh orange juice for this...and watermelon too! In the evening I'm going to stay at the shoreline...stare at the bonfire...and will summon every person I wish to talk to 'til dusk. How cool!

Day 4 - Since there is no budget constraints...I'm going to have some shopping spree with families and friends. And since shopping can stressful too, we will have some nice time at the spa after.

Day 5 - This day will be with the IT Guy. (Just one day because I can't assume he has this super nice week with no obligation or anything...LOL) We'll go to places he wants us to go...do whatever he wants...in the evening, I'm going to luck myself with him all night!

Day 6 - This will be my fantasy day. I'm going to take a very important role in business or government and will have an office there for a day. I will end the day with a very nice champagne dinner with VIPs.

Day 7 - I will be very busy organizing a birthday party for a very good friend. I'm going to call all his friends and will give him a surprise party! We will be singing....dancing...eating...drinking...'til we drop!

Happy birthday Sage!



I wish you all the best....CHEERS!

Please visit Sayre to see how others FUN Week going to be! Wish you all a great week ahead!

Brief Monday Update

I'm still in disbelief that I missed blogging for 3 days! It's been like forever...

What happened between Thursday and Sunday is still a mystery to me. I have so many things in my mind and I can only wish I have more than 24 hours a day to do them all. Oh well...

Saturday morning I get off work around 7AM already. And for the first time I was all by myself...walking and find myself at Stabucks staring at the garden. It was one of the best breakfast I've had for years. Then a sudden rush of emotion slowly creeped in...almost consuming me. It was an explained joy, excitement and sadness rolled into one. My life is fine...my finances is okay...got a new job and I still feel some emptiness.

Anyway...I was able to pull myself out of it. IT Guy came and we went shopping! LOL

It's Monday morning here already and my flight is at 3PM. I have to be on my way to the airport around lunchtime. I just finished packing...and my nails look horrific. So at 9, I have to run to the nearest salon and have my nails done. Pfft!

My expected arrival time in Manila will bepast 4PM and I'm going to the Center at around 7:30PM...so everything will be a marathon. I'm still crossing my fingers that Internet will be fine at the hotel...and I still catch up with you all.

Later then!!!

Wish you all a great Monday...and I need all your lucky charms for my trip! ;)

Celebrating Life With Gratefulness

It's Thursday morning here and another reason to sit down and make a list of what I'm grateful for...

This is the day the LORD has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
- Psalm 118:24

I am thankful for the following --

♥ For being receiving the Humane Award! Thom is so kind to share the award with me...

Here is the rule: “The Humane Award is in order to honor certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world.” Recipients of this award should write a post about it, linking to the person gifted the award, along with ten of their own nominees.”

Well let me modify the rule a bit...I'm sharing this AWARD to all Thankful Thursday participants. I will update this post with each of your link. I believe people who celebrate life with gratefulness is more than worthy of this award.

So if you happen to be here and is joining Thankful Thursday...feel free to grab this AWARD!

I also would like to extend this award to Solomon. She's the first blogger I've met whose blog is solely dedicated gratefulness...thus her blog is "Things I'm Grateful For".

This AWARD also goes to Susan the Wellness Writer. I really appreciate her dedication in sharing information and personal experiences to people seeking balance and wellness.

This also goes to Broscacera...who spends hours in the hospital helping sick people.

And lastly I'm sharing this to an online friend of mine...though he had stopped blogging...I'd still love to share this AWARD to him...MAXX you deserve this AWARD.

♥ I am so thankful with my new job! I love the people...love my new office...and I'm so inspired. ;)

♥ I'm thankful to God for his gift of life and health. The one week rest I had brought me back my enthusiasm preparing me for my new job.

♥ I'm thankful for my family and friends for their unending support.

♥ I am thankful for the rain...the sun...everything I have around me.

♥ I am thankful for all the blessings I received and for all to come!

I wish you all a nice rest...Happy grateful Thursday everyone...


Please check Thankful Thursday
and together let us celebrate
all the things we should
be grateful for!

Fun Quotes!

It's been awhile now since I did my last Thursday Thirteen.

Below are thirteen fun quotes for the new millennium...

1. The geek shall inherit the earth.
2. Fax is stranger than fiction.
3. Windows will never cease.
4. Speak softly and carry a cellular phone.
5. A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click.
6. A chat has nine lives.
7. You can't teach a new mouse old clicks.
8. Too many clicks spoil the browse.
9. Oh, what a tangled website we weave when first we practice.
10. Don't put all your hypes in one home page.
11. Don't byte off more than you can view.
12. Know what to expect before you connect.
13. Give a man (or for that matter anyone) a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use the Net and he won't bother you for weeks.

It's 8:24 AM here and I'm enjoying my Lengua de Gato with my coffee. Hope you're all having fun!

Monday Thoughts...

I'm a NaBloPoMo dropped out!

The past weekend was just amazingly busy that I've been tagged away from here.

I missed PhotoHunt and that is sad...

I missed Unconscious Mutterings, what a shame...

BUT,

I was able to do the following;

Rest.

Made some Ligua De Gato.(I hope to post about it for What's Cooking Wednesday)

Read. (I'm referring to online reads.)

I've been sitting in the dining table with my laptop since morning...and now it's 4pm and I have to get ready for my final turnover at work! What a joy! (But early this morning I've been fuming about it and I sure will find time to make a post on that tomorrow.)

Anyway...so far today I have not made a single post yet. I've been surfing and reading and I've learned a lot. Okay, I was on my other blog and was doing some techie stuff there. It's a professional blog which I hope to make as my venue for interaction with people coming from the same industry with me.

I have successfully got a domain for it which I think is awesome and now I'm just looking at getting a good web hosting company for it. Good for me means...cheap yet reliable. Yes I am looking for a reasonably priced web host...and the best to check I figured is to check feedback from its customers. Then I got to this web hosting awards which rates different providers according to categories such as best budget hosting, best blog hosting, best multiple domain hosting. This site also offers a good list of choices ranking them according to feedback, features offered and price.

Initially I am only looking at getting a hosting for my professional blog but the multiple domain hosting seems very tempting to have! I might as well get that and have all my other sites hosted there, right?

My only apprehension for now is this site has suffered in terms of PageRank since I switched to my new domain and I'm not sure if another abrupt change will do me any good. Not that it will kill me...just that I take pride of this blog...as this has been with me for many years now and I don't want to lose it and my readers. :)

I know several bloggers who had made this move already but I still have to hear from them on how they successfully switched to a new hosting. If you are one, please feel free to leave your comment here and it will really be highly appreciated. If you are with me...still a bit clueless on what to do...you might as well join me in my readings on this topic and hopefully we can learn and exchange notes.

Short But A Lot!

Hi folks!

I am running late here...the subdivision where we live had power outage the entire day, that's evening for most of you. Even if I have 2 laptops with sufficient charge, my wireless internet needs power. Pfft. Power came back around 6pm and I was already in oblivion.

Anyway, I'm catching up...and will visit WFW and Thankful Thursday participants later. As I promise myself my thankful list this week, here goes my short list...short but A LOT!

• One of my favorite blog Violence Unsilenced which has inspired many has been nominated as The Most Inspiring Blog. Violence Unsilenced was created with the sole intention of shedding light on the epidemics of domestic violence and sexual assault by giving their survivors a voice. This blog echoes different stories from different people...their voices have inspired many and hopefully will continue to be an inspiration! I invite YOU ALL to vote for this inspirational site this will mean so much for me and to so many people!
  



• I got A NEW JOB! In my post yesterday, God Is Good I mentioned that I'm going later for a telconference for my job offer...and I did. Oh boy was it nice! As I was trying to make a list on all the pros and cons of moving to a new job after being with my current employer for 3 years the only thing that seems to go against moving to a new one was the tenure I have with the current one. You see here in the Philippines, most employees undergo 6 months probationary period afterwhich the employee's performance is evaluated and only then he/she is hired as a regular employee. A regular employee gets to enjoy more benefits and more than anything security of tenue. I was willing to risk that. BUT guess what?! They hired me as a regular employee outrigh. No more probationary period for me...WOOT! God is indeed good...and He is good all the time!

• Last week I launched to Tuesday memes, Tech Tuesday and Tuesday's Tales! I am so happy with my readers receive them...and I am so thankful for the people who participated. I really appreciate you sharing your fun memories with me and with the other participants!

Those are the major things I have for this week...I'm sure as soon as I hit published button I will remember other things...but they may not be on this list...I may miss my Thankful Thursday, one thing is sure I am thankful for everything everyday!

Please check Thankful Thursday
and together let us celebrate
all the things we should
be grateful for!

The Joy and Pain of Switching Domains

Some of you may have noticed that I have switched to my own domain -

www.mariposatells.com

I have been meaning to do that and wished I did it earlier. Anyway, I wanted to get myself my won domain and I got it and I am happy with it.

However, with the joy of having my own domain comes the pain. My PageRank has suffered over the past weeks. To be honest it is not something I am so particular with, but sometimes it kind of feel good seeing you up there, okay?! :)
So what happened to my PageRank?

Well as most bloggers or site admin go through, once you change to a new domain you lost links. You many be able to point your old site to your new site so as not to lose traffic (Like what I did so successfully, thanks to this amazing tips on how to switch to a new domain!) yet, there are just some bloggers/people online who linked to you through old domain.

For my case most of my friends here are linked to my old mariposa.blogspot.com link and now I am on

www.mariposatells.com. Though they get to my new site every time they click my old domain, I no longer get any authority from it as it is not linked to the new domain. Makes me think I should have gotten myself my own domain before people started linking with me. Oh well!
Anyway...I'd say nothing can take away the value of having your own domain. It's something one can take pride with. For only $10 or less...I feel I have my own identity here. LOL

I will be talking more about this come next Tech Tuesday, but for now...let me just ask you guys a favor, if you are linking with me, I'd really appreciate it if you can update the link to my new domain --

www.mariposatells.com

And for those who already did, THANK YOU so much!

How about you? Planning of getting your own domain? I'd say now is the time to do it. Don't worry if you have nowhere to host it, as Blogger can host it for us!

If you have related experience please feel free to share them, I'm sure those information will mean a lot to fellow bloggers. This is what Tech Tuesday is for!

Simple Pleasures I'm Grateful For

Can you believe it's Thursday already?!

Two more days to go and the week will be over and the week will pass me by with me missing so many things...I wanted to start my Tuesday Tales this week and with every that's been going on, it just slipped my mind. I hope to finally get to do it next week and once again I am inviting everyone interested to join!

Everyday is something to be thankful for...but for today I will focus my list on things that I am grateful for here...and by that I mean online.

I've been going around online and just realize there are so many people there throwing away fun memes...prizes and activities! More importantly these sites also offer good information on some products and topics which might be of interest to anyone.

These are simple pleasures I am grateful for!

So here goes --

♥ It's Party Time at Extravagant Grace...and I'm joining the fun!

June 3rd through 5th is something to watch for! There will be a three day party blast with full of wonderful prizes, a few trips down memory lane, tips about blogging and designing, and a gift just for stopping by!

eLisa will be hosting a three day party blast with full of wonderful prizes and surprises and that will be this June 3rd to June 5th already!

I invite everyone to join her at Extravagant Grace...it's just as easy as telling her Mariposa invited me to join! ;)

See you there!

♥ Product Pasha is giving away OCC's Lip Tar!

Yes...not just one, but two! How sweet!

Very easy and fun to join, all you need to do is visit Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and leave her a message on what is favored or favorite shades! So easy to do right?!

Go visit Product Pasha now...

♥ I found this cool site, Prize-A-Tron!

This site offers list of different sites hosting parties and throwing giveaways! If you want a link up for any blogging party you plan to host or simply to tell more people about what you are giving away, you may have to check this site out!

♥ Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to check my blog on Health and Wellness at Beyond You!

As I struggle with my schedule and health issues...I found it very helpful to research and read a lot on this topic, thus I decided to create a dedicated site where I can post any tips which I have come across and I have tried.

I am also inviting everyone to share any tips you have...you can either send me an email, or post a comment here or at Beyond You and I will be happy to post your tips and will link up to you.

♥ I'd like to thank all my friends here for sending encouraging thoughts! We really appreciate them and would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for all your support.



Please check Thankful Thursday
and together let us celebrate
all the things we should
be grateful for!

A Fun To Read...

The other day I was going through old blogs I used to visit and I visited a fave of mine, My Life...A Cup of Deja Brew. The last post of that blog was dated April 19 and it was titled Everything But Thankfulness. It was a very nice post...Jet was relating her life to us as a nurse.

She went on detailing how her life as one is...how each shift would start and end and how challenging it can be...and just one incident at the store where she carried a conversation with a stranger telling her how grateful she is for the nurses in the hospital she was working...etc, etc. I welled in tears for so many reasons...first I felt for her pain being away from her friends and family...and while I was composing my thoughts in my head on how to tell her how great her job is...on the way to the bottom, somebody already did! How great is that?!

So I got curious and I was looking around for related articles and I get to Scrubs. This is a very fun site as opposed to other nurse sites which is other too clinical in discussing about the profession and the people in it. If there is one thing that sets this online magazine it's the part that it has a personal touch all over the site!

Browsing through the site made me smile...in my head, maybe this is something people like Jet would love to read. This is something uplifting...light and inspiring. Just what people need in this times of busyness.

The site covers variety of reasons for readers to smile...regardless if they are nurse...or just any readers.

I am particularly touched with one article about Praying with a Patient. What a nice virtue to share with fellow aspiring nurses. And what a comfort for readers to know that our loved ones are with people...and are given extra care. I really loved how the magazine addressed this certain topic. The article ended with the following amazing tips --

Tips for Praying With Your Patients

* The most important thing is to clarify what will be the most helpful for the patient, rather than what you think they need. This is good practice anyway– assume nothing.

* Ask directly what the patient wants to pray about, and allow the patient to speak his or her own prayers, too.

* Have a conversation about the patient's beliefs– ask where he or she sees God in the current crisis.

* Ask about which images of God would be most helpful for the patient at this time. Is it the Good Shepherd? The Holy Spirit? Allah the Most Merciful? The answer might surprise you.

The reverends agree: "Bottom line- be respectful, don’t impose, don’t assume anything and then, go for it."

I'm not a nurse yet most often, in my professional career I get to ask this same question...when do I draw a line between my profession and my faith. And well, I found it here..."- be respectful, don’t impose, don’t assume anything and then, go for it."

Another thing which I love about Scrubs is their tips on beauty and lifestyle! Of course, no one should be too busy to take good care of themselves, right? One of the many helpful articles I found on the site is The Beauty Stimulus Package. It has amazing tips for busy people...and I find it handy myself...just so practical!

If you are looking for a highly informative magazine to help you with anything without boring you with too many clinical stuff...check Scrubs!

IT Matters

So...let's talk about I.T. then!

If you know me personally it wouldn't be too odd for me to be talking to you about information technology (IT). In fact I should be talking to you about it in most times as my profession revolves around it and as well as IT Guy's.

There have been several times that I did attempt to bring IT here. One was when I did a post on how to do Mr. Linky post. I promise to post more tips...some easy tricks such as making a different image appear on a click through among others!

But today will be I.T. Matters as far as my personal life here is concern. Yes, I'm talking about blogging and my BLOG world...this world wide web of ours!

How much of you have gotten so much into blogging that you seem to consider getting your own domain and stay away from .blogspot.com or .wordpress.com urls? Did you ever thought of getting your own? I know some who already did!

For the past weeks now I've been contemplating of getting my own domain. Next question in mind though is where will I host it? We can still do it through Blogger or Wordpress for me right? The more questions raced inside my mind...such as - Will I have not have a hard time informing other bloggers of my new URL? Will they bother update their links? Will they lose me? Will I lose them? Then all of it just seems too much that I just STOP in the middle of everything.

So here I am still on blogspot!

Yet, last week as I was updating my resume and was contemplating on getting a domain name for myself (I mean the corporate Mariposa!) upon the IT Guy's suggestion I went through the same motion I did when I thought of getting my own domain for this blog.

I got to this webhosting site directory! They have a list of affordable web hosting providers. Another thing which I discovered is that most of those organizations provide multiple domain hosting which means we can have several domains (sites) hosted under one account. So if your site is just for pure blogging and some personal stuff, getting this kind of web hosting service would be great!

Another area of opportunity I saw is trying to earn modest amount of cash from your blog enough to pay for the domain and web hosting service. Well this is a bit easy and doable once the site or the blog has reached certain exposure which mostly is determine by the number of people linking to you, traffic or number of people visiting your site and of course how often you update your site's content. All these in a nutshell is what this SEO (Search Engine Optimization) all about.

Most of you may have heard of it and for those who have not, you may want to check this blog on SEO and Website Design. My site has been here for a little over 3 years now and though it has passed several winter seasons in blogging I'm glad to know it has survived! And after a long time of ignoring potential income in the web...you can now see some Google Ads posted in the sidebar. I'm just trying it out and see what it gives me!

Another thing I did is signing up at PayPerPost. They say you get paid to blog the things you love so why not?!

Curious? Try it!

Hugs and Kisses!

Today I Rejoice!

Happy Easter everyone!

I just got home from the mall...today is quite different from the past Easter. I was too busy to do any craft. Yet, never too busy to celebrate Easter!

For my family it is more than egg hunting...it is about celebrating God's gift to us, His LOVE!

We always start Easter with a holy mass...then do interesting stuff with the family...have dinner with friends and relatives.

Today I went to the mall with Mom, IT Guy and my nephew Sean. Sean needed a new haircut...

So here we are at the parking area!





Me...Sean...and my Mom!




The we have to pass by Ballooney Shoppe...

And since Sean for whatever reason had a distaste with bears...Mariposa took her share instead!





Sean was hysterical during the entire haircut that we did not have the chance to take photos of it...so we just toured the mall the instead!

This is going to my favorite coffee shope, Figaro! See those cute umbrellas, I love hanging out there with my good friend Pia. IT Guy and I watch Monday sunset there too!



Then we just have to make some stops to pose and to look down!



Yes, those are for Easter! Sean is just too small to join the other kids...but well, next year!

And this is The Terraces, the new extension of Ayala Center Mall...






The view is quite relaxing, especially on sunset...that's why I love it here!

We have no photos to share for our lunch though...IT Guy seems so hungry to take any more photos I gues...LOL

On the way home was fun...look at Sean (with Mom) without his polo shirt! LOL





And how bored I become...




And now for my Easter Unconscious Mutterings!

1. Animal :: Lion and the rest!
   


2. Temporary :: Life
   


3. Moan :: ...for pleasure and pain?!
   


4. Rapid :: Fast...


5. That’s for me to say :: ...for some to DO! *wink*
   


6. City :: Cebu City!
   


7. Bumper :: ...sticker!
   


8. Eclipse :: Total Eclipse of the Heart...
   


9. Problematic :: ...being one is a choice!
   


10. If? :: ...something I try not to dwell too much.

IT Guy is making fun of me now...telling me how I rush to my PC too soon to blog...when my day is not done yet!




Hope you all have a great Sunday!!!

*kisses*

The Art of Being Thankful

How often do we show gratitude? On Thanksgiving? On Memorial Day? On Christmas? Birthdays? When we get good news? But what about for ordinary days like this? What about for the rest of year? Are we not grateful on a daily basis?

I have mentioned before that gratitude for me is an art. Yes, the art of being thankful everyday! And this feeling of gratitude towards everything helps enormously in changing one's mindset and well-being. They say gratitude bridge the gap between what we have and what we do not have. It is only when we appreciate the things we have that we can make ourselves ready to receive more blessings!

So today, I am so happy to share to you random things that I have been grateful for the past days...they are but not limited to the following --

♥ I am thankful for the challenge I had at work early this week, the ruminations allowed me to see different perspectives and have made me grow professionally somehow. As I have always said, my work has been and is a humbling experience for me. It made me strong as a person. It showed me how people's trust can be broken and how one can be taken advantaged of, yet it is always our choice not to be like them at the end of it. Whatever ideals I have at the workplace, I am trying to be that ideals and the change I want them to be. Everything is made possible with God's grace...

♥ I have flu and colds is really making me uncomfortable. But I am grateful that despite all, I am still able to go to work and do all the things which I need to attend.

♥ I am thankful for being invited by CIE as one of the members of their panel for their students defense. This is something I am honored to do...and I would love to talk more about this over the weekend.

♥ I am grateful to have finally started the materials I need for conducting trainings. With that is the gratefulness of meeting wonderful people whom I can work with on this project.

♥ I am thankful for having my best friend Pia again! LOL We have not met for a very long time and to have her around brings so much joy in my heart. It is like I have found a missing part of me... Truly friends are God's wonderful gifts!

♥ I am thankful for my Mom's fast recovery. She had asthma attack last weekend and for her age and with her health history, it is just scary...yet she responded well with the medication and is getting better each day.

♥ I am thankful for the gift of friends I found here...

♥ I am thankful for the life I have...

♥ I am thankful to have found Christ in my life...

And let me end my Thankful Thursday post with a favorite passage from the Bible -

1 Chronicles 29:11-13(KJV)

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name."

Everyday is the best time
to give thanks!

Please check Thankful Thursday
and together let us celebrate
all the things we should
be grateful for!

Finding Life's Meaning...

I came so that everyone would have life,
and have it in its fullest.

- John 10:10

My Word Filled Wednesday entry this week has been inspired by Susan the Wellness Writer. She started writing another wonderful series of post last Monday on Thinking About Life's Meaning. Her brief discussion on the book written by Bruce Grierson, U-Turn: What If You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living The Wrong Life? got me into the topic once again...though I admit, it's the first time this happened!

Every now and then I always go back to this question...what am I living for? What is my life's meaning? And then, there is that one dreaded question, what if I am living the wrong life? Scary isn't it?!

I have not read the book yet but Susan did mention in her part 2 post that the book is about people who dramatically made a U Turn in their lives...I however, like her, is more interested in knowing and understanding what prompted them to make those changes rather than the different turns which they took.

So many times in our lives we are unsure if we are living the life we want...the life we deserve. Most often than not, this happens when we are faced with so many issues in our lives...for it is during those moments that we are more likely to shift gears before stepping on the gas. This reminds me to my WFW entry last week on Deliverance. And ask myself that question again, do I really need to struggle to live the life I've been wanting to live...and the life I deserve?! Then, what is that life that I want and I deserve?

My dear friends, John 10:10 summarizes all the answer to my questions in my search for the meaning of life. Many years ago I have decided to lift it all up to him. I have stopped trying to live the lives which people thinks I need to have. I have stopped living the life which I believe I need to have simply because my family background, my friends and the society I am living in tells me that it is the life I am inclined to and should have.

Today, I am renewing that resolution and covenant I have made to myself many years ago...that turning point in my life when I decided to be happy. The day I commit to live my life according to His will. To live the life I ought to have. The life which He wanted me to live to its fullest. A life that is pleasing to His eyes.

It is not easy. The journey is long...tough...and there are so many bumps along the way, but I know in the end it will be all worth it. Life's challenges will simply delay my trip...but it will never derail me from my destination.

This week, I am so happy to share with you all the wonderful life I found in Him.

Celebrate with us as we share inspiring Bible verses at Word Filled Wednesday...

Wish you all a blessed and meaningful Wednesday!


P.S. I hope to write more on this topic this Sunday for my Sacred Life Sunday.

Fun Monday for March 16, 2009

For the third time, I'm hosting FUN Monday!!!

Oh...what a joy...

First off, to those who are quite unfamiliar with this weekly fun activity...FUN Monday is exactly that! It is a weekly blog activity which has been going on since January of 2007. What separates this from other weekly fun activity is the fact that it has to fix host...yup, yup, FUN Monday is weekly caravan of fun...

So every week, one blogger would volunteer to host and will pick a theme/topic/challenge for that week (usually done the week before!), interested bloggers then sign up...and comes the next Monday...people post their entries and visit each other.

And the fun...goes on! If you want to check how much fun we've had, you may want to visit Robin the Pensieve to check old themes and hosts!

I'm inviting everyone...like EVERYONE to try this fun blogging activity...and also, you may try hosting FUN Monday...I'm telling you, it is just an exciting way of meeting wonderful people.

Now...for next week...it will be something very easy!

It will be...Kids Say the Darnedest Things!

Yes, they can be your children...your nephew...niece....siblings...just any experience which makes you say...indeed, Kids Say the Darnedest Things! They need not be a lot...but no limit to how many you can share...more means more fun!

Again, rules are so simple --

1. Sign up here that you are joining.
2. Put up your list on Monday, March 16. (You can also do it as early as Sunday evening.) And please link to my site.
3. Visit as many participants as you can. (I will be posting links of participants on my site as early as Sunday evening for you to visit!)

To those who are new and is joining the first time, please let me know it is your first time so I can 'pimp' you up to the whole Fun Monday community.

I hope to see many participants...see you Monday!

Butterflies All Around!

It's such a nice feeling to be back, as in for real...like being able to make several posts within the week!

Blessings and graces keeps pouring, and I am grateful for;

- The gift of health. Though the past weeks has been quite draining for me, I'm so glad that despite that and the not so nice weather here, I am still good...I'm usually sensitive to those two!

- Gift of family and friends.

- As I have mentioned in my Fun Monday post, I downgraded my cellphone plan...and since I've been a good customer to them, valuable I mean!, ahem, they still opt to give me a handy phone. Nothing fancy...a Nokia Supernova 7210...cute...and it serves my need!

So I'm able to save several cash because I'm not getting an iPhone anymore...and that is because,


- I'm getting a Lenovo S10!

Thanks to IT Guy for this! This is his gift...well, I told him I prefer this over iPhone...because,

- I can use it to do my other 'ventures', such as doing trainings and studies. Yes, I'm so blessed to meet wonderful people whom I can partner with in making my dream (which is to go into projects base and consulting ventures) a reality!

I have more for sure...as blessings come in so many forms every single moment of our lives! They are like butterflies which flutters around...adding colors to our world...all we need to do is stop whatever it is we are doing and enjoy their fluttering around us.


With that, let me share with you 13 amazing facts about nature...Mariposa's fascination...the BUTTERFLY!


Do you know that...

♥ The word butterfly came from the English word Buttorfleoge. Perhaps because, in mediaeval times, butterflies could be seen hovering around butterchurns or that their excrement is yellowish in colour.

♥ There are approximately 28,000 butterfly species in the world.

♥ Butterflies are the second largest group of pollinators.....next to bees.

♥ Butterflies range in size from a tiny 1/8 inch to a huge almost 12 inches.

♥ Female butterflies usually are bigger and live longer than male butterflies.

♥ Butterflies don't have lungs.

♥ Butterflies taste with their feet.

♥ A butterfly has compound eyes: each eye is made up of about 6,000 tiny parts called lenses, which let in light.

♥ Butterflies can see red, green, and yellow.

♥ Butterflies can see ultraviolet light (light invisible to the human eye) which makes the markings on flowers very vivid to them and guides them to the nectar tubes. Some butterflies have ultraviolet reflectants or markings on their own wings which are visible only to other butterflies.

♥ Butterflies are cold blooded; they do not produce metabolic heat like humans, so they must rely on the sun to raise their body temperature so they can move about. Some bask with their wings open, others with wings shut.

♥ Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.

♥ Butterflies have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton. This protects them and keeps water inside their bodies so they don’t dry out.


There you go...


Everyday is the best time
to give thanks!

Please check Thankful Thursday
and together let us celebrate
all the things we should
be grateful for!



For other 13 wonderful things....please visit Thursday Thirteen!

Happy Monday Everyone!

First of all...I'm fluttering by once again! LOL

Life has been on the edge...should I say extremes once again...

Work is killing me...making me spend so many hours...two Mondays ago I was forced to be at the office for 22 hours! So...do the math, and think how long do you think will it let me to recover the sleep I'm missing...when the days after that...were like 10-12 hours at work! Pffft!

Add to that other personal issues that need some sorting...and well, on a happy note, everything is going well now. I do get some minor bumps once in awhile but things are getting way better!

This post will really be a mixed nuts...with 2 posts dedicated to Fun Monday...yup, I signed up for last week and well, did not make it to hit publish button because of some urgent things at work...which asked me to get there like 3-4 hours earlier than usual!

Jo, my apologies, but well, better late than never!

Jo of Chocolate and Other Things was so sweet to host last week's Fun Monday! And guess what, her topic for this week? It's ALL about our Mom and/or Grandma! Isn't it nice to make one post for that great woman whom we all look up to?!

Okay, this one was supposed to be posted last week, but something came while I was making this post...so it took me another week to open my blog. /SIGH

Below is a photo of me and my Mom...this was take 2007, and was posted originally HERE. That's the photo I can grab last minute... ;)

Though unmotivated to blog for weeks now, Jo, made my fingers type today...because if anything that is about Mom, I'm on it! ALWAYS!



And since this post is quite late, yes, a week late, i'm just linking up to this POST. Because that is what my Mom to me, my super hero!

Now, for this week.s Fun Monday, our host is no other than the lovely Sayre Smiles! And her challenge this week is --

What are you and your family doing to deal with the current economic situation on a personal level? Obama's got a plan for the nation, but how do you/will you deal with your own economic stress?

This is quite interesting! I'm not from the US, but no one is immune from economic downturns...and well, my country? We are always on the downturn...ok, make that most of the time!

Though most people look at me and would say on of the many things I'm good at it spending...on the other hand, I deserve an award for holding off my spending since last quarter of 2008.

I, and IT Guy (since we share most of our finances...and yes, we're getting married!) have done the following;

♥ We have successfully lowered our communication expense. For example, I used to spend Php 5-6k minimum on my cellphone bills...so that is excluding my land line bills. I have lowered it drastically...and it is giving me so much savings!

So how? Well, if there is a land line I use the land line...and I opt to text him now than do an out right call to ask if he gets my texts! I know I'm crazy...LOL

♥ Less shopping for me. I am now planning more my purchase of shoes and clothes...so rather than shopping by impulse, it is now shopping by needs...and to be honest, I don't need much because I don't even get to wear some of the newly purchased clothes.

♥ We have also saved on fuel since we are using the old car most of the time...and it is run by diesel...which is way cheaper!

♥ We have slowly cut our spending on dining out...though I have to admit the past 2 weeks were just different..yet, we needed to spend more time together...because our work has been burning us out!

♥ IT Guy installed a financial manager software and I have to tell you, it is really helping us a lot! It allows us to put in all income versus expenditures...the fixed, the recurring and the variables. I have to say...it is unplanned spending that always kill our budgets...because before we know it, money is gone...and we can't really trace it back. We started using the software December last year and I would say, it is really giving us more savings now.

♥ Ah, also, most of our other incomes and allowances at work that are given to us through checks...automatically goes to our checking accounts...and once the money is there, it stays there...to cover recurring bills and become savings ultimately...because if we encash it, it does not get to stay long in our wallets!

♥ We are also forcing ourselves to go into long term investment. So our other savings we put into that...plus, we allocate a certain percentage of our earnings to go into that. So in case, we screwed up our savings today...we still have something in the years to come.

♥ Lastly, we take good care of ourselves! Because we can't afford to be sick in times like this...

* Not really an option to all, but I'm getting extra sources of income. :)

Please visit Sayre Smiles for more meaningful tips! ;)

There...hope I did not kill with you my 2 posts up there...and if you are still alive to this part, I hope you find the time to scroll down and read below.

I got it from an email....

If you’re mad with someone , and nobody’s there to fix the situation… You fix it .

Maybe today, that person still wants to be your friend . And if u don’t, tomorrow can be too late .

If you’re in love with somebody , but that person doesn’t know… tell her/him.

Maybe today, that person is also in love with you .

And if you don’t say it, tomorrow can be too late .

If you really want to kiss somebody… kiss her/him.

Maybe that person wants a kiss from you, too . And if you don’t kiss her/him today, tomorrow can be too late .

If you still love a person that you think has forgotten you…. tell her/him.

Maybe that person have always loved you. And if you don’t tell her/him today , tomorrow can be too late.

If you need a hug of a friend… ask her/him for it.

Maybe they need it more than you do. And if you don’t ask for it today, tomorrow can be too late.

If you really have friends who you appreciate…. tell them.

Maybe they appreciate you as well. That if you don’t and they leave or go far away today , tomorrow can be too late.

If you love your parents, and never had the chance to show them… do it .

Maybe you have them there to show them how you feel. That if you don’t and they leave today , then tomorrow can be too late.

I'd like to thank anyone who emailed and wish me well! I'm fine...and I have temporarily put down my HNT...so no invite for people because the site is like dead for now...I hope to be back with HNT by next month!

Thanks to Sage and Autumn for all...and also to Vixen!

I wish everyone a FUN Monday!!!