Love is The Power! :)

Just finished attending the First Friday Mass here at ABS-CBN's chapel. I was feeling out of sorts with all the stuff I have to accomplish today so that I could make it to my friends' meet-up in Makati before we head off to our Tagaytay escapade. I couldn't leave the office earlier as planned though since I have to cover an event later.

But thank God I heard today's gospel which is about the multiplication of loaves and fish during one of Jesus's preaching in Galilee. I love the priest's homily because it was about the true meaning of “eating” and “dining”. With the fast-paced lifestyle that we lead nowadays, he said that people often take for granted the need for conversation/interaction when dining either with your loved ones or in social functions.

He stressed that “eating” also means “sharing” especially in light of The Eucharist or The Last Supper where Jesus Christ broke the bread and shared pieces of it with his disciples. The whole act was made not only for the sake of eating but for sharing the good news about humanity’s salvation and the great mission that lies ahead of them.

He talked about keeping our hearts open to hear what others have to say and not just concentrate solely on filling our stomachs with food. Such is our tendency when we’re so busy we don’t have time to talk and enjoy the company of our friends and loved ones. In the same way that he encouraged us to keep our hands open to the needy for the more we give, the more we receive.

It was a very striking homily for me because the priest also shared his thoughts about faithful love and the modern couples' tendency to grow apart “para mag-kanya-kanya”; when the real essence of love in the context of marriage is staying committed to each other and being ready to give up anything for one’s partner.

And I realized, that is not martyrdom because love is made perfect with God at the center of any relationship. Whatever happens, whatever decision that you make, you just know that you’ll never go wrong. Because true love is never wrong. It’s so powerful that it actually covers all wrongs.

Indeed, such is the POWER of love. :)

You get what you give.

Vic Sotto on falling in love: "Mahirap naman yung todo. Kapag nadapa ka, masakit. Mabuti na yung lumalakad nang dahan-dahan. Kung matalisod ka, e, may katangahan ka na lang! Kung madapa ka, seriously, hindi masyadong masakit ang pagkakadapa."

I remember Vhong Navarro shares the same view in love! They have a point but I dunno if I should agree or not though. A friend once told me that if you only give 50% of yourself in anything you do, you don't get to enjoy the full benefits of that endeavor. In the same way that you are not fully happy when you hold back your feelings out of fear of rejection or heartache...It's scary I know. But I believe that love should always prevail. Everything else follows. :)

I don't wanna be scared...But I still am.

Love sometimes wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.

Your love

Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,

Only to someone who has the valor and daring

To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife

Then weave them into a blanket

To protect you.

Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.

Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.

There are different wells within your heart.

Some fill with each good rain,

Others are far too deep for that

Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.

Even after all this time the sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me”

There is no pleasure without a tincture of bitterness. - Paolo Coelho

It's amazing how Coelho put into words the feelings and thoughts that people often have a hard time expressing to the one they love or even admitting to themselves. I was inspired from the moment that I read the first line of this entry in his blog, for it reminded me that THERE REALLY IS NO ROOM FOR PRIDE IN LOVE. I’ve seen many times how expectations, doubts and fears stop a person from showing someone how much he/she really means to him/her. Because the truth is, people can't help but expect to be loved in return. And it would be heartbreaking once the person finds out all his/her efforts were made in vain. But in the end, what really matters is that you live the present moment, say what you wanna say, do what you wanna do and be able to stand up for it no matter what the consequences. Just remember that you should know when to let go if it's time to move on or to stay in that person's life if he/she wants you to.

Yes, fear is the cheapest room in the house...

I don't wanna be scared...

But I still am.

I gotta keep breathing! ;)

Chuck Noland: We both had done the math. Kelly added it all up and... knew she had to let me go. I added it up, and knew that I had... lost her. 'cos I was never gonna get off that island. I was gonna die there, totally alone. I was gonna get sick, or get injured or something. The only choice I had, the only thing I could control was when, and how, and where it was going to happen. So... I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course. You know me. And the weight of the log, snapped the limb of the tree, so I-I - , I couldn't even kill myself the way I wanted to. I had power over *nothing*. And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring? (Cast Away, 2000)

I’m feeling sleepy and a little bored when I came across this excerpt while surfing the net for nothing in particular. Just you know, waiting for something exciting to happen in the middle of a slow and uneventful Wednesday afternoon. As I read the striking lines, which I put on bold above, I remember the simple truth about how good it is to be alive, to be able to breathe the air around you, no matter how polluted the city have become or how monotonous your daily routine is.

It’s so easy to take for granted the simple things that we should enjoy like taking a moment to look out the window of your office building and appreciate the harmony between God’s awe-inspiring creation and man’s ingenuity—the cityscape juxtaposed against the clear blue skies and rolling mountains beyond or the city lights and the twinkling stars at night. Such simple pleasures never fail to amaze me, most especially during the moments in your life when you want to give up the fight, surrender to your weakness and let darkness overcome you.

To lose hope is effortless. And so we are challenged every waking day to find a reason to believe that our lives are worth living. Whether good or bad, whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, remember that you are exactly where you are meant to be. Don’t rush and just enjoy the journey! J

Crazy much

Do I make you lie awake at night?

Wondering if you’ve thought of me just once

What keeps you busy and if you’ve eaten or not.

Do I make your heart ache with longing?

As I terribly miss your voice, your smile, your laugh

And even your silence amidst a happy crowd.

Do I make you smile when you think of me?

Our precious times together however brief

It never fails to make my heart skip a beat.

Do I make you crazy the way I am for you?

Tell me now, yes or no

Coz I don’t know what to do without you.

"If you truly find love, you find yourself"

I've read this excerpt from Deepak Chopra's book The Path To Love and I can't help but recall how I was recently taught a lesson about humility and respect. I guess I've been engrossed in my own little world at work and the external things that make me happy that I forget that life is not just about me and what I want. That I have to stop and take a closer look at the person I'm becoming. That I need to share more of myself to others especially those who need my compassion, understanding and cooperation.

The fact that I was taking for granted some things in my life brought confusion in me. And only when I finally faced my inner conflicts did it dawn on me that I have to re-examine my core values and how I will allign them to my priorities which will help me choose the path I should take. (Unfinished dwellings last December 19, 2010)

Magic Moments in Tagaytay & Enchanted Kingdom

The Christmas break was quickly over and I truly missed waking up at 3AM for the Misa De Gallo (9 mornings of novena mass), the anticipation of the Christmas celebration, the holiday cheer, the Christmas songs being played 24/7 at my office, the bazaars, the midnight mall shoppings. It was the busiest Christmas season for me since I had to meet deadlines for several writing jobs as well.

But then again

I also found time for my favorite Korean series DVD marathon. I swear I got lost in dreamland after watching It Started With A Kiss, Princess Hours and Down With Love (Tagalog versions). Ang gagwapo naman kasi ni Joe Cheng, Joo Ji Hoon and Jerry Yan! Kalurkey sila. I was out of my element by New Year's eve though because of my sore throat/dry cough. Totally lost my voice, skipped our house party and slept soon after the fireworks display stopped at our neighborhood. :s

On the second day of 2011, I was still not feeling well but my kuya convinced me to go to Tagaytay with a few of our Kamishitoo friends for a bit of fresh air and major bonding time before going back to work the next day. We went straight to Palace In The Sky (located at the highest peak of Mt. Gonzales), a perfect spot to take pictures overlooking Taal Lake. It was years since we last visited the ruins there and we were surprised that what used to be a neglected pool was now turned into a park of sorts.

The statue of the Holy Mother of Fair Love was also a great place to visit especially for devout Catholics since how it got there is in itself an awe-inspiring story. During the construction of Palace In The Sky in 1981, dynamite blasts failed to destroy a huge rock formation that was completely obstructing the view of what was supposed to be a dream house of the Marcoses. Turns out that it was housing the image of our Lady, Mother of Fair Love, which was originally built in 1975 by a group of high schoolers. Amazing huh?

We wanted to try the zip line in Picnic Grove but for some reason, one of us thought of going to Enchanted Kingdom instead. I've been to theme

parks before but I've never tried riding the roller coaster in my whole life. It's been in my bucket list for two years in a row, and I finally did it, twice! Love the adrenaline rush and the exhilarating feeling during that less than two-minute ride. I never closed my eyes even for a moment because I wanted to relish the whole experience. Just imagine how frustrating, talkative as I am, not to be able to shout on top of my lungs to release the tension. Yet I could still relive snapshots of that ride in my head. That’s how much I loved it!

The downside of it was that the queues were so long (esp. since it was a holiday weekend) that we only got to try three rides in all—Space Shuttle, Ferris Wheel and Anchor’s Away. We wanted to try Xtreme, but it was a mistake that we rode the Ferris Wheel first because we kinda got scared of heights. So it’s safe to say that Anchor’s Away was the most nerve-racking ride for me because for a second there I thought I was gonna be thrown away on its final and uppermost swing. But I’ll definitely try it again just for fun!

I tell you, I was exhausted and feeling sick by then. But as we headed back home, I knew that I simply had to return to the place where “magic continues”. For not only did it “feed” the child in me (As Paolo Coelho would say, the one who believes in magic moments), but it also made me believe in myself again. I conquered my fear of rollercoasters didn’t I? :)