anything is possible

Excerpts from Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance:

Authentic success is :

- having time enough to pursue personal pursuits that bring you pleasure, time enough to make the loving gestures for your family you long to do, time enough to care for your home, tend your garden, nurture your soul.

- never having to tell yourself or those you love, "maybe, next year."

- knowing that if today were your last day on earth, you could leave without regret.

- feeling focused and serene when you work, not fragmented.

- knowing you've done the best you possibly can, no matter what circumstances you faced; it's knowing in your soul that the best you can do is all you can do, and that the best you can do is always enough.

- accepting your limitations, making peace with your past, and reveling in your passions so that your future may unfold according to a Divine Plan.

- discovering and calling forth your gifts and offering them to the world to help heal its ravaged heart.

- making a difference in other lives and believing that if you can do that for just one person each day, through a smile, a shared laugh, a caress, a kind word, or a helping hand, blessed are you among women.

- not just money in the bank but a contented heart and peace of mind.

- earning what you feel you deserve for the work you do and knowing that you're worth it.

- paying your bills with ease, taking care of all your needs, and the needs of those you love, indulging in some wants, and having enough left over to save and share.

- not about accumulating but letting go, because all you have is all you truly need.

- feeling good about who you are, appreciating where you've been , celebrating your achievements, and honoring the distance you've already come.

- reaching the point where being is as important as doing.

- the steady pursuit of a dream.

- realizing that no matter how much time it takes for a dream to come true in the physical world, no day is wasted.

- valuing inner, as well as outer labor - both your own and others'.

- elevating labor to a craft and craft to an art by bestowing Love on every task you undertake.

- knwing how simply abundant your life is exactly as it is today.

- being grateful for the many blessings bestowed on you and yours that you can share your portion with others.

- living each day with a heart overflowing.

May we all achieve authentic success!!!

delirious

It came as a surprise, no, a shock! I lifted the telephone receiver expecting to hear a friend's voice, instead, it was the voice of a stranger. Oh, but it was a wonderful stranger, indeed; it was in fact, the voice of my angel. And she was telling me I got accepted as one of the ten fellows in the Barlaya Writing Workshop.

My mind was reeling; I actually couldn't concentrate on what she was telling me. She congratulated me, told me to wait for more details about the venue of the workshop, and I think I did manage to say thank you for the great news.

And when I have finally put the phone down, I screamed in delirious happiness! Aaaaahhhhh!!! I made the cut...I did it...thank you God! I have not felt this ecstatic about something for the longest time. My husband asked me what's wrong, and I gave him a tight hug and cried, "I'm so happy." He must have thought I was crazy or weird. I felt weird. Happy-weird.

And then, I remembered this line from Sarah Ban Breathnach's book, "Simple Abundance":

"Desire, Ask, Believe, Receive" - Stella Terrill Mann

It is how we should pray, she said. I have asked Him to show me where I need to be...what I need to do...and serendipitously, I was lead to this workshop. It took me a little under a week to prepare the final manuscript, but the seed of the story had been germinating inside my brain for more than three years. It was just waiting for the right moment. Intially, I was scared to write it. It was a story that I really nurtured and wanted to publish. I was terrified that it would get torn into pieces by the critics. And yet, my heart knew it was time to let go, "If not now, when?"

As I saw it on print for the first time, I believed it was good. And when I submitted the manuscript, I hoped it would be good enough. And when I got that call, I knew it was.

"Dare yourself to believe in your creativity, wherever it may lead you. Trust that where it leads is exactly where you're supposed to be." - Sarah Ban Breathnach

if Pluto is not a planet, then could it be a Dwarf?

A few days ago, I wrote that the universe is expanding, that new planets are being added to the solar system...but the winds have changed.

I saw the late-news on tv tonight and was surprised to hear that Pluto has been cast out.

"Astronomers today voted to create the first scientific definition of the word "planet", and Pluto did not make the cut.
In a redefinition of our solar system agreed at a conference of 2,500 astronomers in the Czech capital, Prague, the dinky and remote Pluto was classified as a "dwarf planet".

Under the new guidelines, agreed after a week of sometimes passionate debate, to qualify as a planet a celestial body must have "cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit".

Pluto, which has been widely regarded as a planet since its discovery in 1930, has an oblong orbit that overlaps with Neptune's, so is disqualified full planet status.

The new classification means that the science textbooks will have to be ripped up, as the solar system is now made up of the eight "classical planets", plus a number of dwarf planets. The classical planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune."

Read more...

But don't worry, PLuto, you still have a few friends behind you...

But the Seven Dwarfs are not taking it lying down.

"Although we think it's DOPEY that Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, which has made some people GRUMPY and others just SLEEPY, we are not BASHFUL in saying we would be HAPPY if Disney's Pluto would join us as an eighth dwarf," they insisted.

"We think this is just what the DOC ordered and is nothing to SNEEZE at."

Read more...

first time

Do you remember your own "first-times"? It's not just about sex, you know. It could be the first time you rode a bike, the first kiss, the first time you got an A, the first time you saw your baby, etc.

It doesn't matter what it was, what mattered was that it was the first. No matter how mundane or profound it was, some kind of mystical air had always been associated to a first time experience.

The first time will be "the experience that all other experiences of the same kind will be judged upon."

I had a 'first-time' experience today. While waiting for my son's dismissal from school, I decided to try answering the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. I was never a big fan of crossword puzzles, although, I have tried answering some in the past, I have never actually completed one, with or without help from an answer key, until today.



I was surprised at how easy it was, although maybe it was one of those puzzles in the "easy" category. Nevertheless, it was an uplifting experience to be able to complete it all by myself. It was as if I was rediscovering myself through that puzzle. I never realized that "peen" is a "hammer part" or that "pats" are "butter portions". And I couldn't believe that I still remember "Lake Erie" as one of the "Great Lakes" from my Geography lessons in high school. (That was ages ago!) And I only made one mistake: I thought "cloakroom" was the "place for coats in a cafe", but it turned out to be the "checkroom."

I wish I could have seen the inside of my brain while I was doing that puzzle; it must have been going crazy, with all those synaptic connections going on in under 30 minutes!

I was so amazed at my accomplishment that I just had to share it with someone. And I remembered Candy, my friend from college and SGV, who loved answering crosswords then. I sent her a message about the "phenomenon" and she sent a reply that made me feel happy that we could share this.

Maybe I would never be able to complete another crossword puzzle in my life but I will always have this "first-time" embedded in my "long-term memory" forever.

my slide

being funny

Someone once told me that he thought I was funny. Hah! That was funny! If you ask my friends, they would give you a blank stare and think you are losing your mind. I do associate myself with funny friends: people who love cracking jokes, people who like to kid a lot, people who quip the funniest punchlines in town. I love those people! I love people who make me laugh! And I do love to laugh!

But I guess there was a time when I was that person. Someone who seemed carefree, optimistic, and generally, positive about life. I remember her. I remember that girl he used to know. I did love to laugh, even at myself. I loved to do silly stuff, likes singing on top of the billiard table with the billiard stick as microphone, making weird faces at my friends, "ice skating" in front of the UST Pay High building, etc. It just seems so long ago. And it's not really easy to forget what happened in between.

Although I see glimpses of her now, though quite strangely in a different body, nevertheless, I believe her spirit lives on...in my son and in my daughter. And maybe someday they could teach me how to be funny once again.

a whole new universe

Illustration of Earth, Planets and Sun

I never thought it would happen in my lifetime, but last week, I read the most surprising and exciting news. the scientific community is thinking of adding three planets to our solar system.

"The universe really is expanding _ astronomers are proposing to rewrite the textbooks to say that our solar system has 12 planets rather than the nine memorized by generations of schoolchildren.

Much-maligned Pluto would remain a planet _ and its largest moon plus two other heavenly bodies would join Earth's neighborhood _ under a draft resolution to be formally presented Wednesday to the International Astronomical Union, the arbiter of what is and isn't a planet.

"Yes, Virginia, Pluto is a planet," quipped Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The proposal could change, however: Binzel and the other nearly 2,500 astronomers from 75 nations meeting in Prague to hammer out a universal definition of a planet will hold two brainstorming sessions before they vote on the resolution next week. But the draft comes from the IAU's executive committee, which only submits recommendations likely to get two-thirds approval from the group."

(Read full article here)

What does this mean? one thing, it would definitely affect our science curriculum content and that means, it would affect books, internet websites, encyclopedias, charts, etc. (read article on Adding Planets Means New Textbooks, Toys)

But nothing's definite yet. As of this moment, I think the IAU is still deliberating on the issue. And some astronomers are not too keen on this new definition of a planet. (read Michael Brown)

P.S.
One of the proposed additions is UB313, a planet discovered by Michael Brown, which he nicknamed Xena. UB313 kind of reminded me of the planet of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince", which was actually Asteroid B612. ;-)

are you a crayon breaker?

Excerpt from "32 Traits of Creative People"

BROKEN CRAYONS and the act of BREAKING CRAYONS represent creativeness, creative thinking and the efforts of creative people to me.

How often do you BREAK CRAYONS? Lets take a look. The following is a short exercise that will help you discover how easily you BREAK CRAYONS.

Are You a Crayon BREAKER?

Please click here for the complete article by Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.

Atlantis Revisited

When I wrote the poem "Atlantis", it had a different title, or rather, it had no title. It was just one of those poems I create when the Muse drops by for a surprise visit and I just have to make room for her or else miss out on a wonderful creative spark. So, it was a delightful surprise (again!) for me when I saw the Anthony Hopkins movie, "Hearts in Atlantis" and I was "gripped" by it.

Sir Anthony Hopkins delivered a superb performance as Ted Brautigan, the mysterious loner who befriended Bobby Garfield (played by Anton Yelchin)and his two friends, Carol and Sully.

It is a film about one man's memories of a childhood summer made even more memorable by his friendship with Ted, his first kiss with his best friend, mysteries discovered, standing up to his mother, and moving out of their home and onto a future yet to be revealed.

It is based on a Stephen King story, which is not entitled "Hearts in Atlantis", but "Low Men in Yellow Coats." (For more trivia, click here.)

There are many wonderful quotes from the movie, my favorites are:

Ted Brautigan: Sometimes when you're young, you have moments of such happiness, you think you're living in someplace magical, like Atlantis must have been? then we grow up and our hearts break into two.

Bobby Garfield: It's funny how when you're a kid, a day can last forever. Now, all these years seem just like a blink.

(For more quotes, click here.)

So have you revisited your own Atlantis lately?

From genius genes to tyrannosaur musings

For bookwormsters like me, sometimes we get tired of reading the same kind of books. Like last month, I wrote in my blog that after reading 3 or 4 books on women's issues, I felt my brain was toast! So to get the brain synapses reactivated, I started reading "chick-lit" - light, usually funny stories with women protagonists - these books are not really award-winning literature but they are a great fun to read! It was good to laugh out loud once in a while.

So if you want some alternative reading for your cool, rainy nights, here are some recommendations from the writers of Science News. I haven't read any of these yet but some of the titles really sound interesting and intriguing.

BookList

Do share if you find these titles. Happy reading!

it's not my fault-line!

I learned a truly valuable lesson the other day; and that is, before you buy a piece of property (house and/or lot) in Metro Manila (or any part of the Philippines, for that matter) make sure to drop by the PHIVOLCS office along C.P. Garcia Avenua in UP Diliman. Go to the Geologic Disaster Awareness and Preparedness Division office (2nd floor) and ask questions, specifically about the Valley Fault System (VFS).

The VFS or Marikina Valley Fault is a system of faultlines that stretch across the eastern side of Metro Manila (it goes as far as San Jose del Monte in the North, and Muntinlupa in the South). "The Marikina Valley Fault, located in the eastern part of the study area, is the fault expected to cause the largest impact in the metropolis. Recent studies revealed that the Valley Fault caused at least 2, perhaps 4, earthquakes within the last 1400 years, the approximate return period is less than 500 years, and no event along the West Valley Fault is not known after the 16th century." (source: MMEIRS)

Actually, you could ask your broker or the developer of your property to obtain an active fault certification (or an assessment of hazards in areas adjacent to active faults and active volcanoes. According to the geologist I talked to, the rule is there should be a set-back of at least 5 meters from both sides of the existing fault to be on the safe side, so to speak. Otherwise, your structure (building or house) could suffer from the fault ruptures. But I also gathered that it is not a guarantee that you won't be affected by a movement in the VFS. According to the MMEIRS, "IF the VFS moves, a M7.2 earthquake CAN be generated. This could produce ground shaking up to Intensity VIII or IX in Metro Manila." So it is important that the structures we build are capable of withstanding this kind of event.

I was looking at the VFS map and realized that it ran right smack in the middle of the subdivision we were eyeing. To say that I was disappointed is an understatement because I really liked the neighborhood and the price of the property was relatively cheap. But then again the reason why it was soooo affordable was probably because it had a secret: a secret fault.

The VFS has not really exhibited any movement for the past thousands of years so I could be just a little tad paranoid when I imagine an-8 magnitude earthquake totally destroying my dream house while I'm peacefully sleeping on my bed in the middle of the night.

But the Earth is changing; something's up. If you could just be a little bit more aware of what's happening in the world (not just in the Philippines), you would probably notice that the Earth is gearing up for something big. I feel that one cannot really escape the eventuality (or possibility) that even the mighty dinosaurs succumbed to, but at least we could make better informed decisions about our lives for the time we have left.

things women hate

Inspired by the Penman's "Things Men Hate".

1. Don't leave you dirty laundy on the floor. And then complain that you don't have any clean undershirts to wear. If it's not in the hamper, it's not gonna get washed, dahling.

2. Don't ask me very important questions regarding our finances when I'm busy watching a video or when I'm blogging. Can't you see I'm doing very important work? I mean, I need a break from all the work in this house, you know? So even though I don't have a sign that says, "On A Break, Come Back in 15 Minutes", when I don't answer, take a hint.

3. Don't ask me to get patis or cut up tomatoes for you when I'm already settled in my chair at the breakfast table. Geez, can't you just do that yourself? Okay, okay, of course, I sometimes ask you to get my ketchup, but I already set the table, can't you at least do something to help me out sometimes.

4. Don't ask me where your shoes are. If you did not put them inside the shoe rack, they must have walked out on you at last.

5. Don't take this the wrong way. I love you, I just hate the things you do sometimes. We both hate each other sometimes, I think. We're only human. We do our best.