You Are Unique and Beautiful

When I was much younger, my connotation of "beautiful" was to have a thin and skinny body. These were frequently the images I saw in the magazines and the television. And like you, I too tried various means to lose the unwanted pounds. I exercised excessively and ate too little, replaced my meals with shakes and I even bought the coffee that will help suppress the appetite. Migosh! I stopped the latter after consuming only one sachet. I was awake the whole night and my throat was dry. The effects of those harmful chemicals were dangerous, I thought.

Moving forward and many years after, I learned to embrace my uniqueness and found the equation: exercise + a healthful lifestyle + moderation = ideal. And as I matured in years and exposed myself to various personalities and circumstances; the meaning of the word altogether changed. A person's character and good qualities were more important.

The video is a far cry from the idiom, "beauty is only skin deep."  How do you define beautiful?

Video Source: kzagorda

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All Smiles Despite The Downpour

Filipinos are resilient. No matter how bad our current situation is; we manage to smile, to joke around and to continuously look at the brighter side of life despite the daunting scenarios around us. Seemingly, torrential rains have caused many places in the Philippines to flood. And just before typhoon Maring poured, a sea mishap occurred in Cebu. Yet life has to go on just like the constant ticking of the clock.

Since my childhood days, I frequently bathed and played under the rain with my playmates and enjoyed every moment of it. Before the cloudburst, we would draw a huge sun on the ground to prevent it from falling. But deep inside I was wishing with all my might for a downfall, lol. And to this very day, my sentiments remain.

With thousands of people affected by this horrendous typhoon, I have no right to whine in any way; more so to be an ingrate. We are all fine and continue to eat regular meals. Most importantly, we manage to smile despite the downpour. Keep safe everyone!

Photo source: Kendisan Seruyan

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As He Fondly Recalled

The antiquated photo was taken in 1950s when my father was barely five (first from right). He is the middle son who was terribly spoiled by his grandmother but had frequent beatings from his mother. He fondly recalled how he enjoyed playing on the street and always went home with his both arms covered with rubber bands or his shoebox filled with playing cards after several games with his friends.

He jovially shared that he and his younger brother would sit on the lap of their eldest brother though the jeepney was empty of passengers to save on fare when going to school, lol! The driver would then encourage them to sit for free and later spend the money to buy more snacks in school. Now that's very clever of them to devise such scheme!

My father is now 61. And though the twilight years of his life is fast-approaching, he continues to have a child-like charm that we find endearing. And I never fail to thank our good Lord  because he and my mother continue to be considerably healthy even in their senior years!

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Today I Am Lucky...

Today I am lucky... to find not just one but four variants of my favorite Halter Bonbons! 

While doing our weekly grocery shopping I went to the items on sale and found these. The price tag read P9.25 (original price per box was P24.75) and it'll expire after four months. Not bad, right? I love the coffee flavor since time immemorial. But since the price was significantly lower, I also got myself the other flavors which were as good. But as a certified coffee lover, nothing beats my first love.

I hope your Friday was great!

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Elevator Lady: Cheers To You!

Work is essential to life. You get a sense of fulfillment as a result of your dedication, discipline and optimism. Many of us work to earn a living and to have comfortable lives; but not all enjoy what they do, agree?

I found the videos below which went viral due to the qualities I've mentioned earlier of the famous "elevator lady." Visualize this: You go to work for eight hours a day, five times a week and all you do is to press the limited buttons of an elevator that only go up and down. Now, won't that bore you?

Please find time to watch and discover how different she is from the rest of those working in the same field. She is not only amiable and hospitable. She also knows the different stores each floor carries. Amazing!

Video source: otnorp evad I Josh Magpale

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Bubble Wrap: Every Motorist's Best Friend

Have you ever thought of putting a bubble wrap around your steering wheel? Yes, a bubble wrap especially if you're driving on the congested, busy streets of Metro Manila! This is a good means to distract the brewing frustration and boredom of the driver while maneuvering through the bumper-to-bumper situation of EDSA.

When I visited my OB-GYN and sister-in-law for a SIS (Saline-Infused Sonography)  yesterday, we were quite astounded but very glad to witness the thoroughfares with fewer buses! The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has been doing their job lately from prohibiting the collorum provincial buses to pass along EDSA. I commend them for doing a great job and hopefully they sustain it too.

It was a breeze traveling and reaching the hospital earlier minus the hassle of spending too much time on the road. If you were in charge of the steering wheel, would you enjoy popping the bubble wrap too?


Photo source: Meme Collection

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Happiness Is... Being Complete!

Please click photo to enlarge and appreciate

The caption of this picture is very true for me. The illustration is even more endearing! It completely defines an ideal familial relationship irrespective of the hardships, the lack of tangible things you can acquire from this world and the comfort it brings.

I also see contentedness painted all over their faces and profound love for each other; making what seems impossible possible. And I am truly blessed because my family exemplifies this. Do you also have the same sentiments?

Photo source: email attachment.

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Know Your Worth

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a 50 peso bill. In the room of 100, he asked, “Who would like this 50 peso bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this 50 peso to one of you - but first, let me do this.”  He proceeded to crumple the 50 peso note up. He then asked. “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air. “Well,” he replied, “what if I do this?” He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth 50 peso. Many times in our lives, we  are   dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that  come our way. We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what  will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by …WHO WE ARE.


You are special - don’t ever forget it.”

Text source: DJ•Ѕїорао Иан Маяоои 
Photo Source

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