Category Archives: Feature and Fiction

Love In The Eyes Of An Empath| 3rd Year Wedding Anniversary Special

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As the title goes, this post is in line with our celebration for our 3rd year wedding anniversary. I can only praise God for taking good care of our marriage and for our happy union now – we owe it all to Him. 🙂 ❤

For a change though, I’ve decided to make this a creative write-up. Here it goes. ❤ 😉

Dear love,

It was a beautiful friendship. Now, it is a thriving marriage.

At first, nothing could go wrong, you thought. Because “love” is all in the air. And yet, you saw visions of them – hatred, bitterness, hurt, and anger. Then, it became a reality. Ah, they brought you pain. So much pain. So you asked, “God, where do I go?” His answer was simple, “Me. Come to me.”

Then, everything vanished. You were carried in His arms. You knew you will walk out that dreary stretch with all your might. Could it be that you have fallen along the way? Yes, but He picked you up. Amazing, isn’t it? The footprints always remain a single pair. It must be true. It is, in fact, true.

Now, you saw that familiar face, again. You can see his gaze, perturbing. That look, yes, that look. You saw the pain. It emanates from the windows of his soul, the eyes. You felt the pain. So this is how it is to love. To love with all your soul – all bare, all naked, all vulnerable.

Can things change? You hoped it in your heart. No, you prayed it with all your heart. There might still be a chance. But that’s the thing with love. It always gives chances. Even if you thought the opposite is true.

I’m glad he’s back. And so we’re back. Here we are fighting together and not against each other. But something really has changed. No, it’s not something. A lot of things have changed. You counted the days that turned into weeks and then months. And now? 2 years of changed lives and changed hearts.

You are more than glad you called out to Him for help. You knew you cannot do it on your own. That familiar gaze would’ve come from a stranger. A stranger who knew so much about you. A stranger made by circumstances.

He finally arrives home, you look at him. There he is with his tired look. He smiled faintly, greeted you with a kiss. But his usual banter is nowhere to be seen. You decide to tell him then later. Give him a tight hug, a sweet kiss, then prepare dinner.

He is trying the best that he could to be the best man. Don’t forget the little and big things which he knows you’ll love even if it’s too much of a hassle for him. When all is at rest, he’s back to his usual self. Ah yes, the perfect time to lie beside him, tease him, tell him what you wanted to tell him, stare at his face, and wonder if the circles under his eyes are getting bigger.

So you smiled at him which was returned right away and then more teasing. A few words are enough. That is not so hard to do. To focus more on someone is to focus less on the self. You read the emotions, you read the actions. It’s not hard to tell. You know what to do, you know what to say, and when to do all of them.

Funny how a pause is so important in everything. You look at him, you pause. He says something, you pause. He does something, you pause. Those pauses are so much more than just mere pauses. They speak volume to you who feels everything.

If there is but one thing that marriage teaches you about life, it is this – take a pause. When you pause, you loosen up. You detach from your emotions. Then, everything comes to a standstill.

It’s just like a time machine. It allows you to reorganize everything and make sure you’ll do everything right this time. Except in our world, you don’t need a time machine. Why? Because your choices will allow you to control time.

Time. You must love time and for what it does whether it’s to heal, to be free, to fight, or to reunite. See time as your best friend, not your enemy. It is only when you pause that you stop the time. You pause because you want to cherish the moments you want and can keep.

Love and time. They make a relationship grow. Yes, so much have changed. But only because we chose to allow time in letting things grow. And only because we have love to keep things growing.

About love, it’s not so hard to find actually. All you need to do is just look up and say, “God, I am ready for You.”

Make sure though that you really are ready. Because it is only love that will keep you together when everything seems falling apart. And when you do finally have love, whatever comes in your relationship, be assured that it will always have a happy ending. 🙂

A loving empath always,

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If you love poetry reading, you can try watching my version of this lyric poem below. Enjoy! ☺❤

P.S.

I am currently finishing drafts one by one and once done, I plan to set the date when each article will go live. A thought came in though. What if one of these days I’ll find out my days here in this world are numbered? Will it be okay if my social media accounts still be “active” because of my scheduled posts on WordPress even if I’ve long been gone? I have drafted a whole year worth of articles. I hope you guys won’t find it creepy. 😀

Anyway, speaking of those numbered days, I randomly shot a question to hubby dear last week. I asked him what he will do if there’s an emergency here at home i.e. I slipped on the bathroom floor and was knocked unconscious, there was a fire, etc. and he needs to rush me to the hospital. He just answered that he’ll decide when it’s already happening. So I told him that sometimes a little preparation will help align your emotions to what can possibly happen (the dreaded events) and prevent a lot of hassle.

I continued by telling him that if he finds me unconscious on the floor, he must check my pulse, then get 3 important things: keys, wallet, and cellphone. He must also lock the door after carrying me out. Then once downstairs, ask for help from the guard then book a Grab car or taxi if the ambulance from a nearby hospital will take too long to fetch me.

My husband finds this absurd. Haha Yup, I know you will find this absurd, too. 😀 And I realized I am beginning to sound a lot like my Mom these days. (Love you, Mom!) But I know these “absurd” thoughts never popped up for no reason. They will also serve their purpose in God’s time. Well, it’s just an afterthought, anyway. A long one. 😉

Yes You Can: How To Cultivate Your Talents And Skills

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We have all been gifted with different spiritual gifts which make us all unique and special. As they say, there are no two people in this world who are ever alike. Not even twins.

Discovering what are the talents that we have been gifted with will lead us to our passion. What is it that we love doing and we love to do regardless of whether we’ll be compensated for it or not?

Once we have discovered what we’re passionate about, the next step is to cultivate it. We have to hone all the skills needed to support our passion, so to speak. It will be a waste to never use any special skills we have probably just waiting to be discovered.

For the next few paragraphs, I want to share some key points when it comes to learning a new skill or improving current skills. In my case, it is writing, but the points below are all applicable in any field or area of specialization.

Using Talents and Skills to Fuel Your Passion

1. Render Services

This will come naturally. When we love what we do, we do things on our own accord. Sometimes, there’s even no need for a motivation. It’s always the self who will dictate how the entire process will flow until we accomplish the kind of finished output we desire.

Try to look for platforms where you can share your talents. In my case, for example, God gave me the opportunity to write for a faith-based website (Daily PS) and I get to read what other Christian writers are writing, too.

2. Collaborate with a Community (Same Interests)

The social media is the best network to look for like-minded individuals. LinkedIn Learning, for one, has the “Career Advice” feature where you can ask other people their viewpoints and who have the same interests as you.

It also offers so many courses on a wide range of specializations (you may try it free for 1 week). I was able to finish the course on content marketing and I was surprised that they also provide a certificate upon course completion. Public forums also offer fresh and new insights to add to your learning experience.

3. Explore All Learning Platforms

Speaking of learning, there are so many platforms to learn from out there. It is not just limited to the world wide web. It extends to the streets, your home, your workplace, your friend’s house, and anywhere actually. Coming up with a newer and better output because we learned something new is too much of a good opportunity to pass up.

In some cases, you will need to pay for learning some new concepts. But in my experience, you’ll always get your money’s worth. Currently, I am exploring all about learning business processes, marketing, and management in preparation for a new season (daunting but having faith in Him) that God is slowly ushering me and my siblings in.

LinkedIn Company Profile

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I was able to learn about making a professional logo this time, too. It’s a bit challenging but very much achievable. I am also developing a new website for the family project to build our online presence but I will be needing help with the graphic designing. For the latter, I’ll just ask my 3rd sister. She’s the Creative Director because she’s the most creative in the family – awesome artistic ideas. 😉

All 5 of us, siblings, are members of the board and ze parents are the CEOs. Our beloved Momma CEO has quite a benchmark when it comes to standards so we need intensive planning for the business model.

The progress is slow and there have been delays in our proposed timeline for developments due to weather conditions. But it’s fine since we are still in the process of finalizing all the paperwork. We’ll wait for God’s timing since it’s always perfect, anyway. 😉

On a different note, I can already see why God brought all 5 of us in our respective passions and careers for future roles – Managing Director, Finance Director, Operations Director, Creative Director, and Marketing Director (I presume this is me – uhm, scarrryyy. lol).

I’m also now in complete agreement with this article from Harvard Business Review entitled “How Family Business Owners Should Bring The Next Generation Into The Company.”

And the Bible asserts the same idea:

“An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end.” – Proverbs 20:21

With all these things I am doing including my other freelance jobs, I need to make sure my writing (my primary passion) won’t be compromised so I created my personal editorial calendar and a log sheet for tasks in preparation for the new website. I didn’t know I have already saved enough drafted articles for my blog and Daily PS good until the 1st quarter of the year 2019. 😀

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*Trivia:

Every time you have a sudden thought/s in mind whether you’re doing something, somewhere, write it down either on a piece of paper or type it on your phone. I write the title first then the gist of the thoughts in bullet form after. You’ll never run out of topics to write about, I promise. 😉

By the way, I’ll be sharing a series of articles how to do all that I have mentioned above (a la workshop) but it’s scheduled for next year. I have to make sure I am providing you nothing but the best info out there so it needs extensive preparation. 😀

4. Create an “Areas to Improve On” List

When we subject ourselves to constant rediscovery, it will be easier to pinpoint where are our weak spots. Our biological composition reserves that room for improvement. Because it is in our nature to be flawed.

So perfectionism isn’t our goal but expressionism. We improve ourselves to express ourselves better. And not because we want to be validated and recognized. You just have to own your work and be proud that you’ve helped others one way or the other. 😉

To end this short (my idea of short) post, the best part about cultivating our talents and skills is actually that 3-in-1 package of fun, an attitude of servitude, and fulfillment we experience while doing a certain project. We don’t see it as a task, a duty, an obligation, or anything else. We see it as a product of something we love.

In fact, the by-product speaks so much of love as much as it speaks of our identity and individuality. In my case, my identity lies in being a Christian, in loving God, and in writing my love for God. So my audience (that’s you, love!) gets to feel that kind of love that I have, too.

Hmmm, let’s be honest here though, do you really feel the love? 😃 Don’t worry if you don’t, but I hope this will suffice:

“I love you so much for reading this and I pray you get to share the love, too.” ❤

“God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” – 1 Peter 4:10

Writing to you with love,

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For more related articles, you may read:

“Good Stewards Of God’s Gift”

“In Season: What Is An Altar Call?”

“9 Things You Need To Know If You Want To Be A Writer”

Relationships & Marriages: Don’t Settle Just Because | 5 Wrong Reasons

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Relationships and marriages always have one key component – settling down. I don’t know of anyone who got into a relationship without plans of getting married. Do take note though that I refer to marriage here as the legal union between a man and a woman. I am not, in any way, in agreement with cohabiting. If you can’t have a church wedding first (like me and my Mom by choice), then by all means, have a civil wedding. 🙂

A Church Wedding vs A Civil Wedding

My husband and I would still love to have a church wedding someday. We are targeting to have it on our 25th wedding anniversary. I can already imagine how emotional it will be. Why? This church wedding will be our gift to God for keeping us together until we reach our 25th year and the years to come.

Though we believe in a God who provides anything especially when it comes to finances, we felt it in our hearts to have the church wedding a bit later. We attended the marriage preparation seminar conducted by our local church, though. I highly encourage engaged couples to do this. It is such a big help to prepare you for the married life in a God-centered way.

Keep in mind that a civil wedding doesn’t make your marriage less holy. My parents’ marriage is a testimony of this and how they brought us up. We all grew up as God-fearing children who knew God well enough beyond all the religious rituals and practices. I believe a good marriage goes beyond lavish weddings but most of all, it should be about honoring God by honoring your marriage and your vows until death does both of you part no matter what. 🙂

In 5 years’ time, my parents will be celebrating their Golden (50th) Wedding Anniversary. I can only thank God for the grace and for my parents’ efforts to stay committed to their wedding vows regardless if they had a civil or a church wedding.

Marrying By Faith is More Important

When I got married, I knew what I was getting into. It is a covenant that you cannot get out of whenever you feel like it. I asked God for guidance if this is a season that He wanted for me. I never had doubts about whether I should marry my husband or not. When I received God’s wisdom over my decision to marry, I had no regrets even when months later after the wedding, hubby and I got into stormy and rough seas. But because I have faith, because of God’s grace, and because I married my husband for the right reasons, here we are close to our 3rd year wedding anniversary (that’s next month!). Still a young couple, though. 😀

So ladies (I chose you just because I am also a daughter of Christ), here are the wrong reasons for wanting to settle down:

5 Wrong Reasons Why You Should Settle Down

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1. Never settle for comfort and convenience.

It’s a temptation for single ladies to get into the season of married life thinking they now have a partner in life who can help them with everything and be their best friend. Yes, it is true but it also means doing your part of the deal and making sacrifices, too, if needed. There is sometimes this misconception or “the fairytale complex” that after the prince married the princess, it’s all happily ever after between the two.

The truth is, a marriage will bring you so much discomfort as much as it brings you so much comfort. It’s not always a happily ever after. It could be a sober ever after every now and then or an exciting ever after or a boring ever after. We can never confine marriage with just one emotion because just like life, it’s a mix of everything. Forget that fairytale, it’s ideal but not real.

2. Never settle out of peer pressure or for validation.

Ah, yes. This is one of the most pressing (but wrong) reasons when settling down. I’m sure you’ve heard statements such as:

“This is my 5th time to be a bridesmaid, when will I become the bride?”

“All my girlfriends in our batch are married except for me.”

“My best friend got married already, I think I should do the same.”

“I think nobody loves me enough that’s why I am still single.”

“Nobody asked me out on a date, I think I’m the ugliest girl in the world.”

Whooosh! Wave them all away! They are all deceptions and lies that the enemy is planting in your heart. Do not fall for that trap. You are as lovely as you are now. You are worthy to be loved. You deserve to have the right man in God’s perfect time. The solution? Be still and wait. God might still be busy preparing you for this season.

3. Never settle for the sake of “leveling up” or “singlehood” is starting to become a bore.

This is common with women who always ask, “What’s next?” 😀 The very root problem of this goes back to discontentment. When you are not satisfied with what you have, you’re always hungry for more. Believe me, it can be a vicious cycle (used to be my stronghold). What you need is to enjoy the “now.” Ask God for leading where He will take you. Always be in tune with what He wants you to do. Be in step with God in all of your plans.

When you do this, you’ll be amazed by the different seasons that God can usher you in that are both exciting and frightening and yet fulfilling in the end. And you were only vying for one? Nah, God wanted you to have the best experiences in this life! Why? It is through these experiences that God will test your faith so you can build your character and be ready and equipped with everything lacking nothing (James 1:4).

4. Never settle for money.

For arranged marriages, this is common. It is a sad fact to know that some marriages are based on preserving business partnerships. If you’re reading this and you’re going through the same dilemma, ask God what He wants you to do. Remember, life is not over for you. This season might be where you’ll have the greatest learning yet. Seek His will all the more why He put you in this season. Then, see things from His perspective.

God knows you’re going to go through it and He knows that you can handle the situation. He won’t give you this situation if you can’t carry it on your own. But even if you can’t, know that God is on your side to help you out each and every step of the way. And lastly, money can’t buy you happiness. It never does and it never will no matter how wealthy you are. It’s always a weak foundation of any marriage, it will and it will crumble.

5. Never settle because looks captivated you.

The rule of thumb is to let your heart be captured by another heart, too, and not with the looks. 😉 This adage is always true to the core no wonder it became an adage: “Looks can be deceiving.” Go for attitude always before looks. But here’s what you must remember, too. In your courting days, both you and your partner will be putting your best foot forward so it might be an all show of positive attitudes. And yet, even if you’ve become best friends now and you’ve grown quite comfortable with each other, you still can’t show him your underwear and point out they’re “baconized” already you need to buy a new one, right? 😀

Seriously, the “getting to know” stage will only get deeper once you get married. I can attest to this because my husband and I weren’t really best friends when we met and became a couple. So, the first 3 years of our married life became the “getting to know” stage for us. It can be a rollercoaster for the first few years but I can assure you it will get better in time. You’ll soon learn to love each other better including those things that used to tick you off. And you’ll only notice how handsome your husband is once married because you get to stare at him most of the time. 😀

 

My last piece of advice when it comes to relationships and marriages is this: if you plan on settling down, marry for the right reason – because of love. And yet, always keep in mind too that love is not purely about feelings and emotions. It is a mixture of decisions, sacrifices, disappointments, failures, triumphs, accomplishments, forgiveness…every act and emotion (good ones) you can think of, that is love (1 Corinthians 13). No wonder it is the greatest of all. 🙂

“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” – 1 John 4:8

“Three things will last forever–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13

Still feeling unsure where God is taking you next when it comes to relationships and marriages? Do drop me a comment or a message, I’ll pray for you. ❤

Thankfully married,

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7 Good Reasons Why You Should Write Often | Writing Tips

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When it comes to writing tips, you’ll encounter a lot of them on the web. The more results you can gather online through your research, the better. They will help you become more rounded as a writer. Here are some writing hacks I’d like to share with you which you can add to your roster.

7 Writing Tips: Why Writing Often is Better

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1. Writing often builds your vocabulary.

Have you ever had that moment when you were trying to grasp that particular word and you can tell that it’s already at the tip of your tongue? But unfortunately, it just seems to be stuck in there. Ugh. I know that feeling. I oftentimes have that moment and it’s not comforting in any way most especially when you have the best ideas but you can’t put them into words. Tragic, isn’t it?

I have discovered that the remedy to that is to write and write and write so you’ll build your vocabulary. Maximize the use of your Merriam Webster dictionary, Google search, your synonyms, antonyms, anything that can be building blocks for your vocabulary. In no time, you’ll find it easier to share your thoughts because words just come as fluid as they can be.

2. Writing often will help you build a decent portfolio.

This is one of the writing tips I have gathered from my own experience. Did you know that employers also take a look at your blogs when you apply to them as a writer? Your blog articles don’t just come handy when it comes to writing careers, you can also use it to jumpstart your web or graphic designing career. Or why not have both?

The more skilled you are, the higher the chances an employer will hire you. In some cases, your employer might request you create a new sample of your writing but having your blog around can be a good backup.

3. Writing often helps you research more.

When you write, you need ideas. Though writers are very much capable of coming up with their own creative and brilliant ideas, those ideas can be ignited by another idea you read or saw somewhere on the internet. I believe this is what the world wide web and social networking are all about. You learn from what other people post out there.

But take this as a word of caution: not all of what’s on the internet can be classified as true, factual, and reliable. Conducting due diligence accompanied with discernment will help you come up with reliable information.

4. Writing often makes you explore different writing styles.

If you are a budding writer, this will be a common scenario for you. You’re still in the period of testing the waters so to speak. But always remember that another writer’s writing style might not be the same as your own. The best way to find out which style fits you is through your interests and your personality. I’ll delve deeper into this in my future articles.

Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved persuasive writing. It just comes naturally for me and I am more at home with this kind of write-up. But you can always try other writing styles and incorporate them into what you already knew. This is how you learn. And learning is always essential to your growth as a writer.

5. Writing often exercises your critical thinking skills.

Writing requires deep analytics. It is not just about putting words into “paper” but more about how beautifully can you craft a story that after reading your text, a reader ends up refreshed and informed.

In writing, there is a sequence that you need to follow from choosing your topic, writing it, composing the entire piece, to ending the story (with a bang if you can). What separates a good write up from not-so-good ones is delivery. After writing your article, ask yourself with this question: does your article have a solid thought from beginning to end?

6. Writing often means better connectivity with fellow writers.

With all the writing platforms available freely nowadays such as WordPress, connecting with a community of writers isn’t impossible. In fact, it is the best platform to connect with other writers. The good part about this is that you get to learn from what others are posting online, too. You can collaborate with them also, share ideas, or relate with one another.

The past generations predicted that writers will no longer have jobs come year 2000s. Technology made this prediction false, unfortunately. With the rise of everything becoming digital come endless possibilities for the writing industry, too.

7. Writing often helps you advance in your craft.

This last part is more like “practice makes perfect.” The more you enhance what you’re good at and passionate about, you’ll see that the results are getting better, too. Your writing will never be perfect the first time around. It will have a lot of flaws. You’ll need to edit and re-edit your work a hundred times until it’s polished free of errors.

If you want to improve your work, it is a rule of thumb to always compare your previous write-ups with the current ones you wrote. Then from your review, analyze which area you need to improve on. Is it grammar? Is it creativity? Is it delivery?

I can come up with a long list of writing tips but I’ll just share the salient points for now. I hope you picked a nugget or nuggets of wisdom from this piece. But if you have more ideas to share or you need to ask for clarifications, you’re most welcome to do so. Just always remember that if you feel it in your heart that writing is what you’re passionate about, follow your heart. Then, use your mind to come up with masterpieces. 😉

With all these writing tips I’ve shared, are you now ready to advance your way up as a writer? If you’re still hesitant to use your gift in writing, then this bible verse might help boost your confidence:

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” – Proverbs 16:3

Believing in you as a fellow writer,

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***Photo by Neven Krcmarek on Unsplash

Mid-Year Prayer And Fasting 2018

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In our church, we have a yearly mid-year prayer and fasting where we consecrate to God the things that are done in the early part of the year and the things to be done through the latter part of the year. For this year, the schedule came in timely – July 3-5. I have so many things to be grateful for including answered prayers and realizations I encounter daily. I also have a lot to pray for because I will be going through a lot of seasons again.

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What Transpired

Day 1

It is not a coincidence that July 3rd was the schedule for my first article to go live at Daily PS, a community of Christian writers on WordPress. Here’s the link to the article and I hope this will recharge your spirits:

7 Highly Effective Ways To Avoid Burnout (The Christian Way)

Hubby dear was also scheduled to have his first day of training on this day for a tentative promotion (his 2nd). I am also in the process of seeking for topics to contribute as guest posts for some of my fellow Christian writers here on WordPress such as The Christian Blog Ghana. Do visit their site, their posts are such an insightful read. 🙂

Day 2

After checking out the published article in Daily PS, I opened a new document over Microsoft Word for my next article submission. I was only targeting one topic. But God’s grace allowed I come up not only with 1 but 6! Ah yes, when God calls you for a task, He really will prepare you.

I had to blur it because I can’t spill all the beans just yet. 😉

I also decided to come up with a new blog logo since my old logo, the one with a bible verse in it, is perfect as a site header. For the logo design, I wanted it to be very simple. I chose a laurel wreath as it symbolizes victory. I plan to update my Facebook page’s profile picture to this new one but I am on social media hibernation (part of my prayer and fasting). I also plan to use this logo on all of my blog’s social handles instead of my photo. This blog is about God and not me. 😉

If you also want to learn how to create one, I can help you. You can find more details about this below.

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I am feeling the inclination (tugging of the Spirit yet again) to conduct a free writing and website designing workshop for fellow Christian bloggers and writers who are just starting out or needing to revamp their sites. I am asking for God’s leading that either I host the workshop and invite other Christian writers to share their expertise or I join one. I already shared tips online with one sister in Christ (Hi, Mean! :-D) but I know meeting in person is better. 😉

I have been designing and managing this blog alone through tutorials (I learn from others, too) and it is quite challenging. But nothing is hard when God equips you to do a task. I believe I must thank the Lord for giving me the wisdom in making this website according to how He wishes it to be.

For the writing and web designing workshop, I am targeting an audience starting from teens and up. Yet another workshop I plan to conduct is a free art workshop but this time, for kids. I have always loved art back when I was a kid and I only got to explore so much of it now that I am an adult. 😀

Day 3

I have been conducting research for the past weeks about entrepreneurship and marketing for a not-for-profit project. It’s only during the mid-year prayer and fasting that I finally had a break from all the info overload. Ah yes, the “burnout” article really just came out timely, it’s even perfect for me as a reminder. 😉

Thank God for the grace, I got everything I needed and now ready to consolidate all the data for a better presentation. I still have so much to learn, though. My eldest sister suggested I make a storyboard. I am now working on how to integrate it with Microsoft Powerpoint. The current challenge I have is trimming down all the information and making it into one coherent output.

Today, I’ve also decided to come up with topics to share on my personal blog that are a little off the ordinary. These topics will be presented in a series to better categorize them and they will be technical with a little bit of faith on the side. This blog is meant to be informative. So any knowledge I can share with you all, it’ll definitely be posted. 🙂

The quotation for this week in my planner also came in timely:

The warrior of light has no “certainties,” he just has a path to follow, a path to which he tries to adapt depending on the season.

– Manual of the Warrior of Light (Paulo Coehlo)

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I have high hopes that all I have mentioned above are plans that will materialize in God’s perfect time. Let’s just say this season is all about planning and preparing.

God is a god of perfect timing, anyway. 😀

Are you a Christian blogger? I would like to ask for your help by sharing your expertise with aspiring Christians writers here on WordPress. Any idea you have how we can share these tips will be highly appreciated. Thank you! ❤

Always waiting on God’s perfect time,

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*Featured image copyright: Free 4K Wallpaper

9 Close Encounters With God: Are They For Real?

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Close encounters are not just limited to unidentified flying objects but unseen objects, too. Have you heard about miracles? How about divine intervention? Does the word “premonition” sound familiar? If we are to look closely at all three questions, they all have one common denominator –a powerful force behind them. For all we know, the unseen object may not be a matter of “what” but “who.” Read along and find out through some of the close encounters I’ve had as a Christian.

9 Close Encounters with God in Our Daily Lives

1. The Slip

Have you ever been in an accident or close to getting into one? I may not be in a serious accident but I experienced slipping my foot while walking on a very steep trail. The trail traverses along the cliff of a mountain and I estimated the deep fall to be about a hundred feet.

How did I escape that fall? It was our local tour guide who instantly grabbed my hand exactly at the moment when I slipped. I was barely holding on to a patch of tall grass to keep me from falling.

What are the chances of her not being able to catch me on time? Most likely it’s 100%. She’s in front of me and she could’ve failed to notice I made the wrong jump and slipped. Every time I remember that moment, I always wonder how that saving moment could be so timely. And yet, all I can think of was a divine intervention.

2. On Top

Being in an elevated spot always reveals the skyline. The skyline is always the best demarcation between the heaven and the earth. It also reveals everything about what is God-made and what is man-made. If you want to have a close encounter with God, try communing with nature.

You’ll get to see God’s wonderful creations in their purest forms. May it be a seascape, a landscape, the mountains, a river, lake, the forest, or even just in your own garden, you can have a close encounter with God.

Have you ever wondered why rainforests are bursting with all forms of life from plant life to animal life? And yet, no one takes care of them. How about in your garden? Did it make you wonder why a seed ever grows to become a plant? Do take a look at some of the stunning photos I took of my nature escapades below. Yes, they are all for real.

Camiling

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3. In Sickness

Serious illnesses most often take lives. If not, they cripple. How many of us have prayed for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for people we know who are battling with an illness? There are countless instances wherein these prayers were answered in the form of recovery.

But there are also those moments wherein these prayers were unanswered and grief took over because of loss. It’s hard to cope with the idea of losing someone you’ve known all your life and yet miraculously, God heals us too despite all the memories.

4. Through Poverty

I can never forget that moment when I only have about 50 bucks in my wallet and I allowed God to take control of the rest. Have you been in this predicament, too? It can be very challenging most especially since money runs this world.

But, it’s good to know that there is someone else greater who runs not just this world but all of the heavens and the earth. It’s all a matter of trusting Him who can provide you with eternal life, what more, your basic needs. I survived that week because God provided for all my needs.

How?

He can provide you through a lot of channels such as a decent amount of cash you stashed away somewhere and stumbled upon it out of the blue. Yes, at just the right time. Or, there’s this random person at work or through your family who gave you money because they just felt it.

Again, at just the right time. Another is a free meal courtesy of reward points you never knew you had until you checked through your phone and you’re entitled to it. Surprises? Yes, they truly are.

5. A Prophecy

This is a gift. Science can explain it as ESP (extra-sensory perception), the world can define it as premonition, and faith describes it as a prophecy. Though we do not have a mind like God’s, He definitely shared some of His wisdom to us. Is it a wild guess?

Certainly not. In our family, we don’t need text messages to inform one another about doing an errand or letting one another know what one thinks. In most cases, the receiver already got it even before the sender informed that person. How did this happen?

6. With An Advocacy

Having the heart to serve without expecting anything in return exemplifies a Christ-like heart. It is almost as similar to having goosebumps as what people say when you encounter a beggar on the street and you felt as if there’s something about him/her. “What if God was one of us?” as Joan Osborne sings in her song.

“Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” – Proverbs 28:27

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27

7. My Loved One

A personal relationship with God is more like your relationship with a loved one. You know all his crazy antics, you’ve seen the good and the bad traits, you’ve shared the best and the worst times, and your relationship is intimate. When situations arise between you and your beloved, you either see your loved one exemplifying how God would’ve acted or it could be you acting just like God. May it be that you or your loved one behaved through Spirit-filled actions?

8. As I Labor

Ever had that moment when you’re sure you will be fired from your career and yet what happened was the opposite? Or that moment when you’re seeing no progress at work but along came new opportunities just when you’re about to give up.

These moments surpass our human understanding because it is only God who sees the toil of man, who rewards the man for his labor, and who sees the hearts, minds, and intentions of every human being.

9. Altar Call

This is definitely not the least but the best way of having close encounters with God. Have you had that moment wherein you’re feeling too sure of yourself that this is what you’ve been wanting to do for the rest of your life? That is definitely God’s calling. When God set it in your heart what His mission is for you, you know there is nothing that can hinder you from doing it. This is how passion came alive.

After listing all these items down, these moments are unexplainable and yet something is at work behind them all – the Spirit. If your soul is in tune with the Spirit, the more aware you will be when these close encounters take place. The personal relationship you have with God is what binds you to the Spirit.

There is no such thing as “coincidence” in the Christian faith nor a word such as “luck.” There are, instead, forces of both good and evil that are at work in every single moment of our lives here on Earth. Thus, it takes a discerning heart, mind, and soul to hear the voice of God and it is only possible when we allow the Spirit to work within ourselves.

Have you had close encounters with God in your life? How can you be in tune with the Spirit always? Do let us know what you think in the comments box below and let’s grow spiritually together. ❤

***Featured image copyright: crosswalk.com

How to Manage Priorities: What Do We Value?

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“Kaibigan, kamusta ka?”

That is how we, Filipinos, greet one another in our native language especially with people whom we haven’t seen for a long time. I must admit it’s been awhile since my last blog post here, but I have a valid reason why this post never made it to my consistent #everyFridayblogpost for 3 consecutive Fridays now. Today, as of writing, it’s actually a Saturday and around 12 midnight to be exact. 😀

So hear ye, hear ye, my beloved readers. Thou shall not cover thy ears for my words will but gently pierce.

Alright, alright. Enough with the never-ending intros, Tin. lol Nope, I am not messing around with you but this is my way of setting up the mood for this article – personal, casual, light, and a journal.

So, let’s start, shall we?

If there is but one thing we all have a hard time managing in this ever-present and modern world aside from time, it is this – priorities. If there is also one of us here who never had a dilemma how to manage priorities, do shoot me an email. I’d really love to learn how you did it.

I have always been a “doer.” When I plan, I set goals. When I set goals, I make sure I am working on achieving these goals. These goals vary from short-term such as paying the bills on Thursday, etc., to long-term goals i.e. career planning, business ventures, and a whole lot of things in between. In other words, I am a multitasker.

Currently, I have so many things going on even though the past weeks were already the busiest. This includes adjusting to our new home since hubby and I recently transferred. If you can imagine all the packing and unpacking that went on and still going on, I’m sure you’ll understand. 😉 I got the hang of it, though. I believe this is the toil of man, to never fully rest until we all reach the end of our timelines in this world.

For the past two weeks, I spent it with my families – the last week of May with my biological family (Ginete family) and the 1st week of June with my in-laws (Rome family). Those weeks were hectic to the point that my Dad, who spent 78 years of his existence in the province, admitted that the city life is so fast-paced time just flies when they’re here. I can’t contest this, it’s quintessentially true. 🙂

This is, in fact, the very reason why I’d love to go back home in the province and stay there for good. This is pretty ironic to someone like me who loves doing a lot of things. I love the laidback atmosphere in the province not because I am lazy. It’s because I enjoy solitude as it calms and eases my mind.

Right now, my mind is a huge mess. I often wondered how I can manage to come up with an article while trying to balance everything. I am always prone to falling into this bad habit of workaholism. I have to constantly remind myself I won’t be able to achieve much when my body and my mind fail me.

Breathe. Take some time off. Pause.

The laidback lifestyle in the province gives us that opportunity. As a writer, there can be so many things in your head and writing them off seems like a never “good enough” solution. But praise God for the comfort of our sound-proof room now, even the drilling noise from a nearby construction site is lessened to just a whisper. *wink* I am grateful to God and my family for this great opportunity to live in a new home. 🙂

A deeper contemplation is what every writer needs. It is from the deepest recesses of our souls that the beauty of words is revealed. That is why I love midnights. I love staying awake in the wee hours of the morning. Everything is quiet. All I hear are my thoughts – loud and clear. It helps me to discern, to block distractions, and to fish those thoughts out one by one until they’re all carefully laid out.

Just like priorities.

You need to handpick them one by one so you can align them accordingly. Balance is achieved once you know what are the priorities that are particularly urgent and what are not.

So how did I manage the past week’s schedule? Maintaining balance is the key. But first, come up with what should be on top of your list and stick to it.

Here’s how mine looks:

  1. God
  2. Husband
  3. Family
  4. Career
  5. Ministry
blogos.org

Image copyright: blogos.org

A word of caution here, though. Don’t confuse God and Ministry as something interchangeable. God being the top priority means your personal relationship with Him a.k.a. devotion and prayer time. The ministry is God’s calling for you how to serve His people. In my case, it is this blog.

So this, my friends, is the reason why I was hibernating from WordPress. I need to serve our families’ needs first. But I am just grateful how God orchestrated all the events that took place so beautifully and perfectly because I honored what matters to Him first.

Here’s how the events played out:

  • Nothing too fancy and as simple as air conditioning units installed right after my parents arrived (they won’t survive the summer heat in the metro).
  • Hubby and I also gave them a wedding anniversary gift in the form of Mom’s cataract surgery for a pretty discounted price (hubby’s work privileges). They are now both cataract-free and with 20/20 vision.
  • We were also able to spend a meaningful time with my father-in-law who’s a seafarer. Their ship passed by and stayed in the Philippines exactly the week when my sister-in-law will graduate in college.

Actually, a whole lot more of surprises took place and I can only attest that indeed, with God, nothing is impossible especially to those who believe. 🙂

Here are some of the photos with the fam bam:

(with the Ginete Family)

(with the Rome Family)

I prioritized our families over my career and yet God made a way for me to stay true to my commitment. As much as the workaholic in me would like to check emails and draft articles while on vacation, the place where my Dad-in-law’s ship was docked had no signal for mobile internet.

So, I prayed to God that if this is how He wishes things to be, may He prepare me once I get back and find out I was laid off from my job. 😀 Yes, I missed meeting the 2-article minimum for every week because I was able to write none for the entire week.

But as you all know, God is good all the time. I came back after the vacation and my employment contract is still intact and no memo came through the email. 😀 I am also grateful for my job now because I had the time to run errands for my family and attend to their needs especially with my aging parents.

Dad had one of his worst gout attacks while they’re here and seeing him crippled because of pain was too painful to watch too. It’s a good thing the practical side of me focused on what needs to be done and never focus on my emotions.

Ah yes, this is how empaths are. I believe most empaths are writers. Writers love seclusion every now and then and so are empaths. Being in a crowd often means absorbing so many emotions and it can completely bear us down. Writing helps unload those emotions when they become too heavy.

So, my family came third. God and my husband remained on the top 2. Right now, I am back to my daily grind writing articles for an ad agency. Another opportunity for a long-term project also came along plus an invitation to write articles for a faith-based website catering to an international audience. There are actually more pending collaborations with Christian writers up on the list from across the globe. These are opportunities that I am grateful for and I know God has a purpose behind them all. I believe 2018 is the year for fellowship with Christian writers from any part of the world.

Oh, and I believe this article falls in the long-form journalism category. 😀 The article runs through approximately 1,607 words. lol This can go on and on but sleep beckons, I must succumb. Hubby and I binge-watch movies yesterday since it’s a holiday. 😉

Regarding long-form writing, I was able to research a great deal about it last night out of curiosity. If you will ask me how I encountered the word, it just popped up out of the blue. I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere and my brain recollected it just last night. I believe this is a “tugging” about a personal project I felt I needed to work on sometime in the future. Only God knows when but I already have hints.

This, I believe, can wait. The ministry requires more waiting time because it follows God’s timeline and not mine. Thus, it is the last in my priorities. God will take control of it first, I am just on the receiving end to act out when He instructed.

Personally, some events are stalled when it comes to ministry work because God is still in the process of orchestrating everything until it is completely perfect to be revealed and executed – the birth of testimonies. Just like how this blog came alive.

To end this article, when you manage your priorities, your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th priorities may differ from mine but please keep the top spot reserved consistently for only One – God. The following verse will answer your question “why.” 🙂

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33

How do you manage your priorities? I would like to hear your experiences too. ❤

Always putting God at the top,

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Dressing The Part

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Galaxy Wooden Dressing Up Station

Image copyright: Early Learning Furniture

I made it a habit to share a testimony every time we are in a different season. I have noticed every year God takes us to different places around the metro and mingle with different people. Through these instances, I have learned how to be grateful in any and every given situation though honestly, I used to have this fear of getting out of my comfort zone. I guess when God calls you out, He will also give you the courage and prepare you for what’s in store for you in every season. 🙂

“I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.” – Philippians 4:11

The season before this, we got to appreciate how it is to live simply, minimalist style. We both got comfortable with it and had an idea how it felt to live life with God being the primary source of everything – total reliance on Him. You may read more about this in my next article.

So when this new season presented the opposite, I asked my hubby, “Should we dress the part?” 🙂

I meant that in a figurative and literal sense. I can dress the part but is it really what my heart wants?

I remembered this one incident at the mall and I was going through different shades of my ever favorite Wacoal brassiere design. Yep, I invest in it. No explanation needed for this one but basically, I love the support it gives.

So while I was checking out this bra and then another one, I noticed a saleslady hovering around. Because I don’t like that awkward feeling of someone following me around, I tried to engage her in a conversation. I went on by asking the bra size, color, other designs, etc.

The first thing that she did was scrutinized me (quickly) from head to foot with a smirk and questioning look. Ah yes, I know that look well enough of sales clerks. That look which says, “By your looks, you don’t have money to pay for it.” 😀

I’ve read this one article about it (What To Do When People Mistake You For Being Poor When You’re Truly Rich) and I couldn’t help but agree although not much with how the article ended. I won’t waste millions just because my ego was blasted right out front but that’s because I just don’t have millions to waste away. lol But seriously, the id is one of the causes of some of the unwise things humans do, unfortunately. 😀

This article though from Forbes Magazine might give you a different perspective altogether: Why You Should Stop Trying to ‘Fake It Till You Make It.’

Anyway, going back to that brassiere sales clerk, she did entertain my queries but half-heartedly. The best part is when I did tell her I’m going to buy it, she asked again (just to make sure perhaps?) if I will buy it. I just held my tongue from making a crisp retort that goes like, “Of course I am going to buy it because I NEED it.” Yep, with the emphasis on NEED. lol I’ve been buying and wearing Wacoal bras since I was in college (2002) even if they cost 2k each. Being the practical me, you may find this unusual of me. But it’s never about the price nor the brand but the quality I’m after. I have to have all the support I needed. 🙂

But no, I see her as a darling salesclerk who is made in the likeness of God even if she treated me (harassed rather. lol) that way. I just simply said “yes” with a smile but no, I am not killing her in my thoughts. I already “killed” that initial response right away before it can even creep deeper into my heart – how to kill temptation, the temptation to be irritated or angry.

So can you guess what I was wearing that day? Well, your guess may be right – my usual “pambahay” (house clothes) look with matching “madungis” (soiled) slippers. Yep, going to the mall. lol I look no more than a beggar without the stains on the clothes though and with the “artistahin” skin as some would call it.

Just to inform you all, I have that skin not because of glutathione or any whitening products but because I am a homebody and a remote worker so I don’t get much sunlight. Also, my dad is one-fourth Japanese he doesn’t even have hair on his legs. Pretty flawless for a man, eh? 😀

So again I asked, should I be really dressing the part? Must I succumb to man’s stereotyping that when you are rich, you should dress with all the bling bling? Or that when you have a big house, you should only eat good food a la banquet or a feast? Or that when you have money, dress up in tags?

“Don’t judge the book by its cover.”

This is an adage which I have come to know since I was a kid but I cannot assume everyone knows it. If only I can educate people that it is not always the looks that define who you are and where you’ve come from. It’s been a social stigma that’s been ongoing for centuries and sadly, it has now become the norm and the reason why a lot of people are faking it.

So I was thinking of an experiment. I’ll dress up like a house help like I always would and if they stop me at the gate, I’ll just say, “I’m a helper, a different kind of helper.” 😀 On second thoughts though, I really don’t like to embarass these people when they find out who I am. It kind of gets awkward when they are like bowing to you now and greeting you with the “Maam” and all because they found out who you are and it’s their way of apologizing. 😀

One of the things I hate is this – entitlement. You can read more of my sentiments about it here: The Silent Millionaire. As much as I’d like for everyone to be treated fairly and with equality, I know there is no way to bridge that social barrier except through God, Himself.

Should I still dress the part? No, I’ll stick to what I already got used to because that is me and that is who God wants me to be. ❤

Have you ever been in situations where you felt like you should also be dressing the part? I’d like to know your experience too. 🙂

A journeyman by God’s will,

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P.S.

As for my husband, hmmm, he can wear what he likes. But he is even worse than I am. lol He wears shirts even with holes in it, wears them inside out, and doesn’t give a care. Or mismatched socks! Oh my geez whiz. No wonder we matched. Haha 😀

How To Handle Criticism The Christian Way

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This article is in response to the latest news regarding a student from a certain university (I’ll be discreet with the names as a respect to the student and the school) who bashed her professor online after receiving negative remarks on her research paper. Though it earned multiple varying responses, I believe there is a purpose why it needed to happen.

Some pointed it out as the professor’s fault. They say it’s a sort of projection wherein you place your insecurities on others and make them take the blame. As critics, there is this danger of falling into the same trap that you, yourself, tried so hard to avoid. You also have to meet the standards you try to implement so you’ll be credible enough to criticize others based on those standards. If you correct someone because of faulty grammar, for example, make sure you’re also grammatically correct all the time.

As this bible verse goes,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” – Matthew 7:1

This is difficult to follow especially if you’re in a situation where it is part of your job to criticize other people’s work just like a teacher. I believe any position in any profession requires that you give a critical feedback.

I guess this is the part where I will be giving my advice to students in any academe that every teacher’s feedback is not for the purpose of shaming or belittling you but to teach and prepare you to what you will encounter when you graduate from the academe and start living in the real world.

You’ll face a lot of those criticisms every single day of your life when you go out there.

Huffington Post

Image Copyright: Huffington Post

Here’s one way to deal with criticism in light of outputs and deliverables. Put yourself in your critic’s shoes first, understand where the person is coming from, and don’t take the comments personally.

Instead, review your work and ask yourself these questions:

1. What did I do wrong?

2. How can I do what my professor/boss asked me to do?

3. How can I improve my output so it’ll meet the standards of the teacher/school or boss/company?

Always think of criticism as a way to make yourself better, not just academically or professionally, but holistically.

For the latter, this is the question to ask yourself: how did I respond in those moments?

This is where I will come in as a Christian and why I wrote this article: Sentimental: Who Am I? back in 2016.

Think of it this way. Let’s say we have this rat experiment and we’re going to study how it behaves given a stimulus. The stimulus is a piece of cheese. If we put poison on the cheese, most likely the rat can’t discern it. Instead of avoiding it, he will react otherwise. He’ll eat it because vermins lack what humans have – the ability to rationally think and discern. So if the rat eats the poisoned cheese, most likely he’ll die – because he lacks discernment. This is the consequence.

If we are to apply it to humans and let’s assume criticism is the stimulus, how do you think a human should react? When you react to criticism negatively, it’s literally poison to your body. How? Being angry, distraught, depressed and all release so much cortisol (stress hormone) in your body which can actually kill you in the long run. The only way to avoid that poison is to use discernment. How? By discerning how you will react to the stimulus – criticism. You cannot avoid criticism, that’s a given. But you can avoid feeling negatively when you receive them.

Well, you might say, “Tin, that is so hard and impossible to do.” Yes, it takes a lot of discipline to change your perspective on criticism but you have to do it. How can you start?

First, you have to be very receptive and always carry that teachable heart. I used to have this very stubborn and adamant attitude which can be traced back to my having an ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and God changed that in a pretty painful way wherein I still suffer the consequences of it now. But it’s also one critical moment that made me to who I am now. I’ll share more of this in my next article.

In my work now, I receive a lot of critical feedback having 4 to 5 people who edit my output to the point that I even got to hear our CEO’s feedback (jitters! lol). How did I receive it? I consider it a privilege to receive a feedback from our CEO regardless if her feedback re my work is all negative or on red marks or she’d reject my entire output altogether as junk.

I may not know her personally, but I look up to her (I admire girl bosses) because I know she won’t be a CEO if she isn’t qualified and if she doesn’t have all the experience in the industry. God placed her there for a good reason and I actually would love to know what she has to say and what I can learn from her regardless of her background, age, etc.

Next, when receiving criticism or any kind of feedback, have an open mind. Don’t let your emotions intervene right away. If you’re in the middle of work when you got that feedback and you know what you’re going to read isn’t good, take a break first. Get a breather for like a minute or two, get water or coffee, go to the comfort room, wash your hands, do something else to clear your head, then come back and read the feedback.

If you’re going to read it and you know you’re not emotionally prepared i.e. you’re tense, you’re in a hurry, you’re in the middle of a task, most likely you will respond negatively. Why? Because you’re not in the right state to process your emotions while reading. When you don’t process your emotions right, always, you’ll mishandle the situation.

For the students, before letting any negative thought about your teacher and the feedback fill your mind, re-read your work and the feedback multiple times. Don’t react right away like how can she say this, how can she do this to me, this is too harsh for me, etc.

Honestly, when the same incident happened to me back in college along with all the red ballpen marks on my research paper, I felt like my whole life was shattered. I felt miserable. I vented it all out to my Mom and she comforted me by giving me other options to choose from. I wasn’t a Christian yet back then but I believe I was silently praying for God’s help from a distant heart. 😀

But no, those criticisms are not the end of your dreams or your life. It will break you but you have to be firm. You need it for more of those disappointments and failures you’ll encounter later on in life. Resiliency is the key. Nobody is perfect and everyone goes through that. You’re not the only one and you’re not among the selected few who gets to experience it. Nobody is exempted.

Take it as a CHALLENGE. Prove to your critics you can be better, you can improve, and you can meet those standards. But even after trying you still failed, then look for other options just like what we did back in college. Maybe God doesn’t want you to be there and He has other better plans for you. Now, in this case, it is all between you and God already. You need to ask Him what He wants you to do.

In my case, my previous research adviser came from a different department and they have a different approach when writing their dissertations. The way we did it obviously did not meet not just her standards, but the criteria set by the department as a whole.

We presented our dilemma with our department chair at that time because there’s no way we can pass the course since it’s not from our concentration. It’s as if we’re trying to learn everything from scratch. It’s a good thing she gave us an option which was our window of opportunity and yes, our hope to graduate and have that bachelor’s degree. That option though required we have to wait another year before we can work on our thesis because the thesis adviser from our concentration is on sabbatical leave.

In our university, you can only extend 2 years (undergraduate programs) to finish all your academic requirements. We already used up 2nd sem of our 4th year for that thesis course and got a conditional grade which means we have to retake the subject. Waiting for a year means letting two semesters pass by (5th year, 1st semester and 5th year, 2nd semester).

Again, we were only given 2 years as an extension under the MRR (maximum residency rule). This left me with one very critical situation, the last year (6th year) is my make or break moment. I only have a year to complete my thesis otherwise the college/university has no other choice but to kick us out, be college dropouts or transfer schools.

That very last sem was a very trying but life-changing moment. An office staff from the college secretary’s office sat down with me, discussed my predicament, and laid out the college’s terms and if I am in agreement with it.

I can only thank God for giving me the right adviser this time, the right resources for my research topic, and the courage to fight it all out no matter how difficult it is. It’s like you dread every day that passes by because it means your lifeline in the university is also decreasing and your chances of being kicked out are getting higher.

God loves you and He is always with you.

Yes, I have proven this from that crucial moment of my life as an undergraduate student because all the rest of us who were in that difficult ordeal made it through and got our diplomas. ❤

If I did have hangups over this before, I no longer have them now. I already let this all out when I had my water and Holy Spirit baptism back in 2013 when I got saved and became a born-again Christian. It’s enough to change my perspective on everything in my past, let go of the guilt, and forgive everyone including myself. I know you can do it too. 🙂

If you’re going through a similar situation like what I went through, I hope these verses will encourage you and help you understand how it is to obey God and trust Him with humility in everything:

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.” – Romans 13:1

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3

If you’re also a critic, then these verses might also help you deal with a situation like this:

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.” – Ephesians 4:15

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” – Ephesians 4:29

Always remember that we can never change or prevent the awful circumstances that will come along nor choose the persons we will meet. But we were given the freedom to choose how we will respond in those circumstances.

Did you go through the same ordeal? How did you manage all the criticisms you received? I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories how you overcame them.

With much love and always fighting for faith,

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P.S.

Here’s a screenshot of our CEO’s response just in case you’re wondering how it went:

Screenshot_20180411-235051

I can only thank God for the grace in helping me come up with an output that more or less meets my boss’ standards. I am actually doing it for God because this is my key verse when doing something as an act of service:

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 7:12

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ – Matthew 25:40

But whether I get a negative or a positive feedback, I’d still be grateful. Why? I already went through the same ordeal back in college and I came out alive. All future circumstances similar to that one will no longer break me, I know how to deal with it better this time. Yes, I owe it all to that college experience for giving me this resilient and humble attitude. And of course, faith. Also, we all need a rebuke every now and then. The bible has this to say when it comes to that,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.”

Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?… – Hebrews 12:5-7

Mobile Game Apps Review: Ocean Is Home And Legacy

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Disclaimer: Being a mobile gamer requires INTENSIVE DISCIPLINE – strictly during FREE time only and once all tasks are done. 😀

Hi there, Friday readers! 🙂

I already made an article draft a few days back to be posted supposedly today. But I thought I’ll just post it next Friday. Meanwhile, I am feeling giddy today to share the new updates on the mobile game apps I am currently hooked on aside from my usual hobbies. Thus, the birth of this article.

Thank God too I finished early today with work and with our meeting. I intentionally woke up around 7:45am which is too unusual for a nocturnal being like me. I also usually sleep at around 2am then wake up at 9 or 10am. But then again, I have to finish my tasks early so I can write this a.k.a. discipline. 😉

Nope, just to set the record straight, I am no online game addict. In fact, I used to detest it. Why? I had this pretty awful experience back in college wherein I totally got addicted to StarCraft. One semestral break, my older sisters allowed me to play it with no time limits – classes are over. Can you guess what happened? I played all day long until night time and woke up too early the next day which went on for several days. You know what happened next? I experienced blacking out literally while going to my sister’s bedroom. Yep, lack of sleep. 😀

It’s the worst feeling to not see anything at all but you can still feel your limbs, you can move around, and I was still walking! Yes, just like a zombie. When my 3rd sister saw me, she probably wondered why I was walking aimlessly and she asked me if I’m okay. I told her that I’m okay but I remembered stopping for a moment (because I can’t see anything), then I leaned on the wall with my back against it. That was before I slumped to the floor. lol

Ah yes, the first and only experience I’ve had so far of blacking out. When I told my sisters a few hours later what really happened, they agreed to only one solution – have a time off from playing it. Nope, they didn’t ban me from playing it – just exercise discipline. 🙂

Alright, so much for my disclaimer it already filled up half of my article. lol 😀

Ocean Is Home and Legacy Review

So on with my review for Ocean Is Home and Legacy. My review will be divided into two parts, what I liked about the game and what I don’t like about it. I’ll start with Ocean Is Home since it’s the first mobile game I played after the “blackout” incident – 16 years after. 😀

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1. Ocean Is Home: Survival Island

I already gave a brief description of this game in one of my previous articles. I also shared some screenshots of it on my Instagram account. But this one will be a detailed review.

What I like about the game….

  • you can now have your own pet, a Rottweiler, when you build the doghouse (the dog comes along with it)
  • the dog has two tasks: follow you around or walk around
  • there is a new, bigger island (I spent around 2-3 hrs trying to discover what’s in it)
  • there are now zombies and monsters (the old version only has Steve as your enemy)
  • they now have a boat which you can use to travel to the other island
  • absolutely digging the graphics, the ocean almost looked real!
  • the loot packages are just the right amount
  • the new update fixed the controls of the boat for easy maneuvering
  • more guns! (they now have the Dragunov which is perfect for shooting the zombies from a tower)
  • more options for building materials (loved their CAD concept of it – read more about it here: “Knowing Your Purpose: Are You A Godpreneur?”)
  • the bunkers aren’t open yet but I take it this is how they keep your excitement going

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What I don’t like….

Well, not really “not like” but sort of a bit challenging to the point that some tasks are impossible to achieve. I love challenges though because we all learn from it one way or the other. Or let’s just say I haven’t discovered the proper technique to get my way around it yet. Here they are:

  • killing a deer, boar, and bear is so difficult it requires a lot of ammo and I still wasn’t able to kill one. lol (poor me, I need those animal skins to try the tanning rack and make my leather clothes)
  • the set of coins now cost more compared to the previous version (pretty understandable, this is how they earn to make the game better)
  • if you use the vehicle, you need to stack up on car parts which you can create if you have enormous supplies of rubber, plastic, etc. (you can buy them or build one but it will take you a long time)
  • new update releases take quite some time (they add a lot of new features that’s why it takes them that long, so all the long wait is still worth it)

All in all, I gave it 5 stars in Google Play. If you love to build and design, you love working on your own, you love to discover new things, you love to strategize and improvise, or just all in for an adventure, and very patient, this game is the perfect one for you. 😉

You may download the mobile game app here: Google Play Store & Apple Store

2. Legacy of Discord: Furious Wings

This is the newest mobile game I am currently interested in. Well, I sort of got intrigued how hubby (a true-blue RPGamer) does it with Lineage. 😀 We found out both Legacy and Lineage have the same game controls, concept, and even similar characters.

This is the first role-playing game I played and since I enjoy working alone, I was pretty much comfortable without a guild. But lo and behold, hubby was intrigued too so he joined in. He noticed I easily leveled up in my BR (Battle Rating) because I maximize the use of single player arenas. lol He urged me to put up a guild and be the leader. When he told me that, of course, you know my answer – NO. lol

How can I lead a team when I never even played an RPG game before in my entire human life?! hahaha 😀 Well, I made a deal with him instead. We will put up a guild on one condition – he will be the leader. We will just use my BR to acquire more points during guild wars but he will lead all the guild members to battle.

Every time we enter an event I always follow my husband where he goes. But at one point I totally got separated and I was like, “Where did everybody go?!” When I looked at my husband, he’s so laughing out loud and teased me, “Hon, didn’t you see the map? You always have to look at that so you’ll know where all of us are going.” My answer was this, “Insert gameface on.” lol

Anyway, enough with the “mushy talk” and let’s get on with the review, shall we? 😉

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What I like about the game…

  • like any RPG, leveling up is pretty fast (everything happens too fast also, this requires multi-processing in your brain. lol)
  • there are so many ways for you to regain your stamina/energy without leaving the game at all (I call it the “side games”)
  • it’s interactive in a way that sometimes you have no choice but to invite someone to join you in a multiplayer scene if none of your guild members are online (especially if you are targeting awesome prizes)
  • the design of the character’s wings are absolutely enigmatic
  • you easily acquire diamonds which you can use to revamp your character’s costume
  • you can change your character’s name and your country (you have to wait a couple more days to change your country if you have previously selected one)
  • the controls are easy and you have two modes of fighting, manual or auto fight (for someone who’s a chicken like me, the auto fight mode is perfect)

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What I don’t like….

  • there’s no filter for “trash” talk in the World chat (though you can minimize it, you’ll still see a line or 2)
  • methinks some of the women characters are over-personified physically
  • some pet characters look pretty “hell-ish” I don’t use them even if they will bring me a high BR (this is just my personal preference but let’s just assume they are enemies to extinguish 🙂 )
  • the tasks can be pretty overwhelming if you’re a newbie player
  • if you have a high sensitivity to light, you might need to lower down the brightness level of your screen as the light flashes during battles can be too bright

Even if I am new to this game, I’d still give it 4 stars. If you are more of an instant-gratification-kinda-gamer, this game will satisfy you since acquiring gems and gaining experience happen real quick. It’s also action-packed and if you love the effect of aurora borealis, the character’s wings have the same kind of effect. It’s actually one of the highlights of my gaming experience with Legacy. 🙂

You may download the mobile game app here: Google Play Store & Apple Store

So that’s my review of the two mobile game apps. Don’t get me wrong though, this is not the only way for me to spend my idle time. I also play the guitar or do artworks if I need some time off on any screen. 😉

How about you? What are your favorite mobile game apps before and now?

For more on hobbies, arts, and crafts, you can check out this article: Asian Ancestry.