In Hindsight

Ah yes, thank God for rest days and for quiet evenings when I can listen to peaceful classical music (my fave work music) while writing this. 🙏 I’m currently listening to Canon in D (Wedding Version) Playlist on Spotify, and I always play it on loop. As they say, repetition is key to mastery. 😉

By the way, this will be the first time that I will be writing a blog post without images including a feature image. I already maxed out my website’s free media storage capacity. And I am having second thoughts whether to monetize this blog or not should I opt to subscribe for a paid domain. I hope to increase my storage space without losing the main reason as to why I set up this blog in the first place – never about the money, but only about faith.

So for now, my future blog posts will be as plain as a journal can get except that it’s not handwritten. I miss to handwrite, too. I was actually thinking about getting a hard-bound diary or planner again soon.

But first, let’s go back to why I entitled this blog post as “In Hindsight.” Are you familiar or have you heard about “ESP” or “Extrasensory Perception?”

I grew up being so familiar with the term because my Mom would always bring it up during conversations, especially when she and Dad would discuss about our agribusiness. I remember how she would tell us that it’s too strong in our family. My late grandpa had it, she had it, and my siblings and I seemed to have gotten it, too.

It’s like having this mental ability to receive brain signals despite the distance and knowing what the other person wants. Then when we do see each other, we already know what the other family member needs or is about to say. This was how “ESP” became a favorite joke every time we have family gatherings because it kills the element of surprise. lol

My husband and I seemed to have developed this sort of telepathic connection with one another, too. He would always come home with stuff that I didn’t ask from him, but I was somehow thinking about it before he came home.

Going back to agribusiness, we all know that farmers back then rely heavily on climate predictions based on experience and word of mouth. Our grandparents here in the province never had the privileges that the generation now is enjoying – gadgets and technology.

What they used when listening to the news was a transistor radio that only a few families can afford. In other words, information was limited when it comes to weather updates like where exactly is the typhoon’s first landfall or if the country will experience seasons of La Niña and El Niño.

Just to share a little bit of info about my grandparents, my maternal grandfather was a true-blue farmer who, by experience, mastered the art of predicting possible scenarios based only on his observations of weather patterns and how nature and the animals respond to these patterns.

Mom called it as “ESP.” But when I did my research on “ESP,” I found out that it has no scientific basis. The closest term to “ESP” is “foresight.” What is “foresight?” Oxford Languages defined it as “the ability to predict or the action of predicting what will happen or be needed in the future.”

Mom would always recount situations wherein having “ESP” or foresight helped my grandpa make decisions that saved him from difficult situations that could have resulted in major livestock and crop losses. Having foresight and planning always go hand in hand though preparing is sometimes not enough, especially now when we are dealing with unpredictable and extreme weather conditions due to climate change.

But that is not what we are talking about in this blog, that’s only the introduction that I think should’ve been written as a separate article. lol We will talk about the opposite of “foresight,” which is “hindsight.” “Hindsight” means “understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened or developed.”

Between “foresight” and “hindsight,” I assume that it is the former that is favored more than the latter. And yet, I also think that both are very important not just in businesses, but also in our lives, in general. Why?

Trying to make sense of what happened gives us an opportunity to review our mistakes and learn from them. Science and technology benefits from this through A/B testing. In fact, almost every industry in our society was able to improve their processes based on the results of a previously implemented system.

With what is going on in our political landscape lately and with the upcoming elections, I can’t help but ponder on this idea that a majority of us need to take things in hindsight. I normally don’t talk about politics here in my blog.

But there’s just too much political clamor going around these days on the news that I can’t help but also give my ten cents about what’s really going on and what could possibly happen. No, I will not be mentioning particular names, only one phrase – it has happened before.

If we have hindsight, what have we learned so far? And this is the question that I’d like to leave to all of us to end this blog post. I want this blog to be a “breather” and a safe space for everyone, so as much as possible I want every content here to begin and end on a positive note.

And I think I am close to (or have already exceeded) writing 1,000 words, which is already my cue to wrap this up, otherwise I will bore you to death. 😅

Do watch out for my next article, which will be about transitions because that is my season now. Transitions just never seem to end on my part since 2022. Though for the most part of them, I can say that these transitions have contributed significantly on my personal growth and development, which then paved way for more doors opening and new experiences gained.

By the way, I’ll give you another hint for my next article – there’s a new fluffy in town. 😊

P.S. I’ll edit this later because I need to maximize my rest days by still staying productive a.k.a. fulfilling my other obligations while giving myself time to relax.

P.P.S. The palay harvest season is also fast approaching, so my foresight is telling me to plan ahead because I learned in hindsight that if you want to get the best out of multitasking, you have to develop your project management skills, which include but are not limited to time management, task delegation, setting priorities, and most importantly, self-care. 🙂


“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.

On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” – Exodus 20:8-11


Pasig City In 2019 And Beyond

There was one time my dear husband suggested about getting our own home. I told him that it wouldn’t be a feasible idea because as I see it, God is calling us to be nomads for now – hold no permanent residence. 🙂

My siblings and I used to rent an apartment in Cubao and we’ve stayed there since 1998. When my husband and I got married back in 2015, we decided to stay there, too, since I was the only one left to manage the place. Come 2017, hubby and I decided to move to Makati City close to his workplace – he used to travel for a minimum of 6 hrs from Cubao to Makati City and vice versa. My family then decided to keep the apartment in Cubao, though nobody stayed there anymore, as a storage place for all our belongings and furniture.

In 2018, my sister was able to buy a condominium unit in Pasig City and my family decided to transfer all of our things from Cubao to Pasig. Since there’s a yearly rental increase in our Makati condo unit and my sister also lives in Norway, hubby and I decided to leave Makati and relocate to Pasig after agreeing with my sister that we’ll shoulder the condo’s association dues and utility fees and handle the upkeep of the place.

This was also the reason why I couldn’t settle with an office job in the past how many years. But God has been faithful enough to provide me with other means of income by being a remote worker. I took a lot of risks though and yet this has always been my prayer:

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Officially A Pasigueño

My husband and I can now officially call ourselves as Pasigueños because this will be our semi-permanent residence. And yet, I told him that I don’t see ourselves staying here until we grow old. There are just so many endeavors and visions that God is calling us to fulfill in the future.

After finally settling here in Pasig City last year, it didn’t cross my mind that the mid-term elections will be held a year after. For 27 years, the city has been under the ruling of a political dynasty – the Eusebios. But with the recent mid-term elections, that long-term reign was ended by a 29-year old councilor from Pasig who’s the opposing candidate for the mayoral position.

I did my research on now Mayor Vico Sotto and he does carry the right credentials though political analysts referred to him as somewhat too young and a bit inexperienced to hold the position as a mayor. But while watching all his interviews during the campaign period, I can tell that he was called to hold the spot at just the right time. It is true that he doesn’t have the campaign machinery compared to the Eusebios, and yet, there is something about him that made the people decide to vote for him.

We cannot dismiss the fact though that he is good-looking being the son of popular showbiz personalities, Ms. Coney Reyes and Mr. Vic Sotto (all ladies will agree here). This can be one reason why he won but it was evident in all his interviews that he wasn’t interested to be on the showbiz limelight. His campaign efforts were also simple without the usual full entertainment lineup of famous showbiz personalities though he has the means to do so.

In all fairness to the Eusebios, I haven’t stayed here in Pasig for a long period of time to speak about how they have ruled the city in the past 27 years. Just like in the Bible, God allows certain rulers to lead a kingdom and ends their reign in His perfect time, too, to satisfy His greater purpose.

History Repeating Itself – David and Goliath

But what got everybody interested in the race for the mayoral position between Mayor Vico Sotto and former Mayor Bobby Eusebio is its similarity to the David-Goliath story in the Bible. Here is a more experienced, bigger victor who’s challenged by a younger, less experienced opponent. And just like how the story in the Bible ended, David won.

On a side note, I am also in this season where I am desperate for God’s wisdom because circumstances, yet again, called for another big decision. I asked for His will and His instructions asking Him to clear my heart from any motives that might displease Him. And to reveal a part of His plans as well as the sacrifices that I need to make even if it means going against what most people would have wanted, losing “worldly privileges,” and not being on par with the world’s standards. His answer came from the story of David found in this verse:

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Going back to Mayor Vico Sotto, he wants to end the trend of political dynasties and he already promised he won’t be staying long in the seat of power because he only wanted to leave a legacy. The way I see it, it is like David training a successor in the likes of Solomon. If Mayor Vico doesn’t plan on being the mayor of Pasig for a couple of terms, I am praying he will have a successor who will also follow in his footsteps (God-led ways) and fulfill God’s plans.

It’s just amazing how the scene where David came out of hiding and stepped up to regain the throne that King Saul left when he and his son died was very similar to Mayor Vico Sotto’s statement why he’s running for mayor – no one else was contesting the spot and he felt he has to do it. The way I see it, though, it is only the start of the many trials that the new mayor will encounter in facing even “bigger Goliaths.” And this is the part where I would like to cover him with prayers for protection, guidance, strength, courage, and most of all faith in God and God alone.

What Pasig Can Expect From The New Mayor

While listening to him share his political agendas and platform, I was relieved to find out that he is focusing on social development. This includes improving the healthcare privileges of Pasigueños and in engaging the citizens not just in the civic and social affairs but also in the political agenda of the local government such as the “Freedom of Information” bill or the Pasig Transparency Mechanism Ordinance, which he passed last year as one of the city’s councilors. It is also good to note that he promised not to remove all the existing programs implemented by the previous mayor but to enhance them further.

While doing this article at work (I love my editor for being a blessing to me in so many ways), I also came across the Youth Development Center in Pasig. I did my research and found out that it is a facility that provides educational support to underprivileged youths and offers assistance when it comes their social development. They provide free workshops in music, theater, arts, culinary, etc.

It is among my long list of plans, God willing, to hold a free writing workshop for kids or teens and I thought that this is one great opportunity. I just pray that this is also one of the city’s programs that will receive the local government’s full support.

Serve the Country By Serving the Community

I always have a heart for community outreaches and social services. I’ve been volunteering in the community outreach programs organized by our church and even by other organizations in the past. This is the least that we can do to help our community and not rely on our government alone.

When it comes to assessing the political agendas of our government officials, I also hope this will be our mindset – they do not have that one-solution-for-all program where every single problem in the community will be addressed and resolved overnight. If the society thinks that we have failed leaders in the past, methinks they have also served a good purpose in God’s plan.

From the perspective of a Christian, changes happen depending on God’s timeline and according to His plans. Though He appoints leaders, some of which we presume as “bad” according to our standards, and yet with God, it doesn’t seem to be that way.

A Better Life For All

If we want to aim for a better community and a better life, it has to be a collective effort between the people and the government. I am praying for a government whose best interest is to uplift the lives of its constituents and who fears God most of all.

Yes, Mayor Vico Sotto may have promised he will only hold the office for a certain period of time as he is not in favor of political dynasties. And yet, I know God has His own timeline for every government official and political leader.

In cases where His plans aren’t fulfilled because of our own free will, He will also make a way to appoint in due time those who rightfully reign and this includes preparing the right successors among the next generations of servant leaders.

“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9

I believe the time has already come for the transition to take place when it comes to passing the baton from the generations of”Baby Boomers” and Gen X, to the Gen Y or the millennials and Gen Z. But let’s not forget that we are who we are because of the people who came before us. And we won’t accomplish anything if it is apart from what God wants to be done. 🙂

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

Praying for the best in Philippine politics this 2019,

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Presidents, Politics and Nations

I was on social media hibernation and I actually went to my home province during the November holiday break (more about this in another article). I have felt the need to pray for a lot of things in utmost solemnity and my comeback was indefinite – God’s will. 🙂

However, things of the late all over the world were quite the opposite of what we’re hoping for. This made me get back to blogosphere and share what I needed to share including this wisdom:

Submission To Governing Authorities

“13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.

For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” – Romans 13

May we all join together, as sons and daughters of God, in praying for our nations and be the salt and light of this world. ❤

What We and This World Need

#LumadRally #TyphoonHaima #LawinPH #DrugWar #WarInOtherCountries #Terrorism #HumanTrafficking #Poverty #Corruption #ComplicatedPolitics #Disaster #Violence

My husband and I seldom watch the news anymore. Not that we do not want to be involved in the affairs of our country and the world. It is the opposite actually – I love my country and the world too much. But happenings as of late are becoming much of a burden to the soul and aggression is starting to creep in. Being the empathetic person that I am, seeing the current issues my country and the world are facing now is enough to make you shed tears. No, I am not depressed nor hopeless or on the verge of breaking down. But words unspoken and yet too much to bear go to my tear ducts instead. lol 😀

Ah yes, I am trying to see the good of it all. Whatever hope that I get, I wanted to share it. We cannot disregard everything that goes around because this is the society we live in. As responsible citizens, we more or less have a role to fulfill may it be directly or indirectly. We were all created to be catalysts of social change. Jesus was sent in this world to be one. As His followers and as sons and daughters of God, we are to be Christlike in every manner, fulfilling the assigned tasks that we all needed to fulfill.

I have posted in one of my Facebook posts this statement,

“The world and my country need not my anger and criticism but my love and understanding.”

So much and so many hurting. I have certain words of wisdom that I have been holding on to pretty much for most moments in my life and they were shared on to me. I’d like to encourage you to share these too for I believe these are what we and this world need at this time – FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.

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

So allow me to share the following words of wisdom to shed light in these moments of darkness:

There Is A Time For Everything

“There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

15 Whatever is has already been,
    and what will be has been before;
    and God will call the past to account.[b]

16 And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

17 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.” – Ecclesiastes 3: 1-17

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”

Max Ehrmann, DESIDERATA

“We love each other because He loved us first.” – 1 John 4:19

NOT Hopeless: May Pag-asa Pa Din

Contrary sa iniisip ng karamihan na wala ng pag-asa na mabago ang sistema sa ating lipunan kahit kailan, nais ko lang sana ipaalam na meron at meron pa ding pag-asa. 🙂

Oo, hindi na natin mababago ‘yung sistema sa ngayon sa ating gobyerno. Dahil kumbaga sa puno, ito ay isa ng acacia tree – malaki, malago at maraming ugat na nakabaon hanggang sa pinakailaliman. Hinding hindi ito basta basta mabubuwag. Putulin mo man ang puno o main trunk, andyan pa rin ang ugat, uusbong at uusbong pa rin. Kailangan ng isang napakalakas na bagyo in the history of PAGASA (‘yung ahensya at pwede namang ‘yung hope) para ito ay mabuwag at tuluyang mawala.

Ano ba ang problema sa lipunan?

Greed for money and power – ang ugat ng iba pang suliranin sa lipunan gaya ng kahirapan, pagkagutom, traffic, etc. Ito ‘yung kagustuhan to be the best and the richest. Just like how kingdoms #riseandfall noong unang panahon sa bibliya. Nga lang, karamihan ay gusto ng great power and great wealth. Parang mga leon na binigyan mo ng malaking piraso ng karne, lahat gusto tumikim.

Maaaring mabago ang konsepto na ‘yan without demanding our government and the leaders now to change dahil we don’t have the power for that anymore kundi ang Dios na. Panalangin na lang sa kanila ang maaari nating gawin. At ibabase ko lang ito sa dalawang premises na madalas nating marinig ngunit madalas din nating isantabi:

1. Change starts in me.
2. Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.

‘Yang dalawa ay magkaiba ang pinanggalingan ngunit kapag pinagsabay mo, ito ang magsisilbing daan towards that CHANGE.

Paano?

Lahat tayo ay magulang o magiging magulang o kung hindi man ay mag-aampon o magso-sponsor ng isang bata. Sa lagay na ‘yun, we have the POWER. Not for greed or money but the power to make the change in the society through the younger generations.

Saan ba nagsisimula ang paghubog ng tamang asal at magandang karakter ng isang tao mayaman man o mahirap? Sa isang pamilya sa pamamagitan ng patnubay ng magulang because we, the parents, are the leaders in our own home. Ang STEALING, CHEATING at LYING ay ilan lamang sa mga halimbawa ng di-kagandahang asal na natututunan ng isang bata oras na magkaroon sila ng kamulatan. Ang hindi pag-correct at pag-disiplina sa pagnanakaw ng ballpen ng classmate halimbawa ay maaaring mauwi sa pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan pagtanda.

Kung tatanungin ninyo ako ano ang guide o panuntunan para turuan ng magandang asal ang ating mga anak, sa totoo lang, ‘di mo kailangan maghanap sa iba o i-enroll sya sa isang social etiquette class – nariyan ang BIBLE. The bible contains the highest standards when it comes to morality – lahat napapaloob doon mula sa tamang pananalita, tamang reaksyon, tamang kilos, tamang desisyon at higit sa lahat, takot sa Dios.

In fact, our laws right now na ginawa originally ng ating forefathers ay ginawa alinsunod sa mga nakalagay sa bibliya. Kung titingnan natin ang 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, mababasa mo sa Preamble ang pag-recognize kay God as the Supreme being who governs ALL laws:

PREAMBLE

We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society, and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.

As a parent it is our role to live out these standards so we could become good role models at mas madali rin ang pagturo sa mga anak kung ano ang tama sa mali.

Malay mo o malay natin, ang anak mo, sya pala ang susunod na President of the Republic of the Philippines 30 years or so from now. We can never tell, right? At kung marami sila na nahubog sa tamang pamamaraan with the aid of of our Almighty God and nakaupo na sila sa pwesto ng gobyerno in the future, baka maaari ngang malabanan ang mga katiwalian dahil sila na ang mas malaki at mas malago at ang mangingibabaw ay kabutihan for the greater good of the Filipino people.

#maketheCHANGEforyourchildrenandtheirfuture

P.S.

Para saan pa nga ba ang pagpapaaral sa akin mula sa kaban ng bayan kung hindi rin ako gagawa ng paraan hanggang sa abot ng aking makakaya at kaalaman para matulungan ang aking bayan at mga kababayan. – Iskolar ng Bayan

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the Grace of God, I will.” – Edward Everett Hale