MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS AND KEEP YOU

I came across this beautiful prayer from one of my fave books and wanted to share it with you guys. 

We are all travelers in this world so this is actually for all of us:

"How can he who does not love his brother whom he sees, love God whom he does not see?

  (1 John 4, 20)

WHAT MAKES ME SMILE LATELY:

In no particular order, these are a few of my favorites:

 Cats and Dogs

How can you not love these guys? So adorbs! :-) Love mine to bits.

Books

    

Oh my gosh, if I listed all the books that make me happy I don't know when I would be finished. So, I'm gonna list down a few...

a. The Bible 

- this is THE book for me. It teaches us what we really need and how to live life. It really helps me get through days when I'm sad or confused. But, also during happy times, it makes me happier because the words are uplifting. Thank God for this book, right? Just try and read it and see what I mean. :-)

b. My Travel Companion - A Prayer Book For All

- I found this at home when I needed it most and it is most definitely one of the books that I reach for again and again. Actually, everyday when I pray, I read this. This has a lot of prayers, not just the common and popular prayers, but specific prayers for persons or situations in life. Plus, it also has a few inspiring and thought provoking notes and quotes. Give it a read! It would also be a beautiful gift to share with everyone.

 

c. Eat, Pray, Love (by Elizabeth Gilbert) 

- really nice read. But, if it were up to me, I'd rename the title to Pray, Love, Eat because I believe we should first pray to give thanks to God for all the blessings given to us as well as for all the guidance and help. And then, we should love, love, love God, people, animals and nature. Only then can we eat happily and with gusto. Because we are blessed and we love and are loved. Of course, eat when you're hungry! But, let's try to pray and love along with eating our food. It makes it more delicious and fulfilling that way. We can do so, by sharing our food, especially to the hungry ones.  

 Nature

- nature in all it's beautiful glory! Happiness! :-)

  

 FAMILY

- no pic here coz my family members are super shy! :-)

Oh, and this guy here:

 Ian Somerhalder

 

- Such a sweetheart! :-) 

He IS Captain Planet personified!

One of my favorite quotes from him:

"When showing love to those around you, remember it doesn’t take a material object to let those around you know you care. Show them how you feel and spread some love not just to the people around you but to this amazing planet."

xoxo! :-) 

   

TRUE WEALTH

There's been a surplus of positive messages that I have been reading so I want to share it to the world. Or, at least to the people who take time to read my blog. (thanks, btw! :-)

It's about wealth. They say that health is wealth. I believe that but I also believe this. Hopefully you guys will too.

"Wealth does not come from your bank account, wealth comes from the depth of your heart."

"What you really want is happiness. You might believe that a fat bank account will get you there, but that's false. Happy people are happy rich or poor, unhappy people are unhappy rich or poor. Money simply masks your real being by giving you activities to occupy your mind. Don't fool yourself, recession or not, your true wealth comes from your heart and is always only there."

So there. Sleep calls. 

Until then! 
 

THINK AND FEEL POSITIVE!

As I was feeling bummed out, I read this uplifting message and I just wanted to share it with all of you:

"The possibilities that today offers are endless, so eagerly anticipate wonderful happenings. It's easy to let blessings go by unnoticed if you're not looking."

SO CATHARTIC!

ca·thar·sis  

/kəˈTHärsis/

Noun

1. The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

I'm sorry for letting the busyness of life keep me from updating this blog, which is supposed to be my outlet online. Hence, the name. I can't believe that it took me so long to write here again. And, I really, really need to vent. But, because some feelings have been bottled up for so long and then ignored afterwards, it will only be a matter of time before everything blows up in my face. So, now even if it's a bit late in the night where I live, I wanted to find the time to finally blog again. I have so many ideas, quotes, visions and pictures to blog but it's all a big jumbled mess now and I don't know where to begin and I fear that I am losing time on putting it all here because other priorities in life have taken precedence over this. 

I hate that I feel guilty doing something as simple as blogging or venting out here when other people are doing seemingly important things. But, I realized that this is important to me! Very important! For my health and sanity. This is my catharsis. And, I shouldn't feel guilty or ashamed for wanting to do this. 

It's just that it's difficult when you are surrounded by people you love but don't understand you no matter how hard you try to. I can't make other people see things the way I see them, but I can at least try to open their eyes to other possibilities while being open as well to their ideas or ways of life. I'm just wondering why some people care too much and some just don't care at all. Or, is it just me who is really so affected by certain things or events? I can't expect other people to react the way I do during times of crisis or sadness or problems, but maybe a little bit of two-way communication helps. And, a huge dose of patience. 

Gosh! I honestly thought I was patient, but time and again, I am proven wrong. I manage to snap at the wrong people over things that have come to pass and I'm really sorry. I hope that a mega dose of patience will be given not just to me, but most especially to the people around me.  

Anyway, what am I even venting about? I guess, I'm just frustrated when things don't go as planned, especially when it's a team effort and the team that you have chosen does not have your back when you need them the most. I admit it hurts and I cry about it. It's normal because I am human and I have a heart and feelings and a soul. I'm not made of stone after all, hooray! I don't know about some people though...

But, anyhoo after the rain comes the rainbow, as cheesy as that sounds. There are  problems in life, but there will always be a solution to it. Sometimes, it's so simple that we even overlook it. It's just a matter of refocusing on the solution and not dwelling on the problem. However, a solution is not always found immediately. So, patience and faith really helps me get through all of it. 

Honestly, if you knew me, you'd think, what the heck is my problem. I'm so blessed that I shouldn't even complain about anything. So, yeah, I'll just write about my frustrations and as the words flow from my body to my fingers to the keyboard, I feel the sadness, frustration and grief flow out of my system. Putting pen to paper has always been my go-to outlet, but I find that typing is also cathartic to me so here I am now typing my feelings away.

I think I'm gonna be okay now that I have vented out. I'll just post some nice quotes to buoy me back into my bubbly and positive self. Even if negatrons are around me. I need to find a way to coexist with them and hopefully lead them to positivity without losing my own positivity. 

"She has learned to have her catharsis, take a deep breath and move on. … she does not dwell on the negative anymore." —Selena Roberts, New York Times, 24 June 2001

Disclaimer: I don't even know if what I've typed makes sense but who cares. It's called venting for a reason. It's not supposed to be in order or perfect. 

Okay, time to end this post and move on to brighter and joyous things.

    

So, later alligator and in a while crocodile because some positive posts will follow...

Muchos gracias for blogs! :-)

 

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we didn't have any turkey (not a fan of it). Instead, my family had pizza! While some people might find that odd, we didn't mind it because we all l♥ve pizza! :-) We ordered from Domino's, which was great since their pizzas are not greasy, unlike Pizza Hut's, so at least it's kinda healthy... for a pizza that is. We got the Potato Pizza and the Margherita Pizza. It was sooo superb that I ate a number (I won't tell how many! :-P) of slices from both boxes.

 Here are some pics for reference:

 Potato Pizza:

Quite an unusual flavor that piqued our interest and so, we just HAD to order it! We love pizza and fries or potato wedges, so anything that combines the two is tops in our book! :-) It is kinda heavy and filling, so maybe 1 or 2 slices will do.

 Margherita Pizza:

This is for the veggie lovers out there! With basil, tomato and cheese, it is simple, but absolutely yummy! :-)
 
And, it was fun to order from Domino's, with their cute website, which was interactive and user friendly. Plus, their customer service is great and delivery was fast.

But, enough about pizza... On a more serious note, I have a lot to be thankful for in my life (including these pizzas. :-) ) So, everyday I say a little prayer of thanks and I really try to have an attitude of gratitude. Even when I am sad because things aren't going my way, I look for the silver lining in the situation, and then it instantly makes me feel better. 

I'm not saying that I am always bubbly and happy though. There are some days that are particularly hard to get through. But, I still find something to be thankful for. Even the small things that people usually take for granted. Like seeing a beautiful butterfly or bird flying freely, hugging my pets, gazing at the sky, feeling a cool breeze, being surrounded by nature and having a loving family.

Sometimes with all the blessings that I have, I feel guilty for complaining about my problems. But, I'm only human and I guess, it's normal. I just try not to complain as much these days.

I think that Thanksgiving should be done daily, and not just one day every year. It doesn't require a grand meal everyday because sometimes just the sincere words of "thank you" will do.

So, thank you for the blessings, God! :-)  

♥,
Moi

AFTER A LONG HIATUS...

Well, hello there guys! :-) I truly am sorry for not visiting this blog and writing about my thoughts on life and other things. I've been busy writing elsewhere and doing other stuff. But, while doing those things, I longed to write here. I just haven't found the time... until now. My stories and pictures have actually piled up that I don't know where to start. I have so much to tell and so much to share. Honestly, I was supposed to work today, but decided to put it off for tomorrow... :-P Thank God for flexible work schedules! One of the perks of my job.

So, check out my posts and pics above.