TRIBUTE TO CORY AQUINO

The death of the most beloved and respected of all presidents of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino has deeply saddened the Filipino people. She was a great loss for us.

Her presidency was a series of example of sincere dedication, unpretentious and self-sacrificing hard work. She was one of a kind. Once she has tasted power and influence and yet it never tainted her motivation in serving the people. She never entertained thoughts remaining in power.She is admirable in a sense that she never used her position to shamefacedly make members of her family become government officials for it would tantamount to a sort of nepotism. She invested no self-interests that would be self-profiting while in power. She is the only president I know who never had dubious transactions aimed at gaining wealth personal wealth. She and the people working with her, worked in unison to restore the lost democracy under Marcos regime. They never attempted to plunder our country and to corrupt the position they hold in an effort to show real service.

Yes, her life was a life of dedication to true service. She is the epitome of purity, dedication and integrity. No one can ever point a finger at her, for if they would, they would only be putting in light their own hidden evil motives.

We the people of the Philippines, may never witness another human being, another leader as pure as she is. We all are grief-stricken. We cry our hearts out. For we not only lost a president but democracy as well.

I take-off my hat to her in honor. I lament her departure. Who is like unto her? The hearts of all Filipino people go out to her and to her family.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

Accidents happen. My co-worker recently had an accident with his motorcycle. I automatically said "That is what will happen when driving drunk".

But I learned later that he was not drunk but overloaded. He had three back riders and the last of which was a very huge man and was unhurt. He reported for work the next day with scarcely a bruise. Unfortunately for the owner of the motorcycle, his bruises were far serious. His face swelled horribly. He sustained other bruises on other parts of his body. And what's worst he has difficulty breathing.

A pity for him. This is our lesson: don't let yourself be goaded into your own accident by sweet talking passenger. Let not anyone manipulate you in giving anyone a ride when the capacity doesn't. And of course, don't drive drunk. Be careful on the road. Obey traffic signal. Follow all this and you will drive on to your ripe old age.

MY COMPAQ ARMADA M700

I bought a COMPAQ ARMADA M700 laptop from a Korean. Although it is already obsolete. I opted to buy it since it's very afford. I like its Compaqness as the name suggests. I like its look, very simple yet durable. When I started using it, I found that it is efficient albeit slower than the latest models of course. I just learned that it is HP brand which I already admire previously.

That's why for me HP is a symbol of durability. It is the kind we use at the office which until now still performing efficiently for many years. See? We still haven't bought new ones. It is still performing healthily that's why. So when I next decide to buy the new model, I would buy the HP brand because it is tried and tested at home and at work.

THE 'MAN FROM APE' THEORY

I have always wondered about the theory that man originally came from an ape. I don't really vehemently disagree but as I see today, there are still a lot of apes walking around who had remained in their original ape appearance. I don't see an inch of evidence of evolution working in them. They are still as apes as they were before. If evolution really is working till now we would have already been seeing half-ape creatures walking around who would be partly intelligent too, I surmise.

This is thought provoking. That's why it just makes the evolution theory weaker and weaker than ever before. And there is one other thing, if we really had evolved from the ape then maybe there would not have been remained an ape today because they would all have been already become humans if I am not mistaken.

Well, that is only my opinion. I guess we are all entitled to our opinion, right? I apologize if I have just been ignorantly declaring blah-blah-blah in effect. I am just musing having nothing more interesting thing to note.

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

When difficulties come, on what do you focus? Some look back. They are the ones who try to drive looking in the rear view mirror. Their thoughts are consumed with two questions which, like a broken record, play over and over again: “What if?” or “If only?” “What if I had not made that investment? What if I had listened to my mom or dad? Some focus entirely on the future when difficulties arise. And what’s wrong with that? Isn’t goal setting important? Yes. Certainly, if you have no thought of where you want to go, you’ll never get there, for sure. But focusing entirely on tomorrow is daydreaming, or living in a fantasy world divorced from reality. Tomorrow is uncertain, and when it arrives, God is going to be there; so I have to leave many things in His hands, confident that when tomorrow gets here, God will show me what to do.

Some focus on their circumstances, looking around them. They are the ones who, when trouble comes, are looking for an excuse, a scapegoat, someone whom they can blame for their failures. I’m thinking of a woman who seemed to have been baptized in Teflon. When her computer wouldn’t work she would assail, “Someone did something with my computer,” when, in fact, no one had touched her computer. I heard complaints about her mother, her husband, certainly her church, and the set of circumstances that had dealt her a bad deal in life. Never would she say, “I accept responsibility for this,” or “This is my fault.” When trouble comes, don’t look around you, striving to pin the blame on others or on circumstances. Some things just happen, and the key is not fixing blame but how you respond and how you get on with your life.

Some look inward when problems come. This is not altogether bad. At times we need to examine our motives and take a look within. But living in a world of introspection, always examining our thoughts and feelings, often leaves us wounded and hurting. Paul took a look within and didn’t much like what he saw. Read Romans 7 and see if you can relate to his comments that seemingly what he wanted to do, he didn’t do, and what he didn’t want to do ended up being exactly what he did. If you take a look within, do learn from it and then move on.

All right, you may be saying, if I shouldn’t look back, or I shouldn’t look to the future, nor look around me or within, what should be my focus? Ah, I’m glad you asked. Here it is: When difficulty knocks at your door, look up into the face of Jesus, realizing that God can be your source of strength, your help, your defender, and your deliverer. He will never disappoint you or leave you in the lurch. Looking to Him you will never be disappointed.

Take time to read through the book of Psalms and notice how David and the men who penned these marvelous expressions of faith responded to trouble. They knew that the Lord is a rock, a fortress, a hiding place, a deliverer, a shield, a stronghold, a friend, a companion, and a helper in the time of need.

Your focus in the time of difficulty will determine both how you weather the storm and where you go after the storm is over. How much better to learn that God will walk with you through the valley than to wonder if He is strong enough, sufficient enough, caring enough to meet you at the time of your need. Yes, how much better indeed!

DOING RIGHT

With the current financial meltdown, I see only bleak things happening that makes us think twice. Thousands lost their jobs. Many came back from overseas jobless as they also lost their job in countries where they worked. The forecasts of expert concerning this portray the worst to come. It is so evident that it makes the atmosphere foreboding to all. Maybe, just maybe, the happy days are over. The day is done and night time has come.

We need to make all possible remedy to brace ourselves. We must cut back on our needless expenses. Spend only what is necessary. No more binge eating, binge buying and binge travels because it unnecessarily drains what money we have. We need to practically scrimp even with food because there are just too many bills to pay that eat away at our earnings, like electricity, water, credit cards, LPG, food and travel expenses.

How about the government how does it go on adapting to our situation? I hope they are making the best in curbing impulsive junkets and needless expenses. Those who are inclined to pocket money as if it was their own income should think twice. We cannot afford to sink our ship by digging more holes.

We need to unite this time and save ourselves. I remember a verse in the Bible that says in effect like this 'Those who will try to save his own life will lose it, but those who will lose it will save it instead.' Interesting verse. Maybe it means that those who are selfish and try to save his own skin will only eventually end up losing his own life in the process. What could its meaning except the obvious?

What I really want to say is that we must be united and help our ailing country instead of undermining it through corruption. We only have to decide to do what is right before it is too late.

MY RESPONSIBILITY

I was awakened by an urgent call in the middle of the night by my sister-in-law saying that my husband whom I was separated with was taken to the hospital because of a ruptured appendix. She informed me, in effect reminding me of my responsibility to take care of the insurance since he is still my beneficiary.

Just a day before he was hospitalized he came to where I live to ask money which I was not able to give at that time. He was irked that I did not give him, so he threatened to kill me. He raved and ranted about his old jealousies with my co-workers, all of which is not true of course. It is this thing he keeps rewinding like a broken record, accusing me endlessly. And threaten me that he would kill me if he caught me. That night I cried to God. Questions begin to crop up in my mind. What have I done to deserve this torture? Why won't he leave me alone in peace? Have I done something wrong to God for making me suffer like this?

And now that he is in need of medication, and here I am, still trying to do all I can to help him. I couldn't leave my son Israel be troubled on his own with this overwhelming problem. I had to do all I can but it does not mean that I still have any feeling for him. How can I still love him when all he did in our married life is to accuse me, beat me and extort money from me, not to mention that he has been unfaithful to me a number of times. What drove me to still help him is the fact that I am always helpful with those who are in need. As long as I have the capacity to give help, I'd give it and why not? It is my responsibility and I won't run from it. He is a fellow human being.

To me he is practically my enemy. When someone throws a stone at me, I must throw back bread. I still have to follow God's principle no matter what. I still have to show kindness to those who have shown only evil towards me. As long as I have done what is right. I only hope that in time he would be touched by the spirit of God to reform himself for the good of his soul.

My sister told me that she would pray that we would be reconciled with my husband. I was not amused by her statement. I told her that I had prayed to God for a long time that he would separate us finally. It was the only thing that can make me escape from the torture marriage that I was imprisoned in. It was given by God after a long time of petition so I feel it would not be right that she pray for our reconciliation. God knew what I had endured for a very long time. And it was not easy. It is his goodness that had made me escape from there. And I don't want to go back there. It is just plain stupid.

I went to the hospital not to visit him but to give the MDR, or the Member's Data Record because it is needed for the processing of the Phil. Health Insurance. My son was there so I gave it to him so he can be discharged from there. I will be going back to work to get additional forms as is instructed.

I hope to reap good fruits from the good seeds that I have planted. I have forgiven him of course. Let it remain right there, nothing more.