Must read and try to understand the deep meaning of it.
They are like the ten commandments to follow in life all the time.
1. Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble,
but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.
2. So why is a car's windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small?
Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.
3. Friendship is like a book. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
4. All things in life are temporary. If it’s going well, enjoy it, that won't last long.
If it’s going badly, don't worry, that won't last long either.
5. Old friends are gold! New friends are diamond! If you get a diamond, don't forget the gold!
Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!
6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says,
"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!"
7. When God solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities;
when God doesn't solve your problems, He has faith in your abilities.
8. A blind person asked St. Anthony, "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?"
He replied, "Yes, losing your vision!"
9. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them;
sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
10. Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
The Ten Commandments of Life
Mother Dating
After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.”
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally
. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked.
. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked.
My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. “I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I would like that very much.”
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel’s. “I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, “she said, as she got into the car. “They can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”
We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. “It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she said. “Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,” I responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation – nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.
“How was your dinner date?” asked my wife when I got home. “Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,” I answered.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates – one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till “some other time.”
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Happy Birthday Abygail!
When you see this Lady. do greet her with a very happy, healthy and hearty birthday. She is my youngest sister out of nine and the number 13th child of the 14th sibling.
She is just a great cook or shall I say a "chef' and the food that she cooks is so sumptuous, delicious and want to make you forget your name. :-)
Most of them are out of this world and I don't know how she can do them... well... that's her specialty. By the way, she is a Medical Technologist... hmm... very different from what she is doing right now.
Have a fun day and enjoy it. Happy Birthday my darling sister!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Your Difference From Another...
A Crow was absolutely satisfied in life.
But one day he saw a swan…
This swan is so white and I am so black…crow thought.
This swan is so white and I am so black…crow thought.
This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.
He expressed his thoughts to the swan.
“Actually,” the swan replied,
“Actually,” the swan replied,
“I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot,
which has two colors.
I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.”
which has two colors.
I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.”
The crow then approached the parrot.
The parrot explained,
“I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock.
I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”
The parrot explained,
“I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock.
I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”
The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that
hundreds of people had gathered to see him.
hundreds of people had gathered to see him.
After the people had left,
The crow approached the Peacock..
The crow approached the Peacock..
Dear Peacock,
You are so beautiful.
Every day thousands of people come to see you.
When people see me,
they immediately shoo me away.
I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.
You are so beautiful.
Every day thousands of people come to see you.
When people see me,
they immediately shoo me away.
I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.
The peacock replied,
I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet.
But because of my beauty,
I am entrapped in this zoo.
I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet.
But because of my beauty,
I am entrapped in this zoo.
I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized
that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage.
that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage.
So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow,
I could happily roam everywhere.
I could happily roam everywhere.
Thus is one of the reasons for people with having low self-esteem.
They always look at somebody else and compared themselves
with them and thus never really realized their God given ability,
potential and capabilities in life.
We are so busy comparing ourselves with others and never
looked at our own special self that we were created for.
We were lost in the throws of fame and famous mentality
and wanted to belong attitude so that what we are and what
we have are being ignored and thus unable to develop.
If we were created equally, this world would be a boring place
to live and we as human beings would be boring too as we would
have the same qualities, same personalities, same taste in things.
that we like and wants.
Each one of us are unique in each our own way. Find that uniqueness
within you and develop it.
Think about it...
What makes you different from others?
What separates you from the rest of the world?
What is that one thing that you can do better than anybody else
in this life.
When you really think hard... think very, very hard... you would
find out that you have more than you are capable of giving yourself
the credit that you surely deserve.
So just think...
Friday, July 31, 2015
My Pops and my Moms
In their twenties. In their seventies.
Pops was 21 years old. Pops was 75 years old.
Moms was 21 years old. Moms was 75 years old.
Moms 75th birthday celebration.
The Sanchez Clan
Ladies and Gentleman:
Presenting to you all my siblings and I thank God everyday for our lives.
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Give It To Your Man...
Men Are Just Happier People ??
What do you expect from such simple creatures?
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack...
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time. Well kind of...
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
If someone forgets to invite you,He or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, even decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives On December 24 in 25 minutes.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
If someone forgets to invite you,He or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, even decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives On December 24 in 25 minutes.
Don't you just love them?
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Poem That Was Us - A little nostalgia...
. . . . a little 'going back'. . . . . Lots of memories
A POEM THAT WAS USA little house with three bedrooms,
One bathroom and one car on the street
A mower that you had to push
To make the grass look neat.In the kitchen on the wall
We only had one phone,
And no need for recording things,
Someone was always home.We only had a living room
Where we would congregate,
Unless it was at mealtime
In the kitchen where we ate.We had no need for family rooms
Or extra rooms to dine.
When meeting as a family
Those two rooms would work out fine.We only had one TV set
And channels maybe two,
But always there was one of them
With something worth the viewFor snacks we had potato chips
That tasted like a chip.
And if you wanted flavor
There was Lipton's onion dip.Store-bought snacks were rare because
My mother liked to cook
And nothing can compare to snacks
In Betty Crocker's bookWeekends were for family trips
Or staying home to play
We all did things together –
Even go to church to pray.When we did our weekend trips
Depending on the weather,
No one stayed at home because
We liked to be togetherSometimes we would separate
To do things on our own,
But we knew where the others were
Without our own cell phoneThen there were the movies
With your favorite movie star,
And nothing can compare
To watching movies in your carThen there were the picnics
at the peak of summer season,
Pack a lunch and find some trees
And never need a reason.Get a baseball game together
With all the friends you know,
Have real action playing ball –
And no game video.Remember when the doctor
Used to be the family friend,
And didn't need insurance
Or a lawyer to defendThe way that he took care of you
Or what he had to do,
Because he took an oath and strived
To do the best for youRemember going to the store
And shopping casually,
And when you went to pay for it
You used your own money?Nothing that you had to swipe
Or punch in some amount,
And remember when the cashier person
Had to really count?The milkman used to go
From door to door,
And it was just a few cents more
Than going to the store.There was a time when mailed letters
Came right to your door,
Without a lot of junk mail ads
Sent out by every store .The mailman knew each house by name
And knew where it was sent;
There were not loads of mail addressed
To "present occupant”There was a time when just one glance
Was all that it would take,
And you would know the kind of car,
The model and the makeThey didn't look like turtles
Trying to squeeze out every mile;
They were streamlined, white walls, fins
And really had some styleOne time the music that you played
Whenever you would jive,
Was from a vinyl, big-holed record
Called a forty-fiveThe record player had a post
To keep them all in line
And then the records would drop down
And play one at a time.Oh sure, we had our problems then,
Just like we do today
And always we were striving,
Trying for a better way.Oh, the simple life we lived
Still seems like so much fun,
How can you explain a game,
Just kick the can and run?And why would boys put baseball cards
Between bicycle spokes
And for a nickel, red machines
Had little bottled Cokes?This life seemed so much easier
Slower in some ways
I love the new technology
But I sure do miss those days.So time moves on and so do we
And nothing stays the same,
But I sure love to reminisce
And walk down memory lane.With all today's technology
We grant that it's a plus!
But it's fun to look way back and say,
HEY LOOK, GUYS, THAT WAS US!
Monday, July 27, 2015
Think about it...
Just thought of sharing you this:
1 - I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
2 - Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.
3 - Half the people you know are below average.
4 - 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5 - 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6 - A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
7 - A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
8 - If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.
9 - All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.
10 - The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
11 - I almost had a psychic girlfriend, ...... But she left me before we met.
12 - OK, so what's the speed of dark?
13 - How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
14 - If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
15 - Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
16 - When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
17 - Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.
18 - Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.
19 - I intend to live forever... So far, so good.
20 - If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
21 - Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
22 - What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
23 - My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
24 - Why do psychics have to ask you for your name.
25 - If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
26 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
27 - Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
28 - The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.
29 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
30 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
31 - The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
32 - The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.
33 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film.
34 - If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
And the all-time favourite -
35 - If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?
Peter Jaffe PhD, Professor, Faculty of Education
Western University, 1137 Western Road
London ON Canada 519-661-2018
From 138 LBS. to 110 LBS. in Three Months
My Goal, My Dream, My Desire
When we were in College, my sisters and I went to the place where it was considered as the Summer Capital of the Philippines called Baguio City.
The place was cold that's why it was called the Summer Capital and we have to have jackets, sweaters and coats everyday. It was a very stunning and refreshing City and one that was a favorite spot for vacations.
The city itself is mountainous and full of hills but surrounded with lustrous greeneries everywhere. The breeze was so fresh and cool especially first thing in the morning.
There was a beautiful Cathedral in the middle of the city and it always had a mass service in the morning and in the afternoon everyday and it was opened all day for tourists and residents alike to come in and stay there to pray, attend the mass service or just to visit.
On the left side was a long stairways with about more than one hundred steps. Sometimes we would climb up those steps to go up to the church though we had to stop once in a while but we would rather pass through the front door of the church then after the mass we just had to go down the steps which was more comfortable and convenient for us.
We would go to church almost everyday before our classes and if we could not go in the morning we made sure we went in the afternoon. You would find a lot of students doing the same thing too.
After mass in the morning, we would go home first and then prepared for the school.
Besides those long steps was a dormitory for the Seminarians thus we would see them outside the building gathering around there mainly coming from the church as well and preparing for their classes.
These went on for days not knowing that they were watching my sister and I at that time. So one day, after church service, we passed down the long stairways and when we reached the very bottom, some of them as usual were gathering around having conversations.
One of them (real handsome with a very fine complexion) greeted us and introduced himself to us and smiled sheepishly. We had a very, very little exchange of words and then we left and headed on to our home.
At that time, I thought he was eyeing my sister but over so many days of seeing them after church, I realized that he wanted to befriend me more than my sister. But of course, my heart pumped so fast. He was so cute and handsome and had like a baby's complexion.
He was very gentle and courteous and so were his friends who were all seminarians also. They have a sense of honor and respect within them. They would always act in a very decent manner which we appreciated. We were just having an exchange of conversations like the normal teenagers would, just acquaintance until friendship developed.
At that time I was a bit big but I wasn't so concerned about it. When I would go to my class, we wore uniforms and because the place was really cold, I would always wear a pair of navy blue pants or navy blue skirt with knee highs navy blue socks and long sleeve white polo shirts with a tie and a sweater or a jacket or a coat.
In the first class that I had, there was this boy that was coming to the same class and he was big, meaning really big and in my country (Philippines) you really hardly see somebody who is big and fat. Though he was, he was very pleasant, always smiling and very friendly.
Every time he saw me in the class, he would just smiled and just looked at me but never really said much to me. After class he would just look again, smiled and left and that was about it. I was at that time thinking that he was shy to talk to me and wanted to befriend me but I would not say anything either. Furthermore, I was thinking that maybe I was a little big as well so it was like a great match for the two of us to be together... just thinking at that time.
One day, during class, our professor asked a question and I raised my hand to answer it and the professor concluded that I did. I stood up, answered the question and was pleased by it. As I was sitting back to my seat, I heard a big R-R-R-i-i-i-p-p-p and felt that the stitches on the right inner side of my pants just busted open. OMG! My goodness! I felt my face flushed and warming up. I sheepishly looked around to see if anybody noticed or heard anything. Thank God, none. Nobody.
It was a lucky day for me because I was wearing a long coat and literally covered my ripped pants and I was so embarrassed to rush to go outside thinking somebody had noticed it. Then I saw again my classmate looking at me and smiling. I thought for a moment if he had heard it because he was sitting on my front and not far from me.
But he didn't say anything at all, just looked, smiled at me and left the room and I dashed home to save my face from that incident. I mean, my own self from shame. I felt bad about it. I knew that I had to be really getting fatter for my pants to rip like that. Good gracious. How embarrassing!
At that time, my sister, a girlfriend and I were renting rooms from a couple who had a son with them who was the same age as us, maybe one year younger. In another room was another lady who was a Nutritionist who teached at the same University we were attending at.
As I was relating the incident to my sister, we were standing outside this lady's bedroom and I didn't know she was in her room at that time. All of a sudden she opened up her door and said to come in. Obviously she heard us. That was the very first time we had encountered her and she was so beautiful, tall and slim.
She was very pleasant to us, We were much younger as I was just 17 and my sister was 18 at that time. As a Nutritionist she gave us some tips and keys about of course nutrition and losing weight and maintaining your weight, the normal advise most people say... diet... exercise... drinking lots of water...
Well, all of them we really have to consider but there was one thing that she had shown us that up to this day I have never forgotten and I have followed it and kept it. After giving us her advice, she said, "Let me show something." Then she dropped her pants and showed us her thighs. She said, " You see my thighs?" We said, "Yes!" Then she put her knees together and said that for you to be able to know that you are in the right body measurement, body weight, fat content, (now this is so interesting that's why up to this day I remember it) your both thighs shouldn't be rubbing each other, not even touching each other. OMG!
Just to think that earlier that day my pants ripped and tore wide open and here she was telling me that my thighs shouldn't be touching each other????? Huh! I felt bad about that. Listen to this. When she showed us her thighs, there was a concave shape inside the parts of her thigh... it's kind of like this...( ) but very proportionate to each other.
So, I thought, "How would I achieve my thighs like hers?" They were quite nice to look at to be honest and mind you they were much, much better than mine. From that time on the appearance of those thighs stuck on me.
That was many years ago and I do not know now whatever happened to that lady but sure did impacted me a lot. We then had to move to a new home that my Dad rented so that all of us could be in one house with a housekeeper so she could cook and clean and so we could concentrate on our studies.
My Dad and my Mom were such caring, conscientious and charismatic parents. They would do everything for us,their children. At that time, we were about ten of us all going to school from primary school to University. Goodness, I just could not for the life of me imagined doing that today.
We were actually four of us all at the same time in the University, three in High School and three in primary and the rest were still very young and they were with my Dad and Mom at home.
Now, going back to those seminarians... well... we never really had a real friendship and real long conversation but they did ask what part of the country we were from. We told them the province where we were staying and nothing else. We did not say what part of the province nor what part of the town or barrio. We didn't give any complete address, no number, no name, no description of the place nor the house.
Remember, we were about six hours drive in the car from my house to the school where we were going at that time. Summer break came and we ( my siblings and I ) all went back home and leaving nobody in the rented house until next semester.
Of course, my Dad and my Mom were quite happy, everybody was home, the family was complete. I cold still pictured my Mom that every time we had to go back to Baguio, we were having tears galore... meaning everybody was crying and we could not leave our Mom as she was so sad and crying. Maybe you had experienced the same situation when you were going to college in another part of the country or in another country per se.
One day, I was in the dining room and everybody was doing their own task in the house (oh, yes we all did have them even my small siblings) the housekeeper approached me and said that there was a car outside and about four boys looking for me and my sister. At first I thought she was just teasing me and when she insisted to go look outside I saw a sporty, grand, red car and four boys looking around the house. Remember, we were all teenagers at that time.
OMG! OMG! OMG! I called my sister and told her and she too could not believe it. So, we went outside and as soon as they saw us, you could really see a sense of relief from them. They looked tired and haggard and I guess because it was a long travel from where they came from.
Well, we could not believe that they were there outside our gate and then to our house. They never knew where we stayed because we never told them but when we asked them how they found our house, they said they just kept asking and asking and asking until they found the house.
My Dad and my Mom were very well known in my country and when they mentioned our last name, people were just showing them exactly where to go, thus straight to our home. We let them in and called our parents and introduced them.
In my country it is a habitual culture to go to a woman's house when you are pursuing her sometimes even serenading the woman of your love which is a very touching and sweet gesture. Now, come' on, who wouldn't want to be serenaded, ha? Oh, it is so exciting and your emotions run high. I could guarantee you that. It is one of the most exhilarating experienced you would ever encounter in your life.
Anyway, they were in the living room all seated together with my sister and I and of course some of my siblings were passing by and being conscious of what was going on too. I think they were a little overwhelmed about the bigness of our family.
We gave them something to eat as we did know they were hungry and tired from a long drive. After having a great conversation, they started to say good-byes and thanked us for hosting them and being so hospitable and gracious to them.
Before they left, the boy who was pursuing me said something to me that blew my mind. You see, before they came to our house, during school time, he had offered me something that I didn't think that he was serious about it and so I just brushed it off. But this time, I knew he was all for it when he mentioned it to me again and I was actually speechless and he insisted about it. So I told him I have to think about it.
Excited was an understatement about what he said to me. So I figured out, we have two months semestral break and thus I could start my regime because I wanted to look really well and feel well about myself. I thought about really concentrating on my goal that I wanted to do ever since the incident about my pants ripping and this was a special goal for me that time.
Loosing weight is not hard, I know that. Maintaining your desired weight is the one that is challenging. You really have to focus on your goal and what you wanted to accomplish because i guarantee you that you would feel like stopping and forget about it. But then again, it's worth the prize you are after.
So I started with my food which consisted of black coffee and plain toast with nothing on it even butter. To make it taste better, I would just dip my toast in my coffee and that was how I managed to eat it faster too. Two slices of plain toast with black coffee in the morning would be sufficient for me.
At seventeen years old, I never knew anything about dieting or losing weight. My gosh, I'm just trying to go to school and make it through the day. But my cousins ( two sisters) were on this rampage of losing weight as well.
The older one is slim and really... she didn't need to lose weight anymore but I did not know how she could be so fanatic about it at that time. She would always asked me what I ate, what I did and really sometimes I was annoyed because as much as I wanted to lose weight I did not need anybody to be checking me out all the time about what I was doing or what I was eating.
On the other hand, the younger one who was much, much bigger than her older sister would say everyday that she would start her dieting and doing exercise but nothing ever happened. She promised herself everyday that she would start tomorrow and tomorrow never came into existence. She would even write a big note for herself that she would get up early and would do the exercise as soon as she got up and she would place this huge note in front of her bed which at that time was a bunk bed and as soon as she woke up in the morning, she would see it thus encouraged her to get up and just do it.
Well, that went on for a while and hardly done anything. She was young at that time but at least that was her goal and tried to help herself out to accomplish that. Well, fast forward... if you'd see her today... she's almost as tiny as me now and remained that size for a long time.
So let's get back to my own routine. Like I said, in the morning I'd have one cup of black coffee and two plain toasts with nothing on them. Remember, I was in school at that time so I really needed to eat properly. At lunch, I was very careful about what I ate as well as supper. I did eat rice at lunch and dinner and vegetables and very, very rare with meat. It was almost always fish as we do have so much varieties of fishes in the Philippines and you can make a fish dish in so many ways.
There is one thing that I would mention here that really helped me lose those extra pounds and made me slimmer in a very proportionate way. A lot of people kept asking me what I did and what was my secret. It was not a secret and if you can call it like that, my answer would be that it was because I was aiming for my goal.
You've got to have something that you are looking forward to be, to do or to have and experience it the way you have dreamed it and for me was to lose those pounds at certain date at that time so I can accomplish if for my own personal achievement and thus get what I want at that time.
Where I was living at that time at fourth floor and no elevator nor escalator... those years hardly anybody had them anyway. When you have so much on your hands, your personal bags, grocery bags, books and other material from school, you would not be able to walk up fast and not at a pace when you normally walked when your hands were empty. But, of course not.
So, going up was always a challenge and as you know going down was a slide whether your hands were empty or not. When you reached fourth floor, there was a little verandah enough to have you rested and your baggage and enough room to roam around as well.
But inside the apartment was big enough so it was divided into so many cubicles for the single bed at east to fit in and my Aunt would rent those spaces for other students. Being we were at the top floor, it was like a penthouse and had this huge outside patio and you can actually see the whole city and the view is so breath taking.
In the morning, I would get up a little early and would start my morning exercise regime and so did at night before going to bed. I would do it at the veranda instead of at the outside patio because it was so huge and open and I didn't want anybody to see me what I was doing. The veranda was closed in and very private and nobody can see you except when somebody was coming to the fourth floor.
So that was where I would do my exercise regime morning and night religiously. later on, I would noticed that my clothes were getting lose and that I felt really better and excited about the results of what I was doing. I was getting great progress and of course I was excited.
Even the boy that was pursuing me noticed it and even though he was not saying anything about it I could feel his satisfaction. I continued consistently... I persevered persistently...I just did what I had to do and never stopped along the way.
Oh, boy! It was a very refreshing and exciting journey for me. When I hit that weighing scale, lo and behold... I saw those numbers... they're like gold to me...like diamonds... I felt very, very good.
I DID IT! I got my goal .. my dream... what I wanted... I was sooooooooo excited and I was like in heaven. I made it and all I have to do is continue what I was doing to maintain it.
It was like magic ... but it's not at all. When you know exactly what you want in life and focus on it and no matter what stumbling block comes your way and all kinds of challenges and struggles and trials and tribulations... you can overcome all of them... you can pass them and with no concerns and no cares because you are focusing on one thing and one thing alone... that is your GOAL and your DREAM and your DESIRE ,,, no doubt you'll get it.
That boy didn't know what I was doing nor did he realize that I was doing something because of what he offered me at that time. I wanted it so bad. He kept pursuing me and treated me so gentle and so kind to me and because he also came from a very decent, kind and generous family, he actually had shown himself to be such a delight to be with.
Then the time came when he would hear my answer and boy, was he excited. He came to the house and so gentleman ... so kind ... so sweet. He looked so handsome and cute ... those sparkling eyes... baby like complexion ... and a little timid as well.
But something inside me changed. I didn't know what and I didn't know why. I really liked him and really wanting him to be my friend but after he had spoken to me and asked me my answer, I could not really tell him at that time. He was a little surprise by my reaction and that he didn't understand it either.
When he came to the house that time, he would hear my long awaited answer for his question about him and I going steady. He knew I liked him and I did know I liked him as well. But I just could not say that I did at that time and he was really disillusioned about it and so did I.
I even went to the struggles of losing weight so I could be good about myself about accepting him and be presentable for him ( those were my thoughts at that time) and that I would look decent enough when I accepted his offer to me.
It was a strange feeling and I just could not accepted him as my steady... maybe just a friend and not serious relationship even the dream of me accepting his offer lost my interest.. it was really strange. I just didn't have that strong feeling for him to have a serious relationship. I liked him... but not to go on a real long relationship and eventually I guess, getting married.
When he heard me saying "No, I'm sorry!" I felt the disappointment in him... his heart broken... his face flushed and his head bowed down. Do you know about feeling bad in a situation like this? Yes. That's it. I felt bad for him. I could see he wanted to cry but trying to hold it in.
It was a sad moment for both of us because we were both expecting a joyful outcome but it didn't turn out that way. I could not pretend I loved him. I thought I did. I liked him only as a friend but nothing more than that so I could not accept his offer to me. I felt sorry for both of us but I would not lie to him and to myself about a golden and special experience like this. It would be tragic for both of us. It would not be right for both of us.
Then he still asked me if I wanted the offer and I said politely no. I could not take it knowing he has nothing to expect from me and I could not take advantage of him nor use him for that though he was willing to give it to me and for just as being a friend.
Ahh! What a beautiful gentleman! I refused. I could not do that to him. It would not be fair to him and because his character said it all... mine said the same.
I knew it was my dream... I achieved one and that was for me to accomplish my desired weight and body composition but his offer... there are other ways to get that... I'll just keep on pursuing it.
The very best part was I had a very wonderful experience having him as my friend who was so kind, so gentle, so generous and so decently respectful. Those things, I treasured more.
We parted... and we didn't see each other anymore after that. I've always wondered whatever happened to him. Maybe he was married or pursued his priesthood. I do not know. I wished him the very best and may God bless him wherever he is right now.
In case you are wondering, below was the offer to me whether I accepted his proposition or not ...
One of them (real handsome with a very fine complexion) greeted us and introduced himself to us and smiled sheepishly. We had a very, very little exchange of words and then we left and headed on to our home.
At that time, I thought he was eyeing my sister but over so many days of seeing them after church, I realized that he wanted to befriend me more than my sister. But of course, my heart pumped so fast. He was so cute and handsome and had like a baby's complexion.
He was very gentle and courteous and so were his friends who were all seminarians also. They have a sense of honor and respect within them. They would always act in a very decent manner which we appreciated. We were just having an exchange of conversations like the normal teenagers would, just acquaintance until friendship developed.
At that time I was a bit big but I wasn't so concerned about it. When I would go to my class, we wore uniforms and because the place was really cold, I would always wear a pair of navy blue pants or navy blue skirt with knee highs navy blue socks and long sleeve white polo shirts with a tie and a sweater or a jacket or a coat.
In the first class that I had, there was this boy that was coming to the same class and he was big, meaning really big and in my country (Philippines) you really hardly see somebody who is big and fat. Though he was, he was very pleasant, always smiling and very friendly.
Every time he saw me in the class, he would just smiled and just looked at me but never really said much to me. After class he would just look again, smiled and left and that was about it. I was at that time thinking that he was shy to talk to me and wanted to befriend me but I would not say anything either. Furthermore, I was thinking that maybe I was a little big as well so it was like a great match for the two of us to be together... just thinking at that time.
One day, during class, our professor asked a question and I raised my hand to answer it and the professor concluded that I did. I stood up, answered the question and was pleased by it. As I was sitting back to my seat, I heard a big R-R-R-i-i-i-p-p-p and felt that the stitches on the right inner side of my pants just busted open. OMG! My goodness! I felt my face flushed and warming up. I sheepishly looked around to see if anybody noticed or heard anything. Thank God, none. Nobody.
It was a lucky day for me because I was wearing a long coat and literally covered my ripped pants and I was so embarrassed to rush to go outside thinking somebody had noticed it. Then I saw again my classmate looking at me and smiling. I thought for a moment if he had heard it because he was sitting on my front and not far from me.
But he didn't say anything at all, just looked, smiled at me and left the room and I dashed home to save my face from that incident. I mean, my own self from shame. I felt bad about it. I knew that I had to be really getting fatter for my pants to rip like that. Good gracious. How embarrassing!
At that time, my sister, a girlfriend and I were renting rooms from a couple who had a son with them who was the same age as us, maybe one year younger. In another room was another lady who was a Nutritionist who teached at the same University we were attending at.
As I was relating the incident to my sister, we were standing outside this lady's bedroom and I didn't know she was in her room at that time. All of a sudden she opened up her door and said to come in. Obviously she heard us. That was the very first time we had encountered her and she was so beautiful, tall and slim.
She was very pleasant to us, We were much younger as I was just 17 and my sister was 18 at that time. As a Nutritionist she gave us some tips and keys about of course nutrition and losing weight and maintaining your weight, the normal advise most people say... diet... exercise... drinking lots of water...
Well, all of them we really have to consider but there was one thing that she had shown us that up to this day I have never forgotten and I have followed it and kept it. After giving us her advice, she said, "Let me show something." Then she dropped her pants and showed us her thighs. She said, " You see my thighs?" We said, "Yes!" Then she put her knees together and said that for you to be able to know that you are in the right body measurement, body weight, fat content, (now this is so interesting that's why up to this day I remember it) your both thighs shouldn't be rubbing each other, not even touching each other. OMG!
Just to think that earlier that day my pants ripped and tore wide open and here she was telling me that my thighs shouldn't be touching each other????? Huh! I felt bad about that. Listen to this. When she showed us her thighs, there was a concave shape inside the parts of her thigh... it's kind of like this...( ) but very proportionate to each other.
So, I thought, "How would I achieve my thighs like hers?" They were quite nice to look at to be honest and mind you they were much, much better than mine. From that time on the appearance of those thighs stuck on me.
That was many years ago and I do not know now whatever happened to that lady but sure did impacted me a lot. We then had to move to a new home that my Dad rented so that all of us could be in one house with a housekeeper so she could cook and clean and so we could concentrate on our studies.
My Dad and my Mom were such caring, conscientious and charismatic parents. They would do everything for us,their children. At that time, we were about ten of us all going to school from primary school to University. Goodness, I just could not for the life of me imagined doing that today.
We were actually four of us all at the same time in the University, three in High School and three in primary and the rest were still very young and they were with my Dad and Mom at home.
Now, going back to those seminarians... well... we never really had a real friendship and real long conversation but they did ask what part of the country we were from. We told them the province where we were staying and nothing else. We did not say what part of the province nor what part of the town or barrio. We didn't give any complete address, no number, no name, no description of the place nor the house.
Remember, we were about six hours drive in the car from my house to the school where we were going at that time. Summer break came and we ( my siblings and I ) all went back home and leaving nobody in the rented house until next semester.
Of course, my Dad and my Mom were quite happy, everybody was home, the family was complete. I cold still pictured my Mom that every time we had to go back to Baguio, we were having tears galore... meaning everybody was crying and we could not leave our Mom as she was so sad and crying. Maybe you had experienced the same situation when you were going to college in another part of the country or in another country per se.
One day, I was in the dining room and everybody was doing their own task in the house (oh, yes we all did have them even my small siblings) the housekeeper approached me and said that there was a car outside and about four boys looking for me and my sister. At first I thought she was just teasing me and when she insisted to go look outside I saw a sporty, grand, red car and four boys looking around the house. Remember, we were all teenagers at that time.
OMG! OMG! OMG! I called my sister and told her and she too could not believe it. So, we went outside and as soon as they saw us, you could really see a sense of relief from them. They looked tired and haggard and I guess because it was a long travel from where they came from.
Well, we could not believe that they were there outside our gate and then to our house. They never knew where we stayed because we never told them but when we asked them how they found our house, they said they just kept asking and asking and asking until they found the house.
My Dad and my Mom were very well known in my country and when they mentioned our last name, people were just showing them exactly where to go, thus straight to our home. We let them in and called our parents and introduced them.
In my country it is a habitual culture to go to a woman's house when you are pursuing her sometimes even serenading the woman of your love which is a very touching and sweet gesture. Now, come' on, who wouldn't want to be serenaded, ha? Oh, it is so exciting and your emotions run high. I could guarantee you that. It is one of the most exhilarating experienced you would ever encounter in your life.
Anyway, they were in the living room all seated together with my sister and I and of course some of my siblings were passing by and being conscious of what was going on too. I think they were a little overwhelmed about the bigness of our family.
We gave them something to eat as we did know they were hungry and tired from a long drive. After having a great conversation, they started to say good-byes and thanked us for hosting them and being so hospitable and gracious to them.
Before they left, the boy who was pursuing me said something to me that blew my mind. You see, before they came to our house, during school time, he had offered me something that I didn't think that he was serious about it and so I just brushed it off. But this time, I knew he was all for it when he mentioned it to me again and I was actually speechless and he insisted about it. So I told him I have to think about it.
Excited was an understatement about what he said to me. So I figured out, we have two months semestral break and thus I could start my regime because I wanted to look really well and feel well about myself. I thought about really concentrating on my goal that I wanted to do ever since the incident about my pants ripping and this was a special goal for me that time.
Loosing weight is not hard, I know that. Maintaining your desired weight is the one that is challenging. You really have to focus on your goal and what you wanted to accomplish because i guarantee you that you would feel like stopping and forget about it. But then again, it's worth the prize you are after.
So I started with my food which consisted of black coffee and plain toast with nothing on it even butter. To make it taste better, I would just dip my toast in my coffee and that was how I managed to eat it faster too. Two slices of plain toast with black coffee in the morning would be sufficient for me.
At seventeen years old, I never knew anything about dieting or losing weight. My gosh, I'm just trying to go to school and make it through the day. But my cousins ( two sisters) were on this rampage of losing weight as well.
The older one is slim and really... she didn't need to lose weight anymore but I did not know how she could be so fanatic about it at that time. She would always asked me what I ate, what I did and really sometimes I was annoyed because as much as I wanted to lose weight I did not need anybody to be checking me out all the time about what I was doing or what I was eating.
On the other hand, the younger one who was much, much bigger than her older sister would say everyday that she would start her dieting and doing exercise but nothing ever happened. She promised herself everyday that she would start tomorrow and tomorrow never came into existence. She would even write a big note for herself that she would get up early and would do the exercise as soon as she got up and she would place this huge note in front of her bed which at that time was a bunk bed and as soon as she woke up in the morning, she would see it thus encouraged her to get up and just do it.
Well, that went on for a while and hardly done anything. She was young at that time but at least that was her goal and tried to help herself out to accomplish that. Well, fast forward... if you'd see her today... she's almost as tiny as me now and remained that size for a long time.
So let's get back to my own routine. Like I said, in the morning I'd have one cup of black coffee and two plain toasts with nothing on them. Remember, I was in school at that time so I really needed to eat properly. At lunch, I was very careful about what I ate as well as supper. I did eat rice at lunch and dinner and vegetables and very, very rare with meat. It was almost always fish as we do have so much varieties of fishes in the Philippines and you can make a fish dish in so many ways.
There is one thing that I would mention here that really helped me lose those extra pounds and made me slimmer in a very proportionate way. A lot of people kept asking me what I did and what was my secret. It was not a secret and if you can call it like that, my answer would be that it was because I was aiming for my goal.
You've got to have something that you are looking forward to be, to do or to have and experience it the way you have dreamed it and for me was to lose those pounds at certain date at that time so I can accomplish if for my own personal achievement and thus get what I want at that time.
Where I was living at that time at fourth floor and no elevator nor escalator... those years hardly anybody had them anyway. When you have so much on your hands, your personal bags, grocery bags, books and other material from school, you would not be able to walk up fast and not at a pace when you normally walked when your hands were empty. But, of course not.
So, going up was always a challenge and as you know going down was a slide whether your hands were empty or not. When you reached fourth floor, there was a little verandah enough to have you rested and your baggage and enough room to roam around as well.
But inside the apartment was big enough so it was divided into so many cubicles for the single bed at east to fit in and my Aunt would rent those spaces for other students. Being we were at the top floor, it was like a penthouse and had this huge outside patio and you can actually see the whole city and the view is so breath taking.
In the morning, I would get up a little early and would start my morning exercise regime and so did at night before going to bed. I would do it at the veranda instead of at the outside patio because it was so huge and open and I didn't want anybody to see me what I was doing. The veranda was closed in and very private and nobody can see you except when somebody was coming to the fourth floor.
So that was where I would do my exercise regime morning and night religiously. later on, I would noticed that my clothes were getting lose and that I felt really better and excited about the results of what I was doing. I was getting great progress and of course I was excited.
Even the boy that was pursuing me noticed it and even though he was not saying anything about it I could feel his satisfaction. I continued consistently... I persevered persistently...I just did what I had to do and never stopped along the way.
Oh, boy! It was a very refreshing and exciting journey for me. When I hit that weighing scale, lo and behold... I saw those numbers... they're like gold to me...like diamonds... I felt very, very good.
I DID IT! I got my goal .. my dream... what I wanted... I was sooooooooo excited and I was like in heaven. I made it and all I have to do is continue what I was doing to maintain it.
It was like magic ... but it's not at all. When you know exactly what you want in life and focus on it and no matter what stumbling block comes your way and all kinds of challenges and struggles and trials and tribulations... you can overcome all of them... you can pass them and with no concerns and no cares because you are focusing on one thing and one thing alone... that is your GOAL and your DREAM and your DESIRE ,,, no doubt you'll get it.
That boy didn't know what I was doing nor did he realize that I was doing something because of what he offered me at that time. I wanted it so bad. He kept pursuing me and treated me so gentle and so kind to me and because he also came from a very decent, kind and generous family, he actually had shown himself to be such a delight to be with.
Then the time came when he would hear my answer and boy, was he excited. He came to the house and so gentleman ... so kind ... so sweet. He looked so handsome and cute ... those sparkling eyes... baby like complexion ... and a little timid as well.
But something inside me changed. I didn't know what and I didn't know why. I really liked him and really wanting him to be my friend but after he had spoken to me and asked me my answer, I could not really tell him at that time. He was a little surprise by my reaction and that he didn't understand it either.
When he came to the house that time, he would hear my long awaited answer for his question about him and I going steady. He knew I liked him and I did know I liked him as well. But I just could not say that I did at that time and he was really disillusioned about it and so did I.
I even went to the struggles of losing weight so I could be good about myself about accepting him and be presentable for him ( those were my thoughts at that time) and that I would look decent enough when I accepted his offer to me.
It was a strange feeling and I just could not accepted him as my steady... maybe just a friend and not serious relationship even the dream of me accepting his offer lost my interest.. it was really strange. I just didn't have that strong feeling for him to have a serious relationship. I liked him... but not to go on a real long relationship and eventually I guess, getting married.
When he heard me saying "No, I'm sorry!" I felt the disappointment in him... his heart broken... his face flushed and his head bowed down. Do you know about feeling bad in a situation like this? Yes. That's it. I felt bad for him. I could see he wanted to cry but trying to hold it in.
It was a sad moment for both of us because we were both expecting a joyful outcome but it didn't turn out that way. I could not pretend I loved him. I thought I did. I liked him only as a friend but nothing more than that so I could not accept his offer to me. I felt sorry for both of us but I would not lie to him and to myself about a golden and special experience like this. It would be tragic for both of us. It would not be right for both of us.
Then he still asked me if I wanted the offer and I said politely no. I could not take it knowing he has nothing to expect from me and I could not take advantage of him nor use him for that though he was willing to give it to me and for just as being a friend.
Ahh! What a beautiful gentleman! I refused. I could not do that to him. It would not be fair to him and because his character said it all... mine said the same.
I knew it was my dream... I achieved one and that was for me to accomplish my desired weight and body composition but his offer... there are other ways to get that... I'll just keep on pursuing it.
The very best part was I had a very wonderful experience having him as my friend who was so kind, so gentle, so generous and so decently respectful. Those things, I treasured more.
We parted... and we didn't see each other anymore after that. I've always wondered whatever happened to him. Maybe he was married or pursued his priesthood. I do not know. I wished him the very best and may God bless him wherever he is right now.
In case you are wondering, below was the offer to me whether I accepted his proposition or not ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)