DARE TO WONDER

Red Bougainvillea Shrub against Blue Skies
(picture courtesy of Manny Cruz - former officemate)


Creativity begins with wondering, with a question. Why is this so, or why can't that work, or what if it were done a little
differently?

Real, original value is created by those who dare to wonder. Progress is made by those who dare to ask the obvious, and
by those who think to ask the questions that are not so obvious.

When you come across something that can't be done, make the effort to understand why not. For in that understanding
you're likely to find a way to make it work.

When you come across something that works very well, seek to understand why. In that understanding you'll find strategies
for improving many other things.

As a child, you were endlessly curious. And somewhere within you, every bit of that curiosity is still there.

Combine that curiosity and wonder of a child with the discipline and focus of an adult. You'll find the result to be pure genius.

T H E G A R D E N

Come to the garden alone,
while the dew is still on the roses....
FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING,
PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another
NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another
TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

A life that matters

Ready or not, someday it will come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant
So what matters? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built, not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many people will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice

Choose to love a life that matters.

Here comes the rain again.....

....Falling on my head like a memory
Falling on my head like a new emotion
I want to walk in the open wind ...

.....Here comes the rain again
Raining in my head like a tragedy
Tearing me apart like a new emotion...


As a child, I have always loved the rainfall. My chin would be touching the window pane as I watched its circular impact on the muddy ground. Little holes created by the steady fall of raindrops from above. Funny that when the rainfall stops the holes wouldn't be there at all.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.


There were times when my mother would allow me to join my sisters, brothers, cousins and friends in the neighborhood to go out and enjoy the downpour. Sometimes, I would just sneak out... We would run around and play and laugh all the while...bickering or just horsing around. We would only stop when our skins were already crinkled and our teeth would be clicking together rapidly because of the movement of our jaws...

Most of the time, when my father was around and it was raining, he would take that time to attend to his plants, put the drainage in order and make sure that the water is flowing where it should be....He said it is easier to do things under the rain...when the soil is so much softer and easier to cultivate and there is no heat coming from the sun to wear him out...he would always whistle or hum his favorite tune or just put all his concentration on whatever he is working on.... The thought that my father was just around and working on something made frolicking during downpour more fun.....It's hard to imagine a rainy season without father doing his usual rounds....

Father must have cherished the rains so much because he carried out this practice until the last rainy season in his life ..

I believe that God loved my father so much ...that is why God took him during the dry season....

I still go out during downpours but this time with my daughter and some other mothers and kids in our subdivision. Funny to meet some people like me who would rather go out when it is raining rather than stay indoor.

It seems that father had passed on to me his love for the rainfall...I really enjoy feeling the raindrops touching my face........I will continue to sing in the rain and pretend that my father is just around and fixing something somewhere....and that we will both go back to the house when the rain is over....


Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

How to stay young

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them. 2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches;) 3. Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop."And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and Lots of time with HIM/HER.6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourself. LIVE while you are alive.7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health:If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

Come to the water........

Hi Beng,
Here’s the picture of the Jordan River.
Marsha

This picture was taken by Marsha when she went to Israel last June, 2005. It is one of my dreams to be able to visit this biblical country..Jordan river was where our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by St. John the Baptist.... I would really feel fulfilled if I could see this place and be able to walk as well on the same grounds that Jesus had walked on....

Always in You

You cannot hold on to any moment, for as soon as you know it is here it will be gone. What you can do, though, is to live each moment fully so its value will always be with you.

You cannot bring back the fondly remembered circumstances of the past. Yet what you can do is take the joy from those times still living in your heart and express it again and again in new and creative ways.

Though life is constantly and relentlessly changing, the true goodness you experience is never left behind. The more fully and authentically you live each moment, the more your life will be filled with value that you cannot lose.

The joys you have gathered were not the result of any particular circumstance. They came to you because you opened yourself up to life's goodness, and they are still with you even though many things may have changed.

Though you cannot hold on to this beautiful moment, there really is no reason to do so. For when you see, appreciate and fully experience its beauty, that beauty, that joy will always be in you.

Let go of the need to cling to any fleeting thing or circumstance. And make room for joy to grow in your life with each passing moment.

Tagaytay ...once again.....

Lunch at Tagaytay..once again..This time with Marsha, another Versapro Systems Trainer....Marsha is Donita Rose's look alike. It's funny how she asked about the chocolate soup (dinuguan) that she saw in one of the restaurants:-)

She is willing to taste everything except Balut....

Also with us was Gopi from India who was craving for real spicy food.

Another Tagaytay Visit

It was a perfect day to go out from the office for a while. We had lunch at Leslie's in Tagaytay and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch. With us is Dennis from Versapro Team. Half Filipino and half Korean. He is teaching us the new system that will track our projects' performances and eliminate offline reports.