Adventures of a Princess

Thriving Entrepreneurial Mindset #1

2021-05-30T09:21:00.005+08:00

Recently, I attended two events (one as a panel on the BPI Sinag Roadshow and the other was a meeting with a mentor from PQA) where I was asked about mindset.

“What can be our mindset as an entrepreneur during this pandemic? How do we cope or thrive in the midst of it?”

It was one of those days when I had to think about what I think about. In order to answer, I analyzed how my brain responded to various circumstances even when they do not directly affect me.

A few nights ago, while we were having dinner, I heard on the news that Cebu might not be accepting international flights anymore and all flights would be rerouted to NAIA. Not sure how news like this affected other people. Let me ask you, if you heard this news what would be the first thoughts running in your mind?

Although this news does not directly affect me because I do not go out, certain questions are asked automatically within me. I realize, maybe this is one mindset. Let me share with you a snapshot of what was going on inside my brain:

“What would be the implication of this?”

“What would these people need?”

“What products would they require?”

“What businesses would thrive with this change?”

I find it fun to do this kind of mental exercise. Spotting changes and brainstorming on opportunities can turn whatever circumstance into something positive and productive. This mindset may help us thrive wherever we are.

There are still other mindsets which I can share next time. But for now, can you please identify the trends or changes you see within your circle, community or globally, online or offline?

The Story of the Little Girl

2021-04-10T06:42:00.012+08:00

Let me share with you a true story. Once upon a time, there was a 12 year old girl who was very sick in a land faraway. Her father, named Jairus, had given her different medicines and herbs but nothing seemed to work. He had also called in the village doctors but they were of no help too. They could not provide an accurate diagnosis, so sadly, the girl was getting worse by the day. Then, he heard news going around town about a certain doctor who could cure the most extreme sicknesses. People said this doctor was unlike any other healer. He was not a medically trained professional but He was able to open the eyes of a totally blind man which was unheard of.

Jairus was desparate. He hurriedly took off and looked for this man named Jesus in Galilee, even on a Sabbath (which was their rest day). He saw a great crowd gathered across the lake. He rowed and pushed his way through and saw a man, filled with kindness and compassion, in the middle trying to heal a paralyzed man.

“Jesus, Jesus!” Jairus called out to the healer. “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”

Despite other people vying for the same attention, Jesus agreed. Jesus’ friends, who were his disciples, sensed the urgency of the matter and ran towards the synagogue leader’s house. Jesus, however, did not run and keep up. There were just so many people that needed healing — one of which was an old lady who experienced years of bleeding. The old lady simply touched Jesus’ clothes and she was healed instantly.

You may be wondering what happened to the little girl. Jesus was not able to arrive on time, and the little girl passed away.

I’m sure a lot of us can understand what the father must have felt. How disappointing it was for him that the greatest Healer was not able to heal his child. Like Jairus, we expect that this great Healer should already be doing something by now, with this pandemic situation. Where is Jesus when we need him? He seems to be late.

The neighbors of the little girl cried out to Jairus, “You’re too late. What’s the point of bringing Jesus here? The little girl is dead.”

But guess what Jesus said when he overheard them.

“Do not be afraid. Just believe.”

And you know what happened next? He went up to the little girl’s room together with three of his friends (Peter, James and John).

Jesus took the little girl’s hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” Immediately, life returned to the little girl, she got up and walked around.

From this story, I realized that Jesus can seem late for normal people, but in reality, He is not really late at all. He still gets the job done. Now, why was He not in a rush to arrive before the girl died or “slept”? Why does He allow us to experience moments of extreme stress and hopelessness before He finally intervenes? Perhaps…

The more hopeless the situation is, the greater His glory will be. To raise someone from the dead is way more difficult than to heal the sick, isn’t it? As Angus Buchan (from Faith Like Potatoes) said, “The condition for a miracle is difficulty, however the condition for a great miracle is impossibility.”

Perhaps, He seems late (though we know His timing is always perfect) because of His compassion. There were other people that needed healing along the way.

Perhaps, God is willing to delay something good because of His patience. God might be allowing us more time in this situation of helplessness to cause us to anchor ourselves in the certain hope He alone can provide. The Bible says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Another thing that I got from the story is that His assessment of the situation is often different from our own understanding of it. This makes His timing much less hurried than that of our frantic hearts. For Jesus, there was no need to hurry, to worry, and to wail, as the girl was just “sleeping”.

There are so much that we do not understand about the current COVID-19 situation — why the death toll continues to rise, why the mutations are becoming endless, and why God does not seem to intervene. This is the perfect opportunity to hold onto these words as we wait for him to come and heal our COVID-19 infested land: “Do not be afraid. Just believe.”

- - -

Believe that His that wisdom is better, and is beyond our understanding.

Believe that His plan is good, and pleasing, and perfect. Believe also that a big part of His plan cannot be seen with the naked eye. For example, He has prepared a beautiful place where we can frolick freely (after our short life here), because this world is not our home. (Note: All plans cannot be seen until they actually come to pass. But some plans a.k.a. prophesies were revealed in the past and have already been implemented by God to a T.)

Believe that His power is more intense and magnanimous than all the COVID-19 mutations and all the influential politicians combined.

Believe that His timing is never late.

Believe that His character is faithful — He always keeps His word. When He says, He will never leave us nor forsake us, He means, wherever we go in this world (whether we be in the deepest trenches in the sea, or at the highest mountain peak, in the bedroom, or in the hospital bed), we can never escape Him.

Believe that His actions are done in love. He does not want anyone in this world to perish to the point that Jesus Himself had to perish for our sake.

Lessons from a Mini-Traumatic Pandemic Experience

2021-03-19T18:24:00.021+08:00

One recent afternoon, I had a meal in a mall with my churchmate. We tried to be as safe as possible so we made sure we were socially distanced from other restaurant guests. We excitedly shared our lockdown stories, laughed over cooking mishaps, and discussed about a potential project. We wore our masks the whole time, except for the 20-minute bit when we had to eat. While eating, we still talked. After lunch, we put on our masks again. It was a new normal lunch date. Then we parted ways.

When I woke up the next morning, I grabbed my phone from the bedside table, checked text messages, and scrolled through my Facebook feed. I saw the photo of this friend of mine pop up. A lot of people were commenting on her page, which got me curious, was it her birthday and I failed to greet her? But then, it wasn’t her birthday. Then I read the comments:

“Gone too soon”

“Condolences”

“Our deepest sympathy”

“Praying for you and your family”

Is this a joke? I thought. There were new comments —of condolences— coming in. I felt sudden cold sweat all over me, too cold that I thought I would faint. We were just together yesterday. She looked very healthy. And then, now she is gone. I learned from the comments that she passed away due to stroke triggered by Covid. That same day, I started to feel an itch in my throat.

Then I woke up from my dream. What a mini-traumatic experience!

Apparently, it was all a dream (or nightmare). Thank God! It was like God was teaching me lessons but in a make-believe scenario, in a dream. Have you ever experienced dreams that teach you lessons too? Here are some things I learned:

1. If ever you really have to meet anybody, don’t eat with them so you won’t have to take off your mask. 😅 I think it is just as lovely (and much safer) to eat together while on video call. Just set a nice ambience.

2. Facebook has become a bearer of good news, fake news, and most recently, bad news. During this pandemic era, most of us must have learned about the death of at least one friend through Facebook. I have learned about 6 friends’ deaths on Facebook in a span of less than 1 year. It sends shiver down the spine like a mini-traumatic experience each time. Do you feel that too?

3. Sudden death does not spare the young, the wealthy, and the healthy. It can happen to a friend like mine in the dream, or to the 29yo Jan Sy (daughter of Henry Sy Jr.), or even to you. When God says it’s our time, it’s our time. What can you do today to make it count? How can end this day with no regrets? Check out the top regrets of people from a study done by Pillemer, who interviewed 1,500 people.

4. Create freedom pockets. Although the pandemic may seem to trap us at home or in our much simpler routine of work-from-home/grocery/rest-at-home, we can create pockets of freedom. What different or interesting thing can you do within your sphere today? What 1 thing did you enjoy doing before that you can recreate today? We can analyze what had brought us energy during the pre-pandemic days and perhaps try to recreate those. You see, as an extrovert, I enjoy meeting, hanging out, and brainstorming with people. It just gives me energy. But ever since the lockdown, I suddenly had little to no experience of that. So this week, for the first time in a long time, I scheduled an online movie hangout with friends.

5. The transition from earth to heaven (or hell) is more seamless and normal than it can ever be. It is an invisible spiritual road where a lot of people pass through everyday. And we will all pass by that road. Some of us are just ahead in the journey, but we will see each other somewhere. It makes us look forward to heaven, our new home, a bit more knowing that we will get to see our loved ones who passed on ahead of us. By the way, while we who are alive feel sorry for those who passed away, I have a feeling that those who died and now have glorified body in heaven, are feeling sorry for us because we are the ones who are stuck at home with all sorts of fears.

6. Learn about other people’s problems too. Having to stay put at home, we don’t get to see much of how other people are struggling. We do not see the pains of the others, we only see ours. (As we know social media paints a more colorful and beautiful life of people.) This gives us more time to focus on our own problems day in and day out. Because of this, a lot of us may feel alone, lonely, and depressed during this time. I hope that we can reach out to others more and pray for one another.

7. Keep a thanksgiving journal. This is actually a very simple refreshing item that you may add to your daily routine. Having a thanksgiving journal can help create in us a perspective of thankfulness and joyfulness. Your lens would determine what your soul consumes and creates. Will people see the fruit of joy and peace from you, or will people hear complaints?

8. Rest in God's presence. A lot of our dreams have somehow been shattered by this pandemic. With a different type of normal today, our dreams seem to be out of place and impossible to reach. (My dream back then for Mori Notes was to be visible in all leading retail channels. But now, with everything online, original dream is cancelled.) Because of the anxieties and so much uncertainties, we tend to add more things onto our plate, work more, and tire ourselves as a result. Let me remind you that it is okay to rest. It is actually good to rest. Rest, because God is at work even while you rest. Rest, because everything out of your control is within God's control. Rest, because only when we are rested in God can we find the meaningful work we ought to do.

How are you all coping during this time? If you would like to share your prayer request, feel free to email me at mitziuy@gmail.com.

Cookie Crumbles — a short story

2020-09-09T11:59:00.001+08:00

It is 5:20 in the afternoon. I look out the window and see such a picturesque scene. The sun is just about to set; and the sky is painted in hues of pinks and oranges — my favorite colors. I take a picnic blanket and carefully spread it on my bedroom floor by the window. Like a painting, my two-by-two-feet window shows the most spectacular colors. The leaves on the maple and persimmon trees are now mostly fiery red with dots of yellow, orange and green. I try to soak up as much of the fall colors because I know they will again be coated in white in no time.

I don’t like white. It just feels lonely, and a bit scary.

I look at our cupboard for something to munch on for my indoor picnic. There is a jar of flour, a bag of biscuits, and a can of Mrs. Wakefield chocolate chip cookies. It’s a childhood favorite.

This is the same brand of chocolate chip cookies my mom used to bring home from the Winter Market. I remember the first time she brought one home in December of 1995 when my older sister Maven had her birthday. The can was the size of three Coca-Cola bottles combined. Inside were cookies, double the size of my 5-year-old palm, with a generous serving of chocolate chunks. Every bite was a delight.

While eating, my sister thought of a way for us to enjoy the cookies until the following week.

“Trish,” she said, “Let’s eat these cookies with the honey milk mom gives us before we sleep. We can share one cookie every night.”

She broke the cookie and gave one half to me. We took as little bites of our halves as possible to see how long a single cookie could last between the two of us while laughing and sharing stories.

“Don’t you think it’s more fun to eat from the same cookie?”

True enough, this has allowed us to savor the cookie to the utmost level. We called it our ‘cookie bond’. Oh, those were the days!

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blows the window open. It is so cold. The sky turns purplish black. I rush back to close the window and see something fall from the sky. Is it rain? No, I don’t seem to hear any droplets. Oh no, it is the first snowfall. Winter has come.

Every time I see snow, it brings me back to one winter day in 2000 when I was 10 and Maven was 12. Mom used to take us to the Winter Market. Back then, I loved winter. All the trees, the cobbled streets, the rooftops were covered in soft plush white snow. And the market was lively with all the lights, food and activities. During our trip to the market, my mom would give us 5 dollars each and allow us to buy whatever we wanted. We felt quite independent because she gave us time to look around by ourselves as long as we made sure to meet her by the main entrance after an hour.

That evening, I asked my sister to go to a nearby play area with me. There was an ‘off-limits’ board posted on a wooden gate that intrigued me. Behind it seemed like a nice large park where we could run and slide and play in the snow as much as we wanted. There were no people to shoo us away, so I went in. I ran ahead of my sister as I normally did. She was always the slower, more careful one.

I heard an odd distant sound, like something was breaking, but thought it was the sound of twigs snapping as Maven made her way to me. But then, I heard it again. It was louder this time, like a bag of walnuts being crushed under a hammer. I looked around and saw a crack on the ice underneath my feet. Like a scene in a suspense movie Maven and I used to watch, the crack grew longer and wider until the ground was cut in half; however unlike the movie, I wasn’t able to run. I plunged into the freezing water. The water was exactly like what Jack said in the movie Titanic. It felt like “thousand knives stabbing you all over your body”. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think, at least not about the pain.

My sister rushed towards me and tried to pull me up. She helped me reach stable ground. Then there was another cracking sound. This time, it was Maven who fell into the icy water. I tried to reach her hand, but she floated farther and farther away from me. Neither of us knew how to swim. I shouted for help, but no one could hear me. I ran to the nearest well-lit place with people for help but when I got back, I saw the most horrifying scene in my entire life. Maven was floating in the icy water. Her lifeless body turned white as snow.

I ran as fast and as far as I could. I didn’t want to go home. I was sure my parents would hate me because I killed their oldest daughter. After what seemed like hours of running, I looked around and realized that everything around me was different. There were less lights, less houses, more trees and empty spaces. I was probably in a different town. The only structure I could recognize was a small church on top of a hill. I knocked and peeked in, but saw that there was nobody inside so I entered sat on a pew.

I must have dozed off until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Hi. I’m sorry child, it is getting late and we are about to close. Where are your parents?” A middle aged man gently asked me.

“Umm…I don’t have any…” I said hesitantly.

“I’m Pastor John, by the way. What is your name?” He held out his hand for me to shake.

“I’m Trish,” I said, trying to be brave.

“Hi, Trish, where are you staying?” He asked with a concerned look on his face.

“I uh… I don’t have anywhere to go.” I answered with tears swelling in my eyes. After answering a few more questions, he invited me to stay in the church house with his family and foster kids. I was surprised that they welcomed me as if I were a long lost family member without any question. They didn’t have to know what I did. I didn’t tell them.

The other kids always invited me out to play but I would rather stay in my room. I was content watching them play from my window. I felt I had no right to have fun especially when someone I loved dearly couldn’t anymore because of me. Instead, with a bit of imagination, I found solace in my books and indoor picnics. Besides, the window was big enough for me to wave ‘hi’ to the kids and connect to the outside world.

For the past 19 years, my window to the world remains open three-quarters of a year. But when winter comes, just as it has today, I’d rather have the view of my pink and yellow floral curtain. And so, I take one last look of the colorful landscape outside my window and bid the outside world goodbye. I close the window and pull down the curtains.

I take the can of cookies from the cupboard and prepare a cup of warm milk with a dollop of honey. I open the can of Mrs. Wakefield. The smell is exactly the same from my childhood. I take the top cookie, and break it in half. How I wish I could share it with Maven. I can’t help but think of this every single time even now when I’m 30 years old.

As I try to enjoy my half, I check out the can. It still looks the same. It has the logo of “Mrs. Wakefield” with the cartoon drawing of a plump lady holding a rolling pin. At the back, it has the nutritional facts (okay, noted on the 325 calories per piece) and serving suggestions. The back part of the packaging has been updated. There is now a drawing of a cookie cut in half. It says “The best way to enjoy the cookie is to eat it in the ‘cookie bond’ way, sharing it with another person, and enjoying it with a cup of warm milk mixed with honey. I can’t believe someone else has the exact same weird idea as my sister — the cookie bond? Honey in milk?

Curiously, I read the fine print at the bottom with font size 6.0. It says:

In the winter of 1996, sisters Maven & Trish received their first can of Mrs. Wakefield. Over a glass of warm milk with honey, they enjoyed each piece of chocolate-ty goodness. In order to savor the cookie and enjoy a longer bonding experience, they divided each cookie between the two of them, thus the ‘cookie bond’ tradition was born. Though the sisters have been separated by unforeseen circumstance, Maven still eats her cookies in halves in the hopes that one day her sister Trish would return home and they could continue this tradition together again.

I feel a weight over my chest. My vision blurs. The tiniest puddle forms on the cookie can. Now I feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. I wipe them away but they keep flowing. I let myself cry until my tears run dry. I put the lid over the can of cookies. I want to call out to someone but no sound came when I opened my mouth. Even if I shout at the top of my lungs, it would have been drowned out by the merriment of the thanksgiving dinner downstairs. With the can in hand, I walk away from my picnic area and turn the knob of my bedroom door.

My COVID-19 Lockdown Journey

2020-05-27T07:18:00.000+08:00

Hello there! It has been ages since I last blogged. David told me I need to take time to reflect, because since the beginning of lockdown I’ve just been shifting from one activity to another.

In the first few days, I spent most of my time playing the piano. Song for Brother by Captain Ri. Then this sad song by Paul Kim. Maybe it was my way of taking my mind off the Covid thing.

Some questions that had kept me up at night in the early days were ‘Will the Mori moms have enough food to eat?’ ‘What work am I going to give them?’ You see, our products were considered non-essential goods. 'How can we still contribute and make a difference in society?' 'Will we have enough medicines, food for the whole country... how about tissue rolls?'

I had the desire to do something, to help, but I didn't know how. Good thing I stumbled upon the donation drive of my HS batchmates that was looking not just for donation in cash or kind, but also for volunteers to do face shields. (Thank you Jirbie for spearheading!) My friend Lynette and I had been looking for such an opportunity. So we started to make face shields for them to be donated to hospitals. We didn’t intend to sell, but my uncle (who owns a distribution company) told me that there are other types of frontliners that need face shields too. It took three phone calls with him before we finally agreed to start a side project of making face shields and selling them at a cost lower than market rate. It turns out that bankers, drivers, sales people, people in manufacturing and distribution also need them. And because of this, the Mori moms got more work to do. Thankfully, the face shields got them covered in March and April.

FAQ: How did you get the materials? During the lockdown, almost all businesses and shops (except for food, medicine, logistics) were closed. Thankfully, I had (and still have) a very resourceful partner. She was able to find the right suppliers like needles in a haystack when all other suppliers were out of stock. She also got us more effective and efficient materials. Having a partner in this project made it a breeze. (I'm reminded of the hashtag #SanaAll... Sana all of my projects have a Lynette. 😂)

Another item that I wished Mori could do since day 1 of lockdown was Face Masks. I searched for the patterns and templates recommended by nurses and physicians. But because I lacked the expertise and there seemed to be an overwhelming pool of materials to choose from, I ended up shoving the Face Mask idea aside. Plus, many people have told me there’s a lot of competition, so why bother.

Then one mornight at 1am, while I was browsing through the IG stories of my friends, I came across the IG story of Martha Stewart that says the best materials for washable face masks are DENIM and CANVAS. It was as if God were telling me, “Mitzi, what are you waiting for?” Denim and canvas are the two main materials being used in Mori Notes.

This was April 21.

By April 25, we had two working samples, 1 denim and 1 printed fabric. I took photos of the masks and available fabrics. I published an album called ‘Mori Face Masks’ on FB and said we are now accepting pre-orders. I had no idea how many people would buy. Within 2.5 working days, we were able to gather orders of at least a thousand pieces of face masks forcing me to close the pre-order round 1 because I didn’t expect that much orders.

(The photos above were our first two prototyopes.)

You see, I’ve no assistant during the lockdown. My staff is working from home as well. And so, I’d be the only one talking to the 62 clients, sifting through the 55 SKUs (we have various cloth designs and sizes), and packing their orders. Plus I’d also need to compute the job orders, prepare the materials, purchase if needed, have them delivered to the community, pick-up from community, and quality check before packing. The anxiety with this string of to-do list caused me sleepless nights. “Will I be able to pack at least a thousand pieces of masks by myself before May 15?” This was just for Pre-order Round 1.

(Some of the masks from Pre-order Round 2.)

Then there was Pre-order Round 2. I decided to start the second round while round 1 was ongoing, because we have a second community in Batasan Hills that needs work. And so while I was doing QC, coordination and packaging for Round 1, I was also doing sales and marketing for Round 2. Then now there is round 3, and those singit orders between rounds 2 and 3. Still these are God’s blessings.

And so David’s right. I haven’t had the time to look far out my window, enjoy the sound of my chimes, and just reflect. Most of my journal entries have been things I’ve accomplished for the day and the next day’s to-do lists. But one thing I know, God has been with me throughout the Face Shield and Face Mask journey and He has blessed the works of my hands.

Outside work, I'd be playing the piano, monitoring the vegetables we planted, watching Koreanobela on Netflix, exercising with my exercise buddies (our househelp, Lynette, Barbs, my nephew Michael, or my 5-year old goddaughter Kaikoura). Oh, and I also did the haircut of our 2 househelp and David. Sadly, they won't let me cut their hair ever again even if it's free! My mom said I should be the one giving the customers tip if they let me cut their hair.🤣) So anyhoo, my time's usually dedicated to work and play. Not much rest.

(This is a malunggay plant. We asked for a twig from our neighbor 2 when ECQ started; it had no leaves back then.)

(With one of my exercise buddies, Kaikoura. This photo was taken after one of our workout.)

Today as I try to reflect on how I really am.. over this Coronavirus thing, I go back to the thoughts that had run through my head before I was finally able to fall asleep, and thoughts that I had shut out and replaced with activities.

More than fear, I think the feeling I had was grief. When I tried to understand the impact of a bat virus on one person, on one city, on one country, on the rest of the world in a span of less than 6 months, it was equally bizarre and depressing. Last February, when it hit the Philippines, I slowly saw its impact. First, people who had travel plans suddenly became busy doing cancellations. Some people lost their livelihood. Friends, many from middle income class, had no income in two months (and counting). Businesses started closing. Parents of friends have also passed away. Leisure, livelihood, and lives were lost because of the virus.

Though this may not be world war, we have lost another important aspect of humanity that breathes life, and that is freedom. The freedom to step out of the house doing simple things like buying groceries. The freedom to travel abroad for inspiration or even back home to be with the family. The freedom to go to school. The freedom to meet friends over the weekend. The freedom to worship together in church. Normalcy has died. Goodbye fun ol’ times. We have no choice but to say hello to the new normal.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of the construction of the Tower of Babel. Back then, people were flourishing and God changed the whole world suddenly by dividing them through their languages. Pre-Covid, people were flourishing too. People made travel plans so easily for the rest of the year. People went on with their businesses. Then in an instant, one person’s virus got transmitted to 4.99 million (and counting) all over the world. Now, we are divided and locked down per household. Suddenly, we are made more aware that our lives each day are literally in the hands of God.

I don’t want to live the rest of my months stuck at home in fear of the virus. But I also don’t want to be out and about carelessly. So I pray to God for wisdom. What shall be my “Faith Stand”? What attitude (toward the virus) will be God-glorifying?

What I realize I need to acknowledge is that the plague is upon us. There is no escape, no matter how much we hide. Some people who stayed at home during the whole lockdown period still contracted the disease. At the end of the day, we are all at risk. Some of us will suffer from it, and some of us won’t.
I have been reminded through my devotion that God knows what will happen to each one of us even before we were formed in the womb. He has also numbered our days. This means, with or without Covid, the date of our passing has already been set.

Some of our numbers may expire in 2020 and the reason for death is Covid. Truly, it can be tragic, especially for those unaware of eternity. But for those whom Jesus has prepared a place for, I cannot help but feel that they (who have passed on) have greater fate than those who are still here. The earth has become less livable than ever. There in the heavenly kingdom, we can frolic freely and view picturesque sights up to our hearts delight; here, we are best confined inside the four walls of our house. How safe, beautiful, and perfect is our home up there. We can finally experience fullness of joy being in our real home in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. -Philippians 1:21

Challenge Accepted

2019-11-22T21:12:00.001+08:00

One of my dreams as a teen was to meet a1. They were my favorite band ever; and Ben Adams was my first love. He didn’t know it though. I only met him in my dreams, literally. I actually listened to them 3x a day. Because I remember in one of their interviews, Ben said we should listen to their songs 3x a day to feel close to them. So I was ecstatic when I saw posters of a1 displayed on lamp posts on my way home one day from school. Tickets were not on sale. Rather, they were to be won in a contest. Call 1800-MyMusic and answer a multiple choice question. If you get it right, you get a chance to win two tickets to the a1 concert. Calling 1800 numbers back in 2002 was considered a long distance call which was very expensive. I called the number everyday, and our phone bill racked up to almost Php 3,000 which meant I called approximately 150 times (if cost per minute of long distance call was Php 20) within a span of one month.

Amazingly, I won thrice. I got a total of 6 tickets. I didn’t know any other friend who was a fan so I invited my mom, my dad, an auntie, and our maid to join me to the concert. I still had 1 spare ticket, but it’s okay. It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life.

Right after class, I went straight to NBC Tent in Fort. There was a huge line before me already. Then I saw one of the organizers choosing girls who were raising their hands. I didn’t know for what reason. But I saw those girls leaving their line and just entering the concert hall. And so I raised my hand, and to my surprise she chose me!

I wiggled my way through the crowd to the organizer. She told me to enter the hall and sit in the front row. Then my ultimate dream was about to happen. A camera man came over and asked me to say my message to a1. I asked, will a1 really see it? And he said yes. Gosh. It’s my chance to talk to a1. It was a dream come true.

There was a problem. I didn’t know what to say.

My camera shyness also did not help.

What happened next became one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

The words I uttered were just, “I love you Ben.” Two times of that, and then “I love you” and mentioned each of the other a1 band members so that they wouldn’t feel left out. It was neither witty, creative, nor memorable. I just sounded like a die hard fan that could scare Ben away. What a first message to a1. What added to my embarrassment was that this message was shown on MTV as well. (Back then when there was slooooow internet, MTV was a huge thing.) The whole concert including my message was replayed on MTV. More than once.

For weeks, I beat myself up for not saying things properly and wasting such perfect opportunity. I learned speaking in front of a crowd or a camera was a weakness of mine and I needed to work on that. This made me take classes, double the effort when I do presentations, prepare in advance what I have to say, etc. This experience pushed me to work on my shy self.

But there’s more (and I feel more important). I actually gained a new perspective, particularly on viewing problems. When I was much younger, around 12, having a bad day would mean having a problem or two. I would count my problems and then become sad for the rest of the day if I had a problem. I hated problems, even small problems. They were unnecessary.

This event with a1 was actually the first time I realized problems could actually be an opportunity for me to stretch, to learn, and to grow. Problems are challenges wrapped in ugly, stressful packaging. Having to carry such a horrendous package is always painful and burdensome.. at first. But once God reveals to us, the precious treasure (may be an opportunity, a life lesson, a build up on character, etc.) inside this packaging, we might just be revamped to version 2.0.

Version 2.0 may appear in different forms. Some relational problems may cause us to experience and appreciate God’s love more. Some conflicts may reveal us of our sins and bring us to repentance. Problems in business may teach us to depend on God. Health issues may lead us to appreciate our families more. Mishaps may remind us of our finiteness, and the thorns of this world may remind us that this world is not my home. Problems can actually be blessings in disguise.

How about you? Are you experiencing any problem lately? Perhaps, it is time to redefine it as a challenge.

39 Ways to be a Supportive Mother

2017-05-02T20:39:00.001+08:00

My mom is the most supportive mom ever. Here are 39 ways she has exemplified that:

[She looks 39 to me (a decade or two younger than the real thing), hence the number. But of course this list doesn't comprise everything she has done for me. The list can go on and on. ☺️]

When I was 3, she enrolled me in school.
When I was 4, she enrolled me in swimming classes. And to encourage me to swim, she played The Little Mermaid album in the car everyday after school.
When I was 6, she took me to piano lessons.
She encouraged me to read by letting me choose one pocketbook every Sunday, right after my piano lesson. Back then, my favorite was Sweet Valley Kids.
She encouraged me to write by letting me choose a pretty notebook every summer as my diary (or whenever the pages of the previous notebook had already been filled).
When I was 8, I told her I wanted to become a gymnast. She enrolled me in ballet. 😂
When I was 10, I wanted to buy cassette tapes. She would encouraged me to take voice lessons by telling me she'd buy me the tapes if I take voice lessons. But because I was shy, I didn't take voice lessons; yet she still gave me the cassette tapes.
She let me try theatre instead.
When I was 11, she encouraged me to start a "business" by buying and selling stationaries and earrings. She would go with me to Divisoria to buy at wholesale prices.
When I was in my teens, she had me attend different types of arts classes: arts and crafts, charcoal drawing, acrylic painting, oil painting, etc.
When I was 15 and I wanted to become an actress, she put up with my childish dreams and drove me to some VTRs and shoots.
When I was on a diet, she accompanied me to the gym.
She also enrolled me in Tennis classes. I then realized I was not really good with ball sports.
She encourages me to explore. She even had me take speed reading classes.
When I made mistakes, she comforted me by saying, "It's okay.. it happens."
When I was 16, and I didn't have any A1 fan friend, my mom (together with my dad and auntie) watched the concert with me.
When I was turning 18, she was the one who organized my debut party. I only had to choose the theme, the color motif, and friends who would be part of the program.
When I was in school (from elementary to college), she never complained about my grades. No pressure came from her.
She protected me from boys before by setting reasonable parameters that I would most likely copy when I have my own children.
One time, I was trying to bake and sell cakes. She suggested that her Christmas gift for me would be Kitchenaid mixer. I told her no need, because I had burnt many of the cakes already, so I wouldn't push through with the business anymore.
She never pressures me to follow a certain career path. She lets me choose whatever trail I want to take.
There was a time that I wrote blogs as part-time work. She would be one of the first to read my entries. And sometimes she'd share them to my relatives as well by asking them, "Have you read Joyce's new entry?"
When I had to feature certain restaurants, events, or hotels for the blog, she would accompany me to those places.
When I wanted to work for my dream job after college, and the pay was relatively low, she was still happy for me when I got in.
When I wanted to quit the job to find my niche, she was okay with it.
During my soul-searching years, she would take me to seminars and classes with her.
When I wanted to start my own business, she was okay with it too. She would take photos and buy innovative products for me as inspiration.
There had been times when she would sleep at 3AM to help me pack products for delivery.
She, along with my dad, would help me with my business. They would sometimes do the deliveries, accompany me to do purchasing, or drive me to meetings.
Since shopping is not my hobby, she would be the one buying me new clothes, bags, and shoes. I remember when I was about to get married, she was the one reminding me that I would be needing new clothes when I get married. She told me I could choose from those on the mannequins. (Great shortcut tip, 'coz looking around for clothes was such a chore to me.)
She would sometimes cut out newspaper clippings of events and classes, as well as articles, that she thinks would be beneficial to me.
She would suggest ways for me to improve the systems in Mori Notes.
She would also encourage me to go abroad and take classes.
She likes my friends. She entertains and bonds with them when they come over.
She cares for the people I care about. I remember on one New Year's Day she helped me look for clothes, blankets and other necessities to give to a Mori mom whose house was burnt down.
Whenever I felt like collecting something (i.e. Stickers, stamps, stationaries, notebooks, books, musical notes items, etc.), she would help add to my collection.
She does not compare me with anybody.
She has word of honor. She sets a great example to me.
Whenever I fail, she never gives up on me.

Happy happy _9th birthday Mommy! I ❤️ you! :)

Out-of-the-Box-Speaking: One Stressful Vacay

2017-04-22T17:28:00.001+08:00

It was supposed to be a beautiful sunny morning at the resort. Right in front of the resort was such a tempting sparkling blue sea welcoming anyone who wanted to go for a dip. David, Jeff, Auntie Edna and I just finished packing our things and were ready to check-out. We left our bags at the concierge and walked at the front yard one last time, enjoying the view of the sea. Then suddenly there was a loud bang, and the ground shuddered. Smoke came from behind us. When I looked back, I saw the sidewalk near the resort building on fire because of a fiery arrow that had pierced through the pavement.

In the sky there were a couple more fiery darts coming in. The ground continued to shake. Everyone at the resort was running in confusion, trying to escape. We too panicked, and asked for the shuttle service (it was a 4x4 RV) to drive us out ASAP. Portions of the road were already blocked by fire and fallen trees. As we waited for the shuttle service, more darts were hitting the resort.

There was a war, I realized, and it was just unfortunate that we were in a resort located on the border of the country. The RV arrived. We drove hurriedly out of the resort avoiding the arrows, the fire and the debris along the way. It was one of the most stressful moments of our lives.

When we had gone quite far from the resort such that arrows could no longer reach us, we slowed down. We were on top of the mountain and we breathed a big sigh of relief. From our vantage point, we were able to see a bird's eye view of the war. We could see not only the city where the resort was located but also the island where the fiery darts were coming from.

What I noticed surprised me. The darts from the enemy were only hitting the border of our country. While the enemy's island were being hit at its heart by much bigger weapons. Bombs were dropped and cannon balls were shot towards the enemy by our country. I realized, they were actually fighting a losing battle!

Then I woke up.

I realize the war in my dream somehow depicts the real spiritual battle we have today. There is a war between God and Satan. And if we are God's people, Satan would be attacking us as well. We may feel that Satan's attacks are daunting and overwhelming. It may seem that we are losing because we are being attacked by the fiery darts firsthand. Yet, when we see things from the big picture of God's perspective, we see that our enemy is already losing the battle. We have God on our side; If He is for us, who can be against us?

Food Cravings

2016-12-21T23:09:00.001+08:00

Ever since I could remember, whenever I have a food craving, it is quite specific. A few days ago, in the midst of all the Christmas gatherings and table spreads of so much good food, I was craving for a simple home-made macaroni salad. It was a random thought that popped in my head that I didn't bother telling anyone. Neither did I look for any commercially available macaroni salads, because what I craved for was something home-made, those with the cheese bits. Then yesterday, a colleague / friend dropped by our home to give me some finished paperworks. And guess what, out-of-the-blue and for the first time ever, she brought with her a big tub of home-made creamy macaroni salad. 🍽

Last night, while I was walking in a department store, I passed by the snacks and chocolates section. I was thinking how come I do not like chocolates as much as before. (Hmm.. Is it because I'm getting older?) Then, in one counter I saw Nestle Crunch. I then realized I wanted Nestle Crunch over all the other more premium chocolate brands available already at home. And because we still have a lot of chocolates, I decided not to buy. Then tonight, when David came home, he brought with him Nestle Crunch. Just the right size to satisfy a random craving. It was a gift from his officemate. 🍫

Apart from these two foods, I do not recall having any other cravings in the past week.

I am reminded today that:
(1) God knows what we want, even those we neglect to mention in our prayers. He knows a great deal about us, from the minute random thoughts that run through our minds to the monstrous problems raging in our hearts. He is working something out.

(2) God likes to give gifts to His children. Sometimes because of "unanswered prayers" and unchanging circumstances, plus my impatience, I tend to forget that God, our Heavenly Father, loves to bring us joy.

(3) God's fingerprints are all over.

#SimpleJoys #MerryChristmas #SpecificAnswers

Not Your Typical Bride

2016-08-10T16:02:00.000+08:00

Dear Friends,

One month has passed since David and I exchanged our vows, and I think it is time for me to write about what happened. How did a girl-who-never-imagined-herself-getting-married become a girl-who-actually-got-married in a span of less than one year?

No, it was not arranged marriage. And no, I definitely did not get pregnant.

Earlier this year, I attended a women’s conference and one of my girlfriends asked when I would be getting married. You see, I have been with David for the past eight years of my life. And this friend of mine, echoed the question I had been asked a lot of times. As usual, my answer was, “No, I still cannot imagine myself getting married. There’s still so much I want to do.”

Then normally, there were the follow-up questions, “Do you love David?” “Do you see being with him in the future?” “Why don’t you want to get married? So many women want to get married.” I would reply, “Yes I do love him. I cannot imagine myself with someone else, but it’s just that I’ve never pictured marriage in my dreams. I never even daydreamed of getting married, or having children. I don’t even have a dream wedding.” Some of my friends and relatives would look at me in a weird way after that.

PROPOSAL 1

My birthday came a few weeks later on April 2. I had to work in the morning. We had lunch by 1:30PM. We were supposed to have dinner in the late afternoon at a fine dining restaurant on top of a building facing the sunset on the bay. But I was too full from lunch, and I was craving for Starbucks. So the fine dining plan got cancelled. When we got to Starbucks, he was a bit more serious than his normal serious self.

I had a gut feel that David wanted to propose. I asked, “Are you trying to propose to me today?” He was surprised, and did not deny it. “Please, no,” I said. “I am not yet ready to get married.” He smiled and replied, “It’s okay, I will think of more ways to propose to you. I will propose to you again and again even if it will take a hundred of times.”

I felt quite sad; I knew something was wrong with me for not wanting to get married. David is a great guy. He is a God-fearing man. He is loving & self-sacrificing, even my friends were amazed at his perseverance with me. We love each other. I just couldn’t pinpoint what the main problem was.

THE TURNING POINT

Less than a week later, David’s grandfather passed away. There’s this certain Chinese tradition that states when a relative dies, you either get married within 100 days or after two years. I prayed to God if it was His will for us to get married.

PRAYER (1).            For God to reveal to me why I don’t want to get married and help me be ready if it were His will.

PRAYER (2).            If it was in God’s will for me to get married within 100 days, these things would transpire:

PRAYER (2A)    My parents would prefer I get married within 100 days.

PRAYER (2B) Allow most of my relatives and friends from abroad to come and attend my wedding.

PRAYER (2C) Wedding preparations will be very smooth, like the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place and fit perfectly. Weddings in the Philippines are planned years in advance, so to get married in three months would mean most suppliers have already been booked.

In the next days, upon much reflection, God answered my prayers:

ANSWER TO PRAYER (1) God revealed that I didn’t want to get married because of FEAR and SELFISHNESS

a. Fear of letting someone else enter permanently into my life, and I couldn’t get him out anymore. I’ve read in books and watched in movies about certain relationships entering a vicious cycle of nagging and spattering, of being disrespectful and unloving, and I just wanted out of it.

b. Fear that I might just ruin both our lives because I don’t know how to be a wife and a mother. All my life, I have been busy with school, work, business and extracurricular activities. I don’t have time, passion and skills to cook, clean, do laundry, organize home, beautify home, or do anything else in the house.

C. My selfishness caused me to want to live for myself, and for my dreams. I didn’t want to be slowed down by another person. I didn’t want to share or give my life to another.

I realize getting married is a step of faith for me. While praying, a verse popped into my head that says, anything that is done or not done outside of faith is sin (what was holding me back was fear and not faith). I also realize that getting married would also teach and train me to be less selfish, to share, and to live for others. And I guess, this is a good thing.

PROPOSAL 2

Ten days after the death of his grandfather, we had candle-lit dinner in a restaurant in Quezon City. I was not prepared. I was in my oversized shirt, jeggings and rubber shoes. Other people there were in gowns and dresses. I ate heartily. When dessert came, there were words written in chocolate icing on the plate. It read, “Shall we go on an adventure?”

“Are you proposing to me again?” I asked with the brows closed together. “I want us to go on an adventure together.. forever.” David answered. I cried, not out of tears of joy. "Fine," I said. My tears welled up because I had to say goodbye to my single life.

ANSWER TO PRAYER (2A) When I told my parents about David’s proposal the next day, they smiled and told me he already proposed to them beforehand . Apparently, David scheduled a lunch date with my parents when I was out of the country a month before. And they encouraged me to get married within 100 days.

ANSWER TO PRAYER (2B) Many of my relatives from USA, Canada, Singapore, and Taiwan would be able to come over. Some had already made plans to come within the year even without the wedding.

ANSWER TO PRAYER (2C) We got to book my beautiful home church and a historical hotel for our wedding! The Manila Hotel was established in 1912, the same year as Titanic sailed for the first time. We also were able to get hold of the finest suppliers in the country as our events coordinator, wedding host, musicians, florists, videographer, photographer, events stylist, makeup artist, etc. Our family and friends have also been extremely helpful in making the wedding beautiful and memorable!

Within three months, we were able to have prenup photo, prenup video, a beautifully designed church & venue, our wedding vows, and one fine day to remember for the rest of our lives. Everything just fit perfectly together. And I wasn’t stressed in the planning and during the wedding day itself!

MY FAVORITE AGE IS 30

For the past 2 decades, I had always been looking forward to the time I reach 30 years old. It is, for me, a phenomenal age -- the age when Jesus began his ministry, when David became king of Israel, and when Joseph began to serve Pharaoh in Egypt. I was always curious with what I’d be doing when I turn 30.

This year I turned 30, and unexpectedly, I got married. (Good thing it is to the love of my life). Getting married, I guess, is part of God’s wonderful plan for me. And I believe He has a purpose for me and for our marriage.

Now that I’m married, I realize it’s not so bad after all. Everyday has been a mini adventure. We get to navigate through an unknown rugged path, discover interesting life lessons, and build up new skill sets along the way. (Oh, if you only hear about how I learned to cook a cup of rice. That's reserved for another post.)

This is my story.

Yours truly,

Not your typical bride

P.S. For the chapter one of our love story, read it here.

P.P.S. If you would like to get a glimpse of our wedding, feel free to click the links below:

Prenup Photo Slideshow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59KrOtVZ2B4
Prenup Video: https://vimeo.com/175010429
Same Day Edit Video: https://vimeo.com/175028865
Special Music Video & Message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH9ZMiAr1qs

Here is the timeline:

May 24, 2008: David and I started our exclusive courtship relationship.
March 20+, 2016: David asked my parents for my hand in marriage. Like the years before that, I still did not want to get married. Marriage was like the "The Dreaded M Word." But I had been trying to reflect on why.
April 2, 2016: David attempted to propose for the first time, on my birthday. I said, no.
April 2016 (2nd week): David's grandfather passed away. I still didn't want to get married. But praying about it. In the next 1.5 weeks, the Lord had revealed to me about my heart's condition.
April 17, 2016: David proposed for the second time. I said, yes. The months after that included all the preparations from scratch. I had no wedding dream board on Pinterest which made it a bit challenging. But all the planning went on smoothly.
July 10, 2016: The wedding day! It couldn't have gone any better. :)

The Carabao Fund

2013-02-13T09:53:00.002+08:00

Ga (Jumarlyn Cadano) is a very sweet and gentle young lady who came from Dumaguete, “The City of Gentle People.” I remember when we were walking back home from a nearby mall, I was telling her about how I’d rather walk than ride in a car. She told me she felt the same way. She always has car sickness. Then, she told me about her bus ride from Bayawan (Negros Oriental) to Bacolod. She was with her sister and another companion in the bus. Her sister was seated a few rows behind Ga and her friend from the province.

Ga and her friend decided to make a quick run to the nearest drug store and buy some biyahilo medicine. When they got back, the bus had already left them towing with it their money and luggage.

With only loose change in their pockets, they decided to wait for the next bus to Bacolod. They did not eat nor drink the rest of the day. They entered the next bus without any money to pay the conductor, but they decided to still enter. They had nothing to risk anyway. When they reached the destination, the conductor asked for their money. And they told him the story. The conductor allowed them to leave and even gave them Php 20 for some food. They decided to buy water with the Php 10 pesos and a scrambled egg with the other Php 10.

As Ga divided the egg between her and her companion, a couple of street children came near them and asked for some alms. Ga decided to share a portion of the egg with the little children before she had taken a bite of it.

WHAT HAPPENED
Two days ago, Ga received a call from her parents in Dumaguete that her older sister had a strange fever and couldn’t sleep all night. She was cold and coughing and her skin were sore. The parents brought her Ate to a public hospital, yet they said they didn’t have the facilities to treat her. They had no choice but to admit her in a private hospital.

CARABAO FUND
The Ate stayed there for two days. The dad had to sell their one and only carabao for Php 20,000. Their carabao was a very big help to his dad, whose sole occupation is farming.

Her sister passed away just this morning. According to Ga, it was kidney failure. I hope that we can raise funds for their family. We cannot bring her sister back, but perhaps, we can help their family in the long-term. We can help them buy another carabao, a younger and healthier carabao, to help them plow the fields.

If only a number of us is willing, we can offer a few hundreds, or a thousand peso to help their family.

Please pray about it. If God has given you the burden to help the Cadano family financially, please go to any LBC branch and send your money to Ga’s father:

DIONESIO K. CADANO
BRGY TAYAWAN, BAYAWAN CITY, NEGROS ORIENTAL
+639491702140

You may also hand it to me if we see each other, and I’ll pass it to Ga. Let's help them because (1) we can, (2) it's God-glorifying. Thanks and God Bless!

Christmas Eve Worship Celebration 2012: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus ~ A Promise Kept

2012-12-06T20:21:00.001+08:00

Jubilee Evangelical Church’s Christmas Eve Worship Celebration has always been a big—well-planned, and beautifully, yet tediously, executed—production. Last year, we had production sets bringing us back to an old castle of long ago. We featured the Christmas story through the life of John the Baptist.

This year, it’s going to be different. This year we’re going to make it simple. We are going to show the Christmas story as blunt as it can get. And this year, we won’t be focusing on the New Testament, the time when Jesus was born on earth.

This Christmas Eve, allow us to bring you to the past -- to the moment of creation, and show you glimpses of Christmas truth from there. We will be sharing with you series of (surprising & intriguing) stories through the eyes of known, and not so well-known, characters in world history.

Hear the voices of Eve echoing her pain of the great fall, and of Abraham & Sara sharing their laughter with us. Hear from Leah, King David, and many other characters from the Old Testament. Each of them has a deep longing, just as you and I may possibly have. Each of them longs for a promise to be fulfilled. Each of them has a Christmas Story to tell.

Come join us as we celebrate Christmas in Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: A Promise Kept!

See you on December 24, 2012, 5:00PM. Invite your family and friends.

Not-So-Secret Restaurant 1: Jjang Kkae Restaurant

2012-10-02T14:55:00.001+08:00

I’m quite a fortunate girl. You see, David enjoys going for an adventure too, and he likes taking me to these “not-so-secret” restaurants. These are food places that are quite hidden, yet still popular enough to have frequent loyal clients.

I love love love Korean food. The mix of sweet and spicy dishes, crunchy and chewy textures, cold and warm appetizers, play in my mouth like fireworks. So for our first not-so-secret restaurant, David asked the recommendation by no other than his Korean officemate. Of course, we should eat where the real Koreans eat right? His officemate told him about a hidden restaurant in Kalayaan Avenue. This restaurant is popular for their black noodles.

It was one Sunday noon time, we were driving along Kalayaan ave. and we were looking at all the Korean restaurants nestled beside each other. We drove back and forth. He told me the name sounded like “Chang..” something.

We drove to the other Korean restaurants and asked if they offer black noodles. Fortunately, there was one restaurant that pointed us to Jjang Kae, one block away. It's the one with yellow background.

To enter the restaurant, you have to walk through a hallway to the far end of the building.

Jjang Kae is a casual food place, with wooden tables and chairs. On the tables are white ceramic plates with aluminum tea cup, silver spoon and black plastic chopsticks. Cold water in plastic bottles are also placed conveniently on each table.

Like in any Korean restaurant, Jjang Kae serves appetizers for free before the orders are delivered. We had slices of pickled yellow radish and raw onions. This is the same radish that the Japanese place in their sushi. When dipped in the black bean paste sauce, the radish tastes slightly salty, savory and refreshing at the same time.

For our main meal, we ordered what David’s Korean officemate had suggested: Jjajang-Myeon. Jjajang-Myeon is noodles topped with stir-fried black bean paste and vegetables. They have other variations; Ganjjajang if you’d like to add some pork meat and Samsun-Jjajang for seafood.

Upon serving our Jjajang-Myeon (Php 220) and Samsun-Jjajang (Php 250), the server cut the noodle strands using a pair of scissors. She then mixed the black sauce with the noodles using chopsticks.

The noodles were oh so chewy! I can still remember how soft, yet firm, each noodle strand was in my mouth. The texture reminds me of Japanese noodles. The taste is a bit sweeter than the bean paste used in the appetizer. It has a sweet fragrant of garlic, onion and vegetables too.

David thought it somehow resembles the Chinese Ho-Fan (flat noodles), but a lot less salty and a whole lot less oily. Yep, definitely better than Ho-Fan. I get easily satiated with Ho-fan, perhaps because of the oil. But for the Jjaujang-Myeon, I ate to my heart's desires.. or until my stomach was filled to the brim.

The serving size for a Php 220-250 worth of noodles was really big! According to the server, usually each customer orders one bowl of noodles. But we realized, it can be big enough for sharing too. We also tried their gyoza (Php 200 for 8 pieces). I found it very dry and flaky.

I will definitely come back to Jjang Kkae Restaurant if and when I have a sudden craving for Korean noodles, or noodles in general. Gun Bae! :)

Jjang Kkae Restaurant

Kalayaan Avenue QC. (after City Hall)

10 Things I Learned from Chinkee Tan in Developing the Millionaire's Mindset

2012-09-27T18:36:00.003+08:00

It was an ordinary Friday morning. The streets were packed with honking cars and people in business suits walked hurriedly to their offices. I went my way to Greenhills Shopping Center. (Not that I had planned to go shopping.)

Developing the Millionaire’s Mindset seminar by Chinkee Tan was held at Victory Christian Fellowship, 4F Virra Mall, Greenhills. I thought it was going to be another motivational talk, full of flowery quotes yet lacking in substance. But what got me joining was my curiosity as to how a brother in Christ views money. And, what mindset he is trying to teach anyway. Is there such a thing as a millionaire’s mindset? Is it healthy? What mindset do I have?

So there I was, seated with about 70 other hopeful, curious souls, listening to this petite Chinese guy in glasses opening the seminar. Chinkee Tan seemed to be a very big guy trapped in a smaller body. Strings of words came out strong and powerful. He got my full attention from 10 to 6pm.

Let me share with you the 10 things I learned from Chinkee Tan in Developing the Millionaire’s Mindset seminar.

1. You won’t be able to shoot if you have no goal.

Logical, isn’t it? We can measure our productivity more effectively if we have a goal in mind.

He asked one interesting question that I would like to ask you too. “What do you want to do when you already have millions?” What would you do if you were already earning a passive income of one million pesos per month.?

Your answer may be your vision or goal in life.

2. All of us have a potential to be a millionaire.

..Even if you’re faced with debts. ..Even if you’re still sulking in poverty. According to a study, Chinkee says, 90% of millionaires are first generation millionaires. This means that most people who made it came from a very humbling background.

I like how he describes challenges, as “vitamins in life." This echoes what James says (1:3), “testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

3. If you really want to learn, learn from the experts.

Many of us ask our family members or friends with new ideas and opportunity, but Chinkee suggests that we should ask the experts. If you are into business, ask a business person. If you’re into art, ask an artist.

4. Money is only the result of a job well done. The process is what you've got to learn.

“If your only goal is to make money, you won’t ever make money (unless your goal is to make counterfeit -ed). You should focus on the process, the formula.” -Chinkee Tan

5. You gotta dream.

You gotta dream big. I call it the “God-sized” dream. We are the ones stopping ourselves from dreaming. One reason why we don’t dream is because we don’t like to take responsibility. We allow other people to dictate what we should do. Let’s start dreaming again, with a childlike faith.

6. You gotta protect your dream.

Protect your dream from people who tell you, you can’t do it. Oftentimes, it comes from people who are quite down. Misery loves company. Don’t listen to people who haven’t succeeded.

7. Your mindset is your thought life. Mindset is developed by what you see, hear or experienced.

The actions we see from our parents, the statements we hear from them, and our experiences, may get planted into our subconscious mind making it our money mindset. Ask yourself, how do you feel about money, and when you talk about money? Do you think it’s easy to earn money? What happened in the past that brought you to view money in this way? Our money mindset determines our financial life.

BIG MINDSET + BIG ACTIONS = BIG RESULTS

POOR MINDSET + POOR ACTIONS = POOR RESULTS

8. It’s possible to change your mindset. Deal it from the roots.

This is possibly the most helpful point in the whole session. Chinkee shared that he had felt stressed talking about money. It was only until years later, that he was able to uncover the reason behind it. His parents had always fought when money was involved.

He had to deal it from the roots.

Chinkee's way of developing a millionaire's mindset with his family is that they do not use the terms, “expensive” or “mahal” in the house. Chinkee Tan says if there’s such a thing as expensive, it shouldn’t be in the market. These products are available because someone is willing to pay the price. Chinkee taught his family that if they want something to be added in the family budget, they pray to God about it, and God who is rich will be the one providing, if it’s in His will.

Detach yourself from the past because you cannot change the past. “Your past did not create who you are, your past made you believe that you’re like that today,” said Chinkee. If there are some people who’ve stained your money mindset, confess it to God and forgive them. Know that in Jesus, we are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!

Do you know why Michael Jackson had to change his nose through multiple surgeries? His dad had told him before that his nose was as big as a telephone.

9. Develop the 7-minute reading habit.

Chinkee sited an example of the differences in classes, “If the poor read tabloids and the middle class read newspapers, the rich reads books.” But of course, not all books can be beneficial. One book that can surely bring success is breathed by God Himself. “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” –James 1:8

10. Discover the lid that traps you.

How much do you think you should earn each month? Is it Php 10,000? Php 50,000? Php 100,000? You may have a lid that limits you. Chinkee told a story about an eagle that is adopted by a family of chicken. The eagle talks like a chicken, walks like a chicken. Are you an eagle living in a chicken community that’s keeping you from soaring?

Want to know more? Feel free to read When in Manila's review of Developing the Millionaire's Mindset.

Also, you may catch Chinkee Tan soon. Chinkee Tan will have a seminar titled The Power of Mindset on November 14, 2012, this time with the best-selling author Francis Kong. I think the rate is Php 2,800. But for early birds, it's going to be just Php 1,400.

But wait, there's more! Avail now at any Cotton Depot branch and you can still slash it off by 10%!

THE POWER OF MINDSET

When: November 14, 2012 (Wednesday) from 10am to 5pm

Where: Victory Christian Fellowship
4th Level V-Mall Greenhills, San Juan

Speakers: Chinkee Tan and Francis Kong

Learning Investment:

▪ Gold 2800PhP

▪ Silver 2100PhP

▪ Bronze 1400PhP

For reservations:

Call Ivan 0917-3141231

From the Desert to the Valley: Even in the Season of Failure, Praise God!

2012-07-04T12:58:00.001+08:00

Close Encounters…

If I would remember correctly, I've had some close encounters with failure. My earliest would be getting, I think, a couple of red marks in nursery. (I'm not sure though. I was just three then.) My second was in grade 6. I was really slow at typewriting. My fingers would often slip through the keys of an ancient typewriter and I had to struggle to get each of them out. I was "pasang-awa". I was also terrible at Chemistry. I didn't know what the subject was for, and so I would use the whole hour to draw, to fold papers, and to hope that I wouldn't be called for recitation. But graciously, I passed.

When I was in college, there was a time I was busy chitchatting with my seatmate that I had failed to hear what our professor was teaching for the following week's law exam. Apart from these, I don't remember failing much anymore.

In terms of love life, I had never tried. Thanks to God and my parents for keeping me safe from this kind of failure.

Girl with a Big Mouth

I remember my prayer to God earlier this year. I told God, “Lord, feel free to bring me through times of failures so that I may succeed. I cannot never fail. Through these failures, make me grow closer to You all the more.”

Season of Failure

And I guess, prayer answered.

Recently, years after I graduated college, I feel like God is leading me through a season of failure. I could sing the phrase, "from the desert to the valley" straight from the heart. The desert is the waiting stage, while the valley is the failure stage. I was in waiting stage when I started the blog.

Let me share with you how I define the season of failure. The failure is not the subject, or the person, but the moment of time when circumstances being faced by the person “lack success.” You may have other terms. It may be a “season of difficulty,” “a valley,” or “a trial.”

My season of failure is comprised of being turned down by companies that I’ve presented to, I’ve auditioned and applied for. Take note of its plurality. Week after week, I would receive, a “No.” Most of the time, I did not know for what reasons. I cannot put into words the gravity the “No’s” had on me. Sadness is an understatement.

Whispers of Encouragements

God has worked wonders in my life through this valley. In the midst of the loud discouragements I can see and hear all day long about the pursuits, His whispers of encouragements calm me and make everything worthwhile.

There was one day, I got to talk to some family members, friends of family members, and my own friends who have told me to not register the business, to perfect the products first, to create different kinds of products, and basically to do something else. I was actually thinking of cancelling all the meetings I had for the whole week and to reschedule them again when I feel more confident of this endeavor. During my prayer time, through His still small voice, He reminded me of what I learned that Sunday, “Walk by faith in My word first. Your emotions will follow.”

Three times in the past two weeks, God has allowed me to dream of Mori Notes. In one dream, my friend was telling me to go pursue Mori Notes because it will help the housewives. In my second and third dreams, I had so much orders that it was overwhelming.

Just a few days ago, I was asking God, should I really really pursue it or not. I felt an assurance in my heart, that wherever I go, He is also there with me (Psalm 139).

His whispers make me realize that I am still on the right track. And as long as God is with me, I can walk through the deepest valley victoriously.

Whenever you receive a “No,” praise God!

Just this morning, I was asking God, why do I have to experience failures. Why do I have to be turned down. Here are some realizations:

A “No” may be God’s way of nudging you using His rod and telling you, “Don’t go there.” Like a clueless sheep, I want to try anything and everything that comes my way, and that interests me. But not all are beneficial.
Failure is very humbling and it can make you more dependent on God. It makes you realize that you are no superwoman… you are actually a nobody. When you get a “yes,” it’s not anymore dependent on your abilities, but God’s.
It allows you to appreciate, enjoy, glorify and be grateful towards God more when you get an unexpected blessing or a “yes.”
The bigger the failure, the more impossible the deliverance, the greater God’s glory is revealed. Failure gives you a story to share that will bless others.
Failure adds strength to your character, determination to your pursuit, color to your story, wisdom to your decision making, and endurance to your greater trials ahead.
A failure is a test of faith in Christ. Will your faith and vision of Him shake if you were shaken? A suggestion from “A Woman of Influence” by Pam Farrel is to make an altar for God. An altar is built to remind God's people, from generation to generation, God's great work. Write a song or a poem. Draw or paint. Create crafts or sculptures. Stone by stone, etch there truth about God’s character. And whenever you get a “no,” look at your altar. Praise God for God’s character never changes.

Here’s a sample calligraphy altar I made of God:

Even in the season of failure, praise God! :)

10 Things to Do While Cruisin' on Royal Carribean Voyager of the Sea

2012-06-07T00:22:00.002+08:00

(Source: http://farm1.staticflickr.com/225/470058652_f7c1d2b835_z.jpg?zz=1)

Whew! I just had one of the most amazing 4-day vacations ever with my family on the Royal Carribean cruise: Voyager of the Sea. We sailed on its maiden voyage in Asia (route: Singapore-Malaysia-Singapore), quite similar to Titanic’s maiden voyage 100 years ago. And so, on my way inside the boat, I had to check for the number of lifeboats, their strength and capacity. What a sigh of relief to see huge, well-covered life-boats. And in Asia, I don’t think we’d die of hypothermia. So on I went.

For those who haven’t been on a cruise ship, let me share with you a little bit of info to shape up your expectations.

Royal Carribean’s Voyager of the Sea is not much different from what you’ve seen in the movie Titanic. Inside are hallways leading to stateroom cabins, cabins with balconies and suites.

People can walk on pathways, like balconies at the port (left) and starboard (right) sides of the ship, to gaze in the deep waters and check if there is any iceberg right ahead.

They also have fine-dining halls, similar to the one where Rose and the other first-class passengers went to and the less intimidating dining hall (set-up usually on the top floor).

Now, passengers of various classes, races, gender and religion are all welcome to eat together in the different halls of this floating melting pot.

I love the interiors of the ship! The main hallway is located on the 5th floor. Walking there reminds me of a street in an old English town.

There are a lot of other awesome spots. There is a golf course and a golf bar on board, a roller skating corner, and swimming pools that have seemed to come from Ancient Rome. Royal Carribean’s theatre is not too far from the actual broadway theatres too. There’s even a room called Cleopatra’s Needle, where we had an art auction and some games, that looks very much like an Egyptian home. The Voyager of the Sea is really one small world in itself.

Here are Top Ten things to do in Royal Carribean: Voyager of the Sea:

10. Visit the Library
I was happy that my room was on the 8th floor where the nearest landmark is the library. Some people come to use the internet, but internet in the ship is VERY expensive. The books are not that plenty, but they have some nice books. If you’re into stories there are Joyce Carol Oates, J. Evanovich, Daniel Steele and Neil Gaiman books. There is a few business books. Surprisingly, there are also some Archie comic books.

The ship’s library is situated on two floors (7th & 8th)! It has comfy sofas scattered all around and coffee tables too. I love sitting here and facing this view of the ship.

9. Enjoy the live performances in La Scala Theatre. (Now Showing: Music in Pictures)

This live musical is a run-through of songs from some of the most popular movies as early as in the 1940’s to as recent as, umm… Madagascar. Distinct stage set-up has been made for each movie which really does add quality to the whole cruising experience. Watching a good evening’s performance while seated on the cushioned purple La Scala Theatre is certainly very worthwhile.

Opening Number: Le Jazz Hot

Solo Performance: I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Closing Number: Jai Ho

8. Wear formal attire on Captain’s Night.

Be sure to bring a formal wear for the Captain’s Night. There will be photo stations set-up at various points of the ship. The food will be really exquisite too.

7. Drop by their spa and health seminars.

Try out the Voyager of the Sea’s big round warm bubbling Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms, extensive gym facilities all for FREE!

And, make sure to watch out for their seminars and classes. I attended their “How to Flatten Your Stomach” seminar, and it’s really, really, REALLY worth it. I even saw the guy coach from Pinoy’s Biggest Loser listening to the British speaker as well. The gist of the lesson: Our body is made for natural things (i.e. water, plants and animals), but what we place in and on our bodies are unnatural things that add acidity to our body and soon would be turned into toxins. Because of these, our memory is deteriorating, our brain processes slower, our energy is lower, our toilet habit is less and we gain weight. The number one item that makes us acidic according to the speaker is, guess what, STRESS.

6. Watch their special ice-skating performance titled "Ice Odyssey."

I absolutely love the magical, mystical, colourful and glittering Ice Odyssey show! The show features ten of the world’s greatest ice skaters gliding, tumbling, and spinning their way through one musical hour. There’s a jester who happily surprises the audiences with his sudden jumps. There’s the lovers who glides so passionately together. There’s also the jester and the enthralling queen. The seats are limited, so be sure to check which of the four shows cater to your side of the ship.

5. Watch a 3D Movie!

Guess what?! This ship even has a 3D movie theatre. My aunt and cousins got to watch Kung Fu Panda 2 and had a good laugh the whole night.

4. Rock Climbing

Located on the top floor, at the edge of the ship, you can climb up this manmade mountain built on top of the ship! Test your strength and ring the bell at the peak of the Voyager of the Sea mountain. For one who had never tried rock-climbing, I thought it was the perfect place to do it. The crew was there to willingly and happily assist me. It’s easier than it looks. I thought I could only reach like only one rock above my head, but woohoo, I got to reach up until the middle portion. Wear shorts or pants and socks. This is FREE.

3. Ice Skating

Who would have thought that this 138,000 ton ship has an actual ice-skating rink inside? Although it’s only a quarter of the normal size, it’s a great arena for inexperienced guests. (There’d be less chances that someone you know would see you fall.) I suggest you drop by the rink on deck 3 on the first day. You might not have a chance on the following days as it would be used for the “Ice Odyssey” shows. Wear pants. Don’t forget to bring your socks! This is FREE too!

2. 24-Hour Food!

You will never go hungry inside the Voyager of the Seas. (I think I’m sounding like an online promoter, but I really am not. I’m just a happy costumer.) You can have all the pizzas, cookies, juices, sandwiches you want in the snack bar on deck 5. Of course, this is apart from the eat-all-you-can breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner buffets on other levels. I love their sugar-free peanut butter cookie.

1. If you're as much of a Titanic fan as me, then by all means, try the "I’m Flying, Jack!" experience.

Last but not least, my ultimate “Titanic” experience was at the bow of the ship. My uncle knew how much I loved Titanic and so, he told me to close my eyes as he led me to the bow. As I closed my eyes and walked forward, the winds started to grow stronger. And when I opened them, viola, I indeed felt like I was flying! There was nothing below me except water. No other ship, I think, allows its passengers to go as far front as the Voyager of the Sea.

Script Writing Class: Character Beat

2012-04-26T20:57:00.000+08:00

And so today I attended this Script Writing Class in Quantum Cafe Makati. It is quite interesting and very much distressing to attend a class and be given assignments that I really enjoy doing. Script writing is super different from what I'm used to. I'm not sure if you've tried script writing ever before. It's like creating your own dream story and painting it on paper through your colorful characters, dialogue and gestures.

Well, the first part of the script writing process is to think of a story that moves you.. a story that won't bore you to death. Create characters that you may as well like because they will have to become your bestfriends throughout the whole script writing process. We were tasked to create a character beat -- basically information about and motivation of the character. I had a couple of options for my character, and I ended up with this:

Karen is a 25-year old girl who has the perfect life ahead. She has a beautiful home in an upscale town house. She is well provided by her businessman father and is well protected by her perfectionist mother. She has graduated with honors and is now working in the biggest multinational company in the country.

She tells her mom that she’s going to take a year off to soul search. It’s the perfect time, at 25 -- the quarter life crisis age. She envies women who’ve “found themselves.” They seem to be very happy and very much content. It’s like everything just fits. They excel in whatever they do, and more importantly, they get paid for it. She believes with her whole heart that she too is alive for a purpose.

Karen loves learning about people and culture. Her family has ignited and cultivated this passion of hers ever since she was young. They’d travel to different places every year. She’s particularly interested with China. Not only is it the country of her forefathers, but it’s also the home of numerous success stories and astonishing discoveries of admirable people. So she goes to the family ancestral home in China. She discovers accidentally the diary of her great, great, great grandmother who had become the “dragon’s wings” in Xiamen.

I'm still thinking of a conflict though. As for the script, 10 pages down, many more to go. Let me know what you think. :)

10 Lessons When Starting a Business

2012-04-13T00:59:00.010+08:00

Starting a business can be one of the most stressful, yet rewarding, things to do. Many people have dreamed of putting up their own businesses, yet only a few have survived through this pocket-emptying, worry-filled journey of business venturing. I don't know if I will survive with Mori Notes, but oh well, I'm writing this as a (hopefully) helpful piece to you, and a constant reminder for me.

Here are 10 lessons I've learned when starting a business. :)

1. To worry about the future may seem normal, but it really isn't. Underneath it lies a sinful desire that must be uncovered.

Many books ask what do you worry about? One major worry in starting a business is sustenance, or in simple terms, money. In a book (“What the Heck am I Going to do with my Life?”) I was reading, it took a step further and asked, “Why do you worry about money? What do you really want from money?”

Is it security? Self-worth? Self-confidence? Significance? Power? Freedom? Importance? Love? Acceptance? Acclaim? Friends? Approval? Protection? Well-being?

Beneath the innocent worries of the future is a big possibility of having an unhealthy relationship with money, making money the source of security, therefore making money more powerful than God. I realized my reason beneath all the worries was really my lack of CONTROL. I wanted to earn money so that I could have the liberty to control my direction in life (where I want to live, work or study) or in business (should I diversify or do forward integration, etc). I then repented, realizing that I wanted to create a route for my own future. And guess what, from then on my worries lessened significantly.

2. Be patient. Rarely does success come overnight, in a month, or in a year.

Thanks to a very honest and caring sister-in-Christ, I was reminded to be patient. The big plans made in a week cannot be accomplished in the next week. I cannot attain in weeks or months what others have worked for in years. Perhaps, it would be better for me to divide the workload into chunks and celebrate after each swallowed chunk. Perhaps, I should remember it's also my character, more than the business, being worked out here. Perhaps, it really is not about my timing, and the world’s pacing, but God’s pleasant and perfect timing.

So, it's okay to take your time. Wake up each morning and ask God to "paint colors to my day today."

3. When experiencing anxiety attacks, look back.

What kept me from moving forward was the thought, “What if nobody would buy???” A cousin of mine told me to look back on what has already been overcome and accomplished. “Oh! The remembering back method!” Here goes.. God provided me a product idea that has ignited interest in a niche market... God has provided me with workers. God has provided me with great suppliers… So, if God has provided all these, what’s making me doubt that God couldn’t provide in the future?

If you also get attacks like these (filling you with all sorts of fears and worries), follow the Psalmist in chapter 77 who was groaning in distress, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

4. Sounds cliché, but it is indeed about the journey and not the destination.

The world may want us to aspire to be a millionaire before the age 30, or have a business up and running by the age of 25, but that is not what God wants us to aspire first and foremost in life. God’s will is to save us, sanctify us, and enable us to pursue Christ-likeness.

A journey is composed of sub pockets of adventures, trials and challenges; and in each of these mini-journeys is an opportunity to showcase Christ-likeness. To deny oneself and be like Christ is to be at the center of God’s will, and this is the goal we need to pursue every second of life. Pursue humility more than higher positions. Pursue character more than cash. Although our work and efforts may lead to success, many times catching a good business opportunity, and joining an effective work team comes in an “as it turns out” moment.

5. Don’t discount the “as it turned out” moments.

Reality is God works. Sometimes it can be as upfront as the parting of the red sea or Jesus’ ascension. Other times, it can be as subtle as an “as it turned out” moment.

“As it turned out, Ruth found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). As it turned out.. like a divine appointment.. a God-ordained set-up. It all started with Ruth going out to the fields to pick up some leftover grains. God had used this ordinary day for Boaz to see her, to take a second look at her, to give her favor, to become her husband, and to ultimately become a forefather of Jesus Christ.

One time, I woke up extra early to attend a conference with my mom. I prayed, "please paint colors to my day today." It seemed like an ordinary day, but "as it turned out" God made me meet a woman who then introduced me to willing partners (i.e. housewives) for Mori Notes.

6. As a daughter (or son) of Abraham, there will be more people who will bless you than curse you. This is a promise.

Being the descendant of Abraham through the faith-in-Jesus-Christ line, we can also claim the promise God has given to Abraham and His bloodline. One of the promises is God will bless those who bless us and curse him who curses us so that we can become a blessing.

Based on the NIV Study Bible, the plurality in “those” signifies that there will be more people blessing us than cursing us in our journey. Looking back, I can only say “amen” to that!

7. There’s no need to give God time, since God owns time.

In a recent Bible Study I attended, this very good point was raised up. The pastor said, many of us set a time once or twice a day to spend it with God and we leave the remaining all to ourselves. It is only when we see that time belongs to Him, and all of our life belongs to Him, can our work give glory to Him.

8. By all means, take the risk.

If God has called you to a social enterprise, to reach out to the marginalized, by all means take the risk. Risk is a healthy part of life. Risk enables us to trust Someone greater than ourselves. A life without risk would be a life without God. If we can do everything and be sure of its outcome, there’s no need for God. We’d be complete robots.

I’m a very risk-averse person. I delay as much as possible before I make decisions. I want all my options open, since deciding would mean risking a better choice and foregoing other options. I hadn't fully committed to this Mori Notes idea, until I felt God (and even the books I'm reading) was telling me to make decisions by faith now. I checked my motives. I sought counsel. I prayed, "whether win or lose, may this business glorify You and make me closer to You." I realized, plunging into this business will increase my faith. This is a better decision.

The final draw was when I realized, Jesus made the greatest risk of all. He risked His life just to save a poor, unworthy, not-always-faithful girl like me. Shouldn’t I take the risk for Him and the society as well?

9. Focus on your strengths, gifts and talents. It’s okay to look for people whose strengths can complement yours.

God has given us certain gifts to build up the body of Christ. Whether we are placed in business or in a corporation, in school or at home, we are to use these gifts to build up the universal church (not to be used solely inside a church building). And since we are given different gifts, we need to work together with people with complementing gifts so that our work will be done more efficiently.

As the African proverb goes, “If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Pray for the right people to join the team. That's what I've been doing for the past months. Indeed, God has blessed me with partners holding the same values and burdens.

10. Thank God always.

In starting a business, it’s almost always that we focus on and worry about the upcoming events. There were a lot of nagging questions tiring me out each day: How can I meet and train housewives to help out? Where can I find them? Can I trust them? When God was able to provide me with people, questions turned to: Will I be able to sustain these people? Will there be people who will buy the pursebooks?

Looking back, I realized I've wasted countless energies in worrying. Worry can be never-ending. The good news is, once you pop it, there’s still a way to stop it. “By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” and you will be filled with peace (Philippians 4:6). The phrase “with thanksgiving” is very powerful as it allows us to praise Him and, consequently, shift our thoughts from our worries and problems to God’s greatness and power. To have a heart of thanksgiving, “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability [gifts, skills, people, resources] to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

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A Bowl of Wisdom: From Someone 10 Years Older than Me

2012-03-19T17:15:00.015+08:00

OVER KAN ZHU BOWL OF NOODLES

After church yesterday, my friends and I decided to have lunch at Kan Zhu in San Juan. I got to try their chewy hand pulled noodles with sweet and spicy eggplant and minced pork toppings. Yum!

Seated in front of me was a sister who, I realized then and there, is exactly 10 years older than me. We have the same birth dates. And so, as a curious younger lady, I asked her for wisdom. I'm sure the whole 10 years that she's gone ahead of me is filled with life lessons, unexpected experiences, plenty of ups and downs, and many adventures that God had planned for her.

"I wanted to learn everything already!"undeniably impatient, I told her, "I don't mind missing out on painful experiences that bring about major life lessons. Can I just learn them from you?"

(I'm not sure if you've felt the same way.. that you want to finish the journey in the wilderness as soon as possible.. that you want the chastening to be done faster.. that lessons may already be presented on a platter, and that you may hear God's Word speak to you already, because the circumstances are just too hopeless and agonizing.)

This gentle, yet stern, sister told me one word, "Independence."

"Independence from God?" I asked sheepishly.

She nodded. I had wanted to learn things badly so that I could go on life my way free from chastening, with the handy-dandy bag of lessons.

"Okay.. (Change question) what has changed? What's the difference between the 26 year old you and the 36 year old you?"

TEN YEARS OF WISDOM AND TEN YEARS OF CHASTENING

"Nothing much has changed on the outward," she said, "I was in my family business when I was 26. And now, I'm still in the same family business. I don't have much big achievements or milestones. Perhaps, the change is not on the outward, but more of internally... in the building of my character."

As years roll by, she has found herself to be more patient, loving and gentle towards people. She has become a more joyful person.

How has God built her character?

This godly lady had wanted to settle down when she was 24. But it seemed unlikely to happen. She waited, and waited, and waited.. until she was 33. Then it dawned on her that the idea of having a partner had become an idol for it was the source of joy and security in her life. She repented and let go of that idol. And soon, she has not only become a contented, but a grateful, woman of faith.

Then, I remembered a verse I recently read from Acts 17:26-28:

"and he determined the times set out for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being."

What a great encouragement to know that God has marked the time and place where I should be, and even for what I should undergo and learn. Knowing all things ahead would make me NOT seek Him, NOT reach out for Him and NOT find Him. It would simply make me, well, independent.

This verse has shown me one powerful attribute of God, that I can make an effort to remember, when I'm in the panic or impatient mode again.

By the way, this 36 year-old sister-in-Christ of mine, knows the verse by heart.

CAREER VS. CHARACTER

What I was expecting to gain from our conversation was more of 10 years of life lessons or tips that would make it easier for me to move on to the next chapter of my life or to where she is now. But I guess, God doesn't simply care in how fast I learn and how many milestones I've achieved. God cares more for my character and how I handle my current circumstances. And He wants my character to be like Jesus. Gosh, it will indeed take continuous chastening and purifying to make me like Him (if only there were shortcuts. :P) I guess, just as the example my sister has shown, it's her character that has changed over the span of 10 years, and not her career.

AGE AND WISDOM

She told me it's also not simply the age that will give you significant wisdom. Although, age may bring about great wisdom, the quality and quantity of time spent with the Lord may also contribute largely to it. "I've only known the Lord for 8 years (since she was 28 years old); and it's good that you, you've known the Lord way younger. You might gain even more wisdom when you reach my age."

She continued, "Be patient; and be grateful for every little thing that comes your way."

I guess she was telling me to take my time. Rather than rushing to the next scene or adventure, I should take my time to enjoy the moment. God has brought me here. How can I be grateful for today when my mind is of things tomorrow? How can I be joyful when all I've been wanting to do is to move? Having my current perspective, I might not be able to keep good ol' memories and wisdom and share them to someone 10 years younger than me.

Mirror Mirror: The Snow White Legend Comes Alive (2012)

2012-03-17T22:32:00.001+08:00

There's one movie I had been looking forward to watch ever since I stumbled upon its huge standees at SM Mall of Asia a month ago. It's a modern day fantasy remake of the classic Disney tale "Snow White" where Julia Robert stars as the wicked stepmother and Lily Collins, the beautiful 23 year-old daughter of Phil Collins, as Snow White.

And so David and I were able to spare an hour and 45 minutes today for Mirror Mirror. (Yey!)

Just a quick review. Although it still resembles the basic story line of our favorite Disney story, there is a lot of comedic twists and surprising turns in the plot that makes it truly interesting.

Like any other fairy-tale, it starts with "Once upon a time.." But this time it is the evil queen speaking. For me, it's a nice new take but a bit cliche if we look at its contemporaries: Tangled (with Flynn Ryder's point of view) or Wicked (not that it's made a movie).

The cast played their roles very well. It's refreshing to see a beautiful new face to play the princess. Julia Roberts did good, as usual, as the queen and her eerie pale reflection. As for the dwarves, I was hoping for them to portray more adorable, funny characters. I was expecting them to keep the fun upbeat "hi-ho, hi-ho" personalities. But probably as professional bandits, they couldn't. Each of the seven still has apparently distinct personalities, but they're not named Bashful, Sleepy, etc.

As for the plot, I appreciated the new scenes added in Mirror Mirror, one example would be the potion Queen (Julia Roberts) had Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) drink. I find it witty when she later learns that the potion that turns him into a barking prince who can't get enough of her is the "puppy love" potion.

It's quite obvious that the objective of the movie is to defy the classic tale, to be new and unexpected. True enough it is. The spell is casted on the prince. The princess saves the prince. At the end, the princess saves the day. Somehow, being too unpredictable becomes predictable.

But despite that, it was still fun to see how the Snow White legend comes alive.

Kamote Balls from Pinoy Big Brother

2012-03-12T22:13:00.001+08:00

You may call me "bakya" or corny if you wish. I do watch Pinoy Big Brother. I know each contestant by name. I know the faces behind the voices. Just in case you want to know, I'm rooting for Pamu. (And I'm disappointed that Kevin had to leave that soon.)

So anyway, just a few days ago, when the housemates were living the hell week in a bukid (farm), one of the housemates who used to live in a farm named Bigel excitedly prepared a simple dish for the housemates as midnight snack.

The ingredients and the process were so simple that I decided to make some today. I don't know what it's called in the province, but I'm calling it Kamote Balls... and Potato Balls since my dad is allergic to Kamote.

Ingredients I used:
~ 3 pcs. sweet potatp
~ 2 pcs. potato
~ canned corn kernels
~ 1 cup vegetable oil
~ Brown Sugar
~ Flour

First off, I boiled the sweet and ordinary potatoes in a pot filled with water. After 20 or so minutes, I peeled each of them, and mashed them until they were silky smooth.

I rolled them into bitable pieces and added the corn kernels as fillings at the center and coated them with flour. It's very important to keep the corn covered with potatoes and flour to keep them from spilling out when fried.

In the frying pan, place oil and a couple of generous spoonfuls of brown sugar. The sugar burned easily so I had to strain the oil and redo the task for the next batch. I decided to just add a brown sugar coating on the Kamote Balls. (Although I must admit, the first batch still tasted better.)

Here is the finished product! It tasted like Kamote Q. My dad liked it.

Oh yes, I remember learning one other thing from Pinoy Big Brother. It's playing the hula hoop.

Who says Pinoy Big Brother is boring? :P

CONFESSIONS OF A VALENTINOPHOBIC

2012-02-14T21:39:00.006+08:00

Valentines Day: You either love it or you hate it. Well, I am part of the half who do not love it at all. It is one cheesy day I am obliged to undergo, just because the world has labelled this pitiful day as "the day of hearts" and painted it all red.

A few days ago, I asked David, "Can we not do anything on Valentines Day?" I was just cringing at the thought of celebrating "love" with all the other couples in the world. Giving love is good. Talking about love is cheesy; and celebrating love? ('_')

So anyway, he told me he'd plan about it and just surprise me. Since I didn't want to discourage him, and I enjoy surprises a bit, I let out a plain "okay" and a little smile.

He told me to dress comfortably, and to be ready by 9:00am. Great, I thought, we won't be joining the majority of the statistics who will be celebrating in the evening. When Valentines Day came, I did as he instructed. He then told me to close my eyes because where we were going was a secret. After a whole cycle of Disney songs in the CD player, a number of curious "where are we going," and a couple of detours, we finally reached our first destination for the day.

THE PARK
David knows how much I love nature. Nature reminds me of how joyful and fruitful life can be even in utter simplicity. The flowers seated in a bed of soil did nothing to gain beautiful red and orange hues on their petals. The cactus did nothing to earn strong and sturdy thorns to protect itself. The spider did nothing to make its spiderweb as strong as iron when wrapped thickly. The trees simply stood its ground, and leaves and fruits started to bud. All these remind me how God creates each being thoughtfully, preserves each life and enables it to grow. Man complicates things so much that sometimes I just thirst for a sweet escape to nature.

Today, David brought me to a park, a few minutes away from the business district in Pasig City. It showcased nature of all sorts. Trees that bear mangoes and makopas. Dry plants that prick. Monkeys that play on tire swings. Sheep and goats sauntering in lines. Birds of various colors in their giant cages. Sleeping snakes.

The walk was very much pleasurable. For one, it was not a popular dating site for couples, so it was easy for me to forget that today's Valentines Day. And, I felt like I literally just had a date with David and God today. The place was so conducive for relaxation, for long talks, for a thanksgiving walk and for worship. Try it next time.

CASITA XOCOLAT
I'm so glad that David also knows my taste in food. Since I see life as an adventure, eating must also undergo a certain exciting journey of discovery. So more than hotel buffets, I'd rather dine in an unexpected hole-in-the-wall, quirky place that serves unbelievably good food.

That's exactly what we had today in Casita Xocolat. When we reached the place, I was instantly attracted to its warm, airy, country feel. Some wooden tables are hand-painted in bright green and orange, while the other tables are decorated with colorful pebbles. The walls are adorned with oil paintings and wooden crafts. The adorable Casita Xocolat can accommodate around 25 people.

We tried their specialty, the Xoco Lava (Php 145), and I loved it! Just a little sip of its earthy, quite Hispanic, chocolate with vanilla ice cream, my craving for chocolates was instantly satisfied. I ordered the Pork Belly (Php 185), while David the Xocolat Chicken Pasta (Php 195). I opted the pork because of the cacao-bagoong sauce -- chocolate + gata (coconut milk) + bagoong (shrimp paste). I've been craving for bagoong for the longest time, so yipeediyey, I have had it today!

The pasta was tossed in cream with white mushrooms. What made it unique was the chicken toppings. The chicken was drenched in, believe it or not, chocolate! But sadly, what we had for today was quite stiff. I think it would be better if it was not overcooked and if it was kicked up with a little spice.

Minus the detail that it is Valentine's Day, today is simply perfect.

Learnings of and for Valentinophobics:

1. Have a date from early in the morning until lunch time only.

2. Visit places that are not crowd favorites. Since Filipinos are usually mall-goers, veer away from those sites today.

3. Discover hidden places. Try new cuisines. Celebrate Valentine's Day not only for the sake of love, but celebrate the new adventures today with your love.

4. Forget that today is Valentine's Day. Simply thank the Lord for giving you a new day.

5. It's okay to reschedule your Valentine's Day, just so you won't go along with the crowd.. and flowers may be cheaper too.

6. Get to know your partner, and surprise him. Making him happy for a day is a nice project to do. And vice versa.

7. Treat this as a Thanksgiving Day. Thank God for the loving relationships (for your comfort) and challenging relationships (for your character and salvation) He has blessed you with.

Happy Valentine(ophibic)'s Day! :)

Food, Parks & Celebrities: Post Christmas in Singapore

2011-12-28T00:44:00.038+08:00

My family decided to spend the rest of the holidays in Singapore with my brother and sister in law. So we woke up at 3am yesterday to catch a 6:30am flight. (Note to self: never take a 6:30am or an earlier flight again.) I was groggy the whole morning until my dad pointed out "John Lloyd" in the boarding area of MIAA. Not that I'm a fan or anything like that. But I just remembered John Lloyd being my philosophy professor's celebrity crush. She gushed in front of the class as to how good-looking he was.

He wore a black jacket, shades and a cap.. the usual celebrity stealthy get-up..which ironically made him look even more like a celebrity. He had a very fair complexion, smooth skin, and a little bit chubby structure. Then I also saw Shaina who was pretty in her flowy pants and sleeveless printed top. She had her make-up on which made me think, she probably didn't get much sleep the other night. They were with a large group, probably J.L.'s family. There were kids, teens, and middle aged people with them.

So as an evidence, here's our picture together. (My mom mustered up the courage to ask for their photos.)

We arrived in Singapore at around 10:50am. The Cebu Pacific plane was really full. I felt quite sorry for John Lloyd and Shaina Magdayao because all eyes were on them. I caught a great number of eyes following the couple (my parents included) as well as whispers and giggles from the plane to the baggage counter in Singapore. There was no special VIP treatment when they arrived. The last time I saw them was when they took off in a double deck bus. Anyway, enough about them. It's time for some food tripping!

Lunch, 12:00: Sushi Tei

My brother who has been a resident in Singapore for more than five years highly recommends Sushi Tei for Japanese food enthusiasts. We tried the Sushi Tei branch along the beach in East Coast.

I ordered Nabeyaki Udon. The tempura was normal for me. I couldn't taste the difference. But there were some chicken chunks, soft mushrooms and fish cakes that added texture to the dish. The thick udon was chewy which was, to my taste, good. The soup was savory and not overpoweringly sweet. Overall an okay-okay dish.

I first tried a big piece of tempting futomaki. One of my criteria for a good maki is an obedient seaweed covering that is soft and easy to bite on. This maki passed with a high mark. I could also taste the freshness of each ingredient wrapped in Japanese rice. When I was ready to take my second piece, the makis were I guess very well appreciated, that there was only one other futomaki left.

Yummy Zaru Soba for my dad -- my dad's personal fave. He orders this in almost every Japanese restaurant we go to. An evidence of how much my dad liked it, he said, "I still can't forget the Japanese restaurant we went to yesterday."

It's milk tea for dessert! I love the teh tahrik (SGD $2) being served in East Coast. Edivita introduced it to me last January. It was love at first sip. I prefer it a lot over the pearl milk teas we have in the Philippines. I guess probably because it's the real thing.

Dinner, 18:00: Akopo's (Grandfather's sister) residence

We ate in the balcony of their house where the wind was blowing freely through the wooden railings. It was a lovely & refreshing ambience for a family gathering. Felt like I was in a picnic.

Here's a classic Singaporean-Chinese dinner spread. There's misua, spicy fish curry, fried tempura, fried chicken, sticky rice with Chinese longganisa and bittermelon soup among others.

Merry Christmas la from Singapore!

Cheers! Yes, this is their way of digesting after a heavy meal. And this is also the Singaporeans' (as well as Chinese's) way of bonding and catching up.

One thing I love about Singapore is that playgrounds are abundant! Children can freely go out of their house, ride on the swings, and then go home for dinner. In our case, we walked around after a full meal. This is a park 10 steps outside Akopo's house.

I was surprised when an auntie told me that these logs were for the biceps.

Seems to me that this can also be a playground for adults! What a healthy & engaging place.

They also have a trail for joggers and a stadium probably for aerobics and other exercises.

The picture below shows the second playground near their place.

It's such a blessing to be able to walk leisurely, look around and enjoy the clean surrounding in Singapore. I won't have this much liberty when I get back home. But I read somewhere recently that if the surrounding is not as pleasing, look up. The sky, glorious and magnificent, is the same everywhere.

So this is how we spent December 26, 2011.

How are you spending the Christmas holidays? :)

Merry Christmas: Associations and Reflections

2011-12-25T19:26:00.005+08:00

For the past decades, I've associated Christmas with a number of random things. There was this pair of white school socks I would hang at the head of my bed on Christmas eve, as I waited for Santa Clause to fly through our window (we didn't have a chimney).

Then there was also the 8ft. Christmas tree with golden balls and golden-winged angel ornaments we would put up together on one relaxing October or November day. I get a warm giddy feeling every time I turn on the twinkling yellow lights. Then of course there are the Santa Clause dolls around the house. One hanging on our door post, another standing by the Christmas tree, and also there's one sitting on our dining room TV.

Sometimes, I would also associate Christmas with the activities or festivities.

Plus singing and dancing to the fun upbeat Christmas music.

There's the kris kringle where we act like "mommy"/ "daddy" and give gifts to our "babies." There are also Christmas concerts, musicals or plays. And in the recent years, Starbucks Christmas drinks also come to mind.

And I also associate Christmas with certain concepts or thoughts.. like Christmas being a time with family.. or a time to remember the birth of Christ... and of course happiness. That's why based on observation, a lot of people experience self-pity (one even died of heart attack because of loneliness according to TV Patrol today) if they don't have their families around, gifts received, fun parties to attend and other associations present.

Then last night, on the eve of Christmas, it dawned on me that since Christmas symbolizes Jesus' birthday more than anything else, (1) my associations were not directed primarily on Jesus and, (2) I have already prepared gifts for most family and friends, but I still don't have a gift for him!

What a shame, I was more focused on work, festivities and other visitors, than on the birthday celebrant Himself. Then I asked myself a very difficult question. What can you give Jesus who already has the whole world in His hands?

We may have different answers. After much thought, I realized I would like to give Jesus a heart of worship. A heart that realizes Christmas is not a time for frivolities but for moments enjoyed with Jesus. (God has made a way for us to be with Him so why don't we make the most of this gift?) But in order that we may have a meaningful time with Jesus we must let go of a few things. We need to erase anger, bitterness, hopelessness, envy, greed, pride, etc. by the blood of Jesus and be filled instead with thanksgiving and praise (I realized it's nearly impossible to worship when we're harboring such sins). A heart that gives more room to Jesus, and less room to me.

Many of you may ask, "Shouldn't we have a heart of worship everyday?" Exactly! Since Christ has saved us, our lives are not for our own selfish gain anymore ("To live is Christ.." Phil. 1:21).

But isn't it ironic that when Christmas comes, we get so tied up with all the busy-ness of the season (whether in business or ministries or parties) and other associations, that we have less time, energy and passion in worshiping God?

What things do you associate Christmas with?

How do you plan to make the birthday celebrant feel special?

What gift would you like to give Jesus today?

A Prayer Doodle: Ideal and Status Quo

2011-12-12T13:01:00.003+08:00

(This is a drawing of a man hanging on a thread of his ideals, trying to pull someone from the status quo. Two other people in the status quo are disliking the act, while the rest are happy in their current situation. This doodle is scanned from Mitzi's journal.)

Sometimes when I pray, God encourages me and/or teaches me through images. This is one of them.

I had been quite down recently when I realized how the church has been different from what the Bible says it should be. Whenever I read the Bible, how God's people should be on earth becomes clearer and clearer each day. And as I voice it out, many times I just get shut out. Like for example, I've shared with some church leaders how the focus must be moved from the technicals (church building, church car, equipments) to the fundamentals (missions, discipleship).. and guess what they've told me. "Mitzi, you're being too idealistic."

I did not know what to do. If I talk more, I might be labeled as a rebel or a mere ingredient for disunity. If I remain silent, I don't know how long I can manage to keep the burden from exploding.

Then last night, I prayed to God about it. I told God, I can do nothing to help His church because it's just tiring and depressing and utterly frustrating. Then deep within me, I felt recharged and renewed. I felt like God was telling me, "No Mitzi.. you're not causing disunity. You're simply obeying me."

God made me to realize that it's better to aspire for the ideals -- as to what the Bible clearly teaches and be labeled as a rebel, than to remain in a meaningless, united status quo.

May all of us walk on this narrow road (which can sometimes feel like a string) and depend on God's love and mercy.