MusicBoxDiary: BRIGHT by Echosmith

_BRIGHT_

I think the universe is on my side
Heaven and Earth have finally aligned
Days are good and that's they way it should be

You sprinkle star dust on my pillow case
It’s like a mooning brushed across my face
nights are good and that's the way it should be

You make sing ooohhh la la laaa
You make a girl go oohhh oohhh
I’m in love, love

Did you see that shooting star tonight?
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
‘Cause now I’m shining bright, so bright
Bright, so bright

And I see colors in a different way
You make what doesn’t matter fade to grey
Life is good and that’s the way it should be

You make sing ooohhh la la laaa
You make a girl go oohhh oohhh
I’m in love, love

Did you see that shooting star tonight?
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
‘Cause now I’m shining bright (oooohhh) so bright
And I get lost (ooohh) in your eyes

Did you see that shooting star tonight?
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
‘Cause now I’m shining bright, so bright
Bright, so bright
Bright, so bright
And I get lost in your eyes tonight

don't mess with my KEFI

Composure has been a friend of mine for quite some time now. I am able to keep things still and more private on my relationship matters. Well, I used to be all-talk and share-all type then you realize that there were things that you wish you should have not done or you should have done differently. Regret is the word that rings a bell.

Women loves to vent. We vent out our thoughts and feelings to the world, to our friends (sometimes to the not-so-close ones), to our family, to our workmates, and to whoever is there at the moment. So I had my shares of venting - and this means quite a lot ^_^ Well, it was immature and absurd of me (that I have to admit) to randomly blabber to gain sympathy thus putting the other person in a bad light.

But thanks to Experience. I was able to outgrow my immature behavior. Now I am more composed. I only share the things that are worth sharing to people worth sharing to. When a war is about to blow in my chest - I compose myself. When bliss is all over my skin - I compose myself. When I am torn apart - I compose myself. Life became less complicated. 

But today there's something I would like to tell my composed-self - "let go".

---

Dearest self,

I know we talk most of the time and there's nothing wrong with that. I know that we've done a good job in keeping things less complicated in our life. 

I know that we are scared to declare to the universe our happiness. We fear that by declaring it - it will be jinxed. And yes this is a contradiction to having faith but the thought of losing the stillness of our happiness is dreadful. And so we took comfort in being private. 

Somehow this private life bored us, to be honest. It must have been exciting and fun to share when we get butterflies in our stomach, when we get jitters every time the only love of our life performs acts of chivalry, when we get pissed of petty misunderstandings, when we get excited of future plans, when we have those precious moments and beautiful conversations, and just what happens in our life. But there's always another side of the coin. Sharing would allow other people to comment and give their opinions - this is not the exchange we want. And so, we decided that our matters of the heart is not a circus for everyone to witness.

But lately it is getting harder to contain the happiness. I feel like I'm about to burst in celebration and just let the world know that we are HAPPY. 

So please tell me that - "it's okay, it's love". Please give me the assurance that if I let this happiness show, the world will not renounce it.

 So here goes - I am happy. I am.

your mood is RINGing

I remember that way back I bought a Mood Ring.

It wasn't really what I was looking for at that time. Since I can't find a "Mood Swing Device", a Mood Ring would probably do.

I had a hard time reading and controlling my emotions before. I'm happy then the next minute I'm pissed. And when I was in a bad mood I don't have filters in my thoughts, words and actions. So it was chaos. A mood signal would have been a big help back then.

With the mood ring - it was all fancy! The color it changes to doesn't really match with my actual mood. Haha! I was just being childish and playful so I ended up disposing it into my "forgotten-things-box". Here's what the ring looks like and the meaning of the colors.

stressed

nervous

unsettled

active

relaxed

lovable

romantic

happy

Now that I am the older version of my moody self, I am now able to manage and handle my emotions. It took a lot of learning (chaos). I realized that our thoughts manifest our emotions and our emotions manifest our actions. My point is we should filter our thoughts first. If you have a bad case of "mood swings" then better get some therapy or consultation.

I don't need a Mood Ring to tell me what I feel or how's my mood. I can tell it myself. Maybe what I need is a different kind of ring now. Hahaha (LOL)

 

into the wilderness

Post-summer last year, the family went to Eden Nature Park & Resort.

It felt good to take a time off from the usual schedules and go on a vacation with the family. And one of the best place to take a vacation is somewhere you can relax - away from the noise and fast-phased city life, enjoy tranquility, breath fresh air and wake up to a beautiful scenery.

 

 

the reward in secrecy

Today's Gospel Reading from the book of Matthew 6:1-8; 6:16-18

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 ¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

-0-

After all my non-sense excuses over the years, I finally took time to attend the mass for Ash Wednesday together with my office mates. And I'd like to share a song that came to thought that is fitting as we welcome the season of Lent.

CREATE IN ME

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
Take not Thy holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And renew a right spirit within me.

 

in STILLness

STILL

Hide me now

Under your wings

Cover me

within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with you above the storm

Father you are king over the flood

I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul

In Christ alone

Know his power

In quietness and trust

~~~

The song STILL of Hillsong United is one of the best songs that I have sang. Sinner as I am, I hinged on my dependence to God and the best form of prayer for me is through songs of praises & worship.

 

I will open-up a small portion of my life – one of the hardest struggles I must say. Maybe it is time to release it to the world so the load that I have been carrying would be lighter.

It was October of 2013 that my father was diagnosed with Lung Cancer stage III. 1/3 of his left lung was removed and he was hospitalized for almost a month.

Yes, I crumbled. My knees were shaken. I cried in secret from my family. I hanged on to every strength that I have – not really knowing how much is left. From what I remembered on my conversation with God is I never questioned Him – "WHY?". "Why not me?" I say, God chose me to carry this cross and I will put my faith in Him. I am not excluded from pain. It was an opportunity from God for our family to be stronger and an opportunity for my faith to be tested and so I welcomed it with conviction. True enough I have prayer warriors who prayed for my father, I have friends and family who gave me strength in every way. Although I might have rejected some of their comfort because as much as possible I would not like to admit the fact that I was weak – that I needed help. It was not a time to think of myself – it was not. 

I had to talk to the doctors & nurses, check on the needed procedures with the hospital, buy medications and necessities, run to the bank back and forth, keep family updated, go home to check on the other members of the family, work in between hours in the hospital, and remember to breath. That was the longest 4 weeks in my life, by far.

There was a moment that my father wanted to give up – maybe because he was tired of chasing his breaths or tired to be in the hospital (knowing how stubborn he is) – I refuse to break down. He was opt to be moved in the ICU but it was full so all equipments were moved in the room to keep him monitored and stable. In all pretense I gave him a strong look and told him – “If you’re tired then just rest for a while. If you’re weak then borrow strength from me. Don’t be stubborn Pa.” My voice was shaking and the tears were about to fall but I tried my very best to keep it all in. Mama and Papa might get worried to see me cry. Then again my father shared some farewell words. The three of us - Papa, Mama, and myself - were holding hands in the room listening to the unstable heart rate monitor.

When in pain, RESPOND IN FAITH.

And with my staggering voice I kept singing the song STILL – “…I will be still and know You are God”. I surrender to the Lord – I will let Him do His plans. I have come to accept that He is a Great God and He is bigger than my fears, worries, and pains.

“…I will be still and know You are God”

Minutes later, the heart rate monitor normalized. The mass that was blocking my father’s air passage was coughed out. Oh how great is our God! Days later he was discharged, 3 months after he went back to work, and now more than a year after – my father’s health is good with no recurrence of the C word.

The doctor gave us a 20% chance of survival but God assured me more that those numbers. I continue to pray for healing because the journey doesn’t end there. There will be storms and floods and I am not certain that I will be strong or if my faith will not waiver but – God will be there for me. He will send instruments and blessings for me to remember His presence. He will make His existence known through His miracles.

FEB-ibig at work

I am a sucker for surprises. So when the month of February started - thoughts on Valentines day flew all over my head. (wheels screeching) Wait wait... these thoughts are not the romantic type of surprises but for my workmates.

For the first part of surprise, I gave out raffle for 2 movie tickets.

Step 1: Pick 1 stub

Step 2: Use a coin to scratch the white portion of stub

Step 3: If you found a heart - you won!

Prize: 2 movie tickets

For the second part of surprise which everyone can enjoy...

cheese jalapeno popcorn

went k-pop on her 27th

Shek's (friend/officemate) 27th birthday falls on a Sunday so we decided to celebrate it earlier on a Friday. We threw her a korean lunch party - saeng-il chukha hamnida Shek!!!

GuiGui Grill Korean Restaurant
Along Dona Vicenta Road just across Gomone Korean Restaurant
Near Chowking Bajada, fronting Victoria Plaza

 tada!

 food is pretty much affordable

free side dish

 

poof! clean slate!

Review:
Food is good
Place is good
Service is good (the waitresses should just smile more when serving)