Feeling hopeful for 2014

Stop thinking that we've lost our chance and time. Everything happens for a reason. Life is not all about years that pass by. It's about how we live, how we dream, and how we make our existence meaningful. Let's welcome 2014 with new hope. :)

Credits: image 1, image 2 

Frozen

Disney's Frozen is not entirely what I was expecting. I think it's even better.

I haven't expected that this movie is also a musical. On the first song, I suddenly had a "Tangled" flashback and for a while I wondered if Disney is going to make all of its movies musical.

Frozen is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. However, the good thing about this movie is that the snow queen, Elsa, is not entirely evil. She just doesn't want to hurt people, especially her sister, Anna. 

This movie is surely enjoyable and heartwarming, especially for sisters who have this love-hate-awkward relationship. Of course, it also shows how true love comes in an unexpected way.

 Some things I learned from Frozen: 

(PS: With spoilers) 

*Do not fall in love with a person you just meet. Most importantly do not get engaged with him (or her).
Anna easily falls in love with Prince Hans, and the crazier part is that she agrees to be engaged with him. At first, I thought that they share true love since they even have their own music video in the film. Boy, I was wrong.

It really is a good lesson to control your heart and not fall in love with someone you barely know. You wouldn't want to get your heart broken by a stranger, right?

*Do not hide in fear.
Elsa, in her fear to hurt other people especially her sister, Anna, spends most of her time alone in her room. She gets to fully appreciate her powers again when it is revealed to everyone since she no longer has to hide it. Thus, she is able to make beautiful things again with her icy powers.

It makes me think that fear, really, paralyzes us and hinders us from growing or harnessing our potentials. I actually felt sorry for Elsa for having been trapped in that room for so long without being able to use her powers or build relationships with other people. In real life, I think there are also situations where we are trapped in fear of so many things. This should not be, it's actually tiring to be scared all the time, right? Also, I once read that most of the fears you have are 90% imagined.

*An act of true love comes in different shapes.
What I like about the film is that it does not give that ordinary kiss-by-a-prince kind of "true love". Instead, Anna's choice to save her sister from harm makes an act of true love deeper.

*Accepting yourself frees you.
When Elsa finally accepts her power and rejoices that she is free to do it without any reason to fear she is able to do beautiful and magnificent things.

This movie surely has a lot of fun and lessons, and it is also full of entertaining music like this soundtrack. Enjoy. :)

Credits: Image 1, image 2

Poem for a friend

Just want to share this poem I made for a friend. I hope I can make more poems of this kind. :)

I'm sorry my blog

It's 12:15 in the morning. I'm supposed to be sleeping now because I need to wake up later at 6:00 am to start another week of work. However, I'm still here in front of the computer. I am usually like this when I don't want to sleep because I don't want my day to end just yet.

Another reason is this guilty feeling of neglecting my blog. Gosh, the month's almost over and I haven't posted a single thing. What the heck happened to me? a) I was too busy b) I had no spare time c) time is running too fast now or d) all of the above.

Excuses. This can't continue, I have to do something to keep doing my fruitful distractions lol. Anyway, if I can spend three hours on a TV show marathon, I can definitely spend some time updating my blog.

Here's a note to myself

...so, I resolve to use every possible moment available to do something worthy (or distracting?) and to feed this blog with some pieces of me as much as I can because

I guess the perfect time I have is anytime I am able to do the thing I want...

Photo credits: 1st, 2nd

Inkspell

     I have just finished the second book of Inkheart Trilogy, Inkspell.
   
     In this book, the main characters are transported to the story itself, the Inkworld. However, much to their surprise, everything has changed. It seems that the printed words no longer hold the story. They are just plain, dead words. Inkworld has become a more sinister place for everyone.

     This book has a darker story than the first one. For me, reading this was like a long, winding journey. It left me wondering if the story would really be as black as ink in the third book, or if I could finally reach a happy ending.

     I actually took a break from reading the third book, Inkdeath. This second book made me mentally and emotionally exhausted. I must prepare for the third one.

Image from here.

Inkheart

     They say reading could make us escape into another world.  Wouldn't it be more fun if we could bring the characters out? That exactly is what the book Inkheart is all about. By reading out loud, Mo and his daughter, Meggie, could summon different characters out of their printed pages.

     However, malevolent characters have slipped out of the book! Now, Mo and Meggie must find a way to win against this evil force of Capricorn and turn things around with the power of their voices.

    Reading this book makes me wish I could also conjure characters out of books. Thanks goodness for its movie I learned about this book.

     I’m now on the second book. I just hope that the story of Mo, Meggie, Resa, Elinor, Dustfinger, Farid, and Gwin would have a happy ending at the end of this trilogy.

Image from here.

Haiku 14:

Life

Time goes by quickly

Let’s live life to the fullest

Fill each day with love

Image from here.

Positive quote for the day

Image from here.

On the shore

Being emotional sometimes wakes the artist in us. This is my work while I was in a dilemma over something we call "love." :P

Hands to Heaven

After a long time, I finally finished coloring this. My first artwork this year: :)

I can't dream anymore, since you left...

I just blurted out this song out of nowhere. I guess I miss listening to New Found Glory, or I guess, I can relate to this one.

These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon...

...now I wonder if I will see you again.  : |

Image from here.
Video from here.

Poem to a crush

Sometimes, laying it down on paper  is just what I need to let it out, so here goes the outpouring of my temporary madness, lol.

It's hard to say just how I feel

Whenever you are near

I can't help but glance at you

And you don't even have a clue

I don't know how it came to this

Somehow having you around is what I miss

I know it might be wrong to feel this way

'Coz we haven't even been acquainted until this day

I wish one day we'd be introduced

 And in knowing me, you'd also be amused

But if you'd feel otherwise then it'll be okay

I guess I'll just let this feeling fade away

For now I'll try to put you out of my mind

And just do other things that my hands can find

I want to keep my sanity

And stop thinking about this far-fetched fantasy

I'm a victim of that crazy moon

So the lyrics of Swept Away goes. Or maybe, I'm more of a victim of my crazy mood because I just can't get this song off my head today.

Well, I'm glad that I'd be repeating this song of love instead of an emo one.

Originally by Christopher Cross, now here's a version of Dianne Elise:

The Croods

Caveman rules:

-Never leave the cave.

-New is always bad.

-Never not be afraid.

At least that's for The Croods- a family who has always lived in a cave, in a desert. Their world changes when everything starts collapsing, their cave is destroyed and they have to push on and find a new place in order to survive.

This movie offers a simple plot of the Crood's survival from the end of the world, yet it has with it a meaningful lesson.

This movie is fit for fathers, and the whole family as well. It tackles accepting changes, new ideas, and having an open mind.

In this movie the father, Grug, is good in doing his job of keeping the family alive and safe, but he has always been averse to change or to new ideas. Through the experiences his family has been through he has learned to have an open mind, to accept change, and to aim going somewhere other than the cave.

 Eep, his daughter is full of curiosity, and doesn't like the idea of staying in a dark cave forever. Somehow it is with this curiosity that the family was put in jeopardy, but it is also with this curiosity that Eep is able to meet Guy- a 'civilized' caveman who is full of ideas. With his help, the family has survived the forest and is able to reach the tomorrow they are looking for.

I like how the movie also teach about humility. As we know the Croods has a head of a family, and Guy is a stranger. Naturally, Grug will not let this stranger take his place as the leader of the group, even if he has better ideas than him. Throughout their journey Grug has been transformed. From being a stubborn leader he has humbled himself and accepts that this time someone has a better idea than him. 

This movie is more than just a caveman story. It teaches us on how to change for the better. 

How to go to Eastwood from Taguig - Makati - Pasig

Going to Eastwood is not really that hard if you happen to live in Makati and Taguig area near or along C-5. City link buses offer rides from NewPort City Taguig to Eastwood and vice versa via Mc Kinley Hill-C5.

They do have certain stops and scheduled time so you have to be careful estimating the time. Here are some of the stop overs: Blueboz - Market market - Buting  in  Makati-Taguig Area. They also pass along Pasig but I'm not sure of the names since I'm not a Pasigueña. I'm just pretty sure they have a stop at SM Center Pasig and Vargas.

City link buses have schedule trip every 30 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes from the terminal to Blueboz (Makati-Taguig), so just do the Math on when you should expect it. Let me just say that it's better to be early than sorry, right? Expect a fare of P21.00 up depending on your location.

Arriving to Eastwood, the bus has a drop off area at the Citibank, and then they will travel round to the terminal at Orchard road.

Here's a copy of the bus schedule, hope this helps.

BGC Arts

Bonifacio Global City (BGC) never fails to amuse the public with their arts. They have themed parks which caters different concepts every year. In fact, all throughout the BGC one can find art.

When I see this tarp, I often wonder what they have this year, as I can't really find the arts, apart from the ones in the parks.

Love art? Then explore BGC.

Lucky me, I chanced upon two of them while having a walk.

I love this. These flowers are not just decorations, they spin in the wind too!

Origami Flower Bouquets

In pursuit of my new found interest, I made this origami flower basket for my friend's mom, though it is much smaller in real life.

I also made some flower bouquets, which now prettify my desk.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Reading this book again is like meeting old friends and listening over again to their stories, which you already knew, yet still learning a lot of lessons.

I like how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, through the view point of Dr. Watson, has given the readers a chance not only to read his and Holmes adventures but also to think deeper and see things in another perspective. This book has enabled me, as a reader, to stretch my mental faculties in trying to solve the cases, yet, like Dr. Watson and Lestrade, I often feel like a turtle compared to the lightning speed of Holmes' deductions.

In the story, a case of identity, he let Watson know his method. According to him it is concentrating upon the details, among other means of course. That helped me, as a reader, to catch up with his deductions in the succeeding stories.

I can't help but admire the genius of Doyle, how he put up the adventures, not only for Holmes and Watson but also for the readers to participate as well.

I just can't wait to participate in their next adventure, so ciao! :D

Credit: Image from here.

Origami Flowers

My sister fancy making origami nowadays. She just gave me a lil,y.

I can fold up basic patterns like a t-shirt, or a heart. But I never really thought about origami seriously,  unlike my friend and  my sister. 

So today, I had free time I thought, why not try making a paper flower too. Thanks to the power of internet and Youtube, I was able to find easy tutorials. I never thought it was so fun. And come to think of it, this is one of the most cost-efficient, enjoyable hobbies out there.

 I spent some time memorizing or rather folding by heart a paper lily, and an accessory leaf. So here are my first flowers. Decent enough I think.

Lily Origami

For the next level, maybe a small flower ball. :D
Here are the tutorial videos: one & two.

done coloring

After a long break from my digital coloring hobby, I finally decided to get back to it. I feel like I've been neglecting it for far too long.

So, here goes my finished drawing. I'm glad I've finally finished coloring it.

Medium: Easy paint tool SAI, wacom pen and touch

Samgyeopsal

I'm not a pork lover. In fact when I was young I really didn't eat it.
So I'm a bit picky when it comes to pork. I only eat small cuts, and fried pork- or something that is well done.

So the first time I was invited to eat samgyeopsal in a Korean place, I was hesitant because it has pork. But when I tasted it,  surprisingly it tastes so good. Maybe because, the pork is wrapped with lettuce or because it is grilled.

Now it has become a favorite dish. Thinking of it even makes my mouth water.

Rice, ssamjang and other condiments.

Asking for signs?

In truth, I am a little skeptical about asking signs from God. It's not because I doubt His power, but more on me doubting myself. I keep on thinking, "what if the sign comes up, would that really be 'the sign' or me merely insisting that it is?" I'm not even sure if God really answers this kind of thing. Until I've read this verse:

Judges 6:17-18
Today's New International Version (TNIV)

17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

It's like Whoa! Hang on a minute, so really, when we ask him some signs He really does give it according to His will. 

************************************

 I realized: You have to be specific.

Maybe one reason why we doubt signs or insist just on anything is because we lack details. I'm guilty of this, sometimes I think, "would God really do that detailed thing I'm asking for, maybe He has more important thing to do... so ok, just this simple (whatever) would do."  

But men, that is all wrong. We have to be specific in what sign we want, so when it happen or not, we would not doubt. Take this example:

Judges 6:36-40

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Don't you think Gideon is a bit demanding? Asking not one, but two signs to be sure. But more than that, he is also very specific in what he sign he's asking. I also think that what Gideon asks is very illogical, or impossible to happen, yet, that was what he asks. And God, in His power did it for him.

Now I know that asking signs is not really a bad thing. And yes, God answers it if it's in His will. There is no illogical or impossible for Him.

God sees our weakness but looks at our strength

Judges 6:14-16
Today's New International Version (TNIV)

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

As I was reading the chapter about Gideon, I realized this:
               If God wants to use us as His instrument He would.  He knows our weakness but He also knows our strength. Even if we look at ourselves as insignificant and weak, God will look at our strength instead.
                And the best part - He promised to be with us. It will not just be our strength alone, but His strength too.

Credit: Image from here.

Feeling Blue

Happy, they say
is the feeling I should have each day
But today just isn't so
Because of the things that make me feel so low.

Happy songs are out of my mind
Loneliness is all I can find
I hum by myself the sad melody
as the silent tears share its harmony.

But I know that this will end
Surely, there's help that heaven will send
So I'll push the gloomy thoughts aside
And pray that I might have the strength inside.

Now I know just what to do
For me to stop feeling so blue
To help lighten up my day
I would keep a smile and a prayer.

My theme song today

Today I was so jaded and frustrated, with all the things I wanted to do and to be, and then suddenly, this song just came out of my mouth. Inspirational songs really come in handy.

Now I also remember what I've read before, we can have all that we want, but not all at once. Right. We have to learn how to do it - one step at a time.

My first post in 2013 on this special day

As this is a very special day to me, I wouldn't let it go without marking it on my blog.

 

I just thank God that He continue to bless me with my life for a quarter of a century now, continue to guide me and help me get through my troubles, and best, continue to be by my side. And so, I'll share one of my personal favorite verses:

Why I like this verse:

This is really a wake up call whenever I feel so weak or afraid about the circumstances in my life. Let me tell you what I think about this verse:

 Like the lion, the king of the jungle that fears nothing, God is commanding us to be strong and courageous.

In this verse, two of the main weaknesses of human beings were also mentioned: being afraid and being discouraged. When we become afraid, we become paralyzed, we can't think straight, and often, we cower in the face of adversity. When we become discouraged, our hope dies and when it dies, we lose the will to continue.

Feeling these two negative emotions are normal, but we don't need to get stuck on that, because thankfully, God has a promise for us.

The question is not "how" can we be strong and courageous and how can we stop the fear and discouragement, buy "why"?

Why can we do it? It's because He said: "... the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

The point is we are not going alone! God promises to be there with us. There is no need to feel afraid or discouraged, because we know that we have something with us far more powerful than our fears and dismays- it's God.  

For us to be able to overcome the obstacles and challenges in our lives and succeed, we have to have faith in Him, and like soldiers obeying their commander's command, we have to be strong and courageous. 

Credits:
Photo from here.
Second photo from here.