End of the Year

It's the last day of the year.

No work. Time to look back at the year about to end.

The year 2009, is the year...

...I was diagnosed to have cancer, multiple myeloma to be exact. I went through the pains and sufferings. Yet, I experienced the love and caring of so many people who visited me, prayed for me, gave donations. Now, I am feeling A-okay, with just a little pain and some walking difficulty. A far cry from the worst, when I couldn't even go to the bathroom and I couldn't sleep on a bed because of the pain.

...I was confined in Recovery.Com for a relapse of my bi-polar condition. I stayed for a number of weeks. It was a result of lack of sleep so I turned manic again. I got myself a new psychiatrist because my mom and Dr. Lesaca fought.

...I met new friends, Jobert, Lovely, Noe, Evan...I enjoy their company. We write poems together. Play scrabble. Watched concerts...Jobert has become my textmate and we do text poetry.

...I was able to have research projects even in my condition enough to pay for my medicines and to survive from month to month. God truly provides!

...I rekindled my friendship with Greg, a long time friend. And we have been corresponding by email and by phone.

...I appeared on DZMM and interviewed by Fr. Gerry Orbos regarding my son, "Mama, Let Me Live"

...I decided to give up my "Mission: Possible!" book but that does not stop me from writing other books and to resume scriptwriting.

...I was not too far from God, nor was I as close as I should be. I promise to draw closer to the Lord come 2010.

...I became closer to my mom and to my son.

...My son graduated this year and soon got a job as Branch Manager of Folded and Hung. I'm so proud of him!

...I enjoyed going out with friends and family this year.

All in all, it was a pretty great year! I survived yet another big trial in my life and served as inspiration to many.

Lord, thank You for using me to bless others, for being an inspiration to others, for serving as example to others on how it is to have faith in You. I love You so much, Lord! Thank You for loving me unconditionally, immeasurably, immensely! You are my everything!

Burgoo with a Friend

Today, my friend Rexy fetched me at the condo. We exchanged gifts. She gave me ham, grapes, pineapple juice and Coke Zero.

We went to Burgoo in Podium. We ordered their special offer for five people. We had two appetizers - cheesy fries and onion rings - and two entrees - linguini with clams and mexican pizza. We didn't finish the onion rings and pizza so I asked RR to give them to his staff.
We talked about work and common friends and ourselves.

We then went to Edsa Shrine. I lined up for confession. The others took long. But when my turn came, it didn't even take five minutes! Nevertheless, it feels soooh good to get the forgiveness of God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Rexy brought me back to the condo because she helped me carry the stuff she gave me. We drank some juice before she left.

I just read a beautiful email entitled "Live a Life that Matters". It read like this:

Ready or not, someday it will come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender or skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought but what you built;
not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

- Author: Michael Josephson

Beautiful, isn't it? So inspiring!

Hoping, Praying

Today, I called up a friend to greet her Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Then, out of nowhere, I asked, "Do you know of a company looking for an in-house research consultant?". She said yes. She learned from a friend in Facebook that SM is looking for one. She said she will forward my resume to SM.

What luck! But I wanted to take a more active role in applying for the position. So even if I had to make several attempts at contacting the HRD department of SM, I was finally able to get the email address and emailed my resume to them.

I hope and pray that I will get the job! Oh, SM, here I come!

I just analyzed part of a report which came in yesterday. It didn't take me long to write the partial report. I will wait for the balance data tomorrow.

Gettogether at Cibo

Today, I had a small gettogether with four other Maryknollers, three of whom are doctors.

We ate at Cibo. We ordered salad, pasta and pizza (never mind their names)...and coffee and tea.

We stayed long - from before 3 pm to past 5 pm. We talked about the past, present and future. About us, and about other batchmates. We talked about medical matters.

Sandy paid for the food. Lisa for the coffee/tea.

A nice way to spend the afternoon.

A new project just came in. Just in time!

Nice Book

I just finished reading a nice book. Very inspiring. Even if it's New Age stuff.

Here are some positive affirmations worth repeating:

...I approve of myself

...All is well in my world

...The past has no power over me

...Truth is the unchangeable part of me

...All my relationships are harmonious

...Everything I touch is a success

...There is plenty for everyone, including me

...There are plenty of customers for my services

...I am blessed beyond my fondest dreams

...Riches of every sort are drawn to me

...Golden Opportunities are everywhere for me

...I move into the Winning Circle

...I establish a new awareness of success

...I am a magnet for Divine Prosperity

I don't agree with everything that the author wrote but I've always believed in positive thinking.

Thank You, Lord, for inspiring me once again!

Day After Christmas

It is a quiet day, after all the festivities.

My friend, Fina, dropped by to visit. She brought fruits and a book on healing. We talked for a while but she couldn't stay long.

I took long naps in the morning and afternoon.

I checked my inbox.

I re-watched "Serendipity".


I think I shall do some coloring right now. And maybe some writing.

Quiet day.

Christmas Day!

Today is Christmas day and as usual, I celebrated it with family.

We were fetched by my Uncle Danny and I sat in front.

We went to my sister's house. We were early but that's always okay.

The food consisted of steak, chicken inasal, embutido, fresh lumpia, chicken salad, Asian salad, buko gelatin, fruit salad. There were chocolates, marshmallows, chips, softdrinks.

We didn't play mah jongg this time.

There was a lot of kwentuhan and picture-taking, of course.

There was gift-giving. I received a USB Flash Drive, two hair clips, and black eyeliners. Little things give me a lot of joy!

All too soon, we had to leave.

I am still in the mood to go out but I couldn't find anybody to go out with. So here I am at home, facing the computer...

What are my Christmas thoughts?

When I was a little girl, I soooh looked forward to Christmas! I was excited, I could barely sleep, I wanted to know the presents that I will be receiving. And the all the delicious food I was bound to eat!

Now that I am 48 years old, the excitement is gone. But the spirit is still here in my heart. Because the reason for the season is Jesus Christ. And I am glad that we are celebrating Christmas because we are all glad that Christ was born to save us.

I love my family and every opportunity and time I have with them, is time well spent.

So, although this day's celebration is quite "bitin", I still greet everyone a very Merry Christmas!