Aha's & Musings: How I Got Rid of Envy

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have." -Hebrews 13:5

One day, I became aware I that I was feeling that icky emotion of envy again, when suddenly, something occurred to me that paved the way to quiet envy for good in my mind. I allowed myself to imagine I was already the person I was envious of. I visualized it because that is how we had programmed our minds to be -- that if we could be like that person or that person or better than that person, we'll be fine. And so there I was, in my mind, already that person I was envious of, and I came to that conclusion that -- it is not true. I was still envious -- now with that person's friends, with different people from that person's circle.

Envy stays because I allow envy to stay. Its residency on me is not dependent on how good or pretty or smart I am but on my permission to see my lack instead of the God's grace in me.

These things helped me kick envy out of my system:

Recognition of God's providential power & choice that lead to every detail of the "self" that I am and constant gratitude towards Him in faith that all that I am is a creation perfected by Him. 

Aha's & Musings: Aparri Travel Notes

I'm finally back from a week-long trip at the North. We stayed at my husband's house in Cagayan and literally went to the "edge" of the Philippines, at the charming, quiet town of Aparri. Here are nuggets of discoveries that I learned from my trip there.

1. Sari-sari stores might not have your favorite detergent bar but they carry Tops bar which does the job fine.

2. Their tricycle that looks like a mini-jeepney, can sit up to 10 passengers.

3. Jollibee Aparri is always jampacked. Jollibee, I swear, you  are everywhere. We once got stuck in a  very remote town because of a dengue attack back in 2005 and you still made us feel home. Thank you.

Aha's & Musings: On Growing Up

It's so quiet here right now. Jam's sleeping. There's a light patter of rain and a muted sound of faraway thunder. The only thing I hear clearly is our AC's white noise. So... I'm feeling kinda nostalgic, hence these musings on growing up.

• I don't remember my last play as a kid. Do you? I don't remember my last patintero, my last piko. How was a kid to know that it'll be her last? How do you tell a child that next summer, she'll be too old to play? My sister, Nel and I strangely love this topic. It's like a spark that ignites one childhood story after another.

Streamlined Life: Business Stuff That Costed Me Thousands of $$$ to Learn

The week that was had been huge for my sanity... because I closed one of my businesses.

Maybe I'll reserve the whole shebang of that story for later. All I can say for now is that it's not that I gave up on running it, I just realized I opened the wrong one. And it took a big chunk of my courage to admit it. If you're on Ev Bogue's mailing list, it's very similar to the time when he realized and admitted he can't push through with his Hovercarding idea that he once was very excited to launch. After a lot less moolah, and a lot of honesty to my self, I also learned these things on the journey:

Aha's & Musings: Cats and Deaths

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd, I stand and look at them long and long, They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things. Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that liveth thousands of years ago, Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth. - Walt Whitman

Aha's & Musings: On Coffee

• One of my best takeway from Maria Menounos' book is "Do not let coffee be your first intake for the day." It's very bad for the liver and is the culprit for under eye dark circles. You do not need to avoid it completely but go have water or eat something first before taking it.