Circle of Friends :)

Circle of Friends :)
****F R I E N D S F O R E V E R****

Sunday, February 28, 2010

God Wants You to Know...

On this day, God wants you to know that you are blessed. You may think you have challenges, but you have so many blessings. Sometimes it takes only a moment of conscious effort to recognize those blessings. Once you focus on the gifts instead of the problems, your whole perspective will change and you will see blessings everywhere.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Be an Excellent Work!

How can we measure up to become an excellent work? According to Jon Escoto in an article on Kerygma Magazine dated May 2005, there are three "things" to become a good performance on your work: (1) Find the connection; (2) Find your right place; and (3) Find the real BOSS.

I. Find the Connection

Two masonry workers were laying bricks on two separate ends of the construction site. One worker was sluggish and miserable. The other was energetic and motivated. Both were asked: What are you doing? The miserable worker answered: "I'm laying down bricks." The positive worker answered: "I'm building a church!" Guess who worked excellently? Guess who found the connection?

Work isn't always glamorous but it's glorious, because God is in it and uses it to bless others. If you're involved in farming and the food industry, God is using you to nourish people. If you work for a car company or a repair shop, God is using you to help people travel where they need to go. If you're a parent cooking, changing diapers or wiping runny noses, God is using you to care for precious children. If you haul garbage awau from people's homes or mop floors or clean toilets, God is using you to make a cleaner, fresher, healthier environment for people to live in. Again, whenever a person works at something worthwhile, God himself is working.

II. Find your Right Place

According to Rick Warren, in his phenomenal book The Purpose Driven Life uses the SHAPE way of understanding how God designed you, and eventually "find your place" at work.

SPIRITUAL GIFT/S. What would members of your spiritual family say you're good at? "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). " Believe it or not, God wnts to use your spiritual gifts even outside the walls of the prayer meeting.

HEART. The Bible uses the term "heart" to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interest, ambitions, dreams and affections you have. Your eart repreents the source of all your motivations - what you love to do, what you care about most. Your heart reveas the real you. People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or feel passionate about. The corporate dictinary calls it "enthusiasm." Passion drives perfection. Your passion is your power! God calls us to "serve the Lord with all your heart " Deuteronomy 11:13).

ABILITIES. Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with. Natural abilities are as spiritual as spiritual gifts since both came from God! (Psalm 139:13-14). Are you good with numbers? Or with music? or in business? Or in speaking? What I'm able to do, God wants me to do - for His glory (see 1 Corinthians 10:31).

PERSONALITY. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you love routine or variety? Some people are "thinkers," some are "movers," some are "feelers." Some work best with a team, some deliver best when alone. Don't pursue a career in comedy if you hate being laughted at!

EXPERIENCES. Your person has been molded by family, educational, vocational, spiritual, ministry, even painful experiences. These will give your insights on how you can maximize opportunities to meet the needs you were made to fulfill. This is not just some "self-actualization" pitch. Accepting and enjoying your SHAPE is the path to real servanthood - relevant, effective and excellent, that is.

III. Find the Real BOSS

Man was created not to work for himself, but to work as a coworker with God. God placed man in the garden "to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:8, Genesis 2:15). Ultimately, God is the real BOSS. The Bible hints that our PA (Performance Appraisal) measures excellence in at least three KRA's (Key Results Areas): Competence, Justice and Love.

COMPETENCE. I've been doing currently work at SPI Technologies Inc.-Laguna as data analyst for almost a year now. Yeah, I know... I know our current work situation is way, way far from the "original garden" that God has supposedly put us in. The entrance of sin into our first parents "work area" made even our "dream jobs" more difficult, sometimes dull or even humiliating. Work relationships suddenly are not absolutely rosy and "thorns" can prick relationships. Employers may mistreat workers and pay them less than they're worth. Employees may not care about those they work for, and become lazy and sloppy. Can I just settle down in a grim routine of slogging my way through the mediocrity ambiance, just like everybody?

"Whatever you do, work at it will all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (Colossians 3:23)

Competence is a matter of the heart - my heart. not of my employer's or co-workers' heart. Competence is ability plus my willingness. It's skill plus my attitiude. Its facets can include:

  • Responsibility (Do I take ownership of my work and its results?)
  • Consistency (Am I reliable and dependable?)
  • Initiative (Do I think and take right action without having to be told?)
  • Creativity (Do I come up with innovative ways to solve problems?)
  • Loyalty (Do I defend and support my company, its products and cause?)
  • Faithfulness (Do I constantly adhere to the company credo, ethic or values that I agreed to uphold?)
  • Patience (Am I steady, presevering in performing tasks or responsibilities?)
  • Thoroughfulness (Am I accurate and painstaking with regards to details of my work?)
  • Productivity (Do I work efficiently and maintain a good record of consistent output?)
  • Self-control (Do I exercise control over my emotions, actions, feelings and general work demeanor?)
  • Punctuality (Am I always prompt and timely? Do I carefully observed appointments and hours of employment?)
  • Cost-consciousness (Do I practice sound management of resources and materials assigned to my care and keeping?)
  • Courtesy (Am I polite and gracious, considerate of others and respectful?)
  • Industry (Am I skillful, clever, earnest and steadily hardworking?)
  • Honesty (Am I truthful and trustworthy? Straightforward and free drom deceit?)
JUSTICE. Justice is inseparable with excellence in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord takes personally fairness in work and business dealings.

The Lord abhors dishones scales, but accurate weights are his delight. (Proverbs 11:1).

LOVE. "And the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). The apostle Paul identified love as the greatest human virtue. Loving our neighbor (yes, even the business neighbor) is the second most important commandment (Matthew 22:37-39). Without this, a solid relational foundation necessary for work success will never exist. Partnets must get along, supervisors must engender loyalty among subordinates, and suppliers and distributors must be brought into a supportive network. Love provides the relational framework in which such cooperation flourishes. Without it, our sinful tendency to exploit one another takes over. Long-term excellence and success dies.

Do I celebrate my co-workers joys and shoulder their burdens? Do I encourage my staff? Leadership guru John Maxwell says "Before you can ask for the hand, you need to touch the heart!"

Find the connection, your SHAPE and the Real Boss. What else? Excellence is a habit or it's not excellence at ll. You can't be excellence tody and run-of-the-mill tomorrow.

Co-workers of God, aim for perfection! If you "miss" perfection, at least you attain excellence.

Finally, in the workplace, God is the final judge of excellence. The applause of heaven is what matters most. It's useless to do an excellent work, if  what you do is not God's work.

Jesus answered "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29)

Sunday, January 31, 2010

A Touching Story

4 years ago, an accident took my beloved away and very often I wonder, how does my wife, who is now in the
heavenly realm, feel right now? She must be feeling
extremely sad for leaving a husband who is incapable to
taking care of the house and the kid. 'cos that is the
exact feeling that I have, as I feel that I have fail to
provide for the physical and emotional needs of my kid,
and failed to be the dad and mum for my kid.

There was one particular day, when i had an emergency at
work. Hence, I had to leave home whilst my child was
still sleeping. So thinking that there was still rice
leftovers, I hastily cooked an egg and left after
informing my sleepy child.

With the double roles, I am often exhausted at work as
well as when I am home. So after a long day, I came
home, totally drained of all energy. So with just a
brief hug and kiss for my child, I went straight into
the room, skipping dinner. However, when I jumped into
my bed with intention of just having a well-deserved
sleep, all i heard and felt was broken porcelain and
warm liquid! I flipped open my blanket, and there lies
the source of the 'problem'... ... a broken bowl with
instant noodles and a mess on the bedsheet and blanket!

Boy, was I mad! I was so furious that I took a clothes
hanger, charged straight at my child who was happily
playing with his toy, and give him a good spanking! He
merely cried but not asking for mercy, except a short
explanation:

"Dad, I was hungry and there wasnt anymore leftover
rice. But you were not back yet, hence I wanted to cook
some instant noodles. But i remembered you reminding me
not to touch or use the gas stove without any adults
around, hence i turn on the shower and used the hot
water from the bathroom to cook the noodles. One is for
you and the other is for me. However, I was afraid that
the noodles will turn cold, so I hid it under the
blanket to keep it warm till u return. But I forgot to
remind you 'cos I was playing with my toys...I am sorry
Dad..."

At that moment, tears were starting to run down my
cheeks...but I din want my son to see his dad
crying...so I dashed into the bathroom and cried with
the showerhead on to mask my cries....

After that episode, I went towards my son to give him a
tight hug and applied medication on him, while coaxing
him to sleep. Then, it was time to clear up the mess on
the bed. When everything was done and well past
midnight, I passed my son's room, and saw that he was
still crying, not from the pain on his little buttock,
but from looking at the photograph of his beloved mummy....

A year has passed since the episode, I have tried, in
this period, to focus on giving him both the love of his
dad and mum, and to attend to most of his needs. And
soon, he is turning seven, and will be graduating from
kindergarten. Fortunately, the incident did not leave a
lasting impression on his childhood memories and he is
still happily growing up.

However, not so long ago, I hit my boy again, with much
regrets. This time, his kindergarten teacher called,
informing me of my son's absence from school. I took off
early from work and went home, expecting him to explain.
But he wasnt to be found, so I went around our house,
calling out his name and eventually found him outside a
stationery shop, happily playing computer games. I was
fuming, brought him home and whack the hell out of him.
He did not retaliate, except to say, 'I am sorry, Dad'.

But after much probing, I realized that it was a 'Talent
Show' organized by his school and the invite is for
every student's mummy. ANd that was the reason for his
absence as he has no mummy.....

Few days after the caning, my son came home to tell me,
the kindergarten has recently taught him how to read and
write. Since then, he has kept to himself and stayed in
his room to practise his writing, which I am sure, would
make my wife proud, if she was still around. 'cos he
makes me proud too!

Time passes by very quickly, and soon another year has
passed. It's winter, and its Christmas time. Everywhere
the christmas spirit is in every passer-by... xmas carols
and frantic shoppers.... but alas, my son got into
another trouble... When I was about to knock off from
the day's work, the post office called.. Due to the peak
season, the post master was also on an edgy mood. He
called to tell me that my son has attempted to post
several letters with no addressee.. Although I did make
a promise never to hit my son again, I couldn't help but
to hit him as I feel that this child of mine is really
beyond control. Once again, as before, he apologized, '
I'm sorry, Dad' and no additional reason to explain. I
pushed him towards a corner, went to the post office to
collect the letters with no addressee and came home, and
angrily questioned my son on his prank, during this time
of the year.

His answer, amidst his sobbing, was : The letters were
for Mummy.
My eyes grew teary, but I tried to control my emotions
and continued to ask him: " But why did u post so many
letters, at one time?" My son's reply was: " I have been
writing to mummy for a long time, but each time I reach
out for the post box, it was too high for me, hence I
was not able to post the letters. But recently, when I
went back to the postbox, I could reach it and I sent it
all at once..."

After hearing this, I was lost. Lost at not knowing what
to do, what to say....

I told my son, " Son, mummy is in the heavenly kingdom,
so in future, if you have anything to tell her, just
burn the letter and it will reach mummy. My son, on
hearing this, was much pacified and calm, and soon
after, he was sleeping soundly. On promising that I will
burn the letters on his behalf, I brought the letters
outside, but couldnt help opening the letter before they
turn to ash.

And one of the letters broke my heart....

Dear Mummy,

I miss you so much! Today, there was a 'Talent Show' in
school, and the school invited all mothers for the show.
But you are not around, so I did not want to participate
as well... I did not tell Dad about it as I was afraid
that Dad would start to cry and miss you all over again.
Dad went around looking for me, but in order to hide my
sadness, I sat in front of the computer and started
playing games at one of the shops. Dad was furious, and
he couldnt help it but scolded and hit me, but I did not
tell him the real reason. Mummy, everyday I see Dad
missing you and whenever he think of you, he is so sad
and often hide and cry in his room. I think we both miss
you very very much. Too much for our own good I think.

But Mummy, I am starting to forget your face. Can you
please appear in my dreams so that I can see your face
and remember you? I heard that if you fall asleep with
the photograph of the person whom you miss, you will see
the person in your dreams. But mummy, why havent you appear?

After reading the letter, I cant stop sobbing. 'cos I
can never replace the irreplaceable gap left behind by
my wife....


For the females with children:

Don't do so much overtime. If you cannot finish the
work, it must be some kind of problems within the
company, and it is not your sole problem. Feedback to
your boss. Endless overtime may not necessary be the
answer to the problem. Take care of your health so that
you can treasure and take care of your little precious.

For the married men:

Drink less, smoke less, cos nothing can replace your
good health, not even business nor clients.

Try thinking this way, are you able to work till your
clients are totally dependent on you? or your boss is
totally dependent on you? In this society, no one is
indispensable.

Take care of your health, so that you can take care of
your little precious and your loved ones.

For those singles out there:

Beauty lies in loving yourself first.
With confidence and loving yourself, you will see the
beauty in other things around you. You will be able to
work better and happier. Don't let your health be
affected by your work or your boss, so nothing matters
more than your well being.


FAMILY FIRST...

Friday, December 11, 2009

One Christmas Story

Once upon a time, there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug.


He wasn't a scrooge. He was a very kind and decent person, generous to his family, upright in all his dealings with other men. But he didn't believe all that stuff about an incarnation which churches proclaim at Christmas. And he was too honest to pretend that he did.

"I am truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, who was a faithful churchgoer, "but I simply cannot understand this claim that God became man. It doesn't make any sense to me."

On Christmas Eve, his wife and children went to church for the midnight service. He declined to accompany them. "I'd feel like a hypocrite," he explained. "I'd much rather stay at home. But I'll wait up for you."

Shortly after his family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window and watched the flurries getting heavier and heavier.

"If we must have a Christmas," he reflected, "it's nice to have a white one."

He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later, he was startled by a thudding sound. It was quickly followed by another, then another. He thought that someone must be throwing snow balls at his living room window.

When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm, and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly through his window.

I can't let those poor creatures lie there and freeze, he thought. But how can I help them?

Then he remembered the barn where the children's pony was stabled. It would provide a warm shelter. He quickly put on his coat and galoshes and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on the light. But the birds didn't come in.

Food will bring them in, he thought. So he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction - except into the warm, lighted barn.

"They find me a strange and terrifying creature," he said to himself, "and I can't seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety."

Just at that moment, the church bells began to ring. He stood silently for a while, listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. Then he sank to his knees in the snow.

"Now I understand," he whispered. "Now I see why you had to do it."

(Paul H. Dunn, Christmas - Do You Hear What I Hear?, 1987, pp 90- 91)

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Saint John Academy Batch '96 Celebrates Alumni Homecoming

My alma matter in high school, Saint John Academy (now, Saint John Colleges) is now planning for alumni homecoming of SJA batch '96 next year. We have start a meeting last Nov. 7 at Saint John Colleges hall. The members of batch '96 was spearheaded by Senior Organization head Immanuel Penid  with Jeff Umali, Rico Refe, Flori Mercado, Teth Rosales-Regalado plus with the members of batch '96... We have a lots of discussions regarding this alumni homecoming... This is set is to be on March 27, 2010 (tentative)... I have a lots of pictures here regarding this matter.. I'll be updated on the next details... See you next year, batchmates...




Tuesday, November 10, 2009

T H A N K Y O U !!!!



Hello everyone...it's have been almost a week i've never wrote in my blog. One of the reason is i've been a busy on my work just to finish my documents to meet our target deliveries last month. now, it's time to update on my blog. Last October 28, i have been received a lot of greetings thru cellphone, my online social networking sites (Facebook, Friendster) to greet me a special day, even my special greeted me a birthday message at exactly 12 midnight... Whew, i think i'm sleepless during my birthday. So far, my birthday falls on a weekday so, when I enter the office a lot of my co-workers greeted me a Happy birthday. Almost, i'm really shock but i'm also happy. We had made a simple celebration with my co-workers at the canteen area during breaktime and share some food, this is one of my happiest ever. After my work, i'm going to the church at 5:30 PM...

Well, it's been said, that we have a birthday bash for the month of May and October last Friday, October 30 (before typhoon Santi (Mirinae) strikes Luzon.... hehehe) at SPi Open Ground.. It's been a simple yet meaningful celebration for all the birthday celebrants of May and October. Before the program begins, I have to lead an opening prayer and then, a short message by our production manager, Sir Joel Justiniani. We would proceed to program proper and some of the celebrants would participate a game, it's been something like a team-building... We have some activities there and we've also shared fun and happy games here. Before the party ends, we also have some food (spaghetti, gelatin, bread, softdrinks... etc.) and also, a lot of photos inside and out...

By the way, I would like to say THANK YOU to my family, friends, co-workers and my special someone, for greeting me as a special day of my life... And also, I would like to THANK YOU to Our Lord for giving me a wonderful blessings and to be a part of my life... Surely, You are the most gracious gift... Have a wonderful day... :)

Weng

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Palace announces for 2010 holidays

Here's an update regarding the holidays in the Philippines (regular and non-working) for the year 2010:

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/23/09/palace-announces-holidays-2010

I hope that all the students and employees must really enjoy this... hehe :)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Are U a Facebook addict?

Facebook users beware. Psychologists are now probing a new kind of addiction called Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD).

Psychologist Dr. Michael Fenichel, who has published numerous writings on FAD online, describes it as a situation in which Facebook usage "overtakes" daily activities like waking up, getting dressed, using the telephone, or checking e-mail.

"The amazing thing is that, like cellphones, nobody seems to notice the vast amount of time and energy - at work, at home, and now while on the move - people are devoting to Facebook. It has become a given," Fenichel writes in an online post titled "Facebook Addiction Disorder- A New Challenge?"

FAD could be classified under the more broad "internet addiction disorder" or internet overuse.

Academic papers have already posed theories on internet addiction and social networking addiction, and even less, cellphone addiction.

"Like most activities, moderation and integration are key. Those that may seriously label and treat FAD as a behavioral addiction will clearly need to use context in determining if a behavior has become demonstrably harmful to overall social, work, or face-to-face interpersonal efficacy," Fenichel added.

You are a Facebook addict if...

According to Joanna Lipari, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles who was interviewed for a CNN report, here are some signs that you are addicted to Facebook:

1. You lose sleep over Facebook. When using Facebook becomes a compulsion and you spend entire nights logged on to the site, causing you to become tired the next day.

2. You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook. Lipari said it is difficult to define how much is too much when it comes to Facebook usage, but that an average person need only spend half an hour on the site.

3. You become obsessed with old loves or exes you reconnect with on Facebook.

4. You ignore work in favor of Facebook. This means you do not do your job in order to sneak time on Facebook.

5. The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in cold sweat. If you try going a day without Facebook and it causes you stress and anxiety, this means you need help.

According to the same report by Elizabeth Cohen, Senior CNN Medical Correspondent, Facebook addiction is not yet an actual medical diagnosis.

However, the report notes that several therapists in the United States have noticed a rise in the number of clients who get hooked on social networking, to the point of social dysfunction.

Facebook fun

Facebook, launched by the world's youngest billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, has over 300 million users worldwide, half of whom log on to the site every day.

Further, about 2 billion photos and 14 million videos are uploaded on various Facebook pages a month and about 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook a day, worldwide.

According to Willis Wee, founder of the social media and marketing blog Penn-Olson.com, this is twice as much time that people spend on Google.

The global social networking website allows users to post and share content (like photos, links, videos, and notes), play casual games and applications, and interact with friends and family through messaging and chat. abs-cbnNEWS.com. With reports from CNN.com.

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/abs/20091020/tph-are-you-a-facebook-addict-85c5a6c.html

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Prayer for the Year of the Two Hearts

This prayer is dedicated to all the victims of Ondoy and Pepeng in Luzon areas. I hope that we've made it and recover...

"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, the reality of our deeply wounded and broken country impels us to respond with new urgency to the most pressing problems of our times.

We are a broken people. Our hearts are fragmented and we are discouraged. We need Your Heart, O Lord, as we seek to be made whole.

Rooted in our faith in You and love for our country, we want to participate in Your work of transformation of persons, families, organizations, and society.

Through the transforming power of the love of Your Heart, we draw a new dynamism, a strong inspiration, a fire, which can change and transfigure our lives as individuals and as a nation, (Please pause for a specific intention.)

Love of the Heart of Jesus, give us courage and patience. Wisdom of the Heart of Jesus, teach us to pray and to act with hope and charity at all times. Amen...

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!"

Saturday, October 10, 2009

A Love Poem

Before the very dawn of time,
Before the earth was round;
Before there was a sight to see,
Or what we know as sound...

God formed you then, within His mind,
With expertise and care;
He planned each detail in advance,
He numbered every hair.

He picked your very temperament,
He planned your every day;
He knew exactly what you'd do
And just what would say.

He chose you then to be His own,
To live with Him on high;
He wrote you on His very palms,
The apple of His eye.

He made you gifts to pleasure you,
To brighten up your eyes;
He made the earth, He made the sea,
He made the endless skies.

To bring you joy, He made the birds,
To see you smile, the flowers;
To comfort you when things go wrong
He made the springtime showers.

He gave His angles a command
To guard in all you do;
Because you're precious in His sight
He did all this for you.

An when He saw you steeped in sin,
With love personified
He cloaked Himself in human flesh,
Came down to earth, and died.

With His own blood He paid the price,
He washed your sins away;
With love so great it conquered death,
He rose on the third day.

And now He sits upon His throne
In heaven up above;
He's waiting there to hold you close,
And all because of LOVE!

-Connie Hinnen Cook