An Unusual Friendship Amidst Sufferings and Differences

"Our suffering is equal. Yet I am treated with sympathy; she's treated with hostility"
- Phyllis Rodriguez on Aicha el-Wafi

Below is another remarkable video from Ted.com about an amazing friendship of two mothers from different side of the world. One has suffered because her son was one of the World Trade Centre attack and one is the mother of the convicted terrorist who is serving a life sentence. Both found forgiveness and healing from each other.

"We have to know the other people, the OTHER. You must be generous, and your hearts must be generous. Your minds must be generous."

- Aicha el-Wafi

A Filipina Pride

I am not a fashionista by heart, soul, and even body (help me! hehe!) but I love http://themazuona.blogspot.com.

Last night, a friend and a former work colleague sent a message to all of us residing in Dubai to our facebook inbox telling us about her niece's first collection exhibit called STAND OUT and she also sent us the link to her blog.

Being a newbie in this world of blogging, I checked out her blog. And I instantly loved it! I read through the entries and checked her biography. Eura Yuste, the lady behind the blog, is a 19 year old Fashion Design Student based in Abu Dhabi, where she has been living with her family for more than two years now. Her blog was created because she was inspired by the stylish women of Abu Dhabi. Thus the name The Mazuona, which according to her, in Arabic is a word used to describe an elegant, stylish, and confident woman. Love the name! Love the concept! Please check her blog and be amazed how a young Filipina can conquer the world of fashion in United Arab Emirates.

The exhibit is a fashion designer's contest organized by SI Fashion Galerie. Out of the 15 finalists, Eura Yuste is one of the two featured Pinoy designers and the youngest among the contestants. That is one remarkable feat for her.

The exhibit will be held at Si Fashion Galerie located in 399B Jumeirah Beach Road on the 25th of May until 31st of July 2011. Exhibit will start from 5:00pm to 8:00pm daily.

If you have time to check out her collections, just drop by at Si Fashion Galerie and let us support our kababayan making her way in the Arab Fashion world. Hats off to Eura Yuste for being a Mazuona!

Flower Power - Lily

Early Sunday morning, one of my Indian officemates called me "Rose". I asked him why Rose? Then he said he's tired of calling me Lily, he will try to call me Rose for a while, then another name of the flower next week. Hehe. I think he's just bored this first day of the week. Then I thought of my name, I never realized that I was named after a flower. Doing a quick research on Lily, here is what I got:

THE MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF LILY

Lily is the name of the flower and is ultimately derived from the Latin word lilium. They are often showy, with a noticeable scent and long stamens.

Dating as far back as 1580 BC when images of lilies were discovered in a villa in Crete, these majestic flowers have long held a role in ancient mythology. Another derivation of the name is this, it has been said that it was derived from Greek word "lerion". The lily was so revered by the Greeks, that they believed it sprouted from the milk of Hera, the queen of the Gods. Lilies are known to be the May birth flower (ironically, I was born in June!), and the 30th wedding anniversary flower.

Pink Stargazer Lily that represents wealth and properity.

Image by Wikipedia

White lilies - symbolizes chastity and virtue.

Peruvian lilies - represents friendship and devotion.

Stargazer lilies - expresses sympathy.

Pink stargazer lilies - represents wealth and prosperity.

Lilies of the valley - symbolizing humility and devotion. And the 2nd wedding anniversary flower.

Tiger Lily - wealth and pride.

Day Lily - Coquetry Chines emblem for mother.

Eucharist Lily - Maiden charms.

Calla Lily - represents beauty.

In symbolic dreams, lily meaning deals with the sanctity of the heart, elegance and a need for clarity or cleansing. If the dreamer is looking at a lily it is a message of encouragement and chance of success in an endeavor looks very good. Dreaming of lilies could mean the time is right to act upon a long-though plan. It is also a sign that we are seeking rest, peace, and tranquility.

Naturally, I don't want to be called by any other flower names aside from Lily. I am proud to be a Lily. 

A Prayer for Drivers

My husband has been driving for more than a month now but I always remind him to say a prayer every time he go behind the wheels. I found this wonderful prayer at http://www.maxmerrittauto.com/driving-prayer.htm that I would like to share to everyone who is on the road almost everyday of their lives. This prayer was written by Sherborne Prescott, one of the organizers of the Religious Safety Crusade.

A Driver's Prayer

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we humbly beseech Thee to look down upon us and guide us safely on the highways today.  Instill in us Thy spirit of love and consideration for our fellow men, so that our actions may follow Thy light and with Thy help we may lessen the loss of life by accident.  We seek Thy infinite understanding and mercy. Amen.

May everyone be safe and may God be at your side. May He keep you under His mantle of protection. Always. 

No Rush

Image via Wikipedia

Inspired by one of Brother Bo Sanchez's talk about living in the "now", I would like to share this No Rush list to you and to everybody who is tired of the "Marathon of Life".

Every waking morning, everybody would rush to go to work. I take the feeder bus that will bring me to Ibn Batuta metro station. I will see people running towards the bus and make themselves fit in. The bus driver even have the difficulty of closing the bus doors because people are blocking the doorway. Then people will run up inside the metro station to catch the next train. They sprint up the escalators or even the stairs. This scene always makes me wonder "why are we always in a hurry?". We sometimes let time pass us by easily. How can we enjoy the ride if we are all moving in the fastest pace always? Below is a list suggested by Bo Sanchez on how we can live in the "now" and not hurrying:

1. Deliberately drive in the slowest lane in the express way... And bless each car that pass you or cut in your way...

2. Deliberately park at the farthest spot in the parking lot...and enjoy the long walk to the door..

3. Deliberately choose the longest line in the grocery...and pray for all the people infront of you...

4. Deliberately chew your food slowly...enjoy and savor the taste and thank God for your food...

5. Deliberately put people before things always...and build lasting relationships...

6. Deliberately take time to enjoy God's presence alone...and not worry about anything...

7. Deliberately stop watching TV...but rather read a good book, talk to people, pray to God...

8. Deliberately take a lot of vacations...and enjoy people...

My own #9. Deliberately go to work in a relax mode, why not leave home early so you reach work early. Eliminating your need to run and perform the marathon every morning. 

We only have one life to live, so savor every moment of it!

Measuring What Makes Life Worthwhile

This is one inspiring video by Chip Conley about measuring what makes life worthwhile. This was his speech during one of the sessions in Ted.com. Chip Conley creates joyful hotels, where he hopes his employees, customers, and investors alike can realize their full potential. He is the founder CEO of  Joie de Vivre Hospitality. Watch his video and be inspired.

Image via Wikipedia

I have been counting most of my life, being an Accountant in profession. And I always count what is tangible. When I make my cakes and pastries, I cannot do any recipe without correct measurements. Measurements and counting are essential but this video made me think to count even what is intangible. Happiness is tangible. Time is tangible. Tangible things that matter. My husband and I have this goal of someday putting up our own business. And Chip Conley gave me an idea on how to be a good business leader. He said that "We don't have to choose between getting inspired employees  and sizable profit." They can work well with each other. Another message from him is "We count numbers; we count on people. What really counts is when we actually use our numbers to truly take into account our people." With this in mind, I also know that in order to achieve success in business or in life, one has to think of ways on how to help more and more people to achieve their potential and come to terms with their own happiness and everything that is tangible in their lives.

Related articles

• Chip Conley: The Most Neglected Fact in Business is That We Are All Human - #tedxberkeley (downtheavenue.com)
• A Taste of TED in 2010 (ted.com)

Thank You, Mama

Image by Etsy Ketsy via Flickr

"No gift to your mother can ever equal her gift to you - your life" - Anonymous

In honor of my wonderful mother, I would like to dedicate this one post to her. This will be the 5th year that I will not be celebrating mother's day at home. I would only greet her over the phone and send some gifts if I can. When I was young, I would make it a point to make my own greeting card for my mom and write her my personal message. I guess as time goes by, I would just by her stuff and just make it personal by wrapping it myself. I find it difficult to think of a perfect gift for her, but whatever we give her it always put a smile on her face.

But looking back, no amount of gift can make my mother's heart soar with joy unless we live our lives worth of her pride. She may not be the kind of mother who would sit with us and ask us about how our day went, but I know in her own way she wanted us to have the perfect day. We might not have the perfect mother and daughter relationship but I can never imagine to have someone else as my mother.

And she is one of my "why"s in my life right now. I know I have wasted the last five years of my life not being by her side and not physically showing how much I appreciate her and everything that she has done for me and my siblings. I would want her to see her first grandchild from me and enjoy every waking moment of being a grandmother. I know in my heart if ever I will have the biggest regret in my life, that would be not spending everyday of my life showing my mother how much I love her.

And for nth time, I would like to say sorry to her for all the pain and heartaches that I caused her. I never wanted to see her hurt again because of my wrongdoings and immaturity. I wanted her to be proud of me. I want to give her the most comfortable life and let her enjoy the rest of her life with us, her family.

Thank you mama for being the best mom in the whole world! I love you. And I will see you soon.

Happy Mother's Day Ma! We love you!

Related articles

• Mother's Day, its history and its traditions (blog4hillaryvillagers.wordpress.com)

Manny's Yellow Day!

"I believe the biggest fight of my life is not in boxing. The biggest fight in my life is how to end poverty in my country. I will be wearing yellow gloves into the ring as a symbol of unity in the fight against poverty." - Manny Pacquiao

Sunday, May 8 2011, will be one of those phenomenal days that the Philippines, if not the whole world, will again come to a halt and for a few hours be glued to their television sets or be watching a live screening in their hometown and watch how Manny Pacquiao will again write history. And this is another history as he vow to wear yellow gloves, as a symbol of his fight to end poverty in the Philippines. The Filipino people will be praying for you, not only for your fight with Mosley but for your fight against poverty!

Watch SHOWTIME's specials on Pacquiao vs Mosley dubbed as Fight Camp 360. See the lighter side of Manny and see his passion and dedication in boxing.

Good Luck Manny " Pacman" Pacquiao!

Make the Filipinos proud, again!

Related articles

• Manny Pacquiao respects Shane Mosley amid intense buildup (reuters.com)
• A Decade After His US Debut Pacquiao a Sensation (abcnews.go.com)

How To Get Lucky in GREEN!

My all time favorite color is green. I even had my wedding's motif done in the shades of green. And when my eyes grew tired of the day's work, I will just focus my attention on anything that is green in color and I will feel instantly relaxed. So what exactly is this color green and how do we use it to our advantage.

Image via Wikipedia

Green, according to wikipedia, is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520-570 nanometres. The word green is closely related to the Old English verb "growan", meaning - to grow.

ON LOVE

Green denotes balance, harmony, and stability. Stories of the medieval period portray it as representing love and the base, natural desires of man. The color of Venus - Roman goddess of love and beauty is green. It connects us to unconditional love, forgiveness, and compassion. I have seen lots of trees inside the Westminster Abbey during the royal wedding. The inside of the church was lined up with English field maples that made it look so refreshing and lively.

ON MONEY/BUSINESS

Green connotes money, wealth, and capitalism. In China, green is associated with the east, with sunrise, and with life and growth.

ON HEALTH

You should eat raw green foods for good health. Green is hope, longevity, and vitality. This color is perfect for the Family/Health area of your home.

ON CAREER

Green is considered assertive. People with green personality are considered suitable for careers in science, research, accounts, and auditing. You are capable to analyze the details in minutes.

Put some GREEN in your life when you want:

- a new sate of balance, to have a soothing and relax mentality;

- to feel a need for change or growth;

- freedom to pursue new ideas;

- protection from fears and anxieties connected with the demand of others;

- to alleviate depression, nervousness, and anxieties.

By the way, green living is also doing something good for the environment. So let us put some green and enjoy life fully!

Related articles

• Five Green Goals for life! (wisewomeninvestor.wordpress.com)
• Green Living Simplified (everydayhealth.com)

Focus on what matters

I have been subscribing with Kerygma Family for more than two months now and I get my Daily God's Messsage without fail. And everyday, as I read what God wants to tell me, I can say that little by little I am rekindling my relationship with my Creator. I receive my emails on my mobile phone so wherever I am I have access to my emails. While travelling by metro for 15 minutes from home to my office, I make it a point to read, pray, and reflect on God's message for me that day. You can click here to know more about this wonderful site and to learn how to be a member of our borderless, non-physical, and international community and be a part of a family that supports each other growth http://kerygmafamily.com/

http://www.kerygmafamily.com/kerygmafamily.php

Yesterday's reflection was "How do you break bread with the people who matter in your life?"

It has been a constant reminder from my mentor Bo Sanchez to invest in your relationships and not in worldly things. And from the time I heard this from him it has been my relentless dream to go back home and be with my family, be with all the people who matter in my life. And everyday I wake up I feel one step closer to that dream. My husband and I promised ourselves that we will give ourselves only 5 years to work in Dubai and save as much as we can, invest as much as we can, in order for us to fulfill this aspiration. So how do I break bread with the people who matter in my life? Aside from my husband, my cousins, and my good friends who are with me in Dubai - I just use social networks and technology to get in touch with my family. I always send instant messages through yahoo messenger to my father in California. I couldn't even believe that the day will come that he will have a yahoo messenger account! How cool is that! Then I make it a point that the rest of my family (in the Philippines, in UK, and Singapore) can contact me and my husband through our facebook, yahoo messenger, and emails. That is to name a few vehicles of social networking sites. And of course, we make it a point to call them once in a week. I want to be part of their world still even if we're miles and miles apart! Can't wait to be with them and spend every moment with my family and friends.

So..."How do you break bread with the people who matter in your life?" Let us make every moment matter!