We have been living where we live since May 2008. Up to now, we have no cable nor landline phone. And yes, surprisingly, we survived. It could get frustrating at times, but thanks to mobile phones, people who matter can reach and communicate with us. Thankfully, we have a strong (and surprisingly fast most of the times) internet connection. It has made things bearable when we are far away from close friends and relatives – they are just an e-mail or chat away.

I clearly remember we lived without TV for a long time, maybe three years, when I was little. But me and my siblings survived. I was never one to go loco when we don’t have TV, I was always upstairs reading books or listening to music (and dancing). During those years, me and my siblings bonded over music (I also remember it was the time of long power outages). And yes, we survived.

This is proof we can live without things we think we “need”.

Something to think about during Holy Week.

BUT, if ever utility billing would be as efficient here, we would definitely sign up with the Time Warner High Speed Internet bundle. Not only do you get the Time Warner Internet Service, you can get cable and phone service bundled up as well.

Time Warner Internet = Digital Cable + High Speed Online + Digital Phone for as low as $124.85 a month for a year!

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~via http://quote-book.tumblr.com/.

(Thank you Alpha for always sharing the best inspirational cute stuff!)

I haven’t even gotten to summarizing 2009 in this blog and here I am swamped with backlog of stuff I want to write about. But then again, who decides which is important in the blog or not? I need to stop trying to accomplish everything and do it in sequence, or else I will never be caught up with life. What I am trying to say is, I may or may not be able to summarize 2009 for you in my blog – but as long as I have pictures and entries for it, I can always look back to it in April or June or August – when life gets less busy. In the meantime, I am sure most of us are still trying to recover from the holidays (drinking and taking colon cleansing products from all the indigestion) and trying to make goals and resolutions.

I am still trying to decide my one little word for the year – so let me just share with you an article I read over at Zen Habits to help all of us achieve our goals. Just live a simpler life.

A 12-step method, perhaps, simplified into just 6 steps.

1. Write down your top priorities. We all have a long list of things we want to do, to try, to learn, to accomplish. Just pick 4-5. You can do that right now — make a short list of the things that are most important to you. My list: spending time with my family, writing, reading and running. These are the things you’ll build your life around, for now. You can always change this list later, as your priorities change.

2. Reduce one commitment. What is something you do every day or week that’s not on your short list? Is there any way you can get out of it? Make a phone call or send an email right now that will get you out of that commitment. It might mean disappointing one or many people — but you are going to create the simple life you want, not the complicated life others demand of you. By reducing this one commitment, you are simplifying your life, creating more time and space for the important stuff. Make the choice to put your priorities first, to find the time for them, by reducing your commitments.

3. Simplify your to-do list. Same concept, but at a smaller level — what’s on your to-do list that doesn’t need to be there? Something you’ve been dreading that you don’t absolutely have to do? Can you tell someone you’re just too busy to work on this? Can you give it to someone else, or automate it? See if you can pare your to-do list to just the most important things. Alternatively, just pick 1-3 things to do each day, and don’t worry about the rest.

4. Set aside some disconnected time. If you’re connected all the time, this step is essential. Don’t skip it! Pick one hour to be disconnected — no Internet, no email, no IM, no phones. You can use your computer, but just for desktop computing, like writing in a word processor or text file, or working in Photoshop, or what have you. Use this time to really focus, to pour yourself into important tasks that you love to do. Or you can use this disconnected time to relax.

5. Create your perfect day. You’ve blocked aside some disconnected time, but let’s take that a step further: what would your ideal day look like? What would you do when you woke up, what would your work day look like (hint: it doesn’t have to be the work you’re doing now, but it could be), would you have time for exercise or sports or taking a walk or relaxing or reading or doing a hobby, would you have time for loved ones, time to clean or do errands, time for checking email, etc.? List the things you’d do, ideally, then simplify to the most important ones. Then lay them out in a schedule. You don’t have to stick to this schedule exactly, but knowing what’s ideal gives you something to work toward. In some cases, you can simply start living this day, tomorrow, but in others you’ll have to make gradual changes to allow this ideal day to happen. The key: taking control and responsibility for making the perfect day a reality.

6. Declutter. You want a nice, decluttered, serene space to surround you in your new simplified life. So you’re going to create it. Two ways to go here: if you don’t have much time, just do 10-15 minutes for now, and continue to do small increments until you get to where you’d like to be. Here’s how. Second method is if you have an entire day or weekend — set aside a big block of time and just overhaul your workspace or one or two rooms in your home. Here’s a good method.

Next Steps
Once you get to this stage, things should be a bit more simplified. But you’re probably interested in going beyond that. Here’s what you can do next — but please, please, don’t try to do these all at once. Pick one at a time, and do it slowly, over time. Simplifying isn’t a race — it’s a life.

• Declutter some more. Read.
• Letting go of wanting to buy more. Read.
• Reducing more commitments. Read.
• Transitioning to doing only work you love. Read.
• Creating time for solitude, quiet and relaxation. Read.
• Slowing down in everything you do. Read.
• Being present more often. Read.
• Single-tasking. Read.

And most importantly: enjoy the process! The important thing isn’t a destination — a perfect, simple life — but the journey along the way.

Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
- Lao-tzu

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If children live with criticism,
               They learn to condemn.
          If children live with hostility,
               They learn to fight.
          If children live with ridicule,
               They learn to be shy.
          If children live with shame,
               They learn to feel guilty.
          If children live with encouragement,
               They learn confidence.
          If children live with tolerance,
               They learn to be patient.
          If children live with praise,
               They learn to appreciate.
          If children live with acceptance,
               They learn to love.
          If children live with approval,
               They learn to like themselves.
          If children live with honesty,
               They learn truthfulness.
          If children live with security,
               They learn to have faith in themselves and others.
          If children live with friendliness,
               They learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Copyright © 1972/1975 by Dorothy Law Nolte
Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.
This is the author-approved short version.

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Source.

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Proof of which is today.

Please do not make us forget You once again.

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Hello October.

I can never welcome any month more than now with open arms. The third quarter-ish of the year went from bad to worst (June-September) with the month of September ending with so much devastation, tragedy and pain. I know of friends and loved ones who are directly affected by flood brought about by Typhoon Ondoy and I am at a loss on how to comfort them. I also cannot even feel to be lucky that my family was spared because really now, all I am right now is scared of more things that will come, and how much my own children will have to go through. We all hear about the signs of the times since the turn of the century and while I am reminded of it every now and then, trying to go through life with hope in one’s heart without being acutely aware of it is hard. Until now.

I believe in the power of prayer. And I have faith that the Lord will keep me safe. I do not pray for things not to happen, because it is written and set, but I pray that we will be strong enough to weather through them, and that somehow, through prayer and change, it will be lessened.

It really is hard to write about this tragedy. Do I go about criticizing the government? No, I won’t, there are too much people already biting their asses. Do I go about blaming ourselves for the lack of concern with the environment? Partly. Tragedies like these are not God’s wrath to men, but are rather long-term effects of what people are doing to themselves as early as the 60s. There are people who say it is the effect of men’s sins and unrepentance. Partly. Yes. Maybe. But I won’t go prophetic and spiritual here. If you really try to discern things – these recent turn of events are the effects of people’s forgetfulness. People have forgotten how simple life NEEDS to be so that true happiness and contentment can be attained. People have forgotten to stay focused on the ultimate purpose of life. People have forgotten how to love and change for the better. Now, people are trying to go back to their roots – simple life. An article I read from the Simple Mom clearly sums up everything I have realized:

For me, every thing I do is a new discovery and sometimes an effort. When I thought about my childhood, I wondered if the secret to living a frugal and green life might be in our ability to recreate the life our parents and grandparents lived.

Now certain parts of the world are experiencing tragedies as well. Earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruption warnings. People are scared. And only then do they turn to God for help. It is so heartbreaking that it takes this much for people to realize, and to try to change.

But living means hoping. My heart is full of pride when I read stories of people’s heroism and selfless acts to save people’s lives and help each other. Bayanihan is alive. The youth is alive – you see them frontlining relief efforts, you see them actively helping. And for once, many people are actually praying.

I believe in the power of prayer.

And now it’s October.
Hello October. Please help us forget September.

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Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.  ~Welsh Proverb

I will never get tired of sharing this. One Easter, when Matthew was only four, we were busy helping an uncle paint eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt that will happen the next morning. Matthew was counting the eggs like this, “One for Mommy, one for Daddy, one for Tita Abbie, two for Lola because she is the best…”

The private joke stuck and was always the punch line when my Mom would dote on my kids or when my kids would specifically ask her. You can also feel it even now, because Matthew would always cling to my mom and would follow her advice to the letter (the reason why he STILL puts on lotion and powder, dries in between his toes before putting on socks, and praying before going to the bed).

The Lolo, on the other hand, is the richest man in his grandkids’ eyes. You need to buy something? Ask Lolo. You don’t have food? Ask Lolo. Lolo never runs out of money. Sure, my kids have simple wants – an ice cream tub waiting for them at every visit, Jollibee getaways after Church and endless pieces of junk food ALL the time. But the Lolo has never denied them anything – even if he needed to look for loose pennies.

My in-laws are the same. I honestly miss them, especially when I need to make sumbong their son (hehehe), but they were silent strong supporters of our marriage. They were the ones who took care of Matthew when I was still studying and supported us during our early years of marriage. They never got to enjoy the princess anymore since they left for the US but they are arriving next month to stay for awhile so I’m sure they will have plenty of time to catch up on her antics.

——————————————————-
I also had the best and most interesting set of grandparents. I am thankful I was able to get to know them before three of them passed away. It is quite helpful to know them as I got to know my roots, why certain actions played a bit in our past – and has really helped me open up and understand things in my family. Whenever I think of my grandparents, I remember Old Manila, pandesal, horse racing, the most delicious tapa, lengua and fried chicken, curse words muttered in joy, anger and every other sentence in between, mangoes, books, smoke, and many many more.

I wish I can be like my Mom someday, if only I can hear my apo tell people, “Lola is the best!”

IT’S THEIR DAY TODAY, MAKE SURE YOU TELL THEM THEY ARE THE BEST!

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It has been three weeks since we last saw the Daddy. I don’t know how parents can actually take care of their kids without their partners – it is hard, overwhelming, frustrating, lonely. Sometimes you can’t help but give in to self-pity. Most especially if there is no extended family to help – in my case, while I have doting parents who love their grandchildren to bits, it is an entirely different case whenever I am alone with them at the house. Maybe because it is different because I still need to work, moreso now because the Daddy hasn’t received his first paycheck nor has recovered his bonus. And maybe because like how I lamented to an online friend, “Nakakapagod at nakakaguilty din. Yung itatabi ko na lang sa anak ko para manuod ng TV kelangan ko pa tumayo para maghugas ng pinggan or magsaing.” OR as is the case these days, I am in front of the computer all the time. I actually welcome the change to go to my parents so I can sleep or read a book or simply eat (and eat) because when I’m at home, the house no longer is home – it becomes my office.

Sometimes I need to remind myself that it is really not all about the money. But if you are like me, one who has dreams and wants to be better, you know it sometimes has to be all about the money. I have made a couple of really bad, disastrous and shameless decisions about money before. All the money I had I don’t even know where I put. As my sister told me, I am making good money. Where was it going? I intend to change that soon. And of course, I want to have some tucked in for the holiday season.

So how has life been? The past two weeks I have been having such a good stroke of luck blessings that I can’t help but get nervous what will happen in return. (It always seems to be a health emergency!) I owe it all to a changed pace on prayer life. Really. This may sound baduy and unbelievable but it is true. And lest you think I’m always on my knees reciting some prayers I didn’t even write, far from it. I am talking everyday to the Man Up There. Every 5 minutes. Every 30 minutes. Simple questions. Why? Ano kasunod. Sorry. Salamat. Ikaw na bahala Ama. Tapos.

That’s how lonely I get sometimes, wala na akong makausap kung hindi Sya. And that is EXACTLY what He is trying to teach me through all of this. Pansinin ko naman daw Sya.

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