T.M.I. on that Time of the Month

WARNING: THIS POST MAY BE TOO T.M.I FOR YOU

Wearing formal wear today because I was supposed to have passport-sized pictures taken for PRC requirements. Unfortunately, I had the dreaded period today which sucked cause I always have BAD dysmenorrhea + BAD BAD mood swings. Hahahahaha! It was very unexpected because I have very irregular cycles and I usually skip 2 months on the average (Have to get myself checked soon).  I was crouched on the seats and lying down awhile ago so you can imagine how torturous that was to me. To make the long story short, I never really got to have pictures taken today... Sigh.

I'm smiling in the photo and feeling pretty but I'm really just sitting here in the office, seething like a dragon at my cramped and painful abdomen. Guess I have to skip classes tonight. Bummer.

Beyond the Doubt

Luke 7:18-28 was set prior to John the Baptist's execution. Here we find John calling two of his disciples to go to Jesus and ask Him: "Art Thou that should come? Or we look for another?" In other words, their question was, "Are you truly the Messiah?" It's quite shocking to me to read this story because, first,  John the Baptist (according to Sunday School stories and messages) was always portrayed as a courageous, determined messenger who was prophesied to prepare the way of the Lord. Second, I never heard about him doubting and desperately trying to seek assurance that Jesus is truly the Savior.

Since it was so unexpected, the thought of it struck me so hard. Isaiah 40:3 (KJV) proclaims: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.". In relation to that, Malachi 3:1 (KJV) states that "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." He was a man who was DEEMED to specifically set the stage for Christ's ministry on earth. He was written about long before he was ever born to do such an important work. Considering all these special things about this man, we most probably (I'm sure you do) regard him as strong and unmovable in his faith and belief. That's the thing about reading about a "character" in the Bible I guess, we tend to attribute such great traits (sometimes they seem to not be real people) and forget that, in fact, they are just humans -- that were GREATLY used by God. Samson, for example, was a man of literal strength; Esther, a woman of true beauty; Mary, a willing damsel to be used as an instrument for God's greater plan... all of them, were just like you and me. People. They could feel pain and heartache. They could feel happiness. They get hungry. They get jealous, They get sleepy. They feel love. But most of all, people feel fear -- fear that "what if what we've believed in is not true?" That's why we have doubts... and John the Baptist had that tinge of doubt a short while before he was to die.

Stressed look

Setting up my camp here in the apartment. That's my after review face. And I have no words cause my brain is so dry right now. Hehehe. Hence the short sentences.

Thank You Lord for the provision of strength, good health, replenishment, knowledge and grace enough to last the day. ☺

081214

Stolen shot by Jireh Joy Labrador

I miss being able to share my thoughts. I miss the feeling of writing for hours and hours, or randomly jotting down a little note from an unexpected insight I got -- then write about it. My blog drafts have already been piling up and I've been gathering up the motivation to actually finish and publish them. Other than that, I've been writing in my notebook about moments or people that truly changed my life in their own little ways. The cloud of the upcoming exam has been looming around the past few months... and when the day it dissipates finally comes, I'll be so happy to share my whole experience with you, among other things. For the meantime, I'll just be sharing a few snippets of what's happening from time to time.

I'll be joining my first real live review class later tonight! Right now I'm reading up and reviewing cause we'd probably be having a pre-test. My body also needs a nap cause I've been sleeping so late the past few days due to World Missions Conference preparations (We've been manually sewing our group's flags the past few days and I'm so happy that all 8 of them are finished yay) and my stupid compulsions to waste time on the internet (UGH. You always regret it later.) for hours and hours... plus my dad woke me up early this morning because we needed to go to the office early. Huhuhuhuhuhu. Okay, bye. I need to study and rest!!!! Just wanted to update everyone. :-)

Goodbye for now!!! xoxo

Going Home

A few hours from now I'll be flying back to the Queen City of the South! There's no feeling like going back to a place that you've totally fallen in love with -- a place that you can actually call HOME. Currently, I'm printing some handouts from the internet that I could read and kill time with while waiting for my flight... it's 84 days to go till the big day!

Packages

The package I was waiting for a couple of months has finally arrived!!! Can't really believe that I'd feel a lot of different emotions just by receiving something... but yeah, I can finally say that it's official. The waiting and wandering is slowly coming to an end.

I still feel a sort of "hangover" from being in the hospital for about a week due to my second bout with dengue. (Hay nako.) I lost a solid week worth of reviewing that was supposed to be finished in that period of time, but di keri. My mind says, "Yes!!!!" but my body says "No!!!". Anyway, there's a lot of catching up to do, considering the board exam is less than a 100 days away. I'm really really happy that this package arrived so I can have the push I need in my life. Hahahaha. I'll be back in Cebu in a couple of days and I'm ecstatic and a little bit anxious over the fact that I would have lots of responsibilities to juggle again with my commitments to the Lord and with my studies... now I'm ready to face them head on. Still praying though for that added wisdom, strength, and grace to carry on!

xoxo

Cliche

“Coming back is the thing that enables you to see how all the dots in your life are connected, how one decision leads you another, how one twist of fate, good or bad, brings you to a door that later takes you to another door, which aided by several detours--long hallways and unforeseen stairwells--eventually puts you in the place you are now.” - Anne Patchett

The Right Balance

It has just been days after another major life transition for me. Being back home right now is another different experience. About a month ago I was here for leisure and fun, but this time around, it's all for different reasons. 

First of all, I'm currently studying for Psychometrician Board Exams this October and it's a lie if I tell you that I'm not scared. Believe me, I am terrified. It's actually the first EVER board exam so it gives me so much anxiety considering other people have not tried taking the same exam before. The great thing about it is, I am hopeful. This is just one of the opportunities that I can claim God's working in my life. Humanly speaking, we fail to believe God's power in the things we do. Board Exam? For God, it's easy peasy. It's nothing compared to all His wondrous Creation. He made the whole world, how much more pass an exam? It's easy to say things like this and too hard to actually apply it in my life. But just as Paul claimed, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

Parang ganito ang peg hahaha!

Second, I'm here to watch over my little sister and my cousin as my parents are away for a few weeks for work. Mama-duties daw! I take them to school everyday, I feed them, wash and iron uniforms, clean the house... you get the picture. It's unexpectedly enjoyable and fulfilling plus we're doing reflection activities and devotionals every night because it's very important for all of us in the house to grow in grace and faith! It's also very crucial to teenagers because they're subject to a lot of different temptations, influences, and hormones so what better way to ward these off than with the Word of God. :) It's my little ministry here in Davao so I'm praying that God will use me in the best that I can. 

This is what I've been juggling the past week, and I'm truly praying for the right balance in everything! 

xoxo

Images from:  http://stuffpoint.com/k-on/image/412653/yui-studying-wallpaper/; 

http://www.yurto.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/kids-walking-to-school-with-parent.jpg

Late Night

Hi!!!! It's been quite a while since I've last published something here! I've actually been doing a lot of things over the summer and still getting the hold of balancing things out. So here I am, fresh grad and unemployed, but sitting pretty at the moment muna! I'm actually studying Karen Horney's theory of personality right now and 2 pages more I'll be done with my goals for today! :-)

If you're ever wondering why I'm still studying when I've just finished school... Well, I'll save that for another post. For the meantime, eto ako feel na feel ang moment while studying with church clothes and a bit of make-up on. It's gonna be a long night! #InspiredMagStudy Goodnight and happy mother's day to your mommies! <3

xoxo,
Faye

Photo Diary: Road to Graduation

The undergraduate research forum: It was such a roller-coaster experience. We got nominated as candidates for best research paper. Only 6 out of the 10 in the list were to defend again in the research forum and we really wished that we would not be part of the 6. Mysterious as God is, He gave us the opportunity to talk again about our research despite not really wanting it in the first place. It was such a fun experience because most of our blockmates where there to support and cheer for us! We won 3rd place! It was so surprising because if you knew the journey we've gone through with our thesis, we really didn't expect something really good to come out of it. Nevertheless, Glory be to God for all the surprises! I guess we really underestimated ourselves and was blinded of the potential our group has.

A pic with our adviser, Sir Niel Kintanar

Random hang-outs with #MejClingy! Imagine 30+ of us walking around and eating at one place just because we're clingy like that!

Photo by Rachel Aquino

Lifelines

I just came home from a recently concluded overnight batch retreat! We had it in the middle of finals week so it allowed all of us to just relax for a moment and think about our life -- past, present, and future. One of the activities we had was to make a LIFELINE. What usually comes up first in our minds is "people or things where we depend on in difficult situations", or "Who Wants To Be A Millionare" game strategies! However, for our activity, the facilitator meant was to create our own life timelines (thus LIFELINES) that has all our most significant happy and sad experiences. We were given a blank sheet of paper and an hour to do the activity.

For my lifeline, my starting point was when I was in Grade 3, since I think that's what I can really recall from my childhood. Grade 3 because after that year, my family left Davao to transfer to Cebu. During that time, it was pretty weird and scary because before that, I was so accustomed to life in Davao where I had all my friends and relatives then transferring to another place where I really did not know anyone. I think that was a really significant life transition. If you will notice, we're always transferring between Cebu and Davao, but the transfers have been so much easier cause I feel like both places really feel like home to me now.

My lifeline is designed like a map, hence the dashed lines, so you can follow through.

The Beginning of the End: College

After graduation pictorial

It's already the first day of March... which means it's just a matter of time till college graduation! Something negative about our thesis came up yesterday (even though we already passed our final papers for thesis defense next week), but I'm trying to see it as one of the last big PUSH I have to make before I leave university! Cons of the situation: Less sleep, thicker eyebags, stress, stress, more stress. Pros of the situation: Less chances of a screwed-up defense, and an opportunity to mature and take responsibility! Situations like these can easily make graduating students lose hope and motivation to push through, so sometimes we feel the need to learn from other people's insights and experiences (and that feeling that we're not in this alone)!

Creative 2014: Creative Problem Solving

For the longest time, I have been a member of Coursera.org -- a database wherein you can take free courses on topics you're interested in. It's like being in class. You will have lectures, homework, and readings, but all on a different platform, which is on the Internet. From the time I registered on the website, I was never enrolled on time in courses which I liked so I really haven't tried it.

Coincidentally last week, I checked the website and a course on "Creative Problem Solving" was about to start... so I enrolled in it! Why? It's in line with my life goals for this year, which is to be more creative! Thus, Creative 2014. You may see this in my tweets sometimes (#Creative2014) well that means I'm actually doing something to get my creative juices flowing! My professors are art and design teachers from the University of Minnesota and this course will take 7 weeks. I'm exhilarated and nervous at the same time! Exhilarated because this will be a new experience for me, nervous because doing new things scares the hell out of me (hashtag "routine" girl). 

It's always great to be learning new things plus with the globalized web space we have right now, information sharing is so much easier and free! I hope you guys would also have that drive for learning! Here's to a more creative 2014! :)

P.S. 

I will have a "Do Something Different" assignment every week which I will be posting here as well! Right now, I'm still going through the lecture videos my professors put up. :-) 

The Haves and Have-nots

I Timothy 6: 7-10 (KJV)“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

I purposely opened this passage of Scripture tonight to remind me some very important life lessons straight from God’s Word. It specifically talks about contentment – that state of mind where you feel satisfied with what you have. I think contentment encompasses a lot of different aspects, whether it be material, physical, emotional, and spiritual. In this post, I am gonna talk more about the MATERIAL aspect.

Lately, God placed me in a situation that tested this. Our generation right now is so bombarded via media about the latest trends in fashion, gadgets, phones, bags, places, and anything under the sun! A prominent tactic for advertising is by “word-of-mouth” which is a.k.a. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook feed! It’s very easy to be updated about what’s in and what’s not cause you get to see it all the time as you keep scrolling down – bringing about feelings of covetousness and envy. I’m not saying that I haven’t fallen to this trap before. I have (a couple of times, actually). It’s just so unfortunate that it’s already so common to hear people complain about the things they don’t have, rather than appreciate what they have at the present.

What I Should Be Doing in my Free Time

Ahhhh the things I need to do in a short span of time. I promise to do all these things when I get a little space from my crazy schedule:

1. Go to Colon. Since I drive the car all the time, literally, I never got the chance to visit busy thrift-friendly Colon. First reason? I do not have the freedom to indulge my allowance on extra gasoline for the car. Next, parking space is one of the hardest things to find downtown. If meron man, it's such a loooooooong walk from the places I want to go, plus parking fees pa. Third, walking in Colon under the heat of the sun is the most exhausting thing ever. Reasons, reasons. But really, I want to go and splurge a little bit for myself (I'm a thriftyyy) without hurting my wallet so much. So my game plan is, get my heart, mind, and body ready, ditch the car, ride the jeep, and just get over it! 

2. Jog a few rounds in Abellana. I've missed the days when Jon Mark and I had the time (and the energy *gasp*) to jog there once in a while. I think that's one of the places you can legitimately jog without getting bored and getting tired so easily since everybody around you is in the HYPE! Everywhere you turn, people are so into their fitness so ma-pressure ka rin kahit kunti. I've honestly succumbed to that subtle peer pressure so I got to run a little more than what my mind tells me to.

Unearthed Secrets

Tada!

I was browsing through my Blogger Dashboard yesterday when I came across this drop-down menu under posts. I noticed that I had 82 imported posts (in the picture it's already 72 since I published some posts already) and I wondered why that could be. I thought that all of my previous blog posts from Multiply where already imported in my blog so it was really a surprise when I found out there were more!

If you're wondering why I have so many imported posts, let me tell you a story. Way back in high school, nung hindi pa uso ang Facebook, us DCHS students thrived in Multiply. It was a social media service that boasts of unlimited photo storage (my friends and I had thousands of pictures back then), blogging options, and a lot of different things you can share such as music and videos! It was a great site! 

I have always remembered myself blogging about my day, or blogging about my friends, or posting "surveys" which were very prominent in those years. Since Multiply sadly closed in 2013, I had to import everything inside my account somewhere else so I brought it here! Buti nalang may options ang Multiply to do that. It's always fun to read how I viewed things when I was just  a young teen! Matanda na talaga ako.

A few more months...

This moment: really really intense sweater weather in Cebu + lessons to review for Clinical Psych + uncooperative brain = medyo madramang study selfie

Can't believe I'm graduating in a few months!

Starting again in 2014

This is a list of all the things I need to resolve in the upcoming year! 2013 has been one of the most memorable years in my life, filled with lessons and realizations essential to be a better person! God has been so gracious in providing me opportunities to grow and learn, as well as to improve on aspects of my life I thought were impossible to fix.

Eye for an eye

To end 2013, I actually got myself a new pair of eyes! My eye grades for both eyes are different from each other but the grade is not very high so it's not that serious. Anyway, an added bonus is that it gives me a new look for 2014! Nerdy, smart girl look? Pwede! Very non-evasive way to look different since I think I'm not cutting my hair till graduation (maybe). :-)

Other than having a literal new pair of EYES(glasses), most importantly, I pray that God will give me renewed spiritual eyes that will see the world in a way that will glorify God. I pray that I can always see the good in people... because somehow, somewhere, there's always something great in them that maybe no one ever took the time to notice. I also pray that I can see the need of those people around me, especially those who need the Savior. How blessed would that be! Here's to seeing in 2014!

Year-enders: Imba girls

On the 26th, the imba girls (the name we "call" our highschool barkada) had our lunch reunion! It wasn't like last year where we had a sleepover. The time we had this year was so short and limited, but nonetheless enough to suffice catching up with each other's lives. We had lunch at TGI Fridays (last minute plan!) and good thing that we were all complete. Second time pa namin to na kumpleto kaming lahat ever since highschool.

All of us

Our side of the table

Their side of the table

Of course we had our traditional exchanging gifts which we started as a Valentine gift exchange but later on evolved to being a barkada Christmas tradition to make it more intimate and mainly because all of us were mostly back home for the holidays.

Barkada Selfie! (Aking face ang pinakamalaki dyan kasi ako naghawak sa camera)

please forgive my thumb here... weird ang form! pero dito lang din O.o

Conversations where mostly about our plans after college. 4/6 are graduating this March! We're definitely growing older, and hopefully wiser! It's so crazy how time flies so fast... I remember when we were just all highschool girls struggling through the typical teenage drama. Pathetic, but always and forever part of growing up. I love how we grew independently and in so much different ways. The good thing is that we haven't outgrown each other and still find the time and effort to be with each other's company. 

We plan to see each other again on the 30th... hope it pushes through! xoxo <3