Martes, Marso 27, 2012

All Part of God's will

                               Scrolling down my Facebook News Feed, I came across this picture (as seen above). This picture somewhat reminded me that everything that has happened to me - all the highs and lows of my life -  has been part of a bigger plan, more specifically, it has been part of God's plan. Therefore, I should take all the challenges I get and do my best with it because as the saying says "...unexpected things that will make you happier than you originally planned," I can be much happier in the end. I guess this was a good reminder for me since I always want everything to go as I planned that sometimes I fail to see the benefits of my mistakes and God's true purpose behind it. This was truly a wake-up call for me and one reminder that I will always remember.

"God is the reason why"

  
                           During the weekend, I went through my Facebook News Feed and saw this picture posted on one of my contact's wall:

                            Upon reading it, I became very happy and very grateful that I have my faith and religion, since this picture shows how faith can save you in times of worry and pain. But more than that, it tells you how God is there for you even through the bad times since He gives you the courage to "smile though in pain" or to "fight even in time of fear". He reminds us that whatever problem or worry we have in life, we will get through it as long as we continue to fight our way through life with God and our faith by our side. So in the end, we will be truly happy at last. 

                            Therefore, I think this is a message we all must remember because we all lose our way at some point in our life, but it takes real faith and true love for God to find our way back into our Loving Father's arms once again.    

Martes, Marso 20, 2012

Remembering the good ol' shows!

                 Being born in 1994, I grew up with television shows such as Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and the Powerpuff girls. These television shows not only entertained me but also taught me some valuable life lessons. Take for example, in Hey Arnold, I learned things like patience and understanding (as it was exemplified through Arnold's character). While in Rugrats, I learned courage (through Tommy's character and sometimes even through Chuckie's character) and teamwork (as seen in the television show- how the babies always stick together and help one another through thick or thin). Finally, Powerpuff girls taught me selflessness (which could be seen through their heroic actions in every episode). At the time, I didn't really realize the value of these shows and the lessons whicht they taught me; but after looking back on them, I can really see their value and impact on my life. It is sad to know that they aren't showing some of these television shows anymore; and what's even worse, television networks nowadays show meaningless and sometimes useless cartoons to children. Some of these cartoons not only give meaningless values but they actually promote stupidity among children. It is the sad truth of television these days. Although, hopefully, one day, they can bring back the good old shows for the future youth to see; if not, make another cartoon show that will be able to exemplify the same values these shows have (when I was a child). It is through this way that the television can help in molding the future youth for the better and give more hope to the future!  


Source of pic: http://toonbarn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/hey_arnold.jpg
Source of pic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Powerpuff_girls_characters.jpg/270px-Powerpuff_girls_characters.jpg

Source of pic: http://epguides.com/Rugrats/cast.jpg


Comics


             Ever since I was young, I had enjoyed reading comics. Now, at 18 years old, I am happy to say that I still enjoy reading them. I know, for many of you, it may probably seem a bit childish and immature but to me, it’s a way of relaxing and getting a good dose of laughter. My favorite one would have to be the Archie comics though I also like Calvin and Hobbes, Marvin, Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible and Dilbert. In addition to that these comics not only bring me joy but also bring back good childhood memories. Just recently, I found out that my favorite television show (back when I was a kid), Rugrats, has now turned into a comic strip for the Sunday newspapers. I remember being 5 years old and turning on the television to watch that show and now I get to reminisce back to that time every Sunday through the newspapers. To be honest, I think reading comics is actually a better way of relaxing than reading a book because 1) the stories are shorter so you don’t have to look back to the previous pages, like a book, to remind you of what happened before, and 2) it has pictures already so you don’t really strain your mind with imagining the characters and the scenes. So why should you not read comics? I strongly suggest you to go out and read some. It will surely brighten your day and put a smile on your face.     


Sabado, Marso 10, 2012

Book Review - Diary of a Witness

                  

                Around two weeks ago, I came across this book entitled "Diary of a Witness," which was written by Catherine Ryan Hyde,  in our local bookstore. At first, I was intrigued by its cover, which was simple yet somewhat intriguing. Though it was when I opened the cover flap, I knew I wanted to buy and read this book. Inside the cover flap, it said:

One day they taunt you.
One day they trip you.
One day they break you.
One day can change everything.

                   I remember coming home from the bookstore that day, very eager to read the book, and now, I've finally finished reading it. To my surprise, it turned out to be a very gripping and emotional story. One definitely worth to read and one you will never forget. First of all, it tackles a very serious issue in our society today, which is bullying. I think this is a very important issue to discuss since we sometimes overlook it(because we either never physically seen it or have never experienced it first-hand) though it's always been there. In this book, Hyde (author) shows the effect of bullying in both of her characters - Ernie and Will - more particularly its effect on Will. Through Will's character, she shows how little acts of bullying can pile up until one cannot take it anymore. Moreover, this was emphasized in Will's situation as he continually struggles with problems in his household as well as the harsh acts of bullying done in school. The author wrote this, in such a way, that the problems gradually increased, hyping up the climax and encouraging the reader to keep on reading. It was in this writing style that I, as a reader, was able to feel everything the characters felt - particularly what Will felt at the time - and be able to relate to everything that they were saying. Second, all the scenes were very realistic. The things she wrote about could definitely happen in real life and is probably happening in our society now. None of the events seemed exaggerated,which made it very believable and relatable. Lastly, more than sending a message to the bullies (on the effects of their actions) the author also sends an indirect message to both the bullies and those bullied that life isn't perfect though it is what we make of its imperfections that makes us who we are and makes our life what it is (this could be seen in Ernie's character - because even though Ernie knew his life wasn't perfect, he made the best out of it by choosing the right decisions. This, in turn, made him the better person by the end of the book).

                So over-all I really enjoyed the book and I really encourage all of you to go out and read it! It truly is a wonderful read and one of the best books I've read so far!      




Evil of Child Abuse

        A few months ago, I saw one of my Facebook friends post this poem. It was done for the purpose of spreading the issue of Child Abuse in our society today. The poem went like this:


A STORY OF A SAD GIRL..

bloody teddy bear
Her name was Abby
She was only five
This is what happened
... When she was alive

Her dad was a drunk
Her mom was an addict
Her parents kept her
Locked in an attic

Her only friend
was a little toy bear
It was old and worn out
And had patches of hair


She always talked to it
When no one's around
She lays there and hugs it
Not a peep of sound


Until her parents
unlock the door
Some more and more pain
She'll have to endore


A bruise on her leg
A scar on her face
Why would she be
In such a horrible place?


But she grabs her bear
And softly crys
She loves her parents
But they want her to die


She sits in the corner
Quiet but thinking,
" God, why? Why is
My life always sinking? "


Such a bad life
For a sad little kid
She'd get beaten and beaten
For anything she did


Then one night
Her mom came home high
The poor child was hit and slapped
As hours went by


Then her mom suddenly
Grabbed for a blade
It was sharp and pointy
One that she made


She thrusted the blade
Right in her chest,
" You deserve to die
You worthless pest! "


The mom walked out
Leaving the girl slowly dying
She grabbed her bear
And again started crying


Police showed up
At the small little house
They quickly barged in
Everything was as quiet as a mouse


 One officer slowly
Opened a door
To find the sad little girl
Lying on the floor


It must have been bad
To go through so much harm
But at least she died
With her best friend in her arms



                    The reason as to why I decided to post this poem is because I cannot think of anyone, who in their right mind, would want to hurt a child. A child is a beautiful gift from God, one that is to be respected, taken care of, and loved. In this poem, we see the exact opposite of how a child should be treated, which was to be physically beaten and harmed until the point of death. To think that this little girl's (with regards to the poem above) only best friend was her toy teddy bear; and all through her young life, she barely had any support and love from her own family. What was worse, at the point of her death, she still had no support from them. I am honestly extremely sad for this child and I hope that no child ever has to endure this kind of pain. However, the truth of the matter is that child abuse is present in society today and sometimes we forget that it is happening because we get too caught up in our own dilemmas. It is actually for this reason that I wrote this blog - to remind all of us of the evil presence of child abuse in our society and that we should, in all our efforts, spread this current issue around to families and friends; so that one day, we may finally put an end to child abuse!  

God's Everyday Sacrifice

              
                        Just a few minutes ago, I came across this cartoon in my Facebook News Feed. This particular cartoon touched my heart and reminded me of the true and unconditional love of our Lord to us. Because even if we have sinned and hurt Him, He is still there for us, always ready to share our pain and to take it away from us. We even forget Him at times though He never forgets us nor abandons us. Finally, through it all He forgives us despite all the pain we caused Him. With all of this, can't you see how much God sacrifices for millions of us everyday? The amount of which is too great for any of us to handle. 

                     Through this blog, I wish to remind everyone, including myself, of God's everyday love and sacrifice for us - how we must acknowledge it, honor it, and lastly, return it back to Him.