#17 Relax and Chant with me

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.

- Sir John Lubbock

#16 The Great Move

Any change, any loss, does not make us victims. Others can shake you, surprise you, disappoint you, but they can't prevent you from acting, from taking the situation you're presented with and moving on. No matter where you are in life, no matter what your situation, you can always do something. You always have a choice and the choice can be power.

- Blaine Lee

#15 Letting Go, Moving On

In life, there's many things that we have to learn to let go. We have to let go of situations, things, memories, people and even ourselves.

It's easy to form an attachment to people and things. When you've formed an attachment to people and things, it can be a very painful experience and feeling when you realized that it's time to let go. Even the mere thought of not having that person or thing in your life just squeezes your heart in pain.

However, there are times where you or that person has changed to the extent that it's necessary to let go of the relationship or friendship, so that each of you can fulfill your life path.

Letting go of your past and memories are also extremely hard. Even though old memories can be tormenting, yet you might hold on to the past and refuse to move forward. However, by refusing to let go of the painful past, it'll serve as a roadblock to love.

Letting go of your old self and the process of letting the new you emerge can be one of the scariest experiences in your life. But by leaving behind your old self and taking a leap of faith into the unknown, it might just reveal what you are truly capable of becoming.

#14 Crossroads

“You may not remember the time you let me go first. Or the time you dropped back to tell me it wasn't that far to go. Or the time you waited at the crossroads for me to catch up. You may not remember any of those, but I do and this is what I have to say to you:

Today, no matter what it takes, we ride home together.”

- Brian Andreas, Traveling Light: Stories & Drawings for a Quiet Mind

#13 Paraiso

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.



- Khalil Gibran

#12 Swallowed By The Sea

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.

- William Shakespeare

#11 Into the Western Horizon

The sun will set for you. And the sun will set for you. And the shadow of the day, will embrace the world in gray. And the sun will set for you.

#10 Unexpectedly

Tuesday afternoon. Seventh of February.

The weather was fine when I went to downtown The weather that time was humid and hot. After visiting the main office of Mindanao Travel Channel, the sky turned orange as the clouds as it reflected the golden rays of the setting sun. The moon was also beautiful as it rose from the eastern horizon. The sky was truly stunning.

At around 9PM, rain started to pour down. The wind got stronger and the clap of thunder was truly deafening (and intimidating). It rained for almost two hours. Little by little, my Facebook news feed and Twitter timeline got filled with reports of flooding within downtown Davao. Rivers started to rise at an alarming rate. People got stranded along the way and cars broke down in the middle of the storm. The flood didn't reach our house, fortunately, except for our front and back yard.

These freak storms are freaking me out. This is just one of the effects of being negligent to our environment. I do hope that the local government would fix this predicament. 

#9 Reach For the Sky

Whenever I dream about accomplishing something, I always try to reach for the sky, but not to the point that I would end up disappointed. I just know my capacity and limitations.

We just have to put this in our mind always that when we dream, it has to be big. Dreaming is free, so why limit our ambition if we can dream bigger, right?

To dream the impossible dream.

#8 Life Is Short

The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

- Mitch Albom

#7 The Two Of Us

I am not scared of never meeting you.

I am scared of having met you, and let you go.

#6 Just Keep Holding On

If you think you cannot do it, think again.

Look around you. 

Someone out there has predicaments bigger than yours. Still, they try to live life to the fullest. Do not ever think that you are weak and helpless. Everything is possible only if you believe in yourself.

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.

#5 Open Your Eyes

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.

We always think that material things would make our life complete. There's this unnecessary need of buying new things in order to satisfy our selfish needs. Somehow, we fail to realize that material things just come and go. We may possess them for quite some time, but whether we like it or not, it won't last forever.

Look around you. Your family and true friends are always there for you, through thick and thin. Love, friendship, loyalty and trust are the most important in human emotions and virtues. Through these, we learn to value the real meaning of life.

The prince encounters the fox; and at the close of the chapter, the fox, in saying goodbye to the prince says: 

"'Goodbye,' said the fox. 'And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.' 

'What is essential is invisible to the eye,' the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember. 

'It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.'  

'It is the time I have wasted for my rose--' said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.  

'Men have forgotten this truth,' said the fox. 'But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . .'  

'I am responsible for my rose,' the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.'" 

#4 Live Life to the Fullest

Sometimes, life sucks. 

But despite the predicaments that we experience every day, let us pause for a while and take a look at our surroundings. There's your dad, still busy writing and computing the financial reports of the company he's working for. There's your mom, still busy on ironing the clothes but still has the time to cook for dinner. Then there's your baby sister, ready to face the challenges of life.

In this fast-paced world, we often fail to take time and appreciate little things around us.

Thank your family for giving you a good life. Thank your true friends who were always there for you.

And finally, thank God for giving you an opportunity to experience the most valuable gift, the Gift of Life.

#3 Believe in Thyself

Big or small, we all have predicaments in life. We always try to find ways to eradicate them. But, there are times that a day isn't enough to solve them, ergo, it starts to pile up as days go by. For some, it may be difficult to solve all of it. Others might wish that one day, all of their problems would just vanish.

Solving problems is a step-by-step process - you can't eradicate them all at once! These problems may seem to be a pain in the butt, but that's how life goes! In every problems we had, we learn something about life. In every problems we had, we reevaluate ourselves. And, in every problems we had, we learn to value our family and friends. Through problems, we learn how to appreciate our life because it is truly a wonderful blessing from God.

No matter how hard life is, smile. Just smile. It may be a temporary remedy to stress, but just keep on smiling. Because at the end of the day, if we have a happier disposition in life, dealing and solving our problems wouldn't be that hard.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

#2 You Are Unique

Many of us regarded high school as the best part of their teenage life. Mine wasn't. It was horrible.

I studied in a Chinese-Catholic school from Preschool to 4th year high school. Basically, it became my second home for almost thirteen years!

Back in high school, I can still vividly remembered how I made my way out through the competitive zone. Almost all of us were competing both in academics and extra-curricular activities. Almost everyone wanted to be on that particular position because almost everyone was just for the points and not to the commitment of being the leader. Only a few people wanted that position because they just simply want to serve.

As for me, I ran for a position to prove myself but always fail to win. I wasn't really that 'famous' in high school. I was a nerd (people don't like me, except exam periods). I am not a member of an affluent family. I didn't have older siblings who excel in either sports or academics.

It came to a point that I felt like I was an outcast. I wasn't given a chance at all.

Not until I entered the university.

Life at the university was really different. Everyone has the chance to become a leader, because everyone has the right to become a leader. I just realized that to be a leader, one shouldn't need to be member of an affluent family or to be influential (because you'll become one in the future). Through the years, I have learned how to lead and how to listen to the needs of my constituents; it's a give and take relationship! It was not an easy task but the learning process was pretty much fun and exciting.

Each of us is unique and each of us has different skills and talents.

Everyone deserves to become a leader because everyone deserves a CHANCE.

#1 Road to Wilderness

Some of us might have taken a particular road because of what people have told us about it. But, no matter how promising that road is, there will always be that particular point when one can actually feel exhaustion, to the point that he is on the verge of giving up. Some might have chosen to stay on that road, while others have taken a detour and start all over again.

In my case, it came to a point that I got pretty scared of just merely thinking of pursuing a medical career. No, I am not scared that I might not be able to handle it mentally. I was afraid that I might regret this decision and won't be happy for the rest of my life.  I do not know, but it was not really my ambition to become a doctor. Maybe I was just inspired by these two fictional TV characters namely Dr. Gregory House and Dr. Meredith Grey and from that point, I decided to just become one of them!

Silly me.

But then again, I have always believed that success does not completely reflect on how prestigious sounding your job is (aka doctor, lawyer and engineer), it is genuine happiness that really counts. Life is pointless when you are doing the things that you do not like, ending up frustrated as you get older. Doing the things that you like (as long as you are not harming others) will lead you to a happier disposition in life.

Some parents might find it difficult to accept if their child chose the other road.

Let them take the other road.

Because life is too short.