PANATANG MAKABAYAN
Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas, aking lupang sinilangan
Tahanan ng aking lahi, kinukupkop ako at tinutulungang
Maging malakas, masipag at marangal
Dahil mahal ko ang Pilipinas,
Diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang,
Susundin ko ang tuntunin ng paaralan,
Tutuparin ko ang tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan,
Naglilingkod, nag-aaral at nagdarasal nang buong katapatan.
Iaalay ko ang aking buhay, pangarap, pagsisikap
Sa bansang Pilipinas.
(English version – translated)
I love the Philippines, the land of my birth,
The home of my people, it protects me and helps me
Become strong, hardworking and honorable.
Because I love the Philippines,
I will heed the counsel of my parents,
I will obey the rules of my school,
I will perform the duties of a patriotic citizen,
Serving, studying, and praying faithfully.
I offer my life, dreams, successes
To the Philippine nation.
In all our nearly eight wedded years together, as with every marriage, ours are loaded with both ups and downs. The first couple of years were essentially the most challenging. I wasn’t exactly the easiest person to live with. I have pretty high expectations for a marriage, mainly because I did not see a good one from my own family of origin. There is no way I would ever settle for that. But I couldn’t expect a good marriage to happen without doing my part of the equation.
To be honest I really think I have always had the Lord on my side. He could have allowed me to end up with one of my previous “wrong” relationships but he did not. He loved me enough (despite me) to give me the perfect person who will complement my very being. A turning point came and I heeded.
This being said, a marriage does not just stop at getting your perfect match. Truth be told, perfect is not even the perfect word. We are one corrupted bunch, which is basically why we needed a Redeemer. Couples should be intentional in pleasing each other, in doing their respective parts in the relationship. Communication is an integral part of marriage. Relationships entail a lot of work. Tantrums can just about break what could be the sweetest of marriage if communication is not healthy. Read the rest of this entry »
I officially got back to my 12 hour schedule in doing online tasks since early last week. It has been a while since my schedule dove down to 8 hours a day. So that only means two things: business is picking up and my health might be on the line again. Balance is the key. I have since learned this when I was too keen on taking up a lot of tasks than my body could actually handle. It was when my resistance went down to its all time low last year. Now I know better. Risking my health only means risking my family’s as well. In fact, I turned in earlier than usual last night — before midnight struck.
Free time is not something I usually get my hands on whenever I fancy. Especially now that I will soon get down to a rigid schedule when I start homeschooling our little guy when June comes. It would possibly mean that I would have practically zero time to do other things like watching my favorite tv series. It would be sweet if we have something like Time Warner Digital. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the many things we are often are often tackled during marriage counseling is how to affair proof a marriage. Another is how to cope with infidelity. The answer is not easy. In fact, there is really no single defining answer to such question. The hope of a realistic chance that things will ever be back to normal is even thinner. That is if we look at it in the perspective that is humanly possible. But even as the Lord said that His grace will be sufficient, it is in fact possible.
This monster that is called infidelity in a marriage never comes in uninvited. But the invitation is sometimes very subtle that it cannot be detected until it smacks you in the face. It usually begins when the spouse involved in an affair allowed his or her guards down. It starts like any usual innocent relationship, very often with someone who is very familiar to you. It almost always starts with an attachment that progresses into an emotional affair. If there is something like that of a GE alarm that should serve as a warning, it should be convenient. Read the rest of this entry »
Amongst the handful of photos from our wedding album, this should singlehandedly picture how Jeff and I felt on the day we were officially called husband and wife. Tell me, can a wife look giddier than this? I still remember what I was thinking when I was watching my Jeff sign his name on that contract with eagerness, “This is for real, Jeff is now my husband.” I was so thrilled, my cheekbones could have popped right there.
Our Wedding Vows
(08 December 2001)
I, Jeff, take you, Jennie, to be my lawfully wedded wife. Knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life and my one true love.
On this special day, I give to you, in the presence of God and all those in attendance, my sacred promise to stay by your side as your faithful husband. Â In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. And I further promise Jennie, to love you without any reservation, to honor and respect you.
To provide for your needs as best as I can, to protect you from harm and to grow with you, in mind and in spirit. To always be honest and open with you and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
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I, Jennie, take you, Jeff, to be my lawfully wedded husband. Secure in the knowledge that you will my constant friend, my faithful partner in life and my one true love.
On this special day, I give to you in the presence of God and all those in attendance, my pledge to stay by your side as your faithful wife. In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. I promise to love you without reservation, to comfort you in times of distress.
To encourage you to achieve higher goals, to laugh with you and cry with you and grow with you in mind and in spirit. To be open and honest with you and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
Less than two months. That’s practically all I have left to decide how we are going to go about our homeschooling set up here at home. The major things that takes up my schedule is the number of hours I work in the laptop, time with the little guy and the chores. Homeschooling should not take so much time everyday, especially so that we are just doing the preschool curriculum. But then again, it will still be an extra task in my already overloaded daily routine.
It really should not be so hard to figure out what should come down and what to do about it. But I still have these nanny issues and some concerns on getting a helper. Before I decided to work from home in 2007, I was a regular employee in one of those International companies in Ortigas.
Hiring the second nanny (the first one ran away with her boyfriend) was a mistake. My very own eyes witnessed how the one who was suppose to be the caregiver of my son hit my then one year old Jed with a balloon stick. Even with the mark on the child’s arm, she vehemently denied it! Que Horror! This is a nightmare to any parent. I swore that if I would ever have to leave my son to a nanny again, I am going to have one of those security cameras from GE home security. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the more prevailing things that I discuss with my youth counselees is of the nature of dating. Most of them are over their dating issues but it does not mean the struggle is non-existent. There are even issues that can be persistent, but we are happy that they find the support system from our church family to be able to wind up as victors through it all.
With a sexually charged society that we have, the young people are actually fooled into the fantasy of the dating game– a game that gets a whole handful of hearts broken, at the end of the day. It is important to be aware how to conduct oneself while dating. It is actually a good indicator of the kind of commitment that you want to have in your future relationships. The race towards engagement rings is really overrated. What are you going to do with a wedding, when you end up getting divorced sooner than you got engaged?
So far, I am happy with the progress my girls are showing since I started seeing them. If you knew the community in Makati that we are serving, you will be surprised that a big percentage practices common-law marriage. This erodes morality a great deal and if nothing is done, they will inevitably follow that path.
It blesses my heart to see they want better lives, after suffering the cruelties of dysfunctional families. As true as the world is but imperfect, the fact remains that God’s grace is sufficient and this is the core of whatever it is we share with them, whatever circumstance they are in. There’s nothing like dating God’s way.
In any family, communication is very important, especially husbands and wives communicating love to each other, parents to their children and children to their parents. But the problem is that many times, we communicate love in ways that are often misunderstood by those receiving the message. A book written by Gary Chapman entitled the “Five Love Languages” explains this very clearly.
Much like communicating with other people, when we use a different language that the other person can’t understand, this creates miscomunication or misunderstanding. In order for two people to communicate clearly they must both use the same language – either one has to learn the other person’s language. Read the rest of this entry »
I have shared in one of my previous entries why it is important to know your spouse’s love language.
Allow me to jump on to the third love language- Gifts. When you say that someone’s love language is receiving gifts, it does not necessarily imply that it means that you are in a high maintenance relationship. If this is your spouse’s love language, Read the rest of this entry »
Read this: There is an actual ad in a Kansas newspaper that reads “I will listen to you talk for thirty minutes without comment for $5.” And your guess is as good asmine, that ten to twenty people called that advert everyday. Imagine the extent of what people are willing to do to get someone to listen to them! Read the rest of this entry »
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. “Read the rest of this entry »
In any marriage conflict is inevitable and normal.First of all, the differences between a man and a woman are reason enough for conflicts to arise.Furthermore, the differences in personalities and the differences in upbringing spell disaster. Read the rest of this entry »
Category:Movies
Genre: Classics
*** I’m posting this reflection paper I submitted last semester in my subject Principles of Guidance and Counseling.
Jennifer L. Aspacio Educ 321
Dr. Lerma G. Pasco
This movie is amongst the ranks of movies like Stand and Deliver, Dangerous Minds, et al. These kind of movies continually inspire individuals to go beyond the level of mediocrity. Read the rest of this entry »
I got ahold of a copy of this booklet several years ago and it has proven to be a keeper with its now tattered state, it tells how it has been used and abused even as I employ this every so often in the discipleships that I do with my girls. Read the rest of this entry »
