Intellectually Giant but Emotionally Dwarf

          While attending a service today, I was struck when the presider said that many among the young children of today grow as intellectually giants but emotionally pygmies. And while I was listening to him, I slowly nodded my head in affirmation. And to add to that, I think the only legacy that any parent can leave to his children is the examples of being a good and kindhearted individual. 

          Sometime last week, I remember reading it online that a son of a very well known intellectual family committed suicide since he did not find any consolation anymore in the family. What were normally brought during table conversations were topics on achievements, figures, big amount of money, etc. and he was feeling left out since at that very moment, he was already sensing like being choked in the neck. What he needed at that time was a breather and not all those accomplishments, greatness, incentives etc..

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         On the other hand, there was another sad story of a very intelligent man who became so famous in the world of entrepreneurship yet due to later pressures in his life, decided to abandon his family to prove to his detractors that he was right with his theories in the business. These are but just two examples of people who have enormous intelligence yet they ultimately failed for they were not able to cling to what is essential in life.    

         Thus for parents and for other adults, you perform a crucial role to the total formation of your children and the other young ones around you. The best examples then that you can give to them is by living all those good ideals and values in life. Constantly teach your children well and let them realise that being successful in life is not merely gauged by medals and awards but also on how you treat other people especially those who seem to be lower than you in social, financial, psychological and other status in life.    

                                                

Patience is a Virtue

          Sometime last month, I accompanied my wife for her follow up check concerning her coming thyroid surgery. During that day, we waited for four hours before being accommodated. Though we were waiting for such a long time but I made use of my time by coming up with this blog post regarding patience. 

          When our appointment number was displayed, we were ushered to room number 24, back to the reception area and then room 4. While inside the room, she had her physical exams like getting her blood pressure then the doctor also tried to feel her thyroid nodes like those in the neck both left and right sides. Afterwards, the attending physician showed to us the result of her last  blood test and he was telling us that the thyroid seems to be stabilising. 

photo credit: Just when you thought it was over God paints this picture via photopin (license)

          When she was done with all her check up, we went back to the reception area for booking on her next doctor's appointment and proceeded to the ground floor to have her CT scan schedule. All in all, our visit to the hospital made me realise that at times, we tend to become anxious of what lies ahead of us. This is exactly as a consequence of us not knowing what will happen next in our life. 

          On the other hand, I also realise that being patient with life and with everything allows us to gain peace within. While some could become agitated, impatient or disturbed while waiting for their turn in such a hospital setting, what could then be beneficial is by being present to that moment as well as to make use of the time on whatever available resources in store for us to become productive.  

                                    

Is It Ideal For a Family If Both Parents Are Working?

          Previously, it was typical for any family that a father goes to work and provides the needs of the family. On the other hand, the mother stays at home to take charge of the children. Nowadays, it is but prevalent that both parents prefer to work so as to provide the financial benefits of the children. These two contrasting realities both have their positive and negative effects.

          You may perhaps think that children with both working parents naturally receive the material benefits. As such, the parents can afford to buy anything luxurious like toys, modern gadgets, and can even send the children to exclusive schools. Moreover, proponents of this view argues that due to the family's extra wealth, it will enable them to go overseas for a holiday.

          On the other hand, one of the possible negative results when both parents are working is the deprivation of guidance and moral support to the growing children. On certain situations like fulfilling school assignments, extra curricular activities and exams, the children direly need the after school support of the parents. Consequently, the children would not excellently perform at school and what is worst is when they get involve with friends of bad influence. This type of friends endow no good result except trouble especially when they get involved with drugs, excessive drinking and the like.

                                      
                              © Photographer Jinyoung Lee | Agency: Dreamstime.com

          I remember one friend of mine in high school whose parents were working. It was true that they indeed provided her needs. She grew up in such a situation that she badly missed her parents' support on times of assignment making, accomplishing school projects and many more. Being on this reality, she felt envious with her classmates who rather performed well in class more than her due to their parents' help. Apparently most of them emerged as top of the class while she wasn't. Consequently, she lost her self confidence, became inferior in the class and aimless in life.

          Thus, if this day's trend that both parents are active in their careers continue to persist, one thing that should be given importance as well as never be disregarded is their major role and responsibility towards the process of growth of their children. The parents' positive role modeling plays a significant part in the children's life. 

Guest blogger: Myra Flor Jugan



                                                      
                                 
 
                                         

BLOGGING: MEANS TO SELF-EXPRESSION

          Nowadays, people are making busy into various trends such as film making, mountain climbing, clothes, diving, and many more. And one of those trends which is popular today is blogging. Blogging actually is like maintaining an online diary. Moreover, there are different purposes why a certain person blogs and these could be for personal, pleasure or business reasons. 

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        Blogging is a very interesting avenue for anyone to express all about himself/herself. As such, it is a very effective tool in reaching out to others in a sense that each one is so complex and full of experiences that one's life can be relative from the other. We learn to grow in so many factors and one of them is through interaction among others. 

          One interesting development nowadays is the evolution of the so-called web communication. So wide is this development that the world presently becomes a global village- we are seemed to be very close to one another yet in reality, we can be miles apart from one another. 

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          With this perspective, blogging becomes one of those avenues wherein one person freely expresses himself/herself with others both near and far. It is such a great feeling to have our thoughts shared with others thinking that in whatever unique way we communicate with them known or unknown.

THE VALUE OF TIME

          Time is one of our treasures in life. Therefore it is always a daily routine for us to plan ahead what we have to do with our time. Thus, time management is very essential in our life journey. But how much do we really invest in time? How much time do we spend for our family, our loved ones or friends? What percentage of our daily time do we spend for our leisure? These are but some of the questions we can ask ourselves in relation to time. 

          One of the sources that I researched regarding time is shared below:

Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals complying with a due date.

from:www.pixabay.com

 This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include planning,allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and methods. Usually time management is a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

          From this source, several components are being discussed and I would like to single out the element of "being able to consciously control our time" for whatever we want to do. We therefore  are the main protagonists each day on how we take control of our time from the time that we wake up then perform our different daily activities up to the time that we go to bed. No one could ever dictate us on what we are going to do with our time. However, it should always be a part of our consideration that our time should be shared and be spent in spreading love and concern for others.

          At times, relationships are being destroyed by the failure of each one to accord the other a quality time. Sometimes we think of any other excuses so as not to extend precious time with our loved ones. In some cases, we tend to enjoy and spend more time with officemates and friends rather than spending it with our family. What is being sacrificed is the guidance that our children specifically need from us. Consequently, there is this risk of soliciting this time and attention from other sources such as friends who can be bad influence, drugs, and vices. 

from:www.pixabay.com

          Hence, to rest assured our loved ones especially our children that they will experience quality time with us, we should always make it a conscious effort on our part to initiate interaction with them.  

                 

  (part 1)

SHARING THE JOY OF A LOVED ONE

          While at work, I received a call from a loved one excitedly sharing with me her recent success. It was a sweet one for her since many were attempting to be in that opportunity and she triumphed over the odds of claiming it. 

from: www.pixabay.com

          In life, there are the so-called spices to it like trials, challenges, tears of joy and that of sadness, ups and downs. And we all need to be determined enough to overcome those negatives ones and generous to share with others the positive ones. 

          At this time, I will focus on the element of sharing in a relationship. Anyway, what makes a relationship stronger is the bond of sharing between parties involved.

from: www.pixabay.com

 As the relationship progresses day by day, the sense of connectedness is further strengthened  by those triumphant moments shared by both individuals. Day in and day out, we encounter various life episodes that brought laughters and joys to our hearts.

          Such triumphs as performing well in work or in class, accomplishing assigned tasks for the day, being on time for work/studies, and many more are sources of joy for any of us. When I received that call from a loved one, her joy was automatically radiated to my self as well.

          Hearing her voice, it was so vivid to me her sense of excitement and extreme joy as she narrated her triumph. On my part, I believe that it is but natural to feel the same way as my loved one felt when she told me her good news. Afterwards, the more that I became energized and motivated in performing my work tasks. Such joy is so wonderful when it is shared. 

  

A GUEST POST: MOTHER

          MOTHERS- the very significant people in our life who play essential roles in our growing up. Here then is a guest post from a high school student sharing to us her admiration for her mom. Basing from her own experience, this reflection will show to us how she valued her relationship with her.

Mother

Mother, mama, mommy or mum-these are just example of names that we usually give to our moms. They're the ones who carried  us while we are in their womb, the ones who`s given us the chance to see the world.  They're the ones who will teach us to be good children for the next generation. They will be the first teachers to teach us to walk, to talk, to write and read. They give us advice on how to live and survive. 

from:www.pixabay.com

They usually teach us to write and read but from those words the most important is that they also love us ,  no matter what, and even though we are at times stubborn and hard headed. In all of these, we've been

grateful for her undying love to us, her children. And that is the essence of being a woman, to give life for a child in an unconditional way. No matter what other people say she will always be there to protect and support for every achievements that a child make.

  

from:www.pixabay.com

In a child's eyes, she`s the goddess.

In a child's dream, she`s the fairy god mother.

In a child's world, she`s the superhero of all time.

And for me, she`s my world and my everything.

by: Romee Christine Gallano 

Are you determined in LIFE?

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” - Og Mandino

          For many occasions in life, our dreams have been stifled and tested by distractions, failures, and limitations. Yet our hold on our dreams pave the way for us to recover from them. Further, emerging triumphant over them showers us with some light that everything will be smooth sailing. Consequently, we then become inspired, renewed and determined by those challenging  moments in our life. 

from: www.dreamstime.com

          As my favorite inspirational author said, " Failure will never overtake me if my determination to suceed is strong enough"- Og Mandino. We have known many  life changing as well as success stories and they extend to us a reality that life is such a wonderful gift.  

          What is common among all these names? Guy Laliberte, John Paul DeJoria, Ursula Burns, Howard Schultz, LI Ka-shing, Francois Pinault,  Leonardo Del Vecchio, Kirk Kerkorian, Sheldon Aseldon among others? They are just some of the rags-to-riches stories so familiar in the business world. They all grew up in a similarly difficult and deprived situations yet on the later part of their lives, they succeed in turning their fate into a wealth and put their names on top of those successful people in the world.  

          Presently they join the list of the world's billionaires. Their stories just showed to us that in life,  no matter how deprived a person is yet if he is determined enough then sooner or later, he will also fulfill his dreams. Life's toughest challenges come to us in various forms and to be able to overcome them, we need to be determined and persistent. Indeed, we may falter and fall down a thousand times however what counts the most is our desire to rise up and to try again. 

          On the other hand, I would like to share another favorite quotation of mine, " There's comes a time when our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But know that it's still there"- (Paulo Coelho).   This just shows to us that for those times wherein we seem to lose our goals and sense of direction, what will help us grab a sense of light is our awareness that deep inside of us lies our deepest ideals and aspirations.

from:www.dreamstime.com

          Life is like that of a spinning wheel as what others would claim. During times of self- evaluation, we can then identify those challenging moments however looking it on a positive point of view, it becomes noteworthy to mark those events in our life wherein we learn to embrace life's crosses- those difficult moments that tested our strength and determination in life. 

          Moreover at the end of the day, we may   recall back those trying moments and smile at the way we emerge triumphant over them. Let us all  move forward and turn every challenge that comes our way into an opportunity for growth and self fulfillment. Be determined in life.

ON FIDELITY: SOME QUOTES TO PONDER

          Fidelity- what really is it anyway? There have been numerous meanings related to fidelity. Some may sound realistic and others tend to be so idealistic. As time passes by, great minds have shared their experiences and ideas with regard to fidelity. Allow me to quote some of those thoughts and share my own sentiments on them.

"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose".

Helen Keller

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/fidelity.html#ySMhyu2Ihi51yJYW.99 

from: www.kozzi.com

          When we practice fidelity in a relationship, it becomes our virtue and a guide to sustain and improve the quality of our relationship until it reaches an unswerving stage. Whatever the nature of our relationship, it is our ability to keep up with our commitment that is valued. As shared above, real happiness means denying one's self satisfying tendency and rather, put in first place the other person's welfare. Although freedom is inherent in each individual, it negates the fact that one could just ignore the rights of the other especially the right to enjoy life. No matter how we present man as a self gratifying individual, he is still capable of reflecting real needs from mere wants.   

          Thus, staying faithful is in no way entertaining the idea of self gratification but rather, it considers on a deeper level the dignity and welfare of the other.  

from: www.kozzi.com

"That in affairs of very considerable importance men should deal with one another with satisfaction of mind, and mutual confidence, they must receive competent assurances concerning the integrity, fidelity, and constancy each of other".

Isaac Barrow 

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/fidelity.html#ySMhyu2Ihi51yJYW.99 

          The idea of self giving is what seems to be the perfect goal in any relationship. One should be constantly willing to make sacrifices for the beloved. To be altruistic, self satisfaction is relegated to be the next priority over the  welfare and the happiness of the other. Moreover mutual trust and support for each other must be met. Basically, this is a challenging one given man's complex nature which is both pleasant and unpleasant, rational and irrational. Again in order to meet a  relationship that is built on fidelity and trust, man needs to set aside, tamed and control his negative tendencies and invariably displays the desirable ones. 

"He who is faithful over a few things is a lord of cities. It does not matter whether you preach in Westminster Abbey or teach a ragged class, so you be faithful. The faithfulness is all."

      - George MacDonald 

           Faithfulness is everywhere and anywhere. Consequently, it goes beyond time and space. No  matter what state of life we are in, we are all invited and challenged to stay faithful to whatever commitment we are in. Being successful in maintaining fidelity within our relationships, we therefore detach ourselves from allowing any emotional distance between us and our partners. Finally the challenge  of maintaining the positive emotional entanglement in our relationship remains steadily present. 

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

“Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.”- Og Mandino

by: MINDER, www.pixabay.com

          Augustine "Og" Mandino II, a famous inspirational author, was once an alcoholic in life. Consequently, his family including his wife Mirriam and their only child abandoned him. Such predicament was so intense that he reached a particular point in his journey that he was entertaining the idea of committing suicide. What changed his life was when he made himself busy by reading books of self help. He then eventually became a famous writer and  speaker. (Source: Wikipedia-the free encyclopedia)

          Indeed, we all have our own "Og Mandino story" in our life. A certain point wherein we seemed overwhelmed by those odds before us. Life is such a colorful journey that it is but natural for us to encounter its ups and downs making it more interesting to live by. Amidst of all life's colors, it is so noteworthy for us to also count our own blessings. 

          No matter how we assess life as a struggle, as a constant battle between right and wrong, a persistent tug of war between two opposing forces of this earth, still we all need to embrace all the goodness that we have received and experienced. These are the so-called blessings in our life. We need to count them....we need to constantly remind ourselves that after all, life is still one of the greatest gifts we have received from somebody up there. 

by: TPSDAVE, www.pixabay.com

          May we not merely focus on what others have, may we not be overcome by our limitations such as discontentment, disillusioned, remorse etc for they will just make us blind to see as well as appreciate our own giftedness. Let us count our blessings everyday and thank whoever give them to us. Being as such, we are also invited to share these blessings with others especially to those people who have lost their will to move forward. 

          Remember always the wonderful feeling when we realize that we then become instruments for others so that they will also see the light after each of every darkness that comes into their life. Just like the example of Og Mandino's life, may we constantly strive to get up and face the world after every fall. 

WHAT REAL LOVE CAN DO...

          LOVE is such a very complex and vague matter that many meanings are attributed to it. Yet in the midst of all these complexities, there still exists a reality that true love exists. Indeed, it takes a while for true love to prosper. It is like  a rose  that needs to be consistently nurtured so that it will blossom into a beautiful flower. 

from Kozzi Inc.'s Portfolio

          Try to reflect on your own relationship in life especially in marriage. As the years go by, when the two of you being husband and wife reach a level of deep understanding for each other thus resulting to a feeling of being mutually comfortable with each other no matter what the situation is, then both of you can claim it to the world that real love exists between the two of you. 

      True love also happens when one could learn to forgive and forget everything painful that is done to him/her. That in spite of the pain with its natural tendency to inflict pain in return, it is rather forgiveness that is showered to the other party. Real love is ready and eager to do everything for the welfare of the beloved. 

from Kozzi Inc.'s Portfolio

          In the midst of life's suffering especially in one that is inflicted by another party within a relationship, the ideal response should be to embrace sufferings and to shower forgiveness. Meanwhile, suffering is the most difficult thing in life that we all want to eliminate or  at least avoid it. It may be either physical, mental or emotional but we cannot fully understand why it exists and affects our lives. Suffering is so much a part of life that we must accept and go through with courage and patience.  

          Our hope for perfection in any relationship surely does not make our sufferings less real and painful. The only possible answer to this situation is a real love that is radiated from one's heart. To be able reach this level, we all need to ask for grace and wisdom to go beyond what is superficial in life. While it is so difficult for us to grasp the real meaning of love, we can nevertheless open ourselves to whatever grace where we can get strength on. 

          Hence,  may this be our constant desire to enter into a relationship where true and real love exists.

GLOBAL WARMING: Am I personally Affected By It?

          Global warming is such a worldwide phenomenon and is actively affecting every human being on this earth. It is such a massive issue that nations big and small are having serious discussions to asnwer to this recent worldwide challenge. As I read in one of the blogs which refer to this subject as a serious phenomenom affecting everyone and everything on earth, its writer Rafi Miller said, 

" For most scientists, the evidence is overwhelming. They see it in the data, the models, and the massive climate shifts happening before our eyes. Every authority on climate, including NASA, NOAA, AMS, NAS, AGU,ACS, and APS, warns unequivocally of a grave threat to our welfare."

          It is then very evident that global warming's threat is such a very serious one that it entails an urgent action as well on humankind. Rafi Miller continued, 

        "This is an obviously tragic sentiment. But a serious question underlies it. And among my friends, it’s often the first question they ask once I explain the gravity of the disaster we face. What can we do about global warming? Do we have to give up our cars and air conditioning? Are we supposed to turn our economy upside down with new regulations? Should we board spaceship and move to the moon?"

          There are several answers to this questions yet it is most probably beneficial if we can also personally ask ourselves on what can we do in a special way to help prevent global warming's worsening threat to humanity and the world.

          We can think of so many things to answer this question. Some of those are through information drive. We need to inform ourselves how serious is the effect of this climate change to humankind. Recent man made catastrophe such as intense heat stress, more universal drought, uncontrollable wildfires here and there, fatal epidemics, the rise of sea level,  disastrous floods and many other local effects just visibly manifests the fatal effects of climate change.Thus, it is very positive to constantly consider whatever ways that can make us positive contributors to stop the spread of global warming. Several grassroots response that we can think of can be any of the following: energy, forests, education and agriculture. 

          Worldwide, there are several actions undertaken by groups to respond positively to this challenge on climate change. Numerous actions are undertaken such as the program to provide electricity to 500 students in Belize, the project to provide 1,500 clean cookstoves for Haitian families, the program to conserve thousand of acres of Tanzanian rainforest so on and so forth.

          Thus, may we consciously participate in our own ways to take part in these activities. Let our desire to extend concretely to these worldwide projects to stop climate change grow intensely day by day. Let us be persistent in educating ourselves on climate change's negative effects. Let us unceasingly ask ourselves, " How can we become agents of change to counter the evil effects of global warming and climate change to humankind?" 

WE LOVE YOU MAMA...

           We have basically various significant people in our life. We can name all of them yet personally what comes out as one of the most outstanding is that of our MOMS. Indeed our mother extend several sacrifices and their LOVE for us is beyond any price and timeless. Thus I would say that mothers play a crucial role in our development especially on our stages like when we are still babies, toddlers so on and so forth. Their LOVE is unconditional just like that of Mama Mary and we should always reciprocate this love with a genuine LOVE as well.

          Thus here below, I am sharing this reminder with you to remind us on the importance of our MAMAS in our life.

WE ALL ARE ONE IN SAYING " WE LOVE YOU MAMA"......

Kurt Kristoff Jugan and mommy....

WHAT WILL I DO TODAY?

          Each new day brings lots of potentials to all of us. Different experiences, different people, varied memories. mixied emotions---these are but some of the chapters in our book called LIFE JOURNEY. 

          Everyday that I wake up, questions come out of my mind and what is prevailing to me everyday is the question, " What will I do today?" Upon stumbling this everyday question, it goes down to the very deep of me including my sense of priority in life. Personally this is an important question since I believe that each day brings numerous potentials to all of us. Thus it takes note to keep in touch of our daily priorities so that we can also answer positively the question I posed beforehand.

                               (Photo courtesy of BART MAMARIL)

FAMILY is always a PRIMARY SOURCE OF MOTIVATION

          My daily priorities may vary from time to time yet at top of them is always my family- my wife and my baby Kurt. They are always my daily consideration and that everything that I do daily is always for their own welfare. Knowing their special place in my heart and in my life, I consistently put in mind their own good in whatever I perform everyday. They endow me strength to be full of life in my work and in my other activities. 

          Families may seem distinct from one to the other yet at the onset, what binds them all together is the LOVE that   radiates from one member to the other. Ideally, LOVE seems so abstract yet when it boils down to any family, it then presents itself concretely through the loving gestures and accolades that family members exchange with one another. From the simple words "Good morning dad/mom" to any other act of affirmation such as "You did great in your math subject!", they already show much affection and love to every family member.

LOVE ABOUNDS IN THE FAMILY...

          Thus,  it is my attitude to show respect and love in very concrete ways to my most loved persons in life- to my wife Yanyan and to our baby Kurt. What will I do today" I know what exactly it is and it is to continue showering them with so much love and affection.

QUALITY TIME WITH FAMILY

          One of our considered treasures in life is our family. Thus it becomes a very essential part of our everyday living. Apart from our own life, it is the family that stands as one source of strength for all of us. We can learn bountiful things from our interactions inside our family. Certain values we can attribute to our family are  respect, love, affection, truthfulness, certitude, compassion, faith etc.

          On the other hand, it is very essential to ask ourselves: " Do we spend quality time with all the members of our family?", "Are we willing to commit ourselves to spend more time with our loved ones?", "Do we treat all  members of our family equally regardless of their rank, achievements, roles, etc?"

          These are but just some of the questions that we can constantly ask ourselves since being a family man or woman is a day to day commitment. It is such a wonderful feeling when we see all members of our family bonded together by love, affection, trust, acceptance and mutual support.

BE HAPPY INSIDE YOUR FAMILY

          Moreover, each family is a unique entity of any community. Whatever the uniqueness of each family yet there would always be a unified element among all other families. LOVE then becomes the most important component of every family and this love is radiated to all others. Being able to maintain a spontaneous and a positive relationship among all members of the family will result to a healthier environment. Members then will become more gentle, intelligent and likeable person to others.

          Hence I would like to reiterate that spending quality time with our family serves as a positive tool to produce productive members wherein someday, they will also grow as matured members of our society then finally they will also build their own   wonderful families.

How Could We Be Relevant To Each Other?

         When we talk about relevance, it is then essential to know how do we relate to each other. I mean there could be so many labels about relationships -some of these could just be cliche, others would be the skin- deep type and many could be so significant that we mark them deep inside ourselves. Hence, any story about human interest like when a client feels excitement upon trying a new brand or a story about a customer being so overwhelmed by the success of a brand launching is worth note taking. These are examples of basic human experiences that are entertaining and interesting to you and me. Another way could be by telling how somebody overwhelms the sting of being deprived, underprivileged or non privileged to emerge as triumphant at the end.

          When we discuss on human interests, I understand that we normally don't want facts but rather we are moved by the impact of a person's story and life on you and me. How we are affected by certain persons and events in our life is more of an imprint to us. We, human beings,   are more focused on the the experiential level--what is it that we can see, touch and feel--this then plays a significant part in our hearts and minds.

          That exactly was my experience some years back when I personally befriended somebody who lost his left arm due to an accident. When someone sees him in such a condition and who doesn't know him personally can get him wrong and would possibly conclude that he is living a desperate life. One cannot help but feel pity and remorse for his situation. In a very progressive society like Chicago, one can but feel wondering how such a handicapped person could live and survive.

         Ironically, the contrast was what I felt for him ever since the first time that I found him selling newspapers on the  side of a road. Being interested on people, I readily smiled at him and I was glad when he smiled back at me. That was the beginning of our friendship. He had a family of his own----had two sons and a wife. During the next days, he  was consistently present in his place  even during summer with its scorching heat as well as on winter when temperature dropped at times at below zero degrees. A couple of times, I chatted with him either on my way to or from our sessions. One time, I had the chance to invite him for some food and there, I learned more details of him.

         What was so striking to me in all his sharing was that he disregarded the sting of the weather whether it's winter or summer. He joyfully and consistently performed his duties  in the name of his love and concern for his family. Yes it was true that he received some assistance from  the government  yet he told me that he went on working since he was so inspired by his two sons who at that time were doing well in all their studies. Looking back on that experience, I came up with one realization that one's deprivation is not a hindrance for him/her to reach his/her dreams if he/she instills in his/her  mind and heart that everything is done in the name of love. Finally anybody who has the same positive story of winning is very much welcomed to share his/her story here.

HOW DO I USE MY PERSONAL WEBSITE

          Communication is very essential to me. I would rather say that this world evolves and continue to develop by means of the vast world of communication. Basically, this is true for all may it be for human beings like us, for animals etc, there is such a mysterious world when it comes to communication. 

          Personally, one of my ways to express myself including my thoughts, my beliefs, fears, excitement, and many more is by means of my personal website done specifically through blogging. As i did research on the wide variety of the meanings of a website, I come up with the one below to share with you. 

"Personal web pages are World Wide Web pages created by an individual to contain content of a personal nature rather than on behalf of a company, organization or institution. Personal web pages are often used solely for informative or entertainment purposes.

Also often used interchangeably with the term "personal web page" are the terms; "personal web site," "personal home page," or most commonly just "home page." On technical terms, a site's actual home page (index page) often only contains sparse content with some interesting or catchy introductory material and serves mostly as a pointer or table of contents to the content-rich pages inside, such as résumés, family, hobbies, family genealogy, a blog, opinions, online journals and diaries or other writing, work, sound clips, movies, photos, or other interests.^[1] Many personal pages only include information of interest to friends and family of the author."

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

1. ^ "People's Personal Web Sites - People Tell About Themselves" ..."some great personal Web sites" -- about.com.

          Thus, blogging is my own personal expression of myself. This is my means of establishing relationship with you and others. As such, I devote a part of my everyday schedule to update my blogs. Consequently, this brings me sources of joy, fulfillment, inner peace and bonding when I succeed in coming up with new posts to be shared with all my readers. The desire to be in contact with those whom I know and those who are not yet familiar to me is that intense that spending time therefore with my personal website becomes a positive part of my day. We all have distinctive priorities in life and I would say, mine does include this desire to maintain as well as improve a constant interaction with others through various ways like blogging.