Lessons from Mr. Stingy

Every moment should be an opportunity to learn something new...yes, very true but hopefully not on the days when you are expecting to pamper and reward yourself with extra 'goodness'! Not on the days when you are ready to ignore the status quo for the sake of enjoyment. Not on the days when you just wanted to relax and free yourself from all worries. But that moment was unstoppable, the opportunity was so clear and was meant to take place.

Trip to Singapore

It was an awkward yet a remarkable experience for me and Dennis in Singapore several months ago. Our supposed to be 10-day great Singapore experience turned into an unexpected miracle eye- opener for us. It wasn't the beautiful city or the awe-inspiring sites that made us remember Singapore. Ask us again about Singapore and we will untiringly tell you the lessons learned from Mister Stingy!

I call him Mister Stingy-- he is a full blooded Pinoy and lives in Singapore with his wife and daughter. He has been there working for nearly 10 years to support his family. His lovely wife stays at home taking care of their daughter who now goes to primary school. Mister Stingy doesn't rent a house, rather he owns an old but decent three-bedroom flat. It was sold to him by his previous landlord  by installment and currently pays reasonable monthly amortization to the bank. He has managed to lease the spare bedroom which now gives him additional source of income. He has also acquired properties in the Philippines and saved something for his early retirement. He doesn't really earn a lot ... just enough to take good care of his family. But he takes care of his finances very well, far better than any accountant (including myself!) can do.

So what's the magic key to Mister Stingy' s success story? LIVING SIMPLY! He lives a very simple yet contented life! A life of no waste, no excess,  no unnecessary add-ons! Just enough for everything. When he travels, he travels light. He always tries to fit things in one suitcase if possible. And it works well on him most of the time. The bottom line here, all of us can start  living responsibly by starting where we are now and what we currently have. No need to wait for a job promotion or a bigger salary to start saving for our future. If we want to be truly blessed, we just have to learn how to manage God's blessings responsibly and live LIFE simply.

If Mister Stingy made it, why cant we? Good luck to our new journey towards voluntary simplicity!

What Kind of Spice Are You?

Friends who really know me can easily say - "Chill cannot survive in her kitchen all by herself because she cannot really cook!" It's a shame but that's true! Cooking is not really my cup of tea. Rather than putting my apron on and dipping my hands on the sink, I think Dennis would prefer me calling our favorite restaurant for a quick food delivery. At least, we are all assured that we will not starve for the day. Good thing, we always have Kathy to save our hungry tummies.

Spice market photo @ www.kenresearch.com

But despite of my cooking deficiencies, I am not putting my hopes down. I have promised myself I will be learning how to cook the best way I can.In fact, I started my lesson last week with various spices and I would like to share some interesting thoughts on it.

Have you ever thought that spices are pretty much like us? Read below some of my favorites and decide for yourself:

Every kitchen has this - Black Pepper. It has a sharp, penetrating aroma and with a woody, piney flavor. It is hot and biting to the taste.

Cilantro has the "indescribable" bold flavor - it has a mixture of sage, parsley, and citrus that adds pungent flavor and sets apart many dishes.

Cinnamon (my personal favorite)is characterized as woody, musty, earthy, and sweet flavored spice. It is warming to the taste. Cinnamons can be whole, sticks, or ground and can be used in spiced vegetable dishes as well as in sweet baking dishes.

Paprika is the "garnish spice" that contributes brilliant color and sweet pepper flavor in light colored dishes. It is often used in French dressing and a popular addition to many rubs, marinades and sauces.  

For no good reason,most of us can be like Mr Black Pepper - sharp and woody and hot tempered (and bite like a dog when being annoyed!).

Boldness that sets apart -now I can call this "cilantropic attitude". Looking at the positive side, cilantropic people can inspire us with their creativity and boldness in all their endeavors.

Speaking about Cinnamoners, I think everybody would want to be like them -- warm, good natured souls. They are down to earth and can hang out with people from all walks of life.

The Paprikans are people gifted with brilliance that can illuminate a gloomy atmosphere. Their mere presence can inspire and spice up one's life.

And of course, who can ever forget Mr.Salt? No further words required, but no cooking can survive without a pinch of salt.

So what about you? Have you thought what kind of spice are you?

Create a difference, spice up your life with love and goodness!

This Will Soon Pass

I consider myself an eternal optimist…though I’ve been put in a lion’s den sometimes, it doesn’t put my soul in a trap. I always make it a point to stand up, and gather any spark of strength left in my veins to go on with the fight. After all, things like these in our lives always happen but will soon pass. And it did…and it always will, believe me!

Photo by Story & Shots: Keep Calm Lion King

This Will Soon Pass…

The tunnel seems so dark; I don’t see where the road leads
The heart seems so numb; I don’t feel where the pain goes
Deafening silence can be heard from the inside, it suffocates
Screaming out loud I cannot do, agony it intensifies
No words can comfort me; neither any touch can ease the hurting
Everything seems hopeless; I cannot cling to any vine of longing

Giving up seems to be an easy way out
Should I hold on and suffer?
Or should I let go and die?
Sometimes I fall
Sometimes I falter
Sometimes I am drifting
Sometimes I am denying
Sometimes I cease from hoping
Sometimes I hold back my faith from moving
But I don’t lose my soul
For I know, things like these will soon pass.

Life is Beautiful

Life is full of amazing surprises…Sometimes it makes you shiver and cry…Sometimes it brings you joy and laugh on high…Sometimes it says nice hellos …Sometimes it bids painful good-byes…Life is full of hopes and wondrous graces…Sometimes we see it, sometimes we don't…Sometimes we just sit and wait for our stars to come out…Sometimes we just close our eyes and let the day pass with a sigh…Sometimes we lift up everything on high and say let it be…But life goes on beyond laughters and tears, hopes and wishes…Life awaits hopeful beginnings to those who can truly accept painful endings …Life treasures long friendships to those who can endure agonizing distances…Life moves mountains to those who can struggle weak knees and fretful hearts…Life brings forth a beautiful journey to those who really believe and make life beautiful.

Photo by Story & Shots: Color your life with beauty

Everyone has his own creative way of starting a new year. I started mine dusting up and recollecting my old memory files. As far as I can remember, those memory trinkets I have kept were ten or fifteen years ago but it seems like the words and the memories are as fresh as those good old days. I should have created my own memory museum to capture and preserve all of these. Would you imagine our happy childhood days when love letters are finely written in sweet scented stationeries and cards are well crafted with beautiful words and sincerest feelings of love and friendship? And who can forget the smiley faces, the beautiful collection of scents and stickers, the secret pen names, the poetic words, and heart-warming flatteries? Ahhh…those were the days of great adventures…carefree moments of creating dreams and wishes…and literally, an era of simplicity and hopefulness.

Yes, sometimes it’s good to think of happy memories when you are bombarded with uncontrollable spills of life. It clears your perspective and somehow, makes you feel not all days are bad and this one will soon pass. Perhaps, some of us went through days of faltering faith, tormenting nights of tears and worries, and unending race to nowhere. I did, and I still do from time to time. There are times, when I just don’t know how to pray and say thank you. There are times, when I get so impatient and too confident to do things on my own. There are times, when I expect too much and ended up so distressed with my expectations. There are times when my own race of life becomes meaningless and exhausting. But despite these low tide moments of my life, I realized, life is, and can always be beautiful if I choose it to become beautiful.

Would you believe, there is always beauty in every detail of our ordinary existence? There is beauty in the failure of our dreams…it motivates us to get up and learn and start again building new dreams. There is beauty in the parting of lives…it brings us to another beginning and a time to begin a fresh new life. There is beauty in being heart broken…it restores our hearts and makes our soul strong after the wound has healed. There is beauty in not having enough money…it makes us contented in living a simple life. There is beauty in patiently waiting for our destiny… it makes us realize even if the waiting takes a lifetime, everything will be worth the wait. There is beauty in being restless…it makes you cling to a great God and yearns for his protective embrace.

Indeed, there is beauty in love and pain…in high tides and low tides… in success and failures…in joy and sadness…in hellos and goodbyes…in certainty and ambiguity…in life and death. And remember, life can always be beautiful if you make it so.

Why I love THANK YOU

Thank You…

When someone utters these words spontaneously and with all sincerity, my heart dances with euphoria. When I give someone a gift, a favor, or a portion of my precious time, I ought to have something in return. But that something doesn’t have to be an expensive gift, a remarkable favor, or a return for my precious time.All I need to give you back to me is your sincerest thank you.

Photo by Story & Shots: Pure Love

It’s not actually the idea of expecting always something in return, but it is the remarkable feeling of joy that I get from being appreciated and thanked for. For I understand, the spirit of giving does not end with the gift being given to you. Rather it continues when you give thanks and make another person feel good.

You see, if the human race knows the importance of thank-yous in our lives,we could have prevented thousands of people from being miserable and distressed. We could have put a spark of hope in their lives,by simply thanking them for creating a difference in us. We could have move mountains and lift a soul by our simple whisper of thank you. And perhaps, if all of us take time to make it a habit to say that simple thank you, we could have created heaven in the middle of the world.

That is why, if there’s one word left in the world, 

I want it to be…THANKYOU!

The Reason for Rainbows

Rainbow on Sky photo  from www.7-themes.com

Has anyone of you seen a rainbow lately? Not much, I guess. I seldom see it myself nowadays and it makes me wonder why. I miss the beauty and the mystery it exudes. Rainbows never fail to amaze me since I was a kid. I always asked myself why it is beautifully painted in the sky and appears for some time? Why can’t it stay there for long? What are rainbows for? Where did it come from and where it goes when it disappears? Until now, I don’t know the exact answers. The only thing I understand about rainbows is…they are painted in the sky to remind us hope never ceases and God never forgets us. That’s why I always love to see rainbows.

Here's a poem I wrote long years back to remind me of Rainbows.

The Reason for Rainbows

Forty days and forty nights of unceasing rains and floods
There seems to be no more hope left for a sun to rise above
Every edge of the sky is painted with dark, angry clouds
There seems to be no end to the angels’ sob

When will the sun come out and dry the land?
When will the angels sing and tune the band?
When will the sky clear and brighten the heaven?
When will the rainbow appear and hope be given?

Sighs disappear, when rainbows appear
Clear, blue clouds can be seen all over
And colorful hope floats freely in the air
Yes, rainbows are there painted in the sky
To remind us always that hope never ceases
And God never forgets.

Scattering Butterfly’s Hope

Hello, friends….

I woke up today seeing paper butterflies hanging on the ceiling of my room. I wonder how these butterflies become the beautiful creatures they are. They seem to be blessed with many beautiful things… brave wings to let them fly somewhere and amazing colors to bring hope to the flowers.

If men have the courage to take risks and hope to change the way things are like that of a butterfly…then great possibilities are endless for each one of us.

So, here’s a challenge for you, friends.

Be like a brave butterfly and scatter butterfly’s hope!

Keep dreaming…

Chille:)

I love to do things that are not usual and obvious to the ordinary mind …things that require elusive imagination and radical passion. Some people call it strange…weird…hard-to-dig-personality. I call it spontaneous creativity.

Who ever dreamed of being surrounded with butterflies, feel the passion of their touch and hold the beauty of that joyful experience? I did…and I still do everyday. But I can’t afford to buy those expensive butterflies and imprison them in one place just to satisfy my radical passion. I wouldn’t endure the sight of those beautiful creatures being locked and caged for my own benefit. So I thought of creating my own butterfly sanctuary out of hard cutout colored pictures and let them hang in the ceiling of my room as if they are really flying. Then to add dramatic background in my room I put butterfly stickers and flowers of different colors and glow in the dark butterflies in the wall. Would you believe, it’s like waking up each day in a butterfly garden? If I stayed on dreaming or just waited for the chance to be surrounded by butterflies, perhaps, it would take some time to realize that dream or be there at the place I wanted to.

I also remember the time when very few people have recognized yoga as a good healing exercise. Some perceived it as something weird and senseless...a boring activity. Some even associated it as an agnostic or atheist’s work out. I wanted to see whether those perceptions were valid. So I tried it… even learned to love it …and skewed the old theories. Now I’m enjoying the healing energy –both body and soul- that yoga exercise brings me. If I were not curious enough to try it and disprove the old notion, I wouldn’t know and I will never ever know the healing power of yoga.

The lesson for me here is this: if I want to do something to change my world, the possibility of achieving the change I dream of lies in my hands. I don’t have to wait for the right chance or depend on other people to make it happen for me. Right chance takes place if I allow it to take place and change will come to me if I work for it (…which tells me I have to conclude my long-ignored unfinished businesses in life!). Sometimes, it really pays to go out of our shell, search out, and take a risk (even if the risk breaks our soul sometimes!).

Google image:  Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus

This reminds me of the story of the two caterpillars, “Stripe and Yellow” in the Hope for the Flowers. In the tale, Stripe and Yellow, want something more from life than eating and growing bigger. But they mistake the urge to get high so they get caught up in a “caterpillar pillar” filled with a squirming mass of caterpillar bodies, each determined to reach a top so far away it can’t be seen. Finally disillusioned, they discover that the way for caterpillars to find their particular “more”, or who they really are, is to enter the cocoon and “risk for a butterfly.”

Most of us experienced being disillusioned sometimes in our lives. Disillusion with the way life is made for us…disillusion with the way our world is turning…disillusion with our own expectations. We want to fly and reach the sky, yet don’t know how. We crave for many things, many wishes, yet don’t know exactly what we want. It’s as if we’re just waiting for a magical moment to tear down the whole order of things and in a strike of a wand, we’re expecting that everything will be renewed, and we’ll live in a whole new world.

There’s nothing wrong with being a dreamer. I am a dreamer and I will remain a dreamer forever. But I dream in a real world. And one thing I’ve learned in dreaming in a real world is how to struggle with faith and hope.

Some of us struggle to “climb the top” and would only feel contentment if they reach the top of the heap. Others are already there at the top of the heap yet feeling so empty… thus still searching for something more meaningful. But searching for one’s self, one’s destiny, one’s purpose for existence, is not always easy. Searching is a struggle…a difficult struggle. But the hard knocks of searching are there to give us a sense of achievement, a sense of hope that somehow we are going to a place meant for us. Some of us are not just meant to climb the top… some of us are meant to fly. For Stripe and Yellow, surrendering to the cocoon is the only way to fly and become a beautiful butterfly. For some of us, changing perspectives, changing priorities, finishing unfinished business and surrendering to serve others and touch lives is the only way to reach a complete, meaningful life.

The amazing transformation of a caterpillar, a lowly worm, into a glorious flying creature is hard to believe. But it’s true because we have actually seen a real butterfly. And as long as there are butterflies in the garden, the flowers will not cease from hoping and people can hope for other transformations invisible to the eye.

Fill your life with butterfly’s hope. And if you believe in that hope, try scattering it to other gardens. You just don’t know what your hope can do to other souls.

Writing Fascination

I used to think writing is only for highly intelligent people. It doesn’t follow I guess. I know a lot of high- IQ people but their minds stutter when they write. I don’t have such a gifted brain, but I know I can write. In writing, eloquence of the mind may be important, but I think, it is more important to have eloquence of the heart. For me, a genuine writing ability springs from the heart and soul, not just the mind. You may know a lot of high-sounding words, or maybe you’re an expert with crossword puzzles, but if you don’t have a genuine heart in conveying your thoughts, you can’t string those words into a beautiful package of language and touch a soul.

There are a lot of reasons why we should be fascinated with writing. It’s like a therapy for some broken souls. It’s like an outlet of fear and anger, a weapon to combat pains and hurts. Try sometimes to put everything on a piece of paper (then shred it off, later!) and I tell you, your heart will feel like it’s being consoled temporarily. Some people write when they are overflowing with joy… or when their hearts cannot contain the happiness within and they are bursting to the seams. Writing is more of a heart full of spirit that one is eager to share with someone. It’s like a soul that never ceases to say, “I love you” till the other soul says, “I love you” back. Thoughts never cease on flowing till the soul pours out everything in words.

Writing is magical too, because it makes you closer to souls you can’t reach…it comforts lonely spirits… it befriends strangers… it heals broken hearts…and it simply gives life to a deserted world. I don’t know but there is that amazing fascination I get when I write. It makes me happy…it consoles me…it allows me to dream and dream…it gives life to my soul. There is always this strong force within me, wanting to explode! That’s why, I want other souls to discover the magic and fascination one can get from writing.

Believe me, writing is not that difficult. Everyone can write, as long as there is that spark in your heart to create an idea or to express a thought. It can be a thank-you note for a friend…a message of comfort for a weary soul…a smiley face put on paper with your name on it…some sharp words of pain when you soul is hurting…words expressing your love to someone…anything that goes in and out of your mind is a masterpiece for writing.

Start with some simple words…write everything that comes in your mind. Never mind whether it’s structured or not, grammatically correct, or lousy. Just write it out. Spontaneity is more important. Make writing as a habit. Write whenever you want…in the morning when you wake up, you will be surprised, where did all these thoughts come from…and in the evening, you will be happy to transcribe everything that has transpired during the day. Write whenever and wherever you feel like writing…you can be in the middle of your sleep and something within you wanting to be heard or poured out, get up and write! You can be reading a book, and an idea eventually spring out, document it! You can be in your solitary moment, and you just want to share your solitude with a friend, grab a pen and say what you feel. You see, every moment is valuable…every moment is worth remembering…every moment is fleeting that how we wish we all have eidetic memories to store it in our minds.

So why not try, writing it all out now…and someday, you will be thankful…you’ve learned how to write!

Dream of Heaven

A passage from a book called “Transforming #1” caught my attention  that I can’t help but share it with you.  It tells you what heaven is like and what I believe it is so. It says:

Google Image

“Heaven is having an entire planet on which to live. Heaven is having billions of companions in the game called life. Heaven is having challenges, which stretch you out so that you can see how big you are. Heaven is being born and having a body to serve you and support you. Heaven is having people around you available to love you whenever you are ready to give up being right. Heaven is living in an age of transformation and having the opportunity to participate in that transformation. Heaven is having a condition of enlightenment in the world through which you can use your life to cut like a knife. Heaven is having people in the world whom you can admire and respect. Heaven is having nothing given to you. Heaven is starting from the starting line in life and building your very own personality and your very own life out of the raw material of your own abilities. Heaven is being alive and having a dream.”

Like a fiddler in the roof, I have a dream. I have a dream that I could create a difference in the lives of other people. I have a dream that transformation will take place in each one of us, and that we will wake up one morning and love not only those we know and near us but love those people we don’t know, not because of a certain reason, but just because that the way life is. I have a dream that starvation will end, and scarcity will be filled. I have a dream that every child can enjoy his childhood instead of running on the streets begging for food or struggling for a living. I have a dream that women are well protected and respected. I have a dream that all love will be pure and sacred, and not just casually given today and will lose its meaning tomorrow. I have a dream that there is no such thing as war and hatred and selfishness and cowardice. I have a dream that people will dare to step out of line, to be brave enough to put into action their transformed ideas, and to make the contribution to life that each person deeply wants to make. I dream all these dreams and I keep on dreaming them more and more everyday.

No doubt, I am no different from you. I know you have dreams too. I know that you ache to make your contribution in life. I know you want to create a difference in the lives of others. I know that when it becomes real for you that you can make a difference… that you can make the contribution of which you always dreamed, you will step out of line, you will operate in a space of no agreement, you will confront and be responsible for the condition of the world. And I know that you know that it starts with you, that once you know yourself and treat yourself out of your own magnificence you can begin to treat others in like manner.

I am certain that every one of us has, at the base of our hearts, the desire to contribute, to make a difference.

I guess things are never too late for us to start a transformed life. Sometimes though, its difficult to travel on our own towards an unexplored road, but if we have other souls walking along beside us, doubtlessly we’ll reach the path destined for each one of us. After all, we live in this world for a reason. And that reason, we have to find out.

I am looking forward to the future of our partnership in this journey called life!

The Roller Coaster Ride

Roller coaster is unpredictable. You get in, you sit down, and you’re strapped on. You’re there for the ride. And then you go up, then you go down, and your stomach feels like it’s falling out of your body. It’s so exciting and you’re scared and you don’t know where you’re going and you don’t know what’s happening next. It just goes around and around and around.

Life is like a roller coaster. You just get on, and you’re there for the ride. You go up, you go down, you make mistakes, you get praises, you feel good, you feel bad, you tell the truth, you tell lies, you get a slap on your face, you get an honest reward, you win some, you lose some, you love today, you will be out of love tomorrow.

Like a roller coaster, everything in life is uncertain. No one stays on top no one remains at the bottom neither one clings at the center. It may not be given as a choice but everyone can have the chance to have a good ride in the roller coaster of life.