the awesome little things: July 2014

Thursday, July 31, 2014

photo alignment trial #2

still very new to this. i wish to be able to tell the story behind the photos and i want to show the photos in the most beautiful way possible. today, this will do for a beginner who just stumbled upon this topic today.

photo alignment trial

how i wish this was so simple. for me at least :( i am still dazzled over the html codes i totally did not get it. but i will keep trying. both in taking pictures, learning to edit and blogging for me and you.

well, for all it's worth, this has been fun and a great way to bust some stress ;)

li'l creativity

hi there!

let me share with you here some of my stress busters. when life gets too stuffy with pressures all around me, i took comfort being lost in a creative world where freedom is the only rule.

hope you will enjoy them as much as i did :)

when there is too little

on my way to the office, i stopped by the ATM to get my pay. It's payday! :)
i never outgrew the sensation i have every time i stand before the money machine keying in my pin and waiting to see how much i have to live with for the next 15 days. today is no exception. oh the thrill! ;)
most often, i get what i expect. just enough means to live by. and the next 2 weeks will be spent creatively on budgeting and praying :D the blessing of an earned income has led me to even more appreciate the following 3 gifts in my life.

my work.
it's both a gift and a responsibility. the work that i have hones my skills, improves my capabilities and forms my character. how i respond to challenges and deal with people has helped me a lot in my personal and community growth. by God's grace i am able to put into practice what my training gave me during my formative years. plus, the work pays the bills and other needs.

my family.
it's always a joy to be able to spend for the family. it may not be too often and too plenty, still the delight in my heart to share and afford food and stuffs for the home and family is priceless. having the family huddle together before the tube enjoying a good dvd movie and a cup of our favorite ice cream is truly pure joy.

my community.
community building work is said to be pricey - in time, talent and treasure. but the joy and fulfillment is even more valuable. and it certainly wouldn't hurt if you can share a pie of pizza or a birthday cake when the group are all in. oh the laughter and precious moments. priceless.

when i walked away from that ATM machine this morning and done with the "flexible" budget, the faith exercise begins anew. give what is due to the Lord and to His people, the rest is simply relying on His providence. in my 13 years of toiling, not one need has been left unaided. i never had too little. i only have enough and more of priceless joy no money can buy.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

this girl will keep walking onward

this was originally just a post on a picture i was playing with in a photo editing software.

today, a day before July closes, my heart breaks for a seemingly unending challenge prevailing in the workplace. it seems like there's no end to keep pushing for more. close to my breaking point, i couldn't help but to recognize the tension within and i just couldn't contain the tears welling up. i had to let it all go, suck it in and straighten up my back. a minute or two of just crying over it in the ladies room did the therapy. there's no enemy, only the overwhelming sense of pressure. wiping my tears, clearing my vision i just know i have to move along. if i give up, there will be no victory for me. if i let this defeat me, there is no real growth taking place. i am not tough. i only strive to get better each day. today is a fork in the road. i choose to follow the one that may offer more obstacles up ahead but will surely teach me the value of not giving up.

i will honor today by taking one more step. forward.

the awesome little things

I love my work. I love my life. I do. But every once in a while I'd get cramped up with routines and deadlines. And it's a constant struggle not to get defeated, instead to rise above it and shine. My fight to survive led me to my colorful romance with pens, notebooks, stickers, washy tapes, post its, construction papers, beads, crayons, pencils and more pens :) They just make me so happy. Recently, going through another bout of crampiness [cramp+grumpiness] I wanted to explore other stuffs. Something creative, something that can perk up the other side of my brain. I turned to writing for some solace but the blank screen keeps staring back at me with the cursor impatiently waiting for the keys to move, ready to scream me off if only he could talk. I gave up and looked up to heaven again to plead what He has to say.

I'll skip the part on how it all started but just very recently I got interested in looking at photographs. Particularly those that awaken a certain spark of gratitude and inspiration in me. And I'm even more interested to learn how to tell a story through what I see. This new found interest fills my veins with enthusiasm and my head with endless ideas. I am excited once again to wake up and open my eyes, to pause and savor, to take slow steps and enjoy the sights. It has added a new flavor to my prayer life. Everywhere I turn, all I see is beauty. And it brings me back to the Source of everything who can delight my soul even with the minutest thing. It's like being blessed once again with a pair of new eyes to see and appreciate the little details. I hope one day, I can be able to show you the best way possible what I see and how it has blessed me. The sharing part is what excites me more. Let me just have time to learn a few skills before I can let you all in on it :) In as much as I was blessed by how a life is lived, I pray in my own little way I can also spread some inspiration to thank God who made all these things possible. Who am I that you should love me? But I cannot argue. I am loved. And every second is an opportunity to love God in return. Simply by celebrating the awesome little things.