My Thank You God List for Today

I am grateful for:

God's gift of life and love, family and friends, good cheer, joy and happiness.

The gift of another beautiful day added to my life.

The gift of healing, enlightenment and peace of mind... plus a good night's sleep.

God's instruments constantly working in my life--bringing hope, strengthening faith and spreading love to me and through me.

The opportunity to learn new things, gain new insights, practice what I've learned and learn how to redirect my actions in service of God's ministry.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom to use them for service. This is a constantly evolving process so I'm curious, nervous yet excited at the same time. It's such a great feeling knowing that little by little God's plans for me are being revealed. Lord, as I continue to pray for guidance, wisdom, enlightenment and discernment, through the power of the Holy Spirit, please continue to mold me and use me in service of your ministry. I pray for healing for my family and others who need it most. Please touch and heal us Lord, this I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

My "Thank You God" List for Thursday, 1/21/10

I am grateful for:

1. The gifts of life and love, loving family and loyal friends.
Thank you Lord for adding one more day to my life and blessing me with great family and friends, new acquaintances and for simply loving me unconditionally.

2. The gifts of guidance, enlightenment and discernment.
Thank you Lord for showing me the way and helping me out amidst all of my struggles and for sending your instruments to guide me along the way.

3. The gifts of hope, second chances and the chance to build bridges.
Thank you Lord for being the light at the end of my tunnel, for granting new opportunities and giving me a new job, finally!

Praise you Lord Jesus! Thank you for overlooking my mistakes and sins and giving me yet another chance. I am humbled and ecstatic at the same time. Yay! Thank you Lord! Your love is awesome! You are awesome! I love you Lord!

My "Thank You God" List for Tuesday, 1/5/10

After yesterday's slump, today is such a wonderful (and welcome) surprise! So many opportunities have come up and I'm on a natural high. Yep, it's that time of the day again. Time to thank God for all the blessings he has showered upon me. :)

I am grateful for:

1. The gift of life, love, family and friends. I am especially thankful for God's never-ending guidance, which has led me to new doors that He has opened for me. I love my life! :)

2. New opportunities and second chances. Truly, I am amazed at God's boundless love for us. I know some people may get tired of hearing this but everyday is a new beginning for me. Yesterday I was so down cuz I had to turn down a job offer from a very close friend. It was heart-wrenching for me to say no because aside from the fact that I am such a people-pleaser, this was kinda my fault cuz I wasn't up front about my hesitation over the long hours. I felt really bad and it was such an unexpected downturn that I was really so melodramatic about it. Long story short, I woke up to a welcome call from a former employer asking me if I was interested in taking on a new client. Praise the Lord for such fantastic news! :)

3. Tonight's get-together with my oldest friends from grade school, my closest friends, my berkz, my peepz... well, you get the picture. Round two this time! Wheee! Can't wait! Updates and pix tomorrow. Mere words cannot express how much I love these peepz. I'm amazed cuz they've stayed with me through thick and thin, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health... and we're not even married. lolz. Thank you, Lord for giving me such wonderful friends. May we continue to be blessed with many years of good health, good cheer and clean fun. Wait, the last part may be stretching it. Fortune na lang akong iilis peepz ha? :)

And so that caps my list for the day. I'm keeping it to 3 for now, just to keep things interesting cuz I tend to ramble. lolz. Cheers everyone! God bless you all! :)

My "Thank You God" List for Saturday, 1/2/10

Now that 2010 is officially underway, I've got so much to be thankful for that I simply don't have enough time to write everything down. So from now on, I'll limit them to 3 things.

I am grateful for:

1. The gift of life. New year, new life. Lots to be excited about.

2. The chance to go back to a former employer (or two, God willing). I won't say which one(s), since everything's still up in the air. Needless to say, I'm gonna have to make the tough decision -- office or home-based work. Tough decision, cuz I like working at home but I also miss working in an office environment. I am grateful for every opportunity that God has sent my way but heaven help me, making this choice is going to be sooo difficult. Wish me luck?

3. The gift of forgiveness and second chances. This one's a no-brainer. I know how tough it is for us to forgive each other for offenses real and imaginary. One thing that amazes me though, is God's boundless love for all of His creation. I'm amazed that He finds it so easy to forgive us, no matter how many times we have sinned. I am both humbled and awed by His patience and unwavering faith in all of us. I mean, it's a bit ironic that in spite of our lack of faith, sometimes, God never lets go of us.

And so, I will end today's list with a short prayer. Thank you, Lord, for loving us unconditionally and for making the ultimate sacrifice. I pray that this year would bring us love, peace, joy, hope, and faith. I pray that the gifts of reconciliation, kindness and gentleness will rule in our hearts. I pray that broken relationships will be healed and that love will reign all over the world, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit remain in our hearts. This I ask in Jesus' name. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

My "Thank You God" List for New Year's Eve 2010

Advance na lang ni kay I can't wait til midnight. Sooo sleepy na me. (Yeah, right! Eat pa me spaghetti. Mi favorito! hehe.)

I am grateful for 3 major things:

1. The gift of life -- here on earth and the one that awaits us in heaven -- life everlasting. Thank you, Jesus for coming here on earth, becoming one of us, suffering the indescribable agony on your cross, our cross, and saving all of us from the slavery of sin. I praise you Lord Jesus, now and forever. Thank you, Lord. Your love truly is incomparable. I am utterly humbled by your love for all of us, sinners that we are.

2. The gift of love -- from God, from my family and friends. Thank you everyone, for making 2009 memorable for me. May God continue to shower all of us with blessings, good health, good cheer and endless love, peace, joy and happiness all throughout the coming year. Peace be with all of you!

3. The gift of yet another year -- hope I make it til the end of 2010. Hey, only God knows what's in store for me, for all of us so cheers to everyone! Have a blast tonight but please, please be safe. No firecrackers, I hope. Basta, be safe lang jud. Much love to you all! Hugs and kisses! Happy new year! La buona fortuna! (Hope I got that right. In any case, good luck, everybody!) Praise the Lord for another year! I can't wait to unravel what He has in store for me. Yipee! Nyt nyt Peepz! See you next year! And the countdown begins. Mana daw ang new year sa New Zealand, ingon c Marjo. Hahaha. Ka late pud nato oi. :)

My "Thank You God" List for Saturday, 12/26/09

I know. I wasn't able to make my usual list for Christmas day. Sorry, I got too caught up in my blog about Father Bob's sermon that I was too tired to write anymore after that. In short, tingbon lang nako karon. hehe.

I am grateful for:

1. The birth of our Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus for saving poor wretched sinners like us (hmmm... too much ra pud ang wretched no?). I am forever grateful for the gift of salvation and life everlasting. Thank you, Lord!

2. The chance to spend quality time with my half-brother and cousin. Thanks, Vin and Don! I had a blast! Even though nag cramps jud ko from all the walking we did... sakit from feet to upper thigh. But what the heck, these muscles need to adjust kay I intend to start walking again, bahala na maabot na pud ko ug airport ani walking. hehehe. I sorely need the exercise so Evz! :P

3. Hanging out at the mall with my best cuz, Donna (and almost running into her old karela. wahahaha. now that would've been one very awkward moment!), and then eating Mais and sharing a 500ml-bottle coke on the way home. Mas lami pa kaysa mga fastfood sa Gai Mac. As in! :)

4. Coming across some of my old write-ups during our local general cleaning. Forward mags, natch! As in napa ako pic didto nga naghiyong ang mata pag first year! Tawn pud oi. hehehe. Nice man diay mi mo write even back then. Char! Self-promotion ayo. I'm thinking of bringing these mags gai to our reunion tomorrow though not sure pa ko if katunga ko kay sunod2x jud ako laag ron ay. Medyo kutas pa... yeah right! Ako? Kutasan laag? Now that will be the day!

5. The prospect of seeing some of my oldest writing pals from college. Forward Fipol reunion tomorrow -- for those who have not received the memo from our ever responsible organizer, Belle. Now this, I have to attend! Wish me luck, peepz! Cuz I need to convince the fam to let me go pa. Kinda feeling Britney, er, "overprotected" here...

6. The promise of yet another warak, este, kodak moments come Tuesday with K2y and the gang. Looking forward to that jud! Bahala d ko sugtan ana, moipsot jud ko. Ing ana ta mo ka love Noemz. (Diay to, ikaw na pud ako alibi Noemz. hala ka! hahaha. peace wui!)

7. Hearing about Marvin's call center antics. I never realized lingaw man diay ang call center jobs, irate callers and all. Thanks for the advice pud, bro! Will chill re the job thingy. I know God has a plan for me so I'll wait for His go-signal. Kay I wanna be in for keeps this time. Lord, your will be done! My calendar is yours, iuli na pud nako Lord, kay You're much better at planning my life than I ever will be. I surrender my occupation na pud this time. Thank you, God!

8. I am grateful for all the laags pud this month, and all the laags that are still coming up. Can't wait, y'all! Looking forward to more chika, sungog and perhaps harassment suits? aw unsa ba? wahahaha.

Seriously though, I have a lot to be grateful for this month alone. I'm sooo psyched I embarked on this journey of documenting my gratitude on a daily basis. Gives me something to look forward to each day and maybe something to look back on in the near future? When I'm old and gray, I hope my blogs will still be around cuz I sure would love to reminisce about the things I have been grateful for. I bet magbalik balik ra jud ni ba. Life, love, good friends and loving family. Ah, God truly is good! Thank you, Lord Jesus! Happy birthday again! :)

The Lord of Lords (and why the other lords don't matter)

This afternoon I'm reminded why I absolutely enjoy listening to one of Father Bob's sermons. His theme for today's mass was, of course, about the birth of our Lord. Never in a million years would I have guessed that he had a list of other "lords" waiting. Seriously!

First, he talked about drug lords. Now who doesn't know one of those. Admit it, even if you don't know one of them in person, surely you've heard who they are and what they are now infamous for -- their business, I mean. For those who are still in the "buffering" stages, drug lords are best known for heading drug "rings". Okay, I have to admit, I kind of inserted the rings part. I was really tempted to shout "lord of the rings" earlier so you're gonna have to forgive me for that pun. It was intended. Sorry.

Anyway, Father Bob talked about the next set of lords, the warlords. You know, like the ones who staged the whole bloody massacre in Maguindanao. For those who are offline, (not even buffering), the Massacre was a whole bloody mess, pardon my British accent (?). Well, these lords are even worse than the druglords. They kill... actual people! And they don't have any qualms about getting their hands (or someone else's for that matter) really dirty!

At this point, I'm gonna have to stop and say a short prayer for those who died in Maguindanao. May they rest in peace. Lord, please forgive them for all their sins and may they see the light of your presence in heaven. Thank you, Lord, Amen.

Next, Father Bob talked about the gambling lords. You know, the ones who made jai-alai infamous in the Philippines. Those who "manage" casinos and other gambling rings, legal and illegal. I won't go on and on about it since I really wanna get to the next bunch.

At this point, I was really fidgeting a lot, dying to shout out my favorite (sugarcoated!) set of lords -- the ones I came to know quite well back in college during my rebellious years -- the landlords. And yes, Father Bob mentioned them. He even said the word "sugar lords". I think he was referring to those who owned haciendas in our provinces and oppressed sugar farmers.

I was really tempted to giggle at this point cuz I was just watching Spidey 3 earlier and I couldn't help but think about Sandman during the time of his transformation from just another fugitive to, well, Sandman. That's how I pictured sugar lords would look like. But that's just me. Yes, I'm that weird. Sorry. I didn't giggle though. I was in church and the topic was serious. Talk about inappropriate. I still have my manners, thank you very much!

Anyway, I'm quite familiar with the brand of "killing" landlords do. I won't bore you to tears with my version of that tale. Needless to say, they "kill" farmers little by little with each passing day simply by withholding Filipino farmers' God-given right to own the land that they till -- the land they work on from daybreak to sundown until they go home bone-weary to their families to eat their meager dinners and get a few hours of sleep before waking up in the wee hours to go back to the same routine. Day in and day out, they till lands they don't own. That's how our farmers "die" a slow death.

Well, some landlords have no problem about killing farmers point blank, no questions asked. I've met quite a few landlords who were not afraid to show off their different guns. Yes, I mean the ones that blow people's brains out! But the rest of them are even more brutal. Forgive me Lord for my harshness but this is such a sore topic, I just had to write this down.

And so, the point of the entire sermon was simple, really. Father Bob stressed that we have only one Lord, the one who became man, suffered and died on the cross to save all of us. He became sin so that our sins would be forgiven. He was God, even before our creation. Yet, when He came here, His people would not accept Him for who He was and still is -- our Savior -- the promise of the Father. And so, all those mini-lords are or should be put to shame! Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior came here to save us. Yet, these mini-lords still have the gall to lord it over others, to put it bluntly.

Now you see why Father Bob made mention of all those lords -- to put into contrast the damage and devastation they have made to the salvation that our true Lord brought us. Yes, the offer still stands, eternal life, the forgiveness of sins and your salvation. Your choice!

As a footnote, I admire the way Father Bob used his own personal loss to highlight a silent killer, an epidemic of sorts -- lung cancer. His exact words were, "to all men out there, if you want to die young, then keep on smoking your sticks of cigarettes!" You see, his younger brother died of lung cancer due to chronic smoking. They buried him yesterday, the day before Christmas. My condolences to you, Father Bob.

And so I will end with a short prayer for Father Bob's brother. May he rest in peace. Lord, please forgive him his sins and may he see the light of your presence in heaven, this I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

3 Surprising Negative Effects of Overeating

The obvious negative effects of overeating are extra weight and jeopardized health. Most people are well aware of these negative effects. But overeating affects so many other aspects of your life, too. As a psychiatrist who has worked with overeaters for decades, I understand that if you’re an overeater, there is so much more at stake than just your weight.

Take a look at these surprising negative effects of overeating:

1. You Still Feel Hungry


Emotional eating is when your hunger for emotional fulfillment gets turned into physical hunger for food. The only problem with eating for comfort is that while your stomach is getting filled, your heart still remains empty. Eating might make you forget about your emotional needs for a few minutes, or even an hour, but no matter how much food you eat your real needs never get met. The more you eat, the more your emotional hunger grows. As time passes, using food this way leads to feelings of defeat and depression. Looking for the real source of your hunger and addressing it directly will help restore your hope.

2. Your Psychological Growth Gets Stunted


When food gets installed as a coping mechanism, it becomes a quick fix instead of finding a real solution. Once you get relief from food, you turn to it to deal with more and more problems. Suddenly, you’re eating when you’re overwhelmed, tired, bored, lonely, frustrated, irritated, or to deal with just about any uncomfortable feeling that arises. As time passes you no longer believe that you can handle life without food and even simple tasks suddenly feel too difficult to take on. The more you turn to food, the more insecure you become. Psychological skills are like muscles. If you don’t use them, you lose them. Thinking things through and developing new skills will help you feel confident and efficient.

3. Your Relationships Remain Unfulfilling


When food becomes a substitute friend or lover, it can become easier to eat than to deal with fostering intimacy in your relationships. Human relationships can be hard work, but all people crave connection and food never replaces love. Perhaps you’ve found yourself eating when you’re lonely or to compensate for an unsatisfying relationship. As time passes you turn to food more and more to fill your relationship needs. The more you use food in this way the less motivated you are to develop new social skills, or to heal an ailing relationship.

Doing the work to make your relationships more fulfilling will help you feel close and connected.

It can seem like the only way to lose weight is to restrict your calories and exercise more. However, sometimes it’s better to approach things in reverse. Start to see the ways that you are using food as a coping mechanism as your guideposts. Use them to point you towards the places where you need to grow or develop new skills. As you focus on your life more, you will naturally focus on food less. The result will be a life that that’s more fulfilling. Losing weight will simply be an added bonus.

My "Thank You God" List for Christmas Eve 2009

I have so much to be thankful for, not just for this day, but every single day that I've been blessed with in my oh-so-dramatic life. In the spirit of Christmas, I would like to focus on one thing, just one single blessing that I am and always will be grateful for.

Thank you, God, for:

1. The gift of unconditional LOVE.

Thank you Lord, for loving me and the rest of us sinners in the most precious, amazing, unconditional way. And thank you for giving me such a wonderful family and fabulous friends. My cup is overflowing, Lord. Truly, I am blessed. I love you, Lord Jesus! Happy Birthday! Mille Grazie!

Buon Natale peepz! :)

My "Thank You God" List for Wednesday, 12/23/09

Sorry for the major delay. Would you believe I slept for almost 12 hours last night? Or should I say early this morning? Hehehe. After painting the town bright red with my favorite bunch of friends, I got home at 1am, slept past 2:30am after the inevitable txt barrage, woke up past 2pm, stretched until almost 3pm and woke up just in time for the 3 o'clock prayer. Well, I must admit, it's way different than my normal routine but I simply could not care less. I had a blast! So much fun, in fact, that I can't wait for the next "warak" (I'm beginning to love that word! lol).

So here's my list for today, albeit a bit late.

I am grateful for:

1. The gift of life, love, laughter, great friends, good cheer, and a very understanding and supportive family.

2. My 3 helpings of Gelatissimo last night, c/o our balikbayan bff, k2y. Boy, those calories were worth the intake. I had two chocolate macadamia and one chocolate biscuit. Hey, I still believe in the ice cream diet, can you blame me? Hihihi. All I can say is (other than mille grazie, k2y!) is oh my ice cream, how I love you! :P

3. That chat-filled taxicab ride from SM to Ayala. Who cares about traffic when you've got friends who won't stop gabbing, right?

4. Roaming through all the Ayala terraces restos for the best dinner place (free, thanks again k2y!) and finally settling down at Cafe Laguna. Hey, I forgot La Tegola was in Ayala too so forgive me for not taking everyone directly to my all-time favorite resto!

5. The mouth-watering staples of Cafe Laguna -- Lechon Kawali, Dinuguan, Pancit Canton, Tanguige and their oh-so-yummy shakes and juices. Free plugging na pud! Pastilan!

6. The inevitable banter that led to me being labeled as "Lady-boy" which, according to them, is what they call transsexuals in Thailand. You know, those who have had their breast implants inserted and their adam's apple taken out. You won't believe how many times our waiter left us giggling like a schoolgirl because k2y won't stop telling him I'm a guy? Man, that was sooo embarrassing yet sooo much fun at the same time! Me, a "Lady-boy", who would've thought? Oh well, my attitude was, grin and bear it. I almost went into the men's room even... nah, that's stretching the truth. I could never get away with that, even after a dare. lol.

7. Heading over to Starbucks after meeting Amy and polishing off two different cheesecakes (with their help, of course), my all-time passion, blueberry cheesecake and another one with choco on top. Amy won't tell us what that cake was called, sorry peepz. You have to ask the Starbucks peepz or else take me with you to identify the perp, er, the cake. :P

8. (Over)Staying at Starbucks (we left at 1am), talking, exchanging personal and work-related fiascos, chatting up a storm and laughing the whole time. I'm still reeling from all the sugar, let alone the laughter but I can't help but say this -- kulang pa!!! Rematch! Rather, take two please! Can't wait to meet up with Irene, Noeme, Amy and our resident balikbayan (from oz, natch!) k2y! Sa uulitin peepz ha? Dapat may part 2 jud kay we've got sooo much ground to cover.

9. The feeling of peace and contentment that comes from knowing that no matter where each one of us will end up, even as a "Lady-boy" (hahaha), we would still be the best of friends. Nothing beats grade school friendship, we may still be sip-onon until now but that's not the only thing that remains the same. The bond is still strong, stronger now, even, and for that, I am sooo grateful! Thank you, God for giving me friends like these -- fiercely loyal and protective, kind-hearted, sooo much fun to be with and way libug! As in!

10. Going to bed in the wee hours with a huge smile on my face and Alicia Keys' "The Element of Freedom" in the background. Nothing beats a fabulous night out on the town with good ole friends. I can't believe I'm still on a natural high until now. That's how fantastic these people are. I love you all, you know that right? See you soon, after Christmas, I hope. We've got lots of ground to cover and even more waiters and people to harrass. Hehehe.

And so, this list is obviously centered around my friends. I am forever grateful that God has showered us with so much blessings and yet He still gives us the chance to get together, even though it's not that often, to share these blessings with each other. Peepz, your mere presence is a blessing, so mille grazie, I, Noemz, My, and K2y! I mean it! Praise the Lord for giving me berkz like you. God bless you all and Merry Christmas!