There’s Life Inside A Mother’s Womb

I just saw this post on Facebook… This proves that no matter how small or how young the baby is inside a mother’s womb, it already has a life. Moving…

A picture began circulating in November. It should be “The Picture of the Year,” or perhaps, “Picture of the Decade.” It won’t be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the U.S. paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.
The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother’s womb. Little Samuel’s mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner’s remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon’s finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, “Hand of Hope.” The text explaining the picture begins, “The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother’s uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.”

Little Samuel’s mother said they “wept for days” when they saw the picture. She said, “The photo reminds us pregnancy isn’t about disability or an illness, it’s about a little person” Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful. Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome…incredible….and hey, pass it on! The world needs to see this one!

Alex was Sorry; And I was Touched

I was touched by one of my students. While answering the exercises in the textbook, Alex told me that he didn’t know the answer to one question. I couldn’t let it pass because I knew that he could give the right answer since the question was too easy.

I was telling him to go back to the reading so that he could have a clue but he wouldn’t. He was trying to argue with me but I asked him to let me finish talking and just try to do what he was told to.

In the end, he got the answer correctly and I praised him and told him that I knew he could do it.

Before we hang up, he showed me his screen and this was what made me happy…

awww...

This is how a student should be.. They should know how to apologize when they’re wrong.

Dreams and Interpretations: The Eyes

Last week, I dreamed of my eyes. I was putting contact lenses on my eyes. (I’ve never worn any — ever in my life or will I ever be ) After putting them on, I felt that something was wrong with my left eye. When I took the mirror to find out, I saw that the contact lens was not set properly. So I fixed it, blinked for a few times, until it went into place.

When I have dreams, I always want to know their meaning. What significance do they have in my waking life? I have to know what message it has for me because I believe that our dreams show us what our conscious mind doesn’t.

Thanks to Dream Moods, I can tell what my dreams may mean.

Contact Lens

To see or wear contact lens in your dream suggests that you need to focus on the task at hand. You need to pay closer attention to a situation before acting on it. The dream may also be a metaphor that you need to get in “contact” with someone.

If you have difficulties putting on your contact lens in your dream, then it indicates that you are having trouble paying attention.

Eyes

To see your own eyes in your dream represent enlightenment, knowledge, comprehension, understanding, and intellectual awareness. Unconscious thoughts may be coming onto the surface. The left eye is symbolic of the moon, while the right eye represents the sun. It may also be a pun on “I” or the self. If you dream that your eyes have turned inside your head and you can now see the inside of your head, then it symbolizes insight and something that you need to be aware of. This dream may be literally telling you that you need to look within your self. Trust your intuition and instincts.

To dream that you have something in your eye represents obstacles in your path. Alternatively, it may represent your critical view and how you tend to see faults in others.

Chain Messages

There have been long messages circulating Facebook these days. They are stories about people who are either scammed or almost raped or blessed by God because they forwarded a certain message. They are no different with the text messages that we receive from friends asking us to forward them to like 8 friends or as many friends we have ‘coz if not, misfortune will befall us.

Years back, several friends of mine gave me this letter giving instructions on how to make my crush notice me (or even like me). At the last part of the letter, it was stated that if I didn’t rewrite that letter and didn’t give it to a certain number of friends, I would have bad luck with guys for like 7 years or so. And so I rewrote the letter and passed it on. It circulated our school until it went out of trend.

When unlimited texting started, people who are creative enough, made up stories — scary stories, religious stories and so many other stories that they could create.

Nowadays, quite a lot of “urban legends” (possibly) are trending on the Internet. Not only through e-mails, but also on Facebook.

Here are some of the tales made by someone who has a very creative mind:

• Love vs. Sex PLEASE READ THIS… THIS IS NOT GREEN ! Love vs. Sex A teenage girl about 17 had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year. She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn’t afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away. As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger. When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it. However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he was waiting for her. She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God’s protection. Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her. When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely. The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep. Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station. She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story. The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him. She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed. The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question. Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her. When the policeman asked him, he answered, “Because she wasn’t alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her.” Amazingly, whether you believe or not, you’re never alone. Did you know that 98% of teenagers will not stand up for God? Re-post this as Love vs. Sex if you truly believe in God. PS: God is always there in your heart and loves you no matter what and if you stand up for him he will stand up for you. I bet 93% of the people that read this wont re-post it. I read this and re-posted it. Well I bet you read this note because of the title, didn’t you. GOD IS MOVING! :) Share it to everyone! feel free to copy-paste OR share this note. this is not a private note.

• PLEASE DON”T READ THIS! oh no, u’ve already read it, too late, now you’re going to die 7 days from now unless you send this message to 10 other friends in 10 minutes.”

• This photo was taken in a hospital after the patient in the bed was in an accident where he was responsible for a young woman’s death. It is said that when you receive this image and do not send it to at east five people, the woman will look for you during the night to collect your soul.

  A couple in a western suburb area of Sydney received the message and deleted the picture without sending it to at least five people. This couple was murdered by their 15 year old neighbor who claims to have been possessed by the woman. A 28 year old woman in Whittlesay Road, Cambridgeshire, England, was run down by a car driven by another female that fit the description of the woman in the photograph, the police investigation revealed that the murdered lady had received this picture only 4 hours before her untimely death and did not pass it on to at least 5 people.

  
  

• Attention all Facebook users
  Facebook is recently becoming very overpopulated, There have been many members complaining that Facebook is becoming very slow.Record shows that the reason is that there are too many non-active Facebook members And on the other side too many new Facebook members. We will be sending this messages around to see if the Members are active or not,If you’re active please send to 15 other users using Copy+Paste to show that you are active Those who do not send this message within 2 weeks, The user will be deleted without hesitation to create more space, If Facebook is still overpopulated we kindly ask for donations but until then send this message to all your friends and make sure you send message to show me that your active and not deleted.
• Founder of Facebook
  Mark Zuckerberg

• Warning to all: PLEASE READ FOR YOUR SAFETY AND SECURITY. Subject: MAG iNGAT SA GANiTONG RAKET! Msg from Atty. Jojo Perez It was about 3 weeks ago, I was at the Shell station getting diesel. It was about 11:30pm .. I was approached by 2 men and 2 women in a car. The man that was driving asked me ‘What kind of perfume do you wear?’ I was a bit confused and I asked him ‘Why?’ He said ‘We are selling some name brand perfumes, at cheap prices.’ I said I had no money. He then reached out of the car and handed me paper that was laminated; it had many perfumes on it. I looked quickly at it and gave it back. I said, I have no money. He said it is OK, we take cheques, cash or credit cards. Then the people in the car began to laugh. I just got in my car and said no thanks. Then I received this e-mail yesterday and it sent chills up my spine. Please read this. It is not joke. Here is the e-mail I was sent: Dear Friends: I know not all of you are women that I am sending this to, but I am hoping you will share this with your wives, daughters, mother, sisters, etc.. Our world seems to be getting crazier by the day. Pipe bombs in mailboxes and sickos in parking lots with perfume. Be careful. I was approached yesterday afternoon around 3:30 pm in a car park by two males who asked what kind of perfume I was wearing. Then they asked if I’d like to sample some fabulous scent they were willing to sell me at a very reasonable rate. I probably would have agreed had I not received an e-mail some weeks ago warning of a ‘Wanna smell this neat perfume?’scam. Someone walks up to you at the malls or in parking lots and asking you to SNIFF PERFUME that they are selling at a cheap price. THIS IS NOT PERFUME…IT IS ETHER! When you sniff it, you’ll pass out. They’ll take your wallet, your valuables and heaven knows what else. The men continued to stand between parked cars, I guess to wait for someone else to hit on. I stopped a lady going towards them, pointing at them and told her about how I was sent an e-mail at work. If it were not for this e-mail, I probably would have sniffed the ‘perfume’ but thanks to the generosity of an e-mailing friend, I was spared whatever might have happened to me. I wanted to do the same for you.. PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS AND PLEASE BE ALERT AND BE AWARE. IF YOU ARE A MAN AND RECEIVE THIS, PASS IT ON TO YOUR WIFE/WOMEN FRIEND
• FACEBOOK JUST RELEASED THEIR PRICE GRID FOR MEMBERSHIP. $9.99 PER MONTH FOR GOLD MEMBER SERVICES, $6.99 PER MONTH FOR SILVER MEMBER SERVICES, $3.99 PER MONTH FOR BRONZE MEMBER SERVICES, FREE IF YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WHEN YOU SIGN ON TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE PROMPTED FOR PAYMENT INFO…IT IS OFFICIAL IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NOT PAY.

These are just few of those chain messages that I’ve received, read, and deleted. Problem is, what if a story turned out to be a fact. How can people believe it’s real? Just like the boy who cried ‘Wolf,’ people will just ignore it and hit the delete button.

If these chain messages are real, then am I just lucky that I haven’t died or experienced terrible misfortune yet?

30-Day Song Challenge: DAY 30

Perhaps you were wondering where the heck was Day 30? I was supposed to post it yesterday. But I was still trying to remember what song I liked this time last year. When I woke up this morning, it dawned on me.

This time last year, I had been frequently listening to a bunch of songs that made me fall in love more with my Starlight. Songs that were and are connected somehow to our relationship.

Some of the songs were his favorite, some we talked about, some we heard another person sing when we were together, and some we sang together.

The song I’m posting now is something from The Flys. I first heard it I guess I was in my elementary or high school when my brother was listening to the radio. Then last year, when Starlight and I were at his friend’s place, they were were drinking while singing and playing the guitar and the Cuban box drum also known as the Cajon. One of his friends played and sang it and I kind of connected it to how I felt about having him with me.

But before that, let’s have a recap first…

Day 1: Your Favorite Song — Drive (Incubus)
Day 2: Your Least Favorite Song – Airplanes (B.O.B featuring Hayley Williams)
Day 3: A Song That Makes You Happy — The Owls Go (Architecture in Helsinki)
Day 4: A Song That Makes You Sad — In The End (Scott Matthew)
Day 5: A Song That Reminds You of Someone — Starlight (Muse)
Day 6: A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere — Stop and Stare (One Republic)
Day 7: A Song That Reminds You Of A Certain Event — Green, Green Grass of Home (Tom Jones)
Day 8: A Song That You Know All The Words To — Linger (Cranberries)
Day 9: A Song That You Can Dance To — Club Can’t Handle Me (Flo Rida)
Day 10: A Song That Makes You Feel Sleepy — Freshmen (The Verve Pipe)
Day 11: A Song From Your Favorite Band — Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)
Day 12: A Song From A Band That You Hate — Mahal na Mahal Kita (Aegis)
Day 13: A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure — Shimjangi Obso/Without A Heart (Eight)
Day 14: A Song That No One Would Expect You To Love — F*ck The Police (Rage Against The Machine)
Day 15: A Song That Describes You — Hand in My Pocket (Alanis Morissette)
Day 16: A Song That You Used To Love But Now Hate — Paint My Love (Michael Learns To Rock)
Day 17: A Song That You Hear Often On The Radio — Price Tag (Jessie J ft. B.O.B.)
Day 18: A Song That You Wish You Heard On The Radio — Now That You’re Near (Hillsong Australia)
Day 19: A Song From Your Favorite Album — No Scrubs (TLC – Fanmail)
Day 20: A Song That You Listen To When You’re Angry — Smack My Bitch Up (The Prodigy)
Day 21: A Song That You Listen To When You’re Happy — Change the World (Eric Clapton)
Day 22: A Song That You Listen To When You’re Sad — Cannonball (Damien Rice)
Day 23: A Song That You Want To Play At Your Wedding — All I Want Is You (U2)
Day 24: A Song That You Want To Play At Your Funeral — In The End (Scott Matthews)
Day 25: A Song That Makes You Laugh — Butsekik (Yoyoy Villame)
Day 26: A Song That You Can (or rather, COULD) Play On An Instrument — My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion)
Day 27: A Song That You Wish You Could Play — You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette)
Day 28: A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty — none
Day 29: A Song From Your Childhood — Somewhere Out There (An American Tail OST)

Now, here it is and enjoy~

Day 30: Your Favorite Song This Time Last Year — Got You Where I Want You (The Flys)

 

“Hey what’s the point of this
Hey what’s your favorite song
Maybe we could hum along

I think you’re smart
You sweet thing
Tell me your name
I’m dying here

Ooh got you where I want you
Ooh got you where I want you
Oh yeah

Hey maybe just a smile
Oh hey do you know that I can dance
Could we talk for a while

I think you’re smart
You sweet thing
Tell me your sign
I’m dying here

Ooh got you where I want you
Ooh got you where I want you
Oh yea
Ooh got you where I want you
I want you bad

I think you’re smart
You sweet thing
Tell me your name
I’m dying here

Ooh got you where I want you
Got you where I want you
YEAH
Got you where I want you
I want you
Want You

Got you where I want you

Walking around
screaming at you in my head,
“Please find me!”
Then you did,
driving around El Paso together…
looking for that head shop…”

Amazing Love

As I went through my daily reading on Our Daily Bread and YouVersion, it reminded me how much love God gave me and everyone else in the world. We may have done wrong, but He never quit telling us to try and make our mistakes right. He generously blesses us and provides for us in times when we are in a tight situation. He gave us His only Son to cleanse us again. And no matter how many mistakes we make, He is there to gently pat us on our shoulders to bring us back on track.

God’s amazing love is poured all over the world. But it’s the people who seem to not notice it. They seem to ignore God and just take notice of Him when things go wrong. It will be better if they turn to God to ask for help, but often they turn to God to blame Him for all the tribulations that fall on them.

God never wants us to get hurt but like our own parents, if we refused to learn the easy way, then He’d teach us the hard way. It must be painful for Him to punish us but it’s the only way we can think better and patiently wait and live according to His will.

Father, we thank you for the love that you bequeath us, even when we disappoint You. Help us, Lord, to pass the right judgment to people and to give freely to others like what you do to us. It will be hard for us to do it on our own, but with You, we can do it easily. Guide us always and protect us, Oh God, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Amazing Love (You Are My King)

 

Father (Amazing Love)

 

Today’s reading (click to view post):

• Serious Business (Our Daily Bread, September 23,2011)
• Psalm 112:5 – Day 76

Who You Are

One of the hardest struggles a person has is being true to themselves. A lot of people act differently. They act like someone who they’d like to be, but it’s someone who they are not and can never be.

They talk about things that they really don’t have… Things that they only heard from other people… Things that they really want to have but don’t have.

They know their weaknesses and flaws, and these trigger them to pretend to be someone they’re not.

They’re too scared to let people know their real situation because they think people will stay away from them if others find out.

They seem so strong and satisfied with the lies and stories that they make up. But in reality, their real struggle is accepting the “painful” truth.

I used to feel embarrassed when I didn’t have the cool toys my classmates had or when I had not gone to places my friends had. I used to call my Nanay “Mama” when I was in Preparatory when all my other classmates were around. I thought Nanay was for poor people only. We were not that poor, but we were not that rich. We weren’t even average. Perhaps, we were below-average.

I used to have insecurities, too. But I did not come to the point of making up stories just to look cool to others. When I reached my Sophomore year in high school, I learned that being true to myself would make me feel comfortable with myself. It made me love myself. It made me embrace my strengths and weaknesses.

This song tells us the importance of knowing and accepting who we really are. Jessie J reminds us that we are not alone and that everybody has the same struggle.

Listen to this and enjoy~

Who You Are — Jessie J

Kyla’s Version

(Kyla is a Filipina singer and is called the RnB Princess.)

 

“I stare at my reflection in the mirror:
“Why am I doing this to myself?”
Losing my mind on a tiny error,
I nearly left the real me on the shelf.
No, no, no, no, no…

Don’t lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It’s okay not to be okay.
Sometimes it’s hard to follow your heart.
Tears don’t mean you’re losing, everybody’s bruising,
There’s nothing wrong with who you are!
(who you are)

Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?
I forgot what to do to fit the mold, yeah!
The more I try the less it’s working, yeah
‘Cause everything inside me screams
No, no, no, no, no…

Don’t lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It’s okay not to be okay.
Sometimes it’s hard to follow your heart.
But tears don’t mean you’re losing, everybody’s bruising,
There’s nothing wrong with who you are!

Yes, no’s, egos, fake shows, like WHOA!
Just go, and leave me alone!
Real talk, real life, good love, goodnight,
With a smile, that’s my home!
That’s my home, no…

No, no, no, no, no…
Don’t lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It’s okay not to be okay…
Sometimes it’s hard to follow your heart.
Tears don’t mean you’re losing, everybody’s bruising,
Just be true to who you are!
Yeah yeah yeah”

Our Daily Bread

I have just visited the Our Daily Bread site and I felt happy that finally I can have a daily devotion while I am online. I learned about it from a friend/co-worker named Jem and I was thankful that she told me about it. This morning, it dawned on me that I should be carrying an Our Daily Bread booklet, like I used to years back. If I read novels, I should also do Biblical readings since it is the only time I give for God.

I used to be an active member of a church in Sta. Cruz, Laguna called the Mount of Olives Full Gospel Blessed Church, led by Pastor David Caburnay and his wife Pastora Lhisa Caburnay. I was a member of the worship team and I used to do my devotions twice a day–in the morning and in the evening.

However, I hardly had time to go to church when I started to work. I tried and tried to at least pray everyday or do devotion everyday. But I failed. Thanks to Jem, she told me about YouVersion where I can also read daily verses and post notes. But I thought, I needed some more.

Reading the Bible gives us peace. It does give me peace. I felt that no matter how ill I seem to other people, I know that God knows the real Rikaness in me and He accepts it like no one else can.

It may even sound odd that I am talking about God for it doesn’t look like I am a Christian. But, yeah, I am a Christian. I am for Christ. I believe that God is the Absolute Being who has the power over us. I believe that God loves us no matter what and although it may seem that He gives us too many challenges, I know for a fact that He only does that to teach us valuable lessons.

Like our parents, He gives us tough challenges when we don’t listen the easy way.

Read a verse every day, or every night. Pray and talk to God. He’ll free you from all the pain and heaviness. He’ll give you peace.

God bless us all!