Happy Greetings

Happy Holidays to all!

Feed Your Happiness

Be happy this Christmas time.

Christmas won't be the same without you. Yup, Christmas is somehow not complete in the Philippines without the simbang gabi (the evening and early morning masses) matched with the delicious-smelling bibingka and puto bumbong (rice cake) being cooked just near the churches.

Hmmm, those bibingka and puto bumbong really smell awesome. Imagine the rice cake with salted egg and cheese cooking on the special parapharnalia (palayok-material thingy). The hot bibingka with butter melting on top. You add white sugar and niyog (grated coconut) to make it a superb simbang-gabi treat.

The same goes with the ube-colored (violet) puto bumbong which is cooked in the bamboo gadget. The warm yummy puto bumbong strips are laid on banana leaves giving that precious aroma. Once more on top is placed the melting butter and grated coconut plus brown sugar. Wow!

This Philippine tradition of the mass and the food is quite enjoyable, building-up good memories of Christmas since childhood. Christmas is a great season to savor good traditions, happy moments and great memories.

Be happy and stay happy.

Happy Thoughts

Yup, keep on having happy thoughts. Always be ready with them in times of need. Don't make the excuse that you don't have any happy thought, keep on digging. If you really can't recall a single happy moment, then it's about time you start building some, even in the simplest form. Possibly, it starts with being grateful for something.

I remember before going to the hospital for my operation, I already made a mental note of what happy thoughts I will be filling my mind. I decided to collect all my happy moments during my last travel abroad.

I also believe that my effort to keep happy thoughts (plus prayers of course) helped me recover faster.

So be conscious of what you fill your mind. No major harm in having happy thoughts most of the time during your day. It can even make you look younger, right?

Keep on smiling as well. Be thankful at all times. Make the effort.

Living Today

We need to understand that God gives us the grace to live today. He has not yet given us tomorrow's grace, and we should not worry about it. Learn to live one day at a time. By an act of your will, choose to start enjoying your life right now. Learn to enjoy your family, friends, health and work; enjoy everything in your life. Happiness is a decision you make, not an emotion you feel. God gives us His peace on the inside, but it's up to us to tap into God's supernatural peace. To enjoy your best life now is to choose to be happy this morning. Life is too short not to enjoy every single day.

Joel Osteen
Photo courtesy of Ralf Lezada
during his visit at the May Tulip Festival at the Commissioner's Park in Ottawa.

Happy to Have a Big God

We have a big God that handles our problems. When we know we have a big God, our problems shrink in size and weight.

I have a lot to be thankful for. I am so grateful for having a loving family, good health and super friends that help in prayers.

I just want to thank the Lord. We do have a big God that takes care of our problems just as Brother Bo used to say.

Definition of Happiness

Suddenly, happiness has been redefined for me. True happiness is when you experience overflowing joy because of inexplicable love, matched with inner peace. This is kinda heavy and confusing, but that is how I find happiness, right now. I feel God's love, His embrace.

It is such that your serenity is kept in tact, even if you are undergoing pain (both physical and emotional), even in the midst of problems, issues and betrayal. I just have to thank our Maker for pouring out graces on us, unworthy as we are, giving us strength to accept everything that comes our way. It is by His grace that I am able to continue with life, still full of happiness.

Winning Smile

Mother Teresa said, "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."

So, keep on smiling!

Autumn Walk

I possess a happy heart for I am thankful to have seen autumn . . .

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
George Eliot

If a man . . . can paint a landscape, and convey into souls and ochres all the enchantments of Spring or Autumn; it is certain that the secret cannot be kept; the first witness tells it to a second, and men go by fives and tens and fifties to his doors. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe in yourself, your neighbors, your work, your ultimate attainment of more complete happiness. It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in Autumn.
B. C. Forbes

Choose Happiness

Choose to be happy today . . .

“Life is a choice. We can choose to be miserable, or we can choose to be happy in the midst of miserable circumstances.

Today, I choose to be happy. I won't wait for things to be perfect to be happy. My wounds will heal and things will work out good for me for I put my trust in Him.



One of my happiest moments, it was appreciating the very first fountain I saw in Europe. My friend took this clip at the commercial square in Portugal.

Quotes for a Happy Traveler

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. Seneca

Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. Benjamin Disraeli

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move. Robert Louis Stevenson

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. Henry Miller

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Lao Tzu

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. Bernard Meltzer

Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say. Anonymous

The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend. Henry David Thoreau

Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer. Ed Cunningham

If a man does not make new acquaintance as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man, Sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair. Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784) British lexiographer

Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment. Rita Mae Brown

I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. Jason Love

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney

Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest. Mark Twain

We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can fly only by embracing each other. Lucian de Crescenzo

What affects men sharply about a foreign nation is not so much finding or not finding familiar things; it is rather not finding them in the familiar place. G.K. Chesterton

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it. Charles Dudley Warner

Nature's great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing. John Donne

When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run. Abraham Lincoln

The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book? David Attenborough

Mountains are earth's undecaying monuments. Nathaniel Hawthorne

More Things to Ponder On

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep.
In dreams you will lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for you keep.
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving,
If you keep on believing,
The dream that you wish will come true.

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're feeling small.
Alone in the night you whisper
Thinking no one can hear you at all.
You wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you.
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow,
for all you know tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true.

A new fresh beginning,
promises of new joys,
miracles big and small . . .
God's wish for us all.

The Sin of Omission : by Margaret E. Sangster

It isn't the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone
That gives you a bit of a heartache
At setting of the sun.
The tender work forgotten,
The letter you did not write,
The flowers you did not send, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.
The stone you might have lifted
Out of a brother's way;
The bit of heart some counsel
You were hurried too much to say;
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle, winning tone
Which you had no time nor thought for
With troubles enough of your own.

Those little acts of kindness
So easily out of mind,
Those chances to be angels
Which we poor mortals find
They come in night and silence,
Each sad, reproachful wraith,
When hope is faint and flagging,
And a chill has fallen on faith.

For life is all too short, dear,
To suffer our slow compassion
That tarries until too late:
And it isn't the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone
Which gives you a bit of heartache
At the setting of the sun.

10 COMMANDMENTS for those over Forty

1. Focus on enjoying people, not on indulging in or accumulating material things.
2. Plan to spend whatever you have saved. You deserve to enjoy it and the few healthy years you have left. Travel if you can afford it. Don't leave anything for your children or loved ones to quarrel about. By leaving anything, you may even cause more trouble when you are gone.
3. Live in the here and now, not in the yesterdays and tomorrows. It is only today that you can handle. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not even happen.
4. Enjoy your grandchildren (if you are blessed with any) but don't be their full time baby sitter. You have no moral obligation to take care of them. Don't have any guilt about refusing to baby sit anyone's kids, including your own grandkids. Your parental obligation is to your children After you have raised them into responsible adults, your duties of child-rearing and babysitting are finished. Let your children raise their own offspring.
5. Accept physical weakness, sickness and other physical pains. It is a part of the aging process. Enjoy whatever your health can allow.
6. Enjoy what you are and what you have right now. Stop working hard for what you do not have. If you do not have them, it's probably too late.
7. Just enjoy your life with your spouse, children, grandchildren and friends. People, who truly love you, love you for yourself, not for what you have. Anyone who loves you for what you have will just give you misery.
8. Forgive and accept forgiveness. Forgive yourself and others. Enjoy peace of mind and peace of soul.
9. Befriend death. It's a natural part of the life cycle. Don't be afraid of it. Death is the beginning of a new and better life. So, prepare yourself not for death but for a new life with the Almighty.
10. Be at peace with your Creator for He is all you have after you leave this life.

Achieve Happiness

Let's get into a festive mood. Free flying balloons picture freedom, inner joy, peace and happiness.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the Ballooning Capital of the World. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the world’s largest hot airh school balloon festival, takes place each October, when you’ll see more than 700 balloons in the sky at a time. Taken during Special Shapes Afterglow followed by fireworks.

One of my best friends in high school, Melissa who lives in New Mexico attended attends this annual festivity.

Secrets to Happiness

Got this text message from a friend:

What are the secrets to happiness? Nine (9) answers can be found in the home.
The walls say, "Be strong."
The ceiling says, "Aim high."
The door says, "Learn to give and take."
The clock says, "Time is gold."
The calendar says, "Live each day like it is the last."
The cabinet says,"Keep things in order."
The bed says, "Take time to relax."
The lamp says, "Be like the light."
And God, who is everywhere, including our homes, says
"Keep your faith alive, trust, because I am with you always."

Quotes for Happy Supervisors

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.
Alfred Lord Tennyson

All lasting business is built on friendship.
Alfred A. Montapert

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.
Stephen Covey

Any supervisor worth his salt would rather deal with people who attempt too much than with those who try too little.
Lee Iacocca

Once you choose hope, anything's possible.
Christopher Reeve

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
George Patton

Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood.
Freeman Teague Jr.

The most important thing in communication is
hearing what isn't said.
Peter F. Drucker

If you are prepared, then you are able to feel confident.
Robert J. Ringer

Confidence and courage come through preparation and practice.
Anonymous

Winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds winning.
Hubert Green

Retirement: When you quit working just before your heart does.

Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Never quit.

You’ve got to believe that God is in control of your life. It may be a tough time but you’ve got to believe that God has a reason for it and he’s going to make everything good.
Joel Osteen

A leader is a dealer in hope.
Napoleon Bonaparte

I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?
Benjamin Disraeli

What a strange power there is in clothing.
Isaac Bashevis Singer

People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile.
Lee Mildon

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.The Golden Rule

All things work for good for those who love God. Romans 8:28

It is not the man of great talent who wins but he who pushes his talent, however small, to its utmost capacity. Carolyn Coats

Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest. Mark Twain

Inspiring Short Story

The Little Prince
By: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret." The little prince went away, to look again at the roses. "You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world." And the roses were very much embarrassed. "You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you--the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose. And he went back to meet the fox. "Goodbye," he said. "Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." "What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember. "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important." "It is the time I have wasted for my rose--" said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember. "Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . ." "I am responsible for my rose," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

Inspiring Quotes that leads to Happiness

You block your dream when you allow fear to grow bigger than your faith.
Mary Manin Morrissey

Feed your faith, not your fear.
Bo Sanchez

Meditate on His words.
Believe what you read.
Teach what you believe.
Practice what you teach.
Advise to newly ordained deacons

I run, I fly to take you in my arms, and I expand your boundaries within My Will. Therefore, I allow everything for your good, and also to accomplish My highest designs upon you. However, I do not want you to waste time thinking it over; when I take you in My arms, immediately put everything aside, and follow my Will. (From the writings of Luisa Piccarreta, the little daughter of the Divine Will)

The pure in heart shall see God.

No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wine skins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wine skins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”

Do not be afraid, I am with you.
If I am with you, who can be against you.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Mathew 4:4

Pray unceasingly.

I am a child of God.

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta

It isn't the thing you do, dear, it's the thing you leave undone, that gives you a bit of a heartache, at setting of the sun.
From The Sin Of Omission by Margaret E. Sangster

Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.

Just show up.

It's time to STOP going through the motions of living, and START living.I am nothing; God is all. Father I love you.

Come Divine Will to think in my mind, to move in my motion.
From the Invocation to the Divine Will prayer

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time;

it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.

Sydney J. Harris

Quotes for Happy Pet Owners

A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself.
Josh Billings

Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.
George Elliot

I used to look at (my dog) Smokey and think, 'If you were a little smarter, you could tell me what you were thinking,' and he'd look at me like he was saying, 'If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to.
Fred Jungclaus

I have a great dog. She's half Lab, half pit bull. A good combination. Sure, she might bite off my leg, but she'll bring it back to me.
Jimi Celeste

Don't make the mistake of treating your dogs like humans, or they'll treat you like dogs.
Martha Scott

When you leave them in the morning, they stick their nose in the door crack and stand there like a portrait until you turn the key eight hours later.
Erma Bombeck

My little dog, a heartbeat at my feet.
Edith Wharton

You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'
Dave Barry

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
Roger Caras
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.
Anatole France

They [dogs] never talk about themselves but listen to you while you talk about yourself, and keep up an appearance of being interested in the conversation.
Jerome K. Jerome

In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi human.
The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.
Edward Hoagland

Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail.
Henry Wheeler Shaw

Tom's Little Dog by Walter de la Mare
Tom told his dog called Tim to beg,
And up at once he sat,
His two clear amber eyes fixed fast,
His haunches on his mat.Tom poised a lump of sugar on
His nose; then, "Trust!" says he;
Stiff as a guardsman sat his Tim;
Never a hair stirred he.
"Paid for!" says Tom; and in a trice
Up jerked that moist black nose;
A snap of teeth, a crunch, a munch,
And down the sugar goes!