Obedience Leads to Happiness =)

"Obedience to God's will is the secret of spiritual knowledge and insight. It is not willingness to know, but willingness to DO (obey) God's will that brings certainty." ~ Eric Liddel

The day I learned that I was going to Australia was a truly bad day.  I had a hard time accepting the facts, that 1) I would have to render return service for 3 years; 2) I have to do well or else I have to pay the school the training and accommodation fees they spent on me; 3) I would miss the 25th Anniversary of the college organization I was part of; and lastly 4) I'd miss the block screening we scheduled for Harry Potter 7 Part 2.

Even my boss was extremely stressed with me because I exerted no effort in organizing the documents necessary for my travel.  I only completed my requirements 2 weeks before the scheduled flight (which left very little allowance for delays).

The week before I was set to leave, I showed no excitement at all, instead, I was stressed with all the money matters I had to deal with, the materials I needed to read, the labs I had to perform and the very cold weather (which I am not used to) that I had to bear, which brought about another problem,  my clothes were not meant for very cold weather (I have skirts, dresses, knee-length leggings and a few pairs of pants).  So I had to fit it in my schedule to buy thermal pants, jeans and long-sleeved  thermal shirts.  I was able to start packing at 11pm Saturday and my flight was at 9am Sunday (I forgot my medicine kit at home! Talk about panic packing!).

And so the journey began.  Arriving at the Tullamarine Airport in Victoria at 11pm (GMT+10) literally gave me goosebumps! I didn't anticipate that the 6-degree-C temperature will be accompanied with windchill (took me a couple of days to acclimate, nah, not really!).

I was in constant communication with God, I was declaring my obedience no matter how reluctant I was with all of this, I believed that I was led to this path because He wanted to show me something. I did not think of the rationale behind it, I just OBEYED.  I will not say that the training was smooth-sailing, oh no, I had a LOT of difficulties.  There were times that I remained silent and wanted to cry, times that I thought I couldn't handle the tasks at hand, but I believed that I was there because He knew I had the ability and skills to do it. If God believed in me, how can I NOT believe in myself?  At the end of the first training, I emerged to be the only one to pass of the eight instructors who took the exam that day.  The rest had to re-do the exam the following day.  And I was extremely thankful for His silence when I was questioning Him (but obeying). It was then I realized that He wanted me to realize my skills, skills that I was not really aware of.  He wanted me to gain confidence, the one that I lost when I encountered a difficulty at the beginning of my career in Networking.  I rewarded myself by going to the movies. Guess what, Harry Potter 7 Part 2 was also showing in Australia! =)

The second week was a lot difficult than the first.  The topics were twice as much, the lab activities were more difficult that the first training.  There were topics that I couldn't understand, labs that I couldn't implement successfully (more of equipment that doesn't agree with me.. hehehe!). And so I was really fearful that I will fail the skills exam.  To my surprise, on the last day we were allowed to practice, I knew a lot of the commands to use without looking at my notes.  The next day, I was ready for the skills exam and I ACED it!

I am really thankful to have obeyed and not think about why I had to do these things.  I truly appreciate the skills God gave me, and the hardships I had to go through to realize His gifts.

After two weeks of hitting the books and doing labs, I finally had the time to explore Melbourne.  Here are some of the places I visited in the city.  Took the Tourist tram to tour the city.

The Parliament of Victoria - It's like a city hall where weddings are held,
the structure is quite similar to the Manila Post Office.
Check out the background, bridesmaids and groomsmen were lined up for pictorials.

I think these are artificial grass.  Felt real though!

That's Flinder's Street Station.
I love the elaborate design of the exterior. Felt like I was in the "olden days".
Don't be misled by the huge shopping bag.  It is quite empty.
I wanted to make sure that I had enough bags to fit my things in
(including two lab manuals about 1.5 kg!)

John Batman!  This photo was taken at Queen Victoria Market.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw his name, I definitely had to take a picture!

Thank you Lord for giving me the skills, strength and courage to push forward even when the enemy kept on discouraging me that I could not do it.  I am very happy that I chose to obey, and go through  the challenges. I am extremely happy with the experiences, the people I met, and the things I learned about myself on this trip. Thank you, thank you thank you! I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY!!

Related Article: http://whatisheuptoday.blogspot.com/2009/05/reluctant-obedience.html

The Inevitable Trip (Continuation)

Even if I prayed hard that the Australian Embassy disapprove my VISA, here I am in the cold country / continent down under.  Instead of an all-women team, Ma'am Flor, Sir Bry and I braved the cold weather of Australia, Christie had to decline because of personal reasons.  The 3 of us attended CCNP Switch last week, and are attending CCNP route this wee at Box Hill Institute, here in Melbourne.  I also love the school where the training is being held, the equipment are in tip top shape. =)

I have to say, this really is a first - world country.  Transportation are at its best, facilities are complete and the Internet connection is extremely fast!  

This was taken last Saturday, my teammates are working hard on their labs.  That's our professor discussing the labs with Ma'am Flor. =)

Except for the weather (and the cost of living), I really like it here in Australia! One thing that went beyond my expectations are the people in general.  All of the people I've met here are so nice! I can't wait to come back! =)

The Inevitable Trip

Early this year, I've set my eyes on watching Harry Potter 7 Part 2 at the Director's Club in Mall of Asia.  My office mate Nalen and I made initial talks about having the cinema closed for private viewing.  To my surprise, I might not be able to do that at all.

I already knew that I will have to undergo CCNP training this year, but I was conditioned that the training will be held HERE, in the PHILIPPINES, with my "home court" advantage, in my school, where my classmates will be my friends and peers. But no, I was mistaken! SORELY MISTAKEN!

I never thought that we would have to fly abroad to get the training.  I thought it will be within my comfort zone (SINGAPORE), but I guess I was wrong again because we have to fly to AUSTRALIA, 8 hours away from my beloved Philippines.  And so, this July, the all-female team will be flying to Melbourne, Australia to attend the CCNP Instructors' training on Routing and Switching at Boxhill Institute.

I'll be gone for two weeks for the training. The very week that HP7P2 will be shown in the Philippines will be my first week in Australia.  I have no choice but to give up my seat for the viewing.  The only chance to see the movie here is if my VISA won't get approved by the Australian Embassy.  Tough luck.  Hay!

So now, I am preparing all the requirements needed for the VISA, with a heavy heart.  All that's left in my checklist is the 2x2 picture and the certificate of employment.  Plus, I'm preparing for the training as well, so many modules to study, so many labs to perform! The only consolation is, I AM LEARNING A LOT AND I AM GOING TO AUSTRALIA. =)

Family Trips = Family Pictures

One of my faith goals last year is to bring my family on a trip abroad.  With the help of my siblings, we were able to fund this trip to Singapore to celebrate my father's 60th birthday!  Needless to say, Papa enjoyed our trip so much, for the very reason he wanted to go to Universal Studios! Here's our family picture at the Universal Studios globe.

Since we celebrated his birthday there, we decided to throw a birthday bash for him. Though his guests were not his friends, I guess Papa still enjoyed the bash because 1) Mama cooked a sumptuous meal for all of us; 2) we were complete (together with Angel's fiance); and 3) my friends and Angel's friends were there to celebrate his birthday with us.  Family picture right after he blew his candle. (Carlo, Angel's fiance, joined the picture, because he is going to be part of the family this December.. hehehe...) =)

For Angel's last birthday as a single girl, we decided to go on vacation in the beautiful island of Boracay.  We took these pictures before we dove for reef walking and when we were swimming at Station 2.  It was my parents' and Angel's first time in Boracay, so I'm very sure that they had so much fun. =)

As my sister put it, our family is so dysfunctional. But no matter how dysfunctional we are, we are still a FAMILY. =)

Wedding Coordinator Staff??

Naks!

Come May 21, I will join the "Wedding Engineers" as a staff and actually help with a wedding.  I am not getting paid (at least that's what I told them), I just want to get a hands-on experience on how weddings coordinations are now being handled.

I am truly honored that my friend Marvin asked me to help with the wedding of a cousin - in - law.  And I will be assisting them during the on - the - day coordination.

I am truly praying for a successful event.  I really would like to work with them in future weddings and parties as well. =)

Youtube Sensations!

I found myself spending half a day on watching youtube videos yesterday.  I had to entertain myself because I've been swimming with so much work since the term started.  Here are three personas that I like the most on youtube.  Common denominator: THEY ARE ALL FILIPINOs.

Some people (Filipinos) may have been offended by their videos, but people, take it with a grain of salt.  They do it for entertainment purposes. I like what Mikey Bustos said, they way we pronounce words does not equate our intelligence.  Don't take it too seriously, just have fun!

1) Happy Slip:
Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/HappySlip
Here's my favorite video, it may be old but I never grow tired of her "Mom" persona:

2) Mikey Bustos
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeyBustosVideos
I was laughing so much with this video that my stomach hurt so bad!

3) Petra Mahalimuyak
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ashleyslips
She gave really helpful tips about getting abs without the work out! I was laughing my a$$ out!

A Conversation with Poon

Richard is one of my good friends who is from the "industry", before he is who he is now.  He truly is an inspiration and a living testimony of how great God finds His way to our hearts.  So from time to time, we engage in long talks about life, love and faith over coffee or food, as in "madaling - arawan" (to the wee hours of the morning).  But for the past few months, I've been very busy with work, and I haven't really found the time to meet up with him and our friends.

Last week, I got a surprise text message from him, asking me where he can call me.  Of course I knew that I'd get a bit of scolding from him for being a workaholic of some sort.  As soon as I picked up the office phone, I was ready to accept the scolding.  To my relief, he wanted to talk about something else, whew!  We spoke for a few minutes and just when I thought that I was able to escape the scolding, I offered a small amount of information that may have initiated the scolding.

He told me, "di ko kailangan yang (confidential) mo, ang kailangan ko oras mo."  (If other people heard this, they would have misinterpreted it, BIG TIME!).  I just replied with my usual line, "sorry na, busy lang po".  The "po" irked him some more, and he said, "ngayon pino-'po' mo na ako".  I was just laughing inside because I knew the conversation will become long-winded if I argue with him. So I just agreed, that I was a workaholic.

After a few minutes of playfully arguing with him, he asked me about my (non-existent) love life, and he thought that the reason that I was busy was because I was dating someone.  I strongly denied that I was seeing someone, saying that I didn't have one (love life).  He surely didn't believe me.  And here's one of his lines: "baka nag kikissing kissing ka na dyan ah".  I found it adorable and funny, it felt like having an older brother lecturing me about the birds and the bees.  I forgot to tell him that I was already 31 and I need not be reminded of the things he was trying to imply. hahaha!

I truly miss our conversations.  I'm hoping to find time to have coffee with him and our friends..

Belated Happy 8th Birthday makoolit.blogspot.com!!

You are my first footprint in the world wide web.. My experimental site. I first taught myself html by coding this blog.  And then, I grew tired of it and just used a template. hehehe.. =)

Will try to post more entries and keep this blog up-to-date and relevant! Yey me! =)

Tough Times..

Since yesterday, I've been having bouts with my temper (mainly because I can't control it).  I've picked fights so easily.  Scolded majority of my students.  And was angered by the simplest thing.  It might be the pressure or might be the time of the month, but I don't want to be this monster.  I want to be in control again.  Take charge.

Tomorrow, I WILL TRY my best not to lose my temper.  I may fail, but it's worth the try. hay! Sana wag lang may magpasaway!

Is Confused..

If you'd be totally honest with yourself, can you count your real friends? I mean REAL friends. The ones who will not get annoyed at your idiosyncrasies.  The ones who will be honest with you and tell you what they really feel.

I've asked this question to myself for a few days now, and honestly, I really still do not know the answer.

YOU are nothing but MEAN. And all you're ever gonna be is MEAN.

Lines from Taylor Swift's song "MEAN"

You, with your words like knives

And swords and weapons that you use against me,

You, have knocked me off my feet again,

Got me feeling like I’m nothing.

I bet you got pushed around,

Somebody made you cold.

With that same big loud opinion but,

Nobody’s listening,

Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things.

But all you are is mean,

All you are is mean.

And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life,

And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean.

And all you’re ever gonna be is mean.

And all you’re ever gonna be is mean.

And all you’re ever gonna be is mean.

*I hope and pray that you will not end up in an "Institution", where you will be treated the way you treat people now.  What's more important is, that you get "healed" from your current ILLNESS. 

You are truly pitiful. Pathetic. And a total waste of space. The last laugh will be OURS.

Good and Bad Days..

I've been having more bad days than good these past few months. All because my career is now my world. Wouldn't it be nice to finally give it all up and just focus on what I really want to do?

But because of my responsibilities at home, what I really want does not really matter.

How does one make the most out of the situation?

Should I consider taking a break?

Today was a bad day. Yesterday was a bad day.  Tomorrow, will not be a work day but I have a feeling that it will be.  Praying for a good day tomorrow. Please God, I can't handle another bad day...