InstaSmile

"Just like the rain that gives a new lease of life to a dying plant, a smile and kind words can help someone who is about to give up."

😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

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-Am sure most of you who knows me well enough, knows that one of my pet peeves is being cooped up in the house - the whole day😱😱😱.  No matter how busy working indoors I may be, I need to at least get out for a walk for a little bit...  Need the fresh air and see nature and people..  Good for the soul, my soul!😃😃😃. 

But during the typhoon season - it is safety first - so, just gotta "suck it up" and stay indoors...  Which could be trying and make me gloomy at times..  But now and again something or someone makes me snap out of it...  And today, Jube did just that...  

While we are having our Banana and Peanut Butter sandwiches - good on a rainy day😜😜😜 - she made this while I was  preparing my coffee...  She said, "now we are having Smiley sandwiches - and I know you like smiley."  

Need I say more?  Of course I was instantly with a SMILE on my face...  

😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

Smile.Sweaty.Selfie

Starting the end of the week off with a little cardio run at the gym...  Though it is nice and sunny out, just way too hot for a run by the river... Always thankful that San Ming Gym is located on the 9th floor and has a great view... Makes running indoors bearable...

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We all have heard it a thousand times over..  

But truly, it is as simple as this: "Smile, and the world smiles with you."

😃😃😃😃😃

Beautiful Sunday Ahead All!

#365SmileProject #Smile #Positivities #GoodVibes

Grateful

Just being given another day is already enough to be Thankful for...  

The rest of the day - added bonus!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Terrific Thursday All!

💙💚💛💜❤️💖

Keeping It Real!

Need not walk on eggshells on my account..  I can take it... Say what you want, what you will, about me...   Attacks and Innuendos I take with a grain of salt...  In in one ear, out the other....  

Truly just let it all roll off my sleeves...   

None of it makes me any less the person I am...

Am really just one less friend that I Thought I had...  

#OverIt #KeepingItReal #Positivites

Another Year Older

Yes, that's right...  Am a year older once more...  

As always, One can only hope that am wiser, too...

So much has happened the last year...  Some setbacks, dramas, and heartaches....  But Am Thankful that for the most part, the good and the Blessings outweighs all the negativities and bad things.  

I think the two biggest things that I am happy I have learned this past year are, to quote Elsa, "to just "Let It Go!"  This past year, i have learned to 1) just ignore all the negative people...  To still be polite but keep away from their  dramas.... To not be dragged...    

And 2)  I have learned that there is no helping some...  It is best to let them be, to let them find their own way...  As helping makes matters worse - makes them worse as people.

It seems the older I get, the more accepting I am of things and of people's attitudes.  I just keep doing what I do best...  And that's living my own life..  Loving those whom I love...   Helping and doing what I can... Accepting those I cannot change...  Ignoring the Haters and the Gossip Mongers...  And most of all, never letting anyone take away my SMILE or change the way I want to see the world.

Thank you to my family, friends, and acquaintances for being a part of my life...  For inspiring me..,,  and for keeping me Real and Smiling!  Here's to more years of togetherness, sharing Positivities and Good Vibes...  And spreading Kindness and Smiles around - and just Be Happy....  After all, "The Best Things In Life Are Free!!!"

Frustrated but Very Much Thankful!!!

aaaaaah, what a day.....   nothing truly major went wrong but maybe today being Thanksgiving, everything felt more frustrating and trying.....

 

started last nite really... after babysitting a very sick Juju - had to rush to Carrefour to get more packing tape - still have a lot of mailings to do for today....  though it was raining I ran to Carrefour at 11:40PM - open 24 hours - Yes, but not last nite!!!  For some reason they decided to be closed early last nite....  so I ran back home empty handed - in the rain!!!

 

Was about to jump in the shower when I realized there was no water....   Nothing!!!   A bit from the kitchen sink - just enough to wash my face and brush my teeth - but nothing anywhere else....   too late to do anything I slept it all off....

 

This morning I woke up early - so I can run to Carrefour and get what I needed before the Postal Truck comes to pick up my mailings... still have a few to pack...  Turned on the faucet in the bathroom, HOPING - and yes, we got some water back....  FREEZING WATER That is!!!  the Hot Water Boiler is not getting enough water to warrant any to come out....  WAAAAH!!!    Washed up with what I have and dealt with my work at hand... got my much needed packing tape... finsihed packing more goods to ship out...  then it was back in the rain to deliver and ship my box to the International Courier.... and rushed back in time for the Postal Truck to come and pick up my mailings....  As you all know - waiting is not a virtue of mine - so I was sooooo frustrated when 2 hrs after the pick up time passed and they still have not come.....   MORE WAAAAAH!!!

 

Eventually all got done...   Mailings got picked up....   the rain stopped....  and the water pumped got fixed (Thanks Juju's Daddy for being such a Handy Man!)...   all is well again....   and took a looong afternoon walk to get rid of all the frustrations out....  looked at some XMas displays....  sat and had coffee outside - and just watched happy people go by....   All the while thinking - all these things happening now much be life's little jokes on me....   and I know I could handle it all - with a SMILE even!!!

 

Then something wonderful happened, amidst all the Personal Messages/ Emails I was dealing throughout the day - I got one from a friend in The Philippines, Isabel Casas - enclosed is a photo of some beautiful Rosaries that she had picked up for me on her recent trip to the Holy Land...  Without me asking for anything, and just casually knowing I collect Rosaries - she picked a few up for me.  MUCH TO MY SURPRISE!!!  This totally erased all the frustrations I felt since last night.... and the heavy heart becomes light as air once more....

   This just proves what I've always known all along - that there is

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR!!!

"Pls No Pain..."

So after a week long trying to convince my MOM to get a CITI Scan - just so we can see exactly how far along or how far the CANCER has spread... as, at this point, there is no mistaking it is BREAST CANCER.... she has AGREED to get the SCAN... the deal is that we will get it checked and find out the STATs - then she can DECIDE , given the options, what to do next... and that her decision will be RESPECTED and FOLLOWED....

BACKTRACK: My MOM, though she has felt this LUMP on her breast for years first hide it from me... then later on when it was too noticeable to HIDE, Refused to have it looked at, for fears of the worse case scenario... as well as her, fears of hospitals.... so the past years, though she has been in and out of the hospitals, she never got it looked at and always opt to just get PAIN RELIEVER medicines and medicines for her HIGH BLOOD condition..... needless to say, the CANCER has progressed over the years - and is now, even without the BIOPSY, being declared as "TERMINAL" and "LAST STAGE CANCER"....

FORWARD TO YESTERDAY (April 14th): It was not GOOD at all... first of all, my MOM has a hard time with the long drive, so we were referred to a nearby Hospital.... of course, they could not do the CT SCAN - as their machine is not capable of what was needed... so we were sent to hospitals, after hospitals.... till we just decided to get to one of the biggest one in the city.... of course, this travel alone already took it's toll on my MOM..... and when we finally got to MEDICAL CITY, we find out that she could not just get a CT SCAN, per se.... she needed so many other LAB TESTS before she could do this... to see if she is even fit enough to stand the CT Scan.... We basically had to start from the beginning: consulted with Breast Cancer Specialist.... who gave us a long lists of laboratory tests needed before the CT SCAN.... it was already 8:30PM before we finished what can be done for the day - it was many hours and many tests means she - which I could tell, was putting my MOM in so much pain.... it did not help that she was not allowed to eat till after all these tests.... which meant she also could not take her pain medicine....

Now all that is done... and today (APRIL 15th) we go back for a NOON time appointment to get a BONE SCAN.... then next MONDAY, the actual CT SCAN - providing all is clear from the tests taken yesterday and today....

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Seeing all these, and actually seeing my MOM gets weary and tired from all of these tests - makes me feel so HOPELESS and HELPLESS.... as if whenever she looks at me, all I can see in her eyes, is: "No Pain Please..." At this point, am not even LOOKING for any MIRACLES.... am just HOPING that she really will not have to go through too much pain... no more than she already is suffering from....

Food For Thought

"The mere fact that you wake up everyday means it's another chance to be better..."

HAPPY DAY ALL!!!

Computer Blues...

Almost a week of no REAL computer connection - WAAAAAAH!!!! yes that's right 5 days to be exact that we had no proper NET CONNECTION - an hour here and there, at IKEA or someone else's WIFI does not count at all...

always one of the worst things for me to go through is to not be able to connect... not only because of work matters but for all the personal reasons (always BUGS me when I cannot keep in touch with my Mom), as well.... and yep, admittedly, that includes FACEBOOK and BLOGGING.. (^_*) In other words, if I have to say what am addicted to - I WOULD, WITHOUT HESITATION SAY, MY COMPUTER!!

Anyway, the last few days had been good for the most part - not including my COMPUTER BLUES - got to go to Kaohsiung and visit with the Wu Family; play with LALA, who is getting on in years; visit the TOWNSHIP of LUGANG and EXPERIENCED a 5.plus Earthquake, and its after shocks while touring the town; got a really IRRITATING, more like INFURIATING letter to deal with; and processed lots of dollies to go out... in other words, LIFE, as I KNOW IT! and with that, i was reminded of this passage:

"Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

NO REST!!!

...I often hear people say: "There is No Rest For the Wicked".... but i did not even think am WICKED... so how come, I GET NO REST! :((

Oh Well - "SUCK IT UP, rudi... SUCK IT UP!"
Happy 1st of OCT everyone.... now, back to work....

LIFE & CHANGE

Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.
~Unknown

coco chanel

okay, so who has not heard of Chanel? one does not have to be a FASHIONISTA to have herad of her - the fashions, the style, the perfumes, the little black dress, etc... but am sure am not the only who was not really familiar of her beginnings, her life....

I asked Shaun, one of my roomies, to DOWNLOAD the Chanel film with Audrey Tatou - this because I totally missed it when it showed here in Taiwan.. instead he wrongly downloaded the Coco Chanel film with Shirley MacLaine... beside Ms MacLaine and Malcolm McDowell - i did not know any of the other casts.... and honestly, did not care for their acting either... what blew me away was Chanel's story, itself... From her early sufferings as a child (even stayed in an orphanage with her younger sister); to her first job as a seamstress; to her love life...; right up to making it as a full fledged DESIGNER (though she never even learned how to draw of make a pattern) - even surviving the ravages of World War II. WHAT A LIFE!!! very inspiring... totally recommended - again, even if you are not a FASHIONISTA... besides, Miss MacLaine just gets better with age....

always something

"...i guess you thought I would've put it all behind me..
but it seems there's always something right there to remind me..."

DEATH

Death has always been a really hard subject to speak about... most people do not even want to UTTER this 5 letter word, much more, think or talk about it... but it really isn't all that bad -- for me anyway... it is all a matter of how we think and deal with it...

Anyway, a few days ago at the GYM, we overheard someone talking about another person's passing.... it seems that this 78 year old man, who swims regularly at the pool close by to us, just finished his laps.... with a smile sat down and rested... as he has done many times over.... and then just did not make up anymore...

Death is just another part of our journey in this life of ours... it's inevitable - it will happen.... so need not fret, nor waste time dwelling on it... instead we all try to just LIVE for however much time we are given in this world...

So it got me thinking -- if I had to go, I would very much like it to be the same way... IMAGINE, even in my OLDER DAYS -- still FIT and EXERCISING.... and to PASS ON right after doing something I like... and with a SMILE on my face - that would be HEAVEN and IDEAL! Now if only we have a say in the matter.....

Last Words For June

Last day of June - depending on where you are it is either the beginning of Summer (Taiwan); the middle of the Summer (USA) or the end of Summer (Philippines)... No Matter where you may be, I only wish that you are all well - and all is going as smooth as they could be... and that you are finding Happiness...

On that note, I leave you a couple of quotes on LIFE & HAPPINESS... words to ponder over - words to live by...

-from the Dalai Lama:
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."

-and this one from my very good friend, Mary E:
"...if you're able to find some happiness for yourself and bring a little happiness to others, then you're living a good life."
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-and my very own stance on Happiness:

"Find happiness in anything and everything you do & see in life... no matter how small or simple they may be.... as sometimes, the small things in life is what gives us the biggest pleasures."