felix’s Blog

I said:”God, please take away my vices…” God said:”No…It is not for me to take them away, but for you to give them up.”

I said:”God, make my handicapped child whole…” God said:”No…His spirit is whole; his body is only temporary.”

I said:”God, grant me patience…” God said:”No…Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.”

I said:”God, give me happiness…” God said:”No…I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.”

I said:”God, spare me from pain…” God said:”No…Suffering draws you away from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.”

I said:”God, make my spirit grow…” God said:”No…You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.”

I said:”God, please give me many things that I might enjoy life…” God said: “No…I will give you life that you may enjoy many things.”

I said:”God, help me to love others, as much as You love me…” God said: “Ahhhh…FINALLY YOU GOT THE IDEA!!!”

I have fallen in love

with the same woman three times;

In a day spanning nineteen years,

of tearful joys and joyful tears.

I loved her first when she was young

enchanting and vibrant, eternally new

She was brilliant, fragrant

and cool as the morning dew.

I fell in love with her the second time

when first she bore her child & mine

always by my side, the source of my strength

helping to turn the tide.

But there were candles to burn

the world was my concern

while our home was her domain

and the people were mine

while the children was hers to maintain;

So it was in those eighteen years and a day

till I was detained; forced in prison to stay.

Suddenly she’s our sole support

source of comfort, our wellspring of hope

on her shoulders felt the burden of life.

I fell in love again

with the same woman the third time

Looming from the battle

her courage will never fade

Amidst the hardships she has remained

undaunted and unafraid

She is calm and composed

She is God’s lovely maid.

A lecturer, when explaining STRESS MANAGEMENT to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 20ml to 500ml…

The lecturer replied: “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If you hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If you hold it for an hour, you’ll have an ache in your arm. If you hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer you hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes inceasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”

“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.”

“So, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while…”

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet - just in case you have to

eat them.

* Always wear a stuff that will make you look good if you have to die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be “recalled” by their maker.

* If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone 200 pesos and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can’t dance well…just get up and dance.

* Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything’s coming your way…you’re in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you…the more you have, the longer you live.

* You may only be one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull; some have weird names and have different colors but they all have to live in the same box.

* A truly happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour…

God created the DONKEY & said to him: “You will be a donkey & work untiringly from sunrise to sunset, carrying burdens on your back, have no intelligence, eat grass & live for 50 years.” The donkey replied: “I will be a donkey but 50 years is too much. Give me 20 years.” God granted his wish.

God created the DOG & said to him: “You will guard his house, be his best friend, eat the scraps that is given to you & live for 30 years.” The dog replied: “Sir, 30 years is too much, give me only 15 years.” God granted his wish.

God created the MONKEY & said to him: “You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks & be amusing & live for 20 years.” The monkey replied: “To live for 20 years is too much, give me 10 years only.” God also granted his wish.

Finally, God created MAN & said to him: “You will be the only rational creature on earth, use your intelligence to master over all animals & live for 20 years.” The man replied: “Sir, 20 years is too short! Please give me the 30 years the donkey refused, the 15 years the dog did not want & the 10 years the monkey did not take.” God granted his wish.

Since then, man lives for 20 years as MAN; marries & spends 30 years like a DONKEY - working & carrying all the burdens on his back.

With the children growing up, he spends 15 years like a DOG - taking care of the house & eating whatever is given to him.

When he is old & retired, he can live 10 years as a MONKEY - going from house to house, from one child to another, doing tricks & amusing his grandchildren…

A husband wakes up with a huge hangover. He forces himself to open his eyes and the first thing he sees is aspirin with a glass of water on the side table. He sits down and sees all his clothes all cleaned up and pressed. He looks around the room and sees everything spotless, clean and in perfect order. So is the rest of the house. He takes the aspirin and notices a note on the table: “Honey, breakfast is on the table. I left early to go grocery shopping. Love you!”

Totally shocked with the note, he goes to the kitchen and there is the breakfast and morning newspaper. His son is also there having his breakfast. He asks: “Son, what happened last night?” His son says: “Well, you arrived around 3 a.m. terribly drunk and delirious. You broke some crockery, puked in the hall and gave yourself a blackeye when you stumbled on the door.”

Confused, the man asks: “So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table? I should expect a quarrel with her.”

His son replies: “Oh that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom and when she tried to take off your clothes and your shoes, you shouted…”

“LADY, LEAVE ME ALONE! I AM MARRIED!!!”

MORAL:

SAY ONLY THE RIGHT WORDS WHEN DRUNK…

CASE # 1

*Getting married is like going to a restaurant: you order what you want, and then when you see what the other fellow has, you wish you had ordered that!!!

CASE # 2

*At the cocktail party, one woman said to another: “Aren’t you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?” The other woman replied: “Yes, I am. I married the wrong man!”

CASE # 3

*Before a man is married, he is INCOMPLETE; then when he is married, he is FINISHED.

CASE # 4

*MARRIAGE is an institution in which a man losses his bachelor’s degree and the woman gets her master’s status.

CASE # 5

*A little boy asked his father: “Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?” And the father replied: “I don’t know son, I’m still paying for it!”

CASE # 6

*Young son: “Is it true, dad, that in some parts of Africa, a man doesn’t know his wife until he marries her?”

Dad: “That happens in most countries, son!”

CASE # 7

*Then there was a man who said: “I never knew what real happiness was until I got married…and then it was too late!!!”

CASE # 8

*A happy marriage is a matter of “give and take”: the husband gives and the wife takes...

CASE # 9

*When a newly married man looks happy, we KNOW why!

But when a ten-year married man looks happy, we WONDER why???

CASE # 10

*MARRIED LIFE is very frustrating! In the first year of marriage: the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year: the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year: they both speak…and the neighbors listen!!!

CASE # 11

*After a quarrel, wife said to her husband: “You know, I was a fool when I married you!” The husband replied: “Yes, dear, but I was in love and didn’t notice it!!!”

CASE # 12

*A man inserted an “ad” in the classified: “WIFE WANTED”. The next day, he received hundreds of letters. They all said the same thing: “You can have MINE!”

CASE # 13

*When a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: either the CAR is NEW or his WIFE is NEW!!!

CASE # 14

*A woman was telling her friend: “It is I who made my husband a millionaire!”

“And what was he before you married him?” the friend asked.

The woman replied: “A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE!!!”

WE WILL MISS. . .

* the powerful sound of the old BELL early in the morning

* the times that we ran at full speed to the chapel because we were late

* the uncombed hair and the untidy uniform during Mass and classes

* the bite-size longganisa in the morning and the oily food at lunch and dinner (note: oily food is thought to be the culprit in pimple development among seminarians)

* the out-of-tune singing of the Pambansang Awit and the Seminary Hymn on Mondays (& Fridays if there is no home visit)

* the “silent” Rosary on Tuesdays & Thursdays

* the Perpetual Help Novena on Wednesdays

* the annual feastdays that were celebrated in swimming pools & resorts - very enjoyable that we forgot what the celebration is for???

* the times when we tease each other with our parents’ names

* the mothers and sisters (and other girl-relatives) of other seminarians during Friday & Sunday visits

* the times we would wake up very early in the morning to review for the prelim and periodical exams

* the very silent but unsatisfying siesta

* the times we would wake up at 5 bells...or even worse, 2 bells

* the times we used any ball just to play basketball (kahit tennis ball papatulan eh!)

* the times when we patiently waited for the study period to end

* the mini soccer court at the front lawn where we used to play after supper

* the game shows of Kevin and the federacion at the lobby (abante akwooo!!!)

* the fence in front of the seminary where the gang of AJ used to sit

* the trip to Sariaya, Quezon in a bus without an aircon (uhhh…ang ginaw!)

* the times when we wear our Mass uniform as our pajamas for tomorrow’s RUN

* the “okay” lines and English lessons of our beautiful adviser, Ma’am Joy

* the old jokes and the “sine’, cose’, tane” of Sir Adolfo

* the “Simoun” in the El Filibusterismo, and our annoying teases to the little Ma’am Belle

* the times when we hid from Fr. Foz just to avoid his scary Latin lessons and enjoyed our anticipated siesta

* the “HOT!” computer classes of Ma’am Arlene

* the “THAAAAEENK YOU” lines and the unending quizessss of Ma’am Norma in Economics subject (pag bumaba ang deman bababa rin ang suplay)

* the helping hand of Ma’am Basa

* the times we pretended not to hear the ANGER of Ma’am Magda when we hang out at the library

* the NOSE-BLEEDING, HEADBURSTING, HEARTACHING and endless scientific problems of Ma’am Esmie in Physics class

* the very OPEN confessions to Fr. Foz on Saturdays

* the meaningful suspensions and watering of the plants chores imposed by the COOL nature lover, Fr. Jack (it’s just a matter of self-confidence)

* the very understanding money-lender, Fr. Lester

* the Rector’s Conference of Fr. Felix in our Religion class (SERVA ORDINEM ET ORDO SERVAVIT TE!!!)

* the warm-hearted and patient Sr. Yolanda

* the RUTHLESS “kultaps” of Sir Gene (oh my pretty hair! hirap pa naman magpatubo)

…and lastly, we will miss the school itself, the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION MINOR SEMINARY! Thanks for the great memories and the timeless moments we had!!!

MABUHAY KA, ICMS!!!

(N.B. This excellent “piece” is contributed by ICMS CLASS 2008; printed in the IMMACULATA ‘08 JUBILEE EDITION)

I remember so well

the day that you came into my life

you asked for my name

you had the most beautiful smile

my life started to change

l wake each day feeling alright

with you right by my side

makes me feel things will turn out just fine

how did you know

l needed someone like you in my life

that there was an empty space in my heart

you came at the right time in my life

l never forget how you brought the sun to shine in my life

and took all the worries and fears that l had

l guess what l’m really trying to say

it’s not everyday that someone like you comes my way

no words can express how much…

I LOVE YOU!!!

In life, there are lots of people watching our next move, desperately waiting for us to fail and even praying for us to give up…but don’t mind them - it just doubles the fun of living and surviving. Let us keep in mind that failures & problems are not things we should be scared of…they could lead to breakthroughs & great discoveries - see life as an adventure & enjoy every moment of it!!!

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If there is one lesson we ought to learn in life, it should be MATURITY:

MATURITY to understand that life is unfair;

MATURITY not to make things worse;

MATURITY to realize that there are things that we cannot change;

MATURITY to accept them gracefully;

MATURITY in loving;

MATURITY to be never bitter if things don’t work out the way we want them to be.

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The strongest people have the…

-worst problems

-worst trials

-worst situations

not because God wants them to suffer but because He trusts them so much that He gave them something He knows they can overcome and something that would help them realize that everybody can be a companion but not everyone can be a friend.

Be thankful for God’s trials - they are His gifts to strong people!!!

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If I could compare our friendship to a sport…

it’s gonna be SOCCER - you’re the BALL

and I’m the GOALIE:

So everytime they kick you, I’ll do my best to catch you…

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It is not right to always stay in pain when you know you’ve already had too much;

It is not always wrong to be happy when you know it’s about time that you deserve to be!!!

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Sometimes, you can’t stop yourself from hoping for yesterday to come back especially when yesterday was the only future you ever wanted and needed from the start…

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The priest said: “BEWARE of this sinful ORGAN; I shall not mention it by name. It gives a person so much PLEASURE but CAUSES much REGRET and SHAME! Though it is only a small ROLL of FLESH, from it all MISCHIEF has sprung. I will now show you this monster…”

and

the priest stuck out his………

TONGUE!!!

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FAITH

-is not about getting permission to do what is easy;

it’s about gaining the courage to do what is diificult.

-is not about staying in your comfort zone;

it’s about going where God leads you.

-is not believing what people say about God;

it’s simply believing what God says.

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When you have found the reason to walk away, never look back…

just keep on walking, even if the destination is unclear.

It will take a lot of courage for every step you make, and it will save some pride and honor for yourself.

It is better to get lost moving on, than being stranded and broken all your life!

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We look for love not because it is lonely to be watching movies alone; sad to eat meals on our own;

or,

because it’s nice to cuddle up with someone on rainy days.

We look for love because we want to be accepted - for the sloppy way we dress; for bad hair days, and for the simplicity in us.

Love is an act of acceptance - that with all our imperfections, we are still loved!!!

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I may be slow, but I’m sure in everything I do.

I may be weak, but through my weakness I find strength.

I may act like a child, but I’m mature in thought.

I may be sarcastic, but l only say what l feel.

l may be simple, but that simplicity hides my kindness.

l may look happy, but my sentiments are deep within me.

l may pose a captivating smile, but it only covers the pain l hide.

l may be what others think of me, but only God knows the real me…

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REV. FR. FELIX ARRIETA COSTALES

If you were born with the sun in Cancer - you are proud, independent,conservative, inclined to be artistic and desirous of high positions.

You are very particular about your appearance and very positive and determined in the execution of your plans.

You have Superior Intelligence and are quick to perceive and learn new things.

You are fond of travel.

Your arguments are good and it is a hard matter to talk you out of anything.

You are good linguist, and possess dramatic and musical ability.

You should also succeed along the inventive lines, also as a stenographer, merchant sales person, in fact, you are shrewd in all business matters.

The diseases from which you are apt to suffer are indigestion, gastric, liver and kidney.

You are not a person who should go through life without a partner; as a matter of fact, the older you grow, the more you will need someone to listen to your sorrows and joys.

In marriage, you should be happiest with a companion born under the sign of Capricorn, Pisces, or Scorpio.

Your astral colors are orange, green or russet brown.

The gems are ruby, black onyx or agate.

Fortunate day - Monday.

Fortunate numbers - 8 & 9