I just learned my lesson the hard way…

It has been said that the most important meal of the day is the breakfast. I learned this since high school and have managed to follow it until I become an employee. Since then, I was so conscious not to skip breakfast for the fear of getting ulcer and other related diseases.

Over a month a ago, I changed my diet by eating biscuits and drinking a cup of milk as my breakfast. However, I still crave to eat rice and viand because I'm used to it. There are times though, that I take my complete breakfast (rice and viand) even if its past 9 0r 10 o'clock in the morning. This has become my routine until I woke up this morning experiencing stomach ache.

Flatulence (panuhot) was all I can think of because last night, I slept without a shirt because of the seemingly hot climate this summer. I used efficascent oil and hoped the pain would subside. I slept again and the pain has subsided. I went to the city at 10:30AM and took my breakfast at 11:00AM.

After eating lunch, my stomach was aching. It made me think then that it might be stomach ulcer!!! The pain though was on and off until at 3:00pm, it was unbearable. Then I remembered last year when Kuya Ron suffered from ulcer and took tabon tabon as his alternative medicine for ulcer after being discharged from the hospital. Immediately, I requested Abel to accompany me in going to Pala-o market to buy Tabon-tabon, Alpine and Honey (at FK Mart).

I stayed at Tipanoy and requested Te Gina to prepare the tabon tabon juice. I was trying to bear the pain until I took the juice. I feel nauseated but managed not to vomit. I just took a rest and the pain temporarily vanished.

I had dinner then and after an hour, the pain went back and it was unbearable. Then I vomited what I have eaten. It was a bit painful but thank God, I went through it. I am praying that I can fully recover and be well.

I just learned my lesson the hard way… I commit myself to eat my meals on time. I should not take for granted my diet… I thank all the people who have helped me manage this predicament. Salamat Ma’am Kamik for the liniment. Salamat Sir Alphe for the bread. Salamat Abel for the company. Salamat Te Gina for preparing the tabon2 juice and for the tinola. Salamat Kuya Ron and Sarah for the warm welcome. Salamat Lord.

Below was my post last April 17, 2011 in facebook when Kuya Ron struggled with stomach ulcer. Please care to read and share. Thanks.

DO YOU KNOW THAT Tabon tabon fruit is a very good remedy for stomach ulcer and other related diseases?

It is commonly used as an ingredient of "kinilaw" but unknown to many, its main contribution is to neutralize the acid of other ingredients. If you know someone suffering from gastritis, hyperacidity and the like, please advise and follow these steps:

Buy 5-10 tabon tabon fruit.

Slice the fruit.

Scrape its meat.

Add 2-3 tablespoon(s) water and squeeze.

Use a strainer.

Mix 1 tablespoon of honey to offset the undesirable taste :-)

It's ready to drink :-)

REACTIONS: You will nauseate and vomit, an indication of removing the acid from your stomach and accordingly, the sticky component of the fruit will subside into the stomach lining.

It has been proven to be effective. Kuya Ron just took it yesterday, he vomited and felt exhausted. Now, he's feeling well and good. :-) Thanks to Tabon tabon fruit, one of nature's amazing contribution to wellness :-) Thank God for the fruit :-)

The Echoes of My Heart: “What Makes You Happy?”

“What makes you happy” is one of the mind-boggling questions a person faces. At times, it leaves the individual puzzled considering the various perspectives from which to base his answer. While there is no yardstick as to the level of happiness, one thing is for sure: We are born to be happy.

I believe that happiness emanates from a grateful heart. No matter how troublesome and challenging the situation is, one remains to be happy because of the gratitude flourishing within him. In my 26 years of existence, I have never been so conscious on the importance of gratitude until I read some motivational books featuring GRATITUDE as a very important component to experience happiness. Saying “thank you” more than a hundred times in a day for instance is just awesome. There are a lot of blessings to acknowledge and I feel great everytime I do this. There are even moments that tears flew from my eyes because of the expressed gratitude. It is for this reason that I keep myself hopeful amid challenges in life.

Dated November 12, 2011, Alexander quoted Explore Iligan’s post about Seven Rules to be Happy; to wit:

1. Never Hate

2. Don’t Worry

3. Live Simply

4. Expect Little

5. Give a Lot

6. Always Smile

7. Best of All Stay in Love

Then, a challenge to say something about it sprouted as Lisa Marie enthusiastically shared her thoughts about the matter. Thanks Lai because this will revive a new momentum for my creative writing as I call it. So, here’s my stand on the Seven Rules to be Happy.

Never Hate. I admit I hated some people and I tend to move away from them. It’s one of my struggles and I need to deal with it. I really value the essence of communication and true enough, I would let the person know how big the impact was for me and then be reconciled.

Don’t Worry. It is common to many of worrying what is yet to come and I admit, I’m one of them. This is one of the reasons why I deprive myself to some activities because I am apprehensive of what tomorrow brings. I am even often told by my friends not to worry because tomorrow has its own worries and that I should focus on the present day and find time to enjoy.

Live Simply. I always do, even in the choices of food that I buy. Hmmm… Haven’t had the chance to buy new clothes for quite some time not just because I still have something to wear but because I’m on a tight budget. I also aspire to live a luxurious life in the future

Expect Little. There were a lot of instances that I got disappointed and a bit hurt because I expected too much. Having learned those, I expect little then.

Give a Lot. I have committed to give support to my family in ways I could. One weakness I have is that I can hardly say “no” when I needed to. This makes me dream of becoming rich so I can give more and help them become blessings to others as well.

Always Smile. I graciously smile because it makes me feel good all throughout the day. I appreciate people who show smile because they too brighten up my day. Sales ladies and gents can never be effective without a welcoming smile.

Stay in Love. I always believe in the power of love, which is also the origin of all positive feelings. When it comes to romantic love, I admit I haven’t been into a relationship in this context but it doesn’t make me less of a person. Reminiscing some special people in my life makes me thank them for helping me become emotionally strong. I’m excited though for the right person prepared for me.

And so everyday, I just have to stay in love with my family, career, friends and the Almighty.

In closing, I believe that we are born to be happy and life itself is a blessing that we need to explore and enjoy. Let’s share our happiness to everyone.

Learning in the School of Affliction

So take heart, suffering one. Someday you too will realize that it was worth it all. (1 Peter 1:7) – M. R. De Haan, MD

Dated April 21, 2012, I scanned the reading of the day in “Our Daily Bread.” Reading the lines, “The most cheerful people I have met, with few exceptions, have been those who’ve had the least sunshine and the most pain and suffering in their lives” made me pause for a while and I tried checking myself. Like anyone else I strive to withstand the challenges of life. Some people would say that I am cheerful, worry-free and joyful. I must admit that I am but deep inside I am struggling. I have also met people who are very enthusiastic and cheerful. In moments of a heart to heart talk, only then that I realize that he/she too is trying to manage “seemingly” unbearable trials. Nevertheless, the joy that cheerful people share is extraordinary. I would thank them for bringing happiness in my life and for sharing the glimmer of hope that despite the problems, life is beautiful no matter what happens. I also thank God and for the people who find me cheerful amidst difficulties in life because somehow, I also make them happy the simplest way I can.


These lines got me inspired. “The Bible tells us that if we respond properly to the trials of life, we will develop patience and godly maturity. (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:3-4). We must keep in mind that our present sufferings are but for a moment and that they are being used by God for our eternal good (2 Cor. 4:17-18).” Indeed, everything that we go through has a purpose and it is our attitude in responding to trials that matters. Moreover, all the hardships are just temporary and I know, these are God’s ways of making us stronger and honing our potentials to be better. We just have to be patient and faithful.

Be grateful and be happy...

I was checking my email when I noticed a new notification from The Secret Scrolls - From The Secret Daily Teachings. I clicked on it and here’s the message: 

 “Today, be grateful. Be grateful for your favorite music, for movies that make you feel good, for your phone that connects you with people, for your computer, and for the electricity that lights up your life. Be grateful for air travel that flies you everywhere. Be grateful for the roads and traffic lights that keep the traffic in order. Be grateful to those who built our bridges. Be grateful for your pet, for your child, for your loved ones, for your eyes that enable you to read this. Be grateful for your imagination. Be grateful that you can think. Be grateful that you can speak. Be grateful that you can laugh and smile. Be grateful that you can breathe. Be grateful that you are alive! Be grateful that you are You! 

Be grateful that there are two words that can change your life. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” 

May the joy be with you, 

Rhonda Byrne The Secret... bringing joy to billions 

This made me smile because it reminded me to acknowledge every little thing in my life. I thank this keyboard I am pressing in. I thank my laptop for making me encode correspondence. I thank the wifi router we have, though it’s not functioning at times but being able to connect to the world offsets the destruction. I thank God for the opportunity of joining the corporate world. I thank my family who keeps in believing in me. I thank my friends who make me happy. I thank every person I meet who in one way or the other has taught me different lessons in life. I thank Mindanao State University for the affordable education, challenges and opportunities for growth. I thank all my teachers from kindergarten to present for the inspiration shared. I also would love to thank my students who also taught me to be emotionally strong. I thank my nephews and nieces for showing enthusiasm in their studies. I thank Iligan Bloggers Society for the friendship. I thank my classmates in MBM for the fun way of learning as well as inspiration. I thank MSU-IIT for the experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you… 

Life is indeed a celebration of gratitude, a journey of blessings, learning and appreciation. With all the challenges surrounding us, there is a glimmer of hope towards a brighter future. One just needs to continue living life to the fullest no matter what and just be grateful.

Don't Kill Time... Use it wisely and be productive...

"Beware of wasting the present. Instead of killing time, redeem your spare moments today." - Henry Bosch

I have always been in a hurry, not mainly because I have so many tasks to do but simply because I don’t manage my time well. I always end up cramming prior to class presentations and speaking engagements. Thanks that I still manage to have a good performance, but I know that I can be a lot better than what I have done. There were several moments though that I spend time pondering how to come up with a detailed Time Management program but other circumstances seem stronger than what I should be doing.

April 20, 2012 is not an ordinary day for me. Ms. Malaya told me she has something to give me. I was trying to guess that it was assignment-related communication until she handed me “Our Daily Bread”. She further said that Ms. Apple wanted to give it to me. I thanked Ms. Malaya but haven’t extended yet my gratitude to Ms. Apple.

I was about to go home when I opened the reading for this day entitled “Don’t Kill Time.” As I read through it, I got hooked with the story of the famous author John Erskine on how he managed his time. He learned a very important lesson when he was 14 years old about spending time for his piano rehearsals. When asked how he did it, he replied at least 1 hour doing the practice. His teacher warned him not to do long stretches like it. The result was more amazing after he followed the advice of spending 5 to 10 minutes before school and some more minutes after lunch. In fact, he wrote nearly most of the famous “Helen of Troy” while commuting between his home and the university.

Then, there’s a striking question that goes, “How can you make good use of your spare moments?

One thing I always love doing but haven’t done lately, is to express myself through writing. I even posted one day through facebook that I miss blogging. I really do. I want to harness my writing skills and publishing a book is one of my dreams... J With this initial post, I pray that I can spend some minutes in a day to write what I want including my reflections. As said, the urge to write is just like an opportunity, it comes and it goes.!!! Oh, Richard, take note of this :D

Another thing that I want to do is reading!!! I can remember the days when I am bored and reading makes me feel alright. I really prefer reading some articles than to watch movies. Having this helpful book “Our Daily Bread”, I commit myself to read it everyday. Thank you so much Ms. Apple for this wonderful gift.

Teaching is one of the things I also miss doing. It’s been two years I miss discussing to a group of students. While I do topic presentations with my classmates, I just miss sending the message to my students. I’ll be back soon, God willing. J In the meantime, I will be sharing my learning to my colleagues. J

Lord, thank you for this wonderful day and for this great book. J The reading I have today reminds me to value the time you give me. Continue to be my guide. Thank you so much. J