Life in Full Color

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It's lovely to see modern day skyscrapers with blooming flowers altogether...it's simply the best of both worlds.  Who would have thought that one could find a blooming garden amidst a busy metropolitan area.

A shot of Downtown Dallas from the Flower Market is one sight that is what I can call -- surreal.

Love it!

Reminds me of a married couple.   And yes, the cheerful, joyous one must be the wife -- while the somewhat grouchy, I-haven't-had-enough-sleep-today is probably the mister.


The camera sure clicked at the right second. :)

Originally uploaded by ILCP

An encounter of a Southern Right Whale and a diver on a sandy sea bottom just off the Auckland Islands in New Zealand (at a depth of 22 meters).


Southern Right Whales in these areas haven't seen humans before and were very curious. :)


The whale is basically 14 meters long and weighs about 70 tons...


Amazing!

Have you always been a math wizard?  Or have you always hated math so much?

Which is easier for you?

If you haven't failed, there's something seriously wrong with you. Now that sounds good, doesn't it? If you have failed at least once, congratulations! Welcome to the club! If you have failed, so what??? The thing that you should be concerned about is what you did after you failed.
If there's one thing man hates, it's not someone who's perfect; but it's his own failure.
You may or may not be aware of it, as much as you may or may not admit it, but failing, especially if you have tried your best, is the greatest de-motivator of all.

Failure is the ultimate ego crusher; the element that sucks out the brightness of the world.But then again,

So the next time you feel bad about failing or those little failures, think about it this way:
You're better off laughing it off and making the best out of your day. J

Remember, everybody fails... and winners are failures who tried again, while losers are failures who never got the nerve to give it another shot.

"It is only at the first encounter that a face makes its full impression on us."
                     Arthur Schopenhauer (German Philosopher 1788-1860)

 Do you want to know what the first 12 minutes can do to you?

photo courtesy of http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/

 It takes only 12 minutes for someone to form a definite first impression of you. So if you're trying to make a good impression, you've got only 12 minutes to do so.
If you screw it up, there's good news and bad news.
 The good news is – you get to reverse it. So it's not permanent.
The bad news is – it takes 6-8 consecutive meetings (of good impressions) to overcome one bad impression.


Forming an Impression

I don't normally find these kind of things funny, but this one really made me laugh!
Michael V's parody of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, thus THE BATHROOM DANCE.

For those who can understand Tagalog, you'll have a laugh riot ;)

photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/31experiment/

At age 4: mom knows everything!

Back in college, one of the topics in my classes (I'm a psychology major, by the way) that really got me interested was the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross model (of coping with dying). This is what most people would know as The 5 Stages of Grief.

The model was based on the interviews she conducted with her dying patients – those with terminal illnesses – and she came up with five stages to describe the emotional and psychological responses that most individuals go through when coping with it.

However, I have realized that the 5 stages of grief isn't only for people who are dying of terminal illness. It's also applicable for people who have "died" emotionally – those who have faced losing something or someone so dear to them, those going through a divorce, drug addiction, diagnosed with infertility, and so on.

The Five Stages of Grief, a.k.a. D-A-B-D-A is a very good tool in overcoming grief – and if you know how the process goes, you are more likely to overcome it sooner, avoiding a "relapse" to earlier stages –which obviously would make you go through the whole thing all over again.

D – Denial
photo courtesy of: http://www.kevscartoons.com/

The person refuses to face the situation with the fear of what will come next after that precise situation. The usual phrases they would tell themselves would be "I'm fine", "Everything's alright", and "This can't be happening to me – not me". However, soon, the person will be open to the reality of the situation.

A – Anger
photo courtesy of: http://www.burgertime.info/

This comes when the person's eyes are open to the realities of the situation and denial can no longer continue. This is a realization of the person's fear of what will come next, and so with fear, the defense reaction would be anger. The person will have thoughts of rage over the situation and will have thoughts of "Why me?!", "This is not fair!!!", "Who is to blame for all these???", and even "How can this happen to me??? Why???".

The person facing anger may not throw things around or curse at everything he or she sees – but they will be quite angry with themselves, the situation, and life itself.

B – Bargaining 
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When the person keeps asking questions of anger and doesn't get any answers that they like, they turn to bargaining. It is the stage when the individual actually hopes to delay or change his or her situation. If the person is dying, they may hope to delay the day they die; and if a person is in a relationship wherein her husband is having an affair and might be leaving her for that other woman, that person hopes that her husband will change.

However, in this stage, the hopes of the person are negotiated with a higher power, in exchange for a transformed lifestyle. So the person may go on with phrases like "I will do (good or charitable deeds) if...", "I will give up my bad habits just to have...", and phrases of that sort. 


D – Depression
photo courtesy of: http://spktruth2power.files.wordpress.com/

This stage then comes when the person realizes that a bargain, even with a higher power cannot change his or her situation at all. The feelings of hope are washed away, leaving a hollow feeling of emptiness and hopelessness to the individual.

This is the time that the person understands that what must be, will be. So they may shy away from the world, keep silent, avoiding other people, and spend much time crying and grieving – even going into self-pity.  This is the time they would have thoughts like "I'm so sad... why even bother?", "I really miss my loved one... why go on?", or "He left me for someone else... I'm not worth loving, so why bother?", and so on.

A – Acceptance
photo courtesy of: http://imperfectaction.com/

This is the best part of the five stages – acceptance. This is the time that the person finally gets out of depression and realizes that there is a life out there – a beautiful life out there for them. They may go on with empowering thoughts like "I can't fight it, so I might as well prepare for it", or "It's okay, I'm okay, everything will start to be okay".


So live life to the fullest – you've got only one, so make the best out of it. J

I have never been much of reader, but nevertheless I still read some books – as long as what I'm reading is interesting, for me (at the very least).

And then I stumbled upon this one book, by accident.

I was about to start my job as a guidance counselor, a couple of years ago, when a good friend handed to me a book he has been reading since college. I opened it and found it interesting. No, it's not a novel, nor is it a captivating story. It's actually what I like to call "my daily dose of overlooked wisdom".

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and It's All Small Stuff , (published in 1997) is the mother of all the books written by the late Richard Carlson, Ph.D (1961-2006).  And it has given more than just a sense of daily wisdom into my day; rather, "a more productive and fruitful day" is more like it. 

"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and It's All Small Stuff" is a great book. Even if you don't like reading, you can enjoy this book because all you need to do is read one topic (that's about 1 or 2 pages only) a day and you get your daily dose of overlooked wisdom.

This is one of the legacies that Richard Carlson has left for the world --  a nice reminder that life is swift, so don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff. 

Here are 6 ways to de-stress:

1. 
   
   Eat.
   
   photo courtesy of: http://www.senioru.appstate.edu/Images/Etiquette2008/Dining/eating.jpg
   I said eat, not binge.
   Your brain and your moods are connected – they're linked. So dieting won't help much here. However, don't binge because binging will cause you to gain that excess weight and that will be a new addition to your collection of stressful moments.
   Eating foods that you want lightens up your mood and makes you feel happier and more relaxed.
   For instance, have about 1 square of chocolate daily – this will keep your moods up, but your weight low. Remember, the more you work, the more frequent you should eat (in small amounts).
   If your work is all about physical labor, that's tiring – but jobs that require the use of mental efforts – that's more exhausting.
   So eat up and stay happy.
   
   
2. 
   
   Take a break, go on a vacation.
   
   photo courtesy of: http://www.marshapappas.com/my_images/
   
   Okay, I said, go on a vacation. Don't go on leave from work and stay at home.
   You need a fresh, new environment – a breaker from your usual sights and surroundings.
   Go somewhere – go to the beach, go on a road trip to another city, go to the mountains, etc… A quick getaway can be as short as a 2-night-3-day trip, or if you can, go longer.
   Just make sure you leave the office behind. Don't go on vacation if your mind is not with you on vacation.
   
   
3. 
   
   Laughter is the best medicine.
   
   photo courtesy of: http://www.cirkla.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/
   One of the best stress relievers: laughter.
   Hang out with some friends and catch up – there are sure to be a lot of fun moments to talk and laugh about. Or go and see a funny movie – you'll feel tons better after the movie.
   Laugh – it cures.
   
   
4. 
   
   Indulge in foods that fight stress.
   
   photo courtesy of: http://www.debbieseymour.com/
   photo courtesy of: http://www.healthjockey.com/images/salmon-omega3.jpg
   Luckily, nature created its own stress antidote: bananas, leafy greens, oily fish, nutrient-dense nuts, mangoes, and avocado.
   Bananas is packed with vitamin B which keeps your blood pressure and stress hormones at bay during stressful situations.
   Leafy greens have relaxing and calming effects on the body.
   Nuts have high content of zinc, magnesium, and vitamins B and E.
   Mangoes are packed with several vitamins and sucrose – healthy sugars to keep your mood up.
   Avocado lowers blood pressure (just like bananas' potassium content) and it has healthy fat.
   Oily fish, which means it is packed with Omega 3 fatty acids boost your brain's happy chemicals (serotonin) and regulates stress hormones (cortisol).
   
   
5. 
   
   Move it, shake it off.
   
   photo courtesy of: http://www.playlaughsingdance.com/images/
   If you're stressed, go for a run, hit the gym, get on that bike, dance in your bedroom like no one's watching, etc…
   When you move – a lot, your body releases endorphins (happy hormones) to combat the "tiring" feeling that activity brings.
6. 
   
   Let it out.
   
   photo courtesy of: http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/
   This one is a quick fix that may need some of the five suggestions above as follow up action.
   If you had a bad day, or you have some things bothering you, let it out.
   Vent it out by talking to friends about it, family members too. If you are not the "sharing" type, you can unload it all in a journal or diary – it transfers thoughts from your mind to paper and your mind has less load to carry and can function better – clearly.

When you've just had enough and you just can't take it anymore, you simply say that you're STRESSED.

So did I –
until the moment I realized that there are two kinds of stress, and you actually have a choice.

The moment you declare to yourself that you are stressed – panicked and all – that is the time you have lost the internal battle within yourself. No one else can declare your loss BUT YOU.


There are two kinds of stress:

• Eustress (Euphoric stress a.k.a. natural highs) 

• Distress (Disturbing stress a.k.a. hellhole moment)

Distress is the kind of stress that you get when you're feeling pressured, burned out, panicked, and just not loving any portion of it.

Imagine this other one, you don't feel like moving and you just want to lie on the bed, watch TV, and suddenly your mother comes in and asks – wait, not ask – tells you to prepare dinner and you're not at all excited about this task. But still you don't have a choice, so you go into the kitchen, start preparing the dish, and not loving any moment of it – now that's inconvenient.

Now that we've established the difference between "eustress" and "distress", it's about time you see the difference between the situations.

Basically, when it comes to eustress, no matter how difficult the situation may be, you feel alright and cheerful, and simply naturally high...   While in Distress you feel forced, pressured, and simply as what it usually is referred to – "stressed".


Yes, if you look closely and carefully at the situations, the difference is convenience.   Planning and organizing a wedding can be a fun feat or a nightmare – depending on what the wedding is to you.   If it's what you've always dreamed of, you can't wait to start the busy planning and all.    Again, the BUSY planning and all.


But you don't feel like eating it, yet your mother asked you to cook it – seems like you don't have much of a choice, and it doesn't have any outcome that benefits you or rewards you which is why you don't like doing it – what an inconvenience!  

To make things a lot clearer, convenience is very much linked to "accomplishment". 
Take sports for example. 


So it all boils down to you.   A stressful situation is stressful because you said so.   And a happy situation is great because you said so.   The moment you change your mind set about the inconvenience of the situation, the situation changes too.


Only a few realizes their power to be able to change a situation from being a distressful one, to a eustressful one. Be one of the few.   Stop letting it drain the energy out of you.   Start making it work for you.

After all, is it really a problem? Or is it merely an inconvenience?

 Think about that. J

In my 26 years of existence, I have finally come up with my own definition of "friends" :

Friends /frends/ n. A group of people that highly resembles a box of chocolates; all sweet but each with their own personal signature.

Just like chocolates in a box, you know they are all of the same kind, but each one of them has its own personality to it.
Some are extremely sweet, others are a bit bitter, some don't appeal very much to your taste, etc…

But there's always one that seems to match your preferences. That's where the best friend part comes in.

And like chocolate, when faced with the "fires" of their lives, they tend to melt and stick together – "all for one, and one for all"! J

So if life is said to be like a box of chocolates and friends are like chocolates in a box, then one thing is for sure: life is sweet! (and so is everything in it)… J

When I was 2 years old, I asked my parents for something that:

• I can always rely on
• I can always turn to in times of distress
• Will always be there for me no matter what
• Is the closest thing to my angel
   

I thought I was getting a puppy (which was the best thing my imagination could give me)…

And then one day, I noticed my mom wasn't home for days… My dad kept going to and from the house, apparently going somewhere.

Then a few days after, I heard our car pull in the drive way – my dad had my mom with him… and They had something small; a white thing that looked like a really large egg from a distance.

I was so excited to see them that I dropped what I was doing right then and there.  I thought they got me an ostrich egg that I get to see hatch! But then as I approached, I saw something.

It was what I asked them for!

That day, they brought me home my baby sister… J

Now that I'm all grown up, I can definitely say, they got me something way, way better than a puppy! -- Or an ostrich... J