@Prudence

Welcome the new day with a big smile. Hope everything goes well for you today.

"It's Only Words" As the Bee Gees song goes, "Its only words and words are all I have to take your heart away", we can really tell that words are really powerful. It can make you fall in love, but it can also make you fall out of love. And even worse, it can take someone's dream away. To the one's uttering the words, it doesn't matter to them if you get hurt as long as they speak what is in their mind. It is always the receiver of the word that suffers. The words uttered may noy affect right away but it stays in the mind, and for some reason, it just keeps popping up especially when the person is down. It keeps haunting you until you lose sanity. I have read a lot of stories of some people committing suicide just because someone told them some things about them. And it is really sad. The words that hurt the most are not the one's that sounded really bad. Mostly, it is those that are delivered as an advice. People gets hurt by being adviced about reality in their life. For example, if you say, "you are poor", to a poor person it won't hurt as much as to when say it,"Do you think I will be needing a scholarship like you, to get a degree? Do not compare yourself to me. It will take a lifetime before you can surpass what I have. My advice to you, stay where you are. Do not push yourself too hard. You won't succeed anyway." To some it may become an encouragement for them to strive even more, but to some, it will tear them apart and hit them so hard that they can no longer stand. It is like taking the wings away from a bird. It is this realization that I have decided to be cautious with what I say a long time ago. Some would say that I am shy because I don't talk much. But what they don't really know is that I always have something to say but I practice it first in ny mind so that I would know if it will sound good. I edit it first before saying it but of course it will take time so by the time that I am ready to say it, they already have another topic so I end up not saying anything at all. I was in 7th grade when I first realized that I hurt people by just delivering what seems to be a joke to me. It was common to say that,"hey it was just an expression", but one of my friend bravely approached me about it. At first I was worried why she was avoiding me for days until she told me that she got hurt with what I said to her. We were just joking that time and I never thought that that joke would put a stain to our friendship. Good thing is that she managed to tell me what I did wrong and gave me a chance to correct it. We are still friends although we haven't seen each other for a long time now. But how about those that never approached me? Those people who remained silent after hearing a harsh comment from me? It really bothers me especially that I haven't seen them now. All I can do now is just to pray to God to let them find forgiveness for what I have said wrong because I really did not mean to hurt them. And moving forward, I will watch what I say or I will just not say anything at all because I was told that,"If you have nothing good to say then don't say anything at all."

Just Another Ending I've been to many interviews before and there is one question that always gives me a hard time answering. Every time I hear that question I take a moment to pause and politely say that, "I don't have an answer for that right but I will make sure to let you know once I figure it out." Guess what the question is? Well, it goes like this,"What will be the reason for you to leave the company.?" Imagine you were there to apply for a job and they ask you that? I used to work as a contractual worker under an agency. They look for companies that will hire us for 6-12 months. Once the contract ends, if your performance was good they will renew your contract but of course if they're not satisfied they'll end it. No strings attached. And for me who looks for stability in life, it was very tiring. Until one day, I decided to enter the world of BPO industry. It was here, that I first encountered that difficult question. I was actually very surprised when they asked me for a reason to leave the company. I mean, I was there to get a job and hoping to get regularized after 6 months ang hopefully grow old with the company. But then, I learned later on that there actually exist a number of people whom they called "the call center hoppers". They just attend trainings and then after a week or two in production they will leave. Some of them stay until they get paid for the 13th month pay before leaving. I wondered why, but when I started working there, I realized why. Being in this industry is not easy. You can read articles and post about how hard it is if you want to know. Or if you have friends and relatives who works in bpo, ask them. I thought before, there should be no reason for me to leave, unless the company no longer needs me, I will stay. My family is my motivation so I will conquer whatever challenges I encounter at work. Believe me, I tried. But then after 2 years I left. Started fresh with another bpo company and now after 2 and a half years, I am again in a cross road. Believe me, I really intended to stay, but having nightmares about work and hearing your partner say, "Leave your problems at work, do not bring them at home." and hearing the same exact words from my managers, "leave your problems at home, do not bring them at work." By the way, I work from home. Yeah. I literally just wanted to hang myself. I had to choose what to end, my work, my relationship or my life? Both staying and ending hurts but I have to choose one. and I have decided to let go the only thing that I can let go, which is work. The other options are non-negotiable. I can always look for another job anytime. If I come to another cross road again, I will choose the same.

What The Year 2020 Brought To Me To many, the year 2020 has been the worst year ever. But as for me, that year has brought nothing but blessings and opportunities. Here are 3 of my favorite. I was given the opportunity to take a 1 month and a half leave. We got exposed to a Covid-positive person that is why I have to have a 14-day quarantine. Right after the quarantine, our local government announced a lockdown that is why from 14 days, it became a month and a half vacation. It was the first time that I have experienced a very long vacation. Before, the only time I can use my leave is when I got very sick. I was given a chance to work from home. It was September if 2019 that I started my plan of applying for a work from home job. I had friends who can refer me but I lack on the wired internet connection and the laptop or computer. I tried applying for internet connection with PLDT bu was not lucky because our area is already full and they need to put up another box to accommodate for new applicants. Until now, nothing's done. I also purchased a desktop on November of 2019 before I resigned from my previous job. I was so positive during that time that I will be able to get a work from home job. But came December, still no luck. I need to pay bills, so I decided to apply for another BPO job and was lucky to be hired. And right after i got back from quarantine, they offered us the WAH ir work at home setup. I was introduced to cryptocurrency and to many paying app. I am still learning about this but one thing is for sure, I am earning online. For this year, I still hope and pray for good things not just for me but for everyone.

"Why Worry When You can Pray" Today is just one of those days that I feel weary for no reason. I'm not sure if it is just hormones or what, but I really feel anxious and uneasy. Or maybe because today is the last day for our monthly fiscal at work, that I am worried I won't be able to reach the goal. I am just 1.29% away from hitting the goal and maybe that makes me feel this way. I really really feel helpless. And I know exactly what will help me overcome this feeling. PRAYER. Everytime i talk to Him all my worries just miraculously disappears.

Married Life Who among you here knows Steve Trevino? He is a standup comedian who's topic is always about his wife. He calls her "captain evil”. He always talks about how his wife controls his life. I actually laugh all the way through his show. I also thought to myself if what could have my husband been calling me when I am not around? There was a part that he mentioned about a lady on her 20s that approached her. She said that she really likes his jokes and that his jokes are really funny. He then said that, no, those are not jokes. Those are documentaries. I still laughed on that but there was a part of me that actually agreed to it. It may sound funny to other people that you almost had a divorce just because of laundry or because of the simple problem if who is going to throw the trash.. but it is real, it really happens in real life. I have experienced before that we did not speak to each other for a few days just because I did not wash the dishes and he doesn't want to either. So we just let it sit there for a few days until I couldn't stand the smell. He also mentioned that if you want to know how to control yourself and learn not to kill another person, you get married. That is also true. I won't elaborate more on that but married couple can relate. I mean you grow up differently. You were raised differently. And when you decided to get married, you will learn how opposite you are to each other. Your partner may do some things that you don't like and it would really test your patience, if you have one. Married life is really a 'no joke' thing. You should think twice before entering it. And once you are in it, don't quit. Find a way to make it better with your partner. To be honest, I pity my husband sometimes because I know how stubborn I am. Sometimes it would come to a point that he would tell me that he is tired of understanding my mood swings but he never left, even if I ask him to. He stayed. I don't know until when but I am determined to lower my pride a little bit for him.😅😅😅 Married life will teach you how to compromise. It should not just you always. Learn to give way for the other person. It should be balance. When my husband tells me,"wife, obey!". I tell him,"husband, love your wife." And you telling me what to do is absolutely not the way you should love your wife!😅😅😅

"All Things Work Together for Good" In life, there are some circumstances that we encounter that make us wonder,"Why me?", "Why now?" But later on, you will find out that it actually happened for a reason. Don't lose hope. If you don't see a way out, find a way in. In short, be optimistic. How many times have you told yourself that you want to quit, and yet you still wake up in the morning and gets ready for the day? It is okay not to be okay sometimes. Take time to rest and then stand up. You can do it! I can do it!

"And It Came To Pass” The beginning of the year 2020 has not been an easy experience. Even now that it is almost over, we are still recovering. And just when we thought, Corona virus was the worst experience for this year, tropical storms came to the scene. Many places in Luzon has been flooded. There were even times that I won't open my television because I can't stop crying while watching the news. The phrase, 'when it rains, it pours', is literally happening now. But hey! Remember, even if it rains for a day, for a week, or even for a month or more, surely it will still come to pass. Who doesn't know about the story of Noah's Ark? It rained for 40 days and forty nights. But it also came to pass. And for all those days and nights that they stayed inside the ark, the Lord never left them. God's Providence was with them. And you know what is great? God made a promise and I know that He is able and will fulfill that promise. Remember that, 'There's a rainbow always after the rain'. Ten days from now, the year 2020 will come to pass and hopefully by the year 2021, we will hear the phrase,'and the Covid19 came to pass'.

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Have a blessed Sunday everyone😊

Capture I really admire how photographers make simple things look great on pictures. I have always dreamt on becoming a photographer before, but I later on found out that, that dream of mine will cost a lot. And ofcourse, since we don't have that much, it just remained as a dream until mobile photography emerged. My first mobile phone way back 2010 was what we call, a "China phone". I immediately tried capturing things, events and selfies. But the quality of the pictures were not very good because it was a cheap phone. And then my sister gave me a nokia phone which had a better camera. I did not have a formal education about photography. All I did was searched the interet. Everytime I see a beautiful picture, I will try to copy it. There was a page in Facebook before that I used to subscribed. The author on that page mentioned that, there is no such thing as a perfect shot or angle. He said that all you have to do as a beginner, is to take as much shot as possible, and then choose the best one out of all those shot. Just recently, my brother, who is also a self-taught photographer, discovered some mobile app that encourages amateur photographer and artist by paying them for each content that they will post on the app. My brother then started to make a free video tutorial on how to enhance your pictures. And ofcourse I was one of the many who benfited on that. I have learned that if only, you will not give up on your dreams, there will always going to be a way on getting it come true. It may take a while, and it may seem impossible but sooner or later.. You will get it. Just don't give up. PS: All these pictures were taken using macro lens. The plants are from my mom's garden.

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His Timing We always read and hear stories about how God work miracles in people's lives. Today, let me share to you my own story of how I experience His miracle. This happened 5 years ago. This may not be the usual dramatic and grand miracle that we usually know, but for me this is a very good way of letting us know that His timing is the best. I was studying in Cebu Normal University during that time. Second semester just started. I was abit worried with our schedule because our class starts at 7:15 in the morning and ends at 4 P.M., which means, I have to face a very heavy traffic on my way home. I live in Cordova which is 16 to 19 kilometers away from Cebu City, where my university is. Most of the people in our town work and study in Cebu City. We ride in a PUJ going to Lapu-Lapu City, and then we can either ride in a ferry boat from Lapu-Lapu going to Cebu, or ride another PUJ going to Mandaue then another jeep going to Cebu. Everyday, I spend more or less 4 hours for travelling back and forth Cordova And Cebu. I have no problem in the morning, my struggle is in the afternoon, because most of the workers and students goes home during that time. Almost all of the jeepneys are already full and if you choose the ferry, the line is very very long. I normally ride in a ferry in going home but that day I decided to ride a jeepney because I was short 2 pesos for the fair for the ferry. As usual, the traffic is very heavy. It took an hour and a half before we reached Lapu-Lapu. When I got out from the jeep, I immediately noticed the group of 10 or more people waiting for a jeepney going to Cordova. I joined them in the waiting area. Each jeepney that passed by was already full. If there is a vacant seat it is only good for 1 or 2 person and people would scramble to have that seat. As time passed by, more and more people were standing there, waiting. After 45 minutes of waiting and scrambling, I decided to pray and ask God to please let me have the next vacant seat on the coming jeep. I was holding back my tears when I was praying. My legs really hurts and I was so hunhry. And behold! An empty jeepney stopped by. I was so happy and thanked God. I almost shouted for joy. As usual the people around me ran towards the jeepney and in less than a minute, it was already full and I was not able to ride on it. I was so upset and immediately questioned God,"How could You do this to me?I Asked you to help me but then you just mocked me.!?" Right after that, a jeepney that is almost full stopped right in front of me. No one is sitting in the front seat. I was so shocked and was not able to move right away. I looked around and realized that I was the only one left and nobody will take that seat except for me. I immediately opened the door and hopped in. While the jeepney was slowly running, I prayed again and asked God to forgive me for doubting Him. I thought that the empty jeep was the answer to my prayer, but then, it was only to clear out all those people so that I can smoothly sit down on the best seat that He had prepared for me. This experience taught me 3 major lesson. (1) you should not wait for a long time before you ask God for help. (2) do not limit God. He is more than capable of doing great and mighty things. (3) Trust His way, not yours.

My Plantita Mama Plantita, this is so commonly used word nowadays. During the quarantine days, most people started to grow their own plants. It may be vegetable plants or ornamental plants. And those people who were fund of gardening and collecting different kinds of plants were tagged as "planitas" and "plantitos". My mom was one of those who were tagged as Plantita. She already had a vegetable garden at their backyard even before Covid. When quarantine days started, and people began collecting ornamental plants, she also started to gather some ornamental plants. It started with just the red roses. Later on she brought home an hibiscus or also known as gumamela plant. And then the next day brought home some fortulacas. And then the next day some cactus plant. And so on... And now, just today, she added a rack for her cactus plants because there is no more space for them. I really enjoy watching her do her craft. I used to watch her leave early in the morning for work before, and then she will come back home late at night very tired. And then do the same thing the next day. She never had a time to relax when she was younger. Even during her day off she will take care of us and do the laundry. I never saw her do what she loves until now. Now, she finally have something to be busy for that is not a tiring job to do. She finally have something that she can enjoy and will release or relieve her stress. And watching her do the thing that she loves really melts my heart. I really love it. This is some of the good things that the Covid brought to us. I really, really love my plantita mama so much.

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Long time no post. I have been very busy these past days, but now I'm back!

Quarantine Diaries It was in the end of March this year when the Mayor of Lapu-Lapu City proclaimed the city to be under Community quarantine. They restricted the people to go out and to go in the city, except for the essential workers. Those who are considered to be one of the essential workers were required to bring necessary documents like border pass, certificate of employment and company ID, everytime they travel in and out the city. Public vehicles were also restricted. Our company provided accomodation for their employees who resides outside of the city. They also provided shuttle services for those who live within the city. I was one of those employees who were chosen to stay in one of their accomodation. It was my first time to be far away from my family. I wasn't prepared for it, I mean who would be, right? Everone of us were shocked by the rapid spread of the Corona virus. Eventhough it was against my will to be away from my family, I had no choice because if I will not do it, we will have no source of income. My husband was laid off from his job and we had no savings at all. I went to the accomodation on the 26th of March. I was informed that I will be staying there with 5 other more but they haven't arrived yet. The lockdown will start on the 29th so they still have more time. I stayed their for only 3 days. I decided to go home when I learned from my friend that our company is providing a ride for those employees who are staying outside the city. They have a permit to cross the border. I know that it will be very risky for me and most especially for my kids but i still did it. I know God will protect me from the virus. On the night of April 16, 2020. I received a message from my sister informing us that her employer tested positive of the virus. She was worried about us because she had a direct contact with her employer the day before they knew about it and she always come by our house after her shift. I immediately coordinated with my superior, who advised me to take a leave first and coordinate with our barangay health workers to do a home quarantine. Me and my sister went to our barangay health center on the 17th and right on that day we started to isolate ourselves from our family. We stayed in a different house and was advised to stay there for 14 days. Every other day, our barangay health workers will visit us to monitor us and our family. Our barangay captain also came to personally give us our "ayuda". That was actually one of the good things that happened despite being isolated. Ofcourse we did experienced discrimination and worst, even our family and friends who are nit included on the home quarantine, also experienced discrimination. Some of the "sari-sari store" owner will not sell them anything. There were even some who would comment that they shouldn't be roaming around because they might bring the virus with them. It was a very stressful feeling to know that some of our friends and family were affected by our decision to tell our barangay official about our encounter with a "positive" person. We just encouraged ourselves that we only did it for the good for everyone. Good thing, God never forsake us. He continued to use few people to supply our needs and to comfort us. It was a very long 14-day experience. All we did was to sleep, eat and watch korean novelas. God has been so good to us because no one from us has experience any symptom of the Covid. We finished the home quarantine without getting sick. Yes, we did feel home-sick but not with the flue. God is really so great! The whole experience showed us who are the people we can truly trust. Since we are not allowed to go out, it was our husbands who took care of our children and also the one to cook for us everyday. It opened our eyes to the reality of the importance of saving and the value of good health. We became closer to God and to our beloved husbands. They never failed us. There are so much to tell, but i will save it for the next article. Those stories have different focus. Hope you enjoyed reading. God bless us all.

How I Spent my Rest Day (part 2) In the afternoon, we spend the time to play outside in the open fields across our home. We enjoyed and shared the plain of grass with some kids and some creatures. We watched as the cow feed from the grass. Truly, this is a moment that we will treasure!

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How I Spent my Rest Day (part 1) Rest day or day off, this is the most awaited day of the week. This is the day wherein you can spend for yourself after a long week of work. When I was younger, I used to spend my day off with my friends.. We go out of town, or go to a beach.. But now that I am a mother, I spend it with my kids. We start the day by a quick tour at the backyard. We appreciate the green and fresh scenery of my sister's garden. We are looking forward on the ripening of their fruits. We spend the whole morning appreciating God's creation. Oh, how He wonderfully created this all!

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Come and Join @kpopauthor's Brthday Give-away!!! Guys, our friend @kpopauthor is hosting a birthday give-away.. Kpopautjor's birthday is going to be this 25th of September. Let us join the event and give kpopauthor our warmest birthday greetings! To @kpopauthor , it is very generous of you to come up with this idea of birthday give-away. Let me greet you a happy happy birthday and may God bless you with good health and more wisdom with your studies. Take care always and be safe. For my friends out there who wants to join, here's the link https://read.cash/@kpopauthor/birthday-giveaway-d2d66207

My Morning Routine I have developed a habit for a month now. Every morning I will go out and take a shot on anything that catches my attention. It can be a flower of a "sikwa", from my sister's vegetable garden, or a wild flower from the sidewalk. It can also be just some random flowers like these last two pictures. How about you? What makes you busy early in the morning?

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"I got it from my Mama" I already shared here before that I will make sure to train my kids the way my mother did to us. I know I still have a long way to go, so let me start with this simple one first,. I don't always buy toys for them, instead we create them. Yes, I let them get involved in creating their toys. I get to spend time with them in a productive way. And I get to save money while they learn to be creative.

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What Does "Success" Mean to Me This question really brought me back to some moments in the past. I remember when I was still in elementary, we were asked to write an essay about "What will I become 20 years from now". Ofcourse as a child, I wrote about becoming a successful teacher. I even draw a picture of me standing in front of my students. During that time, I was so hopeful and optipismic. And then, came high school. Another essay for what will i become 10 years from that time. Again, I wrote about the same story, becoming a successful teacher. But that time, I was already doubtful about that dream to come true. My father already made it clear to us that they can only support us until high school, after that, we would have to find a way to support ourselves if we want to pursue college. Our family have been through a lot during that time and college is the very least thing that will come up to my mind. On my second year in high school, I already gave up. I even confronted my mother about dropping school or transfering to a night class so that I can work. And that actually made my parents mad. They still want us to finish high school. And yes i did as a compliance. After high school, I immediately applied for a job but since i was still not of legal age, i never landed on a job. Until my mother's friend introduced me to a person who owned a bakery. I applied as a saleslady on their bakery. I stayed there for about 4 months before i decided to go home. My next job after 2 months was a gasoline/ pump attendant in a gasoline station near our home. This time, i stayed there for 2 years because it was very convenient for me. I earned 120 pesos/day during that time. During lunch time, I will just go home to eat. I was already contended that way. Until one day, my brother, who is a working student in college, spoke to me about life.. He asked me if will i just be contended on what i have now? He actually shared to me about some book that he read that speaks about "better best". He also added, that it's about time i get some directions. My brother encouraged me to enroll in college. I worked during the day and go to school at night. I only completed 1 semester because of some health issues but that was already the beginning of getting that so called "direction". I was able to work in different electronic companies as an operator and data encoder. After 6 years of working, I decided to go back to college with the help of my sister who just became a teacher during that time. I was already married that time. I had to stop because I got pregnant with my first child, Prudence. I decided to work, that time as a teacher assistant. After giving birth, i stayed with my child for 9 months and then applied in a BPO company. Stayed their for 2 years before deciding to look for better opportunity. I wanted to work at home, purchased desktop and quit my job,. but I was not luccky so i decided to apply on another bpo company and was lucky to be hired. It has been 10 months now since I started with my new employer, they gave us an opportunity to work in the comfort of our home and beside our loved ones. Life have had some twists and turns, but God have always been there. I may not be able to become the teacher that i always write on those essay but being a happy mother, that my children needs, is the best success that i ever had. By the way, even during college, they still asked us to write an essay about what we will become 5 or 10 years from now. Even during interviews, they will ask you, if where do you see yourself 2 years from now. Hahaha.. Come to think about it, that actually made me thought before that inorder for us to succeed, we need to wait for 5, 10 or 20 years, when actually success is an everyday thing. The things that you do now will give you success tomorrow. Now is the perfect time to succeed and not 5, 10 or 20 years from now. Thanks to my brother who never failed to encourage me all the time. Lastly let me say this also, yes, contentment is good, but why would you stay contended when you can do better? @Eirolfeam2 this is my entry for your $1 Question Contest. Hope you enjoy reading😊 https://read.cash/@Eirolfeam2/the-1-dollar-question-giveaway-c57bf5be

"Mama, Thank You" I grew up in a not so well off family. My father is a fisherman and my mother does not have a stable job. Sometimes she does laundry for our neighbors and relatives, sometimes she does some project-based factory jobs, most of the times, she sells fish to the neighborhood. If she have something else to do, she lets me and my siblings do the selling of the those fish. At first it was fun, but later on as I grew older, selling fish was no longer fun at all. I was ashamed because i smell bad and I envied other girls who spent theiir day playing dolls. My mother barely spend for our toys. She just let us make our own toys. I remember drawing a doll on a cardboard to have a paperdoll because mama wont spend a penny on a barbie doll. She would rather spend the money on something useful in the house. Whenever I ask her for money, she always have something to trade. Either she will make me do some household chores to earn it, or she will literally let me go with her to her job and help her. There were even times when I and my siblings scavenge recyclables from garbages to earn money. Back then I never understood her. I even see her as a great manipulator and dictator. But now that i became a mother like her, i realized that she was just preparing us to be ready in facing the realities of life. So I thank my mother for not spoiling me back then. Life is still hard but since i already experienced it as a child, it was just a piece of cake now.

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