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What’s your Love Language?

My primary love language is Quality Time. The Five Love Languages website describes it as thus:

In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there–with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby–makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

I find myself agreeing to this. I love spending time with people I cherish. In the same vein, I feel that I’m being rude if I’m not paying attention to what the other person’s saying.

My secondary love language is Acts of Service:

Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

Haha! I hate it especially when events do not go as planned. Or when my desk is too messy.

You can take the love languages test at this link. Let me know what yours is, k?

Dear Page.PH,

I found out from a very dear friend that you were offering free site sponsorship. I just celebrated my 25th birthday a little over a week ago, and it really would be awesome to have my own domain as a birthday gift.

I hope that this is doable. You’ll be making this giddy girl happy for a very, very long time.

Thanks in advance! ^_^

Love,

Karess Rubrico

Twenty-four

I wrote this in my prayer journal last year, when I turned twenty-four.

If there’s anyone to thank, really, it’s You. No one else. You’ve always been there. It seems like a watered-down sentiment but it’s true–You were always there. Way before my parents ever thought about me. The concept of time and space is so limited, so tiny, so minute, compared to the vastness of You. You are larger than life and bigger than everything. You made impulsive cowards walk on water–on a raging storm, nonetheless. Heck, you could still storms in your sleep.

Way before I knew, You knew. Way before anyone knew, you did. Just as You’ve always known and seen how things ended.

It’s something I don’t need to comprehend–because I know I never will. But You do. That fact is enough for me.

All I have in You is more than enough.

Twenty-five

I turned twenty-five last Sunday. This was my first birthday in a long time that I didn’t have a party or grand celebration of some sort. Not that I’m complaining, it’s just different from the past birthdays I had.

As I was about to turn in that night, I recalled most of the stuff that happened that day–I met up with my dad, attended service, had Victory Group with ladies very eager and hungry to learn, hung out with friends,  and ate dinner with my flatmates. I was just about to drift to la-la land when something knocked me back to full consciousness:

If there’s one thing I’m thankful for in my 25 years of existence, it’s this: my relationships.

Namely, with the following:

• God
• my family
• my friends
• my colleagues

It’s much more priceless than any gift anyone can ever give me.

I’ve always thought that I wasn’t a relational person, being such an introvert and all. Truth is, I am. And thank God I am still a work in progress, especially in being vulnerable to others.

I’m thankful for my longtime relationships and the short ones. I’m thankful for the people who’ve been there and been that, and even for my friends whom I’ve had arguments with. I’m glad that we sharpen each other and become better pieces of iron. I’m glad that some of you have been like family to me. And I’m glad that we’re learning from the other and never getting tired of each other’s idiosyncrasies XD

YOU are gifts to me. YOU are worth keeping forever. Wheee! Ang cheesy. Pero thank you. Thank you talaga.

you changemaker you! (an ode to a young person)

Young people inspire me. They’re a lot like sponges that absorb whatever’s fed to them. I love how they’re so malleable. I love how they love to want to learn so much about the world, their identity, and their destiny. They don’t need to be the future leaders and influencers of our nation–they can lead and influence the people around them right now.

If you’re a young person and you’re reading this, you inspire me. You have a great destiny ahead of you. You can make an impact in this generation. You are not worthless, dirty, hopeless, and unloved. You are a change-maker. Understand that not many people will support, understand, and encourage you, but take heart–Someone greater, stronger, and more powerful loves you, truly madly deeply do. He loved you so much that He gave up His most loved offspring so He can be with you forever and ever.

Sometimes I wish I were your age again so I could Ctrl+Z my past stupidities, but I realize that    regretting is useless. Why? Because God’s erased my sins away and He’s returned those wasted years. His love for you, me, and all of us is simply unfathomable. All we have to do is accept it and receive it with a thankful heart.

Remember, you are set apart. Don’t say that you’re too young. God’s going to bring you to greater heights. You have no reason to be afraid because He’ll be with you and rescue you.

Wisdom in the Wait (an unlikely story)

Funny how God reveals Himself even in the zaniest, most unique ways.

I left my friend’s house at around 12 MN today. As soon as I got out, their neighbors’s dogs started barking. Now two of these creatures were gargantuan and scary-looking. I am not a very big fan of dogs, especially when they bark.

A couple of things didn’t help:

1. It was dark.
2. Their neighbor did not have a gate.
3. One of the dogs was sitting on the street.

Thankfully the aforementioned street doggie was small and quite furry–but barking at me relentlessly.

Oh, and did I mention that the opposite end of my friend’s house was a dead end?

That meant I needed to walk through the noisy, barking, angry, growling dogs to go home–one of which was walking freely on the street, and very much had the capacity to bite me.

One wrong move and I could have gone home bleeding, wounded, and possibly rabid.

I did not want that.

So there I stood in front of my friend’s house, a couple feet away from the angry doggies, assessing my options. I was already thinking about how long I would stand there, how I could possibly go home unscathed. I groped in my bag for my mobile to have another friend come pick me up, only to realize that I left it in my friend’s house. Of course, the house was locked, and I didn’t really want to go back inside just to get my phone.

I stood there. And waited. And waited some more.

The big dogs were the least of my concerns. I simply wanted the “free” dog to go out of the way so I could pass the street in peace.

Eventually–I don’t know for how long–the little runt grew tired of barking and went in its master’s garage. Awesome! I would have fist-pumpted if I weren’t so nervous. I folded my slacks to my knees and readied myself. I prayed under my breath and ran as fast as I could. Never mind the louder barks and the possibility of the dog chasing me. I felt like I was literally running for my life.

While walking out of their village, I realized one major thing that I’ll never forget:

There is wisdom in waiting.

I can’t imagine what could have happened if I decided to charge.

All of us wait for something at various points in our lives. It may be an exam result, our order for lunch, or the right guy or girl. Sometimes we think that waiting is a drag, that it’s more of a chore than a virtue. That waiting is a sissy thing to do. But, really, waiting can do us more good than simply going our own limited and pathetic ways.

And we can always go beyond whining and complaining while we’re waiting.

I think for the most part, waiting is an act of trust. It’s acknowledging the fact that everything cannot be done according to your own terms. That the universe won’t bend to your will no matter how much you want it to. More often than not, we attempt to charge and run and go forward without God’s go-signal. It springs out of a mindset that we know better, that we deserve better. In reality, God’s seen how everything begins and ends. How dare we presume that we know better than God.

Wisdom in waiting. It’s letting God be God and surrendering all outcomes to Him.

With no blood, bruises, wounds, or rabies.

God answers prayer. Oh yes, He does.

I am happier than Cinderella when she snagged her Prince Charming. Here’s why.

Two weeks ago my pair of black leather office shoes officially got busted. I was walking with a friend to run an errand when it happened. I wasn’t immediately able to purchase a new pair, given current financial limitations. Of course, I didn’t let that stop me from praying for a nice, comfortable pair of black office shoes. Thankfully, I had a spare pair of black Mary Janes that I could use for work. But I didn’t want old plain Mary Janes. I wanted black office shoes that looked excellent, presentable, and pretty.

And then, out of the blue, someone gives me a pair of black office shoes today. Mind you, they weren’t just ANY pair—they’re a pair of hardly-used NATURALIZER shoes! I am not a big fan of heels, but they felt just right. Walking around in them didn’t feel uncomfortable AT ALL.

God is just so awesome, isn’t He? What’s more, He doesn’t just answer our prayers, but He gives us HIS BEST, at HIS BEST TIME. He may have chosen to give me the shoes earlier or later, but that doesn’t matter to me anymore. All I know is, He simply knows best.

I’m still in sheer awe of what happened today. Truth be told, this blog doesn’t do much justice to how I’m really feeling. I just want to let all of you know how AWESOME and AMAZING our God is. Nothing else can truly compare.

Meteor Garden Musings

(Written after watching Episode 1 and before a full-blown marathon that ended in the wee hours of the morning)

Out of boredom and curiosity, I decided to watch one of my housemates’ Meteor Garden VCD collection. I was never a fan of this series when it first came out. I was in college then and didn’t really come home on time to know about the exploits of Shan-Tsai, Hwa Tse Lei, Dao Ming Si, and the two other guys (Ooops). I couldn’t understand why EVERYONE loved them, and neither could I care less. So one summer afternoon years later, I decided to give them a chance and see what the fuss was all about.

After watching the first episode, I found it a little too slow-paced for my liking, but interesting nonetheless. I think Shan-Tsai’s the kind of girl some of us would even aspire to be: someone who stands up against her bullies and whatnot. Then again, it’s kind of sad how she just yields to her parents’ wishes by studying in a prestigious school she doesn’t even want to attend. But that’s a different story altogether.

I found myself abhorring Dao Ming Si with a passion. Yes, ladies, I know he’s a looker and all that, but the way he treated Shan-Tsai was just . . . horrible. We all know he was a spoiled brat who had too much money to give away, but puh-leeze!

One particular scene that caught my fancy was when Shan-Tsai was kidnapped by Dao’s “alipores” and given extra special beauty treatment (Then again her looks didn’t really change much after that so-called makeover). Shan-Tsai demands why she’s being held prisoner. Dao responds by giving her promises of wealth and popularity and all that. . . in exchange for being his girlfriend.

Of course, Shan-Tsai’s not one to fall into that kind of trap.

I like this scene in particular because I got reminded of the way I deal with things and with people, especially if circumstances don’t go my way. I even am reminded of my motives in doing things. In a previous scene Vanness Wu’s character makes a bet with Dao for him to win Shan-Tsai’s heart. Evidently, Dao didn’t have the best of intentions. He tried to win his end of the bargain by forcing Shan-Tsai to go out with him. Of course, that got her miffed all the more—so much so that when he saved her from the wrath of the “popular girls” in the second episode, Shan-Tsai expressed her hatred for Dao very colorfully and graphically.

It got me thinking: have I been treating others right with love and respect? Or have I been forcing them to yield to what I want to do? Being a positive influence to the people around us entails having the right motives and doing the right actions.

Thankfully, I am still learning how to do these things, and hopefully be able to apply what I learn.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I still have to finish episode two.

(O baby baby baby, my baby baby. . .)

When you’re happy and you know it, write a blog

And why am I so happy, you ask?

Because I attended an Events Management Seminar for work today. ^___________________^

. . . okay, before I get into details on what I learned and all that hoo-haa, can I just say that I love my job? I’m grateful for all the learning opportunities that come my way! There have been so many of them already, blogging about them would take bazillions of pages.

Most of you know that I write, but events management is one of my passions, too. Mind you, I didn’t volunteer right out to be part of this. That’s why when I was asked to attend the seminar, I was squirming in my seat out of sheer excitement.

Anywayyyyy. . .

For the most part we had a classroom discussion and learned a lot of valuable stuff. I learned that being OC is normal for an events organizer. XD I also learned the importance of teamwork and a fanatical devotion to detail. Other people’s input is important because it allows you not to miss details you otherwise might have missed.

My highlight of the day was planning for an “event.” We were all divided into teams and assigned to create an event complete with budgeting, committees, promotions, the works! Brainstorming for the event was pretty exciting because it was a chance to practice what I learned not just in the discussion, but also on my daily routine (Teammates, you rock~!!!) I normally don’t like talking in front of an audience but I was happy to volunteer for our group presentation. I don’t care if you think I’m weird, but explaining all the nitty-gritty stuff of our “event” gave me a thrill!

It’s not all the time that we get to do the things that we love the most. . . and I’m just really, really, really thankful that I received this chance to learn. I look forward to apply what I learned today.