Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Fathers are one of the most influential persons in our lives, they leave no stone unturned to help us out of every crisis and express their unconditional love towards us. They have always been our guide each and every day of our lives. Now, it is our turn to convey our love and respect toward him. They have been our inspiration, motivation, and have quietly and deeply influenced at the nook of every path of ours. Father’s Day forms the most appropriate occasion to convey all our appreciation and admiration towards our dads. There are often situations and times, when we forget to hug our dads, kiss and tell them that we love them like they do to our moms. Most of us would agree that we assume our father to be the provider for the family. From the time, when we worship our beloved pops for all that he knew and all that he could, we move on to become a rebellious teenager, when we make it a point to argue about everything and anything that he advises to us.

This Father's Day, show your Dad how much you love and respect him and how much you care for him.

I've had a hard life, but my hardships are nothing against the hardships that my father went through in order to get me to where I started.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD! I love you so much.. .

Quitters Have No Place

To quit means to leave, go away or discontinue activity. Men usually quit when they are in the midst of a race. Suddenly, you start thinking and ask yourself if it is enough reason for you to stop and put an end to all what you have begun.

Courageous, fearless and most importantly, strong, is what a heart should be. Challenge is always wonderful and it consist of several advantages. Its obstacles and difficulty is a blessing, challenging us to strive harder and over come our weaknesses. It gives us the chance to struggle and achieve our goals. Never walk away from what we have begun, instead, strive to learn.

To be a failure once is not a reason to give up but instead look upon it like a challenge. You must stand and try again. You must show that you can do better than what is expected from you. Failing is the opportunity to start again. Believe that you have the heart to do it, for the essence of being a success is to keep moving. Never stop fighting.

Quitter have no place. Only those with enough endurance survive. I have figured that race is not always for those who are swift but also to those who keep on running and do not mind the pain. Falling and making mistakes are the stepping stone to success, it curves you to be a fighter, to have control on difficulties and most of all, to be a survivor just like what they always say – that there is no gain without pain.

Attack every problem with enthusiasm and try to see an opportunity in every problem you encounter. The harder you work, the harder for you to surrender. In the end, the people who fail are those who do not try hard enough. A successful man makes mistakes but do not quit: will learn form his mistakes and try again. Expect success and you will be successful. Quit and fail!

" Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you plan to stop peddling." - Claude Pepper

Discouraging DISCOURAGEMENT!

I woke up one morning and the first thing that I felt was…DISCOURAGEMENT! Yes, discouragement. That dragging, cynical, nothing-is-ever-to-work state of mind, where you start wondering why you are even trying.

I’m sure you’ve also woken up discouraged. And then, what did you do? Probably you soldiered on: smiling when people asked how you were, trudging ahead with the expected, all the while feeling that you must be the only one who has voices in your head saying you’re doomed, its just a matter of time, the sky is falling NOW.

I want to share you this inspiring article about dealing with discouragement, which begins by reminding you of this: You’re not the only one who gets discouraged. Especially when you are trying to make some changes in your life, discouragement seems to be a part of the process.

You’ll have good days, you’ll have bad.. You’ll have confidence, you’ll have doubts.. Part of becoming who we are involves encountering new adventures. While we hope they’re always peak experiences, our growth and discovery come from the downsides too.

Life is full of failures, rejection, and more than just a fair share of discouragement. And while some people can immediately brush themselves off, others can enter a negative cycle of thoughts that persists for weeks, months or even years.

So, drawing from my own day of discouragement, I thought I’d share with you some helpful tips on how to overcome discouragement.

Step One: Basic Truth – Discouragement is a state of mind!

Listen to your mind. Has your life really changed that differently from two days ago when you were feeling positive, anticipating that things would work out, and having a good day? Probably not. You may just be tired, needing support, or had small setback, and that is triggering your negative mind talk.

Step Two: Allow yourself to be discouraged.

Our natural tendency when we’re feeling bad is to deny the feeling, or to make it go away immediately. But it’s important to acknowledge your feelings. You’re human! You have ups and downs, good days and bad days, and you really shouldn’t try to be a robot. If you have to cry, then do it. If you want to slam some pans around, or yell in the shower, do it. Recognize your feeling, so you can truly move past it, not make it go away and have it pop up inconveniently later in the day.

Step Three: Lower your expectations temporarily.

Are you setting unreasonable demands on yourself by setting the bar too high? Do you expect much from your lover or friend? Or feel that the world is exerting pressure on you? You might be a perfectionist. While I admit that I’m sort of a perfectionist person (belief that no matter what you attempt, it is never “good enough” to meet your own or others expectation), I’ve come to realize that it’s not a healthy pursuit of excellence. So to overcome it, I selected realistic people who are not perfectionist in their own life and become realistic with what I can do. Likewise, I concentrated on being more objective about criticisms and about myself. And if someone criticizes me for making a mistake, I acknowledge the mistake and assert my right to make mistakes.

Step Four: Change-up your routine.

This one may sound silly to you but it works. Deliberately do things throughout the day that are different from your usual actions. Discouragement is usually accompanied by the thought “This is never going to an end, this is never going to change.” So change your day to show your mind that it’s wrong, even if it’s a small start.

Step Five: Get Active.

The feeling of discouragement usually slows you down physically. You may feel like doing nothing. Sometimes, what you need is rest, and that will pull you out of your slump. But if you rested and you still feel bad, then take some action. Take a walk, go to the gym, and get your energy going.

Step Six: Get some help and support.

Consider some new ways to be supported. It’s time to stop doing it alone. There’s usually more than one solution to a problem. When you fell discouraged, it’s often because you keep trying the same solution, instead of changing things up.

Step Seven: Apply your spiritual practice.

Do you believe in prayer? Ask for help. Have you been learning to meditate? Sit down, relax and do it! Use that practice.

Step Eight: Remember, tomorrow is another day!

Sometimes, the best thing to do is to wait and see what tomorrow brings. Take one step today, have a good dinner, some time with friends, a good night sleep, and often you will then have new energy to bring your challenge the next day.

" Men's best successes come after their disappointments." - Henry Ward Beecher.

The Road Less Traveled

To live is to risk dying, to do is to risk failure…we are often faced with big responsibilities and great opportunities as we continually seek knowledge and pursue our dreams.however,only a few of us are willing “to take chances” because we all know that there are only two sides of every battle–one for victory and the other for failure.the sad part of it is that people around us would tend to remember more of our misfortunes than our triumphs.so instead of bravely overcoming the barriers which would then lead us to growth and advancement, some of us tend to hide and be on the “safer side”.we fail to realize that not risking anything could also mean risking everything.

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool, to cry is to risk appearing soft and sentimental…we often train ourselves to hide and bury our emotions to avoid humiliations.we think that the most appropriate response for every situations involving many people is to stay decent–decency means that we are holding our basic sensations, to stay prim and proper,even if circumstances are directly calling for enthusiasm,bitterness,or frustrations.but laughing or crying or getting angry while interacting with a group of people does not always mean that we are losing our decency. after all, our integrity and sincerity in having good communications and relationship with other people will be reflected not from a single occasion but from everyday interaction with them.

To reach out to other is to risk acceptance or rejection,to love is to risk not being loved in return…don’t be afraid of loving just because of the fear of not being treated the same.loving is not always an equally proportional mathematical equations where a is always equal to b.reaching out to someone may involve sacrifices, other times, humiliations, because we may not often be welcomed or appreciated,but if we feel that the person is worth it, well, that’s really worth trying!rejection could hurt for quite sometime but it makes us stronger the next time.giving and loving more and not asking for anything in return are the most difficult lessons only a few can afford to learn,for it could also mean learning to forget ones self.

To place your ideas, dreams and desires before people is to risk ridicule…it is always a safe to journey in a smooth and easy highway than a road full of obstacle. undoubtedly, it is more convenient to live life as surely and as safely as possible.but the ones who have succeeded in life–those who had a happily-ever-after-story–, where ones who once beat the odds.they boldly took the risk of dying, failing, appearing to be a fool, appearing to be soft and sentimental, being involved or rejected, not being loved at all, being ridiculous..took the sufferings, pain and sorrow, chose the least traveled road; and continue to grow, live and love.

Now its our turn, do not be afraid of taking risks. the less traveled road may be too rough to handle but it will surely define our sense of being. at the end of the day, it is our journey, and not our destination, which will define what we will become in this life.

" To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is that which says: "Leave no stone unturned." - Edward Bulwer Lytton "

The Salty Coffee

The Salty Coffee

(a love story)

He met her at a party. She was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her, while he was so normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but due to being polite, she agreed. They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me go home.... suddenly he asked the waiter: "would you please give me some salt?

Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously; do you have this hobby? He replied: "when I was a little boy, I was living near the sea, I like playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, I think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there".

While saying that, tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched, that's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart, a man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has responsibility for home. Then she also started to speak, spoke about her far away hometown, her childhood, her family.

That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance, was kindhearted, warm, careful. He was such a good person. Thanks to his salty coffee!

The story was just like every beautiful love story , the princess married the prince, then they were living the happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it. After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: "My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you, The Salty Coffee". Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt, it was hard for me to change it, so I just went ahead.

I never thought that could be the start of our relation! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything.. Now I'm dying, afraid of nothing, so I'm telling you the truth: I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste...

But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never felt sorry for what I did, having you with me was my biggest happiness in my whole life, if I could live for a second time, I would still want to know you and have you in my life, even though having to drink salty coffee again". Her tears made the letter totally wet. One day, someone asked her: What's the taste of salty coffee? "It's sweet", she replied.

"Love is not to forget but to forgive, not to see but to understand, not to hear but to listen, not to let go but to hold on.."

Happy Ending

I fell in love and was loved in return but I learned that even the hottest love has its coldest end. A lot of us have built dreams with people we hoped would be with us forever only to wake up to reality that nothing in this world is permanent. Love come and goes. People stay and leave. Life is a constant cycle of losing and finding; of making and breaking; of dying and living again. That’s why we should love them right, for we may never tell. We might wake up one day realizing that we already lost the people we ought to protect and love. If you think that the person you love doesn’t love you – YOU ARE RIGHT! Because if he/she does, there’s no way he/she would let you think and feel that way. People say they love you at the right moment of their lives then disappear at the wrong moment of yours. People do the sweetest things when their love is new, then one day, they just turn bitter and cold. People fall in love and eventually, somehow, one day, they just fall out of it. It’s not always right to stay in pain when you know you’ve already had too much and it’s not wrong to be happy when you know it’s about time you deserve to be. And if you were happy with the wrong ones, how much more when the right one comes, ayt?!

" Leaving someone when you love someone Is the hardest thing to do "

From a Man's Point of View

It's hard to determine if (we) guys are over a break-up or still on the rebound, unless you know the clues. So here are the tips for you, girls - from a man's point of view.

1. HE COMPARES YOU TO HIS EX. We (men) who are stuck on a former flame will always find ways to bring her up in conversations - even when we are complimenting you. Be wary of such pseudo-phrase such as "you're so much sweeter than she is!". Our words may feel flattering, but they indicate we're still emotionally attached to our previous partner.

2. HE FLAUNTS YOUR RELATIONSHIP. Watch out for stealth moves that might make our ex jealous, like dragging you to a bar where her friends hang out or plastering our pictures in Facebook. We could be parading you around to upset her and that kind of bitterness proves that we focused on her, and not you.

3. YOU COULD PASS AS HER TWIN. When a man hasn't moved on yet, he'll unconsciously seek someone who reminds us of our ex. It helps us cope when we are not ready for someone new.

" Ang puso, isa lang.. Kaya dapat, isa lang din ang laman.. Kung mamimili ka, masasaktan mo yung isa.. Kung di ka mamimili, pareho mo silang sinasaktan.. . "