Globe Vanity Number

Arrgh! I want to have one. Pero prepaid lang. Like 0917 - XXX - YYYY. Or anything basta 0917 ang prefix and maganda last 4 digits. Where can I buy one na hindi ako tinataga ng presyo?

HAPPY 2009!

1) Baby New Year Tradition
The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year was started around 600 B.C by the ancient Greeks, who, at the start of a year would carry a baby around in a basket. The purpose of it was to honor Dionysus, the God of Fertility and symbolize his annual rebirth.

2) Hogmanay
The New Year in Scotland is called Hogmanay. The people in Scotland follow a ritual that appears nutty but actually has a great significance. One can find barrels of tar set afire and gradually rolled down the streets in the villages of Scotland. This ritual symbolizes that the old year is burned up and New Year is going to begin.

3) Burning "Mr. Old Year"
In Columbia, Cuba and Puerto Rico families stuff a life-size male doll with things and then they dress it up in old clothes from each family member. At the stroke of midnight, this 'Mr. Old Year' is set on fire. This is done with the simple belief that a doll thus stuffed have bad memories or sadness associated with them, and that the burning of these will help one to do away with all past grief's and usher in happiness in life with the coming year.

4) Eating Noodles
Late on the evening of December 31, people of Japan would eat a bowl of buckwheat noodles called "toshikoshisoba" ("year-crossing noodles") and listen for the sound of the Buddhist temple bells, which were rung 108 times at midnight. The sound of these bells is said to purify the listeners of the 108 sins or evil passions that plague every human being.

5) Eating 12 Grapes
In Spain people eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight (one each time the clock chimes) on New Year's Eve. This peculiar ritual originated in the twentieth century when freak weather conditions resulted in an unseasonable bumper harvest of grapes. Not able to decide what to do about so many grapes at Christmas time, the King of Spain and the grape growers came up with the idea of the New Year ritual.

6) Gifts in Shoes
In Greece children leave their shoes by the fireside on New Year's Day (also the Festival of Saint Basil in Greece) with the hope that Saint Basil, who was famous for his kindness, will come and fill their shoes with gifts.

7) Carrying a Suitcase
In Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, and Mexico, those with hopes of traveling in the New Year carry a suitcase around the house at midnight. Some even carry it around the block to ensure traveling at greater distances.

8) Burning Crackers
The people in China believe that there are evil spirits that roam the earth. So on New Year they burn crackers to scare the evil spirits.

9) Times Square Celebrations
The first Ball Lowering celebration atop One Times Square was held on December 31, 1907 and is now a worldwide symbol of the turn of the New Year, seen via satellite by more than one billion people each year. The original New Year's Eve Ball weighed 700 pounds and was 5 feet in diameter. It was made of iron and wood and was decorated with 100 25-watt light bulbs.

10) Foods
It was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. It is still held in some regions that special New Year food are the harbingers of luck. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune. The hog, and its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day. The ancient Persians gave New Year's gifts of eggs, which symbolized productiveness.

11) Black-eyed peas
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures.

12) Rings
Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle.

13) Wearing new slippers
In China, many people wear in the new year a new pair of slippers that is bought before the new year, because it means to step on the people who gossip about you.

14) Sealed doors & windows
During new year, the doors and windows of some homes in China can be seen sealed with paper. The Chinese think that this will succeed in keep the evil demons out.

15) Jewish New Year
The Jewish New Year is called Rosh Hashanah. It is a holy time when Jews recall the things they have done wrong in the past, and then promise to do better in the future. Special services are held in the synagogues, children are given new clothes and New Year loaves are baked to remind people of harvest time.

16) Japanese New Year
On New Year's Day in Japan, everyone gets dressed in their new clothes. Homes are decorated with pine branches and bamboo, both of which are considered to be the symbols of long life.

17) American resolutions
40 to 45% of American adults make one or more New Year's resolutions each year. And these range from debt reduction to giving up bad habits to what not? But the ones that are the most common deal with weight loss to exercise to giving up smoking.

I hope you have enjoyed these pretty little New Year trivia's. New year is simply the perfect time to make resolutions and make for a fun-filled day. Take in the coming year with open arms. Have a blast!

Closing Cycles by Paulo Coelho

One always has to know when a stage comes to an end.

If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through. Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters - whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished.

Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents' house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden?

You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened. You can tell yourself you won't take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that.

But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister, everyone will be finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.

None of us can be in the present and the past at the same time, not even when we try to understand the things that happen to us. What has passed will not return: we cannot for ever be children, late adolescents, sons that feel guilt or rancor towards our parents, lovers who day and night relive an affair with someone who has gone away and has not the least intention of coming back.

Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away.

That is why it is so important (however painful it may be!) to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home. Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts ?and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place.

Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them. Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood.Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions that are always put off waiting for the "ideal moment". Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back. Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person - nothing is irreplaceable, a habit is not a need. This may sound so obvious, it may even be difficult, but it is very important.

Closing cycles. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer fits your life. Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, shake off the dust.

Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.

The Rules of a Happy Life

Remeber these five simple rules to be happy:

1 - Free your heart from hatred.

2 - Free your mind from worries.

3 - Live simply.

4 - Give more.

5 - Expect less.

No one can go back and make a new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but God did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Disapointment are like road humps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards. Don`t stay on the humps too long. Move on!

When you feel down because you didn't get what you want,just sit tight and be happy, because God is planning of something better to give you.

When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There's a purpose to life's events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard.

You can't make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth.

The measure of love is when you without measure. In life there are very rare chances that you'll meet the person you love and loves you in return. So once you have it don't ever let go, the chance might never come your way again.

It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride.

We spend too much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting the love we give.

When you truly care for someone, you don't look for faults, you don't look for answers, you don't look for mistakes. Instead, you fight the mistakes, you accept the faults, and you overlook the excuses.

Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one who can take his or her place.

Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older. When you receive this, you know you are cherished.

The Art of Letting Go

Dr. Alan Zimmerman's Comments:

Sooner or later, everyone you know will disappoint
you in some way. They'll?say something or fail to
say something that will hurt you. And they'll do
something or fail to do something that will anger
you. It's inevitable.

Unfortunately, you make things worse when you stew
over someone's words and deeds. When you dwell on a
rude remark or an insensitive action made by another
person, you're headed for deeper problems.

In fact, the more you dwell on these things, the more bitter you'll get.

You'll find your joy, peace and happiness slipping
away. And you'll find your productivity slowing down
as you spend more and more time thinking about the
slight or telling others about it. Eventually, if
you don't stop doing it, you'll even get sick.

So what should you do the next time someone betrays
you? TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS. Even
though the other person may be at fault, even though the other person
wronged you, you are still
responsible for your own feelings.

In other words, other people do not "cause" your
feelings. You choose them.

For example, two different people could be told that
their suggestions made at the staff meeting were
"stupid and idiotic." One person may "choose" to
feel so hurt that he never speaks up at any other
meeting again. The other person may "choose" to feel
sorry for the critic, sorry that the critic couldn't
see the wisdom and necessity of her suggestions.

As long as you blame other people for your feelings,
as long as you believe other people caused your
feelings, you're stuck. You're a helpless victim.

But if you recognize the fact that you choose your
feelings and you are responsible for your feelings,
there's hope.?You can take some time to think about
your feelings. And you can decide what is the best
thing to say or do.

Then, you've got to learn to WALK AWAY FROM
DISAPPOINTMENT.?It's difficult to do, but it's
possible. The famous 19th century Scottish
historian, Thomas Carlyle, proved that.

After working on his multi-volume set of books on
"The French Revolution" for six years, Carlyle
completed the manuscript and took volume one to his
friend John Stuart Mill. He asked Mill to read it.

Five days later, Mill's maid accidentally threw the
manuscript into the fire. In agony, Mill went to
Carlyle's house to tell him that his work had been
destroyed.

Carlyle did not flinch. With a smile, he said, "That's all right, Mill.

These things happen. It is a part of life. I will
start over. I can remember most of it, I am sure.
Don't worry. It's all here in my mind. Go,my friend!
Do not feel bad."

As Mill left, Carlyle watched him from the window.
Carlyle turned to his wife and said, "I did not want
him to see how crushed I am by this misfortune." And
with a heavy sigh, he added, "Well the manuscript is
gone, so I had better start writing again."

Carlyle finally completed the work, which ranks as
one of the great classics of all time. He had
learned to walk away from his disappointment.

After all, what could Carlyle have done about his
burnt manuscript?

Nothing. Nothing would have resurrected the
manuscript. All Carlyle could do was to get bitter
or get started. And what can you do about anything
once it is over? Not much. You can try to correct it
if it is possible, or you can walk away from it if
it isn't. Those are your only two choices.

Sometimes you've just got to shake it off and step
up. It's like the farmer who had an old mule who
fell into a deep dry well. As he assessed the
situation, he knew it would be difficult, if not
impossible, to lift the heavy mule out of the deep
well.

So the farmer decided to bury the mule in the well.

After all, the mule was old and the well was dry, so
he could solve two problems at once. He could put
the old mule out of his misery and have his well
filled.

The farmer asked his neighbors to help him with the
shoveling. To work they went. As they threw
shovel-full of dirt after shovel-full of dirt on the
mule's back, the mule became frightened.

Then all of a sudden an idea came to the mule. Each
time they would throw a shovel-full of dirt on his
back, he would shake it off and step up.

Shovel-full after shovel-full, the mule would shake
it off and step up. In not too long a time, the
exhausted and dirty mule stepped over the top of the
well and through the crowd.

That's the same approach we all need to take. We
need to shake it off and step up.

Finally, you need to FORGIVE. It's difficult,
especially when the other person doesn't deserve
your forgiveness or doesn't even seek it. It's
difficult when the other person is clearly in the
wrong.

Part of the difficulty comes from a common
misunderstanding of forgiveness.

Forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person's
behavior is okay. And forgiveness doesn't mean that
the other person is off the hook. He's still
responsible for his misbehavior.

Forgiveness is about letting yourself off the
emotional hook. It's about releasing your negative
emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. It's about
letting go of the past so you can go forward to the
future.

Everyone in your life, everyone on and off the job
is going to disappoint you. If you know how to
respond to those situations, you'll be way ahead of
most people. You'll be able to live above and beyond
your circumstances.

Action:

Identify two people that have disappointed, hurt, or
angered you. If?possible, select two people towards
whom you still have some bitterness.

Then ask yourself, "How does my bitterness serve me?

Am I happier holding on to it?

Do I sleep better?

Is my life richer, fuller, and better because of my bitterness?"

If you find that your bitterness is hurting you, make a decision.
Actually decide to let it go.

Walk away from the disappointment -- which means you
no longer dwell on it or talk about it. Period!

Or as Islam teaches us, the true believer is the one who
can forgive while she is angry.

Viva Santo Tomas!

A Triduum and a concelebrated Mass highlighted the celebration of the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of the University of Santo Tomas, which will also mark the 397th foundation anniversary of UST.

A month-long set activities are lined-up from January until the end of February which consists of lectures, symposia, contests, an international conference on Religion, alumni homecomings, exhibitions and book launch.

HAPPY FEAST DAY THOMASIANS!!!

Long Lost Friends

"No man is an island" sabi nga nila. Tama naman kasi hindi ako mabubuhay ng ako lang mag-isa. Masyado ako dependent. Mahirap kung ako lang.

Pagbabalik sa multiply

Shyet! Antagal ko rin hindi nakapag-multiply. Kasi blocked sa office, tapos disconnected pa yung illegal connection ng DSL sa bahay. Wahahaha! Ngayon nasa Mail and More ako nag-iinternet. Susulitin ko na to. Hehehe!

Ano ba updates about me?

Last week, galing ako sa Puerto Galera. Ang saya! Kahit hindi halata, sobrang saya kasi malayo sa trabaho, sa problema, sa pollution, sa ingay. Dapat madami kami kaso nag-backout yung iba. Wala raw pera. Sana nagready na sila few days pa lang di ba? Kesa yung last minute tapos sasabihin hindi sila sasama. Pero kahit ako lang mag-isa, pupunta pa rin ako.

First day was good kaso nalasing ako that night. Second day, mga bangag tapos swim sa beach then beach volleyball. Third and last day, snorkeling.

Next time ko na kwento. Lapit na ko umuwi e. Hehehe!