NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE THE VALUE OF YOUR PRESENCE

"I was  torn between two feelings-- sadness and happiness. Sadness because we have to depart the old year that leaves us unforgettable memories; happiness because all those memories radiate hope for the new year" 

Setting aside sadness,  join me in embracing a brand new start by  saying...

I always welcome the new year with positive disposition. Before year ends, I do some specific activities or practices such as cleaning my room, disposing much trash and clutter I have accumulated through the years. I believe that clutters attract negative energy, thus I should arrange things and put them in its right place to welcome positive vibes. 

Similar to this,  we also need to organize our aspects in life  -- mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual. We need to organize our thoughts, need to sort out our emotions, fix some problems, clear minor debts or settle accounts, mend broken relationships and the like, and welcome an amazing  year enthusiastically.

However, there are times that no matter how hard we try to organize things, our plans will not turn out fine (the way we expect it to be). We try to give our best, exert all our efforts in making people around us feel alright. We sometimes pretend that all is well, but deep within, we are suffering from some sort of pain. We commit ourselves in performing all tasks which have been entrusted to us just to prove our worth, until we burned ourselves out... 
...and then we give up? 

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak".
This is true about being human. Our mind is too eager to say we can, but our body cannot.

I remember Lavi Singh (Ricky)'s words:

"Even big or strong things  sometimes touch the ground and give up.. then who am I not to, when I'm just mere human?"

Days before new year, I had an incredible pain (in connection with the accident). It made me feel half-paralyzed because I couldn't move my left shoulder and arms. It wasn't easy to be in a situation wherein I couldn't do all the things I used to do. It was like a flashback of the discomfort I had two(2) months ago. I was in the verge of giving up knowing I'm just mere human...

 until someone has helped me reduce the uneasiness I had,

Someone whose simple and natural medical advice has brought a great impact on my part. 

It is not easy to be treated like patient. 
Who wants to lie down in bed all the time or sit on the couch doing nothing? 
Who else want to feel useless?

During the media noche celebration, while everyone is happy sharing gifts and laughter, I feel like I was so isolated. My excitement of the occasion was converted into hostility due to my condition. I feel like I'm of no use at all as if my presence is nothing but a burden.

Fine morning of January 1st (new year), trying to look good despite of my shoulder pain, I strove hard to get up from bed (without the aid of family members), pretending that everything is alright. After chanting a short prayer, I stood up in front of a familiar woman, greeted her blankly saying: "Happy New Year!"

To my surprise, the woman returned a smile as she uttered similar words, "Happy New Year".

Oh darn that contagious smile! A smile which tells a thousand stories reflected from her stealthy eyes, saying "Every morning brings new hope".

How did she do that? How did she manage to smile despite of those sadness hidden from the corner of her eyes? 

It's the first morning of the year and this woman's smile brings hope for the day. She was able to remove the thick cloud of loneliness I had as she tried to stretch out her painful, yet welcoming arms, encouraging me to do the same.. 

oh wait.. she too, had shoulder pain?

Her sweet gesture is quite a relief to my discomfort and I'm sure she had that same relief too, although we have different story behind that shoulder pain.

Well, every person has a story to tell, and only God knows the life, the heart, the loves, the trials, the hopes, the wishes and dreams of everyone.

People have misery and pain greater than mine, yet they still look good. If they were able to make it, then why can't I?

As I looked back at the woman's face, I've seen  some traces of discomfort, but instead of grief or misery reflecting her eyes, I can see her calmness, her peaceful character that brightens up my day.

She has this kind of magic, this healing power that heal wounds, ease whatever pain inside and out...

She has this power in every smile.

A confident peaceful smile that overcomes self pity.

My shoulder pain isn't fully recovered yet, but it's nothing compare to the good things that is bound to happen this year. 

"Her calmness has made me see things on the positive side"

I wanna give thanks to this woman.

     I wanna feel her always close to me.

        I wanna see her smile as often as I can.

           I wanna talk to her anything under the sun.

              I wanna be like her in every way.

Each time I look at her, there is that strong force that pulls me towards her
I wonder why...

Then an inner voice said:

Do not under estimate the value of your presence..

It's not you who need her but SHE NEEDED YOU.
Everything you see in her is "YOU"

...because the one you're talking to is the WOMAN IN THE MIRROR.

"She is the reflection of everything you are, yet you didn't see it because your heart is full of self pity to your condition and your eyes are clouded with tears of inhibitions".

Set the woman free. 

Set yourself free.

NAKED STREET

"There are scenes hidden in an open street until clicked."

                                                                           -Leone Moonrose-

Seeing the invisible.

Notice the unnoticed.

Find the beauty through reality of the so-called natural in a concrete jungle...

The street.

Observe everything on its environment.

What do you see?
Aren't you seeing the naked truth in every lie? 
Aren't you seeing the naked street flashed before the lens of your naked eyes?

"It is not just about who are you seeing,

it is all about what are you seeing,.. and WHY."

One fine morning, with a bunch of self confidence in my pocket, a bag of positive insights and a great desire to capture interesting subjects, I went out, headed towards the concrete jungle.

I was walking along the so-called busy street, with my DSLR camera in my hand, ready to click anything that captures my attention. The usual scenario of people going to and fro from their homes to respective business, works, schools or malls wearing different faces, flaunted before my eyes. 

It's a typical busy street with all kinds of people (masked or unmasked) from different races, trying to make a decent living or try undressing people's innocence - the street children, beggars, the homeless and the societies nobodies that populated the place.

It is ended a jungle where predators control the place and preys try to live for survival.

It is a street where pedestrian oriented safety and navigation feature were removed.. leaving all the unsolved crimes behind.

It is a place where morality issue is left behind the corner.

It is a busy street ...

dressed with nakedness!

I wonder...
Is it the beauty of the so-called "natural" in a concrete jungle?

Where did all the so-called servant leaders go?

Where are the assigned authorities to man the busy street and maintain safety?
Where are the implemented laws (or do they really have laws)?

I didn't hear anything from the "alta-sociedad" personalities and politicians who once stepped down in this concrete jungle to give promises asking support, just to get more votes during election... 
I can't hear them, seriously!
Am I deaf? or their voice are simply not audible to ordinary citizen?

I hear no voice...
I even hardly hear the engine humming, car horns, yells, laughter and alien words from different creatures in the street.
I hardly hear the cries and pleas of people who were victim of stealing, murder and other street crimes which until now remained unsolved.

I heard only one voice...
the voice of survival from injustice. 

I heard it, but my eyes refused to see.

...My lens couldn't capture a thing.

My naked eyes have seen nothing but a "naked street", clothed with uncertainty, false hopes and injustice.

WHAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE? (try to find answers)

Posted by: Leony Moonrose

Courtesy of: Lavi Singh

Sometimes we have so much going on in our heads that we just go around in circles. We ask too many questions and the rest are left unanswered.
We try to ask others, yet they seemed not to bother at all.

One of the questions bugging my mind is, "Why do we compare ourselves to others?" 

We always complain that our life is not great. We think and believe that other people get better life than us. Consciously or unconsciously, we have this inner desire to acquire what they have and wish to be like them. We disregard the fact that there are many people who are less fortunate than us.

Why do we focus on what others have, instead of recognizing our own blessings and be grateful about it? 
Envy? Jealousy?
Why do we always look at one side?

If we try to look around us, we could actually see the other side, yet we refuse to see. Why? that's one of the many questions.

During our teenage life, we start to realize how our parents trust people. They teach us to be trustful and loving. In return we love them more and with much respect, we find ourselves listening to every single thing they say, -- like never get envious, do good with people because when we do good we will reap goodness. If we show them kindness and make them happy, we will get the happiness we deserve. 
This is their legacy that leaves an indelible mark on us.

But life is tough...
and so are people.
Usually, things won't turn out the way we wanted it to be or the way our parents has pictured it for us.
We cannot expect people to treat us the way we treated them with:
-love
-trust
-compassion

It just all happen on the other side.
So there goes a bunch of questions...

What’s the point of trusting when the people whom we trust aren’t trustworthy at all? 

Do good values work only to family or blood relation? 
Why do we need to be good when there is a choice not to?

What’s the use of making people happy when all they know is hurt? 

Some people show us care and concern when things are smooth but when times get rough do they really care that much?

We sometimes give a promise to someone that we never gonna let them hurt come what may. 
Does this really work? 
Isn’t it like a promise written on water?

I wished things were trouble-free and questions were easy

..that could be handled even by kids of yesterday.

As we grow old, things are getting complicated.
We bumped into wrong relationships, meet wrong people at the right place or right people in the wrong place.
We stumbled into wrong decisions after pure intentions.
Then we start to say, "How I wish things were on the other side".

How I wish there's a rewind...
So I could drive my life simply like a kid and experience back the sweet moments of my youth.. 
picking up every memories meant to be treasured and savor its sweetness with the loving care of my parents.

oh darn!
I missed my childhood.

I missed being a kid..
...having bonding with parents

I missed how they took good care of me and didn’t even sleep because I was in pain.. even simple pain like stomach upset, tooth ache or fever..

I missed those times when I feel safe in their presence.

... those times on how I get relax when they gave me a tight hug, a kiss at my forehead that made me forget all the worries,

I missed those moments each time I have questions and they’re always there to answer me…

I missed my innocence.

Now, I am in the other side of the world..

I am in a complicated world where simple questions are left unanswered

I feel like I am in the other dimension, where simplicity doesn’t exist.

I am in a world where mother or father’s care is almost forgotten because of the influences of someone who came into our lives

I am in a world where sons and daughters couldn’t stay awake all night long just to hold their parents hands..

A kind of world where parents are mostly left unattended and deprived from all sort of comfort,

I am in this side of the world they call…. REAL.

What is more valuable in this kind of world?

If I would be given a chance to choose which side of the world I would be..

I would buy back yesterday and start anew
 ...on the other side

What is that side?

These questions 

will remain unanswered unless 

we continue the journey

Making Oneself Available for Others

by: Leony Moonrose

Most of us are too busy at work. We are lucky if we could spend sometime to our friends. Usually, if we need to chill out a bit, we resort to opening social sites and check our friends, saying hello to them, do a little chit chat and then go back to our busy lives.

Everything runs smoothly. We resort to opening social sites so we could freely talk to our friends and to somehow reduce the stress. But unfortunately, there are friends who hardly understand our lifestyle. Once they see us online they started claiming our time by talking to us longer than the alloted time we set for socialization. Sad to say, we gain a lot of stress rather than reducing it because the moment we try to leave or we couldn't reply their messages,  they start saying we are ignoring them.

Part of my mind says, "who the heck are they?" to demand my presence and give false accusations about me. But then again, its a cyber world, where people have different thinking, belief and culture. I have to adjust. I have to be flexible. 

I remember one person. I met him months ago in social site.

One evening, I saw him again, we had a chat about life and technology.  I found out that he has knowledge in technology although he’s a chef. I asked him about software on Internet Protocol Address or  IP address.  He asked my skype account so he could give me the file and he could teach me how to use it.

We talked at skype that one evening. However, instead of discussing about the software he has given me, our topic was centered on his life story. I didn’t mind because I feel like he needs someone to talk to. I was there with a listening ear. He was so sad and down, all alone (with his dog) and it was a good feeling that I was able to accompany him and gave him advice. I made myself available for him that moment, listening at his sad stories.

From there on, we often talked at skype (no cam).  Days passed,  I still didn’t know on how to use the software application. I dropped the desire of learning it though. Besides I was very busy at work.

My being busy has a negative impact to this person. He started accusing me that I was ignoring him.. that I did not reply his message, that I’m not good friend of him because I have no time with him.. until it reached to the point that he accused me of something I didn’t even do. He used foul words at me and he splashed stinky stuff I couldn’t imagine he is capable of doing.  I asked myself then, what is friendship for this man and who is he to demand much of my time.

The worst is, he is not the only person who acts like this. I met many of them. Does it mean, many people do not really know what friendship is?  or they just use the word “friend” so they could take advantage of?

This scenario is so often in social sites. If you are a kind of person who aren’t used to dealing with depressed people, you certainly ended up having stress or heart attack. It’s good to be nice, but its not good to expose ourselves in solving other people’s problems and caprices. 

We are now in technology world, but it doesn’t mean that we rely ourselves on cyber people nor get affected by them. We should respect each others lifestyle and belief. We socialize yes, but we must be wise enough in choosing whom we talk to.  Abusers are everywhere and so are good people.  Ignore the abusers treasure the good ones.

Men are basically good. In fact, we all have a good heart.   

                                                    

It just depends on when we call it out to shine forth for other people. Maybe we are doing good things in a small way, such as showing support to our friends, or that we really go out to help those in need, or listening our friends problems.

Being a good friend to someone is worthwhile because we do not only help others, we also learn so much about the real world. And in doing good, we feel so satisfied and happy.  

Also we need to realize that there are many people less fortunate than us. Even at a young age they have to face a lot of heartaches from family troubles. That’s one reason why we see other people who acts differently than us. Instead of hating or hurting them, we need to understand them and pray for them.

Make yourself available for others.. even just in prayer.

Prayer does miracle :)

FACES OF FRIENDSHIP

Posted by: Leony Moonrose
Courtesy of Lavi Singh

                         

Friends?
In this kind of world we are now,

They are quite scary

They expect me to know who they are

They expect me to greet them
If I don’t, they start hitting me

They make it a guessing game

I have to correctly guess they are my friends

If not, I’ll end up into trouble again.

Friends make a lot of difference. We can see them everywhere wearing different faces. When you’re going about your day, walking down the street, getting on the subway, in shopping malls, or watching football game, we meet our casual or close friends, exchanging nods, hi’s and hello’s, shaking hands with them.

As we mingle, we see their faces.

Some have happy faces, others have blank face

Some have angry scowls, others are sad, worried souls

Some are impatient while others are peaceful and content,

..yet they are our friends in different faces.

We pass by all those faces,

 and we know that behind each face… is a story.

Yes a story.

A story that runs the gambit of all human emotions.

                                                

She was motorbiking home..

No, not in her real home but somewhere she felt at home.

In a corner of no place where she could scream out loud with no voice…

Driving her way

Feeling hurt and angry

A car coming next to her, moving slowly, keeping pace with her.

A guy in the front passenger seat rolling down his window,

claiming as her friend, asking for direction,

Telling him, the guy not seemingly listened

The car stopped.

Braked her bike.

The guy jumped out of the car, grabbed her.

The guy unlocked the trunk, throwing her in.

The trunk lid banged shut.

she screamed.

Darkness.

Who is she? She’s a friend.

Who’s the gangster? He’s also a friend.

Who needs to rescue her? Supposedly a friend.

But what happened was…

she'd been rescued by a stranger

and that stranger has become her friend.

Sometimes, we trust someone so easily. We share our secrets only to find out that the person whom we trust just make us pay back with disrespect and insult and is not quite deserving of our trust and friendship. We blindly believe that the person we consider a friend is true to us and be with us through thick and thin. Late to realize that they are just wearing their masks and play the art of pretending.

It’s not easy nowadays to find a friend. Friendship should be without any profit. Nowadays if you have good status, a lot of people try to walk with you. But if you have nothing besides good heart, they don’t really care at all.

Money talks all over. Most people need friendship for benefits. If they know that you have something, they stay with you, but when hard time comes people always show their back and run away.

Beforehand, I didn’t believe much in real friendship..

or should I say, I didn’t notice because what I’ve seen were bullying and disrespect.

I made friends only for business and social needs until one day I realized that friendship is not a one-way street.

Let us try to see the positive faces of our friends

Sometimes you get mad with friends because they stop you from doing something out of the line. They correct your mistakes instead of tolerating your vices and caprices. Well, it’s not really a bad thing. If you have good friend he should be hard on you sometimes for your own good. If your friend always tell you about you are right just to please you, then you'll never gonna learn nor improve your life and you’ll be deprived from knowing your real worth as a person.

We all need a friend who make us real human not just a show off individual.

We need someone who would correct us and make us think of what is right or wrong.

I remember in old days people trust that much. They let their friends stay their house, they work together, share every single thing. But nowadays, if you bring someone to your house, they always break that trust.  They may call you brother or sister but when they saw family member they always put bad eye on them.

It would be easier to find God (God's words) than to find a trusted person nowadays.

I firmly believe that when you are in a relationship, either family, friend or lover, you gotta have respect for that relationship. Once you call someone a friend, show your genuine self and wear a pure silver heart.

They said true friend is hard to find. If you can have at least one true friend, you are one lucky person.

                                  

     

I am lucky then. I met many friends both in real and in cyber world and few of them I considered priceless. They are not easy to find. I feel so blessed because God gave them to me. I feel so proud because whenever I need them, they’re always there, never show their back no matter what happen and no matter we get mad, at the end we’re together again.

I found a precious gem in the heart of my true friends.

A Friend I can trust with close eyes ..

A Friend who will stand by me 'till the end of time.

Building trust takes ages, yet just a second to break it.

The different faces of friendship have us believe they are so different from us, yet we come to understand that behind those different faces, we all share the same “story”.

Getting back on the story of the abducted lady mentioned above…      

She questioned the people who used to greet her with beautiful smile each time she woke up

She questioned those whom she called friends
Where are they?

She needs answer

She needs light

She needs you..

…Whom she calls-  A FRIEND.

Do you have what you call a genuine friend?

Again If you have, you are one lucky person.           

Give Immigrants a Fair Chance

By:  Lavi Singh 

If we look back throughout history, we can see how work evolved phase by phase. The first phase of work was comprised of family occupation by default, meaning you were born to do your parent’s job. If they were businessman, you became a businessman, If your dad was an engineer, you became an engineer. A carpenter, you became a carpenter. A farmer, you became a farmer. Very few were able to deviate from this path due to limited opportunities. Some have worked in different field and the rest become jobless.  The tendency, workers need to work abroad, leave their families behind for greener pasture.

They cross from country to country. They become immigrants.
They migrated from their respective hometown just to work abroad, believing that one day, they'll gonna have a good life.

Who are these immigrants?

Are they people? or something like animal that do not belong to this world?

When God created human, He never put a tag on them. So why do people say about legal and illegal settlers? Are they not of the same world too? Why do human makes border and boundaries when God give us all equal rights?

Many people hate illegal immigrants but no one dares to find out the root cause of why they become one. 

Nobody bothers why they left their families, their homes, parents, kids and all their loved ones. 

Nobody cares about how they feel. 

Yes nobody…  

because everyone is busy enjoying the services given by the so-called immigrants (that they hate).

Birds migrate from one place to another. They didn’t worry at all. They just fly.. fly away.. searching for food and when evening starts to fall, they could come back to their respective places which they considered “home”. Those birds are too lucky for they have their own home where they could rest, while immigrants leave no choice but to keep on working day and night, sacrificing themselves for the sake of their families who were left behind. You can never understand their anguish, their pain and longings unless you put yourself in their shoes.

Nowadays all people like to sit in an air conditioned (AC) room. No one wants to work under the heat of the sun. All just want easy money, but nobody understands that the food they eat comes from farm which only run by illegal immigrants. Ninety Nine percent (99%) of farm workers are illegal settlers and they work hard, yet people can’t pay them right money because they have no papers.

Life has given people bad breaks which force them to rob. There is no humanity left.

Greediness and selfishness reign in the heart of blood sucker politicians, government officials and employees. They are after of their bulky pockets rather than showing care and concern to societies nobodies.

How many kids we see every day with iPhone, iPad or PC? And how many are those who don’t even get food for survival, not even a single time a day; some get triple filtered water and others get just from the pond; some have lot of choices yet others have just empty stomach under the sun. 
We are lucky enough to go to fast food restaurant, spend a lot of money on food stuff which we sometimes do not touch nor eat and we just leave it in the trash. Did we say a little prayer of thanksgiving for the abundance we have? I doubt on that. Perhaps there are few, but the rest never thank God because we have such a nice life and we get all whatever we need for a living and sometimes more than we deserve.

Lets take a look about humanity. We all just look someone to give hard time, all people against immigrants and immigration but there is a place and reason why they take this hard design. If someone tell us to stay in a jungle for a single day, we get scared even if we know that somebody is accompanying us all the way. But for those immigrants, they fearlessly took the risk, they walk in their bare feet, under the heat of the sun, walk thousand miles without food or water.. all they have in their pocket is hope and a single dream that reflects in their sorrowful yearning eyes. A single dream that one day they will have a brighter future for the family. They left behind so many promises to cheer their loved ones, armed with determination and hopes, they started the journey towards uncertainty.

Illegal immigrants life is not easy, It is often hard. They need to face new problems every single day.

I have no idea why people think illegal in a country is crime. Why it has become a crime?

Because they have no papers? How could they have it when they couldn’t even get a visa because they don’t have enough money to process it. That’s the main reason why they need to work abroad, to earn money for the families and make their dream a reality. It’s not quite easy to leave your home, the place you were born and raise with love, right? It’s not easy. But situation has made them so. They need to move a new place, somewhere no one knows that they were being treated like animals.

Some people are lucky enough to be born rich while others are born poor. But you know what, God didn't make any difference between rich and poor. Both are equal in His sight. God gave them the same body and the same breathe of life. The only difference is: "one has to be rich and the other has to be poor". The rich one can get anything he wants without hard work, but the other one needs to think 100 times before he could buy a single thing. 

Illegal immigrants are not criminals. They are hardworking individuals. They work hard so we can get food on our table. We always see someone illegal immigrants (Mexican) standing somewhere and people saw them and treat them like a second class citizen. Take note, they are hardworking people plus the fact that they are human too, why do they have to be maltreated? Come to think of it, they are hardworking people and if they stop working in farms, who would work for most of us? Who could give us food on our table? Our society depends on them. If they come here for money, we also need them for our benefits. Fair is fair, isn’t it?

I've said enough but one last thing: "Before you hate a person or before you are against someone, please talk to him first (even for just one time) and ask him why he became and immigrant. I’m pretty sure after you heard his story, you will change your mind".

We already have lots of hate in this world, what we need now is love and peace. No one cares of how much money you got in your account but if you have rich heart that makes a big difference.