*Welcome to the first release of my blog series entitled 'Thought bubbles.' 'Thought bubbles' is a compilation of the reflections and ideas that pop into my head throughout the day, which I capture by scribbling or typing into whatever writing medium is available. Sometimes too, I may include in here words of wisdom I have picked from other people, which I carefully attribute to the best of my abilities.
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“As
a journalist (written from the perspective of someone who aims to be a full-blooded journalist in the future), our job does not end by publishing an investigative
article or showing a documentary.
To
achieve total impact, we must exhaust all methods to make sure that our work
reaches as many people and institutions as possible. Via newspapers, the
Internet, or tie-ups with various organization or famous people (who are
dedicated and credible), and through other methods available.
We
must hammer the message as hard as we can, and take advantage of the uproar that
will arise once the bees in the nest are disturbed. But after some time, we
must be able to re-hammer the message again. Because people have a tendency to forget, and so we must continuously
find ways to disturb their hives.”
“It
is easy to dislike other people. But who are we to judge? Do we really
understand their thoughts, their dreams, and their motivations for their
actions? Can we pretend to know each and every layer of their character and
persona, and merely judge them on the basis of what we see on TV, read in
magazines, or hear from other people? Perhaps,
when we are given the chance to be in their shoes and have walked every step
they have trodden, only then can we claim the right to dislike. ”
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“Except
for a few people who have done really extreme things, most of the famous people
in our history cannot be 100 % labeled as ‘good’
or ‘bad.’ Give me a book which sings
the praises of a certain celebrity, and I can find another which says
otherwise. Humans just have different expectations and standards, period. Maybe too, our obsession with perfection
has led us to forget that these people are still human, and we must give room
for their weaknesses and flaws too.”
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“Again
and again, I am reminded that inner beauty trumps physical beauty. You can be
framed in the walls of history as one of the world’s most beautiful women, but
at the end of the day, what will give you fulfillment and satisfaction is
knowing you have made a difference in the lives of other people. As humans, we can forget faces and names,
but our hearts will always remember the good turn that someone has done to us.
Atom by atom, a radiant smile and a happy heart are more precious and more
effective than the most expensive of all beauty products.”
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 |
Even the moon, which inspires the creation
of many poems , has its own dark side too. |
“I
can be short-tempered and impatient; which, I admit was the bane of my parents
in the past. Well, I may not be able to
control my outbursts of unwanted emotions, but I can work on how I process and
voice them out. A simple in and out breathing exercise and/or 1 to 10
counting coupled with some common sense can do a lot in preventing me from
hurting other people’s feelings.
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“Twenty
one years old and I never had a boyfriend. I know it may sound naïve, but I do
not have any intention of kissing a lot of frogs before finding my prince.
Everyone has a different script for his/her love life, and I am not exactly
fishing for a fairy-tale perfect story either. Despite my being cautious, I
know I may still make some foolish mistakes and laughable decisions along the
way (which I did).
But, I do not want to worry about this aspect of my life
right now, because I want to focus on fulfilling my dreams for the time being. Anyways, God is not selfish, and I know
that I will be able to meet the right person in the right time and the right circumstances.
I admit, I still struggle over this thought once in a while, but for the most
part, I am now at peace with this realization.”
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“When I was in college and was still new at
being Editor in Chief of our university student paper White & Blue, I flinch and blame it on
myself whenever we encounter problems in the organization. ‘If only
I had learned this earlier, if only I had foreseen this, if only I have not
made this stupid mistake’ often pervaded my thoughts and made me guilty.
But,
I realized that like in all other things in life, no matter how learned or wise
we think we are, challenges will always exist. Sometimes, it can be caused by
our mistakes, but most of the time,
problems occur because it is just normal for life to put us in unconventional
situations.
In fact, what we should be worried about is
when everything appears to be smooth and flawless, because that means that either
we are dead or just plain not growing in whatever we are doing. We cannot avoid our problems, but we can
learn how to see them in a different light – a chance for us to grow, to
learn, and to be proud of ourselves when we finally conquer them.”
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Quotes from the Feast and the
Kerygma Conference
These are not my original thoughts, but pearls of wisdom I have noted while
listening to the talks in the Ortigas Feast and Kerygma Conference 2012 (in the opening talk by Bro Bo Sanchez). But
since they have found their way into my consciousness, you can expect them to
pop into my writings as well. I have shared them here, without any intention of
plagiarism, but with the goal of inspiring other people too.
 |
With Brother Bo Sanchez in the autograph signing of his book,
"Take Charge, Give All" in the Kerygma Conference 2012. |
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“Stop
waiting for what you want, and start working on what you got.”
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“Many
people don’t grow because they want to be a 10 at a lower level.”
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“You
have to give-up what you have right now for greater things.”
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“An
upgrade comes with pain.”
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“Surround
yourself with people you want to be like.”
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“Success
is achieving your dreams; significance is helping others achieve their dreams.
But you don’t have to fulfill all your dreams before you can help somebody
else. If your dreams consist of 1000 steps, and you are on the 100th, then you
can help those on the 0 to 99th.
Significance is not saying ‘go there’ but ‘come
here’ because you can only share the success you have.”
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“Marry
your purpose, hire your strategy. Learn to adopt a new strategy, because the
world changes.”
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“In the end, only two things matter:
God’s opinion of you and your opinion of yourself.”
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Labels: Musings and Opinions
