Education

I might have spoken about this before, but it became very apparent yesterday.

As per my previous day blog, my brother quipped "I wish I would have finished my education", meaning that he wished he would have finished college. 

I think about the two degrees that I earned and the opportunities that it has given me.  After spending a few years using my technical degrees in the work force, I stepped away from that profession to do something else, but because I had those degrees to fall back on, that gave me an opportunity to go back into that field.  The education gave me that qualification. 

I'm grateful for my education, and for the different paths that it has afforded me.

Timing

I'm sometimes in awe with the timing of situations in my life.  Not that it always works out in a good way, but when it does, you can't help thinking that someone is watching over you. 

As with previous blogs, I'm not privy to share all the details, and that is the case today. 

My brother got himself into a pickle, and my parents and I had to help him out, most of it monetarily.  The key thing here was that I was able to help.  If this would have happened just a month or two prior, when I had not chosen to go a new job, then I would have not been able to help, and the burden would have fallen on to my parents. 

And although I'm not very happy with the choice my brother made, this situation gave me an opportunity to have sort of a "Come to Jesus" moment with my brother, and hopefully with my coaching and example, I can help him along with his life. 

I'm thankful that God was watching over my brother, and that we were able to help him out with a temporal issue.  I'm also thankful that I had that opportunity to have these little heart-to-heart talks with my brother, and I pray that I can continue to be some positive influence in helping him with his life.

 

Capitalism

I was buying new shoes today.  I ended up going to Rack Room Shoes.  They were having a BOGO sale, supposedly all year.  As I was going through the selections, I was marveling at all he different styles that I can choose from...mainly because companies had the freedom to design their styles of shoes....and as a consumer, I can choose which brands and styles I wanted it.

That's the microcosm of how a free society works....and I'm thankful for that.  And we need to remember that for the upcoming election because President Obama and the other Demon-crats are trying to "make things fair".  You make things fair when everyone retains the freedom to choose their own happiness, not force rich people to pay for entitlement programs for the sake of making things fair.

But I digress....we need to make sure that the United States remains a free country.

The fleeting peaceful times

I think humans are made for challenges.  It seems like you're not living life if there's not something wrong going on, no matter the size.

But I am thankful for those peaceful times...albeit a moment, when everything is just right.  And there is some respite before storms come again.

And yes the storms are coming again :-)  Just like clockwork.  I had about a week or so of peacefulness, and the storms have come back...both literally and figuratively.

Timing

Excel

Seeking God

I'm thankful today that we can choose to seek God.  For the past week or so I've been feeling little promptings to be more "Spiritual" and that I feel that a lot of questions I have about life in general..or maybe life in specific..can be answered if I am more Spiritual.

I love that God draws closer to us when we draw closer to Him.  And we can know all things if we are more obedient to His commandments and seek His counsel.

There are little things that I am trying to do to be more "Spiritual".  And I'm grateful to know that He's there for me, even when I don't think that He is.  I need all the help I can get.

I'm sure everyone experiences this..I am going through this cycle of Spirituality, and I'm on the upswing again.  Not that I'm a bad person when I'm retracting, but part of me feels like I'm floating through life at the moment.

I'll look back at this post in a few weeks and see if I feel closer to God.  I think I already know the answer.

Oral B Pulsar Toothbrush

I was introduced to this toothbrush yesterday.  It's a disposable electric toothbrush that costs around $5.  All it does is vibrates to help clean your teeth deeper.  There's one button to turn it on, and another button to turn it off.  No batteries to replace.  No heads to replace.

And I swear, it really did a good job of cleaning my teeth.  It's a great alternative to buying those electric toothbrushes and replacement heads.

I'm thankful for this new disposable teeth cleaning technology.

Power Supply

My desktop computer that I built about 3.5 years ago had been out of commission for the past two weeks.  I haven't had a chance to work on it, but I was suspecting that it was the power supply.

I finally had a chance to go to Best Buy today to purchase a power supply for only $50.  

I use to love tinkering with computers, building them and fixing them.  I don't like to a lot now-a-days, so I kinda procrastinated diagnosing the computer with the new power supply.

So I finished watching "The Negotiator" (awesome movie..I can watch that movie every week, seeing Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey use their wits and skills to get what they need).  And I started watching the "Celebrity Apprentice" that was recorded from the day before, even though I found out that Arsenio Hall won because someone posted it on Facebook. *sigh

Long story short was that I finally determined that it was the power supply and in about an hours time, I got my computer up and running again.

I'm thankful that I can save money by fixing computers myself, and that this fix was on the cheap side.  I probably would have paid about $150+ to have someone fix this for me.

Now if I can do some more repairs on my own around the house, and on my car. ;-)

Giving Thanks

Today I am grateful for:

• Hearing all the positive, uplifting, and Spiritual testimonies at church this morning.  
• for the SA Church Conference this weekend...and that it's finally over.
• the 3.5 hours of sleep, recouping from a long weekend, and signifying the closure of another chapter in my life...preparing a SA conference.
• Iron Man

"I love that as I was forcing myself to give thanks everyday, my thanks slowly changed to 'I'm grateful for what happened to me". That was from a good friend that was attacked by an unknown assailant and has partial loss of mobility from the attack.  She is a rock and a positive influence in my life, and I love how she finds joy in her life, even when these things happen.

Wal-mart

We were trying to get some food items for an upcoming church event.  

Eddie was in charge of food for the event, and was planning a pasta dish that needed manicotti shells.  Unfortunately, there was only one box left.  Well, one of the associates went out of her way to check in the back for more boxes and there was.  She was so accommodating in answering our questions and was so polite.  We told her that she deserves a raise, and she quipped to her manager behind us "Did you hear that?"  We gave positive feedback to her manager on the spot.  A win-win for all.

I know that Wal-mart sometimes gets a bad rap on the quality of the employees, and the customers, but this gem of an employee went out of her way to assist us, and she did it with a smile.  Thank you Walmart lady for your help.

Rain

New Job

Today I started my new job.  It's still quite surreal.  I'm back in the tech industry working a corporate job, and to top it off, I'm working with my best friend from high school for the first time since we've worked at Taco Bell when we were teenagers.

Talk about a world of change.  I was making $3.42 an hour back then.  Now I'm making...well...more than that :-)

It's a good change right now in my life, and I'm grateful that Eric has helped me with that change.  I just hope that our antics won't get us into trouble.

Mother's Day

When my dad was in the Navy and had to be deployed, mom was at home taking care of two young boys all by herself, in a foreign country to her (the USA), and not knowing a lot of people.  I can't imagine the emotional  strength she had to keep it together.  

My dad was gone most of my later years in school, because he was stationed in other parts of the United States and we stayed in Jacksonville.  Mom held down the fort.  We didn't always make it easy for her.  

I'm so thankful for my mom, for taking care of me. I still love to visit my parents, who still live in the same house I grew up most of my life, just so I can ask my mom what's there to eat.  Mom's cooking is always the best, right?

I love you, mom.  

If, Then

I was introduced to this game last Saturday, and today we played it with another set of friends.

Everyone takes a small sheet of paper and then write an "if" statement, ie "If Vladimir was a doctor?"

We then put the folded sheet of paper in a basket and redistribute the sheets to another person in the group, who then answers that "if" question with a "then" statement, ie "then Vladimir would probably have a lot of malpractice lawsuits."

We then put the sheets back into the basket and redistribute.  

As we go around the room, the first person would read their "if" statement on the sheet they are holding.  Then the person next to them would read their "then" statement on their sheet of paper.

As you can guess, this makes for hilarious coupling of "if-then" statements.

And depending on the group you play with...things can start going wrong pretty quickly.

Nonetheless, the game is a gut-busting time of fun with any group you play with.

Thanks for this simple game...and the laughter. 

Being Alive

Sometimes, I complain about little ailments in my life.  The occassional fever, or perhaps an injury that needs repair.  I've broken one bone, needed 15 stitches to close a would on my head from a ice skating incident, and I've needed surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.  But these heal and I go on my merry way.

Some people, though, deal with illnesses that are terminal, or have no cure.  I can't imagine what that is like.  I have my few quirks in my body, but compared to other people's medical issues, mine pale in comparison.

I'm thankful to be alive and relatively healthy.  And for those that have those unique illnesses, I have a desire to support you and do what I can to make your life easier.  

Doctor?

I had a chance to see a friend of mine graduate from the University of Florida with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.  I can't believe it's been four years already since he first started the program.

I loved the ceremony, right in the O'Connell center where I graduated with my Bachelor's degree 16 years prior.  There is a great sense of accomplishment when you finish your degree.

I'm proud of Travis for completing his coursework to graduate today.  He and his wife are expecting their third child.  They have a great family.

Thanks for letting me be a apart of this great accomplishment.

And Go Gators!!!

Recital

Life come full circle.

I had a chance to watch my niece, Cali-marie Paje perform in a piano recital.  She's being taught by the same teacher that taught my brother and me when we were growing up.  Mr. Chancey.

I remembered how nervous I was waiting for my turn to perform way back then.  And the relief once my performance was over.  I was nervous for Cali, and I can tell she was too, but she did great.  She works really hard at playing the piano, and it really showed.

I'm so proud of you Cali.  I'm grateful that you are carrying on the music talents of the Paje family.  You are already a wonderful musician and hope that you will continue to grow that talent through the years.

Paint

Lazy Day

Today was a lazy day.  Besides going to eat lunch with a friend and run very few errands, I just stayed home and watched TV.

I did feel like I was wasting my life away, but sometimes you just need this down time.

Thankful that I had downtime :-)

Service

Helped a lady in my church ward (congregation) move her things in a U-haul storage to her new apartment.  She had two 10'x10' storage full of boxes and furniture.

I'm just grateful for the three men and one woman that helped us today.  Fortunately we were able to get most of her items moved on the first trip.   As always, packing is slow...unpacking is fast.  

But nevertheless, it's a great feeling to serve others.  God really makes sure that we receive those good feelings.

Next task...helping another lady paint her house on Saturday.  Where's the roller?

Ben & Jerry's

So there's Dove ice cream bars, and Häagen-Dazs.  But one of my favorites is still Ben & Jerry's, chocolate chip cookie dough or phish food.  I had the latter over the weekend.  


Good comfort food, especially with the whirlwind of life that is going on right now.


Thanks Ben...Thanks Jerry.

Reset

I had the chance to work out again today at Planet Fitness.  I asked the girl behind the desk about the last time I checked in...it was March 6...almost two months!!

I knew that it had been awhile, but I'm glad that my body didn't fight the workout too much.

But for the rest of the day I was dehydrated, but not too hungry.  I like how working out curbs my appetite.

But more importantly I'm glad that I was able to "reset" my workout habits and start working out again.

Ultimate Frisbee

I haven't played this sport in awhile, but it was so fun playing today at the park.  I remembered playing this game for the first time when I was serving a full-time mission for my church in Los Angeles California.

During time off, the other missionaries in the area got together and played this game.  I didn't like it at first, because I always wanted to play football.  But this game grew on me.  It can be a fast-paced sport where you can change from offense to defense to a drop of a....frisbee :-)

Thank you, whoever invented this game.  And thanks for some great friends who are like family to me.

17 Miracles

I have to admit.  I cried a few times during the movie.  It's a story about the handcart companies that trekked across the plains to get to Zion.  If you love seeing God work mighty miracles, and see the faith of the people, you'd love this movie.

Puts my life in perspective and I'm grateful that I haven't had to sacrifice as much as these people did.

Hmmm

Chance Encounters

It's kinda neat when you come across people when you least expect it. 

I was at the Duval County Public Schools today dropping off some forms.  It was the first time I've ever stepped foot in the building.  As I was giving the forms to the secretary of the department, a familiar face in a cubicle off to the side said hello.  It was one of my co-workers from a previous employment.  

I had been thinking of her off and on for the past couple of years wondering how she was doing.  After we caught up, we began to realized that we were both embarking in the same endeavor, and it seemed like we were going to help each other out in a big way.

And we both knew it was inspiration from God.  

Don't you like those kinds of encounters?

Thank you God for bringing conformation that perhaps I'm headed in the right direction. :-)

Virginia

I was reminiscing the time I was living in Virginia the second time around.  The first time in Virginia I was a toddler in Norfolk.  My dad was stationed there.

This second time around was in 2005.  Just moved from California.  I had a lot of great experiences with the job and my church activities.  I was part of the Mormon Choir of DC, called MOTAB East.  I also played the trumpet for a production of Joseph Smith.

I'm thankful for my brief stay in Virginia before moving back to Jacksonville.  It was an interesting time of my life.  I learned so much about myself, and hope that I can continue to grow from those experiences.

Honestly?

Today I'm thankful that things went well today.  I cannot reveal it at this moment, but it was  life changing event...really two of them.

I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time.  Did I make the right decision?  Is it something I want to do or need to do?

It's something I need to do.  And it's brought some level of peace, but the change that is going to happen...my heart hasn't caught up yet.

Cryptic huh?  Well, you'll find out soon.

Cramming

Today I crammed a lot of fun in a little amount of time.  Church, Concert, spending time with friends.  But tonight my roommate helped me "cram" for a "test".  It's on Tuesday, and I hope I pass.

Thanks for helping me cram :-)

Cars

I do a lot of traveling for work and church and everything else.  Sometimes I would try to imagine life without cars...just horse and buggy.

We wouldn't be such a mobile society.  People wouldn't travel far as a much.  As much as I love the convenience of the car, sometimes I wish we could try to live without it.

Who am I kidding.

I'm thankful for Elsa, my car since 2001.  I bought her used for a good price.  She only had 5000 miles, and now she's close to 270,000.  I hope to keep her for a few more years.

Grapefruit Juice

It's self explanatory.  It's good for you.  Live it. Love it.  Drink it.

And I'm thankful someone squeezed it out for me so I don't have to.

Freedom of Religion

I'm thankful that I live in a country where we can worship how we want to and that there's not one national religion.

It's an interesting topic about whether the Constitution was founded under Christian principals and if so, then does that mean that this is a Christian country.

Well.  Not necessarily.

But if we took the Christian values and renamed them human values...then these human values are true, no matter how you label them.

We have a God given right to be free to pursue our own happiness.  That is a gift he gives us freely and our government should protect that right.

We can choose our own occupation, our own skills, who to help, etc.  It doesn't mean that we will all live equally well or that we need to force others to share their wealth that they so rightly earned most of the time.

We are free to choose for ourselves and live with the good or bad consequences.

And I choose to follow my Heavenly Father's plan of Happiness.

Being Polished

Seems like I'm falling behind on my daily gratitude....so instead of trying to catch up from the weekend, I'll just pick up here and keep on going.

I'm thankful for what I learned at church yesterday.  One of the speakers said something that I am in complete agreement of.  Our life is about relationships, and that we could not live the Gospel, or be purified by the teachings, unless we are polished by each other.

We don't always get along, and sometimes is the rough times of relationships that makes us grow the most.

Loving a friend, or even someone that is like minded, is easy.  Loving someone that you don't get along with, or disagree with their values, is hard.

The Gospel is really for the latter.  Because that's the part that polishes us the most.

I hope that I can have the strength to be able to stand firmly for what is right, but also the humility to recognize when I should really love people for who they are, because I'm sure I have faults too.  The ultimate goal is that we can all help each other make it back to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

I'm thankful for you...even if you get on my nerves :-)  (That wasn't for anyone in particular, just sarcastic humor for those who don't know me)

Education

One thing I preach to students in high school is that education is a great equalizer.  That sounds like Mr. Escalante from "Stand and Deliver", but he says that math is a great equalizer...meaning that it doesn't matter who, what, or where you came from.  A sharp mind...and educated mind...is a great equalizer that makes you valuable in terms of work opportunities.

I'm grateful for my college education.  I don't use it at the moment, but I'm just glad that it's there.

Kind Worlds (Tuesday, April 10)

I'm a big fan of giving and receiving compliments, positive affirmations, and uplifting words from friends, families, co-workers, and even strangers.

Short and genuine verbal gestures can make your day.  I received a little kind word of affirmation today from a friend.  It wasn't anything big, but it meant a lot to me.  So thank you.

I think I've written about this topic already this year, but it wouldn't hurt to share it again.  Be a positive influence on people today, every day.  When there is something nice to say to someone, be sure to make every opportunity to say it.

Teamwork

Today I had fun with my team at work.  And it also made work fun.  We had pizza during our team meeting for doing well with our goals.

When you try to "go it alone", that can be a drag and sometimes your self doubt brings you down.  Having colleagues, partners, etc for work, church, or any organization helps uplift you, and also give a lending ear when you need to "vent".

I know...Vladimir vents?  Yes I have my bad days too :-)

I'm thankful for my colleagues at work, and also my friends and associates at work for keeping it real for me.  And for being a support, even when you think that I don't need any.

Easter

So what can I say?  Today is an easy choice for who I am thankful for.

I'm thankful for Jesus Christ, my Savior.  He died for my sins, and that through the Atonement I can return to live with Him and Heavenly Father again, through repentance and obedience to the commandments.

It's amazing how the salvation of all the worthy souls hinges on this one singular event.  

I love how Easter celebrates His Resurrection, and that He gave us the gift of living again after death.  

Thank you for sacrificing your life for us, Jesus, that we may live again.

Orlando Temple (Saturday, April 7)

I am grateful for the opportunity to go to the LDS Orlando Temple, especially to help with the youth today.

It's especially gratifying seeing the youth participate with the temple ordinances, and seeing how Spiritual they are...and you know teenagers can be.

I also had a chance to start the work for my late Uncle, my father's brother.  He passed away from Colon Cancer a few years ago.  I had a chance to visit with him back in 1999 when I was at a Telemetering Conference in San Diego as a BYU graduate student.  I was able to perform the first two ordinances (baptism and confirmation)  for him, an hope to do he rest soon.

It was just a good Spiritual Day overall.

Model Rockets

Today, I had a chance to do a favorite past time that has been on hiatus for about nine years...launch model rockets.

I happened to stumble upon this hobby by accident when I was in third grade.  Looking for a Christmas present at the Navy Exchange (NAS Jax).  I was a big model airplane fan so when I saw a model of the Space Shuttle, I just had to get it.

When I was putting it together, it started to become apparent that the model was not just suppose to sit on your desk or hang from the bedroom ceiling.  There was a launcher, and some solid rocket engines.  I thought this was the coolest thing ever!!

Well, the time finally came that we went out to a deserted field (which my dad owns now as part of the farm) to launch the Space Shuttle.  We put the shuttle on the railing guide, hooked up the wires to the igniter, armed the launcher, and started the countdown.  When I pushed the launch button, the engine came to live in a sound of fury, and the shuttle took off, faster than I had expected.

As with all model rockets, once it reaches the peak, the parachute is ejected and the rocket drifts down to the ground, but if I recall correctly, I don't think the ejection worked properly, but the shuttle survived.

Fast forward to now.  I had built a rocket, called the "Big Daddy", back in 2003.  For some reason, I have never launched it until now.  But look at the following sequence of pictures.  Quite the launch.

These were the launch off the pad.  The rest are the parachute ejection and recovery.

I'm grateful for this hobby and that I'm back into it again.  

Croissants

Today I am thankful for a simple tasty treat that I got from Winn Dixie today.  They were selling them right when I walked in...probably a day old or something like that.

But nonetheless, I grabbed the packaged and downed some when I got home...and will eat some more tomorrow.

They're not good for you, but for today, I'm thankful for them.

Sacred Grounds - Jon Schmidt

I'm listening to a very Spiritual piece composed by Jon Schmidt called "Sacred Grounds"

You can listen to it here.

The piano is very versatile, but to create a song that is so serene, beautiful, simple, and Spiritual is beyond me.  I'm a great fan of Jon Schmidt, who is LDS.  I've been to a couple of his concerts from BYU to Boston, MA.

It's also a fun piece to play...a great way to bring peace into the home and in your life.

Thanks, Jon, for such a beautiful piece.

Smile

Today I am thankful for all the kind greetings I received to day, from people that I know, to strangers passing by.

There's something really nice about making that human connection with another person.  Look at them genuinely and greet them with a smile and a "hello".

Even when I'm in a bad mood, just this little gesture cheers me up.

This goes along with my mantra of being a positive influence in everyone's lives.  This little bit just adds to that.

Monday, April 2

Eddie's Birthday

I know that today is April Fools day...but I couldn't think of anything to fool people, so I decided to do something nice.

My friend and I decided to bake a cake for our mutual friend Eddie.  He's everything you'd expect with a 50 something man, of Italian decent, who grew up in New York City.  He talks so fast, your head gets dizzy trying to keep up with him.  But he has a heart of gold.

And today is his birthday.  We decided to bake him a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top.  I picked him up on the guise of watching General Conference, which we were.  And as he was walking into the kitchen, I pointed to the cake, and he was nothing but smiles.

During a break of the conference, we lit the candles (only put 10...it would have been a fire hazzard otherwise), and after singing Happy Birthday, he paused and decided to say a prayer, giving thanks to us.

Who ever does that?  Pray before blowing out the candles.

But I can tell he was very moved by this simple gesture, that he had to stop to give thanks.

Eddie has a heart of gold...and a heart of gratitude, of which I'm thankful for.

Happy Birthday Eddie.  And I hope this year is a great and blessed day for you!!

General Conference (Saturday March 31)

This weekend is General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It's like church all weekend long, listening to the modern day prophets about the messages that would help us stay grounded in our topsy turvy world.  

General Conference consists of a two-hour morning and afternoon session on Saturday and Sunday, with a Priesthood session on Saturday evening.  That's 10 hours of sermons!!  You can go to the church building to watch, or if you have cable, you can watch it on Satellite or even via the internet.

Today, I had a chance to watch the "morning session" today and also the priesthood session.  With the advent of Facebook, my Mormon friends and I would post comments of the speakers, of which we'd either "like" their status, or even comment on them.

I'm grateful that we have modern day prophets.  They guide is in these latter-days.  Humans will always be humans, so the struggles we have today are not any different than past eras.  We can easily learn from the scriptures, but how neat it is to listen to living prophets in our current times.  We're gonna need it.

Reunion

A few of us had a mini high school reunion today.  There were five of us, with some bringing significant others and/or children.  As always, it's neat to catch up with things in the past as well as plans for the future.

For the past, I didn't realize that one of my friends, Debbie (we were in marching band in high school and also at the University of Florida) dated a KKPsi brother in the UF band.  I never would have pieced them together. Very revealing.

For the future, we're planning a high school band reunion at Bruce's "Taj Mahal" house here in Jacksonville, in August.  It'll be a cookout, with a bouncy slide for the kids.

I'm thankful that we can still be friends through the years and create more memories.

Rush Limbaugh

Love him or hate him, Rush Limbaugh does provide conservative views in all kinds of tones: with humor, illustrations with absurdity, but more importantly, with sound logic.  Yes, he's very logical.  

I've listened to him since the early 1990's.  I use to be concerned that he would be the only conservative talk show host out there that can get the message out there to beat the disease called liberalism, but thankfully there are a lot of other talk show hosts that have followed in his footsteps in local and national news: Sean Hannity, Neil Boortz, Michael Savage, and Andy Dean, to name a few.

I'm grateful for Rush, for his views of traditional morality, and the idea that we can be great as individuals, and that we don't need the federal government to be the answer for all problems in the world.

There's a war out there with ideas, and I'm glad these men are out there being the voice of reason, and it's up to us to carry the charge so that conservatism will prevail in the United States, and in this world.

Bookstores (Wednesday, March 28)

I'm a big fan of bookstores.  It's a great way to pass time.  Being at the Orange Park Mall a lot lately, I'll usually go to the Books-a-Million store there.  

My favorite sections are technical section of the magazine rack, or the Business/Finance section.  But one day, I even decided to look for a crockpot recipe book...I'm getting all domesticated.

Although we read mostly from our computers, phones, ipads, etc., there's still nothing like having a physical book in your hands.  

Walmart Lady

So here I am hobbling up to Walmart (see yesterday's blog), and right before I get to the entrance, I've been eyeing a lady, about my age, in Walmart attire squatting while taking a smoke break.  We caught each other's eyes a few yards back, and she proceeded to greet me with all smiles.

"Hi sweetie, how are you doing? You look really nice in your outfit.  Sorry to see your foot that way.  Hope you get feeling better."

I'm not sure if it was her southern charm, or her accent, but obviously her kindness just really made my day...and I told her that.  "Thanks for your kind words."

Thanks for making my day, Walmart Lady.

Walking Boots

Back in 2003 when I was living in Roseville, CA, I tore my Achilles tendon playing flag football .  The surgery to repair it went well, and so did the physical therapy.  

Every once in awhile my Achilles tendon would swell up and I'd have to put on a walking boot again to stabilize it until the swelling goes down.  

Well, it's swelling up again...and I pulled out my boot to wear.  On the one hand, I hate hobbling around in it even though I'm getting a lot of sympathy looks.  

But on the other hand, I'm grateful that I have this medical tool to help me with the healing process.  

Bonding Time

Just had a great time "working" on the farm to day with my dad and brother.  I know it's a Sunday, but I looked at the work as giving service to my family.

I spent most of the time raking the leaves around "The Tree" in the backyard.  And then I helped my brother stain the patio that surrounds "The Tree".

It's these moments that I'm thankful for my family, and that we can do these things together especially that we all live in the same city.

FICCA Saturday, March 24

I had a chance to go with my Dad to a FICCA induction.  Yes it was another Asian event (see yesterday), but more specifically the Filipino Civic and Cultural Association of Jacksonville Florida.  I saw some people at this event that went to the Night of Asia last night.  One of the ladies I spoke to yesterday (Audrey Hill of We Filipinos Inc) was the keynote speaker for tonight's event.  


It's a testimony to me of the the Filipinos in the United States that want to keep passing along their heritage along to their children.  I am a first generation US born Filipino.  In the keynote speech, Audrey noted that it takes three generations to be completely removed from your roots.  We hope to keep it going.


Although I am an assimilated citizen of the United States, I have an innate desire to remember and pass along the Filipino heritage to our younger generations.  And these groups give me an avenue to pursue.  


On another note, I had a fun time with my Dad and the guests at the table.  I also had fun watching my Dad get a little tipsy from the cash bar.  He seemed more more loose, more like a friend and less like a father.  And there was a funny event at the parking lot, but I can't disclose it here.  

Night of Asia

Tonight I had a chance to go to a neat fundraiser event called the "Night of Asia".  


A few companies from Jacksonville pulled together to sponsor this event to help the victims of Typhoon Sendong in the Philippines.  It was a top-notch program that brought together the Asian community in Jacksonville.  I've never seen anything like this, and from what I hear, nothing of this magnitude has ever happened in the Jacksonville area.  And get this, they were able to put this together in 30 days!!!  


Even our Mayor Alvin Brown spoke to the group.  

There were some dances from Asia groups, an awesome martial artist, and even a lady that wow'ed us with her hula hoop skills.  

I met some wonderful people that night, a lady who works at Medtronics (one of the sponsors), a few people from GE Aviation, and some key members of the WeFilipino Inc organization.

It was a wonderful night.  I'm grateful for the generous people in this community to pull together for this cause. 

Katniss, Peeta, Gale

Happy 19th Anniversary

Today marks 19 years since I was baptized as a follower of Jesus Christ, and a member of His church.  That's almost half my life ago.  I cannot imagine NOT being Christian.

I've made a lot of decisions, both simple and complex, where I've relied on the direction of my Heavenly Father.  Even then, I've come to know that He allows us to make decisions on our own for growth and understanding.

I'm so thankful that I was giving an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ in this life, and for the blessings that have come since my baptism.

Tuesday March 20

Family History

Today I had a chance to revisit my family tree.  Since my family is from the Philippines, I don't have records of my family tree past my grandparents.  I spoke to my dad today and he confirmed that he didn't have a chance to ask his parents (both deceased) about his grand-parents.  And there are no records of them in the Philippines, or if they are, someone local would need to find them.  I do have some distant cousins that I hope could help with this endeavor.

Being a Mormon, we have a Spiritual emphasis to do Genealogy work.  With a help of a friend tonight, he showed me another website that I could use to research my family tree (ancestry.com).  I created my family tree, adding my parents and grand-parents.  As the names are added, the site then reaches out to archived data (census records, immigration files, ect) and tags possible references to the name.

I found the following, some not so significant, but others were "pretty neat":

• I found my old address at Gainesville, FL when I was attending the University of Florida.  It even had my phone number listed (before cell phones).
• I found a record of my mom "living" in San Francisco in 1970.  When I asked her about it, she told me that that was the port of entry to the United States when she entered the country for the first time.  She didn't live there though.  She lived in San Diego for a few months, but it was neat that her entry to the US was documented.
• The military scanned pictures of an 1984 ship yearbook and I found a scanned picture of my dad when he was on board the USS Yosimite in Mayport, FL.  He was DKCS and the picture depicted the personnel on the ship holding up wads of cash.  

But the last thing I found was of some significance.  I found my late uncle's listing on a Social Security Death Index.  His name is Marciano Paje.  I remembered that he had passed away in 2005 of colon cancer in San Diego.  I had a chance to visit him in 2000 when I was in San Diego for a Telemetering Conference as a BYU graduate student.

I haven't thought to enter his records into the temple so that I can do the ordinances for him.  (Click here if you want to learn more about this topic.) I put his information into my family tree in FamilySearch.org, and with permission from my father, I will be performing, or participating in, the ordinances for him at the temple.

This little exercise brought me closer to my parents, talking to them about their lives and about their immediate family.  My parents gave me permission to do the temple work for my grandparents in 2002, so I knew that my Dad would be OK for me to do the same for Uncle Marino, but when I asked my Dad for permission, and he said yes, I still couldn't help but well up in tears.

I'm thankful that tonight, I was able to "turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Malichi 4:6).

Sunday

I'm thankful that I have the Gospel in my life.  I really rely on God's guidance in my daily life.  I love that I can turn to him for repentance, because I am human and make mistakes on a daily basis.

I'm grateful that I can find peace through Him.  That He is closer to me than I sometimes think that he is.

I'm thankful for the manual He gave us through His prophets.  They're written in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and modern day scriptures.

He still gives us continuing revelation through prophets today.  I'm thankful for President Monson, for his guidance and he leads God's church through these Latter Days.

I'm grateful for the anchor in the shifting values that are here on earth.  In a previous blog, I was commenting on the decline of our country, the United States of America.  Things are going to get worse.  It was already prophesied in the Bible and Book of Mormon.  But the Gospel is true yesterday, today, and forever.  

And no matter how difficult life can and/or will become, the Gospel will be my anchor in these Latter Days.

I love my Heavenly Father.  I'm so thankful of His infinite love for me.

Luau (Saturday March 17)

My church hosted a Luau today...and it was AWESOME!!!

The food was GREAT.

The dances were good too.  It was a typical Polynesian type performance.  The men did a Haka dance (I spoke about in an earlier dance but it was the boys that eventually performed.  The woman did a traditional luau dance with grass skirts.  They even got members of the audience to learn some quick dances.

One of the MC's (of Polynesian decent) showed how to open a coconut with a rock, or was it a shell?  Pretty impressive.

What a fun night.  Thanks for putting on a good activity for all.

Life Cycle of Empires (Friday March 16)

I know what your thinking...you asking "Huh?"

The topic seems pretty random, but I can explain.  One of my friends posted the following sticker on her Facebook wall.

That started quit a stir on her wall, with the conservative people wanting "free agency" or the decision do to do good instead of government forcing it upon you, and the liberals stating that these entitlements (like planned parenthood) allow them the liberty to pursue happiness.

Among the discussion, I became a little disappointed in the thought process of how people think, and I started thinking about the decline of past civilizations as well as America.  I did a Google search about it and came up with a wonderful article on how America's destiny is in line with the life cycle of previous empires.  You can read the article here.

The author reveals the following key points that have attributed to previous empire's decline and how America is showing those same symptoms:

1) The decline of sexual morality.

2) The increased economic and political power of women.

3) Many foreign immigrants settle in the empire's capital and major cities.

4) Irresponsible pleasure seeking and pessimism.

5) Government provides welfare for the poor extensively.

The article is very good and well thought out. I hope you have a chance to read it.  I'm grateful for the people who have researched the history of previous empires and nations, so that we can see the patterns that made them great...and not so great.  

We've heard the saying "history repeats itself".  One of my favorite variations is "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."  I feel that even if we know our past, collective human nature still guides us to the similar outcome.  

Problem Solving

You know that saying about sometimes people talk to you just to be heard, not that they want you to solve their problems?  Well, tonight wasn't one of those empathy nights.

A friend of mine was in some kind of bind, and while we were listening to his concerns with empathy, something just told me to go directly into solution mode.  That was exactly what he needed.  And to be honest with you...I've already spent a lot of time on the "understanding" part. ;-)

I'm hoping that it'll help him with his situation.  Sorry I can't divulge for personal reasons, but I'm glad that we were there to help him formulate a plan.  And it also made me more thankful for my situation.  Kinda puts things into perspective.

Thunderstorms, Wednesday March 14

Florida experienced a very mild Winter this year, with Spring time weather coming quickly.  Even at times it seems like Summer weather, with the inside of my car reaching over 100 degrees parked out in the Sun today.

But today there was an afternoon thundershower...more thunder than shower.  I was thinking "Is it July already?"  The rumble of the thunder was a welcoming sound.  I'm not a big fan of showers, but the mighty lightning and thunder fascinates me.

Thanks for the change of scenery, God.  :-)

Doctors

So I had a doctors appointment today to check on something that's been bothering me for a couple of weeks.  I'm amazed at the competence of my doctor, and doctors in general.  The wealth of knowledge that they have, and the specialties, is mind boggling, and humbling.  And of course the best doctors have good bedside manners, and usually are understanding and sympathetic.

Thanks, Doctor, for checking on me today.

Small Towns

Today I had a chance to visit MacClenny, FL, a small town just West of Jacksonville.  I don't know what it is about small towns, but the people are usually the nicest, laid-back people in this state and country.  They take time to get to know you, not too busy to chat with you.  Not sophisticated to add that level of barrier in between you.

 Sometimes I wish I can either "tolerate" living in a small town, or import the friendliness into the bigger cities.   And what I mean by tolerate is that I'm sure I'd get bored pretty easily since there won't be much to do other than to drive to the city.

Thanks for being a good example of human kindness and decency.

Devotional

I had a chance to share a music devotional tonight in the Starke Ward (that's an LDS congregation), and it was well received.

Although there was a little section during my presentation where I shared my conversion story, I mostly told the stories of how I became a piano and trumpet player, and how that was  intertwined in my life before and after I became a Latter Day Saint.  I had a chance to play some of my favorite pieces, both secular and Spiritual.

I've been a performer for more than 28 years, but today I did something for the first time in public.  I sang and accompanied myself on the piano...at the same time. I've never done both simultaneously.  Fortunately, it turned out well.  I saved this vocal/piano piece for last, Rob Gardner's "Peace I Give Unto You".  It's part of the musical "He is Jesus Christ", where Peter is a witness part of Jesus' Atonement, from the Garden of Gethsemane, to His raising on the cross.  The chorus section of the piece is from New Testament in the Bible, John 14:27.  I love how Rob is able to incorporate scripture into the song.

I thoroughly love this piece.  I can really feel the Spirit every time I listen to this song.  I'm thankful that I was able to share this piece.  This is my true calling for the talents that I have, to share the Gospel.

The First 48

I've been watching that show off an on for quite sometime.  I'm back to watching it again today.  For those of you who don't know, it documents the first 48 hours from a homicide for investigators to find clues to who the killers are.  And if they are not able to find the killers within the first 48 hours, then their chances of finding them are cut in half.  

I'm actually amazed at the work investigators do to solve these crimes.  I commend the people that come forth to help with the investigators.  I'm also equally disappointed in listening to the suspects deny any wrongdoing in the interrogation rooms.

But nonetheless, I am thankful for the people that protect us, the police, investigators, etc.  They are professionals in every sense.  

Plan of Salvation

I had a chance to go out with the full-time missionaries tonight to teach a young Filipino couple about the Plan of Salvation.  It's been awhile since I've been out with the missionaries, so it was a fun visit.

I'm thankful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, and how it gives me a guide me to make Eternal decisions in our temporal mortal lives.

Reset Button (Thursday March 8, 2012)

Today was a long day and I didn't have a chance to have much of a break.  Towards the end of the day, I was exhausted.  And I was "mad at the world", so to speak.  Not that I was mad at anyone.  I think being overwhelmed with the various tasks I needed to accomplish, not having a good piano practice, etc, I was feeling ornery.  So I just vegged in front of a TV and then went to bed early.  I didn't return anyone's phone call, barely texted.  I just didn't want to be bothered.

I'm just glad that I can go to sleep and hit the reset button.  I know that I will feel better tomorrow.  :-)

Sunflower Seeds

I have a fun time planting sunflower seeds at my dad's farm.  I need them to bloom sometime in May so that we can use it for a church activity.  We'll see....it takes 75-90 days to bloom.

I had a good time, driving my dad's little tractor to haul some compost from one end of his 5 acre plot of land to the area that I was to prepare for planting.  He instructed me to weed and till a small section, dig holes so that we can fill the hole with compost and water, then poking tiny holes with our fingers before filling them with a couple of sunflower seeds each.

Now it's a waiting game, allowing God's creation to happen in His time.  It's kinda cool to know that we are the tools in preparing His masterwork, but after all is done, it truly is His miracle to make the seeds grow into a beautiful sunflower.  I'm sure we can go into a Spiritual discussion right now, but I'll leave it as a rhetorical statement.

I'm grateful for the time I spent with my dad, that I can work with nature, and that both gives me peace and happiness in what I sometimes feel are difficult times, relatively speaking.

Music (Tuesday, March 6, 2012)

Today I was preparing for the musical devotional this Sunday.  I am planning to share my testimony and music for a special evening church event.  I went through a few piano pieces and found four that would be perfect.  Without giving the titles, here are the genres:

• One classical piece by Clementi that I learned when I was 13.
• One modern piece by Jim Brickman
• An arrangement of one of my favorite church hymns
• A vocal/piano arrangement of a piece composed by Rob Gardner and is in "He is Jesus Christ"

I wanted to share how I had developed the gift of piano playing before I was baptized, and how I am now using my talents to help with church services.  I'm so thankful that I can worship God through music and that I can be an instrument (literally) to others by providing uplifting and Spiritual music for them.

Bluetooth

It's been about 4-5 years since I got a bluetooth earpiece for my cell phone.  Back then, the device was in it's infancy, and I wasn't all that impressed with it.

Fast forward to today.  My friend Eric uses it all the time.  I was hanging on to the ineffectiveness of my bluetooth experience that I never really wanted to get a new one, until now.  I bought one the other day, and in just two days, I've been overly impressed with the improvements of the bluetooth earpiece design.

I'm not really going to get into details.  I just want to thank the engineers for their advancement in their development.

I'm thankful for my new tool...the bluetooth earpiece.

Receiving Thanks

Today I was back at piano duties for church services.  I rotate with another lady every other month, although after speaking to her today, I will be playing for the next two months since she will be out of town in April.

After church service today, a note was passed to me while I was playing postlude music....and it just made my day.

I'm thankful that this lady took the time out to send me a personal thank you note to me.  Looks like they were visiting from Arkansas.  I'm fond of people from that state.

Such a little act of kindness, but what a powerful effect on me.  It makes me think about making sure that I tell people how much I appreciate them, daily.

Genealogy

I had a chance to volunteer for a Genealogy Conference today.  At first I thought I was going to just sit around a not do anything, but it ended up being that I was at the right place when there was some assistance.  Most of it was helping the attendees find their rooms, making photocopies for the teachers, and making the everyone feel welcomed.

One highlight is finding a guest teacher on the side of the church building trying to get in.  I just happen to be on that hallway to open the locked entry way.  She told me that she was a teacher for one of the workshops and wanted to know where to go.  I led her to the registration booth and jokingly said "I found this teacher on the side of the road...how can we help her find her room?"  She laughed at the joke and everyone carried on to assist her....all smiles and laughter.

I went to a couple of workshops and they were quite informative.  One class was about getting started with Genealogy, which I need to help further my research.  I only have up to my grandparents, with the rest of my lineage records in the Philippines.  The other class I went to discussed special objects and signs on tombstones.  The guest lecturers were very captivating and funny, the the information they gave was very revealing.  People really do go in depth on how to remember their loved ones.

Keeping a record of our ancestry is very fascinating.  I wish I had more passion about it.  In our generation, we have the technology to capture our lives in video and digital pictures, which makes it easier to pass along to the  future generation.  Comparing that  to the adventure to research our past, the records, pictures, diaries, etc., may be hard to come by.

And of course, there's a Spiritual side of genealogy work, which makes this very important.  I'm grateful for Genealogy research, and for the people who are passionate about this.  I hope to be that energetic someday.

Ballroom Dancing

One of my good friends told me that she was at a ballroom dance with her children.  How cute is that?  Back when I was at BYU, I took a few dance classes, which included social, ballroom, latin, folk, and Irish dances.  It's the thing to do, and I thoroughly enjoyed dancing.

I don't get to do it as much nowadays, but I do appreciate knowing what I know and that I can still dance a little when I get the opportunity.

Last week, after a business networking meeting, one of the business owners that owns a dance studio invited a few of us to go practice dance.  It was a lot of fun, although I forgot some of the advance steps.  My favorite is still the Cha-cha, although I did Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, and a few other.  Quite a neat atmosphere.  I wish I had time to take dance lessons, but I don't, not right now.

Nevertheless, I'm glad that I enjoy this activity, and I hope to do it again more regularly.

Missionary Work

I'm thankful for missionary work.  Tonight, I met with a recent convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we exchanged our conversion stories.  One thing that I am amazed about her is that although she's been a convert for under a year, she is a missionary leader for her congregation, and she is not afraid to "open her mouth" to share the Gospel to anyone and everyone.  Wish I could be as bold and persistent.

During the discussion, I started to remember something we learned as a missionary, called the commitment pattern.  It's a teaching method used to guide the discussion so that the person that is learning about the Gospel could make a commitment to a certain principal, whether it would be to read the Scriptures, to pray, to obey God's commandments, to be baptized.  

I had to dig deep into my memory banks to recall the commitment pattern:

• Build relationships of Trust (BRT).
• Help others feel and recognize the Spirit.
• Present the message.
• Find out  their understanding.  
• Invite them to commit to the principle being taught.
• Follow Up on the commitment.
• Resolve any concerns.

Some people affectionately call it the Manipulation Pattern.  But in actuality, when done correctly, it allows the "investigator" to know the true Gospel principles that are being taught by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And when the confirmation comes from God, that's when the true conversion begins to take place.

I'm thankful that I served a two year full time mission for my church.  I was assigned in the Los Angeles, California area from June 1997 to June 1999.   I didn't realize how much I did and still rely on those experiences, in both my Spiritual and secular life.  

There's a neat story in of itself as to how I ended up deciding to go on a mission.  I'll save that for a rainy day.

Pep-Boys (part 2) - February 29

As I was driving down US-17 in Fleming Island, my "Check Engine" and "TCS" lights came on.  I decided to stop by the Pep-Boys to have it checked out.  There's a tool you can connect to your car that can read the error "codes".  Each shop has that electronic tool.  Pep-boys can read the codes for you at no cost.  I called the other shops and they charged anywhere from $60 to $85 to diagnoses the "Check Engine" light.

Ends up that my TCS, or Traction Control System, is malfunctioning.  That's the system that helps prevent my car from slipping the wheel on a wet road when starting from a stand-still.  More of a convenience instead of a necessity.  It has to be repaired by the dealership.  I'm not going any time soon.

But I am thankful that Pep-Boys read the error codes from my car at no cost.  Thanks :-)

Testing

Daytona 500, Monday Feb 27

Last week, one of my friends invited me to go see the Daytona 500 yesterday.  I was planning to go, but some setbacks prevented me from going, which worked out for me anyway because the Daytona 500 was postponed to Monday for the first time in its 54 year history.

My brother called me this afternoon to let me know that they had a free ticket for me.  Dang!!  Now I have an opportunity to go again...and for free.  But I couldn't go because of work.

I didn't watch the Daytona 500 on TV, except for the unusual and fiery spectacle when Juan Montoya had mechanical issues coming out of pit-row, all during a caution flag, and when he was trying to catch up to the field, sparks flew from beneath his car and he proceeded to skid into the back of the track-drying vehicle.  You can watch it here.  This year's 500 was very unique.  I wish I had a chance to watch it in person.  

So I'm not a huge NASCAR fan.  I would like to watch a race live at least once in my life, just so that I can check it off of my bucket list.  

I'm thankful that people can choose a profession that they have a passion in, and that they have the freedom to so, and to strive to be the best that they can be.  

I'm thankful that people that choose to be NASCAR fans, and that they can rally around their favorite drivers and/or teams, just like all the other sports 

I know that the title is misleading.  The underlying theme is that we live in a country where these freedoms are protected by government, although it seems like that these freedoms are slowing being taken away by socialistic ideas.

  

How fitting though, that it was NASCAR, a popular American sports entity, that made me appreciate this country.  I hope that we still have many more years to exercise the freedoms she provides for us.   

Chili

What's one thing I like about Ward conference?  The pot-luck lunch after church services and classes.  I know this is not done everywhere, but in Jacksonville, us Mormons love to find all kinds of reasons to eat.

Today, I had a chance to visit my "original" congregation, the ward that I was baptized in back in 1993.  

One of the church leaders in the ward served in the same mission that I did (California Los Angeles Mission).  His name is Jason Farnsworth.  It's been 12 years since we were on our missions and just the other day, we were reminiscing on our experiences and marvel how we still rely on those memories in our daily lives.  

Well, Jason decided to do a Chili pot-luck....score!!!  I'm a big fan of chili, and there were at least 8-10 crock pots full of different recipes of chili.  I was in food heaven.  There were hotdogs and buns if you wanted to make a chili dog.  Oyster crackers, sour cream, and cheese were placed at the end of the table.  And there was also a plethora of desserts and beverages.

It was a great visit to be Spiritually fed during services.  It was also great to be physically fed afterwards.

I'm thankful for chili, and for the people who contributed to the vats of yummy goodness.

Home Teaching & Prayer

Today was a very busy day.  In the morning, I had a business appointment.  In the late afternoon I had a rehearsal for the concert in the evening.  For the second year in a row, the First Coast Wind Ensemble had an opportunity to have a guest composer come and conduct our band as we play his compositions.  Last year, we had Dr. David Holsinger come guest conduct his compositions.  Here's a video of our performance of  "Abrham's Pursuit".  This year we had Richard Saucedo come.  It was a great honor to have him rehearse his pieces with us and to preform them.  Two of my favorites are "Whirlwind(s)" and "Song of the Gandy Dancers".

Like I said, it was a busy day.

But in the middle of it all, I had a chance to go home teaching, which is a program in my church where we visit members of our congregation once a month to fellowship, teach a brief lesson, and make sure that their temporal things are taken care of.  I visited one family, with three children.  The lesson that I shared was on prayer, and that we should be exhorted to pray.

I never really thought about that way.  But it was a different way to teach about prayer.  To exhort someone to pray really has to come from humility, by example, and by love of God.  There are numerous examples in our lives where our prayers are answered.  And we should pray often, every day, individually and together as a family.

I'm not as diligent with my formal prayers, but throughout the day I do look up to Him for supplication.  And the great thing is that God has never failed to answer my prayers, even if it's not what I want to hear, or if I perceive that He hasn't answered me.

And it brought me back to my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  Prayer really is a pure communication to our Spiritual Father, our God.  And when we close our eyes to pray, how do we view Him.   Is He distant, or is He close.  Does He have a personal influence in your life?

Theses were questions that I had to readdress for myself, and it was a good exercise to share with the family that I was teaching.

I'm thankful for prayer, and that there really is a God that listens to me individually, and knows me personally.  

Challenges

I have a setback today, and it's created somewhat of a challenge.  I can either choose to sit back and say "Woe is me..."  or I can meet it headstrong and push forward in whatever direction necessary to succeed.

Oh, the joys of life :-)

I'm thankful for the challenges.  There's a lot of quotes that have come from them.  One that comes to mind is "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".  To be honest with you, I don't really like that quote, even though there is truth behind it.  Challenges are what make you rise to the occasion, become creative for your cause, and help you overcome whatever obstacles that are in front of you.

So let's press forward and see what happens.

Exercise

It's been a few weeks since I last exercised.  Not sure why I took a break, but I could tell that not exercising was taking a toll on my body.  I felt like I was eating more than I needed, and that the food was not as healthy.

So I went to the gym today, and I feel much better physically, as well as mentally. It also puts me in a positive mood.  I need to start losing body fat again for the Spring/Summer time, not that that really worked for me before.  But really for my health in general.

I'm thankful that I can exercise today, and that I am healthy enough to do that.

People

Let me tell you a dirty little secrets about people:

• If you greet people with a warm smile and a friendly and welcoming demeanor, people will generally open up and relax around you.
• If you come to someone about a concern, and give honest and loving feedback, instead of "jumping" on their case, then that person would not become defensive, but appreciate your approach and be receptive to your critique.
• If your not in the mood to be friendly, you can force yourself to be happy, and in general that automatically lifts you up as well as the people around you.  And you spare those people from seeing Debbie Downer.
• People like to be hugged.  I hear that you need seven hugs a day.  
• Patience is practiced, not given, but when you choose it, something amazing happens because of it. 

That's just a short list.  After all is said and done, and we leave this Earth, there are two things that you bring with you, the knowledge that you gained on this Earth, and the relationships you've developed with people.  

I'm thankful for you people, mainly because you are my brother and sisters, but really for teaching me how to interact with you, for we are all children of our Heavenly Father.  He created us before we came to this earth, and gave us instructions on how to treat each other.  It's not always easy, because we have our free agency or free will, but nonetheless, it provides for adventures each day, and even if you follow the simple rules above, your day would go much much better.

Growing Up

Today was another iteration of planning an church event, which involves scheduling, budget, reservations, supplies, etc. Among the planning, there were some soft skills required to discuss people, personalities, and how to handle them.

Today I also spoke to an old friend today, wishing her a happy birthday.  She just turned 37.  We met when she was 21.  We reminisced how we have changed a lot since our innocent college years.  We talked about the good and bad of corporate life, of our different work experiences and professions.  We even laugh at how managers are sometimes not....qualified...well, she was really venting about hers.   

So among all of this, I asked myself..."When did I grow up?"

Some of the things I do nowadays is just typical normal tasks, but if you turn back the clocks of time to an earlier age, I don't think I would have been experienced enough to handle some of these tasks.  Even if I just went back 10 years, I would feel inadequate.

This growing up process comes in little steps.  You try new things, gain new experiences, learn from your mistakes, and understand people more...speaking of which.  Human behavior is probably one of the important things I've learned, and that I am still learning about.  

I'm thankful that the process is slow...and that I haven't necessarily been thrust into situations where I had to dramatically learn something in a quick and maybe painful manner.

But I do enjoy looking back in time, and realize the things that I can accomplish now.  I know I'm still learning more.  But I am thankful that to some degree, I have grown up. 

Hunger Games...Ender's Game

For almost all of my adult life, I felt that reading fiction was a waste of time.  Why would you want to read a book when you can just watch the movie?  I've heard from book readers that movies do not do justice to the book, leaving out key scenes for the sake of limiting the movie time, and also eliminating the thoughts of the characters that is not easily portrayed on screen.

But my argument was that I'd spend only a couple of hours watching the movie versus several days with the book.  And all the imagery would be created for me.  I won't have to imagine it in my mind...which was just inefficient to me.

The Harry Potter Series, Lord of the Rings, Twilight, etc.  Reading freaks would spend their time, or rather, waste their time reading fiction.  I could never understand why reading instead of watching would be better.

Until one day, my friend Coleen, told me that she was reading "The Hunger Games" to her children.  She was one of "those" people that loved to read.  She suggested that I read it.

So I did.

It was a little difficult at first.  My mind had to wrap around the words of the book to create the scenes that were so readily available on TV or the big screen.  The storyline, which normally take seconds to unfold in the movie, took minutes to set-up, but the descriptive words that the author uses detailed the pictures I created in my mind very well, as well as the mood of the setting.  I found myself lost in my own world, unaware of my own surroundings.

Sometimes I would be in that mode where people say "I couldn't put the book down."   It didn't happen all the time, but when the plot was captivating, I really couldn't put the book down.

And now I know why people love to read fiction.  And I have found a new dimension in my life.  

I'm reading the third book of The Hunger Games series, entitles "Mockingyay".  For my birthday, my friend Rebecca gave me "Enders Games" as a gift.

Both Coleen and Rebecca say that I have to finish "Mockingjay" first before reading "Enders Games".  Something about not multi-tasking fiction books perhaps?  Maybe it's like watching two movies at the same time. 

Thanks, Coleen, for giving me this new leisure activity.  

Crock Pots

Two Thanksgivings ago (2010), I bought a crock pot to use for the festivities.  For two years in a row, I made honeybaked ham in the crockpot.  It was pretty easy.  Layer the bottom with brown sugar.  Place the spiral cut ham on top of the brown sugar.  Coat the outside of the ham with more brown sugar.  Slow cook in the crock pot for 6-8 hours.

And before today, I used the crock pot for a total of those two times.  I know, what a waste.  Just never decided to get a crock pot cook book or even look for recipes online.

My friend Amy taught me an easy pot roast recipe for my crock pot.  She even bought the ingredients for me too :-)  One pot roast, one small bag of baby carrots, three cans of peeled potatoes, and some water.  Season the pot roast with salt (or garlic salt) and pepper.  Just that easy.

I feel like an idiot since I've had this wonderful cooking device for over a year and have not taking advantage of it's simplicity in cooking.  But now I have atoned for my sin.

Thanks, Amy, for being that catalyst to help me use this great cooking tool...the crock pot.  I'm planning to use it more often.

Birthdays

Now that I'm a little older (well, it's all relative), I'm not fond of the celebrating of my birthdays.  Or should I say, that I still like the attention and celebration, but I would not necessarily want people go out of their way to throw a big party for me.

Every year, my family (parents, brother, and extended family) throws me a little birthday party, and this year is no different.  That's one of the great things about moving back to Jacksonville in 2006, that I can be present in the celebration of our lives.  For 15 years, I was away to college or working in other parts of the country, so I didn't have this closeness to my family.  

BBQ (Filipino style) is always in order.  Some veggies, like corn or beans, accentuate the main dishes.  The obligatory rice is prepared, as well as potatoes, and rolls.   I can never get tired of this menu.  No birthday cake this year, and I'm totally fine with that.  

After the feast, a few of us watched the movie Antwone Fisher.  I saw this movie in the big screen back in 2002 and thoroughly enjoyed watching it again tonight.

As always, I just love how the family comes together to celebrate our lives.  Today it was for my birthday.  I love my family.  We're getting up there in age, and I know that the inevitable will happen and we're going to move on from this mortal life.  But for now, I am grateful that we can come together to celebrate my birthday today.  

Forgiveness

I messed up a few weeks ago.  And I knew an apology was in order.  But for a few weeks I avoided the inevitable, not sure how the reaction would be if I showed up in person to ask for forgiveness.  It's easy for human behavior to ignore the situation and hope that it would go away, but I knew I had to take an initiative to make amends.

So I did.

And the visit was very amicable, better than what I thought it would be.  The person I had offended graciously accepted my apology, and we could continue on with our relationship.  

I'm grateful that I can ask for forgiveness, and more importantly people choose to forgive.  Both are virtues and commandments from Heavenly Father.  And it is part of the refining process to be more like Him, because He does a good deal of forgiving, believe me.

Sometimes our thoughts prevents us from doing the right thing.  Fear is a common component of that.  But when we just choose to press through those fears, we are able to accomplish those things that are generally good, and in this case, I was able to ask this person for forgiveness.  

Scriptures

The world is full of ideas and decisions that pull you every which way, and if you are not firmly rooted in some core values, then you would fall for anything.  It's interesting reading the polarizing opinions from CNN news articles.  The latest articles include who should provide free contraception, the passing Whitney Houston, Obama invoking the teachings of Jesus to justify increasing the taxes for the rich.  

That's why I am thankful for scriptures, because the teachings of God, written by His prophets, give us a set of guidelines by which God wants us to live our lives.  Some people think that the commandments are restrictive, that it doesn't allow us to explore the full range of our choices.  But in actuality, it does simplify our lives, because we then do not experience the consequences of bad choices.  

Life isn't necessarily easier, and by no means do I consider myself a perfect saint (heh heh pun unintended).  But the "rules" set forth by our Heavenly Father, give us strong roots in a shifting landscape of values.  And I'm glad that I can strengthen my faith through reading the scriptures.

The Nothing Box

A girl I was dating a few years ago shared with me this concept of how a man's brain and a women's brain are different.  It is summarized in this YouTube video.  

Men's brain is segmented into little boxes, and can only pull out one box at a time (ie we don't multitask).  We have a box for the job, a box for the family, a box for the play, etc.  Men also have a "nothing" box, where they think about absolutely nothing.  

That's actually my favorite box towards the end of the day.  I just want to go home, veg, and think about absolutely nothing.  

I'm thankful that I have that nothing box.  

High Definition TV

Today, after a few years of AT&T U-verse, I switched back to DirecTV.  Regardless, it's electronic bliss.

I remembered back in the early 2000's when the concept of High Definition TV was coming to fruiting and by 2009, standard TV was going to go bye bye and if you still had an old standard TV, you had to buy a converter.

In terms of sports, I think a lot of people would rather tune in to the TV, because the picture is so lifelike, and with all of the different camera angles, you have a better view of the game at home.

I bought my first and only LCD TV in 2007, a 42" Sharp Aquos.  I remember it clearly because concurrent to the purchase, I had to go through an unfortunate experience of having to put one of my brother's dogs to sleep.  I couldn't really feel excited about our new toy when we just lost a pet's life.  Interesting thought process that puts things into perspective.

But nonetheless, HDTV brought home entertainment to another level, from sports games, to movies and shows, and even the game systems that utilize the sharp resolution.

Thank you to those smart engineers that have enhanced our viewing pleasure.

Wait for it....

Today I am thankful for sarcasm.  It's a type of humor that is really based on the skill of delivery.

I'm not sure what other cultures foster this type of personality trait, but I'm glad it's prominent in the United States.  Even in my own heritage, my Filipino friends and relatives, sometimes do not get my sarcasm.

Facebook has proven that most people are really sarcastic at heart.  And that's what I love about people.

Piano Lessons

Today I gave two daughters their first piano lesson.  It was part of a Christmas gift for a family that goes to my church.

And as an aside...just teaching them made me want to have daughters.  They are soooo adorable.  But on the flip side, I'd probably have to purchase a shotgun too, for when they start dating.

I thoroughly enjoyed teaching them very basic piano skills.  I was only five when I started taking my first lessons.  The daughters I taught were 8 and 9.  The older daughter picked up things just a little faster.

For the first lesson, I showed them where middle C was on the piano.  They also had a refresher on the white keys.  I taught them that their fingers actually had numbers associated with them.  I felt bad when I asked them to show me the #3 finger...in front of their dad.  But innocence is bliss.

And using their right hand at the home position, we read from the piano book the note and fingering sequence.

3212333...222...355...3212333...22321.

Can you guess the song?  I'll give the answer later, but I'm sure most of you will get it.

I'm thankful I had the opportunity to teach these girls today.  Made a great ending to a busy day.

Shutterbug (Saturday, Feb 11)

Today I had a chance to break out my Big Camera.  I have a Nikon D300 camera, along with a wide-zoom f/2.8 lens (let's a lot of light in, for those of you that do not know camera lingo).  I was at the Orlando Temple today and took some pictures outside.  It's been awhile since I took out the Big Camera, but I do appreciate that I've have it.

I've been a shutterbug since the 5th grade.  I think the first camera I owned came free with a subscription to Time magazine, or something like that.  It was a long time ago.  The camera was a fixed lens basic 35mm camera.  Took crappy pictures, but boy was I hooked.  Too bad the cost of purchasing/developing film limited the number of snaps I could take.

In the 7th grade, I acquired a disc camera.  I remember taking pictures at EPCOT.

On my mission, I had more advanced automatic 35mm camera.

In grad school, I got the advanced film camera.

Then finally I ventured into the digital world, buying my first digital camera, the Canon Elph 400, and then migrating to the Elph SD300.

I also purchased my first DSLR camera, the Nikon D60.  I upgraded to the D200 and finally to my current D300.  It's been photography bliss since then.

Parents (Friday, Feb10)

I was listening on the radio about a father who found out that his daughter posted mean things her parents on Facebook.  He decided to take things into his own hands, posting a video on YouTube and posting it on her wall.  The video went viral.  To some it was spot-on.  To others it was a little extreme.  For me, I liked it, because it seems like he's getting hard-nosed on a teenager that is perceived to be lazy, but we don't really know the entire dynamics of the family unit.

But nonetheless, I'm thankful for my parents, because of their tough love way that they raised me.  There was structure, and for the most part it was enforced.  They demanded the best in us.  Education was very important.     They taught me to respect the law, to respect adults, to treat people right.  They taught us about working hard. They gave us limits on playing, making sure we did our homework.

I'm not a parent, but that doesn't preclude me from making an observation that children aren't being taught these basic truths.  And the way of our society is declining because of it.  There are more people that feel entitled to things that they didn't work hard for.  More people graduate from high school that do not have the necessary skills to make a decent living.  There's less respect for authority or adults.

Sometimes it feel like a losing battle, but I vow to do my part to make sure that these children are raised right, because my parents did that for me.

Printers...through the years.

My all-in-one laser jet printer/scanner/copier, just ran out of toner.  I was caught unprepared.  I didn't have a replacement, so now I'm waiting for the toner to arrive in the mail.

I bought this printer back in 2005, and it's been a main staple in my daily life, and such a very useful tool.  At first, I thought I bought too much printer, but my needs for it has grown through the years, and I marvel at how much easier this printer has made my life.

I also have a color-inkjet printer, that does wonderful photo prints.  The printer can also print CD/DVD labels directly on the media.  How cool is that?

I think back to my first printer.  It was an Okidata thermal ink printer used in conjunction with my Commodore 64 computer.  The printer used heat to melt ink on a ribbon to the paper, but it was painstakingly slow, since it was a color printer, and it had to cycle through the different ribbons to print ink...come to think of it, I think there was a separate plain black ribbon that you can use if you didn't need color.  Nonetheless, it was still a slow printer.

Somewhere along the way, I acquired a dot-matrix printer.  And then transitioned to an ink-jet printer, then a laser-jet printer, and finally my all-in-one laser jet printer.

Ahhhh, the wonders of technology, and for which (as a former engineer) I am thankful for, this time specifically to my printer.