First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2010

Balanced Learning

Why does it seem like we always have lots of things to do? Plainly because:

"You are troubled over so many things and you have forgotten one thing, that is:
TO GIVE TIME; to listen and follow the teachings of the Lord."

That was the message of our Stake YSA Representative (sorry I forgot her name, but she's from Pasig 1st ward) during our sacrament meeting this Sunday. Hindi ako nakailag sa sinabi nya. Sapul na sapul ako. I've realized that balanced learning is really important. 


Balanced learning means: the effort that you dedicate to your secular learning must be the same amount of effort that you devote to learning the gospel. That's why I'm always stressed with my academic studies, simply because it's the only thing that I'm thinking from Mondays to Saturdays.


I once again remembered what our LDSSA president counseled to me, to follow the prophet. Okay. It's a real challenge for me to do that. I will surely need a lot of courage and dedication to the things that the prophets would have me to do.


Now, I know what I have to do first. I have to ask my Father in Heaven for help and guidance. If you too are in need of greater help, don't hesitate to ask Him. He's always available and willing to listen. Promise.=)

Myself or Others?

"masaklap yung feeling na wala kang friend. you're trying to approach others but it's them who's keeping their distance from you."

here's my only advice: 

"please don't think of yourself only, on how you look, on how popular you've become, and stuff. PLEASE, look around you. go out of your comfort zone and cheer up the lonely. talk with the deaf or even listen to the mute. at the end of the day, it's good to think that you made someone happy and feel special, even just for a while."

Sorry for the ka-emo-han. That was what I felt when I visited a certain place early this evening. I don't know if I look snobbish or an introvert. But I did my best to smile at people, even though they are strangers to me. Am I that so insensible that people can't feel my fear of being left alone?

I tried to follow Kuya Danel's advice to me: "Hazel. Make time for it pls. Follow the prophet. You will be a better student. Do yourself a favor and enroll," that's why I went to that place (aside from my main objective of asking for his help for a certain course which I have a difficulty these days). 

Entrance. I saw a lot of students. They look so happy, but not approachable. I showed a big smile, but no eye contact to anyone. Then I approached Kuya Danel. He was busy tutoring another student so he asked another girl to teach me. The "tutoring session" went fine, except for some sign convention mistakes. Slowly, 7pm came. Classes will start soon. I don't know which class I will attend. I know some people there but they suddenly disappeared. I went to the CR. I looked at myself. "Poor Hazel." I just told  myself, looking at the girl in the relfection. I called a friend to remind her of a favor. I felt happy listening to a friend's voice, even for just a while. Then other girls, chatting as they came, entered the CR, I felt inapposite again. I fixed myself then headed to the main entrance. I went to the jeepney terminal and commuted back to my dormitory.

I don’t know if what I did was right. I don’t know if my feeling of being out of place is proper.

Was it my lack, or others insensitiveness? =(

He Walked A Mile in My Shoe

This one, entitled He Walked a Mile in My Shoe written by Jason Deere, is totally very exalting! Let's see if you'll feel the same way upon listening to it:

Here's the lyrics:

He lived 2000 years ago…I believe
So how could he truly know me
Though the son of God, my life, my friend
Still it’s hard for me to comprehend

And I wonder

      How could He know the heartache I feel
      When He lived a perfect life
      From Gesthemene to Calvary
      Was it really for me that He died
   

   Then the Spirit whispers
      These words ringing true
      From the garden to the cross
      He walked a mile in my shoes

Down on His knees in the garden that night
With tear-stained eyes
He lived each moment of our lives
Every fear and insecurity
That I’ve ever known
My every fallen moment, He has atoned
Still I wonder

   

    How could He know the heartache I feel
      When He lived a perfect life
      From Gesthemene to Calvary
      Was it really for me that He died
   

   Then the Spirit whispers
      These words ringing true
      From the garden to the cross
      He walked a mile in my shoes

The lyrics surely made me guilty of the things that I do, which I should not. He really is the most wonderful and humble person I've ever known. Doing things for the sake of others is a difficult thing, except if you really love and care that person.

Thinking that the Savior walked in my shoe during those hard times will help me be reverent and care for others, as well. Let's always remember the persecutions and trials that our loving Savior have gone through for our sake.=)

The Rising

As I've posted in my previous entry, I'm really hooked up in listening to EFY songs these days. Here's another wonderful piece I've encountered, entitled The Rising, written by Jason Deere:

LYRICS:

I told my mother what troubled my heart
I saw the worry as she took me in her arms
I told the preacher, and he looked at me
And I saw the rising that never let me be

       Oh the rising
(The boy, the faith, the prayers, the hate)
       From weak things the great things
Are rising, rising
(The love, the fear, the fire, the tears)
The persecution, the spirit, the peace

       The spirit of God like a fire it spread
       Calling the nations put a price upon our heads
       Running through darkness and running to light
       Praying on our knees for one more day every night

       Amid the rising
(The boy, the faith, the prayers, the hate)
       From weak things the great things
Are rising, rising
(The love, the fear, the fire, the tears)

The persecution, the spirit, the peace

       I don’t know all the answers but I do my best
       To live up to the rising that won’t let me rest

Oh the rising…

True. From weak things, great things are founded. Also, when we fail, we must not stop there and accept our failure. Something must be founded upon that failure.

How about you? Do you feel like you're a big weakling? Well, then, start discovering your potentials and do your berst!=)

Mnemonics

One of the ways to easily memorize names is by using mnemonics. Mnemonics is defined as a device (such as rhyme or acronym) used to aid recall, as defined in WordWeb.
I remember in my Geol 11 (Elementary Geology) class way back 2007, my professor instructed us to make our own mnemonics of the Mohs' scale of hardness of minerals. Since I am a very obedient student, I used my not-so-very creative imagination and created my own mnemonic. Amazingly, I still remember the sequence of the Mohs' scale because of that mnemonic I invented 3 years ago. Here it is:

Taga -- TALC

Greenhills -- GYPSUM

Cubao -- CALCITE

Fifth -- FLUORITE

Avenue -- APATITE

Oscar -- ORTHOCLASE

Quezon -- QUARTZ

Tower -- TOPAZ

Corner -- CORUNDUM

Dasmariñas -- DIAMOND

In my Geol 40 (Mineralogy) class this semester, we are again asked to know the sequence of the mineral hardness, and of course it's peanuts on my part na.=)

Now, I'm working on memorizing the Bravais lattices which our Professors redundantly remind us that we will really need it for the board exam on August next year. I've recently invented another mnemonic and I hope I'll remember it till next year.=) Here it is:

CUltivated -- CUBIC

TETRApacked -- TETRAGONAL

Oatmeal -- ORTHORHOMBIC

HE -- HEXAGONAL

TRIGgered -- TRIGONAL

MOving TO the -- MONOCLINIC (and there are 2 types of this, since there's TO)

TRIcycle -- TRICLINIC

Whew! The words I chose doesn't make sense if combined in one sentence. But I hope it'll help me a bit in remembering the Bravais lattices.

How about you? Be creative! Let your imaginations run wild and think of your own mnemonics.=)

EFY Music

Lately, I've been listening to some EFY (Especially for Youth) music. Kuya Donnie gave me some and downloaded others from the internet. One of the songs which really touched me was: He Walked a Mile in My Shoe. I searched for a music video in YouTube and found this one:





Also, here's the lyrics which I've copied from Anika Bradford's site:

He lived 2000 years ago…I believe
So how could he truly know me
Though the son of God, my life, my friend
Still it’s hard for me to comprehend
And I wonder

How could He know the heartache I feel
When He lived a perfect life
From Gesthemene to Calvary
Was it really for me that He died
Then the Spirit whispers
These words ringing true
From the garden to the cross
He walked a mile in my shoes

Down on His knees in the garden that night
With tear-stained eyes
He lived each moment of our lives
Every fear and insecurity
That I’ve ever known
My every fallen moment, He has atoned
Still I wonder

How could He know the heartache I feel
When He lived a perfect life
From Gethsemene to Calvary
Was it really for me that He died
Then the Spirit whispers
These words ringing true
From the garden to the cross
He walked a mile in my shoes

Hope you'll get inspired too! ♫♪♫♪

Selective Colorization using GIMP 2.6.10

 

this is my cousins: Eduardo Jr "Junjun" and Michael Jude.

this is yours truly wearing my sablay. I changed the white kamiseta (tama ba?) to color green, and it looks better now.haha I also made my eyes color green.

 this is my youngest cousin. Edcel Mario Villanueva Daquipil, or simply Edcel. Tomorrow's his 2nd birthday.=)








i'm wearing my creative shot here.=) sorry, i really really love green that's why i converter my blue gown to green.

Google Earth Images

Lately, I was exploring Google Earth. I searched for some places and got this pictures:

Hartnell St., Salinas, California

Dreamland Village, Hagonoy, Taguig City

University of the Philippines, Diliman

One thing is evident. The image of a street in California is clearer than the images of places here in the Philippines. I don't know why. Do you know why?

Hello, Facebook!

I'm back in using Facebook.☺ I badly needed to communicate with my young women, and the easiest way is to convey my messages through Facebook. So I created again an account last August 22, 2010, after deactivating my account last November 23, 2009.

Well, this time I have only one purpose. That is, my account will only be for my LDS acquaintances, relatives, and no more.

Good luck on my facebook-ing again!☺

Sana Maipasa Ito!☺

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) is pushing for a 400% increase in the tax on cigarettes. The tax hike would bring up the price of a cigarette stick from P2 to P7, and a pack from P30 to P120.

The DOH said the move would help reduce the number of smokers in the country, deter the youth who comprise 20% of the smoking population while allowing government to raise revenue to bring down the budget deficit.

DOH research shows that 4 out of 10 Filipino adults smoke, while over 20% of Filipino smokers are between 15 to 20 years old.


http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/08/12/10/raising-tax-tobacco

YEHEY!! Like it, like it! Hindi na magiging tambutso ang bibig ng mga kaklase ko!=)

Discovering GIMP

The following is what I've been doing since last night till around 4am kanina. I found an alternative to Adobe Photoshop, it's called GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program).

Before

After

The tutorials are really helpful and easy to understand. Above is the first I've done. I made my picture look like a sketch. There are other wonderful tricks you can do with your pictures.☺

You can download the program for free at: http://www.gimp.org/ and some tutorials are also available.

Dreams

When you dream of somebody, does that mean that that somebody is thinking of you at that moment; or you were just thinking of that somebody before you go to sleep?

I hope the former is true.☺

I ♥ Jim Brickman

The following videos were taken from Youtube:

Lake Erie Rainfall

Beautiful World "We're All Here"

Bittersweet

The Gift

My Valentine

The Love I Found In You

Blessings Do Come Unexpected

Earlier this week (Tuesday, I think), I received an e-mail announcing the last day of registration for the Engineering Summit 2010. I browsed through the .jpg poster and learned that the registration fee is only 200php for Eng'g students from UP, and 500+php for those studying at other schools. I became interested in the said seminar when I've read that a talk on the "Engineering for the Environment" will be discussed.

I consulted the situation with Annie Rose, my super roommate and batchmate, and she became interested too. We agreed to register the next day. When Wednesday came, I've realized that I only have 400php left in my allowance. If I will register in the Eng'g Summit, I'll only have 200php to use till Saturday, which is 3 more days! But I really wanted to join.

On my way to the ESC office, I received the following text message from Kaye, a MMM representative:

          Hello Hazel! You are one of the recommended students for the Engineering Summit. I can't locate you in Engineering since last week, and I need to give you your invite. Can you please drop by the ESC office today?

Wow! I was so surprised. That big blessing really was unexpected. I also feel grateful that the department consider me as a potential student leader.☺

I can't wait till it's Saturday na.. Gusto ko nang makinig ng talk ng prominent and successful people from various Engineering industries.☺

Graduation Pictorial

Here is a movie I made showing some of the pictures taken during our graduation pictorial yesterday.☺

Graduation Pictorial (2) ☺

Casual Attire

Creative Shot

Graduation Pictorial ☺

Sablay

Toga

Good Times

Looking for something inspiring to ponder on, I came to this message of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:




Go forward, keep marching. Good things will surely come!

His Image In Your Countenance

 Artist: Felicia Sorensen lyrics
with no apparent beauty that man should him desire
he was the promised savior to purify with fire
the world despised his plainness
but those who followed him found love and light and purity
a beauty from within 

have you recieved his image in your countenance?
does the light of christ shine in your eyes?
will he know you when he comes again because you will be like him?
when he sees you will the father know his child?
we seek for light and learning as followers of christ
that all may see his goodness reflected in our lives
when we recieve his fulness and lose desire for sin
we radiate his perfect love
a beauty from within


have you recieved his image in your countenance?
does the light of christ shine in your eyes?
will he know you when he comes again because you will be like him?
when he sees you will the father know his child?
the ways of man may tempt us
and some will be deceived
preferring worldly beauty, forgetting truth recieved
but whisperings of the spirit remind us once again
that lasting beauty, pure and clear
must come from deep within


have you recieved his image in your countenance?
does the light of christ shine in your eyes?
will he know you when he comes again because you will be like him?
when he sees you will the father know his child?
by his everlasting image in your eyes

** I was listening to the musics which I have on my computer. I'm so fond of downloading stuff kasi from the net and not opening it till I have time. So there I was, listening to the songs, when I heard this wonderful song. Hope you'll also like this one. You can browse the net to hear the song.☺

Ang Pagbabalik ni Rizal sa Europa

Here's our presentation for our PI 100 class under Prof. Iniego:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSTporM0wlc

Relatives

Last June 13-14, we went to La Union and Baguio City. It was a rush activity, and I was not supposed to go with Pops, Junjun and Ego. But of course, I used all the charms I have to persuade Moms to allow me join them.haha

Here's some pics of my relatives in Urayong, Bauang, La Union:

↑: Uncle Canuto, Pops, Auntie Adora, Diego. (Uncle Canuto and Auntie Adora are magkapatid. They are Pops' cousin. Diego was included in the photo coz Auntie Adora na masama daw kapag tatlo ang nasa pic, kaya yun.haha)

↑: L-R: Magpipinsan. Ate Erelyn (cousin), Ate Avon (cousin), Me, Junjun (younger bro), Diego (youngest bro). L-R: Pamangkin. Pau-pau, Angel, Marvin.

After our 12hrs stay in La Union, we headed to Baguio City! Syempre, di namin yun pinapalagpas kapag bumibisita kami sa La Union. We went to Fort del Pilar to view to campus of PMA.

Here are some of our pics:

↑: Me in front of the PMA billboard.

↑" #6, #4 and #3. Wacky pose at the tree house.☺

Realization

"Akala ko may babalikan pa ako, wala na pala"

Ai

--was what Aileen (BS MetE student from MSU-IIT, who also had her OJT in Rapu-rapu) told me upon sharing what happened between her and Clottey (nickname of her ex).

"Awww.." was all I could tell her, not because I felt sorry for them, but I came to realize that that was the proper term I should have uttered to myself upon arriving sa Manila. Of course, I also gave her some advice, advices that I too need to accept.

=§

Emotional Quotient

Your Score: 50

45 - 54

Congratulations! You have very high emotional intelligence. This is good news! EQ counts for twice as much as IQ and technical skills combined in determining who will be a star performer. Your level of EQlikely has been and will be a driver of your high performance for years to come. Areas to work on: While you are doing well - don't forget to take time out of your busy day-to-day activities to stop and reflect on what brings you the greatest meaning in your life. If we fail to do this on a regular basis, we risk becoming tranquilized by the trivial. Sedated by the small details. Yes, deadlines need meeting and goals must be achieved. But if we are working toward goals that are not in alignment with our key values and greater purpose, we face becoming hostile and cynical - losing the reason we are doing 'all of this' in this first place! This translates into less joy and enthusiasm for our work - resulting in a diminished ability to be effective, at ease, and on purpose. As William James said: I have no doubt whatever that most people live, whether physically, intellectually, or morally, in a very restricted circle of their potential being. They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness... much like a man who, out of his whole body organism, should get into the habit of using and moving only his little finger... We all have reservoirs of life to draw upon, of which we do not dream. ** I just remembered something my Professor in IE 3 shared with us. It's that our Emotional Quotient (EQ) can tell us more about our future, not our IQ. So I searched some sites that offer free EQ tests, and I took the quiz. Here's the result.☺ This is from: http://www.ihhp.com/

Friends for Life

Always try to help a friend in need

Believe in yourself

Be brave...but it's ok to be afraid sometimes

Study hard

Give lots of kisses

Laugh often

Don't be overly concerned with your weight, it's just a number

Always try to see the glass half full

Meet new people, even if they look different to you

Remain calm, even when it seems hopeless

Take lots of naps..

Be weird whenever you have the chance

Love your friends, no matter who they are

Don't waste food

RELAX

Take an occasional risk

Try to have a little fun each day.
....it's important

Work together as a team

Share a joke with friends

Fall in love with someone..

....and say 'I love you' often

Express yourself creatively

Be conscious of your appearance

Always be up for surprises

Love someone with all of your heart

Share with friends

Watch your step

It will get better

There is always someone who loves you more than you know

Seize the Moment

Hold on to good friends; they are few and far between

Indulge in the things you truly love

At the end of the day... PRAY

........ and close your eyes 
And smile at least once a day!

**I received this funny inspiring animals message as an email from my Auntie Deliah Conor who is now at Vancouver, Canada with her family.