Snippets

For the times I wanted to write one long piece, but only had few lines in my head.

I collected them all as a compensation. I will update this every now and then.

Recently, I've noticed that this page gets longer and longer. I thought that if I'd let it stay this plenty and random, the reader might get confused and that'll be unfair even for my snippet's worth. I resolved to sort them out according to these categories: life, love, God and writing.

If you have ideas, feel free to tell me, okay? Enjoy!

• Do not waste yourself. Don't waste your time hiding and brooding over the questions you cannot find answers yet. Instead think of what your precious hands can do for someone now, where your strong legs can bring you now, and how much information you need to feed your mind so you can create something novel and useful for others. Keep moving. Trudge hills. Shuffle when your feet are already hurting. Crawl if you have to. But keep doing something. Give even when you feel selfish. Serve even when your limbs feel heavy. Love in any way you know you can even when you feel like you're empty. It's not solely about where you are, anyway. It's what you're doing. It's where you're going. It's being. God placed you there not only for you. The world needs you, so please... Do not waste yourself.

• Sometimes, what makes it fun is the hint of uncertainty. When you're not sure, you got to wait for the surprises.

• There are still questions, Lord. But I think I've grown accustomed to them. Answering them used to be my aim, but I realized some things are not in my hands, that some of them answer themselves on their own. Oh I know, I'll never run out of questions. But though they used to confuse me, now they make me live today and look forward to seeing tomorrow.

• I observed that people look best when they're concerned or when they show that they care, or when they are genuinely happy, or even when they're hurt because they loved. And I think people look best that way because they look...fresh from heaven.

• A book is far more than its first few pages. Finish it.

• They say it's empty to be on top. It makes you feel good for a moment then it's gone. The effect vanishes, and what will be left for you are solely responsibilities. It's a different thing when you bring love to the top, though. It's heaven.

• When minutes, hours and days pass, they disintegrate. Everything then becomes new. That's the beauty of life - it's always fresh.

• What matters is what God thinks about you. And the world? It changes, fades, and starts anew.

• A man with healthy body and good soul is always radiant and beautiful. But see how ugly a body becomes when it rots, decays. A soul does too when we sin, for sin robs life from it. So you see, soul gets rotten and ugly too. And when it does, it shows.

• Here's the irony: things may change but feel like they don't. But when you change your heart - man, how it changes everything.

• Your dream sits on top of the staircase. You can see it. And each day, you're overexcited to get there and pick it up. You have planned well. And your plan stays just a plan for days. Then weeks. Then months. Today, you're still at the bottom of the staircase, beaming at that thing ahead of you but not with you. It's a pathetic scene. Friend, take a step. Climb, slide, bear a wound. It's okay to make mistakes. Buy oh boy, JUST DO IT NOW.

• It's not about the facts you hold, but how you work on the facts you know.

• I do not easily initiate interactions with a child unlike other child-lovers. Not that I'm not interested but because I'm quite afraid. I don't know. I just feel like being rejected by a pure, innocent soul is something.

• Eyes. Take care of the eyes that have seen the world. Or those that have seen a world you will never know.

• You learn it better when you not only hear or read the words, but see it before your eyes, or feel it, and realize it yourself.

• Treat your tasks as people. You got to spend quality time with each of them - not attend to them just to get rid of them.

• Do not let the ocean of possibilities paralyze you. Make one decision and stand by that with all your heart.

• What happened yesterday already disintegrated into nothingness. And you know what's left? You. Who are you now?

• I'm sharing my insights because it might be useful for somebody. If I'd only keep them for myself, I might just waste them.

• You want more friends? Think about this: everybody wants a joyful world. Make your world joyful, so people would want to be in it.

• Some people are too much to handle, and by too much, I meant either pitch darkness or blinding light.

• You're not dumb or disabled. If you don't know something, it only means you haven't decided to learn it yet. If you're getting things wrong, it means you haven't decided to make it right yet.

• It's when I have less that I can see more.

• Your job is to be kind to people. Not to teach them how to think the way you do.

• Peace is a decision. Often, it only takes one deep breath, an accepting attitude, and trust to the God of the universe.

• It's your honest self that possesses wisdom.

• Sometimes we hide because we want peace. Other times, it's because we're planning to start again.

• I think Disney wants children to believe that everything's possible. Ariel got legs. Snow White rose from the dead. Rapunzel got out of a doorless castle. So you see, the Disney world isn't perfect at all. I guess, what makes it look perfect is how the princesses remained loving, beautiful and graceful despite their world's ugliness.

• Keep your eyes fixed on higher things.

• Most emotions have stupid reasons. And since you can't tolerate stupidity, I can't tell you everything.

• And as you grow older, you no longer want people to admire you but to love you.

• Food lover: Pancakes, butter, apple and cinnamon. I wish morning is always this refreshingly sweet.

• Sometimes, we get overwhelmed by our weakness, too much that we refuse to look at our potential greatness - so we keep it hidden, trapped and ignored.

• Don't run too fast time. You're not chasing after anything, are you?

• It's not about you. It's about your story.

• Whatever fades or changes isn't worthy to be a definition.

• I zoom out, looking from a top view, whenever I want to see what doesn't matter. I dig deep, lying on my deathbed, whenever I want to see what matters.

• Waiting. So this is how waiting feels like. Mosquitoes. Sunset. Low battery. Dry eyes. But I have my heart and mind alive. My blood's still running. God is above me. Waiting is nothing.

• What they think about you is just their idea. You are, however, the concrete form of what you think about yourself.

• Understand that, somehow, we're going through what you've gone through. Look back to your childhood and understand. That's how you'll know how to help us.

• Be attentive to what's coming out of your pain. Usually, it's the deepest, most desperate and honest desire of your heart.

• Sweep off the doubts. Make up your mind and be wholehearted. It's all up to you, anyway.

• If you're scared to give your all, I cannot blame you. When we give our all, we give our heart. And when we give our heart, we make ourselves vulnerable - we expose ourselves to pain. But you know what? It's always worth it. It's always worth it.

• Never let anything defeat you. That's just another set of dishes to be washed. That's just your mother asking you to love her more. That's just a lesson plan. It isn't even worthy to be your limitation.

• Don't be afraid that you might lose it. Whatever is God-given will come out when needed.

• New Year's Resolutions: Even though it's uncomfortable, do it. Do it until it becomes part of your system.

• Flap, flap, flap! You got to flap your wings if you want to fly.

• Watch out. Never ever wish your day to go faster. It's a sign that you won't be cherishing it.

• Reading a book won't make you wiser not unless you apply even just a single thing it says.

• There is an endless road towards your idea of gorgeousness. Don't dare it lest you'll only get ugly and all artificial along the way - worst, for the rest of your life.

• You want to be successful? Let nothing be too hard for you. Do it. Or just do it afraid.

• Stretch his mind lest he won't see how far it could reach.

• Today is the day when all I want to do is to look on the surface. Not dig in, not search for something more. Just on the surface.

• There's joy in burger and fries, caesar salad, sandwich and cheesy potato. There's joy in trees, grass, wind and rain. There's joy in books, milk tea and silence. There is joy.

• The question should always be, "What matters most?" Should you put money over relationships, books over conversation, soap over cleanliness, orderliness over health, tasks over spirituality or things over people? Or should you put security over peace, bliss over lasting happiness or wits over wisdom? Seek in your soul and you'll find the answers.

• Do whatever you want with your life. Let's see how good your choices are.

• I know where I am standing. I don't need everyone to understand. As long as my intentions are clear, I am set in the right place.

• I don't want to live in anger or make anger my motivation in any endeavor. I shrink whenever I realize how simple things can be...and that I have a choice. 

• You should put in mind that the prodigal son made the initiative to come back home. If you have sinned, don't just hide in a corner and let your shame eat you. Stand up and decide to make things better. That's the right attitude. Choose healing. Reconcile and allow yourself to be loved. Remember, no matter how far you've gone, you can always go back home.

• I believe proving yourself to have a big heart weighs more than proving yourself to be better in any other way.

• More than anything else, I still want to be that person who would help you get out of the mud or lend a hand when you're stuck in the rock bottom. 

• Pain, no matter how great, will fade. Don't let it paralyze you. Keep on walking 'cause there's a better life ahead.

• Just keep on failing, and move forward to greatness.

• I don't want to be in pain but if it is in both options, I think I'd rather feel the pain of longing then calmly waft away than the pain of hatred then run with heavy heart.

• Perhaps, I'd be willing to endure so much pain for a certain time if that means I'd no longer feel the same pain ever afterwards.

• If you think getting people to admire you will bring you friends, you are right. But can it bring you real friends? You cannot be sure. Only sincere care and love probably will.

• You don't have to prove anything. Just do what you're supposed to with all your heart. Remember, God placed you where you are now for a reason. Focus on that...because that's what really matters.

• I'm not asking you to change. I just want you to make things right.

• Everything on earth is temporary, so we know we'll lose them all eventually. But actually, we can make some stay longer - keep them.

• Only when you learn to pass through walls can you get to Atlantis. Do the impossible and you'll get the impossible.

• Are you okay? You can be. You will be. Think about it. It's a good life! The bumpy road, the zigzags, the sulky parts and the pristine ones, everything! Everything is just making this journey fantastic.

• Don't be ashamed or feel embarrassed. The thing is, what others think of you, whether good or bad, doesn't really matter to them. Just like you, what matters more to them is what you think about them. 

• Are we blind or stupid? We know deep in our hearts what we need but it's either we cannot see or we just don't accept what apparently would satisfy us. Oh, why are we fond of making things complicated?

• Don't ever wonder why you never get satisfied. You see, you've been simply getting things from the wrong sources.

• I hope you'll learn to throw away what's not good for you even those that temporarily make you happy. Oh, life is precious!

• You can never be perfect, yes. But you can at least try to be better, you know.

• Are all dying people great lovers? They must be. If you're not going to love now then when? The thing is we are all dying. Our days are numbered. It's just that the rest of us are not told when everything would probably end. It's just that the rest of us are still strong and healthy enough to realize that it's actually near. 

• When in spite all your prayers difficult things still happen to you, then it only means one thing - it's you who needs to be strong.

• Not feeling anything doesn't make you any stronger.

• I want to be that beauty amidst all ugliness, that sight you would wish to behold because it reminds you that life is still beautiful.

• It ends not with success. Success still must end with self-actualization. Such when there is tranquility. Such when that part of you is perenially happy, contented and fulfilled - still yearning, but nothing more from this world to ask for.

• What is a great mind without a strong personality? You are unique but the world is bigger than you. Don't let it eat away your greatness. Don't be swayed by its foolishness. Just be clear with your goals. Know who you are. Conquer. You can make this world a great place.

• Why do you work? Is it for money? Is it for people? Is it out of passion?

• The fact is we're always running out of time. We wake up each day closer to our end. If your time is important for you, you wouldn't exhaust it to something less important.

• Time is more precious than money.

• In some cases, it is better to trust and be betrayed than doubt the truth.

• It's not enough that you just know. The question is, are you doing it?

• She doesn't feel that we love her. She doesn't feel that she belong. She doesn't feel that she has a family. She feels she's alone. It hurts. It burns. But perhaps, I haven't tried hard enough. 

• It's when you truly realized that you are a human that you'll start looking at others as humans too.

• We get hurt. We get tired. We make mistakes. We are humans.

• It's not what you read. It's how what you read makes you.

• The only potential difference between a bright idea and another bright idea is that one was materialized while the other remained as an idea.

• My happiest days are always Saturdays and Sundays. Okay. Now, I got to work on adding Mondays, then Tuesdays, then Wednesdays, and so on. 

• Rest when you're tired. You're free to do so.

• Don't be too hard on yourself . . . just as you don't want others to be too hard on you.

• I guess I just found the way out of the dark abyss. Now, I'm ready to move forward with a clear path.

• What you should do everyday is to prove the world that you are capable of being happy, that you hold your own happiness, and that you deserve it.

• Never settle for anything less. And "less," remember, is how you define it.

• Being better at work does not necessarily make you a better person.

• It will surely be a long journey. But if I'll enjoy the journey itself, getting to my destination will certainly be worth it.

• Learn all you can now! Every moment is unique. Don't miss what it is teaching you because once it passes, you can never have everything that came with it ever again.

• Not unless you clear things out, you could never be sure of the path you're treading. You would not see the bumps, so you'd stumble. You would not see the slopes, so you'd fall. You would not see the end of the cliff, so you'd die. It's dangerous to live in a blur.

• Wisdom starts with love for learning.

• It's okay and not okay to care. It's okay to care when you can do something about it. It's not okay to care when you cannot do anything about it.

• Change starts with introspection - that is knowing thyself. However, to make change happen, it should be followed by outrospection - that is knowing others and the world.

• I don't want to waste myself. That is my greatest fear.

• When thoughts seem to get knotted, remember that the simplest is the smartest. Don't skip the basics.   

• If the message does not apply to you now, still keep it. For you'll never know when you would desperately need it.

• Nobody's dumb. Some only need the right motivation.

• Two things to remember when you're trying to help: One, don't just lend a hand; outstretch your arms. Two, do not worry about what's going to happen next; let God do the changing.

• For successful people, giving up is never an option.

• Everything's fine as long as you think everything is.

• Do not overthink. The simplest way is usually the right way. 

• Just keep on throwing wise words. What matters is someone, even just one, would catch it.

• And then it all crumbled, as if I was shaken awake from a dream. And I'm glad it did. Because in dreams, we cannot control ourselves.

• It might seem slow, but it could be in the right pacing. Patience. This might be way better than we know.

• I'm giving it a chance. And while I'm at it, know that I'm trusting you.

• Sometimes, the world suddenly gets blurred from too much joy, and you wish you care about nothing else save that one that makes you happy.

• Make them fall in love with your heart.

• Whenever I think of my one true love, I see a blurred figure of a tall and dark man. What worries me is that I'm not sure if he's handsome.

• The way I behold you may change, but the fact that I once found you utterly adorable will remain forever.

• The mind forgets, but not the heart. It still pumps fast when you're around.

• I dread evenings because I still see you in my dreams.

• If you'd know me, will you love me?

• It's been an unrequited love for me. I am probably unlovable whenever I desire too much. I get crazy when I desire too much. Nobody wants crazy.

• It was truth right before my eyes - when the spotlight fell on you, you became unreachable.

• It's a pity, I have to wake up stifled by your memory in my subconscious. But that's just part of moving on, so I let it pass.

• I like that you wear that faded shirt, or that you use shoes that protect your feet. I like that your gentleness doesn't make you less masculine. And the fact that you're still shy in spite of all that you are now means you're a humble man.

• I don't want to remember you, but whenever I look back, I see you. You are an image that's suppressed, blocked and disregarded but never unwanted. The problem is you're too adorable, it's already an instinct for me to like you.

• In love, the goal is endless; we can never perfect it. Love won't make you stop working, reaching and desiring.

• Choose someone who falls in love with your core.

• Nothing is too small when it comes to the matters of the heart.

• Heaven is being with someone you love so dearly. Time becomes not of the essence or seconds seem to go on for eternity. Everything suddenly melts for nothing else matters more to you than Him.

• For a while, I wished I did not empathize for I felt his deep regret. T'was a torture between sympathy and anger. Nevertheless, I can no longer bring him home. My doors are already fast close, sealed with pain. I cannot accept those unfamiliar bits of bliss he now keeps. I cannot accept that blemished memory he willingly initiated. I cannot accept these for they distorted everything that made us...and I'm grateful. Finally, it is the end for both of us and the sun rises for us to officially start anew.

• It doesn't depend on my prayer but on God. I've backed off, and you're all His. Turns out, this is better than anything I could've imagined - less of mess, less of lies and less of sin.  Now, there's more of goodness, more space for greatness and more of happiness.

• Let's not meet today, today when things aren't stable yet. Not now when I'm still so thin because I lost appetite. Not now when my skin is still dry because I've been walking along streets for hours. Not now when I haven't put back all the pieces of me together again. Not now when the signs of my struggle are still apparent. I don't want you to misconstrue it as my defeat. I struggle, so I'm still alive.

• Be afraid. Be afraid when you know you want something to stay with you and you're not doing your best to keep it. Be afraid for when you lose it, rest assured, you'll find no one else to blame but yourself.

• I think I'm no longer afraid of losing you for I've already lost you many times. 

• Whenever I lose my grip on the stem of my rose, I feel how life can be way better, not getting hurt by its thorns. Sometimes, I just want to lose my grip forever. Sometimes, I think that tulips are better than roses . . . if only I have one.

• What are the things you do for love?

• Flaws should prove love, not hinder it.

• In Your presence, Lord, I can be anyone. I can be anyone and not be worried about the possibility of You not loving me for what I like, or what I think, or what I did. I am comfortable with You, Lord, and I wish to have the same presence as Yours.

• People come and go, and things always change. But it's okay. It's okay as long as Jesus stays.

• Amidst the city - cars whizzing by, noisy construction, dirt, workload, running time - is You. You are the tranquility I find in my deep breaths, in my pauses for meditating on ma-ra-na-tha, and in the flicker of hope that everything will go well this year because I don't have to put everything on my shoulders...for You are God. And I'm letting You. I want to know You more, Lord.

• I was in a jeep one morning, heading to work. I sat beside the driver's seat, for it was the only space available. It was nice to see a gloomy sky amidst a raging summer season. That's why I couldn't help but look at the sky. And then suddenly, I felt like marveling at how God designed everything in a way that it's of use to the world - like ecology. But in retort to myself, I surmised that perhaps, God wasn't just thinking of "use" when He created everything - that He actually thought of a design of His own liking such as fire could be fluid but it isn't! Then I took a deep breath, savoring the warmth of the idea that...God created everything lovingly. In His hands. Just as joyfully sculptors, painters, writers, and others do with their work of art, God was smiling, gazing and deliberately shaping every detail when He created the world. And me. Oh who am I that You hold me so dearly, Lord?

• Will it matter in heaven?

• You are in everything, Lord. That's why there are too many lovely things to notice in the world.

• What can I do for the heavens, Lord?

• I'm satisfied with looking at the sky. Sometimes, I get annoyed at myself having to be distracted by the compelling urge to string a couple of words just to name the peace and joy I see in the sky.

• I read in a book that to love is to wish heaven for someone. I reflected on it and wondered who are the people I want to be with in heaven.

• Sometimes, I feel the fear of being judged as a hypocrite, too religious, or someone who forces her belief to people whenever I post something about God on social media. But why shouldn't I share them? Why shouldn't I share a thought that brought me peace, a picture that reminded me of happiness, or a verse or a line that told me how to love?

• Lately, I feel like I've been learning more but doing less. God has been so good to me. I listen to inspiring talks at the Feast every Sunday, read good books, and gained an awful lot of information from renowned international speakers in the Kerygma Conference (for free!!!), but what am I doing? In my prayers, I tell God how I want to reach out to many people, help the poor, create this and that. "If only I could do these things Lord, then I could love You more." But this afternoon, while I lay in bed merely staring and listening to Him through the ceiling, I felt like He told me, "Focus on where you are." Focus on where I am. Which means home - my family, workplace - kids and school staff, community - friends. That's right. I don't need a big world to do more. Anyway, in love, the goal is eternity.

• Lord, make me see you when I search the heavens.

• Lord, help me to stop desiring things that aren't supposed to be mine.

• My and then what's are limitless, and I get disappointed finding myself bored when I reach answers like fame and fortune. The heart of joy like that of St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Therese of Lisieux is a heart that trusts - a heart that is brave enough to empty itself by giving and giving and giving until a void aches. It is a heart that is prepared to get wounded and be healed by Jesus over and over again. The heart of joy has one answer to my and then what's and that is as simple as - eternal life.

• It's already a prayer to just look into Your eyes and let You into mine. And me, just feeling Your presence. Or not. But probably, just believing that You are there. And that You love me.

• I am unworthy, but I choose to let God's unconditional love to be magnified.

• Obedience. What do You want me to do, Lord.

• Today, at the Feast, I learned that we easily fall in love with what seems to be perfect. The thing is, nothing's perfect in this world. That beauty we so adore is just a hint of God. This only proves that that empty space in our hearts which solely God can fill really exists. So, no matter how hard we try to make that something-close-to-perfect fit in that space, it won't. He/she/it isn't God, so it just won't.

• When things go wrong, I no longer look at just "Everything has a purpose," but at "God has great plans for me," instead. And just in case I go astray, He can turn things around, back to the right way.

• Make my heart whole for You, Lord. 

• Do you think you're doing it all wrong? Do you think you're unlikable, trying hard and too eager? Well, I tell you, God looks at your heart. He loves you for who you are and whoever you try to be.

• If our source of love is God, we can never run out of it. We only get tired, but not empty. We only get broken, but not demolished. So if we know we have the right source, let's not be afraid to stretch ourselves to love because that's how we get better at it.

• God wants you to be where you can love more.

• That touch of perfection - that's God.

• I may not understand everything Lord, but You do. I shall be at peace because You do.

• This year, enjoy loving God. Be creative in deepening your relationship with Him.

• I realized we don't have to ask God all the time. If we got to decide about something we can fully control, it means He wants us to take over. It's like asking God, "What do You think?" and He answers back, "You? What do you think?" God trusts us that much, He knows we'll stay in love with Him wherever we go.

• It is in the silence that you can hear your heart...each beat, each pump of blood. God is in you and He's keeping you alive.

• Jesus walks straight in crooked paths. You may be having a tough time now, but remember that your hardships are God's way of straightening your path from its crookedness. You're being sharpened, purified and prepared! Trust that you're heading to the best version of what you've prayed for.

• I believe You have great plans for me, Lord. I, though, do not know exactly what they are or what I shall specifically do to fulfill them. I leave these things in Your hands, Lord. Take the lead. As for me, the best I could aim for is to make You smile.

• I feel like God has led me out of Egypt. I am now in a desert, moving towards the Promised Land. How long the journey will be, I have no idea. I know not of what would come across my way or if my water and food supply would be enough to keep me alive. One thing is for sure though: it is God who led me out of Egypt. I know He will walk with me until I get to that land He promised, to that land where better life awaits.

• All I want each day is for Your will to be fulfilled, O Lord. That way, whatever happens, I'd feel secured that everything's just part of Your great plan.

• The One who made you is the One who can fix you. 

• When looking for a job, the prayer that would surely touch God's heart would be, "Bring me where I can serve You well."

• I realized that the more I loosen my grip, the more I allow God to hold it.

• God is love, so love is perfect in itself. However, when love enters the heart of man, it becomes too great to handle that he needs to distort it and align it to his nature. Blemished with weaknesses, man's love becomes imperfect. Accept it. Expect it.

:)

• Free your soul on those pages. See if it'll stroll or run. See if it'll spread its arms before the sky. Live on, and see how wanderlust your soul is.

• Catch beautiful phrases, sentences or paragraphs as soon as your eyes run through them. Write them down - that's how you keep them. Or you'll get into trouble of endlessly leafing the book's pages.

• What shall we do with that quick moment of bliss? Can we relive the time we lost now that it's far too behind? Perhaps, writing about it in detail is the closest we can get near it. Go, put it on paper. Make the image as vivid as the reader's finger would move from taking it in.

• I can't sleep. The muse paid me a visit at 12 midnight. I opened my laptop, and welcomed it. I slept at 3 am.

• I have produced nothing but a blank sheet. And it says a lot. It says that I've only been having a bit of free time. It says that I haven't dipped my pen on this leaf for some compelling reason. It says that I must be parched enough for writing now and my pent-up words are well-nigh bursting. It says that I'm in the phase of creating life rather than writing it.

• I wish I have more time to write. And when I do, I wish I'd really be using the time writing.

• Please let me stay at home for a while. This chance comes scarcely. I'm not letting go of you, muse.

• Writing is more than crafting a fancy sentence structure. It's about your ability to make your words strike one's heart and make it bleed, or bring it back to life.

• If you're writing for yourself, better to write whatever you think will make you feel better someday - someday when you can read back your piece, someday when you feel that no one can give you the words you need save yourself.

• Consult my sites when I'm gone. The answer you've been looking for might be there. Make good use of my craft, of my insights, of my heart, of me.

• I don't want to leave you, writing. No matter how busy I'll be, I'll still use my pen, dribble the keys and form strings of words in my head. If only everyone loves you, they would understand why I do.

• How I wish I could write well whenever I want to without asking for the muse's help.

• Don't judge me. You may not like my choice of words, but you have no idea how I wonderfully put them all together in a string of sentence.

• Before you put the ink down on that paper, ask yourself first, "Why am I writing this?"

• Being too cautious in writing can either kill your creativity or make you wordy.