Life Is Full Of Blessings

Life is full of blessings. At least I am speaking for myself. For every trial there is something good that comes out of it. Either we learned a lesson or we become a stronger and better person. I always look at the positive side of every experience as much as I can, but human as we are, sometimes there are moments of weakness that we succumb to our pain. But I also bounce back easily. Life to me is full of blessings. If we only count them, we will realize that we have so much to be grateful for in our lives than the trials and challenges that we go through.

Less than two weeks ago, I had a bad experience at work with a very nasty and rude customer. She humiliated and berated me in front of my fellow employees. She accused me of being nasty because she thought I did something, which I did not. You could not imagine how embarassed I was when she was talking nasty to me in front of people and not feeling satisfied, she called our branch manager and reported to him her wrong accusation. I was so humiliated and hurt. I wasn't able to move, I felt my body numbed. I had to gather all my strength to keep my mouth from answering back at her. If I did that I would've put the company in jeopardy. The company I work for has been known for its high standard of customer service and has been on top in customer satisfaction surveys. I didn't want to be defensive in front of our manager too because then I would lose my chance of explaining my side to him after she's gone. I just hoped that I would have that chance.

As I expected, after that woman left, I was called by our branch manager to his office and he apologized for what had happened. He commended me for keeping my self-control and told me he was proud of me. He said he'd known me for more than a year as a very good employee and that I was doing an awesome job. He sent me home three hours short of my shift and would get paid for full shift. He said that that's the least that the company could do for going through that very rough day. During that time, all I could feel was pain and humiliation that I couldn't see any positive thing about what I just went through. I cried all the way home, wondering how could a human being be that cruel enough to humiliate and accused me of being nasty and other bad things when she didn't even know anything about me. I even thought of quitting my job in the customer service and just move to other department where I don't have to deal with people's bad attitude. In my one year and four months in the customer service, I have encountered people who were unreasonable, unfair, angry, agitated and some were also rude but this last one has really shaken and challenged my composure. There was something in her that really made me feel so bad besides from the fact that I really find it hard to deal with when I am unfairly accused of doing something I didn't do.

But the following day was my day-off and I spent big part of that day processing my reaction and feelings toward that customer. Many of my coworkers and staffs sent me comforting emails and my facebook profile was stormed with different reactions, love and support from family and friends that gave me different perspective and helped me came out of that negative feeling as quickly as I could. A friend sent me a video that really made that experience a process for me to learn and grow professionally.

Thinking back to that moment now, I can only look at it from a different perspective. It gave me chance to reevaluate and look deep inside myself. These are my realizations:

First, I realized that all my hard works as employee had been noticed not only by my department manager, but up to the highest level of management in our branch too.

Second, I felt the support of my co employees and experienced teamwork even in a very challenging personal situations.

Third, I was reaffirmed of the fact that I am so lucky to have so many friends who will always be their to give their love and support anytime I need them (so many people doesn't have anybody they can call friend).

Fourth, in spite of that experience with that woman and three more from her ethnic origin in the past, I didn't give in to my tendency to stereotype people. I know a lot of people and have some friends from her race who are so kind hearted, very educated and well mannered. So I just consider them few bad grain from a sack of good rice.

Fifth, in spite of the fact that I had been renewed and had been through series of seminars, trainings and renewals in my faith, I just realized that I still have that pride in me that made it hard for me to forgive when somebody hurts me.

Sixth, I questioned my vanity of enjoying the appreciation and compliments from people and yet allow that single bad experience from a person to hurt me and made me feel bad about myself.

Seventh, I learn to appreciate those countless number of customers I have encountered that have been nice and have made my days at work a lot better and less stressful.

One post is not enough to write down all the lessons I have learned out of that experience. But I guess this one is enough to prove my case that life is full of blessings and every bad experience comes countless positive effects on us if only we learn to forget the negative and just focus on the positive side of life. You may say it's easily said than done. But think about this: negative feelings and emotions are not good for us and our soul, they bring sleepless nights, troubled mind and they can make us restless and worst case, they will cause us high blood pressure and heart attack if we harbor them too long. It is always easy to choose to be happy. Life is too short to be spent in negative thoughts. Just learn to let go and start counting your blessings!

This Will Make You Laugh

A friend send this on email today . Brilliantly funny so I thought of sharing it.

The recession has hit everybody really hard…

:My neighbor got a pre -declined credit card in the mail.

:Wives are having sex with their husbands because they can’t afford batteries.

:CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.

:Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

:A stripper was killed when her audience showered her with rolls of pennies while she danced

:If the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

:McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 ouncer .

:Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America .

:Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s names.

:My cousin had an exorcism but couldn’t afford to pay for it, and they re-possessed her!

:A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico . A picture is now only worth 200 words.

:When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.

:The Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.

:Congress says they are looking into this Bernard Madoff scandal. Oh Great! The guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear!

And, finally… I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline . I got a call center in Pakistan , and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck.

Somehow today, this made me laugh...

Bamboo Taxi, Wanna Ride?

Somebody shared this interesting site in our college alumni forum. Bamboo taxi, a cheap, fuel-efficient alternative to cars???  Click here to visit the site

Bamboo Taxi, A Hit in Philippines!

In the search for a low-cost, fuel-efficient, safe, and environmentally-friendly alternative to cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles, the mayor of a city in the Philippines recently rolled out two incredible taxis crafted from one of our favorite renewable materials – bamboo!

Rustico Balderian, mayor of Tabontabon, Leyte, Philippines, has commissioned the construction of two taxis made from 90% bamboo that are powered by coconut bio-diesel – take that steel-based cars! Bamboo is an incredible material – it is rapidly renewable, environmentally friendly, and does not require a ton of processing for it to be incorporated into designs. But did you know that its tensile strength is just as good as that of steel? This remarkable strength makes bamboo a fitting and exceptionally sustainable material for Tabontabon’s new taxis.

The two vehicles are called the Eco 1 and Eco 2. The Eco 1seats 20 people and can run on one gallon of bio-diesel for about 80 hours. Eco 2 works just as well, but seats around 8. Both vehicles are made by Tabontabon’s out-of-school youth, 90% of each vehicle is made out of bamboo, and they are covered in traditional Filipino woven mats called banig. Both vehicles are operating today – now if we could only get one in blue.

To me, it looks tacky and I have doubts about the sturdiness and safety features for it to be a safe alternative to cars.

Well, creative lang talaga ang Pinoy..

Saving While Shopping

Every week I am surprised at how fast the price of gas is changing. Last week, the price of regular gas in Northern Virginia is $3.69/gal but this morning when I filled up my tank, it was $3.83/gal. And as prices of gasoline gets higher and higher, we will do anything that will help us save on this essential commodity. One of the ways I do that is I don't drive so much anymore to go shopping and when I do; I would rather go to the one nearest to where I live. But most of the time I go online shopping. It is really the easiest way to go now adays not only to save on your gas expenses but also the most practical way if you are a very busy person who have no time to go to a physical store to shop; not to mention if you are living in the metropolis and you have to beat the traffic to get there.

Having said that, just this morning while looking for stuffs online, I found this internet shopping comparison engine. In the internet you can find everything, yes I said everything you'll ever need under the sun from jewelries and watches, clothing, electronic gadgets, airfares, hotels, vacation packages, health & beauty products, home & office furnitures, name it and you'll find it. It's like shopping in different stores of all products you can ever imagine, right at the comfort of your home or wherever and whenever you have access to the internet. It also means that you can find any product and every store online to get the best deal and price you will be comfortable with. One of the ways I do to keep up with the high cost of living, is to always look for the fairest way to shop to save time and save money. And I always compare prices of the products I am looking for before I make a decision to buy them. I found some rare and unusual items in the internet that are difficult to find in a physical store. And you know what I think is amazing about these shopping engines? It is the world's virtual shopping malls, where you can go shopping in Europe, Asia or US without even leaving your home. Isn't that really cool?

The most positive side of internet to me is, it made my life and my shopping options a lot more easier and at the same time, always giving me endless choices of products and services suited to my needs and my budget....I would say it can do a lot of positive things in your life too. Enjoy online shopping!

Are You A Pilgrim Golfer?

I stumbled upon this post while searching for inspiration for my personal sharing this coming Monday evening in our Parish. The writer's thought is so profound and inspiring that I just want to share it with you.

Click here to read the original post

The Pilgrims called themselves such long before they left for the New World and settled in Massachusetts. They envisioned life as a pilgrimage in which there is an eternal, internal journey of spiritual growth. Golf can be considered a pilgrimage too. It is more than just a trip from the parking lot and clubhouse around nine or eighteen holes and back. There are the many challenges, triumphs, and detours that one encounters along the way that can also make it a transformational process should you choose to perceive it that way. Moving back and forth from pride to shame, from anger to joy, and from depression to elation are just a few of the transitions we make during a round. Author Scott Peck calls the golf course the “ideal laboratory for spiritual growth.”

As a pilgrim golfer, score is not the focal point of the game. Rather it is soulful learning and growth. How truly rewarding is it for you to simply learn how to score better if you do not also learn something about yourself along the way? So what do many of us Westerners ask our fellow golfers at the end of a round? “What did you shoot?”

Golf, like life, we learn is not linear – there is no straight path in your journey. Rather there are detours mixed with triumphs of sort, progress and regression too. Real growth is not measured by how good a golfer you. When we begin to diminish our fixation on scoring to an appreciation of the experiential journey, we may truly begin to grasp what golf and life have to offer us, and indeed score even better. While you may want to have a goal or destination, it will be your detachment from that goal and rather your focus on the journey and the process that will produce greater and more gratifying results.