My Passion…
February 9th, 2007 by j3p
It took me longer than I expected to start drawing or painting again. Eversince when my mom and I moved here 12 years ago from Zamboanga to live with my dad and brother because they’re based here, my dad with his previous work as a military man and my brother being in his second year in college. Art has always been, and will continue to be my passion in life. My studies took my time away from it and even when i graduated i never find the time to further enhance my skill. Although i’d do some drawings from time to time.. once every year that is :) It was only recently that i’ve decided to seriously making drawing and painting again my hobby. Of course, I’m very much thankful to my dear husband for being my inspiration, not to mention his undying support and faith in me. He’s actually the one who never stopped convincing me to regain back my passion for the art.
Click here for more of my artworks.
The day i said “I do..”
November 2nd, 2006 by j3p
The most awaited day has finally come. It was a very beautiful and memorable day for us. It didn’t rain.. yey! 
Seriously, celebrating our union in Christ with close family and friends was one intimate event and we surely felt God’s blessing. Now that we are on our journey as husband and wife, starting a new life together, though it won’t be smooth but with prayers, faith in God, the love and support from our dear families & good friends…. we know that we’ll be just fine.
Corpus - Perez Nuptial
October 7, 2006
A Journey To Forever….
September 25th, 2006 by j3p
.. 11 more days to go until the beginning of the rest of our lives…
Soon to “Happy Ever After…”
August 8th, 2006 by j3p 
October 7, 2006… This would probably be the most glorious and
memorable day of my life… No doubt about it. The beginning of a
new life with my soon to be husband, Bobby. Nervous? Nah!! more
like excited! 
I can’t hardly wait to walk down the aisle, with a translucent view of
my charming and handsome groom who awaits at the altar, to pledge our
vows for each other (with matching tears.. sniff! sniff! 
hehe!) with the promise of love 
all the days of our lives… ehem!! 
More about our wedding preps at http://magicalmoment.weddingannouncer.com
Goodbye my baby Princess..
July 3rd, 2006 by j3pMy cute & cuddly Pomeranian died last June 30, 2006 because of poisoning from a toxic substance used to treat ticks and fleas for dogs. I guessed her immune system was weak to sustain such chemical. She went into a respiratory & liver shock which she developed seizures that made her grew weaker by every attacks until eventually her lungs gave up. I stayed with her until her last breath. It was really painful for me and my family, not to mention the cry-me-a-river at the clinic. She was not a dog but like a relative to us. I was quite disappointed with some of the vets. Even confronted one of them saying that to them Princess may be just a dog, but what they’re treating here has life. They said that her case was a critical one, and what i’m raving about is at least they should have treated or handled her and monitored her properly.
She has a sister, Poopsie, a brown Pom, named after their mom. The thing is, they haven’t been separated not longer than an hour since birth that is why Poopsie must have been missing Princess as well, hence, her strange behavior. She’s the active and joyful one, probably that’s why her immune system is stronger, while Princess was the timid one. They’re very different in behavior but compliment each other well.
Now, Poopsie is sleeping with me in my room. Hopefully she’ll be back in her normal self in no time.
I’m still feeling lonely now, with Princess not around. I miss her so much… She’s like my baby. I was the one who took care of these pups since birth when their mom died after delivering them. It as like working w/ a night schedule, feeding them every two hours round the clock.
Now i only have one but i’m thankful that i still have Poopsie, though my being worry for her doubled, afraid that something might happen again… i hope not.
I love you my Princess baby… You’ll alwasy be remebered.
Princess
September 7, 2005 - June 30, 2006
REFLECTIONS IN LIFE…
January 2nd, 2006 by j3p A time comes in your life when you finally get it…
when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you
stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice
inside your head cries out - ENOUGH!
Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold
on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind
tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once
or twice, you blink back your tears and begin to look
at the world through new eyes.
This is your awakening. You realize it’s time to
stop hoping and waiting for something to change… or
for happiness, safety and security to come galloping
over the horizon. You come to terms with the fact that
neither of you is Prince Charming nor Cinderella and
that in the real world there aren’t always fairytale
endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any
guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with
you… and in the process a sense of serenity is born
of acceptance.
You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect
and that not everyone will always love appreciate or
approve of who or what you are … and that’s okay.
They are entitled to their own views and opinions. And
you learn the importance of loving and championing
yourself…and in the process a sense of newfound
confidence is born of self-approval.
You stop complaining and blaming other people for
the things they did to you (or didn’t do for you) and
learn that the only thing you can really count on is
the unexpected.
You learn that people don’t always say what they
mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will
always be there for you and that it’s not always about
you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take
care of yourself… and in the process a sense of
safety and security is born of self-reliance.
You stop judging and pointing fingers and you
begin to accept people as they are and to overlook
their shortcomings and human frailties… and in the
process a sense of peace and contentment is born of
forgiveness.
You realize that much of the way you view yourself
and the world around you, is a result of all the
messages and opinions that have been ingrained into
your psyche. And you begin to sift through all the
junk you’ve been fed about how you should behave, how
you should look, how much you should weigh, what you
should wear, what you should do for a living, how much
money you should make, what you should drive, how and
where you should live, whom you should marry, the
importance of having and raising children, and what
you owe your parents, family, and friends.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different
points of view. And you begin reassessing and
redefining who you are and what you really stand for.
You learn the difference between wanting and needing
and you begin to discard the doctrines and values
you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to
begin with … and in the process you learn to go with
your instincts.
You learn that it is truly in giving that we
receive. And that there is power and glory in creating
and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life
merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix. You
learn that principles such as honesty and integrity
are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era but the
mortar that holds together the foundation upon which
you must build a life. You learn that you don’t know
everything, it’s not your job to save the world and
that you can’t teach a pig to sing.
You learn to distinguish between guilt and
responsibility and the importance of setting
boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that the
only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and
that martyrs get burned at the stake. Then you learn
about love. How to love, how much to give in love,
when to stop giving and when to walk away.
You learn to look at relationships as they really
are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying
to control people, situations and outcomes. And you
learn that alone does not mean lonely. You also stop
working so hard at putting your feelings aside,
smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.
You learn that feelings of entitlement are
perfectly okay… and that it is your right to want
things and to ask for the things you want and
that sometimes it is necessary to make demands. You
come to the realization that you deserve to be treated
with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you
won’t settle for less. And you learn that your body
really is your temple. And you begin to care for it
and treat it with respect.
You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more
water, and take more time to exercise. You learn that
being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty, and so
you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels
the body, laughter fuels our soul. So, you take more
time to laugh and to play and to pray.
You learn that, for the most part, you get in life
what you believe you deserve… and that much of life
truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that
anything worth achieving is worth working for and that
wishing for something to happen is different than
working toward making it happen.
More importantly, you learn that in order to
achieve success you need direction, discipline and
perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all
alone… and that it’s okay to risk asking for help.
You learn the only thing you must truly fear is
the greatest robber baron of all: FEAR itself. You
learn to step right into and through your fears
because you know that whatever happens you can handle
it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to
live life on your own terms. And you learn to fight
for your life and not to squander it living under a
cloud of impending doom.
You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t
always get what you think you deserve and that
sometimes - bad things happen to unsuspecting, good
people. On these occasions you learn not to
personalize things. You learn that God isn’t punishing
you or failing to answer your prayers. It’s just life
happening.
And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal
state - the ego. You learn that negative feelings such
as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and
redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you
and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn
to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges
instead of walls.
You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in
many of the simple things we take for granted, things
that millions of people upon the earth can only dream
about. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for
yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise
to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for
less than your heart’s desire.
And you hang a wind chime outside your window so
you can listen to the wind.
And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep
trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful
possibility.
Finally, with courage in your heart and God
inside, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and
you begin to design the life you want to live as best
you can.
Trust Jesus. He promised us "I will be with you always til the end of time."
Christmas and finding God
December 23rd, 2005 by j3pThere was once a man who didn’t believe in God and he didn’t hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.
One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived.
She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!"
So she and the children left, and he stayed home.
A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm.
He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening.
Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then there was another thump. He looked out, but couldn’t see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window.
In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and could not go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them.
The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It is warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.
But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and did not seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.
The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumbs trail leading to the barn. They still didn’t catch on.
Now he was getting frustrated He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.
"Why don’t they follow me?" he exclaimed. "Can’t they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn’t follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.
Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it.
His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn, and one by one the other geese followed it to safety.
He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!"
Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier.
"Why would God want to be like us? That’s ridiculous!"
Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese — blind, lost, perishing. God sent His Son to become like us so He could show the way and save us. As the winds and blinding snow died down, the man’s soul became hushed and quiet while he pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow and prayed his first prayer:
"Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"
A Clever Dog
December 1st, 2005 by j3p-Author and Source Unknown
A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again.
So, he goes over to the dog and notices he has a note in his mouth. He takes the note and it reads "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well."
The butcher looks inside and, lo and behold, there is a ten dollar Note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it’s about closing time, he decides to shut up shop and follow the dog.
So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street when he comes To a level crossing.
The dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button. Then he waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and he walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.
The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable.
The butcher is in awe at this stage. The dog checks out the times, and then sits on one of the seats provided. Along comes a bus. The dog walks around to the front, looks at the number, and goes back to his seat.
Another bus comes. Again the dog goes and looks at the number, notices it’s the right bus, and climbs on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, follows him onto the bus.
The bus travels through the town and out into the suburbs, the dog Looking at the scenery. Eventually he gets up, and moves to the front of the bus. He stands on 2 back paws and pushes the button to stop the bus. Then he gets off, his groceries still in his mouth.
Well, dog and butcher are walking along the road, and then the dog turns into a house. He walks up the path, and drops the groceries on the step.
Then he walks back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself against the door. He goes back down the path, runs up to the door and again, it throws himself against it. There’s no answer at the house, so the dog goes back down the path, jumps up on a narrow wall, and walks along the perimeter of the garden. He gets to the window, and beats his head against it several
times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.
times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.
The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him.
The butcher runs up, and stops the guy. "What in heaven’s name are You doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!" to which the guy responds: "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog’s forgotten his key."
Reflection:
Looks like some, people will never be satisfied with what they’ve got.
When it comes to the work place, Employers do not know how to appreciate their people who have served them loyally through the years. I’ve seen companies lose good people for the simple fact their leaders failed to show appreciation. Employers with big egos enjoy the fact that they have more power and authority than others. They show, in the way they give orders and directions, that they think they are superior. They get a kick out of displaying this superiority. People who do this are fools, and everyone but them knows it. They are never satisfied because they could not be satisfied even if their people perform well. They don’t listen to the opinion and ideas of their subordinates.
Why? Because of their stupid pride and insecurity.
People of this kind will never be satisfied. Why? Because they are so busy wrapped up in themselves and, fact is, the self can never be satisfied. Happy and productive people are always those who are "others-centered" rather than "self- centered." The greatest idea of leadership is not someone who throws his weight around. Rather, he is a servant. As Bible would say, "He who wish to be a leader should first be a servant."
His joy is derived from delivering a job that others benefit from his contribution. Aim for service and success will follow.
PARTNERS AND MARRIAGE…
November 10th, 2005 by j3p
by EduardoJose E. Calasanz
I have never met a man who didn’t want to be
loved. But I have seldom met a man who didn’t fear
marriage. Something about the closure seems
constricting, not enabling. Marriage seems easier
to understand for what it cuts out of our lives than
for what it makes possible within our lives.
When I was younger this fear immobilized me. I
did not want to make a mistake. I saw my friends
get married for reasons of social acceptability, or
sexual fever, or just because they thought it was
the logical thing to do. Then I watched, as they
and their partners became embittered and petty in
their dealings with each other. I looked at older
couples and saw, at best, mutual toleration of
each other. I imagined a lifetime of loveless nights
and bickering and could not imagine subjecting
myself or someone else to such a fate.
And yet, on rare occasions, I would see old
couples who somehow seemed to glow in each
other’s presence. They seemed really in love, not
just dependent upon each other and tolerant of
each other’s foibles. It was an astounding sight,
and it seemed impossible. How, I asked myself,
can they have survived so many years of
sameness, so much irritation at the other’s habits?
What keeps love alive in them, when most of us
seem unable to even stay together, much less love
each other? The central secret seems to be in
choosing well. There is something to the claim of
fundamental compatibility. Good people can create
a bad relationship, even though they both dearly
want the relationship to succeed. It is important to
find someone with whom you can create a good
relationship from the outset. Unfortunately, it is
hard to see clearly in the early stages.
Sexual hunger draws you to each other and colors
the way you see yourselves together. It blinds you
to the thousands of little things by which
relationships eventually survive or fail. You need to
find a way to see beyond this initial overwhelming
sexual fascination. Some people choose to involve
themselves sexually and ride out the most heated
period of sexual attraction in order to see what is
on the other side. This can work, but it can also
leave a trail of wounded hearts. Others deny the
sexual side altogether in an attempt to get to know
each other apart from their sexuality. But they
cannot see clearly, because the presence of
unfulfilled sexual desire looms so large that it
keeps them from having any normal perception of
what life would be like together. The truly lucky
people are the ones who manage to become long-
time friends before they realize they are attracted
to each other. They get to know each other’s
laughs, passions, sadness, and fears. They see
each other at their worst and at their best. They
share time together before they get swept into the
entangling intimacy of their sexuality.
This is the ideal, but not often possible. If you fall
under the spell of your sexual attraction
immediately, you need to look beyond it for other
keys to compatibility. One of these is laughter.
Laughter tells you how much you will enjoy each
other’s company over the long term. If your
laughter together is good and healthy, and not at
the expense of others, then you have a healthy
relationship to the world. Laughter is the child of
surprise. If you can make each other laugh, you
can always surprise each other. And if you can
always surprise each other, you can always keep
the world around you new. Beware of a relationship
in which there is no laughter. Even the most
intimate relationships based only on seriousness
have a tendency to turn sour. Over time, sharing a
common serious viewpoint on the world tends to
turn you against those who do not share the same
viewpoint, and your relationship can become based
on being critical together.
After laughter, look for a partner who deals with the
world in a way you respect. When two people first
get together, they tend to see their relationship as
existing only in the space between the two of
them. They find each other endlessly fascinating,
and the overwhelming power of the emotions they
are sharing obscures the outside world. As the
relationship ages and grows, the outside world
becomes important again. If your partner treats
people or circumstances in a way you can’t
accept, you will inevitably come to grief. Look at
the way she cares for others and deals with the
daily affairs of life. If that makes you love her more,
your love will grow. If it does not, be careful. If you
do not respect the way you each deal with the
world around you, eventually the two of you will not
respect each other.
Look also at how your partner confronts the
mysteries of life. We live on the cusp of poetry and
practicality, and the real life of the heart resides in
the poetic. If one of you is deeply affected by the
mystery of the unseen in life and relationships,
while the other is drawn only to the literal and the
practical, you must take care that the distance
doesnt become an unbridgeable gap that leaves
you each feeling isolated and
misunderstood.
There are many other keys, but you must find
them by ourself. We all have unchangeable parts
of our hearts that we will not betray and private
commitments to a vision of life that we will not
deny. If you fall in love with someone who cannot
nourish those inviolable parts of you, or if you
cannot nourish them in her, you will find yourselves
growing further apart until you live in separate
worlds where you share the business of life, but
never touch each other where the heart lives and
dreams. From there it is only a small leap to the
cataloging of petty hurts and daily failures that
leaves so many couples bitter and unsatisfied with
their
mates.
So choose carefully and well. If you do, you will
have chosen a partner with whom you can grow,
and then the real miracle of marriage can take
place in your hearts. I pick my words carefully
when I speak of a miracle. But I think it is not too
strong a word. There is a miracle in marriage. It is
called transformation. Transformation is one of the
most common events of nature. The seed
becomes the flower. The cocoon becomes the
butterfly. Winter becomes spring and love
becomes a child. We never question these,
because we see them around us every day. To us
they are not miracles, though if we did not know
them they would be impossible to believe.
Marriage is a transformation we choose to make.
Our love is planted like a seed, and in time it
begins to flower. We cannot know the flower that
will blossom, but we can be sure that a bloom will
come. If you have chosen carefully and wisely, the
bloom will be good. If you have chosen poorly or for
the wrong reason, the bloom will be flawed. We are
quite willing to accept the reality of negative
transformation in a marriage. It was negative
transformation that always had me terrified of the
bitter marriages that I feared when I was younger.
It never occurred to me to question the dark
miracle that transformed love into harshness and
bitterness. Yet I was unable to accept the
possibility that the first heat of love could be
transformed into something positive that was
actually deeper and more meaningful than the heat
of fresh passion. All I could believe in was the
power of this passion and the fear that when it
cooled I would be left with something lesser and
bitter. But there is positive transformation as well.
Like negative transformation, it results from a slow
accretion of little things. But instead of death by a
thousand blows, it is growth by a thousand
touches of love. Two histories intermingle. Two
separate beings, two separate presence, two
separate consciousnesses come together and
share a view of life that passes before them. They
remain separate, but they also become one. There
is an expansion of awareness, not a closure and a
constriction, as I had once feared. This is not to
say that there is not tension and there are not
traps. Tension and traps are part of every choice of
life, from celibate to monogamous to having
multiple lovers. Each choice contains within it the
lingering doubt that the road not taken somehow
more fruitful and exciting, and each becomes
dulled to the richness that it alone contains. But
only marriage allows life to deepen and expand
and be leavened by the knowledge that two have
chosen, against all odds, to become one. Those
who live together without marriage can know the
pleasure of shared company, but there is a
specific gravity in the marriage commitment that
deepens that experience into something richer and
more complex.
So do not fear marriage, just as you should not
rush into it for the wrong reasons. It is an act of
faith and it contains within it the power of
transformation.
If you believe in your heart that you have found
someone with whom you are able to grow, if you
have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless
attraction of the road not taken and the partner not
chosen, if you have the strength of heart to
embrace the cycles and seasons that your love
will experience, then you may be ready to seek
the miracle that marriage offers. If not, then wait.
The easy grace of a marriage well made is worth
your patience. When the time comes, a thousand
flowers will bloom…endlessly.
