How to Be Happy

I get a daily email from an "uncle". If you're Filipino, you get what I mean by "uncle". Anyhow, these emails are inspiring, uplifting and motivating so instead of sending an email blast, I will post them on my blog, in hopes that you, too, are inspired, uplifted and motivated.

How To Be Happy

Take full responsibility for your life.
Stop blaming others.
See yourself as the cause of what happens to you.

Do things you like to do.
Don't stay in a job you don't like.
Participate in life at the highest level you can.

Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts.
Be gentle and kind and patient with yourself.

Give yourself the simple pleasures of life abundantly.
Wear clothes you feel good in, be grateful, think of others, etc.

Watch what you say. Avoid self put-downs.
Stop being critical of yourself and others.

Take care of your body.
Give it exercise and good food.

Be willing to create a life-style that generates and nourishes self-esteem.
Associate with others with high esteem.

Acknowledge yourself frequently.
Keep a diary of your successes and accomplishments.

Avoid comparing yourself with others.
Remember that it's who we are, not what we do, that's important.

Give yourself permission to do nothing periodically.
Schedule time by yourself.

Frequently take deep breaths.
Discover the benefit and pleasure of breathing fully.

Eat quality food when you can.
On occasion. don't look at the right side of the menu.

Stop trying to change others.

Look into a mirror regularly
and say "I love you,".

Stop feeling guilty and saying "I'm sorry".
See mistakes as valuable lessons and avoid judging yourself.

Consciously generate positive thoughts and feelings of self-love
in place of old thoughts of inadequacy.

Be willing to laugh at yourself and at life.
Stop taking yourself so seriously.

Accept compliments from others without embarrassment.
Don't invalidate their positive thoughts and feelings about you.

Be kind to your mind.
Don't hate yourself for having negative thoughts.
Gently change your thoughts.

Keep your awareness and your thoughts focused in present time
instead of living in the past or future.

Acknowledge others frequently.
Tell them what you like and appreciate in them.

Invest money in yourself.
Go to seminars, workshops and courses that develop your talents.

Make a list of 10 things
you love doing and do them frequently.

Treat yourself as you would treat someone you really loved.

Be kind to animals, and to humans too :)

When a character of a person in not clear to you, look at his/her friends.

Seek to understand, rather than judge.

and finally,

'A SURE WAY TO LOSE HAPPINESS IS TO WANT IT AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYTHING ELSE !"



**** all good things are meant to be shared.

Sleep with Me

"To get the girls to sleep with me, I tell them they are beautiful and pretty."

No joke! Seriously, that came out of the mouth of my five year old son! Out of the mouths of babes!

I asked him where he learned to say that. "No one."

I told him that it would be better for him to say, "To get the girls to like me..." Of course, he asked why. I told him that it didn't sound right if he said it the other way.

Both of our bambinos have grown accustomed to having Mimah (my mom), Nana (my mom's sis), my sis, Lola (Be's mom) or me sleeping with them in their room.

Obviously, he said that without malicious intent. Our lil man has been really good about showering the ladies with his sweet words. The fact that he said what he did though... oh boy, I don't even want to imagine.

Blessed... again.

I kept telling myself that I would make every effort to revive my blog. Unfortunately, it has taken me this long to inch up to finally blogging a new post.

Alas, I am here and I do hope to frequent this blog as I initially intended.

I suppose I should catch everyone up on the latest and long overdue news on my Blessed *Catherine Experience. Without further ado, we are having another BABY! As this good news came to our surprise, I immediately prayed for our sweet dear friends who have been TTC for quite some time now. I know that it must be difficult to have to go through such an incredible test and trial of faith and patience.

Although I have been blessed... again, my health has not always been the easiest. Some have wondered, but have never asked from fear of either embarrassing or upsetting me. I was born with a tumor of the tongue called Lymphangioma. Growing up with this birth defect was, in my opinion, more difficult for my family than it was for me. The hospital was not my mom's favorite place to be. She could barely go there to visit a friend, let alone stomach the pain of watching your own child being treated for a condition that almost no one knew about.

I was fortunate enough to have been treated by one of the best head and neck surgeons in the world, Dr. Thomas Calcaterra. He actually had treated another patient before me witht the same condition. The worst my condition ever got was after Dr. Calcaterra did a biopsy on my tongue to confirm its malignancy. Thankfully, the tumor was benign, however, my tongue took a turn for the worst. It was so incredibly swollen that I could not close my month. My speech was impaired causing me to communicate with only pen and paper. I was then hospitalized at UCLA's intensive care unit. I remember how hard it was for my family to see me like that. It honestly looked harder than it really felt. For safety precautions, Dr. Calcaterra decided to do tracheostomy to provide a more secure airway. The swelling eventually subsided with antibiotics and time. I was then moved to the observation unit and eventually discharged.

Although that was a major part of my extensive medical history, I am reminded of how incredibly blessed I am with the life that has been bestowed upon me now. I refuse to complain. I am Blessed and shall remain blessed.