Get Lost to Get Found

Getting lost in yourself is a good thing.
Photo credit - Link

You do not choose to lose a part of yourself. It can be the tedious drudgery of a life that is not enriching you. It can be the unfulfilled childhood dream that you have had when you were a little kid that never forgives you for getting forgotten. It can be the sense of loss after a broken part of yourself. A broken relationship with a lover, a friend, or a family member that keeps you up at night.

But sometimes, it takes only an acknowledgement that when you feel lost, it is usually because of a broken relationship with your real self. You lose yourself in all the needs to be done instead of what you want to do.

So when these times come to you, it is a good idea to wander about. Literally by going places by yourself or just doing something that you can enjoy on your own. You might be more loving and accepting of yourself when you get into the habit of giving yourself some time.

The one thing about getting lost in yourself is adding more value to your own self worth. Spending time with yourself adds worth in all accounts. Time is a precious commodity you rarely give to yourself because of the rat race you might be in.

So yeah, pack an overnight bag and be someplace you have never been. Learn to be with yourself and enjoying that time on your own. Be selfish because it is not entirely a bad thing to be once in a while if it means not losing yourself to the demands of your life.

As you know, trying to get lost and get you found in the end.

Where Are You Taking Me?

Let the free bird inside you out - curiosity can let you rediscover who you really are.
Photo credit - Link

In the odd days that come by, there are sometimes the gut feeling or the hunches that you just have to take action for. It might be the sudden urge to take a different route in going to work or how you get there. And then you get to work a little bit earlier and find out a hidden patch of scenery on the way.

There are also times when a guess can make you lose a bit or a lot. Like betting on the 6/49 lotto can be a one in a million chance but it can become part of your monthly budget even when you do it once a week. Or you took an uneducated option of investing in stocks that just got a bit ugly just when the value was spiraling up the charts.

Nonetheless, seeking uncertainty can make you realize who you are and who you can be. This is the sense in pushing your own envelope and putting yourself out of your mundane comfort zones. It does not matter how little or how important your uncertain steps are - just do them in a consistent period and you get to find out who you really are in the end.

Something or nothing can come out of your effort to be unsure, but the sense of learning and experiencing the other facets of yourself (some you do not know you have them in you) can be rewards by themselves. You give the universe something to play with when you are uncertain. You are asking the All Powerful to a challenge to surprise you once in a while.

So do not disregard these hunches or urgency to take a vacation from the usual. Go for the ride and refrain yourself from asking where-are-you-taking-me questions. Just learn what they have shown you at the end - a prism of who you really are in the big picture of things.

Or maybe life may just surprise you out of your mediocre routine. Perhaps uncertainty experiences can build your own strength to be, well - you. Never stop learning about yourself. Never give up on knowing your own potential.

Immersion

Immerse yourself in your curiosities because they lead you to where your soul is happy.
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Uncertainty

Uncertainty can be your answer to the most of your life turns. There are no assurance no guarantees. Only your inner strength, humor, and faith can truly make your chosen path your very own destiny. Claim it! Life can surprise you once in a while with impossible things called miracles.
Photo credit - Mine

Wandering In A Different Wonderland

Photo credits - Link
Today is the first anniversary for my moving abroad! Celebrating it with immortality - by writing! Booyah!

There is always something special connected with firsts. First baby steps. First tooth. First knee bruise. First home. First kiss. First love. First trips. First jobs. First heartbreak. First move. First career. The list goes on. All firsts and usually skips to the lasts. But before we do the bunny hops of lasts, let us look into the firsts. 

For this case, first move abroad. It is like going into the proverbial rabbit hole and becoming Alice in Wonderland personified. Never mind the culture shock or the inevitable realization that heck, you will change. Everything around you is different. 

You will be skinned alive and apart by a new set of judgement and perception. You will be shaken right down to the core of your established persona and end up with a stranger looking back at you in the mirror. You cannot trust yourself at this point of the journey as you are starting to feel you wandered too far off yourself to find you. People you expect to understand you - would really won't and your personal relationships might suffer due to double standards and unmet expectations. This would be one of those ugliest moments when you realize - who you are is being questioned and it would take a lot of faith and effort to remain true to yourself while trying to embrace who you have to become.

You will suffer a great quiet loss of your old life and old ways as you try to adapt to the foreign routines and way of life in your new location. There will come a point in time when you ask yourself if all the changes you must do are all worth the pain and loss of the process. Doubts will grow their sad heads in between who you can be and what you can only do (for now). You will be forced to some things that you never thought you would. These things are not usually criminal, but morally tugging at your heart. You will learn the Big Jungle of Life living abroad. Live and let live. 

You will start to stumble into things you never thought you can see, hear, taste, touch and feel. The movies you have seen will never be as great as the actual scenes you are actively being a part of. Even the books you read would never find the words to encapsulate the things in your mind when you experience something not usual before. You will feel ignorant and silly, but you know it is necessary to be aware of the mundane and acceptable knowledge and behavior around you. You have the lame excuse to be a "newbie" to embarrass yourself in more ways than one.

People will all seem unkind. No one can understand you or actually know how you are feeling adjusting to this new environment. You will have no support group to cry your hearts out when you feel lost, alone, lonely, and just regretful. You begin to be socially withdrawn and unassuming thinking this would make you stronger. But bit by bit, you find yourself being tired of your own drama and decide to tread on different waters. You try to associate with groups that you think can help you enjoy your quiet misery. And with some trial and error, you manage to snag a good friend or two who still cannot understand you but is genuinely concern about you. And that opens the rest of the windows and doors you locked and along the way you meet people who are lesser unkind. Even in one point, you will be able to pay the same understanding to someone who is a new kid in the block too.

You can never be thankful enough for true friends and moral support you managed to keep with the help of technology (thanks Skype, e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, among other Apps!). They will remind you who you really are no matter where you are deep inside. And in the end of this getting lost by wandering off to different shores, you become more better albeit a more stronger you. The you they know is still within you but you know you are becoming a different person too. The proof that these are your truest supporters is how they remain in your life even if you changed - or per se your location just changed. The ones that slipped out of your fast changing life events, either cannot accept the real new you or decided your paths has reached its end together. Never be sorry for finding out who these people are. They are the ones who deserve to be called true and also are to be listed to your private victory parties or success picnics.

You will find a routine far far different from what you have perceived when you decided to go abroad.  Forgive yourself and your naivete. Plans and expectations have their ways of creeping up on you but do not listen to them. Pay more attention to what you can do and be more open to the things that you must do. At this point, never say never at all. The great thing about this new place is that no one knows you and do not care if you make mistakes along the way as long as you find a way of your own. And it is with greatest hopes that when you find your own path in this new world, it is usually something more meaningful and successful in time. 

But ease your heart and fears. What you might go through might be entirely different from what you have been reading. So decide seriously this time if your first move abroad would either make or break you. Either answer can still be productive as long as you are the kind of person who wanders for the experience and not for the end results. Do not be tied with helpless goals like earning more money or being treated any differently when you have been to where you are right now. Make your own first move abroad when you are ready for a constant overhaul of who you are and you do not mind labels. When you learn to be with yourself no matter where you are. And a little curiosity of pushing your mettle never grow old.

So we might reach the topic of lasts at this point, but really, does the journey end? I do not think so. Even if you have changed your demographics, you will feel this won't be the last move you will make in your life. Pun very much intended, thank you!

So go on, Alice. Curiosity got you this far...down the rabbit hole a new world exists. You are the protagonist of this story. Wander about the places you can be and the person you can become!

Learning How to Unlearn and Re-Learn about Your Finances

(Two not-so-broke girls after a 3-day Rich Dad Poor Dad seminar, Disclaimers apply.)

Another path in the future

"A book can never change your life unless you start within."

It was a no-brainer to attend a seminar about financial education and real estate investment (duh!). You had some time off and you got to have a close pal along with you to learn new stuffs. Cool. Doing one (or three days for this case) about money and real estate is not scary enough for 30-somethings with no financial background whatsoever. This is not a form of review and is purely written out of the gratitude we felt in learning about finance management.

So with as much as smart business casual outfit we can put together, we went to brave the 3-day seminar mentored by Mike “Pip” Stehlik who pretty looked like an awesome (but crazy, he told us himself) American about Canadian real estate and a bit of facts about money. Awkward small talks happened between complete strangers and at 9 am all of the lectures, discussions, and sarcastic humor went on. We had a class of about 17-20 people in a big Scotiabank Convention Center function room and it felt close-knitted enough to be able to know most of the class’ names. It was also a good thing that we had to switch sitting arrangements more (terrifying) than it was. Snicker right here. And yes, we did appreciate the (attempts on) stand-up comedy, Pip. Not to mention the Cash Flow game is an awesome tool to learn about good and bad investments.

And besides those points and the obvious repertoire between mentor and each student, we had actually been mind-blown about the “stuffs” we learned. These are only tips of the icebergs ladies and gentlemen but we are hoping it can inspire you to be curious enough to find out more (just like we were) and in a way paying it forward to somebody out there who might need options. 

You have to feel comfortable about being in debt.
We were taught to avoid death like a plague. But being in good debt that earns you positive cash flow can be a good thing. You have to learn to borrow money to invest in real estate, business, or even paper money. If you do not learn creative financing then you have no jumping point in launching you way to financial freedom.

Do not pay off your house mortgages and (sigh) get as many credit cards as you can.
Most financial planners and acquired financial common sense (that I found out are usually in the Industrial Revolution and no longer in the Information Age) would say pay off your house mortgages and do not think about your home equity line credit (HELC). Also, pay off your credit card billing statement and do not attempt to up your credit limit by any chance. Rethink and ponder. If you pay off your mortgages, your house becomes a liability and you cannot take out your HELC to use it to acquire other investment. Same goes with your credit cards too – they are the cheapest form of money you can afford and can use to dabble in say real estate.

 Being rich will cost you – a lot.
If you earn big money, you have to lose some big money and time. And if that is further advanced education on finance management and courses, personally we would not mind (financially, well it is a different stories for now). If you can work with mentors to guide you with your next steps to earn your first significant deals, what is there to fear? And if a mentor, like Pip, would help you in any way he can (he is a great guy) I’d say the price is worth paying for to be around people who can teach you to earn and keep money. And this is no rich quick scheme. The method of actually executing what you learn and building your wealth will take time and effort on your part. Everything is simple but not all of it will be easy.

Real estate is not an alien word to the average Joes and Janes – you can actually be part of it!
We often think of real estate only for people who can in the first place, afford one piece of property in the least. This is a common notion and we were fooled by it before. The five basic necessities to any human being are food, water, oxygen, clothing, and shelter. I repeat shelter. So at the end of the day, we all have someplace to rest and we call it usually a home – and home is real estate whether owned, rented, or leased. So no matter how much or so little you know about real estate – you are already involved as a real estate investor in a way.

But after hearing the possible ways you can creatively finance your way to have leverage in the industry, you can actually do it! And believe it or not, scam or not, you can actually do this by using other people’s money or with no money no credit on the line. Sounds crazy? Well, we were taught by one crazy American but we know some legit stuff now that years in schooling would not – being street smart about having, using, and keeping money.

Find solutions and the money will come.
People who are involved in real estate are judged to be unscrupulous individuals who are out to get money out of other people. But if you work your way in real estate with integrity and all legal means, you can actually help other people in their real estate problems in the long run. You will be the solutions provider and you will creatively find a solution to their real estate dilemmas so you can have a win-win situation for everybody involved. Your actual goal is to make everyone happy in the end. And always ask "how" instead of "I can't" is where it all boils down into.

How the big boys play the money game.
Corporations are there thriving in the finance industry and now we know why. The rich are there because they think differently about how to use money and fair laws in acquiring, managing, operating, and securing their companies. And so, if the rich people can actually thrive using the three-tiers of business, why can’t your future enterprise? Before we did not know how the corporate world functions and why the billionaires we know operate their empires – but with the pointers we were given, we can say we got it big boys and these girls have been given some nice wisdom nuggets.

 Always know your big WHY.

The ‘why’ part of you being financially educated is a big factor in keeping you in the path to your own financial freedom. It is your motivation to push yourself out of your ego and engage in the possibilities of improving your financial life.

Pip said with the contrarian methods that RDPD presents to the world, it can encourage people to discourage you to not try this at all or have cold feet in the commitment to putting this into practice. And sadly, the people that can discourage you are the people who tell you they love and support you. But be reminded that it is in human nature that people who love you can rob you in pursuing your dreams unknowingly because they are afraid of you being better than them and the changes that might happen if you actually not fail. So be ready to have negativity around your efforts. This is the road less traveled and you have to keep your sight on the bigger picture and keep your own positivity even if your cheering squad is not helping at all. 

So yeah, it was 3 days well spent from our part amidst the snow storms and social awkwardness. We have actually inspired ourselves to find a way to put the stuffs we learn here into practice and get the further education in our long term goals. Who knows where we will be sitting next? And before we left, unable to commit to the costly educational program as of now, we left Pip (and great team Tammy & Baz) telling him we will seek him out when we reach the top at the time when we make it BIG!

And yes, we have got a lot of side books from RDPD to read and adapt. It is a gradual unlearning and re-learning but we have to start somewhere. This is going to be a team consistent effort and we are hoping we can make it work in the next couple of years. So booyah for the initial step! Now, where do we put our purple library? (wink)

Of Cross Roads

Photo credit - Web
written 06.06.2012 inspired by the movie "Another Perfect Stranger"

Often the word crossroads mean uncertain times, feeling lost, and having too many options at once. Almost always, cross roads symbolize a very meaningful if not life changing event in our lives. 

We may not know it, but every day we get to see The Cross in our roads. Preachy and quite something quoted from the Bible, but at the end of the day - after the hustle and bustle - you just remember something good even if you have had a bad day. That is the Cross - that is the voice that might sound like our thoughts and decisions but actually, it is the very same voice we fail to listen from God. That is the very same hope that allows you to take another crossroad each day. 

At those times when we feel uncertainty creeping on us, listening becomes easier to do, do you agree? We ask for advises, we consult our shrinks, and we find all possible ways to reassure ourselves 'we are right'. We listen intently in the hope of finding the reassurance we desperately need. But in the middle of it all, we fail to listen to ourselves and we ignore the silent clues sent by Him to lead us in the right path.

This is the part when we get lost. The excruciating point that we lose hope. And at this point, listening to The Voice is nearly next to impossible. We cower in our bad turns and decisions and find it hard to believe that you put yourself in a tight spot. We react differently and take actions variously. Most of us, when decisions take the wrong turn, turn bitter in finding The Cross in the road. Some take the down fall graciously, understanding that sacrifice is crucial to success in their undertakings. But what we fail to understand is that The Cross in our roads gives us the directions if we listen earnestly. That suffering and feeling lost and defeated is not what The Cross would want for us. The process is necessary to teach us to wait. That faithful waiting requires hope. I remember the movie line saying when there is delay in what must be done right, it is only allowed because of His mercy not to leave anyone behind in being right. 

And when we reach the point when we have earned patience in waiting, we find ourselves listening back to The Voice present in each one of us. Then, our hearts and mind slowly open to the possibilities ... and with them comes options that cause confusion. With too many options unlocked, which way does The Cross would want us to go?

There are three steps to remind yourself when you encounter a crossroad. 
Listen.
Wait.
And above all times, always hope. 
The Cross in your road will give you the certainty that you will be found with the right path in time.

Celebrate Success...Celebrate You!

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Success is perceived differently between males and females. When a successful career woman comes to view, most people would wonder what she might be lacking of - and turns her negative points into big deals. They won't be looking at how big her achievement is or won't just go into details about why she became an achiever. Sadly, most people would likely observe her snappy wits coming across as offense or her no-sorry attitude in taking more of her work means she has no social life or refuses to become a domesticated wife. 

Compare this notion of success when a male comes into view. Most people would look at what he has achieved and ignores or instantly forgives his shortcomings. Society excuses males of their erring behavior just because they achieved something. Successful men who cheat on their wives are deemed normal or part of life. Successful men who lack time for their family are forgiven because they carry the burden of being achievers. 

Something is off balance here.  This has been the fault of society's dogma for women to be casted as the nurturers instead of achievers. Nurturers tend to tune out their own worth instead of celebrating their achievements because their go-getter attitude comes in conflict with their caring side. But we have to break away on the whole dogma and we also consider the other side of the line.

Males who tend to be nurturers are deemed failure for being un-achievers. In this changing times, males who tend to stay at home to help out their wives that might probably be working are perceived weak or lack initiative to take on the role of provider. In uncertain economies, role reversals are only expected and should be taken by both genders as a situation both should adapt together.

Maybe if we individuals start to truly acknowledge that sex role reversals are possible in this modern world without the pre-conceived notions of dogma and society - we can make both successes from both species more of a celebration than a condemnation. When we based success as a non-gender situation, then we can truly embrace ourselves as individuals. Measure of success would drastically change - it is not about being a good mother, a good provider - it would become more of your little achievements as you.  

Success is about being and having a well-balanced life. It is about acknowledging your own baby steps in achieving something far more greater than dogma yardsticks - becoming you truer self by engaging into something you truly love doing. People who are both successful and happy  are the people who went ahead and did their own thing.

So maybe starting with that you want to do is the first milestone to your success. You can be inspired by someone else's success but remember you can never own it. We all have our own struggles and thus we are entitled to our own sucess and celebrations.

So don't compare yourself to other people. We are all born unique - and logically speaking - we can only achieve our own success and no one else's standards or dogma can make it of lesser importance or worth. Do not be sorry if you think you have not lived up to anyone's standards - you should be celebrating.

Celebrate success and thereby do not hesitate to celebrate you! 

I Am Here ...Now What Do I Do?

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Never forget your curiosity to try something new.

It was a dream you wanted to come true or maybe a goal you wanted to accomplished. And now, the dream has become your reality and the goal has been achieved - now what do you do?

Ever wondered what most protagonist do after their happily ever afters and winners have won their trophies? Well, for the record, aside from those book twos or trilogy movies - most of the happy endings do not really state what you do with the happy. 

So what do people who are already winners do? They strive to dream bigger and be happier. It is not instiable ambition to get ahead of what you have already succeeded in doing. Look at athletes who become champions in their sports each year - they only compete with themselves in the end having no one else to beat or displace.

Well, it is like that in life apparently. You can never say, I have done this and that now I must stop. Even at the threshold of your success or failure, you can never stop struggling in beating yourself. You cannot be too hard on yourself either. The essential yin-yang is to be observed to remain sane and non self-critical. 

You will not remain the same - that can be assured as you reach different levels of experience in what you decide to do. Dare to say, you can never limit yourself in what you can possibly do, have or become. Life throws a curveball most of the time and choices define who you can be. It was never a question of antagonists but a question on whether you are willing to put yourself out there. Meaning, to be strong enough to be your own potential no matter where life takes you. 

People fear both sides of the coin flip - failure and success - because both outcomes mean changes. And changes, being creatures of habit - is not a favorite term of human beings who thrive on security and constancy. But believe that was meant for you will always be for you and what is not will not be given to you no matter the circumstance. If you are a believer in making your own destiny then you cannot deny fate as well. You run your life, you run your show, but it does not discredit life to run you.

So when you get there - no matter where your life path takes you, remember the milestones in your life. Think how far you have come this far and never regret what you did or did not do. Leave your baggage as you trudge along your road. Imminent failure or success will still chase you anyway regardless if you choose or not. Be nice. Be happy. Be positive and chances are, you will never run out of something to do. You may be in some jump off point in your life right now, but remember that you have led yourself at that spot and you only need to plunge and believe what you have is enough for the path you intend to take. 

And when you do doubt yourself, remember that your life is not defined by a single moment or chance. Your life will be defined how far you have failed or succeeded in what you were destined to do. And no one can make a mistake of knowing what is it you are supposed to do - but yourself. So as always said, stay true to yourself and success or failure will not faze you. 

Choosing Happiness

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I choose happiness no matter which side I am in.

Have you ever wondered what lies behind the reflection you have the mirror. Do you look at it so closely, you loose sight of the imperfections that dwells in your eyes?

Yes, the eyes. You can see the soul inside the eyes, they say. Eyes can give you away, and eyes can hide something to tell about. But the same eyes can expose you to the truth at hand. Perhaps that is why the mirror and both its sides can hardly look at each other hard. They never meet eyes. This is how most psychologists would describe the image of the id and the ego. Self-perception is not an easy subject to tackle. 

That is because both sides of the mirror are usually at odds with each other, the other side reflects while the other side is shunned in the dark. But remember, it depends on which side of the mirror you prefer and what your eyes would like to see. Most wise men have reached a level of marriage between these two sides, the side you think you are and the side that you actually are. Maybe that is why they ooze with such profoundness - all sides agree on something at one point.

If you ever tagged yourself as neutral or trying to balance objectivity and subjectivity, at some point in your life, you get to a certain dilemma where something bad can give something good and something good can only make matter worse. You harbor the Pollyana personality that everyone that is a bit jaded or cycnical can only make it out as being a fake. But deep inside, you know you are not. You know it is the only choice to be happy of being who you are - choosing to be happy with what you are. 

Rules of engagement defines how to achieve the balance of being the surface between two sides. But you become stoic, sometimes even toxic dwelling on the middle. You tend to be on halt, be indecisive, and in the end get lost. Life is never black or white but dwelling on the gray also does not define who you can become. 

Maybe it is the universal law that says you got to choose as you are the master of your ship and no one else can make the decisions in your life but you. So choose to be happy. Why choose gray, black, white? There is always the rainbow. 

You Got to Get Ruined

Photo credit -  Link
A jump might ruin your balance but it sure makes you alive! (A note to self)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

6 am and the workaholic got up to face a brand new day. Stressful mornings and Mondays are not ideal for embracing the start of the week, but heck, got to do the motions to earn the daily wage. Got into work a bit late, tired, spent, and wishing its already weekend. 

Familiar? Yes, this is the usual day for a yuppie. A tired yuppie. Does not matter how much pay you take home, but looking at these people make you go want to ask them, "So where is the rest of your life?"

Answers can range from: None. Nada. Not happening. Not until that filed leave. Still got work to finish...work has literally became the excuse not to live life! Better take a look in the mirror and someone older might look back at you!

So before you hit the panic button, knowing this might be you, hold on a sec. Assess yourself, are you falling into the drudgery of your own life? Has your routine have you wishing it was all weekend on weekdays? Then wake up and smell the coffee ~ all yuppies tend to do that. Not because they have to - just because they have not yet figured out what makes them complete and utterly contented. If you find yourself in this kind of rat race, then step back. Do you really want to work like this and miss the rest of your life?

Ideal as it may sound, you got to get your life back. You got to get ruined. You got to hit the rock bottom so you can hit your noggin into something solid to shake you back into real life. Repeat that, real life! Haven't you notice you become philosophical whenever you face failure? Aside from justification purposes, really, you get a lesson or two. All up to you if you manage to learn from them of course. 

Being vulnerable teaches you to be humble. It teaches you to draw your strength not from what you have accomplished or have but rather on the person that you have become. Accepting failure takes a lot more courage than gaining over the adversity you might be facing. Getting ruined means giving yourself a chance to piece yourself together again. 

So if you are hitting a rough patch, breaking up, lost your wallet, or really just being ruined, accept it. Just think of the ancient ruins in Greece - they are there to remind us how a great civilization can crumble without reprieve. Life is a bitch, I heard someone shout out today, but you can bitch back too no matter how ruined you feel. 

Life do not allow you to just do the motions to be alive. Life is uncertain to keep you guessing what happens next in your real life. No matter how much you hide yourself in work loads or some excuses, life will still bitch at you. He is like that prefect that keeps a constant eye on you when you become too routinary. 

So when you are at your ruins, keep that head up. Still search for the everyday magic that drudgery can take away in your daily life. Keep looking for the magic instead of the obstacles before you. If you cannot find luck, then create your own opportunity. Do not just cringe (well, at the start its a natural reaction) when life gets you. Life fetches you every now and then to keep you grounded. Just to keep you real. 

She Should Have Been Named Lilith

Photo credit - Link (Web)
Lilith - The Forgotten First Wife of Adam
written by BEV on 09.28.2010

She always was a curious cat. She flipped comics even before she can read. She snatched books older than she was. She had a thirst for knowledge even for a little bits and pieces. She was the annoying kid from class who challenged her teacher just because their text book said something opposite to what their mentor was saying. 

It was no surprise she grew up always questioning things. It did not mean though that she was smarter than anyone else or that she is better than everyone. She just wanted to understand what most people find boring or irrelevant. There came a point even when her family did not understand what she is. And for a while, she lost herself knowing she disappoints her loved ones because she did not behave like she was told to. It was too sad a part of her is not accepted by people she expected that could. But she answered her own question one day and refused to doubt herself ever again.

Everyone else around her dubbed her unreasonable when she just wanted answers. She was called spiteful when she just wanted things discussed. She was a frank and outspoken girl who never stops with the reason just because. Not a rebel, but a wondering soul she is and a free spirit at that. Relief came from people who think like she is and not judge her for not being the emotional woman that most people assume any woman would be. Rationality is always her tool for figuring things out. This blocks her ability to feel emotions at their full blossom but it does not stop her from being kind or even being hurt.

She wanted things explained but respects mystery and uncertainty. Some find this hard, but to her she knows balance is the only way to go even with her thinking. She does not aim to always be on top of any game or win the prize, she just want to take a meaningful part in something. When she commits a mistake, she does not have second thoughts in saying "I was wrong" or "I am sorry" or even "It's my fault." For her, she was ordinary enough to be human and admit to be wrong or weak. But what sets her apart from most people is her refusal to make her humanity an excuse in committing mistakes. She believes she can learn always from everything she goes through in her life, no exceptions. 

But strange reactions is always prompted by people who do not understand her. Envy, jealousy, resentment, and even hatred. She does not understand that people can be so irrelevant sometimes to what she is just trying to do. This does not really help her in just being herself.

All she wants is to be herself. And to all the women trail blazing the paths less taken and finding ways to enjoy their own lives, KUDOS to you! Like the unpopular first wife of Adam, we are the epitome of independent thinking and still being loved anyhow. 

We are all, indeed, could have been from the woman named Lilith who took a chance to defy what is accepted to find her own joy and discover who she really was. So embrace yourself and never shy away from unconventionality. 

The Bell Tolls

written by BEV. 4.10.2010
Photo credit - Link

It is sad to know that someone has passed away. As living beings, we all know that death is something permanent. What we know of someone has already ended and even strangers can feel the loss.

We are naturally in grief. Every ending of a life gathers people together as much as a new birth of life. In such occasions, it makes one appreciate the company we have when we are in milestones in our lives. Death is only the beginning- cliché but it holds true for a new leaf after someone’s death.

It is of the death of a loved one we come to realize the value of a person’s sympathy and moral support. Many friends, people you haven’t seen in years come together in hoping to become a haven of comfort to you and your family.
In our busy lives, we often forget the nicety of showing these support network the appreciation we have for their presence in our lives. Life is short and during times of death, we come to think the significance we have imprinted in someone else’s life. We are social creatures and it is important to be aware of our time out together with people we cherish.

We do not want to wake up one day and find out death has taken someone dear to us. Death is a natural impending force and no one can
escape it. So we must be thankful of the blessings of people that surround us during our grief and after wards.
We must never forget that we are still all fragile and a soothing company could do miracles in our tired spirit to move on and continue the struggle to a meaningful life. And for the dead who we do not know might be looking upon us, would find out more about his influence in these people who are there to mourn his loss.

When confronted with death, people are unaware of the power it gives to the ones the dead leave behind. It means they are encouraged to make their lives even more meaningful than what they have now.  Dying is more like sacrificing the meaning of your life so someone who knows you can be catapulted in to the realization that changes can still come in their lives – no matter how good or bad of a state their lives might be in.

Death is not the end, it is only a harbinger that there is more out there to feel, to change, to know, and ultimately to accept. Death is one of the remarkable truths that almost equals time in its consistency in human lives. Learning to hear the bell toll might be hurtful because it is usually sudden and unwanted – but when it comes calling to you, do not be afraid.

Take death’s hand and smile at the life you made. At that point, you can feel all your life having meaning at the look of your mourner’s faces. Then you will find joy and then later on relief that you did your best to make something out of yourself in someone else’s life.