When The Fire Grows Cold

I meant to post this blog last Saturday but I had a very short time to complete it and the laptop's battery I'm using gave up on me. Ang daming sinabi. Here it is:

May 28, 2011

I only have a few hours to compose, edit and publish this post. I'll be leaving for Cuneta Astrodome. Today is the third and last day of Ignite, the 3-day Campus Conference of LifeBox. Visit the site here for more info: http://ignite.ph/.

To say it was exhilarating is an understatement. I have received many take home points already. I wanted to blog about every point because each of them hit home run to my heart. But as of now, the one that made it to the top of my list is this:

We all have the tendency to grow cold.
-Pastor Daniel Trinidad

It was a cold hard truth slapped to my face. It was a truth that I don't just know know it. I have lived it. It happened to me.

I met Jesus in my Christian high school. I remember praying the prayer of salvation, acknowledging my sins before Him and accepting Him as my Lord and personal Savior. But my relationship to Him remained to be merely that of an acquiantance. I didn't read my Bible nor pray to Him that often. At that time also, I was in a relationship with a guy from school.

The Secret to Real Beauty

In Google search page, I typed in the word "beauty" and hit enter. Search results offered me an array of articles - how to achieve it, ways to maintain it and dreadful signs warning you that you need to double-time in your efforts in keeping it. Eat Healthy. Exercise Regularly. Use an ample amount of the right skin care products. We read it on the magazines, we watch it on the TV and we see them on the billboards. We know them by heart. But do these things really work to make and keep you beautiful?

Before I answer this question, let me share this personal story:

It was a typical afternoon in the office. The yuppies are huddled in the conference room, laptops in front of us, preparing for the upcoming trainings and projects. Four of us were there. Israeli Boy, Little Princess, NBSB Girl and I (for anonymity, I will use code names). We were hungry but everyone was too lazy preoccupied to walk over to the phone and punch those delivery numbers. In short, di bale nang pare-pareho tayong magutom 'wag lang mapagod.

Then one of my colleagues arrived. Let's call him Gentle Giant. Again, we were all too apathetic preoccupied with our work that we were not really mindful of who comes in and goes out. Little Princess, went out of the room. A few minutes later, she came back, a Cheeseburger meal from McDonald's in her hand. With a sheepish smile, she asked us, "Gusto nyo?" NBSB Girl and I exchanged meaningful glances. We already knew where the food came from. It has been an inside joke that being pretty has its own perks. One of which is getting favors from other people in the office - having someone hold out the door for you or carry your bag, open your canned tuna for lunch, pay for your jeepney fare or in Little Princess' case, drop by McDonald's before going to the office and grab a burger meal for you (go large). Right? Maybe not. Just from people who likes you. You get what I mean.

So, this conversation took place as we helped ourselves with some frenchfries:

Me: Sarap ng fries..
Little Princess: Oo nga, ang sarap. Ang sarap maging maganda. Hahaha.
Me: Oo nga.. Hahaha.
NBSB Girl: Sige na kayo na ang maganda. Ako na ang pangit.
All three: Hahaha!

NBSB Girl intended her statement as pun since she is not pangit. For me, she is one of the prettiest girls I know. But sometimes we, ladies are guilty of having this sense that we are not pretty when we don't get favors from others while another girl does.