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For starters, the belief in a supreme being has been going on even before the time of Jesus and the other prophets here on earth.  It’s just that there was no specific name for this supreme being that people nowadays know as God, Allah, and the like. However, no matter how many people believe in this “supreme being”, there are still some who are not convinced that it really exists simply because of certain variables. For one, there are a lot of existing religions today with different gods and practices. In fact, we cannot deny that the two dominant religions today, Christianity and Islam, have existing conflicts within their believers and followers. Muslims are affiliated with the terrorists, while, Christians are even divided into different groups, such as the Protestants and the Catholic Church. With this, it would be really confusing to believe in a supreme being just like it is confusing why the Philippines have a lot of political parties to choose from, only to have one goal in making the country a much better place to live in for the citizens in terms of economic development, etc.

Going back, Bertrand Russell wrote in his article What is Agnostic?, “I think that if I heard a voice from the sky predicting all that was going to happen to me during the next twenty-four hours, including events that would have seemed highly improbable, and if all these events then produced to happen, I might perhaps be convinced at least of the existence of some superhuman intelligence. I can imagine other evidence of the same sort which might convince me, but so far as I know, no such evidence exists.” As a Catholic myself, I have been taught that there is only one God divided into three Persons: The Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity per se is already confusing for a young Catholic like me. There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit but it is God the Son who walked the face of the earth and interacted with men, and by believing in another god is a sin. But as Russell put it, my belief in the existence of God is strengthened through my faith. In Hebrews 11:1, it’s stated that faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see. I couldn’t agree less for the real essence of believing in God is the fact that we cannot literally see Him but we can actually see how He works. For case in point, there are people who are gifted with special gifts such as healing, that even science cannot explain. As impossible as it may sound, a lot of miracle recoveries do happen and a lot of people are witnesses to these. Another would be how the Saints exemplified their lives with full of faith and belief in God that helped them overcome the obstacles they faced during their lifetime. And of course, the Bible that is full of stories and teachings that can still be applied in present time. However, the only problem with the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is that the interpretations of people differ from one to the other and sometimes, it’s practiced literally. This should not be the case for the Bible is there only to serve as a guide for those who believe that God does exist and works in mysterious ways beyond the explanation of the human mind.

God’s existence depends on the person who wants to believe and the one who’s in doubt. We cannot force a person to believe in God just because other people are doing so for it defeats the purpose of having an indisputable faith in a supreme being in the first place. Furthermore, believing that God exists not necessarily means that the person has faith in Him. A person can simply be convinced that God does exist because of what he can observe with others but that doesn’t mean that he’s convinced that the same things happening to other people can also apply to him. Therefore, the debate between God’s existence can go on for years (even centuries) but the only thing that matters in this whole argument is that I know in myself that I believe in God and I have faith in Him, and because of that, I am fulfilling the mission He gave me for my life one step at a time by inspiring others through my own simple way.

Faithfully yours,
Mika

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It’s been 8 years since the World Trade Center attacks happened. I can still remember that night back in 2001 when I was still a high school freshman and I was about to go to sleep when suddenly, my parents were able to watch a live forecast of CNN about that one tragic event that became a major part of world history. The next day in school, it was the “talk of the town” and I can’t believe it’s been 8 years already because it till feels like it was just yesterday! Sigh.

Today, I want to share with you how my sister helped me in one of my school projects 8 years ago by composing an original poem (she did it in less than an hour! haha!), dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. I hope you like it!

“I Am Not Afraid”
by Ma. Luisa D. Chiong

September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered
As the day we lost good men and gained an enemy.
Who would have thought that planes could be
A fitting instrument for a mad man’s atrocity?

8:48 AM when the first plane hit
The north tower of the World Trade Center
“Merely an accident”, some tower 2 workers thought,
So they shrugged it off and returned to work.
Oh my! Oh my! In a blink of an eye,
Another plane hits, tower 2 is on fire.

Bedlam rose, people walked to the streets,
Some onlookers thought, “It’s the work of terrorists!”
Television caught everything live
People from all over started to cry.
Rescuers rushed to the scene of disaster,
To help the many people trapped in those skyscrapers.
Firemen, medics, police of all ages,
Tried valiantly, heroically, to rescue employees.

But in a cruel twist who would have thought
Tower 2 began its descent to oblivion.
Along with it, crushed the hope
Of those workers who made the wrong decision.

Still, these brave firemen pursued
Rescue work for those trapped in Tower 1
They came with the knowledge that it too could fall.
Yet, they ignored it, oh heroes they are all!

“Oh no! Oh no!” People on the streets screamed
Tower 1 is following the descent of its twin
All hope is now lost, the death toll will be a scare.
What the good mayor said will be more than we can bear.

And so, in less than a couple of hours
Two towering structures have been reduced to crumble
And along with it came tumbling down
The confidence of a nation who wears the crown.

And for what was this achieved?
For what was this done?
It was an idea of a mad man whose time has come.
Hiding behind the structure of Islam,
He now declares that America deserves what he has done.

Is this the start of war?
And the end of freedom?
Is retaliation the key?
Or will it worsen the situation?

We don’t know the answer,
It’s a very complicated matter
All we know in our hearts is that,

In the face of danger
There is a need to be calm,
In the face of fear
Just remember the psalm:

“I am not afraid Lord
For you are with me,
You always are my strength Lord,
That I now see.”

xoxo,
Mika <3

Posted in Red-Letter Days, Reflections | No Comments »

Busy as a bee—that’s what I am these days! WHEW. But anyway, I just want to give you girls a quick update about what I’ve been up to during my “long weekend”

First of all, nothing compares to the feeling of getting your own hard-earned paycheck! And yes, that’s how I felt last Friday, August 28, 2009. Following that are the events listed below:

August 29, 2009 (Saturday) – after attending the last meeting of our class for this term, my graduate school friends and I went to the Mall of Asia and watched The Time Traveler’s Wife at the cinemas.

August 30, 2009 (Sunday) – I spent the afternoon with my sister, Malou, and we watched Up at Greenbelt 3. It was truly an amazing movie!!!

August 31, 2009 (Monday) – my college friends and I decided to meet around Taft but we ended up going to the Mall of Asia to watch G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra —and it was an awesome-action-packed movie, dude! haha! After that, they dropped me off at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza (thanks guys!)  to meet my family because it was my brother-in-law’s birthday, and he treated us to dinner at the Spiral buffet! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KUYA MON!!!

So, that’s it for now, Candy Girls! See yah soon!!!

Chiong… OUT!

Posted in Etcetera, Lists, What's In | No Comments »

Hey, Candy Girls! I just happened to browse through my old “college” files and I came upon this. It’s a compilation of random thoughts for my Communications Skills 1 subject dating back from my freshman years! Anyway, as I read through it, I realized that a lot of things do change in a short span of time—much more in a span of almost 4 years! Read on to know how my freshman-college-self defined different things:

LOVE- Love is a feeling that sustains us all. It makes our lives more meaningful and adds spice to our everyday endeavors.

LIFE- Life is the most precious gift God gave us. It’s up to us on how we’re going to design our lives, but we should always keep in mind that it is not ours, but to God alone.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY- Religion is one of the most important factors on why we are here on earth. It gives us courage and hope because we know that we always have the Almighty Father to help us in times of need and sorrow.

DISCIPLINE/RESPONSIBILITY- Having discipline in one’s self means a lot of things. If we have discipline, we can be responsible, dependable, etc. Meaning, if we have discipline, all will follow.

COMMUNITY/SERVICE- Giving service to our community makes our lifestyle more improved, knowing that we know how to share our blessings with others.

FAMILY- Family is our lifetime shoulders. They are the ones we turn to in good times and especially during bad times.

EDUCATION- Education is very important because it leads our way to success. Having good education reflects on our personality and lifestyle.

FRIENDSHIP- Friendship can be formed in a lot of ways and can also lead to different relationships.

POLITICS- Politics is about the world of our government. We usually refer to it as the “dirty game” without realizing that we’re also part of it.

NATIONALISM- Loyalty in one’s country can also refer to nationalism. It leads to victory, freedom, and hopefully peace.

And now? I realized that my definition of these things are still pretty much the same… except that I’m now a more open-minded and a grown young lady, who’s trying to be an independent and responsible person, one step at a time!

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BREAKING NEWS: I lost 10 lbs. and maintained it in like a year… and I gained them back recently in just 2 months!

Shocking isn’t it? Nowadays, gaining a few pounds (what more 10 whole pounds!) is already a nightmare for any girl my age—or any age for that matter! But for me? Well yeah, so far, it’s a record-breaking “moment” in my life but I don’t see it as a nightmare.

For one, I did this to myself. I started going to the gym last year but when I reached my 1 year membership bond (which was last July), I didn’t renew it anymore. Why? Because I decided that if I’m going to continue going to the gym, I want to be the one paying for it already—ergo, look for a job! I guess I already want to take responsibility for myself… However, (and this may be a little embarrassing to admit), I did eat like a pig for the past few months and lost self-control, even discipline! But instead of dwelling on this sick feeling, I try to look for the brighter side of what’s just happened to me:

First of all, I did prove to myself that I CAN DO IT! I’ve always been on the chubby side ever since childhood and it was a sense of relief to know that yeah, it doesn’t necessarily run in my genes—it’s just a matter of choice and putting it into practice. (And I promise myself that when I reach my 20^th birthday, I must completely say goodbye to my “chubby” days. So, I still have 2 months to go, which is another pathetic excuse to gain more pounds… oh well. haha!)

Next, I now have a job! And I may still be adjusting, but at least sooner or later I know that I can already pay for my gym membership in the future and other whatnot for that matter. I’m taking responsibility and becoming an independent person, one step at a time! YAY!!!

Lastly, I just love my body no matter what! And just like what a true-blue Candy Girl is made of, our best-est friend would always be ourselves so take charge and be happy! Plus, if anyone comments about it, I only have these words to say: DEAL. WITH. IT!

So my fellow Candy Girls, don’t fret if you weren’t able to burn those calories! At the end of the day, what matters the most is staying true to yourself and loving every bit of it! Just live life to the fullest!

Love thy body. Love yourself. <3

(Disclaimer: I’m not saying that it’s good to pig-out and eat all those calories. It’s okay from time to time but for health reasons, trying to stay in shape, having a healthy lifestyle, and eating a balanced diet are still the best ways to feel great inside and out! Besides, balance is always key. ‘Nuff said.)

Posted in Reflections, What's In | No Comments »