So yet another week has passed, nothin' much happened....Well, their was my go-see for Folded and Hung's Streetcast fashion show last saturday, which I don't want to talk about yet....Really not in tha mood.

I did get to watch Epic Movie and You Got Me wit ma' friends. Tha first movie was a waste! But tha second one was alright. It's really for lovebirds out there.

I'm actually sorta pissed off for tha last three weeks, cos their wasn't a week that passed by without me feeling pain around my bod. First week I got sick cos of my hyperacidity, it was like heell! I mean I couldn't poop for days, tha food that I would eat won't go down at all...then my gums started swelling up wit soooo much pain, cos I needed to fix tha hole in ma' tooth, and it was taken care of at tha start of last week ,and as my trip to my dentist gave me relief , my freakin' eye starts swelling up, cos supposedly I strained it too much wit computer and tv! Nice.

Hmmf! So whut could be in-store for me this coming week!?

When BFF's seem.....

Friendship is probably one of tha things in this world that everybody would love to have. Friendship or that is ‘friends’, have been part of our lives since birth. Unknowingly, we do crave for these people, who we want and of course need in our most triumphant, happiest moments, and of course, also in tha most darkest and trying times. Unfortunately, people come and go, whether they are tha least person yo like or tha one that yo could never live without. Yes, this is tha sad truth that everybody learns in this seemingly unfair, ‘but we have to accept ‘cause we have no choice’ kind of world.

I, in many cases, have experienced this curse. It’s either my best of friends leave me through migrating, transferring (schools or zip codes), new set of ‘better’ friends and may be just as simple as fighting, or I leave them wit tha same reasons.
But, in some weird way, this is how we grow as strong human beings. We might have wept over it, and tried to stay in-contact forever. But tha reaching out is futile for tha undeniable truth that we as humans CHANGE.

Now, if you are finally blessed wit friends that’ll be there for you, supposedly ‘forever’, will yo still change? Are yo supposed to question tha pact that yo have?
Your answer may be as good as a NO, but definitely as good as a YES!
Because I believe, true friendship is a whole new level than family itself.
True friendship is having fun wit friends, but also loving them like family.
Yo can tell and open up things wit them, like no family member yo can ever do too.
But when does being ‘true’ and being ‘real’ enough? Is it supposed to be that way? ‘Cause I thought, there are no limits to a true friendship? These are just some of tha questions one may have when mislead or mistrusted.

I’m thankful that I have friends that I’m stuck wit tha rest of my life. And these are people I can’t believe that I made friends wit. I actually refer to them as gifts from God. They we’re part of a pivotal change in me. Without them, I couldn’t have learned to love and appreciate little things. Some may have left our circle, but one thing stays true, tha love and hate is still there. That, I think keeps our circle strong.

Unfortunately, I learned that yo could never be good good friends until tha time of misunderstanding. I came to a point of thinking, if I left tha group, will I be of lost to tha people I consider tha BEST out of all my friends?
I may think not, or in some lil’ way, may be I am.
Then I realized, I’m not that one to answer this, but tha people involved.
Tha important thing is, I’ve been true to them and to myself all of these years. Whatever glitch this may have caused our friendship, I still remain true to say, this is nothing, not of importance.
Yes, I may have been HURT. I may have QUESTIONED a lot more things in my mind. I may have been PISSED. But this again is NOTHING!
I once read in quote, “Don’t let little things ruin a GREAT FRIENDSHIP”.
That’s why I said this is nothing; if yo compare tha beautiful, crazy, tha laughter, tha tears and most memorable experiences to this…this is nothing.
These hard times are part of my own once in a lifetime memories. So I’m still keeping it. This makes us strong, this makes us human.
But most importantly, this makes us grow to a whole new level of friendship.

Reflecting on Ash Wednesday

Why do we fast and abstain? (Asked by Tintin SJ, SE-1 and Kimie V., SE-10)


What is fasting?Fasting is required only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and involves eating only one full meal on those days. One or two smaller meals may be taken on those days, but the two may not total one full meal. The required fast also does not allow eating anything between meals. Why do we fast?First and foremost, the purpose of fasting is conversion, i.e. to change. Our Church categorizes fasting together with prayer and almsgiving, and consider these three as the highest forms of expressing the conversion in our relationship with God and others. The whole Sermon in the Mount (Matthew 6:1-18) also refers to this triad of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Thus, fasting is NOT atonement (or making up) for our sins, but as our way of working on those things in our selves that need changing. When we deprive ourselves of certain basic necessities, such as food, then we are training ourselves to have better control of certain undesirable traits that may have already become a natural part of our selves. If we can fast from eating in one day, then we can certainly be able to, for example, control our temper a little longer, be extra kind to someone who may irritate us, be a little less harsh to people who don't meet our expectations, spend a little more time with someone who needs ministering, put more volunteer time in a worthwhile project, be more easily forgiving of another person's faults, and so on. This daily and everyday changes in our life is the normal path pointed out by Jesus: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Mt 16:24).This brings us back to the biblical meaning of "sacrifice." When the Jews offered a lamb or pigeon as a sacrifice, it was NOT to feed a hungry God. The animal offered symbolized the life of the offeror, and his/her way of saying "I, too, am offering my life, and I will do this by making my life more God-centered. " Those offering a sacrifice are to allow God's grace to transform their lives. If the sacrifice does not result in changed lives, then those who offered it have put an obstacle in God's way, and so the sacrifice has been incomplete! This is why Hosea said in 6:6: For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts. If we fast simply for fasting's sake, and we are not renewed in love and forgiveness, then God does not desire our fasting. Why is fasting grouped together with almsgiving?The relationship between fasting and almsgiving is a prominent theme in early Christian writings. In a 2nd century text, we read: "In the day on which you fast you will taste nothing but bread and water; and having reckoned up the price of the dishes of that day which you intended to have eaten, you will give it to a widow, or an orphan, or to some person in want." The preaching of the church fathers is clear that whatever saving is realized through one's fasting belongs to the poor. Thus Gregory the Great preached, "The one who does not give to the poor what he has saved but keeps it for later to satisfy his own appetite, does not fast for God." Thus, early on in our Church history, we were encouraged to always accompany our personal sacrifices with acts of service to others. Fasting was meant to also heighten our awareness of our obligation to help others.

What about abstinence?To abstain is to not eat meat, and is required on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent. (Eggs and dairy products are ok). It is an act of sacrifice, that helps us grow in freedom to make much bigger sacrifices. Of course, it would not make sense to make the sacrifice of not eating meat, and then eat a wonderful meal of Chilean sea bass and lobster, which you might enjoy even more. Many people eat a vegetarian diet, for a variety of reasons, and eating meat is not even an issue. It should be noted that many people in this world cannot afford to eat meat or do not have access to it. Part of our abstaining from meat can place us in solidarity with so many of our sisters and brothers around the world. If you don't already eat meat, or abstaining from meat isn't a big deal, then it is suggested that you abstain from some food that you really like.

Why Fridays? Friday has always remained a special day for Christians since it is the day that Jesus died. Friday should be in each week what Lent is in the entire year. Friday is that day when we become a little bit more conscious of our shortcomings so that we can adequately prepare for the Eucharistic celebration on Sunday. Can I substitute other forms of sacrifices instead of fasting and abstinence?It is preferred that you conform with our Church's requirements on fasting and abstinence so that we can be in solidarity with our entire Catholic community during those days. However, I did come across this practice which may be helpful as an additional practice in helping us in our conversion process.-
Mondays – Do a devotion, like the rosary or visit to the Blessed Sacrament. -
Tuesdays – Make it your "Textless Tuesday" Detach yourself from your life support (cellphone).-
Wednesdays – Go out of your comfort zone in helping others.-
Thursdays – Fast from gossip-
Fridays – Fast from making mental judgments of people -
Saturdays – Your day off.-
Sunday – Feast on Scripture (read the bible chapters at a time).

So TAMAD to blog....

As promised, i'm trying to have a life here in ma' blog, but it doesn't seem to work...hehe

It's been more than a month since last posting here. Believe me, I've tried soooo hard to do so,'cos of all tha memorable stuff that I've been doin'. But I just can't seem to work it!hahaha

Their was, of course my sis flying back to Nigeria, Valentine's day, getting sick and etc.

It's all in tha efforts of procastinating! wahaha

But peepo, please give me tha benefit here, its just so hard at times to try to really work on my blog when you're learning by your own....and also trying to think about stuff to write.

I mean, I'm really really interested in doing this, but i think its really a process before one start to really really loving it.

I'm pretty sure everybody went through the same as I did or am experiencing now. Their are days that I sooo feel like writing stuff or doin' things wit my blog,like bulb flashin by my head full of ideas, but once i'm infront of tha computer, it just pops like a bubble and vanishes into thin air...sigh...

So puh-leeeez, don't give me that look?!

haha

starting the year right

Two weeks after being 21, life is finally taking a turn for me. I'm embracing my adulthood as planned. Yes, I planned it as if it was nothing. In between that time, I was talking to my good good friend Katrina on the phone telling her that it was sooo easy for me accepting this new start. Letting her feel that it was time for me to grow up and be mature...no more childish acts, high squeaky sounds that only I can master and practically be more of the man that I am.
It's a continuous change for me.

I've been missing my friends 'cause for 2 months,we haven't been together,but this does help