Lift your Hands

Life is not all that bad, my friend, hmmm
If you believe in yourself
If you believe there’s Someone
Who walks through life without you
You’ll never be alone
Just learn to reach out,
And open your heart
Lift up your hands to God,
And He’ll show you the way.

And He said, “Cast your burdens upon Me
Those who are heavily laden,
Come to Me, all of you who are tired
Of carrying heavy loads,
For the yoke I will give you is easy
And My burden is light,
Come to Me and I will give you rest.”

When you feel the world
Is tumblin’ down on you,
And you have no one
That you can hold on to,
Just face the rising sun
And you’ll see hope,
And there’s no need to run
Lift up your hands to God,
And He’ll make you feel all right.

And He said, “Cast your burdens upon Me
Those who are heavily laden,
Come to Me, all of you who are tired
Of carrying heavy loads,
For the yoke I will give you is easy
And My burden is light,
Come to Me and I will give you rest.”

Around Good people

I am surrounded with extremely good people here in Williston. From my Flat to the people I am going out with, I know I am with in right circle. I would like to make an entry about my Flatmate and a newly found friend of mine.

Let me begin with my Flatmate which I will refer to as “flatmate” for confidentiality purposes. Flatmate is a the type of guy you will really find mysterious. I can sense that He had drawn the lines between him and me. I cant negotiate his actions and personality …really. Sometimes, he is game for a chat with me, then a few hours after he will become silent again and pass me over as If I never exist. Moreover, I have never met as neat-freak as he is until now. I feel embarrassed most of the times when he cleans the whole flat which to me is still clean and tidy. I, too,  love clean and tidy surrounding and maintains one, but to me, he is the extreme and when I say extreme, I mean really extreme. He is the type of guy that would make a naturally white shiny floor into a squeaky clean, germ-free one. Naturally, he is a good guy but his silence freaks me out. In turn, I try to live with his squeaky standards just not to upset him nor he might think that I am a mess-maker to his bacteria-free palace. With this, our comfort room has a feel and look like those in hotel rooms. We also hangout along with other friends but he still maintains his silence most of the time. Flatmate cracks jokes too and to be fair are really funny. Still I appreciate him as a person. Though we really seldom talk and haven’t got into long conversations, I am thankful he is my flatmate. Thanks to him, I don’t have to worry about cleanliness.

I will refer my newly found friend as “R” for this entry (R stands for responsible). R is also a newbie to Williston like me. We are of the same profession and have been in constant communication months before we both come to the United States for a new opportunity. My long conversations with this guy makes me value of the things I most of the times take for granted. He is the bread-winner of his family and supports 6 people under his wing. He gave all his salary to his family leaving barely nothing for him. His sense of service and selflessness makes me “awe” and reminds me how different our lifestyles are. I have high respect for this man and he really is my idol. His dedication to his family and his selflessness is incomparable to anyone. I know this guy would go miles in his career and in his life. If God will start to reward and bless the good people on earth, he will be the first for sure. I ought to myself to try to adopt his virtues though I don’t promise. I really wish the best for him.

God makes us meet new people in our journey that we may learn from them and I am thankful for placing me on the right place at the right time with the right people around me.

Me and My Brother Jake

I was browsing my old family pictures and found this. Its me and my brother Jake during our last days seeing each other personally (as of the press time). This picture was taken few days before I went to Qatar for work. We both love the beach and do this “sanding sculpting” whenever we get a chance.

I can’t imagine how my childhood memories would be without my brother Jake. We practically grew up, see and discover the world together, shared blissful and sometimes hard life experiences.

I was born a year after Jake was. The one-year gap between us make it almost no-difference as to how we treated each other. I never saw him nor treated him as an older brother. In fact most of the times, I am acting like Im older and more mature than him. We bathe together, play together, sleep together…practically we share almost all things in life.

We both are adults now, and have our own lives. We seldom communicated with each other but I know for sure that our bond as brothers remain strong as ever. Thanks for sticking with me Jake through thick and thin.

On the Right Track

Here I am on the American soil at last! I am now starting to fulfill the so called “American Dream”. It seems surreal that I am actually here. To live in this country where equal opportunity is given to you makes you feel that you are respected and valued. From employment to social security, everything is within your reach. I felt lucky to be here working at a very young age – that would mean I can start earning enough and save enough for the inevitable future. As of the press time its my 4th day staying here and have just filed my social security ID. As per USA employment rules, I cant start working without the SS ID, giving me more time to acclimatize myself to the new environment I am in.

The major challenge I battle here is the “loneliness” I feel when I am left alone. I sense that I am on my own now and have to stand for myself. What makes it even worse is that I hate ironing my clothes and left it for my mom to do it. Now, I am left with no choice but to take care of myself in everything. I have no one to depend on but myself and myself alone.  Though I have been working in Qatar for two years, I have my parents living with me making it much more easier. Good thing, there’s a Filipino community here, though small, but closely knit. Being with people ease out our loneliness and I pretty much think that all of us need each other to survive in a land that isn’t ours.

Oh well, I know that I will be used to this lifestyle in a few months. The first steps are often the hardest. Being here makes you more appreciative of the new friendships you make, new bonds formed and of course the opportunity of working here. For sure, I will mature here bigtime! I know that I am on the right track! Keep going Prince!