Another Birthday, Another Year

Photo credit: www.jeremyperson.com

Yup, the age of 39 just rolled in. While I was just getting used to the fact of writing 38 on forms that I fill up, here comes 39. It is back to square one for me.

I am not celebrating my birthday this year with a shindig or anything. Maybe just a snack with my colleagues and a dinner at home with my love ones. You see, I am not the party goer anyway. I even hate my own birthday parties so it's just okay to "not" celebrate it. However, I do celebrate "life" - life that God has given me once again for my birthday. That means, I have another year of promises to make and keep (hopefully not to break), dreams to aspire, time to spend with the people who matter the most to me, activities to engage in, people to help, causes to support and another life to live as God has intended it to be. I am thankful for the added year despite my denial of old age slowly creeping in. It is inevitable and I am happy to be alive.

Happy birthday to me! 

Thank you God for giving me another chance in life.

Simple Tips To Be Happy

• Free your heart from any hatred. FORGIVE. (It is really difficult to carry around excess baggage of the past.)
• Free your mind from worries. (I believe that when you pray, why worry?)
• Live simply and appreciate what you have. (A lot of disappointments arise from the expectation and baseless anticipation of grandeur. Try to live within your means and enjoy the simple things life has to offer. It's less complication that way.)
• Give more. (Don't you feel happy when you make a difference to someone? Share the love...)
• Expect less from people but more from God. (Let GOD be the number one in your life.)

The Traveling Family

I don't know if you can call it "coincidence" or just plain "compatible" but from my hubby to my daughter, we are all travelers. We love seeing new places, staying in hotels, nature-tripping, visiting malls, driving around and taking flights. We love the feeling of excitement building up as the plane descents to our destination, that fluttering of butterfly wings in the tummy in anticipation of the forthcoming vacation, the things we will see and buy, the people we will meet, the culture we will observe and so much more.

This recent trip to Europe has opened so many windows of "perception" of how life is on the other side of the planet. We get so engrossed with our daily routine here in Dubai that a new culture to observe is a tempting treat to take!

We try our best to learn each of the countries we visit their rich culture and the norms of life. Back in Munich, we spoke to several Filipinos and learned that life is not what it seems. I won't specify though but makes me say a little prayer and be thankful that we are blessed in many, many ways. We didn't just hear one story of a fellow "kabayan" (fellow Filipinos in English) but we heard more from others in Milan and Rome and even in our holiday in Paris.

The trips we take are not just for whims because we have the privilege to do so but since we do, we grab every chance we get to see other places and learn more. It's a good learning experience to my daughter as well because she gets to appreciate the blessings she has.

So, we, the traveling family will continue our journey to far, away places, wherever our imagination carry us...