A Simple Plan for Advent

Six prayer habits to help us welcome Jesus into our hearts and homes

1. Go to Mass more often.

Consider whether you can clear out some time to attend as a family on certain weekdays during Advent. You might have to inconvenience yourselves a bit—get up earlier, give up a recreational activity, or have a quicker no-frills meal. Offer the sacrifice for the sake of a friend or family member who needs God's help.

2. Pray together as a family.

Experiment and find ways that work for you. Many families use an Advent wreath for mealtime or evening prayer. For a simple Advent wreath ceremony, just light the candle(s), sing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," and read the gospel for the day. Another idea for the season: Use an Advent calendar with Scripture verses; open a window each day of Advent, and use the verse as a springboard for prayer and discussion. Or pray with the help of a Jesse Tree: Each day of Advent, you hang an ornament that symbolizes a biblical person or thing connected with Christ's coming, and read the appropriate Scripture text. An even simpler suggestion: Pray the family rosary. Praying the joyful mysteries, especially, is a great way to get in touch with the events leading up to the world's first Christmas. Can't find time for the whole rosary? Pray one decade. I have friends, a large family, who pray a decade at the end of every dinner. Short as it is, it builds family unity and launches the evening in a peaceful, orderly way.

3. Offer short prayers during the day.

These are ideal for the times you're stuck waiting—for an elevator, for someone to pick up the phone, for the light to turn green, for a ride home from school. Just take a line from Scripture and pray it! Here are some Advent prayers you can tape to the dashboard, put on the fridge, or slip into a wallet or backpack. Use them, and teach them to your children.

"O Lord—how long?" (Psalm 6:3).

"Maranatha—Come, Lord ?Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

"Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5).

"Lord, let me see" (Luke 18:41).

4. Examine Your Conscience.

Every night, take a couple of minutes alone, in silence, to look back on your day in the presence of God. Remember the moments when you experienced God's help, mercy, and presence. See how well you lived up to your calling, how far you've gone on your way to the goal. During Advent, you might focus on growing in some particular virtue with an Advent connection—peacefulness, humility, charity. End by telling God you're sorry for your sins. (And, of course, confess them to a priest, as needed.)

Depending on their ages, teach your children how they can take advantage of this traditional means for growing closer to Jesus. Offer guidance, but let them develop their own conversation with the Holy Spirit.

5. Do some fasting.

Jesus fasted. The apostles fasted. We know from Scripture that fasting is a powerful form of prayer. Though this is a less penitential season than Lent, Advent fasting is an appropriate way to express our longing that God's kingdom be more fully revealed in ourselves, in others, and in our world.

Talk it over with your spouse and children, and decide on a way of fasting as a family this Advent. You can choose not to eat between meals. You can give up desserts. You can forego a favorite food or go meatless on certain days. Or you can choose a non-food item to fast from, such as TV or the Web. The important thing is to make a real sacrifice—one you can feel—and to offer it to God.

6. Make your home a haven of charity.

Give some real-life expression to the divine grace and love received in prayer. Make it a family goal to treat one another with extra mercy and courtesy. Some families put this resolution into practice by drawing names, with each member becoming another person's "Advent Angel." Secretly, each "angel" offers prayers and little acts of kindness for the other; identities are revealed on Christmas Day.

Another idea: Use Advent as a time to develop more charitable habits of speech. If your family has fallen into any negative patterns—yelling, nagging, blaming, sarcasm, fault-finding, gossiping, talking back—now's the time to regain lost ground!

And of course, Advent and Christmas are traditional seasons for expressing love through hospitality and acts of charity. A third-century Christian wrote: "It's our care of the helpless, our practice of loving kindness that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents, who say, 'See those Christians, how they love one another.'" This striking description of the Church offers an ideal for the "domestic church" that is our family.

Remember: They'll know we are Christians—not just by the nativity scene in our front yard, but by the love in our hearts, expressed in our homes

Merry Christmas!

Forever Is the Strangest Thing

Forever is the strangest thing:
It's shorter than you think.
It starts at any time you like
And ends in just a wink.

You can forever be: right now
Is just as good as then.
The moment is quite all there is,
No matter where or when.

The moment is eternity,
And now is just a dream.
We see our lives in futures past,
But that's just how things seem.

Beyond the motion of the mind
Is something that is true:
As awesome as the universe,
As small as me and you.

TAG FROM THE MAVEN

1. Anong oras ka gumising kaninang umaga?
> Kung kelan ko gusto.

2. Ano ka sa dalawa morning person o night owl?
> Night Owl.

3. Anong huling pelikula ang napanood mo sa sinehan?
> Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, tagal na pala nun ah...hehehe.

4. Anong paborito mong TV show?
> Depende sa mood ko, madalas sports events.

5. Anong kinain mo sa agahan?
> Wala!!!

6. Ano ang iyong panggitnang pangalan?
> Daroya

7. Ano ang paborito mong lutong pagkain?
> Sinigang! the best!

8. Anong pagkain ang ayaw mo?
> Wala eh, lahat ata kinakain ko. Grasya ng Diyos yan eh.

9. Paboritong araw?
> Biyernes! Wala na kasi pasok kinabukasan!

10. Paboritong CD sa ngayon?
> Nina: Live

11. Paboritong sandwich?
> Hamburger

12. Anong katangian ang ayaw mo?
> Yung nanggagamit lang...USER!

13. Anong ginagawa mo kapag nababagot ka?
> Nood lang ako ng TV o kaya maglalaro ng PS2.

14. Kung magbabakasyon ka sa ibang bahagi ng mundo, saan ka tutungo?
> Antartica, kung kaya ko...hahaha.

15. Paboritong tatak ng damit?
> Ukay - ukay lang mga damit ko eh...

16. Saan ka pinanganak?
> St. Luke's Hospital, QC

17. Ano ang pinakamagandang alaala ng iyong kamusmusan?
> Nung naliligo ako sa ulan ng hubo! walang kiyeme, walang malisya...hahaha

18. May alaga ka bang hayop?
> Wala sa ngayon eh...

19. Mayroon ka bang bagong balita na gusto mong ibahagi sa lahat?
> Ala eh, pag meron share ko sa inyo.

20. Ano ang gusto mong maging nu’ng musmos ka pa?
> Engineer, kaya lang di ko kinaya eh...hehehe. shift na lang ako.

21. Mga trabahong napasukan mo?
> Telemarketer ng Citibank Credit Card

22. Ano ang nauna, manok o itlog?
> Ewan!

23. Sinu-sino ita-tag mo?
> Anong tag???

SAMPUNG UTOS SA MAG-IINOM

1. HUWAG MAKULIT habang nag-iinom.

2. HUWAG MATAKAW huwag kamayin ang pulutan.

3. HUWAG PATAGALIN ANG BASO,may naghihintay pang tatagay.

4. HUWAG UMINOM NG UMINOM,kaylangan bumili ka rin.

5. MAGPAALAM KUNG UUWI NA athuwag yungbiglang nawawala

6. UMINOM NG DIRETSO SA TIYAN at huwag sa ulo upang maiwasan ang basag ulo.

7. MAGTIRA NG PANLAKAD, kahit hinlalaki ng paa, iwasan ding umuwi ng pagapang.

8. HUWAG MATUTULOG HABANG UMIINOM.

9. SIGURADUHING SA SARILING BAHAY ang uwi kung lasing na.

10. HUWAG MANAKIT NG ASAWA,kung hindi bigyan ng pang-inom, at dapat mo pang lambingin, at ng pagbigyang muli.

HULING PAKI-USAP< IWASANG SUMUKA AT UMIHI SA SALAWAL . . .

Corporate Basketball Champs!!!

This is a classic... just read on.

A soldier came to a fork in the road and saw a nun standing there

He asked her, "Please Sister, may I hide under your skirts for a few minutes? I'll explain why later." The nun agreed to his request.

Shortly thereafter, two MP's came running along and asked her if she had seen a soldier running down the road. She replied, "He went that way."

After the MP's disappeared, the soldier crawled out from under her skirt and said, "I can't thank you enough Sister, but you see, I don't want to go to Iraq." The nun said she understood.

The GI said, "I hope you don't think me rude or impertinent, but you have the most beautiful pair of legs I've ever seen!"

The nun replied, "If you had looked a little higher, you would have seen the most beautiful pair of balls you've ever seen! I don't want to go to Iraq either."

Read down to the very bottom, you don't want to miss this!

VERY INTERESTING -

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.

2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq!

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!

13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the fiery furnace!

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq.

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq.

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is", called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name, Iraq, means country with deep roots.

Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq.

And also... This is something to think about! Since America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages...

The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran (9:11) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.

(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?! God Bless you all. Amen!

Pagbabago. Hindi pa huli ang lahat!

Gising, frend.

Tumatanda ka na, frend.

Nasa Friday Magic Madness na yung mga paborito mong kanta.Nakaka-relate ka na sa Classic MTV. Lesbiana na yung kinaaaliwan mong child star dati. Nanay na lagi ang role ng crush na crush mong matinee idol noon.

Dati, pag may panot, sisigaw ka agad ng "PENDONG!".Ngayon, pag may sumisigaw nun, ikaw na yung napapraning. Parang botika na ang cabinet mo. May multivitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C, royaljelly, tsaka ginko biloba.

Dati, laging may inuman. Sa inuman, may lechon, sisig,kaldereta, inihaw na liempo, pusit, at kung anu-ano pa. Ngayon, nagkukumpulan na lang kayo ng mga kasama mo sa Starbucks at oorder ng tea.

Wala na ang mga kaibigan mo noon.

Ang dating masasayang tawanan ng barkada sa canteen, napalitan na ng walang katapusang pagrereklamo tungkol sa kumpanya ninyo. Wala na ang best friend mo na lagi mong pinupuntahan kapag may problema ka. Ang lagi mo na lang kausap ngayon e ang kaopisina monghindi ka sigurado kung binebenta ka sa iba pag nakatalikod ka. Ang hirap nang magtiwala.

Mahirap nang makahanap ng totoong kaibigan. Hindi mokayang pagkatiwalaan ang kasama mo araw-araw sa opisina. Kung sabagay, nagkakilala lang kayo dahil gusto ninyong kumita ngpera at umakyat sa tinatawag nilang "corporate ladder". Anumang pagkakaibigang umusbong galing sa pera at ambisyon ay hindi talaga totoong pagkakaibigan. Pera din at ambisyon ang sisira sa inyong dalawa.

Pera. Pera na ang nagpapatakbo ng buhay mo.

Alipin ka na ng Meralco, PLDT, SkyCable, Globe, Smart, at Sun. Alipin ka ng Midnight Madness. Alipin ka ng tollgate sa expressway. Alipin ka ng credit card mo. Alipin ka ng ATM. Alipin ka ng BIR.

Dati-rati masaya ka na sa isang platong instant pancitcanton. Ngayon, dapat may kasamang italian chicken ang fettucinealfredo mo. Masaya ka na noon pag nakakapag-ober-da-bakod kayo para makapagswimming. Ngayon ayaw mo nang lumangoy kung hindi Boracay, Puerto Galera o Davao ang lugar.

Dati, sulit na sulit na sa yo ang gin pomelo. Ngayon, pagkatapos ng ilang bote ng red wine, maghahanap ka ng San Mig Light oVodka Cruiser.

Wala ka nang magawa. Sumasabay ang lifestyle mo sa income mo. Nagtataka ka kung bakit hindi ka pa rin nakakaipon kahit tumataas ang sweldo mo. Yung mga bagay na gusto mong bilhin dati nasinasabi mong hindi mo kailangan, abot-kamay mo na. Pero kahit nasa iyo na ang mga gusto mong bilhin, hindi ka pa rin makuntento.

Saan ka ba papunta?

frend, gumising ka. Hindi ka nabuhay sa mundong ito para maging isa lang sa mga baterya ng mga machines sa Matrix. Hanapin moang dahilan kung bakit nilagay ka rito. Kung ang buhay mo ngayon ay uulit-ulit lang hanggang maging singkwenta anyos ka na, magsisisi ka. Lumingon ka kung paano ka nagsimula, isipin ang mga tao at mga bagay na nagpasaya sa yo. Balikan mo sila.

Ikaw ang nagbago, hindi ang mundo.

Ring Mag lauds Pacquiao for relinquishing feather belt

The prestigious Ring Magazine, considered as "The Bible of Boxing", has nothing but words of respect and praise for Filipino sports hero Manny Pacquiao for relinquishing his Ring Magazine featherweight belt.

Ring Magazine recognized Pacquiao as its featherweight champion after the Filipino boxer’s masterful 11th round destruction of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera on Nov. 16, 2003 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

But last June, Pacquiao wrote a formal letter to Ring Magazine signifying his intent to vacate his throne as the General Santos City fighter will now be campaigning in the junior lightweight division.

"Speaking of good guys, I’d like to thank Manny Pacquiao for taking appropriate action and relinquishing his Ring featherweight title, which he did in writing during the early part of June," stated Ring editor-in-chief Nigel Collins in his Ringside column in the magazine’s October 2005 issue.

"Pacquiao, who will now campaign as a junior lightweight, was aware that The Ring does not strip champions of belts won inside the ring, and could have procrastinated. But that might have denied other fighters the opportunity to vie for the now-vacant belt," added Collins.

"Like most fighters, Pacquiao is an honorable man and did the right thing. That’s the way boxing is supposed to work.

" Pacquiao is presently in the thick of rigid preparation for his Sept. 10 bout against Mexican Hector Velazquez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Pacquiao’s tormentor Erik Morales will also appear in the same card against 1996 USA Olympian Zahir Rahim capping a pair of 12-rounder bouts topbilling Top Rank’s "Double Trouble" slugfest.

If Pacquiao and Morales both win, they will figure in an expected grudge rematch either in January 2006.

"Twelve (12) Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country,"

A simple enumeration of these "twelve little things" will not Do justice tothe work of Alex. You've got to read the whole text, but I shall try tocompress a few lines for some of the items mentioned.

1. Follow traffic rules -- Why is that the most important? The answer issimple. Traffic rules are the simplest of our laws. If we learn to followthem, it will be the lowest form of national discipline that we candevelop.Since it is totally without monetary cost, it should be easy for us tocomply with, and therefore should provide a good start.

2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an officialreceipt. -- If a seller does not issue an official receipt when you buya product, the seller may or may not remit the tax to the government.Without an O.R., there is no record of the sale transaction, and the taxthat you paid may not be remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

3. Do not buy smuggled goods. Buy local, buy Filipino. -- It may not begood economics to buy 100 percent local products. What I suggest is forus to take a "50-50" buying attitude. This means that we must developthe attitude of using 50 percent of our budget for local products andthe other 50 percent for imported choices.

4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively ofour race and our country -- this is best addressed to the rich and themiddle class in our country, who have contact with the outside world. Itis they who talk to, dine or deal with foreigners either here or abroad.It is what they say and do which creates impressions about us amongforeigners.

5. Respect your traffic officer, policeman, soldier and other publicservants -- There is nothing like the power of respect. It makes a personproud. It makes one feel honorable. At the same time, courtesy to others isgood manners. It is class and elegance and kindness. It is seeing the valueand dignity in the other man. It is, in fact, a mark of a most profoundeducation.

6. Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle.Conserve. -- As Louis Armstrong says in his song: "I see trees of green,redroses, too, I see them bloom for me and you and I think to myself, what a
wonderful world."

7. Support your church. (or charitable/ civic organizations -- :-)

8. During elections, do your solemn duty. -- Honesty, more than a masteralor doctorate degree, is what gives credibility. And credibility isessentialbecause it is a leader's link to the people. It is what makes the peoplelook to one direction, f ollow a common vision, and perform a uniform act.Inshort, credibility is what makes people follow the leader.

9. Pay your employees well. -- No exercise is better for the human heartthan to reach down and lift someone else up. This truly defines asuccessfullife. For success is the sum, not of our earthly possessions, but of howmany times we have shown love and kindness to others.

10. Pay your taxes. -- In 2003, P83 billion was collected from individualincome taxes. But 91 percent of this amount came from salaried workers fromthe government and private sector, people who had no choice since theirincome taxes were withheld mandatorily. Only P7 billion of the P83 billioncame from businessmen and professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountantsand architects,among others.

11. Adopt a scholar or adopt a poor child. -- You can make a difference inthe future of our country by making a difference in the world of children.

12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and to love ourcountry. -- Today's children will someday rule and lead this world. Butwhether they will be bad rulers or good leaders will depend largely on howwe raise them today. Our future is in the hearts and minds of our children.

Learn to read Chinese!!!! Its easy!!! 

Signs that your girlfriend / wife is cheating 

This is cool.... 

Lakers Acquire Brown and Profit in Exchange For Butler and Atkins

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Kwame Brown and guard/forward Laron Profit from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins, it was announced today.

Brown, the first pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, averaged 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in his four-year career with the Washington Wizards. Brown, who was the first high school player ever selected with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, had career-highs in points (10.9) and rebounds (7.4) during the 2003-04 season while also leading the team in rebounding. A 6-11 forward, Brown posted a career-high 30 points and 19 rebounds in a 114-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on March 17, 2004.

Profit, a three-year NBA veteran out of Maryland, averaged 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in ten games after signing with Washington as a free agent at the start of the 2004-05 season. Prior to his stint with the Wizards, Profit was a member of the Guandong Southern Tigers (China) where he averaged 5.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.