My Christmas Thoughts

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!"

Charles Dickens

Counting back the years, it's going to be nine long years which means nine Christmases that I haven't celebrated with my family. Truly painful. Not that I don't want to, I would love to spend every Christmas with them. But where I am, has a sad fact of cruelty how short our holidays are and when we fail to come back on time at work, salary deductions takes place. 

Sweet Changes

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek"

 

Barack Obama

 

 

static.gui.co.uk via Google photos
 

We all have a story. I believe, we all have gone through something that has changed us in a way that we could never go back to who we once were. This kind of change is inevitable, including the things or people around you. Our body, possessions, relationships are all impermanent. Sometimes, even if we have control on little things, what we need to internalize doesn't need to be controlled. This is life.

Bitter-Sweet Realities To Tough Out

"Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Put your vision to reality!"

 

Bob Marley

 

Google Photos

Over the past decade, I have dealt with severe hardships, including pinned debts, the sudden death of my mother, the loss of my good friend due to illness, financial shortages, broken marriage, betrayal, hurtful and insulting words through cyber bullying, failure relationships and as the breadwinner of the family. These experiences were brutal. My children and I were knocked down. Single parenting was tough.

Inner Peace

"The greatest revelation is stillness."

 

Lao-Tzu

 

 

worldofwisdom images via Google
 

Of all the gifts in heaven that I always wished for, is PEACE, inside out. December is a season love, peace and harmony. A season of joy, sharing and forgiveness. But I know life has always been challenging, sometimes unpredictable, chaos happen anywhere, anytime. Affected people would always have troubles, pains and feelings of hopelessness.

 

The only thing I can do to help is prayer. I have a strong belief in praying and my faith has held me in tact in times of problems, uncertainties and doubts. When I reached the stage of seeing beyond, what others couldn't see, I call it a gift from God.

Remarkable People Are Sweet People

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success"

 

Norman Vincent Peale

 

 

Mother Teresa by Photobucket

Anyone could be remarkable. What makes a person remarkable? The word remarkable means "notably unusual" or "worthy of notice". A remarkable person then is someone who is unusual, who is worthy of our noticing.  Being "unusual' or "worthy of notice" does not necessarily mean being famous or well-known. Many famous people are not remarkable, and many people who are truly remarkable are not famous.

Sweet Reminders from God

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever"

 

Isaiah 40:8

 

 

beartales.com via Google photos
 

Once again, a new day reminds me of God's another gift - the present. If we're going to think back this year, November is almost finished this coming week. How time flies. This month also reminds the strongest typhoon in the world that hit the Philippines. Families were devastated, many have lost their lives, houses, great destruction it was.

 

But God sees everything! The world was not blind and deaf, once again, the goodwill from all over the world made concrete help in cash and in kind. I hope that soon, the aid and service be properly utilized for the victims.

The Wings of Life

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings."

 

Psalm 36:7

 

Photo by wallsave.com

When you were a little child, have you heard from your parents about stories of angels? How often do you see angels in books that you read in your childhood? Now that you're grown up, do you still believe in angels?

 

I was first curious about the images of cherubs, who appear to have a head and wings in the absence of the body. An old friend of my grandmother told me, they were the unborn children who died while in their mother's womb (the blue babies). She said their souls were pure and therefore go straight in heaven.

Sweet Trails of Wisdom

Green Fairy by escapeintolife.com

...words on trust, kindness, acceptance, hope, perseverance - gems of wisdom to give us direction and strength in life.

From Helen Exley Giftbook

Sweet TRUTHS You Should Know

" Truth never damages a cause that is just "

 

Mahatma Gandhi

 

Personally, every single person on Earth has their own truths. Sometimes, this is how people explain themselves. Truth is something that is universal. It is a fact written or said that has been proven and tested through our own life experiences. It is something you cannot deny.

Sweet Things I Love About Google

" Google is my all time favorite search engine ever "

 

Sofia Ann

 

I don't exactly remember what year I started using Google in search of anything, I mean ANYTHING. Below are some of the sweet things I truly love about Google.

 

Google + Social Media Sites = Quality Free Stuff

5 Sweet Ways To Boost Your Body Confidence

"When I became a mother and had six children, I learned to appreciate my body in a whole other level"

 

Denise

 

Let's get physical today. So far, I have been talking about your inner stability to develop a positive attitude towards anything in life. Maybe it's also being real to talk about the reality outside your body.

 

Women are by far more conscious and sensitive when it comes to their body looks. Let's face it, the more you look fit the more you feel great because you have a normal weight which gives an ease and confidence in moving and carrying yourself. On the other hand, there are average-sized women who are also confident and feeling great because they have learned to love their body figure and carry themselves confidently. These two types of attitude towards body confidence are must haves.

7 Sweet Daily Plan

"As long as you live, keep learning how you live"

 

Seneca

 

It's really awful when you feel good upon waking up and arriving for work, when a negative energy from some negative person hit you early in the morning. Wow! surely it's a rubbish. Well, let's help ourselves by creating a shield against any negative attacks again by following these sweet 7.

5 Sweet & Sour Personal Challenges

"A challenge is something new and push yourself into areas that test your capabilities as well as widen your horizons"

 

Simon Doyle

 

Photo by peruvianandes.com

I salute adventurous people who have been in heights and lows of the world and places where I could only imagine. Well, I had a few sweet memorable moments of challenges like when I climbed the 100 stairs to Mama Mary's Grotto in Baguio City, Philippines in one of my high school days excursions, have climbed the highest steep old stairs in one of Angkor Wat's temple in Cambodia

5 Sweet Ways To Be An Extraordinary Person

"There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and lifting others up"

 

Unknown

 

Early mornings of every weekends I wake up early and do a water run. I have enjoyed this early walking exercise because I find it refreshing, feeling the cold breeze in the air as I walk on the street. 

One morning, on my way back home, after filling my water bottle, I thought of buying some food sold by the locals, fresh, hot and cheap. When I was about to pay, my money was not enough, so I
gestured an apology and asked the woman to just take a few back. But to my surprise she refused. "Take them and pay me next time. I always see you walk around every morning, no problem", she said. I thanked her with full smile and showed her my gratitude when I came back to pay her in full.

Isn't It Sweet When Someone Wishes They Were YOU?

"People run their lives in many ways - peaceful, scary, fashionable, complicated or simple. Point is, everyone has the opportunity to do it right or wrong and the chance to be grateful or ask for forgiveness."

 

Sofia Ann

 

Do you really know who you are? What you've got and why you're smart? Did you know that despite of our differences and how you live your life, some people out there still wish they were you?

 

Your life is what you choose and you're solely responsible of any flaws or wellness it may bring you. Before you know it, you're actually telling yourself, "Goodness, I have it pretty darn good!"?

 

Here's why many people in this world wish they had what you have.

Life Is A Sweet Gift

 A Life Story To Live By

 

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always
there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see
the world, I will marry you.'

One day,
someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages
came off, she was able to see everything, including her
boyfriend.

3 Sweet Tips To Manage Your Emails

"Organize not only your bank accounts but also your email accounts so that it is not all mixed up."

 

Sofia Ann

 

Photo from Google

Did you know that even the smart people forget their password? Or sometimes they forget their user name. This also happened to me in the past and it's not pretty good.

 

For some reason, due to our multiple activities in the cyber world, we create multiple email accounts and of course, multiple passwords. Out of five accounts that you have created, you will remember at least three perfect emails or an average of two.

 

To avoid forgetting, you can consider doing some of the things I will mention below.

Sweet Woman, is that YOU?

"Some people say being sweet is boring and not fun at all. I think it's better to be sweet than a sour person"

 

Sofia Ann

 

Photo from Google

Hello gorgeous!

Sweetness is not about the chocolate, cake and candy that we eat. It's about your attitude.



Did you know that women are sweet? It doesn't matter how old you are, it's about a MUST have sweetness factor that all women should possess. Sad fact is, most women are aging and missing the factors of being sweet because they're too tight in focusing on problems, worries, pains, money and relationships. These pitfalls draw us down, women.

Sweet Gifts From God

"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals."

 

Larry Bird

 

Photo by dailymail.co.uk

I'm lucky to have been graced by God with talent in arts. I discovered that when I was in my primary grade. When you have the skill, you simply know which and what to match - color, texture, size, angle, from the many to the least resources you have. I have utilized my skills in my teaching career by painting, drawing, making sketches, decorating, and have helped some friends in making them teaching devices, especially when I was still in the Philippines in my previous school.

22 Sweet Flower Ideas For Home

"Flowers whisper "BEAUTY" to the world, even as they fade, wilt, fall."

 Dr. SunWolf

 



Photo credit to walmart.com

Spring or not, flowers are beautiful and sweet inside the house. No matter how you would want them - fresh or silk - as long as you decorate them with your own taste and style, they will bring in freshness and a calming spirit around your home.

 

Beautify your home with your selected favorite flowers. Enjoy the sweet ideas from the collected photos below.

Have fun!

10 Sweet Ways Of Growth

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail"

Author Unknown

 

I was reading a giftbook I borrowed from my friend when I came across this quote. It challenged me. All the more when I noticed it's written by an unknown author, wherever this brilliant person may be, I'm  sure this quote has gone a long way changing a person's life one way or the other.

 

We're all reminded by our parents, teachers, leaders and friends to follow the right path, the life of a symbolic person, to become a good leader in the future and so that we become a somebody that people could turn to. True enough and good enough.

Keep Things Sweet and Simple

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

Leonardo da Vinci

 

I was born in the 1960's and lived my youthful days in the 70's and 80's. Those days of my life and the world I've seen, were simple.

 

Could it be that I grew up in a very simple family and not like the others who were born with sophistication and wellness in life. I knew that difference very well.

But when it comes to the 21st century, where information and technology spread at the speed of light, the abundant array of all sorts of innovation when it comes to designing our lives and careers, it's never simple again. No. Not the way I've known the world during my childhood days.

9 Sweet Homeoffice Must Haves

"An organized place of work is heaven" 

Sofia Ann 






Photo by stylewithinreach.com

Hi there! Today I'm so inspired to share some sweet ideas about setting up a home office. Do you already have? Oh good then. 

We take some work home, for some reason. There are also those who work at home by running their own business online. Because of this, it's a smart thing to set up a simple but organized home office. 

I'm sure by now, everything's set up considering the room temperature, ventilation. lighting and privacy (noise).

6 Sweet Focus In Life

"Each day of your life is meaningful but without focus you will end up being used up by time instead of you using it."

 

Sofia Ann

 

Photo by Michael Hyatt

There are plenty of reasons why we are laid back at times. Situations, family, friends, finances and relationships play as the fundamental factors of living.

 

I've been one of these people who experienced the downfall in life. When it's almost helpless. But it was my hope that pursued me.

 

My life is sweet again. It requires work and patience. You need focus in achieving happiness.

 

Sweet Ecclectic Styles

"Design is power. It brings out the best of even the simplest object through an unusual pattern"

 

Sofia Ann

 

Designs are born in your home only if you have created them first in your mind - by being imaginative.  Ecclectic styling and designing is a strange force of creation put into action but resulting into a masterpiece of arts and taste.

 

 

Color combinations of strong lime green, plain white, a touch of yellow-orange and blue paintings on the light blue walls.



6 Sweet Plant Ideas For Home

"I love plant decorating ideas. It creates a look of living in a paradise. It gives a pleasant and homey feeling."

 

Sofia Ann

 

All photos are by Rikki Snyder

I have always admired places and homes decorated with plants. Sometimes, just by looking at some photos that show images of marvelous interior designing with plants, gives a therapeutic feeling to me.

 

Choosing a plant for interior decorating is a bit difficult but there are plenty to choose from. You can place your potted plants in  corners or areas of the house where you think they can fit beautifully.

5 Sweet Tips For Closets

"If you love a closet being neat and organized, then love your things and take good care of them"

 

Sofia Ann

 

Everyday when we wake up, we reach for our drawers and open our closets for the day's costume. Sometimes we stay up to five minutes figuring what to wear.

 

I think that happens to everyone especially if you suddenly noticed that something in your wardrobe is missing and gasp - you need it today. Where could it be?

 

Let me share some sweet tips to manage your quickie time in the morning for work.

6 Sweet Character Traits Must Haves

" Sexiness is a state of mind - a comfortable state of being"

Halle Berry 

 

 

To have a sexy body is absolutely a huge plus factor for ladies. Added with a sweet smile - who's not going to be attracted to you?

 

But watch out! Those two positive qualities should have something more for you. People are increasingly in desperate need of a more enduring standard. One that includes those internal qualities, those that add joy and passion in life, those of heart, mind and soul.

5 Sweet Things To Tell Yourself

"We only live once but if you do it right, once is enough" 

Mae West

 

Honestly, I am an ordinary person just like everybody else who used to think that living life is as simple as breathing, working, and performing daily tasks, receiving and sending back emotions the way they come to my life.

 

I noticed some bad patterns that I continuously use in my life and these patterns are mostly giving me bad energies in return resulting to a bad outcome. I started to notice them last year by asking myself the big WHY?

Until I realized them and today I'm sharing them to you.