Ang mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan

By Bob Ong

Binili ko 'tong libro na 'to nung Biyernes dahil wala lang. Kanina ko lang natapos pero sobrang hindi ko agad nagets 'yung point. Pero okay lang, ayoko nang panghinayangan yung P150 ko (P75 dahil hati kami ng Ate ko). At isa-suggest ko parin na basahin niyo. Hehe

Masasabi ko namang maganda 'yung tema at marami namang aral na makukuha. Nakakatuwa nga eh, tingin ko talaga dapat basahin 'to ng mga kabataan ngayon. Merong dalawang punto akong gustong ishare. 

Una, 'yung pananampalataya daw ng mga Katoliko.

"Mama, tinatanong po ni Kuya Galo kung Katoliko kayo."

Nanlamig ako sa tinanong ni Niko. Kung abot ko sya, talagang tinapalan ko ng kamay ang bibig nya. Napatigil tuloy si Lola sa pagkain.

"Nagsusuot ng kahit anong klase ng damit sa dalanginan, nakikipagkwentuhan at dumarating sa kalagitnaan ng pagsamba, nananalangin kung kailan lang kailangan ng tulong?"  matalas ang tingin sa 'kin ni Lola. "Hindi ako Katoliko."

Pangalawa, ang pagkahumaling ng tao sa teknolohiya.

"Yan ba ang pinag-aaralan mo sa Maynila?" nakatingin sya sa t-shirt kong may picture ng computer keyboard. Hindi pa 'ko nakakasagot, nagpatuloy na sya: "Kaya mabuhay ng tao ng walang ganyan." Nginitian nya ulit ang mga bata, tumango naman yung magkapatid bilang pagsang-ayon kahit hindi naman nila naintindihan yung sinabi ni Lola. "Gaano ba katagal ang buhay niyan bago palitan dahil iba na naman ang uso?" Malumanay pa rin magkwento si Lola at maganda ang ngiti kahit nangangaral. "Walang tigil ang tao sa paggamit ng enerhiya. Lahat ng maaaring pagkagastusan ng kuryente, gagawin nila. Nabubuhay sila sa sistema ng pag-aani ng mga kayamanan ng mundo upang gawing lason at basura."
(Nakakatakot 'to kasi may sinabi pang parang end of the world.)

Anyway, totoo nga naman diba? Medyo hindi ako tinamaan diyan dahil wala naman kaming pambili ng mga makabagong gadgets. Mabubuhay naman talaga tayo ng wala yang mga yan. Pinapadali nga nito ang mga bagay bagay. Pero bakit nga ba kailangan nating magmadali? Bukas makalawa baka madapa lang tayo. 

The Freedom of Simplicity

By Bo Sanchez

Happiness is not found outside of you.  It doesn't come from cars, clothes, cash, or Caribbean cruises.  Happiness is found within.  But how can you find it if you don't have the simplicity of time and space to discover the most important things in your life?  How can you search the depths of your soul if you are too busy impressing others, acquiring wealth, protecting your properties, and paying your debts?  Simplicity is not about the external either: living in a doghouse, eating in Hepatitisjoints, wearing rags.

Let me define what it is: Simplicity is living from the core of your being.  - A TREASURE MAP OF HAPPINESS -  Simplicity will point to you where and what and who the gold is in your life.  Let me share with you the seven powerful lessons I've learned on simple living:
1. LIVE ON LESS, AND DELIGHT IN THEM MORE
Some take their pleasure dining in classy restaurants, trips to Europe, and owning the latest home theatre-equipment.  I've chosen the simple path: If I can simply be with my wife, or take a quiet stroll under a canopy of stars, or play with a child, or read a good book in my home, or laugh with friends over a pizza, I consider myself richly blessed.  Focus on what you have and not on what you don't have.
2. RUNNING AND WALK INSTEAD
Here's the truth: The person who has covered the greatest distance does NOT win, but the one who has most enjoyed the journey does.  Stop running around chasing your own tail!  Get off your hurried pace and learn to breathe.  Replace doing with being.  Learn to say no to invitations, appointments, and commitments, activities and events that will rob you of your focus.  Learn to say "yes "to rest, to tranquility, to quietness.
3. YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR WEALTH
I own very few things today.  Because I am more than the brand of my watch, the logo of my shoes, the name of my car.  I believe that if in my soul I deeply respect and value myself, people around me will sense that, and they too, will value and respect me-whether I'm wearing Armani or not.  You are more than your wealth.
4. AVOID BUYING ON CREDIT
I don't believe in borrowing from credit cards.  (For convenience, I use one card but I pay the whole amount at the end of each month.)  If I need something really bad, I save up for it.  Sometimes, at midpoint, I realize I don't really need the darn thing and give up the whole idea.  The only exception I feel we should enter into a credit is when buying a non-depreciating item, such as housing or land.  I believe we should always live within our earning capacity.
5. GIVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
If I content myself with P250 shirt instead of P4,000 Lacoste, I can help others more. Trust me, there is immense pleasure!   You will find that the empty thrill of owning a diamond ring on your finger pales in comparison to the joy of handling a piece of bread to an orphan child.
6. SAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
Saving is essential to being good stewards of the money that God "lends" to us.  Saving is an important way of providing for our future-both for our needs and to be generous to others. I recommend that you save at least 10% of your income. I can almost hear you now: "Bo, that's impossible!" Oh yeah?  Well, how did you live three years back when your salary was one-half its present amount?  Sacrifice. Many of our needs are actually wants.  Is cable TV a need? Will you suddenly die if you can't watch CNN or HBO?  Are those new golf clubs essential to your existence?  Invest in time deposits, long-term stocks and housing.
7. BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET
Make a list of all your monthly expenses, according to categories.  Make also a list of irregular expenses-those that don't come monthly.  Set up another savings account for these expenses and put in a little money each month. To differentiate this from the savings account, we call ours "freedom account" because it frees us from worrying about them when they suddenly attack.  And stick to your budget!

ONE LAST WORD BEFORE WE CLOSE

Balance.

Don't take living simply to the extremes!  Living simply doesn't mean living in deprivation.  There are special days when my wife and I eat in a fancy restaurant or when we splurge into a vacation.  Very rare, yes, but my point is that you take living simply NOT as a rigid goal-but as a happy process towards the goals of generosity, inner peace and holiness.


P.S. 
So I came across this as I was browsing through piles of unread messages in my email. Anyway, my family is such a fan of Bo Sanchez. I remember my parents always bringing home some books and magazines authored by Bo. I am so lucky to be one of the people constantly inspired by his words for the soul. 

Something for you.

After all, life can never be easy. Ever.

This is me again, stranded. Uncertain, no concrete plans and doubtful. I wonder if I'm the only one who struggles myself with where I really am today. And where will I be going years from now. It always seemed that I'm a complete stranger to myself. When I was a senior high school and was asked to submit a paper for the year book data, I didn't know how to fill in the blank of that last question. In the future, I'd want to be a/an ____? I was so young then and never had any idea what's out there. My childhood dream was to be a teacher mainly because I enjoy checking papers and using the chalk. So after goofing around asking my classmates what they'd put in, I wrote doctor all of a sudden. What I thought of then was that I'd love to know the mystery behind our body that makes it possible of doing its processes in such an organized and amazing manner. It's been two years now and I am here in the middle of the process of making that happen. Faced by trials, deadlines, pressure, frustrations and self-denial I am still capable of doing my part on the carbon cycle. I have to admit that this agony of who I am, where I'll be going, is always present. Moving around my mind and eating spaces which are supposedly for cell biology and genetics shits. I believe though that there is a reason why I am here. Why I passed in this course and not in communication arts or education in the first place. Maybe it just lacks clarity for now. But time would come that I will understand. Imagining all these things about me, I can say that I am happy.