Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not

Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure.
- Bill Scheel (Starbucks customer from London, Ontario)

I read a lot of quotes. I agree with a lot of them. I don't really agree with the beginning of the quote but I do agree with the latter part. If we eff our lives up without anyone's help, we have to look into ourselves and find in us the ability to fix it too.

Thirty delegates. Thats more than we expected.

A few months ago when i arrived in Brunei, I was invited by my beloved Bishop to attend World Youth Day Sydney08. To be honest, my first initial reaction was,"Ok, thats great, but can I afford it?" Each delegate pays their own way, and in order to ease the financial burden, we did a lot of fund raising. And in the process, we all got to know each other spectacularly well.

Since I was a kid, I always wanted to go to a World Youth Day. And now that I can, well, as a small gift to myself, spiritually especially as it is a pilgrimage NOT a sight seeing tour, materially, because its the first major trip I ever bought for myself (uni excursions and travels dont count haha), mentally, because I need the time away from work, physically, because I neeed a new experience, emotionally, because I need a break from my connections, and overall, just because I would like to experience a pilgrimage. Australia is not new to me, but this spiritual journey will be.

wydbrunei08.blogspot.com has captured our journey thus far, and will be capturing it from tmrw onwards.

I invite you all readers to join us in praying for our pilgrimage and I hope you have fun visiting the blog.

thought there was love in everything and everyone/ You're so naive

All I wanted was to be invisible. It was a simple request. It didn't involve anyone else. When I was in a room with another person, I felt like I was only half there. When I was in a room with two other people, I felt like a third of myself. When I was in a room with three other people, I felt like a quarter of myself. And when I was in a whole crowd of people, I felt like nobody.

- Dot from the movie The Quiet

I am a very obnoxious person. It comes naturally to me, really. I mean that because I don't bother to conform to most of what the world is considered ideal (you know, perfect superficial aesthetic beauty if youre a woman for example), because I don't really like making those childish scathing remarks, because I am thought of as 'boring', I am quite easy to make fun of.

And I often am made fun of, and I know it, despite what most people think.

And they belong to a Catholic Community.

And they wonder why numbers are dwindling.

With 'friends' like those, who needs enemies?

But I enjoy their company, and sometimes they treat me well. So I stay while theyre entertained. Even if I'm almost always on the outside looking in. Even if I know they will cast me aside anytime.

I am not as dumb as they think I am.

And thats their cross to bear, not mine.

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday

In all aspects of the word, I have love. The security, the comfort, the warmth of it. I revel in it.

I am thankful for it.

But there comes a point when you have to decide if its really worth keeping.

I am not easy to love and at this point, after knowing everything we have been though, I am considering the non pursuance of a love affair and for that..

I am ashamed of myself.