Facets of My Life

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

We attended a friend’s wedding yesterday, the groom is our friend and originally from Hawaii  so the wedding theme is kinda Hawaiian tradition. Men had to wear Hawaiian shirt and a black color necklace called Kukui lei were given to all guests.  In Hawaii a lei is given as a symbol of love, respect and appreciation for all kinds of celebration.  The Kukui is the state tree of Hawaii and ancient Hawaiian times were only give to people of great importance since they were very sacred. It’s such an honor to have this kind of necklace. The bride and groom had both fresh garland of purple/white dendrodium orchids strung together and worn around the neck. They also had that kind of ceremony called Sand (instead of candle) Unity Ceremony, symbolize the joining of the bride and groom or the joining of their families.  The ceremony was supposedly held at the Garden of the God’s Park, unfortunately the weather didn’t seem to cooperate so it ended up an indoor wedding. It was a nice and interesting wedding. There was a live band and musicians were playing light Hawaiian music, it was really cool and it served as a pleasant background while guests were passing through the receiving line, socializing during the cocktail hour, and dinner. The couple’s names in the Hawaiian language were engraved onto their wedding cakes. Modern Hawaiian cuisine was served at the reception, I was surprised when the groom told us that Hawaiian cuisine is a fusion of many cuisines brought by multi-ethnic immigrants to the Hawaii islands, particularly of American, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Polynesian and Portuguese origins.

It was such a pleasant and remarkable experience to witness a unique kind of wedding. It’s the added touch of Hawaiian culture that puts the spice in it and makes it different from the rest. Though the traditions may be different, though the customs may vary, no matter where you go the tradition of the marriage remains true.  It is the joyful joining to two lives, celebrated the world over for the miracle that it truly is. ALOHA!(which means love)

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. Not true! Words can cause tremendous anguish and irreparable harm. When we speak badly about someone, the damage spreads and has far-reaching repercussions. It is impossible to fully repair. Words are powerful. They can tear apart relationships and ruin reputations or they can build and inspire. Just about everyone gossips, eager to share and listen to the latest dirt. Why? What’s the allure? Why do we love so much to talk especially bad things about other people? I just find it so annoying. I’m really tired of this crap to the point that I dont want to mingle with my own Filipino groups here . It’s better to think twice about the kind of people whom you associate with or should I say it’s better not to associate with anyone rather than associate with the wrong crowd. I love my Filipino culture but if there is one part of it I really want to crush is this tendency to mess with other people’s business. Don’t we have nothing better to do? I know some people love to gossip because they think they can only feel good about themselves by putting down others or maybe either out of jealousy and boredom, or ones own lack of self confidence or self-esteem, or insecure like a bully. Why focus only on other people’s faults and ignore the good things in them? Dont we realize that at the end we lower ourselves, like flies drawn to dirt? Next time we’re tempted to focus on the negative in someone, take a good long look at ourselves while seeing the good in others.

MAT 6:22-23 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness.

I believe eyes are windows to the soul. You can read a lot in someone eyes. They reflect many things, we can see happiness, sadness, anger, depression, love, pain, fear, grief, hatred, paranoia…etc. When you ask a person a question and they don’t look you in the eye, they fidget and get very nervous, means they have something to hide. You can give a hint of their personality by looking at their eyes and profiling them on how they act, where they look and do they keep open eye or half masked. Are they alert or angry? Our eyes help us make our facial expressions.

Can eyes lie? I don’t think so, but if one wants to see something that is not there, they will. And yet, the truth of the inner being is there, ever present to behold, in their eyes. I think eyes can tell a lot. Might not tell the full story but can get an idea of how this person is and whether they give you the creeps or not too.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged" a verse from old scriptures- for others to judge me, as I judge them, means I carefully analyze their intentions. If they mean harm, or care less, then I pass them by, if possible. I won’t judge them, for I don’t wish judgment upon myself. If someone intentionally hurts me, I pass them by. I am not their Judge and Jury, and they are not mine.