Grazie and Graziela

Each person is unique. Even the twins, Grazie and Graziela, have characteristics that distinguish them from one another. Graziela is tall; Grazie is taller. The latter likes to wear her hair in ponytail; the former wants her hair down and flowing. Moreover, Grazie is pretty and simple; Graziela is gorgeous and elegant. If you can notice, their characteristics make them poles apart even though they are twins. That is why every individual is exclusive.

My Three Laws of Spiritual Motion

All of my life was governed by these 3 laws: my Law of Inertia, my Law of Acceleration, and my Law of Interaction. Sounds like the 3 laws of motion, isn’t it? But, no. It’s not Newton’s laws of motion; it’s MY laws of SPIRITUAL motion. These laws that I had created years ago and perfected last month have been of great help for me since then. These laws, which are all appropriately named for the messages each of them contain, constantly remind me to look at the problems I encounter with a knowing mind and a positive outlook on life. These laws also contain facts in life that can’t easily be denied. They became my guide as I continue my way to the top. That is why I let my life be governed by these laws. I can’t imagine my life without them.


Now, let me introduce my first law of spiritual motion, which is my Law of Inertia. My law of inertia states that I have to resist unbalanced forces if I want to continue moving, since a body in motion will continue to do so unless a force is acted upon it. Meaning, I have to mentally fight off problems from getting under my skin in order for me to get on with life, since these problems can either alter one’s steady course or end one’s serene journey. I have to be wary not to let my problems get the most of me, because if they do, I will get panicked and I might do something that can alter my optimistic view of life. That’s why I have to keep them a distance away from me.

How can I maintain my motion if I am persistently bombarded with a lot of them? The answer lies in my second law of spiritual motion which is my Law of Acceleration. My law of acceleration states that I have to accelerate more if there is an increase of the unbalanced force. The greater the force of the problem, the greater should be my acceleration. In other words, I have to bear in mind that the only way I can beat these troubles is to overpower their force. Therefore, I have to accelerate forward despite of all the distractions in order for me to maintain my motion.

So that I could carry out the second law and continue the first law, I created the third and last law of spiritual motion, which is my Law of Interaction. My law of interaction states that I have to keep on resisting and accelerating because every obstacle has an equal yet oppositely directed force, which is the solution itself. I will eventually stumble on it if I persist on resisting the problems and accelerating forward. That’s why I have to keep these things up if I want to get on with life.

If you’ll look closely, you would surely see that what I am saying all along is that the problems we face should be dealt with a calm head, a persistent heart, and an affirmative action. A calm head is needed so that we can resist our problems. A persistent heart is a necessity so that we can accelerate forward. An affirmative action is essential so that we can continue resisting and accelerating. Therefore, these 3 laws of mine that have been guiding me through all these years can also be your guide as you go through yours.

The Countess : A Victim of Revenge

" The Countess " is a novel written by Catherine Coulter. It is a Gothic novel masquerading as a regency, for the setting is in late 1800's in Europe. This means that the characters are dukes and duchesses, counts and countesses, and knights and damsels. The novel is a kind of a regency romance. It is the love story between a young woman who married an old earl and the earl's handsome young nephew who was regarded as the heir of the earl.

Andrea Jameson, because of her father, grew up hating all young men. So, when her grandfather who raised her up died, she agreed to a bargain with an old widowed earl who promises her all the protection and comfort she needs without touching her. That means that they are only married by name and nothing else. But as she moved to live in the mansion of Lawrence, her new husband, she discovered long-ago secrets buried in the house. This includes the tale of Caroline, the previous mistress of Lawrence who believed to have jumped out of insanity at the top of the tower, and the mysterious Black room which was obviously painted with black and of which an evil force seems to dwell. At the midst of these secrets, she discovered that someone wanted her dead. So, when John, the handsome young nephew of her husband, offered help and protection, she agreed. She was so frightened that moment. As the threats for her life come and go, John fell in love with her, and to her dismay, she found herself falling in love with him, a feeling forbidden for someone like her, a wife and a man-hater. The mystery deepened when her father whom she hoped to be dead wrote to her saying to get out of the house. Because of her willingness to solve the mystery, she declined to leave. Days after that, she discovered that the one who threatened her life was Lawrence, her husband. Instead of leaving, she stayed in the mansion, for she found her father's letter in his room. It was already too late when she decided to leave. That was when she learned the whole truth. All along, she was the bait to make her father appear to rescue her. According to her father, who was held prisoner like her, he loved Caroline when the latter became the mistress of Lawrence. When Lawrence realized this, he murdered Caroline. Now, Lawrence wanted to kill him for what he did. As Lawrence moved, Andrea and John stopped him and managed to unarm his men. As a result, Lawrence died and Andrea and John married months later.

The theme of the novel is revenge. If a man accidentally or intentionally despised a man, the latter would certainly come back and punish the former for what he had done. This is what happened to Lawrence. Because of his anger to Andrea's father, he was able to kill Caroline and threaten the lives of Andrea and his father. Therefore, revenge is never good, and it doesn't have a better effect either.

Christmas Geometry

Gifts come in different shapes and sizes.

Some are square, while others are round.

Just like gifts, people have geometric patterns, too. There are well-rounded people. They are intellectually and physically active. They engaged in many activities like singing, dancing, sports, reading and the like.

Other people are square. They are the introvert or silent types. They enjoy being alone writing poetry or simply listening to music.

How many shapes and sizes can you form with lines? Infinite! Likewise, with people. Each person is a unique creature of God endowed with different personalities, talents and skills.

What is so special about all our differences?

The intersecting lines, the point of connection between lines are special! It means that despite our diversity, we can still form bonding relationships with others through love and understanding. That is the special message of Christmas!

Taken from Children's Story and Activity Book No. 26

Mysterious Atomos

The idea of atoms as the smallest particle always amazes and arouses the interest of the philosophers and scientists of all ages. The first idea of atoms came from Leucippus, a Greek philosopher, and Democritus, his student. They first called atoms atomos. Years later, an English scientist named John Dalton began the modern atomic theory. The first atomic model was characterized by Joseph John Thomson. His model was called Plum Pudding Model because of it's similarity to a plum pudding. After Thomson came Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealander. He experimented a thin gold foil with a stream of alpha particles and came up with the idea of the nucleus. He called his model the Nuclear Model. In 1912-1913, a Danish Physicist called Niels Bohr came up with a new atomic model called the Planetary Model. It was called so because he picturized the electrons as planets revolving around the nucleus. The latest model was characterized by Erwin Schrodinger. He called his model the Electron Cloud Model. Because of these models, people had had idea of what atoms are. But until now, no one really is very sure of what atoms looked exactly in reality.

Among all these confusing models, what I believed to be the real appearance of an atom is the model of Rutherford. As you can observe, he made a model out of an experiment, not in a hypothesis. In his experiment, he noticed that most of the alpha particles just passed straight through the foil. This shows that most of the atom is empty space. He also noticed that only a few alpha particles were deflected. This means that the nucleus is very small. The other models show that the nucleus is big. This means that Rutherford described the atom as he observed, not pictured.

As shown in the above statements, one can conclude that I am quite rude in criticizing others works. But what can I do, that's what I am and that's what I noticed when I first encountered these models. I don't ask you to believe in what I already believed. I only wanted to express what is inside me. You, which of these models do you think is the true appearance of atoms?

The Litany of Life

Life is God's gift, be grateful for it.
Life is achievement, perform it.
Life is art, appreciate it.
Life is blessing, share it.
Life is challenge, dare it.
Life is conquest, win it.
Life is crown, wear it.
Life is excellence, attain it.
Life is faith, believe it.
Life is game, play it.
Life is hope, beam with it.
Life is legacy, enrich it.
Life is leisure, enjoy it.
Life is study, analyze it.
Life is superior, salute it.
Life is taste, savor it.
Life is touch, feel it.
Life is understanding, comprehend it.
Life is victory, earn it.
Life is wild, tame it.
Life is wisdom, utilize it.

Smile The While

If you fear your losing in life's hard race, smile!
Why trouble others with bootless cries?
How much better to cheer up and rise!
Will wishing for the moon suffice?

Though your heart is aching for something you've lost, smile!
Then joy to others you'll give,
People will love you while you live,
And give you back what they receive.

Though your soul is daily pining for things to be, smile!
For life isn't made for sighing,
Minutes not made for weeping,
But to raise someone from falling.