We Meet People for a Reason

We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason or for a lesson.

Something to ponder on...

Five Lessons From TFPYMH

Five Lessons from the book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom

The First Lesson:

"That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."

There are no random events in life. People are all connected in one way or another.

The Second Lesson:

" Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices."

"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else".

Sacrifice is a part of life. We make small and big sacrifices for the people who are important to us.  When I was assigned to work here in Japan in 2007, we moved here as a family. My 2 daughters continued their studies at the Canadian International School here in Kobe (thanks to my employer). When both of them graduated from high school, they had to leave Japan to study in college. I can not give up my job to be with them. So I have to sacrifice for them and they also have to sacrifice living away from their parents.  This is a big sacrifice for all of us, but we trust God's plan for us.

The Third Lesson: 

"Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."

Eddie hated his father so much that's why it was so hard for him to forgive his father.  His father treated him badly when he was a kid until he got older. His father had caused him so much emotional damage and it was hard for him to forgive and forget what his father had done to him.

No matter how bad a person has harmed you, you must learn to forgive and forget.  Otherwise, you will just do more harm to yourself.  Release anger and learn the valuable art of forgiveness. That's what I did. I learned to forgive and forget this person who betrayed me and hurt me badly.  I felt much better and at peace after doing that. 

"Forgive. That's because no one is born with anger. And when we die, the soul is freed of it."

"In order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did, and why you no longer need to feel it."

The Fourth Lesson 

Love is never lost even in death.

"Lost love is still love." 

"Life has to end, love doesn't."

The Fifth Lesson

Everyone has a purpose on this earth. We are all here for a reason.

Through the fifth person whom he met in heaven, Eddie finally realized his purpose on earth which made him appreciate the life that he lived that he once thought as meaningless.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

I happened to read my friend's blog about this book and so I got inspired to read it again. I read this book about 2 years ago.  I know that this book is good and it's really worth re-reading.

The story is about an 83 year old man named "Eddie" who was unsatisfied in his life.  He was a war veteran and was working as a maintenance man at an amusement park at the time of his death.  The story begins at the end, with Eddie dying, trying to save a little girl from the falling ride.

"All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time".

When Eddie died,  there were five people who were waiting for him in heaven.

"There are five people you meet in heaven. Each of us was in your life for a reason. You may not have known the reason at the time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth."

"This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for."


Each of the five people that Eddie meets in heaven is there to teach him a lesson to help him understand and appreciate his life.  Each of them had crossed Eddie's path before they died.  Some of them he knows well and some he has never met, and they all wait for him in some place familiar to his past.

"There are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."

If I had the choice of five people I could meet up again in heaven and spend time with, my five choices would be:

1. My mother who died of cancer 20 years ago.  She died when my first born was less than a year old. She didn't get the chance to see my 2 beautiful girls grow up.

2. My brother who died in 2009. He was found dead in his room. I cried a lot when I found out about his death. I was so guilty because I haven't had the chance to show him how much I care and how much I love him. I was able to talk to him on the phone in Oct. 2009, and then he died Nov. 2009.

3. Inang Aning - My grandmother (my father's inang) who took care of us when we were small kids. My inang lived longer than my mother. She died of old age.  She got the chance to see my 2 girls that's why my girls can still remember her.

4. Lalet (my cousin's daughter). She died of ovarian cancer at a young age of 20, gone too soon. She would stay in our house during her school break to help us in household chores. She was like a sister to me.

5. My bestfriend Marilou. She died at the age of 37. She left for US when she got married. We would see each other in the province every time she had the chance to go back to Philippines. She was the only one whom I could share all my secrets with. It was really sad she left behind her 2 young sons at a young age.

I'm Back!

I just came back from my vacation and the past week had been so hectic to me, with so many things to do at work. Well, that's the price that I have to pay for being absent for a long time. But I am not complaining :). I enjoyed all the time that I took off from work because I was able to spend quality time with my family back in the Philippines.  Time had flown by so quickly and now I am back to reality. I will miss again my family in the Philippines, aww :(. But we will be together again in three months time. The girls will get the chance to visit Japan again during their summer break before I move to Singapore.

Hello Singapore! I am coming soon but still have mixed feelings until now. I just so love Japan and I am really sad to leave this place, my second home since 2007. But life is all about letting go and moving on.  I just have to keep my faith in God. Life goes on and on and on....

Moving On to 2013

New Year is all about moving on, turning over a new leaf or beginning a new phase in life.  Life is not always perfect. At some point in our lives, we do experience dark and cloudy days. Good and bad things happen to us, whether we like or not. I hate to admit it, I tend to dwell too much on the cloudy days and I find it hard to move on.  I know that dwelling too much in the past is not good. So I would like to include this in my new year's resolution -- not to dwell too much in the past, but instead learn from my mistakes,  just let go and move on. New year, new life, new beginning!

Inspirational quotes about moving on.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of 2013 and I will not let this day pass without making my New Year's resolution.

1. The first thing in my list is to lose the excess weight that I gained from eating too much during the Christmas holidays and get back on track again :).

2. The next thing in my list is to control my impulse buying habit, stop splurging on things that I like, and spend less on things that I don't need or nice to have things, so that I can save more.

3. The third in my list is to read more books this year. I have not read much last year and this year I resolve to read more.

4. The last thing in my list to finish my unfinished cross-stitch project that I started almost 2 years ago but stopped last year due to busy schedule.

I hope I will be able to fulfill my New Year's resolution. Wish me luck!

9 Days Before Christmas

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

It's nine (9) days before Christmas and I am still busy with all my remaining items in my to do list at work before I go on vacation.  The past weeks have been very busy for me at work. I will be going on a month long vacation in my home country starting 18th December, that's why I need to complete all the remaining work items in my to do list. I only have one working day left, but still a lot of things to do. Oh well, with the way things are going, I will be most likely working during my Christmas break.  I only hope I can find time to post some new stories while on vacation. For now, I need to focus on my work so I can complete all the things that I have to finish and enjoy my vacation without thinking of unfinished tasks at work.

Christmas is indeed more fun in the Philippines. That's why, I am sooo looking forward to my vacation and spending Christmas with my family.  I miss the parols, bibingka, puto bumbong, Christmas lights, and Simbang gabi. One thing for sure, I'll be home for Christmas :)).

Puto bumbong

Christmas lights

Parol

Bibingka

Belen

It's December!

It's already December, the last month of 2012.  In a few weeks time, we will soon be bidding goodbye to 2012.  Time flies really fast. The time to pack and leave Japan for good is coming closer and closer.  Thinking about this makes me feel sad :(.

But of course I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me this opportunity to work on an international assignment here in Japan. I prayed hard for this international assignment when I was still based in our Manila office and I am really thankful to God because He answered my prayers.

Now, I am making the most of my remaining stay here in Japan. That's why I didn't let the month of November pass by without going to Kyoto to view those wonderful and colorful Autumn trees. As expected, Kyoto was so jam-packed with tourists and Japanese.

So nice to take pictures of the colorful trees.  I really really love Kyoto! I will come back to this place again in February and April.

Kirin Mets - Fat Busting Cola

Here's another fat busting cola that is being sold in Japan - Kirin Mets Cola.

This is my third post about fat busting drinks that are being sold in Japan. I am just amazed that fat busting cola is now becoming a popular beverage in Japan :).  Kirin Mets Cola was launched in April 2012. This fat busting cola was introduced first before the Pepsi Special fat blocking soda.  What's next? Maybe Coke will also launch its own fat busting cola in the next few months.

And here's what I got from google about this product (source: www.foodstuff)

Japan is renowned for its prodigious and eclectic-to-bizarre product innovation when it comes to food and beverages - and recently, giant beverage maker, Kirin, released the "first-ever" health food cola in April. The drink is called Kirin Mets Cola. According to the company, the drink contains an indigestible form dextrin sometimes used as a fibre supplement, which restricts the body’s ability to absorb fat while eating. It contains no sweeteners and has strong carbonation for a refreshing feel. They also claim that blood tests performed in house after consuming the beverage prove the drink keeps levels of neutral fats low after eating.

An increasing health consciousness, particularly among 30-something males, combined with the indisputable fact that high-calorie, delicious foods like hamburgers, pizza and chips just cry out for a cola accompaniment, has led to the development of this fat-busting drink, says Kirin.

The company adds its target demographic is guys who love cola but are worried about their weight, as well as former customers who have stopped buying soft drinks for health reasons. With Mets Cola, they hope to welcome them back with open arms.

I have tasted Kirin Mets and I like the taste better than Pepsi Special.  The taste is somewhere between the regular and diet coke. But this is still a softdrink so I will only drink it once in a while to satisfy my craving for cola :).

Healthya - Fat Burning Drink

I have heard of this healthy drink that claims to burn body fat - Healthya is the brand name. This product is produced by Kao and it's only available in Japan.

Product Features

Approved as a Food for Specified Health Use by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.

Approved Health Claim

Due to high content of tea catechin, this drink promotes fat utilization as energy and is suitable for people who are concerned about body fat.

Well, I am one of those who are concerned about body fat.  So, I am a prime prospect of this product :).  Before I decided to lose weight last year, my %body fat was above the upper limit. I managed to bring it down to the normal level, through exercise and diet. After achieving my weight loss goal, my body weight has now stabilized. I continue to work out everyday but I am not losing weight anymore, but I can feel that my muscles are more toned now.  If I can still bring down my % body fat, then it would be a bonus.  

I want to try this Healthya drink and see if the claim is true. But, I think I have to drink it regularly to see the benefit. I will take this as a challenge. If I don't lose body fat after one month, then I will stop drinking this, haha!

And now the challenge begins... today is my day 1.

Pepsi Special Fat Blocking Soda - Only in Japan

A new soda, Pepsi Special has just been launched in Japan. It claims that it helps reduce body fat.  Hmmm, sounds too good to be true.

I'm not a fan of diet sodas because I know diet sodas are unhealthy.  But, I got curious of this new product that claims that it can help get rid of fat, and so I bought 2 bottles this afternoon when I went to Daie supermarket so I that I can give it a try :).  It tastes good, just like diet Pepsi or Coke. But I am still not convinced that it can really get rid of fat.

Here's something that I got from my google research.

In Japan, the Suntory beverage company -- PepsiCo's sole distributor in Japan since 1997 -- is marketing "Pepsi Special," a black-and-gold bottle featuring "dextrin," which the company claims is a fiber that blocks fat absorption. Suntory also claims that Pepsi Special reduces "the postprandial rise in triglycerides in the blood."

The implication seems to be that drinking Pepsi Special while eating will somehow reduce the amount of fat you digest. The brand is being advertised as a "FOSHU" product, shorthand for "food specified health use." Black and gold was chosen to impart "a sense of luxury."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pepsi-special-fat-blocking-soda-in-japan-2012-11#ixzz2Crbe48Zo

Be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!!!