1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Today, my aunt shared to me an inspiring verse. 

image from hamiltoncog.org

Let me tell you about what happened with me and my friends last week. We have been planning to go to the capital, Bangkok, because they have to get some important documents. I wanted to accompany them since I haven't been there before.

image from wikipedia

Last Thursday, we have received news from our HR that one of my friend's passport is still being processed by the Labor office. This was the first obstacle we had. Airport officials would ask one's passport for identification, but as it would be a domestic flight we thought it would be ok for her to show her driver's license. We thought this obstacle was conquered.

Before we booked for a flight, we searched for a cheap hotel in the city center or near a train station. The go-to hotels we know of were already fully booked. I considered this another obstacle or sign that maybe we should not be going. It took us hours before we can find one online that we somehow like.  Since we now have a target hotel, we now have to book for flights.

We have a discounted rate from one of our company's partner airline. The office of this airline was supposed to be closed at 1730H. We went to the office and was surprised that they were already closed! The time was still 1650H. We were surprised and upset. Eventually, we decided to give up the idea of travelling for the weekend.

image from ideachampions.com

We thought to ourselves that maybe God was giving us signs/ obstacles not to go. I have always been taught that we can only see what is ahead however God sees what is beyond the bend. Had we forced ourselves to go, worst things might befall on us.

I would also like to share a story from the Our Daily Bread dated 29 January. The story is in the book of Numbers 22: 10-34.

image from biblebios.com

There was a man named Balaam who was offered a profitable assignment from a neighboring king, he inquired of God for permission to accept it. When God said no, the king's representatives made a better offer. Thinking God might change His mind, Balaam asked again. God granted permission for Balaam to go with them but with strict conditions. God knew Balaam's heart was not pleased with Him, so He placed His angel on the way. Balaam couldn't see the Angel but his donkey could. When the donkey refused to continue, Balaam became angry with the animal for blocking his progress.

Balaam's story teaches us that not every obstacle is meant to be overcome. Some are placed by God to keep us  from doing something foolish. When our plans are hindered, we should not assume that it's Satan trying to stop us. It might be God trying to protect us. (Julie Ackerman Link)

To conclude my story, me and my friends decided not to fret. Instead, we accepted that maybe it was not the time for us to visit the city. We just hope and pray to do so soon. :)

Philippians 4:11

image from gossipaunty.com

I found this on my Facebook news feed a few days ago. This has been very inspiring for me. Let me share it here.

Two teardrops were floating down the river of life. One teardrop asked the other, "who are you?" The second teardrop replied, "I am a teardrop from a girl who loved a man and lost him. And who are you?" The first teardrop replied, "I am a teardrop from the girl who got him."

We cry over what we don't have, not realizing we might have cried twice as hard had we gotten it. Unlike apostle Paul, he was thankful for what he had and not sorry about what he didn't have.

People who are contented live with a flexible cup; it expands or contracts to fit what God has supplied.

My friend then quoted Philippians 4:11New International Version (NIV)

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Sharing this nice story to my friends, I asked them: does it mean if we are contented we should not want to achieve more than what we have even if we know we have the ability to reach for it?

Today, the answer was revealed to me through a quote:

"To be content does not mean you do not desire more. It means that you're thankful for what you have and patient for what's to come."

Flashback to a gazillion months ago, I was crying because I lost something very dear to me. I fought hard for it to stay and be near however all the effort became hopeless. I now realize, if I fought for it so hard and had won the war, I could have cried more from exhaustion or from other external factors that may come. Finally, I accepted that maybe it was not for me.

This story got me to reflect that sometimes we look or focus more on what has been taken away from us or what we do not have. Instead, we must be thankful of what we still have and hoping for the best to come.

Today, I want to instill in myself to be contented with whatever I have in whatever circumstances. I plan to make it a habit to thank God for giving me what I need and what I have and on the other hand, to thank Him for what I do not have. 

Like everybody else, I am praying for something that I want. But I try to remember that sometimes not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

Or maybe, just maybe, God is asking me to be more patient and hopeful to wait for His perfect timing. For now, I will live with a flexible cup :)

28 January

Today, 28 January 2015, marks my first year from leaving my homeland and working abroad. 

I can still remember that faithful day of 28 January 2014. As I hugged our dog, Cody, goodbye and walked out from the room that my sister and I rented in Cebu City. It was a sunny day and I had to catch my flight. I tried hard not to cry on the way to the airport and while in the airport. 

As I hugged my father and sister before going to the check in desks, reality was slowly dawning to me. The immigration officer who checked my passport and papers spooked me out as she was apprehensive of letting me pass through. Thailand at that time was having a political unrest and there I was itching to get into the country. Assuring her that the place I was going to did not have any safety issues, she stamped my passport and allowed me to board the plane.

While on the flight towards my first layover in Singapore, I kept thinking of the people I left and the "routine" life I had. It was exciting and scary at the same time to venture into the unknown opportunities waiting for me. I landed in Phuket at around 9pm. It took me around 30 minutes to find the driver that my employer sent for me.

The first few days in the city was not that bad. My friend, Mel, took me to some of the popular places. This was taken in Patong Beach.

Banana Walk still in Patong.

I thought I found my knight in shining armor. 

One of the advantages of living and working abroad is that one can broaden horizons by meeting a lot of people from different cultural backgrounds. The opportunity to know their foreign customs and taste their delicious cuisines too. I also have learned to value and miss the food that I have taken for granted back home. Hearing people talking in foreign languages do not amaze me anymore. I just learned to put those sounds as background noises and instead focus on listening to words that I can understand.

Truly, there is no place like home. Meanwhile, let me make most of my time here to work and enjoy. :)

January 1 (Krabi part 3)

After a lot of walking and climbing, we decided to head back to the hotel to rest and take a dip in their pool.

The pool backdrop was very nice.

Afterwards, we dressed up and headed to a local restaurant to have our New Year's Eve dinner.

Before the clock struck 12 midnight, this was the beach scene. There were a few sky lanterns dotting the dark sky.

The New Year was received with a lot of fireworks. I only photographed a few.

The next morning, we went to Krabi's local park named Heaven 7. It is a park and a hotel located on a hill slope overlooking the sea. There was no entrance fee collected from us when we went. This sight was what greeted us when we arrived.

There were a lot of people at that time since it was a holiday. For a better view of the place we had to go to the highest point.

Climbing up was hard because it was a bright sunny day.

 This was the sight at the top.

Thank you Lord for your wondrous creations.

After resting for a couple of minutes, we again went down the hill. This time, we passed near the man-made waterfall.

 posed by the life-sized chess pieces.

Lastly, by their gazebo.

Heading back to Phuket, we stopped by a town called Phang nga and took pictures from the Dairy Hut Farm. Entrance fee was 80 baht.

They house llamas..

sheeps and goats. I saw this lady bottle feeding the sheep.

They also have camels.

There were a lot of things for photo opportunities like these:

We became like kids again. Taking advantage of the swing.

It was a fun-filled holiday. Thank you Lord for the safe and happy trip. I'm very excited just by thinking where our feet will take us for the next New Year holiday. :) 

Krabi Getaway part 2

While on the road to our first destination, we decided it was best to take a photo of this scene in front of us. A lot of limestone hills can be seen throughout the trip. There is actually a cave in this particular hill which amazed us even more.

After struggling with the GPS, travelling along rough roads because we got lost and figuring out where to go, we finally arrived to the place where the Emerald Pool was. Parking fee was 30 Baht. This was the scene going to the main entrance. There were a lot of stalls selling food and refreshments.

The entrance to the Sanctuary.

We were asked to pay 200 Baht for the entrance fee. There were a lot of guards in the place. The guards even checked our bags. They did not permit tissues and food inside as they are afraid people would litter and spoil the cleanliness of the place.

We took the bridge route to see the pool. It was 1,200 metres! Whew! From the brochure we got at the entrance gate, I've learned that we are to walk in a forest called the low land ever green forest of Khao Nor Ju Jee.

Glimpses of a river can be seen while walking. I noticed that the trees were labelled with their specific names. If I was a Biology Major student, I would have been very amazed. This low plain forest has a high biodiversity and is a watershed with diverse species of wildlife.  It is said that each year, a lot of tourists who are bird watchers come to see at least 300 species of birds in this forest.

There were crossroads too. Inevitably, it led to the same pool.

One will never get lost. There were signs here and there.

We thought this was it. But nope. We were just amazed how the waters reflected the trees perfectly.

We have arrived!

Word of caution for tourists.

Emerald Pool or Sa Morakot is named because of the green color of the water. This resulted from the species of bluish green seaweed living in the hot spring.When the sun shines, the seaweed and the bacteria living in the water will have a reaction, making the waters look green. There were a lot of tourists taking a dip on the pool as it was already around 10am when we arrived.

This pool had an origin. We still have to hike a few meters to Sa Nam Phut (Spring Pool).

The trail was not easy as before. The bridge route stopped and because a lot of people came before us and it may have rained the night before, the walkways were muddy.

Nearing the spring pool, I heard a few people clapping. I thought it was a communication thing like morse coding, so I clapped my hands too while nearing the pool.

This is Sa Nam Phut (Spring Pool).

This is formed from the hot spring under the earth's crust. The bacteria and sea weed species adjusts their color to blue because the water temperature is high. It is said that when tourists visit the pool and clap their hands, the spring will pop up more quickly. (That explains the clapping!) There seemed to have a lot of ripples too while the tourists did clap. Swimming is not allowed here due to the deep water and the sucking mud.

We decided not to dip in the Emerald Pool as we planned to visit a hot spring. Going out of the forest, we took the gravel road this time which was only 800 meters. 

A short drive from the sanctuary was where Nam Tok Rawn is located. There was an entrance of 90 Baht this time. We walked about 150 meters to the hot spring this time.

The waters here come from thermal springs originating deep underground in volcanic chambers. There were natural hot tubs where 2 or more persons can stay. This is the only photo I got because I was excited to try it myself.

Just sitting there and feeling the warm water massage us made us hungry after. Well partly due to all the walking we had too! After changing to dry clothes, we had lunch in one of the eateries at the Hot Spring entrance gate.

Our next stop was the Tiger Cave Temple. It is located about 9 kilometers from Krabi Town.

The actual tiger cave is just one of a complex of natural caves set into the limestone cliff in which the monks live and meditate. It got its name as some reported that there were tiger paw prints set into the wall, others said that an actual tiger used to live in it. Another said reason for its name is because of the rock outgrow nearby that resembles a tiger's claw.

This is the highlight of the place (for me).

I was eager to climb and be at the top. The steps were so steep. A number of people were climbing with us. This little guy was even beating my pace.

The first 100 hundred steps were okay. I can still manage a smile.

But, believe me it was hard for me to reach the next 200 steps. This was me smiling with all my might.

Until I told my friend I cannot continue climbing anymore. This is me saying to myself I'm going to die if I continue this. I was thirsty and my legs were hurting. 

My friend continued to climb and these were what he saw on the way to the top.

Monkeys.

Statues of bells.

Posts with markers of how many steps one has reached so far.

The reward once you reach the top.

Awesome. Just awesome.

I waited for my friend so we could come down together and fool our other friends that I made it to the top too. I guess this photo spilled the beans. I was smiling while he was very haggard.

Well, at least I tried! :)

Please watch out for my next post :)