TRUSTING IN GOD: THE KEY TO A HAPPY, STRESS-FREE LIFE

The stock market has been taking a beating these past weeks.

I really shouldn't be worried... except that I had placed a good sum of my "retirement"money on balanced funds,which means part of it were probably invested in equities.

But there in lies the lesson.

No one could really have predicted when this market decline would happen. And if I had spent a lot of time worrying about it,I probably would have ended up just plain miserable instead of living and enjoying my life.

So I choose not to worry myself to death about it. After all the experts say, over the long haul things will get better! Who am I to argue with the "experts."

So there really is a lot of wisdom in the biblical passage that goes:"Look at the birds in the air...they neither spin nor weave yet your Heavenly Father feeds them."

Trusting in the goodness of a Loving Father...that is the key to a healthy,stress-free life.

THE CONNECTION GENE

I spent some time yesterday just randomly browsing through the blogsites that were on BLOGGER and there were quite a lot. I even came across blogs in German, Chinese,Arabic and some in script that I didn't recognize.

Why were they posting these?Maybe for the same reason I started my own blog,i.e., to share experiences and get connected with others.

So if there is any evidence that man has a gene that programs him for connection and social interaction...then the proliferation of blogs over the internet is it!

PATTING OUR KIDS' BACK:SOMETHING WE OFTEN FORGET

I happened to catch Oprah on TV last night. She had a recognition program entitled "Cheers To You" where she recognized people who were doing extraordinary things for their fellowmen and yet were not getting any applause for it.

One of these was Debbe, who launched Project Cuddles. This was a home for infants who were being put up for adoption by their mothers who could no longer take care of them. In the past 10 years of her project,Debbe had saved about 570 babies.

I thought it was good that Oprah was around to recognize people like Debbe. While I was reflecting on this I realized that everyday people around me were probably doing a lot of good things and yet these were going unnoticed.

Then I got an insight. My kids!

Jaja and I tend to focus more on their shortcomings...the low scores they get on their test...the projects they did not submit...the things they failed to do. When I tried thinking about the time I last praised my kids I couldn't recall having done it.

Maybe it is something I take for granted,i.e. my kids needing praise even for the little things they may have done right, because growing up as an achiever, I always thought my success was my own reward. I didn't need to be given a pat on the back because for me it was expected that I perform well in whatever undertaking I did.

But maybe my kids are different. (with the exception of Tasha,who has been achieving a lot in the field of gymnastics.) Maybe,things would be better for them if I learned to appreciate them more and look for things to praise...rather than for faults to harangue them about!

WOW BOHOL

Went to Bohol for a 4 day vacation with Jaja from August 1 to 4. Actually,it was a reunion of her Basa Air base barkada and I just happened to tag along.

This was my 4th trip to Bohol so I pretty much expected seeing sights I had seen before: the Chocolate hills, tarsier sanctuary,Loboc river etc. What was different though was this time around it was a vacation (not work-related) and I was with my wife.

For a change too, we were booked at a new resort in Panglao (the Amorita resort) and not at Bohol Tropics. Amorita,the name alone conjured visions of a romantic weekend and thankfully it was.

What amazed me about Bohol was that it has improved since the last time I was there,which was two years ago for our Franchisees convention.

The road to the Chocolate Hills observatory has been completely cemented,making for a quick and comfortable 1 1/2 hour trip from our resort. There was also something new at the observatory.

Enterprising locals had cleared a spot on the hillside,where tourists could pose for souvenir photos with the Chocolate Hills as a background. The photos taken were not your usual stiffly posed shots...but trick photography pics! The most common picture would show the subject jumping over one of the hills.

The photographers even provided for broomsticks which the tourists would pretend to ride on. The resulting photos would show these Harry Potter wannabes soaring over the hills.

The Loboc river cruise also had some added features which weren't there last time I visited.

At the end point of the cruise,just before the waterfalls,the locals had set up three floating stages. On each stage there were different groups of children and adults performing dances and songs. The floating restaurants would draw alongside these stages so that the tourists could watch the show and be entertained.

At the end of the cruise the boats docked at a newly built docking station where all tourist buses and vans now waited. There, the municipality had built new comfort rooms which were airconditioned!

I was impressed by these improvements and it was no wonder that tourism in Bohol has certainly been improving over the years.

On the third day of our vacation, we transferred to the Bohol Bee Farm, which was just a 15 minute drive from Amorita.

Although the accomodations were not first class and more rustic by design, the view and the relaxing atmosphere made up for the lack of amenities. Besides, the food here was delicious and organic.

So even if this was my fourth time at Bohol, I still had a wonderful time!