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Of Second Chances, Destiny and a Free Book on Life’s Meaning

“Nothing happens by chance” – from Kung Fu Panda

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Tomorrow, January 7,  I celebrate a major event in my life — the anniversary of the night when I almost lost my life and gained another chance to live.

That life-changing, tumultuous event showed me a strength of character and spirit I did not think I had, transformed my outlook into one that now seeks constant meaning and mission, and brought into my life a slew of friends who will be some of my truest friends in this lifetime.

I will always look back on this day as God’s divine blessing and protection over me.

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The past 2 years have been a journey of discovery and destiny. Two dear friends are walking with me through life in a most wonderful way. It is amazing how connected our lives are! There are days when I just sit and ponder how we have led parallel lives years ago and yet, our lives were not meant to be perfect parallels (beside each other but never meeting). Instead we led lives that were hurtling towards each other and 2007-2008 were the years when these points intersected. It has been interesting times — to say the least. Thank you, J and C. Your presence in my life and in the years to come will always have the imprint of God’s design on them. We may not always comprehend, but we KNOW we are meant to be here, at this time of our lives, together.

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Another event cemented my growing belief that nothing happens by accident.

2009 begins with my life in a state of flux. My project just ended in December and there is nothing in the horizon for now in terms of another project coming my way soon. It is not a worrisome situation yet and actually is a relief for me as I want to get back to yoga while trying to deal with what to do next with my life.

After I posted my previous blog entry, I got a comment from Louise Lewis, author of the book “No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You”.

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It is not every day that a book author chances  upon, and comments on, my blog so I curiously followed the link to her website and eventually to Amazon.com and iUniverse (her publisher). Oh my! Her book reviews averaged 4.5 stars out of 5!!!

She had offered to give out her book for free. I submitted my email address and the site said they would be sending me a chapter of the book. However, when the actual email came in, I was very surprised to find that it was a REAL offer to give away her book for free — I did not just just get one chapter, I got the ENTIRE book in PDF format (all 232 pages!).

This stumped me. Why would someone sell the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Booksense and iUniverse and still give it away for free!

Still curious, I emailed Louise to thank her for sending her book and she answered back. We have had several email exchanges over the last 24 hours and amazingly, I find a certain connection to her. The timing of this communication, coming on the heels of the project just concluded with a still uncertain future, is not lost on me. There IS a purpose and reason to our paths crossing!

Here is part of one email she sent me that explains the rationale behind her free book:

Hi Jane!

Thank you for contacting me…it means the world to me!
It is indeed my pleasure to share my book with you.
At one point, a free chapter was all that I gave away. But recently, words from Spirit reminded me I am far more generous than that. So, I’m now giving away my entire book.

“Louise, why on earth are you giving away your book?”

That’s a great question…but the answer is even greater (to me!)

Let me explain…

Some time back, I read the story about bestselling author Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist). Years ago he put his little-known book online for free after he was dropped by his publisher for poor sales. With no additional promotion, word of his book spread, and after a few years, sales grew to a million copies of multiple titles.

“Hmm,” I said. “Selling books would sure be nice, but the idea of giving away my book really does feel like the right thing to do, but…” Spirit quickly chimed in: “YES! That’s who you are! Do it!”

Being the hard-head that I am, I ignored Spirit and walked away from the idea.  …But Spirit wasn’t giving up so quickly…

Then a few days after that, Suze Orman (famous financial advisor) announced on Oprah that she was giving away her new book, Women & Money, on Oprah’s website. She said her passion for helping women control their finances was her reason.

Again, I heard from Spirit, a bit more forcefully this time, “That’s who you are! You have that kind of passion! You wrote this book to share your story with the world. So do it! Share it!”

I finally “got it”…

This will all make much more sense when you read my book. You’ll learn that years ago I made a promise to myself to always follow the messages I receive from Spirit (not Ego.)  And from doing so, I’m here to tell you that my amazing journey continues today.


Do you want to have a FREE copy of Louise’s book? Click HERE and fill out your email address. The PDF file will be sent to you in its entirety. Louise is eager for feedback from you after you’ve read her book. And, at least for now, I assure you that she PERSONALLY answers each email!


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A New Year Thought on LIFE

Thanks to Nicely for sending this SMS to me.

This says all I want to do for 2009 onwards.

May you be blessed by these words as well:

What’s the meaning of LIFE?…

“Keeping cool”, said the ice.

“Driving Hard”, said the hammer.

“Being up-to-date”, said the calendar.

“Being sharp”, said the knife.

“Making light around you”, said the fire.

“Sticking to it”, said the glue.

“Being bright”, said the lamp.

“Being on time”, said the clock.

“Saving a drop”, said the faucet.

And best of all…

“Learning from it”, said the mistake.

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Are you a MANY-malist? Or a MINImalist?

The New Year is always the time to get rid of the old.

Just before the New Year, I looked around the room and saw eyesores here and there…unread books in stacks on the floor, newsclippings in envelopes that have not been sorted, Christmas gifts waiting to be put away, and basically things in places where they are not supposed to be.

My longest dream has been to go MINIMALIST. But with 4 kids who are also MANY-malists like myself, it is a real challenge to keep only the basic necessities and do away with the extras. My girls and I are also sentimental and tend to keep things because “it was given by <name>” or “it reminds me of <occasion>” or “we could use this someday“.

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(from http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/design_inspiration/factsheets/pop_ups/94_3.shtml)

This year though I will try to do something about it. At the very least, even if I am not able to attain the complete minimalistic look, I can reduce clutter to a great extent.

These last few days, despite being allergic to dust and sneezing all over the place, I have managed to clean my room, rearrange the bookshelves to accommodate my unread books on the floor, and just threw out clippings I have not touched in years. THERE!!!!!

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One of my bookshelves with my unread books
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My yoga books and stack of Yoga Journal mags

If you are like me and trying to go minimalist, here are some links on the web to start us out on our quest:

1. How to decorate your room in minimalist style

2. The Minimalist Approach, Clear That Clutter

3. How to Create a Minimalist Home

4.  A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home

GOOD LUCK TO US!!!!!

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“Wasting” time meaningfully

We are all perennially caught up in the rat race. And in this fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world we live in I find that many people are preoccupied with making the most of that which, when gone, can never be captured again — TIME.

Ever since I got back to the corporate world, things changed in my life. As a homemaker and budding yogini, I learned to slow down, breathe deeply, become aware of my surroundings, meditate deeply. Going back to a corporate environment meant adjustments. Time well spent in the office spelled productivity. What mattered was what you could produce in the least amount of time. Wake up early. Move quickly. Think on your feet. Eat your meals faster. Walk more briskly. Take the quickest route in any situation. Move it, move it, move it!!!

Sometimes I wonder what people caught up in the corporate whirlwind think about pausing, taking stock of life passing by, and learning to “waste” time meaningfully?  Aren’t those two ideas opposing ones?

Can wasted time ever be meaningful?

YES, YES, YES — because it really depends on your view of WASTE.

I can think of thousands of time wasters. But from my perspective, anything that adds value to others, most specially to loved ones or to people around my spheres of influence is NOT a waste. Time away from my own task, though considered wasted, is channeled to making someone else feel better, feel more loved, feel supported and understood. Actually, anything that also adds value TO MY OWN LIFE is definitely not a waste of time.

A parent who stops work to play with his child just lost productive hours but added meaning to his child’s;

A long phone chat with a friend in need is a time waster but has comforted someone;

A long chess game with your kid could make you think of “better” things to do but that precious time can be one of the greatest bonding moments.

Two Saturdays ago, I was at work. I was planning on staying till 5pm to get some work done on a quiet day. Around 3pm, Chona called me. She was free to meet up at Shang. I was initially torn. There went my plans to be work productive. But the next moment, I decided that if a friend I missed wanted to see me, that was more important for us both.  Though I did get some work done, it was not as much as I would have wanted. But there were no regrets because I got to spend a wonderful afternoon with an even more wonderful friend and that time cemented our friendship even more.

In a few weeks, I will adjust once again to a slower life as a project comes to an end. There will be time for yoga, time for myself, time to waste with friends and family, time for introspection, time for my bucket list. I think I am looking forward to “wasting” my time. Because by wasting it, I know my life will become even more meaningful.

Looking forward to wasting time with all of you!!!! 🙂

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Cinemalaya Indie Film Festival’s ‘100’: How to Live — and Die — with Meaning

What would you do with what remains of your life if you knew you were to die soon?

I cannot remember the last time I purposely went to a cinema to watch a Filipino movie. But after reading Cathy’s review of this film, something prodded me very strongly to go see it. And I did tonight — with my yogini friend Chona. It is one of the most moving films I have ever seen and what makes it even more special is the fact that it is a Filipino film.

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‘100’, I just learned tonight, won 5 major awards in the recently concluded Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival: Best Actress Award to Mylene Dizon (Joyce), Best Supporting Actress to Eugene Domingo (Ruby, Joyce’s best friend), Best Director to Chris Martinez, Best Screenplay, as well as Audience Choice Award.

Joyce finds out she does not have long to live. She faces her impending death with bravado and determination to make it the most meaningful days of her life. She organizes her death with such order and calm as though organizing an event. With her loved ones beside her, including best friend Ruby, she fulfills her “bucket list” (the 100 things she most wanted to do before she died) one at a time. There are also points in the film where she gets to have closure in her life with some people (no spoilers here!).

The film effectively portrays Joyce’s many relationships. Foremost here was her special friendship with long-time best friend from school, Ruby. Their solid friendship through thick and thin, their adventures together as they go through Joyce’s bucket list, made me appreciate true friends even more. Then there is her relationship with her mom (played by Tessie Tomas). Joyce did not know how to break the news to her newly widowed Mom, eventually does, and they go through their personal grief and finally, acceptance, of Joyce’s fate. Also, there are the loves of Joyce’s life with whom she had to have closure.

I found myself in tears at many points of this movie for many personal reasons. For one, I have gone through life events that have made me truly wish for a meaningful “rest of my life”. Two, I started a bucket list of my own several years back and have had friends help me fulfill some of them (though some were not even aware they were doing so). Three, the plot and acting (Mylene’s and Eugene’s most specially) were downright real and very convincing. They truly deserved their acting awards!

Chona and I, over dinner, chatted about how the film impressed certain realizations on us. We both planned to blog about it, that’s for sure. I promised myself I would go over and review my bucket list and continue working on actually DOING what remained and add to it as well. She promised to start hers. We resolved to be a little “naughtier” and “freer” and “less serious” about life next year. We shared a little more of our lives in the past (and actually found several more connections between us in terms of life events) and how we could make life ahead better, purposeful, memorable, lovable.

Try to catch “100”, which is on an extended run in some theaters. It will make you think more deeply about your life, appreciate WHAT and WHO matter most in the end, and hopefully get you started on your own bucket list to make your life that much more meaningful.

Here is a sample trailer I got off YouTube:

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Jupiter + Venus + Moon = Smiley Face!

In astronomy-speak, it is called a planetary conjunction — when the planets seem closest to each other. The National Geographic News article ” Planets, Crescent Moon to “Frown” on Skywatchers Dec. 1″ said what we would see is a frown but lucky, lucky us here in Metro Manila tonight because what we saw in the skies was this (I only had a digicam so I leaned on a window ledge to steady my hands while taking these using the slowest exposure my cam had):

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Tonight we saw the 3 brightest celestial bodies — Jupiter being the largest planet, Venus being the closest planet to Earth and our own moon! Some historians even think that a similar conjunction could have been the “Star of Bethlehem” source.

Whatever it was, so many bloggers took pictures tonight, blogged or Plurked about it and shared a special moment together. What an amazing happy night tonight was! 

Special thanks to a special friend who gave me a heads up to look up into the sky.