The Game I Never Thought I would Play

When I was a toddler my mother always found me tapping my heels.
It came to a point she needed to wrap my feet to prevent it from swollen as a result.

She told me that it may have been a sign that I would play football.
I often laugh about this she she tells this story. Well, because it not true, I do play football but she does not know I not good at it. haha. But never the less I enjoy it for what it teaches me.

Back when I was in High School in Don Bosco, games like football had always been taught in the light of learning something out of it. Apart from just being part of the Physical Education (P.E) Subject. Our couches that always imparted games as away to polish ones discipline, characters and idleness.

With that I would be forever grateful hoping to continue playing as long as life brings.

Of course, football is not the end all. It is not the only activity that inculcates teamwork, endurance, camaraderie. I believe, like football, life lesson can be found in the very area of my life - families, friendships, business and work.


You are booked for greatness,

Chrislann Lodovice Catuburan

Bouncing Back From My Failures

Growing up as a boy I was nurtured in an environment of always aiming for greatness.
Good and above average grade is highly rewarded.
Unfortunately, my elementary grades follow short of my parents standards.

So, I did my best on my high school years.
Fortunately, we were just 28 students which means higher chance of passing.
Of course, I did my best to be included in the top 10 students.
I also did my best to be on the dean's list in my college years.

My scholastic sacrifice paid off.
Until there came a time that I thought I had been failure proof.
Then it came, I fail the board exam for teachers.

It took me some years to recover from my failure.

My take away lesson - aiming high does only mean struggling to be best.
But rather knowing that failure are expected but not as the end but as a stepping stone to ones high purpose.


You are booked for greatness,

Chrislann Lodovice Catuburan

Valentines Day

There was a story of a couple who'd been dating for five years. 

One cool Valentine morning, the guy drove the girl to work. 

Then she gently held his hand and told him, 

“I had a strange dream last night. 

You gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine's Day. 

What do you think it means?” 

He smiled and with a twinkle in his eyes he tenderly replied, 

“You'll know tonight,” 

That evening, they went out for dinner. 

And before the night ended, the guy was starry-eyed when he lovingly handed his gift to her. Delighted, she slowly untied the red ribbon, careful not tear what looked like an expensive wrapper. 

By the time she saw the wooden box engraved with words that said, 

“Especially for You,” tears begin to roll down her soft cheeks. 

She was choking with emotion and said, 

'Oh darling, you didn't have to.” 

Teary-eyed, he adoringly replied,
“Open it.” 

Inside it was a book entitled “The Meaning of Dreams.”

Valentine's is for love, not just for lovers. 

I spent the day at home. 

It was like any other Saturday expect for my two sisters giving my mama and papa flowers. 

My father said, it was better to buy kilos of rice than the flowers. 

Of course, being a super hero brother, 

I reasoned out with my sisters that they needed tokens of appreciation like a bouquet of flowers.

I may have already settled with the joy that comes with the simplicity of being unattached. 

Happiness is not based on circumstance by rather on choice. 

Being single is also a blessing. 

I come to think of it, a person needs to be happy with who he or 

she is on the inside for him or her to be happy in a long-term relationship. 

One has to create stability in his or her life before one can share it with some else.

You are booked for greatness,

Chrislann Lodovice-Catuburan

Adapted from SinglesTalk by Darwin John Moises and Michelle Palmares with a bit of Chrislann Lodovice-Catuburan's experience.  

Grammar Police

I and my sister were in one room. I was doing my blogging and my sister was studying.

I left my the computer screen open as I was called to do an errand.

After coming back, she told me she did not understand what I was writing.

I said to her, "Wow you are reading my writing! I am happy my sister is one of my avid readers."

She interrupted me saying,
"No Kuya (Brother), your grammar is just so disturbing to look at." LOL.


You are booked for greatness,

Chrislann Catuburan

Learning and Learning Again and Again

I am thankful that I had been one of our company's employee of the month.

One office mate asked me, “What is your secret that made you the Employee of the Month?”

I told him, “Just do your work extraordinarily.”

He responded, “How do you do your work Extraordinarily?”

I was not able to answer him back. I thought I had just given him an unclear response.

Days after it dawned in me that working extraordinarily meant learning my field.

I took it to heart that I needed to learn about my field of work and so I studied it.

It maybe cliche to say, "Becoming a life time learner" but it just really the way for me.

I read books and when I did not have the time to read books I download audio books and listen to it on my way to the office.
I have to maximize all of my time and turn them to something productive.

For anyone aspiring to be great, the person needs to humble himself and learn again and again.

You are booked for greatness,

Chrislann Catuburan

Writing to the Unknown Market

As a novice writer I am discovering what would be a good subject for me.

Wondering what may be a good writing niche for me.  

I have to accept I had stopped writing daily as I did not have the time.

I also the lost the interest to write.

I thought if I write daily I would have to forcing myself to write.

I realized it would be easy if I would just share what I my daily life experiences.
Or what I may have read or talk about my aspirations and dreams.
Or write other people's stories of success and failures and learn from them.

You are booked for greatness, 

Chrislann Lodovice Catuburan 

Writing for Fun and Living

Lately, I had been bored to death.

I had not been productive and had started to go back to my idle habits.

My sister told me to pick a new habit again.

I thought of continuing my blogging as in a way I had gain some followers.

I had been sharing word of mouth to the people around me that I do blogging.

One senior in the office then told me that her brother also blogs.

She showed me his brother's blogs and to my surprise his brother also writes for newspapers.

I was humbled realizing after all I am still a newbie to blogging.

But I hope to make my writing fun and as I learn along the way.

You are booked for greatness.

Chrislann Catuburan

To the God I Cannot See

I am not a priest nor pastor nor preacher.

But I have realized I am holding back in something in my writing That something is sharing my belief about Jesus.

It is a reality that Jesus is not any more present today.

But little by little as I allow myself to know about the reality of this historical man...

What is more to this man than the person he was? 
More than the religion I been taught I believe in love. 

Love that bears all things and hopes all things.  

How I hope to see the image of the God made man in the world today. 

Blogging and Influencing

Two of my companions had been telling me that they had started writing. 
I was amazed at them and also to myself as I had started sharing my personal journals and reflections through my blogs.

I felt great knowing that I am influencing them in a way as I had been influenced by my mentors too. 

Flying Abroad

My siblings are leaving the family bird's nest. I believe I would soon be following them too.

I had my fair share of leaving ones family nest when I entered the seminary on my secondary school.

I stayed in the seminary for 9 years. Thus, after deciding that priestly life is not for me. I decided to stay at home before living independently.

After all, one needs to leave once family nest and spread ones wings and learn to fly.

28 Lemonsito Juice

I had been feeling the discomfort drinking Lemonsito Juice. I took the challenge of drinking pure 28 Lemonsito Juice an hour before taking breakfast.

The people around me notice the change in my eating and had been influenced to live life healthily. 
I do still eat fast foods. Yes, I am not perfectly healthy but being with people who are trying to stay healthy helps a lot. 

I realize I am a product of influence by the people I had surround myself.

Missed Adventures

Sometimes the greatest adventure in lie is not the camps I had been too.

A young mom shared to me that her life had been a routine. She wanted some adventure. Then all of a sadden her son had encounter school challenges that needed her attention.

Like her often find myself in search of adventure when adventure had often presented itself in my day to day discomforts and challenges.

Adventure

Photo courtesy of Danasan Eco Adventure

My company will going tomorrow for an adventure camp.

Hmm. The last time I had camp was still back in my Don Bosco School days. 

I am sure it is going to be a lot of fun. 

It is something that I need. Something different from a week's office work. 

My million thanks to those who have thought about it.