Last Photos for 2014

Time flies so fast and it's already 2015. Last year wasn't a blast nor a good one to share so to speak. However, I considered it as a blessing and a lesson to review that would be a brilliant to look back how I survived it.
God has made His promised and that keeps me going up to now. The pile of food snippets below are my food shots which I took from a different occasion. These are the local Khmer foods.
All of these are vegetarian foodies that you could simply found in Cambodia except the cake and the pizza which are pretty common everywhere.

Reblogging: Boudhanath – One of the Holiest Buddhist Sites in Nepal

Christmas is over and time really flies so fast. As an Overseas Filipino Worker, celebrating the Yuletide season away from home is ordinarily normal. I have gotten to commemorate Christmas on my own as if it's not Christmas at all, specially if you are in a non-christian country.
Nevertheless, it's like a pretty normal days for me since I've gone abroad for a longer times. Anyway, I'd love to share snippets of a neighboring country here in Asia, a country which I dream to visit one day because of it's uniqueness in culture, belief, intriguing life and shared experience from a travel blogger   ( Flipnomad) whom I have been following since then...let's take a look then.

Boudhanath – One of the Holiest Buddhist Sites in Nepal  

Posted: 16 Dec 2014 07:29 AM PST

Boudhanath is said to be one of the most holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal. During my entire stay in Nepal, I rented a room near Boudhanath and had the chance to observe the daily life that revolves around this holy stupa. Just like Swayambunath, Boudhanath’s structure includes a dome which represents the world, the eyes (Wisdom and Compassion) which represents enlightenment and thirteen pinnacles on top to represent the thirteen stages that we need to go through to attain enlightenment of Buddhahood.
On a daily basis, you’ll see so many pilgrims walking clockwise around the stupa while uttering their prayers. Most of them are also holding their prayer beads or mallas and some are carrying prayer wheels. A lot of these people came from nearby villages and some of them come from as far as the remotest place in Nepal like Dolpo and visit Boudhanath once in awhile.
Since Boudhanath is one of the holiest Buddhist sites, there’re also so many rites and rituals being done here by the Buddhist community. Boudhanath also has a large population of Tibetan refugees and there are around 50 Tibetan monasteries scattered around the area. This place also attracts so many Western people who are interested in studying Buddhism. A lot of monasteries are offering classes about Buddhism and Tibetan Language.
Around the main stupa, you’ll see numerous guesthouses, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops.
This is one of my favorite places in Kathmandu because of the laid back atmosphere and the positive vibe that I feel every time I walk around the area of Boudha.
Here are some pictures of Boudhanath:

 The pictures are so intriguing and captivating, one day I would see this exotic and historical country and it's on my top list to visit. More stories of fascinating photos and stories about Nepal, please do visit : Flipnomad's blog where you can read about his travels.

Feeling Forgotten by God

foto courtesy of (http://www.paulkern.me/god-will-never-forget-you/)

I am emotionally going through a difficult circumstances right now, where I feel each breath God appears to be far away which I prayed He is so silent. Instead of feeling loved and taken cared of, loneliness and abandonment takes over..this is what I feel right now.
Has he rejected me? Has His unfailing love gone forever? 

                                                    or

Does God finally closed His door of mercy upon me?

or

 I am almost at the end of the rope now, and the pleads of seeking deliverance, forgiveness and saving are the primary petitions that I am now begging to God. While seeking solace to my Father, I stumbled upon on an online article that somehow brought me back to normal thinking. With that, the sense of sharing it has pushed me to post them here so that it would remind me always that would never abandon me.

Here it is: 

"Here are all sorts of times in the Scriptures when God reminds us to remember.  We tend to be a short-sighted and forgetful bunch, and so since the beginning of time God has established pillars in time and traditions to help us to not forget.  He asks us to remember the Sabbath day (Exodus 20:8), He instructed the Israelites on crossing over the Jordan to set up pillars of stone to remember (Joshua 4).  God remembers His covenant with us forever (Psalm 105:8) and the communion service is a remembrance service. (1 Cor. 11:24-25)

We have imperfect memories and so God holds the hand of each new generation, helping us to never forget.  Why does He want us to remember?

First, to take our eyes off of ourselves and place them on Him. It is easy to get bogged down in the problems of today, and to only see the unresolved task right in front of us. It might be something relatively small that frustrates us in a particular moment:  we get locked out of the house, or we're past the deadline on a project at work, or our flight is delayed, or we realize we forgot to buy milk for the cereal. Again.

So often we forget the big picture and how He blesses us.  How He helped us find the house—a home.  We forget how He is going to touch others through the project we’re struggling to complete, and how it can change lives for Eternity. How often when we face a delayed flight do we remember the pure awesomeness of flight?  How we can travel from Orlando to Denver in under 3 hours—while watching the news or surfing the web!  And when we forget to buy the milk, how often do we, as we reach for one of 3 other breakfast options, remember how others have nothing to reach for? 

Secondly, when we remember, we set up pillars in a lost world. Just imagine a dozen or so years after Joshua and his men set up the stone memorials.  As other men, women and children walk past this memorial it is a reminder of God’s faithfulness, goodness and His promises to each generation.

Our own personal experiences are our own pillars. No one can argue our own conversion story—how He changed our hearts, our priorities, our perspective on everything.  When we remember how He has worked in our own hearts, and share that with others, we allow Him to continue that work.  We memorialize our experience.

Thirdly, by looking backwards, we can move forward.  Winston Churchill said “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”

When we remember His working in our lives, we are better equipped for the future.  By remembering His answers to prayer, our faith grows. When we remember, our actions shift, and our hope can blossom. 

Humans need to be reminded to remember.  But God has a perfect memory.  Yet, there are things that in His mercy He chooses to forget. There is a verse—it is one of a long list—where I understand the words, but I really cannot grasp the concept. 

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” – Isaiah 43:25 ESV

Why does God chooses to forget the very things that without Christ would separate us from Him? I cannot get my head around it.  But I thank Him for it.

By remembering we put our eyes back on Him. We set up pillars in a dark world. By remembering we can move forward into a future with Him. I praise God that though His memory is perfect, and ours is flawed—He chooses to forget."

Text courtesy of  Jean Boonstra

Photo Blog: Mountains of Desperation

I haven't blogged for quite a while, mountains of desperation has eaten out all of me which most of my time has spent worrying what to do next and the right steps to take so as begging the Celestial Being to reveal His perfect plans for me. Right now, I am in constant distraught and emotionally overloaded with agony and desperation.
The groaning too deep for words and the battles is inexpressible, deep inner struggles and pain is so hard to voice out but suppressing them inside. True enough, I am not spiritually strong still, and faith slowly fading to discouragement.

Desperation is a state of despair or utter hopelessness — the abandonment of all hope. The recklessness that grows out of despair is a powerful motivator, affecting many people's actions and life choices. The spirit of man yearns to know the purpose for his life. 

Right, I am deeply surrounded by mountains of desperation where sky of hopes is vanished, replaced by gloomy clouds of anguish. Not sure how long would this desperation in life last and not sure how long would I be able to stand and go. As human being, we have our limitations and this time I won't give God any quota nor pressuring Him just like during the time of the old old Israelites. But truly, I am madly desperate. I won't go on elaborating my rebellious attitude right now, çause He indeed knows how painful it is for me to go through such agony of frustration.





Herewith, are the pics which I took the other week.

Photo Blog: A Paired Birthday Fete

My posts have been stuffed with photograph of foodies these days - but this time, a dual birthday celebrations were taken place. Two of my girl besties here in Siem Reap - Cambodia were commemorating their birthdays on the same month and on a sequential days. Foodstuff weren't only flooded but snapping a pic was the first thing that came to mind as a tangible proof just to document every jovial memories, just like any other typical undemanding celebration.

It won't be long or partly so, I wouldn't be able to see these people as I am embarking to a farther journey in (a)far-flung place. Seizing the opportunity of being with them while I still can is desirable, so as candid shots were highly done beforehand. Of course, selfying and all that was applied since it is already a fad nowadays.

The occasions was celebrated in different locations. Firstly, we had a simple dine out at the famous vegetarian resto in Siem Reap, secondly was simply done at a famous resto-cafe along the center of Siem Reap. What can I say? blessings poured out as never before. Thanks to my LG (Optimus) cellphone, I could barely document every occasion, occurrence, places and people one day at a time.