after a while. . .

It's friday night and I can feel the cool breeze because of the rain... After almost two years of forgetting that I have blogspot, a certain email reminded me that I indeed have this. Browsing through my old blogs certainly brought back memories of what was then before...

Will try to update this as I know that others are busy with Facebook and Twitter and won't have time checking out blogs. This will serve as my online diary, where I know I could be the only one reading this. I hope not to be weary in updating this site... Oh, what is that? Ahh, thunder...

first things first

Waking up early in the morning is truly a struggle to me. And so, this verse and an excerpt from a book is truly an encouragement to me to start the day right. . .

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul." Psalm 19:7

"Even on days when every cinder in our soul feels cold, if we crawl to the Word of God and cry out for ears to hear, the cold ashes will be lifted and the tiny spark of life will be fanned. For 'the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.'" - - John Piper

something to ponder

"If I have made gold my hope, or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence';

If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had gained much;

If I have observed the sun when it shines,

Or the moon moving in brightness,

So that my heart has been secretly enticed,

And my mouth has kissed my hand;

This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,

For I would have denied God who is above." Job 31:24-29

For all the blessings that we receive each day... the breath of life, the world around us, food that we eat, good health, jobs that we have, money that we get and all sort of blessings, may we not forget to give all the praises and glory back to God.

rainy days are here

umbrellas and jackets are in again! we've all asked for it and now it's here... rainy days!

classes were suspended today and also for tomorrow. hmm... i wonder if that'll also happen at work...

it will be pretty difficult again for me to wake up because of the bed weather... love it!

competency exam

It was like college days again last wednesday. I felt like I have thousands of butterflies in my stomach and I was fidgeting as I was about to take my compentency exam at the Canadian Embassy.
The personnel who called me said that the exam would comprise of general information and stock knowledge. And so, I tried my best to read some things about Canada and about the embassy for the general information. As for stock knowledge, I didn't review, after all it's supposed to be knowledge that is stocked...(?) [hope it made sense]
Exam day: I finally understand why the personnel wanted me to be 30 minutes prior to my exam, it was because of the long queue for security checks at the embassy. Security was really tight and it should be since that building was mostly comprised of foreign embassies, which means there are diplomats and expats. After completing the security checks, we were asked to proceed to the examination area where almost 50 of us took the exam.
The personnel was kind enough to explain the procedures of the exam and that the exam aims to check our competencies to work locally for the embassy. The exam was mostly reading comprehension, which I found kinda difficult because I was pressured about the time since it was only 50 minutes. There was actually a point in the exam wherein I found myself stucked on a certain number.
Overall, the exam was easy, but for someone who hasn't been taking exams for the last 4 years, I found it quite difficult. I'm still thankful though, that God has given me this opportunity to exercise my mind and thinking abilities.
So, did i pass the exam? I don't have the results yet... i'll find out soon!

what's in a name?

names are very important.

we all have one, and to a certain extent, we can control how that name is used.

my full name is quite long, and for me is a bit old fashioned, so I just shorten it to "cecile". that's what it says on my name plate at work.

only a few people use my full name - of course that would be my family. especially my mom when she's angry at me. people who know me from primary school actually still use my first name in full, so if someone calls me "maria cecilia", then i know that they knew me then. at college and at work, people called me "cecile" or "ces". close friends call me something else altogether. so based on what you call me, i can pretty much get a clue as to where you met me, or how long you've known me.

so, i guess i'm pretty happy with my name.

i have here a list of names that i could think of with their meanings. of course i'll begin with my name:

cecilia / cecile - in latin, means "the blind one"...also means inspired.
ivy - origin greek and english. a climbing evergreen ornamental plant.
natalie - origin french, born at christmas,
juanita - (my mom's name) origin spanish. form of Joanne. God is gracious.
jeremias - (my dad's name) origin hebrew. exalted of the Lord.
paulo - origin african. place of rest.
origin english. little rock.
origin greek. form of paul. small.
cressida - origin greek. gold
carlo - origin french. strong.
isidro - origin spanish. gifted with many ideas.
andrew - origin latin. manly.
jacob - origin hebrew. held by the heel.
hannah - origin hebrew. grace of God.
stephen - origin greek. crown.
isabella - origin hebrew. devoted to God.
sophia - origin greek. wisdom.
rebecca - origin hebrew. captivating; knotted cord.
marguerite - origin greek. child of light.

oh well, the list would go on forever... but it's just nice to know the meaning of our names.

blueskies on a monday morning

it's monday...a fresh start...a beautiful day...the skies are blue! and i praise the Lord for His mercies.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalms 103:1-5

...may God be my help this week...