We've moved! Or at least Cy has.

Hello dear reader!

Something for a change...I'm blogging over at This is the Stuff for now. =) Maybe this will mean more posts...?

The things you find on Facebook

Oh the places you go, things you see, and the stories you find on Facebook! =D From the daily escapades of life, to favorite quotes, to insights of the Bible that include Moses the waterbender and Elijah the firebender. There are pictures of sunsets, links to important events such as pro-life movements, and videos of college crazies playing the age old game of chubby bunny. Facebook - or FB as we call it, haha - is a way for people to vent, get their minds off a loooong day, communicate with friends and family miles away (or a few yards...), and much more. But in my "little circle of friends" much of it is evangelization.

And once in a while, you get a gem such as this:

"A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together. So the doctor said: 'OK and what do you want me to do?' She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.' The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.' She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request. Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms. The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child! 'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.' The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same! If you agree, please SHARE. Together we can help save precious lives! 'Love says I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person. Abortion says I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself.' "

So while FB can be a hassle, an addicting site, or just plain confusing, nothing is in itself intrinsically evil. It all depends on how we use it. Imagine that! We can be Christ to others on FB!

Ten Years Ago

Our Lady, Patroness of the United States of America, pray for us!
Picture credits

Ten years already. Time sure goes by quickly. As for those of us who have grown up with the events of years past, particularly those on a certain day in September, perhaps these ten years have affected us more drastically than would ten in our parents' lives. My communications teacher thought it would be a good experiment to have everyone in his class write a reflection on how 9/11 affected us, the generation that has grown up with this reality. I have a bad habit of posting my homework only because I can't think of anything else to put up (School has that odd effect on you. Somehow you think up your best blog posts when you don't quite intend to). I enjoyed reading everyone's take, though most of us didn't quite understand what had occurred. As for me, I remember that morning rather well.

I remember sitting at my dinning table that morning and doing my homework assignments when my aunt called my mom. I didn’t catch what she said but could hear the urgency in her voice as my mom rushed to the living room and turned the TV on. My siblings and I weren’t allowed to watch the almost frantic activity on the screen, but immediately were aware that something was amiss as my mom began to cry. Even though I was homeschooled, I could feel that the world was thrown into turmoil, suddenly on shaky footing in its unexpected uncertainty. What we once considered neigh impregnable was suddenly – and through a child’s perception, permanently – contradicted.

It was the oddest mix of feelings. On one hand, people were experiencing a sudden religious fervor. On the other, since Hawaii was the bridge between continental US and had almost extremely heightened security, there were strange undercurrents of mistrust particularly when it came to traveling. My mom could not shield us from all the tragedy; eventually I had a faint idea of what had occurred. It terrified me. I had thought, as a carefree nine-year-old, America to be the bravest of nations, quite akin to Superman. I’d overlooked the fact that even Superman fell to kryptonite. The event had taken my ideal and slapped it across the cheek, leaving me in shocked confusion.

9/11 forever changed my perception of America, possibly in ways that I am today still unsure of. Yet one hope still broke through the murky confusion, and that was the response of the heroes during the aftermath. I realized that, while she isn’t the invincible ideal and still needs every single one of her citizens, every single one of them have the courage and responsibility to proudly carry on. We are through the grace of God who we make ourselves to be. After all, isn’t that one of the principles that brought life to our country in the first place?

Because of 9/11, I’ve grown up with the idea that we were given a chance; a chance to redefine America as our founding fathers meant from the beginning. Coming up to date, the question I now have for my generation is: how will we do it?

Sainthood is within reach XD

Picture from here!

Tagged for a meme by Aunty Esther! Haven't done one of these in a while.

"Assuming you are a saint, and your cause has been executed, your miracles confirmed, your date on the calendar established, all that is required is to select that of which Holy Mother Church will name you Patron (ess) of.
For this meme, you must name your patronage
and then tag 5 other people who would like to play along."

I'd actually like to be the patroness of (cell) phone users, just 'cause there's nobody yet. So I've got dibs! All joking aside, another reason is because one of my secret fears is calling people on and answering the phone. (Ok...so it's not a secret anymore but...) I have trouble talking on them, so for all my buddies who are just as flabbergasted when it comes to these inventions, I shall be praying for you fervently.

Wow, this is a new version of an old meme. Since I don't know who comes here anymore (cue crickets in the background) I'll have to leave this as an open invitation. So have fun!

Happy last few days of summer, everyone!

Smile check!

Time for something fun!
Before Mass this morning, I was kinda blah and my mind was pretty preoccupied. It wasn't preoccupied with anything fun, nor anything overly disastrous (Deo gratias for that), but preoccupied enough that I probably wasn't all smiles. XP So I sat in the pew, waiting for the bells to ring, almost oblivious of everyone in the church while a million troubling thoughts ran through my head. All of a sudden a cell phone rang out of the blue, bringing me back to reality...and my little brother started dancing to the ringtone. o.O? Seriously, who dances to ringtones???! (Apparently my brother does) It was so random and hilariously ridiculous after what I'd been thinking about, that I almost burst out in a full laugh! It did the trick though. It reminded me to keep smiling and not get so worked up about things that really are in God's hands, haha. =)

So I'm going to "let go and let God." And dance along with this song! Anyone care to join me? ^^



"And he said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." ~St. Paul



Oh. Just a note...you might want to remember to turn off your cell phone before Mass. Even if you're like Moses and expect a call from God any moment, please be respectful of other people. Especially since most of them probably are really praying and not thinking about a million things. Thanks. =)

"A Little Progress Everyday"

Ah, summer days. There have been a lot of tourists on the island lately! (Thank you for visiting!) While they crowd the main beaches and make it hard for the rest of us to find parking, they do give us occasion to seek out the hidden island treasures that only we locals know about.

The tide pools are so clear, it makes it hard not to want to jump in! ^^

* * *

Several years ago, there was a story about a college bound guy who asked everyone in the world for a penny. The story came with a picture of the smart student sitting in the middle of a pile of copper coins, happy that he could actually pay for his tuition. Even if I was far from college myself back then, I remembered the story and, up to now, still pick up the random pennies on the ground that nobody seems to care for. After all, pennies do make dollars, right?
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to save quite enough to pay for college....in fact...I'm not even sure what happened to all my pennies. o.O If I were to find them all someday - probably stored away in some place secret to even me - I'm sure they would amount to something!

Lately, I've found that this little story of spare change can also be related to a person's change of heart. To explain that though, I think I ought to introduce a friend of mine!



Meet Maggiorino Vigolungo, a young member of the Pauline Family! A bit about him: he entered the Society of St. Paul in 1916 at twelve years of age and had "a great love for the Eucharist." Although he died at the age of 14, he strove to be a saint, his motto being "a little progress everyday," a goal that he remained faithful to for the remnant of his life. You can read more about him here.

"A little progress everyday."
People are constantly changing. A person probably isn't the same as he was the day before, since the events between then (however minor) would have effected him in some way. So every day we each have before us a choice: either we miss our chance to become a better person, or we take that chance and choose to make the right choices that will lead us Heaven-bound.
"Sure, Cy, it's probably easy for you to say." Haha....no. (I wish!! D'X) To be honest, that's the reason why I like Maggiorino's quote so much; because I face the same dilemma as the next person....assuming, of course, the next person isn't Mother Teresa. (Although, even Mother Teresa had her hardships. But that's another story.) I seriously doubt that I can completely change overnight, and that's where St. Therese's Little Way meets Maggiorino Vigolungo.
Are there times when you want to return your neighbor's insult with a volley of your own? Pick up that penny and hold back the words. Can't seem to find a smile in your heart but know that your brother could really use one? Even if you can't feel it, smile anyway and dust off that extra penny. There are pennies for you to find every single day, from helping a homeless man find a meal to opening a door for an elderly lady.
"Store up your treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy."
If we choose these little paths in life, storing up our pennies in Heaven, then even if we can't pay college tuition, we can at least become saints.

Pennies do make dollars.

You know the saying "Don't Look Back?"

Happy Summer everyone! Yes, I'm sorry for yet another great divide between posts. >.< I won't blame you for not coming here anymore. I really did mean to blog more this summer...but...uh....I had sooo many books to read! And clam chowder to make! And piano lessons....and...and...oh nevermind. (No more excuses, Cy. Just blog already.)

Anyway, I hope this random post finds you well, anonymous reader. :) And thanks for visiting!

Earlier in the month I was cleaning my computer, storing away all those old files into a portable storage device. (Wouldn't it be easy if you could do that with some other things? ^^) Ah, the convenience of the modern days we live in! The only complications I had were that the old files were so old that they needed to be converted into a format that could actually be read (They were in a .wps format. Don't save your work on those). While checking to make sure they had survived the ordeal, I stumbled upon some journal files I had written a few years ago. Curiosity killed this little cat, and I ended up reading a couple more. Gee. By the time I was ready to call it quits, I was ready to laugh my head off!

I remember writing those little tidbits, trying to be oh-so-eloquent, serious, and grown up! (And if you go waaay back to some entries on this blog, you'll see what I mean! I sound like a little girl because...well...I was a little girl! Hahahaha!!) On a more "serious, grown-up" note, I remember having to climb all those molehills, bumps, and mounds - which at the time I thought were impenetrable mountains.

That's what stopped me from laughing my head off. To my little girl self, those molehills never seemed to have a peak to peek over, and stumbling over those bumps made overcoming those mounds the most difficult thing. At the time, none of those difficulties struck me as funny in the slightest (even though I knew I would laugh someday. When I was like, old...er). At the time, I couldn't understand why I had to climb those molehills to get to the other side. "Why, God?? Couldn't I just find some other, easier way?"

Looking back now, I know why. If God hadn't made me climb the molehill, I would still be stuck on the bottom of the mountain. If I hadn't stumbled over the bumps, I wouldn't have the balance to jump over ravines. If He had brought me somewhere other than over those mounds, I would have missed the spectacular view the climb had brought me.


And that was the result of only a few years.

Sometimes we don't get why we go through certain things until they're over and we have to chance to look back. We don't realize how amazing our story has become.

So, go ahead, look back and enjoy the view so far. Be amazed at how God has brought you to where you are now. Don't linger too long, though, because ahead of you, there's still more of the adventure to come.

Happy Easter

A very blessed Easter to you all, friends. =) May the risen Christ's light and love remain with us always.

Say Cheese!! (Actually, I want you to smile)

‎"A smile is laughter's whisper and has its roots in the soul."
~Archbishop Fulton Sheen

One of the things that I really like about Saint Therese's little way is the resolve to smile, especially when encountered with a grumpy cashier person, a solemn librarian with a face of stone, or just someone who looks like they're having a bad day. Have you ever tried giving them just the tiniest, straight from the heart, joyful little smile? Trust me, it works, and it is soooooo much fun!! ^^ The grumpy cashier person gets all confused that you're thanking him in spite of his nonchalance, the solemn librarian's mouth starts to twitch about the edges ever so slightly at your bubbly enthusiasm for books, and the poor victim of that bad day quite stares at you as if you've gone mad (And guess what? They copy you in the end! Yes, everyone's gone quite mad. Score 1 for God!! XD).

It all starts with a little assignment my Little Way teacher once gave me and my friends:





"Yeah, Cy, it's all well and good when you're at the top of the world, but what if you just can't seem to put one foot in front of the other?"

Those days come. When I think of the martyrs who went to their often-horrific deaths with a radiant smile, I am like Saint Therese and feel like a pebble staring up at a mountain. I've got my own Cross to carry, and it's heavy enough without trying to help carry someone else's! Yeah, well, there was someone who pretty much had the same thought. And it just so happens that I'm named after him: Simon of Cyrene.

When you can't seem to compliment that grumpy cashier person because you're every bit as grumpy as he is, remember that time when Jesus was surrounded by those who shouted for His death on the Cross. When you can't seem to break the stoniness of your own heart and find the joy to share with that old librarian, remember the stoniness of the soldiers' hearts when they scourged Jesus and forced Him to carry the Cross. When you're having a bad day and can't find the strength to smile a ray of light for the person next to you, remember the day that Jesus had that Good Friday so long ago. And if not for the sake of the person next to you, for the sake of giving comfort to our Lord when all others had abandoned Him.
What would you do if you saw the suffering Christ in them?

Now I pass on to you the same assignment that I was given (see above picture). It's really nothing new, in fact, we hear it all the time. It can be summed up in two very simple parts:
1. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind..."
2. "...and love your neighbor as yourself."

The easiest way to start? Start with a smile.

Have a very blessed Holy Week, friends, and may God give you the strength to carry your Cross so to be able to rise with Him on Easter morning.

=)