To which Diana finds a remedy to her laziness

I ought to be executed today for wasting my time browsing the internet.

While having dinner, I was thinking of a way to manage my laziness. Apparently, I am not efficient when there is no pressure. Certainly, nowadays, there is no immediate pressure for me to revise my thesis and do the RA work. I do want to work on them because I do not want to cram but then, again, I just find it hard to do so. It seems that I have very little attention span on my tasks these days.

So I was thinking, maybe, I will just work seriously on alternate days and spend the other days relaxing? Maybe, I could explore Singapore - take a walk, go jogging, meet up with friends during the day, read a book in the National Library, visit museums, and many more? Worthy-of-a-Nobel idea, isn't it? :P

But when do I start? Maybe next week. I don't really know. Ooops! I just realized that I forgot to reschedule my appointment with the doctor!

Since I am again feeling lazy, let me just tell you what happened last night.

Iris, a friend I met through Praise@Work, and I met up at Lucky Plaza to remit money for Fr. Joey's mission work in Ipil, Zamboanga. I am amazed at how simple things like forwarding Fr. Joey's Facebook note of an appeal for assistance to people I know would turn out to mean significantly to some of them. For instance, Iris has long been looking for a cause or a mission that could be a recipient of her regular monetary donations. She's been thinking of directing a portion of her hard-earned money to less fortunate communities outside Singapore. While there are still people living in poverty here in Singapore, she acknowledges that the plight of the poor in developing countries is worse. So to her, Fr. Joey's note was an answer to her desire to give. And she gave quite a significant amount! This act of her is so amazing considering that she's been and will be financially drained these days for her wedding on August 7.

It is further amazing that two wonderful people who happen to be good friends of mine are able to meet, even if only through online communication, through this worthy cause. Iris, who has been endeared to me through the Life in the Spirit Seminar I attended last year, has become my confidant every now and then in my struggles with Ivan. She has always been a great listener and her advices, just like Karen's (my roommate), are grounded in her deep relationship with the Lord. But she never told me to break up with Ivan. No one ever did. Okay, maybe one person, but it was solely my decision and my long-overdue desire to end my relationship with him for the better.

Fr. Joey, on the other hand, has been a friend since he boldly approached me at National Bookstore along Katipunan Avenue in the Philippines. It was around 2004. He was fortunate that I recognized him when he introduced himself to me. The last time I saw him before that was when he was still a seminarian, not yet an ordained priest, assigned to my high school through Campus Ministry, a school org where my friends (Mai Mai, Samae, Marale, Gwynne, Rieza, and Joy) and I were active members. That was in 1996 so doing the math, we met again eight years after. Since then, we have been in constant communication through Friendster, Facebook and email. He has always encouraged me in my goals and prayed for me to attain them.

I believe that the heavens have conspired to introduce these wonderful people to each other!

After remitting, Iris suggested I take her to a Filipino dinner so I brought her to Kabayan. By the way, the remittance fee was waived because June happens to be my birthday month. Great, isn't it? I ordered Kare-Kare, Beef Pastel and Pinakbet. Dessert was halaya (ube jam). I had to try it first, though, to see if it closely mimics the taste of the same jam prepared by the Benedictine sisters in Tagaytay and Baguio. The taste was not bad so I offered the jam to Iris.

Since there were still leftovers, Iris suggested to pack them so she could bring to her fiance Martinus whom she claims should love Filipino dishes as his previous love interest was a Filipina! We walked our way to Somerset MRT station where her car was parked nearby. We talked about her relationship with Martinus and Martinus' mom. When we reached her car, I asked about her love story with Martinus.

Listening to her story, I just can't help but be teary-eyed until tears, indeed, fell from my eyes. Don't get me wrong. This is not another typical love story that makes any woman teary-eyed and jealous. Theirs (Martinus' and Iris') is one story that exemplifies their deep relationship with the Lord. I will no longer detail their story here. Iris and Martinus are the ones who should share it to you. All I can say is that when in comes to anything, even in romantic relationships, I have to consult the Lord and discern whether something is meant for me or not. What left me amazed was Iris' capability to sift through the many voices in her mind to know that it is, indeed, the Lord speaking to her. She actually couldn't be too certain until Martinus, through his actions, affirmed the messages she got from this voice. Iris' story has inspired me that I started to aspire for that kind of relationship with the Divine. According to Iris, it is an investment of one's time to get to know the Lord. I have to spend quiet time with Him until I will know clearly it's His voice speaking through me. Actually, I had done something similar before. Back in Manila, I once stayed in the adoration chapel with a paper and pen in hand. I allowed myself to get carried away with my writing and what resulted was a letter addressed to me, telling me just how much special and loved I am. Sadly, I was not able to keep that letter. It's been a long time since I immersed myself to that kind of experience.

Theirs is a blessed relationship. I will always continue to pray for Martinus and Iris. I really want to attend their wedding on August 7. However, I have already booked a flight to Manila, together with my mother, on July 22. Hmmm... What shall I do?