tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61410718070941135572024-03-28T07:55:12.074+08:00LEAVES OF GRACEGrace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.comBlogger1809125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-70194675872300855122024-03-27T12:55:00.006+08:002024-03-27T13:11:17.062+08:00 Holy Week: Is PINK Your Favorite Color? That is a question readers often ask me. It is something expected, because every Wednesday, my post on social media is about PINK. This started during the political campaign when supporters of Atty. Leni Robredo posted every Wednesday something PINK, her campaign color.I believed then (and now) that PINK is a color of hope. Hope has not left me even after she lost the election. And so Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-40557048909729812802024-03-26T05:00:00.006+08:002024-03-27T09:38:21.610+08:00 Are you an Investor? Investment vehicles such as stocks, certificates of deposit, or bonds, offer ROI (Return on Investment), making our money grow and build wealth over time. Christians believe that all our money are from God and God’s. Money is not ours, we are simply stewards of it. Good stewards, therefore, must invest God’s finances so we can show ROI for it. Jesus clearly paints Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-78382482180115735632024-03-22T05:00:00.018+08:002024-03-22T05:00:00.132+08:00 LayogenicAs of 2023, more than 1,000 new and revised words, phrases, senses, including words or English words with Filipino meanings have been included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The slang “layogenic” may make it to the OED soon. Layogenic (described as a person who is attractive from a distance, but not on close up) was recently spotlighted by BBC Two, the second flagship channel Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-14324138237689740832024-03-18T05:00:00.077+08:002024-03-18T11:12:05.151+08:00 Creating CommitteesFlashback: There were 73 children at the youth group’s outreach program, under the leadership of Teacher Ana. The event, scheduled for 3 PM, included singing, story telling, a message about Jesus, and eating. All the children were on time. Ana, on the other hand, was still busy with the food and physical arrangements. Then the young people started to trickle in. But instead of helping Ana, Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-65510882045403526952024-03-14T05:00:00.002+08:002024-03-14T05:00:00.149+08:00My Salad Days Those days are over—for a long time now. As Shakespeare meant the phrase to be, those were when I was ”green in judgment.” This is not ro brag, but as an elderly, I think I am wiser than I’ve ever been (except in anything that has to do with technology, especially digital scams). In that deep and wide area where the world is today, I am green in judgment. Go ahead, laugh. I digress. Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-19836594895508751912024-03-10T05:00:00.039+08:002024-03-11T18:54:27.119+08:00Half a Century Catch-upComing from my last post . . . Separated by thousands of miles and both busy with a new family and career, my dear friend, Tits, who opted to remain in Chicago (year 1969), and I lost touch. But the pandemic dumped time on my lap to fiddle around with social media—and I found her! Our messages, however, were cryptic as digital communication is not our default mode. &Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-42696278313484699392024-03-06T05:00:00.125+08:002024-03-08T08:14:10.992+08:00 Tits Please don’t be appalled (or think ill of this blogsite on grace) by the title. It isn’t what you’re thinking. It’s a perfectly-proper-proper noun: it’s the nickname of my dear friend, Tita. Perhaps it is culture or habit; in the Philippines, we normally give our close friends affectionate nicknames by using the first syllable of their given names and adding an “s” to it. For instance, Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-85569309351423863672024-03-02T05:00:00.027+08:002024-03-05T09:41:05.196+08:00 Treasure HuntChildren, as well as adults, enjoy treasure hunts in reunions or parties—not so much for the treasure but for the fun in finding it. The real treasure is in the hunt because of the creative clues: word scrambles, anagrams, riddles, and questions. The hunt is even more fun if each group has both young children and adults. A clue that says, “Peek through a doughnut hole and find the next step”Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-68581457898271957522024-02-26T05:00:00.010+08:002024-02-26T15:08:49.534+08:00SOS! When ships were in trouble, going through extreme distress at sea, they put out an SOS radio signal to be rescued. SOS was not an acronym or abbreviation of anything—it was just a distinctive Morse code sequence. But many years later, when these letters became popular, people put meaning into them, such as: "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship". In everyday life, we likewise cry “Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-26309283091275965222024-02-22T05:00:00.006+08:002024-02-22T05:00:00.127+08:00Splitting HairsThe phrase “splitting hairs” is an idiom which has existed since Shakespeare’s time. It continues to be used today because that’s how many of us behave. In a meeting, gentleman 1 (G1) made a motion using the word “empower.” Immediately gentleman 2 (G2) objected saying that “empower” is not the exact word. He suggested “task” because he felt it is more result-oriented and specific.Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-1685489285078764582024-02-18T05:00:00.023+08:002024-02-20T09:08:42.943+08:00 Leaning Tower of Pisa This bell tower of Pisa is considered one of the seven wonders of the medieval world. It is visited by millions of tourists every year. Construction started in 1173, and five years later, it started titlting because of "shallow foundations and unstable subsoil."*It has not toppled over because engineers, through the centuries, have been trying to come up with a fix. During the restoration Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-64684870440177360202024-02-14T05:00:00.011+08:002024-02-14T11:43:31.224+08:00 The Greatest Love of All “Learning to love yourself.” That’s how the pop song with the above title defines the greatest love of all. It has nothing to do with how the Bible defines it, as summarized in this verse, KJV version, that I memorized in Sunday school as a little girl: This was the theme of our pastor’s message last Sunday. It took him an hour to explain this in great detail, but having a short Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-73186046496251101842024-02-10T05:00:00.009+08:002024-02-12T22:54:00.172+08:00 Disinterest Thomas Clayton Wolfe (American novelist in the early 20th century) wrote, “You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity.”This describes Mr. Ato Acosta, once the top honcho of his many firms, but who is now—in his own words—blissfully retired. Still strong at age 79, he prefers to stay home with his wife, read history books, Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-31493418094636097362024-02-06T05:00:00.010+08:002024-02-06T10:28:44.925+08:00 “I’ve Been Had!” No matter how careful we are, we can sometimes be duped. For one, we easily trust. For another, it’s tough to tell deceivers from honest people. To my deep dismay, I have been had a few times by glib-talking salesmen, financial advisers, and hyperbolic advertising: “miracle” devices that don’t work as explained; insurance that promised big returns that never came; “cheap” goods that Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-85550485677143561962024-02-03T05:00:00.003+08:002024-02-04T17:36:11.191+08:00Believers or Not My grandfather used to advise us, “Many people call themselves Christians without knowing what it means. Make sure that when you say you are a Christian, you really are.” What is a Christian? Some say it is a good person, or someone who goes to church often. In the Bible, the first time anyone was called a Christian was in Antioch. The story is told in Acts 11:19-26: Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-63935746941906768922024-02-01T05:00:00.037+08:002024-02-01T17:11:24.712+08:00Are We Heading South?Heading South or going south is an expression people use when things are deteriorating or becoming worse. It refers to compasses and two-dimensional maps where north is up and south is down. This is a blog site on grace and not on politics, but the wranglings of two camps that were once called UniTeam and promised unity during the political campaign are too noisy to ignore. Adding to Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-56144895457712520042024-01-31T05:00:00.011+08:002024-01-31T05:00:00.275+08:00Wordless WednesdayGrace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-81270196508401245172024-01-30T05:00:00.003+08:002024-01-30T20:41:02.097+08:00 Decluttering Young netizens are agog on social media over the KonMari method, “a system of simplifying and organizing your home by getting rid of items that do not bring joy into your life.” This was created by Marie Kondo, a Japanese cleaning consultant, author of a best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” and now a TV host where she discusses the same. She is Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-72317664773514424872024-01-28T05:00:00.061+08:002024-01-29T19:08:03.540+08:00 OPM: O Promise MeOPM is an acronym in the Philippines that used to mean Original Pinoy Music in the 70s. It has evolved into a catch-all term for music produced by Filipinos. We gave it a different spin in the ad agency where I used to work: OPM was O Promise Me, facetiously referring to anyone who says one thing but does another. In short, unfulfilled promise. This came back to me after reading onGrace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-9072192024917302202024-01-25T05:00:00.015+08:002024-01-25T09:42:43.774+08:00Nerd CredA Nerd is defined as someone overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. He prefers to be alone working on his computer or spending time on his interest and shuns parties attended by people outside his circle of friends. The three-year pandemic did not exactly turn me into a nerd, but I earned enough nerd cred to enable me to have lenghty discussions with Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-50510482192466496842024-01-23T09:00:00.000+08:002024-01-23T09:00:00.135+08:00 The Youngest MVP On record, the youngest MVPs are Derrick Rose and Wes Unseld, both 22 years old when they were proclaimed. Much younger and more precious than those two is our very own Most Valuable Player, all of eight years old. She was our clan's unanimous choice during our last clan reunion. Why? Why not? She particpated in every game (sports and parlor). Alas, she could not yet qualify for Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-30269117551101909992024-01-22T05:00:00.007+08:002024-01-22T09:46:23.346+08:00 Breathtaking Grace Almost every day, my eyes would be treated to a breathtaking view of the Manila Bay sunset, often described as the most beautiful in the world. This was my route going home from my office. I'd always felt as though it was a reward from the Lord for a good day’s work. It’s been years since I left the corporate world; my travels here and there have become sporadic. The sunset is noGrace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-8361653175278437212024-01-18T08:02:00.058+08:002024-01-18T15:07:29.168+08:00 Faceless Readers Son #3, a lawyer, enunciated this as though handing down a courtroom decision, "No, Mom, you cannot upload photos of minors without their parents' permission." "But I am blogging about the SISFU Rotaract, how civic-conscious the students are. It's not about the children, who are just the recipients of their kindness." "Okay, Mom, you may upload the photos but you need to blur each and Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-35874818088249482562024-01-15T10:04:00.014+08:002024-01-15T18:29:38.423+08:00 Back to Basics After three years of squinting, trying to recognize faces in little squares on screen during our clan reunion, we finally met cheek-to-cheek right on original schedule! This annual get-together came back with a vengeance in the last two days of 2023 and on the first day of 2024, our 79th year. The three-year hiccup caused by the pandemic did not stop us from meeting, albeit onGrace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141071807094113557.post-37555123621054395282024-01-13T17:18:00.010+08:002024-01-13T18:07:21.508+08:00 Crossing the River With my hands raised, I sang with the Praise and Worship team in my best alto voice. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.” In our world today, tomorrow is iffy, precariously dark and dangerous. But because our God of grace lives, “All fear is gone.” When we got to verse 3, “And then one day, I’ll cross the river,” tears streamed down my cheeks.After the hymn ended, I Grace D. Chonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13319447529035932808noreply@blogger.com0