self-esteem

Alberto says: Self-esteem is a term used in psychology to reflect a person's overall emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It is a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self.

Self-esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, "I am competent," "I am worthy") and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. Self-esteem, is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it.

Self-esteem is also known as the evaluative dimension of the self that includes feelings of worthiness, prides and discouragement.

One's self-esteem is also closely associated with self-consciousness. Self-esteem is a disposition that a person has which represents their judgments of their own worthiness. Social-learning theorists defined self-esteem as a personal worth or worthiness.

It is defined as the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and being worthy of happiness. It is the sum of self-confidence (a feeling of personal capacity) and self-respect (a feeling of personal worth).

It exists as a consequence of the implicit judgment that every person has of their ability to face life's challenges, to understand and solve problems, and their right to achieve happiness, and be given respect.

As a social psychological construct, self-esteem is attractive because researchers have conceptualized it as an influential predictor of relevant outcomes, such as academic achievement.

In addition, self-esteem has also been treated as an important outcome due to its close relation with psychological well-being. Self-esteem can apply specifically to a particular dimension (for example, "I believe I am a good writer and I feel happy about that") or a global extent (for example, "I believe I am a bad person, and feel bad about myself in general").

Psychologists usually regard self-esteem as an enduring personality characteristic ("trait" self-esteem), though normal, short-term variations ("state" self-esteem) also exist. Synonyms or near-synonyms of self-esteem include: self-worth, self-regard, self-respect, and self-integrity.

aging or ageing

Alberto believes that: Ageing (British English) or aging (American English) is the accumulation of changes in a person over time.

Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change.

Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline. Reaction time, for example, may slow with age, while knowledge of world events and wisdom may expand.

 Research shows that even late in life, potential exists for physical, mental, and social growth and development.

Ageing is an important part of all human societies reflecting the biological changes that occur, but also reflecting cultural and societal conventions. Ageing is among the largest known risk factors for most human diseases.

 Roughly 100,000 people worldwide die each day of age-related causes.

Age is measured chronologically, and a person's birthday is often an important event. However the term "ageing" is somewhat ambiguous.

Distinctions may be made between "universal ageing" (age changes that all people share) and "probabilistic ageing" (age changes that may happen to some, but not all people as they grow older including diseases such as type two diabetes).

Chronological ageing may also be distinguished from "social ageing" (cultural age-expectations of how people should act as they grow older) and "biological ageing" (an organism's physical state as it ages).

There is also a distinction between "proximal ageing" (age-based effects that come about because of factors in the recent past) and "distal ageing" (age-based differences that can be traced back to a cause early in person's life, such as childhood poliomyelitis).

Chronological age does not correlate perfectly with functional age, i.e. two people may be of the same age, but differ in their mental and physical capacities. Each nation, government and non-government organisation has different ways of classifying age.

Steady decline in many cognitive processes is seen across the lifespan, accelerating from the twenties or even thirties.

 Research has focused in particular on memory and ageing and has found decline in many types of memory with ageing, but not in semantic memory or general knowledge such as vocabulary definitions, which typically increases or remains steady until the late adulthood.

 Early studies on changes in cognition with age generally found declines in intelligence in the elderly, but studies were cross-sectional rather than longitudinal and thus results may be an artefact of cohort rather than a true example of decline.

 However, longitudinal studies could be confounded due to prior test experience. Intelligence may decline with age, though the rate may vary depending on the type and may in fact remain steady throughout most of the lifespan, dropping suddenly only as people near the end of their lives.

 Individual variations in rate of cognitive decline may therefore be explained in terms of people having different lengths of life.

There are changes to the brain: though neuron loss is minor after 20 years of age there is a 10% reduction each decade in the total length of the brain's myelinated axons.

snowing up the canyon

Alberto says: It is interesting to remember that in where I lived as member of the Religious for  years, I have come to terms with the harsh weather in all the time of the year.

Snow is precipitation in the form of flakes of crystalline water ice that falls from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material.

 It has an open and therefore soft, white, and fluffy structure, unless subjected to external pressure.Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types that fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are known as hail, ice pellets or snow grains.

The process of precipitating snow is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions of upward movement of air around a type of low-pressure system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snow can fall poleward of these systems' associated warm fronts and within their comma head precipitation patterns.

Where relatively warm water bodies are present, for example because of water evaporation from lakes, lake-effect snowfall becomes a concern downwind of the warm lakes within the cold cyclonic flow around the backside of extratropical cyclones. Lake-effect snowfall can be heavy locally.

 Thundersnow is possible within a cyclone's comma head and within lake effect precipitation bands. In mountainous areas, heavy snow is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation, if the atmosphere is cold enough.

Snowfall amount and its related liquid equivalent precipitation amount are measured using a variety of different rain gauges.

making sense with life

Alberto says: Entertaining residents in a senior assisted living community is one of my primary duties as director of activities.  Making them feel good for the day and making them smile and laugh is my utmost concern. Making them active in their daily life and making them feel a purposeful and meaningful life is the reason for my being in charge of activities.

Senior care  has been one of the ways of making sense with my life now that I have left the monastery and has been dispensed from my monastic vows.

The best part of being myself now as Alberto and not as Lawrence the monk anymore, is that I am fully alive in my interactions with people of the world. The best  part of being the director of activities in the retirement  home where I am connected with  now, is to live an integrated life as witness to the  routine of everyday life in the world outside the Cloister.

tears

Alberto says:  Tears serves to clean and lubricate the eyes in response to an irritation of the eyes.

 Tears formed through crying are associated with strong internal emotions, such as sorrow, elation, awe or pleasure.

Laughing or yawning may also lead to the production of tears. tears caused by emotion differs from that of tears as a reaction to irritations, such as onion fumes, dust or allergy.

Emotional tears are composed of more protein-based hormones which is suggested to be the mechanism behind the experience of crying from emotion making an individual feel better.

friends, buddies and brothers

Lawrence says: Friendships consist of mutual liking, trust, respect, and often even love and unconditional acceptance.

They usually imply the discovery or establishment of similarities or common ground between the individuals.

Internet friendships and pen-pals may take place at a considerable physical distance. Brotherhood and sisterhood can refer to individuals united in a common cause or having a common interest, which may involve formal membership in a club, organization, association, society, lodge, fraternity, or sorority.

Gbex says: Huraaayyyyyyyyy! I am back from a long hibernation...I have missed blogging so much that's why when Apa lawrence emailed me he is going away as he is getting to be settled down, ((Is that for good my friend? )) i took the chance to sneak out from where i am now and decided to give it another try in blogging!

So as of today- i officially institute myself on a back-to-back journey with my goood friend Ellen in blogging our way to reach out to the world.... So my friend Ellen- would ya welcome me back to our homeblog once again!...

And for my good and perennial friend Apa Lawrence, may you be blessed with the journey in life which you have chosen- the path to your happiness- your much awaited one to come and finally it has come!!!

Congratulations to you my friend ! Email me your updates and we will blog them here in our home sweet home blog!

the struggles of old age...

Gbex says: I am a bit sad about the plight of my grandfather who is almost 90 years old now.

Recently, he has been in and out of the hospital for complaints of headaches and nausea.

He also had been given a medicine for his urination as he has been fund out to be having some kind of infections with his urinary bladder.

One of the gadgets he was given was a portable urinal for that matter.

I am keeping my fingers crossed and closed that his condition may improve with the doctors' prescription drugs that he has to take three times a day.

the best recourse...

Gbex says: Can you just imagine how I was feeling for a week now? ANXIETY!

..I have been bugged down by an anxiety because my  maid has not reported for a week already. 

So I thought that  I should get the help of an agency that takes care of hiring maids.

True enough, the agency has given me a good replacement!

Now, I am not feeling anxious anymore as my new maid is really efficient in her household chores inside my  apartment.

Sasha and the magic lamp

Dom says: Is it really a providential thing? or just a matter of coincidence? that 'Sasha says' was given a Magic Lamp of Luck by The Genies! and now, she has just passed it on to me?...WEll, i must be that special to her indeed, LOL!And since, Sasha, the author of Sasha says, wants to spread the magical love and luck in her Sasha's Corner as well, and she passed me this magic lamp of Lady Luck, I have accepted it wholeheartedly ...

THIS goes this way...

"Alakazam!The mighty Genie King and the beautiful Genie Princess from the magical Land of Faraway are back!

Upon escaping the clutches of their Evil Master after being held captive for 1000 years, the magical genies have been busy flying on their Magical Flying Carpet, granting wishes and spreading love throughout the blogosphere.

And now, the genies are back with a special gift for everyone! Behold the sacred, Magic Lamp of Luck!

With this magic lamp, your blog will enjoy much good luck and fortune, warding off all things evil lurking around in the blogosphere.

We would like to share this magic lamp with you so please pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to those in need of some good luck.

Remember, do not be greedy or unkind, evil or vengeful as WE are sure that good luck & fortune will always be with you!

Join us on this exciting magical adventure as we spread goodwill and good luck to one and all!

*Start Copy Here

1. Add your site(s) to the list once you have received the Magic Lamp of Luck.

2. Pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to as many people as you like. After all, everyone needs some good luck!

3. Leave a comment HERE once you’ve passed on the Magic Lamp of Luck.Once the Genie King and Genie Princess have visited your site to make sure your links are complete and proper, you will then be added to the Master List.

4. To ensure everyone receives equal link benefit, please UPDATE your list regularly!1-Mariuca 2-First Time Dad 3-Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 4-Emila's Illustrated Blog 5-The Other Side of Emila 6-My Sweet Escape 7-Bay Head Blog 8-Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 9-LadyJava's Lounge 10-Petty Ramblings of a Petty Queen 11-The Real Deal 12-Pinay Mommy Online 13-Perpustakaan 14-LadyJava Life's Pages 15-Make Money Online 16-Cat Tales 17-LadyJava's Food Paradise 18-Being Woman 19-Spicybug 20-Biz-N-Honey 21-Aeirin's Collections 22-Sasha Says 23-Project Heavy Traffic 24-Picture Clusters 25-My Wanderings 26-Maiylah's Snippets 27-Moments of Colours 28-Life Quest 29-BigMoneyList 30-The Best Parts 31-Morphed 32-Buhay Pinoy 33-Galatayo 34-Blogging Tips 35-Apples Of The Eyes 36-My Own Utopia 37-Sasha's Corner 38.KUYA DOm 39. GBeX & DOm 92-Spun By A Seanachie 93-ISL Family 94-D' Cooking Mudra 95-'Story' the Great 96-UmmiRosma 97-Munirah Abd 98-Atie 99-Next

*End Copy Here

Thank you, Genies! And now let me pass on this Magic Lamp of Luck to... Kuya Dom ......(I Loved this part...Thank you Sasha dear!!!)

WELL., WELL, what can I say?

But to really say THANKS DEAREST SASHA for this gift, but I guess bloggers nowadays are quite neck-deep from blog things and otherwise, so I am passing this gift of Magic Lamp to all Gbex bloglinks who may have the time to do this but of course with a special mention to my ever faithful, loyal and charming Vera and her Adiks

for a whiter smile, for a fresher breath...

Dom says: Last week, I submitted myself to a dental prophylaxis procedure and my friend-dentist Dr Roxanne Collins, DMD did it perfectly!!!. After the dental cleaning, I felt so fresh and so light that I smiled to all the people I met at the crossroads.

remembering Filipino-American Friendship day

Filipino-American Friendship Day, July 4, is a day in the Philippines designated by President Diosdado Macapagal to commemorate the liberation of the country by joint Filipino and American forces from the Japanese occupation at the end of World War II.

The Philippines was a U.S. territory from 1898 to 1942, when it was occupied by Japanese forces, and again for a brief period after the war. The country gained complete independence on July 4, 1946.

Initially, the nation's Independence Day holiday (Araw ng Kalayaan) was held on July 4. Former President Diosdado Macapagal moved it to June 12, the date on which the Philippines declared independence from Spain in 1898.

Filipino-American Friendship Day was created in its place, and coincides with the United States' July 4 Independence Day.


Filipino culture is a combination of indigenous Austronesian civilizations and influences of Hispanic and American cultures. Small Chinese and Islamic contributions are also seen and portrayed.

Culturally, the Philippines is the most Westernized country in Asia, a legacy of over three centuries of Spanish and 50 years of American colonial rule. Filipino culture has taken a Latin and Catholic flavor from Spain, which ruled the country for centuries.

Today, most Filipinos are distinguishable from other Asians by having a Hispanic and Hispanic-sounding name and/or surname, by practicing the Catholic religion, and by speaking English and (to an extent) Spanish.

Filipino Americans are Americans of Philippine ancestry, which trace back to the Philippines, an archipelagic nation in Southeast Asia.

The Filipino American (Fil-Am for short) community is the second largest Asian American subgroup and the largest Southeast Asian American group. Filipino Americans are also the largest subgroup of the Overseas Filipinos.

In 2007, the Filipino American community was estimated to be at 4 million, or 1.5% of the United States population.

More than half of the community are either naturalized or American-born, while the remainder are Filipino nationals or dual citizens of both the Philippines and the United States.


Immigration
Filipinos remain one of the largest immigrant group to date with 80,000 people migrating per annum. About 75% consist of family sponsorship or immediate relatives of American citizens while the remainder is employment-oriented.

A majority of this number prefer to live in California, followed by Hawaiʻi, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Alaska, Maryland and Virginia.

Filipinos experience the same long-waiting periods of visa issuance experienced by immigrants of all other nationalities.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a preference system for issuing visas to noncitizen family members of U.S. citizens, with preference based generally on the closeness of familial relation, and some noncitizen relatives of U.S. citizens can spend long periods on immigration waiting lists.

Petitions for immigrant visas, particularly for siblings of previously naturalized Filipinos that date all the way back to 1984, were granted in 2006.

Many visa petitions by Filipino Americans for their relatives are on hold or backlogged and as many 1.4 million petitions are affected causing delay to the reunification of Filipino families.


Dual citizenship
As a result of the passage of Philippines Republic Act No. 9225, also known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003, Filipino Americans are eligible for dual citizenship in both the United States and the Philippines.

Overseas suffrage was first employed in the May 2004 elections in which Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was reelected to a second term.

In 2004, about 6,000 people became dual citizens of the Philippines and the United States. This act encourages many Filipino Americans to invest in the Philippines, buy land (only Filipino citizens and, with some limitations, former Philippine citizens are allowed to purchase land in the Philippines, vote in Philippine elections, retire in the Philippines, and participate in representing the Philippine flag.

Many dual citizens have been recruited to participate in international sports events such as the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in Manila, the 15th Asian Games in 2006 and the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing 2008.

In addition, the Philippine government actively encourages Filipino Americans to visit or return permanently to the Philippines via the "Balikbayan" program and to invest in the country. Philippine consulates facilitate this process in various areas of the United States.

These are located in Chicago; Honolulu; Los Angeles; New York; Saipan; and San Francisco while honorary consulates are also available in Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Majuro, Miami and New Orleans.

finding romance in a dating program...

Gbex says: Have you heard of "Niche Dating Sites"? Well, my friends and buddies who are just too eager to find a new date and a future partner in life, this site is definitely for you!

With the help of SinglesCash that offers a very effective Dating Affiliate Program, you will soon end up happily with a date and a future lifetime partner!.....

Nahhhh, it's not at all difficult to get one through their site. I bet you. Just give yourself a try. Be confident! Try now! Go, go now and visit this site before others have found their perfect match and a lifetime partner!

On the other hand, do you know why I am pushing you so much to go and visit this website? Well, let me tell you a secret. The most successful affiliate programs online today are the dating affiliate programs for webmasters.

The reason behind this is that a significant percentage of internet users are single or divorced and are looking for love online and definitely a lifetime partner and I guess fairly well, that such percentage includes you!

With this, I bet you can find from this site lots of particular online dating sites that will suit your taste and interest.And besides, it is not only that their niche dating sites provide a magnificent opportunity for you to reinforce your own lifestyle, but these sites will precisely offer you the great possibility that you will find your soul mate and a future partner in life.

And on top of that, this site has added many more new dating sites that are currently in development. Because of this, SinglesCash I am sure that it will soon become the dominant force in the dating affiliate program market. So my friends, what are you waiting for? Go and visit this site now for further inquiry.

Frank left with so much anguish and suffering...

Gbex says: I Must admit it that until now, I am still a bit in a state of grief for the thousands of lives and properties that typhoon Frank swept away in the Philippines!
My heart goes especially to the thousand of families who lost their relatives and their houses as well as their sources of living and subsistence... I shall offer a litany of prayers for all of them!

What the heck is typhoon coming from? Where do they get formed?
Pacific typhoon refers to tropical cyclones forming in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The basin is demarcated within the Pacific Ocean from Asia, north of the equator, and west of the international date line. Storms from the Eastern and Central Pacific crossing the date line are re-designated as typhoons. This basin features the strongest cyclones on record.

Typhoon seasons include the entirety of the calendar year. Most storms tend to form between May and November.

The list of names consist of entries from 17 East Asian nations and the United States who have territories directly affected by typhoons. The submitted names are arranged into five lists; and each list is cycled with each year. Unlike hurricanes, typhoons are not named after people. Instead, they generally refer to animals, flowers, astrological signs, and a few personal names.

However, PAGASA retains its own naming list, which does consist of human names. Therefore, a typhoon can possibly have two names. Storms that cross the date line from the Central Pacific retain their original name, but the designation of hurricane becomes typhoon.

Typhoon paths follow three general directions.
Straight. A general westward path affects the Philippines, southern China, and Vietnam.
Recurving. Storms recurving affect eastern China, Korea, and Japan.
Northward. From point of origin, the storm follows a northerly direction, only affecting small islands.

The following agencies monitor typhoons:
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
RSMC Tokyo-Typhoon Center, part of the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In Times Like this, Be Strong!

friends dry my eyes...

Dom says: Friends are indeed my eye-driers! Meaning,they dry the tears in my eyes...

In moments of grief, sadness, anxiety and depression, a friend soothes and gives strength amidst all these negativities....

Amy Flores, a very dear friend and wife to Danimar, has proven her worth indeed as an authentic friend in times of these trying and difficult moments in my life..

noteworthy blogs...

Dom says: Today, while I was crawling the links of my blogfriends, I was so struck and was taken aback as I came across their posts that really astounded me.

Mind you, I only do this once in a while, that is, if i get so much time left in a day. (A day's life of a monk is always so tied up in his monastic prayers and works that includes his blogging for a cause!...- Paid blogging as what they commonly call it but this monk calls it more relevantly as a blog for a cause)...
As I was browsing my bloglinks, I found some five of them who really got my interest and my awareness on issues that have affected me and my thoughts.

Let me say, these bloggers are indeed praiseworthy in their own ways of reaching out...Here they are arrange at random:

1. I learned so much from the post of Kuya Rino about this UP padyak project thing, I was so moved as I went on reading his post about the benefits of a bicycle.

2. I was so amused by Jeprock's post on mmm,coffee as it reminded me of my current fancy and appetite of the monastery coffee being served in the early morning after our 4:00AM Vigils prayers of the day.

3. I was so shocked, moved and saddened and very much affected by the news of the death of my Filipino movie actor idol Rudy fernandez. His death strongly reminded me of the death of my sister Cecilia. My heart went to the bereaved family of Rudy Fernandez. I wish to thank my friend Chuva for posting not only one but these series of updates on the death of my idol.

4. When I read this post from my very own ate Liza about soy power, I could not help but to re-assess my kind of food and diet here in the monastery. I guess she gave me a reminder to go back to taking soya as I used to do in the past, but for some other unknown reasons, was stopped. Now, I am bent to take soya again!

5. I was so glad when Vera, my friend and sister in the blogosphere came and dropped some words for me in one of my recent posts and told me that she had a new baby blog! I was so glad she finally decided to patronize blogspot dot com. In her latest post, it strongly motivated me to keep blogging despite the odds and that bloglife must go on,,hurray to my sister Vera!

hey you! my bloglinkfriends, maybe you can do , too, and grab this review- sort-of in your own site..you can also do a review of blogs from your links that you have visited and noted as praiseworthy ones!

the idol king is after a girl...

Look Dick look! who's that girl whom David Cook is taking out to the ball game?

The American Idol champ caught a game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday with season 2 contestant Kimberly Caldwell, who sang the national anthem.

Cook and Caldwell stayed for the game and cheered on the Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies. Obviously, Cook is a big Dodgers fan, and he just wanted to enjoy the game with his girl.

But of course going out with American Idol's winner is not something that can be kept a secret for long. It was said that they were mobbed when they left, a source close to Caldwell squelled.

It was revealed that Caldwell, who met Cook while she was covering the reality show for TV Guide, is just getting to know him better outside of the show. But they've been out a few times and Kimberly thinks he's a great guy and a great talent.

the champ

a breakthrough...

A 'break through' is what one really needs in order to temporarily get away fleetingly from an ambience of great flowing habits, long thick chandeliers and candle stands and smell of incense all over the place.

The place that dictates a lifelong commitment in a condition of solitude, silence, obscurity and claustric atmosphere...

This is what life is treating someone who is in a lifelong commitment to serve God in the midst of silence and contemplation: monastic life!

Wanna join me in my solitude?

This picture shows me and my dearest loyal friends I've got in the city of Espanola, just an hour drive from the portals of my monastery! left to right: me, Dani(amy's hubby), Amy, and Mike-the latest capture of a US based recruitment agency that hires Filipino teachers directly to the USA.

housing condition in the province...

Gbex says: Sometimes, when I look into the housing issues of a provincial city where my lending business is located, I cannot help but to sigh from a dream of a bigger business that will alleviate the housing conditions of residents here who, most of them, has no adequate housing.

May this dream be fulfilled soon so that the reality of these people suffering from lack of better housing may be soon be fully alleviated. So help me God!

the Abbot wrote the monks' chronicles....

Dom says: This is an excerpt of the day-to-day eventualities of what has been going on in my community. The Abbot sent this to the Perpetually professed monks, that included me, and since it seemed that my thoughts and ideas for posting trivial and significant posts had dried up, at least for now, then I thought of posting them here....I guess I feel I should post them here so that I won't need to jot them down in the pages of my redbook anymore:

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Abbot Philip is still with his niece, Ann, and her family. They all rise about 6:30 am and then have breakfast and prepare to go to the local Catholic Church for Holy Mass. That Holy Mass begins at 9:00 am, although they are present at Church by 8:30 am. Abbot Philip concelebrates with the pastor, Father Timothy Ilgen, who is a fairly newly ordained priest.
After Holy Mass, Abbot Philip and his niece and her family go walking in the Japanese Garden, which is part of the extensive park of Longview. Then they return to his niece's home and have lunch and visit some more. Then Abbot Philip leaves for Kirkland, where he arrives at his sister's home about 5:00 pm and has supper. Then he watches a video and goes to bed. His sister and her husband have gone out for the evening.

Monday, May 26, 2008
Abbot Philip and his sister and her husband walk into Kirkland and have breakfast in a restaurant. Then they return to the house and spend the morning quietly.
In the early afternoon Abbot Philip drives to Seattle and visits his former classmate, Michael Whitley, and his wife, Marie. Abbot Philip has never met Marie before and she is delightful. Michael had been a monk and a priest and then went through the whole process of laicization before he married Marie. He and Abbot Philip had spend many, many hours together studying theology when they were young. Michael now is struggling with a recurrence of serious cancer and is very weak at the moment.
In the evening Abbot Philip returns to his sister and brother-in-law and has dinner there and they visit for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008
We are up at 6:00 am this morning and getting ready. Abbot Philip's brother-in-law will work today and Abbot Philip prepares to go to the airport. He leaves the house shortly after 7:00 am and the traffic fierce. He arrives at the airport about 7:45 am and returns the rental car and then checks in for his flights back to Albuquerque. The flight is delayed almost an hour because of bad weather in Dallas/Fort Worth. We land in Dallas/Forth Worth at about 4:00 pm. The next flight is also delayed, according to the board, until 6:50 pm. So Abbot Philip begins his wait in the airport!
The flight finally leaves Dallas-Forth Worth about 7:45 pm and arrives in Albuquerque at 8:17 pm. Mother Julianne is there and picks up Abbot Philip. They spend the night in Albuquerque.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Abbot Philip and Mother Julianne leave Albuquerque about 9:00 am and drive to El Rito for Abbot Philip's dental appointment at 11:15 am. They meet up there with Brother Dominic Dat, Brother Marcus and George. Brother Marcus borrows Mother Julianne's car and drives to Española with Brother Dominic Dat and George. They leave George with Brother Gerard, who is in Española at Dr. Ryan's office. Brother Marcus and Brother Dominic Dat return to El Rito and then they and Mother Julianne and Abbot Philip head back to the Monastery.
Brother Gerard and George return before Vespers.
Brother Francis and Brother Romualdo have gone to do the regular Wednesday shopping today.
Brother André drove to Lamy to meet Brother Antonio Bravo, who is coming for a visit of a few days.
In the evening Abbot Philip announces that he is signing all of the papers so that negotiations for the property in Texas can begin. Today he receive the okay from Carla Skeen. He had received Berkeley Merchant's okay earlier. And the Chapter and the Council had already both approved.
Abbot Philip also announces that he has given Brother Cécilien the paper by which Brother Cécilien will request solemn vows later in this year. Brother Cécilien is completing 9 years of simple vows and so much make solemn vows now or have another novitiate!

Thursday, May 29, 2008
George drives Brother Benedict to town to get some prescriptions. On the way home, one of the tires on Brother Benedict's car explodes—they are just a couple of miles from the monastery. George and Brother Benedict are able to change the tire and return home to the monastery.
Brother Antonio Bravo is here but does not want to be part of the community and so stays by himself, praying in the guest section of the Church, eating with the guests in the refectory and generally keeping himself apart from the community.
Mother Julianne receives word that Sister Donna Ferguson is dying from a brain hemorrhage.

Friday, May 30, 2008
Dom Romualdo presides at the Conventual Mass. Abbot Philip preaches. The cooks today are Brother Paul and Brother Dominic Dat.
In the mail today, Brother Lawrence receives the approval of his green card, permanent resident status. Thanks be to God.
Abbot Philip announces that Brother Anton will return to Vietnam to care for his mother for a couple of months.
We have a surprise party tonight. Then Compline. A sleep in tomorrow.

Saturday, May 31, 2008
Brother Gerard, Fred and Rosy go to the ordination of Oscar Coelho in Albuquerque.
At the Council Meeting today we had a Consultative vote to renew vows for D Marcus and D Anton. They were both approved and will renew their vows on June 11, before Brother Anton leaves for Vietnam.
We spoke about the need for garbage to be separated: cans-paper-batteries-glass articles-plastic articles. We want to put into the burning pit only paper—not metals, plastics, batters, cans, etc.
We spoke about hiring a development director and agreed to do it, although we did not yet have a deliberative vote because we don't have a contract yet.
We spoke about the kitchen, costs and other things.

No parties except for the first of the month unless it is a truly exceptional reason
No cheese at light meals—only soup, bread and leftovers
No food that has been burnt should be served, especially when it smells burned, like beans!
Cooks should be careful not to cook overly large quantities of food that will later be wasted—costs are high now
We will discuss the conditions under which we will accept German Toyos back on probation.
We will discuss the way in which we will supply chaplains for the Sisters. Abbot Philip will clarify with the Gallup Diocese that we will not be involved in parish work.
Vietnamese Domus. Brother Andrew and Brother Jean Vianney have raised over $101,000 so far. The offer for land in Texas has been raised to $600,000 plus a $75,000 tax advantage.

end of the weeklong chronicles


Approval Notice from The United States of America Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Services

CASE TYPE: Application to Adjust to Permanent Resident Status
Receipt date: March 4, 2008
Priority Date: May 26, 2008 (date of which Action is Taken)
Applicant: PILARCA, ALBERTO Applicant #A-xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
NOTICE TYPE:WELCOME NOTICE; SECTION:Adjustment as Direct Beneficiary of Immigrant Petition.

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

This is to notify you that your application for permanent residence has been APPROVED. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to permanent resident status in the United States.
At the top of this notice you will see a very important number. It is your USCIS A#. This is your permanent resident account and file number. This permanent account number is very important to you. You will need it whenever you contact us.
We will soon mail you a new Permanent Resident Card (greencard). You should receive it within the next 3 weeks. You can use it to show your new status. When you receive your card (greencard) you must carry it with you at all times if you are 18 and or older. It is the law.
Your greencard will expire in ten years. While your card expiration will not directly affect your status, you will need to apply to renew your card several months before it expires.
Once again, welcome to the United States and congratulations on your permanent resident status...

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