The Quest

Image by Helen Korpak on Flickr

an insatiable urge

this enigmatic quest 

a calling i cannot digest

profound yearning

gnaws at my core

until i can bear no more

yet this voice i hear

speaks softly like a song

whispering where i belong

a journey of sacred voyage

to the hills yonder and far beyond

i see no drifter nor vagabond

© Bing Yap [PinkLady] 2014

A pocketful of sunshine and 

Posted for Poets United Mid Week Motif ~ Hunger

Veiled Core

a spectral cover

reality's misty cloak

enigmatic veil

© Bing (PinkLady) 2011

Posted for Sensational Haiku Wednesday : Fog   and  Haiku Heights #41  : Innocence

Image credit: Link

Peace, Relaxation and Spirituality

sweet solitude reigns

unperturbed by winds of change

sublime bliss unfolds...

as turmoil eases

and turbulent passions calm

halcyon days begin...

the soul rests easy
whatever this life bestows
faith mutes all the noise...

© Bing (PinkLady) 2011

Posted for Poetry Potluck: Peace, Relaxation and Spirituality

and The Poetry Pantry

Images courtesy: Link

What Life Is All About

life is not about accumulating wealth

but about making one's own dreams come true and 

having a clean bill of health...

life is not about the mistakes you made

but the lessons you have learned along the way

and the strength you have gained...

life is not about disappointments

it's just that some things are not meant to be

and there is such a thing called patience...

life is not about the people who put you down,

wait for you to stumble or don't have anything nice to say 

neither is it about those who wish for you to drown ...  

life is about the relationships you have built

and the people who truly care 

and those who encourage you to live to the hilt... 

 life is about faith

when things go wrong and you've got nothing else left

you know that God is all you need...

life is about being free to live, love and laugh

anyone who tramples on that basic right

does not deserve to stay in your life...

life is about rising above any adversity,
picking up the pieces and moving on graciously
after all, you've got only one life to live...

life is about learning how to count your blessings
and the true meaning of contentment
gratitude is the key to happiness- one that's real and permanent...

© Bing (PinkLady) 2010

“ Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence.”

It is with great pleasure and honor that I accept the following poetry awards for week 27 and  friendship awards from Thursday Poets' Rally's host, Jingle-

The Most Considerate Poet Award

The Most Stylish Poet Award

The Most Mindful Poet Award

Talented Blogger Award
Happy Best Friend Day Award

Jingle, thank you so much for your continued support and appreciation of my blog!

Posted for Thursday Poets' Rally Week 28

The Looming Karma (Haiku)

Welcome to “Sensational Haiku Wednesday!”

This week’s theme is:  

Karma

there is no escape

according to what you did

thus shall you repay

like a hungry wolf

it tracks you down, haunting you

'til justice is served

so run if you must 

sadly though you won't go far

sins of yore loom near

Thanks to Jenn of You know... that Blog?  

for hosting Sensational Haiku Wednesday.

Next week’s theme: Ego

And speaking of Karma, a psychic friend of mine once told me that the easiest way to earn good karma in this lifetime is through your parents. Treat them well and life will treat you better, she said. 

The Dalai Lama himself has this to say about how to earn good karma points...

Instructions for Life

by The Dalai Lama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve Great Risk.
2. When you Lose, don’t lose the Lesson.  
3. Follow the three R’s:
   -  Respect for self,
   -  Respect for others and
   -  Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful Stroke of Luck.
5. Learn the Rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time Alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your Values.
10. Remember that Silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, Honorable Life. Then when you get older and
    think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a Second Time.
12. A Loving Atmosphere in your Home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the Current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your Knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the Best Relationship is one in which Your Love For Each Other Exceeds Your Need for each other.
18. Judge your Success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. If you want others to be happy, practice Compassion.
20. If you want to be happy, practice Compassion.

 Source: Spiritual Now

Sunshine In Her Ravaged Soul

 

 She lay on the bed, her eyes closed as if sleeping

I didn't mean to wake her 

But when she heard my voice

She forced a smile as if to reassure me

That she was okay.

I was there to visit her

But she was first to ask how I was doing

I meant to ask but she carried on

And I ended up blabbering

About my new job and my new life.

She gave a hearty laugh at my jokes

She was her usual bubbly self

We talked about her treatment

And how she is looking forward to next month

When we need to fulfill our work commitment

She apologized that she cannot join us

You see, we have an important meeting tomorrow

I assured her that we, her friends, will take care of it

She smiled and showed contentment

Then excitedly discussed again our forthcoming assignment.

I went there with a heavy heart

Scared, knowing how cancer has ravaged her delicate body

She has fought well and is fighting still

Every time I see her she speaks with pride

About all the new medications she has tried.

It's radiation this time, she said

You see, lesions were found on her spine

She finds it funny how she always took her legs for granted

Realizing her folly only after

Her limbs went numb.

I blew her a kiss before I left  

And she blew one back at me

Upon seeing this exchange

Her mom beamed with pride

In her heart, she knows her child will be alright

I couldn't help but smile 

The visit was not what I expected it to be

She left no room for pity

She is embracing all of life

Or what remains of it

She is like the sun 

Whose rays brightly glow

Amidst the dark clouds

That try to hide its glory

Truly a sight to behold

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your heart.

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens."
-Carl Jung-

It was in Cebu City where I found this gem of a book. There must have been more than a thousand books in Fully Booked but I had no intention of buying anything because it has been ages since I last finished a book.

As always, I looked for the "inspirational" section and found it on the second floor. Then I saw a book that had a funny but interesting title - "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams And Reaching Your Destiny" by Robin S. Sharma.

It wasn't the beautiful cover that caught my attention but my favorite author's comment: "A captivating story that teaches as it delights.- Paulo Coelho"

So I checked the synopsis on the back cover, which read:

"Here is the story of Julian Mantle, a superstar lawyer whose out-of-balance lifestyle leads him to a near-fatal heart attack in a packed courtroom. His physical collapse brings him into a spiritual crisis that forces him to confront the condition of his life. Hoping to find happiness and fulfillment, he embarks upon an extraordinary odyssey to an ancient culture, where he discovers a powerful system to release the potential of his mind, body and soul and learns to live with passion, purpose and peace..."

That did it. With no second thoughts, I went straight to the cashier.

This is the story of a man whose old life mirrored mine (my old life, that is). I can perfectly relate to these words in describing that existence:

"My many years in the conservative legal world, doing the same things every day with the same people who thought the same thoughts every day had filled my cup to the brim..."

"I couldn't remember the last time I had read a book that didn't deal with law. The profession was my life. I began to realize that the sterile world I had grown accustomed to had dulled my creativity and limited my vision."

"To be really honest with you, most days I wish I could just stay under the covers. It would be so much better than facing the traffic, the angry clients, the aggressive opponents and the ceaseless flow of negative influences. It all makes me feel so tired."

This was exactly the same realization that led me to leave the only world I have known in my entire professional life. I am no superstar lawyer with a flamboyant lifestyle and exaggerated courtroom theatrics, like this book's protagonist. But then, I would still have easily ended up just like him - "He collapsed right in the middle of a packed courtroom" - as the spark of life in me started to flicker.

No new principles were taught in this book. In fact, they would all be familiar to you if you have read books on self-help and spirituality in the past. But what made it unique was the way Robin S. Sharma crafted his tale, weaving therein the age-old teachings on living a simple life with greater balance, strength, courage and abundance of joy, and making that story linger in the minds of his readers.

Here are some of my favorite quotes (lessons) from this book:


"It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others. It's only when you have opened your own heart that you can touch the hearts of others."


"We might not be able to control the weather or the traffic or the moods of all those around us. But, we most certainly can control our attitude towards these events. We all have the power to determine what we will think about in any given moment. This ability is part of what makes us human."


"An event that appears to be a tragedy to one might reveal the seeds of unlimited opportunity to another. What really separates people who are habitually upbeat and optimistic from those who are consistently miserable is how the circumstances of life are interpreted and processed."


"No matter what happens to you in your life, you alone have the capacity to choose your response to it. When you form the habit of searching for the positive in every circumstance, your life will move into its highest dimensions."


"There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher."

"How can you really know the joy of being on the summit of the mountain unless you have first visited the lowest valley?"

Peace Amid The Storm

Serenity is not freedom from the storm,

but peace amid the storm.

When you close your eyes, what do you see? Is it total darkness or is it light?

Whatever it is that you see, stay in that moment... savor that "space" for awhile.

Does your mind start to race? Does panic start to grip you?

Rid your mind of thoughts and be still. [Remember this: The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. -Eckhart Tolle]

This quiet solitude is where you commune with your inner self- a place of harmony and peace.

"It is in the stillness of your mind where you find help for your soul."

Stillness brings forth the voice from within. It is mental and silent listening. To some, it is prayer and worship. For me, it is my private conversation with God- He talks, I listen.

"If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else."



We spend too much time and effort worrying about things we have no control of in the first place. In fact, we even try to change things that we cannot change when the wiser course is just to accept the inevitable.

Like a roller coaster ride, life will take us up and down, scaring and thrilling the hell out of us. There are no brakes nor steering wheel and there is no way out. Don't you think it's best to just sit back and enjoy the experience because we won't get a second ride?