When I Feel Frustrated

Trying to ignore what we feel about something makes us feel frustrated because we are not satisfied with our effort. We feel unfulfilled and if left unchecked it would eventually lead to depression.

The feeling of frustration resulted from not being able to satisfy our needs, wants and desires in life. When we feel that we are out of control of the things happening in our lives, then we feel unhappy. We feel insecure and uncertain because we are afraid to face our fears.

When we are in pain, we usually give up our hopes and dreams. It is easier to give up something that we are not struggling to get than continue to find ways to succeed. This should not be the case because persistence is very important during difficult times. In the event of crisis our perseverance would be our anchor to succeed. If we fail, it doesn't mean that it is already the end of the world. We just have to try harder in order to reach our goal and get what we want in life.

Frustration is a feeling of disappointment or anger for not being able to get one wanted. When I am upset, usually I just keep silent and write everything I feel because I am not the violent type who would shout or throw things just because I am angry. I also cry to release all the negative feelings I have inside. But sometimes too much frustration can lead to depression.

When I am trying to solve a problem, I get so wrapped up in trying to find a solution. Sometimes having many options is easy but there are also times that I am having headache just to find one alternative. There are even times that I spend my whole time worrying what would happen if I cannot do it. But once I am able to move forward, I also realize that there is no sense worrying at all.

It is very important to have a positive mental attitude. When we are mentally drained, we make things appear worse than they usually are. We just need to take a break to reflect. We can understand that our frustration will just pass because a positive mind is more open to see solutions and answers than those being close-minded and feeling hopeless. When we feel that there is no hope, we stop looking for remedies because we feel that it is already useless. So, we always need to stay POSITIVE.

So, to end up my frustrations in life, I relax and unwind for a while until such time that I am able to get back in track again to find new solutions to meet my unfulfilled needs.

Sometimes we are really upset. This article somehow helps to cope up our frustrations in life. By Rosemarie Sumalinog Gonzales

Are Men More Intelligent Than Women?

What is intelligence indeed? Intelligence is actually the ability to perceive and retain knowledge or information. It is the intellectual capacity of humans to perceive, comprehend and understand. It enables humans to remember and gives humans the cognitive abilities to learn, to communicate and to experience and think.

Is it true that men are more intelligent than women? According to some people men are more intelligent than women because they are more aggressive and decisive compared to women who always let their emotions dominate their minds. Aside from that there are many things that women cannot do especially in terms of hard labor.

However, there are also some people who think that women are smarter than men particularly in decision-making at home. I am talking about how to budget to meet both ends. It is the woman who knows how to keep up the budget for the whole family. The role of man is to provide the needs of the family especially in terms of financial stability. But when talking about how to economize and stretch the budget, women are more intelligent in this area. Women are considered as wise spender compared to men, although there are some men who would argue to this notion because of their patriarchal nature.

Men always wanted to have the final say especially at home. By doing so, they think that they are more intellectual and more powerful than women. On the other hand, women are considered as by nature emotionally weak. They cannot think straight when they are upset and they are too sentimental. They use their hearts more often than their heads because they show more concern for feelings of others. They are sensitive to what other feels although there are also some women who only think of themselves rather than on other significant people in their lives.

But there are also some people who believe that men and women are equal not only in potential but also ability. Whatever men can do, women can also do especially now that men and women are given equal opportunity at work. Corporations nowadays are no longer headed by the male species. There are many women who are now leading the corporate worlds. It only shows that whatever men can do, women can also do.

Thus, intelligence of men and women can no longer be measured by how high or how low is the IQ. It can now be determined through performance. Either men or women could be on top depending on how hard they work and how they persevere.

I write this article in order to lessen the status quo belief that men are smarter than women. By Rosemarie Sumalinog Gonzales

When Men Became Women

Unless you and I have been living in two different worlds, we seem to have an issue on our hands. We have feminized men to the point where they are slowly starting to resemble women. It is enough evidence to go down to your local super market to see the vast array of beauty, hair and make-up products specifically made for men. So what is happening here?

MONEY;

Nearing the beginning of the 21st century the cosmetics industry woke up to one, booming thought. For decades they ignored 50% of their potential customers. Men, in the same way as women, have personal grooming issues which could be solved with the application of cosmetics. And with the wave of acceptance and gender equality that came with the 21st century it was the perfect time to start mass producing cosmetics products aimed at men. Gray hair, wrinkles and eye-bags were all relatively simple issues which could bring in a lot of money. According to the cosmetics industry makes over $55 billion annually, as of 2014. And with around 25% of men taking more than half an hour in the morning to get ready, there is clear indication that the male based products are selling.

CULTURE;

We have seen a massive shift in the cultural attitudes, especially those within the western areas of the world. Societies are becoming more accepting of men being less masculine. The days of leather jackets, motorbikes and hard rock are (sadly, may I add) long gone and have become replaced by a mindless, spiritless pop culture. These days, it is enough to make a fool out of yourself, or better, a freak, to grab people's attention and become famous. Furthermore, as women gain more and more rights, becoming (virtually) equal to men in their rights, the pressures of the past on men to provide for their families are gone. It is now perfectly acceptable for the woman to be the one who works and brings in the hard-earned cash home and for the man to stay behind and do the cooking. Although most couples tend to live in a symbiotic relationships in which both partners are expected to contribute both financially and at home, it is no surprise that men are becoming more feminine.

VANITY;

We are vain. That is the simple truth. Because every day we are bombarded with adverts of beautiful men and women, working out, eating healthy and looking beautiful in their designer clothes, we have slowly come to expect this of ourselves. We now do more than ever, to look good and impress others. It's enough to look at some statistics to know this is true; 25 million American males (and 20 million females) going to the gym each year. Furthermore, the British males spend an incredible 13 billion pounds on clothes each year, on average spending just 99 pounds less than their female counterparts. Because of the earlier mentioned shift in culture, we no longer live in the times when it was the woman's job to look beautiful and stunning and the man's job was to be handsome. These days, men feel the need to be pretty, beautiful and stunning themselves, abandoning natural masculinity.

So why mention all of this?

Because I think men are close to the point of no return. If we do not act now, soon, traditional men will become a dying breed. I am not in the favour of unkempt hair, facial hair whose shave is long overdue or an outfit which has clearly been in someone's wardrobe for three decades but I do believe that we should make a stand for traditional men. I want to see the return of the gentlemen; men who knew how to look after themselves without excessive grooming, man-pedicures and what nots. Men, who woman adored not for their beauty or perfect body, but for devilish handsomeness and intellect.
By Michal Wroblewski

When Does It Become Too Hard to Forgive?

We, as Christians, are familiar with the words of Jesus: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." These are words contained in the 'Our Father,' the 'Lord's Prayer,' which most of us learned as small children.

But how realistic is it to expect one to forgive those who indiscriminately murder your parents, a family member, or a friend? And is it possible to forgive a person or persons who walk into a church or a school building and assassinate huge numbers of students and/or adults? How can a monstrous individual who burns a child with cigarettes be forgiven? Or an evil man deliberately placing a crying baby in her toy chest with a hair dryer until the crying stops and she's dead? How is it possible to forgive those people?

For me, forgiveness doesn't come easy even in the most innocuous circumstances, and where inhumane, incomprehensible criminal acts have been committed, no, never can I forgive! But there are people who do forgive those who've committed heinous crimes, and there are people who do "love thy neighbor as thyself." It is my opinion that anyone who can stand up and say with honesty and sincerity, "I forgive you" can only do so by the grace, the strength, the moral power and substance that comes from God alone.

A baby-faced twenty-one year old who allegedly shoots and kills nine innocent individuals who are praying together in a church is not crazy; he didn't just 'lose it,' or 'go berserk.' He is a hater, a bigot, an egotist, a misanthrope, a detestable individual without scruples, morals, principles, character or honor.

The question is how does such conduct become part of a man or a woman who was once a cooing, laughing, crying, burping, whining, screeching, adorable baby? He or she was not born to become a monster, a person filled with hate, bitterness, anger, resentment, and malice. So when did it happen; how did it happen?

I have no answers, but of this I'm sure: hatred and bigotry are learned behaviors; humans are not born that way.

How wonderful that there are people who are strong enough to forgive. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

I hope to some day be rewarded with God's grace and strength in a way that makes it possible for me to forgive.
By Pat Estelle

Gucci and Me

Gucci and me?

Yes, I know. To look at me, you'd never dream that I'd own a classy Gucci original. In fact, I'm very much aware that I do not really look the type that would even know who the designer, Gucci, is (does he have a first name?). So what does the world famous fashion French trendsetter, Gucci, in all actuality have to do with me? Read on, and learn about the ridiculous side of life and my rather innocent - and embarrassing- part in it.

It was providence that put me in the path of the elite, fashionable crowd in that posh upscale area of London, England, where I had come for a cousin's wedding, a good twenty-five years back. As the rain fell incessantly down from the overcast gray skies onto what appeared to be a dull bleak world, my wife and I - American country bumpkins - marveled at the old society charm of English Europe. Tourist sights that we'd never dreamed of visiting were suddenly within our immediate panoramic vista. The transparency of our unsophisticated traveling experience must have stood out for all to see as we gasped out loud in sheer wonder and amazement at the wrong side everybody seemed to be driving their cars, at the grandeur of the great Big Ben clock, at the imposing Buckingham Palace and at those funny artificially stiff- looking royal guards with the tall furry hats! We visited some of the most famous museums, gawked at some of the most unusually colorful punk-dressed locals and literally had the time of our lives as we reveled in the wonderful temporary role of being wined and dined without a care besides telephoning across the ocean to see how spoiled our children were getting at their grandparents' home for that one week in June.

The entire experience was beyond any vision that we had conjured for ourselves, yet it was rejuvenating. As we said our goodbyes and sincere thank you to our generous hosts, I asked if perhaps there might be anything that we could take to relatives in America for them. After a brief moment of deliberation, it seemed that there indeed was.

"Would you mind very much," my host began in his quaint, endearing English accent, "if we would ask you to bring a wallet to my sister in Deal, NJ? It's a Gucci original - not too new, but just the same, I know that she would appreciate it. And why should it be thrown out?"

Would I mind? What a question! In all honesty, I was happy to return the favor of unique hospitality in some small measure!

We packed the 'Gucci thing' within our belongings and were off to the airport. With England becoming smaller and smaller, and eventually totally disappearing as the plane gained upward and forward momentum, we mentally prepared ourselves for the long flight home and our shift in roles.

The reunion that we were a part of at Newark was a fitting end to our lovely vacation. Although we had indeed left London, England, home to world culture, art, fashion, and gales of raindrops, the shower of unmistaken love we received with our welcome home reception made us ever so much more glad to be back to our own familiar beloved turf and immediate family.

We changed into our normal gears - I, as father and daily breadwinner, and my wife as familiar 'mommy' figure - and life seemed to go on just as we had left it with only photographs to keep the memories vivid.

Then, one bright Sunday morning, my wife reminded me about the Gucci wallet.

"Max," she said worriedly, "I just remembered about the wallet. Have you seen it anywhere?"

"The Gucci wallet?!" I asked in the low tone. "Don't tell me that you don't know where it is! Didn't you pack it in the big blue suitcase?"

"I thought that you had put it away in the carry-on," my wife responded quickly. "How awful if it's lost!" she continued. "What a way to show our gratitude for all they did for us!"

Anxiously, we went through every single piece of luggage and belonging that we had taken with us on the trip. Feverishly and with determination, we sifted through the clothing and paraphernalia, spending a good while on the search. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Gucci wallet was nowhere to be found! We sadly concluded that we had either lost it on the way to the airport or it was... stolen. We felt terrible. Too bad we had not purchased travel insurance! After all our English hosts had done for us, how would we ever be able to own up to what had occurred?

I sat down gingerly on the edge of the living couch as I thought. Finally, the obvious answer came to my mind.

"And what's so terrible about bringing a new Gucci wallet to our host's sister instead of his old, used one?" I asked. The solution I had thought of was brilliant in its simplicity!

My wife looked at me in wonder. "Wh-where does one go to buy a Gucci wallet?" she asked. "I mean, aren't Gucci originals exclusive items? Maybe you have to buy them in special one-of-a-kind shops. And how much do you think they cost anyway?"

Although both my wife and myself had been brought up in plain, no nonsense type of homes where designer clothing and merchandise were things that, for all intent and purpose, did not exist, we understood that the price tags on these types of ware were on the higher end of the general merchandise payment spectrum.

"I'm sure that one of the department stores in the mall close to us sells Gucci wallets," I said. "And as far as the price is concerned," I continued in a deliberate voice, "How much could a small wallet cost already?"

That said, we piled the kids into our car for a 'trip' to the Ocean County Mall.

Once we had arrived at our destination, my wife led our troupe to the ladies' accessory department. Her hunch had indeed been right. There, in the locked case, lay a small assortment of Gucci wallets and purses. In my mind, their beauty was debatable and I wondered what the major attraction was about them, but I quickly dismissed the hearsay thoughts as the results of my being 'uneducated' in the ways of fashion.

"We'd like to see the Gucci wallets," my wife said to the woman behind the counter.

The saleswoman jingled her ring of keys as she unlocked the glass display case and reached inside for the two featured wallets. "These are the two styles that we carry," she said.

"Hmm," my wife paused. "How much are they?" she inquired.

"This one here is five- fifty," began the saleswoman. "And this one is seven," she said.

I looked at my wife. She looked at me.

"Listen," I told my wife. "The prices are not bad at all. Let's splurge. We'll buy them both. One for our hosts' sister and one for you."

My wife nodded. Generally accustomed to living on a set budget, we both were somewhat relieved at the affordability of the famed Gucci wallets.

"Ahem," my wife cleared her throat as she began in complete earnest innocence. "You said this one on the right is five dollars and fifty cents and that one over there is seven dollars?"

The woman paused for one uncomfortable long, long moment as she seemed to digest what had been asked of her. Then, in the most cold, unfriendly know-it-all saleslady voice, she corrected the blatant unforgivable blunder.

"No, madam, the cost of this one is FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS and that one is SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!"

"Oh, I see, I'm so sorry," my wife said in a very small voice as the rosy color of embarrassment crept up to her cheeks. "We - uh - I guess we'll think about it. Thank you."

Without another word, the saleswoman gathered the wallets, placed them back in the display case, jingled her ring of keys with a flourish and noisily locked the glass door.

As we made our hasty getaway, we giggled together at our simple ignorance and unsophisticated expectations. How blessed naïve we had been! $550 and $700 for wallets embellished with some strange man's name, indeed!

As ludicrous as we knew the prices were, we still had a matter to take care of.

I telephoned our hosts in England and shamefully explained the situation to them. True to form, they made away with it all, saying that the lost wallet was too old to be of any true worth and we should forget about the entire incident.

Gucci and me? Well, I can't exactly say that although quite some time has elapsed since the unfortunate loss of the Gucci wallet, I have completely forgotten about it all. One thing's for certain, I know that Gucci wallets are not on my personal buying list because there has GOT to be better things to do with my money. Still and all, the incident brings back gales of laughter when we reminisce about our 'wonderful unworldliness' and the absolute nonsensical, ludicrous ways of the 'polished, sophisticated' world!

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