FRUSTRATED, PROSTRATED

A friend of mine is exasperated with how their system works:

1. Produce couture ball gowns out of trash. Similar to the unconventional challenge in Project Runway? No, it should be salable and wearable; not just meet the standards of the judges.

2. The mentors are still training on the job. They do not know yet what the judges would like, nor what could the market be looking for in a product.

3. The models do not have discipline, and are on a yo-yo diet. Their dress sizes dramatically change; these are faster than the mood swings of a mentally sick person.

4. No work, no pay does not apply. If you miss a day, make up for it without pay. Oh, yes...

5. Worse, they cannot just leave or they will starve.

Are you not happy you are not in this situation?

LOVE

If somebody loves you more than life, are you supposed to love him back?

No.

Love is given free. Nothing should be given back in return.

It is not a commodity, which has a price.

Neither is it a prize that has to be won.

Most importantly, it is not wages one has to work for.

It mirrors every sunrise and sunset that we usually take for granted.

For many, it is less valuable than time, even far beneath the value of good reputation.

And yet, despite its seemingly low worth, like air, it is essential for living.

It is a strong driving force that keeps people on going.

Like nature, its every facet can bring wondrous feelings that can shoot one's heart to the highest heavens.

If scorned, it can push a hopeless soul to despair, insanity, or death.

It is a treasure that diminishes in value when distorted by human frailty.

But it still an invincible power that fuels and, at the same time, nurses from hope and trust.

Love, love, love-- said to keep the world go round.

Said to be God himself.

Love.

HARD TO DEAL

There are just some people who are hard to deal with. 

They are not even aware of it. 

When you tell them that to their face, sometimes, they would take it personally. Worse, refuse to believe you.

How do they become such people? Are they genetically born with that quality? Are they raised to become one? Is the society responsible for creating these people? 

Experts believe there are many factors that come into play, which made these people difficult.

How can we deal with them? There are a lot of differing opinions.

My advice: Please do not wait until you lose your sanity. The first chance you get, stay far away from them as far as possible. If it is just a co-worker/boss, look for another but a better job. If it is a loved one, live in another house away from them.

ON JIHADISTS and CHRISTIAN WARRIORS: Read Me!

Sometimes, words cannot suffice to describe or explain things. Take God's stance on certain issues we debate on, for instance.

Just this morning, I wondered why do we have to force our beliefs on non-believers, to the extent of committing violence? To gain more power? To keep our enemies at bay? To cause chaos? For profit? It is so complicated!

After watching movies how famous historical rulers exercised their knowledge of statecraft and how some notable warriors tipped the scales to their favor- all in the name of their cause(s), I could not help but revisit my earlier opinion of them.

You see, in my youth I thought that if I were God, I would have gladly shoved them to hell. Then, these days I began to think, what could have God done to them? If we cannot be punished by killing in order to preserve our life, can we not also be punished for waging war to protect our people?

I do not want to further think about what God thinks about this issue by doing more research.

I can be wrong, but all I want is peace.

If terrorists claim to be extreme believers of a certain religion and sow religious intolerance, I do not think they are inspired by God. (Sorry, my traditional Catholic friends, although I love the old rite, but I do not embrace religious intolerance that you cling to).

I believe all of us are entitled to relish freedom--- the freedom to worship our own God, the way we believe is right. In the same manner, I believe we should also let others worship God their own way. We may bash each others' religious practices among our own communities of worship, but please do not do so on each others' faces. More importantly, please let us not kill each other just because we do not share the same belief.

In my younger years, how I love to listen Catholic; Christian; and Muslim prayers intoned during important occasions in the university and then later on in government celebrations. It was also heart-warming to see priests, pastors and imams (Muslim priests) greeting and talking to each other like old friends. Ironic it may seem, but some Muslims used to light candles by their windows during Catholic processions and greet their Christian friends, "Merry Christmas!" and some Christians hang streamers saying "Happy Ramadhan!" and "Happy Eid-el-Fitr!". That is the Mindanao I grew up in--- at least, our side of Mindanao.

Yes, our human nature may fail us at times and say "Muslims are like this" or "Christians are like that". But then, at the end of the day, we are all human. We are brothers. We are sisters. We are all related, maybe not directly by blood but through the very silent and very patient Supreme Being who created all of us.

We are all placed in this planet for three very good reasons: LIVE, LEARN and TEACH! We all have been learning the same lessons over and over from history to the present, and yet our self interests keep us apart. Worse, although we have learned that we can live in peace with each other, we still let the past prejudice, that our forefathers handed to us, dominate our actions--- even though the sad truth says we became violent because we wanted to serve our own purpose. We also do the same thing, through the influence of some self-serving people, and forget the friendship we worked so hard for in the past. So, what are we teaching the new generation if we go on like this? The same old ax plus our own agenda that we refuse to bury and let go!

Queen Elizabeth I ruled England to its golden years as the world's most powerful country through religious tolerance. The cities of Davao, Koronadal and General Santos flourished further by acknowledging and respecting cultural and religious diversity of the peoples in their area. Why cannot we do the same in our whole island to achieve what we all want, and pass it on to the next generation?

Please take note, blowing up places of worship and communities does not bring back lives lost and destroyed. In addition, killing non-believers does not make you any holier than they. Above all, when you do these things, are you sure it is your God you saw smiling at you in approval?

Let us not destroy each other. Do not further hamper our quest for progress. Stop participating in any act against any religion! Let us help each other especially in times of trouble and work harmoniously! Let us not let others unwind the bonds of brotherhood to let war and chaos rule our land! Let us all live in peace!

As parting words:

Without His guidance, we cannot act to have peace. Without His peace, we cannot go on loving. Without love, He is not with us. Without Him, we are nothing.

INTERACTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

At the moment, Ms. Teresa of Cengage, is demonstrating the features of Mindtap, an interactive instructional material-gradebook-etextbook-review material.....

The features are AH-mazing!!!!

I would love to listen to somebody read the book for me; define for me words and phrases I do not understand; provide me slideshow presentations; see all activities coming up; get immediate feedback to my assignments, quizzes and tests; and play games while we learn.

But still, since I still hate reading textbooks and even listen to someone intone discussions on something I do not want to hear, I would still be making notes--- and still buy notebooks and pens from school supplies stores.

Perhaps, had we had this technology way back when I was still in college, I might have had better grades.... (excuse).

WHEN DEPRESSION STRIKES....

Lady: Are you depressed (de-presd)?
Man: No, I pray everyday. I know God keeps me company, and I do not need to be sad.
Lady: No, no, no, no no! You are depressed!
Man: I am sorry, I just told you I am not. How can I be, when I serve God my whole life and goodness surrounds me?
Lady: See, you are indeed depressed!
Man: (Silently reciting the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, in an effort to control his temper)
Lady: You serve God, and you are wearing the clerical collar. You are depressed in our parish.
Man: If you are asking me if I am the priest, then, yes, I am.
Lady: I knew it!

So, when depression strikes, think of funny things, and your problems will temporarily stop bothering you.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: An Attempt to Explain Why

"Oh, God, I need to be patient NOW!"

This is one of the funniest one-liners I have ever heard, and yet this is my prayer, especially when there are trying times in my life.

Tita Rae, a very religious businesswoman, told me that I need to restrain my tongue, especially when I am angry. This is because I tend to let everybody know how upset I am and earn more enemies than I could imagine.

It is just fortunate I am not as cursed as Niklaus Michaelson or else blood would have blanketed the streets my enemies trod and I would be the most bloated vampire ever known to mankind.

Why then is patience a virtue?

Dictionary.com defines virtue as a "quality or practice of moral righteousness". From the same source, patience is "bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss or temper, irritation, or the like..."

Patience is akin to endurance, stoicism, and other similar qualities.

If one can forebear the negative effects of the situation, without uttering a word, he is being patient. Is it? 

If I will just let my superior recite degrading remarks about my person, will remain silent until he/she stops, and then, I will give him/her a flying kick straight to his/her sternum, will that make me patient enough? 

Well... it takes more than that to become patient. You should not act on that situation, without regard to morality.

In his work, "7 Secrets to Real Freedom: How to Stop Hidden Addictions and Achieve Great Success", Bo Sanchez asserts that the root cause of evil is impatience; people sin because they cannot wait for God's perfect time to be free of that perceived bad situation and so they resort to commit evil deeds to hasten their gratification. 

Therefore, it is safe to conclude that patience vanishes as soon as you made yourself the center of your being, and the absolute absence of patience in your life is also God's absence in it. When God and His teachings are disregarded, then the exercise of moral righteousness is also likewise treated. Our lower bestial instincts take over with self gratification becoming the sole purpose, and any sense of right or wrong is ignored. So, patience is a virtue.

Yes, we lose our temper now and then. We sin again and again. This is all because we are human.

God forgives us many times over because He understands our nature. After all, He made us this way. 

So, whenever the situation demands, just keep on praying for patience. 

If the road to success is always under construction, God is teaching us patience overtime because that is the only way how to do it.

WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE RIGHT

Sometimes, being right does not mean you can assert that you are right, especially when they believe that they are the ones who are correct. In this case, you need to quietly allow others realize you are right. Easier said than done!

I do not know why as teachers, we cannot go on vacation from our profession. Like a reflex, the "Teacher Mode" just comes out of the open, in an effort to "correct" some people. Just like our students in the classroom, they may resist to take lessons from us in some occasions, or show us they are not yet ready to learn. More importantly, be patient with them, as we should also be patient with our students in the classroom.

I think I need to learn lessons these people, too.

Above all, I need to pray for them.

I AM FROM

During our Staff Development Day on April 11, 2017, we discussed Culturally Relevant Practices in Math and Writing. During the writing session, we were asked to write poems using the template given to us.

In a sudden fit of homesickness and nostalgia, I wrote this:

This is the ramp leading to our front door.

I am from colorful stoneware plates, from paired spoons and forks,
I am from the red house with many cats and dogs,
I am from the place where fragrant white flowers bloom,
I'm from tall bougainvilleas upon our gates they loom.

I am from very busy Christmas and New Year,
From loving Mother and Father, and Brother dear,
I am from celebrations, forgiveness, love and cheer,
And from other fam'ly members who seem far yet near.

I am from "work hard" and "save up", and "Be Our Guest",
I am from the great place where heroes were laid to rest,
I'm from General Santos City, Zambales, Ilo-ilo, Batangas and Bicol,
And Pancit Palabok, Embutido, Relleno and Binakol.

From daring grandparents who sailed to a strange land,
Where they became pioneers and then fell in love.
They left a chest handed down for four generations,
To a museum, it'll go upon my expiration.

I sorely miss the people, places where I came from,
So I'm trying to make Pohnpei my new hometown. 
By my work and toil, I try to make a difference,  
For the chances I wasted, I atone to ease my conscience.