C_H-A_N-G_E

What do men dread beside a bad haircut?



It’s

For many of us, change is something we shirk away from because of the uncertainty that it carries with it. Change maybe the harbinger of hope. But it can also bring despair. With change, there is no security. With change, we face the unknown. With change, one faces a crucial decision—to hold on or let go of the comforts we are used to.

 

Change may come in different forms. For some, it maybe a different path to tread on. It maybe a new beginning. A new baby. Loss of a loved one. A different career. A business venture. Growing of a moustache. Removing a moustache. New learning. Unlearning. Greying hair. Dyed hair.

 

For me, there are just too many. I have gained weight since my pregnancy and delivery of my baby. I have stretch marks. I have freckles. I have hair- loss. They say, these are all brought by my pregnancy and delivery. Before, I was never vain. I used to be happy with my looks. But now, the bodily changes are just so appalling. I see a different person when I look at the mirror. I say to myself, “Oh, no. This can’t be.” But yes, it is. Changes are happening. The mirror does not lie. My figure does not. My body cannot. These physical changes are not welcome at all. They are dreadful. But they are inevitable.

 

We cannot go through life without having to pass series of changes. There are beautiful changes. There are also ugly ones. Bad or good, beautiful or ugly, change moulds us.

 

So, what do I do then? How do I deal with change?

 

I found out that the best thing to do is not to resist it. Accept it gracefully and gratefully. I cannot do anything with the permanent changes in my body. The scars, the stretch marks, the freckles...They will stay no matter what I do. But I am happy with them because they remind me of the beautiful gift I have received from God, my baby.

 

Acceptance with grace and gratitude. Be happy with the changes. Thank God for them for changes are opportunities to make ourselves better and become wiser.

 

Devil's Playground

“An idle mind is the Devil’s playground.”

 

This saying keeps me bothered while I lay idle this summer. With a long vacation, I've got nothing to do but to let my mind wonder. And of course, there are some unpleasant stuffs which I let my mind to drift upon.

 

The mind is powerful. It is the nest of ideas, whether good or bad. It is the haven for knowledge and wisdom. It may house positive feelings yet it may also harbor ill thoughts.

 

The human mind is unlimited in it's potential to create the results of what one may  desire. There are no limits as to its bounds, with the exception of course, of the limits you place on one's own self. When fully and properly used, the mind can yield positive outcomes.

 

But then it can also give way to chaos and destruction. This is the part where an idle mind comes in.

 

An idle mind is an undisciplined mind. It is a wondering mind. It can be likened to a horse without a harness. An idle mind which is not tethered can aimlessly roam the dark alleys of stupidity then plummet into the pitfalls of the big word S-I-N.

An idle mind may relieve and lay waste in the past, thereby missing the chance to bask in the glory of a brighter future. An idle mind may also pre-empt the future as it may get over- zealous with what is yet to happen. An idle mind may opt to entertain lustful desires or indulge itself with shallowness. An idle mind is stagnant for it abhors progress. An idle mind is dull as it is unpolished. You see, an idle mind gives you nothing and leads you nowhere.

LESSON??? Be busy but not a busybody!!! Don’t be idle ‘less you want the devil to be wagging its tail as it creeps into your idle mind.

 

 

Granny's Legacy

Silver gray hair

Lola Umalliw in deep thoughts

Neatly combed in place
There were four generations
Of love on her face
She was so wise
No surprise passed her eyes
She's seen it all

I was a child, oh
About three or four
All day I'd ask questions
At night I'd ask more
But whenever, she never
Would ever turn me away
No, no oh woah
I'd say how can I be sure
What is right or wrong
And why does
What I want
Always take so long
Please tell me
Where does God live
And why won't
He talk to me
I'd say Grandma
What is love
Will I ever find out
Why are we so poor
What is life about
I wanna know the answers
Before I fall off to sleep
Woah ho woah ho

She saw the smile
As she tucked me in
Then she pulled up that
Old rockin' chair once again
But tonight she was
Slightly, remarkably
Different somehow
Slowly she rocked
Lookin' half asleep
Grandma yawned
As she stretched
Then she started to speak
What she told me
Would mould me and holds me
Together inside
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

She said all the things you ask
You will know someday
But you have got to live
In a patient way
God put us here by fate
And by fate that means
Better days

She said, child we are all
Moons in the dark of night
Ain't no mornings gonna come
Till the time is right
Can't get no better days lest
You make it through the night
You gotta make it
Through the night
Yes you do
You can't get to no
Better days
Unless you make it
Through the night (baby)
Oh ho, you will see
Those better days
But you gotta be patient
Be patient, oh baby
Be patient

Later that year at 

Lola Malliw always asks "Nangan kan?"

The turn of spring
Heaven sent angels down
And gave Grandma her wings
Now, she's flyin'
And slidin', and glidin'
In better days
And although
I'm all grown up
I still get confused
I stumble through the dark
Getting bumped and bruised
When night gets in my way
I could still hear
My Grandma say
I can hear her say
I can hear her sayin'

You can't get to no
Better days
Unless you make it
Through the night (baby)
Oh ho, you will see
Those better days
But you gotta be patient
Child, do you hear me, yeah
Well, well, well, well
You can't get to no, no
Better days
Unless you make it
You got to make it
You got to make it
Through the night
Oh Grandma, oh Grandma
Do you see me now, lady
Oh oh oh oh oh
Tender replies

 



 

I always find myself humming this song of Dianne Reeves whenever I think of Lola Umalliw. 

Better Days is just the song for her.

 

Lola Umalliw did not have a formal education. At times, her ignorance is just so appalling. You would grow weary of her unending questions. She just seems to meddle at everything you  do.  Sometimes, my nephews and nieces find her a nuisance. They mimic her. They laugh at her. They make her mad. She makes them mad.

Life has been tough on her but life has taught her much. She has grown old with wisdom and is never selfish to share it.
 

 



In her youth, she was a beauty to behold! With Lolo Manolo

Life has been tough on her but she fights back. She has raised her ten children well. And her

50 grandchildren have much to say about her pure heart.

Her 37 great-grandchildren are just so lucky to still have her.

 

 

 Lola Umalliw, no greater words would define your being. You would always be my loving LOLA...

 

 

I always honor my Mom with words of love and praise

I always tell about her goodness

and her kind and loving ways..

Yet I should also think of you Grandma

For you mothered my dear Mom

As Mom mothers me

So shall I mother my own child....

 

 

 

A VIEW TO BEHOLD

where to bro?

 

YES, THIS PLACE IS STILL IN THE PHILIPPINES!!!

 

 

 

The wanderer in the picture is my brother. And he's not lost or something. He's just enjoying the awesome view of DALIMUNO, BANTAY, TABUK, KALINGA.

 

 

The Dalimuno Viewdeck is now being promoted as a tourist attraction in Tabuk. Glad, our officials have thought of this.

 

 

 Mayor Ferdinand Tubban at the Dalimuno View Deck

 

http://suroysuanoy.wordpress.com/category/luzon/

 

 

But did you know?

 

Folktales have it that Dalimuno is guarded by a kapre who delights in puffing a cigar. So, each time a motorist passes by the Dalimuno zigzag, the kapre menacingly causes the vehicle to stop. And the poor motorist will not be able to get back on the road unless he throws a cigar for the kapre.

 

For KAPRE-HUNTERS out there, Dalimuno is just the place for you!

 

 



 GIFTED HANDS is one movie you should not miss! I have shared this with my students and I hope somehow they have learned something from it..

 

Benchmark your dreams with that of Dr. Ben Carson's and I'm sure you'll get to where you want to be..

 

From Amazon.com: Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Actor in a Supporting Role, Jerry Maguire, 1996) stars in this true story about a renowned brain surgeon who overcame obstacles to change the course of medicine forever. Young Ben Carson didn't have much of a chance. Growing up in a broken home amongst poverty and prejudice, his grades suffered and his temper flared. And yet, his mother never lost her faith in him. Insisting he follow the opportunities she never had, she helped to grow his imagination, intelligence and, most importantly, his belief in himself. That faith would be his gift - the thing that would drive him to follow his dream of becoming one of the world's leading neurosurgeons.

 

THE IDEAL TEACHER

Who is an ideal teacher?

Not so long time ago, when I was still in my elementary years I used to think an ideal teacher is infallible. This notion apparently belongs to the old school of thought as teachers are humans too. Teachers make mistakes. In fact, they constantly do. I found this out when I myself have become a teacher.

So, if not through a mistake- meter, how then should we define an ideal teacher?

                                                                          

Nikos Kazantzakis suggests that ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.

Such illustration of Kazantzakis may sound so poetic yet it encapsulates what one should expect from a teacher.

Kazantzakis associated teachers to bridges for the following reasons: First, bridges are made for connecting lands. Similarly, teachers are for connecting lives. Teachers are equipped not only to educate but to prepare their students to be well- rounded social beings. For whatever knowledge or information a teacher may impart to his students, the best is still on human relations because life is after- all about connecting lives specially now that the world has become so small with the advent of the social media such as Facebook, Twitter etc.

Second, bridges serve as easy access point to the civilized world. Teachers, on the other hand, are primarily the source of knowledge and information. And they lead their students towards a more “civilized society.”

Third, bridges serve as a path towards one’s destination whereas; teachers guide their students towards their goals- towards the realization of their dreams.

               

They teach. They instruct. They educate. They model. They facilitate. How-ever they do it, teachers mould their students.

 

 

And as Kazantzakis said, one may become an ideal teacher when he inspires his students to build bridges on their own. His success depends on how much his seed has multiplied. How many lives he has touched and not really on how many mathematical or scientific problems he had taught his students to solve.

 

 

 

Learn..Learn...Learn!

"Learn...Learn...Learn! And think about what you have learned," this was once uttered by our very own national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

This summer, I have promised myself to learn something new. And thank God, Data Center- Baguio is offering  free summer lessons for professionals and students alike.

I grabbed the opportunity, and here I am now, sitting in front my monitor learning about In Design, which I have found to be a very helpful tool for Computer dummies like me.

And as I struggle to catch up with the lessons, I feel so blessed having these new- found knowledge on various computer lessons.. Thanks to Data Center Baguio....

For those who are interested, Data Center Baguio is giving free lessons yearly..You can find them at the address below or at their contact number..^^

Data Center College of The Philippines of Baguio City
Address: Bonifacio Street, Baguio City, Benguet 2006
Telephone: (074) 444-3539 / (074) 442-4160
Fax: (074) 444-3539
E-mail: DCCP@ moscom.com