Lessons from the Christmas that Was

As a child, Christmas had always been the most meaningful celebration of the year. I admit, the celebration had been so meaningful and festive to me not because of the season itself but because of parties, Christmas gifts, caroling with my friends and most of all, the food that I could only taste during this time of the year. I always felt excitement everytime this season of the year would come. In fact, my heart used to tremble in excitement and happiness when I knew that BER-ending months were coming and Christmas songs were starting to invade the airwaves.

Christmas had always been so meaningful to me because of the material things it had always brought until I woke up one day realizing that I wasn't into posh gifts, entertaining parties and delectable food anymore. My ideal Christmas celebration has literally changed as I grew older and became more matured. It’s not more on the price of gifts anymore but on the reason behind the gifts I receive. It’s not more on the fun that parties could bring anymore but the warmth of people I am going with. It’s not more on the taste of the food anymore but the sweetness of my loved ones who share a simple Christmas dinner with me. Christmas had become different ever since I learned that I could already have what I used to want for Christmas.

For the past three years, I had been celebrating Christmas away from home. For me, it had been a part of my life as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) – be destined to celebrate lonely Christmases away from my loved ones. I wished I could celebrate Christmas the way I wanted to celebrate it during my younger years but realized I could not.

Last year, I had my salary before Christmas and immediately sent some for my family to have a merry celebration of the season of faith, hope, love and happiness. I thought my parents could have more bountiful noche buena than we used to have but they actually never had because only three of them were left in our house. While me, on the verge of Christmas eve, was in the comfort of my bed watching the pricey (compared to what I used to receive) gifts I received from my colleagues and friends while listening to Christmas songs when I realized that my previous Christmas celebrations were too expensive to be shelled out by the funds I am earning abroad. I have always thought that I needed to sacrifice in order to achieve my dreams but I realized that not everything could be sacrificed in exchange of something deemed significant. Our dreams could be too big that it would cause us to sacrifice little things in life but it could also be too big to conceal the life’s little but precious moments.

This Christmas, I would never be in the same affliction again for I have decided to be with my parents to celebrate the most festive season of the year. I am afraid to wake up one day chasing for happiness but only to realize that I already lost a great deal of it.

How Much Sacrifice Can We Offer?

Of all the problems that we have been facing in our country, I am still very hopeful that the Philippines will still shine upon the earth to claim once more its glory as progressive country.

The election is coming and, once more, we would exercise one of our essential rights as Filipino citizens -- our right to vote. How much are we willing to sacrifice to ensure that the Philippines would have a brighter future? How much are we willing to sacrifice for the future generation?

Like the child in the video below, let's do our share in rising our flag as we journey through the change which we have been longing for. Let the change start in ourselves. It's not a matter of you, he, she, or we. It's a matter of "I". Let's all acknowledge our responsibilities for our country because we are the hope that we have been talking about.

Remembering Andres Bonifacio

November 30 is a national holiday for Philippines in honor of the national hero Andres Bonifacio. He is the founder of the Katipunan and is known as the father of Philippine revolution. During the colonization of the Spaniards, Bonifacio was one of the heroes who devoted their lives in exchange of the freedom which the Filipinos have been longing for.

However, Bonifacio has almost entered in the "hall of forgotten heroes" especially that many of today's younger generation has been hooked to modern fantasy heroes like Captain Barbel, Super Inggo, Batman, Spiderman, Superman and so on. The heroism of Spiderman in annihilating his destructive opponents could be remembered better than the heroism of Bonifacio during the revolution against the Spanish conquerors. The entertaining and heart-pumping moves of Spiderman is much more popular than the gallant stand of Andres Bonifacio who strongly fought for our country's freedom which we are still enjoying at the moment.

If we want to impart the sense of nationalism to every Filipino then we need to make them realize the sacrifices done by our national heroes like Andres Bonifacio. With appreciation to the deeds of our national heroes, comes intense nationalism to uphold the ideals of the Philippines as sovereign nation. As said by Bonifacio, "What kind of love is more pure and more majestic, like the love for your native country? What kind of love? There's nothing more, nothing." We're Filipinos who do believe that Philippines is worth loving for. Let's continue the fight! Move Philippines! Move towards glory and fame!

Simple Deeds, Great Impacts

We have just seen and experienced the powerful retribution of nature through natural calamities which occurred in different parts of the world. Tsunami in the American Samoa, earthquake in Indonesia, typhoons in the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam – these were just few of the natural disasters which shook the entire globe because of the huge damages they have brought which included desolation of lives and destruction of properties.

In the recent years, we felt how the seasons have changed and it’s almost unpredictable. Summer could be filled with rain showers and sometimes heavy rain. Winter fashion would not necessarily mean thick jackets, gloves and boots for one might eventually go out realizing that his/her winter outfit is making him/her feel like bread plunked in an oven. Scientists call the phenomenon global warming or climate change while others consider it as another conspiracy circulated by the first world countries who are threatened of the impressive escalation of the economy of some third world countries (they could hinder third world countries from producing particular products).

While there are so many speculations on the awkward natural phenomenon that mankind is experiencing, it’s always good to look back those old times and trace how our little deeds contributed the dilemmas that we are facing in this day and age. Let us replicate those old days and learn how we could contribute in healing our world which has been wounded by our very own actions. There’s always a solution to every problem that we are facing and we do not have to hit upon the government or media (although they are helpful) just to find them because the solution is just residing within ourselves waiting to be expended for a better purpose. As Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change that you want to see.” We can start it in our own like lessening the use of plastic cellophane or we just have to put the 3 simple R's in our minds. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Let's do whatever we can to help preserve the beauty of our world for we don't know how great the impact of our actions would be if done collectively. Let's create the world that we want to live and the future generations to inherit.

POLITICAL WARFARE

The Philippines has been in the global headline for a couple of times this year. Earlier, the typhoon Ondoy which flooded Metro Manila placed the country in the headlines of global news. Different stories were told which included some acts of volunteerism and unity in helping the victims of the catastrophic typhoon. Many lives were claimed in that natural calamity which made the entire country weep for the loss and the damages caused by such calamity.

Few weeks after the catastrophic typhoons hit the country, the Philippines, at last, had seen the light again when Manny Pacquiao won his match against Cotto. Once more, the Philippines was in the headline as the home of the best boxer the world has ever known (7 boxing titles in one person was truly remarkable in the history of boxing). Lately, the Phillipines triumphed again when its very own Efren Penaflorida was declared as the CNN Hero of the Year. Manny and Efren brought the Philippines into the limelight especially during the time when most of the Filipinos had become hopeless.


And now, the Philippines is shining in condemnation from other nations for the ongoing political warfare which resulted to the killing of more than forty individuals. Why do we have to end it this way? Did power became more valuable than lives? Do we have to kill people to serve people? Plenty of questions are starting to flow from the oasis of my wits down to the stream of my spirits. GOD! Please help these people! Please show them the beauty of life and give them wisdom to preserve it.

Wits and Spirits is joining the entire Philippine nation in praying for the souls of those people who have been killed in Maguindanao. May justice would prevail.

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
-- Albert Einstein

THE HERO IN US

Efren Penaflorida (Kuya F), a young Filipino who initiated "Pushcart Classroom" through the Dynamic Teen Company which he instigated to divert the youth's attention from gangsterism to simple act of volunteerism was named CNN Hero of the year.

I have been following Kuya F's inspiring story of heroism in helping the children in the slum areas in the Philippines by providing them education. What made his story more inspiring is when I learned that Kuya F did not come from a well-off family. Like the children he and his co-volunteers are helping, Kuya F was raised by his father who is a tricycle driver and his mother who is a plain housewife. He was able to finish high school and college (with a degree in BS Education) through Club 8586 -- a Christian people development organization committed in reaching out to families, campuses and communities. As I read and watched the video of Kuya F's extraordinary commitment to help people, I learned "again" that we all have something to share if we only want to share.

During the awarding night, as Kuya F accepted the honor as CNN Hero of the Year, he left a very astounding statement which is, for me, a wake-up call for all of us. With simplicity and all modesty, he expressed, "Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry. Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need. So to each and every person inside this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. ...You are the change that you dream, as I am the change that I dream, and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be." It was a very simple yet profound statement that would always be engraved in this blog and hopefully in my heart.

As an educator, Kuya F's life is a great inspiration and I do agree in him that the hero in us is just waiting to be unleashed. It's not all about how much we have but it's all about how much we are willing to share. A simple act of heroism could take many forms and could mean many different things like an encouraging word, a helping hand, an appreciative expression and so on. We only have to believe that there is a hero within us.


"True service to others is not an issue of scope or scale, for we may serve one, some or many -- through the smallest act of kindness or most noble feat of sacrifice."
-- Matthew May

The Power of Media

The Mass Media has been proven to be a very powerful tool which could transform simple thoughts into different actions and reactions. The latest advertisement of Thai Life Insurance Company which has been recently aired in Thai television stations is another testimony of the tremendous impact that the Media could bring.

The advertisement features young children singing the infamous "Que Sera Sera". At first, you would only notice their smiles and their enthusiasm in singing but as the storyline would reveal, you would discern that they are not ordinary children for they actually suffer from disabilities. As the advertisement goes on, you would eventually notice the reason behind the children's happy faces despite their disabilities. You would see in the latter part of the advertisement how proud their parents are which is more than enough of a reason for the children to be happy. The parents look at their children full of admiration.

The message of the advertisement is so inspiring and for me, it has served beyond its purpose which is to promote life insurance among parents especially to women who are planning to give birth. More than conveying to the audience the importance of life insurance, Thai Life Insurance Company has also imparted an important lesson to the masses especially in judging people with disabilities.

Luckily, I found the advertisement uploaded at Youtube and I would like to share this to everyone.


And here's another thing.This song is very popular in Thailand now. It has been sung by people from different walks of life. Actually, I learned about this advertisement when I heard some of my second year students singing it in the classroom. I was so amazed when I heard them singing the song because I seldom hear them singing a classic English song and another they do understand what they are singing. This advertisement, indeed, did not just advertise a product for it also imparted values and lasting English phrases in the heart of every Thai learner. Actually, I just used this advertisement last week to remind my students our classroom rules.