To my mentors...

Happy Teacher's Day!

I remember when I was in grade school and our teacher asked the class, "how much do you think the President earns per month?" Then, showed us a newspaper with a headline that the President at that time only earns about Php300,000 per year. She also asked us, "don't you think the farmers should also earn as much?" And then I thought, they also work long hours, and farm their lands with their carabao's even when the sun is at its' peak heat. Yes, maybe they should earn as much. No, they should earn more than what the president gets. That was how I think at grade three.

But now, I know that the President earns more than what his/her monthly pay slip shows. And the farmers don't get even 10% of the President's salary.

That same teacher asked the class what kind of profession we want. Everyone answered but none of us wanted to be a teacher. Then she asked us, "then who do you think will teach your children?" She told us that parents want their "more intelligent" children to be doctors, lawyers, or priests but they push their "less intelligent" children to be the teacher. She let us imagine what kind of education our children will get if this mentality continues. That conversation did not change my mind, and I still don't want to be a teacher but it awakened me to the reality of education in this country.

Today, I am not a teacher but I respect my teachers so much. And I hope that the system of education in this country would improve. Our teachers, like the President of the State, CEOs of large companies, doctors, and farmers, work for the development of the country. They help shape the innocent minds, mold the character of the youth, and build up a person. In one way or another, a part of every one of us is attributed to a certain experience with a teacher. They shaped us, influenced us, built us up to what we are today.

To my mentors (and to all the teachers out there):

...You taught me not only the things in written in the syllabus. You taught me all about life. You understood me even when you disagree with most of my beliefs. For all the teachings and all the things I learned from you, THANK YOU!

Happy Teacher's Day!

Pagpupugay sa mga nagsusulong ng karunungan! Pagbati sa inyo, aming mahal na guro! 




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“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” 

~Andy McIntyre


"Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition."
~Jacques Barzun


"Great professors do not fade away, they remain in the memory of grateful students"

Thank God for Food

Thank God for the food at the table, thank God for our precious life. 

This is a call for us to help those in need and to be contented and grateful for what we already have. 

For development, let us join hands in helping each other.

You were my dream. You are my reality

I am a realist but I dream of fairy tales.
I know Prince Charming's do not exist, but I do know that there are still a few gentlemen living somewhere.
However, with the toads,  frogs, and witches all around, a time came when I was about to wake up and never dream again...
But right when I was about to give up, you came back, caught me falling, and never let me go.


Now, I thank you... For making my dreams come true. :)

Xia baby

Hi everyone, meet my baby, XIA! :)

Isn't she the cutest? :)

Awww.. Sorry baby, i have to leave to go to work.

Haute!

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"They [dogs] never talk about themselves but listen to you while you talk about yourself, and keep up an appearance of being interested in the conversation."
- Jerome K. Jerome

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
-Billings

"Whoever said you can’t buy happiness forgot about little puppies."
-Gene Hill

When you are loved...

IT SHOWS.

<3

Architect Napa

I am so proud of Architect Jomelle N. Napa. :) Yehey! He deserves it!

Answered prayers. To God be the glory! :)

On Malnutrition and Hunger

Working in an NGO gave me lots of opportunities and one of the best part of this job is being able to help. We are helping directly to the needy population and it feels good to actually see that your work is benefiting the community- Bicol Region on my part.

But with this work and experience, I am also exposed to the real need of the people. I am able to see that there is more that we can do to help them, that they need more, that they deserve to have more. However, I am also aware that development is a complex matter. Hence, helping a person by directly giving him what they need would not really help him in the long run. With this, dole-out system would never work. It only breeds dependence, another problem that must be solved.

Poverty follows a vicious cycle, I was told. But where do we start? Where is the root of the problem? No matter how logical a person may think, no matter how much experience he is able to accumulate, defining the problem- the actual problem, that is- is more complex than we think.

Now, think of malnutrition. Should we blame the parents? Should we blame the local government? Should we blame the environment? the soil? the weather? the NGOs? It is not the right time to blame these people no matter how right we may be that they are causing malnutrition. We have to think deeper- that maybe, they also have reasons why they are acting that way. The parents may not have a choice but to feed their children with rice, only rice, because that is all that they can buy. The mothers may not know how to cook nutritious foods because they are not taught how to. The local government may not have the funds to implement programs. There are possible reasons deeper than what we see and what we can think of.

Malnutrition.

I am just writing to express. I am just writing to organize my thoughts. I would want to help alleviate malnutrition. I would want to. But how?

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"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." ~Mother Theresa

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But would the children feel our love for them - if they are more concerned about their empty stomach?

Inspiring story for the day

As I was browsing through the news today, I saw this link: Guinness names Filipino as world's shortest man. The story is note worthy not only because it is about a Guinness Record but more because of these pictures...

Look at those smiles. :) Truly inspiring. :) A small wonder, indeed.

*photos from Yahoo news

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"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

~J.R.R. Tolkien