Despicable ME.

Four months with my new job, a lot of things had happend which made me realized I have to step forward again to another stage of my life where in I have to stand on my own once more.  Lessons to be learned are along the way.  Experiences are breath taking which made me thought how amazing, mystrious, great, wonderful, and crazy life is.  A lot of mixtures.  Sometimes it will make you go crazy and frustrated how everything turns out to be in life, yet after all it will all depends upon your perspective.   Why do I sometimes forget that?? hehe… maybe because of the frustrations that we feel inside our thoughts would get clouded and we cannot think on things well…good pauses are really healthy sometimes… I believe.  Also, in life people come and go… one day they are in your exciting ride of the ups and downs in life, the next day they’re not.  But you have to go on with it.. keep moving forward and learn to enjoy and appreciate the different things life can bring you.  Be greatful even though some things won’t last for a life time.  Be thankful even though things are falling into pieces and small span of time are your only chance because big and greater things comes in small moments of happiness.  Learn to laugh. Live life and be free.  Learn to explore and go beyond your limits.. pamper yourself and indulge… we have to give time for ourselves..after all we won’t be here in this world forever.  Each day is a day towards our death…so before that day comes seize the moment to be alive.

Life really had a lot to offer when we just know when to look for it or where to look for it…the best thing is, you have your faith with you and believe in yourself that things will turn out just the way they should be. 

Accept the things you cannot change yet change the things that you can.  

Life is still BEATUIFUL after all.  There’s a lot of beauty than ugliness in the world.. let’s become one of the beauty in our own simple lives.  

HELLO WORLD!! Count me in…

Your making me feel like a hopeless romantic. I really wonder if we’ll get to see each other again. I hope… I still hope…

I was just given a little chance to get to know you but with that you really turned my world upside down. I feel like, I again, met someone who will bring my smiles back. I hope you know that. I’m such a reserved person, but how I wish I get to reserve those moments meaningfully with you during the long drive we had across the city. Where on earth can you possibly be right now? I do hope and pray that one day our paths would meet again and when that day comes, “next time” again is just a word.

Sigh.

All I can say is my sigh… coming from my head to my heart and into my month.

He really amazed me since day one.  From the first day that I met him I really got speechless how cute and handsome he was.  I know its crazy but I admit he really turned me on. ) He also turned my world upside-down with his surprise appearance in my life.  We’re not that close. I can barely say that our state of knowing each other is merely as an acquaintance only, but I do hope that one day our paths will meet again. (grin). Wishful thinking I know but why not…hindi masamang mangarap. Hahaha.  Lately, I realized that I found myself really fond of him.  I appreciate the morning where I rush myself to get the first trip out of our village just to get a timing with his schedule every morning.  I so love taking the Bajada route just to see him before heading of to his driving lectures and I so love the cute little ghost bumps I had whenever I saw him at their office in Bajada from the jeepney view inside.  I find it crazy but I don’t care… I think that if being crazy will brighten up ones day and would bring a smile in your entire day, why not?? Anyway, I did not harm anyone just to look at my crush early in the morning.  His totally the apple of my eye now. And every time I get to see a car all the things that he taught me during the driving lessons I got all flash back vividly on my memory.  That was strange but true.   I can’t wait to have my own car already.  I wanted to practice my driving more, inspired by my instructor. LOL.  Crazy. Weird. Strange. But yes, that was all true….I’m totally into him!!  If only he knew… (sigh!)

Last week the lesson for me was how to control my anger. This week how to let go…Maybe one of my supervisor was right when she told me before that "Marami pang mangyayari sa buhay mo…21 ka pa eh.."  then I realized, "I wonder what that things are" so I want to know.  Life was really that tricky after all…you thought you know it but it has a lot of things to offer.  You think that it’s already a dead end but it has some surprises around the corner…you just have to look around.  I was bombarded this past few days of the trouble I can’t conceal anymore, they keep on boxing me in an idea that I am this and I am that…I think they we are but I also think that I want to get out of my shell and out of their eyes who happens to love the idea of boxing someone into something they thought I am.  I want to explore…I want to try something new now… I want to go on with my profession (my real profession) I want to develop skills I never new I can do before.  I want to become some one new… and I want to be free from the idea that I am only someone who they think I am..  

 It’s time for me to consider my own choices. And, I do believe that my heart will lead me to my dreams and I have to go for it.

Never did I thought that such people are really existent in this world.  It was really a rare situation for me to get into but now very unfortunately I’m in..tsk!  From my work I get to meet different people everyday… Unfortunately one of those is this owner of a dormitel in Davao (somewhere in Roxas Avenue).  We went there one day last year expecting to have a good deal out of their business.  Working in a school with foreign students who needs to be accommodated in the city for two (2) months, their Domitel happened to become one of our option to have a business with.  At first, my supervisor and I thought that everything was fine when we get to talk to the secretary of the company.  The secretary happned to become the bridge between the internal agreement that just happened.  We never talked to the real owner that time and she never dared to face us during the agreement process.  It was agreed that for two (2) months some of our foreign students occupy two (2) double bed rooms at their Dormitel as long as we will give a full payment for the two rooms, but since the fourth student wasn’t able to come it so happened that the other room will be occupied by a single person so we asked for a refund for the other half of the full payment for the room.  They agreed after three (3) months, when we are asking for the refund the whole agreement changed.  And due to impatient temper the situation got worst ending up that I got the benefit of the doubt in the situation. Damn it!! not my supervisor. not my colleague. not my boss but me..WOW!!! thanks for the headache!! I don’t even know whom to thank to!!

She (the owner) suddenly changed the agreement, that she will only give the refund if an original authorization from the single occupant will be presented. After a month, we gave the original authorization letter but now she’s asking for the authorization letter of the other two occupant.  See how pathetically unbecoming she’d become!?!?! stupid owner.. the stupid fact is the whole agreement was not done in black and white so we don’t have anything to keep up with our sleeves but knowing that we already talked properly the last time now she changed it. What a shit.

Such negotiation was one that you should really never get into, I learned.  I learned that really do things in black and white rather that internal negotiations and internal agreements.  Lesson learned from the experience. DARN!! Now I need to finished this trouble alone since in the end I doubt that even my supervisor stand by me.  Anyway, what can I expect they don’t know the really thing anyway, the last time they did everything turned worst. Tsk!! Now, I have to deal with this…but I can’t hide the darn feeling that I so hate that Dormitel owner NOW!! If she only knew how much I curse her .. 

Students–and teachers–come on the first day of school with dread and, hopefully, expectations, too. Dread of how bad a semester can be, yet expectant of the good that can come out if it. Without expectations, there will be no accountability, no standard and no accomplishment.

With a good start, freshman year is the best time to shape a student’s motivation and behavior, to inspire and challenge, and to guide and direct. I recommend that the best teachers be assigned to the freshmen.

With a bad start–irresponsible teachers and bad company–it is easy for many freshmen to become the getting-by, getting-their-way, getting-away-with type of students.

Things to Bring

What do I expect of freshmen? That they bring to school the curiosity of an imaginative child, the sharpness of a thinking youth, the seriousness of an entrepreneurial adult, and the wisdom of a sage. If they have chose, I think we can work wonders.

1.) Curiosity is the best motivation. A toddler is not anxious to score, yet he spends so much time turning a door knob! Motivation makes hard work fun. Motivation drives one to learn for learning’s sake, to persist, to challenge one’s own skills.

2.) Sharpness of mind compels one to argue. Who among the youth do not like to argue? The lazy ones who do not want to think. A good student argues every proposition, concept, principle or theory in his/her own mind. These are the qualities that would make a good research paper.

In making a research proposal, to be able to state the problem clearly and concisely is a half battle won. Ask questions. And when there is no answer, do not worry.

It surprised my students sometimes that they did not have to answer questions for their seat work or examination. Instead, they were asked to write down questions. The quality, depth and complexity of the questions showed how much they learned from their reading and thinking.

3.) Seriousness is cool. Say that to a freshman and you get a blank stare. Adolescents try very hard not to show any hint of seriousness. In fact, they go out of their way to show that they do not care – about grades, about family, about work, about relationships.

Lovely sight

But a serious worker– whether a carpenter, a painter, a surgeon, a teacher –is lovely to watch. One cannot be handsomer or prettier than when he or she is working hard and serious. Seriousness means responsibility – the ability to respond.

William Glasser, founder of Reality Therapy, has strong words against irresponsibility and excuses. Many people use words such as “mistake,” “weakness,” “victim,” “mental instability,” or even “learning style” or “teacher factor” to substitute for “irresponsibility,” too often irresponsibly.

Good study habits show good time – and life – management. Students who are responsible will make good workers.

4.) Wisdom, according to J.I Packer, is “the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the means of attaining it.”

Direction in life comes from observation, experience, reading, listening, thinking, wondering, praying, reflecting and more reflecting. Can a freshman bring all these to his/her first class? No. But he/she can bring the desire, the willingness and openness with which to cultivate wisdom, from the start of this journey.

I like to quote A.N. Whitehead to my students: “The only avenue toward wisdom is by freedom in the presence of knowledge; the only avenue toward knowledge is by discipline in the acquirement of ordered fact.”

Wisdom is not at odds with knowledge, contrary to what those who do not care for knowledge think. Freedom and discipline are not in conflict. The more disciplined a piano student, the freer he moves his fingers. True freedom comes from discipline.

“Begin with the end in mind.” Welcome, freshmen! And do expect nothing less from your professors.

Written by Grace Shangkuan Koo, a contributor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (the article was dated June 9, 2008), now she teaches only grad courses at UP, has taught some 500 freshmen in the 10 years that she handled undergrad courses.