CYBER-REUNION

With all the scandals, copyright infringement and cyber-bullying issues lurking in the internet nowadays, it's still good to know that there are still people whose kindness and passion for serving others help billions of internet users from around the globe. It's so uplifting to hear people's testimonies on how the internet helped them earn additional income, meet long lost friends and relatives, make communication faster and even prevent an accident which was about to happen. What makes it more genuine is when you personally experience all these things like what just happened lately.

How about meeting a very close relative you've never met in your entire life? It sounds impossible but FACEBOOK has just shown me the possibility when a person of the same last name as mine added me as a friend. I did not spend even a single minute looking at this person's info because I think he's just another unknown individual whose last name just happened to be the same as mine. Good that I gave a try in opening looking over his info and leaving him some words. He is just a very close relative I never met before. He's a grandchild of my uncle who died many years ago without even giving me a chance to see him in person. What happened was a reunion of an uncle who has never met his nephew before. It was, indeed, a cyber-reunion.

The Way I Look at Them

For the past few weeks, I have been writing blog entries which narrate my experiences and outlooks in life. To be different, I realized that I should explore writing short articles about few of my acquaintances. And the subjects that came so easily in my mind were none other than but my classmates in my masteral class. You may continue to visit my blog for you might be one of those individuals that I will feature here very soon.

Krishna the Chinita

"I never pretend to be something I'm not; I know exactly where I stand."

“Hahaha… Kung may video cam lang!” Who will forget that infamous line? Indeed, everybody in the class, except Nelson who did not know what it means, was shocked by this revealing and mocking assertion which was craftily uttered by Krishna to one of our Filipino professors. Krishna, as I have known her ever since, is a kind of person who defers nothing and no one when her ego is stirred.

Being the youngest among two siblings of a well-off clan and holding a bachelor’s degree in Education major in English, she usually comes with her well-enunciated spoken English and a gangster-of-New-York type of gesture. She is ‘fashionista’ in her own right and she enjoys rattling places more than hushing ones. I like her being herself whether she’s inside and outside the classroom.

As frustrated theater actress, her motto is, “If you have worn that certain attire in one place, never come back to that place with the same attire.” She has very deep motto in life, right? Well, her motto reflects her level of maturity and unique understanding of what really life is ─ it’s all about focusing on the present and enjoying life as it is.

Krishna is an English teacher at Darasamutr School in Sriracha, Chonburi, Thailand.

Donna the Great
"Time to change course... This time I'm going to give my full attention and effort so that there's no more REMEDIAL in my life."

I don’t know if she’s named after the popular singing sensation Madonna but whatever the reason of her parents is in naming her Madonna, she has got powerful voice as you listen her intone her stunning rendition of the song ‘O Holy Night.’

Raised in the battlefield of Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines, she’s so emotional on peace and human rights issues especially those that deprive the rights of the young generation. Because of her expressive and dramatic advocacy in promoting equal and quality education for those children in her area, who are affected by the current philosophical unrest, she won the highly marveled ‘Best Actress Award’ in the unperformed awarding ceremony of the second batch of M.Ed. class.

Madonna is very prudent at financial investment as she presently owns hectares of ‘Coconut Plantation’ and other small businesses in the Philippines. However, her astute easily fades away when it comes to love for she tends to give everything in the name of love. In a very profound statement, she said, “I tried to play your game but you don’t even know how to play your own game, and now I am here playing my game all by myself.”

To Madonna, all that I could say is, “You have to make the best out of your life and never let your troubles leave nothing but deep pain.” It’s never been a mistake to fall in love and give all what you have but genuine love itself learns to let go. As a saying goes, “Love and get hurt, get hurt and learn, then learn and love again.” You’re never away from the reality and I knew even before that the reality has taught you a lot.

Dona is an English teacher at Holy Family School in Nakorn Nayok, Thailand.

Diana the Unscented Rose

"ahaaaaahhhhh"

Diana is not just well-known in the class by her ‘-d-ending’ English phrases which has made her ‘unique-d’ among the people in the class. She also has some stunts especially in writing.

Silent as she is, she once told me that she’s caught in the middle that’s why she could hardly join all of the fun with the group. However, she’s maximizing her time whenever she’s in the classroom as she is always at the center of the discussion especially in the eyes of the unseen one. Diana is very patient and reserved woman. I bet she has gained this high level of maturity which is, in many ways, evident in her actions.

Among the women in the class, Diana is the one I seldom chat with that’s why I am pretty sure that there’s so much more to know about her aside from being hardworking and dedicated to her endeavors in life. The reason, maybe, is because she always comes late and busy with her ‘seminars.’

Diana is an English teacher at Holy Infant School in Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, Thailand.

Gorgeous George

"God knows how to put a proper price upon each good."

Are you looking for the sexiest in the class? Do not mistakenly direct you gaze to one specific corner of the classroom because George is just hiding in a very palpable spot and waiting to be discovered. Doris, as Dr. Jessen has called him, has been badly missing home and still coping with homesickness. I find him happy most of the times but his emotional distress floats whenever he’s alone.

He came to Thailand not just as breadwinner but as a professional seeking development as well for he has dreamt of becoming a college professor someday which I believe not far from his reach. George becomes so sensitive when it comes to family-related discussion ─ it would really make his eyes gloomy exhibiting deep melancholy and concern for his siblings.

Not because he is sexy, George is an epitome of a typical Filipino descendant who, by all means, strives for the betterment of his family’s quality of life. Ever since, teaching has been a passion for him that it made him stand through for more than five years now. George I know that there will, still, be lots of struggles that might come along your way as you are miles away from your love ones but never forget that everything happens for a reason.

George is an English teacher at Darasamutr School in Sriracha, Chonburi, Thailand.

Embryonic Christian

"Hanggang Ngayon!!!!!!!!"

“Hanggang ngayon…!!!” Listen to him as he scream with the highest pitch that he could no matter what noise it could bring in the classroom and what disaster it could make to his nerves just to reach his ultimate singing goal ─ to reach the highest tone of a line in the chorus of the song ‘Hanggang Ngayon.”

Aside from being an avid follower of Aiai delas Alas, as he tried throwing some of his things and wearing apple green recently, he has got some sensible ideas expressed in ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Christian is the youngest among the class although he doesn’t seem to be the one sometimes. He is very adept in technical aspects of the computer.
You have way to go Christian! You are young and, for sure, plenty of opportunities are still coming into your way.

Christian is a Mathematics teacher at Nawamintriamudomsuksatranchachunutit School in Samutprakan, Thailand.

"We are amazingly different from each other, yet we couldn't live apart. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects on those differences, we could focus on the lessons that we could learn from other individuals for God has exceptionally created each one of us not to become solitary individuals but to become appreciative of our individuality. We need other people in many other ways which we might not have realized."

GOD BLESS US ALL!

Squirrel Fights

I was in a garden one morning when I noticed two squirrels chasing and teasing one another. The two lovely creatures caught my attention that I was instantly convinced to take photos of them. However, they were too swift and small to be caught by the flash of my camera so I just decided to take pleasure in watching them.

Missing my family back home, those two lovely creatures reminded me of my childhood memories with my younger sister. Those days when we used to make fun of each other until one of us get hurt.

My childhood playmate, my mother used to get mad at us when we started to tease each other which usually ended up into a drawn out scuffle or a spoiling fencing match using a huge stick or a broom. In fact, there were times when my mother wished that we were in school even during weekends for she heard nothing but scorching expressions that I and my sister threw each other every time we were home together.

We’ve grown up into teenagers but still we acted like young children as we endlessly contrived words that would surely penetrate one’s ego until it would make one of us livid. My sister called me bayot(gay) and I called her barang(witch) – we repeatedly mumbled those words until the winner takes the pride and the loser takes the prize of getting hurt. A boxing match or a wrestling championship would usually end up the exchange of words.

When we were in high school, we ineffectually teased each other by tagging each one's teachers with nasty names which is later correlated to the quality of learning we got from them. If our teachers only heard how we involved them as we exchanged blows, they would have blushed and stared us with their fuming eyes. “Your teacher is so dull that’s why you learn nothing from her,” I usually yell. “And so what, your teacher looks like a horse and your face looks like hers,” my sister retorts. The fight went on and on without our teachers’ knowledge – for sure they have bitten their tongue a couple of times as we fought. It’s pretty funny how we get angry at those statements when all of her teachers were my teachers before and all my teachers became her teachers too. Those times, we never thought of what we were talking about and why should we react to such things. It's all nonsense, actually.

I now understand the worries of my mother when she realized that me and my sister had to stay together in the city as she had to go to college too. My mother used to advise us not to bring the shame in the built-up capital for there are more people there than in our place. And now, as both of us became full-fledged educators already, my sister wanted to follow me and teach in Thailand as well. When my mother knew it, she jokingly asked, “For what? So you could fight in Thailand?” My father added, "It's good that you would be far from each other. At least, both of you would live in peace."

But even if I and my sister were like fighting squirrels, I am pretty sure that we never fail to miss each other. My grief was unexplainable when she was hit by a passenger bus while riding a motorcycle with her friend when she was in third year high school. That time, I was in first year college in the city. The accident has left my sister unconscious at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for almost five days and it also made my eyes teary although I was trying to held my tears back. No matter how I barred those tears from flowing down my cheeks, it just flowed like water from a spring but it was so bitter – I did not like the way those tears flow but I could not help myself that time.

Watching my sister lying in bed with tubes in her mouth and nose, I did not know what would happen to her in the next few days. I couldn’t ask her how she feels for she could neither utter any word nor stare at me and show me how she felt that time. She took liquid foods through the tubes which were inserted into her mouth. I thought, “How could I tease you and how could you tease me when you are lying there so helpless?”

I felt so excited every time I saw the doctor coming inside the ICU for I wished I could hear some good news from him. The doctor checked my sister’s vital signs, tried to open her eyes with her hands and pointed the flash light in them. I didn’t know what she’s looking for but after doing those things, she wrote numbers in the monitoring sheet attached in my sister’s bed. When the doctor went out, I tried to look at the sheet and saw numbers 3, 4, 5, 4, 6, 5 and so on. It’s not constant and I started to inquire what those numbers mean. Gazing at the other side of the ICU, I saw a poster which reads GLASGOW COMA SCALE (GCS) and I found out that those numbers indicate the consciousness level of patients who are suffering from head injury. I learned further that patients with GCS of 1 to 3 have 50-50 chance of surviving. We used to curse each other as we fought but I could not explain why at that very moment of my sister's struggle between life and death, I fervently asked God to help my sister survive in such pain. I used to slap her with a huge stick but that very moment of her pain, I wished it was me who suffered such pain and not her. I knew I brought pain in her life and she caused me pain too but, still, my whole being wanted nothing but my sister's survival.

After having a nap in another room of the hospital, I went back to the ICU and saw people in white gown surrounding my sister’s bed. I saw my parents smiling and so I hurriedly get inside the and to my surprise, I saw my sister with her eyes open. The doctors tried to talk to her and tested if she could respond to their commands and she just did. I wished I was there and witnessed my sister opened her eyes from a deep sleep but that was not important at all. To see my sister recovering from a serious injury is more than anything else that I could ask. Indeed, it was the greatest birthday present for my mother who was about to celebrate her birthday that time.

As I matured, I have discovered that no matter how and no matter what, love would never fade. It's not by accident that I call my family my love ones for they truly are. With all sincerity, love could not see faults for it could mend every hole in our heart. However, it's very sad that it has to take circumstances in order to realize the depth of love. Thanks to those squirrel fights for they made our relationship even stronger. As yet, common misunderstandings are still happening even if I am miles away from my sister. We squabble even in the phone and while chatting online – the distance that separates us apart did not become a reason to stop the fight. But at least, with those insignificant disputes, I am learning that even if we are miles away from each other our relationship is still strong for we do not fail to express our affection even in the middle of those squirrel fights. We're not fond of vocally expressing our affection but our actions easily convey our feelings. Last February, I was so surprised to receive a Valentine’s card from my sister.

As my three elder sisters are now raising their own families, I and my younger sister are still moving forward in our journey as educators. We walk as we both hope of a better tomorrow for ourselves and for our love ones.

Note: This post is my entry for Best Single Blog Post for Family and Living in the Philippine Blog Awards 2009. Verification Code: PBA0948rnro5