DailyLifeMoments

Polished & Shined Shoes

Meet Lorna.

Around 4’11 tall, brown complexion with dark and silky hair, slightly robust and rounded face. She has a glowing smile.

What so special about her?

Lorna is in her senior year in high school.  She used to leave her home at three in the morning and walked to reach her school on time. In the afternoon, she finished her classes at four and reached home at past six in the evening or even later on rainy days.

Struck by her everyday ordeal, I can’t resist but ask how she survived it for more than two years until she was granted with scholarship and was allowed to stay in the convent located within the school complex.

‘If you really want to learn and to go to school, then you have to sacrifice,’ she replied with a smile. Her enthusiasm about life and hardship is inspiring.

The next day I attended a morning mass held in the school’s small chapel. As we just reached on time, we sat in the last bench. The chapel was filled with high school students of St. Therese.  There blue uniform with inner white long sleeve was just apt to keep them warm throughout the day.

Their scenic and beautiful place is approximately 4300 feet above sea level. During our stay, the average temperature was 14^oC, quite extreme for a place without any heating facilities.

As the offertory went on, the students started to queue for the communion. I happened to look down the aisle and saw their shoes. The edge of their shoes was covered with mud and some brown small dried leaves stuck to it.

Then Lorna’s story was refreshed in my mind.

I imagined the dark mountain trails, the misty grass or the muddy road she had to traverse everyday. She ignored the freezing morning breeze with perhaps an empty stomach just to be in school. I ponder what about on days that the rain was pouring down.

These students walked for hours just to attend school.

While on my high school days, I always brushed thoroughly my black school shoes for minutes until it was well polished and shined. Some of my classmates even used to take with them a small brush to maintain spotless black shoes.  

But for the students of Miarayon, a remote barrio of Talaandig in Philippines, the shined and polished shoes don’t matter. What matters most is a good weather so they can go to school without being soaked in a heavy rain.

School Fees

I was panicking last night when it came to my senses that I have two days left before my theory exam.

It reminded me of my college days cramming and spending sleepless nights to prepare for any major exams. The only difference between this upcoming exam and the one in college years is the fees.

I shelled out money from my own pocket for this class and approaching exam. It makes a tremendous difference as I value it more.

A Poem

a snippet from my highschool notes

Eternal Bliss
By MileS

In search of eternal bliss
Wealth in a hundred crease
Bring no joy but sorrow
Life is an empty barren of crow.
Wealth is poverty
Nothingness is prosperity.
As joy is within
Where contentment is hidden
Till goodness beyond breathe
Always invest immaterial seed
Leave footprints not of greed
Acquire interest regardless of creed
In heaven reap richness
Where the perpetual bliss is

My Smile My Vocation

The least thing I have in mind while writing this is to brag. I just hope that the message is conveyed without any tinge of arrogance.

Smiling either with strangers, acquaintances, passersby or even in front of camera comes so naturally to me. It may sound ridiculous but there are only two instances in my life that I opted not to smile in front of the camera and man, it needed some mind setting to do that.

Both occasions relate to a demise of family member. As one of our indispensable and inseparable customs, we take photos in every single event and occasions in our lives, more nowadays due to advent of digital cameras. It stretches from pregnancy, delivery, christening, first walk, birthdays, wedding, and even during the wake and funeral of the deceased.

This photo taking activity has its own course to follow – photo taking with immediate family, then in-laws, then friends, then colleagues, and so on. If you have a creative host to coin various groupings, then photo session will last longer.

So 12 years ago, we stood beside my Dad’s casket while one of my relative announced the sequence of the photo taking – bereaved family with my Mum’s family, bereaved family with my Dad’s family, and more. So we stayed there shots after shots with different group of people surrounded us.

I kept reminding myself during the whole duration of the photo taking that I was grieving as I might forget and I would flash my smile in front of the camera.

Anyway, maybe one of the reasons that propel me to smile is because people oftentimes compliment my smile. As a person who owns that smile, I don’t see much of a difference in my smile compared to others.  The constant compliments become a thrust in my thoughts that perhaps there is something nice or wonderful or pleasant in my smile.

Whatever it is, I decided not to be miserly with my smile. I keep it a habit to smile to a grouchy waitress, to an unhelpful saleslady, to an unfriendly colleague and so on. I don’t wait for their smile. I smile to them first.

I have thought that if I can lift up one depressed spirit with my smile, then why not smile? Or perhaps my smile can bring a little joy to a troubled driver. Maybe I am a fool believing that somehow one way or another I make a positive impact to someone through my smile. A fool or not, it doesn’t bother me at all.

At least I tried and it costs me nothing. 

A Challenging Morning

This morning was one of the mornings I dreaded most.

As usual, I was in the taxi stand 10 minutes before seven though my office starts only at 8am. Two reasons prompted me to leave early everyday – it is easier to take taxi and I don’t want to start my day rushing things. 

Ten minutes turned to twenty then thirty and not a sight of single empty taxi was available. At that time, I wanted to cry and felt pity for waiting so long. I decided to take my chance and to wait in the next street. 

As the there was no proper walking lane, I trudged the kerb stone, crossed the two pedestrians and walked further. While walking I saw empty taxis on the other side and heading to the taxi stand where I waited earlier.

Being a person with no patience for inconvenience, I started to whine – ‘What a day to start?’ ‘My day is screwed!’

Seconds later, it seemed someone smack my head. Why should I whine? It won’t help my situation and I am the one who decide whether my day is screwed or not.

Well, I opted not. Minutes later I saw a taxi with its right signal indicator on and heading to where I was standing.

My beautiful and perfect day just started!

Another Farewell

We just had another farewell tribute this afternoon. The usual stuff such as cake and gifts were there but the attendees present today were more than the regular and expected. Unusual faces were there.

I always find farewell as a great opportunity to assess the value of the departing person.

A good person will be missed. A responsible and pro-active colleague will leave a workload and job to fill. Saddened staffs signify that you have been a terrific boss. If people who are not related at all to your work came, it means you are valued as person.

I realized that at end of the day, it is not solely about work but it is more on relationship with people. 

Life’s Dream Board

I made my life’s dream board last week. 

Honestly, I have been greatly influence by the books and articles of Bo. Sanchez. He advocates writing down in details all your dreams and things you want to have in life. So I did mine.

I laid down all my grand plans for my life in a piece of paper. After I completed the dream board, I was overwhelmed to see my dreams in details. It seems the grand scheme is now easier to achieve.

Of course I cannot deny that one area of my dream board is geared to securing my finances in the next few years to come. In this aspect, my plans are varied and detailed. But later, I was hunted by a question – ‘So, what’s next if you achieve all your plans?’

Indeed, what’s next? Then I realized that Bo. Sanchez was right. Your dreams should have purpose to know what’s next after achieving your dream.

Until now, I am still reviewing my dream board and identifying the purpose of each dream I laid in that piece of paper. Hopefully it will give more meaning in my desire to achieve my dreams.

Rushing for Unknown Reason

My Mum and I decided to go to Gaisano Mall at past six in the evening while my sister and her friend decided to follow later. As I was very keen to buy a Smart Bro (a small device that will give you internet access mobility), we headed to the third floor where the SMART communication shop was located to inquire more about its features.

After savoring my disappointment with the limited features the Smart bro could offer, we left the shop and we were about to comb the mall for good pair of sandals. Then we noticed a commotion coming from the right wing of the building. People who seemed to be running away from something were rushing towards the escalator heading to the lower floor.

We paused for a moment and looked around. I told my Mum that perhaps there was a fight that’s why people were rushing but after few seconds, the commotion didn’t calm down. More people were rushing and heading towards the nearest exits. Numerous shops also started to close.

So Mum and I were convinced that we had to run too. So we did along with the swarm of people.

I had a hunch that it might be a bomb threat. With the recent escalating news about the combat red alert status in our place, that’s the instant conclusion I could think of. I dragged my Mum and we landed in the car park in the second floor.

The area was also a total chaos. Cars were bumping and drivers were horning each other as they hurried to move out from the building.

With this commotion, I somehow tried to keep my presence of mind. I kept telling myself that if it was indeed a bomb, we needed to leave the premises of the building the soonest possible. The building would collapse anytime. If the bomb exploded, we would be trapped inside.  

Hand in hand, my Mum and I reached the passage towards the entrance area of the building. When I saw the dark gloomy sky, I knew that it would take us few more steps and we were out of the building premise.

Then we joined the crowd few minutes later and just to realize that there was a fire incident in one of the restaurants situated in the right side of the building.

The same reason that people were panicking. People were rushing for unknown reason and some even got hurt in the stampede.

I realized that moment… how many times did I rush in my life for unknown reasons too?

Convenient Sucker

I have a confession to make. I am a BIG time convenient sucker. Any slight uneasiness and inconvenience agitates me.

Obviously I always (as much as possible) take detour to ensure I am comfortable in any given situations even if it will cost me fortune.

I prefer to go to church on morning of weekdays because the church is generally not crowded. My Dad used to tell me that I should go to church on Sundays as it is my religious obligation. Nevertheless, I go on weekdays.

Walking in a sweltering summer? It bursts out my patience. I will ignore paying a taxi to take me to a fifteen minutes walk shop rather than walk on a humid and uncomfortable weather.
I detest taking public transportation as it takes time to travel. Waiting in the terminal or bus station is like waiting eternally.

I would rather shop less and come back the next day for another round of shopping than to carry loads of grocery bags.

Don’t get me wrong. I came from an average family wherein my parents needed to work hard to give us decent education. It is just that I abhor inconvenience or to rephrase it nicely, my tolerance for inconvenience is very minimal.

Lately is started this blog www.dailylifemoments.com. It is all about my reflection in everyone’s day to day life. It can be about the street vendor I passed by yesterday, or the grumpy waitress I met in the restaurant. It generally features about people, relationship, work, colleagues, things around me and more.

To sum it up, it evolves with people. Being a convenient sucker ends me up to a semi-recluse person. I tried to isolate in a way to keep away from any inconvenient situations. So, it takes a great deal from my part to immerse with crowd. For me to reflect about people’s life, I have to come out from my shell and reach out. Perhaps not necessarily to be closely attached but I have to be surrounded with people to be able to observe, appreciate the beauty of life and simply to be in sync with people’s typical everyday life.

So last time, I was so surprised (with myself!) that I enjoyed my inconvenience. Whew! I cannot even believe it myself that I was very happy taking a public bus and enjoying the scenery of people.
I realized, it was not bad at all. It was in fact a fantastic experience.

Convenient sucker? I considered it now my history.

I made my grand welcome to the real world of life. I want to experience every bit of it.

‘Impractical But Not Too Insane’

‘Impractical but not too insane’.. this is the exact words that my friend replied after I shared to him my plan of entering JVP (Jesuit Volunteer Program).

Pursuing such plan will entail resignation from my job and repatriation. With my financial obligations at the moment, it holds me back.

It is one of the things I want to do in life before I die.