Is it too much to wish for? That this #PapalVisitPH spiritual experience will jolt us to our senses in 2016?
My reply was:
Just had to share how flattered I am. To be noticed by THE Raquel Fortun? Wow. Simply wow! =)
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Retwitted!
I am not exactly a heavy Twitterer albeit I have had that account since 2009. Usually, I log on to it when I am out monitoring Pacman's game, the Miss Universe or similar events. I posted a tweet earlier about the crowd in Luneta and chanced upon a tweet of Dr. Raquel Fortun, one of the most famous and well-respected medico-legal experts in the country which read:
Raquel Fortun @Doc4Dead · 1 hour ago
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Pope Francis is in the Philippines!
The Pope is here! The Pope is here!
Hallelujah! The Pope is here!
We will never forget this moment if our lives!
Thank you for coming to the Philippines Papa Francis!
Hallelujah! The Pope is here!
We will never forget this moment if our lives!
Thank you for coming to the Philippines Papa Francis!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
A New Year's Tragedy
On January 1st, we learned that a friend and his son drowned in a freak accident at the beach nearby. The son trued to save his wife but was hit a surging wave. The father seeing that his son was in danger of drowning, took out to rescue his son too. The current though and the waves proved too strong for them both with neither of them knowing how to swim. What should have been a happy outing turned out to be a tragedy for the family. It was simply heartwrenching to hear people talk about how seemingly unbelievable the turn of events were especially because the two seemed strong and able. (the father was only 41 years old and his son, 18).
What made the whole thing agonizing was the fact that the family was reluctant to divulge the incident to the victims' mother/grandma. The latter is just recently recovering from stroke where half of her body is still being under therapy. The kins were afraid that if she learns about the incident, she might have another breakdown which consequently may turn out also fatal. Oh such dilemma!
Eventually, the truth was disclosed and she was able to accept it.. The incident however brought to mind certain realizations, to wit:
• Life can indeed be very uncertain. One moment we frolic (or fight) with our loved ones and the next, they're gone. Just like that. Sadly, our loved-ones leave the least moment we expect it. What do we do?
• That when death claims us, there is no escape. The younger victim was only 18yrs old and he was already abfarher to a six-month old baby. If there was a way for him only to refuse death for the meanttime to e able to stay a lil'longer and be parent to his son, i am certain he would have stayed. But no one, nibody at all can refuse to die. When our moment comes, it comes.
•. That while it's good to plan longterm, we should also make allowance for the present. We must make a conscious effort to make every moment count. While others exhaust themselves planning about the future, the future is still uncertain. There can never be a replacement for time and moments lost.
•. That a father's love cannot be fathomed. May the boy's soul rest in peace but some people in town quip that he was always unruly. He quit school and got a girl pregnant early -- but gis father was always there for him allthroughout. One of my sisters even mentioned the father disclosing that fter his son had a child, he was more convinced to work harder even asking his son to remain nearby so he could guide him as the latter now faces the challenges of starting his own family.. He loved his son so much that when he saw the waves engulfing his son, his first instinct was to go and grab him forgetting that he couldn't even swim himself! Gosh! I am flabbergasted!
And so they were buried side by side, father and son. Talks about the incident are now slowly fading away too. But i know that to their loved-ones and to those who have had the chance to witness the accident, they will always be remembered. It is my wish however that the folks in my little hometown have somehow learned to value their loved-ones more after the tragedy which left two widows, and two grieving mothers...
What made the whole thing agonizing was the fact that the family was reluctant to divulge the incident to the victims' mother/grandma. The latter is just recently recovering from stroke where half of her body is still being under therapy. The kins were afraid that if she learns about the incident, she might have another breakdown which consequently may turn out also fatal. Oh such dilemma!
Eventually, the truth was disclosed and she was able to accept it.. The incident however brought to mind certain realizations, to wit:
• Life can indeed be very uncertain. One moment we frolic (or fight) with our loved ones and the next, they're gone. Just like that. Sadly, our loved-ones leave the least moment we expect it. What do we do?
• That when death claims us, there is no escape. The younger victim was only 18yrs old and he was already abfarher to a six-month old baby. If there was a way for him only to refuse death for the meanttime to e able to stay a lil'longer and be parent to his son, i am certain he would have stayed. But no one, nibody at all can refuse to die. When our moment comes, it comes.
•. That while it's good to plan longterm, we should also make allowance for the present. We must make a conscious effort to make every moment count. While others exhaust themselves planning about the future, the future is still uncertain. There can never be a replacement for time and moments lost.
•. That a father's love cannot be fathomed. May the boy's soul rest in peace but some people in town quip that he was always unruly. He quit school and got a girl pregnant early -- but gis father was always there for him allthroughout. One of my sisters even mentioned the father disclosing that fter his son had a child, he was more convinced to work harder even asking his son to remain nearby so he could guide him as the latter now faces the challenges of starting his own family.. He loved his son so much that when he saw the waves engulfing his son, his first instinct was to go and grab him forgetting that he couldn't even swim himself! Gosh! I am flabbergasted!
And so they were buried side by side, father and son. Talks about the incident are now slowly fading away too. But i know that to their loved-ones and to those who have had the chance to witness the accident, they will always be remembered. It is my wish however that the folks in my little hometown have somehow learned to value their loved-ones more after the tragedy which left two widows, and two grieving mothers...
Thursday, January 1, 2015
2015: The Best is Yet to Come
The best is yet to come. I am embracing that. This year I will once again undertake a journey towards the fulfillment of my childhood dream. I made my countdown, drafted my schedule, and now brace myself for the longest, toughest year of my "pre-attorney" years. I will take the bar and pass it. That is a promise to myself.
The new year brings so much optimism and zeal. I hope this enthusiasm will sustain me throughout the difficult months ahead. You see, I am going back to square one: pretend I am a freshman law student who will be meeting all the legal concepts/terms/methods/etc for the very first time. I shall be dusting off my books, appraising my reading materials, and maybe scouting for new ones in the process of my acquaintance. It's been five long years since I left law school and the measly legalese I have earned in those four long years have seemed to eluded me completely already.
I look at my former classmates who now joyfully engage in legal practice and console myself with the thought that God's delays are not His denials. After all the frustration and heartaches I have had, I still hold in my heart this fervent belief that I was meant to be called an "Attorney."
Mama is one of the first few people who motivated me so much to pursue my dream. She is now gone but I feel that she still wants me to persevere. While I might have felt slightly discouraged when she died with me still uncertain when and how I could pass the bar, the many years she spent praying for me to reach my dream should be enough to prompt me to never ever give up.
And of course, I still have my family beside me whom I wish to honor with whatever achievement I can further attain in this lifetime. I do not wish for fame or glory. But by becoming the best version of myself, I know that I will bring them honor and pride.
So like the New Years past, I now gather all the courage and inspiration I could muster and brace myself for the come-what-mays. And I kneel down in complete surrender to the Great Creator to once again take charge and direct my path to wherever He wishes me to go. Afterall, He is the Only One I wish to please.
Happy New Year virtual friends! See you around!
The new year brings so much optimism and zeal. I hope this enthusiasm will sustain me throughout the difficult months ahead. You see, I am going back to square one: pretend I am a freshman law student who will be meeting all the legal concepts/terms/methods/etc for the very first time. I shall be dusting off my books, appraising my reading materials, and maybe scouting for new ones in the process of my acquaintance. It's been five long years since I left law school and the measly legalese I have earned in those four long years have seemed to eluded me completely already.
I look at my former classmates who now joyfully engage in legal practice and console myself with the thought that God's delays are not His denials. After all the frustration and heartaches I have had, I still hold in my heart this fervent belief that I was meant to be called an "Attorney."
Mama is one of the first few people who motivated me so much to pursue my dream. She is now gone but I feel that she still wants me to persevere. While I might have felt slightly discouraged when she died with me still uncertain when and how I could pass the bar, the many years she spent praying for me to reach my dream should be enough to prompt me to never ever give up.
And of course, I still have my family beside me whom I wish to honor with whatever achievement I can further attain in this lifetime. I do not wish for fame or glory. But by becoming the best version of myself, I know that I will bring them honor and pride.
So like the New Years past, I now gather all the courage and inspiration I could muster and brace myself for the come-what-mays. And I kneel down in complete surrender to the Great Creator to once again take charge and direct my path to wherever He wishes me to go. Afterall, He is the Only One I wish to please.
Happy New Year virtual friends! See you around!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Little Rascals!
(While watching an interschool boys' football competition.)
Sports competition amongst schools are supposed to bring out the best in child athletes. Not the worst in them. Or morph them into savage brutes who whip their frail innocent opponents in order to hold on to their athletic scholarships. Whatever happened to fun, and joy, and camaraderie in games? To playing to learn and be better and winning without having to crush the competitor? This ain't boxing. Or wrestling. Sometimes, it scares the helloutof me to see little monsters in kid's bodies. Makes me wonder what kind of grown-ups they'll be... Oh, God bless humanity.
Sports competition amongst schools are supposed to bring out the best in child athletes. Not the worst in them. Or morph them into savage brutes who whip their frail innocent opponents in order to hold on to their athletic scholarships. Whatever happened to fun, and joy, and camaraderie in games? To playing to learn and be better and winning without having to crush the competitor? This ain't boxing. Or wrestling. Sometimes, it scares the helloutof me to see little monsters in kid's bodies. Makes me wonder what kind of grown-ups they'll be... Oh, God bless humanity.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious issue. When you copy someone else's words/ideas and claim such to be YOUR original work, you better be sure you can get away with it.
Last Friday, a very close teacher-friend who was a coach in an Oratorical Speaking Contest discovered that the competitor's speech was lifted verbatim from the speech I made for her (my friend's contestant) and which I posted on my blog. This morning, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with the coaches from that competing school and learned that their student's speech was indeed lifted from my blog. They admitted not having exercised due diligence to double check where the student took the piece begore letting the latter memorize and deliver it in the competition. All is well that ends well and our issues have been resolved.
But that would have been the subject of my first case on copyright infringement. However, as a teacher myself, i have a soft spot for teachers too. I just had to emphasize how important it is to value other people's work. Even those of strangers we find online.
The point is, none of us should underestimate the text we find on the web. When you post status messages for example which you lifted somewhere else, thinking it isn't necessary to attribute such line/s to its original author, you are in fact, stealing. Words, with all their syntax and idiosyncracies, deserve respect. Especially if they did not originate from you. If we must coexist in peace, we must learn to recognize that words (and ideas) have source. And their source must be acknowledged, respected.
Thank you friends (you know who you are), for valuing my work and what I do. I am super glad to have such conscientious (and alert!) friends like you! Hahah!
'Til then! See you again!
Last Friday, a very close teacher-friend who was a coach in an Oratorical Speaking Contest discovered that the competitor's speech was lifted verbatim from the speech I made for her (my friend's contestant) and which I posted on my blog. This morning, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with the coaches from that competing school and learned that their student's speech was indeed lifted from my blog. They admitted not having exercised due diligence to double check where the student took the piece begore letting the latter memorize and deliver it in the competition. All is well that ends well and our issues have been resolved.
But that would have been the subject of my first case on copyright infringement. However, as a teacher myself, i have a soft spot for teachers too. I just had to emphasize how important it is to value other people's work. Even those of strangers we find online.
The point is, none of us should underestimate the text we find on the web. When you post status messages for example which you lifted somewhere else, thinking it isn't necessary to attribute such line/s to its original author, you are in fact, stealing. Words, with all their syntax and idiosyncracies, deserve respect. Especially if they did not originate from you. If we must coexist in peace, we must learn to recognize that words (and ideas) have source. And their source must be acknowledged, respected.
Thank you friends (you know who you are), for valuing my work and what I do. I am super glad to have such conscientious (and alert!) friends like you! Hahah!
'Til then! See you again!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Mommy-logues, V.1
Me: I am worried
about the workload coming my way. It
just never stops.
Mom: Is there really alot to do?
Me: Yup. It’s never ending.
Mom: Remember you
are not paid by case. You are simply to
do what you can. Similarly, teachers are not paid by the number of board
passers they taught. Do what you can but
don’t worry about what you can’t. At the
end of the day, marvel at what you’ve handled over the time spent away from
your family. What you’ve accomplished will
be the feather on your cap.
(Doesn’t it feel good to realize you’ve a very sensible
mom? I know for sure because my mom is
one. ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)