May 2003 Vol. 3 Issue 6

An Internet Newsletter publication for all CIM Alumni and friends.

    Clem S. Estrera, Jr., M.D.
          Editor

    Ma. Belen Rosales, M.D.
        Associate Editor

     Ray Castillejo, M.D.
    Binisaya Section Editor

Contributors in this Issue:

Clem S. Estrera, Jr.
    Class 1972

Ma. Belen F. Rosales
     Class 1970

Hector Vamenta
    Class 1972

Mothers are Marvelous!

Happy Mothers' Day!

Editor's Column

     ”A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” ---George Bernard Shaw

Praise and Compliments (Part II)

by: Clem S. Estrera, Jr., Class 1972

Culture and Insensitivity
     Have you ever wondered why to many of us, giving compliments, praise or admiration especially to someone we know of who has achieved or accomplished something great or extraordinary, would many a time make us feel uneasy, if not uncomfortable? All too often we would react to such situation with indifference, sometimes pretending to be amazed, and yet unbelieving that such person has achieved that much, or has become more successful, if not popular than we are. Sometimes it’s like being subjected to "shock and awe." Somehow that person’s success or popularity would dim, if not darken our mood and make us lose our enthusiasm. It is as if all of a sudden we have become unhappy for having been outsmarted, outclassed and outdone, and have lost the contest.

     I myself used to wonder why praising, or admiring others is for some reason, being deliberately ignored even if we think that someone we know of, or a friend deserves it. Also, giving compliments is almost unheard of. Many of us think wonderful things about our family and friends in particular, and yet we neglect to tell them. Thus I came to believe that it's mainly because we grew up in a culture where this simple act of courtesy, encouragement and respect was not really considered to be an essential block for the foundation of good human behavior and relationship. It was rarely shown and definitely was not taught, let alone practiced in society, school and even in the family.

     Instead, we grew up learning to see almost everything in life as a contest or competition, only the strong, skillful and smart could win. Unfortunately, the concept of competition that we knew of was to beat others, rather than to achieve. Such concept took its toll not just on sportsmanship and playing by the rules, but also on courtesy and respect. It fomented animosity among competitors. At the very least it gave way to one's insensitivity toward other’s feelings. Thus at the slightest opportunity, one would rather discredit than admire the winners, or the achievers. And the winners would rather sneer, snob, or smirk at the losers than thank them for the good game. Somehow it would seem so easy for someone to find something negative to say just to justify one's doubt and discomfort of one's loss, mistake or failure.

Precision-guided ego-busting weapons
     So what if we make mistakes? So what if we lose or fail? Where is it written that we should always win? Where is it written that we should be perfect? So what if others can do something that we can’t do and have achieved more than we have? Need everything be a contest of who’s the smartest or the strongest? If we have done our best, what else matters?

     And yet … and yet….a minor setback in our attempt to achieve is readily considered a failure, while a loss in a competition would readily make us feel like a loser. Being a loser is often fraught with bitterness that would only make resentment and even hostility ooze out of us like poison from a snake bite. A loss, or a failure would not only put us in an embarrassing and aggravating situation we have to contend with, it would also become a frightening and frustrating prospect for many of us to think about. For it could give others the weapons to shoot us down – negative comments, ridicule and criticisms – the precision-guided ego-busting mouth-to-heart missiles of insensitivity that would bull’s-eye and surgically make a hole in our self-esteem. That hole hurts, and if it pesters instead of heals, it would make our self-esteem as fragile as a flower in a blizzard.

Too much risk, too little reward
     It's not unusual for many of us to have grown up constantly believing that mistake or failure means weakness, inferiority and inadequacy - something to be ashamed of, definitely nothing to be proud of. Failure exposes us to the irritating truth that we don't have what it takes to outsmart others and win or achieve. Even the thought of being a failure has a way of exuding a disturbing aura, a certain fear, anxiety or doubt we would rather not have, and it's often the reason why we would readily avoid taking the leap particularly on the kind of endeavor that reaps no reward nor recognition and yet risks becoming vulnerable to criticism and ridicule, or to the rudeness and insensitivity of others. After all, why risk, why gamble, when the process itself, let alone its result, has a potential for disturbing and even disabling the routine, rhyme, rhythm and bounce of life? It's like having a discordant dance against the odds that may only lead to pain, not pleasure; futility, not fun.

     That's why if we ever embark on such endeavor, our resolve would be shaken so easily on the first sign of difficulty. Like smoke, it would disappear on the first gust of wind. In the end though, most of our true potentials are left undiscovered, unchanged and unused - imprisoned not by reason but by rationalization, governed not by the natural human curiosity to discover but by irrational doubt and fear. We have become unwilling, if not afraid to take risks, to endure pain, to undergo even small sacrifices in order to grow and develop something different that sometimes nags in our mind.

Some feeling named desire
     One of the deepest desires of the human soul is to be appreciated if not admired, to be valued, or to be recognized. William James said, "The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." It's an embarrassing truth that somehow it's hard for us to simply give credit where credit is due. What we clearly recognize as good in other people especially the ones we know of like our friends and colleagues, can make us feel bad. We would find it hard to rejoice with their happiness in their success and achievements, let alone their luck and fortune. For some reason we feel threatened or diminished with someone else's success and achievements. We find ourselves shrinking like we are being left behind and can no longer catch up. It's as if someone's problems are gone while ours remain, or one has no more shortcoming to go along with his or her success and achievements. It's like we have a lot to lose by admiring him or her, and by acknowledging that success and achievement don't begin and end with us.

     It's a sad and shameful truth that deep within many of us, we harbor a secret desire for someone to fail somehow and quit what one is pursuing. It's a perverse and pernicious fact that we sometimes rejoice on someone else's loss, failure, unhappiness, or misfortune. We heard ourselves saying:"Mirisi. Higaba-an. Kay garboso. Abosado. Dili pasulti." Sound familiar? It's like we are trying to claim credit for someone's downfall. We sometimes even compete as to who was the first to predict such downfall, and as if proud of it, we say: "See, I told you so..." It's sad. Isn't it?

    Of course there are individuals who become intoxicated with their success and achievements that they brag in a way that sometimes makes you feel small and insignificant. Although many of them don’t really mean it, there are few that deliberately make you feel bad about yourself. But believe me, most if not all of them just want to be appreciated or recognized. They don’t have anything against you. So there is no reason to feel bad about yourself.

A road to perdition
     Praise can be a wonderful encouragement. When our success or achievement receives recognition, positive comment and acknowledgement, we feel good and it encourages us to do more. Indeed outstanding achievements, whatever they are, deserve praise and admiration. It takes daring and dedication to achieve, not to mention pain and discouragement one has to put up with. Thus achievers deserve their rewards. But we should understand that our hunger for recognition or appreciation gives others the power to validate our worth and control our sense of well-being and self-esteem. Not every move we make makes other people stand up and cheer. Thus whatever we do, even if we do it for nothing, we should just do our best and the last thing we expect is to be appreciated for what we have done. We do it because we love doing the best we can regardless of whether or not others are impressed with it and would appreciate it.

    A recognition, an appreciation, or an admiration if we receive any, should only be like a cup of coffee with perhaps a little bit of cream and sugar that makes us a little high. For if receiving or expecting praise, recognition, or appreciation becomes our motivation or even a part of what we plan to do, the absence or lack of it would paralyze or cripple us with negativism and cynicism. It would be like a road to perdition. There is no way we can stay motivated. We would only torture ourselves with frustrations and disappointments at the first negative comment or criticism we get. If the best you've got is not good enough for others, then there is nothing much you can do but keep giving your best. Your best makes you grow and that should be enough to indulge on and keep moving on.

A way to go
    If you are motivated by learning, personal growth and development, whatever the result of what you're doing will not disappoint you, let alone discourage or frustrate you. For all of your experiences, both negative and positive, would become learning opportunities. In fact, you'll learn to love every endeavor you'd embark on and become willing to put in time and energy just to achieve a superior level of skill and excellence in whatever you want to develop. You'd become so focused on what you do so that external rewards such as respect and recognition would pale in comparison to the emotional and spiritual rewards you get. Also, you'd acknowledge readily that what you're doing or about to do may be difficult and frustrating, but you'd have the emotional and intellectual stamina and the good sense to look beyond your difficulty and surpass your present ability as you become determined to make yourself much better than just very good. This is called excellence in your work and mastery in your skill, made possible with the learning attitude.

     Obviously, a learning attitude is a way to go, for it almost always leads to optimism. When we are optimistic, it would take an abundance of negative events and comments to darken our perspectives. A learning attitude pushes the mind toward the boundless and sets it afloat in the limitless. There is nothing like learning to spark the enthusiasm. There is nothing like enthusiasm to achieve excellence. There is nothing like excellence to develop mastery. But if your motive is mainly to impress and be appreciated rather than simply learn, practice and pursue excellence and mastery, the lack or absence of such appreciation would make you either hostile or pessimistic. You can then look at any event related to what you do and you'd find evidence that would support your pessimistic view. If you become hostile, minor irritation would make you mad - and negative comment or criticism make you furious. Every disappointment would weaken your resolve and every frustration would dampen your determination.

     Certainly, a positive response or an appreciation from others would help but it should not be an important factor that determines our relentless pursuit of excellence. Excellence is achieved when we become all we could be. For me, to paraphrase the Sinatra song: "I get a kick out of pursuing excellence. It's my idea of nothing to do." Pursuing excellence has nothing to do with being better, smarter or superior over others.

     It's unfortunate that until now, society seems to be telling us: "If it isn't in the headlines or in the spotlight, then it must be insignificant."Yet small gains count. We simply have to learn to measure ourselves according to our own standards. But if we constantly associate achieving with comparing or competing, our opponents will be everyone and everything, instead of just our own deficiencies. In this perception, those who achieve will have the tendency to become arrogant, while those who fail are likely to become bitter. For it would not be excellence that they'd be pursuing, but superiority over others. As a result, they'd see their own shortcomings, not as opportunities for growth, but as something to hide.

Blame... when you're feeling bad
     Konstantin Stanislovski said: "Anyone can blame; it takes a specialist to praise." I sometimes still wonder why should people be so hesitant, or so ungenerous, or so grudging of praise? Praise doesn't diminish us; to the contrary, it augments our spirit. But aside from cultural development, fear or jealousy makes it difficult for a person to praise his fellow being particularly if one happens to think that if one gives praise to friends or others, one becomes small and insignificant. True praise is a form of love, and love cannot exist, let alone grow in the presence of jealousy and fear. Praise is a foundation from which love is embraced. It encourages others to soar on their own wings.

     Now, would you like to hang around people who are indifferent to the good things you’ve accomplished and yet always ready to put you down when you fail or make a mistake? It is as if these people have emotions that are already cocked, locked and ready to rock your confidence when they believe you have done something wrong. Would you even like them at all? I guess not. But praise preserves friendship and harmonious family relationship. It is a form of encouragement that is a wonderful gift both to give and to get. There is no better exercise to strengthen your heart by bending down to lift somebody else’s spirit. And we should keep in mind that praise becomes valuable only if we impart it. So seek opportunity to praise or encourage especially your children. So many kids grew up feeling they could never measure up, never be good enough to please their parents.

     If praise is difficult, blame is easy because we know what it is to fail. We want to enlist the company of others and point their failings to make us feel better. Blaming is a distorted form of thinking. We seek easy solutions to our problems by pointing out the shortcomings in others so we don't have to take full responsibility for a particular situation. But as the Tao teaches: "Wise people seek solutions; the ignorant only cast blame."

The game is over
     One thing that baffles me sometimes is praising the dead. Of course, it's certainly appropriate to remember the departed fondly. Indeed death without friends or family, without final words or even gestures of care we make at the end of those we love, is a very sad event. All of us are just passing through. No matter how we play our life, the game will be over sooner or later. One day we'll all reach the end of our line, but on different time, different ways, and different situation. One way or another, we all are going to take up an underground residence and have to leave our cyberspace address.

    But we must never forget that it should be better if we say what we have to say while the person can still hear it. The dead is beyond any encouragement. It is the living that often depend on each other for comfort and support. Life is as sacred as death. So if you have anything to say to a friend or to anyone you know of, say it now! We should not end up saying to ourselves the old Negro spiritual words: "Lord, we didn't know who you was…" to a friend: "God, I didn't know he died."

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ASOCIMAI Announcements

    Our ASOCIMAI web site has now been set up for on-line payment not only for your membership fee, but also for the San Diego reunion activities. You can also purchase the raffle ticket from there for the sports Mercedes Benz and drive home with it after the reunion if you're lucky. So take advantage of using the cutting edge technology that our association's Webmaster and Vice-President Maida Antigua has worked hard for, just for everyone's convenience. Anyone, alumni or non-alumni, interested to participate in the raffle and try his or her luck can purchase a ticket. Here is the address of our web site again: www.asocimai.com.

    Those who want to play golf, contact Ben Fajardo at this e-mail address: benfajardo@yahoo.com. Make your registration with him as early as you can if you want to play golf, for he might not accept on-site registration. Anyone who is interested in organizing other sports activities like tennis, arm wrestling, women mud wrestling, etc., please contact any of the officers so we can make an announcement. There will be prizes like trophies, but we want to know in advance so we can order the appropriate trophies. We'd like to give a beautiful trophy to the champion of women's mud wrestling.

   The theme of our San Diego reunion - July 16-20 - is, "Let's Get Wild in San Diego." So wear the wildiest-looking shirt, dress, pants, underwear, etc. you've got and let's show every one how wild we can get. But on the Grand Ball, Saturday night, it's for the exquisite and the elegant-looking men and women only, young or old, not for the wild and the wanton and the diaper rash. You may come in singing "Like a Virgin," and want to look like Madonna, but just wear something formal even if you are really a virgin, because this is a formal affair. For the seating preference, contact Lolit Lao or Maida Antigua now. Let's make the Grand Ball as smooth and orderly as we can like last year, or perhaps even better.

    If you're interested in volunteering as one of our CME speakers, we can still accomodate you. In fact, Rise Faith needs you. So please contact Rise Faith. Don't worry about the SARS virus. Just don't eat Sardinas or drink Sarsaparilla. That's what our colleagues in Cebu have advised us to do. Finally, I was told that the post reunion China tour is cancelled. I don't have any information what other tour is being cooked after the reunion. Contact Doming or Maida if you want to know, or check out our ASOCIMAI web site every now and then.

     So, fellow alumni and friends, relax and release the wild in you and come along with us to San Diego. If you have a flash for the raffle, then make a dash for it. Who knows? You might even drive home with a dazzling sports Mercedes Benz. See you there.

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Safety Awareness


         "Just when you think nothing can go wrong, something does."  ---Murphy’s Law

    May is considered as Safety Month obviously because many people start spending more time on outdoor activities during this month. Accidents happen, and these accidents could all easily be prevented by just having safety awareness that makes us do simple precautions.

     We all slip, trip, stumble, or fall occasionally, if not frequently for some. But most falls are minor and result in nothing worse than a few bumps and bruises. Yet these accidents can also be serious, resulting in back or spine injuries, broken bones, muscle strain and sprain, and more. Some people even die from falls like what happened to the revolutionary diet physician Dr. Atkins, while others are permanently disabled. 

     Slips, trips, and falls account for 15% of all work-related injuries. They’re also a common cause of injury in our home. Tens of thousands receive disabling injury from falling on the stairs every year in work place and homes. But almost two-thirds of the fall occurred on level ground – people slipped or tripped on wet or worn surfaces.

     Are all these injuries inevitable? No, say safety experts. Almost all slips, trips, and falls at the work place and at home can be prevented. It’s simply a matter of learning to recognize fall hazards and making the effort to eliminate or avoid them.  So be aware of simple things you can do for your own safety. I’m sure that to some of us, there must have been an accident that made us felt stupid because we could have prevented it if we only took just a minor precaution. Yet we didn’t, and so we berated ourselves for such stupidity.

     May is also the month when thunderstorms are beginning to demonstrate its fury particularly to those of us in the Southeastern part of the U.S. Those that don’t have lightning rods or other lightning protection installed in your house, be aware that your expensive equipments could be damaged beyond repair like your TVs, video players, DVD players, and computers. Of course, there are different electrical surge protectors you can purchase to protect your equipments, but I don’t know if there is one with high enough voltage protection than can protect them from lightning. If there is, then it’s probably worth it.

     Lightning voltage is very high. I know because we had three TVs and video players damaged beyond repair several years ago and they were connected to the highest voltage electrical surge protectors I could find during that time. By the way, these happened during three separate years. The last time was five years ago and so, we decided to have lightning rods installed on our roof.  I got superstitious that there was something in our area that attracted lightning. Every one in the family got worried that one day our house might get burned from lightning. My neighbor’s riding mower was hit by lightning while he was cutting grass on a cloudy day. He was thrown off the mower and he was lucky. He only had dislocated shoulder. He sold his house after that and left without saying goodbye.  Apparently, he too had TVs and video players damaged by lightning a couple of times.

     Well, the best and simplest inexpensive way to protect your expensive equipments and appliances from lightning is to unplug them especially when you leave the house and the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms. Disconnect or unplug the cable too.  Of course you can always say that the odds for a lightning to damage anything in your house are too high to even consider doing anything, and that everything in your house is covered by your home insurance, anyway. But if the odds turn against you, the frustration and inconvenience of dead TVs, video players, DVDs, computers, and having them repaired, or buying a new one, are not worth it and would make you wish you did those simple precautionary measures. Believe me. I had to hire somebody to help me lift my big TV to my pick-up truck to bring it to the repair shop and got my hand caught between the TV and the railing of the stairs outside our house. It did not break my hand, by the way, but the pain made me cussed and cursed all the way to the repair shop and back. Anyway, there are now repair technicians who come to your house and repair your TV depending on the damage. But their charge makes you wish you bought a new one.

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    "A good archer is not known by his arrows, but his aim." ---Thomas Fuller

    "On every occasion in which virtue is exercised, if something is not added to happiness, something is taken away from anxiety." ---Thomas Bentham

    "Knowledge is the antidote to fear." ---Ralph Waldo Emerson

    "In my belief, you cannot deal with the most serious things in the world unless you also understand the most amusing." ---Winston Churchill

     "That day is lost on which one has not laughed." ---French Proverb

    At the end of the school year a kindergarten teacher received gifts from her pupils. First, the florist's son handed her a beautifully wrapped gift. The teacher held the gift above her head, shook it and said: "I think it's flowers. Am I right?"
    "Yes," said the boy.
    Her second gift was from the daughter of a sweet shop owner. The teacher held the beautifully wrapped gift above her head, shook it and said: "I think it's a box of sweets. Am I right?"
    "Yes," said the girl.
    The teacher's third gift was from a boy whose father ran the local liquor store. Once again, it was beautifully wrapped. The teacher held it above her head and shook it, but as she did so, it started to leak. She touched a drop of the leakage with her finger and put it on her tongue. "I think it's wine. Am I right?"
    "No," said the boy.
    So the teacher tasted another drop of the leakage. "Is it a champagne?"
    "No," said the boy.
    So the teacher tasted another drop, but, unable to recognize it, conceded defeat. "OK, I give up. What is it?"
    The boy said: "It's a puppy."

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    An 11-year-old boy was doing his violin practice at home and the torturous music was making the dog howl. Upstairs, the boy's father was trying to work on the computer. After putting up with the combined racket of violin and dog for 20 minutes, the father eventually called out: "Jason.. Can't you play something the dog doesn't know?"

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     A visitor to a small town in Georgia was walking along the main street when a wild dog suddenly leaped out and attacked a small boy. Without thought for his own safety, the passer-by instinctively dragged the dog off the boy before throttling it with his bare hands.
     The incident was witnessed by a reporter on the local newspaper who went up and shook the hero by the hand. The reporter told him that the headline in that week's paper would be: BRAVE LOCAL MAN SAVES CHILD BY KILLING VICIOUS BEAST.
    "But I'm not from this town," said the man.
    "No problem," replied the reporter. "The headline will be: GEORGIA MAN SAVES CHILD BY KILLING DOG."
    "As a matter of fact," revealed the man, "I'm not from Georgia at all. I'm from Connecticut."
    The reporter glared at him. "In that case the headline will be: YANKEE SLAYS FAMILY PET."

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    "It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or it is not, believed by a majority of the people." ---Giordano Bruno

Behind the folding of the American flag 13 times
     This is taken from 8th Air Force Historical Society---- Kentucky Chapter. Thanks to Tim Pryor for this article. January 2003

     Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun salute stands for the sum of the numbers in the year 1776? 1+7+7+6 = 21

    Have you ever noticed the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the American flag 13 times? You probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but we learn something every day!
    The 1st fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
    The 2nd fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.
    The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.
    The 4th fold represents our weak nature, for us American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.
    The 5th fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."
     The 6th fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that "We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
    The 7th fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they are found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
    The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.
    The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.
    The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
    The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in the Hebrew's eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
    The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians' eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
    The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding us of our nation's motto, "IN GOD WE TRUST."

    After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the Soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today.

    There are some traditions and ways of doing things that have deep meaning. In the future, you'll see flags folded and now you will know why. I guess this settles the "One Nation Under God" debate once and for all.

Security Tip
    This Security Tip is courtesy of Matt Beagen with Electronic Alarm Systems Inc., Warwick, R.I. "Please be aware of the following scam: Thieves are putting thin, clear, rigid, plastic 'sleeves' into ATM card slots. When you insert your card, the machine cannot read the magnetic strip. As a result, the machine keeps prompting you to re-enter your PIN while someone behind you watches.

     Eventually, you give up, thinking the machine has captured your card, and walk away. The thieves then remove the plastic sleeve -- complete with your card -- and empty your account. To avoid this, run your finger along the card slot before inserting your card. You will be able to feel the tiny prongs on the sleeve needed to remove it from the slot."

AIDS Vaccine Update
     It's not good to hear that the phase III trials of the AIDS vaccine did not meet its primary endpoint - it did not prevent HIV infections in the broad population. Those who responded fully, the vaccine appeared to provide immunity from HIV. Strangely, this occurred most often in blacks and, possibly, Asians. But many did not respond at all. We don't have the full data yet and its analysis.

    Unfortunately, the company that manufactured this vaccine tanked, and those who bought its stocks or shares got burned. That's why I avoid telling our readers the company that does research for anything because some of the readers might be tempted to buy stocks. It's a risky investment. But in case I make a mistake of mentioning a certain company, make no mistake that I'm absolutely not recommending that you buy its shares. I am only interested in providing information and knowledge that could very well make the future exciting or comforting. Again, the information in this newsletter is absolutely free and so is the knowledge. However, it still costs you, and that is - your time. So if you've got the time, our newsletter's got the pearls, not the beers.

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MGA PAMALANDONG SA TING-INIT

by: Hector Vamenta, Class 1972

     "Ang imong pahiyum magpabilin ning dughan. Handumon ko ikaw bisan sa damgo lang..."

     Ang panahon sa ting-init ma-oy labing kinaham sa mga batan-on kaniadto nga sama kanato. Tungod kay ang saring motak-op man gawas niadtong uban kanato nga mag-antos sa hamubo nga bakasyon ug mobalik na sad sa tulungha-an gumikan ni-ining mga katarungan: pagkuha ug mga kurso sa tinguha nga moga-an ang pagpas-an sa kalisud sa mga kurso sa regular nga saring; aron pagpamubo sa pagtapus sa kurso sulod lamang sa tulo katuig, imbis upat ug ang pagbalik sa saring aron mahidu-ol sa babaye nga gitingban sa dughan.

    Apan ang kadaghanan naglumpayot pagpauli sa lungsod nga gigikanan human gayud sa katapusan nga pasulit ni-anang adlawa, walay pagpakabana kon milampus ba o mihagsa ba sa pasulit. Puno sa kamaya ang dagway sa mga bakasyonista nga mga estudiante nga nagapa-abot sa kalingawan ug kasadya nga idalit sa ilang pagpauli. Ang ta-ob sa dagat kanunay nagapangamay, ug ang mga presko ug til-ogong mga isda ma-oy pangandoy nga kan-on sa gutom nga tiyan sa estudiante nga ang kasagarang idalit nga isda sa landlady ma-o ang hapit na madubok nga isda, sardinas, ug bulad nga lansang (bolinao). Ni-ining panahuna matuman ra gayod sa lapoy nga estudiante ang iyang mga paghandum sa mga lami-an ug ampay sa gana nga mga pagka-on (sama sa kinilaw, sinugba, tinuwa) ug ilimnon nga makahubog (sama sa tuba, kinutil nga bahal, serbesa ug bino). Makita nato ang epekto ni-ining tanang pagpasagad sa estudiante sa iyang paglingaw lingaw sa panahon sa bakasyon nga ting-init, ang pagbutirik sa iyang tiyan ug pagtubo sa buy-on sa sunod nga abli sa saring.

    Gawas ni-ini, daghang kasinati-an ang mahi-agi-an sa estudiante sa panahon sa ting-init sa atong kapanahonan, tungod kay panahon man kini sa fiesta. Ang uban kanato manakay ug barko o pump boat aron molatas sa lawud paingon sa dapit sa atong mga kauban sa saring nga nagfiesta, sama sa Bohol, Leyte, Camotes, Samar, Surigao, Negros sa bulan sa Mayo. Makalilisang nga ka-on ug inom na sad ang idalit sa atong kauban, inubanan sa pag-adto sa bayle ug pagpangharana sa mga nindot nga mga estudiante nga babaye nga nagbakasyon usab.

    Sa hamubo nga pag-aninaw sa na-agi-an sa estudiante nga sama kanato kaniadto, maka-ingon ta, nga kon karon kining panahona mahitabo, piho ug wa’y duda nga ang pa-ingnan ma-o ang Emergency Room. Apan kining tanan milabay na ug tam-is nga handumon ang lumalabay.

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About A Mother

by:

Marie Belen C. Flores-Rosales, MD MPH

    I am slowly losing my mother. I had just called her, she did not say anything to me, and she hang up the phone. I was speechless, with a big lump in my throat, Then, I dialed again, and I talked to my father who told me that Mother was distressed because I did not speak to her. Either she was not listening to me, or she didn’t hear me at all. I just recently returned from a ten day visit with her, and she was bubbly and fine. I spoke to her last week and the weeks before, and things seemed so right.

    Mother is 88 years old and is confined to her bed after a very freak fall some seven months ago. In spite of the silver on her hair and the wrinkles on her face, the fact remains that she still is, as she always has been, the pillar of our family. She is the anchor who kept her four children well grounded on its feet.

    She instilled in her family the value of spirituality and faith. She has so much faith in the Lord that nothing fazed her as she went through 88 years of her life. Not even the pain that each of her children has given her has deterred her from believing in the goodness of her Maker.

    She instilled in us the value of family. Family is second only to God. I have never seen someone sacrifice so much of herself for a quad of independent-minded children. Mother and I have had our differences. Like poles repel – that’s how my father defined our differences, because, in more ways than one, I really am my mother’s daughter. Many were the times that I did not understand her, and she did not understand me. But as the saying goes, it is in our time of darkness that we truly shine. This saying has never been truer than my mother - in spite of the heartaches her children had given her, she always is this eternal fountain of forgiveness and love. She has always instilled in us her belief that when things go bad, it just gets better. When a crisis hits, we know that it is all temporary because Mother believes so. She always reminds us that “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is taking action in the face of it”.

    She is a very musical person. She sings, she dances. She plays several musical instruments – from the accordion to the banjo, clarinet to the drums, the flute and the guitar, from the keyboard to the piano, even the trumpet to the ukulele. She inspired music in each of her children’s heart. It is no surprise, then, that three of my siblings have taken after her passion for music. I remember growing up when she would gather all four children every Friday night for what she called “music appreciation sessions” and each one of us had to play an instrument of our choice. She directed the parish choir; she also directed the high school choral group. How can I forget her interpretation of the “Glow Worm” that made her choral group win in a regional choral competition!

    She instilled in her children the love for reading. She used to teach grammar and literature in high school. She also taught drama and poetry. She wrote an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and translated that into a school play which she directed. She taught her children how to speak in public. She taught her children to be assertive like her.

    She is a homemaker, a gourmet cook, a seamstress, interior decorator. She knits, she embroiders, she crochets, she quilts.

    We call her "Jackie of all trades, Master of all" – for all the above good reasons.

    Many times I begrudge myself for the times that I deprived my mother of my presence, my attention and my love. I feel guilty for the advice I did not ask from her, for the activities I did not enjoy with her, for the secrets I did not confide in her. I feel sad that during those times when I discovered new horizons in my life, I did not leave a lot of space for her in my heart.

    I have a great lady in my mother. She has formed me in the way I feel, in the way I think, in the way I love. Her influence on me is so astounding, that sometimes, it is difficult for me to discern what is originally mine. What I now do for my children, for my husband, for my friends, for people I hardly know, and even for myself, are the things I learned from my mother. Many times I’ve said that I’d do things differently from my mother’s. All I ended up doing are the same things that she has instilled in me as a child. Amazing…

     know I will lose her one of these days, but she will always remain in my thoughts, in my emotion and will remain alive inside me.

    I may not have the greatest of mothers, but I know that my mother is great.

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      From an Unknown Poet

Many a failure turns about,
when he might have won if he'd stuck it out;
so stick to your task, though the pace seems slow,
for you may succeed with one more blow.

You can never tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
it's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit!

Chatterbox

    "You know the world is going crazy  when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest  guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing  the US of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the 3 most powerful  men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon'." -- Chris  Rock

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