Too Young to Die

I agree when they said that the future is not ours to control or hold. We don't know for sure what lies ahead of us. I'm also convinced that "every millisecond in our life is not a prerogative but a gift." Personally, I am afraid to die like most people I know (this sounds funny, but it's true). True enough,our life was given as a surprise gift and it will also be taken away from us in the same manner sooner or later. I'm still 26 years old with so many beautiful promises of life attached to me and to the people I care about. Knowing that life is too short, I want to be more functional as long as I live even if I am living a less perfect life. I want to put into use the best I could possibly give. I know I can do a lot of good things because there are so many good things I can contribute to mankind. I have to live on with my own dreams in a way many have lived theirs. My family and friends still need me. My country and community still need me. And as a teacher, many students need me, to change their lives for the better.But if I would die early(by the mere thought of it, it's really frightening!)I rather want it to happen painlessly and peacefully. (Who would ever wish a brutal death?) Of course I would not die that early because I know in my heart God has a lot of plans for me and that he wants me to be his testimonty of his New Government and a witness to the realization of a New Paradise on Earth. My journey is quite long and God wants me to reach the finishing line of my journey. I hope and pray that God would always lead me to the right path of life. Happy living.

My New Nest

It was mid-September in 2008 when the Schools Division Superintendent approved my request for re-assignment. Then I moved to a new school for greener pasture and to start again a new teaching journey. That school is Jacinto P. Elpa National High School (JPENHS). Upon seeing myself in JPENHS, I had a thought it would be a good new start.
My first two weeks of teaching in this school was a mixed feeling of excitement and amazement though that time I was still in an adjustment phase. I never realized it was a cultural shock in its gentler way. I was learning a lot from the ways and attitudes of the people around me, the crowd of students, the teachers and the administration and staff personnel. I easily got a long well with the people most specially in the third year campus where I was assigned, somehow because of my friendly nature. My colleagues are also very nice to me.
This school is really big. It comprises of four big campuses from first year to fourth year levels with over 3800 students in population. Each campus is managed by year level chairman or chairwoman. The overall in charged of the entire academe is the School Principal.

JPENHS is a public school that offers four curriculum: namely Revitalized Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC) funded by SEDIP, Special Science Curriculum commonly known as LRC (Learning Resource Center), Technology Vocational Curriculum (Tech. Voc course) and Sports Program Curriculum (SPC). The school also offers night classes for working students.

The RBEC students are the typical group of high school students with general average IQ. The Tech.Voc students are technically empowered group of students whose curriculum is specially designed for them to acquire life skills such as food technology, computer technology, garments, cosmetics, entrepreneurship and electrical technology. The SPC students are trained for sports development. Most of these students won in the Palarong Pambansa (National Sports Competition). The LRC group, on the other hand, is composed of students with higher IQ. The LRC students are usually the ones who bested in almost all academic competitions in regional or national level.

On my first day of service, I was introduced to my new class of exclusively all boys from RBEC and TechVoc curriculum. The subject was Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) specializing Electrical Technology. It was a totally new experience because I had not taught all-male class before. The course is not a problem because of my intensive knowledge in Physics. To gain a holding power over them, I had to project a quite strict image for awhile because you know boys are naturally playful, hard-headed and difficult to manage. This way I could make an easier command. Of course I would establish friendship and a sense of openness with them. And as much as possible I would like to be kind and approachable to my students.


On the following weeks I got used to the way things are happening in the campus. I even got the idea of the norms of the campus and on how the students and teachers assess one another.

Three months rolled by, after two grading periods, I was given a new assignment in LRC. I taught Statistics. It was another experience for me. This group of student is really brilliant. The LRC curriculum has more academic subjects compare to the other curriculum. The LRC students have advanced Mathematics and that includes Statistics and Advanced Science. Since it is special science curriculum, the students are required to conduct scientific researches. Much is expected from this group of students. They are the future leaders of their community. If their needs are fully catered, no wonder these students would excel in any aspect of life.

Life can get monotonous so I rather choose to engage in a more adventurous journey. Part of that journey is my work as teacher here. My feet are firmly planted in teaching. I don’t know how long I am meant to be here. It might be until I become very old enough. It is here where I can pursue my own dreams, and where, against all expectations, I have made a life. I know there is something good waiting to surprise me. But I take great comfort in the thought that for all the bad things that happened, one day I will reap all the happiness. Though, it’s not easy to forget the hurtful moments. It is not a smoke being blown away by a gust of wind. Teaching has brought me a certain measure of stability in my life. I still want to learn more out of life.

My life with problematic students has its peaks and valley. It is very challenging but very rewarding and fulfilling most of the time. It requires a lot of love and patience. It needs a lot of grace. It also requires a lot of support from family, teachers and the school administration.
Teaching requires strategy, passion and team work, knowing when to be aggressive and when to take defense and looking at challenges as opportunities. This makes me rethink what I already know about the work I chose and move to review it.

Teaching with students is a lifelong journey of hope, faith and love. The journey for us is still long, with many rough roads ahead. But I will keep taking that journey with them with the hope of helping them enjoy,

endure and conquer all that life brings. Thanks to those who share our roads.

This profession is like doing a lot of seed planting. Sometimes it looks as though none of these seeds are growing, but I should keep planting. When I look back, I know, I will see some trees. I just never know while planting which seeds God has chosen to grow into trees.

How to Overcome Sadness

How to Overcome Sadness

We all have bad days, but don't let them ruin how you feel about yourself or others.

Steps

1. List everything in your life you are thankful for and be happy. Put humour in your life! Learn to laugh at yourself or rent your favourite funny videos. Do not make any big decisions while you're in this state. Wait until you're feeling better so you can rationally weigh the ups and downs of your decisions. Do something that you enjoy or that will keep you busy, like clearing your house, volunteer, or read your favorite book.
2. Try to make some plans with your friends. Chances are that you'll have tons of fun. Don't expect too much of yourself. Face the things that you're dreading. Once you do, you're bound to feel a lot better. Buy yourself or someone else a gift. Relax. Take a long walk by yourself to think things over, take a bubble bath, or listen to soothing music. Be sure to get enough sleep by going to bed and waking up at reasonable times. Being tired makes you feel more stressed and annoyed.
3. Give someone a hug. Everybody likes those. It'll make both of you feel good. Know that what you are going through is very common. Talk to someone you trust about what you are feeling - they can help you sort through your emotions.
4. Get some exercise. When you exercise, your body makes more special chemicals called endorphins that help to improve your mood. Regular exercise will also help to maintain a regular even appetite and sleep schedule - both important to your mental state as well. Practice deep relaxation exercises. Pray or read something inspirational . Don't dwell on your weaknesses or mistakes. Think of things that you love about yourself or that you've done to help someone. Be proud of yourself and your accomplishments.
5. Prepare for tests early. Eat healthier meals and snacks. A good diet helps you both physically and mentally.
6. Set realistic goals. Always take things one step at a time. Stop worrying about things that may never happen. Find yourself. Find yourself. Get involved with things you like to do. Keep a journal. Your journal can act as someone you can always vent to and will never judge you. Make time for fun.
7. Do something totally selfless and anonymous - volunteer at a shelter or local treatment facility. Give thought to how much you have if you have a roof over your head, food to eat and are healthy.
8. Do not try to get rid of your bad thoughts especially in loss of a loved one- by fighting them when they came to your mind. Just let them move through your head, think of them, but don't let them take control over you. Manage them, for example if you are at work, leave them for a better time to think of. Struggling in order to get rid of some thoughts will make them stronger.
9. Remember that your mind is a battleground and you are the one who has to write the story of this battle. If you solve any problem inside your head, no longer it's of importance that if the truth is the way you like it or not. Is there anything happening in the real world when you don't know of it. In better words from works of Jean Baudrillard the French philosopher if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, has the tree fallen at all?
• cry, not just about the bad stuff, but what you have to help deal with the bad stuff, friends, family, a possible lover, I know from experience, remembering that YOU ARE NOT ALONE and devoid of love, combined with tears of sadness, acrually obliterate your negative emotions. Don’t be afraid to do this.

Tips

• Relaxation and making time for fun are essential to making yourself feel better.
• If you are reading this to help someone else, the worst thing you can do is not to take the sadness seriously. The best thing you can do is to listen and tell that person that their sadness is real. Do not yell at them or dismiss them; you will only make that person crawl into his or her shell even more deeply.
• Help others

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Personal and Inspirational Text Messages

I am blessed to have friends who always share their inner thoughts with me. They use their cell phones so our human connections are never hampered. These thoughts and personal text messages became my reminders and inspirations. I want to share these thoughts and messages with my blog readers that no matter what happens, all beautiful things in life must go on.

If what you see by the eye doesn't please you, then close your eyes and see from the heart, because the heart can see beauty more than the eyes can ever wander.

The winning horse doesn't know why it runs a race. It runs because of the whip and pain. Life is a race. If you are in pain then clearly God wants you to win.

You can't tap you back for a job well done, you can't hug yourself for comfort and you can't cry on your shoulders when tears fall and this way you have friends in your life to let them do whatever you can't.

The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to God can stand up to everything

Quality life doesn't mean having wealth, intelligence or power. It is how much kindness and love you give to others and the joy you get from it.

Never get discouraged when things go beyond your expectations. Always remember that the greatest story in life is not winning but rising every time we fall.

Through prayers God hears more than you see. He answers more than you ask. He gives more than you desire. All he needs is your heart and your time.

Friendship is a collection of hearts, ready to give, share, and understand. It never fades. It only reminds us that life is not perfect without a friend.

In life, you realize that the people you meet have a purpose. Some were put there to test you. Some would bring out the best in you. Some may cause you pain but you will learn to move on. So let go of the people who can't treat you right and hold on to those who love you back and see your worth.

Why is the windshield bigger than the rearview mirror? This is because what is ahead is more important than what is already behind.

Time alone can prove the worth of a person. As time goes by, we lose the false ones and keep the best because true people stay when all the rest are gone.

Don't miss the chances that life is giving you to spend with the people you love. Remember, in life there are no rewinds.

No one is born happy. But all of us are born with the ability to create happiness.

Life is indeed full of contradictions. Sometimes it's crazy to be sane; you need to fall to fly. People suffer because you care; you have to unlearn to know the lesson. You have to give up because you are strong. You have to be wrong to make things right. Nonetheless, life's complexities are also our sources of beauty. We need to cry to laugh again, fall apart to be whole again and get hurt to love again.

We postponed life while we are busy making a living so work like you don't need money, love like you never hurt and dance like no one is watching.

The deepest level of worship is praising God despite the pain, thanking God during trials, trusting him when tempted and loving him when seemed distant.

A word of love gives space to life, a word from a friend gives happiness to the heart and the word of God gives direction to our lives.

Learn to embrace the simplicity of life, learn to be satisfied with what is enough for you and desire more for heavenly reward.

Your failure is not your future. Defeat is not your destiny. You may be knocked down seven times but rise up because you're born to win.

You need to feel a bit deprived at times, a bit lonely and in a way incomplete because if you have gotten everything here on earth, would you still look up to heaven?

Sometimes we look much too far in a distance to find that one person to we could share our lives without realizing that often times they are just right in front of us, loving us quietly all this time.

Never push yourself to the limit. Humans do have limitations. Remember that even metals get tired, so rest if you must but never surrender.


God wants us to live like the grass. Even if it is stepped on, crushed, burned and cut, it always persists and grows back even greener and stronger.

Trials are not the reasons to give up but a challenge to improve you. Pain is not an excuse to back out but an inspiration to move on.

Happiness is a very subjective factor in one's life. Being happy doesn't depend on achieving what you want, but rather making the best out of what is given. Life is not fair, it never was. The only thing that can make you completely happy is contentment. Be contented of what you have but be sure to aim high and never stop believing you can do better every time. But if all else fails, don't forget that an ordinary person like you have an extraordinary God to back you up.

Desiderata

Desiderata is Latin for "Things to be Desired


Desiderata


Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.