The Hundred-Foot Journey

“Every bite takes you home”

That was the quote that gave me reasons to shed a bucket-full of tears. For me, it was the climax of the movie: The Hundred-Foot Journey. This movie was just another favorite among my circle of friends, but this was the movie that was a “spot-on”, a direct-to-the-point, and as per the reviews, the movie was “an excellent characterization of the type of globalization our society has come to bear”. 

Others may have seen it differently, in another set of eyes, another set of points of view. And I have my different eye on the movie. Why is “Every bite takes you home” significant to me?

A: It was on the verge of success that Hassan (the main lead actor) almost lost his soul in “Innovation, innovation” and of getting what others thought of the “Greatest” accomplishment any french chef could ever dream of: the Mischelin Stars. He is passionate, and delighted with culinary and has been looking for a sense of purpose. Not so different to everyone else, not so different from you and me. We aim for a purpose of living, we ponder on our purpose of existence. Hassan has found his purpose, and the best part of it was that his dad and his family supported him all through out. He has a village, a family who pushes him to his best. And he gladly took the challenge and journey with full heart, going out from his comfort zone (which by the way, the training haute cuisine restaurant was just across his family’s established restaurant).

For those who were able to watched the movie (and for those who hasn’t watched it yet, THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT), just a question for us to ponder.

What makes a Hassan, different from his peers? from Marguerite?

For me, he has the culture, he has something to tell, he has a heart. I don’t say Marguerite doesn’t any of what I’ve mentioned, but Hassan can do all those innovative dishes because he dared to do what was expected. He didn’t entirely lost his Indian background of culinary, but instead he fused it with French “classical” cuisine. He never was scared to learn new things, and never was scared of the risk. He never was scared what other may have think, and he never forgot the role of family in every decisions he made. Remember, everyone else may come and go, but it is always the family who always got our back.

It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice.

– Jose Rizal

My only dream for everyone is  we pursue the greater pursuits, never give up on your ideals, don’t give up on your dreams. Failing is just a setback. Remember, even the great Thomas Edison failed a thousand times to perfect the light bulb.

But then again…

“Every dish is a memory..”

So what’s your story? what’s your dish?

You Know Better

I’m employed to a firm for almost two months now, and last night I’ve talked and whining to a great friend about work. I don’t know if I’ve reached the burnt out level. I don’t know. Or maybe I was just tired and things came out of hand.

Then this morning, I read today’s devotion article of Bread of Life. The song reminded me and rebuked me. I want to share the song (which is on repeat now), maybe, just maybe, you’ve come to the burnt out level, or just tired. This might urge you, remind you that things has purposes and all we do is trust and offer the burden to the Dream Giver.

 

Better Than I

I thought I did what’s right
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here

So I put up a fight
And told you how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear

You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I

If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing I don’t know
Is part of getting through

I try to do what’s best
And faith has made it easy
To see the best thing I can do
Is put my trust in you

For You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I

I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky
I saw a bird and thought that I could follow
But it was you who taught that bird to fly
If I let you reach me will you teach me

For You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
I’ll take what answers you supply
You know better than I

To anyone who is battling the same battle I am facing, know that you’re not the only one. And Soldier On! Padayon!

Mother to all the “Mother-less”

I don’t write mushy letters and messages. I stopped writing letters to my dearest mother since High School. I get used to not showing any affection except to (well, to me) give my time whenever a person of great importance asks a favor. But today, I choose to write something to ” The mother to all the Mother-less” .

You will never realize how important a person is until she leaves temporarily or permanently.

“People say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Truth is, you knew what you had, you just never thought you’d lose it.”

 

To the Mother of our village in Cebu BOL, everyone has always a story to tell how you become a mother to them. To me, you are the one who made me low my defenses, my fences and made me a person who trusts and talks. I am personally a very secretive person, there are things I don’t really tell people because I hate being judged and I’m scared it will be used against me in the future. You made an impression that I can trust you with my story; that you are willing to listen, even to the useless and small things. I don’t understand why I am so fond of you until now. You too, has a heart just like my mom. She, just like you, has a big heart with the people she is surrounded with, is very unselfish, full of love and has a grateful spirit. Just like her, I always admire you (though I don’t really show it, but I do!).  You are indeed my second mother! Thank you for all the lessons, and will take heart all of them.

You are off to another 365-days adventure. I am praying for a safe trip and know we, your village, will be with you in prayers. And your Shire will be waiting for you when you get back. We will miss you in the office, and also your mentos!  I love you mommy Madz!

 

P.S. I will Chat you whatever updates (if there is) hehe. Ciao! *hugs*

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I stumbled upon a Facebook post, and I think it is worth sharing and thought provoking.

Let’s all give a hug to our parents, offer words of admiration and treat them well.

The Tales of a Reviewee

Whenever anyone goes through a hill, we all have this mindset.

Passing the Licensure Exam and getting the license to be an architect seems like mountains and hills we must climb and trek. It seems like impossible. The very thought of studying hiatus again for almost 2 years break from all the scholarly activities is tiring and stressful already. I don’t know with most of the students, but for us, architecture graduates, books are an enemy, and most of our scholarly/academic books are covered with thick dust and us preferring articles on website over academic books that are more pleasing to the eyes, full of color and has pictures. In some sense, studying is already draining.

                   This picture pretty sums up with what I’m trying to imply.                            (c) real owner of the picture.

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Tales of a Reviewee?

First, we look the definition of review, whether or not we’ve understood really what “Review” means.

Free Dictionary definition of Review

Reviewing is just “To examine with an eye to criticism or correction”. In our case, it was never been like that, our review became an intensive weekend class, the 5 years of education was reviewed in a rush, from 8 am to 5 pm. You can never tell if your 5 years were gone into waste or you were not paying attention in college because some subjects discussed was already foreign in your mind palace. And you’ve realized, you do have tons of reading to do.  And every week tons of reading materials are piling up. EVERY WEEK.

Reading Materials to be read versus done

 

But I’m not here to rant about our system of “reviewing”, I’m just saying it was never easy, and will never be. A lesson I’ve learned when we were already in Manila and I can see a roommate of mine who was very relaxed and seems like not stressed of all the readings she has to do. “Reviewing” or whenever in the “battlefield” you can not  foretell your fate. All you just have to do is do your part, study with all of  might, and leave the rest to God. 

Whenever one think of reviewing or goes to an arduous studying, some would imagine of a reviewee with books piled and dusty, reading inside a very dark lit library. In my imagination, it was never that case, I imagine me being like John Nash in the film Beautiful Mind, trying and pressuring himself to publish a truly original study and please skip the timeline when he turned himself into a beautiful mind and fast forward to getting his “honor” from his fellow professors.

I wish I can be as brilliant as John Nash.

I wish life will be as easy as ABC’s, reality bites, life has never been like that. But life promises you that “whatever you sow, you will reap whatever you sow”. 

What really happened to our 3-month long review? And how did I survive?

Again, I could not have made it without a Village who, first, prayed for all of us. Second, batchmates who became one team, one family and a village. We never left anyone alone, if one needs help in his subject, we all willingly help. If one needs ears to listen in her emotional outbursts, we automatically lend our time and ears. We MAY never have passed with a great mark without each other. We may never have learned the lessons we’ve learned without every single batchmates’ help and there presence. Each one of us were woven into a single tapestry, to make a story, to made an impact and to be part of a history. In the end, we were thankful for the Almighty who have orchestrated everything.

Team Carluyan. Team USC. #LoveOfAFriendship

and for a new-found friend, Anj!! It’s just a setback, I’ve been in that exact feeling of disappointment. Always remember that God gives trials to those whom He knows can make that impossibility to a  possibility. 🙂 So go on, never be discouraged and fly!

 

The “May I Always Build” Journey

“May the Architect be high-minded; not arrogant, but faithful; Just, and easy to deal with, without avarice; Not let his mind be occupied in receiving gifts, But let him preserve his good name with dignity… Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

We are full of ideals before the review started, we aspire to be the “starchitects”, well at least people are looking forward to. But being an architect is so much more. During the almost 3-month review journey before the licensure exam, we’ve (my fellow aspirants) hurdled countless of reading materials, 16gb worth of review materials from our friends both architects and fellow reviewee’s, and all the stressful nights burning the candles and trying to finish one reading material to another. It was a SERIOUS business. Some of us deactivated their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts. And some stopped their night lives, stopped shopping and started saving.

Our Mantra everyday when the review started. (c) to the real owner.

“Going the battlefield is not just giving up our comforts,

but giving up everything wholeheartedly and keeping

your focus on the battle ahead of you.”

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So what really is my take home lessons about the journey?

First, Trusting the Almighty everything and surrendering all the burdens to Him.

I’m the type of person who is almost the control freak, trusting is difficult. I always want to do it MY OWN WAY, but this journey it not really what I WANT, not I CAN control of, and not I AM FINE ALONE. Elementary trusting and surrendering to His plans is what I’ve learned. I can’t fully say that I’ve really learned to trust Him, but I started to unlearn, relearn and learn.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC – 531 BC)

Second, I CAN’T DO IT ALONE. It really is true that “It takes a village to raise up a child” but it’s truer that “It takes up the whole village and batch to be a TOP PERFORMING SCHOOL”. I can attest to that. Before I left Cebu for the One-month-long intensive review in Manila, I’ve been in doubt. Why? because I have to adjust to my roommates. Second, I have to learn to share and help my roommates in whatever and whichever help I can give. and Thirdly, I have to adjust in the place. I’ve been to Manila to and fro but never I’ve stayed longer. I’ve got to experience the “real” Manila and it was never that inspiring and fun without my classmates, friends and new found friends.

Our school got the “TOP PERFORMING SCHOOL” from the recent licensing exam result. I was in dismay when I didn’t get to rank but a good ole teacher told us when we visit our dear school after the result came out, “Ranking is just the individual performance, but ranking as the Top Performing School is a cumulitative performance and you have done great! You have given the school honor and we, your teachers are very proud of you”. I don’t know if it’s just a consuelo de bobo but yeah, that teacher was right! We were victorious because we’ve become a village, we have become a team. And, we do have hundreds if not thousands who were praying for all of us. We could  not have made it without the prayers of our fellow villagers.

Some of the “TEAM” when we went to our School after the result came out. #LoveOfAFriendship

Thirdly, I have realized that Architecture and being an architect is not just fulfilling my dreams, our dreams but it’s a responsibility we have to fulfill. Our journey does not end when we passed the exam, but our real journey begins now, that we are finally architects. We have a lot to fix regarding the norms of the practice here in the Philippines, and we still have a country to fix and lift-up. I can still remember one of my teachers in the review telling us that “we should all start giving back to our country”. It’s not “What my country can give me?” but it’s “What can I give to my country?”

To my fellow passers, MAY WE ALWAYS BUILD!

The Year Ender

Everyone is busy doing crazy stuff, reflecting on the year that had just passed so fast, burning all the holiday fats, preparing for the New Year‘s Eve dinner and getting ready for another resolutions that are meant to be broken in the mid-year. It has been like that year, after year, after year. It is getting absurd.

For my year-ender, I chose to sit down and make a love gesture to my dearest cousin, sleep (a lot of it!), and most of all spend time with my family, which I neglected the most.

My Siblings, minus the eldest at Margie’s Robinson Butuan branch.

I can’t say that I had the perfect year, but I am thankful of my village, who opened the gates to a wanderer and welcomed me with open arms. My year was all just full of adventures and lessons which I am taking with me for the coming year.

As we end this year, let us not forget to spend time with our families. And forget the grudges and give love.

Happy New Year everyone! Cheers!

Invictus

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7

How many of us can die now and say those words? How many of us have lived our lives to its full potential? Will we able to live behind a great legacy? Can people say that we have taught them that “to live is to die”?

We all can say that we have lived out lives selfishly and cunningly for ourselves.  I have lived a selfish life; I have lived for my own.

Not just the South Africans mourned over the passing of their great leader, but the world does. We have mourned for the passing of a leader, who lived his life to die for his people. We learned from him of what forgiveness can do to a long separated country. The whole world mourned for the passing of Nelson Mandela.

What did we really learned from his life?

In all accounts of Nelson Mandela, the movie Invictus, gave us a very summary of what he is as a leader. He has a calling, he knew he needs to lead his people to reconciliation, to forgiveness; to bury what was the past and start a new future.

How did he start?

It all started when all he had were the 4 walls of the prison cell, when everything seems hopeless he remained hopeful. When everything seems useless, he make use of his time to study his “enemy” , he learned that the only enemy he has is himself.

 

 

Even the Springbok’s Captain can’t fathom how Mandela was able to forgive the “people” who put him into prison. But the reconciliation and forgiveness didn’t come easy. They have a Jonah Lomu they still have to face, but they were ready, they all are ready for it. They have all been inspired and are willing to give it all.

 

 

Let the life of Nelson Mandela be a lesson for us, for our dear Philippines. Let be Mandela’s consistency be our inspiration to aspire great for our country, and let’s keep on hoping for our country. Redemption for Philippines will come, it may not be in our lifetime, but let our lives speak, be an example.

 

It matters not how strait the gate

How charged with punishment the scroll

I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

-Invictus, William Ernest Henley

Philippines’ “Norbury”

“Watson,” said he, “if it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper ‘Norbury’ in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you.”

– Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

In so many times I tend to be as confident as any balloon the world could ever contain. We could be as arrogantly proud sometimes, and mind you, IT WILL NOT TAKE YOU ANYWHERE. It will not take me anywhere.

I’ve tried writing something about this topic but the 7.2 Magnitude came, then the devastating Yolanda. My heart is grieving with the news, and netizens bashing out  the Philippine Government, with the very slow relief operations (Rappler News). I pity my beloved country, I pity my fellow countrymen, I pity my government. The people are upset with the government, nothing really is going on, my people is still out there hungry and getting desperate, and no government’s aid came. Our government should have been the beacon of hope of my countrymen, all hope seems to crumble when help are not given. Our government remained apathetic. It’s an epitome of what we are as a country, as Filipinos, as a people.

Let these calamities be our reminder. Let these be my reminder, I have yet a hill to climb for my country.

To all of my countrymen who suffered from the typhoon; who lost their loved ones and their homes, my heart and my prayers are with you.I grieve with all of you. There is still hope! We can rise again! Bangon Pilipinas!!

Tayo ay babangon muli! Bangon Pilipinas!!
(Disclaimer: All credits to the rightful owner)

Desperation

My desperation leads me to realize that failing is a battle one needs to overcome, and to prepare us for greatness.

All of us must have failed at least once, or twice. We failed in our relationships, in academics, in our dreams, marriage perhaps, or we have failed our parents, expectations from our peers; and it leads us to desperation. Desperation to move out from the phase that is not comfortable, shameful, depressing, and all the negative feelings the world has. No one is an exemption to it. I am not exempted to it.

I’ve failed countless times. I failed in my academics most often, I’ve lost so many tournaments, I failed my mom’s expectations of me, and I’ve failed my mentor’s expectations. As I journeyed and bounced back from all these failures, I always end up bringing loot full of lessons and realizations.

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Whenever you have someone whom you looked up to, you always wanted to be like them, or follow their footsteps.

Recently, I took a license exam for Sanitary Design. I’ve always wished to become an Architect-slash-Sanitary Designer because one of the teachers I looked up to during college is one. I took my chances. I studied diligently, I poured my time and heart into it. Everyone was hopeful, I was hopeful. Few days after the exam, the results came out. Almost everyone of my friends passed, a few failed. I’m one of the few who failed.

It broke my heart.

“We all at certain times in our lives find ourselves broken. True Strength is found in picking up the pieces.”

In these brokenness, the people around me encourages me to remember Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver and to “Keep Moving Forward”, to never feel down and let my head held high and march on.

 

Great men and inventions are not made overnight, nor made in a single try. I am still starting the marathon, if I never march on, I will never pass the finish line.

We are all beginners in the course named life, there will be a lot of hurdles to make, a lot of bullies to overcome, and a lot more lessons to learn. Let’s march on, let us not be quitters.

March on.

Disenthralling You and Me

When you never resolve the things of the past, it will come back and haunt you either of your present, or of your future.

“We’re all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we chose to act on, that’s we really are.” – Sirius Black

Recently, I have been thinking of really giving it up and to stay firm with my resolution of not going back to the old ways, to the old vices, and to the old me. But what is harder is to forget and erase that impression and perception of the people who knew what you were in the past. If only I did not go and explored. If only. This will go through a looooooong process, and I am afraid yet, willing to go through the honing. This too shall pass!

 The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.   -Abraham Lincoln   

Po, of Kung Fun Panda 2, very much reminds us to let it go, and let it pass. Not that we have to and needs to bury what we have been, but learn from it and let go; to bounce back and get back on track.  The past never shapes us of what we are to become IF you don’t permit to.