Listen to a Father’s Tale.

Old people has always something to tell, it’s not that they are boasting of how resilient they were but “those were the good (sad, horrific) old days”. it is common for them to tell the younger generation to “learn” from their mistakes and experiences. it’s quite enriching to learn from people of their past. I mean it’s like reading a book, meeting different kind and type of characters that, to every end of the story everything and everyone is molded into certain plot and eventually everything makes sense.

I hope ours also does makes sense. Anyways.

I have another story to tell and brought with me a lesson for us to learn.

You already have encountered my boss (from my previous rants) and he has many stories to tell. His experience in life is not most of our youths today, he was the breadwinner and works for school tuition fees. He’s quite focused and dedicated. Life then was difficult, very difficult. So what is extra ordinary of his life? Simple. He never made the monetary hindrances his dream and goals. He wants to finish Architecture when he was young, what he did was wakes up in the morning earlier than most of his peers, and go for the newspaper office and go he went to deliver these newspapers. He worked from dawn till evening. After his newspaper deliveries off he went again to send his siblings to school, worked as a shine boy part-time and many others. He really is a resilient man.

When he got his bachelor degree in Architecture, off he went to Singapore to earn a living and support his siblings who then was still in Med School. Worked as a designer then looked for greener pastures in Saudi,I’m not quite sure whether he really worked in Saudi but he did mentioned an interview. Despite of his work experience he still pursue Masters Degree in Holland and eventually went back to start an office.

Everything didn’t go that smooth as other professions would be like, like any business the difficult stage is starting to operate an office and finding projects. My boss always told us time and time again, Architecture is difficult and getting projects are more difficult more than anything in the world. There will be turn down from clients, yet he said nothing bitter sweet starts with success. He planted the thought that it will be rough but head on,to hope for betterment in every hurdle so push harder,that their is nothing wrong with being idealistic towards the profession but forever remind ourselves that always get grounded with life’s realities.

I have nothing to ask for, my boss already has given us a sneak peek and I’m glad. There is nothing wrong in listening to the tales of our forefathers, just bare in mind that it is always ‘garbage in,garbage out’. Not everything is worth listening to, so filter what comes inside our minds.

I Learned My Lessons

Injuries. We all get injuries, we may be an athlete on training or not. To be a better athlete, we go through pain (like injuries) for us to get better.

“The Motto of Champions: … If injured, you can rebound and return bigger and better…and continue to inspire!”  – T.F. Hodge

I was once an athlete, was part of a varsity team. In my sport, injuries is a norm and giving up on the pain is a sign of weakness. I’ve been trained not to show any weakness or else it might be an advantage for my opponent. Of the way of this world, giving up means failure. Well for me, I gained something.

I’ve been fighting for an injury I got 3 years ago. I thought it was fine and “healed” by time until I got my knee snapped 2 weeks ago. This injury is a reminder of my disobedience and stubborness. Disobedience because my mom’s been telling me to stop the sport I truly loves and begin to focus on what is certain and stubborness because I persuade my mom and never seek wholeheartedly the counsel of the doctors. This knee pains and few monetary and time I spent are the results of my wrong choices I made in the past.

“Study the past if you would define the future.”
― Confucius

It takes a whole lot of humility to accept what this knee have become and admit that I’ve made a mistake and these are the consequences. To tell you the truth, I can’t accept and admit it yet. While writing this blog post I’ve got thousands of reasons and people to blame with. Very Stubborn indeed!

Anyways.

Lessons Learned?

1. Humility is a BIG word. And given by Up Above through and by grace.
2. Don’t just forget the past, learn from it! It is wise to learn and never go through it once more.
3. Band-aid solutions ain’t gonna cover the cracks forever.
4. Excuses will never cure the injury.
5. Asking help from family and relatives won’t hurt at all (especially given with a negative answer).
6. No pain, No gain.

Series of Exemplary Actions: Ordinary No More

What does it cost to be different? If you are to ask me, I don’t know really because I’m trying to be a circle in a triangle.

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I ride a public utility jeepney everyday and it comes in routine, most of us somehow knows what does a routine works..pretty boooooring! Anyways, I spotted an exemplary action worth writing to. A nature, A BLOGGER ALERT! I have to write about this not-so-ordinary driver.

Here it goes.

Most of jeepney drivers are rude, majority. They never thought of their passenger’s safety, all that matters to them is there profit.

an example of Jeepney services here in the Philippines.

With the traffic and the scorching summer heat, nobody seems to bother except this exceptional driver. I usually walk on my way home, but that day I chose to ride the jeepney, gladly the passenger’s seat adjacent to the driver’s is empty so I took chance. I’m surprised that an ordinary jeepney offers candies to their passengers. That driver should have saved his time and money in more useful things but no, he offered it to anyone who wants one. He somehow knows marketing, in his own little ways. If only I took note of his plate number I’d only ride his jeepney and maybe I’d recommend that jeepney to any of my friends who will take the same route.

I’m humbled by that jeepney driver. He knows how to take care of his passengers and never complain of the extra expenses. If only our government officials and the rest of the community will be like him, sympathy and love for work, and if I’m like that jeepney driver, no doubt the Philippines will again be a tiger nation.

P.S. :  I took a candy and thanked the driver for the sweet treat. hihi 🙂

Series of Exemplary Actions: Honed by the Potter.

I didn’t get to write and update for quite sometime, the start of my year was already a roller coaster. I mean, it’s still in the first quarter and many things already happened. I had been slacking, stressing and recovering at the same time. For countless of times, I urged my self to write but nothing comes up. Been juicing my brains and heart out but no juice is pouring out.

Lately, I’ve witnessed several homo sapiens who have done quite out of the packaging box. And my brain is perfectly kept on prompting me to write about it, and here I am now. Writing.

 

For the past months I have this leave-not work urgency. Work have been stressing me so much that quitting is my next option. My love (architecture) became a work, a burden. And here goes my boss, after our one-on-one talk, he made me realized that we’ve been both a difficult person to each other. I hated him so much, at that time being. He’s so frank and quite right about me. He’s words pierced me, stabbed me up front. Despite everything , he gave me a chance to prove to myself and himself that I am worth the expectations from my peers, from my teachers during college and from his expectations. He didn’t gave up on me, like a father does in his lost child. To make a long story short, everything went well after it. My performance in the office in my opinion improved and got to prove to my self that I can, and will be able to survive the profession.

Little things like that never happen too often, l am thankful that earlier in my path to being a practicing architect, I’ve been honed and shaped to betterment. Thank you so much sir!

I’m crafted into perfection by the Potter’s Hand.

The joy of learning is as indispensable in study as breathing is in running. Where it is lacking there are no real students, but only poor caricatures of apprentices who, at the end of their apprenticeship, will not even have a trade. – Simone Weil