Reflection #4

           See The Cat?

            Once there was a street dog whose daily life was monotonously spent in looking for food in garbage cans. This boring life would be disturbed one day when a stray cat passed by in front of him. Instinctively, the dog whose territory was encroached, snarled, showed his sharp, long fangs, and was ready to jump over the poor cat.

            With blitz-like reflexes, the cat scampered away as fast as it could. Challenged all the more, the dog quickly ran after the cat.

            Now, there were other stray dogs that saw the chase. Dictated again by instinct, every dog amusingly just joined in the pursuit until a whole pack of barking canines trailed the sprinting cat.

            After a while, the last dog in the trail must have thought, “Why am I running? I’m just getting tired for nothing. I might as well stop.” And stop running it did.

            The next dog on the last trail must have sensed the same, seeing the last dog that stopped. So he decided to stop, too; so with the next one, and the next, and the next, until no dog was left running. Except for one last dog that still had the same determination of pursuing the cat.

            Who was that dog? You bet. The first one, of course! Why? Because this first dog was the one who actually saw the cat!

            He knew why he was running and what he was running after.

The rest of the pack just trailed along not even knowing why they were running. So when the going yet through, they simply gave up.

            But the dog that clearly saw his reason for running just didn’t stop until he finally got his catch!

It’s the end of another school year – another round of “running” and “chasing” was nearly come to an end.

Lessons to learn. Books to read. Assignment to do. Project deadlines to meet. Grades to earn.b recitations. Quizzes. Long tests. Periodical exams. The list of tasks and challenges goes on. All these stuffs nearly come to an end.

But I asked myself: “Did I know what all these are for?””Did I know why I’m running and what I am chasing?”

If not, I may be excited at the start of the run, but later on tire out and give up. That is, if I haven’t seen clearly what I’m running after.

You know the name of the cat in the story? VISION. You know what you call the “running” of the dog? MISSION.

I’ve got a brand new MISSION this school year. That’s the running part. But I should coupled it with a clear VISION – of what I see I want to achieve or to become. That gave me the fire, the passion, the inspiration, to just keep on going, even when it gets tough. Until I finally get my catch!

My goal – my dream – should be in the form of a clear vision of my “catch.” Like seeing my dad and mom working so hard for me and now embracing me with joy on the day of my graduation, or fast forward it further by seeing myself with a professional title, a good job or business, or traveling abroad, or serving and helping others more on providing well for my family.

“Begin with the end in mind!” That’s what  Stephen Louery, author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective people, says. That means, run by all means. But clearly see what you’re running after. And see yourself catching it!

See your cat!

My Dream, My Future

          We all have dreams. Not all of us, however, possess the determination to overcome any obstacle and make our dreams a reality. Some achievers whose dreams range from the simple to the sublime. Our ambitions come from an urge to excel, to be of service, or to create something unusual and memorable.

            I want to see myself living a comfortable life as a professional. I want to have a successful career where I could apply my skills and stay productive – being an accountant or a journalist may be a good choice.

            I will be an accountant who maintains financial records and prepares reports honestly. On the other hand, I could be a journalist who writes objective articles that will serve as eye openers to readers. There shall be transparency on every critique I will write. I also want to write inspirational messages that will help others to pursue their dreams and move towards their goals in life.

            I want also to become an independent woman, a woman so strong and brave, one with perseverance and humility in her work, and a woman who’ll wear a smile on her face regardless of the challenges that will come her way. A woman that will be respected by everybody. Will be admired not for her physical appearance but for who she is and what she inside. A woman that will be admired for her kindness and generosity, for her tender love and care for her family, for her dedication and hard work. A woman that will be a good influence on others and a great role model that her nieces and nephews will look up to. Carry my family’s name with dignity and pride. Have endless dreams and high hopes and keep growing in faith to the Lord.

            Dream of being someone great of climbing a mountain so high. Dream of a future so bright of soaring and taking flight. You must follow your dream wherever it leads. Be dedicated and determined to achieve your goal.

Change: It Starts with Me

          "Be the change that you wish to see in the world". Ghandi.
          There is much talk in the spiritual communities about how the world that I see outside of myself is a reflection of the world that is inside me. Part of the journey to peace, love, and happiness, is understanding that I am not always able to recognise my part in the creation of my life.
Our perceptions of the world are in fact what dictate what we see unfold in front of us. So, it follows that if my perception is that the world is a frightening place to be, I will live in fear. I will see events that keep occurring that will justify my fear, because I unconsciously look at the world through filters that seek out what I believe. I need to learn to not be scared. If I am an angry person, I will attract to myself a world where other people, places and things make me angry and will be angry at me. I need to learn to find out why I am angry and process my anger, and as I do so, I will see that the world outside of me becomes less angry. If I am full of love, and believe that the world is a safe and happy place to be, then the environment around me will be full of loving people and events.
We are controlled by a part of our brain that we are not aware of- the unconscious mind. From the ages of 0-4, a young mind is like a sponge and it absorbs everything around it, and the unconscious mind stores the information for future reference. As we continue to go through life, we add meaning to the events, and this is also stored for future reference.
          An example of this would be playing in a paddling pool. For one child, a paddling pool is a real treat, fun, and something to run and splash around in. For another child, the paddling pool can be really frightening because the child slipped and hurt itself once, and so now associates paddling pools with pain.
         The paddling pool does not change, but our perception of the paddling pool is different, depending on our experiences. The unconscious brain is like a stuck record and is always trying to keep us safe. With the association of pain with a paddling pool, it thinks that all paddling pools cause pain, and so sends the message to the child to stay away. Is this in fact true? Is playing in a paddling pool always dangerous? No. However, the child will probably go through life missing out on fun in other pools, because of the association between pain and paddling pools.
         What would have been helpful for the child would have been for a really understanding adult to validate the child's fear. Then explain to the child that although it did happen to them once, paddling pools can be fun. And finally teach the child to play in the pool safely, and thus the association is dispelled. Also, offering an explanation that we do fall over and hurt ourselves from time to time, and that this is just being part of being human, and that it is ok. Of course, this is the ideal, but so often we are not conscious of where our belief systems come from and so are unable to stop them forming.
          Our societies are riddled with issues around trust, fear, anger, grief, victim mentality, blame, depression, anxiety, and addictions.The path to recovery from these issues and others is to go within and find out what is actually true as opposed to what we have deduced from the environment that we grew up in. Once you have established what really happened, it is advisable to find a way to safely process your issues.
         When we do begin the path to a spiritual way of living, one very important aspect of the growth is to really begin to look at what you actually believe, either consciously or unconsciously. Does what you believe benefit your life, bringing you peace and joy, or does it make you miserable and keep you small?
          Most of our belief systems come from other people. These include parental figures, family, friends, school teachers, pupils, religion.....we really do absorb a large proportion of other peoples' opinions in our life time, and they do not always suit who we are or what we want to achieve.
What do you believe and is it true for you? Take a look at the aspirations and expectations of your mother and father figures- are they very similar to your own? What are their opinions about money, religion, success, relationships? Do you have the same opinions, even though you think that you want different things in life?
          Begin to unravel what your values are. What you are passionate about? What makes your heart sing? What do you aspire to be? What is your authentic truth? This will be different for everyone. There really only is one you on the planet and you have been given gifts and talents to help you to be the best you that you can be. You can discover that other people may not necessarily value what you hold dear to the same degree as you do. You begin to learn that you do not need other peoples' approval because you are living in integrity with your own truth.
         Spiritual growth is a journey into self-discovery and self- acceptance. Each person's journey takes as long as it takes. There are many different approaches to spiritual growth, and all of them are valid. This journey is an individual one that takes time and courage. We learn to love and respect ourselves and to teach others how to respect us too. We learn to listen to our intuition and to seek out people who share our commitment to improving ourselves.
          In a society that has become addicted to the quick fix, this journey is the exact opposite. There are no short cuts to spiritual growth. The rewards are peace, love, and joy. To reach these goals, we need to search inside and to make friends with each and every part of us, especially the parts that we dislike. Secular society seems to have lost its appeal and the overwhelming evidence is that worldwide, we are seeking to redress the balance, to live in integrity. What is your vision of the world? Would you like it to be filled with peace, love, and joy? The choice is yours, as is the journey.

Kannawidan Ylocos Festival

            

“Kannawidan sangsangkamaysatay rambakan.”

Kannawidan is the showcasing of the pride and guts of Ilocanos pertaining to heritage conservation and culture preservation. Coming in the midst of Ilocanos are the festivities which will surely allure our hearts to encompass the true essence of being a proud individual. It gives us a glimpse of how was the life before and how shall we face it today.

Lighting to triumphant torch, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur never fails to continue its outstanding ventures to enjoin the people together and applaud its magnanimous culture amidst the modern trends we have in this generation. Inspired with this people, the officials of the capitol, through the leadership of our Governor Ryan Luis Singson, always bring out the best of our people. Remember that he Kannawidan Festival was established and was initiated by former Governor and now the Vice Governor Deogracias Victor “DV” Savellano.

As we commenced our 8^th year celebration of the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival, we shall witness another milestone of quality and majestic programs and activities which will highlight the strengthening overview of a true Ilocano. Expect the enjoyment, the thrill and the excitement of this year’s Kannawidan Ylocos Festival: bringing the best to the Ilocano people which started last January 29 until February 13,2015. This year brings us lots of changes and innovation.

Third Reflection

         Tick tock tick tock. My thought process has ceased. I’ve lost my concentration, and I’ve hit a brick wall. My fingers promptly press the keys but only gibberish is displayed on the computer screen. I delete what I just wrote, and the process repeats.

         Writing essays in a short amount of time has never been my forte.  I would spend countless hours staring at prompts and rewriting sentences. I struggled to write rough drafts because I found it impossible to write a sentence without perfecting the previous. After being frustrated with my inability to fluently spew the ideas and words in my head to the word document, I would surf the web and hope something would come to me in the next few hours.

          However, has changed my approach to writing rough drafts. On the third quarter of class, Eileen shared a very interesting article called Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott. In this article, Lamott advises readers to pour all ideas out and not worry about how absurd the ideas may sound. Ultimately, she emphasizes that writing rough drafts is simply a matter of sitting down and plunging in.

         From this article, I have learned that writing is a delicate process. It takes many tries to perfect a sentence, a paragraph, a paper. Without first scribbling all ideas and thoughts onto a word document, it is hard to move forward and move away from the very first sentence.

New Year, New Me

          New Year has always seemed to me a beginning of a new cycle, or a new path of self-development, but I never write detailed resolutions, having only abstractive understanding of my plans for future. But this year will end with a following resolution.
          First of all, I would like to become more assertive and self-confident. I need thus some more courage in my daily affairs. In addition, I need some courage to esteem my faults and failures and put them on the path of improvement: it seems like I'm becoming dependant upon the opinions of my surrounding (friends, relatives and classmates), so I would like to manage some situations on my own, without relying upon the others' advice or imposition. I want to become more independent in my attitudes and viewpoints and to get the ability to separate my judgments from those of others.
          Then, I would like to become more honest with myself. Sometimes I seem too benevolent and justify inappropriate behaviors of my friends, yet there couldn't be any justification. I also use this technique to justify my own mistakes, yet I should simply accept myself as a human being who has an inclination to making mistakes, because this is the most trustworthy way of gaining experience and knowledge.
          Thirdly, I would like to slow down my life, because it seems too busy, so I have almost no time for self-reflection, introspection and communication with my family. Sometimes it seems like my nearest and dearest people receive too little attention and care from me, so this gap will be filled and I will spend more time with my parents.
          To sum up, I would like to say that I will not keep waiting for New Year and will realize my plan in the nearest future... It is not necessary to wait for new cycle in order to change your life, because some alterations can and must be done immediately. 

Essence of Christmas

          Cool breeze......... Lanterns and Christmas lights on the streets. Christmas trees. When we feel or see those things, it only means that Christmas is near.
          Christmas......... When I heard this word, it reminds me the birth-date of our savior Jesus  Christ. At this point, everyone seems to be excited on that day. There's an essence of celebrating Christmas.
          First is love. We need to love our neighbors whole heart as we love ourselves. Forgive those who have sinned against you. If God can forgive, why people can't? Forget their sins and start a happy memories with them. Everybody deserves a second and last chance. Lower your pride.
          Second is the essence of giving. We have a quotation, " share your blessings." Did you know that giving is more blissful than receiving? Well, that's the meaning of this quotation, "it is more blessed to give than to receive." If we had that grace, share it with other people that are in need. Don't be greedy.
          The essence of Christmas are loving others, forgiving and forgetting and giving. We must have this essence to feel the happiness of celebrating Christmas.