Guimaras Trip

AM BACK TO SCHOOL!

March 2005 when I left Silliman;

After 4 long years;

I am back to school;

Now, here I Come;

UP Open University;

Taking Masters in Environment and Natural Resources Management.

Division D Speechfest Winners!

My warmest felicitations to the winners in the recently held Division D Speechfest at Grand Regal Hotel last April 25, 2009, 1:00-5:00P.M.

The contest was being graced by the District 75 Governor, DTM Adelina "Deling" Royo.

Table Topics

Champion - Mel Sillador, CC
1st Runner Up - Gay Marie Gane, CC
2nd Runner Up - Dave Gamboa, ACG

Humorous

Champion - Jabez Oberes
1st Runner Up - Gay Marie Gane, CC
2nd Runner Up - Adan Salomandin

Prepared International Speech

Champion - Mel Sillador, CC
1st Runner Up - Jay Cris Famoso, CC
2nd Runner Up - Gay Marie Gane, CC

WHEN ONE MEANS POWER

When I was in kindergarten, I was most behaved in class. In fact, my first scholastic award, in red and white colours, is a ribbon that read Jay Famoso, Most Behaved. When I asked my mother, what did I do to deserve that ribbon, she said, “You just stayed in one corner alone, as if afraid to move and talk.” Nevertheless, my fondness to be alone first taught my parents to be photogenic onstage.

My wanting to be alone most of the time grew fonder because of my Chemistry Professor. She will just barge inside Science Complex 117, write gas law problems, and leave the room without saying a word. We assume she will just be back. Lesson learned. Don’t assume! Because of you assume, you make an ass out of you and me. At the end of the class, we all got zero. After that, I spent most of my time, alone in the library, to study chemistry.

“It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts”.

“Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone”.

When does one mean power? When does solitude become the best option in life?

When writers write their literary masterpieces, they seclude themselves from the deafening noise of the world. In their solitude where peace and silence abound, comes out the free flowing cornucopia of words and ideas ready to be etch in ink and paper. Examples are, The Count of Monte Cristo, Love in the Time of Cholera, A Tale of Two Cities, and others. Conrado de Quiros of the Philippine Daily Inquirer once wrote in his column, There’s the Rub, that when he writes early in the morning, he does not answer text and calls, unless, he knows that that person is dying.

When Albert Einstein formulated his theory of relativity, he did it in solitude where concentration is boundless and infinite.

When Thomas Alba Edison invented the light bulb which he did in two thousand experiments, he did it all by himself in his own laboratory.

I asked recently a colleague if there’s a term in psychology that refers to a person who enjoys in solitude most of the time. She seemed preoccupied with her analysis that she just earnestly smiled as an answer to my query.

"Why do you live alone in your rented house?"

That question has been asked to me innumerably that in fact I have gotten used to it. And this is how it usually started.

Commencing a conversation with a stranger, (Let me first qualify the word “stranger”. It could be a friend of my friend, an auditor from another brewery, or a new colleague) one of the informations that will be asked is the location of your house. Guilty? Then the trail of questions will follow. Take for example my case. Once they know that I am renting my own place. The follow-up question to that would be, "How many are you in the house?" I’d say "I live alone". As a follow-up to the follow-up question, would be "Why do you live alone?" If I may deduce the question, they wanted to know if it is a personal choice or a pure circumstance. So I would say it’s a choice. My answer will always elicit a conspicuous, pensive gaze shown in their eyes riveted on my face. "Are you a loner", they would ask. "I am not", I would answer.

Living alone taught me things I could not possibly learn if live in two or three.

I decide things on my own. I clean my own place. I solve my own problems. I influence my own decision. I have plenty of time to be myself, to reflect, retrospect, and introspect.

I am in full control of my life. I am a mature, young professional who has found his niche outside the portals of the academe. I am now a person who stands on my feet gripping fully on my cognitive capacity to decide on my own.

Conrado de Quiros, Albert Einstein, Thomas Alba Edison, Jay Famoso, have one thing in common. Not genius. Not good looks. They all believed in THE POWER OF ONE!

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

The article will follow.

For A Friend Named JULZ

“Life is a constant change. And nothing stays the same.”

Sometimes we have to bear the uncertainties of life. Hard it may seem but life must go on.

People come and go in our lives. We make friends. Sometimes we lose them. We meet the love of our life. Sometimes we let go of them. We welcome a colleague. Sometimes we bid goodbye to them. Life is nothing but a constant reminder that nothing in this world stays forever. It’s a roller coaster ride. And that makes life; I guess more interesting, because you’ll never know when you’ll get surprises.

Moving on is a phrasal epitome of easier-said-than-done. Sometimes, the memories left behind are just so poignant that disregarding it is such a shattering task. You can’t help it; it will just evoke a melodramatic feeling. Hypocritical it is to say that “I have moved on right there and then”. There is change and that change will have to gain equilibrium for quite some time. Moving on is a process.

One year is long enough; long enough to know a friend, to gain a friend, to establish rapport with people, to love work, to learn a new dialect, to know new directions and places, to savour new cuisine, and to be loved by everyone. Indeed one year has passed that a colleague has been with us. A year loaded of jovial memories. A year of keen friendship. A year of laughter and little misunderstandings. A year to get to know a good person without thoughts of leaving and sad endings.

Julz, you deserve a space in my mundane albeit precious blog. This is a memento of your fleeting yet fruitful stay with us in the department. On the book that we both read “Man’s Search for Meaning”, there is meaning and purpose to all of these, though you may have not realized that at the moment.

Thank you for the time that you have shared your life to us. For allowing us to get to know you. For bringing joy and laughter to the people in your midst. For sharing your fresh ideas and ideals. For lighting up our mood when we are in despair. For appreciating what we have done. For singing along with us. For understanding our inequity. For challenging us to do better. For listening to us. For caring when we least expect it. For being you that we all love and we will all miss.

Endings are also beginnings. Julz, wherever life takes you, always remember that once in your life’s journey, you have made an inalienable and lasting mark of friendship in the people of San Miguel Bacolod Brewery. You have etch your name in our hearts that forever we will cherish that once in the crossroads of life, we know a person as remarkable as Julienne Eve Algabre. Farewell.

Area 33 Speeh Contest

Cheers to the Riverside Toastmasters Club in the Area 33 Speech contest held at Kauswagan Hall, Hawaiian Philippine Company, Silay City.

Champion - Impromptu Speaking Constest - CTM Jam Grandea

2nd Place - Prepared International Speech - CC Jay Cris Famoso

Congratulations to all the winners and see you in the Division Speech Contest on April 25! Smiles!