Story: Wheelchair (Assignment 5)

My first month here in Polomolok was new to my senses—the smell of the gutters, the noise from the vehicles, the heat that is much pleasing than anywhere else, and the people walking around doing their stuffs in the market.  As I look into the sky from where I sit beside the road, I could remember my youth.  I could still remember rightly my childhood that I would really wish to forget.

I am Sean.  I was raised in Cebu and we are nine in the family.  I am the only child born with disabled limbs.  Because of poverty and lack of awareness, I was not able to go to school.  In my early age, I was exposed to in street life.  My mother let me help sell buko juice in front of the church.  I was happy—I did not care about the people around me.  I only need my mother to be glad because she showered me with love more than anything and she let me feel it anytime—for her, I am not different.  On my fifteenth birthday, they gave me a wheelchair donated by charity program.  That was the best gift I had ever received in my life.

My mother died a month after.  I could not bear the grief that pained me inside. Days after she was buried, my father decided to give me to his sister in Polomolok—I was forced. He threw me words that hurt me—that I am useless, palamunin, and basura. When I came to my aunt’s house, I was a bit surprised to see how small the house and the fact that her children still lived with her that time.  I thought days would be better with them but I experienced worse things.  They let me sleep outside the house, rain or shine; I could only eat if they were done eating and sometimes, there was none left for me; every day, I hear painful words from them; and the most painful thing, they ruined my wheelchair—my only wheelchair and the only remembrance left from my mother.  All I did was to cry placidly all the time.

One day, my aunt’s children left her leaving her apos to her. My cousins all decided to go with their significant others.  Knowing that my aunt is jobless and helpless, I encouraged myself to go back to where I started—in the streets: this time, not as a vendor but as a beggar.  I gave my first collection to my aunt and she hugged me.  She expressed her gratitude to me by saying an apology to everything she had done.  I had not noticed that time had passed—days, months, years.  We had no news about where my cousins were.  I was keeping money for myself hoping to buy a new wheelchair.

One day, a van came—persons came out and tried to get me.  I was so nervous that I had not uttered a single sound to react.  Inside the van, I kept on asking them why they arrested me; they replied nothing.  Minutes later, the van stopped.  When they opened it, and I saw a beautiful place that, I have not seen before.  There were people talking, singing, dancing, and doing other things, which I could not describe.  There were also many foods, which I enjoyed.  I looked around and saw many persons who are like me, some without hind limbs, some with pollo, and others were senior citizens.  Some were asked to give their experiences and feelings in front of the stage and I was astounded that their experiences were like mine.  There were also some who experienced worse than mine.   Before the end of the program, people gave us new wheelchairs.  I felt my tears run down my eyes when I sat in my new wheelchair.  As I caressed the chair, I remembered the hugs of my mother.  That memory made me cry a lot and the only words I expressed was “thank you...”

Metaphor: Wheelchair (Assignment 4)

Once, our high school chorale was invited to perform in a charity program conducted by Dole Philippines Inc.  This program aims to give wheelchairs for amputated, disabled, special, less fortunate, some senior citizens, and marginalized persons.  We were not there just to sing for the doxology and intermissions.  Our instructor, who happens to be one of the foundation heads, requested us to help hand on hand in giving the wheelchairs.  He added additional assignment and that was to interview the beneficiaries of the chairs.  It happened that I was assigned to interview a special child.  I did not understand his answers and he maybe did not understand my questions as well but I felt his happiness when I touched and rubbed his back.  I also did interview some disabled beggars and they said they were very happy that they were given the privilege to attend in a party and eat delicious foods and then given a wheelchair as well.  The ones that touched me so much were the lolos and lolas who were still working as a street beggar or ice cream vendors.  Some said their children left them and had their own family and some said that their jobless children still are dependent to them.  My tears fell when one lola cried because it was her first time to that someone talk to her as if like a true apo.  I remembered my lola and the moments when we all had the time talk with each other but I did not appreciate those times.  At the end of the program, I have realized something—that we all are blessed in different ways and that the only thing we need is to appreciate every single blessing—that we must not waste a single moment doing irrational things that gives irrational payoffs.  To these people I talk about, the wheelchairs they have received mean a lot.  Those wheelchairs mean that they are cared and that someone cares for them; they saw family and friends because of those wheelchairs.

Here's more:
My Taste...
Catharsis
SpEd Hearts

SpEd Hearts (Assignment 3)

The story revolves in three distinct plots that are jammed together.  The first plot is in the Montessori school.  There depict the nostalgic situations of SpEd schools and how the teachers adjust their patience and understanding to their students.  The next plot talks about the life and circumstances of Rina (Ciara Sotto), one of the promising SpEd teachers.  She is a single mother.  She lives with her father until Jonathan (boyfriend) came into the scene.  She loves her job so much as well as she loves the people around her.  She came to a dilemma where she has to choose among her job as a special child teacher, job offering in Canada, love life, and her father.  At the end, she manages to put everything in order.  The last plot is about Rina’s co-teacher.  He is a gay but also a family man—with six children!  His identity is the conflict as he tries to balance everything without giving up one of his personality.  His struggle arose when his son caught him dating with his boyfriend.  The challenge there is how to win again his son and how to fix his family problems.  His last resort is to explain to his children about his hidden side and to break up with his boyfriend.

In my perspective, I am deeply moved by the school setting—and the people around it.  I can remember my high school days when we attended Dolefil social responsibility program for special children.  My emotions were coming out (catharsis) in every Mike and Haven scene—they are two of my favorite characters.  I could still remember way back when I interviewed persons with Down’s syndrome and with nepotism.  Yes, they are not as good listeners and responders as we expect but as I talk to them, I come to realize that they really are very special in the sense that they are very innocent.  They are filled with love as well as they only express love in a different way.  I come to realize that these persons are really blessed.  They are free from earthly things, from errors, and from material sins.  It is now clear to me the difference of being insane from being special—that special persons are sane persons but with different perspective from an average human.  The movie was arranged in different plots with different struggles for the viewers to understand where the characters emotions come from.  Therefore, this setting has led to the catharsis.

Independence Day Celebration (my sister's event)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013—the History Student Society successfully celebrated the country’s 115th independence day.  The local government officials, students, civilians, and the media had participated in the celebration held in front of the Plaza Heneral, General Santos City.

The program comprised of two events, one was in the plaza and the other was in MSU-high school AVR.

Plaza—there were three invited speakers who gave their inspirational messages with proudness and glamour as each one of them stated their areas of concern about the independence.  The first speaker was Mr. Ruel S. Palaca. Second speaker was supposedly Miss Darlene Antonino Costudio but by an instance, was not able to come so her message was read by Miss Beth Bagonoc.  The third speaker was Chancellor Adurrahman Canacan. The honored speakers talked commonly about all the sacrifices, hardships, and struggles our ancestors had undergone just for our country’s independence from the foreign countries. They acknowledged the need for us Filipinos to preserve our Filipino cultures as well because these reflects what we were and what we will be as we continue to learn and learn the value of being an independent Filipino.

MSU high school—Miss Elma Lumantas gave a speech to commence the forum.  She tackled about how we were and what we were before and after we were given our independence. She also mentioned how the independence started and what were the struggles that our ancestors had experienced to have it and how independence was transferred from July 4 to June 12.

Having an Independence Day or celebrating it every year reminds us to be very thankful to the people behind it. Independence day also recaps that patriotism is an essential characteristic of a Filipino; that we need to nurture it and pass it from generations to generations.  We should acknowledge this event not just by simply having a program but should also make other parties participate (could be other schools or industries).  Of course, it starts from us, then in a small group of people, and then gradually, the celebration will become grander and grander… again, Happy Independence Day!

Catharsis (Human Elective Assignment 2)

I have experienced lots of catharsis from different situations.  Until now, there are moments when I laugh or cry because of these simple matters.  They embedded in me certain memory (a very meaningful memory) that if remembered, could make me feel better about myself and makes me feel relief in me—more than words could express how I truly feel.

“You were just a dream that I once knew
I never thought I would be right for you
I just can't compare you with anything in this world
you’re all I need to be forevermore”

This is my favorite line in the song Forevermore by Side A.  This song reflects my high school life—the most memorable part of who I was and who I am.  When I hear this song, I remember the deepest sensation I felt when I first met the girl who first made my heart beat.  This song marks a spot in my heart that when I try to sing or play this, this brings back the feelings: the happiness and the affection.  Nevertheless, it always comes to the point that when the song ends, I realize that those were moments that are worth keeping for—that I know I will never feel again and that I also realize that I again shed tears because I think of everything with this one song (but still I keep on listening to it).

When it comes to movies, only one movie really made my emotions come out; that I literally cried too much—Hachiko, The dog story.  This is about a loyal dog that waited for his deceased master in the train station for nine years until it died.   I am a pet lover indeed.  We have six dogs and one turtle in our house.  I know the feeling of seeing a pet die in someone's arms.  I know the feeling of loving too much the ones who love you with all their hearts: no pretensions, pure sincerity.  I am very weak in terms of pet drama stuffs.  I am very vulnerable in every movie that involves pets.  When I watch these kinds of movies (like Hachiko), these move me to their world were I imagine myself in that situation where I truly love my pets and I care for my pets so much.  And bottom-line, I do not like goodbyes... most especially to a dying best bud.  Pet lovers understand me for sure.

MY TASTE... (Human Elective Assignment 1)

My tastes in audio arts are Original Pilipino Music and Instrumentals.  As a "person who sings", I love songs made by Filipino artists.  Filipino songs go straight to the hearts of everyone when sung—that’s how I see it.  Filipino songs, especially love songs, are more romantic and more emotional.  I relate to some of the songs.  As an instrumentalist (I play flute), I appreciate and love listening instrumental music as well as playing my craft.  I love these two audio arts not because I only listen, but also because I do them as well.

My tastes in visual arts are in the field of painting, drawing, and photography.   When I was in grade school, I used to be our school’s cartoonist and poster maker participant in every intra and inter-school competitions.  As time passed by, my talent tarnished.  I ventured new skill/field—music.  But when I see paintings and caricatures anywhere, the feeling comes back.  When I have leisure time, I always try to draw or paint something (I use pastel color).  It was late in my college life when I appreciate the beauty of photography.  I believe that photography is not just taking pictures but also taking memories—making memories live in every shot.  I appreciate pictures that depict emotions.  I am blown away by different pictures that tell stories.

My taste in audio visual arts is circus performances—Cirque Du Soleil.  Circus takes me to another world.  I feel their effort when they perform.   I love seeing them exaggerating their costumes, makeups, and facial expressions as if they are free people doing free things performing on stage.  Sometimes I feel I’m doing their stunts together with beautiful mix of music—aerobatics and maneuvers.

The On-The-Job Narrative

It is my pleasure to share what I have learned from my OJT experience, from simple nostalgic lessons and skills, to complex maxims worth living for.  I will talk more of those, the values, than what I technically did—they are in my daily journal.

I have been too attached with my work that I thought I was actually a regular staff of the cooperative and as if I was being compensated regularly for my work—though I made it sure that my efforts must be away from any monetary motifs. Well, I suppose every intern thinks that way, as how we paradigm map ourselves in the entity we are in.  I have favored that way rather than doing nothing or be an errand boy.  Somehow, I feel a soupcon of proudness (I want statement to be humbler) to my job;  Sometimes you need to think that way to uplift your confidence.  I still remember how I started as an applicant, how I was nervous to face the manager and anxious to death that I would not be able to be accepted or not be able to do the work efficiently and effectively, but here I am now—the OJT System Specialist.

I learned to manage my work well at a given time especially that Processing office and Pawnshop do a lot of encoding and keeping an update of their members’ requirements and at the same time the scheduling of interview, pre-membership seminars, and general assemblies.

I am glad to experience once in my life in giving instructions to my supervisors how to audit and operate the database and exchange thoughts with them on how to make things well.  I was somewhat scared because I deal with persons older and way too experts than me in terms of their craft.  Sometimes, I felt cautious to discuss with them some accounting matters.  I also was hesitant to explain how and why things were right and were wrong for I might see something that would make me more rough.

I also learned to be diplomatic in interacting with the staffs and customers.  Words and actions are very important in personal relationship.  Knowing the timing of when and how you utter the response or reaction helps you become a better listener and responder.  Understanding the different moods of the customers help you think what to say proper to them.

The most important things are attitude more than intelligence, people smart more than brain smart, and relationship more than familiarity; the rest of characteristics will follow if you start with these things.

Talent alone is insufficient.  Yes it is significant, but it does not assure attainment.  One must also be hardworking and self-disciplined.

I learned also to sacrifice a lot of things;  I hardly have leisure time even in weekends.  From the moment I came to the office, I stared encoding everything and check and check, encode again then cross-reference again with the sources, and then work on every problem the system has.  Nevertheless, I really enjoy the pressure I gave to myself.  Pressure sometimes gives me a rush of doing different things.

Real world will be so exciting.  This means having to deal with different challenges world will give us, so it is best to know first what we are doing and what we will be doing in the future— to love those no matter what.  To learn is what we ought to do and to be inspired is what we will have.  The key is to love the path we take and doing the best we can do to always have a positive outlook in life.  Four corners could not give these things. I saw all these in my on-the-job training.  I saw all these more than any academic related values.

DOLEFIL FUN RUN 2013 (My RUN. My TREEbute)

June 1, 2013—Dole Philippines Inc. starts its 50 Years of Quality, Quality, Quality celebration through a run.

STRIDER, ASACOLOR, DXMD, inchem, ALTAWELD, GEA, MSI, Transway, GSC-TSB, ROVY, Cortess Printing, STUDIO4 Productions, GENPACK, Indent Industrial Trade Corp, and DCTECH joins Dole Philippines Inc. in this activity.

Corporate Social Responsibility—This run is for Dolefil’s TREEbute advocacy.  The seedlings will be given to Valencia Valley in Northern Mindanao.

Almost 12,000 have participated; all excited to burn some calories and to notch the experience.

Almost all walked the five-kilometer course together with family and friends.  No one thought of the competition, just the FUN.