Success story

Succeed [intranstive verb]: a: to turn out well; b: to attain a desired object or end

Success [noun]:  a: degree or measure of succeeding; b: favorable or desired outcome; also, the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.

[Merriam Webster]

How do you measure success? Who for you are successful people? Somehow, even with the definition above, people almost always relate success only with wealth (sometimes fame and popularity). When we hear of people rising from poverty to wealth, we instantly think “success story”. When hear of old friends or classmates becoming rich, we instantly think, “WOW, buti pa sya, successful na.” As if money was the only criteria. And are they, in reality, successful? And, on the opposite side, are poor people (whom a lot of people look down to) “failures”? Are they really?

I have higher criteria for success than money alone; honestly, wealth alone does not impress me. In truth, there are more poor successful people on my list than there are rich people. Not that I admire them for staying poor. But more so because they can withstand the tests of life despite them being poor. But this does not mean I don’t have wealthy people as my success stories. Take the following cases in point:

1. The maid of our neighbor is able to send her daughter to school, makes sure that her daughter is well-taken care of, and showers her daughter with love…all as a single mother with meager earnings. And see her success when I see her kind and loving daughter.

2. The neighborhood ice cream man has been on his job for 10 years. Everyday, he rides his ice-cream cart bicycle and sells ice cream. He always smiles, he’s always cheerful. I consider him successful because he is friends with almost everyone in our neighborhood.

3. I know of a rich couple in Ayala Alabang. The dad was poor before but worked hard to rise above poverty and become rich. Same with the mom. Yes, a typical success. But for me, the real success in reflected in their very simple and down-to-earth children, as if they did not have millions in their names. For me, they are the real success of this couple.

When I consider someone a success, it’s not about the money.

Let me stress that I do not, in any way, mean to discredit people who take money as a criteria for success and certainly not those who have risen from poverty to wealth. I believe we all have our own ways. It’s just for me, the WOW factor is not that this certain someone, who was a street vendor before and is now swimming in riches, now has money more than he/she can count, but that he/she has risen up to the challenge and worked hard to be where he/she is now. It is more than the money factor.

Postscript: For a nice article related to this one, I highly recommend that you read glenn’s post.

Simple pleasures in life

 There was this story about a man who wore a pair of very worn-out and uncomfortable shoes. He walked in pain because the shoes were not fit to be worn anymore; moreover, it was small for him. Then, somebody dared ask him why he still kept on wearing the shoes. He said, “My wife left me, my children hate me, I lost my job, and I am broke. The only comfort I have is when I go home every night and take my shoes off.”

Wow! Imagine carrying a burden for comfort! The irony of ironies!

Anyway, reflecting on a different angle, such a simple pleasure from someone who has so much burden. What the man got from wearing his uncomfortable shoes was the comfort of relief! How often do we get such simple pleasure in life? Or do we wince at such small discomforts that we do not see the small things we should take pleasure in? That beautiful sunset. The smile from our children. No traffic while going home from work. The delicious dinner prepared by your wife/husband. Feeling the grass under your feet at the park. A joke shared among friends. The 1-peso rollback in gas. So many small things…so many reasons to be happy!

So allow me to turn the shower faucets on and feel the cold water on my body on this very hot day!

Have a great weekend and try to find those simple pleasures that life has to offer!

Is it that time of the year again?

August is now coming to a close…giving way to the “ber” months, which means one thing: Christmas is drawing near! I don’t know with you, but the Christmas season is my favorite part of the year (yes, even more than my birthday). I don’t know why… maybe it’s because of the special feeling that comes around this time of the year.

Anyway, now that September is coming, I have to start buying gifts for the people on my list and hopefully have the budget to buy that green-red-pink-violet laptop that Wendy asked from Santa, or that blower for an everyday-is-a-bad-hair-day sister, or cat trees for the pet of a cat-loving friend, or the manicure set for our househelp, not to mention the special giveaways I yearly give to street children (ooohhh, I love giving to them. I hope you try it too).

Despite that gift giving is much a part of Christmas, there are more to it that I love:  Noche Buena, Christmas carols, family reunions, kindness, FOOD, no work, children, the decors, and much much more!

116 days to go before Christmas! I can’t wait!

Change in windshield view

For the past month, because the service road in front of our village was being repaired and was open only to one-way traffic, I have been going on a different route going home. My initial reaction was, of course, “WHAT??? I HAVE TO GO AROUND SUCAT???” Well, I guess you can imagine my displeasure. I mean, I was used to the route I’ve been taking going home from work for the past 5 years. I’ve been used to the five BPI banks, the pet shop carrying dog supplies, the 24-hour tapsilogan, the small bookstore where I once bought a small notebook, and the Total, Shell, and Petron gas stations (in that order) that I pass through. And now I have to take another route that was much longer and take more of my gas!

For the first days, I was indignant, and I drove hastily with a frown on my face. But then, after a few days, I realized that there’s nothing I can do about it. Either I can drive gloomingly or I can appreciate the route that I am taking (which was only temporary). So I made the choice to do the latter.

They say that change is inevitable. I believe that a life (or world) without change, which means that it is routine, is boring. However, how we react to change is always variable. We react to others with resistance, whereas we welcome others. As for me, I often meet changes with a brief periods of resistance, which fade fast enough for me adjust to these changes, good or bad. Besides, we need a change of scenery every now and then.

Philippine travel wish list

Last month, I wrote about my top 5 favorite places in the Philippines. This time, I’m listing the top 5 places in the Philippine that I have been dreaming of visiting.

5. Mount Apo: I wanto to be able to climb this mountain.

4. Caramoan, Camarines Sur: This place has beautiful white-sand beaches that can beat those of Boracay.

(www.islandparadisephilippines.com)

3. Donsol, Sorsogon: I want to see the butandings and swim with them.

(www.wowphilippines.com) 

2. Busuanga: I want to see if it is as beautiful as Coron. I want to see its waters and its diving spots.

1. Batanes: I’ve always wanted to see the stone houses of the Ivatans and learn more about their culture. I have heard that it is beautiful in Batanes, so I hope to be able to go there soon.

Only two things deter me from visiting these places: budget and time constraints. Maybe I should look for that small business franchise and free up some time. Soon…I hope!

(If you want, please do share the places in the Philippines you would want to go to! I would love to know your list!)

Everyday hero

There’s this one show on Playhouse Disney that I love. It’s called Higglytown heroes. The show features one hero in Higglytown per day. No, not your over-the-top, schoolbook hero, but everyday heroes such as the police officer, the mail carrier, the town dentist, the restaurant chef, and many more others who seem like just regular people in the neighborhood but are considered heroes.

I like the show because it emphasizes that someone who contributes to the community is a hero, even the bus driver who picks up a stranded group of baseball fans, that nurse who changes the adult diapers of your grandpa, the pizza guy who delivers your pizza when there is nothing else to eat, or the street cleaner who sweeps the confetti after a street celebration. The show instills a great appreciation of the seemingly “regular” people.

Much more than that, the show also imparts that anyone can be a hero. Yes, even the small kids who watch the show. They can do these in small things like throwing their trash properly, befriending that new kid in school, or brushing their teeth!

Great huh! Now, go out and be a hero!

BOO!!!

When Princess Wendy and I went to the mall yesterday, we saw a stack of Halloween costumes, toys, and decorations. This prompted my daughter to ask me, “Malapit na ba Halloween?” {Is it near Halloween already?} Well, we were both surprised, I mean, is it time to get the Halloween invitations and Halloween costumes out?

Halloween is one occasion that we now look forward to because of the chance to get into costumes. I don’t know when it has become a tradition in the Philippines, but as far as I know, when I was small, Halloween was no big deal. But now that it is a yearly event, even at my age now, I am enjoying these “trick-or-treats.”

Now kids, don’t eat too much candies!

Proud to be Pinoy

Princess Wendy just placed third in the Timpalak Bigkasan (oration) contest in their school. It was an uphill battle from the start. She met the challenge of memorizing the poem with utmost resistance (such high resistance that I was glad my face did not have an outburst of pimples and acne). But anyway, she did it, and I’m so happy she was successful.

Wendy  did not understand much of what she was reciting, but I told her that it talks about being proud that you are a Filipino. This activity was in line for the Filipino Week (Linggo ng Wika)…makes one look back at the reasons why one is proud to be Pinoy. I don’t know about you, but I am!

Anyway, congrats to my princess!

Proud Mama moments

When I’m not busy making a living or searching for the diet pill that works, I am busy setting an example for my daughter. I believe that our children are closing watching what we do, and what a more fulfilling way to know you’re doing it right than to see your children emulating the values you want to impart. Like me, I’ve always believed that if it should be conserved, it must be conserved (and that’s not just regarding saving money). And regarding conserving resources, Princess Wendy has made me proud on many occasions:

PW: [when I asked her if she wanted another printout of the poem she was memorizing for school] No na Mama. I’m almost done memorizing. Isang paragraph na lang. Sayang ang paper. {No Mama. I’m almost done memorizing. Just one more paragraph. Let’s not waste paper.}

PW: No Mama, don’t buy that for me, I don’t need it. Sayang ang pera. {No, Mama. Don’t buy that for me, I don’t need it. Our money will just be wasted.}

PW: Mama, di mo sinara yung light when you went out! Sayang ang electricity! {Mama, you didn’t turn off the light when you ent out. Your’e wasting electricity.}

Not only in her words, but also in her actions, Wendy has gotten my “conservation” mentality. I see this when she takes measures to close the faucet properly or when she finishes her food on her plate. She may not know it, but she makes me proud through these “small things.” 

Time for retirement? I don’t think so

Yes, I know I said that I wouldn’t write about tennis anymore….but the “failure” of Roger Federer to capture the gold in this year’s Olympics makes one wonder whether it’s time for him to exchange his tennis rackets for, say, golf equipment. I mean, winning the gold was supposed to lift up his slumping career this year and give him the needed boost. But luck wasn’t on his side this time. Another loss….But then, as a colleague and I have discussed, the year is still long (we still have half a year), and things can still happen. For a great player like Federer, setbacks like these will only serve to challenge him more!

(By the way, he and his partner Wawrinka did win the gold in the men’s doubles in tennis)

(Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune)