Twas a Delightful Week

Most Valued

The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie de Paola

The Legend of the Bluebonnet is currently my assigned book for this week among my tutorial students.  It talks about a girl named She-Who-Is-Alone who loved her most valued possession of a doll.  The doll was the only reminder of her past and of her family, like a shadow, from the distant past. 





There was no rain so the parched lands had brought famine and drought to the People called Comanche.  When they summoned the Great Spirits, they were told that a sacrifice was needed.  That sacrifice was to offer their most valued possessions.   When a sacrifice is made, the drought and famine will cease and life will be restored to the Earth and to the People.

Sacrificing her most valued possession

While the rest of the People were debating whether to give a new bow or a special blanket for burning. She-Who-Is-Alone went up the hill, burned her special doll and scattered the ashes to the four points of the Earth.  Miraculously when the girl woke up, the whole land where the scattered ashes had fallen had turned into a field of blue flowers.  This became a sign of forgiveness from the Great Spirits. 




As I grow older, the material gains diminish its value compared to the more abstract things in life.  The images of friendships, love, forgiveness, empathy and gratitude comes into mind.  Of most valued would be my ongoing relationship with the people around me be it from work, from blogging, or from my friends around the globe.  Of most prayed would be love, not for myself but for all. Of most asked would be forgiveness from all the things I have done to others and to those who had done me wrong.  Of most practised would be empathy to model to others a more open heart towards many social issues. Of most shared is thankfulness, of gratitude, to those who have been with me throughout and to all the blessings in life. 

This Christmas, make a difference.  

When it is difficult to forget, we could probably forgive.  

When it is difficult to laugh, we could probably smile. 

When it is difficult to move on, we could probably do our first step. 

When it is difficult to find love, nurture friendship.  

When it is difficult to have peace, offer a prayer. 

When it is difficult to live, stop and see in your heart why you are still alive. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Blessings of 2014

Let me capped the year with some of the most wonderful gifts I received or had encountered throughout 2014.

Birthday- Though I don't celebrate birthdays anymore, it was heart warming to be remembered by a dear friend named Jennifer to bring me some treats to share with my students that day. I also offered merit to a Buddhist temple and celebrated with a small surprised gathering by a friend and some of my acquaintances. The month of January was chilly and it was my fave month so far.

Tags- Though composing notes and blog posts seemed easy for me, the tag to put in writing things to be thankful for was a challenge. I wasn't able to write for five days and I ended having only three. It wasn't the blessings because there were a plenty but it was whom to tag that gave me a headache. I was also tagged to do the black and white challenge by Balut and it was equally draining but fun. I took the opportunity to open up my older files and post photos of which I tagged five people as well.

Work - The first half of the year was hard work since I had a lot of reports to write, projects and presentations to finish and the never ending drama in school. I switched to a younger class in August and this is a respite to the many requirements for pre kindergarten.

Friends - There were three sets of friends who came to visit. One was from Singapore, another from the Philippines and the last but aplenty, from Taiwan. I also met  some bloggers when I went back to Manila and I am sure that I lost some. A former university classmate for a year recognized me at Taipei airport and I couldn't even remember his face. Also, while inside a commuter train, an acquaintance saw me in Taipei. 

Travels- This is probably the only incentive I get from working so hard. Traveling to Manila in January was draining because of our family squabbles. However my trips to Thailand every month were my pet peeves. Armed with my cameras, I took plenty of photos of things that interest me. But the most memorable of my travels were my solo trips to Japan and Taiwan. I experienced so many things that there were no regrets whatsoever.

Love - My students had been inspirations so as the parents of my last pre- kindergarten class. I am not a happy fellow when it comes to my personal life as I am living in constant threats and fear. Maybe one day I will tell people about it but for now, allow me to wallow in self pity as I try to fix my life.

Ikebana

The art of Ikebana is something that I have not taken into consideration of pursuing or learning. Gardening with Bonsai plants yes!, but not the art of arranging flowers. Most of these intricate arrangements show passion, patience and uttermost creativity. For some, the finished product can be seen on a subjective level, whether they actually captured the emotions of the viewers or they gave meanings to the people who looked at them. 

I was fortunate enough to see some of the creations made by Japanese Ikebana artists under the theme of Mother's Day of which Thailand celebrates on the 12th of August, in commemoration of the Queen's birthday.

Let me indulge you to some art ...

Takeshi Iioka

Heart - Kourei Hosokawa

Seio Ishima

The Light - Seiyo Ishii

Flower, People, Love - Norika Nitta

Dream of Mother - Seirei Yoshizawa

Thank You Mom, With Gratitude - Sousyun Okada

Eternity - Koji Kurata

Paradise - Koyo Sasaki

Feeling Great - Shigyoku Hieda

In Ikebana, the flowers are imbued with a human meaning. They are no longer the flowers of the meadow or the flower shop...the result is an expression of the Ikebana artist. (Kadensho, Teshigahara's Diary)

Happy Mother's Day!

Sunset Part 2

The children were whispering and they were giving me hints. "You will get it back!" "I will see you at Milano." "That's the painting you will get." "My mom told me not to tell you."

Our assistant principal and the rest of the school staff knew but they were quiet. They knew the plans being concocted by the parents of my class but they remained silent.

I was very curious and I shared some discoveries, then realizing everyone knew. Even my assistant knew it. I ended up putting things together to make some sense to my discoveries and made myself ready for Sunday.

It was a rainy late afternoon when I went to Milano. A few of the girls in my class were in the playground and when I entered the premises, parents of my students were there, gathered and greeting me with hellos. Later, the rest of my class were in attendance, happily jumping in the bouncy castle available for play.

They were all there, parents and children alike, to honour me as their children's teacher. And in all the fanfare and everything, I was given a priceless gift, a painting I made with the children in class, the Sunset Boulevard one. I was laughing and felt very strange indeed to received such a marvellous present which fetched 20 thousand baht during the auction. Another historic event, not only because of the amount of money spent for such a piece but also the first time to be invited by the whole class for dinner.

The entire place was filled with children and dignified foreigners representing almost ten countries. I was in awe and I was very humbled. Forever grateful, the class of 2011-2012 will be one unforgettable class. 

A big thank you to all the children and their parents: the Rust family, the Busabok family, the Reed family, the Curlin family,  the Eliaz family, the Redl family, the Bunworasate family, the Elik family, the Sereeyothin family, the Goense family, the Lekawska family, the Staib Hansen family, the Venn family, the Wittner family, and the Werner family.

One Birthday Wish

Every year I celebrate my birthday with the students in my class. An ice cream cake or a cake will suffice and we will all partake a cup of cold delights and enjoy the short bonding moments during recess.

Every year I celebrate my birthday by visiting a church or a temple. Last year, I fed birds and released some fish to the river. This year, I made merit by donating some money to a foundation and then prayed in a temple.

Every year, I wanted to eat out with some or just one good friend. This year, I spent the afternoon and evening with two beautiful people in my life. I got laughs, tears, joy and love for eight hours of non-stop sharing of stories and funny moments. And to my surprise, I got a cake, handed by a former student of mine, and the gesture was deeply appreciated.

Every year, as the day ends, I sit down and reminisce how lucky I am to be alive and having had lived a great year. This year, one birthday wish is fulfilled once again, a wish I always hope to happen even for just this one day of the year, that is, to be with someone.

A big thanks to Sumead and Deena for the cards, Joan and Carol for the wonderful company, Marc for the pillow, Sai for the cake, RMA staff for the birthday wishes, Wasan for the temple visit, Stephen for the overseas call, ITG for the birthday entry, my dad for his very first sms message to me, and to all of those who shared this one birthday wish even with a one line birthday greeting. Love you all!

In Love With Poi

No, I am not in love with a person. I am in love with life and what life had given me. All these years, my students had given me so many things besides their caring attitude and inner love. They are my support system and my strength. All these years, they had also given me material things of which I am so thankful of.

Just last Christmas, I received many gifts from many people. I got a wonderful Santa sculpture, a piggy bank with my favorite book illustrated on it, a sapphire ring, a sports watch, cards, tasty sweets, and many other things. One of them is a teddy bear that brought the child in me. I looked at it and realized that this is the first ever bear I received. I gave it a hug and named it Poi (named after the giver).

There are some things in life that will bring back good and bad memories. There are some that will take us to a land of imagined places and unravel the childlike in us. There are things that support our needs and adds up our wants. Those presents in one way or the other, will remind us of the person, an event in life, or a feeling we wanted to keep.

I keep them because I wanted to relive the memories, short they maybe. I use the material things given to me and feels that a part of that person is within my reach. I keep the presents on display because the friendships they hold are for me to cherish. Some may have left, abandoned the chain, or had simply forgotten but when they come back, it's a new story to weave. I am not chained by material things, I see life because of their memories.