Small But Powerful (August 5, 2007)

Once when I was strolling in my garden while bathing in the light of the moon, I cannot help but smell a wonderful fragrance that permeates the back of my house. It was a smell so enticing that I immediately looked for its source. Wonderfully surprising, it was my Orange Jasmin, the dwarf ones that bears white flowers but gives such strong scent. It was a delightful find.

I am just but a teacher in my school but had been a great contributor to the education and progress of the school. I am just one of the many teachers whose goal in life is to create wonderful individuals and contributors to this world. What I wanted to show here is that we, as individuals, maybe nothing but a miniscule to a large part of the society. But our presence gives the society a plurality. Our small identities give our workplace a name. We might be like a speck of dust to this world but our contributions can move mountains.

Ingenuity (August 3, 2007)

I marvel at the immensity of each and every structures and edifice I visited in Mainland China. I was wondering, questioning, being awed by each and every place I visited. The Hanging Temples, the magnificent monasteries, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and others.

I am talking about years past, century old, unparalled ingenuity. These are borne from great minds and spirits. These are products of determination and maybe of great dreams.

I cannot help but be amazed by China’s contribution to the world. I wanted to believe that they are great thinkers and excellent doers. These are two qualities I wanted to hone in me. Great is the thinker who uses actions instead of just words.

Distributing Strength (August 1, 2007)

I was at a silk making factory when we were introduced how silk was made into fine garments. One demonstration was to show us how a ball of silk is pulled to make silk blankets. After the demonstration, we were encouraged to have actual hands on where I was one of the participants.

On all four sides of the table, there was a person each and we were asked to pull the ball of silk to distribute it evenly as we try to lay the silk on the table. One of the participants was pulling the ball harder than the rest of us. He was being told to gently pull it so that the distribution of silk would be equal to all sides. Unfortunately, he didn’t listen. He got most of the silk on his side and less for all three sides. The process needs to be repeated again. What a waste!

In working together, one must not be in control of others because it is in cooperating with one another that we get the best results. Pulling the silk to show one’s strength or power proved nothing but mere foolishness.