Tag Archive | lessons

I am back…

First and foremost, I would like to give a special shout out to all my blogging pals who- even in my absence never fails to drop me a tweet or two, a comment and reaction, poking my system and simply asking how things are. These may sound too simple but it mean so much to me because it tells me that you all care. You know who you are guys, so Thank You!

I am okay and in a very fine state, so.. no worries to you all. I am once again in an adjustment period which to my case will always leave me standing on a pedestal where it can easily cause me to stumble had I not watch my balance. I admit, I am pretty clueless, idea-less or somewhat speechless that is similar to what they call a ‘writer’s block’ except that I don’t consider myself a writer. I am currently taking career development steps that is basically the reason that takes most of my time lately, which will be beneficial to me and to the future of my family if I will succeed.

I need all the positive energy and vibes in the world. I need all the encouragement I can gather and embrace. Most of all, I need all the support and inspiration. As a come back, I want to share to you these inspiring words.

When kids starts to wear glasses

My daughter told me one day that a classmate of hers who is sitting behind her keeps peeping and copying from her notebook. I told her all she has to do is tell the kid that copying is bad. I know she can manage to deal with her peers so I wasn’t alarmed with the issue. I asked her who the kid was, and it happens that I knew who the kid’s mother as she is a very good friend and a former classmate in high school.

Several days after my conversation with my daughter, the kid’s mom who I said is my friend, posted on her Facebook that her kid needs prescription eyeglasses at a very young age. Right there and then I know the answer to my daughter’s concerns as to why her classmate keeps on checking her notebook or paper when they are writing.

I started wearing eyeglasses at very young age too. Nine years old to be exact and I was in fourth grade. I cannot remember how my mother discovered why I need one but I can still recall how I felt before I was wearing one.

cool glasses, cool kids

1. Having a hard time at school and reading problems

I belonged to a SPED section, it is homogenous selection in terms of general difficulty learning, difficulty in school average on grades. Bragging aside, I went to school in a classroom full of genius kids.  I reached the point where studying to cope isn’t fun anymore and I started not to enjoy it. I love reading and even that activity is a struggle. The lessons are hard to understand anymore as everything appears to be blurry or the alphabets on some words are not written as it should be. I can see numbers or other characters I don’t recognize in the middle of the word. I can see number 8 replacing the letter S all the time.

2. Eye Gestures

Squinting, winking, rubbing eyes often , frequent sets of quick blinking, covering one eye or alternately closing one eye from the other can help clear vision. I develop this habit to be able for me to focus more on the image or the board when the teacher is writing something. Normally, our eyes don’t do this gestures. To see the kids having to develop this habit is a way of telling us parents that something is bothering their vision focus.

3. Frequent headaches

I experienced having unexplainable headaches all the time. It usually goes away when I am doing nothing headachethat is stressful for the eyes, like playing dolls or running with my cousins. I complained a lot about getting headaches in school and I usually feel fine after classes. Parents , oftentimes fail to consider this seriously as it could be an abused excuse used by children to avoid going to school or to get the teacher to send them home when in school. I can remember my optometrist back then told my mother that my vision problems is 100% causing my frequent headaches.

 

4. Sitting close to the black board or to the television

Back in grade school the teacher arranged the sitting assignments of the class. I am a small kid back then but not the shortest , so, I was placed in the 2nd or 3rd line and  I always move to the front when I need to copy something from the board. I ended up not writing anything on kids loving TV, vision problems in childrenmy notebook if I am told to move back to my proper seat. Worst, I ended up not writing answers on my paper if the quiz questions are written on the board.

Watching television is something I am not fond of as a kid or even now that I have kids. If I do back then, I will be sitting so close to the screen for me to be able to enjoy the show.

 

5. Recognizing people from a distance

I got my first glasses a couple of weeks after I got home from Girl Scout Camping.  I can’t recall exactly but I think I did complain to my mother that the camping gave me a hard time. I was unable to recognize people from a distance. I had difficulty going to my troupe not unless I have a buddy with me. It is even harder to tell who I am really with since everybody is wearing uniforms and my means of identifying people I am with is through the colors of the clothes they are wearing.

I was told a couple of times that I am a snob because I don’t acknowledge those who greet me in a distance  or by those waving their hands at me when approaching. This situation really sucks. As kid, this is confusing.

Eyeglasses are not a very pretty accessory to wear when you are a kid at school. I have my own share of moments being teased and picked on because I am wearing one. Luckily, there are two other kids in class that was wearing a pair too when I started wearing mine. The impact wasn’t so bad and that they were already used to having a classmate with four eyes.

Few days after I saw the Facebook post of my friend, my daughter reported to me that her classmate is now wearing eyeglasses. I asked if he still peek into her notebook and she answered me “not anymore”. I made her realize that the classmate was doing that as he has vision problems. My kids know how important eyeglasses are as I am wearing one and they know how I depended my life to it. I asked her what her other classmates reaction was when they saw him come to class with it on and she told me a lot of the kids called him “Lolo” (Grandpa in Filipino) and a few others were laughing. I told my daughter never to tease the kid as it is not funny. I told her how I felt being picked on and I am sure she understand. I know my friend’s son will get used to it soon and and the classmates as well.

to love each other or perish…

 

I bought the book 3rd January of this year. I read it twice already. Two days ago, I picked it up from my book shelf and without hesitation started reading it once again…. for the third time.

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TUESDAYS with MORRIE
by: Mitch Albom

category: Autobiography – Memoir
published by: Anchor Books, a division of Random House,Inc. NY
Copyright 1997 by Mitch Albom

I don’t know why I don’t get tired reading this book along with other books from the same author, Mitch Albom. I even have a favorite chapter, it is The Fifth Tuesday, We Talk About Family . I was taken back to the familiar pages and favorite lines which I took effort underlining it with my pen and putting markers. I always do this on books that I learn to love specially the inspirational ones and Tuesdays with Morrie is no exception. It talks about people, their life and how well they live it. It talks about good examples and its fruits, it narrates bad examples as well and its effects. Tuesdays with Morrie made me realize and value more the blessing of having a family and belonging to one as much I have before. Since this is the third time, I come up with a list. If Mitch Albom has a list of topics he wished to talk about with Morrie, I made one too of the my favorite lines that I learned to memorize by heart.

1. Learn how to die, so you learn how to live.

Easier said. Because I’m not so sure If I want to learn how to die…not yet at least.

2. Learn to detach.

Morrie made it sound easy, what he meant really  was one should learn how to recognize emotions so one will know how to deal with it.

3. Family is all about Spiritual Security. No one else will give you that, not money, not fame, not work.

Exactly! I will do my best not to take my family for granted for no one will ever watch my back and would never leave. I just home someone will come around and realize this too. Winking smile

4. Love each other or perish.

The line I like the most. Smile  As Morrie emphasized, without love we are like birds with broken feathers.

It was late and I was already in bed with my book lamp when I finished reading. Like the first and second time, it made me cry…still. I know someday, I will feel the desire to read this book once again and as always I will enjoy it. Winking smile

—————————-

“Do the kind of things that comes from the heart. When you do, you won’t be dissatisfied, you won’t be envious, you won’t be longing for somebody else’s things”
- Morrie Schwartz

Grow Up… Dude!

 

My thoughts on an issue I cannot avoid thinking about. Take note , opinions such as this are not meant to describe the subject in general but refers to the  majority for emphasis. Knowing that this is happening to most middle-lower class couples(could be happening so some well-off couples too) in Philippine situation thus I admit, the term husband in this post refers to Filipino Men.

I heard from the news today that 3 out of 4 women were victims of domestic violence . According to the social welfare that handles the cases , these women were only among the 10 percent of the total number of women who have the courage to speak up and reported the incidents.

When asked what made them to stay living with the violent husbands, their answers were;

1. They have children to raise.

2. Women victims of domestic violence are mostly unemployed and depended on their husbands for day to day support.(duh..as if the actors are making that much??)

3. Fear of  being traced and followed and would get even more hurt for even trying to leave.

4. Social embarrassment.

5. Love????????????? (huh? do you recognize the word if you have a black-eye?)

When asked what could be the reason for couples to fight that would end for these women beaten up, their answers were:

1. Financial Problems on typical scenarios like : Stay-at-home wife reminds the husband for due payments on utility bills such as; Electricity , Water Bill , Telephone Bill , House Rent/mortgage ; Children’s tuition fees. Husband  will give money if not the exact amount, its not enough to cover the dues. Wife then would remind husband of more important budget issues that desperately need attention such as baby’s milk, baby’s immunizations that are not covered by the government health centers , medication for kids that are sick , empty rice keeper , another reminder from the landlady on house rent collection and…… food. Made the husband angry hit or beat the wife, left the house and gets drunk.

2. Nagging and Confrontations: Husband came home late or drunk then wife starts to ask and argue. Husband came home late from hanging out with friends because there is nothing fun to do at home with kids and husband needs to unwind. Husband came home, in a bad mood because he lost a bet gambling. Husband insists on staying home with parents and husband’s mother made life for the wife miserable as hell. Husband complains about not having good food on the table and wife nags back about there is nothing good enough to cook in the fridge anyway. Made the husband angry hit or beat his wife, left the house and gets drunk.

3. Third Party involvement in any way possible. Third party can be an ex-girlfriend, text mate , chat mate , officemate , neighbor , common friend , call girl , stripper , hooker or simply even an acquaintance.

I had been in a rough marital situation. Who hasn’t? Well, lucky you! I got away  from it proud and intact. I’m thankful I never got  beaten up , maybe because I never nag , I don’t ask , I don’t raise my voice and most of all I have a job and I am earning!  I admit , It took me a year and a half , an overseas job to overcome financial debts and found myself stable enough to get thru day to day needs raising two children.

A week ago I was able to talk to not just one but two friends who were fighting over the same situation, except that they are not domestic violence victims. Theirs are mostly financial issues. Both stop working because no one will be left with the kids . Both were professionals and were previously earning good salaries. Due to their husbands’ request , they were asked to quit their job and kissed their careers goodbye. For them , the husbands can’t live a life to stay at home and watch kids knowing that wives are earning. For them , closing their eyes and agreeing with the decision, is better than constant fighting and making up over some bruised male ego. Friend-A used up her service pay to finance her husband’s plan on some business and a networking contribution  because according to the husband they will be financially stable in no time. Friend B , quit her job , decided to stay home with the kids , put up a little sari-sari store in front of their house(which she acquired via PAG-IBIG housing when she was still single.) using a part of her service pay as capital and used the remaining part of her money to finance husband’s vocational training to make him qualify for an in-demand job abroad. To make the  stories short , Both husbands’ plans never worked out . Both husbands remain jobless. Both wives tried to make ends meet with all the budgeting skills to the best they can . Loan payments piled up and kids get sick and still endless fighting. Shaky marital relationships are pretty common scenario lately. Where ever I go , I never fail to hear bits and pieces of stories like this.

Some may agree or not, but women now days are more responsible than men . Hearing stories from women who experience a likely similar situation I have mentioned , one will agree too that wives have more initiative than husbands, in fact more wives are mature for the reason that having a family , one has to mature to be able to cope because it is just what it is supposed to be . But then, men in these situation seems to refuse being responsible. They act like they were still teenagers ,that hanging out with their friends doing senseless stuff will help them get away from reality. Grow up Dude!, You’re not a kid anymore, in fact you already have one.. or two or maybe even more than you declare . No wonder most of the successful single ladies of this generation prefer to have children than getting married . No smart woman will pick up a rock and break her head with it not unless the man is really worth picking up a rock.

Domestic Violence is cruel. Psychological Studies showed that domestic violence on women were the ugly results of grown up who failed to grow up mentally. Men who can’t handle failure and refuse to accept responsibilities and obligations like a grown-up man. Men who have unresolved issues from years back. Men who are insecure and incapable to handle tight situations (but are experts on “the”other “tight” situations Smile?).

To my male readers , I apologize if I may somehow hit a sore spot writing this post . But , if you’re not the kind of leading actor I am talking about then there is no reason to be offended.

To my female readers , may you be single , committed , engaged , divorced , annulled , heartbroken from a recent break-up , in a relationship / complicated relationship or married, What are your points of view to most of our men now-a-days?