Love Under the Rain

I am the kind of person that does not love rain. Yes, when I was just a kid I tend to love bathing under the rain along with my siblings but, as I grow up, it changed. Every time it rains I feel really blue. 

Some say that they love rain because it is nice to sleep when it’s raining but not me. I feel sad when it’s raining at night. Especially when I’m alone, I feel afraid. Well, that’s not what I am going to tell you this time. This article is about living from the past. I had an intro about rain because my topic is about my favorite drama series now is entitled, “Love Rain”.

At first, I wonder why my Mom is shuddering and keeps on watching it over and over again. I got curious so I watched it myself. Now I know. It is really one of a kind story. it is a love story of the past that was never given an opportunity to flourish.

Love Rain focuses on the romance between the offspring of two estranged lovers. Typical plot, right? I was surprised that they dedicated a good chunk of the whole series to the backstory, actually.

We are introduced to the introverted In Ha, an art student who’s very skilled at painting. In just three seconds, he falls in love with Yon Hee as he passes by her in the school grounds. Ever since then, he attempts to get to know her. He even went as far as grabbing an old umbrella from a storage room just so he could share it with Yon Hee during a rainy day.

Though I do not believe in love at first sight, I wasn’t repulsed at the admiration that In Ha had for Yon Hee. This is probably because he was too shy to actually voice out his feelings for her. He was so slow to the point that you’d get frustrated at the way he allows his bestfriend, Don Wook, to steal the apple of his eye away from him.

In Ha watches quietly in the background as Yon Hee and Don Wook get closer and closer. Eventually though, conflict arises the moment In Ha and Yon Hee realize that their feelings are actually mutual. They leave their town to be together, then go home to face the mess. Unfortunately, their budding relationship is cut short when fate gets in the way. Yon Hee develops tuberculosis while In Ha gets arrested thanks to his roommate and friend. They never saw each other after all of that.

30 years later, by chance or maybe even fate, their offspring bump into each other during a trip to Japan. Ha Na, unlike Yon Hee, is perky and cheerful. Joon, unlike his father, is cold and infamous for being a playboy. After Ha Na accidentally loses her phone to Joon, their lives are eventually entwined. Also, during a rainy day in Korea, their parents finally reunite after so many years apart. The situation between the two couples is the main conflict in the story.

First of all, the back story is what really got me into the series. Although it’s a given that In Ha and Yon Hee would not end up together, it was still heartbreaking to see them torn apart by fate. The first five or so episodes are dedicated to their history and, for some reason, I enjoyed it more than the whole series itself. I fell in love with the 1970’s couple and it took some time for me to adjust to the present timeline.

The backstory contains more drama than the present timeline. The latter tends to be really light-hearted and sometimes, it feels like a romcom. Everything was thrilling when I was waiting for the moment that the two couples would find out about their complex predicament. After that, the series became a bit boring. I watched until the end to see how In Ha and Yon Hee’s story would unfold. I really wanted them to get together more than Ha Na and Joon.

Overall, I’m glad I watched it mostly because of the story between In Ha and Yon Hee. Their love is just so beautiful. They didn’t see each other for 30 years yet they still couldn’t forget about their first love. The scene above is probably my favorite. While crossing the street, In Ha notices Yon Hee. He’s in shock, but he rushed through the streets under the pouring rain just to make sure that it was her. This time, it was Yon Hee who offered to share her umbrella with him. It just made me feel all mushy inside.

Though their love story didn’t have a happy ending, they did one very heart breaking decision; to give way for the happiness of their children. It is clearly a reminder that if you have let go of the past once, it is a 50-50 chance of getting it right the next time.

My Anti-Stress Formula

Stress. The word that I think no one can ever get rid of nowadays; especially busy and very active people. Everyone does seem clamoring about it. “I’m stressed!” that’s what you can often hear from students. So, what is stress?

Stress is made up of many things: It is a family of related experiences, pathways, responses and outcomes caused by a range of different events or circumstances. Different people experience different aspects and identify with different definitions.

 Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being is a stress. Some stresses get you going and they are good for you - without any stress at all many say our lives would be boring and would probably feel pointless. I guess stress for me is that stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.  So therefore, what we must do is learn on some ways on how to manage stress, and how are we able to take it as positive as possible. Why is it that we are experiencing stress? That’s because we are alive. A lot of causes of stress; best examples are family issues, relationship challenges, school stuff, and mainly personal finances. Yet all these things are normal. Stress is normal. 

I may not be very good at this but allow me to give you some of my knowledge on how to manage and maybe relieve stress for that matter. For I once experienced a death defying circumstance of being so stressed out. And I tell you, that is not a pretty good sight.

No.1. Take a break. 

Learn how to take a pause. No matter how important what you are doing, always remember that your health is a precious wealth. And no one can ever give you that good health but yourself. Take a minute to breathe and to clear your mind. Listen to your favorite song or watch a delightful movie. Take time to stroll around the mall. Go to the beach, and watch the waves as it soothes your eyes. Look at some green plants, some trees, and flowers. They absorb the negative elements from your body. Or try to call some close friends, have some beer and unwind for a little while. Relax, go to your favorite spa and have soothing massage. Enjoy the moment. With this, you can have an ample time cleansing your body from the unwanted things. 

No.2. Manage your time properly.

If you want something done right away, avoid doing thing things you don’t have to do. You know for you yourself know what are things that are important, less important and are not important. Avoid wasting your time on unnecessary things. Try cleaning up your calendar of activities. Learn to prioritize. Make a list of things that should be done now, later and tomorrow. But don’t exhaust yourself too much. Just do what you can for today. Overloading things is never a good idea. First thing’s first. Be systematic. With this, you can organize your mind and will make you avoid cramming.

No.3. Switch on your social life. 

Talk to someone. Don’t keep all that stuff inside you. Connect to people. Have a chat with friends. Tell them your what’s happening in your life now. Go to your mom, and tell her about your job, about you hot office mate and that annoying suitor of yours, or those stupid things which are happening in school. Let it all out. Share them your problems. It will surely take away a lot of baggage in there. 

No.4. Take care of your body. 

You are not superman. Have a well-balanced diet. Eat what’s best for you. You are not a kid anymore for someone to tell you what is good or bad. Take a rest. Don’t abuse your body. Sleep if you have time. Don’t over expose yourself with alcohol and smoke. This will ruin your healthy lifestyle. Exercise regularly. Go to the gym if you want. Be athletic. Engage in some sports. Learn to be physically active sometimes. This will make you more alert and energetic and will keep you away from sickness. This will also help you think well, and be less worrisome.

No. 5. Think positive. 

Forget all the bad vibes. Keep in mind that everything has a purpose and everything happens for the best. Bear in mind that God has a mighty plan for allowing things to happen. Don’t forget to pray. Do not leave your religious life unattended. Nourish your spirit by going to church, reading the Bible or just simply praying before going to sleep. This will help you keep peace with your soul.

These are just simple things that will surely help you cope with stress and deal with it. As I have said, stress, is completely natural because we are living. All we have to do is know what we have to do when this silent killer attacks us. 

For the Sake of the Past and of the Future

After staring at the insertion point for quite a long while, blinking and annoyingly disrupts the flash of thoughts that ravels inside my head, at last, there is one descent idea that sprung out of my slightly beautifully damaged mind. It is about what is really our role as a citizen, and how are we able to become a responsible one. What does it entail us for doing so? What will be the perks of being a responsible member of the society? Or is there any?

 Let me share you this line from my favorite literary piece of a great Filipino writer, Carlos P. Romulo. Here it is, “I am a Filipino- inheritor of the glorious past, hostage to the uncertain future. As much as I must prove equal to a two-fold task- the task of meeting my responsibility to the past, and the task of performing my obligation to the future.”  This is such an example of a maxim that I think, every citizen must ponder on. The splendor of this line tags along a pronounced duty that one should not forget nor even avoid to think about.

Given that we are living in the generation where everyone seems to be very vigilant and is criticizing on every move of the government through the social media; however, I guess we sometimes forget what the essence of being a responsible citizen is. By making Carlos P. Romulo’s lines as guiding principle, how can we say that we are what we are supposed to be?  I have one little suggestion, JUST FOLLOW THE RULES. It may seem very simple, but I know, we all know, that this is very hard to follow.  I bet that upon reading this, you may want to stop, and click on for the new tab on your internet and scan the pages of your wall, update your status on Facebook and see what’s trending on twitter, or look for much more entertaining video on YouTube. But hey man! If you still have that one little consideration, just a little one for the sickening society, or you just want to know what’s inside my sick mind, you can go on reading my blog.

Let us start from the very basics. First thing’s first. Before we complain on other people’s actions, let us not forget on exercising our rights in the first place. Right? Then, we must bear in mind that it is our obligation to know what are our rights for us to exercise it properly. Let us recognize the idea of engaging into active citizenship.  Rights are there for us to exercise and not just to be passive about it.  These are the most important rights to the citizens of the country.  With this, we might be able to know what we should do, and know our limitations. Thus we might also learn to respect our fellows and continue to make the flow of the government right in track.

Next thing is, we must participate. Let us not just be mere audience of this big show of the government. Take note, this is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. So, in one way or the other, we are a part of the government. We are not just live spectators of the crimes that are rampantly happening n our society. 

Being a part of the of the government projects wont kill us right? Even just giving a little time to support these projects will bring a huge impact on the greater development of the country. Thinking of the welfare of one’s community as a whole is something that we should put in mind. Not that the disastrous idea of individualism is what we are put first. It is division we are displaying, not unity. Doing our part does not mean that we’ll just comment on social media about the government’s crap every time. It is not joining rallies though. It is not boycotting the election because we say that it is still of no use. It is getting involved. Getting involved in every way possible that we could do it.

Show concern. It is one thing that we can say and we can set as examples to the succeeding generations that hey, we care, so you must too.  Romulo said, “we are inheritors of the glorious past”, right? So how can we give credit to the people behind that glory we are reminiscing?  Patronizing our own products, preserving the rich culture and tradition, and loving the place that we are living in, are ways that we can value what our ancestors have left us. 

With these things, by being a true citizen, being committed and dedicated members of one society, will make us answer the call of meeting our responsibilities to the past and performing our obligations to the future. For the benefit of not only the children of our children but the bright tomorrow of our beloved country.

Living at the Brink of Survival

Life is unfair. It is a sad reality that nobody could escape. It is a fact that no one cannot deny. Rather to accept it as a challenge and most importantly as a blessing; because it is just a simple reminder that the Almighty has chosen you to be recipients of these obstacles in life for you are strong and valiant.

Let me tell you a story of never ending hope, unconditional love and fervent faith of a woman that I know back in my hometown in San Dionisio. Her name is Tina.

Tina is a mother of eight, and a wife of a fisherman and also a drunkard. Her husband’s earnings seem not to surpass the family’s daily needs so Tina is helping in any possible thing, she thinks, she can. In the morning, she gathers sea shells and sea weeds which she sells to the nearby barangays. Tina, also sells, ice candy in the elementary school, from where her students are attending to. In the afternoon, she accepts laundry.

A great hurdle in Tina’s life came when her son was diagnosed with hernia. Hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. Tina had no choice but to seek help from neighbours and friends. In a hernia operation, one must need around 100,00 pesos, and where on earth could Tina get this amount of money? She made a list of the people who have donated. You know what’s heart wrecking here is? As I see Tina’s list, people just gave her, 20.00 pesos, 5.00 pesos, and worst, 2.00 pesos. Of course, Tina did not complain about this, however, she continued on asking for help until one Good Samaritan answered Tina’s prayers.

Another obstacle came when Tina’s eldest daughter, from whom she thought was working in Manila got married to a man who is somewhat ‘can afford’. Tina didn’t knew this at all. She just learned this through a friend. On the day of the wedding, Tina came, but her daughter rejected her. Her daughter told her husband that it was her “yaya” before. Tina did not say a word and just left.

She said to herself, maybe, she was not good enough for her children to call their mother. Maybe because she was not able to finish her schooling. Maybe because she is just an ordinary housewife and a shell vendor.

I do not know how Tina felt that time, but I know that it really hurts, big time! On the other hand, because of her love to her children, she did not complain.

From then on, I haven’t heard from Tina again, until my younger brother told me that Tina is sitting in at Grade three in the school her where her children is in too and sells at the canteen when break time.

From Tina’s story, reminds me on hat it is to be a mother. Doing whatever you can for your children and never lose faith when problems arise. Her unconditional love for them had pushed her to do more, and to hope for the best. I guess, Tina just reminds me that no matter what happens, education is the best key to survive and the only inheritance a parent could ever give to her children.

No matter how unfair life is, it is for us to know the real meaning of it as we go along in this journey we call, survival. Also, for us to differentiate the meaning of survival, from knowing the true essence of living itself.

New Roads, Same Critiques

The City government of Iloilo is now busy repairing and widening roads in streets that are mostly used. There are a lot of speculations and reactions which are more often than not criticizing these works.

People are very predictable. If the government is not doing anything many would condemn it. If the government is doing everything, much more would criticize and put malice on it. Where would the government place itself? Most of the inhabitants of Iloilo City are complaining about the not so good roads in the city. Many would say that it is not good to travel around the city with these kinds of roads. Now that there are a lot of repairs and widening of roads they are also complaining and even more protesting about traffic and stuff. Many would say that why they don’t take this road first, not this or that. Or, why just now? Some would also say that election is fast approaching that’s why the government has a lot of projects sprouting like mushrooms. This might be true but bear in mind that the government is just doing its job to its people. These city-wide repairing of roads must be put to criticisms of skeptics who knew nothing but to throw bad apples against the government. It must be appreciated and praised for it is for the welfare of every citizen of Iloilo City.

The Department of Public Works and Highways have plans that are already set to make the roads better for the convenience of the people and also for tourism, economic purposes and others and not just for the upcoming election for the benefit of those incumbent politicians.

So, one must make it to a point that before they criticize something, they should weigh things first before jumping into conclusions that are detrimental to the part of the people concerned. 

P.R. Please!

Being an employee of a government run institution, one must consider that good public relations is a must in dealing with the residents of that certain place. However, it seems that some, if not all of the government employees do not know what public relations is all about.

One example is the staff of  one of the municipalities in Iloilo. Given the fact that they are there to serve the people where they work for, and they are getting paid enough to do their jobs well, but sad to say that they are not. In most cases, if a citizen of a certain local government would enter the municipal hall, employees are expected to give this poor fellow his needs or what he wants. These workers must greet and ask that person what he or she is up to. Yes, not all citizens are aggressive enough to go directly and ask. Most of these citizens are too shy so it is up to the employees to make this person feel comfortable. Deal with the person with a smile or just a face that doesn’t show that he or she is uninterested.

Another instance is that if a person asks for example what they would do in order to get a sedula, these employees, would just look at you and just points to a section of the room where there is no person around. Many people line up to wait for such person and only to find out that she is busy having her manicure along with her other colleagues. Another is that, one poor farmer is looking for a municipal councillor or any of the politicians to seek help. The employees told him to just wait and didn’t even bother to call for the attention of the person concerned. They are just busy playing computer games in the middle of office hours.

CCTV’s let’s say that are not just for thieves and for the authorities to solve crimes, but also, to check if the staff of a certain government institution are working according to what they are supposed to. Not sitting pretty in their rotating chairs busy watching noon time shows and leaving the people standing, lining up to get the chance that they get the answers they have intended in the municipal hall.

The government must see to it that the employees know what public relation is and practice it. It is just a matter of diplomacy we are talking about here. 

Cheating Never Wins!

It is such a great degradation of your dignity if you are being untrue to people, especially to yourself!

I don't say that i am the truest person and the most honest one, but HEY! try to be one also. Okay?? it is not what you want to let your children know someday! I do not pin point just to the person in this news but to those who take credit for the work of others. 

Another thing, you are being sent to school right?  We study to know the right thing. and to know what we are supposed to do. Hope that this will serve as an opener to those who keep on cheating their way up to college and even after. 

People, please take into consideration that each and every little thing you do, there is and there will always be others who might get involved. Your family, your community, your school, and your country. So better think a hundred times first before doing something.

I tell you, cheating is never wins!

Here, check this out!

http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=652154&p=68360943