Persona

I often listen to different types of speakers - motivational speakers, preachers, teachers, et al. I listen not only to what they are saying but also to what they are not saying. I wondered once why the same statement said by one speaker uttered by another means differently, registers with more depth, hits home a little more by more than just a sliver.

For instance, I have a mentor who tells me to read my book pretty much in the same way the next professor does, tells me to lock up to have quiet moments to recoup & re-charge, and tells me to my face what is possibly wrong with me at the time, hitting bull's eye about the deed but never demeaning the doer. And it dawns on me that the difference is the life beneath the words.

If that mentor tells me to read a book, she has read two or three. If she tells me to lock up for quiet moments, she has basked in the stillness of quietude. If she tells me what is wrong, it is because she has been that way herself and overcome.

That is why some speakers hit home. They live the lives they preach.

Simplify

My younger son, Nathan, is, thankfully, an orderly boy. It took him a long time answering his Kumon sheets on his diagnostic entrance because he wanted to make sure the numbers were well-written. He insists that his pencils are sharpened before we do home-school, and cleans his table squeaky clean before and after working. It is really an easy task to teach and manage him. Recently, he piped in, "Mom! We have to 5S our home!" I had just heard about 5S from my husband who, explained to me that it is a system that puts order in an environment so that everything is in place and that there is a place for everything.

I have begun, at my younger son's cue, to simplify my home and, one by one, remove clutter. Moreover, I resolved to simplify my life on a bigger scale, and weed out the inessentials, if one could call it that. Sometimes, I tend to think that everything is important. When I review my day before I turn the final lights off, I realize that 40% could have been trashed.

I haven't figured out what 5S means in detail. But, it has helped me dramatically. Perhaps now, I will have the time to stop and smell the flowers on the way to the ice cream store.

Who Am I?

We are never without the urgent. Bills demand to be paid. Tick lists have a way of getting longer than one is quick to do. Appointments gatecrash into each other. And we are left in a frenzy, never having time to do the important, the relevant, the significant.

This is why it is necessary to come back to the basic questions: Who am I? Why do I exist? Why am I here? The answers determine what we should do, priorities we should keep, and those things we should weed out.

Nature fulfills its raison d'etre simply by being. They do not even possess half the faculties humans do. Shows us how we learn some of life's best lessons from things around us. Sans words.

God Hears

When everything seems to cave in, when the noise level rises above decibels no human can tolerate, and when the tiredness numbs and we are devoid of words...God hears the sighs uttered from the heart. And you know what? Believe it or not, we hear His whispers, still and small.

Peace.

Agreement of Subject and Verb Simplified

At the risk of sounding simplistic, perhaps this will help determine the basic agreement of subject and verb:

The "s" (to make the subject plural generally and to add to the predicate for a singular subject) appears only once.

For example:
The boy sitS. Not: The boy sit.
The boyS sit. Not: The boys sits.

In the first erroneous sentence, the "s" should be added to the verb.
In the second erroneous sentence, the "s" only appears to make the subject plural.

Hope this helps. Of course, there are other rules. But, we can begin with this one. Happy speaking or writing!

Dimensions of Depth by Alice Guillermo

It was an intimate gathering of hearts & minds when they launched " Dimensions in Depth" the book on Bettina's late husband and multi-awarded artist, Onib Olmedo. Daughters Gisela Olmedo-Araneta & Franjo Olmedo-Arias were, naturally, there, too, with their families. That was this afternoon at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4, Makati.

I was fashionably late. A few minutes, but, nonetheless late enough not to have caught the names of those who spoke to honor Onib, the man & artist. That each one spoke with sincerity was expected - Onib elicited no less and the stature of the speakers could have allowed them no less either. I was spellbound by the meandering manner in which they wove their words into poetic prose, if that term were permitted in literary lingo. I realized that, since my U.P. Literary Circle days, it has been a while since I've had the sublime pleasure of being surrounded by professional writers in one gathering. It was exhilarating for the writer in me.

I understood why Onib was such a great artist. He was a writer, poet, artist. And he was excellent in all respects. His paintings showed his depth. His poetry showed his humor. His prose revealed his heart in words.

I went home and looked at my Onib Olmedo painting, the only one that hangs in my living room. I whisper a prayer, "Thank you, God, for the life of Onib. Thank you for his gift of making us see through his paintings, the truth about our souls."

To God Be All Glory!

The ABAP Cup competition is finished. Praise God for His grace & anointing upon us. We are humbled at the privilege of having been awarded on several notes for ICA, STI Academy & talents inC.

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY of T.Chelo & T.Jun
2nd place - Junior A category (ages 6-9), Classical
1st place - Senior A category (ages 12-15), Classical
1st place - Senior A category (ages 12-15), Contemporary (same dancers)
Joy Coronel Award for the Most Promising Female Dancer in Senior A category - Jiselle Ann Magbanua
Best Choreography for Jun Saagundo's "Sa Ngalan ng Ama" tied with Ecole de Ballet Manille

STI ACADEMY of T.Jan & T.Jun
3rd place - Junior A category (ages 6-9), Classical
1st place - Junior B category (ages 9-12), Classical
1st place - Junior B category (ages 9-12), Contemporary (same dancers)

talents inC of T.Pia
2nd place - Junior B category (ages 9-12), Classical

Our real victory, however, lies in the lives I witnessed backstage as the dancers prayed, "Lord, win or lose, we will dance for you." Our heart was to praise Jesus through our dancing. We prayed for victory, but not at the expense of character. God works in the heart, where no one sees. Perhaps this round we may have gotten the physical awards; but, it makes me wonder who, in God's eyes may have won the real gold: those who, perhaps, did not win but sowed seeds of silent praise to God; those who, perhaps, did not win but sincerely rejoiced for those who did. It makes me remember that the ultimate yardstick is His, who holds the hearts of men.

We accept the victory humbly. We know full well that it is by His dispensation that we won. And we give Him back all praise and all glory, as we ought.