43 YEARS

Life had been tougher

than it was ease

Joy was all too sudden

Sadness ligers awhile

Love was elusive

I slumber alone

But it was good altogether

Fate moves ahead

I follow like a breeze

Memories are behind me

No words are necessary

It’s all written in the wind.

   -   By Dan “DJ Flame” Brizuela

HONEST FILIPINOS MAKES THE PHILIPPINES MORE FUN PLACE TO BE

I am guilty as much as those who had bashed the Department of Tourism’s new campaign slogan: “It’s more fun in the Philippines”. After its launch two months ago, it had created much talk particularly over the internet. It generated favorable support yet it did garnered nasty remarks. While I was generally lukewarm on this issue, as a copyrighter I admit to being more critical of works other than mine. Moreover, disenchantment over how government system works in this country had made me skeptical to almost every program and policy being created that, more often than not, fails.

A recent trip to Sorsogon had sparked the hope in me that beyond the failures, success can be achieved particularly in the tourism industry. It’s an overstatement to say something about the beauty of the bicolandia region and its hospitable people. An experience in honesty and proven integrity had made me realize that indeed “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

It was the afternoon on our first day in the island of Sibago. The beach, sunset, laughter and booze were the perfect picture of how much fun we had. We were on a land mass about 200 meters from the shore that during high tide resembles an island; so one has to swim or get to a boat to get back to the shore. As it had totally gotten dark, we were so drunk that we decided to go back to the house. I and a companion went ahead of the others and boarded the boat. Less than 100 meters away, our boat tipped sideway and we both slithered into the waters. The waters were about the level of my chin and I was on tip-toed to the bottom. I was frightened because I don’t know how to swim. I eventually reached the shore safely to realize that: it isn’t my time yet and that— I left my camera on the sand in the other side of the shore.

Drunk as a skunk, I dropped on the bed without rinsing the sea waters and sand on my body. Intoxication had made me oblivious of the fact that my camera was lost. It was until the morning after that the dread of having lost it had finally sunk in. My host was gracious enough to lend his support by sending someone to our boatman, Utoy, who happened to had picked-up after us when the party was over. His pregnant wife instantly came and handed me the camera.

I was overwhelmed. No words were ever enough to express my gratitude. I am sure that he was able to save the camera only by chance since it was totally dark when we left the area. He could have missed it altogether. It would have been washed-away by the rising tide and gone forever. He then had the option to deny that he had retrieved it and got away with it.

Nicknamed Utoy, Dennis Trestiza is a native of Sibago. He works for the local tourism office in Donsol as a Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO). He mans a boat that ferries tourist to the area where the Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus), locally known as butanding, can be spotted. While he later told me that being honest is their orientation as tourism employee, I still commend him for a job well-done. I gave his wife a small amount in peso as a token. I know that no amount can ever compensate for his integrity.

My camera maybe cheap and out-dated but the pictures it had taken were priceless. If it was lost, so were the memories recorded in it. It would have ruined an otherwise ‘fun’ vacation. But one man’s honesty had secured, not only my camera and the memories with it, the lasting impression towards the people working in tourism and the credibility of the slogan, truly “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

DUALITY

We exist with two faces: the good and evil; the beauty and ugly; the right and wrong; the joy and sorrow; love and hate; peace and strife.

A poor man can be happy and contented while the rich sad and restless. Some goodness may come from sadness while some pain proceeds from pleasure.

Can we make sense out of this duality? Why do we have the good and evil together? Is it necessary? Why can’t we have the good exclusively? By then the world shall be peaceful and happy. Why do we have conflicts? It must be paradise to live in complete unity and harmony.

Nature abhors sameness. Contrast is what gives life. The benchmark of every experience is its opposite. How can you experience joy without experiencing sadness? Is it possible for you to feel pain without feeling pleasure? Can you distinguish sweet without tasting bitter?

The world has been ordained to contain such duality. It is an inescapable truth. The two-faced existence is enmeshed in every human life. It is up to each of us to bring-out whatever ‘face’ whenever it is necessary in facing the world.

WHAT IS TRUE WEALTH?

Wealth is what we may consider most valuable. While each has a relative view of what is truly valuable in life, we can easily regard something valuable when it gives us our sense of worth.

There are those who consider dignity and honor as the most valuable. They maintain that it is what gives a person his worth. Without it man shall forever live in shame and self-doubt.

For the more philosophical among us, they say intelligence and wisdom are the greater wealth that any person can possess. With these your ideas and advices shall be sought. You can easily gain recognition. Be the leader even in any endeavor.

Health and fitness are considered valuable by others. For them, intelligence is but a result of a healthy body, full of vitality and energy. A brilliant mind is worthless without a fit body to support it.

While quite a few will admit to it, some may regard money and material possessions have more premium than anything in the world. As they say, “Money makes the world go round.” The purchasing power of money can be liberating. It allows more freedom to choose. In this material world, money is power.

I personally value goodness and strength of character. I believe that if we are filled with these, we will inherently attract dignity, honor, intelligence, wisdom, health and even money. With all these integrated, happiness shall abide in our life. And we cannot ask for anything more.

ROSES AND THORNS

The journey of our lives maybe likened to a rose. More often than not we experience the sting of the thorns than the beauty of the flower. Threading through life is like taking a walk in a thicket of roses. You must be careful not to get hurt. You must stay strong or else trample over the bushes.

The roses of our lives are the experiences of success, prosperity and happiness. While the thorns are the failures, hardships, disappointments and dilemmas we usually encounter as we go through our existence.

We can choose to face life head on with courage and determination. With every fall we have to get up and move on. With each experience of brokenness, we can pick up the fragments to build a better life. We must be strong enough to carry life’s burden and have faith.

THE THEATER

The world is a theater.

Our life is like a play.

Each has a role to play

The curtain opens

As we were born

We yearn and cry

We learn to laugh

The Unseen director

Conducts from afar

Guided by a script

Each has to perform

Thespians are challenged

To act their best

Rewarded by applause

Life continues

As if on a stage

We are audience

To each other

Looking for recognition

Until the curtain closes

We take our final bow.

15,330 DAYS ON EARTH… AND STILL COUNTING.

As of today, I have lived on this planet for 15,330 days. It seems so aged yet I feel that the days had just gone so swiftly. As I counted the days, I started to wonder in retrospect at how many of those days counted? How many of those had been spent worthwhile? How I wish I could go back to those days that I wasted away and do otherwise. How I long to have more of those days when I was still younger and vibrant than I am today.

But the yesterdays are gone forever and it is impossible to go back to undo what had transpired. My options are to either face the consequences of my recklessness then move-on or live in perpetual remorse for the rest of my days. I could spend each day counting as it goes by with uncertainty. Or make each day count towards a definite purpose. Either way shall be a choice I have to decide on, today.

Tomorrow is but a proposition. It offers no guarantee. Yet we can hope and still dream today about how much better tomorrow would be. It may require more effort or to take that extra mile to get to a goal today. But it would have been worth the effort knowing that making the days count would certainly bring today’s wishes come true tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Me! =)