Some Stuff Sarah Realized about Success

“Pa, how would you define success?” I asked. He answered, “It depends on what lens you’re going to use.”

Well, there are in numerous statements that could and would describe success. Our perspective about it is actually dependent on who are we and how we view ourselves. For a farmer, success may be a bountiful harvest. For a businessman, success means high return of investments. For a doctor, success is seeing patients being cured. For a mother, success means watching your kids grow and be successful. For a student, success may be passing an exam after a night-long review. For a friend, success means seeing your friend success as well.

One of the greatest lie here on earth is this: “Why do we wake up every morning? To go to school and learn. So that someday, we’ll get a nice job and be financially secure.” But no, that is no simple. The time we went to school, we have met people who have let us experience so much things. They even contributed to find who we really are – our talents, abilities, and even our greatest fears. In the workplace, we have experienced tons of frustrations that lately shaped us as a resilient person. Basically, there is so much more in our everyday routine. In there, we create possibilities.

So, what to do now? Here’s a few tip: (Life lessons I learned after dealing with some personal issues)

1. Understand that there is so much more than what you simply do today. It could be something for better or for worse.

2. Do not magnify your weakness and failures.

3. Stop meditating about the number of people who caused you betrayals and rejections.

4. Understand that success and failure are not opposite.

5. Every time you feel so down, just think that it is part of growing up and part of gearing up for bigger purposes.

6. Remember, “The reason why successes are not coming to pass is that because the series of tests are not yet done.”

7. God didn’t put you up in that situation because of nothing.

8. You can’t do it with your own.

9. Some people are convinced and has lived a life accepting that they were failure and they were born to fail. A very big no.

10.    Just live the life – love and laugh. Fulfill your purpose.

    Our life is a bumpy road of trials and triumphs, defeats and victories, hurts and happiness, rejections and acceptance, frustrations and contentment. Basically, life is just like that. So, if I were you, I’ll not be stuck in the four corners of my bedroom, I’ll explore outside.

Defying Stars and Antecedents

(Note: Some parts are adopted from Shakespeare’s original script.)

Burial rites of Capulet family to Juliet.

Friar:              With all thy respect and rites of thy burial

Within my tent her bones tonight shall lie thou;

So call the field to rest, and let’s away

To part the glories of this mournful day.

Balthasar:      *hides, whispers*

Wherefore mourn thou Capulet people?

Oh, thy princess Juliet!

Why opt to sleep in that apothecary!

Why dost thou stay! I shall forth to Romeo’s place.

Balthasar hurries to Mantua.

Balthasar:      Sure, Romeo will mourn from morning until dawn!

                        Oh dearest friend, how unlucky is thy fate!

Passed the checkpoint of Verona’s borders.

Soldier 1:       Who art thou? Thy dost here!

One must not leave Verona, Prince’s order.

Balthasar:      Prithee, an accident, sir. My mother dies in Mantua!

Soldier 2:       Ha, ha, ha! Who? Thy mother?

Thou stupid excuse, everyone dies there!

Soldier 1:       Epidemic place, including Romeo!

Soldier 1& 2:             Ha, ha!

Balthasar:      *angrily and annoyed*

                        Thou shall not make laugh of thy dearest friend!

Soldier 1:       Opt to rebel?

                        *kills Balthasar*

Romeo in Mantua.

Romeo:         I dreamt my lady came and found me dead.

Strange dream that gives a dead man leave to think.

Oh, thy dearest Juliet, wherefore?

You make my life alone miserable!

                      I long for your lips, your touch, your love!

Messenger:   Romeo, friend Balthasar is dead!

                        He oath these words before thy last breathe:

                        “I thy dear Romeo to be in Verona. Summon him rapidly.”

Romeo mourns.

Romeo:          Wherefore thou fate testing me!

I’m beseeching thou god of the city!

Make thy life an immaculate one!

                        Now, I defy you stars, and all those distorted antecedents!

Romeo quickly went to Verona, and went to Friar Lawrence’s cell. At this time, Friar Lawrence knew that Friar John was unable to send the letter to Romeo.

Romeo:           *melancholically greeted friar Lawrence*

                        Friar, help thou art. I feel so heavily burdened.

Friar L.:            Have thou gone to thy apothecary?

Romeo:            Apothecary? Balthasar laid in an apothecary?

Friar L.:            Unhappy fortune! Haven’t you lamented because of thy Juliet?                        

                         Go to thy Capels’ monument and kiss her to make her alive.

Romeo quickly rushed to the Capulet’s apothecary and followed what Friar Lawrence said.

Romeo:           Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee to-night.

                        Let's see for means: O mischief, thou art swift

                        A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear

                        That the life-weary taker may fall dead

                        And that the trunk may be discharged of breath

Juliet:              Oh Romeo, Romeo thy dearest!
                       Thank thou for saving thy loveth lady!

Paris saw Romeo and Juliet kissing. He challenged Romeo to fight.

Paris:              I am her fiancée! Thou have no right to touch her!

Romeo:          Juliet is my wife! We are loving and we will love each other for the rest of our days!

Paris:              Curse you, Romeo of Montague!

Paris killed Romeo.

Juliet:             How oft when men are at the point of death

Death that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath.

Dear Romeo, what’s thy life without you?

It’s better to die than to live a stupid life!

Oh, a noise? Let me do this quick.

A happy dagger!

Paris, go thou marry thyself!

Juliet fell to Romeo’s body. Paris quickly escaped out of the apothecary.

Paris was a witness of Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other. He shared the testimony to Lord and Lady Capulet and from that incident until today, the walls built up between the Montagues and Capulets collapsed. The walls that were built in decades, fell down because of Romeo and Juliet’s truth to their love.

“Love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

The Greatest

"Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that grow forever."

I would never ever forget the names of my teachers who formed me, making me what I am today.

To teacher Elmie, my kindergarten teacher. Thank you ma'am for teaching me the basics of language and phonics. If you didn't taught me about the proper pronunciation and intonation, I would not be a declaimer, orator and a public speaker. I also want to thank you for coaching me in the field of geography and social sciences. Thank you for pushing me to memorize the capitals and currencies of Asian countries. Without your guidance, I would not be the national champion of General Information competition when I was in Kindergarten.

To teacher Cathy, my grade 1 teacher -- thank you for enhancing my skills in language and science. I can still remember how many times I failed in reading the phonics book, and you were the one who pushed me and encouraged me. You were the one who taught me about the principle of trying and trying again in order to succeed.

To teacher Jo, thank you for being more than my teacher. You were the one who saw my potential as a multiple-intelligent pupil. Thank you for the experiences you always shared - I would never forget those. 

To Ma'am Antiojo, thank you for being strict - you were one of the people who built my foundation of discipline, commitment and responsibility. I am grateful because I experienced your kind of mentoring. 

To Ma'am Chua, my grade four adviser, thank you for explaining the human systems and environment. Now, I appreciate Biology more than other fields, Thank you for the knowledge you've shared about what is happening in our environment today. I can still remember your words, and that made me an environmentalist today.

To Ma'am Landicho, thank you for letting me realize that the world is round, and the favor is not by me always. Ma'am, it was really, really a privilege being taught by a person like you. Thank you for sharing more than knowledge, thank you for establishing one of my principles in life. You have always said "Kung kaya mong gawin ngayon na, huwag nang ipagpabukas pa." Thank you for that ma'am, right now, I'm still pushing toward my goal and striving hard for my future.

To Ma'am Icaro, I'm so grateful for digging into my potential. Thank you because you're one of the people who saw my potential in writing and speaking. I had low self-esteem before but your words encouraged me to discover more about my self and maximize my talents.

To Ma'am Jenette, thank you for teaching me how to love math. Thank you because you enlightened my mind about learning more and leveling up.

To Ma'am Maye, I'm very grateful you've been my adviser in this critical point of my life. This year has been my turning point; your words became an eye opener. Thank you for having a great impact in my life. With your wise words you always share, you were one of the great persons who contributed in establishing my principles and viewpoints in life. Words cannot explain how thankful I am. 

Thank you teachers! Salutes to your never-ending hard work, inspiring actions and boundless love all for us, students. I love you, ma'am, teacher, sir. Thank you for being the chisels of my wooden mind - you did not fail to make a master piece.

Breath of Life

Dedicated to my not-so-niece, Ehrill. This poem's for you! 

I’m a girl who belongs to a cool boy squad.

I’m an extrovert surrounded with a circle of best friends.

I’m a young woman who easily makes a friend.

Acquaintances, companions, close friends -

Temporary, long term, or short term

I have many of those, and I am blessed.

But no happiness would ever accelerate

Being assured of having a lifetime friend.

Classmate for seven years, playmate since birth

From fun and games ‘til we had our menarche

Now talking about guys and future decisions

And look, we have the same nail polish color!

Of sleepless sleepovers, and texting ‘til morning

To the balcony memories where we write down our future.

Of crush confessions and open forums

To the dying seal laughs where we pause from rationality.

Undeniably gazillions of memories -

Tried and tested, through thick and thin.

Thank you for staying here with me.

Ehrill, destiny took us here.

We’re more than a niece and an aunt.

We’re for lifetime.

We’re for each other.

Without pressure, there's no diamond

We are all witnesses of how complex this life is. Every day – we have to make decisions, we have to deal with problems, and we have to face judgments. It’s the nature of life – dreams and tests, triumphs and downfalls, despairs and delights.

But when tough junctures approach, when our fate is in our hands, we pause in the crossroads and consider the fact of termination. We have experienced this not just once or twice; and luckily, we’re still here – breathing and existing.

Challenges are inevitable. One cannot pick a flawless life, where red carpet is laid down the waxed and polished staircase. Maybe God really designed our life with a dazzle of imperfections; for us not just to conquer it for nothing, but to instill, inspire, and mold us.

Some people fail to see the purpose of challenges – they give up. Sadly, people who had piled-up-discouragements terminated, committing suicide. These people had great dreams for their selves, family and friends, and also vast challenges stopped them. They could have been the hope of their families, they could have been an asset in their companies. They could have been the leaders of their nations, they could have been the changers of the history.

Challenges will shape one to be a resilient person. In the days of adversary, the only choice left for that somebody is to bounce back; shake off the defeats, downfalls, worries, pains, bitterness, rejections, hurts, offenses, negativities, and even those seemingly tolerable but sharp and upsetting prejudices. Victim mentality and the infamous I-can’t mind set will certainly bring one nowhere-and when I say certainly, know that I am full of assurance and I myself, am very convinced. Therefore, at the end of the day, the only option is to fight and press on towards the goal. This is how we wrestle with life.

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.” 

― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

Born to Leave a Legacy

There is a thin streak in our blood that is aspirant to leave something in this world. We do even write our names in a bark of a tree. We sometimes leave something in a place we’ve been to. In fact, we observe that there are so many establishments, buildings, streets, and schools who are named after a well-known name.

Yet there will come a time that we will stop breathing and will halt revolving around this planet. And we do not know when that will be – today or tomorrow; or maybe in just a couple of hours. Leaving something before we die is something innate in us, because we want to be remembered, after that cul-de-sac.

We know so many people who had their own monuments and have their own holidays named after them. We know some whose names were inscribed in our textbooks and lesson plans. And we know certain person whose deeds were never forgotten, up until now.

I am not to shed my blood neither sacrifice my flesh so people could remember me; nor outrageously fight the rotten system. I am not to protest along the Mendiola road neither counterpart Mother Theresa’s acts; nor be a source of a soon-to-be viral issue that will popularize my name. But knowing myself, I’m the kind of person who wants to touch hearts and transform lives. I have this strong faith in God and I’ve shared it to so many people. I received Jesus’ love and I also want the people around me to experience that kind of love also.

Being a Sunday School teacher in the church, my heart is so close to children. Every Sunday, I teach 7-9 year-old children and I’m a witness of their behavior and growth. Being their ‘ate’, I cannot expect them to thank me and say, “Thanks for patiently teaching us on how to be good, you’ve been part in molding our character.” But I believe that time will come when they will be good leaders of their generation, loving people around them and serving God wholeheartedly. Imitating what I’ve shown to them.

I do not know, but it is really a pleasure for me to teach these young generation. I am grateful for being part of their formation period; by being there listening on their sides every time they feel so pressured in their family, school and environment. Knowing that these children have different kinds of families, grew up in different cultures, raised up in different principles, some didn’t experience a fatherly love, some are financially unstable, and some don’t have established healthy relationships with their parents and siblings.

In our every week meetings, I know, I am touching their hearts. I can’t wait to see these children grow up and be successful individuals. In simple lessons I impart to them, no matter how tough it may be to handle wayward kids, at the end of the day, there is this sense of fulfillment I feel. As they let me cross the threshold of their hearts, knowing how I impart a part of my life to them, I sleep every night with a happy face. As I meet them every week, my life just become more significant and meaningful. Having been known that even if I die, a part of me remains alive; and that is through the life of these children that embraced the teachings and instructions I bequeathed.

3 Stages of High School Life

I woke up

Facing the door of the labyrinth

Having no idea where to go –

Daunted, scared.

As I entered, I feel so meager.

The runners were goliaths,

They prepared weapons.

I am the grass in the park

Who was kissed by the soles of their gigantic shoes.

Experiences came, moments passed

I fastened my restraint –

It was a roller coaster of emotions.

The ride was over; it felt surreal.

It will always be nostalgic.

My position in this trek’s still miles afar from the finish point,

My backpack was heavier.

I learned to be equipped for more, yet it was not as difficult like afore.

Maybe tolerance level arose.

But enthusiasm slowly died down

Sadly, from excellence to mediocrity.

I tried to add some spice,

Learned to go beyond horizons.

Politics hasn’t interested me before,

But here I am in front of the people,

Promising and trying to be favored.

This part was colorful, though.

The hardest part, they say.

I’m now a seed that fell in a shallow soil with underlying rock.

Storms and stones are trying to pull me,

But one with grit cannot be defeated.

My heart is expectant.

It seeks further.

It searches for more.

The colorful splatters of this stage,

Will be one’s inspiration.

I am, I am inspired.