Random Reflections…

Never take life seriously, you’ll never get out alive.

Play it as it lays. The truth is, you don’t always have to be the best but, always, you should give your best and live your best. For yourself more than for anybody else. Because life is, when you were born, a gift to you from God and, what you now make of it, a gift to you from yourself. And it is also the best gift we can give to God, our family and the whole damn world.

And you should always learn to slow down. If and when we walk too fast, we don’t notice the little child and we just forget. Before, I felt like everyone is running and I’m being left behind. The truth is, I was running with them. I felt alone and empty because I failed to slow down. I failed to notice that little child. And most of all, I went past life without living it, without tasting, feeling, hearing or seeing it. The truth is, when we really slow down, we see that little child, we learn how sweet life it and he never get tired of it because only in slowing down that we really learn the meaning of patience, of courage and of the beauty of life. It is only when one is not running that we face our fears, our failures and our short-comings. It is only in slowing down that we find the meaning of life and we see that little child. That child is the part of us that is missing, the child that wants to play, learn and ask seemingly stupid questions. It is that child who recognizes beauty and charmed by it, who is humbled by age and failure, who see things not in my-side-and-the-wrong-side perspective but as right-and-wrong. It is that child who listens to life, sees it, feels it, tastes it and smells it. It is that child who is missing in our busy existence, the child we just pass by without noticing everyday.

This past weeks taught me how to enjoy and how to learn — and really learn. And most of all, it taught me to focus on the present but to keep my eyes on my goals at the same time. I may not be one of the brightest students both of my University and of life but this I know: if we work hard enough and long enough and if we believe strong enough, the most impossible dreams can come true. And there’s no such thing as impossible, only hard. Hard but still possible.

Slow down a little, you’ll see things that you never realized was there before. But, by all means, do something. You’ll bore yourself to death if you don’t.

Taking Risks

Have you ever wondered, “What if <insert something here>?” Probably, yes. I remember someone telling me once that life is like shopping in a distant country. That sometimes, it is probably worth it to buy something that you really want. Because if you don’t, when you get back to your country, you, or other people, might say, “Sayang, sana binili mo.” (Translation: What a waste, you should have bought it.) The thing is you had the chance but you chose not to. That chance was lost, but what is important is those that will still come your way. I remember this from an economics book:

Let bygones be bygones. Don’t look backward. Don’t cry over spill milk or moan about yesterday,s loses. Make a hard-headed calculation of the extra costs you’ll incur by any decision, and weigh these against its advantages. Make decision based on marginal costs and marginal benefits.

A New Year, A New Start

It seems almost like a little time-honored tradition now since I had been doing this almost every year. After the dust have settled, the noise dies down and almost everyone is in bed, I sit in my room with my journal open and try to reflect on the year that was gone.

So, here is my journal entry for 1st January 2007:

Last year have been a very eventful year for me. Last year, I joined 2 organizations and I’m glad I did. Along the way, I met really great friends. Last year, I was stupid (and I still am). I was hungry for knowledge (and I still am). Last year, I made a couple lot of mistakes I’m not proud of. Last year, I made several important decisions for myself. And made decisions and actions that I will be proud of for the rest of my life. Last year, I learned both the meaning of success and failure the hard way. Last year is lost forever and I have this year to do better. I have this year to improve where I screwed up last year.

Contrary to what everyone does, I do not make lists on what I promise (or wish) to do every new year. I do not do that because, like what I used to say when I was in high school, I do not make (or in this case write down) promises that I cannot (or have no plan) to keep. The promises are better left unsaid because actions, indeed, speak louder than words. Instead, I give myself, and others, something that can inspire me to start the year (and get through it).

I cannot only hope for a better year because hoping alone is not enough. There is no better year because it is only us who can make it better. I heard Dean Brillates once saying that in order for NCPAG students “to be good administrators, [they] should possess three characteristics. [They] should be angry, [they] should be frustrated but at the same time [they] must do their share by being part of the solution.” I think it goes the same with everything in life. We can make it better.

You cannot merely wish things to happen, you have to make it happen. My father once told me, “go out there, don’t be afraid, face your fears and look towards your goals.” You don’t sit around and wait for your goals to come because, then, they never will.

Let us all make this year better. In our own little ways. If, together, we believe long enough and hard enough, miracles can still happen.