Everyone Can’t Be In Your Front Row

This is a repost of one of the notes I have in Facebook. I just want to share this because I believe that people may come and go in our lives and we need to determine if they are worth to be part of us or not… It all came up as part of experiences shared by friends and people close to us…

Life is a theater – invite your audience carefully.

Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough to have a front row seat in our lives.

There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance.

It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships!

Observe the relationships around you.

Pay attention to:

Which ones lift and which ones lean?

Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?

Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?

When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?

Which ones always have drama or don’t really understand, know and

appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

When you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.

You cannot change the people around you…but you can change the people you are around!

Ask God for godly wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

‘Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level, doesn’t mean you sink to theirs!’

This is just a simple reminder…think now before it’s too late…We cannot always build the future of the best relationship, but we can always build ourselves to be the best in a relationship now and in the future…

Brothers and Sisters

I just felt so impressed on how my son Justin thinks  being a brother to his sisters. Over the past days, he’d been asking me to write something for his English class. But as a mother and as a teacher, I wanted him to do his own. I will only be there to help and guide him. Today, we finally sat down together  and had a brainstorming on what he’s going to write for his project. I asked him questions to guide him. I really wanted to know what he really thinks about being a brother. I was so amazed as how he compared things the way it should be. This is his write-up and I only helped him edit his piece of art. He talks about his three sisters and how he feels for each one of them.

Brothers and Sisters

By: Justin Uriel Maravilla-Arpilleda

            Brothers and sisters have their own different stories to tell. What is it like to be a brother? How do I get along with my sisters?

             To have siblings in the family is fun but at times, it’s not. One has to learn to share with the siblings especially to the little ones. The hardest to share is the attention we get from our parents. But it doesn’t mean we are not loved. Of course, we are all loved. And we need to understand that younger kids need more attention than we do. It’s so nice to take part in their growing up too. We learn to play fair and square, we learn to care for them and we don’t want to hurt them much as we don’t want Mom or Dad to punish us.

            My Ate Jo is six years older than me and I am six years older than my other two little sisters. I am their only brother. It’s so hard to keep in pace with them because of the gap of our ages. Sometimes, we’re best friends and sometimes we’re worst enemies. At times, I felt it wasn’t fair just because my sister is older, my sister can do better than me. But, it’s also great to be a younger brother. We get mad at each other a lot, but then we forget about it. I believe my big sister is the only person who understands how I feel. I hate her if she acts like a grown-up and we don’t have anything to talk about. I love her the most in times when she’s just like me.

            My younger sisters are too spoiled of my attention. I love them so much. I love to play with them if they played with my games but when they wanted me to play with their girlish games, then how I wish my Dad will take me with him to one of his mountain trips. Oftentimes, the two little girls like to play rough games with me and that’s where I have to show how I care for them. I tried not to be so harsh and hard in playing so they won’t get hurt.

            My dad used to tell us stories that when they were kids, he used to fight with his brother but they still liked each other the best. They’re grown-ups now and yet they still help each other a lot. On the other hand, Mom grew up alone with grandma, away from her other brothers and sisters. She used to say that it’s so nice to enjoy the company of your siblings. It’s a lot of fun where you will learn to care and to share, in food, toys or just anything around the house.

            Being away now from my sisters, I have learned so many things, I learned that even with our many differences, it doesn’t matter as long as we have each other to love and to hold. Enjoy every minute we can have with our brothers and sisters.

This is Justin, I am so happy about him. Children are blessed to have great parents but parents also feel proud and so blessed to have children as loving and thoughtful as he is. He just made it right as his name Justin Uriel which means “righteous judge.”  🙂

Tomorrow Can Be Too Late!

Reminiscing those good old times, I was so touched by a message  sent to me by a friend to my email and as I read it, it may sound funny but it makes sense. It’s meaningful and really nice!!!

It’s simply about how we care about our family, loved ones, our friends and maybe someone special…whom we don’t know that they care about us too. 🙂

If you’re mad with someone and nobody’s there to fix the situation…you fix it,

Maybe today, that person still wants to be your friend,

And if you don’t, tomorrow can be too late.

If you’re in love with somebody but the person doesn’t know…

tell him or her,

Maybe today, that person is also in love with you,

And if you don’t say it, tomorrow can be too late.

 If you really want to kiss somebody…kiss him or her,

Maybe that person wants a kiss from you, too.

And if you don’t kiss him or her today,

tomorrow can be too late.

If you still love a person that you think has forgotten you…

tell him or her,

Maybe that person has always loved you,

And if you don’t tell him or her today,

tomorrow can be too late.

If you need a hug of a friend…ask him or her for it,

Maybe they need it more than you do,

And if you don’t ask for it today, tomorrow can be too late.

If you really have friends who you appreciate…tell them,

Maybe they appreciate you as well.

That if you don’t and they leave or go far away today,

tomorrow can be too late.

Yes, this can be true to anyone of us, why make haste of doing things later if you can simply do it now? No man is an island. We need other people, we need our family, our loved ones, friends and even those who are right there in the workplace and those surrounding us. If we make the first move, we can make a new dimension of a better relationship with everyone be it near or far from you…

However, the most important essence is that we learn how to express ourselves to  what we think or feel about others. I am referring to the right communication,  the art to express oneself in a manner they would understand you beyond any doubt. Say it in a kind and sincere manner. If we say it right, others can think and accept it right and wholeheartedly. Do it while there is still time…it may be a little late but better than saying nothing at all… Am I right? 🙂

Remember the more expressive we are , the more we get appreciated.. Why not try to do it now?

If I Can Turn Back Time

This article is dedicated to all my classmates, friends and mentors in CSR Batch 1986.

Twenty-five years had quickly swift by without seeing any one of my elementary and high school friends and classmates. We parted ways after graduation and set up to our different directions, some proceeded to the university and  to some who did not make it to college. Some married early as I am one of them 🙂 and have their own families, and for some they opted to be single maybe for life or still waiting for the right partner to be with and spend the rest of their lives. Well, that’s life…  but I believe that each one has his own life story to tell.

Who could ever thought that all these years without any contact, no addresses to locate and yet through the help of  modern technology, friends and classmates meet again through the social network – FACEBOOK!!!  Not only that, it makes the batch closer to each other once again, though far and near, chatting online, posting wall or private messages and showcasing photos and videos of special events, memoirs of high school life that pulled us all closer to one another once again. Any messages can be easily shared and disseminated to others.

When I was reading the morning BBC News online, I was so touched to the story of a boy who was kidnapped 3 years ago in China and he was found and returned to his family. His father made all efforts to find him through the social network and thanks to the country’s half a billion internet users, he was spotted in one of the provinces in China and finally restored and reunited to his family.

Wow!!! Who could have ever thought that the Colegio de Sta. Rita Batch 1986 is also reunited through the social network? And the most important thing is, it’s going to hold its 25th year Alumni Homecoming in March 2011. Tears of joy flowing from my eyes when I saw the photos of my batch mates posted by our classmate Bella during their recent get-together party. My special thanks to Leila, Ursali, Juliet, Bella and Christie for tagging photos for me from time to time. As I was quietly browsing all the photos one by one in their albums, seeing the sweet smiles of my old pals, I didn’t even noticed the tears flowing down my cheeks. I missed everyone, I missed high school days and I felt the pain of the missing part of myself. The part of my youth back in San Carlos City. I always knew that no matter what will I become now, in success and failures that I had in life, my life as a teenager together with my friends, classmates, teachers and everyone I knew had been playing a special part of who I am now. I may not be able to remember all their names but as I was reminiscing the past, bit by bit I started recalling them one by one. But of course, please don’t blame me for not remembering everyone’s names. It’s over 25 years now. 🙂 However, nothing much had changed in our looks, maybe just  slight changes, as some have grown taller and some have become chubbier. Isn’t it something to be thankful for? We all have grown up in sizes and ages as well but what has never changed is the friendship and camaraderie regardless of distance and time between each other. Let us not weary of our present status because as quoted by B.T. Washington,

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life but by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

Yes, it’s true, some of us may have gone as far as UK, Middle East  and some in Asia & Australia and while others stayed in San Carlos City but the fact is, we are still united as one, we belong to our CSR Family. Miles away, I may be miles away from the group but my heart remains a Ritarian. The stamp of my Alma Mater can never be erased within me.

The countdown to the big day, the 25th Alumni Homecoming Batch ’86 is about to begin. How I wish I could be there, to share the joys and laughter of my high school friends, classmates and mentors.  I am hoping that through this blog,  they hear me out for what I have to say, something that’s from within,  the last memories I have kept all these years, trying to think back all of those times we shared.  All of those days we were there together. If I could turn back time, I would have done it. But I still hope that someday, we can all still come and gather, share the memories of  the past once more, all the fun times together and continue the friendship we had to the present and in the days to come. I know we might find a way for another reunion!!! A reunion that I can be there for everyone.

To Leila, how grateful I am for all the efforts that you’ve made to gather everyone for this great event, for keeping us all posted and updated to whatever is going on. I am so proud to tell the world about you Lei, you always have proven to be the best of friends, a leader of all times. I am two thumbs-up to you my friend. 🙂

I may not be physically around but my heart is with you all. I am missing you all. May God bless everyone.

Best regards all the way from Bangkok, Thailand.

(Meriam Maravilla-Arpilleda)

 

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High School Life

My Justintime Turned Fourteen Today

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It was on a cold and chilly morning 14 years ago when I was between fear, pain and excitement to seeing a cute, strong and healthy baby boy. Thank God, it’s you…

It didn’t matter to me giving up my career to stay in bed for six long months to save the fetus in my womb, and I was sure I wasn’t wrong because I got you. You’re one of the best things that ever happened to me. You are my precious jewel, my son, I love you very much…

The years pass swiftly, today you’re turning into a handsome young man, full of dreams and hopes… I could not express the joy, a feeling of a mother looking at her boy she used to cuddle and sing lullabies, read stories and put him to sleep. As I looked at you as you sleep I couldn’t help but smile reminiscing those moments you played around as I did my cross stitch. When you tried to push back your eyelids and resisted to sleep when you wanted to watch Tom and Jerry Show. How you seriously asked your cousin’s friend to be your girlfriend when you were three. On the other side of you, I was so proud when you don’t cry out loud when Mommy said no if you want to buy something beyond my budget. And how you had convinced Daddy’s livestock costumers by showing them your empty bottles to close the deals because you want to go home and eat lunch and watch cartoon movies.

It’s always been my prayers that you will be able to achieve the highest level of your dreams. To give you the best education no matter what the cost for that’s the best legacy I could ever leave you behind. Wealth and fortunes will be lost and can be taken away from you but the things that you learned in life will never be. And that will be your ladder to whatever you wanted to be in the future.

All that I could ever wish for is that you remain to be content and learn to live the simplest life possible, keeping love and respect for your parents and siblings, friends and the people around you who fondly love you. Keep up the faith in God that you have, be utmost in prayers seeking the Lord’s guidance and protection. We all know that you are loved by God, and he allowed you to experience how to trust in him at all times. He has never left you nor forsaken you. He has provided everything that you asked for. As we used to call you when you were a small kid “Just-In-Time” for God had always been just-in-time for you in all circumstances.

May God richly bless you and keep you. Happy Birthday Justin Boy!!! Dad, Mom, Ate Jo, Bliss, Olel, Mama-lola and your Nene love you very much…

When You Wonder Why Things Turned Out the Way They Did…

The past days were quite hectic, classes, sports day, in-service training on a weekend when we are supposed to be relaxing at home and the disturbing low CBC (complete blood count) that certainly affects me causing weakness and telling me to slow a bit down when i knew I had to cope up with everything on time.

But all I know is that all things worked together for our good although sometimes we don’t see how they could…We don’t understand if we don’t see His plan and yet we can trust his heart.

Somehow as I was reading my emails, I came across a very short story of one whose character and attitude taught me lessons to ponder upon. It tells of how a mere taxi driver coped up with his day-to-day driving and adjusting to the many different attitude and lifestyles of his passengers and other drivers he met on the road.

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Hey, why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call: The Law of the Garbage Truck. He said: “You know, many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage – frustration, anger, disappointment and sadness. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, so sometimes they’ll dump it on you.”

His advice? “Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t pick up the garbage others are trying to get rid of. If you do, you’ll take it with you and will end up dumping it on people around you, at work, at home, or on the streets.” (story retold)

If you want to be happy, do not let garbage trucks – your own or other people’s – overtake your day. Let go of anything that’s not positive because life is only ten percent of what you make it and ninety percent is how you take it!

In addition, love the people who treat you right and just simply ignore the ones who don’t and won’t. At any rate you can pray for them. Just as our speaker in the seminar had quoted Plato’s saying, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Wow! It’s true, we just don’t know that by just simply giving a smile or saying hi and hello, whatsoever, we can be the only right thing that ever happened to their lives that very day. Be blessed to be a blessing today. Happy Hearts Day!!! 😀

Hello Yellow

I was looking around for flowers to make a headdress and a flower bracelet for the coming dance presentation of my students. I was trying to imagine which of the cute flowers would match the little arms of my second graders. Just when my attention was diverted to something else. I saw a yellow cattleya and started to take pictures that when I came out of the shop, I totally forgot why I went inside the shop was to get some fresh small flowers to make into a headdress and bracelet. Oh, oh,… I need to go back again to the shop tomorrow after school. But this time I have prepared a list of things to buy. I still wish the yellow cattleya will still be there.

 

 

 

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Fountain of Youth

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. You have truly defeated age because you had tapped this source. It’s a delight to have walked with you through the decade, and I know how you had managed when it comes to staying young, your smile, your humor, and your mind-lift beats a face-lift away. HAPPY BIRTHDAY…I LOVE U!!!

Pasalubong!!!

Sky Flakes, Mr. Chips, Jack ‘n Jill Chippy, Kraft Eden Cheese, Boy Bawang, Safari Crunchy Corn, Lucky Me Supreme, and many more are the “pasalubong” that we mostly bring from a trip or what we receive when somebody is back from a great holiday to the Philippines. Regardless of quantity, what matters most is the heart of a friend who remembers to bring something for you when coming back from a trip. I could see the eyes of Justin so happy to see the pasalubong he got from my good friends. I enjoyed munching a Cloud 9 and a Goldilocks Polvoron and feels like I have been  to my home country to savor the Filipino goodies. All I can say then was “There’s never been any better than having our “tatak pinoy products”.. Wherever we are in the world, we still crave for the food that’s made in the Philippines!!! 😀

Korean Pork with Rice

Every time we eat at the Food Court, my son Justin would only go to one food stall and order this food, Korean Pork with Rice. It’s stuffed with special sauce with sesame seeds and veggies as its side-dish. The price is just right and it makes a good meal for an active and energetic boy like my son. And before I realized it, I started to order the same meal every time we eat at the Food Court. It’s yummy that once you tried it, you’ll start craving for it like me too.

Fire Drill Experience

Courtesy of RAIS ICT Photos

It’s a sunny morning yet the breeze is chilly and cool. We were busy practicing our dances for our chapel program when the fire alarm sounded. The children all rushed down through the ramp and out to the school ground.  I’m just so happy to see that the kids didn’t panic when they heard the sound of the fire alarm. Every semester the school conducts a fire drill. Normally it will be announced but the teachers sometimes forget the schedule  and unconsciously gets caught in panic too.

On our way back to the classroom, a girl walked beside me and asked, “Teacher, why did they not tell us beforehand that we’re going to have a fire drill? Look at my shoes, I thought there’s really fire so I didn’t mind putting on my shoes properly (pointing to her shoes, the right shoe was on the left and the left was on the right).  And one more thing,  in my rush, I left my lunch coupon. If I knew, I should have gone back to the room to get it”

Courtesy of RAIS ICT Photos

So funny! That’s why it’s called a fire drill so we’ll learn how to get out of the building safely in case of emergency without panic.  The students are taught what to do in case of fire hazards. Whether it’s for real or just a drill, everyone should always bear in mind that what is the most important is for them to be in the safe place on time… But honestly, I also hate hearing the sound of the fire alarm and even the sound of the fire truck’s siren.. It scares me too and makes my heart beat so fast.

The Mac of Her Dream

Pangga, which means dearest in our Filipino language as we fondly called Mary Joy, used to sit in the bed in my apartment room and would be daydreaming of having a Mac Book laptop. Every time I see her doing that, I would suddenly interrupt her teasingly saying that I am no longer interested to have one because everyday I always see Mac in the classroom referring to my 2nd grader student and I would laugh-out-loud seeing her looking at me squarely. Deep in my heart, I was wishing that she will be able to get the Mac she ever wanted to have. Just when she called on  Christmas Eve happily telling me that finally she got it! I am so happy for Pangga, now she’s with the Mac of her dream, of course not my student Mac but an Apple Mac Pro Laptop. Wow! When can I have mine too???:D

I Like the Flowers

Before I used to think that this is only in pictures until I saw this flowers, a real and living, freshly bloomed at a Flower Show in Fashion Island Mall in Minburi, Thailand. Looking at the flowers, I remembered my student’s favorite song…“I like the flowers…” that while going around the display of the beautiful flowers uniquely arranged in pots, in vases and set as bouquets, I simply smiled and softy hum to that song. Different flowers shows different feelings of emotions at different occasions but it simply tells of one common thing, the awesome beauty of God’s wonderful creation.

Children’s Day in Thailand

Today is Wan Dek (Thai for Children’s Day).  It’s a special day for all the

children regardless of the color of the skin, culture or race. They deserve to

be happy, respected and treated with love and care.  In malls and super

stores today,  lots of surprises were prepared for the children, fun-filled

games, prizes and a lot more. Children are God’s special gifts and wonderful

masterpieces. Children deserve to enjoy this stage feeling secured and

love for only once they could experience these things and never shall pass

they pass this way of childhood again. Happy Chidren’s Day Thailand!!!

Waiting is Never Easy!!!

Waiting for someone is never easy especially when while waiting , the one you are waiting for is not aware that you are waiting. Hahaha!!! It sounds funny yet annoying.

I used to get about an hour or so for me to be done dressing up, so like when we planned to go somewhere my dear hubby used to tell me to get up and be ready 2-3 hours before going out.  But in the long run, I learned to move faster and get things ready in just a short notice. I always made it a point that ” it’s better for me to wait than to let others keep on waiting for me”.

Yesterday, I went to Central Plaza to meet a friend. While waiting, I bought a cup of Coffee Float at MacDonald, which is my favorite drink. Of course I need to buy something so I can take a spot where I can easily see my friend coming. I was sipping my coffee float little at a time until I realized I was already half past an hour waiting for her… I stood up trying to ignore other customers’ eyes glancing at me, they could be wondering that it took me so long to finish sipping my coffee.

I was at the bus stop waiting for the bus when my phone rang and lo! my friend, the one I was waiting for quite some time at MacDonald asked me if I am free. She wanted me to come with her to The Mall.. I felt a lump in my throat when i tried to choose the right word, trying to be nice in telling her that we agreed to meet at Central Plaza that day and she screwed up our appointment. And innocently, she told me that she totally forgot our appointment to see each other. Poor me! I was waiting for her yet she didn’t know I was…