Memories in Poland

Europe is known to be a very romantic place in the world and I've proven that, so to speak. I may fail to do my rounds in the whole parts of Europe, to say the least, but the experiential I had could not be traded.
Going there isn't easy, I went to a rigid & thorough way of working my papers; in other words -  it took me a year before I completely have done & got my final flying.
Hopelessness, frustrations were among that weakens me at times & the long waiting could almost unbearable. Henceforth, I landed in a country that never popped out in my mind.

A walled city in Warsaw.

Old Town, Warsaw (my fave place in Warsaw)

Warsaw University

Long before I got my voluntary job in Poland, its name was already a recognized place as the killing fields of a massive murder of Jews, Gypsies, and other European races who went up against Nazism's horrendous occupation. Thanks to the movies I've had seen (like Surviving Sobibor, Schindler's List, The Pianist, and The Diary of Anne Frank book) which the facade of Poland's past history was enough an emblematic of what I expected about the country, of course exceptionally apart from its culture, environment and the weather.

 An American Jew who survived the Holocaust...I was emotional while she was sharing her story.

Among the kids being experimented on by the Nazis.

at Auschwitz Concentration camp, where the Jews and others were being kept till the war ended.

Lo, Poland was the most damaged country during WWII still the atmospheric picture of what is known to be Europe's romanticism has remained as it is.
The structure of the buildings is so immensely grandeur & elaborate. The surroundings are lushed, bordering the sprawl of colorful vegetation when Spring comes.

An ordinary type of Tulips in Poland.

Old Town market in Warsaw.

Among the grandeur churches in Poland.

Colorful buildings are so common here.

It was only in Poland that I got the full chance to experience the four seasons which I had been dreaming to see and feel about. I saw how they constantly change from freezing snowy to the rebirth of plants from its long hibernation down to a warm sunny to a crisp cooler foliage autumnal season.
Psychologically, I noticed the season also affects people's moods, caused by the changes in the weather that shifted their behavior. It was also in Poland that I was racially being stared at head over heels. People would keep their distance & they looked steadily at me with wonder & curiosity. At first, it was offensive & annoying that it came to a point that I was becoming so conscious of myself when someone glued their eyes on you wherever you go, but I adjusted after a while upon realizing that I'm a colored person surrounded by white & blondes.
And that made me so proud of my color anyhow as Asian and as Filipino.

Summer in Poland, with fellow Pinoys.

Autumn in Poland.

My winter chill in Poland

Springtime in Poland.

My voluntary teaching in Poland was a great avenue to prove that I could practically manage European kids. It was quietly tough & challenging too. Been educating foreign kids since I was in the pinnacle of my graduating year in College, & that gave me a fuller maturity in handling foreign students. Teaching Polish kids was so hard at first because of the Asian background I have plus the classroom management I used to do was based also on Asian culture and beliefs. Yet, the feeling of being with them on the other hand was so glorious to celebrate as both parties were so naive about each other's differences.
Nevertheless, I believe that I have done my part as a teacher and praying that they had absorbed it, would be so mightily happy seeing them successful in their lives when they grow up.

My primary students as they had their Polish lesson.

My students, the one who covered her face was half Polish-British, and Maja a mixed-blood Polish too.

Lastly, life would be so boring without Pinoys around you. Indeed, wherever you go around the sphere there's always Filipino..it could be so unhomely without Filipino friends around. To sum it all, I really do love Poland, and I am praying that God would pave the way for me to go back there or somewhere in Europe. There's no place like Europe, so to speak. I have drawn to their romantic places and food so as the weather.

Among my closest pal..

with the two sexiest during Phils. Independence Day in the Phil. Embassy

Moments of Crisis

Life could be so difficult when you are in a moment of life's confrontation. One is never fighting against an external enemy but always against one's own body.

(images courtesy of Google)

When the going gets tough, emotion runs high and usually moods seems to be so unpredictable. Crisis uncontrollably  started to come out like (a) mushroom when I got home from Europe. Things have messed up as I didn't expect that life could be so hard here in my own country than abroad, monetarily.
Four months were eventually the longest span of my stay in the Philippines as planned, but as we may say it, "Sometimes things didn't go as planned" & that sulk me. I didn't have much with me when I got home from Poland as I'm honestly not a moneyed person by nature. Neither, would I consider myself a spendthrift nor a compulsive spender when I reward myself to travel.
I never travel on posh but on a budgeted way, however, proven to be- money would probably runs dry. Sadly, none from the jobs that I have had formally applied to showed any positive signs that I could possibly fly anytime soon.

(images courtesy of Google)

Nevertheless, its not the end of the world yet, and the battle of life hasn't over. What am I just simply hoping for was that I could retain the instinct of survival while battling the odds of life.
I still have two more formal interviews this month, & if these two won't work well, much to my regret, I have to fly rightly for Cambodia before February comes.
Good heavens, that I've got friends  scattered around the part of South east Asia , worries has no place at all when I need a roof to shelter myself overseas. To say the least, I'm grateful for my friends who open their doors in times I needed a warm place to stay by & for feeding me when I don't have something to put upon on my plate. They just acting on their own without waiting for me to tell the essential needs that I long for.
Don't you think I'm being rather melodramatic? Like treats a situation as much more serious that it really is? Well, be in my shoes. Occasionally, this crisis have thought me of singing this song:

I open my eyes

I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light.

I can’t remember how

I can’t remember why

I'm laying here tonight

And I can’t STAND the pain

And I can’t make it go away

No I can’t STAND the pain

*CHORUS*

How could this happen to me

I've made my mistakes

got nowhere to run

The night goes on as I’m fading away

I'm sick of this life

I just wanna scream

How could this happen to me

Everybody’s screaming

I try to make a sound but no one hears me

I’m slipping off the edge

I’m hanging by a thread

I wanna start this over again

So I try to hold

On to a time when 

Nothing mattered

And I can’t explain what happened

And I can’t erase the things that I’ve done

No I can’t

*CHORUS*

How could this happen to me

I've made my mistakes

got nowhere to run

The night goes on as I’m fading away

I’m sick of this life

I just wanna scream

How could this happen to me

I've made my mistakes

got nowhere to run

The night goes on as I’m fading away

I’m sick of this life

I just wanna scream

How could this happen to me

Guide to A Better Life - By Dr. Randy Pausch

It took me sometimes to post here, pretty busy for a while so as buying credits to load my cousin's Smart Broadband has prevented me to do so due to some financial constraints. However, I have here with a very inspiring thoughts that would somehow move and give us lesson to do about.

A cousin handed me two papers that really caught my attention. It was about a former professor in Harvard by the name Dr. Randy Pausch. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book "The Last Lecture", one of his bestsellers in 2007. In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for them to follow.

I decided to post it here because it moved me as I read down the whole contents of the papers. Wishing as well that would be blessed by his insight.

POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Personality:

No one is in charge of your happiness except you

1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't over do; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
1. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
15. Negativity starts with you. Don't respond to a friend's happy greeting of "good morning, how was your weekend...?", with
" ....weekend was too short and I have to come back here to work".
16. Be happy, be grateful, But don't be content. There are a lot more others, who would sacrifice a lot to be in your place.
17. Be positive, even in down times, some may think you're insane, but they would want to be like you.

Community:
18. Call your family often
19. Each day give something good to others
20. Forgive everyone for everything
21. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
22. Try to make at least three people smile each day
23. Don't allow yourself to fall into compromising situations, you may live to regret some of them.
24. What other people think of you is none of your business. You cannot control how others feel.
25. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
26. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
27. GOD heals everything
28. Do the right things
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. Nothing could ever remain the same
30. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
31. The best is yet to come
32. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
33. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
34. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.
35. Life's routes is all about choices, think before you make that choice, & when you do, you will be happy for it.

While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you play with, people you work with and people you live with Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.

The Best is Yet to Come

Sorry for the delayed post. Yes, I know I haven't blogged for a while, been busy of my oversea's applying so as doing my English twang tutorials for the Koreans, and getting back on the grind now.
Not just because I don't post here that much - I totally leave the blogging thing. I always getting this blog up and running & promise to share ideas what I'm cooking up.
I just simply love the text above, as you know - things have been so tight & difficult to describe since I arrived home for 6 months now. Plans has always been staying shortly in the Philippines, & back to my usual task of sharing my knowledge overseas in the form of teaching internationally.

Another cold lonesome Christmas again to celebrate, been asking what have I done so badly in the past that things is still so rough and tight till now? All tears have dried up & battered heart, no more words to say but my soul is in anguish. How long shall my unmitigated anguish continue?

They said, the best is yet to come. When is the best time to come? I'm so tired of being tired and tired of asking. Do prayer really works? I felt like talking to a wall when I pray, there's no answer or do the answer may be long and delayed?

My faith has been tested and dunno how far would I let myself to go, only heaven knows.

Photo Diary: Ifugao Rice Terraces ( Banaue and Batad ) Part II

It has been a rough couple of days , yet, the memories of my trip in Ifugao still fresh and vivid, for that -I just letting my eyes to linger on the pictures. As I partially traveled through Ifugao with a friend, I still remained awed of the full view of the Rice Terraces in Banaue and Batad. Though, I got tired and drained of the long trekking in Batad still the urge of going back there freeze in mind.
Honestly, I wasn't perfectly satisfied of my trip there so as the time was pretty short and limited, yet, the beauty continue to lure me of learning and discovering the hidden part of Banaue and Batad, really - there's so much more to see that could not be seen by a half day trip alone.
That challenges me to pack my bag again and enjoy the off beaten path of Ifugao again. Well, usually time prevent me of going out again, and that I need to sort out.
Herewith, are some of the pixies that we just took up there.

  

Photo Diary: Ifugao Rice Terraces ( Banaue and Batad )

I didn't completely realize Ifugao Rice Terraces ( Philippine Banaue & Batad Rice Terraces) could not only be seen and heard both on school books and TV show Well, I was there with a friend spending our long weekends amidst of the long hour trip and unfavorable weather. 

To savor more, posting some of the pics for eye feasting and salivating your travel instinct to see the place itself before it'll completely gone and be a story to hear about.

P.S. Banaue Rice Terraces is commonly thought of the 8th Wonder of the World, while Batad Rice Terraces is the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Beauty of Ifugao Rice Terraces

'Twas a long week end when a good friend (thanks Michael O.for the treat) and I packed our bags headed up north of Philippines pride the Ifugao Rice Terraces.
The trip was rainy and foggy yet, it didn't hinder our plan to see this World's wonder.
Arriving at Banaue got my goose pimples up, it's really amazing and irreplaceable. 
I just found out that Batad is a different & far from Banaue that you really have to condition your legs for a long trekking. And it is the World Heritage Site by UNESCO while Banaue is the 8th Wonder's of the World. 
After all, I just noticed that I could no longer produces a lot of adrenaline in me for a long, far, steeply places as my knee caps started to ache. 
Biblically speaking,when tribulation comes I'd be among of those unable to run and walk on slopes and hardest places to trek, but then for sure God will send His angels for that matter.
After all, Banaue and Batad terraces are in danger, young people of today finding no pleasures of saving it just as their ancestors were expecting them to be.
 My trip to Banaue is incomparable.

The mushrooming of houses in Banaue, that doesn't beautify the place.

     UNESCO World Heritage, Batad Rice Terraces.
                                            

     This place truly wowed me.

Tappiya falls,down beneath the steeply hills of Batad.