Bloggig ad Plurking

I also have an account on Plurk but I don't use it that much. The trouble with Plurk is that you have to be online at that precious plurk moment. Of course you can plurk with the mobile phone but I still find it inconvenient.

Take the case of my trip this morning.

I rode a bus from Pangasinan to Manila at around four in the morning and took the window seat right behind the driver That meant of course that I would have the east and the sunrise to my left. As we sped down the hiway, the sun rose. The sky turned from deep blue to shy red. Finally, the sun itself peeked then climbed to its place in the sky. Then clouds rolled in and covered the sun but a small opening was left so the sun sent a shaft of light to tell the world that it was still up there.

As I watched out the window, I was thinking this would have been nice to share. Alas, the bus was moving too fast to get a good shot. Also, I had no computer (I would not want to open it anyway even if I had, it wouldn't stay still).

I would have liked to share this on Plurk. Those one liners are great when you want to tell people how you felt or what you saw at a particular moment. After the fact, it's not so exciting anymore.

Maybe I should sign up for mobile blogging

You Are Beautiful

This is one of the outputs of my retreat weekend

As neautiful as the grass amd leaves are greem
Evidences of the lives within
The plants who grow towards the light
By day and stay still and steadfast at night

As lovely as the song of the birds
And animals calling out to each other
The harmonious melody of the forest
Messages carried from nest to nest

As allurig as that reflecting pond
Clear enough to bounce the brightness of the sun
But not so clear as to highlight the wounds
That its waters will wash away soon

You are beautiful as the meadow
Because it is your beauty that makes it so
It comes to life because you are here
All you see and all you hear

This is your own place
The spot where you meet me face to face
Your ow oasis in the desert
The deepest recess of your heart

Time Out

I just got home from a retreat at the Assumption in Antipolo. The compound is at the top of a rise in the mountain. The retreat house is surrounded by trees and you can hear birds by day and crickets at night. The best part was that there were no other retreatants except our group.

It's not the first time we stayed there. The LOJ Counselors group goes there almost every year or at least once every two years I think. Usually, there was also a group of students having some kind of formation. This year, we had the retreat house to ourselves and it was relatively quiet. Well, quiet except for the incessant chatter we ourselves were making. We were saying a clausura or silet retreat is impossile with this group.

It's nice to take time out now and then. It gives you time to look back and look forward. You could use the opportunity to check where you are in your relationship with God as well as with others. YOu could also assess your plans and check if you are growing as a person or a child of God.

In our case, our group listen to other people's problems through the phone, email or chat sessions. It could become tiring if you do this too often. There could be a tendency to say "Oh no, not that again" if you don't take a breather. Cyicism and apathy are job hazards.

I think this is also what happens to medical practitioners. They sometimes get to that point where a medical procedure ecomes mechanical. They may forget that they are treating a person not just a body.

Law enforcers and rescue personnel are also suject to this experience. We've seen or heard of jaded police officers who frustrate a desperate crime victim because he acts as if there was nothing out of the ordinary happening.

We all have to take time out sometimes to rejuvenate and maybe renew our zeal for our jobs.

The LOJ Counselig Center may be reached through (63 2) 7259999 the dial 1 for counseling. Or you can email to lojcounseling@yahoo.com

Summer of Mumps

Yesterday, the guidelines of the Department of Health regarding AH1N1 was discussed during a faculty meeting. The way I understood it, it goes something like this.

  • When there is a confirmed case but no evidence that this case is or was the reason other students contracting flu-like symptoms, classes could be suspended
  • When there are confirmed cases and proof that the infection is spreading due to said cases, classes need not be suspended
Some of the other teachers reacted in disbelief but I found sense in it. It reminded me of what happened one summer when mumps spread in our neighborhood.

When I was a kid, we lived in an apartment compound where there were ten kids. I don't remember how it started that summer but we caught the mumps. Of course, the virus webt around. By the tenth day, all but one kid was or had been sick.

Self-imposed quarantine was practiced. The kid who did not catch the virus kept herself away from the rest of us. While the rest of us played in the yard, she stayed indoors. All those who were infected were free to interact with the others. This one kid however tried to avoid the disease by isolating herself. Her sisters had to sleep in another room because she would not let them into the one the three of them shared.

So, if there is evidence that a virus has already infected most of the community, I don't really see much sense in keeping the sick ones away. The better option might be to arm those who have not caught the virus.

Actually, a preventive stance would be best. The best defense is still an offense.

Days of July

My weekends are booked this whole month. During the first one, I facilitated a Christian counseling seminar. I spent this past weekend with the same group. That is of course part of my service as a counselor. On Saturday, it would be our turn to have our retreat. The week after that, we go back to training our new volunteers.

On Tuesdays, I'm also attendig a series for my own self-discovery. It's a program called Living Waters ad it's a somewhat safe environment to reveal your hurts ad deep-seated emotions.

Then there is my day jo as a high school teacher. That fills up nearly all of my time.

Wait, I think I see some sort of relief. You see, Ah1n1 gave us a reason to suspend classes. Now, I can catch up with my paperwork. I've collected a fair amount of papers ad submissions that have to be graded. So today, I emptied my desk drawer at work and brought my work home.

For us in the Research unit, things may not turn out badly, it may even come out for the better.

One of our teachers tried meeting her students in a chat session. What came out was a lively discussion aout choosing a topic and preparing a capsule proposal. She decided that there would be no need to move any deadlines because she was already able to give her pupils what they would need to finish their work.

Oh for technology.

As We Gait

Last week, I heard out ideas from our students as to what research project they were going to work on. One girl wanted to study the gaits of people and see how the observations may e applied to therapy.

I recalled that yesterday as I checked out the new Food Gallery at Ali Mall in Cubao. Some of the tables were overlooking the escalators. This was a nice vintage point for watching people two levels down.

We do walk differently. Even those who kept pace with each other did not have the same walk. There could be a basis for what the student was claiming that each of us could be identified by the way we walked.

The strides were different. Some strode forward keeping their body straight. Some seemed to be marching and took long quick strides. There was one guy who swung his foot forward, stroked the ball over the floor then landed it heel first. A lady walked with her toes pointing out instead of straight forward like most people.

I also noticed that most adults walked with their usual stride even if they had kids in tow. The poor kids had to catch up so their strides were almost as long as their height or they matched their mother's two steps with three.

I got to thinking though. Would you walk the same way if you were in a hurry? How about when you are sad or happy or problematic? Do we move the same way when we are feeling sick?

Of course, my casual study would not give me the answers to these questions but it kept me from hurrying to finish my meal. I enjoyed the food and the view.

People watching can be an interesting pre-occupation.

Service Please

I went to the mall to get a new power supply for my computer. I went to the cyber zone area of course on the fifth floor of The Annex SM City North Edsa. I forgot the name of the store but if you have the sky garden behind you it would be among the ones to your left.

I walked to the counter and waited while the girl finished a transaction with another customer. Then I told her what I needed and she told me the price. I liked the price so I dug into my bag for my wallet. While I was doing that, another customer asked her for another item. She gave him the answer and he indicated that he wanted to get it. She then went to get his item without asking if I also wanted mine.

That was irritating. And it's her loss. You see the man wanted something worht PhP 300 while my purchase would have been PhP 800.

That was yesterday. This morning, I went to another mall to check out their new layout. I found that cd-r King had a store there and it was almost empty, probably because people didn't know it was there yet. I walk in and find that there was a girl at the counter working with a cople (or was it a father and daughter?). There were three other personnel going in and out of the back room. There was also another customer waiting his turn.

After a few minutes, the other client left, probably frustrated for being made to wait so long. Another couple walked into the store and were examining the goods in the glass counters. I asked the girl at the counter if there was no one else who could serve customers because her transaction was not done yet and I was getting hungry.

She called for back up. One of the three other personnel came out and stopped at the cashier's desk which was of course away from the counter. When I shouted that I wanted a power supply, that was the only time she came over.

When I have my own business, I wouldn't want me or my staff to be doing those things.