Skip to main content

Notes from a Student of Life

From one student of life to another, I share my notes on what I have learned so far in my journey.

I have learned that...
  1. Life always begins with a cry so don't expect to get through life without one (or more... okay, fine! many!).  Cry your heart out when you need to.  But when the tears dry up, you better be ready to roll again cause life will not let up. 
  2. Just because I am strong enough to handle pain doesn't mean I deserve it.  Just because life makes you feel pain even when you don't deserve it doesn't mean life is shit.
  3. Life is like a movie and we all are the writers, the directors and the actors of our own movie.  The kind of movie you want to be remembered by is really all up to you. 
  4. Heaven and hell do exist - right here, right now.  You are free to choose where you want to be.
  5. Missing a lot does not mean you failed to live a full life.  We can't experience them all and we can't have them all.  A full life is a life filled with what matters most to you, not to the people around you.
  6. Spend time alone for yourself every day. Everyday you are forced to spend time with people you don't necessarily want to be with. Workplace is a classic example.  So spend time alone for yourself even if you do not want to. It is the only way to know yourself and to learn to love yourself.
  7. Remember what your mother taught you, it came from the most sacred place of love that exists. 
  8. Your heart is your best compass.  It can measure many things that science cannot. So it only makes sense to follow it when making decisions about the things that matter to you the most.
  9. Keep loving no matter what.  We all need to love and we all need to be loved.  The world is filled with so much love in as much as it is filled with so much hate.  The key is in knowing where to look and knowing what you want to find. 
  10. Love is patient, love is kind.  Most of the time, those who are not the easiest to love are the ones who need it the most.  Always be patient and kind.
  11. The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.  Choose wisely who you give them to and treasure the ones who give them to you.  Every tick of the clock we give someone is equivalent to every beat of our heart that counts down our physical existence.
  12. The best things in life are free. You can't buy love, respect, laughter, happiness, heck you should not even dare try buying a hug.  These things are free, you need only ask.
  13. An eye for an eye will make the world blind. Patience, tolerance and forgiveness are powerful tools that can bring out the best in even the worst of people.
  14. Being kind is more important than being right.  Righteousness without kindness breeds fundamentalism. 
  15. Before you judge any person, step into their shoes and try living their life. If you reach as far as they have, I guarantee you, you wouldn't even want to judge.
  16. Sometimes you are heard the loudest and the clearest when you are silent.  
  17. Pain and suffering are the two most common results of unfulfilled expectations. Expect less, hurt less, suffer less. 
  18. If you find yourself losing jobs or losing friends or losing relationships constantly, maybe it is time to consider the possibility that you could be the problem.
  19. You are beautiful even when you don't see it.  Even butterflies don't see their own wings.
  20. Motivation does not make people move, inspiration does. Inspiration comes from passion and passion is contagious.  
  21. Selfishness is the result of thinking that the world owes you.  The world owes you nothing.  The faster you can come to terms with it, the sooner you will discover happiness.  Happiness comes from giving, not receiving.
  22. You are not the center of the universe, but you are an integral part of the it. We are all part of the synergy. Every single one matters and it is the relationships that connect us. We owe it to the world to make good that connection.
  23. Success is relative. To someone who values money, success is billions.  To someone who values relationships, success is family and friends.  To someone who values reputation, success is prestige.  Success is simply a measure of the kind of person you are.
  24. There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure. As the song goes, "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad".  Do what makes you happy and everything else follows.  The only guide here that you should follow is, if what makes you happy kills you, that is just dumb. Find something else that can make you happy.
  25. When tired - sleep, when hungry - eat.  Much like a modern engine, the human body has sensors that tell us at very specific moments the things that it needs to make it function at its best.  Listen to it.

Comments

Post a Comment

What people are reading...

Philippines Withdraws from the ICC

Woke up today to the news that the Philippines is finally pulling out of the ICC. The mainstream media, as expected, started looking into the legitimacy of the act while taking the opportunity to once again throw the EJK trash in the equation, still hoping that the shit would stick somewhere, somehow.  It's already been 19 months that they have been trying the same approach, with some help from their friends - the political minority, the human rights groups, the UN HR, and lately, the ICC.
Post a Comment
Read more

Saint Valentine's Day

It is the time of the roses and the chocolates once again.  It is the "season of love"; that one day in every year, where all lovers and friends go coucou finding gifts for their "Valentine".  It is also the time where the flower, chocolate and teddy bear merchants as well as hotels and motels owners and operators are on full grin!  It is the time where the prices of commodities associated with "love" go sky-high. What really is this phenomenon that is Valentine's Day?  Read on...
Post a Comment
Read more

32 Years of EDSA People Power

Please Juan, wake up from deep slumber! I am a Filipino, and a darn proud one. Yet, I just could not get my head around what we, as a people, do. We seem to be a flock of headless chickens roaming endlessly around a barren and hopeless land. We fight against each other without a clear understanding of what we fight for. People in EDSA now are saying, “We are fighting for democracy!” To which I say, “Of course we are!” We all get it. We fought hard for it and got it 32 years ago, did we not? Where exactly did it take us today? I am a firm believer of the idea that the greatest gift our forefathers left us is democracy. There are still societies to this day whose people who do not even know that people can now choose their leaders. We are given something many people can still only dream of. Yet there are those who say democracy failed us. Others just perennially blame the failure to the government. I think it is more a case of us failing democracy and a corrupt go...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Will You Be Remembered?

Someday, you will only be a memory to some people.  Have you ever thought about how you will be remembered? In 1888, a wealthy businessman woke up one day to read his obituary on a French newspaper.  The words were, "Le marchand de la mort est mort" which means, "The merchant of death is dead". The papers went on to say that the man who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.  He, of course, was still very much alive at the time.  This came as a wake up call to the man whose name is tagged to some of the most amazing yet horrible armament inventions of our time. Upon his death, 18 years later after reading his obituary, his family and friends were surprised to find out what he has written on his will.  The man allocated 94% of his total assets to the formation of what is now regarded as one of the most respected foundations in the world.  The man is Dr. Alfred Bernhard Nobel,  the man behind the Nobe...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Sense of Goose

by Dr. Harry Clarke Noyes  ARCS NEWS, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 1992  Next  fall, when  you see Geese  heading South for  the Winter, flying along  in V formation, you might  consider what science has dis‐  covered as to why they fly that way:  as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an  uplift for the bird immediately following. By  flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least  71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.  People who share a common direction and sense of community  can get where they are going more quickly and easily  because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.  When  a goose falls  out of formation,  it suddenly feels the drag  and resistance of trying to go it alone  and quickly gets back into formation to take  advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front....
Post a Comment
Read more

A lesson on parenting: Father and son tread water 15 hours overnight in the Atlantic with help from Buzz Lightyear

Father and son tread water 15 hours overnight in the Atlantic with help from Buzz Lightyear This is an inspiring story about parenting.  Time and time again, as parents we are caught up in the tide of life.  Sometimes the tide gets too overwhelming that we begin to lose faith.  Tides come in different forms, it could be stress of parenting itself or a work/financial problem, and there are those tides of real physical danger much like in the news above. If you were the parent in this news, yourself and your son - two tiny specks in an infinite pool of deep blue and dangerous waters, to see your son slowly drift away while you just stare in utter helplessness would break your spirit faster than you could blink your eye.   Most parents in the same dire situation would swim themselves to death and possibly hold on for as long as humanly possible to provide an anchor or a floater for his/her kid til help arrives.  Even ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Are you too strong for your own good?

I came across a gem of an article on Gulf News Aquarius magazine ( click here to read the article ) and decided to share it here and inject a few of my own thoughts on the subject. I have always been fascinated by strong women, those who have changed the course of history and made the world that is today. There are Hatshepsut, Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth, Anne Frank, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Mother Theresa to name a few. And of course, to each and every one of us, who would forget the strongest woman of all that we know – our mothers.
1 comment
Read more

If a Dog Was Your Teacher

If a dog was your teacher, these are some of the lessons you might learn… When loved ones come home, always run to greet them Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face, to be pure ecstasy When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory Take naps and stretch before rising Run romp and play daily Thrive on attention and let people touch you Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do On warm days stop to lie on your back on the grass On hot days drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree When you’re happy dance around and wag your entire body No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout, run right back and make friends Delight in the simple joy of a long walk Eat with gusto and enthusiasm Stop when you have had enough Be loyal Never pretend to be something you’re not If what you want lies buried, dig u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Broken Gadgets and Me

Have you ever had a connection with something that seemed like it was given to you by default? It is like a birthright where you were born with a particular gift or purpose that is handed to you right from birth. There are those who were born with a vocal cord of a flute who practically sang instead of cry at the first sight of the delivery room. There are those who were born with missing joints who seem to have danced their way out of their mothers’ wombs. And then there was me… and broken gadgets.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Law of the Garbage Truck

By David J. Pollay 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. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, '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 explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take th...
Post a Comment
Read more