Historian’s Nook

I was busy sorting out few of my old stuffs the other week when I came across a short note that was handed to me by a former student in one of my Philippine history classes way back the first semester of 2004.  It was given to me long after the formal end of classes, so basically this had no bearing whatsoever in the giving of her final grade.  For those of you who are interested, the letter reads as follows:

“Sa totoo lang po, nahihiya sana akong magbigay ng letter sa inyo, pero naisip ko ‘yung lesson natin na equality ng babae at lalaki and since binigyan ko ‘yung babae kong teacher, binigyan ko na rin kayo.  Sabi po kasi ng mommy (na isa ring guro) natutuwa daw siya kapag nagpapasalamat sa kanya ang mga students.  Sir, hindi po ito bola dahil wala naming magagawa iyon.  Isa lang po ako sa mga mukhang dumaan sa harap ninyo na malamang ay hindi ninyo kilala (dahil sa recitation ay never n’yo pa nabanggit ang name ko pero ok lang).  Mula pa po noong elementary ay nabiyayaan na ako ng mahuhusay na mga teachers, lalo na noong high school ng mga mahuhusay na mga guro na nagpanatiling mulat ng mata ko sa tuwing may klase at dahil po doon ay naging favorite ko ang history.  Akala ko po hanggang doon na lang iyon dahil mahirap daw ang college, pero hindi pala, favorite ko pa rin siya kahit hanggang 1^st sem lang dahil ayon po sa nakikita kong kalagayan ng mga ka-dorm ko na ang teacher ay si Sir __________, dalawa lang po ang maaaring mangyari – huwag na akong mag-aral sa History II o iyon na lang ang aaralin ko.  Ang haba na po ng nobela ko pero sa kabuuan ay salamat po.”

Message like this inspires teachers to bring out their very best once they’re inside the classrooms.  Message likes this makes our day.  Thank God for history…

Malupit talaga ang kultura ng paggawa ng mga Pinoy lalo na sa mga tanggapan ng gobyerno.  Ngayong araw ko ito lubusang napatunayan.  Sabi ng isang malapit na kaibigan, ang karamihan daw sa mga opisinang ganito, alas-onse pa lang lunch na.  Mahusay.  Magaling.  At iyon nga ang aking masasaksihan sa araw na ito.  Kanina, nagpunta ako sa isang opisina sa Pasig para kumuha ng isang dokumento.  Take note, mga pasado alas-onse pa lang ‘yun ha.  Bungad ba naman sa akin ng babaeng nilapitan ko sa isang opisina ay ganito: “Naku iho, bumalik ka na lang ng mga ala-una, kainan na eh.  Pasensya na ha, medyo na-wrong timing ka…” 

O di ba, kung hindi ba naman tumaas ang presyon ng dugo mo?  O magputukan ang iyong mga ugat sa utak?  O magpanting ang mga tainga mo at makalimot na tinanggal na pala ni GMA ang kaparusahang death penalty?  Hindi ko mawari, bakit nga ba naman naging ‘wrong timing’ ang alas-onse?  Grabe, parang walang pagpapahalaga sa oras ng ibang tao.  Mabuti na lang narinig ko ang mga katagang ‘pasensya na ha’.  At least, magalang pa rin naman. Dahil kung hindi, baka nagpakaladkad at nagpahila na lang ako sa mga guwardya palabas ng kalsada.  Kakabanas talaga.  Onli in da Pilipins…

Life was seemingly simple then. As a child, you eat, drink, play, study, and sleep. It is in this simplicity that children are so full of joy, worry-free, and devoid of the complexities of life.

As you grow older, your perspective of life changes. With age comes the trials that test your values, convictions, and ultimately the totality of who you are as a person. Most of the time, these trials come unexpectedly. Depending on how you react to these trials, they will later become complications that you never intend to go into in the first place. But somehow because of certain circumstances and rash decisions you’ve made, you finally find yourself enmeshed in these unfortunate complexities.

And again before you know it, you’ll be in way over your head with a series of convoluted scenarios that have branched out from just one complicated situation. The sad part, however, is that these are not just mere situations; they also involve people - people who have emotions, people who might be hurt in the process one way or another no matter how hard you try not to.  In a nutshell, a complex life indeed the way I understand it…

Last June 24-25, 2006 I was able to finally visit my paternal relatives when my mom and I took a brief time out en route to Bacolod City that weekend.  For the very first time, I was able to finally see all my cousins there – some of them I’ve never seen in my entire life.  Likewise, I was able to see my titos and titas and so with my grandmother whom I last saw in 1989 – or almost 17 years ago.  I could have bumped off any one of them without even realizing who they are in the first place.  Goodness gracious.  Almost a tragedy in this particular lifetime of mine, that is, never really knowing who my relatives are.  Son of a gun…

It was indeed a date to remember, a homecoming of some sort.  Finally, I was able to meet all my long lost cousins (or I’m the one who’s lost here?): Paul, James, Ian, Rg Laine, Joshua, John Roi, and Zion Bless - in addition to my two cousins working here in Manila, namely Shandelle and Mark.  Thanks for my making our short stint there a weekend to remember.  Daghang salamat sa inyong tanan!