You and Your Dreams

I was invited by my Alma Mater to be the guest speaker for this year's Elementary and Kindergarten Graduation. The MSIC Graduation was held last March 31, 2011 at MSIC Gym. The SJBA graduation took place on April 1, 2011 at the SM Event Center.

This kind of opportunity does not come and happen every day. By this reason, I was more than joyful to have been given this chance to inspire kids. On March 23, 2011, my phone rang. I was hesitating to answer my phone at first because the number was unregistered. But lo and behold! When I pressed yes, it was our dear principal! According to Ms. Jo, before choosing the guest, she prayed for it. I thank God for the favor He has for me. I have been receiving so many blessings!

Below are the pictures taken during the MSIC graduation. Enjoy!

With our dear principal, Ms. Jo. I missed her so much!


While delivering my speech.

With our dear Principal and President.

Never expected to see this. It was an honor! Thank you so much. :}

The speech I used on March 31, 2011 and April 1, 2011:

In 2008 there was this movie Kung Fu Panda. It is about a lazy Panda named Po, who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu. Po works faithfully in his family's noodle shop, but by night he dreams of becoming a true master of the martial arts. One day he learns that the Jade Temple is setting up a competition to select the Dragon Warrior. Po goes to see the competition between the Furious Five: Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis. He enters the contest by accident, and is chosen by Oogway, the old sage, as the Dragon Warrior. Now Master Shifu must train Po into a Kung Fu Master, as the city comes under the threat of Tai Lung, a treacherous snow leopard who had been Master Shifu's favourite pupil, and is now coming to the Valley of Peace seeking revenge.

Like Po, we all want to become SOMETHING and SOMEONE. Today, we have a little activity here. I wish that everyone would participate. Friends, can you do me a favor? For 10 seconds please keep your eyes closed and visualize your dreams…the person you want to become and the things you want to have…your goals.

(Count ten seconds)

Now open your eyes.
My dream is to become a lawyer, establish charities and schools, and make history. Some of you may want to become doctors, engineers, teachers, famous writers, celebrities, or may be musicians. Some may dream of owning their own airplanes, of having a mansion with ten cars, of going to different countries, of inventing something that will make humans fly, or of making a medicine that may cure any disease.

Let me call someone from the graduates. (Calls someone) Did you feel happy when you thought of your goals and dreams?

Dreams make us feel alive. Every day, we bear them in our hearts just like how we carry every piece of our being when we go to school, office, church or wherever. It is an important portion of who we are that without them, we can still go on, but life would be reduced to mere existence. They have a special space in hearts that if they were taken away from us, we would feel like a bird that cannot fly because its wing is broken, like a kindergarten student who just knew that Santa Clause never existed, or like a twelve-year-old girl who was promised to be taken to Taylor Swift’s concert, but the promise was not fulfilled, or like a person who just came to know that the 700 million peso lotto prize had been won, ang kaso nga lang hindi ikaw!

Friends, I have only two things to tell – two things that we should always keep in mind. The first point is that you will have to work hard for your dreams and goals. In Kung Fu Panda, Po had to train to ready himself for the battle between him and Tai Lung, the antagonist in the story. He had to learn how to make a perfect split and had to combat with the furious five. Every day he was forced to work hard to become a true Dragon Warrior.

I learned that dreams are not free because they come with a high price. That high price may mean devoting less time to Play House Disney or Facebook, prioritizing studies more than your crushes, or practicing earnestly to hone your skills.

But be reminded that it will never be easy. There will be times when we will feel like giving up. There will be times when we will think that nothing is happening. There will be times when we will doubt ourselves and instead of hearing encouraging words, we will hear people saying words that will discourage us all the more. When these days come, do not quit. DO-NOT-QUIT! Just close your eyes. Cover your ears. Cling to your dreams. Step forward. Friends, we all have dreams; it is our duty to protect them.

Are we going to fail sometimes? Yes. Sometimes you will get a low grade, or maybe a failing one. According to Bill Gates, “It is fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” Failures are not trash. They are our treasure. They will make us stronger.

(Looks at the kindergarten graduates)

Kids, when you do not get stars from teacher, do not quit. Instead, you study harder until teacher gives you stars.

Second point is about believing in ourselves. Believe even when no one believes in you. Believe even if it seems impossible. Believe even if you do not look like you are going to be a doctor, a scientist, an astronaut, a billionaire, a president, a dancer, or the next Justin Bieber or Hannah Montana.

You know what? This is why I have loved Kung Fu Panda. It has a message for everyone. Nobody believed that Po could be the Dragon Warrior, not even Master Shifu, the one who taught Po Kung Fu. Why? Because he was fat and was only good at eating a lot. In short, he did not look like a Dragon Warrior. But Po dedicated his heart into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately found that his greatest weaknesses turned out to be his greatest strengths. He realized that there was no secret ingredient to being the Dragon Warrior, anyone could be a Dragon Warrior, and that he just had to believe in himself.

Friends, do not ever let somebody tell you that you cannot do something or become someone. Not even your family or your friends. “If you want something, go get it. PERIOD!”

This may be the shortest speech in the entire graduation history, because I do not want to overwhelm you with tons of information. My purpose for today is just to relay those two points to everyone who is here, especially to the graduates. So remember, point number one is we have to work hard for our dreams. Second and last point is we have to believe in ourselves.

But I do not want to speak to the graduates alone. I desire to speak to the parents by using the conversation between Master Oogway and Master Shifu. Master Oogway was Master Shifu’s superior. The conversation went something like this:

Oogway said, “My friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor yours until you let go of the illusion of control.”

Shifu asked, “Illusion?”

“Yes,” answered Oogway. “Look at this tree, Shifu: I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time.”

Shifu argued, “But there are things we *can* control: I can control when the fruit will fall, I can control where to plant the seed: that is no illusion, Master!”

“Ah, yes!” Oogway exclaimed. “But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.”

“But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung,” Shifu contended.

Oogway replied, “Maybe it can, if you are willing to guide, to nurture it, to believe in it.”

“But how? How? I need your help, master.” Asked Shifu.

Oogway finally said, “No, you just need to believe. Promise me, Shifu, promise me you will believe.”

I hope and pray that you got the message of Oogway and Shifu’s conversation. I hope and pray that you will not insist something to your kid just because it will make him earn a lot of money, but more importantly, because “that” something will stretch out his potentials and transform him into someone who is the best version of himself.

Some of you may think that I have the guts to lecture on these things because I had been a consistent honor student... because I have accomplished things and received awards from them… because I am now a Law student. No… I am standing before you because I am just like any of you. I have experienced to get a failing mark in a Math exam in High School, a seventy-nine in my report card in Reading in Elementary, a grade of C in my Marketing subject in college, and a grade of fifty-seven in mid-term exam in Persons and Family Relations in Law School. I lost in the Student Council election for Presidency during my senior year. I have lost in a lot of competitions. I made unwise decisions. I made mistakes. I make mistakes. I am not the greatest product of MSIC/SJBA. But the journey to our dreams is not about perfection. It is how you pick yourself up from every failure which makes every victory worth it. It is not about living for yourself. It is living for something and SOMEONE who is bigger than yourself.

So let me wrap up now with the following reminders:

Friends, go live your dreams. You own them!

To some who are on the brink of giving up, do not quit! Instead, work harder!To others who think their dreams will no longer materialize, believe again! Just believe again!

To the graduates and to the parents, CONGRATULATIONS! You are all a step closer to your dreams!

To all the members of MSIC/SJBA, thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity! May we all live and only live for the GLORY OF GOD!

For The Last Time

Dear Mon,

Remember the day when you saw me crying along the hallway near the stage of our school? We were on recess. You and a number of our classmates were seated around me. You were all asking, “Patrizia, bakit ka umiiyak?” The sun was scorching hot. Voices of the grade school pupils resonated. It was July. Was it July 11th? 28th? I can no longer recall.

Minutes before break time ended, from one of the people who surrounded me, a handkerchief was casually offered to me. Realizing what just happened, I looked at the person who gave it. Her hair was long and straight. She alternately smiled and furnished me with advices. It was you.

Break ended. We fell in line to prepare ourselves in going up for the next class. The teacher signaled go so the lines started to move. As we went up and left the area, deep within me, I sank with my thoughts. Georgene Jho Quicho was she. For the first time, I am admitting that I never expected that it was going to be you or, even, that you would do that to me. I mean, for four years, we had been in the same class and room. We did not share the same circle of friends at the time. We were classmates, but not really ‘friends.’ There was kindness in your smiles and words as I received the handkerchief to wipe and dry my tears.

Before the day ended, we finally exchanged cell phone numbers. Yes, it was just that day that we got each other’s digits.

I came home from school. I was tired, sad, and disappointed. Was it you who texted me first? Was it me? I can no longer recall. But all those things were the groundwork of our blossoming friendship. And yes, eventually, we became best of friends. Who knew, right?

For a moment, I unintentionally left my circle of friends. We went to the canteen (or wherever) side by side and sometimes, holding each other’s hand. We ate together. We sat beside each other except during English class, because MR (Ma’am Ruby) was strict about our seat plan. You wrote me letters. You surprised me with gifts. Oh, how they made my day! We laughed together, cried together, and smiled together… never alone, always together.

Before we parted ways, we embraced each other as if we would never see each other the next day. At night, before the day unfolded, we sent messages saying how important the other was, how much we loved each other, how much we missed each other, and how much we treasured our friendship. Asking was not necessary; we knew right then and there when one of us was hurting, was about to cry. You knew how hurt I was. I learned how fragile you were. I cherished the moments we spent just sharing our felicities, our sadness, our victories, our failures, our lives. They meant so much because it was like saying, “I am sharing this because you are my best friend. I trust you.” It was like laying ourselves bare and vulnerable without any stain of doubt, because we knew that even if our imperfections showed, we had faith that we were accepted by the other.

This was us.

But we have grown. Should I say apart? No, just ‘grown.’ There was a long hiatus between then and now. And during the seemingly incessant pause, we realized and learned things. At times, perhaps, we failed. Hurt each other. To some extent, we hated each other. I do not really know who faltered. Maybe...the both of us? We knew each other’s reasons but that was it. But through everything, I have learned that one cannot argue what the other should have done. Why? Well, because we differ. We have different perspectives. We have different solutions.

I now understand why the best lessons are learned the hard way. And that is because such lessons are for a lifetime. Losing my best friend rendered a priceless lesson, and that is ACCEPTANCE (such a simple word, yet, very hard to do).

Finally, I have accepted that you came.

Finally, I have accepted that we lost each other.

Finally, I have accepted that there was no point in blaming me, or you.

Finally, I have accepted that I just really had to accept.

Now, I have used what I have accepted to better myself. I found the missing piece to complete the puzzle. I have linked the scenes. You know what? God so purposely gave you the idea to offer your handkerchief. He intended for us to not be ‘friends’ before that day. Everything was designed so we could teach each other lessons to a certain extent that even if there could be persons to make us understand the same exact lessons, it would not equate such. Thank you, for I am now confident that I now know how to be a friend, the best friend. So many times I tried to persuade God in my prayers to bring you back as my best friend. But the answer was affirmatively negative. True, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

There is this person now that I consider as my best friend. At first, I was scared. Yes, I have been praying for it. But now that she came, it is different. Losing another valued person seems more imminent now than when God had not given her yet. But every time it scares me, I look back and see you. And then I say to myself, I will not let what this person taught me to be set aside and be made worthless.

Our time was short yet very much substantial. So, thank you. And if you do not mind, let me regard you as my best friend for the last time. Best friend, thank you for allowing God to use you in my life. Thank you for handing me your handkerchief. Thank you for holding my hands, Mon. Thank you for responding to God’s call.

You deserve a happy life, go live it.

Grateful,

Mon

02-14-11: What is LOVE?

This is LOVE.

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field,
since the payment is pure love.

Yesterday, while waiting for a friend, I spotted a mother and her child cuddling each other. I was amazed how the child innocently asked questions and how the mother lovingly answered them one by one. I was very much moved to the point that I had to secretly capture a picture of them. The mother showed this 'I'm-having-one-of-the-greatest-times-of-my-life look,' and it was very genuine that I felt it. Sincerely felt it. It was just a love so pure and true.

And then a familiar face appeared. It was my friend whom I greeted with a hug and a kiss on her cheek. My friend's presence halted me from staring at them. But you know what? My smile lingered.

Happy Heart's Day Everyone!