To My Friend

My dear friend,


A pleasant day to you. I hope you're having a fine day because I rarely remember you having a good one. You always seem to find something bad about everything.

I wrote this letter just to let you know how sorry I am for you. Ever since we became friends we've spent countless days talking with each other. We talked about your life, your problems and how wretched the world was to you.

As a friend I always did my best to hear you out. I listened to your every woe and discussed ways to remedy your situation. This we did almost every single day for 8 years straight.


I thought that I was getting through to you. That I was making a positive difference in your life. How wrong I was to believe that someone like me could help you change.

After such a long time you never changed your ways nor your outlook. You only pretended to be doing well. Deep down you're still as rotten as the first day I met you.


What's been eating you, man? Why can't you give yourself a break? Haven't you had enough misery to last a lifetime?


The problem with you is that you problematize everything. You always find things to rant about so people will listen to you. You rant and rant to the point that you devour your listener in the process.

I'm not a saint.
I'm just a human.
Humans can only take so much.

I'm not mad at you. I just feel bad because I was not much of a help at all. Someday you can find people who can reach out to you.

For now I think that you spend time reflecting on how to put your life in order. This time it's best that you find answers you discovered yourself. When the time comes you will be in a better position to maximize your potentials.

I better give you space. I'll always be here when you need me. You're really a great guy did you know that? You just need to believe in yourself. Always remember that I'll always be your #1 fan.

Your friend,

James

_______________________________________
Illustrations Cited:

Antelope Publishing
http://www.antelope-ebooks.com/HUMOR/HANK1.html

Daily Mail
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/12/Cartoon161206_450x312.jpg

Cartoonstock.com
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/shrink.asp

Efunny Cartoons
http://www.efunnycartoons.com/funnycartoons002.htm

The Importance of Getting Things Done

As I was browsing through a bookstore in a nearby mall I was able to find a very enlightening book entitled "The Technique of Getting Things Done" by Donald Raid. It looks and sounds like the usual inspirational stuff one finds in commercial bookstore but a close cursory reading of the book will reveal that it has much to offer than inspiration.

The main idea of this book is that people fail to achieve great things in their lives not because they lack intelligence but rather they do not know how to get things done in their lives. This simply means that many underachievers do not have the prudence to act at the right place at the right time.What the author says is very similar to a Filipino belief that success in life is not all about how smart or how much money a person has. A truly successful person is someone who is "madiskarte" or a person who knows how to use various circumstances to their advantage. Virtually all mentos commercials exemplify people who are "madiskarte" in a practical sense.

The book also implies the idea that too many people whine about their inability to do or finish a certain things rather than doing something about it. The pictures on this entry may seem rather silly but it catches the message perfectly. The guy on the left has every reason to whine about his inability to cook eggs to eat but he mprovised by cooking it with a magnifying glass. It may look silly but it shows a person who acts to get things done no matter how odd or awkward the solution may be. At least he did something to alleviate his situation rather than to mope about it.

This book's main idea really hit a raw nerve on my part! There were many instances in my life when I simply bemoan the difficulty of finishing a task (like my dissertation!) instead of working on it one step at a time. The message came as a real slap on my face. I guess I better start reorienting myself to be more productive no matter how crappy my original work may be at first. Rome wasn't built in a day after all.

______________________________________

Illustrations Cited:

Review of Solar Cooked Designs by Ashok Kundapur
http://ashokk_3.tripod.com/solar1.htm

Editorial Cartoon by Jimmy Purcell
http://media.www.jacconline.org/media/storage/paper212/news/2000/10/01/SocalConference/2005-OnSpot.Winnervisual.Entries-1042853.shtml

Mentoring Blues

I just received a scolding from my mom a while ago about a neighbor I have been mentoring for some time now. I have known this kid ever since she was a kid and I'm happy to see how she has grown to be a very kind and intelligent lady through the years. I really enjoy the moments we spend talking with each other because of the jolly, candid and insightful ways she directs our discussions.

It caused me great sadness to know that her grandmother was very upset with the academic advises I was giving her. Her grandmother's family and my family have been friends for decades and this is the first time that a family friend became angry for something that I did. Truth be known all I ever advised her to do was to be active in order to reach leadership positions in her organizations, participate in national youth conferences and of course, to always study hard. Was there anything wrong with saying such things?

In all fairness I do understand her grandmother. They don't have much and adding extra curricular activities on the bill can really cause a financial mess in their lives. Given such conditions I still feel that she's on the right track. She needs all the credentials she could so that she can have the best job possible. No good company will hire a mediocre, so-so candidate even if they graduated from an ivy league school. lots of students graduate from ivy league schools anyway so what makes her special? I'll tell you what, it's the extra curricular activities, of course. That's what makes all the difference because it shows a candidate's interpersonal dimensions which can never be written in a resume. Active and extensive participation in organizational matters entails great people skills. That added with brains makes a person an ideal candidate.Not to mention the numerous friends and contacts you could make by simply engaging in such activities. These are things that a lot of students fail to see.

I guess I better leave her be. I never had the right to meddle in their life anyway. Of course, I'll still help her in any way I can. I do not have the heart to turn down a person in need. I'll just keep a little distance just to maintain the peace. I'm sure that she has learned enough from me. All she has to do is to be the best person she could possibly be.

________________________________________________

Illustrations Cited:

Mentoring Illustration by Samantha Dellinger (http://www.yorkblog.com/artist/graphic_arts/)

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouri
(http://www.rmhccolumbia.org/Volunteers.html)