Life As It Is

   

         Everyday of our lives, we are faced to various challenges. These challenges determine our capacity as human beings and so, we are obliged to be able to meet these things successfully. Challenges are of different natures, they can be something personal, or about our relationships with people, or maybe about the happenings that happen in our society.

            What I would discuss here is about the challenge posed by the increase in the prices of gasoline and basic commodities. This, although impersonal, affects all of us. We are all affected by it and it hinders the economic freedom of all because, instead of having saved a few pesos, we are all obliged to pay extra charges brought about by those price increases. We should all learn how to cope with it for as we all know, it affects our daily lives. We shouldn’t lose hope however, for these things, I’m sure will pass.

             I do a lot of things just to cope with these price increases. I have changed some things in my lifestyle so that I would only spend money on things that are really necessary. The first thing I’ve done is to change a bit in my expenses because that’s how we all survive, by learning how to adapt.  Adaption is the key but it is such a broad thing. To adapt, I had to list all the things that I really needed to buy before going to the supermarket so as to make sure that I buy only the most important things. Second, I have learned how to scrutinized products by comparing them to make sure that I have bought quality products in reasonable prices. It’s just all about being practical. Third, I try not to be tempted by those things I see in the market. Sometimes, we have this impulse to buy the things we see displayed in all those stores. But I try to stop and think if I really needed it. Doing just that will save a lot of money, you know.

            Because of the price increase of gasoline, there was a fare hike. The one peso increase is a big deal actually. What I do is that I walk whenever I know that the distance between my location and my target place is tolerable. I don’t get tired easily and I just think of happy things when I walk. I would sometimes get surprised to know that I have already got into my target location. I don’t notice the time that has elapsed. I am entertained by all the motion around me. I also put it in my mind that walking is a good exercise. In our campus in Los Baños, all students walk because jeepneys are not allowed inside the campus and besides, they advocate the good things that walking does into our bodies and the fact that by walking, we help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

            We also save on our electricity. As we all know, during summer, electric consumption prices increase. Age old tips like turning off appliances when not in use are very beneficial if you think about it. Our mother always reminds us to save electricity whenever we can and we follow it by heart, because if we don’t, we get a sermon.

            Another thing that we can do is to get a job. Oftentimes, our parents’ wages are not just enough for the family and we cannot really blame them for they can’t stop price increases. I myself have applied for this job just to augment my parents’ income. It is the least I can do for them. Parents tend to appreciate extra income very much. Extra income means a lot for it can buy a lot of necessary things.

            Lastly, my best solution is thinking positively. I have this ‘this too shall pass’ attitude that lets me get through difficulties. It would be very beneficial for us to stop thinking negatively. Thinking positively while working towards your goal makes your life easier. We know that as long as we live, we will always meet challenges. It’s just the way it is. Let’s just accept that and move on towards our dreams.

Staying Afloat

These days, keeping oneself above water, financially speaking, is a tough trick to pull off. Just this week, the price of petroleum-based products increased yet again, with LPG prices soaring another 22-35 pesos. It seems that that’s all that’s happening, prices increasing without let up. Every time oil prices go up, it is inevitable that the price of all other products go up- be it grocery items like canned goods or fresh produce. This is because almost everything is connected to oil in some way, shape or form. Of course, vegetables need to be transported to the grocery stores from the farms and that’s why their prices go up too whenever there is an oil price hike.

It is really difficult to keep up with all these price hikes since one’s spending power is greatly diminished by these increases. Just a year ago, a thousand pesos was enough to buy the grocery items we need for a period of two weeks. Now, we need around 1, 400- 1, 600 pesos for the same items. Also, our electricity bill is up by around 300- 400 pesos from last year. The same goes for the other utilities like water, phone, etc.

It is especially tough to keep up with these price hikes because one’s salary remains the same despite all these price increases. One’s salary only increases once a year and that is just not enough to keep up.

I think everyone will agree with me when I say that these constant and never ending price hikes are enough to make a person want to pull their hair out in frustration. It is just so frustrating to not be able to do anything but roll over and deal with these price increases.

It is but natural for people to find ways of coping with the times and in my case, I took several steps to make sure that I survive the continuous price hikes. One of the steps I took was to watch over our electricity and water consumption. Before, I was less watchful of these things and would think nothing of keeping the TV on even when there’s no one watching anything. Now, if no one is really interested in watching a specific program and the TV is on mostly for the ambient noise, I make sure to turn it off. With water, I am more inclined to sort of “recycle” now. For example, water used for rinsing plates is also used to flush the toilet. Of course, this is tough to do sometimes because, one; not everyone in the family has the patience to do this ( I must admit, even I am guilty of not always doing this ) and, two; the water from rinsing kitchen utensils is sometimes filled with too much “debris” to be used again. Also, I now pay closer attention to all our faucets in the house, making sure that they are completely turned off.

Another thing I did to cope with the rising prices is to take jobs on the side. With the price of commodities increasing constantly, it is difficult to make ends meet even with a regular job and a steady income. I took on writing jobs, things that I can accomplish on the side. It is very fortunate that nowadays there are a lot of opportunities for a person to make extra money. It hasn’t always been the case. It really is a blessing that now, people can get part time work that they can do in their own homes, at their convenience. This gives people like me another way to earn money without having to give up my other sources of income.

These days, unless you are one of the lucky few, you cannot afford to just rest on your laurels and expect to get everything you need to survive from one income alone. Although there are some who are fortunate enough to make a very good living, most people earn just enough to make ends meet. So if you want to be able to afford certain luxuries or if you want to be able to set some money aside for the future, taking steps to ensure that you keep your bills down and finding ways to earn extra money are things a person cannot avoid doing.

Despite these perpetual price hikes which are both unavoidable and inevitable, I believe there are things we can still be grateful for. We can be grateful that there are things we can do to keep our expenses down and there are ways we can earn extra income. We just have to be smart about these and learn to roll with the punches.       

  

   

The Reef Paradise

Boracay is an island south of Manila in the Western Visayas. It gained popular recognition in global tourism as it was distinguished by the BMW Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world in 1990, as well as the world’s number one tropical beach by British magazine TV Quick in 1996.

My family and I had a three-day vacation in Boracay in May 2009 as requested by my younger sister and her Australian husband. We stayed at one of their apartments in Manoc-Manoc, gate 3, which is just 50 meters back of the beach. I would consider this an experience of once in a lifetime which was imprinted in both first impressions and fun.

The reason why I consider it once-in-a-lifetime experience is that before I came about to discover the atmospheric ambiance of Boracay I was pathetic about beaches. Our province Pangasinan had a lot of beaches but they were dry and dirty so I was not really interested about crossing any other beaches. Aside from that, I am not an outgoing person so I almost believe that getting into fun somewhere in the Boracay cross lines would understate my social shortcomings.  Anyway, I brought with me only my father and mother so that would highlight the possibility of me getting alone in the middle of my sister’s European and American friends. These uncomfortable feelings were, at one point between watching the seas of the ocean while inside a ship and landing into the tourist spot of Aklan, washed away.

The travel was by sea since we had a lot of baggage. Hence, it took us one day to reach Aklan. While on-board one of the Navigation Lines ships, the feeling, being first-time (since I am not usually fond of vacation travels), was indescribable. The cloud above was so clear that I could see cotton-like formations which relieve stress and discomforts given by the city. The water was crystal-clear with blue tones all over. There were mountains and ridge lines at the far horizons. I felt absolute freedom for the first time, where all sides were open and wide, totally opposite from the constrictions of the urban lifestyle and college pressure.

With the shorelines on sight, the color milieu was astounding. I was approaching a beautiful and white coastline from all the sides of this small island of Panay. From about 300 meters the atmosphere could be felt. There were coconut trees around and bushy herbs, colorful sheds and bancas, mixed with people who were wearing colorful summer dresses, too.

That was just like the border impression. When we were already in that island, the feeling was more intensely nature-passionate. For the three days that I was there I enjoyed one of my life’s most wonderful experiences. I could now see the actual heaven which was brought down to earth from above. A lot of people and families were enjoying their summer getaways bonding and sharing fun with one another. It also displayed cultural diversity since a blend of ethnic, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Latin and American tourists were there. I could see beautiful bodies and faces. I could also see a lot of restaurants and bars lining everywhere. Commerce and industry was rich along with tourism. And wow, the sand was just genuinely rich-white, which was the rarest thing I have ever seen in my years of existence. From that point and forward, I enjoyed every second of the vacation swimming and roaming around Manoc-Manoc myself while my parents were busy talking with my sister, her husband and their foreign friends. While staying on the apartment, I also had some bondage with Steve, my brother-in-law. He is a project engineer for contracts of high-rise buildings. Once, he took me on board his motorcycle to show one of his big projects, in a mountain base. The building was in the initial phase of construction so he was checking for structural and cable defects. After that, he toured me to the reefs. According to him, the island was actually a multitude of coral reefs put out together to make up an island. From that moment I got to know him as a very smart (in fact he was a distinguished scholar of Chemistry in University of Western Australia who could handle engineering projects), very competitive and very funny person.

Although time was short for the vacation for me to give a general impression of the place, the experience was indeed a treasure. It reminded me of the time when Philippines was free from exploitation of its natural resources and beauty decades ago.

A Select Few Just Have It, While the Rest of Us Just Watch From the Sidelines

The enduring impact of Blessed Pope John Paul II is a testament to the reality of the

“X” factor that a few select people have on the collective consciousness of the great

masses of people and which the rest of us simply do not have.

 I say this outside of the documented achievements of the man as seen by Catholics,

 which include his numerous travels to different countries to spread the message of

 Roman Catholicism, his healing powers that were experienced by the faithful, his

 reaching out to the leaders of other religions and the acknowledgement during his time

 of the Church’s error in its persecution of Galileo.

The well-loved Blessed Pope John Paul II remains popular and certainly well on his

way to immortality because of his unique charisma. What he preached on his journeys

were basically his expressions of what Catholics already know. He reiterated the faith’s

teachings and insights and reminded and exhorted the faithful to follow them. In this

respect, he is not much better than the popes who preceded him. What sets him apart

is the irresistible force behind his personality and physiognomy.

When Blessed Pope John Paul II speaks on the faith, people cannot help but be

convinced because of his perceived moral ascendancy, and people say that they feel

elevated and spiritual when they are in his presence. It is a sensation that is nearest to

the feeling of being in the presence of God.

This “X” factor or innate charisma possessed by certain people in varying degrees

transcends time, space and station in life and even moral stature. This quality

separates the successful from the not so successful in the fields of government, politics,

religion, entertainment and sports and also in social-cultural movements. This quality

 may also be a factor in driving the thinking and feeling of people into certain directions

 and in the changing of the course of events.

 In recent history, we are witnesses to the impact caused by charismatic personalities.

These persons have elicited or elicit infinite interest from the masses of people, who

 were or are inexorably drawn to them and to all aspects of their lives. Clearly, Blessed

Pope John Paul II is one of them. And so are Mahatma Gandhi, Mao Tse Tung, Martin

Luther King, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, the Dalai Lama and Manny Pacquiao.

Although evil, Adolf Hitler also merits inclusion here.

These then are the things that have immediately touched me about Blessed Pope John

 Paul II. His beatification I understand was set in motion faster than usual in such

 proceedings. I grew up as a Catholic although I have not actively practiced the religion

 since I finished schooling. I am fairly familiar with Catholic doctrine and generally follow

 its moral precepts, although I consider myself to be a free-thinker at this point. I respect

the beliefs of members of various religious groups and concede that one or all of them

 may be true, but I cannot be certain on any one view on this matter much in the same

 way as there are few things that are certain in this world.

I wish that religious leaders and their members would make it top priority to collectively

pray to their God and all saints to immediately answer and resolve the mystery

of life in a dispassionate manner  and demonstrable in scientific terms to end all

uncertainty and moral relativity in the world and establish clarity for everybody, instead

of praying for the usual individual concerns and deliverance from earthly suffering.

Important questions that need clarification include the nature of the cosmos and the

physical world, the existence of other life systems in the universe, the immortality of the

soul, the nature of heaven and hell and the salvation-condemnation system for

man, the reality of karma and the possibility of reincarnation and the rationale behind

the existence of man. The uncertainty over these things is the basic cause of man

going astray. It is not that he is incapable of hard work and suffering, but that the

purpose of it all is lost on him.

I believe that once these questions are resolved clearly, all persons in the world,

 whatever station in life they may be, will find meaning and value in their existence

and thus strive only for what is good. This will then necessarily translate to goodwill

amongst all peoples and peace in the entire planet.

My Take on the RH Bill

            Interesting topic! While I have not thoroughly read the bill and have pushed myself away from the sidelines of the debate, in fact shunning away from it but eavesdropping at conversations on the radio and television, I secretly maintain the position that women should be responsible for their reproductive health. But I am troubled by the fact that in this country responsibility is an expensive commodity like gas.

            The Dichotomy: Responsible Women Vs Ir-responsible Women. In this country, I cannot help but force the women into two dichotomies, one the schooled and responsible the other the unschooled and the ones-who-do-not-know-what-responsibility even is. The first group does not need any RH bill or any government or church to dictate on their number of children. They know the right thing to do, they manage their health, they control the number of children and dictate their future. They are responsible mothers who knowing that their children will be the future stewards of the country , rear them with care and affection, provide them the basic necessities, teach them the right values, and give them education. With this group we are assured of better seeds. But the second group, bring nothing but children we see knocking on car windows begging for alms, or juvenile delinquents, the stow-away rugby boys, the emaciated children who can hardly eat who will become parents in the future and rearing the same children under the same conditions, the homeless children sleeping on the streets all their lives who would become criminals in the future and who are also likely to raise criminals in the future. Are these not also a violation to the sanctity of life, to bear children who in the end will be left on the streets? What is more morally right to control conception or allow hundreds of impoverished children to die alive in the pain of poverty?

            Impoverished Minds. The sad and shameful fact is that the Philippine’s average intelligence quotient ranks lower than its Southeast Asian counterparts and the guilty offender is poverty and culture. And it is the very same thing that brings so many children on this part of the earth. And the same children will raise the same children with the same circumstances. That level of mental ability cannot in any way contribute to national productivity, they will forever be painful national burdens. That is the harsh picture of reality. The church says, if the RH bill is implemented it proliferates immorality? It seems to me that what the church is telling everyone is that it is better to be poor than immoral. So that means that in the heat of the debate Filipinos are left to choose between poverty and immorality. I choose the latter. If RH bill encourages sin then I’d rather sin and manage my fertility and raise fewer and happier and healthier children who would become productive citizens. Than become poor and have many children and you know the implications as discussed earlier.

            Harsh Punishments for Offenders. The RH Bill however cannot be implemented without any sanctions given to offenders. There should be harsh punishments meted to violators. I know its cruel and autocratic but that is the desperate solution for a desperate situation. The number of children in fact should be regulated, the punishment of which is death and the rewards, free social services and education. I know I am dreaming.  

            Chicken and Egg Dilemma. In addition to the question of the individual right to life, the issue on poverty often enters the picture. Whether we like it or not however, the discourse between population explosion and poverty is a chicken and egg dilemma. The poorer population has the most number of children, while the richer population has lesser numbers of children. While the poor wants more children for social security – more hands to help, more hands to beg for alms on the streets; the rich wants very few children to give them a better future. So this population thing, has indomitably, widened the gap between the rich and poor. And this is not good, because it will tear society apart. In this country, wealth is distributed in a pyramid. There are only a few on the upper rung of the socio-economic status, while a large mass is on the bottom. Because the larger percentage of the population has nothing, they take on the streets and the environment. When the environment is depleted they suffer directly from the violence of nature. And everyone blames anyone but themselves.

            The Blaming Game. Are we going to fault the snobbish Roman Catholic church? If the church can feed the families and their impoverished children, am I going to applause? Are we going to point our finger at the corrupt government again and again. Blaming is a satisfying but defeatist game. But knowing the government and the church there is no escaping the fact that we are left to fend for ourselves. That’s being cynical. The richer and more responsible child-bearing women have the liberty to decide for themselves responsibly but the poorer women cannot. If the RH bill can inculcate poorer women of their reproductive responsibility then better. When I say reproductive responsibility that is from the time they decide to conceive and up to the time they mother a child and send them to college.

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