Does my dependence on the Lord and my admission of weakness over His omnipotence make me a wimp?
Not at all!
If I believe that Christ is in me, that makes me no less of a man. Using me is for His glory not mine. And though He chose a lowly me, it magnifies Him like darkness magnifies the light. So if Christ lives in me, it’s no longer the wimp me.
Am I a lost soul because of this? Am I no longer me for allowing Someone bigger than me to take over the reigns? No. For I am a son of God, part of His children that takes comfort in his presence and basks in His eternal love and justice.
And just so that I wont forget, none of the glory is mine. But I am more than a vessel. “For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Thank You Lord for Your blessing. Help me Lord that I always be reminded that I am saved by Your grace and that I have the opportunity to consult Your loving wisdom on how do I go about.
I still struggle Lord with doubts, prejudices, unrest, pride, hate, lust – but I pray Lord that You please be with me that I may mature from a selfish man to a responsible, God-fearing, and abiding to your word.
May I always be reminded that I am working for You. And that that fact should be enough of a reason for me to do my very best to deliver to the best of my abilities. And instead of focusing on the negative, may You please give me the wisdom and ability to discern a unique cry for help, or wish for assistance from the people in here.
And when they see me, may I leave an impression of a man whose expertise I am wholeheartedly willing to share without strings attached. Let me not confuse this with a selfless act and abandonment of self respect.
If you will honestly assess yourself, even the most despicable people you’ve been with particularly at work were able to teach you a thing or two. Or even a lot be it directly or indirectly.
It’s not uncommon however for a bruised and resentment-cladded ego to say that the despicable guy only gave them a harrowing experience not worthy of remembrance and nothing more.
But no I am not one of those who do not see any silver lining out of the agony of being with a fiend wrapped in flesh and blood.
In fact he taught me a priceless life lesson: I now know who I don’t want to become when I get old.
With no access to a videoke machine nor a working guitar, all I have for company when the singer/rockstar in me wants itself out is my son’s ukulele. I treated it as I would my pals: my once-whole acoustic and my black electric guitars. This is despite my notion that ukuleles are for kids and are good only for gospel songs and any music genre with a Hawaiian tinge. And what’s so cool is that it reciprocated the favor by making me feel I’m Kirk Hammet – and David Pomeranz occasionally.
Most of the times though, it isn’t about aiming to be like any famous musicians. It’s about singing and getting lost in the song and enjoying every bit of it. It doesn’t even need to make you feel like dancing on your toes. It’s more of identifying yourself in a song while letting all angsts embrace your soul.
It’s a big bonus when you’re with your liquor-possessed fellows despite the diversity of the tunes produced. A lot are off-tuned by the way and there are only a few of us who can do a proper second voice.
But even so, it didn’t matter. Not at all.
I used to be the guitarist of a “wayward” band (we can be found loitering along the way) back in high school. I learned it from a virtuoso of the six strings, a classmate of mine by just watching. I envied how he skillfully played the six string and so I decided I’d give it a try. I courted it with much ardor until I was finally able to cajole the guitar myself to form my own “band” within the campus under the Narra trees. We would commence after dismissal – while ladies are loitering around and call it quits when everyone else have gone home.
There we were, proud cocks trying to show off what we got in the hope of eliciting the admiration of the ladies. But when there was none, we would be content being copycats of Ely Buendia, Chito Miranda, and Noel Palomo.
How I missed those days when we wholeheartedly sing Buloy by Parokya (Ni Edgar), Pare ko by the Eraserheads, and Prinsesa by Teeth among others.
When nothing else matters but our jamming. Fuck the homework and the upcoming exams.
After a jamming session, we would go home fulfilled despite the itchy throats and throbbing finger tips due to prolonged pressing of the six strings on the frets. That was high school.
College days came and I was then too busy to be with a gang who relishes a concoction of jamming and drinking with much gusto like I did. I was still able to play the guitar though, albeit only for very few instances with no one else but myself.
Fast forward a dozen of years after graduation, I now have a permanent job, a permanent gang (my family), and a guitar with a lost tuning peg. Thank goodness I bought my son an ukulele. He sure was very happy the first time he saw it. But I think I’m more grateful than he is that I’ve bought it.
I gained a lot growing up and I also let go a lot of stuff, ranging from friends, my immaturity and some previous notions about life. Some, I am happy to go and replaced with something better.
But if there’s one thing I hate losing while growing up, it is the loss of fellow jammers who delight in get togethers while playing the guitar as much as I do. With the advent of videokes and videoke bars, my much cherished jamming is being pushed to extinction much to my sorrow and dismay.
It’s like losing a big part of yourself. It’s one avenue where I happily and nonchalantly express myself as the frustrated Rockstar, the angsty teenager who reveres Cobain, and the undiscovered Rockstar that everybody envies of becoming.
It would’ve been kickass if those times get back. Would’ve…
Sa wakas ay nakabili rin kami ng pressure cooker. 4 quarts ang capacity, Hanabishi ang brand. Halos kalahating taon kaming nagpa-urong sulong para mag-delayof gratitude para masiguradong hindi lang dahil sa whims namin na bibili kami ng isang bagay na pagsisisihan namin sa bandang huli.
6 na buwan. Siguro naman ay justified na justified na ang pagkakabili namin nito lang nakaraang year end break.
Tuwang tuwa ako kapag ang karneng niluluto ko noon ng mahigit isang oras ay nagiging 20 minuto nalang. Wala ng laban ang karneng karaniwang kapit na kapit parin sa buto kahit ‘sang dekada mo pang pakuluan. Siguradong matutuwa sa akin ang sino mang de-pustiso na mapadpad sa bahay para kumain.
Ultimo patatas na paborito kong sahog sa nilaga at adobo ay chicken na chicken. Di mo na nga kailangang hiwain. Balatan mo lang tapos 10 hanggang 15 minuto kaya ng kagatin ng bata sa lambot.
May down side nga lang ang pagkakaluto ng ulam sa pressure cooker. Oo at madali ng palambutin ang karne. Pero iba parin yung pinakuluan ng matagal. Mas nanunuot yung lasa ng mga rekado sa karne at gayun din ang karne ang mga rekado sa sabaw. Ang akala ko nung una, kapag napalambot na ang karne sa pressure cooker e ‘matic na nahahalo narin ang lasa sa sabaw. Syempre meron parin, amoy karne at lasang karne parin pero iba yung pinakuluan ng matagal, lalo na kapag gumamit ka ng kahoy bilang panggatong imbes na kalan.
Pero ganun pa man e efficient sya, cost-wise at time-wise. Taas kamay ako don. Dahil dito ay may karapatan na akong tawagin ang sarili kong siga sa kusina. Syempre, mas pogi ata ang tatay na marunong magluto!
At kung napansin mo, wala ni isang ideyang maglilink sa akdang ito sa naunang pressure cooker na sinulat ko.
Welcome to incoherence. Manifestation marahil ito ng utak na suki na ng pressure cooker.
I’ve always wanted to make a dent on the field of structural engineering that I am in. I wanted to be recognized, respected, and frequently sought for with all the exclusive attention and admiration from the structural engineering community.
I wanted to change the world, much like everyone else, and leave a long lasting legacy that will go on to the end of human existence.
Of course that is far from getting realized. From all over the world and it may be that even in my neighborhood, I am not the best out there. Stupid as it sounds, the thought of which get’s the better of me sometimes.
So in these times I stop and consider some thank yous from people who were once part of the team that I was in. And looking back at them gets me thinking that it’s not my genius that they appreciated. Rather, it’s my humanity to share and to help.
Yep I may not be able to change the world. But I think I did change one feeling, be it for long term or momentarily. The feeling rocks, albeit is an understatement for its true impact on me.
Thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to help you out directly or indirectly. Rest assured, this little work of mine will keep paying forward the things I learned and love. Your kind words would definitely go a long long way.
ありがとう ございます!”
From Tina: “You’re amazing!”
From Mara: “Nung ang pangalan ng blog nio eh yung ang mamang inhinyero pa? haha. eh hindi ko din alam sir eh. Pero astig kasi talaga. Feeling ko kasi nun kayo talaga yun. HAHAHA. Feeling lang. HAHAHA tapos confirmed. galing talaga. Haha. Ayan sir ha wala talaga ko pinagsasabihan, sa iba na galing yan. Pati yung kay jane dati, di kopo sinabi sakania yun hehe.”
From Ralph: “Astig, ngayon ko lang Nakita ito haha. sir xxx”
Richard: “mssbi q ser, same kau ng impact skn ni sir dale. ang hirap nga I-express pero maraming salamat sa mga naituro m skn. Thank you ser, God Bless din”
Faye: “Hi Sir xxx, Just want to thank you for being one of the best mentors I’ve ever had. You being my first mentor not only here in Arcadis but also in my professional life. All I can say is ang hirap makahanap ng mentor like you, when I transferred to a different team with a different senior, sobrang namimiss ko yung way ng pagtuturo ninyo, making sure I understand the concept behind everything I do. I feel guilty every time nakakasalubong ko kayo kasi I know medyo di ko nagawa ng maayos yung part ko sa DHEM hehe. Kaya sorry sir kung minsan nahihiya talaga ako.. Anyway, thank you uli sir and I hope mas madami pang matuto sa inyo 🙂 Regards, Faye”
Jane: “I’ll stay updated and keep learning from your informative blogs. :-)”
Bel: “Sir xxx! I saw ur blog.omg so cool. thanks po sa info.”
You’re working for the company. You’re working with people including those who have dissenting ideas with yours and those who have an entirely different view of the world.
Notice the word ‘with’. It’s totally different from ‘for’. It’s an issue of coexistence. And I thank a friend for sharing a literature pointing out the correct mindset when thinking about work.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24.
I love it how the Bible puts it as working for the Lord instead of people. It strips off the excuse of not giving your optimum performance to be the best you in spite of the boss or the working environment there is.
There are things that are nice to know. You don’t need to know them really, you can live without them but they are just nice to know. You can bombard people with these miscellaneous stuff either because you want them to know you know them or you want to do them a favor. But adults filter and retain only what’s practical to them.”
As always, I am totally hands down to the woman of my life for her expert words.
We were conversing about an officemate of mine requesting me to deliver my own technical lecture as an answer to the self-initiated lecture of a fellow senior engineer.
Admittedly, I told my wife that I am somewhat envious of that fellow senior for his audacity and initiative to give an unsolicited technical lecture to the junior engineers in the department. That’s when she told me that according to a LOT of researches conducted assessing the effective tools for learning (she’s an educator and a very good one at that!) lectures are the most inefficient and most unproductive method of teaching in which participants approximately digest only up to 15% of the lecture. So where’s the other 85% gone?
She explained further that the most effective way of teaching is imparting practical, doable ways and methods. Things that people can actually use or do. As adult learners, it is but common for us to pick only what’s useful at the moment and getting back to miscellaneous stuff (arguments corroborating the imparted practical tips and information) when someone has some free time to ponder about such things. This should come as no surprise since it is of the same way that evolution worked. We let go of what we don’t need, and that includes the miscellaneous “nice-to-know” things.
The internet for example has tons of scholarly articles and resources for practically every field imaginable that would’ve made masters of everyone who have access to them. But why is it that even if there is an information explosion we still cannot be all senseis of our chosen fields of expertise? Because we acquire and retain only those that are useful and practical to us.
Trying to cap off another hellish week in the office with people whom you cant fathom the crookedness. Respect begets respect. Can’t anyone shut the fuck up first before jumping to conclusions? It’s the end of the week and I’m hostile. I badly needed some time off here. Hopefully thing’s will get better on the other side so that I may have a chance to get back again and leave this crap behind.
If there’s one thing left to hold on to that means more than my life, it’d be your hands.” – – 名前がない男の人
Passing by a store near our home, the printed words on the whiteboard where the menu for the day is written never fails to elicit some chuckles from me and my wife.
I don’t make fun of the vendor’s inability to spell correctly. We laugh at her apparent sense of humor.
