Wishing to be happy

It takes loneliness to discover happiness. Emptiness to discover fulfillment. Sadness to find contentment. And confusion to find peace of mind.

The road to happiness is not easy. It is full of challenges and more often than not, we end up frustrated and in pain.

Someone once said that "people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they did not slow down to enjoy it." Happiness is relative to each of us. Some may find it in material things, of love lost and then found again and then lost again and then found again, of being cured from a terrible illness, of ambitions gained and winning a jackpot, of redeeming oneself from a wrong accusation, or simply achieving peace of mind after a battle with the evils from within.

When I was young, life was not easy for me and my family. My dad and mom seemingly had to make ends meet, for tuition fees for my sister and I. Celebrating an occasion - birthdays or christmases - would be frugal. During Christmas, my dad would drive us around the metropolis so we could see the various lantern displays and to COD in Cubao to see the mechanical display (in those days, this was considered the place to be) of toys a-dancing and a-singing. There was Holiday on Ice at the Araneta Coliseum, which served as our annual New Year holiday treat.

And I believed in wishing upon a star. Life was not easy for me growing up in an all boys school. The teasing and bullying hurt like hell, and there was no soft spot for me to cry on. I rarely made friends and because we probably were not both wealthy and I had gender problems, I was not popular in school. Focusing on my academics came easy, because it served as an outlet for all my misery. There was a loneliness that only I felt. Even coming home to parents who tried to make ends meet was a dreadful one.

I was surprised that in spite of the meager income, we had food on the table and a roof over our head. My dad made sure that we went to good schools. It was his way of giving us his share of happiness. As I grew older, I never waivered on the hope that some day, my more material and tangible wishes would come true.

Not all my wishes came in a silver platter. There were challenges that came along the painful journey of reality. There was love lost and love found. There was life lost and grief followed. There were questions more than answers. Yet in between the years and tears, I remained optimistic that someday I would look up to a clear night and close my eyes and wish all my might that all the pain would just go away.

I have come full circle in life, knowing now the lessons of wishing to be happy. There will be pain in our journey, but finding happiness and its true meaning is within us. Being happy is not about me. It's about other people. It's about accepting that things that are meant to be come together at the right time and at the right place. There is an alignment of all things that become our final journey - and wishes don't come instantly. It's the same way my parents saw it as they raised us. "Some people suffer but become amazing witnesses to all the graces in this world. Others go through the very same trial and become angry for the rest of their lives."

Remember: The sun that melts ice is the same that hardens clay.

The choice is left to us.

Winning and losing

09-05-26-30-19-45

Who could imagine that these 6 numbers could change the life of a 60 year old carpenter who lives in a squatters area in Las Pinas City in the Philippines? He only made one P20 ($0.40) bet on these numbers. According to the seller of the ticket, the carpenter was one of the last few bettors of the night in that crowded squatters area. A few hours after closing, he heard screams from the neighborhood, but simply thought it was an ongoing nightly brawl.

The following day, when the newspapers had printed the winning numbers, he knew that the winner bought the ticket from his place. The old carpenter won Php 356,552,917.20 ($8.3M) tax free. He never went back to the shanty he resided in. His whole family would go back to the province to start a new leaf on life.

There are many stories on Lotto winners not only in the Philippines but worldwide. The sudden surge of cash will definitely change the lives of many people. But while there are those whose lives are changed because of winning events like these, there are more who struggle with making ends meet each day - from having a decent meal to struggling with health issues and problems. Everybody loves a winner. The cheers and accolades add hope to the many that have to contend with the routine motto of "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go."

It's a fair reminder that happiness does not come in a silver platter.

The art of being happy lies in the power of finding joy in ordinary things. Life does not force us to be the best. To be the happiest. To be the luckiest. It only asks that we try.

The Italian wish "vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto" should serve as our daily reminder to LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH, LAUGH OFTEN.

After all, at the end of our lives, it's the journey that mattered to the winner.

Wish ko lang

Tatagalugin ko ito.

Sa mga hindi nakakaintindi ng Tagalog, pasensiya na muna.

Libre ang mangarap. Sana makamtam ko ang mga munting pangarap na ito, kahit na termino ni P-Noy.

1. Matigil na ang katiwalian sa pamahalaan. Ito ang balakid ng ating kaunlaran. Ito din ang dahilan kung bakit hanggang ngayon, mahirap pa din ang Pinas. Third World, ika nga. Namayagpag na ang ibang mga bansa sa Asya, pero andito pa din tayo. Pulubi. Nagmamakaawa sa ibang bansa na kunin tayo para makapaghanapbuhay ng matino sa ibang bansa. Nagpapadala ng mga OFW kung saang lupalop ng planeta.

2. Magkaroon ng disiplina ang mamamayan. Nakapagtataka na pag nasa ibang bansa ang Pinoy, ay ubod ng tino. Di nagtatapon ng basura kung saan saan. Di tumatawid kung walang pedestrian lane. Di sumasakay at bumababa ng sasakyan kung di dapat. Bakit ba dito sa Pinas eh akala mo hari ng kalsada lahat?

3. Matutong magmahal sa sariling bayan. Ang ibang mga banyaga, nakikita ang katangian ng ating bayan. Pero ang Pinoy, parang walang pakialam. Dito nagaaral ang mga Koreano ng wikang Ingles. Dito ang magagandang paaralan. Dito maganda ang mga tanawin at pasyalan. Pero parang mailap tayo maging isang destinasyon para sa mga turista. Mahirap bang pagandahin ang ating bayan?

4. Gawin ng pamahalaan ang dapat nilang gawin para sa ating bayan at mamamayan. Ang mga pulitiko naman ang maghigpit ng sinturon at di ang mga mamamayan. Kung sa tingin nila eh yayaman sila sa pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan, eh sana mamatay na lang lahat ng mga ito. Hindi lamang pagtaas ng buwis ang solusyon sa pagdagdag ng pera sa kaban ng bansa. Puede naman hindi magarbo ang sasakyan ng mga senador, kongresista, at mga lokal na namumuno. Pera natin yan.

5. Tigilan na ng simbahan ang pagaaway sa pamahalaan kung ano ang nararapat para sa mamamayan. Kung minsan di ko maintindihan kung bakit masyadong tutol ang simbahan sa mga adhikain ng pamahalaan, eh ikabubuti naman ito ng sambayanan. Mas maraming problema dapat tuntunan ng simbahan. Di ba tayo magkita sa gitna?

Andun na ako, na maraming nagawa si Ate Glue sa siyam na taon niyang bilang pangulo. Pero hindi naman ibig sabihin eh tatalikuran natin ang mga mali sa pamumuno niya, kapalit ng ibang mabuti. Sa totoo lang, ang pagnanakaw sa pagiging pinuno ng bansa eh isang malaking dagok sa kapurian ng Pilipino! Ika nga sa Ingles, the end does not justify the means.

Konting sakripisyo sa mga opisyales natin. Konting pagkumbaba. Tama na ang yabang at pagpapakita ng kayabangan. Matutong pumila. Matutong di maglagay. Walang kumpadre o kamag-anak.

Kailangan natin ng isang pagbabago. Kahit minsan lang. At ang simula nito, ay dapat sa bawat isa't isa.

My grown up Christmas List

7 days before Christmas and we're counting down...

I've not done any Christmas shopping except for a few loved ones and close friends. The other acquaintances, I've managed to get something that would be useful to them - a bucket of Chef Tony's designer popcorns with Privilege Passes from Ayala Cinemas (for the THX theaters) accompanying the gift!

What I cannot stand most of all are recycled gifts. You know. The ones that some of us get from last year's Christmas finds under the tree, which we have not used and decide to "recycle" them this year. Talk about modern day Scrooge! Hence, it has become a tradition of mine that I shall never give a gift that is not well thought of. No matter how simple the gift is, I put two things into perspective - use and practicality. Of course, at the very core of the gift is the thought and heart of gift giving.

So what do I want for Christmas? That's a question my friends always ask me.

1. The new MacBook Pro. But I have an old one...so I'm not spending for the new one until this old one bogs down or gets sequestered. Why do I want it? It's a beauty to behold...

2. A P100,000 shopping spree at Rustan's. I've been eyeing some jewelry and bags at Rustans and their Store Specialists, Inc., but I'm not willing to part with hard earned cash for "wants" and not "needs". There's a beautiful Bulgari ring and a swank new Prada bag that's for the buying...

3. A new SUV. Well...I've parted with my old CRV and the new Montero Sport is really sleeky! Then there's the new Audi A4 and the Volvo S40. Again, I'm not willing to flash a new car based on wants and not on needs. Besides, it's like throwing money down the drain.

It's a wish list. I don't expect anything. And at my age, I can still dream big...maybe someday...when I'm president of the Philippines....