Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Giving

Pro 11:24  One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

 

Today, I came across this passage in my morning devotion, and the Lord has reminded me again that I don’t own anything – I am but a steward. And with that passage, He reminded me of the joy He gives when I give of what I have.

1.       I give of what I have, and acknowlege that what I have is not mine; it is from the Lord.

2.      I give to others to share with them what the Lord has given me.

3.      I give to other people, especially children – they are pure in receiving and giving thanks.

4.      I give; I can only give what I have. Else, I cannot have what I keep.

5.       I give, and I experience the joy of giving.

6.      I give, no matter the size or amount. It simply is priceless; nothing compares.

7.      I give; there is no guarantee that if I withhold, what I keep will be sufficient to meet my needs. But if I give, it helps as well the other person.

8.      I give; I may only have one chance to be of help to a particular person – and I won’t miss it.

9.      I give; someday I will be in need myself. Surely God will remember, and touch others to meet my needs.

10.   I give, as and when asked, or when I see the need. How it helps the other person, only God knows!

11.   I give; God guarantees a full and flowing barn – always full and always flowing, flowing to me and to others as well.

12.   I give – I follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father of selfless giving.

 

As I open my hands in giving, God is opening and preparing my heart to receive His next blessings.

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

 

 

Persistence - object lesson

Today, I called in to check if ever my items that I’ve been trying to get hold on

will be coming, if ever. After calling the distributor, and waiting for a couple of minutes,

I got the reply call from the lady who was very patient in handling the store’s seemingly

unreasonable incompetence. I’d call it that, what else should I call it.

 

She was starting to mutter like “These people!” when she learned that I didn’t get

any call from the store, which is what she and the store agreed to do, to inform me

on the status of my orders.

 

Anyway, the second call seem to close the gap. The PO was received by her, and she is

sending down to the store my 3 items, the latest by Friday. Back in the previous calls

the other day, I did mention that after Friday, the items will no longer be of use.

It simply is missing the important date, which is why I’m getting those items.

And besides, it is already about a month when I initiated the transaction.

I just told her that in the first two weeks that the store found some problem,

they should have called me to let me know right away. I told the lady that if

there is really nothing that can be done, then I won’t force the issue anymore.

I’d go down to the store next door, and take my items from there.

 

Finally, the patience and presistence (I didn’t give up on them…) must have seen some

fruition. The promoter for that brand down at the store will call me tomorrow or the

next day, to tell me when my items are ready for pick up. Still meets the deadline.

 

My object lesson to remain patient and presistent.

 

Reminds me of the story of the widow and the judge… Luke 18

 

Persistence is its own virtue…

 

 

Word comparison erratum

Chabakano is actually a creole coming from the marriage of Spanish and the vernacular in Zamboanga.

Its origin is neither from Malay or Chinese language.

 

Word comparison - Pinoy dialects and others

It is a noteworthy thing to compare Pinoy words with words from other countries/languages.

This will tell how much influence there is, and confirm what history books tell us starting from

our primary school days…

 

Here goes:

 

SEA origins

Pinoy word:       Other word

Kawali               kwali (Malay)

Pinto                 pintu (Malay)

Balakang           belakang (Malay, meaning behind)

Gulis                 garisan (Malay)

Utang                otang (Malay, Indon; predominantly SEA countries)

Bayad                bayar (Mayar, Indon; predominantly SEA countries)

Mahal                mahal (expensive; Malay)

Tulong              tolong; help

Tulak                tolak; push

Puti                  puteh; white

And many others!

 

Chinese origins

Ate, atsi           achi or a-jie

Sungka              cong kak (chong kak)

And many others!

 

Spanish origins

Lolo                  from root word abuelo

Lola                  from root word abuela

Isara                 cerrar; to close

Sarado              cerrado; closed

Cordero             cordero; same word used, meaning lamb

Araro, arado      are; plow

Diretso              derecho; straight, right, upright or erect

Bulsa                 bolsa; bag, pouch or pocket

Kerida               querida; beloved – meaning changed, as Pinoy word means mistress

Casa                 casa; house (same word)

Poblacion          poblacion; small town (same word)

Labi                  labio; edge, rim or lip

Mayor               mayor; bigger, larger, greater, older or senior; biggest or eldest

Menor               menor; smaller, lesser, younger or junior; smallest or least

Bueno               bueno; well, good (root word buen)

Konsehal           consejal; councilor

Kambyo             cambio; change (root word cambiar, to change)

Karo                  carro; carriage

And a lot, lot more!

 

The most words would be coming from the Spanish language, the Phils being colonized by the Spaniards for 333 years.

The words from the Malay and Chinese are categorized either as pidgin, or creole (e.g., Chabakano)

 

Interesting, isn’t it?

 

 

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Being specific - asking specific

I am reminded of a story about a mother and her 2 daughters.

Having grown and left the house for their studies, the daughters

called in one fine day.

 

After the usual exchange of words, and about each other’s well-being,

the first daughter asked the mother if she has an orange.

 

The mother said yes.

 

An hour or so, the second daughter called in, and after the customary

greetings and salutations, the daughter immediately remembered that

she needed an orange, and right away asked her mother if she has one.

 

The mother thought for a while, then answered yes.

She actually has only one orange.

 

With no more time to go to the grocery, the mother just simply halved

the orange, and gave half to each daughter.

 

When each one got her half-piece orange, this is what they said:

“Oh, Mom, I only need the pulp, and I need a whole orange…”

“Mom, I don’t need the flesh; I only need the rind – a whole orange of it…”

 

If only the mother was more specific with what her daughters needed…

And if only the daughters were better specific with their requests…

 

 

 

 

I wanted to buy an induction hob, and since I’ve checked a few brands,

have gone around and visited some stores, I decided to get it from

the same store where I bought my multi-purpose kitchen machine.

 

My wife and I checked on the induction cooktops on display, asked

a few questions, and insisted on getting the one they don’t have on display.

The promoter for that brand knows the item, so we placed our orders.

 

They guy said they’d give us a call.

 

2 weeks gone; no call. I thought, if they don’t call me, I’d call them.

So I did.

 

The store customer service told me something like this:

“We can’t bring in your items, sir. That unit is available only in store so and so.

We can’t bring it in (to our store). That decision is up to the distributor.

And they’ve not decided to let us sell that unit.”

 

I can’t believe what I heard, and I don’t easily give up.

So I called up the distributor.

 

They asked me which store I was going, then I heard a different tone:

“We wanted them to sell that unit, but they’d have to clear up some

space first, sell other units, before they can take in new items…”

“Let me talk to them and see what I can do…”

 

A week went by. I called now the store to see if there is any progress.

The promoter seems to be blur, and showed no indication at all

of a pleasant progress or outcome.

 

I called again the distributor, and learned that the lady I talked to

was on a week-long leave! Nobody else knew of her discussion

with the store! I told the lady who picked up my call, that if in case

the lady on leave don’t come back after the week is over, all her

dealings are gone for good!

 

She then asked what was it about that I called. I told again my story.

 

The phone was passed to another lady, and from the sound of her voice,

I could tell that she is a bit elderly, and so I thought that the same is true

with her position. She checked on some more details with me, and

she took over, and tried to call the store, and called me back on the

status. Like something is happening, so I thought. I was wondering why

the store was worrying about the space for them to be able to

display the unit; like they are already worrying about the next phase

when in fact they are not past the first one. Or maybe, simply selling

or selling first even before having the item displayed is going out

of the usual process of how items are sold, from the distributor

to the customer. But that is the essence of service, with an extra

step, isn’t it? Nothing is special until it is breaking away from the

common and ordinary process. And I was actually told, that is possible,

I will get the items from the other store. Driving away the customer?

 

A day passed. Since I was told that she’d call me again, I waited.

When she didn’t call me, I called her.

 

To my surprise, the store was still in the thinking process of

“clearing up some space” so that they can bring in the unit;

Presumably they wanted to have the item on display – for sale.

 

I’d have to admit to the lady from the distributor group that

I don’t find this situation a bit pleasant. I told her, “Why don’t

the store sell me the items that I ordered first, then they can

worry about the extra space later on?” This the lady communicated

over to the store. So they finally got to the point of the store

raising the PO after the distributor gave the quotations, etc., etc.

 

That is today. I was told that I would get the units down at the store

in 3 days time, the soonest. I can’t wait that long, I told her.

This has been since about a month ago, and 3 more days seem

unreasonable, after all that has transpired. I just can’t imagine

that it would be the customer chasing for the store to sell the items!

 

Well, say what you like, but this is my encounter.

Right now, I’m still waiting to see if things will materialize.

After all, many things can still happen in 3 days…

 

Monday, June 25, 2007

A Man's Measure?

Once I read in a newspaper, of an incident about a lady and a government official.

Exactly who, I can’t recall, but it goes this way:

 

“I always see you on TV when I’m watching the news.”

“I thought you were much taller than in person.”

 

To which the official said,

 

“Lady, in my place, we don’t measure a man from the neck down, but from the neck up.”

 

Although is many sense that is true, like in the case of Carlos Romulo who was belittled,

“ You are small like your country,” by some braggart from the West, to which he retorted back

with the same sense, there is another measure to which I would subject a person, male or female.

 

The measure of the heart.

 

Intelligence can drive you nuts.

 

Wealth can drive you wicked and greedy.

 

Influence can make you oppressive and tyrannical.

 

Poverty can cause you to steal.

 

Hatred can turn you into an inconsiderate legalist.

 

Position gives you an opportunity to step on others.

 

The list is endless.

 

Even the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, made it very clear, what makes sense.

 

None of the above. What makes sense is love. Self-sacrificing love.

You do something bad, naturally that is devoid of love.

You do something good, and it is with some hidden motive, it amounts to nothing.

You do something good, and it is to be noticed, you’ve had your reward.

 

Paul would have summed it all up, when he said, “…if I give my body to be burned…

and have not love, it is nothing.”

 

It is very easy to fall into the trap of anything that seems fulfilling and satisfying,

meeting all the human needs of pride, position, glory and fame. Only to realize sooner or later,

that you are alone at your throne, with none to share with your achievements – if that is what

you can call them. So beware.

 

Which is why Christ hit the nail right at the head when he told the rich young ruler:

“Sell all you have, and give to the poor, take up your cross, and come, follow Me.”

 

Actually, we may say that we have a grip on riches, but it is riches that has gripped us.

Usually, we hold on to something for survival, only to realize, in the end,

that we are the one gripped and choked.

 

It can’t be over-emphasized. We can’t bring with us our riches when we die.

Our achievements will be easily forgotten. Monuments we erect can be easily replaced.

Structures we build can be ravaged by fire.

 

But not when it is written on men’s hearts. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow may have

put it together in a way so simple, yet profound:

 

 

The Arrow and the Song

 

I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For so swiftly it flew, the sight,

Could not follow it in its flight.

 

I breathed a song into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For who has sight so keen and strong,

That it can follow the flight of song?

 

Long, long afterwards, in an oak,

I found the arrow, still unbroke;

And the song, from beginning to end,

I found again in the heart of a friend.

 

 

Grace at the Dining Table

Having been born to a large family, more or less, I know what it is to be noisy and loud.

We are 6 kids, and only 1 girl proved to be a tough lot to handle. And yet, despite the

seemingly impossible feat, my mother was able to discipline all of us, to what we are now.

 

And yes, the times have changed. My sister, who now have 2 girls and 2 boys, would ask

my mom, “How did you handle us back then?”, meaning 5 boys and 1 girl? Once call,

and comes the lad. You hear your name, and you come near. That’s not altogether true now.

 

And when it comes to food, you know the appetite of boys. Not to mention that we have

other laborers who stay with us, and dine with us. Roughly, that would be about 12 knights

around the circular table. Yap, literally, it is a round table. A huge one.

 

Growing in the provinces is in itself a blessing far beyond what growing in the cities can be.

I don’t despise those families and kids who have only the cities as their root and origin.

But I find that you naturally have a big park to stroll along; you own the rivers and the seas.

The fishponds and the rice fields are your playgrounds. The moon and the stars light the dark.

The crickets and frogs are your minstrels at night. The rain brings you the coolness and dampness

that welcomes the fog and dew, and aids in the growing of flora and flourishing of fauna –

mainly for the consumption of the village folks, whose main staple consists of fresh fish

and vegetables. Meat is served now and then. Chicken is usually aplenty. Which is why a fridge

is not needed; if you have one, it is considered a luxury. You’d have to wake up as early as

2am to be able to avail of these fresh produce from the sea or rivers, when fishermen haul in

their catch during the night into the shore, sort them out, before driving them to the market.

You usually have the advantage of buying at the cheapest price and getting the freshest lot.

 

So you have food at the table day in and day out.

Fresh food in abundance.

Nature’s fresh produce daily.

 

Well, that is not always the case. There are times when there is not much produce,

or that it can’t be got, as in typhoons, and the plantation is ravaged by strong winds and flood.

We have our memories of times when food is scarce. Or even when it is abundant, money isn’t.

 

And yet, this our parents have driven deep and hard into our heads. They’ve hammered this

into our way of life, into our very being.

 

Eat at the dining table.

Eat together.

 

And when you swallow that morsel of food, think not only of yourself – think of others!

What does this tell us? What has this taught us?

 

  1. We share the food with those who ate with us at the table, family member or not.
  2. In abundance or scarcity, you have equal share of food.
  3. We eat only at the table – no other place.

 

This, in itself, is already a form of discipline. And as I bring this into remembrance, to be honest,

not all of which are pleasant, I bring honor to my parents. They’ve done a great job. I’ll do as they did.

I already am. Hopefully, one day, my kids will appreciate what I’m doing now, especially when they,

in turn, raise their own families.

Parents at fault?

I remember the times when my mother would castigate me for the many things that I do wrong.

As a child, I’m usually stubborn, and do things on my own and my way. More often than not,

those are things that mo father or my mother won’t be agreeing to. What to do?

 

I’d remember what my mother would always say, and this, now, I understand better;

I’m already a father myself. In one of our sessions, she would remark,

that if ever we would go out, and meet up with other people,

and they would note our behaviour,and observe our attitudes,

the stark and direct remarks will be on the parents, specifically the mother.

 

“Poor boy, the mother didn’t teach well.” Or “A lousy mother you have.”

 

To this, my mom would rebut, that we children would bring them either honor, or shame.

She would present her case, that either way, (1) parents don’t teach their children well, or

(2) children never listen to their parents, it would be the parents who will reap the repercussions

of their offsprings’ offences and misdemeanors.

 

And for both honor and shame, I do find it to be true. Parenting really is a heavy responsibility.

Faced with such challenge, to which some shun and run away.

 

Solomon did warn us all, “spare the rod and spoil the child.”

 

And yes, we now know that it is not only the rod that we can use as the means to teach our children.

We can temporarily revoke privileges. We can ground our kids. We can take out their TV time.

We can let them stay in one corner. We can take away their play time. We can put them on house arrest.

A number of things. Many, many things.

 

And yet, in the multitude of our options, when we don’t exert authority and inflict punishments,

it is the children who will be disadvantaged. A child who doesn’t know his limits will tend to grow up

able and capable of breaking rules – simply because this factor was not learned during childhood.

 

I always pray that I will be a firm and loving father, not giving in when it is time to be firm,

and being flexible when it is time to be considerate.

 

Who says that this is easy? By grace we can…