Link

http://deadpoetpoetan.wordpress.com/

One of the reasons why i fell in love with the chorale in the first place. Sana may recording ako ng Aba Po at Glong-Ngo Ko na version natin.

 Link

Link

http://alturl.com/s32q

http://deadpoetpoetan.wordpress.com/

You think it's too hard to change the world? Think Again.

Talk with young leaders about youth involvement and participation. No matter how busy you are, you can still be an agent of change - NO EXCUSES.

Let''s talk this over dinner. Follow the link below.

Let's change the world baby!

     got it from: http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties. - TRUE

The type of boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes. - NOT SO TRUE. LOOKS WILL MAKE 30% OF MY CHOICE. YOU DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP IN BED NEXT TO A PERSON YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF LIFE WITH. But the rest of the details are true.

you don't want to wake up in bed next to a person you don't want to spend the rest of your life with.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person. - VERY TRUE

The seriousness of your love:

Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates. THEN HOW COME I STILL DON'T GET PLENTY OF DATES?

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can. YEAH, I WISH. BEEN 6 YEARS SINCE I WENT TO COLLEGE AND I'M STILL ON MY SOPHOMORE YEAR 1ST SEM...

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success. - TRUE. I NEED TO TEACH IN A UNIVERSITY.

How do you view success:

You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying. - HMMM. BLANK EXPRESSION.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel. - YES ON THE FIRST STATEMENT. 2ND STATEMENT...? YEAH MAYBE. 

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve. - WOW! PARANG TUNAY AH?

Harvard Management Update

Grow as a Leader Now

4:20 AM Monday December 8, 2008
by Christina Bielaszka-DuVernay

Looking for the next great opportunity to build your leadership capacity? It's right in front of you.

by Cynthia D. McCauley

If you're like many leaders, you're constantly on the lookout for a new job to expand your leadership ability. And there's nothing wrong with that; new positions typically offer many opportunities to learn and grow. But they don't come around that often, and in constantly scanning the horizon, you may miss seeing growth opportunities much closer to home.

*** Yeah. But the more important question is, am i a leader? DO I HAVE what it takes to withstand enormous pressure and from the Top Management above and the rumbling discontent from the rank and file employees down below the corporate pyramid? How hard it really is to manage and oversee risks? Best of all, am i even fit to lead the rain dance for any imminent changes?

I've always told myself i never had the makings of a leader. But i am certain that i can stand behind leaders and provide counsel in aid of their decision-making. 

How close? Very. At the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., we have interviewed hundreds of leaders about their developmental experiences, and we have surveyed many more to learn about the learning opportunities offered by their current jobs. Our research convinces us that a leader, at any time, can take on challenges that can substantially expand her leadership knowledge and skills without significantly increasing her workload. She can do this by expanding the definition of her current position, by signing up for temporary assignments, and by embracing leadership roles outside the workplace.

*** Yep. Leadership opportunities. It's just around the corner. In fact, they just created another position, which started rolling tonight: Call Drivers SME. The Subject Matter Expert will only deal with certain issues like RAID, Wireless Connectivity, MCE setup, BSODs etc. Sadly, i'm only good at wireless.

Fine, i'm just new in the crowd. But i wasn't good enough to be noticed. So much for my leadership dreams i guess... Well, there's Kumon still. Although still unofficial, our Chief Instructor has started to introduce me as the Chief Assistant for Advanced Reading. Pretty big title for what i do huh?

It scared me. Big time. I know it's not official, and i think it's something i have to take with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, i still started buying books and self studied English. Here are some of the titles i got for myself:

1. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, M. Celce-Murcia, 2006. 
2. An Introduction to Language, V. Fromkin, R. Roadman, 1998.
3. The Art of Teaching Reading, L. McCormick Calkins, 2000.
4. The Grammar Book, M. Celce-Murcia, D. Larsen-Freeman, 2008.
5. Making Sense of Grammar, David Crystal, 2004.
6. ESL Grammar, M. Lester, 2008.

Wait lang. Pulos grammar and ESL teaching materials pala ito. Wala masyado sa reading. Sheeeet!! I think i'm heading the wrong direction.

But wherever you seek fresh leadership challenges, choose them wisely--certain types of challenges stimulate learning more than others. The following five types offer the richest potential to deepen and expand a leader's capabilities. To help you get the most from each new challenge you take on, this article closes with suggestions for generating vital support and feedback.

1. HANDLING UNFAMILIAR PROJECTS.

*** I remember doing this back when i was active in church work. It helps that you have a background dealing with different people groups. It helped me deal with unpredictable situations without absorbing too much of the stress. What also helped me is the constant reminder to myself that expectations and results vary as situations themselves vary.

Atleast i had someplace to draw my experience from. Uncharted regions are often hazardous if not savage. We may have different experiences, but values, which are often universal, often cut across boundaries and paradigms. Having a bank of experience helps when dealing with things that are unfamiliar. 

I am just repeating myself haha. It's the same deal anyway.  

2. LEADING CHANGE

*** The Rain Dance. Preparing for change is beyond "chanting" and "gathering around the fire". The natives prepare their households, their fields, and their livestock for the coming change of season.  Change is difficult to communicate if it will hit your team's comfort zones. Some employees, particularly Pinoys, who may have enjoyed rewarding pays and lighter workloads suddenly get frazzled and turn to disgruntled workers once given new, heavier responsibilities.

The solution? I suggest going with the gradual, subliminal influence attack. Prepare their psyche by stealthily introducing the idea or the system in a satisfyingly extended span of time. Remember Pavlov's Classical Conditioning, but do it with a twist and a whip of cream on top if it. Hehehe.     

3. EMBRACING HIGHER STAKES AND GREATER ACCOUNTABILITIES

*** What is almost unbearable is if the change will create and impact to their financial security. We are talking of Job Loss, Skills Marketability and Workplace Competition here. I know people from the Top Management and bottom performers from the rank and file are at high risk to budget slashes and job losses. I know an bigger scope of support gives you more tasks to accomplish, and a bigger axe hanging over your head. I know bigger responsibilities come with bigger sacrifices.

The whole deal though, is whether i'm up for the challenge or not.    

4. MANAGING ACROSS BOUNDARIES

*** I had a big dose of this back when i was with Dell CTS. We had to go beyond limits just to resolve technical issues. Think interdepartment conference calls, consultations with other third-party tech supports (Microsoft, Linksys, Fedex, Banctec, etc.) Most issues are third-party caused. Some are caused by conflicts when third party products and Dell products synthesize processes.

At any case, proactiveness ignites the leader within. Lead a group of people towards arriving to a roadmap of resolution. Satisfy unmet expectations. Everyone Happy.    

5. DEALING WITH DIVERSITY

*** I have a problem with racism. I guess because i was sort of a victim of discrimination back in grade school. But i'm dealing with it. Nevertheless, this never stopped me from appreciating people of diverse backgrounds, conventions, and values. Overlooking these differences will cause misunderstanding and brew hatred for these people.

What is understanding where they are coming from? It is appreciating their qualities, healthy work ethic, understanding their needs and tailoring the best solution or response. Smoothen jagged edges. Refine coarse surfaces. Make ends meet.

All of these efforts will help us build bridges and forge lasting relationships.

continue reading here

 

There's this really funny story a friend had me look up on. It's about a burglar "emasculated" by his victim.

The entry is is available at http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/. Check out Crutch, Meet Crotch under the 2007 category

Said to my friend: Haha, i guess the end justifies the means.

She just IMed: LOL

But when i thought it over, i wondered if there could have been a better end to this situation. Could it have been better if the burglar did not do what he did? What if he wasn't poor and he had everything he needed. Better yet, could it have been better if his family and his environment molded him to a better person he never was?

Some stupid thought popped in my head. What if it's a malicious impulse or a premeditated act fueled by revenge or mere adventurism?

Well, like the last thing i said, if he was a good ol' soul living a life of meager existence, he couldn't have been entangled into a horrible disaster like this.

And yeah. It could have been so much better for everyone. Better for the old man; peace of mind and quiet. Better for the burglar;  he would have never been called a burglar in the first place.

And then again, there's a thought. If it didn't happen. We wouldn't have had a good laugh to ease the tension of that particular moment. I wouldn't have written my thoughts about the end worth justifying by its means. 

Evil. I know. Yeah, we need a little laughter sometimes. But at the expense of somebody else's misery?

Something tells me someone had too much coffee.

(actually i had a lot of green tea and fruit juice. Now my stomach's acting up. Too much acid it looks like)

Yeah. probably too much acid.

 

Haha! I Just realized lately how closely 30Rock's Tina Fey looked compared to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Hmm. So that explains why i've always wondered where have i seen Tina Fey's face before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait, there's more! I have a tsinoy teammate who liked Lucy Liu so much. I found that weird though. Doesn't he get tired of seeing narrow-eyed women? I mean, everyone in his family's so chinese.

Yeah, that's one steamy pose right there. But after a quick peek from a ridiculous post (of course i didn't copy it, he just showed it to me) at http://yummypinays.forumarena.com/, i saw in his eyes how all his dreams got shattered.

Ayayay! I remember him saying: Damn. It's like waking from a nightmare.

                                              *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

May biñag lahat ng mga taga XPS Batch 15. Gaya nitong namaalam (sa Dell) naming batchmate na si Socrates Acuña:

Syempre, obvious naman kung sino kamukha niya diba?

Mahirap maghanap ng mukha ni Brod Pete ha?

Anyway, he said na ka-batch daw niya sina Allan Popa at Mayo Uno sa UP Quill. He must be one hell of a writer then. But he has a lot of issues about how Dell operates not only here in the Pasay Facility, but all over the world. Like, the Open Door Policy (How open is open?), the real score on the hyped, supposedly independent Global Ethics Council or the No-Retaliation Policy (Considering the classic Manileño behavior). In fact, he is so critical of the benevolent, inspiring mantra of the company:

The Soul of Dell

Sa totoo lang, whoever came up with this tag is brilliant. Kahit man lang kunyari, maramdaman ko na Dell is not all about money. Well, the Round Rock and Twin Falls facilities are running on 100% renewable power source. Concern for the environment or cost-effectiveness. Either way, atleast me malasakit ang kumpanya sa environment.

But as for floor support, i don't think i'm getting enough to make me worth being part of The Soul of Dell. Pero maluwag sa dispatch ha? I mean di gaanon kadamot magdispatch. Ambilis nga magmobo dispatch eh.

But let's veer away from this topic. I intend to show you who's who in the Uy Cluster.

                                               *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

Ah eto malufet. Dalawang tao kamukha niya. He's Larry Jimenez. He knew our Cluster Manager. He said AM Uy used to be hiss boss back in CVG.

Seriously, you don't wanna sit next to this guy. I don't know. He often talks nonsense. Or asks outrageously stupid questions.

What a shame. This man whom he owe his face is India's foremost symbol of India's struggle for freedom. But what do you know? Maipagkakamali mo din ang mukha ni Larry sa isa pang Bagong Bayani ng Modernong Pinoy:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which brings me to Paolo Centeno. Nung una din talaga, i'd often say under my breath: Tsk, parang nakita ko na tong pagmumukha na ito e. It literally bugged me for days. And then it hit me. Aydol na aydol/ Aydol ko si Kap!

May anggulo lang. Pero Kamukha talaga e. Haha! So much for name-calling. Baka ma-Ethics pa ako nito.

 

• I spent New Year alone because i've got work. (And I had 17 calls and 3 dispatches whopee!) 
• My New Year Feast: Big Breakfast on rice and Apple Pie. (Salamat McDo One e-Comm) And Yeah, there was free food in the pantry (some hashly prepared Japanese Bento. Pwede na.)
• Inabutan ako ng New Year sa ofis obviously, dito na nakatulog at nagising ng 3pm New Year's Day.
• Work was never as boring as before. Wow. What a great way to spend New Year. And what a great company they are for Auld Lang Syne.
• I barely have cash in my pocket. Although i have enough to buy a couple of DVD movies from Quiapo. I intend to get a copy of Jason Mraz's We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things album.
• Song of the Year: Make it Mine by Jason Mraz. Although the idea the song is parading in my thoughts seems a bit far-fetched because i'm feeling otherwise. I don't feel like seizing the day, notwithstanding the fact that nothing seems worth seizing (but if there was, i surely would stay still in a ridiculous stasis. Pessimism has its way of killing my holiday mood, you see).
• Oh yes. Nothing kills the holiday mood better than losing a 4 GB MicroSD card in your very own workplace. And with only what, 10 or 12 people around, and at a very secluded perimeter? I am sooo lucky i had it backed up the first time i slid it in the laptop's MMC reader. Now i just have to worry about buying one.
• And don't even mention Meralco.

Pero na-eengganyo ako ni Jason Mraz. I guess i'll just try to sashay my way to 2009 and attempt to make it all mine.

Dang! I couldn't embed the music from imeem!!! Link na nga lang. 

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic7/music/L9n02PsR/carlos_sosa_make_it_mine_album_version/

For lack of better term, i said it's a statement. But yeah, "who do you think you are" is not just your regular bitter shout back to your mean, racist detractors. It's like a lone 20-meter high billboard proudly asserting itself along major roads like EDSA. It doesn't just stand there bearing the message. It explicitly shouts the ad to your face.  

Hah! I just found the last sentence above a bit ambivalent. Media advertisements rely heavily on symbolism and references from pop culture. Ads nowadays are canvases of images creatively hewn to signify a message.

They're not like 18th century public announcements impaled on the walls and poles of the city squares, where the message is written straightforward and point-blank. This leaves you absolutely no room for second thoughts or any form of confusion.

But like modern-day ads, whether in print or on TV, "who do you think you are" carries more than a message of defiance to prejudice and partiality. It sinks deep in the human seat of wisdom, where judgement and decision is formulated. It challenges the personality, the rights, the position and the authority of the biased.

I try to think of possible answers to the question "Who are we to judge?", but even before i could think of one, I wanted to ask myself, "Why not?"

                                                                    *  *  *  *  *  *

Who am i to judge? Have i experienced the situation of the people i'm judging? Or if i have, do i have the same capabilities and disabilities these people had during the time of the situation? And above all, did i rise above the same situation gloriously albeit all limitations we both had?

Who am i to judge? Am i beyond the pain and affliction they tried so hard to overcome? Do i have to have attained perfection from their carnal existence to gain the right to even merely speak of my indignation? And why should it matter if we have lived the same life of frailty?

Knowing how it feels and knowing the influences behind it gives an exact measure of the situation's impact to the human psyche and to all circumstances revolving around it. Such information shapes our judgement towards the situation 

To judge is to conclude, and our conclusions and conventions affect our thought systems     and decisions. We must go beyond guarding our thoughts to arrest any form of conflict. We must constantly think our thoughts critically; weighing our words and decisions in the scales of impartiality and common good, because our judgements define our day to day interactions with people and the environment. 

Who do you think am i? I am nothing. But i know how you feel; and i know exactly how to help you draft a road map to a lasting resolution.

1. I can always check my multiply account without fear of getting a Memo from the Area Managers.

1.1 imeem, Facebook, Friendster and YouTube is accessible.

2. It's in the Mall of Asia complex = 10 minutes away from Kenny's, 16 minutes away from the bay and the amazing Manila Sunset, 2 minutes away from the Globe Telecoms Business Center, 5 minutes away from McDo, 11 minutes from Adidas, the cinemas and Powerbooks, and 13 minutes away from Booksale.

2.1 It's so big i still get lost inside.

3. I can still IM my friends through MS Communicator without needing to go "underground".

4. I have my own workstation - finally.

5. I have a great chance of getting an Dell XPS M1530

6. I can always call anyone from my very own desk phone without having to go to the pantry, the reception area. And I don't have to  be a supervisor to have my own "locally reachable" extension.

7. I can walk around in shorts (so far...) or boxers.

8. There's green tea, and flavored coffee by Firenze

9. I can always print my Music Sheets and other stuff i want to print without having to stay in constant lookout for Area Managers or Process Directors.

9.1 I can now use MS Office and Outlook without restrictions 

10. There's an Ethics Committee. Makes you feel safe and secure.

11. Pasay Managers aren't as "Devil Wears Prada" than QC Managers. (Ask Dio)

12. I don't feel ashamed of where i work at anymore.  

13. I can bring my siblings in. I even brought a friend in - we went on a quick tour inside.

14.  Ayaw ko na, antok na ako eh.. But i still have more in mind...

Tangina, ang hirap pala talaga malungkot.

I get sad every so often. But this sadness reminds of an old sadness so acerbic it eats up the rest of what remains of my guts.

This sadness reminds me that the word hideous falls short of my infamy. It tells me that i, along with the frigid virgins and castrated eunuchs in their tombs, does not deserve to be happy and bear children

* * * * *

Is this the reason why i strive to be the best ESL teacher in the world? Is this the ulterior motive behind all attempts to expand and deepen my thoughts? Is it to prove that i am not a piece of junk you could leave rotting away in the dark?

Pathétique.

* * * * *

Cliché? Yes. Clichés go beyond driving me insane. So commonplace, they're ear-splitting. See, hurt and pain do not bother me anymore. I am more concerned of the coming winter of my discontent. The undead trying to lead an ordinary human life. 

And so I tell myself, happiness is a matter of choice. But sadness is a state of mind. Sadness is what bartenders serve in bottles and shot glasses. And they taste better when the lights are low and the noise tinsel and riveting. It gives me an impression that sadness is just a hue of light we control in any camera settings.

* * * * *

Impossible is nothing.

* * * * *

I will never go mad. But i will always be sad.

This night was exactly the same as the other sunday nights i've had since i joined Dell Philippines. I never got my sleep peacefully. I'd either have to take a 10 minute walk to grab a heavy meal and let the weight of the food lull me to sleep, or strain my eyes and my heart with melodramatic lines from Maya Angelou's All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes.

Or i choose another eye strain --- TV. Nothing beats eyes-wide insomniacs but the monotonous drone of late night shows, soap replays and canned MTVs. Anything to exasperate that bouncing, perked-up brain.

Oftentimes, i listen to some classical tracks from my phone: classical guitar tracks or the pipe organ version of Bach's Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, or the Alternative Playlist containing Coldplay, Ben Folds Five, John Mayer, Third Eye Blind, among others.   

But there are times when nothing really seems to work. That's when i resort to certain unconventional measures done normally by teenagers in the peak of their youth --- yep guys, you bet! 

No one can deny how relaxing it is; such a bittersweet, glorious release from all pressure that's bottled within. What's sad though is that in the long run, it becomes nothing but a mechanical impulse to wear out my body and wee little junior down there to sleep.

But when all of these fail, i just pack up some clothes and head straight to the office's sleeping quarters to save myself of the horrific inconvenience i'd always expect from Rosario, Shaw Boulevard and the notorious EDSA.

And when i get there, the last thing i'd often remember after waking up the next day is how i usually type away my remaining waking minutes to sleep.

Yup. From what i recollect. I'm usually blogging.  

That's it. I'm gonna move in here at Dell tonight.

Soon as I get back home, I'll pack up clothes for 5 days and probably get some cash from Paul.

God, why do i have to sacrifice so much things just to earn 24K monthly?

I'm not sure how i'm gonna explain myself later on the memo sheet, but for sure, i'll tell them i was an unlucky person. I never get the right bus and i never get a jeep where i could sit decently. Hell, they even have 6 or 7 men hitched on every full-packed jeeps. How am i suppose to get to EDSA at all?

I'll never be late again, i swear.

I realized that not only my students were having issues with prepositions.

I too had the same problem.

A classmate back in college reminded me of the same observation Brother Scheiter told the class about Filipinos and their problem with prepositions. He said this could be traced out from the nature of Filipino prepositions having multiple identities.

Take the Filipino preposition sa as an example. Sa may either be translated as to or at, depending on the desired usage.

    ex: compare

    Filipino: Kumain kami sa McDonald's
    English: We ate at McDonald's
   
    with

    Filipino: Pumunta kami sa McDonald's
    English: We went to McDonald's

As shown above, sa may function as to to indicate direction, and as at to indicate location.

Which brings me to a tiny problem i had a while back. I was checking a reading Comprehension worksheet for Kumon when i came across an interesting question.It's a fill-in-a-blank item which took me 20 minutes to process (See? And I am claiming to be an ESOL instructor). Here's the item:

The mattress was strapped ___ the back of the car.

Yes, it's really simple.

But it was fun to discover that a lot of people had different answers for it.

Actually the answer is to. Maybe the sentence author wants to stress out on the direction to which the subject mattress was strapped onto.

But looking at the sentence closely, the sentence is more indicative of the subject's location, as supported by the succeeding items of the prepositional phrase ___ the back of the car, rather than the direction it took to be positioned on its current location.

We may have different views about this matter, but what we should always bear in mind when using prepositions is to know what we really want to say. If we want to stress on location or direction, use the appropriate preposition. 

Besides having a major confusion with basic grammar rules, listed below are several reasons why

1. I repeated my articles exam five times

= means i don't have a clear focus in life. Also means i have a problem with priorities; i don't know what really matters most.

2. I repeated my prepositions exam four times

= means i don't have a single clue of where to my life is heading to. Also means i don't have a single clue of why i am still stuck in this quandary known to most people as the morning-after shit.

That's sadder than being blind. I can no longer trust my eyes. They have nothing but lies to offer.

3. I repeated my tenses exam 6 times.

= means that i no longer have a grip of what's real and what's not. Delusional? Sadly, yes. Oh, let's put it this way. The human inside me could no longer see past the blur of yesterday and the looming mist ahead.

She is... she was... she's having... What's the difference in it? When for all we know, there is no past, present nor future in the time-space frame we are sitting on.

What if all we have and all we are exist on a flat, linear space? And everything else that is curved and irrational is an elaborate symphony of million disturbances created by our very existence?

I wonder how it looks like on an aerial view.

Anyway, it's just me thinking too linear. An old friend told me that's going to go against the laws of evolution andthe modern scientific thought. And that's not the way any of us think. We think like the branches of the rivers rescinding its independence to deltas and marshlands. 

We think like the rivers cascading to the sea, wild, rough and unpredictable.

And so the question arises:

Whatever happened to the out-of-the-box thinking? Is my brain dead, or am i merely utilizing 0.0000000000001 %  of my brain?

A little help here...

The Kumon Method maintains that by its practice of continuous, systematic study, with necessary repetitions for skills mastery alongside, it will not only produce highly-skilled learners, but also learners with a cheerful disposition in life and learning.

I am tempted to say that such might only apply to disciplinarian and highly competitive societies like that of Japan.

If a child's psyche is conditioned to deem scholastic or financial success as a model of a life worth living, then anything less than that is a failure, which purportedly merits suicide according to the strictest sense of the Bushido Code of Honor (and everyone is most welcome to either uphold or dispute this particular statement)

Will contentment and happiness ensue if we are financially or mentally endowed with gifts and abilities? The Filipino Society should know better. Take this classic Tagalog proverb as an example:

    Aanhin ang bahay na bato,
    Kung ang nakatira naman rito
    ay kuwago..

During the Castillan Regime, Filipinos, particularly the Ilustrados began to be introduced to adobe and sun-baked bricks for housing construction, albeit the rest of the society contented themselves with wood and kawayan. This architectural trend underscored the gap between the rich and the poor, the successful and the failing.

However, the wise among us deliberately saw through the proud stone walls of the handsomely furnished homes of the Mestizos. They saw that not all of them had happiness decked upon their walls. Some had dark secrets gnawing through their fireplaces. Some had terrible crimes rattling in their cupboards and closets. Some tucked loneliness and death in their bedrooms.

Which brings me to my previous question. Should success always invite real happiness into our lives? Does this mean that if success comes with gifts of joy and peace, should such fruits last forever? Or do they not differ with the harvests of the springtime, which are all meant to succumb to decay?

May this not leave an impression that mediocrity translates to contentment and true happiness. It is every educator's mission to discover the potentials of all their learners to unlimited pathways to success. But nothing compares to finding inner peace and satisfaction, even if it takes giving up riches and fame.

May this inspire us to unceasingly re-examine our goals in life. Success is indeed sweet, but satisfaction and serenity are both eternal and indispensable. More than being wise, let us also listen to our hearts as well. Choosing between these possibilities shall shape our reasons for living this life and beyond; these shall remain in our hands to decide upon.

This coming September 17 to 30, Kumon Philippines will be launching its nationwide two-week Free Trial Campaign!

The Free Trial Campaign is an activity that seeks to communicate the vision and values of Kumon to the general public. It is a two-week activity that lets other children have a first hand experience of learning with the Kumon Method. These children will be attending four class days and receive daily worksheets – all for free!

To join, see our list of Kumon centers and numbers at: http://www.kumon.com.ph. You may also call the head office at (02) 885-0226 or 1800-1888-0231 (toll-free outside Metro Manila) to inquire.

Visit your nearest center

Once you have spoken to an instructor, he or she will gladly take you through an orientation to help you gain a thorough understanding of the benefits of Kumon.

Schedule a Free Diagnostic Test

Our diagnostic test will allow us to determine a precise starting point for your child. This way, your child can begin the learning process comfortably and with confidence.

Register your child for the Free Trial

Once your child has taken the diagnostic test, you may enroll him at your nearest Kumon center. The center instructor will recommend a program based on the readiness level of your child.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE FREE TRIAL?

We hope that you decide to enroll your child after experiencing the Kumon Method and seeing our vision for him/her.

In the long term, Kumon’s full benefits include the development of your child’s values. Naturally, these life-long benefits will only be seen after an extended period of Kumon study.