CONNECTIONS
by Richard Diaz Alorro
Constant Change
“We’re on the road, we move from place to place, and oftentimes when I’m about to call it home, we’d have to move along, life is a constant change.”
Sa mundong ating ginagalawan, walang permanenteng bagay o pangyayari maliban sa pagbabago. Change – whether we want it or not, good or bad, big or small, continues to unveil itself in many facets as time goes by. Katulad ng sinasabi ng awiting Constant Change na pinasikat ni Jose Mari Chan, ang buhay ay isang pirmihang pagbabago. Sa araw-araw nating pamumuhay at pagha-hanap natin ng ating natatanging marka sa ilalim ng araw, nakikisalamuha tayo sa iba’t-ibang mukha ng pagbabago. May pagbabagong masaya, may malungkot, nakakagulat, at meron ding hindi ramdam at hindi napapansin. May mga pagbabagong likas o likha ng natural na ebolusyon ng mundo, katulad ng pagpapalit ng panahon o pagbabago dahil sa pagputok ng bulkan. May mga pagbabago ding gawang-tao, may pagbabagong physical, chemical, biological, financial, political, at iba pang aspeto. Wherever or whenever we may be, we can never escape change.
Isang major change ang dumating sa aking buhay just recently. After studying and living in Sapporo for 5 years and 3 months, I needed to move to Nagoya for a career shift and to start a new life. Isang napakala-king oportunidad ang matanggap at mapabilang sa isang kilalang company sa Japan at sa buong mundo na naka-head-quarter sa Nagoya. Ang pagpasok ko sa kompanyang ito ay isang hamon para sa akin upang masubukan ang buhay sa labas ng unibersidad at malinang ang ibang aspeto ng aking professional career. I made the decision and I left Sapporo.
Naging pangalawang tahanan ko ang Sapporo sa mahigit limang taon kong pamamalagi sa bansang Hapon. Sapporo has offered me millions of wonderful experiences and unforgettable memories. Sapporo has given me the opportunity to experience four unique seasons and to enjoy the beauty and wonders of nature. Sa loob ng limang taon, marami akong nakilalang mga kababayan at mga kaibigan na naging mahalang bahagi ng aking buhay. Ang mga masasayang samahan at mga bonding moments ay magiging parte na ng kahapon ngunit mananatiling nakatatak sa aking puso at isipan. Sa pagharap ko sa malaking pagbabago na ito sa aking buhay, I was in mixed emotions. Nakaramdam ako ng takot, lungkot, excitement, at pag-aalala. Natakot akong umalis sa aking comfort zone at magsimulang muli sa isang lugar na malayo sa pamilya at mga nakagisnang kaibigan. I was nervous and worried, but I went on.
Habang sinusulat ko ang article na ito, mahigit dalawang linggo na ang nakalipas mula nang ako ay lumipat sa Nagoya. Ang aking unang linggo sa Nagoya was emotionally stressful. I felt so alone and missed my life in Sapporo. Ngunit, sadyang napakabait ng Panginoon dahil sa mahigit dalawang linggo na ito, binigyan niya ako ng isang maayos na tahanan, bagong mga kaibigan, at mababait na kasama sa trabaho. Everything went smoothly so far and I am very grateful to Him for all the guidance.
Marami akong natutunan sa mga changes na nangyari sa aking buhay lately. Mahirap mag-adjust sa mga pagbabago lalo na kung ang kaakibat nito ay separation or detachment mula sa mga nakasanayan natin. Nais kong ibahagi ang iba sa mga mahahalagang bagay na aking napagtanto.
It is OK to be sad. Give yourself a time to be sad, to cry. Nakakagaan ng damdamin ang pag-iyak, nakakalinis pa ng mata. Release your emotions and then let go. Life has to move on.
Life is a trade. Laging sinasabi ng isa sa mga malapit kong kaibigan na ang buhay ay tulad ng pagpapalit ng kalakal. We need to give away some of our money to buy food or clothes. Sometimes we have to sacrifice or trade some of our precious keeps to get another thing of value. May kapalit ang bawat bagay o favor na ating natanggap. Hindi lahat ng bagay na gusto natin ay ating makukuha.
Go to church and pray. The comfort of the church, the soothing voices of the choir and a sincere prayer are all therapies for the soul. Magbigay ng panahon para kausapin ang Panginoon.
Value your family. Next to God, we have no one to cling on to in times of trials except our family. Ang ating pamilya ang una nating matatakbuhan sa panahon ng pangangailangan. Ang suporta, pagmamahal at pagkalinga ng pamilya ay hindi matutumbasan ng anumang bagay.
Know your priorities. Kung tayo ay determinado sa ating mga layunin at ambisyon sa buhay, gaano man kalungkot o kabigat ang mga pagbabagong dumating sa atin, makakaya nating harapin ang lahat. Set your goals, and strive hard to achieve them no matter what.
“Because life’s a constant change, and nothing stays the same, oh no.” That’s a fact. Kaya simula ngayon, you will be CONNECTED straight from Nagoya!
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KitaKitz!
by Elena Sakai
Turning 28 meant officially entering the ara-sa (around 30) stage. So, to overcome the shock of what it is, I decided to throw myself a party inviting my close and new friends, just so they can have a great time, meeting and connecting to each other.
My 24 to 27 was all about meeting people, making connections, trying to find what I really wanted to do. Then at some point I found, that I wanted to promote the Philippines in a good way to the Japanese. “How can I do that” was the next question. I finally found a partner with similar goals, and we together worked very hard in realizing the ideal promotion of how cool the Philippines is, because we really believed it could be a blast.
It was only last year in 2010, when we realized the Philippine Collection 2010, a series of events related to the Philippines, with the main event took place in a stylish café in Omote-sando, for 2 whole weeks. The event was as success. Many people, Japanese and Filipino came to the café to enjoy Filipino cuisine and music, and we had various talk shows and a live show as the finale. We can say that this event was only a success because of the connections of people we have made until then, and because they helped us out. The Philippine Collection was made by the hands of many people who love or have become interested in the Philippines.
Last week, I learned how to make a “Spaghetti Tower” in a business seminar I am currently attending. The rules are easy: just make a tower using 20 spaghetti noodles (un-boiled), 1 meter of scotch tape, 1 meter of string, and a marshmallow. Make the tower as high as possible, and put the marshmallow on the very top. We were divided into small groups, and everyone enjoyed struggling to make a high tower. Some succeeded, but found that the marshmallow, which seemed so light, was putting weight to the delicate tower that was made of spaghetti. After a heap of laughing and struggling, the lecturer told us that the “marshmallow” was the thing that was most vital to the business plan, and therefore, must be on the top of everything.
Now, this brought me to thinking what was the marshmallow in my activities?? I know I want to spread good information of the Philippines, to be able to create more connections between Japanese and Filipinos. I found that it was to create a media for information, perhaps a website. But then, how can I have more people come to the website..? There are still many more issues to work on..
I hope that I can find the “marshmallow” of my tower, my life work this year.
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