Happenings on this Voyage

I had only known Ambassador Otto as Dr. Otto who was my mom's colleague at the hospital, choir conductor at our local church, and his kids went to the same school as me. When I moved to New York, I had an opportunity to get to know him better. He lived his faith and truly portrayed God's humility. And sometimes, this got him in trouble with Judy.  So one weekend, Ambassador had an accident. I cannot remember the details of what exactly happened to him, but whatever it was caused him to need a walking aid. Remember the part where I said he was humble, yeah, he understood the need of a walking aid to be just that -- something that can aid him in his walking. To most people, this would be a cane. To most people who are Permanent Representatives at the UN (the highest ranking official other than Head of State that walks the halls of the United Nations Headquarters), this would mean a cane, likely dark brown in tone and varnished with a rubber cap at the bottom to ensure good tracti...

A teacher is a parent, a friend, a confidante, and a stable constant in a student’s life. I first met Teacher Ola as a student of Maris Stella School. She was a cool, hip, and young female teacher who had a contagious laughter that caught even the students’ attention. Teacher Ola, as even us grown up former students of hers still call her, taught by example. Her passion is evident in the way she teaches and approaches her students. I recall vividly teacher Ola’s fairness to all students whilst recognizing our differences. She is attentive to the needs of her students and more importantly, is responsive knowing that in order to be successful and get through to the students, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be the way. Discipline is a value of hers but she is cognizant of the different personalities and capabilities and takes time to understand students so she can better and more effectively teach and nurture the academic development of the students. I would be remiss though not t...

No two sunsets are the same. Even with each passing minute, a sunset changes. We as individuals are unique, down to our genetic make up. Our time on this Earth is numbered and one day, our time will end. As the sun sets on one's life, may we who continue to live, be reminded of all the beautiful souls that made their mark on this earth through the sunsets, as beautiful and as unique as each one is.  Let us be reminded that how we feel about life is not the same everyday. Some days are cloudy and the sunset isn't always as promising. Some days are sunny, and the sunset is expected to be epic. And on some days, the clouds just part enough to let you see the yellow-red-orange rays of the sun peeking through one last time before the day turns into night. And so on days when it feels like your breath has been sucked out of you and all is gone, look at that small ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds and hold on to it. That is hope. That is a promise that beyond the st...

On the eve of the seventh anniversary of my father’s passing, I cannot help but reflect on the life he lived, the father he was to me, and the years that have passed that I have been without him. My father was, is, and will always be my greatest inspiration, my greatest motivation and my most humble foundation, my Bapa Udi. Anyone who knew my father, can attest to his consistency, his discipline, his dependability, and soft-hearted nature. My father was… Welcoming My earliest memory of my father was in a full home, our home with 5 doors that all opened at sunrise and closed only when the house turned in for the night. In this home we all lived, my parents, all my siblings, several cousins, and my maternal grandparents, all of whom stayed with us – and regular visits and sleepovers by my paternal grandparents. I remember that when my father was around, which he always was, he made sure there was food and coffee and that everyone was well-fed and taken care of. The fi...

I was raised in a home where I learned very early on the value of keeping your word. As a child, this meant that I could trust that whatever either of my parents said, no matter how small or how big, was going to be done as they had said. Back then I did not know this is what equates commitment when you become an adult. Becoming a teenager and then a young adult, I learned that value of commitment, which started out as commitment to what you say. This would eventually be the beginning of me valuing dependability, reliability, and accountability and they have become a great part of my life.  I attach great importance to the latter three words in addition to commitment. It saddens and disappoints me when people do not commit to what they say and therefore render themselves as unreliable people. These words are not just mere words. These words in school mean something. In school it determines whether the division of labor in a group project will be fair. At the workpla...

So August 25 comes around, I'm tired from the 2 weeks of CBI but a bit excited and anxious to actually start my program.  Mind you, I have no clue as to what the program entails. Remember that thing I said about ambiguity, yes, it's still lurking around on the first day of the program.  By now, I had already met most of the people in my program, but still a bit nervous.  This is the day of the actual program, we have gone over the self-introductions, we are beginning to figure out who we can joke around with in a certain manner, who is still kind of serious.  But all that aside, we walk in to our very first lecture, in the Pacific Room, which is organized very much like the UN General Assembly Hall, half circle shapes and each person with a microphone. Pretty cool huh. Then the lecture starts..... The Pacific Plan... I immediately panic. I skimmed through the plan and went through all the websites that were listed on the pre-arrival assignment and even took down s...