Desperately Seeking Janina San Miguel

A lot of people are making fun of Janina San Miguel because of her dumbfounding moment and answer at the recent Binibining Pilipinas pageant. She is physically beautiful, but most argue that she has nothing but air up there. So what now? How is she going to represent the Philippines at the Miss World pageant? Will she humiliate the Filipinos?

I don’t blame Janina for what she’s done. In fact, I commend her for making it to the top. She did what she could with what she had, and it surely wowed the judges. Let me repeat, it wowed the judges. The judges were the ones who gave her the title. That means that if we’re to blame anyone, it’s the judges. They were the ones who selected her. They were the ones who thought that she will do us Filipinos proud at the Miss World pageant. I’m sure that the judges were very qualified. They’re not? Do you say they are not qualified at all? Well they had different ambassadors and celebrities like Marian Rivera and Dennis Trillo, and even a basketball star.

Next, most people are making fun of her grammar. I’d like to point out that her grammar was indeed erroneous, but her answer was even more horrendous. The question was about the “role of her family,” not the “importance of her family.” She missed the target. She could have said that her family played an important role in her process to become a winner by financing her, giving her advice, and educating her. (Notice the three points…Five elements, anyone?) Then she could have gone on to illustrate each point with a specific detail. The point is, the grammar can be corrected easily, but the critical thinking and analytical skills are a bit harder to improve upon.

So what’s the moral of the story? Well, we can relate this situation by how we elect our public officials. We also make the mistake of electing not-so-good politicians, thinking they will represent us well. At the end of the day, it is not about how one falls, but how one rises. The true measure of a man is how he rises to the challenge.

To Janina San Miguel, you have about eight months to improve your skills. That’s a long time to prepare yourself for the international competition. If you put the time, energy, and effort, you will be more than prepared. And with this statement, we at The American Institute would like to offer you a Full Scholarship for our C3 Course: Conversation Fluency, Critical Thinking, and Confidence Building. We also offer you another full scholarship in our Critical Writing and Intensive Grammar Course.

So if anyone knows Ms. San Miguel, I hope you will be able to relay this message…

LTO and the Student Permit

This morning, my friend went to the LTO to get a student permit. He called them three times to ensure he gets the necessary documents to bring with him. How sad is he, calling three times? Well, can't blame him. I guess in a country like ours, you need to make sure and make sure and make sure.

So when he got there, the person assisting him said that he needed an ID with a TIN # on it. You cannot just have a passport or an ID with no TIN #. You cannot just have a TIN #. It must be on an ID.

It's really sad to think that people like these are running our government offices. After having called several times, my friend still didn't get the right information. What do the LTO people need an ID with a TIN # on it? Passport and TIN # and Birth Certificate won't suffice. YOU MUST HAVE AN ID WITH TIN # ON IT.

That is what they said. So now he has to go back tomorrow. Waste of time. Waste of cab fare.

The Strength of Catholics in the Philippines

Blasphemous! We've replaced the 12 disciples and Jesus with supermodels. Female disciples? Male Mary? Female Jesus? Think about thinking out of the box.

I forgot where I saw this picture, but I thought it was very interesting because it shakes up the mind. It makes one think and wonder about the possibilities. It really opens your eyes to looking at things from a different perspective.

So about the catholics here in the Philippines? If we are such a strong catholic nation, why is our country described as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. If most citizens are catholics, why is there such pervasive display of non-catholic, unchristian behavior wherever you go. From Pagudpud to Sorsogon (that's the commercial from the movies), you see human tragedy. Greed, power, poverty, hunger, corruption.

Does that mean, then, that most catholics are hypocrites? That they go to church but don't really practice what they learn? Or does that mean that they are not hypocrites, but that the church is teaching them the wrong things?

Someone, please tell me.

I took a picture of this wall frame at one of my client's training rooms. It's a great reminder that despite all the battles, the hardships, the obstacles, the blues, or whatever word you may want to call it, we need to remember that there are still opportunities ahead of us. As long as life has not ended for you, as long as you are breathing, and as long as you will live to see the light of day again, you can make a change.

There are many times when I would just want to quit, and go back home to the US. But I keep telling myself, that this is where I need to be. That I have a purpose here. There are so many people that will try to undermine you. People who will not believe in you. People who could care less about the people. People are people. They are not perfect, and they can be the most cruel ones out there without even knowing it.

So I say, Don't Quit. DO IT. Sounds like Nike, eh? But it's so true. When the going gets rough, the tough gets going. Damn, how many jingles and cliches is this post going to have? To make a long story short, look at it from an optimist's point of view, like this wall frame says: Every difficulty is an opportunity in disguise.

Great Talkers are Little Doers

Today, one of my clients asked me, "What's wrong with the Filipinos?" He's a foreigner from Korea. He said that most Filipinos he meets are fed up about their situation. They always speak of corruption, bad politics, dirty streets, disorganized communities, poverty, poor education, bad government, the kitchen sink, the beeping car, you name it. He asked me, "If the Filipinos are so disappointed about their current situation, why is the country not changing?"

I ask the same thing myself. The only answer I can think of is that we like to talk, complain, whine, or what not, instead of helping to make a change through action. This begs the question, "Why do we not take action?" My honest opinion is that we are afraid. We are afraid that if we take action about the wrongdoings, we may be harmed in the process. Therefore, we would rather shut up and put up. If it inconveniences us, turn a blind eye. How sad that we must behave this way. However, I do understand, for we may only be protecting our own lives.

But there comes a time when you just need to speak out. When is this time?