The Good Things You've Done Will Be Remembered!

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            Parents it's now your turn to baby-sit...hehehehe



"Are you going to miss us?" ... This is the most common question that came out from my students during the last day of school.  This was my reply,  "I will miss the good things you have done."  Smiles on faces of many, wondering eyes from a few, and some verbally replied back  to my answer... "Have I done good things, teacher?" My reply, "Being promoted to high school is a good thing." That moment was the most important instance of my day with my students this last day of school.  I am grateful. One way or the other, all of them, have changed for the better or for improvement. Undoubtedly, I will keep my hopes and prayers for them as they move on to high school. 

Finally, the most awaited day of all students, even faculty, of course, has come --- we are all on for the summer vacation again! Hooray!  It was a minimum (half day) at work today, the day after the promotion ceremony last night, and everyone were happy with all expectations from this summer vacation, plus, the fact that they are all moving to high school. I see the reflective moments from many students each time the last day of school comes, specially the day after the graduation. To a certain extent, I see that "graduation" in itself makes them feel mature and "accomplished." On the other hand, some students who did not participate in the promotion ceremony due to non-compliance with academics and/or citizenship requirements appeared to be "mellow" and I heard many of them said the famous "I should have..." "But..." "Next time" ... It is always at the end when early adolescent students feel regretful..even adults (not to forget). One simple message to young adolescent I  always impart --- it is always nice to "begin nice," "continue nice," and "end nice."  It's the "pleasure of the current moment" from wrong decisions that breaks the "future" or to be regretful.  There are "strugglers." They are the ones who started "not nice and continue on "not nice" and made good transformations towards the end and succeeded! This is a difficult road towards success. On the contrary, there are individuals who will start "nice" and continue to move on "nice" and all of a sudden towards the end of the "journey" decide to take the "wrong path" and will end astray and regretful.  Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Choices! Choices! Choices!  

Lastly, decisions and choices can cause challenges in the life of an individual. Challenges can make life interesting, but overcoming them makes life meaningful! 

Make it a great day!iSwim                                  Life is good! :)

It's Memorial Day Today!

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It's Memorial Day holiday today. I spent part of the early morning mowing the front and side lawn of the house. What a workout! Now time to relax and re-gain the energy spent in mowing for the afternoon swim. I am winding down and relaxing while writing this blog.  Big inhale....jeah! Tomorrow I am back to work  from a three-day Memorial day weekend,  and of course,  it's the last two days of work before the summer vacation starts. Yahoo! The turn over of seasons has been very fast.  My trip itinerary and details are all ready. I am set to fly to India next Wednesday and I am hoping all the best in this trip. From India, the next destinations in this summer trip are Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and finally to The Philippines. 

Each country has people who had remarkable contributions to the liberty, freedom and to the general welfare of the society. Today, here in the United States, is the last Monday of the month of May and this Monday is always attributed as the "Memorial Day."  A number of television and tadio stations plays the national anthem and presented memorial programs. Indeed, the entire nation pays respect to people (i.e. heroes) something to do with freedom and liberty the nation enjoys this time.  


At the church yesterday,  one quote that put my mind into a greater focus during the service (there are times that I get sidetrack) states,"I would rather lose in a cause that will someday win, than win in a cause that will someday lose." (by former 28th US president Woodroow Wilson) Very true! Heroes, more often than not, die first before people enjoy the "fruit of his/her labor" for the country. 


Let me cite an example that I know quite well.  Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal, the National Hero of The Philippines, exemplifies what I want to point out in this writing.  Dr. Jose Rizal was the most prominent advocate of reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He was exiled, prosecuted and killed by gun-shot  by the Spaniards with his body tied in Luneta (Rizal Park in Manila). He fought against the Spaniard colonization of the Philippines  who conquered the islands for 333 years. He used his powerful writings in exposing the tyranny in his two novels -  "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filbusterismo." I read these two novels as requirements in my high school. He was killed in 1896  before independence in 1945.

Why there is always a need for  lives of someone to be suffered to obtain or re-gain the liberty and freedom of a land under invation by the conquerors? More often we hear the the phrase "freedom is very expensive."  It really is.  As Patrick Henry in his speech at the Getttysburg .... "Give me liberty, or give me death."   (This was the declamation piece from Patrick Henry's the "Gettysburg Address" Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death I used in my Speech class in high school. Wow, what a memory of the past and I feel its coming to life!).  

Thank you to our heroes, no matter what part of the world we are. They left a stamp in our heart.

Make it a great day!
iSwim










                                         Photo taken in YS Falls in Jamaica, April 2012

Gone Are Those Days..."Do-Re-Mi" and "Confidence In Me."

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This is one of the "lazy" Saturday. The eight-hour sleep last night was not enough. I had a thirty-minute powernap after breakfast just before the morning workout and swim. Plus, in the afternoon, another two-hour powernap! Wow! What is in swimming that makes me sleep nice? 

Now...move on to what this blog is about....

I downloaded couple of old songs from Julie Andrews from the the old and from one of the most favorite movies of old times "The Sound Of Music."  Part of my day today is about "gone are those days...memories" and one of those moments is this old movie, which I remember watching many times in an old "big fat" picture tube black and white television.  It's funny I like her songs "Do-Re-Mi" and "Confidence In Me," two of the soundtracks in the movie.  While listening two lines from the song stand out in my thoughts and I begun thinking about it - "...do better than your best..." and "...firm but kind..." I found these two lines from the song "Confidence In Me" powerful and very true.  What about it? There is no single day at work, specially during individual activities, that I tell my students "Do your best!" and I always get a "smile" from them. It is always a none-verbal "silent" encouragement  written on a small piece of paper that is always in my pocket and I just pull it out, if needed.  I always get a non-verbal reply from a student --- a nice, humble, "smile" and sometimes a humble "head" nod. It is always a feeling of positivism each time this happen. I like it! I live with it! I like it!

Gone are those days..but the memories will live on.  In few days, students are promoting to high school. They all pass the class and I am very grateful and thankful to see that they, specially those who have been "challenged" academically and behaviorally, have improved to a certain degree after "doing their best" and after  many "gentle, firm and kind" interventions and consequences they've earned as part of the "pyramid of intervention."  I believe that "doing the best" and making it better than the previous best we have done is a sign of improvement and a road to success.  Yea mon!

Make it a great day.

iSwim










Photo taken in Nam Song River, Vang Vieng, Laos June 2012

Life Is Good!

 www.swimandseetheworld.com

Life is good! Don't worry always be happy.

Make it a great day.

iSwim

http://youtu.be/guWBAT6wUK4

The Catch Up Game...

Click to view Martha Brae River, Jamaica There times in life that we play catch ups. It's me just now. Overloaded, procrastinations, slowing down, neglect, lots of inertia (laziness), I think, are some of the reasons to play catch up. It's been a while since I posted a blog... It's been a while since I spoke with... It's been a while since... On the other hand, as we play catch up, there are life situations, events, responsibilities that we are able to do in lieu of what we need to catch up with...Priorities, priorities, priorities... 5.12.12 Today..another catch up with my weekend nap. Just woke up with a long powernap and it feels good. In addition, I am now caught up with the final drafting and organizing my itinerary to my trips to my thirty-two day-trips to the far-east. All is laid out and planned well, but, as always, I am open for changes...which rarely happen when I travel since all I plan ahead before leaving the US. This few days to come at work is merely catch ups...11 1/2 work days left and the summer vacation will start. Wow, summer vacation again. I was just in Israel and Mongolia last summer and here it comes again...now it is even more comprehensive...lots of country hopping --- India, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Picture take in Jamaica April 2012