Touched by An Angel

21Feb 2015

Journaling is a process of self-reflection.

by Ma. Rachel Yapchiongco as originally posted at the Journaling For The Soul, Philippine Online Chronicles.

Never underestimate the power of blank pages and a pen. They can immortalize thoughts, preserve memories and create lasting impressions. Think of a journal as a window to your soul. You can write whatever you want. You can share your thoughts, ideas, secrets, feelings, worries, fears, dreams, and more.

Journaling is a process of self-reflection. It lets you share a big part of yourself without worrying what others may think or how others would react.

Time flies so fast. Each day passes by like a blur. You can keep those memorable moments by writing them down on paper. In this digital age, it is now possible to create an online journal but writing by hand seems more special and intimate.

Use your journal to share day to day experiences. It feels good to share happy moments and little triumphs in life. But life is not always a bed of roses. We all have our own share of ups and downs. You can write about the good and bad times. Sometimes it helps to write down things that made you cry or drove you to get mad.

Here are some tips to help you start your own personal journal.

Find an ideal time and place to write. Write on your own time. There are people who prefer to write in the morning when it’s quiet and peaceful. Others like to write before going to bed so they can reflect on things that happened that day. Find the best time that works for you.

Look for a comfortable place where you can write without interruptions. Most people like to write at home but you are free to write somewhere else like a public library, park or coffee shop. It is all up to you.
Keep your journal personal and private and keep it in a safe place. That way, you don’t have to worry about someone else reading your most intimate thoughts and feelings.

Keep your journal simple. Begin by getting a new journal. Dealing with a blank page can be a little overwhelming especially if you’re new to journaling. Keep an open mind.

The good thing about making a journal is the freedom. There are no rules. You don’t have to be concerned about format, grammar, spelling, or how legible your handwriting is.

Sit down and think of what you want to share. Just keep it simple. The purpose of journaling is to reflect about yourself and not to impress others .

Don’t be afraid of making your first entry. There is no need to feel pressured on filling an entire page. You can write a few lines and reserve the rest of the page for another day.

Decide what you want to write on your journal. A good way to start your journal is to reflect about your life. Ask yourself if you are happy and satisfied with your life.

You can write about things that happened on a particular day. Focus on the highlights of your day. Reflect on things that you are grateful for. It can be as short as five things or as many as you can think of. Prioritize quality and not quantity.

Share simple happy moments that you might forget later on. Writing about a moment preserves it into a lasting memory. Several years from now, you can go through your journal and reminisce about the good old days. You’ll be glad that you took time to write down those precious snippets of happiness.

When you travel or visit a new place, you can share about your experience.

As you get more inspiration in your journaling, you’ll likely find it easier to write more entries from the heart. Journaling for the soul brings out the deeper essence of writing. Make your journal an intimate connection to yourself. Write down goals or plans. Express your innermost thoughts and emotions. Share feelings of love, happiness, sadness, excitement, despair, aspirations, hope, and even thoughts of hopelessness.

You can also draw or put photos on your journal. Some people find it easier to express themselves through drawing or sketching.

There will come a time when you look back at your journal and appreciate how you’ve grown and developed as an individual. Journaling also gives you an opportunity to learn from mistakes and reflect on difficult situations to make you stronger and wiser.

Journaling has been known to help reduce stress, improve mental and physical health, and boost self-esteem. Experts recommend journaling to people who are struggling with grief and loss. Writing can give you a sense of relief during difficult times in your life.

Be consistent in journaling. Try to spend a moment each day to write your journal entry. Encourage consistent journaling until it becomes a welcome habit. Write thoughts and feelings while they are fresh. It is easy to lose the raw feelings and inspiration if you postpone your writing for another day.

Sometimes life can become too hectic and busy. If there comes a time when you miss an entry, do not be too hard on yourself. Just jump right back to journaling.

When you enjoy writing, journaling becomes something to look forward to rather than a task that you need to finish. Learn to embrace the joy of journaling for your soul.

Photo c/o Flickr. Some rights reserved.

14Feb 2015

To love and to be loved by you, our child,…an honor and so blest.

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 8 Comments

It was sometime January 2004 as I was wheeled through the Operating room of the Philippine Heart Center for an angiogram procedure. Three doctors told me that my heart had blocked arteries and I will need an angioplasty. Two diagnostic tests revealed the necessity for an angioplasty. At that time, all I could think of was the expense, something like 500,000 pesos ($10,000). As I hovered between sleepy state and consciousness , I remember thinking that it was alright to die. I would soon be rejoined by my son. No big deal. As I lay there on the operating table, my cardiac surgeon motioned me to watch the procedure on the TV screen. The sight of my beating heart made me queasy . A few minutes later, the surgeon announced “There is no blockage”

I sought for my sister, a doctor who watched the procedure. She confirmed that I didn’t need angioplasty.

I found out that I had a “spastic heart” which didn’t require an angioplasty. My grief during the past 4 years took a toll on my heart.

In the recovery room over 11 years ago, I mulled over the death of my son . Life did go on even if my heart was broken. I didn’t know how physically broken it was. Our heart is fragile even if the heart muscles are strong. It goes on beating even during the darkest hours . When devastation made its mark , it felt like my heart would never know joy again. The diagnosis awakened something in me. God had given me another chance in life, perhaps to help others or continue to give love to others. One thing I knew for certain, that day marked my road towards a healthier grief journey. I discovered that the heart mends itself, but not like before. There is a scar in my heart which will always remain there. There is a tender spot inside where once the gap was wide. It is healing.

I am grateful that my heart is healing . I am grateful to be alive to give love and receive love.

Happy Love Day to all.
—–

My precious Valentine’s Day Memory. Though death has taken you away from me, my son, my love for you will never die. Love never dies.

“To love and to be loved by you, our child,…an honor and so blest,
Our time on earth cut short, it’s true … But We Sealed It With a Kiss.”

10Feb 2015

Toys my children played

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 4 Comments

I never realized the value my children placed on their toys until M. interviewed me for her research paper a few years ago on “Toys and Games I played with” for her Psychology course.

She said “Thank God mom for the girly and not so girly toys”.

In this day of digital toys and gadgets, I believe parents should never forget that the best toys for children are ‘open-ended’. Such toys encourage children to play using imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills such as

blocks – one day your child uses them to build a tower, and the next day he might bring the block up to his ear and pretend it’s a phone

balls – they’re great to bounce, look at, roll, hold and throw

cardboard boxes – these can stand in for so many things, including pretend shop counters, ovens, cars, boats and doll houses

dress-ups- with some hand-me-down clothes and bits of fabric, your child can become anything or anyone he likes

crafty bits and pieces – coloured paper, stickers, crayons and washable markers can get your child started on a masterwork.

I recall my childhood days and the fun my siblings and I had when we used a chair as our “car”. We pretended the carton box of the refrigerator was a small doll house.

I chose their toys wisely because we didn’t have substantial income when the kids were younger. My husband was still at Law School when the 2 girls were born. I bought toys that nurtured their imagination and creativity. Whether it was toys classified for boys or for girls, I chose it for its educational value.

L. and M. loved Lego blocks. They had lots and lots of LEGO blocks. They had the larger DUPLO blocks when they were toddlers. At that time. Lego was sold in disassembled bricks, so they were free to create any figures their young minds could imagine. Even until the age of 9, they spent all afternoon ignoring their Barbie dolls and instead built fortresses, houses, schools and whatnot. No wonder, I gave the Barbie Dolls away to my younger nieces. It was gathering dust.

At the age of 5 or 6, I bought Polly Pockets during a trip to Hongkong’s Toys-R-US. Polly Pockets were cute tiny boxes that fit in my girl’s tiny pockets. Inside contained a miniature house with a miniature doll slightly larger than a nail. Each house was unique. I bought 7 of those and the girls created a little village. I still kept these toys and I just found out they are valuable today. But I noticed the entire population of the village was female. Until Max moved into the neighborhood.

Mighty Max shared the same concept with Polly, pocket-sized and tiny, except that instead of pianists and dressmakers, Max was an adventurous young boy who always had to free himself from the clutches of mummies and zombies. So instead of a normal house or bathroom, Mighty Max was contained in a dungeon, a mad scientist lab or an Egyptian tomb. Instead of a pet cat or dog, he had the undead chasing after him. Max had many possible things going on for him: he could get stuck in a trap, locked in a jail cell, trapped to the other end of the wall, find secret pathways leading to treasure basically, he led a more exciting life than Polly.

When M. was in nursery, she told her girl classmate about all the adventures she had with her Legos.

““Yuck!” she frowned. ““Diba pang-lalaki lang yun?” (Isn’t that for boys?)

My girls never looked at it that way at all. Today whenever they pass by a toy store, or when they visit their younger cousins, they can’t help noticing that little girls today don’t play as much Lego blocks as they did. As a child it didn’t matter to them if the games they played were masculine or feminine, as long as it provided hours and hours of fun and creativity.

One tip to know: “The way your child uses a toy is often far more important than the toy itself in determining the toy’s effects on your child’s development. Thinking about how your child might play with the toy can help you decide whether it’s the right one for you and your child.”

05Feb 2015

The Hinga Hingalo ni Baby Movement to save premature babies

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

A mother looks forward with much hope and excitement for her new baby. Not all are lucky to make it to full term birth like 26 year old Mira of Bulacan who gave birth to twins but never got to see the light of day. Her twins named MJ and JM were lost to the world’s largest killer of babies: preterm birth complications. I can just picture the tragedy and the grief, with questions on “Why?” , “What if”, “Why God?” , “if only” especially “if only we could afford the medication”. Is medication expensive and inaccessible to the poor? It is not entirely true.

Possible interventions are within reach today, just like the 19 year old Sara, who gave birth to a preemie. Her baby survived and passed the critical stage due to medical intervention. Mira’s twin babies are now part of the infant mortality cases in the Philippines.

Across 184 countries, the rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born. The Philippines ranks second in the number of premature births in Southeast Asia, eight worldwide and 17th in deaths arising from preterm birth complications. Complications often plague preterm babies and is the leading cause of deaths among children under 5 years of age and is responsible for nearly 1 million deaths in 2013. This is called neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) , which is the second leading cause of death among premature infants in the Philippines and the leading verifiable one.

It is for this reason that the Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine (PSNbM), together with the Department of Health, Philheath, and the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital joined forces in championing a campaign set on the prevention of needless deaths in children and also meeting the millennium mortality goal in child mortality is met . There are many initiatives going on now. Breastfeeding is always the desired food for these tiny babies.

Over at the Fabella hospital, mothers of preemies are encouraged to practice the Kangaroo Mother care. Kangaroo care is a technique practiced on newborn, usually preterm, infants wherein the infant is held, skin-to-skin, with an adult. Kangaroo care for pre-term infants may be restricted to a few hours per day, but if they are medically stable that time may be extended. Some parents may keep their babies in-arms for many hours per day. Kangaroo care, named for the similarity to how certain marsupials carry their young, was initially developed to care for preterm infants in areas where incubators are either unavailable or unreliable. Despite the limited number of neonatologist, there are efforts to train health workers in the far flung provinces

The Hinga|Hingala ni Baby movement will inform the public about the gravitas of preterm morbidities and mortalities and its implications on an individual and national level starting with this documentary video below, that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the local cases of child mortality specifically those from Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital , the institution with the most number of premature births in Manila.

The #hingahingalo campaign aims to inform everyone on the top prebirth complications and existing interventions and drive audiences to the right channels where they can avail of these interventions.

Contact #HingaHingalo ni Baby campaign via www.psbn.org.ph or check their https://www.facebook.com/pages/Philippine-Society-of-Newborn-Medicine-Inc/

03Feb 2015

Shopping for car insurance? Read the fine print.

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

Buying a new car is exciting. My ten year old red car was breaking down so often in the early 90s, that fixing it was not worth it anymore. While the law requires a basic level of car insurance called third party insurance, I wanted more coverage. Comprehensive insurance is the type of coverage I apply for, ever since the brand new car of a family member was forcibly taken away at the parking lot in Ortigas center. He had no choice but to surrender the car keys because a gun was aimed at him. Fortunately, the family member was not harmed. The sad part is the car was not insured for theft. Goodbye 800,000 pesos! One never imagines that a car will be forcibly taken away from us and I didn’t want that to happen to my brand new family car.

I only had two requirements that my car insurance policy:

1. The Market value of the car, in case of theft
2. Reputable insurance company

Shopping around for car insurance were limited to accredited companies of the car companies. The world wide web was not yet around so I had to rely on word of mouth or familiar names that I had seen on TV or the newspapers.

I picked up lessons on car insurance policy in the past 20 years. The car insurance can be very pricey especially in the first few years. The insurance expense was not a burden with just one car but I had to reconsider another insurance company when I got a second car. It pays to get three quotations. This second insurance company was more affordable than the previous one. This insurance company lists a table for each car model and the appropriate premium. Not content with the default premiums, I always requested for a discount and I got it. “Ask and you shall receive” is something I learned.

The most painful lesson of all is not reading the fine print. The relentless rains from typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in October 2009 resulted to severe flooding in Luzon, particularly in Metro Manila. We were not spared , with waist deep brown waters inside our two-storey house. This included the three Honda cars in the garage: a seven year-old black CRV, a 10 year-old Silver CRV and a two month old white sedan. I did not worry about the damage because I was just grateful that everyone was safe.

The time came when I called the three insurance firms about their coverage. I discovered the comprehensive insurance of our 10 year-old SUV did not contain Acts of God (or Acts of Nature). Only our seven year-old SUV and the newly bought sedan got full coverage. I received 320,000 pesos, a percentage of the market value of a seven year-old Honda CRV, which was 600,000. It was not enough to buy a new car but together with the insurance claim of the white car, I was able to buy a brand new SUV. My husband was the one who junked my usual car insurer and got another one because it was very cheap. I never bothered to find out why it was cheaper by 3,000 pesos. The ten year old SUV was sold for scrap and I used it to make a downpayment for a second-hand car.

So now, my requirements for car insurance must have this criteria:

1. Acts of nature
2. Market value of the car, in case of theft
3. Reputable insurance company

I recently learned that 9 out of 10 Filipinos overpay for car insurance. I always compare insurance policies to ensure I get the best value for my money. I used to compare via the phone but now I can do it so much easier these days online! MoneyMax.ph compares all major insurance companies and policies to get you the best deal. It is totally free and independent.

My advice: when you plan to buy a car or renew your policy make sure you compare with www.MoneyMax.ph.

01Feb 2015

Manulife’s Bundle of Joy advocacy , one way of securing your family’s future

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

I still remember my first pregnancy, my first bundle of joy. It was such a beautiful occasion yet filled with anxiety. What will the future hold ?

I wanted to make sure my babies would have the basic needs in life like education, food and extra curricular activities. I was stay-at-home-mom because I wanted to be there for my children, to be part of their development and see them grow. I am glad that God has been good to us and we never lacked for anything because I knew my priorities in the household. New parents are fortunate these days because of the availability of information in family finance. To help expectant parents or parents of newborns journey into their new life stage, Manulife Philippines has now made life insurance more accessible through its “Bundle of Joy” advocacy. Anyone who wants to build a more secure future for themselves and their family is invited to be a part of Manulife’s Bundle of Joy community by signing up here.

Expectant moms and dads, and parents of children under one year of age are entitled to a FREE one-year term life insurance coverage worth PhP 100,000. Furthermore, everyone who registers online can also access good reads and helpful tips from experts, join various promotions and win exciting prizes and freebies.

Ryan Charland President & CEO Manulife Philippines with kids during the launch of Bundle of Joy Advocacy

I was able to interview Ryan Charland, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines on the other products and services they will offer. With this promotion, Manulife will surely have a database of parents , and from there, Manulife will engage with the parents to see what they can offer. He adds “Manulife’s Bundle of Joy is part of our continued advocacy to reach, secure and protect as many Filipino families as possible.”

With the help of Manulife’s Bundle of Joy, parents will be able to access life insurance coverage by having them register online and become part of a community that can support their responsibility as parents. I do hope Manulife tries to reach out to these new parents. I know one of the concerns for parents is the college education of their children. The Bundle of Joy advocacy is a great start. Financial protection should be in every new or expectant parent’s checklist as the first step towards securing their family’s future.

Just visit Manulife’s Bundle of Joy website at www.manulifebundleofjoy.com.ph or like Manulife Philippines’ Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/ManulifePH.

31Jan 2015

KidZania Manila , a city where kids rule is opening this Summer 2015

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

The KidZania RightZkeepers—Bache, Urbano, Beebop, Vita and Chika. They are the guardians assigned to protect children’s rights—the right to be, the right to know, to care, to create, to share, to play and the most important one of all, the right to be a child.

Though I don’t have little kids, I still get excited for all the kids in the Philippines. A city where kids rule—where they can imagine and actually get to experience what they want to be when they grow up—this is KidZania Manila!

I attended the presentation of industry partners last Thursday. KidZania Manila introduced and paid tribute to its Industry Partners during a presentation held at the Hotel Intercontinental Manila. Over 100 officials representing the different Industry Partners, along with members of the media and other guests, were in attendance, as they celebrated the wonderful play experience in store for Filipino kids.

KidZania Manila Industry Partners Director Cecille L. Mariño

Immersive, interactive role play rooted in real-life activities and establishments is at the core of the KidZania experience. And that is where Industry Partners support the experience: with their expertise in their respective industries, Industry Partners help bring realism to the kid-sized city, providing children with truly engaging activities and skills that they can use in real life. What would your kids want to be when they grow up? They will have a choice of role playing a pharmacist, a pilot, a doctor , nurse and more.

With more than 100 role playing activities, KidZania Manila empowers children to explore, discover, and choose whatever roles they want. Here, children get to experience how a community works, earn and manage their money, as well as cooperate and work with others. Each experience is completely hands-on and helps develop teamwork, independence, self-esteem, and valuable life skills – equipping kids to create a better world in the future.

At KidZania Manila, kids can be ever-reliable pharmacists at the Pharmacy sponsored by Mercury Drug. “Through this play and learn concept, they can better appreciate the pharmacists’ role in keeping them healthy,” said Vivien Que-Azcona, the drugstore company’s president. Pictured here are representatives from the Mercury Drug team (from left): Louie Calalang, Nikki Angulo, Vice President for Purchasing Cora Lim and Lyle Abadilla.

In KidZania, our children can imagine, play and have fun, enjoying the amazing role play experiences at KidZania Manila. They will learn, as they play, about the varied, interesting roles and establishments that collaborate and serve to create a good community. KidZania Industry Partners will make the KidZania Manila experience as authentic and meaningful as possible for the children who will visit our play city.

So when is opening day? It will open by summer at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. As of this writing, construction is 80% completed.

Excited? Visit manila.kidzania.com for more information and updates.

30Jan 2015

Farewell, Fallen Forty Four! #Fallen44 #SAF44

by webs ⋅ Leave a Comment

By Lakwatserang Paruparo as originally posted on Blog Watch, Philippine Online Chronicles

They chose to become policemen.
They strived to be the best they can be.
They didn’t really want to be heroes.
They just wanted to do the job they loved to do.
And that job is to defend the country and their countrymen.

They lived by their core values of Service, Integrity and Excellence and their motto is “By skill and virtue, we triumph.”

But life can really be cruel sometimes. Despite the intensive training they got for being an elite group known as “The Philippine National Police Special Action Force” or “PNP-SAF,” it is unfortunate that the bullets that killed them knew no training to recognize them. Instead, the ones who pulled the trigger on them were the ones highly trained to recognize them as the enemy.

And so they fell.

Image from @MisterBanatero. Some rights reserved

Forty four brave young men fell doing their duty to their motherland. They fell on an unfortunate day, a Sunday. They fell on a day when people were mostly worshipping and praying for peace. They even fell on the birth anniversary of the late President Corazon C. Aquino on January 25. Incidentally, on January 29, 1991, or 24 years ago, she signed Republic Act 6975 and with it, the PC-SAF became the PNP-SAF. The objective of the said Act was the need to reshuffle and revamp every government agency to facilitate the transition of the government from Dictatorship to Democracy.

Those who have seen the photographs of the Fallen 44 on television cannot help but feel a tinge of sadness as if they know them personally. There is an invisible thread that somehow linked the country to them and their loved ones, a link that understood the grief, never mind the reason for their deaths. I watched and felt sad. As a mother, I couldn’t imagine what their own grieving mothers are feeling right now. I could only reach out in prayer that their souls journey and rest in blissful peace after their bodies have been brutally massacred.

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, son of the late President Cory, declared January 30, 2015 a “Day of Mourning” for these brave and fearless officers of the Special Action Force.

As in the days of Typhoon Yolanda, or the early days of the Pork Barrel and DAP controversies, or even the recent papal visit, nothing divides our country more than opinions relating to the words and actions of the President. I know he cannot please everyone: there will always be dissenters, bashers and critics and there will also be the perennially jaundiced followers and apologists but amidst all these, surely, there’s the right thing to be done at the right time and the right place. It’s not giving in to popular demand or riding the tide of a politically correct decision. It is simply being human and humane devoid of political trappings.

Prior to the “Day of Mourning” were days of waiting and expecting, and eventually, bashing and defending not just in social media but in mainstream media as well. #NasaanAngPangulo trended worldwide more than “TruthfortheFallen44” or “SAF44.” Former Presidents and former Generals joined in the fray as the President, his concerned cabinet members and the officers involved in the cover operation were catapulted into the limelight of notoriety once more. Suddenly, everyone had an opinion. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be heard. Suddenly, the war turned to a word war that burned in cyberspace.

That wouldn’t have been the case had the President did what he should have done as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and as a human being. The Head of the Roman Catholic Church, the charismatic Pope Francis just barely stepped out of our country leaving a trail of hope and faith amidst chaos and despair when everyone was suddenly jolted back to reality. The least that the Filipinos wanted to hear from the President during his televised address of the nation last January 28 was an honest-to-goodness admission of accountability instead of a “tour’ of his mind with its intricate and oftentimes misplaced logic that perfectly screamed “evasion!” What’s wrong with saying “I am responsible” the way sacked PNP Chief Supt. Getulio Napeñas stated? What’s wrong with saying “I am sorry” for the botched covert operations? Does he need the blood of 44 more men to write that down?

Then came the day when the 44 bodies in metal caskets arrived at Villamor Air Base where the #Fallen 44 was given the appropriate honors. After the much-criticized speech, the President could have redeemed himself by being present at the ceremonies. Voila! He wasn’t! Instead, he chose to grace the previously scheduled inauguration of the Mitsubishi plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It’s in times like this when I think having a wife would’ve been beneficial to him because a woman’s wisdom sometimes can save a man’s ass. And I wonder, who in the world advised him to put a car above a soldier’s dignity, and never mind going to the arrival of the bodies because he will lead the necrological services anyway?

And people continue to ask, where is his mercy and compassion? If the Pope himself expressed his desire to be with the Yolanda victims as soon as he heard about the disaster in Leyte, and if he insisted on flying to Tacloban amidst a Signal No. 2 typhoon, why couldn’t the President personally condole with the bereaved loved ones and be at the arrival of the slain SAF officers? Why, oh, why?

Image by Paolo Arevalo. Some rights reserved.

Being there for someone in times of loss is more than enough comfort. It means a lot to have someone like the President of the country to be there to show he truly cares, that he has a heart for those fallen soldiers who he called heroes. Never mind if he doesn’t admit that he gave the marching orders and sent those men to their graves. There is no need for words, a strong presence is more than enough to show his big heart, if he really has one.

People of the Philippines: “Sir, where were you when your presence was needed most?”

President: “I don’t think I was ever asked that question. At the same token, parang it’s a rhetorical question, ‘di ba?”

People of the Philippines: Was that to much to ask, Mr. President?

Mismo!

Farewell #Fallen44

29Jan 2015

The Pinoy Millennial is more than just being the selfie generation

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

by Richard Ramos as originally posted Who or what is the Pinoy Millennial? at the Philippine Online Chronicles.

One should suppose that it is inevitable that each generation will have unique characteristics, all of which have been shaped by what has been happening in their times. If Generation X is known for its open-minded and philosophical bent (perhaps as a result of higher living standards and a reaction to the last decades of the Cold War), then what is Generation Y – The Millennials – all about?

Getting it right
The first thing that we should qualify is: what generation exactly are we talking about? Some people think of Millennials as those who were born in the 1980’s all the way to the early 2000s. However, still others think that Millennials should only be classified as those who have not experienced a life without the Internet, or were at least in on the rise of the online community. Whatever the case may be, it seems that if you’re in your early thirties or younger, then you’re probably a Millennial, if we’re going to go by age.

So, what are the big attributes of Millennials – and more importantly, Millennial Filipinos?

Is it all about “me”?
One glaring aspect – be it positive or negative – is the Millennial trait of being concentrated on the self. In the most negative of cases, you’re talking about a certain sense of entitlement, of how everything they do is designed to turn out in their favor. Even their shallowest habit – that of taking selfies at inopportune times – can be traced to these factors. With Filipinos, this can be a cultural one-two punch, as the younger generations are no doubt less community-minded, in the sense of formal institutions like the Church, Family, or Government.

On the other hand, even if they do have a narcissistic complex, they can also be very caring when it comes to their friends. Millennials definitely exhibit extreme loyalty at times to their friends – provided their friends are the same way. While parts of these closely-knit personal networks are based on a certain amount of selfishness and a need for a “custom-built” social structure, it can’t be denied that when it comes to Millennials, friends are family.

Instant everything
Millennials are not very patient. All you have to do is look at your younger cousins, brothers, and other family or clan members to realize that more and more, patience is becoming a scarce virtue. And it’s no surprise – after all, everything can be found online. Information is literally on-hand, and communication is a press of a touchscreen button away.

If you think that this is an exaggeration, think of it this way: Before the advent of the Internet or even SMS messaging, people had to call each other up to make plans to go out. This actually made people prepare well, dress up well, and basically treat being with each other as valuable time. Now that the younger ones can keep track of everybody from their mobile devices, keeping in touch isn’t a matter of being face to face: seeing them onscreen is good enough. Welcome to the instantaneous world of Millennials!

Wealth and materialism
This may be a good or bad thing, but Millennials are very much aware of the need to have the means to keep their lifestyles at a level they find comfortable. On the good side, this means that many young Millennials are preparing better for their careers, and are willing to work harder and at stranger hours then the generation before them. You need look no further than the rise of the call center industry to see how much they are willing to sacrifice many things, simply to make sure they have the resources for the lives they want to lead.

On the other end of the spectrum, Millennials can also be more susceptible to falling into questionable practices because of their needs. It’s not unheard of across the generations to see young people get into drug-dealing and prostitution, but Millennials may have a higher percentage of people who go into it willingly, and without much trauma – after all, for them, it’s just another way to earn money.

Distance
If the Gen-Xers were able to detach themselves intellectually and emotionally from older institutional and cultural patterns (hence the philosophy and need to change things), Millennials have taken this to an extreme, with many of them feeling detached or alienated from major social and institutional structures. They don’t feel like religion is addressing their concerns, and the government is just bureaucracy that gets in the way. Family is at best sympathetic, at worst another social layer they simply have to withstand.

How do you deal with Millennials?
The very first thing you have to understand if you’re not a Millennial is that they have a very different way of processing information. Millennials can process a very large amount of information, but at the same time, they don’t necessarily understand the deeper meanings or connections in the information that they have. For them, they prevent information overload by not thinking too deeply about all the information that they know. Millennials definitely know more than Non-Millennials (that must be accepted if you’re going to get anywhere with them), but when it comes down to thinking things through, Millennials may not exactly be the best generation for that.

Illumination, then, is one way to connect with them. Accept that they know more stuff than you do, and that they can access information far faster than you ever can (after all, they are the first generation to master living in a world with an online component). Make them understand, however, that your experiences and your method of thinking can give you a different insight that they may have missed. If there is anything a Millennial will like to hear, it’s a properly-given point of view.

Dealing with their emotions is probably much more complicated than normal, since by nature many Millennials (Filipino ones in particular) are suspicious of the older generation. Do you remember that thing about having intense relationships with their friends? Well, if you aren’t a friend yet, then the best you can do is be a friend to them first, until you become a person that they think of as a friend – there’s a very important distinction there. However, don’t be surprised that once the door has been opened, that it can still slam shut at the slightest provocation. For many Filipino Millennials, though they hope you won’t be like the others, they will still be jaded enough to logically think that you will revert to type as one of the “oldies.”

A final understanding
In the end, understanding the Filipino Millennial is accepting that they can be very intelligent, very profound, yet at the same time very shallow, and probably yearning for something much more than they can grasp or understand immediately. And if you really want to connect with them, you will just have to know that they really are more complicated than just being the “selfie generation.”

18Jan 2015

Transcript: Pope Francis Homily delivered during the Holy Mass in Luneta

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

This is the full text of Pope Francis’ homily, as delivered during the Holy Mass at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, Manila, Sunday January 18 (Source: Rappler)

“A child is born to us, a son is given us” (Is 9:5). It is a special joy for me to celebrate Santo Niño Sunday with you. The image of the Holy Child Jesus accompanied the spread of the Gospel in this country from the beginning. Dressed in the robes of a king, crowned and holding the sceptre, the globe and the cross, he continues to remind us of the link between God’s Kingdom and the mystery of spiritual childhood. He tells us this in today’s Gospel: “Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” (Mk 10:15). The Santo Niño continues to proclaim to us that the light of God’s grace has shone upon a world dwelling in darkness, bringing the Good News of our freedom from slavery, and guiding us in the paths of peace, right and justice. The Santo Niño also reminds us of our call to spread the reign of Christ throughout the world.

In these days, throughout my visit, I have listened to you sing the song: “We are all God’s children.” That is what the Santo Niño tells us. He reminds us of our deepest identity. All of us are God’s children, members of God’s family. Today Saint Paul has told us that in Christ we have become God’s adopted children, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is who we are. This is our identity. We saw a beautiful expression of this when Filipinos rallied around our brothers and sisters affected by the typhoon.

The Apostle tells us that because God chose us, we have been richly blessed! God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (Eph 1:3). These words have a special resonance in the Philippines, for it is the foremost Catholic country in Asia; this is itself a special gift of God, a special blessing. But it is also a vocation. Filipinos are called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia.

God chose and blessed us for a purpose: to be holy and blameless in his sight (Eph 1:4). He chose us, each of us to be witnesses of his truth and his justice in this world. He created the world as a beautiful garden and asked us to care for it. But through sin, man has disfigured that natural beauty; through sin, man has also destroyed the unity and beauty of our human family, creating social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption.

Sometimes, when we see the troubles, difficulties and wrongs all around us, we are tempted to give up. It seems that the promises of the Gospel do not apply; they are unreal. But the Bible tells us that the great threat to God’s plan for us is, and always has been, the lie. The devil is the father of lies. Often he hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being “modern”, “like everyone else.” He distracts us with the promise of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes. And so we squander our God-given gifts by tinkering with gadgets; we squander our money on gambling and drink; we turn in on ourselves. We forget to remain focused on the things that really matter. We forget to remain, at heart, children of God. That is sin: [to] forget at heart that we are children of God. For children, as the Lord tells us, have their own wisdom, which is not the wisdom of the world. That is why the message of the Santo Niño is so important. He speaks powerfully to all of us. He reminds us of our deepest identity, of what we are called to be as God’s family.

The Santo Niño also reminds us that this identity must be protected. The Christ Child is the protector of this great country. When he came into the world, his very life was threatened by a corrupt king. Jesus himself needed to be protected. He had an earthly protector: Saint Joseph. He had an earthly family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. So he reminds us of the importance of protecting our families, and those larger families which are the Church, God’s family, and the world, our human family. Sadly, in our day, the family all too often needs to be protected against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture.

Photo via @noynoyaquino

In the Gospel, Jesus welcomes children, he embraces them and blesses them (Mk 10:16). We too need to protect, guide and encourage our young people, helping them to build a society worthy of their great spiritual and cultural heritage. Specifically, we need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected. And we need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the streets.

It was a frail child, in need of protection, who brought God’s goodness, mercy and justice into the world. He resisted the dishonesty and corruption which are the legacy of sin, and he triumphed over them by the power of his cross. Now, at the end of my visit to the Philippines, I commend you to him, to Jesus who came among us as a child. May he enable all the beloved people of this country to work together, protecting one another, beginning with your families and communities, in building a world of justice, integrity and peace. May the Santo Niño continue to bless the Philippines and may he sustain the Christians of this great nation in their vocation to be witnesses and missionaries of the joy of the Gospel, in Asia and in the whole world.

Please don’t forget to pray for me! God bless you!

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