Defense + Summer

I can almost smell the summer breeze. I've taken yet another hiatus and this is because my students are going through their final defense for the first part of their research study. I used to hate this part of the school year when I was a student. Every year there seems to be one important paper that will make or break you. And if you're graduating that's triple the pressure because there is no next semester for a chance at a rebound nor will there be removals. There are countless of sleepless nights and cup noodle-dinner days that you'd have to endure to get to the finish line. I was looking forward to becoming one of the advisers whom in my opinion before would just sit down, eat (some cases I've seen), and critique. But I was dead wrong.

This is my first taste of becoming one and it's driving me crazy. Seven groups are under me right now and I have to guide them every step of the way. And my OC-ness is kicking in too plus the pressure of doing this the first time. Most of the advisers have known the panelists for quite a while now (apparently they're the same panelists every year) and they know what exactly to expect. They said that the panelists ask almost the same questions so the others know what to anticipate. But here I am groping in the dark. Hopefully I've given enough and done enough for my students. It doesn't help too that most of them are such scaredy cats. I told them to trust themselves by trusting God. It was a nice opportunity to pray for them and remind them that God desires that they prosper and have a future. First defense officially commences tomorrow. And since I am the first adviser to help my students finish their papers, all groups under me are going on their defense earlier than everyone else. So tonight I'll be coaching and praying. God bless us all!

Aftermath

Adam Lambert's Aftermath (acoustic version) has been on a constant replay both in my mind and on my iPod. Our city is along a coastline and we were in the middle of conducting a High School recollection when the Tsunami Alert Level II was issued and everyone was asked to immediately leave the school premises and run for safety. A little exaggeration there but there actually was a mild panic yesterday especially in the low-lying areas of our city. And we were really asked to leave and postpone for the nth time the scheduled recollection. I had to break the news to the students in the middle of our getting-to-know session and I was asked by a rather panicky teacher not to make the students panic. So I made the announcement and prayed over everyone for comfort and peace knowing that God is sovereign. If it was His will that we be spared, then all's good. However, if it truly is His will that we experience nature's wrath then I hold on to His promise that He will never leave nor forsake us.

The tsunami came and went. Thankfully, we were spared because the waves that hit us were no more than a meter high. But the devastation in Japan is heart-wrenching. It makes me really sad to know that the city/town of Sendai was badly hit too. That city holds a special place in my heart because my Dad bought me a wooden Sendai doll when I was a little girl and I've always wanted to check out the city in the future someday. But, in the aftermath of all this tragedy, I am reminded by Adam Lambert in is fantastic vocals, that we are not alone. And so, even though this song is about identity and self-acceptance which is what Adam's charity is all about, I dedicate it to the country and people I love so much. The song reminds us of LOVE. Love that will make us rise again and remind us that indeed in the aftermath, WE ARE NOT ALONE.

Renewed

(image via Sheena Loves Sunsets)

It's been a while since I last posted here. I can't believe how many times I've actually began a blog entry with that sentence but there's always a point in my life where I just bounce from place to place, blogs to blogs, careers to other careers and even from one venture to another.

I am about to begin another project yet again and this has been something that I've been praying for since the day I decided to settle in my hometown. I teach in a private college here as a part-time instructor and can honestly say that throughout my professional life, I've never seen a bunch of people so discouraged and unmotivated to be everything God created them to be. I was brought up to dream big. There's a Filipino joke that says the only thing that's free is our dreams so we might as well put it to good use and dream the biggest of dreams. Unfortunately, that concept is foreign to my students. I begin each of my classes by asking my students what they want to be after graduation and most of them would tell me that they'd be willing to settle for any job as long the pay gets them through the day. Whatever happened to pursuing what you're passionate about; to seeking out your promised land? Apparently, that is no longer how the world works today and because of so many reasons, people now live simply in order to survive. Surviving no matter how passion-less is living and that is how it's going to be unless someone does something.

And so it is for this reason that I, together with three of my students, decided to begin meeting together and hopefully soon meet with other students as well to encourage each other in order to be reminded of how precious we are in the sight of God, who sent His son to die for us so that we can be all that He designed us to be. Psalm 149 verse 14 declares,

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Each of us is meant to impact the world in different ways. It doesn't matter if the dent we make is big or small -- the point is we are all wired to leave a dent onto this earth for the glory of His name.

Our meetings began two Saturdays ago. There is no strategy as of yet; and there isn't really a formal system at work. We've decided to just choose to love the way Jesus did and begin our ministry from where He began His and that is with love and compassion for everyone.