I would like to express my profound gratitude to the following people who help in making me an Extraordinary UP Student!
To my Mamang and Papang,
Thank you po sa lahat-lahat ng tinuro nyo po. Proud po ako sa inyo dahil I became the person I should be dahil po sa inyo. Congrats mang and pang! Kahit nasa malayo ako ngayon, you will always be my inspiration na makamit ang mga pangarap ko.
To Ate Joyjoy, Jr and Lynlyn,
I thank you, my dearest sis and bro sa lahat ng mga ngiti at saya na pinagsamahan natin for almost 16 years. Hope to see you soon. God bless in your studies. Gogogo!
To Tinang,
To my dearest aunt who was there always to support mamangand papang, and also I, in times of difficulties, and also happiness, thank you!
To my Alma Mater,
Sta.ClaraElementary School and Sta.ClaraNationalHigh School were my second home. To you I gave my gratitude in molding me intellectually. Without you, I may not be here now.
To Balay Ilonggo Dormitory,
My first home in Iloilo, where I stayed for almost one year, Thank you. Smile, tears, laughter, anger, sorrow, lonesome is Balay Ilonggo. Though it was yesterday, it is part of my life which won’t be erased.
To Pangkat Lingkod Bayan (PALABAN Party),
This organization gave (and has been giving) me the meaning of the words ‘friendship’, ‘home away from home’ and ‘PANDA(Principled, Autonomous, Nationalistic, Democratic and Active). Thank you PALABAN.
To UPV Navigators and Youth for Christ,
My college life will never be complete without your existence. Keep on spreading Good News to the world and acknowledge God’s Greatness. God is good, all the Time.
To OSA and Bello Scholarship Program,
You are the reasons of my continuous existence here in the university. Without you, I might stop studying and totally forgetting my wish list. Thank you so much!
To UP,
I did not expect I could be in yours. It might be a destiny. Thank you UP for providing students like me who are poor but deserving of a UP Education. You are indeed the answers of every poor youth’s cry. You are the hope of the ‘hope of the motherland’.
To Madam Corazon Del Mundo,
Your book (or, you per se) inspired me. It has given me the motivation and faith to believe in my dreams. Thank you so much. You are truly EXTRAORDINARY, Madam.
And to all my friends from the day I first learn from learning and until now that I have grown up already, thank you for being part of my life. You made my life EXTRAORDINARY!
Child No More is a reflection paper. It is also a compilation of my literary articles about my life reflecting on the books I read. Same with my last semester’s paper Sailing by the Flowing River: To Feel More Than to Think that was based on the books Paulo Coehlo and Malcolm Gladwell, which are Like the Flowing River and Blink, respectively.
This semester’s paper will be based on the book of Corazon Del Mundo entitled Being Extraordinary: Living Your Highest Potential. This book focuses on how life framework was molded and how to remold it towards success and happiness.
Let me bring you back to more than a decade ago (from childhood until now) and realize how my past greatly influences who I am now. I will also share to you my wishlist.
The sidewalk of UP Visayas fronting Iloilo Doctor’s Hospital is just a mere sidewalk when the sun shines. But as the sun falls to sleep, this sidewalk becomes a barbecue land.
It has been almost two years that I’ve been here in Iloilo City. I can still remember the day that I arrived at Fort San Pedro. I was bringing that time a stick of barbecue I ordered at the Superferry. (I remember then that I was deceived by s taxi driver I rode to UPV. Hehe.)
Here in Iloilo City, they call barbecue as “Inasal”, but in our place in Zamboanga Sibugay, we call it “Barbekyu”. It is my favorite viand. There are barbecue stands in our place but they’re far different from those here in Iloilo City. We only have small barbekyu stands compared to the Iloilo inasal stands which are mostly on carts and wheels and are on big display. They only sell few like pork and chicken barbecue, hotdog and chorizo. And also, there are times that we make our own home-made barbekyu.
I stayed at the UPV Dormitory for almost a year. In my first night at the dorm, I wasn’t able to have my dinner. I didn’t really know where to go. The dormitory staff said that I can eat at Nang Lalaine’s Carinderia because it’s very near the dorm or I can just go outside the UP Campus and buy barbecue. “Makabakal ka man da panyapun mo ah. Dira lang bala hu sa Tubang Doktors!” After all, I was still hesitant to go outside the dorm.
A year has passed. Now it’s almost every night that I buy my dinner at Tubang Doktors.
Inasal is indeed delicious and inasalan is very dominant in the city, wherein Mang Inasal and Jo’s Inato (although it is not Ilonggo) are two of the biggest and most popular, yet majority of those inasalan are found along the street. Examples of which are those along E. Lopez Street near West Visayas State University (WVSU) Hospital, along Gen. Luna Street near St. Paul’s Hospital and the “Tubang Doktors”.
“Mmmmm . . . . Manamit guid ya gale! Especially the sinamak and the juice inside.” This is my reaction when I first ate inasal I bought from Tubang Doktors.
I also tried eating at the inasalan near the WVSU Hospital, at Mang Inasal and at the ‘fonts’ (the tinda at the UPV gate along Ybiernas Street). They are all delicious. The differences are the prices, and perhaps the kind of taste they have. I can distinguish one from another, but I found it hard to give an explicit description of the differences of those inasals. What really caught my attention is the Tubang Doktors. It is not just because it’s the nearest or the most affordable, but because it is where I ate Ilonggo Inasal the first time. This research paper gave me the opportunity to know more about inasal at Tubang Doktors.
Friday was a very hot day. I was happy then since my interviewees’ house is just at Infante. Manong Steve Valderama is the owner of “Steve’s Bar-B-Q-Han”, together with his wife, Nang Annabel. They usually purchase meat at the Iloilo Central Market. They sell almost eight kilos of meat a night. With the help of his hinablos Junjun, Nonoy and Ronald, the meat are then sliced and marinated. The secret is in the marinade. They just put some spices (onion, ahos and patis), banana catsup and Sprite. They will marinate the meat the whole afternoon. They will now wait for the clock to hit 5:45 pm for them to set up their stand there.
They serve Tocino, Baticolon, Tinae (isaw), Porkchop, Liempo, Chicken, Chorizo, Bangrus (Milk Fish) and also rice. Tocino barbecue is the most mabenta to the customers. “Ikaw man bala indi mabakal. Pito lang bala mu!” says Christine, a CM First Year Student. Yes! You read it right. Tocino barbecue is only Php20 for 7 sticks or just Php3 each. Affordable, and rest assured, delicious! Steve Bar-B-Q-Han makes their own tocino.
Every night, their stand is crowded with their loyal customers except when rainy seasons that only few are going there to buy. But who would not loyal? To such affordable yet delicious inasal?
Steve Bar-B-Q-Han has been helping Manong Steve and Manang Annabel in providing their family’s need, most especially that of the education of their children. Because of the inasalan, they have sent their children to school. They have children now studying at the IDC and at the University of San Agustin.
Almost eight years have passed since they started their business. During the early years of their operations, they were eight stands at Tubang Doktors wherein five of which are inasalan. They are also kapehan, carinderia and sari-sari stores. Long before, at night, they even put their tables on the street sides because there were fewer vehicles that time. But, they were prohibited to do so for some traffic reasons.
As years gone by, the number of stands selling at Tubang Doktors has been slowly decreasing. This is because of the great competition among them, wherein some stands have more customers than others, thus making those inferior stands close and leave the Tubang Doktors. At present time, there are already seven stands at Tubang Doktors three of which are inasalan.
The couple is very thankful to God because of the inasalan which has brought them graces. “Thanks guid sa Ginoo, sa inasalan, sa mga customers kag sa manumit namon nga inasal.” says Nang Annabel. (Steve Bar-B-Q-Han also accepts orders. You can contact them at 09207889583.)
So, I invite you to buy a dinner. Kitakitz ah! Ti kay basi makit-anay man kita sa Tubang Doktors.
About the Author
Joy James A. Saguino is a second year BS Accountancy student currently studying at University of the Philippines Visayas, Iloilo City. As for the name, he doesn’t want to be called ‘Joy’ for it sounds feminine. Following the advice of his family, he took up BS Accountancy even though writing is his passion and journalism will always be in his heart.
Currently, he doesn’t stop reading books for personality development and self-improvement to enhance his skill for writing and to continue his growth as an individual.
He is a man molded by time through trials and hardships and have achieved it all because of perseverance.
You can reach Jj through:
Blog site: http://www.jamesisnotjames.blogspot.com
“Wish a wish a wish a wish a wish wish wish!!!” This is one of the tag lines of one Filipino Christmas Special movie. The story is about a family of orphans were left in their aunts. However they were maltreated. A fairy came out to grant the wishes of the children . . . and the lived happily ever after.
I do not normally believe in wishes. It sounds surreal and is just applicable to fairy tales. I do not make wishes in my birthday (since there were no candles to blow, so how would I? Haha! Well, just kidding.) . But, it’s true. Every birthday, they would ask me to lose my eyes and make a wish ‘daw’. I did close my eyes, but to wish? Never. I do not why, but. . . Hmmmp? I cannot explain. It’s just it.
But, life is a constant change. There were moments in my life that somehow, persuades me to believe in wish. I asked, “What will I lose if I believe so?” but, there is more to that reason. I have that intuition that what if wishes really do come true. Here’s one proof: I am studying now at UP.
From all the hardships I’ve encountered in life, I started to believe in wishes. Wish for me is somewhat a root of motivation or a ‘motivating factor’ to keep a person struggling. It increases hope and sense of responsibility since a wish will become a plan sooner or later. Action is expected of wishes. Wishes won’t have essence if there are no corresponding actions taken down. It will just be a wish written in a paper, crumpled, and then thrown in a trash.
As an eldest son from a poor family, I have a very high motivation to take my family away from poverty, especially now that mamang and papang are weak and oftentimes sick. This high motivation comes from the high willingness to achieve my wishes.
You might wander: what could be my wishes? I will enumerate that all later in this article.
There was a big pressure for me in terms of academics during high school. I was first honor from Kindergarten until Elementary graduation. Due to some things, I only got the 5th place in my second year though I was the first during the 1st Grading till 3rd Grading. Worst happened in my second year when I ranked 6th in a Grading period. There came a time that my parents themselves discouraged me. They believe (and so am I) that there was something wrong in me. I lack the motivation. I got exhausted with other things. Until I pray and wish to be back on the ranked I deserve to be with. My motivation increased. I felt that I became more responsible in doing tasks thinking that I have a wish and a promise to myself. It bore good fruits. I graduated valedictorian in high school. I have just heard of UP since my second year in college. I really planned to study there because of their affordable fees and of the Iskolar ng Bayan Program or the STFAP.
I really cried when I check the website of UPCAT, I passed it! I passed it! I passed it! I did not expect that I would pass it. My exam was Sunday 7 in the morning. I traveled to the test center for four hours from our house. Imagine!? And I had cough, cold (a runny nose) and toothache that time! The funny thin is in the runny nose. Maybe you can now make a picture in your mind how was I during the exam day. But, because I was very motivated to pursue my college in UP, I really took to the exam despite of my health conditions. I believe that UP can help me in my goal of taking my family away from poverty.
And now that I am here, I am now very near to my wishlist:
1] to be CPA (if I’ll be retained in the BS Accountancy Program) or, perhaps pursue my passion ─journalism. But I know, I will be retained and I will be a Certified Public Accountant.
2] to have a land we can call ‘ours’ and build a home there.
3] to migrate either in Europe, Australia or Canada and work. Do not worry. I will never forget Filipino customs. Once a Filipino, always a Filipino! 4] to institute a scholarship program to those financially but deserving college students. I believe that what I have received is what I will give and I still embrace the UP’s Motto: STP (Serve the People). Always remember what Rizal said “Youth is the hope of the motherland.”
5] to donate to UPV a sum of money for development purposes.
Those are just few of my wishes, which will eventually become plans, as well someday. With God’s guidance and with my appropriate actions, wishes will come true. Now I justify that wishes tat come true are not just present in fairy tales. Anyone who thinks that way is absolutely wrong. I even doubt if it does exist in fairy tales, because fairy tales have not yet been justified as existing world.
Thus, wishes are not surreal. It only does exist in us ─through our actions, it becomes real; through our experiences, it becomes LIFE, an EXTRAORDINARY LIFE.
June 18, 1991, 2 A.M. — The moment I took my first breath. Unconsciously, smiles and tears filled the faces of the people around me. That is always the respond of the people whenever a new life is given.
I was an intelligent child (as what most of the people say). I learned to read and write at the age of 3 years old. I use to sing sometimes at a ‘videokehan’ (where I drop 3 pesos for every song) and then, I can read the lyrics, and sing the song. A lot were amazed of me.
I was send to Grade 1 when I was five as a ‘class visitor’. But after two months, I decided to stop and really start at Kindergarten. It was a good decision because I will be missing a piece of childhood (though my teacher said I was the one leading the class).
I have a vague memory now of my kindergarten days. I just saw some of my pictures during our graduation. I was holding then the letter ‘A’, which means ‘valedictorian’. Hehehe.
Now, I really assume that I got mature earlier than the normal. When I was Grade 1, I can still remember when my teacher left; I was the one who was assigned to be her substitute for a while. She was going to the principal’s office, but we were having a quiz. I saw one of my classmates cheating. I got a stick of ‘walis tingting’ and spank him. He cried. Was I wrong? A part of me said that I was right. I was grown in a critical way. Both my parents and teachers have been teaching me not to cheat. “Cheating is Bad” as what they said. Isn’t it that what I did is justifiable?
But, something was telling me that “James, you are bad! You better watch out! Your teacher is coming in a short while. She will get mad at you!” Oh my gosh! I remembered. Ma’am was indeed coming. As what I expected, she got mad at me. I was summoned then from the principal’s office. And so was my mother. My mother, also, got angry. That time, I felt everyone was angry and mad at me.
Was I really wrong? Perhaps, it’s a yes and a no. Even now, as a 17-year old guy, I cannot judge it whether right or wrong. Perhaps, here comes the issue of maturity. Maturity is really difficult to recognize and identify but for me, maturity is the ability to discern things as right or wrong and be able to make important decisions. It does not necessarily mean that a mature person should be at this age. There is no definite standard for maturity in terms of age. The question now is, is it wrong to judge certain things as right or wrong? Though you already have the justifications that what that person did was indeed wrong? My answer to this is NO. For some it’s wrong, but they have to consider the legitimacy of the purposes why they did it. Perhaps, disciplining is a reason. (We have to take note here that disciplining is not abusing.). In the near future, you’ll find it beneficial.
I just smile every time I remember those times. Did I turn mature early? For me, yes. I got an early maturity in terms of intellectual capacity, responsibilities and critical thinking. It sounds ‘proud’ but, it is not a big deal, isn’t it? It is part of a person’s personal development. It just happened that mine was early.
It was very early that I encountered a lot of quandary. I have learned to be strong but vulnerable since being strong doesn’t always demand for invulnerability. Being strong also means you already accepted what would be the possible consequences in fighting, whether to win it or lose it. Invulnerability doesn’t manifest absence of strength. It is just every person has emotions, and emotions are not always our strengths, but can be our great weaknesses that can lead to a failure. But, I am strong. My parents made me strong from their teachings. I sometimes remember a phrase “Not all teachings are learning.” This made me critical. This made me fight. This made me face the battles without turning backs.
My past holds a big role of me now. ‘James’ now is the result of what he experienced before ―on how he viewed his reality ―that made him EXTRAORDINARY.
April 16, 2007 ─The day I left home. I was just 15 years old that time when I traveled to Iloilo which is very very far away from Zamboanga Sibugay, my home place. It took me a lot of guts to be this far from my family whom I stayed with for all my life.
533 days, 14 hours and 56 minutes had passed-from the moment I spread my own wings and wander away from my parent's security and guidance and until now that I am writing this piece of article. Though it was almost 2 years ago, I cannot shun remembering my past and how it made me evolve into the "James" now.
"Dodong! Mata na dira! Udto na!" (Dodong, wake up! It's late now!) (Dodong is a Cebuano term used to call young boys.)
Hmmp? It sounds familiar to me.
Well . . . How could I ever forget these lines? This is the wake up call of my mother everyday most especially during school days that school hour starts at seven in the morning. But before we can go to school, we should make sure that all the dishes are well-washed. (Including those unwashed last night) That is why my sister and I are always late in going to school. This 'wake up call' had been a routine for 10 years (since Grade 1 until our 4th High School).
And when we arrive home from school, we are back to household choirs- fetch waters (This should be done quickly because water supply is scheduled and will be turned off automatically at 6 in the evening), cook food for dinner and do the packaging of the bread. After all is done, we can now open our notebooks and do the homework.
But when the clock hits ten in the evening, the four of us (my siblings and I) should go to sleep. No one can stay awake (or even study) beyond it.
College life is really different. Ten in the evening for me is very (very much) early to sleep. (Yet, my family is not aware of what I have been doing now.) I will be so lucky if I can sleep for three to four hours a day. Sometimes, I do no have sleep at all (even a nap). I miss those loud shouts of my mother saying “Tulog na mo! Gabie na! Dili lagi magbilar ba!” (Sleep now! It’s late already. I told you not to get stress!)
And when the four of us are in bed already, I sometimes go outside to urinate. I can still hear noise coming from the bakery. I took some glimpse. I saw mamang and papang still working and baking there. I felt there hardships. It’s very heavy ‘na kahit ako hindi ko kaya’. I like to shout ‘Mang, pang, tama na na. Gabie na! Ayaw pagbilar!’ but I know that they are only doing those for us, their siblings. I promised to myself that in the near future, they won’t be doing those things again. ‘Mark my words’.
But though the light is off, we still do talking with my siblings (Since because the six of us, together with my parents have only one bed). ‘Nakakamis talaga yung magkakasama kaming pamilya sa isang tulugan’ ─ I often think before going to sleep. I remember that we sometimes argue with my younger siblings who will sleep beside mamang and papang. There are also times that one of us would cry because of it. That is why I always pray for sickness (preferably fever) just to sleep beside mamang,
And when I get sick, I saw one time mamang crying. We did not have money to buy for my medicine. I heard ‘Joy (my older sister), agto ila Taning (name of the owner of a store). Pangutang anay ug Biogesic para kay Dodong’. (Joy, go to Taning’s Store. Buy paracetamol on credits for now.)
Tears fell from my eyes. My aim to be my mamang’s arms turned into repentance. I blamed myself (And still keep on blaming now for some other reasons). My pragmatism brought mess and sorrow to me. ‘I hate myself. I am evil. I am selfish’. These are the phrases I keep on thinking whenever I saw my parents having troubles because of me. ‘These should not happen’, I said, and declare, now that papang and mamang are becoming senile; mamang has goiter and papang has some kidney problems. I should not add to there personal burdens, but, should be the one who will help take the burdens away.
Now, right this moment, I am totally unaware on what is/are happening at home. Are they taking right meals at right time? Is my sister safe in travelling to school? Are my younger doing good in their studies? Are mamang and papang fine? Aren’t they sick? I cannot manifest how much I wanted to go back home to check if they are really fine; to, at least, lighten my worries,
I will really miss on how my parents disciplined me. I had received some physical means of discipline (but most are oral). I already understand why they are doing those things. And I am proud of them of disciplining me those ways. I have grown the way I should ─ strong and invulnerable, yet conservative and sensitive; pragmatic and practical, yet critical and rational.
Hhaaayyyy . . . How I wish I could go back to those moments. But I know I can’t. Those moments will be part of my past . . .
