Ameurfina Mitchtiaquem G. Aguilar
Feature Writing -Success Feature Story-
Rita’s Struggle for a Better Life despite Being Handicapped
I once had a friend who became handicapped. She was 13 years old when she got electrocuted by accident and both her hands stretching to her arms suffered severe burns that the doctors decided to have them cut.
I and my brother used to play with her when we were young. We would play basketball, volleyball and all kinds of ball games including jackstones. Every afternoon, we would go to the river to swim and catch some catfish in the swamp. We invented things and we cooked exotic food. We have played all the possible street games we could play.
Rita, as what we fondly call her or “Ita” because she’s dark like the natives from the mountains is a very optimistic and fun-loving girl. Despite the low status of her family in our barangay knowing that her father was just a garbage collector and her mother sells vegetables in the market that never hindered her optimism and her dreams of becoming a famous surgeon someday.
Rita, being the only daughter and child of her family was very adored and loved by her parents. She was their inspiration to work hard in order for them to help her achieve her dreams in the future.
In return, Rita was a respectful daughter as well. She was loving and obedient to her parents and she would always make them proud with every medal that she brings home to her parents. She, for me was a very great and strong-willed person.
As a friend, I always remember how Rita made me feel strong and helped me get up everytime I come crying because I cut my kneed or bruised my arms when I clumsily run and stumbled down. At my young age, I felt that I have found a sister and a confidante in Rita.
Yet, the accident changed her life. I didn’t know why of all the people, God chose her to suffer the horrifying accident.
She was heading towards the store to buy a bottle of vinegar one stormy night when the electric cables snapped and landed over her hands causing her to be severely electrocuted and burned.
We were all relieved that she was able to survive in the accident. I prayed she would and I knew in my heart that she would make it because she was strong.
But the aftermath changed and took away the old Rita I knew. The little dark-skinned girl that contained the purest heart became dull and wicked.
Often, he would break things purposely in her house whenever she tries to do something yet can’t manage to do so due to her incapacity. She became disrespectful and would often shout at people who would visit her and appeased them till they go. She even did it to her parents. And she also did it to me.
She would swear all the time and even cursed god for her misfortune and afterwards would break down and cry in grief.
But being her friend, I never gave up on her. I insisted visiting and seeing her even if she would scream at me and order me to go away. I took all of this and gave Rita my deepest understanding and patience though I know her actions were wrong.
Then, one Christmas evening came and I brought her apples and she threw it all on me. That did it! I was thinking that I had to open her eyes and make her realize things even if it meant breaking her heart or our friendship. I fought back and shouted at her, telling her how bad she had become since the accident. I scolded her and I said every probable thing I could say just to win her courage back again.
Finally, when I said to her that I was leaving for college and would not care to meet or see her anymore, she started crying. Then I disclosed saying I no longer knew her and that she was not the Rita I once shared my childhood experiences with. And I said she was a total stranger since she came back from the accident.
A year passed and I never heard anything from Rita no more. She and her family moved to their relatives in the hinterlands.
Then suddenly, I saw her during the fiesta celebration of our city. She was helping her mother bring in costumes for the “Sinulog de Tanjay” festival which was our city festival in Tanjay. It turned out, she came back to her old self and she became productive in her own simple ways. She paints and designs costumes for festivals.
I have to admit, it was really overwhelming to have seen her after a long period of separation. Without a word, I immediately hugged her and told her how much I missed her and we enjoyed the fiesta whole day together. We were able to have a heart-to-heart talk.
As of now, she is in Cebu city running her aunt’s gown shop.
I had always believed she had never lost her touch. I knew she had always been strong. I knew it the time she grabbed me when I was about to fall off the bridge.-AMGA
Ameurfina Mitchtiaquem G. Aguilar
Feature Writing -How-to Feature Story-
How to Adjust Living Life Normally with a Roommate
Roommates!
What comes in your mind when you hear the word “roommates”?
I graduated my secondary education at Tanjay City Science High School at Tanjay City. When I stepped into college, I enrolled at Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) since I wanted a finer quality of education and this was the only nearest yet most deserving university I could afford to continue on.
Since Dumaguete City is still a few farther municipalities away from my home city, I decided to rent a bed space in a boarding house to minimize the hassles of waking up early in the morning and to avoid the very stressful everyday commutation. The boarding house I rented was exclusive for girls yet I stayed with five roommates.
I had to admit, the first time when you live with roommates who are considered strangers to you yet stay in the same roof and the same room, eat in the same table, shower and fine comfort in the same bathroom and especially change in the same single room is really awkward and uncomfortable.
Back in our house in my home city, I live with my family that I have come to get used to and I have my own room where I could always get the privacy and space I need every time I feel like having it.
Yet here, you can’t always impose that only your wants and needs are granted for living in a boarding house with roommates is an adjustment. A very huge adjustment from you and your roommates who are maybe from another place containing different cultures and beliefs from you. And these things, these are the things that you need to respect from your roommates so that in exchange, they would do the same to you.
In my first two weeks of stay in my new domicile, some of the problems that had usually aroused were the issues concerning room space, use of food utensils, furniture and clothes, lights, noise, visitors and of course, busting of privacy and occupant disturbance as a whole.
Those weeks were really a great racket and fracas to me yet I realized that if I want to live life normally while I’m in my new nest and doing my everyday activities without getting interrupted, I should compromise, face the problem and solve it with the people concerned--my roommates.
The first thing I did was set a meeting with my roommates talking about room rules and property division. We discuss everything in a fair manner and I presided so that our main directive would be achieved smoothly. I was very careful with my words while asserting my point so that I won’t step on anyone’s feelings.
Me and my roommates talked and got to know each other. We talked about cultures, habits, setting music too loud, leaving the lights on the whole night, opposite sex visitors and their frequency of visiting, tidiness in the room, amount of space in the room, and other concerns about privacy and boundaries.
After our conversation, I realized that communication really plays a big role in bridging the gap and solving the problems. This time, I know now as to how I would act on this roommate of mine who hates loud music and my other roommate who can’t sleep with lights on in the evening or my roommate who hates plenty of outsiders staying in the room.
Then, we decided to provide a protocol so we bought a cork board placing all our reminders there and our room assignments as to who will do this or that and somehow it also helped us keep track of everything for us not to forget what to do next. We also placed there, our to-do-list including any expected activity that will take place or any visitor that may come so that we are notified ahead of time.
A few weeks past and yet we stayed being peaceful roommates. I learned to respect other’s boundaries and privacies and they compromised too.
Once we had a problem with one of my roommates who didn’t want to scrub the floor on weekends so we set rules on the rotations of applying floorwax and scrubbing of the floor. It was settles reasonably.
And then there was also one time when one of my roommates came home crying because of a personal problem then me and my other roommates gather up with all ears for her and we comforted her till she recovered. It was a great and self-fulfilling feeling to have helped a “rommie” as what I call my roommates.
Another incident that made me confused was when the folks of one of my rommie came confronting me about their daughter’s schooling status and I didn’t know what to do. I thought hard and I decided that I’d be out of it since I have no right to go in between their personal family problems and I was not the most appropriate person to relay any information. And I was glad I’d stayed out of it because I could have created tensions and conflicts to my roomie had I said a wrong information to her parents.
Trough the rest of the months that passed, we learned to enjoy each other’s company and we looked for ways and recreations that we can all enjoy and participate on like doing aerobics in the room or role playing which we like best.
I was just thinking; I know it’s never easy to live with somebody you don’t even know that much but being adaptable, mutual and respectful to the adversity you are in, provided that they would do the same if you give them kindness makes the stay a wonderful experience in the end.
There was even a moment wherein it was Christmas break and we had a Christmas party and we exchanged gifts and we cried knowing that after that night, we would be going home to our respective homes and won’t be seeing each other for quite some time.
That’s when I realized that it is not too bad to have roommates as long as you know how to be flexible and adjust with them and treat them with the great respect and equality that they need. Eventually, with roommates around, you might get headaches sometimes but heck; you could also gain friends for real, for life and possibly for always.-AMGA
Ameurfina Mitchtiaquem G. Aguilar
Feature Writing -Odd/Profile/Funny Feature Story-
My description of JOY
My joy is not about the usual word “joy” that you often hear which is synonymous to happiness, delight, pleasure, enjoyment, bliss, ecstasy or elation. It’s not the famous dishwashing soap product called “Joy” or the well-known “JOY” tissue paper that is said to be the softest, most convenient and affordable tissue paper in the world.
It’s not even the Thai Horror Doll named Joy that mysteriously animates at the stroke of midnight and goes out haunting and killing people in the movies. No. Not at all!
The Joy I am referring to is simply… My teacher!
I knew you are all wondering why I am writing a story about a teacher who lives a simple and ordinary life. But you may think there is nothing so special about her persona under her three-letter name but as odd as it may seem, we, her students think that there must have been a miracle when Maam Joy was born. This is because as surprising as it may seem, her name corresponds so much to her attitude as though her parents were able to foresee the future and gave her a simple yet marvelous name that best suited what she is now.
And this is the story of a girl who doesn’t know how to frown.
“Happiness” as what we had fondly ciphered her instead of Joy, had always made every listener laugh or smirk every time they knew it was Maam Joy we were talking about. Often, they would ask why we named her that instead of using her real name. And after relating the reasons, they would all nod in agreement then recount stories that coincide with our reasons.
We would always see Happiness walking along the pathways and corridors of our school wearing her best, most relaxing outfit which composed of an oversize T-shirt, jogging pants or jeans and her on-the-go snickers that never made her wrong. Her hair, if not ponytailed or pushed back would be placed with a headband to give her a clearer view of everything that her eyes can reach and what her optimistic viewpoint could collect and decipher.
She always stands-out in the crowd because of her simple yet unusual get-up that is so eye-catching. Frequently, students I have known would unquestionably scratch their heads after finding out that Happiness is the Chair of the Mass Communication Department and holds a high position of being the university Public Information Officer. It is as though they are thinking, what a way to dress from someone who is as outstanding as her.
If I’m not mistaken, this had been the form of clothing she had been used to in her long stay abroad. She wears clothes for comfort.
Unknown to her, people often taunt her because of her attire. But somehow, Happiness is slowly blending now with the norms and had dressed into how a typical teacher would dress. Though I prefer the old apparel of Happiness wherein she looks bubbly, approachable and spirited, I think its best that she does what the Romans do to shun those doubting Thomas kinds of people around her.
But unknown to many, Happiness is not what they think she is. She’s totally different from those other mentors who dress up for show but couldn’t even manage to properly dress up their character. She is not the type of teacher who is schooled but with uneducated manners.
Honestly speaking, she is one of the prides of our university for she attained high quality education. Unknown to many, humble Joy G. Perez has traveled different parts of the world just to achieve excellent teachings so that she can serve her country with the highest knowledge that she can share to many, to us−her students and to her followers.
Joy has proved a lot of things to many people throughout her enormous achievements in her own simple ways. Not only is she the pride of our university but she is as well the pride of Filipinos for the astounding accomplishments she had garnered even in her simplicity.
With every article and story that she makes, she informs, creates awareness, sights moral lessons; touch lives and empowers people. I believe that with every place she goes, she leaves them with mementos and a solid legacy that is worth keeping.
But I’d like to say that it’s not only about the degree and all that jazz. Again, not at all! It is about who she really is that makes her very special and worth talking about! As what I’ve said earlier, she is a person who doesn’t know how to frown.
We, her students would often think that it is no wonder why she was named Joy by her parents because regardless of the situation or whatever happens, she always manages to wear a smile.
Never in my life have I seen Maam Joy a.k.a “Happiness” frowning or wearing a gloomy face. When she talks, she hasn’t delivered the punch line yet but she is already laughing which gives us puckered brows or the feeling of droll confusion and weirdness over her.
As funny as it may seem, it has been very common to us when we see her telling off a person while in good spirits. Sometimes we think that Happiness talks like the celebrity Kris Aquino but still there is something different about her that makes you chuckle whenever you rekindle her.
I would never forget how she showed us pictures and at moments of hiatus would laugh or smile from time to time. That scene for me was still as vividly clear as though it was only yesterday when Happiness presented the pictures and would interpret them one by one and give an example story with laughter included.
Though the statement she’s hearing is not funny, still Happiness chortles. It is as if it is her way of showing appreciation to people.
I really don’t know if that is nature in her attitude of being like that and I don’t know if she is also aware of that trait of hers.
But nature or not nature, I love how she teaches in class and how she would praise students for their job well done and how she would slightly tell them off only when needed and doing it without offending them.
I have come to wondered what helps and inspires her to live life happily and contentedly despite her customary activities of going to school, teaching, reading and making articles. For me, she always finds a way to make a better version of a certain thing or situation.
Despite the life of being single, alone and away from the family, she still manages to recreate and enjoy herself. And I have to say I have a hundred more reasons why Maam Joy or Happiness or Miss Perez is worth talking about.
With her as an example, it made me realize that there should be more happiness to life than just money, power, career and other passing possessions! It’s something that cannot be paid, cannot be measured, cannot be stolen and like love, it is an abstract that gives an indescribable feeling… A feeling that can only be given-life and best named and defined in tree simple letters. J-O-Y!
Feature Writing -Success Feature Story-
Rita’s Struggle for a Better Life despite Being Handicapped
I once had a friend who became handicapped. She was 13 years old when she got electrocuted by accident and both her hands stretching to her arms suffered severe burns that the doctors decided to have them cut.
I and my brother used to play with her when we were young. We would play basketball, volleyball and all kinds of ball games including jackstones. Every afternoon, we would go to the river to swim and catch some catfish in the swamp. We invented things and we cooked exotic food. We have played all the possible street games we could play.
Rita, as what we fondly call her or “Ita” because she’s dark like the natives from the mountains is a very optimistic and fun-loving girl. Despite the low status of her family in our barangay knowing that her father was just a garbage collector and her mother sells vegetables in the market that never hindered her optimism and her dreams of becoming a famous surgeon someday.
Rita, being the only daughter and child of her family was very adored and loved by her parents. She was their inspiration to work hard in order for them to help her achieve her dreams in the future.
In return, Rita was a respectful daughter as well. She was loving and obedient to her parents and she would always make them proud with every medal that she brings home to her parents. She, for me was a very great and strong-willed person.
As a friend, I always remember how Rita made me feel strong and helped me get up everytime I come crying because I cut my kneed or bruised my arms when I clumsily run and stumbled down. At my young age, I felt that I have found a sister and a confidante in Rita.
Yet, the accident changed her life. I didn’t know why of all the people, God chose her to suffer the horrifying accident.
She was heading towards the store to buy a bottle of vinegar one stormy night when the electric cables snapped and landed over her hands causing her to be severely electrocuted and burned.
We were all relieved that she was able to survive in the accident. I prayed she would and I knew in my heart that she would make it because she was strong.
But the aftermath changed and took away the old Rita I knew. The little dark-skinned girl that contained the purest heart became dull and wicked.
Often, he would break things purposely in her house whenever she tries to do something yet can’t manage to do so due to her incapacity. She became disrespectful and would often shout at people who would visit her and appeased them till they go. She even did it to her parents. And she also did it to me.
She would swear all the time and even cursed god for her misfortune and afterwards would break down and cry in grief.
But being her friend, I never gave up on her. I insisted visiting and seeing her even if she would scream at me and order me to go away. I took all of this and gave Rita my deepest understanding and patience though I know her actions were wrong.
Then, one Christmas evening came and I brought her apples and she threw it all on me. That did it! I was thinking that I had to open her eyes and make her realize things even if it meant breaking her heart or our friendship. I fought back and shouted at her, telling her how bad she had become since the accident. I scolded her and I said every probable thing I could say just to win her courage back again.
Finally, when I said to her that I was leaving for college and would not care to meet or see her anymore, she started crying. Then I disclosed saying I no longer knew her and that she was not the Rita I once shared my childhood experiences with. And I said she was a total stranger since she came back from the accident.
A year passed and I never heard anything from Rita no more. She and her family moved to their relatives in the hinterlands.
Then suddenly, I saw her during the fiesta celebration of our city. She was helping her mother bring in costumes for the “Sinulog de Tanjay” festival which was our city festival in Tanjay. It turned out, she came back to her old self and she became productive in her own simple ways. She paints and designs costumes for festivals.
I have to admit, it was really overwhelming to have seen her after a long period of separation. Without a word, I immediately hugged her and told her how much I missed her and we enjoyed the fiesta whole day together. We were able to have a heart-to-heart talk.
As of now, she is in Cebu city running her aunt’s gown shop.
I had always believed she had never lost her touch. I knew she had always been strong. I knew it the time she grabbed me when I was about to fall off the bridge.-AMGA
Ameurfina Mitchtiaquem G. Aguilar
Feature Writing -How-to Feature Story-
How to Adjust Living Life Normally with a Roommate
Roommates!
What comes in your mind when you hear the word “roommates”?
I graduated my secondary education at Tanjay City Science High School at Tanjay City. When I stepped into college, I enrolled at Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) since I wanted a finer quality of education and this was the only nearest yet most deserving university I could afford to continue on.
Since Dumaguete City is still a few farther municipalities away from my home city, I decided to rent a bed space in a boarding house to minimize the hassles of waking up early in the morning and to avoid the very stressful everyday commutation. The boarding house I rented was exclusive for girls yet I stayed with five roommates.
I had to admit, the first time when you live with roommates who are considered strangers to you yet stay in the same roof and the same room, eat in the same table, shower and fine comfort in the same bathroom and especially change in the same single room is really awkward and uncomfortable.
Back in our house in my home city, I live with my family that I have come to get used to and I have my own room where I could always get the privacy and space I need every time I feel like having it.
Yet here, you can’t always impose that only your wants and needs are granted for living in a boarding house with roommates is an adjustment. A very huge adjustment from you and your roommates who are maybe from another place containing different cultures and beliefs from you. And these things, these are the things that you need to respect from your roommates so that in exchange, they would do the same to you.
In my first two weeks of stay in my new domicile, some of the problems that had usually aroused were the issues concerning room space, use of food utensils, furniture and clothes, lights, noise, visitors and of course, busting of privacy and occupant disturbance as a whole.
Those weeks were really a great racket and fracas to me yet I realized that if I want to live life normally while I’m in my new nest and doing my everyday activities without getting interrupted, I should compromise, face the problem and solve it with the people concerned--my roommates.
The first thing I did was set a meeting with my roommates talking about room rules and property division. We discuss everything in a fair manner and I presided so that our main directive would be achieved smoothly. I was very careful with my words while asserting my point so that I won’t step on anyone’s feelings.
Me and my roommates talked and got to know each other. We talked about cultures, habits, setting music too loud, leaving the lights on the whole night, opposite sex visitors and their frequency of visiting, tidiness in the room, amount of space in the room, and other concerns about privacy and boundaries.
After our conversation, I realized that communication really plays a big role in bridging the gap and solving the problems. This time, I know now as to how I would act on this roommate of mine who hates loud music and my other roommate who can’t sleep with lights on in the evening or my roommate who hates plenty of outsiders staying in the room.
Then, we decided to provide a protocol so we bought a cork board placing all our reminders there and our room assignments as to who will do this or that and somehow it also helped us keep track of everything for us not to forget what to do next. We also placed there, our to-do-list including any expected activity that will take place or any visitor that may come so that we are notified ahead of time.
A few weeks past and yet we stayed being peaceful roommates. I learned to respect other’s boundaries and privacies and they compromised too.
Once we had a problem with one of my roommates who didn’t want to scrub the floor on weekends so we set rules on the rotations of applying floorwax and scrubbing of the floor. It was settles reasonably.
And then there was also one time when one of my roommates came home crying because of a personal problem then me and my other roommates gather up with all ears for her and we comforted her till she recovered. It was a great and self-fulfilling feeling to have helped a “rommie” as what I call my roommates.
Another incident that made me confused was when the folks of one of my rommie came confronting me about their daughter’s schooling status and I didn’t know what to do. I thought hard and I decided that I’d be out of it since I have no right to go in between their personal family problems and I was not the most appropriate person to relay any information. And I was glad I’d stayed out of it because I could have created tensions and conflicts to my roomie had I said a wrong information to her parents.
Trough the rest of the months that passed, we learned to enjoy each other’s company and we looked for ways and recreations that we can all enjoy and participate on like doing aerobics in the room or role playing which we like best.
I was just thinking; I know it’s never easy to live with somebody you don’t even know that much but being adaptable, mutual and respectful to the adversity you are in, provided that they would do the same if you give them kindness makes the stay a wonderful experience in the end.
There was even a moment wherein it was Christmas break and we had a Christmas party and we exchanged gifts and we cried knowing that after that night, we would be going home to our respective homes and won’t be seeing each other for quite some time.
That’s when I realized that it is not too bad to have roommates as long as you know how to be flexible and adjust with them and treat them with the great respect and equality that they need. Eventually, with roommates around, you might get headaches sometimes but heck; you could also gain friends for real, for life and possibly for always.-AMGA
Ameurfina Mitchtiaquem G. Aguilar
Feature Writing -Odd/Profile/Funny Feature Story-
My description of JOY
My joy is not about the usual word “joy” that you often hear which is synonymous to happiness, delight, pleasure, enjoyment, bliss, ecstasy or elation. It’s not the famous dishwashing soap product called “Joy” or the well-known “JOY” tissue paper that is said to be the softest, most convenient and affordable tissue paper in the world.
It’s not even the Thai Horror Doll named Joy that mysteriously animates at the stroke of midnight and goes out haunting and killing people in the movies. No. Not at all!
The Joy I am referring to is simply… My teacher!
I knew you are all wondering why I am writing a story about a teacher who lives a simple and ordinary life. But you may think there is nothing so special about her persona under her three-letter name but as odd as it may seem, we, her students think that there must have been a miracle when Maam Joy was born. This is because as surprising as it may seem, her name corresponds so much to her attitude as though her parents were able to foresee the future and gave her a simple yet marvelous name that best suited what she is now.
And this is the story of a girl who doesn’t know how to frown.
“Happiness” as what we had fondly ciphered her instead of Joy, had always made every listener laugh or smirk every time they knew it was Maam Joy we were talking about. Often, they would ask why we named her that instead of using her real name. And after relating the reasons, they would all nod in agreement then recount stories that coincide with our reasons.
We would always see Happiness walking along the pathways and corridors of our school wearing her best, most relaxing outfit which composed of an oversize T-shirt, jogging pants or jeans and her on-the-go snickers that never made her wrong. Her hair, if not ponytailed or pushed back would be placed with a headband to give her a clearer view of everything that her eyes can reach and what her optimistic viewpoint could collect and decipher.
She always stands-out in the crowd because of her simple yet unusual get-up that is so eye-catching. Frequently, students I have known would unquestionably scratch their heads after finding out that Happiness is the Chair of the Mass Communication Department and holds a high position of being the university Public Information Officer. It is as though they are thinking, what a way to dress from someone who is as outstanding as her.
If I’m not mistaken, this had been the form of clothing she had been used to in her long stay abroad. She wears clothes for comfort.
Unknown to her, people often taunt her because of her attire. But somehow, Happiness is slowly blending now with the norms and had dressed into how a typical teacher would dress. Though I prefer the old apparel of Happiness wherein she looks bubbly, approachable and spirited, I think its best that she does what the Romans do to shun those doubting Thomas kinds of people around her.
But unknown to many, Happiness is not what they think she is. She’s totally different from those other mentors who dress up for show but couldn’t even manage to properly dress up their character. She is not the type of teacher who is schooled but with uneducated manners.
Honestly speaking, she is one of the prides of our university for she attained high quality education. Unknown to many, humble Joy G. Perez has traveled different parts of the world just to achieve excellent teachings so that she can serve her country with the highest knowledge that she can share to many, to us−her students and to her followers.
Joy has proved a lot of things to many people throughout her enormous achievements in her own simple ways. Not only is she the pride of our university but she is as well the pride of Filipinos for the astounding accomplishments she had garnered even in her simplicity.
With every article and story that she makes, she informs, creates awareness, sights moral lessons; touch lives and empowers people. I believe that with every place she goes, she leaves them with mementos and a solid legacy that is worth keeping.
But I’d like to say that it’s not only about the degree and all that jazz. Again, not at all! It is about who she really is that makes her very special and worth talking about! As what I’ve said earlier, she is a person who doesn’t know how to frown.
We, her students would often think that it is no wonder why she was named Joy by her parents because regardless of the situation or whatever happens, she always manages to wear a smile.
Never in my life have I seen Maam Joy a.k.a “Happiness” frowning or wearing a gloomy face. When she talks, she hasn’t delivered the punch line yet but she is already laughing which gives us puckered brows or the feeling of droll confusion and weirdness over her.
As funny as it may seem, it has been very common to us when we see her telling off a person while in good spirits. Sometimes we think that Happiness talks like the celebrity Kris Aquino but still there is something different about her that makes you chuckle whenever you rekindle her.
I would never forget how she showed us pictures and at moments of hiatus would laugh or smile from time to time. That scene for me was still as vividly clear as though it was only yesterday when Happiness presented the pictures and would interpret them one by one and give an example story with laughter included.
Though the statement she’s hearing is not funny, still Happiness chortles. It is as if it is her way of showing appreciation to people.
I really don’t know if that is nature in her attitude of being like that and I don’t know if she is also aware of that trait of hers.
But nature or not nature, I love how she teaches in class and how she would praise students for their job well done and how she would slightly tell them off only when needed and doing it without offending them.
I have come to wondered what helps and inspires her to live life happily and contentedly despite her customary activities of going to school, teaching, reading and making articles. For me, she always finds a way to make a better version of a certain thing or situation.
Despite the life of being single, alone and away from the family, she still manages to recreate and enjoy herself. And I have to say I have a hundred more reasons why Maam Joy or Happiness or Miss Perez is worth talking about.
With her as an example, it made me realize that there should be more happiness to life than just money, power, career and other passing possessions! It’s something that cannot be paid, cannot be measured, cannot be stolen and like love, it is an abstract that gives an indescribable feeling… A feeling that can only be given-life and best named and defined in tree simple letters. J-O-Y!
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