Starting again in 2018

I started blogging back in 2012 to document my college life. After reading through my blog, some of my posts are really corny and even pretentious. I never really had a clear idea who my audience was. My focus kept on shifting on who to really engage with every post. I tried appealing to other students of my age bracket. Other times, I just wanted to share interesting snapshots of my life whenever I could and whenever there is something I am proud to share about. 

Looking back, I admire my old self for mustering the courage to be transparent and genuine about his feelings despite possible backlash or disapproval. My old self knew better than my present self how to be resilient against the tendency to validate one's worth based on popular opinions and mainstream ideals.

Starting again this blog in 2018 made me realize that the audience who benefited the most from this blog is myself. Each post from the past showed me how the most precious memories are sourced from the most genuine moments—simple, raw, and valuable. 

Things don't have to be grand in order to memorable. I remember seeing a blog post about one of my classmate giving me a biscuit that really made happy that day. These days, we are more than forced to ingest packaged notions of how to live a happy life. Willingly or unwillingly, we subscribe to these narrow perspective on fulfillment and happiness. One of my goals for starting this blog again is to document another unique journey in my life. I had a very interesting college journey and I only hope things become better on this new ride. 

APEX on its 3rd!

It was never easy. It was a rough ride. It still is. There are days filled with pure passion and overflowing energy. But there are also those when motivation is scarce, times when your faith shrinks enough for fear to dominate. 

In a world where you are measured based on accomplishments, it is tempting to aim straight for results while bypassing the tiring process of clarifying principles, emphasizing values, and cascading vision. 

Why focus on growing people when you can drive immediate results that publicly display how great you are as a leader? Indeed, that could have been an easier route to elevate one's self. 

When you sow, you start by digging a hole. And a hole, filled with nothing but dirt, frustrates most people. But  one must realize that only trees deeply rooted on the ground stand the test of time.

I'll be honest, there were times when I doubted myself, my decisions, and the organization to the point of almost quitting. But seeing how this org continuously touch lives, transform individuals, and grow future leaders kept me going. Add that to the ambassadors who relentlessly believed on what the org can do. These are the things that fuel me to be better each day.

Just like a farmer planting a crop, it requires patience, faith, and perseverance to grow an organization. The virtue of farmers should be a source of inspiration. We reap what we sow. As for APEX, we exist to sow values and grow leaders. 

I'm blessed to have witnessed how this organization grew both in number and strength through for the past three years. Cheers to the years ahead! 

Prideful Beginning

I love learning and I enjoy trying new things. But there is something uncomfortable about it. 

In a span of few weeks, I had to write final essays and reports for my courses here in Japan. It was the most that I've written in my life in the shortest amount of time. I realized that my peers could write better works than me, even faster. I wondered whether it's because of the meager training I had in formal writing. I don't want to keep writing with cluttered thought so I started learning and re-learning writing styles by browsing guides online and observing how my friends pen theirs. 

Being a beginner at something requires total humility. Mastery starts with the recognition that there are a lot of people better than you. The initial stage of learning makes you feel that you are lacking the abilities that others inherently have. It seems unfair and it usually becomes a stumbling block to  stop pursuing something. 

Sometimes, the problem lies within our hearts. 

We dislike humbling ourselves because we become vulnerable. It makes us feel weak and incompetent. We view ourselves comparatively with people who have already spent enormous amount of time in their endeavors, thinking that we can never be as good as them. We become open to criticisms about the poor quality of our work. But it is only when we open ourselves to these challenges do we really accomplish individual growth. Studies after studies have shown how we can excel at virtually anything we want as long as we put hard work and perseverance (roughly 10 000 hours).

Perhaps, the question is not whether we are equipped with the abilities to reach something, but rather one that requires us to wrestle with our prideful hearts.

Unspoken. Unheard.

There are some things better kept to one's self. But there are also things that must not be kept as a secret. Just imagine someone discovering a cure to cancer and choosing to keep that cure to himself until his death.  Imagine all the lives that could have been saved and all the smiles and joy it could have put in the hearts of many families suffering from that struggle. 

For quite some time, I've been plagued with the question of whether it is appropriate to raise discussions of faith and Christianity in a society that values pluralism of thoughts. I've been wondering whether it's even strategic to mention words like "God", "Jesus", or "love" when you know how it causes some people to cringe or how it might even offend some. 

Somehow, I was able to justify my fear with being strategic. How could I possibly keep the best thing in my life out of my conversations. How could I possibly hide the relationship that radically changed my life. How can I keep something that has the capacity to change the lives of people, generations, and nations as a secret.

When we allow fear to consume us, it drifts us away from great things we could have been part of. Another guy will eventually develop a cure to cancer. But the person who brought the cure to his deathbed just missed a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in something amazing. Whether we share the gospel or not, God will still be able to accomplish his works. The question rests on whether we want to be part of his amazing plan in touching lives of people and reaching out to nations.

Some of the things I realized in Japan

Now that I'm back to this not so rich but wonderful country, I will try to share some realizations I had while I was in Japan. I may not be able to accurately highlight everything here, but I'll try my best to recall my experiences. For now, I'll start with 3 things.

1. Values are contagious.

In Japan, when people reserve tables in canteens or restaurants they just leave their phones (mostly iphone6), bags, or other valuables to indicate that the seat is taken. Now that I'm back in the Philippines, I have to constantly remind myself that I can't leave my things unattended unless I want to gift them to strangers.

People are also extremely polite and kind in Japan. I cannot think of an experience that can fully depict this, but I remember one instance on a train with my friend. Unlike here where people rush to get the seats when train doors start to open; in japan, people would even insist that you take the seat when you offer them an available seat. Most of the times, they won't stop insisting on declining your offer to the point that you reach the next stop and another person eventually takes the seat. 

In one instance, there was an old man who lost his balance and almost fell.  My friend decided to offer his seat out of concern for the old man. But he got pushed back to his seat by the old man, forcefully declining while thanking my friend. That picture led me to think why they have a very strong sense of maintaining their social values.

I noticed that when people around you do certain things, you will most likely do the same. Values are contagious.
 
Who we watch, who we admire, who we befriend, and who we allow to enter in our lives will greatly influence our values and decisions in life.

2. Treat your work as a craft. Do your best even in small things.

Counting your notes
In Japan, notes are adorned with portraits on one side. The cashier will hold out the notes with these portraits facing you and the notes will be parallel to a wall as opposed to the floor. Using two hands, the amount will be counted out verbally as they flick through each note.
Handing over your notes
The notes will then be handed to you in a neat stack with the largest one on the bottom. When you put them in your wallet, your notes will now be in order from lowest to highest, making it more convenient for you when it comes to paying for your next transaction.
Handing over your coins and receipt
Next, the cashier will fold your receipt if it’s particularly long, and then place the coins neatly on top. By doing this, the receipt will protect the palm of your hand from coming into contact with any coins. You’ll then be able to slide the small change easily into your coin compartment and either return the receipt into the special box that’s often provided on the counter or slide it into your wallet. Cue graceful bow and you’re on your way!  
(retrieved from: http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/04/27/the-remarkable-art-of-giving-and-receiving-change-in-japan/)
 

This is just one example of how they treat seemingly mundane tasks as an avenue to showcase their excellence. While Japan has achieved great milestones in different industries, it's amazing how they still value excellence in small things.

I am sure not all cashiers like doing their job, yet they continue to provide outstanding service. Most people say that in order to be good in what you do, you have to love what you do. Although loving your craft is important, it does not excuse us from being mediocre in the things we don't like doing. 

I believe that the latter attitude is essential to being a progressive nation or even at being a successful individual. We have to strive on giving our best not only to achieve a bigger goal but also simply for the sake of maintaining excellence in seemingly small and irrelevant tasks.

3.Humans speak the same language.

I now appreciate the importance and wonder of linguistics more than ever. Foreign language is both isolating and emancipating. It connects people as well as seclude them. When I first came to Japan, I knew zero Japanese words. At first, it was so difficult to interact with people whom I don't share any common language. But after months of staying in an international environment, I discovered something remarkable about people and language.

Language wasn't the only barrier of interaction. My classmates were from different culture. There was certainly a number of observable differences in how we act, talk, and think. Nevertheless, after a couple of months, I realized that I was able to relate and connect to people, even to those who don't speak english well.

It's amazing how God designed us to speak human.

Smiles and laughter are just some of my favorite forms of human language. It's sometimes even more powerful than the content of a spoken message. I never imagined how effective they were in connecting with people. I remember the first few weeks I was struggling with my inept Japanese skills, of how a smile started several friendships and how laughter was enough to sustain an enjoyable conversation.

Out of the fullness of our hearts the mouth speak. Regardless of how different people are or their language, the contents of our heart will always somehow leak outwardly. If we fill our hearts with joy, peace, and love, then people around us will soon start to notice their manifestations.

Best Thing I've Seen in Japan

Nothing else in Japan will amount to the joy I feel seeing people's lives change; witnessing generations rise up; and watching them know Christ. 

It's such a great privilege to be part of God's plan for Japan. When you're life's purpose is to change the world, each day never ceases to be amazing.

Lone trip to Osaka Castle

I was supposed to meet my friends at a venue near the castle. But they already left when I got there.

Oh well, at least I got to enter osaka castle. It was free for university students I just had to show my ID. Awesome...

I wonder how deep this is.

Climbed to the top and the view was rewarding.

Outside were modern buildings. That's how they mix modern structures with their cultural heritage.