A good teacher dies
He was just an ordinary man - simple, hardworking and friendly. But his death left an aching void in the hearts of all who knew him. Augusto de Leon, a 40-year-old grade school teacher at St. Scholastica's Academy, was generally known as a good person - a loving husband and father, a caring teacher and a man with a kind heart. His co-teachers remember him as a cheerful, kind and energetic friend, always eager to lend a helping hand to others. His dream was to give his three kids a good future and he worked hard to realize this dream.
Last Friday night, while he was on his way home from his part-time job as a teacher at St. Joseph's (he also did extra tutoring jobs to augment his income), he met his death in a tragic accident, when he was thrown off his motorcycle after it was hit by a vehicle in downtown Bacolod.
The impact was so great that his jaw was cracked and his body broken in so many places. A loving father to the end, he was bringing lechon manok for his family at the time of the accident. There wasn't a dry eye among the crowd who witnessed the sight of his family in grief at the loss of their loved one. His wife Mary Ann, kids Kheemphee, Brianne and Keith Albert, were inconsolable in their sorrow.
His students at St. Scho could hardly believe that he is gone. He was so full of life and truly cared for them. This was a teacher who refused to give up on his student, no matter how hopeless it seemed. He would call on the parents and try to find ways on how their child could improve. One of his students said he could never forget his "Sir de Leon". The young boy knew that his teacher was sincerely concerned about his low grades and his maddeningly mischievous ways. He was forever reminding him to do better or he might fail. It was a delighted Mr. de Leon who congratulated his grateful student for making it when he passed.
And so, while attending the wake for their beloved teacher, the young boy gave his allowance - all the money he had in his pocket. This was his way of saying, "Thank you, sir!" It would have made his teacher smile.
Published in the Visayan Daily Star by Ivy Visitacion, StarLife
***tsk. tsk.***
you see, for having been good to the world...
i told you so. tsk. tsk.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
for having been good to the world
just last week, my funny, flamboyant yet truthful high school religion teacher died after two careless immature and irresponsible drag racers side-swiped and killed him on the spot.
he was among my favorites, having taught us of life’s harsh realities, from the sexual to the melodrama through his humorous antics. being a religion teacher at that, he wasn’t afraid to impart to us his share of impurities, of sinfulness, and of rebellion. more, he courageously showed to us how he managed to come out strong, how to lean on the one God that could provide, forgive and heal, in spite of his ordeals.
thanks, sir, for the inspiration. you have been good to the world, to us the most. and you shall always be remembered.
he was among my favorites, having taught us of life’s harsh realities, from the sexual to the melodrama through his humorous antics. being a religion teacher at that, he wasn’t afraid to impart to us his share of impurities, of sinfulness, and of rebellion. more, he courageously showed to us how he managed to come out strong, how to lean on the one God that could provide, forgive and heal, in spite of his ordeals.
thanks, sir, for the inspiration. you have been good to the world, to us the most. and you shall always be remembered.
Monday, July 17, 2006
more on old friends, lifetime friends
last saturday, i went out with a long-but-not-so-lost friend from way high school, my barakada of so-so years already. incidentally, her older brother married my older cousin. and you know how family is so much family here in the philippines-- that would make us unofficially relatives, maybe not by blood but by heart, by mind and by interest and friendship. it’s not the first time we met since our 4-year separation (us in bacolod, she in la union)—i met her once in december but only very briefly—but it’s the first time we can really talk, remind each other of our old selves and of old times, talk of yesteryears and of old friends, and of how life has outgrown us over the years.
*** tsk. tsk. ***
as they say, your friends change over the years especially when you live apart to different environments, different cultures, different sets of friends. i admit to have changed, or rather i shall call it in my own positive term—matured, over the years. but what keeps the friendship alive in spite of these changes in personalities, in beliefs and attitudes? what holds the friendship in spite of years living apart, in spite of having new circles of friends, in spite of spatial differences?
after some moments of reckoning, i realize that in friendships formed, it is the “YOU” whom they accept to be part of their lives in the first place. no other else but the plain yet real and true “YOU.” and so when you are layered through time and distance by character, by values, by a whole new personality, the innermost “YOU” will still reveal. the “YOU” who has been loved and accepted by your friends. yes, there maybe differences already, but are you to succumb the friendship over these differences? Are you to allow space to be a hindrance when you know you could always give your friend a call or message anytime? after all, it has always been a choice for you if you want to keep your friends for a lifetime. and if you are a true friend, you know very well the answer.
*** tsk. tsk. ***
as they say, your friends change over the years especially when you live apart to different environments, different cultures, different sets of friends. i admit to have changed, or rather i shall call it in my own positive term—matured, over the years. but what keeps the friendship alive in spite of these changes in personalities, in beliefs and attitudes? what holds the friendship in spite of years living apart, in spite of having new circles of friends, in spite of spatial differences?
after some moments of reckoning, i realize that in friendships formed, it is the “YOU” whom they accept to be part of their lives in the first place. no other else but the plain yet real and true “YOU.” and so when you are layered through time and distance by character, by values, by a whole new personality, the innermost “YOU” will still reveal. the “YOU” who has been loved and accepted by your friends. yes, there maybe differences already, but are you to succumb the friendship over these differences? Are you to allow space to be a hindrance when you know you could always give your friend a call or message anytime? after all, it has always been a choice for you if you want to keep your friends for a lifetime. and if you are a true friend, you know very well the answer.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
happy?
at least i try to be happy. even in this lonesome season of rainstorms and flood, yes i am. even if i am feeling homesick, away from home miles and miles, yes i am. even if i have no one to intimately share my woes and blissfulness, yes i am. even if i am still clueless of what i really want for my career, yes i am. even if i am already physically tired, without reason or cause to, yes i am.
or am i just forcing myself to feel happy? forcibly trying so hard, but not enough to feel happy with how things are. or maybe, it is just the mere shivering cold that is making me doubt if i am really truly happy.
happiness, as many would say is something from within. it is more than just the mere sum of everything that is happening around you. it is more than what you have or don’t have. it naturally comes from within. something inside of you that makes you conquer happiness.
ideally though, it is a choice you make- to be happy or not to. but then again, when reality haunts you, you realize that it is not as easy as ideally it should. in order for one to be happy, you also have to feel around you, to feel your environment, to be sensitive to others. and when you satisfy yourself that the people around you are in a position where you could now freely be happy, then you start to welcome happiness.
but should our happiness really be obliged to be dependent on the circumstances , even the things-material or not, that surround us? no. as i’ve said, ideally, it is a choice. and if one chooses to be happy, whether or not the rest of the world is uncertain about their feelings, he can be by all means! it is in this personal choice within us that could yield to one’s personal happiness. why be saddened by one happening when there are plenty reasons to feel happy about. there is more to the world than what our plain eyes could see.
as for me, and my gameplan, maybe just for now (you know how fickle-minded i am), i choose to be happy. to think positive, smile, and be happy.
…even if it is still raining heavily and heavenly outside. even if it means traffic, and i'll never get home early tonight.
tsk. tsk.
or am i just forcing myself to feel happy? forcibly trying so hard, but not enough to feel happy with how things are. or maybe, it is just the mere shivering cold that is making me doubt if i am really truly happy.
happiness, as many would say is something from within. it is more than just the mere sum of everything that is happening around you. it is more than what you have or don’t have. it naturally comes from within. something inside of you that makes you conquer happiness.
ideally though, it is a choice you make- to be happy or not to. but then again, when reality haunts you, you realize that it is not as easy as ideally it should. in order for one to be happy, you also have to feel around you, to feel your environment, to be sensitive to others. and when you satisfy yourself that the people around you are in a position where you could now freely be happy, then you start to welcome happiness.
but should our happiness really be obliged to be dependent on the circumstances , even the things-material or not, that surround us? no. as i’ve said, ideally, it is a choice. and if one chooses to be happy, whether or not the rest of the world is uncertain about their feelings, he can be by all means! it is in this personal choice within us that could yield to one’s personal happiness. why be saddened by one happening when there are plenty reasons to feel happy about. there is more to the world than what our plain eyes could see.
as for me, and my gameplan, maybe just for now (you know how fickle-minded i am), i choose to be happy. to think positive, smile, and be happy.
…even if it is still raining heavily and heavenly outside. even if it means traffic, and i'll never get home early tonight.
tsk. tsk.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
rains and yesteryears
“rain gently falls whenever you say goodbye…"
shucks. how baduy!
outside’s heavy rain must have reminded me of yesteryears, when i was younger and fuller, when the maids would sing to us foolish songs they hear from the radio with lyrics listed in their fancy carmina villaroel-covered notebooks. funny, i would contest with them, even correct them for their wrong pronunciation. young as i was back then, i already had the makings of being a hardkiller critic (well not anymore, compassion is something i learned over the years). a classic example would be pronouncing “h” as “etch.” in exaggeration, i would let them repeat the wrongly pronounced word and tell them to follow after me. for example, to pronounce "h" as “eytch” and not “etch”. hehehe. not that i am making fun of them or sort. i just had the guts to correct them, and make them learn the correct pronunciation. simple deal: basic english. it was my earlier ambition to become a teacher, and fortunate for them, they were among my (un)lucky students.
oh yeah, when you have nothing else to do, when boredom kills you, and when rain simultaneously pours outside, you just laugh at old times for old times’ sake.
and the song continues…
“…there’ll be no sunshine in my life, until you say oh mine, oh mine, there’ll be no summer, spring or fall, each day is like a winter time… somebody owns your heart, it could never be mine.”
(oops, did i just sing that? tsk. tsk.)
shucks. how baduy!
outside’s heavy rain must have reminded me of yesteryears, when i was younger and fuller, when the maids would sing to us foolish songs they hear from the radio with lyrics listed in their fancy carmina villaroel-covered notebooks. funny, i would contest with them, even correct them for their wrong pronunciation. young as i was back then, i already had the makings of being a hardkiller critic (well not anymore, compassion is something i learned over the years). a classic example would be pronouncing “h” as “etch.” in exaggeration, i would let them repeat the wrongly pronounced word and tell them to follow after me. for example, to pronounce "h" as “eytch” and not “etch”. hehehe. not that i am making fun of them or sort. i just had the guts to correct them, and make them learn the correct pronunciation. simple deal: basic english. it was my earlier ambition to become a teacher, and fortunate for them, they were among my (un)lucky students.
oh yeah, when you have nothing else to do, when boredom kills you, and when rain simultaneously pours outside, you just laugh at old times for old times’ sake.
and the song continues…
“…there’ll be no sunshine in my life, until you say oh mine, oh mine, there’ll be no summer, spring or fall, each day is like a winter time… somebody owns your heart, it could never be mine.”
(oops, did i just sing that? tsk. tsk.)
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
old friends, lifetime friends
i spent last weekend (including friday—an official work leave) with mama and papa. off they went (flying) straight from sweet home bacolod to busy/sociable makati (we were billeted at the renaissance hotel…just right in the heart of makati’s shopping central—you know exactly what it means) to visit their favorite son… hehehe. well, not exactly.
papa is to attend his first-ever high school reunion in manila. he is a graduate of sacred heart seminary in lawaan, cebu, aptly called mschevaliers. while mama, the ever faithful wife that she is, just tagged along with him. and by the way, their vacation is timely with their wedding anniversary. papa also called for a gathering among his siblings on saturday in bulacan. mama met up with her childhood friend from good old high school days in sagay.
old friends.
i imagine my self in their shoes, attending reunions, and meeting with old friends. reminiscing wonderful, some embarrassing and mostly enjoying memories of yesteryears. i wish i could live that long. long enough to see the sons and daughters of my friends, my former classmates, my siblings, my cousins, even my nephews and nieces. ah, life, again.
lifetime friends.
i remember this quotation from a contributor of chicken soup for the teenage soul i happen to read (and memorize) ages ago. “some people come into our lives and quickly go. some stay for a while, and leave footprints in our hearts, and we are never ever the same.” indeed, of the many friends that come into our lives, only a very few will leave a significant mark on our hearts. these are the kind of friends worth treasuring, worth keeping for a lifetime.
papa is to attend his first-ever high school reunion in manila. he is a graduate of sacred heart seminary in lawaan, cebu, aptly called mschevaliers. while mama, the ever faithful wife that she is, just tagged along with him. and by the way, their vacation is timely with their wedding anniversary. papa also called for a gathering among his siblings on saturday in bulacan. mama met up with her childhood friend from good old high school days in sagay.
old friends.
i imagine my self in their shoes, attending reunions, and meeting with old friends. reminiscing wonderful, some embarrassing and mostly enjoying memories of yesteryears. i wish i could live that long. long enough to see the sons and daughters of my friends, my former classmates, my siblings, my cousins, even my nephews and nieces. ah, life, again.
lifetime friends.
i remember this quotation from a contributor of chicken soup for the teenage soul i happen to read (and memorize) ages ago. “some people come into our lives and quickly go. some stay for a while, and leave footprints in our hearts, and we are never ever the same.” indeed, of the many friends that come into our lives, only a very few will leave a significant mark on our hearts. these are the kind of friends worth treasuring, worth keeping for a lifetime.
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