The Story Teller

Archive for August, 2011

The Arceo family is one of the wealthiest families in town. Consequently, Don Roman, the head of the family, could afford the best education for his children. Roberta, the oldest is taking Medicine and was expected to be a doctor. Ricardo, the middle, is taking Law and Ramon, the youngest is taking an Engineering course.

On his second year in college, however, Ramon talked with his father stating his intention to shift courses. So, Roman asked what he wanted instead and the boy answered he wanted to study Music. But Roman found it a useless course and so did not consent. Ramon walked away defeated. After a few months, however, he came back, asking permission to go his own way. His father was outraged. He called Ramon names and his music an evil idea that tears a family apart. Roman was just as outraged as his father was. In the end, Ramon was thrown out of the house with nothing but his guitar for material possession.

After a few years, Roberta, the eldest became the most popular cosmetic surgeon in the country. Her clients were  popular movie and tv personalities and models among others. She was making a lot of money. Ricardo, the middle child, became one of the top criminal lawyers in the country. His clients were politicians accused of murder and other heinous crimes. He was not only rich but also as famous as his clients.

And Ramon, after several unsuccessful attempts to form a band and with numerous compositions ignored by recording companies, led a peripatetic life of a classic vagabond. With only his guitar for company, he plays music everywhere and gets paid in money and in kind. He plays in birthdays, weddings, christenings, funerals. Dressed in his faded jeans and with his battered guitar on his back, nobody could recognize that he was the lost son of Don Roman Arceo. He was only known by everyone as ‘Ramon, The Guitar Man.’

After several more years, Roberta was killed in a car accident. She was given, by her father, a funeral that befits a brilliant surgeon. It was attended by few of her former clients. Ricardo was murdered in his house. Just like his sister, he was given a funeral befitting a brilliant lawyer, but unlike his sister’s, his was totally ignored and intentionally avoided by his former clients.

After a few more years, Ramon died of Dengue fever. Upon learning that his son’s remains was in the parish church, Don Roman went to claim it and found his son peacefully, as if sleeping, in his inexpensive coffin. The church was filled with the townspeople, market vendors, tricycle drivers, construction workers and a lot more, the people he lived with for the past several years. Under Ramon’s coffin was his battered old guitar, the symbol of who he was and what he did with his life.

Don Roman wept silently. One last look at his son and he turned his back and walked away leaving the townspeople in their sincere grief for the man who shared his life with them.

(Original story by the blog author. Any similarity to other stories, fiction or otherwise, is purely accidental. This story was inspired by the song ‘She Believes in Me’ by Kenny Rogers)

Last week, our client service officer was late.. for the thousandth time. So, since she wasn’t around, I was the one to entertain the inquiries. I don’t actually mind that, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my primary job description. So, after fixing my face and my hair, I went to the reception and got myself ready for clients. So, I was all smiles when a couple came directly at me. After the usual greetings, I asked them what I could do for them grabbing a piece of price list as I don’t memorize the price of any of our program, lol! But when the old man opened his mouth, instead of asking about our tutorial program, he asked me about nissan 200sx custom floor mats. Well, very politely, I told them to try the main building where they could find various types of mats for various types of vehicles. They thanked me and as they were leaving, the client service officer finally came..

In connection with the celebration of BUWAN NG WIKA for the entire month of August here in the Philippines, I would like to pay tribute to a great Filipino Photographer whose works depict the greatness of things FILIPINO.

From the progressive city of Angeles, Pampanga, LEE VIRAY CAHILI created a name for himself for his magnificent photos of his favorite subjects, ordinary Filipino children.

But aside from children, the Philippine flag is another favorite subject of the Photographer of the Year 2009 awardee.

His fascination with our country’s national symbol is manifested by its presence in every photograph that he enters in competitions, thus, making it a trademark for the talented photographer. The presence of our flag conveys his profound faith for his country and his love for freedom that the flag symbolizes. Indeed, this love for freedom which is expressed through his art makes him the extraordinary photographer that he is.

Mabuhay ka, LEE! Keep on making us proud…

My childhood playmate and very close friend migrated abroad last year to settle there for good. Together with her husband and her young son, she left sometime in July. But when we chatted on YM about 3 months after they left, we learned that they weren’t doing very well there. First and foremost they were still on the adjustment period, but what made their situation worse was their difficulty in getting even temporary employment. My friend felt so low that time so we tried our best to console her. But what could we say to make her feel better? The life they had here was not only comfortable, it was also a dream life for most of us, big house, cars, helpers, condo unit, etc. Comfortable, right? We tried to ask her to reconsider her plans but it seems like they were all set. So, we just waited for some good news.

About 6 months ago, I sent her a message on FB and received a good news, she was attending school. She was a graduate of Medical Technology course here, but I guess she is studying right now so she could apply for Nuclear Medicine Technologist Jobs. Well, that would be very nice. I wish luck for her and her entire family..

Jeff is a young but successful salesman. He’s one of those few salespeople who never go home without an output. How he come to sell anything from frozen products to cars to life insurance, no one knows. He called it charisma, the other salesmen call it luck.But whatever it is, it gave him a very comfortable life.

So, when he came home to the province to convince his uncle to sell them his piece of land, he was amazed at how different other people’s lives from his could be, especially when he met his father’s youngest brother, Uncle Pinong.

Uncle Pinong lives alone at the foot of the mountains. A widower with married children and several grandchildren, he chose to live in the same house he lived with his now dead wife Marita. He plants onion twice a year, the same crop that sent his children to school.

When Jeff saw his uncle’s hut for the first time, he felt sorry at first, but when he talked with the old man, it was replaced with wonder. His uncle is such an interesting man, strong, and wise. He doesn’t talk much but wisdom comes out of his mouth when he does. How could a simple man be this insightful? How much more if his uncle gets to live in the city? The idea got Jeff excited, he wanted to show his uncle the city and how the people in the city live, so he spent the night at his uncle’s hut hoping to convince the old man to come with him.

When it began to get dark, Uncle Pinong washed 2 cups of rice and began to gather firewood to cook. Jeff laughed and asked..

“In the city, we use rice cooker. You just plug the cable and that’s it.” Uncle Pinong just smiled and nodded his head.

After supper, Uncle Pinong made coffee out of rice and gave a mug to Jeff. To this, Jeff said..

“In the city, we drink instant coffee, or used the coffee maker to brew some,” again, Uncle Pinong smiled.

Then they sat down and Uncle Pinong spoke..

“So, tell me about yourself, Jeff..”

Jeff got animated. His uncle finally got interested with the life in the city. He told him about the malls, and gadgets and fast cars and everything that he thinks might interest his uncle. He talked for half an hour while his uncle just look and nod when he feels the need to. When Jeff was done talking, his uncle in his deep voice..

“People in the city use electrically operated things. You use rice cooker, pressure cooker, turbo broiler, oven and even electric grill to cook food. You use vacuum cleaner to clean the floor. You use washing machine and drier to wash your clothes. You ride the train, the bus, the car to go places. You use telephone and computer to communicate with your friends instead of going over to each other’s house. You buy flat screen TV to entertain yourselves at home. Now, tell me.. why do you use these things?”

“To make things easy and fast..”

“What for?”

“To save time..”

“And what do you do with the TIME saved?”

“To relax.. I guess..”

“And how do you relax?”

“Sometimes we watch TV or go to the mall..”

“And after that?”

“We do things all over again…”

“Exactly.. That’s what you do. You just do things over and over and over again… You work yourselves to death. Why? So you would have money. For what? To pay your bills.. And why do you have bills? Because you bought the newest gadgets and subscribe to services that you need to pay every month like electric bill, water bill, telephone bill, cable bill, internet… And how are you going to pay for them? You work as hard as you can.. A CYCLE..”

“But that is life, Uncle, you have to work in order to live…”

“LIFE. I’ll tell you what life is. Life is waking up early to meet the sun as it rises. You work hard for the day and then you go home early to spend time with your family, to have your wife beside you as you watch your kids play with each other until they get tired and ready for bed. And then you go to bed yourself after thanking the Lord for all the blessings you receive. At the end of the week, you meet with friends and ask about each other’s family, drink a little and then go home, sleep and wake up to start another week. That’s the kind of life I know..”

“But life is different now, Uncle. It’s the computer age now and everybody uses modern gadgets. I can’t even imagine how you manage to live without a cell phone..”

“That’s it! I don’t have any cell phone, but I live, which means… a person can live without it. Tell me, Jeff, I don’t have any cell phone, what do I miss in life?”

Jeff couldn’t answer…

“Nothing, Jeff.. I don’t miss anything. You know why? Because I have with me here all the things that are important to me. I know why you’re here. You want to buy my land. Tell me, do I need money?”

“No.”

“Exactly. So, tell your father that I’m not selling… “ then Uncle Pinong smiled and offered Jeff another mug of coffee.

The following day, Jeff got up early and meet the sun for the first time. It was beautiful. He went back to the city and looked at all the things around him, things that he collected  through the years and thought of the small wooden hut with wooden chairs that made up Uncle Pinong’s earthly possessions. How insignificant his possessions look compared to those of Uncle Pinong.

Then Jeff finally asked himself.. What does he do with his TIME?

cell phone, computer

Our word for the week…

In this era of modern technology, everything seems so fast and colorful. Gone were the days of drab and boring business presentations that required enormous amount of time to prepare. Now, with the introduction of digital technology, business promotions became more entertaining and therefore more interesting and attractive.

Among these innovative presentations would be the trade show flooring and trade show carpet. These are digitally printed flooring or carpet of your chosen artwork ideal for exhibits and other trade shows . Printed carpets are washable and includes a non-skid backing; GraphX Digitally Printed Flooring is available in custom size and shape with durable lay-flat rubber backing while  Custom Inlaid Logo carpets are perfect to enhance the company image.  Interlocking Trade Show Flooring includes true layout size made to order Comfort Tile for easy installation and packing up and  various types of Soft Floors made of lightweight, portable, waterproof, soundproof, aerobic, shock absorbent and insulating rubber foam.

Another excellent way of promoting your business would be installation of logo mats ideal for retail stores and even offices. You can have your corporate logo printed into logo mats and installed at the entrance for better visibility, an excellent way of promoting the company. Available logo mats include Waterhog Impressions and Logo Inlay with slip-resistant surface for easy removal of dirt from feet.

Furthermore, putting up logo canopy is perfect for outdoor events. Not only promotional but also utilitarian, logo canopy includes 10″ Showstopper Event Canopies and 10″ Deluxe ShowStopper Event Canopies with Adjustable Leg among others.

Characterized by design and utility, these trade show displays and exhibits are excellent materials perfect for various promotional needs.

Victor is a lanky college student. He is a bespectacled nerd type, unattractive young man. He is clumsy, nonathletic, extremely shy guy with two left feet and therefore couldn’t dance. Consequently, he is unpopular with the girls and more so with the boys who have high regards for guys with basketball player height and built.

On his last summer as a college student, he spent his vacation with his grandparents in the province. Why stay in the city, when nobody invites you out for some fun, he thought. His gloomy mood, however, did not go unnoticed by his wise grandfather. The outspoken old man asked him what was wrong and try as he may to evade the issue, the old man was wise enough to let him spill the beans.

Surprisingly, his grandfather did not laugh. He didn’t even think it’s just one of those adolescent-related issues that Victor’s father kept on telling him. Instead, he considered it a serious matter and gave him a challenging advice. He said in his deep voice..

“If you really want to solve your problem, there is someone here who can help you..” the old man started “but that is only if you are willing..”

“I am willing to do everything, Lolo, (Grandfather) everything, just so I would not be like this, clumsy, soft and stupid..”

So, his grandfather gave him an instruction. He is supposed to pack a bag and go to the mountains and look for the miraculous spring.

“I need to drink water from the spring?” Victor eagerly asked.

“No. Beside the spring is a hut where an old man lives. Tell him your problem and he would tell you what to do.”

The following day, Victor got ready. With his backpack full of food and some useful stuff. At the last minute though, he wanted to back out, so he asked his grandfather if he could take someone with him to give him directions. His grandfather looked at him and said that if he’d rather not go, then it’s his choice.

But Victor wanted to go. He wanted to find the old man very badly that when he started walking, he never stopped. He didn’t even look back at his grandfather. He walked through the woods, through sharp protruding rocks, through slippery moss covered stones and through uneven trails covered with twigs. He fell so many times that he stopped counting. He has multiple scratches in his arms and his feet were sore for too much walking. He felt as if he was walking forever.

So, he almost fainted with joy when he finally saw the spring. Only.. it wasn’t a spring. It was just an ordinary brook. Beside it, a few meters away was a small ugly hut where the ‘hermit’ is supposed to be living. He went to the house and knocked. It was opened by an old man who stinks. He doesn’t look like any mythical hermit. He asked..

“What do you want?”

So, Victor told him his problem the way he did to his grandfather. He told him how he came to find the ‘miraculous spring’ and the ‘hermit.’ The old man was quiet while he was talking. When Victor was done, the old man spoke..

“You came all the way here, all by yourself just to tell your problem to an old fool. I’m sorry to tell you this boy, but I couldn’t help you, you know why? Because you know the answer already, you did it already. By coming here alone without thinking whether you would find the brook outside, you were able to conquer your fear. You fell several times but you were able to stand up and continue your journey. You kept your pace regardless of your injuries.”

Then he pointed at the brook..

“That’s no spring out there and I am no hermit. But you found your answer, kid. You found your COURAGE and DETERMINATION. If you had the courage and determination to find me then you would have the courage and determination to find something bigger and greater.”

Victor was speechless. Yes. That’s the answer. COURAGE and DETERMINATION..

“Now,” continued the old man “go home. Prove yourself to others the way you proved yourself to me..”

Victor stood, grabbed the old man’s hand for a vigorous handshake.

“Thank you, Sir… Thank you very much…”

“No problem, kid.. And since it’s getting dark, I’ll show you the short cut to your grandfather’s house. You’ll be there in 20 minutes..”

And he was. And though he knew his grandfather tricked him, he knew it was for a noble reason and for that he was thankful.

That semester, Victor went to school with his newly found COURAGE and DETERMINATION..

*Original story by the blog author. Any similarity with other stories, fiction or otherwise is purely incidental.)

Our word for the week…

Ex.        She came to work early today to peruse the report of her assistant.