Archive for December, 2011
Hard vs Hardly and Advice vs. Advise
December 29th, 2011 | Author: kim
Hard vs. Hardly
Hard means difficult or it could be the opposite of soft.
Example
The final examination was hard.
His wooden bed was hard.
Hardly means almost not
Example
They hardly have eaten something.
Advice vs Advise
Advice is a noun
Example
Our parents give me sensible advice.
Advise is an action word
Example
Our parents advise us against the evil of drugs.
New Job for the New Year
December 28th, 2011 | Author: kim
New Year is the ideal time to change whatever needs to be changed about our lives. This is the perfect time to forget and totally abandon our bad habits and make ourselves more productive individuals. More than literally the ‘new’ year, it is symbolical in the sense that it represents a new chapter to our lives that is yet to come. Bad habits can be changed into new habits. Present jobs can be changed into new jobs and for those who do not hold any job at all, it could be the perfect time to look for one of those Ticketing Agent Jobs online.
New Year is not just the first day of January. It is the coming year ahead that could bring new hope to any one. Happy New Year!
Two More Books This Christmas
December 25th, 2011 | Author: kim
To be a story teller, there is one very important requirement, you must be a READER. Not only that, you must read a variety of books to learn various story telling strategies. Moreover, you must read stories by successful story tellers to find out what makes them successful, so that you will find out what will make you just like them.
On our company Christmas Party held in Island Cove, Cavite, from December 22 to 23, I received two more books. They are entitled The Devil and Miss Prym and Like the Flowing River both by Paulo Coelho. I specifically requested for these books and I want to thank Ms. She for taking time to look for them from the bookstores. It means a lot to me..
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tags: book, children, christmas present, Like the Flowing River, Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym | 
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For The Man You Love
December 23rd, 2011 | Author: kim
It’s not only me who’s not yet done shopping for gifts. My single lady friends are also getting pressured with our schedule that even though they always go out to look for something to give, they always end up empty handed at the end of the day. Well, it may be easy to shop for gifts, but shopping for gifts for your special someone, now, that’s a different story. Good thing I’m no longer single, otherwise, I’d be joining them for the hunt. But, if I were one of them, I’d check out on Red Envelope where you can find the best gifts for your boyfriend. Now, isn’t that piece of cake?
Continuous vs Continual and Farther vs Further
December 22nd, 2011 | Author: kim
Continuous means non-stop
Ex. We were slowed down by the continuous rain.
Continual means happening again and again but with interval
Ex. The continual increase of prices of basic commodities irk the citizens.
Farther refers to distance
Ex. Jem walked farther than Maki did.
Further refers to extent
Ex. Wait for further notice.
A PUBLIC APOLOGY
December 20th, 2011 | Author: kim
I would like to apologize to my cousins Maria Lourdes, Janet, Ruth Sandra and Grace and to my aunt Nita, widow of my uncle, Dr. Artemio Agustin for offending them with my blog post “A Doctor’s Love’ (which was already removed from the archive).
I sincerely apologize for posting the story of my uncle without obtaining the family’s permission first. Moreover, I apologize for citing things that were based on what I heard from other people. Below is an email from my cousin, Maria Lourdes, to correct all the wrong information with the actual facts.
I want to take this opportunity to let them know that I did not intend to invade their privacy or dishonor my uncle, and I apologize for how my blog post made them feel.
Kim,
Hi! I just read the blog that you posted yesterday featuring my dad. I think that you did not do us any justice in posting this blog for the world to see. For ethics’ sake, you could have asked our consent before publishing anything regarding my dad.
Firstly, there is no truth to the specific incident that you related about my dad’s chance of going to the US before he met my mom. As you mentioned, you just based it on “tall tales” that you heard from different unreliable sources. Yes, they are just “tall tales” and not founded on the TRUTH. I believe that there is nobody in this world who knows my dad better than us. In our family, we always spend our free time lounging in our family room, talking about each other’s challenges and sharing each other’s accomplishments. My dad so vividly shared every part of his life to us from the time he could recall his growing up years to all his achievements. His lifetime was part of the legacy that he left us. The fallacy that you mentioned in your deceptive article would not have been overlooked by my dad. If there was any TRUTH to it, he would have told us, for the simple reason that it was a symbol of his undying love for my mom. Do you get my point, Kim? Don’t bloggers follow a standard policy of posting only proven facts unless otherwise classified as fiction?
Secondly, my dad never drove an “old battered jeep”. We never had a jeep in all of my life, plainly and simply because, its way out of our interest. We were raised up by my dad who never liked jeeps because he thought they were not classy. I beg your pardon, miss, the only time you will see my dad ride a jeep is when it is the only available military service vehicle in his area of assignment. But, mind you, our personal vehicle has always been a car, the current year model at that.
Thirdly, my dad never had a private clinic just like the “doctors” you know, because my dad is not a conventional ordinary doctor. He is not just a five cents doctor that paid a large sum of money in order to be admitted to medicine proper by a diploma mill college of medicine. It was you who mentioned that my dad topped his board exams. You heard right this time, lady. But, just because you know one fact about my dad does not qualify you to judge him and his motives. He did not end up as a “colonel in the Philippine Army”, like you’re trying to imply that he did not have any choice but to grab the only opportunity he had after passing up your “tall tale US opportunity”. My dad was a Brigadier General in the Medical Corp of the Philippine Constabulary. My dad hated the Philippine Army and he had nothing good to say about it. He belonged to the finest arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and that is the Philippine Constabulary. He was one of the well-decorated finest officer during the reign of President Ferdinand Marcos, of which my dad was a part of the core that was loyal to the greatest president. Just one book will not be enough, if I were to enumerate the achievements that he has garnered in his military service. Now, these are the achievements that money cannot buy. The legacy that we (his children) got from my dad is priceless : INTEGRITY, HONESTY, MORAL PURITY and LOVE FOR THE UNLOVABLE. We, his children will never trade these for all the money the world has to offer. He did not have a private practice or his own doctor’s clinic because his love for God and country comes first in his life, and all the remaining love is for us, his family. He loved God so much that he shared in God’s interest, PEOPLE. He did not have a private clinic to make money but wherever he is, that is his clinic. People came from all over the country, friends, relatives, referrals to ask for medical consultation and assistance. He was just very glad to be of service to them. He did not have any specific clinic hours so most of them came in what the world know as “unholy hours”. And, I think the big difference, between the doctors that you know, and my dad, lies in the fact that he never charged anything at all, including medicines. And if the patient needed further medical attention, my dad would even refer them to his close comrades and give them a special recommendation for FREE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
My dad loved the Philippines and he is willing to give his life for it. This is the very reason why he gave his Medical profession to the military service. Several times, not just once but multiple times, my dad was offered to serve in the US Army with a promise of making our whole family American citizens enjoying all the benefits and he will be given the best position and will be promoted one rank higher…he declined it all for the love of his country. Anybody ordinarily will grab this once in a lifetime offer, but my dad did not want to belong to the ORDINARY. These offers came when US generals saw how my dad served excellently in the Vietnam War. Facing an irresistible offer at the time when he was sacrificing everything in the war zone was too difficult to ignore, but he refused it for the love of the Philippines. Now, is my dad like the doctors that you know?
Kim, what do you mean by “why does he live the way he does”? What do you mean? And this question brings me to another fact about my dad. After giving his love for God and his country, all of his remaining love was smothered on us, his family. He was a military surgeon because if he was a private practitioner, how will we live since he will never charged anyone any professional fee. And, I can shout it to the whole world that my dad served in the military with all HONESTY AND INTEGRITY. He did not get, not even a penny, unscrupulously. However, he gave us the best way of life his paycheck can offer. He sent us to the best schools and he gave us the best luxuries in life. So, for a fact, he did not let an “old battered jeep” bring us to school, but he made sure that we had the latest decent chauffer driven car. We grew up not knowing that there were other jeans beside Levi’s…there were shirts other than Esprit, Benetton and Lacoste…things like that. My dad never denied us the pleasures in life that his paycheck can afford. And this was the very reason that when we got the chance to see the world, we also did not hesitate to give him the best that we can give: a Mercedes car, Florsheim and Bally shoes, Rolex and Omega watches…My dad deserved the best because He has given us the best. Therefore, I don’t know what you are talking about, Kim.
I want to ask you why do you have to write what you wrote about my dad? Why did you suddenly think of him? THE BLOG THAT YOU WROTE ABOUT HIM IS POINTLESS. Kim, my dad is also different from the doctors that you know because my dad is a very private person and that’s how we were raised up. We grew up to be a closely knitted family trained to take care of each other because we did not really get close to any of our kinsfolk. If my dad were alive, he would not also give you any consent to make our family’s life public. WE PREFER TO REMAIN PRIVATE.
By the way, my dad does not measure success or happiness by material wealth or MONEY. For him, money is only temporary and no matter how much you have, it will only last for a lifetime. He believes in focusing on the things that have eternal value, things that you will possess even beyond this life. When he looks at a man, he sees him as a soul who needs God. If he can do anything for this man that will show him the love of God then he has accomplished a great deal. Therefore, for my dad, the more people you touched with the love of God, the more successful a person is. And this principle is the greatest inheritance that he left us. Now, after giving you a brief insight about the REAL Dr. Artemio B. Agustin, do you think he was happy with the way his life turned out?
The Road to Immortality
December 18th, 2011 | Author: kim
Diego is a successful businessman. He is a wealthy young man who can still do so much more with his life. Before his father died, he left him one piece of advice..
“Enjoy your youth. It only comes once in a lifetime..”
Since then, Diego started to think about how he could preserve his youth. He searched from ancient books, surfed the net and went deep into the forest in search of shamans or tribes that could tell him how to be immortal. Then one day, he saw a book from a second hand bookstore, which mentioned something about a road to Immortality. It was a collection of folk tales and was printed about 50 years ago. Diego knew it was a long shot, still, he wanted to check it out himself.
He went to the place described in the book. And to his disappointment, nobody knew that road or anything like it. They knew, though, about a man in search of immortality who passed by their place a long time ago. They described how he looked like and what he did as if it was only yesterday when he was there. Diego was intrigued. So, he stayed with them hoping he would learn more.
In his third day in the village, he helped them fixed an old bridge. It was built about 50 years ago with the help of the immortal man as they called him. After all these years, the bridge had become shaky and unsafe for people so they needed to fix it. Diego helped them out. In absence of better tools, they worked with their bare hands and finished fixing the bridge after a week.
When the work was done, Diego left the village and moved on to the next. Again, nobody knew about any road to immortality but knew about the man in search of it. So, again, Diego stayed. As he was staying, he helped them build a bigger clinic than the one they already had which was built 50 years ago. They made an extension for lying-in patients. As they worked, the people told him about the man who helped them, just like what he was doing now, put up the original clinic.
After a couple of weeks, the extension of the clinic was finished so Diego decided to leave and move on to the next village. They told him there is no such road. And if there was any, nobody knows where it is except for the immortal man. Upon hearing about the man, Diego decided to stay.
Just like he did to the first two villages, he helped them, this time, to build an extension for the school. They were going to add additional classrooms to the original two so that the children need not go to the next village in order to finish elementary school.
Diego stayed a little longer. He heard a lot about the immortal man. The man was said to be a builder. He left his home in search of immortality. When he came to the first village, he decided to make a bridge over the river to make it easy for the people to come and go. He started alone and was soon joined by the villagers.
When the bridge was done, he moved on to the second village. He thought the village needed a clinic so that they won’t need to go to town. He went to work and soon the entire village was helping out. Finally, he went to the third village and thought they needed a school for their children. He gathered timber and planks and went to work. After a few weeks, the building was done and the man went away. Nobody knew where he went and what happened to him afterwards.
Diego left the third village when the extension of the school was done. He went towards the direction that the villagers pointed. He travelled with a light heart. There was something that tells him there was nothing out there, but it didn’t matter. He did some things he never thought he could and he felt happy about it. Suddenly, the idea of immortality doesn’t appeal to him anymore. So, he decided to camp for the night and go back home the following morning and accept his failure.
But when he lay to sleep, a realization dawned on him. The immortal man was true. Maybe he has been long dead but he is still alive in the minds and hearts of the villagers whom he helped. The road, then, to immortality was also true. The book was written by the man who had been there, the immortal man, himself.
The road to immortality mentioned in the book was not a physical road. It was life and what he did with his. What made the man immortal was what he did for other people and that the other people told the later generations. Hence, he didn’t die, he will never die..
The following day, Diego went back home to choose between his thriving business and the road to immortality.
(This is an original story by the blog author. Any similarities with other stories, fiction or otherwise are purely incidental)
Tags: bridge, clinic, immortality, road, school, short stories for children, short stories with lessons |
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Beside vs Besides and Altogether vs Alltogether
December 15th, 2011 | Author: kim
beside vs. besides
beside means by the side of
Ex. I sat beside him in church last Sunday.
besides means aside from or in addition to
Ex. Who else is interested in basketball besides me?
altogether vs. all together
altogether means completely
Ex. We were altogether surprised when he arrived.
all together means with each other
Ex. We went home all together after the concert.
An Attractive Option
December 14th, 2011 | Author: kim
Every time I think about my Masters Degree that I was not able to finish, I feel sad. I waited so long for such opportunity, and the moment it arrived, I jumped on it. I can still remember how I felt when I realized that I was really back to school and taking up my Masters. It was everything I hoped it would be, exciting but very difficult. It has been years and the units that I took may no longer be valid by now, and I could no longer manage to attend the formal school. That leaves me one option. It is not the least, in fact it is an attractive one. I have to take an online degree. It is not the traditional way, I know, but it just fits me right, after all, I am not a traditional person myself.
The Old Rattan Basket*
December 11th, 2011 | Author: kim
One summer day, an old man with his old rattan basket took a seat in one of the restaurants in town. The heat was too much for him and he felt sick. He looked at his basket filled with vegetables as if making up his mind about what to do and shook his head. He turned to the waitress and asked for a glass of water, but the waitress said he needed to buy something from the restaurant, otherwise, he had to leave to make room for paying diners. The old man felt his pockets but he didn’t find any money. Sadly, he got up and left.
He was already several steps away from the restaurant when he got extremely dizzy and fell on the ground. When he woke up, he was on a smelly old couch inside a small house a few houses away from the restaurant he came from.
“How do you feel lolo (grandfather)?” asked the little girl beside him.
“I feel much better now, thank you..”
The girl’s mother handed him a glass of water to drink. He thanked both of them then remembered his basket. He asked where it was.
The girl pointed at the rattan basket beside the couch and the old man grabbed it. It was surprisingly heavy . The old man took the vegetables and lay on the table nearby. Under them was a plastic bag filled with paper bills. The old rattan basket was actually full of money. The old man, scared of being robbed, put them in an old basket when his car broke down in the middle of the road and he had to walk all the way to town. He changed clothes with his driver who waited in the car for the mechanic to arrive. No one offered him a ride on his way to town nor anyone recognized him as the owner of the building rented by tenants including the restaurant he went to earlier. He was about to deposit the money to the bank when he felt thirsty. He wanted to buy something to drink at the restaurant but he didn’t have any money in his pocket and getting money from the basket would reveal its real content, so, he just walked away. Thanks to the little girl who helped her, now he felt comfortable and ready to go to the bank.
The girl’s mother was speechless. More so when the old man handed him a bundle of bills and shook her hand. The little girl received a coin so she could buy something cold for the hot weather. In return, she smiled at the nice old man with an old rattan basket.
*(This story was told to me by my father who personally knew the old man in the story. I believe the story to be true and really happened in our town in the 1980s. Any similarities with other stories, fiction or otherwise, are purely incidental.)
Tags: old man, rattan basket, short stories for children, short stories with lessons, story |
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