Teambuilding in Northern Cebu

There's a cool venue for teambuilding at the northern end of the island of Cebu. The place is called Virgin Beach Resort located at Barangay Malbago, Daanbantayan, Cebu and owned by American Ron Perry and his Filipina wife Fe Perry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXMkyW1-rI

It's not a first class beach resort but its appeal for a teambuilding activity owes much to the vast variety of what one can do at the place and the many amenities it offers: beach, swimming pool, basketball court, mini-golf, motorized pumpboat, jetski, rowboats, table tennis, badminton, bicycles, zipline, wall climbing, open area, volleyball, horseback riding, billiards, motor scooters, function room, mini-library, etc.

Should your organization need to make arrangements for teambuilding at Virgin Beach Resort in Daanbantayan, Cebu, we are ready and willing to assist you arrange your accommodations, meals, transportation, facilitators and other relevant necessities. For inquiries, one may call:

Thaddeau "Thadz" Engaling II
+639204511150 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +639204511150 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
+639233173433
+6332-5184767
thaddeauii@yahoo.com

Thadz Enjoy Playing Uncle to First Nephew

This photo page is dedicated to my cute 3-month old nephew baby JT, son of my younger brother Jojo and the first kid in his generation. Now Tito Thadz, I am definitely enjoying this experience. Enjoy the photos:

Baby JT with Tweetie bird

Baby JT surrounded with toys

Baby JT ala David Beckham

Baby JT with his 1st soccer ball

Nice getup for Baby JT

The Penguin, Baby JT's favorite toy

Baby JT face to face with the Lechon

Baby JT with his keyboard

Baby JT's Elephant Gym

Baby JT with Tito Thadz and a football

Baby JT's cupcakes at 3 months old

Baby JT plays with his Elephant Gym

A Painful Goodbye

"I need to tell you something when you come here tomorrow", she said at the other end of the line.

"You make me worry about you", I responded sensing the worried tone in her voice.

"There is nothing to worry about", she assures me.

Strangely, the feeling of uncertainty makes me worried. I couldn't sleep that night as a myriad of thoughts cross my mind. The feeling that something was wrong enveloped me.

The next day, I was even more worried as the anticipation of what she was going to tell me became more intense. She kept assuring me that there was nothing to worry about. She asked me to understand and just let her be. She even came by to my office. But this time she was unusually quiet. It made me even more jittery. Dinner wasn't any batter, she was in the same unusually quiet mood.

When we went to her place, she turned on the TV. She sat on the bed and stared blankly on the TV screen. I laid down on her lap and realized how cold she was acting towards me.

Sheepishly, I said, "I love you".

Jestingly, she replied, "I don't love you anymore", then she laughed saying she won't make me cry.

It wasn't so much about the words that hurt me but how she was behaving so strangely lately. I know she didn't mean what she said, but somehow I sensed, there was something she needed to tell me. She must have sensed my edginess too.

So she started opening up in an awkward way. "What do you think am I going to tell you?", she asked.

"I don't know"

she leaned down and rested her chin on my chest, looked me in the eye and took a rather deep breath and said, "Dy, can you give me some space? I'm getting bored."

"Yes, Mommy", I replied without hesitation. I understood too well how we also needed space and time to be away from each other.

"We've become too dependent on each other", she continued as she laid down beside me, looked at me in the eye and held my cheeks, "maybe we also need to learn to do things on our own."

I nodded. We both smiled. Then she started kissing me. I kissed back. I'd admit, it's been a while since we have shared such a passionate moment. She was sobbing. I asked what was wrong and she didn't say anything. We went on kissing passionately.

Then her phone rang. She picked it up with excited anticipation and talked to the other person at the other line with gusto. I asked who it was and she said it was her cousin then not wanting to prolong the conversation started kissing me again.

The phone rang again and she picked it up again with even more enthusiasm. This time I eavesdropped and heard somebody at the other end say "I love you" and was even asking why she isn't saying it back. I faked a cough just to let the person at the other end of the line know someone was with her. Sure enough, it got his attention and he asked why she was with someone in her room. "I need you to understand me now", she responded and put down the phone then she started kissing me again. I didn't kiss back.

"That wasn't your cousin", I said.

She turned her back on me and said she was sleepy.

"I deserve to know!", I demanded.

"I don't deserve your love", she said sobbing.

"How could you do this to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry if I was weak. You deserve someone better. Just let me go."

"I have always been afraid of losing you."

So with a heavy heart, I slept crying. I woke up sobbing embracing her so tight as I kept begging her to stay. I wondered if she understood my pain.

It took a while before I could get in touch with the anger I felt. The next day, I sent her a lot of text messages asking whys, telling her how disappoined I am in her, how little value she had for me and for us and how she makes me feel so small. I wasn't perfect but I did give her as much love and care I could afford her. I wondered if she valued that I fought for her so my family could accept her, if she even cared when I had to deprive myself of sleep and other pesonal comforts when she was sick, if she cared about the times when I had to skip work to meet her at the bus terminal when she comes back from a vacation, if she cared about my effort to travel with her to faraway Toledo City where she could take her ride home, if she cared about the times I gave up my dreams so we can build together, if she cared about the times I'd miss my family just to be with her.

She struggled to explain herself in ways that made me more confused and made me ask more questions. That was somehow cathartic as I really had the chance to express what I was feeling.

The day after, I was feeling better, and felt resolved that I can let go. I apologized for the not-so-flattering words we exchanged the day before and we were good friends. I told her I still love her and that she can count on me when she needs me. She thanked me for being part of her life and how much she has learned out of life from me and that words aren't enough to describe how much she loves me. We became rather good friends hoping better things can happen for both of us. It was a rather happy experience knowing we are allowing each other to grow.

And just when I thought it was all over, she rang me one day after a week or so and begged if we could spend time together. God knows how much I did miss her and I obliged without much hesitation hoping all will be well again. She told me about how her feelings for the other guy has dwindled as she had always been comparing him to me. It gave me more hope that finally, we will be over this crisis.

We were happy for a while. When I asked her to let go of the guy, she said she can't. It crushed my heart. I kept begging her to stay. She said she can stay but she won't promise me she'd let go of him. She feels guilty that she is being unfair but that she also doesn't want to regret she didn't explore that feeling in the future. I kept asking what was in him that I didn't have that she can't let go and it was easier for her to let go of me. She would always answer with, "Because I know I'm cheating on you and you don't deserve to go through this."

She'd say, "You don't understand how it feels like when you are overpowered by your feelings, when you feel 'in love', that's what I felt in him. You ask me to use my head over my heart but that's easier said than done."

I felt she was being stupid. No matter what I do to keep her seemed futile. The more I kept holding on, the more I was losing her. After a while, I finally had the courage to tell her, "I want to say goodbye".

She hugged me so tight and cried so hard. "I never really wanted to lose you", she tells me, "but I also don't want to be unfair to you and i don't want to hurt you even more."

"This is what you wanted", I said, "I cannot keep forcing myself into you. If this makes you happy, there's nothing I can do."

"Part of me is happy that this is finally over, part of me is sad that we'd have to part ways. I'm not even sure what I feel for him. I'm just glad I won't have to worry about your bitterness."

It was a painful experience to see her crying as I walked out of the door. I also felt sad because I never really fell out of love and I believed her when she said she never really stopped loving me too....

Did Losing Weight Seem So Easy?

While it seemed easy that I have lost some 13 pounds the past three weeks, it is in no way easy with all the sacrifices I had to make like cutting down on what I eat and doing exercises which I really wasn't used to doing regularly. Alright, walking and some free weights really didn't seem that hard. But dieting is. But for all the benefits I am getting now, it all seemed worthwhile.

My weight loss calendar:
April 30--241.6 pounds
May 6--243.3 pounds
May 8--238.3 pounds
May 15--236.3 pounds
May 16--232.3 pounds
May 20--230.3 pounds

I Lost Another 2 Pounds

Yeah, I lost another 2 pounds and has had a net loss of 5.3 pounds since April 30 or some 7 pounds after I started strict dieting and exercise last May 6. Below is my weight loss calendar:

April 30--241.6 pounds
May 6--243.3 pounds
May 8--238.3 pounds
May 15--236.3 pounds

I Lost 5 Pounds in 2 Days!

Some 2 days ago, I lamented having gained some 1.7 pounds after a week of inactivity owing largely to my lower back pains. Earlier today, I went to the scales and was surprised to have found out that I lost 5 pounds in the last 2 days or a net loss of 3.3 pounds in less than 2 weeks. It's good to see encouraging results like this since dieting and exercise were not really easy choices to make. For the past 2 days, I made sure I walked at least 30 minutes and avoided rice and meat. I'm still far off from my ideal weight of 134 pounds though as I am currently at 238.3 pounds. Below is my weight watch calendar:

April 30--241.6 pounds
May 6--243.3 pounds
May 8--238.3 pounds

5th Meal Without Meat and Rice

Am on the 5th meal of my dieting and have so far avoided rice and meat. It wasn't easy but I have so far survived. Dieting needs a great amount of discipline and if you want to achieve results, I was told, it needs to be coupled with exercise. Starting yesterday, I tried successfully avoiding the temptation of eating rice and meat and instead had bread, apples and bananas. I also did a 35 minute walk at the Cebu City Sports Complex to burn some fat. I am writing this piece just so to motivate myself with my diet and hopefully soon, a reduced weight should help alleviate my lower back pains caused by a slipped disc.

I Gained Another 1.7 Pounds With a Week of Inactivity

Surprise! After weighing in at 241.6 last week, I went to the scales again yesterday and found out I gained another 1.7 pounds after a week or so of inactivity, the scale read 243.3 pounds, some bad news for someone who needs to trim down on weight and shed a lot of pounds to help a hurting back. So now, I have resolved that I have to at least watch my calorie intake and do at least 30 minutes of walking each day. A reduced weight should aid in the faster recovery of my slip disc which has caused me a great deal of pain in my lower back.

No Surgery for My Hurting Back!

The thought of going through the knife to repair my hurting back scares me and I was all the more scared to know that the MRI results showed I did have a disc problem, which caused pains to my lower back. What a relief when I was told I wouldn't have to go through surgery. Well, there will be trade-offs I am willing to take just to avoid getting an operation. So yeah, I will have to eat less and watch what I'm eating so I can trim down on my weight and take of some load and stress on my lower back. I'll be walking instead of running and when my back is stable will do some weight training and abdominal exercises as well.

I Have To Stop Running

Shortly after I started running again, my back began to hurt. I was no stranger to lower back pains having experienced this way back in my freshman year in college when after a basketball game, I started feeling numbness in my right leg coupled with back pains. I ignored it at first thinking it was but a normal stress reaction. But when the back pain became frequent and when I noticed I could not stand for a long time and could no longer take long walks, I seeked medical advice. In 1997, there were a few orthopedic surgeons and Dr. Felix Vicuña was among the better practitioners that time. The X-rays never showed anything and I never got another test. It was then suspected to be a herniated sacro-lumbar disc, a condition where the gelatin-like substances in between vertebrae get displaced allowing the nerve endings to get in contact causing the pain. It is a condition commonly referred to as slip disc.

Back to the present. I have ballooned to about 241.6 pounds and wanted to lose some weight and so I decided to start running to shed some pounds. When my back started hurting, I dismissed it at first again thinking it was a normal stress reaction. But when it got worse, I was worried my slip discproblem was recurring and so I went to see an orthopedic surgeon, this time a young Dr. Camilo Arenajo. He explained to me and my girlfriend about the condition and asked me to get an MRI(magnetic resonance imaging), which yields a more sophisticated result than just x-rays. I still do not have my results, which will be available tomorrow yet, but at the moment I am just taking a potent pain reliever, Arcoxia and Myonal, to relax my muscles.

I also informed Romel Cabazor, a physical therapist and trainer of the University of Cebu Webmasters about my injury, and he told me I should not be running at my weight, perhaps I should just have done some brisk walking and weights training plus proper diet so I could trim down my weight before I can get to a weight where it was safe to run, not hurting my back, hips and knees.

Earn Some Silver

Are you working your butt out towards a devenir riche? Devenir riche is French for rich future. Take a look at this featured site which promises to help you learn how to earn some argent gratuit. It promises to help you find the most infallible ways to earn a good amount of argent facile sur le net or easy silver on the net. They invite you to explore how to make th most of your online casino experiences at 32vegas, Eurogrand, Prestige Casino, Joyland Casino and Ambercoast.

Loans and Cards for Bad Credit Offers

Opportunities never run out for people struggling with their credit records. And one website have actually taken the trouble of creating a directory listing of those institutions that offer opportunities to apply for bad credit credit cards. And it's just not credit card offers they offer at their database. They also offer opportunities for bad credit loans providing everyone a new lease in trying to rebuild their credit reputation.

Happy Cooking!

I have learned that my frequent travels to experience cultures also involved being introduced to varied cuisines. Wouldn't it be nice to learn this without traveling too much? Introducing culinary schools you might want to check out. Learn about cultures through their palatial preferences and join a chef school check the directory now for the culinary school that could help you embark on a new and exciting career.

Indeed there is truth in the saying, “A small child shall lead…”. For our youth is our next generation of leaders and citizens for our vision of a progressive society. They will be the future trendsetters, decision makers, prime movers and change agents. Yet the youth is also a very big part of the present. They can effectively do something relevant with the community if given the chance to. If you look at the eyes of the young, you see so much abundance and potential for today and tomorrow.

It only takes so much to provide our youth with the right soil to grow their talents and interests and a good environment to cater to their needs. This is what our future hope of generation need to effectively prepare them for the task that lay before them.

Kurt Hahn, when he pioneered outdoor adventure program, had the youth in mind. He believed that they should be given the kind of education that would give them opportunities for personal leadership and for them to see the results of their actions, so that their inherent abilities will not be corrupted by the society. ¹ According to YMCA.org², outdoor education is beneficial because it creates in children a hunger for learning (that is, more questions are asked, rather than more answers are given) and to overcome adversity, and work alongside others.

Based on these theory and researches, Frontiertrainings Inc. has created the module for Children’s Summer Camp with specially designed components to not only cater to the natural playfulness of children but also give them life skills they can use as they slowly tackle the modern world on their own.

The Bantayan Kabataan Summer Adventure Summer Camp aims to foster the young person's progress in both personal and team leadership. The major components of personal leadership are the development of:

Self-Awareness, which gives them a chance to discover & appreciate their talents and capabilities.

Self Esteem, which will foster confidence and acceptance of one's self (external attributes, tendencies, preferences)

Team Leadership include the development of:

Leadership, which will give them the opportunity to master skills like team work, decision-making and problem-solving.

Interpersonal Skills, where they will be able to uncover and practice the skills for building effective social relationships involving empathy, sensitivity to the needs of others and effective communication to interact with other children

Good Citizenship, which will develop in the children love of country and social accountability through small heroic deeds.

At the end of the 2-day camp, we do not promise that the children are already great leaders. But we give the assurance that after the camp, these children will not only have better sense of who they are, what their dreams are and what they are able to achieve, but also children who are equipped with tools to enable them to keep learning and growing. Because the modern world is not looking for the individual with the highest IQ, but the individual who never tires of seeking for improvement for self and society.

¹ http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Outdoor_educatio n

² http://www.ymca. org/camp/ oe_start. html

It's Not Magic: My Review of "The Secret"

The phenomenon surrounding the motivational documentary "The Secret" caught my fancy. I was so curious about what the noise was all about, ranging from rave reviews, excellent ratings to very strong criticisms.

After I saw the film, I said to myself it was about thinking positively, living and thinking in abundance, self-motivation, awareness, feeling good, etc. It was applied social psychology principles at work.

The premise from which "The Secret" draws its conclusions from are founded on the age-old mantra of mind over matter. It plays on the belief that whatever it is in our minds will manifest in the physical world. Although this principle was expressed extensively in the film, there was no attempt to an explanation why it happens that way except that it just happened because you thought it would and so there it goes like some sort of magical happenstance.

Let us try to examine a few of the concepts that make "The Secret" truly a practical tool of self-motivation.


Self-fulfilling Prophecy

"The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a true definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the original false conception come 'true'. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning".
--(Thomas Merton in Social Theory and Social Structure)

People will often change their attitudes to come into line with what they profess publicly or what mental picture dominate their minds. So when they are preoccupied with negative thoughts and publicly express fears of failure or worst case scenarios, they are more likely to align their attitudes in such a way that it confirms their fears and negative expectations by making it actually happen. Consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously they deliberately made it happen. Sometimes the fear or the negativity is not explicitly expressed or even felt. It could be a subconscious or unconscious habit that one has lived for the past many years. And one of the greatest contributions this film had to make, in my mind, was engaging its audience to take charge over their own mental processes.

Cognitive Dissonance

In its most simplest form, cognitive dissonance is an incompatibility between belief, emotion, attitude or behavior. A state of homeostasis or balance is achieved when belief, emotion, attitude and behavior are congruent. However, when either is incongruent to any other element, a state of disequilibrium surfaces prompting the individual to readjust and return to a balanced state of cognition either by modifying belief or realigning behavior, a phenomenon referred to as induced compliance.

Dissonance or the presence of incongruent cognitions will more likely compel the individual to seek information that will reduce conflict between cognitions and are also more likely to dismiss information that increases dissonance between cognitions. So when one believes he is capable, he'll align himself to perform a behavior that shall confirm his expectation.


Principle of Abundance

Lately, focus has shifted from fatalism to abundance: that there is enough for everyone to enjoy. To work for personal abundance is to open up oneself to receive with an open and contented heart whatever comes next into one's life. An abundant person feels blessed with what he/she has and anything better is but a bonus. It also borrows principles from Logotherapy: each thing that happens abound with meaning and it is up to the individual to utilize the experience in any way he seem fit and best.

The Secret is actually a subtle invitation for us to look back and enjoy the simple joys of life, so that when anything better come our ways, we would be able to fully appreciate it and feel contented with it rather than stay on the usual cycle of human greed and insatiable lust for material. It tells us to be contented with what we presently have for an attitude of joy itself can turn our lives around, that instead of running and chasing towards acquiring all the wealth we can have, we'll be at ease with our keep, enjoy the littlest of pleasures and value each blessing we have.

Program Overview: Winning Big Through Passion

WINNING BIG THROUGH PASSION
A Two-Day Program

Rationale

People spend a lot of time doing things that they don’t want to do in places where they want to be for no other reason than feeling that they have to. Most people find themselves in less ideal situations out of habit. They are afraid of going out of their comfort zone (the security of a 15-30 paycheck, a stable job…), feeling they should be getting more from their work.

Based on research, a third of workers leave their jobs due to job dissatisfaction – not being aligned with their jobs in the first place. Attendance and quality of work is at stake when people choose to stay in jobs they are not cut out for.

Winning Big Through Passion would provide the avenue for discovery of one’s own core gifts and aligning it to a chosen career path thereby gaining profit in most aspects of life and being happy in the process.

What the world needs is more people who feel true enthusiasm for their work. This 2-day seminar aims to help individuals discover their passion, thus helping them identify the job or career that “only they can do.”

Value Attained Through the Program

Discover Core Competencies
The best career choice requires a match between you and your job characteristics. It is important to match your interest, ability, personality and developmental factors with the environment, background and lifestyle of the career that you have chosen.

Gain Profit
Winning big in life is for you to profit (with a capital P!) financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically in your professional and interpersonal experiences. This would mean not only being happy with the paycheck but as well as being happy in the process of earning it.

Tools for Discovery of One’s Purpose
Gaining profit in your endeavors starts with a purpose in mind. Most often than not, your purpose just lie dormant and undiscovered. The first step is self-discovery and awareness. The program will equip you with the necessary tools that you can continually use in the pursuit of winning big.

Learning Methodology
The two-day comprehensive program will employ the EPS Model (Experience, Process, and Share), an experiential learning approach. Participants will undergo an insightful regimen of:
� Experiential and game-based structured learning activities
� Lecturettes
� Provocative Discussions
� Simulations of Real Life Situations (Dyads & Tag-Team)
� Reflections
� Focus group sharing

Course Specifics

Venue and Date
A place which is suitable for free movement and discussion will be identified and provided by the project team. An exclusive and conducive venue for discussion and workshop would be preferable.

Facilitator-Participant Ratio
To ensure the participant’s in-depth insightful learning, there will be one main facilitator to oversee the program flow assisted by 2 co-facilitators for 20 participants.

Interested parties may get in touch with Thadz at 09204511150 or email thaddeauii@yahoo.com

The Growth Continuum Initiated by Heightened Awareness

(This idea map is an offshoot of the late night discussion and argumentation I had with my Frontiertrainings colleagues Thresa, Kaizan, Jeanette, Marty and Ethel at Da Vinci's in Mandaue, 20th of July 2007.)

I was fresh from completing a commentary on the self-awareness lecture that our team utilizes during trainings/seminars/workshops. I theorized that the dynamic and continuing process of awareness is a path towards perfection. To idle along the way is to stagnate since one will still be far from perfection.

This effort to paint a more comprehensible picture or idea stemmed from a practical need to make the lecture material more relevant to the audience. Many of these theoritizations resulted from curious questions from lecture participants themselves.

I wasn't totally convinced with how I resolved the last of those questions. Although the resolution I presented seem valid, I somehow felt that there was a void somewhere. The last article I wrote was involved a lot of jargon and loaded with theoritizations not drawn out from factual experience or practical foundations, appearing more like dogma.

After our team's business meeting one night, we found ourselves on the road until we settled down at a pizza joint in Mandaue. Pizza in hand, I invited the group to critique the article I wrote and it all turned out to be a very wonderful discussion.

Many ideas were floated, rebuttals aplenty, yet many questions remain. But at least a cleare picture loomed in the horizon.

As a result of that discussion, the picture created would involve the awareness process in phases/stages proceeding in a single line matrix. Instead of treating the growth path and the path to stagnation of growth as separate processes, we now look at it as interwoven processes. Diagram 1 shows the idea map of this theory of awareness.

Optimizing Results Of Training in Organizations

The current trend in trainings nowadays leans toward adventure-based programming. Many training organizations are cashing in on this fad. Sadly, however, many programs place too much focus on unprocessed experience that do not necessarily translate into concrete programs of action.

This unfortunate incidents of merely creating a recreational program for a supposedly organizational development mechanism painted a misleading picture of experiential education training programs as merely "feel good" seminars seen more as recreational programs more than anything.

Training is not merely an incentive
With this kind of a mindset, training programs then become incentive items for employees. Those who do well get to attend a training program which they will merely treat as a leisure break. With this kind of people in training, you can't expect the best results.

Training is an Opportunity for Growth
There is a strong need to reinforce the local training climate and re-educate corporate bigwigs and human resource practitioners that training programs can create positive results that influence organizational dynamics, impel individual players in organizations to take constructive actions toward change, and in the long run reinforce development of organizational values.

Training is not a Band-aid Solution

In contrast to trainings as an incentive, many organizations make training as a last resort option for solutions to organizational problems. In most cases, this comes at a point where the training interventions are futile since it is too late.

Training professionals must disseminate awareness that in order to optimize the results of training, it needs to be a dynamic and constant process, an element integrated into the organization's core processes.

Training is not a Stand-alone Solution

Training results are maximized when done parallel with other programs geared towards individual and organizational development. It can be used to create awareness of organizational dynamics which can propel establishing organizational development programs, which can as well utilize training as intervention tool. Training can be used to reinforce the development of individuals within the context of organizational goals.

Given the myths and facts mentioned above, we have come to a conclusion that the local training scene is groping for a respectable identity among corporate organizations. There is a need to reexamine the values of service providers and develop ones that will make everybody realize that training is not merely recreation, that the essence of adventure programs goes far beyond the ropes courses, or the kayaks, or the wild outdoors. Training should create a ripple big enough to shake people in organizations a bit so they'll start pondering how else can they become better individuals, better contributors to their organization's causes.

Self-awareness: A Perspective Towards Perfection

When doing personal development programs, I refer to self-awareness as the primary catalyst for learning, change and growth. It is the starting phase in a growth chronology that goes through self-understanding, self-acceptance, self-confidence, taking personal responsibility to effect personal change, thus creating a new perspective and new approaches to life situations as a result of acknowledging personal experiences.




This model of awareness can be understood as either linear(diagram 1) or cyclical diagram 2) in nature. Although both a linear and a cyclical model of awareness fits right into the current perspective on growth as a product of the process created by awareness, there is a world of difference when it comes to a discussion on potentials and its actualization.




The Linear Model of Awareness




The linear perspective of understanding awareness orients the continuing growth and learning process towards perfection. Potentials are understood as a continuous line we can refer to as a continuum of possibilities. The ends of this line are infinite as evidenced by our incomplete comprehension of ourselves and our continuing struggle and challenge of becoming better individuals as each day passes.




Recently, while doing a lecture on awareness, one workshop participant asked an interesting question:




"What if somehow, in the process initialized by awareness, I do not want to move toward change? For my awareness speaks of something constructive, something that makes me survive and adapt, there was no need for me to change then. Am I stagnating at that point?"




From a linear perspective, to stop at any point in the continuum can be stagnating for there is still a vast multitude of possibilities beyond that point where one stops. Since there are endless possibilities, there is no peak experience in a linear model of awareness. Perfection in itself is inconceivable.




The Cyclical Model of Awareness
Understanding awareness from a cyclical perspective is to understand our subjective experiences as part of a cycle, a circle from which our potentials lie. Life is a cycle of learning from experiences. As part of a meaningful whole, each experience must be taken in the context of how it has initiated change in the individual. Learning, therefore, creates a continuous movement as multitudes of experiences come along as each moment passes.




For movement to become idle along the cycle path can as well be seen as stagnating as it disrupts the whole cycle of learning, of growth, for growth is a commitment to move forward all the time, to become better each day, to gain wisdom from each experience.




In contrast to the linear model, there may exist peak experiences in the cycle before it starts anew, but whether anyone has reached such peak or done a full cycle remains a question.




Even more interesting is to find where the cycle starts. The range of possibilities within one's cycle is infinite so are the boundaries of the circle.




A Proposed Awareness Model




Taking into account that our potentials are indeed limitless, it is but also important to put this into a perspective that is comprehensible and practical. A cyclical model of life experiences within a linear framework seems to be most promising.(see diagram 3)




In this perspective, everyday life experiences provide an impetus for learning and growth, each culminating into a peak experience of sorts(Point A in Diagram 3). This peak experience could be one's commitment to take action or the action itself. Instead of going through the same cycle anew, it moves on to form a new cycle which in turn forms another, and it goes on. What we see then is a series of loops that form a single line, still with infinite extremes.




In the continuum of possibilities that exists in an infinite line, points converge along peak experiences in cycles of growth and learning. Growth therefore, is a process that doesn't stop anywhere along the line.

Willow

Group initiative that emphasizes on building trust

Upside Down

A group initiative challenge where only one person is allowed to hold a cup 3/4 full of water while being helped by teammates to do a cartwheel or somersault

The Importance of Awareness

OBJECTIVES OF AWARENESS
The aim of self-awareness is for people to gain a better understanding of their individual self & assimilate the importance of the value of self-awareness in the growth process.




Specific Objectives include:
a. The immediate recognition of sensations brought about by the five(5) senses(i.e. Sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste).
b. The immediate recognition of the bodily conditions caused by the experiences as perceived through the five(5) senses.
c. The immediate recognition of thoughts, ideas, wants, & objects of avoidance.
d. Ease in integrating the external, internal, & fantasy awareness to form a meaningful whole of the awareness experience.
e. Openness to knowing parts of the self that one may not necessarily and readily accept.
f. Accepting responsibility for oneself, deciding whether to seek growth or stay stagnant.




LECTURE MATERIALS
Self-awareness
What is awareness?
Awareness can be defined in many ways. For the case in point, awareness is defined as a function of the process for which it can initiate:
i.e. Awareness as a precedent for growth & development as opposed to awareness as a mere tool for survival, innate and instinctive; awareness is knowing and getting involved in what one knows, awareness is taking an active role in one's own existence.




Why Awareness?
Basic reasons why awareness is important are:
--Awareness is a tool for survival
--Awareness is a precedent for personal growth




AWARENESS AS A TOOL FOR SURVIVAL
We begin with the definition of awareness(n.) - conscious,well- informed, having knowledge. So we equate awareness with having knowledge. However, it is felt that this definition may be true but insufficient in as far as the subject of awareness is concerned. Knowledge per se will not constitute awareness. It is but part of awareness. Awareness connotes a reaction to the knowledge, therefore, involvement. Awareness therefore is getting involved in what one knows. Awareness is knowledge plus involvement.




How could awareness be important to survival? Getting involved & reacting to knowledge of danger signals enables one to avoid harm. Moreover, it is the reaction to or the getting involved in the awareness of basic physiological phenomena (e.g. Eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, etc.) that maintains the
body functioning well. Not being able to respond to the
knowledge of bodily discomfort creates imbalance in one's
system. Awareness is important in maintaining homeostasis.




Types of Awareness
1. External or Sensory awarenessAwareness as perceived by the five basic senses: touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell.




2. Internal awareness
Awareness of what is going on inside one's body, including awareness of one's present affective state, and the effect of sensory perception to one's body. That is awareness of one's physiological conditions brought about by external awareness.




3. Fantasy awareness
Awareness of one's own present thoughts, one's perception of personal needs, and what one wants to think, say, or do.




The Growth Path vs. The Path to Stagnation
Self-awareness vs. Self-Denial
-Awareness will always be a precedent for growth
-To deny any part of oneself is to deny chance for growth




Self-understanding vs. Self-confusion
-Through awareness, one becomes able to see what is desirable and what is undesirable in him/her
-Confusion sets in when one struggles for one's true identity




Self-acceptance vs. Self-Rejection
-Acceptance is the realization that something needs to be changed for the better
-Change cannot happen to something which existence one denies anyway




Self-confidence vs. Self-insecurity
-Confidence is the drive to initiate change from within and the conviction that change is possible
-Insecurity comes as a result of trying to create a self-image that one knows is not the true self anyway




Self-responsibility vs. Self-irresponsibility
-Responsibility is the choice to take action and initiate change
-Causes will almost always be externally attributed, since one's perception of self and its limits are vague and confusing




Growth vs. Stagnation of Growth
-Growth is a never-ending process of initiating positive changes
-Stagnation of growth is like living a dead, boring and a life devoid of meaning




The “Me”, The “I” Lost-The “I” in this discussion is taken as a representation of the wholeness of oneself. This “I” is composed of various components of self, referred to as “me's”. The completeness of the self(“I”) depends greatly on one's acceptance of all facets(“me's”) of oneself. Any rejection of any part(any “me”) of oneself is a rejection of the completeness of one's being(“I”).

Lost In Her Embrace

A gentle tone that wakes me mornings
Sugarcoated words paint the day's first smile
An air of belonging engulfs my being
Growing in love as each day passes

Comforting thoughts as I take my ride
Lessons of love and life make the long journey short
Now more caring, now more preserving of myself
Learning to live in each moment

Inspiring images warm my soul
My weary flesh then feels strong
Flashes of thoughts bring about grins and chuckles
A new-found meaning, A new beginning

A tired spirit at day's end
memoirs of her refreshes the stressed mind
Excited to bask in her caress
Feeling cared for, feeling loved

To her waiting arms I submit
Now lost in her sensual touch
Sweet moans and murmurs
Feeling whole and complete

Waves Weren't My Nightmares

I felt a sense of deja vu as I came aboard the outrigger-fitted motorized banca. We were off to Silion Island from Sugar Beach Resort in Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island. Silion is better known to Bantayan locals as Virgin Island.

I used to ride in smaller watercraft when I was a lot younger, and whilst my colleagues were reluctant, jumping aboard didn't bother me at all. Besides, the late afternoon weather was just fine. The sea was calm except maybe, on our approach to Hilantagaan Island. The one-foot waves, however, weren't reason enough to worry.

I've seen worse than that. When I was about 12 years old, we travelled from Siocon, near the southernmost tip of Zamboanga del Norte to Cebu City on a motor vessel not in anyway larger than a home-built Devlin Sockeye 41'. The waves on that voyage were mountain-high, about 20 feet. All I can see then was water when our boat was at the base of the wave. That was a good 3-day ordeal.

Still a little younger, I went through a 6-hour pumpboat ride from Siocon to Zamboanga City with waves as high as 20 feet too, particularly along Sibuco, midway through that journey.

Further back, on one June 24, when we celebrate the feast of John the Baptist, I was with my family on a beach in Balili(Latabon), the more popular beach in Siocon, when the waves that hit the seashore were more than enough for surfing, about 15 feet high too. My father then, used to call me a coward for refusing to get into the water. I was just about 10 years old that time.

From then on, I developed a distaste for activities in the water. I never learned to swim, and as age caught up, I felt more reluctant to learn.

My brief stop in Bantayan, somehow rekindled my natural and unconscious(sub?) interest in the sea and things that have to do with it. Somehow, the pumpboat ride made me reminisce the better memories despite the scary ones.

Further down memory lane, I remember the times I went with my late grandfather on a motorized banca to Baliguian, wading through the crystal clear waters, awe-struck by the natural beauty of corals so close to their seashore, as our boat was moored in waist-deep waters midway through the cove.

I remember playing with the fishes which I can clearly see through the knee-deep waters in Dulungin, a stone's throw away from rebel lair in Siocon; the slippery track leading down to an untouched and hidden bathing paradise below, the road leading to Sta. Maria, where the Siocon Port is situated; skinny dipping with my siblings and my late grandpa in the Siay stretch of the Siocon River, nude and oblivious as it was a really isolated place then; the pleasure of dipping in the shallow waters of Bucana, along the Siocon River Delta way before it became so polluted; and the natural high I felt when allowed to bathe in the deeper portion of the Siocon River in one scouting trip.

The waves weren't my nightmares after all. It didn't bother me, and on hindsight, wonder what would have been had I been allowed to conquer the fear I felt for those giant waves when I felt the time was right. As I am pondering now, I'm starting to appreciate anything that has to do with water again. Boatbuilding starts to fascinate me with childlike curiosity no end.

My Adrenaline Rush

It had been 7 years since I last drove a motorcycle in the dirt roads of my rural hometown in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. The prospect of having to drive one again pumped me up as I spoke to the owner of a brand new Yamaha Crypton in Bantayan Island who is renting his bike to interested tourists.Motorbike rentals are a common lot in the tourist hotspot. The man's price wasn't bad, PHP 350 for the day. The lack of a driver's license doesn't even matter, and that probably was a good thing for me.I was thinking perhaps, drivers without the required credentials to show for are more careful so they'd have lesser chances of getting flagged on the road.So I took the keys and made a careful test drive within a small stretch as the owner watched with a critical eye nearby, probably assessing my capacity to handle the 4-cycle bike, moreso that I didn't have a license.It took me half a morning and some degree of persuasion to convince my equal half Karen to trust me with the bike. She rode hesitantly and a stern appeal to drive carefully.While still in Sta. Fe, I filled the tank with 2 liters of fuel with a slightly jacked up price of 46 pesos to a liter. Gas wasn't sold in a pumping station but in 1-liter Coca-Cola bottles.I drove and just followed the paved road towards Bantayan town, not knowing whether I was on the right course or not. Knowing not whether I'm traversing the right road or not thrills me. Street signs were probably enough that I didn't have to ask any locals for instructions.The road to Bantayan from Sta. Fe was well-paved with minimal intersections and I had a great time driving through with speeds between 60-80 mph. The rush gave me a good high.The roads in Bantayan town were a lot busier and I was a lot more careful as I drove to the market to buy the famed dried seafoods, which took a breeze.As we headed back, I felt the rush again, drove more recklessly and just enjoyed the bike.Riding the bike again and commanding it brought back the memories past. My many accidents with rides like this, the funny moments while I was learning to handle one, a traumatic experience that killed a friend, overcoming my adopted fear with bikes after that happened and having to let go of the highs with bike-riding in exchange for an apparently better city-life.I've come to realize, this was one thing I'd love to do. Speed, Charting into the unknown, risks, getting to places definitely makes me more excited about life. All these can come handy with a motorbike in tow.

Street Smarts

When in search of an interesting conversation, the cab drivers in Cebu have varied topics to offer. Often looked down as lowly in stature, these men on the wheel have much wisdom to share. Their experiences dealing with all kinds of people probably helped, each happenstance a learning experience.

They share about the intricacies of driving in a street where discipline is almost non-existent, they strike interesting exchanges on politics, love, life, and people. At the very least, they'll tell you about places where you must go to satisfy your wants. That includes food, hotels, malls, resorts...and yes, they share about where the casas are.
A few discussions about driving is what I treasure most though as it's wisdom goes beyond the mere driving of a vehicle.

One cabbie who once drove a public utility bus in Mindanao quipped, "bisan sayop pa imong katagbo, ikaw na lang gyud molikay aron walay disgrasya". (Even if you are right, it doesn't matter on the road, you have to think safety first, regardless of whether you're right or not")
Another shared, "Daghan paugat sa dalan, pero nagkat-on nako magpasensiya, para walay samok, ang uban maskin kapila madakpan, mu usab gihapon kay batasan na man na nila". (There are a lot of bastards on the road, but I have learned to keep my cool and avoid confrontation; no matter how many times you flag these errant drivers, they'll still err since it has become their character already)

He added, "Sa ato na lang kaugalingon, maghuna-huna ta nga walay nasapawan, ug maikog ta sa nag sunod, dili nato buhaton ang dili nato gusto buhaton sa ubang tawo sa atoa". (We just have to start with ourselves, and make sure we don't get into somebody else's way. What we don't want others do unto us, we must refrain from doing unto others too.)
These were a neat lesson in tolerance, patience, and self-preservation. Cab drivers must be meditative. They seem to preach about keeping the peace and introspection.

Although, I have met rough ones of their class too, these street smarts stand out. Everytime I'm about to ride another cab, I don't think about how fast that fare meter would run. I eagerly look forward to a new learning experience, I wonder what wit this road warrior can offer.