I AM STRONG: Malaysia!

I was in Malaysia from May 26 to June 1 for the first international training seminar of the newly configured, and newly combined I AM STRONG and IKLR program. Needless to say, despite my desperate battles against over-indulgence (a struggle I have fought, to date, only in Kuala Lumpur), the long, sleepless nights contemplating beds bereft of smiling kin, and the logistical difficulties normally associated with traveling in a foreign country, I really enjoyed the trip.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped training the wonderful, insightful, warm-hearted citizens of Kuala Lumpur, and adopted the slightly reverential, oftentimes jovial stance of a student who has much to learn about the simple truths of freedom, responsibility, and cultural diversity. And yes, half my weight is effectively chicken rice, thanks to the overwhelming generosity of Mr. Chris Lim and his sons Nathan, Nicholas, and Noah.

See you again soon!

I AM STRONG: Bukidnon!

Malaybalay City, Bukidnon is one of the most pleasant cities I've ever been to in the many occasions I have been called to serve on I AM STRONG. The entire trip, perhaps due to the accessibility of the Monastery of the Transfiguration, was blessed by cool weather, warm smiles and wide, generous hearts. And yet Memory is a peculiar muse. She is almost wanton in the experiences that she allows hapless mortals to look back on with fondness. To wit:

1. It was on this trip that I discovered that Nikko Fortades, IEP student, is something of a wacky pose wunderkind. His youthful exuberance and creativity, as well as his masterful poise and execution, allow him to seamlessly pose for "wacky" pictures at the drop of the hat. It's not just a skill, Nikko. It's a gift!
2. Vina Arenal, on the other hand, has just one "wacky" pose. She bends, with studied grace, with just the slightest bob of the head, to the right. It takes talent to willfully suppress the "wacky" poses that I know are in you Vina. You have my sincere admiration.
3. Michee, Carla, and Dez, whom we will henceforth refer to as Destiny's Child, will sing anything. But I get ahead of myself.
4. The context? Kuya Jun Corona, our beloved driver, has the most eclectic musical taste in Mindanao. The shuffle function on your iPod doesn't stand a chance. Given that he burned all those songs to disk, and his songs can just as easily shift from Piolo Pascual to a punk version of the Backstreet Boys hit "I Want it That Way" (ironic, I know) faster than Nikko can adopt a "wacky" pose, what is truly amazing about Kuya Jun's selection was that he deliberately chose them to be played that way.
5. That being said, Destiny's Child will sing anything. Anything!

I AM STRONG: La Union!

My apologies for being virtually incommunicado this past week; the lovely Oasis Country Resort in La Union provided internet access, but I would have needed a time machine, or at the very least a Time-Turner such as the one Hermione Granger used just to find the time to write.

Still, despite the interminably long and eventful ten-hour travel time, the strength sapping humidity, and a workload which recalls the statement "Death is light as a feather; duty, heavy as a mountain", I had a wonderful time working for I AM STRONG in La Union. Why? In the very best Elizabeth Barrett Browning fashion, let me count the ways:

1. I was reunited with the ever-so-jolly Dr. Antonio Torralba, who I finally reduced to some sort of speechlessness with my dinner reference to "Barrel Man-ilow". I just realized that without any knowledge of the peculiarities of the "Barrel Men" figurines of Baguio and the subtle phonetic delights in tweaking Filipino accents for English use, the joke above is probably beyond translation. And yet I try. Beating a bad joke into submission is not like me at all. Odd, that.


2. I was reunited with former students, some of whom have blossomed beautifully into happily married mothers (such as Chelina delos Trinos Gutierrez), some of whom blossom even more whenever you say the name Brian (such as Ms. Vina Arenal) and some of whom have, happily, changed not at all (such as Ivanna Aguiling, the only lady in our company who deliberately planned "spontaneous outbursts" just to prove that she isn't the reserved square we all know and love).

3. I was able to share what little I knew with the very warm-hearted public school teachers and student leaders who, despite my ineptitude, took down practically everything I said, and probably induced blindness in my right eye due to the number of photographs that they had me pose for. Digression: my right side is my best side. End digression.

4. I was able to make new friends, bury old enemies (no, just checking to see if you got this far), and have a great deal of fun doing what I love best.

Pictures are in my Multiply. Enjoy!