A HAPPY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS!

Yes, indeed: during the Christmas holidays, we tend to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season, that we sometimes forget the essence of Christmas.

I am looking forward to a two weeks vacation "between the years" - meaning to say between December 22 and January 8. No teaching at Ateneo de Davao, although most students wish to be prepared for their January exam in Manila; no office hours in my agency.

Christmas and vacation: Speaking about myself - I want to bring back Christ to the holiday season and indeed wish to share my blessings with the less fortunate. One of the best-known religious poems is "The Hound of Heaven" written by Francis Thompson, who tried to run away from God. He wanted to have a vacation from God. In reality it is Thompson's own life. His poem shows clearly the fact in this world that we can have a vacation from physical and mental activities, but never from God.

As I stated before: according to the book of Genesis, after God created the universe in six days, he rested on the seventh day. In other words, he took a vacation. So if God rested after working for some period of time, there is no reason why man, who is finite and limited in his physical strength, should not take a vacation.

Vacation is freedom or release from tension or pressure of work. And, believe me, I learned already from my students that they will enjoy Christmas and vacation. Many of us feel tired and weak. Some are stressed, overwhelmed, depressed and worried about the future - the enumeration, in any order whatever, could be incessant.

Relaxation, meditation, and reinvigoration are badly needed for most of us nowadays. Life, affected by the "burnout syndrome" needs to be animated with energy and strengths. 

Yes, Christmas has always been equated with all these worldly ways. Sure, there is indeed nothing wrong with this. Let's not only focus on non-stop merrymaking and countless gifts. Let's take a break, and let's try to imagine and enjoy the real meaning of Christmas. Merry Christmas again to everyone - also from this corner... 

Make sure that during this season Christmas is in our hearts and do not allow this heart to be like a crib, full of dirt, broken glass and nails. Time out from our busy schedules and seemingly endless work and tasks - to take a pause should be really important for all of us.

Praying in the quiet chapel or somewhere in your surroundings, time to forgive and mend a broken friend- or relationship, time to think about people, who we need in life, time to do good deeds.

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com .

Send Christmas cash gifts digitally – BSP

By Eireene Jairee Gomez

(UPDATE) THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is encouraging the public to exercise the giving of digital cash gifts this Yuletide season.

"We encourage our countrymen to take advantage of the ease and safety provided by digital finance in sending their cash gifts during the holidays," the BSP said in a statement on Monday.

The central bank noted that ninongs, ninangs (godparents) and other gift givers who intend to give cash as pamasko (gifts), as well as Filipinos who want to donate to charitable institutions, can transmit money conveniently through a wide array of digital payment channels available in the country.

These include interbank fund transfers through InstaPay and PESONet, electronic money issuers that are more commonly known as e-wallets, and QR Ph, which entails code scanning and offers consumers faster, easier and cheaper payment options.

QR Ph is based on the Europay-Mastercard-VISA standard, the global standard for secure payments.

According to BSP, the giving of e-aguinaldo supports the central bank's broader thrust to foster the wider adoption of digital payments, which promotes financial inclusion and the efficient flow of funds in the economy.

The BSP pursues this under its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, which aims to convert at least half of the total volume of retail payments into digital form and to onboard at least 70 percent of Filipino adults to the financial system through transaction account ownership by 2023.

Own your content

Published December 19, 2022, 10:35 AM

by Professor Rom Feria, Manila Bulletin

I have been saying this for quite awhile already, and now is a perfect time to repeat it. I never thought that I’d be saying this, but it is time to re-think your social media presence, specially if you use Twitter. For companies and organization, you need to re-think your social media strategy.

For the longest time, I have been advocating that you setup your own website or blog, and if you can afford it, get your own domain. I am not saying that you self-host your web page and/or blogging software, but if you can, it is way better! Anyway, publish your content on your own site, get the link and promote it on your social media accounts. This way, whatever happens to your social media accounts, all your content are intact, safe within your control!

I have heard the “it is where the students/readers are” reason far too often. What I advocate does not really prevent them from posting to social media if they are promoting their content, but it surely provides greater coverage for their content. Readers can bookmark your website or blog and directly access your content without the distractions of the algorithm-driven social media timeline. 

If you have it exclusively on social media, then you are limiting its reach to those who have accounts (this is true for Facebook), and believe me, not everyone is on these closed social media sites. Doesn’t that defeat your main reason for reaching your readers or students if it is only available on the site? The other social media site that is more open compared to Facebook, Twitter, is now a site where rules are made depending on the whims of its owner. If you have been living under a rock (or are ignoring what is happening on the site), then think about these: Twitter banning journalists, banning accounts that post publicly available information, and banning anyone who posts links to other social media sites, all under the cover of “free speech.”

Whilst there is nothing wrong with having rules, but I urge you to look how these are being formulated and enforced, in some cases, couldn’t even be defended when challenged. Would you risk having your account suspended or blocked and not knowing why, nor having a way to appeal? Having your own site obviously means you control what is on it and you own it!

Nobody can censor it. Nobody can easily block it (unless, of course, it contains unlawful content). Best of all, if there is another social media site that becomes popular, you can post links to your content and promote your site! If your site has RSS support, then it is even better! RSS readers can pull your content and allow readers to know when there is new content available. So what are you waiting for? Time to move and own your content. The coming year is a perfect time to start. Do it before it is too late.

What are top 10 professional life hacks?

By: 

Victor Makau

Lives in Nairobi, Kenya (2017–present)

1. Be punctual. People respect you for it.
2. Your colleagues are not your friends.
3. Don’t gossip about the boss to a colleague. Tides turn.
4. Experience matters. The 10,000 hour rule is not a myth.
5. Think of the interview as an opportunity to get acquainted with your future employer. Don’t panic.
6. Know something that no other person does. Be unique. Be needed.
7. Leave work at the office, if possible.
8. No sexual relations with (close) colleagues.
9. Do more than is expected. And make sure the boss knows you did.
10. Be honest.

How journaling can improve your mental health

by John Legaspi

A simple journal can be the key to sound mental health

One of the lessons many of us learned during the pandemic is valuing the state of our mental health. Although our life is now going back to the way things were before the pandemic, our mission of keeping our mental health well continues. There are many ways one can release stress, from enjoying the company of others and exploring places to grinding at the gym. But did you know that writing, scribbling, or even doodling on paper can help improve the well-being of your mind?

Meg Yarcia and Pahin(g)a journal

According to Filipino psychologist Meg Yarcia, journaling is a good way to pause, externalize our thoughts, and become self-aware. The beauty of journaling is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, making it the perfect way to escape the hustle of our everyday living and get in touch with our inner selves. 

“Journaling is one way to find a still point in a world that’s always turning,” Meg said. “There is no right way to journal, but there’s a right state of mind for journaling.” 

The psychologist, known for sharing her musings and thoughts on mental health and well-being on Facebook and Instagram via her page “Dear Meg,” shared more about the benefits of journaling in enhancing mental health and how people can practice it on their own. 

Is journaling a form of pahinga?

Rest is important to keep one’s mental health in a good state. What people may not know is that journaling, too, is a form of rest or in Filipino, pahinga. According to Meg, journaling can help people be able to take a step back, study things in awareness, and, importantly, take a break. 

But how do our mind and body benefit from it? Taking a break allows our system to recharge, have new ideas, and improve our blood circulation. Journaling as a form of rest also helps us express what usually can’t and enables us to make deeper connections with ourselves, the people that surround us, nature, and the higher being. 

How to journal?

Journaling is not limited to just jotting down notes. Meg listed down ways one can use a journal, which includes list-making, the two-column method, my day anecdote, reflections, a mood diary, a letter to myself, and sketches.

A big part of the journaling process is, of course, the journal itself. There’s a bounty of many people can select from every bookstore, both online and offline. What you need is something that will give you space to express yourself and will inspire you to be creative.

Each undated page has quick breathers, word spotlight, and mindful activities

A good example of this is Looking for Juan’s (LFJ) updated version of the Pahin(g)a journal. First released in 2021, the journal now comes with undated pages and has various sections designed to rest the mind such as quick breathers, word spotlight, and mindful activities by Meg and writer Monica Antonio. It also features the works of Filipino artists Ivan Reverente and Kyla dela Torre.

“The Pahin(g)a journal encourages users to slow down, our hope is that through this journal we can prioritize self-care to strengthen ourselves so we can extend more to others,” said LFJ chief executive officer Larissa Chavez.

If you’re still looking for that one item to give to someone, the perfect present may come in the form of a dependable journal. 

To know more about Pahin(g)a journal, visit @lookingforjuan on Instagram or lookingforjuan.com.

"Mano" or "Bless"

 

Datu Ulap

What are some arguments to be made for the tradition of mano or bless that it is precolonial in the Philippines, and not introduced by the Spanish as some people mistakenly think?

Let’s just say that this misconception has definitely been perpetuated by bad education and a lack of knowledge of pre-colonial and even colonial practices. There are so many reasons as to why the tradition of pagmamano, or bless is actually a precolonial tradition.

1. Despite the Spanish word for “hand” or “mano”, the tradition is unique to societies mostly within maritime Southeast Asia. It is not only practiced in the Philippines but is also seen in neighboring Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The tradition is called sungkem or salim in Indonesia and salam in Malaysia. The fact that this gesture is common among these nations shows common ancestry and a shared history of trade and contact. You could argue that this gesture originated from Arab traders based on the name it's given in Malaysia and Indonesia.

• Pagmamano in the Philippines, Pagmamano (in Tagalog), also goes by Amin in Cebuano, Siklod in Kapampangan, Siyom in Maranao. This honoring gesture is done to elders in the family.

• Salim or sungkem, a gesture in Indonesia done towards elders. It is practiced mainly by Islamic groups as well as in Bali.

• Salam in Malaysia is done to elders. The hand of the elder goes to the forehead of the younger person.

2. The Spanish literally recorded the gesture being practiced by natives upon their arrival and within the early colonial period.

Fr. Pedro Chirino, Relacion de Islas Filipinas (1604)

"Of the civilities, terms of courtesy, and good breeding among the Filipinos. Chapter XVI...As among them it is not courtesy to remain standing before a person whom they respect, they seat themselves upon the ground, or rather on their heel-bones. Seated in this way, with head uncovered and the potong thrown like a towel over the left shoulder, they talk with their superiors. The mode of salutation upon entering or meeting anyone is as follows: They draw the body together and make a low reverence, raising one or both hands to the face, and placing them upon the cheeks; they next sit down waiting for the question that may be put to them, for it is considered bad manners to speak before one is spoken to."

Fr. Juan de San Antonio, Cronicas (1738)

"422. The natives of these islands employ innumerable other elegancies and courtesies, now in actions, now in words, now in names and titles, which they apply to themselves; these are various according to the difference of the provinces, and are too numerous to mention, for they are ceremonial, and they value their ceremonies highly. No one will pass in front of another, without asking permission, and in order to pass, he doubles the whole body with the most profound bow, at the same time lifting one foot in the air, and doubling the knee and lifting both hands to the face. If one has to talk to any person of higher rank, he shows all reverence and squats down [pone en cuclillas], with raised face, and waits thus, until he is asked his reason for coming; for to speak without being questioned would be a point of bad breeding."

It should be worth noting the Spanish were meticulous note-takers when it came to exploring their colonies. It’s how we know so much about pre-colonial customs. Also, note how the Spanish chroniclers never stated here that they “taught the natives to do it to priests to be subservient.” The gesture they saw was based on their observations of the native's interactions with one another.

• Tagalog and Visayan nobles as shown in the Boxer Codex. These people illustrated most likely practiced the more ancient form of mano po as written about by Spanish explorers.

3. If the Spanish introduced the gesture to the Philippines, then it would make logical sense that all the other former Spanish colonies would still practice it, or it would even exist throughout their colonies. Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Argentina would even have this practice. But looking at their cultures and their histories, it seems that this gesture in Latin America is nonexistent. The closest similarity would be kissing the ring of the pope in the Catholic tradition, but even then, it is still a different practice from what is seen in the Philippines.

• It’s also interesting to note that Mexicans and Filipinos make up quite an immigrant population in the United States, so there is most likely a lot of cross-cultural exchange going on. Given their shared colonial past, you would think that this specific gesture would be one of the ways that they see common ground by now. But it shows that the pagmamano gesture is foreign to Latin Americans.

4. Logic also follows that this tradition would exist in Spain. Again, there are no recorded instances of this specific practice existing in Spain. Hypothetically, it may have been part of al-Andalus when Spain was ruled by Muslims who might have practiced this gesture.

And even if it did at some point, why didn’t Spanish people in the 16th century practice it anymore? What would make the new Catholic monarchs of Spain want to continue this “Islamic” practice in their domain when they were already making plans to get rid of Muslims in the kingdom? And furthermore, when the Spanish recorded the gesture, why didn’t they liken it to anything they practiced back home?

All the evidence of this practice goes back to contact and trade with the rest of maritime Southeast Asia, and cements the idea that the mano gesture goes back to the arrival of Spanish people to the Philippines.

• Spaniards engaging in sandugo with the datu of Bohol.