Dreams are but shadows?

My column in Mindanao Daily and BusinessWeek Mindanao

I dream of a better world. A world without war and only peace. Without hunger and thirst. Daydreams ... .

Dreams at night: At one time, people thought that the figures appearing in  dreams were messengers from Gods. It has been generally believed that dreams came from something outside the persons with special skill.

Today, it is believed that dreams are created by the dreamer himself. And because dreams are something a person creates, they may have a special meaning for the person who dreams them.

Just why you have a particular dream when you do may depend on many things. Your health may have an effect on your dreams. A person who is ill or uncomfortable will have different kinds of dream than that of a person who is well and happy.

If a person is hungry, or feeling cold, or very tired, his dreams may include this feelings. Many dreams seem to be made up of disguise feelings. Also, the events of the day before may have a lot to do with what one dreams. Often the persons or situations in a dream are those that you met during the day. Or your emotion may make you have the kind of dream you have. Needing or wanting something may be also expressed in a dream, and being frightened may become part of a dream.

The feelings of happiness or disappointment which come out in dreams were probably in the dreamer before.

But, why can’t some people remember their dreams? Do you experience this too? Many of us struggle to remember the details of our dreams. The reasons lie in the complicated cycles of our sleep, as we can learn from Stephen Dowling, a British writer.

Dowling continues: for many of us, dreams are an almost intangible presence. If we’re lucky, we can only remember the most fleeting glimpse in the cold light of day; even those of us who can recollect past dreams in astonishing detail can wake some days with almost no memory of what we had dreamed about.

There is little ethereal about the reasons this might be happening, however. Why we have dreams – and whether we can remember them – are both rooted in the biology of our sleeping bodies and subconscious mind.

Sleep is more complicated than we once thought. Rather than being a plateau of unconsciousness bookended by slipping in and out of sleep, our resting brains go through a roller coaster of mental states, with some parts being full of mental activity.

Indeed, we become often blindly accept what is happening in this often nonsensical narrative until the time comes to wake up.

The problem is, the more jumbled the imagery, the harder it is for us to grasp hold of. Dreams that have a clearer structure are much easier for us to remember, psychology professor and author Deidre Barrett said in a recent story on Gizmodo.

Francesca Siclari, a sleep research doctor at the Lausanne University Hospital, says there are clear definitions between our states of wake and sleep – and that is no accident. “It’s probably a good thing that the dream life and the waking life are completely different,” she says. “I think if you remembered every detail like you can do in waking life, you would start to confuse things with what’s actually happening in your real life.”

Fact is: not being able to remember everything about our dreams is important, so that we don't confuse them with reality. And if you wish to remember your dreams, try to follow Harvard Medical School sleep researcher Robert Stickgold   - that simply repeating to yourself as you drift towards sleep that you want to remember your dreams means you wake remembering them. Stickgold laughs: “It actually works. If you do that you really are going to remember more dreams, it’s like saying ‘There’s no place like home’. It really works.”

Let's try it. Good night.

Cultural Potpourri in Davao City

Celebrating the Enthronement of Emperor Naruhito of Japan’s Reiwa Era

BY MICHAEL EBRO DAKUDAO ON MAY 26, 2019 @ MINDANAO TIMES

When Kotaishi Naruhito Shinno or Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan married the Harvard and Oxford educated Japanese diplomat, Masako Owada, in June 9, 1993, in an ancient Shinto wedding tradition, I was among the foreign students in Tokyo who celebrated with the rest of the Japanese.  The love story was like the Japanese version of Prince Charles of England marrying Diana.  It is a known fact that the Crown Prince persevered in pursuing the bright and pretty Masako and even proposed to her three times.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of the Reiwa era of Japan

Last May 1, 2019, the Crown Prince ascended to the Chrysanthemum throne as Emperor Naruhito replacing his father, Emperor Akihito of the Heisei (Achieving Peace) period of Japan’s history.  Emperor Akihito abdicated on April 30, 2019, owing to old age and failing health.  The Reiwa (Beautiful Harmony) era ushered by Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement begins this May, 2019.  He is the 126^th Emperor of Japan.

Emperor Naruhito was born on February 23, 1960, as the eldest son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.  He earned his degree in History at the exclusive Gakushuin University in Tokyo.  The Emperor spent two years to study overseas at Merton College, Oxford, England.  He is actively involved in international environmental issues.

Japanese ConGen Yoshiaki Miwa

Japan’s Emperor performs a symbolic role rather than a political function as stipulated in the Japanese Constitution.  He is the “symbol of the state and of the unity of the people.”  In the past, the Emperor was considered the “living embodiment of gods.”

Last May 23, Japanese Consul General Yoshiaki Miwa invited various representatives of the Davao Community, including the diplomatic corps and Japanese nationals based in Davao, to celebrate belatedly “the Enthronement of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince and the 100^th Anniversary of the Davao Japanese Community” held at the Ballroom of Marco Polo Davao.

A toast to the new Japanese Emperor Naruhito (l-r): Asec. Uriel Norman R. Garibay, Councilor Mabel Acosta and Japanese ConGen Yoshiaki Miwa

“During the 30-year Heisei era of His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus, relations between Japan and the Philippines greatly strenthened and, on behalf of the government of Japan, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for your support and cooperation for the past era.  I am confident that the “Beautiful Harmony,” which is the essence of Reiwa, will continue to flourish in both our countries as we work together and further advance the Philippine-Japan strategic partnership,” said Consul Yoshiaki Miwa in his message.

The Japanese Consul General in Davao also informed the guests of the 100^th Anniversary of the Davao Japanese Community in Davao’s history.  “The Japan-Davao relationship started in 1903 when the first group of 30 Japanese immigrants arrived in Davao to work in an agricultural plantation.  This eventually started the continuous flow of immigration from Japan to this area.  The early Japanese immigrants were mainly engaged in the production of abaca, a prime commodity at that time.  In 1918, the Davao Japanese Association was organized; then in 1920, the Japanese Consulate was established to look after the welfare of the Japanese settlers in Davao.  At its peak, the Japanese community then reached twenty thousand; and Davao came to be known as the Little Tokyo of the Philippines.”

Japanese ConGen Miwa with the VIP guests

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio failed to take part in the historic affair.  Her message was read instead by Councilor Maria Belen Acosta:  “A centennial of friendship built in confidence is what brings us together tonight–a friendship that has led to numerous promising engagements both in our homeland and yours.  Thus, Davao City is eternally grateful to Emperor Akihito for his warm reception of Davao and Japan’s bilateral relations for the past years.  His goodwill for Davaoenos will forever be etched in the heart of Davao’s history.”  The Mayor believes that Emperor Naruhito “would deliver an outstanding leadership like his father” and that friendly ties with Japan will  continue to blossom under Emperor Naruhito’s reign.

Giving a short congratulatory message as well that evening was Ambassador Uriel Norman Garibay, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Mindanao.

While attending the special event that evening, I couldn’t help but think of my family’s personal attachment to Japan.  It was in Tokyo that my grandfather, Dr. Santiago Pamplona Dakudao, Sr. earned his medical degree as one of the earliest Filipinos to study in the Land of the Rising Sun.  It was while he was working at the St. Luke’s Hospital near the Ginza that he met my grandmother, Carmen Lacson of Silay City, Negros Occidental, who was then having her eczema treated.  They fell in love and eventually got married in the Philippines.  My grandfather was then hired by Ohta Kyosaburo to work as resident physician at the Ohta Development Company’s (ODC) Mintal Hospital where he delivered at birth a generation of Japanese born in Davao.  My grandmother, on the other hand, taught Spanish and English to Japanese laborers of the ODC.  After my grandfather retired from his hospital duties, he became successful in operating his abaca plantations with the help of Japanese laborers led by Kenichi Migitaka who were recommended to him by Ohta Kyosaburo.  He had an awesome plantation house built in Tugbok utilizing Japanese carpenters and masons.

Japanese ConGen Miwa and former Consul Dodo with the guests

Among the Dakudao grandchildren, it was only I who managed to study and graduate at the premier University of Tokyo as a Japanese Government scholar during Emperor Akihito’s Heisei era.  It was while studying in Tokyo that I got to learn more about my grandparents through stories narrated to me by their former Japanese employees.  My stay in Japan was made comfortable with the valued help with of the late Kenji Migitaka family who served as my foster family.   I am truly grateful and will always take pride in my family’s Japanese connection.

The EURO @ 20

My column in Mindanao Daily News

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And many people are asking the simple question: will it make to 30?

Yes, the Euro is at a crossroads as it turns 20, and even some believe it might not make it to 30, I strongly disagree. As the single currency doesn't seem to benefit all, its role was a main topic at the European Economic Forum, reports Jo Harper, a German-international journalist.

At the European Economic Forum, held this week in the southern Polish town of Katowice, the future of the euro zone and the Single European Currency, the Euro, featured centrally. A view increasingly shared was that of Brigitte Granville, Professor of International Economics at the University of London, who stressed that the Euro urgently needed further political integration among the currency union's 19 member states.  

"Monetary union requires political union and that is what the common budget means," she told an audience of European economists and policy advisers.

Do you still remember French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018 proposing driving ahead with European integration by establishing a single budget, the next step after the creation of the European Central Bank (ECB) in 1998 allowing the establishment of a single monetary policy framework. At the heart of Macron’s plan is strengthening the currency area's bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). 

Professor Granville said in an interview with the German National TV, that she didn't believe Macron's idea would be going very far. "But if it did happen, it would be very dangerous, further integration is a grave concern," she said, adding: "Without political glue, you don't have real union. But at the same time the euro zone is slowing Europe." 

Sad to say but we have to face it: The Euro zone economic growth is expected to slow in 2019 and some even believe the currency area could even face recession in 2020. What does that mean for the global economy, i.e. while dealing with the US-China trade war and other world's conflict zones?

Monetary union, Granville went on, is "just a fixed exchange rate" which would always end in financial crisis. "It cannot be dismantled, only by crisis and explosion. What will catalyze this I don't know, but I don't see it lasting for the next 10 years," she says, pointing to post-tax incomes in Italy down 5% and in France down 2%, while Germany is up 19%.

In my opinion, Granville voiced some very important details to think about, "The big mistake of the Euro is that it forces Germany to cooperate with countries that need spending, but Germany doesn’t need to. Lax monetary policy destroys pensions, saving and the banking system. So, there is no monetary stimulus. This is the Euro, welcome to the Euro".

Well, here is the question: drive on or turn back?

Paris also wants banking union, common rules and institutions governing the bloc's largest banks, in addition to a common deposit insurance scheme and a backstop to be used to support the winding down of failing banks. 

EU governments have agreed to set up the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) — a €500 billion ($575 billion) fund that is, intended to absorb bond market turbulence. But a deposit guarantee scheme was opposed in Berlin. However, debate is still ongoing regarding a euro zone budget and a common system for security savings.

Germany and other northern euro zone countries have been reluctant to go as far as Macron would like to on this front.

Former German Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has also called for the EU to have more clout to set finance policy and ending the unanimity requirement in bloc-wide decision-making.

But some northern European countries are opposed to the idea, citing the difference between their tight fiscal frameworks and the traditionally loose budget policies in southern Europe. Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands have adopted a common position on the budget, arguing that participation in it should be voluntary as long as the funding is derived through intergovernmental agreements, as I learned from German journalist Jo Harper.

Strangling Europe? Hans-Olaf Henkel, a staunch Euro critic and MEP with the European Conservatives and Reformers in the European Parliament, even believes the currency is destroying the European Union.

"Until May 2010 I supported the euro, but then the European Central Bank and Brussels broke the promises they gave to the German people when they agreed to give up the deutschmark, namely that no country should have a debt ratio of over 3% of GDP. If breached, the EC [European Council] said it would punish the culprits. It was breached 160 time and the EC did nothing." the former head of the Association of German Industrialists (BDI) adds.

Henkel also said the Euro had done much economic and political damage in Europe, even to Germany which had benefited the most from the introduction of the currency.

Nine EU countries are not in the Euro, of them only Romania wants to adopt it. Why is that Henkel asks rhetorically, and notes that those countries "have done much better" most euro zone countries?  

"The Euro is much too strong for the Italians and France. Huge unemployment. Countries can’t devalue. Some countries find it very difficult to reform, including France. But they can’t devalue to stay competitive. The Euro is designed to push countries to change, rather than vice versa."

The Euro @ 20 now. The Euro @ 30? We'll see ... .

Music to my ears!

My column in Mindanao Daily, Businessweek Mindanao, The Cagayan de Oro Times.

Music - from the Greek "mousikos" and pertaining to one of the nine muses in the Greek mythology - is the art of combining sounds or sequences of notes into harmonious patterns hopefully playing to ears and satisfying to our emotions. An insipid and dry explanation - I must confess. 

Can you, my dear reader, imagine a life without music? For me, it would be such a monotonous and boring world. I don't think only about the musical "mayfly" or the so-called "musical nine days wonder". Music doesn't consists of Groove or Techno alone. I am not against these or other music trends, because each generation has its own music development. But we have greater riches of different kinds of music by going back to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance (which means 'rebirth'), the Baroque Age, the Classical Period, and the Romantic Era up to 1900. The Western tradition of music has its origins in the chant tradition of the Early Christian Era.

Everybody can develop his  or her own passion of music. When I was four or so, I grew up already with those kinds of music. I asked my parents voluntary if I could get piano lessons. It was easy for us because the church organist at that time was our neighbor and a proud owner of a grand piano. I listened my first organ recital composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. My passion of music was in stage of development that made it possible for me to join the school band. The Beatles - and Rolling Stones later - era followed - much to the disappointment of my parents and grandparents, who still dreamed of their music, such as Jazz and Swing back to the Golden Twenties.

Everybody has his or her own music philosophy. I learned from my dentist friend in Berlin, that her patients lose their state of anxiety by listening soft background music during having their teeth attended to. A gynecologist explained, that if a pregnant woman mostly listens to classical music, her child might hear, learn, find out and experience another (better?) development then other children. 

The church reformator Martin Luther (1483-1546) explained it in this way: "Many times, when I was in terrible darkness, I prayed - and I listened music, which delivered and refreshed me!" The German poet and composer E. T. A. Hoffmann said 1801: "If you start simply being speechless, music will take over!" 

And Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), without doubt one of the true and just awesome Western composers stated: "Music is utmost revelation then an wisdom and philosophy!" 

"I feel like flying after entering a church, praying and listening the music of heaven!" the German poet Friedrich Schiller (1759-1809) philosophized about music in his drama "Maria Stuart".

A simple melody can make feel us happy, sentimental, smiling or crying, aggressive or relaxed. A form of light entertainment in which songs, dialogue, dance, and humor are combined with a not too serious plot is as much as important then a dramatic opera or the single musician or street singer, not being a man of culture, but entertaining us people.

Let's develop our own passion of music, so that we might see the great resources for our daily life. Let's accept, that music plays a rule in it. Maybe the major rule... . 

Comval: Classroom Building and Governor's Birthday

Comval Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy celebrates his 34^th birthday at the IP community with the Matigsalob Tribe in a far flung area in Sitio Side 4, Barangay Mangayon, Compostela, Comval on May 8, 2019. This is also the opportune time of the governor for the battlecry of ‘Walang Iwanan’ (No one is left behind) has been heard loud and clear by the recipients during the Social Preparation stage of building a 1-unit 2-classroom school building in the area.(Photo by M. Lasaca, PS Comval)

Social preparation for building of 1-unit 2-classroom building in a GK way held in Comval

Compostela Valley Province--- The provincial government of Compostela Valley in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Gawad Kalinga (GK) and the Tindog Comval Foundation hold a social preparation which is organized into two cluster teams to build one-unit two classroom school buildings in the IP and conflict areas in Sitio Side 4, Barangay Mangayon and Sitio Puting Bato, Barangay Ngan in the municipality of Compostela on May 8, 2019.

Attending the social preparation were the provincial and local officials led by Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy, DepEd officials led by Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Reynante Solitario, Mayor Lema P. Bolo, Provincial Government Heads, and the Barangay Officials of the said Barangays.

The identified areas for the building of school classrooms were being run before by the revolutionary New Peoples Army (NPA) and even have their Salugpungan schools built to influence the mindset of the local kids.

During the program, kids of the Matigsalob tribe in Sitio Side 4 gathered for the discussion of the plan for the ‘Bayanihan sa Paaralan’ which will commence on May 15 as it also requires the help of the community in building a classroom in bayanihan-way for 15-days with the help also of the capitol employees.

According to Solitario, “usa kini ka tubag nato sa panginahanglan sa katawhan labi na sa mga nagpuyo sa mga Sitios nga matagaan gyud sila ug building para sa mga kabataan. Tungod kay layo gyud ang next school ani makita nato nga dunay mga kabataan diri nga wala gyud maka skwela sa mga tulunghaan. In fact naay uban nag-undang nalang ug nay uban nga nag skwela pero kailangan pa mubaktas ug layo. Tungod sa panginahanglan nga mag put-up ug school building na tubag gyud nga butangan ug school building ang maong mga lugar.

“As of the moment on our mapping, we have a total of 28 students nga masulod ani nga tulunghaan and as of now continue atong mapping with the help of our learning teachers and mobile teachers and hopefully naa pa gyud lain mga kabataan nga masulod sa tulunghaan,” Solitario added.

“Next year we have allocation for this school from DepEd para permanent gyud unya maningkamot pud ta nga himoon nato ning integrated school in the future para atong mga studyante dili lamang ma cater ang Grade 1 hangtud Grade 6 pati na ang Grade 7 – 12. Maningkamot ta nga ma budgetan ni puhon ug national paid teacher unya gikan pud sa ilahang tribu ang mutudlo para sa contextualize nga ginasunod nato sa pagtudlo,” said Solitario.

The said school building is for the school children who were deprived of education due to distance. Part of the budget that will be used are the proceeds from the Fun Run which the province regularly undertake every year during the opening of the Bulawan Festival celebration.

On the other hand right after the program Governor Uy celebrates his 34th birthday at the IP community in a far flung area in Sitio Side 4. This is also the opportune time of the governor for the battlecry of ‘Walang Iwanan’ (No one is left behind) has been heard loud and clear by the recipients during the Social Preparation stage.

Governor Uy also expressed his gratitude to all the partners and the members of the different community for making it possible. “Bisag unsa kalayo sa lugar kung tuyuan gyud nato sa paghatod ug serbisyo ug programa sa gobyerno nga makatabang sa atong katawhan sama niani wala gayuy imposible kung naa ang pag tinabangay.”

“As much as possible we want to reach those un-reached children and bring them to school for them to really learn because this is one of the advocacy of DepEd,” Solitario ended. (Rey Antibo, ID Comval)

It's always a big IF...

Mindanao Daily News

OPINION

By Klaus Doring

 

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If I see or read this little word "if", my first thought is about the nice song by Bread. Nice lyrics. But, if Ifs and Ans were Pots and Pans ... there would be no need for tinkers! An old proverbs, which hits the nail on its head even much better.

Life doesn't only consists of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Life has ups and downs, and everyone tries to survive in his own clock-shell surrounded by a dangerous  ocean. Life is stuffed with plenty of excuses. Sometimes,  we are even unable to apologize and say a meaningful "sorry" at the right moment to the person we just treated wrong.

Excuses don't know the question of age. I still have two significant examples to share:

The church was crowded. Confirmation. A woman came too late. Traffic jam. In need of help, the woman looked to the left and then to the right. It looked like a young man planned to help her. He murmured, "Show up a bit, the LOLA likes to sit down". The situation looked problem-free at that moment. But after taking first a deep breath, the LOLA realized the young man's comment. She was just only 38 years "young"! With uneasiness she looked at the youngster, who started smiling at her. How old could he be? 14 or 15? A very big difference already to her age. Then suddenly, the young man realized his inappropriate remark and stuttered, "Sorry Ma-am, please excuse me!"

Choked with emotions, I also listened the story of my former editor colleague in Germany several decades ago. Her mother had expelled her from life. Only while laying on her deathbed, the mother did offer a plea in extenuation because of her lifelong fault. 

Excuses, because one is embarrassed or with a simple alibi can be  found at every corner. Did you, my dear readers, count already, how many times you used the term "IF"?

Just to mention this example: If I could pass my German language exam with distinction, my partner in Germany  would be very proud of me!" Sure, not only he, also me, as your German language professor in USEP - University of Southeastern Philippines, Institute of Languages and Creative Arts. "If my fiancee and I get married, where will I live, one of my students asked me yesterday.

I let you know, IF and when I come to a decision. If only I had known ... .

"If there would be a God, there wouldn't be so much misery, poverty, and war on earth!"

"If there wouldn't be the little world IF, how could we still express our not necessary excuses? 

Maybe, you still remember Elton John's song from 1976: "Sorry (in the right moments!) seems to be the hardest word" ... . That depends!

Groundbreaking ceremony for "Capital Employees Village"

Compostela Valley Province — The province of Compostela Valley congregates the construction of the “Comval Capitol Employees Village” through a groundbreaking ceremony led by Gov. Jayvee Tyron L. Uy, through Assistant Provincial Administrators Fernando Juab and Placido Alcomendras Jr.

Held last May 2, 2019, Provincial Employees Union of Compostela Valley (PEUCV) President Lino Salarda gave his gratitude through his opening remarks for Senior Board Member Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy and Gov. Uy for the progress of planning and development of the area for the employees.

The groundbreaking ceremony was also attended by Citiland and LM Construction officials, who are also the site developers, PG Department Heads PSWDO Chief Josephine Frasco, PACCO Chief Leonora Melendres, and PHRMDO Chief Lara Zaphire Cristy Bermejo.

The PLGU Comval, as mentioned by Salarda, bought two hectares worth of land for the project site that cost an estimate of over P10 Million in total, given to the Employees Union to create the village as part of the employee benefits in plan of the province with the PEUCV under the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA).

Currently, "Provincial Employees Union of Compostela Valley (PEUCV)" is governed by the following officers; Lino Salarda as the President of PEUCV,  Genes Miñosa as Vice President, Jomar Palma as Secretary,  Estrella Juab as Treasurer, Allan Calcaben as Auditor, Analyn Vigilia as PIO, and Board of Directors  Clarita Reterba, Dennie Polistico, Engr. Sammy Pacatang, Architech Oliver Abatol, and Preciosa Toledo from PSWDO. (Sean Seismundo, ID Comval) 

Problems make me always grow

My column in Mindanao Daily News, Businessweek Mindanao and Cagayan de Oro Times.

Got problems? Feel hurt? Are you discouraged? Do you think, the whole world is against you?

I suppose everyone of us would have answered "yes" to at least one of the above questions at some times in our lives. At least once ... !

Nobody needs a smooth road all life through. There are just some potholes once in a while. That's what life is all about.

I often met people telling me that God does not love them any more. I would ask them then what makes them say that. Most of the time the answer comes back to me sounds something like that: I"ve got so many problems. Not only one.

W believe that God love us. He will spare us from the sufferings, the trials and tribulations of life. Really? How childish! What an immature thinking, that if our parents love us, they won't scold us!

Somebody in my surroundings once said, "Only those who have already experienced a resolution within themselves can each out and help other". In other words, unless you have learned to deal with your own inner crisis and problems, you will never learn the meaning of real maturity.

He who has no problems does never grow. It's as simple as that. You have to experience an inner turmoil and deal with it effectively before you can grown strong enough to help others.

As long as you never have a problem, you might remain child emotionally. The hardship of basic training are what make a soldier ready to stand his ground and fight bravely. Problems - and allow me to say ALL sorts of problems - cause us to be and become mature people who are capable of handling the tension and stress that male up the everyday fabric of life.

My dear reader, I really don't know about you, but I never ask God to take away my problems. I asked and still asking Him, rather, to help me work them out. In other words, I don't ask WHY, when I have to face a problem. I ask WHAT. What is it Lord, that you want to teach me? What is it that you want me to learn from this cross you are sending me right now? What are the new directions in life do you want me to take? I know that if I can work it all, I will be a more solid individual, capable of handling future crisis more readily.

I learned this only now - or maybe several years ago. I am 65 now.

So, the next time a problem arises in your life, don't gripe and complain. Look at it in an adut manner and see it an as opportunity to grow.

May this beautiful prayer help you to grow:

"Lord, please give me the serenity to accept the things that cannot be changed; the courage to change what can be changed; and the wisdom to know the difference! Amen."

Nothing comes from anything

My column in Mindanao Daily News, Cagayan de Oro Times and Businessweek Mindanao

Our globe and its population bear innumerable strange facts. Following many people's opinion, this world shows mostly worried characteristics and symptoms nowadays. No wonder. Just try to consume and digest today's headlines and news from all around the globe.

It is a world with quickly bridged distances -  our Mother Earth is becoming smaller and smaller. Any tourist, even with little time and with only a small budget, can travel to other faraway cultures. But joining them as well as different races and religious communities requires first of all, great care, tact, instinctive feelings, empathy, and logical ideas.

The stranger whom we meet for the first time during a business meeting, for example, maybe an uncommon, odd and extraordinary guy. He may be someone from a foreign country, who speaks another language and whose skin is of another color. He may be a migrant, a restless hiker or the expatriate in our neighborhood.

The foreigner beside you and me can become a provocation or a challenge. Strangeness can become exoticism. Maybe, that's why my family and I decided to move to the Philippines already in 1998. On the other hand - going abroad can open other and even better horizons. We must not feel as "a stranger in paradise". By the way, I never did since touring around the globe many times. On the other hand, I am not putting my country of birth into the trash. Heaven forbid, no!

However, a migrant bears a juxtaposition of optimism (even calculated optimism!), confused feelings, nostalgia, and homesickness. Yes guys, during the first years of my expat's life in the Philippines, the round trip ticket was always in my mind, because no one among us can escape his native roots.

But, I am really a lucky guy. I experienced an amazing tolerance in the Philippines. A real practicing tolerance. I am blessed living in and with a wonderful Philippine family. If you check my Facebook accounts, you might believe me. Already, during my first business meetings, I also met supportive, forbearing and  broad minded people. A wonderful mix of different cultures without giving up the own identity... .

Every new challenge in a strange country means a change. Changes in life are necessary and important. Let's alter or make a difference; let's put one thing for another; let's shift; let's quit one state for another; let's take fresh clothing. Let's burn the "lock fat" away. And remember: nothing comes from anything.

Respectfully yours ...

RESPECTFULLY YOURS

When letters were the only form of written correspondence, signing off was obvious. Actually I am still  adopting that old tradition. No matter, if it comes to letters or emails. It's just a matter of respect and education. Actually, I tackled this topic already at this corner several times ago. But it seems to be good to refresh it somehow here.

If addressing a sir or madam, it was unambiguous. You concluded with "yours faithfully". When writing to a specific person – for example, a Mr or Mrs. (hey, ladies first!) – it was simple, your letter would always be signed off "yours sincerely". Only missives to family or close friends would ever finish with a "love from" or "with much love, yours".

For many people, there's a weird status thing when it comes to the more blunt you are in emails. I'm asking myself, why? An email is just a letter - an online one ... .

Sad to say,  the arrival of email has disrupted this etiquette, making the rules far less obvious. Indeed, for many of us there are no rules. A whole subculture of personalized email sign-offs has emerged everything from "TTFN" to "peace out". And of course, it’s not just what we say but why we say it. Neither in English nor in any other language. I get the same stuff in German written emails and even letters or text messages.

"Emails have become the medium of business, leisure, family, love and everything,” says children’s author Michael Rosen. When we sign off emails, we try to give off the "right vibe", he adds. He says it’s all about how we want to come across to the recipient. "Thoughtful, grateful or just very, very busy?" Oh sure, we are all so very, very busy... .

Some of the most successful business people are notoriously blunt in email communication – if they even bother with a sign-off at all.

"There's a weird status thing when it comes to the more blunt you are in emails, the more you can be (blunt) because you're senior in the company," says author Emma Gannon, recalling the editor of a famous newspaper whose response to pitches was often just a curt "yep" or "nope".

Although being succinct can convey a certain authority and status, it also communicates a dose of self-importance or arrogance. And we’ve all dealt with bosses who fire off email edicts of "is this done?" or "update me on that".

Even if they are not so direct, many email senders like to convey a sense of being busy by using or adapting abbreviations. So "kind regards" becomes "KR", or "yours" may do away with pesky vowels to leave "yrs". Heaven forbid!

"When someone signed off 'BR' for 'best regards', I just thought they were cold, brrr," says Gannon. And, in my opinion, sorry to say, I even don't reply anymore after receiving such correspondence. Oh sure, we are all busy, but there should be just a minimum of respect, if I communicate with someone. In business or personal. By letter, email or text message. 

Many times, there are those who pare it down to the absolute minimum, signing off with simply their name or even just the initial letter of their forename. Others might omit a sign off altogether. While this may come across as peremptory or rude, at least it avoids misinterpretation.

Nearly formal but not totally formal, but they're not as informal as 'CU in a MNT on bus OMW'. 

Some people swing the other way and end their emails with an altogether friendlier tone. While most would consider that kisses have no place in a business environment, they often creep into emails – and sometimes from people the recipient has never even met. For some, an "x" at the end of an email is a friendly endnote; for others it is totally inappropriate.

Even just calling someone by first name, is not the way how it should be in business if you haven't meet each other personally.

What’s clear is that some British terms used to end emails just do not translate well. A casual "cheers" is frequently used as a sign off on UK emails, but can be utterly perplexing for other nationalities. Not surprising when a hearty "cheers" also can be used for clinking glasses at the pub, or to thank a checkout person at the supermarket. Here we have to deal with British and American English.

For author Michael Rosen, emails now occupy a halfway house between texts and letters.

"The key thing is that emails aren't the same as letters. I position them in my mind as a sort of halfway place between texts and hard copy letters: nearly formal but not totally formal, but they're not as informal as 'CU in a MNT on bus OMW'," says Rosen. I strongly agree with him.

And, he adds given their place in this ambiguous no-man’s land of communication, it follows that there will continue to be a whole raft of ways to say "goodbye".

Best wishes and goodbye. Respectfully, yours ... .