Coping up with Stress by Seeing the World through "The Eyes of a Child"

In today’s society, feeling stressed is pretty much unavoidable. Anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful, like the pressure in the workplace, rocky relationships, and the fast-changing technology. We sometimes worry too much on how to make both ends meet. Living up to the expectations of being a responsible adult nowadays pushes us to the limit.

Back in the elementary years, I first heard this song used in a radio advertisement. Upon listening to it, its heartfelt lyrics coupled with the playful but contemplative melody burned into my consciousness. When I grew old and researching for some memorable songs, I surfed on the net and found the title and the artist. All the while, I thought it was rendered by a female singer but I was surprised to know that it’s a Christmas single by the soft rock band Air Supply.  This song, titled “The Eyes of a Child”, is composed by Ron Bloom and Graham Russell and included in The Christmas Album released in 1987. Below are the lyrics of the song:

When you look to the past for life's long hidden meaning

For the dreams and the plans made in your youth

Does the thrill to achieve match the warm hidden feeling

That lies so still and lives in you?

In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter

There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future

For the lessons of life there is no better teacher

Than the look in the eyes of a child

You've found the place to walk the path you've chosen

You'll never miss the world you've left behind

When life gives life, it's happiness unbroken

When you give love, it's love you'll find

In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter

There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future

For the lessons of life there is no better teacher

Than the look in the eyes of a child

In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter

There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future

For the lessons of life there is no better teacher

Than the look in the eyes of a child

In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter

There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future

For the lessons of life there is no better teacher

Than the look in the eyes of a child

Than the look in the eyes of a child

Credit goes to the composer, the performer, and the label under which the album was released.

                After listening to the song, enjoying its orchestration that is far from the band’s usual music arrangement, and savoring its lyrics, I became lachrymose and had dawning realization that I worried too much and let the stress affect me because I forgot to look back at how I view the world when I was a kid: full of positivism, delight, aspirations, and certainty. There’s nothing wrong with reminiscing your childhood as a way of coping up with stress, as long as you are able to clear your mind and adjust with the demands of the society.

Though this is a Christmas song, I believe this can be played the whole year round to remind us that, whenever we feel that we are being put under pressure, let’s pause and take a look at the eyes of children playing and learn from them to view life as how they do. As the old saying goes, “The child is the father to the man.”

"Un Jour, Un Enfant": Protecting the Innocence of the Child

Filipinos are well known to be child-loving. It is reflected on their devotion to the Holy Child of Jesus and it’s expressed through religious festivals in different parts of the Philippines. Every October, the National Children’s Month is celebrated as mandated by Presidential Proclamation 267 issued by then President Fidel V. Ramos. Even local child star Ryzza Mae Dizon rose to stardom by capturing the hearts of the fans, both children and adults alike, through showing her wit despite her innocence. Truly, the fondness for children by the Filipinos is never questioned.

Last March 4 was the birthday of the musician Paul Mauriat, best known for his instrumental cover of the song “Love is Blue” and his work titled “El Bimbo”. He had also done other beautiful instrumental songs such as “La Decadanse”. But when I searched for his other works that day, I was surprised to know that he did an instrumental cover of the song “Un Jour, Un Enfant”.  This contemplative music rings a bell to some Filipinos, especially those who lived in the ‘80s as this was part of the lazy Sunday afternoon habit of watching television.

I can vividly remember that this song was used as a score for crying scenes in the now-defunct local drama anthology “Lovingly Yours, Helen”. Its luscious orchestration can move even the hard-hearted to tears despite the absence of lyrics. Its powerful arrangement made me curious and further researched for the details of the song. One of the four winning songs in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969, this French classical ballad composed by Emil Stern and penned by Eddie Marnay describes the wonders of the world from a child’s perspective. Below are the song’s lyrics titled ”Through the Eyes of a Child” in English and the video of France’s representative to the said song contest Frida Boccara rendering it.

The wide eyes of a child look upon a world reborn

See the glory of a rose that never bears a thorn

The wide eyes of a child can invent a laughing moon

And the orange sun leaps high just as a floating toy balloon

He clearly sees the flower and the bird

Whose thoughts he knows without needing any word

And any child can hear ringing laughter from a stream

Hear the music of the heart, to us a half-forgotten dream

In sleep he hears the star’s distant song

Oh, may its wonder last for his whole life long

If we had vision too, as we stumble on our ways

We could sometimes see our days as through the eyes of a child

This song is reminiscent of two of my more memorable experience with the recent visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines, both happened during the Feast of the Holy Child. First is when I read the news about what happened during the Pope’s encounter with the youth at University of Santo Tomas that morning. He was moved to hug a tearful abandoned girl to comfort her after she asked why God allows children to become prostitutes. 12-year-old Glyzelle Palomar wept as she asked the Pope: “Many children get involved in drugs and prostitution. Why does God allow these things to happen to us? The children are not guilty of anything.” This question made me cry as she should have been protected in the first place but her innocence was already taken away. He was so touched by the girl’s appeal that he abandoned his pre-prepared speech in English and instead responded to the child in Spanish, his native language, and mentioned: “She is the only one who has put forward a question for which there is no answer and she was not even able to express it in words but rather in tears.”

The other one is during the concluding Eucharistic celebration held as Luneta Grandstand that afternoon. I participated as a member of the 1,000-voice choir. Pope Francis cited a verse from the Gospel that strikes me: “Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” (Mk 10:15). Known for his mercy and compassion, he stated that “God created the world as a beautiful garden and asked us to care for it”, which for me includes children. “But through sin,” he continued, “man has disfigured that natural beauty; through sin, man has also destroyed the unity and beauty of our human family, creating social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption.” Recognizing the child’s vulnerabilities, he said: “We too need to protect, guide and encourage our young people, helping them to build a society worthy of their great spiritual and cultural heritage. Specifically, we need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected. And we need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the streets.”

Now that children in today’s society are facing problems, ranging from parents’ authoritarian approach in raising them, to child labor and pedophilia that are prevalent in some areas, let us protect their rights for them to establish good self-identity and become productive citizens of this country.

The Ratiles Fruit: A Reminiscence of the Proud Flip's Childhood

It's nice to be back after a few-day hiatus, and I'm also glad to destroy any suspicions that I already took suicide after studying "Gloomy Sunday".

I remember our family reunion in a nearby province of Tarlac, and the venue is so rural I could really breathe out my stress due to taxing school work then. But what struck me most are the trees planted around the house of my uncle, the "ratiles" trees!

Oh, how adorable they are, especially their sweet fruits! It reminds me of my childhood days, when I spent tireless hours with my playmates gathering bunches of ratiles of different colors, ranging from reddish yellow green to full red, and eating with my friends. Then we would play a wide range of street games from patintero in the morning, moro-moro in the afternoon, and taguan pung in the evening, and we would eat some of the fruit in between, even to the point of having stomach aches due to overeating.

But these days, I couldn't find some of my friends I used to play with. Some have their own families, others went abroad, still others settled in places far from our hometown. Oh, nobody loves me except the ratiles tree (Hey, I sounded horrific!). Just kidding, guys. How I wish I could still feel the presence of the tree and the fruit anywhere, like the ratiles flavored delights such as ice cream, candy, and others. Although, every time I come home to Bulacan (our hometown), I would glance at the talling trees that are reminiscent of my childhood. Sometimes, I couldn't help but have my tears rolled down secretly. I also observed how the children in our place nowadays spend their hours playing network games, which make them more idle and have less personal contact with others their age.

Well, that's an inevitable fact I should face. Times are changing, but nothing is sweeter than to re-live the memorable past that moulds you to whoever you are at present.

Not Too "Gloomy Sunday" for the Proud Flip

The song Gloomy Sunday gained the consciousness of the Filipinos (including me) when this was featured in a TV show "Knowledge Power" hosted by Ernie Baron. That episode aroused my interest to listen to that controversial "suicide" song, which, according to some, has depressing melody coupled by melancholic lyrics (sorry, can't publish the lyrics here; check the net if you want to read them, at your own risk). Don't get me wrong; I'm not that desperate to end my life because it's still a bed of roses for me, it's just that I wanted to study the song and challenge myself to know its effect on my behavior. In the first place, I'm not a psychology grad for nothing; secondly, I'm a music lover and a choral afficionado.

Luckily (or unluckily), I was able to surf this composition by Hungarians Reszo Seress, for the music, and Laszlo Javor, for the lyrics (Seress made the song after his girlfriend left him). The song is originally Hungarian; the English lyrics were penned by Sam M. Lewis and Desmond Carter, the version of the former is well-known. So far, I have listened to different versions of some singers like Billie Holiday (what's trivial to me is that hers is the most popular English version), Sinead O'Connor, Marianne Faithfull, and Sarah Brightman, only a few of many versions.

I discovered the reasons why the version of Holiday is more popular (or, should I say "effective" to those with such tendencies) compared to the other three, taking into consideration the interpretation and musical arrangement. Holiday's voice is so powerful you can feel the longing for someone's love and her hopelessness, it must be on her expressive singing style; she didn't believe in straight singing (or singing according to the piece's rhythm). Another thing is that the orchestral background is like a musical score for a suicide scene, particularly the intro, between the first and second verse, and the ending. Although the song has modulation to G-major, it is still not that uplifting (By the way, the original version doesn't have the third verse and it was only added to uplift the defeatist theme).

The versions of O'Connor and Brightman are more optimistic. Their voice qualities are both light and airy (O'Connor's version for me is more refreshing), not as depressing as Holiday's, and the arrangement is not as horrifying as the 1941 version. In fact, in Brightman's version, the percussion is more lively to give a moving yet intense impression and the song transposed to A minor in the middle of the third verse, to make it less pessimistic. Faithfull's interpretation, the one I like the least among the four, is in C minor. Although it is equally melancholic as Holiday's, the version somewhat reminded me of one of the sad songs of the puppets on Sesame Street, perhaps because of her diction.

I should say that, like many Filipinos, this song did not leave a lethal impression on me. This is due to the fact that Filipinos have close family ties, that's why the Flips have somebody to breathe out their depression to. Not to mention some sorrowful kundimans (Filipino classic love songs) that are part of the culture of the Flips and making them immune to agonizing tendencies. And for this, we have one of the lowest suicidal rate in the world (Hurrah!), in contrast with the country where the song originated, which has the highest suicidal rate, not because of the "deadly" song, but because of their "gloomy" culture that probably shaped the said music. Although, I would suggest that you should not listen to this music ALONE.

So, for the Pinoys, sundays are not always gloomy. After all, with the frivolous culture, the Flips have the power to make gloomy sundays groovy, don't you think?

Ciao!

Nothing Is More Noble Than Pedagogy

"Ok class, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Ma'am, I want to become a doctor someday."
"I want to be a nurse."
"Engineer, ma'am."

This is a typical situation in the elementary class in the Philippines every time the students discuss what they would like to be in the future. Children nowadays are being affected by the glamor of some professions, particularly the stature and even the uniforms the professionals wear. But seldom would you hear that their ambition is to become a teacher; more so when they grow up a little bit.

The stature of teaching profession has been gradually declining as the years pass by, unlike before when teachers were being looked upon as dignified as how we view doctors today. But what puzzles us is that how we disregard such career to the point that we advice our not-so-talented-and-intelligent children to take education courses. What a big disdain!

I admit, though, that I became one of those who look down on pedagogy. I belong to a family of educators; my dad is the executive director in a polytechnic college, my mom is an assistant principal, four of my six sisters are teachers (we could even establish a school when we want to). When I was entering college, I decided to take up AB Psychology just to take a different path from what my family members passed. But, tough luck, I was enrolled at the Philippine Normal University - the premier teacher-training institution in the Pearl of the Orient.

Teaching wasn't still on my mind while I was taking the course. I had my on-the-job training at the Personnel Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Even when I graduated, I looked forward to work in a human resource department.

Another tough luck came in. My friend, Joel Mesa, invited me to work as a college instructor at the City College of Manila. Although I really hated to teach during that time, the view on my students' faces who were thirsty for knowledge gave me inspiration to hug the profession. It seemed that the nourishing of the mind of these young souls depends on me. Now that I'm teaching in another public college, the Valenzuela City Polytechnic College, I can still consider my job as the noblest of them all. It really gives me this sense of fulfillment that neither money can't buy nor be equated by expensive valuables, not to mention the youthful feeling that I acquire. It really pays to be equipped with the effective methods and techniques that I acquired from my Alma Mater. What's more rewarding is that when some of your students come back to you and tell their success stories and attribute them to how you moulded their minds when they were under your tutelage.

Several factors can be attributed to the fast decline of the stature of teachers, among them the unattractive compensation (which is not enough to pay the bills for you, that is, if you live even in a little bit luxurious life), the taxing work (well, to some who didn't invest their commitment to teaching), and the changing of norms of the society. The sad truth is, if the child is not that fortunate intelligence-wise, his parents would send him to college to take up education courses.

Our government must intervene to this growing problem in the education sector, especially now that, according to the results of the recent studies, the quality of our educators is plunging; the degrading English proficiency is one of them. The administration should consider the revision of the benefits that the teachers are receiving to attract more well-talented youth to take education courses. Another insult to injury is the growing rate of teachers working overseas, particularly in the United States, where effective educators who are in search for greener pasture could live there la dolce vita, thus resulting to the remaining of some not-so-competent professionals here.

In these days when people become materialistic due to the fast-changing society brought up by modern technology, let us instill in the minds of our children the nobility of giving the torch (Awww, it makes me sing our Alma Mater hymn: O, Alma Mater ko, sa mga guro'y ina...) to provide light to others for them to take the path that leads them to search for truth.

So the next time the elementary students have their class about ambitions, let's hope that more and more youngsters would say:
"Ma'am, I would like to be a teacher like you someday."

Glad to Be in the Blogger

I'm so ecstatic to discover this new website. Hope that I can utilize this well to let others know that this world is a better place to live in because the proud Flip exists. I firmly believe that music is the language of the soul and its implications on our behavior, and our personality is shaped by our past experiences. I have nothing more to say as of now; I'm busy with my school chores and live up to the expectations as a dignified instructor (Imagine a person in an academe standing proud carrying a book with a light shining upon him, and his horns slightly protruded. Just kidding.). Ciao!