The Good, The Great, Our God.

After the exhausting rounds, we finally had been discharged and went home.

Everybody has a yearning of going home. Whatever or wherever we had been from, home is always the final destination: From work or school, from leisure or pleasure, getaways, trips, parties and gigs; all we desire to see and very much excited to get into, is our home-sweet home. We long to see our bed or a couch, ( sofa will do ) that will temporarily relieve and escape us from the wearisome of life. But what if we die… what’s next? Would there be a next home? Have you ever imagine what would it be like or perhaps what would you be thinking, feel or do, if there is , when the time comes we exit from our corpora? There is only one absolute in this world, that is, everybody dies in some point in time and it’s inevitable.

Don’t you think that sometimes it feels a bit unfair that someday or somehow we are going to die in one way or another? Surely we’re going to miss everybody. We’ll gonna’ miss places and people. We won’t be hearing politics or sports from news, as well as favorite sitcoms anymore. We would miss our neighborhood that long been bugging and disturbing your senses and even pestering your life. We will gonna’ miss our friends and enemies. You’ll miss reading books, hearing stories, writing, and scribbling; even miss the things that you are good at, and most of all, we are gonna’ miss our self. Our uniqueness as person would someday, somehow, will fade, be remembered or not. None of us will not feel the process of dying, whether long-agonizing or short-abrupt death they may be in the perplexity of life we have.

Hey! Have you ever ask yourself where were you, when your mother and father were not acquainted with each other yet? More so, when both of them were not yet documented, I mean, still in their non-existence state. Even so, when you can hardly remember anything while you were still in your mother’s womb or perhaps an infant, neither on your toddler days. Can you recall anything? Allow yourself to pause for awhile and ponder.….. You can’t recall anything, can you? What if we die would be the same thing? Even the word darkness, silence and nothingness has no meaning at all. As in “nothing”, no pain, no tears, no fun, no feelings, no laughs, nor nothings, even the thought it…

I have no intentions of ruining your faith nor to abandon ones belief. What is more important is the search of our personal legend and the sense of purpose of our existence while we are still in our weird, human state; I say so, because no one still fully understands the human existence, the quandary of life. There it has remained---- a mystery that nobody can fathom.

Try meticulously examine your finger. Have you ask your self whose skin, phalanges and manus they belong? Assume they were not yours. Try slowly looking at them. You’ll begin to feel that they are just temporary. They keep on changing. And sooner or later they will look like as though they are not from yours, for the fact that you don’t control them in some ways: They live and grow on their own. And in some point in life, they will also stop on their own as well. Look at the mirror and you will begin to realize that everything in you is also just temporary. Every creases, folds, and markings entails us something from the past that we don’t know or we are not aware of and surely we are gonna miss them. They unleash, somehow, the key to the door of our beginnings and reveal our ancestral or perhaps celestial origin.

Nevertheless, I believe and found the scripture or the holy bible, the only trace of truth about life. Amazingly, this book was written thousands of years ago, with hundred years gap, from hundreds of compiled books but with no contradiction at all. The different-years-gap books were just talking of same person, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. God made man into his likeness so that he would have children to love him with. Instead of making us robot-like creation, programmed to love him, he gave us the freewill and the freedom to choose. Again, matters only in the set of choice and what would you choose among them and God can’t be mocked with it. Isn't that really good and great!? Thank you so much, God…AMEN !

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pAtCh aDaMs mE wAs...

I won't forget this day, folks. Meeting adjourn! These were the last words that put my breath back to normal. There was a time, I had a meeting with the Gods and Goddesses. I was subjected to a panel of deans from St. Luke's College of Medicine. My case was about being absent without leave for three years, commonly of what is known as "AWOL," a mortal sin to do.

I was like placed in the lions den while being soaked into a burning sulfur and experienced gnashing of teeth, every question that had been thrown at me. Their inquiry is much like of a spear that stubs deep into my soul. I was just waiting for the verdict to be raised and tell something like: “ you are expelled from the college,”

I have imagined myself wearing Patch Adams’ coat. Feeling so small, helpless and little, I was placed to sit in the middle. My floor was given and I made my first strike:

“ Good morning sir , ma’am; I’m here today for reconsidering my status due to the fact that I had to stop and apply for a job to help my family,” “ Much is required to whom much is given,” This was the pre-letter I made for them:

Dr. Teofilo O.L. San luis
Dean of St. Luke’s William H. Quasha
College of Medicine

Dr. Vivian C. SiodoraAssociate Dean of Continues Learning
And Research, St. Luke’s William H. Quasha
College of Medicine

Dr. Teresita Caja
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
St. Luke’s William H. Quasha
College of Medicine

Dearest Ma’am, Sir,

I, Oliver M. Tejada, a bonafide student of St. Luke’s – William H. Quasha College of Medicine, batch 2001, hereby submit my letter of reconsideration, for continuing my endeavor to this chosen field. I also would like to give back all the praise and thankful thoughts to the college and my sponsor, Dr. Homobono B. Calleja for the continues faith in giving me the scholarship program.

I’m amenable to the fact that I have had irregularities and inefficiencies with my duties during the time of my internship program . Primarily because I have had multitude of hard undertakings during the time my father was severely ill. He suffered a major stroke few years ago that lead into End Stage Renal Disease and eventually suffered Renal Failure that put him into a condition wherein he had to be dialyzed 3 times in a week. Being the only child in the family, I have devoted my time at same instance that I had to work and earn money, on my own, to sustain myself and my father’s medical liabilities and medicines. As a matter of fact, he was confined in our institution for a certain span of time till he was transferred to other institution due to financial constraints.

Concomitantly, I had to sustain the everyday living of the family that my father have long been abandoned. He got worst to the point that I had to choose between my career or taking care of him and my family at the time being during his dying days.

Despite of all the hardship and effort that consumed us financially, mentally and emotionally, my father’s life had still came to an end. He died at exactly 5:45 pm, 4th of March in the year 2004.

Everything in this world is just temporary. Life is so short but the craft so long to learn. To live the life to the fullest ---I now decided to return and opted to finish my degree and devote my time to this endeavor. A matter of choice for me to be passionate again in this field of learning and helping others; or end up as an idly incompetent, lost- soul individual.

At a certain perspective, despite of all the blessings our college, my mentors have given me, God have chosen to give me much---he subjected me to trials of life.

I believe that I have lost a lot of things the time when I was away. Nevertheless, I have gained and learned things beyond what can be learned in the four corners of the classroom. Life is not all achievements. It holds true that life is not always a straight line. From the long and winding journey, to the most bizarre and roughest road I have learned how to get along and live with it. By this, I saw the other streets and avenues of life, whereby, I believe will carry me through to my personal legend and purpose in life. There is far more to life than what it offers. God is teaching me as much as I learn from the fact of life, for the lord sat upon us the never-ending perplexity of living because everyday is a new beginning.

It is fine to fail at times or even commit mistakes accompanied by frustrations, as long as they will not stop us from trying, learning and living. In fact, everyday is a learning experience. Each new day has its own surprises, and wonders. More so, that each day is a new beginning.

Teaching and helping others are just one of my passions and they will always be. I have been with it and started it within my family for I do believe that charity begins at home. Through my chosen profession, this endeavor continues and look forward to serve others more. Now, God as my witness and know all men by these presents: I'm still willing and interested to continue with my strong conviction in finishing my course in medicine; to share these blessings to others, especially to the sick and to the poor like your servant in here.

I have once dedicated my devotions to the vision of the college and have put my personal interests aside but rather have focused for the interests of others instead. By this point in time I would like to ask for an appeal and reconsideration for my plead.

Your appeal on these matters would greatly be appreciated and respected by my loyalty to the college. Thank you very much and God bless.

Life
I may never see tomorrow,
there's no written guarantee
And things that happened yesterday
belong to history.

I cannot predict the future,
I cannot change the past,
I have just the present moments,
I must treat it as my last.

I must use this moment wisely
for it soon will pass away,
and be lost forever, as part of yesterday.
I must exercise compassion,
help the fallen to their feet,
Be a friend unto the friendless,
make an empty life complete.

The unkind things I do today
may never be undone,
And friendships that I fail to win
may nevermore be won.
I may not have another chance
on bended knees to pray,
but I thank God with a humble heart
for giving me this Day.

CARPE DIEM!

olivertejada 04/06/04


Respectfully yours,
Oliver M. Tejada

“ Aren’t you aware of your responsibility and obligation to the college and know the fact that we may discontinue your study in the college?” interrogatively asked Dr. Siodora.

“ Yes doctor…I’m very much aware of the fact that: you have the ability to prevent me from graduation, stop me from getting that title nor getting into that white coat---but you cannot stop me from dreaming; dreaming of becoming a doctor. You know what’s the good in dreaming?--- there are no rules…( I paused)

“ Dear doctors, I want to be like you, and God as my witness, I want to become a doctor, and be the best person that I can be; I want to become a doctor with all my heart, because of that, I have lost so many things: my father died just a couple of weeks ago, as much as I have lost my could-have-been family in life; but I have also gained everything, I have learned what life has more than what it offers.

“ Isn’t it that helping others, especially those who are in need, is being a doctor? Well then, I have helped my family, and still helping them. They too are others whom I consider citizens of the world, just like us, like our patients; and I hope this doesn’t negate me from becoming a doctor. There was a time when I have saved a life of child, whose parents gave me thanks and sent a letter to the college with a thankful heart, I told myself then: “ what’s the difference between a doctor---and just a someone who have saved a life, than with a doctor whose patients die, because they can’t do anything about it?” I sighed.

“ I want to become a doctor and be the best person that I can be. I’m not running after a crime, but I’m running after the most noble thing to do in this world, that is to be a doctor; to help myself, my family and serve others. You have a choice doctors: you can have me as your professional colleague or you can make me as just as an outspoken person there, who keeps on dreaming to become a doctor; and still help others. So if you may… I plea myself to put my feet back and set them to the path of life. Thanks you very much sir, ma’am…”

Let us altogether experience the "Ah !" of life and the glorious of leaving...

Right there and then, the wind courses into my direction and the flag has been raised up. Thank you LORD.
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The Passion

...For God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son, and whoever believes in Him should not perish but have an eternal life...John 3:16

In observance of the Lenten season, I have watched a less than 2-hour film, or, should I say not just film, that ever made me cry from my introspection till the resolution of it. The Passion is a film by Mel Gibson, his version of the twelve-hour suffering of Jesus of Nazareth's life.

The initial setting was on a mid-way dawn, wherein, Jesus Christ was in Gethsemane, the garden of olives. Satan's temptation was also featured. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, who hanged himself of guilt and denied by Peter, as what was written, Jesus was condemned by the people and persecuted him of being blasphemous. He was brought to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Palestine who argued with the Pharisees accusations against Jesus and whose conscience was bothered by the mystery of our Lord, and, with penitence, washed his hands from sin. Until Jesus Christ, our Lord, was convicted for no apparent reason leading into crucifixion. He was handed over to the Roman soldiers, who relentlessly tortured him along the way to his Calvary.

Man, of his father's own creation---were the executioner themselves. Nothing could ever be more painful than for a mother, Mary, seeing his begotten son in pain, crucified and put into carcass on her lap. " It was finished..." the famous line the Lord foretold us before he died, that saved mankind from sin.

Those excruciating, no-mercy, blows-to-death hit by the Roman soldiers and the crowd, directly onto the Lord's corporeal state, made me cry so much that crushed and reaped my heart off apart. Imagine the Lord, our God, was in all sorts of pain, that no anesthesia could handle it--- the time he was once here.

The film made my heart and my devotions never the same again. I have realized how hard the Lord had suffered in the hands of man that puts every suffering of mine into a far-fetched sail compared with him. It's not the compassion I felt from with in, but just as a simple as, I, here saying... I love you Lord and sorry for everything. Thy will be done.




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mArRiAgE?

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend and
a successful woman is one who can find such a man.

Not all are destined to get married. But there are some who gets married more than once. Isn't that ironic ?

"Marriage is not a destination... it is a method of life."

olivertejada 04/07/04

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