A Pinky Promise

Today is the World Communication Day and its theme is “Children, and the challenge of education in a media world.”

I was watching this 2004 Korean film “Windstruck.” The girl (Jeon Ji-hyeon of “My Sassy Girl”) asks the boy why children promise something to each other while entwining their pinkies and say: “Pinky promise.”

She then tells him the story: “Long time ago there was this beautiful princess who had to choose a prince to marry. She folds her four fingers and lets out only her little finger (pinky). She then goes to each of her prince suitors and asks him what finger she was holding out. Finally one prince got it right when he too holds out and raises his pinky. The two then unite their pinkys for their matrimony.

But after the Princess had gotten married with this prince, they later had to part for he had to go for the crusades (war). And so he makes a pinky promise to his beloved that he shall return. On the 49th day after his disappearance, a man in tattered clothes appears at the palace. And in front of the princess, he holds out his pinky. It was the prince. He came back, but only to realize he came back as a ghost and only for that day. Still the heavens made sure that the prince had kept his promise to his beloved, even after death.”

Today during Mass of the Ascension we remembered Your going up to heaven to Your heavenly Father. You too made a “pinky promise” – that you will not leave us orphans and that you will send the Holy Spirit to stay with us and remind us of You.

The Road Not Taken

When I was in High School, I fell in love with a poem that gave me a paradigm shift in my life:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Here's the full text of the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken":

(please click on the picture)

You said it Yourself that life is like a road (Mt. 7:13-14).
There are wide, flat and easy highways... where traveling is a breeze.
And then there are the least trodden, long and winding, narrow ones too... where traveling is difficult.
But the latter leads to life.

East Asian Pastoral Review

My article got published in the East Asian Pastoral Review (volume 44, no 1, 2007). It's about the " .... Religious Blending in Cambodia."

(to view its back issues and online version, click on the book cover)

The EAPR is a quarterly theological journal of the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI).
For more than thirty years, EAPI has provided training courses and community experiences, which integrate faith and life, within the cultural heritage of many countries, especially of Asia and the Pacific. The EAPI is an integral part of the theological consortium of Manila. Students here can avail themselves of the academic resources of the Faculties of Theology of Santo Tomás University, Loyola School of Theology, Mary Hill School of Theology, Don Bosco Center of Studies, and several other theological schools.

Cambodian Elections

Cambodia held its elections on the beginning of this month. It seems CPP won most seats from Sam Rainsy and Funcipec this year.
Around the world, there seems to be an election fever. Qatar had at the first week. Timor voted for its President on the second week. Ecuador had a referendum. Nigeria elected its President and parliamentarians. Then there was also France and Mali for a presidential run-off.
Ideally speaking, a free and fair elections is tantamount to hearing the voice of the people. But nowadays with so many distractions and "noise", many voices aren't heard clearly or others are ignored, some are stiffled, and a few totally silenced. It's really a complicated issue. But no matter what an election is still a start, a hope that all voices of the citizenry, rich or poor alike, will be heard.

Gotta Believe in Magic

Andrea, an Italian magician, performed a few days ago for the kids. It was funny since most of the kids have never seen a magic act before. There was this one boy who kept asking me what he was going to do. So I jokingly said: “He’ll turn you into a goat.” And he answered: “Oh I see, but will he turn me back?” And I replied: “Uh, I don’t know. You just better watch and see.” And watch they did. Andrea made things appear, disappear, and re-appear. He pierced a balloon without popping it, did a rope Houdini, and other such illusion stuff. It’s fantastic to see the wonder in the children’s eyes. It seems they did finally begin to believe in magic…

David Pomeranz once popularized a song “Gotta believe in Magic.” This statement is one way of helping children explore their creative juices and their hope for their dreams. Back then this was what I said to myself in front of seemingly impossible tasks and situations. Sometimes when I am able to achieve something I never thought I could, I simply said to myself: “It must have been magic.” But now as I grow older, I begin to question how I’ve gone through those seemingly insurmountable times. Was it the “magic” or the “gotta believe?” Now I’m more inclined to think it was the latter – “faith.”

A visit to the orphanage

The kids didn't have classes on the 8th of March (Women's Day), and so a dozen of them decided to visit their friends who are now in the Mercy Ministry Orphanage. Just a note: a few months back we "gave" (outsourced) our 6 youngest orphans to them. They accept below 10 years of age- while we as a rule accept those above 10 for our literacy center. In short, we're starting to niche our competitive advantage (literacy school for the overaged children and skills training for out-of-school youth).

So I got to hike along with the children. I didn't give permission to use the vehicle, how cruel of me! Along the way, as our leading group waited for the trailing group, I saw some of the kids buying some sweets and other stuff with the little money they have. I got curious. I saw Chan (the boy in the front)buying more than he could actually eat. When we arrived at the orphanage, our six former kids (orphans below 10 yrs) excitedly ran to meet us. Boy! it was as if we hadn't seen each other for a year. They immediately exchanged stories with us, introduced us to their new friends and even to their dogs. I couldn't help laughing. Then I saw Chan pluck out from his pocket his goodies and started sharing it with the orphans, not only to his 6 friends but also the new kids he met. The others then did the same. I was deeply touched. Even the poor can share what they have. Imagine what a better world we would have if the rich can share in the same way?

As I was reflecting on this, I remembered how You multiplied the loaves of bread. Your great work happened only when a little boy shared the little he had (loaves of bread and fish). This little event I experienced gives me hope that greater things can happen because of such generosity from the little ones. It makes me believe more in the saying: "Little means much if you place it in the Master's hand."

ODL Conference

(click on the picture for more news details)

Just arrived from Manila. I attended the 3rd National Conference on Open and Distance Learning (23-24 February) where I was given the chance to be one of the student speakers to share my experience as a distance learner.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to address some 300 academicians from various universities in a plenary session. Previously I've presented papers at the Royal University of Phnom Penh but I was always at the parallel sessions. The other two student sharers with me were Alvin who happens to be a physically challenged student and Sharon who is a well-known TV-movie personality. We had diverse lifestyles, diverse systems of learning, diverse study modes and times, yet we had a common endeavor for academic excellence and the same dream of academic success for the next generation.

Empowering children

A saying oft used in Vocational Training Education is: "Give a man a fish, and you give him food for another day, teach a man to fish and you give him food for a lifetime." (ok, this goes for women too!) Fr. Renato Torresan thought of giving them a net, and off they went to our backyard pond. With Chomroen heading the pack, their afternoon was rewarded with a haul of fish. Their prize catch -two huge catfish. Of course they got to eat some and share some with the other children too.

In the dog-eat-dog of today, there is another variation to this saying I once read somewhere. It goes: "Teach a man to fish, and you introduce another competitor into the overcrowded fishing industry. Give a man a fish, and you stimulate demand for your product." Interestingly this is what is happening in the technical industry when there is an oversupply of skills training in one field and that's why advertising chooses to give out freebies of products both to sell new technologies and to make them diversify into newer sets of technical skills. Truly those of us in Voc-tech training have to be aware of this. But then there is too the TCO (total cost of ownership) to be considered since running vocational schools for poor people and upgrading of equipment demand large financial grants. After all, remove the skilled workers from the country and you'll be left with a lot of "talkers"(those who sell things) and no "doers"(those who fix things).

Today when I went to Mass, I heard You talk about Your Mission as you read from the scroll of Prophet Isaiah. Now I remember you asked me to be part of it - something like: "fisher of men." Oh, ok, ok! let me get busy fishing too.

New Hi-tech Year, Old- Lo-tech Games

It's amazing how we have an inner urging to update, renew, and to get what's the latest. Many kids nowadays aren't just satisfied with last years toys. They need those new computer games, AI-equipped soft toys, and other such gizmos in order to have fun.

Nevertheless I found our kids here in Poipet, Cambodia happilly opening the new year with a series of old-tech games.

On second thought, what really makes a child happy? Is it the "toys they play with" or the "friends they enjoy with?"

Christmas Day

The Salesians, the child leaders, and the children of Don Bosco Poipet wish you all a very Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

On this day, we said farewell to our 20 year old German volunteer, Karin, who stayed with us for around six months watching over the girls of the center literally 24/7. It's amazing to see the commitment of young people nowadays. Youth serving youth, as they say. Young people guided into good causes could always be harbingers of peace and development; but misguided they could cause great havoc too.