Dolly de los Reyes

Democracy, have you had a taste of it? Our heroes had fought hard for it. FREEDOM! EQUALITY! Amidst blood and torn flesh, they had conquered the enemies and had tasted victory. The warrior’s blood had been passed by my ancestors to me; I haven’t smelled of it, but I have been living in it. Spanish regime, Japanese conquistadors, American colonialism, everything had been won over, though lives were sacrificed and visions of Paradise were not achieved. The right time came, and the Filipinos set off into making an independent nation. The Philippine Presidents were believers of democracy, influenced by the American defenders of human rights. The shout for equality became more intense, until democracy was served in a golden platter. In the beginning, it was the best form of government, where all citizens were equal, where everyone had the right to put a leader on the pedestal of power. What was heard was the voice of the majority, in that case, the masses, the majority of the poor to averag

“I am not excited,” I told my partner, Rina, who was going with me to Subic, Zambales for a seminar on Formative Assessment. It was pretty plain for me, ordinary. When I learned that we will just travel by bus on our way to the Phoenix’s main office in Quezon City, I felt burdened. Well, it must be the fact that I dislike riding on public vehicles if my destination has something to do with the school. Anyway, so after two hours of travel, we arrived safely at our destination and headed straight to Travelers Hotel and Event Center. The hotel seemed so refreshing and alluring, I thought. After getting our room key, we unpacked right away and decided to have a walk. What are we supposed to expect there? Nothing much really, so we ended shopping in Duty Free. Any significant thing following that? Pictorial! The boredom and lack of enthusiasm slowly diminished. One pose after the other. Capture! Dinner followed, and rest…rest….rest. What about me? I grabbed a book of Paulo Coelho titled

“Do you care about our class at all?!!!” I asked my pupils, almost pleading, half-shouting. This class has become a nuisance, though I wouldn’t admit that. Well, I’ve been blessed to be with these extremely sweet angels at other times, who would somehow get possessed along the way and would end up wounding a teacher’s heart. Oh! That could be an exaggeration; but yes, they do break my heart. At first, I wouldn’t really mind a series of complaints hurled against my advisory class. I could discipline them, almost effortlessly; so, there must be something else going along in every subject teacher’s journey in my pupils’ self-made haven. But eventually, my eyes have witnessed what has been considered misconduct in the norms of the school; my ears have heard the loudest of shouts saying, “Keep quiet!” (Note: 80% of the population inside does this, so imagine your eardrum breaking out), and my throat has been harassed whenever my signals won’t work (often when they don’t notice me watching

"As a painter or writer, you have to walk even dangerous waters in order to succeed more than the others."  - Frank Hilario Two weeks have passed and I haven't written any article yet. I missed writing, and I deeply sensed it; the circumstances were just too much for me to handle. And so I reclined on my self-imposed "busy state." Inquisitiveness led me into the blog site of a highly-respected man, Frank Hilario. I came upon his blog on a painting genius, whom he likened to a budding writer – full of dreams and full of hopes, but nevertheless realizing his dreams and seeing them come true. Reading further acquainted me with the man behind the paintings, Paul Hilario, the son of Frank Hilario. The latter's writings were written by a genius; the former's paintings were surreal; yes, these people are real. I talked to myself. I asked my heart. I conversed with my imaginary sage. All of them asked me how I was. I fell silent. All three guided me into this

I have met a lot of people, godly, saintly, and the like. But this one's life-changing, simple yet unmistakably unique. It had been quite a while since I last joined a singles' group. Then one day, I said "Yes" to God's invitation. He brought me into this group of entertaining and comical individuals, yet with hearts full of love, nurturing, and care. Needless to say, I enjoyed my first meeting with them. That magical paradise God brought me into is now a cherished place in my heart. These wonderful people have continuously made wonders in my heart. It isn't ordinary to be part of such group, yet God had wowed me again with His most present gift. My friends, my sisters, my brothers...my angels. My new loves. In such a short span of time, you've made your way into my heart. Now my heart's wide open and my arms amply stretched to give you more space in this precious life of mine. Mere words are never enough, for your love simply overflows in my heart. E