My dad often comes up with wild ideas, such as creating a cultural tradition (he's been immortalized in one of the tribal epic poems), flying an ultralight across the Philippine archipelago, or organizing large photography trips up to the rice terraces of Banaue. Sometimes these ideas start with "Wouldn't it be fun if…". Other times, my dad sees a need and responds to it. My mom helps my dad make those ideas reality by connecting with different groups, helping my dad inspire them with his vision, and organizing the logistics.

Growing up watching them move mountains, I learned the power of having a vision and bringing people together. I saw how my parents' initiatives weren't just about doing what they wanted to do, but also making it possible for other people to do what they wanted but never dared to do before. People appreciated the opportunity to make a difference, to join in making things happen.

If you like what I'm learning about and talking about, you'd probably really like learning from my mom (http://daysstories.blogspot.com, http://adphoto.com.ph/business/) and my dad (http://www.pinoyphotography.org/forum/index.php?topic=2922.0 - my dad is MagicEye, check the thread for lots of stories). They rock! =)

Check it out!

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On Technorati: family, =)

I looked up from my computer and asked him what was going on.

The second World PyroOlympics is coming up soon, and he had really wanted to go and shoot it. He was so excited! He had shot it last year (a story in its own right), and he wanted to talk his way into press access for the event. But my dad didn't want just any kind of press access. He wanted to find out if he could get away with, say, representing a horse breeders' magazine... ;) Why? Just for the sheer heck of it!

So he... obtained... a press pass (don't ask how) and was about to hit them up for access when one of the organizers recognized him, shouted his name and called him over. It turned out that the organizers had lost my dad's business card, so they couldn't get in touch with him, but they wanted to invite him to the VIP area for the fireworks festival. With dinner and everything!

He went home with an envelope containing an invitation for "John Chua and Family". Just for showing up. He didn't even need to talk about a fictional horse-breeder magazine. But he was *so* disappointed! Imagine that! Preparing an outrageous setup, getting all excited about seeing just how far he could push the universe, and the universe just handed him the prize on a silver (or at least nice porcelain) plate!

Ay, my dad... You think I'm crazy? ;) You should meet *him!*

On Technorati: family

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He regaled them with anecdotes, showed them great shots, and shared some of the tips and tricks in advertising photography. I learned a few new things, too, like using a backlight for all my CookOrDie food shots to give definition, and using black backgrounds to bring out color. I may yet learn how to shoot portraits...

He showed off his improvised equipment with glee. A styrofoam box turns into a light box for a fraction of the cost of regular equipment. A piece of plexiglass results in a million lighting possibilities. He knows how to shoot on a shoestring budget because that's how he started. With a passion for photography and a can-do attitude, he made everything happen.

My dad has always loved sharing what he's learned. My mom told me how, when my dad was starting out, he asked an established photographer about a shot. The photographer refused to teach him, telling him, "That's a secret." Then and there, my dad must have resolved to share everything he could—and sometimes a few things he shouldn't, to my mom's chagrin!

I can't believe my dad was once shy. My mom said that when she first got to know him, he answered each of her questions with a single word! "So you like photography?" "Yes." "What do you like shooting?" "Anything." Now you can't get him to stop talking! ;)

My dad doesn't need Toastmasters training or anything like that. He does it all naturally: exciting vocal variety, vivid body language, dramatic pauses, and a strong rapport with the audience... Wow.

My mom learned that she also needs to be able to speak at the drop of a hat. She found out about seminar just a few days ago, when she read a post by my dad on a Philippine photography forum. Not only did my dad announce the workshop, but he also said that my mom would speak about the business of photography. After all, his success at shooting wouldn't have been possible without her, and no whirlwind tour of professional photography would be complete without talking about the professional side of things. She managed it, though, and will probably refine her talk as she has more of these sessions.

I foresee my parents getting the hang of holding workshops... Maybe I can learn from them about life on the lecture circuit! =) I love this universe!

On Technorati: family

I need to set aside time for this. I'm missing out on people's stories, on the cool stuff that's happening in their lives. I miss hearing about my dad's adventures and my sister's colorful goings-on. I miss listening to my mom's insights and chatting with my barkada.

I should schedule that in. It's at least as important as meeting my research supervisor regularly or hanging out with my friends here. I'd like that time to be less about me telling them stories or asking for advice and more about me listening to their stories. My mom doesn't blog, so that's the only way I'll get to hear about Ginger and Adphoto and all of these other things...

(Which reminds me - I still owe them the map thing.)

On Technorati: friends, family

I love my family to bits. Here's a recent story from my mom:

Hi Sacha, we spent the night here in Alabang. Kathy (for the most part) and I cooked. although papa volunteered to wash the dishes, he was overwhelmed by the task - because we had guests :). Last night he joked that he would like to go back to the Philippines so he could call Jeanna to wash dishes.:D Actually, he went to bed promising to do the dishes in the morning but Tita Liz and Jed took charge and cleaned everything after papa went upstairs. I didn't tell papa. ;) When he woke up, he said he would do as promised. When he saw that all the dishes had been cleaned, he said his fairy godmothers came to do the work for him. But he did wash the dishes that we used at breakfast. He is being broken in, and we're having fun. Wish you were here.

Papa asked, "Whats the best way to wash dishes?" Kathy answered, "Dial (our home phone number), and tell Jeanna you'd pick her up in half an hour." :-D Seriously though, Papa did a great job.

I love how my family jokes with each other. =)

On Technorati: family, story

The new place is just fifteen minutes away from work if there's no traffic on the Skyway. My dad's happy to be there, and my mom finds it so peaceful. I'm glad they moved!

Also, welcome to Ginger, our new puppy! Now I will have to remember to say that we have _three_ dogs, two cats, one lovebird, and one elephant... ;) (Well, the elephant isn't really ours, but she's wonderful.)

On Technorati: family

Random Japanese sentence: 突然、猫の鋭い叫び声が私たちに聞こえた。 All of a sudden, we heard the sharp cry of a cat.

"I want small groups, so no one can hide in the anonymity of crowds. ;) I'm tired of audiences. I want participants. I don't want to hear presentations. I want to be part of conversations." This kind of thinking is what is setting you apart as a teacher and as a student. I am proud that this is the way you think and feel, and I know you will try your best to bring out not only the best in you, but also the best in others, and you will acknowledge that the others are doing the same to you. We should approach each other, like you said, not in the traditional manner of teacher teaching and student learning. There is no reason why they can't be both teachers and students at the same time. I believe that the most exciting times are when teachers and students discover "lessons" (learnings?) at the same time. When a teacher helps to bring a student to where he is by teaching him what he knows, the teacher is still where he is; and save for the additional information, the student is!

probably still where he is, but when they discover something together, both move at least a step higher in the quest for knowledge.

So many of my thoughts on education and other things come from my mom. She checked out practically every grade school in the area looking for the best school for my sisters and me, choosing St. Scholastica's College because it offered small group instruction with individualized pacing. She pushed for the creation of a gifted program and then for its expansion to include all students. She read to me until her voice cracked: The Three Little Pigs, the Big Fish, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish... And when I moved on to more complex material (having figured out how to read The Three Little Pigs upside down), she left interesting books lying around: kid-friendly encyclopedias and references, books on business and career, even books on parenting teenagers (which naturally I read from cover to cover).

She never dictated a career for me, but instead helped me learn how to listen to the world and to myself. She never emphasized grades, but instead emphasized the learning experience. That said, when I got three Ds (got bored in my merit English classes for fiction and poetry), she warned me that I'm going to have to work extra hard to get people to overlook that on my record. ;) But she taught me what it was like to love learning and to want to fill other people with that love.

I love my mom. =) Give your mom a hug today.

On Technorati: family, mom, education

Random Japanese sentence: 猫は闇で物が見える。 A cat can see in the dark.

On Technorati: mama, love, family

I checked my mailbox last Friday and saw a note telling me to pick up a package during office hours. It was past 5 already, so I didn't get to pick it up until today. Perfect, perfect timing. =) My mom sent me a wonderful little heart pillow signed by my friends at the Skype party they held a few weeks ago. She also included a smiley sign, similarly dedicated. And just because my mom's the kind of ultrathoughtful mom who anticipates everything, she also sent me a set of contacts. =)

It was the perfect pick-me-up, and I feel very, very, very much loved.

On one side of the heart:

And on the other side of the heart:

I hung the smiley sign on the tackboard in my cubicle. It reads:

Life will work out. It always does. =)

On Technorati: happy, barkada, friends, family

Random Japanese sentence: 私は何匹かのかわいそうな猫が追い出されるのを見た。 I saw some poor cats kicked out. Watashi wa nanbiki ka no kawaiisou na neko ga oidasareru no o mita.

On Technorati: mom, family

Random Japanese sentence: 私達はその猫をマドンナと呼んでいる。 We call the cat Madonna.

Happy birthday, kathychua.com!

On Technorati: family

Random Japanese sentence:

強盗は屋根からあの邸宅に入ったに違いない。 The cat burglar must have entered the mansion from the roof.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens . . .

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

My mother is one of the youngest people I know. She is the warmest memory of my youth, and her hugs still touch me half a world away. My father makes me laugh, but my mother dries my tears; my father rescues me from trouble, but my mother guides me away from it; my father takes me on adventures, but my mother takes me into dreams.

If I am to grow old, let me grow old like my mother. The wrinkles on her face are the laugh-lines of a life well-lived. I want to grow old like her, in the company of friends and the warmth of love.

But if I am to grow old like my mother, I will never grow old, only more alive.

On Technorati: family