CSR PROJECT PROPOSAL: Knowledge Management

       Modernisation paves the way for the growing demands for organisational innovation and the constant quest for information technology (IT)-driven activities and initiatives that can minimise, if not eliminate, costs (be it financially or environmentally) of acquiring and sharing information. Given this, institutions must find ways to create pathways that will engineer systems to mediate the information needs of users. 

One useful concept in data management and sharing is the so-called Knowledge Management (KM). KM, as defined by Davenport in 1994, is the “process of capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge” (Koenig, M., 2012). In addition, the Gartner Group also released a more specific definition of said approach. According to Gartner Group, KM is “a discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing all of an enterprise's information assets. These assets may include databases, documents, policies, procedures, and previously un-captured expertise and experience in individual workers” (Duhon, 1998 as cited by Koenig, M.). 

The main thrust of KM is to connect people within the organisation, through an intranet, and to make information easily available to users. It is through this that data are shared in a more efficient way - within shorter time period and minimal paper trail requirements. It is also an environment that could foster rich communication and connection within its users and promotes a culture of organisational openness.

     As the Office moves towards its desired CSR state, it is important to start on the different issues where a potential CSR activity can grow. As an employee with hands on experience and first hand knowledge of the Office’s core functions, I was able to look into the details of our processes. 

    One of the crucial roles of the Office is providing information to the Executive Management and other Departments that need access to different documents and information of the Bank. The documents can be classified as highly confidential, restricted, and non-restricted. The requests, on the other hand, vary from inquiry regarding memoranda, forms, templates, guidelines, letters, and circulars, among other things. On the average, the Office receives around 50 memoranda and letter-requests daily. These documents are typically two-pages. On the other hand, the Office also sends a one to two page letter-reply as covering memorandum in addition to the requested documents of the sender. The number of pages of the requested documents ranges from from one to 20 pages, and hence, the Office’s paper consumption.

The scope of the CSR project is only on the non-restricted documents released by the Office as other documents categorised as restricted and highly confidential are cannot be subjected to the proposed CSR project. As my CSR project, I proposed that our Office become part of a KM Portal. 

       Using the analysis and the Three Pillars of Sustainable Development, a KM Portal (KMP) can be recommended as it adheres to the requirements of said framework. It gives importance to the social aspect as it it still preserves the integrity of data that is needed by the stakeholders. It is also environmentally friendly because it will aid in lessening paper consumption of the Office. On the other hand, it is economic because it saves the Office from high cost of paper inventory while at the same time improves its efficiency in providing the users easy access to non-restricted information.  

Dear Enron: An Open Letter 14 Years In The Making

Dear Enron,

It was October of 2001 when your scandal was revealed. I was in my sixth grade then. I remembered Papa watching you on our television set. Hello! Mind you, I didn’t take you up seriously then.

2006, I encountered you again.  Yes, on the pages of one of my accounting books. You were actually a star. I gave you more attention now than then. You were part of my exam after all.

Years passed and overtime I learned how to manage hearing your name without reciting the issues that led to your demise. But with a sudden twist of fate, here we are again. How are you? How are they? 

Your story is a page turner. Big shot energy firm with high market value per share plummeting down the drain, executives living lavish lifestyle then held captive for corruption, greed, fraudulent transactions, window dressing, obsession with money, conflict of interest, poor governance, depreciating sense of corporate culture, manipulation of accounting records and books, and insider trading. Bam! It all boiled down to loyal employees losing their jobs, investments, and retirement benefits. It has all the elements to win a Nobel. 

Looking at you after 14 years while I am in graduate school proves that you are the best example of an ethics lesson. Thanks to your story, I was able to learn that:

People are people. We are made of different beliefs, goals, and interests. Most of the time, we have conflicting views and in business these conflicting views can be detrimental not only on the company but for each of its employees. We do not serve only ourselves but others as well.

Corporate culture starts from up then goes down. Upper management has the responsibilities and obligations to establish a culture that is based on good ethics and governance.  What it sets as an example will cascade down to its employees. We don’t want blind people navigating our spaceship towards a meteorite. Be good, be always good!

Profits are just mere figures. People are the real value. I know that I cannot compete with traditional idea that business is for profit. However, I don’t want to be boxed inside its four corners without having to say my piece. There is no need for convincing. I do not need to convince you, my dear, that what you have done for profit with your people at stake was wrong. No. There is no need. Because you are completely wrong from the very beginning. 

Businesses and business persons nowadays do not need to wait 14 years to hear and learn from your story. Everything is just a matter of mindset and ethical behaviour. But the sad part is not everyone are like that. I know, somewhere out there, there are firms that are like you. And so, I am knocking on each door for them to hear me. 

Above all, everyone can be a change agent for the good.

Regards, 

Anne

Service Learning Day 2: An Early Christmas Treat

Since December was near and the holiday season was getting closer, our group’s second Service Learning activity dwelt on this idea as we gave the 51 children of Barangay Oranbo an early Christmas treat.

The activity includes: Stop Dance, Newspaper Dance, and Kalamansi Relay

There was also performances from the talented kids of Oranbo

And lots of gift giving.

At the end of the day, I felt delighted. It really is a great feeling when you give and share your blessings to others. It was complete happiness when I saw the children enjoying the party and appreciating every bit of it. My heart also felt an instant joy when we were asked by the Pastor to continue with our CSR activities and even invited us to do it again on their community. Our efforts for making them happy succeeded.

For A Better World

Let’s open our eyes to a better a world - a place of safety, harmony, and unity.

Let’s learn how to appreciate life and give back.

Small, minute, material.

Let’s change for the better.

Let’s change for ourselves and others.

Let us be the spark, let us be the light. 

Service Learning Day 1: A "Profitable" Experience

       Coming from a banking institution and with business as a background, I found our first day of Service Learning (SL) a recap of what I used to impart to other students when I was in college and a continuation of our institution’s advocacy for financial education.

Our group’s first SL activity is entitled “Tara, Ipon Na’t Kumita Tayo”. 

It was divided into two segments with the Ipon Session as the first part, discussed and presented by me, KR, and Dianne. We were chosen for this part because we are all from the banking sector. The second part catered to the Kumita segment and was presented by Emy, Snow, Candy, and Lizette. Jan, Nikki, and Xiel were the overall in charge/supervisors of the event.

IPON Part - discussion about why we need to save, basic know-how on how to save, and    where to save. 

   There was also an activity on financial planning where mothers of Barangay Oranbo made a monthly income and expense sheet that could help in saving.

KUMITA PART - discussion about what we can do with our savings and business opportunities. The participants were taught how to plant tomato seeds, and make pizza rolls and graham balls. 

In conclusion, I was able to see money and banking in a different light. Most of the participants do not have enough money to consider as savings and some have negative net worth or deficit that they do not know when and how to start saving. It was also an opportunity for me, as someone who has the skills in banking, to share my knowledge and impart some tips that could help the participants on their quest for financial freedom. I hope that I was able to open their minds on the idea that saving for the future is important as breathing and that time is of the essence when we talk about money and investments. Above all, the activity is a learning experience for me and my teammates because it made us see that using our talents and background, we were able to improve something that we thought we cannot be improve - that is the money mindset of many. 

Bridging the GAP

        As a member of the female species, retail therapy can be one of the many highlights of my life. I mean, who doesn’t like the scent of a store, a touch of a new fabric, or simply a new garment sitting inside one’s closet?

On the outer shell, I may be perceived as someone who only gives importance on clothing. However, business school taught me that the dress sitting pretty inside my wardrobe is a product of not only of the brand but by sweat of workers and seams of materials and these things are far greater than the output itself.

Corporation branding is not synonymous to responsible corporate branding. Companies must learn that aside from hitting the target and quotas, and delivering consumer goods and services, they also have duties and responsibilities towards the people who really created the true value for their brands. They must be given appropriate and good working condition, wages that can truly provide for a quality life, and satisfying job that maximise the employees’ potential.

A very relevant case on this issue is the case of Gap, Inc. Gap, Inc. is a retail brand that offers clothing, accessories, and personal care for kids, women, and men. Under their corporate umbrella are other brands like Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta, and Intermix. The company has a global niche as evidence by its 3,300 branches in 90 countries and 400 franchise stores.

In 1995, Gap, Inc. outsourced the production of its apparel for cheap labor in El Salvador to meet import demands. The firm rested the fate of its products and workers on the hand of Mandarin International, its partner supplier, who ran the El Salvador plant. The condition in the El Salvador plant was harsh and was never good for Gap, Inc.’s workers. As an example, the employees were only paid $0.56 per hour, made them produced goods and worked for more than 12 hours, were not allowed to have restroom breaks, and union members, even the female members, were treated badly. Employees were also threatened not to join any labor union.

Reports of these incidents reached Gap, Inc.’s head office. In line with the issues, the company sent one of its SVP to investigate. However, Gap, Inc.’s SVP after several investigation presented similar conclusions that there was nothing wrong with the working condition in its El Salvador plant. 

Looking at it, the case can be viewed as open ended one. But why would we let it hanging?

This is a challenge that can be posed not only for corporations but for individuals as well. To what extent do we prioritise profit over people? On what degree do we need to stop and think about our employees’ welfare and condition? The answer is NOW. It is about time to bridge the gap between different company priorities of profit, people, and planet. It is not only the big firms’ duty, it is OUR duty.  It is time to, well, 

2015 Thousand Books Project

I know it is still October and Halloween is also around the corner but we, the members and volunteers of Thousand Books Project, are already making a noise to signal the start of our book drive campaign for the Gawad Kalinga children. Thousand Books Project aims to raise more than a thousand books, hence, its name.

So, this 2015, we are gunning for:

MORE BOOKS. MORE COMMUNITIES. MORE DREAMS

MORE BOOKS. English to teach our kids basic English grammar.

MORE COMMUNITIES. Last year, we covered Southern Manila. This year, we are going to GK villages in the north of Manila, more specifically GK Palates.

MORE DREAMS. We are adding "self-concept" and goal-setting as part of our themes.

We are now accepting donations! See "How Can I Help?" below for details.  Also, if you want to volunteer, give us a shout. We promise you'll enjoy it!

More details to come soon! If you want to be part of this amazing movement, feel free to message us! Visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thousandbooks

The Ford/Firestone: A Case of Finger Pointing

http://www.sptimes.com/News/webspecials/firestone/qa.shtml

        

The Ford/Firestone case is one good example of a violation of business ethics, the governing principles of a company's action. As stated, it was one big deadly combination with numerous reported accidents involving the Ford Explorer, and its instability. The controversy explored the realm of corporate responsibility being put on top of the heads not only of the biggest firms, but also of the whole automobile industry and other industries as well. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-firestone-settle-rollover-suit/

Background:

Ford and its engineers worked on a new vehicle, the Ford Explorer. The Explorer resembled Ford's truck "The Ranger", also with its Twin I-Beams, which is very famous among Americans, with the classiness of a sedan. The Explorer was built with Firestone tires. This was the Ford Explorer then. 

.

    

The Ford engineers, in their test of the prototype Explorer, found out that the vehicle had an issue with its stability. Said engineers recommended possible solutions to cure the vehicle's stability problems, such as lowering the car's centre of gravity, widening its wheel, and using smaller tire. However, the Management of Ford did not want any derail in its plan to launch the vehicle to the market. To partially solved the problem, they opted to set the tires' inflation pressure to 26 psi. 

After this and the market launch of the Explorer were the reports of Explorer-related accidents. These accidents happened when the tires' tread separated from the body and cause the car to roll over. Said incidents did not only occur in the United States alone but also in other countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. 

Ford blamed Firestone for this and decided to replace the tires with Goodyear tires. It was at this instant, coupled with the recalls, that Firestone suffered losses, thus, entered Bridgestone, a Japanese-owned company. However, Bridgestone failed to revolutionise Firestone's culture and this led to employee strikes and unions that resulted in Bridgestone employing non-experienced workers and production of poor quality tires.


My Assessment: A More Intensive Analysis

This case is not merely a technical vehicular issue but a deeper one. Ford and Firestone are morally responsible to the victims, the victims' families, and the rest of its customers and they contributed to all Explorer-related accidents. Firestone knew the best psi for the Explorer and yet it failed to influence Ford in using it. Ford, on the other hand, chose its personal interest and gain (as evident by its decision to resolve simpler and more short-term vehicular issues) than the interest of its customers and the public.

Both companies failed to perform their moral and ethical responsibility towards the common good and address their problems as they just pointed out their fingers. 


Conclusion

The Ford/Firestone case is a realisation that companies' roles in the society go beyond maximisation of profit. Industries nowadays should bear in mind that there is a deeper meaning to their existence - people. People inside and outside the organization. It is their responsibility to take care of them and bring utmost security to protect them. People, after all, is considered the a firm's most important asset.   

           

        

The Selfless Road

It seems like we are all marching on our own selfless roads. As we venture on this path, we may come to realise that our minute efforts to somehow change the world will not be put into waste. Our voices will be heard, even the softest. Our words will linger, yes, even the briefest. Our actions will be magnified, twice as much. And we are all going to be remembered as those who touched people's lives. 

This is the very essence of service learning - it is a pedagogy of life. It makes us feel excited and alive because we will experience life. At the same time, it will be a learning privilege. We will learn from others as they will also learn from us. We will serve, we will give back because we are fortunate. We will share because we believe that love, talent, and voice should be spread because we have more than enough. 

These are the musings being considered in choosing our SL community. Will this community  enlighten us of the real world and will we be able to let them see the light as well? The light that embodies human dignity and rights.

This is the reason why our group chose to help Wordcomm because it is through it that we feel and think that more number of lives will be touched and changed. 

  

GREENSCAPE: Inside Brian's World

There are conflicting views on the legalisation of marijuana. Marijuana is a contradiction in itself. Is neither good or bad, so they say. It gives you high and push you even lower. Cannabis supporters lobbied for its decriminalisation, citing benefits (especially the medicinal ones) as their main justification. On the other hand, government and anti-marijuana enthusiasts were at the forefront of marijuana eradication. 

The case 'Brian’s Franchise' talked about this. Set in the1980s, this non-fiction studies the drug war in the United States (US), the extensive effort of the US Government to eradicate the growing marijuana industry, the constant struggle between government and marijuana farmers, and Brian, a well-off American in his twenties, and an owner of a large franchise chain of small indoor farms specializing in growing marijuana in the US. Equipped with expertise in breeding and raising marijuana plants indoors, he dropped out from college in 1989 and started his own chain of small indoor marijuana gardens in rented houses in and around Washington DC where he sells his plants and expertise to local farmers, who in turn, gave him a percentage of proceeds as his profit.  With the emergence of a more extensive efforts by the US Government to completely destroy the marijuana industry in 1989, Brian moved to Amsterdam where he continued his business and learned to innovate indoor marijuana gardening. It was modernization at its finest.

So, what should Brian do? What should we suggest he should do? 

Brian has the right to pursue his interest. John Locke will tell us that human beings have the natural right for freedom and property. Hence, Brian can consider continuimg his marijuana business. Everything is up to him. Do as what he pleases to do. On the other hand, Adam Smith and his "invisible hand" would show that in any business case, utilitarianism is always the name of the game. Common good, the benefit for all, the consumers, are industries' masters. Or we can look at it this way. What would Karl Marx do? Marxism will prescribe that capitalism is biased and cruel and that the natural order things must be done through government intervention. 

So, tell me, what is the right thing to do? What philosophical root should we let influence us? Will there be an absolute answer to this? The answer is none.

Ingrained in it is an obvious answer, that is, it must be based on ethics, like the necessity for government intervention to control the things that cannot be put solely in the hands of private individuals, like slavery and child labor. Moreover, as we pass this issue on different ethical frameworks, ethics will dictate that in this case, marijuana, even with its benefits, is still marijuana and is considered illegal in most parts of the world. Thus, promoting its cultivation can be considered unethical. Ethics also taught us that the real essence of producing goods is to produce something that is really good. And lastly, God has given us gifts and all the skills and talents, and therefore, it is our duty to give back by producing something out of it that will positively impact the society.   

ETHICAL CRASHES: The Ford Pinto Case

    We, at most times, believe that ethics govern the province of business reasoning. Checking it through today’s lens, businesses nowadays claimed that aside from maximising profit, they created an evenly increasing social responsibility that is now embedded in them. Decisions are said to be based on ethical frameworks and continuous and conscious efforts in upholding ethical behaviours from executives down to the rank and file employees, they said, are existing.  Though this may be true, we cannot deny the fact that the conflict on what is economical and ethical is still prevalent for some.

The Ford Pinto, Ford’s 1970s controversial compact car, is a good example. With intense competition with Volkswagen, Ford rushed the production of Ford Pinto earlier than its expected launch regardless of the engineers’ discovery that rear-end collisions would rupture the car’s fuel system. The Pinto was responsible for numerous fatalities in the US alone, as well as with large number of burn injuries. 

Given this and the decision of Ford to pay lawsuits and to lobby against safety standards for eight years instead of replacing Pinto’s parts provided an ever greater gap between economics and ethics, thus also creating animosity on morality. With its performance of cost-benefit analysis, Ford was able to calculate its direct and indirects costs, property damage, and insurance, among other things, and to determine the monetary value of a person’s life and suffering. Thanks to this analysis, Ford executives were able to take out ethics and morality from the equation and delivered an output that was purely business and based on greed. Driven by the financial need to maximise profit and minimise cost, Ford’s Management embarked on a journey towards numbers, taking for granted the most important decision making factors, the customers and their safety.  

In conclusion, the decision of Ford opened a wide window for management morality criticism not just for the company but also for the whole automobile industry as this one involved an evidence of the unethical and immoral viewpoints of executives. By contrast, it was a wake up call.  It was also an opportunity for an ethics check up or even an overhaul because ethics, after all, is not just a makeshift thing.  

On the World of Wealth and Protector of Money

We knew it as we checked our mailbox this morning. We know his writings all too well and we also know that we are in a big trouble. A second passed and we realised that we need help so bad. Save us from Mr. Bills! 

Before we start, let us answer a series of questions. Is spending money really addictive? How many clothes do we need to shop to make us happy and satisfied? Do these letters look familiar, S-A-L-E?  Is showing off makes the world a better place? Are we guilty of going beyond our means? Is stopping and re-assessing our finances impossible to do? If we answer yes to all these questions, then darlings, we are in dire need of help, and trust me, not from our credit cards.

Finance taught us many things. Earning money is hard but spending it is easy. Keeping our money is even harder. Knowing how to use money properly is the hardest.

We are constantly bombarded with financial information. Nowadays, websites tell us how to spend wisely or where to invest our hard-earned money. A red on the board and we buy. A green will say sell. We can also download application on our smartphones to track our expenses or we can just simply open Excel and make our own. Cool, isn’t it? Yes, Sir! Wealth building books also made the cut. Remember Trump and Kiyosaki?  How about Napoleon Hill? Felix Dennis, anyone? Is Sophia Kinsella counted? 

But even if we have this buffet of information, the quest for financial freedom still remains. Will these avenues enable us to change or we are going to stay stuck in a maze? Can we achieve financial liberty because of them? Yes, no, or maybe.

As I watched Suze Orman’s video, I can’t help but agree with her. As information gets easier, life gets harder. And just like Finance, she taught me things. Eight months worth of emergency fund? Check! Savings account and time deposit before stocks? Check, check, and check! Trust me, it felt like a girl on girl talk minus the chocolates. On the other hand, I can’t deny the fact that there are points where I found myself somehow guilty. I am guilty that I bought that pair of pink shoes even if it was not on budget (it makes me happy, I told myself); that  sometimes I defer paying my bills (will do it next week); that I lent a big sum of money to someone who will never pay it back (opportunity cost comes into play); that I still find it hard to have the courage to tell a person (or even myself) that he is not financially sound; that I am still waiting for my pure equities UITF account to spring back to life because it once did (give my gains back!); that until now, I am still asking myself, “Is time on my side?”; and that I am not always rational. These may be the reasons why I am still inside the maze, trying to look for the key for financial freedom. 

So, right now, I am asking myself, am I in a position to  escape that financial maze, change and make a big leap towards financial liberty? Am I ready to alter the story of my life and my money? If I am, are you?

As I contemplate, I realised that it will all boils down to this. Money and taking care of it are integral parts of our lives, as well as truth and lies, whether we like it or not. Bills and expenses are things of everyday and we can never avoid them (but we can control them). Investments are not only for the Wall Street people or Gordon Gekko, it is also for simple people like us. But in that world, past is past. Like Enron and the Lehman Brothers, sunk costs are history. Look forward. We can all be saved if we want to save ourselves. All we need is financial knowledge, discipline, and that tiny spark that will tell us to change. 

In Words: Life, Race, and Endpoints

       “One by one, I’ll face the tasks before me and complete them as best as I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the same time taking a long-range view, scanning the scenery as far ahead as I can. I am, after all, a long-distance runner.

My time, the rank I obtained, my outward appearance - all of these are secondary. For a runner like me, what’s really important is reaching the goal I set for myself, under my own power. I give it everything I have, endure what needs enduring, and am able, in my own way, to be satisfied. From out of the failures and joys, I always try to come away having grasped a concrete lesson. It’s got to be concrete, no matter how small it is. And I hope that, over time, as one race follows another, in the end, I’ll reach a place I’m content with. Or maybe just catch a glimpse of it.” (Haruki Murakami, What I Talked About When I Talked About Running)

In my writings, I always tell stories of other people’s lives. Yes, life, that sublime and surreal thing hidden in the gray smoke of uncertainty. In my stories, I seldom tell the story of my life and what I do with it. Mine is always hidden. Theirs are more open like lights coming through the curtains, waking you up. But I guess it won’t hurt to share a part of mine. Writing this is not an assurance of a life clear of gray smoke but we can give it a try. So, this time, let me tell you a little bit of my life. This one is for your taking.

Hi, I am Anne. All my life, I’m excited but scared.

I’m excited of this life that I headed and I am heading. It is thoroughly planned by God, my family, and myself. I graduated in a business school. I landed a job in the banking industry. I can say that I am starting to be financially successful. I am taking up my MBA, focused on finishing it. And then goes the DBA. I even managed to squeeze  in travel in all these. Everything is according to plan. I have everything. At the same time, I am nervous. I am apprehensive of what tomorrow will bring or if  there will be a tomorrow coming for me. But the thing I am scared the most is that, at the end of the day, after all these courses, the certificates, the salary and bonuses, I am still nothing. You know what I mean? I walk, most of the time run, through this path of life. I hurried fast to every finish line. I am very competitive. But looking back, I can only see the kilometres, the numbers, how far I did go. But what does that mean? What does this mean? Do I learn something from my run? Am I fulfilled? Am I truly happy? Have I done something?

It is not until three years ago that I found what all these mean. In December of 2013, my best friend invited me to do some volunteer works with a Gawad Kalinga village in Paranaque. No, we didn’t build houses. My best friend and I would like to call it “building small people’s lives”. Back then, we taught children to read and understand stories (think Adarna Publishing books) in English. We thought it was better to start with these story books because it requires the children to imagine. Imagination is important to a child’s cognitive development (I do sound like a Promil endorser here). It is basic but it really does matter. I am a firm believer that basic problems can be cured by basic solutions. No fuzz about it. At the same time, the kids always have a good time. 

After each session, I often reflected on what the children learned and what I learned from them. In my class, there is only one golden rule: Everyone has to speak his or her mind. 

In one of our most recent sessions, we let the children drew their feelings and aspirations. The work of one of the children strikes me the most. He wrote “Be-You-Tiful”. He explained this by saying that everyone is unique and that we need to respect each other’s perfections and flaws. We have different interests. He added that even if he is poor and he is not good in English, he has his dreams to pursue and no one has the right to stop them from coming true. He was then bullied. He felt unmotivated. But it is through the lessons from those story books that he learned to overcome all those.

Looking back at it now as I do this blog entry, I came to a realisation. For three years, I have the same sentiments as that boy, but unlike him, I have been silent. I endure what is there to endure. I just want to finish the race. I have all these potential, opportunities, and resources, and yet I am still a target for belittlement. But as what this boy said no one can stop us from making our dreams come true.     

In conclusion, I can say that I am very fortunate to have all these opportunities and resources for me to finish every race. At the same time, I ask the question, how unfortunate it is for them that they don’t have what I have? But thinking about it, we, these kids and I, are the same. We are all human beings and we all have dreams. Our dreams are not of those kinds that are only embedded in our subconscious. They are meant to be real. Having these potentials to help, equipped by the lessons that these children taught me, and coupled with my experiences, the power is in my hands. This is why I, together with my best friend and some college friends created “The Thousand Books Project”. The Project does not only aim to donate story books to GK villages, but at the same time, motivate GK kids through storytelling. Continuous learning is my calling. Motivating children to aspire for the best is another thing. Let the children dream, they are meant to dream. Let them show it. No person is allowed to demean them. God has given me all the tools to help them. I have gifts. It is time to share it to them. 

In the end, I hope that through this calling, I will be able to touch the lives of others and leave an impact on their hearts, no matter how little it is. And if tomorrow never comes for me, I pray that before I run at that last finish line of mine, I can look back at that life that is mine with smile on my face knowing that I  learned what I need to learn, I live it as moral as possible, and I will leave it sublime and surreal with no trace of grey smoke of uncertainty. 

Hi, I am Anne. With this life, I have never been this excited. 

And you know what, I am no longer scared.   

My life is a life well-lived.

   

In A Canon's Cloak

I will always remember my friend Sophia and the question she answered during a “Would You Rather” when we were young. It goes: “Would you rather be rich but lonely or poor but happy?”. She answered the former. A few hours later, I cornered her and asked the reason for her answer. She said, “Because I have always been that way.” Is that it?

I spent the rest of my college days being curious in capturing the spirit of wealth and happiness, their meanings, the disparity, as well as their connection. For years, I always wonder, if you can give your excess riches, even just a portion of it, to the poor and the poor gives you his extra happiness, then wouldn’t it be perfect? Wouldn’t it be a win-win situation?  I mean, this is what we are aiming for, right? I sometimes asked myself. This is what Management classes taught us. Strike win-win! But one thing I learned, win-win does not exist solely in the realm of business, of maximising profit and minimising costs, but there is this other world. Reality. And that world is complex, fast, modern, and ever-changing. 

Modern day realities (such as globalization, modernization, and infrastructures) paves the way for faster, direct, and more convenient way in improving one’s lifestyle, entertainment, and access. No wonder it is no surprise that humans, in a way, are caught inside their own realities. We set ourselves apart on becoming what is truly human. We tend to forget that reality is more than what the retina screen projects and that our realities are different from those of the poor. Ours are the one filled with purple Dome blooms. Theirs?  Theirs can only be dreams that are equivalent to our reality. We must do something. 

There is no harm in eliminating the gap between the rich and the poor. Saint John Baptist De La Salle further validated this when he said, “Real wealth is the ability to think and to feel not to be possessed by possession, to receive, to share. Children know this and there is no class distinction among them. If I can open their minds and let the sun enter in, if enough can do this, if we can only reach beyond the boundaries of the marked rich and poor, if we can open their minds to this light, the world will become a brighter place, closer to peace, closer to human fraternity.”

Doing so doesn’t require a title of a saint. With our intentions of improving their “reality”, we can always wear a cloak just like St. John Baptiste De La Salle and be simply like him -   

As a Dreamer who desires to transform violence to discipline and as someone who, at the same time, fulfills the dreams of others;

As a Leader who will start the spark for positive change and will support and guide his fellows in achieving the ultimate goal of opening the minds of people, especially of the youth, that the rich and the poor can be united;

As a Volunteer who doesn’t ask for anything in return;

As an Educator of the less fortunate whose literacy is a common struggle and as similar as difficulty of putting food on the table and providing shelter;

As a Humble Servant of God and His people, promoting kindness in all classes of people; and

As a Giver who gives something in return to a society that gives him more than enough because he believes that with great power comes great responsibility.