Have a good day. Count your blessings. And pass or share this to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
Daily Harvest: A Life Saved by Gardening
On a recent trip home to Davao, I was lucky to find time to escape commitments in the city and have some brief R&R with friends. We drove to Baguio district, where I met Mang Sandro Gaitano. He apparently brews some of the best coffee in this part of town
Mang Sandro organically grows his own Robusta and Arabica beans. He then handpicks, de-pulps, roasts, and grinds them, resulting in some delightful coffee that probably tastes better than your favorite coffee shop brew. I had a chance to chat with him a bit, and I’ve since reflected on his story.
Mang Sandro’s coffee
Mang Sandro sells a freshly brewed cup for only ten pesos. You can enjoy this with a breathtaking view of Davao City from his porch where you’ll occasionally feel a cool breeze pass through.
Aside from this cozy environment, your coffee can go with free bananas from Mang Sandro’s garden, depending on availability. There are also guavas from his yard and wild berries surrounding his house, and you can pick them yourselves.
If you loved Mang Sandro’s coffee (and surely you will), you can take home a small pack for 100 pesos or one kilo for 350 pesos.
Mang Sandro’s turning point
Together with his monkey Nicolas Cage (who derives his name from being cooped up in a cage), Mang Sandro enjoys a simple and pleasant life that’s far from what he was living more than two decades ago.
Mang Sandro actually once suffered from drug addiction. His family almost gave up on him after his countless promises of changing, which remained unfulfilled for a long time.
The turning point for Mang Sandro came when he faced a life-threatening illness. With newfound motivation and a stronger resolve for a drug-free life, Mang Sandro went back to the land left to him by his parents. There, he worked on rehabilitating himself and starting anew.
Mang Sandro has been clean for more than 20 years now.
These days, he spends most of his time tending to his garden, planting bananas, cacao trees, and durian. He also attends gardening and coffee processing seminars to further expand his knowledge.
He’s also been recognized for his organic gardening efforts. With the earnings from his own garden and the few guests who visit his house for coffee, he is able to earn a living and support himself.
Hats off to you, Mang Sandro. And thank you for sharing your story with me. You are a true testament that we can turn our lives around even in simple ways, like finding joy in our daily harvest.
Adtu ta sa Laswitan!
A few days ago, I had a chance to reconnect with an old friend who’s an avid traveler. I was pleased to hear about one of her recent trips, a short getaway to Laswitan in Cortes, Surigao del Sur. This coastal attraction is apparently fast becoming a popular tourist destination, and her recommendation piqued my interest.
Huge rocks protect visitors from the waves that crashes through the shores. A typical view in Laswitan. (video courtesy of Diane Suelto)
It’s been many years since I last visited this part of Mindanao. They didn’t have paved roads then, but I’d already heard accounts of pristine coastline and dramatic rock formations. As my friend showed me photos of her visit to Laswitan Lagoon, I couldn’t help but get excited. It seemed like a perfect marriage of seaside thrills and soothing calmness, depending on the people present. For thousands of years, waves have been crashing into those rocks and molding them, carving out the lagoon into what it is today. I could imagine the poetry of it, the story being told by those rocks.
As my friend showed me more photos and videos, she reminded me that Laswitan had recently reopened to the public after going through some restoration. Prior to this, tourists were leaving all kinds of trash that included candy wrappers, paper, plastic utensils, diapers, and more. She was proud of the local government and visitors for turning this place around. It’s apparently been a team effort.
She also mentioned that while roads are much better now, there’s still a bit of a rough stretch left, a good six kilometers. I sure won’t be bringing a sedan when I visit. In fact, I might just take the whole family and load up on some adventure equipment. Nearby Lanuza town has apparently been developed into a surf spot, so I’m sure my children will love that.
It’s really encouraging to hear these developments of what were once no-name towns. Who knows what we’ll find in these parts of Mindanao in 10, 20 years?
Parols
When it comes to Christmas, no one celebrates it better than the Filipinos. The Philippines is known for celebrating the longest Christmas season in the world.
One unique Filipino Christmas decoration is the parol. Parol or also known as Philippine lantern is traditionally made from colorful papers, bamboo sticks, and shaped like a five-pointed star.
In the early 1900s, these lanterns were originally designed to help villagers find their way to chapels and churches to pray. Today, these lanterns are used to further enhance the spirit of Christmas. Putting up parols in homes, schools, establishments, offices, and schools is a common Filipino tradition.
Nowadays, Filipinos parol makers used new and recycled materials to make parols, like plastic glasses, candy wrappers, soft drink straws, recycled papers and shells. The present day parol come in different shapes and sizes and not necessarily star- shaped: it can be round, rectangular or even square. It could also be designed like a diorama with the Nativity on it.
Indeed, the parol represents the Filipino innovation, creativity and it is the greatest expression of Christmas spirit.
#NicGoesOnlineChristmasTrivia
Perseverance
Perseverance is a key factor for success.
His name is Erwin Macua, 38 years old.
He juggled from being a security guard, pursuing a bachelors degree in Elementary Education, and being a father of 3 children.
And last March 24, 2017, he graduated cum laude from St Theresa’s College in Cebu – the same school where he works as a security guard for the past 20 years.
“Age is not a hindrance, poverty is not a hindrance. Just pursue your dream with the formula: hard work plus determination plus prayer and you will reach your aspirations in life,” Macua said.
An inspiration to his classmates, Macua said he plans to continue his work as a security guard while self-reviewing for the licensure exams for teachers.
He credits his passion for teaching to the lessons he learned from observing the diversity of students in school, which had him looking forward to having his own advisory class in the future.
For now, Macua will continue guarding the gates of STC as he prepares for the licensure examination for teachers in September. He said he has received offers from private and public schools. But his focus now is to pass the exams before he teaches, he said. “It’s one thing to graduate with honors and teach. But I’d be happier to be teaching with a license. That way, I can inspire my future students to work harder,” he said.
Sources: abs-cbnnews.com; sunstar.com.ph
How to Win Customers
I had this in my notebook for a long time. I am not sure whether I got it from a book I was reading or from an article in a website. What I am sure though, is that this set of quotations captures what every brand man has to do to win customers.
Tell me what you think.
Don’t sell me clothes,
Sell me sharp appearance, style and attractiveness.
Don’t sell me insurance.
Sell me peace of mind and a great future for my family.
Don’t sell me a house.
Sell me comfort, contentment, investment and pride of ownership.
Don’t sell me books.
Sell me pleasant hours and profits of knowledge.
Don’t sell me toys.
Sell my children happy moments.
Sell good feelings, self-respect, happiness and solutions to my life’s problems.
– Michael LeBoeuf in “How to win customers and Keep Them for Life”
Do you agree? Why?