Passionately M

 Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today. Thus said Robert McKee. When I was a child, I loved to listen to stories of old people. In my elementary days, stories in the books and comics fascinated me. In school, we were told stories, and one by one, we were instructed to repeat the story to the teacher to check if we understood things right. During my high school and college days, I was an editor of our school publications, and we, as campus journalists, were trained on the right storytelling. This honed my skills in news, feature and editorial writing. And yes true, pen is powerful, as it is a right vehicle to express one's stories. Storytelling has a profound significance for both writers / narrators and readers alike.  Amidst the deluge of information that inundates our lives, stories emerge as ageless vessels carrying the essence of human experiences and emotions. From the primeval glow of campfires to the digital glow of screens, storytellin...

When I was a junior (third year) in high school, Public Speaking  was my elective subject. I loved it when we were asked to recite William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" . Act III, scene I -- If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? Pondering on these reaction-to-action lines from the last to the first -- I hate the idea of revenge as I am not a vindictive person. I learned to embrace the maximum degree of tolerance when a person wrongs me and leave it to God who sees all. But there is a boundary. Poisoning? Yes, we die if we get poisoned, so be very careful because even when dining in a restaurant, we can get poisoned as we do not know if some of the ingredients expired already or if they comply with safety and hygiene requirements. It is good that in our place, the government is very strict when it comes to foods and beverages being served in res...

Smile is precious, and it is contagious as it is an instant mood lift. In a challenging world with countless people carrying tons of loads on their shoulders, it seems difficult to smile sometimes. But as Pope Francis said , Never forget to smile, even when life is hard. Last June I had some very good reasons to smile. My firstborn son established his home-based publishing business, and the book he authored was already released. My middle child (daughter) passed the nursing board examinations and now she is more than determined to redirect her career path as a registered nurse. The youngest daughter who is a medical research specialist specializing in stem cell therapy, took time out for a week to be with me. Glory to God. A mother's world revolves around her children, no matter how physically far they are away from her. They are in her heart until her last breath. They are her reason to live. Memories with them when they needed her in their childhood will definitely mak...