Why am I interested in Blogging and Photography? Find out how?

by: Engr. Bonzenti R. Panganiban, CE, REA, REB
Posted: October 24, 2010, 8:00 p.m.

Why am I interested in Blogging and Photography?

Way back in 1995, as an appraiser, when we have fieldwork to do like property ocular inspection, we have to bring along with us a camera, loaded with a 36 shots colored film. Good thing that time, our company issued a "branded" camera. It's black in color.

We need to take pictures every time we have ocular site inspection on offered collateral, to document our travel since it is our company's policy that we have to take some shots as proof of the physical condition of the property.

Photography for me before is not a big deal. I do not mind what position I may take every time I took some shots. I only cared about that I am packed with a basic idea on how to balance the subject, no extra movements when clicking the shutter button and, then "presto", the shot is done.

I do not mind the result, after all, because its just a property and a bank collateral. That's what a mind set I have before.

There was one time, I visited my "Lolo" in Cagayan de Oro, 2 years before he died. He was bed ridden that time. He can't stand with his own but with the assistance of my auntie just to get up. Though he was a stroke patient, he can still talk a little but with a twirling tongue because of affected spot of his brain, the speech center.

When he asked my auntie to get him up and get his wallet. I never had in mind what was in his thoughts that time. After my auntie got the wallet, my "Lolo" got something from it. I thought at first, it was money and he wanted to buy something. But at my surprise, it was an old photo of a man cuddling a little child. He showed it to me and smiled. That man is him, and the child is me.

Me (@ 2-3 months old) and my lolo.

I cant explain that moment. I cant even talked to him when he handed it to me this picture. I just said the magic word, "Thank you papa, for keeping it". All of us his grandchildren fondly called him as papa, instead of lolo.

I am his eldest grandson. He had more than 10 grandchildren. He loved us so much, but I haven't got a chance to ask him, why he kept that lone picture in his wallet? What I had in mind right now is that, he did not only valued that picture, but also the precious moment and the feeling of joy he had when I was born as his first grandchild.

This picture was in his wallet for more than 30 years. My "lola" only gave it to me after my "Lolo" died in 2002.

I am not talking about nostalgic moments here. All I wanted to drive you at, is the value of that photo. My lolo kept that photo for more than 30 years and was only gave it to me after he died. Imagine what a photo can do to a life of a person? Or maybe to us? How do we valued our loved ones? Especially our children, aside from providing all the things in life. Love, attention, care, education, exposure, discipline and so on. We can give that to our children but the greatest of them all is love.

What I am pointing here is the value of a photo to us. It is said that photos can speak a thousand words. It transcends above thoughts its value. My wife kept this photo since 2002. How old now is the photo? It is more than 40 years. ----I can conclude now that a single photo shot, could bring to us all the memorable moments we had with the one who keep it.

Here's one photo which I never expect that it is similar to the position on what my lolo did when he cuddled me. My wife kept this photo in a scrap book. Isnt it cute? ME or the Baby? No, I am just joking.

This is (cute) me and my (cute) son.

It is indeed at this point that I am more interested in photography, because of that thousand words that could be spoken in that photo or maybe the value of it to the one who keep it. Like what my lolo did with our picture.

I do not have a formal education in photography. I just only discovered it that I have a talent on it. Meron ba? One example, is that, I can even interpret an abstract paintings in my own views.

Much more advantage that I have now a digi-cam which I can now use it in my journey in exploring the world of photography. Much more now that I have a passion and love in photography.

This is indeed the reason why I am now interested in Photography and blogging. The VALUE OF A SINGLE PHOTO for US.

...........Photography as my other profession. Amateur nga laang. Ika nga nila,

"In a journey of a thousand miles, it always starts in a single step"--and of course, with patience.

The Human Nature-How would you control yourself being as leader in a situation like this?

The Human Nature

by: Engr. Bonzenti R. Panganiban, CE, REA, REB

Posted: October 15, 2010, 8:00 p.m.

“Do not easily be dragged with a negative impulse. Try to balance it with a positive response. As a leader, you must control your emotions on criticisms and negative comments. Look at the other side of the night and try to see the light in the middle of darkness”.

This is the words that I have in my mind during our meeting today.

Actually, I presided that meeting. As President in a school organization, I have to think bigger. I called that as a simple gesture of self motivation.

One of the topics that we have discussed during that meeting was the disagreement of one “person”, and that is not to have an election on the day the school director called-up a General Assembly.

We will call this person as Mr. “S”. Mr. “S”’s disagreement has something to do with a “QUORUM”, the pending projects of the outgoing officers and the finalization of the General PTA Constitution and By Laws. He stressed-out that the pending projects of the outgoing officers and the PTA Constitution and By Laws (CBL) should first be completed and finalized, respectively, before any election shall be conducted.

Before giving my critique, let us first define aQUORUM. A Quorum defines as a fixed minimum percentage or number of members of a legislative assembly, committee, or other organization who must be present before the members can conduct valid business.

In the definition itself, it connotes that the required fixed minimum number must be present before the members can conduct valid business. Mr. “S” may be right or wrong. In the definition of a Quorum, he may be right.

Let me further expound it by considering the kind of service that we could give in a school organization. This may appropriately be called as “VOLUNTARY SERVICE”, in nature.

So, what would we expect in a voluntary service in relation with what Mr. “S” said about a “Quorum?

In my own opinion, a quorum can only or may be satisfied once that “SERVICE” may be paid, or properly compensated like legislative bodies, committees with proper compensation and complete honorarium, or other organization whose members has equivalent compensation. Meaning, if this organization has an incentive to those who will attend the meeting, a 100% of the attendance would be expected to be realized.

In a school organization where service is free and could only be offered only with passion and heart. We could expect that a Quorum cannot be fully satisfied if other parents are so busy with their respective jobs and businesses. Did Mr. “S” considered that aspect? If Mr. “S”, did not considered that , he may be lacked of some understanding that needs to be further understood, or he may be representing that he knows everything.

Let us now move about the draft of the CBL and the projects that needs to be finalized and completed first, respectively, before the conduct of election of a new set of officers.

Facts:

Copies of the draft of the CBL were already disseminated to all Officers for their comments, but were not returned to us on the deadline set in August 2010. We even postponed the deadline in September 28, 2010. The projects were already completed before end of August 2010. But where is Mr. “S”? He did not even bothered or mind to return the drafted CBL for their comments. What kind of a person is he? Is Mr. “S” true with his words? In his action, I can even called him as an irresponsible person. Not a true Gentleman. Or even an arrogant person.

With this negative thoughts, I have in mind that best described him, I then shifted my gear by saying this line, just to motivate myself as their leader,

“Do not easily be dragged with a negative impulse. Try to balance it with a positive response. As a leader, you must control your emotions on criticisms and negative comments. Look at the other side of the night and try to see the light in the middle of darkness”-Bonzenti. I called this line as Balance Thinking.

I have not met Mr. “S” yet, personally. So I gave myself a chance to know him better, before any supposition can be made against him and I called this as a “POSITIVE THINKING”.

By giving a chance, I have set another date for an election on November 05, 2010, just to satisfy Mr. “S”’s means in postponing the election.

As conclusion, and being as their leader, I should be patient, humble, understanding and all other qualities that a leader must have in order to see things in the midst of darkness (negative thoughts/impulse).

My advise to him, Mr. “S”, just be responsible and be a true gentleman because you are also an Officer like me. Just take the following quotation,

"The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort".-Confucius

A LETTER FOR MY WIFE'S BESTFRIENDS

Published: October 2, 2010, 5:00 p.m.

by: Bonzenti R. Panganiban

Dearest Friend,

I am very much happy that Jeanette (my wife) had seen all her friends again through a social network, the Facebook. I am happy with her to see them especially all her classmates in JRC, in Mandaluyong High School and even in Polytechnic University of the Philippines. I am also happy that one of her childhood friends, Sel, have posted their old pictures in their early age together in Kalentong, Mandaluyong City. So keep up treasuring your friendship.

My wife's best of friends are also my friends, like one of her bestfriends, Ms. Virginia Santos. Ms. Virginia Santos is fondly called by her bestfriends and friends as Ghieghie. Ghieghie got married with a Belgian National. She lived in Belgium together with her family. She has a big and a grateful heart as Jeanette recalled her to me.

For more than 20 years now, Jeanette always thought of about their friendship, even Ghieghie had her family in Belgium. I am proud of my wife, in always remembering all her friends through these years, especially her best friend Ghieghie.

Yesterday, Jeanette was so sad to know that her best friend already joined our Lord , through Emma Santos, Ghieghie's sister. That was because of FACEBOOK, where she found Emma. She cried deeply after she got that unpleasant news from Emma, that Ghieghie had a car accident. Since yesterday, once she remembered Ghieghie, she shed tears.

In the past few weeks, she always talked about the whereabouts of Ghieghie. She even asked me on how was Ghieghie doing in Belgium? (Kumusta na si Gigie ga ano? San na kaya siya?).

One time, just weeks ago, she thrown her old pictures into the garbage can. Their old pictures together with Elena and Ghieghie and her Belgian husband. So I asked her why she is discarding those old pictures? She answered, “I am so thin with that pictures, ga. I don’t like to see that pictures anymore. Ang payat payat ko kasi dyan papa, eh". So I told her, no, Mama, I will just keep that pictures and have them scan, just to preserve the memories of that pictures. Then she further told me, anyway papa, I have already pasted all the old pictures on my scrap book. Pictures of Ghieghie, Len, Loida, Cherry, Sel, Riza and her other friends were already on the scrap book. But I still insisted to preserve all the other old pictures.

That scrap book is one of the proofs on how she treasured all her friends through these years. She still cared with her friends by keeping those pictures even they are all in Luzon. Not only pictures but also all the letters of her friends and even my love letters to her, she still keep them in a safe place.

I remember when she quoted in one of her status in Facebook, which read like this, “Don’t ever forget your old friends when new one get added, because a new broom may sweep and clean, but only the old one knew all the corners”. She wrote this one, almost two (2) weeks before she knew that Ghieghie was already with our Lord some years ago. Two days ago before the unpleasant news, she can't slept that night and she felt so cold. Then yesterday morning, she then learned that unpleasant news about her best friend Ghieghie. Today, when she went to the Gaisano Mall, she heard their theme song, entitled, "What are friends are for". Then she cried again.

This kind of unusual feeling was already happened to Jeanette when one of her best friends, named Cherry had an unlikable incident and had a big problem. Feeling cold and can't sleep.

I am wondering why these things happened to my wife, whenever her friends had an unlikable incident. Maybe because she truly loved and treasured the friendship she had to these friends.

She had so many acquaintances but she had only few best friends. One thing for sure, she treasured that “few” best friends.

I am proud of my wife, Jeanette in treasuring the friendship of her long time best friends. That's how I've known Jeanette for more than 15 years now. And because she loved me so much, she left Mandaluyong City and joined me here in Bukidnon after we got married. She never gave up treasuring her friendship with all her best of friends like Ghieghie, Len, Lyn, Cherry, Loida, Riza, Sel to mention a few.

I am proud of my wife, by treasuring also our Friendship, our Love, our Care for each other. That is why, I reciprocated that by saying that I wanted to grow old with her as she always keep telling me that she also wanted to grow old with me.

Every minute and every seconds in our life is significant and worth treasuring . I have to nurture my loved ones because they are my only gifts from God. I am by nature is a loving person, expressive and sensitive. I sensed all the precious qualities of my wife for being a sensitive person. Before she is silent, but now, she is already expressive and still private.

The more that we are open to each other, the more our Love grow with Faith in God.

Sel, thank you also for adding me in Facebook. That is the kindest thing you did and I sincerely appreciated that.

For Ghieghie, you are truly rest assured with our sincerest PRAYERS. You are always in my wife's heart and thoughts. Rest in Peace together with our CREATOR.

For my wife and my best friend, I am sincerely HAVE BEEN SO PROUD OF YOU ALL THESE YEARS and I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and my KIDS.

All the BEST in Life!

Bonzenti R. Panganiban

Note: “Ga”, stands for as “Palangga” in Visayan dialect, means “love”.