Happy New Year

Goodbye to 2014 and welcome to a glorious 2015.

A Very Blessed and Merry Christmas!

Unique Christmas tree

I wish you all a very Blessed and Merry Christmas!  It has been a very challenging one for me, in all aspects in my life---physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, materially, and spiritually.  Everywhere I turn was full of stress and pressure.  Not only was it very challenging, at times it was all so devastating.  But hey, I'm glad that I made it through.  I believe the bad vibes are behind me now.  And you know why and how I did it?  It was a matter of digging in and excavating the real essence of what life is all about.  I'm sure that I've only partially got it, that there's more to be discovered.  I'm happy to have what I have right now and I'm looking forward to what I'm sure to have tomorrow and the day after!

The youth I support

I'm really enjoying my new job as a Specialist Support Staff for youth with intellectual disabilities. This poster that I've discovered online is for the National Intellectual Disability Week in the Philippines. It's really good to know "na meron na palang ganoon sa atin, nabibigyan na rin ng importansya ang mga taong may ganitong kapansanan."  What I meant was we have a National ID Week celebration in place already.  Everyday that I come to work, I so envy the youth I support because they have all the things needed to live a normal life as best as they could.  And they have us, their support staff, who are in many ways not only staff but also mentor, guide, brother, sister, father, mother, uncle, auntie, grandparent, and friend.

Three times a week I support one youth who goes to a high school 30 minutes drive away from Hamilton.  It's been a month since I've started working with him and I'm very happy to report that he has done extremely well.  He was given a Certificate of Merit for his achievement in Term One. The credit is all his and the other support staff before me.  What I see is that I'm beginning to have an influence in his life too.

I remember when I was teaching in high school in the Philippines when we had a senior student who was the daughter of the President.  Since those were difficult times, she always had a complement of Presidential Security Guards (PSG) whenever she went to school or anywhere else, including the cinema. We were on the 4th floor and to the credit of her security and the administration of the school, her escorts just stayed on the ground floor.  It afforded a semblance of normality for her, the students and the teachers.  Just imagine if her security also attended my class!

Why am I recalling this?  Well it's because in a way I feel like an escort, a security person for the youth I support.  Without going into too much details, suffice to say that he has to be within my eyesight at all times.  That means wherever he is, I too am there, "tipong close-in security."  His teachers and classmates have gotten used to my presence now.

I thought I've let go of my desire to teach in high school.  But the past few weeks I've been in high school, I'm beginning to take a second, serious look, if I should be going back to teaching in high school as I did for two years when I was new in fantastic Aotearoa the Land of the Long White Cloud!

Hamilton EthnicA Conference

My Saturday morning was spent listening to the voices of people from various multicultural groups at the Hamilton EthnicA Conference organised by the Office of Ethnic Affairs.  It was my day-off and I spent it very wisely and productively getting all the insights from the speakers, presenters and the Minister of Ethnic Affairs, Hon Judith Collins, MP, who gave the opening remarks.  As I sat there and listened to her and the other speakers, I couldn't help but feel sad and elated at the same time.  Because I left the land of my birth but I was in a place of my own choosing, ready and committed to do what's best.

This was the start of a series of consultations with various ethnic groups in Hamilton, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.  The CEO of the Electoral Commission reiterated his call for migrants to participate in the electoral process, now that we have a national election this coming September 20.

The three speakers who talked about their upbringing in a changing New Zealand society did very well in connecting us, the newbies with them who are now the oldies.  They all had a common thread in saying that self-determination in one's future because one wants a better life for one's children and family, has driven them and are driving us, and will drive the future generation.  The final stage of the conference was a PechaKucha type of presentation by four youth leaders.  Once again they were able to drive the point of being positively different at the same time making a difference in whatever situation they found themselves to be in.

At the end of the conference, I felt recharged and determined that surely there is good place for me in Aotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud.  All I have to do is to open my heart to my neighbors.  One must not look for discrimination for we will find it for sure.  We need to look past it!

Flatting experience

Before my family came over I was flatting with four other flatmates Bevin, Chris, Juanita and Sarah.  I was the only migrant and whenever I cooked Pinoy foods they always complained about the smell but once cooked they liked the taste, at least I think some of them did or were brave enough to give it a try!  For the really smelly ones like dried fish, pusit, etc. I cooked them outside.

Front of the house

Flatting is a slang term used to describe a living arrangement wherein a house or apartment a "flat" is let out to a group of people.  Flatmates are the people who rent the flat.  It is a convenient living arrangement for students, young people and even professionals who no longer wish to live at home.

It was an old house and was quite cold during winter.  The front garden upkeep was optional.  At the back was the deck with a hammock wherein many a day or night when it was warm we lay reading books or just discussing whatever fancied our minds.  Most of the time it was about me and the Philippines.  Rent was cheap as and it was fun cooking and tasting each other's dishes.  It helped that Bevin was studying to be a chef and Juanita was in her final year as a nutritionist.  It's interesting to note that Bevin and Juanita eventually got married a year after.  As for Sarah, she spent a year in China teaching English and for Chris I have no idea whatever has happened to him.  He was quite reclusive, mostly sleeping during the day and out of the house at night.

Back of the house

I enjoyed my flatting days and would definitely recommend it!  I was just lucky that my flatmates never became a  problem . The experience was worth it and the friendships we've made carries on until today.  Why am I writing this now?  I guess it was around this time that I started my flatting days, towards the end of summer and all the way to spring time.  Oh, and did I say we had two cats at the beginning which just ballooned into how many when we started feeding them?  But that's another story!

My daughter's graduation

Molina whanau during Jess' graduation day.

Today my only daughter, Jessica Hernandez Molina, graduated from the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), with a Bachelor of Media Arts (Communication) major in Advertising and Public Relations.  It was a very happy day for us all, most specially for me, since I wasn't able to witness her graduate from high school.

I've seen her struggle with paper assessments while juggling a retail job at the same time.  I remember the times when I had to fetch her from The Hub in the middle of the night or from friend's houses because of school assignments.  She may have accumulated a  sizable student loan but it is money well spent.

I salute and thank the management and academic staff of Wintec for preparing Jess' for the battles ahead.  I can see her excelling in whatever it is she will engage in because of the training and knowledge she has gained and acquired from Wintec.  My wife Florence is also instrumental in assuring that our daughter will be well fed-clothed-sheltered-transported, and that her values and outlook will always be positive!

For a parent, having one's child finish college is a dream come true.  I only have one wish for all my children, that they will have the best education possible that New Zealand can offer.  Today my daughter will officially step out of the classroom and start on her exciting, dynamic, creative, beautiful, and fantastic journey!  May God Be Praised!

Life FM is My Life Support

I recently got to listen to Life FM a Christian radio station here in New Zealand. I believe its more than a Christan radio station, it is a positive radio station.  I like how the DJ's spiels are incorporated into the play list seamlessly.  I've never had the experience of hearing the words of God and of the Bible in such a down-to-earth and uplifting manner!

I'm not a big contributor to online or telethon type of fundraising.  But recently I gave heartily to Life FM's annual fundraising event.  I think they were able to raise 80k the first year, 120k the second year, and more than 240k this year!  I'm so glad I made that pledge of $10 a month.  I was down to my last few hard-earned dollars and was inspired by the thought of others who were giving their last possessions.  And what did I get for my pledge---an awesome T-shirt and a free download of some fantastic Christian songs!

I like fundraising event which they named as "Life Support."  Listening to Life FM is really like a life support system.  The music, the DJ's, the spiels, even the advertisements all make for one holistic listening pleasure.  Tune in and give a listen to Life FM whether you're in NZ or anywhere else in the world.  It's your very own life support to life!