Filipino News 150

BUHAY
NZ
08 ISSUE 150 BALITANG NZ | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz | MOB: 027 495 8477
www.migrantnews.nz : New Zealand’s first MULTICULTURAL newspaper featuring immigration and settlement news since 1991.
Three
Quarters
Full
By Dr Lilia
Sevillano
Dr Lilia Sevillano is learning
consultant at Massey
University and a professional
life coach.
“For every
minute you
are angry,
you lose sixty
seconds of
happiness.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
If we listen to and read
the news, there seems to be
nothing but negativity. In
the past few months of
2020, hate, unhappiness
and anger were the prevailing
emotions all
around the world.
More and more people
are easily prone to negativity
and pass this on to others;
which is why I think
that Emerson’s quote
seems a rather timely
reminder to us not to get
caught up in or drawn into
all the negativity that surrounds
us. And here’s the
point to all this: one
minute of negativity is so
much more draining on
our health, both physically
and mentally. Sadly anger
doesn’t quickly disappear
after a minute.
For many that feeling
remains for quite a while.
Some hold on to it and let it
fester for so much longer.
So if you are angry for 30
to 60 minutes, that translates
into 1800 to 3600 seconds
of happiness lost. Do
the math and figure out
how many seconds of happiness
are lost when people
hold on to grudges or simmering
anger for years and
months. Frightening! You
never looked at it that way,
did you? And that is time –
and happiness - that can
never be regained.
Then, when we look
back at what caused the
anger, we realize most
often that it wasn’t worth
it. Which raises the question
of who is crazy enough
to want to trade happiness
for anger?
Each time a new year
rolls around many of us
make resolutions to try to
live a better life. Why not
make this an item on your
list: to try and not let anger
(or envy, or unhappiness,
or hate) consume you?
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Of course I know that
there will be instances
when it can’t be helped.
But we can try to recall
Emerson’s quote when it
happens and let it go as
soon as we can.
As an afterthought, perhaps
this is one factor to
why many people have so
many physical ailments
these days. There is so
much unreleased negative
emotion that
is held within.
My suggestion
if you
want a truly
healthier life
this 2021:
don’t just diet
and eat healthily, but be
healthy with your thoughts
and especially with your
emotions.
Your glass is already
three-quarters full; you
only need a little bit to fill
it up. Be happy!
Happy New Year and
wishing you all a brighter,
better one!
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Musings on
2020
OPINION
By Queenie
Lee Tanjay
“I say, what a decade! From
enrolling in my dream course now
to flying out soon to my dream
country,” said an old tweet of a
hopeful version of me on the first
day of the year. Little did I know
that 2020 was going to be the
most challenging time of my life.
I left the Philippines last
February, right when everybody
still had premature assumptions
on the extent of the pandemic.
Although cautions on transmissions
and lockdowns had already
spread, all of these were shoved at
the back of my head, being more
occupied with entering a new
phase in my life.
I was excited to go back to
school and live independently -
buying my own food, making my
own schedules and doing everything
essentially under my own
power. As it turned out, these only
comprised menial portions of the
life I was to build here in New
Zealand.
I remember my first month,
dreading that I wouldn't be able to
find a part-time job while my
pocket money quickly dissipated
from high rent and food rates. I
never thought that getting hired
for a job would be this hard.
Here, for all I knew, due to the
low employment rates the chance
of landing a jobs would be high. I
furnished at least 50 applications
personally and online in my desperation
to make ends meet.
Phone calls, interviews and actual
trials – all of these were to no
avail until I was able to secure a
crew position in a food restaurant
through a recommendation. But
right when I saw a ray of hope for
my circumstances, on my supposed
first day of work, my boss
called up to inform me that my
shift was canceled due to the
impending lockdown.
Not long after, the national
lockdown news broke out.
Locked down for an indefinite
period until the cases subsided.
So there I was, locked out in my
sleepout, devoid of revenue
streams, trying to survive my
mental battles away from home
and scared of the unknown.
At that point, if there was one
moral from life that I applied, it
was to keep forging ahead for
your dreams, even it means doubly
hard work on your part.
During this period I took the
time to do well in my studies by
reading and researching more. I
also learned to be good to my
body by practicing a healthy
lifestyle in terms of food and
exercise.
On the other hand, I was still
trying to apply for part-time jobs
that could be done remotely at
home until I came across a news
company for
Fili-pino
migrants here
in NZ. I was
amazed by
the mass of
information
about the
community
and right then
I was inspired
to channel
my penchant
for writing
through contributing
content.
I remember
my first article
featuring
the plight of international students
here in NZ flashed in social media
and I had to receive supportive
responses from my boss, family
and friends.
Little did I know, that was my
ticket to belonging more in the
community by interacting with
fellow kababayans and learning
from their inspiring stories. Up to
this day I still cannot believe that
I’ve interviewed Ambassador
Gary Domingo regarding tourism
projects!
Past lockdown, I decided to
keep this casual job apart from
my resumed store occupation.
Although I had three years’ worth
of experience in the Philippines
already, working in a restaurant
was definitely new territory. I
dreaded my every shift and faced
adversities interacting with customers
and fellow crew.
However, these positively
pushed me to think quickly on my
feet, be proactive and become
adept at providing my services.
Despite these challenges, I am
proud to say that I am now applying
these lessons to work that is in
line with my field and am currently
investing in things using my
hard-earned savings.
Looking back, I can say that it
was not only my efforts that
helped me survive those times.
My family and friends were my
prime sources of strength and
inspiration, filling up the emptiness
and encouraging me to move
forward. I’ve grown closer to
them by communicating regularly.
I have been here in NZ for
almost a year and clearly life here
is not what I envisioned it to be.
Tides may have turned, but from
those discomforts I’ve found
growth and because of all those
pains I’ve felt the abundance of
love around me.
Now I am still into writing my
personal legend, learning day by
day and continuing to surprise
myself each time. To 2021, bring
it on!