Students performance - English 3 - Group 03

Life's the greatest teacher

Yesterday I took a bus to go somewhere and the passenger who was sitting next to me was chatting with me, though not to my liking. But he asked me a question, "Do you always travel alone?" to which I responded, "Yes." The passenger asked me why and I told the person that it gives me time to reflect on the things of life. Ever so often we are so busy thinking about what we are doing, what we have done, or what we are going to do. But, do we ever take time off for ourselves? Do we ever take the time to reflect on the things that happen around us to see what we can learn from them? You know, just a few hours ago while I was taking a shower, the soap slipped out of my hands and fell. Every time I tried to grab it, it would go further away. So I thought, "wow, look at that!" For just a few seconds I couldn't get a hold of the slippery soap. And I thought, "What can I learn from that?" What came to mind immediately was "words". We speak sometimes amiss. Like the soap, words may slip out of our mouths, but when we reflect on what we've said we realize that it was a slip of the tongue. The problem is that words can be dangerous. Slippery words can be very dangerous. They may get us into trouble if we're not careful. So, if we mistakenly say something we should quickly correct it before the little flame that it may light burns a whole city. You know, when the soap fell, I had to bend over towards the floor to pick it up. So when we perceive that our slippery words may affect someone or change the status quo negatively, we should humbly do whatever we can to deal with it. As I've said, life's the greatest teacher! Isn't it?

Be Helpful

One of the most important values of life that many may not give much importance to is being helpful. Earlier today, I needed to make some photocopies of a few pages from a book, but the copy machine in my office wasn't working very well. So I went to a different department and asked the secretary there to do me the favor. She was a bit busy and asked me to wait a while.  So I did. While she was making the copies, she had to take various pauses to answer the telephone, send faxes, etc. Then she commented to me that she was really busy with so many things to do, but for her it wasn't a problem making the copies for me because she believes in helping. She said she loves to help whenever she has the oportunity to do so. But she also commented that not everyone is like that. And this is so true. We come across people like that ever so often who are not disposed to helping any one. How much would it cost you to reach out to someone who needs your service or needs a little of your time? Even if we have a lot  to do, a few seconds of our time can make a difference for someone and eventually for us. We should remember that being helpful would go a long way for us and for the person. Being helful makes the world go round. We need it. Everyone needs it at some time. Let's be helpful when we can.

A Day of Faith

It's interesting how limited man's knowledge is. We can predict things like the weather with a certain degree of error, but we can never be 100% sure of its exact outcome. Like for example, the weather people predicted that there may be rain, but not much; that the temperature would rise to 36°, etc. My family who trusts these people went out on a day of picnic in celebration of somebody's birthday. Even though I told them that it would rain a lot due to the passing tropical storm Don. Right now, it's raining a lot. They have already gone. What kind of picnic can they have in this kind of weather? As I write this, I am hearing the peeling of thunder. And now, new developments. My sister-in-law just called to say that due to the weather conditions, they're not going on the picnic. Nor would her parents be going. I guess most people wouldn't go. So I'm expecting my family back home any time now. The sad part about it is that my two kids were very anxious to go because today would have been there first experience fishing. They went prepared to do a little fishing. But, I guess they'd have to wait for another time. Well, I love you my family. I trust that God would bring  you back safely.

No Better Way To Celebrate

I was so impressed by the number of persons who have reached out to congratulate me on my birthday which is today. Even though I'm far from family and friends, and even though I have to work today and can't be with my people, I felt like I was in a party just eating and talking with family and friends, some of whom I'haven't seen for along time. All of this took place on Facebook today. As I open Facebook, it was all "Happy birthday Melvin; Happy birthday cuz." These simple words meant a whole lot to me. They show me that my family and friends do love me. Its good to be part of a family that really loves you, cares for you, and cheers you. This feeling is even more pronounced in my own family - when my wife and kids woke me up to start me off with Happy Birthday. There's a bond that exists among us that cannot be broken by distance nor time nor anyone else. Let's keep it that way. Let's remember to love, care for, and cheer those that are part of us.

An Uncommon Phenomenon

I was with my wife just talking about going out to the store when all of a sudden we heard a pinging sound on the roof of the house. It was pretty strange, so I looked outside and to my surprise, it was hailing. This is not common in the city where I live, and especially in times like these where we have been experiencing daily temperatures of about 40° C. It was about 7:35 pm, today. I called my sons to see this uncommon phenomenon. They were enthused by it. They got outside in all the excitement: picking up small hailstones and simply enjoying it all. So, when we least expect it, mother nature surprises us. It was a good sight to behold.

To My Late Mom

Happy Mother’s Day. This is the first time I cannot speak directly to you. But you are forever etched IN my heart. Every time I think of you, I remember your love, your care, your counsels, your cheer, your smiles and your tears. All these have played an integral part in my formation. My TODAY is the result of YOU – YESTERDAY. I thank you and I love you. And to all mothers I say, “May you be blessed on your Day by your children, and May God abundantly bless you. LOVE!

Say It And Mean It

Interestingly, one of my banks called me to offer me a credit card to which I agreed. When I went to pick it up, it wasn't ready. So some time after, they emailed me  to tell me that it was ready. So I went to the bank. To my surprise, they had sent me two of the same type of cards which really made no sense. Why would I want two of the same type of cards? So I asked the person to cancel one. For that, I had to speak to another bank officer by phone. I told him that I wanted him to cancel one of the cards and I explained to him why. The guy, instead of going ahead and cancel the extra card, decided to to show me the benefits of having two cards. After he gave me his long convincing story, I told him I wanted to cancel the card anyway. So he insisted on not giving in. He tried to sell me another card in its place. After his long story, again I told him that I wanted to cancel the card. He wouldn't listen. So I had to say to him frankly in spite of all that he had said, "Cancel the card" -more like an order. Then he got it. So he finally agreed to cancel the card. There are many people like him - who  would not give up on selling you something or trying to win you over to their side, but would rather persist with their talk until you give in. Be careful of them, especially the ones who promote credit cards. You keep to your word. Say it and mean it. Don't give in to them if you don't want to. Don't be rude to them, and don't let them walk all over you. Stick to your word. Say it and mean it.

Little By Little

My family, including my wife, has just began athletic training together witth other families. Both the children and the mothers participate. When I question my wife about her progress, she commented that she thinks she is gaining strength. When she first started, she would run for short moments, with rests in between. Now she says that she's running longer distances with less rests. Little by little she's gaining strength. Little by little she's developing her athletic ability. So in life, we can achieve the things that we set out to achieve, if we keep our eyes on the goal, and little by little try to get there. When beginning anything, we should avoid giving up too soon. We should tell ourselves that we can do it, but this can only be realized with the passage of time. With the passage of time, things should get better. Eventually, as our experience grows, we'd be doing much better.

Patience

I was doing some painting a few days ago and didn't realize that I had on one of my nice dressy t-shirts until when I was finished painting. So you know what? It got painted-up also. It was so bad that I thought it would be dificult to get the paint off. So I placed it in a bucket of water to soak for some days. Then I had it washed in a washing machine. But that didn't do anything to the paint on the t-shirt. So I decided to try something. I asked my wife for some alcohol, some pine sol and some vinegar. Then I made a solution. My little son was with me and asked me what I was making. So I told him, "A concoction". He asked, "What?" And I said, "A concoction!" So he watched me use the concoction to clean the paint, and "Voila! It worked!" I was able to remove all of the paint from my t-shirt. So, I remarked to my son that this could be a good business, if we mass produce the concoction and sell it. He became interested and went looking for all kinds of bottles and vials, but eventually he realized that I was just joking. On a more serious note, this experience taught me one thing - patience. Because it wasn't easy removing the paint. I had to spend quite a long time, and energy to remove it. So, some things can only be achieved if we have patience. And patience does not come overnight. It has to be developed. Whenever we're faced with challenges, we should try patience.

Life's Meaning

Today, at this time, Prince Harry is getting married. As I look on at the proceedings and the procession, I can't help but remember the day when his mother, Diana, got married. I remember lots of things. I remember when he was born and when his mother died. I think his mother's life and death has left a great impression on the minds of people, and to a great extent has influenced people's popular support for Prince Harry and his bride. The thing is that the whole history of this royal personality seems like yesterday. Time really flies! But what does life mean to us. People are born, they live and die. Life itself seems to come and go fast. So what does life really mean to us? Well, I think Lady D has answered this question by her very life. Even though she's not around now, she has left the world a legacy that would forever remain with us. Because of all the good that she has done for people, because of the way she was dedicated to caring for and raising her sons, because of the lasting impression that she has made on people, she lives on in the memory of the people, and in the lives of her sons. Her short life has been made eternal, in that her legacy would live on for ages and ages to come. So, what does life mean for us? We should reflect a bit on who we are, what we're doing in our lives, and how we would like to be remembered. For one thing, we should live in such a way, so that when we're gone our legacy would live on.

A different generation

It is not uncommon nowadays to turn on the television, here in Mexico, and hear impacting news about violence, organized crime, kidnapping, etc. These are the themes that dominate the news now. But the biggest problem now is one of trust. The populace has lost confidence in their local authorities and to some extent, in the federal authorities in terms of national security. Can they really trust the police when the very fibers of the police organization is infiltrated and corrupted with elements connected to organized crime? Can they feel free when they are concious that at any moment and in any place they can become the next victims? Interestingly, not only are elements of the police force involved but also elements from diverse sectors of the government and society. Furthermore, we find that an increasing number of women and teenagers are being drafted under pressure into these criminal organizations. Where are the values that families used to have just a few years ago? As the older people say, this is a different generation.

Just Luck

I took one of my computers back to the technician to do some work on it. It turned out that it had a really serious problem. So the technician decided to make me an offer: sell me an almost new computer at one third the actual price with 6 months guarantee; and to fix another computer I have at home for free - totally free. Now, for me that was a good deal because the computer I'd taken to him was about 17 years old. It didn't have a lot of modern features. So I accepted the offer.

Fix-up Week

This week has been a special week for me and my family, in that I have been fixing everything that needed to be fixed. I have fixed the furniture that needed to  be fixed, like the table which had a loose leg to the light bulb that was almost falling from the roof to my computer desk that was about to fall on one side. I also got most of my computers repaired and windows 7 installed. I have so far painted some rooms, including the living room in my house. Today, I'm going to continue painting and installing wall tiles in one section of my bathroom.  

Early Riser

I've been up since 4:30 a.m. I do this because I enjoy being alone sometimes where I can think, meditate, and plan my days activities. I think it's the best time of day to this - when everyone else is in bed. I've been able to accomplish a lot this way. By the time my family is up, I should be free to join them in doing family stuff - like finishing the painting of our living room, go visiting other families, or just having fun together.