When the Baby Smiles

                         By Vic Odarve

When a baby smiles, it brings more than a smile. It is a smile that develops a feeling of attachment and bonding. Unlike all other smiles, a smile from a child is more powerful and appealing. It is contagious, that is, it has an ability to make others also smiling. Children are gifts from God and their smile captures the tenor of your day.

The baby’s smile can change your mood of the day

When a baby smiles we can’t help but smile back at them. There is something strange developed within your heart; a feeling of connection and bonding. This sensation plays an important role in their development. They felt secure and safe. Smiles are their way of communications and relay some important information. Your payback smile, too, helps the babies learn and understand about the world around them. Thus, slowly and surely, connection and bonding develop… a bond more powerful than two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons forming a molecule.

What makes their smiles more powerful and enchanting are their innocent and fascinating faces to look at. Their simple, sincere, and straightforward smile can attract more than admiring looks. Their cheeks rise and the skin around their eyes

A plain, straightforward, and innocent smile

bunches up… a true feature of a true smile. Their smiles are also bliss for all those seeking happiness of other people. Unlike adults whose smiles are often fakes and superficial, children offer perfect smiles. Going back to our old pictures while we were still young and carefree, and eager to explore the world is itself a source of entertainment. Our smiles, then, were once powerful and fascinating… showing to the world our innocence!

Children have an ability to make others also smiling. Their gestures and smiles are very interesting, especially to observe if they are doing funny things in a crowd. It can make your day smiling and forget the daily toxic stresses. It alters your depressive mood to happier one and sets the tenor of your day. “To see the kids’ smile on their face, it brings a smile to my face too,” said Hagler, who has been involved with the foundation for children for over a decade. Over the long term, smiling can have a positive effect on our well-being; improve our health, perception at work, social life, and feel happier and less stressed. A good smile can help release emotions, especially those emotions that might bottle up inside our heart.

Therefore, children’s smiles are something that connects us together to their world; so unique and interesting that it makes also others smiling. Their smiles are more than a smile!

 or see you tube"Balak Bol-anon" for more poems.

First Love Finds its Way in Their Senior Years

                         By Vic Odarve

In the far-flung village of the province, Carlito felt in love deeply with his love at first sight and classmate Maura. As both were young and carefree, their love blossomed. Later, their parents tried to constraint some of their activities due to their studies and their young age. After high school they went on separate schools for further education. Both concentrated on their college courses and completed. The handsome and dashing Carlito obtained a job in Manila while Maura, an independent young woman, overflowing with potential, found a job in Middle East. Since then, they had no communication with each other.

San MIguel Academy-Mayana

Years passed, and they both married other people, yet neither forgotten their first love. Whether it is by fate or rare chance, at their senior’s stage at 61 years old, both their spouses had died.

Lately, Carlito received an invitation letter from a longtime friend to be one of the sponsors of their sole daughter’s wedding to be held at their village during fiesta celebration. As eager to visit his homeland for long years and without hesitation, he accepted and appreciated the invitation. Unexpectedly, as the wedding ceremony proceeded, he instantly saw Maura as one of the honored guests invited by the family. Without hesitation after the affair, he ran up to Maura with a heart beating, and said, Oh, my dear, how are you? “I am fine, how about you?”, replied Maura with a smile.

Village Dancing- Bayle Tibook Kalibutan

While dining, the two enjoyed an ample time talking with each other. Reminiscing the past when they were merely teenagers, their schooling years, and their marital lives. Maura candidly confessed that when she accepted his love, it was like feeling her stomach of fluttering butterflies when he looked at him. Carlito also confided that with her striking model looks and the way she danced with someone, he felt jealous. Both seemed laughing delightedly but inside their conscious minds played the pleasant memories of their yesteryears. They never forgot their first love. First love never dies.

The Village of Mayana

With that coincidental meeting, he knew precisely that he would marry her and decided to pursue her properly. Before they departed, Carlito whispered to her, “My darling, I’ve been waiting for you for so long. You are my wife and my life.” To her astonishment, her heart fluttered. Maura felt the unusual feeling considered to engulf her and then she fondly remembered her first love. They, however, decided to get back together in the same year.

They remarried not long after and live in the village of Mayana to the delight of the old folks and their previous classmates. It captures the beauty of whimsical first love perfectly.

You are never too old to find love. As if by fate, their first love finds its way in their senior years.

https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC5kFbYndPWG5-PrjCZF4SRA 

A Place To Live On Twilight Years

                                          By Vic Odarve

To find a great place to live after retirement is not an easy task. An environment, climate, and cost of living should be the top priority among the concerns. Environment includes its neighborhood, crime rates, and cultural diversity. Weather, too, considering the extremes, a cold and hot, often affects old age health. Living cost, for many, must be sustained. The golden age years is a life altering an event; hence a place to live in must provide a great sense of joy and happiness. 

Playing with kids

The environment dictates the way on how you live. And it is just a matter of your choice. It could be from rural areas to a bustling city or in the land of your birth. It depends much on your way of life… spending time in sandy beaches to forested scenic beauty or to cities nightlife. Others want to sing hymns and praises in the name of the Lord; thus devoting more in the church activities. It is getting to the part of life where we can just enjoy after retirement.

After getting a good and sound environment, extreme weather conditions must be checked. The place must not be extremely hot or cold. Temperate weather throughout the year is usually the best. Typhoons, hurricane, tsunamis, and other related weather disturbances can be a threatening scenario among older age. Weather conditions must not affect any of your health problems. Excruciating pain from rheumatisms, muscles aches, and heart problems are largely aggravated by an extreme weather.

Relatives and friends 

Whether you have enough savings or investments, the cost of living could not be taken for granted. Savings and investments sometimes go wrong. Bank closures and investment misfortunes are in the mess. Usually, living in great cities, cost of living is higher than nation’s average; but for those who can afford with the lifestyle, it may set up your mood. It also has all the required amenities and is pleasantly bustling city life. Try to locate one which is the most cost effective and safest cities in the country. Select a quiet, and peaceful city where the crime rates are impressively low. Living in rural areas, however, are not expensive as in cities and it may help well to sustain your daily needs because you do not know how long you live. Some retirees may live 100 years or more—a centenarian— a rarity, but today it is common. Whatever you have money in banks or investment, it can be sustained further by choosing your lifestyle in retirement.

 

Davao city is one of the top ten safest cities in the world

You ought not to spend your life at home alone in old age! Although money can give conveniences, there are happiness and enjoyments that make your retirement life worth living. Friends, relatives, family, and good health are far more important than your large savings or investment. If by God’s will you have enough resources, learn to share with others and it will transform your life. Being a grandparent, leaving your sons and daughters and their grown-up kids successful makes you feel happier.

Indeed, to find a place where to spend the twilight years is a difficult task. Like Elijah on his journey to Mount Horeb, the angel of the Lord reminded him;

"Get up and eat, for the journey is too long for you." 1 Kings 19:7

Indeed, life is a journey, nothing less. A place to live in our twilight years must be prepared.

 https://youtu.be/Mnt-C7Dlnm0

 

 

 

Kini Ang Akong Kinabuhi Ug Kalibotan

      Ni Vic Odarve

 

Namat-an ko ang halapad nga kaumahan

Sa kabasakan, kalasangan, ug kadaruhan

Apan hinayhinay ug adto sa eskwelahan

Natapos ra gyod ang edukasyon sa kadugayan.

 Sama sa uban kompaniya akong natrabahoan

Ug nagtudlo sa nakadaiyang mga eskwelahan

Walo ka kolehiyo ug unibersidad ang nasudlan

Kini ang akong pangandoy ug ang katumanan.

 

 

 

or see youtube.com/channel/UC5kFbYndPWG5-PrjCZF4SRA

 

Diha ko nakita ang halapad kong kalibotan

Ug nahisama sa mga halangdon sa katilingban

Kay natabangan mo ang mga pobre mong ginikanan

Apil pa ang nagkalisod mong higala ug kaigsoonan.

 

Bulawanon pa gyod ang mga estudyanteng natudluan

Kay nasabtan mo unsa ang kalisod sa ilang ginikanan

Sa eskwelahan ikaw gyod isip puli sa ilang amahan

Nga magtultol sa kanila sa saktong dalan nga agian.

 

Naghimo ko ug mga libro para sa pagka inhenyero

Makita nila ang akong pag-eskwela ug pagkatawo

Para masabtan ug dili mahikalimtan ang akong gigikanan

Nga kini ang akong kinabuhi ug kini ang akong kalibotan.

 

 

Paghandom sa Primarya Eskwela

       ni VIC Odarve

Boy Scout of the Philippines 1963

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sa una eskwela sa primarya

Dili gyod ka makaila

Kay moadto sa eskwela

Nag tiniil ug way porma.

 

Inyo gyong kataw-an ug yam-iran

Gisi pa ang sinina ug short pan

Di maulaw sa maestra ug iyang kauban

Kay pobre gyod ang ginikanan.

 

Kilometro kalayo ang eskwelahan

Baktason pa sa way paglanganlangan

Magbalon pa ug sud -an di na hinganlan

Kay ang pangalan di gyod hikalimtan.

 

Pag-uli gikan sa eskwelahan

Pas-an ug sag-ob tubig sa unahan

Lusong ug awho gunitan usahay

Kada adlaw gyod way pahuway.

 

Pero perti na gyod lipaya

Kon kami makaeskwela

Kay kon dili permi ra mag-uma

Hangtod matigulang luoy kaayo ka.

ANG IRING NGA KAWATAN

   Ni Vic Odarve

 May iring ko nga KAWATAN

Kinahanglang gyod nga bantayan

Kawaton gyod imo sud-an

Samtang kini gipasagdan.

 

Pag di ka magbantay o kaha malipat

Mohunas gyod sama sa dagat

Pag mawala ka bisan kadiyotay

Di ka mabinlan sa imong kalipay.

 

Usahay di nimo mahibaw-an

Kon nakulang na imo kabutangan

Kay tan -awon nimo siya buotan

Ug ang lihok wa gyoy katingalahan.

 

Susama sa nadiskubre sa kagamhanan

Ang Philhealth nga unta nga gisaligan

Sa hilom sa balaod wa motuman

Nga nangurakot na diay sa mga katawhan.

 

Sa diha ang Philhealth giimbestigahan

Sa maabtik ug isog nga congressman

Tagsa tagsa giusisa sa ilang binuhatan

Pero ilang mga tubag  morag Grade one.

 

Busa andam kita mga kauban

Sa mga buaya sa katilingban

Sa Philhealth ug ubang kaban sa bayan

Nabuhi sama sa iring kong kawatan..

HINUMDUMI ANG ATONG GINIKANAN

Hinumdumi Ang Atong Ginikanan

         Ni Vic Odarve

Rice Harvesting - Mayana Village

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sila angay natong hinumduman

Kay kita sa kanila nagagikan

Sa paglawig sa imong kalibutan

Sila kanato kanunay nakig-uban.

 

Sa gamay pa ka ikaw perming ginasapnay

Bisan paak sa mga lamok ikaw ginalikay

Daw prinsipe o prinsisa sa ilang panan-aw

Kay ang gugma gyod nila mopatigbabaw.

 

Giagak ka nila sa dalan sa katarungan

Ug sa edukasyon ila kang gisubaybayan

Para makab-ot ang imong kaginhawaan

Ug matagamtaman ang maayong kapalaran.

 

Karon tigulang na sila o uban mipanaw na

Hinumdumi ang tanan kon giunsa ka nila

Sa gamay pa ka ug karon milambo ka na

Panahon na tagaan sila ug importansya.

 

Kon makita nila ang imong presensya

Sila malipay kay nakahinumdom ka pa

Basin ugmaon pa dili na sila makit-an

Kay moadto na sila sa laing kalibutan.

 

 THANKS FOR WATCHING.