Aussie sana, Muntik nang Aussie... O sige na nga!

    I'll be leaving for Sydney with my mom on friday...
we'll be visiting relatives there... and I'll be doing some design
R&D/R&R. Australia is a good place to learn a lot from, mostly
because of how they adapt modernist concepts into their broad range of
climates and conditions. I'll also be visiting some campuses to snoop
for scholarship opportunities, but those will probably take a back seat
to the opportunities closer to the Philippines... or ASEAN.



    Of course, this trip is made possible by my mom's 15
years in PAL... ika nga nung commercial... daming benefits. But the key
thing here is that, it was really my parents' strategic decision,
particularly on my mom's side, to sacrifice her work with an ad agency
to work with PAL and contribute to the family's growth and development
by providing us with travel perks. And believe me, seeing the world at
an early age does a lot of wonders... gives you that competitive fire
in the belly, dispells a lot of colonial thoughts and insecurities that
pinoys have... it powers a sense of nationalism and pride...and
basically... just seeing how big the world is... it opens your eyes to
what you can be, what you can accomplish.



    Its surreal to be visiting Sydney for the nth time,
when my family was supposed to migrate there back in 1989. Everyone,
especially my mom, was panicky because of the state of the economy, but
my dad was bullheaded in his decision to keep us here in Manila. He
firmly believed that the seeds he was planting back then would
eventually germinate and bear fruit. True enough... they did, good
thing we didn't leave, because otherwise, all the contacts and work my
dad built-up and put-in would have gone for naught... besides I doubt
if he would have survived having to go back to school just to make
himself competitive again... especially having to work and serve under
aussie bosses.



    At the end of the day, I still take my hat off to
both my parents, their foresight and strategic thinking regarding the
family's needs and growth have been nothing but blessed and inspired.
For all the rough edges and the hard-loving discipline, I guess at the
end of the day, their conservatism and calculated moves all worked out
for the best of the family. Ngayon lang din namin narerealize that all
these years, God has been guiding and enlightening our family.