Carpe Diem

At the end of ten years, they had paid everything. Everything with the rates of usury, and the accumulations of the compound interest.

Madame Loisel looked old now. She had become the woman of impoverished households - Strong and Hard and Rough. With frowzy hair, skirts askew, and red hands, she talked loud while washing the floor with great swishes of water. Sometimes however, when her husband was at the office, she sat down near the window and thought of that gay evening long ago, of that ball where she had been so beautiful and so feted.

What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? Who knows? How life is strange and how changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!

But one Sunday, having gone to take a walk in the Champs Elysees to refresh herself from the labors of the week, she suddenly perceived a woman who was leading a child. It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still charming.

Madame Loisel felt moved. Was she going to speak to her? Yes, certainly, and now that she had paid, she was going to tell her all about it. Why not?

She went up. "Good-day, Jeanne."

The other, astonished to be familiarily addressed by this plain goodwife, did not recognize her at all, and stammered.

"But madame! I do not know. You must have mistaken."
"No, I am Mathilde Loisel."
Her friend uttered a cry.
"Oh my poor Mathilde! How you are changed!"
"Yes, I have had days hard enough, since I have seen you. Days wretched enough, and that because of you!"
"Of me! How so?"
"Do you remember that diamond necklace which you lent me to wear at the minister balll?"
"Yes, well?"
"Well, I lost it."
"What do you mean? You brought it back."
"I brought you back another just like it. And for this, we have been ten years paying. You can understand that it was not easy for us, us who had nothing. At last it is ended, and I am very glad."

Madame Forestier had stopped.
"You say that you bought a necklace of diamonds to replace mine?"
"Yes, you never noticed it then! The were very like."
And she smiled with a joy which was proud and naive at once.
Madame Forestier, strongly moved, took her two hands.
"Oh my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste. It was worth at most five hundred francs!"

-Maupassant-

Just a while ago, I went to the university wearing a formal wear. It was the second day of PAASCU visitation. Everything was set. I started the day right. Got up, took a bath, ate my breakfast, and went off. Upon arriving at school, I went straight to the lab, as I saw some of my students waiting. I left my things and hurried to the faculty room where I heard something on the way. The first class wasn't satisfactory as my supposed lecture did not work out. The computer just didn't cooperate. Well, we went on anyway. I didn't have my 11:00 class because we were due for an interview. I already felt uneasy, but never realized what it was. Then came the interview. I noticed the very cool feeling... it was cold because the room was airconditioned. But it was cooler. Just in the middle of the interview, I found out what that uneasy feeling was and it was related to that cool feeling. I saw my pants torn out right at the center! I was in front of a nun! The hell should I know what to do? I kept silent even though I should have talked a lot during the interview. I just kept silent. What's interesting is I forgot about it after the interview. We went on to take our lunch, did my job on my 1:00 class, then went on with the 2:30 class. In the middle of our discussion, I remembered that funny feeling. Damn the pants. I know my students couldn't have missed it! There was still roughly 30 minutes left and I discontinued our circular discussion. I should feel embarrassed! Geeez!

Father Ocampo sure is consistent with his R.I.P messages. I was hoping I could get more useful info from his messages. I mean, as Atenean, i also wish to receive updates that are really useful for both me and the ADDU community. I just wish that more useful updates would come specially those that would help the industry where I'm in. Just an opinion. No offense meant.

I really don't understand the way of the world. Many people proclaim their faith in God but do not practice the teachings. Forwarding messages/videos of "encouragement"(sometimes these aren't even encouragement but threats). Email messages that contain something like having the courage to stand up and asks to forward these messages, I really think that's stupid. If you really are strong in faith, why not proclaim it head on. Face your adversaries! Why go behind the technology where you hide through chain messages? You are proclaiming not your faith but of that who created the message. After forwarding them, would you talk to your colleagues about it? I doubt it. You don't even feel encouraged by it. You just feel guilty not forwarding these messages, and guilt is not a manifestation of faith.

I also have observed that these "compassionate" people are those who see problems of humanity every day and talk about it but never made a single action to resolve at least one of them. You are pitiful, but I don't pity you. I hope people stop forwarding these chain letters and just do something about the problem. Actions speak louder than words. Walk your talk. I did, why can't you?

Winston Chhurchill once said: "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see." What does this mean? Can I predict the future if I study the past? Well, I looked back at our history (not only the Philippine History, but the World History). How does knowing how dinosaurs and the Homo erectus lived enable me to know the future? Will their extinction be the same as ours? Just a thought.

What if looking farther backward makes me dwell in the past too much? Will it also cause me to worry too much for the future? Is it what people are doing today that we take the present for granted? Again, just a thought...