The last cartoon show I got hooked to was The Little Lulu Show. Since then I couldn’t even remember having the same love for children’s show until Spongebob Squarepants came. And who said adults can’t learn from them? I have come to realized that it’s not all nautical nonsense. Almost everything an adult needs to learn for himself to become a better individual, Spongebob has the principles. So read on this 2-part series and just be open about them. They would somehow make sense:

First, Spongebob Taught Me to Love My Neighbor.

Even if your neighbor would be Squidward Tentacles who thinks he’s way better than anybody else, you are most of the time put into a situation that requires you to love the unlovable. No matter how short his patience is and how outspoken he can be to tell right on your face that your presence annoys him all the time, you can always find something good about him. Well, in a way! Spongebob has always loved hearing Squidward while playing his clarinet when nobody ever seem to care at all. Besides, as what he once told Patrick, he likes  Squidward. And he’s not just an ordinary squid but the meanest creature you can ever meet on Bikini Bottom. So just try to imagine someone from your neighbor who whines same as Squidward does. Or maybe someone who resembles a bit of him. Then tell yourself everyday that if a brainless sponge can accept his neighbor no matter what, probably it would be a lot easier for you. Well unless… *evil grin* But kidding aside, it’s one of the teachings of Christianity. What we sow, we shall reap. Peace and harmony are great rewards of respecting and loving your neighbor. It takes a lot of humility and sometimes a bit of putting down your pride. And it doesn’t hurt to be as insensitive as Spongebob sometimes. It’s your choice whether to rehearse your anger about a certain mistreatment or just brush it off and live with peace in mind. The former can be just an additional useless baggage, the latter one won’t lessen your territory. In fact, it expands your world.

I’ve Learned that I Should Try to be a Best Friend to Someone.

I once told a friend that I just don’t get it when guys tend to forget about almost everything you had on certain conversations. Like for all those times they were just pretending they listened (I’m not raising issues on men so forget that). But since we’re talking about Spongebob Principles here as what I call them, it’s high time to acknowledge that nobody’s perfect. Look at Spongebob. He’s always been there for Patrick. Even if most of the time the pink star gets him into a lot of trouble. Not just that. Patrick never fails to forget! Yeah, like your boyfriend or husband who forgets the most important events in your life. Spongebob always support Patrick’s endeavors. He always encourage Patrick. They’re partners in crime. They were the only creatures who enjoyed playing inside a large box. Spongebob didn’t mind even if he  would sound dumb when Patrick was visited by what he thought was his parents (So there, Patrick forgot again and so did his fellow star fish visitors).  You can help change someone. But if change of character is just so impossible to a person, either you take him as he is or leave him for what he can never be. So whether it’s with your boyfriend or husband,  with a member of your family, someone or anyone special in your life, be a best friend you can ever be to him. Listen more even if  he says the dumbest things. You’d be able to correct him then while not passing judgment. Try to understand that he’s not perfect and that he may get into trouble at some point of his life. In most part, you would share in the same trouble. Don’t blame it all to the other person. The key here is acceptance and the fuel that will get you going is unconditional love.

And I Have to Love My Craft No Matter What.

Good ol’ Krab who’s only after all the money, where can you find none? Maybe you have the same boss who walks in small quick steps; counting money serves as his hobby and he’d never let you touch his precious dollars framed and hanging on his walls at home. Mr. Krabs hired Spongebob to become a cook in his restaurant. You know what? You would never see Spongebob having such hard times at Krusty Krabs. He was so concerned about how to get the job done and he sees to it that customers get what they deserve. Even the Krab doesn’t think it still is necessary. Spongebob loves what he does and he makes the most of it. And what does it benefit him? He’s a big asset as far as Mr. Krabs is concern (Squidward thinks otherwise. He wants Spongebob out of Krusty Krabs and his life). So one time Mr. Krabs sold his resto just to buy Spongebob’s very own version of Krabby Patties. Why? Because Spongebob made something out of the craft he mastered. We can never reach the standard of perfection. But with a sound choice, practice and hard work, it will all soon pay off. I just loved it when Spongebob said, “can’t have dirty garbage.” He’s well motivated. His enthusiasm makes him stand out even before his boss.

So basically, that’s it for the first part. You see, positivity doesn’t hurt. It never will. Don’t expect that people would like the idea though. If nobody appreciates your effort just do it for your own sake. Give yourself a favor. Release all those hang-ups. They’re not helping at all.

On the next one, I’ll point out how we can learn from Spongebob with Plankton, Mrs. Puff, Gary and Sandy Cheeks on the background.

“If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are.” – John W. Gardner

]]> http://kagandahan.net/?feed=rss2&p=171 6 http://kagandahan.net/?p=11 http://kagandahan.net/?p=11#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:01:38 +0000 Mish http://kagandahan.net/?p=11

I know, I know. This post is long overdue. But considering how fun our Zambales trip was with former colleagues and some new acquaintances, I just can’t let this all pass without writing about it. With a budget of 2000  pesos (about 43 USD) I wasn’t convinced at first that this would cover all my personal contribution for a two-day trip and some other expenses we could be having but it actually did! I still had extra to buy me a halo-halo from Razon’s.

On May 15th, we left Manila by 1:00AM and arrived at Pundaquit bay by 4:00, no signs of dawn yet. Torn between loving and hating our driver, we made it earlier as expected having endured a very rough drive.

Destinations

• Anawangin
• Talisayin, a private beach where we stayed overnight
• Nagsasa
• Capones Island

What Made This Trip Remarkably Affordable

13 of us went on a trip and 13 of us get to share the load of expenses. Thanks to our organizers, they already planned about the food and water, cooked our breakfast and lunch ahead of time, went on to the grocery, brought a cooking set and other things we should ever need.

Worry-Free Weekend

It’s a good factor that some of us have been to Zambales and they found locals they may contact anytime they would feel like coming back. If you don’t know anyone from this place it would be more convenient to do some research first about people who can probably help so you don’t have to worry so much about the boat, the places you can stay and things you might need.

We also made sure that our families and friends knew about this trip. We sent messages just before we went off shore. Just so if anything unusual happens, they would be the first set of people who would know how to manage the unmanageable for us on these secluded coves and island.

Things You Need to Know About the Islands

1. No Cellphone Signals. The moment you leave Pundaquit bay, expect that soon enough you would no longer be able to call and send SMS to your friends and loved ones. So before leaving, make sure you’ve told your parents about how lovely the beach is, you have left a clear instruction to your co-worker about the pending task you have entrusted her, or you have already called your ex telling him you would survive without him. The bottom line is make sure you’ve done everything that needs to be properly done before leaving. For me, no signal means I’m away from all the buzz and noises I deal with everyday of my life so I found it something new. And besides, I can live a month without using my cellphone; tried and tested. How about you? How does that sound to you?
2. No Hotels, No Airconditioned Room, No Wifi. I personally loved this. Aetas occupying the beaches and other locals so far have maintained the environment same way it was given to them by God except for minor renovations and changes as witnessed by my friends who have been here especially in Anawangin. This is now well-known to Filipino travelers and so we were not actually surprised seeing Anawangin a bit crowded compared to 2 other beaches we have stayed a bit longer. But yes, if you love trekking over the mountains or sleeping inside tents give you that this-feels-so-much-like-home feeling, then you would probably enjoy there.
3. Where’s the Nearest Convenience Store? Not so surprising, there are no signs of convenience store planned to be put up anytime soon. But there are small sari-sari store especially at Nagsasa beach owned mostly by aetas. So you can still drink common cola and juice you get to see in convenience stores. They also sell halo-halo too. And you know what? A man sells ice creams on stick at Capones island just along the surroundings of the lighthouse same as the cost when you buy it inland. I wonder if he has his own boat that gets him to and from the island and if the ice creams on stick had given him enough earnings to buy him that boat for his small business (who knows?).
4. How about Souvenir Shops? There is a small souvenir shop in Anawangin. Should you be going to other beaches and island and planning not to get back, make sure you already bought the items you want. They are just so affordable and cute like those souvenirs given on weddings. Why did I say that? I just saw one exactly similar to a giveaway given to me when one of my friends got married. She would hate that once I tell her.

Eye Candies

Maureen and Era walking along Anawangin beach.

On our way to Talisayin beach where we stayed overnight. We left our things. It was safe except for a slight problem. Our things were moved to another hut because some people just felt like doing it. But I have already moved on from that so no big deal.

Nagsasa cove, the best place among all the coves and island. Those mountains magically transform colors from charcoal to golden brown within the day.

A cottage under a sun-shiny clear sky at Nagsasa beach cove.

Nagsasa beach view from up the hill.

An after-lunch gathering.

Awesome scenery from the unfinished grotto in Talisayin.

Karen and me after the stroll.

Happy people waiting to grab their dinner plates. Yeah, my whole face turned red.

This is where we stayed for the night. A small hut we rented in Talisayin. It is a private cove though so we are still blessed to find some place to stay instead of tents.

The following day, May 16, we went to Capones island to take more shots. The Lighthouse.

Cliff view at the top of the lighthouse. We were able to go up and see the vast blue sea.

Choco Chonggo shot at Capones island.

At Megastation along NLEX on our way home, enjoying Razon’s Halo-halo.

Grayscaled!

Convinced Enough and Wanting to Try a Trip?

Anyone may come and visit these places during summer. It would be more convenient if you would go with friends or loved ones and make sure there’s someone who can swim well. If you’ve tried searching other blogs, you must have read some incidents of drowning and people who got lost on the mountains. Observe proper safety measures to avoid unwanted incidents. Remember that on some certain situations, we can’t count too much on anything or anyone but rather on ourselves when it comes to safety.

Little Things Do Count

And we felt a beach shot will never be complete without trying our own jump shot…

Preparing…

Not the most successful jump I’ve seen so far but it wasn’t bad though. We had so much fun!

Acknowledements

My deepest gratitude to Joey, Neo and Era for allowing me to post their photos on this site. Hoping for another travel adventure with you again guys.