One of the videos that our facilitator, Mr. Randy S. Gamboa
showed us is a story of a mother and her daughter who made a simple innovation.
The video shows how a mother taught her daughter to be independent and solve
problems in her own way. It also shows how being resourcefulness and being
gumptious can help you in your life no matter how hard life is especially when
you do not have any wealth. So, our facilitator, Mr. Randy S. Gamboa wanted us
to make a reflection out of it with a minimum of 5000 words along with the
other videos he showed to us, so here it is. Let us start on how the video went,
so that those who haven’t seen the video will have an idea what happened.
The
video started with a scene where a mother and her daughter were sitting next to
each other while the mother is peeling mangoes. The daughter’s name is Achara
Poonsawat. Achara tried to peel a pineapple but she failed. Her mother watched
her, and saw Achara kept on trying. She eventually helped Achara and taught her
how to peel and slice the pineapple properly. Then one day her mother made a
pineapple ice cream for Achara after she saw her staring at some kids eating
ice creams. The pineapple ice cream was actually a simple pineapple cut into
rectangular pieces and placed inside a cooler full of ice overnight. When they
were having a moment talking to each other, Achara suggested that they should
sell it. Achara’s mother thought that it was a good idea, so she tasked Achara
to sell it. But Achara was a having a difficult time getting the pineapple ice
creams sold. After a day of wandering, selling those ice creams, Achara failed
to sold even one pineapple ice cream. Sad and curious, Achara asked her mother
how come the people are not buying her pineapple ice cream. Her mother gave her
an advice. She told Achara to go to the market and observe how the vendors sell
their products. Achara went to the market saw how the vendors would do bargain.
She now has an idea how to sell the pineapple ice creams. She draw a signage of
her product and pasted it on the cooler. She wanders the market and sell the
pineapple ice creams 1 for 5 bath and 3 for 10 baht. Eventually, the people noticed
her and began buying her product. Until he gained lots and lots of customers.
Now she was able to have a bike to help her sell her ice creams with
convenience. Then the following scenes are just a montage of Achara selling the
pineapple ice creams with her mother watching her from afar. Her mother
narrated and told that she was happy seeing Achara learning from experience,
and she won’t be worried if she will be gone someday cause Achara knows how to
work her way out from problems.
The
video moved me. As I watched the video, I was carried away by the story. I felt
very happy for them. They were living in a hard life, but it was not a problem
to them cause they know how to work things out. They were very resourceful. I
was so moved that I did a research about Achara Poonsawat’s life. I managed to
find a result from AIS’s website, Sarnrak. There, I found out her full story.
Achara grew up without a father since she was young. She always look up to her
mother as a role model. Watching her mother’s struggling experience gave her
valuable lessons. She learned how to work hard, because of her mother. Her
mother had never been in school, but she teaches Achara. Selling fresh fruits
in a trolley as their way of living. She was raised to be tough.
Their
story was also the story of every other people in the world. This world is
housing seven billion people, and a large fraction of that number lives in
poverty, or living in a life that is non-luxurious and non-wealthy type of life.
There are lots of them here in the Philippines. We can see it every day in our
daily lives. We may even be a part of them. Well, as long as you are not as
rich as hell. Living is a very difficult thing to do. Especially when life
gives you more weight to carry, it is indeed very difficult. It is like life is
crushing you with its thumb like an ant. But even if many people lived in that
kind of life, there still those who managed to get out and changed their lives and
made it better. Since I lived in a kind of life that is different from Achara,
I cannot give you a definite reflection of her story using my own experience.
But, I knew someone who had the same story as her. It is my Mom. My Mom always
tell us they were very poor when she was little. They usually go to the back of
restaurants and ask for the bones, so that they can have something to eat for
dinner. She told us that whenever they have nothing as a side dish, they use
rock salt and damp it on the rice, and add a little oil to it, and she claims
that it was very tasty. My Mom was not dependent to my grandmother. She solves
her problems and find solutions in her own way. She never asked anything from
grandma, she looks for a way to provide her needs. She said that to provide her own needs, she
sells newspaper and vegetables at the market just to have a baon. She kept on
working hard until she graduated college and got a degree on Accountancy. After
she graduated, she managed to get a job in Depart of Public Works and Highways.
She worked there for a couple of years, then she quitted and applied at the
Philippine Postal Corporation as a Postal Clerk. She has been working as a
postal clerk for 20 years. We are not rich, we are a normal family who have
enough to feed ourselves three times a day. We have no luxurious life, but if
you would compare my mother’s life before she got a job versus her life now, it
is no doubt that her life right now is a hundred times much better than it was.
Achara’s
life was very different from mine. Even though we are not rich, we still grew
up in a very different way. I grew up with ease, with no hassle. Achara grew up
solving problem with her own and she had her eyes opened, seeing how difficult
it is to live. Now, my story goes like this. I was born on Oct. 26, 1995. I
grew up with mother and father, unlike Achara, she grew up without having a
father. I grew up waking every morning with food on the table. I grew up having
lunch with food on the table, I grew up having dinner with food on the table.
And by saying “food on the table”, I mean of a plate with rice on it and a
viand on the side. My mom serves us, she does everything for us. I did not grow
up experiencing how hard living is. Whenever I need money, I just ask my
parents, and they will hand me money, but Achara was not like me. Whenever she
needs something, she will find for a solution, she would work hard for it. My
mother is Postal Clerk, hers was a fruit vendor. I go to school with plenty of
baon, she does not (sort of). Even though that I grew up in a life much better
than Achara, I feel bad about myself because if you can read I what I just
wrote, it clearly shows you how dependent I am to my parents. But, Achara can
do things on her own. That makes her a lot better than me. Even now that I am
in college, I still depend on my parents. I depend on them because there is
nothing that I can do. I could not find a job that would complement on my
schedules I know that it sounds very weird. A young adult who is still
dependent on his parents. You might be thinking what would my future be like
when I’m all alone. Well, I’ve been thinking about it since a very long long
time. I have thought about when the day comes that I will be on my own at this
age without my parents, I would probably be dead. Since I was a child, I was
not encouraged to work, even when I became a high school student. My parents
would always tell me that I’m too young to work. Let’s pause for a minute, I
would like to clarify something. I do not have an experience when it comes
working on a job, but I do the chores, I have technical skills that are pretty
helpful. The thing is that, I haven’t been given the chance to show it outside
our house. So, back the topic. I thought that it would be very difficult for me
if I am all alone. I do not know to whom can I seek for help. Even if I managed
to get a job, it will be hard for me since I have a social anxiety problem, I
find it hard to deal with people around me.
But
after watching the video, it made me looked up to Achara and made her as my new
role model, not that I am replacing my old role models which are my parents and
those people who influenced me, I am adding her to my list of role models.
Knowing her story inspires me, watching her at her young age motivates me to
become like her. I want to be as strategic like her. I want to be as resourceful
as her. I want to sort things out on my own. Though I haven’t been dependent to
my parents for the last 3 years, but still it is not enough to call myself as
an independent person. Actually, for the last three years, I applied for many
jobs during the summer vacation so, that I can have my own income and I should
no longer ask from my parents. But it was so bitter, every time whenever I
apply for a job, I always reach the final interview, then would tell me that I
should wait for their message if I was hired or not. Well suddenly, not even a
single message came into my inbox. It has been always like that. I always end
up being hired on a 10-day summer job. Well, it is much better than having no
job at all. I know that the salary from those kind of jobs is not enough. So,
what I do is to keep them until I can a new job, and keep my salaries until the
school year starts. In that way, I could pay for the down payment, and all that
is left will be my baon. Now, I have something new in me, and innovation that
could help me find money. Not actually a huge amount of money and not as often
though, but it still enough to act as my baon. I am now open for commissions on
drawing people. I could use this new skill of mine to seek money in a small
way. Well, I want to share how I got into drawing before I tell how will I make
money from this, and make myself independent like Achara. My drawing career
started like this. love to draw when I was a child, at that time I thought that
my drawing skills are enough to impress people around me. I was blessed with
awards related to drawing back then. When I was on Grade 4, I stopped from
drawing cause I was influenced by my classmates to play games on internet. When
I was in high school (after a long halt from drawing), I find it difficult to
draw. I was so disappointed and I decided to stop drawing and carry on with my
teenage life doing teenage stuff. Many years later (literally!). I saw one of
my classmate’s portrait drawing when we were on our Second Year on college, I
was so amazed by his drawing. Later on, I decided to go back to drawing. I
wielded the pencil (which was Mongol 2) on my right hand, trying to wear that
confidence that I had back when I used to draw. I tried to draw one of my
favorite character (Scorpion from Mortal Kombat) in the most realistic way that
I can, and voila! When I was done, I was so happy to see my drawing. Knowing
that it is far from what I really wanted it to become, I know that I have to
practice hard. I drew every reference that I could think of. I drew and drew to
achieve realism. Every drawing that I have been done, puts a smile on my face. It
was July 9, 2014 when I was added in to the group Guhit Punas - Davao that
later would become my family. I was stunned, shocked and awed when I saw the
members’ contributions. At that moment I felt like I was so tiny compared to
them. So tiny, that an electron microscope couldn’t even see. I was a bit of
discouraged seeing those artworks from the “Mamaws”, I felt I like I don’t
belong here. But I didn’t let it fully get in to my head. I kept drawing,
asking tips and advices from the “Mamaws”. Befriended everyone in the group. I
watch every possible tutorials out there, I strived to become worthy of being a
member of Guhit Pinas – Davao. After 3 months, I have seen my improvements. Now,
it has been almost a year since I’ve become a member of this group. I was so
very happy. I never thought that I would last in this group (which I sucked at
other groups. Every time I join a group, I would not last long.). This group
became my second family. This group contains a vast amount of talented people
with golden hearts and cheerful souls. And as a member of the group, I observed
each individual’s activity. I observed that some of them do commissions. I was
thinking that it is a very good source of income, a good part time job. But, I
was afraid to do it before since I know that I sucked. I learned that an 8.5” x
11” portrait could cost around 200 to 500 pesos depending how good the drawing
is. The larger the size of the drawing is, the more expensive it is. With this,
a single commission could sustain my daily needs for a short period of time
whenever the day will come that I will be on my own. Judging by my capacity, I
can finish a drawing with in just 2 to 3 hours. So, it will not be a problem
for me to accept a lot of commissions. Although, I know that is not a
sufficient way to keep myself alive, but still it is an example of me being strategic
in finding money.
In order to see myself becoming Achara,
let’s have a situation where I am helpless as hell. I have nothing with me. I
have a little amount of money, and I don’t have a job. I am only living alone
in our house, the bills are mine to carry. It really frustrating to think of it,
but if you succumb into that thought, you would not find a way to solve the
problems you are carrying. So, back to the topic. I have nothing. All that is
left with me are my PC, a little amount of money, my drawing materials that is consisted
of sketchpad, pencils, vellum boards, ballpens. And many to mention. I would
start solving my problems on spending my remaining money to find a job. I am a
computer literate person, and I know a lot of things when it comes to
computers. But in this case, I cannot find a job where I can use my computer knowledge,
since I have not graduated yet. Working on a call center company is the closest
thing I can afford to do. I would first apply for a position that is related to
my knowledge of computers. In that case, it is the position of a TSR or
Technical Service Representative is the closest thing (well, sort of). I will
start humbly. I will work eagerly and I will work until I can earn enough money.
When the time comes that I have earned enough, I will buy those materials that
I need to help me with my drawings. I will start a business. A portrait-making
business. But I know that it will be tough for me when I am still working. In
that case, I will renew my contract as long as I have put up everything in
place. Then, I will start my portrait-making business as a sideline, I will
observe if it will be a good thing. Since I am capable of my drawing quality, I
will put a price on 300 per 9” x 12” drawing, with only a single subject. It
will be an additional 150 pesos if there are another person in the reference
picture. Example, the client would hand me a picture of him, that would be 300
pesos. Now, if the client would hand me a picture of him with a friend, then
that would be 450 pesos instead of 600 pesos. Now that is called bargaining.
Just like what Achara Poonsawat and the vendors did in the video. With that
kind of deal, it will attract the customers even more. Giving the customers a
great deal and a great value will make increase the chance of my business
viral. Nut, setting those optimistic thoughts aside, it is undeniable that one
day my portrait-making business will fade. That’s why having only one part-time
job is not a good thing. In my case, I already have a second part-time job. Well,
this involves my computer literacy skills. Well, that includes encoding data
and other stuff, but I am not only a normal computer literate person. I know
how to edit photos and videos. Yes, I am a multimedia artist. But before I will
explain how will this skill would help me, I will share to you first how I fell
in love with multimedia. As far as my memory serves me well, I was only a grade
6 student when I was introduced to multimedia editing. When our family bought a
desktop computer, there was nothing really in it. It was so empty as hell.
Since I was born curious, I managed to surf the internet. I saw a lot of
things, even different cultures and norms brought by people from where they are
into the internet. But one thing that bugs me is that, how do people create
animation. At that time, when I was on grade 4 to 6, the internet era is
getting bigger and bigger. And as a kid, I usually hang out in internet cafes.
And I noticed that almost all the customers, most of them are kids who has the
same age as me are watching animations. I can remember the first animation on
the internet I saw was a stick figure animation, and it was a very violent one.
I learned that that animation came from a website called “Newgrounds”. That
website is a community where flash creators are hanging out together and upload
their works. At that time, Newgrounds was very famous, and Newgrounds has a lot
of animations. A LOT! Lately, I learned that those kind of animations are
called flash animations. Every time I visit Newgrounds, it would took me an
hour or two just to get off that website because it has a lot of animations to
watch. They have all genres of flash animation. From action, drama, comedy, horror,
etc. And they even had an adult genre. Most of all, Newgrounds, is not only
full of flash animations, but it is also full of flash games. That is why Newgrounds
is over the top at that time. Now, one day, I thought of something. I asked
myself; “How did these people create flash animation?” I was so curious that I
searched for the answer. Upon searching I found the answer, but I was
disappointed because I never got the tools that are needed to make one, but
still I know the process. Later on, my brother installed something on our
computer, I asked him what it was. He told me that it was Photoshop. My ears
ringed as I recall that one of the softwares need to create a flash animation
is Photoshop. My brother showed me how Photoshop works and what are its
capabilities. I was stunned, I realized that I can use Photoshop for other
purposes. That’s why I studied how to use Photoshop and watch tutorials online.
I was able to harness photo manipulation when I was on 2nd year high
school. At that time, I was being hired by my classmates to edit pictures for
them, and I am glad to accept their request. Whenever I am done with their
requests, they would pay me. Then when I became 4th year high school,
I studied how to edit videos. I focused on visual effects. And that moment, I
have dreamt of being a director. After months of learning, the same thing happened
again. My friends would hire me to edit their videos for their video
presentation and they would pay me in exchange. And I am glad to accept their
offer. Photo and video editing became my sideline when I was 4th
year high school and until now. A lot of people hired me to edit their videos,
because a friend of mine referred me. And that became a chain. A lot of people
keeps on referring me when it comes to video editing. That’s why whenever I
woke up, my there will be a message on my phone from a student who is from
another school saying that a guy or a friend of mine referred me to them, and
asking me if I can edit their video and they would ask how much would it cost.
And my answer will be “It depends how long the video will be”. Money was not a
problem for me at that time. But that didn’t went good. I stopped accepting
offers when I became a 2nd year college. The schedules were too
hectic, I had no time to edit. I made my studies as my top priority. Now back
to where we left. Making photo and video as my second part-time is good thing,
but the only problem is it will conflict with my other job such as the drawings.
Well, that would be very unlikely to happen because, drawing commissions are
very rare unlike requests for video and photo editing. There are very few
people would want their faces to be drawn on a piece of paper, but there are
lots of students who are seeking for someone to edit their videos for their
video presentation. I know that video and photo editing now is very easy to
learn, but there still those people who will choose someone to do something for
them. There are lots of students who are unable to do their video presentation
because they a lot of things to do, that is why they look for those people like
us and just pay them how much is the price. Another thing that would help me
seek money is that I know how to assemble a personal computer or PC. I know how
to format, I know how to remove viruses, I know how diagnosed a unit to
determine its problem. See? I just made
an Achara Poonsawat out of me. I thought I am a no hope kind of guy that will
be left alone to die. This video helped me realized my skills and potentials. I
just realized now while I was typing that maybe it is not that worse that it
could be whenever comes a day that I will be alone.
Okay, let’s focus more on the
video, and the message it convey to the viewers. The thing in this video that
got me is the innovation of their product. They call it “Pineapple Ice Cream”,
which I failed to see it as an ice cream. For me it is a simple pineapple which
is cooled in a chiller. But for them, that thing they called “Pineapple Ice
Cream” is a table-turning innovation. By discovering that innovation, Achara stepped
up and worked on her own. That innovation changed their lives drastically. We
saw how very impecunious they are. We see how her mother worked hard as a fruit
vendor. Then, one day Achara decided to help her mother by selling those
pineapple ice cream. The way that I see this is that poverty leads to
innovation, which is true most of the time. Poverty makes people to strive very
hard in order just survive, and being pumped up and fueled with determination,
people can produce an idea that is so unique. In their case, that innovation
made Achara learned all the thing had to learn through experience. She was
educated through experience and not by teaching. And this type of scenario is
very common to those people who are struck by poverty. They need to educate
themselves by learning the things around them works just by themselves. There
are a lot of people you can see who experienced the same way. Most of the
vendors at the market did not finish their studies, but they need to work just to
keep themselves alive. They started working at the market at very young age
until they grew old now knowing all the tricks and the secrets just to sustain
their daily lives. As what Frank McCourt said, and I quote; “You might be poor, your shoes might be
broken, but your mind is a palace.” It implies that even if you have
nothing. You still have your mind. Your mind is the most powerful weapon you
have. People would say that “If you have a brain, you would be dangerous”, and
that is right. Those people who I am referring that they did not finish their
studies have used their brains to survive. They knew that they should find a
way to battle the hardships given by life despite they have nothing. Aristotle
once said; “Poverty is the parent of
revolution and crime.” Partly yes,
and partly no. Poverty indeed crushes you like a cracker into a pulp, leaving
you weak and helpless unless you do something about it. Some people are tempted
to do the bad way. They would rob the others so they will gain something. Thus,
that is why people had the impression of the poor is always related to crime.
But, come to think about it, not all people that are poverty-stricken are
guilty of crime. There are people who were born from poverty who learned how to
value life the most and sees how the world turns around beautifully even if
they have nothing, hence the saying; “The
poor people are often the most generous”. It is true. They know what it is
like to have nothing, so they try to help other in a way they can. And the part
where Aristotle said the Poverty is the parent of revolution. Yes, it is also
true. Imagine a dictator running a country. A very selfish dictator which
caused his country to enter poverty. People will perform a revolution as an
attempt to overthrow the dictator. But, I see this in a different way. People who
live in poverty seeks an escape from where they are currently, they seek change.
That is why their minds are going into a protest, their minds are going into
revolution, that’s why many of them managed to free themselves from poverty or
at least found a way to survive. They did it by having their minds a
revolutionary way of thinking, minds that are producing revolutionary idea. Just
like what Achara’s mother did. She wanted to give her daughter an ice cream,
but she can’t since she doesn’t have enough money. That’s why she thought of
another way to give her daughter something that would level or top an ice
cream, and that is the pineapple ice cream. It is the product of her
revolutionary way of thinking. A revolutionary idea that soon helped Achara mold
herself.
Poverty made a lot of children
become strong and wise in the battles they are facing every day. Molding them
into a working machine, molding their minds into an eager, goal-oriented
central processing unit. Because poverty is a curse, and only hard work is the solution
to this, with your brains and wits are your weapons. Just like Shia Labeouf said
on his video; “Some people dream of
success, while you’re going to wake up and work hard at it.” This is pretty
damn true. People dream of success, they want to get out of impecuniosity. But,
the sad thing is that they only “dream” about it. They are not doing anything
to achieve that dream, they are not chasing that dream they are dreaming about.
While those people who are sick of being poor and broke would work their
fingers to the bones just to lift their status. I know getting out of
poverty/impecuniosity is very very hard. Some people are stuck forever on
trying. But, trying without determination and eagerness is an effort wasted.
Now a lot of people would think how the hell they can get out from where they
are if they are stuck. Well, your imagination is your limit. Do not be afraid
of failed attempts and rejections, they are part of it. Jack Ma, founder of
Alibaba got rejected 30 times, but now he is very successful. If you are caught
in the middle, thinking what to do, just think of seeing yourself 10 years from
now. If that scares you, then you should start working your way out of that
deep pit of poverty. Just remember what Shia Labeouf would tell you. “JUST DO
IT!”
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