Laughter is a Lifetime. Soften the worst blows of life with humor.

 Laughter is a Lifetime

Soften the worst blows of life with humor.

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." - Bill Cosby

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Light moments, Amadeo, Cavite, author with his students at the University of Santo Tomas  Graduate School. 

1. A judge in sentencing a criminal recently said, "I am giving you the maximum punishment - I am letting you go free to worry about taxes, inflation, and everything else, just like the rest of us."

2. In prehistoric times, cavemen had a custom of beating the ground with clubs and uttering spine-chilling cries. Anthropologists call this a form of primitive self-expression. When modern men go through the same ritual, they call it golf.

3. Not so long three lunatics escaped from a large asylum. Search officers combed the surrounding countryside for twenty-four hours, and they finally brought in five.

4. When the Creator gave out brains, I thought he said trains - and I missed mine! When He gave out good looks, I thought he said books - and I didn't want any! And when He said noses, I thought he said roses - and I ordered a big red one.

5. A young woman boarded a crowded bus. A tired little man got up and gave her his seat. There was a moment of silence. "I beg your pardon?" said the tired man. "I didn't say anything," replied the young woman. "I'm sorry," said the man. "I thought you said 'Thank you.'"

6. A grade-school student was having trouble with punctuation. "Never mind, sonny," said the visiting school board president, consolingly. "It's foolish to bother about commas; they don't amount too much, anyway." "Elizabeth Ann," said the teacher, "please write this sentence on the board: "The president of the board says the teacher is misinformed." "Now," she continued, "put a comma after the board and another after teacher."

7. An American engineer returned recently from a mission to the Soviet Union. The Russians, he reported, were fascinated by the Americans' use of the expression OK. " But what is this Okie-Dokie? one Russian asked him. Before he could answer, another Russian interrupted with, "Don't be a dope. It's the feminine of OK.

8. It often happens that I wake at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope. (Pope John Paul XXIII)

9. Here's a story about smart kids. "I wonder why people say Amen and not Awomen?" Bobby questioned. His little friend replied, "Because they sing hymns and not hers, silly."

10. Here's a story for the political candidate for the coming election. Voter: "Why, I wouldn't vote for you if you were Saint Peter himself." Candidate: 'if I were Saint Peter, you couldn't vote for me - you wouldn't be in my district."

11. Motorist: "Your honor, I was not drunk.  I was only drinking." 
      Judge: "Well, in that case I an not going to send you to jail for one month - only for 30 days." 

12. A fellow in a lunatic asylum sat fishing over a flower bed.  A visiting doctor, wishing to be friendly asked.
"How many have you caught?"
Answered the not-so-dumb fisherman, "You are the ninth."

13. The many faces of Peace

Peace is often mispronounced and a butt of jokes: fish, feast, piss, fish be with you, phase 1- phase 2, piece of paper, may you rest in peace (good sleep). – (Fr. Jerry Orbos, June 11, 2006) PHOTO Happy children

14. Count
What comes after five? Six, po. 7? Eight, po. Who taught you how to count? My father, po.  What comes next after ten? Jack, po. (Fr. Jerry Orbos, June 11, 2006)

15. Neighbors
"Good morning, madam. I'm the piano-tuner."
"But I didn't send for a piano-tuner."
"I know, It was a committee of your neighbors that called up." 

16. Man - Men
Men can be divided into three classes:

1. The handsome
2. The intellectual
3. The great majority

17. Three things to give to marriage:

1. Industry
2. Inspiration
3. In

18. Kiss
"Best way to quiet a hysterical girl ," said the psychologist, "is to give her a kiss."
"But how do you get them hysterical?"

19. Language 
"So you have just returned from Paris.  Did you have any trouble with your French?"
"No, but the French did."

20. Just to show you
A wife was frying eggs for her husband’s breakfast. Suddenly her husband burst into the kitchen, “Careful…
CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You’re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They’re going to STICK! Careful… CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUK! You NEVER listen to me when you’re cooking! Never! Don’t forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!”

The wife stared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? You think I don’t know how to fry eggs?”

The husband calmly replied, “I wanted to show you how it feels like to have you sitting next to me when I’m driving.

Acknowledgment: Jokes, Quotes and One-Liners for Public Speakers by Prochnow H V and HV Prochnow Jr; Speaker's Encyclopedia of Humor by Jacob Braude, Prentice-Hall

Trees - Nature’s Gift to Man

Trees - Nature’s Gift to Man

By Anna Christina R Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog
Lesson on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School on Air) 

with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Acacia trees, Ateneo de Manila University QC

We grow up with trees.

We want them to grow big;

we want them to be around us;

to give us shade in which we play;

to give us strong trunk and branches

on which we climb and swing and laugh;

to give us fruits which make us full,

healthy and strong;

medicine to make us well;

wood that keeps our body warm,

cooks our food;

leaves to keep our air clean

and to whisper and sing

and dance with the breeze;

and above all,

to give us aesthetic beauty

through which we feel

how lucky we are alive.

How irrational would it be to kill a tree,

even if we reason out that we need its wood,

its bark, its roots, its flowers and fruits and seeds,

to keep us alive!

It is a paradox

that for us to survive and progress,

we kill the host of life –

life of birds that build nest on its branches,

passersby who find respite

from the beating sun,

a myriad of small life forms

from insects to lizards

that find a home

and harbor on its roots and crown.

What a paradox

if we kill the tree that gives us oxygen

that brings down the cloud as rain,

that keeps the environment cool, clean and green

to kill a friend,

a companion and a guardian,

the link of our earth and sun,

God and His Son.

Excerpt from a speech of Anna Rotor, then
16 years old at School of St. Anthony QC, 1999.

Light a Candle

 Dr Abe V Rotor
 Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

In the dark look at the sky and the stars,
They’re living gems, a thousand eyes;
They soothe the soul, heal wounds into scars –
They come to mingle with fireflies.

Short is life; man is but a living dust,
But many great things come to pass.
Someday you shall learn from the sages,
Those who live through the ages

Not for glory, they fill the emptiness;
Go light a candle in gladness.
Fireflies and stars in the night are one,
Like flowers that bear the sun.

x x x

Christmas Message: Let's Aim for Peace of Mind, Holism, and Selflessness

Christmas Message: Let's Aim for Peace of Mind, Holism, and Selflessness
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

UST Paskuhan's giant Christmas Tree and its reflection on floodwater.

  To our beloved followers and visitors of this Blog, students and radio listeners, friends - and all.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
From: Dr Abe and Mrs Cecille Rotor; Marlo and Charisse and Laurence; Anna and Mac and Mackie; Marchus; Leo Carlo, and Manang Veny.
- Ka Melly and staff of DZRB Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, and Family
- Co-workers and faculty members, UST, AdMU, SPUQC, DLSU-D, UPH-R, NFA, ISCC

Wake up every morning a "balanced" person. You must be a perfect square. Look at yourself on the mirror and examine the four attributes of life - mental or intellectual, psychological or emotional, spiritual, and physical well being.

If you are not, be aware of your strength, weaknesses and deficiencies. Learn to adjust, do not delay. If you have colds you need rest. If you feel sad, cheer up. Look at the brighter side of life. Your conscience may be bothering you for whatever reason. Pray. Amend. Seek spiritual advice. Mentally dull? Postpone important decisions. Maybe you need a weekend rest with the family. An outdoor activity? Visit your relatives. Recharge before you run low in energy.

When you have found yourself in a square - perfect or nearly so - you will enjoy Peace of Mind (POM). Peace of mind is the greatest tool in a person's life every day. It is the most potent tool in overcoming tension and stress that we face in our modern world. POM is earned, it does not just come, it is not a matter of luck. It comes after a good rest and sincere prayer. It accompanies joy and hope. And most importantly, it is like light that radiates and shared by others in the family and community.

Our motives in life on the short, medium and long term are defined in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which appears like a stair - actually a ziggurat or tiered pyramid. The physiologic needs form the base. They are survival needs which are often referred to as drives or instincts. They are biological and as such are universal in the living world. So with social motives in many respects.

The primary social unit is the family. It is not made-to-order. It does not come in silver platter. You have to make it yourself. It is in your plan, determination and resolve. Success of the family is the number one criterion to say you are successful in life.

The family expands into community, then into society. Our actions are governed collectively by culture, as a nation, and ultimately, humanity. We are part of that web .

Because we have risen above our instincts and social motives, we search for that elusive meaning of life - life not equated with money and power, but self-actualization and self-fulfillment. When you are there on that pedestal, you among great men and women. You belong to the rank of heroes and martyrs.
How far do we look from where we stand in terms of space and time? Each one has his own perception and perspective. But the general rule is that, the more we have provided ourselves with guarantees in life - job, financial and material things, natural resources around us, concern of others for us, and the like, the farther we look ahead into the future. We look not only for our own good today and tomorrow. We look forward to future of our children, and beyond. We talk of tomorrow when we have enough today. We talk of investment when we have savings.

And the wider our perspective is, the more we expand our concern, concern not about ourselves but for other people we may not even know. We become interested in things happening around the world, even if these do not directly concern us.

We look beyond our fence so to speak, we become interested with what is happening. Not mere spectators but players. Here we realize the meaning of what Shakespeare said, "the world is a stage and each one of us has a role to play."

We no longer live just for life's sake. We make friendship into brotherhood. We care because we love. We are not only citizens of our country, or members of a particular race, religion or creed. We are citizens of the world. ~

I am a Lost Lamb

Stained glass windows of the Good Shepherd Cathedral, Fairview QC
Photos and Verses by Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday [www.pbs.gov.ph]

The Lost Lamb

You are everywhere but there's no place I can find You:

     on a high rise, in the crowded city,

     in the academe, market and mall,

     in the theater and concert hall;  

I cried out Your name, only to be baffled by the roar of cars,

     blaring music of the karaoke,

     boisterous parties, unruly rallies,

     deafening noise of giant machines;

   

I tried to touch You like the old woman in the Holy Book,

    in the church, in processions,

    on a  hanging crucifix, and rosary,

    religious images on my busy desk; 

I have no time, though the city is alive round the clock;

    alone I drive on the fast lane,

    live in a push subdivision

    away from kin and real home;  

I am a prisoner in a prison built in the name of progress,

    the miracle of science and technology,

    the wonder and pleasure of travel,

    with social media at my fingertips; 

I am lost in cyberspace, in things I seem to understand,

    I am the Lost Lamb 

    in the wilderness of globalization

    and postmodernism;

I long to see You, hear You, and touch You.

 ... through the Storm of Life

 Let me go back to my younger years to be with You,

     among your little friends and disciples,

     where innocence reigns in peace

     understanding and joy;

    

Let me sit beside You and listen to Your stories:

     the parables of  the Prodigal Son,

     the Sower, and the Lost Lamb, 

     the Sermon on the Mount; 

Let me join You in Your walk hand in hand,

     to leave my footprints beside yours,

     and if I see that I have none, I trust that

     You shall have carried me

         through the storm of life.~

Flowers Anonymous

Flowers Anonymous 

Painting and Verse by Dr Abe V Rotor

                          

Flowers Anonymous in acrylic by AVR 2015.  

Lady Gertrude Stein was correct after all;

You can't define a flower but by itself.

Move over Linnaeus, Darwin, Mendel;

Science is gathering dust in the shelf.  

Wonder the DNA, the code of heredity;

Prosaic, assuming, devoid of caress.

Neither seen nor measured nor certain

To judge the beauty of a patch of roses.

Why, a flowering weed by the roadside,

Or some lowly vine clinging in the open –

For they mask the unseen to be seen

As a whole new world of a Lost Garden. ~ 

Flow Agno River, Flow

Dr Abe V Rotor  
 Living with Nature School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Old Bridge across Banaoang Pass in acrylic (60" x 41") painted by the author for Dr Laurence (Rencie) Padernal on his 60th birthday, April 29. 2012

Flow on countless rivulets and rills,
down the streams of the Cordillera range;
flow and flood the Abra valley
and snake through the Banaoang Pass
down under the old Quirino Bridge;
flow downstream and deposit your load
on the dove-tailed delta of Santa
down Caoayan town and Vigan alluvia.

Flow into the estuaries of Puerto,
the fishponds of Sta. Catalina
and the salt beds of San Sebastian;
or meet the tired waters of Bantaoay
from San Ildefonso and Bantay;
flow into the bedrock and aquifers
that feed the springs and wells

that water the fields of San Vicente
and the tail ends of the upland
and duck under the dunes of sand.

Flow finally to the end of your lap,
and rest into the arms of the South China Sea
as heaven smiles and the waves clap. ~