It's Me, Chris

Sinigang is one of the most popular Filipino cuisines that has a variety of versions in every part of the Philippines. It has even been proclaimed by many as the country’s national dish, dethroning the popular adobo and lechon. Sinigang is known for being sour, salty, and tasty all at the same time, giving it a distinct and diverse depth of flavor that truly distinguishes it as a rare delicacy. To achieve its desired taste, the right ingredients and that certain type of tang is needed.

In the story “Sinigang” by Marby Villaceran, the dish itself depicts the reality of life. Similar with how diverse are the ingredients of sinigang, people have different traits, personality and personal views; a quality that sometimes leads to misunderstanding. The story revolves around how Liza, the main character, reminisced about a memory of the past, as she cooks sinigang, her father’s favorite, for dinner. She narrates what happened in the funeral of her half-brother and how Sylvia, the woman with whom her father had an affair which led to her estrangement from him, hugged her [Liza] and asked for her forgiveness. Like how she cooked the dish, Liza’s relationship with her family seemed not perfect at the start but somehow in the end, she got it right and found the taste she desired – the feeling of home.

Moral Values from the Story

Within the core of a good story lies a set of moral values. These values are what make a certain story relevant and applicable to one’s life. In the story of “Sinigang,” here are some moral values we could learn and apply for our own development:

Being faithful

It is true that men are men, not saints, which explains why we are easily tempted. Even Adam ate the forbidden fruit because Eve, who was tempted by the serpent, had told him to do so, thus they sinned against God, for they disobeyed His commandment. On the other hand, in the story, “Sinigang,” Liza’s father committed a mistake that had marred his family’s connectedness: adultery. He had been unfaithful once to his wife by having an affair with Sylvia. This brought out significant flaws in his relationship especially with her daughter, Liza. Nonetheless, he learned from what he had done, leading to a realization of how important is being faithful to his loved ones. Indeed, a relationship is like a dish and faithfulness is one of the most important ingredients needed to make it healthier.

Learning how to apologize

Relationships can be great sources of relief, but conflict with someone you love can cause considerable stress, which really takes an oppressing toll. Thus, learning how to apologize for your mistakes, that resulted to that flaw, opens doors for forgiveness. In the story, the value of apologizing can be seen on Liza’s father and his mistress, Sylvia. They eventually apologized to her about their past mistake, which helped her let go of the negative emotions and feel better. Indeed, a well-delivered and appropriately sincere apology will further avoid the worsening of events, and will merely serve to usher in a resolution, reaffirm shared values, and restore positive feelings.

Learning how to forgive

To forgive is to let go of the grudges and bitterness. Forgiveness clears the cobwebs so that one can see the good again. Reliving the wrong that was done to us keeps us living in the past and missing the today’s beauty. Though one may think of God as the final dispenser of forgiveness, each of us has the power to forgive as well. In the story, “Sinigang,” Liza’s mother was the first who forgave her husband. Eventually, Liza herself learned how to move forward, forget the bitter past, and somehow, give the forgiveness that her father had hoped for so long. This led to a resolution and better relationship between them. Indeed, forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps us go on with life.

Having strong self-control

Emotions are part of being a human. We are built to feel a continuum of positive and negative emotions including anger, fear, sadness, excitement, love, and happiness. However, in expressing emotions, self-control is MUST. In the story, Liza composed herself and remained calm when she finally encountered her dad’s mistress. She could have screamed at Sylvia for having an affair with her father, but she chose not to. What she had done demonstrates self-control, which is a quality we should all strive for, especially when anger threatens to consume us. There are times when we say things we really don’t intend to, and we only realize it after our rage has subsided. To avoid this, controlling ourselves is needed. In this way, we can avoid saying or doing things we may later regret.

Being brave to tell the truth

  Telling the truth makes possible freedom and trust between people, but the process to do it requires courage. In the story, there’s this dramatic scene wherein Sylvia introduced herself to Liza. Based on the lines, “The woman, upon seeing my curious stare, had explained, ‘I am Sylvia,’” readers can conclude that it was Liza’s first time to meet her. It was not as if Sylvia was proud of what she had done, though; instead, she approached Liza and tell her who she was because she wanted to ask for her forgiveness and be fully at peace. Meanwhile, Liza’s mother didn’t dare to cover the truth about her [Liza’s] half-brother, Lem. Basically, these two women who manifested truthfulness had shown courage too, for it always take courage to tell the truth.

Choosing love over anything

Love is a divine power that connects people. The story, “Sinigang,” highlights the importance of love. Liza’s mother had forgiven and accepted her husband despite the fact that he committed an extramarital affair with another woman, not to mention they had a kid as a fruit of that infidelity, because she loved him – too much that she turned out to be a martyr. She was hurt but she chose to forgive the man she loves. Moreover, Liza had stated that she did not want to attend the funeral of her half-brother; however, she did so because her mother insisted. After all, she could never say no to her. Love, indeed, brings obedience. In addition, her aunt, Loleng, decided to live with them in order to assist and support their family. That said, they chose love over anything else.

The Personal Impact of the Story to Me

As a 21^st century learner, this story helped me realize two essential things that I think, are conducive to my life journey.

First is the fact that saying “sorry” is not a weakness but a strength. Not everyone can say it genuinely, so if we did so, good for us. In addition, if we apologize, we are expected to not repeat the same mistake. What would you feel if someone asks you a repeated question you have already answered? You will be annoyed, right? Comparably, if we commit the same mistake over and over again, the person who has forgiven us will likely get mad and may tend to not forgive us anymore, for it will just look like we haven’t learned our lesson.

Lastly, I realize that love is indeed so powerful. It can either build or destroy you. It builds bonds, but it can also make you a martyr or a desperate person. The first one is healthy while the latter isn’t. What would we pick? Well, the choice is ours to make.

If you haven’t read the full life story of Liza, you can visit this link: “Sinigang” by Marby Villaceran.

Like a virus within the air, social media has pierced most of the living cultures, sodalities and verily billions of people, even the older generations, with its fleetly-spreading influence to an extent that it outshone the traditional media. This makes the social media a powerful tool for any aims.

For Social Media transcends every now and then, there are times that people, especially parents, regard its apparent disadvantages over and above its advantages. Oddly, some researchers wonder if the globe itself is better off without its existence. But, did you ever think of the things that social media itself had shared primarily and therewith caused a significant change around you? Yes, you may not know but social media has changed the course of our fate.

Social Media and Calamities

Here’s how the social media plays its potent role especially during calamities. Social Media:

1. As the Voice of Hope

Since disasters usually affect vast areas, unity is needed during these circumstances. With social media, information gaps can now be filled. Forsooth, it can change the fate of every individual who needed rescue and assistance before, during and after a calamity.

2. As the Ear of Awareness

Since social media is like a virus with its spreading ability, public awareness with respect to several information such as evacuation mechanism, transport route-alteration and etc. has been widened even in the social margins.

3. As the Eye for the Missing

Information about missing individuals after calamities can now be disseminated directly with social media.

4. As a Hand for Assistance

Beside its ability to spread information, social media has became the modern hand in donating assistance in any forms. People can now use it in sending help for the survivors in a modern and easy modality.

5. Social Media in Empowering People

Since social media allows people to be able to take control of the situation they are in especially during calamities, people are definitely empowered with these faculties that social media gives.

Social media, if used efficiently, is indeed a powerful and still-transcending mechanism especially during disasters. The above infographic shows how social media has shared its role during disasters.

Social Media and Traditional Media

Understanding how social media differs from traditional media — such as Television, Radio and Newspaper publications — has a major impact on whether we are definitely using it efficiently. For us to know how the modern era evolved and has changed the way in spreading information from traditional channels to the modern one and to abate the abuse of social media from its real purposes, the differences between the two communication modalities are as follows:

Social Media			Traditional Media
Two-way conversation Open system Transparent One-on-one marketing About you Brand and User-generated Content Authentic content Free Platform Metric: Engagement Actors: Users/ Influencers Community decision-making Unstructured communication Real-time creation Bottom-up strategy Informal language Active involvement Deep Analytics Paid, Owned, Earned			One-way conversation Closed system Opaque Mass marketing About ME Professional content Polished content Paid Platform Metric: Reach/ frequency Actors/ Celebrities Economic decision-making Controlled communication Pre-produced/ scheduled Top-down strategy Formal language Passive involvement Poor analytics Paid

By these we can say that the modern era is so blessed having this conducive virus that secerns the 21st century from the old and conventional times — indeed, the social media in its transcending best!

“Social Media is neutral – what matters is how you choose to use it.”