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Monday, August 27, 2007

Smile

One of the inexpensive gifts you could give to anybody is your smile. Just don’t mind not having a perfect smile but you as long as you expose an unadulterated beam, it will be fine.


slave

Meeting strangers along the way is unavoidable. It is a part of our daily life. When I was a student, I easily gained a lot of friends by smiling at them. It was my way of breaking the ice. I cracked jokes, green ones included, and sometimes senseless yet funny antics. I am happy doing that but I am careful enough not to offend anyone. I still have a heart. Haha! In my elementary years, I run for a position in the student government and believe it or not, our party is S.M.I.L.E. I was known as the class catalyst then and a Laughing Gas Nominee in one of our events in College.

Along the way, I realized that a simple smile can even lighten a serious problem. Call me crazy but I found it to be an effective method of lessening the burden. Well, not really me, its our mother who taught us how to deal with problems. If answers seem blurry, don’t dwell on it as if it will be taking your time indefinitely.

While applying for a job, I was asked during a panel interview on how I can handle pressure. I blurted out, “Two things. Take a deep breath. And Smile.” I knew they didn’t think of me as crazy then as they hired me as a cadet engineer.

Working in countries where English speakers are scarce is quite difficult. Each time I had the chance to talk or start a conversation with a local, I usually begin it with a beam followed by sign language of course. Hehe. Modesty aside, when I was in Japan, one of my bosses told me that aside from my work ethics, its my personality that they like most. How can they not like me when I always say yes to all their drinking sprees, be it on weekends or weekdays! They even gave me an option not to go to office the next morning. Spoiled gai-jin.

Anyway, a smile is pretty magical. It gives a feeling of existence. Smiling to strangers won’t take anything from you yet you offer something to them. And a smile can wipe away the not-so-good mood of others. Just don’t over-smile (if this is a valid word).

Plaster a smile on your face everyday! It will make you look younger. (But why do I look old on my age, then?).

And so you know, I grew up in the City of Smiles.

/totomai
08/26/07

17 comments:

  1. You, after all, are from the city of smile. So no wonder you are fully aware how this simple gesture affect people and the person doing it ~ inwards. Filipino, in general, is a race of smiling people. We are resilient people, and we manage to smile even in the most difficult moments. Watch a TV coverage of a disater in the Philippines and you will see smiling people in spite of a tragedy. Maybe it is one of the signs that we can cope up no matter what.

    "Smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head, and the heating system of the heart."

    And so we should always smile. I noticed myself, since I came here and I seldom have somebody to share a smile with me, I get the same amount of bliss even by just smiling to myself.

    I learned not to take life too seriously. Often, I can get away with anything with just a smile.

    I wish you well ~ Jeques

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  2. I loved your "smile" essay, however I think you should have written a prelude called "How to have nice and healthy teeth" :-))
    Yeah, I think the smile factor could work sometimes, especially if you are a woman... I think the occidental society still think the women should smile and the men should have a serious appearance to transmit confidence... I feel that here in Portugal, which is not bad at all to me cause I'm not an "open-smiler" :-)

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  3. @jeques, yes, i think it helped growing up in the city of smiles. its better to smile alone than started talking alone hehehe. thanks

    @sensei, how are you? yes you are right, there are certain countries that the male population seem so serious, japan is one. perhaps they wanted to exude confidence and authority. in thailand, its the same in the philippines.

    you should smile more then hehe

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  4. Haha thanks for reminding me to smile in times of trouble. :) Lately, I've been frowning a lot because of work and the hacking incident. I should just smile and tell people, "What can I do? They just love to get my attention!" *SMILE* Hahaha

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  5. @geo, indeed, just smile. glad this simple entry erased the frown in your face even for a second. hehe

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  6. Ilonggos are naturally happy people :)

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  7. @tukayo, sobrang lambing pa. hehe, hmm, ilonggo ka din?

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  8. And here's a beam back at you. :) Nice thoughts on the power of the smile. It works wonders, doesn't it?

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  9. hi may... long time no hear a. hope di ka na busy.

    yes, smiles really work wonders :-)

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  10. I don't know about Thailand smiles, but Thailand accent is sweet as it is. My mom worked in Bangkok for 4 years, she would speak to me in Thai sometimes and you would easily recognize the shift in accent.

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  11. hi jenn, yes, thai smiles are very warm too. you should visit thailand someday :-)

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  12. i'm half Kapampangan, half Tagalog. but i stayed in Bacolod City for three years. bata pa nga lang ako noon. i studied for three years (grade school) in UNO-R. i miss the place. i haven't come back to the City of Smiles since we left in 1987. hehe.. antagal na ano? nabubuking tuloy edad ko :P

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  13. @aajao - why does totomai call you tokayo? It sounds sweet :) Can I call you tukayo as well? :D

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  14. @tukayo, bata ka pa din ngayon a hehe. dalaw ka minsan dun.

    @geo, hehe, siya yung unang tumawag na tukayo sa kin. hehe

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  15. "But why do I look old on my age, then?)."---why indeed? hehehe, joke lang john. nice post, wonder how you took those interesting pics of the 2 ladies though.

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  16. hehe..tumpakka dyan tomai..u have that talent in you that nobody can ignore..ung pagkakalog mo..u have a way in breaking the ice..namiss ko na lang ang college life ta eh..:))

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  17. @ms beth, i dont know too. hehe. siguro overwork hehe. that i was taken in akihabara, japan. i thought ill take a pic of them while someone is taking their pic hehe

    @mamang, hehe, gani man mang, ms na ang college life hehe. thanks

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