The dreams I am talking here are not about those successions of images, ideas, emotions and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. They are about the expression and visualizing of solid thoughts, emotions, and ideas that signal about what you want and what you need for your physical life. They need physical works and efforts. They are there to help you mould your future. Dreams give you strength to face the natural world of your choice to reach success in life.
Thirty-Seven years ago, I visualized becoming an accountant and a writer. But the problem was – how to make them happen. I knew my parents could not afford to send me to school to finish those courses I had wished. However, I did not give up dreaming. In 1976, I was sixteen year old at that time and had just finished my elementary; I decided to leave my parents.
Contrary to the will of my parents I still left them and lived the way I can. Living away from them was not easy and productive. I had slept under pine trees, robustly standing around our town plaza. I had used scrap cardboards and old newspapers as my gasket and beddings. Sometimes I slept on the height of the tower of our town church, inside waiting shades and fish market along with other deserted children. I had become immune from the mosquitoes bites, salty smells and the freezing darkness. There were nights I was weeping, remembering my family but the homesickness for them did not change my decision.
I made friendship with those children who were also at my age. I mingled and associated with them like one family with the same fate. Thus, it became easier for me to be with them. The fish market was our source of living. Lifting of goods of market vendors in exchange of some money to be divided equally among us were exciting and memorable experience. We really enjoyed for doing it.
Until I labored to a construction group, located in front of Felipe Abrigo National Memorial School of Arts and Trades (FANMSAT) now known the Southern Samar National School of Arts and Trades (SSNSAT) in the town of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. At first I felt intense pain on my body, prickly fingers and feet but despite heavy and hard works I was happy to receive the 15 pesos for a day work.
There were nights I was anxious. I could not sleep in the barracks due to chronic fatigue and pain in my whole body. I wept and I wanted to go home but the advent of the future surpassed what I felt – especially when day time came - watching hundreds of young students entering the school gate, I pretended I was one of them carrying books and notebooks. The difficulty and fatigue from hard works eventually disappeared.
Six months later, the constructions of the five units of apartments were done. We moved to another project – a three-story building owned by a Chinese businessman. But before leaving the place, I stood up in front of FANMCAT with my promise that I shall return to study high school.
I was sixteen year old when I finished and received my Grade School Certificate, from Mayana Elementary School, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines in 1976. I started my high school in 1977 as self-supporting student and received my Secondary School Certificate from Southern Samar School of Arts and Trades, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines during the school year 1980-1981. Following that year, I took up One Year in Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education from Southern Samar School of Arts and Trades, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines during the school years 1981-1982.
The following year I stopped my college education. I went to Manila to look for job but I was not lucky so I decided to go home to my home province, Samar. During the school year 1984 to 1985, I took up One Year in Bachelor of Science in Cooperative Management at the University of Eastern Philippines, Catarman, Northern Samar. Before the beginning of school years 1985-1986, I left Catarman with my school records and decided to study at Leyte Colleges, Tacloban City, Philippines. The college approved. All the units I had taken from the past years in college were credited. I was enrolled as a second year student in Bachelor of Science in Commerce Accounting. However, I did not finish my accountancy course. Just after the first semester I left for Manila again.
December 1986, I dreamed again to raise my own family. Marrying my wife was the best decision I ever made in my life. The love I felt for her was my strength. Now we have three children, all girls ages 22, 20 and 18 and we are now approaching our silver wedding anniversary. I married my wife with a ten peso bill on my wallet. I courted her for six days and on the 7th day, we were married. It happened in 1986. Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino was our new Philippine President.
On December 3, 1986, I started courting my wife. I visited her in the morning, lunchtime and in the evening for about six days. On December 8, 1986, I got her approval to marry me. Quickly as lightning, we scheduled our wedding the next day December 9, 1986. That same day, we brought our plan to her parents and it was approved. Also that same day, we contacted our chosen sponsors and we were advised to see them in the morning the next day at Trece, Martirez City Hall to get the marriage license and other documents needed for the civil wedding. On December 9, 1986 at around 9AM, all the necessary documents for the wedding were completed with the help of our sponsors. At around 10:30 AM we proceeded to the office of the judge located at the second floor of the Municipal City Hall.
The ceremony was simple and very fast. It only took less than ten minutes after the judge declared, “I pronounce you Paul and you Imelda as husband and wife”. Following his declaration were the wishes of congratulations and the signing of our signatures on the documents with his signature and the signatures of our godparents.Early 1994, I again had dreamed to go abroad. I was lucky though because I did not experience much difficulty in acquiring an overseas job. My uncle-in-law who at that time was a chief accountant of the company Kawasaki Helicopter Saudi Arabia – Finance Department helped me get my current job by recommending me to the administrator of the company. A Philippine based recruitment agency, FB Allan processed my papers and I was able to go out of the country as a documented OFW.
When I arrived in my current location on March 23, 1994, I was first employed as a janitor/laborer. That will be my work position for two years and nine months. The management must have noticed my hard work because I was promoted to be a Facility Records Clerk. After some time I was again promoted to be an Analyst/Bookkeeper and this would be my job for nine years and three months.
The promotion did not stop there. On May 8, 2006, I was assigned as Secretary to the Vice President, then later as an Analyst. At present, the company I am working for assigned me to manage of a new showroom that sells antiques and other home accessories. From being a mere janitor, I had gone a long way and one can say that things just get better and better for me.
Aside from working, I also devote some time for my other interests. While employed, I took up a creative writing course by mail with the Writer’s Bureau in Manchester London during the years 1999-2000. In 2001, I took up Journalism and short story writing course with the ICS, PA, USA by mail.
