People I Admire

I always find fault in people. Some would find it really annoying and offensive, but honest criticism always draws blood—so does birth, so does menstruation, so does hemmhoroids. Let’s just say that criticism is one of the less painful ways to find out just how human we are. Since I love sticking your humanity in your face because I love to celebrate it (ironically enough), I can be one of your harshest critics and/or ardent admirers.

Imperfections aside, passion is something I admire, in whatever form. It’s very important to me because it’s so rare in this century of caffeine-drugged, earphone-plugged, television and Internet junkies who have desires patterned after The Average Semi-Happy Human’s desires. No, I’m not talking about passion as in a pointless and mindless "love" for something (my belief is that you can’t love anything or anybody without understanding the thing or person completely). Passion, meaning loving something because you can’t live any other way and you know exactly why.

So why should you care about all this? No reason. It’s just that there are only a handful of people I seriously admire and I’d like to share with you who they are.  

John Ponsaran

He was my professor in Development Studies 126 last semester. No, I’m not putting him in the list because gave me an uno—I admire him for different reasons, haha. First, he is passionate about teaching. He teaches at no less than three universities at the moment (if I am not mistaken). Second, he’s actually GOOD at his profession. A lot of students find him scary because he’s "toxic" and he has a foolproof way of terrorizing students but come on people! He will be the best thing that happened to you if you’re seriously interested in learning without the old and cumbersome teaching style you’ve come to hate in UP.

I hope to be his student again this semester. Heck, I’ll even go through Late Registration Hell if I have to. 

Jen Juan

When I first saw her (way back March 2007) I was starstruck! I have never been starstruck before, I swear. She was so pretty, but more than that—she knew it and she was proud of it. She’s probably one of the most confident people I know. I think it’s because she knows herself so well and what she wants to happen in her life. No, it’s not flattery, if this is sounding a bit too much for you. I never give compliments, only observation as I like to say. It’s just that here’s somebody who loves life for all it’s worth that whenever I see her or read her blog, I get infected. It’s that much.

I also love her honesty in her blog. "My life is an open book," she said. That takes courage.

Marco Palinar

"Would you give up your music for me?" I asked him once.

"No, if I didn’t have to," he said.

"Why?"

"Because it’s a part of who I am." Cheesy, but cheesy is usually painfully true.

Peter Juan

This guy is the person to run to when you need some insights on love, life, career, and hissy fits. If my archetype of a wise man was an old, wrinkly dude with long white hair and matching beard, now it’s a dude with a bald hand, large (not fat) frame, and beach skin. I’ve learned a lot from Peter in the past and I hope to learn more in the future.

Mom (and for the same reasons, Papa)

There’s no words for it. This person has endured so much for her family. She’s not an intellectual, but she’s got a lof of common sense that I didn’t inherit. I love her with everything I am, and I’ll possibly love her more if she brings home two jars of peanut brittle from Banawe, where she is at the moment. Peanut brittle!

These are the people with incredible passion as well as qualities I admire and would love to have. I’m working on it, and because of them, I hope to be a better person as soon as possible.

(But still annoyingly critical.) 

So who do you admire amd look up to as role models?