YOUTH OF TODAY, YOUTH OF TOMORROW

There’s this one problem emerging from the youth today that is influenced by the vast changing of technology nowadays. As I have observed, even the young tots are more likely to play with their parent’s smartphone than to play in the neighborhood with the other kids. Sometimes they are more knowledgeable in using computers, smartphones and tablets than their own parents. When you use these gadgets, you only have to sit on one place then that’s it, you do whatever you want on your gadget without leaving your place. A study shows that these gadgets has had a lot of effect on a kids development which includes; language delay, not good for bedtime, terrible child behavior, delayed body and brain development, and some suffer mental illness.

 

 When I was a kid, there are a lot of games we play in the backyard or in the school. It’s more of a physical games, an inheritance from our parents and former generations:

1. One is called “luksong tinik” (jumping above the thorns) where the main goal is to jump across the finger of another player (hand open-palmed sideways to make the thorn) without touching any part of the jumpers body. This requires three players, one is the jumper and the two makes the thorns. The hand is placed one at a time, then after a jump the hand adds up one after every jump. If the jumper makes it after the hands of the two players, they will make use of their feet to make the thorns higher, the more difficult to jump over. Player who’s unable to jump across or touched the fingers will be replaced by the one who is making the thorns and the game will reset, and so on. This game then evolves to “luksong baka” (jumping on a cow), using the body of the player to be crossed over.

2. “Agawan ng Base” (Capture the Base) is a group game but can be played by one for every base. This requires a wide playground for running and chasing. Every player must be on their own base. Once you left your base away, the other player from the other base will have the chance to hunt you (hunt means when the opponent touches any part of your body)  and make you a prisoner of war (POW). When you’re a POW you will be brought beside their base. Your team mates will have to rescue you by touching any part of your body , then you’re free. But the challenge is that the slave is near the base where your opponents are, so its hard you need tactics on these rescue thing. If you are all captured, then your base is taken. And oh, if you have the chance and you can tap their base without them touching you, you have taken their base. Whoever takes the base the higher times wins the game.

3. Langit, Lupa (High & Low) is played by two to many person, one must play as the “it” and the rest will be chased when on low ground. When you’re chased you have to run on higher ground so you’re safe, the it will not chase you. Once you’re touched by the it on lower ground, then you’re the next it.

4. Base soccer also is a group game but can be played by two. It’s a mixture of baseball and football. One team  are the kickers, and the other team are the catchers with their leader, the pitcher.  The pitcher rolls the ball to the opponent and the opponent will kick the ball as hard as he wants so the ball will fly far. He then runs four diagonally formed bases (you know the bases on baseball right). If he cannot complete the homerun then he must stop at the base he is near at because the other player may hit him with the ball and he’s out. If the ball was kicked and fly on air, if the opponent catches the ball, that player who kicked will also be out of the game. Homerun doesn’t make a score, its just the game continues until all opponents are out, then team will switch positions.

5. Luksong Lubid (Skipping Rope) also played by two or many.

6. Chinese Garter – The idea is to cross over the garter. Starting in the lowest level of the body which is the feet, two ends of the garter held by two of the opponents team leveled on their feet, and then the player will cross the garter. After crossing, the level of the garter gets higher and higher until the player was unable to cross over. If all the members of the team was unable to cross then they will switch position. I hate it when my opponents are bigger and taller than me because when the level is shoulder-high, I cannot cross anymore.

There are other games played on my “elementary-school-days” like piko, patintero, tumbang-preso, jolen, jackstone, trumpo, paltok, tirador, sipa, tug-of-war, gagamba, tansan, goma, penpen de sarapen, monkey-monkey, doctor kwakwak, bahay-bahayan, ten-twenty, pick-up-sticks, sarangola (flying kite) and a lot more I couldn’t remember.

Parents must see how their children grow and be aware of what their child is doing; especially those single parents where it needs to hire a nanny to look after their child. Interpersonal communication is important between a child and a parent until such time the child grows up and works for his/her own life. On the other hand, protectiveness, when exaggerated, can debilitate a kid's enthusiastic, mental, and maybe even good spine. A psychologist observed that there’s lack of versatility in a large number of the youngsters today, particularly the individuals who are conceived in well-off families. They are inclined to misery and get to be discouraged at minor issues. You'd see instances of an adolescent who might secure himself in his room for a considerable length of time and not converse with his parents for quite a long time since he was censured by his “barkada."

This is how I live my life..

I woke up every morning at around 5:30am to 6:00am. After stretching a bit of my body, got up on bed then go to the bathroom to pee and wash my face. I then go to the kitchen for some hot coffee or boiled tee or herbs, while drinking, waiting for customer –my neighborhood with small eatery, who comes every morning w/ coconut fruit for grating. I happened to have a coconut grater which my father built a couple of years ago, w/ a motor out of old washing machine and wooden braces fabricated to make an improvised coconut grater. After grating the coconut and get paid and give back to them for cooking. Then I will take my breakfast and take a bath and get ready for work.

 A sample of coconut grater

Usually from 7:00am to 7:15am I must leave and take the road or else I’ll be late for work in cases where my motorcycle, a Susuki Shogun 125, got flat tire on the way and taking it into a vulcanizing shop takes a lot a time like 15 to 20 minutes before my tire get fixed. I always arrive at work early to have enough time to prepare for my daily task.

Office work is from 8:00am to 12:00am, break time 12:00nn to 1:00pm, then 1:00pm to 5:00pm for afternoon work hours, with 15mins coffee break on morning and afternoon schedule. My work includes the safekeeping and maintaining the tools and equipment used by our maintenance workers. At the start of day is the releasing of materials and tools to be used in different works for maintaining the facilities of our company. There’s also computer works and paper works I usually do for reports and monitoring of stocks and supplies. During idle times, I go to the stockrooms to arrange and organize those newly purchased materials and put them into the right place for me to easily locate them in times they are needed and to monitor their inventory levels easily.

Every day, weeks, months, and so on and so forth, you do the same task, same routine, daily. Everyone is some kind of boring in this daily life. So what’s the best thing to do during your day offs and holidays? Have time for yourself, your family! Try some of these suggestions I think will make your life more different and healthy:

 picture courtesy of www.albertsons.com

1.       Take a vacation

Get the advantage of having holidays because it’s the best time to take your loved ones to some place far from your vicinity. These will make your mind free from your work. On the way there, you and your family members will talk about each others status in life, problems (well, its normal that everyone has a problem), success stories and some things you wouldn’t think you

will know. Surprised? Well, life really is full of surprises.. mind that.

2.       Make a bonding moment

Daily when you got home, everybody has its own world, has its own life inside the house. Your wife’s in the kitchen doing some chores, your tots playing outside, and your teens with their gadgets you can barely talk to them because of their headset on while talking, chatting with somebody else. Thanks to your dog who barked and hugged at you as you opened the gate getting in. Why don't you try talking to them while having your dinner, watch TV or movies together with popcorn and some soda. Go to church during Sundays and take a stroll in the park after worship. Try cracking some jokes, or make magic tricks to your children. These will make them think and broaden their minds and they will love mind boggling puzzles.

3.       Treat yourself

On the way home you see ads in the billboard alongside of the roads and buildings. Your favorite basketball player wearing a nice looking basketball shoes. Did you get the idea? Sometimes you have to treat yourself, buy a pair of shoes (don’t bother about the one on the ads, I assure you, it’s very expensive, buy only what suits your budget), or jeans, or shirt, or buy some food and eat alone on park bench or breakwater on sea shores.

4.       Get physical

Challenge yourself and try different things you do not normally do, or things you really don’t do or hate to do. If you barely go out and stay indoors watching soccer or basketball, why not try playing the actual basketball? Or boxing? Or running? If you’re a rockstar and you love loud and extreme underground sound, try playing flute or violin or melodica. You love action and sci-fi movies, try drama and comedy, or suspense thriller. If you’re a book reader and you love novels of Tom Clancy and JK Rowling, try reading a bible.

Working is part of our life, and whether we like it or not, for me, it’s not a choice. It is needed by everyone to have their careers in life more progressive. I myself have a lot of working experience in different companies and I see to myself whether I should stay or should I go. The more you are happy in your work, the more productive and effective you are to the company, and that’s where you get more rewards and recognition, where it boosts you up and makes you a better person.