Genetic Portraits

Do you look like your father or your mother? I’m sure almost all of you will tell that you look like your mother because many of you is more attach to your mother than to your father. Well to me I’m more close to my mother but genetically I’m much more look like my father. My father side clan can distinguish especially by our ears. We have bigger ears than a normal person. 

Our family is composed of a father, a mother and nine siblings. We are seven boys and two girls which both our girls are the youngest. I am the 7th child, the youngest among the guys. We the siblings already know that we have three groups which each group have also three people who have similarity to each other. The 1st child the eldest, the 4th child and I the 7th are consider one group. They told us that we have the most similarity to our father. Then, the 2nd child, the 5th child and the 8th child are more look like our mother. Lastly, the 3rd child, the 6th child and the 9th child the youngest are the combination of our father and mother. We are same not just by looks but also most of our personality resemblance with our co-group siblings. 

As I looking up for an article I found this article “Split Family Faces” by Alice. I really don’t know if I can consider it an article because it has a very short article. What interest me most are the pictures which portrait how can you look like your family. 

In the article, the author is excited to show the works of Ulric Collette, Canada-based graphic designer and photographer. “Genetic Portraits” this is what Ulric calls for his project. By splitting the faces in half and then splicing them together, he creates new attractive people that are sometimes fairly typical looking and other times far from it. Ulric just accidentally came up to this idea as a project. 

For example these picture his brother Christopher (30 years old) and himself Ulric (29 years old). They almost look like twins which they have many similarity with their looks.

At these picture his son Nathan (7 years old) and himself Ulric. You can see how Nathan can be look like when he reached his father’s age. 

After seeing this pictures that Ulric made, I’m amazed that I can see clearly my similarity within our family. I never ever thought of regretting that I look like my father or with my other siblings. It somehow feels good to me that I share some similarity with my family. Now, I’m excited how my son or daughter will look alike. I’m really looking forward for this.

Close Family Ties

We all know that being “close family ties” is one of the best values that we Filipinos have. We accustomed to be close to anyone even he or she is not part of the family. In our family every people whom best friend or friends of one of us are consider part of our family. I treat my other sibling’s friends as my friends also. When my brother is not around I can accompany him/her. If one of them has problems we extend our hand to the point that we don’t mind how we help them. Having many family friends has a great advantage where there are people whom you can lean on when you’re on trouble. I didn't mean that if you help family friend you expect that he or she can return a favor in the future. It is normal to help and it’s normal that he or she will return that help you are given. That’s how close family ties all about. 

According to the website “Anti-Pinoy” there is the article entitled “On Filipino Close Family Ties” by an author name himself The Gorgon which point out that Filipino culture and values are damaging its own growth for success. He also said that it will become a product of weakness, laziness, lack of self-respect and a failure to become independent self-determinists.

As I read his article you’ll realize that some part of it was true. But it depends on the person how see things right or wrong. In the end we all have different opinion to everything we usually do. The author told that the “mano” system is pointless he sees that every time

there is family visitor the parents usually tell their children to bless as they expect that maybe they will give money to their children. But for myself I always do the “mano” as sign of respect for elderly. It’s not to show our submissiveness to our elders.

The time after I graduate I want to help my parents they are not forcing me to do anything I do now. But for my own I want to repay what they all did for me. Nothing wrong about helping your other relatives I didn’t mind if they will return it back as long as you make them realize that they also need to do something for their own good. It’s common for me to help everyone who is in need but there’s one thing that I will not forget. Myself.

Perfect Family

When you heard “Perfect Family” what comes first to your mind? Some people think that having a perfect family should composed of a Father, a mother and two children at least one sex each. It is the most common people assume about being a perfect family. If you have three kids it is not considered as perfect family? Even though we are eleven in our family (1 Father, 1 Mother and 9 siblings) I consider it a perfect family as long as we love and help every one of us. When people knew that we are a big family they think that our parents didn't plan it well. They thought that our parents cannot make us go to a decent school. But they are wrong about it, our parents made their full effort to send us all to private school and we are all raised well. People who thought our parents cannot make it are now envious of having a big family. I’m so blessed that I am part of this perfect family. 

I found the article entitled “The Perfect Family Is a Myth” by Meredith F. Small. It interests me to read this article because I wonder how the author classifies a perfect family.

According to the article, there is a 4,600-year-old mass grave in Germany which has thirteen bodies. There is a couple who hug two children which the DNA analysis confirms it is a family. So far it is the oldest evidence of a nuclear family.  But the nine bodies left are not connected to the family. In which the ideas of a perfect family are thin. 

Nowadays people now have family groups which it become an extended family. In some culture especially on Western countries women have several husbands to think that when a woman is in pregnancy period had sex with different man. It means that it also possible that this child could have a two father. This thought of a perfect family is just a mere myth for others.

“We don’t always form nuclear families in the ideal way, but we do make families of a different order all the time, because it’s human nature to be together.” As the author trying to say, the thirteen bodies in the German grave are there not because they are a family, but they are connected in some way, either economically or emotionally, and that’s what peoples really do.

Even there are ups and downs, as long as the family is together that is the most precious thing that a person can live with it. For me my family is a perfect that I can really enjoy my life. As time goes by I will also have a family which I also want a big one that makes us enjoy more.

Religious Family

Being religious can be good to a family? Parents want their family having the same religion as they are. My parents are very religious person to the extent that they attend mass every day. Sometimes they attend mass twice especially when it’s Sunday. But I don’t see anything wrong about it. I’m happy for them that they can still serve for the Lord even they are now senior citizens. There also good thing about it that they teach us to be a God-fearing.

According to article that I found entitled “Religion Affects Family Cohesion” by Kate Miller-Wilson, families that having an organized faith may offer community and emotional stability to a family. Children who are religious are more attached to their families. It makes family to have more cohesive family relationships.

Having a same belief is likely you have the same thoughts that make us comfortable with each other. It also guides the family about the values and behaviors for the family. It can be source of support when there is problem.

I learned many things that what religion can actually affect to the family. It makes us to be a strong family. It can unite us that will strengthen the bond. I’m thankful to have parents that always there for us that always pray for the safety of each every one of us.

Family of Sports

What sports do you usually play? In our family basketball is the sport where we can all enjoy. Most of my brothers are good at basketball to the point that all of them received an MVP award. We are seven boys that can be a team in basketball. Last summer we all played in one team it’s been a good summer having fun with my family. We always play a lot we can also play almost all ball games. Our parents are good at bowling we also have family bonding by playing bowling where all of us can enjoy. Being sports-fanatic family help us to be healthy in some way. It also helps us to bond more as a happy family.

I found this article entitled “Sports-Fanatic Family: Bond Over a Game” by Laura Moriarity. On this article she cited some sports game where a family can play for fun. It also tells that having sporty activities will help the family to adapt better. People in the family can easily interact to each other if they having the same activities which make them fun.

I found this article interesting because I know now why our family has a good relationship with each other. It’s because of having a same activity that we all enjoy. We are now used to interact with everyone and it’s not hard for us to say something to other or ask for help.

I want to experience more sports activities with my family. We can go out and try other sports that we can enjoy together. In the future I also want my family to adopt what we are doing right now. I think it’s going to be a good family recreational every time we have free time.

Political Dynasty

Are you already a registered voter? Would you vote politicians that have been guilty before? Or politicians that having a same surname with people already in sit? Politicians with the same surname or most likely they belong to one family are familiar names that we always see when elections is coming. I myself still not a register voter but I keep complaining why that person is elected as leader. Honestly I know to myself that I don’t have the right to complain because I didn't use my right to elect a fit leader. Political dynasty is very common at our country. They can easily acquire all the positions they want because they already have a name which will help them win the race.

I found this article named “Philippine Politics – It’s a family affair” by Kate McGeown of the BBC News Magazine. She cited families that are best known when it comes to politics. The Aquino, Estrada and the Marcos are three top families which almost all of their families are in politics. They dominated the politics and evidently even one of them are not elected, they still not out of power for a very long they will run again.

She also has an impression that politics here is a form of family business. In which public isn't entirely consistent in the campaign against political dynasty. My opinion to political dynasty is it’s alright as long as they doing good job for their people. People should not be influence by what politician can gave them we should try to know what they can do for our own benefit. If we elect a good politician we can see the changes that we want to happen.