My old young pictures...

My aunt found these "ancient" photos of me. I thought of sharing it with everyone...

Mea culpa...

I've always been a stickler for good grammar, right spelling, and correct pronunciation in English. I know I'm far from perfect, but when the opportunity to rectify someone's errors presents itself, I readily volunteer to help. Unwittingly, in the process, I end up "helping" people feel humiliated or insulted.

Okay, it's not like I just had an epiphany today! I know that people are different from one another. They react differently when faced with a similar situation. But I forget. I myself do not feel slighted in any way when someone reviews my grammar, even with other people around. I can take it; I can laugh at myself. But not everyone is like me.

This particular truth bashed me in the face unexpectedly this morning. It hurt me because always, when I correct someone, it's with the purest intention to improve him or her and not to embarrass. It hurt because I never thought it would be taken out of that context. I was wrong. This incident made me realize that before I commence my little crusade of "grammarizing" everyone, I have to pause and reflect on whether this action gets the right reaction.

I'm sorry, my dear friend, if you felt mortified. Thank you for being honest. I promise to be more sensitive, from hereon out.

There, I've said my piece. Blogging sure is a stress-reliever. Whew!