A Day of Mourning

Today, the remains of the Philippines' DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo has been found. His plane crashed just two days ago. This is a sad thing for the Philippines. Admittedly, it is only now that I knew of who he really is. It is only now that I realized of his goodness. I do not normally say these remarks to anyone, especially to someone with position in the Philippine government.

When someone passes away, it is normal to say all the good things. Sometimes, I do not even care to watch the news because I know that everything that will be said are everything good, wonderful, magnificent, kind, generous and all those adjectives. It is just a good thing that this time, I managed to watch the news. They showed how humble he is. My father even told me that the house of Sec. Robredo was shown and it was just small. He also said that he just sometimes ride a bus, considering that he has been working in the government for quite a long time. I must commend him for resisting the temptation of corrupting, if he actually did not corrupt. I am not in the position to judge him as a whole, because nobody ever has the capacity to. I think, however, that if he is still alive, the whole country will not even know about all these things and will not be able to appreciate him. This is a sad thing, as well, that the person has to die first before everyone will notice what he has done.

May his soul rest in peace.

Wanted: Help!

I do not know if you already know about what happened in the Philippines just last week. Although classes and work have been suspended in many provinces of the country, I still was not able to update this blog. Anyway, there was not a typhoon, but DEFINITELY the rains were torrential. It rained all day, and there were floods in so many places!
I managed to help, in small ways that I could. My mom does not even want me to spend because she said I am just a student. Still, I donated part of my savings, I bought some toiletries and donated them to our school's donation projects. However small, I still believe that for those devastated families, it is of great help.
I really wanted to create this post, not to brag about what I did, but encourage you to help. Again, I think this is just a very small effort for me, but having to help, in ways that I could, is already a big accomplishment for me.

X Factor

This will probably be my first time to create a blog about other people and also about a TV show. I can not help myself to not share this person with wonderful talent. Her name is KZ Tandingan, a contestant on the Philippine TV Show X Factor Philippines. I have watched other very talented people who join that show, and I was also impressed by some. I know I am impressed when after I watch them on TV, I search for their performance on Youtube--and I play it many times!

One of the things that differentiated KZ is that she is a  crowd favorite. I never thought that the audience could definitely influence the whole performance. The crowd was cheering and screaming almost for the whole time! When the audience cheer, it's like the feeling that you get when you watch a Katy Perry or Lady Gaga concert.

Another thing that differentiated her is originality. She has a full load of that. Again, her version of Somewhere over the Rainbow is unbelievable. For me, recreating a song is harder than making a new one. It's not that I have experience about composing songs. It's just that, for me, knowing that what you are recreating is already a full song, that is, it already has its melody, lyrics and everything, is harder. An example of this is David Cook's Always be my baby version. When I first saw the performance, I was more amazed. Making a song yours is definitely a brilliant but difficult idea.

Another thing that I adored is her ability to rap. I do not appreciate rap songs often because most of the time, I do not understand what they are talking about. But this girl, did a very good job in it. Her rap is in Filipino, so unfortunately, non-speakers will not be able to understand. However, I do want other nationalities to appreciate her talent. From a person who is not a fan of rap songs, I can tell you that what she did was really spectacular.

Lastly, she has the voice! She has the X Factor. It is more than stage presence, audience impact and originality. What I can say about her is that she knows her voice very well. Although she did not sing very high notes, her performance is something that you would not really feel the need for her to do it, because the way she sings the song is enough. When I watch performances, whether they are contest shows or not, I always look forward to hearing the performer belt out the high notes. Her case was different. And, as she said on her introduction, she wanted to prove that the music industry is not just for people who can reach the high notes, and KZ had justly proved it.


The link to her video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liez59_1q3k&feature=related

Tempted

Hello! It has been a hectic week for me in school right now. And it will be worse for the following 2 weeks. The thing is that inspite having my schedule full, my mind is also too busy! Sometimes when I am on my way for school, all I think about are the things that I need to do. Things about studies. Can somebody tell me that this is normal?! Okay, I currently have a case to report about IT and cases, yes, CASES, about finance. All of which are to be reported on one day! I realize, while going through the cases, that it is more difficult if you do not have a problem. Hahaha! That is very true. So when you have some cases (I do not know if you will ever encounter such thing in school or in reality), be grateful if you can easily identify a problem. :)
It is even sadder for me to know that sometimes, because of all these things in my head, I forget to pray. I know it is very bad of me, but I am really sorry. Now, I am trying to keep up with my prayers. :)

Anyway, why is the title 'Tempted'? I have found this Facebook page of a business in SM Clark which will give away iPod, iPad and iPhone. There are different mechanics for each. Well, since I already have an iPad, I am tempted to join for the iPhone. For the iPhone, I just need to visit their store and take a picture inside. Seems easy but what I doubt is that I need to post the picture and have the most 'likes' in order to win. Okay, I admit that I am not a fan of all these 'like' stuff. I am pretty sure you have also experienced being messaged by a friend in Facebook and asking you to 'like' something. I have had those experience, actually even up to now, but I seldom do them a favor. Another thing is that I only have limited number of friends. I call myself really unfriendly because I am a quiet person. haha! It is true. So, it seems like I will not have the chance to win the thing, unfortunately. I can feel the karma. :(

A school subject

I am not really sure about what I'm doing right now. I know that I do not have any time to do this, I mean, this blogging thing. I just want to share the problem that I have in school: my entrepreneurship subject. For the past few years of my college life, most of the subjects I had are to train the left part of the brain. And I have always been good at those. Mathematics is my strength. And creativity is my weakness. On the first day of my entrep class, my professor had already warned us that we will use the right part of the brain for his subject. It is quite surprising for me because I am a business major. I chose this course because I am not creative at all! But now I do not really have any choice but to do what he asks us to do, do I? Here is what our professor wanted us to do: think about what is not existing. It may be a service or a product. It is hard for me to think out-of-the-box because, as I've said, that is my weakness. What is more is that we will make that product or service available for a school program. First of all, we are not engineers, inventors nor scientists who work for a company to think about the problems that they have right now. Can you just imagine how many people are doing that work? Secondly, we are limited by time. We only have two semesters to complete this requirement. Thirdly, we are also limited by financials. We are just students and we do not earn money yet! And to tell you, many students actually fail on the subject. I am supposed to graduate next year so can somebody tell me how to pass this subject?! Haha! Honestly I am just pressured. We need to propose an idea next week. In detail. How much more pressure can our professor give us? He said that it is just the beginning. The paper that we are supposed to submit towards the end of this semester is more bloody. True enough, it is just the second week of classes. Pressure and stress: two things that will always be in the life of many UP students. (not discriminating though. I just do not have any idea about what other students from other schools experience) Bye for now. But will try to update. :)

Happy Father's Day

Today is father's day, and although I do not have something for my father right now, I do promise myself that I would give my hard-earned money to him when I start working. For now, I just greet him a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.

One of the things that I probably learned from him is driving. Even though he is very panicky when I get to drive, I know that it is a simple way for him to show his care for me.

Any lessons from your dad? Don't be afraid to share. :)

Things I learned from Temple Run

It is not that long since I had my iPad 3. This is only my second Apple product since my five-or-six-year-old iPod. So, all the apps are really new to me except 2 games, namely, Temple Run and Fruit Ninja. 

Although I am not much of a gamer, I downloaded Temple Run anyway, just for the sake of having the game installed on my iPad. I did not play much. My score did not even approach a hundred thousand. As I played the game, I honestly was not even amused enough to be willing to play it for half an hour. I thought, why do a lot of people play this game?
Though I am still in the process of appreciating it, there are just things that I realized while playing the game.

First is that every run is unique. At the start of the game, having to jump over a tree root is not always the first obstacle. That is how it is in real life, right? People do not go through the same sufferings. While some have broken family, some are simply broke. Just like in the game, we do not have control on some things. We were born with given family, status, physical appearance, etc. but as we go forward, it is our decision, whether we take left or right, that would lead us to where we would like to be.

Second lesson is that on every decision point, we do not know what lies ahead until we take the turn. We have to deal with everything that goes with the decisions we make. There is no backing out. I remember what my professor always tell: there is never a 'no choice'. Even when we made a mistake in taking a turn which made us face so many obstacles, we still have two options: jump over it or do nothing (which might lead to falling or stumbling). Maybe we should stop blaming all our present problems in the decisions we have made in the past. It does not make the situation better anyway. Like in the game, when we have taken the left turn, we will never know what is on the other side. In turn, we (I am also guilty of this) should stop making our 'what if' list.

Third is that as we go on with the game, we earn rewards. We might get rewards while we go through the smooth road or while we are in the process of overcoming a hardship. These rewards are the things we really do not ask for, or probably things we take for granted if we take them as they are. Imagine just getting one coin. It would be as if we have nothing, right? However, at the end of the game, we finish having a lot of coins. For every meal that we had for, let's say, this day, are we that thankful? Are we thankful every time we take a bite of the food we have? Yet, when we look back, we are thankful for the YEARS we ate. At the end of the day is the time we get to appreciate all the little things, that  is, when everything have been enjoyed. I guess that is just how life is.

Lastly, it is not always us playing the game. Throughout the game, as we earn the rewards in order to get some help (from the store). Likewise, as we go on with life,  we get a chance to meet different people. Some people may help us by filling a gap, by making our (collecting) job easier, or by playing the race for us for some time. How good is it to have some help sometimes? Well, that will all depend on how well you played the game.

A Disappointment

Today, the results of two exams in Finance were distributed. I honestly thought that I would be getting a very high grade in the second exam, but, I only got 75%. Yes, I know, for my other classmates, having a score of 75% is already a miracle, and I am not bragging about this because our exam is really hard! The professor is known to give hard exams in our campus.
I was really disappointed with the results. By the way, I do not have the highest average of the two exams. Although I do not aim to be that, I still hoped that I would have a grade of 90+%.
Disappointment, I realize, is a sad thing. It is because of this that others simply do not want to expect. I have no regrets in expecting. For me, expecting is a reason for me have something to wait for and be happy for. This is just one of disappointments in life. Actually, this is just very shallow situation. I am sure there would be so much disappointments in my life that I will still have to encounter.
Other disappointments may be that one expected so much from another person, but that person failed to do his or her part as you have expected him or her to perform. This is also something I relate to. Sometimes, I am paired or grouped with someone who, no matter how much I wanted our team to succeed, would just always prove that he or she is lazy. Such a disappointment.
What are the things that disappoint you? Share something!

General

I would like to share with you today what I learned during today's sermon, since today is a Sunday. Today's sermon revolves around battles. Our pastor talked about the story of Joshua. God was training him about battles. What battles are you facing today? I am sure you have your own battles in life, like a battle for relationship, for health, for financial problems or what have you. Today, God wants you to remember that, first, the battle is the Lord's. I am still a teenager, and my family had always been living in a middle-class life that most of my problems come from my school (I do not have work yet nor family to provide for). Given this, I do not think I am the right person to talk about financial problems or such bigger problems that you are probably facing today. But no matter how big or small your problem is, please do remember that God is there with you, battling "with" you. Do not lose hope. Do not give up. God is always there for you. He will defeat the enemy.

In the Bible, the Israelites, together with Joshua, fought against Amalekites, who were probably more experienced than Israelites when it comes to war. Israelites were slaves for 400 years, and what they do for living is to shepherd. They probably have not yet experienced holding a sword nor fight. In the end, the Israelites have won the war because God was with them. Moses then built a Church and put "God is my banner". This was as if to say that, do not mess with us because God is here with us, the King is here.
In the Olympics, for example, flags are being held so that others will know that they are from a certain country. That if you are lost, just look for your country's flag and you will stay behind it. The same must be true for us. We must identify ourselves as God's. Let us stand behind him in our battle as He leads us towards victory.

Think of all the battles you have won and think of how powerful, how helpful and how great our God is. He is there for you. Ask for help. Pray.

Level of Happiness

I remember the song "seasons of love". I have not watched the movie Rent, but I do love the song. Now, I ask, how do you measure a year? There sure are so many ways of "how to"s in this world. There are different conversions, different methods and different measurements. For many people, a year can just be treated as simply time that passed, is passing and will pass. How about happiness? How does one quantify happiness?

There is an article, though I did not read it, in Yahoo! about being able to determine the happiest place. I am not quite sure of this, because I was not able to read it at that time. I do not even know where the place is. It just made me curious how they were able to determine such thing, or feeling.

I know many people will also have a hard time quantifying their happiness. Defining it is difficult enough, actually. I, too, do not know how to state my level of happiness. One of my professors mentioned that he read this article. He said that the study took money as a factor in determining the level of happiness of a place. When he mentioned it, I even thought that he was going to say that the Philippines is the place where most people are happy. Being a Filipino, I know that whatever situation a Filipino is in, he will NEVER forget how to smile. Anyway, I have been wondering if money is a good measure for happiness. Of course, it is not the sole determinant.

This, I think, is the same when managers assume that the higher the pay, the more productive, the more determined and the more satisfied their employees are. It is not always true, right? Though I still am not working, we all are lead to this assumption. Since I am a business student, I was taught that this is "partly" true.

I think of the relationship of money and happiness like a parabola. When you really do not have money to buy either the basic necessities or the things you want, having money increases your happiness very much. But when you have so much money already, increasing it would not necessarily increase your happiness.

We all have different views on this. But when we are to be asked about what factors influence our happiness, what would you answer? Mine is that happiness can not be quantified because the things that influence my happiness can not be as well.

2 movies in 1 day

Movie time! I had a chance to watch two movies today. Ghost Rider and Unofficially Yours. The reason why I was able to watch these is that I did not fully understand Ghost Rider. Well, I am sorry to offend those people who want that movie. I was just curious because I have not seen the first one. I have always preferred light movies, as you can see on my profile.
Unofficially Yours is a Filipino movie. It stars Angel Locsin and John Lloyd Cruz. Its story, based on the trailer, is like "Friends with Benefits", "Love and Other Drugs" and "No Strings Attached", all of which I have watched already. I knew beforehand that imitating those kinds of stories is very Filipino-ish. Anyway, I decided to watch the movie because I would like a comparison.

It starts with the main characters having "one night stand". They met again in a national newspaper publishing house where the girl has a certain position and the boy is a newbie. I recall this story from 500 Days of Summer somehow, although instead of the girl, the guy is the one in position. The no-strings-attached relationship went on until the guy fell in love with the girl, but the girl had a hard time in giving her love for the guy. As I expected, the girl had a bitter past experience which was the reason for her refusal to the guy. After some realizations, the ending was a happy-ever-after one. The end.

Get Serious

For today, as I go to my usual Thursday routine of going to classes then back at home, I thought about blogging. Yes, I definitely tried to blog a lot of times back when I was in high school. I had an account in Multiply, as well as in LiveJournal, I think. Unfortunately, I was not able to maintain it. When I was young, I find blogging as something that I do when bored or when I am in the mood to write. I did not really care whether or not others would be happy with all the things I write. Writing, for me, was brain-draining. Now, as UP (University of the Philippines) student, I am required to write so many things. Whether it is analysis of a case, a digest of something or a review, it is a must to write, although, of course, I can opt not to and get a failing grade.

It is just now that I have decided to keep my thoughts into writing. Hopefully, I would be able to share a lot of things with you AND be able to get some feedback and ideas from you as well. I hope to know you in the future. Enjoy life. :)

one thankful day

Today, we had an exam in Financial Management about time value of money, valuation of bonds and stocks and risk and return. Although our professor is really known to give hard exams, his subject is my favorite. I really am curious and interested about the topic and when it comes to mathematical stuff, I really will not give up. I am challenged. I think I have performed well a while ago, and I am very thankful to Him, who was and will always be with me. Why am I telling this? A while ago, as I was on my way home, I could not stop thanking Him, because I even had time to review my answers which I would not normally be able to do. Sometimes, the time is not even enough for us to finish. I know that others think they have passed as well. It is to my understanding that the exams were a little easier. I thought to myself, how would I be without Him? What would be the sense of having to achieve something if not for Him? I really am thankful I have known Him this early, and I could simply not contain this feeling so I just decided to blog. I know someday I will be reading this again, and it would surely remind me of His goodness.

a tiring week

A lot have happened in my life since my last blog. I do not really remember writing the previous one. As the title says, it IS a tiring week for me. I am currently a student. I am not yet working for a company or something, but it seems like do already. I have this subject called Financial Management, where our professor is challenging us A LOT. I know that his intentions are good, because he wants to train us dealing with the 'real' world. Honestly, I am very interested. I love it, although, admittedly, it is very difficult and burdensome for us as students. But I think we have to get used to something like this.


This Monday, I had an experience of going to Manila, a foreign place for me, without any instructions from my father. My friend and I are only dependent on what people will tell us when we ask them something. It was tiring, yes, but I enjoyed it. I enjoy every experience outside my everyday routine life. It has always been my dream to travel the world. Anyway, back to this tiring week, on Tuesday, the organization I belong to had an event called La Fashionista. It is a contest showcasing dresses designed by UP students and models representing their respective organizations and fraternity/sorority. After the event, I still had to do some school works to be submitted on the following day. On Wednesday, again, there were things I need to do. There was paper on our marketing subject that we had to submit on Thursday. By Friday, we had an exam on our subject, Business Law. On Saturday, I have a report for my Operations subject. I do not know if you would understand the pain I went through this week by reading this blog. Probably not. This week is not yet done. There is continuation next week, a week worse than this.


By the way, Valentine's day is just around the corner. For me, it does not make any sense, but I will wait for the moment that it will. I am not looking for someone, and I will never look, because I know I do not need to. :)


I would always want to blog. Sometimes, there are a lot of things I want to write but stay only in my mind because I am that lazy to not type it. Hopefully, this would go on and on and on.haha!