I have a rather unusual end of year experience.
Last night, I went out with college friends. We had coffee at Starbucks till 2am and when I went home, the gate to my apartment was already locked and the landlady could not be waken with my knocks. To pass time, I went to the nearby 7-11 and bought some cigarettes and a 500mL PET bottle of Coke. I went back to my apartment and knocked on the gate some more. Still no answer.
Since she normally wakes up at 4am and by that time, I still have 2 hours to kill, I decided to go to Malate and probably find some store open (don't really want to go clubbing on my own - not my scene with or without company). However, majority of the stores were already closed.
At that time it was around 3am to 330am so I still had time to kill. I decided to go to Divisoria to buy fruits. I rode a taxi and the taxi driver let me off at Reina Regente corner Jose Abad Santos, still quite some walking from the stores that sell fruits but vehicles can no longer get any further due to tiangge stalls (open 24 hours) and the trash littering the streets.
Having drunk Bailey's, San Mig Light and tall caramel macchiatto with my friends and that 500mL of Coke, I began to feel the urgent need to pee. There were no place to pee in Divisoria at the time. The malls were closed and there are no open fastfood shop.
The need to pee was so bad that I wet my pants, and I mean like possibly most of the front of my pants. I thought of just going home after a privately humiliating experience (no people seemed to have seen what I just did) before getting a public humiliation from people seeing that I have wet my pants.
Still, I came all the way there, I still have time to kill, it's still dark and people can only see you when you're only a few feet from them (thus, they'll be forced to just see the top half of the body) that I decided to just buy some fruits.
I bought kiat-kiat, seedless grapes, and red apples. I also bought a purple-leafed plant, an ornamental plant that looks like a pineapple and another plant.
Just an experience before the year ends.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Stephen Covey's Giving
As part of our key result areas (KRA for performance measurement), our boss tasked us to "read" (read the book or listen to the audiobook) at least 4 management books per year. He suggested starting with Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
While listening to the audiobook, Stephen Covey mentioned that you can never truly give what you don't own. And that in order to give willingly, you must have had the feeling of truly owning what you're giving.
Flashback to highschool and college days, I remembered I was so stingy in giving things away or in giving gifts to others. Stephen Covey's words made me realize why. Growing up, I did not have many things. The few things (toys and stuff) I received or bought were few and far between. It's the sense of having few that made me cling to them more (in terms of having the stuff materially and for sentimental reasons).
But now that I have a decent job and can afford more things, I am more generous in giving gifts and stuff away. I already feel the satisfaction of "owning" things.
Covey's comment also made me think of what others would describe as rich people (especially those who grew up in well-to-do families) who are very generous to others and people who grew up poor but are now rich as stingy.
Rich people can afford to be generous because they have had the satisfaction of "owning". Some poor people cannot afford to be generous with what little they have. Others (those who grew up poor but became rich) still could not afford to be generous because they still have not had the satisfaction of "owning".
Just a Christmas-related realization from a timeless book.
While listening to the audiobook, Stephen Covey mentioned that you can never truly give what you don't own. And that in order to give willingly, you must have had the feeling of truly owning what you're giving.
Flashback to highschool and college days, I remembered I was so stingy in giving things away or in giving gifts to others. Stephen Covey's words made me realize why. Growing up, I did not have many things. The few things (toys and stuff) I received or bought were few and far between. It's the sense of having few that made me cling to them more (in terms of having the stuff materially and for sentimental reasons).
But now that I have a decent job and can afford more things, I am more generous in giving gifts and stuff away. I already feel the satisfaction of "owning" things.
Covey's comment also made me think of what others would describe as rich people (especially those who grew up in well-to-do families) who are very generous to others and people who grew up poor but are now rich as stingy.
Rich people can afford to be generous because they have had the satisfaction of "owning". Some poor people cannot afford to be generous with what little they have. Others (those who grew up poor but became rich) still could not afford to be generous because they still have not had the satisfaction of "owning".
Just a Christmas-related realization from a timeless book.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
My Dream Home
Right now, I am seriously thinking of buying a house (a single detached or in a high-rise condominium). I have a general idea of how it should look.
It should have a balcony (for smoking of course), a kitchen island, a library or den (or at the very least shelves for my books and DVDs). Budget permitting, it would be a two-bedroom house/unit - one unit for me and the other a combined library/home office/den/guest room.
The unit will be painted in a neutral color (probably white, off-white, cream, ecru or something of a similar color) or blue with white trimmings. The house/unit will be decorated in a possibly eclectic taste but leaning more on modern contemporary.
It will have two layers of curtain - one layer of sheer fabric like chiffon to let light flow, and the other of a heavier fabric to block out the light just in case I want to be in the dark.
It would have a planned lighting scheme (a lighting scheme that will be good for my complexion) consisting of recessed lighting, pendant lamps, table and floor lamps, etc.
The last two (curtain with sheer fabric and the lighting) are most important so that whatever fornicating may occur within the house/unit, it will be art and not pornography.
I've read many times that the difference between pornography and art is lighting. And the ever controversial Rosanna Roces once said that the difference between art and pornography is chiffon.
=)
It should have a balcony (for smoking of course), a kitchen island, a library or den (or at the very least shelves for my books and DVDs). Budget permitting, it would be a two-bedroom house/unit - one unit for me and the other a combined library/home office/den/guest room.
The unit will be painted in a neutral color (probably white, off-white, cream, ecru or something of a similar color) or blue with white trimmings. The house/unit will be decorated in a possibly eclectic taste but leaning more on modern contemporary.
It will have two layers of curtain - one layer of sheer fabric like chiffon to let light flow, and the other of a heavier fabric to block out the light just in case I want to be in the dark.
It would have a planned lighting scheme (a lighting scheme that will be good for my complexion) consisting of recessed lighting, pendant lamps, table and floor lamps, etc.
The last two (curtain with sheer fabric and the lighting) are most important so that whatever fornicating may occur within the house/unit, it will be art and not pornography.
I've read many times that the difference between pornography and art is lighting. And the ever controversial Rosanna Roces once said that the difference between art and pornography is chiffon.
=)
Growing Old
My boss is in his mid-40s. He is already married and has three or four kids.
I remember in our various "mentoring" sessions, he advised me that I should be learning what I can about managing time, people, resources, etc. while I'm still in my 20s and early 30s. He says that by the time I get married and have kids, I will have different priorities. I guess this is true.
He also added that by the time a man (or a woman, I guess - though he did not explicitly say a woman) is in his 40s. He should already know himself and be stable in his personality. In the sense that when you are in your 40s, you should already have a "signature" scent. I'm so far from that right now. I'm using and love Lacoste Essentials, CK Eternity for Men, Bulgari Aqua Marine, Davidoff Cool Water, Pure by Hugo Boss and Polo by Ralph Lauren. Doubtless I will like more when I get a change to smell them (I generally like citrusy smells with some floral notes - the smell of freshness and summer).
I don't really know his scent or if he wears any. But it seems like he is living what he is preaching. He goes to the office like 7:30 or so every morning (I can't really check since I arrive somewhere between 8:30 am to 10:00 am), almost always light colored long-sleeved shirts and dark (mostly grays) pants (even on Fridays which is the casual dress down day).
My boss's advice got me thinking, is growing old like being a slave to habit and being boring?
Maybe he has a point, when we grow older, we have other priorities (like family) that we don't have time to think much about many stuff (vanity for instance) that by then, we should already have our "habits" that can get us through our lives despite the more pressing priorities.
I really don't know if his advice on growing old is for everybody or only for some people. But he is successful and seems happy and contented so it worked for him.
Next years I'll be turning 29, still 11 years before the 40s (or middle age) but I better start thinking about my life and the future.
I remember in our various "mentoring" sessions, he advised me that I should be learning what I can about managing time, people, resources, etc. while I'm still in my 20s and early 30s. He says that by the time I get married and have kids, I will have different priorities. I guess this is true.
He also added that by the time a man (or a woman, I guess - though he did not explicitly say a woman) is in his 40s. He should already know himself and be stable in his personality. In the sense that when you are in your 40s, you should already have a "signature" scent. I'm so far from that right now. I'm using and love Lacoste Essentials, CK Eternity for Men, Bulgari Aqua Marine, Davidoff Cool Water, Pure by Hugo Boss and Polo by Ralph Lauren. Doubtless I will like more when I get a change to smell them (I generally like citrusy smells with some floral notes - the smell of freshness and summer).
I don't really know his scent or if he wears any. But it seems like he is living what he is preaching. He goes to the office like 7:30 or so every morning (I can't really check since I arrive somewhere between 8:30 am to 10:00 am), almost always light colored long-sleeved shirts and dark (mostly grays) pants (even on Fridays which is the casual dress down day).
My boss's advice got me thinking, is growing old like being a slave to habit and being boring?
Maybe he has a point, when we grow older, we have other priorities (like family) that we don't have time to think much about many stuff (vanity for instance) that by then, we should already have our "habits" that can get us through our lives despite the more pressing priorities.
I really don't know if his advice on growing old is for everybody or only for some people. But he is successful and seems happy and contented so it worked for him.
Next years I'll be turning 29, still 11 years before the 40s (or middle age) but I better start thinking about my life and the future.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Christmas Cheer
It's the -ber months and I decided to decorate my place for the Christmas season.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Confrontation Hysterics
A few weeks ago, I watched "In My Life" starring Vilma Santos, John Lloyd Cruz and Luis Manzano. It's a rare mainstream movie that features a gay couple (though they are not what the movie is about). Furthermore, the movie is decent enough in its portrayal of a gay couple (but the kiss between Luis and John Lloyd was talked about in showbiz news - it's just a kiss and not a wild sex scene ala Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal).
The movie is quite alright but I got annoyed by the confrontation scene between Vilma and John Lloyd. It's not that a confrontation scene is bad, it's just that I don't like the treatment - Vilma and John Lloyd shouting at each other, the camera focusing on their faces. As Jessica Zafra noted in her blog, Filipino drama movies have confrontation scenes where spittles fly and camera so close to the actors' faces that you may be able to see the pores of their skins.
I've never liked confrontations, in movies or in real life. Much more if the confrontation involves frying saliva, extended period of high-pitched and loud voices and camera angles focusing on the faces rather than on the body.
Yet this seems to be de rigueur in Philippine movie or TV drama (much like a picnic or an out-of-town complete with a song-and-dance number is the norm for Philippine comedies; or a shout-off [while both are holding their weapons and hiding between walls, support beams or other structures] between the main protagonist and the main antagonist is the staple of Philippine action movies).
I'm not sure if this is a cultural thing as most Hollywood movies don't have this (there may be a confrontation but are usually not treated in the same way). Some say that the Philippine movie industry evolved from theater and that maybe why some actors/actresses/directors believe that something is not drama unless there is a confrontation characterized by overacting. In theaters, you have to act more than what is normal in a real-life situation or in a movie since the play is viewed by audiences from afar (especially those in the backs). There are no close ups of these emotionally charged moments. Yet somehow in the translation to screen, the acting remains the same yet the viewer can now examine the bucketloads of tears and every imperfection in the faces of the actors.
[On a slightly related note, I remember watching several episodes of Lobo (while my family visited me here in Makati or when I go the province). The story seems good with its mythology and conflicts (haven't watched the whole series so I can't judge for real). What I don't like is how almost all characters seems to be always shouting at each other even when they are having a tribe/race meeting].
In movies, I prefer movies that rely more on music (sone or score), body language and silent tears (than on overblown emotions) to convey sadness, anguish or coldness. But then again, maybe it's just because I don't like confrontations in real life and prefer to grieve a silent grief and be lonely alone.
The movie is quite alright but I got annoyed by the confrontation scene between Vilma and John Lloyd. It's not that a confrontation scene is bad, it's just that I don't like the treatment - Vilma and John Lloyd shouting at each other, the camera focusing on their faces. As Jessica Zafra noted in her blog, Filipino drama movies have confrontation scenes where spittles fly and camera so close to the actors' faces that you may be able to see the pores of their skins.
I've never liked confrontations, in movies or in real life. Much more if the confrontation involves frying saliva, extended period of high-pitched and loud voices and camera angles focusing on the faces rather than on the body.
Yet this seems to be de rigueur in Philippine movie or TV drama (much like a picnic or an out-of-town complete with a song-and-dance number is the norm for Philippine comedies; or a shout-off [while both are holding their weapons and hiding between walls, support beams or other structures] between the main protagonist and the main antagonist is the staple of Philippine action movies).
I'm not sure if this is a cultural thing as most Hollywood movies don't have this (there may be a confrontation but are usually not treated in the same way). Some say that the Philippine movie industry evolved from theater and that maybe why some actors/actresses/directors believe that something is not drama unless there is a confrontation characterized by overacting. In theaters, you have to act more than what is normal in a real-life situation or in a movie since the play is viewed by audiences from afar (especially those in the backs). There are no close ups of these emotionally charged moments. Yet somehow in the translation to screen, the acting remains the same yet the viewer can now examine the bucketloads of tears and every imperfection in the faces of the actors.
[On a slightly related note, I remember watching several episodes of Lobo (while my family visited me here in Makati or when I go the province). The story seems good with its mythology and conflicts (haven't watched the whole series so I can't judge for real). What I don't like is how almost all characters seems to be always shouting at each other even when they are having a tribe/race meeting].
In movies, I prefer movies that rely more on music (sone or score), body language and silent tears (than on overblown emotions) to convey sadness, anguish or coldness. But then again, maybe it's just because I don't like confrontations in real life and prefer to grieve a silent grief and be lonely alone.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Fantasies
Eversince I started reading (and now finished) Harry Potter books 6 and 7, I had the drive to read more and watch TV less. As a result, I've bought several books and now collecting them (and reading them). Majority of the books are speculative fiction (fantasy, horror, science fiction) such as the works of Stephen King, the books of Terry Brooks and Terry Goodking, the ever-so-hard-to-find-in-hardcover Dune books, Michael Scott's Flamel novels and some others.
I've wrote that I'd like to live in an apocalyptic world. But I think to put it more correctly, I'd like to live in a world of fantasy. Too many a times have I though ot waving and flicking my hand holding a magic wand and uttering "wingardium leviousa" (pronounced win-GAR-dee-um lev-ee-OH-sa); or raising my hand and making the flood waters or waters of Pasig River rise and form a sort of water tornado.
Eversince I was a teenager, I have often felt that I am displaced in time and/or place. I feel like I should have grown up in the United States, where personal space is valued and kids 18+ generally live on their own, or lived as an aristocrat in England in Elizabethan times, where I will not be expected to engage in the burly sport of contact sports (basketball, etc.) but in aristocratic sports of horseback riding and refined pursuits of fine arts and music.
And now, I feel like I would rather live in a fantastical world of magic, where I can command the elements to do my bidding or to fine-tune something into my whims.
Somehow, I realize that I may be on my way to having psychosis, but somehow I still believe that my overly rational mind will not allow this. Probably when I'm old, I may have Alzheimer's (God forbid).
My (sleeping and waking) dreams of fantasy is a sure sign that I'm bored with my life.
I've wrote that I'd like to live in an apocalyptic world. But I think to put it more correctly, I'd like to live in a world of fantasy. Too many a times have I though ot waving and flicking my hand holding a magic wand and uttering "wingardium leviousa" (pronounced win-GAR-dee-um lev-ee-OH-sa); or raising my hand and making the flood waters or waters of Pasig River rise and form a sort of water tornado.
Eversince I was a teenager, I have often felt that I am displaced in time and/or place. I feel like I should have grown up in the United States, where personal space is valued and kids 18+ generally live on their own, or lived as an aristocrat in England in Elizabethan times, where I will not be expected to engage in the burly sport of contact sports (basketball, etc.) but in aristocratic sports of horseback riding and refined pursuits of fine arts and music.
And now, I feel like I would rather live in a fantastical world of magic, where I can command the elements to do my bidding or to fine-tune something into my whims.
Somehow, I realize that I may be on my way to having psychosis, but somehow I still believe that my overly rational mind will not allow this. Probably when I'm old, I may have Alzheimer's (God forbid).
My (sleeping and waking) dreams of fantasy is a sure sign that I'm bored with my life.
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