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Thinking Aloud
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Something to think about
Related to country: Philippines

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"Mang Pedro's Boracay Experience"

This picture won third place in the UP Aggregates' Photofest held last June 2007. :)

I took this picture at the Boracay Shangri-la construction site last May 2007. Boracay is one of the most popular vacation spots in the country because of its beautiful beaches. Even the construction site I visited was breath taking. My vacation there brought me memories to last a lifetime.

But what about construction workers like Pedro? What about his Boracay experience? Im sure it's different from mine.

October 4, 2008 | 5:07 AM Comments  0 comments

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Discipline
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My friend recently shared this list to me. Sometimes, when we feel out-of-focus and we need to get back on track, it would be nice to remember the items posted here. :)

10 Principles of Discipline

10.. Discipline is the art of balance, consistency and perseverance.

9. Discipline acquires good habits, while it abandons bad habits.

8. Discipline makes no excuses.

7. Motivation fades, discipline prevails.

6. If you want to achieve excellence, begin with discipline.

5. Discipline involves using your time productively.

4. The first step to discipline is making up your mind.

3. Discipline is the secret behind most successes.

2. Discipline begins with small things done daily.

1. To learn you must love discipline.

October 3, 2008 | 7:36 PM Comments  1 comments

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Special
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Today, while I was riding on a jeepney on my way to school, a couple of youngsters went on board.

One was a teenage boy, maybe 14 years old, and he was with a younger girl who was probably 10 years old. From the way he held the young girl's arm, I could tell that he was her big brother.

The people inside the jeepney looked at the little girl, as I did. She was, well, a little different. I'm not sure if the term I'm using is correct, but she's what most people call a "mongoloid".

As she slowly sat down, her eyes caught mine. I nodded a little. Suddenly, she gave this huge smile and waved at me! It's weird but my heart just felt light. I gave her my biggest smile and I waved back.

I cannot explain why but right at that very moment, I wanted to cry. I was both happy and sad. I was happy because she reminded me of how lucky I am to be who I am. Her smile also reminded me that no matter how heavy one's problems may be, we can always choose to be happy. At the same time, I felt sad that such a lovely girl like her had to suffer like that.

A year ago, I attended the "Camp Pag-ibig" (Camp of love) which was a day full of games and fun activities for "special" children. Whenever they would do something, may it be singing or dancing, they always did it with their whole hearts.

It's a shame that some people regard retardation as a shameful thing. To be honest, I think we should all be inspired by them. In this world which gives much importance on one's looks and things rather than one's heart, sincerity has become a thing of the past.

If you're reading this (of course you are!), do me a favor. Could you please smile? A bigger one, please. That's it. Then close your eyes and think of the many things that you should be thankful for.

Life is too short for you to be complaining, right?

October 2, 2008 | 7:41 AM Comments  0 comments

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Confidence
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Earlier today, a friend told me something about a guy who wanted to get to know her better. The guy apparently introduced himself by giving her a friend request on Friendster and when she asked him who he was, he said that they were in the same section at the review center. My friend, the type who wants to keep things formal, encouraged him to try to talk to her in person so they could have a decent conversation and the guy dismissed her suggestion by saying that he’s usually shy in person. He decided to give her his mobile number instead.

When I heard this, I was a bit enraged. Why do most guys think that they can avoid dealing with “first-meeting awkward situations” by sending virtual messages? I don’t know about most girls, but I think the mere fact that a guy has mustered enough courage to gather his balls and approach a girl, no matter how shy he is, shows a lot about his sincerity in meeting her. Why should you feel shy if you have nothing but the purest or the most platonic of intentions?

Yesterday, I just read an article about how the internet is transforming the youth into a “dumb generation”. According to the author, more young people lack social skills, and the internet has managed to turn them into a bunch of narcissists. I do disagree with that man’s findings but to some extent, I think he made a point. The onset of text messaging and social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace, while giving people a venue for free expression or a platform to the world, obviously has varied effects. And some of them aren't so good.

I was carrying these thoughts in my head on my way home. Suddenly, my friend texted me that maybe we were just overanalyzing things. I figured that it would indeed be pointless to think about something that was so unimportant. So there, case closed. “Okay, maybe he's really shy.” Whatever.

A few minutes later, I boarded a jeepney. It was already close to being full so I had no choice but to sit beside the driver and his companion. Everything was going fine but suddenly, halfway along the trip, the driver’s companion started making small talk.

“Ay, akala ko bababa ka na.” (I thought you were about to get off.)

“Te, inaantok ka yata. Bakit naman?” (You seem sleepy. Why?)

“Te, ‘san ka ba nag-aaral?” (Where are you studying?)

“San ka ba bababa?” (Where are you gonna get off?)

I really wanted to be nice but the smirk on his face told me that if I tried answering his questions, or if I came up with a bunch of sarcastic comebacks, it would have done nothing but please him. He kept on smiling and glancing at the driver and then back at me. Clearly, this guy wanted to irritate me.

I managed to get off the jeepney unscathed, but not without the memory of that horrid guy saying “goodbye” to me in the lousiest of tones. I took a deep breath, and just strangled him in my thoughts.

I then recalled the lack of confidence of the guy who wanted to meet my friend. It’s a little ironic. Earlier, I just wished men were more confident, and after that jeepney ride, I kind of wished they weren’t.

It would of course be pointless to compare the two. One was educated, a college graduate to be exact, and the other was probably wasn't. But hey, confidence and sincerity aren’t taught in school.

I wonder who could be better off?

July 15, 2008 | 5:03 AM Comments  2 comments

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History? Boring? Nah
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The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.

Here are some facts about the 1500s:

These are interesting. ..

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence , the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The m an of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor.

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh
until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and
then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridg cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the
fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would
gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up.
Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the
wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a .dead ringer..

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Educate someone. Share these facts with a friend (I just did! --sandy)