Chastity Brackeen:
Just coming to see you. Great blog. Thanks for stopping by. It got my attention. You know I had to come and see for myself!
Keeper:
Stopped by and enjoyed your blog, I am adding you to my friends list. Have a great day!
greenman:
i need your help my friend. Kindly please vote for "PHOTO ENTRY NUMBER 5 - Crystal Glass" at http://travelerfolio.com/ . Thanks! Voting is once daily. :)
Reviewer11:
Congrats on being this weeks journal of the week. :D
Blake:
Haha, the world could use some change.... Congrats on Journal of the Week!!!
Dee:
Congratulations on winning the JOTW Award! Great blog!
Our third day in Cebu was no doubt the best. I was up all night figuring out whether to go to Cebu White Sands or Maribago Bluewaters Resort. Price was definitely an important factor. CWS Day Tour costs only P500 while MBR's day tour costs P1,500. I opted to go to CWS for obvious reasons.
The resort was BEAUTIFUL. They have two big pools and one kiddie pool and the beach part reminds me of Boracay. Since we only went for the Day Tour, I thought we should start early. We rented a jetski for 30 minutes. We could've gone for an hour but I realize it was so expensive haha! But hey, we were on it for more than 30 minutes so I guess it was worth every penny. I let my little sister drive for a few minutes. We went as far as we could. Just one thing: we didn't put enough sunblock.
Then I asked myself: what was I doing during summer when I was the same age as my sister?
After that we had lunch at the resort's restaurant. The P500 fee includes P200 worth of food but obviously you will need to spend a little more than that. I thought their food was priced correctly. From our table, we could see the nearby Maribago Bluewaters Resort. It was spectacular. No wonder their rates are more expensive than Cebu White Sands.
There were a ton of other things we wanted to do but since this is yet another unplanned trip, I decided to just do them on my next visit. There were other activities available such as island hopping, parasailing, Kayaking, and reef walking. Our day tour ended at 5Pm so obviously we didn't have time to do all that.
It was a fun day. It was when I realized that I actually want to live in Cebu! I told my friend Melai and she reminded me of the time when I told her I was born to live in the Metro. Cebu is very much like Manila but a bit more relaxed. People are less stressed and there are also a lot of big companies (like my employer) who have their branches within the city. I can imagine a weekend at the beach or Bohol or Dumaguete. There's definitely a wide array of choices when it comes to weekend activities. No wonder my Cebuano friends want to go back to their hometown.
I decided that our second day in Cebu should be less expensive and more relaxed. I was planning on dragging my sister to Bohol. There were several Bohol Day Tour packages on the leaflet the receptionist gave me. I was just worried that she might get tired easily so I ditched the plan. We checked out of the Cebu Marine resort around 10AM. I texted the same cab driver and asked him to pick us up.
I didn't realize that the trip was going to be that long. I learned that Cebu is divided into two big islands connected by two bridges. One island has the beaches and the other is where the city lies. It took us almost two hours (with heavy traffic) to get to the city. We checked into a 15-room transient Pension house which only costs 800 pesos a night. It's one of the most affordable accommodations in Cebu and it's 5-10 minutes away (by foot) from Ayala Center Cebu.
Ayala Cebu is like a smaller, more relaxed version of Greenbelt and Glorietta. I just didn't understand why people were staring at us all the time. I had to go to the men's room a couple of times to see what was wrong. Was it obvious that we were not Cebuano? I also mentioned to my friends that in Manila, you'd get those random moments when a stranger will smile at you or say hi when you pass by them. For some reason, I didn't get the same warmth in Cebu. There were more glaring than smiling.
We didn't really have much to do. I initially thought there would be a few more resorts around the city but then I was told that all the beaches are in Mactan Island. So I decided to spend the day at the mall. We watched the super hilarious movie 'Here Comes the Bride'. Angelica Panganiban is a versatile actress! And the rest also did a great job. You need to see it to find out what I'm talking about.
Our first day in Cebu was quite relaxed and expensive. It's my first time to be here so I figured I am bound to make a lot of first-time mistakes in this beautiful city in the south. The big difference between this trip and my previous ones is I brought my little sister with me.Travelling with a kid can never be easy but it's not nearly as fun as travelling alone - especially on my birthday.
As a manager who makes plans for our clients, I am embarrassed to say that I did not make any plans AT ALL for this trip. When I was shopping for tickets online, I saw this super low fare from ZestAir and booked it. I went back to the previous page and added 1 child and boom - I bought them. I made no hotel reservations. I figured I always get good priced accommodations when I leave town anyway.
The only problem is that I asked too many people and got a ton of great advice from all of them. It became extremely difficult for me to choose what to do, where to stay and how much to have as a budget. I pegged it at a certain amount and as I write this, I already went a few hundred pesos over it. Why? Like I said, our first night was very expensive.
I found a site which makes great suggestions for a resort. My rule is simple. Great beach + cheap price = fun fun fun. Searching wasn't that easy. Even my friends Google and Bing (good names for kids I reckon) were not particularly helpful. Anyway, the site made mention of Cebu Marine. I called on the day of our departure and they said they still have one room left for May 16 but none for the succeeding nights. As soon as we landed in Cebu - I called them to confirm and hailed a cab. Oh yea - with my sister of course.
The cab driver refused to use the meter. I later realized that when this happens, you should take note of the name of the taxi, plate number and body number and report them to the police so they can deal with them pronto. Since we were tired and had no energy to argue (the usual profile for an airport cabbie's victim), I decided to agree with the exorbitant fare he gave me. He tried to make conversation but I was already pissed. Blah blah. No Manong - don't try to be nice coz you ain't nice.
When we got to the resort. We were greeted with 'welcome' drinks. I was impressed. Nice employees - check. Beautiful entrance - check. Overall resort appearance - maybe 3 out of 5 stars. Later you will understand why (next entry). The biggest shock that hit me was we were the only ones there! At least on the row where we were at.
I didn't like the resort as much as I wanted to. The beach part is not for swimming. The water will barely reach your knees - it's just for walking and catching fish with a basket. The pool was filled with saltwater which I did not appreciate at all. What I did like was their cheeseburger. Oh wait - it says Cheeseburger on their menu yet what I got did not have cheese at all. Their prices were more like a foreigner's rate. I was appalled at the staggering prices but was later satisfied when I saw that they were huge servings good for two people. We should have ordered less food.
The margarita gave me a nice kick - though obviously I can't let my sister see the drunken version of me so I stopped at one. I can't be drunk on my birthday? For a change!
I thought it was going to be the most chaotic Philippine elections ever. There were a few misses but I don't know if it's the discipline of Makati residents or the new automated process itself that made me say this is the best elections ever! Results were transmitted fast and [sad but still good news] only 18 people died from election-related violence. This number is way below the mark of the previous ones.
When we turned on the TV on the day itself, all I heard were bad comments. Long lines, more malfunctioning machines, 36 degrees outside, some violence, and more long lines. I almost backed out. But I remembered what my Vice President Jojo Binay said: This is what they wanted us to do. He said some groups are planning to have their supporters fill up the entire precints and make the innocent voters wait until they grow tired and just leave without voting. That's why we decided to vote at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon.
When we got to our precint, there was a long queue but the voting process itself was quick that people were moving in batches every 10-15 minutes. It was that quick! I only waited for a little over an hour. I saw a few neighbors who also waited patiently for their turn. No violence anywhere. No chaos. Just a lot of people who want to exercise their right to vote. Brilliant move Filipino people!
When it was my turn to vote, I was greeted by super cool and friendly election officers who showed me what to sign, where to sit and how to insert my ballot into the PCOS machine. I almost wished the machine would fail and I made sure to take a picture while a nice old lady was putting indelible ink onto my left fingernail. Et viola!
Charice's backers did the right thing: they hired good stylists and she no longer looks like a belter in an Aegis lead's clothing. I cannot wait for her album to be released. Who knows, this girl might really make it big in the international scene. That would be awesome.
Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" is YouTube's Most Played Video of All Time
It's official! Not only is she one of the biggest artists today, she also has YouTube's Most Played Video of All Time! Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' video edged out its competition 'Charlie Bit My Finger' and earned a whopping total of 180 Million plays on the worldwide web. It's a great song and she made an even better video for it. Is her latest hit 'Telephone' going to compete with 'Bad Romance'? We'll see.
Warning: Not all 3D films are amazing. One of the first few disappointing 3D flicks is 'Clash of the Titans'. I heard somewhere that even the film's director spoke about his disappointment over the movie's conversion to 3D.
There was nothing so extraordinary about it other than the fact that it's a more adult version of Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief. They're not exactly the same in terms of storyline. However, you cannot help but compare most of the scenes which basically had almost the exact same concept. For example, when Persius went to the underworld and when he faced Medusa and cut her head and later used it to defeat the gigantic monster. Percy Jackson did the same thing on his movie.
I think the only redeeming factor is Sam Worthington's performance in the movie. And oh, Ralph Fiennes as Haides was a good move. He did a great job being Voldemort anyway.
Lesson for the director: not all 2D-to-3D conversions are fantastic. Now the question is, will Titanic 3D be a major hit or miss?
This year, I decided to join the family's Visita Iglesia. I don't remember the last time I went to church. I must be burning in hell right now. We only visited 5 churches. I was surprised I didn't bump into a friend or a colleague even after seeing hundreds of people flying in and out of the churches. We saw Senatorial candidate Tito Sotto and his wife Helen Gamboa.
First stop was the church beside the SMX Convention Center. There were a bunch of people outside the church when we got there. Later I realized the mass was about to start. After three stations, we went to Manila Cathedral.
Then to San Agustin Church:
The best thing the churches did this year was to bring out the stations of the cross outside so the place won't be as overcrowded as they usually are.
One annoying fact: When did bringing your dogs and cats to church become such a cool thing? Sorry old lady in black, your 'accessory' doesn't make you any hotter.
You know you're getting old when people start getting married and having babies. That was my first thought when I received an invite through email to my good friend Aissa's wedding. She was my classmate in UP Manila. Our barkada was then known as the notorious BoobooStriders (where I was the founder and President).
And now after so many failed arrangements for dinner and trips to China and Abu Dhabi, the BoobooStriders have once again conquered Manila!
Obviously, Aissa is not in the picture since she's on stage with her husband. It would've been a perfect picture. Sayang! Glad to hear that everything's going so well for all of us. Jihan even flew in from UAE (where she's working as a nurse) just to attend this event.
The wedding was very well prepared. Aissa's gown was very simple yet elegant and she looked so damn good in it.
If there's one thing I would change in the whole thing... I would've required everyone to deliver their speeches in ENGLISH! Everything was in Chinese - even the love songs!
My bestfriend Ria, who is now living in Sydney, came for a week-long visit. It's the first time in three years. I was ecstatic and so was her family. Before we could have our one on one, drama-filled conversation, our friend Kim arranged for us to have dinner at this place called Mr. Jones:
At first, I thought it was an ordinary restaurant - kind of a turo-turo style. I expected prices to be cheap. But when they told me it's somewhere in Greenbelt 5, I thought this is gonna be an expensive dinner.
Just to be fair, the food was great. I regret ordering an expensive version of what I would usually have in any normal restaurant. I should have been a little more adventurous. The place was kind of cozy and the crowd was okay. I would definitely go back to that place.
When Ria left, the Mall of Asia wasn't there yet so I decided to meet her there and visit the Team Manila store. She told me so many people already invited her to that same store so we ditched the plan. We just had a super huge dinner at Gilligans plus a few margaritas while reminiscing the days we spent together in Clark. That was in 2007. Long time!
Anyway, I made it my personal goal to save up for Sydney. She's been raving about the parties and the cool aussies she hangs out with. Hopefully that trip will happen on the first quarter of 2011.
You know those labels you see in organic medicines that say 'NO APPROVED THERAPEUTIC CLAIMS'? It's a euphemism for 'We don't fucking care if you die after taking this as long as you pay for this at the counter' or 'I don't really know if this thing works but we have a celebrity endorser so why not?' They're not kidding. Most of these organic medicines are not screened and tested by the Bureau of Food and Drugs. We need to be careful on what we put in our mouths, especially if it screams cleansing or weight loss.
Unfortunately for me, this is a reminder that suddenly slipped my mind last Thursday. It was impulse purchase day so I said, why not make the most out of it? I went to Big Chill and initially ordered one of their specialty drinks. Then the service crew suggested that I try the expensive Supercharger drink which is a mixture of fruits high in antioxidants (e.g. strawberries, grapes) plus Spirulina, otherwise known as the Blue Green Algae.
At first I was like, whyw would I eat algae? Then they explained that it's high in protein and antioxidants which help cleanse the body. Stupid me, throw in a 'cleansing' benefit and I'll put my money on it. So I ordered the Supercharger because it's supposed to supercharge my body and make me feel energetic. The drink was disgusting after adding the Spirulina powder but it was surprisingly delicious. I got the jumbo size - 32oz.
The next day, I had diarrhea. I had more than 5 bowel movements ata. Eww but worrisome too. I know I was dehydrated because I was starting to feel weak. I got myself a liter of Gatorade but it didn't help either. This went on for two more days. That's three days of hell!
After doing some research, I found out that Blue Green Algae does have its good benefits. However, a doctor claimed that he had patients who suffered the same side effects as I did - some even showed symptoms of food poisoining and were hospitalized. I was scared and I prayed for it to stop. Luckily by Day 4, I started to feel some changes.
Lesson learned: do some research first before taking anything and I mean ANYTHING even if it's supposed to be healthy.
Though I am not really much of a fan, I still acknowledge the fact that Charice already has a spot in the international scene. Did you guys know she was in the recently released sequel of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'? Anyway, I wish her good luck on May 11 when her album is finally released. We will find out if she really has what it takes to be a star. (Note: Her first single 'Note to God' was number 1 both on iTunes and Amazon but quickly slipped after only a day. How will she fair in album sales?)
Last February 11, my livejournal friend Chuvaness posted this on her blog. A 22-year-old call center employee was reported missing after he left his house and never showed up for work. The post immediately attracted my attention because we work in the same industry and I know how precarious it is to brave the dark streets of the city to earn for rent.
I've also heard of a lot of scary stories of missing call center employees. In Alabang, a suspicious van was going around in circles in front of one of the North Gate buildings. It was around 2AM. The curious call center agents just watched and counted how many times the van passed by. Little did they know, a helpless, drugged female agent was being gang-raped inside.
A friend of mine got victimized by a different gang. She was waiting for a cab when she was abducted in broad daylight. She was forced to ride a van. There were two men and a woman who demanded that she give them her wallet, bag and ATM card. They went to an ATM machine to withdraw all her money. The guy was smart - he covered his knife with his jacket while putting his arms around my poor friend. If you're a passerby you'd think they were lovers. They got all her money from both her payroll and savings accounts. She was held in the van for two more hours before she was left penniless somewhere near Greenbelt 1.
These are true stories. I am very sure there are more unreported cases out there. The story of Leo Allen Pangilinan is no different which is why I am curious as to what happened to him. Was he abducted? Did they take his money/laptop/ATM card? Was he hurt? After all the worries and words of kindness posted on both Chuvaness' and his blog, I think the public deserves a short albeit complete explanation. After all, people went out of their way to help the family out. (BPI folks looked into his account to check if there were movements).
Why am I curious? Because this story, if it's another crime against my people, should be exposed so people are aware and will be careful.
If they can't disclose what happened to everyone, I will be happy with a simple email sent to my address. Rest assured it will not be posted on my blog.
I've always admired Kelly Cutrone, owner of PR firm People's Revolution. She's appeared on reality shows such as The Hills and The City. It's only a matter of time before Bravo picked up her no nonsense demeanor and put together a show about her and her PR company. The show is called 'Kell on Earth' on Bravo Monday nights. It's a great show! You can see that there's little room for manipulating the plot on the show since the cast are just more real than Lauren Conrad and Audrina Patridge.
My Pre-Valentine's started with Melai, Mitchie and Jameson. We went to Veluz for the sketch of her wedding gown. I have to say, I'm not a big fan of weddings (and marriage) but Veluz Reyes' gowns are really beautiful and magical that every hopeless romantic will think about getting married soon. Her office was really hard to find with all the one way streets leading to nowhere. When we finally figured it out, the car was filled with shrieks and laughter. We were all excited.
It was my first time to see a designer at work. She gave us a sort of a mise-en-scene like it was happening right before her. I couldn't really visualize how it would look like but she showed the materials that will be used, the sketch, plus a few more things. I was definitely convinced that it's going to be a beautiful gown.
We stopped by Piandre in Quezon avenue to relax our hands and feet. Then we went to SM Megamall for the bridal fair. I realized there's a multi-million peso worth of revenue in weddings. On the right you will find the expensive albeit hideous gowns. On the left you will see pricey invitations made out of different raw materials. There were caterers - some of which were the ones who cooked for celebrity weddings. There were bands, mobile bars, photo booths, etc. Is 2010 the year for weddings?
If you're just starting a new business and are in need of a website design firm in Ottawa, you may turn to Joomla web design. They are an Ottawa website design firm that specializes in professional website building, designing, and Search Engine Optimization. You should check out Web design Joomla Ottawa and some of their latest works including the website of Ottawa's oldest financial services company.
If this laptop could talk, it would be hurling invectives at me right now. I've changed a lot in its 3-year-old system and it probably is tired by now. I always say, it's time to replace it but I just can't.
I thought the recent upgrade to Windows 7 have officially put an end to my broadband modem errors. Unfortunately, I was wrong. A couple of weeks ago, I tried to connect through Smart Bro and it just wouldn't. There was no error message this time - just a pop-up window that keeps saying 'Connecting' but nothing happens after that.
I initially thought another reformatting session would resolve it but my tech support/friend was against it. Then I realized that all this problem started when I installed some updates for Win 7. He suggested that I do a restore from the time I did the installation and see if that would work. Lo and behold, it did. So I'm never going to install that one update or if I accidentally do, I know what to do next.
In the middle of the Smart Bro crisis, I went to the mall and made an impulse purchase: a Sun Broadband modem. I bought it because I don't read a lot of negative blog posts online about their service (at least not as much as Globe Tattoo). I just tried connecting today and I have to say it's pretty stable. I've been connected for three hours now and I haven't experienced any interruptions.
Speed is forgivable - I have yet to reach their maximum 3 mbps limit. It's still better than Smart Bro because I don't jump from 0Kbps to 50 to 115 to 800 to 1.89Mbps then slide back to 0. There would be times when I would disconnect just to get a better connection. The result: it keeps 'churning' my load while I have not gone through any web page successfully. What a waste.
As of now, Sun has been more stable. Plus, it's cheap! I get unlimited internet for only 50 Pesos. I first thought that's insane. The Sun CSR explained that the clock starts at the time you obtain a connection. This means if you get connected at 3PM, you may connect through the internet and enjoy unlimited surfing until 3PM the next day.
I just hope this thing still has signal once the Sun goes down. I know it's a joke but yeah it did happen to me in the past when I still had a Sun prepaid Sim.
Last Saturday, I spent some time with a few members of my team. They've been inviting me to go to Enchanted Kingdom for quite some time now and so I finally said yes. EK doesn't fascinate me anymore - I've been there more than 10 times now. It's the moments you share with the people you're with that makes that place special.
Unfortunately, I had to skip the Space Shuttle because the lines were outrageously long. When we bought the tickets at the entrance, there's a line of buses loaded with school kids with their happy faces. I had a feeling this is going to be a crowded Saturday at EK. We did have fun at the Log Jam, Anchor's Away, and even the horror house. Me...in a horror house...right. It did happen.
But something happened that was more freaky that those guys in masks chasing us in the horror house. While waiting in line at the Space Shuttle, Aira took a picture of Marse and Mikey. When they looked at the picture, there was a girl in fuschia shirt who was also in it. Well, her body is but her head was missing! My hair's raising as I write this.
We analyzed the picture thoroughly. Maybe her hair was blocking her face? She had long hair and it was dark. However, I looked closer and her head was definitely sort of cut off. If it was there, it should have been blocking something. But we could see the speaker and the blue light that she was supposed to be blocking. It was freaky!
Aira told the poor girl in an attempt to warn her. I've seen it a couple of times on TV that when someone loses her head (literally) on a picture, it means something bad will happen to her.
She seemed so calm. They also tried to take pictures using their camera. After ignoring what she was told, she went back in line and waited for their turn at the Space Shuttle.. YES the same ride. I turned to my friends and said - Okay let's go. Maybe it was not the right time to get on a rollercoaster.
Today I made a follow-up visit to my doctor - same one who saw me when I had tonsilitis. HE was supposed to recommend new medication since the first one didn't work. Fortunately, he said my tonsils are looking pretty normal so there's no need for another round of antibiotics. I am free to buy my favorite Dairy Queen mix!
Here's the thing. Last night, I noticed my left ear is sort of numb. I can hear everything with a slight echo. It got worse throughout the day. When I was a kid, I experienced the same thing. The doctor said my eardrums were 'displaced' and he sucked the pressure out of my nasal passages to put it back in place. I asked the doctor if this is the same thing. He said yes, probably. He said I should buy a gum and just play with my jaws. He also asked me to take a hearing test.
The hearing test is pretty weird and cool. I sat on this egg shaped chair and they asked me to put on a headset. I was supposed to press a button whenever I hear a beep. The volume of each beep varies. It's supposed to measure the amout of decibels I can take. Second test - this lady was reading some words and I was supposed to repeat them. VOlumes also vary but that's not the problem. Her pronunciation was not good that I really literally couldn't understand what she was saying.
The results are with me but it has to be read by the same doctor who referred me to them. There is a portion which says something about having hearing problems on my left ear. Pretty scary. I will go back to the doctor on Saturday to find out what the heck is going on.
In November, I stood up in the middle of the office and gave a very important advice to my team. Overdose in Vitamin C. Stay healthy. Do not be absent as we're about to enter the busiest time of the year. Some were asked to work on Christmas and New Year's. I was one of them. I told them this is so critical that absences will be unforgivable.
On Christmas Eve, I had very high fever and I skipped work - for three freaking days.
After two days, I finally went to the Emergency Room of the Makati Medical Center because I was getting worried about my health. I could barely stand and I was having a hard time swallowing or drinking. I started losing weight and I have never been that sick in my entire life. The doctor said I had (correction: STILL have) tonsilitis and I needed to take some antibiotics for 7 days.
A few days after I started taking the meds, I felt a little better. I managed to drag myself to work although I still couldn't eat like a normal person. I got better and better but some rashes appeared on my arms. So I went to see the doctor and he told me that the meds didn't work - that even though I can now eat, my tonsils are still swollen so he wanted to give me another set of meds which I need to take for another seven days.
The problem is that I have high sensitivity to the meds. Now another doctor gave me some anti-histamines to get rid of the rashes. If they do work and the rashes disappear by Thursday, then I can start with my medication for the tonsilitis. If not, then I'm probably doomed.
You know what's sad? I was never sick the entire 2009. It's quite ironic that the fever and tonsilitis hit me on the last few days of the year. Does that mean anything at all?
This story of mine probably happened to you too. When I was in grade school, I had a friend who always lands on the top ten of the entire batch every end of the quarter. During that time, the so-called geniuses were not your average nerds who wear dorky glasses and always hang out in the library. They play sports, drown themselves in video games, sing with the choir, do some presentation with the theatre club, or throw parties at their house. They were, in short, the cool ones.
My friend Marvin* was one of those guys. I secretly envied him for many years. I would hang out with him, hoping his genius gene would somehow crawl into my veins so I can easily go through math like an Olympic hockey player playing against a rookie. We always have these 'intellectual conversations', trying to squeeze each other's brains for information - things that the other did not know and would want to know. It was a game. And often, I lose because he would mention some things I had never heard of - something he read in the ginormous Encyclopedia or some expensive journal.
As my envy grew stronger, I pushed myself to compete with Marvin every single quarter. I would work harder, stay in the library, and read more, pick up the trash (hoping to have some sort of cleanliness award), help the teacher carry her bag (known as the early phase of kissing ass) and mirror his interests. However, they didn't work. They never worked. The closest I got was at top 16 in a class of 42. And where was Marvin? Top 1 - from the entire batch of 294 - yet again.
Why did I suddenly think about this story? Because I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's book called 'Outliers'. It's probably one of the most interesting books I've ever read. The best value for my 300 bucks.
The book talks about how we view success as a product of hardwork, determination and persistence. Sure those things are important ingredients. But one important thing to look at when asking why one person is successful is his background. I agree with Gladwell's conclusion that success of some people are not exceptional but grounded by ' a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all.'
In one of the chapters, he talks about why Asian students perform better than American students. It makes sense: Asian schools like in the Philippines have more school days than American schools. Here, we only have two months of Summer break while in the US - they have almost 3 months. Also, there are special schools (like Science High Schools) where a student has more subjects and longer school time than any other student. It provides more OPPORTUNITY for the student to learn more and outlearn the other.
Going back to the case of Marvin and me - Gladwell's thesis explains why he would always win against me. After all, Marvin's family was well off. He had access to informational magazines. He travelled to several countries during summer. His parents can afford to pay for special classes. He had all those opportunities for growth. He was outlearning me while I was playing outside with my friends. There was no freaking way I could compete with someone who spent a lot of time learning all the stuff I didn't know about.
After going through the first few chapters, I realized Gladwell is basically saying we're all fucked up because there can only be one Bill Gates or Donald Trump and their string of opportunities. Rich will be richer. I will never get that kind of success. Then I looked at myself in the mirror and analyzed my own string of opportunities:
When I started as an entry-level employee at my previous company, I wanted so badly to climb up the ladder and be a leader. Unfortunately, I wasn't given that opportunity for two things - I was still incredibly immature and management just basically didn't see that potential in me. My solution was to move to a new company and find my grand opportunity an seize it.
After four months, an opening was published and I applied for the post. Sadly, I didn't get the job. I was disheartened. However, the department I was working at was growing and they needed new supervisors. I had no interest at all because I didn't think I could handle the job. But my supervisor then was the one who pushed me to go for it. And so I did - and I got the job. I was a supervisor for more than three years.
But I know very well that success doesn't end with one goal. You always aim higher. So I moved from one department to another - searching for that new golden opportunity. Finally, one was presented to me when my former boss resigned and I was asked to take her place. It would be easy to say with pride that I worked hard to get this but the truth is even though I worked so hard and she didn't leave the company, I would still be doing the same thing I was doing last year. It was a mix of both effort and advantage that allowed me to be where I am today.
Lesson learned: it's not bad to admit that we all just got lucky! Sure we work hard - very hard for things we want in life but it takes an ounce of humility to admit that yeah, I didn't do it all by myself.
Like one of my favorite shows, this blog went on a hiatus when a lot of things happened to me. It's kinda funny and sad at the same time that my last post was about my N97 review. Well, here's the thing: I lost the N97. It was Saturday and I just came from a friend's place in Ortigas. I took the bus on my way home because I was too tired to climb the stairs leading to the Metro. The last thing I remember was someone put something on my mouth. When I woke up, I was already in Taft Avenue and the right pocket of my jeans was slashed - and my pretty Nokia N97 was gone.
I was speechless for a few hours then I realized the best thing to do is to replace the phone. And so I did. I went to Park Square and got myself a Nokia 5530.The touch feature is very responsive and it has an HD screen. The only downside is that it's not a 3G phone and the memory is only 4GB (may be upgraded to 8GB). I cannot say I miss the N97 - I miss its 32GB capacity.
One more thing, I already moved to my new place. It's a bit small but very cozy. I love it. There's a lot of things to be fixed. I still don't have my curtains and I need to install hooks in the bathroom plus I think I want an LCD TV to save space (haha). I think I've adjusted well to my new environment. I just need to find more gym options and I need to actually go there to workout and not just inquire about rates.
I haven't been on Facebook for weeks. I only logged in today and found friend requests and tagged but unwanted photos. I had to screen. I still couldn't make the SmartBro plugit work on my laptop so occasionally (like today) I go to places with free wi-fi just to get myself connected to the worldwide web. Hopefully, the troubleshooting steps I found online will help. Or else, a new laptop will definitely be useful. I already have my eyes on the Dell Inspiron with Windows 7 Premium.
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com