Token of Gratitude

Ma'am Leony is a colleague. She was our pre-processor way back in 2010, reviewing our loan documents prior to booking the actual loan. She gave us hell but she was also considerate and kind when we needed her to be. Right now, she's still a pre-processor but, this time, she's working with another team. 

She was probably the best mentor I've had in my current company. I've learned a lot from her and so had Reggie and Noelle, two of my other colleagues. Because of this, we gave her just a little something to warm her Christmas last 2010 - a big, white, pillow with this picture printed on the front:

Like I've always thought, Ma'am Leony has always had beautiful, soft eyes.
 
Thanks Ma'am.

Surfing

My Internet routine:

Turn on laptop.

Go to Facebook. Check out notifications, messages, group lists. Log off.
Go to Daily Thunder. Search for more NBA news.
Go to 9gag. Have a few laughs.
Go to science websites (Popsci, Discover, Nature, etc.). Learn something new.
Go to current affairs (Guardian, Huffington, Time, Atlantic, Philippine Star). Get some news.
Go to Blogger. Follow some blogs. Type in some posts.
Go to Beemp3. Download some music.
Turn off computer.
Smile.

Thesis

I miss my thesis. Or to put it more clearly, I want to put it in this blog.

Even now, I can still say my thesis was the best piece of prose I have ever written. Needless to say, a lot of effort was put into it, with me writing most of the critical parts in the work.

The thesis was all about the symbols inherent in the design motifs found in the dagmay, the traditional textile woven by the weavers of the Mandaya tribe.

 Unfortunately, the soft copy of my thesis died a long time ago. Our computer crashed several years back (I was in Manila then) and the hard disk was wiped clean.

Now, I consider that a loss and a hard one at that. So, for 2012, I intend to hire someone to encode my thesis for me. The only remaining copies, I believe, are the printed versions now safely kept inside the college library and the shelves of the Humanities Division.

After this project is over, I'll have a good digital copy of my work and I'll make sure it's backed up. I'll also be putting everything in this blog so anyone interested in the thesis, as a reference and as a starting point for further research, can look it up anytime.

One of these days. One of these days.

Facebook

I signed up for Facebook last 2008. 

It was out of necessity. My office mates were posting pictures of our gimmicks on the site and I wished to view them. So I added myself up as an "FB" user so I could be tagged in these photos. It was fun.

Then came the period when I was an unemployed bum. I spent my new-found leisure time playing those internet games in the site and skimming at the news feed every minute or so.

I finally found work eventually and what had been a love affair with Facebook for over a year eventually faded to a weekly cursory glance. I added "friends", glanced at their profiles, and moved on. I posted pictures but my interest in Facebook was apparently diminished.

It didn't help that Sir Dom, one of the guys I idolized back in college, had already "killed" himself in Facebook. He had already closed his FB account and lived to tell about it.

I, for one, didn't go to such extremes but I had mentioned every now and then how life would be so easy if I just simply signed off.

Nowadays, Facebook, for me, is simply Facebook. Just when a lot of the people I know in Davao have begun to rave about it, just when it has become ubiquitous, I finally got bored. I still log in every week but it's merely a product of habit rather than a forced compulsion or an itching desire.

Facebook, thank you. But I now relegate you to the netherworld of my past life. Along with Plurk.

What Is That Stuff?

 Recently, I've been fascinated by processed goods. I've been  reading the fine print found in the labels of certain products and have wondered what exactly I was eating.

The ingredients point to another dimension, jargon bordering on gibberish, with names claiming to be exotic and inedible at the same time.

I wish there was a website describing the many ingredients found in our food, replete with nutritional data and their uses. I bet quite some people will find such a website worth visiting.

Canker Sores

They'll always be my first glimpses of hell.

Ouch.

Open Letter To Mama

Dear Ma,

I remember joking around before that it's hard for me to find a girlfriend when you yourself have set a pretty high bar.

To be honest, I'll always be the first to say that my mother is the most beautiful woman in the world, despite the wrinkles and warts. It's corny, yes, but it's also the truth. The way you've inspired the people around you continues to dazzle me. The way you've lived your life erases all your flaws.

I hope you know and, more importantly, feel that I love you. You know our family is really not into hugging and kissing but I hope that the way I've lived my life so far has brought you joy and pride. I guess the best way I could ever show my love is by being a good son and proving to everyone that you've raised me well.

I'm writing this letter because I may regret not doing so. Back in college, Atty. Baldovino had lamented how students would only remember thanking their teachers several years or even decades after graduation. The problem is compounded between children and parents because the rigors of daily life makes it hard for one to step back and sincerely say "Thank you" and "I love you".

So Ma, I love you and salamat. Thank you for being a mother to me.

Your son,
Paolo

She's probably saying "Istoryahe" right now. Hehe.

A Sense Of Foreboding

I don't know what's wrong with me.

Recently, I've been preoccupied with death, as if my time has come and I'm about to die anytime soon. Strangely though, the feeling isn't one of fear but of grudging acceptance.

There are many things that I still want to do with my life. Somehow, this feeling of death is giving a bit more urgency to how I deal with my everyday affairs.

I don't know how long this will last though but I'm praying it won't stop. Ironically, this uncomfortably normal feeling is pushing me to live again. Finally.

Ig-ani diay pag emo. Ewww.

A Heartwarming Ad

Just when you thought commercials have gone stale, Coca Cola pulls out something like this. It's an ad campaign, featuring the company bringing home a select group of OFWs in time for Christmas. It really tugs at the heart, making the commercial even more notable. Made my eyes water for a second. Here it is:

But let's not lose sight of the larger picture. The OFW phenomenon is a recent one, borne out of a stagnating domestic job market. An entire nation of Filipinos working abroad need not suffer loneliness and separation from their families if the country can figure out how to generate high-income jobs here. I hope I can live long enough to see this come true.

For the meantime, enjoy the video.

Kada galaw, buwis

The Bureau of Internal Revenue had issued Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 53-2011 which "states that voluntary contributions to the SSS, GSIS, Pag-IBIG and PhilHealth are subject to tax". 

BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares would later say, explaining the move, that, “It has been observed that the grant of income tax exemption to SSS, GSIS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions in excess of the mandatory contributions is being abused." Hence, any contribution beyond the mandatory premium dictated by the government shall now be considered as an investment and will be treated as a tax-deductible item.

The affected government institutions were quick to respond to this. Their contention was simply that it will affect them in the form of reduced savings, since pretty much everyone treats voluntary contributions to SSS, GSIS, Philhealth, or GSIS as a way of saving for a rainy day. Taxing these will be a great disincentive.

But Kim Henares' opinion is not unfounded, however. That's because there are shrewd businessmen who know how to work the system by placing their profits in tax-exempt vehicles such as premiums to SSS or Philhealth (Tax Avoidance 101). But I believe they are greatly outnumbered by the many who contribute to these corporations solely because they want to save more and avail of the bigger benefits for those who contribute more.

What is my opinion? Well, I'm against government measures which unavoidably rein in savings (as opposed to those which curb expenses but that's another post). We Filipinos are not saving enough and if we are saving, we are doing it the wrong way (by placing it in a piggy bank, of all places, or the bank, two surefire ways of getting trampled upon by inflation). This new memorandum is simply not good in the long run.

What I do worry about is a case of the slippery slope. If the BIR can tax voluntary contributions to these institutions, what will prevent them from, say, taxing us on other areas? I shudder at the thought but a case of triple or even over-taxation may be closer to reality than we think.

As a side note, I'm being taxed every time I receive my salary (income tax), I'm taxed every time I buy goods (VAT), and now I'll be taxed every time I save more than necessary (RMC 52-2011). I'm definitely overtaxed no matter how I see it.

Strength And Character

Every day, I mention in my prayer that God please help me be a better Christian and, of course, a better person. But I know better.

I ask in my petition that I be stronger, that I be braver. But it's a weak petition, at the most. That's because I know what it takes for someone to possess that kind of indomitable will and character that, in turn, becomes the envy of all men.

A scene in Evan Almighty resonates to what I will try to say. Mrs. Baxter is in a diner with God, masquerading as a fellow customer. God says, " Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other? "

That's what I dread the most. Because for everything that you want to have, God gives you an opportunity to have it, which is definitely not the easy way around. To every person, every inch of personal growth gained comes with its inevitable sidekick: pain. Strength and character are qualities which are not given; they are forged, embedded into a person's identity by sheer fire and adversity. They are forged in the countless encounters in a person's life, particularly those encounters which are inconvenient (euphemistically speaking). Oftentimes, such encounters take various forms: the death of a beloved friend or a family member, financial difficulty, conflicts, or bad luck, none of which are remotely nice.

So that's my dilemma. I pray for strength; I pray for character. But at the same I am afraid of the crucible I have to endure to get what I asked and prayed for.