A Lamp That Absorbs Carbon Dioxide

Here I go again with a link and the brief caption. But this is one good idea that I could not not share.

Saw it here first.

Pagkabata

'Di kumpleto imong childhood kung wala ka...

1.) Nikatkat ug punuan
2.) Naghimo ug treehouse
3.) Nitilaw sa imong kugmo
4.) (Kung lalake ka) Niagi nga nangamatis ang imong bagong tuli nga putintin
5.) Nikantsaw sa imong mga pisot nga amigo
6.) Nabuhi ug tulo ka adlaw sobra nga walay ligo
7.) Naligo sa ulan
8.) Kadula ug tigso, tumba lata, step-in, patintero, milo, tagaanay, lumbaanay, virus, chinese garter, pogs, bulan-bulan, luksong tinik, text-text, balay-balay ug uban pa.
9.) Nagluto-luto kunuhay ug dahon ug sagbot
10.) Nasamaran, nadagma, natusukan o nabalian sa pagdula-dula
11.) Nagtu-on ug bisikleta
12.) Nag-isip nga ikaw usa ka Power Ranger o si Son Goku
13.) Nanungkit ug prutas sa punuan sa inyong silingan
14.) Nangawat ug dulaan sa imong mga kadula
15.) Nakawatan ug dulaan sa imong mga kadula
16.) Nangaway sa imong igso
17.) Nag-alaga ug hayop: iring, iro, butiki, baboy, manok, kanding etc.
18.) Nagpaaway ug damang
19.) Nagpabuto ug water bomb
20.) Nagsipsip sa juice gikan sa bulak sa santan
21.) Gikasab-an sa imong inahan ug amahan
22.) Na-igno ug lego o playstation
23.) Naghulog-hulog ug token sa arcade
24.) Na-addict sa heebee ug ice candy
25.) Nag-isip kung kanus-a ka maniguwang

Ug siyempre, wala jud kay mai-hambug nga childhood kung maski usa niini, 'di ka ka-relate

Text Messages 33

Laws of lifetime personal growth:
1.) Always make your future bigger than your past
2.) Always make your contribution bigger than your reward
3.) Always make your performance greater than your applause
4.) Always make your gratitude greater than your success
5.) Always see GOD BIGGER than yourself
Alex Apit, May 11, 2012

God will shower graces more than you expect.
Not just because you asked for them but someone prayed them for you.
Alex Apit, May 6, 2012

When a bird is alive, it eats ants.
When the bird is dead, ants eat the bird.
Time and circumstances can change at any time.
Let's not devalue or hurt anyone in life.
We may not be powerful today.
But remember, time is more powerful.
One tree makes a million match sticks.
But when time comes, only one match stick is need to burn a million trees.
So let's be good and do good.
Alex Apit, May 1, 2012

Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand,so that He will lift you up in His own good time.
Leave all your worries with Him because He cares for you.
Alex Apit, April 29, 2012

There are times we treat life like a mysterious door. It doesn't open no matter how hard we push it!
We never notice that a huge sign is posted there that reads 'PULL'. Same thing with LIFE
 We struggle. We push. We push harder until we're tired, hurt, bruised, and wounded.
We forget there's a better way: Surrender. Let go and let God. God willed our lives to be wonderful. Lift everything up to Him, the fountain of all blessings.
Alex Apit, April 25, 2012

Start to speak BLESSING to yourself today. Say, I am anointed. I am special. I am protected. I am promoted. I am healed. I am the head, not the tail. I am a lender, never a borrower. I am the apple of God's eye. I am filled with the Holy Spirit. I am deeply loved. I am highly favored. I am extremely blessed. I am what my God says I am. I have what my God says I have. I can do what my God says I can do. (Job 22: 28)
Alex Apit, April 25, 2012

Tips to be good looking:
For lovely eyes: always look at the good side of other people (Philemon 2:4)
For tender lips: speak only kind words towards others (Colossians 4:6)
For a charming face: always smile with a happy heart (Proverbs 15:13)
For graceful arms: reach out with compassion to those in need (Romans 9:15)
For beautiful feet always walk with God! (Genesis 6:9)
Be a good-looking person all the time.
Alex Apit, April 25, 2012

Now Faith is confidence in what we hope for and Assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1)
Alex Apit, April 11, 2012

God's blessings may come as a surprise, and how much you receive depends on how much your heart can believe. (Mark 9:23)
Alex Apit, April 2, 2012

When God pushed you to the edge, trust Him fully because only two things can happen. Either He will catch you when you fall or He will teach you how to fly.
Alex Apit, March 27, 2012

Psychology And The Observer Effect

The problem with psychology is that it deals with people. What you're studying are persons, fully capable and fully vibrant, and not some static phenomena, imprisoned to behave according to the laws of nature.

Ironically, despite this, the Observer Effect borrowed from Physics can still apply to Psychology, albeit with some creative interpretation.

The Observer effect states that "the act of observation changes something in the observed phenomenon."

In studying individuals, the same can also be said. For instance, I want to find out if behavioral cues among the members of a peer group are readily shared or not. The simple fact that the subject knows they are being observed leads them to either modify their behavior or to go along with their natural mannerisms. Either way, my study above is and will be subject to doubt since a person can always change his ways at any time, given the necessary motivation and agenda.

Contrast this to what physicists study. Although particles being observed readily change properties or vectors upon measurement of a certain value, these variations can easily be remedied by adjusting computations to allow variances. Alas, for psychology, these methods to permit allowances are simply not applicable.

I guess that's probably why you don't encounter too many case studies about adults in psychology. Apart from the fact that designing such studies require extensive preparation, the Observer effect is greatly exaggerated among them as opposed to, say, studying kids who will more or less behave the same way regardless if they're being observed or not.

My Ideal Job

You know what my ideal jobs are?

These are those menial jobs that are often derided as "blue-collar". Back then, I fantasized being a messenger boy, traveling back and forth and meeting a lot of people along the way. I also thought of being a security guard, a sentinel with a big gun on my hip. I also considered becoming a janitor, mopping the floors of empty corridors. 

My fascination with these jobs is their novelty. These are jobs which do provide another experience of the human condition and I want to try them. In fact, I've been thinking: what if I get to try a job a week at a time before fluttering to another job from another industry? 

That would be awesome. If get to do that, then I wouldn't be wrestling with monotony and boredom, things that affect a lot of professionals of my age. If I get to do that, then I would be experiencing a real-life education on labor and employment.

Unfortunately, the luxury to be able to flit from one job to another is simply that: a luxury. Right now, I'm not even dreaming of leaving my current job. I need to earn a living, thank you very much. 

Good for Mike Rowe he has a show which allows him to try different jobs and all. But for me, the prerequisite is crystal clear: before I can dream of being a packer, a service crew guy, a janitor, a guard, a messenger boy, a construction worker, and so on and so forth, I must first be rich. 

If I'm rich, then I would not care what job I'm holding because I'm going to be doing it because I want to, not because I need to.

Remembering The Grassweeds

 Front Row (from left): Vhong, Ciara, Clinton, Xie, Ron, Edsel

Middle Row (from left): Paul, Francis, Kit, Andrew, Lea, Ryan, Glenda, some-guy-i-can't-recognize-who-the-heck-is-he, Velia

Back Row (from left): Janeth (our gracious landlady), Rodelyn, Nathan, Jon (?), Me, Tala, Palang

Found this picture in a CD Francis had given me before I went back to Davao. I was cleaning up my room when I chanced upon it again. It was taken during my despedida in the Casibang compound, my home for about a year and a month.  

Most of the people in this picture were officially called "Grassroots", based on the HR program of my  first company which focused on hiring people from the provincial areas (hence the term). We nevertheless informally called ourselves "Grassweeds" instead because of the implied spunk and demeanor inherent in the term (at least this is what I like to believe). 

I left my first company three years ago. 

I don't miss the company. 

But I still miss them.

Happy anniversary guys.

Some Things I Picked Up From My First Job

As you know, I worked in Manila for about a year and a month. It was a great experience and I feel blessed that I decided to work away from home. I also learned some lessons on relationships and about myself. As for lessons that I got while working for my previous company, here's a short list:

Graybacks

Being old need not be a disadvantage. My previous company thrived on reputation and reputation was built on having seasoned veterans in the company. For instance, we had a vice president who went by the name "Boss Tony", who was with us not only because of his management acumen but also because of his name. He was a celebrity among his peers in the industry and that only served to bolster the company's name in return. 

He likened himself to a "grayback", the old yet wizened male gorilla. Literally, that label was true; he had gray hair sprouting all over the back of his head. Figuratively, it was also true. In an industry which prizes experience over youth, Boss Tony had the name to solidify the company's claim in that direction. If clients wanted an experienced service provider, we only had to drop his name to boost the client's confidence in us.

Terminology

The use of words play a big part in shaping a company's culture and its image. There's no doubt about that.

As an example, my previous company preferred using the term "advisors" for its consultants rather than the actual term (consultants). That's because, as explained by Boss Tony himself, the word "consultants" has, over the years, been loaded with a lot of negative baggage. What immediately springs into mind when the term is used are professionals who do little but charge exorbitant fees.

"Advisors", on the other hand, is a term unburdened by euphemisms and is quite novel in the business setting. Personally, what springs into mind when someone mentions "advisor" is the college teacher who helped us through our thesis (Thanks Ma'am Baldric!).

Location, location, location

The office address is quite important. Not only should it be accessible but it should also help in improving a company's image among its clients.

In my case, we were based in Taguig City, particularly in Bonifacio High Street. The place was quite accessible, with rows and rows of pristine parking lots simply waiting to be occupied.

We were also sitting right in the middle of upper class society. The rich and famous visited Bonifacio High Street and Serendra was also just a few meters away. I don't know how much the company paid for its rent but being located in such a posh, decent place was quite an intangible asset.

Starting Anew

The good thing about life is that 99.99% of the time you can always say there's another day. Another day to become better and to change your ways.

Wala lang. Just feeling the itch again.

Mascots

 Noelle and I with Ms. Crayola and Mr. Pencil

 I do love mascots, even if I'm already turning 25. And I would like to believe that I'm doing them, the people inside these suits, a favor by posing gamely whenever they are around (Sort of making their job worthwhile by making sure that they've brought a smile to my face).