Oh $#!+

Sorry for the post's title but here's an article from Inquirer saying that Pacquiao has entertained thoughts of becoming the country's next president:

Pacquiao says he will consider running for president

I know this is merely to advertise his next fight but I do hope he's just kidding. But if he decides to become serious, here's the first prayer I'll say: "Diyos ko. Maawa ka sa amin."

Peace Be With You

Just recalling what my former Theology teacher had to say about the Sign of Peace, the part in the mass where you greet each other peace.

He personally didn't have anything against this rite. But he couldn't stand the general public's blind adherence to it. For instance, I automatically greet the person on both sides, regardless of who he or she is,  "Peace be with you." For my teacher though, it's nonsensical: Why say that to total strangers? Do I have a grudge against them that I need to greet them with such words? 

I think what he's trying to impart is that we should mean what we say. The phrase "Peace be with you" isn't a common expression and is intended only for a select audience. It's basically reserved for people like family or friends you have feuds with. Strangers, on the other hand, probably don't care if you wish them peace and it does appear insincere for me to wish the same thing for someone I never know.

I'm not discouraging you though to stop greeting your neighbor, "Peace be with you." But I do hope you agree with my teacher's tenet that words must be uttered consciously and not thrown around in robotic fashion.

If I Become President, I Will...

1.) Remove the PDAF or the "pork barrel" from the national budget. No questions asked.

2.) Ensure that the country gets at least 60% of its energy demand from renewable sources by the end of my term

3.) Streamline bidding and procurement processes for big-ticket infrastructure projects

4.) Achieve 100% functional literacy among Filipinos across age groups

5.) Make coastal cities more resilient to climate change's effects (flooding, ocean rise, etc.)

I could go on and on but we all know the magic is not in the intention but in the execution. If you were president, what would you do? Perhaps, you have a longer list than mine.

Sorry for the post. Just got hyped from P-Noy's disappointing SONA.

Tesla Model S: The Advent Of The Commercially Viable Electric Car

I'm not really a car guy. Unlike other guys, I don't go gaga over cars (That was redundant).

But this one really got my attention. It's Tesla's Model S, an electric car which actually looks good. Its performance is also on par with its gasoline-fed counterparts. I've shared a Youtube video below about a review on this car.

When will this reach the Philippines? Hmmm...

Dangas

Back in high school, one of my classmates,a girl, made a short, funny poem depicting another classmate, a guy:

I am a knight in shining armor; I put on my helmet and I shine no more

Such is the tragedy of male pattern baldness. You may be the most handsome guy in the world but that apparently doesn't matter if you don't have a bushy crown. 

I'm also not immune to it. Back then, I keep telling my father that he's my crystal ball (no pun intended). If he goes bald, I go bald too. Today, my hairline is noticeably receding. In Bisaya, the proper term is dangas, a condition best visualized by a shiny, large forehead. 

Over time, I've learned to accept my fate and make my peace while musing that the "long hair" look is overrated. On the other hand, I wish my other guy friends, who are also balding, may accept their fates as well. Instead, I have to see them sport bangs to cover their hairlines, a pathetic disguise.

If there's one thing that marks the loss of youth, baldness may be it (on top of wrinkles, of course). As one of those guys turning thirty in a few years, this is the best reminder for me to live my days with urgency.

The Bad Side Of Vitamins

Vitamins increase the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Don't believe me?

Read the following article from The Atlantic - "The Vitamin Myth: Why We Think We Need Supplements"

I'm still reeling from the information. I've been popping Vitamin E and C supplements for over a year now on top of the multivitamins I take every day (It's my way of compensating for any dietary deficiency).

Now, I'm thinking twice if I should continue with my regimen (shudder).

Quality Control

While I was writing the post "Changing Of The Guard", I realized something: I was writing convoluted sentences. I didn't know this habit had been with me since. 

When I blog, I don't review my work as tightly as I should. Of course, I check for grammatical lapses and spelling errors but I leave the sentences as is. My reason is that if I tinker too much, the post might become less natural or conversational and more stilted. 

However, when I started reviewing the post mentioned, I found out that my sentences were inelegant. I tried paring these sentences down to the most essential words and I also found out I was using too many. 

Now, a resolution is in order. I resolve to be more precise in constructing my sentences and to be more of a KISS-er. I don't know if it's going to be less fun writing from hereon. But this is an issue that needs fixing.

Playing Matchmaker

Right now, I have a classmate who happens to be an acquaintance of another classmate who happens to be quite pretty. They've been classmates in high school and, from what I see, are comfortable with each other. That's why I've been trying to play Cupid with the guy classmate. So far, my efforts have been in vain but, if he's reading this right now, I might get my point across.

You see, there's one diagnostic tool I'm familiar with in discerning if one has feelings for another. It's simple and here's how it works:

First, some reference guides: name of boy is Boy and name of girl is Girl. Of course, the tool still works if the parties were reversed but, for the sake of this example, I'm impressing on Boy to make the move. Okay, here goes.

Step 1. Chance upon Boy and Girl having a chat together. When Girl leaves, sit beside the Boy.

Step 2. Tell the Boy that he and Girl look good together. Then, tell him: "'Ligawa siya, bai (Court her)." Or anything to that effect.

Step 3. Listen carefully to the response. If the response is "We're just friends" or somewhere on that line, then Boy absolutely has no feelings for Girl. However, if the response is "Naa man siyay uyab (She has a boyfriend)", then Boy harbors feelings of infatuation for Girl, feelings that have yet to surface and are instead suppressed.

What's the rationale behind the tool? Well, the first response is a statement of fact while the second is a blatant rationalization of non-action by the convenient placement of a barrier, ideally a third party, to any development in the relationship higher than platonic friendship. Whew. 

So what now? Social decency tells me to stay away and not meddle in other people's affairs. Well, let's just say I'm willing to push some more buttons before I call this experiment off.

Changing Of The Guard

Larry Bird promised that he would only coach the Indiana Pacers for three years. After three successful seasons, he did just that. A man of his word, Larry Bird was onto something.

My mother just stepped down from her former position as department head. Currently, she's back to classroom teaching. According to her, it's how the institution hones leaders, by committing faculty members to administrative posts which are limited to three to four years. After which, educators go back to the classroom and the cycle begins again.

In the corporate world, practices like these don't exist. Normally, an employee, if he plays his cards right, gets promoted several times until he retires. He clings to his position until he transfers, resigns, or gets demoted.

As for me, I think there's a lot of wisdom in organizations which practice "rotational promotions", the term I coin for workplace arrangements where an employee is assigned to a leadership role but relinquishes it after some time.

Others might perceive this as disruptive to continuity and a disincentive to those who love climbing the corporate ladder. But the practice is a great way of maximizing people development within the constraints of today's business hierarchies. It also grounds senior executives who might feel alienated for being on the top for so long. It commits people to perform at their peak as opposed to them languishing in their positions after the initial hurrahs have faded. It also fosters collaboration among colleagues who view the chief manager as only "the first among equals". 

What do you think? 

Owning Embarrassing Moments

There was this guy who was on a bus trip from Davao to Cagayan de Oro with his sister. Unfortunately, his tummy wasn't up to the task and he ended up vomiting in transit. The bus reeked of puke for the entire trip.

There was also this guy who played as the lion in a class presentation of Florante at Laura. He had borrowed a monkey suit as his costume with matching tail and ears. Unfortunately, he wore the costume backwards and what should have been a tail hanging out of his butt became instead a highly suggestive appendage protruding in front. The class went berserk with laughter but fortunately for the guy, the teacher, Ms. J-Lo, was cool enough to still give his group a good grade.

There was this guy who was excited to become a lector in a local parish. One Sunday evening, he read eloquently the first reading of the mass and, after which, he proceeded to his seat. Unfortunately, he forgot that he was supposed to read the responsorial psalm because there was no singer from the choir for the part. So he twirled around in front of the people several times (I guess he twirled only twice), read the psalm, and went back to his seat, red-faced.

Those, by far, are the most embarrassing moments of his life. The funny thing is he's still alive and, right now, he's smiling at the memories.

Already guessed who the guy is? Of course.

Inheritance

My teacher shared to us something about a court case between a child and his mother. The issue was how to divvy up the inheritance of the deceased father. Simply put, the son, a banker, wanted more, way more than the mother's share. At the end, the son prevailed, with the court granting him a ridiculously generous part of his father's estate. But the relationship between the mother and the child obviously could never be repaired by then.

Another teacher had also talked about how ugly things could be with regards to siblings fighting over their share of their parents' inheritance. For him, it was manifestly gross to see adults squabbling over things they didn't even earn.

As for me, I think I've made up my mind a long time ago: I'm not getting any from my parents when they die. It's either there's no inheritance to begin with or I'm waiving my right to any of it. 

My belief is that inheritance is just a means to provide for those who have less in life. I, for one, can live without it but I don't know about my other siblings, some of whom are still in school. In the end, even conscience dictates that those of us who are less stable must have more. I believe my parents can agree with this point.

ADDU High School Batch 2004

Adrian "Ogs" Ablazo commented upon my post about a high school reunion eons ago and also shared the link to this video (I think it was shown during our Prom Night). Back then, I wasn't paying that much attention to the video because my prom date was really pretty. But the scene that gives me goose bumps to this day is the last footage of the video: the entire batch in the cheering competition doing the bugsay in unison. 

For a moment, we were amazing. I just don't know if that still holds true today.

Walay Sisihay. Walay Pugsanay.

Last weekend was the acquaintance party in our school. To stall time since dinner wasn't ready yet, the host called for volunteers from each year level for a parlor game. Of course, the necessary drama was in play: hosts calling out participants, people pointing to people, people either declining vigorously or ignoring the requests to join the game. 

I, for one, chose to eschew the drama, stood up, exclaimed "Bawal ang KJ", and volunteered myself as tribute. I didn't regret what happened next. The game was Paint-Me-The-Picture and I had fun as a player, not just as a spectator. 

This brings me to the motto of this blog: Walay sisihay. Walay pugsanay (In English: No regrets. No coercion). I first thought about this when I was in college. I think the activity was to write an original motto for your life and I settled for this. 

Wala sisihay simply means a commitment to avoid regrets by living life to the fullest. Walay pugsanay, on the other hand, means taking responsibility for one's decisions, of recognizing that our actions are purely voluntary, not forced.

What's your motto in life?

Types Of Bribes

I came across the three types of bribery while I was reading Paras' book on the Civil Code. I wanted to share this piece of info here. 

Fortunately, a blogger, Jayson, had already encoded the relevant article and placed it on his own blog (so I don't have to type the same thing. Yey). An excerpt follows: