Subversive Fashion Police

Did you know that the Barong Tagalog became the dress de rigeur for Pinoys during the Colonial days because it was easier for our Spanish masters to keep track of what we were carrying underneath our shirts? This subversive method of cowing the population is now translated into a defacto dress/uniform for the office workers in Makati, who, more often than not, are working for foreign corporations/conglomerates... Just goes to show that times do not change...

Testing Relativity

Its the end of the week again, and because of this, I'm carrying more coins than cash... which leads to a substantially fatter wallet/coin purse. I decided to have some of my change converted to cash, or at least spending the coins to lighten the load... So I walk into a 7-11 and look around, much to my horror, all I saw was a series of racks all devoted to processed food... the sort loaded with sugars, carbs, nitrates/preservatives... all evil stuff!

I decided to get a butterfinger bar, and emptied my coin purse on the counter to pay for it... and place the bar in my pocket and walk up to the office. While checking my morning briefing, I grab the bar and munch on the treat...

So anyway... there you go... Relativity... E=mc^2 which means energy is equal to mass accelerated to the speed of light... meaning matter is not destroyed when smashed or accelerated to the speed of light... but is instead converted to energy... and vice-versa... or in my case...

The coin mass making my wallet/purse fat, goes into buying the bar, thus making my left pocket fatter because of its mass. When I snack on the bar, it loads me up with carbs, and thus makes me fatter. So there we go... I actually did not get rid of the heavy coins... the mass did not disappear, it only got converted into added body mass for me... which I will eventually convert to heat/sweat/vapor later in the gym...

Einstein is a genius!

Flattening Hierarchies

I realized something this morning as I rode the elevator up to my floor. In a very structured organization, there are 2 very superficial ways of flattening the organizational structure, and to get noticed... the elevator, which forces bosses, middle managers and employees (if there isn't an executive elevator) to have brief "face-time" moments... and then there's email... which allows anyone from the middlemen to the line grunts to send a note to the C.E.O...

But then I realized something even better... the only way to credibly get noticed and flatten hierarchies in an organization... is to do your job well... Plain and simple... Because no matter how much you blow your horn and market yourself, at the end of the day, its the work that you do that matters, and not just what you say. You got to walk the talk!

So... anyway, given that little thought, I shall go back to my drawing board and let my saliva ferment a little more, while I squeeze my brains on this assignment

1 down 3 to go...

Well, I didn’t win the Ermanno Piano Scholarship (by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop) and as much as I would want to feel down about it, I won’t. Because I know it really was a longshot anyway. Congrats to Sandra Van Der Merwe, the winner from South Africa, I really hope she kicks butt, because she just beat out a whole bunch of hopefuls all over the world.

 

I guess, its really not for me, I know God has better things planned for me, nonetheless, I intend to ready my papers for the NUS, HKU and UNSW scholarships which are supposed to open this November.

 

Meantime, I intend to soak things up in my current job with Ayala Land, I’m really learning a lot, and I hope I perform well, specially considering that I’ve just been recently assigned to schematics/land planning.

Overcharged batteries and helpful technicians

Last Saturday, my family went on our annual trip to Pangasinan, we heard mass in Manaoag and afterwards went to Lingayen to visit the crypt of my Papang and great-grandparents. On our way home, the van started to smell really bad, it was a noxious mix of chemicals and I told my dad to find the nearest gas station. So anyway, we went into a Petron station somewhere in the middle of Tarlac, checked the engine and the AC system, both of which didn't provide us with any clues as to where the smell came from.

So anyway, I checked the van's rear compartment to see if the rear AC was overheating and to check on the motor oil bottles that might have tipped over and spilled their contents... but I couldn't find the source of the noxious scent. Out of curiosity, I checked the battery, (which was also located at the rear of the van) and to my surprise, it was boiling hot. So, to make a long story short, our battery overcharged and almost exploded. We were able to remedy the problem by buying another battery, which also overheated while we were running on the NLEX, the van’s electrical system shut down and we were forced to dish out over 4k for towing all the way from San Fernando to Paranaque. The alternator and the fuses were so badly shot up by the current and we had no recourse but to have the van fixed in Manila.

Despite this problem, we were still very lucky because of the circumstances surrounding the incident, if it happened while we were still in Pangasinan, it would have been worse, and it just goes to show that even in crises, Jesus walks with us.

Kudos goes to the Automobile Association of the Philippines, for being very professional and helpful during the towing, I understand that we were paying them to do their job, but I believe they performed well over and beyond the call of duty.

 

The Economics of Mercy and Grace

           So
here I am, stuck in UST, on a bright and shiny Sunday morning. It was my turn
to “escort” my sister to ROTC training. I was supposed to attend mass earlier,
but ended up leaving out of laziness, because my family had already heard mass
in Manaoag yesterday. As soon as I walked the first block out of the UST
chapel, it became obvious that I made a bad decision when I saw the flood of
cars crawling out of the gate… this Sunday is the first series of entrance
testing dates for next year’s batch of freshmen. And I’m right smack in the
middle of the “hatiran” rush hour.

 

            So as fate would have it, I decided
to walk back to the chapel, and get on with the mass anyway. This Sunday’s
gospel is one of my favorite passages from the bible. I’m not sure about the
exact verse, but it’s basically the parable of the workers. I guess, a lot of
Christians and Pinoy Catholics have already heard this gospel in the past, but
the nice thing about hearing mass in UST is the fact that the priests also
teach theology in the seminary, and are inclined to go a little bit
intellectual/philosophical in their homilies.

 

            The gospel talks about the master
going out in the morning to recruit workers, and again in the midday and the
late afternoon. Of course, we would all assume that, given our “worldly
economics” the workers who started early in the morning should rightfully be
paid the full day’s wage, and that the ones who came in late be paid according
to the number of hours they worked, but the master goes on and pays everyone
the same rate. Naturally the morning workers were outraged.

 

            But this is the whole point of the
gospel. In a world of trade and business, wherein we always aim to get the most
bang for our buck, and value for whatever we bring to the table, we are
confronted with a God who gives and offers His grace and salvation to us free
of charge. When was the last time you received something for free, without any
strings attached? In a human world, with human rules, there is no such thing as
free. Even our loyalties and interests are held hostage by “utang na loob.”

 

             But that’s the beauty of grace. It is not of
our world, it is not based on human law, but on our Creator’s boundless love
for His children. I remember the first time this concept hit me, it was so
difficult to grasp, mainly because I always saw things from a
shrewd/business-like point of view, I do for you if you do for me. Dapat sabay.
Plain and simple. But in this case, God has already laid it out on the table,
all we have to do is accept it. It is not anchored on whether or not you choose
to be saved early or late in life, whether you have been good or bad, whether
or not you have served him well. But only on your basic acceptance of His love.

 

            No one else comes up with that kind
of an offer, even the best marketing and sales person can only do so much to
sell a product or service, but at the end of the day, it will always entail a
cost from the buyer. Not in God’s case, because after you’ve received His love
and chosen the path of grace and salvation, it is no longer heavy on your heart
to serve and live your life as a tribute to Him.

 

            God is still the best marketing man,
the best salesman, with the best pitch, mainly because he has the best product,
not for sale… but free of charge, no strings attached.

Although I really don't believe in this anymore, I'm posting it for comparison...

The Goat Capricorn
December 22 to January 20
Traditional Capricorn Traits
Practical and prudent Ambitious and disciplined Patient and careful Humorous and reserved	Pessimistic and fatalistic Miserly and grudging Over conventional and rigid
The Capricornian is one of the most stable and serious of the zodiacal types. These independent, rocklike characters have many sterling qualities, although admittedly some of these are as dull as they are worthy. This type is normally cautiously confident, strong willed and calm. Hardworking, unemotional, shrewd, practical, responsible, persevering they are capable of persisting for as long as is necessary they are reliable workers in almost any profession they undertake. But they are neither original nor creative and can only develop what others invent or initiate.Within their limits, however, they are resourceful, determined managers, setting themselves and others high standards. Honest in their criticism of self, they respect discipline from above and demand it from those beneath them. In their slow, tough, stubborn, unyielding way they persist against boredom, frustration, and hardship to reach their objectives long after more brilliant and volatile subjects have given up. In fact when practical business ability allied with the drive of ambition and lust for power and wealth are required in employees to make a project succeed, Capricornians are the people to hire. They plan carefully to fulfill their ambitions (which often include becoming wealthy), are economical without meanness and able to achieve great results with minimum effort and expense. Because of their organizing ability they are able to work on several projects simultaneously.They love authority but may not be popular if they reach high rank, for, self-disciplined themselves, they expect their underlings to be equally so and to perform every task undertaken to the highest standard. They are, nevertheless, fair as well as demanding. Among their equals they are not always the most pleasant of work fellows either, for they are reserved and too conservative, valuing tradition more than innovation, however valuable the latter, and they are often humorless. There is also a tendency to pessimism, melancholy and even surliness which many Capricornians are unable to keep to themselves, especially if they fail personally or do not achieve the corporate success which they had planned for their firms. They can spread gloom and tension in their circle which depresses everyone around them. In the extreme this trait can make them manic depressive to happy for no reason that the subject of these emotions can name.The swings in mood are not the only reason Capricornians deserve the adjective based on their name - capricious. They can be surprisingly and suddenly witty and subtle for the dull, prosaic creatures they seem to be, and they also have a tendency to ruin everything earned by their caution and shrewdness by unexpected and utterly irresponsible bouts of flippancy. In individuals in whom the characteristic is strong, the temptation to do this has to be resisted with iron self-control. Another unexpected quality in some Capricornians is an interest in the occult which persists in spite of their naturally skeptical turn of mind.Their intellects are sometimes very subtle. They think profoundly though with little originality, have good memories and an insatiable yet methodical desire for knowledge. They are rational, logical and clearheaded, have good concentration, delight in debate in which they can show off their cleverness by luring their adversaries into traps and confounding them with logic.In their personal relationships they are often ill-at-ease, if not downright unhappy. They are self-centered, wary and suspicious of others, and in turn attract people who neither trust nor understand them. They prefer not to meddle with others nor to allow interference with themselves. Casual acquaintances they will treat with diplomacy, tact and, above all, reticence. They make few good friends but are intensely loyal to those they do make, and they are bitter, revengeful enemies. They sometimes dislike the opposite sex and test the waters of affection gingerly before judging the temperature right for marriage. Once married, however, they are faithful, though inclined to jealousy. Family life, if well ordered as they like it to be, more than balances the goatlike inclination to lechery and inconstancy which some old authorities have ascribed to Capricorns.Besides those already mentioned, faults to which the type is prone are over-conventionality, bigotry, selfishness, avarice and miserliness, chronic complaining, incessant unnecessary worrying, and severity spilling over into cruelty. Their occupations can include most professions that have to do with maths or money and they are strongly attracted to music. They can be economists, financiers, bankers, speculators, contractors, managers and real estate brokers. They excel as bureaucrats, especially where projects demanding long-term planning and working are concerned, and their skill in debate and love of dialectic make them good politicians. They are excellent teachers, especially as principals of educational establishments where they have the authority to manage and organize without too much intimacy with the staff members. If working with their hands, they can become practical scientists, engineers, farmers and builders. The wit and flippancy which is characteristic of certain Capricornians may make some turn to entertainment as a career. Capricorn governs the knees, bones and skin, so its subjects may be liable to fractures and strains of the knees and other defects of the legs. Skin diseases from rashes and boils to leprosy (in countries where that disease is prevalent) are dangers, and digestive upsets may be caused by the Capricornian's tendency to worry or suppress emotions. Anaemia, Bright's disease, catarrh, deafness, rheumatism and rickets are also said to threaten the natives of this sign.
Some Famous Capricorns Sir Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642) Richard Nixon (January 9, 1913) ---> Hala... kabirthday ko! Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822) Edgar Allen Poe (1809) Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935) Michael Crawford(January 19, 1942)