Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Voter's ID
Monday Feb 18, 2008
Two months have passed since my stolen wallet. But besides the money (P4K), I still regret the loss of my voter's ID. Granted that it's my worst "mugshot", but still: Not every voter in the Philippines could have it even if they wanted to.
It's a mystery that some get it while others don't. And no one knows what agency to go to to get one.
Do you?
Matalino o Masaya?
Tuesday Feb 19, 2008
"Anong gusto mo maging, matalino o masaya?" G~ blurted out of nowhere.
"Masaya," I replied, not a moment after.
"Talaga? Kahit tanga ka?" said A~ just as fast.
My mind reeled, and after a significant pause I said, "Well, kung masaya ka, di mo rin siguro alam na tanga ka. Kung hindi, eh di hindi ka na masaya nun."
I don't know about the other two, but I felt the impact of my own words right after I said them. It's a pity that when I look at the most logical -- and I mean people with sound minds and great character -- some of them tend to feel unhappy and alienated. While the idiots who just don't analyze the quality of their reasoning tend to be happy existing as badly as they do.
I don't want to generalize. And I don't want to be negative. But there's something in here: that sometimes a great mind can even be a barrier to happiness.
Workplace Dilemma
Wednesday Feb 20, 2008
"Gusto mo ba mag-work sa?" said J~.
"Hindi," I blurted. "Ah, hindi," I countered. "Ewan ko. Malay mo."
Oh no. I'm in deep shit. It seems that deep inside I do not want to apply at one of the highest-paying IT company in the country. (And I'm not saying that they'd want to take me even if I did apply.) I have some inside info on how it might be like to work there, and it's good in many ways. But still, something inside me says I don't want to apply. (I have my thoughts on why I feel this way, but I'm not sure of it. It's like the reasoning after the fact of the feeling.)
Define, A Handy Google Feature
Thursday Feb 21, 2008
Did you know you could do this with google: "define:". Handy, isn't it? Now I don't always have to go to the slow-loading Dictionary.com. (I think their ads are at fault with that.)
ClawDaddy Crab House Buffet at Shang
Friday Feb 22, 2008
I was really looking forward to ClawDaddy again. We had a nice buffet, with soup, salad, roast pork, and of course, a load of crab (pun intended). They don't tell you this, but they vary the buffet. Before, we had barbecued pork instead of roast. There was also pasta, but now we have spiced rice, beans, creamy corn or spinach. Previously, the crab was cooked in oil and garlic; now they were boiled with corn and potatoes. They also have deserts and some fruit like a pineapple or a watermelon maybe. Like all buffets, it was a feast. For the unrestrained food lover, ClawDaddy's buffet is something that's worth going for. Price: ~P750 each for the buffet and drinks.
Accepting Scratch Papers for Donation
Saturday Feb 23, 2008
I like printing articles from the web. So to my friends who have some spare scratch papers, hey, your garbage is exactly my treasure.
Book Review: Dark Nights of the Soul
Sunday Feb 24, 2008
Dark Nights of the Soul
by Thomas Moore
Dark Nights of the Soul is a wordy book. I had not read it as much as skimmed my way through it. Against his Care of the Soul, there were fewer metaphors and symbolisms that grabbed me, so I had very few a-ha moments while reading it. There were examples of people who have gone through a dark night, but I still didn't connect with them -- as if Moore was only speaking of generalities. The book feels more like a long essay, containing feelings rather than advice for self-help to his readers.
There are some gems, though. The chapters on Life's Ironies and on Creativity were a good read. And if only for these two parts of the book, then I have to say that the book is a keeper in my personal library.
Here's a small preview of what you will find:
"What is needed is not pretense but complexity. You don't hide your suffering, you weave it tightly into the whole fabric of your life and personality."
"You finally discover that it is not good to spend your life trying to be good and aligning yourself with virtuous people of the world. It might be better to avoid that divided self altogether and instead simply live with compassion for yourself and others. You are not perfect and you never will be."
"And so we are left with a great battle, not between good and evil, but between really living and just pretending."
Nice eh? :)
Monday Feb 18, 2008
Two months have passed since my stolen wallet. But besides the money (P4K), I still regret the loss of my voter's ID. Granted that it's my worst "mugshot", but still: Not every voter in the Philippines could have it even if they wanted to.
It's a mystery that some get it while others don't. And no one knows what agency to go to to get one.
Do you?
Matalino o Masaya?
Tuesday Feb 19, 2008
"Anong gusto mo maging, matalino o masaya?" G~ blurted out of nowhere.
"Masaya," I replied, not a moment after.
"Talaga? Kahit tanga ka?" said A~ just as fast.
My mind reeled, and after a significant pause I said, "Well, kung masaya ka, di mo rin siguro alam na tanga ka. Kung hindi, eh di hindi ka na masaya nun."
I don't know about the other two, but I felt the impact of my own words right after I said them. It's a pity that when I look at the most logical -- and I mean people with sound minds and great character -- some of them tend to feel unhappy and alienated. While the idiots who just don't analyze the quality of their reasoning tend to be happy existing as badly as they do.
I don't want to generalize. And I don't want to be negative. But there's something in here: that sometimes a great mind can even be a barrier to happiness.
Workplace Dilemma
Wednesday Feb 20, 2008
"Gusto mo ba mag-work sa
"Hindi," I blurted. "Ah, hindi," I countered. "Ewan ko. Malay mo."
Oh no. I'm in deep shit. It seems that deep inside I do not want to apply at one of the highest-paying IT company in the country. (And I'm not saying that they'd want to take me even if I did apply.) I have some inside info on how it might be like to work there, and it's good in many ways. But still, something inside me says I don't want to apply. (I have my thoughts on why I feel this way, but I'm not sure of it. It's like the reasoning after the fact of the feeling.)
Define, A Handy Google Feature
Thursday Feb 21, 2008
Did you know you could do this with google: "define:
ClawDaddy Crab House Buffet at Shang
Friday Feb 22, 2008
I was really looking forward to ClawDaddy again. We had a nice buffet, with soup, salad, roast pork, and of course, a load of crab (pun intended). They don't tell you this, but they vary the buffet. Before, we had barbecued pork instead of roast. There was also pasta, but now we have spiced rice, beans, creamy corn or spinach. Previously, the crab was cooked in oil and garlic; now they were boiled with corn and potatoes. They also have deserts and some fruit like a pineapple or a watermelon maybe. Like all buffets, it was a feast. For the unrestrained food lover, ClawDaddy's buffet is something that's worth going for. Price: ~P750 each for the buffet and drinks.
Accepting Scratch Papers for Donation
Saturday Feb 23, 2008
I like printing articles from the web. So to my friends who have some spare scratch papers, hey, your garbage is exactly my treasure.
Book Review: Dark Nights of the Soul
Sunday Feb 24, 2008
Dark Nights of the Soul
by Thomas Moore
Dark Nights of the Soul is a wordy book. I had not read it as much as skimmed my way through it. Against his Care of the Soul, there were fewer metaphors and symbolisms that grabbed me, so I had very few a-ha moments while reading it. There were examples of people who have gone through a dark night, but I still didn't connect with them -- as if Moore was only speaking of generalities. The book feels more like a long essay, containing feelings rather than advice for self-help to his readers.
There are some gems, though. The chapters on Life's Ironies and on Creativity were a good read. And if only for these two parts of the book, then I have to say that the book is a keeper in my personal library.
Here's a small preview of what you will find:
"What is needed is not pretense but complexity. You don't hide your suffering, you weave it tightly into the whole fabric of your life and personality."
"You finally discover that it is not good to spend your life trying to be good and aligning yourself with virtuous people of the world. It might be better to avoid that divided self altogether and instead simply live with compassion for yourself and others. You are not perfect and you never will be."
"And so we are left with a great battle, not between good and evil, but between really living and just pretending."
Nice eh? :)
