Life is 10-90 (10% Experience, 90% Reaction)

Being too Kind is Stupid

2007-10-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

I just came from a guys day out with my friends from my last job at SGV. We played Warcraft DOTA most of the afternoon and I just spent P124 on LAN games at Be Connected. It was fun but tiring. We played full 3 games, we won at first and lost on the last two. We dealt with professionals out there so it was expected anyway it was fun.

During my SGV days, we would play during lunch breaks and when the team-up is not balanced, I tend to not be serious but after a while, I realize that it suck to lose when you taught it is an easy win. And this is because of I was too kind. This is a bad habit of mine that I always carry in most of my life:

I am too kind that even though somebody gives me a hard time and I get mad, I am too soft to easily forgive and forget what happened.
I am too kind that I tend to lend things to people and I tend to forget the details afterwards and not get back what I gave before.
I am too kind that I give too much of an effort on my business and sidelines but not get what I should be working for.

It is a bad habit of mine that I can't seem to avoid. I guess my mind set is "there a reason for everything." And since God has been good to me, I guess I should just always forgive and forget. I had such a rough beginning during my early days of working but now I have a good job, good friends, and a good life. What more can I ask for?

I guess one thing I should take note always: Be too kind but NOT STUPID. Learn from your lives experiences and think before you act. Most of the time you think you are too kind but it just points out that you are stupid as well. You are not lucky most of your life and you should take care of yourself always.

Keeping Track of You Bookmarks

2007-10-28T07:04:00.001-07:00

Last year, I have a hard time maintaining my bookmarks. Every time I have new things, on my office or at home, I need to copy them to my USB and synchronize at home. And when I am using the internet cafe, I don't have access to my bookmarks at all. This all changed when I was able to read the Feb 2007 edition of PC World which changed my internet experience.

Since most of us spend our time surfing the net, when we encounter a good site we usually bookmark it using our browsers. This is only stored on the pc you used and you need to copy it on your notebook or your cellphone to keep it to yourself. Since last year, there are plenty of bookmarking sites out there that you can freely use and if you are a Yahoo fan then you can use their own: Delicious.

Delicious, I think is for users that only need a web site that will store and catalog their bookmarks. It is simple, easy to use and also provides a search mechanism that will help you find sites better (since other people have bookmarked them as well).

If you are the type of person who likes social sites such as friendster, multiply or facebook, then you can opt to use StumbleUpon. This site is a community of users who like to surf the web, find good sites and talk about them. I have not used this site yet because for now delicious' functions is all I need for my bookmarking needs.

Extreme.. Extreme Free Karaoke Sing!

2007-10-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

I got this friend who is addict on singing and she wants to buy a Wow Magic Sing which costs about P10,000 and each song upgrade chip (contains additional songs) costs thousands more. They might say that magic sing is portable and all but you still have a lot of cords to plug-in and did I tell you that the mice is not that durable so you have to be careful when using it with other people and kids.

This last summer in Palawan, we stayed in a resort that offered a different type of karaoke. In this one is a DVD player type that all you have to do is insert CD's and there you go. I remember that there is a menu in which you can choose what song you can play. This is a cheaper alternative but the "portability" part will be much less. But if you are a typical filipino household which does much of the singing in the house then you should just go to Divisoria or even Makati Cinema Square and find for that DVD-Karaoke player.

But if you have an computer at home, having a fair size of monitor (I think 15" is good enough) a good pair of speakers and a PC-mice (I think CDR-King has one) then you are in luck! You can easily transform your computer/laptop into a karaoke machine.

Just two steps:

Download and install KaraFun (a karaoke player)
Download and play karaoke songs

Enjoy guys!!

My BPI Savings Account

2007-10-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

During the week I have decided to go through some of my plans which is to open a new BPI Family Savings Account. It was quite easy and right now they have a promo of "Get Started with Insurance" which is like a normal family savings account (with no extra charges) which entitles the account holder of 5x its current balance as its insurance premium. Opening an account on BPI is as easy as 1-2-3:

Bring 2 valid government issued ID's (sorry company id's not allowed)
2 1x1 ID pictures
1 proof of billing on your name
Initial deposit P5,000

What I like about BPI is its internet banking. You can enroll your Meralco, Globe post-paid / Globe Broadband payments and even your credit card payments. This allows you to pay your bills online without any hassle.

Anyway I will use this savings account to save up for emergency purposes and for the future as well. I have to keep in mind that:

Savings is not equal to Income - Expenses
But.. Expenses = Income - Savings

You have to save something for your self first so that you can effectively save something every pay day. You don't have the power to work and work for all your life. In some point you have to retire and you can not simply rely on pension plans provided by pre-need companies, SSS, or your previous company. You have to be sure that you have enough savings before retiring so that you don't have to rely on your kids too much for support in the future.

Planning Ahead

2007-10-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yes most of us just go by day after day, living our lives as we are used to. However, do you ever wonder what will come to us after we get old?

Right now I am almost 27 and until know I have not kept a single cent for my savings. I still not have started my "plans" that will give me a bright and promising future. I have already read various books regarding managing your finances and saving for the future, Investing and being "wealthy."

But really now, what is being wealthy?

It does not necessarily mean having a lot of money to spend and spend. Being wealthy is a state in which you have the necessary passive income to keep your chosen lifestyle. I got this idea from Jaime Colayco which wrote a best seller Wealth Within Your Reach. This teaches a lot about:

personal financing
planning ahead
retiring early

I would recommend you guys read this as well. It costs quite a while (for about P500 or so) but this really helps specially those who are currently abroad and away from love ones just to earn good money.

Blog Trash

2007-10-20T05:06:00.001-07:00

After successfully adding a new feature on my blog: Label Cloud
(referencing on my good friend's blog)

I decided teo look for other blogs by pressing the Next Blog button at the top, to get tips on their layout and strategies. I discovered the ff things while exploring:

Porn Links
Flickr Pix (porn)
Useless Google Group Posts
Pointless Google Talk User List
News Clippings (copied somewhere)
Ebooks (with a lot of terms of use none sense)
And.. More Porn

Luckily I was able to view an Egyptian women's blog and I gladly posted a comment on her latest post. After a while I gave up on the idea. What I noticed on most Porn blogs is that the "Flag Blog" button is disabled thus not allowing me to notify Google of a crappy blog just created to produce Ad Sense income w/c is sly.

I do hope Google has the time to block such blogs but since there are millions of blogs and hundreds created per second, I think it is impossible. But anyway I am still doing my part of reporting such blogs. I don't want blogger to be limited like other blog sites because of irresponsible bloggers out there. If you have time guys, please give some time to explore also and Flag such trash blogs.

Tragedy on Makati

2007-10-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

It was confirmed that the explosion that took place this Oct 19, 2007 at the Glorietta Mall is not gas leak but a c4 bomb. While writing this, there are now 9 confirmed dead and hundreds wounded. It is sad because so many innocent people are damaged and for what? It is not yet confirmed who did this horrible thing. What usually comes to our mind are terrorists, and since Hariraya just ended.. But I think we should not always blame them for it, after all peace talks on Muslim Mindanao continued after Hariraya so what the heck is the meaning of this??

Anyway I got another theory.. Right now there are many controversies and scandals happening on our government. Maybe this is one of those things that might take of our attention to? Believe me Malacanang is currently in the hot seat right now because of the recent "gift-giving" to local officials such as mayors and governors. It is sad that corruption is leading our country to the ground. We are such a promising race and yet we always think of ourselves and not for the good of all. And we stick too much on traditional things that leave us behind, poor and degraded.

I just hope and pray that this tragedy will not happen again. This is a major tragedy that leaves us Filipinos paralyzed once more.

A Visit

2007-10-14T09:26:00.001-07:00

My college buddy Jason coincidentally chat me last Sat and he just came home from Singapore. He's is one of a few people that I know that went from plain and boring work to a very successful one. I decided to have him over to catch up on things since we have not seen each other since two months or so.

Not just college buddies, we also spent some time to be room buddies when I decided to rent somewhere here at Makati last 2005. We are not that close these days but we are friends and we are there for each other when things get tight.

We just spent the night having a couple of beers and talking about our wacky ex house mates and the things we do now. It was just simple and afterwards we sleep like the times were still house mates.

A Small Farewell

2007-10-13T06:52:00.001-07:00

This is my brother and my mom.

My mom went to Brunie yesterday to help my Tita with her food supplement business (Reliv).

She will be there for just 2 months and will come home by December.

I will miss you Mom, hope you will be fine there.

Quality Time

2007-09-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Time is the most expensive resource that you should never take for granted. If there are times that you think you can do something, then do it already! The chance may never happen again. Cherish those times that you have today for tomorrow it may not happen again. I know this deep in my heart but most of the time I always take for granted the time given to me.

Most the time, I just went through my life. I just do what I want to do and don't think anything of the future. Which is wrong, because I am not getting any younger as I type this blog. Time is just short and ever since I came up with a dream, a dream that woke me up a bit (I keep on forgetting about it). A dream that I want to make real.

A dream, even so simple, I don't want to take it for granted. A dream so simple that I always laugh at myself because of that. A dream that I really covet so much that I want to make it real.

If you really want something to happen, you must use the time you have to make it happen. Use the quality time that you have and do whatever it takes. All you have to do is keep dreaming, there's nothing wrong about it, it is free anyway. It will keep you motivated and do what you think you should do.. Your dreams..

Up Late Again

2007-09-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I posted something, even though having an internet connection for quite sometime. I guess the only thing that drives me doing this are my friends who also have blogs... (since I recently posted some comments to them I think they will be expecting something here hehehe..).

It's been a month since I started in my new company. For the past 4 weeks.. I have been doing.. NOTHING!!

Just training, reading, and browsing the net (quite risky though because of the darn WEBSENSE!!)
Anyway, luckily I still have the YM chat. If bored, I can choose to pest my online friends while staying invisible hehehe..

Yesterday went to a possible client, referred by a friend of course. I do hope my 1 page proposal will get the job done. It's not that hard although since I constrained my time frame for only 8 days, I was hoping to be able to finish it soon (I currently have another pending project but I don't have much drive for it because it is kinda charity work.. suck!!).

I also went to my beloved SGV, needed to fix my time report for my clearance and stuff. I also went there to assist a friend on his problem (past work loads still haunt me wahhh!!). Anyway I was obliged to assist because I know those who I have left behind have a hard time on their own (sucks really). After toiling for a bit, decided to go eat at Bacolod Inasal with my sweetheart then go home to play.. DOTA-DOTA!!

Yep I am a DOTA addict hehe.. Just won a game, I used Leviathan again, since it is a 4 on 4 battle. I like to play support-killer hehe..

Anyway it's almost 2:18 in the morning and I need to wake up early. I do hope I can follow this up again tomorrow in the morning again.

Friendly - Friend

2007-06-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

In my grade school and early high school life, I was a quiet and weird person. It's like I have my own world. I am a loner by nature and I can easily adjust from having someone to be with always to having nobody at all. Luckily this changed after I attended the PMT - Officers Training Course to become a PMT Officer. It gave me enough exposure to gain the current confidence and PR that I have today. Good thing I didn't gave up on the first day where I had to jog 3km to our training area from our school. It was a good decision indeed.

Since then, it was easy for me to get acquainted to almost anybody. I have the charisma of getting to know people too easy. I can almost start a conversation from any type of situation and know that person in a jiff. I guess it was a talent of mine for being too friendly to almost anyone. I will not deny it but I am fond of befriending people from the opposite sex. I find talking to girls more enjoying than my own. I guess this is because of my past experiences during high school.

Being too friendly has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

Many Friends. You have the opportunity to have many friends as much as you like
Be free of boredom. Everywhere you go, you can talk to someone and amuse yourself in times of boredom
Marketing Strategy. You have the opportunity to have many connections for business and career opportunities
Love interest. You may even find the one who you can be with for the rest of your life

Disadvantages:

Some rejection will quite annoy you. There was a time when I tried to acquaint myself to a girl also waiting for the dentist. I tried to start a conversation with her but it seems that she does not want to talk to me at all as if I was interested with her. After a while I stopped trying because I did not want to force myself on a loosing match.
Fall in love too easily. If you are too friendly, sometimes you lose yourself in the way and fall in love with your friend. This can be a good sign if you are single but bad if you are not.
False competition. If ever you have a close friend in a current relationship, you might get in trouble if you get too close. So you must define your limits.

Anyway I have learned my lesson, and right now I am always trying to define my limits whenever I came to know a person. I set boundaries depending on the situation. And let my friends feel their importance, love and care always.

Choosing between Heaven and Hell

2007-06-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Somebody texted me:

The Conflict:

The one who loves You or the One you Love

The Comparison:

The one you love will keep you hoping but the one who loves you will offer you everything.
The one you love can give you a moment while the one who loves you can give you eternity.
The one you love can ease your pain, yet the one who loves you can take that pain and own it instead.
The one you love could break your heart but the one who loves you will do anything to rebuild it.

Here is where the confusing part comes..

The Choice:

The ONE YOU LOVE, for the heart has reasons that any reason can never understand..

My Comments:

Definitely if you pick the choice given, then you are a martyr my friend. Before you start loving others, you should love yourself first (of course only to some extent). This is because if you respect and love thyself, then you can extend that love to other persons.
Love is all but a state of mind. Most of us relate the feelings of to our heart. Didn't you know that if you have a heart transplant, you will still love the same person after the surgery? This is because love is all in the mind. If you really want to love somebody, use your mind then your heart. Don't be stupid because it will not be healthy.
Be open minded. Yep, being in love can be the most addictive thing that we can induce ourselves without any drug. This can lead us to our destruction. Be kind to yourself and open your heart and mind to other possibilities. If someone who you think cares and loves you more than your current love, then better think twice before continuing your crazyness.

Dealing with User Friendly People

2007-06-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

User friendly people are:

those type of friends that remembers you when they need something
those who you barely talk to then suddenly calls you and asks for a favor
those who stay close to you as long as they can get something from you and leaves you after getting what they wanted

1st Hand Experience

This is based on first hand experience. In my college days, I came across a cute girl on another course on the gym. We became friends easily because she is not that hard to acquaint with. We don't get to be together most of the time because of our different schedules. I admit, I had a crush on her. I am not sure if she noticed it, anyway she may assume since she is proud of herself.

There was a time that she suddenly called me out of the blue. I was surprised and at the same time excited because I was able to talk to her. Then suddenly she asks me to create her assignment. At that time it didn't matter because I want to impress her and I made the project for her. Well it was an honest blunder on my part. I was attracted to her anyway.

After sometime, a friend of my decided to court this girl and asked me if I could set aside for him. That I did but it was a bad mistake. From what I know he tried his best to get that girls attention and make her love him. But all of that was in vain. All in all, the girl just used him and pretended that he has a chance. My friend almost killed himself in the process. Anyway good thing I did not pursued my feelings for that person.

Anyway let's go into the present. It's almost 9 years since that incident and I think there are plenty of user-friendly people out there that you can't seem to avoid them. That's why you should learn how to deal with them.

How to Deal with them

Learn to reject requests. Yes this is hard if that person is your crush or attracted with but you should know that he/she is just taking advantage of the situation to use you. So learn to reject requests from time to time to make him/her realize that your not that easy to get.
Refrain Communicating with them. This is a hard when this person is your office mate or schoolmate but you should take into effort that you want this person to realize that you don't want to make friends with him/her and you are not interested at all. It is not good to be a snob but as much a possible don't let a conversation start or else a follow-up request might suddenly surprise you.
Refrain Long Eye Contact. If you allow yourself to look at him/her directly at the eyes and I guess all hope is lost. Looking directly at the eyes can mean many things: from trust to lust. This is a sign to them that they can easily manipulate you. So don't look our you might get hypnotized.
Don't get influenced easily. Yep there are those people that would rather get used to just be with the crowed, but not you. You should show yourself some respect and don't get carried away from other people just because it is OK with them. If you allowed this thing to happen, you'll just be miserable like the others.
Don't be too kind. Yes it is hard to be kind, most of the time you can't seem to do the first 4 steps. But you should always remember that being too kind will lead you to expect something in return. This leads to bitterness because you can not expect anything from that person because he/she is just there to stay as long as you are use full to him/her. So think twice before doing a favor or you will really regret it afterwards.

A Thin Line Between Friendship and Love

2007-06-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Most of us have many kinds of friends:

Friends that are always with us everyday through thick and thin
Friends that are very close to us
Friends that we barely see but still have constant communication with
Friends that we barely see and communicate with
Friends that are pretenders and usually backstabbers
Friends that are User-Friendly (those who are friends only when they need something)

Nevertheless they are part of our everyday lives and I think it would be really unhealthy if you have no friends at all. It is part of our daily routine to communicate with them, because this is what binds us all. Of course all of us need each other one way or another. And this need is what keeps us together.

Sometimes there is a thin line between "friendship" and love. Some guys usually use friendship to get a girls attention, trust and then make a go for it. Some barely notices that their friendship is developing into something deeper, more committed. This phenomena is somethings good, sometimes bad. It can destroy current relationships from either parties concerned or develop into a closer good relationship between the two.

In my experience I once had a very close friend. We have been close since her OJT days at the office and she was under my guidance. We could talk, laugh, talk and laugh all the time. She's pretty, intelligent and fun to be with. Our friendship did not end when she left after her OJT ended. We email each other and sometimes chat with each other if she's available at school. This continued until she already started working. We even had a call for each other "doggie" because both of us like dogs and we treat each other as pets. On special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, I usually include her in my gifts list because I love giving things to my close friends.

This friendship really meant something to me. We talked about plenty of things, usually about work almost any kind of topic. I really love having that constant communication with her. It really brights up my day when I see her email with the title: doggie!!.

I might have harboured feelings of love towards her but I think that love was more of a big-brother love. However, it is commonly mistaken for the relationship type of love and that is where I put a limit to myself since both of us currently have our own relationships. I don't want to be selfish to jeopardize both.

Everything changed when her boy friend suddenly started to check her emails and read our past conversations. Because of this they almost broke up (but did not thank God). I guess I was the culprit because I was staying to close to her and a misinterpretation is quite inevitable. After that incident we barely text or emailed each other. At first it was hard to accept the fact that she will have to distance herself to me. But later I realized that it was all for the best. I just hope someday we can be close again and this time I will be care full.

An Intro

2007-06-03T03:41:00.000-07:00

Life is 10% Experience and 90% Reaction

Life is like a Rosary that is full of mysteries
Life is a constant struggle that all of us have to face
Life is what God gave us to spend wisely, cherish, and treasure

Most of us carelessly live our lives, without even thinking what to do. We move without any plans and just do as we please. Right now I am in the verge of changing that. Ever since I started working 6 years ago, I dedicated my life and resource on my happiness. I did not think about the future. Even though I got the right motivation to have a good job as a System Developer/Analyst, I did not have the drive to plan for my future as well.

What I really wanted to happen in my life:

Save some money for my future
Plan each stage of my life
Be a successful entrepreneur
Retire early

Right now I am reading Francisco J. Colayco’s Wealth within Your Reach. This book really changed the way I manage my finances. It is all about personal financing, you don’t have to be an accountant to do the things that is instructed in this book. All you have to do is to have motivation to do so. This book focuses on how a person can really be financially stable and retire early. Even though it costs about PHP500++, it is really worth it and a good read indeed.

What I wanted to achive in this blog:

Share my life’s experiences and how I deal with it
Share my discoveries in IT, some tips and tricks
Share some usefull stuff from the web
Share my insights in love, relationship and friendship
Share my entrepreneurial spirit