The Difference

This was e-mailed to me this morning. It resonates.

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country: Examples are countries like India & Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.

On the other hand, Canada , Australia, & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were virtually unnoticed, today are developed countries, and are rich. The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second largest world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland , which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not only that, they produce dairy products of the best quality!

It is a small country that has an image of security, order & strong labor force, which made it the world's strongest, safest place.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy because of their countries of origin are the productive power in many richer European countries.

What is the difference then?
The difference is the attitude of the people,
influenced along the years by education, culture,
& flawed tradition.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for savings & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.
10. and of course .... Discipline.

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life..

The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.

We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.

If you do not forward this message
nothing will happen to you.
Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have bad luck for seven years, and also, you will not get sick or go hungry.

But those may happen because of your lack of discipline & laziness
your love for intrigue and politics,
your indifference to saving for the future,
your stubborn attitude.

Kkkccccold

Woke up at 4:30am with an idea for a project and just had to write it down. Now I can't sleep. It's colder now - December - but it doesn't feel anywhere near Christmas. We have put up all the decorations and all. I wonder, as we grow older, do we lose a bit of the Christmas spirit? Maybe it really depends on the person. I'm sure there are people out there who can still be as jolly as Saint Nick during the holidays.

I was having this conversation with a friend one day. I asked her if I've become heartless by the way I judge people. She said no. And since she's a therapist by profession, I'm assured that she knows what she's talking about LOL.

Had another mini-reunion dinner with friends at Afrique's last Monday night. We started talking about kids since one of us is obviously very pregnant and blooming at that. I wasn't the only one in the group who didn't want kids but I was the only one who didn't want to adopt. Truthfully, I can't see myself with a child - my child. Does that make me a bad mother? LOL. My preggie friend tells me that those feelings can change when you do have kids. I guess that has to happen for me to find out. I sometimes think that I will eventually regret this, not getting married and settling down. But I'm living in the now and my now seems content with what is there. My nephews and nieces are inspiration enough for me. I may not have a lovelife - but I am loved. I don't need much. Just a bit of attention now and then.

Kkkkcccold? Am I?

I guess that as long as it doesn't matter to me, it doesn't really matter. or does it? I'm confused now hahaha. Better get back to sleep.

I'm Alive

Looks like I'm going to survive November after all. Felt like I haven't stopped working since October. It's been one project after another - and I know this should be a good thing although I'm already tired just thinking about it - I have a waitlist for December :) I am thankful (Lord, I really am!) ... but sometimes I'm afraid for my life. LOL.

People tend to think that just because I have lots of projects also means I have lots of money. What they don't know is that since I love making designs, I also tend to say yes to a lot of probono work. And tend to say yes to all my friends (and I have lots of them!) - and relatives - although I make them wait a lot too. I can usually manage my dudsonline workload easily but my day job got kinda hectic this month. People in my day job discovered my hidden "skill" - LOL - and keep passing me work that's not on my job description. And on top of that, I have to keep doing jobs that is really mine. Oh, and the IBM people introduced us to lots of ideas that I want to work and implement. And since nobody at work seems to be taking the initiative, I keep pushing it. So it's like I have five jobs.

I might need therapy. I need to learn to say NO. Or STOP! But how can you say NO to something you like doing?

Albert Einstein once said that "If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal. Not to people or things." When I see a project, I immediately see a goal. So I don't really care if it pays, or not. It's just something to work for. And I am happy, and I get really excited ... at least to a point. When my body screams due to lack of sleep or my butt gets really sore from sitting too much, I lose that happiness. Then I get stressed and start screaming and playing stuff like Canon Rock - hahaha.

I still don't have a switch in my brain to turn off work when I have to. I've found effective ways to divert attention for a few precious minutes though. I blog, I take a walk, I have quick chats with friends (online now most of the time coz I can't leave the computer), and I watch short videos on You Tube.

Then I find muppets and Queen - love Beaker and the Mana-mana guy! :) And then I forget health and decide I can put up with the butt sore.


I wonder if happy people die early?

superwomen

After attending the APEC-IT seminar and learning Nihongo in the process at the West Visayas State University last Thursday, I ran into my Yahyah buddies. Sweet surprise that one of then just got back from London. So ended up decorating the Foreign Studies Bulletin Board up to 9pm; we had a late dinner at Carlos just when they were about to close. Barely made it. But had yummy mocha coffee and Cardiac arrest Carbonara (that's what it's really called), and sharing bits and pieces about recent secrets and lovelife - a lot of haha moments there - I was refreshed. I have such sweet friends. And I love comparing notes on ... well, men - hahaha. Maybe they are just interesting species that we needed to dissect? Anyway, interesting conversations ended up into long hours as usual. I promised longer in-depth discussions on these - just really need to get through this month.

Today, high school buddies this time - had lunch at Afrique's in Smallville. Tomato soup, pizza, and side dishes of - what else? Haha, men talk. Oh yeah, and career - naks! I think our generation is really into self-actualization. Marriage is really not a priority anymore. Happiness is. Not the selfish kind, I think it's more the self-fulfillment kind. There is a need for balance in everything. A lot of giving and taking. We can't just give and give or take and take. We seek a partnership where we all have to give something to make things work. We can't be superwomen all the time. And neither do we want supermen ... although that wouldn't hurt - hehehe. And again, my buddies kept me company until I had to leave for yet another meeting. Again I promised liquor on our next get together - just really need to get through this month.

I really really just need to get through this month then I'll be ok. Unless a new wave of work hits me again. I have a waitlist for December. But I won't let that bother me today. Just need to focus and get through this month. One week to go. And the panic begins :)

Serenity

God grant me the serenity
to accept that the web is not the place to vent out your tired thoughts;
the courage to back up every bad thing I say here and tell the world that I was just "thinking out loud";
the wisdom to filter every random thought, every photo or link before I publish it.

God grant me the serenity
to accept that clients will not care if you hold two jobs;
the courage to decline jobs when I have too much on my plate;
the wisdom to constantly remind myself why I'm doing this.

God grant me the serenity
to accept that my butt will hurt if I sit too much in front of the computer.
the courage to face deadlines with a tired grin;
the wisdom to know when to stop working.
Amen.

It's one of those months where it feels like it'e never gonna end. I'm exhausted and wish I can just ... sleep all day.

Kapuy Kaayo

I'm back. Have very little to say for now. Tired. Sleepy. You know the drill. Here's a brief summary in pics. More pics on the other blog or my flickr page. Yawnnnnn.

Spent the first night on the TransAsia boat to Cebu. We left Iloilo at 6pm and arrived at 7am. Stayed tourist class so had a lot of fun. Saw this spot of sunlight peeping behind a cloud in the early morning. They say dolphins were swimming near the boat too but I missed that coz I slept too soundly.

Dumaluan Beach Resort, Bohol. We stayed here the second night. Lovely hotel room. And plenty of things to do. But unfortunately we arrived quite late and had to leave quite early.

The best part of the trip if you ask me. We stayed at the Hidden Valley Resort, Lamac - an hour and a half from Toledo, Cebu. Went swimming in the evening, enjoyed a farmer's rondalla concert during dinner and sang until morning. Woke up early to take pics.

Sleeping soon. g'night.

you're going to find yourself somewhere somehow

Been listening to Corinne Bailey Rae, "Put Your Record On". I'm sooo tired, I feel I just need to put my hair down :) Don't even have the energy to dance but the blues suits me fine. Me thinks I'm feeling more down than usual. Maybe it's just doing too much work, too many worries, too afraid, too less fun ?

Will blog more soon. Will talk more soon. Will be more noisy soon.

For now, I just need to chill.

Ooh Child

My favorite Soultrain song for - Ever! :)

Originally sung by the Five Stairsteps in the 70's, it's been repeatedly revived by different artists like Nina Simone, Hall and Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Destiny's Child among others. Of course, my favorite version will be Uncle Donnie McClurkin featuring Kirk Franklin sung as a gospel song. I don't know why but blacks sing it better although I did like the Hall and Oates version a lot.



It's my pick-up song when I'm feeling down - or when I'm really tired - or when my butt hurts from too much sitting and working LOL. "When you're just tried of just trying, Come mownnnnnn!"

Staying alive

My butt hurts.

Too much sitting in front of the computer. It's been like this for about a week. My goal is to finish everything this Saturday so I could enjoy the long weekend. But it looks like that's not going to happen.

I need to upload my work to a server and my dsl is sooooooo slow. I've been uploading for almost 24 hours. And I need to finish a brochure and a vector artwork by tonight. That's not going to happen either. Sigh.

My butt hurts.

Sigh.

Premature Anticipation

So I was expecting to work on 6 jobs this weekend. In anticipation for the long weekend ahead, I got drunk with the Mission impossible Squad at Club 21 Friday night. We wanted to prove to our superheroes that we superwomen can have a night off on our own. So we kidnapped the superkids and hijacked one villain, had dinner and headed off to Smallville on our own. Poor guys had to use their supervision to look for us but we got found out anyway and so the fun began. We laid out one rule: That we get to dance with utmost abandon. So no slow songs were allowed. And boy did we swing! I was thinking of posting pics here ... but I can't ... the pics were incriminating and can be used against us in the court of law - hahaha. And I think I was too drunk to get a decent shot for the books. But we promised a slideshow to be shown on our Christmas Party on December. :) No escape for our superguys.

So Saturday was a struggle to wake up, but I did and started on the first job as early as 9am I think. Then I waited for my data ... and waited ... and waited .... but they never came. So ended up sleeping in the afternoon. Then Yasmin called, and promised me a movie. So I headed off to SM City at 6pm to meet my high school bud. After buying my large hankies, some pairs of socks and promoting my optical glasses to yet another grade, had a bunwich and hot choco with Yasmin. After which we waited in line for the Stupid Movie - wait, the correct title would be "The Age of Stupid" which wasn't a stupid movie at all since it was a campaign to save the environment. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how tired I was until I fell asleep :) Good thing Yasmin was understanding enough. Plus I had the music video saved already in my mp3 - Beds are Burning :D

So went home really late and read some blogs. Still no data so I was able to get to the last few episodes of Amazing race 13 (Dallas is so dreamy). And again fell asleep with my laptop on.

Woke up at 4am to get some work done. No data still so worked on other jobs that didn't require data. Then at about 8am, I was told that we were to have lunch with relatives at Breakthrough. I was promised Talaba (Yay Nang Ating!) and I knew that Breakthrough has a kick-ass crab meat. So had to get ready by 10am and was picked up by brother to fulfill our filial obligations.

At 2pm, found myself with sisters at SM City again. Found two blouses I couldn't resist and had to buy a box of Yakashii sushi for dinner (yumyum). Then headed home, worked for about four hours and ended the day with the Phantom of the Opera on TV (lovely lovely Gerard Butler) and blogging. Sigh, I still have to check my FB account for DC pics my brother sent but that can wait.

Breathe.

It was still a busy weekend but it wasn't all work. Maybe God thinks I just needed balance? :) Had a little bit of evrything this weekend.

------
um, yeah, I forgot about my 3-month alcohol fasting. Sorry about that. It can't be helped ;)

This is the sound of settling

Is the world in utter state of dissatisfaction? Or is it just me?

My friends came to visit 'The Shut-in' last Sunday after mass. 'The Shut-in' - being me - stays home while the rest of the Catholic community goes to church Sunday mornings. So Lea (angelic BFF who's going to change the world), makes it a point to drop by since my house is just a short walk from the chapel. And another friend BB (bedeviled BFF who is the current authority for conscientious behavior), after dropping relief goods (now occupying my family's living room floor) for typhoon victims, stopped by too with her boyfriend. Ah, I love my friends dearly for thinking of me when they're praying to God - hahaha.

And we chatted a bit about ... well, things that cannot be spoken aloud on blogs and such - things that all three of us seems to be going through. Anyway, I served them blue salad and they liked it; confirming that I, hopeless cook extraordinaire, can mix a salad after all and will not make future husband go hungry :)

And the talk led us to a lot of other different topics that tied my brain to keep repeating itself. Basically it just underlined my restlessness, my need for change, my need to be significant to something, my need to break the sound of settling. baa baah! baa baah! Sigh. I got a hunger twisting my stomach into knots :) Me thinks I need a vacation.

Here's my new theme song for the month of October. Baa baaahhhhhh! Baa baaah! Hurray Death Cab for Cutie!!!


I've got a hunger
Twisting my stomach into knots
That my tongue was tied off

My brain's repeating
"if you've got an impulse let it out"
But they never make it past my mouth.

Baa bah, this is the sound of settling
Baa bah, baa bah

Our youth is fleeting
Old age is just around the bend
And i can't wait to go grey

And I'll sit and wonder
Of every love that could've been
If I'd only thought of something charming to say.

Baa bah, this is the sound of settling
Baa bah, baa bah

I've got a hunger twisting my stomach into knots.

---------------------

As we speak, I have the song repeating itself over and over again in iTunes. This is more than just the last song syndrome. Baa baah! Baa baah!