Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

There is a song that starts with this line, and as one gets on with life, one realizes that – yes… for whatever reason, old acquaintances do get left behind and eventually forgotten, as we move on – move out or simply just move… elsewhere…

We see friends less and less – at times making a point to try and keep in touch – but even this tends to get caught in the many trivial and important things life throws at us, and without realizing it… we hardly find our old acquaintances at all.

And yet… in these days of cell phones, internet instant access, virtual social networks, email or instant messaging, maintaining contact isn’t that hard to do… nor is it expensive, either. We can even get near-real-time information of what others are thinking or doing via sites like Plurk, Twitter or Facebook – so what excuse would we have for not keeping in contact?

Hardly any, really… even distance, after all, is not an excuse, since the typical PC can be configured to send and retrieve real time video/audio streaming… resulting in being able to have a very decent (quality-wise) conversation; whether pure text, voice or video.

And yet again… these may not always be enough. After all, say what you will about these tools for communication – and I’d be agreeing with you, but face-to-face, real time conversations are still the better style (or medium) of communicating with friends.

This leads me to what seems to be such a practice – thought, probably not a reason for such practice’s humble beginnings – but it is one obvious advantage fulfilled… namely the keeping of friendship bonds. So how do I do it?

Bacardi Nights…

There is nothing really special about the Rhum – other than the fact that we almost all love it as a mixed drink that can help fuel our conversations. It certainly keeps us from getting thirsty while we talk (or listen) – usually catching up to what’s been happening to each and everyone sine we last got together.

These Bacardi nights are simply a monthly gathering of friends, with the sole intent of sharing the night in a relaxing manner… where conversations can revolve around work, or people at work, or of other things in any manner or order. The important thing is you come prepared to unwind, talk and renew bonds of friendships.

That is what I and a bunch of colleagues have endeavored to do. We rotate houses where we can have these Bacardi nights, so as to not impose too much on anyone – and we also bring some dish (or drink) to help support the gathering’s needs.

So far, I’ve been privy to around three Bacardi nights at friends’ houses… and an almost equal number held at home – albeit, with a smaller crowd… and all I can say about it is that there’s never been a Bacardi night that I have not enjoyed. What do we normally do with out Bacardi? We make Mojitos, sometimes we just mix it with fruit juice – or sometimes, we use other alcohol available… my home is usually stocked with Jaegermeister (schnapps), Absolut (vodka), Contrieu (orange liqueur), Bailey’s (Irish Crème), Kahlua (coffee liqueur) and a few bottle/cans of San Miguel (beer). We don’t mix and match alcohol - though if we do mix our alcohol, we are careful not to go for a lower alcohol content.

Friendships preserved, updates exchanged,and should the Mojito run out of ingredients, we cn always mix the Rhunm with other things (like Coke). If we were to call it a night, I would say that there would be days when we would rather stay around longer… but the next day’s activity beckons… and in my case, I can’t be too drunk and nurse a hang-over (which , by the way Bacardi does not do) while going to mass.

So what are you waiting for? Why not organize a Bacardi night for you and friends and keep those acquaintances unforgotten?

Another day of blogging on the go…

It's a Monday, the 27th of April, and I’m currently in Starbucks’ Mega mall branch (the one found on the side of building A – facing building B). I’ve just finished one blog entry for my coaching site, and am now just typing this out for my minutiae musing site.

But to go back a bit, what am I doing here? Well… Bryce and Sharmaine are apparently celebrating a monthsary (monthly anniversary) by spending the day either watching a movie or just hanging around. I, of course, had to bring Bryce here – as, lucky for him, I did not have anything pending this day… but how about me? I did not want to be a chaperon from 11am to 4pm, so I had to think of doing something.

So, I lugged my laptop into my North Face backpack – complete with charger – placed my iPod in as well and decided that I would try to find a Wi-Fi hotspot, and either blog or just read my downloaded e-comics.

After Bryce and I found Sharmaine, I was left on my own… and started looking for, well… a place to have lunch and maybe hang around while using my laptop. I was trying to look for the soup place - the place that served different soups; which I remembered to be on the side of Mega mall – hence my coming to this side - but when I could not find it… well, I spotted Starbucks, and thought, why not?

Three hours later, I’m still here… having had a chicken-turkey sandwich and orange juice for lunch. Right now, I’m slowly sipping on a Tall Non-fat, no whipped cream, Café Mocha, as I type this out. The music is a bit progressive – but not annoying, and it certainly beats the traffic noise outside… and lets not forget the lingering summer heat. I’m glad this place is air conditioned, or I’ll be in a very crabby mood.

I also visited two comic shops here – just to see what they were displaying, but I had to control myself from buying any comic… after all, my funds are limited these days, so I have to avoid unnecessary expenses… and given the fact that these can be downloaded from the internet torrent sites… well, lets just say the temptation to spend has less impetus or reason – plus the fact that I can enlarge the images, and not really need my glasses to read the comics is getting to be a plus factor.

But enough of that… how is my blogging experience going? Just fine, really. Granted, I’m more using a word processor first, to help me get my thoughts in order… edit here and there for consistency (and spell check) before downloading the whole article to my various sites… that seems to be the current practice. I can, of course, do impromptu writing direct to the sites – as I have done at times in the past… but they tend to be unedited, which makes me go back to fix them later. Now, since the typical word processor already has a spell-check, then it won’t be (or shouldn’t be) a problem anymore.

So on I go… blogging here and there.

Note: apparently, that place can get noisy by 3pm, and I then decided to finally leave Starbucks, so I could walk around - even briefly, before I rendezvous with Bryce.

Graduations… a reflection

I had the privilege of attending Ben’s graduation last Friday, April 3, 2009 – held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). Naturally, this ceremony led me to try and remember – vaguely, at that, my own graduation held at the very same place some 2+ decades past. Back then I was a happy – you might say, thankful participant with a ‘glad that it’s over’ smile… not bother to think about what tomorrow would bring… graduation day was to be savored, after all… and the loss of friendships and bonds forged in College or High School, the worries of an unemployed – or the busy schedules that work would demand… those were things for the unknown future… so now worth wasting any effort on.

I saw a lot of students/graduates to be wearing that exact same smile - happy that the rigors of College were behind them, and wondering what tomorrow will bring – but first the graduation ceremony itself would have to be done. Ben’s graduation ceremony started out early with assembly by 8am. I guess they wanted it this early to compensate for Filipino time – and rightly so, since PICC in itself may not be surrounded by heavy traffic – but the streets and highways leading to the place were experiencing just that.

Anyway, I had the presence of mind to think that since this will be a whole-day affair, it might be prudent to bring a book that I could read in-between activities. But enough about me… let me first share some observations about the graduation participants itself.

It might be safe to say that the graduates of Unciano College are not as well-to-do as that of La Salle, Ateneo or U.P.; I mention this because I marveled at how some graduation participants needed to get to P.I.C.C. by cab or bus or jeep – not many having the opportunity to have a car at their disposal. I shall also get back to that point later.

I vaguely recall how I got to and from my own graduation. I did not have a car and relied on my uncle’s car to bring my mom and me to the P.I.C.C. Maybe we had a driver – it was that long I can’t really recall. My dad may have even fetched me – or met me there, with my grandmother. With separated parents, it was not an automatic thing that I could just grab the family car back then – even if I already knew how to drive.

Taking a cab was also a problem as cabs to P.I.C.C. were easy enough – or at least as easy as one could expect with Friday rush hour to contend with. But possibly getting one when the graduation ceremony was over – with picky cab drivers to boot, and P.I.C.C. not being in the busy transportation lane – you could say it was indeed a hassle for such graduates and their guests to get out later.

But that’s not all I eavesdropped on one particular graduate and her cell phone conversation with her father - apparently he was not there, and based on the conversation, he was not going to make it to the morning mass, nor probably the afternoon graduation ceremony itself. I heard her joke about the gift she was expecting form him – then she gave her mother the phone… and left to go dry her tears in her own privacy… possibly not wanting her mom to see – and by extension, her dad to know how his absence meant to her in this – her special day.

Yup… as I watched this mini-drama transpire, I again reflected on how lucky I was – that despite my parents living separately, I could say (and prove with photos) that during my graduation day, my parents were there – and in college graduation, my grandmother – Lola Nena was present too. I wondered why the father was not around on this day… I could not judge him as I knew not the situation – for all I know, work had him impossibly far to be there… or work schedule might be the culprit… heck, he might even be indisposed.

But that was not the worse of it… I learned that some graduates did not even have a parent or guardian to join them as they walked on stage to get their diplomas. And though some faculty opted to join them, to be their stage companion – I could just imagine how they felt… looking around them with almost everyone else having a parent or guardian with them.

I just had to resolve that I not put my kids in a similar situation… that I would make any and every effort to be there with them… for them when their graduation comes. If my parents; despite their complicated social standing, could do it… I should find a way to do it too.

Then there were the speakers… rather than be inspiring, the first speaker mentioned that despite their being a second-rate school, who’s graduates may not merit a priority shortlist. Granted that there may be some truth to this – I have long ago realized that just looking at the CVs of only graduated from Ateneo, La Salle and U.P. was not a very good practice – and yes, it was a form of bias. Make no mistake, I belong to that list of graduate elites – coming from one of the three said schools, but I don’t think that makes us much more special than others… and I would still give other schools’ graduates them time of day to interview them for any job openings. I would even give the same time of day to people who have pending graduate statuses, as I know first hand that some non-graduates have even better work ethics than some graduates I’ve seen.

My point in all this? No need to confirm (as it seemed from many a student’s viewpoint) the biases they will face – instead, they… the faculty, would better serve their students by teaching them how to get around such bias. Don’t accept the status quo – find ways to correct it.

The honored speaker, as I understood it, came from a regional office of C.H.E.D. which stands for the Commission on Higher Education. But apparently, her delivery skills were even more horrendous than the first speaker… who at least, showed some life. This was a story of how perseverance helped her… and her siblings. Both speeches had themes of rising from rags to riches… but this latter speech was delivered more like a litany. How can these graduates be inspired at all? As I look back… I realize that I can hardly recall who the special speaker was during our graduation – guess my memory fails me in this regard – aided perhaps by what could have been an uninspiring message. This one, too, shall suffer the same fate.

What a waste of time, and opportunity. Luckily, I did have my book – and actually got to read several chapters, and if you wonder if I wasn’t rude… hey, at least I wasn’t sleeping and snoring as one member of the audience was apparently doing. If I sound too critical, forgive the haughtiness, its just my Toastmaster background and training being slighted for having to listen to such a speech… read at that, not even done extemporaneously… but the biggest irony was that this was a performance coming from a representative of Higher Education. As Homer Simpson would say - D’oh!

These student – through their parents had to shell out close to Php9K each… the least the school could have done was to get better – more inspiring speakers. Or is this another limitation of a not too prestigious school? I don’t believe so. It may be just a lack of networking to find better speakers. Maybe they need to better tap their alumni – or are all these past students already abroad?

Graduation should be a milestone in one’s life – that said, the institute/college/university that organizes a graduation ceremony should pull out all effort to give their departing ambassadors (for these graduates will now prove that they have had a good education and will… for good or bad, represent the school through their capabilities) the best ceremony they can come up with.

If these students sacrifice a lot to get to the place; if the parents find time to attend, and pay for these miscellaneous fees – then at least, give them all their time and money’s worth. Organize better… choose better… prepare better – and I’m not just talking to the organizing committee here, but to everyone involved… specially the speakers.

Then maybe… the students will not need to be automatically inducted into their alumni program – as they will be proud to be a part of such. Then maybe… the ceremony can be shortened to just half a day without losing any of it’s prestige and importance. Then maybe… I won’t have to write about things in this manner.

Oh well… to the graduates of Unciano - what’s done is done. To you – and to all graduates of 2009 – you enter a depressed global economy, Now you can see it as tough luck or golden opportunities to shine – I suggest the latter… after all, attitude is one important factor, aside from hard work and perseverance. So instead of me saying good luck – I would rather say, make your own luck. people. No one else will do it for you.

Find ways to shine… be noticed. Show others that you are better than what others may think of you – prove that you deserve more than just a cursory glance at one’s CV. Learn how to answer interviews confidently – and don’t be afraid to turn weaknesses to strength.

A day in the life… or blogging on a laptop

Now that I’ve got a laptop computer, I’m thinking that it looks like my journal writing days may be further limited – I mean, even before I had this, the concept of writing had to consider the fact that I did not forget the journal, did not forget to write in my journal (which also included, of course, the pen I would use to write), so right there I already faced a few obstacles. Had I, for example brought the journal, it would be a different issue to consider my remembering to write – or my feeling like writing.

Of course, a plain journal still has some inherent advantages – namely it does not run out of batteries and needs no electricity, so I may still end up writing… though much less than before.

Still, just to let one in on the advantages I’m experiencing right now, I just started this journal entry while I was ordering my lunch in Kitaro, a relatively fancy Japanese restaurant – and ordered the usual… Kakiage – which is basically a deep fried vegetable dish; and paired this with a side order of rice and bottomless Iced tea (it really was hot, so I needed to cool down). And what did I do while waiting? Obviously, open the laptop and start typing.

When my meal arrived, I just saved my work and enjoyed lunch. Now… I’m waiting in the IMAX lobby, until it is time to enter the theater, What’s showing? Monsters vs. Aliens – my first official IMAX movie – unless I include the Disney theater experience in Hong Kong.

My problem is, I’m having a bit of a headache – possibly due to my having to try and balance my taxes… a hopeless cause at this time, so I stopped – resigned to the fact that I’ll be penalized for filing it late… but wanting to make sure it is filed correctly. Hence the decision to watch the movie now… on a Wednesday afternoon. To get my mind off the tax thing, and enjoy what I can (and probably lower my blood pressure, which is the possible reason for the headache).

So yeah, going back to the fact that I already have a laptop – it does allow one to be more productive – as I would definitely have the option to not just write articles for my blogs, but to do other things as well… as anyone with a PC can attest to al the possible things they can do with their computer.

Which reminds me… I’ve still got a scanned copy of Captain America’s 65th anniversary issue to read. A friend sent it to me upon knowing I had not read I yet (thanks again Sam!), and with this laptop, I can basically read it anywhere. I just need the time.

Oh well… thirty minutes to movie time, but I might as well rest my eyes, hands and mind… after all, I don’t want to be too winded that I won’t be able to enjoy the movie.

Movie done, and the story was great – there were a lot of funny moments and naturally, the 3D effects were wonderful too! Although that will be the last time I’ll decide to go eye-level with IMAX – as it comes across as too close for me. I felt like I was at the front row, straining to look at everything, and I noticed that the technology… whether due to my closeness to the movie screen – yeah right, middle of the theater seat row and I still felt too close, ahd some adverse effect on the movie – because the effects were not totally 3D in the outer portions of the image. But when I adjust a bit they become more solid again, hence my consideration that it was indeed my seating area.

By itself, it was a great movie – and with the 3D effects, it becomes a better movie – and unlike some movies that may have limited 3D effects for the duration of the film, this one seemed to be 3D all the way. Heck it was entertaining enough to keep me awake – on an afternoon, with me full, and having just about 3 to 4 hours of sleep.

So I’d say that yes, it was not my first 3D movie experience with today’s technology – the Disney one was exactly the same – but it was my first IMAX experience… meaning watching it that large – that engaging. Oh, but the Disney movie had other features… namely wind and water effects – I did not expect that here, of course, but decided to mention it in a compare and contrast manner.

I will definitely try to find time to bring the kids to watch IMAX… when the right movie comes along. Though technically, this one would have been a good one – except that Bryce had a date – and Bernice decided to stay at home. Oh well… next time.

As I said earlier,one downside would be running out of battery (another was feeling the laptop's weight on my shoulder after lugging it for the better part of a day) - and not having an electric socket to plug into... well, it eventually happened to me as I was enjoying some iced Cafe Mocha in Bo's Coffee around 5pm, while waiting for the time to pass before I called Bryce from his date (the very reason I was at the Mall of Asia).

So what did I do after? Lucky for me I brought a book along - I'm slowly reading Obama's Audacity of Hope... currently in the latter chapters, and this afternoon gave me the opportunity to shave off a few more chapters.

Once I linked up with Bryce, we tried looking for a few online game cards - and in the process found ourselves in Book Sale... a move I slightly regretted as I ended up getting three books at really low prices... but three books nonetheless.

We then linked up with Barbie, who had a reason to be in MOA as well, and after some snacks at Starbucks, it was home for the three of us.

So there you have it... a day in my life - not always the same though, but still, a recap of what I did this 15th of April... one that I could easily do, now that I have a laptop to lug around.

Refelctions... part deux

Easter Sunday ends... just like any day, with the hours passing us by, until... 12 midnight arrives and Monday officially steps in. The question is, how did we maximize what is supposed to be Catholicism's most important holiday and celebration?

Granted, we have the usual Easter mass, and people take the time and effort to greet friends for Easter - some would even have Easter egg hunt, families may be together for Easter lunches... or dinners, but in reality, has anything changed? Aside from the usual fanfare, are we any better for the reflections of the Holy Week that was?

Good question. How did we spend our Easter?

I can only answer for myself, of course - and in some way, for my family.

First off - we hardly had a perfect Easter. Why so? Due to our not having been able to have had our confession prior to Good Friday, we simply could not partake of Communion during the Easter mass celebration.

Now here's something we (meaning Barbie and I) are not too sure of. In Easter masses, we renew our Baptismal vows... does this automatically remove us of our sins? Going back even further... to the Easter message itself, where any priest or pastor would remind us of (or claim that) Jesus died for us to save us - to have God forgive us... to, as our priest (Fr. Noel) said in a relatively clear analogy - rebuild the bridge to God that was broken with the Original Sin of Adam and Eve. Doesn't this mean we are sinless? Doesn't this mean we could have taken Communion?

The answer isn't that clear - and if my conscience is to be my judge, I'd say better to play safe and not commit another sin by receiving communion without having had confession - and let's not even jump into the debate of why one can't just confess directly - I'm not saying one can't... I'm just saying I'd rather follow the Catholic practice, as I've been used to. Whether I'm just making myself and my family suffer for this more... well, what's a little sacrifice? Besides, needing to be honest to a priest, in confessing one's sin... I see it as helping one test their own resolve and inner courage. After all, if one isn't totally honest, won't that mean it was just a wasted effort? You can fool the priest... but can you fool yourself? Question is, would said person fooling themselves even care to be honest?

I'll leave this philosophical discussion for now, since I'd like to further reflect on this - or even better, discuss it with friends. Let me, rather, reflect on another item - one that our priest focused on as the cornerstone of his Easter message.

That Easter should be the cornerstone of the Holy Week, rather than Good Friday. Think about it... I see so many religious icons of the Crucifixion - and much less, images of the Resurrection. Yet, without said Resurrection, then Christianity in general would just have been a joke. The Crucifixion represents dying and self-sacrifice... in that sense, it is important... it proves Jesus' ultimate love. Yet the Resurrection represents God's acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice - and forgiveness of sin. It represents the renewal of salvation... it represents hope. So believers of the faith can always have that hope... that as bad as things may look, there will be hope at the end.

Naive? Maybe... but it can be empowering for anyone. I don't know about you - but I would rather be optimistic too. No, we do not forget the death... but recognize it as a necessary step to set the stage for hope. Guess that's where we got the saying "...darkest before dawn". The hope being that dawn will come.

This gets me to think... why, therefore, do we not 'generally speaking' celebrate Easter with grander scale than - say, Christmas? I mean, you can feel the goodwill in Christmas, and for some... many people look forward to a Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Well, aren't we supposed to be equally thankful (if not more so) for Easter? Shouldn't we celebrate it more? Why don't I see a greater mass build-up for Easter day? Is it because we first need to be stoic and sad for Good Friday? Hard to sell?

Hmmm... we may need some strong reallignment here. Until we celebrate Easter better, we may stay stuck to the fact that Christmas will always be the best loved holiday, with Easter always playing second (or even third) fiddle.

It shouldn't be so.

Reflections... or a lack of it.

These past days - in prepering for Holy Week, I've often wondered how my family and I can best spend the time in proper reflection. Do we go 'bisita iglecia'? Do we do the stations of the cross?

Unfortunately, it seems that we've been waking up real late these past days, so before our day starts, it's close to luch time, and then the afternoon sun tells that it's not that good an idea to go out - and it's not jsut the heat, it's also because I've had warts cauterized and have been told not to bathe for three days, as my wounds get better - wounds that would start getting pricky when sweat gets mixed with their presence.

So what has been happening lately is the fact that this long vacation has been mostly days of rest - which we do need as well, but one with little reflection, as well. Then there's always watching DVDs, but as I looked at my collection - well, let's just say a lot of these don't really fit the holiday reflective mode... and somehow fit proper viewing for my kids... to explain a bit, I may not think they're ready to watch "The Last Temptation of Christ"; in fact, I wondered if they were ready to see the stark realism of another film... "The Passion of the Christ"... but watch this one we did.

What made me decide to enforce this viewing? Simple... yesterday, as we were having dinner, I asked my kids... "What is the significance of this week?". Now I rarely ask such questions, but I was wondering if they did indeed have some semblance of what we were observing. Needless to say, I found out that my kids guessed - and not too confidently at that, what Holy Week was about. So I said, okay... time to get the exposed to the Passion... with the hope that Christ's sacrifice gives them pause to consider their fun-focused plans for the week.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind fun - but we need to put it into perspective with Christ's sacrifice this Holy Week.

Is the lack of understanding mine? I'll have to admit to that - I assumed that their school would let them know this week's importance, but I guess we - that is, Barbie and I, needed to ensure that their knowledge of the story of the passion would be appreciated and inherently understood.

Do watch the Passion of the Christ we did... this afternoon. I found myself crying - and tried to spy to see my kids reactions. Either they're made of sterner stuff, or the film was just going above them - not being able to understand all it's implications, due to what I percieve are two things... their lack of knowledge for the story of Jesus, and the film's Aramaic dialogue. Reading the English sub-titles must have really been really 'ínteresting' to them.

So... lesson learned, I'll need to find DVDs with English versions of the Passion - maybe not the Passion movie per se, but other tellings like "The Greatest Story Ever Told" or it's likes. I'll also have to better plan for Holy Week activities - staying home may be cheap... but not at the continued expense of my kids' seeming ignorance to / lack of confidence in telling the story of Jesus.

Nature pics - part 5

Yes they're back... my interest in capturing more of nature's works. To see if I could do justice to capturing the beauty of some flowers and plants. This time, I tried getting closer - see if I could focus said flowers up close without losing the image's focus... taking into consideration what Mon said about how these new digicam's allow you to tell them what to focus on.

Here's a little of what I got, from my recent Cuenca trip last March 28... I'm ashamed to say i can't remember what these flowers are called... so I'll just have to get their names later on and repost them here. My first pic, as you can see presents a bunch of Lavander colored flowers forming a near dome-like shape (will insert flower/plant's name here later).

Whereas my second subject (insert name here) is a very bright red flower... first focusing on the bunch - then refocusing... and coming even closer to get the flower. I'm rather glad that the flower's texture did not get lost in the taking - which goes to show that I was able to properly focus on the subject. Whether I can get a sharper image... I still need to reassess my knowledge or mu Canon Ixus V's capabilities.

Then here's another attractive plant (insert name here later) and I first tried getting it with a flashbulb... the camera's automatic decision - not mine; then I tried once again without the flash, this time... just to see how things went. The results - as you can see are both great (I shy away from the adjectives breath-taking or spectacular, since I feel that I don't deserve explaining my pictures in that manner... at least, not yet, anyway.

Though they're not that large, the picture's closeness makes the plant come across as much larger... I might even mistake it for a local grape (or the Duhat, for that matter) had I not known that grapes grow in vines and Duhat on trees.

I hope to continue my understanding of nature and capture them through pictures. Until next time... see you.