• Buhay Nayon

    June 12, 2020
    Life & Love

    Malawak na tanawin
    Bundok at bukirin
    Dagat sa silangan
    Kaygandang pagmasdan

    Tuyong pilapil tuwing tag-araw
    Maputik na daanan ng kalabaw
    Pagtitipon tuwing gabi
    Sayawan ng ginoo’t binibini


    Maagang araw ng paggawa

    Pananim at kabuhayan ang nakataya
    Amoy ng kape at agahan
    Saganang pagkain, walang ubusan


    Tagay ng alak kinagabihan

    Isang pasada bago magkatulugan
    Paghahanda sa araw na susunod
    Pamatid ng katawang pagod
     

    Buhay nayon ay payak lang
    Walang gaanong pagkakaabalahan
    Kaya lahat nagkakakilala
    Kahit akong isang hamak na bisita

     

  • Dream Big Like Judy

    June 6, 2020
    Career, Finance & Product

    “He was right about one thing. I don’t know how to quit.” Are you familiar with that dialogue? That is Judy Hopps, the bunny, from Zootopia. In case you are not familiar, Judy is a little bunny who dreams to be a police officer despite the resistance of her parents who wanted her to be a carrot farmer. Not that there is something wrong with being a carrot farmer but Judy feels that she is destined for another profession- being a police officer. She encounters challenges along the way like trying hard to fit in in the academy full of larger animals and proving to her boss that she can make it. Her biggest challenge is arresting the cunning Nick Wilde, a streetsmart fox who later becomes her pal and partner.

    1. Dream big- it doesn’t matter if the dream is impossible to achieve. When you dream big, you try to learn new things that will help you achieve it. You try to meet people who can be your mentor. You try to make things happen because you want to hit your target. Even if your big dream does not come true, you are still left with the learnings and lessons that you can use for your next dreams
    2. Upgrade your skills- some jobs become obsolete so workers lose their source of livelihood. With the continuous upgrade in technology, automation and robotics will become a trend in the next years to come. If you can’t upgrade your skills, you need to have other skills to offer.
    3. Do not be complacent- when you are working in a stable company, surrounded by nice people, and receiving a good salary, do not assume that this will last forever. When calamity strikes, even the richest company is prone to closure. People move around so your next teammate may not be as nice as the one who left. Save and invest a portion of your salary so that when a time like the pandemic comes, you and your family will survive. 
    4. Check your connections- evaluate the people that you are hanging out with if they add value to your life. Review if you have the same principles and interests. Do they cheer you up or do they put you down? Do they support your endeavors or do they laugh at your dreams? Connect with people who can give you the right advice should you need it in the future. Connect with people who can mentor you into something that you want to become. Connect with people that mutually share your passion.
    5. Learn from your experience- there will be times of plenty and times of scarcity. Remember what went right when you accomplished something and remember what went wrong for your failed endeavors. Learn to adapt to different seasons.
    6. Do not get intimidated- David beat Goliath because he was confident that he could do it. Believe that you can do something because nobody will believe in you unless you trust yourself that you can make it. 
    7. Always have a back-up plan- when planning, consider three possible scenarios: best case, normal case, and worst case. This will allow you some flexibility in terms of resources and time. Strategize well.
    8. Practice documentation- create a list of the things that you want to accomplish in a dashboard format so that you can visualize how near or far you are to your target.
    9. Be cautious of people that you deal with- some people appear to be helping you but are trying to put you down. Be kind but be a little skeptical.
    10. Follow your instinct- if something is not right, it probably is not right. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. 

    There’s a little or a lot of Judy Hopps in us; dreaming big and trying to be the best person but circumstances will not allow. How do we overcome our fears and insecurities the way Judy did it? 

    After reading this, try to list down the dreams that you have accomplished vs the dreams that you have yet to accomplish. You might be surprised to know that most of your dreams have been fulfilled. If this is not the case, then consider today as the day that you decided to go after your dreams.

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  • Online Schooling, Ready Ka Na Ba?

    May 22, 2020
    Life & Love

    Mainit na topic ngayon ang class opening sa August 24, 2020. Ito ay sa kabila ng banta ng covid-19. Dahil dito, inihahanda na ng mga paaralan ang online class para sa mga mag-aaral. Ang tanong, ready ka na ba sa online class? Pero bago mo sagutin yan, ipaliwanag muna natin kung ano nga ba ang online class.

    Sa regular class, ang mga mag-aaral ay inaasahang pumasok sa paaralan para turuan ng mga guro. Dahil sa kakulangan ng pasilidad, kahit ang mga pribadong paaralan ay napipilitang hatiin ang bilang ng mga mag-aaral kaya mayroong pumapasok ng pang-umaga at meron ding panghapon. May mga paaralang dikit-dikit ang upuan para mapagkasya ang mga bata. Bago nangyari ang covid-19 na ito, ang tanging magagawa ng magulang para hindi makahawa ang anak nilang sinisipon o inuubo ay ang huwag ng papasukin muna. Pero may mga magulang at bata na sadyang competitive at talaga namang papasok pa din kahit masama ang pakiramdam huwag lang mapag-iwanan sa lessons. Dahil sa mga limitasyong ito at dahil na din sa hindi pa napupuksa ang pandemya, dalawang bagay ang mainit na pinagdedebatehan ngayon ng mga magulang: online class ba o ipagpaliban ang pasukan hanggang hindi pa available ang vaccine.

    Taliwas sa regular class, ang online class ay maaring mahati sa dalawang kategorya ayon sa aking mga nababasa at karanasan na din:

    1. 100% Online Class– sa 100% online class, tuloy lang ang buhay. Maglo-log in ang mga bata sa online class website para ma-monitor pa din ang attendance. Dahil online na, kaya nang guro na pagsabay-sabayin ang klase nya; wala ng pang-umaga at wala ng panghapon. Ang graded recitation ay posibleng gawin sa Google Meet kung hindi kaya ng Zoom. Mainam ang ganitong klase ng online class sa mga batang 10 taon gulang pataas dahil hindi na sila intimidated sa teknolohiya kumpara sa mga mas maliliit na bata. Maganda ang set up ng 100% online class kung ang bata ay may kanya-kanyang laptop dahil interactive ang klase. Maganda ang set up na ito kung sapat ang luwag ng bahay ng mga bata para hindi maabala ang bawat isa. At maganda sana ito kung ang internet speed ng bata ay 5Mbps man lang. Ang tanong, ready ka na ba sa ganitong set up?

    2. Home Schooling Set Up– online education pa din ito pero very minimal ang interface sa mga teacher; sabihin na nating nasa 25% lang. Sa home schooling set up, may mga guro pa din kada subject pero ang lessons ay ida-download sa online schooling website. Sa home schooling set up, hindi kinakailangan lagi ng internet. Basta may printer ka, ipi-print mo lang ang lessons sabay paturo sa magulang o kung kaya nyo, sa tutor. Ang kagandahan ng home schooling set up, flexible ang oras basta sa loob ng isang linggo, naipasa mo na ang kinakailangang lessons. Ang problema dito ay kung 5 ang anak mo na may 8 subject. Pagtyatyagaan mong aralin ang 40 subjects para sa kanila. Ang mas masakit nito para sa bata ay kung walang tyaga o walang oras ang mga magulang na turuan sila. Ready ka na ba sa home schooling set up?

    Elementarya pa lang yang sinasabi ko dahil na din sa may mga anak akong nasa elementarya pa lang. Ibang kaso kapag nasa mataas na paaralan na (high school) at kolehiyo. Halimbawa, sa Home Economics (meron pa ba nun?) na subject, paano masasabi ni Ma’am at Sir na pasado ang pananahi ko o pagkakarpintero kung hindi naman nya aktwal na nakita? Paano masasabi ni Sir sa isang dentistry student na tama ang pagkakabunot nya ng ngipin?

    Sa madaling salita, hindi lahat ng subjects ay pwede o kayang pag-aralan sa online lang. So, anong mga subjects ang ire-retain at ano ang hindi muna ipapakuha? Hindi ba dapat sa ngayon ay napag-uusapan na kung ano ang magiging guideline sa August 24 na pasukan? Mababawasan ba ang bayarin o baka hindi na maningil ng miscellaneous fee? Ano ang mangyayari sa mga guro sakaling hindi matuloy ang pasukan?

    Talagang mabangis ang covid-19. Hindi lamang kabuhayan ang inabala kung hindi pati pangarap ng ating mga kabataan.

  • What To Look For In A Facial Wash?

    May 16, 2020
    Health & Beauty

    Facial wash has become a staple in today’s beauty routine. During the 90’s, we were happy with using soap and the introduction of facial wash in the early 2000 was a struggle at the beginning. Marketing experts swayed the public’s opinion that a dot size of facial wash could effectively clean and remove excess oil; something that some bath soap could do but with drying effects. To date, you can choose from a variety of facial wash from anti-acne (with tea tree oil, lemon, calamansi,strawberry) to hydrating (with aloe-vera, cucumber) to deep-cleansing (with activated charcoal, coffee,apricot beads) to anti-ageing (ginseng, pomegranate).

    In the early 2000, the leader in the local facial wash industry was Ponds. Today, you can choose from Apricot Scrub, Eskinol Facial Wash, Maxipeel, Himalayas, 3M Clinic, Clean and Clear, Nivea, Belo and the list goes on. The more products, the better for the consumers to choose from. I have tried all of them and my top favorites are Himalayas, 3M Clinic and Ponds. Performance-wise, they are all good, but I tend to buy Himalayas and Ponds over 3M Clinic because of one crucial factor: the bottle cap design.

    Facial wash design review.
    Facial wash design review

    The bottle cap design is a crucial factor in choosing for a facial wash because busy people tend to look for time saving products. As an Industrial Engineer who’s into motion and time study and work station improvement, I tend to be OCD when it comes to using facial wash with resealable design. First, you need to remember where you placed the cap when you use the facial wash. It tends to roll and get lost, too. It’s the reason why a flip up design gives a better advantage over the resealable because it keeps the cap intact and the facial wash neat.

    I wish to propose that all resealable toiletries like facial wash, shampoo, toothpaste and hair conditioner shift to flip up design. What are your thoughts on it?

  • The Christine Reyes in Me

    May 14, 2020
    That’s Entertainment
    Christine Reyes
    My new favorite actress. Image from promotional material of her movie, Maria.

    In the middle of the supporters and detractors of media giant ABS-CBN is a bold woman unmindful about the turn of events in her current network. No, she is not being ungrateful because she owes a lot to her employers whatever she is today. Nevertheless, she does not forget her humble and sometimes controversial beginnings in GMA-7, the rival network.

    So, what exactly did Christine Reyes say to earn the praise of people?

    “Ang bilis lumipas ng panahon. Minsan nasa taas. Minsan nasa ilalim. May kanya-kanya tayong oras. Walang permanente sa mundo. Lahat sa takdang oras may pagbabago na kahit sino sa atin ay hindi mapipigilan,” she wrote.

    “Lahat tayo may kanya kanyang pag-subok sa buhay. Tatag ng damdamin at taimtim na tiwala sa itaas. Lahat ng bagay ay lilipas, sa takdang panahon. Maraming salamat ABS-CBN sa 12 taon na tiwala,” she added.

    Christine acknowledges that we all go through the ups and downs in life and that nothing is permanent in the world, be it good or bad. We all go through a phase of plenty and scarcity and when the latter happens, we need to be strong and have faith in the Lord. She is grateful to ABS CBN for all the 12 years of trust.

    I love how this once bratty teenager turned out to be one of the most open-minded people about the issue. No, I don’t think she is playing safe; she is being neutral and hopeful that things will turn out to be fine later.

    I’d like to have her calmness and patience in these days when all we could see are sickness, death, hunger, unemployment—-all because of covid-19. It’s good to be reminded that there is God who we can always count to. We’ve become too focused on earthly affairs: earning money, attending parties, vices, focusing on our career and neglecting our loved ones. If there’s one good thing that the pandemic taught us, it is about realizing that no matter how high and might we are, no one is spared. This too shall pass.

  • The Good Old Sari-Sari Store

    May 13, 2020
    Filipino Culture
    Image courtesy of Wikipedia

    “Sari-sari” is a Tagalog word for “variety.” Hence, you can see a variety of goods from toiletries to food to drinks to laundry products to cleaning materials to e-load station to bills payment and etc. Sari-sari store represents the “masa” because we can buy “tingi” or little quantities of goods. So, instead of buying a pack of cigarettes, you can get a stick or two or any amount that fits your budget.

    I grew up being Mama Dely’s (my grandmother’s sister) occasional tindera (saleslady) in her sari-sari store in Mabini Street. For Mama Dely, her sari-sari store was just her diversion and her means to socialize with the neighbors; it was not her bread and butter so it was easy for her to close the store during her siesta. Well, that would have been one of my excuses not to sleep in the afternoon so I would volunteer to take care of the store while my grandmothers were busy napping.

    Admittedly, I was painfully shy when I was younger. I easily get intimidated and I had no social skills back then. But breaking free from a boring afternoon was more important to me than acknowledging my insecurities. As a saleslady, I got to know our neighbors by their first name, not bad for a shy girl. By 4 PM, Mama Dely or Nanay Bebe (my grandmother) would call me for a snack.

    When Mama Dely gave up her sari-sari store for a much needed medical work up, my grandmother, Nanay Bebe took over. I was already a teenager when that happened— still painfully shy. Nanay Bebe allowed me to eat any food that I fancied but my business-mindedness prevailed—I would not let to lose our profit and capital because of voracity.

    Fast forward to before the pandemic, we seldom bought at the sari-sari store. We got our stocks in the grocery store to save on time. That was aside from the diversity of brands that the supermarket could offer versus the sari-sari store. As fate would have it, we lost our normalcy since the pandemic started in March. Since then, we have been getting most of our stocks from the sari-sari store. For some brands that we prefer to maintain, we get them from a nearby convenience store like Alfamart.

    The good old sari-sari store is alive and kicking during the pandemic minus the istambay (bum). As long as the owner has kapwa-tao (camaraderie), his sari-sari store will be here to stay with or without the pandemic.

  • Mother’s Day While On Lockdown

    May 8, 2020
    Wedding & Family Life
    Mother's Day

    Let us not let the lockdown dampen the Mother’s Day spirit on May 10th. Instead, let us use this day to reflect, reconnect and honor all the women who shower us with maternal love.

    She could be your yaya (nanny) who takes good care of you while your parents are busy making a living.

    She could be your aunt who comes to your defense when your parents are mad at you.

    She could be your teacher who goes out of her way to make her students understand and appreciate the day’s lessons.

    She could be your lady boss who hides under the guise of toughness but has a soft heart when it comes to her team’s welfare.

    She could be your elderly neighbor who looks after you and treats you like her own child.

    Not to mention, she could be your grandmother who is more capable of giving you that purest kind of love.

    But of course, let us not forget your MOTHER who will move heaven and earth just to give you the life that you deserve. Your mother who is your cheerleader when you feel like life is being hard on you. Your mother who doesn’t complain and when she occasionally does, is prone to being misunderstood. Your mother who will let all her children pick the most delicious part of the viand before getting her share. Your mother who wears the same clothes for years because she wants you to have new items for yourself. Your mother who loves you with all her heart and because you know that, you tend to take her presence for granted.

    Some children can afford to give money as gift. Some send flowers on this occassion. But heartfelt greetings are more appreciated because you cannot fake affection when it is not in your heart in the first place.

    HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

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