The Intangible Treasure
The streets are silent witness to all human activity be it constructive or destructive to both living beings and nature. How a street got its name is a matter of history. Every street name, road or highway has a significant part of a certain place. You cannot find a place on the map without knowing the route and its street names. Thus we will not be lost going back to a certain location if we know the road names.
Speaking of lost, the streets are all witness to whatever being lost. Someone lost his wallet or Smartphone phone on the street. A child or a pet was lost, even life and virginity could possibly be lost in the street.
On the contrary there are a lot of things that can be found on the street. As treasure hunters speak, if something was lost it can be found. The streets are not only like lost and found establishments. It can also educate people. Often gossip and news are common to be present on the street. Most kids who grow up and live on the street are molded with a tough and arrogant attitude. That is what they learn upon living in the busy and dangerous streets of every city.
I was about to write something that pertains to treasure. But as my fingers started to press the keys on the keyboard, it started to key in about the streets so I will just try to integrate the connection of the street to treasure.
There was a photo circulating on the internet about a flyer pasted on a street post. It’s kind of odd because you know we see common flyers pasted on street posts advertising products, services or asking to report a missing person or a pet. I can’t recall exactly the words written the in flyer but it goes something this:
*“Whoever went to my house and robbed my things the other day, you can have the DSLR and other valuable stuff. But there is an SD card in my camera that has photos of my dog. He just died the other day and those photos are very important to me. Those are the only memories I have with my dog. Please send the SD card to the address below.”*
That is not the exact words on the flyer as I can no longer find the post on the internet. I wish I could share the photo here.
But anyway, such a post was remarkable. I mean the person has been robbed of his valuable things but it doesn’t matter to him. What matters most is that the memories he has while his dog was alive is more important to him than any of his stuff. *Memories are treasures and they are priceless.*
Sometimes we tend to value a thing even if it is less valuable for the reason that there are memories attached to it as part of our life.
For example the old photos we have been keeping in the shoe box when we were kids. We have a lot of memories to treasure. That is why I have been taking care of those photos for a long time. And of course the street is always there watching us. The street that kept all the mysteries, crimes and progression that is silent all the time.
Surrogate
I was watching a local TV channel last night airing a talk show and it happened that their topic was about having kids.
The hosts have invited a guest who is a successful entrepreneur in the country. His products are perfumes and are sold worldwide.
I think they have chosen this person to share his experience in parenting because his way of having kids is kind of expensive and not the traditional way of procreation.
In the Philippines there is no law on surrogacy, only artificial insemination has been recognized through the family code in 1988.
I was already aware of this entrepreneur having kids by means of surrogacy but it was only last night that it came to my knowledge about how expensive it is to have kids through a surrogate mother. He said that he had paid 6 million Php and would reach up to 12 million for the entire process. He already had eight kids all undergo surrogacy. I could not imagine the total cost he had paid for those kids. Nevertheless he can afford it because he is already a millionaire.
I really appreciate the efforts of him wanting to have his own kids despite the expenses. He is a gay with brain and skills that is why he becomes so successful with his business.
There are several reasons why a person or couple would want to undergo surrogacy. For couples it might be that one of them has a disorder or it could be both but they wanted to have their own child. Other people would only want to have a child and become a single parent without worrying about having a partner.
As for the case of this entrepreneur, I think there was a time in his life that he thought of having a successor with his business. You know someone who will inherit his business when he can no longer manage it when time comes. The fact that he is gay and for sure don’t want to marry. It’s kind of a wise decision for him to have his own kids as his own flesh and blood rather than adopting a child not related to him.
While the talk show continued, one of the hosts asked him about the challenges he is facing and how to share it with everyone who wished to undergo the process.
He reiterated that it is really expensive because there is a lot of this to consider like finding the perfect surrogate mother. Then he also points out like when one of his kids asked about their mother. He then said to tell the truth and explain to them although it may seem hard to understand.
There is nothing wrong with this although the Catholic Church does not advocate surrogacy. Kids are gifts from God and can only be conceived and carried naturally by married males and females.
I guess it is only another way of finding happiness. God will understand.
Are You Happy
People sometimes need to suffer and endure the struggle in order to have a good quality of life. No one wants to be poor. All of us want to be rich or at least live a stress-free life. They say money can't buy happiness but money can give things that can make us happy.
Happiness cannot be defined by owning an iPhone, a Ferrari or having a condo unit. The real happiness is when you no longer worry about anything despite the status of your life.
**Are you happy right now?**
If you answer that question as quickly as yes, maybe you should ask yourself again. Am I *really* happy right now?
Before we answer that question to ourselves let us first look at our uncertainties. The things that make us worry all the time. Frankly speaking bills make us worry all the time. Correct me if I am wrong but we always worry about our monthly electric and water bills, house rent, daily expenses, gossipers and dog poop of your neighbor at your doorstep every morning. Funny how it seems but it’s true.
These days’ prices of goods and commodities keep rising and if you are having a minimum monthly income you will worry a lot about budgeting. I remember a pick up line about continuing high prices of goods. Pardon me but it is way better to say in our language. *“Lahat nag mamahalan na, tayo na lang ang hindi.”* The *tagalog* word *“mahal”* has two meanings depending on how to use it in a sentence. *Mahal* means beloved or costly. When you say “*nagmamahalan*” it is either two people are in love with each other or higher pricing of merchandise.
Anyway I was just trying to insert some ice breaker as my topic sounds too serious. Going back to our common uncertainties, these are the things that make us unhappy and it’s not temporary. As long as we do not do something else to stop it we will always worry. Unless you are promoted by your boss or got a salary increase of at least 50% then your uncertainties will be lessened. But for sure another level of uncertainty will come. Perhaps you will buy a car or purchase a property next time. So the possibility of worrying is endless.
What about successful people do they have uncertainties too? Yes of course but they have their own way of handling it so that it will not last.
Sometimes the reason why worrying won’t leave us is because of attachments. We are being burdened with attachment and not being able to let go of it. Buying things that we don’t need, vices and relationships keeps us attached to our uncertainties. If we can stop ourselves or at least lessen those attachments we can somehow achieve the real happiness we want in life.
Nevertheless happiness can be interpreted as having a wife and kids living peacefully despites the standard of living in a particular place.
I wanted to achieve this stress free life. Who doesn’t want that? To leave uncertainties behind or at least manage to have a life less stressful.
To do well and be righteous, but not to the extent that we look like saints, I guess that makes us happy and success will follow thereafter.
Show Your Work (Building my website)
If we want to be heard or be recognized, one thing that we need to do is to show our work.
People have their own different skills and talents and most of them remain hidden because they are not showing up or no one helps them to show their skills.
When social media platforms existed it sparked people with hidden talents to become instant celebrities. In other words the internet and social media gives them an opportunity to show their work.
This platform for example is another way for us to show our work and be heard. If you can remember your first grade teacher telling you to show your work to the class then that is what I am trying to emphasize.
Some people don’t like to show their work to other people. My 12-year old daughter, for example, would not want me to see her work projects in school. The reason was that she thinks her work is not beautiful to look at. So I would remind her that showing your work is important because you will never know if you are doing it the right way. In addition people will have a chance to give their opinion about your work.
Afraid of Criticism
The reason some people don’t want to show their work is that they are afraid of criticism. Sometimes I tend to have this attitude, you know like being offended when I receive negative feedback about my work but I don’t take it too personally. Most people would feel the same way if they receive destructive criticism. But we must understand that not all people would agree with our work. There is always someone who would disagree. What is frustrating is that sometimes our own family would be the first to dislike our work.
Low self-esteem and no self confidence are just a few attributes of a person who doesn't want to show his work to other people.
Remember that no matter how beautiful our work is, someone will always look at it as ugly. People have different perspectives to what is normal. The most famous Picasso painting may look ugly to people who do not know about art thus criticizing the painting as dull as if no sense in appreciating a hard work.
I always mention in my previous posts about building my own website. Perhaps if you have been reading my posts since you subscribed you might think that I am just bluffing because I am not showing my work. I honestly am kind of afraid of criticism, that is why I am not giving you a link to my personal website.
You may think that building your own website is just a crap especially if you have nothing to put in there. Actually there are a lot of benefits of having your own personal website these days and one of which is applying for a job. There is a high percentage that you will be hired if the employer knows that you know how to manage a website.
Anyway before I end this post let me share you screenshots of my personal website. This is still a work in progress so I will not be sharing you the link for now.
Note that I don’t know about web hosting, all the knowledge I learned about building a website are all self thought and trial and error.
This website is experimental so I am keeping it to myself for now although it is already live. I did not use cryptocurrency to pay with it because you know earning BitcoinCash here these days is quite slow. I used may Paypal to shoulder the transaction.
Diverted Imagination
Life is a mystery. That is the first line from the song “Like a prayer” by Madonna. Anyone here knows that music artists put your hands in the air.
I will not be talking about the Queen of Pop for today’s post anyway. But since I have mentioned her from the start I will give you little facts about her. She is an American singer that became popular in the 80’s up to this present time. She is 63 years old and the songs “Crazy for you”, “Like a virgin”, “La Isla Bonita'' and the one that I first mentioned are just a few songs immortalized by **Madonna**. You can check Wikipedia if you want to know more about her life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna
At This present time, popular female music artists like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus or Dua Lipa are just a few artists influenced by Madonna. Am I a Madonna fan? No, I just appreciate how she delivers her music with her own way of choreography that is sometimes misunderstood by critics.
Indeed life is a mystery. No one knows exactly where life came from. Life has existed before man evolved and when man started to think, the existence of man became a debate up to this time. Nobody knows whether man was created by God or even the belief of man’s evolution is still cannot be proven.
Questions like, are we alone in the universe? Or is there a so-called alternate reality? These are just a few questions that still need an answer. The existence of paranormal and unexplained phenomena just makes life more even mysterious.
How did life exist and why? Basically we can tell how life began to form when male and female copulate, regardless of being a human or animal. We can easily tell that an apple tree started from a seed and that chicken came first before the egg. But if we are going to take it seriously, which really came first, the seed or the tree?
You may think that the content of this writing seems to bother me a lot. Actually it is not. These are only a product of diverted imagination.
I was trying to write down about insurance and life plans but my thoughts have brought me to the mysteries of life. What’s the sense of getting our life insured when all life on earth will go to wither?
I remember my father hated it when my mother would offer him to have a life plan. He hates it because it’s like bad luck in his own perspective. You know getting your grave yard ready while you are still alive. But in reality it appears like the opposite because I have known several family friends who have burial plans for their parents or grandparents. Ironically they live a longer life instead. Isn’t it that life is a mystery?
Somehow having an experience of what it is to live here on here on earth gives us the answer of why we exist. Happiness, sorrow, hardship and joy are only clues to why we exist. Our families, friends and loved ones are proof that we have a purpose in life.
To become a righteous and morally upright person I think gives meaning to life.
To love and care for one another. To secure peace…
Learning is Fun
I was about to do some modification with my motorcycle in the garage today. But since it’s been raining the whole day I just consume the rest of my day off learning about some language with Arduino.
I am quite envious of people who know a lot about computer programs and computer languages. You know I am always impressed by their work, like how they can control a certain device by means of codes. So, since I did not finish a computer course in college, I just do my own research and teach myself about computer software’s and other programs.
The first thing I studied and learned the basic kind of programming was Hypertext Markup Language or HTML. It is the language used in creating the effects of every website. The font color, size and style, the background and images of a website are controlled by HTML codes. HTML programming doesn’t require any special software for you to design a web site. A notepad can be used for encoding HTML codes. All you have to do is to save it as .html file extension. Upon saving you can view your HTML in any browser and it doesn’t need internet connection. Those codes will no longer be visible, only the desired information we wish to appear.
To give you an example, below is a simple note pad HTML code or known as tags.
Sometimes these tags may be visible on a particular website. You will find a website a little peculiar if these tags appear. It means that the string of the HTML element is broken. It might be that there is a missing opening or closing bracket, incorrect tag or something that will cause the tags to appear.
Last year I bought an Arduino Uno for my son to use for his robotics subject. According to Wikipedia, Arduino is an open-source hardware and software company, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices.
In other words Arduino has its own languages for a certain electronic circuit to operate in short computer programming. So I tried learning Arduino whenever I had free time. You know, since I finished, the electronics terms used with Arduino are no longer new to me. It’s just that Arduino is a higher level of building projects and circuits.
Below is a screenshot of the functional Arduino program.
As you can see it is far different from HTML. The only similarity they have is that they both have opening and closing brackets.
I did not make this Arduino program. It is free to use, made by **@diyodemag** so I just copied the code and uploaded it with my son's Arduino. https://diyodemag.com/projects/tricking_t-rex_arduino-based_chrome_dino_game
I know your head is spinning especially if you have no idea about what I am trying to emphasize. The program is about tricking the Google chrome browser Dinosaur game.
The original creator of this trick is unknown. Reposts have been done by numerous Arduino enthusiasts in social media and YouTube. So just to make myself entertained today I tried building my own Tricking T-Rex.
For now I can only show you photos and GIF images of this project because I am yet to finalize the video for my YouTube channel.
Anyway I know most of you are clueless of what I am talking about here. I was just having some fun and seeing how challenging it is to build digital devices projects.
Thanks for reading.
A Writing Exercise
Staring at the white blank word document while resting my fingers on top of the keyboard makes me feel like frozen for a couple of minutes.
It’s 5AM and the sound of silence is slowly fading. The only thing you can hear is the humming of the cheap wall fan mounted to a thin fly wood division due to vibration. The sound is annoying at first but you will get used to it. I get to chime in until it becomes music to my ears.
The silent moment was broken when my cat jumped over my small home office desk. He sat for a while then yawned and meowed. He is hungry.
I stood up from my wooden chair which I cannot resolve the squeaking sound of joints since I began using it as my office chair. Again it becomes music to my ear.
It appears that I have lost a couple of hours to come up with something to write about today. Indeed it needs more time to think before putting those words into writing. Pen and paper or computers and handheld devices are only tools that are capable of making those imaginations readable.
Sometimes you will just find yourself stuck in a moment like being in an idle state. All of your body organs are running well but it was like your life pauses as though a film paused in a video player. In a weirder term it is like a glitch in the matrix. There is no possible way to be stuck in real word with time continuously ticking unless it is an act or play. But it is pretty much impossible to pretend like a mannequin but the ligaments in your joint will probably be stressed and would result in muscular fatigue. Unless you are very good at pretending then that would somehow be believable.
This could be more difficult to write not because our brain and body are incapable to create things but because we are in a state of temporary suppression of thoughts. The fact that this writing has reached three hundred and fifty words means that this content is running in progress.
Time is not being fair sometimes or it is just that things are not falling into the right timing for us. All the unfortunate events in our life are time being responsible. In the same manner time can tell if you are going to be successful in the future. Isn’t it that time is just making a fool of us?
I think about a lot of other things and I can put all of them into writing however time is not cooperating more often. But we are only humans with a very limited capability and existence. But even highly sophisticated multitasking machines cannot compete with time.
Time is gold as the old saying goes or to make it more simple to comprehend, time is money. All you have to do is to work eight hours a day and complete 80 hours every payroll cut off and you will receive the agreed compensation during pay day. So as writing for this platform, all you need to do is to invest extra time and be rewarded depending on your hard work.
Writing is hard if not really your passion but it can be learned and become a passion. I haven’t seen several writers here for a couple of months now. They have just vanished for some reason. Perhaps created a new account or if not they are not really a writer. Staying on this platform for a time period of one year is not hard, only if someone is after the BCH and not really into writing I bet he will not last for a month or two.
But isn’t it amazing that through this platform a lot of people learn how to write and create content? I am not a writer but honestly through this platform my writing skills have developed and I learned several writing techniques from other users. It’s not all about writing, you know what I mean?
Anyway I guess this is enough for today’s writing exercises. Nevermind the obscurities.
It’s a Kind of Magic
The ability to create things out of imagination is man's attribute for a thing to exist. Such manmade creations are beautiful to look at if the calculations are correct but only make it a disaster if it fails.
Making things real like inventions, discoveries and explorations has been man’s desire when they found out that their mind can do more than they can imagine. The products of science and technology are proof that man can create almost anything to make it exist. Machines make all of them.
It’s like magic that can entertain us. The only difference is that it can’t be done with just one snap of a finger that everything could be real or disappear. In a sense it can trick, fool or deceive us. Everything could be an illusion. What seems to be real with what we see may not be the thing it is.
However magic could not cure illness, solve poverty and starvation and can’t even send man to the moon and back. Only man's creation can make it happen. To create medicines and vaccines for a disease, lessen the waste food and build machines for space explorations.
But are those creations real? Despite man's success in almost everything making it real but they have failed to understand reality. It’s all an illusion. Like a magical illusion believing something is there as we saw it but in reality it’s not. Like a card magic trick that uses a special type of card for magical shows to trick us. The reality is those cards are not real playing cards.
Man creates landscapes. Beautiful landscapes for parks, establishments and subdivisions. It’s amazing how man can copy nature and create another world. But those are only illusions. The beauty manifested by nature as created by the Creator. The reality is man destroys nature and replaces it with what seems to be more beautiful than nature. Deception is what our eyes can see but there is hidden reality.
**Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”**
So we are all creators. No wonder that most of us wanted to be like God or in some other cases go beyond the work of God, human cloning to be more specific. Is this what He wanted us humans to do? Again it’s like magic. You know creating a real replica of yourself alive and real but in reality it’s fake and only a copy of your original self. It’s an illusion that creates delusion.
Reality is sometimes being hidden to cover up a certain situation or phenomenon. Such a situation cannot be proven as real unless declared by the government about its existence with facts and supporting proofs. But the government always hides the truth. So what we saw and experienced will always remain hidden and a lot of unanswered questions. It’s all an illusion. It’s a kind of magic.
The Man From Nowhere
One thing that I don’t want to happen to me is a kind of mistaken identity. I had this traumatic experience during my youth. It was similar to a mistaken identity but not for me alone because I had my three friends with me when it happened.
The scenario was terrifying because a man suddenly came out of nowhere, who was looking for someone but found us instead by mistake had a gun. He pulled it from his waist then pulled the trigger. The fire coming out from the barrel of the .38 cal is still clear in my mind even though it happened almost two decades ago. Then the man leaves riding a dirt bike as if nothing happens. Good thing he pointed the gun on the ground before firing the shot and no one from us was hurt.
What I am about to share with you today is a story about mistaken identity from a film I have recently watched. It's more like a movie review actually. I haven’t posted a film review for quite some time so I think this film I will be sharing might interest some of you, only if you are a fan of **Kevin Hart** and **Woody Harrelson**. Speaking of both of them perhaps you already have a clue of what type of genre this film is about. Yes, it is a comedy-action film and nothing but **The Man From Toronto**. The film was released on June 24, 2022 by **Netflix**. According to Wikipedia, the film received negative reviews in general by critics. But it doesn’t matter to me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Hart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Harrelson https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_man_from_toronto_2022 https://www.netflix.com/ph/title/81251628
My happiness is too shallow that films like this give a lot of sense of humor to me especially for comedy actor Kevin Hart. We have different perceptions when it comes to liking films. When I want to entertain myself alone, I watch films like this. You know watching fun and hilarious films has good benefits too with regards to our health.
Anyway the film is about a guy named Teddy Nilson (Kevin Hart) who is a kind of internet influencer that shares videos about physical fitness. He tries to sell his idea about non-contact boxing to a gym owner but that latter rejects it because it is nonsense.
Teddy wants his wife to be happy on her birthday so he takes her to a luxurious day spa where he arranges a two hour pampering session. Teddy went off to a private cabin to prepare for his surprise. However he arrives at the wrong place where there are two men inside and another man waiting for The Man From Toronto (Woody Harrelson), an unknown assassin with high skills in brutal interrogation. The men never met The Man From Toronto and mistakenly assumes that Teddy was him the assassin they have been waiting for not quite long. They then proceed with the interrogation of the other man held captive. Teddy was clueless of what was happening and despite the fear he manages to extract the information from the man. Somehow the two men believe that Teddy was really The Man From Toronto because of the way he interrogates a person like by staring in the eye then telling him to brutally extract the eyes using an embalming knife. They have never doubted Teddy’s skills of interrogating, believing that he is really The Man From Toronto. But then the FBI surprised them and raided the cabin.
Teddy explained to the FBI agents that he is not the man from Toronto. The agents somehow believed in him but then convinced him to assume the identity of The Man From Toronto whose real name is Randy (Woody Harrelson). The FBI asked Teddy’s help to catch exiled Venezuelan Colonel Marin in Washington, DC.
Teddy, as The Man From Toronto is sent to meet the Colonel's wife in Puerto Rico. But while on the plane the real Man From Toronto manages to hitchhike in then ambush Colonel Marin’s men except for Teddy.
The comedy and action becomes more humorous as the film goes on. You know most of them don’t know the true identity of The Man From Toronto. So they got confused when Randy came out claiming that he is the real man from Toronto but then Teddy confuses them saying that he is the real man from Toronto. What was more confusing was that Teddy seems to know all about Randy’s personal life and then tells it to them.
Teddy has engaged more deeply with helping the FBI as The Man From Toronto and it was too late for him to realize that he was already losing his wife. It appears that his life became a mess when Randy, The Man From Toronto, entered into the course of his life. Indeed it was but they became good friends in the end.
One good thing about mistaken identity is the kind of a blessing in disguise. The story about Teddy and Randy is more likely similar to what had happened to me and my friends if we will try to look at things in a more dramatic way. You know it is not humorous if someone pointed a gun in your face for at least 10 seconds then points it down and pulls the trigger.
So for you guys who love to watch comedy-action films try to watch The Man From Toronto. It’s funny and hilarious. Never mind the negative feedbacks from critics if you want entertainment.
This Feature Can Save Life
When we find a problem in a certain situation we begin to think and start to find a solution.
In our everyday lives we always have problems or issues with our daily activities. Whether it is simple or big trouble, we can't stop ourselves from worrying. Sometimes these problems will cause a lot of stress and for some unfortunate circumstances it can lead to serious physical injury.
Let me share with you first a scenario that happened to me the other day. When I came home from the office and parked my motorcycle in my small garage, I noticed that the side-stand was not shut off. It appears that I traveled 50km on the hi-way with my motorcycle side-stand still on.
This case always happens to me. I am always forgetful and sometimes some concerned driver would remind me about it while on the road. But the last time, I wasn’t sure if I had released it back or not because for sure somebody on the road would have noticed it and tell me to shut my side stand off.
What if no one will notice it or nobody wants to care? Can you imagine the possible danger? I realized that I would be in a really bad situation right now if some unfortunate event happened due to that. Good thing I was able to go home safe.
So from then on I started to think of a solution to my forgetfulness when it comes to motorcycle side stand issues. I have come to an idea about adding a switch to the stand so that the motor cycle would not start if the side-stand is on. Then the engine would turn off upon releasing the side-stand when about to park.
I started searching on Google if somebody had already come up with that idea. You know most motorcycle brands don't have that feature, only a few for some models. I have found several videos on YouTube and started to make my own DIY side-stand-kill-switch.
One thing that I disagree with on their DIY side stand switch is how they mount it. Some glued it and others used cable-tie.
*First things first, the reason why we add such features in our motorcycle is for safety measures. Since the switch will be placed underneath, there is always a possibility that the switch will soak with water during rainy days or upon washing the motorcycle. In due time, the glue will not last and will result in an accident if it fell off while on the road. The engine will surely stop. As for the cable-tie the switch will not have a fixed mounting, it will move for sure due to the vibration.*
So my own version is to mount it firmly with bolts and nuts. I prefer to use a type of switch that is kind of heavy duty. I wanted it to be durable and safe.
Below are a series of photos about my DIY side-stand-kill-switch that I can only show you. I am still editing the videos for my tutorial.
So that’s it for my DIY side-stand-kill-switch. I hope you learned something out of it. Please note that this is for educational purposes only and for my own personal way of saving myself from a possible road accident.
Remember that I am doing this for my own safety and if you will try adding this feature to your motorcycle too, make sure that it will function well.
You can share this to your friends and family members that you care for, especially those with motorcycles.
Always remember safety first, be a responsible driver.
Don’t Gender Shame Anyone
According to the Bible God created human beings with man first then out of the man’s ribs He created woman.
I was born a catholic and the religious teachings I have learned were from my mother. But despite that I grew up as a not so religious person. You know as we grow older we start to think and ask why there are so many religions around the world.
This post will not talk about religions as such topics create a lot of conflicts. People have different beliefs but it only leads to the same principle. No one would want to become miserable for the rest of their life. After all, we don't want to live a life full of hatred and anger.
People are born equal as human beings. Most of us are born physical fit while others are not, yet we are still the same human being. We may have differences in physical or mental capabilities but no one is above anyone. We cannot say that we are above others because we are tough or we are rich or something we have that makes us supreme.
Same rule should apply when it comes to people’s gender affirmation. Equality should be observed not only with people’s statuses in life. Most male encounter problems when they finally discover that their feminine side is more submissive than that of their masculinity. Often they are bullied and experienced a lot of discrimination that are hurting and shameful.
**Individual difference might show that we are not equal but we must know that a female has masculine aspects so as the male has feminine side too.**
What would you do if you saw your 12 years old son wearing his sister’s clothes? You did not expect it because you really know that your son shows a lot of masculine attributes. But then why do you think he did that? What comes into your mind?
I only have two kids, male and female. The first born is male and now 14 years old and the youngest is female and will be turning 12 this coming 25th of the current month. I have never seen any sign of feminine aspect with my son although his tears are shallow so I am extra careful because he has very sensitive feelings. By the way, he won first place again in their recent research contest in division’s level. My daughter is somewhat remarkable because she is wearing her brother's T-shirts but those shirts no longer fit my son. She is comfortable with that but I don’t see any sign of a lesbian thing with her. I don’t know, maybe because she is just innocent and naïve. Maybe when she grows up and wants to be free she will discover her real personality.
There are parents who are kind of rough with their child when they discover their true gender. Often times a father would punish his son if he found out that his son is gay. Sometimes he would cast out his son as he feels his son is a great embarrassment to their clan. By doing that the issue will just worsen and there will build an inferiority complex.
Honestly when I was kid my thoughts about gays and lesbians are kind of obscene people. I mean no offense but I was just a kid with a lot of curiosity. But when I was growing up and met some of my relatives for the first time I realized that not all are such. My first cousin was a lesbian who passed away long time ago and then my uncle is a bisexual but he has a wife with three grown up kids.
Gays and lesbians these days or known as the LGBT community are making their way to be heard. Yes, they are now being recognized and in fact some religious organization is now accepting same sex marriages.
Sometimes it bothers me but they are humans too and should be treated with equal respect. What’s kind of bothering me most is when I see one of their kind who is showing misbehavior in the public or social media. If they want to be respected then they should act accordingly.
But respect should be for everyone and it doesn’t matter what color, race, gender, status or religion we have. After all we are receiving and sharing the same radiance of the sun.
How Good Are You at Selling?
I really wanted to set up a business of my own but I guess it’s only all in dreams. I am so impressed by people who are born business minded. I mean they can sell anything and gain profit even at a young age.
Speaking of selling, I remember a successful businessman said, to become a successful entrepreneur a person must learn how to sell. Indeed it is true because no matter how small your capital is you can start a selling business and succeed. So I realized that I will not be able to become a successful entrepreneur because I don’t know how to sell.
I remember when I was in grade school, my mother urged me to sell pastries and delicacies in our small town (now a city). You know some out of school youth in our place used to sell candies, fried peanuts and cigarettes in the streets to provide for their daily consumption. In short poverty is the reason for such a child labor. I did the selling of candies and cigarettes too but only once. I think it was during the summer after the fifth grade.
I am an introverted person and as a child I didn't really hang out and play with a lot of kids in the neighborhood. In fact I feel so ashamed whenever I hold an umbrella. I really hate it even when it’s raining. I would rather be wet walking through school than holding an umbrella. So my mother bought a “*kapote*” (raincoat) for me.
Going back to selling candies, I don’t recall how my mother had forced me to do so because I was kind of timid as a kid. I just found myself holding a tray of candies and several packs of cigarettes wandering around the streets in town while announcing, Cigarettes! Candies! You know we have a lot of *trike* and *pedicab* here in our place as means of transportation in short distances. So mostly I sell that stuff in terminal stations.
Somehow I was able to sell and make profit out of small capital. Nevertheless I did not grow up as an entrepreneur maybe because that thing is not really my fate.
However these days there are now different ways to sell goods and commodities. Even if you lack courage to ask people to buy your products, you can still promote it and earn money. One thing that makes it possible to sell and promote products without direct engagement with customers is through the internet.
When the internet was known to different countries particularly here PH, people have utilized it to sell and earn income. Online selling has become a trend and has been one of the main modes of buying and selling products especially during the pandemic.
Did you know that you can sell and earn without having a tangible product? Those are in digital form like E-books, software or video tutorials. In crypto verse **NFT**’s are a digital product. You can also sell products even if you don’t own it and that is through **affiliate marketing**. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/ca/investing/cryptocurrency/nft-non-fungible-token/#:~:text=NFT%20stands%20for%20non-fungible,or%20exchanged%20for%20one%20another. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/affiliate-marketing.asp
Some said that affiliate marketing is dead. Well I tell you that it is not. In fact, read dot cash has affiliate programs just in case you are not aware of it. If you want to earn passive income by means of affiliate programs or affiliate products you must have a lot of patience and hard work of course. Honestly I have engaged in several affiliate programs. Unfortunately I only generated less income with it as I am not hard working. Besides, I have a daytime job and I can't give more time to it. My extra time is being consumed with writing for this platform.
However I have one passive income that is still earning even a little bit slow and that is with **involve.asia**. I don’t remember the time I registered on this site. I think it’s been a year now. For your awareness, involve.asia is legit and still in operation. They are based in Malaysia and earnings are in terms of their currency (MYR) which can be converted to USD. https://app.involve.asia/
I have seen some users in this community sharing about it and for the sake of redundancy I did not make this post as a tutorial.
Picture above is a screenshot of my earnings and it’s only MYR 13.32. As I have mentioned a while ago I am not that hard working so my earnings on this platform are kind of slow.
Anyway if you want to try affiliate marketing, involving.asia is one good app to start. I will not share here my affiliate link to avoid violation of the read dot cash policy. Tutorials are widespread on YouTube. Just do your own research.
Somehow I still wanted to be an entrepreneur someday. You know it is still better to own a business, even a small one. Perhaps we don’t want to be employed for the rest of our life.
Do You Have The Determination?
Determination is one personal character trait that makes a person achieve his goal. It is so powerful that a person would pursue such a goal without hesitation or any indecisiveness.
**An athlete is a person that demonstrates a lot of determination. Although it can be present in every undertaking, a goal cannot be achieved if a person is not determined to do so.**
I am not an athletic person or sporty guy sort of but I have favorite sports of course that I have been watching on TV. Let’s just say that I am more inclined to music, metal music to be more specific and of course creating words and sentences out of thoughts.
Basketball is one famous game turned into sports and almost every guy loves to play it. Even my wife loves watching PBA/NBA and she knows a lot about it when it comes to violations (shame on me, laughs).
It just bored me to see such a game and even though I wanted to force myself to play or watch basketball I am just fooling myself. The fact is I like sports that are extreme. Unfortunately I haven’t engaged in any risky sport right now.
I have long been watching ONE and UFC fighting sports. Yes, that is one kind of sport that I love to watch or engage with. But no, don’t think that I am a dangerous person. You know people should stop thinking about other people who are practicing martial arts as dangerous people. Although there is always a connotation that such a person is intimidating. It is important to note that patience is vital if you want to engage in such activity. It is the same thing with soldiers and police officers. You see there are a lot of reports about a police officer engaged in a fight then shooting because he has lost his patience. Even in boxing, fighters don’t just fight. Each fighter has their own plans, strategy and determination to win the fight.
I am not sure if there are users in the community who like martial arts. But if you can recall 9 months ago I posted about this topic with the title **Protect Yourself From Bad Guys**. I have discussed the vital parts in the human body where to inflict serious injury (please note that this is for self defense only). https://read.cash/@Bjorn/protect-yourself-from-bad-guys-71ae2f60
**Nobody wants to harm anybody physically, mentally or emotionally.** As for the fighting sports, fighters don’t really want to hurt each other because there are rules to follow. Fighters don’t just throw punches and kicks in any directions. You will notice that most wins are acquired by way of knock out (KO). There are two parts in the body that a person can be knocked down seriously and those are the jaw and the liver. Regardless of what type of blow a person receive either by a fist, kick, elbow or knee. Those are legal blows as per extreme fighting sports rules.
If a person is determined to win he is already determined right from the start of his training. It’s kind of weird when an athlete is engaged in a sport and is determined to lose. I mean how could he train himself when at the back of his mind the goal is just to lose. It’s nonsense.
You see every activity we partake or engage with has a purpose, a goal and determination. If you are certain about your passion then determination comes out naturally. It’s like doing what you love and loving what you do. However there are cases that what we do is not what we love. But we can’t get out of it because it’s what keeps us alive.
Sometimes our current job is not what we dreamed of but we accept it because without it we may not be able to survive. So our determination is focused on survival instead of the thing that makes us move forward.
Effortless But Not Timeless
Applying for a job might be easy for those who have established a good reputation for a certain field. On the contrary, it is hard for fresh graduates and no experience at all, in short first timers. However, experienced or not, jobseekers will have to undergo the process of gathering the requirements when hired.
Quezon City PH, is where I currently live for more than 20 years. When you happen to work in the company and or business establishments here, you will have to secure a working permit and health certificate. Not only that, you will also have to get police/NBI clearance. This is to make sure that you don’t have any records of violation with the authority. Or at least have been cleared of any public offense.
However, these documents are not done in one time process. You will have to renew them yearly as long as you are employed here in Quezon City. I guess this is also the process not only in NCR but in other provinces. The larger the city is the more hassle it is to process similar documents.
Seeking these documents is kind of tiresome. The last time I went to City Hall for renewal of a working permit and related documents was last year. However I can see some developments when it comes to the process. It is more organized and takes less time compared to the old days when the lines of people were up to the streets standing long under the heat of the sun. The scenario was always like that, as if everything was not organized. But then I was surprised when everything went well lately. No more long standing and waiting on the line and the processes can be done in a short period of time.
Sometimes I wonder if the City administration has something to do with that. You can compare between the previous city administration and current city government.
This year we will have to renew our working permit and health certificate again. I was a little surprised and pleased because the renewal can now be done online. At last, if the pandemic did not happen, how long do you think it would take for them to finally do the process online?
I have no idea of when this QC e-services have started but since this was shared to us by the company nurse so this is kind of new to me. I think this has been long established because the website is on its Beta version.
If you are living in Quezon City and just in case you are not aware of this you can check it **here**. https://qceservices.quezoncity.gov.ph/
For the first time I will have to try to renew my health certificate online. I am not sure of how easy it is to renew a health certificate with this method.
Back in the days, it took me two days to process the renewal of my working permit, health certification and NBI clearance. However if you will have to fall in line as early as 6AM for sure you will have it all done before the end of the day.
The company nurse has given us a guide on how to renew a health certificate online. But upon reading the guide I have noticed that it will take at least five working days for the renewal of a health certificate alone. She applied on the 7th of May but the uploaded requirements were validated on the 10th of May.
I applied for the renewal yesterday. It will undergo a series of validation and right now my application is still in progress. It appears that the online application process takes longer than doing it offline.
I don’t know if they are accepting payments online because in the instruction given by the nurse we will have to print the order of payment once documents are approved. But then again we will have to fall in line to the City Treasurer's Office to pay the needed amount.
I appreciate the efforts of the city government on the fact that it is riskier these days to go with the crowds.
The process just makes it longer than the usual but at least it has lessened the hassle of standing and waiting in the line for several hours.
Run, Shout and Stamp Until The Last Drop
It was a bright day. A beautiful Sunday and I found myself listening to the homily inside a small church in a subdivision near our place. It’s been years since the time I last attended a catholic mass. I don’t remember exactly when.
Does it mean that I am not closer to God because I rarely attend the holy mass? Do I need some spiritual guidance?
The sun wasn’t able to show up at noon as dark clouds began to form. The pale gray surroundings lasted for a couple of hours. It was getting darker and darker as if a huge monster was eating the sun. A sudden violent flash astounded me. It was piercing and deadly as though with great anger. Like a whiplash ripping a punishment, then followed by a sound like a huge marbles intentionally tossed into a solid ground.
The rain pours down like a giant sprinkler watering the entire island. Kids ran outside. They were like prisoners who had escaped from their prison cell. Shouting and running. Finally they are free. They are filled with joy and with smiling faces they play. It’s an opportunity so they must take advantage of it before it will leave.
Have fun and enjoy. Savor every raindrop that falls. Run, shout and stamp until the last drop. Their happiness is priceless. What is it with rain that it makes them happy? It’s just water. Yes, just water but human life depends on it. It is the source of freshwater. It makes modern life possible by providing water for human’s necessity and consumption.
Rain is happiness for innocent minds as kids. How I wish to be a child again. Playing and laughing in the rain and not caring if I will get colds and fever after a temporary cheerfulness. But at least it can help us escape from a world full of anger, hatred and betrayals.
Sometimes when it rains hard I want to stay long under the rain to wash away the pain and suffering. I wish the rain would wash all the grievances of the world. Wash away the sins, jealousy and heartbreaking.
Yesterday I saw a father on the news who cried like rain. His son who was supposed to graduate from taking up AB English then died a month before the commencement exercise. He died of severe asthma. Then with the encouragement of the school admin the father marched up to the stage and received his son’s diploma. What was more heartbreaking was that he was carrying his son’s life size standee.
If rain could only wash those sadness and grief everything will be alright but no.
Some would say if it rains during an event it is a blessing. But the rain always comes in ironically. It doesn’t have feelings and it doesn’t care who ever gets wet.
Why is it that sometimes when we are so down the rain would come out as if doing it on purpose. Does it want us to know that it sympathizes with us? Or maybe it just wants to comfort us when there is no one there to care.
Some people hate the rain for common reasons like the cause of flash floods that can damage crops and some livestock. But for a person who has a bad experience under the rain could be traumatic.
Just like the sun and moon in the universe, rain witnessed all human gestures and manifestations such as love and hate. It just coincides with the beating of our heart. It may not have feelings but it can make you feel even at the cost of our pain the rain will be rain.
The Feeling: Zeros And Ones
I thought I was good and that my creations are the best. But when I saw yours, I was wrong. All the products of my restless imagination are just rubbish compared to you.
Days are gone during the time when she was so good to me. I thought I was one of her favorites. She is one of the reasons why I exist. She always makes me smile. She makes me sing and dance even though my feet are both left. She is the reason why I was living an easy life.
Everyone loves you. You are like a saint, a god and even a savior although some hate you not because you are mean but because you don’t like them to fool you.
Sometimes I would think and doubt about your existence. Are you a person, an entity, a *command*? Or just like *zeros* and *ones*.
They say that those who believe even without seeing are lucky. On the contrary some say to see is to believe. Which one are you?
Do you believe? Do you pray? You are so mysterious. Are you a fruit? Are you a vegetable in green color that looks like a green bean? No, I don’t sound like a grin.
But what have you done or maybe what have I done? Are you mad at me? You seemed not nice with me lately. I wonder what makes you lose your appetite.
You really made me think a lot of things about you. Sometimes I am paranoid. I have a lot of questions about you but I am afraid you would not listen because you are numb. Sometimes I wonder if you have a heart. Or it’s just that you don’t have feelings or no senses at all.
The fact is you can make anyone happy and make someone sad and lonely. But am I lonely? Please don’t ask me. You will not understand because you don’t have any feelings. But sometimes I wanted to believe that you can forgive someone just by being true to themselves. I guess that all you wanted us to be.
**In this world nothing is permanent.** Perhaps that is the only truth that I should accept as real. Today we have our friends and family beside us but nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.
The other day you were so silent. You didn’t even care or wonder how I was. Yesterday seemed so called and bare because you were not there or rather I was not there.
Forsaken, forgotten and abandoned. I wanted to use those words but it seems those are not the right words to address to you.
Did someone just backstab me? Did someone tell you words about me that were not pleasing your ears? How would I know?
To give up is not a sign of weakness. Failure means to succeed. Losing is only a part of a game.
Sometimes it’s Over Before it Starts
When was the first time that you never met someone again? Was he a friend, family relative or someone you had an intimate relationship with?
Days come and go, people are always busy and they leave their houses and then come back. Some leave for a short time before they come back. Others leave for a very long period of time before they return home. Sometimes someone would just leave without a trace, without saying that he is leaving and not even mentioning the word goodbye.
Speaking of the word goodbye, is it really important to say it when leaving?
Goodbye is used when parting. We always say the word “goodbye” or simply just “bye” as a gesture at taking a leave.
Disappointment is felt when the word was not properly addressed. When there was no declaration of leaving and not telling where the person who leaves would want to go.
When the fire went out, does it tell it would want to leave? When the rain stops it doesn’t tell it to leave either.
I am going, I have to go, I must be going, I am leaving. These phrases are often used when we temporarily leave for work, school or going somewhere. Those words become a declaration of parting instead of saying the word goodbye.
In most cases when leaving the house, it is important to mention it when leaving so that the persons you live with would know just in case you did not come home as usual.
When I was a kid my uncle got mad at my mother, his sister, because he said that we did not tell him that we were leaving when he invited us for an occasion. I remember my siblings saying goodbye to him when we left but he was certain that we did not. My mother is a disciplinarian so I am pretty sure that my siblings would not do such an act of disrespects. It became an issue and soon became a long dispute between my mother and my uncle.
So when I have my own family, I always remind my kids to at least say bye when leaving for school.
In relationships saying goodbye is never easy and sometimes they are so hard. There is so much that we want to say if we could see our partner for one last time. But we just can’t because he is no longer there but then we always think of him. They are always on our mind.
We keep asking ourselves and we don’t know why. When we lie awake at night then look up but he is not there either. Sometimes we try to look ahead and move on or try to be strong but the pain won’t go away.
Sometimes it’s not enough just to love. Sometimes it’s over before it starts.
All Hope For The Better If Not The Best
Thirty days from now the new PH President elect will now sit on the chair which appears to be the prize of competition.
Two weeks ago I posted about the recent Presidential election in PH in which BBM was leading among the candidates during the partial count.
The vote counting was done and indeed BBM is now the PH President which will start its first day on July 1st.
According to the news the new government is planning to increase taxes and will put tax on products sold online. One of which is the subscription for Netflix and similar stuff.
The reason was that the new government believes that this is one way for the country to pay its debts, at least to lessen the trillions of money being borrowed by the country.
However, some organizations tend to disagree. According to their spokesperson, the request to increase the minimum wage has not been granted and yet the taxes would increase.
If I may say about this increase in taxes, there is nothing wrong with that if that is one way to lift up the economy. However they should also look into the needs of the people.
I, for example, whose monthly income is at minimum would also disagree if they will increase the tax. I guess they should focus first on amending the people's wages. What about those who are commuting to work every day? Gas keeps on increasing and the drivers of public vehicles are already complaining. They wanted to increase the minimum fare. Some commuters are forced to buy a bike or motorcycle so as to avoid the expense of commuting. This way they can also avoid traffic congestion and can go to work on time. However this is kind of risky.
The new government is promising a lot to the people just like the past administration and the outgoing one.
People are already tired of those promises which appear to remain a promise. But since the people wanted the Marcos administration back, does it mean that they have already forgiven them?
Most likely, the people wanted relief from enduring the different difficulties, particularly the financial crisis.
Some of the promising remarks by the incoming administration are the low cost price of rice and re-opening the halted nuclear power plant project.
This may be a hope to support the inevitable poverty in terms of food supply and to lessen the high electric charge in every home or establishment.
I can sense that BBM would resume the projects his father has started for good hopefully. The people seem to have forgiven them although the past has been written in history.
For sure there are still people who might not have moved on and there will always be protests on the streets in the coming years. We never know what the future brings.
I may not know him well but of course he has his own motivation as to why he wanted to rule the country.
I have been living with six administrations in my entire life in this country and there is only one thing that hasn’t changed - poverty.
I hope that the new administration has plans to solve this or at least lessen the number of people who only eats two times a day or even nothing at all. But then since he wanted to increase the tax and or add tax to those commodities with no tax, how do you think the small people can handle this?
I just bought food in the canteen here in the office and to my surprise they have already increased some of their merchandise.
You see, the new administration has not yet started but then some stores are already increasing the price of their goods and products.
This is also one reason why the rich is getting richer and the poor become poorer. Some small businesses have the right to overprice their merchandise because there is no other option for the people to turn to.
I hope the next administration will be a better version of the outgoing administration if not the best.
We Are The Litters on the Streets
The thing we own, whether it is a household thing or a personal stuff, then thrown in the trash bin, we can say that it is already rubbish.
When we say rubbish, that is something of no more value. If it is a thing it is no longer useful, if it is a food it can no longer be eaten.
Generally speaking we don't want rubbish in our house. We throw it in the trash and the garbage collectors collect it to dispose in the right place then they segregate the perishable from the non -perishable garbage. On the other hand we want our surroundings to be clean so we remove the garbage from our sight.
People have different status in life. They have their own opinions and perspectives. They have different purposes in life as well as behavior.
If a person is naturally abundant particularly in the financial aspect of life, he may have a lot of garbage thrown away. Starting with food, clothes, utensils and anything else that they think is worthless, they throw it in the trash.
I have an acquaintance who is capable of life, he often throws away things at home when he can't use them properly. He thinks it is useless and rubbish and he throws it in the trash. There is another who often throws away too much food whether it is rotten or not.
Garbage like this for less fortunate people is very important and of great benefit. There is money in the trash, they say. That is why other people who are financially deficient are able to trade in garbage to supplement their income.
If we compare it to behavior, there are people who are so arrogant that they think other people are rubbish. So whenever they judge others they stamped on them just like garbage. But if only they could see themselves, their attitudes are more than garbage.
You will see a variety of garbage on the road. Often perishable and non-perishable. There are papers, tree leaves, fragile bottles, car tires, electronic objects and even dead animals.
There are plastic bottles in the house, plastic neighbors. At school and in the offices there is a lot of plastic. The savage politicians and shivering government officials, the private establishments that pay low salaries to the employees, they are the garbage of society.
What is garbage for you?
If I will be asked, if it is a thing that is destructive to nature and if a man in turn is destructive to society.
What do they have in common? They are both destructive.
Sometimes there are things that are thrown into garbage even though it is not really rubbish. If it rots it will be infected with rot and if it does not rot, it can be destructive to nature.
But we are trash you and me. Maybe because of the clothes we wear or the things we say.
We are trash me and you. It’s in everything we do.
From Nothing to Everything
When we find it hard to understand the meaning of a certain event that has happened, we often say, everything happens for a reason.
It appears to be words are excuse to evade our consciousness from a thing that needs a logical reason. It is like we wanted to blame someone to be accountable for such an event but there is no one there to blame.
The existence of things and everything seems to undergo a process in chronological order. As if it all starts from nothing to everything.
As these things started to exist we began to question its purpose and know the reason for its existence.
How did it start? Why does it exist?
Science and religion are two processes that find reasons for things to exist but contradict each other. There are things happening in this world that we cannot explain, not even science or religion.
What are the reasons for it to occur? There has to be a reason. However it is beyond our thinking. Our thoughts are constrained to such things. Can we say that it is in chronological order? What if it is the reverse of it?
There are things we believe as accepted reality for a very long time. But then whilst proof comes out as truth about what seems to be reality, we tend to raise our eyebrows. We don’t just believe it. We need to verify to back up the existence of a new reality.
It was only around 500 B.C. that most ancient Greeks believed that the earth was round, not flat.
Why would ships disappear over the horizon? There has to be a reason. Those times they needed critical thinking about the physical appearance of the earth. Thanks to the Greeks.
Social media existed with a completely apparent reason from the world itself – socialization. However this media has been used by some people the wrong way which is not acceptable by society.
But since social media is free to the public, the contents posted by users everyday cannot be controlled just like posting a selfie almost every two minutes for no reason.
Sometimes it is easier for us to judge because of how we see, not by how we perceive. Just by merely looking at the facts we can judge so quickly.
We can’t just say everything happens for a reason if we want to accept something that is beyond reasoning. We have to find the reason for it to be acceptable. We don’t need someone to blame.
We always have the right to disagree. Sometimes some people would not agree with other people's success. Maybe because the reason for others' success might not be ideal.
Often we just forget about finding the reason because it is not important. It doesn’t matter because it’s trivial. We don’t even care.
A Simple Greeting Can Make A Difference
Another day had passed. The next day is a brand new day.
The earth is like a huge switch that turns on and off to make day and night happen, making a whole day cycle then repeats thereafter.
Every day we met people. Different people from our home through our work we met those people. Friends, officemates and strangers are those we meet every day. Often when we meet them we communicate by starting a greeting.
Hi, Hello, How are you, are just simple greetings we do to a person be it our family, friend, neighbor or colleague. These greetings become our habit, a habit that adds to our day to blend in every group.
Even animals and insects have their own way of greeting their own kind. My dog, for example, always greets me every time I come home from the office or even the moment I go out of bed every morning. She would go near me and stand with his two legs while the two front paws up waiting for a hug. Sometimes she would just poke my legs with her nose. She would do this when she felt like I didn’t notice her the whole day.
Often this greeting is followed by a chit-chat of what is going on about work, life or some trending stuff in social media. Then went on for whatever things that will make us busy the whole day.
Greetings are powerful to start a conversation. It is like an ice breaker. There is no rule for using those greetings to communicate with other people. It is with every person to show politeness and kindness by using those words.
If an unfamiliar person approaches you and starts with the simple hi or hello, for sure you are at ease in responding to the person. Nothing can prevent us from greeting a person, starting a conversation or cheering up a friend. Even the pandemic cannot hinder us from greeting our friends and loved ones near or far.
However saying hi or hello to someone without receiving a response can be awkward. But you should not react as if you are being offended. We never know what the person is going through. For some reason that he did not respond to you, he will realize it somehow.
It is a good feeling when someone says hi, hello or good morning to you even if you don’t know him personally. You should respond of course with a smile.
Even deaf and mute can show their own way of greeting someone. We may have limitations but we are all human. Just like animals that can feel pain, anger, excitement and can respond to a greeting.
Hi, how have you been?
The Clue is Clueless
Clues are revealed eventually. Some of which are accidentally revealed and most of it are shown by means of a question.
**Curiosity makes way to discovery. It can lead to exploration, invention and or innovation. Sometimes curiosity can be fatal but it can only happen once.**
With the advancement in technology, secrets can easily be revealed with clues. Yet upon revelation another clue is showing up for another interesting thing to study.
Cameras for example can see what humans cannot and therefore provide clues appearing to be evidence of unknown entities and or extra terrestrials. Often these capturing devices can document footage of disappearing objects or commonly known as the process of teleportation. Then again humans have a clue of the possibility to travel through time and space.
In more strange cases our own eyes can witness such an event that we have never experienced in our whole life. Similar to the footage captured by CCTV cameras or Smartphone devices, we sometimes see out-of- this-world things or events.
What could be the reason for such a strange event? Did our eyes sometimes deceive us or is there something that exists beyond our imagination? We are clueless and yet the clue just shows up right before our eyes. But then we are not sure of its existence.
Man never stops deciphering the mysteries of the universe like trying to solve a puzzle. The more clues revealed the more they are eager to know its origin as if looking for something that was hidden – a secret.
Man, upon existence, has already started solving the mysteries around him up to the mysteries where his eyes can only go through. By solving the puzzle clue after clue he was able to produce fire, cure the sick and even went to the moon.
Electricity was once a mystery until lightning became a clue. The mirror has not been invented only when water becomes a clue. But then the clue is still clueless because of thinking about the world inside the mirror.
All the things we hold and the things we have the privilege to own and hold are the product of man's curiosity.
Often we don’t have a clue of how things were made. We sometimes think of what made them and for once we tried to search for clues.
We never realize that sometimes an alligator can be a clue to a hamburger.
The second hand iPhone you bought might be a clue to a murder.
You see, everything around us can be a clue from things that man thinks of as a mystery.
Man is indeed successful in solving the mysteries in the universe.
But no matter how hard man tries to figure out the existence of something from a clue, still man is clueless of how man exists.
Manifesting Through Polarity
Friends come and go as lovers do too.
Out with the old in with the new.
If a door has been closed certainly there is another door to be opened or perhaps a window.
In this word we are living in accordance with the laws of polarity. Every event that causes it to exist will surely undergo a process of on and off.
From the universe itself just by gazing at the stars will prove the existence of light and then be surrounded by infinite darkness. A black and white to be more precise.
If you are currently employed perhaps hearing that one of your colleagues or superior resigning is no longer new. Yes, the word resign when leaving and sign (contract) upon hiring are then another example manifesting through polarity.
Speaking of employees resigning from their job, there is always a reason for leaving.
I, for example, have resigned from my previous employers for my own reasons. One reason was of course about compensation and then personal reasons.
In my six years working in my current job, most of my colleagues have resigned. I think of five of them as I can remember.
They have one thing in common when it comes to their reason. They are not satisfied with the salary.
Yesterday, upon receiving the list of accounts to be deactivated from HR, one of the senior managers who has been working in the company for fifteen years was included in the list.
Do you think salary was his reason for leaving? Of course not, why would a person not be content with his salary when he is already on top.
Sometimes I think to myself, does the management really is one of the lowest paying companies when it comes to salary? I’m not sure but there are a lot of employees here who have been working for more than ten years.
Sometimes when an employee would want to resign due to low wages the management would offer him a salary increase. Then if both parties would agree to the terms the employee will continue working for the company. So it appears that the employee is just bluffing. Sometimes this is the case.
But why would you do such bluffing when you can ask for a salary increase? Some companies don’t just promote employees even if they are working so hard. *They will not increase your salary if you do not ask for it.*
Sometimes we feel that our monthly income is no longer enough to support the needs of our family, so we think of resigning and finding another job. But before you do that you should think first that applying for a new job is not easy. You will begin again. I mean gathering all the requirements like clearances and health certificate is kind of tiring.
So before deciding to submit a resignation letter to your boss, why not try to submit a letter about salary increase. At least your boss will have time to assess you and hopefully would grant your request.
But If the management would not agree with your demand, you can find another job or choose to stay.
Again it’s manifesting through polarity. Yes and no. Win or lose.
Does Having a College Diploma Matters?
Earlier today there was some sort of fun that happened in one of the teams at work near our office station.
The team leader was asking one question to his agents as part of their interaction in the workplace.
The question was, *“If you will be given a chance to travel back in the past, what scenario of your life would you want to go back?”*
It creates some noise in the workplace but it was not loud enough to cause disturbance to other agents on duty.
I was busy doing my report and even if I don’t want to be disturbed I can’t help but to listen as some of their answers make sense.
One particular answer that I have half heard was kind of remarkable. The agent was referring to the time of his life when he was studying in college. He said that he is an undergraduate and if only he had not been involved in some gangsters he could have a diploma in engineering. Then he said that it is still good to have a diploma. It appears that he was having regrets and wanted to correct something in his timeline.
Upon hearing his answer I paused and thought of something like, does having a college diploma really matters?
The truth is, I have a college diploma and finished a 4-year degree. But where am I now? Here I am at a BPO company working as a Workforce Analyst that I have never ever dreamed of.
For whatever reason he wanted to have a diploma and was envious of people who have one.
I wanted to chime in and tell him that having a diploma doesn’t matter if you want to be successful in life. It’s only a piece of paper with a university dry seal and signatures of the dean and university president.
I have been in the printing industry for 13 years working as a printer operator but my previous employer did not ask for my diploma when I was hired. I have worked in Saudi Arabia for two years but then a diploma is not even one of the requirements. I applied to my current employer six years ago and still the HR department did even dare to speak about my diploma.
But then again I asked myself the question about going back in time. I guess it was when I had the opportunity to teach in college but just let it pass.
However, when I think of that particular event in my life, I realize that it was done and really the course of my life. Perhaps if I grabbed that opportunity I would not be here writing in this community, I would not have met my wife or I would be richer or poorer by now. We never know.
For those of you who are still studying, just finish whatever type of carrier you have chosen. Shifting to a different course will just confuse you and will just delay your process of learning.
We must understand the importance of education but remember that those are only for the basics.
Do you know who really wants the diploma? It is our parents because they are working hard for our education and that seeing their sons and daughters receive a diploma is something that they are proud of.
The Quality Of Doing It Yourself
Whoa!!! (From the top of my lungs) No, I don’t feel good.
**Just imagine a sudden burst of scream. Can you sense it?**
The sun has almost rested after the hot weather today and appears to have accomplished its duty.
While I just rested a couple of hours ago, here I am again writing for a living.
*“Ang hirap talaga kumita ng pera.”* (It is really hard to earn money)
The line above used to be said when we common Filipinos are experiencing hardship in life. We would engage in anything that can add to our income in a decent way although sometimes other people tend to do illegal things for their necessity. That is a sad reality.
Anyway it is my rest day today and I was planning to accomplish household fixing that I have listed in mind. First one is to fix the exhausted exhaust fan in the ceiling because it broke three days ago, next is to replace a tired piece of vinyl tile. Unfortunately those were not fixed and I was already exhausted.
Actually I first did some DIY with my motorcycle that took me almost the whole day in my garage. I added some extra switches to it. Yes those are simply switches but took me eight hours to finish the process.
I could have documented it for a YouTube video but I am lazy enough to do it. You know it’s time consuming if you are not really into YouTube channeling. I prefer to post it through writing instead.
The DIY project I did was adding a hazard light switch and another switch for the headlight. You know most motorcycles being sold these days don't have a switch for the headlight. It will turn on once the motorcycle engine starts running. So the headlight is always on while on the road even in broad daylight. It has a switch only for high and low beams.
There are ready made switches to buy in some online stores but I find them costly. I am a person who prefers to purchase items at a very cheap price and $3 (150php) is already high amount for me (laughs). But don’t get me wrong because I am a techy guy who used to make DIY rather than purchasing it. You are pretty sure of the quality if you are the one who built it. Yes, those cheap items mostly are of low quality. I have experienced it several times, believe me.
Above is my DIY switch box. As you can see there are three switches because I added a separate flasher for the hazard light switch which is uncommon to some mechanics and motorcycle owners.
Switch 1 is for the additional flasher switch. Next is the hazard light switch and the third on the right is the switch for the headlight.
All the materials I used are salvaged components from broken electronic appliances which I tend to keep for similar projects. The enclosure is made of PVC pipe then painted it with black.
The only parts I purchased online for this project are the flasher and hazard switch that cost me less than $3.
I posted only the finished product because I wanted to make this blog post as short as possible.
Forgive me by the way if you can’t relate to the things I have mentioned here, and yes I know it may sound nonsense but thank you for your time if you have gone reading until here.
I need to fix the exhaust fan as soon as possible before my wife would lose her patience (laughs).
Are we Ready for the Next Dictatorship?
I am not really into writing and talking about politics. But since the current event here in PH is about a national election, allow me to express my opinion according to my own observation.
**Disclaimer:** All things mentioned in this post including names, events and places are only from my own opinion and perspective. No offense.
I exercised my right of suffrage again yesterday. It took me just less than an hour to vote. From searching for the assigned precinct up to actual voting was not really that long.
However, some of the precinct appears to be messy but it is expected that every polling place will be crowded. It was like no pandemic or as if people have disregarded it in the meantime because of the national election.
My wife and I went to the polling place and started walking at around 6:30 AM. We walked for at least 20 minutes and when we reached the place it was already crowded.
After I was done voting, I waited for my wife outside for two hours. Yes it took her that long to vote due to some issues. She said that the facilitators in her assigned precinct were uneasy as if the process was disorganized.
There were also times that the lights were on and off despite the assurance of the electric company that there would be no possible power failure during the election.
After voting we went home and watched the news. As expected according to the news there are still places where voters have not yet casted their votes due to voting machine errors or problems with the ballots.
To make the story short, it was Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who was leading in the presidential election. According to GMA news, as of 6:40 PM, Manila time (May 10, 2022), he got more than 31M votes while Lenny Robrido got more than 14M votes which is almost half of Marcos’s accumulated votes.
Marcos Jr. is now sending his thanks to the people even if the result is still unofficial. However by merely looking at the current count there is a really big difference with the number of votes between the two.
Assuming that Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. will be the newly elected PH President, what do you think will happen to the country in the next six years? Will he rule the country just like his father?
History tells us about the former PH President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. He was a dictator. He ruled the country for more than 20 years and put the county under martial law from 1972 to 1981.
Marcos was one of the most controversial leaders of the 20th century. He was regarded as the most corrupt and brutal president.
However despite the extreme ruling, the country’s economic development grew amidst oil and energy crisis.
Marcos Jr ran for senate position in 2010 and won. He also ran in the 2016 presidential election but lost. And now it appears that the Marcoses have regained their power by ruling the country again after 36 years.
The question is what’s next? We Filipino people never know what his plans were for ruling the country.
In my own opinion, I think this is now the right time to change the mindset of some people about Marcos, especially those who suffered and lost loved ones because of martial law. BongBong should let the people know that he is not like his father. And that he should stand for the people to trust them again. He might inherit his father’s intellectual ability to make development in the country but not of his father’s extravagant ruling.
There are millions of Marcos believers but there may be millions of those who hate the former president too because of the chaos he gave to people.
It’s time to make amends.
Anyway I have to cut this post for now. I know the feed is flooded with posts by most *Pinoys* about the national election, forgive us for that is how we show our talents in writing.
Thanks for reading. Ciao!
Lead image source https://unsplash.com/photos/T9CXBZLUvic
Unconditionally
Just in case you have been busy for the last couple of days, today is Mothers day.
**If you have no idea of what to write about, try to write something about your mother.**
I have already made several posts about my mother even if it is not mother’s day. And if you have been reading those posts you will notice that I always regard her as a disciplinarian.
**The love of a mother is a love of a mother**
Perhaps you are aware of the video of a journalist from a local TV broadcasting that went viral on social media a week ago.
The news reporter was doing a live report along the pavement when a homeless woman went near her and caressed her lovingly as if the lady was her daughter. The news reporter did not show any awkward moment and just let the homeless woman do what she wanted to do like hugging her and savoring the scent of the news reporter’s perfume.
Just in case you haven’t seen the viral video you can check it **here**. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgAK992xrRk
The video was only 1 minute and 39 seconds long and it has already had more than 6 million views after it was uploaded on April 9.
While watching the video I was amazed by the professionalism of the news reporter. I didn’t see any signs of rejection from her. She just let the homeless in, who appears to be harmless. After watching the short video I felt guilt inside me. Then I scroll down and read the reactions from the viewer. Most of the comments are praising the lady reporter for her act of kindness and professionalism. Indeed she is an inspiration. There were people who seemingly didn't appreciate what the lady did.
In reality homeless people are not really nice to look at in physical appearance. Then the odor is kind of unpleasant because of not having good hygiene. In short, other people judge them for how they appear to be.
After that incident, the team went on a rescue mission the next day. They search for the homeless woman in the video. Fortunately they found her and were able to talk to her. Good thing the woman was still sane enough despite the starvation she had been through on the street. The woman told the team about her sisters and she was able to reunite with her. They found out that the woman went to Manila to look for a job two years ago. Unfortunately she was unlucky and ended up wandering as homeless in the streets.
According to her sister, she left her only child in Mindanao to work in Manila but later she had engaged in some friends who were doing drugs.
The local government is now arranging the papers so that she can go back home and reunite with her child. But first they have to send her to an institution that takes care of homeless people.
The video was posted about a week ago and one thing that captured my attention was the way the women treated the lady reporter. She was hugging the reporter as though she was her daughter. I was thinking that maybe her child is a girl and that she misses her for a long time. Then upon seeing the lady reporter she showed her how she misses her child.
We just witnessed an act of unconditional love. I mean the video shows it all.
No words spoken.
It is what it is and is real.
Happy Mother's Day!
Lead image source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgAK992xrRk
From The Inside: 2.5 inches HDD
I have this Seagate hard disk drive (HDD) from my broken Red Fox notebook and used it as an external storage device.
**I have been using it too for saving downloaded movies and then plugging it to my smart TV for watching films during my leisure time.**
For some reason the smart TV is no longer reading it and then I plugged it into my laptop only to find out that it is already broken.
**The Click of Death**
Whenever the disk is plugged in, it creates a clicking sound inside. According to some tech experts, whenever you hear this clicking sound inside your hard drive there is a possibility that your data and other files can no longer be recovered. It means that your HDD is already dead that is why they called it the click of death.
So for your awareness I have opened my broken HDD for you to see what is inside. This post may serve for educational purposes too just in case you haven’t seen what a 2.5 inches HDD looks like on the inside. But you can go and check YouTube for similar posts if you find this blog a little boring.
There are only seven screws to remove the cover. The six screws are visible and the other one is hidden by the label sticker.
As you can see inside, there is a disk called the platter. This is where the data is being stored. The platter spins fast between 5400 and 7200 revolution per minute (RPM). Then the armature mechanism, the actuator arm that looks like the Eiffel tower. On the tip of the actuator arm is a reader head that picks up that data from the platter. It moves backward and forward while the platter is spinning.
According to the information I have gathered, when the reader head is unable to find the data the actuator arm bounces back and forth off the platter that makes the click of death that we can hear outside the drive. I can prove it myself because I have plugged it in my laptop while it was open. Then I saw how fast the platter spins and then the source of clicking sound.
On the backside you will see the main board of the hard drive. As you can see most of the components are very very small.
I took another picture with a toothpick pointing the tip to a resistor to show you how tiny these components are. Then on the top left is one of the hard drive’s screws for a better size comparison between components.
Can you imagine the possibilities these tiny components can bring when implanted to our brain or under our skin?
Anyway I was trying to fix this click of death in my external drive because I have important files in it. One possible way to retrieve the data is to bring it to the repair shop that specializes in HDD repairing. But it is kind of costly. I think it would cost me $50 to $100 more like buying a new HDD.
Another possible way for me to fix it is to look for the same HDD in some electronic junk shops to get some spare parts. I am suspecting that the main board could be one reason why the drive crashes.
I think it is not good to always plug the external drive to the smart TV if we want to watch downloaded films. We might as well use a USB flash drive for that matter. This is because the HDD has a spinning disk inside and it’s kind of sensitive to vibration when it is on. This might damage the disk just like what had happened to my HDD.
So far there are no other components inside an HDD as I have shown you just in case you haven’t held one. It only weighs 105 grams compared to my 2TB 3.5 HDD that weighs 625 grams which is more than half kilo.
I am not planning to dispose of my broken HDD because of some important file inside. I’m still looking forward to fixing this myself in the future.
But anyway I hope you find this post interesting. I am making more posts about “From the inside” In the coming days. This is another way of sharing information and educating some of you as well from my own experiences about technology and electronics.
If you like this post you can share it with your friends and family. It’s all free.
Until next From The Inside post. Thanks for reading.
There is Always a Second Chance For Those Who Deserve it
In the past couple of months, it is normal to see people knocking on every house's doors giving leaflets because of the coming presidential election here in PH.
**Five days from now we will once again vote for the new PH President that we like to rule the country in the next six years.**
Whoever will be the next to sit on the presidential chair after the 9th of May will be the 17th President of The Republic of the Philippines.
Like any other country, the Philippines have been battling with a lot of controversies involving political scandals like illegal activities, corruption and sexual practices.
In the Philippines, according to the constitution, anyone can run for president as long as s/he has the qualification as required.
**What are the qualifications?**
Well, the qualifications are just simple. Listed below are according to the constitution in verbatim:
**1.** Natural born citizen of the Philippines
**2.** Registered voter
**3.** Able to read and write
**4.** At least 40 years of age on the day of election
**5.** Resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years immediately preceding the election.
Pretty much simple, isn’t it? I think I am qualified for that. What do you think? **Bjorn for President!** (laughs)
Anyway since we will be exercising our rights to suffrage again allow me to make a post about this coming Presidential elections.
Campaign materials can be seen again from flyleaf to large tarpaulins up to the social media and internet. I wonder if all of those running for a government position are cleaning up their mess after the election, particularly those who lose.
A woman knocked on my door a few hours ago and she handed me a copy of a campaign material printed in A4 paper size. The print out indicates an attorney running for councilor in Quezon City. Stated there are his credentials like educational background, work experiences and awards.
I was reading the content for about a minute when my wife went near me and she said in her normal tone of voice, *“Is that a resume? What is he applying for?”*
I was like, what?! I was looking at the paper for a couple of minutes and I didn’t realize that it was really a resume. I was focusing on reading the information because the person is kind of tough and is really capable of becoming a counselor according to his credentials. But then my awareness was broken all of a sudden.
I just laugh with my wife’s remarks and yes indeed, the attorney is applying for a counselor position and he is submitting his resume to the public.
But regardless of education a person can still run for president even if he has no formal education just like the 13th President of the Philippines (you know exactly who I mean).
When it comes to elections there is always a possibility of cheating. Even if a true and sincere candidate won, people in the opposing team would also think of being cheated. It’s like they don’t accept defeat.
Remember that all fights will always have a winner and a loser. We must understand that losing is a part of the game.
There is always a second chance for those who deserve it.
Work Onsite: Day One
This is it. Finally, I have decided to go back to work onsite.
**In one of my previous posts, I talked about planning to return to work in the office. This is because of a lack of internet connection during the time that I need it the most.**
I have already mentioned in some of my posts about the pros and cons of WFH and WOS setup in my own experience so I need not have to reiterate myself.
So, today’s post is just about sharing some happenings during my first day of working back onsite.
The management is not really urging employees with work from home set up to go back to working in the office. It is my own free will to go back. I think it is quite safe now outside as I observe it despite the news about possible COVID surge in the next two weeks.
But before I have to enter the office, I have to undergo the Antigen test. Fortunately, the result was negative, which I am confident that I am healthy enough with no signs or symptoms.
And now here I am sitting in my cubicle again after two years.
Nothing changed except that there are glass barriers installed in every row or cubicle. The distance of every PC station is according to health protocol.
As you can see it was like I was the only one in my station because the lights were turned off. My schedule is during the day and associates are at night so mostly I am alone in my place until my teammate arrives at the 12PM schedule. But then again since I have shifts during weekends so it’s going to be deafening silence again while I work during Saturdays and Sundays. I am used to working in a very quiet place and the noises I hear are the sudden sound of typing from keyboards in the distant station even though there are no CSRs on duty.
A lot of new employees in the HR and other support departments and those old employees don’t seem to recognize me because I have grown my hair long. I remember when I was in a teenage band I always had long hair. I just find it fun having long hair again.
So far my first day working onsite was successful. I don’t feel anything unusual. It’s just that I feel my head is kind of heavy. I think it’s just normal as my body is trying to adjust to the new working environment again unlike in our home where there is no air conditioning system.
Anyway I have nothing much to share aside from this. I just did a little writing today since I was inactive for the last two days. Yes, since I started working onsite I will be less active here because of more time outside. But I don’t mean that I will stop writing.
So that’s all for now, I think my next post will be during my rest day. I hope you have a great Monday.
What is your current working status? Still work from home or started working onsite like me?
@Bjorn
