@rayselp
@rayselp
My Journey to the University (as an undergrad) I don't know about you, but when I was young, I always wanted to grow old faster. When I was in grade school, I was not into the childish things that every other kid is going crazy about, I always thought, I am an old soul trapped in a kid's body. During those times, I always think of myself as a successful person. When I was a kid and I was asked what I want to be when I grow up, I would definitely say "I want to become a…
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Some say money can't buy happiness... Sumimasen... Have you watched a short video on Tiktok or YouTube shorts or Instagram Reels with this audio and then suddenly, with a (sounded like a) short laugh tell you "Sumimasen... come to Japan."? What's the connection, right? You will know when you'll be able to watch it, so I will try to post my own version of it here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZCK-M2VE-wE Well, come to think of it. If you'll not be "too serious" about it,…
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It hurts to be poor. "Ang hirap maging mahirap." The direct translation of this in English is "It's difficult to be poor.", or to make it sound more poetic, "It hurts to be poor." as shown in my title. Do you agree? I think it's agreeable, especially when you experience it in your face. Now, I am kind of experiencing it, without the intent of experiencing it. It's just funny because in the last article that I've written, I talked about people saying that money can't buy…
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Fix You Do you have a song that you play on loop whenever you feel sad, and down? This song by Coldplay always pierces my heart whenever I listen to it. Let me share with you a link to its music video, just in case you don't know it yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4V3Mo61fJM This song is about the singer-songwriter (Chris Martin) wanting to help the one he loves overcome a struggling situation of losing his ex-wife's (Gwyneth Paltrow) father. Though this is not…
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I am such a crybaby. Today, I cried... Yes, it's super normal to cry, right? But, is it still normal when I tell you that I cried in front of my Japanese supervising teacher? As some of you may already know, I am currently in Japan as a teacher training student under their government scholarship. I am one of the lucky ones who were able to join the roster of scholars coming to Japan for exposure to their educational institution and research. I am considered lucky because I…
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All will be alright, in time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCd1nAI-po4 I want to share with you one of my favorites from one of the most successful musicians in the Philippine Music Industry - Ben&Ben. This song is entitled "Leaves". Ben&Ben is a 9-part band led by the twins Miguel Benjamin and Paolo Benjamin Guico. At first, they were known as "The Benjamins", obviously because of their names, but later on, became Ben&Ben who popularized the music genre folk-pop. I've…
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Fresh (grads) in the flesh... Are you a fresh graduate who just recently finished his/her bachelor's degree from a college or university? You might hear people say to you "Welcome to the real world!". Funny, because these are the very words that I was thrown at when I was in your very situation. Why is it called the real world? Does it mean that the university isn't? I thought effective learning should be experiential, it should at least give us a glimpse of the "real world"…
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There's no such thing as ready. *"There's no such thing as ready..."* Do you believe in this statement? Actually, there's a statement after it, but I'm going to reveal it later. Let's first talk about the meaning of this, and why is there no such thing as it. I'm contemplating this ever since my friend said these statements back in 2013. She was a young journalist who had ventured into street photography, and eventually published a photography book. During that time, she met…
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Flower power If you will choose what kind of flower are you, what will it be? As for me, I don't have anything in particular when I was younger. Maybe it was red roses at first for this is the most common flower that I see when a man courts a woman, or especially during the high school prom, etc. I didn't even realize that there are so many other kinds of flowers out there to choose from. When I was in college, I decided that I like to receive a solitary white rose, I don't…
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Let's know about the "kawaii" culture. **Disclaimer: I am the sole author of this article. Some parts of the article were part of my paper submitted to one of my subjects called Japanese Culture.** In case you don't know, kawaii (かわいい) is a Japanese word that literally means "cute". It is a generalization of something that's adorable, or lovable... some articles also mentioned that the meaning of kawaii implies someone or something without any negative traits. Japan =…
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Kansai? Nara? What is that? Just to give you a brief background, I am from the Philippines, and is currently living in Nara City, Nara Prefecture in Japan. I am staying here as a scholar of Japanese government for special program for teachers. It's actually a short stay because I will only be here until March of next year. So, here is a list of some information about Japan that I have learned while I am here. Some are general information, and some are focused on where I live…
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History is not gossip. *"History repeats itself."* This famous saying is related to what George Santaya, a Spanish philosopher once said - "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." For me, it doesn't necessarily mean that everything that has happened in the past will be bound to happen again. I think it is called "deja vu", more commonly in a paranormal realm. It just suggests that maybe the same bad things can happen again if the present people don't…