Oblivion

There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.

-John Green "The Fault in our Stars"

Hope. Believe.

After almost an hour reading the President's State of the Nation Address (SONA), because apparently I missed to watch it on the tube, my lips surprisingly curved into a smile. If you were to ask me, I've never been into politics and I never wanted to meddle with it. I am not apathetic, I am aware of our nation's situation. I just didn't want to be so involve with its drama. I am neither pro nor anti P-Noy, however last night, I felt gratified with our President's speech. In all fairness, he covered a lot of issues. It was comprehensive. I can see naman that he is doing his best in an effort to mend and improve our country. Change wont happen overnight. And seriously, after reading his speech, I thought, parang hindi ko kakayanin ang trabaho niya. You need to deal with so many problems and issues including people (esp the crab mentality and antagonists). They're part of the package. Imagine the whole country is looking up to you and it is not as easy as you might think it is. So to my fellow Filipinos, rather than complaining and ranting for a lot of reasons, may we participate in looking for solutions to our nation's difficulties. Simple grade schooler example: Throwing your trash everywhere. You may think your cigar butt or small piece of candy wrapper may be too small, its no big deal, but how many people actually throw them out in the streets everyday? Is everyone aware of the word accumulation? How about flood? I have a strong feeling those two words connect. Duh. Hello discipline. We may not realize that we become part of the problem so might as well be part of the solution.

I feel there is hope for us if we only work hand in hand. You may say that  I am too kumpyansa or positive for the Philippines, well why not?

I have hope for the Philippines. I believe in change and the possibilities we could do as Filipino citizens. =)

Ad majorem dei gloriam.

Very well said, Von Goethe.

P.S. To those involve in Pork Barrel scam: Karma is a bitch. Ang gaba dili magsaba.

“What are you going to do with your life?"

"In one way or another it seemed that people had been asking her this forever; teachers, her parents, friends at three in the morning, but the question had never seemed this pressing and still she was no nearer an answer... "Live each day as if it's your last'', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.”

David Nicholls
One Day

Do it now

"No one's gonna wait for you. So do it now and do it right!"

Thesis much? Thank you Ingrid Michaelson for your awesome, relatable song!haha

Affogato

Warning: Throwback post. Found this entry while sweeping through my tumblr.

 One of the best treats I had in Bacolod 3 years ago.

Extreme sweetness meets extreme bitterness. Oh lala

Come salivate with me

Gelato soaked in espresso

Voila! bottoms up in less than 5 minutes ;)

Alien

Batangas, 2013. Photo by Diuvs De Jesus

Live

Who moved my Cheese?

Simple yet deep. Two words I can describe about Spencer Johnson's 'Who Moved my Cheese?'

Last Friday, Arah, one of my good friends recommended me this book. She said its just an hour worth of reading. In spite of being deep rooted and affected to the happenings in Wheel of Time, I inserted this reading and gave it a try.

'Who moved my cheese?' has a very simple story. Yet the lessons the book wants to convey people are profound. Something to ponder on. There are four main interesting characters in the story.

'The Cheese' being the metaphor of the important things we want to achieve in life, whether in career, academics or relationships. Change is inevitable and people have different strokes to how we respond to it. And this is practically what the book is about. See how these 4 friends overcome and cope with the changes around them.

I don't want to burst your bubble by telling you the whole story, I just want to share a few things I've learned in this story and words that struck me.

On planning ahead:

• My parents and some of my profs never fail to remind us to plan our work ahead. And I think this applies to anything and anyone in this world.
• Don't be complacent, always have back-up. Plan ahead. Always be alert.
• "Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to bigger changes that are to come."
• Take control rather than simply letting things happen to you.

On overcoming your own fears:

• Don't be a captive on your own fears.
• Do not get drowned from your fears. Don't be afraid to get out of your COMFORT ZONE.
• Some fears can be good. When you're afraid, things that are going to get worse if you don't do something, can prompt you into action. But its not good when you're so afraid, that it keeps you from doing anything.
• Use your fears into something relevant that can bring something positive into your life.
• We are able-bodied and we have brains. Use it to systematically plan how are we to conform to the change.

On being open-minded:

• When you see changes, stop the blaming and self pity, don't dwell too much on it. Move on, look immediately for another "Cheese". Get up and move with the cheese sooner.
• Expect change, learn something new and adapt on time.
• Things change and that's life. Life moves on and so are we.
• Life is simple. Do not over-analyze things.
• Accept the changes that happens along the way. Remember that the only constant in life is change.

On accepting change and moving on:

• Change your beliefs, change your perspective on things!
• The quicker you let go of the old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.
• Move in new direction and go with the flow.
• You can believe that change will harm you or can help you upon finding that new cheese. Embrace the change.
• And when you finally accepted change, go straight forward and let go of the past.
• All things depend on what you choose to believe in.

We can become a better person if we want to and if we choose to be one. Its just about perspective and how you manage your inner self. And believe me when I say PERSPECTIVE.

So, am I a better person now? Definitely. :)

What is talent?