In vino, TMI

I am always amused by the effects of alcohol on the human brain.

Some people can take alcohol very well and seem unaffected by it.

Some people become taciturn and clam up.

Some people become rowdy and quarrelsome when they take alcohol. They should avoid drinking as much as possible.

But there are people who become voluble and spill personal secrets that should really have remained hidden unto themselves. But when their secrets are out, it is very hard to unknow them again. And I wonder if they regret ever having spilled it.

I am just a social drinker and do not really drink as much. Oftentimes  however, I get a feeling that during drinking sessions, I get to hear too much information.

What I learned from walking

There is a famous saying that "the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step".

While this is uncontestable I realized from doing a lot of walking that the best way to reach our destination is not to focus so much on where we are going or how far we are yet from there, but to be aware of where we are at the moment and the progress we make at every step. Before we know it, we will realize that we have arrived at our destination.

I believe this insight is helpful as we can also apply this in reaching our life goals.

From kite cards to parol cards

A friend gave me a set of mini-kite cards from Japan. They are nice but  I don't know if they can really be made to fly. They make nice souvenirs though.

While thinking of how I can adapt this card to create a Filipino version of a kind of gift card, I thought of making mini parol cards which the receiver can assemble themselves or simply collect.

The possibilities are endless. But the important thing is to take the first step to turn the idea into reality.

Jeepney modernization, no! Transport modernization, yes!

This is the second day in a row that classes in all levels and work in government offices had been suspended because of a jeepney strike. Protesters are opposing the planned phase out of jeepneys under a transportation modernization plan being pursued by the government.

Although I personally believe that the jeepney is an outmoded form of transportation and which has to go one day or another, I think the best way to do this is by natural attrition and not by officially phasing it out.

Government should simply build modern mass rapid transportation options such as rail based transport and even cable cars- for the people. When people stop patronizing the jeepneys in favor of better options, the jeepney will eventually disappear- or as I have suggested in a previous post, evolve with other uses.

And while we are on the subject of transportation, I would like to remind government planners not to overlook walking as the first mode of transportation. But this is for another post.

Some essential ideas to have

1. Love of  Truth
2. Narrative of basic  history
3. Origin of man
4. the human body
5. basic philosophy
6. the concept of science
7. basic science - biology, chemistry, physics
8. basic mathematics
9. geography
10. basic humanities and the arts

In the end however, pure knowledge, without action, without deeds, is nothing.

No to misericordia selling

I have no problem with social enterprises that create and provide livelihood opportunities for people. However, I am turned off when it is the poverty or misery of the people that is made as a selling point instead of the quality of the products that they make.

Acceptance of this practice is counter to striving for excellence which is what we should all demand in order for an enterprise to become really viable and not merely a form of charity in disguise.

fidelism - Our task

Our task is not to predict the future but to shape it that we create a better world.

Makibaka laban sa Fake Drug War

 

 

Ang droga ay tunay na salot sa ating lipunan at marapat lamang na labanan at sugpuin.

 

Ngunit kung ang War on Drugs ay -

 

nakatuon lamang sa criminal na pagpatay ng maliliit na drug users at addicts habang hindi nagagalaw ang mga kilalang malalaking drug lords at smugglers kahit kilala na sila;

 

walang malinaw na programa kung paano iligtas ang mga nalulong dito maliban sa pagpatay sa kanila;

 

at ginagamit upang usigin ang ilang mga personalidad kahit walang tunay na batayan,

 

ang War on Drugs na ito ay PEKE at dapat lamang na tutulan.

 

 

 

 

Entrepreneurship is problem solving

Usually when people think of going into business, they think of a product or service which they can sell to other people. This approach has worked for some but unfortunately not for everyone. For every success story, there are also countless stories of those who failed and who never managed to recover.

However, another approach to going into business is to view entrepreneurship as problem solving. Instead of starting with a product, be it an  item or service, one can first try to find a problem then try to find a way of how to solve it. If the problem is genuine and the offered solution is effective such that people encountering the said problem will be will to pay money for it, then a business is born.

Language learning tip

I've tried to learn several other languages - Spanish, Japanese and French - apart from English and Filipino which I speak with a high degree of fluency. However, for those languages I studied, I can not really claim having reached a respectable level of proficiency.

But the desire to become good with those languages and maybe with one or two more is always with me.

As I think of how to achieve my goal, I came to realize that the best way to master a new language is to hear, speak, read and write. And practice, practice, practice. To do this of course, discipline is key.