Wanted: Happy People

Wanted: Happy People

The yuletide season brings along a jittery feeling of being in a rush. Most of the time, people hustle and bustle along the malls, hurrying to catch up with the latest sales and 75% offs available. There seems to be a mass smoke everywhere, as if pollution has covered every corner of the street. Cars rustle to and fro and drivers feel tired after. This is just how life is every time Christmas arrives, I think – or perhaps this is just how it is in our place.

Perhaps I am just down today, brought by the various factors that affect my insanity today. Forgive me for the term, but I am not literally insane (I think). It just so happens that I am so affected by the family matters in here.

Mother and father screams at the top of their lungs because of various problems. Financial dilemmas bring us into so much hell today. Okay, I get it. Every family has its own problem, but coming to think of it, money is not the ultimate source of happiness. I know it is hard for my parents to arrive at solutions to meet our everyday needs, so by this time, I feel like it is a major confusion for the people around me. Now and then I see mom complaining that her hands are stiff and painful. They talk about the legal matters faced by our relatives. Mom rambles on and on that she is the blah, blah, blah… Okay, you must be quite weary about how I think about my parents.

To clear things up, well, I really love my family – no doubt about that, but it just so happens that the tension is really at its peak this time that I feel like they need to have a heads up, to try to relax, to stop, and watch what they feel… which brings me to the thought: where are the happy people today?

Happiness is just around the corner. Happiness is inside us. Everyone has a grasp of happiness within him. We are just too occupied with the thought that we are sad that we forget the instinct of being happy. I am no professional psychologist/Ph.D. to recommend to you my philosophical insights about being happy, but as a human being who is capable of releasing my inner musings on this universal topic, let me recommend to you some tips I believe are helpful to unleash the happiness in you, especially this Christmas season.

  • Find time to relax (even just a bit).

Yes, even just a simple five-minute form of relaxation will be very helpful for you to gain insight into your own peace of mind. Do not think that you are becoming lazy in doing this. In fact, by doing this you will be giving enough for yourself to de-stress. In turn, you too will be praising yourself since you gave yourself a chance to be calm and be energized to face the life ahead.

  • Do what you want to do.

Happiness is about finding your own source of joy, something (may or may not be material) which will really let you feel like you’re on top of the world and that no one can take that world away from you.

As you try to determine what makes you happy, again, try to squeeze out that juice of inner pleasure in you. Think about what makes you tick. Are you happy in giving your services to the poor children out there? Are you happy in singing your heart out in front of the videoke? Or perhaps you are happy just by spending time with your hubby? You are your own boss when it comes to happiness. Remember that. Even your family can’t dictate you as to what your real happiness is. Mind you, I am not telling that your family cannot be your source of happiness, but in this light, only you can find that certain “bluebird of happiness.”

  • Spread happiness around you.

Happiness is contagious. I thus remember an encounter I’ve had with my close friend this morning. The truth is, this experience is the opposite of what I am trying to arrive at in this conversation.

I texted my friend “Good morning! Enoy your day!” In reply, he told me not to greet him anymore with anything containing the term “good.” In dismay, upon learning that he does not want to be greeted as such anymore, I just shrugged my shoulders and well, though sad, said, “Okay.”

Saddening, but I have to accept that some people are just plain grinches this Christmas. I thus think about how he used to be so bubbly and nice to be with before, but because of a certain experience he had been into before, he suddenly turned into a sad being lately. It might be because of the Christmas effect (that stereotype that Christmas is a happy season), and so I reflect further and think about how Christmas can really be the happiest season of all – despite everyday’s struggles.

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Metanoia through PBB

Watching Pinoy Big Brother Double Up certainly is a part of my everyday routine. Come 10pm, I make sure that I am free and just in tune with the show. True enough, watching it makes me realize lots of human values and tendencies. Being an aspiring professional in the field of psychology/psychiatry (even though I graduated from Nursing), I see the reasons why Big Bro lets the hoursemates do some stuffs.

In comparison to a housemate, I think Carol is more like me. During her stint at House B, I feel like I’m on her shoes, though I want her to be really strong and to fight for what she thinks is right.

I really hate those back-stabbing housemates. They keep on telling each other bad things about another housemate, when in fact, they should try to consider their own personalities before doing so. Or if they really want to make things better, it should be proper but to confront that housemate.

Also, upon watching tonight’s episode, when I saw how welcomed Carol was at House A, I just wish that she would stay there for the rest of the show. She will be better off if she was there. The housemates at House A see her for who she really is, not judging her by mere seeing what she does not do.

In fact, I wish Kuya would read my blog and see how I get affected by the show, to the fact that I try to reflect every night with regards what I watch.

In reality, we all have personalities that we need to enhance. I understand that we are unique in every single way. But if we will be looking at how one wins in this game called Life, I guess one of the things that considers us victorious is through a fruitful change that only comes from genuine metanoia or “change of heart.”

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Earn thru this e-book

Earn thru this e-book
coeline.sulit.com.ph – Tuesday, August 11, 2009

2009 © Sulit.com.ph

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Hugs from a Long Time Past

It has been some time since I last posted in here. And it really is great to be back! I have been into some think-tank adventures for a while, and yeah, it just feels great to be here again…

Well, what have I been up to these months, you ask? Okay, so if you really are interested (talk about BIG interest), I guess I can share then to you.

As you see, there’s this thing called passion which I am so into all these years — and we call this ‘writing.’ Indeed, I tried all means to develop this craft of mine and guess what, even as I honed my love for writing, I did earn some bucks through this. Let us go a bit in detail about the biz.

Based on some months of working for different clients, I learned about homebased writing jobs that will certainly pay off. I was just curious I guess, with the ongoing hub in the e-writing stint, so I gave it a try.

I started the first week of May. At that time, I was only earning 6000 pesos a month, which in fact, did not allow me to pursue such tasks because I thought that my health was being in great regard with the type of job I went into. In fact, I only lasted for 9 days. Well, it was worth the try. I learned to care for myself as well as learned about the technical stuffs in line with the craft and biz.

Come late May, I got more clients. This time, I searched some job ad sites and found my haven there. To be specific, www.manila.craigslist really allowed me to search jobs and even post regarding the services I offer. Through the site as such, together with www.sulit.com.ph, I got more clients. The multi-tasking phase soon turned in, as I managed to submit articles to different entities. This time, I was earning per project basis. For one, I got 90 pesos per 350 words. For another, it was 70 pesos for 500 words. It thus depends on the client actually.

And now, when I decided to post on craigslist, I soon encountered more clients… And this time, it was really fulfilling, for since they were international clients, I found the compensation worth my time and efforts. At this point, I was earning $3.75 per 500 words, until I increased my rate to $4.00 per 500 words. So far, these are my rates and I think with experience and time, I can go higher as the years or months pass.

I know the recession and all the crises around the world has turned in, and so did the writing biz is slightly affected. Yes, it may be just slight, as it depends upon the opportunities that we, writers are finding. But one thing I have learned from my stint as a writer of e-books, web articles, and many more, that there should still be great regard for our own capacities. I understand that employers or clients do have difficulties with their budgets, but since what is being spared here is the time and effort (talk about major thinking and crafting of ideas), the whole package that dedicated writers should not be at risk.

Hence, for writers, you know what your values are. It is up to you if you will allow advantageous clients to rob you off your real worth. Of course, you may try to consider the bountiful amount of knowledge you may be equipped with through your researches and writing, but when you still come to think about the things you will be through when you accept some projects, just ponder some more, for it is not just the money, but the whole idea of writing that is counted.

**

Other sites you might want to join in:

www.elance.com
www.scriptlance.com
www.helium.com
www.hubpages.com
www.virtualvocations.com
www.getafreelancer.com
www.simplyhired.com
www.ifreelance.com
www.gofreelance.com
www.bidhire.com

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On the Hayden Kho Issue


Ang balitang Hayden Kho – Katrina Halili, etc. controversy ay patuloy na nag-iinit. Halos lahat ng mga headlines, flash reports, atbp. ay nagbibigay ng updates ukol dito. Kaya naman, tuwing mapapanood ko ito sa TV, sa simula’t-simula pa lamang ng isyu ay talaga namang naglilitawan ang aking pananaw sa isyu.

Base sa pahayag ni Hayden Kho na “… Sana let us try to condemn the sin, not the sinner… ” aking napag-isip-isip… May point naman siya. In fairness, kahit papaano, at kung ating iisipin — oo nga, nagkamali siya nang kuhanan niya ng videos yung mga partners niya. Ngunit tulad nating lahat na may weaknesses, si Hayden ay nahulog sa bitag ng kanyang kahinaan. Base sa pakikinig at pagbabasa tungkol sa mind and its capabilities, nalaman kong lahat tayo ay may taglay na kahinaan. Ang kahinaang ito ay maaari nating malabanan sa pamamagitan ng maraming techniques. Pwede tayong mag-employ ng iba’t-ibang defense mechanisms at coping means upang maka-cope sa mga stressors, mga hindi magandang experiences. And later, pag nasanay tayo sa mga maaaring maging habit na ang mga ito.

Sa case ni Hayden, naging resort niya ang sexual pleasure na naattain niya through making videos. It’s just so sad for him kasi nagkataong nagkaconflict sila ng ex-friend niya, kaya ayun, naging talk of the town siya. Iba talaga pag sumapit ang tadhana… Hayy…

Well, for me, sana magkaroon pa rin ng space for forgiveness. And sana maiwasan naman ang pagdaragdag ng hindi makatotohanan ukol sa tunay na isyu. Kung anuman ang nangyari ay nangyari for a reason. More or less, ang incident na ito ay ang hudyat upang magising-gising na ang mga tao sa outcome ng mga actions.

We can’t say, but for sure, marami ring gumagawa ng equivalent ng ginawa ni Hayden pero hindi lang sila namemedia. Pero asan sila ngayon? Nagpapatuloy pa rin malamang ng ginagawa nila! Kung iisipin, pwedeng sila sana ang nasa katayuan ni Hayden, pero hindi eh.. Showbiz kasi. At madali siyang mapapansin dahil doon. Kaya naman, sana lang, kung meron mang mabuting dulot ang isyung ito, panigurado, iyon yung lesson na ipinapaabot nito sa taong-bayan — na magbago na para sa ikauunlad ng ating mga sarili…

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Clueless

It’s been a different week by far. It seems pretty cool too, since I’ve gotten into what I call now as a “either I stay or go” stint. The life of an ordinary potato girl has yet to go anew.

The dream of a greener pasture still lives on. But as I come to think of the consequences I would have to face if ever I would be granted the chance to fulfill my dream, I just feel uncertain.

Okay, for those of you who do not know what I’m talking about here, well, in a few days I am about to find out the verdict: whether or not I’ll be leaving the Philippines for a while to work somewhere else – where a lion stands abound, and where chewing gum is forbidden. Yes, this is Singapore.

To Singapore, where the hardworking are blessed – this is where I will be bound for if ever God wills me to. This is where I suppose I will be staying over a period of time to enhance my independence, my capabilities, and my strengths and weaknesses as a person.

Alas, when that time comes that I will be required to face challenges that a normal adult usually faces, I think that this would also be the moment when I’d be ready to proclaim without hesitation that I am truly free. All this time, when my environment has always been a friendly one, where I don’t usually stand amidst a fierce crowd, I just am laid back, knowing that I always have my parents and family beside me. But this time, if ever God grants me the chance, then I’d better be ready.

This time, I should be brave enough to survive the tough life out there. I have to learn how it is to wash my laundry without being piled up with more than what I could handle. I must also learn how to iron my clothes so as to dress according to the nature of my supposed work. In there, I must learn how to travel by myself, without fears that I won’t end up at the wrong streets. In Singapore, I must realize that all I shall earn are products of hard labor and determination.

And just like it is in life, I know that even if I do not make it there, I must really strive hard to reach my destination. No matter what it takes, and no matter what happens, I shall soon fulfill my dreams.

Yet, in our own journeys, let us not forget that there are times when we just have to bear with the consequences that are packed along our choices. As we decide, let us also try to consider that there will definitely be pros and cons. Whatever these results might be, we just have to weigh them carefully. They may turn out small, but at a later time, they may end up so large that we won’t be able to handle them anymore. Hence, along our decision-making, hopefully, we will be able to stand up, beaming, that no matter what would happen, we are ready to accept anything life has to yet to bring.

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The Little Bunny Shops

Take a hold of the coolest products that the Little Bunny Shops (an online shopping site) has to offer. Select from their skin and body products, bags, frostings, apparels, and crafts.

Skin and Body Products

Be delighted by natural and organic skin and body care products to soothe your fancies. Be kind to your precious skin! Nourish it with nature’s wonders and be awed with the results.

Bags

Bangle up your apparel with trendy bags of various chic, classy, cuddly, and more designs to suit your taste. Give yourself a reward for a month’s hard work by jazzing your getup the way you’d want to. The Litte Bunny Shops provide you with a variety of designs to choose from.

Frostings

Spritz up your outfit and at the same time, be on time during your most important appointments with these intricate time pieces. They are also perfect for presents to the most important people in your life.

Apparels


Want to be in the zone? Or perhaps you are looking for a hipper style when it comes to dressing up? Not to worry, for The Little Bunny Shops also offers an online boutique filled with the coolest and most unique trend lines up to date.

To learn more of these exciting and fresh items, visit http://thelittlebunnyshops.multiply.com/ or http://thelittlebunnyshops.co.nr/

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No more newly imported books in the Phil?

This was a post on my online group, OneLaSalle — from Ging Sison. For everyone’s information.

Fw: No More Newly Imported Books in the Philippines; the Reason Why In the last few months, the importation of books into the Philippines has virtually stopped. (To those of you who frequent bookstores, I don’t know if you’ve noticed.)

The reason why is explained in this article by Robin Hemley, a University of Iowa creative writing professor currently on a fellowship in the Philippines. If you have no time to read the article, the essence is that because the Bureau of Customs has decided to impose duties on the importation of books into the Philippines. This, despite the 1950 Florence Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials (which you can see here), which the Philippines ratified in 1979.

The preamble of the agreement states: “Considering that the free exchange of ideas and knowledge and, in general, the widest possible dissemination of the diverse forms of self-expression used by civilizations are vitally important both for intellectual progress and international understanding, and consequently for the maintenance of world peace…”, an indisputable proposition. Here’s an excerpt from Robin Hemley’s article (i shortened it a bit. better if you can read the whole thing.)

- …Over coffee one afternoon, a book-industry professional (whom I can’t identify) told me that for the past two months virtually no imported books had entered the country, in part because of the success of one book, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The book, an international best seller, had apparently attracted the attention of customs officials. When an examiner named Rene Agulan opened a shipment of books, he demanded that duty be paid on it. The importer of Twilight made a mistake and paid the duty requested. A mistake because such duty flies in the face of the Florence Agreement, a U.N. treaty that was signed by the Philippines in 1952, guaranteeing the free flow of “educational, scientific, and cultural materials” between countries and declaring that imported books should be duty-free. Mr. Agulan told the importer that because the books were not educational( i.e., textbooks) they were subject to duty. Perhaps they aren’t educational, I might have argued, but aren’t they “cultural”? No matter. With this one success under their belt, customs curtailed all air shipments of books entering the country. Weeks went by as booksellers tried to get their books out of storage and started intense negotiations with various government officials. What doubly frustrated booksellers and importers was that the explanations they received from various officials made no sense.

It was clear that, for whatever reason”perhaps the 30-billion-peso ($625 million) shortfall in projected customs revenue”customs would go through the motions of having a reasonable argument while in fact having none at all. Customs Undersecretary Espele Sales explained the government’s position to a group of frustrated booksellers and importers in an Orwellian PowerPoint presentation, at which she reinterpreted the Florence Agreement as well as Philippine law RA 8047, providing for “the tax and duty-free importation of books or raw materials to be used in book publishing.” For lack of a comma after the word “books,” the undersecretary argued that only books “used in book publishing” (her underlining) were tax-exempt. “What kind of book is that?” one publisher asked me afterward. “A book used in book publishing.” And she laughed ruefully. I thought about it.

Maybe I should start writing a few. Harry the Cultural and Educational Potter and His Fondness for Baskerville Type. Likewise, with the Florence Agreement, she argued that only educational books could be considered protected by the U.N. treaty. Customs would henceforth be the arbiter of what was and wasn’t educational. “For 50 years, everyone has misinterpreted the treaty and now you alone have interpreted it correctly?” she was asked. “Yes,” she told the stunned booksellers. Throughout February and March, bookstores seemed on the verge of getting their books released—all their documents were in order, but the rules kept changing. Now they were told that all books would be taxed: 1 percent for educational books and 5 percent for noneducational books.

A nightmare scenario for the distributors; they imagined each shipment being held for months as an examiner sorted through the books. Obviously, most would simply pay the higher tax to avoid the hassle. Distributors told me they weren’t “capitulating” but merely paying under protest. After all, customs was violating an international treaty that had been abided by for over 50 years. Meanwhile, booksellers had to pay enormous storage fees. Those couldn’t be waived, they were told, because the storage facilities were privately owned (by customs officials, a bookstore owner suggested ruefully). One bookstore had to pay $4,000 on a $10,000 shipment. The day after the first shipment of books was released, an internal memo circulated in customs congratulating themselves for finally levying a duty on books, though no mention was made of their pride in breaking an international treaty…

Please forward this or disseminate this in any way you can. In the name of reading.

*** As a bookworm, I feel like this has its pros and cons. First, as with the pro: The Filipino book-world will probably shine, since its international competitors will be lessened. However, this will still be depending on what the Filipino writers have to offer. Content still counts. And yes, lots out there (uhmm, out here too!) are just writing brilliant works, but still are not published authors. For the cons: Well, diversity and balance in the Philippine book-o-sphere will be lessened. I mean, whoever gets to imagine bookstores without the latest celebrated books all over the world?… Hmmm…

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Site to Track the Speed of your Site

The speed that your site is taking to load all its contents is very important, especially if you want your viewers to be satisfied. Hence, I’ve come across a tracker that allows us to do so.

Numion has a stopwatch that counts the time it takes to load your blog/site. As with this particular blog,  well — 7.528 seconds all in all…

For the link to the site, visit http://www.numion.com/

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Screenshot Testing

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