We're Moving...

Change is a fact of life... It is the catalyst that makes life as we know it exists...

Dynamics, is the subsistence of the very thing that makes us who we are... it defines us, it gives us structure and most of all, it is the great equalizer; Brahman in the flesh...

Moving into your own pad is a statement of your independence, of your determination, of liberation...!

On the other hand... moving into your own pad as expatriate in another country, with monthly rentals amounting to 40% of your total monthly income - is plain and simple, loosing it....

But despite the blaring signs of impending doom, this has to be done... not for any other reason, but its own....

You see, sometimes, circumstances forces you to change... in this case move.... But despite the eloquent and formidable challenge posed, I remain optimistic that life will for me and my family continue... that somehow, we will survive this...

I often find myself dazed and staring aimlessly into a blank wall, well aware of the contradictions that this decision will give me.... powerless to resists the fate that's to come.... But I guess that's me just being me... the great worrier of woes...

If there's one thing that I am looking forward to, is the fact that I'll be the master of my own domain again... Furnished with Brand New Furnitures and Appliances... with a plush 2,690 square feet piece of real estate... a grandiose living room, 2 bedroom, 2 toilet & bath, my very own 377 square feet 3rd floor balcony... I can rest my weary head watching the night sky illuminate my senses... also, the flat I got is just friggin' cooooool!!!!

Here's some (bad) photos of the pre-move deliveries.... we hope to move in latest Wednesday, 28th May 2008...


Master's Bed Room (view from bed)


My daughter's bedroom (view from corner)


and My brand new king-size bed!!!

I'll be posting more pictures of the flat as it takes shape on the next posts...

Baby Blues

It is common knowledge that the first few months in your baby's life can be the most stressfull event for both parent and baby. Indeed, the number of combinations of stressors sorrounding this occassion is just too staggerring beyond any understanding.

Throwing an extra "stressor" into the mix (e.i. viral invasion, accomodation and lodging problems, etc.) and you'll end up with my current state!

I read somewhere that lack of sleep is one of the main ingredient for paraoia and psychosomatic episodes.... as I writes this entry I am hearing little voices and seeing visions.... "will you stop talking Mr. Wilson...!!!"

But hey, don't get me wrong! I would rather trade all the stress, fatigue, and paranoia in the world only if I could be with my family and go through it all with them....

With all that is happening; I admit that I am managing the entire situation poorly. I'm constantly undermining the very tactics that I swore to defend, which is ---- never to panic when the baby refuses to sleep at 4am in the morning...

See I am a fairly reasonable man. Be as it may, I always pride mysels and on my scientific approach to things even in the face of the most challenging of challenges... Naturally, I wanted to explore a way to better understand my baby... bridge the gap, lick the fives....

So I've poured through countless pages online, several self-help tips from relatives, friends, and even perfect strangers, but the one that really struck a chord with my incessant pursuit of understanding and colloborating everything as scientifically as possible is this claim by an australian musician turned parenting expert, named Pricilla Dunstan (thanks to my brother-in-law).

The entire approach of the dunstan baby language system is based on the production of sounds as prescribed by how the baby itself reacts to stimulus or event. At first I thought it is an outrageous claim... but going through the video; I have to admit that some of the so called "sound equivalent" does make sense.... like if the baby cries and makes the sound "Neh" or "Nah" as the tongue hits the roof of the mouth - indicating that the he/she needs to be fed... or how the baby would cry and make the sound "Ah" when it is feeling bloated and needed to be burped.

Always wanting to take a balanced stand on the matter, I've also come across an entry from Wikipedia itself explaining that the entire syste should not be celebrated as a scientific breakthrough as it was not developed under any scientific methods or formed from any reputable study...

Anyway here's a sample video for you all... you be the judge....

They're back!!!!

Today, my wife and kids will be arriving carried by a gigantic mechanical aluminum bird!

I simply can't contain my excitement!!! I even slept late last night because I just can't clear my mind from all the excite that's coursing throughout my body!

I've been so filled with happy thoughts that I managed to be nice to everyone today in the office...

Dumb and Dumbest

This is another example how tagalog movies, below standard media and television programming, and subscribing to backward pop culture shows (cheap and less than informative game shows, "Chinovela", "Koreanovelas", and just about any other -velas yet to come) could do to one's psychology.

I don't want to be the one to say - "I told you so......", but I did tell you so!?!!?!

The filipino people is being smeared by such filth on a daily basis that sometimes I think we are putting the younger generation's future at stake by letting them be bombarded by the sub standard, low quality television programming...

Gone are the days of informative forms of entertainment (like Super Book, Astro Boy, Batibot, Sesame Street, Mr. Squiggle, Kwarta O Kahon, Ating Alamin w/ Ka-Gerry Geronimo, etc)....

You're saying I am wrong??!? Well, just take a look at this video and find out what it did to this poor girl...

Turn your entire family into South Park characters

South Park is a television based cartoon that prescribes adult humor on american pop culture, parodies, and satiric socio-political current events all in glorious 2D animation that looks like a kindergarten school project.

I haven't met anyone who haven't heard of South Park, at least not within my circle of friends...

Anyway, if you liked how you can "Simpsonize" yourself (e.i. Turn your seemingly dull, lifeless photo into a Simpson character); you'll definitely like transforming yourself into a South Park character.

Check out the new family moving into South Park, Colorado....

Messiah Syndrome

Even though I've been in several scary, seemingly dire situations in my life, I still can't change my pessimistic attitude towards things. I guess the enormous pressure which comes from being afraid of failing always clouds up any lurking optimism you might have stashed somewhere.

You see, I have, for the most part of my life, grown up with most of my personal expectations (and celebrations) being played down, if at all, shown. Not because I am incompetent or unworthy, but because I carry the weight of guilt from the others who were counting on me to succeed at that time.

It has never been a fight for me. There is always someone else I'm waging it all for.

It is tough growing up thinking that everything you do is constantly being measured, weighed and scrutinized because the outcome of which could have an impact to another person, either directly or indirectly.

I feel as though the blame just digs deeper into you when you fail at something because your failure would translate as theirs.

This sort of, "messiah" syndrome is common for most of us, but a majority of us does have that innate ability to turn it off, should things get a little overwhelming. Unfortunately for me, I am not one of these persons.

I think it's both a curse and a blessing.

It's a curse, because the additional pressure and stress becomes amplified beyond what really is true at that time.

It's a blessing because, together with the problem comes that deep-seated motivation to strive and better yourself, constantly raising the bar as you set to overcome the obstacle. I builds character, I think (*stroke chin...)

For most people, life's challenges were mostly fought for one's own gain, or for personal reasons. This is why most people are quick to celebrate their successes, because they can easily attribute their success as their own. Being a "messiah" syndrome sufferer, it could be a challenge giving yourself the usual pat on the back for a job well done because you can never be straight forward with claiming your success for you own, feeling that the others who were riding on your success have also contributed to it, even though in all reality, they haven't done jack shit!.

What do you think is worst --- ending up in failure or failing to celebrate your own success???

Another reason why I love the land of cheese burgers and fries...

Another proof that the United States of America is still the center of the universe and the master and commander of the entire galaxy - is the recent fiasco involving a little known securities, investment and trading bank in america called Bear Stearns

Isn't it amazing how one single entity can cause the world financial ecosystem to crash... As I write this, Im sure someone, somewhere, an investment trader is puffing his last cigarette before jumping off the tenth floor balcony....

Uncle Sam!!!! Come back!!!! My portfolio misses you already!!!!

Cultural Difference

I've been through a lot these past week... with all the hassle I have to go through in preparation with my family's arrival by the end of the month, I have realized one thing - there is wisdom with the Forrest Gump tagline "Stupid is what stupid does...."

Lately, I've become extremely intolerant and at most, confrontational whenever stupidy is nearby... I think I'm allergic to stupid people because I've noticed a change in my breathing whenever I'm around them... I've also noticed that I break-out into bouts of mind-less taunting, name calling and cold sweats, whenever I am forced to engage them...

Although being confrontational and morbidly intolerant does have it's plus points, you can't help but think if, somehow, it'll all come back to you--- "What goes around, comes around"...

I think this is one of the reason and the biggest deterrent for us Filipinos.... I mean, growing up... we were taught to respect individuals and to be understanding and patient... anything else than that would be rude and unbecoming....

But as you go through life, you end up questioning its relevance in your day-to-day dealings.... Take my case for example... I've observed that every time I act nice to these marginalized people (aka. stupid people), I end up paying for it... moronic people simply do not reciprocate acts of kindness anymore...

Maybe its because I'm dealing with people who's coming from a different cultural background than mine... maybe, in their culture.... it is not rude to be complete moron whose work ethic is similar to a baboon on meth, with a skill level and professionalism that closely resembles a 4 year old child with down syndrome.....

How can we hold our sanity when the reason behind it all is cultural difference? Hmmm, thats a tough one..... It's a sensitive issue indeed... One can never take these things lightly.... But, if I'd have one suggestion on the matter - it would be Selective Extermination....

After all, if we can teach our kids the value of being competitive and doing well in school and work... then we all have the responsibilty to protect them from being exposed to idiocy and people who practice them....

Out-of-Office (2007) No More!!!

For months now I've been trying my very best to resist the urge to patronize the new MS Office Suite (2007) for the fear that I am once again selling my soul to that two-faced-devil-in-geeks-clothing - Mr. B.G. but alas, I've resisted long enough.

For most of you, little is known about how I valiantly fought off the excitement… how I held my head high, with complete disregard to what others would say if they found out that I am the last person in the office to use the said MS Office suite… But like any other temptation out there, the call of the keyboard is simply too strong to resists….

It's been an ordeal for me not to notice some of the convenience being offered by the new installment of the MS Office Suite. Even though I know that these convenient little extras is costing me my very soul, it wouldn't be fair at all to watch the hoi polloi indulge themselves to Armageddon while I stand alone and clueless of the entire useless verbiage being flung around the office floor.

So there, I started using the thing, all the while looking behind my back like a lying sleaze, afraid that my colleagues in the biz would catch me red-handed…

I ended up figuring one thing worthwhile with Word 2007 – that is its very own Blog Tool feature… at least now it's much easier to fake working than calling-in sick. So for that thank you Microsoft!

Mr. Yorre A. Schmuck, C.E.O.

Always expeditious on everything I do, I thought betting on a company that shows positive markers and a steadily appreciating market value was a sure ticket.

So, I made my mind up and started campaigning for additional capital to finance my purchase for this very promising stock.

I did my homework... crossed the T's, dotted the I's.... I also went aroung lobbying for some "ground support", doing my own advertising of the company, peddling influence (hehehe).... and then finally, I took my purchase certificate home...

Everything was looking like it spelt s-u-c-c-e-s-s until about the second month when an official circular was sent by the then newly appointed C.E.O. of that wretched company.

The memo read something to this effect:

"The company does not have relative market activity to support the recent market rally that is causing the value of our stocks to appreciate beyond expectations during the past weeks.

This trend is purely speculative and as the price per equity (PE) of the company is still in a downward trending curve the company offers caution to all investors..."

This is without a doubt, a guy who's bent on screwing my plans to make my first million by my 29th birthday... The guy's obviously the biggest asshole in the world for butting into predatory market gains and speculative market investments....

I mean who died and made the fucker god anyway?!? So what if the stupid investing public is going ballistic for something even veteran investment analyst couldn't quite put their fingers on... or if the entire trend is being influenced by over-inflated dough-boys who might also be behind the looming buy-out deal?

Every-fucking-one is holding a winning ticket in this lotto, right?! Every-fucking-one is grinning their asses off, right? So why, Mr. CEO, tell me why... did you, of all the people, have to be the fucking 'tard-ass party pooper!!?!? What, your "conscience" not letting you sleep at night? Is that it? Then my good sir, why didn't you just take a fucking pill!!!!????

Surely enough, when the dust settled, and the takeover passed.... Mr. Fucking CEO is out the door.... with me and the rest of the 657,451 investors left behind trying our best to hold on to our sanity....

Question: Why is it that when the show finally starts getting interesting, you have to go to the bathroom and relieve your sorry-ass-self? Can somebody please enlighten me on this?!?!?