Guitar Playing is a Morphine!

I remember a scene from the movie “Rockstar” where the leading character played by Mark Wahlberg walks in a barren land amidst the gusty wind, tumbleweeds and sand flew in the air while he walks slowly away from the scene with a backpack and a guitar in hand. That particular scene clearly is the summation of the movie’s general idea—after a long and tiring days of his “rock ‘n’ roll fame, he finally realizes his mistakes and suddenly drops the bucket and headed towards nowhere with just a backpack and a guitar in hand.

Six years ago that same scene clearly defines my life—I’m not going to talk about my tumultuous twelve years relationship that end in nowhere, but I realized that as I stepped out of our so-called “Home” as I put an end to a enslaving relationship, the first thing that I grabbed was my old guitar and some piece of clothing inside my backpack. I plainly withdrew from my life leaving all that I have built for more than a decade, and with heavy feet I tread past a chaotic relationship armed with a guitar.

I’m not a virtuoso performer, I do not even have a band that plays gig after gig but my relationship with my guitar had gone to a personal level. I remember the times when I was down and out where playing some notes on my guitar would somehow eases pain—it’s my source of morphine. Probably the reason why it is the first thing I grab as I stepped out of that door. Just last year I answered to an ad that needs a guitar instructor, my student William--that turns into a friend is such a beginner that teaching him is a litmus test in my patient’s acidity. The tutoring session is long over, I don’t know if he learned from me but the friendship is still there though hardly keeping in touch.

The present advancement of technology on gaming gave birth to The Guitar Hero, wherein you play guitar on virtual world—nice concept but nothing close to playing the real guitar itself. Guitar playing whether professionally or personally gives off expressing oneself, a great way of shedding out resentments, hurts, angst and what-have-you-inside. It’s therapeutically recommended for those who want to bend out their torment in life non-violently.

As of now my old guitar is busy teaching three more protégée—my daughters. They take turns learning to strum and build chords with a little help from me, nice to see my old buddy extended his help out to my daughters. I hope to see one day that we enjoy jamming session in the living room wailing out some old rock tunes as my old guitar plays yet another role in my family—bonding us together.

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Be happy…Don’t Worry!

It’s our choice if we want to be happy or stay as lonely as ever. Happiness is a mode of traveling; it is not a destination. Our happiness or unhappiness is mainly not because of what happens, but on how we look at what will happen in a certain situation. In other words, it is through our thinking habits, and depending on what we think and how we think about it, habits can be changed as well.

We can set our minds to interpret hindrances to become positive opportunities. We may be able to develop a skill slowly, one word or one phrase at a time. Like for instance, we can get rid of the words “I failed…” from our vocabulary, and we may replace it with “I learned…” so that we may be able to concentrate more on the positive lessons involved around it. Also instead of saying the word “problem” always, we should get used to the habit of saying “challenge”, “I’m getting better at…” instead of “I’m no good at…”, and “I will be glad to” rather than “I will have to”.

The subconscious effect of changing a few words will be able to tell your mind to think more creatively in a positive manner rather than getting away from the problem on hand.

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Bloggerwave—making money online through blogging

Bloggerwave.com is a new and better way of making money online. If you have a blog whether it’s a personal or a professional one and you want to make money out of it then Bloggerwave is for you. Bloggerwave is gearing up to be the Europe’s biggest advertising media on blogs that provides opportunity of making good money online for both publisher (bloggers) and advertisers as well.

Bloggerwave have lots of advertisers that is in need of bloggers who are just waiting to be tapped, writing about their products and services is a new way of making money online. It doesn’t matter what is your pagerank as long as your have a blog that is approved by the bloggerwave and the rest will be a money-making affair.

Visit their website bloggerwave and start making money online now.

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Be Attentive at all times…It is worth it!

What is attentiveness? Concentration…alertness…paying attention? Well, attentiveness is being aware of what’s going on in your surroundings. It may be as complicated as anyone’s problems, but it may be as simple as nobody will even notice it. It is sensing if today is the proper time to get your ideas across to somebody.

As I’ve read somewhere before, there is an old parable about an educated English gentleman visiting a well-known Buddhist master to check whether he could learn something from the spiritual teacher. The holy man poured a cup of tea for the English gentleman and didn’t stop pouring until there was tea all over the floor. Finally, the English gentleman could not resist asking: “Why are you overfilling the cup with tea?” The Buddhist holy man replied with: “This cup is just like your head. Your head is so full and occupied with thoughts that nothing will go into it. So you must empty yourself first so that you may learn something new from me.”

This is what we call attentiveness, and it works a lot. We need to empty ourselves of ideas and our thoughts and different ways of seeing things. We may be able to exercise our power of vision to create changes positively for others and even for ourselves. We may be able to make use of all our senses to absorb in all we can about other people and other things. We may be able to adjust more accurately our behavior in needed situations. We may be able to sense actively the needs of other people around us in different situations as well.

Attentiveness also means we are open to more information entering our eyes and ears, and our sense of touch. That is how our body will react—every muscle and every organ of our body. This ability of being attentive will give us access to other person’s feelings, and at times those feelings are reflected in our own body, such feelings like sadness, fear, and discomfort. When we pay attention to those kinds of feelings within ourselves and within others, we will be able to identify potential problems that may arise in the future.

Developing an insight will provide us the basis for visualizing something that will work better for us.

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Correct Me if I’m Wrong…You Tend to Attract Like-minded People Towards You

I admit I do.

Directors, socializers, salespeople have the natural tendency to be attracted and to attract other outgoing people in social situations. They send instant signals on how fast they talk and how aggressive they can be, how swift they are to give out their opinions, and sometimes even by the kind of fashion they are interested in.

At a party, you may observe that they are being drawn together and they easily gauge each other up and decide for themselves mentally, “There’s somebody like me. There’s somebody I can easily relate to.”

Same thing with reserved individuals, those thinkers or those contented to be always on the side. They seem to spot one another, maybe through their timid voices, body language or just the messages sent with their eyes. One thing is for sure, there is a comfort zone that will always attract the like-minded.

For both kinds of personalities---outgoing and reserved types, there is always a natural compatibility among the same own kind and also a tension between different types of personalities. Of course, this always differs depending on whether the people meet socially, or working together on the same task. One thing is for sure, great rapport in social situations is no guarantee of the same kind of expected rapport on tasks.

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Effective Time Management to Fit your Needs

Time is considered very important especially for busy people like us. It is nature’s greatest “force”, so to speak. We cannot stop it. Nobody can change it as well. And it cannot be seen. As such, time has the most effect on all of us.

Thus, to maximize our time, we have to learn how to take control of our time. Time is constant. It is us and our time awareness that changes. Remember if we focus on the time, it really slows down.

On the contrary, it speeds up if focus is not built around it. We should see time as a manageable commodity, so that we will be responsible for our time and control it eventually. Successful people carry that secret of how to handle time effectively. They work on time as though they can shape it with ease and control.

“Which should we concentrate on first, efficiency or effectiveness?”

The best answer to that question is to improve your effectiveness. For example, I am a salesperson. I can sell effectively and will get more sales right? In this way, it gives me time to work on my efficiency in my work. It is right and correct to look at your goals ahead, meaning the end-result rather than worry too much about the step-by-step procedure of the whole process. Most of the time if I do the latter, I end up doing nothing at all and lose sight of my goal eventually.

Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things. Efficiency will get you from one point to the other end point by using a straight line. No zig and no zags, thus avoiding inefficiency. Effectiveness is just simply doing the right things that will produce good results in the end.

What Logical being are you?

“We are living in a dangerous world”

We always hear that idiom, and people can’t agree more as the world around us slowly turns into a maddening circus of death and survival. If the speeding traffic can’t kill you the pollution probably will. If the cholesterol will not give you a heart attack, the formalin in your vegetables probably will. If the urban living and work stress can’t kill you, the starvation in being jobless probably will.

Endless cycle of human strife amidst the milieu of disintegrating ecological situation faces the new generation with an uncertain future. The situation is so enormous that if you stop and think about it there is no way to go on again. All of these things I think were rooted in a simple logical explanation of how people think and act when confronted with such simple problems in everyday living.

Take for example the customs and beliefs people were born into. The religions we get used to slaves most of us in believing and not believing things. Religions that should have brings us close to the creator is somewhat pushes us away further with their doctrines. We may ignore little things like the “signing of the cross” as we came by the church but did you ask yourself what is it all about? What’s the true meaning of the sign of the cross? What about the religious icons and statues? Did we ever stop and think why we as a devout should kneel down on a handmade wooden/stone/steel/plastic statue?

Logical thinking is all it takes for us to be free from these century old slavery that eventually prevents us from thinking liberally and practice a guilt-free life. Logical thinking also allows us to examine our life without the blindfold, thereby making decisions based on truth—and that’s very important, living in truth. I don’t care if I live as a pauper wearing rags and eating with my bare hands as long as I live in honesty.

Let’s start asking questions now and never give up until we find the real truth behind these things that enslaved us for so many years. It doesn’t matter if we can’t find the answer to our question in this lifetime but the mere fact that we are asking logical questions is enough courage to step on the brake and wakes up us from deep slumber.

I will leave you with a simple logical question that you alone can answer and seek the truth: Is my religion today a true religion? If yes, does it make its members true children of God? Or its members include those people from the Government who amassed themselves with the wealth of the nation? If you proved your religion to be illogical then you know the logical thing to do.

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Ironic Questions for the Ironic world

Lenten season is here again.
Time for reflection again, for others time to splurge in the cool waters of the blue sea with some powdery sands at your feet and pina colada in your hand. Others who want the quiet life would simply browse and look for some budget hotels in the Philippines enabling them to retreat inwards and ponder the Lenten season. This is also the time where you can witness ironies everywhere.

Ironic things happen on daily basis but during Lenten season ironic things ironically abound. Lenten according to Webster means meager—lacking desirable qualities, deficient in quality or quantity. Sardonically speaking people around the world who practices Catholicism (not necessary Christians) doesn’t really know the real meaning of the word. Everybody I know is scampering their way out of the scourging summer heat into the refreshing waters of the beaches nearby or simply flying out of the country to seek temperature refuge and weather asylum to some chilly European country.

Another ironic thing I observe is the way people put dates and timestamp on everything. Why do we always have to schedule repenting? Why should we put a certain period of the week in order for us to downpour our repentance for the whole year of sins only to do it again after next week? Why not everyday? I remember when I was young that the mere sound of laughter or giggles during Good Friday among us kids would result a heavy admonishment from the old folks. “Don’t you know that God is dead at this very moment?” Laughter is prohibited, so as taking a bath and doing heavy chores during that day. I can’t seem to get the logic behind it--that we should all wear a long face during Good Friday and do our own share of contrition.

Indeed religions tattooed our brains with some inexplicable customs and traditions that the mere blind following would render the dogmatic spiritual robots among us. On the other hand apathy and indifference will be the result as people failed to see the importance of the Lenten season. Shrugging off their shoulders and walking away is always the easiest thing to do, anyway repentance is obsolete to those who enjoys treading their life in thick pockets.

In this time of the year on which side are you? The religious dogmatic? The “repenting” beach bum? Or the everyday-suffering-need-to-suffer-more Christian? Some ironic questions for an ironic world.

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Are you Kathlick?

Three little boys were concerned because they couldn't get anyone to play with them. They decided it was because they had not been baptized and didn't go to Sunday School.

So they went to the nearest Church. But, only the Janitor was there.

One little boy said, "We need to be baptized because no one will come out and play with us. Will you baptize us?"

"Sure," said the Janitor.

He took them into the bathroom and dunked their little heads in the toilet bowl, one at a time. Then He said, "You are now baptized!"

Then they got outside, one of them asked, "What religion do you think we are?"

The oldest one said,

"We're not Kathlick, because they pour the water on you."

"We're not Babtis, because they dunk all of you in the water."

"We're not Lutrans, because they just sprinkle water on you."

The littlest one said, "Didn't you smell that water?!"

They all joined in asking, "Yeah! What do you think that means?"

"I think it means we're Pisscopailians.

The Pasta Diet

A joke for you...

1) You walka pasta da bakery.

2) You walka pasta da candy store.

3) You walka pasta da Ice Cream shop.

4) You walka pasta da table and fridge.

And for those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all the conflicting medical studies:

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausage and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION:

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

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A heavenly (cookie) Bliss!

In the advent of so many developments in electronic world--tools, gadgets and technology, little has been left for people to do manually. Cell phones and PDAs are among them. Never has communication been this good and easy, household chores can be a breeze with the help of electronic gadgets. Microwave ovens with computers is one of the common appliance we normally find in every home, an ingenious way to help ease the living in this fast paced city life.

But electronic appliances and gadgetry can never replace a good baking and cooking; it can only enhance and help develop a good recipe into a mass production that is intended for a good business. Take for example gourmet cookies. This heavenly food always brings back memories of the time our mother used to bake for us. The smell, taste and the feeling of exhilaration whenever we taste the epicurean flavor right in the comfort of our home are just unimaginable.

The evolving commerce of the modern day paves way to the birth of innovations among gourmet cookies, which by the way opens a rather welcome development to some cookie lover like me. One of such innovations is the cookie delivery service. The convenient of ordering your favorite cookie via internet or by phone is quite an awesome growth. Another is the mail order cookies—sending cookies to somebody you love is surprising, if you ask me, as I would love receiving surprises by parcel.

Computer gadgets and technology might amaze our sense of sight and hearing but that was just a part of our satisfied senses; the other half can be equally satisfied with a hefty meal and a palatable glorious experience that is cookie madness. I love cookies, don’t you?

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The Grieving Artists of the Third World

I received an email from one of my fellow artist these last few days. The email is quite disturbing and to my judgment needs immediate attention. You see, aside from writing I’ve been freelancing as a T-shirt designer for Harley Davidson apparel, submitting artworks online makes working from home an ingenious way of earning money without the hassle of the city streets. The pay is ok until the email.

Apparently some artists discovered that the $37 per design the middle man pays us is quite a David compared to the Goliath of a profit the middle man makes. According to sources Harley Davidson pays them $300 per design approved, that makes them eat the whole pie and share us the crust if not the crumb. I would not mention here the name of the middle man’s company so as to protect their identity pending actions from the artists.

This kind of practice has been going on for quite a long time. Not only in the field of apparel designs but also from where I came from—the Animation industry. Artists had been robbed, so to speak of the true worth of their works. That explains why the first world businessman prefers to outsource their jobs from the third world because the labor costs are so damn low. Well, from the third world point of view—beggars can’t be choosy.

Artists don’t need any resume writer that technically lists all their achievements--their works speaks for themselves, they are not the kind whom you can place in one corner at the office and order drudgery and toil to transpire. You cannot produce artworks without the artists pouring their heart out in it. As contrary to old beliefs that artists are moody, well, finding inspiration from within often misunderstood as a “moody” thing.

Artists are not big businessman, tycoons, magnate, mogul or industrialists that can make or break a nation. We are not politicians nor military that can re shape the nations future. But we are also a part of the culture-shaping sector that in one way or the other contributes and molds values and communicates the past from the present.

In that case a little respect and dignity is all that we ever need, please spare us some.

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My little Kai

This sketch was done sometime August 1990, Kai my daughter barely One month old.she's my little pride and joy my first born-- how time flies she's a 17 year old teen now.I hope i had done more of these back then. charcoal on paper 8x10 in

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Don't Mess with a Filipino

In a New York sidewalk, a Filipino is enjoying a hearty breakfast of coffee, croissants, toast, butter, jam, etc. when an American, che wing gum, sits next to him and starts an unwanted conversation.

American: You Filipinos eat the whole bread?

Filipino: Of course!

American: (Blowing bubbles with his gum) We don't. In the States we only eat what's inside. The crust we collect in a container, recycle, rebake them into croissants and sell them to the Philippines.

American: Do ya eat jam with bread?

Filipino: Of course!

American: (Chuckling and crackling his gum between his teeth) We don't. In the States, we eat fruit at breakfast, put all the peels, seeds and leftovers into containers, recycle them into jam and sell it to the Philippines .

Filipino: Do you have sex in America?

American: Of course, we do!

Filipino: What do you do with the condoms?

American: We throw them, of course!

Filipino: We don't. In the Philippines, we put them into containers, recycle them, melt them down into chewing gums and sell it to America.

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What Fascinates You?

I tried to look up a word in Webster’s Dictionary and here’s what I’ve got:

Fascination according to Webster:

Main Entry: fas·ci·na·tion

Pronunciation: \ˌfa-sə-ˈnā-shən\

1 a: the quality or power of fascinating: something fascinating

2: the state of being fascinated : the state of feeling an intense interest in something

Not much of a meaning huh?

Webster’s definition may not mean anything substantial but the word Fascination still clings to my mind like a gooey slimy green thing whenever I came across something or anything that assaults my senses. The Feeling of fascination moves me to do something related with the sentiment that I feel. The reaction would be negative or positive but at times it’s nostalgic.

So I tried to list down a few things that in this modern day and age still fascinate me, inspire me, illicit a few laughs, stir me up, or bring me down. It may be mundane things, forgotten ideas or stupendous sight. Whatever it is sure it will help a lot of people appreciate little things in life that we need to be thankful for. Here it goes…

Computers – Ever wonder what ever happened to your deleted files? Where did they go if you deleted 10mb from your desktop’s trash bin? Your computer is slowing down, and the next best thing to do is to delete unwanted files that are stored in your computer. After deleting, the computer is up again performing well. It is logical to think that unwanted files took space in your computer and anything that occupies space and has weight is called Matter right? After hitting the delete button where did it go? Is it floating in the air? Are we surrounded by unseen deleted files that we never knew of? Virus!

Cars – I’ve been fascinated by this thing since I was a kid and it sure does until currently when Honda launches VCM 643. Haven’t you notice everyday we travel riding a Car or a Bus that some “strange” thing going on? I was in a car one day as I notice that a bee was with me all along. He had slipped in an open window--flying, floating, gliding and travelling with me. The car was speeding at 80kph; the bee was suspended in the air flying with the same speed also. Isn’t it fascinating? Yes of course I was travelling with the same speed of the car that’s because I was seated physically right in it but the bee is suspended in the air flying with the equal speed. How does a bee do that?

Pencils – That ubiquitous graphite thing might be obsolete for most of us techy people but it sure does amaze me still. As an artist, pencils is not just an ordinary tool it hones my talent and is handy whenever inspiration strikes you, just pull it out and doodle your ideas. The thing that fascinates me about pencil is the way it translates ideas into an art. It exactly communicates with people, stream ideas long before a man can utter a word. Ancient caves bore writing on the wall as a means of communication. Wacom Tablet might be the latest gizmo but nothing beats a big black jumbo pencil during those school days.

Now, this is just a dumpy version of my favourite things as Julie Andrews says. I’ll keep you posted till next time.

How about you? What fascinates you?

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Dog eats Dog--a Philippine scenario

I’ve been observing recently the political turn around of my country. I am no political analyst, nor have any political inclination whatsoever; but what is happening requires a no-brainer. Corruption indeed is swallowing and gripping the nation. Recent exposé sees to it that those in power are the ones who are suffering from the malignant case of gluttony, and those who have the nerve to expose and accuse them? Well, sad to say, they are just as equally as red-handed than the accused.

The 1970s shows how the students and the young professionals marched the streets of Manila to fight for human rights and sovereignty. Civil rights were being trampled upon by the dictatorship and extra judicial killings abound. It’s called the FQS or the First Quarter Storm. Idealism among the youth was burning, life in the service of the masses, arm struggle, the proletarian leadership, and dialectical materialism. These and all plus the main component of a victorious struggle against the reactionary Government—the awakening of the masses.

That is what this present struggle is in short of. A fuel without fire is a dead fuel. Jun Lozada might be the whistle blower but does he have the credibility to point fingers when he himself had his pocket full of loot? Does Joey de Venecia have the nerve to cry out “foul” if the NBN-ZTE deal had been awarded to him?

Now these clowns you see on primetime news are all the same rotten eggs fighting over millions of dollars of greed money. Dressing in disguise shouting for the truth to be divulge, when in fact they share the same filthy hands as the accused. The sad part is they are instigating the masses to move and dance to their tune, using the media and church to influence the sentiments of the down trodden poor Filipinos.

Where do we go from here? Let’s not allow them to deceive us again. The only thing we the masses have right now is our dignity, courage and the love for the country—if we ever let them trick us in diverting our strength to their advantage, I pity the poor.

Sure, rage against the greedy politicians is inevitable but let us put these rage in proper forum. If we think that the foundation of this house is infested with termites, please don’t believe the ants when they come to you and say “Hey, I understand you and totally sympathize with you.”

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Junk Closet No More