Conozco Pablo

Many times in my life I experienced difficulties. Looking back with all those hardships, I can not imagine where I am today. The feeling seems to be unreal but I just feel blessed, even things are not perfect. I know there is something more. In year 2000, my life changed. We were living fine before and I could get what I want. All of a sudden, my family's income source went down and everything changed. I shifted school and had to make use of the little things my family had. I remember one humid afternoon, I fell asleep in our sofa and woke up daydreaming that everything bad will end. I wrote everything I want to do. Those were my dreams for myself and for my family. I just wanted to help my family, be a scholar in a college, get the highest honors one can get, and work and live abroad with the opportunity to travel wherever I want to. For those who know me well, perhaps there are smiling after what I have just written are almost happening in reality since I am on my way or c...

Thursday is considered by most as the fourth day of the week. When this day comes, a mixture of emotions are felt by everyone, who sees and anticipates the forthcoming weekend. In relationships, there is a period in which the individuals concerned experiences a variety of events before an anticipated "weekend" in a relationship. When we say weekend, people perceive it differently, which influences how a person feels on Thursday, the fourth of the week. Here are the various ways in comparing Thursday with the its counterpart in describing one's state of relationship. A state of ambivalence When one feels that he or she is in the middle stage of a relationship, one feels confused on what to do. This stage can be considered as the plateau stage, when some conflicts have been resolved but it is possible that some problems still exists despite the effort to address it. This leaves one the feeling of uncertainty whether the best or worst is yet to come. In the same way, a p...

Wearing flip flops is one of the most comfortable when going out for me. It seems to be very informal but coming from and raised in a tropical country the Philippines, it is very common for people to wear it. Although this article is not about a pair of slippers but how a pair of flip flops can be compared to how an individual lives his or her life. Risk versus Comfort Slippers do not provide full protection of the feet like other footwears, although it is very comfortable to wear whether one is outside or inside his or her home. It does not take time to put slippers on and is very convenient to store and clean as well. In life, the most comfortable things are also the most risky ones. Moreover, to feel comfortable, one must risk first. This is not completely true but there is a reason for people to believe on this. Some people however seems to overdo things by risking everything including ones reputation, values and principles in exchange of short-lived comfort and pleasure. This is...

Many times people run out of money. It is irrelevant nowadays how much one earns in a month, rather what matters most is how much money one has in a secured bank account for savings. However, saving money is not easy, because people interchange the process on how to do it. Here are three simple steps one can follow through to save enough money for determined purpose or for emergencies in the future. Moreover, discussion about NSW rule is included. First: Know your needs and wants Knowing the lifestyle one wants to have is important. It is important to keep a balance. Needs include food, sufficient clothing, transportation, communication, utilities and shelter. Wants include travel expenses,  everything that pampers oneself and excess to ones needs both in quantity and quality. For example, having two black shoes is reasonably enough for a person. However, buying a third and expensive black shoe is already a want. Focus first on needs. List down all the necessities in a month. A...

Many of my students before were asking me how do I prepare for a major exam. I have answered this several times, but I have never thought before whether my answer was adequate to guide one or not. There are several major exams I had before. In my younger years, I have attended several competitions inside and outside the city or region where I live in. I won luckily most of the time and earn a little from it. From mathematics and chemistry to history and general knowledge. Aside from the usual exams I had in the university, I took passed and topped two Philippine licensure exams in nursing and real estate. In addition, I had some language exams, which gave me reasonable positive outcomes. After all those examination experiences, I have developed these three tips on how to prepare just before (within the last week ) a very important exam. Sleep well and establish a routine. One must be realistic. Hide the materials that you yourself can no longer read or study. Write down what you ne...

Four years after finishing college or university, many young professionals are confronted with so many questions and challenges that are not easy to cope. Personally, I could remember how it was when I was approaching this age. I was praying and hoping for good things to happen. Luckily for me, I was able to manage this period, but still the reality is that it was not easy. Here are some problems a typical 25-year-old Filipino have: Independence         At 25 years old, everyone is expected to be self-sufficient. This means that everyone are expected to get a stable job and earn for himself or herself independently without help of anybody especially family members. This puts a lot of pressure to this group of people, resulting for them to try all possible means to meet this goal even though doing so compromises their life's goals. This is quite different in Norway. 25-year-old individuals have just finished the university and are provided with adequ...

Relationship statuses have changed upon the onset of Facebook. Everyone seems obliged to share this information for others to "celebrate" this important period in one's life. However, not all people are happy with this change for this leaves groups of people thinking that having no status is better. There two groups of people that belong to this. This is the focus of this article. Those who opt to have no status, because they do not know how to categorize themselves. Confusion arises when a person starts to mingle with another and get an interesting response from the other. They seem serious but not ready to make a label. Their emotions show that they have intimate connection, but some personal and external factors have hindered them from admitting to themselves and others their real understanding. Is it better? It could be better at the start. This only shows that the individuals involved are taking time to know each other, especially during the initia...

Is there anything better than waking up in the morning in your bed and suddenly someone who is special to you, hugging and greeting you a pleasant morning? It could be one of the best experience one could have. Perhaps only the lucky ones can. The question is, does it include you? Being close to someone is a gift to humanity. It is a celebration of man's essence, that is to make another feel one's care and presence. Although nowadays being close to someone may occur in different types, but the type of closeness referred here is characterized by sincerity, care and warmth. One should recognize that not all people are allowed to intrude another's intimate space. It requires trust and mutual understanding. Without these, people feel threatened, thereby preventing the other to fully express himself or herself, and convey message of warmth and sincerity to another. So Close Being close addresses human needs. Here we discuss some of them. 1. Need for Belongingness ...

Have you ever experienced being taken for granted? It seems that although you have done everything you could, the other continues to ignore either your actions or your presence at all. No one wants such very difficult situation to experience. In the time of social media when communication becomes easy and meeting variety of people is as quick as a click of a button, it becomes very convenient also to dismiss one person in another's life temporarily or permanently. Know why. No one avoids another without feeling uncomfortable with the other. It could be that the other is challenging another’s views, beliefs and perspectives. This means the other is intruding perhaps on another’s comfort zone, indicating that undue stress has been created that the other wants to ignore the other. Reasons could vary from taking time to deal with the person, to not being interested at all with the person. Determining the cause of being ignored by the other takes time and objectivity. T...

Several times we see in TV drama series quarrels among main characters occur. We are entertained of the fact that inspite of these quarrels, a happy ending still awaits, regardless of how intense the confrontation is and what causes such. This gives us the impression that arguments in relationships are beneficial. However, is this completely fine? The answer lies on the number of separation and divorce that stems from a simple misunderstanding, which grew to more unresolved problems. The problem is not really how big the problem is, but how often we keep reminding ourselves of it. Here are some questions associated with quarrels we need to answer: Why does it occur? People are different in views, upbringing, attitude and level of understanding. This difference still creates a gap, in spite of the acceptance and decision to be in a relationship. No matter how affectionate people can be to another, there will always be an area or issue that could arise as the root cause of a m...

I have once said Filipinos are one of the most jealous people in the world. You may disagree on this but I find a lot of reasons to believe this. I myself am. There are several aspects about jealousy. Usually, it is associated with relationships we have or are planning to have. However, jealousy can also be personal like when we observe what others have. In the second type, I can be such, but I know how to deal with it. But what I will be discussing now is why we are jealous in terms of perceived or real relationships. 1. Jealousy is an indicator of something lacking in a relationship. No relationship is perfect and so it is natural to ask for something better to make the relationship nearer to perfection. Most often, jealousy stems from our desire for constant communication and much deeper emotional connection. It is natural to feel jealous then, but addressing the primary need should be adequately address, rather than focusing on how jealous we can be. 2. Jealousy is...

From my short experience in teaching, the most important aspect I learned is how teachers see their students. This shows that there are no bad students, only bad teachers. Remember the teachers that have made marks in our lives, inside and outside school. The key why they have touched us is the way they see us. Here are some perspectives on how teachers see us. 1. A student is a workload. The initial information teachers obtain before conducting a class is the number of students and the relative impression of the teachers, who had prior experience with them. Then, teachers formulate strategies on how to deal with them. This is good at least for the first few meetings, but this can be difficult in the long run. Teachers may just merely go to a class for the sake of work, thereby seeing every student as part of their workload. In return, students feel nothing to the teacher. Students remember the tasks the teacher required them, rather than who the teacher really is. Students see tea...

Being happy is one of the most elusive feeling one could have. People seem to search and aim for it, but only few people attain it. Quite strange but this leaves a question to all of us, "how do we become happy?" People all around the world do everything to be happy. Some travel from different places for them to feel something new, savoring every moment before those happy days are gone. People find new friends, hoping that they can provide the happiness they are longing for. Some turn to their addictions for them to escape from the sad realities of the world. Interestingly, there are people who are waiting for luck to do a sudden turn in their lives to be happy. Everyone needs to be happy. It is equated to wisdom and even self-actualization. Because of this, people perceive that happiness is a life-long journey that some people become successful, while most fail in their lifetime. Since happiness is equated to wisdom, it gives us the impression that happiness is a pr...