Conozco Pablo

Not everyone believes on fate, because many thinks everything is within the control of our will and decisions. Perhaps, the most logical thing one could believe is that we decide for our future, but I believe on both fate and will. I have never thought fate could do so much in my life, but it has in many ways. Unexpected turn of events that no one could ever thought have made significant changes in my life, such that when fate decides, what can we do? Fate is seemingly a path independent to our plans and aspirations. It seems to be predetermined. Many think events in our lives have been weaved out by a Supreme Being as God. Some think we are the one, who decides and make this predetermination. In my experience, I believe more on the existence of God, rather than associating everything to our will. I, myself plans almost everything that I want to happen in my life to every detail. However to my surprise, there are things better than I have thought I never realized, which happened

The communication process is characterized by five elements: message, sender, channel, receiver and feedback. The process itself describes how we convey ideas to others, but it does not provide one an explanation how culture affects the process. The complexity of the culture makes it difficult to communicate to another.  In this article, I will present information on how unique Filipinos are in communicating with another. Message Filipinos create messages in several ways. Given that we use several languages at the same time, sometimes messages are formed in creative ways. Do not be surprised when we make fun of our language and use different forms to convey a message. You will see the Filipino creativity when we send text messages. A dot means a lot or the selection of words in a sentence must connote the feeling of the person making the message. So be careful because all words are interpreted in the context of how it was used. Complete sentences seem to mean formality of th

In this time of convenience and efficiency, the need for trust and to be trustworthy is very eminent. It would seem then that all people have their own motives in every step they take. All of us are guilty of the cycle of deception and mistrust. This is the focus of this article. Trust seems to emanate from infancy specifically from our parents or caregivers. The consistency of the attending our needs during this crucial period defines are ability to trust others when we grow up. This also determines our ability to form relationships with others, as we mirror how we were raised to how we communicate and deal with others. Many people have said that without trust, one cannot effectively develop friendships and associations with others. Some may have established relationships, but should trust be absent, the formed relationship is considered just existent outwardly, but a failure in its essence. Trust is indeed basic. It is simply knowing and feeling that someone will care for

In the thirtieth of December of each year, Filipinos celebrate the death anniversary of their national hero, Jose Rizal. However, from observation, aside from designating the day as a holiday, Filipinos truly no longer remember who Rizal was and his relevance to our society today. It would seem, then we only see Rizal as a mere statue in the center of nearly our city parks in the whole country. Is Rizal a mere history or to be considered essential to the Filipino society? Advocate of education Rizal acquired education both in Europe and in the Philippines. He used his knowledge to push her personal goals and aspirations for his fellowmen. Although education before was reserved only to the wealthy, Rizal made us of the opportunity to contribute for the goodness and alleviation of the suffering of the Filipino people. Not everyone does the same at the same magnitude Rizal does. Education is the great equalizer of the society. It is true, however society also makes it d

There is a point in our life when we meet several crossroads that force us to decide on matters we do not fully understand or expect. Worse, when these crossroads involve people and consequences that are totally out of our control. This results us to think so much and lose our peace of mind. Peace of mind is a state of contentment and less anxiety. It does not guarantee certainty, but it characterizes acceptance of what may happen in the future, regardless of how it may affect a person. Peace of mind is attained as a sum of all experiences one have, either controllable or not. Thus, it is difficult to achieve, if the person is confronted so many uncertainties in various aspects of life, may it be family-related, relationships, career and self-worth. This is what I feel right now. It would seem that every aspect of my life has challenges ahead. Although I consider myself as an optimist, but my coping skills seem to reach its limitation, as various things are happening simulta

How do we feel if we only see the dark? Is life worth living? Perhaps it is still, but does darkness reduce the essence of our lives? Many questions to answer, but certain responses. What exist are mere assumptions of why sometimes we need to experience the darkness. Darkness is reality. One relates to something void and empty, rather than reality. It is real to feel our presence in the dark. Similarly, in the darkness of our lives, where problems and uncertainties cloud us, we feel real. This reality presents the hardships the world can offer to anyone. However, one must separate darkness itself from the metaphorical comparison of darkness to adversities in our lives. These are two distinct concepts. Problems are problems and must not be perceived as something dark. Problems are parts of our perceived reality. It exists not because for us to give us hope or make us stronger and better, rather it exists because it is part of our existence. We just need to deal with it, and t

Winds so strong and rain keep on pouring. About 28 degrees Celsius and very humid atmosphere. These weather disturbances I have never experienced for the last several months. To note, this typhoon seems to be the strongest ever experienced by the community since the time I was born. I and my family seems to consider the typhoon as a usual occurrence. Never did we imagine it could be strong that it could potentially result to loss of property and lives. We took it easy and never prepared for something of this magnitude. I hope the wind and rain abate soon. Honestly, the nervousness I feel is undeniable as we do not know when this would end and what will happen next. The day before. It was Sunday. News all over that a typhoon is about to hit the island. I browsed the internet and read it was about few hundreds of kilometers where I live, but the wind seems to be not so strong. So I calmly slept and never did any precautionary measures before. I even did not charge my phone

Here is my video on my short visit to Bangkok. For more blogposts on Bangkok, click below. Bangkok Part 1 Bangkok Part 2

At this moment, I am about to close a period in my life. Mixed emotions are two words the describes how I feel. It feels right and wrong at the same time, although I am determined to keep whatever decision I have made. However, to further describe what I feel, I am writing this article. It is not easy. It is not easy when one has to move on and close one chapter of life that has given one valuable memories and lessons to become better. It is not easy to just close one eyes and seemingly ignore the consequences involved in closing one aspect with life, given that there are people, who might be hurt by inevitable decisions to be made and there are feelings involved. It is not easy to know that moving on means turning back to people, memories and associated feelings. It is not easy. It takes time. It takes time to move on and deal with the result of decisions. Although it takes time, there is a possibility that it will be finished. There is certainty when the decision has been m

After a very tiring but fulfilling day in the Land of Smiles, we were now ready to take the second and the last day of our short stop in Bangkok. Gaining a good grasp of the Bangkok public transport systen, we tried to avoid taking the taxi to save money and avoid traffic due to the yuletide season. From our hotel, we took the City Airport Link and BTS to the Central Pier of Chao Phraya Boat Express. Using the Orange Line, we took the boat to Tha Tien boat station. The station has some small stalls where one can buy some travel souvenirs. Items are sold starting from 200 baht (50 NOK). After a short walk, we were able to reach the the walls of Grand Palace, our first stop of the day. One must be warned not to take any entrance aside from the major entrance to avoid extra expenses from tour agent,who are taking advantage. There is a strict dress code, so one must avoid exposing too much skin when entering the premise. Since Grand Palace is a major tourist attracti

Arriving almost 8 in the morning in Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Bangkok, Thailand, I already expected my first day in the capital will be short and tiring after 10 hours of travel from Oslo, Norway. From the airport, we traveled about half an hour to our hotel towards the taxi. Learning from the experience ask first the taxi driver how much he will charge. I and my sister experienced paying four times the average fare. Well, I do not want to stress myself, so I just brush it off. Another thing, I noticed it was difficult to communicate in English with the taxi driver and even the hotel receptionists. The communication barrier became a problem for us in the entire trip. Our goal is to cover as many places in Bangkok as possible using the least amount of resources and time. To do this, I prepared a draft schedule of our itinerary throughout our short stay. After we left our hotel, we went directly to the nearest City Airport Link. We stopped at Phaya Thai Station and

All of us are encouraged to share. This is a virtue that was taught to us since we were younger. However, sometimes culture determines how generous one should be to family and friends. When can one say generosity becomes excessive and gearing towards abusive nature? As a Filipino, I was taught to be hospitable, although I do not completely adhere with it. My family raised me to be patient and accommodating enough to anyone who needs favor or help. The best thing my parents encouraged me to do indirectly is give favors for free and ask nothing in return. When one could say another is exploiting one's generosity? Unnecessary When one asks for a favor or help from another, which one does not lack or need. For example, a friend, who is perfectly capable and has the time and resources asks help from another even though the latter is unable to do so or will experience difficulty and undue discomfort in doing so. Hence, before one asks for help, he or she must be sensitive also of the

Here I go again in my bed thinking after I had a strange dream. The coldness outside does not help in stopping my mind in wandering to nowhere.  The feeling seems undescribable. Perhaps I am just feeling a little uneasy about a certain thought that in reality may not be possible anymore. Do not take me wrong. These are just my thoughts at this moment. It does not describe of what I will do in the future or mean this thought will have an influence over my decisions. Everyday I take decisions and I make certain I am happy with it and will feel no regrets. Hence, this thought does not relate to what I feel in general or what I will do afterwards, unless something significant happens. About Something Those memories gathered from several real and unplanned moments that brought me happiness in the past. Now those leave me a smile in my face. I know at present, it can no longer be possible again. An explanation of why is not sufficient to answer all questions. An answer would just make mor

2014 was a year characterized by bold turns in my life. It was a year that I ventured out from my comfort zone. This was a year of humble achievements and hopes for a better 2015. New Plans Since my options were few at the start of the year, I adjusted my plans accordingly. It takes a courage heart to do so but as I gain more experience and resources, I reviewed my previous goals and set my personal objectives high again. There were times I doubted myself if I could achieve something, especially those which are out of my control. But at the end, I found no reason to get distracted such that presently I can say I have almost the same level of optimism with that before I came to Norway. New Jobs The year started with my own search of a new job. It was not easy and very frustrating. I was used to being ask to work before, rather than me finding work for me. It was nearly depressing but I coped well. I just need to accept that not everytime one can get what he or she wants. However, in

Days turned to months while months turned to years. Someone is waiting for something to happen with the hope of the high possibility of reality inspite of the risk of uncertainty. This is the waiting game. The agony of waiting is undescribable and no words can explain how deep scars are created when one experiences it. It results to a state that breathing seems to cause pain while tears flow naturally. The memories of the past blends with the dream of coming back as time passes by so fast leaving the person unchanged but tremendously hurt. No one ever wants to linger in a state of waiting. It is a period of confusion when some people encourages one to be patient and persistent, while on the other side, the reality presents hypothetical what-ifs that needs to be answered. There exists a great demand for answers but only few are reasonable. Worse, questions are left unanswered yet more and more questions are generated every moment. The long wait can be considered a crisis as

Learning a new language is very difficult. It can take a lot of time and it is characterized with so many frustrations and disappointments, especially when new language learning becomes a requirement for work and education. However, the question remains that there is a process that one could follow through for him to her to learn a new language. This will be tackled in a series of articles. The information below were derived from experience and was not subject to any test. Nonetheless, I will be presenting my own personal theory of learning new language. Personally, I speak Cebuano, the second most spoken language in the Philippines. Throughout school, I was able to learn Filipino, the national language, but I encountered problems learning English even though the language was widely-used in the country. Slowly, I improved until I got C2 in listening in reading, while C1 in writing and speaking. The improvement is something I did not imagine before. Presently, I am struggling to