Here's How to be Happy

We've always been taught that success can bring happiness and that in order for one to be successful one must work hard and put in a lot of sacrifices. 

The mere thought brings back memories of how my parents urge me on to study hard and achieve in school.  It also reminds me of a friend who had a similar experience.  For my friend though, it was his aunt who encouraged him to concentrate on his studies first and to not have a love life while studying.  According to his aunt, if you get good grades you'll eventually land a good job and the girls will just come rushing in.  In short, good grades = great job = success = girls.  At that time when he told me the story, we were colleagues working for a multinational company and we were already earning a considerable amount each month.  He ended his tale with an emphatic expression asking "where are the girls?"

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Bygones

I decided that today would be the perfect day to write about my WORD.  I'm such in a good mood today.  If I don't start writing about it today, then tomorrow, when my mood changes, I might not write about it at all ever.  As a matter of fact, I've been in a good mood for a couple of weeks now, ever since I finished writing that article and thought of my Word.  

My positive outlook may have been connected with the performance of the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) as well.  The PSEi closed at an all time high of 3902.56  yesterday, surpassing the index way back in 2007 before the global economic crisis hit.  This makes me happy because most of my income these past couple of years have been from trading in the stock market.  This week though, I got out a week too early and so I'm still waiting for the market to correct before I buy again.   If everything works out fine, I might squeeze out another 10% before the year ends. *fingers-crossed* (Southeast Asian markets are among the top earners worldwide this year.)   

Another reason why I chose today to officially announce my Word is because today happens to be World Suicide Prevention day.  I heard it in the news earlier.  And I couldn't believe it when I saw how much Japan spent last year on matters related to suicide.  The exact amount escapes me as of the moment but if my chinky eyes saw the monitor correctly, it was about 32 billion dollars!  Imagine that?!  With that kind of amount, I wonder how many hungry people we would be able to feed here in the Philippines.  Well, I just thought that maybe if the Japanese knew how to use my Word then there wouldn't be that many suicide cases in Japan.  The news report also said that in Japan they consider feeling lonely and depressed as a weakness while committing suicide as something honorable.  *tsk tsk tsk* (hand me the toothpick please, there's something stuck in between my teeth)

So here goes.  The word I've chosen for myself is simply "Bygones."  You've probably guessed that already from the title.  Richard Fish of Ally McBeal helped me find that word.  It was his favorite expression in the sitcom.  With the word comes the promise of learning how to let go of the past in favor of starting new beginnings for the future.  It also comes with a new concept I learned from the same book (Eat Pray Love) about controlling your thoughts.  Sometimes I tend to over think and generate thoughts beyond what actually transpired which usually leads me to loathness and anger.  It just dawned on me that my thoughts can actually be controlled as well.  I hope to put my instincts to better use, maybe into something that can be more productive like the stock market.  And the girl who would be able to say the same thing back to me, probably even do a little math and multiply it by itself, would be the ideal one.          

Next thing I wanna learn is how not to worry about money ever.  Okay, maybe a little worry is good but a little too much can be unhealthy as well.  As for tomorrow, I will go out to celebrate and eat Lechon served 5 different ways!  Looking forward to it.  Have a great weekend everyone.  

After thought:

>- In Japan, they actually have a TV ad to help prevent suicide.  In the ad, they hired a young professional soccer player who plays for the national team to deliver the message "kizuite hoshii, kokoro no koe o" which translates to "take heed of the voice in your heart" or as Beyonce might put it ... Listen to the song in your heart. (^o^)/

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Anonymous Programmer

I'm reading through the first few weeks (which is how the author referred to chapters in the book) of Anonymous Lawyer, a novel by Jeremy Blachman about a hiring partner at one of the world's largest law firms.  There's a reason behind why he used "weeks" instead of "chapters." That's because the novel was adopted from his blog of the same title. If you click this link, it will take you to the Anonymous Lawyer blog site which remains to be one of the most popular blog sites in the web today.  It even now has a spin off site called the Anonymous Law Firm.  For all those seeking opportunities how to make money online or simply if you want to be famous, this is certainly another possibility!       

I simply can't get enough of the book.  I find it hilarious!  It's fun and interesting to read the thoughts of a lawyer who's a jerk most of the time but can be sensible at times as well.  I know that the book is a work of fiction but the caption at the back saying "He lives a lie but posts the truth" seems to sum it all up.  The character may be fictional but the ideas presented seem to reflect what the author, who happens to be a lawyer himself, believes is needed to become a partner in a big law firm albeit being over exaggerated at times.  The book is highly recommended! Special mention goes to aspiring lawyers who want to know if they have what it takes to be a partner according to Anonymous Lawyer's standards.

An anecdote about billable hours reminded me of my time as a software engineer in Anonymous Company.  In an effort to improve processes and measure the actual time spent on programming in a certain project, Anonymous Company required everyone to log the hours worked on every project at the end of the day.  The catch is, everyone was expected to allocate the total working hours spent in a day into specific projects.  I couldn't help but be skeptical because I couldn't find projects labeled as "Bathroom time", "Snack time", and "Sleep / Rest time" on the charts!  Not that any decent programmer would actually input times spent for these, but it just shows how some processes will not work for every system.  Not to mention that for most projects, more than 50 percent of the time allotted for development are actually spent idle.  Just like Anonymous Lawyer  who charged his clients around 600 dollars for his bathroom time, I can't help but think that we may have done the same!  Although I doubt that the time would come when software programmers can charge 600 dollars per hour! (^o^)/  Imagining the days when I just sat the whole day staring at my computer, waiting for updates and fixes, and yet willfully inputting 8 hours for a certain project makes me feel a little guilt within me.  Although it is abruptly followed by a feeling of entitlement considering that staring at the computer and doing nothing at all for the whole day is actually more difficult than doing actual programming (^o-)v.

On a last note, I'd like to share what Anonymous Lawyer had to say about his nephew who's a sophomore in college and is taking up painting.  He wrote "He thinks making money is wrong unless you do something good with it. He said I'm selfish. ... I think he has a lot of growing up to do. ...  He wants to paint.  Not everyone who wants to paint can make a living painting.  He doesn't understand that the world doesn't always let you do what you want to do.  There are sacrifices and trade offs.  You can't always follow your heart. ... Too many kids are stupid these days.  They have too many options.  Too many choices.  They think they can have ridiculous dreams and make them come true. ... I understand going for it if you don't have anything else you can do.  But if you're smart enough to get a real job, and make some real money, you're just being an idiot not to secure your future."  

I don't know about his nephew, but it surely knocked some sense into me. (^o-)v.

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Andre Agassi is an Inspiration

  
      Andre Agassi inspires me.

     Listening through the introduction and the first chapter of his autobiography "Open: An Autobiography" was thrilling, fun, exciting, and an eye-opening experience.  I don't know how to explain it.  I thought reading autobiographies would be boring.  I was wrong. 

     It started with his narration of his 2nd round victory over Marcos Baghdatis in the 2006 US Open - his last US Open.  After a grueling 5 set match, while millions of viewers worldwide are still inspired and can't stop talking about what they have just witnessed - some probably even losing some sleep,   what struck me most was the scene he depicted at the locker/training rooms after the match.  Who would have thought that after that match, both him and Baghdatis were inside the locker room, lying on 2 separate tables - suffering from cramps and agonizing in pain.  While the rest of the world celebrates, the reasons for the celebration are in pain. Tough. 

Here are a few quotes from the book which stuck:

"Hate brings me to my knees, love gets me on my feet."

"It’s no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature. Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it’s all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It’s our choice."

"Go kick some butt." (Imagine Steffi Graf and the Agassi kids saying this! ^^)

     As he narrates his childhood, his life at home, and how his father pushed him to play tennis in the next chapter, your heart goes out to him.  I can't imagine going through what he's gone through.  I can't even contemplate that a father like his exists.  It pains even just to hear his stories.  You have to give the man credit for remembering every minute detail - most people would just learn to forget, I know I have. 

     I can't wait to listen to the next chapters.  This is the first book I've tried listening to instead of reading.  I got an audiobook.  It's a unique experience - the reader's phrasing and intonation adds animation and emotion to the story.  The only set back is, it takes one whole hour just to read one chapter.  The reading pace is so slow compared to when you are reading it by yourself.  

Get the book and read it! Highly recommended.

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The Ride of Your Life

I've seen this book for quite sometime now.  And the catch phrase "The Japanese Bestselling Phenomenon" on the book's cover, even made me more interested.  I can't help but be fascinated with anything Japanese! (^0^)/ And so, I finally got myself a copy last week.  The book is called Kokology.  The title was coined from the Japanese word kokoro, which means "heart, spirit, feelings" and the Greek word logia which means "study".  In simple terms therefore, it is the study of your heart and soul.  The authors, Tadahiko Nagao and Isamu Saito, defines it as "a series of psychological games designed to uncover emotional and behavioral traits of the players."  It's quite an interesting read.  I bet it would be good for couples or groups looking for something different to do!  It's fun and at the same time, you get to know each other better - a peak at the psychological maze of those close to you.  Try this game called "The Ride of Your Life"

The Ride of Your Life

How do we bring thrills into our lives? Watching movies, traveling, and playing sports and games of chance.  Or maybe a trip to an amusement park, a world where thrills mingle with fantasies.  Let's take a trip back to that realm of childhood excitement and fun.

1. You enter the park gate, and a roller coaster looms before you with a line of people waiting in turn.  How long do you have to wait in line before getting to ride?

2. Your turn finally comes and now you're racing and plunging around the course.  What kinds of feelings does the speed bring out in you?

3. At the most exciting point in the course, the roller coaster dives into a pool of water and you're drenched by the spray. What do you shout or scream at this instant?

4. Next you decide to try the merry-go-round.  But during your ride, for some reason the horse you're riding breaks down and stops moving.  What do you say to the horse?

5. Your ride on the roller coaster was exciting, but it wasn't all that it could have been.  If you were going to design the perfect roller coaster, what would the course look like?  Draw a detailed picture of the course.


Key to The Ride of Your Life
(Do not proceed with this section unless you have already written your answers to the questions above.)

In psychological terms, rhythmical up-and-down motions represent sexual excitement.  So your responses to the five questions actually show your attitudes toward sex.

1. The time you spent waiting in line reveals how much time you spend, or would like your partner to spend, on foreplay. 

2. Your feelings during the roller-coaster ride reveal how you feel while making love.

3. In Jungian symbolism, water represents the source of life.  Your words at the moment the roller coaster splashed into the pool show what you might say at the moment of sexual climax.  Let's hope you didn't say anything you'll end up regretting in the morning.

4. The horse, in psychosexual terms, is a symbol of the masculine principle.  Your words to your broken-down steed reflect what you might say to yourself or to your partner in situations where the man failed to rise to the occasion.

     "It's all right, don't worry about it.  It's only a ride."  You have a truly gentle and forgiving nature.

     "I can't believe this.  I want my money back!"  You said it, not me.

    "Come on you stupid animal, giddyap!" Yikes!

5. Your plan for the ideal roller-coaster course shows your vision of the perfect sex life.

     The ups and downs of a roller-coaster ride are an exact metaphor for the thrills and lulls of lovemaking.  Was it a long, slow ascent followed by a terrifying plunge? A series of acrobatic loop-the-loops and 360-degree rolls? Or maybe you drew a course where you spend the whole ride turned upsidedown and backward? Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. (^o-)/

You wanna know my answers? Here they are.

1. An hour

2. Thrill, excitement, weightlessness

3. woohoo!

4. ahhhh! come on!

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Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (Book & Movie) Plus Marketing Lessons

Here’s a look at Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, the first book in her Twilight Saga series and why I think people are raving about it that even my older sister, who thought the cover to be unappealing at first, decided to buy the whole series anyway.

I wonder why people compared it to the Harry Potter series. Aside from using characters of supernatural decent, I can’t find any other resemblance. Even the introduction of a baseball game ala vampire-style, I thought, was a lame attempt in comparison to Harry Potter’s Quidditch. I doubt it that the characters would still be playing the same game in the succeeding books. However, this assessment is based only after reading the first book.

I tell you, at some point, the book will make you cringe, your grip will tighten on the book, and chapters will come flying by. I even forgot to breathe, only taking shallow breaths that my chest began to hurt. Why so you ask? Well, it’s because the whole book is all about foreplay!


It’s a story based on a development of events between the lead characters from sitting together in class, to holding hands, to hugging, and then finally kissing. What makes it unique though is that it’s a love story between a human and a vampire. My imagination just went overboard unable to fathom how something or someone can smell like my favorite chocolate and yet transcend that realm of longing driven by hunger to enter into something pleasurable and sensual as well. Whew! And for that experience alone, I don’t regret reading the book at all. This will have to be marketing lesson no. 1: Sex sells! However, I don’t encourage anyone to use sex to sell something so forget that I said this.

However, for that same experience that I felt above, I thought the ending was so anti-climactic! Definitely, it brought out the books true nature of catering to the young adults. The author didn’t even elaborate on the fight sequence, which I thought was just proper, but still it was a very lame way to end it.

Read on and click this link to see a preview of the cast and trailer of the upcoming movie, and for marketing lessons no.1 and 2.

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