let me hug you.
let me hold your hand.
let me pray.
if you push me back
i will understand.

i will let you cope.
i will let you heal.
i will allow your silence.
if i had to handle this unknown
i too wouldnt know
i too will scream out questions.
so in your own little corner
allow me to whisper,
i love you and i will be here
once all the silent tears have flowed

dear che2,

there may be times you were reaching out and felt that no one was understanding. i know how that feels. i know what it is to feel isolated, alone and bearing the pain that literally feels like the heart is gripped.

sometimes i wished we were back to being young and free from all this. just the casual summer vacations in our street where children can be children. time when pain was about falling off a bike and scratching your knee. where happiness was equated to family dinners together with the anticiaption of scrabble after.

i can only pray you have the people physically there that can support you through this. i hope i know how else i can help.

let this be my way of saying i am here for you cousin.


manang m.

so where to now?

Happiness is only real when shared.
-Into the Wild

I’ve never lived beyond my middle class stature ,
I also work for shelter, food and some semblance of conveniences ,
I don’t have the safety net of savings or an inheritance.

should i remain and still create
or do i take on another journey
to inspire a dream elsewhere.

i may never be a millionaire
but i know i am rich
in my own way.

i create my dreams
and i will help ignite the fire for others
i am after all a catcher of dreams

so where to now??

This Journal Will Actually Change Your Life: A PLANNER REVIEW

Freespeech Publications did a brave thing, they sent a couple of people a copy of their 2009 planner for free and in exchange we must put it on a glass slide, mount it on microscope and make a comparative study of yet a similar specie known as the Starbucks planner.

Just to make things clear and easy i will refer to “this journal will actually change your life!!” As “change journal” since it does shout that out in direct and indirect ways.

On first glance.

I’d have to give it to the starbucks planner for its more professional-looking cover. I am in the consultancy business which means I go to a lot of client meetings. These meetings are my first encounters for possible clients; I need to be able to at least look the part of someone that you can entrust part of your business to. The change planner though funky, will look a bit extreme for people that formal.

I also give the starbucks planner another point for being expandable. My planner usually house everything I would need, from receipts, notes and even those journal entries you make on coffee napkins; these get inserted into the planner. The starbucks planner has a rubber thing to keep all my other inserts intact without the fear of them disappearing. The change planner looking like a book gives me the notion that i will loose a thing or two because it fell off.

On the material.

I love to color code my entries and use different kinds of pens. The change planner will get a point for this one. I find the paper they use thick enough to withstand any kind of ink. I find the starbucks planner’s paper too thin for sign pens.

On the layout

I have to give it to the change planner for thinking the way I do when it comes to layout. They were able to provide me with a monthly planner and then a weekly and daily space for my appointments. This necessary for me to be able to see my availability and from there zoom in on what I am supposed to do for the day. The amount of space they provide for the weekly is enough for me to be able to write down my schedule as well as write down a little bit of my day. The starbucks planner only gives me a monthly calendar but no space to even write birthdays at a month’s glance.

The weekly mood chart was a bonus to reflect on how the week went but I did appreciate the strategy notes at the end. I find the one page note page at the end of the month for the starbucks planner not enough for someone who attends multiple meetings a week.

Another thing that I will say is brilliant by the change planner is the yearly calendar found on the top of every page. It enables me to project schedules on a monthly and yearly system. I find with the starbucks planner I need to leaf back to the first part of the planner all the time which isn’t very convenient when you are in a middle of negotiations.

I will really have to with the change planner for its layout. I am enjoying the system it provides. The space for quarterly checkups is also a welcomed bonus since you are reminded of the quarters and you are encouraged to track expenses, strategize more and even check on your attitude with its soul inventory.

Overall

I chose a career that is very dynamic. There are times I have to live fast and some moments that I also need to take time to think and reflect. The change planner I feel was thinking with me on those terms.

Some things that can be better for me is again the chance for me to expand the planner and add pockets or extra pages. Another is since it claims to actually change a person’s life I find those pages between the months where they put something colourful or something to think about could be given more thought. Pictures could be added that can show topics like volunteerism, hobbies and travel to certain areas where they can make a change.

If freespeech Publications can also make the planner lighter (cover is sturdy but heavy) then it would be something that will be a mainstay in my bag.

When choosing planners, like choosing shoes, it has to be something your style and comfortable. For the price of P850 it’s definitely worth it!

This Journal Will Actually Change Your Life 2009 is available at all Powerbooks and Fullybooked branches. For more information you may check out http://freespeechpublications.com/

looking up

dear lelaki,

as you head back into the city everyday, i want u to take time to look up at the moon. things maybe chaotic or fall into routines but as you stare into this light you will remember that someone in another city is thinking of the same thing; or at least of u.


we are put here for a reason. we should never settle for convenience and what is merely within reach. take time to dream and aspire for a broader understanding of things. this way you can get the most out of life.


i want u to know that life isnt about absolutes but rather a daily unwrapping of surprises. so let the moon be my channel. my way of giving you the hugs that i cannot physically give. and my way of bringing in even just a drop of cheer to your otherwise tiring and monotonous day.


i know diving back into the current will be painful, nevertheless i will give and i am praying that it's worth it.


- a dream catcher

keep those postcards coming

on the cab ride home my eyes were just ready to say enough for the day. i said i would drop with a blag
when i get to my room. but as i opened my door
3 postcards fell. and it made my day!

so here I am. no blag on the bed. but rather i bring out my laptop to register them on postcrossing and writing a thank u note for those that sent them.

its nice getting postcards call it old fashioned but it makes me smile.

my turn now.

--- ---- ---- ---- ----- ----- ------ ------ ----- ----- ---
postcrossing

The goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. Well, almost free! The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you'll receive at least one back, from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.

Why? Because, like the author, there are lots of people who like to receive real mail. The element of surprise of receiving postcards from different places in the world (many of which you'd probably never have heard of) can turn your mailbox into a box of surprises - and who wouldn't like that?

Punta Fuego Occular

4 OCT 2008

took a loooong roadtrip with RC and Butch
to Peninsula de Punta Fuego
we needed to check out the place with a client
teambuilding by end of this week
it was the perfect setting to take tons of photos!

on the way back to manila
we looked into the other accomodation possibilities
around tagaytay for future training venues

looking forward to taking the trip back to these places!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PENINSULA DE PUNTA FUEGO
http://www.puntafuego.com/peninsula/

Punta Fuego, meaning "point of fire", is composed of high-end residential beach front properties located at the Batangas area only a couple of hours away from Manila. Peninsula de Punta Fuego, an 88-hectare world-class residential beach resort, was developed by Landco Pacific Corporation and Roxaco Land Corporation and was fully operational in 1999. The Punta Fuego community consists of Spanish-Mediterranean-inspired villas, a Beach Club, a Marina, a nine-hole golf course, a Country Club.

Location: Peninsula de Punta Fuego, Batangas