On turning 31

Last Friday, April 25, I celebrated another year in my life. Now I belong to those people whose age would no longer exists in calendars by next year. Tough huh!

When I turned 30 last year, I bought a book by Esquire Magazine about things that men should and shouldn't do once they reach 30. I really don't have any idea about growing up, and so I was curious on what was expected of someone my age. That time, my thoughts were about what clothes do people wear, how do they react, how should they react. I mean, am I supposed to be constrained by the stereotyped norms of an adult. I am still single and very childlike at heart. I love toys, cartoons and chocolates. I am a matured thinker but my love for childish things are a very part of me.

Now that I grew another year older, my worries are the same. I am looking forward to the future like other normal guys do, a better life, a better future. But I don't think I have to follow what the society dictates, it's my own life, I'll go with my own pace, like riding a train. I don't want to be restricted by the thoughts that the train might not arrived on time but instead just enjoy the ride and admire the beauty of life, after all I'll surely get there soon.

Security Issues

This one caught my attention as I was trying to download this software. Before one can download it, you have to accept and confirm this notice:

"By downloading a ***** software product you are certifying that you are not a national of Iraq; Liberia; Myanmar (Burma); Sierra Leone; Côte d'Ivoire; Sudan; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Usbekistan; Belarus; Lebanon or any country (or an explicit mentioned individual or group) to which the SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, http://www.seco.admin.ch) has decided to impose sanctions against."

Now I am wondering what those sanctions are.

Hina Matsuri

One of the things that I have always wanted to see here in Japan is Ikaho's celebration of Hina Matsuri or Doll Festival. Unlike other celebrations (in one place I learned they fill up the entire shrine with different Japanese dolls) here at Ikaho they do it quite differently. Different in such a way that they dress up small kids to act out the part in a hina-ningyo - a term referring to the set of ornamental dolls used for the celebration. Last March 1st I had the opportunity to travel and see for myself this wonderful event. I've been to Ikaho for a couple of times, first one was last 2006 during autumn where I was surrounded by as astonishing array of trees in different colors and the second time was mid-March last year. Both trips where concentrated on sight seeing and onsen trips. This time I have devoted time to come back again specifically for the matsuri alone (well I did do some shopping too).

I took the early trip as the train service to Ikaho is not that frequent and if you miss it you have to wait, sometimes, almost an hour for the next train to arrive. Since I was a bit too early for the matsuri, I walked around and was hoping to do the Nature Trail. I took the rope way and checked out the sights at the top a midst the slippery path way (the entire place is covered in ice and I was only wearing my runners which made it quite difficult to walk around). Unfortunately though, the trail down hill was closed because of the snow so I have to get down by rope way good thing I don't have to pay again for the trip.

I overheard from the loud speakers (communities here in Japan still use that to announce information, you can even tell time by just listening to the sounds they play every turn of the hour) that the program won't start yet not until 12nn. I still have plenty of time so I went for a quick dip in the onsen. Good thing, there weren't that many people around at that time so getting completely naked is no fuzz. I am actually getting the hang of it really. I still have this one dream though to take a picture of the onsen to show around but I guess I am too afraid to even take a candid shot. Taking pictures in an onsen even if it is an open air or natural onsen is taboo, I just awe with wonder those people who were able to take pictures.

Anyways, by the time I left the onsen the program was already starting. I made a quick stop in a shop selling oden and boiled eggs and have a quick bite. Then took more pictures of my surroundings, checked out shops as I waited for them to set up the hina-ningyo. The kids will be out for a very short time only so everyone were looking for the best positions to take pictures. I think all in all including the setup time, the kids were only on stage for about 30 minutes. Some of them have to be carried and placed into position. Aside from the people, it's the wind that actually made it hard for me to take pictures. Sometimes I get a great angle or opportunity to take pictures (I was at the back and the only window of opportunity for me was when some people have to shook their heads, good thing I have a great lens) but then the wind will start to blow and the crew members will have to fix up the children's costume again.

I uploaded some of the pictures at my winkflash account under "Hina Matsuri 2008"(http://trek42577.winkflash.com/). For more information about Hina Matsuri (I want to write all about it but it will eat up my time, maybe next time) you could google it out and it will direct you to some interesting pages some of which are listed below:

http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa022501a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri
http://farstrider.net/Japan/Festivals/HinaMatsuri/

Michael means...

What Your Name Means


You entered: Michael dela Fuente

There are 17 letters in your name.
Those 17 letters total to 72
There are 8 vowels and 9 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:

Shakespearean	Male	'King Henry IV, Part 1' Sir Michael, a friend to the Archbishop of York. 'Henry VI, Part 2' Michael and his company are followers of Jack Cade, a rebel.
Hebrew	Male	Who is like God? Gift from God. In the Bible, St. Michael was the conqueror of Satan and patron saint of soldiers.
Biblical	Male	Poor; humble

Your number is: 9

The characteristics of #9 are: Humanitarian, giving nature, selflessness, obligations, creative expression.

The expression or destiny for #9:
The expression that you exhibit is represented bythe number 9. Your talents center in humanistic interests and approaches. You like to help others as you were intended to be the 'big brother or big sister' type. You operate best when you follow your feelings and sense of compassion, and allow yourself to be sensitive to the needs of others. You work well with people, and have the potential to inspire. This suggests that you could successfully teach or counsel. Creative ability, imagination and artistic talent (often latent) of the highest order are present in this expression. It's possible that you're not using or developing all of these capabilities at this time. Some of your talents may have been used at an earlier time in your life, and some may still be latent. Be aware of your capabilities, so that you can make use of them at appropriate times.

If you are able to achieve the potential of your natural expression in this life, you are capable of much human understanding and have a lot to give to others. Your personal ambitions are likely to be maintained in a very positive perspective, never losing sight of an interest in people, and a sympathetic, tolerant, broad-minded and compassionate point of view. You are quite idealistic, and disappointed at the lack of perfection in the world. You have a strong awareness of your own feeling as well as those of others. Friendships, affection, and love are extremely important.

Undeveloped or ignored, the negative side of the 9 expression can be very selfish and self-centered. If you do not actively involve yourself with work that benefits others, you may tend to express just the opposite characteristics. It is your role to be very involved with other people and their needs, but it may be difficult for you achieve this role. Aloofness, lack of involvement, and a lack of sensitivity mark the low road of this expression.

Your Soul Urge number is: 7

A Soul Urge number of 7 means:
With a number 7 Soul Urge you are very fond of reading, and retreating to periods of being alone and away from the disruptions of the outer world. You like to dream and develop you idealistic understandings, to study and analyze, to gain knowledge and wisdom. You may be too laid back and withdrawn to really succeed in the business world, and you will be much more comfortable in circumstances that are tolerant of your reserve, your analytical approach, and your desire to use your mind rather than your physical being.

You are very timid around people that you don't know very well, so much so at times that casual conversation and social situations can be strained. You tend to repress your emotions to the extend that some people have a good bit of difficult understanding you. You tend to be very selective with friends and you don't easily adapt to new environments or to new people very quickly.

The negative traits of the 7 include becoming too much the introvert and isolated from others.

Your Inner Dream number is: 11

An Inner Dream number of 11 means:
You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove, and you would like to be provider of the 'word' from on high.

http://www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp

Interview with Garr Reynolds by Guy Kawasaki

Found this one while browsing over the Internet. Guy Kawasaki did an interview with Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter). The interview moved around Garr Reynold's book presented as a list of 13 questions which by the way actually gave readers an idea on what's inside of the book. Actually the interview itself already contains some tips and tricks about the subject of presentation. Below are some snippets of the interview by Guy:

" ... 5 Question: In a nutshell, what makes a good presentations stick?

Answer: If you want to know how to make better presentations, buy Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The Heath brothers found that sticky, compelling, and memorable messages and ideas share six common attributes: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions, and Stories. Ask yourself how your presentations rate for these elements, and you are on your way to crafting presentations that stick.
. . .

12 Question: What is the single most important thing people could do to enhance their presentations?

Answer: Turn off the computer, grab some paper and a pencil, and find someplace quiet. Think of the audience. What is it they need? What is it you want to say that they need to hear. Identify what’s important and what is not. You can’t say everything in a twenty-minute talk—or even a two-hour talk.

The problem with most presentations is that people try to include too much. You can go deep or you can go wide, but you can’t really do both. What is the core message? This time “off the grid” with paper and pencil or a white board is where you can clarify your ideas and then get them on paper visually. After your ideas and basic structure are clear, then you can open up the software and start laying out the story in the slide sorter view.

If the computer ever freezes in your live talk you need to move on. The work you did in the preparation stage “off the grid” and away from the computer will help make things concrete in your own mind so that you can move forward sans your Macintosh in the event of a technical glitch. By the way, if you ask the audience to bear with you as you try to make the computer work, you might as well stick a fork in it because you are done. Keep moving forward in the unlikely event of a technical glitch. . . ."

Guy Kawasaki by the way is also an author of numerous books including How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Rules for Revolutionaries and Selling the Dream among others. To read the entire interview better check Guy Kawasaki's blogsite How to Change the World. Oh and please don't forget to get a copy of Garr Reynold's book Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter), I sure will get my own. Will also be checking out The Art Of The Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide For Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a firestorm - full of intensity and drama. Your thoughts may seem scattered to you most of the time... But they often seem strong and passionate to those around you. You are a natural influencer. The thoughts you share are very powerful and persuading.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

The Three Question Personality Test

Your Personality Is

Guardian (SJ) You are sensible, down to earth, and goal oriented. Bottom line, you are good at playing by the rules. You tend to be dominant - and you are a natural leader. You are interested in rules and order. Morals are important to you. A hard worker, you give your all at whatever you do. You're very serious, and people often tell you to lighten up. In love, you tend to take things carefully and slowly. At work, you are suited to almost any career - but you excel in leadership positions. With others, you tend to be polite and formal. As far as looks go, you are traditionally attractive. You take good care of yourself. On weekends, you tend to like to do organized activities. In fact, you often organize them!

The Three Question Personality Test

Are you BIPOLAR?

Bipolar disorder is not a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood, clinically referred to as mania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or mixed episodes which present with features of both mania and depression. These episodes are normally separated by periods of normal mood, but in some patients, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, known as rapid cycling. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II and cyclothymia based on the type and severity of mood episodes experienced. (Wikipedia)

You Are 56% Bipolar

You're a bit moody, and at times, your moods can be a bit extreme. It's up to you to decide if you're simply dramatic... or slightly bipolar.

Are You Bipolar?

What's in a name?

Again from Ayan's blogsite.

What Michael Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Have you seen the Philippines?

Saw this from a friend's blogsite (thanks Ayan) and took a chance of knowing how much of the Philippines have I actually set my foot in.

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

DEKADA 80

Here I am in the lab hoping to accomplish something tonight as I spend the night here (as in overnight which would be my first here, no problem since the building is open 24hrs). To accompany me in this cold night and stop me from getting "oversleep" rather than do "overnight" I tuned in to my all-time favorite station Monster Radio RX 93.1.

Tonight they are having Back to the 80's and I overheard Chico talking about this site "DekadaOtsenta" http://www.dekada80.net so I immediately checkout the site and was smiling while listening over Chico explaining a quiz challenge that can be found on the site. Smiling because I do remember some of those things like "who is the host of loveliness" or "what's Pong Pagong's favorite food". If you're one of those who are already aware of what's happening back then - from the TV shows, cartoons, or games children played - this site will truly bring back those memories.

Yuki ga furimasu.

Yeeeey!! Finally!! Snow!!!

I was awaken by the urge to peek into my bedroom window to check if the sun has already set ('twas already 9am). But what I saw brought life into my sleepy soul (I went home around 12mn from the laboratory previous night and was only able to sleep around 3:30am). Normally I would feel a headache whenever I attempted to get up from bed only to be pulled back again by the desire of getting that much needed sleep.

But this is different. I immediately stand up, throwing the covers aside, and rushed towards my camera. I need to get a snapshot before it all goes away. SNOW! SNOW! SNOOOWWWWW!!!

It's an exhilarating experience, especially for one who grew up in a tropical country where the dream of every child is to play uninhibited under the falling snow.

Honjo experienced it's last heavy snow fall in the early parts of 2005. And since then, we haven't had one. Holding my camera, I started to take shots, even though the snow fall is not that heavy nor forms on the ground. But still, I took shots while hoping that the snow fall won't stop, that it would run for hours. That it would give me a chance to see snow on the ground forming.

Three hours had passed and it is still snowing outside. Yippeee!!!

New Year, New Life. Think Positive! :)

It's a brand new year once again and it is time to ponder about what transpired in our lives for the past year. Time to think about our accomplishments and our failures and time to think about how we will live our life for this year. I really don't have anything in mind, I mean the resolutions. I just want my year to be more active, me being more outgoing and not just stuck up here in my room. I have nine more months to spend here in Japan so I hope to maximize and enjoy much of it.

I miss DIVISORIA!! :(

All Soul's Day is over and I guess everyone back home are getting ready preparing for Christmas. And that would mean a trip to the mall and the most famous place of all-Divisoria. Usually at this time of the year our family get ready to decorate the house in time for Christmas.

Volunteerism

Hands On Manila

It's been three years since I've joined this volunteer group. I remember how I came across this article about the group, what are they here for, and the various activities they organize all of which are participated in by people with willing hearts. I attended their volunteers' orientation held in one of the bookshops in Makati where they introduced the group, its humble beginnings, how they work, the different projects they have, the different organizations they have tie up with, and some of the people whom have supported the organization and embraced the concept of volunteerism.

Volunteerism, as defined in Wikipedia, "is the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without the expectation of pay or other tangible gain". It may sound crazy but its true. One is willing to work without expecting anything tangible from it. Though there maybe various reasons why they joined, in the end its the sense of accomplishment and the belief that one made something good that made them come back and do it all again.

In my case, I want a different summer at that time. Since I wasn't expecting any teaching job the summer of 2004,I want to do something good with my time. After attending the orientation, the following day I was out the streets visiting the various organizations needing some volunteers. I guess I was a bit picky with the organizations, I wanted something that will tell me what to do like sort of a plan and I want one that won't involved a lot of time as I still need to go to work. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get both. It is either they require you to be there a number of times a week or you just have to go find something to do. The groups that I was interested in cannot be contacted or either have the project discontinued already.

So here I am, three years and yet I haven't experienced the joys of being a volunteer. I have invited Hands On Manila in our university to talk about volunteering and have invited some friends to join the group. Dondon Marquez, the HOM Program Manager, told me that though I may not be doing some physical volunteering work, introducing the group (HOM) to other people helps in promoting it. In that, my outlook turned positive but still I am longing for that one time that I will be able to do real volunteer work.

Actually, when I came here in Japan the first thing I did was scout for volunteer groups. Sadly I haven't found any, though I know there are a lot of volunteer groups here. But in the past one year in my stay here in Japan, in one way or another I was able to learn and experience some concepts in volunteering which I hope I could impart back home.

So still, I guess the only way I could help HOM is to introduce it to people and promote volunteerism. In that I would like everyone back home to participate in Hands On Servathon 2007 on October 27, 2007 in celebration of yet another year of Hands On Manila. There will be various activities in different parts of Metro Manila. For more information you could check Hands On Manila website at: http://online.handsonmanila.org/

もったいない！(Mottainai)

Mottainai - a Japanese concept which means "understanding the value inherent in all things and not wasting something that can still be put to use". This concept have helped Japan progress in spite of the scarcity in natural resources. Giving importance to the little things they have, they were able to maximize its use and even gone as far as maximizing the use of things considered wastes.

The Philippines has been blessed, luckily, with a lot of these natural resources but unfortunately we don't seem to care. We only care when disasters strikes like the flooding in Ormoc, landslide in Leyte, landslide in Aurora and Quezon. I remember that even Baguio City, a place on top of a mountain suffered flooding. We kept experiencing disasters that if one will only think about it are not considered natural at all but instead man-made. Then we put the blame in the government, in the bureaucracy, in politics as well as the corruption that goes along with it. But we forget to blame ourselves, the people.

We always want our lives to be easy. In everything we do, we don't want to sweat it out. Even me, I admit, would like things to be easy. We'd rather cross a busy road risking life and limbs instead of using the footbridge, throw a candy wrapper outside our car as we don't want our vehicles to get dirty, or leave a soda can or cup anywhere we want instead of holding on to it if we can't find a garbage bin . We always want an easy way out. But when we are talking about the environment, we really don't have to sweat it out. All we need is discipline. I remember before, during my grade school years in our Character Building Activities (CBA) Subject, everyone were required to bring a small plastic bag everyday and that all our refuse should be placed inside if we can't find a garbage bin and to be disposed once we reach home. This I practice until today (minus the plastic bag) and ever since have been a part of me. It is quite easy to do if you follow it by heart.

In the past few days, Metro Manila have been devastated by the news that the only garbage landfill supporting them was closed. The end result, a lot of garbage were not collected and the only remedy was the recommendation to lessen the refuse by each household. Though currently the problem have been solved, still I don't think that the end remedy is for Metro Manila or the Philippines in general to keep on using landfills. I think we must go further beyond the concept of landfills.

Metro Manila's waste problems is actually easy to resolved if and only if the government and the people will help each other. The government- laying out a more concrete waste management plan and the people- strictly follows this plan. Mottainai still follows the concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.


I remember before how the Philippine Government and some NGOs promotes recycling and proper waste segregation.


http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg887.html

WHAAAATTT!!!

Nothing. Wala lang akong magawa.

Can't Do Anything!

I forgot to blog about the ICC trip I joined in last week, Friday. We went to this Edo period style theme park where in everyone are clothe in the fashion of the era and they have recreated a Japanese village at a foot of a mountain which I should say is quite a scene.

Today I will be joining yet another trip, this time around Honjo again. Still have 1hr 15mins to prepare. Will be posting some of the photos maybe tonight.

Oh yeah, about the title? Two months have passed and still I haven't started on anything yet. Can't seem to make my mind work.

The coconuter

Ohayou gozaimasu! I have a few minutes this morning to write this up and so I would like to focus your attention to this blogsite --> coconuter . I haven't really gone through the entire site but was able to read an introduction about it from a forwarded email in the yahoogroups. To make the long story short, it's about the adventures of one young man in the Philippines after leaving behind the comforts of his US life. As he have said, while many are running away from the problem stricken Philippines, he did the other way and trusted his instinct in order to find his real self, his purpose in life. I hope you'll find time to browse over and read some of his thoughts. Anyways, time is running out, I need to get ready for church. Mata ne!

JICA Seminar pics

I already have uploaded some of the JICA Seminar pictures in Winkflash . Free accounts at flicker has some limitations in the number of folders you could create and I don't want to spend yearly for that privileges. Then I found out about Winkflash which promises unlimited free account so they say so expect future uploads to this new site.