AmCham BLP 2016

The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. now accepts applications for the 14th batch of AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP)! 

The BLP is a week-long program for university students, consisting of company visits, meetings with CEOs, and a mentored business project.

Delegates will be able to have a first-hand experience of the corporate world before they graduate, and will be presented with many opportunities for honing their leadership and social skills, as well as expanding their network.

If you are a/an:
1) Filipino Citizen;
2) Incoming Senior, 3rd year in a 4 year course OR 4th year in a 5 year course, courses in Business, Technology, IT, Pre-Law and Engineering;
3) With Excellent English Language skills;
4) With Documented Outstanding Leadership Qualities; and
5) With Top Scholastic Records.

Don't hesitate, APPLY NOW!
Download the forms at http://bit.ly/1JSxPY9.
Application period is until November 27, 2016.

For more information about the AmCham BLP, visit http://www.amchamblp.com/.

BLP Chronicles (Meeting the US Ambassador)

(This was still part of AmCham BLP's Day 1 activities. I just wanted to share this in a  new post.)

So.. after our sessions for the day, we were told to prepare and dress up for the Cocktail Dinner at the US Ambassador's residence in Forbes Park, Makati.

Our personal invitation letter from the Ambassador himself.

Funnily, when I checked my Instagram account after I finished preparing, I saw Anne Curtis' picture wearing the same dress as mine. (LOL)

Monica and I finished dressing up before 5pm. I made my way to the lobby first because our group agreed to meet up and talk for a few minutes, but then, when I arrived there I was alone (talk about punctuality.. haha). It turned out that the meeting time was moved from 5PM to 5:15PM. 

Most punctual awardees. Haha

I think it was around 5:25PM already when we departed from the hotel to our destination (Forbes Park). We arrived there by 5:45PM (not quite sure) and was greeted by very strict security.

US Embassy logo/seal at the front of the gate.

We provided our names to the security guards then we were ushered inside.

The ambassador's residence was overwhelming. The garden was landscaped beautifully and well maintained as well. In the front porch, we signed the registration sheet and were greeted by our AmCham executives, Mr. David Caldwell, Mr. Ebb Hinchliffe and Ms. Leslie Murray.

We toured around the garden, took pictures, and chatted for a while with some executives before the start of the program.

BLP Chronicles (Day 1)

Our official activities started on Saturday, April 11. We were woken up by a phone call from Ms. Pinky around 5 am. Honestly, I was still very sleepy at that time but we had no choice but to rise up so we could be on time. 

I let Monica be the first one to bathe while I fixed my attire for the day. I discovered that we had the same bathing pace, and that's no good because I normally spend 30mins in the comfort room. We really need to wake up very early everyday, I thought.

We were not late; instead, we were among the first ones to arrive in the lobby.

Sorry for the blurry photo taken by my phone :(

We then walked to AmCham Hall, our venue for the day. 

Pancakes were prepared for breakfast, and the session immediately started at the same time.  (One thing I've easily distinguished from this program compared to others I've attended was that - time is of essence.)

Mr. Ebb Hinchliffe, Executive Director of AmCham, introduced us to The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

Fast Facts about AmCham of the Philippines:

▪️ Private, Independent & Non-Profit Association;

▪️ First AmCham abroad (1902), formerly known as the Manila Round Coffee Table and later on the Manila Merchants Association;

▪️ Incorporated in July 1920;

▪️ Affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. (COCUSA) and the Asia-Pacific Council of of American Chambers (APCAC);

▪️ It has also established a foundation (AmCham Foundation) and works closely with its members on serving and helping the Philippines;

▪️ It works closely with the American Embassy in Manila; and

▪️ It exists to serve the interests of U.S. businesses through the participation of members in promoting their long-term objectives, while contributing to the civic and economic development of the Philippines.  

(Read more about AmCham here.)

Aside from introducing AmCham to us, Mr. Ebb also presented the 5S system that the organization uses. 5S stands for: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. They use it to produce a more efficient and effective work.

Mr. Ebb Hinchliffe pointing out how much they value integrity in AmCham

He ended his discussion (while we were still eating our meals) by sharing to us the most important aspect that AmCham provides its members - the Integrity Commitment. When a company/business wants to join the Chamber, it has to sign (through a representative) the Integrity Commitment, which it will promise to be fair and honest (to not commit to fraud) at all times especially when delivering its products/services to the consumers.

After his talk, we were psyched through a team building activity. Ms. Maita Beltran of AmCham facilitated our activity.

We first did the "Massage-the-person-on-your-front-and-back" exercise before having the "Evolution Game" of jack-en-poy, from egg -> chick -> eagle -> superman/woman. (Until now I still don't understand the logic of the evolution. But I got to be superwoman! Haha)

Ms. Maita Beltran heading the team building activity.

The very eager and curious BLP participants. (Hi guys and gals!)

Best meets Best

The 13th AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP) kicked in last April 10, 2015. Student delegates from different parts of the country started arriving at Asian Institute of Management Hotel & Conference Center, our board and lodging sponsor for the entire week. 

In the afternoon, almost everyone already arrived. They even posted in our Facebook group "Where are you's" and "Watching movies here at Room 913". 

I was still at the airport at that time, quite envious of their early acquaintance and very much irritated with my delayed flight.

I arrived at NAIA T3 later than what I told Sir Kent from AmCham who was tasked to fetch me. I thought I'm the last delegate to arrive, but tadhana worked its way, another delegate was also there. Jundey was the first friend I've met among the participants. He's from Caraga State University and a fellow, proud bisdak (bisayang dako).

After checking in, we rushed to AmCham Hall for dinner and formal acquaintance. We were the last to arrive (the last to check in, since Eric wasn't there at the dinner table yet) and was immediately asked for an informal introduction of ourselves.

Everybody was so quiet and seemed nervous at the same time. I think we were all feeling the same at that moment. Nobody yet dared to break the ice; maybe that's why dinner was immediately served to crack some bones and let conversations strike. 

During dinner, I gazed upon everyone and noticed the familiar faces I've already added as a friend in Facebook. While the others were new to my sight.

After dinner, we were oriented on the next day's events and strict schedules. We went back to our rooms in the hotel (just across the street) to freshen up.

I met my roommate Monica. She had me with the "all-you-could-want-in-a-girl" impression. She's very nice, beautiful, and of course smart. We chatted for a while while arranging our things. I told her that she looked like Gretchen Ho, then she added Mo's impression of her being more like Sandara Park. I don't usually get along very easily with my room mates  on conferences I've attended before, but this was different. I think we were meant to be room mates. We immediately 'clicked'.

After a while, we went to Room 913 where we initially agreed to hang out and let the latecomers (that's us) catch up with the acquaintance. We were the first to arrive there, the others, we speculated, were too tired and might be resting already. We posted updates on our Fb group and asked everyone where they were; then, people swarmed one by one.

So, that's how the best of the best met. Letting the anxiousness and tension of the first day ebb away with a (gruesome) movie and late night conversations.

(P.S. We watched Perfume that night. LJ and Monica couldn't take some explicit scenes.)

 

Continue reading my BLP Chronicles, here's my post for Day 1 ;)

"Getting-to-know" never ends

I have known many couples who break up and separate despite the long years of being together (which is rare these days- the long years I mean). Most of them are celebrities, but a few are also in my social circle. These couples had been together for at least 5 years, had known each other's families, relatives and friends, and had already plans for their future wedding, dream house and family. Everybody expected they would end up being together but things would not always end up as what you thought it would be.

When I hear about a couple's sudden break-up, I feel bad and regret at the same time. My thought would always be: "Sayang ang ___ years.. :(" Then I'd ask what separated them together; there were diverse answers, as expected, but the most common ones involve a third party, being tired in a stagnant relationship, and falling out of love.

Partners in a romantic relationship, especially the guys (no offense), stop being effortful when the courting period ends and the relationship begins. They stop giving surprise gifts and cheesy letters, texting random things at random times, and even talking for hours at night. People usually take the relationship for granted especially if it has already endured for a long period of time, they think that they'll not be left behind.

On the contrary, the "getting-to-know-you" stage should never stop in the relationship stage even though you've been together for quite a time. As what I have learned from the movie Fireproof, one must always study his/her partner like how one studies to get a degree; one must continue learning about his/her significant other and also show that you still care and love her.

There are various ways to do this, it can be by organizing a candle-lit dinner at home with your own cooked meals, lying in bed at night while talking about your day at work or home, sharing pieces of information you've never shared before, and the most important one is by truly listening to what he/she has to say before nagging or getting angry for petty mistakes.

As Scott Peck said: "Love is effortful." That's why relationships should never be stationary, they must continually grow, evolve, and be nurtured. One must not be so complacent with the way things work for now, they might differ in the future. No one really knows and no one can know. The only thing you can do today is appreciate and value your relationship and your happiness. Make an effort and show how you truly love and care and maybe, you will discover more about your partner which you haven't known before.

P.S. Listen to the message of this song by The Script :)

Jewels in Solitude

*This was a modification of my previous post entitled "The Value of Being Alone" and was submitted as my Philosophical paper.

____________________________________________________________________

"No man is an island, entire of itself" was how John Donne (1624) saw human beings; for him, humans don’t thrive when isolated from others. Cliché it may seem, yet in the status quo, this concept of his still applies. In a recent study of Wilson et al. (2014), they found that participants typically did not enjoy spending even 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, and that many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves rather than being left alone with their thoughts. This shows that most people prefer doing something rather than nothing at all, even if that something is negative.

One may ask what the reason behind this attitude is. It may be hard for others to admit but generally, we, human beings are afraid to be alone because in today's society, being alone is tantamount to being rejected, and as Croston (2012) said, rejection is what people fear more than death. We are not literally afraid to be alone, it’s the prospect of being cut off, demeaned, or isolated from the crowd that we are anxious about. We know how it feels like to be alone – unloved, unadmired, and disregarded, and because we already know how it feels, we don't want to experience it again; therefore, we will always look for ways not to be alone; be it in the company of people, a pile of books, a stack of DVDs or even a music playlist in their phones.

On the contrary, according to Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1991), there is an innate desire in every human being to be alone. It is a reality no one can escape no matter how one tries to surround himself/herself with human company, things, or tasks to be just "busy". We are fooling ourselves if we think that we can run away from the isolation we don't want to experience. Despite the deafening silence we don't want to hear, and the aching void in our hearts which we don't want to feel, being alone says Lindbergh, is necessary. Because it is only by being alone that we can be in a state of solitude. In solitude we acquire many values that we do not expect to obtain, and some of them will be presented in the following discussions.

1. New perspective

Nietzsche (1878) said: “There are great advantages in removing ourselves distinctly from our contemporary time,” that is, letting ourselves be taken away from the conforming and unquestioning society we have now. By being alone, we are freed in some way from our comfort zones, and our visions expand from merely seeing what 'one wants to see' to what 'one needs to see'. We can look again at the world with a view atop the rabbit’s fur, a perspective we once had, we get to survey it for the first time its entire shape with a questioning mind, and when we come closer at it again, we now have the advantage of understanding it better on the whole than those who have never dared to climb back at all.

2. Reflection

Solitude allows us to pause. As Gabriel Marcel (1950) said, a break from our daily chain of habit becomes the starting point of our reflection. Solitude grants us the opportunity to think and reflect. Being alone brings us back to the various happy and exciting moments, or even the sad ones that we have forgotten or tried to forget in our life. This allows us to pick different experiences from our memories and join them together to create a unified album of ourselves which might answer the most basic questions and essential questions we’ve been asking this whole time. This interlink helps explain the questions as to our origin and purpose that baffled our minds for days, or even a longer period.

3. The Self

It is in the company of no one but one’s own self that we can find our self. It is in solitude that we regain our free spirit who may have drifted away or has been entrapped by the slavish society. It is in silence and distance from the crowd that we begin to understand the interplay of our self. And when we find out about this truth, we cannot be a stranger to ourselves anymore. We get to know who we are, and when we begin to understand our self, we also learn to love our self, and as what Scott Peck pointed out, the capability to love our self also entails the capability of manifesting love for others.

Based on the aforementioned, one can see the necessity for a person to be alone. In today’s society, people have been giving too much by abiding to others’ dictates. Being alone and in a state of solitude cleanses a person from this poison of conformity and mediocrity and replenishes his/her self in the process.

As a whole, being alone is indeed an endeavor one despises because of the many labels (i.e. unsuccessful and unloved) it attaches to a person. Yet, it must not be hated because after all, we do thrive when isolated from others. It helps us grow and mature by viewing the world from a different perspective that we’ve limited before, by being more skeptical and dissenting from societal orders and lastly, by knowing and understanding who one’s self is. Think of these values that we can achieve through solitude.  Spending more time alone will be worth the experience.

FYI

One thing others don't know about me: I'm a romantic.

I'm certainly the woman who loves getting long, mushy messages, or sweet "I love you's" at random times during the day. I appreciate getting flowers for special occassions, or an unexpected visit whenever I'm lonely.

I still believe in fairy tales and happy endings and I'm still in love with the idea of a damsel-in-distress awaiting her prince charming.

I love back-hugs, long talks in bed, a kiss on the forehead, a tickle in my toe, and most of all, I really love surprises.

Whenever I see people preparing for a surprise or getting surprised, I feel envy and pity (for myself). I always wonder why nobody would make an effort to surprise me on my birthday, or even afterwards. 

To be honest, I did expect from people; after all, I made an effortful surprise for theirs. Well, it turned out as a disappointment. I probably didn't matter that much for them as they were to me. That's why I always tell myself today to not expect from anyone anymore.

I maybe known to others as a serious type, mistakenly assumed as someone who does not like any "romantic stuff". But before you judge someone, get to know them first. 

I'm posting this to let people know the part of my personality that I hid perfectly from society and that I'm also at my limits. 

I'm tired of giving too much; I believe it should also be reciprocated this time. A little appreciation wouldn't hurt.

AmCham BLP

It was sembreak last year when a classmate of mine posted in our fb group a message passed on by kuya Kurt Sabate about the AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP) application. He encouraged our class to apply for the program because it is, as he said, a life-changing experience. What motivated me to apply was the rare opportunity of meeting the country's top CEOs and visiting the different firms (aside from the interesting discussions) and most of all, it's all fully-funded by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines! I immediately texted kuya Kurt that night that I'm interested in applying for the program and afterwards, he sent me the application kit.

The AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP) aims to make tomorrow’s leaders aware of the contributions of multinational businesses to the country’s development. It is a week-long annual program for university students, consisting of company visits, meetings with CEOs, and a mentored business project. This year's BLP will be held on April 11-19, 2015.

(Read more about AmCham BLP here: http://www.amchamblp.com/about/history/)

The application process consists of 3 phases; afterall, it is a very competitive program, accepting only 30 students from hundreds of nominations from all over the nation's top universities.

First Phase:

For me, the first phase of the application process is the most tiresome one; this stage will test how determined you are to join. This phase involves completing the rigorous application form. Mind you, it's not merely a one-page basic information form, it also includes an essay consisting of two questions (p.s. It's not purely subjective, it requires thorough research and analysis too), a recommendation letter from the dean, a resume of extra-curricular activities with certifications as supporting evidences, a copy of the latest transcript of records (TOR), a certification of the latest GPA/QPI, and a student declaration contract.

Firstly, I have requested a copy of my TOR and certification of latest QPI at the registrar since this will take 2 weeks to process. After that, I made a list of my extra-curricular activities and took note of those which needed certifications and immediately started working on them. Then I started researching information for the questions in the essay. It took me almost 3 weeks to finish the entire application (from getting signatures to making essays). Two days before the deadline, I emailed the scanned copy of my application and mailed the original files to AmCham Office in Makati.

Second Phase:

It was last week of January when I received an email from Ms. Pinky (BLP Coordinator) that I passed the first phase. She told me to be ready for the next one and take note of the requirements needed. I was so happy and at the same time nervous because the next phase consisted of an interview and online exam. Furthermore, according to kuya Kurt, he didn't even finish the test which made more anxious.

I was scheduled for an assessment last February 11, but a problem arose, and it was then rescheduled to Feb. 13. (Note: Comply STRICTLY with the requirements given in the email. Especially the requirement wherein you must be at school premises and monitored by a proctor.)

Luckily, we (Ate Marion, a fellow applicant and a senior of mine in BSA) were allowed by Sir Pol Medina (Accountancy Program Chair & School Coordinator for BLP) to use the SBG computer laboratory for our assessment during the activity period with a laboratory assistant to monitor us.

The skype interview was conducted by a consultant from John Clements Inc, it was strictly in English, and was not so easy to answer. The questions were more about leadership and my opinion on different matters regarding national economic issues. It lasted for about an hour! Then, the online exam was given by another consultant. It was in 2 parts and timed at each part. The exam mainly assessed our general reasoning skills, oral, and analytical proficiency. Because of the unstable internet connection, my teamviewer kept crashing, and when I have logged-in again after several attempts, the time was almost up.

Final Phase

I was losing hope after the second phase since I'm not sure if I satisfactorily answered the questions during the interview and if I passed the tests I didn't even finish.. and so when I received an email that I passed and was scheduled for the final assessment, I can't contain my joy. It was indeed an unexpected one.

The final phase was a panel interview to be conducted by members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Davao. I was scheduled for Feb. 28 assessment at the Davao City Chamber of Commerce Building. 

I arrived earlier than the communications coordinator and changed to my formal corporate attire. Ms. Annie from AmCham Davao arrived later and told me that I was the only one from Davao who passed and is scheduled for an interview (contrary to the normal 5-6 students they annually interview) and because of this, only one member from the Chamber would conduct my interview.

The interview had a friendlier atmosphere than last time. Dr. Joy, a member of AmCham Davao, was very accomodating and non-threatening. She gave me adequate time to think and talk. She was also very responsive to my answers, frequently giving side comments and recommendations. The questions were also more on leadership especially in the business sector. Because I had various experiences in conducting activities because of my affiliations in many organizations,  answering the questions was not a problem at all.

The interview with Dr. Joy lasted for almost 2 hours. After the interview, she immediately told me that I passed the screening and that she expects for a great performance in the BLP and even after that.

I received the official email of acceptance from Ms. Pinky a week later. I was very blessed to be selected as one of the 30 student-participants from top universities in the whole nation.

Now, I'm beginning the countdown for this life-changing experience. Only two weeks left before I depart for the program which I have only dreamed of passing before.

I will also share my experiences after the program in this blog, but for now, all I can do is wait and prepare :)

Incomprehensible

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who feels this emptiness that sucks the life out of me which I can't possibly explain. 

cr: Flickr

Let me ask you..

Did you also had that feeling where you don’t want to talk to anybody? You don’t want to smile, say hi, or wave to familiar faces. You simply don’t want to fake being happy. And the problem is: you don’t know exactly what’s wrong with you. There isn't a way to explain it to others.. 'coz they'll surely not understand what you're currently going through.

Then, you'll start wanting to be alone. You will seclude yourself from the crowd, go into various places, try out different things.. but still, the unexplained hollow feeling in your chest does not ebb at all.

It only grows by each passing second that you fake the circumstances and don't let the tears shed. You then try to talk to people to see if they can help; yet, you realize that they have stopped being comforting and accommodating.. They don't listen anymore, as opposed to what you expect them to do.

Because of the disappointment, you go back to seclusion again for you know that at least when you’re alone, no one will constantly ask you what is wrong and there isn’t anyone who won’t take ‘I don’t know’ for an answer.

You'll realize afterwards that you feel the way you do JUST BECAUSE. And you hope the this feeling will pass soon. You will be able to be yourself again, but until then all you can do is wait.

Did you also experience having this kind of feeling?

I hope I'm not the only one.

Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) Reflection Paper

"Life has value as long as we value ourselves; when that is no longer possible, it is better to end it than continue without meaning. The choice must be an act of personal freedom, and it must be easier to find help when we need it. This is also a way of showing love!”

­-Ramon Sampedro

Mar Adentro was based on the true story of Ramon Sampedro, a sailor who became a quadriplegic and has been bedridden for 28 years. He was the first Spanish who asked the courts to grant him the right to assisted suicide or euthanasia. The film can be captured by the above quote in Ramon’s book “Letters from Hell” (Cartas desde el infierno).

There are two major ethical issues that I felt strongly portrayed in the film: euthanasia and adultery. Euthanasia, dignified death, the right to die, freedom of choice, etc., are the terms with which the main topic of the film could be defined. I can say that the film revolves around this major ethical issue since the protagonist, Ramon, strongly wishes to die and was evidenced by how he rejects resources that might improve his quality of life (e.g. wheelchair), his confinement in a non-accessible environment and his stubborn desire to die. However, a love story that is more delicate than the discussion on euthanasia, which is the film’s main topic, also develops throughout the film. This love story between Julia (Ramon’s lawyer) and Ramon was an example of what I consider as an unethical act. Theirs was a forbidden love since Julia was already married at that time. Although their love story was not really emphasized in the film, it can be deduced from their actions and decisions how they really love each other despite knowing the harsh reality they both face.

Ramon perceived his life as “a living head in a dead body” and talks with cold detachment of lives that should not be lived like his. He refused to use the wheelchair because “to accept the wheelchair would be like accepting scraps of what my freedom used to be”. He believed that living is truly experienced when one has freedom; freedom to move and to act to chase his dreams. 

Gené and Marc, defenders of the pro-euthanasia association, also become standard-bearers of life, explaining their ideals as the defense of all: “we support freedom: that of those who wish to live and that of those who wish to die”. Conversely, those who are against of euthanasia, like Fr. Francisco, who was also quadriplegic, engaged Ramon in a debate on the possibilities involved in living in a wheelchair, setting forth arguments such as “life is not only moving one’s arms or running from one place to another or kicking a ball…” and “life is a gift”, clearly reflecting, in the scenes where he appeared, on the architectural barriers that exist where Ramon lives.

Osvaldo's Cakes - Davao

After the Philosophers' Rally, my friends and I decided to have a date. We agreed to try "something new", thus ending up with the decision to try the famous cakes at Osvaldo's.

The place is located at Door 7, Ground floor of Paseo De Legaspi. The landmarks near the place are The Apo View Hotel and GMall Ilustre. One can take a jeepney ride en route Ilustre and stop by The Apo View Hotel and just go straight Pelayo St. (going the opposite direction to People's Park). For first timers like us who were not familiar with the place, we opted to take the taxi from AdDU and paid P56.00 only.

We expected the place to be "café-like" but it's actually designed to be a kitchen where they prepare their cakes. Walk-in customers can buy a whole cake for P2000-2500, depending on the flavor; or they can buy a piece for P150 (cakes) to at least P200 (cheesecakes) and eat in the tables inside the compound. We saw one of the owners, Mr. Joel Rodriguez who enthusiastically greeted us and encouraged us to try out some of their cakes.

Asking what we should try out as first timers, he immediately recommended the Carrot Cake and their Cheese Cakes.

We ordered four slices so we can try different flavors: Red Velvet Cheesecake (P200), Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese frosting (P150), Caramel and Almond Cheesecake (P210) and Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge (150). Each slice comes with a cup of complimentary coffee.

Overall, the cakes tasted superb especially the caramel and almond cheesecake. One can really distinguish its quality compared to others. The prices might be a bit expensive but it's worth a try. Aside from their main menu, Osvaldo's also accepts orders for customized cakes.

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A Valentine date with Love & Philosophy

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

- Socrates

February 14 - Valentines Day, a day where people feel the aura of love everywhere. Restaurants are fully-booked, cinema queue lines are so long, and roses and chocolates are very in-demand. Everyone seemed so busy especially those who look forward to a date planned with a loved one. Yet, for us, it's not just a day for dates, it's the best time to know more about love and philosophy through the 3rd Philosophers' Rally.

From L-R: Omar Manigo, Jessa Velle Ituriaga, Jenessa Jao and me :)

The Philosophers' Rally is an annual event organized by the Philosophy Department of Ateneo de Davao University which started last 2013. It's always held on Valentines Day. One might be wondering why it is called a "rally" rather than just a forum/conference/seminar. According to my Philo prof., it's actually called as such 'cause the Philo dept. is striving to arouse the people's (esp. students) enthusiasm to philosophize through talks about love, philosophy and other fields. It's a campaign that they want to continue since it showed positive results for the last two years: more students submitted their papers for presentation and more have attended the rally and began the process of philosophizing afterwards.

This year's Philosophers' Rally was held at Finster Auditorium. Although it was Saturday and most of all Valentines Day, many have attended and showed enthusiasm for the event.

The program started around 9am and the talk commenced afterwards. This year's speaker was the chair of AdMU's Philo Department - Dr. Agustin Martin Rodriguez. His talk was entitled "Love at End of Life as we know it". 

He emphasized many points in his discussion including how the world as we know will soon come to an end because of the current threats of global warming, end of oil, and water scarcity. He also pointed out many ironies in our world such as how civilizations were made for our aspirations but how these same civilizations also end them, how the Philippines experiences increasing economic growth now but fails to address the prevalent problem of poverty, how people are too "westernized" that they don't seem to see the problem of consumerism, and how people became so addictive in taking selfies as a way of showing their existence to the world. 

"Kakainin mo na nga lang yung cupcake, pipiktyuran mo pa."

He then discussed the subject of the day - love, defining it as simply 'opening to the other as other' and how we can find our self by forgetting about our self. He stressed that the kind of love we need today is not the romantic/valentine one which is obsessed with the "I" (e.g. "I bought her roses = I'm so thoughtful"), the kind of love we need is the pure, genuine love that opens, responds and serves the other. Dr. Gus ended his talk by challenging everyone to "relearning love".

After the talk, a concurrent session followed wherein some students presented their philosophical papers. The concurrent session was a disappointment for me because some of the presenters were not that prepared, evidenced by their poor presentation and lack of answers for the moderator and the audience.

Despite of this, overall, I truly enjoyed the Philosophers' Rally. Celebrating V-day will never be the same, for now I know that it gets more fun by learning more about love and the self through philosophizing.

Hope to see you next year! ;)

The Value of Being Alone

"No man is an island."

Cliché, yet it's the closest depiction of our society today.

We human beings are scared to be alone. We are scared of people leaving us or singling us out from the crowd. In today's society, the number one fear is actually not death.. but rejection. 

That's why people are always looking for ways not to be alone, be it in the company of people, a pile of books, a stack of DVDs or even just a playlist in their phones.

We don't want to be alone because we know how it feels like to be alone; and because we already know how it feels, we don't want to experience it again. 

On the contrary, according to Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her article "Moon Shell", we must be alone. There's an innate desire for solitude in every person - no one can escape this reality no matter how one tries to surround himself/herself with human company or with things or tasks to be just "busy".

We are fooling ourselves if we think that we can run away from the solitude we don't want to experience. Being alone says Lindbergh, is necessary. 

Despite the deafening silence we don't want to hear, and the aching void in our hearts that we don't want to feel, there is actually a value in solitude.

What do we actually get by being alone?

1. Truth

    They say that truth has many faces. It manifests different masks in various situations. By being alone, we can search for the 'truth' that manifests from our core.

    Our personality is just one instance. We show different sides of ourselves to different groups of people such as being jolly and talkative when with friends, but very serious when with family. 

    By being alone, we can actually find our 'self'. The one who need not display so many masks. It's in solitude that we find our lost self who drifted away and was broken to many pieces. It's in silence and distance from the crowd that we begin to understand the interplay of our self. And when we find out about this truth, we cannot be a stranger to ourselves anymore. We get to know who we are; and others will also begin to understand us more.

2. A different angle

   It is also in solitude that we begin to notice things that we failed to notice before; it might be signs in the road or a flock of birds passing by. When we isolate ourselves from the demands of society, our visions expand from merely seeing what 'one wants to see' to what 'one needs to see'. We are freed, in some way, from the enclosed dreams that we made. By being alone, we can look at the world in a different angle, and this angle would make one closer to the world.

3. Connect-the-dots

    Solitude allows us to think. It's the starting point of our reflection. We are brought back to the various happy and exciting moments, or even the sad ones that we have forgotten or tried to forget. This allows us to pick different experiences from our memories and join them together to create a unified album of ourselves which might answer our "whys" and "hows". This interlink helps explain the questions that baffled our minds for days, or even a longer period of time.

Being alone does not mean that we do not fit in the group or we don't have social skills, as opposed to what society labels us nowadays; neither does physical separation from the rest entails our solitude.

Being alone is a way of replenishing one's self because we have been giving too much to society by abiding to their dictates. We need to be alone to pause and make way for ourselves' desires.

Being alone is not actually scary. Being left behind does not always mean that we are unwanted and rejected.

Think of the values that we can achieve by being alone. It's actually worth the experience.

Somebody needs a break

Exhausted? Stressed? Demotivated?

Honestly, I can't even identify my feelings right now.

I know I easily get down, but these days, it seems that they occur too often.

"FAILURE IS NEVER AN OPTION"

-NASA

Since I'm a big fan of NASA, I promised myself that I too will live by this mantra.

Ever since a kid, I developed this competitive attitude that wants to excel in possibly all fields that I have the capability to enter. Because I simply don't want to be brought down by anyone, I did my best in my studies and participated a lot of extra-curricular activities just to be on top. Thus, I graduated Valedictorian in grade school and high school and also earned various awards and recognitions local and even global.

This mantra of mine was truly lived by during those days; however, when I entered college, things were very different.

Of course I already expected college to be difficult, but believe me, I didn't expect it to be this difficult.

I did what I usually do during high school: study ahead, complete the requirements and ace the test. As usual, I got high grades during the first year (mostly A's) and was awarded as top 3 highest QPI during the next sem.

When second year began, and Financial Accounting was introduced, I experienced my first 0 score in a quiz, 75 rating in an exam and 85 final grade.

I thought I was the lowest in class and I'll be out in our section by the next semester; yet, too good to be true, I was still part of section A.

I told myself that I should focus and put more effort into my studies (esp. FinAcc) no matter how much I despise the subject so that I can attain a higher grade and QPI. It turned out that it was never an easy undertaking.. From B, my grade went down to C+. Ouch. 

But then, I moved on from the hurt I felt. Good thing that I was still part of section A the next semester. It was a new school year and a tough one for us because of our 5 major subjects. But we managed it so far. Although there were also ups and downs (mostly downs), we did survive as a class; no one failed. I'm thankful that I'm still a Dean's Lister despite the pressure of the 5 major subjects although it was really so close.

I vowed to myself that I have to get back up even if it means that I need to force myself in loving my course, which up to date, I still don't. But then, no matter how late I sleep at night, no matter how many books and reviewers I read and no matter how many questions I answer, I still failed.  60, 70, 80? Are my efforts actually justified by these numbers? I don't think so, and they will never be.

Accounting and me? We're never meant to be.

Just like how couples need a time to "cool off", I think I also need a break from my course because I'm forcing myself too much, I'm comparing and belittling myself too much and I'm pressuring myself too much nowadays.

Seriously. I do really need a break.