As of the latest draw by the PCSO last Saturday night, no one has won yet the much coveted pot price of half a billion pesos(close to 13million US dollar)in the grand lotto. It is more than enough to last a lifetime and more to spare for charitable causes so who wouldn’t be enticed if not obsessed with the thought of getting the winning six digit combination. Everyone has high hopes I guess, including my parents, who never tried to bet and doesn’t even know how the lotto works only until recently when they’ve heard in the news about some Congressmen and Senators who admitted to buying lotto tickets because of the ever -rising pot price which is so far the highest in the history of PCSO. At 20 pesos a ticket, it is a small investment and a very small chance of winning at 1/28 million but still there is a chance. No wonder said my mom that the super long lines that would usually bring out the monsters within people didn’t have that effect, rather it had shown the glitters of hope in the eyes of people from all walks of life. Funny but true, superstitious Filipinos have their way of interpreting people, things and events in their dreams into numbers. Others opt to go to churches to pray that their number combinations will the the lucky one. Well just so you know it, this practice has been tagged as wrong by a retired Catholic bishop because it is a form of gambling according to him. For the majority of the Filipinos, this I believe is their way out of poverty but for some, it a chance of a lifetime to experience the best of what life can offer. Who can blame them? With the cost of living getting higher by the hour to exaggerate who wouldn’t want to be an instant millionaire, anyone?
Instant Grand Lotto Millionaire, Anyone? by PamG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at watcomsngoes.blogspot.com.
According to a research study, lights contribute 24.6% of the total greenhouse gas emissions around the world, making it the biggest contributor to global warming. With this in mind, we should be more concerned and vigilant on how we could address it. During the yuletide season, commercial buildings, some government offices and residential houses are used to embellishing their giant Christmas trees and even the whole building/ house with hundreds and thousands of Christmas lights which are undoubtedly adorable but also are fire hazards. Not that I want to be a killjoy but the excessive use of these lights along with other Christmas decors using electricity would further aggravate the damage mankind has caused mother earth. In and out of our very own houses, we are already bombarded with regular bulbs to illuminate the different areas, appliances and gadgets that make life easier and fun for us. Well, I believe everybody should do their part be it individuals or groups to reduce the use of such if we are talking of significant contribution to reducing the effects of these greenhouse gases to mother earth. Here in our beloved city, I’m so much happy and impressed that our very own mayor is obviously an advocate to such cause. He wants energy-efficient bulbs for our streetlights all over the city that could last for years and lessens the bill of the city government at the same time thereby allotting whatever savings to other valuable projects. I hope also that there will be more companies like Philips who donated energy-saving bulbs to our city public market who will offer any assistance for the this noble cause. Simple ways, big ways, as long as these are sincere I believe this is a precious Christmas gift to mother earth.
OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT TO MOTHER EARTH by PamG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at watcomsngoes.blogspot.com.
Sometime last October of this year, the Education department issued a memorandum directing public school teachers not to give any assignments on weekends to elementary students. The reason behind is to allow these children to enjoy their childhood through play . This is necessary in order to build a healthy and successful environment towards adulthood of these children because they grow most rapidly during the early phase of life. So before they outgrow their interest in childhood play, it’s but fair to give in to their idea of leisure time. In view of this, I think this memorandum should also apply to students in private schools, more so to high school students both in public and private schools as well. This is because the trend of bombarding these students with loads of assignments deprives them the precious moment of rest at the same time bonding with family alongside doing chores in the house. With all the information and ideas educators are trying to embed in the students’ minds, IQ or Intelligence Quotient is undoubtedly gaining strength but EQ known as the Emotional Quotient, which has been pointed out by researches to have more significant bearing in adult life, being set aside and somehow neglected. No more time left for figuring out whatever happened to ‘BFF’s (Best Friend Forever) petty quarrel or mending the damage created by that teasing bout last week with your younger brother leaving him in tears or maybe simply being updated with wherever Mom got that “delicious-soh” new recipe she served during dinner. Better said than done, how about responding to the nagging of Mom to have my room plus the library be transformed in its original form rather than being an extension of the classrooms and Science lab in school. Life now-a-days is so fast-paced that time flies before our very eyes. I don’t want to miss any of my younger sibling’s birthday for that matter because of my whole day group work on a weekend due the following Monday or even Dad’s victory party after getting a promotion at work or even being in charge in the house for a day to give way for Dad’s and Mom’s much awaited date that has been postponed for the nth time. I myself have been wanting to be home on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon relaxing and listening to my kind of sound if not eating to my heart’s delight while watching the latest release of Harry Potter movie. So please, to the people in authority concerned, I appeal to you to take time to think about this matter. Alongside raising intellectuals, responsible and mature citizenry should still be on top of your list.
No Assignment Policy on Weekends by PamG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at watcomsngoes.blogspot.com.
According to the Webster’s Universal dictionary, Potential is defined as ‘the unrealized ability to do something’; while Ambition is defined as ‘desire for power, wealth, and successes’; and also, Circumstances is defined as ‘the state of affairs, condition in life’.
With these matters in mind, we can come up with the future. Ambitions in life lead to the discovery of new Potentials. But Circumstances in life, on the other hand, limit the discovery of these new Potentials. And, overall, ambitions are factors that greatly contribute to what comprises our future; for these are the causes that drive as into making certain decisions in the days yet to come.
Though I have not come across ‘great success’ yet, and I have not unraveled most of my potentials yet, and immense circumstances have not yet fully penetrated the ‘potentials’ that are hither to arriving, I still believe what I have just expressed. Obviously, I am still young and I have not been exposed to the world enough yet. I have not fully realized the glory and grandeur of the society, and furthermore, of this community I am in. Despite those facts, we can see that reality in our everyday lives.
Our position in society has a great impact on circumstances. Ambitions may too be affected.
If we are not educated with how wide-scoped the world is and how many possibilities there are, our ambitions would be lesser and lower. But if we do know the way around the world and its countless probabilities, though we are less fortunate compared to the others, we can make it. We would be able to realize our potentials and use them in such a way that we would be able to strive across poverty and its creeping branches.
Then again, it is up to us—to the person—to find ways that would lead to opportunities and chances. It is up to us to find the means. It is up to us to come up with the correct contraptions that would break us away from the drought and the famine; to find the oasis leading to better grazing lands and pastures.
Saint Louis University
As the name rings a bell or two in our minds, we should try to see more than that.
It is a name worth hearing, worth discovering…And it has stood for a hundred years. The SLU Centennial is going to be held from December 2010 to December 2011. Don’t you think it deserves a gift or two? (Talk about narcissism)
Let’s break down what I was talking about.
It is a name worth hearing, worth discovering.
Its humble beginnings started off when a group of CICM Missionaries landed in the Philippines to spread the word of God and…all that stuff. They saw Baguio (my hometown) as a gateway to the Cordilleran region- the place where they intend to preach, because there were many indigenous tribes. That happened in the year 1907.
In 1911, Rev. Fr. Séraphin Devesse, a CICM missionary, founded a one-room elementary school for ten local boys in the city. In 1915, the other grades followed. And in 1921, the high school level was established. On May 13, 1963, the Saint Louis College was granted a University status by the Philippine Government.
From its simple foundation as a one-room classroom for ten local boys, to a university of four campuses with more than thirty-thousand students, it has grown into one of the most prominent and respected educational institutions, not only in Baguio, but the whole Philippines as well.
It has stood for a hundred years.
Let’s just add a hundred years to year it was first established. 1911 plus 100 is equal to 2011.
The SLU-Centennial is going to be held December 2010 to December 2011.
We’d celebrate the occasion for a year; because the year 1911 is the year it was established. (And other than that, to celebrate it the sooner means……more fun, for everyone!)
Don’t you think it deserves a gift or two?
Well, who wouldn’t! In our tradition, no matter where you’re from, (I know that you know what I’m talking about), giving gifts on someone’s birthday is a good thing. Then, what more for someone who’s turning into a hundred years old? Let’s add some spice to what I’m talking about…Saint Louis University is turning a hundred years old this coming December! He’s almost a century old!
…By the way, for those seeking some help in their English, the type of Figurative speech I used in the sentences back there is called Personification…Just for the record.
Back to the topic, don’t you want to give him a gift? I think I speak for every student from that school saying that they want to give him a gift. Otherwise, where are we now if that school is not standing right now to brighten our minds?
Since we are speaking to an inanimate object, we don’t know what it wants. But still, we could give it a little something. In which case, why not another title?
SLU: The school that started a change
SLU: The school that brings back life
SLU: The school worth honoring
Those little things might not sound as “grand” as I was picturing, but I know for sure, that it’s the thought that counts.
A fruitful thought:
Though simple gestures may not seem grand and alluring,
It’s not the price, or the amount
It’s not the size or the quantity,
It is love and sincerity given along with the gift that weighs much more.
Saint Louis University- Laboratory High School
It sounds kind of “sciency and geeky”, right?
Answer is: not really…
Well, actually, it kind of is.
I mean, the name comes with the stuff—geeky stuff and high-tech stuff…and some others I don’t have the name for. Hahaha
Let’s start first, and foremost, how I got to talk about my school.
It’s a requirement, in my Technology and Home Economics class. But since that’s the case, I’ll admit. I have been planning to write about it; but, it just doesn’t fit my schedule…writing and typing, I mean. Anyhow, I’m here right now, in front of the laptop already, so why not start typing…and blogging.
Moving on, let’s talk about how I got here…to this school.
After graduating from Saint Louis School Center, SLSC, I went to Saint Louis University- Laboratory High School, SLU-LHS.
Aside from the reason that the school is near our house, I heard of how competent and socially involved and more…”more better” it was. I’m not comparing the high school of SLSC, which is the SLSC-HSD or the Saint Louis School Center-High School Department from my present high school. Neither my elementary school nor my high school’s elementary, which is the Saint Louis University- Laboratory Elementary School. Ah, here. I’ll clarify it. SLU-LES is the elementary of SLU-LHS; while SLSC is the elementary of SLSC-HSD.
My home
SLU-LHS is my home; I spend most of my time there. At home, its evening; so, what we do is to sleep. Basically, our days are mostly spent at school; therefore, we could consider it as our Second home…that’s just what I’m trying to say.
My school
SLU-LHS is my school. It is where I learn new things or deeper meanings. It is where our knowledge broadens and where our wisdom grows.
They say that experience is the best teacher. Yes, I agree with that. But, this is what I am to ask: How are we going to face the experience, and to really say that we passed the test if we don’t know when the trial actually hits us? Moral norms, school, and society are factors that guide us in saying that we are actually faced by this type of life-dangling-by-a-strand challenge or just some trivial one. Another word for experience is the following: encounter, happen, face, live through, undergo, be subjected to, and alike. And so, we make THIS kind of decision. After making the decision, we have already EXPERIENCED the situation. And therefore, we did learn from the situation—the knowledge we gained from the situation gave us a deeper meaning on what the moral norms, school, and society were suggesting to be true and correct.
This coming December, SLU would be celebrating its 100 years as standing as a school. From its humble beginnings, it would now become a century old. The Saint Louis University would be having its centennial celebration. (Read my other blog entitled “The name worth a thousand titles” for more information on the university’s history)
I guess the best gift I can give to my school, my SLU is to give it a good name…or if not, continue to preserve its already-respected name—especially my own school. It is my pride to say that I am from that school, a Louisian.
A Louisian by name and by status…based on where I am standing now. Come join me, and let’s discover all the more all the things about my school, my home, my SLU.
Hey, could not that be a gift to him already? Gaining knowledge regarding it? Hahaha…
…especially now, when the SLU Centennial Celebration is coming…
A fruitful thought:
Experience could or could not become the best teacher.
At some points, yes. But not all the times.
Some situations do not need to be tried.
…we cannot take back what already happened,
…make decisions wisely, and you wouldn’t need to regret it afterwards…
It’s just a short pang of pain… Then, it would eventually be over…I know I can get over it, I definitely can.
Life is a maze full of different turns. It’s like The Labyrinth. Every turn could lead to somewhere else you never intended to be. Still, life is like that, Heck, reality is always like that! You’d have to make a decision not from looking behind you, but from looking at where you are standing.
Yesterday, you couldn’t predict that this is what’s happening now, which is leading to this decision...And today, you cannot predict what decisions you are to make tomorrow because you are not faced with a particular situation today. Simple as this, let’s take an example. Yesterday, you slept in your sweetheart’s house because you got drunk after the party and you couldn’t drive. Before going to the party, yesterday, you didn’t decide to sleep over your sweetheart’s house. But when you were faced with the problem of being drunk, you decided to really do sleep in his house. Another example is this. You cannot make a decision today about marrying that same sweetheart; because, tomorrow, or in the future, it’s not a guarantee that you and your sweetheart are still together.
Back to what we were talking about earlier, Life is like a maze, Life is the Labyrinth. Every turn leads to somewhere. Every passage leads to another room. Every step leads to another opportunity—that is either to reach where your destination is, or to find yourself in another room that leads to another passage.
It is confusing, most times, but it’s worth it. You’d learn to avoid the corridors marked with a skull, or learn to take them. You’d learn to be cautious and to be alert. You’d learn to be creative and to be resourceful. You’d learn to adapt to every thing happening to you and to how people act around you too.
To think that I’ve been traveling this Labyrinth for almost fifteen years already, I’d be starting to get the hang of it. But no, I’m not. I don’t avoid the paths that are marked with red and bold letters of “DANGER!” Actually, I risk where I am most times. I follow civil laws, yes. But the rest? Pshaw…let’s place them aside first. Why not take risks? They could lead to greener pastures…the bad thing, though, is that it could also lead to drier lands.
I’m not saying follow my example, though…
Conclusions for what I’ve been talking about earlier are the following:
- -Life is a maze. Life is The Labyrinth.
- -Every turn leads to somewhere you never fully intended to be.
- -Make a decision not from looking behind you, but from looking at where you are standing at the moment.
- -Learn to make the right decisions, and to make the right turns.
- -And last, but not the least, learn to take risks at some times too; because, in doing this, we are exploring more possibilities and exploring more opportunities.
What leads to Success?
Richard St. John answered this question in 8 Simple words. Passion, Work, Good, Focus, Push, Serve, Ideas, and Persist. These may be self-explanatory, but I’d explain them still for those who weren’t listening much…
1. Passion
We should do what we are doing because we love it. We should do it for love and not for money. “And besides, if we do it for love, we’d eventually get the money” Richard adds. These may not be the exact words but the thought is the same.
Conclusion? Yes, I deeply agree with him. If we don’t have the will to do it, why are we still doing it? For example, if someone looses the will to live, he would prefer suicide. (Hey, that was just a thought, a mere coincidence…I’m not saying that you follow it) Even about the money-part. We’d eventually get to that if we enjoy what we’re doing.
2. Work
“Nothing comes easily, but I have fun…” this was one of his respondent’s answers.
I think this is still connected with Passion because even if our work/ job is really hard, but we love what we’re doing, we’d remain doing the same thing. And we’d eventually and still have fun!
3. Good
“…get damn good at it!” was another attention-grabbing line from one of his respondents. He adds: “practice, practice, PRACTICE”!
This is really true because and applicable because, if we love to do something, we’d want to strive harder. Actually, at some times, we wouldn’t notice that we’re going “level-up” already. We just mind our own business and continuously enjoy what we are doing, then “poof!” we already did a million great things on it. For example, you love writing so much. You were given a task to write an article about your favorite movie in not less than 500 words. We wouldn’t cram so much and complain, we’d just start writing what our mind holds. We’d be surprised later that we have already written a thousand words!
4. Focus
“…Focus yourself with one thing…”
I believe what this says is that we should acknowledge and aim a goal. This simply implies that we should not just sail the vast ocean of life and let it drift with you just looking out the window. We should steer the ship towards a certain island, towards a certain destination. It should be already painted clearly on our mind before we even start the voyage. (Hope you get the picture, I’m sorry, I’m not that good to paint)
5. Push
He suggests that we should PUSH our shyness and self-doubt, as well as failure.
In my point of view, he says that we should ‘stand our ground’ and not let doubt or shyness stop us from achieving the destinations we have painted. We should push failure away; we should remain standing no matter what kind of obstacle comes our way.
6. Serve
“…serve others something of value…”
I think he entails that we should think wisely. He says that we should serve others because anyway, that’s how we would be successful. It’s not just in terms of money. If we help others for example, we’d gain a value, lesson or moral after helping them.
7. Ideas
He says, “Listen, Observe, Be Curious, Ask Questions, Problem Solve, Make connections…”
What he says, in my opinion, are the steps in building ideas. Ideas could be the roots of actions, and actions to success.
8. Persist
“…Persist through Failure, persist through CRAP-the acronym. C- criticism, R- rejection, A- assholes, P- pressure…”
The acronym is very interesting. Personally, I think this is the best. He says here that we should persevere. We should carry on with our goals no matter the obstacles. We should keep on traveling the murky waters though we have gotten lost, though our companions have turned against our traveling-sense and have started putting us down in every possible way, though we can’t get what we want(for now), though everyone around us seems to be our enemies, and yet, everyone has started depending on us.
To sum it all up, this is a very interesting and enlightening talk.
I’d rate it a 10/10.
At the end of the talk, I realize clearly that success is earned and is not like something like an object that could be passed from one person to another.
The process is something tiring and hard but this leads ultimately to something worthwhile- into something no person can deny to have. Who wouldn’t?
Richard St. John’s 8 Secrets to Success by PamG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.watcomsngoes.blogspot.com.
Hey, this is not just some ‘emo’ entry about me drooling over someone. This entry is about my favorite, my most loved.
Max…Oh, Max
Hey!! The Max I’m pertaining to is Max Restaurant… just to clarify your mind.
First and foremost, let’s talk about its history. Max Restaurant started in the year 1945. Maximo Gimenez, a Stanford-educated teacher befriended the American occupation troops stationed at Quezon City. With this friendship, the soldiers frequently visited Maximo’s home for drinks, celebrations, talks, and alike. This gave Maximo the idea to open a café where the soldiers and troops could hang out. The menu, then, was chicken, steaks and drinks. Ruby, maximo’s niece, managed the kitchen. She created a special recipe for the chicken, and it immediately became a hit for the customers- the soldiers. Soon enough, the soldiers weren’t the only customers of the ‘café’. The other people heard about the mouth-watering chicken and so, the came too! This finally lead to the birth of Max Restaurant- the only one who occupies my guts, who fills my growling stomach. Hahaha…
Over the years, Max's Restaurant's popularity grew and became known as "the house that fried chicken built". It has expanded in Metro Manila, Southern and Northern Luzon, Cebu and California, USA.
My favorite menu( let’s face it, ‘food’ is not the word applicable because settling for only one of their food is not going to be helpful for my ‘condition’, the starving guts!) is the SET C from their Per Table Menu.
Let’s take the word per word definition, which I just made up.
Per Table Menu is the group of menus that is suitable for 5 to 10 people.
Set C full table consists of a complete set menu, from soup to dessert, good for ten people, which is just right for the family. This set includes the following dishes: Max’s Fried Chicken, Sinigang na Hipon, Boneless Bangus, Kare-kare, Lechon Kawali, Plain Rice, Roasted Nuts and Buko Pandan. It cost PHP 3870.90, last time I checked.
By the way, you could get a half-table for these menu types. For example, the Set C half-table consist of the same elements but lesser, of course, basically half of what the full –table promises. Still, it suffices for 5 people and costs PHP 1934.90.
You see? Other than the set being affordable, you could leave the restaurant with satisfied and filled stomachs. You can hardly walk after this feast!
Some other foods and menus you could enjoy are the following.
Beware! These foods could cause extreme ‘salivation’…if ever there is no word like that; I’m inventing it right now, because that’s what these pictures cause me to do…hahaha… I define it as excessive production of saliva…
Parenthetically, they’re offering some jobs. They need a Branch Admin Officer, Rider, Store Accounting Specialist, HR Specialist, Kitchen Staff, Dining Staff, Banquet & Sales Coordinator, Kitchen Supervisor, Dining Supervisor, Branch Manager, JR Systems Administrator, HR Assistant, Accounting Assistant, Accounts Payable Accountant, Franchise Area Manager, Technical Support Assistant, Liaison Officer, Cook, Maintenance Engineer, Quality Assurance Assistant, Warehouse Team Leader, and Accounting Assistant. If you want more details about these job opportunities, here’s the direct link: http://www.maxschicken.com/index.php?/careers
Since I’m already standing here, talking about food, I just want to give you some personal tips on choosing your to-be-favorite restaurant.
1. Consider the quality of the food.
Why would you call it your favorite restaurant if you think that the food sucks? Yes, it serves food making it a restaurant; but question is, do you like the food? How would you call it a favorite if you don’t appreciate or even like it? Think about the logic!
2. Consider the amount of the food.
If the food’s great but the amount is not worth it, yes. You could call it a favorite but why? How do you say you really, really, really enjoy it if you rarely go eat there? Let’s take the pattern and place it somewhere else. If we love a person, he or she is our ‘favorite’. Is Love at First Sight considered Love if we only saw them once? How are we to really love and appreciate them if we do not really see or feel what there is to love and appreciate? Logic!
3. Consider the staff’s attitude.
If the staff is rude and all, why would people consider eating there? They might as well find some decent karinderya where true Filipino hospitality is applied… Hahaha, just kidding, but it’s true.
……these are very applicable, I found out. But don’t take these tips incase someone working in the most gruesome restaurant is hitting on you… Priorities, people! (Hahaha…don’t believe these last 2 sentences I wrote before this one.)
This is the main page of my beloved Max: http://www.maxschicken.com/index.php?
Feel free to navigate it, it’s worth the time, effort and money!
A message to Max:
I love you…hope you’d see that!
…But I’m not endorsing you…YET!
Another fruitful thought:
Anything taken in excessive amounts is bad.
But sometimes, we deserve a treat or two. And I do agree with that.
We just have to know our limitation.
Sources:
Lovin Max by PamG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.watcomsngoes.blogspot.com.
Contributors
- pamG
- I don't know how to express myself. And when I do it, I always tend to hurt someone. Then, I'd rather not talk at all.