Post-PSI Basic

I don't post every day, right? I know that, but let me tell you something else. Today I think I have found what truly makes me happy in this world: my ikigai, my life's purpose. I exist to make people happy and help them in whatever way. I am passionate about directing people to opportunities, job openings, contests, people, and other networks that I know will bring the best out in them. I love seeing people find hope and feel hopeful and excited about life.

As I scrolled down my news feed on Facebook I saw this nice quote--my three whole days in PSI summarized in one line:

"Sometimes you just have to die a little inside in order to be reborn and rise again as a stronger and wiser version of you."

I started this as a challenge to myself first, by saying positive things to people whom I see as "difficult." The result surprised me in even tremendous ways. It's not hard to do, but that isn't the most surprising part yet. The secret and surprise is that people are not difficult. You are your own hardest professor.

John

Sometimes I ask God why I have this relentless desire to help you. Tonight I figured out why. I think it's because I see in you something in myself that wants to be helped the same way. That is why I cannot and will not stop thinking of ways to reach out to you and help you, even if you close doors. Even if you push me away. I will not stop, and I will not give up.

I see in your broken self the self that is I, as broken and as scarred as you are. I know how it feels and I feel what it's like to be in your place, to feel what you feel: pressured and wanting to just drop everything and rest. This is why you and I rest. We don't understand what people want of us--we try to--but we help anyway. I see that you love helping, and that is what draws me to you. From the bottom of my heart I say that I want to help you, even if it costs me. I feel indebted to you for no fault that is mine or good deed that is yours. You have placed yourself in a space where neither you nor I could leave, which neither you nor I could break in.

I do dream of you some nights. I remember some of them if not all. Thinking that I dream of you gives me courage and this drive to write: I cannot understand why--I've stopped writing for a long time, but it's back, thanks to these thoughts of you. Why of all people, you?

You make me write somehow. Tonight you gave me every reason to write again. Thank you for that. I still cannot understand what force this is that draws me to you indefinitely, but I like that you and I exist as one and the other. Thanks for you. Thanks for all that is you.

My Tamashii Convention Experience: A First

“Tamacon” is the hashtag name of a Japanese cultural event called the Tamashii Convention, held this year at the SMX Convention Center on the 28th of March 2015. Its theme, “Igniting the Japanese Spirit,” suggests a mystery worth waiting for—and true, the Japanese pop culture of anime, cosplaying, and J-pop was, before Tamacon, a mystery to me. The habit of spending so much money on cosplaying, even, puzzled me and I used to wonder why people  still love cosplaying so much. Although many close friends and relatives love anime, I can say this fad never appealed to me as much as it does to them. I used to watch Japanese cartoons like Zoids, Bey Blade, Bidaman, Naruto, and even non-anime shows like Pokemon (a personal favorite), but apart from those shows, there was no other anime I could remember becoming so attached to. The anime Bungaku Shoujo—which literally means “literature girl,” a close “archetype” of myself—was the most I ever watched from this genre, and I looked for it only because a friend suggested that I watch it. Clearly, Japanese anime was never really my thing, not until Tamacon.

The moment I entered the convention room, I was mesmerized. I saw Japan-themed booths, Japan game booths, Japanese food booths, as well as culture and arts booths. I cannot exclude the fact that almost everyone was dressed up as a character. Real live anime characters toured the room and mingled with other characters—it was such a sight to behold. In addition, there were girls in kimonos and booths that sold kimonos. I did not get to buy myself a kimono,  unfortunately, but I found it to be so beautiful and was sure that I wanted one. Maybe when I go to Japan, I will look for a kimono for myself. I also have never seen so many people take a single culture to heart with so much fervor and eagerness the way the Tamacon participants did. As I watched booth artists make illustrations of anime characters from heart, I realized that the fandom of anime is more than just a subculture to these people. It could, in fact, be like music or food to them. The passion they show for the arts, language, and other aspects of the Japanese culture is inspiring. Truly, it is something I cannot compare to people who cannot even love or appreciate a foreign culture, much less a culture of their own. 

I met up with a group of anime-loving friends during the exhibit. I was amazed at how they could keep identifying every anime character that passed by. Their enthusiasm for the whole event makes me so curious about this lifestyle. These people know Nihonggo, and it is something I wasn’t surprised about. For these people who like J-pop and anime, it is only natural that they could pick up the language easily. A lover of Italian music, I understand what it means to vehemently love a language to the point of thinking in it. 

The latter part of the convention was devoted to a forum about exchange studies in Japan. Ever since I made friends with Japanese exchange students from the DLSU International Center, I had always been so interested in going on an exchange program to Japan. This convention hasd helped me settle with the decision of Japan through stories and feedbacks. Some former exchange students to Japan had shared their experiences and travels and disclosed how truly wonderful it could be to study in a Japanese university. I now find Japan a very beautiful country  because of their stories, plus the idea that Japan has a strong inclination to culture and tradition fascinates me. It is not easy to do away with the fact that there are so many “fans” of this culture, whether they are fans of the anime, language, food, or whatnot. Whatever it is that they find themselves interested in, their love and connection to it has surely ignited an interest and curiosity in my heart for this culture and country.

The Tamashii Convention was a one-day affair but a fun-filled and overcrowded one. There was a point in the afternoon where the second floor convention center was already too crowded so that newcomers had to wait at the ground floor until enough people had come down. The area was full of people, cosplayers especially, and it was a great experience to have witnessed a unique cultural event like this one. Not only did it introduce me to many new-to-me aspects of the pop culture of Japan, but it also gave answers to old thoughts I once had about going on exchange to that country.

The Bleak, Stainless Future (just a few thoughts in harried writing)

In a society that loves speed, modern interventions like technology and electronic messaging replaced manual labor and long conversations, consequently altering lifestyles, making habits and decision-making of today’s people entirely different from that of their ancestors—or even parents. The fast-paced nature of day-to-day matters is overwhelming: speed is no longer just an option to most in the working class today but a necessity. For instance, electronic messaging has greatly increased work productivity by providing people with means for faster communication. A space-age system known as “online research,” quite ironically now, finds itself in library databases—there are websites and platforms that encourage this kind of research, suggesting that the Internet is ultimately a faster and more practical avenue for gathering information.

The 9th Global Business Conference on the 7th of February 2015, tackled several issues on matters of technology and the future—two of the most frightening words anyone could remind a businessman or a manager with in this day and era. While it is true that people who do not or refuse to catch up with trends will be washed away by the coming flood of newer things, there are things that do not change, and things that no matter how fast things come and go cannot be measured or bought. In the interest of all these fast changes around, an important question comes to mind: how far can one really deviate from principles and ethics, in light of all things superficial and fast? Ethical issues like piracy and intellectual property come to mind again—books can be reproduced with fast technology, and ideas can be “borrowed” or even “claimed” inappropriately, all for the love of convenience. 

Mr. Mark Gordon, the Managing Director of Indigo Strategic Marketing Pte. Ltd., in his lecture gave insight into this idea of fastness. The word he kept using is “beauty.” His emphasis on beauty goes together with the importance of simplicity and of efficiency. His proposal is that business problems—in other words, things that are done the long way—can be better solved using the simpler method over the longer method. During the question and answer portion, I raised an ethics question, which was not properly answered. I shall rephrase the question in these words: “In the interest of choosing ‘the solution with the fewest steps,’  a digress from otherwise ethical decisions is sometimes inevitable. Reproducing materials under copyright is really easy, especially when things are easily shared on the Internet. Pirating movies and songs is also easy to do—and doing this saves one from going through the hassle of spending money and going to the CD store. What then is the best course of action?” In my view, piracy and copyright infringement are wrong. An organization, however, might look at “wrong” differently and replace it with the word “practical.” It is practical to just download materials from the Internet instead of purchasing them. It is practical to borrow ideas and then use them in the company so that things may turn out more beautiful and elegant—things that the public will deem to be products of the company, which in reality came from ideas that are only unethically stolen.

Authors Dyck and Neubert offer a different point of view. Organizational culture plays a very crucial role in the development of a company and in a management. The “set of informal shared values, norms, standards for behavior, and expectations,” more often than not, defines the success or failure of an organization, inasmuch as virtues and goals are concerned. To an end, people will want to purchase from reputable companies, because careful, discerning consumers would normally choose good brands over “just nice products or services;” and a good brand is one that has gained the public’s trust over the years. The reason ethics is important to consider in the realm of money-making is that both parties—business and consumers—are affected. There are people who allow the reproduction of copyright materials, insisting that it helps advertisement by making the products more known and familiar to the public. This course of action, however they refashion it, will never be ethical because it involves an act of crime. The practical way may not necessarily be correct, and the correct way may not always be the most practical; but between the two, the latter is recognized more virtuous as it follows the multi-stream view.

Part of the motives of studying ethics is proactivity and strong internal networking in the organization or company—these attributes are attained when good communication is present. Ms. Cecile G. Tamura, the President and CEO of Okasaki Industrial Corporation, and Airily Corporation, brought up an interesting issue with regard to ethics and communication. This issue, better known as “disruptive innovation,” involves at least two companies, an older company and a newer company. The case of Kodak  and Instagram was  used to illustrate this issue. Kodak has been present for over 80 years as the leading photo company, according to the lecture. At the emergence of a new millennium, social networks and smartphones began attracting the public and the market. Instagram, a free social media platform, became Kodak’s best worst competitor because of the sudden change in the market’s needs and wants as a result of the popularity of digital technology. Suggestions of new management plans were given to Kodak. A new management plan for the company would perhaps be a timely solution to the sudden drop of their sales. However, the response was unthinkable. It was something like “Why will you teach us new management? This method has worked for over 80 years!”

A company’s ability to adapt to changes is a hint of good organizational culture. More importantly apart from being able to adapt to changes, a company’s openness to feedbacks and suggestions shows marks of good management and leadership. The fastness of how things come and go in this era is unpredictable. It might even be safe to say that even “good, old methods” of the past need to be further developed in order to meet the demands of the future—or even the present.

Ms. Tamura ended with a statement that I will also choose to conclude this essay with. In her exact words, “A lot of things that we know now are going to be obsolete. Are we prepared for jobs that do not exist yet?” Because many students today are fixed on the idea that finding a job is the next best thing to do after graduation, it is highly predictable that naturally, the answer of most people would be “no.” I believe questions like this call for immediate attention and action. Questions about the future serve as guides and reminders to us to learn to properly and ethically manage the time, networks, and organizations we have and are entrusted with. The business leader or manager of the future understands the value of working with ethics. The future of his company is as bleak and stainless as perhaps a plain two-dimensional circle. As he walks through life, he has the upper hand to choose what to shade his company with, whether good or bad. Temptations involving money, power, corruption, and vices are replete, and one unwise move can result in a bad shade for the company. However difficult, a good business leader will work hard and persevere to keep his company away from threats. This course of action is not only called virtuousness. It is also called prudence.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Good Singing and Technique

"Caro Mio Ben," composed by Guiseppe Giordani and performed in this video by Luciano Pavarotti, is an aria from 18th century Italy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ_xRL3uxTA

F*ck, this guy's GOOD!

I've watched several videos of Koreans who try to sing Italian and imitate Bocelli. Most of them do not succeed. Why I say this is not a result of any form of prejudice or bias. I will choose not to name names of performers, but this song by Andrea Bocelli was covered or performed a few times by a few people. Those videos are on Youtube.

When it comes to song performances and great singing, I am the Supreme Judge. I am everyone's overall X-Factor panelist. I know when singers do well and have potential. I know when songs are nailed or blotched.

Today's song performance caught my attention. I have to say Hojoong Kim did exceptionally well. I opened this video thinking it might turn out to be another one of those "imitations" I've watched in the past--but no, I cannot even call this performance an imitation. It stands out. It's one of a kind. I'm glad to know that somewhere out there, in another country, a guy performed my favorite song so well. I'm deeply, truly impressed...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb8bUXz9tSg&list=PLpKPPbS0W5-27sNWpxg17fnHIfJz5akKW&index=6

Anger for Injustice

I'll pause blogging about my personal dreams for now. This article won't be about Italy or opera, but about my country and my hopes for it, particularly on the aspect of handling personal finances. Yesterday I returned home disappointed and outraged, scammed into thinking that I could get a promising new job; I returned home wishing I had been sharper not to have fallen for old, stupid jokes of the ill-gotten. As I sat down on my desk feeling the thorn in my flesh, I reflected on the experience.

I spent that night writing another opinion article, this time on money matters. This morning I went back to the Youth Leadership Month application forms I intended to fill up last week. The three application forms had essay questions I didn't yet know how to answer--they were mostly about leadership, the government, and problems relating to those--so I kept the essay portion blank and left them inside a computer folder. Today though, I went back to those forms ready with answers. I realized that the problem then wasn't so-called "writer's block." It was ignorance--ignorance of realities around me and ignorance for real solutions; in other words, it was my inexperience, or a sheer lack of, that kept me from writing answers. Now I have answers because I know that something has to be done. Now I have answers because I have seen for myself that thing called "injustice."

Yesterday afternoon, I was hopeful that I would finally find work that could potentially be my "back-up." I like working with a system. I often spend hours in the library or on my desk planning my life the way I want it to go--I write down basic plans for each month and year, and then fill out the details when ready. I said I wanted to find a job by January of 2015. I felt fortunate enough to have stumbled upon a "job opening" post on a Facebook group yesterday--that's three days to January 1. I quickly texted the number and said I wanted to apply. The person texted back, stating they need a data encoder, for 3-5 hours a day of work and a salary of P550/day.

Well, what student with big "future plans" wouldn't want that, right? I needed that money, and I wasn't going to let myself be a child forever, especially when my big opera dreams are at stake without that. I really, badly needed that kind of a "magical" income, to say the least, especially if that daily P550 comes regularly--sure why not? That P550 is worth even more than my weekly allowance, P500.

It was all a scam, I had to learn the hard way. It wasn't a data-encoding job. It was a multi-level marketing company. I now find systems like those pathetic--I once made a list of jobs I do not want, and multi-level marketing found themselves on the top three of my list. I felt so violated that day that I wanted to just run away from their phantom secondhand smoke-permeated office-cum-graveyard. But I couldn't escape. Differently-cultured people flocked around me and kept prompting me to fill up a form. Stupidly, I did--but with a fake name. Being highly secretive myself, I don't reveal so much about myself to even my closest friends. And I couldn't leave then, even if I wanted to. There's this line from Jane Eyre that teemed in my thoughts that night: "I am no bird and no net ensnares me. I am a free human being with an independent will." Later that night, some groups of people dragged me into a circle which I would later on find out to be their "welcome newbies" initiation full of corny activities. I was the most "bad vibes" person in that circle, but I didn't really care--I wanted to get out. What kept me in that circle, though, was something in my head that prompted me to just stay and observe: That place was full with youngsters--teenagers like me, some older kids, some younger. Teenagers who were also once tricked into getting a job.

I felt a fire in my heart. I was angry, and I also felt pity for those people. When I attended that company's orientation that afternoon, I found that everything they do there is brainwash people into thinking that money is the most important thing in the world, perhaps even more important than their own education and health. True, they promise you good earnings. Some kids there even have their own cars. Cars. Cool gadgets. Money. Material things. Material things. MATERIAL THINGS!!! Material things won't get them anywhere!!! Their cars and cool objects won't make them look better off than their peers. They don't work a single day in their lives--they don't do anything, they don't make good use of that money, they're not taught the value of hard-earned money, they don't study, they don't work at all!!!!!! All they do is sit around and smoke!!!!!!!!!!!! What kind of citizens will these young people grow up to be????? What kind of individuals will they ever become???????.....Of what kind of life will they ever know? Is this the kind of future they see themselves as having? Sit around idly, while away, do no-brainer activities, buy more cool objects, spend every single day of their lives in that deserted dungeon of an office?????

Why does the government even allow this? 

The reason I'm so angry is that I saw potential in many of those people. They have talents and skills that they could make better use of. That day was a December 30. Rizal day. Jose Rizal hoped that the youth could become the future's hope. No, he didn't just hope--he affirmed it: "The youth is the hope of our future." Do something, kidzzzz..... Don't just allow yourselves to be huge stumbling blocks of nothing but meaninglessness. Your lives are worth so much more than you think of it and see about it. Put yourselves in school, now that you have the money, then get the hell out of that job as soon as you can. Let me tell you it's not a job worth having and keeping. Take it from me. I left it the moment I knew it was all for no good. I know, because I know the value of hard work. I know that nothing worth having ever comes easy. I know that education is the best weapon against poverty and the best tool anyone can use to change the world and make a mark in it. Place your focus on something bigger, higher, and much more important than the temporary, here-today-and-gone-tomorrow things you have today. Let me tell you what it is. It's education. Strive for that.