"every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." (Semisonic)

"Where do we go from here?", Fr. Jun asked the graduates of Redemptorists today. Graduation is a day for happiness. Yet, it also showers us with the cold water of reality that "You graduated! What's next?".

Congratulations to Marlon, Jun, Teody, Bong, Dano (Magna Cum Laude), Dustine, Harold, Herson, Kervin and Marvin for graduating AB Philosophy from the Christ the King Mission Seminary, today. Also, congratulations to my cousin, Karen. :)

"The world couldn't possibly end today, because it's already tomorrow in Australia"

 ‎"The world couldn't possibly end today, because it's already tomorrow in Australia" - Charles M. Schulz

It's the most striking quote I read today from the Reader's Digest. It's witty yet has a full load of a message which to me means... I can only take on 8 hours of work a day. After that, my body would rumble about hunger, head ache and sleepiness. After the 8 hours meeting of our Secretariat, I would still want to reply to emails and do some paper work but I just simply can't because I need to stop! or my body would drown into tiredness. I couldn't have learned to save myself from bring workaholic if I haven't experienced intense chest pains and days of being bedridden. In the end, there is a reason why the "8-hour a day working time" was approved by the government and why workers were able to win it from their struggle with their employers and factory owners a few years ago. It is to saved the human race and to keep humanity sane. That there is tomorrow, wherein you can do your work for today that you can't possibly do when you've reached your limits. :)) It's not entirely antagonistic with "don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today" since you've already done what you're supposed to do for today or until what you can do for today. I'm getting more confusing by the second. :3

Anyway, what I wanted to say in a nutshell is, Charles Schulz tell us to be optimistic and to look forward to tomorrow.

Apart from that, I also had another thinking about "Japanese people are living in the future, metaphorically and literally".
Because..

1. They are living in a high-tech world, with all the machineries needed for agriculture to medicine available in the hands of their farmers and medical professionals.
2. They are an hour ahead of the Philippines. 

I just thought, it's not impossible to invent a time machine since riding a plane to Japan from Philippines seems like riding a time machine to the future already, without one knowing it.

it's self-indulgence to write about your love story.

The cast (Always, San Chome no Yuhi 2),
while waiting for the announcement of the Literary Award winner. Picture's from here.

I learned it from the rich father of 'Junnosuke' from (Always, San Chome no Yuhi) who commented on Chagawa-san's touching story in the Blue Authentic which apparently was a finalist for a Literary Prize. He commented that Chagawa-san's writing is nothing but a mere self-indulgence or in other words, gratifying one's self through writing about own real life emotions and thoughts.

which is true.

Chagawa-san, the novelist. My favorite character, next to Ippei. ._. 
Picture's from here.

However, he missed a point that art is the 'expression of one's self'. Going by the logic that literature is art, self's expression through writing is still art, may it be written creatively and beautifully or not. What am I saying.. or rather writing.

What I just want to express is that.... for people, it is therapeutic to write about one's self. More so, it is an art for the matter that I believe in art as the opportunity for every human being to be given freedom to express what goes on with his or her mind, what he or she pictures when his or her eyes are closed and to try to paint a scenery from their own imaginations may their be tools be paintbrush, guitar or pen.

I forgot where I got this picture ages ago. I'm sorry.

All of a sudden, I remembered my friend Jesse, a Philisophy student, who lectured to me before about "love as the primary motivation of any human being to take any action" such as the "Helen of Troy" or the "Romeo and Juliet" or even the fate of Marcos to be dictator with the push of his wife, Imelda Marcos. From him, I learned that "love can make one do things beyond the limits" and "be creative". I must say forgiveness to Jesse for not remembering the philosopher's name who initiated the thought. 

So then, I'll continue to write as well as sing and draw about love, as my favorite subject of art, poetry and music. <3

sometimes, you have to let go of your grip just to fall and land on a safety net.

I actually experienced this on the bus on my way home. Not as usual, the bus was crowded and there were no vacant seats so I was standing from Rotonda until Coastal Mall in the farthest side of the bus, where there are 6 (?) seats aligned. At the time when some passengers who was sitting at the middle of these 6 seats, I was excited to finally sit down. In my excitement, I lost my grip of the steel bar as the bus suddenly moved. I fell and i felt the rush of blood in my veins which sent the signal to my brain of 'nervousness'. Yet seconds later, I fell at the exact spot where I wanted to sit. Luckily, it was a good fall and I felt happy being in a comfortable place just right after feeling nervous.

And then I thought of my life now... which is again on a turning point.

In the office, they needed someone who could take lead the administrative desk. I personally don't believe it's my forte nor it's what I studied however I do remember there is social work administration in  what I studied in the university. This brings uncomfort and anxiety. But I want to look at it in the framework of what our organization needs and then I'll leave the matter to the board to decide. Anyway, my skills are of a neophyte and as much as I can, I want to be able to experience and have a hands-on training of all the aspects of social work. The major worry however is would I be able to keep the high motivation, by being pulled-out of community organizing work. And to take on administrative work is not so heavy job ... if I were to base in our manual. Therefore, I could use my time to have a part-time work or to enter grad school. 

"It's not a question of whether I can do or what I want to do, but what I should do." - Chas

Whatever may happen, I'll just ride it and then fall and then find the safety net, if ever it was not close to where I fell. :))

sometimes, one has to do insane things to be sane.

Right! The subject's a little far off or philosophical or more general than what I actually learned today. Actually, there was not much activity as I just goofed around and stuff in the Nook - which by the way includes sleeping <3 <3, cleaning the room, (finally) finishing the laundry and some reading. I haven't even retouched the summer camp documentation which I was by the way aiming to finish by yesterday (such an unorganized little kid >.<) and I've fallen into playing Flyff again (it's a little scary if I get addicted again). But but but at least I've set foot back on household chores and...

I just thought.. 'sometimes you have to leave things behind just to get back to it again with a more interested head and heart.' If I do things in routine way like staring at the computer doing reports 8/24 everyday then I'll lose interest and gradually crumble to losing my head because of technical tiredness even though I also enjoy doing it. Justifications HAHA.. but I still have a point, I know.

BUT actually, one thing I learned today is... 'books could be really good friends.'

It could take you different worlds just by lying around or sitting and stuff. It has taken me to Russia where I encountered a couple who got married while they were both in prison; to a theme park where I met a young girl who has persuaded her brother not to stow away by asking him to watch her riding a carousel; to a world where cats could talk and fishes fall from the sky; to the 90's where the compositions of well-known people are music to our ear; and to elsewhere and else-when that I've enjoyed goofing about.

And I couldn't have noticed how books has inspired me and helped me in my formation to be the person I am now if I haven't cleaned the nook today - now, that's a 500mg doze of sanity. :)

And another thing... (though I do not think of it as learning but more of something to continue to think about)

Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?
Alice: All the best people are.
Me: All the best people are mad...

which explains why we have people such as Nietzche, Newton, Marx, Galilei, Beethoven.. and even Jesus Christ (who all have done insane things once in their lives to be sane.)