Rat Racer or Fast Tracker? October 29, 2008
Posted by James in be the boos, employee, rat race, work.add a comment
Every morning, you get up and prepare yourself to go to work. You shower, eat
your breakfast, get dressed and travel by bus/MRT/LRT/cab or drive your car to your office. You reach your office, go to your cubicle, sit down and switch on your computer. And the first thing you do when your computer’s switched on is you check your email!
I know because I’ve seen countless people and they all tell me the same thing. After you go through “email hell”, you watch the clock and find out that lunch’s just around the corner. And so you zip down to favorite eatery that you’ve been dining at everyday for the last 5 years.
You finish your meal and then you head back up to your desk, sit down at your chair and wish that you could just fall asleep! Who else knows that after lunch feeling?
But you can’t.
You boss is yelling for you to get this report prepared and done, your inbox just flooded in with another gazillion emails chasing you for all this work that needs to be done.
Somehow you manage to pull yourself together, endure the pain and get back to doing your chores. You finish that report, you reply to those gazillion emails and in fact, you even manage to squeeze in some extra time to handle that nasty customer that’s been a constant thorn in your neck.
So you finish your work for the day, five o’clock comes and you take the bus/train or drive your car through peak hour traffic back home. You come home to your family, you have dinner and take the nice warm shower that just feels so good. Maybe you sit down to watch television or you read the papers and before you know it, it’s coming to midnight. So it’s off to bed and you wake and you repeat this all over again!
You get two to three weeks paid vacation/sick leave each year and occasional for overtime work.You get paid by your employer for your services every payday. If you don’t like your job anymore, you find another employer for better pay. Year in, year out, it’s the same routine.
You see, when you work for somebody else and not for yourself, you are focusing your efforts in making somebody else richer.
And that is called the “Rat Race”.
But it’s no fairy tale. This is happening everyday, everywhere for countless people just like YOU.
Let me ask you this: “Do you honestly like this feeling?” And I know the answer is that you don’t.
So why are you still doing it? And why have you been doing it for the last 5, 10, 20, even 30 years?
You have the choice, be a Rat Racer all your life. Or be a Fast Tracker. It’s never too late to start.
Manila Food Shop October 28, 2008
Posted by James in Manila Food Shop.add a comment
Manila Food shop has been around here in cebu for as long as I could remember. Lately they have been expanding and improving their restaurants.
Although I have always passed by this place, I never tried eating at their place in Osmena Blvd because of the lack of parking space.
When they opened their branch at the Park mall last year, Yaya and I decided to try dining there. We were curious cause every time we passed by the place it was usually full.
We ordered three dishes to try out their dishes. I ordered the lumpia shanghai
Yaya Ordered the Chop Suey Rice Topping
and an additional Quail Egg Siomai
Here are some of the comments I have for this Restaurant
- The service is not that good, it took them a long time to serve the food. Maybe because we ate here during their peak hour and they had a lot of customers.
- The taste of their food is a little bland. I’m not sure if that’s applicable on the other dishes on their menu. Compared to other restaurants of the same price level, I would have say that their are a lot more restaurants which have better dishes than them.
I would have to give them a 4/10
Cafe Volere October 28, 2008
Posted by James in Cafe Volere, Coffee shop.add a comment
A lot of Coffee shops are popping up everywhere in Cebu. Most of these are already established coffee shops and need not any advertisements, others on the other hand are still new at it.
Even though these coffee shops are new to the business they still provide the same quality and service compared to there established counter parts and what makes these coffee shop better are there cheaper prices.
These cafes are great alternatives to the crowded and expensive established coffee shops, Cafe Volere is one good example of such shop. It is located at North Road Plaza in Basak, Mandaue city.
The cafe has a different ambiance to it and the adequate lighting of the interior is perfect for studying or having a business meeting. The place is quiet and usually has a few customers at a time. The service of their staff is also fast and are they very accommodating.
There coffee, smoothies and pastries are delicious affordable and unlike most coffee shops they also have full meals in their menu. Here are some of the food and drinks we ordered there.
Caramel & chocolate smoothies – P80.00 each
What I like about their smoothies is that it has a different taste to it and is not too sweet. What I noticed on most coffee shops is that their smoothies are full of sugar that there is a big chance you’ll get diabetes if you regularly have those drinks.
Lasagna – P65.00
This cheesy meat filled pasta is served hot and topped with some oregano seasoning. It is served with two slices of french bread and is heavy on the stomach.
Pizza slice – P35.00
A large pizza slice topped with some ham, onions, pepper, mushroom and a thick layer of cheese.
Choco Cream cake – P25.00
Whipped cream sandwich between two chocolate bar.
The only thing negative remark I have for Cafe Volere is the location. It is located a bit far from the city and the cafe is not located in the front of the building, and due to the limited customers they usually close early compared to other coffee shops. All things considered I would have to say that Cafe Volere is definitely a nice place to visit. I would have to give them an 8/10.
–boy
What is your favorite sin? October 28, 2008
Posted by James in Daily Thoughts.Tags: sins
1 comment so far
A week ago tried to convince Zenia that we should go to confession. I realized that it has been a while since I confessed my sins. I tried to prepare myself by recalling all of the sins I made and the ones that are hard for me to resists. I started my list on the seven capital sins and expanded from there. Wrath(anger), Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy,Pride
While I was jotting down which of the capitals sins I have already comitted, It was only then that I realized that somewhere in my past I have committed all these sins. This realization totally changed how I now perceive myself, I was utterly folish to have thought that I was a nice guy. I never expected myslef to be a perfect guy or a vey nice person, but now I realized that I have done some sinful things in the past which puts me in the position the same as that of any wicked person.
With my new self awareness of my sins, I tried to categorize my sins accordingly from the ones I ussualy commit to the sin I least commit. This way I can prioritize on my favorite sin and think on solutions in preventing myself from commiting this sins.
This is how I rank my sins:
1. Envy
2. Wrath
3. Pride
4. Lust
5. Gluttony
6. Greed
7. Sloth
The first three of sins are actually interrellated, I had a hard time deciding which would come first since the reason for my envy is due to my pride and which would result to my anger. These three sins are what I should be focusing myself on. I have been so busy in my life trying to improve my career or my physical health that I tend to neglect my spiritual life. It is only when I have a balance of improving my career, physical and spiritual life that I can truly fulfill a complete life.
Sweet Chewy Art October 24, 2008
Posted by James in art, gum art, sculpture.2 comments
In order to appreciate good art I usually take into consideration a lot of things. It must be creative, unique, detailed and it must be something that not everyone could easily follow. The subjects for this inspiring sculptures astounded me very much not because it is created by someone who is a master of art but because it is truly unique in every way.
The material used for this sculptures can be bought from the supermarket or even from the street vendors. What made these sculptures unique is the pain staking method the sculptor went through to achieve very detailed models of object, animals or bust from a very unstable material.
This porcupine sculpture is one of the few models which really amazed me. I could not imagine myself attaching every single one of those spine to the whole model. I simply don’t have the patience to do this and I also have very shaky hand. (thanks to my addiction to coffee)
This sculpture of a bear is even more intricate then the previous one. It must have taken the artist a month placing every single piece of fur to the sculpture.
If I were to create a gum art I would most probably pick a very simple subject. It would definitely be an egg or a rock.hehehe This is why I decided to write a post about this art cause I simply admire the creativity and patience of the artist to create such intricate pieces of art.
For more pictures of gum art visit: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/
Red Ribbons October 22, 2008
Posted by James in cakes, chicken lollipop, ice cream cake, pasta carbonara, red ribbon cake, red ribbons.add a comment
One lazy and “economically critical” weekend, Boy and I were both up to taste something entirely different for that particular SM trip. We just happened to pass-by Red Ribbons while carefully searching for affordable yet gut satisfying place to eat. Then there it was, beside KFC, beckoning us to come in to taste their wide selection of cakes and other truly delectable dishes. We couldn’t say no and so Boy stood in line among the many people who have been called while I raced to claim a small dainty table for two.
- Creamy Carbonara Meal (Php 120) – The meal comes with a mocha caramel cake.
- Petit Carbonara with Chicken Lolipop (Php 118) – This meal also comes with a tasty cake, mango creme roll.
The Verdict:
– Yaya
The right path to choose October 19, 2008
Posted by James in Architecture & Art, Daily Thoughts.Tags: decisions in life, right path
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A couple of months ago I was faced with a big life changing question which would ultimately dictate my career. I had to finally decide whether I would pursue a double career which would increase my chances in getting a good job, or concentrate on a single career and put my whole focus on it.
This really gave me a big head ache since I’m the type of person who can’t easily let go on something I already started. My parents and most of the people who are close to me want me to proceed on law school since they saw the potential in me to become a good lawyer someday. Maybe its because of my attitude towards arguing something which really interests me and my unquenchable thirst for knowledge. The only problem with this is that I am not a confrontational type of guy. I am more of a diplomatic type of person.
Even though I could not imagine myself becoming a trial lawyer I somehow knew that there were other fields in the practice of law that I can perfectly fit in. I could still use it for our business and my parents and brother’s real estate brokerage. If I were to continue on my studies and maybe become a lawyer someday I would have a lot of opportunities to earn more in addition to my practice in architecture.
The only drawback with that plan is I would sacrifice the profession that I currently have and my development in that field will be completely be put on a hold. I will have lesser time to develop and improve on my designs and in the practice of architecture I am still in the vital stage of learning the ropes of private practice. The projects we do at this particular stage is essential for us to establish some clients and gain contacts which our needed for our future projects.
Taking this into consideration I tried to delve deeper on the consequences and rewards on the decision that I was about to make. What made it hard was the risk of choosing the wrong path and end up failing and regretting the decision I made. If I did not decide then I would also risk on failing both on my studies and on my practice. I kept on thinking about the outcome of both of the situation and realized that none of the two had a certain chance of really happening. Both decision presented the same chances of succeeding or failing.
After all those deliberations, I recalled what my former mentor kept on telling me during my apprenticeship. “Pursue your passion stay focused on it. It is only when you do something you like that you can never fail.” , although i thought about it a couple of times I was always apprehensive about what the future has in store for me that I always did what I thought was good for me and I usually ended up stressed out, frustrated or unhappy.
After I analyzed what he was trying to tell me, it was only then I truly grasped what his message was and that was I could never fail if I do something I am passionate about because I will enjoy the things that I am doing and be happy and have the satisfaction doing it.
Chowking October 15, 2008
Posted by James in Chinese Restaurant, Chowking, Fast foof, Halo halo, Kangkong with bagoong, Lauriat.add a comment
Chowking is probably one of the fast food chains yaya and I often eat asides from Andoks. The prices for their meals and snacks are very affordable and their Lauriats are packed lots of food. I usually order their lumpia lauriat or the sweet and sour lauriat. Got these very nice shots from Chewy Chua’s photostream.
Their Halo-halo is one of our favorites in their menu. We usually stop by Chowking after a hard days work and order Halo-halo. Although this is a fast food restaurant they still make sure that the food they prepare is presentable. Nothing is better than tasty food that is also sumptuous to the eyes.
There Chicharap has also been one of my favorites. I cant help it, I seem to have this thing with crispy food.hehehe Although this isn’t their specialty and there are a lot of restobar who offer kropek as a pulotan, I still like their chicharap cause this is where I first tasted this when I was still a boy.
Another dish we regularly order is the Kangkong with bagoong. Yaya has an addiction with kangkong, she can’t resist ordering Kangkong in any restaurant if she sees it in the menu.
The King Congee is perfect whenever you are in the mood for a satisfying meal. It is filled with lots of toppings and is heavy on the stomach. I like the taste of their congee but yaya didn’t like the century egg. Maybe she will get used to it in the future.
I would definitely recommend Chowking whenever your at the mall and your a bit short on the budget. Their service is fast and the serving size are large. I give chowking a 9/10.
—boy
Crazy Crepe October 13, 2008
Posted by James in Crazy Crepe, Crepe, ice cream.add a comment
One fine evening, after our heavy dinner, my sweet tooth was at it again and this time it was aching for those truly inviting crepes. Depending on the flavors and the toppings, the crepe can cost from Php 70 to a Php 100, I think (I lost the receipt). It can be pricey but I tell you, it’s worth it. You truly get what you pay for.
The shop is pretty small since primarily their crepes are bought for take out. The staff is okay and I like watching the crepe guy preparing the ordered crepes. You get to see if the preparation is sanitary or not which it is.
Boy ordered the very rocky road (not so sure if thats the name, I lost the receipt you see) while I ordered the one with peaches and mangoes. I like Boy’s crepe better though. I like the mixture of nuts, marshmallow, chocolate ice cream and banana. The mangoes and peaches can get too sweet at some point but nonetheless both crepes have overly satisfied my sweet tooth for that night.
Boy’s Crepe. Love the Marshmallows.
Mine. Mangoes, crushed graham, whip cream and peaches.
—- Yaya
Neat stuff on the net October 7, 2008
Posted by James in Movies and the Music.Tags: free discovery channel, free national geographic channel, free online movies, free online tv
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Ever heard of the saying the best things in life are free. Well I never thought that this includes some very neat stuff like free movies and channels. Most of us know some of these websites such us youtube. There are even other websites which has the same services as youtube.
Anyway I was browsing the net doing some research on where I could find previous episodes of some show from discovery channel and I found this site which offered free internet tv and what is really neat was it had two of my favorite channels in it, national geographic channel and the discovery channel. Check out Sopcast and try there free internet tv.
Another site I found offers free movies online. My friend reffered me to this site and so far I found a lot of good quality movies in that site. It is a streaming site and they have most of the latest movies in their database. Check out Watch-movies and enjoy the latest movies online.
