From the one who knows so well

Katz got a message that on this day, God wants her to know...
... that decision is only wishful thinking until you take that first irreversible step.

You can tell yourself that you have already decided, that nothing now can stop you, but if that step backwards is so much safer than step forwards, what will hold you true to your path when the going gets tough? Sometimes, the right thing to do is to take that first irreversible step, the one after which you cannot go back. And now, for you, is one of those times.

He sure knows what's going on.

At this point in life decisions are at its peak. You suffer a certain critical pressure up to your head down to the middle of your chest. You ignore it each time coz just a mere thought of it drives you nuts. I've been trying to make a stand for the last few months, yet, I realized it's still not enough. I was absolutely firm about the things that I want to do--and those that I don't even wanna think about. However, I've never really proven anything yet-- so YES, just another wishful thinking. I just say this and that, NO NO I want this, let me be the one. The thirst for liberty and independence gives me a stand but not a soulful decision. It's like moving out from a home and living on the street. I admit I already made a stand and I definitely know what I want, yet, I'm driven by a little force from the past. Telling the world what you're about to do is not the main act--justifying the act comes when you reach the point of no turning back.

Soon enough, when the time is right, I'll stop living on the street and make things worth while. It's also in God's time. Just one irreversible act. Then the end will justify the means.

Back to the Future

It's funny how my trip to IKEA made me an instant architect//interior designer. SNAP SNAP!

For me and my close friend Nikki, IKEA is Disneyland, some sort of Fantasialand. It's crazy, and people might have thought we're both idiots to actually feel each cubicle like our own: live and real. Who cares? We're in Disneyland! How do curtains and windows, beds and sheets, oven and stove unleash the kid in us? Simple, it brings out a certain feeling of hope. The beauty in hope, is the act of hoping itself. You dream. You begin to wonder the when, the how, with whom? You begin to see a life ahead. These furniture doesn't only make a good aesthetic view of houses, it doesn't symbolize a dreamhouse alone, but the dream to live in a home.

I'm neither good in architecture nor interior designing, but I'm good in dreaming. So let me share a dream... (nikki, you can't say you're gonna make something better than this. We only share a dream to live in a home, not a dream to live together.) SNAP SNAP!

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

What I truly Miss

Perhaps I've been too busy lately, that I'm missing so much how it feels to just shoot and relax. Photography has always been my exit from reality. It gives me a feel of the world and people I want to see. Now that I'm just too attached with numbers and letters, I might find precision to the only egress that always bring me to a better feel.

Effects of Regional Economic Integration

Effects of Regional Economic Integration

Regional economic integration is an agreement among countries in a region to condense and/or eventually eliminate investment and trading barriers to allow a more convenient flow of capital, goods and services. It is an act within countries of the same geographic region to form an alliance and cross the threshold of conformity to boost regional unity and development. The degree of such agreement can virtually draw down its scope to economical (ex., international monetary fund) and political objectives. Apparently there are certain levels of Regional Integration (Free Trade, Customs Union, Common Market, Economic Union and Political Union); such levels will identify the extent of power and obligations of each country to the union.

It has long been in the pages of history whether or not such integration is beneficial to each participating country. However, by example, we see that the effect of such agreement to those regions like EU, NAFTA, ASEAN et al, exercising this kind of practice is, however, undeniably efficient and valuable. We see a handful number of potential benefits from this exercise such as trade benefits, variety of goods and services, political unity, productivity, and other more that develops a better consensus. Regional Economic integration is a major investment in terms of Global Economic strategy. The alliance of participating countries gives each member the advantage of a bigger market size, draw attention of possible investors outside the bloc, and a stronger political stance.

Never the less, with such great advantage comes a great price. The power obtained from this integration limits your access to other non-member nations. In the creation of trade within the borders of regional bloc ignites trade diversion. In the event of a more convenient trade within the bloc, countries tend to cut off outside resources—which later on becomes a threat to global free trade. Countries’ sovereignty and national identity is by some means affected but not completely eliminated. This is the result of a centralized authority that establishes a standard where as members have to comply.

The benefits of economic integration seem to overpower its snags. I guess what concerns me more than the diversion of trade or reduced authority is its implication to business cultural diversity. Most of the time, the establishment of a standard trade practice pulls out a customary way of dealing with a group. This implies that one’s cultural practices may be bypassed due to a standard strategy of dealing within the regional alliance instead of the country alone.

Canopied Destination

Canopied Destination.

Most of the time life offers you an option that you never expected to tag along. These unforeseen opportunities however bid us a kind of living that anybody would die for. Unfortunately, despite the goodness it has to offer, this would mean lying down some dreams and taking the long road.

Life just can’t get any better right now. Things are slowly falling down to its place and the race is just starting. There is only one end, yet, the road to destination branched out into some kind of undetermined finale. A lot would actually take the fast lane. In fact, I’d probably take it too. Conversely, the fast lane is also the safe lane; fast, no risks, no challenges, no danger—it’s safe and easy. This road is just so comfortable and convenient that you tend to enjoy much of it and lose the urge to embrace the beauty of its ending. Some say that in life, the end doesn’t really matter, what matters most is the journey. I disagree. The journey is just half the whole. The end justifies the means. Limiting our growth to the journey forbids us to grow further, we are squared to ignore some important details and we may mess up the whole thing. The journey and destination are equally important. It should benefit each other. Most of us avoid the road less taken; a lot actually ignore a long risky dark road. Majority of humans are bound to opt convenience more than quality, thus, missing out the good things nuisance has to offer.

If taking the rocky less chosen road makes me a part of the minority, then so be it. I am blinded by my destination and if the only way to gain back my sight is going for the long road, then I’d gladly take the chance. As I weigh my options, I realized that challenges and danger is the journey itself. You grow and think for the best results. I may be taking a blind shot all through the way, but I’m pretty sure that rainbow comes on the end of it—I’m not sure how or why, but this is the magic of life and a gift from heaven. Destination is all about the person you became; it’s all about how you struggled to reach the end and lived a life along the way. Life is a series of unfortunate events—pain, problem and blood are part of it, so why avoid it? What do we get from fast lanes? Is there even a journey in it?

Brain in Love

“How do you know you’re in love?—you feel sick.”

You suffer a strange act of insanity and you’ll never know on what grounds. Conversely, this is just the tip of the iceberg, there’s more than that.

Researchers say that falling in love and being in love is just a temporary state. It doesn’t stay there for long; ultimately it’s the friendship that’s sustaining the relationship after the falling stage comes off. When we’re in love we feel miserable, we feel insane and we feel walking on the edges of euphoria. The sense of being miserable comes from wondering what happens next, when you’ll talk again or simply longing to see the person again—simply centered on ‘again’. Usually this happens during courtship or when couples are still dating. In the long run, the supernatural comes off because by the time you feel confident enough about each other’s agenda you’ll think more about the person more than the feeling.

There are some cases when people tend to miss the magical part of the relationship. It’s either they jumpstarted to bed right away or simply ignored the enchantment subsequently realizing that the person already got into their system like a poison and can’t get it off no matter what.

On the other hand, is it really possible to bypass this stage? Is it possible for us to ignore the feeling of falling in love?

Studies show that the brain acts in the same manner during lust and love; this explains why the mood of pleasure during one night stands is perfectly similar to feeling in love. Neuroscience studies claim that during love and sexual activities the brain speeds up the transmission of dopamine, norephinephrine, and serotonin. These neurochemicals are responsible for the miserable sensation of euphoria and temporary insanity and obsession. The chemistry of these neurons is involuntary; it’s not as easy as dictating to them to stop and slow down. Thus, this explains why lust and love are simply irresistible.

We can always choose not to love. It’s our prerogative. However, once we agree to love and allow those neurochemicals to spread around our upper lobes, you know what it means, there is no turning back. Our mind is the single most powerful thing in the world---“it is bigger than the sky”—it controls our destiny. Problems start in the mind and ends in the mind—“It’s all in the mind”. To control is not a problem, but to avoid falling in love is something. Avoidance comes out of fear. We fear the consequences of love that might not progress, we fear the cost of failure but most of all we fear pain. “Escaping from things that cultures pain may seem overwhelming, but with pain comes pleasure. Being in love is not just about the misery, but being superlatively happy. Pain, failure and misery are all part of it. After all this are the things that drive us to be better and cautious on the process of getting into a commitment. There is no freedom from pain, but we can choose to battle pain yet happy along the way. Go ahead and tolerate your urge to dance under the influence of your dopamines and to love/be loved under the spell of euphoria.

Life is short, SIEZE THE DAY!

“Human beings are funny. They long to be with the person they love but refuse to admit openly. Some are afraid to show even the slightest sign of affection because of fear. Fear that their feelings may not be recognized, or even worst, returned. But one thing about human beings puzzles me the most is their conscious effort to be connected with the object of their affection even if it kills them slowly within.” –Sigmund Freud.

Credits to LG's writings and AnDi. :-D

The Power of Now...

A month ago my mentor told us a story that transformed my view of plans and things. It was a story of a 9 year old girl who weighed the importance of past, present and future. Her dad asked her which is more important between the 3, and briefly she answered, “THE PRESENT!” Her father completely puzzled asked why, and then the little girl said, “The past you can’t do anything about it, the future is not yet here and we’re not sure what lies ahead, we only have NOW and this is the time where we can start making the difference”. See, it just comes from a 9 year old girl, yet the depth of its message is enough to make an adult think.

I guess I am one person who was deeply affected by the message of the story. I was the kind of person who was anxious about the future and I fear the consequences of risks. I have a deuce of time facing the things to come because I nursed my frustrations from the times of yore and I held grudges towards my failures. I realized that my growth and productivity as a person is held back by circumstances of the past and the only way to move ahead is to liberate all the pain. Eckhart Tolle said “Nobody’s life is entirely free of pain and sorrow. Isn’t it a question of learning to live with them rather than trying to avoid them?”—The Power of Now. True enough, there’s nothing we can do about the past, and our only ticket to make it better is to be the best that we can be right now—to live. There’s is actually nothing impossible if we try to put 101% efforts in everything that we do. I noticed that when do our best today, we are essentially making our future sound better.

Carpe Diem! A poem by Horace and more popularly remembered from the movie Dead Poets Society. Seize the day, that’s what we should do, to take chance in everything, to embrace the risks and beat the challenge, to gain from failures and learn from mistakes, to circumvent a stagnant life, to grow, to kiss your parents, to hug a friend, to tell and make that one person feel that you love him/her—to live. The only thing that exists is what is happening right now, so might as well utilize its power to craft all the difference. We may never know what will happen next, what’s there in tomorrow, or what’s left the next day. Things change and people come and go so hold a hand, utter a word, use your voice and never ignore a chance, for without it life is yours to miss.

“Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. WD”