The Koreanovela Remake

I caught on the Filipino version of the Kim SamSoon Korean comedy series with Regine Velasquez sporting the plump-lady look tonight, and though I feel I should give credit to the very good advertising done by the host station GMA even weeks before it actually showed, I am just afraid I'm not going to love watching it. I was a fan of the original Korean series though ;-)

It’s funny how the trend is manoeuvering in local television this time around. After luring TV junkies with the hype of the Korean miniseries, here goes the Flip style of performing these famous imported television acts. ABSCBN had it already going with My Girl, with Kim Chui as lead, and is now raving about Betty La Fea, with Bea Alonzo doing the stunt. GMA as the rival station would of course put their stake on an equally successful Kim SamSoon for a Flip remake and centered the songstress for the main role.

Here’s the thing. Filipinos will always find in any television show something that would tickle their fancy, and will always depend on the characters to help them realize the dream of being able to find someone they can relate to and put their shoes into. In a typical love story like this, Flips will have the tendency to catch on the artist’s real profile and how it aptly fits into the character he’s portraying to get all the sweet kilig factor that there is. Anyway, enough said. I simply find it so hard to find the chemistry in Regine and Mark Anthony together. I can see how they individually fit into the role, if I do the catching-on the-real-profile thing. Regine is relatively old as a still-single woman (and so is Kim SamSoon), while Mark Anthony is the good looking, bad-boy-and-so-we-think (and so is Cyrus until he falls in love with Kim SamSoon). But, like when these two artists kiss on screen, it would definitely give me the comic shudder. I hope you get what I mean.

E kung si Ogie na lang kasi si Cyrus eh. Haha. Kidding.
I’ll try to watch some more though, I might be giving too early judgments, and the two might actually prove to be an on-screen match.

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Manila's Spiritual Experience

It was a rather full spiritual experience that really proved to be meaningful this day. I spent the afternoon with Mari, an Opus Dei friend, who invited me to attend Cardinal Rosales’ special celebration of the Eucharist at the Manila Cathedral for the feast of Saint JoseMaria Escriva (June 26), founder of the Opus Dei in Spain. I know that some of you may have heard of it at least once. Opus Dei is a Catholic institution whose mission is to spread the message that work and the circumstances of daily life are occasions for growing closer to God, for serving others, and for improving the society.

As for me, it’s as simple as finding God in our daily lives-- in the minutest and most ordinary of tasks that we are faced everyday. We sometimes feel that the grander or harder the circumstance that life gives us in showing our praises to God, the greater that we actually are able to give. But we don’t really need miracles, and wouldn’t of course wait for tragedies to come into our lives just to test our relationship with God. For in the most common of places and the most mundane of our works, we can make it equally grand as an offering in the eyes of the Lord.

Prior to the six o’ clock mass, Mari and I paid a visit to her friend Lourdes, who works at the office of the Archdiocese in Manila, located in the same area in Intramuros where the cathedral is. Lourdes is a ‘culture preservationist’ (yes, took masteral studies in Cultural Preservation at UST, after her Microbiology undergraduate studies), and works in both the museum and Archives section of the said office to take steps in preserving the treasures of the Catholic Church. Naks.

I took interest in taking a picture of this chair at the small museum— the actual chair used by Pope John Paul II in his 1981 visit to the Philippines for the World Youth Day. Pretty big for a small and fragile body as that of the handsome Pope, teehee. The whole world misses him for sure. At least we have something kept in memory of him.

We then paid a visit to the Archives section, where this big glass container took my attention. Looked like some hospital apparatus to me, until I was told that it actually is an all-purpose equipment that cleans, sterilizes, and fumigates very old, brown-crisp papers and other documents related to the Catholic Church- from books and manuscripts to newsletters and gazettes, to preserve them.

I actually caught on an actual ‘preservation’ process in that office when we arrive, with manong placing each piece of unbounded paper on top of a glass where he then spreads glue over, before placing on top it some very thin Japanese cloth for protection. I am amazed by how people really show such passion to cultivating and preserving these very important papers.
1.)2.)
3.)
As for my personal steps in preserving my own culture and heritage, I just pray Blogger does not crash down. Haha.

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Radio News Stint

If my attempt to get into the lucrative business of investment management fails, please tell me if there is still hope in developing my voice to earn money. Haha. You know how sometimes seeing yourself on TV or hearing your voice on some speakers gives you the goose bumps? Worst criticisms are welcome. I just slapped myself with lots of them when I actually heard myself do the talk. Most of the words came from my nose, for I was hurrying my words that were for most of the time unclear because my mouth wasn't shot straight to the microphone. Hehe, conscious. Just give me the credit for successfully not mispronouncing any word though there also were some problems with my pauses and breathing. I wasn't given the chance to read my spiel before the actual recording. It was impromptu. Tee hee.




My friend has finally sent me thru e-mail last week this sample radio recording that I did at a local FM station in Pasig City, for some mini-field trip where I accompanied my twelve-year old sister to, in around November of last year. The trip mainly aimed to expose ‘tweenies’ to the different media forms in the hope of inculcating in them their most valuable use for society’s welfare. My sister was sure one of them. The radio tour was done by Marian, who does the live news segments for Home Radio as Raffy. Unlike other local radio stations that are DJ-flocked, Home Radio 97.9 is run by a computer-automated ‘jock’ that already stores and runs the songs for the whole day, including the voice ads and time checks. And with it goes their "Easy Listening" banner. Despite being a non-entity FM station, with “Jackie” being the first fully automated 24-hour disc-jockey, there still are newscasters like Raffy anyway, who checks in the station to do the live news snippets.

Marian actually taught us how a whole day’s show can be arranged with just a move and click of the mouse. In the picture on the left where you see the 'playlist' and 'media libary' columns, one will just need to drag an .mp3 file from the library and put it in the playlist column. The 'time' indicated in the playlist tells the exact hour, minute, and second that the file will play on-air, so the sequence can always be arranged for a good radio show. The files in the library are pre-recorded by the famous voice behind Jackie (real name is Lannie Chan), who usually comes in the evening to do these bulk recordings (as per Marian’s buzz ;-p).

Radio stuff is actually cool, having been hooked myself to it back in highschool and even college. With the emergence of the handy dandy IPod's and Mp3's nowadays, anyone can always wonder if there still are those who tune in to their good ole FM radio.

Well, what about our friendly jeepneys drivers who hoard the streets?
Kelangan pa bang i-memorize yan? Haha.

Geez. I miss listening to late night radio. Slick Rick and King DJ Logan everyone? Haha. Classic!

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A Night of Stocks Stuck in Mind

The Stock Market Seminar that I took interest into was promptly attended by Angeline and me last night, along with mostly students (surprisingly), therefore not making it too intimidating. Prior to the event, I have personally been thinking whether only the ‘wealthy’ would come, or those who have already been monitoring the daily financial charts because of the stocks they currently own. I can’t even afford a job to buy me a single share at the moment, so that immediately grew the apprehension in me. Our main objective in coming really was to provide ourselves with whatever handy information there is on stock investing and trading, which may prove to be a good primer and backgrounder on the kind of work that we are to venture in Seoul. Being able to add the said event to our list of “Seminars Attended” in our resume was a second goal. We weren’t doing anything anyway, being the jobless dudettes that we are, so we might as well shell out a reasonable 500php for this seminar. Off we then went to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) headquarters in Ortigas.


Main speaker of the night was Mr. Fernando Gaite, Jr., former GSIS vice president, current professor of Finance at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, and a proud signatured tux coat owner, for being the self-acclaimed ‘wise’ stock investor that he is.

I’ll make the next few lines of the post the very random, doodle-type-- very much like how I jotted on my notebook while listening to the main speaker at the seminar. At least people know I was a good student inside the ‘classroom’.

1.) $1M (44 million php at current exchange rate)- amount to have to be technically considered a millionaire (contrary to what Filipinos know that you need just a million pesos, hehe)

2.) F= p(1+i)n- formula to get the future value of an asset

3.) ½ of 1%- tax rate imposed on buying stocks (which is very low compared to the high rates put by the government, say on buying real estate as investment)

4.) PLDT stock is almost a mirror of the PHISIX (PSE Index).

5.) PHISIX- the Philippine Composite Index, stock market index of the Philippine Stock Exhcange. Very much like the DJIA, S&P 500, and NASDAQ.

6.) Current sunrise industries in the Philippines: OIL and MINING

7.) 5 to 7 years- typical duration of Philippine market in its rise and fall

8.) MV greater than NAV- buy stocks ; MV less than NAV- sell stocks

These tips on being financially equipped are my favorite:
1.) Save 1000php monthly.
2.) Buy real estate on installment.
3.) Secure life insurance.
4.) Buy equities from 13th month pays and other money windfalls.
5.) Savings reaching 50,000php should be invested in treasury bills before shifting to equities.
6.) Buy jewelry only after 40.

Now here is a funny explanation given by the speaker on that last tip, and this basically applies to women, since we are the ones who would usually drool on the bling:

"You buy jewelry after 40 because that's the only time you can afford such luxury anyway. Women don't necessarily need to buy jewelry early on in their lives since they have boyfriends or husbands who will buy for them. By the time they reach forty, these women will have to support themselves in buying their own to still look pretty and compete with other women, because most probably, these women's husbands are already buying jewelry for other younger women."

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Driving In the Rain

The rain that abruptly, but strongly poured this afternoon couldn’t have been the best setting for my first driving lessons ever. Given my current unemployed status at twenty-three, I finally gave in to the need of possibly filling the “part-time-driver-job” in the family. This personal submission was most importantly brought about by my mother’s plodding on securing myself a driver’s license before my student permit expires a year from now. She paid for it a couple of months ago when we applied for it, and she simply wouldn’t want to put it into waste, since she said that I have the tendency of putting off equally vital things until I cannot make good use of them.


Now ask anyone in the house and all of them would go unison in telling that I am definitely the least to take interest in learning how to drive. My so-I-think-I-WAS-a-DIVA attitude back in highschool, at the time when my brother and younger sister were already taught to run the wheels, gave excuses to just learning when I already get my own car, and even had the nerve to joke about hiring a driver anyway for me to bother. Haha.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I never was and will never be a primadonna. I know how jeenpneys go as much as the drivers who own them-- in dealing with their daily harassment of the streets, I mean. I guess at that time, cars were not my I-dig’s, and yeah, it was just plain laziness and the little fear of contributing to car bruises.

Now that’s the joy in having an older guy in the house like my cousin to teach me the basics because it makes me feel like I’m as strong of a man as he is. I must say that I have become more willing to venture on new things than before, and so even with those car wipers in front of me because of the rain, I finally got our car moving :-)

It wasn’t that hard after all, though it numbed my legs big time. Especially the left leg parallel to the clutch that I had to step on as I moved our manually-geared car in that fenced open space in front of our house and beside the village chapel. I sure had a number of restart-up’s, mostly because of not stepping on the clutch properly. Minutes before the actual driving, I was already close to raising a brow on my cousin as he did the teacher-student talk, explaining how the car’s main engine, the transmission and those round plates drawn in his book that he used as material for the tutorial, connect to one another, and further explaining how the clutch, which as he made it appear is the most important part of the car, is making it all happen for the car to have its smoothest ride.

I do the shift on the transmission gear, and I step on the clutch. I step on the accelerator, I then step on the clutch. I take on the brakes, I still step on the clutch.

I could now understand why. My left leg should learn to keep up with it too.

And with how I am realistically experiencing things-- working my ass off, quitting a job to leave me bankrupt, then hoping for the better one-- my dream would probably just end to saving for a car. I don't think I could afford a personal driver anymore. I think I'm ready to make myself a slave for the wheels. ;-)

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-Gu / -Dong

This is currently the greatest artwork that is enticing both my eyes and mind, as I do the search for the great EXPAT abode. A few more days of looking at this, and I'll have my fresh set of Korean tongue twisters on que. I am anyway amazed at how I am learning so much about the city and the country with all these search. That blue strip in the drawing is the famous HAN River by the way.

Seoul, aside from being the capital city of South Korea, is also considered as a “special city” (Teukbyeolsi) that is divided into wards or districts called –gu’s. GU’s are pretty much similar to New York or London’s boroughs. These GU’s are then divided into neighborhoods or city districts called -dong's (not on map, though).


From our place of work in Yeongdeungpo-gu (ward) where Yeoido-dong (neighborhood) is located, rentable spaces usually abound in these areas (per online research):

1.) Yongsan-gu (Itaewon-dong)- in the form of apartments or flats and villas. Structure of both types may not differ significantly, though villas are usually not higher than five stories. The main difference in getting an apartment is the inclusion of management services (garbage, security) in one's stay at the place, which will reciprocally and collectively be paid for as additional management fees. Villas allow own management of bills and other utilities, and usually have no exclusive security. We can compare apartments with condominiums here, and villas with the typical townhouses.

2.) Dongdaemun-gu (Uljiro-dong)- in the form of CO-OP residences. These are serviced residences, managed much like hotels.

Part of the house rental plan is to temporarily stay in a CO-OP for about a month, while we look for our real place of stay for the next eleven months in an apartment. Luckly, we were told of the good news that there are rental housing schemes that do not charge a very big downpayment or key money (amounting to as much as $10,000). The advance deposit to be asked will just be a month's worth of rent, and we can pretty much shoulder that, given our $1000/month budget. Per our Korean colleague's advice, we might as well take the CO-OP residence building located in Ohmok-gyo, which is in Yeongdeungpo-gu. Yes, just very near our office. CO-OPs, as I just mentioned, work very much like hotels, so we definitely cannot afford to live the life in a hotel for a year. The search for the great abode definitely continues, I could just be so excited with the life to live in Kimchi-land.

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Friday the 13th

A local noon time TV show I chanced upon the screen today sure had its way of commemorating the classic Friday the 13th superstition, informing me of a new trivia on a question that it asked in one of its studio games.

Any month that begins on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th. Haha. Cool.

I can pretty much imagine the logic, given there are seven days a week, and fourteen days in two weeks... and… nah! My mind is sure not capable of presenting some algorithm on this, I’m sure you’re getting the blurry picture anyway.


Now I don’t know where to officially put into good use this new ‘oh-i-see’ tip… to forewarn me I guess as early as the first day of the month if I have to cancel a weekend plane trip? Haha, I really do not know.

I’ve never really been a big fan of this, and actually find most superstitions ridiculous. Even history and fables have dim proofs on this particular bad omen. It’s pretty alarming though that there actually exist earthlings who are oh-so scared of it, there is actually a phobia dedicated to this:

paraskavedekatriaphobia

Uhuh, repeat that again, please. I caught on your tongue twisting. Haha.

The Friday the 13th concept is simple: The combination is unlucky. Friday, being the day when Jesus died, and 13 being the irregular number transcending the number 12, which in numerology, is the number of completeness (twelve months of the year, twelve apostles of Christ, twelve signs of the Zodiac, blah blah), is plain bad.

All I can say is this: Even the faintest luck in this life is being worked for. Believe me. Its good or bad kind is indirectly brought about by our actions-- how it affects the universe we subconsciously conspire with (yes, I heart Paulo Coelho!). It's something that you don't chance upon a falling star in the sky, though you can always look above the same heavens to rather pray and get the faith.

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On Choices

I think I can pride myself with how life throw its choices on me, for I am able to exercise discernment and show off such faith not only to myself but to the Great Guy up there-- on how He thinks I could endure such challenge given the kind of skeptic skull that I have. He never throws a heavy ball that we cannot carry anyway, and so I hold on to that.

I only get to mumble to myself though, “I do hope I have actually made the right choice”. Because sometimes, opportunities flood when you can only grab on one, and you suddenly think of the previous days when you patiently wait and can’t even catch a single. Why do two good things that you yearn come to you as choices for you to come up to just ONE, and only one?


PRIORITIES. That’s what my friend who had asked about my temperaments emphasized to me. For as long as I firmly stand on them, no matter how adversely the results turn out, I may shake a little, but will end up one hell of a tough lady afterwards. Because they were choices that I can always turn to snippets of learning experiences anyway. This emphasis was pre-tested with a question by this friend, which I sure gave a serious thought on:

1.) Do you see yourself giving a deadline to this long, and sometimes depressing wait that you’re telling (and at times complaining about), and just go on with looking for an alternative, meaning shifting your priorities on a 360?

She was of course pertaining to the ‘grander = bigger moolah’ opportunity that I have coined in a previous post, and this simple mobile text exchange could pretty much answer to the choice, and that tinge of sacrifice of giving up on the other:

The invite:
“Hi Good Afternoon. Kindly report tom at 10am to be interviewed by one of the division head and our country manager. Please confirm. Thanks.”
“Hi. Kindly advise if you are still interested with your application. You are scheduled for interview tomorrow at 10am. Thank you.”

The reply:
“Hi. I wish to thank the company for still considering my application, but much to my regret I would have to pass up on the opportunity at this time for some personal and more urgent priorities. Looking forward to future working endeavours with the company just the same. Thanks again and more power to ***!”

There sure were misleading words. With urgent priority I may actually mean urgent yearning. And personal may actually mean a career plan that is already taking a personal toll on me. Yeah, that’s pretty much it.

I may make a big deal out of all these, but this may simply be brought about by the fact that the one I gave up has been a long-time career dream since I learned about the existence of such work stint, and the one I am holding on to is still the painstaking and maturing process that I am undergoing-- the one that is making me wait and wait and wait. That at times it makes me doubt on it being the grander opportunity, after all.

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My $10,000 Bling

It was a pretty straightforward question that my Korean colleague had in regard to the housing arrangements, in his efforts to recommend the best place where we can stay during our work stint in Seoul. As I may have already mentioned, the company we are to work for will not be answerable for our rent expenses, but will be guiding us in finding the house we will spend the rent expense on.

Ji Hyun says:
by the way, if the leaser asks $10,000 for downpayment, can you do that?
Ji Hyun says:
monthly payment will be around $50 though
Ji Hyun says:
i mean 500
Ella says:
an outright payment of $10,000? I don't think so. I'm sorry.
Ella says:
That's too big for us. Is that DP for one year?
Ji Hyun says:
until you leave
Ella says:
Yeah, so that's for one year, right?
Ji Hyun says:
right
Ji Hyun says:
1 or 2 year depending on how long you wanna stay
Ella says:
Is the $10,000 DP non-refundable?
Ella says:
To the lessor, I mean.
Ji Hyun says:
of course refundable when you leave there
Ella says:
Is that how it goes for all apartments there?

I sure was taken aback with how big the amount is. The 10,000 figure in US dollars is already fifty to-be-released Mac iPhone 3G’s that anyone can buy and then just raffle off; the buy-in fee for a main event in The World Series of Poker Tournament in Las Vegas, or the amount that a problematic hollywood actress like Lindsay Lohan can steal from somebody. Cost of a house that we won’t even get to own is already worth one’s high tech toy, the glamour of bright Las Vegas lights, and one’s major SIN. I could imagine now why the gazillion others in this planet live in shanties and might even just endure living with Eskimos in igloos, if all else fails.

Quoting from the Global Property Guide, South Korea has three, quite interesting rental systems that are basically designed for the landlords' advantage. The $10,000 downpayment that I just mentioned would actually serve as a bond that will ensure every landlord of an expected stream of monthly rental income from a fixed arrangement with the tenant, devoid of the inconvenience of sudden mishaps in this tenant's commitment to keeping up with the agreed length of stay. Usually, when a refundable downpayment or key money is involved, it is made equivalent to monthly rental income X no. of months of stay.

1.) In what they call the 'Jeongsei' system, the tenant gives the landlord key money amounting to 25% to 70% of the value of the property. No monthly rents are paid. At the end of the tenancy agreement, usually two years, the landlord returns the key money without interest and the tenant must move out unconditionally. About 68% of the rental market (30% of all households) is under this system. Jeongsei is not available to expats.

2.) The 'Wolse' system follows the monthly rental system, however key money deposits are required of between ten to twenty times the monthly rent. The larger the deposit, the smaller the monthly payment.

3.) A variation is wolse 2 in which the rent for the entire lease agreement is paid upfront. There is no deposit or key money, but there is also no refund for early termination.

South Korea immediately excludes us from the Jeongsi system, and with how big the key money is, I think we were just offered the 'Wolse' rental system.

Ella says:
Mr. Kim, I was wondering if we could just negotiate for the $10,000 DP to be shouldered
by the company first? We can only shoulder the expense for our stay at the COOP as of
the moment. We can always agree for a salary deduction setup for the DP.
Ella says:
Since you mentioned that the DP is refundable, the company will get it back anyway
after a year.
Ji Hyun says:
I am not sure, it would work that way.
Ji Hyun says:
we could find a place with no downpayment
Ella says:
Oh, i see. Meaning the HR surely won't approve of it?
Ji Hyun says:
think so
Ella says:
Are there lessors who can do away with the DP? It's very seldom here in the Philippines
that lessors don't ask for advance payments.
Ella says:
It's good news then if we could find a place that don't require advance payments
Ji Hyun says:
there might be some but they ask more monthly payment like $100 more a month

With how things are getting oh-so serious in fixing everything for our stay in Seoul, I could just pray that I endure there.

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On Temperaments

Anyone may have casually heard of the word “temperament” as pertaining to one’s mood, temper or general disposition. In psychology, experts explain this term in deeper detail with the hefty “HUMORISM” theory. While this has never been a bit of a joke, it was pretty dominant in the medical practice in the medieval times until the advent of modern medical research in the nineteenth century.

This theory holds that the human body is filled with four basic substances, called four humours, or humors, which are in balance when a person is healthy. The four humors were identified as black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. And from these humors, a set of characters were developed. Those with too much blood were sanguine. Those with too much phlegm were phlegmatic. Those with too much yellow bile were choleric, and those with too much black bile were melancholic.

I thought of re-taking the Temperament Test to confirm the basic human body substance/s that dominate/s me. I first heard of this whole concept from an Opus Dei friend, whom I by the way met up yesterday before going to church in the evening. Having confided my current limbo story, she asked me about the temperament that rules me, and well, she pretty remembered it herself when I had told her about taking the test for the first time some years ago: MELANCHOLIC-PHLEGMATIC (more or less at 70/30). My personal results sure confirmed it:

Here’s what the results tell:

The Melancholic / Phlegmatic
The melancholic-phlegmatic is tidier, more procedural and less flexible than the phlegmatic-melancholic. He may be slower to take on new projects, as the melancholic fear of new situations and tendency to perfectionism takes over. The double-dose of introversion, along with the melancholic tendency to negativity, makes it difficult for him to give compliments and make upbeat small talk. It also causes him to instinctively say “no” when he first hears a request. Others may perceive this as “snobbishness.” Unless the melancholic-phlegmatic is very comfortable, and is surrounded by understanding long-time friends, he may find himself somewhat isolated and alone, unable to warm up in a social gathering. He is less critical and less grudge-bearing than a pure melancholic or a melancholic-choleric. However, the tendency of the melancholic to dwell on things for a long time in their mind, combined with the sensitivity of the phlegmatic toward interpersonal relationships, can result in long-lasting hurts, an erosion of self-confidence and self-esteem, and even depression. Extremely sensitive and possessing a longing for the ideal (melancholic), they are also highly attentive to what others need or desire, through their phlegmatic aspect. This makes them more than usually susceptible to anxiety and a negative self-image.

This temperament combination is highly driven to succeed—not for success’ sake alone, but because their melancholic nature is drawn to high ideals, and their phlegmatic side will have a strong desire to please. Thus, they are capable of long-range planning, organization, and attention to detail that makes them excellent and conscientious scholars. They are capable of pursuing highly idealistic goals, usually with long-term academic requirements, such as attaining their doctorate. They value their friendships, but can spend many hours alone reading or studying. They may have a tendency to hypochondria or to genuine physical weaknesses, as well as a tendency to timidity and anxiety, especially about new activities or ventures.

One melancholic-phlegmatic we know is highly organized, critical, slow, and dogmatically unforgiving, yet reveals her phlegmatic aspect in her intense discomfort with confrontation (unless she is very at ease among the warring members) and in her strong relationships with her friends. You wouldn’t guess that she is so devoted to her friends, however, because true to her melancholic nature she rarely initiates contact with them – they always have to call her first. A tendency to avoid the stresses of social interaction by spending overmuch time alone—whether in scholarly pursuits or reading for relaxation—is something that melancholic-phlegmatics need to watch out for.

If your temperament is melancholic-phlegmatic, for a better understanding of your temperament it is recommended that you read the full descriptions of the melancholic and phlegmatic.

In getting the most accurate results in these tests, they would almost usually tell you to answer the questions “according to how you naturally TEND to react, from the time of your childhood.” Answers should not be based on how you are REQUIRED to react (at work, etc) or on the virtues you have acquired through effort, for these are your natural tendencies, not those acquired through effort, education, or conditioning. I honestly cannot figure out the most accurate and the most psychologically-based examination for one's temperament for there exist a number of varied tests, that in my case, even had slightly different assessments. You might want to check on this test too for consistency: http://www.fisheaters.com/quizc.html. In this particular exam, I was surprisingly diagnosed to be CHOLERIC! Oh well.

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My Kind of Silence

At a priest's homily this evening, these lines sure struck my senses the most.

Silence is Faith. Silence is Humility.

I want my silence to forever speak and reflect of these.

END OF POST. NO MORE

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Stock Market Seminar

I got this post from Entrepreneur.com.ph's Forum. I'll just think of one person whom I can practically drag into this, and I'm off. These stuff are currently my "I-dig"s. Given the day and time of the seminar, I could actually just think of one person who can benefit from this. Head on, fellow Seoul conqueror! ;-p


JCI-MANILA & PSE
"Demystifying the Stock Market"
June 19, 2008 (6:00 - 10:00 PM)
PSE Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Greetings!

The Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. and JCI - Manila cordially invite you to an educational seminar entitled "Demystifying the Stock Market"! This project aims to edify the young booming professionals of the basics and dynamics of Stock Trading.

This seminar will be held on June 19, from 6:00 to 10:00pm, at the Trading Floor of the PSE Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Some of the more significant topics in the seminar include:

1. Overview of the PSE and the Philippine Equities Market
2. Basics of Stock Trading
3. Opening a Trading Account
4. Trading Stocks Online
5. Investing in IPOs

We have lined up specialists who will share their expertise on stock market topics that prospective investors will surely find interesting, enlightening and of course later on, very rewarding!

Registration fee is just at PHP500/pax! But, you can take advantage of our Early Bird Promo Rate of just PHP400 only until June 12!

Moreover, all proceeds of this event shall be donated to a Livelihood Program Project for the Senior Citizens League of District VI - Manila!

For ticket reservations or inquiries, please call or text JEREMY CLEMENTE at 0922-4402296 / 09164099577 or JOAQUIN ESQUIVIAS at 0920-9381663 / 0922-8991395 / 02-9130054.

Thank you and we hope to see you in this very timely and definitely worthwhile event!

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Baby Lovin'!

With how engrossed I easily become to such adorable kids whom I see outside, there is no limit to the things that I could do to show that special fondness to them. Like rounding this child’s eye with a surprise flashed shot from my digital camera.

Meet Amar, born to an Iraqi father and a Filipina mother. I sat beside him in a jeepney in Pampanga. Fair complexioned, high cheek-boned, with long, upward lashes. Quite tall for his age of just a year. So cute! And he was sporting a blue shirt with Bart Simpson in it, who is by the way my favorite cartoon character. It would not be so hard to tell where he got those beautiful features, especially if you’ve seen the mother who carried this child on her lap. Let’s just say, I initially thought she was Amar’s personal yaya. I may be mean, but it was what I really thought.


I caught on this child when I spent the weekend with my friend in the city of San Fernando, where she hails by the way. Since this friend has moved to her hometown from Manila where we first met and previously worked together, I went ahead in making time for some bonding sessions with her.

It's freakin' surprising to learn how both of us secretly dream (and in my friend's case-- work on, since she already has somebody to whom he could possibly do it) of having a baby at this stage of our lives. If there is anything good that this quarter life crisis is doing to us, it is the sincerest longing for an angel to take care and nurture. Tee hee.

But of course, the longing will always be backed up by our responsible thinking, so there's no way it is going to show its proof too soon =p.

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