Thoughts and Non Thoughts

A burden shared is burden halved. Happiness shared is happiness doubled.

The problem with most gurus is that they preach the ideal life. Advice such as "follow your heart" and "do what you love doing" is good, but unfortunately not everyone can follow them. When faced with practical needs, like a family to feed, or a mortgage to pay, people need something that can help them go through it. Even Christ, the ultimate guru, asked that "this cup be taken away" when He was facing the moment of truth in Gethsemane. We need gurus who will help us not only to "grin and bear it", which is resignation to one's fate, but to "bear it and grin", which is finding happiness in what we call life.

The fear of mortality is not so much the fear of a finite life, but rather the fear of a life that passed without significance.

Go with the De La Torre method. It's what works best for you. Proven when trying different approaches in a round. Always the swing thought, specially the downswing with both arms, when playing well and striking irons solid.

A match made in heaven. The Technics is a disco machine with a DJ cart such as the M44-7. With the M97xE it becomes an audiophile turntable. Smooth non-fatiguing yet detailed sound. Plenty of bass without being heavy. Most of all the midrange, which is what analog is all about. It has the TONE. I can live with this analog source for years. And it doesn't break the bank.

The sun rises above Nonoc Island and Siargao. View from The Tavern. Taken with Canon EOS550D.

It was alien to me, a world I wasn't born in. But I wasn't scared, on the contrary I was intrigued by it. When I was offered a glimpse of it I chased it. I was hypnotized by this new vista, and I adored this window to this new world. I thought it was better than anything I had or was. But then I learned more about this world and entered it myself, by my own discovery and effort this world welcomed me. And I became a part of it. It was no longer unfamiliar, it was no longer mysterious. It is indeed a better world, but it just makes you more of what you already are. Because of this I realized that the window that offered me the first glimpse to this world is not the only window, nor the best one. And I'm glad I entered this world through a different door. Still I am thankful for being given that view, and the fortune of having been offered another door to this unfamiliar world.

Scored 39 on the back nine for a round of 84!

A classic album. The Pinoy heart speaking.

It's been a while I thought I'd forgotten how! :) Putting was good, no disaster holes, one birdie for an 86!

I think the stock market will bottom this week or next week.

According to Businessinsider.com, the US has only $54billion in cash. The Philippines had $68 billion at the end of June (and rising). ----------------------------------- There are two neighbors, Juan and John. John owns restaurants, car dealerships, cinemas and other businesses. Some of his businesses aren't doing so well lately, in fact he just lent them some fresh capital. He also lives a lavish lifestyle and wants to pay for the hospital bills of his poorer relatives, but his well-off cousins don't want to pay for these bills because they want to keep the money in their businesses and say these poorer relatives should work for their living. Besides they are busy supporting some turf wars in the neighborhood. John has to pay some bills but his checking account balance is running low unless he can borrow some fresh funds from the bank. Of course the banks are willing to lend money because he has a number of businesses but are getting worried about all the squabbling.

Goosebumps. Excellent cover of a great Bob Dylan song. Adele is Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, Rickie Lee Jones, and Macy Gray put together.

Up to second liners only. Since you cannot watch stocks every minute so highly speculative plays may cause 10-year ipits. There is no hard and fast rule on how long to hold. Always think returns. Say, an increase of 10% in one day is better than 12% in one week, and there's a possibility of correction. As long as you are doing better than the bank... Lock in profits then look for the next opportunity. Stick to 5-6 stocks only so you can watch them. It's all about tutok. The market cannot support all the sectors simultaneously, it's typically cyclical. Basura stocks signal the tail-end of a rally. Attention will go back to blue chips soon. The P6 index will reach 5,000 but it needs to rest first. Ghost month opportunity to buy. Good luck!

Investing in the stock market or in anything is like driving in Metro Manila. Sometimes it's smooth, sometimes it's tough. Whatever it is, you can't "beat" the traffic, you have to understand the flow. Sometimes the trick is to choose the best lane that will get you there faster and stick to it. Sometimes you have to turn around and make a detour. Most of all you have to be careful and avoid an accident.

No wonder there is crisis at mid-life. A glimpse of mortality. The feeling of a start of an irreversible slide towards old age. And the realization that old age may not be the most pleasant stage of one's life. There's the fear of the loss of physical strength and mental ability. Most importantly, the fear of losing one's dignity and the respect of others, especially one's loved ones. The sense of uselessness creeping in. Scary this thing. Yet I see some cross over to the twilight years with their head high and joy intact. It may not be hopeless after all, but it won't be easy.

One post a month, not sure I'll exceed twenty this year, after breaking a hundred last year. I've posted it before, that the number of posts seems inversely proportional to the speed of events around me. Is the world getting faster or am I getting too slow for it? Actually been catching up on a lot of things. Completed two sideline projects and learning new financial stuff. My golf handicap has improved by one. I'm facing life head on. But, yeah, sometimes the thought of slowing down comes in occasionally. Can one ever really? I talked to a "retired" friend (in the sense that he's no longer employed but living off his nest egg). He said thinking that retired people are not doing anything is a misconception. He seems very busy with many things related to his farm and providing livelihood to people. Another friend, a former banker, has not been employed for two years but he says he is making more money now and enjoying it tremendously. So this is life

I went to the house unannounced. I was going to inspect it since the tenants have given me notice that they were not renewing the lease. It was a nice big house, with high ceilings, traditional in design and furnishing. I saw some scuffs on the wooden window frames and some other wooden furniture. "Children," I thought. Then I met the tenants, I introduced myself and they said "fine go ahead." They were a couple, foreigners, and there was a small group with them. They were quite busy preparing and packing up. I walked with them towards a large hallway that looked like a lobby at the foot of a staircase. The floor of the hallway and the staircase itself were made of white marble. Actually the staircase was quite wide, had about eight steps leading up to a platform. I realized this platform was used as a stage for some religious program, with the audience at the hallway. There was a picture of the couple taken on the platform in some kind of program and still some

This imposing Basilica claims to be the biggest in all of Asia. It does have a commanding view of the whole town, being situated on top of the hill.

Detail of facade of Taal Basilica.

Still fluttering.

I figured I can't wait till full frame becomes more affordable and got an EOS 550D in the meantime. What a revelation! Canon's DSLR technology has moved in leaps and bounds since my EOS 10D. The higher resolution megapixel count of the 550D really matters in improving image quality, and the low-light ability is amazing. The kit lens (efs 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS ) is quite sharp too. Perfect companion for a day trip when one wants to travel light.

Race to avoid a meltdown. It's like an overheating car. The engine is off but it is still very hot so you need to cool it. Unfortunately the radiator pump is broken, so the water in the radiator boils over, the pressure builds up, and the cap blows off. You hose down the engine with sea water to cool it down as a last ditch effort.

No other country is better prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis than Japan. Yet TV footages show how considerable the damage can still be. My total admiration goes to the Japanese people. Very disciplined and orderly as the earthquake and tsunami struck. And very dignified in the middle of all this human tragedy. What a people! They will surely surmount this challenge.

Been busy that little time was left for distractions. Or is 'busy' distracting me from life? Blogging about little things may be mundane, but they tell stories of living in the present. But time flies too fast I'm having trouble catching up with the present. It does not wait, and I hope it does not disappear from view around the corner.