Reviewing 2012 while anticipating 2013

I know, year 2012 is not yet over. I want to look back what 2012 brings me. I am thankful and blissful that I experience a wonderful year of 2012.

First, I am glad I finished spring and summer classes while fall session is almost done and I am thankful to have an excellent professors at University of Hawaii. Thankful for the new knowledge that I acquire through this institution. I am still feeling proud to be a part of this institution and have an education. I do believe that they have the best education system in the world. My first course was a Chemical Engineering which I always love. I am planning to incorporate what I've learned from Chemistry to Nursing; which is Biochemistry. This course is what I am planning to pursue.  I do really enjoy going to this University, where I compare their level of teachings and how the technology works in this area. The University have great cable classroom, where the I can learn from home, or streaming from my laptop if I don't want to come into a classroom. I can repeat many times to watch the lessons and store it in a long term memory. 

By this system, I have a chance to balance my life from work to school. If I miss the class due to some reasons, I can still recap the missed lessons of the day.




Second that I am thankful for this year is that I got a chance to visit and have quality time with my love ones. I have very relaxing time in the Philippines, I visited Cebu to Malapascua Island and Bohol. I needed it to regain my energy and I am worthy to have a vacation. I worked so hard.

Third, I am physically and mentally fit thanks God. I am tiny but strong, healthy, happy and very contented with my life.

While waiting for the 2013, I always like to sneak to my zodiac sign of what will be the events would be like for my sign for my personal guide.
http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2013-horoscope/aquarius.html

Well, ok I read it already.. so I need to keep going when contentment sets in.. hmmm.. keep going but give me another vacation and I can do it all. VACATION.. Is all I wanted.

I know Maui is one of the best place to have vacation. Hmm yeah I know.  Well I still need to be out here once in a while.

I claim that the year 2013 will be an awesome year for me. I sense that I have boundless graces from heaven above. I now adjusted my life so well than the first year of my transition. I sense that the good energy of the Universe will continue flourish me. My goals, my visions are clearer. My passions, my blessings, my graces are continuously multiplying not just the year 2013...

I am excited too for my coming perfume crafts. I hope and pray it turns out so well.
I am more than thankful of what I have, of where I am, and of who I am now.
I know I did not forgot my missions before I came here, it is always and always in my heart. That is my very best guide; my sound of inner voice, beyond intuition and beyond material world can explain.

Reviewing the year 2012 helps me realized how blessed I am, how I overcome challenges, and knowing all the people who always there for me. These all give me enough inspirations to keep going, keep believing, and keep dreaming. These all give me enough courage to face another year, a year full of GOOD LUCK, HAPPINESS, and LOVE!

Welcome to you year 2013!

Living and working Abroad

    Born being in a middle class family means you have had just enough for your needs and not enough for your wants of luxury of things. More to it the miserable living below middle class family. Living in a third world country, like Philippines, many are poor family of almost about 85% of the population. They can hardly had three heartily full meal in a day. Ordinary employee has an average wage of less than $10 per day with the expenses of $2 to 4 daily per person. Nothing will be left to set aside for emergencies and for savings. Not enough for recreational for the whole family if it has more than two members within the family. For single men and women with good salary will not fall into this category. According to Villegas of Manila Bulletin, the vast majority of the middle class in the Philippines falls in the $2 to 4 daily spending range. The poverty line defines by $ 1.5 per person per day (Bernardo M. Villegas).
    Due to globalization and technology, people are more aware of his potentials that will fit into the world of employment to overcome poverty. Most of the Filipinos who are not happy with their status because of poverty and uncertainties are planning to go abroad or motivated to work and live abroad as we have seen in many young generations. Poverty and uncertainties are one of the many factors and reasons to push Filipinos to live and work abroad. Professionals who feel that their potential qualities are not meet with the standard salary expectations will also have in their mind to find a better options to use their full potentials that might find and use in abroad.

Hopes and Dreams
    Hopes and dreams are another factors that one might want to live and work abroad. Professionals and not professionals have a degree or different intensity of dreams. Dreams are for free, but in reality it is a high stake materials. Hopes are the fuel to fire up dreams. Hoping to step out in a rut of poverty. Dreaming to live a prosperous life. Below middle class and the middle class family of four to six or more members did not experience the prosperity of life. Dreaming to have a beautiful and comfortable home for the family, can afford all the necessities, and some luxuries; cars, laptops, cellphones, flat screen television, sending kids to a high standard school and much more. These dreams are big and bold because you are full of hopes, intense ambitions, and powerful motivations. This can be equalize by discouragement, trials, and thinking of giving up once you are in transition stage. Transition in living and working abroad should anticipated very well.

The transition
    Transition as per definition is a passage from one state, stage, subject or place to another (Webster). It is the first stage you come across when you are already in a new country you are living in. Transition is one part of how well you adjust from what you usually knew from your culture to the new culture. Transition can be hurtful and damaging. You can encounter different kind of problems such as language, traditions, opinions and etc. Like what happen to Sarah Balabagan and many other Filipnos who work abroad. You also meet with challenges like not finding a work as immediately as you want, or if you are working already, you experience cultural discrimination but this can be relatively personal.
    Weather challenges is another thing, since Philippines is a tropical country you used the warm weather. Like what happen to my friends in Michigan and London, these areas are freezing cold. What would you do when you live with this kind of places? Always remember it is easy to say than the actual experience. They are having hard time to go out especially when there’s no transportation or you don’t know how to drive.
    Another challenge is the transportation, in the Philippines you used to commute unless you know how to drive a car. There are many types of transportation in the Philippines to let you drop anywhere you want. Like public utility jeepneys, tricycle, tricikad, and taxis. Transportation plus weather challenges are more difficult than just weather and transportation alone. When these two combine you are hardly to go out and this triggers your homesickness.
    Homesickness plus pressure from the adjustment is dangerous, others cannot cope up with this that leads to depression and psychological disorder. Like what happen to other Filipinos who went back home to the Philippines that damage psychologically. Thank goodness to the new technology that lessen the homesickness; skype, yahoo chat, facebook, my space and much more. I ask my friend in Dubai, he’s been there a few months ago if he feels the homesick and he answered YES! I feel homesick. And I ask him how you manage your homesickness? He said he open his facebook.
    How did you feel when you can no longer understand the language? How you can go independently to nearby malls, parks, post office, and police stations when you can't read their national writings. Places that are different from your language other than English is such a real challenge. Places like China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and some Europe country that English is not their primary language. Language is another part that should be consider for the transitions.
   One more transition is the food. You love to eat rice, Filipino loves to eat rice, every meal has to have rice it is part of basic necessity. When you'll be in a country that does not really need rice as their source of carbohydrates, you'll be crazy to death to find and cook rice. I personally experience when I was here in Maui a few months and did not eat rice for a few days, I feel I am going crazy.
     Threshold is different from each individual. Threshold is your emotional imaginary marker that you alone knew your limits, your ability to know this marker is essential for your survival. You should not go beyond your threshold to avoid emotional burn out.
     Have you tried to observe the galloon full of liquid? the difference is between how you pour it. When you pour it faster it has turbulent effect, while when you pour it slowly it has a nice calm flow. This is a metaphor of how you handle the transition; keep it easy, keep it slowly, keep it to your own pace. Don't let outside turbulence affects you.
    When your transition is not smooth, just think of it as a temporary problems. According to the bible, it will come to passing. Just hold on to your faith and always think why you’ve been in this place. Always look back and that might helps you to continue to achieve your dreams. They say that if you do not know how to look back where you come from, you cannot proceed to where you want to go. The fruit of success might follow afterwards. I want to quote the quotes “No guts, no glory” and “ there’s no glory without sacrifice.”
   Therefore, before deciding to come live and work abroad plan it well. Be patient, live with lower expectations until you pass or overcome the transition stage, and recognizing that transitions is not always easy. Learn to adjust so that transition is more enjoyable.

reference:
Bernardo M. Villegas, . "Middle Class." Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation 29 April 2012, n. pag. Print.

Tiny Flowers

"Great things begin with small beginings" -Prometheus.
Have you had given attention to tiny flowers? Or have you had notice the tiny flowers this morning or this afternoon?

                                                                   Clover flowers
                                                                      (Trifolium)

Makahiya flowers

(Mimosa pudica)

Sometimes, little things are often unnotice and unvalue. But if we try to zoom it in through our digital camera like these litlle tiny creatures above, we can look better and appreciate their beauties. Their unspoken therapy sometimes forgotten and often we crush it out on our way, because we thought of no worth. No worth compare to expensive flowers like roses and orchids. These tiny flowers has no worth because we can not find it in our special occasions like weddings, birthdays, and valentines. These tiny flowers seem have no meanings to the occassions.

When life seems awry, we sometimes can not identify immediately between the expensive things and the cheap. But we often times look for immediate therapy.

This is happen to me when my mind is so cluttered, I need an immediate therapy. When I found these tiny creatures and captured it, I realized that they had hidden magnification beauty and I started to appreciate it. In that moment, I am relieved from my cluttered mind, because I have notice that in their tinyness they are alive and can dance in the air.

How to Restore the American Dream

Most of the people in the world are mesmerize to the America. It seems like it has a magical magnet. It is like a Disney Land for almost all the dreamers and the optimists. “American dream seemed dazzling, larger than life, and like a shining city on a hill” (Zakaria). American dream is a world known of all possibilities that are now experiencing some challenges.

America is known to be a leader. People awe the strength of the country. It is the limelight from prestigious colleges to the smallest and simplest U.S made. That is why they believe the American dream. For they see the end results like luxurious cars, tall buildings, nice houses, and a home and a country of billionaires. As Fareed says that American dream is having a universal affluent and “well-being” for the standard person. 

American dreams are the spirit of optimist. Who believe the value of their dreams, believe that their dreams turn into a reality. This is a perfect habitat to mold all their potentials. American has an auspicious perspective in regard to life that was absolutely stimulating (Zakaria). A bourgeois American family living a life with contentment that has more than enough to provide everything they need.

Since great depression hit the country, Americans are gloomy, disheartened, and enrage. As if the world has been inverted. Where 63% of American said, “they did not think they would be able to maintain their current standard of living” (Zakaria).

                                                                                                   

 Some authority says that all possibility for recession, American get somber and then recover with the economy. This collapse is distressing than most. Their anxiety seems to go further away than the “short term debate over stimulus vs. Deficit reduction” (Zakaria).

 Americans are hopeful, counting blessing to hold the courage. There are still great corporations that are profitable like IBM, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, and Caterpillar. “Technology and globalization are working together at warp speed, creating a powerful new reality” (Zakaria). Many more merchandise and employment can now be manufactured into any place around the world. China and India have constituted precisely hundreds of millions of additional employee to the world industry supply. Another thing is the extensive car being fabricated by “TATA” motors in India; propose to transport it to the U.S, cost $7000 in retail price from $2,400 (Zakaria).

Recapturing the dream that was lost, the solutions might not be easy. In spite of such down turn, American still willing or have high spirit to get back up. They are solution oriented and a problem solver.  One of these solutions is to revise from consumption to investment. Invest in research, technology and development. Creates jobs related to knowledge and innovation. Excellent trainings and educations are the fundamental ingredients to have a strong country. That is why I acquire new education to upgrade and to keep up the changes. I believe that I can only accomplish and achieve it here in the land of the free and home of the brave. Others call it the land of milk and honey. This is the country America.  As I agree with Fareed Zakira, the shinning city on a hill. As I look back before coming here in the U.S, I was just fascinated everything about America. Every single thing about America is grandiose. From luxurious car like limousine to big burger is grandeur. From Imperial tower in New York City to the city light it self at night is shimmering. I never ever thought I been able to come here.

            Though American is on a recession, I still truly believe everything will be back to normal. And keep the American dream, but what is really the American dream? These dreams can vary from person to person. As Zakaria says that, it is the widespread success and well being for the ordinary person. And for me, American dream is the initiation of my full potential to good use and having a peace of mind. But when I first came here, I was overwhelmed and I experienced a little culture shock even though I have some ideas of what is the lifestyle here. But in reality it was hard to catch up on high lifestyle. Like adjusting my new neighborhood, adjusting to the language and the food.

      In Zakaria’s subtitle fiscal sanity he states that health care cost should be under control because it consume massive chunk of resources. I didn’t agree with that because health care is part of human’s basic needs and it should be well-planned and taken care by the government. A healthy nation begins with a healthy people by securing the health care plan. But I agree with his benchmark to ask why and where American falls short. Knowing by those guiding questions are giving the new directions towards recovery. Asking from trusted outside perspective can be of great help to know and learn different angles of solutions from these different perspectives, not just saturated in one thinking like, "My way or the high way". Because American dreams are sometimes forgotten and become unvalued but there are still who believe this. And there are millions of people out there still believe this. And one of that is I am.

Work Cited

Zakaria, Fareed. "How to Restore the American Dream." Time Magazine U.S. 21 October 2010: 1-4. Print.

Rediscover the Magical Healing of Maui

Voted "Best Island" by readers of Conde Nast Traveler....Maui is one of the best places in the world. Hundreds and thousands of tourists visit the island. Tourists have their own personal reason why they need vacations. Depends to their situations, but most of them come to Maui not just for pleasure purposes only but also for their emotional needs.
     Maui has it's own magical healing power. It has it's own ability to release all tensions and stresses. It says from the song, " from the mountain to the oceans." From the mountain of Haleakala, 9740 feet above crater waiting for the momentous sunrise. To the oceans of crystal clear beaches. The Makena beach to the south, the baby beach of Lahaina, the airport beach of Ka'anapali. All are top of the world beaches. Enjoy the strong heat of the sun.

      Experience also the joy ride going to Hana of 600 curves and 54 bridges, one of the world's most scenic drive. With dense greenery of local plants and trees. Different shades of flowers.

Going north to the Honolua bay, by looking at vast oceans and fresh breathtaking 360 degrees of natural views. While waiting for the beautiful sunset,  the views of neighboring islands of Molokai and Lanai are endearing. And of course the wonderful landscape of pineapple hills.
     These are the reasons why many tourists attracted here. It has a natural power, It has a magical healing power. Rediscover the magic healing power of Maui.
    

http://www.gohawaii.com/maui
http://www.world-guides.com

Chemtrails: for weather change

Chemtrails of Maui, is this true? My friend Patricia, whom I've know for two years works at Basil Tomatoes as a waitress. She Introduced me to this chemtrails. As she says, one time when she looked up into the clouds and see the planes and a minutes passed by, there some strange white smoke from the plane in the clouds. Maui chemtrails could be fatal to our health.
     I tried to search in the net to check what was this all about. This is the aerosol spraying from white planes diffusing chemicals into a cloud formations.(http://site.ebrary.com/mcc/Doc?id-10297182&ppg=112)
     And this aerosol contains ethylene dibromide, aluminum oxide, barium salts, strontium, cadnium, mercury,decussated red blood cells, live biological toxins radio active thorium, yellow fungal mycotoxins and mold spores mycoplasma.(http://stopsprayingcalifornia.com/Hawaii_Chemtrail_Reports.php)
     Who and why do people spray such that chemical? What are their purpose?

Dr. Wayne Dyer's book - Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

Dr. Wayne Dyer's book - Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life