the best life teacher

"My travels have shaped me into the person I am today. The best thing traveling has taught me is HUMILITY. You realize that you are but a small entity in this big, big universe.

If you stay in the same area, stick the comfortable, fade into the monotony of every day, you become complecent. You know your environment so well; you feel you can go through life blindfolded. You stop asking questions, you stop trying new things, you stick to the cycle. But when you’re in a new place, every person is a stranger and every day is a new ADVENTURE.

Travel is the best life teacher."

Pampanga. Philippines. <3

"A person starts to live when he can live outside himself." -A. Einstein

"somewhere in you is a burning passion ready to be ignited."

live to give

"You Have Not Lived Today Until You Have Done Something For Someone Who Cannot Pay You Back" -John Bunyan "The Pilgram's Progress"

I can't tell you how many times I get caught up with my own problems. It's a natural human instinct, to think about you and yourselve first most but lately I've found that the more concerned I am with my troubles, the bigger they seem to be. But whenever I give back to others, whether it be through a compliment, listening to them, or smiling to a (cute) stranger, I find that what I'm worried about can be so insignificant in the greater scheme of things.

If you want to be happy, make someone else happy.
If you want to see your dreams come to pass, help someone with one of their goals.
What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.

You get what you give. If your planting seeds of negativity and worries why is it that your surprised that your sad? At the same time, if your sowing seeds of purpose, of positivity and joy? Then your gonna be seeing smiley faces around you with rainbows. If you help others, God will pay you back exponentially because He doesn't want to be in debt with others!

So stop being selfish with your time, money, and resources and start opening your hands. Sharing your time to help someone and using your money to buy lunch for someone (special). Don't live for yourself, learn to give yourself away, and your life will make a difference. Expect only to get the good things God has in store for you when you have open and giving hands..

Time to sow some seeds.
Smiley face!

finding a common ground

I don't know about you, but lately I've been on that intellectual tip. Where clubbing is kinda getting old, and speaking to my mind is more satisying than hearing some blaring music in my ear.

I don't care rap rivals, or other superficial ridiculous-ness that I will get me no where. In the words of Ms. Janelle Monae: "Are we really living, or are we just walking dead?" Are we pursing happiness, living the life we've always dreamed? Or are we letting our destinies being determined by people who don't have our interest in heart?

The revolution is not on youtube, it's about real time, real ways. Where differences are celebrated and we base our understanding with each other on a common ground.

Imagine Walking Around Half-Assed

Coming back to school from the most eventful night was what I would call a "snap back to reality." First of all, I'd like to mention that it feels great to be able to collaborate with someone who actually knows how to dance.

Refreshing.

And also, I'd like to announce International Studies 12 as my favorite class of the winter quarter. I was eager coming to class, considering International Studies was something I was considering in majoring in. I grabbed a seat with Silvia, and heard "Elainnnnnnne!?" from a short distance and saw Seeta smiling from ear to ear, in disbelief with Pamela at her side. Oh snaps. Seeta and Pamela?! I already like this class already. And then I saw Joy, one of my Palo favorites, getting a seat in the front.

Wow. This class is hot shit. Everyone is here.
Good. Sign.

I took a look at my Professor, looking classy with a tie. Nice. But when he opened his mouth, everything was just so funny. The thing is, in just that mere one hr. lecture he made me appreciate everything I have a UC student and the opportunities that I have.

I found myself having to write down notes, sporadically saying "I love this guy!" or "So true!" Not only because of how real the concept of the impact of global issues on the individual, but the power of an individual to make change.

After all, we're all gonna die. As he so bluntly put it.
It's true, though. The following is some eye-opening, "preach it" kind of good knowledge that makes me look forward to coming to my unofficial new favorite class:

If you don't exercise a muscle it does. If you don't learn, think, imagine, and use the functions of your brain, it dies. Watching tv and filling your head with irrevelant knowledge is ultimately a waste of time. Waste of a relationship, waste of progress. Even research studies shows the negative impact of the television: the more tv an individual watching being directly related to a lower IQ. Turn off that tv, gain interesting perspectives.The greatest minds think about ideas, while little minds talk about each other.

Time = life
Without knowledge of how the world works you are merely a tool.

While some people are comfortable living in a Disneyland-type-of-world, the majority of people don't live like the O.C. You could of been born in India, having what you have doesn't mean your any better than those less fortunate than you. It's simply because you won the genetic lottery.
Without knowledge of how the world works you are merely a tool.

College kids invest in that one thing that everyone wants. No, not swagger. A degree! A degree. Don't slip through getting a degree, studying for years, and in the end learning nothing. If that's the case, your degree is just as good as toilet paper. It's nothing. You've become a half-ass liar and it'll show. And then he brought up a question, that made me think even MORE:

How dare you not be the best student you can be?

When millions in Sudan would give anything for an opportunity like yours. When gunshots come from outside their classrooms. And the pencil you dropped in class being a luxury to those students who have to share pencils with 10 or 15 classmates. And I thought about that.. How dare I?! Take advantage of this blessing.

It's important to be passionate. If someone can up to you and said: "Hey, you. I think your not too ugly. You're alright. Can I have your digits, can we do something later?" You'd be like "Um, hehll naw. You CANNOT." Talk about weak game. Now, another person comes up to you, "Omigod! When I saw you, I had to have you. Your beautiful." And your thinking: "Me? (blush) well. Of course me!" Slip them yo' digits. Maybe slip them something more digits.... I don't know. The key point is.. see how far passion can take you?

It's important to be ambitious. Be disciplined. Focused. Take advantage of this blessing. Imagine walking around half-assed. Not so lovely.

What an individual chose to do can change a group. Can change people. People can change a state, a state can change a country. And the world will follow. If you can't be disciplined, what do you think will happen to the world?

Whatever you chose to do, you have to be the best at it. STRIVE.

I believe in chasing the vision not the money.

The only way to lose to is fail to try.