This year is a leap year. Which means that the month of February will have an extra day on the 29th.
Generally, a leap year occurs in a year evenly divisible by 4, example is in 2008 and this year, 2012. But there is an exception for this rule. An exception is if the year is evenly divisible by 100, unless it is evenly divisible by 400. So the years 2100, 2200 and 2300 are not leap years but the year 2400 is a leap year.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
X Marks the Spot
Last week, I read from a local newspaper about this news, and so I checked from the internet. I found a link on BBC’s website with the title New Australian passports allow third gender option.
The first two paragraphs of the news reads:
Australians have been given a third choice when describing their gender on passport applications, under new guidelines aimed at removing discrimination.
Transgender people and those of ambiguous sex will be able to list their gender as indeterminate, which will be shown on passports as an X.
In some websites related to this news, there was a comment praising Australia for this move and describing it as a “developed country.” This move is highly probable to become a trend in the future, but I believe that this is definitely not a mark of progress. Instead, it is a regress in terms of the way people think. Just because they can’t identify the gender of a person by the way they look, then they create a third sex tag.
If its aim was to prevent discrimination, I think this will pave the way for a more identified discrimination towards homosexuals instead. They may now be branded as an outsider of the Male or Female gender, just as their passport is marked as X.
I wonder what next people will think. Will there be a move to have a different Comfort Room for X genders? Will they mark people with the color of their skin next time?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Reopening old wounds
A scar, once reopened is even more hurtful than when it was a fresh wound. That is what happens when a trauma is repeated.
Did you ever wonder why whenever we would go home to Abra, we would not even dare enter your house?
If you should know your family history, I was in my grade years in elementary when your father, our dear old Uncle, Nesing, who along with some of his brothers, threatened our family, your relatives out of our house, the one the you are living in right now. I was still not in my teens at that time, and you are even older than i am, yet you already forget? It's either you have a case of selected amnesia, or is so calloused by your greed that you don't even remember anymore.
What rights were not trampled? Isn't humiliating someone not trampling one's right? And you do it for what? For a measly parcel of a square foot of room? You must be happy now. But do remember what was written, "what profits a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?"
Since you speak of rights, i have to assure you not to worry. We have no desire of claiming what was rightfully ours. If not for some dear family in Bangued, we won't even (not in our dreams) set foot in that place anymore. Seeing you, our own blood, only relieve bad memories. Somehow, we have already manage to forget that incident, and many more. Yet with what was done to our cousin, your cousin too, you are repeating history all over again. And that bad memory seem to turn again into nightmare. If we have had the chance to go there at once and defend our relative, also your cousin, we would have. But distance and time prevented us. My sister can only console her cousin, and unfortunately she opened an already healed wound and made us remember.
I wonder what joy you find in accumulating everything for yourself and in exchange pushing away your kin? It was always in Bangued, from my so-called relatives that i always heard the phrase "blood is thicker than water." But sadly, it's just semantics, a mere lip-service. Why do you push people away? Do you think that you will be loved the more if you show yourself as an agressor?
Do you realize that when Uncle Choi got sick, it was not difficult for us to take him in our home and somehow take care of him. But why is it that when his brother got sick that no one even bothered to ask how he is doing? It is because Uncle Choi showed love towards his nephews and nieces whereas his brother only showed intimidation and agression. Where Uncle Choi received loved, his brother sowed fear. Yes, people fear Uncle Nesing. But love? You have to ask people around and ask yourself why. Would you rather have people fear you than love you?
Another thing i can't seem to understand is that you proud yourself for the intelligence of your children and yet at the same time still live in ignorance. Do you still believe in sorcery? That is "kulam" in Tagalog and "gamod" in our local dialect else you still look for the meaning of the word. How can you profess intelligence and yet still believe in myths and legends that you were cursed by your cousin? There is a specialist called doctor and a process called consultation.
I hope you reflect on these things.
Did you ever wonder why whenever we would go home to Abra, we would not even dare enter your house?
If you should know your family history, I was in my grade years in elementary when your father, our dear old Uncle, Nesing, who along with some of his brothers, threatened our family, your relatives out of our house, the one the you are living in right now. I was still not in my teens at that time, and you are even older than i am, yet you already forget? It's either you have a case of selected amnesia, or is so calloused by your greed that you don't even remember anymore.
What rights were not trampled? Isn't humiliating someone not trampling one's right? And you do it for what? For a measly parcel of a square foot of room? You must be happy now. But do remember what was written, "what profits a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?"
Since you speak of rights, i have to assure you not to worry. We have no desire of claiming what was rightfully ours. If not for some dear family in Bangued, we won't even (not in our dreams) set foot in that place anymore. Seeing you, our own blood, only relieve bad memories. Somehow, we have already manage to forget that incident, and many more. Yet with what was done to our cousin, your cousin too, you are repeating history all over again. And that bad memory seem to turn again into nightmare. If we have had the chance to go there at once and defend our relative, also your cousin, we would have. But distance and time prevented us. My sister can only console her cousin, and unfortunately she opened an already healed wound and made us remember.
I wonder what joy you find in accumulating everything for yourself and in exchange pushing away your kin? It was always in Bangued, from my so-called relatives that i always heard the phrase "blood is thicker than water." But sadly, it's just semantics, a mere lip-service. Why do you push people away? Do you think that you will be loved the more if you show yourself as an agressor?
Do you realize that when Uncle Choi got sick, it was not difficult for us to take him in our home and somehow take care of him. But why is it that when his brother got sick that no one even bothered to ask how he is doing? It is because Uncle Choi showed love towards his nephews and nieces whereas his brother only showed intimidation and agression. Where Uncle Choi received loved, his brother sowed fear. Yes, people fear Uncle Nesing. But love? You have to ask people around and ask yourself why. Would you rather have people fear you than love you?
Another thing i can't seem to understand is that you proud yourself for the intelligence of your children and yet at the same time still live in ignorance. Do you still believe in sorcery? That is "kulam" in Tagalog and "gamod" in our local dialect else you still look for the meaning of the word. How can you profess intelligence and yet still believe in myths and legends that you were cursed by your cousin? There is a specialist called doctor and a process called consultation.
I hope you reflect on these things.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Farewell Uncle Choi
This morning is the funeral of my uncle, Zoilo Bañez, or Uncle Choi to those dear to him. I would have wanted to be there during the funeral but i am unable to go home. I was there during the wake though. I’m also glad that we went home to our hometown in Abra to visit him, three weeks ago before his death.
Violence seems to haunt Abra. My family is a direct witness, if not a victim, of this. When i was ten, my father was shot by a gunman from outside the window of a store. He survived the shot but suffered a stroke, and died two years after he was shot. Two years ago, just days after Christmas, one of my uncle was shot in the middle of the day. Years before that, my cousin was shot by gunmen in a motorcycle while he was waiting for a ride outside their home.
I think Uncle Choi died the most "honorable" way, if i may say, among his kin just because he did not die under the bullet. Late November or early December of last year, he found out that he had cancer. But my memory of him is that of someone not in pain, but in genteel acceptance. While he was undergoing series of chemotherapies and radiations, i never heard him complain nor curse, nor exhibit anger about what happened to him. Neither did i see him wreathe in pain nor wallow in his agony. He would only sit by the sofa, quietly massaging his arm. Or he would be reading books or answering crossword puzzles. But he was never in despair.
Whenever we would be visiting him at the hospital, he was the one entertaining us with his stories as if he was not the patient. He would tell us such theories as when is the best time to gather honey because this kind of flowers from this or that part of Abra is in bloom at that time of the month. He is also very passionate when he would be telling stories about raising fighting cocks. I am amazed at the way he would be divulging his techniques about crossing different breeds, of what dominant feature each breed has, or of how he is able to tell which one would turn out to be a great fighter just by observing them. He was so passionate about it that he was making a joke that he would ask his doctor if he could raise a rooster outside the window of the room where he is confined. Listening to him tell stories seems like listening to a teacher making science real to his students.
When we went home to visit him early this October, he was already speaking in whisper and barely audible. But what I vividly remember is how he firmly grasped my hand and told me with all apologies how he would be unable to attend my wedding this December. I told him that there would still be enough time for him to recover. He would have been my Godfather or “Ninong” for my wedding in December.
But he will no longer be present for my wedding. And i will never hear his stories anymore. I still remember the stories, but i would no longer hear it the way Uncle Choi told them.
Violence seems to haunt Abra. My family is a direct witness, if not a victim, of this. When i was ten, my father was shot by a gunman from outside the window of a store. He survived the shot but suffered a stroke, and died two years after he was shot. Two years ago, just days after Christmas, one of my uncle was shot in the middle of the day. Years before that, my cousin was shot by gunmen in a motorcycle while he was waiting for a ride outside their home.
I think Uncle Choi died the most "honorable" way, if i may say, among his kin just because he did not die under the bullet. Late November or early December of last year, he found out that he had cancer. But my memory of him is that of someone not in pain, but in genteel acceptance. While he was undergoing series of chemotherapies and radiations, i never heard him complain nor curse, nor exhibit anger about what happened to him. Neither did i see him wreathe in pain nor wallow in his agony. He would only sit by the sofa, quietly massaging his arm. Or he would be reading books or answering crossword puzzles. But he was never in despair.
Whenever we would be visiting him at the hospital, he was the one entertaining us with his stories as if he was not the patient. He would tell us such theories as when is the best time to gather honey because this kind of flowers from this or that part of Abra is in bloom at that time of the month. He is also very passionate when he would be telling stories about raising fighting cocks. I am amazed at the way he would be divulging his techniques about crossing different breeds, of what dominant feature each breed has, or of how he is able to tell which one would turn out to be a great fighter just by observing them. He was so passionate about it that he was making a joke that he would ask his doctor if he could raise a rooster outside the window of the room where he is confined. Listening to him tell stories seems like listening to a teacher making science real to his students.
When we went home to visit him early this October, he was already speaking in whisper and barely audible. But what I vividly remember is how he firmly grasped my hand and told me with all apologies how he would be unable to attend my wedding this December. I told him that there would still be enough time for him to recover. He would have been my Godfather or “Ninong” for my wedding in December.
But he will no longer be present for my wedding. And i will never hear his stories anymore. I still remember the stories, but i would no longer hear it the way Uncle Choi told them.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
a fish out of water
In a democracy, citizens have the right to choose their leaders by means of voting. One downside in a democracy is that leaders are chosen by the majority, inevitably because of popularity. That is why we had Estrada for a president. A corporation is not run like a democracy. Employees cannot choose their leaders. And this should not be so. Corporate leaders are not chosen because they are popular. They are not chosen by the majority. They are chosen because of their merits, skills and talents. So i am often amazed when corporate leaders start playing politics. I wonder why there is still the need to play politics when they have the skills and talents suited for their position? This play is observable when you look at the symptoms. You see it when people get into huddle and discuss items in a very hush manner like it is the crucial minutes of a basketball game, discloses it to almost everyone, getting buy-in from almost anyone but getting suggestions from just a few, saying one thing to one and another thing to the other, changing decisions as quick and as often as necessary, giving it the name "proactive" while advocating the mantra "open to change", encouraging people to participate, creating an image of "i am listening" and acting the attitude of "i don't care".
Office politics is a different kind of beast. It is more difficult to understand office politics than to observe office policies. It is tricky to entangle because once you involve yourself in it, you may end up trapped in its complexities. And you may end up saying "my hands are tied", to borrow a common phrase by my boss.
Employers should not wonder when there is a high attrition rate. They should not expect loyalty from their employees if loyalty is not given much value by them. Where companies require only the best from its employees, those who get the best from outside means two things. Either they were not able to train within, or they fear to risk what they have at hand. But it is difficult to have the best of both worlds, that of having low attrition and getting the best from outside. If you drag a bait in the lake, by chance you may get the rarest of rare among the fish. But don't forget to nurture your pond.
Is our company playing this kind of game? i hope not. This is not something easy to prove. For someone to say that he is definitely sure of it happening, he needs to to have enough, concrete and explicit examples to prove. i don't have, so i won't. At least not in this blog lest i be accused of nitpicking. Or else, i may end up eating my words, or being dismissed by what i write.
Lastly, i read from Philippians 2:14 to "do everything without complaining or arguing." I am just writing my observations, but if i appear to be griping or complaining, i hope to be told about it. In fact i am much thankful to God about a lot of things. When i see the crowd of applicants lining up in hours, waiting for their turn to be called for interview, i thank God for giving me work, for having a challenging job, and best of all, having the dearest of staff i have ever worked with, patiently riding along with my idiosyncracies. However, this doesn't guarantee that i will stay long. I currently love my job, not necessarily the company, but more so the people i'm supervising, and some of the employees i interact with. But when God nudges me to go, consider me a fish out of water.
Office politics is a different kind of beast. It is more difficult to understand office politics than to observe office policies. It is tricky to entangle because once you involve yourself in it, you may end up trapped in its complexities. And you may end up saying "my hands are tied", to borrow a common phrase by my boss.
Employers should not wonder when there is a high attrition rate. They should not expect loyalty from their employees if loyalty is not given much value by them. Where companies require only the best from its employees, those who get the best from outside means two things. Either they were not able to train within, or they fear to risk what they have at hand. But it is difficult to have the best of both worlds, that of having low attrition and getting the best from outside. If you drag a bait in the lake, by chance you may get the rarest of rare among the fish. But don't forget to nurture your pond.
Is our company playing this kind of game? i hope not. This is not something easy to prove. For someone to say that he is definitely sure of it happening, he needs to to have enough, concrete and explicit examples to prove. i don't have, so i won't. At least not in this blog lest i be accused of nitpicking. Or else, i may end up eating my words, or being dismissed by what i write.
Lastly, i read from Philippians 2:14 to "do everything without complaining or arguing." I am just writing my observations, but if i appear to be griping or complaining, i hope to be told about it. In fact i am much thankful to God about a lot of things. When i see the crowd of applicants lining up in hours, waiting for their turn to be called for interview, i thank God for giving me work, for having a challenging job, and best of all, having the dearest of staff i have ever worked with, patiently riding along with my idiosyncracies. However, this doesn't guarantee that i will stay long. I currently love my job, not necessarily the company, but more so the people i'm supervising, and some of the employees i interact with. But when God nudges me to go, consider me a fish out of water.
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