Quest for the True North

The world according to a traveler and beach bum.

Jul
24

Buhay Law Student

Filed under law, personal

It’s Friday again. At this time last year, I would either be heading to a hole in the city to hang out with friends, or packing to leave early for another adventure trip the following day. Now I can’t do that anymore. There are hundreds of pages waiting to be read when I get home, and that’s just for one subject, just for one night.

I so miss traveling. I miss seeing the world outside. I miss taking photos and writing about my discoveries. I miss going home from work to just drop on the couch and watch TV, uncaring about what the time is already. I miss waking up after lunch hour on weekends. I miss the trips to the mall, the unlimited blogging, the lazy afternoons, the endless poker games. I miss the unlimited idle time with friends. I miss not having to watch the time.

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Jul
8

I believe Michael Jackson was innocent

Filed under people

I grew up believing that he was a pedophile, that he was gay, that he had himself bleached because he didn’t like his color. At that time, in the 1990s, he had begun to lose his luster, and the child molestation charges against him were what greeted my consciousness. I wasn’t part of the generation that worshipped him. I knew nothing about his genius. The only songs that I could sing to were his Heal the World, because we sang it in class in third grade, and You Are Not Alone, because it was a hit in the mid-1990s. (I realize now that I’d heard most of his songs then, I just didn’t know that they were his). I knew that he was famous, but to me, he was just another name.

So when the news of his death broke out, I shrugged. But as it is impossible to get away from all the coverage on TV and on the web sites that I visit everyday, I got curious about him and dug deeper, and from what I pieced together from bits and pieces, I found a heart-breaking story of wasted genius, of someone who was so good at at what he did but was mocked for being himself.

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Jun
21

Top 10 Emerging Influential Bloggers for 2009

Filed under blogging

Actually, that post title is wrong, because I am not going to vote for ten blogs. I am voting for only one. :)

I’ve never came up with ten on my list anyway. Last year I came up with only three. The reason? I munch words for a living, so I take semantics seriously. For me, influence is not equal to visibility, nor popularity. Even Mr. Webster will tell you that.

So my lone vote this year goes to the Cebu Bloggers Society.  I am a member of this group, but that’s not the reason I am voting for it. I will be the first to say that our group blog needs a lot of improvements here and there, but nevertheless, that blog, this group, has been making waves in Cebu since late last year.

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Jun
20

Shu Uemura’s “The Beauty Art Make-Up Competition 2009″ Launch

Filed under art, events

 shu-uemura-make-up-contest.jpg

A day before my birthday, I tagged along with my friend, Roanne, to the launching of Shu Uemura’s “The Beauty Art Make-Up Competition 2009.” It was my first time to be at a beauty event, and I was pleasantly surprised. Let me just say that it is a world way different from the one I am used to. ;)

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Jun
10

The Hedgehog Concept

Filed under career, people, personal

When I was 19, I attended a career and leadership training wherein the speaker introduced us to the Hedgehog Concept. At that time, like many students about to finish college, I didn’t know where I was going or what was ahead of me. I was very passionate about journalism,  but I wasn’t sure where it would take me or if it could support the life that I wanted. The Hedgehog Concept changed that. I applied it to my life, and it hasn’t left me ever since. I still use it in making important decisions.

Today, I think I already know where I want to be for the long haul. I feel immensely blessed that I found my niche early, and that it gives me the challenges that I need and provides for the lifestyle that I want. I am very grateful to that man for sharing what he knew. I was prepared early. I saved precious time.

The Hedgehog Concept is simply a Venn diagram of (1) your passion, interests, and hobbies, (2) specialties and skills, and (3) the job market or the times. Somewhere in the middle, the three intersect, and that is your place under the sun.

hedgehog2.gif

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