For fashion's sake
The sensation of skin-tight jeans rubbing against your thighs, your pores devoid of fresh air to breathe begging dearly for a brush of wind to assuage the heat, your sweat trickling down your spine as you stroll along the corridors of Palma Hall, leaving your shirt soaking wet just before you get to your first class. As you enter the room, you reach for your handkerchief in your pocket to wipe off dribs of sweat on your forehead but your sweat glands are too uncooperative. Yeah, I know exactly how that feels. I have been there myself.
This year’s summer season can’t get any hotter than it already is and I am not liking it so far. Taking summer classes is never a good idea if braving the heat is a daily undertaking. It’s almost impossible to move around without breaking a sweat. Moving from one room to another within the same building proves to be a bit of a struggle, let alone dragging yourself from one building to the next wearing a pair of leather boots, a trench jacket, and a beret which brings me to my next point. You must be wondering why of all clothing in the world, I thought of leather boots, a trench jacket, and a beret. I got the idea from a gal I once came across with on my way to my PI 100 class on one hot summer day. Define todo-tiis.
Do you come to school in an attire, knowing at the back of your head your getup seems too out-of-place for a sunny day? Have you ever been asked by an acquaintance “hindi ka ba naiinitan diyan sa suot mo?” and your reply is “anlamig nga eh,” but the truth is you are dying to undress yourself and yet you can’t because you are willing to bear all the heat in the world just to sport your new leather coat? Todo na sa pagtulo ang pawis, ayaw pa rin tanggalin. Tinatahak ang kahabaan ng EDSA na naka-boots. At nakasuot ng jacket at scarf sa loob ng mala-sardinas na MRT. If you are guilty of these accusations, then isa kang pa-cool na tao.
I have always thrown fixed and steady looks at people who as if they were catwalk models. Even under the scorching heat of the sun, much to everyone’s surprise, they come to school in anything but comfortable clothing, for fashion’s sake. For all we know, behind those thick fabrics, their body’s turning into one sweaty pulp, their skin desperately gasping for air. I don’t have anything against them, but c’mon people. Do you find it stylish? I don’t. They look funny. Ako na ang pakialamero.
UFC 112
Self-relection
Frankly, bouts of sessions in Organizational Behaviour might never have been one of my best interests this past semester. It’s a good thing Sir Gerry had the talent of turning the dullest moments of our OB sessions into something-to-ponder-upon-over-the-weekend (I tell you, this guy can perform wonders through mere words). Yet despite my deep-rooting aversion towards OB, it taught me loads of key lessons I could never have come across in my entire stint here in our dear university especially on topics concerning our future careers as business-minded people. “Believe me kid, when you step out there in the ‘real world’, leadership concepts are almost always overlooked at.” This was according to an uncle who currently holds a top-level position at a premium banking firm. It seems like a no-brainer at first glance, yet very perplexing if delved into. Looks can be deceiving, and so are leadership concepts.
When my group and I were deliberating about the set of criteria we need to set as basis in choosing among our prospective line-up of leaders, we have always found ourselves falling into the trap of sticking too much to leadership stereotypes which are always general and unspecific, so to speak. Determining the set of characteristics our chosen leader must possess was the hardest and most painstaking part. It took us more than three conferences to ultimately come up with a consensual decision. Personifying these leadership ideals was the next trial we had to deal with, not bearing in mind that he/she must be at least part of our generation. An email request was already sent out only to find out that Mr. Ambeth Ocampo, who topped our list of prospects, was already past his 40s! That’s how we ended up with UP ICTUS’ chairperson Mr. Julian CaƱita.
On a personal note, any human being in this planet is a possible candidate for any leadership role so long he is capable of leading himself. That is a crucial prerequisite. There is no single universal set of standards capable of accurately pinpointing whether a set of qualities is leadership potential or not. It is rather subjective – person- and culture-bound. The dubious assumption that every leader must always fit a pre-determined prototype is a pitfall that we should be wary of, something we must veer away from as much as possible because “out there” is anything but what the books say.
Last week, while I was taking my much-needed bath, I was contemplating on how I would fare if I were the subject of this project, a leader in my own generation. To do justice, I had my own version of self-evaluation by simply matching my strengths against my weaknesses. To get it straight, I think I am a leader by heart – but the seasonal type. I do not assume leadership roles unless the situation calls for it; but when it’s crunch time, that’s when my leadership skills come to life.
My first impressions regarding the project’s objectives led me to believe that it is a must for every group to look for someone who is either part of history books, someone who has a huge chunk of contribution to the Philippine society, or someone who simply holds stardom status. I was rooting for big people in the likes of veteran historian Ambeth Ocampo, CNN hero of the year Efren PeƱaflorida, and UP’s Randy David. The idea of being able to present to the class personalities as brazen as this line-up was in itself psychologically gratifying, well of course, not to mention, will earn us the bragging rights. Yet I came to realize that what makes our group distinct isn’t the grandiosity, but rather our own personal definition of leadership. Leaders are anything but perfect. They are not without flaws. Recognizing bad qualities as much as crediting good ones will yield a more holistic evaluation.
Feasibility guide for dummies
Plenty of successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople have virtually built up their empires from the ground up. Big time players from different fields in the business world rarely forgo strategic business models and intelligent ideas that keep their pastures greener year after year. For instance is the logistics genius of FedEx’s tracking system or Apple’s marketing genius that never seems to run dry. In the real world, every good idea in a business must first survive a rigorous process which involves a series of “study” to test how such projects would fare if introduced in the market, or if utilized by a company for its own use, most especially projects which are related to Information Technology for they will surely require heavy investments and continuous financing. According to some experts, only one idea out of fifty has any real chance of going long-term. By investing on a wrong idea, a company can lose millions overnight and profits can start tanking due to these insurmountable losses. A well-orchestrated project feasibility study provides the kind of impartial analysis that separates profitable ideas from unproductive brainstorms. It removes all the rotten eggs in a basket and leaves out the good ones, so to speak.
I have been talking a lot about feasibility study. What exactly is feasibility? According to the book, feasibility studies are preliminary studies where the information needs of prospective users and resource requirements, costs, benefits, and feasibility of a proposed project are determined. In layman’s terms, a feasibility study is an evaluation of, let us say, a project or a project proposal which aims to determine the imminent difficulties and dangers of carrying it out. Those who have intentions of establishing their respective businesses are heavily advised to conduct a feasibility study before proceeding with the actual implementation for it acts as a meter stick that effectively measures the readiness of the market for whatever business you are trying to venture in. As a rule of thumb, a feasibility study must precede technical development and project implementation. This reminds me of my parents’ failed attempt to put up a laundry shop back when they were still my age. My father wasn’t a big fan of basic marketing principles, and so was my mother, so without any regards for contingency plans or whatsoever, they had the business established right away which obviously ended up as a flop.
Aside from launching a new business, when do you think is feasibility most important? Most companies overlook the importance of feasibility studies, leaping into venture-backed businesses with reckless abandon. The same works for launching a new product or service. A company that understands very well the importance of feasibility studies can make strategic decisions that reap major dividends, which is what you would want. Ever heard of smokeless cigarettes? How about Harley-Davidson cake-decorating kits? These are classic examples of products that had high hopes of taking the market by storm, but ended up turning the market off and were left with squandered dollars and bruised egos. Further, subjecting ideas to a feasibility study before signing any contracts can keep a company from investing too much in company processes/systems that are deemed to fail in terms of gaining traction and meeting customer needs.
Since the May 2010 election is fast approaching, we shall take the poll automation as our hypothetical example, but first things first. Let us quickly run down through the three major categories we take into consideration when making feasibility studies. First up is operational feasibility. This is mainly concerned with issues regarding the stakeholders of a project. Does management support it? Are the users not happy with the current basic business practices? Have the users been involved in the planning and development? Economic feasibility involves weighing the expected benefits and expected costs of a project. For a project to be economically feasible, benefits must equal or exceed costs. Last but not the least is technical feasibility. Classic questions include: Do we have enough manpower to push through with the project? Is our software and hardware capable and reliable enough for expected results to come up?
So what’s the final verdict for the poll automations this coming May 2010? Problems could still outweigh the benefits. Theoretically speaking, the automation will be beneficial to the country, as it will hasten the election process. In reality, problems and dangers, which are well beyond the scope of human hands, may outweigh the benefits. A single power outage alone can compromise, at the very least, one part of the operations. Moreover, there is still no assurance of a clean election. Poll automation is not the best remedy that will put an end to the electoral fraud in the Philippines. Was there any nationwide pilot test on record? In terms of the hardware and software, are they fool-proof? They may be vulnerable to attack from hackers all over the world which could cripple the whole process.
Keeping up
Leadership discussion

Movie blunder

"Take no prisoners, comrades!"

Blame it to the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol

A rush of creative juices
Fleeting glimpses
Streaks of orange and white pierced the horizon as the afternoon glow turned into dusk. I have been staring at blank spaces for I-don’t-know-since-when, thinking of what to orchestrate with a few brush strokes and a blank canvas. Despite my persistent effort, the argument with my elder brother days ago was the only thing that crossed my mind, nothing else. My creative juices had run dry, like a well in the middle of a blistering desert.
I stood up to flex my head left and right hoping to shake off my worries. The moment I collapsed back onto my stool, every detail of the room disintegrated and morphed into a new environment. Like the scenes you see in movies where the character gets taken to a new dimension. It’s somehow similar to that. I found myself staring at a man on top of a diving board. I barely saw the man’s face but he instantly reminded me of someone I know. There was an instant connection.
I had a quick glimpse of a scene painters would die to see - an Olympic-sized pool and a man about to make a 40-foot dive with the moonlight cascading over the waters. A chilly brush of wind managed to get past the open window. In a matter of seconds, the man started to plunge his way down towards the pool. I recognized what he was wearing. I’m certain it looked familiar. It had my surname scrawled on it in fine black print.
It felt like everything was moving a minute slower. I could see the man suspended in the air. I saw him wearing trunks and a diving cap; a man plummeting towards a pool, a leap of death. I locked my eyes onto his face, this time I was absolutely sure I know him. In a flash, everything came back to normal. He vanished. A tear quickly ran down my face. “Brother.” I murmured.

My life would suck without CRS


Opening remarks

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About Me
- Kevin H.
- Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
- I am a Business Administration major from UP Diliman who has an extreme inclination towards gaming.