Filipino Olympian - Michael Christian Martinez

Martinez was born on November 4, 1996 and is the youngest of three children. He is a Filipino figure skater and began skating in 2005. He placed 5th on 2013  at the World Junior Championships and has won two senior international medals.

 

Martinez was also the only athlete representing the Philippines at the 2014 Winter Olympics and served as Philippine country's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. In Sochi, Martinez qualified for the free skate after placing 19th in the short program with a score of 64.81 points, a season's best. He scored 119.44 in the free skate and finished 19th overall with a total score of 184.25.

 

Currently, he is in Sofia, Bulgaria to compete in the prestigious World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

2014 New Year's Resolution

Today is the first day of the year and I am looking forward that this coming year will be meaningful and fruitful. I am hoping that I will be able to do more good things for myself, family & friends. Thus, I need to adopt with new challenges in this challenging world. If I need to change my existing strategy to make my way better, I will make it happen. I will do it hard and well. I won't pussyfoot and pander so that my goals will not be in peril. I will try to cultivate my own new skill so that I can survive and I will invent new way of new whole life.

I don't want to experience obliviousness therefore I have to look around, observe and study what is going on. Of course, I need my plan and I have to set goals. I will remain flexible and try different approaches to my goals.

 
I would like to share some reminders to achieve our goals and here they are;
 
• Always remember that you may not have time for everything but be productive  at all time
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle
• Meet regularly with your family members
• Become financially literate
• Check the amount of savings you have at the end of the year
• Pay off credit card debt you may have
• Set your money goal

• Review your budget and spending habits
• Create an emergency fund

• Get sufficient Sleep Better/rest.
• Find time to relax.

• Think positive thoughts

• Write but keep it positive.
• Find out and develop your talents.

• Go out and do activities to find what you like and then pursue it.

• Keep a diary or journal.

• Read

• Pray effectively or meditate

• Communicate with nature.

• Go outside, hike, swimming, running, go camping, or have fishing trip.

• Do a good deed for other people.

• Cooperate with other people that you meet.

• Listen to other people.

• Live in the present.
• Think positively

• Mind your own business, and keep your mind off other people's daily lives.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!
  

Reflection & Throwback Tuesday - 2013 Year End Special

Enjoyable Recollection

 

The 31st of December is the oldest and last day of the year. Many of us are busy preparing to send-off the year 2013 and say hello to new year 2014.

 

I believe that today is the best time to look back and reminisce the past 1 year because this will help us evaluate our accomplishment and failures. Consequently, this is the best time to give thanks to our Heavenly Father. This year, I achieve several milestones although it wasn't easy because I was like in a roller coaster ride but I am very pleased with the outcome of my few projects. I am very thankful because I received so many blessings. 

Getting sufficient exercise regularly is also my of my goals this year and it balances my lifestyle. Indeed, I was also able to participate with different running events here in Singapore like;

01 Go Green

02 NTUC Run

03 JP Morgan

04 Sundown Marathon

05 Pocari Sweat

06 Passion Fun Run

07 Against Cancer

08 Adidas King of the Road

09  Love Your Heart Run

10 Run in the Park

I was able to visit several places in Malaysia with my new friends. I also visited my parents, old friends and relatives in the Philippines

At the end of my journey for this year, let me share with you my Top 13 OST.

According to anonymous writer, happiness can only be achieved if there is a balance between the physical, the mental, the spiritual and the social/emotional.

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm & harmony."

 Thomas Merton.

"If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Don't pander. And don't say bad words in public."

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

I would like to thank God for giving me blessings and I would like to give thanks to those who supported me in my endeavour.





Sinag de Leon-Amado

Tuve el encuentro con famosa artista de ciernes, Sinag de Leon-Amado. Ella nació el 13 de noviembre y se crió en la ciudad Marikina, un distrito de la capital metropolitana de Filipinas. Se graduó en la Universidad de Filipinas y estudió el Bachillerato en Artes con los Estudios de las Filipiñanas.

Después de hacer muchas obras de arte, ella había tenido mucha exposición sobre su trabajo artístico que fueron atendidos por los periodistas, algunas autoridades locales, los profesionales y las amantes de la cultura que se realizó en los museos en la capital urbana de Filipinas, en Manila.

Su obra maestra se basa en el papel de japón y los plásticos reciclados. Según ella, quería dar a los niños una inspiración de hacer arte usando los materiales que son reciclados.

Adidas King of the Road

The "Adidas King of the Road" is coming soon in Singapore and this will happen on August 11. The running event is being held yearly in five countries in Southeast Asia particularly in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

 

There will be more than 5000 runners will participate on this event and one of those is me. To make sure that I am really prepared to run; I make sure to eat right and have enough sleep. Moreover, I should be mentally and physically prepared.

 

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

by Henry Ford

Premium

The annual "Great Singapore Sale" is now on! This event attracts more tourist in this city-state. Of course, before this event super sale concludes this coming July 31, I won't allow myself to be left behind. I think this is the best time to spend my rewards which I got last month.

 

This afternoon I went to Suntec mall to purchase another shoes which I added to my collection. I also purchase two vouchers for my next travel plan.

Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power. Clint Eastwood

 

Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence. Anonymous
 

12 Happy Days of Vacation

Day 1 - I met my cousin to give my gifts to her. Then we ate at a Japanese restaurant and we had a small talk about the latest happening in our lives.

 

Day 2 - It was a ME time. I went to different establishments to consolidate my ledger. Then, my mom and I went to the museum and after that we ate together in a Thai restaurant.

 

Day 3 - I visited my relatives in Batangas City because I gave my gifts to them. On the same day, it was Angelo's birthday so I cooked barbeque for him, bought a small cake and we took lots of photos.

 

Day 4 - This was a Beach time for me. I spent almost four hours in the water because I missed the natural salt water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 - Mini reunion with high school friends. I met them in a cafeteria near our old high school campus in San Juan, Batangas. We spent 6 hours of laughter, story sharing and of course we took lots of photos. Most of them are also living abroad specifically North America.

Day 6 - Sunday is a Charity Day! I visited Idente in Quezon City, a suburban of Metro Manila to do my promise of helping poor children. Unfortunately there was no class scheduled on that day, instead, my friends from Idente invited me to eat lunch with them and after that we had a small meeting regarding how to improve the teaching style to the children. I shared my ideas, vision and perspective to my friends on how to deal with children which are very difficult to manage.

  

Day 7 - Futuristic Decision. I consulted my friends about  my Futuristic Plan and they agreed that I should get what I dreamed when I was a child.

 

Day 8 - Decision Making in Progress. While I was busy thinking of my future, I spent the day visiting different churches in Manila which were accessible at that time. I prayed to our Beloved Saviour that He may enlighten my ideas, to guide my decision, to protect my family and lastly I prayed to our God that he may always give me good heath physically, emotionally and spiritually.

 

Day 9 - Happy Independence Day! Almost all establishments were closed so I decided to stay at home with my mother. Even if it was a holiday, I continued to process my dealings and meetings with special people. Finally, the contract has been signed.

 

Day 10 - School Day! I went to Instituto Cervantes to visit their exhibit in the gallery and I also met my few previous professors in that school. I also went to Intramurros to roam around with my Korean friend who is also leaving from the Philippines to go back in South Korea to fulfil his duty in military school.

Day 11 - Departure

 

Day 12 - I just arrived in Singapore.

 

My entire vacation in my home country was very fulfilling because it brought another enlightenment to my personality. It also helped me redefine the meaning of my life and its uses to my family, friends and acquaintance. 

 

Tomorrow is another Running Event for me; Pocari Sweat Run 2013

 

It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.

Napoleon Hill
 

Fighter

From the time of creation until today, there are so many challenges which we encounter very constantly. From the simplest to a much complex one and most of the time, we would tend to struggle too much until  we will learn different things the hard way. As a matter of fact, this kind of test of life was very obvious when early human tribes fought with each other to sustain their needs e.g. from food & shelter or from plantation & colony because everyone would like to survive. Everyone would like to reign.

 

 

Mini Reunion

My high school classmates and I have not been seen each for seven years after we graduated, perhaps because all of us had very tight schedules. So we decided to meet up to catch up with latest trends about us. We met up in Serangoon and we had a lunch there. I had a great time chatting with them and now I am missing them because it has been five months ago when we had get-together. Thus, the only solution with my nostalgia is to set up new schedule to meet up with them but then again, they have to use the same reason "busy, not too soon". Ok, I need to adapt with it and I have to divert or open my attention to another opportunity that will lead me to socialize with different people.

“There's always a good lesson in meeting new people, its enlarging your circle of friends. And though there are times you don't match with their likes, there are some whom you just blend well.” Anonymous

The Sky

I love the morning when the sun is rising while the wind breeze is still cold. I love the sunrise because it gives you new hope. I love the sky because it will give you no boundaries. It is so gigantic for you to hide to no one. Above the sky, you can shout whatever you would like to say, those words that takes you lot of courage to tell somebody that you could not tell at all.

No Hay Nada Especial Ahora

1. Today marks exactly one year since I started this blog and also today marks my 7th day living in a foreign country. 

2. I met new friends with different nationalities, cultures, lifestyles and behaviour.

3. I miss my parents but I can say that I feel at home in my place because the community is very peaceful.

4. I miss my dearest friends from the Philippines.

5. This afternoon I moved out from my temporary residence and moved in my little kingdom.

Enjoy my music 

 

See You Soon Manila - Thank You Everyone!!!

Throughout my everyday journey in Manila, I met different set of people and I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful friendship that you have given me. It was a beautiful and fantastic experience being with you all. Should I say, I loved it because it was a superb experience with my dearest friends. I know that everyone made sure to spend their precious time with me. Moreover, it was a good chance to socialize because I had fun talking with all of you. Once again, thank you so much. You are my perfect friends. You made me feel so comfortable and made all of us laugh with everyone's great jokes.

Although I experienced ups and downs, I survived and I enjoyed living in one of the best places in the world, Manila. I am proud to call it home because I lived my whole life here to the fullest but I need to move again experience the best life. When I left Batangas seven years ago for a work in Manila, I thought I wouldn't last and make it because I had so many negative impresion about the city yet now that I will be leaving this city, defenitely, I will miss it. Hopefully soon, I will be coming back here from time to time.

Thank you and enjoy my favorite songs. See you around guys.

Take a look at all pictures with my dearest friends.

Volunteer @ Idente

Volunteering is awesome and fantastic! I have enjoyed being a volunteer at Idente. It has been more fun to build good relationship with other volunteer. Thus, the most rewarding thing about my volunteer experience so far is enjoying with my new found friends while doing our decision-making and brainstorming process. Aside from this, doing a charity work has been refreshing for me in many ways because it thought me so many values. These are the things I learned through my volunteer experience with Idente missionaries;

Sharing, Being Confident always, Better person, Happiness, Prudent, Patience, Self-restoration, Self-checking, Self-Awareness, Self-Realization, Selflessness, Accountability, Responsibility, Learning from others, Tranquility, Alertness, Assertiveness,  Acceptance, Life Balance, Do things moderately, Positive administration of feelings, Understand the life history of other people, Stay Focus, Affection, Beyond the limitation, Result Oriented, Goal Oriented, Do the best without Expectation.

Meanwhile, these are the Big NO NO NO when you help others; like Selfishness, Indifference, Disrespect, Persecution, Discrimination.

Whenever we do something, we have to ask questions from ourselves before volunteering like; what do you feel when helping others? What do you feel when you are improving the way of doing things? These are so important because we need to find the purpose why we help others.

H2O = Agua, Water, Tubig

Water gives life to million species on earth. It has a chemical formula H2O which contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Our planet consists of 80% of water and we can only drink 3% of it, from 3% of drinkable liquid, 2% of them can be found in North and South poles and 1% is the water we enjoy to drink everyday.

According to the website of www.interestingfactsnow.com, we feel lighter or our body is getting lighter after conducting exercise because we lose our water supply while we are exercising. Exercise does not instantly remove our fat however many of us have a wrong perception about this.

I would like to share with you the video clip about the experiment of Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese author of the book Messages from Water. He explained in his writing about the effect of water to human life.

Watch the video presentation of the Dr. Masaru Emoto about his findings.

Water Festival

San Juan! San Juan! Basaan!, Philippines. The water festival is being celebrated during the Feast of San Juan Bautista or Saint John the Baptist. It is celebrated every June 24 by dousing and sprinkling of water or by family excursion to the beach or riverside. www.lakbaypilipinas.com

Songkran Festival, Thailand. It is the most celebrated festivity in Thailand that starts from April 13 and ends between 3 & 10 days - depending on where you are in Thailand. The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit meaning the beginning of a new Solar Year. The Thai people celebrate this festival with water. Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing. Songkran is a Public Spring Cleaning Day, supported by the religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it will bring bad luck to the owner. During the afternoon of the 13th, Buddha images are bathed as part of the ceremony. Young people pour scented water into the hands of elders and parents as a mark of respect while seeking the blessing of the older people. In ancient days, old people were actually given a bath and clothed in new apparel presented by the young folks as a token of respect for the New Year. www.journeymart.com

Omizutori, Japan. The annual sacred Water-Drawing festival, is a Japanese Buddhist festival that takes place in Japan. The festival is the final rite in observance of the two week-long Shuni-e ceremony. This ceremony is to cleanse the people of their sins as well as to usher in the spring of the New Year. Once the Omizutori is completed, the cherry blossoms have started blooming and spring has arrived. www.jnto.go.jp

Fiesta del Agua or Festa de Agua, Spain. The Water Festival is being held in Villagarcía de Arousa, on the coast of Pontevedra, Galicia. It started during a blazing hot 16th August in the mid-1980s during festivities in honor of the town’s patron saint, San Roque. Nowadays, the Minister of National Tourism recognised as the Fiesta del Agua, or Festa de Agua in the Galician language, attracts tens of thousands to the town every year, as the crowds in the streets delight in getting thoroughly soaked. www.typicallyspanish.com

Simplicity

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:1-5 

The way of a superior man is threefold: Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear. Confucius

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawnmower is broken. Unknown

Psychometric Success

What part of your brain is always working?













Anatomy

How it works?

El éxito en el mundo caótico

Es muy frequente oír la frase de que el éxito es tener un objetivo valioso, la de adquirir más riqueza que otra gente, tener un estatus de un élite o tener prestigio y poder en la civilización moderna. En pocas palabras, la gente define el éxito hoy en día como que una persona exitosa debe tener mucho dinero y poder. Por otra parte, Confucio, un maestro, filósofo y político chino dijo una vez que en todas las cosas, el éxito depende de una preparación previa y que sin preparación previa, de seguro sería un fracaso.

Creo que para lograr, debemos hacer un proyecto aunque existe riesgo y creo que los resultados del éxito deber tener una planificación cuidadosa. Una de las claves para alcanzar el deseado éxito es estar feliz con su vida. Así, para tener éxito hay que prepararse con los mejores planes. Para ello, se aconseja usar el intelecto y el conocimiento con buena intención.

Por otro lado, no soy un príncipe de una monarquía que tiene todo para sentirse exitoso, satisfecho y contento. A pesar de que estoy ocupado haciendo mis cosas personales, hago un trabajo caritativo en los lugares pobres. Así, en una manera sencilla, ayudo a los niños, enseñándoles de forma gratuita. También comparto mi éxito con ellos para que no se sientan desafortunados. De todos modos, creo que los niños tendrán éxitos si les demos buenos ejemplos.

Finalmente, no creemos que la persona exitosa goce la buena vida si siente la vida destruida con mucho dolor y tragedia de sí misma. Además, pienso que nuestro éxito es depende de nosotros mismos, así que, una vez que nos sentimos contentos obtendremos el éxito.

¿Y quién eres tú?

Para empezar os describo quien soy. Me pongo negro cuando hay una persona desconocida que me pregunta quién soy y no lo sé por qué. Quiza no tengo mucha confianza a mi mismo pero de todas maneras hago amistad con quien me da la gana. Bueno, yo soy un chico simple y no quiero convertirme en un hombre que tiene mucho lío. Aunque tengo muchas actividades yo evito las cosas complicadas. Mejor dicho, tengo una agenda diaria o un organizador de actividades diarias para escribir los horarios de mis trabajos, reuniónes y clases. Además, soy un chico honesto y cuando miento a otro yo me pongo rojo.

Cuando era pequeno yo quería llegar a ser un chef porque pensaba que era fácil consiguirlo. De no haber tenido dinero mis padres no habrían podido ayudarme en mis estudios en la universidad. Si ellos hubieran sido rico, yo habría estudiado sobre arte culinario. De cualquier forma, mientras estudiaba en la universidad trabajé como asistente de una empresa porque decidí continuar mi vida. Así que estudié curso de empresarial porque yo quería hacerme empresario. Todavía no lo soy porque no tengo dinero para invertir en un negocio pero lo ahorro mucho. Creo que cuando yo experimento más desafíos me vuelvo una persona digna, aventurera y fuerte. A pesar de no ser chef hasta ahora yo cocino la comida que yo me apetece hacer para compartirla con mis amigos.

Por otra parte, a mí me gusta tener una tertulia con mis buenos amigos y de vez en cuando nos quedamos un rato cada fin de semana para charlar y comer en un restuarante árabe o chino. Hablamos sobre muchas cosas como por ejemplo nuestros viajes o nuestra experiencia con nuestro trabajo caritativo. Después de hablar sobre nuestras vidas nos ponemos muy contentos y además, me da gusto de conocer gente.

Para terminar, sea quien sea yo, me convertiré en un gran hombre y me haré empresario algun día.

Un día muy especial

Trees

Trees by Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.