The Other Side of G: A Premium G-Shock Store is now in Town

There’s more to the resin-clad G-Shock most of us, both young and old, love.

On September 29, Casio opened its second G-Factory Premium store at the 2^nd floor of Greenbelt 5. The first premium store was opened two years ago in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands.

Both stores are different from the regular G-Factory stores as they carry a broader line of Casio’s watches, including those from its premium line. Among those that will be available at the premium store are Casio’s titanium-clad premium models, namely the MR-G, the MT-G and the Oceanus.

MR-G

MT-G

Oceanus

“These latest additions to our line offer our customers more options to decide how a timepiece can best complement their lifestyle and what kind of statement they want to make,” said Atsushi Yamaoka, Casio Timepiece Department General Manager for Overseas Marketing and Sales Division.

Yamaoka posing behind three iterations of the MR-G

Yamaoka also added that they chose the Philippines for its second premium store for the country’s passion for watches and the Filipino’s love for the G-Shock.

The opening was graced by endorsers such as Richard Gutierrez, Sarah Lahbati, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, volleyball star Rex Intal, and DJ Tom Taus. Richard and Sarah toured inside G-Factory Premium to check out the latest watches the store has to offer.

Richard and Jasmine checking out the latest watches from Casio

Back in Black: How winners reacted to the Pirate Black #YeezyBoost release

Two months after launching the “Turtle Dove” Yeezy Boost 350, Sole Academy and adidas released the “Pirate Black” Yeezy Boost 350 on August 22 at Trinoma. Through around 40 pairs were raffled off, the best part was seeing the reaction of those who were chosen to purchase them.

Before the actual raffle, these guys were on standby in accommodating customers who want their old adidas sneakers to be cleaned up:

Here’s the line of people (amounting to around a hundred) waiting for their name to be called:

DJ Slick Rick and Tony Toni where there to host the event (sadly, Sam YG was not there):

These winners felt like getting Willy Wonka’s “Golden Ticket” as they get to purchase the sneakers immediately. They skipped the raffle part and went straight into getting their pair:

Finally, the first winner of the raffle is called, and you can see that smile on his face as he awaits his pair:

This kid is lucky; he got the “Turtle Dove”, and now he has the “Pirate Black”. Talk about having lady luck by his side:

But nothing beats the reaction of this guy, who is happy to get himself the pair as a late birthday present. How much he loved his pair? His Instagram tells it all.

Oh, and aside from Sole Academy co-owners Carlo Trillo and Martin Reyes being present,  guests like Sole Slam Manila Founders Antonio Aguirre, Jr. and Ira Cordero were also there too (Ira won in the raffle by the way).

Carlo Trillo and Martin Reyes with their friends

Antonio Aguirre Jr. and Ira Cordero with a friend

So there we have it. Back in black, with more happy faces for this event.

And I wonder

I’ve been waiting on this my whole life
These dreams be waking me up at night

(“I Wonder”, Kanye West)

Patience is indeed a virtue.

I have actually done a lot more with the five months with my second job than I have done in the 3.75 years with my first job. Though it has been a good four years (five if you count the OJTs and internships I had with ABS-CBN during college) with ABS-CBN, and it is only now that I can proudly say I finally a part of a new initiative from the company. With that, I am more than glad to introduce you ABS-CBN’s Lifestyle Hub, of which I am one of the section editors.

Introducing: ABS-CBN’s latest website, ABS-CBN Lifestyle Hub

With this new website (and in my own opinion, the most modern-looking website from ABS-CBN), we aim to showcase articles that is important and relevant for the modern Filipino in living out their lifestyle. Lifestyle Hub will tackle a variety of topics, from fashion, food, concerts, tech, fitness, health, travel, leisure, people, and even inspiration.

Indeed, exciting times are ahead of me and the rest of the team (which comprises right now of fellow section editors Kat Angco and Fish Zamora, and our EIC Gerry Plaza) as we make a mark in the internet.

Visit our website at http://Lifestyle.ABS-CBN.com and check out the articles we have to offer. Happy reading!

Why Not Law School? (A Retrospective)

*It has been four years since I have graduated as a Political Science major, and by now, my batchmates have either graduated at law school, or are still currently taking up law.

This entry was originally posted at my old college blog dating back December 26, 2010. Honestly, not much has changed since.

__________________________________

I am going to graduate in a few months with a degree in Political Science (a course that is said to be the best pre-law course), and yet despite that four years ago, I told myself that I will go to law school after I graduate, I decided to postpone (or maybe not pursue at all) on going to Law School, while most of my blockmates in PolSci decided to take the Law entrance exams. And I am one of the few who decided not to pursue further studies in Law School particularly. How come?
A couple of years back, idealism was the in thing for me. I was dreaming then that I would grow up to be the best lawyer out there, that I would help people gain proper justice, among many things. There was this inner feeling that being a lawyer was a profession that was worth it. Anything was possible then.
Then four years later, all of those changed. I no longer see the sense of spending four more years, drowning myself in thousands of pages to read every week, losing the privilege to sleep, struggling through praying that you read the right material for class. Also, in Law school, you will be faced with fraternities and sororities. Conflicts and / or camaraderies are formed during your stay. You are not even sure if it is worth joining these social organizations or do things on your own. You are not sure if you would like to benefit from “additional help” these social organizations may offer you.
I no longer sense the six months preparation for the bar exams, where you do not even know if you will be able to pass it or not. You are not even sure that even if you pass law school, you can make it to the bar. And should you make it, where will your law degree bring you? Not much, unless you are in the cream of the crop from the bar exams. And should you make win a case, what would people tell you? I wished it was praise and victory, but you would not know that people are backstabbing you, telling behind your back that you have “manipulated” results, that you took the case for money, that you used your connections from certain government agencies to help you throughout. Worse, some of your critics call you a liar.
And the most painful thing? No matter how good a lawyer you can be, the justice system here in the Philippines is fucked up. Here, you have cases where after 20 years the real murderers and rapists are yet to be found. Here you have a government agency choosing a witness who manipulated the details to show bias against the other party. Here you have hundreds of unresolved killings. Here you have society releasing the real criminals out of jails, no matter how grave their crime is, while those who have minor crimes rot to death on these prison cells. Here you have the most wicked of criminals being able to get out of jail easily.
Reality defeats idealism. That’s the sad story. My sentiments about Law School has changed in light of events that has happened in the Philippines for the past four years. I myself have doubts if that will change. Even my desire to go into media is placed in question, as media is likewise criticized for being biased and not telling the truth.
The debate of whether Law School is still worth it or not has a more or less final verdict for me: with the state of Philippine society and on how Lawyers are seen these days, it is not worth it. And so my life plan has changed: Instead of going straight to Law School, I have decided that I will work (most probably in a News agency, with photography on the sidelines, or maybe be a writer in some magazine or newspaper) for a couple of years, and reflect on whether going to Law School would be still worth it, whether my former idealistic self would see the light once again.

________________________________________

And even up to now, I am still thinking: Why did I choose Political Science after all, and not some course like Communication arts?

25 and alive.

Time does fly. In a few days, I’ll be turning 25, and for the past four years since finishing college, a lot has happened. I have transferred to a new job, met new people along the way, discovered places, faced several crises, both at home and in work, encountered struggles internally and externally, and still a hit-or-miss when it comes to love, such that it came to a point that I have lost any care for it anymore.

For the past few years, my family has faced several crises (and even up to now), involving money, taxes, properties, my grandfather’s deteriorating health, squabbles with relatives, and various health scares and thankfully my family has survived all of these. I’m thankful that my grandfather is somehow doing well, my grandmother and father surviving all the challenges thrown against them, and my mother doing her best to maintain cancer-free for eight years and counting.

As for my career, it has been a good four months since I have officially left my first job, and I am still overwhelmed with my current job. Not just the workload, but the fact that there are more toxic people in my current job as compared to my previous job. I may be working for the same media company for five years (if you count the fact that I had my On-The-Job training with the same media company during college), but it is just now that I get to experience firsthand the politics in the office.

I may have graduated as a Political Science major (who really thinks more like a journalist, given the experience I have garnered throughout the years), but dealing with office politics is really hard, especially with factors like untouchable people, people who simply hate you for no reason, and people who are simply incompetent. Thankfully, I have a small group in the office that I can count on, making me deal better with the immense politics.

Thankfully, my current job has sparked up my creativity levels, bringing back my motivation to write stories and shoot various events. I thought that I am no longer that good with photography and writing, but my current job has brought that passion once again. I guess I am in the right track; it’s just that there are several challenges and hurdles I would need to face as of the moment.

On a personal level, I am amazed at how I have actually brought my weight down to my high school-era weight. Considering before I do not care about fitness and health and that I used to be reckless when it comes to eating, I have now become more health conscious as I have ever imagined in my whole life. Maybe those health scares that hit me and my family and relatives help me change my lifestyle for the better after all.

On an emotional and mental level, I always talk to myself and ask my younger self how I would have dealt with things. Yes, I am no longer the same person as I used to be, yet I still have those “what if?” questions lingering on my mind, wondering how my life would have changed if I have made different decisions when I was younger.

Yes, experiences, victories, heartaches, struggles, and achievements have changed practically my whole persona. Yet this change has overwhelmed me, such that my brain feels like it is at full capacity or is just very congested with the amount of experience I have garnered lately, especially with my current job.

Because of such congestion I told myself this: that before I turn silver I have to defragment my brain and re-channel it. Events lately have been taking a toll on me.

When it comes to love, honestly I have lost care about it yet there is that girl who makes me think otherwise. But then, I feel that I have to distance myself from her for the meantime as I have realized that I have become too close to her, that people start using our closeness as a means of staining my (and also her) reputation as a person. In short, we are being judged, more because of my actions toward her.

Yes, I admit finally that I have a fault in how I treat her, as I can’t blame her since even though she has been in relationships before (unlike me), I still believe that she has still more to learn. Even I myself has still more to learn, especially in dealing with people and trusting them.

The thing about my current job is that it is really hard to trust people, yet at the same time it involves dealing with people. It is a double-edged sword that I have to deal on an everyday basis. It’s a struggle, especially that there are times that I am unaware that people who I have dealt with previously are actually saying bad things behind my back, or are making an effort to stain my reputation.

I may be turning 25 in a few days but the challenge has just begun. I would not really call it a quarter life crisis as what I used to think a year ago, but I think of this as a learning experience. Turning 25 has exposed me to understand more about life in general, and on how I want my life to be. One of my wishes as I turn 25 is to take risks more often yet be very careful with the decisions I make in life. Quoting my close friend in the office, this time around I have to choose my battles wisely.

To be honest, I do not want anything spectacular on my birthday, but instead I would just want to reflect on what life has been to me, and see how I can make the most out of what God has given to me. Should there be gifts or surprises, I would appreciate that, but honestly, I still want to know more about myself. Even as I have existed in this world for almost 25 years, sometimes you get to know and understand yourself better as you age. Yes, age is just a number, you gain wisdom as you age.

25 and alive, and looking forward to what life has at stake at me. Life is very unpredictable, and anything is possible. The most important part is to be prepared for these events we do not have control of.

Bring on those challenges. Whether it may be hard or easy, I know that nothing is impossible.

Changes.

As Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran would put it, “Everything has Changed”.

It has been quite a while since I last wrote in this space (and in my black diary as well) since I have been dealing with a pretty hectic work schedule lately. In fact, I am kind of thankful for this day, as it is a day where I could get some rest after dealing with artists and personalities, attending and covering events, writing stories on various topics, and also dealing with several issues that are not easy to resolve.

Yes, it has been barely three months since I have transferred to a new job, yet I feel the impact of it. I am now in a more dynamic and spontaneous work environment, where I get to explore ideas beyond what I can imagine. Though it is way more hectic than my previous job, I love this job in the sense that it really pushes my creativity, my outlook, and my vision to the limit. I love that I get challenged everyday to come up with new ideas and determine whether it is a hit or a miss. I may have executed several good ideas lately, but I always remember that there are times where my ideas do backfire, to the point that issues suddenly get afloat. Even with the issues, I am not scared this time as with the four years since I have graduated from college, I have encountered several experiences, both good and bad, that has shaped me into what I am now. And those experiences continue to occur up to now. Even if it may be a bad one, I just charge it to experience and learn from it. If it is a good one, I analyze on why it was a good one.

I tell myself this all the time: that not everyone will last forever, that there are some friends that you have to drop along the way in order to move forward. I know it is a sad thing, but as the saying goes, “you cannot please everybody”. Some may help you along the way, but some may be toxic enough to bring you into confusion. Yes, I have to admit this: I did drop some of my friends, especially the toxic ones, in exchange of new friends whom I can trust better and can shape me into a better person. I am not ashamed of doing so as it is a part of life, and that it happens. Maybe someday those people whom I have disconnected with will get to know me once again, this time as a different person.

Even my priorities are changing too. Before, I am more reckless when it comes to spending money, but now I am more concerned about saving my money for more relevant things (like potential investments). Before, I would always want to go out all the time, now I relish the little free time I get these days. Before, I would always look for some girl to flirt around with, now I do not have enough energy to do so. Now, I am more after experiences over material things. Heck, I am using a three-year old smartphone that has been battered up, and a six-year old laptop (though my office issued me a laptop, so that does not count), and I have not made any upgrades to my camera gear for four years already. Also, I have somehow mellowed down in buying shoes as of late, and that I am right now at a point where I garnered enough pairs already.

My birthday is roughly a month away, and I am still in the process of changing my self.

Development and the challenges behind it

Over the weekend, I was at Phillip’s Sanctuary in Sitio Panlilingan, Antipolo as part of a coverage for my work (as we are going to feature them). Upon my visit to the place, I was impressed at the fact that man-made forests do exist in a metropolis where the focus is more on creating more buildings, giving less focus to the environment. Aside from being designed as a place for team building, complete with various obstacle courses which are based on the exercises done by US military, Phillip’s Sanctuary can be also classified as a protected reserve with the number of trees and plants that can be found inside the compound. In fact, Felipe Pestaño, the father of Ensign Philip Pestaño, has amassed these plants from abroad. Philip is the navy officer who was found dead in his quarters at BRP Bacolod City two decades ago, of which his case is still being investigated for murder. Felipe, an agriculturist, made sure that Phillip’s sanctuary, which is a part of their farm, is adorned with a variety of plants and trees for both livelihood and educational purposes. *Some sights inside Phillip’s Sanctuary. How I wish others follow the same model as well. While touring around the place with the number of trails you can choose from within the area, I noticed at how relatively untouched the area has been, until we reached the edge of the unchartered trail (which is not part of the Pestaño farm but owned by the Ongs, as Ate Emma told us while we were walking through one of the trails). I was quite disturbed with what I saw, as the area, which is opposite the golf course of Valley Golf, has been heavily denuded and quarried such as the bedrock is already exposed and that there are barely any trees in the area. *Some photos of the heavily denuded area which I was mentioning, though there are still a few trees left With what I saw, I asked Ate Emma what do the owners plan to do with the area, and she could not give a concrete answer. I asked what happens when it rains, she said landslides and floods do occur in the area, which is pretty expected for a heavily denuded portion of a mountain that is part of the Sierra Madre range. Adding to my worries to what I saw, such heavily denuded portion along San Mateo and Antipolo does pose threats to a flood-prone Marikina, which experienced a brunt of nature’s wrath during typhoon “Ondoy” back in 2009. Which brings me to my concerns regarding developing our country’s lands. Sure Pres. Noynoy Aquino can brag about the economic progress of the country, complete with a very positive GDP growth, but the bigger question is on whether we properly utilize that growth for developing our country. For one, I do not get the point on why we build condominiums and malls here and there, and not put emphasis on the importance on environmental sustainability and build important structures such as hospitals and school instead. Honestly, I have seen a bunch of condominiums around Metro Manila and I do not think those buildings get fully occupied, given the costs of each unit. The Philippines’ forte is on agriculture, and yet our country fails to utilize this particular quality of the country, leading to massive exploitation of natural resources, placing parts of the country at risk for natural disasters. Phillip’s Sanctuary, which Felipe recounts is essentially his son’s vision that was fulfilled after he was murdered, is one of the few places that placed importance to the environment while providing a place that is enjoyable as well. APEC 2015 is coming pretty soon, and I hope we get to discuss the importance of sustainable development and not focus too much on condominiums and malls. The Philippines has a vast potential, and the challenge is to properly utilize the country’s assets properly. With all the previous natural disasters that hit the country, it is time that we should rethink the way we develop the Philippines.

A month with the new chapter.

Time does fly, and things have changed early on in 2015. I have started the new chapter in my life, from being a news archives cataloger to a section editor for lifestyle. From Technical Operations to Digital Media. From Media Asset Management Department to Digital Content Publishing. From being a mere consultant (translation: not an official employee) to a probationary employee (on the way to being a regular employee once I get to prove myself worthy enough in the coming months).

Even my working environment has changed drastically, so did my friends in the office. I do still have a couple of friends (and sadly, a couple of fouled-up relationships and enemies) in my office and I still manage to talk to them. It has been a month starting off with this new chapter and I am slowly getting a hand at things in the new office.

Honestly though, my current work is more than being a section editor: aside from writing articles daily, attending events, and interviewing people, my boss also took me in charge in managing the company’s advertisements for some of its sites, and that my work is not limited to lifestyle alone (I also do some work for another site called Choose Philippines; yes I still work in the same company but in a different department this time). Translation: my multitasking levels have been multiplied in this new chapter. Like the famous Spider-Man quote, “With great power comes great responsibility.” I definitely accept the challenge, especially with my new boss having high expectations for me (how high? let’s just say my boss sees a potential in me for the future. That high.)

With the bigger responsibilities also comes bigger risks. The politics in the new office is way bigger (and as one of my new office friends would put it, it is dirtier), and that even if I have a couple of old friends working in this new department, I have to deal with a couple “untouchables”: meaning no matter how much I dislike them (thankfully majority of the people in the office are nice to me for now), I cannot just make any stupid or unnecessary move. I make one wrong move and that can screw up my career. In this new chapter, I definitely need to throw away my reckless habits because even if I am in good terms with everybody in the new office, only God knows when these people might possibly betray me. Still, I do hope that nothing bad will happen, especially I have a supervisor who has the same thought flow as I do. Yes, I am enjoying my new work, but at the same time I need to be extra cautious and extra mindful, as how my former boss (who I visit once in a while after work) would put it.

Speaking of new office friends: I dunno if it is coincidence or what but one of my new office friends happens to be someone I have a crush on (in short, there goes that kilig vibes again every time we get to talk, and it is quite more often than with my previous crushes). In addition, I happen to make friends with mostly girls and gays (in my clique, I am the only straight guy HAHAHA but I’m fine with it anyway). Well, the dominance of gays in the office is pretty much expected especially in the media industry as a good majority of creative people are from the LGBT community, which is why I have mad respect for them.

Right now, I could say that 2015 is shaping to be a much better year than last year. Also, I am thankful that my grandfather is getting stronger now after that major health scare a few weeks back (where he was at the brink of death again). My family may be occasionally unstable, but thankfully we still manage to be together no matter how tough the situation may be. Aside from my family, I am also happy at my overall well-being: For the first time in more than ten years (translation: high school days), my weight is now below 200 and I can feel the positive effects of losing around 30 pounds. Now if I can push that weight down to 180 (aka grade school days)…it may seem to be impossible, but if i managed to go back to my high school weight, everything is possible right now.

That’s all what is in my mind right now, and tomorrow is the second month in this new chapter. I definitely need to give my 110% everyday to prove my worth, and I know I can accomplish a lot for this year thanks to God.

2016 and events controlling it

2014 may come to an end, but that means the 2016 elections is coming close, and this early alone potential candidates are beginning to “reach out” to people, even if campaigning this early is prohibited by Comelec (why Comelec is not warning the likes of Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, and Valenzuela Rep. Win Gatchalian for having political advertisements this early remains a question). Even if I would agree with Pres. Noynoy Aquino’s fight against corruption, most of the moves I have observed lately have a hint of political motivation in it, especially with the investigation on Binay’s alleged hidden wealth and properties, and with the courting of Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares, Sen. Chiz Escudero, and Saragani Rep. (and boxing champ and basketball player) Manny Pacquiao.

Battle of the titans

Make no mistake: I honestly do not like Binary to be our next president (and the stories my father shared about their reputation in Makati has been proven true by the testimony made by former Makati vice mayor and ex-Binay ally Ernesto Mercado). WhatI specifically do not like in the investigation on his alleged hidden wealth is the fact that it is his rivals, Cayetano and Sen. Antonio Trillanes, who is leading the investigation. As much as I do not like Binay, having Cayetano and Trillanes lead the investigation does not show any kind of partiality in the investigation. Trillianes is using the investigation to extract revenge after Binary has betrayed him during the Manila Peninsula siege of 2006. Cayetano, on the other hand, is using the investigation as a political vehicle to improve his “chances” for the upcoming 2016 elections.

The ball game would be different if the investigation would be led by Sen. TG Guingona, head of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, as you would see less political motive and partiality in the investigation. Mind you: Cayetano is no pure soul in terms of being clean from corruption. Who would have forgotten that he and his sister Pia have allegedly accepted money from then-first gentleman Mike Arroyo for their campaign as congressman and senator respectively back then in 2004? Also their father, the late former Sen. Renato Cayetano, has been allegedly involved in corruption with the BW Resources scandal of 1999 with former Pres. (and ironically now Manila Mayor) Erap Estrada, so I really disagree that the Cayetanos have a clean reputation (though I have respect for Sen. Pia, who is the better sibling).

The political fight between the Binays and the Cayetanos is a battle of the titans: One family lords over Makati, while the other lords over Taguig. It is not surprising that Sen. Alan would engage in a word war with Binary’s daughter Sen. Nancy Binay. Given the number of attacks launched against the Binays, I would not be surprised if someone out there would attempt to attack the Cayetanos as well.

Better election outcome in 2016?

Such mudslinging would remind me of former Sen. Manny Villar’s presidential campaign, where his opponents launched an attack against him by exposing his anomalous activities. the same would apply, to an extent, with what happened (and what would possibly happen again) with the campaign of then-Sen. (and now DILG Sec.) Mar Roxas in 2010. That’s the thing about Philippine politics sadly: opponents would resort to mudslinging against one another to tarnish the reputation of either party.

Back in 2010, I had this belief that politics would change under the leadership of PNoy Aquino but despite the improvement in our economy, an increase in transparency in government, the enactment of some key laws such as the Reproductive Health Law and Sin Tax Law, our politics still remain old school. However, the presence of fresh faces in politics in the form of Poe-Llamanzares and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo continue to give me hope for change in the political atmosphere of the Philippines come 2016.

To be honest, I appreciate that our voters have become wiser (again, only to a certain extent) in choosing its candidates since the 2013 midterm elections as there are less political dynasties who dominated in the elections compared to that in the 2010 elections. Change does not happen overnight after all, and I appreciate that PNoy for making small but relevant changes to the country.

Thinking about 2016 right now may be a tad too early, but seeing the recent developments, I do think that it is right that we think carefully of the possible scenarios for 2016. The one with the battle against VP Binary is just one part of the story. The one with Sen. Alan and Trillanes seeking higher posts is another. The Marcos’ (both Sen. Bongbong Marcos, and Ilocos Norte Rep. and former first lady Imelda Marcos) and Binay’s recent courting of Pacquiao is an interesting one, which is combined with other politicians trying to ally with the Pacman.

Also, talks of Poe-Llamanzares and Escudero being courted by the Liberal Party is also an interesting development especially since LP has no strong contender to match against UNA’s VP Binay (Roxas may do whatever he can do, but to be able to persuade the people to vote for him instead of VP Binay is one difficult task). As both candidates are independent, it would be interesting to see how both LP and UNA will do their best to get either candidate to run under their party.

Though Escudero is not discussing that much about 2016 due to his marriage to Heart Evangelista next year, it is interesting to see how his marriage to Heart will improve his odds in the 2016 elections. Just a flashback: Roxas’ marriage to TV anchor Korina Sanchez did play a factor in Roxas’ odds in the 2010 elections, so it will be interesting to see how Escudero’s marriage to Heart will affect his odds in the 2016 elections.

Of pork barrel and taxes

While some politicians are directly or indirectly talking about their ambitions for 2016, we should not forget the ongoing developments with the pork barrel scam. Sen. Bong Revilla’s bail petition has been rejected, while Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has returned to work and filed some bills. Interestingly, I have yet heard any developments regarding Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s case. The lady at the center in the scandal, Janet Lim-Napoles, has reduced her limelight thanks to the recent revelations regarding Antonio Tiu’s acquisition of a 350 hectare property in Rosario, Batangas (which is dubbed “Hacienda Binay) for his Sunchamp Agri-tourism park.

In both senate and house, deliberations with the 2015 National budget have became interesting due to the presence of lump sum funds and the senate’s redefinition of “savings” in light of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). Some say that pork barrel still exist with the proposed budget, while I think the Department of Budget and Management did not allocate funds properly to all agencies. On a curious note: Why is there a need for a supplemental budget for 2014 even if 2014 is coming to a close?

Also, I have a few questions regarding the budget. Why the large allocation for the Conditional Cash transfer program? Why there are budget allocations shared by two or more agencies? Why did DBM need to submit an errata (we are talking of multiple errata here) on the budget, even if they have passed the proposed budget to congress? Even if I would praise PNoy’s administration over its improvement in comparison to the PGMA administration, I do question at how DBM crafts the national budget at times.

Even if PNoy’s administration would brag at the country’s economic growth, I barely feel the effects of an improved economy. Sure prices of oil are on a downward trend, but how come goods still remain expensive? Also, why does BIR insist that it is not collecting enough revenue, even if they are extracting a significant amount of money from people due to taxes? I do not understand why they would oppose (along with the Department of Finance) Senators Sonny Angara and Ralph Recto’s proposals for tax reforms. Just like the pork barrel issue, the country’s economic growth is equally confusing.

Speed vs. Precision

Although I am honestly more of a Marvel guy, I do love watching DC-themed TV shows such as Arrow and the Flash, and one of the best things that happened is a crossover between the two TV shows.

What makes the crossover really interesting (aside from the appearance of both Arrow and Flash) is you get to understand the speed versus precision argument. We all know that the Flash is known for his speed, while the Arrow (Green Arrow specifically) is known for his precision with his arrows, but who is the better one?

To be fair enough, both speed and precision have advantages and disadvantages. Speed makes you do things more quickly, makes you more efficient, and makes multitasking better. Precision, on the other hand, makes you care for details, focus on accuracy, and produces much better results. Speed may not not produce quality results, while precision makes you do less. During their training in the Flash crossover episode, the Flash may have avoided the Arrow’s barrage of arrow shots, but misses the arrow that hit him in the back. In the Arrow crossover, the Arrow may not have stopped Captain Boomerang’s plans of detonating his bombs (that was set in five different locations) if not for the Flash’s speed and multitasking abilities. Even with the battle between the two, I could not exactly say that one is superior than the other.

One thing is clear though: Through their team-up in both crossover episodes, they were able to overcome the bad guys much easier, and that both the Flash and the Arrow were able to utilize their respective talents, both in fighting criminals, and in sharing some real-life advice. Oliver Queen may be the more serious type and Barry Allen may be the more humorous type, but their personalities do not necessarily clash with one another. In fact, they were able to help one another in improving their respective selves. After all, their personalities may differ (the same applies with their respective team members), but in the end they harmonize with one another.

As much as I am starting to become a DC Comics fan thanks to the Flash and Arrow TV shows, the debate on speed and precision can be applied in real life as well. Although most would choose precision over speed, I initially chose speed over precision as I believe in the power of multitasking. With multitasking as one of my known traits, choosing speed over precision is no surprise for me, even if most of my friends would actually choose precision over speed. I have applied my multitasking skills practically everywhere: from school to work, to even doing house chores.

However, like what Oliver pointed out to Barry, speed does have its limitations as you tend to miss the details. This is evident as the Flash would tend to miss out on a guy, which the Arrow would just take down. My friends do have a point in choosing precision over speed, as attention to detail would always reign supreme. Yet at the end of the day, even if one chooses speed over precision and vice versa, both are needed in life as evident with the crossover episodes of Arrow and Flash. Balancing one over the other may look to be too idealistic, but I believe it is possible even if in reality one would usually overpower the other.

I do wish there would be more crossover episodes like this, as it makes watching both TV shows more interesting. Arrow’s dark nature and Flash’s lighter nature does harmonize with one another. DC Comics is definitely doing a good job with its TV series, just as how Marvel Comics is doing a good job with its movie franchises. Now I am excited with new characters that will appear in both Arrow and Flash.