I was looking around WordPress for an idea for today and stumbled upon a bloggers iPersonic entry and thought I’d give it a try. I have the results below. Not perfect, but some are sound. Psychological theories are still a long way to go. I really believe that each individual is a diffusion of each other. They are the same, yet different. It’s like Philosophy. I’ve spent a few years searching for my niche in Philosophy, but I can’t completely pinpoint my loyalty.
Independent Thinkers are analytical and witty persons. They are normally self-confident and do not let themselves get worked up by conflicts and criticism. They are very much aware of their own strengths and have no doubts about their abilities. People of this personality type are often very successful in their career as they have both competence and purposefulness. Independent Thinkers are excellent strategists; logic, systematics and theoretical considerations are their world. They are eager for knowledge and always endeavor to expand and perfect their knowledge in any area which is interesting for them. Abstract thinking comes naturally to them; scientists and computer specialists are often of this type.
Independent Thinkers are specialists in their area. 
The development of their ideas and visions is important to them; they love being as flexible as possible and, ideally, of being able to work alone because they often find it a strain having to make their complex trains of thought understandable to other people. Independent Thinkers cannot stand routine. Once they consider an idea to be good it is difficult to make them give it up; they pursue the implementation of that idea obstinately and persistently, also in the face of external opposition.
Independent Thinkers are not the type who easily comes out of his shell. Speaking about their emotional life is also not one of their strong points. Anyway, social relationships are not particularly important to them; they are happy with just a few, close friends who find it easy to share their intellectual world. They find it difficult to establish new ties. In love, they need a lot of space and independence but this does not mean that their partner is not important to them. Independent Thinkers often make a cool and reserved impression on others; but this impression is deceptive: they can hardly bear it if people close to them should reject them. They prefer a harmonious, balanced relationship with a partner who shares their interests and with whom they can realize their visions.
Take the free personality test and determine your iPersonic type!
July 24th, 2008
Kalam is a public service documentary by a Philippine television network GMA. The episode discussed the rice shortage facing the world and especially the Philippines. The show was very thorough in discussing the causes and possible outcome of the crisis facing the world today. I will discuss and give my two cents on some of the issues.
A few years ago, Philippines was one of the top exporters of rice, but now it has become the number one importer of rice. The Philippines import rice from the world’s number one importer of rice, Thailand. However, since the demand for rice has gone up in the last couple of years, Thailand imposed an export ban on rice. The Philippines had to find a solution and imported from neighboring nations like Cambodia and Vietnam. Both countries imposed export ban on rice also which was later on lifted.
Why would these nations ban the export of rice when they should be happy because their export could rise due to a high demand? Let’s talk economics. The basic concept in economics is that as demand goes up, supply goes down and vice-versa. As far as I know, rice production is quite limited because there can only at most three harvests annually (I’m exaggerating my number for a best case scenario). Rice production is not like any other production where you can simply increase your resources so that production increases. Many factors play roles in rice plantation. So if the production is fixed, the supply is closed to being constant. If the demand for rice increases, the balance is affected, therefore if the country keeps exporting to satisfy the demand overseas, the price of rice locally will rise. A proper nation, unlike the Philippines, would halt the export of rice and feed their own people by keeping the affordable price. That is why they ban, but the Philippines will not do this and will treat this crisis as an opportunity to increase the nation’s export (hypothetically speaking if the country was an exporter of rice). Such is our character.
How did Philippines become an importer, rather than an exporter of such valuable commodity? Corruption and negligence.
Political corruption affects the pre-production of rice. Kalam claims that we are the only farming nation that still uses manual labor to produce rice. Most nations use tractors from preparation to harvest. We use carabaos and sickles. Since rice is the most important commodity for Filipinos, agriculture should be the main concern of the officials that are currently enjoying their grafted incomes. There is least support from the government for the agrarian reform. The government should be providing our farmers new technology and not let themselves work out how to produce such technologies because most farmers aren’t millionaires. Quoting an expert from the show, “we lack industrial strategy.”
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an institution that studies how to grow rice properly and all kinds of research on improving the productivity of rice, quality of rice, etc. The institute is located close to the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna. Farmers from the leading rice exporting nation learn how to properly grow their rice from this institute. Filipino farmers learn or rather weren’t taught the knowledge learned from the institute. It’s located in our backyard and we get nothing from it. What does that make us? I have been agitated by our lack of awakening. Our lack of self sufficiency. We have all the resources that other nation would die for and all we do is look at it. We would sensationalize our scientists if they win prestigious award from overseas from discovering such and such. What we really are doing is asking for the world’s approval. It is very sickening! I don’t give a damn if a Filipino win the freakin’ Miss World or has won four WBC belts. Stop sensationalizing ourselves within the international masses and let us sensationalize ourselves from within our nation. Apply those achievements to improve the country’s current pathetic state. Let us not compete with each by proving that we can excel abroad and other Filipinos can’t.
July 14th, 2008
“We The Living” is about a struggle of three individuals in Soviet Russia. Ayn Rand claims that the heroin inherits all the philosophical ideas from her.
In the beginning of the book, Kira was my model. She did not care about anyone but herself. She walked the path which would make her happy. She denounced society because according to her, oneself always comes first. The highest reverence of man is himself. Selfishness is a virtue.
A few chapters later, I lost interest on Kira. She contradicted herself because she fell in love. Her love affair(s) is unconventional. So what? She attached herself to another and that created a “society”. This is the beginning of her downfall and she never rose back.
I have been attempting to detach myself completely from everything — emotions, society, etc. I had the opportunity to complete the task 4 years ago. I also had another opportunity 5 months ago. Both opportunities were shattered by an emotion that everyone seeks and what caused Kira her downfall.
Once a man is detached, he shall live life like a comatose. So far, I have devised three phases in order to achieve complete detachment: (1) detach yourself from blood, (2) detach yourself from love, and (3) detach yourself from dependence. I shall explain each one.
Detachment from blood means to extract yourself from your family and relatives. This does not mean casting out of the house (you will do this in the third phase). What I meant here is to not care what happens to the family. You shouldn’t feel grief, envy, jealousy regarding the family. This may be the hardest because you grew up attuned to this form of collective. It’s the basic form of society — family.
Detachment from love means to not be in love with anybody. This is difficult as well because the emotions playing here are very enigmatic. However, this is the only phase where you have to overcome something that’s not inherent. It’s injected. It’s poison to selfishness. Total self control is needed in this phase. Strong will to resist external temptation is a must.
Detachment from dependence is not exactly independence. Independence is the result, but is not the task. This is the most difficult of the three because you will have to abandon all connections. You will no longer depend on others in order to live. You will not have a job, acquaintances, connection to the world. You will be completely alone.
The first phase, I have partially completed. There are still stray emotions I need to sort out. The second phase, I should have the full control in this. For now, I can’t say I have this taken care of. Lastly, I need to save in order to accomplish the third phase. I have a long way to go… What about you?
June 1st, 2008
Asustek will be releasing the second generation of its Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play PC ultra-mobile notebook on May 12 in the US at a starting price of $549 (12GB SSD on WinXP). The 900 will sport an 8.9″ viewable screen - just an inch and three quarters more than its predecessor - at 1024×600 resolution. It’s increase in size does not affect the overall weight of the UMPC. It weights about 2.18 lbs and a few millimeters larger than the 701. A few more enhancements were made by Asustek to further the gap from evolving UMPCs that are joining the competition.
I am happy with my 701 so this upgrade is really not a temptation for me. However, I highly recommend Eee PC 900 to anyone who wishes to purchase a notebook. It’s really very handy and I do all my writing on the 701. I can just take it out of my bag whenever something comes into my head. It’s really a true notebook.
One advice - if you are buying one, make sure to buy the galaxy black color because the pearl white is ugly. Black looks more professional if ever you are in a meeting :D Oh, get a Brando case also ’cause it’ll look smashing.
May 7th, 2008
There is a universal law governing our daily lives. That law is the concept of right and wrong. We live our daily lives trying to be a better person by doing what is right. We navigate our lives toward righteousness. The question is “what is right and what is wrong?” Furthermore, “who decides what is right and what is wrong?” I will attempt to put my logic into words and the values I set to myself. Beware of the absurdity I may induce.
What is right and what is wrong is relative to who decides them. Therefore, the questions I posed should be contracted into one because one can’t be answered without touching the other. It is us who decides what is right and what is wrong based on the values we set to ourselves. If I value differently compared to another, my sense of what is right could be wrong to another. Preserving your values makes that act of preservation right.
A value is something (an object, emotion, etc.) that satisfies the happiness of man or guides the man’s pursuit of happiness. An individual is defined by the value he sets to himself. That is why having people in one place is never peaceful. They vary their values and thus create conflicts. Naturally speaking, man lives for himself. Think about your priorities; it always simplifies to I. A very good example would be a competition. I would cheer for a group where I belong, then I would cheer to who is closer to me, then to the closest and eventually I would cheer for myself against the rest.
Righteousness is always related to its host. Let’s say that man values an object that he doesn’t have, but another has it. The object is of critical significance towards attaining man’s happiness. However, the only way to acquire that object is by taking possession of it from another – assuming it is very rare to find because it’s only one of its kind. To man acquiring that object from another is a path to righteousness because by acquiring that object would yield to his happiness.
On the other hand, the other would see man’s action as wrong because to him that is theft. So here, we see one act perceived differently by different entities. Unfortunately for man, society is governed. The state of nature is controlled. His act would be branded as wrong. A man’s happiness is constrained by society. Again, my view on society’s direct denial of man’s eternal bliss is shown here. Man should be an island.
Religion exists based on the concept of right and wrong. If you live your life righteously, then you would go to an afterlife where everything is beautiful, otherwise you go to an afterlife of eternal suffrage. unlike most of the people, I believe I have neither a sin nor have sinned. I live my life according to the values I set for myself and have to always satisfy those values, ergo making me righteous. Does that mean I’m going to “heaven?” That’s another topic I must cover. Afterlife is a subject I have the greatest interest because it is the ony answer to all the questions.
May 7th, 2008
A man is born to serve what purpose? My guess is as good as yours. Is it to populate, shape and define the world? Maybe. What I am sure of is that a man is born waiting to die. A man’s life is finite. He lives and after a span of time, he dies – forever decayed; no soul, no afterlife. During the time the man lives, he undergoes several transformations toward his ending. He suffers through time to reach that end. Life is a process of dying.
So why do we value life so much? Life is not precious because sooner or later it is gone. It causes all kinds of pain. So why do we protect something that is worthless and destructive? What is so good about the world that we thrive to live in it longer. These questions are yet to be answered; not here, but hopefully a hint appears.
I’ve lived twenty-six worthless years and spent a decade of those years in a quest to answer these questions. I have no answer, but I realized a tiny bit of it – happiness. There is no stopping the birth of man no matter what laws, medications, family planning we implement. Time and time again, man will be born save annihilation. Even so, man will evolve one way or another. So I thought, what would man do if he has no control over his birth? He has to live life and goes in a journey where he avoids suffering that is brought by living. Only in the absence of suffering happiness is reached.
What is suffering? Suffering is a feeling of destruction. Something that will cause physical and mental aspect of man to break down. These things we know as grief, jealousy, envy, hunger, pain, torment, and many more which your imagination can define. By that definition, we can deduce that man suffers because of another. Man does not grieve because of himself, he grieves because of another. Man loves (a form of attachment) another and will do everything to keep the attachment intact. Once the attachment is lost, man undergoes a series of states of suffering - grief, loneliness, depression, etc.
Since the cause of suffering is not oneself, society gets the blame. Social attachment torments a man. Being social do bring happiness, but only until a point. In society man acquaints himself with another who would bring happiness in a moment, but would later on bring lifelong suffering. Once a man attaches himself to another, he will protect both the relationship and the other entity as if it is a treasure.
A treasure is defined as an entity which – naturally – cannot be lost. It is only lost if hidden (i.e. kept or stolen), but it still exists. Life cannot be a treasure because it is lost no matter how careful the caretaker is. What is left behind when a man dies is a pseudo-self which is also known as memory.
Protecting a treasure is already cumbersome and takes so much out of a person. That act in itself contributes to a person’s suffering. How else would the feeling be if the treasure is lost? Naturally, anger, grief, disbelief, etc arise. As previously stated these are sufferings. It is true that having that treasure makes a man happy, but it’s troublesome taking care of that treasure.
In conclusion, eternal bliss cannot be attained by sharing with others. Eternal bliss is for an individual, not a group that’s why it is so difficult to achieve. The happiness we enjoy now is only temporary and we should enjoy that as much as possible. Think not of the future nor the past, enjoy the moment because it is now that will shape the future. Be happy if you’re happy.
May 5th, 2008
I am really irritated with people who think they absolutely know what they are saying about the future. People who push themselves to me so as to satisfy their happiness and I lose mine. People who promise that I would be happy in the future. People who show you in your face that they are exerting an effort. People who predict that you will regret things in the future.
What do I care? There is no outside force that can convince or influence what I want. My decisions are only influenced with what I want. Satisfying my desires (wants) is the road to my happiness.
April 30th, 2008
Previous Posts
