Mental Gymnastics

Life is like going to the gym.

Life is like going to the gym. The most painful part is deciding to go. After that, it's easy.

And it's a wonderful feeling afterwards. :)

posted by kquill @ 4:28 PM 1 Comments

My Kind of Thinking

A friend asked me to take this quiz and here's what I got upon answering all 36 questions.

I'm an Intrapersonal thinker... meaning:

I spend a lot of time thinking about and trying to understand oneself.
(I think I've gone pass this stage already. I got tired of it i guess. Now I only think about walking along the woods, riding a chopper, having a room built on top of the sea, a full moon lighting our beach camp, being on top of a mountain, lounging on the asotea while tracking the stars, feeling warm on a cold Baguio peak, etc...)

I reflect on my thoughts and moods, and work to improve them.
(I try to be passive. I now realize that I am what i choose to be. I do not dwell on ill feelings, ill thoughts.)

I understand how my behaviour affects my relationships with others.
(Damn if you do. Damn if you don't. I have seen how my actions stir up the awkwardness, the uncertainty, the fear amidst my circle.

Other Intrapersonal thinkers include
Sigmund Freud, Gandhi, Grahame Greene

Careers which suit Intrapersonal Thinkers include
Psychologist, Teacher, Pilot, Child Care worker, Explorer, Drama therapist
(A few years from now, I'm most likely to be in Child Care, either caring for my own born or perhaps running a day care. But for now, I'm bound to be the Explorer.)

Here are the nine thinking styles that the quiz has to offer:
1. Logical-Mathematical thinkers
2. Linguistic thinkers
3. Interpersonal thinkers
4. Intrapersonal thinkers
5. Naturalist thinkers
6. Existential thinkers
7. Musical thinkers
8. Spatial hinkers
9. Kinaesthetic thinkers

posted by kquill @ 12:26 AM 1 Comments

Nocturnal Living

It started as a fad. I was a college senior, savoring our last months in school. My peers began cajoling me to spend a night with them at a nearby bar. It was a night of many firsts. I was young and we were having fun. When I showed up in class the next day, I knew I was different. I felt a bit unruly. Then I began cutting classes.

Graduation came and went. I was labeled ‘yuppie’ although I never quite understood what it really meant at the time. I merely went were everyone else was flocking to. For a time I thought I enjoyed dancing, only to realize that I needed at least a shot of tequila to have fun on the dance floor. It was always exhausting afterwards.

For years, I shared many long evenings with just a handful of people. We shared many thoughts, from relationships, angst, to philosophies, debated on religion, existence and discovered many other things together. Those were the nights which I hoped would never end. We all felt lost and consoled ourselves with one another. Somehow, not everyone understood. The night embraces those who are lost, hurt or are abandoned.

Work got all mixed up with my nightlife. I learned how to enjoy cocktails, attend dinners and have nightcaps. I worked better at night, especially when I was doing my writings. For a time, I couldn’t distinguish the difference between partying and working. The places and people that used to dazzle me now became common as I swang from one new place to another. It was too common that it became part of my lifestyle.

It burned me out. I thought drastic changes would do me good so I shifted from my usual path. Hence, I took up my Masters.

Except for Saturdays, we only have night classes in Grad school. I enjoy taking long walks to or from class since our building is within a residential area, away from the main hustle of the city. And when the pressures of finishing the degree began to arise, I found myself chilling out in bars, once again. Only this time, I didn't feel lost anymore.

Once again, the nights were long, but it no longer engulfed me. I was meeting people, and was actually enjoying their company. I learned how to socialize.. for real this time and not because I had to.

posted by kquill @ 6:54 PM 0 Comments

Solving Manila's Traffic

Surviving Metro Manila traffic is an everyday challenge for whoever's crazy enough to traverse it. There are pot holes, vendors, defunct traffic lights, pedestrians and worse, Public Utility Vehicles or PUVs, all crammed up in the narrow, old streets of Manila. I never realized how awful it can really get out there until I began commuting to work.

Testimonials from my driving friends, or simply the rants and ravings that they mutter while driving made me conclude that PUVs are not only an eye sore, but are major traffic deterrents as well. Sure, it's not easy to do away with them since 90% of the Metro's residents (including me) don't have their own cars. But their lack of road discipline, especially with the loading and unloading of passengers, are such a menace to other cars on the road, that it's often the cause of bottlenecks and accidents. And because of the apparent disarray that they project in their driving skills and habits, a Metro Manila driver would then have to adapt to his fellow driver's ways in order to survive.

So as we endure the daily hassles of city driving, why not do something about it? Since drivers play a major role in this, my sister conjured the idea of educating the PUV drivers since they obviously are not aware of the mess that they make. I toyed around with it and ended up with a proposal (an after-effect of my marketing days).

Project Name: PUV Refresher's Class
Objectives:

- To educate PUV drivers in proper driving and road etiquette.
- To help PUV drivers understand their role on the street & the significance of their livelihood
- To identify the people that affects their livelihood (ex. MMDA, commuters, police and traffic aides, LTO, colorums, etc.)
- To review basic driving skills & to understand road courtesy
- To gain feedback from PUV drivers on their concerns & views on driving the streets of Metro Manila

Target Market: C/D

Mechanics:

1. Find classrooms. Consider public schools.
2. Schedule several dates for the class. It can be a quarterly event.
3. Consider enlistment via phone to control the number of students.
4. Get volunteer instructors (from driving schools, volunteer groups, NGOs etc.).
5. Develop a lesson plan, AV materials, exam, feedback forms, etc. that will be used by all instructors for consistency.
6. Coordinate with PUV groups/ associations, local government to encourage drivers to enlist. Transport companies may consider this as part of their employee training.
7. Media promotion.

Suggested Sponsors:

1. Oil & Gas companies
2. Automotive & car accessory dealers
3. Fastfood
4. Driving/ Technical schools
5. F&B companies
6. MMDA, DOT, LTO & other related government agencies
7. Car repair shops & service stations.

posted by kquill @ 12:52 PM 0 Comments