Why I don't eat Tikoy

They say Tikoy is rich in symbolic meaning. Its round shape symbolizes unity, its stickiness means close family bonds, its sweet flavour mean sweet taste signify sweet relationships. But in my opinion, its stickiness mean indigestion, sweetness means loads of sugar and calories. That's all I can say about eating Tikoy. Happy Chinese New Year!

Philippine Presidential Elections and TVCs

The quality of candidates in this year's Philippine presidential elections seem to be much better than in the past elections.

Of the TVCs, in terms of quality and message, I think Manny Villar's is consistently the best. Ever updated and renewed, the TVCs capture all crucial markets, including OFWs, youth, and the masses. The run of these advertisements are comprable to those run by multinational brands...it started out in the form of viral-style ads to catchy jingles, to "visionary" PSAs. This truly reflects the professionalism and business acumen of Manny Villar campaign team. You can sense the emotional connection that the ads possess.

Of all candidates, I think manny Villar is the only candidate who made a truly bold claim -- of eradicating poverty. Other candidates simply talked about "being with the masses" or "quick recovery" or "revolution" but simply lacked the personal experience that Villar had from rags to riches. Manny Villar is the only one who could balance the interests of the masses and business, as he personally experienced poverty and the hardships of business to managing a large real-estate company. I believe a rags to riches entrepreneur and manager is the only qualified person to lead the country, as the Philippines never had the liked of Villar in its political history.


I am quite dissapointed with Noynoy's ads and candidacy. He just jumped into the presidency after her mother's death and Mar's clever political tactic of running as VP instead. The first ad was more like a people power revolution or nationalistic ad, with a celebrity touch. I believe he saved millions of pesos in endorsement/talent fees due to her sister's backing. The second ad (similar but far inferior to Villar's vision/social contract TVC) is quite boring, abstract and not clear-cut. The line "...hindi ako magnanakaw" is not something interests the country, since we already experienced Cory presidency. We all know that the Aquinos' integrity image is solid, but their subordinates and all the rest are crooks. In contrast, Villar's clear message of eliminating the need (for officials) to be corrupt is a breath of fresh air. Moreover, "tasty food in the table" weighs much more than Arroyo's (and others') "food in every table" and ""fighting hunger" slogans. Noynoy's 3rd ad, geared towards the youth, reminds us of the previous "Eddie Tayo" youth-oriented TVC although much less catchy and less exciting than Eddie's TVC.

Gibo's TVC is quite progressive and "inspiring" in advertising standards, although the use of the "posible" song had not been properly negotiated with Rivermaya. The "airplane and pilot" ad of Gibo is of high quality, although it could potentially relate his image as being elitist.

There had been TVCs by lesser-known candidates running for senator appearing lately, and I could only describe them as being inferior and having poor voice projection and quality, which could affect their name-recall and credibility.

My reading list for 2010

1. Problem Solving 101 - Ken Watanabe



Problem Solving 101 started out as a simple guide to teach Japanese schoolchildren critical thinking skills. But it quickly became an adult bestseller, thanks to the powerful effectiveness of Ken Watanabe's problem solving methods.

The tools in this book come from the author's experience as an elite McKinsey consultant. But you don't need an MBA or complicated computer software to use them. You'll learn how to broaden and organize your thinking about a problem, so that more possible solutions become clear.

Problem-solving oriented thinking can help us take control of our lives, deal with the challenges we encounter, and even change the world. Once you've mastered the skills in this book, you'll wonder how you ever got by without them.

Full of useful diagrams and quirky drawings, Problem Solving 101 is simple enough for a middle schooler to understand but sophisticated enough for business leaders to apply to their most challenging problems.

2. Lukewarmness - The Devil in Disguise (by Francis Carvajal)



The condition of lukewarmness in the spiritual life is always preceded by a series of small infidelities. The radical cure to this sickness is thoroughly explained with practical resolutions.


3. Always Cheerful - Making Others Happy


The much-acclaimed Spanish author and magazine publisher compiled some of his weekly conversations on television with young people.
He gives pieces of advice and friendly tips to everyone—the youth in particular—so that they be happy with the Christian aspiration of making others happy.




*Pictures and descriptions are from their respective publishers and official websites.

My Resolutions 2010

1. Be disciplined. Be focused. Early to bed, early to rise. Be conscious of time.
2. Stay healthy. Consume protein-rich, calorie-stable foods, increase intake of fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water. Exercise as much as possible. Avoid harmful substances, including tobacco and alcohol. Eat more low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein, high-calcium foods.
3. Meditate and contemplate. Pray and read the bible everyday. Serve in church.
4. Be more compassionate and more generous.
5. Be grateful.
6. Read more (practical, quality) books a month. Avoid newspapers except Lifestyle, health and Business related.
7. Continue being frugal without sacrificing quality expenditures.
8. Value relationships. People first. Then money. Then things.
9. Develop self-confidence and self-respect. (Zizun, zixin)
10.Ensure that I fulfill them on a day-to-day basis.

Ditch weight loss for healthy living

Were you like the millions of other people worldwide who made a resolution to lose weight this year? How many times have you set that goal for yourself? And of those times how many have you been successful? Not too many, probably.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say, the goal of losing the extra pounds is the wrong way of looking at the issue. Why not focus instead on improving your health and personal fitness? That way, weight loss becomes a positive side effect but not the main impetus for actions.
When you focus on cutting pounds you are constantly viewing yourself as not good enough. On the other hand, when you look to improve your health the focus shifts to betterment and small positive milestones; such as running a half mile further, doing an extra rep of weights at the gym or drinking one less carbonated soft drink a day.

It’s not easy to make the transition. It takes an entire mental overhaul. To get started, try these tips:

Outline your fitness goals. (Run a half-marathon, feel less sluggish during the day, play with your kids outside without feeling winded.)

Make your goals realistic but challenging to achieve.

Examine your day-to-day activities. Where does unhealthy living creep in? (not getting enough sleep, driving some place you could walk to, rarely drinking water, frequenting fast-food restaurants)

Identify the biggest problem areas and what you can do to uproot them.
Expand your knowledge base. The more we know about our bodies, foods and exercise the easier it will be to implement positive changes. Sign up for a magazine subscription or bookmark a favorite website.

Tweak your eating habits. Can you trade flavored water for soft drinks? What about eating a handful of almonds instead of potato chips when you want a snack?
Don’t concentrate on the numbers on the scale. Health is about the body as a whole.
Cut the words ‘weigh loss’ from your vocabulary. Instead supplement that phrase with healthy lifestyle.

For inspiration YouTube-it. The site has videos that will walk you through every thing from yoga moves to hip hop dance routines. It even has more than 26,000 entries for healthy recipes and hundreds of how-to videos for the fitness ball.

Communicate your fitness goals with someone else. Just speaking the words will help these concepts become a reality. Plus, your confidant can act as a cheerleader, spurring you on.
Results are never immediate; don’t expect them to be. It takes time to see/feel a difference. You’re in it for the long haul.

Don’t compare yourself to others. No two people are going to fit the same fitness and heath model. Find what works for you; ignore the rest.