Weekly Writing Challenge: Mind the Gap – Ebook vs Paperback

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/weekly-writing-challenge-mind-the-gap-2/

The rise in ebooks during the past few years has brought about its fair share of supporters and at the same time critics. Technology has truly revolutionized the way we live and in more ways than one, has made life a lot more convenient. Having said, ebook’s make it very easy to store and collect different books and at the same time saves paper. Although ebooks seem so much more better and stomps all over the traditional paperback, in my opinion, can still pack a punch and should not be forgotten.

Honestly speaking, nothing beats that feeling of buying a brand new book, taking it out of its plastic, laying in your bed and flipping through the first few pages. For me, that feeling will never ever get old. To be frank, I’ve actually never been a fan of reading books. It was only during the start of high school that I gained an appreciation for reading books of all kinds, and

I don’t regret one bit that I’ve started exploring and reading all types of books. I’m actually proud to say that I can be considered a book worm and I’m actually one of the few high school students in our school who actually claimed his library card and uses it.

There is nothing wrong with ebooks for they still have the same content as paperbacks and are actually very convenient, but what makes paperbacks so special is that it represents a different time and age. These days, almost everything c

an be done with laptops, computers, iPhones, iPads, etc. Almost every second, minute and hour of our lives we are exposed to these radio active materials. At times, we just need to take a break and grabbing the ol’ classic paperback may just be the best way to relax those eyes from all the radiation.

There was a time in my life where I had a hard time falling asleep and I’d just being lying there all night with such an uneasy feeling. A bit of googling here and there, and I found out that it was because of all the radiation I was exposed to before going to bed. Aside from that, another reason was that my mind was still very active from all the past activities. In order to counter this, I developed a routine of reading a few pages to a chapter of a book almost every night before going to bed. It has really helped me have a more peaceful sleep and I really suggest you try it out yourself. Aside from it helping you have a beauty sleep, you also gain all sorts of knowledge depending on the book you read. It could range from fiction novels, biographies, self-help or even sports books.

Another favorite time of mine to read paperbacks is after I’ve spent quite a time in front of my laptop. You know that very drained feeling usually accompanied by a heavy head after long hours spent in front of a laptop either watching videos for leisure or finishing up several projects. You need to unload and take a breather once in a while and what better way to do it than by grabbing a paperback.

In those two scenarios I’ve just mentioned, it would be counter productive to use an ebook for it would defeat the purpose of a reading book completely. Those are only a few but very powerful points as to why I think that one must never forget paperbacks and why they should still be appreciated.

-DOitChoco

Kaiser – My Multi-Talented Best Friend (My response to the Daily Prompt: Call Me Maybe)

This is my blogpost in response to the daily prompt: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/daily-prompt-phone/

I was never really a fan of smartphones or all those fancy phones. To tell you the truth, it was just around 5 months ago when I finally replaced my ancient stone-aged phone with an Iphone and the rest is history. There were actually several reasons that really pushed me to stop being a hipster with an artifact of a phone, and succumb to modern day technology.

Prior to my realization that I needed a new phone, I was a strong believer in the fact that phone’s are just for texting and calling and the occasional “snake” game if you still remember that pretty addictive game in old school phones. Every time my dad would offer to get me a better looking phone and a smarter phone, I’d refuse and say that I didn’t need or so I thought. The day my view on this issue changed was the day I started breaking out of my shell and socializing with others more often. I realized the importance of an efficient and powerful smart phone during this day and age in staying connected and in touch with the rest of the world.

Only the strong survive and one must truly take every advantage and learn how to adapt with time. Modern day technology has brought us such a powerful tool and gadget that we might as well utilize and take advantage of. Because of this, I quickly told my dad my new perspective in life and he quickly obliged to get me a new phone. Since he actually just got an Iphone 4s but heard that an Iphone 5 was coming out in a few months, he decided to give me his one month old Iphone 4s, and it quickly became my new best friend that I never fail to check on each and everyday.

KAISER!

I guess it would be just right to finally baptize my phone and give him a name. This may sound a bit crazy and absurd, but why not. So of the top of my head, I name him, KAISER! Pretty bad-ass? Well, it’s just right for my side kick who almost never leaves my side. During my ups and downs and whenever I seem to need anything, my incredibly smart and multi-talented friend comes to the rescue. From text messaging and making phone calls to checking out the latest news and keeping up to date not only with sporting highlights but also with what has been going on with my friends’ lives. And then during the times I need some cheering up or some moments of relaxation or reflection, Kaiser is right there with soothing music that never fails to calm my nerves and make me walk on cloud nine. Aside from a thousand other skills of Kaiser, what I like most about him is his ability to capture ephemeral moments and help me look back at them. He truly is a jack of all trades.

Life may have been just fine before with my ancient nokia phone, but I wouldn’t want to go back to those days, for life is so much more convenient and productive with Kaiser. Although, Kaiser sometimes turns into a distraction and has gotten me 6 hours of detention already (the full story of how I got and spent the 6 hours of detention is seen here: https://doitchoco.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/my-sot-experience-how-somethings-arent-as-bad-as-they-seem/), I still love him to death for he has helped me in so many different ways already and I know that I’m only scratching the surface. As I get to know and understand Kaiser better, I will be able to unleash a thousand more of his talents and capabilities. We truly are best friends, for we help bring out the best in each other.

-DOitChoco

Finding the balance between over thinking and impulsiveness….

Hand in hand with my previous post about over thinking, another quote that really struck me when I read Julius Caesar was, “Cowards die many times before their deaths.”

First of all, this quote is a paradox, which is something that is impossible but somehow portrays a truth in life. For instance, people cannot die many times, for when you are dead, you are dead; But what this line applies is that people who are afraid to face life and make the most out of their life, or more commonly known as cowards, might as well be labelled dead for they aren’t doing anything about their life.

This is something that has made me realize that there are moments in our lives, where we should JUST DO IT. Nobody is perfect and we will fail time and time again, so why not just go out, explore, take risks, and live our life to the fullest.

On the contrary, sometimes, JUST DOING IT can also be the cause for tragic endings as seen in another novel of Shakespeare (that we took up in class last year), “Romeo and Juliet.” These star crossed lovers were so impulsive and were very reckless and hasty in their decisions that they ended up dying at such a tender age, side by side. Looking at it from a different perspective though, that may have been what they wanted, to die side by side.

At times, it truly is just better to go out of your way, take the risk, and don’t look back. You’ll never know how something will turn out unless you try. There will always be that big what-if in your head, so instead of thinking about what it may have been like, JUST DO IT!

PS. I am in a state of confusion right now as I am faced with several crucial decisions in this stage of my life. Honestly, I am not sure what I should I do and what path I should take, but maybe I should stop over thinking and JUST DO IT! Comments, feedback and advice would be much appreciated.

-DOitChoco

Toppling the giant known as……”OVER THINKING”

We’ve finally finished our discussion of the book, Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. The tragedies of the different characters of this book truly showed me what can happen when one over thinks or misunderstands signs or omens. With everything that has been happening in my life right now and all the life-changing decisions I have to make sooner or later as Junior Year ends, I can’t help at times but over think and put meaning into things that aren’t suppose to mean anything.

In our everyday lives, there are different signs and omens that we look at when making decisions. During trying moments and when we have to make life-changing decisions, we ask God for signs. Then when something out of the ordinary occurs, we immediately label it as a sign or omen, even if it may have just been a coincidence.

Misreading and misinterpreting signs is human nature for nobody is perfect. Like what Cicero said, “Men may construe things after their fashion, / Clean from the purpose of the things themselves” (I.iii.34–35). 

This is the truth and more often than not, we see things the way we want to see them. There are a lot of instances in our life where we have to make decisions and think things over before acting. During these times of weighing and reflection, we can’t help ourselves from putting meaning into things that don’t really mean much. Because of this, we end up over thinking and instead of making the best possible decision, we end up doing something uncharacteristic.

Overcoming the over-thinking syndrome is a challenge for most of us. Being an over thinker is a double-edged sword. At times, we are able to see the deeper details and read between the lines when we think things through, but during other instances, we end up mis interpreting signs, which leads us to confusion.

1. Don’t let any single decision dictate your life and change you. Continue to live your everyday life and do what you love to do. It is very common nowadays for people to just go on a period where they don’t do anything but fuss over a dilemma of theirs. Instead of solving their problem, they end up being even more confused and they end up doing things they’d later on regret. Aside from that, the anxiety and stress one experiences when he lets a debacle contain his life is obviously not healthy for a human being.

2. In order to avoid being barred and trapped by your debacles, try to keep yourself busy and do something that will help you clear your mind. Listen to music, play an instrument, exercise/workout, play a sport, or read a book in order to keep your mind busy. Even better yet, go out and help in a charitable organization.

3. Don’t keep everything to yourself. Don’t be afraid to seek the guidance and perspective of others; may it be your friends or family. No man is an island, and we need the help of others. More often than not, during these challenging moments, we are confounded and our vision is blurred. We usually miss key details and forget our principles and priorities in life, and what is truly important to us. Aside from this, when we share our pains and sorrows with others, the heavy feeling inside us lightens up because we realize that we aren’t alone, and that we have someone who cares for us.

4. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages but don’t think too far back to the future. This is because a lot of things can happen in a short amount of time. People will change, and things will happen. You can’t control what will happen in the future, but what you can control is your present actions.

5. Last but not the least, always remember that no matter what happens, LIFE GOES ON. A year, or even a month from now, you will have either forgotten what was bothering you to today or laughed at how you were troubled by such a simple thing. Count your blessings and appreciate what you have and your position in life. Think about it this way, there thousands of other people out there who have worse things to face.

-DOitChoco

FRIENDS ARE THE REASONS FOR THE MEMORIES

2013 XS Fair – XCALIBUR

XCalibur 2013 and Shift Happens Variety Show – A Weekend to Remember (Feb 2,3 2013)

Another weekend has just flown by as quickly as it came in. Another anticipated event of this year has just come to a close, and without a doubt, it deserved all the hype it got. As I close another chapter of my life, I’d like to recall all the zealous, vibrant and awe-inspiring moments that took place this weekend during non other than our annual school fair titled, “XCALIBUR.”

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect for this year’s fair because of several different reasons. First of all, during the previous 3 years, our booth was always something related to the toy gun, Nerf. This was because one of my classmate’s father was the distributor of Hasbro so we could easily borrow Nerf equipment, especially since Nerf is such a hit when it comes to kids. The only problem with Nerf experience was that it was such a hassle picking up the bullets and having to reload the gun time and again. Aside from that, the frequent jamming of the gun and draining of the battery really made it a really troublesome job. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing seeing kids excited to load up the Nerf Gun and play in our booth, but I really didn’t get to enjoy the fair during the last few years because I was very dedicated to manning our booth and with the Nerf concept, there wasn’t much leeway and free time.

The second reason was that it was the first time in 15 years that our school would be having a DUNK booth. To top it off, it was my class that came up with the idea to revive this game, and we dubbed it, the “DUNkGEON.” Because of the fact that I am relatively new to this class, I was really excited to start a new and make the most out of this second to the last fair of mine (as a student) in Xavier School. I wasn’t expecting much, but this fair turned out to be a fair full of firsts and crazy moments.

Dunked, Floured, Slimed, Flushed – Loved Every Single Moment

It was only this year that I truly was able to enjoy our fair and experience how crazy and high our school fair really is. From getting dunked by my cousins, to getting floured and gooed up, and ending up having to get flushed to remove the slime that got stuck in my ear, this fair was a really crazy experience.

To top everything off, I ended up going with my friends to the variety show. My friends had to go to the variety show to meet there set-ups for prom, so I went to support them and keep them company. Even if I really didn’t want to go to the variety show, I ended up enjoying my time because of the really hilarious things we ended up doing. It’s really funny and unbelievable how we ended up going to the variety show, but we didn’t really watch the show at all. Instead of sitting down and watching a sort of boring show that happens every year, we made the most out of our time by doing something really crazy.

Feeling “Endorser/Model” of All-inBurg

I was really feeling a bit high and conversational on that day so when I came across this burger stall called “AllInBurgh” that seemed relatively new; I immediately struck up a conversation with the people there and inquired about why they started, when they started, where were their branches and the like. I really enjoyed getting to know the perspective of these fresh out of college entrepreneurs who were trying to hopefully start out small and eventually build their way to the top. I really found their wagyu burger really tasty and satisfying especially for the cost. Because of this and the fact that I was feeling extra generous on that day, I ended up advertising their booth to every person I knew in the variety show. From garnering only a few sales when me and my friends came across their stall, a few minutes later, they were taking orders left and right and eventually sold out.

It really felt gratifying to help these young entrepreneurs advertise their product and show some support to them. With the quality and taste of their burgers, I have a feeling that last saturday won’t be the last time I’ll be hearing about their burgers. (here’s a link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AllInBurgh)

Friend’s reaction after tasting the wagyu burger of AllInBurg

But the experience that really made my Saturday night was the moment when my friend walked up to a complete stranger and acted as if he knew her. Actually, he did think he knew her, but quite frankly, clothes and looks can be deceiving. It started off with me daring him to talk to this certain girl than he told me that he already knew this girl because they were family friends. So I told him to introduce me to this girl, but as we were eating, the girl suddenly disappeared. An hour later, we thought that we saw the girl again, so I gave my friend the look and he said, “fine, I’ll introduce you to her.” He slowly walked to this girl who was buying food and talking to her friend, and he held her from the back and said, “Hey -insert name of girl here-, long time no see.” As the girl turned around, a look of shock crossed my friend’s face as he realized that this wasn’t the “family friend” of his. My friend was shocked and devastated at what he just did especially since the girl remained silent and gave him a really puzzled and dumb-founded look. Looking back, it was a really hilarious moment especially how we saw them again and we ended up going to them and saying sorry for my friend’s “miscalculation.” My friend may have been bitter and ashamed about what he did, but I’m sure when he looks back at that night, that will be the one thing he remembers.

All those jaw-dropping things I’ve mentioned so far took place on a Saturday and I was really expecting Sunday to be just as awesome, but sad to say that it was really hard to beat everything that happened last Saturday. What I learned about going to the fair on Sundays is that expect it to be a lot less crowded and populated but at the same time, expect it to be a lot less exciting because of the fact that there aren’t much people on Sundays. To add insult to injury, more than half of my close group of friends weren’t able to make it. One had to leave really early, another acquired a fever, while another had no driver for that day. To say the least, a boring day became even more boring when I heard that these close friends of mine wouldn’t be able to make it.

What I realized from having a super duper kaduper awe-inspiring, crazy, high and phenomenal Saturday followed by a less awesome, and a bit lackluster Sunday is the importance of having friends and why they’re usually the ones who are able to make practically nothing into something. This is because I’ve come to a conclusion that when we are around our friends, our crazy and high side comes out. Our friends are usually able to bring out the best from us and are able to help us enjoy even the most shallow and simplest of things. Having a mundane Sunday really made me appreciate my friends and how they are responsible for all these memorable experiences of mine.

There were a thousand more things that happened both on saturday and sunday, but I can’t really put into words everything that happened. That is how crazy and awesome the weekend was. Aside from that, there are somethings that are better not written down for personal reasons, but nevertheless, if you sum everything up, the weekend was truly indescribable and one to be remembered, for sure!

H3A 2012- 2013 – DUNkGEON

If there’s one thing I’d like you to take away after reading this long blogpost of mine, it would have to be this one line:

FRIENDS ARE THE REASONS FOR THE MEMORIES

-DOitChoco

“We All Have “Kwentos” (Filipino for Stories) to Tell”

It’s friday again, and another week has just quickly evaporated and flew by. Actually, I am really happy that this week has ended for it was really one hell of a week emotionally for me. I don’t really know why, but I just really felt sentimental about life and started really questioning myself about what life is truly about. Different scenarios, situations, memories, questions and problems started popping into my head and I was just really confused and my mind was messed up.

Like I’ve said numerous times before, I believe that everything has a reason and so I want to end this school week by writing about the things I’ve learned. The two main things I’ve learned is that first of all, “We must keep ourselves busy in order to avoid over thinking things,” and second, “We all have stories to tell.”

Yesterday was probably one of the hardest days I’ve had to go through in the past months. My head was just gonna explode and right from the beginning of the day, I was really emotional already. It was really uncharacteristic of me to be that way. I usually try to think positive and be happy, but everything was piling up and I just wanted life to slow down and give me a chance, a chance to think about what I’ve been doing in my life. I guess, yesterday was just another one of those days, where one starts to question his existence and purpose in life.

Luckily, I have friends who are there for me when I just need someone to talk to in order to forget about all the crazy things that has been happening. The problem was, my friend who I usually talk to wasn’t in such a good mood also, so instead of feeling better, I just got more emotional and felt sorry for my friend also. Although, I’m usually the one who tries to cheer people up and give words of wisdom, I was just to down yesterday to be in the right state of mind. Sometimes, I really need to learn how to listen to the advice I give others more often.

Although, my friends were not in such a good mood yesterday, one piece of advice from another friend of mine that really helped me overcome my emotional state was to find something to do and keep myself busy in order to prevent over thinking and questioning about life. After hearing that advice, I knew that she was right and that I needed to get back to just living life one day at a time and stop thinking about the past or the future. Like they say, “Live in the moment.”

Today was probably the only day, where I was back to my senses and thinking properly again. I told myself that it’s February already, a new month and a new start once again. Leave everything behind in the past months, move on and don’t commit the same mistakes again.

Because of the fact that a lot of my classmates were builders for the fair, the classroom was a bit empty, so our teachers were kinda light on us today. The lessons weren’t really that heavy and during chinese and CLE class, I got a chance to make “kwento” (tell a story) to a really close friend of mine about what has really been going on with me. Prior to this, no one really knew the full story of what I was so troubled about, and felt really relieving and gratifying to take out all those emotions and feelings by making “kwento” everything that has been really bothering me to this particular friend.

From this “kwento” session with my friend, I realized that I’m not as crazy as I thought and that what I’ve been thinking about is actually normal. Aside from this, I also realized that we all have stories to tell. Nobody is perfect and we will all have those trying times, challenging moments and surreal experiences. To say the least, that’s LIFE. At times, we don’t appreciated how blessed we are to be living such adventure filled lives. Now, I know that this is just another one of those stages of growing up and that I just have to stay strong no matter what, and keep believing that everything will turn out for the better.

I now have to hit the sack for this coming weekend will be AMAZING!! I can feel it! #ThinkPositive #LiveInTheMoment

-DOitChoco