Leech

We are all aware that the love of money is the root of all evil. Why? One reason is that an individual's mind will turn evil when he or she loves money so much. You will become selfish that you can't even help your love ones when they are in need. Selfish and practical are two different words so those people who have their love on money shouldn't say they are just being practical. 

What made me write this? I have a lot of experience dealing with people like this. Way back 2006, I had a foreign friend who happened to make Philippines one of his travel destination. Before he arrived in my country, I told him some of the flaws that he might encounter while staying in the Philippines. I was not mistaken. From Ninoy Aquino International Airport going to Malate, Manila, the cab driver was charging him double the exact fare. I was glad that he didn't give what the cab driver was asking. Is being an alien to another country an excuse for this cab driver to ask for a tip or worse double the price of the service? I don't think so. I am not generalizing that all cab drivers are doing this but most of them. One more unforgettable experience was when we went to Subic, Olonggapo. We decided to book a hotel for us to be sure we have a place to stay. When we arrived at the hotel, everything was ready. The place was fine, the receptionist was accommodating but the bell boy wasn't. He helped us with our  luggage. I was quite surprised at that time because he was waiting for a tip. He just stand at the door waiting for something. My friend then called me. So, I asked the bell boy, is there something wrong? He answered nothing. I then asked what was he waiting for? He just answered me with a smile. I asked him if their guests are obliged to give a tip. I told him that not all foreigners coming in the Philippines are rich who you can rip off. I was so angry at that time and I was so ashamed at my friend. I apologize for whatever bad experience he will encounter and will be encountering. 

Recently, my boss visited Philippines and I encountered almost the same situation again. I told those people that my boss isn't rich and that he is working hard for his family too. And because of that, I became bad for other people. I don't care if they will get angry because I was just protecting my boss for shameful purposes those people are thinking. Besides my boss is paying the services they are providing him. 

How can we keep our tourism industry well if this is the attitude we are giving our visitors? Come on! If we want our lives to be better, I guess we will just have to work hard for ourselves. Set aside whatever leisures you want to experience if you yourself can't make both ends meet and stop clinging on other people for your own benefit.

Money is so powerful that can corrupt your mind.


Note: This is also published in bubblews.com with the same and only one username.

Broken Friendship

No man is an island; a saying that we always remember and one reason why we make friends. Aside from that, there are also lame reasons why people make friends. First, they make friends so they have someone to cling to in times of need. Shall I call it monetary friendship? Second, they make friends because of low self-esteem. They can't make decisions on their own and they always need someone such as a friend to ask advice for. 

I have this attitude before that when I meet someone and my instinct told me that this person isn't good, I back off. But I changed. I changed because people deserve a second chance; that first impression doesn't last. The fruit of it was good. I had lots of friends whom I can share anything I want to share. Until recently, I noticed that someone isn't that kind of person whom I should trust. What hurts me most is that, I trusted that person much. He knows almost everything about me and the people around me. A trusted friend told me that this person told bad things at my back. The shocking part of it is that those things he told other people weren't true at all. I want to confront this person but my other friends told me not to step down to his level. I listened to them and I will just show him that he isn't a part of my life anymore. I may talk to him but not like before. 

Nowadays, it makes me realize that it isn't bad to choose friends at all. It is because we can only count on our fingers those people we can trust. I guess I will be very kin to the people I will be meeting in the future. I just wish that this person will realize what he is doing since I didn't create harm in his life. Despite all the good things I have done to him, this is all I get. Anyway, lesson learned, I should be more careful in giving my trust next time. 

It is very hard to mend a broken friendship

Education: Is it enough to succeed?

Education is important for success but not enough.

Since we started learning things from childhood, we were always been told that we have to study hard to succeed in life. Most parents are pushing their kids to study hard for them to have a better future. Most students are trying their best to make sure they will get higher GPAs. But is this enough? Will it satisfy our parents when we graduate with flying colors?

The past few days I have been thinking about someone who I know in the middle of education crisis. She is a high school graduating student and I can’t deny that this young girl has the ability for her to stand out. She comes from a poor family who can’t even make both ends meet.   Now, that she is going to make another journey in her life, I was thinking and puzzled how she can cope with college life. Why am I having this question? It is because the kind of education that she received from her teachers is not enough for her to survive college.Her parents can't afford to enroll her in a better high school. She took an entrance exam from one of the universities in the Philippines but unfortunately she didn’t pass. We asked her if the exam was hard and she told us that most of the questions were not taught to them. Now, is education enough to succeed?  The answer is definitely NOT!

There are a lot of people who succeeded without proper education. Let’s not get that far. Take Bill Gates for example. He is a college drop out but because of his passion in computers, he is ranked the world’ richest man from 1995-2006. One more popular entrepreneur who didn’t need college to succeed is Walt Disney whose accomplishments and career are astounding despite being a high school drop out. He is now the most influential animator. With all these people whom we can look up to only proves that education is not enough to succeed in life. I am not implying not to study because it doesn't guarantee success however, there are proper ingredients of success. 

I would like to say that, passion, patience and the determination to succeed would make a perfect combination for someone to be successful. 

This blog is dedicated to this person. Take the right path that you think will make you a better person inside and out.