CJ Faderogao

I've never been north past the province of La Union before, but I longed to, for the longest time, to pay a visit to the northernmost province of mainland Luzon: Ilocos.  More so than being a leisure, my yearning to visit Ilocos is inspired by a desire to know more about the Philippines, and generally, to gain a wider understanding of life, especially, now that I'm in my adult years. My yearning to travel north was recently realized. My family, whom neither any have been to Ilocos before, planned a 4 day trip to cover Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, in celebration of my sister's college graduation.  Accompanied by my godfather; whom also is a close friend of my parents, we are to travel north up to Pagudpud, then go back south again to visit the notable cities that we will be passing through.  My next series of posts will cover this recent family trip. Documenting the sights, experiences and insights brought about by the journey. It will start this week on our long drive fro...

It is a fashion staple to own a dive watch, at least for men. Straying off from their true purpose-that of for diving-it has become more of a versatile time piece that one can dress up or down. It is worn in offices, in schools and, even outdoors. Surely, an investment in one comes in handy for any kind of situation. This is my own,  a Swiss Military Hanowa Flagship 06-5161.2.04.003. A gift I got from my father when I graduated college 4 years ago. Since then, I have worn it on more occasions than I can remember and it has become an essential part of my wardrobe. I have worn it on multiple settings: at work, at events, or even when just running errands. In my blog post this week, I'll let you know about this sapphire beauty more. This is my Swiss Military Hanowa Flagship 06-5161.2.04.003 watch review. * * *  The Look The Hanowa line's dial and fixed bezel sports a blue hue along with a stainless steel bracelet. The watch is 42 mm in width and 9.2 mm thick. I didn't really k...

Floras at Las Piñas Botanical Garden In the pace of our society right now, it's easy to lose track of our life's progress. Tasks, events, and relationships can press on us simultaneously, leaving us frantic and overwhelmed. Such moments may leave us wondering if we're really advancing towards our goals or if we're just running around in circles. With no breathing room to pause or headspace to think, our life becomes shrouded in a vagueness that blurs our path forward. We become susceptible to burnouts and at worst, we lose our flair with living. We become disinterested, dispassionate, jaded. Shall we continue living in such a dispirited state?  It is counter-intuitive given our fast-paced society but it would be helpful for us to learn to slow down. To give ourselves a breather, and remind ourselves of our life's priorities. * * *  Taking a step back from our work may seem unproductive, especially when we have accustomed ourselves to our routines but it is helpful t...

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash There is, within us, an unspoken obligation. An obligation to be informed. An obligation to be familiar with things beyond the borders of our conformity. Out into things foreign, and into the subjects of our misconceptions and wrong judgments. We have an unspoken obligation to be educated. In whatever form, as long as it helps us in expanding our perspective. As long as it makes us see more sameness rather than differences. In subjects like race, nation or politics; what are the source of conflicts in all these but differences? Differences brought about by our biases, prejudices, and closed-mindedness.  Education's role to serve as a cure for these things. It is education's purpose to open minds; to break the metaphorical prison walls that separates, divides, and keep us in conflict. Through education, the way for inclusion, connectedness, and synergy opens.  By fulfilling our responsibility to be educated, we are committing ourselves to be part...

Stephen Covey, a renowned management teacher, shared to the world a framework for good living in the form of the book  The 7 habits of highly effective people.  More than 30 years after its publication in 1989, Covey's ideas and insights continue to change the lives of people today. The book remains an influential toolkit in navigating our psychology as adults in our present fast-paced society.  From Bohatala.com article: The 7 habits of highly effective people overview. The power of Covey's idea lies in how he developed the habits as interconnected steps towards growth and maturity. Covey provided a  software, as Jim Collins described it in his foreword for the book's 30th anniversary edition, that makes personal development manageable and pragmatic.  For my blog post this week, I would like to revisit my favorite out of the 7 habits. The habit of self-renewal or, as Stephen Covey termed it, the habit of  Sharpening the saw.  * * *  By sharpening...

Photo by Linus Sandvide on Unsplash The subject of truth is not as simple as it ought to be. As we grow and learn more about the world, it seems that our path, or at least our conception of what reality is, tends to get more hazy. We tend to experience confusion; we become doubtful in distinguishing right from wrong; hesitant on what to put our trust; and we can lose our touch with what once we consider as a "solid" foundation that we use to make sense of our reality.  It is of my realization that this inner dilemma arises because the world presents us with diverse and often contradictory ideas and beliefs. We get confused because we experience that the world-the real world-is filled with other beliefs, challenging the ones that we hold dear during our younger years. We realize that it is not only our belief that matters, but that every perspective by every other people contains within them a sliver of truth-even if it may seem opposite to what we believe. It becomes then ted...

Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than the intellect.                                                                                                                             -  Steve Jobs We have all experienced moments of unexpected clarity at certain points in our lives. Moments where we just know what to do or what decision to take. Instances where, as if guided by an ethereal force, w e know if an action will bring about a good result without spending much effort on rational thinking.   These flashes of knowledge has been labeled by many terms: h unch, gutfeel, insight, but psychologists posits that these terms all point to our built-in c...

The wound is the place where light enters you. This simple yet profound quote is by Jalal al-Din Muhammad R umi   or simply, Rumi . A Sufi ¹  mystic, Islamic scholar and poet from the 13th century. He spent most of his life in the city of  Konya of modern day  Turkey.   A Millenia after his death, his poetry verses continue to inspire people-be it academics, artists or lay people. His works still top book bestsellers list, and he is even recognized as the most read poet in the United States today.  A portrait of Rumi by Hossein Behzad. His poetry which covers humanity, divinity, and love endured the passage of time proving that there's much for us to learn from his teachings. I will continue to spread his acclaim by sharing a brief of his teachings, in the hopes that more people to know his message.  His enigma lies in the beauty of his preaches; poetic verses inspired by universal spirituality. And in order for us to know his creeds, we must first kno...