The Pursuit of Happiness

My Pursuit of Happiness

True happiness is said to be both an inner glow and an outer radiation that you can feel together with a total satisfaction.

Dictionaries will give you the meaning of happiness as an emotional feeling which parallels with pleasure, joy, and contentment. But then these things are just temporary. In your pursuit for happiness you have to dig deeper into the real meaning of happiness, a happiness that is true and never ending.

True happiness is a great feeling of satisfaction which is incomparable to the instant pleasures you get when you see your favourite soccer team winning. It is felt when you overcome an obstacle which has been presented to you. There are many people out there who do not know much about true happiness. Let me share an article by Andrew Chin, to let you learn how to find happiness and be happy.

What really makes you happy?

Is it the material things such as money, clothes, jewellery, brand name footwear and bags? Do you go for long-term states of happiness such as security, good health, and love? Which is most valuable to you? Have you gotten access to true happiness? When was the last time you felt really happy? Does happiness quotes and happiness poems make you fell good inside and out? Have you given your all to a certain challenge and you felt satisfied with all those efforts you have placed?

Recognizing true happiness is a must.

There are several occurrences when you have been misguided to the real deal in your pursuit to happiness and simple pleasure. To mark a definition between the two, it is vital that you know the exact difference that comes with both terms. Simple pleasure is a thing of feeling terrific about something. Examples of pleasurable experiences are a family cruise vacation, a spa treatment during the weekend, a great basketball game, and so on. Meanwhile, true happiness is far from feeling emotionally happy. It goes more way beyond enjoyment. In True happiness lies contentment and engrossment.

So what is it that let people have true happiness?

Researchers have identified several factors that can fully describe true happiness in a person. They say that people from all walks of life find happiness but are just too busy to pay any attention to it simply because they fail to recognize what true happiness and pleasure are.

True happiness in a person is actually a state where in you feel like going along with the flow. You seem to be going along with the flow that sets off smoothly, hassle free, and effortlessly. It can be compared to an experience wherein the ticking of the clock stops suddenly and you become totally oblivious of the things that surrounds you.

Among the significant clues of happiness are being totally immersed with what you are doing, when you have your full participation on an engagement, when you are enjoying to the extreme but you have certainly have no idea with regards to the day, to the passing time, to the other things taking place in your surroundings, and the genuine satisfaction that you feel. These are the instances that can inform you that you have got nothing but true happiness in your mind, heart, and soul.

There is chance of true happiness for every person. Do not be taken aback by the negativity that happiness is only meant for other people. In your pursuit for happiness, just remember that you also deserve to experience and find happiness. When it comes your way, you can attest to how lucky you are as a person. Therefore, take time to reconcile occurrences and things in your life. Give importance to the value of true happiness everyday.

"Do not worry, be happy"

Resignation Virus

It’s been a while since this virus visited our company. It appears to me that it is starting to infect us again but in a slower way.

This year, 6 people have already left the company. I called it the “Resignation Virus” because it happens in batches. I can still remember when it took almost 75% of the employees just within the span of three months and then another 25% before the same year ended. Luckily, we were able to recover from the shortage of man power when younger applicants came to fill up the vacancies.

Why do we resign from our job? For people who are career driven, their usual answer would be “Greener pastures”, while others just wanted a change because they’re not happy with what they are doing anymore.

I almost got infected by the resignation virus because most of the people who left were been close to me. There were times when I asked myself, “Do I have any plans of looking for a greener pasture or a change in career?” I do... we all does, but putting it into action is my least priority. You may ask why? I believe that resigning is not the first solution to solve a problem at work. Every time I feel anxious about my job, I always ask myself two questions and it just so happen that I still don’t have valid answers.

“Why should I resign?”

Am I not well compensated?

If I want to live in a mansion; own a luxury car; put all my kids to exclusive schools; travel to different countries every month; then I would say NO. However, all I want is a simple and happy life; Proper education for my kids; To travel even just around the country; To live together with my family in a simple place that I can call home. So my Answer would be YES.

Am I not happy with my job?

Not really, given that I enjoy what I’m doing, since it is one of my interests. It’s just that most of the time, I get stressed out because of the tight schedules. I guess stress is always partnered with work, so there’s no guarantee that the new job will be stress free. I just put an effort to relieve myself from stress by taking proper vitamins :D and doing the things I love, when I’m out of work.

It’s difficult to find a perfect job or there may not be such a thing as “Perfect Job”.

 

XML, XSLT, and HTML

Wha? What did you say? Can they be eaten? :D

Learning new things was always been exciting for me. I may encounter frustration along the way but the fulfilment it gives, after acquiring the knowledge, is incomparable.

The XSLT transformation process

Let’s put it this way, XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a generic flour mixture (dough), XSLT (eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation) is an apparatus used to produce a certain type of bread, which is the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).

I’ve been working with XML, long before this task, but in a different way to produce HTML. XSLT is a programming language that I need to learn, which was required by the client, to convert XML to HTML. Lucky I have background skills in programming which made it easier for me to understand the language. I was able to get the pieces I needed, from the sample codes on the internet, to complete the task.

Whooah! :D

Family outing at Green Nature

Our company outing last May 12 was postponed due to the tension caused by the election. The organizers were anxious that we might get stuck in traffic because of the preparation for the election, or worst, we might get involve with the conflict between the running candidates at the area.

Looking at the bright side, I just took the chance to spend our family outing before the rainy season comes.

Green Nature, San Mateo, Rizal

We went to a resort named Green Nature, one of the resorts near our place, which was opened just last March 2007. Going to the place is a bit tricky because you have to pass a 2km rough dirt road from the main highway. So if you’re planning to ride a tricycle with your family/friends and your things, think again. :D

The resort was wonderful. The environment was well maintained, the staffs are attentive, and the shower/rest rooms are beautiful. They have two spiral slides, which most of the excursionists find in a resort, and a play area at the middle of the pool for the kids. They also have a playground, basketball court, volleyball court, and a clubhouse with billiard table and a dart board. Overall, I’m happy with our outing because my family had fun even under the scorching heat of the sun, while I enjoyed the view of the nearby mountains.

Cancelled Anniversary Date

 

A figurine from our wedding cake

My wife and I were supposed to celebrate our 1 st anniversary at Saisaki, but due to unexpected situation, we had a change of plan. Our baby, Kenjiro, had a fever because his 2 upper teeth were starting to come out.

An occasion is a time at which an event occurs. We celebrate an occasion to remember the things happened on that date, regardless of how expensive or simple the celebration may be. There’s no reason for us to postpone the celebration just because we can’t go to Saisaki. So we've decided to celebrate it at home instead. I made a card and composed a poem for her.

Do-it-yourself Anniversary Card

The poem goes like this:

Salamat sa isang taon na puno ng pagmamahal at pagkalinga,
Kay Kenji na iyong anak at sa akin na iyong asawa.

Salamat sa masasarap na adobo na di nakakasawa,
At sa matatamis na mansanas na sa ref ay di nawawala.

Salamat sa pagbunot ng buhok sa aking patilya,
Sa paglinis ng aking tenga at mga kuko sa aking paa.

Di ko maipapangako sa iyo ang buhay na marangya,
Pero gagawin ang makakaya upang ika’y lumigaya.

Ako’y lubos sa nagpapasalamat sa Diyos na mahiwaga,
Dahil ika’y ipinakilala sakin at aking naging asawa.

On my way home, I bought a KFC chicken bucket and her favorite siomai at Chowking. We had dinner together, watched TV series until midnight and talked about what we did that day.