Coffee Shop: Business-birthing Place or Time-killing Corner

Coffee Shop: Business-birthing Place or Time-killing Corner

By Thinking P'Noy   4:37 PM   No comments :

Flooded with the middle-class crowd, Starbucks and other favorite coffee shops globally have always been the ideal place to do things under the front of drinking too expensive cups of coffee. Depending on one's purpose in entering a coffee shop, it could either be a business-birthing place or time-killing corner.

Flooded with the middle-class crowd, Starbucks and other favorite coffee shops globally have always been the ideal place to do things under the front of drinking too expensive cups of coffee. Depending on one's purpose in entering a coffee shop, it could either be a business-birthing place or time-killing corner.

Coffee Shop: An Expensive Place for Rumormongers and Backbiters

One question: Is there magic with coffee? The answer is no. The primary concept of a coffee corner is space--the need for a space to do things with a sense of privacy, a restroom, a wifi connection, and a table where you could use your laptop or do paperwork. The coffee shop is also desirable a place to discuss business or sweet nothings with friends. In sum, the coffee shop is just like an expensive niche where you can waste or possess your time fruitfully.

Coffee is a "brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of berries from the Coffea plant."

A coffee shop is just too costly a place for rumormongers and backbiters.

Coffee Shop: A Place of Bad Internet Connection

I experienced spending my whole afternoon in a café a couple of times in a week. Starbucks is one of my favorites.

I noticed, however, how poor was the Internet connection at our place's coffee shops. I used my mobile wifi instead, for I didn't have any option at all. In the Philippines, the Internet is always dealt with connection issues.

Coffee Shop: A Place for Business or Academic Discussion
or Just Plain Silly Laugh

For the three consecutive afternoons, I noticed well-to-do students frequenting the place. They were usually quieter and focused on their lessons. Some middle-aged customers were meditative, while the others were charmed by their seemingly exciting business topics.

There were those who were only sharing nothing but a loud monkeyish laughter on one silly green joke.

Coffee Shop: A Place for Both the Absurd and the Sensible Ones

The gurgling noise of the coffee machines was too annoying that an occasional laugh from customers was an icebreaker except those coming from the less educated ones who experienced Starbucks just for the first time.

For those less productive habitués, I found them just wasting their money and killing time at a coffee shop. But for the successful and time-conscious individuals, it is one the of the best places to do things that matter.

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True Happiness in the Inner Man

True Happiness in the Inner Man

By Thinking P'Noy   8:42 AM   No comments :

 

 

How to be happy in this life? True happiness means enjoyment. If we enjoy dancing, for example, then such a hobby is pleasurable to us. But we can be happy by just sitting down if we enjoy the moment.

 

Charles Spurgeon once said that "It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."

 

True Happiness Lives Within US

True happiness lives inside of us. It is not the activity of dancing, for example, that gives us a sense of real satisfaction, for people go to the dance even in the hour of sadness.

 

 

Even the thought of dancing gives us delight if it gives us pleasure doing it. True happiness just stays in our heart even in the absence of things that give us pleasure. It always becomes a part of us if we are contented and peaceful.

Jesus Christ did not experience the pleasure of a rich man. There is even no record that He did laugh. But at the moment of His death and in the presence of His murderers, He prayed "Father, forgive them."

Jesus Christ did not experience the pleasure of a rich man. There is even no record that He did laugh. But at the moment of His death and in the presence of His murderers, He prayed "Father, forgive them."

Charles Spurgeon once said that "It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."

True Happiness Versus Our Resistance to Accepting Realities

Someone has well said that the first solution to a problem is the acceptance that it exists. The primary cause of our unhappiness, therefore, is our resistance to accepting realities. We have a problem, an empty something, a vacuum inside us that we need to fill with truth and reason.

This EMPTY SOMETHING that causes us dissatisfaction and discontent may be termed as the three questions of life. We have heard them already. The first query is, why are we here; second, where did we come from; and third, where shall we go from here?

True Happiness Comes From God

True happiness comes from a satisfactory answer to the above questions of life. And the answer is the first four words of the Holy Bible: "In the beginning God."

Why are we here? The answer is "In the beginning God." The same key to the last two questions: God!

Adam of old experienced the same empty something after being catapulted out of paradise. Then, he was profoundly in search for meaning! He had to answer the questions of life to be happy.

Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where shall we go from here? Answer them, Adam, and you'll be happy! That's it.

"Come to Me," Christ gave an invitation to all of us, "all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) Yes, "rest" here means a real sense of happiness, satisfaction, and assurance.

True Happiness Does Not Come From Fame and Riches

True happiness, therefore, does not come even amidst riches, fame, intelligence, and good looks once the thought of becoming old, sick, and dying starts to invade your peace.

Remember the Billionaire Manny Pacquiao conversion and his real trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Fame and riches did not provide the boxer Pacquiao true happiness in life until he came to Christ by faith.

Remember the Billionaire Manny Pacquiao conversion and his real trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Fame and riches did not provide the boxer Pacquiao true happiness in life until he came to Christ by faith.

Contentment, satisfaction, cheerfulness, joy, delight, good spirits, lightheartedness, well-being, enjoyment---these are the synonyms for happiness. And it is felt as a positive emotion of the inner person. True happiness resides in the inner man. It is not something outside of the person. Will you be truly happy, for example, having received the insurance benefits of your beloved someone--benefits from the policy of a dead wife or child? Certainly, not. True happiness thus, cannot be bought with money for it is all about yourself, not any stimulus outside of your being.

What is that empty something that's somehow invading our happy serenity? Well, it is that feeling of vulnerability, rejection, hopelessness, insecurity, irrational ambition, selfishness, a guilty conscience, a sense of sinfulness--a feeling of being unclean, wicked and godless inside of us.

Socrates taught us to "Know thyself" but failed to teach us how! Know thyself; answer the three questions of life--and you will be happy.

Christ has the answer--He is the Answer: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

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Single Moms Phenomenon Ever Rising in the Philippines

Single Moms Phenomenon Ever Rising in the Philippines

By Thinking P'Noy   1:04 AM   No comments :

At least 10 percent of the 100 million Filipinos are unmarried teenage mothers from age 15 to 19. And this single moms phenomenon is rising, making the Philippines number one in Asia in teenage pregnancies and single moms.

 

Most Single Moms Don't Care About Becoming Pregnant

I have the privilege of interviewing many single moms, and I noticed that for the college graduates, ages 23-26 is the average age bracket where one becomes a mother but not a wife.

One time, a confident single mom asked me this question: "How to determine a serious lover?"

At first, I pretended to be an expert on the subject. In reality, I didn't know how to answer her. Grappling for words, I said, "well, sex is man's greatest interest in a woman, loving or even marrying her is just second."

"If that's the case," she replied, "then it is tough to determine if the father of my child is serious about our relationship."

"That's why," I added, "a long engagement period (at least a year) is encouraged rather than engaging a sexual relationship with a man who's but a stranger to you."

I tried to explain to her that sex is supposed to be sacred, and marriage holy for they are God's. But, it seemed she wasn't interested in listening, for she was already apprehensive of losing her boyfriend forever.

The Single Moms Phenomenon
is Unstoppable and Will Continue to Rise

I believe that the single moms phenomenon will continue to invade the marriage-first-before-pregnancy culture because society as a whole is quite permissive about it. I think we, parents, have to help our daughters bear a godly perspective about life, marriage, and family.

Data from the National Statistics Office indicate that more than 37 percent of the 1.8 million babies born in the Philippines in 2008—at least 666,000—had unmarried mothers, representing a worrying increase of over 12 percent from the previous year and an upswing that has become a trend in recent times.

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Happy Family Building Versus God's Involvement

Happy Family Building Versus God's Involvement

By Thinking P'Noy   7:02 PM   No comments :

One rich man told his audience: "Well, I often told my children that success is not just real hard work, for there are many hardworking businesspeople who didn't make it to the top. I believe in luck!" Do you think this principle also applies to marriage? How to build a happy family?

 

Conviction and Faith Needed
in Building a Happy Family

Building a happy family requires judgment call and faith. Call it luck, but I have another term for it: God's blessing and intervention. Without belief in God and your life partner, then there can be no truly happy family that will come to your home. I mentioned God, because in Psalm 127:1, the Bible says that:

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it.

God's Involvement is the Key to Building a Happy Family

Building a happy family requires the building of trust and confidence between spouses. And common faith in God is vital to reach that. Yes, shared conviction and faith.

Sin, or let's call it as the involvement of a third party, is death to the family. Avoid having an illicit relationship and you will be forever happy with your loved ones.

To bear children is another key in the establishment of a happy family. Wives, avoid being very unreasonable sometimes. And husbands, love your wife to death. Prov 19:14-24 says:

House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord. Laziness casts into a deep sleep, And an idle man will suffer hunger. . . . Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death. A man of great anger will bear the penalty...Listen to counsel and accept discipline, That you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the Lord will stand. What is desirable in a man is his kindness, And it is better to be a poor man than a liar. The fear of the Lord leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

The above verses speak of prudence, fear of the Lord, wisdom, discipline, hard work and hope. These are sound principles that are necessary for establishing a happy family. And they all come from the Holy Bible---from God!

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Filipino Culture Strengths and Weaknesses

Filipino Culture Strengths and Weaknesses

By Thinking P'Noy   9:07 AM   No comments :

The Filipino Culture

Like all other nations on earth, our Filipino culture or way of life as a people has both strengths and weaknesses. Culture, says the dictionary is "the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively...The tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group...All the knowledge and values shared by a society."

Tradition, on the other hand, is "the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way." Culture and tradition thus is a way of life, the practices of our people during a burial rite, a wedding ceremony or the way we view and see things in life.

Why is it that there are many retired foreigners, particularly Americans, who want to live and die in the Philippines? It is because we value close family ties. Call it as emotionalism or sentimentalism, but we simply love to see our children and grandchildren, even our in-laws, live harmoniously with us under the same roof as much as possible.

The Chinese people are governed by Feng Shui in their construction of buildings, for example, or in starting a business. It is a "Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing the human existence with the surrounding environment." The term feng shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English.

Our counterpart to Feng Shui in the Philippines is the belief in the involvement of the spirits of our ancestors in our daily life. All these practices and belief system are handed down to us by culture and tradition, which is the transmitted knowledge, customs, belief and values from generation to generation.

The Strengths of the Filipino Culture

Why is it that there are many retired foreigners, particularly Americans, who want to live and die in the Philippines? It is because we value close family ties. Call it as emotionalism or sentimentalism, but we simply love to see our children and grandchildren, even our in-laws, live harmoniously with us under the same roof as much as possible---finances permitting, of course.

The Americans on the other hand, believe in rugged individualism such as independence at age 18 and divorce as one accepted part of the culture. The result is that their elderly and grandparents found themselves without a family to call their own at the end of their life journey. We are not like them. That's why many of them came over to our shores, for they appreciate our Filipino culture of safeguarding and giving high value on our close family relationship.

We have other practices that are worth emulating. But we choose not to mention them all here as we need to understand also the weaknesses of the Filipino culture.

The Weaknesses of the Filipino Culture

The weaknesses of the Filipino culture seem to outweigh its strengths. For example, our culture of corruption in this country can be traceable back to our close family ties and sense of dependence on our elderly. As such, we have a feeling of complete reliance on our political leaders and boss---just as though they are our parents.

Another source of the problem of corruption is the teaching of the Catholic Church that triggers somehow the courage of most Filipinos to practice bribery. It is the teaching of establishing a connection with the patron-Saint through a feast or other form of offerings to get an imagined divine favor. We are taught, for example, to have some connection with our patron-Saints such as San Isidro Labrador or San Lorenzo Ruiz or a connection to Mother Mary, for her influence to Christ allegedly.

The strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino culture and tradition cannot be contained in just one brief article. Both the negative and the positive practices of the nations colonizing us for hundreds of years have also contributed to our ways of life.

Conclusion

In sum, I should say that it takes dozens, if not hundreds, of years yet to inculcate effectively into the minds of our people what is good and what is not. From the biblical standpoint, however, the evolution of a nation's culture and practices tends to "proceed from bad to worse." (cf. 2 Tim. 3:13) The recent pork barrel scam in the Philippines and the involvement of our brilliant leaders, including some highly respected media men who are enjoying national prominence, is one proof that great knowledge alone from the famous schools of learning is not enough to make a known Filipino leader corruption-proof.

The question is that if the well-educated is a crook, how much more the ordinary people in the streets given the same opportunity?

I like this quote from Theodore Roosevelt. It's good for all our corrupt Senators and Congressmen: “When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not Guilty.'”

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