onehorsepower

Dear Santa

2011-12-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Morel Maximo Component Set

Stinger 8AWG Wiring Kit

Your Dream Home in Metro Manila, Philippines

2011-04-05T03:59:00.000-07:00

1) East of Galleria Condominium
Address Unit a804 Topaz Road,Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Type 1 bedroom loft type
Area 41 sqm
Developer Robinsons Land
Amenities Pool, Gym, Function Room, etc.
Remarks Brand New, Walking distance from Robinson's Galleria
Rate 3.2M negotiable

2) Madison Place Condominium
Address Unit 6B, Main Avenue, Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Cubao, QC
Type 1 bedroom unit with parking
Area 33.7 sqm
Developer Vista Residences
Amenities Pool, Gym, Recreation Room, etc.
Remarks Brand New, Walking Distance to SM Hypermart Cubao/Edsa
Rate 3M negotiable

3) Ponte Verde Residential Lot
Address Ponte Verde Executive Subdivision, boundary Marikina/Antipolo City
Area 200 sqm
Developer Sta Lucia Realty & Development
Amenities Multi-purpose clubhouse, basketball court, Tennis court, Manila waters (water supply)
Remarks Fully developed subdivision, with existing community, near malls, banks and schools. Overlooking Metropolis w/ Mountain View
Rate 1M net

For Inquiries, contact:

Darwin Hernandez | Mobile 09178607687 | Landline 9487358
Kathy Hernandez | Mobile 09178077933 | Email kathy_artajos@yahoo.com

You may also post your questions right here in the comment box.

Write It Down

2011-03-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

"Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them." - David Allen

I have read David Allen's book Getting Things Done, and this is one thing I agree with him the most! I make it a point to clear my head by writing things down.

For me, a blank page in my notebook offers a place to let everything go. I write random thoughts on it every night just to clear my head. It is such a release.

You may notice my blogging activity may have slowed down but my writing never stopped. All goes into any blank sheet of paper I can find and I write away with my trusted pen.

You may prefer to go paperless and use your PC/Notepad for all the writing you do. I also use the Notes App on my iTouch. Each to his own, now start writing!

Work attitude

2011-03-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is an article I wish I had written but it's enough for me that I have read it. I found this in Manila Bulletin's supplementary magazine: Panorama. How many people read panorama magazine nowadays? I wouldn't know. I didn't find any electronic copy of this article, so I made one. I copied this directly from the magazine. I hope you find nuggets of inspiration in the essay. It is truly worth the read for those of us that are always complaining about our jobs.

Thank you Lilia Alvarez for doing such a great piece.

The pursuit of happiness at work [ pdf ]
by Lilia Borlongan-Alvarez

Work is love made visible, says writer and philosopher Kahlil Gibran. This is the guiding principle of working people who seem to have the time of their life doing the same kind of work day in and day out for years as compared to others who regard their work as a drag.

For working people exist to give of themselves and serve by discovering their talents and expressing them, and so the former would ask "What can I give?" instead of "What can I get?"

Unattachment. Andrew Matthews, author of the bestseller "Follow your Heart," says that if one works only for the money, he or she won‘t be happy and probably won‘t make much money. "When you really love what you do, you are less attached to money...and whatever work you are doing at the moment, you are competing against people who love what they‘re doing," he says. His examples: Bill Gates speak, it‘s obvious he is more excited by software than money. And Elvis Presley didn‘t set out to make a fortune, he set out to make a good record. Being rich is not a goal, it‘s a by-product," he says.

So how do you love what you do and how do you find out what you want to do?

Matthews answers this by defining "doing what you love" is and what it is not. "It‘s not pulling in a pay check for lying on a tropical beach. It is having a passion for something -- and putting all your love, energy and creativity into making it work. It is taking risks. And usually, it is having to make it work just so you can feed yourself!"

How does one find or discover his passion" Matthews gives this practical advice: simplify your life and eliminate some of the garbage from your routine so you can see more clearly. "Listen to yourself and try new things. Try ten things...nine may not excite you, but number ten may open up a whole new world. If that doesn‘t work, try another ten things," he advises.

Choose to enjoy. He adds if you want to, you can enjoy almost any job and if you work at something you love, you‘ll be happier and you‘ll be more likely to succeed. "Choose to like whatever you are doing at the moment then go follow your heart," he says. Lest you be confused, he says these two actions do not contradict each other. "In the short term, you need to make the best of a situation. If you need the cash, you may need to stay in your current job while you plan your future," he says.

He goes on to say that when there is no struggle, something is missing. "That‘s why so many children of the rich and famous overdose on heroin and blow their brains out. They have no challenge. Whether they work or not, their material needs are met," reasons Matthews. (This reminds us of a passage from Francisco Balagtas‘ "Florante at Laura": "ang laki sa layaw, karinawa’y hubad, sa bait at muni, sa hatol ay salat.")

The truth is, Matthews contends, we relish challenge in our work so much that we go looking for it. And although some would pray that their job not be repetitious, the reality is that most jobs are. "If you are a secretary, you type one letter after another. If you are a movie star, you do one take after another," says Matthews.

Homework principle. Matthews tells of another secret in finding meaning in work: give one hundred percent. "It doesn‘t matter whether you‘ve been out of school for 50 years, the homework principle still applies. Your teachers, your bosses and your parents told you to work hard but you don‘t work to please parents and teachers. You do it for you," says Matthews.

He says life in the workplace is about working for yourself, not for your boss. "None of your employers will be perfect and your colleagues may be lazy." But when you sign on as an employee, your job is to give your best, not to pick holes in the guy who signs the checks!"

Matthews says enjoying one‘s work is a choice and goes on to debunk the myth that there are "happy" things and "unhappy" things to do. "An interesting person can make a dull job interesting. This doesn‘t mean that an out-of-work banker ought to wash cars for 20 years -- but a few months might be good therapy! With our affluence comes arrogance. The retrenched architect says =I do buildings but I don‘t do windows.‘ Dismissed executives attach themselves to the government nipple, never considering they might wait on tables rather than draw a dole check," he adds.

Focus. Do what you can do and don‘t measure your abilities against others, Matthews emphasizes. "Too often, we underestimate our own talents. The potter says: =If I could make music, now that would be something.‘ The pianist says: 'If only I could make things with my hands...‘ Fulfillment comes from developing your gifts, not wishing for someone else‘s," he says.

He cites a perfect example -- the world-renowned golfer Jack Nicklaus. When people talk about his golfing success, they generally talk of his extraordinary talent. When Jack talks of his success, he talks about the extra practice balls he hit. Jack knew that the difference between Jack Nicklaus and a thousand other talented golfers was attitude and hard work.

"If there is an outstanding quality common to great artists, scientists, sports stars, humanitarians, and business tycoons, it is not their talent -- it is their focus. Once you know what you want to do, get focused! You can‘t do everything. You can‘t save the whales, heal the sick and plug the ozone layer all at the same time. Leave some chores for the rest of humanity," Matthews advises.

People connections. Matthews says whether or not you are fulfilled at work depends on how you serve people. He defines "serving people" as simply knowing that there‘s joy in giving something of yourself which is uniquely yours.

Serving, he says, can be teaching and nursing people. "It can be selling them beautiful flowers, or repairing their radiators with a smile. It‘s not about your job description. It‘s about your philosophy," he says.*

Create Your Family Tree

2011-02-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

My mom will be so proud of me right now. Finally, I got our family tree started today. This has been long overdue because I promised her that this will be my Christmas present for the year 2010. She had been waiting for two months now. Well, let's just put it this way: I have my Christmas present ready last December but I chose to send the package via snail mail and it had to travel across the world via ship just to make it through their doorstep. The most important thing is its on the way.

I had to find the right partner to do it with, that is where GENI comes in. Geni helped me to establish our family tree. It was so easy and the interface is very intuitive. I suggest you create your family tree as well. The great part here is you may invite members of your family to help extend your family tree. This can be your online directory of your family.

Thank you mommy for thinking of these things. I think this will be very useful for all of us in the future.

Redeem Your Miles

2011-02-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've written some useful information here. For those of you who travel frequently and have gathered a significant amount of airmiles under your belt, you might want to redeem them now.

A colleague of mine just shared to us that he was able to redeem a bunch of stuff from Delta's Skymiles program. A Playstation package, iPod touch, etc.

I will be giving away my earned miles to my dad, so that they can save on their plane fare to Manila. Yes, you can transfer your miles too! It's up to you!

A Dose of Brit Pop

2011-01-25T22:22:00.000-08:00

[by grooveshark.com]

I have a penchant for Brit pop. So I created a very short list of songs that I like. This list is quite random. I pulled out whatever song that came to mind. I hope this list does justice on how great a contribution Brit Pop has done for music in general.

The Brits are quite eccentric and it really shows in their music. I also like the fact that their music has much more sense in it than their American counterparts. Maybe that's why I never get tired of listening to the songs here in this playlist. Enjoy!

You can also recommend British acts that I missed, so we can add it to the playlist.

The Filipino Dream

2011-01-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

Over the week I've been lucky enough to watch American Idol's auditions for season 10 for two consecutive evenings. They are only in their first and second leg of auditions. This is the only part of American Idol I watch, since it's very high on entertainment and fun factor.

During auditions, you see a huge dome filled with hopefuls in becoming the next American Idol. Each one believes quite firmly that they are on their way to stardom regardless of their talent. But then there are the truly talented ones where the room is turned into a stage and all your attention is focused on the performer's golden voice. One that truly deserves a golden ticket to Hollywood. A ticket that represents the 'American Dream'.

I quote Wikipedia for its definition of the American Dream:

"life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth."

That made me ask a question to my wife: "Do we have a Filipino Dream?" She replied, "Yes, of course the Filipino dream is to live in America." Then we both laughed, because it's the truth.

The Big Picture by Hans Rosling

2011-01-10T23:26:00.000-08:00

Hans Rosling is no stranger to onehorsepower. I have seen him in TED mostly. He performs amazing number crunching on existing statistical data and presents all the information in an infographic format. Amazing how he marries the two technologies into one to come up with stunning presentation of data.

In this video in collaboration with the BBC, he presents the health and wealth of 200 countries as it progressed 200 years ago until now. The good news, the whole world is getting healthier and richer as we move forward. The bad news, it might take another 200 years from where The Philippines is right now to move to the upper right corner of the chart. Enjoy the show.

After viewing this short video, one can't help but think: "Is wealth really that dependent on your location?"

Bottoms up, Bottoms up!

2011-01-06T23:43:00.000-08:00

I would like to make a toast! Cheers to all:

Who makes the effort everyday to look their best
Who wakes up and drag themselves to work because they have work
Who makes the effort to say good morning to everyone regardless of status
Who are breastfeeding mothers
Who serve their masters well (maids, yayas, drivers, employees, kids, entrepreneurs)
Who does excellent work regardless of the meager salary
Artists, musicians, eccentrics, weirdos as they make this world more interesting than ever
Fathers who work hard to provide for their families
Grandparents who take care of their grandchildren without accepting anything in return
Brave entrepreneurs who take on all the risks, and sustain a lot of families under their wings
Medical staff who takes care of us when we are at our most vulnerable
Traffic enforcers who inhales polluted metro air to add a little order in our chaotic streets
Taho, fruit, and vegetable vendors for bringing the market at our doorsteps
Who puts the effort in maintaining their ideal weight
Who wakes up early to prepare breakfast for their loved ones
Plants for giving us free breathable air
Software Engineers for maintaining online banks so we need not deal with long lines
Valet drivers in making going to the mall on the weekend enjoyable again
Foreigners who call this country their home
of US! for an even brighter, productive, exciting, smashing, adventure-filled, grand year ahead of us.

Feel free to add anything you want to cheer for this year.

I Love January

2011-01-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

The month of January is full of hope for the promise of a better year ahead but the optimism people have during this month doesn't seem to last till the start of February. I remember last year, I was still very much into longboarding. Two weeks in, I sprained my ankle on my new longboard. All throughout 2010, I can still feel the lasting damage it did to my foot.

January here in the Philippines is the kindest month for foreigners to visit the country. The weather is just great. You can still enjoy the relatively cold weather in Metro Manila, without the holiday rush of December. I don't know why, but the traffic around Metro Manila seems to be lighter from January until May and starts to get really ugly during June to December.

January is also the best time to shop. After all the consumption that was done during the holiday season, as if it wasn't enough. The overstocked goods are at their lowest price during these times. Buy the tallest Christmas tree of your dreams right now.

January gives you the opportunity to re-invent yourself. Weather it be a new hair color, haircut, or a new lifestyle. January offers a clean slate, the challenge is to sustain it till the year ends.

January also highlights your need to work. The past month's activities drained all your money and you are quite broke and in credit card debt. January reminds you of your first job when you really needed the money to survive. It's like receiving your first paycheck all over again.

What do you like about January?

My Favorite Book Entry for The Philippine Star Contest

2010-12-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

[kimbofo.typepad.com]

For my top pick, it has to be the book by Betty Smith: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I got this book together with ‘A Million Little Pieces’ by James Frey. Back then, I did not have any idea on what type of books to purchase and read. So I stick to trade paperbacks paying attention to their covers. I look for a sticker on the cover that says it’s recommended or a bestseller. Betty Smith’s book has a lion’s head logo and printed beside it, reads: “Selected as one of the Books of the Century by The New York Public Library”, while Jason Frey’s book is included in the Oprah’s Book Club. So I thought these books must be worth the time reading so I bought both. Now that I’ve read both books, I like New York Public Library’s picks better than Oprah’s.

A Tree grows in Brooklyn has a lot to prove and stand up for its title being named as one of the books of the century. For me, the book did justice and lived up for the title. The book begins with two young siblings Francie and Neely Nolan selling stuff to the junk shop in exchange for pennies. They’d reward themselves candies bought in the store adjacent to the junkshop and gave the rest of the money to their mother to contribute for their dinner. This is how poor they were in Brooklyn, New York. They are a third generation of Austrian immigrants. Their mother Katie Nolan is industrious. Their father Johnny Nolan is an alcoholic. Katie married Johnny mostly because of his looks. Now she pays her dues by working her ass off from morning till the wee hours of the evening just to pay for everything to survive. From this picture alone, one cannot deny the striking similarities of their situation to a regular Filipino family who lives in poverty.

Now the stage is set. We have (1) a poor immigrant family living in a less than ideal situation; (2) parents did not finish college, (3) the kids going to bed with empty stomachs. What do you do in this situation? How do you cope and rise to the occasion? These are the important questions that my favorite book tackled. The book offers clear and concise answers to these questions. The author wrote it by using simple words that a grade school student would understand. She set her characters in a situation where the message is explicitly told as an advice from one generation to another.

In the book, the young mother Katie Nolan had just given birth to baby Francie. She was very concerned about her child’s future. Without a college degree to her belt, she fears her child is destined to become poor and stay poor as her. Katie endures back breaking job for extend periods of time for the meager wage. She could never imagine her child to have the same fate as her. She imagines a better life for her daughter, so she asked her mother: “What must I do to make a different world for her? Where do I start?” Her mother even though she was illiterate herself, she knew based on her experience and observations what it takes to improve one’s quality of life and her answer: “The secret lies in the reading and the writing”.

Read to your child a page a day. She said you must read to a child every day, a page from the great books. She identified the Protestant Bible and Shakespeare as the top two books that should be read to children. These books contain all the wonders and excitement in life. She also advises to never stop reading until the child learns to read by herself.

Tell stories to your child. Tell the tales of role models, Santa Claus, Jesus, fun stories, sad stories, scary stories, inspiring stories, stories of your family, and stories of your childhood. Make them believe in the stories you tell. Storytelling enhances the imagination of the child. It opens up the child to infinite possibilities. When they grow up, they will slowly realize some of the stories you have told are not true. But that is ok. They will be disappointed at first but after recovering from it, they become stronger individuals. The process help builds stronger character when they suffer. The child with a strong character will be more resilient to any adversity she may encounter in life.

Own a piece of land. For the Nolans, it seemed impossible to own a piece of land. They can’t even eat one decent meal throughout the day. But Katie’s mother insisted that it is doable, it will be hard but doable. She instructed the Nolans to save. “Using tin cans nailed to the backs of cabinets as coin banks. Do not let the day pass without saving some amount in the coin bank. She says: Practice frugality every day. If the night is cold, refrain burning additional candles, use a jacket instead. When buying vegetables, if the item is priced at 5 cents, look for something that looks older but still edible and say you’ll get it for two cents. Be firm with your word and you will get it. Save every penny you can and when the time comes when you’re ready to buy land, make sure you have the papers to prove it.” This highlights the importance of knowing how to read. Her mother recalls she had once bought a piece of land and she was given a piece of paper in return. Because she can’t read, she never knew she was swindled. The man ran away with her money just like that.

Katie’s mother stresses the importance of land ownership so that the future generations of the Nolans are assured. They have something to pass on from one generation to the next. Historically, they never owned land, so they till the soil for some other land owners. So when Francie’s father died, they did just that, they bought a small piece of land where they buried their father.

Being a father myself, I have a daughter and another one coming due this December, I share the same worries for my children as Katie Nolan. I do want them to live their best lives. I do want them to have the resources, education, and support they need at their disposal to achieve their personal goals. I want them to be productive individuals who contribute to their community. This book gave me three simple steps to do just that: Read, Tell Stories, and Buy Land.

3D - glasses = 4D

2010-11-18T02:31:00.000-08:00

[youtube.com]

I thought I was amazed by the previous video I posted, but this one is better. This video is jaw dropping WoW! Thank God for the artists, they leave you in awe in the things they create passionately. I think everyone should do passionate work like this and produce much more awesomeness. Great work, Ralph Lauren! Nice shirt too.

Simply Amazing

2010-11-10T03:04:00.000-08:00

[youtube.com]

I found this video while browsing the net aimlessly, an activity that I swear I refrain from doing. I just want to share how simple the idea is but it packs a lot of punch. It proposes a novel solution to a real problem. The inventors of this technology came from a group of Harvard students. My question is, Is it just a coincidence the likes of this project comes from Harvard? or Does it gain such popularity and awareness because Harvard has the connections to promote their products in such a big scale?

A side note, I just watched the movie Social Network with my wife last night. This is the movie which tries to explain the birth of 'thefacebook' social networking site with Mark as the man behind the phenomenon. He also hails from Harvard.

Find out: How much do you love your job?

2010-10-18T03:14:00.000-07:00

Answer this simple question:

Would you still do it even you don't get paid for it?

Power

2010-10-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

Power is the ability to get things done

I read this somewhere in Get Rich Slowly blog. I was drawn to this statement automatically because I am BIG on plans but not in actions. I have applied the Getting Things Done methodology by David Allen and so far I have a lot in my inbox that is on the "Defer" category. Apparently I gave GTD another meaning: Getting Things Deferred.

After realizing this, I am now geared towards taking actions to get things done more versus getting things deferred. I do focus on one item at a time. So far so good. Each day I get more and more powerful.

JBL On time Micro - DONE

2010-10-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

[jbl.com]

The Vision. When I go home from work, I don't want to watch TV. I want to listen to some good relaxing music and come morning, I want to have a reliable alarm clock, nice and loud. The solution is a high fidelity clock radio from JBL. JBL on time micro is my choice. It has an AM/FM tuner, so I could listen to music anytime of day with or without an iPod. It is also acts an alarm clock with two settings one for weekdays and one for weekends for longer snooze times. This is the perfect companion inside the bedroom and it wouldn't take up that
much space.

The Benefits. A relaxed mind will produce more productive results the next day. We'll have less TV time which is very good. Also I'll consistently wake up early. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise by my man Benjamin Franklin.

The Strategy. Priced at 7995 Php early this year, I'm sure prices have gone down by now. I will make this my birthday gift.

I auditioned this @ avant courtesy of a very accommodating salesman. It is quite impressive I must say.

September is UP!

2010-10-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

As the Greenday song goes: "Wake me up when September ends." Today is the start of the final quarter of 2010. Yes, it is that fast. September went by like swish, and I didn't even feel a thing. It has been a busy month full of family oriented activities, freelanthrophy, and work.

So how are you doing with your annual goals? This is a good time to evaluate those goals you've set at the beginning of the year and focus on those goals you can achieve given the remaining months of 2010.

Personally, I have a lot to anticipate this last quarter:

Second daughter's birthday: Lara. We'll be seeing her on December, hoping for a safe delivery.
I think I can still shed 10 lbs.
I'll be renewing my passport tomorrow.
Have my digital library setup in time for the holidays.

That's about it for now.

D-Link Wireless-N Router - D.O.N.E!

2010-08-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

[dlink.com]

The Vision. I am lounging in our bed with Erin's iTouch in hand. She is sleeping that's why I have her iTouch, otherwise I won't even have a chance to hold it. I open up the browser and check my email, browse ffffound, read my daily dose of my favorite blogs and sites. Check out the latest free iPhone Apps at the AppStore, all that while while my back rests flat on the bed, and my head supported by a stack of pillows. Wow. This is made possible by my new D-Link Wireless-N router. Surfing while relaxing.

The Benefit. No more aching back while sitting in front of the computer table for extended periods. Boot up time eliminated. Surf practically anywhere in the house.

The Game Plan. Priced at a comfortable 2500 Php. I think I can save up for this baby in three consecutive paydays. That is, after I saved up on my Digital Library.

The Deadline. November 2010

I know this is not the most important thing to have but that's why its in the want list. Do you share the same thoughts? Are you willing to keep your connection open to the public?

Si Puti

2010-08-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

[nissan-carz.com]

The Nissan Navara. This is one of the objects of my desire. A car that has attitude, beauty and brute. This will survive floods in Marikina.

It is important to have objects of your desire in place. These things can and will be yours with the right attitude and relentless determination.

What's your dream car? Let me know by placing a comment on this post.

Green & Go

2010-08-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been busy doing green stuff: Promoting The Freelanthropist* blog and working my way to have indoor plants @ home.

Two separate activities both transpired during the long weekend. You can check out The Freelanthropist* for my newest offer. Join in to have a chance at it. You will also receive a Freelanthropist* sticker that I had ordered, I'm very happy about how that turned out.

I started planting wheat grass on white porcelain containers. A summary of the materials are listed below.

Wheatberries. Wheat grass seeds bought in Edsa Garden House @ 300 PHP a kilo
Magic Jelly. Soil replacement bought in SM @ 70 PHP
White Containers. White Mug bought in SM @ 40 PHP. Also, two decorative vases @ 79 PHP each bought at Market! Market! department store.

With just two spoonfuls of wheat berries, I was able to fill 4 small containers of wheat grass sprouts. The whole process is easy, just follow the directions in the wheat berries packaging. It's like planting munggo seeds. I chose to plant wheat grass because it looks ZEN and cool, low maintenance, and it doesn't take a green thumb to make them grow.To my surprise, wheat grass has more to offer than its appearance. It is deemed to have all these healthy properties. It grows very fast. Both projects are quite successful and I wish they gain more and more fans.

Eight.Nine.Ten

2010-08-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

[thefreelanthropist*]

A year ago in onehorsepower I wrote about the date July 08, 2009 or simply 07/08/09. It was supposed to be a lucky day. Can you remember how your day transpired back then?

Today is 08/09/10! I do believe this day brings more luck than the last year's 07/08/09, why? Let me begin by introducing you to The Freelanthropist. This is my latest project where I give a free gift. All you have to do is apply for this gift, and justify why you are the best person to receive the gift. Do this by simply filling out a Freelanthropist "Grant" Application form. Right now I am giving away an Ungaro Man perfume by Salvatore Ferragamo.

The success or failure of this project lies in your hands. As support coming from you will be my fuel to continue on this project. Thank you and good luck!

Today in TED

2010-08-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

[youtube.com]

I bring you Jeff Bezos' answer to Steve Jobs Stanford address to graduating students. I assume you guys all know Steve Jobs of Pixar and the fruit company: Apple. Let me introduce to you Amazon.com's main man, Jeff Bezos. In his Princeton address, he adapts the same approach of Steve Jobs by telling his personal story. Simple yet powerful.

You will learn a ton of stuff from this 18 minute 44 second clip compared to a 2-hour noontime show on a local channel. Do yourself a favor and watch this.

Watching this made me feel a Princeton graduate myself.

Kayumanggi Passport - DONE!

2010-08-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

[wn.com]

The Vision. Kayumanggi, a shade of brown is not only the color of my skin but will be also the color of my passport. Right now, all I have is the old green passport. The Philippine government is pushing for a machine readable passport, that's why I'm getting one. I'm not planning to travel at least out of the country this year but who knows? I have to be always ready as boyscout. This new passport will be a busy one and will be the witness of all our family travels. It has to be machine readable to ease stress while we travel.

The Benefit. This is a testament that I am indeed a Filipino. Brown passport = brown skin makes sense to me. I will always be ready to travel once the opportunity presents itself. This official document will add to the list of my valid ID's. Ultimately, this will document another chapter in my life as a world traveler. Should I get the passport with more pages? Hmm...

The Tools. The DFA epassport site. No need for pictures. DFA Appointment System Hotline (02) 737.1000.

The Deadline. SEPT 2010

Green is definitely IN but not on a Philippine passport. Renew yours now! What! You don't have one? It's OK if you're not Filipino. If you are, see you in DFA. Remember, your passport is the key to seeing the rest of the world!

onesixty @ thirty

2010-08-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

[by flickr.com]

The Vision. I weigh about 170 pounds right now. I'll be shedding ten pounds of fat before my 30th birthday, that's three months away from now. By then, I will feel lighter, stronger, and look beefier. This is not for vanity's sake but in losing ten pounds I'll be more active and have more room to do more things, enjoy more physical activities like chasing my two year old daughter. This will raise my energy level and improve my immune system. The general idea is be healthier and more fit.

The Game Plan. In the morning, do light stretching and deep breathing exercises for about 10 - 15 minutes. Thrice a week do 2 sets of 20: kettle bell swings, push ups, squats. During lunch hour, take a brisk walk round the office vicinity. I just don't want to over do it since I tend to get sick while my body recovers from strenuous exercise.

The Tools. One 16kg Kettle bell. Consistency. Vitamin C. Zinc. Body weight. Commitment. Walking shoes. H20. Determination.

The Deadline. 26 OCT 2010. Overall, I should make a habit out of it.

Tired of feeling lethargic? You might want to set your weight loss goals as well. Be Active and reap all the benefits.

The Digital Library - DONE

2010-07-31T01:16:00.000-07:00

[seagate freeagent goflex]

The Vision. This is a reliable digital storage of all of the ARTAJOS family digital files. It will be alphabetically arranged by category. I have finished my offline version of this filing system. I based it on the ONE file system described by David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD). It is doing its magic for us right now and this will be the extension of that system with our digital files. It's a way of getting organized.

The Benefit. Music CD's, Family Pictures, Important Documents, Movies, etc. will all be converted to their digital formats thus eliminating clutter in the house. Everything will be indexed and easily searchable. It will all be worth the effort.

The Tools. SeaGate FreeAgent GoFlex 1TB + Digital Files + Will Power to ORGANIZE + Scanner + CD Ripping Software + PC.

The Deadline. 26 OCT 2010

Date Acomplished. 16 FEB 2011

It took a while for me to accomplish this, because it's not high on the priority list. Anyways, I just bought a 500 GB instead. I figured it's all I could afford and I thought it would still fit my needs.

Do you have your own digital library setup? How is it different from my vision? I'd like to know. Share by placing your comment below.

For Entrepreneurs to Watch and Read

2010-07-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

I like this video very much. It's straight to the point. It's typographic. Most of all it's inspiring. Hope you receive the message loud and clear because entrepreneurship IS a career option. I think our country needs more entrepreneurs to solve one of the many problems our country have.

Free Seminar!

2010-06-28T01:06:00.000-07:00

[by palomar.edu]

Our very good filipino-chinese community is offering a once in a year event! It is a week of pure business talk, ALL FOR FREE! This happens on the first week of July 05 - 09, 2010. So might I suggest free up your schedule, download, and fill up the application forms! Not tomorrow, not later, but RIGHT NOW!

Some of the topics to be covered during the course of the week-long affair includes:

How to start a business
Grow your business for less
Finding business opportunities amidst crisis
Accounting for Non-Accountants
A successful transition from corporate life to entrepreneurship
and more...

Opportunity doesn't knock twice, Of course you already knew that. Sign up now, see you there! This seminar brought to you by the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. Join the BIG league.

Fillout and fax this form to 244.4977

BE STUPID.

2010-06-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

Online Radio: Music Discovered

2010-06-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

[by textually.org]

I bet you're tired of listening to your stale playlist by now. However you seem to turn on the shuffle mode, it doesn't surprise you anymore. Listening to music was never this tiring. It's like eating your favorite left over pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You need variety. You need something new, you need something easy on the ears, you need to discover songs that you haven't memorized the lyrics yet.

Good thing we have the world wide web. There are a lot of things it can offer aside from Google! I use the internet to discover new music. Music from other countries, yes we have the billboard charts that dictate the hottest and latest songs but there are some artists that are waiting to be discovered. They cannot be found in the mainstream category, but some deserve your equal attention. Great songs just waiting to be discovered.

How do you tap this great resource? You need not go far, you just have to have a broadband connection and using your favorite media player, for example:

iTunes > Library > Radio
Windows Media Player > Media Guide > Internet Radio

Word of caution though, listening to internet radio is not cheap on the bandwidth's point of view. It uses a significant amount of bandwidth, so use it sparingly. Enjoy your new music, have fun and discover!

Look what I discovered! (on top of the page, click play Katy Perry's California Gurls)

Andrew's Library: Letters from a Stoic by Seneca

2010-06-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

[by boomerangbooks]

A penguin classic, this book comes in black featuring a marble bust of Seneca in the book cover. This seems like hardcore stuff, so why read it? Because Tim Ferris said so. For those who don't know Tim Ferris, he's the author of the four-hour work week (I can't think of anyone who wouldn't love to have that kind of work week.)

To give you a background, Seneca is an important philosopher, important, but not as mainstream as Aristotle or Plato. He is the adviser of young Nero, before Nero turned mad. Under Seneca's supervision, during Nero's rule Rome experienced a sound government.

Back to the book, I struggled quite a bit reading through it as this is not originally written in the English language and certainly not of our time but it's amazing how we still have access to this age old book and read through Seneca's thoughts on life and how to live life to a Stoic's point of view.

Reading this book cleared up the fact what Stoicism is really about. It is about living life simply. No desire for luxury and flaunting of blings. Stoics were often mistaken to be apathetic, unable to feel, lack emotions. What's interesting about Seneca, he has the precision of a diamond cutter in using his words. He delivers his message in flawless clarity. His message shines brilliant even it comes in a carat. This is a gem of a book not to be missed.

Andrew's Library: Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

2010-06-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

[by amazon]

This book is a quick read with 240 pages, I finished reading mine roughly three to four days. I got my copy from booksale as most of my books come from. This book was sitting comfortably in our room's shelf, as my daughter held her hands up telling me she wants to be carried. As I willingly obliged to her whim, she singled out this book from the shelf. That's when I began to read the book.

The book is entitled the same as the painting. Yes, it is a painting as well. It is the masterpiece of Vermeer and deemed to be the Monalisa of the Dutch. I never knew that of course prior to reading this book. What's interesting in this story, it gives you a window in the life of artists and their subjects as they piece together the painting. There's no instant gratification here, nothing that a viewfinder and a DSLR camera can produce. The painting took months to complete. Pigments needed to be ground, the scene preserved: it must be cleaned but not altered, the subject (the girl) need to hold her pose and do household chores after.

For every book, there is always something to think about. It's interesting how Vermeer was giving crash course lessons to the girl on how to view the world through an artist's critical eye. Find out why the sky, that's generally blue is not really blue after all. Happy reading.

Click to hear Tracy Chevalier read an excerpt from the book

Smashing Resume

2010-05-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

My resume just recently underwent a major revamp. My Smashing Book just arrived in the mail and after reading a few chapters, it inspired me to create my Typograhic Resume. I followed simple rules, small changes here and there, but I think a little goes a long way. Let's see how far this resume will take me after the upgrade.

I kept it in PDF format to preserve the font and formatting. It looks more professional that-a-way. A few points to consider when you decide to have a resume touch up:

Your contact information is the STAR of the whole document.
Use a readable font: Georgia, Garamond, and Palatino for serifs. Verdana, Arial, and Lucida Sans for sans-serifs. My Choice: Myriad Pro. No Times New Roman please.
Use a grid or table based design.
Trim the level of detail of information you want to show to your readers. Hiring managers are very busy.
Highlight your achievements in each job you had.

Finally, here are the resources I used to come up with my Smashing Resume:

The Score

2010-05-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

I fought and won the battle.

The Place : Isuzu Cainta
The Opponent : Isuzu Service Crew
The Battle cry : Our car deserves the best service after paying top peso(top dollar!?)

I went to Isuzu Cainta to have our car serviced for regular maintenance. Being pressed for time, I did this on a weekday. Left the car in the morning all dirtied up from the rough weekend it had. The day after, I took public transport to claim my newly serviced car. I was expecting a wham-bam breezy transaction with the cashier and a spic & span Isuzu Crosswind ready for battle. I paid almost six thousand pesos for parts and services but I was utterly disappointed what six thousand pesos is worth nowadays. I got in with a dirty car, and they were ready to hand me off an even dirtier car. As if I paid them to smear the car with hands covered in grease. I said to myself, I won't tolerate this! I won't let this pass and I want them to feel the impact of what I had to say.

So after whipping out my credit card and settled the bill, I politely asked for the branch manager. I voiced out my concerns and he gladly obliged. My car received immediate attention. I received his apologies in behalf of his staff. Also, his direct phone number for future appointments and promised he will personally attend to my requests.

There are important things to be noted in this event. Being the customer,

You have every right to demand quality service from them. You worked hard for your money. Let them do the same.
It's your responsibility to report to the management what they're doing wrong. This is for the benefit of other customers too.
Fight to let your voice heard by the correct people. People that have the power to fix the problem.

I commend the manager by taking my complaint with an open mind and provided solutions not excuses. Now,

The Score : onehorsepower: 1 Isuzu Cainta: 0

The Earthwing Boomerang

2010-05-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

Deck 38.0" L x 9.5" W x 29" WB
Trucks 10" Independent with risers
Wheels 70mm/83a Purps Orangatangs
Bearings Bones Reds

Best high speed carver ever super pre-loaded snappy high performing flex - good for heavyweights too. Vertically laminated grade A aspen core with Purple Heart stringers sandwiched between pre-cured unidirectional carbon fiber / bi-axial s/glass skins. Adjustable wheelbase, slight functional chamber, new school hole pattern.

I received this as my Christmas gift last year. It was the best Christmas ever! This is hard, but I'm willing to let it all go. This baby is up for adoption. Take good care of him. All yours for 13000 Php. Call +63 920 914 9774. Email andrew(dot)artajos(at)gmail(dot)com.

The Sector 9 Kommi

2010-05-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Deck 38.0" L x 9.0" W x 28.5" WB
Trucks 10" Gullwing Charger
Wheels 70mm/80a Nineball
Bearings Abec 5 Greaseball

The Kommi board is pressed with 8 Ply Maple - Flush mount drop through. The board shape and mold are designed to be extra responsive to the rider's commands. Great for higher speed carving and taking control of tougher steeper terrain.

Forget your wave boards, this is the real deal! This is my beginner board and I'm puting this on sale and it just might serve you well as your practice board too!

All yours for the sweet price of 6500 Php. Call +63 920 914 9774. Email andrew(dot)artajos(at)gmail(dot)com

Homebound

2010-04-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

Today/Tonight/Now... I'm at a loss since I'm in mid-air. I left my family behind to be with my family. It's confusing really. I felt right at home with my mom, dad, kuya and sister-in-law but then I'm missing my wife and daughter. I've been away far too long and it's time to go home.

I bring with me bags full of goodies not any different from the bags my fellow pinoys have. The contents of these packages are accumulated through time. Hard earned money spent lovingly, on items for each member of the family in mind. A feeling that stirs up your imagination, thinking...

"this will look cute on her"
"she'll like this for sure"
"will this still fit?"
"this is her favorite color."

It instantly brings you closer to them despite the great distance that spans between you. Just the mere thought of seeing the reaction on their faces when they receive their presents, sends a warm fuzzy feeling inside. This is Retail Therapy working its magic.

Free Lunch - There is such a thing!

2010-04-11T20:13:00.001-07:00

Flight DL6182478369 - Delta Breezeway Sliver Elite

This is my first time flying business class. I could definitely get used to this.

Novice Note:

The flight attendant offered me lunch and I said no outright, thinking that there will be extra charge for it. A few minutes later when reality sank in, I thought... "Yeah, I'm a little hungry right now and probably this is how they operate behind the closed curtains." So, I immediately called the flight attendant ate my words and soon after I was eating free lunch.

Wonder how is it different from economy class?

Fifth to board the plane. No lines.I checked three bags for my domestic flight, all for FREE.
Had my jacket stowed neatly in a closet by my courteous flight attendant before take-off
A roomy leather chair that comes in pair divided by a wide arm-rest. Clearly no room for a third party.

I'm feelin' this! I feel so blessed. I'm putting this away (mobile device) and I'll sit back, relax, and ENJOY the rest of this flight. Nashville, here I come!

Hi to my friends all over!

2010-04-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

I just came back from the other side of the globe for some hardcore work. But that doesn't mean I didn't have any fun during the process. I got to see my friends in Boston, MA once again with the addition of two new members. Nice to see them again wrapped in thick winter clothes. I also got to visit my family back in Nashville, TN, my home away from home. I got to meet the newest member of the Artajos family. We got acquainted during a favorite Artajos family pastime, shopping!

Well, I notice my flag counter and see regular visitors. I wanna acknowledge you guys for checking out onehorsepower time and again. I wonder how's the weather there in your country? It's scorching hot over here in the Philippines. It's a perfect time to visit the sandy beaches and dip in the warm waters with the long weekend coming soon.

In the next onehorsepower articles I will be posting, is an account of some of the valuable moments of my trip in the US. I am definitely back!

Penta What?

2010-03-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

The pentatonic scale... you never realized it's in you!

n.b. Bobby McFerrin is most famous for bringing us the song Don't Worry Be Happy

Andrew's Library: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

2010-03-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

This is something new for onehorsepower: I will be featuring books that I recently finished reading. My latest book is The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. Her story is popular enough to be recognized by anybody, because it deserves to be. But for the benefit of the others who haven't heard of her yet, I'll have the pleasure to introduce Helen Keller to you.

Helen Keller is a college graduate, author, and a friend of powerful people during her time (e.g. Alexander Graham Bell ). She is also deaf and blind since she was a toddler. An amazing feat for a person in such a condition.

This book is a quick read since she wrote this in her early 20's, no complicated jargon. You will learn how she overcame the hurdles given that she has no sense of sight and sound. But more importantly, the thing that struck me the most is how she constantly connects with her friends and family. She treasures the very minute details of the world and she is thankful for everything that she has. Helen is vocal about it through her letters to her friends and family, the key to her success.

I Just Love the Weather

2010-03-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

NOT!

Better Than S...

2010-02-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

I have recently found a great way to exercise. It's a total body workout, very satisfying and you'll definitely come back for more. It's Better Than Swimming but definitely not Better than the other S.. but I'm sure it will definitely improve your performance in that department. ; )

I recently sprained my ankle in the onset of year 2010. What a way to start a year, right? So while in recovery, I'm taking advantage of my time and still engage in physically challenging activities without putting so much stress on my ankle.

I introduce you to the Kettlebell. It's cardio + strength training combined, but instead doubling the time you spend in the gym it will be cut in half. It's not boring and repetitive. It will give a very intense workout and leave you gasping for air like you're being drowned in a bucket of water.

Here's where you can reach them:

Krav Maga Philippines
2F Asuncion Badminton Center
20 E. Maclang St cor P. Guevarra St. San Juan MM

Contact No's:
Tel: (632) 726-5021, 723-6053 Fax: (632) 7254942

Look No Further

2010-02-03T01:35:00.000-08:00

Today, I veer away from the usual short posts you usually see here @ onehorsepower. Let me share to you an excerpt of Russell Conwell's story while he was in a foreign land. I'm sure this touches a soft spot in the hearts of many Filipinos working abroad. This may not hold true to a select few, and you should consider yourself lucky, but for the rest it is a reality.

Acres of Diamonds
By Russell H. Conwell

I am astonished that so many people should care to hear this story over again. Indeed, this lecture has become a study in psychology; it often breaks all rules of oratory, departs from the precepts of rhetoric, and yet remains the most popular of any lecture I have delivered in the fifty-seven years of my public life. I have sometimes studied for a year upon a lecture and made careful research, and then presented the lecture just once -- never delivered it again. I put too much work on it. But this had no work on it -- thrown together perfectly at random, spoken offhand without any special preparation, and it succeeds when the thing we study, work over, adjust to a plan, is an entire failure.

The "Acres of Diamonds" which I have mentioned through so many years are to be found in this city, and you are to find them. Many have found them. And what man has done, man can do. I could not find anything better to illustrate my thought than a story I have told over and over again, and which is now found in books in nearly every library.

In 1870 we went down the Tigris River. We hired a guide at Bagdad to show us Persepolis, Nineveh and Babylon, and the ancient countries of Assyria as far as the Arabian Gulf. He was well acquainted with the land, but he was one of those guides who love to entertain their patrons; he was like a barber that tells you many stories in order to keep your mind off the scratching and the scraping. He told me so many stories that I grew tired of his telling them and I refused to listen -- looked away whenever he commenced; that made the guide quite angry.

I remember that toward evening he took his Turkish cap off his head and swung it around in the air. The gesture I did not understand and I did not dare look at him for fear I should become the victim of another story. But, although I am not a woman, I did look, and the instant I turned my eyes upon that worthy guide he was off again. Said he, "I will tell you a story now which I reserve for my particular friends!" So then, counting myself a particular friend, I listened, and I have always been glad I did.

He said there once lived not far from the River Indus an ancient Persian by the name of Al Hafed. He said that Al Hafed owned a very large farm with orchards, grain fields and gardens. He was a contented and wealthy man -- contented because he was wealthy, and wealthy because he was contented. One day there visited this old farmer one of those ancient Buddhist priests, and he sat down by Al Hafed's fire and told that old farmer how this world of ours was made.

He said that this world was once a mere bank of fog, which is scientifically true, and he said that the Almighty thrust his finger into the bank of fog and then began slowly to move his finger around and gradually to increase the speed of his finger until at last he whirled that bank of fog into a solid ball of fire, and it went rolling through the universe, burning its way through other cosmic banks of fog, until it condensed the moisture without, and fell in floods of rain upon the heated surface and cooled the outward crust. Then the internal flames burst through the cooling crust and threw up the mountains and made the hills and the valleys of this wonderful world of ours. If this internal melted mass burst out and cooled very quickly it became granite; that which cooled less quickly became silver; and less quickly, gold; and after gold diamonds were made. Said the old priest, "A diamond is a congealed drop of sunlight."

This is a scientific truth also. You all know that a diamond is pure carbon, actually deposited sunlight -- and he said another thing I would not forget: he declared that a diamond is the last and highest of God's mineral creations, as a woman is the last and highest of God's animal creations. I suppose that is the reason why the two have such a liking for each other. And the old priest told Al Hafed that if he had a handful of diamonds he could purchase a whole country, and with a mine of diamonds he could place his children upon thrones through the influence of their great wealth.

Al Hafed heard all about diamonds and how much they were worth, and went to his bed that night a poor man -- not that he had lost anything, but poor because he was discontented and discontented because he thought he was poor. He said: "I want a mine of diamonds!" So he lay awake all night, and early in the morning sought out the priest.

Now I know from experience that a priest when awakened early in the morning is cross. He awoke that priest out of his dreams and said to him, "Will you tell me where I can find diamonds?" The priest said, "Diamonds? What do you want with diamonds?" "I want to be immensely rich," said Al Hafed, "but I don't know where to go." "Well," said the priest, "if you will find a river that runs over white sand between high mountains, in those sands you will always see diamonds." "Do you really believe that there is such a river?" "Plenty of them, plenty of them; all you have to do is just go and find them, then you have them." Al Hafed said, "I will go." So he sold his farm, collected his money at interest, left his family in charge of a neighbor, and away he went in search of diamonds.

He began very properly, to my mind, at the Mountains of the Moon. Afterwards he went around into Palestine, then wandered on into Europe, and at last, when his money was all spent, and he was in rags, wretchedness and poverty, he stood on the shore of that bay in Barcelona, Spain, when a tidal wave came rolling in through the Pillars of Hercules and the poor, afflicted, suffering man could not resist the awful temptation to cast himself into that incoming tide, and he sank beneath its foaming crest, never to rise in this life again.

When that old guide had told me that very sad story, he stopped the camel I was riding and went back to fix the baggage on one of the other camels, and I remember thinking to myself, "Why did he reserve that for his particular friends?" There seemed to be no beginning, middle or end -- nothing to it. That was the first story I ever heard told or read in which the hero was killed in the first chapter. I had but one chapter of that story and the hero was dead.

When the guide came back and took up the halter of my camel again, he went right on with the same story. He said that Al Hafed's successor led his camel out into the garden to drink, and as that camel put its nose down into the clear water of the garden brook Al Hafed's successor noticed a curious flash of light from the sands of the shallow stream, and reaching in he pulled out a black stone having an eye of light that reflected all the colors of the rainbow, and he took that curious pebble into the house and left it on the mantel, then went on his way and forgot all about it.

A few days after that, this same old priest who told Al Hafed how diamonds were made, came in to visit his successor, when he saw that flash of light from the mantel. He rushed up and said, "Here is a diamond -- here is a diamond! Has Al Hafed returned?" "No, no; Al Hafed has not returned and that is not a diamond; that is nothing but a stone; we found it right out here in our garden." "But I know a diamond when I see it," said he; "that is a diamond!"

Then together they rushed to the garden and stirred up the white sands with their fingers and found others more beautiful, more valuable diamonds than the first, and thus, said the guide to me, were discovered the diamond mines of Golconda, the most magnificent diamond mines in all the history of mankind, exceeding the Kimberley in its value. The great Kohinoor diamond in England's crown jewels and the largest crown diamond on earth in Russia's crown jewels, which I had often hoped she would have to sell before they had peace with Japan, came from that mine, and when the old guide had called my attention to that wonderful discovery he took his Turkish cap off his head again and swung it around in the air to call my attention to the moral.

Those Arab guides have a moral to each story, though the stories are not always moral. He said had Al Hafed remained at home and dug in his own cellar or in his own garden, instead of wretchedness, starvation, poverty and death -- a strange land, he would have had "acres of diamonds" -- for every acre, yes, every shovelful of that old farm afterwards revealed the gems which since have decorated the crowns of monarchs. When he had given the moral to his story, I saw why he had reserved this story for his "particular friends." I didn't tell him I could see it; I was not going to tell that old Arab that I could see it. For it was that mean old Arab's way of going around such a thing, like a lawyer, and saying indirectly what he did not dare say directly, that there was a certain young man that day traveling down the Tigris River that might better be at home in America. I didn't tell him I could see it.

A Gold Mind

2010-01-27T01:59:00.000-08:00

An Idea Is Gold Only If You Name It
by Austin Kleon

I picked this golden nugget of wisdom while aimlessly digging in the world wide net, and I want to share this to everyone. I don't want to adulterate the message it wants to convey to the readers so I am posting Brian Eno's take on the subject matter. He said:

"Giving something a name can be just the same as inventing it. By naming something, you create a difference. You say that this is now real. Names are very important."

Now you may ask how does this relate to me? Well, I think this is very empowering for us. It makes you realize that we what it takes to take an idea into a reality... To create something out of nothing. All you have to do is give it a name. It will be the very first step in turning it into something tangible, profitable, real.

Gone Swimmin'

2010-01-21T03:08:00.000-08:00

Since it is a FUN-centric year, what else can be more fun than swimming? I've been recently reading up on Tim Ferris' blog, The Four Hour Workweek, and came across a nifty video on swimming. This video proposes a few tweaks in swimming that's supposedly more efficient than the traditional freestyle. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks convincing. Let's hit the pool!

Change is here! Join SeaChange International

2010-01-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

It's the start of the new year. So why are you still there in your same old boring job? Start the year right. It's high time you take the leap. Join SeaChange, do it now!

Send your resumes to andrew.artajos@gmail.com together with your desired position indicated in the message. Pick one:

SeaChange is located @ 2/F Building A, UP-Ayala Land Techno Hub Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman Quezon City 1105

Join the Fight Club

2010-01-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

As I started blogging last June 2009, I have created 38 posts to date. 38 unrelated posts. This blog doesn't really target any specific audience, it's not created for profit, it doesn't showcase the work I've done -- to the world, it's pretty much self serving really. It aims to make my name a household name. That's nice. That's definitely nice for my sake, but it doesn't really add value to my readers and followers alike. I don't even have the strategy to get to my goal.

One thing note-worthy though is that this onehorsepowered blog just refuses to die out on the cold. Onehorsepower is a fighter. The average blog site has a life span of six months before a blog gets totally abandoned by their creators. There will be changes on the site, at least with the articles I put out and there's no better time to start but now!

I'm bringing you two articles from CopyBlogger by Jonathan Morrow about being a fighter. Reading both articles are definitely worth your while. Enjoy!

1. The Alexander Graham Bell Guide to Changing the World

2. On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas

I hope these articles deliver the one-two punch message right into your gut as it did to mine. ;)

Grab SomeSerious F.U.N.

2010-01-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

One of the major themes for 20+10 for the ARTajos family is to have someserious fun!

We'll probably make a splash in one of the beaches scattered round the Philippines.
Join a gang. More on this soon!
Ride some concrete waves on EP prototypes
Add another member to ensure extreme fun
Have a big THREE-Oh party!
Make something out of something else (interesting)
Life in Technicolor
Have the pictures to prove IT!

All of these will be done in the playgrounds of the Philippines. Hope you can join in, it will be F.U.N!

Craziest Thing You've Ever Done?

2010-01-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

When asked this question, most of us respond with funny or extreme answers like:

I ate my booger. I jumped off of a bridge with a bungee cord of course.

As for me. I wrote an email to myself. Now, who would write to himself, right? Now THAT is crazy. Yes you speak to your closest friends and family, ask them how they are... what's new? but never would you ask yourself those questions. That's just crazy! Well that's the craziest thing I did this week and I was surprised about the things that came up in that message.

The process of writing to yourself reveals a lot about you, your concerns, goals, the things important to you. It will all be there.

New Year's Message

2010-01-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

My blog slept for a full month, and is back with a barrel-full of optimism for the year 2010. I am grateful for the year that was. It's nice to look back on things that went well for good memories, and the things that went totally hay-wire to pick up a nuggets of knowledge that will make you wiser the next time around.

One thing that I learned from 2009, is to spend less and less time online. I noticed that this hogs a lot of my time without getting anything accomplished. It's much more fun to spend time outside than being in front of the computer! Live your life outside!

It's a jungle out there

2009-11-24T19:32:00.000-08:00

Below is an excerpt from the first chapter of the book: Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim which struck a chord with me. It is offered freely in her blog site. I'd like to share this to all of my readers and hopefully you will find the courage to wake up the lion in you and break out of your comfort zone.

"I was in Africa last year and saw a lot of animals in the wild that I’d only seen in zoos before. It was remarkable how different they seemed. Particularly lions. Lions in the wild seem about ten times more alive. They’re like different animals. I suspect that working for oneself feels better to humans in much the same way that living in the wild must feel better to a wide-ranging predator like a lion. Life in a zoo is easier, but it isn’t the life they were designed for."

Homegrown Goodness

2009-11-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

The time is now for Filipino brands to take first place in the local and global market. Manny Pacquiao showed us it can be done in boxing, why not in business right? It can be done.

This is our newest venture into business: Human Nature. I'd like to get the word out on these excellent Filipino beauty products. Human nature concocted a whole line of organic beauty products with ingredients sourced locally. Benefits the Filipino farmers, the environment, and everyone who use bottle of Human nature product.

My personal favorites are the Moringa(aka Malunggay) Toner, Moringa Facial Wash (works like my clinique cleanser), and Mandarin Shampoo (smells ponkan na ponkan), Sugarcane and Watermelon Hand Sanitizer, and Peppermint lip balm.

Prices are listed in their website as you can see they're very affordable. Feel free to ask for free trials, you may place your orders to:

Andrew: andrew.artajos@gmail.com
Mavic : mavic.artajos@gmail.com

A smile on our face by SM

2009-11-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

We're still recovering from the recent floods, slowly but surely. Budget is tight, but we still need to buy the utmost necessities.

We bought a few items from ShoeMart (SM) Department store last night. It amounted to PHP 500+, so we marched to the cashier and produced our SM Advantage rewards card and a crisp hot off the ATM 1000 peso bill. I was quite ready to part with it but the cashier informed us that we have more than enough points to shoulder the entire amount. We left the cashier without spending a single cent. It was quite unexpected but very much appreciated

This is excellent shopping. :)

SM is a really big company that owns a chain of malls here in the Philippines.

VICKS + SOCKS

2009-11-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

I hope you remember this once you get a stuffy nose. Yesterday I can't breathe through my nose. It's full of snot and my eyes are puffy. It really is uncomfortable to sleep. All of us in the family have some sort of cough, colds, and some gooey stuff dripping out of our noses.

I'm going to show you a way to breathe in and out as breezy as an industrial electric fan.

Get your Vicks
Ask someone to rub it on the soles of your feet (It feels better when someone else puts it on you)
Put on a thick pair of socks

Works everytime!

Surrounded by Water

2009-10-16T00:56:00.001-07:00

After all the typhoons that struck the Philippines, onehorsepower still stands.

I was in the middle of it all when typhoon Ondoy struck Marikina, Philippines. Our house was filled with thigh deep flood water. Power and phone lines all went down together with our dampened spirits. The damage report:

Both cars were submerged in filthy flood water, until now it smells
All of our mattresses were wiped out, no beds to sleep on
Precious photographs of our youth were also ravaged
My daughter suffered from diarrhea and dehydration

There were a lot worse stories from other people compared to what we experienced. Still we are thankful that we're all safe, thank you to my sister's house with a second floor. There we spent several days as refugees when we were in the process of week-long house cleaning.

Slowly we're recovering from it all. We're taking the path to recovery one day at a time. Thanks to those who helped us, who texted, wanted to know if we're still alive and to my family for sticking together when the going gets flood.

I picked up a few good lessons from surviving the floods. That and much more, till the next post.

onehorsepower - flood survivor.

Keeping your eyes on the goal

2009-09-14T23:46:00.001-07:00

I've been saving up my loose change for several years now. I got the habit from my brother. I was quite surprised how far my loose change turned into a significant amount. My biggest earning to date is around 13,000 PHP thanks to the help of my wife. The sum was deposited to our account and I don't even realized where we spent it... but we were able to raise such amount!

I've noticed lately that the turn out has been slow moving. We're already at the last quarter of the year 2009 and the coin bank is half-full (keeping things on the positive side). I'd like to speed it up. How? I'll give our coin bank a slap of the loaded dervish longboard in the face. For the benefit of those who are not in the know, longboarding is my new hobby and I'm obsessing about the loaded dervish longboard. It is quite expensive really, as most hobbies are. With a picture of the dervish right smack in the middle of our coin bank will help me keep focus on the goal and hopefully earn the money faster.

I'm sure you have projects of your own that would require handsome funds. Try this one for a change.

Made in the Philippines

2009-09-08T01:59:00.001-07:00

The gum I'm chewing is made in China. The phone I use to call my wife is made in Mexico. The laptop I'm typing in is made in Singapore. The can of almonds I consumed last month was from Thailand. The jacket that keeps me warm is 'Fabrique En Chine.' The pen that I'm writing with is made in the U.K.
The notebook I make scribbles on is from Brazil. What else? My shoes! It's made in Marikina, my home town, Philippines. Finally, a product that's made here in our country. I wonder if these shoes are also available outside the Philippines too?

The fact that I'm using these products, there's a level of quality that these products met. A level of quality good enough for me to consume. These products that I mentioned are not overly complex to make. Given time and effort, I'm sure we can do it right here. I sure hope that more and more quality products will come from the Philippines. Products not people. It's high time we contribute to the world our talent and skills through the products we produce. Kudos to happy feet, my shoes, for putting out quality products!

This blog is Proudly Filipino.

Apply @ SeaChange International

2009-09-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Hi good news! SeaChange is hiring still. You or someone you know maybe interested in exploring new possibilities.

For a detailed description of the positions listed below, you download it here.

.Net Web Developer (Sharepoint)
Product Management Associate
Senior Creative Flash Developers
System Administrator
Software Quality Assurance Engineers (QAII, Senior & Principal)
System Integration Test Engineers (Senior & Principal levels)
Technical Support Engineers
Call Queue Monitors
Contracts Administrator
Project Manager - Professional Services, PHI
Software Engineering Manager
Software Engineers - Security (Senior & Principal level)
Software Engineers - C++ (Senior & Principal level)
Senior Software Engineers - Config Suite
Senior Software Engineers (B-box/Porting)

Send your resumes to andrew.artajos@gmail.com indicating the position your applying for in the subject. SeaChange is located @ the sprawling hills of UP-Ayala Land Techno Hub, 2/F Building A, Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman Quezon City, Philippines 1105. Hope to see you on board. All the best!

How do you get from here to there?

2009-09-02T00:49:00.000-07:00

I just had my creativity put to the test today. I wanted to attend this talk: Culture of Personal Excellence by Francis Kong. It's the closest thing to TED that I can get here locally. I want to attend but the cheapskate in me doesn't want to shell out the money for such a fleeting event.

Now here comes the challenge: Think up ways to attend the seminar and keep the cost to a bare minimum.

Here's what I did: I called up the office of Francis Kong and inquired about the going rates. Of course I already knew how much the tickets costs you silly, it's on the website. I called to ask for a discount. Luckily, the angel on the phone obligingly gave me an extension of the early bird discount which is about 20% off of the original price.

Not bad, not bad at all. I got a 20% discount for just asking. It pays to follow my own advice. Knowing that I can do better, I looked for the poster. The poster naturally contained the sponsors of the event. So, I asked my aunt who works in one of the sponsoring companies of the talk. I asked if she could hook me up with some tickets. My resourceful aunt gladly sourced one ticket for me!

Sometimes money is really not a constraint for reaching your goals. Be creative and look for alternative ways to get it. So, that's how it's done. That is how you get from here (point a) to there (point b).

Thanks Tita Al and PhilStar for my free ticket. Click the photo to visit PhilStar's site.

Project Boston

2009-08-06T03:19:00.001-07:00

Finally, the long wait is over. I bring you Project Boston /Pra-jekt Bwas-tn/ (as I like to say it).

This is the product of my seven-week stay in Massachusetts. It was my first time ever to be in a business trip so I thought I should make the most out of it. I was like a bartender mixing it up, finding the right balance between business and leisure. But I enjoyed it a lot and ended up getting drunk on both.

I came there with little expectations but went home carrying with me baggage filled with good memories and stuff too! I can only offer snapshots of my experience there hoping to grasp its totality.

These are the people who made my stay Rock. All I can say is: You guys Rule! Cheers!

Andrew Fodra Artajos /Androoo Fôd-ra R-túh-hos/

2009-08-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

I have to set things straight and get this out now.

/Androoo Fôd-ra R-túh-hos/

This is how you pronounce my complete name. I think it is imperative that people know how to correctly say my name before it sky rockets to household name status.

I remember writing in my yearbook the caption 'Today Gokongwei, Tomorrow the World!' right beside my grad pic. I really didn't know what came to me and why I've written such a thing. I just knew I didn't want to put some boring text next to my picture. I wanted it to be fun, nothing to be taken seriously but it had to be catchy. Apparently, there's much more to it than its original intent. I realized that I am bound to go global, one article, one reader, one country, one continent at a time. It is indeed possible!

The Golden Rule

2009-07-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Few months back, I was very much interested in Personal Finance. Well, I still am interested but I plateaued.

I frequented sites like The Simple Dollar and Get Rich Slowly. I bought the books that were recommended on these sites: Your Money or Your Life and Bogleheads' Guide to Investing, among others. After immersing myself from all those reading, I came up with this article: The Golden Rule. This was my first published work ever. It was released together with our monthly newsletter @ Headstrong.

I don't want to repeat myself, so I opted to post this as a PDF download. Good luck to your journey to abundant wealth!

Teaser No. 2

2009-07-21T03:12:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a while since I released my first teaser. Well, this one is a no-brain-errrr. I am preparing for the release of my project very very very soon. This will be my tribute to those who made my stay worthwhile. I believe this is just the start of something good. I can feeeeeeeel it!

Come to think of it, this is one of the reasons why I ever started this blog. Cheers!

Well-oiled Machine

2009-07-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

After a long time away from home, I come back only to find out that both our cars are up for their regular maintenance. It is very important for the cars to function in tip-top condition and also very expensive for me too. Well at least it gives me peace of mind that our cars will serve us better, longer.

If cars demand this kind of regular maintenance, I thought our bodies should deserve better. Yes, it will incur some costs but in the end I think it will be all well worth it.

Here's what I do to maintain me:

Brisk walk during lunch hour. It's all I can commit to right now.
Always have a book to read: Currently, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
Haircut
Cut finger nails 2x a month
I floss and brush everyday
I would like to have a body massage once month
Movie night with my wife for stress release

Very much Japanese

2009-07-17T00:46:00.001-07:00

Why don't you do yourself a favor and click the image on the right. Go on and have a good laugh! I just had to share this. I just can't help myself and laugh at this picture.

This is just one of the few gems that are scattered round ffffound site. The images there really are amusing, some pretty graphic, some odd, some interesting, some are just plain, and some are just plain beautiful.

I'm also struck how the image captures the Japanese culture. When you look at it, it's beautiful. A geisha, all wrapped and made up. It's subtle, drawn on a white paper. It's traditional, she wears a kimono. It's meticulous, the box is cut in accurate precision. Finally, it's perverted!

Join SeaChange International

2009-07-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working at SeaChange and here's my story. Early this year, I was still working with Headstrong as a Consultant but our client failed to renew their contracts with us. So, I was retrenched due to the surplus of Consultants on-bench.This was a fairly traumatic experience and that was my part in the recession that is affecting everybody.

I contacted a former colleague who's working at SeaChange and applied, that's how I turned my status from "unemployed" to "hired." This is my stimulus package: I offer you a chance in changing your status just as I did. SeaChange is currently hiring, despite of the recession. Here are the current job openings:

Send your resumes to andrew.artajos@gmail.com
SeaChange is located @ 2/F Building A, UP-Ayala Land Techno Hub Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman Quezon City, Philippines 1105
Best of luck!

Tame Dandruff

2009-07-15T17:31:00.001-07:00

I have dandruff. If you don't have dandruff, you're blessed. I had it since I started college. I think dandruff is very much stress related, and like stress you have to manage it. It never really goes away.

I've been in search for THE shampoo that will manage my condition. Well, I found it! My mom found it, and gave it to me. She let me try Kerastase Bain Gommage. It works. This may sound as a commercial, but it really does work. This is my contribution to you guys that have the same problem. You can buy this at David's Salon and I think Bench fix also has them. If you're not in the Philippines, you can always order it online. Thanks for the French for these products!

2009-07-09T07:20:00.001-07:00

Don't be afraid to interact.
Leave a comment.
I'm open to suggestions,
criticisms (only constructive ones).
Have a blog?
post a link.
Have a job offer?
Drop me an email. Let's talk.
Interested?
Sorry, I'm taken.
Have something to sell?
try ebay.
Recommend something.
Say HI.
Compliments?
Thank you in advance.

ToDo: Send a package

2009-07-09T07:04:00.001-07:00

Here's the scenario, 1) I am about to send a package. I have no car, the only two places I can send the package is through the hotel or the office. I spoke to 2) Monica of the hotel and she said no problem, just leave the package here and pay for postage. If the postage won't suffice. It will be returned to the hotel. Clearly, this was not an option.

I went to the office and spoke to 3) Becca asking if it's possible to send the package from here. She told me she wouldn't know about those stuff. Ask 4) Sandy. I asked her and she told me she has to ask 5) someone just to verify. In the end she said yes, and sent me some forms to fill up. I got the forms and saw that it will be delivered by FedEx. I thought, that wouldn't fit my budget. I said sorry to Sandy for the inconvenience and declined the offer.

I went down to the lobby and saw the mail room. I asked 6) Ann, our receptionist, if it's possible to weigh my package and send it through there. She said yes, I said Awwright! I weighed the package and she printed out the labels. I wrote a short note, sealed the package and dropped it in the mail bin. A job well done.

Count: 6ix. It took atleast 6 people to carry out one task. I'm not even counting the people who drove me to and from the office, mailmen, my contact person, and finally the recipient. What's the point in all of this? For a simple task of sending a package I had to move 5 people to carry out the task. The better you work with people, you achieve more goals. Thanks everyone for being so cooperative.

Focus

2009-07-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have this appreciation looking at incredible pictures, hence the link to the FFFFOUND! site.

A colleague of mine brought along his state-of-the-art camera and shot a picture of me. The resulting image was stunning. He used his camera to focus on me and not the background. This made me realize two things:

1. In digital photography, you must have the skills AND the cash to burn on nice equipment to produce great pictures. This is why I don't think digital photography is such a good hobby.

2. You have to be focused if you ever want to stand out.

Seven Eight Nine

2009-07-08T06:22:00.000-07:00

I was watching the news this morning, there's a very interesting trivia the news anchor mentioned. Today is the 8th of July year 2009, when expressed numerically its 07.08.09! She said it's a perfect day to make mooolah. I might try my luck on lottery today, I have nothing to lose.

Teaser No. 1

2009-07-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! Welcome to onehorsepower. The image to the right is specially selected to give you a clue about my new project that is coming out real soon. I'm really excited about this, it has been several weeks now in the making and I'm trying to put as much as I can into it.

I hope you enjoy it, for all you know you're already are a part of it.

B-Box

2009-07-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Nope it's not a beat box. It's a boom boom pow abap kachi-ki-chek 'tiss ahh... balikbayan box!

Finally, after seven loooooooooong weeks here in Massachussets, I'm returning to the Philippines! I'm a happy camper with my box full of goodies. The contents of this box is accumulated during the length of my stay. It's filled with chocolates, clothes, toys, and stuff waiting to be distributed to all of my homies. I can't wait to see the reaction on their faces when I actually give it to them.

I hope they enjoy the gifts as much as I enjoyed shopping for them.

The GAP

2009-07-02T10:12:00.001-07:00

I was browsing The New York Times website and I stumbled upon an interesting article. The article is about where the majority of U.S. workers come from. This article presents the numbers using cool graphics and what's even nicer, they categorized the data into their respective industries.

Since, I'm in the IT industry and I am very interested in working in the U.S. I looked at that segment of information. It lists India as number one with 125,300 workers as compared to the Philippines, number six, with only 10,900 workers here in the U.S. That's almost 11x more workers!

Why is that? I think I have an answer: NASSCOM. They got together and formed this IT organization and formed the necessary ties in the U.S. and do business. NASSCOM paved a superhighway for Indians to come to the US and work. Filipinos need backup real quick to fill the gap.

Manila Envelope It

2009-06-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Being a Filipino, one should take notice of the Manila envelope. It's a simple product made out of paper. You use it for sending important documents, pictures, etc. You use it to share, store, deliver, file printed material. It's global, something that is recognized in every corner of the world. Businesses depend on it. It's utility is unquestionable. It's like google.

The French have fries, bread, and champagne. The Indians have their ink. The Swiss have their knives, watches, and chocolate. The Brazilians have their wax. We Filipinos should be ecstatic we have the Manila envelope to our credit.

Ask.

2009-06-29T12:49:00.001-07:00

Ask if you don't know.
Ask if you want something.
Ask if you're 50% sure.
Ask even if it's obvious.
Ask for directions.
Ask for work.
Ask follow up questions.
Ask why not.
Ask for help.
Ask for forgiveness.
Ask for her number.
Ask politely.
Just Ask.

It's never too late

2009-06-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a late bloomer when it comes to reading. I only read books when it's absolutely necessary, when my grades depended on it. After college, I was exposed to a bunch of normal looking people but later on I found out that they are closet geeks. Later on these guys became my friends. They almost always discuss books they've read. Suddenly, reading was cool. I was not part of the 'in' crowd anymore. I had to up my ante. So, I started out reading magazines. I subscribed to Reader's Digest. It arrived every month, my goal was to finish up reading the magazine before the next one is delivered. I got to a point where it became easier and wanted a more challenging read. Now, I'm in the 'in' crowd once again after six long years.

Andrew Artajos Resume

2009-06-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Since this blog is my online presence, might as well make my resume available to the world through this. Just click on the icon on this post to download a copy of my resume.

To give you a quick background, I graduated from De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines, Catch 2001. I took up B.S. Computer Science with specialization in Software Technology. Since graduation, I took a dive in the field of Technology. I'm currently working at Seachange International as a Senior Software Engineer.

I do Software Engineering. Programming languages, computers, and my mind are the major tools I use to perform my job. Programming languages abound, they can be learned. Computers, they only get faster, smaller. My mind, it's where I invest.

Merry Christmas

2009-06-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

I received 3 envelopes in the mail yesterday. Although I already know what to expect in those envelopes, there is that something very exciting in the idea of receiving and opening mail. It instantly brings you back to your childhood. Suddenly, its feels like Christmas once again! It's that joy of figuring out what's inside. The only thing that separates you and the prize is a thin sheet of paper. Now what would you do? Naturally, you rip it open! Yeah! Nothing beats that experience.

Birthday

2009-06-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

It's no one's birthday today. I just thought I should write this down, in case I forget. This is a picture of my daughter on the day she was born. Then it hit me, I know now why birthdays are important to celebrate! I just had to be a father first, before I realized.

Birthday is not about turning a year older, or turning a year wiser. I think it's B.S. Birthdays should be celebrated to remember the day you became an individual in this world. Imagine your mother and father waiting for you to be born at that moment, they've been waiting for you for atleast 9 mos. You are the event!

Good breath

2009-06-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've encountered a friend, colleague, someone close to you, close enough to smell they have a repelling smell once they open their mouth. Chances are, you never told them that they have that condition. Now let's change the situation a bit.. What if, you are that guy who has a smelly breath. You'd never know. No one has the balls to say it to your face. Right?

Here's what will do, let's avoid that situation altogether and dig out all those nasty smelling stuff that's stuck in between our teeth with the help of this guy: The Dental Floss.

Short and sweet

2009-06-24T08:32:00.001-07:00

I try to keep my posts terse. I think surfing the web consumes a huge chunk of people's lives nowadays, and this is my way of giving back. I give my point in a few sentences as possible and get the message across. Personally, this much text is all I read online before I turn to the next best thing out there. This way, it benefits both the readers and me as the blogger.

My fb experience

2009-06-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

I am currently on a business trip, my first one ever. I am originally from the Philippines and I will be here at Acton, Massachussets for seven weeks. On the first week of my stay, a message on my facebook arrived, 1 friend request. She's an old playmate, we grew up in the same street. I look at her location: Boston, MA... What a relief! Such a perfect timing!

Till now, I am spending every weekend at their house. I'm very thankful we became connected once again. Thanks to facebook my visit here started out good and turned great! It really pays to be connected.

Quality over Quantity

2009-06-23T19:21:00.001-07:00

I always prefer to write with my parker pen. Some will argue, a pen is a pen is a pen. You use it for writing and there's no reason to buy an expensive pen when you can get it for a few cents. Well I've been using my very basic (entry level) parker pen for over three years now. The ink that came with the pen, it lasted me a year and a half. I bought a refill last year, and I'm still using it now. The great thing about it is, IT ALWAYS WRITES.

Ideas worth spreading

2009-06-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

I came across an article on a magazine, I don't remember what particular magazine but I'm sure it's either Time or Newsweek. It mentioned two sites about online learning. One of them is TED and another one is Academic Earth. I checked out both sites and both are very interesting. TED gets my vote though. I think its better than TV. No, I think it's way better than TV.