Valentina with a Heart

Before delving up to Harry Potter marathon this #BackToHogwarts day, dito muna ako sa #Darna, featuring Rᴇɢɪɴᴀ, the “𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕”, according to actress Janella Salvador during her recent guest appearance as star patroller at ABS-CBN's TV patrol. Wala pa akong absent dito, haha, and I wish to keep that record straight ‘coz this is my first time watching Mars Ravelo’s iconic Darna. Ganda ng technical effects at yung mga characters swak na swak sila in our digital era. When I was a kid, I knew Darna was featured in a monthly Liwayway mag, with movie version starring Vilma Santos, but it didn’t catch much of my attention then. Until now! But wait, green is very much a house Slytherin color, huh! Hmmm. Interesting! Can't wait for the ultimate pagtutuos ng babaeng lumilipad vs. babaeng ahas This is just the beginning. #DarnaValentina

#GForest

 

My little contribution to rebuilding the Philippine forests. A bakhaw tree for Tañon Strait in Negros Occidental. I guess this a mangrove tree - that a thickly-matted forest of them may help mitigate flooding along coastal areas. Let us continue patronizing Gforest thru Gcash app towards reforestation of our beautiful, green and climate-resilient Philippines!

#GForest #Bakhaw #Gcash #volunteerism

Finding inner peace

  I’ve run out of “must-read”, so I checked out the book in my wish list at FullyBooked online last week, and on Monday, this little book, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒌 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑭𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒊, arrived just in time - in a small package. Yet, its content is big. Last year pa ito sa wish list ko, pero I’m not interested kasi hindi familiar sa akin ang author. Tonight, in my Daily Quiet Time, I devote two hours reading the first three chapters. Hanggang diyan lang muna, kasi ninamnam ko pa, ayaw ko siyang tapusin agad in one reading because I’m trying to absorb and reflect the wisdom it teaches me. Parang nagbabasa lang ako ng wisdom book of Og Mandino’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑, at saka yung kay Paulo Coelho’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑡. All of these are fiction books, pero ramdam ko ang makatotohanang paglalahad ng kuwento na parang yung characters sinusubaybayan mo, hindi ka lang passive reader, pero parang kasama ka sa kanilang adventure at kinausap ka lang nila in real life – much more the lessons in life these books tried to impart to its readers – especially how to ultimately find inner peace, happiness and purpose in life amidst the stressful world we live in.

#TheMonkWhoSoldHisFerrari-

7You, Nolan Erea, Alvin E. Lauran and 4 others

Joining an Evil Leader for Power and Self-Preservation

 

The impression that I got from the Harry Potter franchise was that if Lord Voldemort was successful, most of the world was going to suffer greatly. Basically everyone would serve Voldemort as slaves or die. So what's the point of serving someone who's probably going to ultimately end up betraying and/or enslaving you? I know the Death Eaters hated Muggles, but is that really enough to justify tearing down Wizard society? Why exactly do the Death Eaters serve Lord Voldemort? Fear?

Voldemort was a VERY charismatic and persuasive dark wizard. Meanwhile, Death Eaters seemed like a bunch of overprivileged, rich people who decided to be dicks for no reason. I mean Voldemort didn't even treat them well, why would they follow him? Voldemort didn't even have a legitimate ideology besides "huuur duur kill mudbloods".

Voldemort gained followers by validating their sense of superiority and promising them luxury, power, and safety from the Muggle/non-pureblood threat. Some purebloods also undoubtedly love to believe that they are privy to the advantages they have because they truly are better than muggles/non-pureblood wizards, so any ideology that threatens that belief system and their place in the Wizarding hierarchy terrifies them.

I'm sure that Voldemort's ideals would be highly comforting to these wizards, and they would love the reassurance that under Voldemort's regime, purebloods would maintain their status at the top of wizarding society. In this case, pureblood families are scared of the growing influence of wizards and witches of lesser blood purity - as muggleborns/half-bloods/blood traitors become more acceptable and gain more privileges, they begin to accumulate more resources and power. This undermines the established power system in which pureblood families enjoy significant advantages which allow them to hoard the majority of the money/power in the wizarding world.

Perpetuating the idea that Muggles and muggle-born wizards are inherently inferior beings is a convenient way to rationalize the restriction of their freedoms, thereby allowing purebloods to maintain their disproportionate share of wealth and influence.

Same reasons people followed every charismatic and/or powerful evil monster - from Hitler to Stalin, Saddam to Vladmir Putin to name just a few recent examples.

Most of which reasons boil down to basic game theory and human nature.

The main possible reasons (or their combinations) being:

• They lust for real power. Being "enslaved" by Voldie while lording it over pretty much everyone else doesn't sound like a bad deal to a LOT of people. The kinds that make the best lieutenants. See Malfoys.

• They are just generally evil, and will gladly follow someone who enables their evil inclinations to be expressed. See Crabb/Goyle types for small-time kind of example, or Dolores Umbridge for larger. Or Malfoys again (or better yet the psychopath/sociopath Lestrange).

• They agree with Dark Helmet's axiom that "Evil will always triumph because Good is… DUMB". And they want to be on the winning side.

• They (despite never having seen Spaceballs) make a rational assumption that Voldemort will win based on his power/history. And they want to be on the winning side.

• They agree with Death Eaters/Voldemort's politics (wizards should rule over Muggles, stronger wizards should rule over weaker ones). See Malfoys. But MANY MANY would agree (think how many people bought into Hitler's Master Race idea, both within and outside of Germany, and that was given a TOTAL absence of a proof, as opposed to having magical powers vs. not). Blood purity was a big thing in Wizarding world, both in the past (elaborated a lot on Pottermore) and in the present (Fudge, Umbridge etc...)

• They are weak personalities easily swayed by a crowd or a strong charismatic leader (which Tom Riddle most certainly was). See Peter Pettigrew/Wormtail.

• The "enemy of my enemy" factor - someone hates a specific Muggle/wizard, and Death Eaters provide both a means of revenge AND moral support. See Snape vs. James Potter.

• The friendship/other relationship factor. Your family belongs to Death Eaters or your best friend is one, and you follow. See many Slytherins (e.g. Crabb, Goyle, Draco).

• For many, being "enslaved" by Voldemort isn't that much of a deal - in reality they are just low-level followers of a faction/army and the alternative is a low-paying wizard job/unemployment/unfulfilling life

Decreasing my carbon footprint

 

𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈. Seasons are shifting. A scientific fact. How much of the warming is my fault. Am I willing to slow the meltdown by decreasing my carbon footprint?

Did you know that the energy used to produce, deliver and dispose of junk mail produces more greenhouse gas emissions than 2.8 million cars? With the world’s growing reliance on the Internet, the office is becoming a major driver of climate change.

According to environmental scientists, the energy required to power all the world’s computers, data storage, and communications networks is expected to double by 2022. Yes, that’s now. It’s even more alarming because many people go online because of the pandemic.

Everyone has a responsibility to reduce their individual carbon footprint, and the good news is, there are lots of ways to do so.

Taking personal action isn’t hard and also comes with great benefits. In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, you’ll also save money and time, avoid traffic, reduce pollution, improve air quality, and enjoy a healthier, more active lifestyle.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Stop buying your water in plastic. Get a reusable water bottle and keep it filled and with you at all times. You’ll save money and the environment!

Incorporate walking or biking to some of your regular short-trip destinations. In most instances, you can walk a mile in less than 20 minutes. This is a great way to add exercise to your busy schedule.

Turn off lights and unplug devices when you’re not using them. Every little action adds up!

Use the cold water cycle for washing your clothes. And do your laundry in FULL loads. This will decrease the amount of water and energy used, helping you save time and money. Bonus points for line-drying – it takes a lot of energy to power your dryer!

Do I need to print? – I consider saving a file on my computer, in a flash drive or emailing it. I will do double-side print – saves paper too, also a way of advocating a paperless or less paper workplace.

Catching the Wind

Before COVID, got a chance to get lost, dwarfed and wowed to the awesomeness of the gigantic alternative source of energy at Bangui, Ilocos Norte. Up close and personal to these giant wind farms that harness the power of moving air. Generating electricity from the power of the wind is one of the few forms of clean energy that make economic sense at present. Wind power is competitive with the least expensive - and most polluting - forms of traditional fuel, like coal. And it doesn't produce a wisp of carbon exhaust. So why isn't wind power catching on even more? As global warming heats up - you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

THE GREATEST DELETE

 

We are now living in the Gᴜɢɪʟ Eʀᴀ where almost everything can be accessed in the internet with few clicks. People tend to think in terms of Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Netflix and even Tiktok – with information overload co-existing disinformation and fake news. The message of the a͟t͟o͟n͟e͟m͟e͟n͟t͟ ͟o͟f͟ ͟J͟e͟s͟u͟s͟ ͟C͟h͟r͟i͟s͟t͟ – his life, death and resurrection has become a strange abstract for some minds. Perhaps a little story could help.

Angel Alvin nervously ran to God’s throne to give his report. “𝑂, 𝐺𝑜𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑! 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒.” He took a deep breath to calm himself.

Angel Alvin was heaven’s computer programmer. A wizard of the trade, he was chief of staff of all the angels who monitored what was happening in the entire universe. Most importantly, he was tasked to update the records of all the faults committed by humankind since the beginning.

“𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑢𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑 – 𝑎𝑙𝑙, 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑧𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑏𝑦𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑’𝑠 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑠. 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠. 𝑊𝑒’𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦.”

Angel Alvin finished off his report with a hundred and one details that summarized the loss of eons of hardwork. He stood ashamed, head and wings bent. But in a quick glance, he caught God’s sad eyes.

Then in what seemed like a tired voice, God spoke – so softly it might have been simply a thought. “𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒖𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 – 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕…𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕.”

So saying, time paused. Everyone fell silent. Angel Alvin felt in his heart that in the cover of heaven’s brief darkness, God has needed to cry.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬’ 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬.