Love Them While You Can

Even with the most impressive technological advancement today cannot give the solution to this very scary thing: mortality.

Yes, every living thing here in the world has its own time limit. Once reaching that moment, you can never go back and change what happened to maybe stop it from happening. The only thing you can do is either to lay there and wait for your final moment or to make use of your receding seconds to say your final goodbye to everyone (just as they do in the movies).

My point is that if you have the chance to show love and compassion and everything you got to someone, do it. Do not hesitate nor procrastinate. Whether it is to your lover, to your wife, to your husband, to your mom and dad, to your brothers and sisters - do not hesitate.

Tell them you love them and that you are grateful that you are able to say it because there is no need to worry as long as there is love. Also, try to actually show love and not just say it. Actions speak louder than words, right?

Photo by Nick Fewings from unsplash.com

The worst thing that can happen to someone is getting ill, especially when that illness leads to deterioration and death eventually. Most of the time, medical practices can delay, or even heal, such consequences, but there are also times when they cannot. Those instances are beyond our control and at such a moment, miracles of Biblical proportions are the only things we can cling to.

Bad things wouldn't happen if we can prevent them and we would want to say the things we want before it would be too late.

Don't hold out on love, folks.

Ang SKIP Train at ang SIKIP Train

This is a poem written in Filipino pertaining to the commuter trains being used in Manila, Philippines. 

Alin ang gusto mong sakyan?
Ang tren na walang laman
O iyong puno ng taumbayan
Na siguradong ika'y pagpapawisan

Wala rin namang ibang mangyayari

Hindi ka makakapili

Kung ano ang tumapat sa sarili

Doon ka na mayayari

Kapag maluwag ang pasukan

Siguradong 'di ka mahihirapan

Pero kung masikip ang madatnan

Magiging madugo ang labanan

Ang maluwag na sasakyan

Minsa'y hindi naman tumitigil

Habang ang masikip naman

Ikaw na mismo ang magpipigil

'Di mo rin naman malalaman

Hindi mo mapaghahandaan

Pumila nang maayos at dahan-dahan

Kalma, swertehan lang sa pwesto 'yan!

Four Movies That Killed Bond in the Pre-Title Sequence

    EON Productions has always assured to us Bond fans that there will be another James Bond film after the last one by stating that "James Bond Will Return" in the end credits of the films. But what they have not assured us is that whether the superspy would be killed or not in the Bond film, not until we reach the end and Bond would be seen with his lady.

Bond's 50th Birthday

    During the earlier Bond films, up until Octopussy, the next film's title is even stated already. Take for example this in the film "From Russia With Love".

Make way for Auric Goldfinger

    Another notable one is seen in the end credits of "The Spy Who Loved Me" wherein the stated next film is "For Your Eyes Only. However, due to the rise of the sci-fi era, "Moonraker" had to rise instead.

Where's Moonraker?

    With that, let's get to the main topic. In earlier Bond films, for some reason, the viewers were always hinted that James Bond - 007 would die in the film. But if you would think about it deeper, why would be the lead character of a rising franchise kill its main lead? Funnily enough, this trend has reached the Daniel Craig era in one of his outings.

    Here are four Bond films that tried to scare us about Bond being dead.

1. Thunderball. 

This is the least effective one in this list. The pre-title sequence starts off by showing a casket with the initials "JB".  However just seconds after, Bond is seen with a girl on a floor above the funeral rite. The one in the casket is revealed to be SPECTRE Number 6, Col.  Jacques Bouvar, who apparently died in his sleep. However, spoiler alert, the colonel is still alive.

"JB" for Jacques Bouvar snapshot from film

2. You Only Live Twice

From the title itself, you can easily think that this movie has a deal with Bond being close to his death. His apparent death happens in the pre-title sequence wherein a lady is shown aiding in killing Bond. Bond fakes his death for a mission. The reveal is made after Bond's "dead" body was buried at sea which leads to the remote MI6 office. 

Bond dying on the job from cinemaviewfinder.com

3. Skyfall

In this film, Bond has to get a file from Patrice containing a list of their agents in the pre-title sequence. The chase leads them into a train and then to a fight on top it as the train is moving. Bond is assisted by a woman agent (later to be revealed as Miss Eve Moneypenny, major spoiler alert!) who eventually unintentionally shot Bond in the chest after being pressured by M to "take the bloody shot". Bond falls and is swallowed down by the waters. Agent down.

Bond waiting to be rescued by Adele's swooning from businessinsider.com

4. From Russia With Love

In the pre-title sequence of this film, a Russian agent is seen waiting for this apparent James Bond.  The scene is intensified by the background music, as they make their way in the darkness of the area. The Russian agent sneaks up and reveals his garrote watch. Upon seeing Bond, he strangles him to his death. The British superspy is now dead! But wait, no. Another Russian agent takes off from the face of this dead Bond a mask. It's just a mask. Relax.

This scene shows to us how far can SPECTRE go just to destroy its enemies. What follows is an equally satisfying film with a great roster of villains.

Red Grant strangling a deep fake of James Bond from cinemablend.com

*Photos are grabbed from the Internet and all thanks are for those who own it. For sharing purposes only. Thank you for understanding.

Silencing Resilience

There is nothing worse than failing, except for the fact, perhaps,  that you had given your all - effort, force, time, money, and almost everything - but still failed. Good thing there are things such as these: resilience, second chances which really turns into multiple chances, and redeeming. 

A scene in the movie "Rocky Balboa" had Rocky and his son, Robert, confronting about the struggle that they have had in their relationship as father and son. Eventually, Rocky spoke this very moving line: "But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth." 

A scene from Rocky Balboa

There would always be room for improvement, just as there would be enough space for you getting back up and showing that resilience you have in you. Perseverance, determination, aggressiveness, and yes, resilience. These are the virtues that Rocky spoke about. You would know this especially if you have watched the Rocky movie series starting from the first one. He has had losses, but he always got back up and fought his way into the title. That has been his story. Losing and then, winning. That was how winning was done.

Photo by Frantisek Duris from unsplash.com

This is not to criticize that movie (I love that movie, I like Stallone!), but what if it does not need to be "losing and then, winning" and "just winning" instead? Why not give your supreme effort, strength, heat, and everything in your first shot?

Take for example during examinations in schools, we always say this whenever we fail exams: "I will just review more, and study harder for the next examination." Another one goes like this: "I will spend more time studying and not waste my time for the next examinations."

You know that there will be an exam, and you know that you may fail if you will not study and spend more time for learning; yet, you took it for granted because you know there will be more exams to come which may give you chances to redeem yourself.

From my point of view, I see this idea of resilience as an excuse for incompetence and lack of discipline. Instead of doing the wrong things, why don't we do the right things which will eventually lead us to our aim? Being resilient is good because it shows that you can still go back after a beating. You can still take the hit and move forward despite things crashing onto you.

There is way out though. In safety management, there's a saying that goes like this - Accidents are best prevented when? Before they happen. This means that if you have the chance to stop a scenario from happening, then take it and act upon it.

The aftermath of a storm in the Philipines from Rappler.com

If you have a chance to stop failing, act upon it. Think of the things that you must change, improve, or retain. A part of being resilient is being able to adapt and change and grow. That being said, not learning and just letting things go on a repeat is not a display of true resilience.

If you're going to waste your chance to go back up, you are just going to silence your chance. What really matters here is that you give not your almost everything, but your everything, instead. All you got for your goal!

Resilience is good, but not until it becomes a habit, a cycle that will just go on repeat. 

*Photos were grabbed from the Internet and all thanks are for those who own it. For sharing purposes only. Thank you for understanding.

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CONGRATULATIONS!

I just want to congratulate this year's batch of Mechanical Engineering Licensure examiners from the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP)! You all did a great job making our school the Top 2 Performing School in this recent board exam!

Results from PRC

Although I'm not part of that examination in any way, I'm just so glad because most of the examiners are my friends, and classmates before. 

Technological University of the Philippines - MANILA

I know that they have spent their whole time over the past months reviewing and preparing for that examination which leads to the greatness that was also displayed by the reveille center where most (if not all) of my friends went, the PRIME Review Center, who has been consistent in delivering excellent Board Passers! Kudos to the ever-excellent professors and reviewers and I hope they may also share to me and my batch their greatness!

PRIME

Here's to them contributing to the improvement of our country!

Here's to us seeing each other in the field in the near future!

Here's to hoping that some time next year, I am going to have that feat also!

Again, congratulations!