Good day! It's crunch time! The contest of the UA&P I Share Happiness Team will end at March 24. We will be announcing the winner of the FREE IPOD TOUCH soon. Keep on earning those points by making reviews of our blogs, linking our blog to your sites, commenting all you can and telling all your friends. For more details check out our mechanics. So HURRY! You might be our lucky winner. Good luck!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
The ISHAREHAPPINESS Bloggers of UA&P will be revealed!!!
In this day and age struggles are rampant: struggle for money, for fame, for power and for politics. People get drowned and caught up with all the negative things happening that it is no wonder why people have become so cynical and pessimistic. When there are people who possess small amounts of hope, they quickly disregard or doubt them, thinking that it is too good to be true. We have fought through the same battles and yet we still have that hope, that inch of optimism. Who are we and why do we seem to never lose hope? You will find out who we are and where we got our inner strength to fight another battle… the battle towards happiness. It will be revealed… soon. From the UA&P - I SHARE HAPPINESS team
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Fulfilled Bakers of UA&P
The one thing UA&P students can’t ignore… goodies for a cause!! As a requirement for one of our projects in UA&P IMC to come up with donations for Make a Wish Foundation, we decided to bake some cookies, banana cakes and brownies. It was really hard mass producing and wrapping all of them. This baking better be worth it as we spent the whole day baking and the whole night wrapping. The next day, we started out hesitating if we could sell all our goodies. Would people be willing to pay a high price for a cause? Well, we were in for a surprise. We started out with a small group of people.
They immediately bought some after we said it was for a cause (add that with the fact that our goodies looked sumptuous). After that, everything went all chaos.I think word spread that a bunch of people carrying large boxes like girl scouts were selling goodies for a cause. They all started hurdling around us and kept buying. We didn’t need to go to them because they kept coming back, saying it was delicious. But the most fulfilling part was when a freshie decided to buy all our goodies, saying, “hey, it’s for a cause anyway!” That was the best! We sold a total of 150 banana cakes, 65 cookies and 30 brownies in 2 days. After that, people remembered us as the upper batch of UA&P selling delicious banana cakes, brownies and cookies. They still kept approaching us and asking for more. It was a fulfilling experience. Who would’ve thought that what other people call, “the spoiled brats”, could every care for a cause. Well, we proved you wrong. From the UA&P I Share Happiness team
-Natalia Chua, UA&P
They immediately bought some after we said it was for a cause (add that with the fact that our goodies looked sumptuous). After that, everything went all chaos.I think word spread that a bunch of people carrying large boxes like girl scouts were selling goodies for a cause. They all started hurdling around us and kept buying. We didn’t need to go to them because they kept coming back, saying it was delicious. But the most fulfilling part was when a freshie decided to buy all our goodies, saying, “hey, it’s for a cause anyway!” That was the best! We sold a total of 150 banana cakes, 65 cookies and 30 brownies in 2 days. After that, people remembered us as the upper batch of UA&P selling delicious banana cakes, brownies and cookies. They still kept approaching us and asking for more. It was a fulfilling experience. Who would’ve thought that what other people call, “the spoiled brats”, could every care for a cause. Well, we proved you wrong. From the UA&P I Share Happiness team
-Natalia Chua, UA&P
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Top 10 Books With Happy Endings
10. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
At a talk in Brighton, the author joked about this book as the best she could do when her publishers begged her for something with a happy ending. If you've read Postcards or any of her other richly poetic but bleak books, you'll know that The Shipping News is as happy as it gets. The hero fumbles his way into love after lots of bad weather and squidburgers, not to mention death on all sides. But the ending is happy. Really it is.
9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This is one of those books I adored as a child. It's still a deeply affirmative read now that I'm a grown-up. The racists are defeated by wisdom, Atticus kills the rabid dog in one shot, and the dreaded Boo Radley turns out to be benign after all. Plot aside, the language is as sharp as a peppermint drop. And that makes me happy.
8. The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton
I am personally responsible for 99% of all sales of this book. I bought it for myself, then for everyone I know and love. If you take Seneca's advice and "hold the possibility of disaster in mind at all times", you won't mind being put to death, or anything. Listen to Epicurus and sort out your entire life with a few simple things: some close friends, lively talk and good food.
7. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" Lovers meet by moonlight in the forest, falling in and out of love with each other, uttering sublime poetry from insult to sonnet, and proving that "the course of true love never did run smooth". But there's happy closure with a triple wedding at the end, although one of the humans is still under the influence of a fairy potion. Even if you know this play inside-out, each new reading is sure to boost your serotonin levels.
6. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
This is like Wuthering Heights through a devilish cloud of laughing gas. The narrator marks special passages of literary merit with asterisks, just as a Baedeker guide rates cathedrals and hotels. Londoner Flora Poste confronts the darkest wilds of Sussex: a bull called Big Business, old Adam who's forever cletterin' the dishes with his thorn twig, and smouldering Seth who goes a-mollocking somewhere in Howling when the sukebind is heavily in bud. Quiver with the Quivering Brethren. Fear the incident glimpsed long ago behind the potting shed. Laugh till the end, which soars with love and an aeroplane.
5. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Forget the films, read the book. It's too reductive to call it an allegory but you'll feel like you've survived a world war - which is how the author must have felt when he'd finished writing this giant epic. After the advancing armies of Sauron and his allies have been defeated at last, there's nothing happier than a cosy cup of tea back in the green and pleasant Shire. This is one of those books which reminds you to be really happy that England exists.
4. The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith
The hilarious chronicles of a pompous Victorian clerk called Pooter. He is troubled by tradesmen, thrilled with his own jokes, and constantly getting knocked off his perch. The writing is sly, subtle and silly. When Pooter's son Lupin brings home his new love Daisy Mutlar, I can barely read for laughing. This book has a happy beginning, middle and end.
3. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
OK, it's not exactly "happy ever after", but it's a happy day when a junkie shakes off the predators of his past. Our hero Renton ends up with a stash of cash in his pocket and a ticket to a new life. Nothing like cutting loose for feeling happy.
2. Anne of Green Gables (and the sequels) by LM Montgomery
An insight into another time, and another place. Three generations of girls in my family grew up with Anne, the feisty poetic orphan who dyes her hair green and takes the hard edges off her strict guardians. A boy at school pulls her hair and calls her "carrot tops". She hates him. Years later she marries him. Gilbert is not one of those moody males romanticised by fiction and impossible in life - I'd marry him in a minute.
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Written by a woman who was not so lucky in love, this has to be the happiest ending of all: after much ado, everyone finds true love (or something like it) and lots of money too. What more could you wish for? Exquisite irony, compassion, wit, heaps of haberdashery and every kind of dress you can fit in your wardrobe.
Source: Elise Valmorbida
From the UA&P I Share Happiness Team
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Notorious KING OF THE ROAD Investigated
PUV (Public Utility Vehicle) drivers in the Philippines are known to be notorious king of the roads. They will swerve whenever and wherever they want, park in the middle of the road and scare their passengers into the edge of their seats. This includes cab drivers. I’ve always wondered why they drive like this.I’ve observed that there are 2 kinds of cab drivers: the notorious and the nice drivers. Aside from their reckless and abrupt driving, notorious cab drivers are the quiet ones; they never converse with their passengers except when they ask for their destination and their money. They are easily irritated with traffic while making these sounds: “tsk” or “hay naku (oh man)”. Their counterparts are the “nice” drivers. They always talk with their passengers and sometimes exchange a few laughs. They sometimes tell their life stories. Some of them tell you their opinions on matters about politics or whatnot. These nice cab drivers also drive well. They are more patient with traffic.
So what make these drivers different from the notorious ones? I had a theory and I sought to prove it. On my way home from UA&P, I rode a taxi. With my luck, I was able to ride with a notorious cab driver; he did fit the description. He was very eager to arrive at my house; he was driving so abrupt but it was traffic. I finally had the guts to talk to him. I really made efforts to somehow relate to him, tell him about the high price of gas, ask him about his work and even about what’s been going on with the government. He finally opened up to me. The driver’s name was Noli by the way. We engaged in a few laughs. He told me about his boss who kept on cursing them for the low money they earn everyday. But as Noli opened up, I noticed that he became more relaxed while he was driving. He wasn’t irritated with the traffic anymore. We just kept talking to each other until I got home. So what did Noli need to cure his notorious behavior? He just needed someone to put his mind off his burdens through conversations and laughter. So when you take a cab in the future, try making heartfelt conversations with cab drivers especially if he seems to be the notorious type. I guarantee that you will see the difference.
From UA&P I SHARE HAPPINESS blogger:
Natalia Chua
The Happy Day
One would like to say...
one feels happy today,
What other words are left to say?
When dreams go past, they pass you by,
No fear of one who hides a lie,
For all that's dark has gone away,
To see you no more till brake of day,
The gloom has passed and so goes on,
All sadness fades like a setting sun.
So dry your tears and smile not but once...
For love is measured in them ounce by ounce...
Now comes the moon without the gloom,
All peace and quiet with night's drifting perfume
And sleep and dreams and stars and beems
All is well so it seems
So sleep we all till brake of day
May all our troubles be kept away....
by UA&P I SHARE HAPPINESS blogger Kit Palabyab
Monday, March 3, 2008
Children of Heaven
In this Iranian film, a boy named Ali takes his little sister Zahra’s shoes to a shoemaker to have them repaired. Unfortunately, Ali loses his sister’s pair of shoes on his way home. To make matters worse, their father can’t afford to buy a replacement. Afraid to be punished, they keep this problem a secret. The siblings devise a scheme to share Ali’s sneakers. Zhara wears his sneakers to school in the morning and gives them to his brother. Ali gets his sneakers from his sister and goes to school at midday. However, there have been many instances where Ali did not receive his shoes on time, which forces him to sprint to class. After being for a number of times, Ali gives many clever explanations for his tardiness to his teachers. He does not want his teachers nor his parents to know that he had lost Zhara’s shoes.
One day, Zhara sees that one of her schoolmates is wearing her pair of shoes. She follows her home and discovers that her schoolmate needs it more than she does. They become close friends. Feeling guilty about his sister’s predicament, Ali becomes determined to get her a new pair of shoes. The opportunity arises when a foot race is held for all the children in town. The prize for third place is a pair of shoes. The third-place winner is to receive a pair of shoes. By this time, Ali has enough endurance from all sprints he has made to school. Determined to win those pair of shoes for his sister Zahra, he enters the race. Surprisingly, he accidentally wins first place and wins another prize. Tormented by his “failure”, he cries as the crowd congratulates him! Instead of winning a pair of shoes for his sister, he awarded a racing career. At the end of the movie, Ali and Zhara’s father comes home with a pair of pink shoes. The siblings’ father bought Zahra a pair of shoes after all. This story is truly an ironic story on happiness.
This is simple, yet compelling story proves that one can find happiness in the sacrifices one makes. Losing Zahra’s shoes is a big issue for Ali because his situation implies that he can’t handle simple errands. Bothered by his guilt, he lends his pair of sneakers to his little sister. Zahra would still have a pair of shoes while Ali wouldn’t feel guilty. However, this is only a short-term solution because the sibling’s parents are bound to discover that Zahra’s shoes are missing. The long-term solution would be to replace Zahra’s shoes. Joining the footrace to replace his sister’s shoes implies that Ali loves his sister. Unfortunately, he “failed,” he won first place. Fortunately, his father had the money to replace Zahra’s shoes in the end. Consequently, the siblings were happy. Ali’s sacrifices are expressions of his brotherly love. One can truly find happiness in fraternal love.
From UA&P I Share Happiness Blogger:
Sean General, UA&P - I Share Happiness
One day, Zhara sees that one of her schoolmates is wearing her pair of shoes. She follows her home and discovers that her schoolmate needs it more than she does. They become close friends. Feeling guilty about his sister’s predicament, Ali becomes determined to get her a new pair of shoes. The opportunity arises when a foot race is held for all the children in town. The prize for third place is a pair of shoes. The third-place winner is to receive a pair of shoes. By this time, Ali has enough endurance from all sprints he has made to school. Determined to win those pair of shoes for his sister Zahra, he enters the race. Surprisingly, he accidentally wins first place and wins another prize. Tormented by his “failure”, he cries as the crowd congratulates him! Instead of winning a pair of shoes for his sister, he awarded a racing career. At the end of the movie, Ali and Zhara’s father comes home with a pair of pink shoes. The siblings’ father bought Zahra a pair of shoes after all. This story is truly an ironic story on happiness.
This is simple, yet compelling story proves that one can find happiness in the sacrifices one makes. Losing Zahra’s shoes is a big issue for Ali because his situation implies that he can’t handle simple errands. Bothered by his guilt, he lends his pair of sneakers to his little sister. Zahra would still have a pair of shoes while Ali wouldn’t feel guilty. However, this is only a short-term solution because the sibling’s parents are bound to discover that Zahra’s shoes are missing. The long-term solution would be to replace Zahra’s shoes. Joining the footrace to replace his sister’s shoes implies that Ali loves his sister. Unfortunately, he “failed,” he won first place. Fortunately, his father had the money to replace Zahra’s shoes in the end. Consequently, the siblings were happy. Ali’s sacrifices are expressions of his brotherly love. One can truly find happiness in fraternal love.
From UA&P I Share Happiness Blogger:
Sean General, UA&P - I Share Happiness
Who's Happier? - UA&P
Finding your happy place is somewhere not many people find till later in life. It can come unexpectedly or after a lot of planning. But is planning happiness the same as letting it happen?
Say for instance a man has an ideal....he'll be happy once he's reached a ripe old age had kids and grandchildren and spent his remaining years with the love of his life.
Take the next scenario: that same man doesn't have an ideal and doesn't plan anything and takes life as it comes...he meets the girl of his dreams and falls deeply in love...after some time they decide to get married and have kids and all is well and then those kids grow up and have their own kids. The man spends the remaining years with that same woman he fell in love with from the very start.
Which of the two is happier? Or are they both equally happy?
The way i see it, it's better not to have an ideal for happiness. In the case of the first man, if he takes his scenario seriously, he won't be happy until he's reached where he wants to be. The second scenario looks as if the man is happy all along and just keep getting happier. But then again who's to say that the first scenario man is or isn't happy to begin with??
So...who do you think would be happier in the end?
Is it bad to have an ideal for happiness? Is it always good to just go with the flow?
I'll leave this one up to you readers ;p
From UA&P I Share Happiness Blogger:
- Kit Palabyab, UA&P - I Share Happiness
Say for instance a man has an ideal....he'll be happy once he's reached a ripe old age had kids and grandchildren and spent his remaining years with the love of his life.
Take the next scenario: that same man doesn't have an ideal and doesn't plan anything and takes life as it comes...he meets the girl of his dreams and falls deeply in love...after some time they decide to get married and have kids and all is well and then those kids grow up and have their own kids. The man spends the remaining years with that same woman he fell in love with from the very start.
Which of the two is happier? Or are they both equally happy?
The way i see it, it's better not to have an ideal for happiness. In the case of the first man, if he takes his scenario seriously, he won't be happy until he's reached where he wants to be. The second scenario looks as if the man is happy all along and just keep getting happier. But then again who's to say that the first scenario man is or isn't happy to begin with??
So...who do you think would be happier in the end?
Is it bad to have an ideal for happiness? Is it always good to just go with the flow?
I'll leave this one up to you readers ;p
From UA&P I Share Happiness Blogger:
- Kit Palabyab, UA&P - I Share Happiness
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Funny English-Filipino Vocabs - UA&P
Contemplate - kulang ang mga pinggan
Punctuation - pera para maka-enrol
Ice Buko - nagtatanong kung ayos na ang buhok
Tenacious - sapatos na pang tennis
Devastation - sakayan ng bus
Protestant - Tindahan ng prutas
Statue - Ikaw ba yan?
Tissue - Ikaw nga!
Predicate - Pakawalan mo ang pusa
Detail - Ang buntot (ng pato?)
Deposit - Gripo (Call DIPLOMA if DEPOSIT is leaking)
City - Bago mag-utso; A number to follow 6
Persuading - Unang Kasal
Depress - Ang nagkasal sa PERSUADING
Defense - Ginamit ng mga pangsulat sa kontrata sa PERSUADING
It depends - Kainin ! mo ang bakod
Profit - Patunayan mo
CD-ROM - tingnan mo ang kwarto
Defense - ang bakod
Defer - ang balahibo
Deflate - ang plato
Detest - ang eksamin
Dilemma - brownout!, a!
Effort - dun nagla-land ang efflane
July - nagsinungaling ka ba?
Brought to you by UA&P - I Share Happiness
Punctuation - pera para maka-enrol
Ice Buko - nagtatanong kung ayos na ang buhok
Tenacious - sapatos na pang tennis
Devastation - sakayan ng bus
Protestant - Tindahan ng prutas
Statue - Ikaw ba yan?
Tissue - Ikaw nga!
Predicate - Pakawalan mo ang pusa
Detail - Ang buntot (ng pato?)
Deposit - Gripo (Call DIPLOMA if DEPOSIT is leaking)
City - Bago mag-utso; A number to follow 6
Persuading - Unang Kasal
Depress - Ang nagkasal sa PERSUADING
Defense - Ginamit ng mga pangsulat sa kontrata sa PERSUADING
It depends - Kainin ! mo ang bakod
Profit - Patunayan mo
CD-ROM - tingnan mo ang kwarto
Defense - ang bakod
Defer - ang balahibo
Deflate - ang plato
Detest - ang eksamin
Dilemma - brownout!, a!
Effort - dun nagla-land ang efflane
July - nagsinungaling ka ba?
Brought to you by UA&P - I Share Happiness
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