Albert Einstein: A Man Apart

July 27 to August 2 

Shay Cullen

David Ogilvy

Albert Einstein

Norman Vincent Peale

Every once in a while, we come across a person with that undefinable aura of greatness. I have had the honor of meeting the Irish-born 3-time Nobel Peace nominated Fr. Shay Cullen at the Preda center in Olongapo just this February.

He has done (and suffered) more for the Philippines than most Filipinos. It was awesome just to be in his presence, basking in the radiance of his sincerity and selfishness.

My story, "Shay Cullen: Making This World A Safer Place, One Child At A Time," is meant to be a timeless tribute to his sacrifices and triumphs in the name of children's rights.

(This is the cover story of my story, "Shay Cullen: Making This World A Safer Place, One Child At A Time," which appeared in Philippine Panorama magazine of The Manila Bulletin but I forgot the date but around late 2012)

Advertisers are some of the most fascinating career people in the workplace – they get paid top money and their work is seen everywhere. Aiming for their constantly innovating and highly creative community.

This special feature, "Do You Want A Career In Advertising?," is meant to inspire ad professionals to further glories.

(This is the cover story of my story on David Ogilvy which appears in the May 2013 issue of City Career Guide, a Cebu-based yuppie lifestyle magazine circulated throughout the Visayas. On the cover is model Navigail Bleinagel.

It was originally published in 2009 on The Philippine Star.)

Why did Deepak Chopra, Rick Warren, Mitch Albom and Max Lucado became best-selling authors? I believe it is because people from all walks of life need to be inspired, to find some guidelines to help them cope with the uncertainties of everyday life.

Of all the motivation gurus, it is Norman Vincent Peale that had the biggest influence on me. My life has been greatly enriched by his insights. The following feature, "True Faith: Timeless Insights from Norman Vincent Peale," is a distillation of his book The Art of Real Happiness, and I wrote it in such a way that it might become useful and rewarding to all the readers. We all need to find inspiration wherever we can, and I hope this will be a good place to start.

(This is the cover story of my story on Norman Vincent Peale which appeared in the 2006 My Favorite Book Contest, Lifestyle Section, The Philippine Star, May 14, 2006)

Albert Einstein's rightful place in history is deeply embedded like Mount Everest. His towering intellect has revolutionized modern science and broadened and deepened our understanding of the mysterious laws of the universe. This newly-revised, unpublished story, "Albert Einstein: A Man Apart," is a timeless tribute to the grandfatherly figure who has become the embodiment of superior intelligence, a well-crafted story accessible to anyone from casual readers to theoretical physicists.

(This is the cover story of my story on Albert Einstein which  appeared March 18, 2013 in Philippine Panorama magazine of The Manila Bulletin)

Jonathan Aquino's Journal

July 24, 2013 

1:27 p.m., Wednesday 

I.T. Park, Cebu 

The biggest irony in my life so far is that I found some of my best friends in the absolute worst call center company I've been into. Leadership and common sense are alien concepts to the culture of Qualfon, a small Cebu-based BPO company in I.T. Park. It's culture is paranoid bureaucracy with a rigid punitive mentality: it's all about rules and sanctions. Qualfon treats employees as expendable statistics. The security guards are out of control, even confiscating one of my colleagues' phone, claiming that there's a new memo where phones are not allowed near the door to the training room.

The worst person there is an abusive and obnoxious so-called mentor named Benjamin. This power-tripping low-breed is obviously uneducated and was never taught good manners, scolding people in public as if he had a right to do it. This disgusting bully sexually harassed one of my female classmates. That son of a bitch will pay for that.

I applied in Qualfon because I'm stranded in Cebu and because of an HR screw-up in XLibris. As I write this, I'm about to get my first full salary tomorrow. I'm still here because of my new-found friends, the best batch so far. I like Cebu but I've had a lot of negative experiences with the natives. My new buddies are actually re-building my shattered faith with the locals. 

I won't be here for long. But I need a litte more time. I'm still in the process of healing from my encounter with Doomsday (my code word for a recent personal experience that drained me physically, emotionally, mentally and financially). 

And since I enjoy the sincerity and warmth of my buddies, I have one more reason to stay, like a pilgrim sharing tales of knights and dragons beside the hearth of a roadside tavern

Granted, nothing is perfect. I can overlook the fact that all the officers, from the interviewers to the trainers, are always late, and we're always forced to wait while squeezed on the narrow corridor. But we spent a whole day during the unpaid orientation being insulted with an endless litany of rules and punishments. There was absolutely nothing about developing people and making them feel welcome. There was nothing but threats.

Here's my July 22 diary entry: 

Our shift ends 3 o'clock. We were told of the mandatory overtime until 7 at the last minute. In one of my calls, I needed to transfer a caller's airtime minutes to his replacement phone because the original phone was damaged. The ticket needs approval from a floor supervisor. They're supposed to come to our station but they don't. So I had to get up to find one. A supervisor named Janine was shockingly sarcastic and unprofessional. Instead of going to my station like she's supposed to, she demanded information that she can get if she would just do her job. But I persisted. So I forced her to come to my station, and she closed the software tool I'm using, erasing all the information, telling me to pull up a new one. All the while, the caller is on hold. Then she walked away. I forced her again, and she told me we can't transfer the minutes because the phone's been stolen yet it's clear shows it wasn't. 

That supervisor who doesn't deserve to be in a position of authority is one of the most disgusting creatures I ever met

July 25, 2013 

7:04 a.m., Thursday 

The victim is from another province. She came to Cebu to find work to support her family. Last night, she said goodbye to us, unable to bear the humiliation. Qualfon has lost a decent employee, but the subhuman specie who had traumatized her is still there. I completely understand her fear. But if she had spoken out, I would have gone straight to the human rights party-list group Gabriela and the local papers. As it stands, the only thing I can do now is to watch how the karmic law of the universe would unfold. Pain has been inflicted, and it will boomerang to the one who caused it. That is the absolute law that governs all of creation. 

I learned from a highly evolved entity the true meaning of the Biblical "eye for an eye." It's not about revenge - it's about karma. As sure as God made yellow apples, that low-breed supervisor will face the consequences of his actions

Jonathan Aquino's Photos

I first put these photos on my "Pipol" album in Facebook. I'm now posting them here on my blog where they belong.

They were taken from the End of the World December 2012 to February 2013 in Remedios in Manila; Northgate in Alabang; Moonwalk in Las Piñas; BF Homes and Baclaran in Parañaque; Libertad in Pasay; and Talisay and Lahug in Cebu

 

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you haved lived. That is to have succeeded."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

350.org. concordlibrary.org. preda.org. bradleygauthier.com. republicofpeace.com. wikimedia.org. word-of-mouth-media.com. wouterdeheij.wordpress.com. latimes.com