I just wanted to leave a mark in this world not necessarily as successful as the world defines but as meaningful as true happiness can satisfy. Unfortunately, the world is designed to work as a non-utopia where you would have to deal with different people measuring you in different ways. You can satisy a few but never all of them.

It becomes difficult though when more people looking at you are seeing red than green. Self-worth then becomes an issue. And for a non-conformist with superiority complex like me, that’s a big deal.

I know the world is beautiful. Maybe I just have to see it from a different angle. Does that mean I need to be in a different place?

I never set New Year’s resolutions for myself; I have this gratitude list instead:

1. At last, we have somehow weathered the oil and rice crises in the Philippines. Although 2008′s record-breaking inflation rate pumped up the gas prices and raised the demand for NFA rice, we were at least able to stabilize the production-consumption chain and to calm down the hypertensive market.

2. At last, the global financial slump is slowly fading away from news headlines and we are seeing an optimistic trend in the affected industries. Just a little more investor confidence here and political will there and the past year shall soon become just a memory of the past and a learning experience for the future.

3. At last, the Democrats are in, the Republicans are out. Enough said.

4. And at last, I’ve got a new job, my family is living somehow more  comfortably, and more people are beginning to appreciate what I can do and understand what I cannot.

2009 may look like just another year to spend, but you can make it how you want it to be.

Make it best. Make it happy. Make it your year!

After all, no new year will start out right if the previous year is left in discord.

Wish me luck…

But there was I, installing several apps into brand-new Lenovo Thinkpads on my first day and IBM servers on the second. Minor troubleshooting for Trojans and worms also nudged my consciousness that I am just a kindergarten in the computing field. I was grateful, though, that the few IT workhorses that I met always had an ear and a hand to lend this novice.

Some claim that name-dropping is unfit in the spectrum of corporate ethics. But let me do it in good taste.

Kudos and thanks to Sir Egay for letting me feel one with the IT family, to Sir Rick for making my online pseudonym “Red” official, to Sir Rey for the patience, to Sir Jhed and Sir Homer for generosity, and to Sir Ian for the warm hospitality from office to staffhouse. Oh, did I forget to thank the polar bear (peace, man!)?

I am lucky to have known you, guys. Technological complexities, social expectations and workplace demands wouldn’t bother me anymore because I know that I am sharing space with people who care.

This is Red, now stepping in and signing on.

The training was structured with a 5-day “exposure” to field operations and another five days for lecture classes in its resort-style development institute in Bay, Laguna.

It was a company orientation, on-the-job training, self-discovery, team building and soul-searching rolled into one. The best part was that it’s free — complimentary food and accommodations, reimbursible transpo expenses and an in-depth look into the companies’ operations through competent trainors.

The “exposure” days brought me up-close and personal to the fragile support elements of our society — the rural women. Beyond the realizations of myself being on a higher step on the poverty ladder and of having access to better opportunities, I was particularly impressed by how much our mothers, sisters and aunties in the countryside are doing just so they can shape a better world for their families.

Suddenly, my personal outlook geared towards a progressive career path broadened to include social responsibility. I can only say much. But I hope I can do more.

This is the beginning of my new journey.

Who cannot get hooked on to this showcase of Filipino talents, not only to the “dreamers” but also to their exceptional mentors? And there’s the hyper-host Billy Crawford to keep the afternoons alive through “uberture.” What else can we ask for?

Liezl and Van were my early favorites in the competition but Bugoy and Laarni seem to win the popularity votes these days. Tonight, the “dreamers” each sang a duet with well-established artists. Saying this episode was great would be an understatement. Spectacular was perhaps the right adjective.

Miguel finally came up with a good perfomance to shun away his detractors. (Still, my mother insists that Chivas desrves to be a finalist more than Miguel does.) But when Laarni sang “The Prayer” with Jed Madela (no less!), I had goosebumps all throughout the song. How I wish the second season wouldn’t end soon so that I could watch more “concerts” for free.

Just out of my curiosity, I watched GMA 7′s Pinoy Idol in its final performance night. When it ended, I was like “That’s it?!”

I’m sorry for such an arrogant opinion but I expected a “finale grandeur” considering it is a franchise of my TV vice Amercian Idol. Being a Kapamilya though, I might be totally biased in this regard. But the Fremantle pride should have retained its magnificence especially here in Asia’s music capital. How were their ratings again?

Read my essay “Silent Mode” in the Philippine Daily Inquirer today and you’ll know why I kept this blog entry this brief.

(Alternatively, you can access that essay through this link).

But beyond its interesting content, what makes it a real heavyweight is its price tag: a whopping 100,000 euros (about 6.8 million Philippine pesos)! This is luxury publishing at its prime.

So what do you take home at the cost of a house? It’s a 21-kilogram volume of grandeur with a 500-year guarantee. It also has detachable pages of reproduced drawings by Michelangelo.

The publisher Gruppo FMR wanted to make the book a “work of art in itself.” Thus, they covered it with marble that is a scale reproduction of the “Madonna of the Steps” bas-relief. Moreover, each page of the book is exclusively handmade for the project utilizing the stringent standards of 19^th century publishing.

The quality of La Dotta Mano calls for a labor-intensive and meticulous production, so our rich readers will have to wait for about six months more to have this black “goldbar” for themselves. This waiting makes buying one all the more exciting.

To magnify its exclusivity, only 99 limited copies of the book will be manufactured. Break the bank now.