DAVAO CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EVENT - 30 MAY 2013

The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. was organized on February 15, 1968.  It is a non-stock, non-profit business support organization that provides leadership and a strong voice for the business community of Davao City and its members.  It is an association of business professionals who have joined together to improve the economic, civic and social welfare of Davao City.

The Davao Chamber is considered as the premier chamber of commerce in the Davao Region, continues to be the only viable organization that exerts effort towards improving the business climate for business to thrive with advocacy as its main mandate.

Membership is open to CEO's and owners of corporate businesses and SME's with legal mandate to operate

With my bestfriend Chiqui , Representative for family owned business Davao Bonifacio Motors and Hyundai Davao (Distributor)

-to be continued-

What Defines An Individual...

For My Heart and Soul - My Baby Paul

We have been together for so long and yes,  we have been through a lot.

At times being with you was liberating and pleasant, other times it was just exhausting. It has been painful and rewarding, surprising and comfortable, hot and cold, left and right, open and closed. It has been one hell of an experience.

There were those crazy highs and we are a dynamic couple, crazy in love, unstoppable and passionate about everything.  We are a force made of love, happiness and hope, You are absolutely correct --- we are great for each other and we make a perfectly good team. ;)  We supported one another completely, with no regard to ego or pride. There is only love and affection. 

In the beginning there was honesty different from what I had known before.  We shared on such an extreme (and sometimes ridiculously silly) level that I felt an almost instant connection. I learned so much about myself by being with you. I’d never met someone who is able to read me as well as you do. 

I don't blame the women who envy me for having such a perfect life and an amazing husband. Love is not all about cars and mansions, or money in the bank. One thing that I never did was to try and change the  person that you are.  I guess what most of them dont realize is love is not about finding the perfect partner in life, its seeing the imperfections of the person you are with and loving the person inspite of it.  

You have remained true to your promise that there is no one else for you and you want no one else in your life. That in itself is more than enough for me.   

You will always be :

       H for Hot

.......U for Understanding

.......S for Sexy

.......B for Beautiful

.......A for Amazing

.......N for Naughty

.......D for Delicious

That’s all of you in a nutshell ;)  

For the  wonderful person that you are to me, I believe you deserve all the happiness and finest things in life and that is why on your birthday I am giving  you your heart's desire....your Kawasaki 1000. ;)

Geeboy already had the black one so you can have the green one... mwaaaah!

(Ahbet Padilla of Naughty Notes Band with Geeboy on his brand new Kawasaki 1000)

I have placed the order yesterday and your unit will be delivered in 2 weeks time, maximum. 

I cant remember how many times we went to Emcor Davao in the past just to have a look at their display. Whenever we get together with our best friends Geeboy, Chiqui, Doc Raul and Rachelle... you guys can talk about bikes for hours --- and unceasingly! So I thought... why not? ;)

You've given me pleasant surprises all my life so now's my turn.  Happy birthday, my baby... I love you always and forever! ;)

Asian Charm

Love Hurts? Naaaah... Not At All!

The Law of Karma

Anthony Hopkins' Philosophy

Kindness as a Weakness

Family Is Not All About Blood

People Cannot Handle What is Right About You

Albert Einstein - Everybody is a Genius

People in Our Lives

Honesty

Science Summary of the Week

Slimming Bacteria?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22458428

▶ Reversing Obesity: http://is.gd/SpQwKM
▶ Stem Cell Cloning: http://is.gd/c9dVfC
▶ 3D-Printed Solar Panels: http://is.gd/PbD97i
▶ Brain Shocks: http://is.gd/6JnDAz
▶ Lunar Crash: http://is.gd/XoRoeS
▶ Bacterial Circuits: http://is.gd/hyEeSF

Science Days
▶ May 17, World Information Society Day
▶ May 18, World AIDS Vaccine Day

Scientists’ Birthdays
▶ May 13, 1857 - English pathologist, Ronald Ross
▶ May 14, 1686 - Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
▶ May 14, 1946 - Surgeon & inventor, Robert Jarvik
▶ May 15, 1859 - French Physicist, Pierre Curie
▶ May 16, 1950 - German Physicist, Johannes Bednorz
▶ May 17, 1940 - American Scientist, Alan Kay
▶ May 18, 1901 - Biochemist, Vincent du Vigneaud

The Value of the Moment

We all have precious memories, but most often,  during the time we experienced them all --- they seemed like it was  routine moments. 

Why is it that moments usually don't become really precious to us until they become a memory? Its because we never value the little things in our everyday lives...normally, from the people who loves us the most. So why wait until it becomes too late?  To live with regret is the hardest knowing that you could have done it before and yet never bothered.  

Always appreciate the things people do for you and make it a point to let them know that you do --- it does'nt take more than a few seconds to say "hello, how are you?" "good morning", "thank you","i love you", "goodnight". Simple things, really, but its the simple things in life which makes living worthwhile. ;)

Have a great monday everyone! ;)

Being Quiet

A Woman Deserves Everything

My Thoughts and Feelings

No Matter How Good A Person Is

Im Not Perfect

The Wrong People

A Person Who Truly Loves You

Must Read and Share Whether You Are Married or Not...

“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man!  That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried herout on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddyis holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, "Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore"

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. "Do you have a fever?" She said. I moved her hand off my head. "Sorry, Jane", I said, "I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart." Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. 

I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. 

She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Mindanao Business Conference (MINBIZCON) 2013

MINBIZCON serves as an annual gathering of senior business leaders, members of the chambers of commerce, government policymakers, investors and other foreign trading partners to network and exchange 

ideas on improving business climate and competitiveness. It also becomes the platform for fostering competitiveness among business organizations in the region and accelerating growth for the region by showcasing and promoting investment destinations in Mindanao.

On its 22 years, MINBIZCON joins the nation in the reverberating call to prepare the business community in the nearing economic integration. This year’s theme of “Moving Towards ASEAN Business Integration” aims to equip the business community in Mindanao the necessary tools and information in preparing to compete in the ASEAN integration. This will also be fully reinforced and substantiated with the pre-consultation that will be held in order to generate concrete steps from the business sector and national government agencies in meeting the requirements of the integration in the areas of infrastructure and connectivity, logistics, trade and product development, tourism branding and human resource. 

The basic information of the ASEAN 2015 has been echoed for the last two years as shared by PCCI and other relevant national government agencies and the holding of MINBIZCON this year will present major concerns of Mindanao in terms of directly competing with co-ASEAN countries. 

As has been in the past, MINBIZCON will highlight the showcase of investment destinations and business opportunities in Mindanao with the 80-booths designed exhibits that will run for 3 days. Business matching, fellowship nights and golf tournament will also be held to provide a venue for business to business arrangements for the delegates.

Contact Info of Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry,Inc. (DCCCII) :

Landline : (+63)82 221-7515; 226-4433

Email Add: info@davaochamber.com

DCCCII Representative : Alex Ryan Bataller

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND MINBIZCON DAVAO 

1. Highly Focused Program. Acquire insights from the influential line-up of speakers who offer their perspectives on the real challenges and opportunities in the marketplace.

2. Learning environment. Discover new industry standards, practices &trends as well as learn new skills from key industry leaders, emerging businesses, investors, big thinkers and customers.

3. ASEAN Integration. Understand the current state and challenges of ASEAN Business Integration and be involved in preparing the readiness of Mindanao.

4. Networking.Meet with Mindanao-based associates to widen connections and build strong relationships. 

5. Innovation. Discover new technologies in the industry.

6. Annual Gathering. Be part of the annual assembly of senior business leaders, members of chambers of commerce, government policy makers, investors and other foreign trading partners.

7. Exhibition. Showcasing of leading-edge commercial expertise and investment & tourism destinations.

8. Branding. Increase brand awareness among existing and potential domestic and international customers as well as competitors.

9. Mix & Match. The avenue where you can meet your buyers and sellers during business matching sessions.

10. Experience Davao.Explore the vibrant city of Davao, its culture and nature.

11. Socialize. Reconnect, mingle and make new friends with the Mindanaoans during the fellowship night and golf tournament.

12. LinkedIn. Grow your professional connections.

13. SMX Davao. Encounter the only state-of-the-art venue for conventions and exhibitions in Mindanao. 

14. Healthy Competition. Meet and learn more from your competitors.

15. Leading Mindanao.Exchange ideas on how to improve the business climate and competitiveness of Mindanao. 

16. Investment Inventory. See the investment portfolio available in Mindanao.

17. Lead generation. Generate marketing and sales leads of your company. 

18. Policy Agenda. Help shape the socio-economic environment of Mindanao by advocating reforms in the government policies to push economic development. 

19. Recognition. Gain visibility and exposure in your field. 

20. Be inspired. Surround yourself with exceptional market leaders who succeeded in their own turf. 

21. Re-energized.Become invigorated as you become part of the larger extremes of the business community.

22. Spark Creativity. A break with educational and networking opportunities can ignite your imagination and help you think in innovative ways.

Keep Calm and...

Asian Charm

Asian Charm

Save Our Trees

Intelligent People vs Stupid People

Body Tattoo as An Art

I love body tattoos! ;)  

I can't say exactly what first fascinated me about tattoos but somewhere along the way I came upon the concept of permanent body art. Mind you, no one in my family has tattoos and I definitely wasn't around anyone who had tattoos. I can't even tell where I first saw anyone with tattoos but somewhere along the way I developed an intense interest in the art of tattoo. It's possible my interest is just an extension of my interest in art and personal expression. I was into feature writing during high school and was made Editor in Chief of  Veritas, Notre Dame's shcool publication,not voluntarily, I should add (lol) but that is another story to tell another time. ;)

Humans have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. These permanent designs—sometimes plain, sometimes elaborate, always personal—have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment.

Here are some of my favorites (link is posted below each image to return the credit to the source) :

http://inked-souls.tumblr.com/post/18095768401

                                      

http://alixge.tumblr.com/post/50348198054

http://www.bayareatattooconvention.com/

http://inked-souls.tumblr.com/post/18057880512

http://inked-souls.tumblr.com/post/17263379270

The concept of tattooing seemed to fill some need for my own personal expression and maybe even as a way to rebel against the ultra conservative environment I grew up in. My sister calls me a "non-conformist" in a sense that I do not always agree with some standards set by society. At one time it might have serve its purpose but the world is continuously changing, thus, what may be considered taboo in the 1950's is now accepted in our society i.e. tattoos.  Tattoos used to be associated with ex-convicts, drug addicts, gangsters (the Yakuza of Japan comes to mind) and all that society itself has branded as such. I used to be guilty of this perception 12 years ago until I met one tattoo artist in Davao City and saw the designs he was drawing actually has a personal meaning and a symbol for the individuals who had themselves inked.A very good example is Rocky star Sylvester Stallone who had his wife's image tattooed  on his upper arm to mark their 10th anniversary. 

                         http://www.weirdhut.com/celebrity/celebrity-tattoos/

Sylvester got the tattoo after running out of things he thought he could get Jennifer to mark such a big occasion. He remembered what she said to him "What can you get so that I am always with you?".  He answered her question on US TV and said ‘OK, here” lifting up his sleeve to cheers from the TV audience. “Those roses are for my daughters,” ( Rose, Sophia and Scarlet)  he added.  Ahhhh, so sweet of Sly!

Another misconception about a person having a tattoo is you can never be a blood donor ever. False. I donated blood at Al Wasl Hospital in  Dubai two years ago after passing all the tests for HIV, HepA and HepB.  

In the Philippines, there are still companies who do not accept applicants with tattoos on their bodies. I have also heard that most applicants are even asked to show their legs and arms to ensure that they are clean of any marks. I cannot understand the logic behind such policy and this is one  social perception that I do not conform with.   

The first thing that comes to mind (I know, because this was my first question) when you think about tattoos is  - Does it Hurt? 

Everybody has a different threshold for pain. What will hurt one person can be simply annoying to someone else. How much a tattoo hurts is dependent on your individual tolerance for pain. There are areas more sensitive than others that is the same for everybody. Generally the 'meatier' the area the less it hurts. The closer to bone or tendons the more it hurts (really agonizing!). Likewise certain areas are exposed to the elements, such as the back and outside parts of the arm, and tend to hurt less than more protected areas, like the inside of the arm, thigh or stomach. They say women tend to be more tolerant of pain than men, specially around the stomach area. This is not true for me as I have a very low tolerance for pain!

The pain associated with tattooing has been described as feeling like: 

a) a bad sunburn - so you can just imagine how painful it was when my babes  had his sprawling tiger tattoo done after a week of sun and sea at Boracay. Sunburn and tattoo, not a good combination, trust me!

b) a bee stinging several times - it felt like a colony of bees, i should say!

c) a cigarette burn ( nah...not really!) and

d) a bad scrape - uhuh! definitely! 

Most of those who have had tattoos say the pain diminishes after a few minutes (in most cases) when the body's  natural pain killers (endorphins) kick in. I say, it gets worse especially when it comes to the shading part! 

An individual's reasons for getting inked vary between an inner desire for a tattoo (that might not even ever show to the world) and all the way to simply following the latest hype to look funky and liberal. Either way, your tattoo does tell the world something about you. 

In ending, let me  quote Jack London... "Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past."