Everyone has a dream. What's yours?

Do we really know what we want in life? Or do we just THINK we know? (Yes, I know you're not supposed to start sentences with a preposition, but this is MY blog, so there... :)

I recently saw an old post of mine in another blog regarding my long-term goals in life. The shocking thing was that they were totally different from the goals I think I have now. Totally. Not even one thing the same, really. And this was just 4 years ago.

It made me realize that I either got really fickle about my life, or that significant events/opportunities/changes have led me to re-evaluate what I consider really important.

It also made me think that perhaps we ought to evaluate ourselves every few years, to see if we still follow the same path we set for ourselves (or whether we even have a path, as the case may be). I think I'm going to start doing that each year.

Just to illustrate what I mean, I never expected to find myself in Korea, owning my own business and doing what I feel I was born to do: educating young people in how to communicate better. A few years ago, I was teaching in Thailand, thinking of other things, dreaming other dreams. A few years prior to that, I had my own consulting company in the Philippines, helping big companies make more money that they probably didn't really need. :) I had different dreams then too.

I guess my life just typifies my philosophy: never say "no" to an opportunity; always allow yourself to be open to new dreams. It's led me to a very rich, varied and fulfilling life so far. I have many friends in different places, many languages learned (to varying degrees of fluency) and many sights seen, paths tread and future possibilities imagined. It's kinda cool, actually. :) By never saying that my life should ONLY be one thing, I've allowed my life to become many different things to me. That, in turn, has made me happy, in many new ways. :)

So, really, what's YOUR dream? Mine seems to be quite fluid. The only thing that is constant seems to be me... happily along for the ride. :)

Which would you choose: a higher-ranked university, or one with better social connections?

Having lived in Korea for over a year now, I'm realizing just how important Koreans consider social networking in their choice of which university to attend. I know many Koreans who would rather give up their ideal school or dream career in order to attend Harvard University, even if it means taking a path they did not really want to take, all because of the name value of Harvard.

We all know that certain schools have advantages when it comes to things like networking with the wealthy in our countries, etc. I'm wondering how much of that is factored into the decision for all of you.

Basically, I'm asking this question:

"If you had to choose between a much higher ranked university according to reputable authorities or a much more socially-prestigious university (according to your own perception, as well as those of your family and friends), which one would you choose?"

And I guess another reason I'm asking is because, if I'm operating in the real world, I'd have a rankings system that took into account the power of that university's alumni network, and the average salary and corporate/professional position of its graduates. After all, of what use is an education if it doesn't get you what you want in life?

Wine and Cheese

Just to keep a running blog on nice things I've had lately, I had some excellent 2003 Castello Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva last night, along with an exceptional Capresce salad and a superb cheese platter (the caviar was yummy too). Great stuff. :)

This is what I live life for. ;)

Who does GMA think she's fooling?

After the admissions from certain governors that they got bribed by Malacanang, out comes this new "admission" from the LPP that they were the ones behind it. This after that "accidental" explosion in Glorietta (on the same day that 3 bishops call for her resignation)? What's up? How dumb does she think Filipinos are?

Perhaps, more directly, how dumb ARE we? Why do we continue to let her get away with this?

I marched along with hundreds of thousands of others to overthrow a corrupt politician in Erap... and yet now that we have clear evidence of wrongdoing from his successor, we do nothing? Have we all given up already? Has it gotten THAT bad in the Philippines? No wonder we are near the bottom of all countries in the world in the global corruption index. It's pathetic, really.

I've held off making any sort of political statement on this blog (and been too busy these past months to even WRITE in the blog), but I just can't take this anymore. Thank God this is her last term in office. She's starting to remind me of Marcos.