Prex J.D.V. Ybasco's Blog, page 13

May 2019 Articles

Amassing a number of adjectives synonymous to tiring would be an exaggeration for what this month was for me but it truly was exhausting. Two big reasons: Avengers, The Big Bang Theory, and Game of Thrones have just ended and I suffered from a long and literally draining diarrhea.

The 1968 Sci-Fi that Spookily Predicted Today (BBC)

Sometimes I wish we preserved the brains of great authors to determine how they worked and how their amazing stories came about. The references to historical fiction is relatively easy to understand but science fiction proves to be rather challenging: did they predict or did they inspire what is currently happening? Did the authors merely express their desires for the future, describe what they wanted to happen, what they wanted to change but couldn’t in their time? Have our current innovators read any of these literary pieces? Have they been inspired by such notions?

The Princess who Thought She was Made of Glass (BBC)

This is a fascinating read about *read the effing title* because it sheds another light to the reason behind attaching the word ‘fragile’ to people. That, according to the article, more men ‘swallowed glass pianos’ also gives another depth to how we describe someone as delicate.

How ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Normalized the Nerd Culture (The New Yorker)

I wonder if The New Yorker received any backlash for using ‘normalized’ in this article’s title. Choosing the most appropriate word seems to be rather difficult in an era where everyone can promote his/her opinion on the internet. Aren’t nerds ‘normal’ in the first place? After all, there have been several films about how nerds, usually portrayed as the underdogs, aren’t any different from ‘normal’ cliques like the cheerleaders or jocks.

Anyway, this wasn’t the theme of the article but it compared The Big Bang Theory to other sitcoms to determine what made it click to viewers. Some of the elements discussed in the article are the standard settings, number of jokes, types of jokes, and the variety of characters.

The Criminals who fool Doctors

It is a very timely article particularly after elections. In the Philippines, it is not uncommon for politicians, with several cases of graft and corruption, to use the wheelchair for lighter punishment and run for elections after some years. Talk about malingering.

What I am curious about is whether Vincent Gigante’s life would be turned into a movie or a TV series. Now that mainstream media are glorifying crimes and sex in TV series, it is not far from happening. We might as well be entertained by how Gigante finally admits faking psychosis.

Starting with Succulents

The initial idea was to include articles on succulents in this post but I thought it best to just include those articles in my previous one for reference links. And also to promote my own blog. You can read how I started my succulent journey and how I came up with their names–it really is such an informative article and I’m not pulling your leg.

Koro-sensei, Nagisa, and Karma

I have started reading Assassination Classroom after watching its short first season (only 22 episodes!) and it has made me missed teaching a bit. It has made me missed being a student more. It would be amazing being in Class 3-E and sitting right next to Karma.

As per usual let me know your thoughts on the articles, or on this list in general.

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Starting with Succulents

There are a number of articles from my old personal blog that I want to salvage and one of them is a write up on my first cacti, Fuji and Eiji. I was immensely proud of and cared so much for them–probably a little too much. Eiji didn’t survive rotting roots and Fuji…well, it got a little out of hand and we had to let him go. Both cacti now reside in my memory rendering the good write up but a ghost of Fuji and Eiji’s past, so I thought it best to make a new article on succulents. The question is how I should start without any.

MonikerSucculent Care

A short trip to Baguio gave me an opportunity to start with succulents again and I got my hands on these lovelies:

[image error]Akira (彰), Kurama (蔵馬)、Niou (仁王)

I got are Akira, Kurama and Niou. The cacti, Akira, is now a permanent resident of my office table. It has become my excuse to ascend stairs and complete my daily step target (8,000 steps) in search for a well-lit place (where else but our rooftop). Kurama, whose moniker was that of Yu Yu Hakusho character, bears resemblance to a clump of roses, is really pretty. I had a hard time thinking whether the last plant must be named Niou or Akira. In fact I went to and fro deciding only to be affected by one factor：彰（あきら）has those strokes that remind me of cactus ribs, hence, my decision. Also Niou seems to be more fitting for this one as Niou from Prince of Tennis has hair that “defies gravity ” as how my best friend puts it.

[image error]Byakuran (白蘭)

The newest addition to the growing population of plant-life is Byakuran. I love how the color reminds me of the anime character’s hair. See below:

Byakuran

It’s probably for the best that I keep the aloe vera plant I got unnamed. Harvesting the plant while saying, “I’m going to cut you now, *insert name*” seems a sign of sadistic tendencies. I opt for this plant for various reasons including the gel’s benefits and its oxygen production.

I have come across a number of Youtube videos and articles on and here is what I gathered:

Avoid overwatering. It’s best to wait for the soil to dry before watering succulents again as opposed to the general instruction ‘water them every other day.’ Succulents tend to drown and their roots rot easily.Let them get enough sunlight. In general, succulents need about 6 hours of sunlight. Aloe vera does not need that much and may probably burn due to too much exposure.Know their type. Careful consideration of their types is a big help to determine how to care for them better.

It is fascinating how even watering succulents varies from one type to another. Learning about my plants has opened many doors for my growing curiosity. What made me even more curious is whether they would help alleviate the effects of global warming–who am I kidding! But who knows…maybe one cactus at a time?

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PS: Any university has a botany class so I deemed it necessary to have one in this blog.

April 2019 Articles

I tried catching up on my reading and writing this month– my smartphone games were getting in the way, not to mention an old flame in the form of a Korean TV series. I seem to be fixated on a number of things lately, I wonder if it’s my age.

What Happens inside a Black Hole

They are very curious thing. Congratulations to basically everybody who worked on the first image of the Black Hole. Another giant leap for humankind. That hole is 55m light years away. *wink wink*

How does it feel to be watched at work all the time?

How do we draw the line between ensuring the efficiency of our employees and intruding their privacy? According to the article, as long as an agreement between an employer and employee exists, monitoring one’s job is perfectly okay.

How many days should you take off work?

I got to enjoy a number of days off in April, to be honest, and this reignited the idea that I’m better off staying at home without getting any work done apart from reading more books and writing. But Reality is Daydream’s strong competition– I simply need to pay my bills.

The Flow State: Where Creative Work Thrives

I recognize this phenomenon particularly in the middle of improving a plot. The flow cannot be triggered in a snap–well, it is a flow for a reason. There are times however when I start writing and then I write some more, I look at the time and poof, it has gone by for quite a while and though a mere two-paged draft is not a Nobel material, I still revel in the idea that I have created something.

How did Britain become an island?

This is another bitsized article that challenges History and Geography teachers out there. I didn’t learn this from mine–a fact I had to live with.

Let me end this post by admitting that both Game of Thrones and Avengers: Endgame just blew me away.

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My New Take on Slam Dunk

Over the weekend I watched a number of Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk episodes. They were chosen in random -not exactly since I focused on episodes where Sendoh appeared. Anyway, it’s not a secret anymore that I simply adore him.

Certain realizations arise when you watch a series or even a movie for several times and the following were mine:

Sakuragi’s tenacity

All 101 episodes of the anime documented Sakuragi’s improvement in basketball but the jump shot training parts taught me that I probably shouldn’t skip going to the gym. Nor should I do that with practicing Kanji.

Kogure’s stagnation

My father pointed this out: Kogure Kiminobu, a senior and Shohoku’s vice captain had to sit out and watch most of the games as bench warmer. Even when he’s in the game, there wasn’t much of a difference- fine, his miracle three-point shot was a thing. Then, when they won against Ryonan in Interhigh, Sakuragi said this:
“Your retirement has been postponed because of this genius.”
Granted that Sakuragi’s amazing potential has contributed to many of Shohoku’s wins and that basketball is after all a team sport, Kogure’s lack of improvement says a lot about how his character lacked depth. It’s almost hypocritical that he had the biggest dream of going to the nationals with Gori–at least Gori had the determination, even with his injuries.

Rukawa’s loss

Greed is one key characteristic shared by a number of famous basketball players who could score 50 points a game. That’s totally okay, they are all that great and a good amount of greed is also needed for a team to win so I don’t hold it against Rukawa. However, I still think it takes more than the ability to score that makes a good basketball player. I’m pretty sure that Rukawa has the same amount if not even more determination Sakuragi possesses. However, that Rukawa had to save his energy for the second half in their inter-high match doesn’t add up to his ability to defeat Sendoh. The latter could save his energy for the entire duration of the game but could still score and make amazing passes. Their respective positions, Rukawa a small forward and Sendoh a point forward, heavily influence their playing styles as presented in the anime and therefore comparing them for the sake of rivalry, though acceptable, is pointless.

Sendoh’s slyness

I used to think this part was cute –he looked so innocent. He wasn’t. He was one hell of an actor. What’s this?

[image error]Slam Dunk, Volume 19 Chapter 63

In the anime version, he really appeared surprised about the foul call. The manga has made me confused though– was he surprised about the foul call or the nature of the foul? Nonetheless, the audience and the reader – ME- know that he’s perfectly aware of the foul.

If anything, this adds character to this seemingly good-natured genius. That he is sly is another reason for me to like him.

What now?

I’ll probably continue watching episodes of Slam Dunk, examining them from a different perspective. Anyway, who’s going to stop me?

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March 2019 Articles

I started March particularly well with a presentation on SVA and voices for our team’s brown bag session, a trip to Taiwan on the second week, and a system deployment for work–but technically I wasn’t the one who deployed it so let’s not delve into this. But hey, who’s asking?

Nietzsche on How to Find Yourself and the True Value of Education

Apart from the usual ‘I-saw-Nietzsche-I-clicked’ habit, that the meaning of education varies from one person to another, generation to another. It banks on what people deem is important. An example is having a stable source of income–does this require an MA? PhD? When a person values self growth, are these titles even necessary?

The Smart Guide to Procrastination (BBC)

Appearing busy is not tantamount to being productive and I wish people could give this more thought. And yes, I do tend to stick to plans I have made for myself more than the plans people have for me– not exactly a behavior a rank-and-file employee must have. I still stand by my idea that for every hour I spend for work, I must not hesitate to use 5-10 minutes for myself.

National Procrastination Week (NationalDayCalendar)

…first two weeks in March or when it is convenient.

WHO WOULDN’T LIKE TO OBSERVE THIS?

Why Calvin and Hobbes is Great Literature (LitHub)

I simply need a reason to add some manga volumes to my Goodreads 2019 Finished Reading list. That aside, I do love Calvin and Hobbes– I still have that notebook I used in the university with the newspaper strip on it.

What if we knew when people were lying (BBC)

It would be a very interesting world indeed. The concept of lying has always fascinated me that I even wrote about a ペテン師(petenshi/ trickster) here.

The Truth about Time

This BBC Reel just made me realize that apart from a potted cactus, my table needs an hourglass.

This month, I finished Ready Player One and just to give a snap review: I prefer the movie’s Wade but the book’s plot was waaaaaaay better. I didn’t intend to compare the book and the movie – I always think it’s foolish yet unavoidable to to do so – but I merely stated my preference.

‘Til next month, folks.

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February 2019 Articles

Love month! The shortest month of the year just came in a whirlwind and for all we know, there are only 10 months before 2020. I better stop here, lol. Here are the articles I found sooooo informative this month:

Hideaki Akaiwa Jumps Headfirst Into Tsunami Water To Save Family and Neighbors

And that’s love.

The Strategies that Get You Through Tough Challenges

I’m not even sure if they are new tags in BBC but I’m highly enjoying “Owning your time” and “Productivity.”

How you can think yourself thin

The best video after all the valentine chocolates people consumed… then again, I really think the BBC team needs to rethink how they come up with titles for their articles.

How to Cultivate a Daily Reading Habit

Because as you age, life really does become too short to read bad books. 

And with that, ladies and gents, we are given every excuse to save time and enjoy reading what we love. After this post, I won’t tolerate anyone who tells me I should ditch my Harry Potter marathon for another series.

How your language reflects the senses you use

This article has made me quickly assess what senses I use as revealed by the languages I speak.

The Hidden Ways Your Language Betrays Your Character

You know what’s missing? The study comparing the differences between the language a person uses when he/she speaks and the language he/she uses when he/she writes. I have come across several introverted people whose essays didn’t sound like excerpts from encyclopedias so I’ve learned not to generalize people according to introversion or extroversion.

Sometimes I tell myself I could probably make my own calendar- January sharing one day to February, and March giving another day to February. Who’s to say I need to follow the accepted calendars? What if my life’s calendar had 14 months instead of 12 , or probably 11? What if each month only had 20 days?

What’s my point? I really don’t have any aside from the one my best friend used to tell me when we were younger, ‘If you can’t respect other people’s time, respect yours.’

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January 2019 Articles

Thirty days ago, we were just celebrating New Year and now it’s not even new anymore, unless you’re like me who thinks that tomorrow is another year, full cycle and celebrates it nonetheless, minus the extravagant dinner and fireworks.

What it’s like to live in a well-governed country (BBC)

There are some policies I don’t quite appreciate, for example, the one allowing foreigners to buy land/property quite easily. Economics plays an important role there, I know, what with foreigners bringing more money to the country’s income, alleviating the government’s debt, etc., but most often than not, it’s more difficult for citizens to own properties in their homeland.

What we just don’t understand about the 1% (BBC)

“Emotional innumeracy” is perhaps one of the biggest reasons I can’t participate in public demonstrations of human rights. What makes me shake my head in disbelief is how political figures could easily play with my countrymen’s ‘misperception of reality’ (term used in the BBC article).

Publisher business models in the age of platforms (Fipp, 2017)

Ohhhkay, I know you’re thinking it’s outdated but one thing about being a part of a publishing house that strives to improve its web domain, this article is an eye-opener. Since part of my current job is to analyze trends and evaluate relevance of current ones, I deem it necessary to review how the business runs and compare it with more successful ones.

How to stop delegating and start teaching

Though I have a Utopian society in my head, that there is no perfect world is a fact I have accepted– you get responsibilities you aren’t prepared for and sometimes you wish your superiors would teach you what to do after delegating the task. I’m being optimistic when I say that gives a person a room for growth but human beings are funny creatures and we respond to pressure differently: a) you wait for your sup to teach you b) or you ask questions c) you complain too much or d) you teach yourself.

A Visual Summary: 32 Learning Theories Every Teacher Should Know

Still, the most powerful message that I could relate to is “A teacher must never stop learning.”

Earth’s oldest rock was found by Apollo 14 Astronauts -on the moon

At the same time you are reading this, the same thing is happening at a different part of the universe.

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2018 Reading Challenge- Results

With all the changes that happened in 2018, I only managed to read 33 books, 9 of which were manga volumes–I didn’t included the other mangas I read using my MangaRock app because it was honestly tedious looking for Volume Titles in Wikipedia. Had I included all of them, had I been patient enough, I’m sure I would have reached my target but the truth is, patience has never been my virtue so moving on…

[image error]The Buried Giant, K. Ishiguro

Out of all the books I read this year, my favorite pick was Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant. Yes, I gushed over A Series of Unfortunate Events, fell in love with The Graveyard Book and had a wonderful time with The Last Dragonslayer (and another yes, I’m not including The Crimes of Grindelwald in my runners-up), but The Buried Giant made me think about it for several days, running several theories of literary criticisms inside my head until my poor brain couldn’t keep up anymore.

When my Goodreads meter told me I only finished 66% of my goal (33 books out of 50), I kicked my sleeping reading engine ready. Although it is not a bad number, plus the 61 articles I read (and some I wrote!), hitting the target is so much better. 2019 is another opportunity-filled year and I can’t wait to start reading new books, printed or digital ones. I’m still aiming for 50. What is your target?

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December 2018 Articles

Yes, Sherlock, it is. Or was.

Last year’s December caught me by surprise, and lo and behold, come January, I realized my post went on without even me sufficiently greeting my readers a Happy Christmas and a blessed New Year. 

And since I don’t want to be caught unaware again, I have prepared a proper list this time.

NASA InSight Lander Arrives on Martian Surface to Learn What Lies Beneath

I’m pretty sure I am not the only one who’s excited to have Christmas on Mars but I also know that it is not going to happen anytime soon. Just the idea that it is possible is enough to amuse me.

4 Mind Blowing Things About Stars

Continuing with the outer space, I love love LOOOOOOOOOOVE to channel the astronaut kid inside of me by reading articles about stars and the planets, the moons and all. Does this article bring something new to the table? If you have read so extensively about stars, no, but if you spend your time looking at them in wonder, then yes.

The Great Perils of Social Interaction

And that, my digital friends, is why it is easier to socialize online.

Someone Reading a Book is a Sign of Order in the World

With the amount of people ready to squeeze me to death in the MRT, I couldn’t find the strength to bring a book nor even bring out my phone to read but as long as I find time, as long as I read, my world is going to be fine.

Parallelisms: Harry Potter and Credence

By yours truly. Though I didn’t really want to touch the Harry Potter series for review and literary criticism, I couldn’t help but let out some of the ideas buzzing inside my head when I saw the movie. You might be reading other stuff about parallelisms soon though. Lol

That’s the last list of articles for 2018. I look forward to what other articles I will be able to read–and WRITE–in 2019.

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Not Wired that Way

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I get excited thinking about concepts the same way I get excited when I receive pens as holiday gifts. It doesn’t show much on my face but yes, apart from roller coaster rides and books, there are things that get me excited.

I may not understand the concept of YOLO the same way as the girl next door does, but I seize the day learning something and enjoying it.

It may be hard to believe but when I look too serious, it doesn’t mean I’m plotting someone’s demise- not always- I am also living in the moment, enjoying the process of understanding something worthwhile because if it is not, IDGAF at all.

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