A Toast to Discipline!

A few days ago, I was having a conversation with Ate, and in which I was asked to define what EQ meant. I can't remember exactly under what context that question was asked, but I remember my reply: "capacity for delayed gratification". I tend to think that EQ's related to discipline, and that having high EQ is way much better than having high IQ. Time has flown by and this idea's still stuck in my head. Especially now that I should be blazing forward with productivity, instead of being stuck in a rut, not having the motivation to proceed with my thesis proposal, besides the slide presentation I should be working on for Saturday's invited class talk on Kalman Filtering.

I guess, the fact that it's semester break, and that I still feel I'm a lone wolf in my current research area is what's keeping me from moving forward. I wonder how it's possible that I'm slow at starting, all the while that my mind's been sending warning signals, which keeps my heart nervously palpitating. Anyway, my mind just doubled its effort to make me feel guilty as I write this blog, so I'm going to stop now. 'Til next blog.

Here's the deal

Most of the time, I take for granted the fact that I graduated from UP-Diliman, and is currently pursuing in its hallowed halls, err..., labs, one of the highest academic degrees that this time-honored, prestigious institution can bestow on people and personas who actually dared. I guess, the "been-there-done-that" attitude contributed much to how I regarded this special education I received. In recent years, however, having gone (and returned from) abroad and proved (and compared) my mettle against international contemporaries, I realized how indeed blessed I am for having received an authentic UP Education. With friends and families going abroad left and right, people around me are consistently confounded with my actual decision to stay in our country (or by the lukewarm attitude I show when presented with an opportunity to immigrate to "better"countries ) despite the so-called "potential" they see in me. To explain with the same fervor only a truly-patriotic, grateful iskolar-ng-bayan can give to non-isko's (there's no intention to demean anyone in declaring this) would be futile; I guess, there are things that only a UP Grad can completely understand, that makes them opt to stay in the country.

Thanks to Prof. Monsod for elucidating this hard-to-explain-in-casual-banter abstract idea out. This is a case of a UP-luminary-talking-to-UP-students, and thus, the points are frankly expressed and are seemingly elitist, but these are ideas that speak to the heart, and strike a sensitive chord in our modern era of globalization. Points that are well-worth the extended musings. Enjoy watching: