What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?

“Life is an economist that requires trade-offs;

ever requiring us to give up something for the sake of another;

ever demanding us to consider the costs and benefits of the choices we make;

ever instilling rationality;

ever imposing equality;

ever upholding standards;

ever securing purpose.

A diehard crusader of meaning, . . .

always rallying for vision;

always arguing for continuum;

always vigilant of opportunities;

always passionate in resolving scarcity of ways and means. . . .

ultimately ensuring we are giving our best;

our very all

to our endeavors;

to our aspirations;

to our hope and dreams;

even to friendship and love

we build and keep.”

(This Mighty Economist, February 18, 2017, AinaBalagtas)

What are you most excited about for the future?

I love to hear patients beating cancers, Lou Gehrig disease (ALS), and all others.

I am excited to see a smarter generation given the tools available for them.

But to be clear, when we speak of future, it results to excitement not unless one’s a cynic or a pessimist.

What could you let go of, for the sake of harmony?

The most dispensable of them all.

Describe your most memorable vacation.

. . . every weekend is a memorable vacation.

White sand beaches,

Weather that’s better than summer,

People who are warm and welcoming—

Aloha is real—

Plus the spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean,

And comforting foods from very diversed cultures—

There’s nothing like it in the world.

Just in Waikiki alone,

There’s a vibe that you won’t feel

From anywhere.

I’ve been to four states,

But truly, none can compare

To this paradise

I call home.

What’s your definition of romantic?

And he’s all that matters to you.

And the clock stops ticking

Because you’re locked in his arms.

When his smiles are your joy and happiness—

And he completes you.

He’s the song your heart sings,

your sunrise and sunset

And everything in between.

How do you express your gratitude?

“Be anxious of nothing.

Be peaceful with everything.

Be angry of no one.

Be happy with loved ones.

Be pessimistic of none.

Be optimistic with what’s done.

Be ungrateful of no way.

Be appreciative all the way.

Be thankless of not a single day.

Be thankful everyday.

For being thankful,

Is seeing the Sun even before dawn:

That ardent debonair,

A mister that sneaks not in window pane,

But in our heads,

Romancing thoughts,

Seducing brain

Lingering in mind,

As it teases day and night.

In spirit with tomorrow and today. . .”

(An excerpt from In Pursuit of Thanks by AinaBalagtas)

What are you most worried about for the future?

Storms are getting violent.

Corals are dying.

Seas and oceans are warmer and acidic.

Beaches and shores are eroding.

If it happened to dinosaurs,

Men’s extinction is plausible.