"Little Bad Boy: Binatang Rizal sa Europa"

shadowness.com

            I understand now why the documentary is entitled "Little Bad Boy: Binatang Rizal sa Europa". Yes, the film did not even present Jose Rizal being rowdy and loud yet it has shown how he is as a bachelor. He indeed knows how to make ladies fall in his net through the use of his alluring words and perhaps his looks. He is an epitome of a man who knows how the ins and outs of romance. To support and attest this, the film presented an excerpt from the series of love letters written to Rizal by a Belgian woman named Suzanne. “In a letter sent to Rizal while he was traveling in Spain, she wrote: "There will never be any home in which you are so loved as that in Brussels. So, you little bad boy, hurry back." Well, what he means by “bad” and how “bad” he is arouses creative imaginations. Altogether, he is a normal social being who finds a companion.”¹

            Aside from being skilled in making “the moves”, he is really a very fortunate man. To live a life under the moonlight shining in Paris and in other places in Europe is really a manifestation of how affluent his family is. It really is an experience not everyone could afford. It is a privilege not everyone could avail. Perhaps, it is safe to conclude that his being affluent had a great role on molding the national hero that he is.

            That is, being wealthy as to study in the grounds of Europe paved the way to his greatness and fame. Mentioning fame, I was really amazed how a man, not a single drop of Filipino blood running in his veins namely Jean Paul Verstraeten could be very enthusiastic with regard to Rizal's life and works. The intensity of his interest and adoration to Rizal is far stronger than most fully blooded Filipinos have. He is so into Rizal that he even pledges to let everyone know the hero and his ideals which is very admirable. Jose Rizal indeed touched lives and influenced minds more than he intended to. His greatness is not bounded by the Philippines' shores.

            Perhaps what Verstraeten is doing is an act to look up to. It is for anyone including myself to just continue staring or to start to do the same. But in the eyes of the heroes, both the living and the dead, it is always best to take the similar path that they have trod. 

            Clips of his living descendants were also shown. The places that he has been into, the paintings having him as one of the subjects, photographs, works among others that has his touch were also presented. These existing things just prove that he really did exist and not just a figment of an imagination. He is real.

            All in all, the documentary film by Howie Severino and his I-Witness team for me presented a new way of viewing Jose Rizal. He is a normal rich boy who lived a life typical of a blooming bachelor. Knowing him and his works is a calling to every Filipino so that we could attain a certain level of admiration that would soon compel us to do as Verstraeten is doing.

^{1 http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/209429/news/specialreports/as-young-man-in-europe-was-rizal-a-little-bad-boy}

Is Psychology relevant to the field of Accounting?

morpethschool.org.uk

                Accounting is defined as the process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information to permit informed judgment and decision by users of the information. Its purpose is to provide quantitative, financial information about economic entities to statement users so that they could make informed judgment and better decision. On the other hand, Psychology is said to be the scientific study of human behaviors and mental processes. How are they related?

            Perhaps it is obvious that Accounting involves intensive mental processes. Hence, it has problem-solving portion that entails analytical and critical thinking. It has complex processes and principles  that need to be understood, stored in the memory and be conformed with. Generally, psychology can study how we do these mental processes, what things influences them, how our memory and intellect behaves , among others. This way of dealing with the mental processes is under the Cognitive Psychology, a specific  sub-field of Psychology. What is Cognitive Psychology?

            “Cognitive psychology is the scientific investigation of human cognition that is, all our mental abilities – perceiving, learning, remembering, thinking, reasoning, and understanding.  Fundamentally, cognitive psychology studies how people acquire and apply knowledge or information.”¹

            From the explanation on what  Cognitive Psychology is comes their second link of connection. How we apply accounting knowledge and information is under the scope of psychology. How can we use the objective data coming  from the accounting process properly and accordingly can be improved and enhanced by Cognitive Psychology.

            “Understanding the way a client approaches decision making related to corporate earnings and expenditures is at the heart of the practice of cognitive psychology. So the more training in cognitive psychology an accountant receives, the better able she is to do her job and manage her client as well ”²

            Indeed, psychology is connected and important to accounting . But it is worthy to note that accounting process is for the users to make informed judgment and correct decisions with regard to their firms. They have a counselor- client relationship . The accountant does not only disclose numerical information per se but also the interpretation as to how they affect the business establishment. Subsequently, they leave update as to the the financial standing of the firm and give hints as to how to adjust to losses and improve the earnings. Somehow, a background of Counseling Psychology is relevant to this job especially when a losing business is owned and managed by the same person.

¹ http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Cognitive_psychology

² http://smallbusiness.chron.com/apply-cognitive-psychology-accounting-38759.html