Instructions for Life
2006-10-18 00:32:00
Instructions for Lifewritten by the Dalai LamaTake into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.When you lose, don't lose the lesson.Follow the three Rs:Respect for selfRespect for others andResponsibility for all your actions.Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Spend some time alone every day.Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.Be gent
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Moving on up....
2006-10-17 17:52:00
Some time ago, on impulse, I decided to move on up to a semi-"prosumer" type of digital camera. "Prosumer-lite", if you will.Actually I've been planning on the move for some time now, triggered by the apparent demise and resurrection of my old Canon PowerShot A300 (see earlier posts here, and here). Incidentally, that camera has itself moved on to my parents, who are just now discovering the technological (as well as economic) benefits of going digital after virtually a lifetime of reliance on conventional film-based cameras.After my two-year relationship with the A300, I had a brief stint with a Canon PowerShot A410 (see earlier post here). While pretty good for basic entry-level picture taking, it had somewhat less features and flexibility than I was accustomed to, taking into account my rising interest in digital photography. My son made some pretty good use of it though (see the posts on his blog here and here).Then, a few months back, I gave in to the urge and bought a more adva
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Could it...be a culture thing?
2006-10-16 02:28:00
Could it be that after a run of almost two years, I'm actually losing interest in blogging?Maybe.I used to be a prolific blogger, regularly making two posts everyday. Now I'm lucky if I can muster one a week. I wonder.It's not that I don't have anything to write about. There are indeed a lot of things that I want to air my opinion on, and yet, for some reason, I haven't really felt like committing them to keyboard.And it's not as if I'm busy. After my recent "adventure", I now have more than enough time to blog, if I choose to. But for some reasons unbeknownst to me I choose not to.Perhaps it doesn't present much of a challenge to me anymore. Maybe I need to something else different to do. Maybe I've grown weary of it over the past several months.Maybe I need a blogging hiatus. The irony is I don't believe in hiatuses (believe it or not, that's the correct plural term). I've grown weary of other bloggers going on hiatus, then then go back to blogging, then going again on hi
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Dog day afternoon....
2006-10-09 12:38:00
During the weekend I dropped by an officemate's house to fix his computer which had been working excrutiatingly slow to the point of uselessness. Two days after his DSL service had been installed, his PC, which had nothing more than a barebone Windows XP installation, had been virtually swamped by viruses, trojans, and malware/adware. Using a broadband connection on an unprotected Windows PC can certainly do that.While reformatting would have been the easiest way to tackle the problem, there wasn't really enough time to do so. Instead, I managed to return the OS to a workable state by removing the mediocre antivirus program currently installed (actually, it didn't want to uninstall itself, so I had to muck around the registry to get rid of it) and cleaning the hard disk of viruses and malicious software using the free version of avast! antivirus and Spybot Search & Destroy.As a final touch for enhanced stability and security, I also installed Windows XP Service Pack 2.So what does t
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La Naval procession....
2006-10-09 11:35:00
Every second Sunday of the month of October, Catholics from all over the country converge in the streets surrounding the Sto. Domingo Church to participate in a procession honoring Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.This year, as suggested by a friend and former colleague, I was there along with my son to observe, pray, and pay our respects.A couple of pictures:The number of participants this year was certainly in the thousands.The statue of the La Naval
of Manila making its way among the faithful.Prayer:La Naval de Manila, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines, Mirror of Justice, help us to pray for the greatest victory, the victory of Your Son's Peace in the Philippines and the entire world. We ask you to help us remember that one of your most blessed titles is Queen of Peace.Links:Our Lady of the Rosary of the Philippines: La Naval of Manila
The Pastor and his Son
2006-10-06 01:58:00
Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor
and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.
This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring down rain. The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, "OK, dad, I'm ready."
His Pastor dad asked, "Ready for what?"
"Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out."
Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain."
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, "But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?"
Dad answers, "Son, I am not going out in this weather."
Despondently, the boy asks, "Dad, can I go? Please?"
His father hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son."
"Thanks Dad!"
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This elev
Out of sync....
2006-10-03 16:31:00
I've been reporting to work for only two days, and yet I can't help but feel somewhat out of place.I've been gone for more than five months, and it seems that in that time I have lost my ability to relate with the goings on at the office. To put it another way, I've lost touch...out of sync if you will.Either that, or I just don't care anymore. Or both.Is that bad?A lot of things have happened, but deep down the office doesn't seem any different from how I remembered it. Goals and objectives may have changed as far as the office is concerned, but it all boils down to doing the very same things I've been doing since I first got this job. And there's still the gossip, the intrigue, the controversies, the illogicality, the senselessness and thinking that seems out of this world, all the characteristics of your typical Filipino government office.It's just like in Scott Adams' Dilbert cartoon. Only worse.And yet, recent developments in the office haven't struck me the way they us
Ran Online
2006-10-23 07:50:00
As a computer gaming enthusiast, I have played and still continue to play a variety of games in different genres in my leisure time, such as first person shooters (FPS) and real-time strategy games (RTS). I have also played online games, multiplayer games, and role-playing games (RPG), but I must confess I haven't really played a game which combines the latter three catergories, that is, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).MMORPGs have been steadily increasing in popularity since the introduction of the internet, and with the increasing widespread availability of broadband internet access, have started to really hit their stride.Despite its growing prevalence however, I haven't really gotten into it. Well, that is, until now. Until I discovered this game. And the funny thing is, it was my son who introduced this game to me.He told me all about this MMORPG he had been playing, called Ran Online
. I didn't really take heed at first, thinking it was probably some
Ultimate fighting...sort of
2006-10-24 07:56:00
Ebony (wearing black and white) is a jujutsu expert who uses jabs to the face and the guard position to lure her opponents in. Boo Boo (in black and red) is a shootfighter who likes to intimidate and tire his opponent with his quickness. Who will win? :-)
Read more: Ultimate
The big one oh....
2006-10-30 01:15:00
Happy 10th birthday son!
Happy Halloween!
2006-10-31 16:17:00
Read more: Happy
, Halloween
, Happy Halloween
Day of the dead....
2006-11-02 10:57:00
Today, November 2, is All Souls Day. According to Catholic tradition, this is the day of the year when we remember and pray for our departed loved ones. It's a bit ironic when you consider that we normally associate November 1, or All Saints Day instead, as the appropriate day for trooping to the cemeteries, lighting candles, and praying for our deceased relatives, when strictly speaking, it should be November 2.
November 1, or All Saints Day, was meant to be the day of year in which Catholics honor the saints, both known and unknown. However, Filipino custom has somehow intertwined the practice of venerating the dead with November 1, instead of November 2 as provided in the Catholic calendar.
This year didn't seem that conducive to visiting your loved ones' graves especially if they're located in far off provinces. Only November 1 was declared a holiday, and being a Wednesday, smack dab in the middle of the week, it didn't leave much allowance for traveling off to distant locati
The Red Rose
2006-11-04 03:51:00
The Red Rose - A Meeting of the HeartJohn Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose.His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell.With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A rom
Shock absorber....
2006-11-11 12:52:00
I have always been a shock absorber as far as I can remember. For some reason, friend, colleagues, even people I hardly know seek me out whenever they need help, advice, input of any kind, or at the very least someone to listen.
Being somewhat empathic, it can be a very draining emotional experience, listening to people pour their hearts out, as they share their concerns regarding life, love, work, hopes, dreams, and what have you.
The irony is, I myself have never been the type of person who seeks out other people to listen to my problems. I have always been a private person, and I've always preferred to keep my thoughts to myself. One of the reasons is that while I make friends easily, I don't readily give my trust to just any Tom, Dick or Harry. Trusting someone, whether it be a friend, or perhaps even someone more than a friend, takes time. And once lost, it can take a long time to build that trust back up, assuming that it even ever returns.
Consequently, the people that I rea
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Lawbreaker....
2006-11-09 17:11:00
What's wrong with this picture? :-)
What happens to your credit cards after you die?
2006-11-12 02:17:00
Got this through email. I'm not sure if this story is true or not, but with credit
card companies being the way they are, but I can certainly see it happening. :-)Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is so priceless, and so so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today. Anyone who has dealt with an estate will agree with this. A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00, now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank. Here is the exchange:Family Member: "I am calling to tell you she died in January." Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply." Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections. " Citibank: "Since it is two months past due, it already has been." Family Member: So, what will they do when
Japanese street magician....
2006-11-12 17:20:00
This Japanese
magician
gets his kicks being made up as an old man and performing magic tricks in public places. Watch it, it's actually quite funny. :-)
Note:
Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.
Anino
2006-11-13 17:15:00
Another Imago song, from their earlier Take 2 album. :-)
Note:
Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.
Anino
Imago
Doon sa likod ng ilawpaspasan ang laronakikikasama
Sabay pikit sa tiyempowag kang pahuhulisa kanyang sayaw
Hinahanap ang iyong kamaybakit ang hirap mong kasabay?lahat ng gawin tila sablaybalang araw walang maghihintay
isa, dalawa, tatloasan ang anino mo?apat, limapatay sindi ang ilaw koanim, pito, walo, siyam, sampunahihilo, nahihilo, nahihilo
Handa ng magpaalampagsapit ng gabiika'y mawawala
Sa pagkaulilaako ang kumot mongdi mo makita
hinahanap ang iyong kamaybakit ang hirap mong kasabay?lahat ng gawin tila sablaybalang araw walang maghihintay
isa, dalawa, tatloasan ang anino mo?apat, limapatay sindi ang ilaw koanim, pito, walo, siyam, sampunahihilo, nahihilo, nahihilo
sumpa bang magpaalamkurtina ng gabiika'y mawawala
hinahanap ang iyong kamaybakit ang hirap mong kasabay?lahat ng gawin tila sablayba
Slimming down....
2006-11-17 00:27:00
After almost four years, my trusty 19" NEC MultiSync V930 monitor has finally kicked the bucket.Requiescat in pace.It only started about a week ago or so. The first symptom was some strange flickering on the screen, and intermittent flashes of blurred horizontal green lines.And then on different intervals, displayed images would have a crimson tinge which varied in intensity from time to time and seemingly shifting from one side of the screen to the other. After a few more days, everything on screen appeared in a shade of purple.I did the normal checks. I inspected, unplugged and reconnected the monitor's data cable, I degaussed the tube, even tried reinstalling video card and monitor drivers, just in case, but it was all to no avail. Clearly one the CRT's (cathode ray tube) electron guns had given out, and by all indications, it was probably the green one, since everything was in purple now.It was pretty disappointing. I was expecting the monitor to last for at least a couple more y
Nuvi...what? - The Nuvitron Electronic Fuel Economizer
2006-11-18 00:36:00
More than a year ago, I wrote a blog entry sharing my thoughts on Pablo Planas' controversial yet popular gas saving device, the Khaos Super Turbo Charger (KSTC). That piece however, wasn't exactly a resounding endorsement of the KSTC. On the contrary, I came to the general conclusion that the KSTC isn't as effective as its marketers claim it to be, and that its popularity is more due to hype than to technical soundness. Quite ironic if you think about it. A technical flop, but a marketing success.Interestingly, found among the comments for that particular blog post is a reference for another gas saving device invented by another Filipino, Perlito Cabauatan from Nueva Vizcaya, the Nuvitron Electronic
Fuel Economizer (NEFE). Information regarding the NEFE has been quite scarce on the internet, and I was quite pleased when one of my rarely used inboxes turned up an email straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, as it was from Patricio Cabauatan, the son of the NEFE's inventor.
Parking fees and loose change....
2006-11-19 00:48:00
Always keep loose change in your car.Several months back I discovered firsthand how important it is to have loose change in your car. In fact, it saved me from taking public transportation twice as well as the concomitant loss of time within a span of less than an hour.How?It all started innocuously enough.I was fixing something at home one weekend morning when I realized that I needed to buy a certain something to finish what I was doing.I hopped in my car, still wearing house clothes, and dashed off to SM City North Edsa, expecting to do a quick run - go to the mall, buy the thing, and head on out home.The thing is, sometimes things don't turn out as simple as we expect them to be.After parking at the SM City Carpark, I trudged over to Ace Hardware, intent on doing the deed as quick as possible.I looked around, found the thing that I needed to buy and proceeded to the cashier.That's when I realized I had done the unthinkable.I didn't have my wallet with me.I was wearing house clot
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The Colorgenics Profile....
2006-11-20 15:01:00
Came across this rather simple test through this blog entry. The test simply involves your selection of colors based on your personal preference. The results should reveal some pretty interesting things about you. Mine did. The theory is that our color preferences are reliable indicators of our personality traits as well as current frame of my mind. This is what I got, and as far as I can tell, it seems to be pretty spot on:Your Complete Personal ProfileYou are a very sensitive person and you try hard (perhaps a little too hard) to make favourable impressions and to be recognised by your peers. But you have that inherent need to feel appreciated and admired and you are easily hurt if all of your endeavours go by unappreciated or not acknowledged. Stop trying so hard.For some time now you have been feeling rather insecure. You are looking for - and needing - an environment that can offer you roots, stability and a position that will relieve you of excess tension and stress.It is hard fo
White & Nerdy
2006-11-21 13:55:00
Weird Al Yankovic's parody of Ridin' by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. I'm not by any means white, but strangely/sadly enough, I think I can relate with the nerdy part. :-)Note:Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.White
& Nerdy
Weird Al YankovicThey see me mowin' my front lawnI know they're all thinkin' I'm soWhite and nerdyThink I'm just too white and nerdyThink I'm just too white and nerdyCan't you see I'm white and nerdyLook at me I'm white and nerdyI wanna roll with the gangstasBut so far they all think I'm tooWhite and nerdyThink I'm just too white and nerdyThink I'm just too white and nerdyI'm just too white and nerdyReally, really white and nerdyFirst in my class here at MITGot skills, I'm a champion at D&DM.C. Escher, that's my favorite M.C.Keep your 40, I'll just have an Earl Grey teaMy rims never spin, to the contraryYou'll find that they're quite stationaryAll of my action figures are cherryStephe
Lawbreaker II....
2006-11-22 11:24:00
I looked like an idiot while this picture was being taken, but it was worth it. :-)Related Posts:Lawbreaker....
Newspapers and loose change....
2006-11-23 00:43:00
Always use loose change
or small bills when buying newspapers.This story didn't happen to me personally, but to my officemate's brother-in-law. This officemate of mine told the story with such aplomb and bravado that I couldn't help myself from laughing my head off. Yes, it was really than funny. Well, at least when he told it. :-)The tale goes something like this: My officemate's brother-in-law was in some province waiting for a bus ride home. Getting kinda bored with the rather long wait, he decided to buy a newspaper to while away the time.He bought a newspaper from a nearby vendor, but failing to have any loose change, he paid with a whole P500.00 peso bill. The vendor, not having change for a bill of that size, went off somewhere on the pretext of having the note broken down into smaller bills.Then one bus passes by, and then another. And the vendor was still nowhere to be found. It's at this point that it finally dawns on my officemate's brother-in-law. He had just been bam
Hawak Kamay
2006-11-24 00:35:00
No, I don't watch ABS-CBN's Pinoy Dream Academy. I haven't even seen a single episode. There's just something about Philippine reality TV shows that makes my hair stand on end. That being said, for some reason I can't help but like this song from one of Pinoy Dream Academy's scholars.What can I say? Sue me.Note:Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.Hawak KamayYeng ConstantinoMinsan madarama mo kay bigat ng problemaMinsan mahihirapan ka at masasabing "di ko makakaya"Tumingin ka lang sa langitBaka sakaling may masumpunganDi kaya ako'y tawaginMalalaman mong kahit kailanHawak-kamayDi kita iiwan sa paglakbayDito sa mundong walang katiyakanHawak-kamayDi kita bibitawan sa paglalakbaySa mundo ng kawalanMinsan madarama moAng mundo'y gumuho sa ilalim ng iyong mga paaAt ang agos ng problema'y tinatangay kaTumingin ka lang sa langitBaka sakaling may masumpunganDi kaya ako'y tawaginMalalaman mong kahit kailanHawak-kamayDi kit
A lesson for the day....
2006-11-24 08:30:00
Wait and watch what happens.Thanks to Annie for this one.
Read more: lesson
Kumukutitap....
2006-11-25 16:08:00
Kumukuti-kutitap, bumubusi-busilakGanyan ang indak ng mga bombilyaKikindat-kindat, kukurap-kurapPinaglalaruan ang iyong mga mata
Christmas lights gone wild....
2006-11-26 00:50:00
Chanced upon this site which highlights bad taste in the use of Christmas
lights. Here are some of the interesting ones I found:A little overboard, don't you think?Some people just don't know when to quit.Enough already!Makes you feel you're in Las Vegas.The Nativity meets the Last Supper.If you want to see more, just go to Ugly Christmas Lights.com.
Read more: gone wild
Waltz
2006-12-01 10:22:00
I can relate.
How can someone so wrong for you be so right for you at the same time?
'Nuf said.
Note:
Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.
Waltz
Hale
I hate the way you are, so mean to me by far.The most frigid girl that I have ever known.You speak loudly but, when I'm not aroundYou'll be just like them; So shallow and obnoxious.
Please…That's enough, that's enoughPlease…I've said this a million times beforeAnd I'm sick
But all that I need, and all that i bleed,And all that i care for,Is you
You said that you'd call but time you'll be at home.But you never did; you said you did mean to.Now I'm outraged. As if we're engaged.You made me realize I'm just your alibi.
Please…That's enough, that's enoughPlease…I've said this a million times beforeAnd I'm sick
But all that I need, and all that i bleed,And all that i care for,Is you
But all that I need, and all that i bleed,And all
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