Random Thoughts... The World...

The number of deaths from the Earthquake and Tsunami that hit Asia continues to rise now numbering around 33,000. The disaster affected Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka the hardest. This makes the recent typhoons look like a nice Sunday afternoon. Luck still seems to smile on us.





Viktor Yushchenko appears to be leading Ukraine's elections. This is the third round of runoff elections after Yushchenko won a legal battle after the fraud tainted second round. What sets this electoral contest apart from others, is the apparent poisoning of Victor Yushchenko, allegedly by his opponents. It was found that he was poisoned with Dioxin, a substance that could be found in such things as agent orange. Dioxin is known to cause severe facial disfigurement and other side effects. It transformed Yushchenko from a guy with dashing, almost movie star like looks to someone who looked like an aged, disfigured, cheap horror flick monster. And to think that we thought that Philippine politics was bad.







Does God manifest himself through his creation? A picture was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and it was quickly nicknamed The Eye of the Universe or The Eye of God. Metaphysical questions not withstanding, this is a cool picture.

Lines in Gray

I think it’s complicated but it shouldn’t be
Everybody thinks they’re extraordinary
Maybe ill just hide in anonymity
Just one out of the many
Finding comfort in not being heard nor seen
If it seems like I talk nonsense
It doesn’t matter
If all I do amounts to nothing
And it’s never enough
So be it
You say I am a fool to believe
That all the signs lead nowhere
Still I have hope
If my thoughts are incoherent
And my ideas outright insane
Call me a jester as I yell and profess blasphemy
I point an accusing finger at the mirror
Seeing not only myself
I want to make you see
Welcome you to my world
Walk this journey with me
It will take time
Perhaps a life time or more
But we will get there
Or at least die knowing we did our part
If what I say strikes a cord
Feel free to lash out and hit back
I’ll take it in stride
Reply with gladness
Thankful for your time
I’ll light a match in the darkness
Come and rage with me in silence

Saying Merry Christmas via SMS

About a week before Christmas I sent this out to my friends via SMS…

In this season of frenzied commercialism masked as a religious celebration, let us take a moment to reflect on its real meaning… Moments over, regalo ko ha!

And this afternoon, Christmas day, I sent this out to all my friends…

Everything that needs to be said can be summed up in two words: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Any questions?

Someone reacted that it was so typical of me saying that it was my “own version of a humbug Christmas.”

I disagree… It is simply my statement against the utter lack of creativity and imagination when sending holiday greetings. How many times did you get this one?

In this joyous season of merrymaking and endless parties, remember this: “Thou shall not weigh more than the refrigerator!”

Are we so busy that we cant even come up with a simple message or are we simply too lazy to even bother thinking of the words to express our sentiments. Somehow the message is lost in this frenzy of forwarding the cutest, funniest, and nicest, messages that we get. In the end it is just the telecoms service providers who end up having a laugh... HoHoHo!

Maybe it would be better if we keep it short and simple…

Merry Christmas to one and all…

Firefox 1.0

I am now using the full version of the new Fire Fox Browser from Mozilla. I’ve been using the beta versions before but didn’t really use it that much since I preferred to wait for the final release. It has all of the features that you would need in a browser like pop up blocker and an imbedded Google search bar. I’m using it now at home and occasionally at work. I’d use more than IE but since I work for an account that serves the Evil Empire that may not be such a good idea.

Check out the Mozilla website to get the Firefox 1.0 browser and a lot of other great software all for free.

Bagong Umaga

words: Bayang Barrios

music: Mike Villegas

May bagong umagang parating

May bagong umagang parating

Bagong umaga, bagong umagang

Parating...

Gaano man kabigat ang dinadala

Gaano man ang hirap na nadarama

Sa buhay mo, kaibigan ko

Walang pasanin na hindi gumagaan

Walang pagsubok na hindi nalalampasan

Bawat buhay ay may patutunguhan

Bawat pangarap ay may katiyakan

Sa puso mo, huwag mabibigo

Nasa iyo ang kapangyarihan

Nasa iyo ang pagkakataon at tagumpay

Halina kayo't gumising salubungin ang bagong silang

Halina kayo't tumulong lipulin ang dililm

Bayang Barrios

I went to UP to watch the Lantern Parade yesterday. I caught the tail end, saw the much-awaited Fine Art’s lanterns and then I found my self with nothing to do. I met up with some people at Mc do, and I lobbied for something else to do instead of going to that over rated perya called Pasiklab along common wealth. I suggested that we go to Conspiracy bar, along Visayas ave. instead. I read about it in the Inquirer. It was curious that artists and even Conrado de Quiros owned that establishment. The bar it self is a whole different story.

Anyway, Bayang Barrios was playing that night. I’ve known about her since my college days but I wasn’t really a fan, since I’m really not into world music. I recently saw her story in the Probe Team in a report by Howie Severino. It was a story of a homecoming. It told her story, including how she hated being a Manobo because the other kids teased her about it, and how music helped her rediscover and embrace her roots. She found healing in her music.



Well the gig was a welcome change of pace, a different sound, and an all-together different experience. All her songs were in Filipino / Tagalog, and it seemed like they emanated from her soul. Definitely not the usual fare you find in other bars. The night was capped by a more mainstream song, "Bilanggo" sung by Bayang's husband Mike Villegas (From Rizal Underground and Color it Red).

Her story is interesting. It shows that there are still people here, who loves this country and its people. You can see that in her music. Her life, struggles, and achievements, is very inspiring. If you have some time I suggest you drop by her website. You can download some of her songs, get the lyrics, and read her story.

Bayang Barrios official website

Picture of a Girl

We had a Team Building Activity last week. Seven of my agents and I went to La Luz resort in Batangas. We had our fill of the beach, beer, and bonding.

Anyway, I took some picture using one of those disposable underwater cameras. I took a lot of pictures under water but most of it was wasted because there wasn’t enough light. I however managed to get at least one picture I actually like. This is it...

This proves that you can sometimes find a diamond amidst a pile of garbage.

Click here for more pics

Alexander

Before I saw the film Alexander I have already been warned that it was a gay movie, overly melodramatic, crappy character development, and battle scenes that were “blech”. I watched it anyway to see for my self.

I’ve never considered my self a movie critic but fictions based on historical events just have a way of annoying me when they deviate from acknowledged historical facts. It is a fact that during those times homosexuality or bisexuality was an accepted norm. The Greek thinkers espoused loving your fellowmen “in virtue”. They however favored reason, logic, and philosophy and did not look kindly upon men’s lower faculties. But hey the movie drove that message across well enough, too much in fact. The insinuations that the movie made is questionable at best, it did not mention the fact that Alexander’s beloved Persian boy was a eunuch nor did the movie show Alexander’s love for women showing only glimpses of distaste and hate. Oh well they must a have something else in mind.

Alexander was great not because of his sexual preference nor because of his psychological issues. He was considered great because of his great achievement in the field of battle and his conquest of the known world. He was considered great because of his military genius. He was not only a great military strategist but also a skilled, bold, courageous, and daring warrior. I don’t think the movie looked at that angle well enough.

If I remember correctly it was King Poros in the battle of Hydaspes who said he wanted to be treated like a king and not a princess of Persia who Alexander asked how he/she would like to be treated. The battle of Hydaspes also included a brilliant river crossing that was as much an achievement as the actual battle, I wish they included that. The battle was also fought in open ground not in a jungle, wherein their cavalry played a major part.

It was after the battle of Hydaspes that Alexander finally relented and decided to turn back but not because of a wound caused by an arrow. By most accounts he relented to his army’s clamor to turn back. He was badly injured by an arrow piercing his chest but that happened after Hydaspes in a battle to take a city, which was along the route back to Babylon.

Oh well…

As they said it’s a work of fiction…

Alexander the Great rides into the Battle of Issus in this Roman mosaic.

"Paint It Black"

Rolling Stones

I see a red door
And I want it painted black
No colors anymore
I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by
Dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head
Until my darkness goes

I see a line of cars
And they're all painted black
With flowers and my love
Both never to come back
I see them turn their heads
Quickly look away
Like a newborn baby
It just happens every day

I look inside my self
See my heart is back
I see my red door
And I want it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away
And not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up
When your whole world is black

No more will my green sea
Go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee
This thing happening to you.
If I look hard enough
Into the setting sun,
My love will laugh with me
Before the morning comes

Convocation

I was mildly pleased to hear that we were to attend a convocation instead of having a class yesterday. Of course I planned to quietly slip out and spend my time in a more leisurely manner (ie. Tambay…).

The guest speaker or lecturer was the UP President, Dr Nemenzo. The topic was “The Philippine Labor Movement; A Clash of Ideas”… Yawn…

President Nemenzo talked about Marx, Lenin, the Soviet model of Communism, the Chinese model, and how the ideas driving Philippine Labor movement from the very beginning were not indigenous and should therefore be viewed from a broader perspective. I actually found the lecture interesting and rekindled a desire within me to re-read or read up on the topics discussed.

I stayed…

During the open forum I became aware of the presence of some representatives from organized labor. It was clear that most of them were not intellectually at par with those present in that convocation except for one. This guy was wearing a black shirt that read: Social Movement Unionism… He was articulte, passionate, and clearly capable of holding his own ground. He did admit at the onset that Labor / trade unions were growing weaker. Their memberships were on a decline and their influence diminishing.

Trade and Labor Unions have been weakened by their inability to adapt to new realities. Labor is no longer dominated by factory workers marching as the proletariat. These days people are employed primarily in the service and the informal sectors. This makes organizing a bit more difficult and the appeal of joining unions is waning. These are the realities of a globalizing world.

The guy made an appeal… He asked that the faculty do more research on the labor situation in the country and that the students keep an open mind and he asked for support. He asked for sympathy when they meet these same students across the bargaining table. It was true most of the students there represented management. Then it dawned on me, I was a part of management. I was a part of the system that aimed to maximize profit for the capitalist owners (ie. Stock holders) of the company.

The realities of my world may not be as dire as Marx would put it, but it still forces me to confront the reality of my situation. Am I doing what I want to do? Am I just another corporate slave cracking my whip to get other corporate slaves to perform according to the requirements of our masters. I cannot deny it, I am but a minion if the Evil Empire…

11/11/1976

November 11, 1976. That’s my birthday. I spent the whole day in bed… No you pervert! I was sick! I think that being on a perpetual graveyard shift has wreaked havoc on my immune system. It started Monday and became worse by Tuesday. I went to the office clinic to ask for some lozenges and some Paracetamol because I thought it was just an ordinary cough. Instead the Doctor prescribed a strong antibiotic which costs 163 pesos each along with two other kinds of medicine. My medicines ran out by Saturday and they really didn’t seem to be of much help so I saw another doctor who stuck wooden cotton buds down my nose and then gave me a new set of medicine to take, doubling the dosage of the antibiotics. He also told to me rest for at least 3 days, but I will be coming back to work tonight because I’m running out of sick leaves.

I’m not that eager to go back because I still gasp for air whenever I walk a short distance or lift something heavy, but I feel that I really need to go back today, lest I drown in the work that is surely piling up.

On a different note, Faye’s story has been proven false. In case you have been hiding in a cave somewhere or you don’t have email or read newspapers, this is the story of a kid who supposedly won an international academic competition in Australia despite having no support at all. It was a typical sob story that turned out to be all lies. Well, this just goes to show that when it sounds too good to be true it probably is… This should all teach us that we should always verify information and not swallow things, hook, line, and sinker. More importantly, I think we should all stop looking for heroes. As the saying goes, if you want to believe in someone, believe in your self. This reminds me of that line in that old Mariah Carrey song, Hero. The last line goes: “The hero lies in you”…

Fools!

How would you feel if someone put a gun to your head and asked you to proclaim love for and/or believe in something?

I read another one of these forwarded emails it was called “A Procrastinator's Story” and it told the story of a person who died and went to the gates of heaven and was not admitted because he did not “accept Jesus Christ” and he was condemned to Hell.

The last three paragraphs went….

With that in an instant,
Day turned into night.
I never knew such torture could be,
Now too late, I know the Bible is right.

If I can tell you anything,
Hell has no age.
It is a place of torture,
Separated from God and full of rage.

You know, I thought it was funny - a joke,
But this one thing is true.
If you never accept Jesus Christ,

HELL IS WAITING FOR YOU!

I replied…

How Medieval…

How Sad…

It’s sad that a lot of people would have to resort to such means to try and convince other people to believe in their religion. I hate the fact that threats are used to play on people’s inherent and deep-seated fears. I thought that Jesus Christ preached love, compassion, and forgiveness. I am not a practicing Catholic but I don’t think its right to scare people into believing or complying with your dogma, yes it may be effective specially for people who don’t have the intellectual capacity and critical mind to analyze the information being shoved down their throats.

The very description of hell is so medieval. The idea of hell as a city of fire and brimstone came from Dante but ancient Hebrew text and old Judeo Christian tradition tells us that Hell simply means death. I don’t think it would be just if someone was to suffer eternal damnation and torment for acts committed within a lifetime. I think the punishment should be commensurate to the sin, I think God would not want that.

As Puck said to Oberon… Oh Lord what fools these mortals be!!! (Mid Summers Nights Dream)

And so it is with us mortals…

Rush...

Finally found the time to update this blog. It seems like the days within the past few weeks have been all too short. I barely felt that I had a sem break since work has eaten up most of my time. My nights have been spent trying to catch up with all the work I had to do. I know I would eventually get into to the groove and learn everything I need to know and things will become more routine and generally easier. But until that time I would just have to rush.

All the cramming and hard work last semester did pay off. I got a 1.25 and a 1.5 in my subjects. I should now be eligible for the Diploma in Industrial Relations and just need to complete 15 more units and of course pass the comprehensive exam to get my Masters degree.

Now I just need to find a way to juggle all the things I need to do, work, school, and other things that make life worthwhile.

Choices

Everything seems to be somehow connected…

I had been really hoping to do my Best Practices paper (Labor Standards) on Smart Communications Inc. But that was shot down when my request was rejected. So I had to quickly find another company to focus my research on. I was able to get Unilab because of a friend who is working there. I was able to get the data I needed and I spent Friday night and most of Saturday, working on it and preparing a Power Point presentation. Only to find out that somebody else was already working on it. So I’m back to square one. I wouldn’t consider it a waste of time though, I think learning about how Unilab operates and the ideas they uphold was worth all the time I devoted to it. Unilab values its employees highly. It shares what it makes with its employees and they espouse the Bayanihan spirit in their operations.

On the other hand I think I am doing better with my IR 222 paper. My Prof required us to have primary data and suggested that we work on the companies we work for to make things easier. That was convenient, since I already had a research proposal ready from my IR 299 class and I still have the data from the Organizational Diagnosis survey I conducted a few months ago but I was never able to use it because I thought I didn’t have enough respondents. My Prof only required at least 15 survey respondents if we were going to use a survey and I had 24. Good thing I didn’t discard those surveys.

The Organizational Diagnosis survey I conducted focused on 5 key areas namely: job satisfaction, work environment, communications, leadership, and values. After processing the data, it appears that the respondent’s perception would indicate that there is a problem with job satisfaction and values. The fact that job satisfaction is low in this account comes as no surprise but values was a bit unexpected. Well at least now I know where to begin and what to watch out for…

I start on a new challenge come Monday…

Sick

I called in sick today. I woke up earlier in pain. I had cramps on my right calve muscle. So I thought it’s just a cramp and was probably due to lack of salt or an electrolyte imbalance. All I could do was try to stretch my leg but even that was painful. It eventually subsided after what seemed like an eternity of excruciating pain.

When I finally got out of bed I felt something wrong with my upper lip. It was swollen as if I had been in a fight and gotten punched on my lip. I also felt heavy and my body ached all over. It made me think, had I been in a rumble? No… After assessing my symptoms it occurred to me that I had the symptoms of flu. My eyes were kinda irritated and breathing was a bit difficult. That would explain my swollen lip. I probably nicked my face while shaving and since my immune system was not working well because of either a viral or bacterial infection, a tiny wound got infected.

I experienced something like this a long time ago. I accidentally shaved off a pimple on my chin. I was sick with the flu at that time, and just like now my chin got infected and started swelling. I didn’t mind it until my face looked as if I had plastic surgery and talking was difficult and I sounded funny. Antibiotics and a lot of other medicines didn’t seem to help. I got tired of it so I punctured my chin with a sterile lancet and drained it. An unbelievable amount of pus and some blood drained out of my chin… Yuck!

I got in touch with two doctor friends and asked for their advice. One told me to take amoxcillin every eight hours for seven to eight days the other told me to go for a checkup since it seems like a viral infection and because the swelling was in a danger area, a triangle formed by the lips and nose. Why don’t I ever get anything simple like LBM?

Talk about bad timing. Aside from the fact that its exam and submissions season in school, I am also scheduled for an interview tomorrow and it occurred to me that another SL after a spate of SLs during the height of my migraine attacks might be taken against me. Oh well, that’s life.

Odes

Odes, Book 3, Verse 29: Happy the Man

By: Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace), 65 to 8 BC.

Translated by John Dryden, 1631 to 1700 AD

Happy the man, and happy he alone,

he who can call today his own:

he who, secure within, can say,

Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

Be fair or foul, or rain or shine

the joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.

Not Heaven itself, upon the past has power,

but what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

Classes and Trainings

I wish I could just close my eyes and go to sleep and wake up and the Semester is over. Procrastination has always been my weakness. I am swamped with papers with deadlines fast approaching. I still don’t have a concrete plan for my IR 222 term paper. It’s a bit complicated because I need to have some primary data and my Prof is a stickler for having a good research framework.

I am a bit better of with my IR 207.2 paper since my proposal was approved and we all have a standard topic. Were supposed to come up with a paper about Industry best practices on Labor Standards. To make things easier I chose Smart because it was chosen as the Best Employer in the Philippines in 2003. Now I just need to come up with a paper. Hah!

The Best Employers in the Philippines in 2003 (top 10)

1. Smart Communications, Inc.
2. Procter & Gamble Distributing (Phils), Inc.
3. Discovery Suites
4. Intel Technology Philippines, Incorporated
5. Philippine Pizza, Inc.
6. Development Bank of the Philippines
7. William Gothong & Aboitiz, Inc.
8. United Laboratories, Inc.
9. Mirant Philippines
10. Federal Express Corporation

Makes you think… Am I working for the right company???

On a different note, a friend of mine asked me to conduct a First Aid Lecture Demo for the applicants of her Mountaineering Org last Saturday. She asked me to do it because I could customize the training specifically to address their needs and focus the training on things that they will likely encounter.

I arrived at the venue past 8:00 am to find none of the participants there. Some things never change. To think that I barely had sleep the night before, had to skip breakfast and take a cab all the way from Valenzuela so as not to be late, and I had classes later that afternoon. I don’t know why I even bother, but I guess this is one of the things that teachers and trainers will always have to put up with. Oh well, life is like that…

Boracay in Black and White

These pictures were taken last summer... I miss Boracay, I miss going out! Plans are in the works to go diving and maybe wake boarding this coming October, but until then I guess I will just have to continue dreaming and planning…

Hike! Climb! Dive!

More Pictures

Martyrs of Beslan

The day starts out like any
The sun shines warm and bright
Children with parents in tow
Bring gifts for their teachers
Dressed in their best
They come full of expectation
Excitement and joy on their faces
It is the first day of school
The last few days for some

Faces covered with ski masks
Wearing martyr's belts
Bearing Kalashnikovs and RPGs
They come with tidings of death
Fighting for freedom
Yearning for a land of their own
With nothing to loose
They came to die
Yelling God is great
Vengeance will be mine

In this struggle appointed by God
They are patriots of a revolution
Soldiers of a just and holy cause
They bleed for God
Knowing that in the end
Paradise will be their reward

By intention or accident it began
A loud dreadful sound is heard
Gunfire erupts and bombs explode
The slaughter of the innocents begin
Chaos and confusion reign
Limbs and bodies are thrown all around
The dead lie mutilated and bloodied
Like the culling of lambs they die
Blood spilled and life wasted
Sacrificed in someone else’s war

Like ghosts the survivors emerge
Men, women, and children
Almost naked and with fear in their eyes
Three days of starvation and thirst
Sweltering heat and constant terror
They survived a meeting with death
Mind and bodies scarred forever

In the aftermath
Day light comes
But the land lay black
They march carrying crosses
Bearing pictures of the dead
With tears and bowed heads
They walk with the dead
Sorrow and grief abound
No one is left untouched
Chests heavy with anger
Overflowing with hatred
They ask how could this happen
What have we done?
In their hearts is resolve
Today we mourn
Tomorrow we fight

The land lay a ghastly red
Night comes and darkness spreads
The reaper sharpens his blade
Grim is his task
There is more coming
The Devil smiles
My work is never done
It’s not the end
It only just begun

Broken Bone

A friend of mine broke his collarbone last Saturday. It happened while they were playing a game at the Sunken Garden. The bone was protruding and seemed bent although there was no break in the skin. There was an obvious deformity but it seemed like the bone was still intact and was probably just bent. I applied an underarm sling and a binder to immobilize and support the injured part.

We brought him to the National Orthopedic Hospital. After a quick x-ray my suspicions were confirmed, it was a greenstick or incomplete fracture of the right clavicle. This means that the broken bone was not completely separated. The attending physician just applied a collarbone support strap and he was told to come back in three weeks and then sent home.

We weren’t allowed to keep the x-ray but it looked something like the picture below.

The thing about this incident was it illustrated a lot of the theories that we have been teaching during First Aid Trainings. It also showed us what the injury really looked like and how the First aid procedures and techniques we have been teaching actually works.

Not so ordinary

It was a night of pain and pleasure, a night of rekindling old friendships and ending new arrangements. It was just like any other night but it was a night to remember.

Over bottles of beer and in the company of friends we talked about pain and how it makes you feel alive. With raised glasses and bottles we toasted in tribute to pain and to life.

Talk… That’s how it usually starts. A nice conversation brings people together. Sometimes it’s so good that you don’t want it to end.

The Oracle in the film The Matrix Revolutions, said that: “everything that has a beginning must come to an end.”

That maybe true but who knows when that will be…

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Decisions...

I just sent an email… In it I withdrew my application for the Technical Support Engineer position for the Microsoft Business Solutions Account here in Sykes. I am actually scheduled for the final interview, this time with the client, this is scheduled later at 9:00 am in Ortigas. I will not be going because I feel that I have to put some focus in my life. I need to align my actions with my medium and long term plans even if I have to give up some things now.

And boy, am I giving up a lot! An increase in salary grade from salary grade 7 to salary grade 9, a laptop for use during support and for training, all the technical trainings you could ask for (like MCP, MCSE, CCNA), quarterly bonus of up to US $300.00, opportunity to travel abroad for training, and I heard there are a lot of pretty girls in that account. It took a lot of will power to give these up, specially the last one on the list.

I hope I made the right decision…

Chat

I had a conversation with a friend of mine. She is a nurse, and like so many of our countrymen she wants to go to England to seek greener pastures. This is how it went…

Friend: Wala ka bang balak mag abroad?

Me: Wala.

Friend: Ganun? Kuntento ka na dito?

Me: Hinde, kaya nga hinde ako aalis eh. Kung lahat na lang ng matinong tao aalis ng Pilipinas, ano na lang ang mangyayari sa bansang ito.

Friend: Bakit, matino ka ba?

At that, I paused for a while to contemplate all that was said and how it illustrates our reality. Although it was meant as a joke, it struck me as a challenge. What could I possibly do? So I asked my self… Matino nga ba ako?

Minion of the Evil Empire

I admit it, I am a Minion of the Evil Empire. I work in a call center as a Technical Support Rep serving the Evil Empire’s Internet Service Provider arm. I am a Helpdesk agent, which means I serve as a Level 2 Tech (Without the official title and minus the L2 salary), providing information, and giving directions to the Evil Empire’s legions of Level 1 Tech Support Reps. We are also the one’s who face the vicious and most vile of the customers… Those who ask for a supervisor…

Being in this job, your friends tend to think that your cell phone number is a 1-800 number for tech support. Calling or emailing to ask questions whenever there is glitch with their computers. So in order to preempt the inevitable let me post some reminders for those of you who are not minions or those who are technically challenged (This means you Jeifan).

Windows XP Service Pack 2

Microsoft has released the latest update to Windows XP. This update (called Service Packs) is a compilation of fixes and enhancements that is meant to improve the Windows XP operating system. Microsoft claims that this improves security for you PC… The problem is how do you protect your PC from this latest Service Pack.

Some of my fellow Minions made the mistake of downloading this latest Service Pack and voila their system crashed. One even had to reformat his PC. This is a warning… Unless you are a masochistic techie who loves spending hours trying to fix your PC stay away. Let the experts fix the bugs before you even come near it. By the way if your Automatic Update feature is enabled then you will get the service pack without even knowing it. So to be safe turn it off.

Ad-Aware SE

My favorite spyware removal tool just got better. This gets rid of those tracking software, unwanted plug ins, and other crap you get from browsing all those porn sites. Best of all you can get it for free.

Poisoning and First Aid

Poison
Beauty almost died of poisoning yesterday. Beauty is our dog, a big, loud, and black Labrador with an equally big appetite. My Tita sprayed her with some chemical to get rid of her ticks and fleas. It was clearly a case of skin absorption poisoning. The pesticide apparently worked too well, it killed a lot of the ticks and fleas but almost killed the dog as well. It looked real bad that my brother had to rush her to the vet. Luckily she was back to her normal self when she got back home from the vet.

First Aid
We finally concluded the first aid training that we have been conducting for the last couple of weeks by having the First Aid Exams last Saturday. It has been several weeks of trying to teach kids how to do CPR, bleeding control, emergency rescue and transfer, and all the other skills. I call them kids because they were all born after Martial law. It is really fascinating how differently I see things today compared to how these kids act and how they think. I try my best to get them interested in the topics I am discussing and to keep their attention when the topic becomes boring. I just hope my efforts paid off. There are those who seem oblivious. It seems like they are there only because it is required in order to become a member of the org, and they just want to get it over with. I think they see first aid as something they have to put up with in order to become a member of UP Red Cross Youth which they probably think is a plus point on their relentless drive towards med school, specifically UP PGH. However there are those who I think see the importance of what we are doing. Anyways, it’s done. We need only wait for the results…

On a lighter note…

Latest addiction… Nescafe Ice from Ministop… It seems like I’ve been slurping it down almost daily. It’s a cheaper alternative to Starbuck’s Coffee jelly and it tastes somewhat like Zagu’s mocha pearl shake without the pearls. It’s so good that I got a couple of my officemates hooked as well. Jinggoy had 5 in one day and they even went to the extent of scouring 3 different Ministop outlets when it wasn’t available in Ministop branch near our office.

Liwanag sa Dilim

I received a PDF file copy of "THE WALLACE REPORT" on my email. This paper was developed from an earlier one: "Does the Philippines Have a Chance" which was written in October 2002. As the paper claims: “All the points made are still relevant today. But this paper further advances the issues, and adds to them.”

The paper stated:

In the past 30 years the Philippines has averaged 3.1% annual GDP growth and a population growth of 2.5%. Which means almost no improvement for the Filipino over that 30 years. This is about half the rate achieved by other nations in Asia.

Why?

1. Politics - vested interest vs national good
2. Uncontrolled population growth
3. Weak educational system
4. Corruption
5. Inadequate infrastructure
6. An agriculture system that hasn’t improved in 30 years
7. An inadequate focus on job creation
8. A judiciary in need of major improvement
9. Security
10. Good governance.

If these 10, and it must be all 10 of them, aren’t fixed the Philippines will average 3.1% for the next 30 years too. The logic of this can’t be denied.

This is according to a paper entitled “WHERE TO THE PHILIPPINES? (OR, DOES THE PHILIPPINES HAVE A CHANCE?)” by Peter Wallace.

“THE WALLACE REPORT” presented a somewhat grim picture of the future of this country if the Government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo does not get its act together and if we don’t make some significant changes that would overhaul our country. I may not agree with everything he said but he did make a lot sense and I would have to agree with most of the points he made.

We really don’t need a reminder that things are getting worse around here. We can see that clearly every time we hear one of our friends planning to go abroad to work or to migrate permanently, or when we meet someone who decided to take up nursing so that they can get a job in the UK or in the US.

Yes, life is very difficult here. But I’m staying… The fact that things are going bad and sometimes it seems hopeless is the very reason why I think I should stay. If all the good people all pack up their bags and left, then this country would really be hopeless. We may not see things get better within our life time but I think we should still try our best to do what we can here and try to make things a little better. As I said before someone has to stay to man the trenches.

This reminds me of that song by Rivermaya. The chorus goes: “Isigaw mo sa hangin... Tumindig at magsilbing… Liwanag… Liwanag sa dilim…

Weekend

I spent last Friday night working on a case that our group was going to report on the next day. I had to skip to invitations for “gimiks” that night just to be able to finish the Power point presentation. Intermittent Migraine attacks made it a bit difficult to focus but I was eventually able to finish it on Saturday morning. I had to opt out of the First Aid training, good thing Olive was there to cover for me. Anyways… I found out later that it was all for naught because we weren’t able to get an overhead projector. We ended up using acetates and needless to say I wasted my Friday night working on a Power Point presentation that was utterly useless.

I did however manage to drop by at the First Aid Training that we were handling. Since it was the last training day before the exams we asked the participants to write an evaluation of the training. There are admittedly a lot of things we can do to further improve the First Aid Training but the interesting stuff was their evaluation of us instructors. As usual I got the usual comments of being scary and intimidating. I guess my height, size, loud voice, could be intimidating at times. Oh well… It works to my advantage. Hahaha!

We watched The Village last Saturday night at the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell. It never ceases to amaze me how that place seems to be so untouched by poverty. Anyways… the movie was interesting. It was different but my friends found the movie disappointing because of the twist and the ending. I however think that the film is ok, not great but ok. There are a lot of issues within the story. Is a traumatic experience enough to make people do such a thing? It’s a bit drastic but I guess anything is possible. Deciding to remove yourself from the world you know is a decision one can make but making a whole community, live a lie puts it on a totally different level. As the film showed evil can creep even into the most protected and controlled environment. Deciding to make people live in such a community, while using fear to keep people in line seems to be an evil in it self. It is simply unjustifiable despite the horrors that the elders went through. Reality can be a bitch but a safe controlled and perfect world can be just as stifling.

A scene from the movie "The Village"

Pictures and Prose… Circa 1990’s

It is inevitable to sometimes reminisce about the days gone by. My trip back down memory lane was triggered by the need to tidy up my room. With Gregorian Chants on the background I found a pack of pictures that I took for the last subject that I took for my undergrad degree. Film 110 was a free elective and all we did was take pictures, develop and print them, and the teacher gets to critique your work. Anyways… I also found an old notebook of bits of prose that I wrote back then. It was the late 1990’s the last days of the last century.

These were the pictures that I took and the words I put down on paper… back when I was younger.

Words # 2

Staring at the ceiling
Sitting on the couch
Asking questions
and finding no answers
Searching for reasons
Hoping to survive
Dreading reality
Hating my life
Contemplating death
While craving for life

ROCK

As night descends
the stars shine out again
like gems beyond ones reach
they fill my eye's
yet leaves my heart heavy
another leaf falls
and here I sit waiting
no movement, no life
just watching the world go by
weathered away by the seasons
a rock crumbling inside

Ulan

Isang araw sa panahon ng tag-init
Kasabay sa pagtulo ng pawis
and aking pananabik
maibsan ang pighating dala ng init
hinihintay and pag-ihip ng hangin
na sanay sundan ng pagbuhos ng ulan
ulan na galing sa langit
at nagbibigay kulay
sa mga bulaklak at halaman
ulan na siyang papawi sa uhaw
ng aking kalooban
Tila naawa ang mga ulap
dahan dahang bumuhos ang ulan
ngunit kaakibat nitoy kulog at kidlat
na naging hadlang sa aking inaasam
Ang dikta ng aking isipan
ay sumilong mula sa ulan
ngunit ang bulong ng damdamin
ay salubungin siya
ng walang pakundangan

Dying

I dream of dying
cause life is all screwed up
and the horizon is painted
with dark colors
and dreadful hues
I dream of dying
cause I've arrived nowhere
and I've lived a life
of unending strife
But I wouldn't want to die
Because I also still dream of living
hoping to be happy
living and alive
But if I am to die
let it be on a glorious day
and with a blink of an eye
I hope to breathe my last
knowing that I did
while standing steadfast

Updates...

I hate my Neurologist… I waited like two hours to see the guy and he brushes me off in what seemed to me like an impatient manner telling me that I just need to continue with my medications. Since he didn’t see anything wrong with my EEG results he pronounced that I was just suffering from Migraines. It was more like a sentence to a life of suffering and torment since there is no cure for it.

It seems to me that doctors are not particularly eager to see patients who are referred by their HMO’s, and I think that is because they are not paid outright and they would have to wait till all the paperwork is processed and stuff. Since I’m on the topic, I also hate it when doctors prescribe those absurdly expensive medicines, probably because they have an understanding with some medrep who promised a hefty commission or a trip abroad or something.

I now hate it when people use the word Migraine when they are suffering from a simple headache. If they only knew what it really is, I doubt if they will use it loosely. These days a good day is when I don’t get a migraine attack (which is really rare) or even if I just get a mild attack that doesn’t last that long.

I spend a whole lot more time sleeping these days just so I wouldn’t have to deal with the pain. But I sometimes wake up with a really bad headache, and it reminds me of the reality, that I now have to live with this.

This weekend has been Maddening. I met up with an old high school friend last Friday. I knew when I got that text message that she was having problems again. I sometimes wonder if I have a sign on my forehead saying “call me if you need help!” Its funny how some friends only call me when they are in trouble or in need of something. I had no intention to… but I somehow got my self into trouble because of that. It’s a bit complicated and I now need to find a good exit strategy.

I spent Saturday teaching First Aid to a bunch of kids. Now when I say kids I mean college students, applicants actually to my old college org. It was productive but a bit tiring specially since I didn’t get much sleep the night before. There was also this one particular girl who for some reason seems to feel so uneasy around me. I don’t know if she is of afraid of me or if it’s something else, but it’s obvious that she is uncomfortable around me. I think its only fair that I mention that I do have a reputation for being strict and uncompromising during trainings and I have this style that intimidates a lot of people. Oh well it’s her problem…

Migraine Boy!!!

I had a little chat with a Neurologist last week and he said that my symptoms indicate that I may have Migraine. He prescribed some medication to prevent and relieve the pain the pain caused by Migraines and at the same time he ordered an Electroencephalogram (EEG) test be conducted just to be sure.

I had 22 electrodes pasted on my head last Tuesday to measure my brains electrical activity. It was actually uneventful except for the fact that the receptionist and nurses at that place where I had an EEG were all quite pretty. I actually thought to my self, what if I suddenly start singing “Ale nasa langit na ba ako? Mama kayo po ba si San Pedro? Ok lang sa akin kung ako’y deadbol na basta’t ikaw ang lagi kong kasama…”

People are really helpful and they have the most interesting theories as to the cause of my freaking headaches. Here are a few:

1. Pressure on some nerve on my head… My tita suggested using a different pillow.

2. Cancer or some kind of tumor… My friend actually said something like “that looks serious man”, and actually suggested I make up with people who I am not in good terms with. Duh!

3. Aneurysm… My cousin actually said that he had a friend who died of similar causes… Thanks! That helps!

4. Parasites… The guy who said this one is a Biology major, so it’s understandable.

5. Worms… from eating too much tuna sashimi… I will tolerate the pain but I will not give up Tuna sashimi!

Then again there is El who said “kulang ka lang sa climb… pahiram ng tent mo kung hindi ka sasama ha.”

Faced with one’s own mortality and/or the prospect of life lived in pain a person tends to become a bit introspective. But I don’t think I should loose my sense of humor just yet.

Told in Ordinary Language

everything that was said
keeps running through my head
in simple strokes and ordinary language
all told in hushed voices
punctuated by an occasional scream

We knew it was complicated
A line was drawn
But it was too quickly blurred
and soon after it faded
until there was nothing
nothing but the thrill and excitement
pulse beating and life surging

I asked her a question
even if I already knew the answer
What we were and who I am
but it doesn’t really matter
we need not give it a name
we dont have to say it
we need only delight
in the subtle pleasure of every touch
and every moment spent together

seemingly uncertain of her reasons
tentative in her actions
she says one thing and mean another
she unties her guilt
embracing all there is

curious, definitely
questions, way too many
regrets, maybe
but not now
for now we live
grab what we can reach
make do with what time we have
and throw caution to the wind

Just another post.

I find it a bit awkward to write something here after neglecting it for the longest time.

So ill just write whatever comes to mind.

I’ve been suffering from annoying headaches this past couple of weeks and its been getting worse. I had to see a doctor and gave me instructions to monitor my blood pressure and referred me to an ophthalmologist to have my eyes checked. Since my BP was normal I somehow resigned my self to wearing glasses. My mom wanted to bring me to her Neurologist but I opted to give the eye doctor a chance. After a battery of tests by the ophthalmologist, she declared that I had 20/20 vision and didn’t need glasses. She also had me scheduled for another test, Visual Field Test or something to try and rule out any other possibility like Glaucoma, which is unlikely. So my eyes are OK but still no one knows what is wrong with me. I’ll be scheduling an appointment with a neurologist, in the hope of making the pain go away.

Something interesting happened last Friday. It was an interesting and fun filled night. Rules were broken, boundaries were crossed, and good sense set aside, to give way to passion and basic instincts. There really is no need to give it a name nor to define anything. It’s just one of those things….

What should you do if a dog bit you? I told people in a First Aid class that I’d shoot the dog… Who cares if it has rabies or not… hehehe. I was trying to provoke the participants into reacting but it seemed like no matter what I do, those kids were just tooooo nice for a confrontation. What is wrong with younger people these days? It seems like they all want to avoid confrontation and are all too sensitive and/or polite for their own good.

On the academic front… My IR 222 class last Saturday was quite a surprise. We all got chewed up by our professor for our output. Good thing that was just a test case, the real thing is yet to come. IR 207.2 was no better. Things all point to a toxic few weeks ahead.

The Gathering

There is a disturbance in the force… A gathering is about to take place, and I dread its coming.

Overseas-based relatives are in town and the inevitable family reunion will have to come to pass.
An Aunt, her children and their families from the US have already arrived. I’ve seen my cousins maybe once or twice over the last decade. They left shortly after the first Edsa revolution at the height of the attempted coup de etats against the Aquino Administration. I actually haven’t seen this aunt of mine since they left way back in the 80's.

An uncle based in Germany will also be coming home with his family. He moved to Germany in the 70’s and I’ve only seen him a few times during short visits. His 2 sons, my cousins have only known Germany as a home. They love football, or soccer as we would call it and they can hardly speak English.

I dread the long spiels about religion that my aunt gets into and the inevitable questions about marriage and settling down. My mom gets the brunt of that since all three of us, brothers are still single. My mom just sighs “ewan ko ba sa kanila” every time she is asked if any of us are married. I think my mom is yearning for grand kids, but luckily I am the youngest so the pressure is not on me but on my eldest brother. Hahaha!

But what I dread the most about this coming reunion is my aunt’s inevitable insistence that we should also migrate to the US to ensure a better future. The last time I talked to her on the phone she was insisting that we should work on getting a US visa and even suggested going to Canada if we cant get a US visa. I know she means well and it is true that life here is difficult, but the country needs people to stay and man the trenches so to speak.

Back to school

It was the 1st day of classes today… or should I say yesterday… Hmmm…whatever!

I only have two classes or six units this semester. I opted not to take any more than that because last semester was really toxic… neigh! Hellish would be the right term. 9 units of graduate courses and a full time job was like slowly committing suicide. All three subjects took their toll but I am happy to report that I somehow passed all three subjects.

I was kinda hoping that things would be a bit lighter this semester but my hopes were quickly dashed when my first teacher laid out what was in store for us, he actually used up the whole 3 hours talking about different approaches to case studies and the different methods we could use for our reports. When I got to the office earlier this evening I found my 25 mb email account in the red, my professor apparently emailed a lot of the readings for our class. I guess he wants us to start reading up.

Luckily my professor for my 4 to 7 pm class was a no show. Good… or so I thought, I found out later that he or she left us an assignment. We are so supposed to read books 2 and 3 of the Labor code. Damn! This is not going to be a walk in the park.

I got another email again. The same forwarded email I received a couple of days ago. It seems like a message asking me… Why? But its just lines from a TV show that could be nothing more than that, just lines from a TV show. I don’t know how to reply or if I should even do so in the first place. I don’t know, I just don’t know.

Why can’t we just say exactly what we mean? Why do we have to hide behind poetry and lines from TV show to convey what we feel and to ask the questions we wish to ask?

One of my officemates said... It doesnt matter, at least I am not lonely. That got me thinking, is loneliness so bad that you can say "atleast I am not lonely" I don't know why but that sounds so wrong. Sometimes it seems like I'd rather be alone than not be sure.

E-mail blog entry (Test Message)

First post using blogger's emailed posting. I can now post entries on my blog by simply sending an email to my blogger account. Next stop… mobile blogging using my cellphone's WAP / GPRS service

I've also finished signing up my friendly_neighborhood_dementor YM user ID as a free e-mail account in Yahoo. Yahoo is amazing, 100 mb for free... This means additional online storage space for all the junk I need to keep. I now have 4 email accounts with over 160 mb capacity....

The evil empire (Microsoft or MSN) really sucks giving free users only 2 mb of space. They should really smarten up or the competition will leave them behind.

Things only a geek would say…

“Wala kayo sa mouse ko… anong sinabi ng mga optical mouse ninyo sa A4 tech, 5 button, two scroller, optical mouse ko”.

Jay said that…

To be or not to be...

It just occurred to me that I am a geek. I was in UP last week with some orgmates eating halo-halo at lutong bahay and we had a small circle talking about stuff. Then Leslie who just started teaching at the College of Engineering, brought up Linux as a topic. Slowly the nine people around us melted away until there was just the two of us talking about computer stuff. Leslie is probably more of a geek himself, he graduated (on time) with a degree in Civil Engineering, passed the board, and is now teaching engineering science while studying for a Masters degree. He teaches fluid mechanics and stuff. And I was selling him the idea of having a yahoo group for his class and maybe having classes in cyber space. Its something I picked up from my classes at SOLAIR.

I’ve never thought of my self as a geek but I can handle my self around computers, I can hardwire a network for playing counter strike, I know what TCP/IP, FTP, and POP3 means, I love reading history books, and I actually used Windows NT 4.0. Does these things make me a geek or am I just a pretender? On the other hand I’m no good with math and I hate coding. In any case I wouldn’t really mind either way…

I also just realized how much effort I actually put into this blog. I could have just simply stayed with Blurty or gotten a livejournal account (like everybody else) but that wouldn’t be cool… Rain, the blog boss, mafia head, and landlord (were paying him to host our blogs) engineered this whole thing. First, my blog (the same with Jay’s and Sonny’s) is a blogger account but its hosted in Rain’s domain. Pride would of course preclude the idea of having my blog as raincontreras.com/user so we had to get our own domain names from .TK and mask the host name with our own domain names. Then there was the avatars and pictures. Jay had to painstakingly teach me how to setup an account at tripod.lycos.co.uk in order to host my pics, which can then be linked to my blog. Then theres Blogrolling for the links. Whew!!! All this effort, and for what… Hey, who knows maybe civil war will erupt and I can be famous like Salam Pax of the famous “Where is Raed” blog, but that’s to far fetched. Me being famous, is far fetched not civil war, not with all the crap going in Congress right now.

I was reading Where is Raed, Salam Pax’s blog. Salam Pax is the famous Baghdad Blogger who gave the world an in the scene point of view of what happened in Iraq before and after the invasion. It’s really funny and insightful. It’s a breath of fresh air after all the teen, angst filled, rants that I’ve come across. Not that it’s all shit out there, there are actually some that are well written and interesting to read. Now if only I had their wit and talent.

Week in Summary

The week went by so fast…

I spent Wednesday of last week, which was my rest day in the office because we had to finish reviewing tickets for the monthly roundtable. I hate rendering OT on my rest day even if it pays double what I would normally get. I value time more than money.

Thursday was a movie marathon day. I saw Harry Potter and the Day after tomorrow last Thursday with Rhanee. Saw Conch with Lisa in Bubba Gump in Greenbelt. Not surprisingly, Conch still hasn’t finished scanning our pictures from Boracay.

I was able to create an online photo album at webshots (http://community.webshots.com) to upload the photos that I recently scanned. I have to admit I got a bit carried away in scanning and uploading my pictures. But what the heck I am going to upload some more. This is the link for my photo albums: http://community.webshots.com/user/ron2lopez

I miss the comfort of commuting. I had to commute last Monday because I had to attend our weekly meeting and calibration and the car was banned from the roads because of the MMDA’s volume reduction scheme. So on Tuesday morning I had to take the bus going home after work. I was able to sleep most of the way. Had I been driving, it would have been a struggle keeping awake. I sometimes wonder if I should really be driving going home after work. I guess this is one of the hazards of working on the night shift. I have had my share of close encounters that was a heartbeat away from becoming a full pledged vehicular accident.

Seeing Red

I see red

in the blood that flows inside me

it calls out my name in a rage

like a coming tempest

but its silent and subdued

only making itself felt through

stern reminders and unwanted advice



I see red

it flashes bright and brings tidings of peril

Each step I take and every mile I go

with each second that passes

It consumes me even more

enslaved with my consent

I struggle

trying to break free



I see red

and it tells of revolution and civil strife

fierce, fiery, and filled with passion

and its gone awfully wrong

the dead litter the streets

along with principle and good intentions



I see red

its the setting sun

colored crimson at dusk

ushering darkness and uncertainty

it spreads and shrouds the land

seemingly endless, cold, and haunting



I see red

and its the color of courage

as it brings forth a new day

promising more uncertainty and hardships

yet it serves as a banner to push on

with rage in our hearts

as we go about another day

Finally!

Alleluia!!! Finally got my flat bed scanner working!

It wasn’t easy. First I had to edit the registry of my operating system so that I could change the product key and install Windows XP Service pack 1. Then I had to install the USB drivers followed by the bundled application. Voila! I was scanning pictures.

I spent the whole afternoon scanning pictures, which I plan to eventually upload somewhere. More pictures coming in, so I can expect a whole lot more scanning.

Back to work today. I can’t say that I am all too eager to get back to work. I had to do my share of bucket of the tickets we need to review before the roundtable discussion tomorrow. I am also looking at more of this tomorrow for the monthly roundtable.

I have to remind my self that enlistment for the 1st semester is almost here. I barely felt it, now the summer vacation is almost over. Juggling work and MA is not easy.

Three days

It’s a Sunday night and I am at home. I’m on leave today and it’s nice to not be in the office on a Sunday night for a change. My PC is finally working again. We had to get help from my brother’s friend who owns a computer shop to get it fixed. I’ve always known my way around a computer and I have a lot of resources available to me at the office that I can use to fix my PC but sometimes you just need to get help. I simply did not have the tools and equipment to fix the problem. I think I am mature enough to admit it when I need help.

I’ve already installed and played Empire Earth, just had to play it first before I went about doing everything else that needs to be done. I am now downloading the MSN Messenger. My brother has already downloaded Yahoo companion and I’ve already finished downloading MSN Toolbar and Getright. I still need to download some updates from Microsoft, Ad-aware, and Mozilla. After that I will try to setup my flat bed scanner and install more games.

Post dated…

I saw Shrek last Friday and it was really funny. But like most films with sequels the first one is of course funnier.

I also finally got the black and white prints of pictures I took in Boracay. There are some nice pictures there but a lot of the prints were burned. There were no shades of gray just sharp black and white. I should really find another shop to get my black and white films developed and printed. There is always Hidalgo but it’s a bit too far.

Instead of going scuba diving this weekend I ended up in my old college org’s medical, dental, and circumcision mission yesterday. I was asked to drive some of the doctors to and from the venue, which is in Rodriguez in Rizal province. I suspect that Erl was the one who volunteered me for the job. Oh well, the things I’d do for my org.

I took a lot of pictures there. I used a Kodak ASA 400 black and white film on my SLR camera and another roll on my instamatic camera, colored this time. Someone asked me why I had to use two cameras that day. I said that I use the SLR camera and black and white film for artistic reasons while the instamatic camera is for documenting the events of that day.

After the medmish (it’s a term the org’s members coined) we ended up in a mall for dinner. Afterwards, a few of us had some drinks in Packo’s. Erl, Kim, Ace, and I ended the night by going up the hills of Antipolo for coffee, mango juice, and French fries, at one of those restaurants overlooking the city. Sometimes all you need to have fun and enjoy your self is good conversation with friends.

Bad day…

Scuba dive slated for this weekend was scrapped because everybody backed out. I can’t dive without a dive buddy so I had to let it go.

I have 3 consecutive days off this coming weekend with nothing to do.

I can’t find anyone who wants to watch Shrek 2 with me.

My PC at home is still not fixed.

The price of gasoline is skyrocketing.

One of the car’s headlight is not working when set on dim. So I had to drive with high beams the whole time.

Traffic was so bad that it caused me to be late for work.

Lost my temper again. Yelled at a guy who almost hit the car I was driving while stuck in traffic. Not withstanding the fact that their van stalled and they were rolling backwards. Tsk, tsk, tsk…

Work has become really toxic. A recent development is making work utterly intolerable.

Seems like things are spiraling out of control…

How to say Hello and Good Morning.

I wanted to say hello this morning through the usual text messaging. But instead of sending the worn out, poorly abbreviated, good morning. I opted to send a message in a somewhat different format. I composed a limerick like bit of prose (I dare not call it poetry) in order to come up with an original and at least different way of saying hello and good morning. With the constraints inherent with sms messaging it was not that easy. The whole day went by with out even a reply. I can only come to a simple conclusion that the recipient of my text message thought it was just another forwarded message. The same thing happened last Christmas and New Year when a couple of my friends thought that the message I composed and sent was just a forwarded message.

A forwarded message is often a nuisance. I mean we all get tired of those jokes, greetings, and stuff. We also feel no need to reply to forwarded messages because we think that these are not as sincere as something crafted by the sender. Thus my message this morning went unappreciated. Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I should have made it simple and not exerted effort, nor exercised creativity. But there are days when I really just feel like being a bit poetic and I get the urge to use rhymes of old.

Oh well, that’s how things work.

Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage

I just finished reading Jose F. Lacaba’s book “Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage” this afternoon. It was about the First Quarter Storm, and it brought the reader right into the midst of the marches, protests, and pitched battles with the police. It was interesting to read because it gives a glimpse of an era in our history that is often referred to by a lot of progressive or militant people in UP. I suspect that the typical UP student and probably anybody else who wasn’t directly involved in it, would not know much about those events in our history.

That was the 1970’s fast forward to 2004. We are still faced with a lot of the same problems we had then. Although I don’t share a lot of the author’s ideas and beliefs about the our country’s situation and how to go about tackling these problems, it still tells a good story that we can all learn from and is relevant today as it was then. Considering the current political situation and in the wake of the recent upheavals like “EDSA Tres” and constant rumors of coups, it is not unlikely that we will be seeing a lot of protest actions, civil disturbance, and basically more turmoil. Then as now it seems that the masses are often used as cannon fodder to further self serving interests and political agenda. It seems like we never learn.

Another interesting thing I found was that part about Ed Jopson. The author saw him as an apologist, bourgeoisie, a moderate, a typical Atenean who could not really be trusted to fight the people’s fight. That is, until he was killed in Mindanao in 1982. EdJop went underground and fought an armed struggle while a lot of the more militant activists of that time turned away and became lackeys of the dictatorship or simply forgot about the struggle. This reminded me of the movie Troy and how Achilles was given an option of staying and living a comfortable life or going to war to face death and yet gain immortality. Ed Jopson could have opted for the comfortable life of an Ateneo graduate yet he chose a path less traveled and now he is seen as a hero by radicals, militants, and leftist groups. He has been immortalized in stories that are still being told today.

First Post

Being my first post in this all new blog. I somehow feel that I should write something smart, witty, and interesting. Nah…

I don’t see my self, posting blow by blow accounts of how I eat my cereals or check my e-mail. I don’t think anyone would give a damn nor would it make for good reading if I talk about what underwear I wore today and how difficult it was to choose which one to wear (I only wear white, classic, size 32, Jockeys so that wouldn’t be much of a dillemma) I also don’t think talking about relationships would do, because I don’t have much to say because theres not much going on in that department (so much for melodrama). My life is so boring a paraplegic’s blog would probably be more intereting.

So why the hell did I get this blog in the first place? I already had one in Blurty.com. But nobody ever reads that thing which is just as well because I kinda like the idea of having a personal journal that is kept anonymous by the fact that it is out in the open and yet nobody knows about it. Well, maybe it was a case of jumping on the bandwagon. Whatever...

Well here it is. A blog with no point to make, nothing important to say, nothing of interest to talk about, no apologies, nothing to prove, and no one to impress. Probably no readers as well.