skitepolis

The future of Internet browsers

2010-08-23T18:15:00.001-07:00

The internet as we know it is ever growing and there is a bazillion of information scattered all around the internet. However, not all websites are credible and even if they are visually entertaining, they're not worth the time. Nonetheless, most websites are informative on their own purposes. A website that talks about different topics would contain millions of gigabytes of data. Narrowing it down would help a lot not just for the website owners but for the internet users. We are people of different preferences. We have different tastes and while many stick to one preference, others have a plenitude of preferences. The internet is an active library of information where changes happen in real time. However, this does need the interference of human beings to regulate the flow of information that are somehow critical to the daily lives of humankind. The internet to be understood as a machine is the negative way of explaining what internet really is; rather, to understand it as an extension of human consciousness is somehow closer to the reality. One day the human consciousness could be preserved in a subtle form of a living thing capable of retaining information, propagating wise decisions and interaction with any life form.

Why the need to compare the above statements to mere browsers? I believe that internet browsers would play a greater role in maximizing the potential of the internet to serve the best interest of humankind. Internet browsers act not only as tools to access information but as a ground for active interactions.

Google chrome proves to be amassing vast amounts of information and this alone entails that a bigger collective consciousness is capable of improving the lives of humankind.

A Perspective of Google Chrome from a Mozilla Firefox former user

2010-08-02T19:07:00.001-07:00

Google Chrome is by far the most awesome browser there is. It is not fully functional like Mozilla Firefox yet but it surely beats other browsers with its ability to browse faster and with lots of free space for browsing. You might require a neat browser interface without annoying pop-ups—chrome does this job excellently. Google chrome's omnibar which is coined awesome bar in firefox works pretty well but it's missing some options like changing the default search engine with just a mouse click. However, in order to do so, you have to right click in the omnibar and navigate to manage search engines. These are just a few good addictive stuff present in chrome including the option to change themes and add as many extensions as they like. If you are using firefox you must be annoyed by now with slow and freezing start-ups. In my part, I am still using firefox because IDM (Internet Download Manager) works with it seamlessly and also since google toolbar does not install or is built-in in google chrome as of now. Nonetheless, the good side about using firefox is its stability and almost all website display their contents perfectly in firefox not to mention that firefox keeps competing in the browser wars with its recent upcoming update that will make it almost as good looking and as fast as chrome—well, that's what firefox people said. Chrome pioneers in new technology and there's no doubt that chrome browser is not just a browser. It can act like an OS within a browser. If you are spending so much time in the web, you can agree with me on this one. Chrome does not eat a lot of memory and if one tab crashes, you will never lose the others because chrome isolates tab processes to protect other tabs. This is very useful if you have more than one very important tabs open like you're doing banking on one account, and you're uploading contents to your website on the other while playing an online radio on the other, and so forth. With firefox, if one tab crashes the others will be affected as well, but recently this was addressed—but still in my analysis, chrome does it better. For the developers, chrome may not be as functional yet as firefox but lately, chrome keeps up on this field. Chrome has a growing library of extensions and at a young age, this is a great leap for chrome already since firefox has been present in a long time. Some people say switching to chrome is only a waste of time. Microsoft people will back you up if you're thinking the same way. People do their businesses with internet explorer in hand and Mozilla firefox. Google chrome for them is only an amusing stuff. I cannot agree with this one because chrome is a lot better against popular browsers like firefox and internet explorer. If you want you can test chrome and disprove me.

2010-07-27T16:07:00.001-07:00

Art can change everything these days…

I have been writing a lot lately in my offline notebook of course and I can somehow say that writing with incorporated art makes writing a lot better. Writing in itself is an art of conveying information in a subtle way. No one spends so much time writing nonsense jungle of words without appearing to be subtle. Most wonderful written articles are the ones incorporating art in delivering their message to the readers. Sometimes the meanings of articles written by serious writers are often hidden in metaphors and the only way to unlock them is to appreciate the hidden art in the article itself.

2010-07-24T20:27:00.001-07:00

Non-free and free software applications

Lately I have been reading about free software and I found a good read at http://www.gnu.org/. I don't have to explain again what free software applications are since GNU did the explaining greatly. Nevertheless, to my surprise not all Linux distributions are supported by the GNU. My favorites, Fedora and Ubuntu are excluded because of some expectations from the GNU that aren't met. Sadly, the said distros are very popular, stable and powerful and used mostly by developers and Linux newbies. Why does it really matter to make all software applications free? How come Microsoft pisses a lot of serious developers? I may not provide answers to these questions in this blog entry right now but as an average computer user, having exposed in non-free and free software applications, all I can say is that the dichotomy between the non-free and free software applications have created serious groups amongst the developers and computer users in general. Nonetheless, not all individuals who support free software are using absolutely free software applications because of several factors involved. Let's admit it that Microsoft does a lot of jobs easier and faster than Linux. Most state of the art technologies have been developed by Microsoft and supported by hundreds of commercial companies and developers in general. I think the best idea that captures this phenomenon is that Microsoft has been the habit of so many people. It is almost impossible to get away from Microsoft since they pioneered almost all the easy stuff in the cyber world. It is true however that the statement, "give a man a fish today and you have fed him for one day, teach him how to fish and you feed him his entire life," is very significant amongst developers. Since the internet has been a self-supporting world on its own, the control of it should not be governed by one entity or else it would fall into the pitfalls of tyranny. I believe that the internet is an intelligent community and as such, it should also have laws to protect everyone using it. Going back to the use of free and non-free software, I think all that matters is that the job gets done. For those who are using free software applications, they have the advantage of improving their tools and mastering their craft the best way they could. On the other side, those who are using non-free software applications rely greatly on a few individuals but it doesn't mean they couldn't do anything because they can freely interact with the developers and point out bugs and offer possible improvements in the form of suggestions.

Friendship

2010-04-10T17:23:00.001-07:00

What does a friend stand for? Back in the time of Christ, a friend stands for someone who would want to give one's life for the other. What does it imply? Considering the broad expansions of the moral aspects of this friendship thing, defining friendship and its implications can only be answered in the phenomenal level. It's easy to put words for this matter but knowing in the very fundamental way requires a certain kind of phenomenal validation. It is quite of human standards to feel and feeling can be done on several standards. Collective human experiences are often the easiest sources of this phenomenal validation. Human feels the density of something on the basic level thus the closest to the fundamental level. This friendship thing is embedded deeply into the fundamental aspects of humanity. This is like the thread that binds all kinds of relationships from family to casual encounters amongst strangers. This friendship grows deeper and deeper until the bind becomes so strong that it wouldn't break against several circumstances. That is why the common statement—"to give one's life for a friend" is the closest definition of friendship. Everyone needs a friend not to serve one's purposes or like a means to an end but for that thread that makes life more meaningful and stronger. One strand of thread is not enough to fill the entire the universe, so there are an indefinite number of threads that bring colors to the entire universe giving it awesome and dazzling looks.
Nowadays finding a friend is very easy. Just go online and viola in an instant you can add a friend to your online social life. The social aspect of humanity is like solidified with the help of technology bridging the gap between distance and presence. Of course friendship is like planting a tree; you have to nurture it until it bears fruits. Nurturing it can take years just like the normal growth rate of a real tree. The older it gets the better it becomes. It is easy to add friends in your virtual friends' list but bringing that list to the phenomenal level is somehow the other way around. Would you give your life to a virtual friend? This question is ambiguous and I cannot presume an answer but a good thing to ponder. Friendship brings colors to the human life and considering the short span of human life; why not take advantage of adding more color to life through technology? If the world cannot be changed because of hard traditions and clichés laden generations why not change it through an infinite possibility of a total new generation where everybody can contribute. First, start with the virtual world then bring it to the phenomenal world merging online presence with reality. Change can be really slow but it always becomes better in time. The best thing to do is to enjoy every second of one's life. Feel the color a friend brings to your life and hold on to it because life is short but enough for you to see what a wonderful world this is. Seeing a beautiful world is like going out in the open and not being afraid to get caught in the rain or in the middle of a storm. Life force is a spontaneous matter and considering it to be that way living life the sedentary way is like living centuries-old lifestyles.
As for me, I will hold on to the people closest to my heart and enjoy every second with them. I may not find all the answers I am looking for but I am not obliged to learn everything. There are billions to learn from and the life that I have is not designed that way. I will live knowing that the greatest thing to learn is not found in the famous schools but in living one's life like the way it is supposed to be lived.

The question

2010-04-03T16:52:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking about the purpose of my life recently. Then I discovered that it is actually boring to live this way—trying to analyze things the way they are like this or that. I have no answer though and I think I will never have the answers because the thing is I don't have the right questions to ask. All the questions I am asking are built to augment my sense of approval from the other or shall I say the people around me. I have been in constant search for that approval and I think I haven't really sought what is meant to be sought, that is about me and nothing but of me which is free from the other. When I think of music I think about the experience related to it by a phenomenon that certainly mirrors the other. I am not thinking about the music and its relation to me. This is absurd like the way I am built to think but I believe in this absurdity there is only one thing that matters, what I want. What do I truly want is the only question that I think matters now. Maybe when I stop thinking about how to please the other that would be the moment that I would understand the purpose and meaning of my life. I think I have just found out one very important lesson today, seek the self which is free from the burden of the world. I am born free and I should be free from anything but it doesn't mean I should be alone, I am neither subordinate to anyone nor I am above anyone. There simply is a balance made possible by the mysterious forces in the universe. What I want is the question that mattes for a person who wants to find purpose and meaning in life.

epassport Philippines, pasaporte pilipinas

2010-03-18T21:29:00.001-07:00

Applying for Philippine passport can now be conveniently done through the internet or on the phone. There is no more need to queue at the main office of the old DFA building located at Roxas Blvd, Pasay City. A free appointment can be secured online without being bugged by the "fixers" prying the streets of the old DFA building.

On March 7, 2010 the DFA made a public announcement that on March 8, 2010 passport services will resume at the new building in Bradco St. corner of Macapagal Ave. in Aseana Business Park just a few meters from the Mall of Asia.

The steps are very easy. First, secure an appointment online or through the phone. Secondly, take note of the date of appearance given in the confirmation email. Finally, go to the new DFA building one hour or thirty minutes before the given schedule with the requirements: original BC issued by NSO, duly accomplished form with one photo (the two photos that must be put in a pouch and the fingerprints are not needed anymore for the biometrics will be taken by the epassport personnel at the epassport booths), photocopies of ID's (preferably 2 valid ID's like driver's license and SSS ID), and yourself wearing a smile in a formal attire with collar (not necessarily a suit). You can either pay PHP1200.00 for 7 working day processing which is the fastest at the moment or PHP950.00 for the 14 day processing if you're not in a hurry and lastly you can even pay PHP200.00 for the postage stamp if you want your passport delivered at your doorstep but if you're wary don't trust your passport to any courier if you badly need the passport right away.

Give yourself a break after receiving your new passport. If you decided to take it yourself at the gate 3 in the new building of the DFA, just walk a little bit and you're at the Mall of Asia.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

How to send from a different “from” account in thunderbird 3 with Gmail

2010-03-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

I googled the web like crazy on how to send from a different account in thunderbird 3. I found out some useful stuff but they're not really practical.

In my case, I have multiple gmail accounts. I used them for different purposes mainly to be anonymous and to avoid horrible scams. Now, since it's tiring to check five mails at the same time I linked all mails into one account which is my default account and gmail does it so easily with its ability to fetch new mails from other accounts using pop. However, when I use thunderbird 3.0.3 I can only send from my default account and none of my other accounts.

Amazingly, I found the answer right in thunderbird. I just clicked Tools, went to the Account Settings and at the lower right of the account settings box is the Manage Identities button. Voila, case solved. Now I can send from my other accounts without having to open multiple accounts in thunderbird 3.

The thread of life

2010-03-02T00:25:00.001-08:00

What does it take to live one's life to the fullest?

I think it depends on how you want your life to be.

Fullness according to WordWeb6 is a noun which means 1) completeness over a broad scope 2) the property of a sensation that is rich and pleasing 3) the condition of being filled to the capacity 4) greatness of volume. For me, fullness simply means being able to smile and enjoy the things that you have in life. I believe that achieving a full life varies on a personal point of view. I can't say that I'm a living a full life basing on a thing that simply defines one aspect of my life like being a CEO of a big company or being the manager of my own business. All these things are just attachments to human-made concepts of achievements—they are simply norms. Nonetheless, these things are important because they mirror the lifetime achievements of the individual which is very important: I make my own history and you can see it on where I am now. I believe that everyone writes his or her own history. So living a full life depends on how you want it. If you're living a life cursing everything then that is how you create your life. You can see fullness on being a cursive person and the measure of fullness in your life is the magnitude of your cursing. On the other hand, if you think about living a happy life being moderate in everything that you're doing and that you are considering the effects of your decisions to the ones you love then that is how you make your life. Everything that is happening in your life is woven according to that strand of thought in your head. The measure of fullness for you is utter simplicity and pure happiness. You simply smile just seeing the beautiful smile of your wife or when you cuddle your beautiful baby. Everything around you is beaming with life and you suddenly become contagious that whenever you are around, people simply feel like they are in the presence of a divine being. Yes, this is utterly true. Buy a book about mind, body, and soul and you'll see that they are all talking about the divine—they may term it as God, self, Self, or Buddha and more terms that I don't know. When you live a full life, time becomes still. You think it and it becomes real. This is the formula of life I learned from my six years of stay inside the prestigious walls of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

The business trip

2010-03-01T21:32:00.001-08:00

It has been almost four months since I resigned to start a business of my own. I knew back then that it would be risky to quit my job and hope for a quick personal recovery though a business venture. It could have been successful but for four months I remained in the sedentary lifestyle and the worst part is my survival means. Somehow I have learned to depend again and it's the thing I hate the most. So for now, the search continues but not in the desperate way. I am still the luckiest man alive and I still have my dreams of stable life and a fruitful career. I have one life to live, one chance to enjoy everything on this planet.

So be it, I am ready to begin and I welcome everything that comes my way for I will see nothing but the good things in life showered unto me like a beautiful awakening.

A coffee a day and a sight to see

2010-02-16T16:38:00.001-08:00

It is always amazing to wake up each morning knowing that you're still alive and up for the day's tasks. The next thing you would want is a hot cup of coffee or anything to start the day with. I love drinking coffee because it gives not just warmth to my acidic stomach but starts my day with fluid vigor.

Two months have passed and I'm still in the state of prolonged vacation, not working, not doing anything just sitting in front of the computer wondering about things in life and so much time has made me want to work again and do interesting things. I come to appreciate that travel brings not just joy or sanity but the sense of communion with my personal calling. I am not alone anymore—I am living with my beautiful sweetheart, the best that ever happened in my whole life. I treat myself as the luckiest man in the whole world for being with the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. I mentioned that I always start my day with a cup of coffee; well, actually that's the second. The first thing I'd ever do is to look beside me and appreciate the presence of my one true love sleeping beside me like a princess waiting to be kissed and be awakened, no wonder why I wake up feeling like I'm some kind of a prince thus making my habits spoiled. I can't wish for more but be with my lovely sweetheart who simply completes my day right from the start.

The day is started then, looking outside I see nothing but a brave world, but I'm not afraid of going out anymore because I've finally realized my real calling and as such it contributes to a lifelong journey. There is so much to see out there and so much reason to live and think positively about life. This is my wealthy world and I'll never be impoverished again in whatever sort it may be.

A million memories

2010-02-15T09:38:00.001-08:00

I have always wanted to write about home and bring back to life memories that somehow flavor the blood running in my veins. I lived near the highway, a place that could even be found in google maps. The world may not know my place but the faces of the people I've known simply put color in my childhood life. I was bullied when I was a kid but I fought my way and I wasn't alone, I had good friends and memorable encounters with everything in the normal cycle of the childhood life. I grew up not lacking in love or friends or family. I was simply complete and I had a reputable childhood. That was my young life and everything at that time was simply gold and for now, they simply are priceless and I want to go back and unearth those golden years. However the more I try to go back, the more difficult it becomes to pen it down—all the good memories I had. They needed to be rekindled and that is what I found out. If I want to go back I simply just need to look at where I am now and see myself as I always was and always will be except for the fact that I am growing each ticking second. People change; this is an old statement but straight right. But not everything changes, those memories would never change except the way people become out of them. Bad memories bring about nightmares while good ones bring laughter. In the center of life I suppose is a perfect balance. A diamond sitting on top of an elegant ring was just a stone but something made it a diamond. Diamonds are created naturally in high-pressure high-temperature conditions at the depths of the earth. I think a very wise human being is purged from the very depths of life itself. These are not just metaphors in life but realities on how great it is to be a human being.

Nonetheless, I'll always be a little child inside wondering how great life is.

***

If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all be millionaires. — Abigail Van Buren

The horse and the dog

2010-02-15T05:51:00.001-08:00

Believe it or not, sometimes I would say the dog instead of the horse. Some people would call this tendency bisaya. In fact it's not only the dog instead of the horse, lately I found my pronunciation of English really bad, like I suck on it. I mean why would I suck on it and why would I use English, I mean force foreign sounds in my own tongue. The fact is that I use English all the time, 24/7. Since my lovely wife speaks French, and that no matter how hard I try to speak moi and toi, I'd end up saying you and me, or shall I say I'm just lazy learning another foreign language. Nonetheless, I should learn French not just that it's one of the most romantic language or not that smart or really smart and superior race speak it but I need it in a daily basis.

By the way, I still haven't figured out what horse and dog are in French, there's the google translator and I'm so thankful it is there.

My valentines

2010-02-13T17:51:00.001-08:00

This day is dedicated not only for lovers but for every people with different passion in life. If you are living almost anonymously in the outskirts of any city or shall I say in the midst of the city, you must at least have a passion for something right? Any normal people would unless you are a bit of a "in a sojourn type" person. Few years ago, I would sit down with my relatives and drink beer to celebrate the occasion or simply to unwind without thinking so much about the Valentine's Day. Sometimes I would spend long hours in front of TV watching all the great movies I like over and over again. This was my passion and still is my passion only that I'm with someone special at the moment. I'm spending my valentines with my lovely wife. It's amazing how love could suddenly bring the pockets rocketing like crazy just for one day. Anyway, it is one of the things I dare not touch or else I would be writing in circles as I always had.

Today I made several wishes for life to manifest but one I would like to write about is the most important, hope. In a world with issues like worldwide recession and war and all the elements of evil working almost everywhere, hope for a better tomorrow is the only thing that keeps us going. There is no such thing as impossible; if we can think it then it will come to life. It's not only about thinking it; acting on its behalf is the most important thing. Do as if your wish is already done. You want a better world? Start changing your life and not someone else's. Worst if you're sitting in a position and your life is a mess—your influence could be fatal to immature and carefree people. Nobody can change the world except you, me and the people beside you. The world is so much like the worldwide web, we are the administrators and we manifest everything we want to see visually when all those things behind images and complex pages are codes that resemble so much like our little actions in this world, the way we live our life, the way we treat each other and the way we think.

Why would I care anyway? I have a good life of mine, and all of the world is none of my business. I'm just writing for myself and this is my hope.

***

"A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love." — Henri B. Stendhal

Philippines elections

2010-02-11T17:54:00.001-08:00

Who would I want to be the leader of the Philippines?

There are so many factors to consider these days; from education down to the minute details of citizen's responsibility. I believe that change only comes upon the enforcement of something dreadful. If you think of happiness all the time without thinking about sadness, you will not be enlightened by the true meaning of happiness. Likewise in leadership, we can't see hope of brighter tomorrow without thinking of vain attempts of good governance. However, the Philippines has been the good ground for vain attempts of a brighter future. Perhaps, it is the right time to hope for a brighter future. We choose what is best for us; we choose who deserves the presidential seat and let us stop thinking that none of the presidential candidates are capable of changing the country for good.

The Philippines is a proud country of heroes and catalysts of the future. Why on earth are we still labeled as third world? We have what it takes to be wealthy and we deserve to be wealthy after long years of vanity. Let us fight the good fight. Money is not the problem but leadership in every one of us Filipinos. Let us show the world what we are really capable of. Our best and brightest are not here amongst us anymore. They are probably working for a country not of their own, you can't blame them, they just want to enjoy the fruits of their labor and make use of their skills.

I've learned about how the presidential candidate Richard Gordon answered the questions in the Philippine Daily Inquirer's 1'st Edition of The Presidential Debate. I see hope in this person knowing how he gave Subic a booming sound to everyone's ears. I like one thing in his statements, "Let us do small things first." Let us say he gets into the presidential seat and does small things for good. This is not only the picture being viewed here; his followers or the people he inspired will start doing the same. Those small things will count and one day become a good sum, a real good sum. I am not just talking about Richard Gordon in particular; I am addressing the hundreds of people out there trying to make change in their own ways and I am sure they are successful however small their ways seem to be.

I'm putting my trash in the right place, putting my candy wrappers in my pockets and I don't spit in public places. Those who are doing that and know what they are doing are nothing but trash themselves. I am not claiming a credit for what I am doing but I somehow believe that I am contributing to a bigger change. I believe that I am not alone. Responsible people would rather be anonymous than be famous. Clark Kent never showed the world that he is Superman. He just do what is right, respond to a call and just that.

***

Are you a jeepney driver? Try not to smoke in your car especially when you have a sign board saying, no smoking. Most of the commuters don't want to inhale the crap out of your lungs. So be kind to the passengers at all times. Just don't smoke and by the way, you are helping the economy and you are helping your daily passengers by giving them reliable transportation system every day.

Are you a taxi driver? Please try to stick to the meter. Don't ask for more than the exact fare for the distance traveled. If your passengers like you, then they might give you an incentive. Be polite and don't abuse people who seem to be lost or say "probinsyano type."

Are you an employer? Please be kind to your employees, give them their credits for without them, your business amounts to nothing. Be richer but be more responsible.

Are you an employee? Just be responsible. Don't abuse the kindness of your employers. Think that you're just working for the money, for yourself of course. Everybody benefits in general, just do your job and be responsible.

Are you a leader? You know what to do.

***

"Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor." — James Russell Lowell

Why I like Google

2010-02-11T15:21:00.001-08:00

When I was in college, I was not good in computers or things about computer stuff. I didn't even know how to surf or how internet browsers work. I was simply lacking knowledge about the worldwide web itself. However, after a few years of being courageous enough to touch computers and seeing how it works and even if I simply make the errors I met worst, I ascended from being an average user to being a technology savvy person. I know the updates from mobile computing to powerful computing and not just Microsoft's products alone, I know about Macs too and Linux and the much anticipated Google OS.

Google makes me wonder a lot, not just its complicated mathematics but the way it integrated itself into the lifestyles of people. Google does everything from a simple search down to optimizing the entire web experience; it's like a hand on the other side of the world of computers. It helped me find a lot of good things from the web. Google makes my daily searches a breeze and most of the time I found the best results. My browsers are IE, Mozilla Firefox and of course Google Chrome. I don't use IE because it doesn't do what I want and it has a bad reputation when it comes to security and speed. When I want to download stuff, I use Mozilla Firefox and when I want to do heavy searching, I use Google Chrome because it's Google, the name that challenges different corporate firms from internet browsers to mobile phones and now it wants to become an ISP. It makes me wonder, in one day how many users around the globe use Google?

Fight the good fight

2010-02-10T21:15:00.001-08:00

I am a big fan of Smallville series, in fact I have the complete first to the eight season and is still updated with the current season. Why do I love this series; simple, it just entertains me and brings me back the memories of my childhood when heroes and villains fight and in the end villains always lose. Yes, villains always lose but I think heroes need villains for without each other they simply are boring. In fact all entertainments are based on this principle, either be the good or be the bad. Funny, the society is much like this picture; there would always be heroes and villains. There are cops and there are thugs. In the government, there is the good leader and the corrupt one. Every day the battle between these two forces is always at play. This is the fight that has been started a long long time and will continue to the end I guess, not until one reaches heaven where it's all good or when one reaches hell where it's all damnation.

The best thing to do is fight the good fight. Clark Kent fights for good in Smallville, Mr. President fights for a better country or Mr. CEO fights for the welfare of his company. Everyone is fighting for something, be it for the good or the bad. I somehow believe that human beings always fight for the good; that is according to the person executing the action through the determination of the will. If he is thinking that it's good, then it's good for him when however the society thinks of it as taboo. It's all subjective because this is life. Everyone is free. So fight the good fight, but what really is the good fight? Is it when it's good or when it's bad? Only you can answer that. Only myself can answer that. So let us fight the good fight!

SSS working machines

2010-02-09T20:10:00.001-08:00

Where did all our SSS deductions go? I've been paying my SSS for a couple of years and a half but when I decided to take my ID for identification purposes because my other IDs are somehow expired and I'm still working on them, the agent at the information counter of the SSS Makati branch greeted me with "Mr., the machine (for the ID capture) isn't working. You can go to SSS San Juan and SSS Quezon City instead." Now, where did all the people's contribution go? Saddening? No, it's infuriating and somehow validates the fact that there are a lot of crap services in the Philippines and SSS is one of them; and in Makati, the business capital of the Philippines? Seriously, something is wrong here. Somebody please at least save the better picture for the future applicants of IDs, of course I'll be one of them.

The above is just a picture of how far a person with rotting principles can go. I want to see a capable leader who can change all of these things that hinder the country's growth. Filipinos are capable of a lot of things and somehow we cannot shine because the larger picture is made up of thick rust and it emanates a rotting picture of a broken civilization. Civilize? I don't think so maybe the right word is desperation. Who to blame: everyone.

The third world fear

2010-02-08T20:25:00.001-08:00

It has been a year and a few months since my beautiful baby arrived here in the Philippines. I love this country but being proud of it, is another matter. Of course I am proud of my dear country, knowing that a lot of good men died for the sake of freedom that I am enjoying right now. But since the beginning of the so called children are the future thing, until now I don't see any change, no progress at all. Right now I am living in the business capital of the Philippines, Makati City, of course seeing the poor side is quite harder from here but going to different cities and towns, I see nothing but piled-up garbage, traffic and the vivid picture of the third world of course. It saddens me knowing that I am not doing anything. Is it my responsibility to do something? I think it is. I am a Filipino citizen and I have responsibilities for my country but this is absolutely whimsical right? What can one man do like me? I may write hundreds of words saying I want change for my country but I'm just a single voice. I know this is negativity; a hundred percent negativity. This is the third world fear.

Today I will change something. I may be only one voice crying for change but this is life. What I want will come to being. I want a peaceful country where everybody can enjoy the benefits of a wealthy country. I want to see clean streets and bright smiles of people who enjoy prosperity and not the look of desperation as if life has been literally stripped from their beings. I want to see my children mingle in a world of freedom and wealth in everything, from the simple way of life to a general rooted culture free from foreign influences or at least settled. I want to see a wealthy nation beaming with responsible citizens. This is the third world hope.

Courage is when you do what is right

2010-02-07T21:50:00.001-08:00

I may not be a soldier but I do know how it feels to be given an order and to be expected to comply with such utter obedience and loyalty. I spent six of my young years inside the walls of a religious congregation. By walls I don't mean prison but an institution that is designed for forming behavioral and intellectual aspects of the person. Those six years imprinted in me a strong sense of obedience and loyalty. However, I need to break that habit in order to preserve a sense of individuality in me and to give rise to the leader lurking in the always "yes sir" version of myself. Now that I'm in the corporate world or say "outside the wall of the seminary world" I should be more watchful of all the things coming my way.

Now that I have a responsibility in life, that I am not alone anymore and that in the near future I'll be having greater responsibilities, I should know how to be firm in everything I am saying. This is not the time to always say "yes sir" but be the one on the other end of the statement. I will be the boss and a good leader never says I can't or I don't know.

What is right is for me is to emphasize my greater role as an adult and to always be right in all my decisions.

The power of imagination

2010-02-07T18:06:00.001-08:00

I have seen "The Secret" movie and have started reading the book written by Rhonda Byrne. It was a very good movie and an exceptional book. I have browsed the pages with utter enthusiasm and somehow with the desire to heal myself. I wrote about healing because my view of life has been fiddled with my own negativity and sullied by my cowardice to face life as it is. After seeing the movie, I was simply astonished by the way I look at life. I make everything difficult and I hide my ignorance in the shades of little knowledge stored in my minute mind. I discovered this every time I have a serious dialogue with my lovely wife who is way smarter than me. Sometimes I would go into great lengths defending a crap theory. In the end I would always end up with an open conclusion; a sure sign that I don't know what I am doing. Indeed, little knowledge is dangerous. I discovered that I am not that brave and not that positive about life and that I am not writing my future at all.

There is so much to learn and the best of it is learning could be real fun. I don't have to go to school to learn. I simply breathe and go on with life, achieve my dreams and see everything I imagine come to being.

I believe that life is easy. Not every person is the same. Some think positively and some negatively. Some just live without complicating their lives at all and without dreams at all. The most important thing to discover is that I am the one living my life and whatever I think come into being. I think that I am just ordinary then I am just ordinary. I think that I am nothing then I am nothing. I dream about owning a car then it slowly or immediately comes into being! Imagination is more important than knowledge!

The traveling ants…

2010-02-06T07:35:00.001-08:00

People seem to travel like ants, work like ants and live like ants. Travel like ants: I think I should focus on this title. A few years ago I travel like an ant. I work like an ant and sadly think like an ant. What is ant exactly? "Wordweb", my favorite dictionary because it's very helpful, says that an ant is "a social insect living in organized colonies." Come to think of it, the society I'm living in is like an organized colony with everything working like a clocked process. At 8 or 9 people rush into their work and kids go to school and life begins with a bell, be it the alarm clock or the school bell or a horn as long as it signals that something begins and should be done. This is an order and as such it is vital to keep this order as it is. Humanity is more than social ants living in highly organized colonies. Life is more than work. However, work is vital into a human being's life cycle. It is the discovery of something worthwhile. I work not just to eat but simply because it completes my day and keeps my life in order. Life is really amazing. Everything in it is simply amazing. Thanks to the ants, I don't have to hate work or be lazy to find a job. I should put order into my life not for the necessity of living but for a reason. I am a human being and I exist to give color to the world. I maybe one dot, a tiny dot in the whole universe, but life is an ocean. Everything is simply participating. I have a part to play and I'm going to play my part.

The world out there

2010-02-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

Life has so much to offer when you're actually "out there." In all my writings, (things I did not post here) I always speculate about life from the comfort of my well ventilated room or on my cushy bed. Something is wrong here, terribly wrong. Maybe I wasn't meant to publish all of those things I wrote, in fact I burnt them all. I don't regret it because I don't want to write a lie. There is so much in life that I barely know. I am educated but there is absolute difference with the things I learned from the books and the things I learned right when I am walking in the streets looking at the sidewalks, the cars passing by and everything else I see. In reality I am really ignorant and come to think of it, I need to be informed.

I wrote once that I had an inferiority complex, but after I met my ma chérie's mother who is always beaming with infinite energy, I came to realize that what I think about myself just manifest in the real world--that is, if I think that I am sick, then I am sick. The power of thinking is really amazing. Well, it's just one thing I learned recently.

I have been hiding in the shadows, allowing people to step over my head and never fighting back. I am sick and tired of this hell. It is time to step up and chase my dreams in life. I just want to be happy and damn, I deserve to be happy, grow old with my beautiful ma chérie and have a cute daughter.

I am going out of my comfort zone. I am not afraid, not anymore.