Leftover Thoughts!

Insanity

2013-01-14T12:24:00.000+08:00

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein

I don't know if I have this little bit of insanity within my head if I go by with Einstein's definition of the word. Some things I've been doing over and over again knowing the futility of them all. I am not talking about blogging. It is some other things that bothers me right now.

2013 is here and as always, I hoped for the better. 2012 was somewhat like 'plus 2 minus 3' for me. I thanked God for the unexpected blessings. And there were unexpected challenges too.

Forgive my shallow understanding of the situation as sometimes my mind circles on the problem. There is a solution to this I know. LORD, help us overcome.

Not Much

2012-11-06T14:56:00.000+08:00

My blogger stats says that I have a PageRank of 2 and 40,547pageviews. Since March 2006, I have posted 381 entries. The peak of my blogging was in 2006-2008 wherein I wrote around 320 blog posts. Oh well, that's 84% of my total! It was downhill after that. This year, I have written only 5 posts.

In 2008, I moved on to another site with a dotcom of my own. I did not migrate my posts but started anew. New friends and blog acquaintances came around. Blogging anonymity is no longer the "in" thing unlike in the past. So, I simply sidelined this leftover blog and embraced the light.

But after a year or two of enjoying the economic and social fruits of blogging, the passion faded the second time around. And my new blogs were again at some point of neglect. I became too lazy to write and was contented with the short lines Twitter offered. The blog posts became tweets of 150 characters. So easy and without hassles!

Honestly, there is so much to write these days if only I had the passion to write as I used to. But everytime I write a paragraph or two, I simply pause and delete everything.

Where will I find the inspiration to write again? Tell me, please.

Remembering Grandma on Mothers' Day

2012-05-13T01:04:00.001+08:00

I always remember my maternal grandmother every Mothers' Day. That is because it's very near her birthday. And when I saw my aunt post in Facebook a picture of grandma, I felt nostalgic. Today, May 13 is my grandma's birthday.

Though she died sixteen years ago, I really miss her.

I lived with my grandparents in Mindanao when I was six years old. Being their first grandchild, and being with them most of the time, people thought I was the favorite. Nope, it's not what they think. I had my own share of spanking too. She was strict but loving. She never fails to pack my baon before going to school. And when I come home rugged and dirty, it's either her long stick or grandpa's belt that will do the talking. No excuses as the evidence is in my pants. (They make me wear long pants so when I play, crawl and tumble with friends, dirt would stick to my pants).

This is what my aunt wrote on Facebook a few hours ago in reply to my sister's comment on her profile pic.

"day .., ako jud ni gituyo nga i profile kay kung gimingaw mo ni lola, mas na jud ko, mama is my best friend, best mother sa buong mundo, wala ng iba.. very supportive mother, kaya mintras buhi pa ang inyong mama, pahimusli jud ang walang pag-alinlangan na pagmamahal. missed my mama so much, it's her birthday tomorrow..."

I certainly agree with my auntie. While our mothers are still alive, seize every opportunity to show them love and affection. We only have one mother in this world.

I know a lot were already thinking of cool mothers' day gift ideas, as we just noticed in the various malls in the city the other day. But you know what, they don't really care about the gifts, but they appreciate much the time we spend with them.

To Comment or Not To Comment

2012-05-11T15:15:00.000+08:00

I made a quick round to the blogs of people I used to interact with in the past. I was tempted to comment but I paused a bit. Do they still remember me?

What if they ask me where I've been for the past 4 or five years when I stopped dropping by their blogs? What if they call me by the pseudo-name I use here when in fact I already outed myself in the blog events that I joined? Yep, I've meet some bloggers in real life settings. I have also joined a Facebook group of bloggers as me. Anonymity in social media had already lost its flavor. That is already the case this four or five years.

I am just keeping this blog for sentimental and selfish reasons. And when I leave a comment to other blogs, I now have second thoughts on what name to use and what url to fill in the comment section. Ah!

At another instance, I followed a tweet by a friend which contained a link to a blogpost on his personal blog. I really wanted to comment on this one but I was thinking, "Will my comment do him any good? Or is he just having one of those emo moments?"

I wanted to tell him, "Grow up and act like your mid 40's age. The world does not revolve around you anymore". But again, I was thinking that bloggers have all the right to say things on their blogs as long as it does not hurt others. It's just one of his emo moments. I'm sure he has already recovered by now.

Social Networking Etiquette For Teens

2012-04-16T10:39:00.002+08:00

My wife is working with kids, teens and young people at Church and she has some sort of following. But they follow me instead because she has no Facebook account of her own.

I received friend request here and there and I got to ask her if she knows them. Of course, most these kids know me as well. But I had a hard time matching their names with their faces. Some I knew when they were as young as 8 or 9 at Kid's church, and then now that they're college students and seeing them once in a quarter, I have forgotten many of them.

Since we're friends in Facebook, i get to see some of their pics and walls. They certainly have grown. But I have some concerns with a few of them. Some post inappropriate pics and rants like they don't care at all. I've seen a few verbal quarrels as well. I guess these are problems not only common in teens but for other adults too. But it's the kids and teens that I'm concerned the most. They're vulnerable and they need to be guided.

I see the need of these kids to be informed on proper social media etiquette. What they post during high school will be there in the internet long enough that it could be used against them in the future. Who knows if they'll suffer the same fate as those graduating kids from STC who weren't able to march with their batch. Or that they'll be cyber-bullied because they think that it's alright to ride a butanding, drown a cat, or pose in a crucifix with sexy shorts. We do a lot of crazy things when we were teens, right? All for the sake of fun, notwithstanding the consequences.

Just when I was thinking of coming up with seminar materials for these young people, GMA7 came up with a series of ads "Think Before You Click". Here's the Tween Edition:

Goodbye, American Dream

2012-03-23T10:17:00.003+08:00

The other month we ended our dreams of going to America. My wife couldn't control her emotions when she wrote the formal withdrawal letter. She cried.

She is one of those nurses who had hoped of immigrating to the US. Her application has been pending for years, and yet we patiently waited. Most of her batchmates and friends are there already and she is one of the few left behind. Our priority date was May 2006 and as per latest visa bulletin, we're only a month away.

But passion died years ago, compounded with the expiry of her CG and IELTS. She failed the NCLEX twice and it had dampened her hope and desire. Though the exam can now be taken in Manila, she doesn't want to undergo another excruciating review and pay the expensive exam fees.

Also, hospital experience is now a strict requirement which she had none. She had applied at a nursing home which do not require hospital experience. But we heard lots of nursing homes in the US had closed because of their country's financial woes. It used to be that retirement and pension plans pay for the retirees nursing homes expenses. But these were all gone with the economic crisis.

We prayed hard for this plan and it seems that the answer was a clear 'NO!'. So today, we'll shift our dreams to somewhere else. I will no longer have to imagine working from home in Texas or driving a school bus in Idaho. We'll rebuild our dreams from where we are right now. Wifey and I have lots of things to do.

No More Chatbox

2012-01-24T15:28:00.003+08:00

Today, I will delete my chatbox. It has not served it purpose anymore and has become the haven of spammers, and passersby who only want to promote their sites without leaving at least some sensible remarks.

In the past, when spammers were fewer and the bloggers were purer, we were not afraid of unwanted visitors. Now, times have changed. And it changed really fast. I think I could still blog without the chatbox. Most blogs don't have chatboxes anymore, and interactions are more on the comment portions.

So, if you want to leave a message here, you should know where the comment section is.

Google Panda Comes To Town

2011-12-16T11:09:00.004+08:00

Months ago there were stories of a Panda roaming around the internet slapping and slamming websites that a lot of webmasters cried foul. I didn’t bother to check it as I was lost in my day job and in some other ventures outside blogging.

Those who are seriously into SEO would know by now what I meant by this Panda. Perhaps they’re already affected and didn’t know what kind of truck had hit them. Or maybe they are now aware that all their SEO works in the past might possibly go down the drain.

So in the controversially reliable Wikipedia I got info about this Panda:
“Google Panda is a change to the Google's search results ranking algorithm that was first released in February 2011. The change aimed to lower the rank of "low-quality sites", and return higher-quality sites near the top of the search results. CNET reported a surge in the rankings of news websites and social Networking sites, and a drop in rankings for sites containing large amounts of advertising. This change reportedly affected the rankings of almost 12 percent of all search results. Soon after the Panda rollout, many websites, including Google's webmaster forum, became filled with complaints of scrapers/copyright infringers getting better rankings than sites with original content.”

Are you affected by this? Me, I’m not sure. I still get the same so-so traffic. My SEO skill is too basic and kinda old school. This site is used to be at PR4, and now it’s PR2. I don’t think Panda hit the PageRanks as well.

Perhaps we can now say that the field is leveled with this change by the big G. This initial hiccup, wherein they say that legit sites got struck while some scrapers got lucky, will surely come to pass. It’s reassuring to know that we’ll be getting less and less of the garbage when we do our web searches. It's also bad news for those making money online out of these search engine pollutants.

Azkals vs Lions

2011-10-07T18:22:00.002+08:00

Azkals vs Lions, who do you expect to win? No, I'm not referring to a match between stray dogs versus giant cats. Azkals vs Lions is a match between the Philippines and Singapore's football teams. It will happen tonight at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

I was one of those who in Twitter, cheered for the Azkals vs Kuwait. "#WeBelieve" alright. But we're actually waiting for a miracle to happen. The Kuwaitis were more experienced and better equipped. The Singaporeans, 30 notches higher in Rank, are also great footballers, so I'm also also waiting for another miracle to happen. Who knows really if there'll be 30 minutes of madness when the Lion's will stop playing and allow the Azkals to pass by them and score easy goals.

I'd like like the Azkals to win 15-0. That would at least tie the country's most number of goals in a single game. In 1917, during the Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo, Paulino Alcantara-led Philippine team defeated Japan 15–2. That was the Philippines' biggest win in international football.

We have some Fil-foreigners in our lineup. But are they at the level of Messi and Ronaldo? So I just have to lower down my expectations. 2-2 will be good enough. Perhaps the Filipinos will understand that. We cannot change our state of football overnight.

Facebook Hoax - Tiered Membership Fee

2011-09-28T10:24:00.003+08:00

I saw this in the shoutouts of a few of my Facebook friends a few days ago.

FACEBOOK JUST RELEASED THEIR PRICE GRID FOR MEMBERSHIP. $9.99 PER MONTH FOR GOLD MEMBER SERVICES, $6.99 PER MONTH FOR SILVER MEMBER SERVICES, $3.99 PER MONTH FOR BRONZE MEMBER SERVICES, FREE IF YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WHEN YOU SIGN ON TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE PROMPTED FOR PAYMENT INFO...IT IS OFFICIAL IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NOT PAY !

Another one protested, and posted some invectives against those who posted the above message. Oh, my, my gullible friends.

Haven't you noticed the timing? Facebook made some overhauls, Google+ is now available to everyone, and then this hoax. I don't know which came out first. But I know of someone who compared the complex Facebook changes to the last days of MySpace. I have not even tried MySpace and now it's gone.

Goodbye Madam!

2011-08-06T02:03:00.002+08:00

The other day, a batchmate announced in our Facebook group page that one of our high school teachers died. She was 83 years old.

Scores of messages filled our group's wall. "She was my favorite English" says one. Another mentioned the teacher's unusual habit of eating menthol candy during class and sticking the wrapper in the blackboard. "She was my favorite Math teacher" says another.

I don't know if it often happens but I find it unusual for someone to be an English and Math teacher at the same time. And she's excellent at both, inspiring students to do better and excel. I remember a time when half of her literature class had to take removal exams.

Also, I love how she pronounced the word "POEM". She even corrected us from our wrong pronunciation. Imagine, no one among us got it right the first time!

She's a motivator. Every week she gives us an assignment - a quotable quote, plus an explanation why it catches one's attention. Even the funniest quotes gathered by some of my comical classmates turn into something that gives us serious moral lessons.

She's compassionate. She gave some of my naughty classmates second chance when what they did could have cost them dismissal, or even some time in jail. They were forever grateful to her.

And so, what are my memories of her?
1. A principal at that time, she signed my suspension letter - due to habitual tardiness. Up to now, I haven't overcome it.
2. She gave me 3.0 in all grading period. I could not believe my consistency.
3. She scares me when she raises an eyebrow and throws a question. It will surely throw you off your seat.
4. Her pronunciation and the way she reads poems is quite intimidating. It has some chilling effect on me which I cannot explain at that time.

But hey, it was because of her that I began to appreciate poetry and literature. My early poems were done because it was for a class assignment. But a few of my friends continued writing poems and short stories even after we're through with lit class. And even until now, I collect quotable quotes.

What can I say but goodbye, Madam! You are surely the best!

Tired

2011-07-22T11:40:00.005+08:00

I'm tired of blogging. There are so many things I wanted to do with my blogs but can't seem to pull it off.

What were my goals? Before I even achieve them, I changed them. Here now this blog is going nowhere. Blogging anonymously is a thing of the past. To my blogging friends, I'll one day reappear in your blogs, with my real name. And I hope you are still as welcoming as before and not have become snobs or too engrossed with traffic, adsense and blog community.

Ania Na Pud Ko Sa Sugbu

2011-06-02T13:20:00.000+08:00

Ania na pud ko sa Sugbu! (I'm back in Cebu again).

Pero mubalik ra ko sa Manila unyang kadlawon. Kadali ra ba! Mura man lang ko ug nisimhot sa kwarto, midulog sa akong kapikas, unya biya na sad. Hahay, kapait ining kinabuhia! Taud-taod na man diay akong wala makabalik diri. Enero pa kadto ug karon Hunyo na.

Sa eroplano kagabii, sa iyang pag take-off, gisud-ong nako ang kalapdon sa Metro Manila. Nindot tan-awon ang kahayag sa syudad. Nakita ko sad ang mga highway diin naglinya ang mga suga, ug murag tadlis kun tan-awon sa itaas. Gipiyong na lang nako ang ako mga mata,ug nahimuklod. Nganong napadpad man ko aning dapita nga ang akong kasing-kasing tua man sa sugbo?

Tuig 2008 kadto nga gibalhin ko sa akog kumpanya diri sa Manila. Taas nga posisyon, ug dako sad nga responsibilidad. Kini laging duna pud tay ambisyon mao nga gikab-ot nako ang oportunidad. Niuban pirmiro akong asawa apan nibalik dayun kini tungod sa kalaay ug sa mga oportunidad sa negosyo balik sa Sugbu. Lahi man diay ning mag-inusara ta. Walay mosugat nato inig-uli kundi ang iro sa silingan. Walay panihapon nga naghulat, kundi mga plato nga wala mahugasi sa pipila na ka adlaw. Wala sad kay magakos sa tugnaw nga kagabhion ug mahagkan nga mga tam-is nga ngabil.

Mao sab ang gibati nga kamingaw sa akong asawa. Maayo gani nga naay Sun Cellular kay pwede ra mi mag-istorya sa celphne bisag duha ug tulo ka oras kada adlaw. Kun wala pay Sun, linibo gyud among gasto. Maayo ra pud naa promo ang mga airlines para kun mibisita sya nako, dili na pud dako ang gasto.

Nasayod ko nga dili ra ako ang naa niining sitwasyon. Ang uban, wala gyud sila makaantos ug natintal gyud tungod sa lawasnong panginahanglan. Mao nga mag-ampo gyd mi pirmi sa Kahitas-an nga iya kaming buligan ug tagaan ug kusog sa pagbarog sa husto ug matarong.

Ang akong mga ginikanan, ug bisan akong ugangan, wala gyud makasulay ug panaglagyo sa ilang isig kapikas. Karong mga panahuna, uso na kaayo ni.

Karon, ania na pud ko sa Sugbu mao nga pahimuslan nako ang gamay nga panahon kay unyang kadlawon mubalik na ko sa Manila. Mubalik na sad ko sa mamingaw nga lugar, apan nasayod ko nga sa pipila ka mga bulan, mag-uban na gyud mi sa akong pinanggang asawa ug dili na kami magkalagyo pa.

Rapture Day: May 21, 2011

2011-05-20T03:57:00.001+08:00

There’s a group announcing that May 21, 2011 is the Rapture Day. It isn’t just a solitary bearded old man carrying a placard, shouting “Repent for the Judgment Day is Near”. The group, led by Harold Camping, put an exact date on Rapture Day – May 21, 2011. And five months later, they say, would be the end of the world.

They put up signs in lots of places including a full page ad at Reader’s Digest. How did the guy know the exact date when the Bible clearly says that no one knows? Well, he claimed to have found the secret calculation. As revealed now, the initial secret calculation of September 6, 1994 was flawed because Christians were still here. Camping recalculated and is now dead sure that his math is correct. If he is still around on May 22, then he must have been left behind.

I grew up in an evangelical Christian Church where rapture is taught. I’d say I prefer the Pre-mil, pre-trib – rapture precedes tribulation. But only God knows exactly when.

Here’s an MTV I found in Youtube which briefly describe what rapture is.

Will you be left behind?

Gmail Motion (Beta) - What is it?

2011-04-01T14:21:00.004+08:00

Today, Google introduces Gmail Motion. What is it all about that it tops today's search trend? It is the internet giants innovation wherein users can interacts with their Gmail account in a new way.

Gmail users can simply sit in front of their computer equipped with a webcam and use their body to interact with Gmail. Isn't it great?

Gmail Motion uses your computer’s built-in webcam and Google’s patented spatial tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands. Movements are designed to be simple and intuitive for people of all skill levels.

A printable guide that will include all of the body motions that Gmail now supports, is also provided. Stretch here, stretch there. However, Google also warns that you have to take some break every 30-40 minutes to give your muscles time to relax. This is fun really. Check out the video below on how this new feature works.

According also to Google, "This new motion detection technology doesn't stop with Gmail. We're excited to announce that Google Docs Motion will be coming later this year".

Yehaah! This is getting to be more exciting. It's April first everyone!

Of Blogging Plans Again

2011-03-30T11:53:00.002+08:00

My blogging plans never materialized. With time in my hand between 9pm to 12am on weekdays and whole day on weekends, I should have worked my butt off to make more money online. Instead, I just stared at the computer screen, facebooking, or those online games, wasting precious time.

I write this with a sigh. The other night I chatted with my cousin regarding some new plans. Maybe I was just envious that some of my friends are now earning more online when, a couple few years ago, they were earning cents. Rumors of a friend had it that than one heyday, a single post raked in $100 of adsense money. How's that for a sideline!

Or maybe I was convinced of the internet's potential, yet looked at it as a clear blue sky while lying on my back in a green green grass.

This has to change. Now.

Will The Real Big Bad Blogger Please Stand Up?

2011-01-29T00:07:00.001+08:00

It was a Sunday when an article about blogging was published in my favorite daily. I really didn’t know about it until a Facebook link from a friend pointed me to another page and then to the article.

The article written by Margaux Salcedo, also a blogger herself, mentioned a restaurateur and her resto and how the villains - Bad PR firm (probably not big) and a Big Bad Blogger, applied extortion in presenting their services. The title, catchy to the bloggers’ eyes it seems – Please Don’t Give Blogging a Bad Name.

Some readers were quick to point a finger at a certain popular blogger. And some bloggers, were also ready to aim fire at whoever that shows up. Probably it is easier to shoot a blogger than the PR firm. But who is REALLY giving blogging a bad name?

If getting paid for a review already qualifies one to become a bad blogger, then I am a bad blogger too. And so are my friends, who despite having great blogs, kept other secret sites used to generate $$$. I used to have paid posts here when the price was still at $20-$50. Now when there were already lots of us bad bloggers, the price went down to a pittance wherein you can’t even buy a Starbucks coffee with it. It’s probably because we’re not big and we write for the fun of it. It’s not the review they wanted, but rather the link.

So, will the real big bad blogger please stand up? Oh there you are, eating in a resto, taking pictures of the food and the crews whom you asked to give their best smile. “Pay up or I’ll scr*w you with my review”. Unbeknownst to the big bad blogger, somebody might have already wished that he choke up or something while he chews his meal. That unless he writes a positive review.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-02T00:24:00.002+08:00

Today is the 2nd day of 2011 and it actually feels like 2010. I planned to make a blog entry on the last day of December but geesh, I forgot about it. It must be the age. But I'm young(if 30 something is young), and shouldn't be forgetful.

Okay, so who among my early blogging peers are still blogging? I mean blogging. Not copypasting and/or reviewing and/or newsreporting. My blogroll isn't that filled because I deleted that blogrolling link that they say contained malicious codes. What malicious code? Was there a proof?

I'll take a peek at the blog of my peers. Must be 50plus of them. Some had already shed off their masks of internet anonymity. I did. But partially. What will my niece say if she reads this blog? She'll be amused because she will not understand anything until, maybe 10 years from now.

Others retired. It's really sad to think that those I interacted with 4 years ago are no longer blogging. Some may have forgotten that we were once internet friends. They should know by now that I am only using a pen name. And that if you ever try to search me on Facebook using my pen name, you'll be surprised to see that I am Caucasian, tall and handsome. That is NOT me, of course.

So, what's up for 2011? Nothing, really. This blog will still be about my leftover thoughts, and that I am still here blogging.

Let us try politics next time.

Trying-Hard Haggler

2010-10-24T05:53:00.003+08:00

Yesterday I went to Tutuban Mall. I would have wanted to go to Divisoria mall but I got stuck in traffic. The normal 30-minute drive from Makati to Divisoria became a two-and-a-half-hour ordeal. When I tried to maneuver, as I thought of taking another route, I was caught on a u-turn violation. What I did to get away without paying the hefty fine is another story. But it's somewhat related to my title, if you get my drift.

So, what's with Tutuban?. First, I wanted to buy some RTWs to bring to Cebu. Second, I wanted to try my best to haggle like my wife does when she goes to the area. The P250 becomes P150, or something like that. Wifey sells them at margin.

My problem is not in the selection of items to buy. I can manage even if I have to endure the suspecting gaze of the salesladies. "What is this big guy doing, buying women's clothes?". I don't also need to ask the salesladies of their opinion on the design of the clothes. If I like what I see, I directly go for it.

Now, I have this difficulty in haggling, negotiating with the seller to bring their price down. P250 for a dress is already cheap, right? That is if you are in a department store. But in Divisoria, you can bring it down to P100 if you have the skills. So what were my intro lines?

"I buy these for wifey. I'm gonna resell these. I have no money left, and I appreciate if you sell it to me at this price." I am a trying hard haggler, you know. The most I got is a P50 reduction of their initial price. For the uninitiated, this is already a good start. But I am not yet satisfied.

If I'm gonna resell to wifey all the items I bought yesterday, I'm very very sure that I will incur losses.

Where's The Blog Money?

2010-10-19T14:45:00.003+08:00

This blog already earned around $500. This month? Before your imagination goes wild, I want to make it clear. I made around $500 only in its more than four years of existence. On the average, it's roughly $10 a month. If I bought Starbucks coffee with it, I only got to drink three mocha frappe.

So, where do you find the big money in blogging?

After the sponsored post frenzy two years ago, wherein I earned 99% of my keep, the income from this blog is purely on adsense. And looking at my adsense stats, I earn less the twenty cents per month. I got a big fat zero yesterday, and nothing also the other day. Maybe I should write weird stuff in here. A lot of people are searching for scandals, right?

Seriously, there are ways to make money from one's blog. Here a video posted two years ago by someone who must be successful by now:

Now you can earn millions with your blog. Sorry I didn't.

So, You're A Blogger Too!

2010-09-25T21:24:00.003+08:00

A few days ago, I had this conversation with a new colleague and she noticed the sticker on my laptop. "What is that sticker?" she asked. "It's very familiar to me."

I told her that it's a Wordpress sticker. "Wordpress is a blogging platform" I added. What was supposed to be a work-related conversation shifted to blogging. She has a blog too, using an alias she don't want me to know about.

"So, you must have started it 3 or 4 years ago?" I told her. "Every blogger then used an alias".

She smiled. "I have a few entries in that blog that a colleague once told me that I could publish them. But I don't want my real name attached to it, and publishers, she said, won't publish works of anonymous writers. And... it's just some personal essays."

"Oh!".

I discreetly searched her name, (yahoo and google alike) like a detective. No relevant results. I don't really know why I did it. Maybe it's because I want to see the person behind their corporate persona. But then again, if she wants to keep it a secret, why my intrusion? No one would like their diaries read without the owners permission, isn't it?

When God Ran

2010-08-30T12:10:00.002+08:00

I thought the song title "When God Ran" was ridiculous and blasphemous when I first heard of it way back a couple of decades ago. A friend recommended it and lent me a cassette tape. I almost cried the first time I heard the song. It was about the prodigal son and God's love for all of his children, strayed or not. I copy recorded it and played it over and over again.

Here's youtube video of "When God Ran" .. by Benny Hester:

And for the lyrics, it is here:

WHEN GOD RAN (by Benny Hester)

Almighty God,
The Great I Am
Immovable Rock,
Omnipotent powerful

Awesome Lord,
Victorious Warrior
Commanding King of Kings
Mighty Conqueror,

And the only time,
the only time I ever saw Him run
Was when He ran to me,
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
And said "My son's come home again".
Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"

It caught me by surprise when God ran

The day I left Home,
I knew I'd broken His heart
I wondered if
Things could ever be the same,

Then one night,
I remembered His love for me
And down that dusty road, ahead I could see
It's the only time,
the only time I ever saw Him run

Was when He ran to me,
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
And said "My son's come home again".
Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"

It caught me by surprise, He brought me to my knees
When God ran
I saw Him run to me
And then I ran to Him

Instrumental Bridge

Holy God, Righteous One
Who turned my way
Now I know, He's been waiting
For this day

{Repeat Chorus}

And then He ran to me,
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
And said "My son's come home again".
Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
I felt His love for me again

{Repeat Chorus}

He ran to me,
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
And said "My son's come home again".
Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said Son, He said Son, My Son!
Do you know I still love you
oohhh...He ran to me
When God ran

May God touch your hearts as you listen to the song. He loves you no matter what.

Spur of the Moment

2010-08-15T19:15:00.002+08:00

One good thing about blogging is that you can write anything you want anytime you want. There is no pressure for me to fill this blog with blahblahs. Even if I'd stay silent for a month or two without updates, I'd still be able to sleep worrying not about web metrics. I have no obligation to please my readers either. But if you are wondering where I am or what I am up to, I am just around Metro Manila. Almost two years ago I left Cebu for a temporary assignment here. (My bosses would raise their eyebrows if I say temporary. But really, this world is just a temporary place for us.)

This blog was created at the spur of the moment. A friend told me about blogging, then suddenly out of the blue, I registered a blogger account and wrote my first post on March 16, 2006. I was fighting off boredom so I titled my first post, "Boredom".

This spur-of-the-moment writer in me got so excited that from 2006-2008, I was able to write 321 blog posts. Of course, there were lots of trash in there that earned me a few hundred dollars. And it's not something that I should be ashamed of. This is my blog, and I can do whatever I want to do with it. I can sell it if I want to. But who would buy it? Offer me something that I cannot refuse. Yeah, who cares about PR4 these days.

So I'll just write my leftover thoughts. If you have your own writing standards, keep it in your blog, please. Also, let's no longer talk about passion to blog, because maybe that stage is behind me now.

Stupid, Stupid

2010-08-12T15:03:00.002+08:00

Stupid of me not to make updates for this site for many many weeks. A lot of things has changed - even the looks of this site. Blogger has really made improvements to make them more relevant and attractive to bloggers and readers alike. Don't you like my new mask?

So what's with the title? Nothing really. It's just a remark I overheard from someone. "Stupid, stupid! That guy is really stupid!" If it was just in a movie, I'd like to join him. But it was not. It was directed at a colleague who was just doing what was vaguely instructed to him by a boss.

We do stupid things sometimes. Or maybe we watched too many movies where cursing is as common as a period in a sentence. A joke may be tolerable. But in all seriousness, and you call someone stupid, damn or fool, you're actually inviting hailstorms from heaven to fall on you.

If you call me stupid, I'll hate you forever. Stupid and hate aren't really in my dictionary. Peace, brother!

Thoughts On Spain Winning The World Cup

2010-07-09T15:30:00.006+08:00

It will be Spain's first. First at the Finals, first trophy if they win, and first team to win the cup despite losing its opening match. Would you believe that they had not entered the semifinals in any of the World Cup they joined? Considering that they have Real Madrid and Barcelona, two of the world's top clubs, Spain should be on top of the football world, right?

Now Spain is on top of the world, literally. Spain is seeded second to Brazil. Now that the five-time winner is out, Spain is the toughest bunch into the Finals. They will face Robben-led Netherlands, the team that disposed of Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Spain's Chances

Spain is the heavy favorite to win the 2010 World Cup, especially now that they easily disposed of the quick-footed German team in the semis. The current team is fast, and jelled well in the rotation. 7 of the players are from Barcelona and 3 from Real Madrid. The Barcelona-type of play of quick touches and slick passing is very evident in their every match. This is the type of football everyone loves.

David Villa is the main man for Spain. He scored 5 goals in six games and is every inch a remarkable striker. Villa is ably assisted by Andres Iniesta, whom Rooney says, is the best player in the world. Iniesta has always been the threat up front, and he can absolutely fire a goal anytime. Fernando Torres, another world-class player, is coming off from injury. He had not shown much though, but given the right moment, he can fire plenty of shots.

Come Sunday (Monday dawn Philippine time), Spain will face the Netherlands, another team hungry for the title. I don't know what Paul, the octopus seance, will say about Spain's chances. This 2010 could be La Furia Roca's time.

But sorry, I'll be rooting for the team in Orange.