Dannybuntu

Crazy Frog

2013-06-08T22:12:00.001+08:00

Battles unspoken of a bewildered race,
Faced with the tides of change, they marvel and despair
Yet they falter, unwavering with the tools of death
Still their humanity, a fathomless depth

They who murder, they who steal
They who crave power, cower still
They know not forgiveness, they know not its virtues
And they teach the same, unforgiving statutes

Why, have I spoken against this undying ember of ignorance
They throw bottles at labor I've had no hindrance
The soil, ah the soil, it bears no respect
Just the glaring temperance of hatred

Never moving, always moved, never staying, this I will prove
Yet what do we know, but that which has been taught to us
What can we do, except move our lips like what behooves us
Wicked fate, smiling jackal, living today, is the same as living yesterday

What has really changed, what has been made better
Our dear comforts, will it make the sun shine brighter
For all the glitter and all the glory, we falter still
unrelenting in our agony.

Creative Commons Image via Flickr: Moffoys

Candy Crush Fever Hits the World

2013-05-27T15:48:00.000+08:00

Play Candy Crush on Facebook and ask friends for extra lives
Play Candy Crush in High-Definition (HD)
Play Candy Crush on King.com (HD)

At first, it was a minor annoyance expressed most explicitly in the form of Internet memes. I was thinking along the lines of "Farmville hatred", which on occasion I've been guilty of expressing publicly, much to the embarrassment of some of my Facebook friends (I only have 100 - mostly family).

Then I discovered Candy Crush, as have Business Insider, "Why Candy Crush is the Number One Game on Facebook and the iPhone", as have the Philippines #1 national daily Philippine Daily Inquirer "Why They're Crazy for Candy Crush" and the DailyMail, pointing out that "Candy Crush Saga Soars Above Angry Birds as World's Most Popular Game".

True enough, its value is in its ability to inject some candy crushing seratonin in the form of false self fulfillment induced by the thoughts of mashing together orange, red, blue and green candies.

That said, I think it's a jaw breaker.

Why Dan Brown Is Dead Wrong About Manila

2013-05-24T17:53:00.002+08:00

Image Credit: Flickr

Maybe it costs Dan Brown nothing to write things like these about a place he doesn't live in. Or maybe he has thought deeply about having his blond, white character have horrible experiences in a Third World country, to be saved by an old, deaf woman who is the only decent person in the Metro (I suppose, this is Brown's noble savage). I don't know him, so I can't judge. But I still don't want to read the work of an author who uses the idea of Manila, as a generic third world city, instead showing it as it is.

If you want to convince me that this is Metro Manila, tell me about the grumble of the MRT as it careens over the black, sewer-stench of the Pasig River. Tell me about the bus that flew down from the overpass on a rainy night, with the explanation: "the wind carried it away". Tell me about the press of people in Divisoria, the shine in mothers' eyes as they score a bargain on school materials, the bark of deliverymen arguing over who has the right of way in a crowded passage. Tell me about the streetchildren fighting like alleycats over an almsgiver's coins, and then breaking it up when an Ate comes in and makes them share. Tell me about the women who go to church in Quiapo and then go out to buy anting-anting to cure their loved ones. Tell me about something real and alive, not "desolate eyes" and "never seen poverty on this scale".

Then I will believe that you know Manila.

___
This was actually written quite exceptionally by my sister +Miriam Garcia. She has the makings of an excellent writer and for that I'm proud of her. She's new to Google Plus so, I hope everybody would give her a warm welcome. :)

Sa tingin mo lang?

2013-05-16T16:43:00.000+08:00

Greater than the Biggest of Dreams - Why I am Rescinding my Mars One Application

2013-05-09T08:27:00.000+08:00

As a father of 5 children, I made it a point to lead my family as a Democracy. We vote on many things like ice cream, who gets to come with mommy when she goes shopping, who gets the last slice of pizza, etc. Of course, I get to keep the title (I borrowed from Mark Shuttleworth - CEO of Canonical) of Self Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life (SABDFL) - er, Benevolent Dad for Life pala - with veto powers.

Once, over at breakfast, we were talking about my Mars One application and right off the bat, I asked, "Who wants daddy to go to Mars?" Nobody voted and there was an awkward silence.

Then my eldest daughter spoke with her trademark sad eyes.

"You can go, if you want to."

Those were her very exact words.

I was thunderstruck.

She's 10 years old and about to have her 11th birthday this May.

You could probably say that I'm either a very horrible and terrible dad to merit such a reply, or that my daughter is well advanced in maturity and intelligence. She knew very well the implications of me going to Mars. That it would mean that I won't get to see them again, that I won't be able to see her graduate, have her wedding and not be able to witness the fulfillment of their lives.

With her thoughts and words, I realized a lot of things, there are some things that are far greater than even the greatest of ambitions and dreams..

I am a father first and most of all, sworn to uphold, protect, provide for and defend my family.

The House Garcia

Make your own sigil

With this, I am rescinding my Mars One Application.

There are now 4 very worthy candidates for the Philippines.

Slow Globe Wimax - Couldn't Download Neverwinter 05-01-2013

2013-05-01T06:21:00.000+08:00

It's actually not slower today. But I still was not able to finish downloading Neverwinter. :(

I'm considering switching to PLDT MyDSL, but I'm still doing some research. I know for a fact that wired connections are better than wireless, because at least you don't get signal interference. There are times when I get 0 signal.

How to Make Your Kids Not Hate You Part 1

2013-04-29T16:21:00.000+08:00

Creative Commons Image via Flickr: Chexed

There are so many things you can do in your life but one of the most important ones is making sure that your children - whether adults or teenagers - will not hate you.

Just a few weeks ago, I've read on an Internet forum somewhere about a man, who's asking how to pin his father for tax evasion. He's going "ultra" on his dad and really wants to send his old man to jail - purportedly for "not leaving them anything" and that he was doing it for his mom.

Since he was asking publicly and since it was personal, I advised him to just forgive his dad, forget and move on with his life. It's his old man after all.

I didn't mention that it was also in the ten commandments as well of the Christian bible "Honor thy father and thy mother" and it's somewhat in the Lord's Prayer - "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" alternately - "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"

I don't know what he did next.

As I ponder about this story, I scratched my chin and thought about what their parents did to them that made them really, really, really hate them. As a father of a soon to be teenager and four children, I am bracing myself for the most challenging phase of my career as a father.

I know that one day, success would bear fruit as loving and successful children and failure would mean, them hating me and not even wanting to see me. Their rebellion would probably mean them going against everything that I am and everything that I did all rolled in one little big ball of hate.

That's not a scenario anybody would like.

So, I guess that's criteria number one:

Plan and work for your children's success in everything. It took me less than five seconds to type that down, but I believe that it would take me a lifetime more to glean the deep truth in it. Nobody holds the secrets to these things. I mean, it's hard enough for us to work for our own success, how much more for the success of actual people who are depending on us for their success. Man, it's no easy task and it's nothing that money can buy. I know some people who've sent their children to the best schools who end up becoming the worst people!

For what it's worth, I guess time really is a factor here. Children don't just hate their parents in one single event - not unless it's really that catastrophic and abusive.

Right after birth, they rely on us 100% for everything, for their very survival and for their subsistence. Later on, they eventually glean the wisdom that they need us and that before they could ask us for anything - some conditions have to be met, some rules need to be followed as the family is and will always be a micro social system.

Parental Interference

Different children have different personalities and different tolerances for parental interference, adjust accordingly. I won't delve into all the tiny little details, but you'll know it when you're in that situation.

Don't interfere when they're doing well
Learn a little about playing with words.
Encourage but don't choke them
Reward, reward, reward
Fun is a good thing - both for you and the child
Most of all, live by example

Where to Get and Download Neverwinter

2013-04-29T12:07:00.002+08:00

For all the hype we've been through about Diablo III, we weren't able to get and play it at all. So in lieu of that we played Neverwinter Nights (The original) instead and a host of other Free to Play Games and MMORPGs. What made Neverwinter Nights so awesome for me and my kids was that the system requirements are well within the specification of our PCs. So we get to play the multiplayer at home a lot.

Anyway, I'm not really entirely sure if Neverwinter is going to be Free to Play (all the way) but since I see a download link, hell yeah.

Download Neverwinter here:

Official Neverwinter/Perfect World Download Page

http://nw.perfectworld.com/download

Direct Download Neverwinter http://download.perfectworld.com/nw/Neverwinter_NW.1.20130416a.6.exe

Download Neverwinter via Torrent

http://nw.perfectworld.com/download/torrent

System Requirements

Recommended System Requirements:

OS: Windows® XP SP3, Windows Vista SP 2, Windows® 7 or Windows 8 Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz CPU equivalent or better Memory: 2GB RAM or more Video: GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon HD 2900GT performance or better, 512MB+ video ram Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound chip or onboard audio capability with the latest sound drivers Broadband Internet Connection Required

Minimum System Requirements:

OS: Windows® XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 Processor: Dual-core 2.0GHz CPU or better Memory: 1GB RAM Video: Shader Model 2.0 or higher, GeForce 6800 or ATI Radeon X850 performance, 128MB+ video ram Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound chip or onboard audio capability with the latest sound drivers Broadband Internet Connection Required

It's Official - The First Filipino to Send An Application to Mars One

2013-04-26T08:09:00.001+08:00

UPDATE: Greater than the biggest of dreams - why I am rescinding my Mars One application

I feel honored to say this, and I hope that I would do my country proud and maybe my mom too :) Definitely some things have to be straightened out with regards to my personal life - I'm not a perfect individual, but here it is. I am the first Filipino applicant to send an application to the Mars One Project.

Check out my

At the time I'm posting this, this appeared on my Facebook feed:

I Am a Stupid Religious Idiot | Being Bullied Online

2013-04-25T17:29:00.001+08:00

Once upon a time, I was a kid and as a kid, I've once been bullied and physically attacked. Another kid took my lunch box for no reason, kicked it away and spilled my lunch. I fought back, threatened him and three school marshals had to drag me back to the Principal's office. This was in a Catholic school.

Whew, my first sentence seems to be indicative of how this post is going to turn out. Pretty icky and ugly stuff that I need to let go off, lest it consumes me.To tell you the truth, it's embarrassing to write about this stuff, but I'm really just a guy and online bullying needs to be discussed because its really relevant these days..

Eventually I grew bigger and that's when I fought back. But one thing I learned in life is this - there will always be somebody bigger than you - always, always, always. As a grown up, other people bully other people in different ways. Grownups bully each other too. Entire nations bully each other constantly.

Now, at the age of 31, I still get bullied by all sorts of people online - most of the time, these are the people who unfortunately misunderstand my personal stance in life. These are the people who usually misquote me and put their own meaning to my words according to how they understood it.

It's rather unfortunate but hey, that's life and that's blogging.

For one, I've been called a stupid religious idiot.

That's the funny part and rather ironic and it's here that my life becomes funny sometimes - in a weirdly unfunny way.

Just as I am at a time when I am seriously losing my faith, ironically it is some atheist people who force me to rethink and have a little faith again.

A personal story

Somebody I really care about and I, about two months ago had a conversation where I declared that I am on the verge of becoming atheist. This person looked at me quietly and I know that I deeply hurt that person, but that person said nothing. No condemnation, no attack - no nothing.

The person didn't say a word.

The only reason I have not openly embraced atheism is because I don't know exactly what it's offering me except as I have seen - anguish, hatred and their self centered embellishment of their intellectual capabilities. True enough, most of them are really smart. But as I investigate most of these people's lives - I found out that they have, at one point or another, experienced some form of religious control over them usually exercised by authoritative albeit abusive figures - that have molded them to become like they are.

Angry. Just angry at everything that is even remotely spiritual.

In short, atheism didn't offer me personally, anything. Their claims for intellectual freedom are unfounded.

I think that we are all in one way, influenced by everything around us, including but not limited to mystical notions about our life's purpose, mission, theory of goodness and the universe as a whole.

Even with my heavy Christian upbringing (Both Catholic and Born Again) I tried my best to open my mind to other beliefs but as it turns out, the very people who are against Christianity in general and as a whole - are actually very closed-minded themselves.

Logic and science are very useful tools, but majority of people do not operate cognitively on that level.

Does that make them any less human? Does that make them stupid religious idiots?

Most people think emotionally and that's why there are more religious people than non-religious people. We are an emotional and illogical species. Not all the education or reformatting or retraining could change that as we have seen in Socialist and Communist states. These states tried to purge religion and the belief in a superior being - only to replace these with a glorification of themselves.

For instance, people in North Korea do not worship Buddha or Christ - they worship Kim Il Sung and treat him with demi-God status.

Not all of atheists are, of course and I am friends online with some good atheist people. I'm speaking from my own other personal experiences in another community after I made a post about another experience.

They are anonymous, they are legion, they do not forgive, they do not forget.

Maybe I am overreacting to a few nasty and harmless comments, but I'm writing this in the hopes that somehow things turn out better in the end.

The truth is still out there and I am still searching.

I hope nobody misunderstands me again on this one.....

A Unique Mother's Day Gift 2013: Make Your Momma Proud

2013-04-25T07:18:00.002+08:00

What's the Best Mother's Day Gift for 2013?

You can show her your degree

Or buy a new car with glee!

You can get her a large new house

Or maybe just snag an elegant blouse

Anyway, most just send money

But that just pays for the bills honey!

Manny Pacquiao's mom would you believe

Simply wants a Hermes bag do give her reprieve

Some would give a million dollars

If you still have some please give me a holler!

Lazy ones give flowers

The perfectly symbolic staple power

But how can you really make your momma proud?

Can you jump high and grab a cloud?

Or sing the night away as she did when you were a tot

and carry you too and your heavy assed butt!

The answer I can give you is love

If that's all you can give, just love

If that's all you have, simply love

No, it would probably not make her proud

But it's better than hiding under a fake money shroud

Honor your Mother and your Father is what the good book says

What that means is be of service, work hard, show respect and not just displays!

Guess Who's the First Filipino to Apply For the Mars One Project...

2013-04-24T18:34:00.002+08:00

Am I the first Filipino to apply for the Mars One mission?

It was a moment of distant fantasy and it only took $8 to pretend that I actually have a shot at this, but nobody's going to offer this opportunity, real or not, ever again in this lifetime. I'm 31 and I'm not very optimistic that we will develop warp capabilities or bend time and space to achieve feasible interstellar travel, at least not in another 50 to 100 years.

Besides, it only took $8 dollars, a few hours of writing and a video of myself.

The probability of success is like .000001%. But who cares right?

It's an opportunity to go to Mars, however far fetched the plan may be.

So what was it like?

FAQs

http://mars-one.com/en/faq-en/

Registration

To register and join, click this

After registration I paid $8, since the fee that they applied was somewhat related to the GDP of the Philippines. For Canadian applicants, I think they had to pay $33. Pretty nifty pay scheme.

Filled out some information...

Uploaded a picture of myself

Uploaded a video application

In all honesty, it all sounds a bit "Steorny". Remember them? Unlimited energy from magnet motors people?

But the difference is in what they're actually proposing. Steorn promised unlimited energy.

Mars One aims to send people to Mars.

One breaks the laws of physics. One skirts the very edges of what is possible.

Practically speaking, it is doable, with concerted effort, funding and technological support. But first, it has to come up with investors, supporters, endorsers and a robust and very long marketing bonanza. They need to raise the money to bolster support. This is in essence, the very premise of private space exploration.

Well, at the very least, if you don't actually get sent to Mars, you have the chance to be well, "sorta famous".

Me, I'm placing my bet on, "I hope it's real and I hope I have a chance".

There's actually a section in the registration page entitled: "Private Motivation Letter"

I didn't have a clue as to what they actually want me to write, so I wrote this instead:

Today, as I write this, my little children Thea and Alex, are playing beside me unaware of a decision that I have made at this very moment, at this very day. In the hopes of crafting a legacy of intrepid adventure and exploration, I submit this application with the full intent to embark on a project that will take a lifetime.

I've been through many challenges and tribulations in this life and I believe that embarking on the Mars One project is going to be the ultimate challenge of them all.

I will surely miss my wife, my children and my family and would always cling on to the hope that I may one day, see them again all grown up and knowing the fact that their father is one of the first people who ever lived and landed on Mars.

Look to the stars, and know that I am here wishing my greatest outpouring of love to you.

Maybe it will take eternity, maybe just a few decades, but it is possible and I believe that we could see each other again.

With all my heart, and with all my soul, I embark on this voyage, a journey to a nearby star.

Coming up next: Will my application be successful or not? Stay tuned :)

From Wikipedia:

Mars One plans to establish the first human settlement on Mars. According to their schedule, the first crew of four astronauts would arrive on Mars in 2023, after a seven month journey from Earth. Further teams would join their settlement every two years, with the intention that by 2033 there would be over twenty people living and working on Mars. The astronaut selection process began on April 22 2013. ^[25]

As of April 2013, the mission plan is as follows:^[4]

2013: a replica of the settlement will be built for training purposes.^[16]
2014: The first communication satellite will be produced.
July 2015: The astronaut selection process will be completed; four crews of six. ^[26]
2016: A supply mission will be launched during January (arriving October) with 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) of food in a 5 metres (16 ft) diameter variant of the SpaceX Dragon.^[16] The fallback if this is not ready in time is either to use a 3.8 metres (12 ft) Dragon or to delay by two years.^[27]
2018: An exploration vehicle will launch to pick the location of the settlement.^[16]
2021: Six additional Dragon capsules and another rover will launch with two living units, two life support units and two supply units.^[16]
2022: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy will launch with the first group of four colonists.^[16]
2023: The first colonists will arrive on Mars in a modified Dragon capsule.^[16]
2025: A second group of four colonists will arrive.^[16]
2033: The colony will reach 20 settlers.^[1]

The Mars One website states that the team behind Mars One began planning of Mars One in 2011. The company states that they researched the feasibility of the idea with specialists and expert organizations, and discussed the financial, psychological and ethical aspects of it.^[28]

In Defense of Reddit

2013-04-23T11:34:00.001+08:00

After reading through volumes upon volumes of rancid criticism of Reddit in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy, I'd like to give the US and international media, a very big finger.

Should criminal investigations be crowdsourced - CNN.com
Reddit Moderator apologizes to Sunil Tripathi's family - Huffington Post

True - Reddit was a major source of inaccurate information at the time in r/findbostonbombers but NOT the origin. somebody uploaded the pictures and the community just discussed its veracity.

BUT, BUT, BUT

It was mainstream media which picked up the story and decided to publish the items in the subreddit as fact. The only purpose of the subreddit was to have a venue where people could put pictures to aid investigators, discuss their veracity and NOT to publicize them as matters of fact. It was a discussion forum for Pete's sake. Again, it was the media that published these stories as fact.

It's very much akin to when the media takes any of the random stories in r/conspiracy and publish them as news.

As an avid observer of the events as they transpired, I began to notice that several of the participants in the subreddit - are actually media correspondents who published unverified stories within minutes after a topic comes up on that subforum.

This was published within a few hours
after the topic came up on reddit

If any, I would say, that the criticism specially by CNN - has to do with covering their own behinds.

It was CNN that published the description of the suspects while it was still being discussed on the subreddit whether the identification had any merits - before even the NYPOST article came out.

For what it's worth, the media should have checked their sources before publishing any piece of information.

Look at this woman, she identified Sunil as the son of these two when in fact he was their youngest brother!... Facepalm...

Can't embed the video.. click to watch it on Huffpo

For what it's worth, the damage has been done, apologies were given, lessons were learned and the collective will not make that mistake again. I for one, think that there's a concentrated effort by some mainstream media outlets to discredit reddit due to its skyrocketing success that is making mainstream media - obsolete.

Nevertheless, now is not a time for condemnation but of things such as these:

We Owe Sunil Tripathi's Family an Outpouring of Love and An Apology. We Brought Unintentional Pain To Them Tonight. Let's Find Their Son.

Dying in The Third World

2013-04-22T10:31:00.002+08:00

A few minutes ago, I visited another wake of an old friend - a neighbor. He was 68 years old. This after visiting the wake of a kid who just committed suicide one week before.

I came with my wife and children to pay our respects in what is going to be a 6 day occasion.

The last time I spoke with the man was 3 days ago, he asked me for some cigarettes as they were playing cards - "tong its" as it is called, along the street.

I was not surprised to see his friends, gambling and playing "tong its" too during his wake.

One was a local community official and the others were the local kubradores.

Some kids aged 5 to 15 were in their own corner, also gambling, playing "tong its".

Some old women were busy chattering whilst the widow cried along with their grown children who also lived in the same house.

I went in, looked at Ka Lino, and prayed "The lord's prayer" silently. I also quoted silently the bible verse, John 3:16. Silently.

I am beginning to get desensitized by all these. Death and dying surrounds my worldview as I struggle with the issues of the living. I'm beginning to see a cycle of life that's just so, I can't find the words...

We get born, we struggle with life, we give birth, we die.

The meaning of it all, is lost in me.

Most of the people in this community are related to each other by blood, so as an outsider, I get to be different and tend to be looked at weird by some of them. Some stare at me, in curiosity and I don't really know what they're thinking about while they do so...

Anyway, today was supposed to be my comeback day. After being sick and unproductive for a week, I am supposed to go back to the garden and do some cleaning. I think I'll do just that after this.

Simply Jesus Part 2 by Pastor Albert Clavo

2013-04-21T11:39:00.002+08:00

YouZingit.com Contest Ending on April 30, 2013

2013-04-20T17:57:00.004+08:00

Flickr

"Get paid for your ideas" website youZingit.com's latest RFI (Request for Ideas) contest is about to end on April 30, 2013.

I re-read the previous sentence and shrugged.

Mneh....

Contest where you get paid for your idea is about to end.

What is YouZingit.com?

"youZingit was founded by two brothers with the idea that ordinary, everyday people should have the opportunity to showcase their ideas while having a better chance at being compensated."

- From their About Us page

You: So will I really get paid for my ideas?

Me: Yes, if your ideas are good and better than hundreds of others.

You: How do you know?

Me: I joined one contest, won and I got paid

You: Verification!!!

Me: @_@

You: More proof that YouZingit is legit

Me: Some dude named Michael Fischbein won a Kindle Fire

Facebook link

You: Even more proof

Me: Okay, some dude named Joe Collins won a Kindle Fire too

Facebook link

You: These two dudes won a Kindle fire?

Me: Yes.

You: How do I join YouZingit?

Me: Go here (Referral link - Bunnies hop hop hop if you click it)

Slow Globe Wimax April 20, 2013

2013-04-20T16:19:00.001+08:00

I just discovered that my Globe Wimax Internet connection is slower than 93% of the Internet connections in the Philippines, what should I do, what should I do, what should I do?

By the way, this totally unrelated video is about an elephant trying to fly...

Conspiracy Theory: For the first time in 2 years, I paid my bills late. Why? Because, just because.

Nah, I doubt that they have a magical "slow down his connection because his payment was late button". But the coincidence is remarkable.

I guess I belong to the unlucky 7%

How to Improve Globe Wimax Connection
I haven't tried this.
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewtopic.php?tid=215593&page=1

Commercial Leasing | The Business of Getting People Drunk

2013-04-17T17:20:00.001+08:00

Is it just me, or is feeding people unhealthy food and getting people drunk one of the most lucrative small businesses nowadays?

I'm talking about beer gardens and those "restobars".

In the past month that we've advertised our commercial space for rent in Paranaque city, we've gotten over 20 inquiries from various organizations, individuals and businesses. A significant percentage of which came from "Beer Garden" types of establishments.

Caller: "Pwede mag inquire?" (I'd like to inquire.)
Me: "Yes Ma'am"
Caller: "How much po yung commercial space for rent niyo?" (How much is the rent for the space you are renting?)
Me: xxx thousand negotiable with discounts for long term lease and for franchisesCaller: "Pwede po ba ang restobar diyan?" (Is it possible to put up a restaurant bar there?)
Me: "Sorry po, katabi po kasi ay Korean school..." (Sorry, but the neighboring tenant is a Korean English school)

For some of you who are accustomed to going to happy-happy times and drinking with friends, you may be wondering what the fuss is all about and what my problem is.

The thing is, even though these establishments do bring in some real money out of the sorrows and joys of people and their addictions,----- they do bring in some real money out of the sorrows and joys of people and their addictions, and that's my problem with them.

Maybe, that's one of the reasons, why in this life, I probably won't ever become rich.

I don't know, sometimes, I think it's a weakness on my part and I have no doubt in my mind, that the rich tycoons here in the Philippines, would have no qualms about doing business with such establishments just for the almighty peso.

Anyway, I don't know, do you think that there something wrong with me?

2013-04-16T08:15:00.001+08:00

SIMPLY JESUS Part1 (Dr. Albert Clavo)

2013-04-14T11:31:00.004+08:00

BeSmartee

2013-04-12T12:16:00.001+08:00

UPDATE: Nope didn't get the job. Look below

While browsing for blogging gigs on problogger.net, I noticed a peculiar job advert entitled: "Passionate Writers Wanted".

It got my attention and pretty soon my index finger started finding the letter J on my keyboard and the other fingers jumped to their respective positions like in a military formation.

Then they concocted a rather unimpressive jumble of words influenced by my flu ridden mind. In retrospect, I really do need to work on my resume which I have lost somewhere.

Then I got to thinking, after the fact.

In this day and age, how exactly does one prove to the world or at least to one person that you are a

"Passionate Writer"

Is passion found in the number of words you can write in a day?

Is it found in the number of sources you can muster to make a well researched post?

Maybe it's found in the number of invectives one can throw about left and right? ^$#^#%^@

The concept intrigued me so I began to research about the company which I'd like to write for - BeSmartee.com. The one that posted the blogging gig.

Their vision page is quite unorthodox but very, very straightforward.

"The way the world works is really simple… if you buy it then someone will make it.

Every time you buy something you’re voting for something, and that something shapes your world.

To change the world you simply need to change who you buy from.

BeSmartee creates products and services with a purpose. These companies make profits, and those profits are reinvested 100% back into the world through people, ideas and causes. The more successful our companies become, the more we can reinvest. This also means that BeSmartee owners will never receive a penny of profits. Period. We only receive compensation for our roles as employees of BeSmartee which is comparable to the marketplace for companies of our size."

- BeSmartee

I really like the concept.

Plain, simple and straightforward.

But still, I had this nagging feeling that I had to know more, so I dug deeper. That's when a key piece of the puzzle struck me. The founder's goal:

"My dad taught me to have passion in everything I do, to have the courage to believe in what I believe, to be humble in my success and to be honest to myself and others. My mom taught me that whatever I wanted to do in life to do it to the very best of my ability, to be accountable for my actions and to share it with everyone around me."

That's also when I realized a sobering fact about myself as a person and as a writer.

I've lost that passion.

Somehow, along the way, I let myself get beaten black and blue by circumstances. Somehow, along the way, I let hope slip away. Somehow, along the way, I let passion go.

It got buried under a pile of ash. Despair came with fear. Hopelessness, led to inaction. My worldview began to change and suddenly, there's only this. This sad piece of man, pretending to be a passionate writer.

Before I get lost and drone on and on about my plight, I'd like to end this piece with something good.

For what it's worth, I think Tim and his team's belief and advocacy holds promise. It's true that you can shape the world by how you buy. I practice this myself. The question is - how far can this concept go?
_____
This is possibly the coolest rejection letter I've ever read.
>>>>
Hi Everyone,

All I can say is WOW!

Since placing our ad looking for bloggers, we've received responses from over 500 people, some of which were inspiring and even tear-jerking. People emailed to say they loved BeSmartee's mission to Change the World and that gave us the extra motivation to stay up just a little later and wake up a little earlier to push through the piles of work needed to launch our first initiative Masterplan.

We'd like to thank every single person who submitted their resume and work samples. The truth is, we weren't able to read every single email because of how many we received. For now, we've hired our first 10 bloggers. We're planning to release one to three blog posts each week and plan to eventually reach a point where we can release a blog post each day.

As we move forward, we'll reach out to our network *YOU* when we need new blog posts. In the meantime, we're asking you to please stay in touch with us by signing up for BeSmartee's newsletter on www.besmartee.com. We'll make sure to update you on what's going on at BeSmartee and how you can get involved.

Thank you for your support!

Veronica Nguyen
Founder & Business Development, BeSmartee

My Classmate in San Beda Law is Running for Local Public Office

2013-04-04T09:20:00.002+08:00

In other news, my classmate in law school (where I dropped after 14 days) is campaigning for local public office. His wife is doing his campaigning for him and I shook her hand then told her, classmate ko yan si ****** sa San Beda law. She was quite surprised, being that I haven't even taken a bath yet nor even combed my hair.

(There was a time when one outsider once commented when they saw me - that I looked quite scary. "Who's that crazy looking guy") :D

I smiled then told her, "I'm not a registered voter."

She smiled then moved on with her sortie handing out leaflets to every household.

To me, their campaign method is lackluster. Lacking in appeal or impact.

If they want to get the votes of the masses - they have to eat, breathe, drink and walk with the masses. If they dare - even live among them.

There they would feel the pain of being in it.

I'm pretty sure, that after their sweaty trip walking here - that they'd go back to their mansion somewhere in Alabang, have a cup or two in Starbucks, have a nice meal prepared by their servants, have a foot spa and derma their faces to make it white again. Typical.

The Enforcer

2013-04-03T13:25:00.001+08:00

As an addendum to my previous post, it suddenly dawned upon me that the reason why evil is prevailing is because good people are too afraid to fight them. I am not an enforcer and I am afraid, I worry about what will happen to my kids should anything untoward happen to me.

But when I was younger I wanted to be a cop and have read voluminous doses of Hardy Boys and Perry Mason.

But the life of a true enforcer of the law will be a lonely one, full of danger and sorrow. It is not the life I wish to lead. They are not respected and will always be hated for the methods that they have to employ.

It is a life of always being on your guard, ready for any physical as well as moral, political and even legal attacks.

I look at the lives of Rodrigo Duterte and Alfredo Lim and I can't imagine how they keep their moral compasses pointing to their "true North." I know that once you cross a line, there's no going back.

I would say that people like Jovito Palparan and Panfilo Lacson, have crossed that line themselves.

One, a member of the armed forces, is being hunted for a moral and legal line that he has violated
One became a politician and have once also been a fugitive himself.

You Will Have More Enemies

Perhaps this is the reason why Filipinos are leaving the homeland in droves. A better life in another country is much more tolerable than a life here. It's harder to be a good person here. You can, but then you would have to turn a blind eye to events that unfold in the community.

Being an enforcer must also mean that you have the financial means to support yourself or your men. No man does not sleep and every man will go to bed just as anybody does. That is a vulnerable time for anyone.

This is the reason why even the local police have their hands tied by politics and their allegiances. They are a part of the machinery of coercion and not really and purely about enforcing the true spirit of the law. Moreover, enforcing the law, if you have the money and backing is much easier.

Here in our locale, I know that among these people I talk with, is one of the perpetrators of the crime that was committed. I know that among these people I talk with would be a mid-level ranking officer of an illicit numbers game. Perhaps, the one with a big house and no known professional occupation.

The Theft

The theft would have need of a vehicle to transport the 2 LPG tanks.
It is highly likely that it is a 2 to 3 man job because of the volume of things taken.
The vehicle could be a tricyle or owner type jeep.
A passenger jeep is out of the question, as they have great earning value and potential. Whereas an owner type jeep is an additional expense.

If it was a tricycle, the tricycle driver would have been a man who is not earning that well from his line of work. Many of the tricycle drivers here have told me that they earn 300 to 500 pesos a day.

The exception would be a family sickness or financial problem.

Illegal substance abuse is potentially present. This was a brazen attack where a door has been pried open in the dead of night.

Unknowns: The attack was perpetrated during the early morning. There's supposed to be an outpost and it was supposed to be manned 24/7. The barangay only has one road - they could either pass through there or go farther to Taal lake or Barangay Balete.

Unknowns: Why did the thieves leave a pack of biscuits that was stolen in front of our gate? The curious part about this is that these thieves took the time to eat what they've stolen and that they did so in front of our gate. They ate a small pack of bear brand powdered milk and left about 10 to 20 unopened pack of biscuits.

Deteriorating Situation

2013-04-02T12:50:00.001+08:00

Sometime ago, during the night, a band of thieves broke into the neighborhood sari sari store. They took 2 LPG gasoline tanks, a pack of biscuits and about 30 cans of sardines. It was a brazen invasion resulting in a broken door whose bisagra or hinge has been pried open.

The situation in this once peaceful neighborhood is deteriorating quickly with the onset of development and the rise of poverty.

Once a farming and foraging community, most of the people here are not prepared to adjust to city or semi urban life. Development has been staggeringly quick. Migrations of Manilenos and foreigners to the city of Lipa, is fast making it comparable to Alabang, Paranaque and Las Pinas during their earlier years. 20 years of rapid development has brought about these changes.

The purchase of land by "outsiders" or non native Lipenos have also aggravated the circumstance. People here rely on firewood from trees, charcoal and the fruits of trees and vegetables to eat. With no higher education and skills, most of the male populace aged 30 to 60, are unemployed, underemployed or engaged in illegal activities such as illegal logging, jueteng and fencing - which they term as pangangalakal or "trading".

-

An American foreigner is a new face that I see here in our small Barangay. People see him mostly walking from Brgy. San Carlos to the edge of Barangay Tangway, alone, with only a walking stick. Today, he greeted me as I was watching some laborers dig a trench.

He said Good Morning!

I said "Good morning, I hope you are enjoying your walk."

One of the Filipino laborers, shouted in return - "Good morning! Good Morning! Tanghali na" Which I hope the American has not heard. The men watching the work, laughed in unison.

I feel ashamed as a Filipino because of the lack of courtesy.

I also wanted to tell the American to not go walking on his own, as this is a dangerous place, but at the end of the day, it's none of my business. Maybe, when he passes by again, I'll greet him and invite him to my home just as I invited other people here.

Hello World, Finding Insane Optimism and Happy Easter!

2013-03-31T10:18:00.000+08:00

Hello World!

I bought some seeds, dug, shoveled then buried the seeds on the ground without research. This is the end result - and I'm happy :)

Call it crazy but yeah, I am optimistic and full of hope. In fact, I should call myself, "insanely optimistic".

For what it's worth, this, this tiny morsel, ridiculously tiny corn cob came from the work of my hands. I have my signature written all over it and all of my mistakes are written on it - wrong season, wrong watering schedule, lack of care, lack of weeding, lack of research. Nature must be smirking at me right now - lol.

It's all there.

I love it!

Because I know that it could be done better, next time, and better the next. :)

Happy Easter All!