Tuesday, July 29, 2003

I may not be online regularly like before but, the kids and I are doing fine...

I would like to take this opportunity to blog my admiration for Lieutenant Antonio Trillanes (and his group), a leader of Sunday's mutiny, (Philippine Military Academy graduate, class of 1995) for bravely airing his sentiments against the current authorities running the Philippine government. As the 'military mutiny' glued Filipinos to TV and radio, I was sad to know that the Arroyo government prevented those 'supporters' to rally in the Metropolis by closing major roads and North expressway. How many Filipinos are really concerned about the real issues and are willing to step forward to expose powerful and influential people who were killing and selling our fellow Filipinos to justify terrorism does exists in the country (a conspiracy only God knows).

God is watching all of us, I believe what Capt. Trilliantes did was a modern heroic stance... And I personally believe the legitimate President of the country, duly elected by the Filipino people, none other than Pres. Estrada, has nothing to do with this 'rebellion'. This is an internal problem within the military and ranks.

Quote from Trillanes: "The Filipino people deserve the government that they now have."

See related topics:
70 officers, 226 soldiers return to barracks
Macapagal, Reyes, Corpus accused

The accusations of these young military soldiers were not new to me, I feel the Senate should look into this...

Well, I have limited time online, so, I just want to blog that I am fine and well and I have gained some weight :-)

Saturday, July 19, 2003

The Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has opposed proposals of telecommunication companies (such as Globe Telecom, Bayantel, and even utility firm Manila Electric Co.) to limit the use of "outdoor" wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) equipment to authorized public telecommunications entities.

According to NTC deputy commissioner Jorge Sarmiento, private organizations should have equal access to such technologies. Full Details at Inq7.com

Friday, July 18, 2003

The risk of identity theft has soared as companies and users send more personal data over the Internet. The FTC reports that as many as 700,000 consumers may be victims of identity theft this year, costing each person an average of $1,000. Full Details at ComputerWorld

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Relationships are all about sharing.
We want to connect in so many ways,
from trivial thoughts to the most important details of our lives.

It comes down to honoring each other's space.
It is important to read another's energy
and know when that person needs to be alone
with their own thoughts
or if they are open to sharing at that moment.

It is important to share thoughts,
but know when both people in the relationship
are ready to connect the mind totally together;
at this stage is when true communication can happen.

Practice the art of listening
and then be willing to share from your heart.
Connect with your body, mind and soul.
This is the art of communication.

This is what relationships are built on,
whether it is a relationship with yourself
or with all the wonderful people around you.

Reach out and touch one another
with the touch of an angel,
and dare to make a difference in your reality,
starting first with your own happiness in relationships. Hold your light high,
and there will be no more shadows on Planet Earth.

[Many thanks to Ric for sending in this message!]

GEORGE W. BUSH
The White House
U. S. A.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:

• I ran for congress and lost.
• I produced a Hollywood slasher B movie.
• I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas; company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.
• I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. Biggest move: Traded Sammy Sosa to the Chicago White Sox.
• With my father's help (and his name) was elected Governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• I changed pollution laws for power and oil companies and made Texas the most polluted state in the Union.
• I replaced Los Angeles with Houston as the most smog-ridden city in America.
• I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas government to the tune of billions in borrowed money.
• I set the record for most executions by any Governor in American history.
• I became President of the United States of America after losing the popular vote by over 500,000 votes, with the help of my father's appointments to the Supreme Court.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

• I attacked two countries.
• I spent the surplus and bankrupted the treasury.
• I shattered the record for biggest annual deficit in history.
• I set the economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.
• I set the all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market.
• I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.
• I am the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record.
• In the first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history.
• After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history.
• I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips than any other president in US history.
• In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their jobs.
• I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any president in US history.
• I signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any president in US history.
• I presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.
• I presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have.
• I cut healthcare benefits for war veterans.
• I set the all-time record for the most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.
• I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.
• Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. (The 'poorest' multimillionaire, Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her).
• I am the first president in US history to order a US attack and military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the world community.
• I created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States.
• I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any president in US history.
• I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the human rights commission.
• I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the elections monitoring board.
• I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history.
• I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.
• I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 US elections).
• I am the all-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.
• My biggest lifetime campaign contributor, who is also one of my best friends, presided over one of the largest cor porate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation).
• I, with a policy of "disengagement," created the most hostile Israeli-Palestine relations in at least 30 years.
• I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.
• I am the first US president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than their immediate neighbor, North Korea.
  I failed to fulfill my pledge to get Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive."
• I failed to capture the anthrax killer who tried to murder the leaders of our country at the United States Capitol building. After 18 months, I have no leads and zero suspects.
• In the 18 months following the 9/11 attacks, I have successfully prevented any public investigation into the biggest security failure in the history of the United States.
• I removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history.
• In a little over two years, I created the most divided country in decades, possibly the most divided the US has ever been since the civil war.
• I entered office with the strongest economy in US history and in less than two years turned every single economic category heading straight down.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

• I have at least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine (Texas driving record has been erased and is not available).
• I was AWOL from National Guard and deserted the military during a time of war.
• I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.
• All records of my tenure as Governor of Texas have been spirited away to my father's library, sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
• All records of any SEC investigations into my insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
• All minutes of meetings for any public corporation I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
• Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.
• For personal references please speak to my daddy or uncle James Baker. (They can be reached at their offices of the Carlyle Group for war-profiteering.)

[Many thanks to Julie for sharing in this resume.]

If you do not see any new post here, that means we're a little bit busy at home. Life is good, thanks to God, and hopefully, I could get the fruits of my efforts before this month ends [with my fingers crossed].

To all my sincere friends who offered me prayers, I thank you, and God knows how much you cared for me.

May God bless us all and keep in touch...

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

"A piece of poetry that I have always held close to my heart. In an old wallet is a cut out from a newpaper that has turned brown with age. You could have heard about this but I wanted to share it with you." - Tito

After A While
by Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of woman, not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...

[ Tito, thank you for sharing this to me... ]

Monday, July 14, 2003

For the benefit of thousands of ATM cardholders in the Philippines, please read here the full reprint of the victim's letter.

If in case you encounter any of these incidents, please be forewarned that you might be the next target of ATM machine syndicate:

• If the button for balance inquiry was hard and was not following the command;
• The card did not eject. It was stuck;
• In the middle of your troubles and someone came and asked if the machine was on line.

Whatever happens, never ever enter your PIN code infront of them! Just run and leave your ATM card, machine will take it in after three failed attempts, anyway... The Mighty Bond Gang might be nearby watching you. They vandalize ATM machines by putting glue on the buttons which cause cards to get stuck. Once a client enters the ATM booth, they strike as they did to the letter sender. Source: Philstar.com

Filipino voters are being urged to register with their embassy to be able to take part in the country's elections on May 10 next year. For the first time in Philippine history, we (Filipinos abroad) will be able to exercise our political right to vote outside the country.

• To register, Filipinos are urged to bring their passports or any other identification, such as their CPRs, that proves they are Filipinos.
• Filipinos aged 18 years and above are eligible to vote.
• Employers are also urged to encourage their Filipino employees to register.

An estimated six million Filipinos all over the world are expected to vote.

Source: Gulf Daily News

Sunday, July 13, 2003

Although I was feeling so lost and disoriented for the past few days, God is always there for us. And, I know I should not continue feeling lost like this. In fact, there's so many things I enjoy which enough to thank God for. Maybe I am just feeling so impatient waiting for my visa and get tha job that would help me start with... I know some of you do pray for me and thank you for doing so, I need more of your spiritual support!

Thank you very much, Lord God, for the blessings and please bless those people also who care about me, a thousand fold!

Saturday, July 12, 2003

Five days from now, a hearing is set for Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) on July 17, 2 p.m. at the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). Here is an opportunity to get a glimpse how the eventual 2.4GHz frequency will happen and all Wi-Fi enthusiasts are invited who want to make a stand against any form of NTC regulation...

Be there...

Friday, July 11, 2003

I got these tips to secrets to the best password at ComputerWorld:

Use keywords related to a theme.

Choose a common, significant event: a honeymoon, the birth of a child, a new car, a new job.

Substitute numbers for letters based upon their appearance. With a little imagination, you can visualize numbers that bear resemblance to letters.

When you create a password, substitute a number where a letter would appear, according to the chart above. Some examples:

• scuba becomes 5cu8a
• water becomes w4t3r
• icecream becomes 1c3cr34m

Consistently capitalize the nth letter(s) of your password. Some systems require that at least one character be uppercase.

Avoid predictable week-to-week or month-to-month changes. One example of a predictable pattern to avoid: eyesJan01, eyesFeb02, eyesMar03, etc.

Substitute numbers for letters based upon their appearance. With a little imagination, you can visualize numbers that bear resemblance to letters.

So when you create a password, carry out the substitution from the chart. Some examples:

• scuba becomes sc7ba
• purple becomes 07r0l3
• rocket becomes 49ck35

Thursday, July 10, 2003

What will you do if you won over $1 million dollars in a lottery? A chorizo (native sausage) maker and his wife realized that money cannot buy you peace of mind after winning the jackpot prize of more than 54 million pesos in the Superlotto draw on Sunday, according to Inq7.net Newsletter.

The couple and their five children have decided to go on vacation to have peace of mind, even for few days due to a lot of pressure since Sunday after their neighbors learned about their good fortune.

Several people had been flocking to their house to ask for balato (tip or winning's share)...

They could not sleep. They could not eat. They are faced with a lot of pressure. They don't know how to manage and what to do with their winnings... Read more

Although it came to my thoughts last night while washing dishes what if I won in a lottery? What would I do with the money? And then my imaginations went on and on and just sighed ater that. In what way I will win in any lotteries? I do not buy nor bet to have the opportunity to win one great prize? And then here comes the news this morning about the $1 million lotto winner.

I could imagined how they are feeling right now. When I have some money before, I was scared all the time. I even didn't know who to trust and I always kept the door of my room and also the gate of my house always closed. I was scared to walk down the streets, fearing someone would just grabbed my jewelries and hurt me.

So, you see, we cannot blame the family who fled away for few days just to have peace of mind. I may not have (a lot of) money this time but, at least, I can sleep peacefully and never run away from any one for my safety. Hey! I am damn lucky, don't you think so? It's called FREEDOM...

God has many ways to return to us what we have lost in the past. In fact, on April 29, the new millionaire's family's house was among those destroyed during the fire that hit Barangay Ermita, an urban poor community in Cebu City. The family was able to partially rebuild its two-bedroom house. Earlier, their eldest son was in second year college when he was forced to drop out because his parents did not have the money for tuition while the rest of the children were enrolled at a public school.

I am not losing faith that our great opportunity is just... uhmmmm... wish, it's like a mouse-click away...

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

Peter and his sister were visiting their grandparents, spending a few days with them. Grandfather gave Peter a gift of a catapult, and he rushed off to play with it; but not being an expert, he missed the target and accidentally killed a duck.

Shocked and numbed by what he had done, he hid the duck under a pile of wood. But his sister Bridget was nearby and had seen everything.

After mealtime, Grandmother asked Bridget to help her wash the dishes. Bridget answered, "Peter has told me that he wants to help you with the dishes, isn't that right Peter?" Then in a very low voice, she whispered to her brother, "You remember the duck?"

So.. Pierre did the dishes!

Later, Grandfather invited the children to go fishing with him, but Grandmother said, "I shall be alone at home, and I will need Bridget to help me." Brigitte replied, "Peter said he wanted to help you, isn't that right Peter?" and again, in a low voice she whispered to her brother, "You remember the duck?"

Bridget went fishing with her grandfather, whilst Peter helped his grandmother!

At the end of the second day, Peter was very angry; he had been doing all of the work while Bridget enjoyed herself. He decided that he wasn't going to take it any more, so he went and confessed to the grandmother about the duck.

She took hold of his hands; kissed him, and said,

"My Peter, I know what you did, I saw everything from the window. I love you very much; and I know you didn't do it purposely, but I said nothing because I wanted to see how long you would allow Brigitte to keep you enslaved."

Is there anything in your life, which is threatening you?

Is there something you haven't confessed to, that keeps you enslaved, that you continue to pay the price for every day?

If that is the case, think about it. Surely it is better facing up in complete honesty, rather than becoming a slave all your life because of a lie.

Source: Christian H. Godefroy's Newsletter

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

After 29 years stuck together, two conjoined adult Iranian twins -- both law graduates -- were willing to accept the risks of surgery for the chance of separate lives... unfortunately, they both died.

"The team of surgeons were told that Ladan's and Laleh's wishes were to be separated under all circumstances - to continue with the most risky part of the surgery.

This is very sad, and, somewhat a setback in medical history...

Read the Full Story of two conjoined adult Iranian twins...

PRAYER FOR THE TWINS

O Lord, hear our prayers. And let our cries come to you.
O God, creator and redeemer of all the faithful,
grant to the souls of your departed servants
Ladan Bijani and her sister Laleh

the forgiveness of all their sins.
Through our prayers, may they obtain the pardon they have always desired.

Amen
-Psalm 130 (129)

Global Community's PhilStar.com reported:

"Filipinos avoid donating blood because they are "afraid of being pricked by needles, people think the nation has a fixed supply of blood, and last, it's against their religion," Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit told reporters, seeking to explain the woeful donation levels as he kicked off a "Blood Donors' Month" campaign."

I do not know what made DOH Scy. Dayrit explained such a comment as alibi for blood shortage. As far as I am concerned, there were many of us who wanted to give blood donations during Church Blood Donation program. Unfortunately, many Filipinos are either suffering from low blood pressure or are anemic.

Mr. Dayrit, you are not being resourceful with your news!!! The Lady president and you (Mr. Dayrit) should go around Metro Manila and check the living standards of the majority of Filipinos - see if majority of the Filipinos are still eating three times a day, to be eligible to donate blood...

Related Topics:

• Filipinos urged to donate blood to sustain plasma bank
• Philippines below world standard for blood supply

Monday, July 07, 2003

GLOBEQUEST, the data communications brand of Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc., will continue rolling out wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) hotspots despite an opinion by a National Telecommunications Commission official that the commercial deployment of the technology was illegal. Full story

Sunday, July 06, 2003

In Inquirer's InfoTech newsetter today, it says:

"PlanetLab may lead to new ways of protecting the Internet from viruses and worms. It could also enable new capabilities, such as persistent storage, the idea of giving the Internet a "memory," so that 100 years from now a piece of data could still be found, even though the original computer it was posted on no longer exists. In addition, this research could also influence the future design of servers and network processors."

It sounds scary to me, considering what if I want to delete my profile and didn't want to leave a trace of any bit of informations, not only about my thoughts, my mood, my past, but, also my photos gallery?

I suggest you read the full story and have your say...

Just like what I have said in my earlier blog, MSN 6 Messenger Preview will be released this month of July. For those who wants to know the link of the legitimate version of MSN Messenger 6.0, download here and select your correct operating system.

I have downloaded MSN for win98 and will install it after posting this blog.

Friday, July 04, 2003

Although I didn't supported the Coalition of the Willing to war Iraq,
destroyed the country and now controlling the Iraqi's resources,
I do believe that there are many good Americans out there
who really fought for the real meaning of FREEDOM:
HAPPY 4th of July, FOLKS!!!

Thursday, July 03, 2003

Why is the government running out of money? In today's Neil Cruz's Editorial in Inquirer.net, he mentioned many unfair practices of the Philippine government favoring the rich through dishonest strategies. Complete editorial is here.

Issue No. 1: Collect income tax from the small traders (who live a hand-to-mouth existence) at flea markets even before they earn any income by asking them to pay 500 pesos as advance income tax payment and the 30,000-peso rent for the stall in advance;
Issue No. 2: Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is giving billions of pesos in tax refunds to big taxpayers, i.e. The Supreme Court had ordered Manila Electric company (Meralco) to refund the two billion pesos it had overcharged and collected from its customers, so it is asking seven billion pesos as a tax refund from the government;
Issue No. 3: Spurious tax credit certificates, secured in connivance with corrupt government officials, some in the names of non-existent companies, are sold to the biggest income earners like oil companies;
Issue No. 4: Personnel of the BIR steal whatever taxes are really collected, deposit the tax money in bank accounts under fictitious names and then withdraw the money for themselves;
Issue No. 5: Perpetrators of numerous high-profile "pyramiding" pseudo - investment scams are still free, in spite of the billions of pesos they have bilked from gullible investors. Source: Inquirer.net Editorial

With all these crimes government participated in, I think it's about time the vigilantes run also after these corrupt officials...

Wednesday, July 02, 2003

Worry no more, dear bloggers, speak your heart out! According to Wired News, bloggers gain libel protection. Online free speech advocates praised the decision as a victory. Read Full story.

"Here, the court basically said that when it comes to Internet publication, you can edit, pick and choose, and still be protected," said Cohn.

The case traces back to a North Carolina town in 1999, where handyman Robert Smith was repairing a truck owned by attorney and art collector Ellen Batzel. Smith claimed to have overheard Batzel say she was related to Nazi Gestapo head Heinrich Himmler. He said he concluded that the European paintings he saw in her home must be stolen goods, and shared this in an e-mail he sent to the editor of the Museum Security Network, an organization that publishes information about stolen art.

Without telling Smith the e-mail would be published, Ton Cremers -- the sole operator of Amsterdam-based Museum Security Network - made minor edits, then posted Smith's e-mail to a list of about 1,000 museum directors, journalists, auction houses, gallery owners and Interpol and FBI agents.

Three months later, Batzel learned of the post. She contacted Cremers to deny both the stolen art and Nazi ancestry allegations. She also said Smith's claims were motivated by financial disputes over contracting work.

Smith said he had no idea Cremers would publish a private e-mail on the list or on the Web.

Batzel sued Smith, Cremers and the Museum Security Network for defamation and won. Cremers appealed.

The appeals court questioned whether Cremers' minor edits to Smith's e-mail altered it so much that the post became a new piece of expression, and decided it had not. But because Smith claims he didn't know the e-mail would be published, the court also questioned whether the immunity provision of the Act applied, and passed the case back to the district court. The lower court will reconsider whether Cremers had reasonable belief that Smith's e-mail was intended for publication. (Source: Wired News)

Today's Astro Tip: "Mars is the planet representing ambition and power in the Zodiac. The 'Red Planet' as it is known brings energy, passion, drive and determination. This Planet requires you to stand up, be noticed and get things done! Mars awakens the power and confident expression of the individual and encourages the confrontation of challenges. However aggression is part of the plan here, although Mars also values courage and honor."

Here is my horoscope for today Wednesday 2 July 2003:

Do you feel like having an adventure? Well today, you're more likely to have an adventure when you go on a short journey. No need to go very far, just someplace you've wanted to go before, yet never been. Today is also a good day to surprise a close friend with news or a small gift.

Today, is in fact a very important day for me but, I wouldn't talk much unless I got a positive result sometime later this morning... may the Almighty God heard me...

Tuesday, July 01, 2003

After the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) declaration that commercial deployment of the popular wireless networking protocol was still "illegal" in certain regions in the country, including Metro Manila, Philippine providers of wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) (known formally as the 802.11b standard) services seem unperturbed and await until July 17 on its public hearing. Read more...

Current NTC regulations prohibit the use of the spread spectrum technology, which includes Wi-Fi, within the 2.4-gigahertz frequency band as this frequency is used by the power utility firm Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) for internal communications.

Last week, as far as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) was concerned, commercial wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and bluetooth services, were still "illegal" in certain regions in the Philippines, including Metro Manila. The executive pointed out that the industry was currently operating under an old regulatory framework based on laws passed in the 1930s. Read more...

Let's hope for the best that this month of July brings in more blessings to all of us. I know things were not the same as before, we could feel it, too. But, somehow, "whatever goes around, comes around". Life is best compared to a wheel. If we feel we're in the bottom right now, the only place for us to be is to go up once again. So, let us not worry so much and add up more wrinkles on our faces.

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."

Somehow, if frustrations and worrying would make us richer, I would be the first to volunteer...