Good samaritan: usiseros strike back

Two nights ago, I got to play the part of a good Samaritan.

I was waiting for a ride home when I suddenly noticed a buri hat (similar to a cowboy's had) fly off a speeding jeepney. The unfortunate owner must have asked to driver to stop in the middle of the street but was not heard or the hat was too precious to him that he jumped off the rear exit of the vehicle without waiting for it to stop.

A body in motion stays in motion, is a law in physics. So when the guy made contact with the pavement, his feet are not the only one that made contact with it but his legs, hips, back, shoulders and probably his head also did. The poor man tumbled on the asphalted road and laid inert. Since I was already in the scene, I moved in to help.

Luckily, an MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) enforcer on his way home stopped to assist. I waved the traffic away from the injured man while other came to help. And of at least ten people there, only four of us were really helpful, the rest, there to discuss what had happened.

The homebound enforcer and I tried to assist the victim and checked if he is okay. He did not speak but he was aware of his situation. Another enforcer came along and called the jeepney driver back to bring the guy to a nearby hospital while another man took over the traffic management. All the rest, talking and watching.

In fairness, they may not know what to do at that time but are willing to help. At the least, they created a cordon around the victim that guided traffic out of the way.

Alas, the uzis struck again. Cars and jeeps and buses and motorcycles slowed their pace. It must be to avoid bumping at each other but also to have a look at what's happening. Most may have felt pity at the man and some may have come up with their own versions of what happened and drove off.

About 15 minutes after he fell, the man was loaded on to the jeep he fell from and was rushed to the hospital. Three guys accompanied him including the second enforcer while the rest went our separate ways.

Low cost computing

My uncle once offered to by me a laptop. It is a Pentium IV gateway laptop that will cost him $600. He told me that he will donate $100 for my cause and just ask me to pay him $500. Based on the exchange rate at that time, it will cost me about 35,000 pesos to pay him back. And I do not have that kind of money at that time.

In the last 10 years, the best pre-Pentium personal computers cost as much as thirty thousand pesos (P30,000) and this is too much for middle class families like ours. Right now, those pre-Pentium PCs are considered obsolete. You can't even buy one for just P500. Some one would probably give it to you with all their heart.

When I bought my AMD Athlon 1800 powered PC, it cost me P17,000. Five years later, a PC with the same processor speed costs only P9,000-P10,000.

A lot of low cost computer stores have been coming out. They sell complete PCs (with monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers) for as low as P3,000.

We would probably think that this is some kind of a gimmick. These PCs must be second hand from other countries. And most indeed are. Some products still have stickers from Japan or Taiwan. But the stores can give you a warranty from 3 months to a year for each product. The one year warranty is the same thing offered by vendors of first hand, first rate, high quality desktops.

Unless you want to show off to your neighbors your cool new branded PC, you can settle for the low cost alternatives they offer.

With a certain degree of discipline even families from the slums can purchase a P-III 500 MHz desktop for this kids. Hell, they can buy a television and cases of beer, why could they not afford a PC?

If only those low income families discipline themselves, we can claim to the world that in the Philippines, we have one PC per family. :)

And we will become the country with the most computer literate people.

Laptop Maintenance and Repair

Why is it that manufacturers of electronic equipment want clients to keep on purchasing new parts rather than go out of their way and remedy malfunctions through repair? I read from a website (I forgot the site address) that Elitegroup Computer Systems of Taiwan designed their laptops with so many hidden screws that it will discourage an owner from doing repairs himself. This is another vote for the one China policy. I was so pissed off that I told myself not to buy another Taiwan made product in the future.

About four months ago, my laptop croaked on me. Well, it actually beeped on me. I turned it on and it made three long beeps with no screen. This prompted me to visit the authorized repair center to have it checked even though it is four months beyond is warranty.

Three beeps from the BIOS of my ECS laptop means base memory error.

Before taking the laptop to the authorize technicians, I consulted our office technicians first. I was advised to try to remove the memory module, use a soft eraser to clean the gold contact, re-seat the module firmly and try it again. The beeping is still there.

Unfortunately, when I brought the laptop to the authorized service center, I was told the problem with the beeping sound can only be remedied by purchasing a new mainboard since the problem was not the memory module but the DIMM receptacle. A new mainboard or shipping the laptop to Taiwan for repairs will cost me half the price of the laptop.

Disappointed, I went home. There, I tried to open the laptop by myself. I did not have a digital camera at that time so I was not able to document it for you. Alas, I cannot solve the problem.

I turned to our office technicians for help and they obliged me. Sadly, they too cannot repair the mainboard.

A few days ago, I chanced upon an advertisement of a repair center. The ad says that they can repair mainboard problems that the machine's own authorized repair center cannot. They say that since the manufacturers of the laptop is a business establishment, they prefer the clients to buy at a larger sum rather than providing affordable repair solutions.

So I tried this one. I will find out soon enough if their batting average on repairs is good. :)

Linux how to: Linux for everyday use

Lately, most Internet borne viruses had been very creative. One time, I was trying to copy a file from my flash drive to the office laptop when I saw a folder named "myKenneth." I thought, wow, somebody calls me hers (or his--shiver) and at the same time open the folder. It is empty.

Little did I know that it was a virus and the laptop was doomed for reformatting.

In my Linux powered PC, I can see this file but it does not seem to have any effect on the OS. So, is Linux viable for daily use? Here is my analysis.

I do not have any experience with other Linux OS (Ubuntu, Debian, or Red Hat) but I am having a good time with my Debian-based Bayanihan Linux 4 developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of the Republic of the Philippines. And I can say, this OS is viable for daily use.

Security wise, this OS only allows GUI access to users. Administrators can also use it but only through another user's account only. This means no one can install anything unusual since they do not have any installation privileges. This means a rogue virus trying to install itself on the Linux powered PC cannot install itself. :)

For daily surfing, document writing, spreadsheet preparations, and presentation designing, Bayanihan Linux 4 is viable.

It features office applications like Writer, Calc, and Impress. Their Windows counterparts are Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, in this order. Other office applications are: KAddressBook (for addresses), Base (similar to MS Access), Scribus for desktop publishing, Draw for drawings, Math for mathematical needs, KMyMoney financial accounting software, and KOrganizer similar to MS Outlook.

The OS also has a multimedia player that can play basically anything from MP3s to AVIs to VCD movies. It, however, cannot play codecs for DVD players. Waaaaaahhh... :'(

This OS also has 14 graphics related applications, 8 multimedia applications (including the player mentioned above), games, educational applications, and more! It uses FireFox for internet access. FireFox support tabbing and allows users to open several sites in one window.

So, for all "simple" users, Linux is the best, free option you can get if you only need office, multimedia, and internet applications in your daily lives. It has a GUI for easy use. Most secure from alterations and, possibly, corruption of restricted files. And Vista looks almost like it.

And it works faster even with LimeWire in the background (my processor is AMD Athlon 1800+ that translates to Intel's Pentium 4 1.5 GHz)

Linux how to: LimeWire installation in Bayanihan Linux 4

I have just recently installed LimeWire 4.14 on my Bayanihan Linux 4 platform. I installed limewire so I can download a good torrent client since I could not find any workable torrent clients on the internet. Here are a few steps to follow in installing LimeWire on Linux.

Step 1. Download LimeWire

At the limewire home page, click on the "download" button at the top menu. Click the "basic" button as it allows you to download limewire for free. In the next page, be honest enough to click "I will not use limewire for copyright infringement." At the lower part of the next page, click the link to download "Other systems ()S/2, Solaris, Linux)" to begin downloading "LimeWireOther.zip".

Step 2. Extract LimeWire

Extract the zip file on to a folder where you wish to share LimeWire. It will create a folder named "LimeWire." Inside that folder is a shell script, "runLime.sh" to run lime wire.


Step 3. Set path

Edit the shell script using a text editor. In the first portion of the script type:

PATH=$PATH:/
export PATH

An example the path is " /home/user/java/jdk1.5.0_02/bin". Your java must be 1.5 or higher. LimeWire will use the bin files of java to function properly. Java 1.5 or higher comes with the Java Runtime Environment during installation. How to install this is another topic. You can download your java installer from here.

Step 3. Start LimeWire

To run limewire, open a terminal window and go to the folder /~/LimeWire then type:

$sh runLime.sh

And your limewire loads and you can begin downloading multimedia including torrents.

NOTE: Do not close the terminal or your limewire will close as well.

Customer service hotline

A popular client assistance operation of companies today is the customer assistance hotline. As the name implies, the line and the company phone ear piece is always hot due to constant flow of electricity for the former and constant contact with the ear for the latter.

Our broadband service provider has one. We can call them up if we encounter problems with our internet connection. Being a bundle of phone line and broadband DSL, we can also call them up if we have phone problems. But only during their regular working hours.

So, when you loose broadband or phone service during the night and it unfortunately happens during the time when you needed those service the most, tough luck. Their answering machine will tell you to call them up during their regular operating hours from 7:00am to 8:30pm Mondays through Fridays and up to 6:00pm only during weekends and holidays. To remedy this, well, sulk and hope that 7:00am comes earlier than usual.

Home cooking - pasta sauce with spanish style sardines

Here is the recipe for something I came up with.

Ingredients
1 small can Spanish style sardines
1/2 a can of sliced mushrooms
5 cloves garlic
1 bulb onion
2 tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
500 grams pasta
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil
pepper

Sauce
1. Sautee minced garlic, and onion and tomato strips in butter. Add oil from Spanish style sardine can when tomato is well cooked.
2. Add pepper, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Add mushrooms.
3. Add sardines and grate cheese over mixture.
4. Simmer

Pasta
1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add oil.
3. Add pasta and boil till white in center is gone while the pasta is still firm -- al dente as the French call it.
4. Put pasta in drainer and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix

Serve
Put pasta in plate, add the sauce, grate some cheese and voila! Pastarrific!

U.S.-bound trip fiasco

Many U.S.-bound passengers were not able to leave Manila airports because of an October 30 letter from the U.S. Embassy in Manila to all airlines with flights bound for the U.S.A. The letter instructed the airlines to ask their passengers with green cards that do not bear expiration dates to go to the embassy and get a new one with expiration dates before allowing them to leave. This letter came from an embassy official working under the Department of Homeland Security.

My uncle came home to see my grandmother about two weeks ago. Early morning just this Wednesday, I accompanied him to the airport for his return flight. We gave farewells and went our separate ways at the departure are of the airport.

While I was relaxing at home, he called me up and told me that he was held from leaving because he failed to comply with the aforementioned requirement to get a new green card. He had to carry his luggage back to my aunt's condo in Taguig where we stayed. He went to the embassy that same morning.

When we met again in the evening, he told me that he was not the only one who got held back. There is a long line of unfortunate balik-bayans who were also held back. Some old and have no other place to stay in Manila.

Since October 30, only a few US-based Filipinos knew about the regulation resulting in cancelled or re-booked flights, waste of time and money, and the feeling that you have been let down by the airline.

My uncle pointed out that he gave all available information to the airline from his mobile numbers, our home number in the Province of Iloilo, and his email address. For the last two weeks since the embassy letter, he never received any advise from the airline. Although he was fortunate to be given a booking for the following day and was able to process his papers within the one day, what about those who were not so lucky?

Businesses like the airline business earn income from their clients. No client, no money. Why did they not take care of their clients? Are they comfortable enough that they have other clients elsewhere? Or is this racial in nature?

Racism aside, if you do not take care of your source of income, you will run dry. And when you run dry, to go out of business.

May be they are complacent because they can take the risk of aggravating a minor percentage of their clients. May be it is because their services are better than others that they are sure their clients will come back to them.

This is business, but where is honest business?

Pasig ferry ride

Just today, I once more took a ride in the Pasig Ferry operated by the Nautical Transport Services Incorporated based in Manila, Philippines.

I noticed that the ferry took longer than usual to ply its route. It appears to me that it has been moving at a slower pace that what I have previously experience. What I noticed even more is the gas guzzling made when the ferry docks in and departs a station. At one station, it has to make a 180 degree turn to dock and do a reverse 180 to leave and move on to the next station. In another station, the ferry has to make a 90 degree turn to dock and also make a reverse 90 to leave.

I have heard that the ferry consumes about two thousand five hundred pesos worth of diesel fuel for a complete one way trip. And now I understand why.

Every time the ferry sets its engines to full reverse or use it to maneuver, I hear it rev up and I deduced that this eats up a lot of its diesel supply.

I have thought of the following cost effective means of running that service. I am not sure if it will work as I expect. But no pain, no gain so here it goes:

1. Change the hull from catamaran to a surface effect hull like the m-hull featured by the M Shipping Company located in San Diego, California. This will allow the ferry to increase speed at a shorter period of time and drop speed just as fast. Surface effect hulls "raise" the ship from the water when it increases speed due to its hydrodynamic feature. When the ship cuts power to its propellers, the loss of forward thrust degrades the "lifting" capacity of the hull that lowers it in water. The design of the hull uses the density of water as its brakes. So, let's say a ship can increase speed to 10 knots in 3 seconds, it can stop to 0 in just about the same time with this type of hull.

2. Locate stations away from obstructions like bridges and other docks. This will not require the ferries to maneuver too much. All it has to do is slow down, move to the side, and dock. No more turnings. No more backings. No more twists.

This will make the service more fuel efficient and cover its route much faster.

A child's death in exchange for social support

The government has been created to provide basic and important services to the people. When the government fails to deliver such services, the government needs to answer for that failure.

Early this November, a grade 6 pupil from Davao City in the Philippines committed suicide due to poverty. In the girl's diary, she wrote that she could not stand their situation anymore. She is one of the youngest among 7 children -- she has a younger brother.

On November 1, Marianette asked her father for 100 pesos for her school project. Unable to give the money to his child, he asked her to ask her mother instead adding that maybe she has some money. Unfortunately, her mother does not have money available.

A father that he is, the following day the girl's father went to the construction site where he works to get some advance payment. He got a thousand pesos. Sadly, when he got home, he found out that his little girl is already dead, she hanged herself.

Her four other siblings were not with them because they already have families of their own. Her mother is a part time clothes washer and her father is a seasonal construction worker.

The national government, in a press statement, assumed responsibility for the girl's death.

Being a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, it has a daunting task of ensuring the welfare of the people it serves. But who really is to blame?

There are several other issues that came up based on newspaper reports. The girl was known to have been taunted by her classmates for "being poor." She had been absent from school for three days according to her mother that the little girl have thought to have been four months as stated in her diary. Her absence was because they do not have any money for allowance. She even asked permission from her mother to work but was dissuaded to do so. These are a lot of factors already.

Taunting is a painful thing to happen. Being young as they are, children tend to brag about what they have. And in the process, some even put down others who are not as well off as they are.

I never got wind of what else happened to the girl before she died. My friends and I have discussed what happened and we came up with several reasons or factors that lead to her committing suicide at a young age.

1. Value for Education - we could never comprehend how at such a young age the girl thought of committing suicide. Is it because of her hunger for education that her absence deeply affected her? You do not find a lot of children who truly value education. In our discussions, we share that during elementary school days, we did aspire to excel in class but we also look forward to reasons to be absent. We believe that she may have given her education greater value than we did.

2. Television - she may have watched several soap operas in their neighbors television that bore so much drama on life's challenges. She may have witnessed several scenes where actors say they want to die because of the suffering they endured. And this may have prompted her to think of suicide. Again, my group thought that at those times, what we thought of doing was to get adopted by rich families, not take our lives.

3. Depression - the taunting may have pushed her on the edge. Children taunt others without regard to what those other children feel because it is "fun." We even assumed that some kids may have told her to just die because they are so poor. And we all know that children say what they want. At such a young age, we believe that they do not have the capacity to ascertain that what they say may be taken seriously. Take a kid being scolded for example. They will even challenge their parents' authority until they get a gentle slap on the cheek or a piece of leather on their behinds. Children are brave but they are careless or rather care free.

And most far fetched of our theories is: Drama. Taking everything into consideration, the little girl may have thought that to get attention, she must do something big. And she may have believed that death is the biggest attention getter of all. Where she may have learned this, we can only guess. She had long wanted to have her family's life be given some comfort. She wished for school supplies and jobs for both her parents.

And her wish came true. Help came pouring in just this week to the bereaved. But it is too late for her. She may have thought that a sacrifice is needed so that her younger brother could have a better life. And that sacrifice is her own life.

So who's to blame? I believe we all are. We have taken our kids for granted. We have immersed ourselves in our work to give them better lives that we forgot that what they need most is our presence. The opposing sides of the government is intense in their struggle to take each other down that they have forgotten about the little ones who should have been the reason they are where they are now. The people elected by the people lost sight of who they work for. They lost sight of their collective goals. They are lost in their individual battles. And so we lost a promising little girl.

How many more little ones have to do such horrible acts for us to wake up? How many more should we lose to start working together.

Someone once told me that for a country to really achieve real change and realize that something is wrong, it must pay the price of loosing 2/3 of its citizens in a civil war.

We do not need war to change. All we need is commitment and intent to change.

War

I have viewed this video from Yahoo! it has nice music and cute "critters"



War, what is it good for?

The song answers: "absolutely nothing"

Sun Tzu said: "to maintain peace, prepare for war"

It was said that war is a prerequisite for peace and that to achieve true peace we must go to war. Well, it may be true on one side and not on the other.

Peace can be reached by talking or going to war. To talk to achieve peace, people should keep their cool and be patient as it takes time to get the other side to understand the need for peace. It takes long but it involves less damage and death.

On the other hand, you need to go to war to eliminate the threat to peace completely. But collateral damage affects this concept. People will want "justice." Justice for the death and suffering they got from the war. Each death or destruction creates a disheartened or disgruntled individual who will one day pose a threat.

Between fighting and talking, I go for talking but I will take heed of the advise of the old and still prepare to fight.

Linux how to: Java Runtime Environment in Bayanihan Linux 4.0

Greetings! Just some pointers on how to install the java runtime environment on Bayanihan Linux 4.0

JRE is needed by your firefox browser to run applets.

First, download the JRE file from http://java.sun.com with the filename like goes like this "jre-6u3-linux-i586.bin" then open a terminal window and log-in as root by typing "su" and entering the root password. If you do not know the root password, read no more. Your effort will be futile.

Extract the file by first typing "chmod +x jre-6u3-linux-i586.bin" then type "./jre-6u3-linux-i586.bin"

At the end of the terms type "yes" and press enter.

Then go to "/usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/plugins" and type "ln -s /path to your .so file/." Remember to use the .so file in the "ns7" folder and not the "ns7-gcc29."

After that, you're good to go.

Believe on your own

There is a tendency for us to criticize the work of others. Often, suggestions are given which should be most welcome. But why is it that some people make criticisms without any constructive suggestions? And why is it that some people criticize the work of their countrymen and make it look like their countrymen could not achieve what people from other countries had?

I have read the column of Dr Isagani Cruz, a former Undersecretary of the Department of Education during the time of the late Secretary Raul Roco. His criticisms on the Cyber Education Program of DepEd by far are objective (it is a 3-part series) but he did not offer any suggestions on those subjects.

What touched me is that in his second installment, he discussed how other countries faired in implementing a distance education program similar to Cyber Ed. Most of the countries included were reported to have certain degrees of shortcomings in the way they implemented their programs. After discussing each country, he asks questions like "if they failed in this how can DepEd succeed in it" or "if they can't do this, how can DepEd be able to do it."

Dr Cruz is still to publish part three and I am hoping there is a redeeming portion there because what I think he presents in this second installment is that our education department, where he once spent sometime as one of the senior officials, can not achieve or surpass what other countries can do.

I have always believed that the Filipino can go beyond what others can do. It was a Filipino who designed flourescent lamp that was patented by GE because of the failure of the government to have it recognized. The last time I have heard, it was a Filipino who designed the moon rover used in the lunar landings in the early seventies. The Filipino can always surpass what others can do or where they fail. And I still believe the Filipino can go beyond the limits other nationalities think we cannot reach.

When will we start to believe that we can be better than what we are now? That we can be better than what they are now? When will we ever begin to support someone who have surpassed our capacity to allow that person to bring us higher?

Until we stop living like the stereotyped Filipino with crab-mentality that people think we are, we will not be able to get beyond our barriers.

Sickness has its rewards

Being sick has its own rewards. You get some rest. You get to do light stuff at home. And you get to discover what other people had discovered long ago.

1. Photobucket has hooked up with Meez to provide you with an interface to create an animated avatar.

2. I have just found out that flickr had connected with Yahoo!

3. Yahoo! web messenger behaves the same way as the java chat code I have created. :)

Plus, I have discovered that bebe got multiply and photobucket accounts.

Education

Improvement in ones social status allows a person to elevate the status of those close to him/her.

An executive in either government or private institutions or organizations who got his elementary schooling from a far flung village where he/she grew up, his high school from a municipal school and college from among the schools located in his/her home province will tend to enroll their children to exclusive schools for their elementary and high school education and bring them to the national capital for college schooling in one of the prestigious universities.

It is their right to do so.

It may be because he/she did not find the education he/she got from his/her schools to be adequate. It is every parent's dream to give their children the best education there is.

But when it comes to looking back, only a few of them do try to reach out to their former schools to help make it better. Some will just tend to put down their alma mater while still some will not take notice nor take action on anything.

Is it human nature to keep on improving yourself and leave everyone else behind? Is it because of the so-called crab mentality of people that they will just pull themselves up and leave the rest to fall? When will it become our task to help others up? When will we make it our principle to be the one to take someone to a higher plane, even higher than ours?

Unlike the crabs in the final installment of Pirates of the Caribbean who, even though they walk over each other to bring the Black Pearl to sea, put others ahead so they can all move forward, we tend to move forward on our own leaving the others behind.

Baseless accusations

Often times we hear people defend themselves from "baseless accusations."

In a recent post in her column, Ms Patricia Evangelista claimed that based on her assumptions "the men who put together the CEP are, scientifically speaking, idiots."

To claim that other people are idiots supposedly based on science, where is the "scientific" proof? Assumptions are just assumptions. Hypotheses, they were called during my elementary and high school days. To be scientific, a hypothesis must be proved or disproved using scientific methods. Where is the method here to prove that?

I do not have any scientific proof, but I do have various references.

According to wikipedia, idiot means (1) person lacking professional skill, (2) a private citizen, and (3) individual based on the Greek word idiotes. A modern day meaning is uneducated or ignorant person from a 1300 French word idiote.

In dictionary.com idiot means (1) an utterly foolish or senseless person and (2) in Psychology, a person of the lowest order in a former classification of mental retardation, having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.

I'm afraid I do not have enough time to look for a scientific study on idiots. Based, however, on what I have gathered from the ethernet, the "men who put together CEP" cannot be described as idiots. Here are the reasons why:

1. As opposed to the wikipedia definition, the "men" are professionals, working in the public sector, and are part of a group (ergo men - plural).

2. In contrast with the French word idiote, if those "men" are idiots, how could those "men" have finished their college and post graduate courses? And if they are ignorant, how could they have seen the need for the education sector to find a solution to put to scale all successful pilot project of the government and its partners?

3. And finally for the dictionary.com definition: these "men" are not senseless for they see the need to give poor children from far-flung schools a chance to learn from among the internationally recognized teachers of the country; and these men could not have the mental age of three because if they did, they will be talking about three year old stuff like bunnies and ponies and airplanes and candy.

When I was three, I began gathering an army of toy soldiers and vehicles and was on my way to planning world domination and intergalactic conquest.

The traffic is heavy

There is traffic and there is heavy traffic.

In my country, when people say it's traffic, they mean heavy traffic.

I found out from my high school English teacher that the proper term is "heavy traffic" when the vehicles crawl inch by grueling inch along a city street. She also told us that traffic means movement of something along a predetermined path to a destination or from a source. So when we say, "It's traffic," what we really mean is that the traffic heavy.

So, mga pinoy, matrapik talaga sa EDSA kasi maraming sasakyan ang dumadaan. Pag walang trapik sa kalsada, ibig sabihin nun (1) nasa probinsya ka at walang sasakyan kasi hatinggabi na o (2) nasa siyudad ka pero Biernes Santo kaya walang bumibyahe.

Drinking tips

Here are some tips for a more enjoyable drinking session anytime, anywhere.

1. Drink beer while cold. It is always best to drink beer cold. You can drink it as fast as you can without much of an after taste. I have been drinking San Miguel Beer myself. And I drink it cold... very cold.

2. Gulp about half a glass of oil. My friends in the street corners once told me, "to stay long in a drinking session, gulp about half a glass of edible oil to line your stomach with water rejecting oil so it will not absorb much alcohol into your blood stream.

3. Eat oily food. Here in the Philippines, we have what we call pulutan or beer-matches - foods eaten together with beer. Again, the street corner boys suggested selecting oily foods as pulutan. This will also line your stomach with oil to lessen alcohol absorption.

4. Hard first before beer. It has always been a good practice to drink hard drinks first - whiskey, rhum, bourbon - before your drink beer. Alcohol content of hard drinks, being high, get's easily absorbed by the body thus affecting the sobriety of the drinker. On the other hand, beer takes longer to affect a person.

So, if you drink whiskey before you drink beer, by the time beer alcohol takes effect, whiskey alcohol effect has waned down. But if you drink beer first and then drink whiskey, fast acting whiskey alcohol will come into effect just as beer alcohol hits you taking you taking your consciousness into a wild ride down the rabbit hole.

5. Beer then wash with brandy. In another advise from a professional acquaintance, it is best to wash down beer with brandy. It was indeed. But our situation, however, is that we only had a few beers. We did not have any full blown drinking session that needed us to crawl back home.

After about 6 bottles each from a seaport side umbrella covered side walk drinking store in Tacloban, Cebu, we retired to the hotel's bar where we each had 2 shots of brandy to wash down our beer. In the morning, we were fresh as daisies sans hang over.

6. Brandy before dinner. That same acquaintance gave me another tip. Brandy first before meals. I never got to practice this but this is what he does: He drinks several shots of brandy until he feels a little light or tipsy. When that happens, he goes ahead and eats his dinner. I did not catch the scientific and probably medical explanation for that but he seems to have been fine after.

Happy drinking!

Dating tips

During the time I was undergoing practicum activities for my course - Library and Information Science - I came across a book we were tasked to catalog. Its title: "Dating for dummies." It turns out that I was not limited to the "dating" I know but goes beyond it.

Once you have spotted someone you are interested in, here are simple steps in picking up a boy or a girl in a bar or wherever.

Step1. Make eye contact. Once your prospect establishes contact, look away.

Step 2. Make another eye contact. This time make it linger longer than 2 seconds and smile then look away.

Step 3. Make one more eye contact. Let it linger and smile again. If the person responds with a smile, make your way to that person. But be sure that it is your smile being returned.

Step 4. Once you have approached, start some small talk like "Hi." Talk some more. Start slow. Get to know the person. Be sure to find out if that person is waiting for someone else.

What happens next, is up to you.

Reaching to the child in you

If people would just reach into the child in them, life may be more enjoyable.

Children often find joy in the most simple things in life. Even the most affluent ones seem to be more carefree and happy when shown simple things the less fortunate ones enjoy.

When people get older, they tend to become more serious. Most can't even laugh anymore with simple jokes. They tend to look for something better than what they already have. Maybe this helps us progress to the next level of social stature. This attitude does lead towards achieving better things and possessing materials of better quality. This tendency to get more helps us exceed our potential.

Unfortunately, this also tends to take other people away from what is basic. What is simple. What is doable. What is better for all.

Communism for example is a good economic template. Cooperative input for the benefit of all. After reading the Das Kapita, I am enlightened by the concept of communism that I believe has been abused by some communist leaders. It has been abused so that the communist rule that they put in place is not much different from capitalism. What happens is that they now have a capitalism-controlled communism.

Being in touch with ones inner child allows a person the luxury of enjoying what is simple. A candy can make you smile. A day at the carnival will take your worries away. Sitting back and thinking about your childhood is a good way to relax. It works for me. Unless of course your childhood was not that fun.

When I was young, I used to long for toys that look exciting. I used to ask my mom and dad to buy me toy guns. Now, I can take apart, reassemble, and shoot a real gun. But still, the joy of playing toy guns with your friends is much fun.

While in the office, I tune in to Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, or Animax and watch a few cartoon shows. I enjoy a few laughs and I get to relieve myself with the stress brought about by my work.

Behaving like a child from time to time is a more relaxing exercise than having drinks or nights out. It helps me recharge and get a better perspective at what I do. Just don't behave like one when your boss is on to you. You'll get fired for sure. Unless he behaves the same way you do. :)

Home cooking - sauteed in garlic part 2

Another fish produce I like is tuna. Flakes. In vegetable oil. In can. Also from the local grocery store or market.

The cooking process is pretty much the same. Sautee minced garlic in margarine, butter, or the vegetable oil from the can. Add minced onion. But without the tomato.

Add the tuna flakes and sautee until brown or until the garlic is almost dark brown.

Avoid over-sauteeing the garlic. You food will be in danger of tasting bitter.

Home cooking - sauteed in garlic

Among my favorite foods to cook is sardines. In tomato sauce. In can. From the local grocery or market.

The garlic freak that I am, I begin by sauteeing minced garlic in margarine or vegetable oil whichever is within reach. When the garlic starts turning brown, I add in minced onions. After a few seconds, I add in minced tomato and sautee until I believe the tomato is cooked.

Then I put in the sardines from the can without the tomato sauce to sautee further.

After much heating, I pour in the tomato sauce from the sardine can, add 1/3 cups of water and stir to a boil.

Serve hot.

A good leader is a good follower

The first time I encountered this concept was when I was joining the Cadet Officers Candidate Course in my college ROTC. Among the first lessons taught to us on leadership is the phrase "a good leader is a good follower."

True enough, when we started our on the job training, I was the classic officer - strict in implementing rules and harsh in giving punishments. But I came to learn a few tricks from my interactions with my "subordinates." Unlike in military school, your subordinates in ROTC are such during training periods especially those who are in the same year level as you are. For the rest of the 6-day academic week, they are your equals - students like yourself.

It is then that I came to understand what they feel during training periods when they have, even forced, to give you the respect your rank deserves. After that, I made some changes in how I deal with them that, I believe, made me a more effective leader.

For the three years that I too was a subordinate to the senior officers, I felt what my cadets seemed to have felt. I had the same contempt, anger, and level of insubordination that they may have felt.

It was said that experience is a good teacher. In my case it was, along with that phrase I learned not too long ago.

During my senior year in the ROTC where we are the decision-makers, chief implementors, and the demigods, I applied a different form of leadership. This may have resulted in some contempt but it has been the most effective method I used - I appealed to their sense of reason.

The intelligent students that they are, all I needed to do was tell them what our roles are, what is expected of them, what is expected of us, and what type of relationship we have.

I give regular talks, discussions even, with the cadets. We discuss anything from training to personal concerns to jokes and funny stories of their experiences.

We have all reached an understanding that during lectures whenever they get rowdy and I fell silent with a disgusted smile on my face, those who notice caution their colleagues and they all start to behave.

It is also important that you learn to thank them and give them credit for the success your unit achieves. This forms a bond that will last you a lifetime.

Home cooking - mechado-adobo hybrid

Here is a meal I cooked once.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo pork cubed
5 cloves garlic minced
1 onion minced
2 tomatoes minced
1/2 kilo potatoes peeled, cubed and immersed in tap water
vinegar
soy sauce
butter
1 pack tomato sauce (approx. 8 ounces)

Sautee minced garlic in butter. When garlic turns light brown, add onions. When garlic darkens add tomatoes. Sautee for 3 minutes or so until you are satisfied the tomatoes are cooked and the garlic is not overcooked.

Add pork and fry. Add 1 cup water. Bring to a boil then add about 2 table spoons of vinegar and 1 1/2 table spoons of soy sauce. Add potatoes.

Stir occasionally until water has almost evaporated. Sautee for 30 seconds and add 2 cups water. Boil for about 1 minute then add tomato sauce.

Simmer for about 2 minutes and you're ready to eat. :)

Posted on commercial establishments

1. Tailoring
We'll clean for you. We'll press for you. We'll even dye for you.

2. Restaurant
Eat now, pay the waiter.

3. Travel agency
Please, go away!

4. Music store
Guitars for sale. Cheap. No strings attached.

Internet security tips

Here are a few tips I picked up here and there on Internet security.

1. Always make sure that the "padlock" icon is visible on your browser. This padlock can be usually seen at the bottom-right portion of the browser window. This icon can also be found near the address box. The address box is where you usually type-in the name of the website or what is called the URL.

2. Before logging in to your account, always look for a link that says "using public computer" or something similar. Some websites provide this option to provide additional security for the user.

3. For Yahoo! users, the log-in interface allows the user to choose a picture from the user's files. The chosen picture will show on the log-in box signifying that the site is authentic and that it is secure.

4. Do not -- DO NOT -- always click "OK" whenever a window pops-up. Read the message first. If your action results to that pop-up, still take some time to read it thoroughly. Some browsers inquire if you trust the security certificate of the site you are opening especially if that site's security certificate has lapsed.

5. If you do not trust the site, try to see where the link will take you before clicking it. Place your mouse on the link until the arrow turns to a finger pointing at that link. At the bottom left portion of the browser window, you will find there the address where you will be taken.

6. Keep out of porn sites. Specially the unpopular ones. You can install a virus or trojan on your computer by just clicking the link.

7. When opening your email, be careful when opening attachments. I usually shy away from attachments with file extensions other than .jpg, .gif, .tff, 3gpp, other office files (.doc, .xls). Even if the email sender is your close friend, read their message first. If the message contains something that your friend does not usually send, avoid opening the attachments. Always try to avoid the .gfx, .vbs., and .exe files.

One man's misery is another man's joy

Just like one man's garbage is another man's treasure, this topic is about the inconvenience brought about by selfishness of other people.

When you steal something from someone, you put that person in a state of inconvenience or even misery. You sell what you stole thus gaining a certain level of comfort from that. But this also brings emotional and financial discomfort to the victim.

People strive hard to earn a living. Although the same thing is applicable to thieves, the difference is that thieves trouble other people to earn their living.

"Nothing personal, just business," is a catch phrase commonly used in movies when villains, or some times heroes, confront their enemies. This reality is experience everywhere especially by those hounded by credit collection agents like myself.

Collection agents have a job to convince debtors to pay their dues with which they had committed to take responsibility for. The debtors' time, on the other hand, is wasted by the long calls as they either evade or haggle with the agents on the terms of payment or amount to be paid. Some agents go to the extent of insulting the debtors and in a similar manner, debtors also gravitate to insulting the agents. Even though both have responsibilities they committed to take, either of both tend to become confrontational with the other to the point that if ever they be talking face-to-face, someone would probably throw the first punch.

In both legal and illegal activities, there is always a winner and a loser and it is always rare to find oneself in a win-win situation.

In aid of legislation

A most common excuse for having senate- or congress-level investigations to high profile issues is doing it "in aid of legislation."

In my limited political knowledge based on my decades old high school history lessons and college political science classes, I assume that the senate and the congress are elected to represent the interests of their constituents.

The Senate of the pre-clone war Republic in the Star Wars franchise shows a chamber of representatives from various planetary systems, special interest federations, and alliances. This gave me an idea that the senators are there to ensure that the rule of law is respected and adhered to by all members. They are also there to defend the actions of the entities they represent and raise and settle any disputes between bodies represented in that senate.

According to my mental notes, both the senate and the congress are tasked to craft laws that will strengthen declarations embodied in the constitution. Being the representatives of the people who voted for them, they have the obligation to look into the effect of the laws being crafted and make certain that it does not in any way negatively affect the rights of their voters.

For three years the budget has been reenacted because of senate or congressional "investigations in aid of legislation." For three years the people made do with what the government allocated for basic services. For three years the problem of adequacy of resources was set aside.

I was not able to do much research but what legislations were aided by those investigations? Was the government able to get back the money spent to keep the investigators comfortable during the deliberations? Did the people gain anything from those investigations?

Sensitive Catering

Here are a few tips I learned on arranging for a catering service.

1. Know your guests. It is important to know their eating preferences. You do not want to offend them by having food prepared that does not match their preferences.
2. Know basic cultural food groups. Find out what types of foods your guests prefer. If they are conscious about their food intake, take note of the ingredients used to prepare the food.
3. Balance the menu. This is especially helpful if you have vegetarians, health conscious persons, persons of varying religions, and buffet fans all in one room.
4. Check and double check the menu. Always be sure that the caterer, cook, or host knows what types of food and preparations should be made.
5. Mark them properly. Aside from the fancy names of the food served, include some details like main ingredients so guests who are not clinically allowed to eat fatty food doesn't.

This is it for now. Once I learn more, I will let you know.

Newbie in media relations

Just last May, my boss assigned me to the Communications Unit under his office. Being a management type, I know zip about media and public relations. But a flash back of an HSBC advertisement hit me: successful managers focus on what they are good at and let the experts handle the rest. And we did have experts -- policy adviser, writers, researchers, media and public relations officers, communications officers.

Unfortunately, before we can set into motion plans that will evenly spread responsibilities, our policy adviser, the brain of the entire unit's operation, had to go on vacation.

Since then, we had to rely on each other keep up with the standard previously set. This required me to learn things I am not entirely good at.

I admit I am an amiable person. I always smile from the time I leave for work until the time I meet the heavy traffic on my way home. And if media and public relations would mean lots of warm friendly smiles, I might have done well. But no. This is an entirely new ball game.

In the "relations" business, you can't get away with just a smile. You will need to do something. You will need to hold on to something (a-get-away-from-jail-free-card so my friend the policy adviser had said). Thanks to him, I had a few -- read minuscule -- ideas of what needs to be done.

Among the things I have learned are the following:

1. When misquoted, call up the person/reporter/media outfit that misquoted you and correct them.
2. When you missed a reporter's call, call back immediately and ask what is needed.
3. If you are asked a question, tell them you will get them in touch with someone who knows the answer.
4. If you do not know the answer, don't speculate, refer to #3.
5. If you "think" you know the answer, ask the reporter if you could call back to confirm what you know from someone who really knows.
6. If that someone who really knows is open for an interview, ask if you could give his/her number to the reporter and do so.
7. If you "really think" you know the answer, quote someone who gave that answer in verbatim.
8. If you know the answer by heart, refer to #7.
9. If the event being held needs updating, organize a press conference not later than 1:00pm. Print reporters need to file their reports before 2:00pm.
10. Always let the reporters assigned to gather news from your office -- aka beat reporters -- know the news first hand before any other random reporters get in touch with your office.

That's it for now. More to come as I learn more.

Dual SIM mobile phone from China

During the trip to Escolta, we visited the 168 Mall where goods can be bought at wholesale prices. One of the electronic products on sale is a mobile phone with TV and dual SIM capabilities.

This phone that costs 10,000 pesos bears the brand "PDA Phone" and is probably made in China (based on the Chinese characters in the opening screen). It features a touch screen and other basic features of a mobile phone.

Marketed as a PDA phone, it does not live up to my needs. It does not have a word or spreadsheet capability and does not even have a notes feature. It does have an alarm clock and to-do list.

It's TV capability offers analog TV and supposedly CATV capabilities. Its stylus acts as the antenna. Though the reception when we tested it is not that good (due to weak signals according to the sales person) it is free compared to the soon-to-be-pay-per-view myTV feature of a local service provider.

The phone's dual SIM capability allows a user to switch from one network to another by simply turning off the unit. This is good for us since we have a prepaid electronic loading business that requires two phones to use for both major networks (and we are running out of phones).

Sadly, the 10,000 peso unit is the only one with dual SIM. there are cheaper units with TV features but without the convenience of dual SIM.

For those interested, you can visit that stall at the 3rd floor of 168 Mall near the food court. 168 Mall is in the Divisoria District of the City of Manila, just a ride away from the Escolta station of the Pasig Ferry.

By the way, this is not a paid review. :)

Pasig Ferry Ride 2

Just this afternoon, we went into another Pasig Ferry trip. We got right on time arriving at the ferry station in Bambang, Pasig City for the 12:30pm pick-up.

Ferry service from Bambang to Escolta starts from 5.30am. Last trip from Bambang to Escolta is at 8.40pm

Ferry service from Escolta to Bambang starts at 6.05am and the last trip leaves at 8.40pm for Bambang.


At present, the Bambang station is a mere pontoon set-up along side the river waiting for the more modern and air conditioned station to be finished.


The Kalawaan station looks pretty much like the pontoon Bambang Station. No on-going construction, however, indicates the construction of a more modern stations.


Guadalupe station, the next stop to Escolta, is the first station I have ever noticed. I have seen the construction in 2006 and passed by it last February 2007 after arriving from Tacloban City, Leyte.


Hulo station is next. Hulo is located somewhere in Mandaluyong City a few minutes from the Guadalupe station.


Lambingan station is also located in Mandaluyong City. Lambingan, if translated to English means romancing. :-)


Sta. Ana station located in the City of Manila is probably near the famous Sta. Ana race track (Sorry, I was not able to confirm). As you can see, the "T" in Sta. does not look too good when I took the picture before the recent storm. The last time we passed by, the "T" is nowhere to be seen. hehehe

The next station is the station behind the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Good for the students!

After this, the ferry passes under the Nagtahan bridge on to a scenic view of the Malacanan Palace, the seat of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Alas, all passengers are prohibited from taking photographs while passing through Malacanan. A member of the Presidential Security Group is present to ensure that. And every time the ferry passes. the crew are on the watch in case a passenger pulls out a camera.

And the final stop, Escolta station.

It was a relaxing 1 hour 10 minute ride with a Transformers movie feature on the ferry's front-mounted HDTV.

Hope you'll enjoy the ride as well. Just don't mind the shanties you pass and the garbage floating by.

Photos from Pasig Ferry Ride

Here are some photos from our Pasig Ferry ride last time.
A view of the back end of the enclosed and air-conditioned ferry. Each ferry has three rows. With three seats on either side row and four seats on the middle row.

At the front, you can see to the left and partly to the right the exit doors leading to the front side exits. Also featured is the HDTV up front for the passengers' entertainment. Not much use for those seated way back though.

The door to the bridge is also seen to the right of the HDTV.

The ferry travels from Kalawaan, Pasig City, Metro Manila to Escolta in the City of Manila. Stations along the way are Bambang in Pasig City, Guadalupe near the Guadalupe bridge in EDSA, Sta. Ana and Lambingan stations both in Mandaluyong, PUP in Sta. Mesa, Manila, and finally Escolta across the historical Philippine Postal Corporation.

Four ferries alternately arrive every 35 minutes in every station. The trip from Bambang to Escolta takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

They charge from 25 to 45 pesos during weekdays and a flat rate of 25 pesos on weekends.

Well, we are on our way now to have another ride on the ferry to visit Divisoria for some bargain shopping.

Choosing a career

On August 28, the Department of Education of the Republic of the Philippines will be conducting its National Career Assessment Examination to all public and private 4th year high school students.

The NCAE is aimed at assessing the possible career tracks of each student. This will help guide students at the course they will likely to succeed in.

Most Filipinos dream of having at least one child finish college. Due to the large number of families in the lower income bracket, the hopes are left with the eldest child. They either finish their degrees draining up most of their families resources or they skip college and immediately go to work.

Most popular professions are: entertainers, actors, dancers, physical therapists, nurses, doctors, and teachers. Most of those try to get into the arts are disappointed not because they lack talent but because there is a lot of competition and there are just too many others with even better talents. As for those trying to get into the medical professions, they are not simply cut out for the medical field and end up dropping out of college after a short stay.

Children have a lot of career options in mind. Parents too have career options for their children. Which among these options should they choose? I know this dilemma personally because I had lots of career options myself. I thought of becoming a lawyer, a priest, a successful entrepreneur, or a soldier. I even dreamed of a career as Global Dictator!

With the results of the NCAE, students and parents can better decide on what career path to choose where the child will likely to meet success. If the results point to a career in arts, the student may enroll in an art class or a certificate course in the arts in any university. If the results show that the child has a capacity in academics, that child may take up any course in college based on the result of sub-domains in Science and Mathematics. Other career options are for the student to take up technical-vocational courses or an entrepreneurial course.

Most people fear that the NCAE may become an obstacle to a college degree. This is not true since there is no law passed providing the exam this authority. DepEd plans to make the NCAE as such in the future anyway.

For those who think that college is the only way to success, please reconsider. Although a college degree is needed to be employed or promoted, most company policies I have read also considers equivalents to a degree.

The Technical Educations and Skills Development Authority of the Philippine Government offers certifications for technical-vocational course graduates. A National Certification Level III (NC3) I thinks is equal to a college degree. Following this trend, NC4 and NC5 are equivalents of a masters or doctoral degree.

So kids, troop down to your schools on Tuesday, August 28 and take the test. Who knows, you may end up having a higher position in a company compared to someone who took the college degree you have dreamed of.

Quote and Misquote

Gunny Highway's commanding officer once said, "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it."

In the world of news, reporters, and media, we can say "be careful what you said, you might get misquoted."

I have noticed in some print news that personalities get misquoted at times. It may be due to the need for sensationalism or simply because the idea was misinterpreted. An this misquotes often put people in hot water. I was. Well, not yet anyway. My boss did not report to the office the day I was misquoted, so I am safe... for the time being.

So, when you speak to a bunch of people in a commotion, please remember to speak clearly and audibly. And be sure they got exactly what you said. And be as sure that they understood what you meant.

Have a great time!

Blame is a two-way street

I have read an article this morning on the education crisis. This article somewhat puts blame on the education sector for its various shortcomings.

I have also read several articles on the deteriorating roads, low-quality of services in some hospitals, and many more.

Often, I read about experts or people in power putting the blame on those who are directly involved in preventing this "shortcomings." Those directly involved will most probably loose interest in their work, and think of themselves as unqualified for the job.

Personally, I believe putting all the blame on one person is not going to solve anything. I believe that those "experts" and "people in power" are also to blame though not is the same degree, probably.

The question that comes up my mind every time I hear a blame is, "What did we do to help prevent whatever from happening?" Another question is "Did we ever do our part to help prevent bad things to happen?"

I think critics should do the same. I believe we are all in this together. We can't just sit idly by and let other people do what they have to do.

We don't need to be nosy and be like backseat drivers. We have to do our share. Offer our help. Suggest solutions to the problems.

A friend once said, "If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem and I am going to take you out along with it."

Have a good day!

Cruise along Pasig River

Two weeks ago, me and my wife went to cruise along Pasig River on board an airconditioned catamaran. It has plastic seats, good view of the river (and its garbage) and a front mounted HDTV for entertainment.

It was a Sunday so we planned to bum around Manila. We took the ferry from the San Joaquin Station. Since it was a Sunday, they offered a flat rate of P25.00. It took more than one hour to get to Escolta, the last station. Across the river is the Philippine Post Office.

After a long stroll in Raon and the China Town, we again took the ferry back to Pasig.

Even though the trip took more than an hour, it was stress free inspite of the garbage floating around. And since it is airconditioned, we sat comfortably not being bothered by the possibility of a foul smell outside.

I would recommend to readers to take the ferry. For those interested it has stations in Kalawaan, San Joaquin, Guadalupe, Lambingan, Sta. Ana, PUP, and Escolta.

A map at the back of the ferry shows possible expansion to Manila Bay, Laguna de Bay, and Marikina almost to San Mateo.

Hope you will also enjoy the ride as we did.

After the storm

Last week, the Republic of the Philippines has been "side-swiped" by a tropical storm locally now as Egay -- also a common nickname for someone named Edgar.

Even though the storm did not hit Luzon island, heavy rains flooded most of region. Classes in all levels had been suspended for three days affecting schedules for examinations.

What will happen to the students? They will have to put up to make up classes often scheduled during weekends. Or stay in school longer that those from other provinces to complete the minimum number of days required for learning.

This can also mean cramming lessons to meet the scheduled periodical exams!

Aside from that, the public works office will have to spend some time and money to repair damaged roads and other infrastructure. The education department will also spend some for damaged school properties. And the affected families will share time with students on the use of the classrooms since the schools are often used as evacuation centers.

Well, as they say, when it rains, it pours!

Raw pictures