Poor Internet Service (update)

For a moment there, it seemed that we'd be having problems with Globe as well. Let me explain... when the DSL of Globe was being set up by their engineer, I was at work - btu Barbie was home, and watched him set up the new phone, connect the PC to the DSL connection, and upon Barbie's query about connecting the DSL to our router, he said that we would have to do it later. Note that he did not tell her that this was somethign they did nto allow.

Upon my arrival, I did just that - attempting to connect the router with the DSL, I had to know tow things - our account number and password... something that PLDT gave willingly. But to our surprise, Globe did not want to divulge this.

Now maybe they had security reasons - which could have been easily dealt with by ensuring the router was properly configured - passwords and all... so it shold not hvae been an issue. The one obvious reaons I saw was that they did not want us to use multi-computers with their connection since they had a package at a higher monthly rate that automatically allowed this.

Now, being semi-educated in Networking concepts, I knew that the curernt set-up can allwo for this - or that there was no real reason - with exception to a business model for more profitability, to withhold the requested information.

It was only when Barbie threatened to report them to DTI - and being a Customer Service Manager, she knew the ins and outs of DTI concerns, and telling them that they migth as well remove the connection, that the person on the phone relented by tellng her that a hub could solve her problem.

Again, my networking concepts told me that a router is a more sophisticated hub. So why did we have to buy a new hub? This stance was supported by the technial people in the computer shop we went to in the effort of buying a hub - at least, these people were not after our money... and I did buy a hard disk from them before.

Anyway, apparently - the problem stemmed from having similar IP addresses - and though I knew the concept, the steps were harder to execute... consider it due to poor technical documentation of the router's part (did I mention that the model I'm using is apaprently not supported anymore - yet still being sold?).

Lucky for me, I've a brother-in-law who is much better in hardware set-ups than me. He looked at it and was able to conenct the router with the Globe DSL. Now we're looking at how things are running - no thanks to Globe.

On the bright side? So far it seems that the service of Globe is more stable than PLDT's.

Touchy topic of Torchwood

In a previous entry, I had mentioned the creation of a Torchwood and Doctor Who site.

This is just to follow up on what I've been seeing lately in Torchwood.

Recent episodes that I've seen - specifically those in the latter part of season 1 and the pilot of season 2, has lately shown the character of Captain Jack (John Barrowman) showing overt - though not lewd, homo/heterosexual preferences - first with Captain Jack (the real one who died and who's name he took - though I must add that it was the original Captain Jack who took the Torchwood Captain jack to a dance floor for a slow drag), then there's the Pilot where Captain Jack, upon seeing an old associate, rush into what seemed like a fist fight - only to lock lips, then fight. It is also in this same episode that Captain Jack asks one of his team mate - Yanto, if he's open for a date.

Now, maybe its the British in the episode, maybe the show is trying to be really daring - I don't know. But is the show openly presenting the fact that the characters find having a gay relationship openly acceptable. Sure, there's a lot of trysts amongst the male and female population, and there was one episode where one female staff or Torchwood ended up having a relationship with another female (again, tastefully done) - but with scenes like this, I can understand the possible reluctance for these episodes to be shown locally.

I noticed some uneasiness while I was watching - a certain shock value... but only for a few moments, though I had to make sure my kids were not watching it - lest they get the wrong impression. After all, I may be bordering on tolerant if not accepting the practice - though not personally... as I've had gay friends, and can easily understand them - but not share their life. Sorry... call it my catholic upbringing, but I'm strictly heterosexual. But this does not mean I can't have gay people as friends.

Am I, therefore, a hypocrite? Nope... at least I hope not. I believe in diversity, and respect the lifestyle choices of others - so at least, I'm tolerant... but 'tolerant' sounds so condescending - and I don't want to be that. Like any parent with strong Catholic upbringing, I would be very uneasy should my kids stray from acceptable Catholic norms of heterosexuality. That is as honest a statement as I can give... but I don't see others - more so my friends who are in homosexual relationships as wrong... despite the church's stance or what it may say.

I'm just a realist to the fact that society does not look acceptably to the practice. By the way, I think the better explanation for captain Jack is that he can be bi-sexual... meaning he can work both ways... showing a greater openness, perhaps?

Has this stopped me from watching Torchwood - nope. But I'll be more careful watching it around my kids.

Again, ironic. With all the issues covered by both Torchwood and Doctor Who, I find that I'm not too open about bi-sexual and homosexual relationships. In a way, this is good - in a self-awareness viewpoint. It shows that I need to be more open and acceptable... specially since I do lecture on Managing (and accepting) Diversity. But apparently, there are still some lines I will not cross - nor will I find it naturally acceptable for my kids to cross. Hope this means I'm still an okay person - specially to my gay friends.

More not so picture-perfect experiments

Ok - it seems that I am limited in what I can enter in this site - either that or I've not yet discovered how to do what I want to do, which is namely publish more than one picture in one article. So for now, it seems that I've got to place these pictures in separate articles.

That said, here's my experiment with monotones. Though I started out with a colored picture, I later changed its color mixture with your usual Microsoft picture editor. This here is my son, Bryce - in profile, holding a gun (not a real one, of course - just an airsoft version). The picture's graininess was an offshoot of the experiment, but rather than clean it up - I felt that it left a nice effect.

My not so picture-perfect experiments

I'm still experimenting with this blog - at least, when time allows. I find it a necessary extension of my experimenting with photography - though having said that, my camera is a simple point and shoot, digital Ixus V by Canon - and I do intend to go SLR... but not yet.
Naturally, I've been wondering how pictures can be added - its not a question of 'can it be done?' but more a question of 'how can it be done?'. After all, I've seen others do it, and given time, I know I could do this as well - soon as I discover how.
Well, this site allows pictures to be added - so here's giving it a try...
Exhibit #1 - a picture of my daughter Bernice during her uncle Dict's wedding. Nothing too fancy, just a straight up flash photography take. Results are clear, and one cans even say that they're picture perfect. Discerning eyes, though, may say that the picture lacks over-all depth, though the presence of her cousin and brother in the picture's background seems to cover that angle.

Lousy Internet Service (update)

Last January, I made mention of my family's having to experience lousy Internet services by PLDT's DSL. Well, today, we've finally done something about it - namely switched from PLDT's DSL service to Globe's DSL service. Slightly more expensive, but if its not intermittent, then worth the price we would pay per month.

This plus the fact that we get another phone line with the DSL from Globe - another thing I found funny with the PLDT service, since I know they also offered phones with their DSL installations - but apparently did not bother offering us said package. Ah well...

We're still keeping our PLDT landline - but it will be some time until we decide to trust PLDT's quality of service beyond their usual phone lines. Meanwhile, lest I be considered biased to Globe - let me just say that I will be observing how their service will be faring. If by chance they'll be really better - I will be carping about it. Otherwise, I just might have a 'part two' to this topic. Here's hoping - for Globe's sake (and ours), this won't be the case.

Torchwood and Doctor Who site by me

I've started a new Yahoo group - both for experimental purposes with the hope of learning more about the tool and all its capabilities, and for the sheer enjoyment of the subject matter.

This Yahoo group is called Torchwood Tinders and Sonic Screwdrivers - a fan site of sorts, focusing on two British SciFi Television shows, namely Doctor Who (who tends to use a sonic screwdriver) and Torchwood (a quasi-government group, formed to deal with extra-terrestrial incursions in Earth).

The site address is:
http://www.friendster.com/group/tabmain.php?gid=1249024

I still need to discover how to integrate photos and other things to make the site more attractive, and I still need a way to further populate the site with interested parties willing to discuss both shows.

Should you stumble upon this entry and find the two TV shows interesting - or intriguing, why not drop by my site, and give a comment or two?

The type of advice I have been giving lately

Not really a specific advice... but more the thought process that I used when I was giving them. This was a discovery of sorts... but let me start from the beginning.

Of late - since last week, I have been privy two conversations - one with a friend, another with a colleague and they both had female-related problems. I was, it would seem the intended recipient due to the fact that maybe they can and do trust me to be discreet... as both their situations would demand some discretion - hence the reason for my not being too detailed in mentioning any of these situations.

To jump to the point, here is what I can remember to be my thought process. First... both situations had to deal with love triangles (if these were ever the right way to call them), so in both cases, there was a third party being wronged. So my first - obvious suggestion, or reminder is that what they were in was wrong, and I was not playing the immorality card at all - heck, whether they were enjoying any coupling considerations, I shall not say... but even in a platonic style, it would be wrong to the third party involved - I say this loosely, since these two people I had such discussions were more likely to be the real third-party to said relationships.

So like I mentioned, I reminded of the lack of trust in such situations - they of course knew it, and would possibly justify things to themselves. But as I was mentioning the moral repercussions (again, not in a religiously moral stance - but in a natural order moral stance) I also seemed to notice the seeming reluctance for them to acknowledge the situation in such a manner - after, be it a one nighter affair or a longer lasting fling, the fact remains that they were doing something behind another's back or without another's knowledge - the fact that they were doing things in a hidden style - for some fear of discovery, signifies that they acknowledge the wrongness of the situation.

So, what did I learn form this? Well for one, I'm not a prude - let people fornicate for all I care, so long as they do it without betraying others... other than that, they're consenting adults, so they can do whatever they want - after all, I'm not in any moral obligation to stop them, and I did caution them.

Did this realization bother me? Nope. Other than the fact that others might be hurt - or feel betrayed, I said it was up to them. After all, when dispensing advice, one need be careful - fools won't heed it, and the wise won't need it.

Did my giving advice help them? I hope so - unsolicited or not, I wanted to remind them of the situation they were entering into. As a friend, I can do no less.

So why didn't I enter this in the Coaching blog? Well... in this case, though it may be considered a part of coaching, I was more focused on listening and giving advice... not coaching. It was not done in a professional manner, and I was not acting as a coach - but more a sounding board (as I suspect they wanted me to be).

I've imparted my 'wisdom'; only time will tell if it bears fruit or was wasted in this instance. Either way, like I said... I can't intervene any further - and I don't really care. I've mentioned how this will possibly affect them and other parties affected. I've reminded them about the karmic possibilities - what else can or should I do?

I cautioned right... I advised well. I weighed options, helped look at their situation in other angles and mentioned options. Other than that, I can't say more due to the limited exposure, or knowledge of each case - so the rest would be speculation (though in the latter, it seemed to be appropriate inference and deduction).

Good luck to them both, separately of course.

Pet Peeves

Admit it, you have one... something that gets your goat, no matter how well-mannered you may be, there's just someone (or some people) who - out of sheer inconsideration... or sheer stupidity or maybe even both, gets you wondering how come Darwin's theory of evolution has not yet made such creature extinct.

I am of course referring to those people who hog the road or not practice road courtesy by way of their just having a vehicle and damn the rest; who should watch out for them. These incompetents come in the form of either the raging bus driver, who cares not which lane he may be treading, or which lane he may be crossing - I say he, here in consideration of having seen, on very rare occasions, a female bus driver, and naturally may intentionally or uncaringly threaten to bump other vehicles should they not watch out for the bus's long and large dimensions.

Then there are the jeepney drivers - as people from the Philippines can attest, these kinds of vehicles can almost be found plying every part of the city's thoroughfares. But the jeepney in itself is not the culprit - its also perhaps, the equally unimpressive, insensitive driver, who's only difference with the bus driver is the size of the vehicle they bring. These people ply the streets - hogging lanes as if they own it and not mindful if they stay there for more than 15 minutes, all the while blocking others from moving forward.

On rarer occasions - though it may also be because they are not allowed to ply the major streets, we have the tricycles and pedicabs who also at times like to hod the lanes, unmindful that they block other faster vehicles from possibly overtaking in a proper manner, due to their unmindful style of driving or pedalling... and be careful, since some of them are ignorant of the meaning of signalling, whether by hand or by signal lights. One wonders if they even know some road courtesy.

But these tri-wheeled vehicles are less reckless than some people plying the streets on motor bikes as they drive through with reckless abandon and are likewise unmindful of traffic situations where some cars yield to offer other cars the right of way to move or turn in intersections. Instead, it seems some of these drivers only have two actions and either move fast or move faster. Sometimes it is ironic that they hog the entire road when they can easily stay a little to the side to allow for faster vehicles to pass them without fanfare - but would be the first to zig and zag in densely populated streets, unmindful of their reckless cutting ways.

This does not of course exempt other vehicles - cars, vans or the likes, with drivers who likewise were in some past (and I won't be surprised if it was a past life if they also drove the same way) a reckless bus, jeepney, taxi or motorcycle driver.

Little surprise that others can get road rage - more so those that ply and drive in a mindful and courteous manner. Simply put, the streets have seemingly gone to the dogs - and this can be attested to the seemingly unavailability - or uncaring attitude of traffic enforcers (another story can be said about them too), and without enforcement, we have chaos. In order to survive this concrete jungle's manic drivers, one has to either drive extra careful or adapt a more aggressive attitude and be armed with an equal amount of tricks - basically 'push-backs' to let these pushy drivers know that you are not one to be pushed around.

I've heard before - from some foreigners, that you would have to be crazy to drive in the Philippines, and seeing how the collective madness of the street seems to play out - i would have to reluctantly agree.

To be fair, there are drivers in such profession that seem to epitomize great character, upbringing and even courtesy while driving... but these people are more the exception to the rule, and I would consider it a miracle when I meet one of these rare breed of drivers handling a public transport.

So what can one think of when faced with these crazies? Well for one, are you willing to fight fire with fire? Are you just willing to let another one go? ... and if so, how many more?... how long before you say 'enough!'? Would it be worth your while to stoop to their level? Of course not. Would you win in an altercation? Most of the time, these aggressive a-holes will suddenly become meek when they realise they can't pay for damages their recklessness incurred. So where's the justice? Nope... one has to just bear with this stupidity and check one's self for any like-minded stupid action. Its not a case of right or wrong here, its a case of self-preservation... both in time, sanity and grief.

The problem is, some of these reckless drivers rely just on that fact. They don't care that they can't pay for their recklessness - nope. They count on the fact that you know its not worth it, so they get away with their arrogance.

Like I said before... I really wonder why these questionably educated (if they are educated at all) reckless public transport or private drivers (again, of which not every driver fits into) are still around - you'd think that Darwin's natural selection process would have removed them from the gene pool already. Ah well... maybe next week.

Podcasts - a new learning dimension or entertaining medium?

Call me a late bloomer in terms of technology, it basically spans from my not getting an iPod until this last Christmas 2007, (thank you Jogie and Bernadette!) and naturally, I just glossed over what such a tool can do or offer. I mean, why bother? I didn't have it, so I didn't come upon the advantages - I guess, if I did not learn about what I could do, I'd miss it less.. and avoid any frustrations or bouts of longings that come with knowing you want it but don't have it.

Not exactly a positive - visualizing exercise, but I also had not watched 'The Secret' yet during that time.

To me it was just plain practicality - waste no time with things I did not have or could not do - and this is still a practical manner in my actions. Why worry if your worrying won't change things? Why cry over spilled milk? So it was, so it went.

But now that I have an iPod, I have started to explore what I could do with it - lo and behold... I discovered the wonderful world of podcasts!

The idea is not new - basically we have audio (and video) recordings, programs of interests by people who love talking about certain crafts, sports or hobbies (definitely an idea presented as early as the time of cassette tapes or CVs). I love the fact that there are a lot to choose from and even better... they're all FREE!!! All one needs to do is subscribe to certain 'casts' of interest and they get downloaded into your PC for your perusal - then, once I connect my iPod to the PC, iTunes (Apple's software to help synchronize the iPod's contents) just downloads these podcasts for our listening pleasure.

So, aside from being free... you get to choose when you want to listen to these podcasts. What have I subscribed to? I will try to remember them - but there are a lot. In fact, I might just write entires about them separately. Still, just to let you know... here is a tentative list of what I listen to:

• 60 second Science


• Amazing Comicast


• Budget Health Nut


• Business Week


• Comic Geek Speak


• DC Comics


• Digital Photography Tips


• Discovery Channel Video


• Doctor Who Podshock


• Golf Smarter


• I read Comics


• Joel Osteen


• Leo Laport - The Tech Guy


• LSAT - Logic in Everyday Life


• Make it So - a Star Trek Podcast


• Marvel Podcast


• Ragingbullets


• 10th Wonder Poscast


• TPN: The Digital Photography Show


• WNYC Radio Labs

and this is by no means a compete list - just the ones I currently have in my iPod. Aside from this, I listen to French lessons, a sexy teacher for words and more.

I find time to listen to the podcasts when I'm waiting, rarely when I'm driving - unless I find a proper speaker or interface with the car stereo, when I'm walking from one building to another - in other words, those usual time eaters that I don't notice, but do nowadays since I find time to listen during those in-between moments. I listen when I'm waiting for my next conduct.. when I'm waiting for my participants to finish their activities.

My worry is that this is seriously eating into my reading time - and yet, if I get audio books, thats still getting the contents of a particular book - but rather than read, I'm listening... which is a good thing too, since I sometimes forget my reading glasses.

Just to let you know how I sometimes multi-task (assuming focusing is not that necessary), I am entering these words while I'm listening to a podcast. How about that?

If you've not yet embraced the world of podcasts, well... in case you finally get an iPod (or some other MP4 player), you might want to give this a try. Your problem - like mine, would literally be wading through the options available - and should you not find your area of interest, well why not create your own podcast as well? Join the ranks, fill a niche... get like minded folks to join you. Me? I'm still enjoying the experience too much.

Crusaders for a better world

It is often nice to come across people who try to make this place a better world - be it by activities that help empower others, build goodwill or simply make one smile...

Well here's a site I recently discovered through a colleague - and what makes this blog even more impressive is that its set up by youths - undergraduates who seem better skilled than I in coming up with blogs or web sites. But lest I digress, its not the tehnical aspect of the site that matters (though you'll see it is nice) but the contents in it.

Its called "I Share Happiness" - and they do indeed. You can find it at : http://www.isharehappiness.blogspot.com/




Give the site a try.

Star Trek redux

Last year (as early as January) I had an entry about how I liked Star Trek - mentioning what's so good about it. At about that time, there was hardly any news about anything Trek related, and I'm sure I shared some form of frustration with other Trek fans about how this missing genre piece was a blow to the Science Fiction world.

Was it disinterest that did this? Hardly - I would like to think that it was the general direction set by the producers of Trek, and the not too keen writing they dished out for the episodes. They even tried a retcon (of sorts) with the creation of Enterprise (carefully keeping mum on Star Trek, per se... and presenting a less perfect world where Humans were still being treated by Vulcans with mistrust or condescension.

Well the series seemed to be exciting at times, yet these exciting ways were still a far cry from the intellectually stimulating stories of a franchise that had seen better days. Still... even when they decided to stop Trek production altogether, I had hopes of watching even some movie or direct to TV special, updating what we know of Trek.

Maybe I was not the only one doing the wishing... Paramount, not really wanting to release the franchise so others could try producing it, opted for a Trek film... number XI it should seem, and would bring back the focus to Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

But wait, Deforest Kelly (who played Dr. McCoy) has long since been gone from this world (soon followed by James Doohan - who played Scotty), so how would this pass muster?

Answer... it would be a retelling (of sorts) of Trek's crew for the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701) . Yes it would have Kirk and company - but stepping into these characters shoes would be a new generation of actors (and actresses).

After all, if the roles of Batman and Superman can be handled by many faces (albeit, not at once) why not Trek? But the produces know that Trek has always had a strong fanbase - some would say, bordering on zealousness - so they (the production people) were probably cautious, not wanting to anger such loyal fans. So how did they make the announcement?

They started by announcing the plans to do a movie - based on the characters of Kirk and co. When fans did not protest, they started searching for people they could include in the cast. How fares the names of the people connected to the film? For starters, the seemingly most recognized actor amongst them (by way of Lord of the Rings) is playing the good Doctor McCoy, a known actor - thankfully recognized for his role as a villain in Heroes the TV show, will play the famous Vulcan (as portrayed in the past by Leonard Nimoy) and a relatively new actor will be playing Kirk (or at least, relatively new to me - recognition-wise).

How do I feel about this? I'm glad there's a new initiative to start (revive) the franchise, but like many fans apparently, I'll be reserving the right to either love them, or hate them - after I've seen the movie. After all, if being a Trek fan has taught me anything, it's to be very patient. Until then "Live Long and Prosper"

Back to the grind...

The Christmas season officially ended last Sunday (with the celebration of Three Kings), and we just celebrated it by way of getting together, and, likewise celebrating Dict's birthday. His birthday was actually on the 3rd of January, but everyone was too caught up in their own New Year revelry activities to get together that time.

As for me, this Christmas vacation was one activity after another, I literally had to stop and decline a few Christmas and New Year reunions, or I'd find myself too fatigued with all the trips and too filled with all the rich food being offered in homes or bought in restaurants - due to our visiting overseas relatives' craving for food they have not had in a long time.

Had I my way, I would have wanted this last day to be one of pure rest, seeing as Monday would be a 'back to the grind' day.

Yup... we're all getting back to a semblance of routine - of waking up real early and going to work, braving the traffic, working our usual tasks and clocking off late in the afternoon (or early evening) to get back home in time for dinner with the kids where we could ask how each one's day was.

In a way, I'm rather glad to get back to this routine - I started to feel that I needed a break from our Christmas break. Its not our visiting relatives fault, its just all these activities were tiring - and it was not all concentrated to our visiting guests either. Adding complication to this set-up was the fact that traffic in the Metro had gotten so bad, it was better for us just to stay home than brave the malls in those few days before Christmas day.

But as we usher in 2008, what exactly did I find memorable?

For one, the fact that Barbie (my wife) had all her brothers and sisters here in the Philippines - a rare event these days, specially since half of them are now working in Dubai, and are thus U.A.E.-based, while another was recently posted in Germany. So you can imagine that this gathering was welcomed by all. Yes, it was hectic and tiring - but old acquaintances and all... it was good to see them. Whether such a grand reunion will ever happen again, who knows?... and who knows when? Not in 2008.

Included in this package was the new addition to the Suzon family - my new Godchild, Jon Gabriel (or Gabby for short), who we were all glad to finally meet. Somewhere in between, Dict got married - didn't I say things were hectic? Despite a few faux pas in said wedding and reception ; we enjoyed the experience.

What I would have wanted to have more of...

Family reunions from my family's side - granted that we're all here anyway, we rarely find time to see each other. My dad's got his own life, my mom lives outside of the Metro - about two hours drive to a province, and this Christmas rarely had us seeing each other. I'm sure I missed a few of the larger family reunions - but I guess it couldn't be helped.

I did get to ask for two jars filled with Grace's great Macapuno (sweetened coconut), which was spectacular as a dessert by itself (and possibly helped me gain a few pounds during the holidays), and enjoyed some of her cooking. This type of celebration however was cut short when her brother suddenly died right after Christmas - possibly enjoying too much of the holiday feasts. This really put a damper on my dad's family's celebration.

Barbie's family was just too large to help organize a trip to Cuenca and visit my mom, and the originally scheduled trip was postponed for one reason or another. I had to make a quick trip to mu mom on the 24th of December - to bring her Christmas ham and other items.

My side of the family finally had its reunion, of sorts, after the New Year - and it was not as complete a visitor's list as we had hoped. But at least. Things were just too hectic to do things as we wanted. I would have wanted a more complete, more organized trip - but under the circumstances, I took what I could.

I did not have time to meet friends... of which I had basically three sets - S.A.G.A., Jaycees and work colleagues. S.A.G.A. folks? Guess we were all too busy to even have the usual post-Christmas reunion dinner. So nada... zip. I hardly had time to meet Gerry, Ariel and Carlos - Deke's gone to Canada, Fred at least I got to see in his niece's birthday... but that's it.

As for the Jaycees' annual get together - I missed that too, since it had its conflicts with our entertaining Barbie's family. Office colleagues? Forget it. We were lucky to have our post-X-mas party Starbucks get together - that's it. Oh well, at least we finally saw each other - and got to update ourselves with everyone's> goings-on during the Christmas break - oh yeah, I forget... there was that bazaar we all agreed to go to.

After all that - it must be tiring to read this entry... imagine living all the details. Will next Christmas be as eventful? Hope not. I'd appreciate something less hectic, less intense, less tiring. I wouldn't mind the company - but I do mind the events happening all to close to each other.

I never bothered thinking of Christmas stress - yet here it was. Oh well... I did get an iPod nano (series 3), and Bryce did get a new memory card for his Sony P.S.P.... Bernice still believe in Santa... and Barbie got to have a get together that may - or may not be repeated in two years.

Christmas was grand, despite the stress - but you can understand why I was looking forward to working again. back to some semblance of normalcy... even if its work.

Imagine that... my preferring work to vacation. Maybe in a few months time, I'll get back to normal - and will once again prefer vacations to work. I just need to regain my breath - and try to get back to doing those things I wanted to do before the New Year came. Ah well. better late than never in that regard.

But right now... back to the grind? About time! One more week like this and I'd propbably crawl back begging to work.

Lousy Internet service

Have you ever had the experience of paying for your first-ever D.S.L. service, getting it right the first few months, then suddenly finding it difficult at times – later difficult to get a signal most of the time, and still having to pay said D.S.L. services because of a 2-year lock down on services your supposed to be getting?

How many of you are in this same boat?

My D.S.L. service falls under P.L.D.T. and for the most part – including today, the above first paragraph, specifically the latter portion of said paragraph is what my family has been experiencing this past holiday season.

Reason enough for me to write this entry in MS Word at my home PC (its currently 12 noon, January 2, 2008)- hoping to post it later should we find an internet connection that is actually working constantly, or worse, maybe I have to go to another location – pay more, just to upload this entry.

By the way, I’ve been able to insert this in 2:50PM, January 3, 2008... almost a day later. This is not just based on P.L.D.T. D.S.L.'s availability, but my availability to access it as well. After all, tehy could claim that during the times I was out, they had some service - but when you consider this service to supposed be 24x7, that can't be an excuse.

note: I would normally be in the office at this time, had I not still been on vacation leave - so even if there is currently available service, this has the tendency to degrade after office hours... when I (and possibly everyone else) need it at home.

We’ve done the usual calling up the company to report this – and we get assurances that things will be looked into… but I wonder if things really get looked into. No follow up calls telling us what the problem’s cause was, what action items were considered and if our lives are now better with said promised service now being given to us.

In many companies, this would fall under ‘not meeting Service Level Agreements’, on the assumption that service was being provided and should it not be provided as agreed upon, certain levels of remuneration to the affected party which did not receive said agreed service would be automatically in place.

Unfortunately, ‘us’ public consumers – the ones that get the cheaper D.S.L. services individually, and not through a company seem to be at the bottom of this service provider's priorities. I guess, people like us have no clout - hence are not worth worrying about in terms of (non)quality services being received.

Calls of complaints are taken, noted, and possibly lost in the shuffle between the root cause assessment process/repair considerations… possibly even placed in a folder called ‘not really worth solving’... or why bother with a folder when the trash can is just right there?

Well I, for one, am getting frustrated and its times like this that I wonder if we can somehow come up with a stronger consumer protection program to get enough clout to get P.L.D.T.-D.S.L. to fix their service. If anyone reads this and knows, let me in on how we can do just that – for I am really tired of sub-standard service being given to me by way of my rarely-accessible internet connection.

I will be posting this in here, and maybe in my Friendster account and possibly other places where I hope it can be seen by many – including P.L.D.T.-D.S.L.'s service-connecting and maintaining people.

I shouldn’t even need to do these things – yet, in a city where the reality of service seems to still be borne more from marketing hype than technical delivery of what was agreed upon, we consumers need to be able to find alternate means to get our gripes across.

If this cannot be solved due to reasons they would be embarrassed to mention, then they should at least allow us to get out of said 2-year contract – without our suffering any legal repercussions, especially since it was them that did not meet the service contract specifications.

We should be allowed to try other services – as we seek the better service that a more conscientious service provider may be able to offer us.

But this begs the question : Is there a better (in terms of service availability) and more conscientious Internet Service Provider we can possibly find?

On being a Godfather...

At first glance, one would think that I've been watching some Mario Puzo related films - or for that matter, reading his books. Nope... neither is true. What has been happening lately around our family is the fact that Bryce just received his confirmation sometime this early December; with his uncle Dict as 'ninong' (Filipino word for Godfather) , while I'm slated to be a ninong as well for Gabby Suzon - Jogie and Bernadette's first-born. This event is to happen at the 30th of December - just a day before the year's end.

So... in a month's time, I am reminded - thrice about the role of being a Godfather. Why three times? Well... December is traditionally the time for Christmas, and with that celebration comes another seeming tradition of God-parents giving gifts to their God-children. Though this latter is more commercially practiced than religiously considered.

Just two nights ago, while suffering from Christmas-related stomach problems, I had to attend a seminar about baptism - a prerequisite by the church before allowing a child to be baptized in their church. Not a new thing... just happened to attend this talk twice before (in the same church), both as parent to a child to be baptized (first Bryce, then Bernice). Now the shoe's on the other foot. I'm attending as the God-parent.

So what are the responsibilities of a Godparent (to a child)? Let me list them down:

Officially, its 1) to support the child's religious upbringing - specially when, for some reason, the parents cannot fulfil this obligation. This means bringing the child to attend mass regularly 2) making sure that sometime on the child's 7th year, he/she has been scheduled to take first communion 3) by the child's 14th year, confirmation is also scheduled

The rest of the seminar focused on the parents responsibilities, some dos/don'ts regarding the rite of baptism, some learning, some reminders... all lasting for 2 1/2 hours, as handled by a craggy old timer who had the dubious honor of defending the faith against those led astray before getting their kids baptized. It sure was funny and sometimes frustrating, as we listened to his lectures, tirades and glowing assessment of himself, his family and of course the church's practice - but then again, he was just doing he believed in, and I respected him for that. At the end, true to form - he just dismissed everyone like a principal finished with children on probation.

I would have enjoyed the talk, had it been done by someone less craggy, more reasonable and open to discussion - but at the same time, I wondered i this craggy old timer was the epitome of how the church was sometimes seen as. Old, strict, inflexible - on the surface, unwelcome - yet capable of letting people learn important aspects of faith.

Ah well... like I said, I was just glad to get out of there - not just because I was suffering from that stomach problem mentioned earlier - but because I felt that I was not learning anything new... maybe reminded a bit, but nothing new. It certainly did not enlighten me further... and I was more amused with a young couple, civilly married in the U.S., as they were seemingly amused or confused and raising their hands at certain times to question the old codger's logic - to no avail, as he was oblivious of all gestures except his own.

Ah well... the things one has to do for certain favors. This one was one for the books - maybe not the most memorable in terms of worst thing that can happen to you... but it certain deserves a place.

Apparently, one of the responsibilities of a Godfather is to suffer through lectures and tirades of old codgers who sometimes act like they're guardians of prudence against lions hungry to take it away... when in fat, these were parents wanting to bring their children into the world of Christianity. Maybe some of them were doing it on a shallow level - but their hearts, if not their minds, were in the right place.

Times like those, I'd wonder "what would Vito Corleone do?"

Bernice, my little leader

Last Saturday, I had the chance to witness the 'growing up' ceremony of OB Montessori (O.B.M.C. for short) Greenhills, and the reason, of course, was my daughter's part in it.

Just as a backgrounder, the growing up ceremony is done to officially shift the school's cub and star scouts to boy and girl scouts respectively. For the young kids group - to the older kids group. Its supposed to welcome them to greater responsibilities and challenges. So the idea is that they transform from young kids to hopefully more mature kids - somewhere right before their pre-teen phase, these scouts now face more responsibilities, not just as students, but as scouts - and by extension, model citizens.

I could easily relate to all these, since I, myself, was a very active scout during my grade school and high school days - so I know about the symbolisms in the ceremonies and their meanings.

Going back to the ceremony - I knew Bernice had a part to play in the program, namely the demonstration of setting up a tripod (three pieces of wood tied together so they can be used to stand and hang a pot on - usually over fire, for cooking purposes), and that was just about it.

To my surprise, Bernice did not just do that - well, actually it seemed like she was observing and helping in small ways during their demo, but the fact remains that she was there helping, rather than just sitting and waiting with the rest of the student body. But apparently, there were other portions of the program she did not mention to me - and to think that I was contemplating on making her skip the final practice because of my perceived small role she would have in the program - lucky for me... and her, that I did not insist on that action. Let me explain why.

As a patrol leader, she apparently had a lot of additional functions... carrying the patrol flag being just one of them. There was also her participation in the symbolical donning of neckerchiefs from their seniors (I can only surmise that these were select leaders of Boy and Girl Scouts forming the welcoming circle, and donning the neckerchiefs). There was the 'going up the stage to receive the patrol's sashes' while having their parents don their neckerchiefs on them on the stage. All in all, she had several small, but symbolic parts in the program, and I'm sure that when the pictures come out. I'll be buying a lot more than Barbie paid for... including the part where I was helping her don her neckerchief on stage of course.

While all this was happening, I asked Bryce - who was observing all these with me, what was the basis of selecting patrol leaders, and he said that it was either through popularity, or given to the brighter students, or possibly both.

I wonder if he knew that he somehow confirmed to me that Bernice was either of the three. Not that he wouldn't of course, but I can't help but wonder if there was a hint of pride and not envy in what he said... you see, on our way to O.B.M.C. Barbie asked me to talk to him about seemingly avoiding Bernice, or seemingly resenting her for one reason or another.

I may still have to talk to him... but I know that is normal anyway... after all, it can be attributed to sibling rivalries. All we (that is, Barbie and I) need do is show that we love them both regardless of accolades.

For that day, though... Bernice was one of the stars, and I was a glad witness to it... better yet, it was nice to be a part of it.

Whatever we're doing as her - and Bryce's parents, we seem to be doing it right.

My dad's 70th

Last October 11 (2007), my dad got a surprise of his life - a day shy of his 70th birthday, his colleagues and family decided to toss a party for him. To keep him from knowing what their plans were, the conspirators had to work their plans around him - and this kept going on for the better part of a month or two. The fact that they were able to do it is testament to their capabilities - and my dad's non-questioning ways.

I first learned about the party roughly about a month into the preparation, and we (that is, my wife - Barbie, and I) were asked to help make some kind of presentation for said celebration involving our kids - his grandchildren. This naturally included my sister's (Tizza, that is) kids as well... in all, four of them, made of two girls and two boys - Patty - (Tizza's eldest), Migs(Tizza's son), Bryce and Bernice.

Coordination for this was not so easy, since my sister lives in Batangas - a two hours drive outside of Manila on good traffic days, and the only way we could do it was to plan a visit to them over a weekend. Not exactly easy when your work schedule sometimes eats your weekends. But it took just one day to decide and polish their dance number... thanks to Barbie and Tizza's knack for showbiz ideas.

Call it parental pride, but I must say that seeing the kids dance was a great sight, and I was thinking that if I was feeling this way just for starters, I'm sure the audience come party time would, likewise, like what they will see. Kudos, of course has to be given to Tizza and Barbie for coming up with choreography inspired from a Vhong Navarro song. The song, by itself, had funny lyrics - while the dance was cute.

As the day for my Dad's surprise party approached, we had to prepare for Tizza and kids' sleep-over at our place, complicated by the fact that Barbie and I had to still go to work on that day, and further realizing that Bernice also had to attend afternoon practice for her Scouting.

Needless to say, it sometimes seemed more trouble than it was worth - but I can just imagine how the main organizers felt in making sure every detail was happening as planned.

As the day came, arrangements had to be made for Tizza and all the kids to be fetched using my dad's van - as they all could not fit into a car made for five at most - and definitely not designed to ably accommodate three adults, three teens (or near teens) and one kid - not to forget mentioning that Tizza and Patty are not exactly slim, so it would have been a very tight fit for a long drive, had we forced ourselves to use the car.

Besides, I was at work, so the car was not available to bring them for a much needed early dress rehearsal at the Palms, in Alabang. Still, I clocked off 2 hours early to compensate for having to fetch Barbie in her office, and avoiding the rush hour traffic. For those familiar with Metro Manila, I was coming from Gateway mall, in Cubao - rushing to Bicutan, which is all the way in Parañaque for Barbie. Then, we'd be proceeding to the Palms Clubhouse at Alabang. Just thinking about it was worrisome, and I wondered if I had done right by getting off just two hours before the afternoon / evening rush.

It was quite a trip - and I must say that, with exception to a little gridlock near the Alabang exit, I was very lucky for having avoided traffic jams all the way from Gateway to the Palms.

Upon our arrival, we saw the kids, Grace (my dad's wife and one major co-conspirator for this evening's events) and a few of my aunts rehearsing and watching last minute things being set-up.

The first thing I noticed was the presence of so many printed faces of my dad - props to be used upon his entrance, I'm later told, and a big tarpoline backdrop by the stage - which is also set up as an altar (for a thanksgiving mass preceding the party). Arching over the tarpoline is a twisting design of blue and white balloons. While the Palm's ballroom is arranged with round tables; with each table easily accommodating up to 10 people, and I counted at least 20 of these tables, spread out in the room around a wooden parquet, doubling as a dance floor, adjacent to the stage.

As the party's guest of honor arrived, everyone was instructed to stand, cover their faces with all those printed faces of my dad - so as he enters a darkened ballroom, the first sgiht to greet him, would be a surreal sight of many printed faces (all his) staring back at him. See, Grace and comapny executed well - my dad came to the clubhouse prepared for a meeting - hoping to get it over with, and possibly salvage a late movie date with Grace, a party was the last thing in his mind.

As he entered amidst the dim lights and all those 'faces' staring back at him - a video camera was filming and projecting to a wide screen thus showing his reaction, capturing every moment of his initial shock, surprise - and later, wide smile upon seeing all the gathered people to greet him.

The program then went on - with Maricris, his office colleague (and Grace's co-conspirator), playing genial host and calling on each and every presenter, speaker or entertainer.

There were recorded messages from branch offices around the country greeting him, a collage of pictures showing him in different places and ages - I was even surprised to see Barbie and me in at least one... maybe two of said pictures (was I ever that thin?), then the kids did their dance number, and everyone thought it cute - they even had a surprise second number - which I did not know of, so it was a surprise to me too - where they pulled their grandfather to the stage and share a dance with them... which he, gamely, did.

Later, I, together with my younger brother Simon gave a mini speech - citing a few anecdotes in our past, to present our dad, in what was to us, memorable experiences with him - or lessons he taught us... consciously or not. Overall, our dual skit was funny, touching and applauded.

I was the more seasoned speaker - but for this night I made Simon do most of the more poignant stuff. After all, he had lived with dad a whole lot longer... and I was generous in sharing the spotlight. I was, also, earlier exposed to speaking that same night when I read mass' first reading and led in the responsorial psalm.

The food was aplenty - the kids enjoyed, and I got to rub elbows with a few long time relatives that I have not seen for a long time. Its nice to have these reunions - more so when the celebrations are for happy occasions. Dad definitely enjoyed - and we enjoyed entertaining him for one night. He was finally allowed to speak, and he thanked everyone profusely. He also wondered how this happened without his discovering it - and he normally prides himself at discovering things... making him joke in a self-depreciating manner that he must be inept for not discovering the plot.

Overall, he did say that waiting until his 70th brithday for such a night to happen, was worth it. At his current state of health, he may easily live to reach 80 too.

Simon mentioned as part of our speech, that the reason he was seemingly strong was due to his humor and outlook in life. I'll have to agree... the old man can still beat me in badminton.

He's had a great life - despite its challenges. Surviving a collapsed lung early in life - beating intestinal cancer around his sixth decade, and he certainly continues to enjoy life and people... his co-workers really love and respect him... I'd say that he certainly is doing many things right. I might venture to say that good Karma is rewarding him.

There were many times I tried to be different from him - yet there were also many lessons I learned from him. That particular night, I was glad to see so many people loving him. I don't expect a similar celebration in my future... though I surely would like one - I would lie if I said otherwise.

That particular night, I'm sure dad felt well loved by many - and who wouldn't want to feel that? Great celebration - congratulations to the planners... and I'm glad to have been part of it - even in a small way.

Why prevention is cheaper than cure...

With a title like that, I could really go into many profound discussions regarding quality processes and how they - in the long run, help the organization save money by way of less head-aches, less meaningless changes, less reworks and yes... maybe even less loss of skills when one of their staffs suddenly leave for greener pastures. Lord knows I've seen a lot of situations, and heard a lot fo stories to talk for an entire day about this - and in my job, I actually do talk about these things.

I can even equate this title with other things - like taking the extra money to get better, sturdier containers to preserve my comic collections. You see, I used to think that the old board-type boxes were fine - that was until they got hit with flood water and termites. Yup, a very expensive lesson for me, considering that some of those comics were pricey collectibles.

Now I use plastic containers to store my collection - no worry about water, no worry about termites, and they are a whole lot sturdier too. they just cost 5x more than those boxes - but can store about twice (or thrice) as much comics per container. Good thing too, since termites seem to be less worry these days than mice (or even rats).

But what I really am here to convey is the need to watch one's own health.

Yeah, I've been bothered by the cough lately - seems not a year goes by without my getting it. Chalk it up to weather change, home and office environs, my lack of exercise and therefore a weaker stamina, my not taking my vitamins... either way, I just spent a great load of cash for medicines, and boy is it costly... specially the antibiotics.

But... pricey as they may be, it will definitely still be cheaper to follow the doctor's prescription than paying the bill for getting hospitalized - much cheaper. So I grit my teeth, bear the cost and hope for the best.

Maybe I'll start being more health-conscious too, though in some ways, I do watch what I eat, and try to catch as much sleep as I can. I just hope that my living relatively clean (I'm only a rare occasions drinker, and not a smoker) helps contribute to my prolonged health - and life.

Damn... I do hate this cough... but I guess it puts into perspective my negligence to keeping healthy, so that'll have to be the silver lining in this situation. My cough, is my body's way of reminding me that I need to slow down, or rest. I'm inclined to listen, too.

Personality test

Here's some results of a quick personality test I took just recently:

Global Personality Test Results:

Stability (76%) - high which suggests you are very relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness (70%) - high which suggests you are overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense too often of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion (53%) - medium which suggests you average somewhere in between being assertive and social and being withdrawn and solitary.

http://similarminds.com

What struck me immediately was the statement on my being too overly organized. I guess its an offshoot of my current work and family life, but I do feel regimented in what I have to do and can do, leaving little room for any 'want to do's'. Not to mean I find my life less fulfilling because of it, but I sometimes feel that I'm not enjoying it enough - or maximizing the experience enough.

I need more fun... but how to do this with out having less sleep? I mean, my work eats up a great chunk of my everyday life - I find little time during weekdays to be with my kids, and when I do have that time, it covers most of the weekened. So there goes time for me to meet up with friends and other people I've not met or seen for a long while.

Whatever happened to the fun me?

Not to panic though, I've got some fun scheduled later - a high school batch reunion later tonight. So I guess I can find some time - it just has to be scheduled. But, I guess I do miss some sponteneity as well. Maybe its time to take a break... but if I do, how will I take a break by Christmas time?

Herein lies the dillema. I'm in a work environment that demands my time, and seemingly gives little back for me to enjoy myself and my life. I need more, if I'm thinking of keeping myself chained to this time-bound scenario.

To Coach... or not to Coach..?

That is the question.

I have, of late, found myself being approached by friends and relations asking to talk to me, perhaps listen to their situations and possibly give them cusps of wisdom... perhaps even an answer to their obvious dilemma.

In reality, I may have certain opinions - and they may... or may not matter, but for some, I guess, they get to see so many things in what I do or say that tends to help them - and I am happy to help... no doubt about that. I just wish I too saw what they saw... and maybe package it - but if I do, I might lose the 'stuff' that makes it what it is... whatever 'it' is. Get it?

However, I just don't talk ahead of myself or others. I do listen, and ask clarifying questions, and I guess this helps them realize things, focus on a different dimension or outlook and then come up with a more balanced decision. I guess, this is where I help out.

Listening is, after all, a skill that surprisingly not everyone is good at - coupled with my asking clarrificatory questions and my penchant for digging-in... then making suggestions - who'd think that this was actually what comes across to some as coaching? I mean, huh? What I knew about coaching was what I normally saw in sports events - you know, the old geezer normally hanging around some young athletes, once in a while yelling at them to do better while in the middle of the game... and possibly yelling some more when the game's end is not in their favor.

Sorry if that was not a fair assumption, but it was what I saw... and understood. Goes to show what I knew about sports.

Anyway, assuming I did coach others by way of doing the thing I was doing... well, then I can definitely be a coach. I just didn't expect to be using the skills - though I have of late taught the concepts of coaching.

Practicing what I preach? Glad I found out about it too - and I am, likewise, humbled by the fact that people do approach me for help... and for some coaching.

But I still have half a mind to try to package the damn thing, and see it it can help me get rich quick. I mean, helping others is great - I just wish I helped myself more often too.

Do you have an Internet identity?

One weekend, my wife informed me of her attempt to 'Google' her name - only to find out that she discovered another person with a similar name. What's worse, her namesake had a police record somewhere in the U.S. (the Google search engine did search globally). Aside from that, zip... nada... nothing else follows.

Feeling a slight sense of frustration, she then did the same action, this time, to my name, and discovered that I did indeed have some mentionable comments in the internet - though not in a notorious vein.

Mildly surprised, and now curious, after having my wife tell me this, I did the same search - just to see what she meant, and likewise see what she saw. It was then and there that I; long time user of the PC, and advocate for the internet and its access to free information, realized that I actually had an Internet identity... something that I never came around to consciously building.

More so, this particular internet identity is not, at all, my doing... as other individuals whom I've come to have met and got acquainted with would, perhaps, have mention me in passing - either through a blog or an article they'd have written, and, thus added individually (but not consciously in any collective way) to the picture of just who 'Butch Syyap' is. Great huh? All these people unconsciously forming a picture or profile of someone.

Now, before I go any further, let me also say that I'm no slouch in being an active participant to the internet-backed virtual forums. I happen to be a 'vocal' member in avengersforever.org, a comic fan's forum. Then there's the five email addresses I maintain - of which four are personal, while one is officially business-centric, a Friendster account, plus another from Gmail, - and all this can be seen as resulting into my having a decently enough established identity in the 'net'. Guess those social networks I've joined were good for something.

Now, you see, these are all actions controllable by 'moi' so any accolades written there may not necessarily present itself in an 'unbiased' manner. After all, even if I mention all the superlatives to myself here, who'd believe it? Unless, of course, there were proof alongside such superlatives.

On the other hand - a Google search cares not for what has been written about someone, nor by whom - it covers all angles in its search... so long as it can associate your name with (or to) something. Its unbiased, and the other articles it may dig up in its search could be describing an entirely different person - and sometimes, specially if you, or your name, happens not to be as unique as you'd like to think you are, then it could be a different person. But what if its not? What if you are mentioned in a very different light? What would have to be done? Lucky for me, this was not the case.

It was definitely a surprise to see some articles - seemingly written 'ages' ago - yet still timely after all these years - and to help further mold my internet image, by populating my three blogs with past articles that I have written in several newsletters... at some latter date, that is. It definitely should help boost my Internet identity.

Here's a brief rundown of things my name search had turned up:

Avengers Forever articles - I had contributed to more than a dozen write-ups. Basically talking about Marvel heroes, and analyzing their heroic lives, I've also commented on, or analyzed key comic events happening in their universe.

AEGIS Campfire tales - a Role Playing Gamer's site, specifically built to share memorable and enjoyable feats in the world of dice thrown, paper-based games - all this while imagining a different world, and how one's character would interact in such world.

I Saw, I Speech, I Conquered - a blog by an aspiring (as of this writing anyway) Toastmaster, who then collects his speeches and relates how he prepared for each project; what feedback was given him; and what he felt about these feedback

Toasthost.org - lists out all the Toastmasters International, District (Philippines) membership - and I happen to be listed in this database.

Other than those listed above, the rest of the entries I see are no longer associated with me... so, aside from this, I, likewise, have two or three major sites to my credit - yet, since they do not mention my name, they are thus not recognized, hence, not included.

What, exactly, does this Google-search show me at a glace? What would someone's first impression of me be?

I can pass as an Analytical Writer..., I am a Toastmaster and I have been part of at least one Role Playing Game group at one time or another.

Is this good, or bad? I'd have to go with 'good' since there is an absence of anything bad associated in the list.

So... there it is. I've an internet identity.

Cool!

In an ever growing world that is the internet, this simple Google search proved I exist... and this process may, at some time in the future, be a record for historians to note; or for sociologists to analyze.

This internet identity can be a glimpse into the person I am, and can likewise be a link to who I might have influenced or left an impact with; who I strove to help or coached to help themselves.

In a weird sense - I see this internet identity as part of my legacy - and now that I'm more aware of it, I'll likewise strive to make sure it stays great. How so? Two ways... (and this is, by the way how a person with a not so negative identity can turn things around)

1) contribute more write-ups, and/or...
2) positively influence others - so should they blog about said experience that they had shared with, or listened to (talks I've given), it will come across as valuable lessons or techniques they felt worth writing or commenting about.