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.

I dodged a bullet...

Before we go any further... no, I have no aspirations to let others think of me as Superman (who need not dodge such a bullet, by the way), or Batman (who has a bullet-proof vest), or Captain America (with his shield) - I don't even think I'm Neo (who can dodge such bullets in slow motion) - what I'm saying is that 'dodging a bullet' be taken as an expression to mean I avoided an otherwise possible life-threatening situation.

What am I alluding to? Simple... Last New Years' I had the unfortunate experience to suffer a sudden case of L.B.M. (for those not familiar with the acronym's use, I'm sorry - but I shall not spell it out), after which, the exact opposite happened - for the next three days, I could not even break wind.

Now this was obviously an unpleasant experience for me, and in the process, I had not even been able to enjoy a brother-in-law's birthday celebration last January 3. To add to this predicament, I had an aching back. These were similar signs/symptoms to what my father-in-law experienced prior to his having to undergo an operation for colon cancer. So you could say that I was definitely worried about the same thing happening to me.

Needless to say, I scheduled a check-up with a doctor for my problems. After one consultation, the doctor recommended I have a colonoscopy - a process where the doctor sticks a tube (with a monitor) up one's rear-end and checks if there are any problems with the intestine...possibly some blockage.

The process is relatively painless - but that is because the patient will undergo said colonoscopy with the benefit of being under anesthesia - in other words, they'd be zonked out... which is literally what happened to me... zonked out, and I must say it was a wonderful dreamless state.

So here's my experience... one moment I'm being wheeled into the prep room and they pump water into the rear - to clean up the intestines - next, I'm already in the operating room where the procedure is to be done, and the anesthesiologist gives the anesthesia to me - all while the doctors talking about trivial matters... I'm told to count up to 20, and I can't recall up to when I counted, because the next thing I knew, I woke up in the recovery room - the process done.

So what was said bullet that I dodged? Apparently, the doctors found a single polyp in my intestine - this polyp happens to be the early stage of a possible cancer - you could call it a cancer-in-the-making; one that is still in its incubation period. This polyp, had it not been detected and removed, could eventually turn into a tumor - say after three to five years, and then become a full-blown cancer.

My father, sometime during his mid-50s also encountered this cancer and had to undergo a long arduous process of therapy and cobalt treatment... same holds true for my father-in-law right now. Both processes - as per their experience, was traumatic and expensive. My dad's fully recovered, while my father-in-law is still undergoing preventive maintenance, not to mention his having a bag attached to his side, where his waste materials go out.

Bottom line, I was able to nip the cancer in the bud with the process of undergoing a colonoscopy, and the polyp taken? No worries, as it was benign. Had I not, however, undergone this process, I would probably have suffered a similar cancer five to seven years down the road. I might have suffered having to undergo an operation, and having parts of my intestine removed; going through months of cobalt treatment, and years of preventive maintenance... not to forget the cost of the entire thing, which could easily reach up to the hundreds of thousands... if not millions.

So yeah... I dodged that bullet. Thank you, God... and to the wonders of today's medical science. Some people balk at the thought of having a colonoscopy - heck, I was worried when I thought about having to undergo it, but I guess it was more a fear for the unknown (both about process and possible outcome) - but it shouldn't be something to avoid.

My friend, Gerry, says that he wouldn't do such a thing - if its your time, its your time. I disagree. If I can have more time, by way of doing preventive maintenance, then why lessen your potential life span? Why not guarantee a long and healthy life? If such can be had? Wouldn't it be folly not to take advantage of what science and technology has to offer?

Star Trek - what's so good about it?

In the '60s, a TV series called Star Trek debuted. Like many TV shows, it presented a colorful cast in terms of costumes and relatively sparse studio backdrops - the first aspect was to take advantage of color which was now visible with colored television (as opposed to the mundane grays of black and white TV), the latter aspect was for budget purposes of course - unlike movies, TV shows had to stretch their budgets. Hence the near spartan-like sets, and if some could be reused for future shows, well even better.

But that was as far as similarities would go... the rest would be uniquely Star Trek.

The premise: In the 23rd Century, humanity has reached the stars - in fact, they travel amongst the stars using Space ships - in this case, mostly having a saucer shaped front section connected to a cylindrical body, which then connected to twin aft thrusters. The crew would be mostly human - but of international in aspect... we'd have a Scotsman, an Asian, another person of African-descent, two Americans, a Russian and last but not the least - an Alien.

This presented two important premises as of its time - peace amongst the nations, as evident by these people working in harmony with each other and the concept of tolerance/exploration with whatever situations they would encounter. The series did not handle things with the usual shoot first and sort things out later - rather, it presented a view of reasoning, use of logic and the understanding through, need for and respect of diversity... in short, it was a thinking person's show.

It also, as an offshoot of its limitations, explained a few gadgets to make things easier - take for example a device called the universal translator, which allowed for everyone to understand each other, and communicate. Then there's the replicator - where food and other items were, well... copied as good as the original (and Xerox still had to shoe its face - not to mention the concept of cloning), but this allowed people to get what they need and not have to wary about scarcity. Of course the need for transport from ship to planet was answered by transporters.

Some of today's inventions are gearing towards trying to copy what Star Trek has introduced. Of course, it may be some decades in coming (and that's being an optimist) before we can fully appreciate similar devices. But we are getting there... thanks to a multitude of fans wishing to make real, what was imagined for the show.

I mention the fans... actually, Star Trek can easily be considered a culture by many - and the fans are legion indeed. The franchise (business parlance, I know) has birthed an animated TV series, four newer TV series, books, comic books, an exhibit, at least 10 movies and many souvenir items.

Am I a fan? Yes... though possibly not as rabid as others, and when i say this, I mean that I'm relatively familiar with the show, the imaginary universe it revolves around and of course some terms that have been created with the show's universe in mind. I know a lot of trivia, own a sizable collection of TV episodes, which I get to watch when I find the mood - and yes, I even have a Tribble (fans would know of what I'm talking about).

I don't have a Starfleet uniform though, nor do I have models of the ships. I don't speak Klingon (though I have a dictionary of its terms), and I may understand and remember certain episodes - though not to the extent that I could quote certain personalities verbatim. I am thankful for the actors' contributions to the universe, but I don't stalk them, nor do I try to find out every tiny tidbit about them. Oh yeah, I do the 'V' sign with my fingers and can recite the greeting "Live Long and Prosper".

I am a huge fan of the lessons it teaches - IDIC (i.e. Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations) is a prime example for pluralism and the embrace of diversity... the Prime Directive, which states the need for non-interference of a lesser advanced society for fear of accidentally destroying their unique culture... and of letting them grow naturally, of letting them go at things in a natural state - rather than jump starting them into something they may not be ready for. The use of reasoning - first and foremost, and lastly... the need for exploration, for discovery.

In the last company I came from - the group I happened to be working with happened to be Star Trek fans, and we would enjoy our discussions - back then, we would be watching episodes of Voyager, then come the next working day, we'd discuss what we watched. I can honestly say that this act built camaraderie amongst us. This extended itself to our watching Enterprise, though more likely - via CDs burned with episodes.

I still enjoy reading books about Star Trek... in fact, right now, I'm enjoying a book that further follows the adventures of one of the show's characters. I also hope that soon, we - the fans, will be treated to a new movie, or even better - a new TV series that could expand the already large universe.

Journey Mission Statement - part I

Have you heard of a Journey Mission Statement?

Its one of Steven Covey's way of helping others help themselves, by first understanding themselves better. It is also closely tied to his 7 habits... by way of 'First things First' and knowing one's self better.

Apparently, one comes up and builds up his/her own 'mission in life' through a series of questions... geared as to how one sees themselves or how one perceives certain traits.

I did mine... and once in a while, I revisit it - to both validate and update what I'd written down.

Now - in case I'll be needing to transfer machines, or in the possible chance that I would misplace said files, I've decided on placing it in my blog. So here goes...

My Journey Mission Statement:

Explore what the universe has to offer as captain of a Starship:

I see my life as a journey… an exploration – meeting new people, experiencing different and new cultures, if at all possible. I would like to think that I can meet challenges and any need for change head-on, and I see myself like a legendary Starship Captain – with the roles of leader, peace keeper, and ambassador.

I trust in what I can do, and the resources I can muster and keep the counsel of trusted and capable friends and family. I’m not afraid to make decisions that will affect my life – but I will tread a bit more carefully when it will involve the life of my family – for they should not suffer for possible mistakes I may stumble on. As would a Starship captain – who would boldly go where no one has gone before… yet making sure that all moves are calculated properly, for the lives of his crew and their family rests on his decisions and actions taken.

Build a legacy for better understanding and tolerance:

I aspire to make the world a better place, by emphasizing on improving communication and espouse better understanding of others. These can be better practiced with tolerance of what does not meet one’s norm or expectations, and the understanding of others’ viewpoints – to better realize where they are coming from – in this regard, I follow Steven Covey’s “Seek first to understand, then be understood”. That can lead me through difficult situations that could easily escalate into an argument, had I been less receptive and open-minded.

Exerting effort for negative actions are equally tiring – if not more so than positive efforts. It put one on the defensive and extra effort may be necessary to provide safety. Why bother wasting time on negatives when positives are easier to focus on – help me get inspired and in the process energize me with adrenaline and inspiration… the natural high. I would rather be living on a positive note than on negatives. Respect for others… their beliefs and their right to practice such beliefs, so long as such does not undermine another’s belief in one way or another.

Ensure my children's future as successful and independent caring leaders:

My children are my real legacy – they will endure, long after I am gone. My main responsibility in life is to give them the important lessons of wisdom – those that can make them strive for a better life, one that allows them to be better human beings – and looked upon as great and caring leaders. Independence is important and I strive to make them learn to stand on their feet – knowing full well that they are capable of whatever challenges life will throw at them.

My children will continue in this world when I am gone – they will need all the rules and guidelines that they can use in life – I can’t promise to be with them forever and at all times… I can make it a point though, that even if I’m gone, my lessons – my beliefs will continue to help ensure their safety… their living.

In this respect, I consider myself a dreamer, an idealist and leader with a legacy and responsibility to uphold. Global citizenship needs to make the world a better place to live in - unfortunately, this is not an easy task... and it will take time, maybe even generations - to help fulfil this goal.

Like any journey - it has to start somewhere, and the steps need not be grand, its going to be an experience.

So here I am, taking those small steps, that will lead to bigger steps...

Is there a Santa Claus

As the Christmas season comes closer, I once again find myself considering the role of the elusive, yet very likable St. Nick for my kids.

For the past years, my wife and I have kept the idea and presence of Santa alive and well with our kids. They have received their gifts - being the nice children that they are, and as always - Santa would just "come... leave the gifts, maybe have a bite of a cookie and some milk - then go", after all he still has to go around the world to deliver his other gifts, and he's on a tight schedule.

I wonder how long we can keep this idea alive before our kids get to suspect that we are portraying the role of Santa... how long should we keep this up?

I would like to say that I would keep it up for as long as it takes - letting my kids think and believe in Santa is important to me, since it links to their child-like innocence. Even as an adult, I secretly hope that there is a Santa Clause - even if I've yet to see him - and no, I've not seen him yet - but having watched some Hollywood films of Santa, more specifically the 'Santa Clause', I could not help but feel my inner-child delight at the rendition - if not the story - of said movie.

I hope my kids look at Santa, and remember his propensity to reward good, while serving a not so harsh lesson to the 'naughty' ones. Santa represents one aspect of Christmas - perhaps not the basic Christian or Catholic reason, but a seemingly more popular one, mainly because of his seemingly religious-neutral leanings.

Did I ever stop believing in Santa? I guess not - maybe as a teen I believed less, considering the fact that I received less gifts and none at all from Santa... but as I became a father, I took on the task of Santa, and I will continue to do this - for the sake of my kids.

Its a tradition I would like them to pass on to their own kids - should that time come.

My "inner child"

Its been said that everyone has an inner child within them. One has to wonder exactly what this means. Is having one a sign of immaturity? A lack of responsibility? Does this mean that anyone saying that they have an inner child is suffering from a case of split personality? are all these questions valid to begin with?

Do I admit to having an inner child? You bet I do. But what does this mean? The way I see it, I use the euphemism to refer to actions that I would do that are easily related to what a playful child would do. What do I mean? I learn to enjoy life - even life's simple items... after all, a child knows how to play and enjoy, so by my doing certain things that allow me to enjoy myself, I am actually letting my inner child out to "play".

As of this writing, I'm a 45 year old husband and father of two, a facilitator/I.T. consultant, a Toastmaster, a Leadership trainer, a coach to some. That sounds like anyone who happens to have built their reputation, and enjoys the trust and respect of plenty. Its my professional face.

But friends likewise know me as a role player - a game player... one that many people of younger ages tend to enjoy. If this is a doubtful consideration, the fact that many of my gamer friends (and myself included) find it hard to schedule a new game, due to the realization that we've not enough time to spare for this particular activity. Yet should we find the time, I'm sure we would either try a start game or just hang around and discuss - relive those heydays of memorable games we had the opportunity to share with each other.

Another 'child-like' activity I still do is reading comics - again, something that young teens would normally enjoy - which is about the time I got into such hobby (reading and collecting) and have yet to let go of... that is, if I'm planning to let it go to begin with.

But my inner-child attitude does not end there. I like playing pranks with my kids, my wife, my friends and yes, even my professional colleagues - harmless but enjoyable pranks like getting a colleague's company ID so I can attach it to the room's sprinkler system - thus hiding it 'in plain sight', letting a family pet dog lick my face (and letting it actually remove excessive oil from my face) then kissing my wife - who earlier obviously reacted negatively to the dog licking me... thus in the process, actually letting my dog-licked face touch hers.

The pranks or actions are numerous... and they help give spice to an otherwise droll life. It may also be the reason for me to looks slightly younger than my age (when compared to other colleagues of like age range), and it could also be a reason for me to have a relatively low stress lifestyle.

My inner-child appreciates the natural environment, and if I could run, skip and jump, I might probably just do that at times - alas, my body complains at times with these sudden urges to do such activities, and I do need more exercise... and my inner-child tells me when I need to relax because I'm too serious - so I tend to crack jokes when a colleague, upon asking a question, seems too serious. To said colleague's benefit, she pauses for just a second, then proceeds to spank my shoulder - a sign that she appreciates the change of pace I just gave her.

If I can remember correctly, one book even ascribes a person's creative juices with their inner child. Do I think this true - heck, I have of late, been writing articles of the comics I like so much and have had the great opportunity to have these articles published in a well-known fan web site. So is it a creative endeavor that can be connected to said inner-child... I'd think so.

So here's a toast (a grown up tendency - and a Toastmaster's natural capability) to my inner-child. A definite part of me. I would even further posit this part to be the creative, fun-loving part of me... one that I would probably be considered as a Scrooge, should I not have had the opportunity to use.

Hmm... that may very well be another great example right there. Who's to say that the story of Scrooge was actually a story of rediscovery - where Mr. Scrooge, and old, sorry, creepy rich man, finally found (or I should say rediscovered) the spirit of giving gifts and the joy of Christmas - a child's favorite holiday, I must add.

I'm proud of my inner-child, i wish him more happiness, more enjoyment, more discoveries to find and look in awe - it prevents me from being too jaded in a very jaded world. It gives me reason to trust, to believe in Santa Clause (yes, I still do - though its more my becoming one, and my body sure seems to reciprocate with the idea), and the Tooth Fairy (too bad all my teeth are permanent) and yes - share these beliefs with my kids.

My inner-child allows me to relate with my kids. Now... I'm off to play. 'Til next time...

How am I as a parent?

Its one of those responsibilities that sort of become a part of you, specially if you really want a family. Even with today's literature of 'how to' books, I find that my dealings - as a parent - with my kids, is mostly on the basis of making sure I respect and love them.

I also find that I am doing what I feel is right, based on experience. For example, I grew up with a strict mother who used the stick. Maybe she believed in not sparing the rod and not spoiling me... but I also grew distant of her, for the love was shared with fear. So I decided I would not spank my kids. I would reason with them - so far it seems to work. I also had a broken family - meaning my parents were separated at around the time I was around 7 to 10. So I never had the stability of a solid family... thus I, and my wife of course, intend to give my kids that stability.

Not to say they're prefect in all ways. My kids may at times be too slow to listening to me, and they're slowly getting to the teen stage - so I'll be expecting more debates and nights out. My son will start having possible social issues, with my daughter not far behind.

However will I cope? I'd better start stocking up on Dr. Phil tips... but I believe communication is key. one of the things I like about my relationship with my kids is that they relate to me as a friend and parent. They can talk to me and are open with me... at least, I hope they are.

I would want to spend more time with them - maybe share some activities together, so I try to make a point to have my weekends free for them.

I'll be needing a new aquarium stand

As stated in the title, I'll be needing a new aquarium stand soon. I use a metal framed stand - unfortunately, its been years since I've had it and its shown signs of rusting and misalignment. If I wait too long, this aquarium stand may give out from under the weight - and 35+ gallons, plus sand and some stones, is not light.

Nearly empty - with about four inches of water left, it took my brother-in-law, a helper and me to move said aquarium a few inches to one side. Of course we had to be careful or the bottom glass could crack and said aquarium would start to drip water.

Still, if this stand gives, it won't be dripping that will be my concern - more likely a small flash flood would happen in our sala.

Hope not. I'd better start saving up for a new stand first before I even consider all those other plans I thought about the last time.

My Aquarium - an update

Been a while since I've mentioned something about it, so here goes...

I'm trying to revive the old glory of a planted aquarium, but to do this I need three things:

• plants
• CO2
• lighting

Of these three I have access to the 3rd item - though it might take some experimenting to see if other bulbs will do as effectively. The CO2 will need a tank - and my mom will give me one of her oxygen tanks - the one she hardly uses, once the oxygen is spent, that is. That leaves plants - ironically the harder thing to find.

See, having plants are not that hard since plants are bing sold - its the type of plants I'm looking for that are a bit of a challenge.

I strive for the Amano-tank look. This means a natural looking tank with lots of plants, designed with a Zen-like look. One that is relaxing and wonderful to look at for long periods of time.

So far, I have some of the fishes, the shrimps and the tank. I'll be getting the CO2 soon (maybe next month) and can adjust lighting once the CO2 is installed. Hopefully, I do get to develop this real well... if its successful (or even semi-successful) I'll post a picture of the tank.

Until then, its planning and fingers crossing time.

My aquarium(s)

I've had an aquarium for the past three (maybe four) years now and up to this time, it has always delighted me with unending entertainment as a de-stress tool and a live microcosm representing a different world.

First of, I maintain a tropical fresh-water environment. Though salt water aquariums are manageable, I find that the needed extra care for water and desalination equipment may outweigh the want for keeping more colorful varieties - as salt water fishes are normally known for. Nothing can compare to their vibrant colors, but... tropical fishes aren't exactly push-overs, as there are quite a number of colorful fresh-water fishes as well. Any new hobbyist may well be better served trying out fresh-water tanks first... then when they feel more confident, and they've some cash to spend, they can consider a salt-water tank.

As for my tank's dimensions - I'm less likely to remember measurements than volume. I have two tanks - a rectangular (the basic shape) 35 gallon tank, and a 22 gallon octagonal (more decorative in nature - and covering less table space) tank. The octagonal is relatively new, not even a month old yet... and there's a story for my getting it. but more on that some other time.

The fishes I keep? Tetras - mostly for my older tank, see... I'm adhering to the size and breathing surface area rule of a tank, which states that as a general rule, the less in size the fishes, the more fishes you can put in a tank, and Tetras are rather small - averaging about an inch to an inch and a half for each fish. I've got:

• 11 cardinals... really wonderful blue and red colors
• 7 rummy noses, their face color is red - and that's the only color they have. Not to forget that their face colors are a barometer for the quality of the water they're in
• 2 ottos - don't ask me to spell out their name, its difficult to remember - needless to say, these guys are glass cleaners
• 3 albino corys - great white contrast against the entire background, plus the fact that they're... well, scavengers (bottom feeders and thus cleaners of the aquarium's sand)
• 4 Amano-type shrimps - likewise, algae-eaters / cleaners

With the exception of the Albino Corys and maybe the rummy noses - these others are hard to find these days - or if there is a shop selling them, I've yet to discover where it is. In fact, this is the reason i had to get another aquarium - so I could separate them from my larger fishes, which might eat said fishes.

Exiled to my other aquarium are the following fishes:

• 2 Marble Angels (one predominantly black on silver, the other an exact opposite in colors - and it seems that these two are a pair
• A spotted-talking catfish (no it does not really talk - more like a clicking sound
• A Clown loach - the fresh water version of Nemo (from finding Nemo the movie)

Since these guys are a whole lot bigger, I chose not to mix them with the smaller examples.

What's so good about aquariums? I get to watch the fishes interact - sometimes chase each other, hide in plants (live, not plastic ones) and this helps me relax.. and yes, relieves stress.

In fact, tonight, when I do get home - I'll relax on the sofa, watch the television or listen to music - but likewise, I will look at my fishes for brief periods of time, and enjoy watching the fishes move in their tanks.

So much for a regular try...

I kow I tried to come up with a more regular schedule in loading my musings, btu lets face it... many things can get in the way - prominent among them being a technical problem with accessing my internet at home.

Can I just say that there are times when I think our local phone and inernet carrier's service really sucks. So much for customer care. They've got this hotline (dial 171) and you're given voice mail - which is fine. It after all gets the user (or listener) to the right people - so long as you first listen to all their pre-recorded ads, and follow the automated intructions. Upon selecting the proper combination of number sequences, I get rings... then an automated response kicking in after a few unsanswered rings. First is a reminder that their technical people are busy (are they ever there?), then after another round, a less than profound appology with intructions to try again.

So, I've been trying this - on and off - for about a week now... to no avail. Crap.

So much for technology helping out. In the meantime, it looks like I'm stuck without any inernet access. I've a mind to change service providers if this obvious inneficiency continues.

How about that - my first musing... and its a rant to a telephone company. What's the name of this company? The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company.

Ice Breaker...

So far, I've had two attempts to come up with blogs - and though both are great. they lack the everyday feel of a log. They somehow evolved into handling special interest topics - not to mu initial intent, yet they did end up that way.

So this third attempt will try to emulate a more frequent entry. I plan to place more 'down to reality' postings here - trying for a more 'journal/diary' like approach. I'll try to put my daily musings here, no mater how trivial they may be - hence the title of this blog.

Minutiae (many small, if not simple) musings (thoughts).

Here's to a third try. If anything else, I get a better feel for blogging!

Cheers!

Butch