Quaere Verum

The Raven Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.' Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore - Nameless here for evermore. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating `'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door - Some late visitor entreating entranc...

Sus ginoo! Kamahal pala ng mga librong pang-abogasya ngayon... I can't believe how much law books cost nowadays. They now seem to cost up to four times as much when I was still in school. You'd think that slim volumes would be cheaper, but even they routinely cost up to P500.00 or even more. And the thick volumes can cost up to P1,500.00. Hay naku. I wonder how "professional students" can afford the latest texts. That probably explains why photocopiers are having a heyday coming up with "authenticity-challenged" copies. The demand is just there. I'd rather save up for the real deal though. Mahirap na, baka ma-karma. :-) Oh well. Just grin and bear it... Maybe I'll just wait until the paperback edition comes out. Then again, maybe not. :-) When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes. - Desiderius Erasmus Ain't that the truth.

If you listen closely to the song Sugod by local alternative band Sandwich , you'll notice that the bass line is similar to that of the punk classic Whip It by Devo . The vocalization in the refrain is also reminiscent of the Pinoy rock classic Teacher's Enemy No. 1 by the Juan dela Cruz Band . You'll also notice that in the song Walang Kadala Dala , the rhythm guitar riff during the interlude sounds like the intro riff from the song Damaged Goods by Gang of Four . Clearly, Sandwich 's music is heavily influenced by classic Pinoy rock, punk and post-punk music. Don't mind me. I just tend to notice things. :-) Of course, I seem to be drawn to their music as well - Pinoy alternative rock with a touch of punk. Sweet. :-)

Earlier this morning, in a scene perhaps haunted by memories of last year's botched impeachment attempt , oppositions solons filed a new impeachment complaint consisting of 150 pages and signed by at least 200 complainants against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, accusing her of willful and culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust. The charges cover alleged violations ranging from electoral fraud, vote buying and cheating during the 2004 elections, condonation of illegal gambling, unconstitutional issuances, to violations of human rights. This time, it seems the opposition has learned its lessons, and is not taking any chances with alleged administration "plants" beating them to the punch by filing bogus impeachment complaints ahead of them. So what happens next? You're guess is as good as mine. With Congress seemingly rendered ineffective by stalemated talks of charter change, term extensions and such, the new impe...

A number of colleagues of mine are scheduled to take the written examinations for Career Executive Officer Eligibility (CEOE) later this morning. In case you didn't know, the CEOE is a requirement for all third level officers in government service, and serves as a replacement of sorts for the older CESO and CSEE qualifications previously required. It consists of four stages, with the written examination phase being the first. It has a reputation for being notoriously difficult. Out of the first batch of 4,751 examinees who took the tests last year, roughly only about 10% passed. I can personally attest to its difficulty. I was among those in the first batch, and I was fortunate enough to squeak through by the skin of my teeth (see previous post here ). Good luck people! Do your best, and God will do the rest. :-) Links: Civil Service Commission

Four weeks, four days, and fifteen hours after I first registered a complaint with PLDT myDSL regarding my excrutiatingly slow internet connection, I'm finally getting the bandwidth I'm paying for. It took them so long to fix it that it all feels so surreal...like emerging from the fogginess after waking up from a bad dream. It seems so anticlimactic, especially after numerous phone calls to their 172 hotline, and emails to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). It would seem that PLDT only got off its ass when they received a copy of my complaint addressed to the DTI, a copy of which was in the possession of the technician who dropped by our house. He jokingly remarked that his unit was stirred into action when they received a copy of my complaint. I certainly didn't think that a month of lousy service was anything to laugh about. The technician even mentioned that my allotted bandwidth should be around 256 Kb...

The following is an advertisement for those looking for real estate investment opportunities north of Metro Manila. Located near SM Fairview, and fueled by rapid growth, land values in Colinas Verdes have risen more than 14% during the past year alone. Check this out if you want a piece of the action. I can refer you to a contact of mine who's as cute and cuddly as a Pokémon . If that isn't inducement enough, I don't know what is. :-) Photos to follow. No, not of the Pokémon, of the real estate, silly. :-) Seriously, please don't hesitate to let me know if you're interested. It's a buyer's market nowadays, so you really can't lose. The New Urbanism Today, San Jose del Monte boasts of one of the most prestigious urban developments north of Metro Manila - >COLINAS VERDES . It is located in Baranggay Tungkong Mangga, just at the edge of the metropolis. The community is bounded by Bulacan province on the north, by Kalookan City at southwest, and by Quezo...

This cat reminds me of a friend I had way back in college. He would always pass out on car hoods after several drinks. Too much caffeine. Not enough caffeine. What did I do? If you feel like it, check out this video my son took of one of our cats. :-)

Blue Sky Hale When do stars fade their light? Does the moon and the sun make it right For you the world maybe Like an endless storm chasing a mystery Is there hate in your heart? Does your body drop and tell you to stop Loving you or loving me When it all falls down you just sing with me Coz there’s a blue sky waiting tomorrow Waiting tomorrow shining and shimmering A blue sky waiting tomorrow Waiting tomorrow Maybe it’s all we need Oh don’t you wash away that smile You just look out the window and see the light It’s beautiful to be alive It’s wonderful to live a life The sun is sure to shine For you and me for everyone So don’t be sad it’s just the start Of a new beginning in your life Rain will keep on pouring Some things you can’t control And while the sun seems far and hard to hold It will unfold There will always be a blue sky A blue sky waiting tomorrow

I started being an AMD fan since about seven years ago. Until that time all of the computers that I have owned or built (except for a rather ancient Apple II Plus ) were Intel based. Then again, during those times almost all PCs were Intel-based. I remember owning an XT (8088) clone, an AT (286) clone, a DX4 ( 486 ) based computer, followed by a PC with a Pentium and later on with a Pentium MMX . It was in 1999 when I first built a system based on an AMD processor. The chip that I used was a 350 MHz K6-2 which plugged into a Super Socket 7 motherboard. It was not the fastest processor on the market at the time, since the first slot based Pentium IIIs and Athlons were already being introduced, but it was by far the most powerful chip in its price range. Even then I was a dyed-in-the-wool PC gamer, and my setup reflected that. Aside from the aforementioned K6-2 processor, my PC was equipped with 128 MB of PC100 SDRAM, a 32MB NVIDIA TNT2 AGP video card, an 8 GB hard disk drive, ...

I just spent the last 45 minutes or so working out, and I'm writing this post while cooling down. In a while I'll be taking a nice, refreshing shower, after which I'll probably be spending an hour so hitting my books, then off to bed. Before I went on leave, I told myself that I'll be making the most of this time and get into shape, in addition to studying. So far I seem to keeping that promise to myself. It's hard to keep in shape nowadays (unless you count round as a shape you're happy with). It always seems as if there's never enough time to exercise. Unless you make it of course. Well, I hope to hit two birds with one stone the next few months or so. If I don't succeed in the other one (though I hope I do) at least I'll be physically fit, and with any luck I'll be able to get rid of my protruding gut, hopefully before I start considering liposuction (assuming I can even afford it). Its small consolation, but like they say, health is wealth....

You Are Cyclops Dedicated and responsible, you will always remain loyal to your cause. You are a commanding leader - after all, you can kill someone just by looking at them. Power: force beams from your eyes Which of the X-Men Are You?

I've had this idea stuck in my head for some time now. If you're a regular visitor to this blog, by now you would have figured out that computer gaming is one of my main hobbies. I've been gaming on computers since I was still using an old Apple II Plus , and while I have diversified a bit by gaming on various consoles as well, I still consider myself, first and foremost, a PC gamer. All of the PCs I've built for my own use reflect this proclivity, and I get my info on what particular parts to buy from various magazines, books, and technical/review sites on the web. I've noticed that there aren't any local web sites posting really in-depth reviews of PC hardware. Oh, there are some magazines which post a couple of such reviews now and then, but most aren't really that technical, aimed more at a general audience, too shallow for hardcore PC technophiles and gamers. More often than not, the reviewers are "too nice" and don't really say if a parti...

“Well, I won't lie... Fatherhood isn't easy. Like motherhood. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Except for some mag wheels. Oh man that would be sweet!" "Anywho the key to fathering is don't overthink. Because overthinking is um.... what were we talking about? Ooh, a clown! Hehehe!" - Homer Simpson Links: The Simpsons :: Last Exit To Springfield

You Are 40% Sociopath From time to time, you may be a bit troubled and a bit too charming for your own good. It's likely that you're not a sociopath... just quite smart and a bit out of the mainstream! Are You A Sociopath? Have a good weekend everyone! :-)

I know as much as anyone that smoking is bad for your health, but lately I've had to resort to it (well, along with coffee, tea and cola) as a means of maintaining my concentration and keeping my mind alert as I read what seems to be pages and pages of text. While it does help in this regard, it doesn't really change the fact the excessive smoking can be hazardous to your health. Is there a way to get the stimulant effects of smoking while eliminating the potential health hazards? Probably not. Smoking is dangerous however which way you cut it. But if you must smoke, I recommend you try using minifilters . Minifilters are the small plastic devices you attach to the end of cigarettes which trap tar and nicotine from the inhaled smoke. While I doubt that such filters will make smoking a safe activity, it does seem to work as far as significantly reducing the tar and nicotine in every puff. Take a look: Here's a David Ross branded minifilter, fresh out of the box. Here's...

Happy International Weblogger's Day! Since the very first InWeDay was celebrated on June 14, 2004, blogging has continually grown into a social, political, quasi-journalistic, and literary force to reckon with in today's modern society. This trend still continues, and shows no sign of abating anytime soon. Technorati , the largest and most popular blog tracking service on the internet, tracks approximately 44.4 million blogs, and about 2.5 billion blog related links. That's a whole lot of bloggers sharing their ideas and opinions. And the numbers are still growing, as more and more people take to this activity. Why has blogging become so popular? While there are so many ways to answer this question, I guess the easiest answer is that it addresses one of man's most inherent needs, and that is the need to express one's self. Blogging has made self-expression as easy as logging on the internet, and with a potential audience consisting of nothing less than the entire pl...

You Are Homer Simpson You're just an ordinary, all-American working Joe... With a special fondness for pork rinds and donuts. You will be remembered for: your little "isms" and philosophies on life Your life philosophy: "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel." The Simpsons Personality Test

Low Rider War All my friends know the low rider The low rider is a little higher The low rider drives a little slower Low rider, is a real goer Hey Low rider knows every street, yeah Low rider, is the one to meet, yeah Low rider don't use no gas now The low rider don't drive too fast Take a little trip, take a little trip Take a little trip and see Take a little trip, take a little trip Take a little trip with me

Today, the Philippines celebrates its 108th Independence Day. 108 years have passed since that fateful day when General Emilio Aguinaldo waved the Philippine flag from the balcony of his residence in Kawit, Cavite. 108 years. And what do we have to show for it? An exchange rate of P53.034 to a US dollar; A population of 85.2 million Filipinos; A poverty incidence of 24.4% (as of 2003); 2,840,000 people of employable age without work (as of January 2006); A central government domestic debt of P2,167,916,000,000.00 (as of February 2006); A central government foreign debt of P1,796,472,000,000.00 (as of February 2006); An international external debt of $54,186,000,000.00 (as of Q4 2005); A trade deficit of $12,000,000.00 (as of March 2006); Gasoline at more than P40.00 per liter; Doctors and lawyers taking up nursing or caregiving courses; Citizens who would rather work abroad than stay here if given the opportunity; A growing industry in the field of answering phones and making medical t...

On September 7, 1994, a 38 year-old housepainter by the name of Leo Echegaray was convicted of the crime of rape and sentenced to suffer the ultimate penalty, death . He was the first Filipino in 23 years to be meted out that sentence after its reinstatement through Republic Act No. 7659 on December 13, 1993. Almost five years later, on February 9, 1999, the sentence was finally carried out. A series of drugs were injected into his bloodstream, resulting in unconsciousness, paralysis, and finally, death. He died at exactly 3:00 PM, the customary time of executions here in the Philippines, the hour that Jesus Christ also died on the cross. His last words were: Sambayanang Pilipino, patawarin ako sa kasalanang ipinaratang ninyo sa akin. Pilipino, pinatay ng kapwa Pilipino. Translation: Filipino people, forgive me for the crime you have accused me of committing. Filipino, killed by fellow Filipinos. Despite opposition by certain sectors to the death penalty, Echegaray's execution thr...

Solitaire is ok, but I could never figure out how to play Freecell manually. :-)

After the preceding post , for the sake of balance, here's another forwarded email this time attacking the book and the movie The Da Vinci Code . Author is also unknown. It's a bit ironic that you read all these forwarded emails supposedly defending or attacking a belief, and yet they're all anonymous. The Da Vinci Code Lie Exposed The movie "The Da Vinci Code" staring Tom Hanks, directed by Ron Howard will soon be released this year. This movie will have the potential to deceive billions of the world's population. The story line attacks the very heart of the Gospel and attempts to destroy the very nature and character of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. (Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,against the Lord, and against His anointed? Psalm 2:1, 2) Satan knows his time is about up and now he will attempt to take one of his best shots by enlisting all o...

Received the following through email. It makes some pretty bold declarations about the Church, as well as history as we know it. Author is unknown. I'm unable to validate the claims, since I'm hardly a biblical scholar nor a historian. It is quite interesting though, and perhaps you'd like to read it yourself. The fact that I'm posting this doesn't mean that I necessarily believe it though. It does however, make you think... The myth of Christ serve as well. - Pope Gregory IX The DaVinci Code is not about the humanity and divinity of Jesus. We respect and believe in him as the begotten son of God (and we are all sons and daugthers of God) but it's about the lies perpetuated by the Catholic church that started at the 1st council of Nicea. For almost two thousand years powerful religious institutions with the backing and support of the governments since Emperor Constantine had exercise arbitrary authority over the lives of i...

Two men were sitting next to each other at a bar. After a while, one guy looks at the other and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Ireland." The other guy responds proudly, "Yes, that I am!" The first guy says, "So am I! And where abouts from Ireland might you be?" The other guy answers, "I'm from Dublin, I am." The first guy responds, "Sure and begora, and so am I! And what street did you live on in Dublin?" The other guy says, "A lovely little area it was, I lived on McCleary Street in the old central part of town." The first guy says, "Faith & it's a small world, so did I! And to what school would you have been going?" The other guy answers, "Well now, I went to St. Mary's of course." The first guy gets really excited, and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you graduate?" The other guy answers, "Well, now, I graduated in ...

Sighted in a cellphone stall in Ever Gotesco Commonwealth: Do you think God uses one of these? Please pardon the blurriness of the picture, I had to use maximum digital zoom, hence the poor image quality. :-)

Can you say Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia ? I can't. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is defined as a morbid fear of the number 666 . So how is that relevant? Well, today, the date is June 6, 2006. The sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of the first century of the new millenium. 6/6/06. 666 . Sescenti sexaginta sex . This is what the Bible has to say about the number 666: Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six. - Revelations 13:18 While many associate the number with a beast , an entity of pure evil known as the Antichrist , foretold to be the bringer of death, war, disease and famine to the world, several scholars have suggested that the number 666 is merely a reference to the Roman Emperor Nero (decoded using Hebrew letters and Gematria ), who was known for his persecution of early Christians. There are even some who claim that the number 666 is a mistranslat...

Summer vacation was over and Little Johnny returned back to school. Only two days later his teacher phoned his mother to tell her that he was misbehaving. "Wait a minute," she said. "I had Johnny with me for three months and I never called you once when he misbehaved!" :-)

He ordered one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. He then carefully counted out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them. As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the people around them kept looking over and whispering. You could tell they were thinking, "That poor old couple - all they can afford is one meal for the two of them." As the man began to eat his fries a young man came to the table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple. The old man said they were just fine - They were used to sharing everything. The surrounding people noticed the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink. Again the you...

Virtual Insanity Jamiroquai Oh yeah what were living in (let me tell ya) It a wonder man can eat at all When things are big That should be small Who can tell what magic spells well be doing for us. And Im giving all my love to this world Only to be told I cant see, I cant breathe No more will we be And nothings gonna change the way we live Cos we can always take and never give And now that things are changing for the worse, See, its a crazy world were living in And I just cant see that half of us immersed in sin Is all we have to give these Futures made of virtual insanity Now always seem, to be governed by this love we have For useless, twisting of our new technology Oh now theres no sound for we all live underground And Im thinking in what a mess were in Hard to know when to begin If I could slip the sicly ties that earthly man has made And now every mother can choose the color of her child Thats not natures way Well thats what they said yesterday Theres nothing left to do but pray I...

I've finally forwarded a complaint against PLDT myDSL with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). If you're a PLDT myDSL subscriber and you are grossly dissatisfied with the service they're giving you, I recommend that you lodge a complaint yourself. Consumers like us shouldn't have to take crap from companies who shortchange us on the services they should be giving. You can call the the DTI at their hotline at 7513330, or call them directly at 8118231 local 1229, or email them at dtincr4@info.com.ph . So what happens now? I don't know. Let's see. In the meantime I'm shopping around for another provider.

I needed a break. So yesterday, on a whim, my son and I sought out the La Mesa Eco Park which I was told was located close by, in Fairview in Quezon City. Little did I know that it was only about a ten minute drive from our house. The way to the park is a bit unassuming, since you have to enter East Fairview, which is actually a private residential subdivision. Though we haven't been to the place before, it wasn't actually that difficult to locate. We traversed the main street named Marlboro street (all of the streets in this subdivision are named after cigarette brands) and after following the signs, we ended up crossing the top of the La Mesa Dam before going downhill to the park area itself. For some reason, picture taking wasn't allowed along the length of the dam itself. Of course, that didn't really deter us. :-) One of the reservoir's risers. Current water elevation. The Eco Park is situated at the foot of the dam, smack dab in the middle of the La Mesa water...

Photos taken at the La Mesa Eco Park. Full post and more pictures to follow.

I think I'm getting too highly strung for my own good. Probably the steady diet of cola, coffee, tea and cigarettes I've been on for the past several weeks. I guess all the caffeine and nicotine are finally taking their toll. But then again, how else can I keep my mind alert enough to absorb the pages and pages of text that I have to still have to read for the next few months? Well, caffeine and nicotine are the only legal psychotropic substances that I know of, and I don't think I'll be crossing over the line towards illegal narcotics anytime soon. I better just grin and bear it. A cup of hot java with a smoldering cigarette in hand can be one of the most pleasant experiences known to man. Not counting experiences while lying down of course. :-) Just as long as I don't overdo it. Anything taken to excess can definitely wreak havoc with your health. But you already know that, don't you? I just have to pace myself. I still have a some ways to go. I wouldn't b...

Check out this site: http://www.subservientchicken.com/ . For some reason, it actually works. It refuses to remove it's mask, though. :-)