A Day Called Today

Farewell Francis M.

2009-03-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a Philippine music icon bid farewell. Francis Magalona also known as Francis M died of leukemia. Francis M has brought colors to the Philippine music industry with his rap-rock music. His famous song include "Mga Kababayan Ko" (my countrymen), "Kaleidoscope", and my favorite "Three Stars and a Sun" and a lot more. Its sad to loose an artist as good as Francis M.

Farewell Francis M. Your great works will never be forgotten. Your songs has inspired us.

Motorcycles help keep you young

2009-03-04T23:39:00.001-08:00

I came across an article in the daily paper saying that researchers in Japan have discovered that driving motorcycles help keep you young.

According to Ryuta Kawashima - the designer of the popular "Brain Training" computer software, riding motorcycles help keep drivers young by invigorating their brains, "The driver's brain gets activated by riding motorcycles" in part because heightened alertness. "In a convenient and easy environment, the human mind and body get used to setting the hurdle low", he warned. "Our final conclusion is that riding motorcycles can lead to smart ageing."

I just wonder how does this differ from driving manual four wheel vehicles? One thing for sure, based on my observation that "If you are not carefull, motorcycles will keep you young because you won't grow old."

New Drivers License

2008-11-12T03:18:00.000-08:00

I finally got my new drivers license after it expired two years ago. I should have renewed it earlier to avoid the penalties. I took the written exam and actual driving. I am glad that it is over now.

Good thing is that I didn't took the shortcut with those fixers, those guys will cash you dry. I spent around 800 pesos for my license renewal. If I went through a fixer, I could have spent 2500 pesos. I really wonder why our Transportation Agency allows this kind of operations and fixers within their premises. Releasing drivers license to applicants who don't take written exams. No wonder a lot of uneducated drivers are driving on our streets. They make our streets dangerous.

A Week at Sarangani

2008-11-10T03:53:00.000-08:00

Early this week we went to Kiamba, Sarangani Province. Kiamba is more or less a hundred kilometers away from General Santos City, the Tuna Capital of the Philippines. The road to Kiamba brings wonderful experience - cruising along shorelines and mountain ridges with lots of magnificent views, rich culture of Islam and Christianity, and wonderful people.

We stayed at Lagundi, Kiamba for two nights, in my parents-in-laws house. Their house is located near the shoreline, so I got plenty of time taking shots at the beautify scenery. While on our way, I also took several shots.

Full Speed to Java

2008-10-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided to go straight in pursuing a Java career. I was overwhelmed with the opportunities that await for Java professionals. Early this month I took a course on Java programming at Oracle University. That course strengthened my shaken foundations in Java, now I am taking the next step, J2EE.

This doesn't mean that I'll leave behind my Microsoft and Oracle skills, instead I shall have a strong Java skill with a touch of Oracle and Microsoft technology skills. I am planning to get certified next year, I have to choose which to take first. Either an Oracle certification or a Sun Java Developer certification.

Last night I bought two books on Java EE at Book Sale. I'll get back to my reading routine and practice, practice and practice. That is how IT careers are, always on the go!

Back to database works

2008-10-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

One of our Oracle databases stopped working today because one of our technicians accidentally altered the registry settings while installing our budget software. I was informed late about the incident and now we can not access the database.
The database serves as a warehouse for one of our major projects. I was relieved to know that the data are still in and secured. I will restore it tomorrow. I hope everything will get sorted out before the week ends.

Xanders' Big Break

2008-10-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

We brought Xander to NCCC Mall last night for some rides and play. It's been quite a while since he got his rides. We tried the animal rides and the animal go round. The mall was not so crowded, so we had a lot of space to roam to.

This was Xander's first ride without me holding him. I enjoyed watching my son grow. He is learning independence. After the rides we went to Discovery City where there is a large play park with obstacles, tubes, catwalks and more. Xander is afraid of closed spaces but this time he overcome it. I am so glad to see him did.

While on our way, we met our former students the Simon Sisters. We stopped for a while for some chat and proceeded to enjoy the rest of the evening.

After a fun time at the play park, we treat ourselves at Jollibee and talk about our adventures.

Davao Life

2008-10-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Please visit my new blog site Davao Life. It talks about living in Asia's most livable city.

Please give me your site addresses so I can link add them in my links!

See you there!

Java Oracle Training

2008-10-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended the Java course at Oracle University Makati Philippines. The objective of the course was to introduce us to the core concepts of Java and Java development using Oracle JDeveloper tool. The course was facilitated by Santosh Ashok, a SCJP from Oracle Bangalore.

The course was tough but very rewarding. My foundations in Java are now concrete after I took up the course. I am looking forward in taking the J2EE course soon and take the SCJP (Sun Certified Java Programmer) Certification.

How to know where your Nokia Phone is manufactured?

2008-10-10T03:00:00.000-07:00

Would you like to know if your mobile phone is original or not? Just follow these steps.

Press the following on your mobile *#06# and the-international mobile equipment identity number appears.
Check the 7th and 8th numbers: ######??#######
If the 7th and 8th digit is 02 or 20 then your cellphone is assembled in China, which is known to have poor quality.
If the 7th and 8th digit is 08 or 80 then your cellphone is assembled in Germany, which is know to have good quality.
If the 7th and 8th digit is 01 or 10 then your cellphone is assembled in Finland, which is known to have very good quality.
If the 7th and 8th digit is 00 then your cellphone is assembled in the original factory, which is of superior quality.
If the 7th and 8th digit is 13 then your cellphone is assembled in Azerbaijan (I do not know where in the world is that), which is very bad quality and dangerous to your health.

Davao Under Water

2008-10-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Row row row your boat.. I think that song just fits in.

It rained so hard yesterday afternoon like there was no tomorrow. The heavy rainfall and high tides caused floods to different area in the city.

I took a taxi to get my wife from school and proceed to by some stuffs at SM Davao. The streets are heavily flooded, we can no longer see the road. The taxi I took dared to cross a street submerged in water. I kept telling the driver that that portion is low and the water is deep, but he didn't listen.

The taxi floor was filled with water. My shoes were wet (but not soaked) and so my pants edge. It was a good thing that our engine didn't fail or else we'll be stranded in the middle of a deeply flooded street.

We stopped at an elevated area to removing the trapped water inside the taxi. It was a funny experience. I hope that won't happen again. I guess the city must deal with this problem seriously.

What Happened in the Year I was Born (1979)

2008-10-09T01:17:00.000-07:00

In 1979

Jimmy Carter is president of the US

A major accident occurs at a nuclear reactor on Three Mile Island near Middletown, PA

An American Airlines DC-10 loses its engine and crashes seconds after takeoff, killing 275 people

Hurricane David kills over 1200 in the US and the Dominican Republic

Some 90 people, including 63 Americans, are taken hostage at the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran

The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan

ESPN starts broadcasting

Aaliyah, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Norah Jones, Heath Ledger, and Kate Hudson are born

Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series

Pittsburgh Steelers win Superbowl XIII

Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup

Kramer vs. Kramer is the top grossing film

Sophie's Choice by William Styron is published

"My Sharona" by The Knack spends the most time at the top of the US charts

The Facts of Life premiers

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Food Art

2008-10-08T18:50:00.001-07:00

This food art is really cool!

Davao Light Turns 60

2008-10-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Davao Lights' 60th Anniversary. The event was held at The Venue, Davao City's premiere entertainment spot. Food, drinks and booze were offered. Service awardees and retirees were recognized during the activity.

The event was great, but I noticed that something is really different. Maybe because of the absence of our late president/coo Al Aboitiz, who we dearly love, or simply because on some issues that the organization is facing right now.

However, the event was held successfully. Upon entering the party place, drum rolls from one of Davao's cultural artist groups are played. Their performance was also stunning. I think it was some sort of an eagle dance. I was carried by the drum beat number.

I didn't finished the whole program, there is still work the following day. In my experience all events that are held at The Venue always ends with a disco. I don't feel like joining the disco, maybe some other time. I got off early after I consumed my share of food and booze.

September Pix

2008-10-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

I took this shots last September 30, 2007 at the Villa Cristina Resort. I am always fond of photography. I just thought that these shots are worth posting here. Enjoy!

Two Down Two more to Go

2008-10-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I successfully delivered my ISDP (Information Systems Business Plan) presentation. My ISDP was all about our Vehicle Tracking project.

In my Networking class, we successfully implemented client-server transactions over two different network areas. Thanks to my groupmates, Kath, Leah and everybody. They configured the network devices pretty well.

Now I only have two more subjects to worry, our Operating System and Data Structures. My Data Structures subject is already a go for me. We only have to focus our efforts to our OS subject.

God's Pharmacy

2008-10-04T03:23:00.000-07:00

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body! God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just l ike the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

GIS Angels

2008-10-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

Well these are the rest of the remaining angels after the big end-of-contract last Tuesday. From my left is Sarah, Chai, Mannie (our encoders/digitizers), and Grace my Software Test Engineer.

There will be more coming next week because a new project has been approved.

Farewell Party

2008-10-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we celebrated a farewell party for our team members who already finished their contracts. The activity was full of fun and laughter, but at the end of the day I can see in the eyes of everybody that desire for another contract.

I hope they can all see their bright futures, if not in this company, in other places.

Eidul Fitr

2008-10-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Eidul Fitr. Eidul Fitr is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. We are not Moslems, so we a had a different way of enjoying the holiday.

We took the boys for a stroll and be with them the whole day playing and having fun. My Mom cooked Biko, that is sticky rice with coconut paste. In the evening we had some barbecue.

It was a fun way to enjoy the holiday.

Lenovo Y410

2008-09-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, I promised to feature my new laptop here, so here it is. It is a Lenovo Y410. This unit suits me just right. I changed the operating system from Vista Basic to XP Professional for a lot of reasons. Its specification are as follows:

Core2 Duo Intel Centrino 2.6GHz
2GB RAM
160 GB HDD
14.1" LCD Screen
1.3 M Pixels Camera
Blue Tooth
Facial Recognition
DVD RW
Wifi Ready

Rough Seas

2008-09-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today our organization is in rough seas. Due to external pressures, the company that I am in is removing a benefit that has been enjoyed by its employees for decades. It has saddened many of us. We can hear a lot of complaints and see signs of disagreements.

I understand why this is happening and why the company is taking this path. It seems to me that its really rough times nowadays. I only hope that top management's offer would be appealing and the company would be more generous in their offer. I know that the company has thought of this thoroughly that all we can do just buckle up for a bumpy ride and hope for a good outcome.

I just feel sad for the others who won't get their even shares. Its just that all of us is in our right position at the right time.

Anyway we all know that opportunity knocks at our doors. The questions is, are we going to wait for it to knock on our doors or are we going to make it knock. If you can't beat them, join them.

A Letter From God

2008-09-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

A friend emailed me this message and I thought that it is worth sharing.

To: YOU
X-te: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.

Down The Drain

2008-09-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended a workshop on Visual Basic .Net at Genetics Computer Institute. Genetics invited me on this special event that costs 300 Pesos per participant. I have known Genetics as one of the best computer institutions in Davao and in other places in Asia. In fact, I had four trainings conducted by them.

This time things are different. The workshop I attended was a failure. The facilitator failed to meet my expectations. I was pissed off when I heard wrong information like "Bill Gates bought the BASIC programming language in able to make Visual Basic". Where in the world did he got that information?

It also sting my ears upon hearing "these things are impossible to do in Visual Basic 6" where in fact I can even teach him how to do that "impossible thing" in Visual Basic 6!

The facilitator came unprepared, his examples were wrong and doesn't work at all. He can not even make a VB.NET program to write data in an MS Access Database!

I was totally disappointed that I walked out of the session even before it ends.I don't mean to brag, but I can facilitate a VB.Net workshop a lot better!

I came to ask the registrar some questions about the facilitator and I found out that the poor guy has only been teaching for two months and was not even sent to a proper training.

It was really disappointing to see a computer institute with a very good reputation is offering poor services. I poured out my frustrations in the evaluation sheet. I hope that they get the message before they go down the drain.

Time to Get Fit

2008-09-18T20:30:00.001-07:00

Loosing weight has been one of my problems. Seems like this is going to a very, very long and tough ride. It has been a roller coaster ever since - I get started with a fitness routine, then I stop, start again, and again stop, and here it is again.

Based on my last annual physical exams I have some health problems like cholesterol and uric levels above normal limits, and over weight. I really wanted to loss weight, but it seems that it is getting impossible every day.

Tomorrow I will be attending a Wellness Evaluation and Scanning by ShapeWorks. Perhaps I can find insights on how to get this weight-loss goal rolling into action.

My friend Joe emailed me earlier on a diet that helped his cousin loose weight effectively. I'll see if this works for me. I'll give it a try somehow.

Tips AND Guidelines:
No more cookies, no more cake, no more of these saturated fats.

These carbs will eventually turn into fat. Foods like sugar, white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.
are high in simple (bad) carbs. Sure, your body needs carbs,

Only
Stick to high protein/good carb/low fat foods like tuna fish (and other seafood), chicken breast, turkey, whole grains, fruits and vegetables etc.

WATER! Drink water! Get rid of the soda, get rid of the beer, and get rid of the sports drinks.
Drink around a half gallon a day, more if you can. Spread it out throughout the day, just like your 5 meals. Yes that's a lot of water, but it's that water that will give you energy and speed your weight loss.

Some high protein foods include:
Meat, Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Eggs (egg whites), Nuts

How much fat?
For fat, I can't give you an exact number of grams. Instead I can give you a percent. Approximately 25% of you daily calorie intake should come from fat. It doesn't have to be EXACTLY 25%, but something in that range seems to be the ideal amount. And by fat of course, I mean GOOD fat.

Some foods containing "good" fat include:
Fish, Fish oil supplements, Nuts and seeds, Olive oil, Flax seed oil

How many carbs?
And that leaves carbs. You factored in that you need to eat 1 gram of protein per pound. So now do the math. Sticking with the 180lbs example, that means you are eating 180 grams of protein a day.

180x4 = 720 calories. So in this example, 720 calories of the daily calorie intake is accounted for from protein alone.

You can now also factor in the 25% of your daily calorie total coming from fat. Once you factored in both the protein and fat, whatever number of calories you are left with...
those will come from carbs. Got that? 1 gram per pound for protein, 25% of the total calorie intake is fat, and everything else should come from GOOD carbs.

Some foods containing "good" carbs include:
Oatmeal, 100% whole wheat bread, Whole wheat pasta, Brown rice, Yams, Sweet potatoes, Beans, Green leafy vegetables

Alienware Laptop

2008-09-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

I got my hands on an Alienware laptop today. It's every gamers dream to have one. It's not mine, its from one of our executives. I just did some configurations so that a particular program could run on it. This is my "crowded" workplace. I'll do some re-arrangement once my new laptop arrives.

My new laptop is a Lenovo. I'll feature it here once I already have it. I heard that its still on delivery. I hope its going to be any sooner.

I used to have an Acer Aspire. My wife is using it now.

Do you think Alienware laptops looks good on me?

Vehicle Tracking Project

2008-09-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today we presented our Vehicle Tracking project prototype to top management. It was a relief to see at last that a working vehicle tracking system is finally here. It has been one of our goals to set up a vehicle tracking software in our operations. An I think this one is turning into reality.

A vehicle tracking system spells a lot of benefits to our organization including increase in operation efficiency and productivity, cut in fuel and overtime cost, better customer service and more...

I attached below a clip from our presentation.

What does it take to get you 101%?

2008-09-16T23:23:00.001-07:00

So what does it really take to get you 101%?

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here’s a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K

8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E

11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E

1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It’s the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Occupational Hobbyist

2008-09-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

I came to stumble upon a word called "occupational hobbyist" and I thought that it would be great if I spend some time knowing the lingo. I found out that occupational and hobbyist are two different types of people, perhaps occupational-hobbyist lies in between.

According to Mike Schinkel in his website mikeschinkel.com, "An Occupational [Programmer] is one whose job is something besides programming..." Clearly I can see myself in the description. Borrowing Mike’s words, therefore, A Professional [Programmer] is one whose job is programming [only].

In my career, I can say that I am an Occupational Programmer than a Professional Programmer. Although at certain times I perform like one.

The other type of people is called the Hobbyist. According to Mike, Hobbyist [Programmer]’s main objective is to learn. A Hobbyist [Programmer]’s goal is to get better at something, and is passionate and interested in learning ways than Occupational [Programmers]. This definition is interesting. I can see that I also possess this Hobbyist nature in me. I love to learn and explore and I am interested in learning new things that are not much of interest by Professional and Occupational Programmers.

Overall I can say that I am a 50% Hobbyist, 40% Occupational and 10% Professional Programmer. In my other professions, this came up:

Music - I'm a 80% Hobbyist, 15% Occupational and 5% Professional,
Photography - I'm a 95% Hobbyist, 3% Occupational and 2% Professional
Blogging - I'm a 90% Hobbyist, 9% Occupational and 1% Professional

Which side are you in?

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

2008-09-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is a story about faith and perspective. I hope you like this one.

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied... "Things aren't always what they seem".

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel "how could you have let this happen!? The first man had everything, yet you helped him," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later.

How Tight Is Your Rope?

2008-09-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

I heard this story before and while browsing a some materials in the Internet I came to stumble upon this self-reflecting story. Here it goes:

There is a story of a cliffhanger, determined to reach the summit of a high mountain.After years of preparation, he began his adventure. Only he journeyed alone, because he wanted all the glory.

He began his ascent, and as daylight faded he decided to continue climbing. Night fell. The night fell heavy and he was overcomed by total darkness. The moonlight and starlights were hidden within the clouds. There was zero visibility

He was only a fer meters away from the summit when he slipped climbing a ridge and fell off, falling at frightening speed. While falling he could only see shadow-like figures in the darkness and felt the tug of gravity sucking him down. In those anguish moments he saw his life pass before his eyes.

He thought death was near when suddenly he felt the tighting of the rope aroud his waist that tied him to a nail embedded in the rock wall of the mountain.

In desperation, suspended in mid-air he screams "God, please help me!"
Then unexpectedly a deep voice from the heaven responds: "What would you have me do?"
"Save Me!"
"Do you really think I can save you?"
"Of course my Lord!"
"Well then, cut the rope."

There was a moment of silence, then the man tighten the rope around his waist.

The mountain rescue team tells a story of a man they found frozen to death, his hands wrapped firmly around a rope tied to his waist...
HANGING TWO FEET FROM THE GROUND...

So how tight are your ropes? Would you let go?

New Groove

2008-09-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Our music team got a new groove. Jim, one of our drummers, arrived last week from Dubai. He got a 6-month performing arts contract to Dubai and is now on a 3-month vacation here. Jim’s style in playing the drums gives a new dimension to our music.

All of our drummers are skilled and talented, and everyone have their own style. Perhaps Jim’s style is one of my favorite. Jim will be back to Dubai on January 2009, but until then we shall enjoy our time playing the groove that is “world-class”.

Cool Metal Bending Art

2008-09-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

This cool art is made from recycled metal scrap. It’s nicely done that you can even use it as decorations or wine holders. I guess it takes metal bending skills and artistic talent to make this piece of art.

T-Hawk

Martel

Zorro

More sites to visit... Avatar State Amazing Davao Tribu Hagtik A Day Called Today

Love in a child's eyes

2008-09-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

A friend emailed me this heartwarming story. I want to share it with you, here it goes

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

DAD: "Yeah sure, what it is?" replied the man.
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

SON: "I just want to know.. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."
SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $10.00 ?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behaviour."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that
$10.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.
"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man.
"It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10.00 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
"Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?

Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

Do remember to share that $20.00 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.

New Stuff for the Boys

2008-09-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Xander likes to watch Hillsong's Kids Praise so we bought him his very own copy. Nathan also loves to listen to music, he also shares the fun of listening the Hillsong's Kids Praise.

We got Xander a Dragon Ball Z medallion. It looks perfect for him. Xander also calls this medallion "Bling-bling".

Still

2008-09-11T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Its Just Me

2008-09-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

A lot of things come in my mind lately. My interest in blogging and photography sparked in me once again. I am stretched out, my schedules are so tight and I still have a lot of things to do. I noticed that I no longer do what I like doing before such as reading books, programming and watching movies. My wife called me early this afternoon an asked me to go to the movies. Yeah I need that.

My head is so full of stuff; stuff that needs to be accomplished immediately and stuffs that are lagging behind schedule. I have a lot of deadlines to meet, and what am I doing now? I have mixed feelings right now, I feel stressed and tired, but at the same time I also feel excited, perhaps its because that my new laptop will be delivered to me within the week.

Sometimes I just don't understand my self. Still I want to go for more. I do not want to stop. I know that my friends and family are always here for me, and that my Lord is with me always. At the end of this day, I know that this day is still God's present for me.