Tuesday, July 14, 2009

How long can you live without the internet?

A question that I should ask myself more often... Well, probably quite a while... I'm an average on-line user. I can surf the Web a bit too long at times, but I have these controls over my usage. I do enjoy being incommunicado sometimes! But not forever, though... Losing it would be a trial but it could be done. I could live, I am strong but the withdrawal period would be long and painful. I never choose computers over going out with friends, I go hangout on weekends, have friends. Internet is just my favorite hobby…even if obsessive at times.

internet addiction disorder

For some like the old-timers, they can live for years without the internet. And they don't think they would have trouble giving it up. But others specially the children and teens, most of them are "weboholics" or might be having this Internet Addiction Disorder(IAD).


Some of my friends lived in an area of town where they should be out every night and every day. I’m ashamed to say how much time they spend online. They spent all day (ALL DAY) online today. Yesterday too. Friday and Saturday night. This is not untypical. It’s become a serious problem to them. They miss sleep, ignore relationships, ignore their health (think it’s healthy sitting indoors all day?), ignore their career and even school. What for? Online games. Porn. Random infotainment. There is so much info out there. It becomes so easy to get caught up in it. Now, I’m not blaming anyone but their selves. This probably points to an underlying internal problem but I think it's part of our humane nature, we are all “homo adictus”, we use to abuse from any situation that reports us pleasure and happiness in any sense. And that's because faults in our lives: affection, money, success, love,...

The more intelligent we are the more easy we’ll get frustrated and the more weird our addiction will be. People gets super specialized in comics, games, news, tech, just for putting all their time there... I have friends that have got incredible scores in MMORPGs, something unable for the most of us. That means they have a lot of skills in organization, calculation, abstract thinking, economics,... but all of these efforts were (actually they are) made in the wrong direction, they are just missing their time just because they need feeling themselves successful and forget their real problems at the same time.

The problem is not internet itself but the rest of our lives, because of the way our modern society works, and its system set of values. Its too hard be a perfect lover, student, businessman,... and its too easy get frustrated in many ways all the time.

Best of luck to all who want to make positive changes in their lives. I keep telling myself, when you’re 85 and dying, do you want look back on your life and see a computer screen?

I love the Internet and it is my passion, however on a personal level I conclude it is just the communication channel I use to get the information I need and to be in touch with my friends. It never interfered with my personal life. Being informed is my addiction.. that’s not that bad I think.

Feel free to visit this link for more information about the theme and here is also a test.

I compiled these 12 easy tips or reminders to help you out getting over your addiction to the internet...

1) I will have a cup of coffee in the morning and read my newspaper like I used to, before the Internet.

2) I will eat breakfast with a knife and fork and not with one hand typing.

3) I will get dressed before noon.

4) I will make an attempt to clean the house, wash clothes, and plan dinner before even thinking of the Internet.

5) I will sit down and write a letter to those unfortunate few friends and family that are Internet-deprived.

6) I will call someone on the phone who I cannot contact via the Internet.

7) I will read a book...if I still remember how.

8) I will listen to those around me and their needs and stop telling them to turn the TV down so I can hear the music on the Internet.

9) I will not be tempted during TV commercials to check for email.

10) I will try and get out of the house at least once a week, if it is necessary or not.

11) I will remember that my bank is not forgiving if I forget to balance my checkbook because I was too busy on the Internet.

12) Last, but not least, I will remember that I must go to bed sometime...and the Internet will always be there tomorrow!

Don’t forget to go outside. It’s a beautiful world out there!
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Monday, July 13, 2009

My Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

The list is now complete for My Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. Yehey! So, here is my list of blogs I look at when I get overly cynical and burnt out sometimes. Let's help spread the word and encourage others to participate in this year's Top Ten Emerging Influential Blogs.

My Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009


berg loves pizza
1. Berg Loves Pizza - It is not actually a food blog but a certified personal music site managed by Berg. I also don't have an idea why or what “pizza” has to do with his blog. His blog features newly released singles and albums of some foreign artists and writes what he thinks of them. You can listen conveniently aside from the embedded YouTube performances and music videos, some tracks were also uploaded already. It also provides regular doses of music news and album reviews. I check out this blog everyday, all for the love of good music. Hope he can be part of CBS community someday! You deserve a kick-ass nomination dude! hehe...


batang lakwatsero
2. Batang Lakwatsero - Online travelogue of the famous Batang Yagit in the Philippine blogosphere, now he tagged himself as Batang Lakwatsero? hehe. I only met him once in the 1st Cebu Digital Filipino Club and later realized that he was also an electronics engineering student like me. A very humble guy as well! He's now a certified licensed engineer.


focalglass
3. Through the Focal Glass - One of the most active and friendly Cebu Bloggers Society members. VanJhnn's passion in photography, I think is one of the things that rejuvenates him aside from his dogs which he nurtured them very much like his own real babies that's why he own a blog about canine dogs. He also blogs about Velez College - one of the Philippines' premier school in Medical Technology.


enjayneer
4. JAYtography - This is Jaypee's blog. A blogger from Pampanga and also an Electronics Engineer by profession. I came across his blog when I'm searching for review materials for our engineering board exam. There! And he's ready to help our fellow aspiring engineers. He is a contributor in Coconuter Community. Also, love his photography.


cebu bloggers
5. Cebu Bloggers Society - Cebu-based bloggers who are passionate to come-up with an online portal for their fellow BisDak bloggers. I highly respect them specially the active and pioneers who made the group getting well-known not just in the City but in the whole wide world via world wide web. hehe. I'm a proud member of the CBS Family! Weeh!


adaphobic
6. Adaphobic - Ada is a well respected blogger. On her personal blog she writes essentially about her experiences and endeavors. She is brutally honest about herself (I appreciate that too) and I'm sure she's also fun to be with (I wanna meet and talk with her someday!). She's into photography as well, vlogging and podcasting soon. So, watch out for that!


bryan karl
7. The ExtraOrdinary Kiddo - I'm supporting my co-blogger in CBS. Bryan is highly adept in software technology but he loves blogging more than that in fact he's maintaining four blogs as of now (If I'm not mistaken). All were designed professionally. Go! Bryan! Go!... hehe


pataygutom
8. Patay Gutom - When I first found out this site, I laughed and smiled that hard because of the domain name itself! Yeah! But when I see that they're all bunch of elite bloggers I was amazed and delighted by the foods they've posted because I also love to eat voraciously! Kudos to Jehz and the rest of the gang!


kelvinonian""
9. Kelvinonian - A commercial model and soon-to-be engineer but what stand out most is being a BatangueƱo blogger and at the same time his excessive desire in photography.


ark hilario
10. Ark Hilario - Completing the list, is my active blogger friend all the way from Cotabato in Mindanao. He just recently launched his new main site last February this year to blog seriously and professionally. Quoted from his post "...random thoughts culled from the deep recesses of my existence. I’ll also showcase here my various collections (might be junk for some) I have accumulated over the years." a worry-free thoughts and ideas to share are on his blog. The Big Ark of Noah suits his blog niche. hehe...

That's it!

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events at Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati, and Blog4Reviews.com.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

TransPortmers: Pinoy-Made Transformers

Transportmers are pinoy-made transformers. They're different from the regular transformers you know and love. Characters such as Optibus Prime, Megatren and Sembreaker can be found. Although they are just artists drawings/concept if you will, they are still interesting to take a look at as they are transformers made out of regular Filipino vehicles. I can't find the person who made these cool Philippine versions. If you can search it, tell me so I can credit these arts to him. Michael Bay you should see these... hehe. LoLs.

transportmers

barricab 


 boundary


 bumblejeep


 colorum


 kagawadzz


 megatren


 optibus prime


 sembreaker
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Thursday, June 18, 2009

1st Cebu HobCon 2009

Join the 1st Cebu Hobby Convention (HobCon) that will be held in Parkmall, Cebu on June 20 to 21! It is a two-day event that will feature the convergence of Toys, Comics, Animation, Online Gaming, Fashion, Design and Cosplay - right in the Queen City of the South! It's like an international pop-culture extravaganza! wheew!

hobcon cebu



Schedule of Activities


June 20, 2009 Saturday



Registration and Opening of Exhibits
10:00am


Call Time for Cosplayer Contestants
1:00pm


Formal Opening of the Event
1:30pm


Cosplay Competition
2:00pm


Categories (will present accordingly)
       Male Cosplayers
       Female Cosplayers
       Crosplayers
       Kiddo Cosplayers
       Group Cosplayers

Fashion Show by JPNY and ACRE International with Eloise Daniot's Accessories
5:00pm


Awarding & Closing Remarks
6:00pm


Level Up! Live Cebu Regional Schedule June 20, 2009
10:00am – 10:00pm

       Ragnarok Online
       Rohan
       Grand Chase
       Crazy Kart

June 21, 2009 Sunday

Exhibits and LU! Games Competition Continuation
10:00am


Games! Games!
1:00pm


Closing Remarks
5:00pm


Level Up! Live Cebu Regional Schedule June 20, 2009
10:00am – 10:00pm

       RF Online

       Perfect World
       Flyff
       FreeStyle

And I'm planning to wear this get-up in the event! It's pretty kewl!

best cosplay costume
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Friday, June 5, 2009

Beating Board Exam Blues

Beating Board Exam Blues is really tough! I came across several blogs about failing the board exams (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, and Link 4) but I don't have an inclination to take the least favorable view or even expecting the worst possible outcome.

beating board exam blues

I'm also reading ahead, blogs about passing the grandest and most-celebrated examination in their life! Because, we Filipinos are traditionally much concern of the licensure examination results. I wonder how do other nationalities treat or deal with these exams. How would they feel over the results if it's favorable or not?

I already started compiling some ece review materials and it gains me much confidence everyday because I'm planning to take the ECE Board Licensure Exams later this year. Also, with the help of review center like EXCEL, damn! reviewing for almost 4 hours is really tiresome. But big thanks to their respective reviewers they really know how to handle it by having fun with us like cracking green jokes while on class. Glad that I chose the right review center for me.

So how do I hold on to something that seems so unreachable? Right now, I am faced with these choices: A.) I will pass the board but still be the 'dakilang tambay' that I am now. B.) I may fail but work in a good company. C.) Or I may fail and not be employed at all. D.) I will pass the board and work with a good salary. In this scenario, I have a 25% chance of making the right choice. Quite high as it may seem. But to double check, still, the possibilities are endless. I can stop reviewing now and take the boards in October or forget about the board exams altogether. As the number of possible outcomes increase, my chance of making the right decision seem to diminish.

Ralph and my twin brother Oliver, I know we can do this with the divine help intervention. Am I just too emotional? hehe... Hope, I can still managed my tasks in updating this blog! To my mentors, colleagues, blogmates, plurkmates, offline and online friends thanks for all your words of wisdom, support and inspirations. I acted that I already passed! haha...

Normally students would act like this.

teacher students cartoon
You can check and enlarge this photo here.

You know how pretty hard our board exam is? We must obtain a passing rate of at least 70% to each four subjects! And addition to that the controversy still surrounds the ece board exam results last March 2009.

" There is a new coverage for the ECE Board Exam. It is now divided into four Parts. Twenty Percent (20 %) General Engineering, Twenty Percent (20 %) Mathematics, Thirty Percent (30 %) Electronics, and Thirty Percent (30 %) Communication. General Engineering is comprised of all the minor engineering subjects like Chemistry. In addition to that, it is said that if we fail any of these, examiners must retake the exam even if they have scored a passing mark if all of these were to be averaged. It is stated in Section 16 of R.A. 9292, released April 17, 2004, that a candidate who obtains a passing rating in the majority of the subjects but obtains a rating in the other subject/s below seventy percent (70%) but not lower than sixty percent (60%), shall be allowed to take one removal examination on the subject/s where he/she failed to obtain the passing rating. "

But let me tell you this: I have never felt this scared in my whole life! sigh. (;-_-) but still I believe in Que Sera Sera (Whatever will be, will be). Wish us luck!
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

So Many Domains, So Little Time

It started out innocently enough with Yahoo Geocities. Sad to hear that they're closing now this year but big thanks to them for helping me get another new domain which is totally free. I have couple of simple yet memorable sites there. Currently, I have 39 domains, not all of them are full webpages yet, only about 5. However, it takes time, lots of time to set each one up and Some I won't fully build for 6 months or more.
Now don’t get me wrong, some of them we are actively developing, but the majority are just sitting. Little hopeful dreams waiting to be useful.

So what can I do with all those unused (for now) domains? I have a couple of things I do with them. Some of them have finally started to earn us a very small amount of adsense money. I’ll be happy if they earn enough to pay for the domain name for another year. Some of them we turn into niche stores for my highschool batchmates. Again, it’s just a small amount of income, but every dollar brings us closer to my dream.

And some very special domains get called to service and added to the to-do list. They make the cut and get called up to the majors, to be developed into a full fledged site, and hopefully a full fledged income.

Anyone else have many domains? How do you managed them?
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Thursday, April 23, 2009

Bukidnon Trip

My 3-days short vacation in Bukidnon happened on April 21-23, it was the best summer trip so far because I was able to shoot some scenic scenes with a Sony DigiCam. It took us 4 long hours non-stop dizzy land trip to Don Carlos - a province of Bukidnon (250 Km away from our home). Bukidnon is famous with Del Monte pineapples, highest bridge and second tallest peak in the philippines.

bukidnon trip

 
Musuan Peak

  
Lake Pinamaloy

  RR Spring Resort

More photos of my summer vacation in Bukidnon Trip Gallery

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Friday, April 10, 2009

Happy Passover!

I was observing the first night of Jewish Holidays as a Noahide in a certain residence just a few walks away from our home. Passover is celebrated for seven (in the diaspora meaning outside Israel, eight) days, the first and last day (in the diaspora, two days) of which are holy days and the middle days. On the first night (in the diaspora, two nights), the events of the Exodus are relived through a ritual meal, called a SEDER, at which the text of the HAGGADAH is read. During the entire duration of the Passover, Jews are forbidden from consuming, or even possessing leavened products.

barack obama seder white houseA horseradish, slice of ampalaya and a piece of Matzah in my hand

seder passover filipino
A small of cup of red wine

The meal include its traditional foods, including matzah and bitter herbs, and feature a reading from holiday’s religious text, the Haggadah. The seder concludes the night with the traditional wish, “Hashanah haba’ah birushalaiyim” (Next year in Jerusalem).

But regardless of the faith even President Barack Obama invites friends to Passover seder . It is believed to be the first American President to host, or even attend, a Passover seder.

Obama with Family and Friends in the White House during the Passover Seder



In a small white house celebrating the Passover


Hag Pesach sameach l’culam. Happy Passover to all
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