Welcoming the Year 2012

2011 was filled with many important life events.

2012 is full of promise of abundance and commitment.

Shared a light meal to welcome the coming of the new year.

Growing Up

I saw this quote from a popular site for text messages. It’s worth thinking and pondering about:

Often times we hate our parents for bragging us with things we didn’t want to do..

But one thing we must remember.. we are so busy growing up.. we almost forgot they’re also growing old..

Squatters Alley, Inc.

I heard a discussion over the radio this morning about “Ways on How to Solve the ‘Illegal Settlers’ Problem.” This is becoming a real big problem  nowadays in the Philippines because it branches out to produce other social, economical, environmental and safety concerns. Just to name a few:

• Increase in system loss charges in electricity and water bills
• Higher real estate taxes
• Rise of theft, robbery and holdup incidents
• Growth of population at an abnormal rate*
• *Which is not always a bad thing, but this usually relates to heightened health-related issues

My point in this post is that people, economists, psychologists, leaders and other concerned citizens might be looking at a wrong root cause of the problem. The problem presented is just a facade of the real reason why such settlements are springing up like mushrooms. There might not be a real root cause that can be pinpointed instantly, but I think these are the root causes of the problem (not in order):

• Inconsistent local government land management laws and policies (not to mention city planning) which leads to us into thinking that local government officials are trying to lure voters into the squatter lair
• Lack of emphasis on socioeconomic development in rural areas (i.e. Better infrastructure, roads and equipment) and compromised land reform laws (wealthy businessmen have the upper hand)

There is still hope in solving these problems. It will not take just an overnight labor. It might even take a lifetime. Our kids might even live to see that day if we start now. Start with the emphasis on honesty and everything else will follow. I’m sure of that.

I love the Philippines. This is my home country and I want to be part of the solution and not the other way around.

Side-line

Ang sidewalk ay para sa paglalakad ng tao kaya nga sidewalk eh.
Hindi ito para sa mga nakasakay ng motor o bisikleta, hindi naman sideride ang tawag eh.

Be Nice Anyway

Other people think of you as a foe,

Other people think of you as a threat,

Other people think of you as a friend…

It doesn’t matter… Be nice to all anyway.

Make a Difference

JUST A THOUGHT:

Bakit kaya palaging sinasabi ng mga tao na “You can make a difference” in the life of another person?

Naisip ko lang… Hindi ba sa Mathematics ang difference ay related sa subtraction? So parang may binabawas sa buhay ng ibang tao? Ganun ba?…

Ang dapat siguro sabihin “You can add meaning to another person’s life” or “You can add value to someone else’s being.” Pero parang mahaba masyado.. hehe

Ayos ba?

“Aal iiz Well” (All is Well)

One inspiring film I’ve seen recently is the movie 3 Idiots. The storyline is simple and direct and also adds humor to how we need to view life. There are a couple of lessons I’ve learned by watching the movie. One unforgettable quote that I want to imbibe in my life was when one of the main characters said, “Pursue excellence and success is sure to follow you…” It may not mean that one would acquire riches, but I think it means fulfillment.

Also, here’s a link to a good review of the film: http://thecommonmanspeaks.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/3-idiots-movie-review/

Ulan, Ulan

Ngayong tag-ulan, maraming naiinis at naiirita dahil nga naman mahirap bumiyahe at matitindi ang trapik, at minsan wala pang masakyan. Inaabot tuloy ng siyam-siyam makauwi lang sa bahay…

Pero meron din mga dapat ipagpasalamat sa pagdating ng ulan. Marahil nga ito ang paraan ng Inang Kalikasan para linisin ang kapaligiran. Minsan kasi parang ang dumi na ng paligid at kailangan nang mamagitan ng kalikasan. Ilang araw na ring umuulan ng malakas at bumabaha na sa maraming lugar. Marami na ring nasisirang mga pananim at mga buhay na napapahamak.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=200&articleId=699456

Ako… nagpapasalamat ako sa ulan kasi…

…Hindi na ako mag-aalala na makatapak ng tae ng aso/tao sa kalye dahil nahugasan na ng malakas na ulan. Galing!

…Hindi na ako makakasinghot ng mapanghing pader o poste pag nadadaan ako sa may labasan. Ang ibang mga lalake kasi walang mahanap na banyo eh.

…Hindi kami mauubusan ng tubig dahil maraming naiipon na tubig ulan para panlinis ng bahay at iba pa.

…Hindi mahihirapan ang mga halaman kumuha ng tubig para sa mabilis nilang pagtubo.

…Hindi na nakakairita ang pagtulog at napakasarap nang kayakap ang unan.

…Hindi na matetengga ang Milo sa cabinet kasi masarap magtimpla ‘pag umaga

Ilan lang yan.. at marami pang iba. Kaya salamat sa ulan…

Google Logos

I am a big fan of Google’s creativity.

Play Les Paul’s guitar — one of Google’s Doodles.

Do-IT: Temp User Win7

At work, we have encountered this error a few times already. I wonder if it is a bug in Windows 7:

Error message: “The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded”, when logging on to Windows 7 or Windows Vista

Or a “temporary profile” is loaded after you log on to a Windows Vista-based system.

It scares the user as much as the IT support. Good thing we found these important Microsoft solution: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947215, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947242

Blog Name Change

Why the name change?

I think it is fitting to change the name of the blog from Eroplanong Papel to Ballot Box. The Ballot Box is a protected container for important things (just like our thoughts). It should be guarded with a high level of security and, at the same time, bring out valuable results.

Do-IT: Sector Clear – A SEAtools(tm) Advantage

There have been a significant rise of problems related to hard disk drives (we think). There are some units that do not proceed with the boot process and some that just keep on restarting. There are also some units with “missing files.” We concluded that this is attributed to problems with bad sectors on the hard drive. This problem is a result of not shutting down (turning off) the units properly (either by turning off the AVR or unplugging the power source).