Mental Blabberings

But somehow I don't feel it. Maybe this christmas season is just so different from the ones I'm used to. Most probably because this one's a little more on the busy side, than anything else. And the fact that dad's not here to spend Christmas with us in the Philippines. Oh, and not to mention that I haven't been able to do my usual christmas shopping on time, because of the bloody work requirements and schedule. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and what I do. I like being able to work on something I really like -- not to mention something I've been working on since March 1st of this year. It's a project that I'm really proud to be part of, and I've been learning a lot along the way that it makes it worth my while. There are a lot of challenges of course, but these do not compare to the knowledge, experience, and insights I gain while being part of the project. I sure hope I can work on something like this in the near future, maybe in a different

How do you take the viciousness of a businessman, the tenacity of a lawyer, the sweet talk of a politician, and the logic of a computer scientist together? Or how do you find these qualities in your next business partner, wife, employee, or friend? Would you know how to look for these things in another person? I have recently been in a party of techies (organized by the Brain Gain Network ) with a mix of different personalities. It's refreshing to see the who's who of the tech scene, and the up and coming people of the Philippine tech industry. It was a night of making connections, getting to know people, and finding out a lot about business and techie culture. I sure hoped there were more people during the event, so that I could have met a lot more people than were there. I know it's good connections for me personally in terms of the career, but the prospect of finding new friends adding to the friends I already have is such a pleasant opportunity that I'd really want

I have been swamped with work these past few days, mainly because some people I am working with are people I am still mentoring, and helping develop. We get along fine, but some of the mundane tasks that require common sense and non-expert insights still need to be gone over with supervision. I'm sure they'll get it someday, but I pray for patience as I try to get them up to speed and more proficient in what they do. After all, that's part of my job as a consultant. My love has been writing again, and I really love her writing. Her being a writer makes so much of a difference between my style, and her style of writing. I for one had not been writing regularly -- at least not English, or not stuff most people will be able to read. What she does, she does almost for a living as a staffer in the UPLB paper. She's been very active in that endeavor, and I'm glad she now takes the time to do some things her herself -- like blogging, attending services with me, and the occ

I have been recently enjoying my walk towards getting to know Jesus Christ a lot better, that a lof of things have been going really great. The career is going fine, I've moved into the apartment and have settled really well, and things are looking up from here on out. I've been doing a lot of reminiscing, but I've felt that I have really gone a long way from home. I sure would have to come back to finish off the last loose end in UPLB. I would like to write about a lot of things, but right now I fear that I've lost touch with a lot of online activity, and the work has been preoccupying me too much. I would have to pick up from where I left off before I started working again, but that should happen some time next year. For now I need to make my schedule jive with the work I do, as well as make more time for rest. I might be able to write more often if and when I get broadband at the apartment -- which might take a while. CHill...

The subway sandwich shop at ATC was closed when I passed by earlier today. I hope they're just taking a break for the long weekends. They're the only healthy sandwich store I can get to from here at my new place in Alabang, and it would be too much of a trouble if I had to go to SM Southmall or Festival Supermall just for a sandwich fix. CHill...

It's the first day of the PLUG radshow here at Tuguegarao. I'm with Mike Liguit, and like most road show's we've been in, we're having a great time because of the hospitality of the people here. A lot of good things have been happening, however I don't wanna count the chickens before they hatch. I'm just really thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to be part of something that I am really passionate about. I just pray that if it should be His will, then I shall obey. Proverbs 3:5-6 still. CHill...

Are you strong enough to show your emotions? Are you strong enough to accept that you are helpless? Are you strong enough to do the right thing? Last night I had one of the more memorable worship experiences at church where for the first time, I felt like singing, dancing, jumping, and screaming. This has never happened to me while part of a crowd, which I could very much as well call family. It just feels so good belonging to a cell group of young professionals, where our concerns are very much the same, where we can relate to each other, and where we can be there for each other. Like they say, "keep the fire burning" and now I can say that I feel the burn -- and I like it. I've been very blessed for having friends and church-mates helping me get closer to the Lord. I wouldn't be able to go it alone, and it feels good to belong. You are my strong tower, Shelter over me Beautiful and mighty Everlasting King You are my strong tower, Fortress when I'm weak Your nam

Do you have a properly working Biological clock? I don't -- I sleep at 5 am and wake up at 2 pm. And that's if I'm lucky. I don't do this all the time, but I have got to get my schedules straight. I spend most of my day reading mail, reading other people's blogs, and chatting, and a better part of it hacking at my thesis manuscript which I should really finish really soon. I have yet to do the interview and worse transcribe it, and then there's the Final Exam that I'll be taking in approximately 12 hours from this writing -- for which I haven't covered all the necessary topics yet. I am now in the process of encoding and re-graphing the results to suit the manuscript -- since I will be comparing data sets, I might as well create better graphs which I myself would want to read. I will need to come up with different comparative graphs to show the effectiveness of my solution. Yes folks, from the looks of the data, MRADA works! :) I have still to show the d

I have just recently upgraded my Ubuntu installation on my ECS Desknote A530 (details at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportMachinesECS ) and I would say that people have done a really good job with this release. There has been significant improvements from Hoary, meaning much updated software, more features, and a more cohesize desktop experience. Although I'm using the Release Candidate version, I would definitely upgrade to the final release and help in the development of the next release. Kudos to the Ubuntu team for putting in all the effort into this latest release. More information at http://www.ubuntu.com/ CHill...

As I write this blog entry, I have not had an ounce of sleep since yesterday. close to 24 hours awake, and I don't know if it's a bad thing. I sure would like to be able to catch some sleep soon but I have a lot of things that need to be finished by mid-day. I don't have class today, but the following is a short list of things that I need to accomplish before the end of the day. - Interview Lynette Carpio on Radio Talk - Fill in Related Literature Placeholders in the Thesis Manuscript - Get through iterative numerical methods "on the road to passing CMSC 150" - Cover for dad while he gets car fixed - Read Mark's book in the Bible The preceding list is not by order of priority, nor are they in any particular order. They are just a few of the stuff I need to do before the end of the day. Then there is still the negotiations with MobileArts Inc. regarding the details of between our arangement. Then there's letting Yannie know that I love her at least twice to

I would have loved to deliver this speech I am posting, but unfortunately I wasn't able to deliver it as properly I could have (if I had a set of index cards to guide me). However, I hope this speech finds its way into other people's speech for Free/Open Source Software advocacy. I'd definitely love to hear about your comments and suggestions regarding this speech. Dean Michael C. Berris 2000-49526 "Free as in Free Speech" Who among you has ever used a computer? Who among you has ever used GREAT software before? Who among you has ever played computer games before? Who among you have heard of or used FOSS? Free/Open Source Software? (count the people) Just X people? Where have you been?! I would like to start off my speech by defining two key things I will be talking about. These are Proprietary Software, and Free/Open Source Software -- or FOSS. Proprietary software is software that you buy, or is sold to you. It usually comes with a restrictive "evil" e

A couple of days ago, Sept. 29 (Thursday) I was having a generally great day -- delivered a short (5 minute which became a 10 minute) persuasive speech in front of a mix of techie and non-techie people which went really bad with my lack of guidance (i.e. I had no index cards with me). That was good enough for me because I personally have been talking about Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for the past 3 years, I should be able to handle that even without a prepared speech -- which I barely did. It was a lively discussion at 9:30 am, which got my day started real nice. Up next was me seeing Yannie for lunch before I headed for Mandaluyong for the PLUG Board Meeting to which I was invited to be a part of (the meeting, not the board. ;) ). There was something bothering Yannie, which she didn't tell me about yet -- but which I promised her I would ignore for the rest of the day. Now I think I'd like to know what was bothering her. On the way to Mandaluyong the phone ran out of

Yesterday, I got through the Thesis Presentation which I so needed to do, to get the panel's nod and finally move on with the writing of the Thesis Manuscript. I submitted a condensed version of the manuscript containing only the relevant information worth presenting -- which are the encouraging findings nonetheless. I also did a short presentation on Beowulf clusters, and the experiments I've run with regards to the cluster. I had a generally great time having Yannie there at the presentation. I really appreciate her taking the time to go to my presentation and sit there while I ramble on about things she most probably have just heard for the first time. I didn't expect her to understand a single thing I said, but I am very very appreciative of her support. Yesterday I also found a favorite verse in the Bible which I now vow live by for the rest of my life. It goes a little something like this: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In

I woke up with a major smile in my face knowing that last night I was able to complete the condensed version of my thesis manuscript for tomorrow's presentation. I am very very thankful about it, even though I wasn't able to attend my 1 pm laboratory class because of a major chemical imbalance induced by three straight days of not being able to sleep correctly. However, all that was worth it because I have something to show for my troubles. I've managed to condense a 49 page (and growing) document into 6 pages. These six pages cover the introduction, the theoretical background, and the methodology used for the thesis. The next 4 pages are dedicated to the results & discussion, conclusions, recommendations, and references which brings up the total of the number of pages to 10. Oh, this is single spaced with a font size of 12 (IIRC) using OpenOffice.org 2.0 (beta). It just feels really great to be able to accomplish something you've worked so hard for. Tomorrow, I hav

I have just found out a couple of days ago that the hibernate function of this laptop (ECS Desknote A530) is fully supported by Ubuntu Hoary Hedgehog (Ubuntu 5.04). I now can just tell it to hibernate instead of shut down to avoid having to heal with a 3 minute boot sequence -- which is realy unacceptable, but nonetheless worth it in Ubuntu -- all the time. Thanks to the wonderful developers of this distribution, I can say that "my laptop works!" to some extent. I just have to get the wifi and "resume" functionality working so that there would be truth to the statement. I don't plan on making my internal modem working (again) since I already have broadband internet service at home. CHill... :D

Have you ever noticed the days when you're most productive? I have noticed that of all the days in the week, I am most productive (in anything that I do) on Fridays. Maybe it's because of the crunch of the thought that it's the end of the week and that I should be accomplishing the most stuff at the end. Sometimes though, it just happens and Friday is really just a very very productive day for me. For one thing, a lot of things happen on a Friday granted that I don't have classes scheduled on Fridays -- but there's work, life, and the open source community. Firday around 5 pm, I got an SMS from Marvin Pascual, the president of the Philippine Linux Users Group (PLUG) inviting me to join the IRC meeting at #plug in irc.free.net.ph. So I got online, and low and behold there's majority of the PLUG Board, and a lot of potential candidates for the next Board. So then we go about discussing the issues with regards to the organization, and I've raised a couple of i

CHill... :D

There's something about talking in front of people that gets me up and giddy. I seem to be most fulfilled when I share the knowledge with others. It feels like I was meant to do this. But then I also have this passion for programming -- which I barely consider a job any more than I consider eating a necessity. I just somehow need to get these two things together -- talking in front of people and programming. The love life is so alive, I've wondered why it never felt like this before -- EVER. It's like my notion of love has completely changed, thanks to Yannie. I've never thought love could ever feel so good. I really feel so blessed by having Yannie in my life. For this, I am eternally grateful to the Lord. :D The past few days has been filled with oh so many opportunities and possibilities that I feel so very much valued and needed. I am very very thankful to Calen and Butch for having confidence in me and my skills -- which helps me have confidence in myself. Sometime

I just came home and got settled after a great day at the Dusit Hotel Nikko in Makati. I really had a great time talking in front of a small group of people (around 20 or 30 tops) about Beowulf clusters, where most of the attention was focused on the reasoning behind, and the technical aspects of building a Beowulf Cluster. I'm glad to see that people are really interested in this technology, and would very much like to work with clusters more in my career (or whatever else is ahead of me). As far as I can say, LinuxWorld 2005 is beginning to look more and more like a success not for me only, but for the organizers and also the participants. I will be expecting emails and questions regarding how to setup and maintain (and even program) a beowulf cluster from the group soon, but more importantly I'm most interested in the possiblity of working with a Beowulf cluster in the near future. There are some organizations that I would like to get in touch with regarding the possibility

The past few days have been really hectic. With my sister giving birth, and me having to work and study at the same time, worrying about the many things that I have to do, I have found an ally in God, and in the two new tools I really use: Ta-da and Backpackit (thanks to Sacha and Planner Mode). I just really have a new perspective into organizing the things I need to do, and somehow time management seems like so much fun again. A couple days ago I had a talk with my former nanny... She had been living the christian life, and I have had shared with her my walk with Christ. I had such a really joyful moment, something that I had been missing for a long while. I would really have wanted to talk to her more -- I had been learning a lot about God's power, and he will of man being not enough for our salvation. But then I don't have all the time in the world, and I also need to work hard because my sister just gave birth. I know she and my dad needs all the help I can give them. An

Yesterday (a lot earlier, around say, 12 hours ago or more), I talked in front of a crowd of easily 60 people regarding Beowulf Clusters . I had such a great time, and real interest from the students that I got to talking for more than the alloted time -- I got carried away! :D I know I should time myself the next time, so that I can go on without boring everyone. Good thing I was able to get them to answer the question: "Why would we want to use a Beowulf cluster?" with a catchy "Because it's cool..." ;) That is thanks to sir Butch for his relaying the story of William Yu's talk about the same topic. I tried it, and it works. :D I think I should thank William Yu for the original idea, and here I acknowledge that I heard it from sir Butch. :D I think I should come up with my one-liners, but given that I was talking to a UPLB physics crowd, no amount of geek computer science humor could tickle the least bit off their sides. Either that or I'm just really

I have a girlfriend now, and I'm so blessed to have her in my life. Just when I surrendered everything to Him, he has been blessing me left and right with new opportunities, new people to be friends with, new relationships, and focus. I thank Him so much, and still I surrender to him everything about mmy life. Now of course, things don't come without a test. And He tests me everyday to focus on what needs to be done, and not on extraneous things -- but relationships should be everything and my relationship with God is first and foremost. It just feels a lot better that way, and I am thankful for whatever comes my way, in His will. I'm just so happy that He provides so graciously. CHill...

Switchfoot I wish I had what I need To be on my own 'Cause I feel so defeated And I'm feeling alone And it all seems so helpless And I have no plans I'm a plane in the sunset With nowhere to land And all I see It could never make me happy And all my sand castles Spend their time collapsing Let me know that You hear me Let me know Your touch Let me know that You love me Let that be enough It's my birthday tomorrow No one here could now I was born this Thursday 22 years ago And I feel stuck Watching history repeating Yeah, who am I? Just a kid who knows he's needy Let me know that You hear me Let me know Your touch Let me know that You love me And let that be enough

"Who Am I" Casting Crowns Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth Would care to know my name Would care to feel my hurt Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star Would choose to light the way For my ever wandering heart Not because of who I am But because of what You've done Not because of what I've done But because of who You're I am a flower quickly fading Here today and gone tomorrow A wave tossed in the ocean A vapor in the wind Still You hear me when I'm calling Lord, You catch me when I'm falling And You've told me who I am I am Yours, I am Yours Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love and watch me rise again Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea Would call out through the rain And calm the storm in me I am Yours Whom shall I fear Whom shall I fear 'Cause I am Yours I am Yours

That was one great weekend -- it was productive, full, and very very memorable. For starters, my two friends that I also work with spent the weekend over at my house. We had been working online for the most part, and we grab the opportunity to do a "hackfest" and be productive during some weekends. We've been able to overcome obstacles as a small group hacking at different things, eating lunch and dinner together, and unwinding with drinks. I've also taken the opportunity to snap up pics during the weekend, and have found a renewed love affair with flora. I admit though, I still have a lot to learn about photography, but I certainly would like to be able to regularly take pictures of many different things. I'm posting these photographs for the world to see. If you'd like me to try certain things with the k750i, please just drop me a line. Or if you want to get the raw 1632x1220 resolution image, please lemme know. ;) I believe the person I'm seeing (I'

It's confirmed -- but the schedule isn't yet. I'll be talking at the LinuxWorld 2005 Philippines Conference about Beowulf Clusters. If you are going to attend the event, I'd love to hear from you and get to know what you might want to know when setting up and using a Beowulf cluster. I've only done it for my thesis, but during the process I've been lucky enough to learn a lot of valuable lessons especially with regards to the installation and use of these clusters. http://linux.org.ph/events/linuxworld2005 And I'm so happy last night, words cannot express how I felt. I made progress with the person I'm seeing, and somehow I feel more at ease with her -- and I think that she also feels more at ease with me. Sentimental is an understatement for my experience late last night. I thank Him for bringing us together and letting us share moments we might never forget. Another update I'm posting is the fact that I can actually present the thesis results and

Yesterday, I went out on a blind date. I hadn't gone out in a while already, and thanks to my friend Vida I got a good excuse to spend time and get to know someone new. And thanks to her, I can't wipe the smile off my face. Of course, thanks to Him, this wouldn't have happened. For the longest time I didn't want to go out on dates because I thought it was a waste of time, and I thought it was something people with time to waste do. But I am really happy I got to know someone especially bright and great to be with, that I'm seriously considering asking her out on a date again. I just hope she wants to go out with me again. *crosses fingers* The past few weeks, a lot has really been happening thanks to Him. I've been meeting a lot of people, learning a lot of new things, doing a lot of the things I like doing. I just hope I can keep up with the blessings He brings everyday. :D I can't thank Him enough, but I know He hears me. CHill...

I just got off the phone with a textmate. I had a great time talking with her about a wide variety of things, and I'm thankful that we got to talk tonight. I had been meaning to meet her before, but had apprehensions because I didn't know what to expect or how to deal with a situation with almost a complete stranger. But after this 4 hour conversation I'd say I've been blessed with an acquaintance I can treasure. She's definitely very nice to talk to -- and seems like a nice person to be with. I had a nice time talking with her because we can talk about everything, and mainly because it's a fresh perspective to listen to someone who can I can relate with. I'd love to get to go out with her some time, and get to know her a little more. I'm not hoping for anything romantic, nor am I expecting anything else than to gain a friend who I can share a lot of experiences with. I'm looking forward to Sunday Service at UPLB. I'm also looking forward to seei

This is what happens when you pull an all nighter. Good thing I was able to finish the implementation of the remaining keyword handlers that I was assigned. I'm thankful that I did refactorings earlier on -- it made my job easier in terms of making quick hacks on simple tasks. And some people insisted that object hierarchies aren't necessary -- and that hierarchies are the root of all programming evil. Maybe it may be determined on a case to case basis, but in my case, I've benefitted from putting all the common code up to the base class, and using these common operations in the specialized class. Being able to make sections of the code "virtual" is such a life saver, I wouldn't know what to do without them now. Crunch time again, and I need to celebrate and enjoy the fruits of my labor. I might go out tomorrow night barring any major assignments from work. I'd like to be able to enjoy this for the moment -- since I don't have the luxury of sleep, I wo

Lord Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you. I can say it loud, and I can say it proud. My heart is filled with joy that after a while of "straddling the line on the sand" I can truly say this. Had I realized this before, I would have been a lot more happy in my life, more fulfilled, and enjoying it more. I was asked the question: Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God's glory? I failed to see it for the longest time -- and then it hit me. I had been blessed by God with the aptitute to program the computer at a very young age; I had been blessed by God to be able to speak in front of many people at a very young age; and I had been blessed by God to be able praise him and spread the joy through music. I owe it all to Him, and I am happy that I have realized these things. Everything for the past few weeks has been a very nice experience -- stepping closer to Him has made my life a tad fuller, more enjoyable, and making more sense than ever. For the fir

I've been reading the purpose driven life, and I keep a journal for the points that I want to be able to go back to offline. However, day 4 asks me in the end to name one thing I should stop doing and another I should start doing. It sounds like a pretty easy question to answer, but apparently I don't know which one I should stop doing. I know a couple things that I should start doing, but even those things aren't really concrete -- or "worthy". I'm getting enlightened day by day, and now I'm actually looking forward to attending service with Johanna on Sunday. I owe her a great deal for not giving me an excuse NOT to read the book by actually giving me a copy. I believe this was meant to be, and I'd gladly go along with what He has planned for me. Come to think of it, I always wanted to share knowledge -- not teach, I believe in the exchange of ideas is better than calling it "teaching". Maybe that's what I should start doing -- concentr

Thanks to my friend Johanna, I now have a copy of "The Purpose Driven Life". I couldn't wait to get through the first chapter, after signing the covenant on the first few pages of the book. And the circumstances surrounding my getting the copy of the book is eerily "meant to be". I was really on the way to the bookstore -- a Christian bookstore -- along the grove to UPLB, when at the ICS, I saw Johanna and I decided to chat her up. Before leaving for the bookstore, she remembered that I was interested in attending church service at Alabang with my workmates and that she had an extra copy of the book. So without giving me time to hesitate, she gives me the book and puts a dedication on the inside -- and now I have a copy of the book thanks to her. I believe the first few words I read from the book -- ... Before you were born, God planned this moment in your life. It is no accident that you are holding this book. ... And truly enough, I believe. After reading thro

After a long week of waiting, I now have broadband internet access at home. And from now on, I don't need to walk 2 minutes away to get my fix of the internet. I just need a 4 port switch (or something with more ports, but I don't need it yet) so that I can plug in my 2 other laptops. I might invest in a desktop someday so that my dad can use a computer here at home, but with the current circumstances, a laptop works best for me. I'm not that rich yet, so I can't buy dad his own computer. Things at the right time. I just hope I can learn to manage my time better and make better use of my available time. I can always learn to get up earlier and stay up late, but it's taking it's toll. Especially since I need to work on a lot of things (with the day job, the sideline, the thesis, and my personal life). I know I need to prioritize my day job and the thesis, but somehow the day job has been taking more and more of my time. I need to put in yet more resources cited i

I had been greeted by surprise by a lot of people: "Congratulations!", or maybe "Hello!", or even "You're Here!". But yesterday was one of the most memorable surprises of my life: "Happy Birthday to You!" courtesy of friends at work. They went out of their way to get a cake (my favourite at that, chocolate mousse) and surprise me at my officemate's thanksgiving party. The party wasn't for me, that's why it was a pleasant surprise -- one that I will cherish for a long time to come. Here's a picture of the cake and the wine... A little blurred due to the lighting and my movement -- it's hard to focus with beautiful ladies around. ;) Of course, I found one of my favorite subjects -- fauna. I really like taking photographs of living plants and capturing the magic that is life. If you look closely at the sepia treated photographs, they show green color -- maybe has something to do with the fact that the camera is digital, and c

How do other people do it? I mean, stay up late and wake up early, and manage to stay up late again? I'm beat, and I need to learn to schedule these activities of mine more effectively. Countless seminars, techniques, books, and trainings I've already gone to on time management, but somehow I feel like "I'm spreading myself too thin" these past few days and weeks. And I'd like to publicly acknowledge my sister's efforts on keeping the party going (for me and her daughter) last July 28, taking care of my guests while I wasn't there and handling the food and preparations. And regarding the pictures, I've been really wanting to put up pictures of my sisses on the site -- however I don't know if this is the appropriate place to put them. I just feel lucky that every monday and thursday afternoon, when I get out of a guelling laboratory class, I have my sisses to greet me -- and make my day. Seeing a lot of beautiful ladies at any given time makes m

Everyday, I am getting fascinated more and more by the technology literally in the palm of my hands when I look at and use my cellular phone. Thanks to the ingenuity and vision of the makers of the Sony Ericsson K750i, I enjoy the features that make my life a little more enjoyable and bearable amidst the hectic schedule I have. Like the fact that I can actually access my email from my cellphone using IMAP4+TLS/SSL?! If only it wasn't so darned expensive to access information through the SMART's GPRS network... Anyway, this is how my dad's cellphone looks like (treated at an angle up close and embarassingly personal). I wanted to see how it would turn out treated as a subject in black and white. I don't know why I feel that the omnipotence and omnipresence of anything is best captured using black and white photos. I feel that it preserves the object, but takes out the frills and color otherwise distractions to the scene. I feel that it also allows me to capture what is i

I've been dabbling with photographing almost anything around me, and a couple days ago I snapped up quite a number of pics. I know I need to improve with the photography (treating the subjects, angles, framing, etc.). So much to learn, so litte time. But it's alright, I'm patient enough (I think). Scroll? This is a black and white treatment of tissue paper and a ball-point pen on a table at home. Wasn't going for anything artistic, but I was trying to capture the details and pun of the situation. Meow. This is a snapshot of a cat poised right in front of me at our store here in Calauan. The cat grew at the store, as she was born there too. I never thought cats could be good keepers of the store. Tool. I tried to make the simple umbrella look like an omnipotent tool, and a powerful device. I think I broke a couple of rules and techniques for taking photographs when I took this photo, but I'm still learning. ;) Help! The shot makes me look like a little child

It's amazing what a 2.0 megapixel camera allows you to do. It's really something else, especially when it's the first time you actually get to own a digital camera for the first time. It stirs up a lot of emotion in me, since one of the things I've always wanted to do is snap photos of a lot of things around me. I've fallen in love with photography even with just a non-professional grade camera. And to show how much I like taking them nice photos, I'm uploading a few which I snapped up at my grandparents' estate here in Laguna. Nothing's as good as the real thing, but the beauty around was something I hope I was able to capture (for the first time using my camera). Comments on the photographs are most appreciated. Freakus Plantus -- I called this "freakus plantus" because of the way I tried to portray it in sepia filtered mode. I wanted to highlight the lines of the plant's leaves and the detail of the leaves in contrast with the backgroun

Please do check out my latest blog "mob stow" and see how you like the content. I plan on putting up more stories up there, and the comments are most welcome. If in case you want to submit stories that you want to have photo's inlaid, please contact me either through this blog or via SMS -- the new number is +639287291459. I can probably help out with the taking pictures. At any rate, if you want to be a member of the mob stow blog, just drop me a line and I should be able to add you as soon as possible. CHill...

Blogging has become so much fun with my new phone so I'm showing everyone how my workplace looks like while I work on a project at this time of day. Yes, it's a project for the day job, and the work hours and environment is getting to me. I can't concentrate (with the new phone, and with other things going on) that well, but I like my progress. You must be thinking that "Hey, it's a sunday morning and you're working?". Yes, I work during Sunday mornings. That's how much I love coding, and that's how much dedication I put into the current projects I'm working on. At what expense? My lovelife. Yes, I'm married to my job(s) -- making me a poligamist but in a productive sense (or so I'd like to think). Maybe other things might keep me going, maybe the airconditioning and the coffee I just downed a couple hours ago. That should have given me the z's, but alas they don't work that often for me anymore. I should blog a lot more often