Social Networks

   Muliply, Friendster, Facebook, Yahoo Chat, Skype...is something not for the faint of hearts. It may broaden ones sphere of influence, increased the number of acquaintances, learn from experiences of another, get in touch with former classmates and more so with other friends and relatives. But the arguments and misunderstandings that sometimes come up can intensely be distressing.
   A young lady I know once said "You don't have to take things seriously. Else...". That was when I pointed out an inappropriate photo tagged to her by a male office mate of hers. (Nothing for the Censors Board to rate on or anything of the sort though). She's so spot on by what she said. Still the photo is suggestive to say the least. I can only imagine how it would be with next door neighbors who are also in the same social networking site. It's not going to be much of a problem with people hundreds of miles away apart. More if one is on another continent. Or a planet?

    Ah yes. I think I am on another planet. It's like a fiction story of a child on a planet that comes to mind. I only remember taking it up in school. And that was ages ago. Anyhow I would like to imagine being on a planet, on a world of my own. And the only line of communication with others on another world is Yahoo or Facebook.

After Burglaries What else?

   I was up in my room keeping busy. Read a book on C programming that I bought a week ago. Check emails on the old desktop, replied to new messages on Facebook, browsed for some info on the web and  blogged.

   I was expecting there would be a lull in the series of petty theft and burglaries around the neighborhood today. So after finishing up on my latest post here today, I decided to go out again to my usual hangout- the neighborhood basketball court.

    Crossing to the other side of the main road that separates our side of the subdivision from the rest I chance upon Ruben the security guard sitting by the entrance gate. I had asked him the day before to checked on another vacant property in connection with the series of burglaries we just had. Informed me on the latest whereabouts of its caretaker. Good enough development for me. What I was not aware of was what transpired that afternoon. Others whom I met by the basketball court had their own experiences to tell. 

   The way I figured it out was a group of armed men in three separate vehicles  came searching for one resident called Ricky. They closed in on one parked van with tinted glass windows near his house. Some men went out of the vehicle started shooting at it thinking the guy they were looking for was there. Fortunately for Ricky, he was not even in it and was able to make an escape by running to the basketball court. He then passed through Arthur's compound from the back entrance asking for help but did not even stopped there to hide instead went out the front gate  and disappeared. Later there were exchanges of gunfire. Ricky's gang mates might have fought back. Then vehicles were seen on a chase going out towards the main road. I was not so sure who was chasing who. Important thing was they were all out of the subdivision where children were usually out playing in the streets during the day. 

   Somebody might have called the authorities. A mobile patrol came  later. Actually very much later. What was left for them to find were spent shells and a few live bullets. Good thing though nobody was caught in the crossfire or even was run down by the speeding vehicles.  

      

   

Burglars, Neighbors and One Very Late Police Officer

   Three nights ago I was making a last minute check on my email. Mother together with my sister and  nephew were all in bed sleeping soundly by then. It was about half past eleven when I heard a loud noise upstairs. I waited for a while thinking it might be one of them who might be up and about dropping something on the floor. I should be able to hear some more even when their bedroom door was closed. There was nothing. So I went up the stairs to see if  there was something else that fell in the other bedroom. I sensed something was terribly wrong in my dimly lit room as I could see the temporarily installed  window screen already down on my bedroom floor. First I thought it could have been a strong gush of wind that caused it to detach itself from the grilled window. And that wasn't the first time it did. But then two of the four window glass panels were shut closed. It could not have been the wind. I switched on both the main bedroom light and one overhead light just outside the window. Light switch is just beside the door inside on my right. And from where I was standing I could see through the translucent glass panes a hazy but definite shape moving slowly away to the right. A burglar! Since I could not find a thing to arm myself with, the next best thing I could think of at the moment was to yell invectives at whoever that was to scare him off and hoping he would make the mistake of running as fast. There is an empty big lot just beside our residence and it's about a ten feet drop to its cemented pavement. But the only noise I heard were cautious heavy steps the burglar made on the galvanized roofing he was on. No loud thud of a falling body, no crashing of a makeshift ladder. Not even a whisper. Anyhow I shouted loud enough to wake my relatives up at the other room. 
   By now all were wide awake and at my back looking on. Adrenalins were very high as I approached the window. Carefully I strained my eye looking just outside the window grill. No one on the left, below and neither on the far right. The guy couldn't have just jumped out over the perimeter wall just out five feet from the window of the duplex apartment we were in. Besides the barbed wire he had to hurdle it would have been about another fifteen feet long jump down the other side. It would surely make a bad fall for the burglar unless he's one good stuntman to be able to do all that. 
   Well anyway my sister started to closely inspect the window grill herself after making sure the coast was clear. What she found was one disposable lighter atop on the edge of the open window panel. I saw another one on the bottom ledge with a prefabricated mini flashlight. That's when she started to get a little panicky and went on back to their bedroom, opened their window and shouted out to our neighbor for help across the street. This she did while using her cellphone calling our next door neighbor who's in the other half of the duplex apartment.  

   Everybody were out of their houses by now. Except for 2 or 3, everyone else were holding something to arm themselves with. My sister and I with heavy expansion rods for shower curtains which were still unused. One neighbor had a machete. My nephew was on our regular phone inside still calling the police station. 
   A police car finally arrived half an hour after. It seemed longer. One lone officer that's it. As he alighted from his vehicle, he pulled out from his back pocket a penlight. I got a bigger flashlight. As always the case the officer asked us for more info. After, he decided to go for the vacant lot which had incidentally a high bricked fence put up by the owner and which can be accessed only through a small side steel door. Pulled out his 45 caliber and went in cautiously through that door. A neighbor who just arrived a few minutes before and I followed him in. The place was really big. They say there use to be a large structure built on that lot. Now there are only some wild undergrowth  scattered on the far side of the property. Still it was dark. We scoured the area finding nothing. The burglar or burglars could have escaped over the adjacent wall. Just their luck I guess. Someday they'll get caught. This was not the first attempted burglary in the neighborhood. 
   In recent months there were a handful of cases already. Some thieves were successful getting their loot. Just like the one in the corner of Sapphire and Emerald at the other part of the subdivision. A cellphone and one laptop were among the things that were stolen from inside the residence. The owner's big dog inside wasn't even heard barking. The burglar even left a cigarette lit on an ashtray.
   Back to what had just transpired and after that crazy little adventure in the vacant lot, I led the officer inside and up my bedroom where the attempted burglary was made. Showed him the window screen still beside the wall and the lighters my sister and I found. After some minor inspection, he suggested that I go to the police station to file a complaint. That I politely turned down but instead just gave him my name and address telling him it was rather useless to make a formal complaint anyway. Besides I got my own kins to worry about that moment. Expressed my appreciation for the assistance though. Then he left.
   That following day I made my way to the subdivision's multipurpose hall to report the matter. There I met Arthur, the homeowners' association official. He was already informed of the incident. So anyway I still went on to tell him the whole story in detail since I was the one who actually witness the whole thing. Then together with another resident, the subdivision's security guard came to approach us saying he caught one kid that very moment ransacking a temporary shelter a few yards away from where we were. The owner of that wooden shelter was out working trying to earn a few bucks in some isolated mountainous area in the province. Jerrick is the owner. And boy was he really furious when we called him by cellphone about it. In a short while the young thief who was about maybe 14 years old was taken to the village station by Arthur and the guard. It was only about an hour after that another lady resident reported  an attempted burglary the very same time we had that night. Another household help who is staying in a house next to
the lady resident came out telling us their bicycle was found missing that very morning. And long after in early evening that day, again another neighbor came telling us he saw someone jump out of their own front yard's fence when he heard a noise that night.  All in all there were five burglaries. Four failed. One got a new bike probably to escape with.  

Cafe Latte and My Gout

   At last I was able to go and see a close relative of mine in his own newly rented apartment. He's now married with four kids of his own. It seemed not too long ago that I would then go fetch little James together with his twin brother from school and bring him back to their parent's house. On some weekends either both twins or James alone get to stay in our own house. Couldn't recall though how it was when they were in our place. But I am sure he brought a kind of renewed vigor in our family. 
    Now James very much a responsible parent himself almost always finds a way to spend time with us on important occasions- Christmas or New Year's day, Dad's and Mom's birthday, other special events. Even spent a few days at my Dad's wake who by the way he treated like his own grandfather.
    Why I visited him was also to take a look at a computer he bought a year ago. More than twice he did asked for help before that. The first time was when he noticed it started to take a rather slow time to boot up and open. This was when I passed by his work. A small but cozy fine restaurant where good food is served. Their latte I find just right too. James is a supervisor in that branch of Almon Marina as the restaurant is called. There I got to teach him what to do with his computer while having coffee. He gingerly took down notes on how to configure it  and some more tips on computer maintenance. Second  and not too long ago was when it already failed altogether.  Well it really was bound to happen sooner or later. That I was informed when he sent a text message on my cellphone one day. Called him by phone and was able to inquire what went about. Since he has was actually not that knowledgeable technically when it comes to troubleshooting and since his residence is really that far from my place, the easiest was to suggest bringing the unit back to where he bought it to have it fix. Anyway it's still was under warranty that time. He did bring the unit back to the seller. Technician reformatted it and reinstalled the system.
    It went on just fine until one day a week ago I was online.  On Facebook we chatted telling me something's gone wrong again with the pc. Almost as immediately I told him that I will be going to personally have a look see at it the following day Tuesday. Not telling him I had this gout which rendered me almost immobilzed for the whole month. That I was just starting to move around a bit out of the house just recently. Good that didn't push through. I was already about halfway on the road when he sent another text message that he's out of his house still getting a driver's licence at the transportation agency. That he would be likely to spend the whole day just for that. So we postponed it to Thursday which was two days  ago. Enough time for me to practice my still sore foot for long distance travel.
     Day came I arrived at their apartment and finally got to see what was wrong with his desktop computer. It was a mini towered  Acer computer with a partitioned  120 gigabyte hard disk, a dual core processor, a gigabyte of DDR2 memory module running Vista Home Basic (sp1). What I didn't expect was when James informed me that the unit was already smoothly the night before. He himself was surprised as the unit was unusable the whole week. Anyhow he showed me a photo capture of his computer monitor on his monitor. It was a "blue screen of death". Not certainly sure when that was exactly taken. I failed to ask actually as I sort of felt really sleepy and tired that afternoon. What we did was switch on the machine and hope everything goes on just right. It did. However I made a few changes with its present application that were running. First and foremost get rid of a fake Norton Antivirus program and downloaded a free version from Avira. Avira Antivirus was installed and updated. Ran Windows Defender which found a threat that was left by the fake program. Later configured it's start up to run only those that are necessary, deleted unwanted applications, change it for best performance rather than having Windows control it by default. As I was already in a hurry to go back home, I strongly suggested that he run a complete virus scan before doing anything else.    On the trip back, James handed me a present to take home. Two 4 piece-packs of large Hungarian sausages which he bought from a grocery store. Much better than what I asked for in return for my services- a hot cup of Almond Marina's cafe latte.  Honestly, that's because I intended to do the service free of charge when even the week before he initially asked what I would charge him.

A Catholic Man: We Are At War

A Catholic Man: We Are At War

Theology, Religion, Local Practice (Part 2)

    To reiterate, I am a catholic and will remain to be a catholic. No amount of persuasion or discouragement will change that. But neither would I be likely to force others to be one nor judging anyone unworthy of God's kindness and compassion. 
    The Church offers itself to the world. What was given to it by grace, it also gives back this gift gratis. The Church does not proselytize as some religions do. It rather presents itself as a living witness to the risen Christ.  This is the "religion" of the Catholic Church. Some may say that religion will not save you. On the contrary, religion means "to bind again", religiare, and is even taught to its faithful in all catechism classes. That is to bind with God. But to begin to have a relationship to Him, you need to believe in Him. What the modern man may have lost (belief), the Church has kept ever since its foundation which is faith. It is precisely in the Church where faith is found. One only has to sincerely ask of it. And what does Faith do? It gives eternal life. It enables man to rise from all misunderstandings, from suffering, from spiritual death towards everlasting life. All religions for that matter necessarily entails a relationship with the divine. The very reason people look to God. The need to be taken out of misery, a difficult situation. Man seeing himself in a mess with no one to turn to, finally kneels down in supplication and surrenders himself completely to God. In this instance, man seeks to be saved from realized depravation. 
    However, if religion is taken to mean as some kind of a formal structure like a club or a fraternity or just a fad, then the difference of opinion against it will hold true. It will surely not save anybody.
    In Faith, the Church receives  into its fold those who seek eternal life baptizing them in the "name of the Father, of the Son , and of the Holy Spirit". Herewith are excerpts from the Holy Scriptures invoked in the sacrament of Baptism:
    "Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power. In baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament.
At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of holiness.
The waters of the great flood you made a sign of the waters of baptism, that made an end of delusion and a new beginning of goodness.
Through the waters of the Red Sea you led Israel out of slavery, to be an image of God's holy people, set free from delusion by baptism,
In the waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit.
After his resurrection he hold his disciples: "Go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."


   "Thus says the Lord God: I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you. I will refresh your heart and enhance the spirit within you, enlivening your natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statues, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I have given your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God." 

Theology, Religion,, Local Practice (Part 1)

    It makes me shudder at the thought of writing on the subject of theology. On religion,  I am admittedly bias, as I am and will always be a Catholic. As to local practices, I can very well rely on experiences with different parishes and localities I've been to. But generally, I would observe, research, and listen to different opinions or beliefs with an open mind as much as possible. Mainly my resources in the forming of my own "credo" and thoughts were from the education I had under the Benedictine Fathers, the school library, from the catecheses given in the neo-catechumenate. The last one just mentioned was considerably more extensive as it involved frequent reading of the Scriptures coupled with references on a book by Xavier Leon Dufour-  Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Dufour's Dictionary is just to sort of  put one's mind in the right perspective when it comes to certain terms encountered in the Bible. This does not, as a matter of course, exclude some inspiring works of non-Catholics. There are also the Jewish Midrash and Ditriech Bonhoeffer's works as reference. Years have been spent on "searching" the Scriptures in prayer and sometimes in solitude. It is also done together in community as much as individually. Involvement in the neo-catechumenal activities  is almost endless.  
    Speaking of theology, what makes me hesitate when it comes to,say, expounding on  it?  Frankly speaking, I do believe there are more competent people than I am when it comes to that. Both Catholics and non-Catholics alike have their own theologians. From my church, there are the Bishops and priests not to mention some of the religious brothers and nuns and laymen who have successfully pursued a doctorate's degree in Theology. Nevertheless one may indeed reach a certain amount of competency with regards to the subject even with a minimum amount of formal education. So if I may consider myself as such( i.e., a bit competent), I will attempt to say a little about theology or what it means to me. And all of it would seem to be like going through Theology 101 again.
    Theology commonly means the study of the divine, of God. This we all know. But would it not be better to focus on some questions to better understand it in layman's term. "Who is God for me?" This was initially asked of all members of our community. I found this simpler than the cold calculating almost theoretical approach done in school sometimes bordering on the metaphysical.
    The God that I know of, is He who is somewhere up in the sky that hears my plea whenever I am in a difficult situation and provides relief? Is He someone who just sits in a throne looking down on His mortal creation and lets them go on with their own business having been given free will. Is He someone I can hurt when I commit some misdeeds, that I can sort of hit Him as if using a bow and an arrow or with a six shooter can put Him down? The point then is that, being God, He is someone that comes in my own history. God acts on His own volition in a concrete manner in many events of my life.  If I may cite just this once these verses from Psalm 8:

3 I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers, at the moon and the stars you set firm-

4 what are human beings that you spare a thought for them, or the child of Adam that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him little less than a god, you have crowned him with glory and beauty,

6 made him lord of the works of your hands, put all things under his feet,

7 sheep and cattle, all of them, and even the wild beasts,

8 birds in the sky, fish in the sea, when he makes his way across the ocean.

I have only to realize this- God's intervention as proof that He does exist.  But it is essential for me or for many others as well to look into the Scriptures to comprehend or at least to be aware of what's going on in my life, to see my life in parallel to the history of salvation. In particular, it is as necessary to read the the Old Testament, ponder and reflect  on it. Hence it may be said that the knowledge I have of God is experiential and not something "boxed in" my mind only. He is not stereotyped, not able to change, unable to exist outside that small locked room in our head. He is a God who is a living God. He is a God who humbled Himself first by being born of a woman. He walked among peoples, suffered a crime He did not commit and was nailed on a "tree", and died. But being a Son of God, He was resurrected. If I can find myself realizing this saving grace in all events of my life, suffice it to say then that to be what for me theology is.

Ouch!

    Caught a bad cold about 5 days ago. And yesterday, I was already on my way to full recovery except for a few intermittent coughs. It is usually the case whenever I get this common virus. Running nose, coughs, stuffy nose, coughs. Before I'd be taking some of those over-the-counter medicines but as of late, I would prefer taking care of my cold the old fashion way. Lots of rest and some hot, peppery hot soup and plenty more water to drink. "Starve a fever, feed a cold" so the saying goes. It really works.
    Today I woke up feeling something painful down my right foot. Looks like my uric acid level is a bit high. Big toe's joint is swollen. And boy does it hurt! After the nose the toe's next. There is no home made cure for that, does it?

From A Layman's View

http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/03/26/a-week-of-significant-events/ 
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20100319_church-ireland_en.html 
    Taking a cue from what was just shared in an email group and from Cardinal Sean's blog.
Recently, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter to the Church in Ireland. Of course letters coming from the Pontiff are usually for public consumption- meaning for all its faithful. It is oftentimes directly addressed to bishops though as with this particular letter. Then came the news from Germany of investigations made on the same issue as that of Ireland. American public followed suit. Philippine media is hot on it, not long after the much heated debate on Reproductive Health Bill.
    Going back to Pontiff's letter, in general it is about a move of the Vatican to reconcile with and make reparations for the victims of sexual abuse committed by some of the clergy. To the extent of prosecuting those suspected under the state's criminal justice system. In other words, suspect gets to be tried, indicted and finally sentenced to imprisonment No whitewash whatsoever.
     What I understand is the Church itself has its own kind of system dealing with wrongdoings- from simple personal sins(e.g. Penance) to all kinds of misdeeds(e.g. Excommunication). With that of its clergy, there are sets of rule followed strictly. Anyone breaking it are dealt with accordingly. Same with military rule or codes of conduct, a priest found guilty are defrocked or "dishonorably discharged" so to speak. But the Church preaches charity as well, punishments are applied with a sense of compassion. Unlike that of a civilian and military court where, in extreme cases, the punishment maybe the gas chamber or a firing squad. That said, what was or is still being impressed is that Church authorities are either being lenient or may be condoning its members'  wrongdoings. In fact, Pope John Paul II have been  onto this matter during his pontificate. Then Cardinal Ratzinger , the present pope, being one of his many counsels.  Now to criticize Pope Benedict, put the blame on him, and intend to demean his very person on all fronts is very unfair. In passing, Dan Brown's novel somehow laid the groundwork for the demolition job against the papacy.
    Presently, anyone having an axe to grind(may it be just a grudge or legitimate complaint) with the Church or its members will find the current controversy just the right vehicle on which to ride on. And that means anyone including church members themselves. Bishops are not spared from some petty gossips and rumor mongering; yet they are not so quick as to immediately file appropriate charges in the courts. The whole Church finding herself seemingly surrounded by cannons everywhere.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

There goes the Light Brigade.

Poltical (En)trails

     One columnist may say more than what it is- ordeur maneure. Given the complexities of politics in this part of the world, I find myself a little sadden at what should have been a new era in Philippine society. Young idealists both in Congress and in the Senate stood up. Their almost unrelenting quest for truth and justice reverberated everywhere. In my thoughts, the old guards must be grinding their teeth at these wannabes. With contemptuous looks at some their own peers in the legislature, the more experienced ones would lash out, all unequaled in fury and yet well calculated in manner, to disprove or berate their opponents. It would sometimes dwell on a more personal level that made the unlucky recipient look like an imbecile. In other countries, this would have resulted in a free-for-all. Chairs would be seen flying, thick bundles of documents scattered all over, kicks and punches thrown, suits disheveled and collars pulled, people yanked out of their seats... A total bedlam.

     There was a couple of scenes caught live on local television a few years back. One which I hardly can remember now or how it exactly went about. One was when a veteran lawmaker, heavily built and almost towering, threw a punch at one colleague after a heated argument. Another incident happened during a general assembly, a matinee idol-turned-congressman gave the Sargeant-at-Arms, a retired army general at that, a whopping slap on the face. It hit him so hard that one could see him stagger, his feet wobble and appear to be momentarily disoriented. Poor general, he actually did not see it coming. He must have thought the other guy was approaching just to give him a pat on the back. Instead he was given a "citation", a once-in-a-lifetime five-finger open palmed mark on the cheek. Things like these can make one of little resolve fight back and get even.

     At this point I recalled quite clearly seeing, again on television, something a bit more drastic. A ranking government U.S. official held a press conference. And while he was going through his impromptu speech, he slowly brought out a small paper bag  containing a revolver. As swiftly, he held its barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger. All in full view of horrified reporters and guests.  Not to mention the millions of people watching it on television. May God forgive him and his soul find peace. He might have gotten into such a mess in government service as to take his own life. Anyhow that would not happen here. Instead scenarios and schemes are planned out and the concerned official getting the upper hand in revenge. All with the aid of professional spinners or what have you.

     Back to the Philippine scene. I thought all will result in a brighter future for politics here. Young hopefuls who ran eventually gaining their seats in government. Idealists who are leaders in their own fields of interests were appointed to some cabinet posts. Come the moment however for changing of the guards so to speak. Election. What were impressed upon many was that there would be a change in the way campaigns are to be done. No more bickering, mudslinging, demolition jobs, etc. The new generation of politicians stressed that they will bring this election into a level that is more deserving and meritorious. Issues will be  intelligently debated upon. Speculations shunned. Coercion a thing of the past. But then, there are too many stakeholders this time. A very welcome sight for those watching this not so unexpected event. They who prefer chaos and turmoil over that of stability and progress.

     In the end, still all may find themselves in political (en)trails. And that is putting it lightly. 

Exodus

      Last night I got to watch Cecile B. DeMille's Ten Commandments. An epic film of long ago. It is mainly about the life of Moses during the Exodus.
     The movie was already around the middle part when I turned on the boob tube. Moses played by Charlton Heston turned  Egypt's water supply red as blood. Not by his own power but God's. There were many other plagues all of which were to convince Egypt's leader to release Israel from bondage. The last one was when from the mouth of Pharaoh (role played by Yul Brynner) himself came the kind of plague that made all the "first born" of Egypt perished from the earth. Moses and his people were saved having painted their doorposts with the blood of the lamb. Thus  the "angel of death" would pass over  their houses  and did not affect them.  While those of the Pharaoh's... This last one apparently made Pharaoh  agree to Moses's demand that they be released. Yet on reaching the Red Sea, Israel, led by Moses and Aaron, found themselves being chased by Pharaoh and his army. And here the momentous event begins to unfold. Israel had no other way to escape. Moses, staff held high, commanded the sea to part.  Mysteriously it did. On the dry path it formed, they finally made their escape. When all were safely on the other side of the sea, Pharaoh's chariots followed them unmindful of the two walls of raging seawater on both sides of the escape route. Unfortunately, the waters came tumbling down on them midway and they all drowned.
     Finding themselves at last free from Pharaoh and his legions, they went about searching for the "Promised Land". But in the middle of the desert, Israel's people, as usual, complained. The last one was when Moses left far on a mountain by himself to get the Tablets of Stone, the Ten Commandments. They argued that they make for themselves an image of God. An image that they can at least touch and see. An idol made of  precious gold. A  golden calf. And they did fashioned one.  Moses was very angry on seeing this. He admonished all to repent and to get back on his side. To those that remained stubborn, fell into gaping cracks on the land where they stood and died.
     Moses, at the end of the film, was not able to set foot on the land of promise. Aaron took over the helm and, together with the people of Israel, began their journey onwards. End of story.
     I have seen Ten Commandments first time it hit the big screen. Quite a few times after on television and on videotapes. Still I seem to find it entertaining to say the least whenever I get the chance to watch it. Compared to the latest films made with the latest technology, De Mille's is a jurassic although already in technicolor. Yet it is still one of the best films ever made by Hollywood.

Health Care Merry-Go-Round ( 2nd Scene)

      December 16, 2009 was the day when I was able to submit two filled-out application forms. Together with it are the itemized hospital bill, the hospital's waiver, death certificate, funeral receipts, and father's SSS certification of membership. Plenty, isn't it? Not sufficient, I think. That's because I've been required to submit some more by Philhealth head office. These were copies of my parent's marriage certificate, my mother's two id-size photos, my birth certificate and that of my siblings, our waiver of right and a letter of request from mother as claimant. January 19 this year, I forwarded the second set of papers to them. A clerk reviewed it and again more were asked of me to submit. These are baptismal certificates of  my brother and mine, and an ID. That ID I couldn't remember anymore what for or what it was. Most probably due to the sheer amount of paper or documents I had to work on and produced; and most of it had to be notarized and certified. A couple of days after, with the certificates and an id in hand, I was finally told to come back in a month's time to follow up on our claim's progress.

      Came back to Philhealth around the second week of following month. Still in process. Third week. "Good for payment", they say. Even showed me the workstation's monitor linked to their file server. As clear as daylight, "Good for Payment". Finally it would be over, or so I thought and was led to believe. Came back last week of February, still "good for payment". No sign a checque being issued though. March 11, still the same. It seemed to hit a plateau several more days after. March 23, "payment withheld"??? Reason a certain form 3 or a clinical abstract was being asked by some wise guy upstairs. Is this some kind of  a big joke! After all the time and effort I made not to mention the money spent on everything(viz., transport fares, notarial fees, certification fees, and other charges). The clerk could not even explain why. 
      In fact, one of the application form that was submitted to them at the very outset contains already the information found in the clinical abstract/F3 form being required(again!) such as the attending physician's diagnosis, time of death, etc.  Also attached to it was the hospital's final billing reflecting items used- cotton swabs, syringes, medicines, ventilator,...medical procedures, tests, fees, and so forth and so on. Obviously, all those were overlooked or were deemed insufficient.
     So I had to ask her to tell me who to talk to. It's on the 12th floor of the building. Room 1209 or something. Look for Maricel. 1209, lots of office people busy on their desks. Had a little talk with Maricel and she tried explaining. (Irking me a bit was a nosy security guard by my side and who was supposed to be manning his post instead.) Well in any case, Maricel did not have any satisfactory explanation to give either way. What on earth or rather why the "good for payment" thing for so long a time and, from out of the blue, it was withheld? That was mainly my question. Wasn't it supposed to be evaluated and re-evaluated by them before approval of any claim for that matter? All she could do was give me back all those papers I had submitted to them and suggested that I refile it as soon as I can get the clinical abstract. 

      Taking with me the papers, I went back down the elevator and out the building. Took a ride back to the hospital. There I went straight to the medical records section and asked for the clinical abstract. I was told to come back for it in two days. Got it exactly two days after and immediately went as fast back to Philhealth that same day. The whole receiving office was packed with clients. There's practically no room to move about. Also there only so little time left before closing time. So I decided just to go back next day.    
     Following morning, today. I had to sit and wait for my cue. In less than half an hour, I had all papers including the clinical abstract refiled.

         One more strange thing. Philhealth representatives in the hospital were even wondering why the head office needed a form 3 or abstract. Form 3, they said, were only needed when the patient involved stayed for less than a day. Father was hospitalized for two full days. That actually the representatives had not been issuing it anymore. Even they find it odd when I told them of our claim being on a "good for payment" status for several weeks and suddenly it reverted to being withheld. I myself smells something amiss and almost realizing it when, upon refiling at the head office, I was told it would take another two months to process my papers. And also furthermore, I was informed in so many times by their own people at the head office that there was a change of management a few months before. What sort of seeming sinister event is unfolding? That will be seen when election period comes! That's exactly "two months" from today. Now what could possibly be the connection. Your guess can only be as good as mind.

Health Care Merry-Go-Round (1st Scene)

       There oughta be a law! That's been in  my mind for longest time since I started working on my father's funeral and death benefits. Social Security System(SSS) began sounding more like Social Insecurity System. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation(Philhealth) sounded unhealthy. Membership is a must for all- private companies, skilled and unskilled workers, household helpers. 

       Sometime January of this year, on behalf of my mother, I initiated a claim for father's funeral benefit. SSS branch office gave me a requirements list and three forms to fill up. Following day, I got the needed requirements(identification papers, certifications, photos) and had the application forms filled out and properly signed. I presented it to a receiving clerk and promptly, after it was reviewed, was asked for some more documents. Why didn't they tell me that at the beginning? Maybe they needed to be assured of whatever that may be. Off again to get those docs. Another day, I was back at their office with the additional documents. Stamp, stamp, stamp. Scribble notes here, scribble notes there. Clerk told me take a seat and wait for my cue while he passed all of my papers to a supervisor nearby. Finally I get to meet lady supervisor. She reviewed my papers and asked me (actually it was more of a demand) to bring mother along with her identification. Mother had only one, her senior citizen ID card.Well what can I do. So I had to. 
     Come another day and mother was already on a chair fronting the supervisor's table. A few inquiries were made by the latter. "Oh, and one more thing..." she said, "Could you provide us this one final document..." [my ears seeming to get clog with earwax or maybe some faint familiar droning sound coming from some unknown source].
Agreed. And again, what else could we do. Only consolation we got from the supervisor was mother would not need to show herself personally anymore when I get to grant the supervisor's "last wish". Consuelo de bobo! That's what it was actually. Any way everything's over and done with. A full week of one herculean task enough to make me feel frustrated at SSS the whole week after.

    More on this soon...

One Very Hot Day

     Mother and I went to get her own postal ID as scheduled. We had to walk from a block away and passed through the city's public market. The latter was just renovated wherein its wide roofing provided us enough shade from the scorching heat of the sun. It's about an hour past noon when we reached our intended destination. We then proceeded directly to the room on the second floor of the old post office building where IDs are processed. There were the usual four desks. All located at the left side of that poorly ventilated room. Beside that row of desks is a wooden file cabinet. And beyond that are a mound of several dilapidated cartons stacked with an assortment of files and papers. All of it gathering dust. The first two desks were occupied by lady personnel busy with their work- typing. Yes, typing. Not with the latest computer keyboard but with manual typewriters. The third desk, I presume, was the issuing officer with only a pen and a small laminating machine by his side. On the far side was an open door. Probably left wide open to let cooler air in. An elderly man sleeping on a bench right beside it. 
    I ushered mother to a chair in front of that third desk. Mother's first time in their office. It was my fourth. She probably was a bit confused or maybe horrified at the way that office looked. Imagine after having her walk so far on that hot Thursday afternoon and entering such an messy place...

       Some gruelling moments more,  mother finally got her laminated postal ID card. I then suggested that we go straight to the nearest bank to open a pension account. Her newly acquired postal ID is just what is needed. That is, aside from all the other pertinent documents which I have prepared and gathered ahead of time.  Made it minutes before closing time. The bank supervisor we approached was very, very accommodating. He politely invited us to sit down while he attended to our needs well enough to make us feel as comfortable and relaxed. The supervisor himself filled out the forms for us after we had presented our credentials. He made her just sign the account forms after finding everything in order. That being done, he told us to come back the following day to just pick up the ATM card of my mother's pension account.

    We had a little snack, mother and I, in one fastfood restaurant before heading straight home. She had an ice cream sundae with french fries, and I a burger sandwich and a cold soda to go with it.
    Day is over and I can tell to myself to rest easy. 

Maze

      40 minutes was what I had before closing time. There were two more people lined up ahead of me. I just need to have a form signed in that Social Security branch office and that's it. I'm done for the day. Time 4:45 p.m. I finally was able to forward it to the desk clerk and had it signed. That form I planned to present to a bank following day to open an account for my mother's pension. Just one hitch. The clerk required(among the many other documents I submitted) a postal ID card!? Isn't that something. Keep cool, I thought. So as fast as I could, I went out of  that branch and walked straight to the Post Office. 
      It's only about 100 meters away and 10 minutes to spare. Finally reached it and asked for directions where exactly to get the application for the postal ID. "Second floor", second floor it is. And several steps up the two flights of stairs, I was greeted by a closed door. People must have punched out their time cards much earlier. Rightly so because there was this notice on their glass window that says "Application forms from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. only".    
      Air was hot and humid. I was almost gasping for breath. Again, keep cool. Good I did. Kept my cool.  Their door full of handwritten instructions on some recycled worn-out cardboard. On it were more requirements on obtaining a postal ID. And boy, what I thought to be just a simple matter(social security pension) is now getting more complicated. It's like solving crossword puzzle and trying to find a way out of a maze at the same time.
      My one consolation was when I was already back home. Changed cloths, took some snacks and drank a glass full of ice cold water. Rested a bit in my room. Soon I went for a little walk to the village park. 
      I was talking with some other residents when Jongga came up to me and asked if I could help him out with his pc. I say, troubleshooting is my middle name. Why not? It took me only about half an hour to fix his relatively new machine. Jongga is just about to finish his college. He is taking Computer Science. He somehow meekly offered me a bottle of beer in exchange for the job I did. "I'll take a raincheck"- I almost was tempted to say. Really getting a pc unit up and running again is already a rewarding experience. Like a job well done. 
      So off I went back to the park. In a short while, here comes Kryzel. Their HP deskjet printer was not working. I took a look at it. Problem was driver was not installed. Good they still have the driver disk around. A matter of installing it. Everything was almost fine but then later found out that the ink cartridge was empty. I seemed to enjoy that moment anyways. Kryzel is on her second year in college. She is taking up Computer Science. They, Jongga and Kryzel, are just two of the many neighborhood kids that I find worth mentoring.
      Thinking of the difficulty and frustrations I had that afternoon working on my mother's pension, the ones on Jongga and Kryzel were really gratifying. It was like completing the crossword puzzle and finding the exit of the maze.

Oops!

      Great. Just used Google Chrome and IE to check on my blog. Title isn't blinking anymore. Now I have to find out the right codes for it. For starters, I've searched for a possible site as reference.http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/releasing-chromium-os-open-source.html

Changes

    Now I'm getting the hang of it. That is, editing html and css codes to this blog to better suit my taste. A very minor change on some classic templates. But it's like having done one of Mario Batali's best recipes in me own little kitchen table and adding a few twist on it. Then finishing the whole plate clean down to its garnishes. And finally savoring everything with a bottle of chardonnay.

Almost Forgot

          There was this shopping site where I posted two items up for sale. A keyboard and an optical mouse. Both are slightly used original HP ps2 input devices. It has been quite awhile since I last checked on it. So I signed in to the site yesterday and read a message from one wanting to buy the keyboard. The message was about three weeks old. I hesitated for a moment to reply as the fella was asking  if I could lower the price for it. Fact is I was planning beforehand to adjust it to a higher price. On final thought, the keyboard was not brand new and I have no other use for it. Anyways, I am using another one exactly like it plus a flexible silicon keyboard as a spare. And so my reply was sort of like, "That's the final price. Megamall is my tepee where we pow-wow. You can send smoke signals through my cellphone". I just hope it wouldn't be another Little Big Horn kind of battle when we do get to meet and he would still try haggle for a lower price.

Virginia

         How long will it be come March 27? Right, it will be four years. Viring, I always call her by her nickname, will be having her fourth anniversary. Seems like only yesterday. And it has been months since I last paid her a visit. Never forgot to always bring along fresh flowers and a pair of candles. 
        I could still remember seeing the trees lined up by the side of the paved road. Its branches were seldom without birds perching on it and others flying about. The bells from the old cathedral ringing nearby on some of the days. A few workers doing whatever there is to do and one or two guards roaming around the area. An elderly caretaker most of the time can be seen lounging in the churchyard. 
        Distinctly I can remember this caretaker, wearing a pair of very thick eyeglasses, had at one time almost hit his head on on the pavement in one of the aisles. There he stayed in a prone position and unable to pick himself up. Nobody hearing his plea for help to get him up. Too old to really shout out loud. It was more like a whimper. Rushed to him then and helped him up back to his feet. After a while and maybe getting back his senses again, off he went away to his usual business.
        Viring knew that old man long time before she died. And so too with her other relatives. 

        Viring used to visit and sweep clean the family's mausoleum. I would often accompany her there. On some other days she would be alone. It is just a small place. Just about 30 square meters. After a few prayers, she would light up the candles and rearrange the flowers we bought. On days going to All Saints' Day, she and I would bring stuffs like brooms, rugs, drinking water and some snacks. Some of her nephew would be there also with a can or two of paint and a bottle of kerosene. It would be a general cleaning of  the place. That would more or less be the routine every year. And now, those days are gone. And for a very, very long time I too am alone.

Something about Kelly

        "Kulot". Means curly haired. Yes, that's how I usually call Kelly. Pretty little kid. About 3 years old by now. Very seldom would I see her today playing in the village park together with a younger brother and accompanied by a babysitter. Kulot! Fondly I would call out to her from afar. Sometimes she would wave her hand in return. But more often than not, she would just go on riding on the swing or go on playing with the other children around. One day I met Kelly and Renren (her kid brother) who was holding onto the babysitter's hand. They had just entered the village gate. I first noticed little Renren. And while trying to sort of have a small conversation with him, out came Kelly from the back of a parked car. She was laughing, smiling. Running towards us, she seems to say "Caught you there, didn't I?" Well, I smiled back and greeted her just the same. "Kulot!" And after, we parted ways.
         Just one sad note. Her father was shot dead ,gangland style, more than a year ago. Never knew who the killer was. Back then I asked one of her older brother if he missed their dad. Teary eyed, he said yes. And my thoughts went back to Kulot. She must have surely missed their dad too.

An Old Machine

         Aside from the other G60, a desktop PC assembled 8 years ago is what I still use up to this day. Only I had to replace its motherboard some two years back, added a new G-Force FX series videocard, and installed more memory in it. Moreover, I added a DVD/CD-RW Drive mainly to back up large files with. The cpu's 300 watt power supply upgraded to 450 watts. Reconfiguring everything else, it now can compete fairly well in the Indy 500 race.

         Several months went by, I prepared this workhorse to connect to the internet. So I bought several meters of ethernet cable intending to link it to the G60 from upstairs. That plan did not push through. It did not go to waste either. It's one thing I had to thank typhoon Ondoy for. Among the few things we had to move to safer grounds that time were the laptop, the router, and, rightly so, the cable. There in my sister's three-story apartment those cables were put to good use. Two, three weeks went by, the 2-laptop network I set up was still running smoothly. Then I thought of going wireless since the router has the capability for it. After the flood subsided and we were back again to where we once were, I waited for the chance to get me a wireless card to go with my trusty old machine.

          One time at a mall, I went scouring the computer section for the cheapest wireless adapter card for my desktop and had bought just the right one. As soon as I arrived home I started setting up the network. It was only a matter of securing the card into one of the available pci slots and installing the necessary software. Made a few adjustments on  the router's configuration and firewall settings. Now my desktop is connected to the network at 54 mbps with a download speed reaching 70 kbps. The old desktop has turned  into an M2 Bradley IFV Tank. One that had a complete overhaul and with wings to boot!

Online

      December's  job interview was a goner. Though I can't recall how it exactly ended. But this one now on my drawing board seems to have a much better chance getting done. Yes, it does look good. A series of short messages online and a bit of anxiety on my part. That is because I was asked to provide two sample videos. I was able to submit those just the same. More, I did receive some kind of encouraging feedback from him too. He then proposed to make a test job and offered to pay at the same time, with the end in view of hiring me again if all goes well. Isn't that something? But then, getting the details of the project is another story. What I would probably be planning on next is to submit one that will be more than satisfactory to the client.

Another PC?

       It did not take long when I was approached to fix another unit. A speedster by year 2004's standards. An IBM Netvista 8305 with a P4 processor and packing 256 megabytes of memory. Though it wasn't  the first time this old dude conked out. It was a long story that it landed on my hands and I was able to repair it about a year ago. As I had expected, something is bound to get wrong with it.

      Given the trigger happy youngsters whose hunger for online games are not to be taken for granted, who else should I be pointing my finger to? The primary problem they had was that of not being able to connect to the internet. It's a problem alright. But it's a big issue for me personally. That is if the only reason for them for wanting to go onto that wonderful realm called cyberspace was because of War Craft or some other online games. Incidentally, the first time I scan checked their hard drive, one "cold" it caught came from a game folder called Frozen Throne.  This aside from the many other careless downloading both from the internet and from a number of input devices. And as I had always reminded anyone, with regards to handling essential machines like it, about what bizarre situations viruses can do to you. For these kids, it would be their worst nightmare ever.

        Anyway, a soft spot somewhere tells me to just go and try fix it. Besides I reckon it is always best to provide after-service support. Be it with a fee or for free.  

        To begin with, I figured I don't need to do any invasive procedure anymore on the patient. Did some software checks, deleted temporary files and cookies, removed a few unwanted programs (all of them are games by the way and, all the while,  seeing the kids about squirming in their seats watching me burn their pet programs in ashes), and reinstalled the operating system. On each and every step I did, tried to reconnect to the internet and failed all the time. This made me decide to resort to reformatting the 40 gigabyte hard drive. Now I can see the same kids around turn pale thinking maybe now all their files and games going into a kinda permanent, dishonorable discharge. Never to be seen again. "See, I told you so!", I seem to say. Proceeding, I inserted the disc into the drive and began formatting. Next, reinstalled everything else. 

       Then for the moment of truth, I clicked on the browser. Voila! Still pale and almost grief-stricken, the lads now appears to be able to muster enough courage to put up a little bit of smile on their faces. Well, it only took me to finish two bottles of ice-cold Red Horse beer that afternoon. A couple more in the evening to sort of celebrate the day.

Troubleshooting

Another computer fixed. This one I've turned down before. It was a used unit that came from an internet shop. And that meant it had millions of miles already up its odometer if ever it had one. More war-torn than a marine that fought in Vietnam. A few of its motherboard capacitors bulging a bit and so prophesied it would soon be heading to the junkyard. But it seem the old machine just wouldn't give up that easily. Not until its owner approached me and told me it got infected by some virus.  More out of curiosity than anything else that I readily went to have a look at the "patient". It was indeed a Trojan. First time I've seen one like it. It boots up fine until the operating system opens up. Then a window opens up where it says "It's my birthday today. Please don't kill me......". Clicking okay, a screen-sized wall paper of anime characters appears and that's it. Nothing comes after. Going into safe mode is just as impossible. The culprit was one small gadget that is mostly used nowadays- USB flash disk. Not only did it infect this one particular veteran, it was also used on her neighbor's computer. I could just imagine how mad she might have been at her.

At the end, I had to reformat the whole thing, reinstall its OS, installed a free updated version of AVG(which it did not have before!), etc. Got hold of the flash disk and scanned it in my own computer. Lo and behold, it had 37 different viruses. Well, them viruses won't be doing anymore harm. To make sure, I formatted that disk back to its health again.

Kung Hei Fat Choi

Chinese New Year is just around the corner or in about 14 days more. I slept early and kept the door and windows closed the night before January 1st. Food on the table then were plentiful as usual. Now I am not expecting as much, except I may get to watch some video footage of the traditional dragon dance done in the streets of Chinatown. Already there are a lot of Chinese rice cake being sold in malls. Rice cake is equated with harmonious relationship. Among Orientals (especially the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese), it is valued as such. So people would be seen giving it as a present, wishing all "Kung Hei Fat Choi" and good luck. 

Surely, there will still be some firework display around for the festivities, in the streets of Binondo, at some of the SM Malls of tycoon Henry Sy, in a number of cities in the provinces. And also in many other places like Seoul, Tokyo, and Beijing of course. Others may opt for showing their acrobatic and martial art skills. You may see them gather in small groups of trained athletes wearing colorful vests. It is much the same as what you see in the movies sans the theater seats and popcorn and stuffs.

Death in the Family

  Never thought it would be complicated when it comes to having a family member pass away. First it was having to sleep late in the evening all during Daddy's wake. On all the four nights at the funeral parlor, Toto, youngest brother of mine, would take on the job of staying for the night and going back home for a respite next morning and be back again in the afternoon. Visitors, relatives and friends alike, came to pay their last respect. Two sisters-in-law, Rose and Cherry, took turns preparing and serving foodstuffs, coffee, or fruit juice. Coversations among us and guests mainly were about "the good old days" and on how most had grown old throughout the years. That I relished more. Nostalgia.
  And came the day, daddy's remains had to be taken to the crematory just at back of the parlor. We were asked, quite politely as usual, by the funeral supervisor if we would like to view Daddy right before he is rolled into the furnace. Naturally we all agreed. The cremation room has a relatively large viewing window much like that of a hospital's nursery room. When the window curtains were pulled aside, daddy's body was already on a cardboard-like mat and covered up to the neck with a white sheet. Inside too is the big furnace on one side of the room and a number of empty caskets. After several heart-saddening moments, he was then brought to the furnace and slid into it. An hour or less, a bronze metal urn was brought to us and in it was daddy's ashes. Mother and together with my other siblings and their own families were then treated to dinner bringing with us the urn that was wrapped in a velvety clothbag. That was December 1 last year.
  January 7, 2010, daddy was finally "laid to rest" at the Sta. Clara de Montefalco ossuary after temporarily being placed at our home for many days.