As artists think alike…

Davao finally has its very own Online Business Directory. If you need to search for different business information within Davao such as Location, Contact Information, Services, and a lot more, then you can just do it all in a single website: the Davao Directory. Davao Directory is a combined Social Network and Online Business Directory. You can quickly search for businesses within Davao, at the same time, leave reviews, comments, suggestions to business owners of what you think of their establishments. Establishments include Hotels, Restaurants, Religious Organizations, Swimming Pool and Beach Resorts, IT Companies, and a lot more.

Currently, Davao Directory is gathering for businesses. In fact, they are offering submission of your business totally for free. This means, you can advertise your business without any cost. You have the full privilege to update every information needed so that you, as the business owner, can show off what your business can provide to the public. Enlist your business now at Davao Directory and be part of the community.

Also, Davao Directory is offering free Credits for members who can invite more members and more credits for those who can invite business owners. Credits are points which you can use in the future for specific website features. This includes the tools you can use to improve your establishment’s visibility or advertise your own establishment to every web page of Davao Directory.

Simply register at Davao Directory and end your search for business services! You may also Follow Davao Directory on Twitter.

Sun Microsystem’s Open Jive Regional Challenge has just recently selected our team as one of the 14 finalists for Philippines. The contest was about software innovation wherein we’d be proposing projects which will be created using Open Source programming languages. As the team leader of RoJose, I chose my original idea which is to create an AJAX-Based Multi-Website Management Panel able to manage multiple websites under a single administrative panel. Websites include blogs (Wordpress, Blogger, etc.), corporate systems (payroll, inventory system, etc.), social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), and many more.

The proposed system shall operate through XML-Remote Procedure Calling. Just by sending post XML data to the server, it can produce results even without actually visiting the host website. Also, responses are encoded through XML. Through this method, managing different websites would be at breeze.

And what’s more? This post is created through my very own system (under development and testing). I didn’t even bother logging in to this blog. I just did it the XML-RPC way.

I’m temporarily leaving school. I’ve realized certain facts affecting this decision. While trying to note down the factors, here’s what I came up, starting with the cons:

1. I’ll miss the annual programming competitions. I’d love to be back in Cebu, especially SM and Starbucks.
2. I won’t be able to initiate I-Like-My-Match booth for Intramural and I can no longer overseer those students who liked whom.
3. I’ll miss the choir. Of course, I wouldn’t have to bother waiting for my phone to ring every first friday morning mass since the choir won’t be expecting the "always-late organist".
4. Lastly, I’ll miss SAD (which turned out to be literally sad) and the members who are involved. I say they have to be on their own now. Anyway, they can’t proceed the 4th year without the necessary skills they have to acquire. If they made it this far, then it means they really must be "something". Also, like I mentioned in my previous entry, I would rather prefer innovation for my thesis.

The pros:

1. I can start now with something I desire the most. Even if I have to finish the next two semesters, I’ll still end up with this something I want for my own. The only difference is that, there may be certain factors which would greatly affect this plan if I won’t have it as soon as possible.
2. I’m 20 years old and I’m not getting any younger, so the earlier I’ll begin, the more I’ll gain. Plus, the society is quickly evolving, what seems to be the latest today would already be obsolete by the next day.
3. I’ll be free from the virtual world, the harsh realization about the facts relating our current system of education. I’ll be learning how it is to live a real life.
4. Most of all, I won’t be wasting my remaining funds spending it for nothing but a silly diploma dictating how society should work, blinding citizens with the social reality that every person on earth should be judged according to their individual achievements.

I’ve always been wondrin’ why we need to spend too much time doing our documents for proposals down from researches up to printing of hard copies, if in the end, we’ll find out that its end product will just be stocked half-rotten on shelves. Proposal documents are of course not among those which will be piled up, but still, once they’re approved, another documents to be processed become candidates for "safe-keeping" award. I’m seeing most of these hard-bound books and I’d ask myself, "does anybody ever read them?" The only reason I can think of when somebody decides to open those books is when he needs to do another research (and those books will be especially used for Review of Related Studies), and the research he’d conduct will end up the same, and so on and so forth. That’s the most of its relevance I can imagine. Though, there may be little chances that depending on the topic of the researches of these books, new technologies can be produced, but if they’re about systems development and not purely research, will they really become basis of innovation?

These are documents written for computerized systems. Systems which I even doubt that they can last for years, or shall we say, systems which I doubt that they’ve been actually deployed by their client companies. I believe, wise companies don’t take the risks of implementing computer systems developed by undergrads. Even if it takes them less cost, still, they will never trust inexperienced student programmers to deploy these software. They would rather spend thousands of cash for those professionals already in the industry for years.

In my opinion, students are instructed to develop systems for one reason: practice. But it’s not what I would really aim if I were to produce such applications. Even if I’ll be given the lowest grade for the course, I will still aim to convince the client to make use of my software, because if the company won’t use it, then I have just made my biggest failure as a system developer. I would spend most of my time enhancing the quality of my software, rather than waste it fixing the documents. Client companies, who are the end-users, won’t understand those research papers, except for the documentation on how to use the software. For them, they serve no point. They’ll just skip to the "System Features" and "Help" pages.

If I were to be asked what panelists would really need to check when it’s already time for defense, I’d say "Test its quality. Check for flaws. Judge the features. Comment on its user-friendliness. Review the source codes", and of course, "Decide if it’s ready to be deployed and become among of the client company’s assets". For me, my thesis is my first and my most memorable major software. I’ve done enough practices way back when I was still in the lower years and I can’t afford to waste all of them just for another petty test.

I was led on website which basically attempts to identify my Life Path. Here’s the site: http://www.paulsadowski.com/BirthData.asp

So I completed the required inputs then it showed that my Life Path number is 1 and with the following description:

"The Life Path 1 suggests that you entered this plane with skills allowing you to become a leader type rather easily. Your nature is charged with individualistic desires, a demand for independence, and the need for personal attainment. Many of our military generals, corporate leaders, and political leaders are men and women having the Life Path 1. When you display positive 1 traits your mind is capable of significant creative inspiration, and it possesses the enthusiasm and drive to accomplish a great deal. You are very good at getting the ball rolling; initiating new projects is your forte. You are at your best when confronted with obstacles and challenges, as you combat these with strength and daring. This is both the physical and inner varieties of strength. With this strength comes utter determination and the capability to lead. As a natural leader you have a flair for taking charge of any situation. You have a tendency to do this, even if, at times, it is not appropriate for you to do so.

Highly original, you may have talents as an inventor or innovator of some sort. In any work that you choose, your independent attitude can show through. You have very strong personal needs and desires, and you feel it is always necessary to follow your own convictions. You tire of routine and highly detailed tasks rather quickly.

You are ambitious and assertive in promoting yourself. Although you may hide the fact for social reasons, you can be self-centered and demand to have your way in many circumstances. That said, for the most part, you are considered very good company, friendly, good-natured, and a wonderful conversationalist. People like you and are drawn to you. It is a good thing they are, because you are very sensitive to disapproval and you don’t handle it very well.

There are several ways that the negative side of the 1 can show up. The 1 always has the potential for greatness as a leader, but they may fail as a follower. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to follow for a while before you are allowed to lead and this can be a difficult time. When the 1 Life Path person is not fully developed and expressing the negative side of this number, the demeanor may appear very dependent rather than independent, particularly in the early years. If you are expressing this negative trait of the number 1, you are likely to be very dissatisfied with your circumstances, and long for self-sufficiency. This might be defined as the weak or dependent side of the negative 1 Life Path. On the strong side of this negative curve, the 1 energy can become too self-serving, selfish and egotistical. Avoid being too bossy and demanding."

Most of the readings above truly tells something that’s part of me and I also tried some of my friends birthday, and their description matches to their personality. It’s quite amazing. Try it out for yourself. As soon as you get your Life Path number, proceed to this page: http://www.astrology-numerology.com/num-lifepath.html then read about yours.

We are no longer evolving while everything else is changing. We use too much sunscreen, body lotions, anti-aging creams, disinfectants, and a lot more commercial products that we’re dying to buy at most commercial stores. Me may have proved how effective they are for our own, but the truth is, they’re gradually slowing down our natural process of evolution.

Evolution is the reason of differences in races. Africans have sweat glands far different from those who live in Asian countries. They are also darker in texture than those who are from cold regions such as New Zealand. In short, evolution takes place depending on the environment’s climate and source of food, but above these is the most concise explanation: survival.

We evolve because there is a need for us to survive. Animals adapt to their habitat and develop instincts depending on their predators and preys. That if ever they’ll be taking too much time before they evolve, they slowly reduce in number and later on become extinct and will no longer exist on this planet. These are all natural occurrences which humans must always allow to happen, but lately, we are unconsciously interfering to its process.

There appeared organizations to preserve wildlife, discoveries of several alternative sources of energy, development of artificial food and health related products, and of course, sunscreen. All of these slow down and may even totally stop us from evolving. It’s good to realize that we can make use of Science to allow ourselves to study nature but never on the part when Science already acts as a hindrance to evolution.

It’s true that our environment’s changing. Now that we’ve discovered fuel which at the same time happened to be the ultimate source of global warming, we’ve increased the rate on how fast our nature evolves. I believe that no matter what happens, Science will keep on searching for solutions how they’ll be able to help the human race adapt on a warmer climate in the future, but the question is, how long will we be able to survive?

Oops! I think it should be "My Mommy Weng’s wedding", but anyway, that’s what I would call her when they’ll have a baby soon, hehe. Finally, an every-girl’s-dream came true for a friend from Pop Choir (and who coincidentally does the same art as I do, but I’m better, bleh :p) just hours past. I’m not really sure how long Te Weng and Kuya Ronald have been together, but what I know is, they both met each other, in Church. Anyway, though this entry starts with a topic related to her wedding, I really won’t be talking much about that.

I was the one who played the accompaniments for the choir’s wedding songs. About how I did those? Errr… Maybe I’d just call it, "I was damn too nervous to get serious." Anyway, I still gave my best shot. I think the wedding’s not about music though, and it won’t be the highlight of the event. It only remains significant since the couple are obviously in love not just with themselves but also with music. Te Weng does the keyboards (she can sing too) and Kuya Noy handles the vocals. Now I’m wondering what would their children be.

Hmmm… I was really happy for both of them getting married at last, but honestly, I was also a bit disappointed for a reason: Not one of them or anyone from the choir performed the $8.00 Music Sheet I bought for Te Weng. Grrrrr… Hehehe.. So, the song in months of preparation and planning just ended up as a past time instrumental music for the picture taking session. *Sigh* I remembered there should be someone to sing that song with me, it’s just that, it wasn’t taken that seriously before. Te Weng’s really lucky, and same as Kuya Ronald, because they really found that special person whom God made for them.

A song Sarah wrote (which I arranged a piano instrumental).
We’ll have a duet for this song soon… Hehehe

This has been a topic circulating endlessly over blogs and different printed articles, but somehow, it still fires up my interests and my views on what really is the reason why people tend to end up losing their treasured "peace".

Money’s not the reason, and I bet every intelligent individual agrees to that fact. Furthermore, it’s also been known that what really causes this evil is what they call as the "Love for Money", and not just money alone. On the other hand, we can still relate money with poverty. I remembered a song of a modern OPM band, trying to portray the idea that as long as society still adapts the concept of the differences between financial status for every individual, as more people on top of the "triangle" are getting richer and richer, there’d be more people underneath losing the chances of setting off from poverty. This does not actually apply all the time. There are still wealthy people who’d be willing to help those in the poverty class.

Anyway, it’s never been any rich man’s responsibility to offer what he had for the poor. We are just missing the fact that it’s not only the "Love for Money" which causes all these evil. The society’s "Hatred for Money" is a stable proof of poverty. This is the biggest reason why we don’t improve at all. We love to dream about houses, we’d like to own a car, and we always wanted to travel around the world, but, how can we achieve all of these if we never aimed about earning money? Money’s not evil. It’s just a piece of light-weighted trading item with a printed number significant of its value. Though it’s true that it is capable of buying a lot of things more than you can ever imagine, but there are still some money can’t buy, those which are both invaluable and priceless.

Personally, I only see money as a tool in order for me to get all of those material needs. Money can be earned in many ways. So, there’s just no need for us to fight over this piece of paper. Remember this diagram shown here? This is Maslow’s viewpoint of man’s Hierarchy of Needs, and it shows that money hasn’t even halved of what each man truly desires. I’d like to raise a point that money is something that we both don’t need to love and fear, since we can never find true happiness if we just plainly rely on our desire and fear for money.

Just think of it as a spoon you use for you to feed yourself some food. Though you can take your meal without depending on utensils, but it somehow eases the process of filling your body with nutrition. Still in the end, you’ll reached your purpose of satisfying your hunger.

I must admit, it’s always been ironic to my part seeing people fight for money. They never knew its true value, and it seemed that they consider money as their own lives. And if money can only speak, he’d definitely say something he shouldn’t: "I’m flattered and honored!"

No matter what I do, I just can’t stop time to flow. Right now I’m literally counting down my last hours being a teenager. What’s great is before my special day (that’s today), my sister’s havin’ her birthday. I’d just celebrate mine together with hers because this means less expenses. Anyway, this new year would be a little extra special for me and it’s because I’ve got tons of plans to do.

For the first time in my whole college life, I was able to witness a full ball game in an Intramurals League. Though there were not much loud cheers from the audience, still I could feel the excitements of a great game. The ITE Kickball Team had their concluding battle against the Pharmacy Girls. It was a 6 set match and there’s only one way to describe it: their game was like a roller coaster ride!

Beginning with the first 2 sets, ITE was on lead after a semi-homerun in the first set and a strong defensive game in the following round. Slowly they were slightly losing some points during the next three sets and literally giving the whole ITE crowd a disappointment. I was also about to lose hope when finally, I learned that all they need to score is only 1 point for another round, and 2 points for the Gold.

Not intentionally to spoil this news, but in the end, it was still the Undefeated ITE Kickball Team who won the championship game. What just simply made this event extraordinary was when their team captain had their final run to the goal. Definitely, if she was out, then the whole team could be in jeopardy since they’ve already committed 2 outs. Luckily for them, maybe because of the strong will to win and the intensity of their captain’s speed to the max, she stepped for the goal a fraction of a second before they could have been declared without a score.

They won not just because of that single point, but because they all pushed themselves to their limits sharing all what they can do for the team. A game without teamwork is like a puzzle with a missing piece and whatever you do, you just won’t be able to complete it. Their total score of 8 could have not been 8 without the rest of the 7 points. Surely, they all played a great role and did their part as Champions! Congratulations!