Tales of a Tech Shark

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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

turning back time
2007-05-27 16:50:00
Have you ever dreamed of being able to go back through time and be able to relive your life while still retaining whatever knowledge or memories that you have of the present? Think of it, if this is a possibility, then you could live your life and rearrange it so that you won't commit the same mistakes, you'd be able to breeze through school and ace every exam, you could even invest in stocks or bet on things knowing what the outcome would be beforehand (Ha!). But I think one of the most important benefits of this is that you could avoid all of love's heartaches and pitfalls.I remember that, in the past, I'd usually daydream of being able to go back through time, and, armed with a list of all the women that I have loved and crossed paths with, and of those who broke my heart, and of those whom I should have avoided in the first place, and of knowing who my one true love is - Conne, who else? - I realize that I could skip through it all and immediately seek her out instead.Yes, t...
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san juan, batangas outing
2007-05-24 05:38:00
These pictures were taken last May 12 and 13 at the Kabayan Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan , Batangas .
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happy birthday jojo!
2007-05-17 17:56:00
Today is my brother Jojo 's birthday. He turns 30 today, and guess what, we now have the same age! How come? Well, it's because I'm actually just 10 months older than him! :)Happy Birthday Jojo! May the Lord continue to bless you always!God Bless!
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tagged! food meme...
2007-05-02 10:32:00
Kimmie left a message earlier, telling me that she's tagged me for this Restaurant Meme , so here it is:The rules:1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the state and country you’re in.Nicole (Sydney, Australia)Velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)Olivia (London, England)ML (Utah, USA)J (California, USA)Curiosity Killer (Hong Kong, SAR)Chrissy (Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada)Kimmie (Metro Manila, Philippines)PJ (Metro Manila, Philippines)2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.#1: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (Greenbelt 2, Makati): The food is great and the service is A-1 awesome. Here's a typical lunch Conne and I usually gorge on: New England Clam Chowder, Caesar's Salad, Lt. Dan's Drunken Shrimp, Dixie Style Baby Back Ribs, and Bubba's After Storm "Bucket of Boat Trash". Mmmmmmmmm. Another plus is that you'd get to watch the Forrest Gump movie for ...
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cj's suit
2007-04-27 05:01:00
Was browsing through my pic collection and saw this - Here's a picture of CJ trying on an over-sized suit. We'll have one tailor made for him soon. This was taken just recently, during one of our regular family trips to the SM Mall of Asia.
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home sweet home - independence at last
2007-04-26 05:55:00
For those who don't own their own houses yet, do you already have a dream house in mind? I already have a rough design of my dream house etched into my mind ever since I was in high school. This was conjured up during one of my technical drafting classes, where we had to design and build a scale model of a house for our final project. I recall that my notebook was filled with doodles on rough sketches of the house schematics.Looking for an ideal house and lot in Manila is frustratingly hard. Real estate costs from the "better" communities in the metropolis are usually priced four or five times as much as the typical subdivision real estate. And if you already have a house design in mind, like I do, a vacant residential lot is usually hard to come by since almost all residential zones already have houses built on them. This leaves you with the option of either settling for what's there, or having to shell out big bucks to demolish the old house and build a new one - that dream hous...
More About: Home , Sweet , Independence , Home Sweet Home , Epen

thought for the day
2007-04-26 05:41:00
"So often in life we think that because we have done things in a certain way, certain results would follow. But life is like the ocean. Sometimes we get caught in squalls & storms & things don't go the way we think they should, even when we think we have done right. But God can find us in the eye of a storm & give us courage to swim in rough water. WE LEARN LESSONS FROM STORMS THAT WE CANNOT LEARN FROM CALM SEAS." - author unknown
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are you a tortured genius?
2007-04-25 15:07:00
Are you a tortured genius? Well, apparently I am. ;-pYou Are 85% Tortured Genius You totally fit the profile of a tortured genius. You're uniquely brilliant - and completely misunderstood.Not like you really want anyone to understand you anyway. You're pretty happy being an island.Are You a Tortured Genius?

teraserve, inc.
2007-03-30 16:51:00
I will finally be realizing my long-term career dream of heading a company of my own. My partners and I have pooled all of our resources the past couple of months to incorporate/found an upstart, Philippine IT company - Tera Serve , Inc. (TSI) - with yours truly serving as its President and CEO.We won't be competing with the large Philippine IT companies, but will instead focus more on relatively-obscure niche markets. Hopefully, this "longtail" approach will help the company throughout the fledgling phase of its growth.
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carl jansen @ 16 months
2007-03-30 08:28:00
Here are some recent pictures of CJ @ 16 months old. :)CJ sticking out his tongue.CJ with his favorite stuffed toy.CJ wearing pants
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i'm coming home
2007-03-26 14:46:00
Whew! Finally! The past couple months have been extremely challenging and difficult for me and I'm glad that after doing some soul searching and a little affirmative action, I can finally get some decent sleep.I officially tendered my resignation last week, the 21st of March. The event was quite liberating especially since the coming weeks will be spent eagerly awaiting and preparing for my trip home, my second home that is (which by the way is my old workplace).This 'balik-bayan' will start on the 3rd week of April, after the Holy Week period. It's about time that I get some worry-free rest.Cheers!
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on affirmative action
2007-03-26 01:00:00
It has been a while since my last post mainly because I've been kept busy with work. The past couple of weeks have also been spent doing some serious thinking, personal assessment and life planning.I've been getting into a lot of extremely stressful and depressing situations lately and it apparently has caused undesirable effects on my health and personal well being. I'm glad that I have Conne to support and guide me throughout this slump.I learned that you shouldn't just sit around and mope about the negative things that happen to you. You should act on it and confront the problem or at least figure out a way to work around it. Which is exactly what I am going to do. So, here's to affirmative action! :)
More About: Action , Affirmative Action , Irma

celebrating lola pura's 86th birthday - filipino style
2007-03-03 15:06:00
We celebrated "Lola" Pura Roman's 86th birthday today. She is Conne's grandmother (on her mother's side) and CJ's great-grandmother. The word "lola", by the way, is a Filipino term of respect for grandmothers, with "lolo" being the local term for grandfathers.Today was therefore also a reunion of sorts for the Roman Family (a rather large clan, I might add), with Lola Pura being the matriarch. It was held at "Tito" Bob and "Tita" Yol Estrada's residence in Sucat. A "tito" and a "tita", on the other hand, are local terms for uncles and aunts, respectively.The party was fun. I especially enjoyed the very interesting video presentations made by the "apos" (plural). An "apo" being a Filipino term for grandchildren. As the resident IT geek, I did play a minor part in the presentation since they needed to have a minor technical glitch fixed with the presentation laptops that were being used. (*sigh* - even on a weekend... Ha!)CJ was really hyper the entire morning, and so it was just...
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on grandstanding vs the ethic of reciprocity (aka the Golden Rule)
2007-02-27 16:47:00
Don't you just hate it when people "grandstand" at your, or other people's expense? Have you ever seen people giving crude, offhand, unfair, let-the-public-know remarks against another person without thinking of the consequences? It's sad, especially when the remarks given turn out to be blatant lies because the "grandstander" ought to have gotten their facts ironed out in the first place.These are some of the things that people do that can really irritate or piss anyone off. And it sure would be a darn good sight to see the offender with their foot in their mouth (although I would love to see a heel and ankle fit through it as well).While I have been known to have committed these things in the past, I have been the unfortunate recipient of quite a number of these unconscionable acts as well. And so, having said that, I truly and deeply apologize to those who have been unfortunate enough to see my bad side (wow, the past few days have really given me time to reflect on a lot of t...
More About: Gold , City , Proc , Grand , Standing

watch out, there's a traitor in your workplace
2007-02-26 08:34:00
How good are you with judging a person's character, especially a co-worker's? I believe I suck at it.I just found out recently that a former co-worker of mine was responsible for some pretty nasty, behind-the-scenes office maneuvering and politicking that eventually helped me decide to leave my job in one of the companies that I used to work for. I feel like Caesar during his assassination, "Et tu, Brut?"It's quite sad because I treated him as a friend. I even used to envy him for his work ethic. But this guy, so I've heard, apparently has a lot of issues that he needs to sort out at present. And in my opinion, being a "backstabber" is one of them. It's too bad he didn't take the "Indian Talking Stick" approach by speaking to me and clarifying things. In any case, it's water under the bridge and a blessing in disguise. Life goes on, the earth spins, and karma gets to you.
More About: Watch , Workplace , Work , Your , Here

ginebra gin kings - pba philippine cup champions
2007-02-23 23:55:00
If you're a Barangay Ginebra fan like me, then you'll be absolutely delighted to know that the Barangay Ginebra Gin King s bagged the Phil ippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup last night via a thrilling, 96-94, come-from-behind victory over the San Miguel Beermen at the famed Araneta Coliseum.Ginebra fell behind 0-2 early in the series, but they would win their next four games, with games 3 and 4 being blowouts. This makes Ginebra only the fifth PBA team to win the title after losing their first two games. Ginebra point guard Jayjay Helterbrand was adjudged Finals MVP, while Mark Caguioa won the Best Player of the Conference plum.To coach Jong Uichico and the entire Ginebra team, congratulations! :)
More About: Champions , Kings , Champion

google loses copyright suit in belgian court
2007-02-22 16:01:00
Kimmie sent me an email which pointed out a fairly recent Business Week article about Google losing in a copyright infringement suit filed by a Belgian publisher and copyright group.Apparently, the Belgian publisher (Copiepresse) didn't like the idea that some of their copyrighted titles and news articles appeared on the Belgian Google News or Google.be site.If you take a look at the Google News site, you'll notice that Google doesn't actually reproduce entire articles, but instead, it posts news summaries and titles and includes links to the original or source website. This is part of their news aggregation service, which I, as a consumer and netizen, find extremely helpful and a blessing, in more ways than one.My point is, come on, if you're a news publisher and you don't want your articles copied or acknowledged by the general public, then don't publish over the web in the first place! There is a fine line between wanting to earn big bucks and having a sense of integrity an...
More About: Right , Copyright , Copy , Court

15 things that scare men
2007-02-22 00:32:00
Here's a very interesting article in Yahoo! Health entitled "What Scares a Man?". I absolutely agree with it, although I think #9 (Her Tears) ought to be on the top. I would like to add that one thing that also scares us men is when it comes to sharing our true feelings. We are at the mercy of women once we get to share our emotions, and this kind of leaves most men feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable. This also often leads to other things like fear of rejection, commitment, etc.What do you think?Cheers!
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an ash wednesday story
2007-02-21 12:54:00
Conne and I heard mass a while ago at Greenbelt Chapel, which is about a block away from my office.Today is "Ash Wednesday " by the way, an important day for Catholics. It marks the first day of Lent. And is the only day that Catholics actually get to boldly walk around bearing a symbol of their faith, the cross-shaped, darkish ash that are marked on their foreheads.What the priest said during his homily was very interesting (yes, I actually DO listen to homilies at times! Ha!). He had an acronym for each of the letters A, S and H, of Ash Wednesday . And here's how it goes:A = Admit or AcknowledgeWe have to admit or acknowledge our sins and our imperfection. This is the first step towards change.S = Step forwardWhen you have your foreheads marked with an ashen cross, you actually step forward, among peers. And you do so because you acknowledge your sins and are willing to change. Stepping forward means being committed.H = HopeWe have to do our part in mending our ways. But we also do...
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my baby's first real word is -- "daddy"
2007-02-21 12:33:00
Have you ever wondered which word between "daddy" and "mommy" will a toddler more likely be able to utter and pronounce earlier?I've heard somewhere that a baby would usually be able to pronounce the word "daddy" earlier, instead of "mommy". And I believe that it's true as evidenced by my 15 month old toddler, CJ. Conne was able to write about the experience in her blog.Here's a video of CJ uttering the words "daddy" and "mommy":
More About: Baby , Word , Daddy , Real , First

happy birthday dad!
2007-02-18 05:27:00
One of the reasons why this day, February 18th, is so special, aside from celebrating Chinese New Year, is because it's my late father's (Phil J. Bacolod) birthday. He was born on February 18th, 1950 in Cebu City, Philippines.My dad was a military officer and a Philippine Air Force fighter pilot. He was a member of the famed Philippine Air Force Blue Diamonds aerobatic team. He lost his life serving for his country. I wrote a blog entry about it once - here.Dad, wherever you are, we want you to know that you'll always be remembered and loved. We love you.
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happy chinese new year! kung hei fat choi!
2007-02-18 03:15:00
Today marks the beginning of the Chine se New Year . This is the Year for the Pig!I guess it's time for some "tikoy" eating! Mmmmmmm-uhm.Kung Hei Fat Choi! - "Congratulations and be prosperous!"
More About: Happy , Chinese New Year

Links for 2007-02-15 [Digg]
2007-02-16 07:00:00
The Google Book Project A comparison between Google's Google Book Project and Apple's iPod.
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google lifts its invitation-only gmail account restriction
2007-02-15 15:08:00
I recently blogged about Google 's Google Book Project. Now get this, Google finally opened up Gmail to new comers just few hours ago. They finally decided to drop its 'invitation-only' restriction.Gmail, which is now the 3rd largest email hosting company, currently has approximately 60 million users. And with the existing 2.8GB (and growing) mailbox capacity, powerful email search capability, and its tight integration with different, extremely useful Google apps, such as Google Talk, it will definitely keep its main competitors, namely MSN's Hotmail (approx. 236 million users) and Yahoo! Mail (approx. 246 million users) on their toes.You can take a gander at what the impact will be for us 'netizens'. This will most likely mean an improvement in the overall global webmail service offering. Which spells good news for us!------------------Sources:People's Daily OnlineThe Register
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Links for 2007-02-14 [Digg]
2007-02-15 07:00:00
Is there a story behind your name? Some names have a definite history behind them. This blog takes a lighter look on some name origins. How to Drive in One Piece in Manila The blog talks about some helpful tips to help a driver survive while driving along Manila's demanding roads. How To Make Your Vote Count This blog talks about ways on how to make one's vote count during any government election period. 5 Tips on How To Survive Driving in Makati City This is a blog giving out 5 helpful tips on how to survive and avoid the traffic violation pitfalls of Makati City, Philippines.
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is there a story behind your name?
2007-02-15 01:43:00
Have you ever asked your parents the story behind your name? Do you think your name is weird?The idea of this post came about thanks to a comment made by a colleague, Ganns, on one of my previous posts. I also recall a previous BBC Article about "The Philippine Name Game". This was also discussed during Conne's surprise birthday party.I know some people who 'hated' their parents for giving them 'awful' names. I, for one, didn't like having two names (Philip John - which I was told was derived from my father's name, Phil) and would always shorten it out to PJ when I was younger, probably because it took up an entire school pad paper width to write my name in full (I had big handwriting then, and I think I still do).Here are some of the interesting 'name' anectodes I've encountered through the years:1. One of the most colorful names I've encountered belonged to a classmate of mine, Roygibv. Yes, he's got the spectral colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV: Red, Orange, Yellow, Gre...
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happy valentine's day!
2007-02-14 13:16:00
Happy Vale nti ne 's Day everyone! I wish you love! God bless!Cheers!
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social bookmarking blog hack - try it!
2007-02-13 07:03:00
I've recently incorporated the social bookmarking Blog ger hack into my blog and it looks great! Special thanks goes to Hans over at Beautiful Beta.Try it out and feel free to tag any of my posts! Cheers!
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this blog is now feedblitz capable
2007-02-12 15:13:00
You can now subscribe to this blog via email, thanks to Feed Blitz !If you feel that this blog is not a waste of your time and is worth the read, please feel free to subscribe by filling up the FeedBlitz subscription form located at the upper right section of this page.Cheers!
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how to drive in one piece in manila
2007-02-10 19:06:00
In my previous blog post, I listed 5 tips on how to survive driving in Makati City. While these focus more on how to avoid law enforcement traps, another driving survival guide that's worth blogging about is how to survive while driving along with Mani la's general driving public.I've had my share of accidents and judgment errors while driving in and around Manila , and these are some of the more helpful points that I believe you should remember in order to avoid being cited more than just a traffic violation ticket.So how does one survive Manila's rough and tumble, drag racing, demolition derby attuned roads? Here's how:1. The Game of Chicken (or Why It's Better to be a Chicken Than to be a Statistic)There are a lot of reckless drivers and road hogs throughout the metropolis. And it is inevitable that you'll end up playing a game of chicken with some stupid, zero skill driver at some point in time. Now if you've taken driver's ed class or the Land Transportation Office (LTO)...
More About: How To , Drive , One Piece