#106: The coming out

Nine months ago, I was presented an opportunity to do something really cutting edge. In three days, a new kid on the block will be born. Opportunity knocks but ones and I'm definitely opening the door.

#105: A friday night out

What does a single father do on a Friday night? A romantic dinner date? Bar hopping? A good movie perhaps? try again. Well what about a night out with a bunch of 12 year olds.

Tonight I was the designated driver for my daughter Nadire and her friends (kathy, Jenny and Darlene) to visit the haunted trail in Balboa Park. I've never been to this place but I heard it can scare the hell out of you.

We had problem finding the place even with my garmin GPS and the iPhone in hand. But after driving around the park we finally found it. The place is packed, mostly teenagers. Parking was a challenge as well.

I decided not to go in and told them that I'll just wait in the car. Few minutes later, two of Nadire's friends (kathy and Jenny) came back and told me they couldn't take it. It was too scary for them they said. Nadire and Darlene (with much hesitations) went ahead.

Together with her two friends, we probably waited for about 45 minutes. I tried to entertain them both so they won't get bored. Believe me you don't want to get stucked with bored kids on a friday night. Finally, Nadire and her friend finally came out panting and still pumped up with the experienced. She said the place was awesome, really scary at times but all in all it was fun.

later, I decided to treat them for a night cap at iHop. Well it was more of a dinner and even pretended it was Kathy's Birthday to get a a complimentary ice cream.

As I was paying the bill, the waiter smiled and asked if everything was ok. I said it was all good. "Are those  your daughters?", he suddenly asked. Probably wondering about these lovely kids together acting like their sisters. "Yes they are, they are sisters from different mothers", I said as I turned towards the door trying to hold myself from laughing.

He shouted back "you're my hero!".

#104: Time for an android

Exciting tech news today. Google, Verizon Sign Android Phone Pact.

Google’s Android phone OS may have gotten off to a slower start than I’d have expected, but it’s quickly making up for lost time. Today’s news: Google and Verizon Wireless are working together directly to design new Android phones, the first of which will be unveiled in “the next few weeks.” They’ll come with Google Voice.

Unlike the iPhone, Android is the first free, open source, and fully customizable mobile platform. But like the iphone, android has tons of apps available for download. This include the power apps Google voice which was rejected by apple in apparent attempt to protect AT&T's lock on iphone users.



You see, Google Voice gives you the ability to tie up all your phones into one number and make your own rules how your phone behaves based on who's calling which of your phones. You can learn more about Google Voice here.


If you have T-Mobile, i suggest you grab an android phone. I have Verizon for my kids' phones so I might get another line for an android.

#103: Help for the Philippines

The government of Canada is responding positively to our typhoon ravaged country. Canada recently announced special immigration measures for typhoon victims in the Philippines.

Effective immediately, Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) visa office in the Philippines is responding on a priority basis for those directly affected by the disaster.

This will be applied to new and existing applications from Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons who have close family members in the Philippines. They must, however, identify themselves as being directly and significantly affected by the current situation and notify CIC.

 In addition, CIC also posted a guide (FAQ) about priority processing in this link.

This is a great gesture from the Canadian government to reunite Filipinos in Canada with their families back home. Canada is definitely a great place to live specially with their Universal Health Care System, a system that is seems to be impossible to attain in the U.S.

Also related to the calamity in the Philippines, the Abranian Association of America in San Jose President Mr. Julieto "Juli" Elpa Dizon calls for help in this post at abrenian.com.

An effort to help the affected Abrenian students in Metro Manila by the Abranian Association of America in San Jose, under the leadership of its President, Mr. Julieto "Juli" Elpa Dizon is ongoing. Displaced students are being contacted to determine their immediate needs. You will be updated with their progress in the immediate future and on how you can help in alleviating their plight.

Please pass along these important announcements to your relatives and friends.

#102: 3rd Rock from the sun's technology

This is a funny sitcom in the 90's. My kids gave me the first season DVD sometime ago. 3rd rock from the sun is show about a group of extraterrestrials on an expedition of what they consider to be the least important planet, Earth (the 3rd Rock from the Sun), while posing as a human family of four, to observe human beings.

One of the  character Dick Solomon ( John Lithgow), the high commander, tries to use earth's technology which he considered primitive in this hilarious scene.



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#101: Hotmail users beware

Yahoo News just reported Hackers exposed hotmail accounts password.

Microsoft blocked access to thousands of Hotmail accounts in response to hackers plundering password information and posting it online.

Cyber-crooks evidently used "phishing" tactics to dupe users of Microsoft's free Web-based email service into revealing account and access information, according to the US technology giant.

phishing is process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwoods and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy website. 

If you have hotmail account, immediate change your password. Of course it's always a good practice to use strong password such as combination of letters (uppercase and lower case), numbers and even punctuations.

#100: Words to live by

Who has not heard of godaddy.com. This site offers very cheap domain names registration, hosting, security certificates and more. It made more famous by the endorsement of the lovely Danica Patrick, the famous indycar driver. Godaddy.com's superbowl ads are also a must see.

This successful business was founded by Bob Parson who shared his business success through his 16 rules for success. Here they are. I particularly like 3, 8, 10 and 12.

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
      I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone.  I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security."  My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.
      Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted.  Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work.  It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.
      There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.  It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
      Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences."  My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.
      Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.
      No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment.  You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.
      Never stop investing.  Never stop improving.  Never stop doing something new.  The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die.  Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way.  Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen.  Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.
      Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.
      I swear this is true.  Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
      If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while.  I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.
      When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance.
Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.
      In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.
      Life isn't fair.  You make your own breaks.  You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.
      You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge.  Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others."  There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently.  It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously.
      Lighten up.  Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile.
      Find it.  After all, you're really lucky just to be alive.  Life is short.  More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"

#99: Running on empty

It has been extremely busy week for me. I am in the crossroad of a very important project that I have been working on for almost a year now. I'm not in the liberty of divulging this project until it goes public. Until then I have to keep mum on this for now.

But as I was channel surfing tonight, I caught a glimpse of the movie Forrest Gump. It was that scene when Forrest decided to run, just keep running with no reason at all. Then it played briefly in the background the song "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne. What I coincidence I thought to myself as I'm feeling the same today. 

This is a bouncy song that lifted my spirit as I decided to listen to the song on its entirety. And as a bonus I even found a version where Jackson Browne played this song with Bruce Springsteen.



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#98: Two Birthdays, a Funeral and new belts

Couple of things happened today.

Birthdays

First birthday is for my younger brother Panchet. I talked about him on my earlier post. Panchet is the youngest of the family but I feel he had achieved more than what most people have done in their lifetime. I heard he's having the time of his life. What's with all the parties they have prepared for him. A lot of people would like to be in his shoes. That includes me. I'm very proud of him.

Second Birthday is for our youngest in the family, JR. He listed his birthday today but some argued that he's birthday is really on the 5th. Well, either way he's celebrating his birthday. JR is my nephew's son. My parents took him in our family at a very young age. My parents fell in love with JR the first time they saw him. Why not! he was so cute, like a baby in a soap commercial. JR like any other kid, has some shortcomings. But who doesn't. The important thing is He knows very well that his family loves him the way we love each one. Happy Birthday JR.


A Funeral

It's wasn't a surprise. It was announced as early as January this year. Intel Philippines is closing.

internal memo circulated yesterday that Intel is definitely moving out of the Philippines. Actual reasons vary — from high corporate taxes, to expensive electricity charges and even stealing of microchips.

Today, it finally happen - the last nail in the coffin. Intel Philippines is officially closed. This is a big blow to the Philippines specially the hundreds (it was thousands at its peak) of Filipino workers who lost their job. One of them is my good friend and classmate Francis . He's a Design Engineer at Intel. Back in my college days, he was my study buddy. We've collaborated in many school projects as well as "other" projects. He's a brilliant Engineer so I'm sure he'll bounce back.

New Belts

My two girls successfully moved closer to their quest for the black belt. It was a grueling one hour of testing of forms, routines, breaking boards and sparring.  It was also a test of stamina and mental control. In the end it was very rewarding as Deirdre moved two belts up to green belt. The grandmaster explained that she was so good that she qualified to skip yellow belt, which doesn't happen often. Nadire, though, was two point shy of following her sister's feat. She still got the yellow belt but I sense her disappointment, I was too. But I explained to her that "never mistakenly consider one defeat a final defeat". Don't worry dad, I'm ok, she said. Later, I treated them to a nice Japanese restaurant  with some sushi, udon and a mochi ice cream dessert. And they were all smiles.

#97: High Tech in Education, anyone?

Schoolforge.net is  an interesting site that collects free and open source software for use in education.

SchoolForge's mission is to unify independent organizations that advocate, use, and develop open resources for education. We advocate the use of open texts and lessons, open curricula, free software and open source in education.

One section of the site highlights some of the best software applications, for uses such as education assessment and evaluation, cirriculum planning, and teaching education. Learning management systems & Course management systems and administrative tools to fit various needs of schools.

To mention a few:

Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. You can download and use it on any computer you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a single-teacher site to a 50,000-student University. Moodle is one of the most popular CMS out there.

Open Admin for Schools  - is entirely web based and can run from a centrally located division wide server or a single computer in a school. It is designed to support an entire division on one or more central computers but can also work just fine for a single school. Currently several school divisions use this approach and have 15+ schools on a single central server. This is because it is designed to be lightweight both in server resource requirements and in communication bandwidth.

 SchoolTool will draw members of the education community: staff, students, parents, alumni and administrators into a tight-knit community with instant access to relevant information. SchoolTool will not depend on a technology-intensive environment, but in those schools with broad and deep access to technology in the form of computers, laptops, PDA's, cellphones and wireless pagers, SchoolTool will leverage those forms of communication and devices to deliver the right information to the right person at the right time.

 These are great technology tools that can improve the way teachers teach and communicate with student. And the best thing is it's free and it's so easy to implement using cheap computers.

Such solutions can be a cheap for the entire public education in the Philippines to use. I would love to be involved for such a project. Maybe a pilot project in Abra (e.g. Abra High School) could be launched to prove it's viability.

So what about it sir Panchet? are you up for the challenge?