Everything about his legendary journey in this world.

06 May 2011

A Weapon of Great Power


The most powerful weapon
In changing every nation.
You are the greatest possession
We can use in reaching our ambition.

You've made us smart.
You gave us our math.
You've made us learn every word.
And  let us see the beauty of world.

Why can't you be free?
Be cheaper than a drink in a spree.
How can less fortunate people acquire you
If takes walking in the walls just to have you?

It's said that nothing hinders us to success,
And that you are a stepping stone to it.
But how will we be able to reach the top
If a step is missing in our path?

11 April 2011

THE BIG "B" OF LIFE


Freedom is the greatest thing to every nation you bring.
Peace and Democracy are your greatest achievements.
You're God's greatest blessing to this world of famine.
Chaotic it is without you, Prosperity is their when we have you.

You are one of the principal causes of war,
Yet we admire you in that war.
You give us the strength to fight.
You give us the courage to search for the light.

When we are afraid it is you who counsels us.
Whe we are in distress it is you who urges us to continue.
When we see no hopes you give us hopes.
When we see no chance you give us chances

Maybe God loves us that much
That He hath given you to us.
You've save us from the devil.
You've let us overcome our fears.

23 March 2011

Anger


Yes! Indeed I committed a crime
I killed him with my own hands
These stains of blood are proofs
Alas! I killed him with my own hands!

The blood rushes as my heart beat
It was the glory of once soul that I feel
Satisfaction! Death in my hands!
I made it. I killed him with my own hands!

Have I not been hauled by my conscience?
Yes, I have, but the glory of my soul
I feel worthy of doing such action
Joyous! I killed him with my own hands!

And what has driven me to such action?
It’s the fierce in my heart
That flaming fury of my eyes
Success! I killed him with my own hands!

Now that I made my revenge,
Let this death be my judgment.
Alas…I made it joyous and successful!
I killed him with my own hands!
And now I have to end my life.

21 March 2011

Exploring the other side of me

These past few weeks, my blog have been completely dead. No updates, no posts, nothing! I was just passing a very depressive and unstable state of uncertainty asking myself if I am worthy of the miseries I am experiencing right now. But as days passed, my eagerness to extrapolate the skills of my scribe alter ego was getting me into a decision of having my upcoming posts to present literary works of my own.
For the coming weeks, I’ll be posting a series of poems called The ABC of Life. The said compilation, as you may call it, will be covering different aspects of a man as he travel in his journey in the sphere called earth. I am expecting that I’ll be able to have variety of styles to incorporate on my poems.
I am not that good in writing poems and I don’t have proper literary training. Still, I am proud to say that the upcoming articles are the expressions of my soul. They are not perfect; they are merely contemplating my thoughts. I have nothing too much to offer you. The aforementioned is completely a group of messy and rubbish thoughts from my little mind.
So much with the talk, I still have to prepare my first poem for this compilation. Rest assured that I will do my best to make it worth your time. Remember, it’s not the in the looks, not in the achievements, not in the glamour; it’s the name, Alfore, which will make the legend.

20 March 2011

Facebook app pages serve up Javascript and Acai Berry spam

Alert to my Facebook Pals!

There's a nasty round of Facebook app pages dabbling in Javascript shenanigans to spam Acai Berry diet pages on your profile walls. Simply visiting these pages while logged in is enough to post some spam, most of the pages involved promising (surprise, surprise) a video to watch:



If you try to navigate away from the above app page, a message will pop up claiming you're about to "corrupt the Flash install". Total nonsense, but it's just enough to result in something like the below being posted to your profile:



"I am living proof that this works", claims the "facebook sponsored weight loss product". No sign of anyone yelling "Beefcake, Beefcake" but let's dispense with the South Park references and see where the spam link leads to:



Oh look, a fake news site touting logos from various news sources. Needless to say, you don't want to be handing over any money for the above. Though the code in the below screenshot may look like a load of tech related jibber-jabber, you can still see many pieces of text used for the various spam messages:
Click to Enlarge

Spam messages will also be sent out in both wall postings and facebook chat that look like this:

"Hey, What the hell are you doing in this video? Is this dancing or what?? Bahahah"

You can see that in the above screenshot, too (look near the bottom of the code). If you don't want to strain your eyes, here it is in action:



There appears to be one main domain for this, franebook(dot)com (although it's currently serving up 404 errors) and many of the related application pages also appear to have been taken down by facebook. apps(dot)facebook(dot)com/bergamoleyra/ and apps(dot)facebook(dot)com/hellenismkpmga/ are both giving "page not found" messages, although there seems to be a number of app pages still live and redirecting to the Acai berry spam sites.

As always, be careful what you're clicking on in facebook - random messages promising junk will usually give you just that (and perhaps a little more besides).

05 March 2011

Tech Gap in PH Public Schools

The educational system of the Republic of the Philippines is a cluttered one. Besides the crowded rooms, the limited books, and the obsolete curriculum, our schools are faced with numerous unsolved problems which need immediate solutions. Our nation is a home to great minds, but with the absence of a good educational system, our hope might as well go fade away.

It is not hidden to our naked eyes that schools in our nation are not at paced with the technological advancement that other academic institutions abroad are experiencing. Our schools are home to second-hand outdated computers. We lack e-learning facilities. A large fraction of schools don’t even have laboratories and if they do, the ratio of computers to students might go higher than one is to fifty.

We keep on claiming that we are becoming the technological hub of the ASEAN with our fast growing costumer support industry, our skilled and talented coders, and our growing number of IT workers. Now, it is really ironic that we are declaring such a glamorous name when we cannot offer our elementary and high school students quality education specially in field of Information and Communication Technology.

What I see right now is that our officials are not that interested with regards to educational reforms. They are more interested in publicly displaying their capabilities of interrogating criminals and witnesses on the plenary hall when issues like corruption, killings and scandals surface but not in passing resolutions for the development of our educational system. One can even deduce that they are not interested with issues regarding our school because they are less publicized.

This is one of the primary reasons why we have not moved as a nation. We have always been behind when we talk of technological and educational development. Yes, we have world champions in academics, but these champions are products of private schools where mentoring is way better as compared to much of our public high schools. Face it, when you are in the Philippines, you can only have a good education if you are capable of spending more than a common Filipino can afford.

Technological gap in our classrooms and schools in the past few years have been slowly addressed with the aid of our NGO’s and generous individuals who believes in the importance of technology in making our students equally competitive in the field of computer science. I believe that our financial need to meet this gap is not that big as compared to what have been stolen by our corrupt officials. We can still go on track and join in the race if we start now. We may not go as far as other nations can but at least let’s not get lost in the trail of the modern era of computers science.

This is the challenge that we must impose to our government. Make our educational system better by addressing concerns in the field of ICT. Give our students the equal opportunity other nations are giving to their young ones in this fast growing field. Let us drive our nation towards the road of Information Superhighway!

01 March 2011

The Amazing Restaurant Called Life

You can visit it once, but you can never be back!

There was this restaurant named Life. With their glittering plates, sparkling glasses and exquisite service to offer, a lot of people have gone through this small restaurant. Everybody come to this establishment not knowing what will be served to them. And much to the dismay of most costumers, only a few were offered with a good menu. One time a customer visiting this bistro was served with a dish of wealth, a glass of fame and a big bowl of luxury while at the same time someone on the table was a client that isn’t happy to what was served to him. Who would be if the main course is a dish of problems placed in a rusty plate, a small plastic cup with misfortune for the drink, and a salad of thorns for the dessert?

A lot of stories were written about this restaurant, events inside are happening in ways you can’t ever imagine. One time a person was served with victory as an appetizer but the main course was failures. This man was not able to finish his entire meal. He took one of the knives and stabbed his own chest while eating the main course. Funny things are happening in here too. Once, a young lady that was so ambitious was served with the opportunity of eating gold beside this dirty old man if she agrees to marry this man whom she have known just for a day. What was funny was that on the day of their marriage the old man died and the young lady was left with a big chunk of gold. Having eaten too much and thinking that she still have a lot. She kept on sharing this to opportunistic people together with her on the same table. But before she realizes it, she was left with nothing but a small bite of dust. Having no food to eat, she died poor and hungry.

The fact is that every costumer in this restaurant is served with a unique menu. Some are budget meals, others are so expensive, a few are priceless and most are cheap. But everyone is given the chance to change the food they are eating. That is if they are ready to work for it and to fight for it that was served to another costumer. Some consumer even share their food and are generously giving to people who are less privilege and are eating the cheap ones. Another interesting fact, these menus are flexible also. You may be served with a bottle of Joy or another bottle but of sadness the choice is yours. Then again, what is mostly unacceptable is the fact that others are given the good menu without striving for them while some needs to struggle just to eat better food.

As you can see, this restaurant can offer everybody an assortment. The gourmet may be delightful and appealing or it may be the worst and full of bitterness. But it is up to you, if you are willing to eat bad food for the rest of your meal. We can’t avoid the fact that some are given better food while others are given awful menus. Remember one thing, what ever is given to you, be thankful to the chef.

By the way, this article was written by someone who is still eating inside this bistro and everything he has told you is completely true. He was even served not the best menu, just a fine one. Nevertheless, he is satisfied and pleased.

19 February 2011

The Fading of the Ideals of EDSA Revolution

Twenty-five years ago, a huge crowd of people gathered and walked collectively for our nation. Dubbed as the greatest and most gratifying act of the Filipinos, this assembly of individuals from different races of life united for the ultimate goal of ending the supremacy of a dictator was admired by nations around the world.
It was a proof that a common Juan Dela Cruz is not afraid to fight for his freedom. He is not afraid to die. He can even offer his own blood for his ideals. But on that day, he preferred to do it in a less tragic and a more peaceful way. He’s greatest weapon was his faith. He believed that violence is not a solution to oppression. If we want freedom, then let us do it in a manner aligned with our moral values. The people power was a peaceful and bloodless fight for liberty.
The true essence of that revolt was not found on how powerful an individual on that day was but on how majestic is the collective thrust of unity and patriotism of the people. We are a Democratic nation and in eternity it should remain that way. That, I believe, was the primary reason why the EDSA Revolution occurred.
The state of our nation right now is the product of our past. And it is sad that what our countrymen fought in EDSA is starting to fade away. Yes, we are free as a nation, but we are getting oppressed in new ways. The corruption, political dynasties, and the insufficient service of our government among other concerns are slowly obliterating the ideals of our democracy.
Being a democratic country is neither about being able to do what you want, whenever you want it, nor about being able to express your opinion, whenever you wish to speak. It’s like a big podium supported by the pillars of economic stability, peace, prosperity, and good governance. And with one of pillars missing, democracy is not in its ideal state.
I would like to stress out that when people went to EDSA on February 25, 1986, they are not just shouting to end the dictatorship. They went there hoping to correct our rotten system of government. They did not just ask for freedom. The wanted the complete package of a democratic nation.
It is in this that I am asking our so-called public servants to do what they have promised last elections and all of the elections from the past and of the future. We are a free nation. We have the democracy. Give it to us in accordance to its real ideals. Free us from corruption, give us the prosperity we are entitled of, and show us that you are all working for the growth of our nation and not for the growth of your pockets.
The truth is the state of the Philippines right now was not what the people in EDSA have fought for. We are misaligned from the true principles of that revolution. The power of the people has spoken to our government, but only few have listened. I hope that on the coming years under the present administration and of the future leaders of our nation, the problems of our state right now will be mitigated. Let us also do our part as Filipinos. A salute to everyone who participated in EDSA Revolution!

Disclaimer

All parts of this text have been properly assessed and scrutinized for the sole purpose of establishing 100% accuracy. Since the author is not human, achieving more than perfection is always possible. If this situation occur, I have no liabilities over the damage brought by my Awesomeness.

14 February 2011

What is Love?


In this article, I don’t want to be like other authors who ask you things but will then answer them later. I want to share my own perspective on a very interesting thing. I want to extrapolate on the highly discussed concept of love. I will not give you the meaning of love not because it’s undefined. As a matter of fact I dreamed of its real meaning last night, but I forgot to write it down. This is just my personal justification.
In the history the world, love has played a vital role. It has been a principal cause of war. It was able to conquer death. It even made people give-up all they have. Others received hope from love and some were able to exchange their lives just for it. These things aren’t common to every emotion. Love is so unique that it defies the boundary between what is good and what is bad.
I have read definitions of love. Some are completely agreeable; others are sort of fuzzy. If it’s an emotion that comes from the heart, then it must be a product of something. Well science tells us that everything is composed of atoms. Then love maybe is made-up of atoms too, but I hardly think someone is capable of deciphering its chemical structure. Maybe it’s composed of cells because they say that it is alive. But then again, no one can draw the anatomy of love.
Love is an intimate feeling, a thing which can drive anyone crazy, a song that can calm and serenade a ferocious soul.  It’s like an oxymoron, perhaps even a paradox. I experienced love, and I strongly believe everyone has. This feeling is so powerful. It can’t move mountain, as opposed to an old adage, because only earthquakes can. But how will we be able to say that love exists if we can’t completely define it.
A lot of books, including the Bible, Koran, and other holy scriptures talked of love. Literary geniuses from around the world have written things about it to the point that I am sure of the fact that every language has its own word for love. Artists have drawn, sculpted, and built their own interpretation of love. The funny thing is that none of them was able to define it in a logical and concrete manner.
Existing in a sphere called earth, we all are able to encounter and feel love in different degrees. On the context of the acute ones, we tend to hide them in our pockets. The obtuse and reflex ones are extremely shown that sometimes we have to exhort someone to give us an immediate response. But on cases where it is the right one, we are serene, compassionate, devoted and straightforward. Well, if only there is a protractor designed to measure how large angles of love are, I would have purchased one.
On my own discrete opinion, love is not a thing that comes in no expense because it will cause you a lot of resources. I am not trying to refer to the roses, the chocolates and the sparkling rocks on rings engraved with the phrases “I Love You”, “You’re the Only One” or “Sweetheart” but of the things that are less luxurious, albeit more important, like time, laughs, hugs and kisses. All of these and other amazing benefits make love a priceless possession.
I beg to disagree that love is a feeling of absolute happiness. It’s a combination of positive and the negative emotions. We love because we are ready to get hurt. We love because we are willing to sacrifice. Above all, we love because we believe in our hearts. There is no perfect love, only right love. And the moment you have it, you are willing to give everything away just for that one right thing. The truth is that love turns everyone possessing it a selfless individual.
Love exists in different forms: it may shape like a pyramid, a cross or a piece of crumpled paper. This is not because love isn’t well-structured, but because love is a flexible thing. It can be that you love the way she lie, or you love her the way she is or you love her cause you want to go on a bad romance. You can go speechless and breathless with love. Even to the extent that you just need somebody to love in order to live. You want love for a reason, and the reason is love.
So much with these lyrical thoughts, I am completely puzzled right now. It’s too complicated when you want to end an article about something that is unfathomable. Perhaps, I might end up loosening the screws of my brain. But before that happens, I want to tell you that at the very moment of writing this article I am beguiled by ultimate emotion called love.
Let’s spread our love by praising God, respecting our parents, and doing righteous things for the betterment of the world! Happy Valentines Day folks!

13 February 2011

My Own Philosophy

“Every good deed is rewarded so as every bad one has its consequences. It is up to us to choose whether we will be doing the right thing or not. We are remembered through the things we did and of the benefits it gives.”

It is said that life is a matter of choice. We are given the chance to do not what is right but what we think is right. Human nature is so peculiar that every individual has his own preferences on things. We may see things differently but we all cannot always be right. There is this one rule that govern us all - "Nobody is perfect." No matter how much we pretend to be, we cannot always have the right choice.

I consider choosing to be one of the most important acts a man does in his day to day life. I strongly believe that our way of assessing things are not as perfect as we expected it to be. Our decisions are definitely not in constrain of what is right. Moreover, we tend to accept our decisions as the most perfect and the most accurate one. But no matter how much we try, we will not be able to reach the right decision every time.

Deciding is a very complex concept which needs a detailed analysis of every aspect. Yet even the most intelligent individual in the world cannot have the right decisions all the time. Looking at a wider perspective ensures that your decision is considerably the most accurate one. But nobody can look at a thing in four directions, not even birds can see what is in their back. The truth is that it doesn't matter whether your decisions are the most accurate one but it is the course of action that you have initiated after coming up with such decision that counts.

I remember the story of the great man Alfred Bernhard Noble, the inventor of the dynamite and the person behind the establishment of the Nobel Prizes. It was In 1888 Alfred's brother Ludvig died while visiting Cannes and a French newspaper erroneously published Alfred's obituary. It condemned him for his invention of dynamite and is said to have brought about his decision to leave a better legacy after his death. The obituary stated Le marchand de la mort est mort ("The merchant of death is dead") and went on to say, "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday." On 27 November 1895, at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, Nobel signed his last will and testament and set aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prizes, to be awarded annually without distinction of nationality. He died of a stroke on 10 December 1896 at Sanremo, Italy. After taxes and bequests to individuals, Nobel's will gave 31,225,000 Swedish kronor (equivalent to about 1.8 billion kronor or 250 million US dollars in 2008) to fund the prizes. This final decision gave him the legacy as a great man. Now he is less remembered as the “merchant of death” and is highly adored as the founder of the Nobel Prize.

Our fate is indeed in our hands. We decide not for yesterday, but for today and tomorrow. We can never change the misconducts we have done in the past, but we are always given the chance to make the right decision and change our path. Our legacy may not be known to the world as much as of Alfred Noble. But it will always be remembered by those whom we have touched. The true meaning of life not lies on what you have done. It is the results of these things that did give benefits to the humanity that is important.

There are always two sides of a thing – the good and the bad. When we make our decisions, we often look at the good side ignoring its consequences. We don’t see that the actions we undertake always have its pros and cons. The truth might not be good. We might be making things complicated as we are coming up with our decision. Moreover, decisions that might be the best may not be favorable as external distractions interfere with our proceedings.

The question is neither how we made our decision nor how perfect it is. It is the effectiveness that is highly regarded. The reality is that life is not what we expect it to be. Nothing is permanent. No one can predict what might happen. Even the most perfectly laid plan might not work at all. Thus, we have no choice but to accept its consequences and formulate a new plan to correct what might have gone wrong.

Honor isn’t about making the right choice. It’s about dealing with consequences. Indeed this is the truth that must be inculcated in our minds. True honor is not achieved just by making the right choice. It is how we face the consequences of that choice that gives honor to us. We can always pretend to be right just by giving our decision. In contrast, we cannot pretend that things are all good when something is starting to screw up.

The judgment of man whether it is based in his believes or in his ideals cannot be in its most exquisite form when there is the lack of consideration on the general structure of life. Nothing can occur in the most idealistic form. All objects has qualitative and quantitative discrepancies that predominantly cause most of the misfortune and chaos in our decisions.

The emergence of conflicts are associated with true none indispensable faults. These fault maybe unforeseeable making it impossible to generate the best evaluation of the problem. Thus, decision-making is in its complexity when only a few of them are recognized.

A study suggests that man tends to accept reality with bliss of fantasy. This is because the reality cannot always be the best. We humans are given enough intellectual capabilities that make decision making possible but we are strongly influence by the imaginary side of our life. I see this as the true cause of our inappropriate decisions. Furthermore, our strong affection with fantasy causes so many catastrophe yet we rarely see them as we are looking with our eyes closed.

In another view, I can say that we are often overcomed by fears in the course of decision making. It is with this that I consider emotional disturbance a great factor in our decision. I can say that I can decide with my brain but I cannot resist on consulting my heart. The true glamour of a decision does not come from an agreeing brain but from an overwhelmed heart. Thus the emotional aspect of our persona must be well developed to ensure that decisions are aligned with what is correct.

I can also say that the essence of our decision does not lie on our personal satisfaction but on the satisfaction of other individuals. The sanctity of our choice lies in the benevolent hearts of our comrades. You cannot praise your self, perhaps you must not.

What you sow is what you reap. This famous quotation is indeed promising in decision that yields good results. If a man achieved glory, should he not be praised? If a warrior wins a war, should he not be regarded as a hero? And if a decision succeeded, should the decision maker not be rewarded?

I strongly believe that all the decision we made which succeeded have a reward. Others maybe small and other maybe big, but the thing that really counts is the happiness that is in our hearts. Success is a very pleasing word to the ears of those who have struggled and have won the battle. It is true that nothing is much sweeter that the taste of victory.

In general, I consider decision making not just choosing the right thing. It is best defined as the art of choosing for the betterment of every individual and the world as a whole. It doesn’t necessarily require you to do the right thing but it requires you to do what will yield the best results.

I don’t care if people don’t generally agree with me what really matter is that all my actions are aligned with my philosophy. I consider every decision as a task that I must deal with great consideration and a broad understanding of the scope of things.

I can say that life may be described in one of four ways: as a journey, as a battle, as a pilgrimage, and as a race. Select your own metaphor, but the finishing necessity is all the same. If life is a journey, it must be completed. If life is a battle, it must be finished. If life is a pilgrimage, it must be concluded. And if it is a race, it must be won.

26 January 2011

Create A Free Website With Your Own Domain

Host your website and have your domain for free!


A lot of us are dreaming of having our own website with our own domain, e-mail support and other features. At first I thought this is impossible. How can I achieve both without paying? I thought it would be possible for a free hosting of a website but the domain may only go as a redirection or placing the page onto frames. I been surfing and experimenting for two days until I get struck with x10hosting which offers free web hosting including e-mail support, MySQL, PHP and other good features. I decided to try it and I am satisfied with their service. So the web hosting problem is solved. Now I want to have a free domain. Not one that will only redirect to my site or place it on frame, but one which will point to the nameserver of my web host.

I have been using .tk– an Internet country code TLD domain for Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand located in the South Pacific. Not only because it is free but also because it is short and for the unlimited amount of domain registration. Long before the primary use of .tk for me is web redirection and shortening my long URLs, now I discovered that it has the capability of connecting directly to your site via full DNS using their TK’s servers or third-party servers provided by web hosts like x10hosting .

With a bit of configuration and patience, I was able to completely set-up my website for about a day. Now it’s open for my visitors to see and explore as like what you are doing right now. I am sharing this to everyone because I noticed that a number of websites in the internet are offering web hosting but using sub-domains (e.g. mysite.host-partner.com) but not one is offering an actual domain registration.

As we all know, everything has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages have been discussed so let’s go to the disadvantages. For x10hosting, there is an activity requirement in which the user is obliged to visit their site and/or post on their forums. The .tk domain, on the other hand, must earn 25 hits (that is 25 unique visitors within 90 days) to ensure that it will remain active.

I will be posting the full features of x10hosting and dot.tk domain registration on my next article together with a step by step guide on how you will be able to set-up your own website with the .tk domain of your choice.