Disoriented

Where was the point where I left off?

Like a program, I have not been updated for some time.

Scattered hints flash inside my head that I was once an enthusiastic blogger, reading innumerable posts with gusto, absorbing information like a sponge retaining water. I knew I was a long-time resident of this hang-out called WordPress, where the ins and outs were somewhat a vague memory today. I am still feeling my way in the dark.

When I saw my email inbox, I concluded that I was away far too long. I admit that the task of just checking them would be time-consuming, let alone read the contents of each notification.

I need time. A lot. I am sure you will extend to me all the leeway and tolerate my tardiness of reacting to your old comments. You are entitled of replies because you shared a moment or two to convey your thoughts. Everyone is greatly appreciated.

I might be too slow to catch up with your recent posts but in time I will see to it that I’ll do. Please wait for my visit.

I am most thankful that I have been, and still is, a part of WordPress’ blogging community. Now I am well aware what the word ‘support’ really means.

A productive day, everyone!

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Indulge

Believe me, folks! I was once a teenager. 😀

One of the best shot video back then. 🙂

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Net Neutral

NO FAST LANES. NO SLOW LANES.

ALL LANES OPEN FOR ALL!

GOVERNMENTS, BIG BUSINESS, ROBBERS!

DO NOT STEAL THE INTERNET FROM USERS.

 

Just Hoping

Good day to everyone, wherever you are!

As usual, I am at home. Yeah, I am a WordPress homebody. 😀

I’ve been thinking yesterday while reading my email notifications, that part of my problems surfing the net is the numerous sites I have to load at the same time. It’s already bad that locally the connection could be so aggravating slow most of the time, each site has their own little secret to successfully load in my computer.

I am well aware how WordPress has been plagued by complaints about almost anything we bloggers feel wrong about modifications and all. I have been a victim myself of scratch-my-head-often issues that confronted me but I am still hanging on. The advantage of s simple-to-use platform outweighed the disadvantages of small technical problems once in a while.

Perhaps, some tech wizards and programming fairies could think of a way to add email or direct messaging on the platform (if there is one, please direct me to it). Just a pop-up window that we can use to unburden the comment box of messages we usually send and receive via messaging.

While at it, can you also add another window where more personal stuff could be shared? Family members, not necessarily bloggers, could send private photos and other information directly to the blog site.

Maintaining presence on too many sites is such a headache. My time is not enough to read all the great blogs on WordPress alone. Can I be excused to visit Twitter or Facebook if I get the small favors I am requesting from WordPress?

I am simple guy with simple needs. 😀

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Intrusion

There nothing wrong with self-promotion as long as it is within the bounds of civilize norms.

I do not need to digress about the importance of social media in our society. Their reach encompasses a wide range of our daily activities in and out of the Net. However, if there are advantages gained, there’s a host of disadvantages that were not present before.

Take Facebook’s popularity for example. The giant network filled the needs of people around the world, It introduced new forms of interaction.

Back then, you only show your photo album to a select few, mostly relatives and close friends. Now, your followers, not necessarily your actual associates could view your life as if you are under a microscope, if you let them.

This type of self-promotion fortunately opened to scrutiny the brazen lifestyles of family members of the alleged local pork barrel queen. Flaunting their wealth for all to see, they naively gave visual evidence that were supposed to be a secret to evade detection of her crime. It became her undoing.

If such incident proved to be beneficial to achieving justice, there are also negative effects of this photo-sharing custom.

Nowadays, people take selfies on any occasion, numerous photos of themselves to be uploaded in their sites. Sometimes, there are individuals who would spoil the fun by including themselves without permission in the photo. Bombers they are called.

But imagine this: what if the photo-taker himself included you as an unwitting photo-bomber? Without your consent, you were included in a personal photo of a stranger who has vile motives.

Say, you are a girl wearing a mini-skirt, sitting innocently in a bench, minding your own business. Then someone, possibly a boy, in the guise of taking a selfie, include you in the photo without you knowing it. Without his face shown, the angle of the shot he took could show you in a lewd and compromising position with respect to his pose.

Once uploaded, (un)luckily it became viral. Your face is pasted all over the place. Notoriously, you are a star. What can you do to get your privacy back? How could you undo the damage done to your reputation?

Another incident that happened locally had a different twist. This time it was a man’s obsession with women’s underwear, that is, while they still wore them. He was probably tired of taking photos of himself that he decided to lengthen his reach, literally. His targets were unsuspecting shoppers in malls. His modus operandi was simple: attach the camera to that popular telescopic steel rod till it reach the ground and snap a photo while it was between the victim’s feet. (You get the idea.)

Imagine all the uploads he did with all those photos? It was fortunate he was caught on CCTV during one of his sick jaunts.

So, a fair warning to all! Do not let your guard down, Don’t be a victim of others’ misuse and abuse of social media. These people are everywhere.

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Terms

Analyzing history when it pertains to currents events is not only educational but sometimes humorous, not in a funny sense though.

Imagine this scenario. Parents (both deceased) who fought against an alleged despot, one sacrificing life and the other helping restore democracy has a son who now holds a high position in government. Their grievance back then was against autocratic rule, the absence of regular elections and corruption in all levels of government. Their fight was their legacy to their countrymen.

The son, who was old enough during those times, should promote their ideals once he reached his place. Out of respect for his departed parents, he, of all people, should never soil their reputation by even thinking of contradicting what they fought for.

However, the son could never match his father’s popularity nor his mother’s, that in some crooked sense he has considered himself valuable to his people. The detested idea of extending his rule beyond his term crops up, deviously presented as the will of the majority.

Who could have thought that this train of thoughts would even be conjured in the first place?

The cabal collectively decided their personal interests would be best served if they revise the organic law of the land. Their stay in power rests in the notion that too many groups who possess particular agendas would also agree to the change, spreading words for all to hear that everything is for the welfare of the nation.

Of course, many people, especially those who understand the repercussions of such change would try to block the initiative. Unfortunately, they are in the minority, the real one and not the supposedly minority in congress who would also benefit in the proposed change.

It’s funny how millions of literate citizens could be deceived right in their faces. They only need to recall the old promises made, those that were not fulfilled to this day, and the new promises pledged to get their support. How simple could that be? How easy to turn those power hungry down instantly?

Not very easy because people forget. They never learn or they do not want to learn. Given crumbs and they would bow down immediately. That is how hopeless their lives are.

There is a saying that says: “You may fool people once. But you cannot fool them all the time.” Sadly, this is not true in our case. To paraphrase it: “You may fool people once. That’s enough to fool them all the time.”

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Efficiency

When there is a slow connection, a computer which is cluttered with unnecessary programs (which probably run in the background) becomes a low-tech box of electronic components and wiring. The main objective of high technology is quick and efficient operation that could simulate real time activities.

While checking all the installed programs in my computer, I found out that I have three word processing and two of both database and spreadsheet programs, and a host of offline games I never use. It would seem they were pre-installed in the unit when I initially bought it.

Then, there are three browsers and several media player programs to choose from. I am wondering if I need all of them or to simply uninstall the others that eat up space as if they were parked there for display.

For those tech savvy out there, perhaps you can answer my simple question. Which programs should I retain in my computer? I have backed up my image and document files. The media files reside in a separate hard drive.

Any suggestions?

Another icon I see at the corner of my screen seems staring at me to get noticed. Frankly, I have never clicked it for some reason I could not comprehend. I thought the trash can is just that: a container of unwanted data.

Well, I got the surprise of my computer life. That innocuous part of the system saved thousands of deleted files which in reality is a an option to resurrect them for further use. I have always used the undo function when I make mistakes of deleting segments in drafts.

Because of this discovery, I freed more space in the system by permanently deleting those files in the recycle bin.

Our computer, or any gadget for that matter, has to be in good running condition. Just like our brain, we need to clear it of unwanted data that serves no purpose in our daily lives.

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Amiss

Reading provided me with more knowledge that I could ever thought of. Sometimes I muse that I would not be the person I am if I was lazy to turn pages of any published materials.

When one applies all the sifted information to good use, then positive accomplishments could be fulfilled.

However, new information arrives that sometimes negates what was thought of before as true. Initial doubts rule reason that fears of leaving what was construed as beneficial now suddenly becomes a transition to the new. What to do?

Lessons are learned all the time. It is not cowardice to accept honest mistakes. We need true courage to follow a path even though it is still littered with unknowns. In time, with due diligence of continuous discovery, the same path could be clear of ambiguities.

(This is a re-post.)

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Concert

A coin has two sides.

Here, like elsewhere in the world, people have differences in opinions concerning various matters. Most of the mundane topics they discussed and argued about ranged from the serious to the hilarious. Most of the time, an objective referee of sorts has the power to decide who wins the battle of wits.

Take for example the other week. I stumbled upon two young lads quarreling how to go about courting a girl. They have been exposed to new ideas through the media. At least from what I understood of their disagreement, one wanted to go the Facebook route while the other wanted the text mate method.

Both presented their defense of their choice without backtracking one bit. I knew right there and then I had to think of a third option far away from the technology-based solution they both wanted to rely upon.

“Have you seen the girl?” I asked seriously. “Personally.”

“No,” they chorused hesitantly. “We saw her on Facebook.”

“Are you sure it is really her? Maybe she used a photo of somebody else.”

They pondered for sometime. I did have a point: they could have been arguing for nothing more than an illusion of who they thought they liked.

“I am sure it’s her,” the younger of the two insisted. “I saw her first.”

“She is older than you,” offered the older. “We are of the same age.”

They restarted their quarrel so I decided to give them a piece of my mind.

“Listen!” I raised my voice a notch higher. “Meet her first. If she does not come, kiss your chances goodbye. She could play along with you on Facebook or via text but that’s only that: play.”

“But…” they tried to argue.

“Your choice,” I said. “Do it my way so you won’t waste your time and effort.”

Two days later, I saw them drinking soda in a corner store. They were in a lively mood. Gone was the fierce faces they exhibited earlier.

I approached them without asking what happened with their plans. The older one asked the store tender to give me a bottle of soda and a piece of bread. He signaled he was paying for it.

“We are glad we listened to your advice,” he related. “She did not look like as she appeared in her profile photo.”

“Her beauty did not pass your mark,” I commented without saying the four letter word.

“Oh no! She was a stunner!”

“What’s the catch? I mean why did you not pursue your plan?”

“She’s over twenty,” confessed the younger one, who is barely fifteen.

“Age does not matter,” I baited.

“Well, we did not pass her qualifications?”

“And what is that?”

“She thought we’re over thirty.”

“Why did she think so?”

They both laughed as if they did a mischievous prank.

“I sent my father’s bachelor photo. I wanted to test her if she does not like older men.”

The younger did the same.

“When she met us, she thought we were sent to meet our new mother, her.”

I had a great time listening to their recollection of the meeting. What mattered was that It ended in a good note.

“You could have sent my photo instead,” I jested.

They looked at each other, not sure whether to laugh or keep their mouths shut.

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Let it be

I was am a Beatles’ fan.

To tell you the truth, back then I thought the Fab Four were Americans with a strange accent. 🙂 That’s what lack of information could do to a person: guessing or believing inaccurate data.

Getting attached to their popular songs was easy. Their appeal to the masses was exceptional to say the least.

Did you know that they have landed in our archipelago in the mid sixties but suffered a harrowing experience when they faced a hostile welcome and an injury-laden departure, due simply to a wrong impression that they snubbed our First Lady. She was the same woman who herself became a notorious personality later because of her collection of thousand of pairs of expensive shoes.

That visit could have been a phenomenal hit were it not for such a blunder in communication. Hosts and visitors were turned against one another because of failure to check true facts.

That unfortunate incident left a blot against our wholesome image abroad. We became known as the country who drove The Beatles out.

Today, international artists come and go in the country. Our world renowned hospitality never fail to leave marks in their minds of the warm people they leave behind.

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