http://jayron18.multiply.com/ Fri, 4 Jul 2008 21:12:14 -0000 Tue, 1 Jul 2008 14:06:15 -0000 http://images.jayron18.multiply.com/logo http://jayron18.multiply.com 100 100 Mario Deriquito on GILAS Mario Deriquito, director of Ayala Foundation and project director of Gearing Up Internet Literacy and Computer Access to Students or GILAS, talks about the organization and its primary goal for the Filipino community.As of 2005, GILAS has connected more than 1,800 public high schools across the Philippine archipelago.Visit <a href="http://greatergood.i.ph" target="_blank" title="http://greatergood.i.ph" rel="nofollow">http://greatergood.i.ph</a> http://jayron18.multiply.com/video/item/83/Mario_Deriquito_on_GILAS Tue, 1 Jul 2008 14:06:15 -0000 Matt Harding was here... ...and the pinoy kids added a little local flare to Matt's famous dance http://jayron18.multiply.com/video/item/82/Matt_Harding_was_here... Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:25:11 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 9: We Did It Our Way Click here for <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/106/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_8_Anthropology_of_Power_and_Conflict">Chapter 8: Anthropology of Power and Conflict</a> This video was taken during the onset of winter...around May I believe...in 2004. Michael, touted as the tallest student in the university at 6'11", is German who hails from Stuttgart "near the Black Forest...in fact our backyard is the Black Forest". The last time I heard from him was in 2006. He was to get married on December of that year and he invited me to the ceremony in Singapore where he lived. His wife, Erika, is Singaporean. If statuesque, lanky, chic, sensitive and heterosexual could be lumped together to describe a man then these would mark his embodiment. Michael left Australia in July of 2004...never to return. He opted to continue his studies in Financial Management in Singapore where his former fiancee (now wife) lived. He had become one of my closest friends in Australia, albeit that we have only known each other for a short while...and a few months close to him leaving the country. Michael drove a b... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/107/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_9_We_Did_It_Our_Way Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:58:30 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 8: Anthropology of Power and Conflict Click here for <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/104">Chapter 7: There's always that speck of light</a> What happened inside the classroom was, I consider, more stale than the events which transpired outside.  Studying was a struggle, I knew, but I got that covered.  All I really had to do in Australia was go to class, hand in assignments, study for exams and pass the subject with flying colors...and so I tried...successful in some...a mediocre performance in others.  The first day at uni was one that stays in my mind to this day.  I had been to many first-day-in-a-new-school types of environment...and I felt I could handle that awkward moment of coming to class, finding a seat, and searching for the "classroom buddy"...and then establishing myself in that receptacle of minds and opinions. The nice thing about university is that opinion's are widely accepted.  One is not judged by the way he or she thinks about a particular subject unless he or she puts forth prejudice.  Thou shall not judge, oth... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/106/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_8_Anthropology_of_Power_and_Conflict Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:31:27 -0000 You can’t package, brand, and claim what is not yours "Freedom of connection, with any application, to any party, is the fundamental social basis of the Internet, and, now, the society based on it… I hope that Congress can protect net neutrality, so I can continue to innovate in the internet space. I want to see the explosion of innovations happening out there on the Web, so diverse and so exciting, continue unabated." - Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the Internet. Watch his video on Net Neutrality here: <a class="previewlink" href="http://web.mit.edu/webcast/mit-berners-lee-net-neutrality-blogs-220k.ram">http://web.mit.edu/webcast/mit-berners-lee-net-neutrality-blogs-220k.ram</a> Note: There’s something more on the video, which is actually pertinent to the topic at hand, than the cleavage shown.  Cheers! http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/105 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:03:39 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 7: There's always that speck of light Click here for <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/103/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_6_Welcome_to_Australia_Zoo_a_post-humous_apology_to_the_beloved_Steve_Irwin">Chapter 6: Welcome to Australia Zoo (a post-humous apology to the beloved Steve Irwin)</a> I was lucky to have gone to Australia at the right time.  Yanz had it all rough being a young lady in a place conducive to depression...especially that she had been used to living in highly-urbanized Metro Manila.  During one of our post-class bonding time, I had learned that she had had a tough time during her first semester at the university.  She went to Australia by herself knowing only one person who had arrived a year earlier.  Everything else, she built from scratch.  What she learned, she taught me, which I lived through vicariously.  In a way, I would have grown more as a person if I had personally experienced what she had gone through, but her insights were enough to help in my character-building. And I have all the admiration for her to this day for rising from the deepest of all stumbles.  Her story deserves a whole new series...one that o... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/104/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_7_Theres_always_that_speck_of_light Fri, 6 Jun 2008 09:01:44 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 6: Welcome to Australia Zoo (a post-humous apology to the beloved Steve Irwin) Click here for <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/102/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_5_A_panoptic_view_of_nothingness">Chapter 5: A panoptic view of nothingness</a> The events in this story took place in 2004. Dear Mr. Irwin,    I would like to send to you my sincere apology for having barged in to your establishment, one that you have painstakingly cared for for so many years, without paying our dues.  We went in through the gift shop exit.  For what it's worth, I feel I would have enjoyed Australia Zoo more if I had only gotten in legally.  During that whole "ordeal" I was not able to focus on my observation of the various fauna that you have, with your own hands, taken care of.  It seemed that somebody was watching us from behind.  But the experiences--being a gatecrasher, having to view and touch the kangaroos, wallabies, koalas etc., listen to a didgeridoo performance, and see you in person--are ones that I keep close to my heart and mind even to this day.     Needless to say, my friends bought souvenirs from the shop, where we initiated... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/103/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_6_Welcome_to_Australia_Zoo_a_post-humous_apology_to_the_beloved_Steve_Irwin Wed, 4 Jun 2008 09:11:59 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 5: A panoptic view of nothingness Click here for <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/101?mark_read=jayron18:journal:101&replies_read=2&goto=2#reply2">Chapter 4: "Focus on what you have, not on what you lack."</a> I embarked on a memorable journey during the mid-semester break, one that deserved its own chapter in my 24-year extant omnibus of existence and bookmarked for future references.  Leaving the city on a Greyhound bus en route to Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria, I would take on the longest travel I have ever endured but the most worthwhile at that.  It would take 24 hours to get from point A to point B on my itinerary.  But I had myself ready for the inland travel with a book, a CD player, and a pillow I bought at the bus station. "No lactose in the bus," said the driver.  The experience would have been torturous for him cleaning up after passengers.  Our mother ship was fitted with a toilet at the back end for any one who would take nature's call, but the bus also stopped every six hours at gas stations/resting bays/trucker's pit area for the much needed meals.  Mos... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/102/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_5_A_panoptic_view_of_nothingness Tue, 3 Jun 2008 09:11:41 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 4: "Focus on what you have, not on what you lack" Read <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/100">Chapter 3: Kabayan</a> Assimilating in to the Australian culture was not hard.  It was penetrating the culture of the university that proved cumbersome. <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SEOn1QoKCpkAAGT3H3g1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.jayron18.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SEOn1QoKCpkAAGT3H3g1/Admin%20and%20S%20Block.JPG?et=is6TgHJeXU4KnbQS9IovXQ&nmid=0" border="0"></a>The university, as are most, if not all, Australian educational institutions, is a melting pot of individuals from every imaginable society, quite ostensibly.  Europeans here, Africans there, Asians everywhere...not to forget Americans, north and south.  According to the university's 2007 census, the student population is represented by individuals from more than 100 countries. The total Filipino population at the university, student and staff, was less than 20 during my time.  It was easy to meet people, most seemed accommodating, but hard to assimilate in to a particular homogenic group especially when they saw you as "different".  Filipinos were unlike any other only because we were considered a minority in the university population, at least that's how I felt.  But later, I would find out that there w... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/101/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_4_Focus_on_what_you_have_not_on_what_you_lack Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:00:32 -0000 On board the Rainbow Warrior--Greenpeace flagship This is a collection of video outtakes shot aboard the Rainbow Warrior. Captain Mike Fincken takes us on a tour of the 55-meter three-masted schooner, docked at the Manila South Harbor, May 31 http://jayron18.multiply.com/video/item/81/On_board_the_Rainbow_Warrior--Greenpeace_flagship Sun, 1 Jun 2008 11:04:10 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 3: Kabayan Read <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/98/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_2_The_Most_Colorful_are_the_First_24_Hours?replies_read=2">Chapter 2: The Most Colorful are the First 24 Hours</a> I had arrived in Australia on a Wednesday and classes would not start until the coming Monday, hence, the four-day reprieve which I used to settle all curricular misalignments with the university, including dropping and adding classes.  I had set my agenda for the remainder of the week: fix my schedule, adjust to my new environment, get myself pumped for the first day of classes, try out the buses that would get me to particular destinations, and wrest control of my palate's yearning for rice.  A throbbing head greeted me after a heavy night of partying...but I had to wake up at seven in the morning so as not to miss breakfast.  On weekdays, residents of the colleges had to prepare lunch in the morning during breakfast hour as the mess hall would close the rest of the day in preparation for dinner, when they served the "good" meal (and "good" may sound simplistic as an adjective but it's already an overstatement ... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/100/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_3_Kabayan Thu, 29 May 2008 07:07:22 -0000 I believe I can fly...and catch my prey like this http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/99/I_believe_I_can_fly...and_catch_my_prey_like_this Tue, 27 May 2008 13:36:27 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 2: The Most Colorful are the First 24 Hours Click here for <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/97/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_1_The_Greatest_Fall">Chapter 1: The Greatest Fall</a> I quickly wiped the tears off my cheeks when someone knocked on the door.  Paul, an engineering student at the University, was my dorm block's resident fellow.  He gave me the warmest of welcomes by touring me around the place, introducing me to the other residents, and offering me my first bottle of Australian beer, XXXX (four X).  Before dinner at six, he drove me to the nearest bottle shop so I could get a six pack.  Most of the brands were Australian.  I opted for the more familiar...BudWeiser...or bottled water in other words. "There will be a party at the club tonight.  Are you going?"  he asked. "I heard about it earlier.  Yes, I think I will be going." "cool." <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SEOrVwoKCpkAACtoaR81"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.jayron18.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SEOrVwoKCpkAACtoaR81/SR%20dining%20area.JPG?et=B4yT6qe%2BunkYreIAMRPb0g&nmid=0" border="0"></a>We went back to our college and rushed to the dining hall.  I was surprised to see a lot of people.  The dorm didn't look that big but the mess area was packed.  I sat down at a table nearest to the buffet area with senior studen... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/98/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_2_The_Most_Colorful_are_the_First_24_Hours Tue, 27 May 2008 12:34:45 -0000 Documenting Australia -- Chapter 1: The Greatest Fall <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SDZpYgoKCpkAAHsS59A1"></a>The cacophonic combination of the plane's hissing air brakes and screeching tires welcomed me to Queensland on February 2004.  From the window--a stunning view of Australia's Moreton Bay and the suburbs of the city of Brisbane played a more important role in setting my mood. <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SDZovwoKCpkAAAyxWIQ1"><img class="alignleft" style="width: 223px; height: 171px; " src="http://images.jayron18.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SDZovwoKCpkAAAyxWIQ1/Toowoombacbd1.jpg?et=fmFF3YdLp8G4o6VBOj15RQ&nmid=0" border="0" height="137" width="223"></a>I flew to Australia with a friend, Yanz, who had been there a semester earlier.  Since I was a new student at the university, the admin office arranged a bus for me to the city of Toowoomba, 150 kilometers west of Brisbane.  My friend was picked up by a Filipino and his Bruneian partner, the very first people I've met since my foremost arrival in the country. The loneliness and excitement heightened four-fold when I got on that bus, the "Airport Flyer".  For the first time in the next couple of years I was to fend for my self.  It was a two-hour ride to the "Garden city" and the view of the vastness of Queensland's plains at Warrego highway's vantage point was splendid.  The mountains... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/97/Documenting_Australia_--_Chapter_1_The_Greatest_Fall Fri, 23 May 2008 06:46:50 -0000 Documenting Australia I sit here pondering on a fairly recent past--four years back to be exact--when I first stepped on Australia's soil...clueless of what the next couple of years would hold.  Each time I look back, I again feel the chill of Toowoomba's winter, and stand witness to the greatest panoply of celestial bodies I have ever encountered...these two and more combine to form an omnibus of rollercoaster experiences that brought me to the depths of despair and the heights of hope and exuberance.  And when I retrace the past, I heave a sigh--both of relief and longing. It was the saddest goodbye.  Six months of hiatus from anyting work or school-related.  I was having fun.  Good times abound as I felt that the next couple of years would be a damnation.  But I was also excited to leave, to experience something new.  You know that feeling when you had to do something out of the ordinary before a fresh start?  The last couple of months before I left for Australia ... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/96/Documenting_Australia Fri, 23 May 2008 06:45:42 -0000 Why Mommy?? Why???? -- A Post on Names and Naming <a href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SDUdlwoKCpkAAGCAhJY1"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.jayron18.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SDUdlwoKCpkAAGCAhJY1/batman-bin-suparman.jpg?et=8azvmi4RpG%2BHrkMQkKHhGg&nmid=0" border="0"></img></a>Discussions about weird names have become dinner table topics at home for quite some time now--recurring through the premise of a variety of often off-the-theme subjects.  The latest of these occurrences took to fore on Monday at Lola's birthday dinner.  The initial subject was the wedding of my cousin, Kuya Mark and now-ex-girlfriend Ate Feliz (congratulations!), then carried over to babies and child-rearing...and then, quite inevitably, to names.  With the intent to provoke laughter, Kuya with his penchant for remarkable jests jumped center stage with his quirky vocalization of the most bizarre of names parents could christen their child with. "Michael Jordan Tan!" "Edgar Allan Pe!" "Bing Bing Bong!" Ok..the last one I made up...but the first two are real, existing citizens of this country (please excuse my subtle intrusion to your private lives). And then, two hours before my tormentors release me from this dungeon called office, I decided to surf the web to read on so... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/95/Why_Mommy_Why_--_A_Post_on_Names_and_Naming Thu, 22 May 2008 07:18:06 -0000 Earth shakes, sky glows -- What is the evidence for earthquake lights? There is no scientific proof that supports the link between earthquake and earthquake lights.  However, the phenomenon has been documented in the past, and most recently, during the China earthquake on May 12. http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/94/Earth_shakes_sky_glows_--_What_is_the_evidence_for_earthquake_lights Wed, 21 May 2008 12:30:53 -0000 New Earthquake Information This is an email currently circulating on the Internet. Earthquakes                                                                                                                                            This is really interesting. ...just the opposite of what we were taught and maybe still are teaching our children and each other. Please print it and read it, keep it and share it.  I was amazed at how many things we've been taught that are NOT the right thing to do.                                                &... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/93/New_Earthquake_Information Tue, 20 May 2008 14:28:58 -0000 How about we Filipinos make a difference in this kid's life... I got this email from a friend...and yes, I'll be sending my postcard soon.  Why don't we all? hello, there is a foundation in poland which is called i have a dream, seriously ill children can tell what is their wish,and if somebody can make it happen he can help this kid-thats the very short presentation of the general idea..;) usually dreams are like: laptop, meeting a real madrid team, trip to disneyland, becoming a princess, etc...but there is a one 8 year old boy that wish only to get lots of postcards, at the moment i can send postcard just from szczecin, which i did..but which is definetely not that cool..;) so if anyone can and see it sensible to send a postcard to some not known boy..below is his adress:    Mateusz Lang Wiślana 37 70-885 Szczecin  Poland   greetings, all the best! nina http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/92/How_about_we_Filipinos_make_a_difference_in_this_kids_life... Mon, 19 May 2008 14:24:47 -0000 Mousetrap Technology - Microsoft's giant touchscreen This reminded me of the film Minority Report.  <BLOCKQUOTE class=np-quote-detail cite=http://timesonline.typepad.com/technology/2008/05/microsoft-turns.html jQuery1211177700267="501"> Microsoft is trying to out iPhone the iPhone. The software company, not renowned for its slick interfaces, has built a piece of equipment that will turn any flat surface into a giant touch-sensitive screen. Michael Arrington, of the <A href="http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/05/14/microsoft-touchwall-can-inexpensively-turn-any-flat-surface-into-a-multi-touch-display/" target=_blank jQuery1211177700267="505">TechCrunch blog</A>, got a sneak preview of Touchwall, due to be unveiled at Microsoft’s headquarters today. His video demonstration (above) shows off the screen's capabilities. Source: <A class=story-source href="http://timesonline.typepad.com/technology/2008/05/microsoft-turns.html" jQuery1211177700267="508">timesonline.typepad.com</A></BLOCKQUOTE> But if you think this one is impressive, check this <A href="http://www.perceptivepixel.com/" target=_blank jQuery1211177700267="510">site</A> out. http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/91/Mousetrap_Technology_-_Microsofts_giant_touchscreen Mon, 19 May 2008 06:19:21 -0000 Simple lang, unplug Greenpeace advocacy http://jayron18.multiply.com/video/item/80/Simple_lang_unplug Mon, 19 May 2008 03:03:12 -0000 Stand Up Paddle Surfing <A href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SDDdYAoKCpkAAE06q7Y1"><IMG class=alignright src="http://images.jayron18.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SDDdYAoKCpkAAE06q7Y1/surfses04.jpg?et=pKIToOcd2Wr4QPo0rFNwhw&nmid=" border=0></A>I've always wanted to try stand up paddle surfing ever since my former boss introduced me to the sport, albeit vicariously.   Evan, an ardent water sport enthusiast and active stand up paddle surfer who resides in Honolulu (which tells of his love for ocean activities), started standuppaddlesurf.net early in 2007 to provide information about SUP surfing, as well as promote the sport, which has taken off quite steeply in the last half decade across the world.  My colleagues and I assisted in the development and maintenance of <A href="http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net">StandUpPaddleSurf.net</A> where I got to further my knowledge about almost all aspects of the sport...even board shaping (I had to, I was practically blogging about it).  <A href="http://jayron18.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SDDdNgoKCpkAAD7ODlY1"><IMG class=alignleft src="http://images.jayron18.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SDDdNgoKCpkAAD7ODlY1/Kahuna-Longboard-Skateboard-12.jpg?et=jB11BxDomub4vOWjQKCBZA&nmid=" border=0></A>I visited J&S surf shop near Pasong Tamo extension last year to find out how huge SUP surfing was here in the Philippines, and also to ask how much mass-produced stand up paddle boards and paddles were in pesos.  My conclusions: 1. Being that surfing itself has not taken ... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/90/Stand_Up_Paddle_Surfing Mon, 19 May 2008 01:53:08 -0000 Facing the storm... Morong, Bataan, May 17, 2008 I could only imagine what might have happened if we pushed through with the Anawangin trip.  Alternatively, this reprieve from Manila is as adventurous...reinforces my claim that there's always something new to experience when I go to this province. http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/89/Facing_the_storm... Sun, 18 May 2008 10:42:28 -0000 Lest We Forget.... What would I do if I were in his shoes? I'm sure to stumble, break down and fall... It seems many others are much more stronger for they know that what they have here is not all And I sit here, wondering... Can I handle my life's greatest loss? I can't... Yet I pray Not for me... ...but for the many others who are much stronger... ...that they handle the agony a little while longer The pain is ephemeral. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/14/china.vause/index.html">Silent suffering of quake victims</a> by CNN's John Vause Perhaps the most poignant experience came while we were talking to the local party secretary in Che Jia Va, who gave us directions and pointed out various landmarks -- all the while keeping a stoic face. The town was once home to 13,000 people, and 3,000 are still missing, he says. As he shows me the damage to his community, I ask how many have died. Tears flow down his cheeks, and he makes no effort to wipe them away. He says that as many as 500 are dead, including his parents, his wife and their two children.<a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/15/china.one.child/index.html">China quake leaves many pare... http://jayron18.multiply.com/journal/item/88/Lest_We_Forget.... Thu, 15 May 2008 12:31:43 -0000 You and Me - Lifehouse (my cover) This is my cover of Lifehouse's You and Me. For some reason, the audio does not come out well. I'm guessing it's my lack of pick while strumming the http://jayron18.multiply.com/video/item/78/You_and_Me_-_Lifehouse_my_cover Fri, 9 May 2008 15:04:08 -0000 Happy Andrada on F*ART Happy Andrada, co-owner of Fashion Art or F*ART, talks about their business and how they help Filipino fashion designers, artists and http://jayron18.multiply.com/video/item/76/Happy_Andrada_on_FART Tue, 6 May 2008 12:37:56 -0000