Am putting on my battle gear...

I know today starts a major battle in my life. I have been praying to God to equip me for this battle. Last week, I have set the terms of this battle with my adversary's ambassador.

On my own, I know I have little chance of winning but I know I am going to this battle for God, with God and by God's grace, victory will be his.

As a deer

As the deer pants for the water
So my soul longs after You.

You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You.

You alone are my strength my shield;
To You alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship Thee.

You're my friend
And You are my brother
Even though You are a king.

I love you more than any other
So much more than anything.

I want you more than gold and silver
Only You can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy giver
And the apple of my eye.

Am I a warrior?

Every student of the University of the East knows that he is a warrior. I know I am one too. I have been to many battles and I am scarred beyond my own recognition.

And like Maximus the gladiator, I may appear strong outside, I am hurting inside.

In time, however, I will be beyond all the hurt, pain and violence. In His time.

Warrior is a Child
Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears

(Chorus)
They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armour
The warrior is a child

Unafraid because his armour is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I'm amazing
Never face retreat
But they don't see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

Chorus x2

I drop my sword and look up for His smile
Because deep inside this armour
Deep inside this armour
Deep inside this armour
The Warrior is a Child.

Viruses mark 20th anniversary

Today, more than ever, we must be aware of the trouble viruses has caused us as we get more active in the information superhighway. January 19, 2006 marked the twentieth year of existence of the PC virus. Dave Chappelle writes about this in an article published by mar.com:

Jan. 19, 2006 marked the twentieth year of existence of the PC virus.

The boot sector virus "Brain," which infected computers via floppy disk, was first detected back in January 1986. While Brain was relatively harmless compared to threats faced today, it signaled the beginning of the current virus situation.

Nowadays boot sector viruses may be as rare as floppy disks, but they held our attention from 1986 to 1995. Infection required actually putting a file on a hard disk, so floppy disks were the main sources of transmission, but file sharing via bulletin boards and electronic data transfer were also known. Viruses would only become well-known months or even years after release.

With the release of Windows 95 came the development of macro viruses, which exploited vulnerabilities in that operating system. From the moment when a virus was discovered to when it became a global problem required about one month.

As the popularity of e-mail increased, so did e-mail worms. In just one day, Loveletter, aka ILOVEYOU, spread havoc and alleged massive financial loss before it was brought under control.

In the 21st Century, the transmission time window shrank from one day to one hour, in what is known as a "zero-day threat." Network worms like Blaster and Sasser automatically propagated and indiscriminately infected every unprotected online computer in their paths.

"Blended threats" combined methods of attack; for example, displaying characteristics of both viruses and worms while also exploiting network and system vulnerabilities.

However, the most important change over the past two decades has not been in the types of viruses or amount of malware, but rather the motives of the virus writers.

"Certainly the most significant change in has been the evolution of virus writing hobbyists into criminally operated gangs bent on financial gain," said F-Secure's Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen. "And this trend is showing no signs of stopping."

At present there are an estimated 150,000 virus-like threats, and the number continues to increase.

"There already are indications that malware authors will target laptop WLANs as the next vector for automatic spreading worms," said Hypponen.

"Whatever the next step might be, it will be interesting to see what kind of viruses we will be talking about in another twenty years time -- computer viruses infecting houses, perhaps?"

Time to laugh

PINOY LINGO (Unauthorized English-Filipino dictionary)

1. aspect - pantusok ng yelo
2. backlog - bacon saka egg
3. beehive - magpakatino ka
4. cdrom - tingnan mo ang kwarto
5. city - bago mag-utso (commonly heard in the Visayas)
6. cattle - doon nakatila ang hali at leyna
7. debug - ang ipis
8. dedicated - pinatay ang pusa
9. deduct - ang pato
10. defeat - ang paa
11. defense - ang bakod
12. detail - ang buntot

Use the words "deduct, defense, defeat and detail" in one sentence.
Answer: "Deduct jumped over defense -- defeat first and then detail!"

13. defer - ang balahibo
14. deflate - ang plato
15. defrag - ang palaka
16. delusion - e di maluwag
17. depends - (see defense)
18. deposit - ang gripo
19. depress - nagkasal sa persuading (see persuading)
20. detest - ang eksamin
21. devalue - 'yon ang susunod sa letrang 'V'
22. devastation - 'dun sasakay ng bus
23. devote - ang boto
24. dilemma - brownout, a!
25. effort - 'dun nagla-land ang efflane
26. forums - apat na kwarto
27. it depends - kainin mo ang bakod
28. july - nagsinungaling ka ba?
29. statue - ikaw ba 'yan?
30. protestant - tindahan ng prutas.
31. predicate - pakawalan mo ang pusa
32. profit - patunayan mo
33. persuading - unang kasal
34. tenacious - sinusuot sa paa
35. thesis - ito ay
36. torpedo - shy; takot manligaw
37. zoology - ang sayans ng pagtatahi

My Cry Your Peace

The BASIC Christian Connection > Inspirations > Poetic Xpressions

My Cry Your Peace
Poem about God's great love
Posted by prynangel2006
Posted 01-08-06

Have you ever felt the weight of the world
Resting heavy on your shoulders
Looking back you can see
It feels just like boulders
Jesus says, 'Come to Me, you weak and heavy laiden.
Lay it all at my Cross, you gentle dear sweet maiden'
Once again I look to You
With a smile on my face
Thanking You for putting me
Back into my place

Oh Lord, I wonder how long will it be
When I will see Your glory
And stand face to face with Thee
How long have I traveled
How long have I trod
Believing in Your humble grace
Seeing the face of God
Resting in your warm toned arms
Feeling total peace

Google Execs Happy With $1 Salaries

I guess if I am in their shoes, I would too!

Slashdot's Zonk posted that "ZDNet is on the one hand reporting that Google execs will keep their $1 salaries again this year, and on the other hand is reporting that the executives cashed in more than $160 million worth of stock last month." From the stock article: "Since the search giant went public in August 2004, Brin has sold about 6.5 million shares at a market value of $1.68 billion. Page has sold about 5.8 million shares at a market value of $1.4 billion, according to calculations from Thomson Financial. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, who was brought in to run the company before it went public, has sold more than 2.1 million shares, worth more than $502 million." They could be getting a multi-million dollar salary *and* the stock money. Good faith efforts go a long way in my book.

Kuwait PM Nominated as Amir

Bahrain Tribune today reports that the impasse in Kuwait has finally been resolved:

Kuwait’s parliament yesterday removed the country’s ailing ruler on health grounds and the cabinet nominated the prime minister as new amir.

The nomination of Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah ended the political uncertainty which had gripped Kuwait since Shaikh Saad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who is 76 and incapacitated by illness, became amir on January 15 after the death of his cousin.

Shaikh Sabah, a cousin of Shaikh Saad, has already been de facto ruler for four years because of the ill-health of both the late amir and Shaikh Saad.

Parliament voted unanimously to remove Shaikh Saad shortly before receiving his abdication letter, parliamentarians said. “After listening to the medical report, the assembly with its 65 members agreed to remove him from the post of amir,” parliament speaker Jassem Al Kharafi said. Justice Minister Ahmad Baqer said an official letter with Shaikh Sabah’s nomination would be sent to parliament today and that he expected a voting session to be held on Sunday or Monday.

Yesterday’s vote was a rare assertion of parliamentary muscle against a hereditary ruler in the Arab world, even though Kuwait’s ruling family had agreed Shaikh Saad should step down. Analysts hailed the vote as a triumph for the rule of law in a region dominated by autocratic governments.

Here lies a true Filipino hero. 

Another Heroic Filipino Lost

The Philippines lost another unsung hero. A breaking news from the Philippine Daily Inquirer indicated that Philippine Air Force pilot Captain Aniano Amatong could have saved himself had he ejected himself out of the troubled AV-10 Bronco twin engine. However, when he realized the plane will crash into a residential area, he opted to steer the plane to a swamp.

Surely, you do not expect the same degree of heroism from our "esteemed politicians" who have lived by the tenets of lying, cheating and stealing. Had it been these politicians, they would have ejected on the first hint of trouble.

I'll post here the news report to keep a memory of genuine Filipino heroism:

Pilot killed as he steers ailing plane away from houses

(3RD UPDATE) BULACAN -- An Air Force pilot crashed to his death Tuesday when he chose to steer away a distressed bomber plane from a residential area instead of parachuting to safety, a military official said.

The twin-engine OV-10 was heading to a military exercise carrying two officers when it crashed into a fishpond at 9 a.m. in Paombong town, Bulacan province, some 47 kilometers north of Manila, Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Restituto Padilla said.

But instead of ejecting himself from his seat, Captain Aniano Amatong, 31, apparently struggled to steer the troubled plane away from houses after ordering his co-pilot to eject, Padilla said.

"Amatong did not eject purposely, according to witnesses, and tried to avoid hitting populated areas," Padilla said. "This is heroism in the highest order."

His co-pilot, Captain James Acosta, parachuted to safety before the attack plane crash landed in the vicinity of Dinakot village, Padilla said.

The plane took off from an air base in Sangley Point, in Cavite province, at around 8:46 a.m. and was on its way to Clark Field in Pampanga province for military exercises with American troops, he said.

"The cause of the crash is still to be determined,” Padilla said. “A rescue helicopter was immediately dispatched by Lieutenant General Jose Reyes, the commanding general of the Philippine Air Force."

Villagers reported seeing one of the engines emitting smoke before the aircraft plunged and exploded, Padilla said. TV footage showed parts of the plane jutting out of the sprawling fishpond.

The OV-10 has become the main fighter plane of the Philippine Air Force after it decommissioned its F-5 fighter jets in October 2005.

They are used for reconnaissance and bombing missions during counterinsurgency operations mostly in the southern region of Mindanao, where government troops are battling communist and Muslim guerrillas.

Air force chief Lieutenant General Jose L. Reyes ordered the grounding of the entire OV-10 fleet after the accident.

The Philippine military is among Asia's weakest and partly depends on allies like the United States to help train and arm its troops.

Streets Ablaze

After a hearty dinner of meat shawarma plate last night from one of our favorite Turkish restaurants, we went to church to attend a prayer meeting. When we drove past the police fort, we immediately noticed the uncharacteristically huge number of police in the streets. Then, Shaik Isa road, which has always turtle-paced traffic, has slower than the usual slow traffic.

It was only when we reached the part of the road in front of NEC that we realized that the street that separates NEC from the Ibn Haytham Islamic School was closed to traffic. not only was the road closed, but it was also where a truck and several other police vehicles are parked and around fifty policemen in battle gear are stationed. Above us, we realized the usual surveillance helicopter.

All this because a tiny minority was taking advantage of peaceful demonstrations, of legitimate opposition moves, and of legal redress of people's sentiments.

I consider myself militant. I am an activist. But, I am never an extremist. I value civil liberties and I would stand for freedom but I will never see the wisdom of using violence to drive my point.

What this rowdy minority (Extremists will always be in the minority) are doing is to sabotage, not only government, not only the legitimate opposition but the people in general. They are fomenting violence to escalate conflict and justify their course of action.

I still have faith in the peace and order situation in Bahrain. Certainly, this is not Iraq. I don't even believe that the recent spate of violence comes close to the civil unrest of the 1990's.

However, if the silent majority among the friendly and sensible Bahrain will not speak up, things may go awry. And the scene of fiery Daih Road in Jidhafs can become a regular occurrence.

The Language of Human Relations

I found the following interesting statements about human relations in the website of Don Clark on concepts of leadership:

The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."

The five most important words: "You did a good job."

The four most important words: "What is your opinion."

The three most important words: "If you please."

The two most important words: "Thank you,"

The one most important word: "We"

The least most important word: "I"