Change they did, (loose) change we have

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.- US President Barack Obama in his inaugural speech - 2009

Who could be in the new president's mind when he said this? These words are not enough to scare off the corrupt, deceivers,and silencers of dissent. I expect the taray queen to continue to bully her way with the Cha-Cha train.

As in any new administration, there is abundance of hope amid the pressing reality. Hope that he has what it takes to undo the mess they're are in. Hope that they have realized what unfettered greed can do. Hope that they can lead the world in other roles than being the bumbling policeman. Hope that his people know that change does not stop at changing the president. They have a long way to go.

Filipinos also have a long way to go. We can also proclaim 'Change We Need'. But we also must know that it does not stop at changing the president. It starts with it.

A quick personal look at 2008

	Vito graduated from elementary, enters high school. Vito started schooling at a very early age. By the time he was 11, he already graduated from elementary school at the Don Bosco Technical College. He is now a high school freshman also at DBTC. Tempus fugit indeed.
	Popoy danced at St. John's Academy's loyalty day. Popoy did not participate in the previous year's loyalty day celebrations.We deemed he was too young then. But this year he showed keen interest in school activities, so we let him join this time. Despite the flab, he proved to be a graceful Hawaiian dancer.
	Summer rites. With the transition from elementary to high school also comes one of the rites of passage in a Filipino boy's life. Vito visited a surgeon to have what Jewish people do to their boys shortly after birth. Pinoys traditionally swim at the beach to facilitate healing. But perhaps a swim at the pool will do the trick just the same.
	Joy, for a brief time, was the general manager of a multipurpose cooperative (MSMP). It s a testament to her capabilities. She later gave up the post, but she's still on the board of directors.
	NFA reorganization to push thru, hundreds are deemed redundant. In contrast to its efforts to curb unemployment, this government is bent on reorganizing the bureacracy in the guise of rationalizing its work force. Many employees of the NFA, Inay Joy included, are deemed redundant. As such, they are being offered retirement pay equivalent to a measly sum of 75% of basic pay for every year of service.A far cry from the princely agricultural scams, isn't it?
	I attended the 2nd Central Banks' Online Communications Group conference held at Mexico City. The conference of central banks' web communications professionals discussed the common challenges faced and the solutions proposed to meet those challenges. Nice conference in a nice city.
	Pinoyinternet.info to offer webhosting domain services. I decided to sell webhosting and domain services using the pinoyinternet.info name to recoup costs for the sandbox. I am finalizing the packages and the payment schemes which I patterned after the e-novention model. I will be providing two types of service from two server types; the premium packages (premium pricing) and the economy (low-cost) ones. These will be operational by 2009.
	Our dear Grandpa Max, (Lolo Momoy) passed away in Virginia last December at a ripe age of 94. He was an automotive mechanic and entrepreneur, a very industrious man. He migrated to the US in the '80's and occassionally visited us. Vito has particularly fond memories of him. He will be missed.

Losing weight

I wanted to get physically fit since early last year but I never got into it. Instead I put on even more weight. And all my new pants won't fit anymore. Although I am still within safe weight range, the added kilos all went to my belly. It is a matter of reconstructing my physique or losing the weight. I chose to lose the weight.

I went through a diet called the General Motors seven-day diet. Quinito Henson said in his column that it's not just weight loss diet but also a good way to detoxify the body and cleanse the digestive system. Here's the diet.

Day One. Eat only fruits, except bananas. Melon is highly recommended. Don’t hold back. You may consume as many fruits as you want but don’t stuff yourself.
Day Two. Eat only vegetables. There is no limit to what you may take in. For breakfast, you may eat one large boiled potato.
Day Three. Eat any mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice – any amount, any quantity – but no bananas and no potatoes.
Day Four. Eat eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. You may take one bowl of vegetable (cabbage, onions) soup.
Day Five. Eat one cup of rice and six whole tomatoes. You may mash the tomatoes and mix with your rice. Also, drink 12 glasses of water to cleanse your system of uric acid you will be producing. For those who are 39 and below, you may consume 10-ounce portions of lean beef (like hamburger).
Day Six. Eat one cup of rice and all the vegetables – cooked or uncooked – you want.
Day Seven. Eat one cup of rice and all the vegetables you want plus drink a glass of fruit juice.

I googled the diet and found more material about it. What's important is you must drink 10 glasses of water a day. You may also have unlimited amount of what they call as Wonder soup, which is basically just cabbage soup.

I started on Saturday, January 10. The first day was easy because I like fruits. I ate a lot of watermelon that by night my belly was bloated more than ever. The all-veggies second day was easy too. The third day was office day. I went along with my colleagues to grillery but I ate only the vegetable portions of the lovely pork sinigang. My office mates were incredulous. The fourth day was a bit harder. The bananas I bought were not yet fully ripe. I must have consumed five year's dose of pectin that day. I also had three glasses of milk which curdled with the bananas, giving me gas. On day five, i cooked the tomatoes and sliced them because I don't think I could bear to eat six raw tomatoes. I love tomatoes -as garnish to salted eggs. I just imagined having futtanesca and I survived the day. Day six and seven were a breeze. I had vegetables and a cup of rice.

I didn't feel weak at anytime during the course. Though I noticed I get tired easily in the afternoon of the first day. But I recovered on the second day and by day three everything was normal. I started to feel lighter. I had slight stomach cramps at nighttime of day four maybe because of the milk and semi-ripe bananas. I felt the lightest on the morning of day five. I think my weight has stabilized by the end of day five. That's the day I started to eat rice again.

Quinito Henson lost ten pounds. I lost around six pounds. Not bad because I didn't have much weight to lose anyway. My waist is back to the size my pants measurement. I feel lighter, I am indeed lighter. From now on I will eat just the carbo my body needs. The next and more enduring challenge is to maintain this weight.

Happy New Year

Sharing with you some of the new year text messages I got:

HAPi NEW YEAR! May d Lord cntnually bls ur famly w/ mor hapnes,gud health,prosprty& peace of mind.May u alwys b blsd w/ dis priceles tresures 4 d coming yir!

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Happy New Year! Prosperity, good health, happiness and peace. Good luck and all the best this 2009. :)

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Tatlong mabuting Bisyo para sa bagong taon:
A-L-A-K - Alalahanin Lagi Ang Kapwa.
S-U-G-A-L - Sa Umaga Gunitain Ang Lumikha.
B-A-B-A-E - Basahin ang Bibliya At Ebanghelyo.

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God's gift to me are people like you, so, on wings of prayers, I whispered my thanks to Him &asked Him to blessyou in countless ways... Happy new year.

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Worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles. As children of GOD let us then be wise. Listen to the LORD's news rather than the world news. Let's welcome 2009 with hope excitement and positive outlook. Let's not be afraid to TRUST an unknown future to a well known GOD. We can choose where we go, what wedo, what we believe and how we behave. Have a wonderful,blessed, God glorifying year ahead.

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May God bless u more w/ what's truly essential in life: Stronger spirit, braver heart, healthier body, endless love & God's favor. A Wonderful New Year!!!

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Wishing you & your family not just happiness but pure joy, not just serenity but God's blessings! Happy New Year!

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May God continue to bring grace to you and your family this New Year, as well as in the years to come. Have a most blessed 2009!

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Before 2008 ends, i thank all d good people like U who made diz year beautiful for me.. i pray that u'll be blessed w/another fruitful year! God bless!

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Masayang pagbati sa 2009 kasabay ang panalangin na sana ay maging masagana at mas payapa ang buong taon para sa ating lahat.

Meeting old friends

I got word that a couple of co-workers got back in town and would like to meet old friends. It would be fun to reconnect with friends who once shared the same passion for OR and IT in the early days of the PC, so to MOA I went. It's uncanny to vividly remember how we all looked before and now see the changes that twenty plus years can do.

Reunions are heartwarming. Old friends sharing lunch together after years apart, retelling tales of old memories always with a laugh, even the ones that hurt before. Folks enjoy reuniting with people only if they enjoyed their previous time together. I am sure we all enjoyed the brief time together better than the lunch we had.