The Hound of the Wolf

For the strength of Pack is in the Wolf, and the strength of Wolf is in the Pack -Rudyard Kipling

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Learning the hard way

It has been a constant struggle to learn new things (at least on my part). While many say that learning can be fun, you can't blame those who complain that learning can sometimes be harsh and torturing. For someone who is in the field of information technology, constant learning on the newest trend should be a regular activity. What was "state of the art" 10 years ago, might already be considered a legacy system in 2005. Nevertheless, due to the constant changing nature in IT just like other fields, learning is definitely inevitable.


There are two types learners: the fast learners and slow learners. One's classification depends on how, 1).you yourself and 2).others, see you as a learner (speaking of The Johari Window). Since grade school, I consider myself a voracious reader of general information and history book. The nature of the subject molded my brain to think as if information is already recorded and needed only to be memorized. Upon entering college, a 360-degrees turnaround and disaster follows. Mathematics and computer science are dynamic and analytical areas. It is a complete opposite of the thinking paradigm I was trained and educated for. Ask me a history question and I will google it in few minutes but ask me to solve a math problem and in few minutes, I will argue that the problem is unsolvable.


Nevertheless, the human brain is trully an amazing creation. Its ability to adapt in any forms of situation and to rationalize is what separates man from other members of the animal kingdom. This can be attributed to the unfriendly, harsh, torturing and difficult means of learning things. Forgive me for using exagerrated adjectives but I can't settle for descriptions of having less effect. Learning the hard way may not be fun but it is a rewarding and fulfilling experience. As what I have read from a web site about guitar playing, to learn and master the art of playing, you must "Torture the flesh, free the spirit". And certainly, I experience this saying first hand.

Thought for the day: "You cannot appreaciate light if you have not been to darkness."

Friday, November 18, 2005

What does brain says about me




Your Brain's Pattern



You have a tempered, reasonable way of thinking.

You tend to take every new idea in, and meld it with your world view.

For you, everything is always changing. Each moment is different.

Your thinking process tends to be very natural - with no beginnings or endings.

The Meaning of My Birthday




Your Birthdate: February 3



You are more than a big ball of energy - you are a big ball of hyper.

You are always on the go, but you don't have a type a personality.

Instead of channeling your energy into work, you instead go for fun and adventure.

Witty and verbal, you can have an interesting conversation with anyone.

Your strength: Your larger than life imagination

Your weakness: You tend to be pretty scattered

Your power color: Lime

Your power symbol: Lightening bolt

Your power month: March

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Goodbye to the Latino Heat

Early Monday morning, my sense have told me to check the WWE web site. Throughout the weekend, I was merely confined in playing WWE Raw in my PC after doing several programming tasks. I cannot wait to see what had happened to the SmackDown! episode this week. They are presently at war with RAW, another show of WWE.

The first picture I saw was Eddie Guererro's bearing the caption 1967-2005. Damn it, is this for real? I immediately went to the news section and after seconds of browsing the article........ I found out that Eddie Guererro is really gone. My initial reaction is denial then sadness. This might also be the same reaction of millions of people who at least know the great Eddie Guererro. For the sake of those who don't know Eddie, here is a quick intro:

Eddie Guererro is a member of the Guererro clan which is considered as the legendary first family in wrestling in Mexico. He began his career in Mexico (where else) using the Lucha Libre style. In early 90's he shifted to Japan where he met other present WWE superstars Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. He redefined his image by having a stint in ECW and WCW. IN January 31, 2000, he was introduced in WWE together with Benoit, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn as "The Radicalz". Since then he won numerous championships such as US, European, Tag Team and WWE Championship.

Eddie established his own character different from other wrestling greats such as Hulk Hogan and Undertaker. What is trully inspiring in Eddie's life is his determination to stand up after downfalls and failure. Of course, everyone is somehow impressed in his sly and clever "Lying, Cheating, Stealing" technique during matches. In real life, this is not the case for Eddie.

Eddie became addicted with drugs and alcohol in 2001-2002. He needed to be out-of-scene for sometime to be rehabilitated. Many expected that it is the end for Eddie Guererro. By 2003, he came back to the business and defeated Brock Lesnar in No Way Out for the WWE Championship.

For me, Eddie is an epitome of professionalism, resiliency and great spirit. Thanks for the inspiring memories Eddie!

Friday, November 11, 2005

Rush Hour

Sweat flowing from face as I write this impromptu blog entry. I am not supposed to write an entry now now because of a tour of duty in Pasay City. Yet, due to unexpected turn of events, my gray matter told me to go back to the office and burn copies of Knoppix Live cd's. I do have copies of the cd yet the quality is questionable. Due to scratches in the CD, Knoppix won't start up.

Anyway, I need to go back there as soon as the burning gets done. It's still 43% ....

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Shaping up and shifting out

I am presently at a state of chaos as I write this blog entry. This past two to three weeks have been tumultuous that my usually stable and unaffected mind state starts to rattle. Situations that are as "chaotic" like these are not new anymore. Yet, what I consider special (or should I say "nerve wracking") on this one is that I never got much of the control to alter the events that have occured. I simply felt powerless.

I was contemplating on the events while staring on the wall over the weekend. Questions such as "Do I really deserve all this kind of non-self inflicted punishments?" and "What else can I do to make things better" were raised. After a thorough self examination, I have come up with the following thoughts:

1. Never blame anyone except yourself. While it is often evident that one's misfortunes are caused by other people's negligence, stop blaming and start moving forward.
2. Kindness and subtleness are prohibited in a harsh, threatening and inconsiderate environment. Yet, stay nice and pleasant with people.
3. It is hard to be fed up because one will never know when he will explode.
4. Two options can be selected if one is experiencing difficult situation like mine: Shape up or shift out.

Let me discuss these separately:
Shape up - It has been my philosophy since not too long ago to go out and give 101% percent in every task. I believe that one is actually given a task to prove his worth and value. By not fulfilling what is expected from him, people will tend to look for others to do the job. What follows is that one's credibility and worth decreases. Perfection can never be achieved but one can always be the best of what he can be. The good thing is that the number of times one gets up is more essential than the number times that he falls.

Shift out - If one is giving his 101% percent most of the time, yet is still a victim of injustice and unfair negotiations, shifting out is a better recourse. Many extreme optimists will tell you that, "Hey, why give up now. Can't you do something about it??". I actually asked that question to myself countless times. But soon I need wake up and live with reality. Shifting out is not an escape but rather putting one's self where it really and must belong.

The conclusion: Consistently shape up. If things do not go according to your ways, weigh the situation. Maybe it is time to change gears and shift out.


And the thought for day: "Kung gusto maraming may paraan, kung ayaw maraming dahilan."