Pullout

There are two sides of the story...

The pullout of the Philippine humanitarian mission is going to be a big embarrassment. It would seem that we are giving in to the terrorists. However, one must realize that the current president was elected by too slim a majority, put into the equation the stuck-up minority that will use any issue to incite chaos and the current sentiment dividing the nation right through the center...

Gloria cannot afford to lose any more support. By not giving in, she risks being seen as a president that does not value life and a US puppet (not that she isn't/or at least does not look like one). This also gives the naughty opposition a chance to exacerbate the situation by arousing sentiments regarding the election to equate Gloria as a president wrongly elected because she does not care for a Filipino's life.

The pullout of the Philippine humanitarian mission, as seen by an outsider's point of view, is a big embarrassment. The international community believes in the strong commitment of the Philippine Government to quash terrorism. However, this current decision seems to belie that fact. In joining the "bandwagon of the willing", the government in return receives a lot of aid from the US. Fact is, in Southeast Asia, the Philippines receives the most aid from the US post-9/11. The pullout, undeniably, will have some effect on aid and appearance.

In crafting the current stand to pull out troops, the government sacrificed what the international community would think in order to gain popularity and good vibe and in order to avert any chance of destabilization. The US should understand the country's current dynamics and must not take it out against the president, the government and especially not the Filipino people.

I think it is to everyone's benefit that destabilization be averted, opposition be silenced and the president to put on a brave face amidst the opinion of other nations.

Short vacation

I have not gone out for two days already. I don't miss my bed anymore! I want to roam again!

No one is unforgiven

To hold a grudge forever is impossible. No one deserves to be unforgiven. Only time will tell when anger wanes and peace is sought...

Break

Finally, I think I am sick enough to warrant not getting out of bed...

Freshman stereotype

I can say today was a good day even if it was as if a big joke was on me.

Yesterday night, I was cramming, or multitasking as I would like to call it, to finish all my assignments and other miscellaneous tasks. One of those assignments was an abstract for MBB10. It was a topic proposal for a group in-depth reporting in the latter part of the semester. With a few jargons and a half-hearted effort, it got through. Then, today came. MBB10 was can cancelled because our professor was "sick", so much for half-hearted work. If it is any consolation, as it turned out, almost all the other groups did gram their abstracts!

Eleven thirty struck on the clock at Casaa. Again, I have to trudge to my favorite class, Social Science 1: Foundations of Behavioral Science. I have to give the subject its due. It's the most fun and dynamic class I have on my schedule. However, something, somehow always manages to spoil the good stuff. I have this classmate. He's not bothering me, but he is bothersome. He's not annoying me, but he is annoying. He's not that intelligent, but he feels he is better than the professor. (I don't know if this is relevant, but nonetheless, let me make this disclosure: He is from the "prestigious" Manila Science High School.) Anyway, on to more interesting matters that brings joy. While the reporter was doing a good job at getting everyone awake at least, our professor interrupts, giving yet another anecdote. My seatmate and now friend (which I don't know his name) comments about how freshmen are so studious. Then it hit me, DON'T I LOOK FRESHMAN-LIKE? WHY ARE YOU TELLING THIS TO ME? Then I babble something about the professor always interrupting and derailing the report. We both chuckled. His other seatmate, also another upperclassman, comments about the handouts of the reporter and how it looks laboriously done. Anyway, I really was curious why they are involving me, a freshman, in their little discussion regarding freshmen and their enthusiasm.

On to English this time... After sitting for about five minutes, our professor arrive spot on, again. First thing she announced was that there was going to be a suspension of classes from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on July 15, 2004 because of certain mass actions and other student related/participated activities.

Math was the highlight of my day! Yes. MATH! Amid my recurring hatred for that subject, I liked it today. First off, there was a quiz. This was a 15-minute 3-item test on systems. I am glad to say, for the first time in a very long time, I will get a perfect score! I am so glad for myself.

True Love

Many have attempted to define what true love is. Most describe love with abstract and often figurative meanings. Cliches such as love being an unknown force that could strike at any moment, or being a blissful experience on cloud nine seem to float in everybody's heads. Even the dictionary feebly defines love as "A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness." If only these simple idealizations were correct, but they are not.

Love is simply too complicated, too open ended to be singularly defined.

In my view, true love is far from the bliss and happiness that people believe it to be. One should be prepared to be selfless, to make sacrifices in its name, for all is not fair in love, and should this unwavering love be unrequited, may God grant the strength to be impetuous in the face of the deepest of sorrows, for even the sweetest of dreams would do little to console a broken heart.

No wonder I have yet to experience true love.

-end-

---

That was the hardest journal entry for English 1 to date. I hope our teacher's enthusiasm for this topic wanes, and fast!

Primes

Yesterday night, a friend of mine IM'd me. He asked me if i could "help" him do his homework. Being idle then, I asked what it was about. He said it was simple: Make a psuedocode! Of course, i knew there was more to it that just that. He paused for a moment, then continued, as if waiting for a response. He said there was one problem. Actually it was something like this: Make a psuedocode that prints all prime numbers up until it reaches a number the user inputs.

Game on! Here's what I figured out after scanning through some material on prime numbers, i.e. sieves and such.


################################
################################
snippet
no declarations, start, end,
stop and next line
################################
################################
x=1
input y
if y=0 OR y=1
echo NONE
do
    { x=x+1
       count=1
            do
            { count=count+1
               rem = x modulus count
            } while rem!=0 AND count<x
    if count=x
    echo x
} while x!=y
################################
################################

Current deviation

After finally watching the biggest opening blockbuster movie to date - Spiderman 2 - I suddenly have been bitten by the bug (arachnid actually). I really didn't enjoy the first, although it was quite good for a superhero comic movie. Anyway, I have no idea what caught my attention, but I liked it a lot! When this happens, I go into some obsession-like craze... Having my wallpapers for the desktop, laptop and mobile phone changed; collecting useless stuff and memorabilia; and now, to a point of making this site look spidey-like. I even liked the a line so much, I dug, and dug deep to find it.

I've been through some of these already. Matrix and LOTR are great ezamples. Only time will tell...