PLUMBLINE: Just Kidding

Whenever I hear the word joke, I am always reminded of my very good friend Apit. His presence and his punch lines have become a part of our barkadahan. Without him and his jokes, our drinking sessions may lead to madness and mayhem as we have a penchant for ugly debates. If not, it may end up like a scene straight from an embarrassing melodrama. It is no wonder that when he is not around, it is not uncommon to hear “O hain si Apit? Gare baga seryoso kita.” His jokes have become legendary that there are times we would share his jokes as if he was the one cracking them. Pit, I have to give you a copy of this issue. For this you owe me a bucket.

One experience that Apit and I shared that I cannot and will never forget is during the typhoon Reming. Before the typhoon had its landfall in Catanduanes, I went to borrow some DVD’s from Apit, so I had something to do once the typhoon hit Albay. In the end my plan bombed as I ended up spending the night at his house. We watched six movies straight in a row with only a few blinks of our eyes in between them. As usual, we put our own twists on the movies, we copied the actors’ performances, and we ridiculed the acting and the costumes. We really had a blast.

The morning after our movie marathon, his mother who happens to be a respected professor in the university woke us up. She was panicking when she told us that Reming had landed in Catanduanes. Not for long, the wind became strong and it gradually increased as the minutes ticked by. Heavy rain poured. In no time, Legazpi was submerged in water. However, we remained as jolly as we were before Reming came, we did not let it stop us from cracking jokes. We even found ourselves laughing at the view from outside the windows. We seemed to be enjoying ourselves as the typhoon ravaged the city.

Friday, the day after the typhoon, we decided to get a glimpse of the destruction. I expected it since the typhoon was not ordinary. What I did not expect was the destruction was worst than I expected. I saw many houses that were totally wrecked, I walked on cakes of mud just to reach home, and I witnessed dead bodies hoisted from under piles of ruins. One barangay, Padang, was buried. The experience was chilling that I realized that the typhoon was no joke.

Days after the typhoon, aircrafts hovered above Albay. Trucks loaded with relief goods made the roads busy. Help from all over the world showered the city and the rest of the Bicol Region.

One thing that struck me most was that the smile I used to see on people’s faces was gone. They had forgotten to laugh. Nature stopped kidding and so did the people.

Like the jokes of my friend Apit, typhoon Reming lingers in my mind. It is so hard to forget, but it is too evil to be missed. If anyone sees it as a joke, it is a joke seriously meant.

Several months later, the smile on people’s faces has returned. People are smiling and laughing again. I guess that it is the love and the good values people shared to survive that have brought back the laughters.

Jokes will never fade. They will always bring back the smiles and the laughter. If we think of the typhoon now, we should smile not because it is funny, but because it has brought the Bicolanos together.

As the merry month of May looms ahead of us, we have yet another reason to smile and to laugh. The elections are here again. We have once again the time to laugh at the candidates as they dance onstage and as they lie in their political ads. At least, these politicians are giving us a reason to joke.

I just wish that Reming carried with her these politicians when she left.

Just kidding!

(This work has been first published in a school paper of which I was the editor in chief then.)

In Defense of "What This World Needs" by Casting Crowns

As the song leads to some thought of Christian liberalism and of Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) disobedience, the mark of which the song really wanted to express is nonetheless is shelve out of context. I accept that this song bears several contrasting or should I say controversial verses that most Christians would really react. Many asks of its real purpose by the implications of the verses "just get out of the way" from the spoken part of the song and the "we're slowing it down" lines.

From Youtube's comments down to some youth Christian forum, the debates of whether the song still holds biblical truths or not has created confusion. In my own opinion, by taking the song into context and in analogy to reality, we can certainly get what it really meant. So, for it to be expounded we need to put in the lyrics and analyze it by verses or by lines whichever is mere applicable. But before that let me quote the Great Commission:

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

In this light we can create analogy.

What this world needs

Is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind

Another two bit politician peddling lies

Another three ring circus society

What this world needs

Is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you

Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth

Another prophet in an Armani suit

The increasing politicking in the frames of religion is what this verse is all about. Every year, we watch televangelists that are famous. We tend to listen to them and spend our time with it that having s second reading the Bible and investigate. We are very much keen of who's in now and who has the more advanced and effective evangelistic tactics than just simply going to the simpler way and more Jesus way of proclaiming the gospel. We go beyond just what the Bible suggest we do just to satisfy philosophical theories or psychological inclinations that we know are plain humanistic in nature. We tend to discredit the power of the Holy Spirit by employing our skills, our charisma, or our intelligence - yet we thought we are just obeying the great commission.

What this world needs

Is for us to care more about the inside than the outside

Have we become so blind that we can't see

God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt

What this world needs

Is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance

Blending in so well that people can't see the difference

And it's the difference that sets the world free

In my observation, first in the local churches is that, young people are very much after the outward results of their actions rather than the inward implications of the actions of God. This is what the Christian adults have been teaching the young people in my local. They were conditioned to conceal their hearts to protect it from attacks without thinking that God himself protects the heart if we only know where to put God in our lives. We are missing the marks because we are so busy thinking about how we will be able to look or to act with freedom yet accordingly.

People aren't confused by the gospel, They're confused by us.

Jesus is the only way to God but we are not the only way to Jesus

This world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, My denomination, or my translation of the bible

They just need Jesus

We can be passionate about what we believe

but we can't strap purselves to the gospels

Because we're slowing it down.

Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do

Is just get out of the way.

At present, we can hear so many sermons and interpretations of the Bible. Some claim that they are Churches of Christ yet does not recognize His deity. They claim they are the only way to salvation thereby discrediting Christ as the only savior. We tend to present our doctrinal views of the Bible rather than letting people know God in its simplest, more understandable way - the way God wanted to be known. THE BIBLE CLEARLY WANTS THE RELATIONSHIP TO GOD BE RESTORED! We are missing this. By removing ourselves from the picture and bringing only the goodness and sovereignty of God, "we get out of the way."

The Great Commission simply says of the standard and the best process of using the "authority" not given to us but only given to the One who sent us. There are no spins or tricks in Matthew 28:16-20. The command is a direct command and everything that a Christian should do is already there. No ornaments, because sometimes, the decorations are what makes it confusing.

Finally, the chorus:

What this world needs is a Savior who will rescue

A Spirit who will lead

A Father who will love them in their time of need

A Savior who will rescue

A Spirit who will lead

A Father who will love

That's what this world needs

... this sums it all.

A Humble Attempt to Macro

It does not mean that because I frequent Facebook, I have forgotten my blog. Maybe its just that I have been busy doing various stuffs and I can no longer put them into stories to post here in my place... But anyways, just yesterday, my girlfriend bought a Canon PowerShot camera. I tried a shot and then another, browsed through its setting and menu then found this supermacro option... The results of my experiments are the following:

Faster than a Second, Sleeker than Silk

Last July 14, my friend John Boncalos, came to my pad to talk about an idea. Prior to that, we have been exchanging chats about establishing a company. It all ended with an optimistic decision for us to buy a domain, create a website, do business online. So we consolidated all our assets and resources. We tapped Leonel to join the team. We also talked with Lenard to be one of the contacts and the web designer. Both of them showed willingness. It fanned the fire within us.

So the problem now is, what name? When a client from the US contacted us, he asked Lenard what he would name our group. I never expected that John has been scouting a name for the group. Then came SleekFast.

To have my own website is a dream. But to have a website that would become my source of income is more than a dream. Now it came true.

So friends, I welcome you to visit our site and see what we can do for you.

Merry Monday

while browsing over some profiles in Facebook, I accidentally clicked on one of my friend's friend profile and saw the following pictures that made me grin. I was totally whacked last weekend I can't find any source of inspiration until these pictures gave me smiles. Today is Monday and though I was expecting it to be some kind of maundy, the pictures had it changed into a merry day.

On My Father's Wings

If you were with me now
I'd find myself in you
If you were with me now
Your the only one who knew
All the things we planned to do

I want to live my life
The way you said I would
With courage as my light
Fighting for what's right
Like you made me believe I could

And I will fly on my father's wings
To places I have never been
There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings

This world I'll never see
My dreams that just won't be
This horse's stride
with one days ride
Will have covered more
distance than me

But I will fly on my father's wings
To places I have never been
There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings

Someday with his spirit to guide me
And his memory beside me
I will be free to

Fly on my father's wings
To places I have never been
There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings
On my father's wings

This song is from the animated movie entitled The Quest for Camelot. I haven't seen the movie yet but the song itself tells me of something. It is such so powerful that it inspired me to write this. Well, aside from the memory of my father flashing back, this song also my song to my Father God.

Salt Isn't Just for Dishes

I now receive the benefit of being an avid follower of NASA projects - I won a t-shirt and a discount card at a local bookstore through my favorite radio station OK FM. Yesterday, after coming home from office I tuned in to 97.1 and heard of the promo. The DJ asked a question about the red thing that flew over Mayon Volcano last Sunday. Immediately I thought it was Atlantis. Though my second thought was that it was NoKor's nuke... hehehe... Alright, you might say I am again talking bad words here, but to those who can relate, STS-125 just finished its mission and Atlantis is now back here on Earth. STS-125's mission was to repair the aging Hubble Telescope. It launched some days after Expedition 19 of Kazakstan and the second shuttle to leave Earth this year after Discovery for STS-119. I am sorry though for the DJ cause I wrongfully answered him when he asked me is Challenger was the one that exploded in 1995. I think it was even during the time of Reagan. And I mumbled Discovery instead of saying Columbia when he asked what's the other shuttle that blasted after take off. My bad.

Artist Sketch of Aquarius, photo courtesy of NASA.

When I visited NASA's website again, I found out another thing about our planet. Many of us are aware of the present situation of Mother Earth with world wide movements on Global Warming. Studies are spearheaded on how to improve the condition of the planet and every government and even the UN is doing their part to lessen the impact of the global warming. Organizations are united in saying that the present global warming is caused by men and that a reversal of what we have done to the planet for over a millenium is the best remedy. But NASA scientists found out that aside from the Ozone layer, carbon emissions, and other warming factors, the salinity of the oceans and seas may contribute to the present environmental crisis. They theorized that salinity affects the density of the sea water thereby affecting its movement (curren) thus affecting the atmospheric condition. (SEE Meteorology)

In order for NASA to monitor the salinity of sea water which is said to have increased gradually overtime, they need to launch an unmanned satellite orbiter equipped with radio recievers and other high-end equipment. They coined the orbiter Aquarius, a SAC-D spacecraft.

For more info on this hit this.

How Do Blind People Take Pictures

When I hear about blind musicians, I am simply astonished. A blind painter would really get me off my feet. But a blind photographer is simply surreal.

See some of the works of blind photographers below and you can find the complete compilation here.

Well at some point I was skeptical about people with impaired sight to be on the line which greatly needs the human sense. But there is nothing impossible to a loving and persevered person so I said to myself that I was just wrong with my thinking.

Kurt Weston - Peering Through the Darkness, courtesy of UCR/California Museum of Photography


Bruce Hall - Frenetics, courtesy of UCR/California Museum of Photography

Evgen Bavcar - The Flow of Time, courtesy of UCR/California Museum of Photography

These photographers are indeed talented in their field. Despite their physical limitations, they still managed to do what they wanted to do. Maybe, these things laid in front of them are challenges that they take to show the world that regardless of weaknesses if we persevere, believe, and love, nothing can never be done.

Dear Mama

I am proud that you are my mama. I know it's hard for you to let me and my sisters go with our own ways but the love and grace of God is always with you. No matter what happen, I will always be your only son. You have made me into a man that God intends me to be. Thanks for everything you gave me. Now, I understand, that what makes a mom like you is a son (child) that is me. I love you so much.

And Happy Mothers' Day too to all the mom around the world and to my two sisters, Ate Wen and Ate Jo... You deserve all the love in the world.

Jake: A Friend from Miami

I met a new friend from Miami, Fla. just few days ago. His name is Jake Barreth, 28 years old, and a Worship Pastor. I met him right here in Blogger.com when one night here at the office, I run through several blogs randomly. Then I found out that this guy is a worship leader at a church in Miami. Honestly, I was not really supposed to let you know about him but I was moved by one of his posts. It's about the music men, actually, street performers from around the world. The video was tweeted to him by friend. You can view the post here.

Jake is part of the pioneering church known as the Life Church in Miami. The church was conceived two years ago and last year they began holding services at a mall in Miami, in a theater specifically. I was touched by the fact that God is really moving not just in my life but as well as other lives around the world. And for our case with Jake, as he have said, we are half way around the globe apart yet been connected with a single purpose - to proclaim the Good News in our humblest ways we can.

I posted a comment on one of his posts and I get a reply - something that is too unusual for a blogger like me. He said that he would be so happy to recieve pictures that I have. He liked the pictures I posted here.

But as I was saying, I have decided to make this post because of the video. Yes, I was moved by it... I am so fond of music, whatever genre it is. But music today is no more than what the heart speaks or what really it should be about. Simply, it has been too commercialized already. However, the producers of the video that Jake posted have something in mind that really is worth admiring.

I imagined what if Pilipino producers would try to do it here in the Philippines. We also have street performers that are way talented as those in the video. How about a song that will put the Pilipino people again on the flame? How about a calling for political transformation? How about a gospel song of renewal and coming back to the Lord?

I regard the video that Jake posted to have made a great impact on me and I will carry on in my life - forever.

Thanks Jake for sharing the video.

Faith is a Matter of Choice and Conscience

In my Xanga site, I have posted a statement of Dr. Jose P. Rizal regarding faith. But my supporting verses were something like in a different context. I found the other version of that article and it was actually a school project of my girlfriend's sister Ola.

"We are entirely in accord in admitting the existence of God. How can I doubt his when I am convinced of mine. Who so recognizes the effect recognizes the cause. To doubt God is to doubt one's own conscience, and in consequence, it would be to doubt everything; and then what is life for? Now then, my faith in God, if the result of a ratiocination may be called faith, is blind, blind in the sense of knowing nothing. I neither believe nor disbelieve the qualities which many attribute to him; before theologians' and philosophers' definitions and lucubrations of this ineffable and inscrutable being I find myself smiling. Faced with the conviction of seeing myself confronting the supreme Problem, which confused voices seek to explain to me, I cannot but reply: 'It could be; but the God that I foreknow is far more grand, far more good: Plus Supra!...I believe in (revelation); but not in revelation or revelations which each religion or religions claim to possess. Examining them impartially, comparing them and scrutinizing them, one cannot avoid discerning the human 'fingernail' and the stamp of the time in which they were written... No, let us not make God in our image, poor inhabitants that we are of a distant planet lost in infinite space. However, brilliant and sublime our intelligence may be, it is scarcely more than a small spark which shines and in an instant is extinguished, and it alone can give us no idea of that blaze, that conflagration, that ocean of light. I believe in revelation, but in that living revelation which surrounds us on every side, in that voice, mighty, eternal, unceasing, incorruptible, clear, distinct, universal as is the being from whom it proceeds, in that revelation which speaks to us and penetrates us from the moment we are born until we die. What books can better reveal to us the goodness of God, his love, his providence, his eternity, his glory, his wisdom? 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork'." – Jose Rizal


We are faced with very frightening issues these days and this had to regard several aspects of our lives as Pilipinos and Christians. The degradation of the morality of Pilipinos and values has been one of the reasons why our country is considerably one of the worst in the world. In the count, we are just past Pakistan with 1 point as the most corrupt country in the world. What have happened to our values? What came of the teachings of our forefathers? What has the church done with these surfacing problems these days?

Our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal has laid his faith. He was a Christian though branded to be heretic by the friars. We can say even that Dr. Jose P. Rizal was never a politician. In fact, he was a philosopher, a 19th century Pilipino apologetic Christian. He never condemned the King of Spain nor has accused the Spain because of the situations of the Pilipinos in the Philippines during his time. Rather he was a constant critic of the Friars ruling over the Philippines. He was against the corrupt practices of the Friars before. He was never so happy about the abusive acts the Friars did thwarting their conscience and reverting Biblical principles of faith just to make their plans succeed.

Yes. Jose P. Rizal is a reminder that just like in his days; we are also experiencing a dilemma. We have shattered our conscience and our faiths have been blinded by nothing less than personal greed and the destructive desire of power. We are entangled by the lies set for us by the society, by ourselves, and those powerful factions that we let in our lives.

We need faith to proceed. We still need God to succeed. Dr. Rizal has made it clear in his statement and he affirmed his belief. Though this is actually a personal exclamation from a personal point of view, it create rather a communal effect; that if all Pilipinos think the same way, weighing theology as something not to use to control people but to set them free.

Maybe today we can never point out the problem to be with the government or with the church, maybe the problem is lying inside of us, maybe we have corrupted faith and blur conscience, thus we are left with no choice but to pile up problems adding one after another.

But it’s good Dr. Jose Rizal still educates us even today and reminds us of the role of God and our faith in him in the success of country. Yes he is right when saying: “No, let us not make God in our image, poor inhabitants that we are of a distant planet lost in infinite space. However, brilliant and sublime our intelligence may be, it is scarcely more than a small spark which shines and in an instant is extinguished, and it alone can give us no idea of that blaze, that conflagration, that ocean of light.”
---
joseph glenn c. austero jr. 10/06/08

Captured 4.0

...my holiday has been extended...LOL... I have well lots of things to share as there were so many many things that happened in my life, my family, and friends for the past two weeks alone. But before I will write about them later, so for the mean time allow me to share again some humble shots of Heil here.

Edge

Escape

Curtail

Track

Bound

... that's it... indulge yourself to these beautiful photos... My personal favorite is the first one... pick your choice...

I Was Tagged

It's holy week and I intentionally opted to leave my blog some days of quietness... But before I indulge for the long weekend vacation, I would like first to share this... Yes, I have been tagged by Watz... So here it is...

001. Name → Joseph Glenn.
002. Nickname(s)→ Glenn, Jad, Seph, Koopsit, Joe, Totep, Tep.
004. Zodiac sign → Gemini.
005. Male or female → Male.
006. Elementary → Malinao Central ES, Tabaco South Central ES.
008. High School → St. Louise de Marillac Sch of Tabaco, Tabaco National HS.
009. College School → Aquinas University of Legazpi.
010. Hair color → Black.
011. Long or short → Long.
012. Loud or Quiet → Loud and Quiet.
013. Jumpers or Jeans → Jeans.
014. Phone or Camera → Camera.
015. Health freak → Not so much.
016. Drink or Smoke? →.
017. Do you have a crush on someone? → Crushed someone? Many times :))!!!!
018. Eat or Drink → Eat.
019. Piercings → 1, left earlobe.
020. Tattoos → None.

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing → Last year Oct... many times since childhood, I pierced my thumb with a sewing machine needle and my left foot with concrete nail! Awful.
024. First best friend → Can't remember.
025. First award → Pre-school 1st Honor.
026. First crush → Can't remember.
027. First pet → Sushmita, A Japanese peach dog.
028. First big vacation → Big???.
030. First big birthday → Another Big???.

CURRENTLY:
049. Eating → Mr. Chips.
050. Drinking → Propel.
052. I'm about to → Poo.
053. Listening to → Diana, by Paul Anka and other oldies songs (Monro, Sedaka, Sinatra, Charles, name it... want to try? Click here.
054. Plans for today → Finish my blogs and head home for the weekend vacataion.
055. Waiting for → uhm, payments, hehehe.

YOUR FUTURE:
058. Want kids? → Yes.
059. Want to get married? → Hopefully.
060. Careers in mind → Becoming a US Senator... Lawyer... Computer Mogul...

WHICH IS BETTER IN THE BOY/GIRL YOU LIKE?
068. Lips or eyes → Eyes and Lips.
070. Shorter or taller - Just fine, average.
072. Romantic or spontaneous → Spontaneous.
073. Nice stomach or nice arms → Stomach? for what? Am I allowed to choose legs?.
074. Sensitive or loud→ Sensitive.
075. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship.
076. Trouble maker or hesitant → Hesitant.

HAVE YOU EVER:
080. Lost glasses/contacts → No.
081. Ran away from home → No.
082. Held a gun/knife for self defense → Hahaha.
083. Killed somebody → The muts!!! If I had then I would not be answering this, right?.
084. Broke someone's heart →.
085. Been arrested → Not yet, planning to be.
087. Cried when someone died → Yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
089. Yourself → Yes.
090. Miracles → Yes.
091. Love at first sight → No.
092. Heaven → Yes.
093. Santa Claus → No.
094. Tooth Fairy → No.
095. Kiss on the first date → Never...

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now → Yes. Hon.
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life → Yes.
099. Do you believe in God → Yes.
100. Post as 100 truths and tag 20 people→ NO... (It said, answer truthfully...) :))

This is it... I'm ready to leave... Advance Happy Easter to y'all...

A Summer with Less of the Sun

You read it right! According to observations on the Sun's activities conducted by NASA scientists, the sun had recorded the lowest sunspot for a century. Scientists even compared this latest attribute of the sun to the present situation of the stock market. The sunspot are observable movements in the sun's surface caused by the ejection of solar flares, magnetic field, and radiation. So what are the effects of this "very deep solar minimum" to Earth and humans? Well, there are a handful to say.

One effect of this sun quietness is the decrease of temperature and UV rays that can reach the Earth. Scientists also observed that there is a decrease of about .02% in the transmitted heat from the sun. Though sounds negative, the geniuses still are positive that this is a normal activity of the sun. In fact, that decrease in its temperature transmission cannot even make a change in the present global warming. Although the radiation and the magnetism brought about by the sun will affect the brightness and frequency of the auroras that can be seen at the polar regions.

This year, the sun recorded 78 days without sunspot. The date span was from Jan 1 to March 31, 2009. In that case 87% of the 90-day period, the sun did not show any activity. To say that last year was never close is an early prediction because there are still 9 more months to 2008's record of 266 "sunspotless" days.

What lies ahead on the suns future or even the Earth's future is still vague. There are assumptions that this will just be temporary and that the sun is just following a sequence just as what had happened in 1901 and 1913. But nobody can predict what will happen in the future; even modern equipment has no capacity to do so.

Well, for the moment let's enjoy summer. Lower radiation from the sun would mean more outdoor activities right? Oh just don't forget to still apply a sunscreen - 10.7 cm of decrease in radio wavelength is negligible and can still be harmful.

More info here.

Starbust Spider

Photo of what known as the Starbust Spider, taken from NASA's MRO

At first glance you would think that this place is just somewhere in the north or south pole. Or better yet a place somewhere in Colorado or within the ranges of the Rocky Mountains. But this is not. This place can only be found in Mars. That's right. This is a seasonal cap of carbon dioxide ice from the surface of Mars. With constant studies on Mars and surface footages are being produced by the MRO or Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists are given more clips of ideas of what it is happening on Mars. The presence of ice in Mars don't necessarily give the scientist a chance to prove the existence of water on the red planet. Unfortunately, the ice do not undergo condensation so no presence of water is created rather it sublimates - a proces in which carbon ice directly becomes vapor. Oh, the name of this place is attributed to the spider leg through or web like trenches that are created by the gas escaping out from under the ice formation.

The Work and Passion

Honestly, I have nothing to share except for this photo... But in no case will I ever left this page barren for another day... So here it is...

Work and Passion

This is my keyboard at my home station... my crib... my servant... Well I took the photo last January but I only took notice of it's aesthetic accents just this afternoon... so I decided to post it here... oh by the way, the blue light was from the speaker's LED power signal... I don't use flash here so the light that reflected on the keyboard came from the fluorescent.

Expedition 19 Launches for ISS

Expedition 19 crews aboard this Russian Soyuz Rocket trusts upward during launch to begin mission in the International Space Station.

The scheduled flight of the Expedition 19 of Russia has successfully been done in Kazakhstan. The Russian Soyuz TMA - 14 rocket is commanded by Commander Gennady Padalka. With him is Flight Engineer Michael Barrat. These two cosmonauts will join Koichi Wakata in the ISS and will complete the mission after 6 months. Spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi is with the Russian crew again and is bound to be back here on Earth on April 7. Discovery STS-119 will be landing in Earth on Saturday bringing home Sandy Magnus in exhange for Wakata.

Meanwhile, a dispute have paved while an inteligence report reached the Washington about the rocket the North Korea is planning to launch. According to NoKor, the rocket that they are going to launch is not a nuclear bomb but a mission to space. Undeniably, the international commnunity have reacted negatively to this move. Secy. Clinton of the Department of State said that the flight or the launch of such will be provocative as it will be a violation to the UN Resolution banning NoKor for any activity like that. In 2007, the country launched a rocket bomb but has not reached its target as it exploded after flight alarming many countries. In 1996, NoKor had faked a space flight only to advance its nuclear tests.

While there is no limit as to what countries would like to explore the space, the international community is not at peace with North Korea's plan. It might be that while their mission is really space exploration, who knows if they are trying to test if they can launck a missile from space to Earth. This is really scary... The name of their missile itself sounds scary - Taepodong-2...

I can't wait for Saturday to come... I will never miss watching Discovery STS-119's reentry and landing...

Falling In Love with Kiba

This past Saturday, I visited a college friend here in Legazpi. I came to his place around 10 PM and he was so busy watching an anime series in DVD. I was not surprised with him for being too obsessed with animes so I decided to stay for a while to watch with him.

I no longer watch animes in TV and I no longer know what are the recent fad on these things. All I know is that Naruto's very famous these days. I asked Bobet what he's watching and answered Kiba, without looking at me.

Kiba is currently aired by ABS-CBN every 4:30 in the afternoon and nearing conclusion. I never heard of it before so I never dared watching it or googling about it. Yeah, I'm kind of biased here and my doors are already closed. I can never have any favorite anime except Samurai X and B't X... But as I was watching with Bet that night, I get to notice something with Kiba. The story line was so pure and direct and not complicated. When I say it's not complicated I mean that it's not to deep something that one can easily fathom. I say that the story is more of political in nature. And I can sense a deeper and more serious theme discussed in Kiba. In fact I believe that Kiba has a concealed message that will be exposed automatically to those who really seek it.

Kiba's story revolves around 3 characters; Zed, Rouia, and Noa. Noa and Zed are bestfriends from the place called Calm. Apparently, they wanted to leave Calm and find a peaceful territory. An accident happened and both Zed and Noa were taken by a force through a portal to unknown territories. Later they knew that they were sent to Tempura and Neotopia - Zed being sent to Tempura and Noa to Neotopia. These two territories is a part of the chaotic world that is composed of other nations such as Task, Jimoto, Ulbacus, etc. Because the world is at war, one nation greatly aims for power through acquiring Key Spirits in order to gain supremacy over the other nations. Luckily for Tempura and Neotopia, Zed and Noa had been chosen by Amil Gaoul and Shachira respectively - two of the six Key Spirits. The Key Spirits are said to have the power to change the world for the better or destroy it.

The story runs from simple scenes of friendship, tackles basic human quests for power, greed, and selfishness that would lead to conspiracy and deception. Oh by the way, the nations that I said part of the world Zed has been sent, they have different characteristics and forms of government - a thing that I have even loved as I put it as if it is the world that I am living right now...

So, I'll stop this story telling here because I might spoil the series. Well, if you are interested you may tune in to ABS-CBN to watch it or browse some anime website over the net for video streaming. (You can also get a DVD copy from your favorite "Jack Sparrow" outlet and let me borrow it... LOL...)

Refurbished

Last August 2008 was the last time I changed the appearance of my blog. At first it was wrapped with green background and some other similar colors. It looks similar to this. Then one day Nel commented that my blog looks like that of Sec Ing Etc. so I decided to change its colors and it's header photo. I made it brown and named it Extraction Point. Though this blog has gone through several changes, those were nothing so major... I never changed its template and had not added some tools... except for a Cbox and the blogroll... Just last Saturday I made a decision to change the layout and template of my blog... And it came to me that black template is good so I decided to use it... Now, I welcome you the new look of my blog...

I hope this does not make my blog boring to read or too dull to look at... I hope you still pay a visit after these changes...

BTW, Saturday morning, I had a chat with heil and he promised me that he's going to lend me some few other shots that he has. And a few hours later he sent it to me... I will post the pictures later this week... or maybe next week...

My head's so heavy today... My vision's swirling and I get a little dizzy... I don't know what I have eaten yesterday that I get this feeling... I hope I could get well later this day...

Sorry, I have no pictures to post... I get bact to it soon...

PS: How do you find the new look of my blog? Share some comments or leave a message at the CBox... Thanks...

Captured 3.0

Finally... I give you the last batch of Heil's captured images... The first picture is so beautiful for me... I love the texture, i like the color combination. Everything in it is simply amazing. So indulge yourselves with these pictures and treat yourselves with relaxation.

School

Robust

Fishes

Challenge

I hope Heil got other photos to share... Maybe some other time I will ask him for another batch that I will feature here... For the mean time, I will try to have my own works posted in here...