Saturday, December 20, 2008

How Small The World Is: Internet Self-Defense

I just realized how small the world is... and it's all because of the net. Imagine yourself connecting real-time with people from Russia, the States, Europe, Africa, the mid-East, Asia, or anywhere in the world. I'm talking about the world anyway. Who knows, the future might open up the possibility of connecting with space.

Visit friendster and you're opening yourself up to the chance of meeting people even out the country where you belong. Open up a multiply account and you're also opening up a bridge to the people around the globe once you get to have anything in common with them through web-searches. A person may be able to get to know people from the farthest side of the country in a completely different walk of life through these kind of internet services. These tools can also be used to open up connections with people that they've never met before.

No matter how advantageous these may be, they'll always have a side-effect. People may use these tools as weapons to wreak terror. Persons with evil intentions may snoop and grab personal information from others. They may also steal them and use them as their own. These issues, to top that off, are even left without any security. Up to date, there are no written laws that protect people who use the internet from fraudulent schemes and issues on privacy. People mark the net-space as a public domain and they can do anything they want. Anything may also mean everything evil as long as people want to do it. There are no such laws.

Freedom of speech is a right that gets abused. It is also a right, when expressed, that occasionally puts people in danger. People may black-list and hunt down people that they hate. When a person makes a statement about something controversial, even a personal and private one, he or she is in great danger of being dropped by immediate connections. Issues of trust and integrity also surface out. What people may say can be controlled by others. Instead of being a place for releasing one's thoughts and expressing one's self, it becomes a place of imminent peril.

As far as some people are concerned, the internet can be a venue for personal destruction. Today, the internet controls the life of some individuals. It can also be their end. It affects people that much today. It honestly is safe to say that the internet itself is a lifestyle. Who knows when it will do the same to a larger number of people? A lot of people might actually have it as a part of their daily routine -- from checking their emails, social networking accounts, and et cetera, they're definitely hooked by an invisible strong-binding string of addiction, and in more soft core terms, of necessity. People might see tomorrow more and more third-world and heavily poverty-stricken countries arise and embrace this trend and generation. The internet may also soon be a major part of the people's personal social lives, if not totally replacing it.

The internet is a slum, a wild and dangerous place. Only those who know how to take care of their selves will be able to make it through and not be taken advantage of. People who use the net, an exponentially-growing number, must also educate themselves and acquaint themselves very well with the environment so that they can be able to survive that kind of world. They must learn how to safeguard themselves. They must themselves create guidelines as how to use the tools the internet offers because nobody else would do it for them. When people learn practicing internet self-defense, they're increasing their chances of enjoying the tool more and they'll be able to maximize its power. Let's all start enjoying the use of the internet. Let's not make it a menace. Instead, lets' use it for our advantage.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Grabbed: Autopsy on a Spoiled Girlfriend [a very tragic incident]

I grabbed this one because I found it very tragic. It was as interesting as well. Let me leave all of us with something to ponder... :O

Contributed by skrew_you (Edited by arwen)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 @ 06:54:01 PM

No cracks, no fractures, no missing bones whatsoever.

Taxi cabs were her favorite way to go around the city. The boyfriend would open the car door for her and assist her while getting off the vehicle. She would take his offered hand like a princess getting off a lovely carriage. She would tell his boyfriend, "That's what boyfriends are for." Her boyfriend would nod in approval, kiss her on her forehead and smile. Her every step was watched. Her boyfriend is her safety scout. Sweet.

"If you don't take care of me, I'll break up with you."

No pulled, strained muscles.

She did not suffer from any forms of fatigue. Her life was a bliss. No need to rush to a convenient store to grab a midnight snack. Her boyfriend would offer his phone and she would call the delivery hotline. And on those days when it was not possible to have the food delivered, he would buy it himself, not minding the time nor the weather. No need to go to a spa to relax. He would light an essence lamp and ask her to lay on her tummy. He would then sooth her tired muscles using his bare hands. He was not really good at this but it pleased her. "That's what boyfriends are for," she would think.

"Buy me food, or else I'll break up with you."

Perfect condition, from mouth to the intestines.

She was well-fed. Where to eat, what to eat.. it was her choice. Her every craving was satisfied. He would also introduce her to restaurants and plates she had never tried before. She would think it was fantastic. She would gain weight and think that was her boyfriend's fault. He would smile and tell her that how attractive she still was. Compliments. That's what boyfriends are for.

"Tell me I'm the prettiest or we're through."

Clean lungs. Healthy heart.

There was no way second-hand smoke could have harmed her. He was not a smoker. He lived a healthy life and so did she. He would take her to the country side and she would enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. He had to suspend several business trips so they could go together. Because according to her, that's what boyfriends are for.

"Let's go, or I'll find another boyfriend to take me there."

No signs of depression.

Hers was a worry-free life. Before she could even detect the problem, he already resolved it for her. She was trained not to care, not to worry about almost everything. Worrying was his job. That's what boyfriends are for. He would be sick but he would tell her not to worry. He would buy and take his medicines all by himself. She would be sick and he would worry to death. A simple migraine and he would panic.

"Make the pain go away, or you'll lose me."

She was in perfect health the night he left her and yet she was found dead the following morning.

Grabbed: Seventeen Signs That You Truly Love Someone

I grabbed this from Marc A. I want people to comment whether or not it's true kasi eh. Haha. I couldn't comment kasi dahil nawawala yung post comment/reply button dito sa multiply. :(

Well, if I'll be asked, I think that it's not exactly love right away especially if they happen at a time na kakakilala mo pa lang sa person (or that time when you get to know the person pa lang). Parang may space for pondering or evaluation pa if it really is love. However, it might precede real love. Parang it still needs working out to reach a higher, stronger level. It might be an attraction, crush, or whatever too. Pero, so far the symptoms are quite accurate that I am tempted to remove the word "quite" preceding the word "accurate". Haha. :p

s e v e n t e e n :
You look at their profiles constantly.
S i x t e e n :
When you're on the phone/text with them late at night and they hang up/stop replying, you still miss them even when it was just two minutes ago.
F i f t e e n :
You read their texts and IMs over and over again.
F o u r t e e n :
You walk really slow when you're with them.
T h i r t e e n :
You feel shy whenever they're around.
E l e v e n :
When you think about them, your heart beats faster but slower at the same time.
T e n :
You smile when you hear their voice.
N i n e :
When you look at them, you can't see the other people around you; you just see him/her.
E i g h t :
You start listening to slow songs while thinking about them.
S e v e n :
They're all you think about.
S i x :
You get high just from their scent.
F i v e :
You realize you're always smiling when you're looking at them.
F o u r :
You would do anything for them, just to see them.
T h r e e :
While reading this, there was one person on your mind this whole time.
Two:
You were so busy thinking about that person, you didn't notice number twelve was missing.
One :
You just scrolled up to check & are now silently laughing at yourself. :P

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Undeserved Miracle

Miracles may happen during a time that we don't expect it to happen. They also may happen in such a way that we do not expect it to. My personal miracles have so far been unexpected and bizarrely captivating.

I love miracles. They are like soft pinches that make me wake up and realize that everything is okay. They make me experience that feel-so-natural preconceived knowledge that life is light even with storms. We sometimes do forget the good sides of our days and find it hard to believe in them when darkness befalls our lives anyway.

I may not deserve goodness. I may also deserve punishment for what I've done. I always say that we only get what we sow, but I be proved wrong by the radiant reality that life is not as harsh as we deserve it should be.

Tonight, I pray for a miracle. I might have not been able to do the things that I should have done. I might have committed a lot of mistakes that cannot be undone. But, miracles are still miracles.

My Retreat

I've absconded like a vampire. I've retreated like a traitor in a war. I faced the challenges half-heartedly. I was watching for my own back and I was more than a coward. I should have turned to salt for what I have done but here I am today, seating comfortably.

Now, I am haunted by my faults. Much to my disappointment and reproach is that I have betrayed myself at such a time that I needed to do the most of and more than what I can. I have surrendered at an unpleasant time. I have chickened out when I should have been bold.

I'm guilty. I have no excuse. I have brought this disaster unto myself... and I must face them all.

I do not know what to expect. Let me be surprised. Let me be awakened.

Monday, December 1, 2008

My Missing Mornings

Days are as important as its mornings. Without it, they're just half of what they're meant to be. There is a lot to miss. This has always been my situation. If not for school, morning wouldn't be in my dictionary. As I ponder, I realize that I'm missing a lot of my days. There are a lot of things in my mind that I want to do yet I always lack the time to do them. It now makes sense why I always lose a lot on the going-ons. I want my mornings back. I still have, hopefully, more than half a life ahead.

Oh, I awoke late today
It's almost time for lunch
I've missed again sun's early ray
It's too late for a munch

With lots of things I have in mind
I feel empty inside
Deep inside, I have turned blind
The blow of wind I ride

I feel like I missed something out
But couldn't tell at all
I go on with the day's bout
Where I hear an unknown call

But then as I lay down at night
It hurts as I remember
I missed a day's half, alright
Yet then they are all over

Now I lay, inside I wish
For a new start for tomorrow
I'm now asleep yet soul's awake
I'll bid bye to this sorrow

Today, no, since yesterday, I start to vindicate my mornings. I'll have them all back with more intensity. See you soon, my missing mornings, for I shall find you.

The Advent of the Day

I've written a little something last night as I was about to sleep. I just couldn't stop savouring the taste and feel of the coming morning and the beauty of the night. It's as follows:

I miss the old, the morning shade
Where all is painted blue
It's almost like an age ago
That I've seen such scene, such view

So now in bed I make a wish
Hope it would come true
That this day on I'll start the day
Feeling all brand new

I've come to think of it, it's been quite some time since I've last seen the dawn where all is cold, blue, dark, yet what's exciting about it is that you expect the sun to show after quite a little while. Those times that I am able to behold the break of the day are a rarity. The reason is because I rarely ever wake up early in the morning... Even my morning classes are in jeopardy because I have a destructive habit of waking up late. I've never really given it much thought, I realize today.

The thought of the morning soothes me as I wrote this thought in my mind. It's late already -- you'll feel the chill. But somehow I feel sunlight already even though it's still less than 5 hours away from appearing. It just made me really yearn for the advent of the day when the sunlight hasn't yet lit the ground up. It's a cooling, rejuvinating experience, I ponder. Now, it makes me want to experience it more day by day.

I want sunlight in its first glance and rays. I want the morning where the dew are still untouched by light. I want the clouds that show a beautiful shade of blue. I like the streets colored all grey-blue. I want the coolness of the morning touching my soul and not just my skin. I want change. I want newness. I want this everyday.

Maybe it would be difficult for me to learn how to appreciate mornings the conventional way. But this spectacular encounter happening in my soul, I believe, would suffice for that need. It would all be easier now since I seem to have found a new purpose and understanding of the morning. It's an experience.

As I woke up today, I've never felt any better as if I didn't lack the sleep that I always did before. I somehow was able to capture a taste of the morning although it was less than perfect. This is a new day. This is a new start.

Stars

I'm staying up late again just thinking of stars - wishing, pondering, and dreaming awake. After all, stars are the most usual guests during night time. I'm glad they're there tonight.

Tonight, I can't explain if I'm excited, happy, or good because I don't have any reason to be so, but it's still what I feel. I don't know what's ahead of me yet I feel the excitement. I have lots of stacked-up things to do yet I do not worry. I should really be worrying but I find myself flying with the clouds in the grey sky.

Strength is coming as a new season enters. The season of eerie chill has now ended. The joy it has brought, though founded in gloom, is now just part of yesterday. The brightness of this new day is approaching even at midnight. It brings joy and gladness. It brings peace and silence with wisdom.

I'm in an entirely different place right now and all my comforts have come to a shattering. Though I might not know entirely where I am, I believe, though, that I will not be moved. I will be seen through. I will emerge as a victor. I'll prevail.

I now exhale.

Here I am still awake
Still up late at night
November's days I now forsake
A new season's a-flight

It's cold yet it warms my heart
The gloomy chill has bade
Lights are now out at part
A spark inside is made

I'm looking at the stars again
Wishing free, I'm wondering
Killing time with no gain
I ponder a new beginning

All of a sudden where I stand
I find myself in paradise
In the usual, nothing grand
I'm caught up in surprise

All right now I hear aloud
Is the strumming of guitar
Lull in peace, in a cloud
My hopes, my cares at par

Now I'm back at free verses with rhymes yet with no strict counts of syllables.