How to Make Your Kids Not Hate You Part 1

Creative Commons Image via Flickr: Chexed

There are so many things you can do in your life but one of the most important ones is making sure that your children - whether adults or teenagers - will not hate you. 

Just a few weeks ago, I've read on an Internet forum somewhere about a man, who's asking how to pin his father for tax evasion. He's going "ultra" on his dad and really wants to send his old man to jail - purportedly for "not leaving them anything" and that he was doing it for his mom. 

Since he was asking publicly and since it was personal, I advised him to just forgive his dad, forget and move on with his life. It's his old man after all. 

I didn't mention that it was also in the ten commandments as well of the Christian bible "Honor thy father and thy mother" and it's somewhat in the Lord's Prayer - "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" alternately - "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"

I don't know what he did next.

As I ponder about this story, I scratched my chin and thought about what their parents did to them that made them really, really, really hate them. As a father of a soon to be teenager and four children, I am bracing myself for the most challenging phase of my career as a father.

I know that one day, success would bear fruit as loving and successful children and failure would mean, them hating me and not even wanting to see me. Their rebellion would probably mean them going against everything that I am and everything that I did all rolled in one little big ball of hate.

That's not a scenario anybody would like.

So, I guess that's criteria number one:

1. Plan and work for your children's success in everything. It took me less than five seconds to type that down, but I believe that it would take me a lifetime more to glean the deep truth in it. Nobody holds the secrets to these things. I mean, it's hard enough for us to work for our own success, how much more for the success of actual people who are depending on us for their success. Man, it's no easy task and it's nothing that money can buy. I know some people who've sent their children to the best schools who end up becoming the worst people! 

For what it's worth, I guess time really is a factor here. Children don't just hate their parents in one single event - not unless it's really that catastrophic and abusive.

Right after birth, they rely on us 100% for everything, for their very survival and for their subsistence. Later on, they eventually glean the wisdom that they need us and that before they could ask us for anything - some conditions have to be met, some rules need to be followed as the family is and will always be a micro social system.

Parental Interference

Different children have different personalities and different tolerances for parental interference, adjust accordingly. I won't delve into all the tiny little details, but you'll know it when you're in that situation.

• Don't interfere when they're doing well 
• Learn a little about playing with words. 
• Encourage but don't choke them
• Reward, reward, reward
• Fun is a good thing - both for you and the child
• Most of all, live by example

Where to Get and Download Neverwinter

For all the hype we've been through about Diablo III, we weren't able to get and play it at all. So in lieu of that we played Neverwinter Nights (The original) instead and a host of other Free to Play Games and MMORPGs. What made Neverwinter Nights so awesome for me and my kids was that the system requirements are well within the specification of our PCs. So we get to play the multiplayer at home a lot. 

Anyway, I'm not really entirely sure if Neverwinter is going to be Free to Play (all the way) but since I see a download link, hell yeah. 

Download Neverwinter here:

Official Neverwinter/Perfect World Download Page

http://nw.perfectworld.com/download

Direct Download Neverwinter  http://download.perfectworld.com/nw/Neverwinter_NW.1.20130416a.6.exe

Download Neverwinter via Torrent                              

http://nw.perfectworld.com/download/torrent

System Requirements

Recommended System Requirements:

OS:  Windows® XP SP3, Windows Vista SP 2, Windows® 7 or Windows 8 Processor:  Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz CPU equivalent or better Memory:  2GB RAM or more Video:  GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon HD 2900GT performance or better, 512MB+ video ram Sound:  DirectX 9.0c compatible sound chip or onboard audio capability with the latest sound drivers  Broadband Internet Connection Required

Minimum System Requirements:

OS:  Windows® XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 Processor:  Dual-core 2.0GHz CPU or better Memory:  1GB RAM Video:  Shader Model 2.0 or higher, GeForce 6800 or ATI Radeon X850 performance, 128MB+ video ram Sound:  DirectX 9.0c compatible sound chip or onboard audio capability with the latest sound drivers  Broadband Internet Connection Required

It's Official - The First Filipino to Send An Application to Mars One

UPDATE: Greater than the biggest of dreams - why I am rescinding my Mars One application

I feel honored to say this, and I hope that I would do my country proud and maybe my mom too :) Definitely some things have to be straightened out with regards to my personal life - I'm not a perfect individual, but here it is. I am the first Filipino applicant to send an application to the Mars One Project.

Check out my

• application here
• My application page

At the time I'm posting this, this appeared on my Facebook feed:

A Unique Mother's Day Gift 2013: Make Your Momma Proud

What's the Best Mother's Day Gift for 2013?

You can show her your degree

Or buy a new car with glee!

You can get her a large new house

Or maybe just snag an elegant blouse

Anyway, most just send money

But that just pays for the bills honey!

Manny Pacquiao's mom would you believe

Simply wants a Hermes bag do give her reprieve

Some would give a million dollars

If you still have some please give me a holler!

Lazy ones give flowers

The perfectly symbolic staple power

But how can you really make your momma proud?

Can you jump high and grab a cloud?

Or sing the night away as she did when you were a tot

and carry you too and your heavy assed butt!

The answer I can give you is love

If that's all you can give, just love

If that's all you have, simply love

No, it would probably not make her proud

But it's better than hiding under a fake money shroud

Honor your Mother and your Father is what the good book says

What that means is be of service, work hard, show respect and not just displays!

Guess Who's the First Filipino to Apply For the Mars One Project...

**UPDATE: Why I cancelled my Mars One application

Am I the first Filipino to apply for the Mars One mission?

It was a moment of distant fantasy and it only took $8 to pretend that I actually have a shot at this, but nobody's going to offer this opportunity, real or not, ever again in this lifetime. I'm 31 and I'm not very optimistic that we will develop warp capabilities or bend time and space to achieve feasible interstellar travel, at least not in another 50 to 100 years.

Besides, it only took $8 dollars, a few hours of writing and a video of myself.

The probability of success is like .000001%. But who cares right?

It's an opportunity to go to Mars, however far fetched the plan may be.



So what was it like?

FAQs

http://mars-one.com/en/faq-en/

Registration

To register and join, click this

After registration I paid $8, since the fee that they applied was somewhat related to the GDP of the Philippines. For Canadian applicants, I think they had to pay $33. Pretty nifty pay scheme.

Filled out some information...

Uploaded a picture of myself

Uploaded a video application

In all honesty, it all sounds a bit "Steorny". Remember them? Unlimited energy from magnet motors people?

But the difference is in what they're actually proposing. Steorn promised unlimited energy.

Mars One aims to send people to Mars.

One breaks the laws of physics. One skirts the very edges of what is possible.

Practically speaking, it is doable, with concerted effort, funding and technological support. But first, it has to come up with investors, supporters, endorsers and a robust and very long marketing bonanza. They need to raise the money to bolster support. This is in essence, the very premise of private space exploration.

Well, at the very least, if you don't actually get sent to Mars, you have the chance to be well, "sorta famous".

Me, I'm placing my bet on, "I hope it's real and I hope I have a chance".

There's actually a section in the registration page entitled: "Private Motivation Letter"

I didn't have a clue as to what they actually want me to write, so I wrote this instead: 


Today, as I write this, my little children Thea and Alex, are playing beside me unaware  of a decision that I have made at this very moment, at this very day. In the hopes of crafting a legacy of intrepid adventure and exploration, I submit this application with the full intent to embark on a project that will take a lifetime. 

I've been through many challenges and tribulations in this life and I believe that embarking on the Mars One project is going to be the ultimate challenge of them all. 

I will surely miss my wife, my children and my family and would always cling on to the hope that I may one day, see them again all grown up and knowing the fact that their father is one of the first people who ever lived and landed on Mars. 

Look to the stars, and know that I am here wishing my greatest outpouring of love to you. 

Maybe it will take eternity, maybe just a few decades, but it is possible and I believe that we could see each other again. 

With all my heart, and with all my soul, I embark on this voyage, a journey to a nearby star.



Coming up next: Will my application be successful or not? Stay tuned :)

From Wikipedia:

Mars One plans to establish the first human settlement on Mars. According to their schedule, the first crew of four astronauts would arrive on Mars in 2023, after a seven month journey from Earth. Further teams would join their settlement every two years, with the intention that by 2033 there would be over twenty people living and working on Mars. The astronaut selection process began on April 22 2013. ^[25]

As of April 2013, the mission plan is as follows:^[4]

• 2013: a replica of the settlement will be built for training purposes.^[16]
• 2014: The first communication satellite will be produced.
• July 2015: The astronaut selection process will be completed; four crews of six. ^[26]
• 2016: A supply mission will be launched during January (arriving October) with 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) of food in a 5 metres (16 ft) diameter variant of the SpaceX Dragon.^[16] The fallback if this is not ready in time is either to use a 3.8 metres (12 ft) Dragon or to delay by two years.^[27]
• 2018: An exploration vehicle will launch to pick the location of the settlement.^[16]
• 2021: Six additional Dragon capsules and another rover will launch with two living units, two life support units and two supply units.^[16]
• 2022: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy will launch with the first group of four colonists.^[16]
• 2023: The first colonists will arrive on Mars in a modified Dragon capsule.^[16]
• 2025: A second group of four colonists will arrive.^[16]
• 2033: The colony will reach 20 settlers.^[1]

The Mars One website states that the team behind Mars One began planning of Mars One in 2011. The company states that they researched the feasibility of the idea with specialists and expert organizations, and discussed the financial, psychological and ethical aspects of it.^[28]

In Defense of Reddit

After reading through volumes upon volumes of rancid criticism of Reddit in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy, I'd like to give the US and international media, a very big finger.

• Should criminal investigations be crowdsourced - CNN.com
• Reddit Moderator apologizes to Sunil Tripathi's family - Huffington Post

True - Reddit was a major source of inaccurate information at the time in r/findbostonbombers but NOT the origin. somebody uploaded the pictures and the community just discussed its veracity.

BUT, BUT, BUT

It was mainstream media which picked up the story and decided to publish the items in the subreddit as fact. The only purpose of the subreddit was to have a venue where people could put pictures to aid investigators, discuss their veracity and NOT to publicize them as matters of fact. It was a discussion forum for Pete's sake. Again, it was the media that published these stories as fact.

It's very much akin to when the media takes any of the random stories in r/conspiracy and publish them as news.

As an avid observer of the events as they transpired, I began to notice that several of the participants in the subreddit - are actually media correspondents who published unverified stories within minutes after a topic comes up on that subforum. 

This was published within a few hours
after the topic came up on reddit

If any, I would say, that the criticism specially by CNN - has to do with covering their own behinds.

It was CNN that published the description of the suspects while it was still being discussed on the subreddit whether the identification had any merits -  before even the NYPOST article came out. 

For what it's worth, the media should have checked their sources before publishing any piece of information.

Look at this woman, she identified Sunil as the son of these two when in fact he was their youngest brother!... Facepalm...

Can't embed the video.. click to watch it on Huffpo

For what it's worth, the damage has been done, apologies were given, lessons were learned and the collective will not make that mistake again. I for one, think that there's a concentrated effort by some mainstream media outlets to discredit reddit due to its skyrocketing success that is making mainstream media - obsolete.

Nevertheless, now is not a time for condemnation but of things such as these:

We Owe Sunil Tripathi's Family an Outpouring of Love and An Apology. We Brought Unintentional Pain To Them Tonight. Let's Find Their Son.

Simply Jesus Part 2 by Pastor Albert Clavo

Slow Globe Wimax April 20, 2013

I just discovered that my Globe Wimax Internet connection is slower than 93% of the Internet connections in the Philippines, what should I do, what should I do, what should I do?

By the way, this totally unrelated video is about an elephant trying to fly...


Conspiracy Theory: For the first time in 2 years, I paid my bills late. Why? Because, just because.

Nah, I doubt that they have a magical "slow down his connection because his payment was late button". But the coincidence is remarkable.

I guess I belong to the unlucky 7%

How to Improve Globe Wimax Connection
I haven't tried this.
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewtopic.php?tid=215593&page=1

SIMPLY JESUS Part1 (Dr. Albert Clavo)

BeSmartee

UPDATE: Nope didn't get the job. Look below

While browsing for blogging gigs on problogger.net, I noticed a peculiar job advert entitled: "Passionate Writers Wanted".

It got my attention and pretty soon my index finger started finding the letter J on my keyboard and the other fingers jumped to their respective positions like in a military formation.

Then they concocted a rather unimpressive jumble of words influenced by my flu ridden mind. In retrospect, I really do need to work on my resume which I have lost somewhere.

Then I got to thinking, after the fact.

In this day and age, how exactly does one prove to the world or at least to one person that you are a

"Passionate Writer"

Is passion found in the number of words you can write in a day?

Is it found in the number of sources you can muster to make a well researched post?

Maybe it's found in the number of invectives one can throw about left and right? ^$#^#%^@

The concept intrigued me so I began to research about the company which I'd like to write for - BeSmartee.com. The one that posted the blogging gig.

Their vision page is quite unorthodox but very, very straightforward.

"The way the world works is really simple… if you buy it then someone will make it.  

Every time you buy something you’re voting for something, and that something shapes your world.

To change the world you simply need to change who you buy from.

BeSmartee creates products and services with a purpose. These companies make profits, and those profits are reinvested 100% back into the world through people, ideas and causes. The more successful our companies become, the more we can reinvest. This also means that BeSmartee owners will never receive a penny of profits. Period. We only receive compensation for our roles as employees of BeSmartee which is comparable to the marketplace for companies of our size."

- BeSmartee

I really like the concept. 

Plain, simple and straightforward. 

But still, I had this nagging feeling that I had to know more, so I dug deeper. That's when a key piece of the puzzle struck me. The founder's goal:

"My dad taught me to have passion in everything I do, to have the courage to believe in what I believe, to be humble in my success and to be honest to myself and others. My mom taught me that whatever I wanted to do in life to do it to the very best of my ability, to be accountable for my actions and to share it with everyone around me."

That's also when I realized a sobering fact about myself as a person and as a writer.

I've lost that passion.

Somehow, along the way, I let myself get beaten black and blue by circumstances. Somehow, along the way, I let hope slip away. Somehow, along the way, I let passion go.

It got buried under a pile of ash. Despair came with fear. Hopelessness, led to inaction. My worldview began to change and suddenly, there's only this. This sad piece of man, pretending to be a passionate writer.

Before I get lost and drone on and on about my plight, I'd like to end this piece with something good.

For what it's worth, I think Tim and his team's belief and advocacy holds promise. It's true that you can shape the world by how you buy. I practice this myself. The question is - how far can this concept go?
_____
This is possibly the coolest rejection letter I've ever read.
>>>>
Hi Everyone,

All I can say is WOW!

Since placing our ad looking for bloggers, we've received responses from over 500 people, some of which were inspiring and even tear-jerking. People emailed to say they loved BeSmartee's mission to Change the World and that gave us the extra motivation to stay up just a little later and wake up a little earlier to push through the piles of work needed to launch our first initiative Masterplan.

We'd like to thank every single person who submitted their resume and work samples. The truth is, we weren't able to read every single email because of how many we received. For now, we've hired our first 10 bloggers. We're planning to release one to three blog posts each week and plan to eventually reach a point where we can release a blog post each day.

As we move forward, we'll reach out to our network *YOU*  when we need new blog posts. In the meantime, we're asking you to please stay in touch with us by signing up for BeSmartee's newsletter on www.besmartee.com. We'll make sure to update you on what's going on at BeSmartee and how you can get involved.

Thank you for your support!

Veronica Nguyen
Founder & Business Development, BeSmartee