Appetizer: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how polite are you?
8. I can be polite to all those people who do look polite enough. But I can be pretty rude to those people who deserve it.

Soup: What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
A group conference with colleagues.

Salad: Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Marvin the Martian.

Main Course: Tell about the funniest teacher you ever had.
The funniest teacher? Hmm... I guess that would be Sir Rondina. We don't hold classroom lessons. We would act out reports or do something different. And that would be our lessons. He was also full of wisdom, wit, and happiness and so we were all quite full of laughter when the class ends.

Dessert: Complete this sentence: I strongly believe that ______________________.
I strongly believe that true friends will always be there for you no matter how much you hurt them with the truth.

So I've had Adsense since... I dunno... the early part of last year, I guess. My Adsense is very much unlike those of the pros where in just one day, they can reap in hundreds of dollars.

My account is a mere collection of blogs that I own. These blogs used to be updated everyday. However, because of the change of tasks and change of responsibilities, I have been unable to update these blogs for quite some time now. In fact, the only blog that I can update is this one. 

Anyhow, I've had offers from some people - ex-colleagues, friends, orgmates, and online friends - asking me to put in my Adsense codes in their blogs. I put in my codes and if it earns, we'll split the amount. Of course, it's a very easy way to earn money. The owner of the blog does his/her own updating. You just give them the code and you just wait for it to earn.

But I chose not to. Not because it's something illegal. I guess it's not. It's just that I'd like to see just how long it takes me to earn such an amount over something that I'm happy working on. It's not actually about the money. It's a test of how much I have learned in this industry and just how much do I still need to learn. I believe that when I dabble in something that is not mine, I'm cheating on my goals and I'm cheating on myself. I also do believe that if I do such, the challenge would no longer be there for that blog I put my Adsense in ain't something I can control. So there.

Right now, I'm simply happy that I've earned my first cheque all on my own and no click frauds. I've also come to realize that after that first cheque, I'm well on my way to another one all with only one updated blog (the rest have become dormant *last update, January2007*).

July 31, 2007. It has been a year since Rambo (Ambo to his friends in school and Rei-Mon his given Christian name) was gunned down by still unknown men. Whoever they are, people are still wondering if they'll still be caught. Yes, I'm saying 'they' because one gunned Rambo down while another was waiting in a motorcycle not far away.

And that ended his life that early Monday morning. It was just a day after he celebrated his birthday with his family when it happened and such an event has caused much grief, pain, and suffering to his parents, his siblings, his friends, and all those whose hearts and lives he has touched and has become part of.

And to celebrate his colorful and fulfilling life, Rambo's family had a get-together of all the people who would want to be with them. They celebrated his birthday last July 30th. My friends and I were supposed to go but some things came up and we were unable to do so. But I was told that on the day of his death, there was a service for him and there were bands who were there to make music to tell people of this person, Rambo, who lived and who died bearing what he truly believed in.

While on Friendster, I came across a bulletin written by his sister and I was really touched by just how much she loved her brother. I could feel the pain and the emotions running through her as she composed that bulletin. I guess it became her avenue, her channel to let out what she was feeling inside.

Tin, Rambo's brother, posted it a couple of weeks before the anniversary of his death. And she was talking about just how painful it was that he was now gone and just how much they are all suffering without his presence. She said that if only she had known that such would happen, she would have done whatever he asked her to do and she woudl have hugged him back when he was making 'lambing'.

I was furthermore intrigued by what Rambo was like to other people and I did find some article referring to the first year anniversary of his death. His sister proclaims,

"He was not alone though, for there are 863+ more and 197 nowhere to be found and many still expected to follow,depending upon the hands of those thinking of themselves as gods."

Also, Inky mentioned,

"Sitting here writing about Rambo is a rather social task for me. Sad as I feel, as a fellow participant in the social movement, I must uphold the same issues both local and national that he fought and died for."

While they were talking about Rambo as a person, Tonyo did talk about what happened during the shooting:

"Although the assailant was unidentified, Guran's political activities raise concerns that he was the target of Philippine security forces who deemed him to be linked to the long-running communist New People's Army (NPA) insurgency. An off-duty policeman was sitting on the bus when Guran was shot, but did not pursue the assailant. Other passengers were there, but not a single witness outside of the family will give evidence to the police. The witnesses say they are too scared, and fear reprisals from the assailants or their backers if they come forward. The police say that they cannot complete their investigation for lack of evidence and have asked Guran's family to plead with witnesses to speak with them."

One of his schoolmates, Gideon, did write about his early demise. He expressed,

"We mourn with indignation the murder of a loving friend, kuya, son and a good servant of the people and of God.

We schoolmates, colleagues, friends and relatives of Ambo have formed the Justice for Ambo Movement to drum up the issue of unabated political killings in the country and to call for justice to the murder of the likes of Ambo.

We knock at your doors for help and assistance (financial and, or in kind) to sustain this advocacy; knowing fully that our prayers, discernment and collective action in search for justice will one day be fulfilled."

And so it has been a year but what changes have happened with regards to his case? I don't know. And I don't think we'll all ever know what's going to happen. It would be one of the unsolved ones that we all just would have to wonder what happened to it. Maybe. But I am not losing hope and I am still praying that the case be solved - well, of course, not for me but to serve as closure to his parents and to his siblings. It is hard to really imagine that somebody who did your son wrong was still walking on the streets alive and free.

But if that does not happen, all I'm praying now is that these people who wanted him dead start to feel the weight of what they did and may they not have peaceful dreams at night anymore.

Rambo, I hope you're now happy wherever you are and I understand you'll find more peace and happiness there. After all, I'm sure your good friend Ivan is also with you. Ingats padi! And while we're still here, we'll try to do whatever we can to continue what you have started.