How to remove contacts from Private Box Go SMS Pro

Daps Chronicles

The GO SMS Pro messaging app is a cool application as it lets you customize your text messaging functionality from selecting theme, font color, font type, notifications, SMS cloud backup,  and security tools like the Private Box. I decided to update this post which was written initially, sometime in July 2012. Back then, accessing the Go SMS Pro Private Box is such a pain. Upon accessing Private Box it would lead you to a prompt for the passcode key but not allowing you to manage the Private Box screen. Indeed it is as if a never-ending loop. But then I realized that this problem happens with old version of Go SMS Pro.

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Lalayag/Nalayag Monolith (Batangas)

No Juan Is An Island

It was yet another stressful week at work… Feeling the need for a weekly de-stressing activity, I found myself looking for a weekend event I could join in. There were a handful of choices actually – from beach getaways to out-of-town day tours to mountain climbing sprees. I just came from a weekend climb last time and I felt it wasn’t enough and so I opted to join another climb with random people.

A newly opened mountain along the coast of Lobo, Batangas called Lalayag Monolith or Nalayag Peak — is making a buzz and is slowly luring a number of hiking enthusiasts. Since I like off-beaten destinations, I chose to do this climb with an Instagram friend. A day before the event, I tried to look for some articles about Lalayag but I didn’t find any except for a Facebook event page and a Youtube video. It wasn’t surprising…

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Best Posts Round-Up of the 9th Fujinsei Blog Carnival

The Benefits of Titanium

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

The first time I encountered the word “titanium” was when a friend told me that he was saving money for a titanium implant for his son whose thigh was due for an operation. His son figured in an accident and has injured his thigh. The amount he mentioned was staggering.

 

When I checked on titanium, I found out that space and aircrafts use it due to its lightness and durability. It has also become a fad as a jewelry, but commands a high price. On the other hand, the light gray/ blackish metal also has benefits which offset its unglamorous color which is lacking of sparkle and sheen.

 

Worn as a bracelet, ring, necklace, or wristwatch, the metal transfers the oxygen that it absorbs to the skin of the wearer. Wearing a titanium accessory near an inflamed area also reduces its swelling. This is the reason why many people prefer to wear jewelries made of titanium than any other kind of metal, especially gold, to alleviate the irritation that result from the onset of arthritis. And, as an implant, it has better and more comfortable effect than stainless steel because it is affected by the change in temperature.

 

Titanium jewelries can be purchased at high-end jewelry shops. A watch made of titanium would cost between Php10-15,000, a ring costs not less than Php3,000, and a bracelet is between Php5-10,000 depending on the design.

 

I got my first titanium bracelet from a junk collector in appreciation for a tarpaulin, several packs of diaper for his baby and a thermos. He told me that he found it while rummaging in a garbage dump and after washing the muddy bracelet, took the fancy of wearing it. I refused to accept the gift but he insisted and to show my appreciation, I wore it on the spot.

 

When I washed it at home, I read the word etched on the lock and discovered the finely etched “Titanium”. My friend was not aware that he gave me a “treasure” so that when I had a chance, I went back to where he was sorting his junks and told him what I discovered. He did not believe me while looking at the light gray/blackish jewelry and just laughed for he thought that I was joking. Obviously, he was only familiar with silver and stainless jewelries that glisten. Also, he told me that he has no habit of getting back what he has given, so I just thanked him again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ang Mga Dilaw at Disintunado (Out of Tune) na mga Opisyal ng Pilipinas

Ang Mga Dilaw at Disintunado (Out of Tune)

Na Mga Opisyal ng Pilipinas

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

 

De Lima

Hindi siya political prisoner. Siya ay pulitikong may mga kaso kaya na-preso….droga at pakikiapid! Dapat nga ay na-disbar siya dahil sa immorality, subalit walang ginawa ang senado at mga grupo ng mga abogado kahit nabahiran ng putik ang kanilang image. Sa mailing salita, inaakusahan si de Lima na drug cuddler at immoral hindi bilang pulitiko na may magagandang layunin para sa bayan. Mahiya siya sa pagsabing political prisoner siya!

 

Wala siyang karapatang purihin ang sarili niya.  Kung nakatingin siya sa salamin habang ginagawa ito, siguradong sasabog ang salamin  dahil hindi ma-take ang mga sinasabi niya. Karangalan daw niya ang makulong….fine! Gawing habang buhay ang karangalang ito! Bigyan

siya ng certificate, plaque, at trophy para mahimas-himas habang pinupuri ang sarili niya sa ob-lo (inside) ng kulungan.

 

Robredo

Wala sa tono si Robredo sa pagbanat kay Duterte tungkol sa mga issue ng kahirapan at extra-judicial killings. Kung puro siya salita at hindi tutulong bilang vice-president dahil pinagkatiwalaan ng mga botante, talagang mahihirapan si Duterte. Kung hindi kayang gawin ni Robredo ang trabaho niya, mag-resign na siya.

 

Bilang vice-president, dapat ay tumutulong siya sa presidente at ang mga pagbatikos ay dapat niyang hayaan sa mga senador at mga kongresman at iba pang opisyal na may kinalaman sa droga. Dapat ay asikasuhin niya ang pagpapatapos sa mga housing projects para sa mga biktima ng Yolanda at pagpapaayos sa mga resettlement areas na malapit sa Manila, na inirereklamong kulang ng facilities dahil pinagkitaan lang….yan ang dapat niyang gawin bilang housing czarina.

 

Trillanes

Halata pa rin ang sama ng loob ni Trillanes dahil hindi siya napiling ka-tandem bilang vice-president ni Duterte noong eleksiyon. Ang nararamdaman niya ay parang “fatal attraction” dahil sa matindi niyang kagustuhang masira si Duterte na hindi niya nagamit o napakinabangan para sa kanyang ambisyon. Ganyan ang taong naka-develop ng fatal attraction sa babae o lalaki….papatayin niya kung hindi siya magustuhan kaya hindi niya makukuha, kaya dapat lang mamatay kaysa makuha ng iba!

 

May mga panukala na kayang nagawa si Trillanes? Baka killing time na lang ang ginagawa niya dahil palalayasin na siya sa Senado pagkatapos ng kanyang termino. Kung meron man siyang mga nagawang mga panukala mula pa noon, sana ay i-publish niya maski sa facebook man lang.

 

 

Respect for Time, Discipline, and Death

Respect for Time, Discipline and Death

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

Practically, everybody is familiar with the adage, “we cannot turn back the hands of time”. But still, many do not have a full understanding of what it means and its effect to our life. They may also appreciate such adage that serves as a reminder, but they are not serious about it.

 

Time is the most important factor that can affect life as the world is at its mercy. Regretting for the lost time is like crying over spilled milk or precious water. We may cry our eyes dry and punch our chest with clinched fist while uttering hundreds of mea culpa, but what have been spilled can no longer be recovered. We cry over lost opportunities because we were late for appointments. We lost a prospective job because we were late for the interview. We missed our flight because we did not wake up early, etc.

 

Anything that is not respected is disregarded or taken for granted, and that is what many people do to time most often. Many forgot that time is used to reckon our physical and mental development, how we fare as we trudge along the road of life, and in giving us a chance to change for the better. We always say, “…give me time” which simply means, “…give me a chance”.

 

Time is so much a part of our life that many people become uneasy if they do not glance at a watch every hour of the day. Everything that we do is controlled by time, from waking up until we go back to bed. Time controls our job, our meals, even our use of the toilet. We even use it to warn others about their misdoings by telling them, “how many times did I tell you….”. Even our pulse and heartbeat are timed to check if we are physically fit.

 

If time controls us, discipline compels us to abide by its ticking, such that husbands must be home before midnight, employees must be at their post at certain designated time, minors must be home not later than ten in the evening, meals should be taken at certain times of the day till evening, medicines should be taken at certain times, etc. Respect for time and utmost discipline cannot be separated as without the other, our life and the world will be in a topsy-turvy state.

 

We should also be thankful to the guy who discovered time and those who invented gadgets that we need to measure the extent of our life in this world. Time tells us when we should “depart” from this world, unless it is cut short by unexpected events resulting to what we call as as “untimely” death.

 

 

Ang Napariwarang Yamang Likas ng Pilipinas

Ang Napapariwarang Yamang Likas

Ng Pilipinas

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Ang mga Pilipino ay matatalino

At sa likas na yaman ay sagana tayo

Mga karagatan natin ay umaapaw sa laman –

Isda, kabebe, perlas, at iba’t ibang gulaman.

 

Mga gubat, tahanan ng mga ibon

Pati ng mga hayop, alaga ng panahon

Mga punong namumutiktik ng mga prutas –

At sa mga sakit ay nakakapagbigay ng lunas.

 

Mga ilog, sapa, lawa, pati baybayin

Mga palanas, burol, at luntiang bukirin

Ang dulot nila sa mga talagang masigasig –

Masaganang buhay na pawis ang nagdilig.

 

Noon yan….

 

Dahil ngayo’y sadyang nakakalungkot

Mga pangyayari na napakamasalimuot

Mga biyayang likas na bigay ng Maykapal

Napariwarang lahat….mistulang ginahasa

Na animo ay babae na nawalan ng dangal!

Ang Napapariwarang Yamang Likas

Ng Pilipinas

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Ang mga Pilipino ay matatalino

At sa likas na yaman ay sagana tayo

Mga karagatan natin ay umaapaw sa laman –

Isda, kabebe, perlas, at iba’t ibang gulaman.

 

Mga gubat, tahanan ng mga ibon

Pati ng mga hayop, alaga ng panahon

Mga punong namumutiktik ng mga prutas –

At sa mga sakit ay nakakapagbigay ng lunas.

 

Mga ilog, sapa, lawa, pati baybayin

Mga palanas, burol, at luntiang bukirin

Ang dulot nila sa mga talagang masigasig –

Masaganang buhay na pawis ang nagdilig.

 

Noon yan….

 

Dahil ngayo’y sadyang nakakalungkot

Mga pangyayari na napakamasalimuot

Mga biyayang likas na bigay ng Maykapal

Napariwarang lahat….mistulang ginahasa

Na animo ay babae na nawalan ng dangal!

Ang Mga Sakim

ANG MGA SAKIM

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Ang mangarap ay bahagi na ng ating buhay

Subali’t upang makamit ang nais, dapat maghinay-hinay

Baka may masagasaang ibang karapatan

Dahil sa sobrang kasakiman.

 

Upang mabuhay kailangan nating magsikap

Nang hindi nang-aapak ng iba, maabot lang ang pangarap

Maaari din namang pairalin ang katapatan

Na may dagdag pang kasipagan.

 

May mga tao nga lang na sa panahon ngayon

Na ang gusto yata ay halos ga-bundok ang perang maipon

Kaya’t lahat ng paraan ay kanilang gagawin

Masunod lang, sakim na damdamin.

 

May mga nakakuha ng tiwala ng taong-bayan

Kaya naluklok sila sa iba’t ibang ahensiya ng pamahalaan

May mga naluklok dahil sa ginawang botohan

At may naitalaga dahil sa palakasan.

 

Ang ibang sakim, gumamit ng kanilang yaman

Pangangamkam naman ang kanilang  pinagdidiskitahan

Dating mga pataniman, kanilang pinaghuhukay

Nilason pa kaya nangawalan ng saysay.

 

Notes:

Sakim- greedy

Kasakiman-greed

Maghinay-hinay – slowly, carefully

Naluklok – placed in position

Naitalaga- appointed

Pangangamkam- grabbing

Saysay- use, usefulness

The Writer

The Writer

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

A true writer should be sensitive to the feelings of others, be they read as expressly written or viewed as shown through actuations. He should be able to develop any form of literary expression out of spoken words or written “bullet statements”. With facebook as an example, an adept writer should be able to develop a poem out of the comments on a certain posted photo. Comments about the photo are the “thoughts” of the facebook owner who posted it and a poem that is developed out of them by a writer should be rightly attributed to him….the writer being just the “editor”.

 

The writer should not constrain himself from writing the name of the source of the thoughts in the byline of a literary expression, be it a poem or an essay. Many people are frustrated writers and poets. They have thoughts that float in their mind, but they just do not know how to capture them. They may enumerate the words down but they do not know which to put ahead of the rest, which of them to comprise the content, and which word to end their presentation. This is where the writer-friend comes in….lend a hand….put substance to the words or discerned thoughts that are not yet expressed but are expected, as feelings are universal and interpretations vary only according to situation, but words are the same.

 

Some people show signs of literary talent but are shy to let them out. Their latent talent is discerned through the kind of words that they use in making comments on facebook posts or in the way they use them. These are the people who should be given utmost understanding. In the end, if the effort has made somebody happy, exert more of it….help many more shy people. This is what a “writer” should do…encourage others to express themselves.

Unawain sina Trillanes at de Lima

Unawain Sina Trillanes at de Lima

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Hindi ako kaalyado ng dalawa. Naaawa lang ako sa kanila dahil sa sunud-sunod na kamalasang nangyayari sa kanilang buhay. Si Trillanes ay mawawalan ng trabaho dalawang taon mula ngayon dahil hindi na siya senador. Si de Lima ay sukol na sukol o sa Ingles ay “cornered” kaya ang mga litrato niyang kumakalat sa social media ay talagang mabalasik, ganyan din ang asong nasusukol. Unawain na lang sila…

 

Pero hindi dapat isama sa pag-unawa ang pagpapatawad. Para rin yang pagtanggap sa apology ng isang criminal pero hindi nangangahulugang siya ay pinatawad na sa krimeng ginawa niya. Kung ayaw pa rin nilang tumigil sa pagbatikos kay Duterte dahil mamamatay-tao daw ito, ang tanong ay-  ano bang uri ng mga tao ang pinapatay?….di ba mga sangkot sa droga?…ang mga ganitong uri yata ng mga tao ang ayaw nina Trillanes at de Lima na mawala sa mundo, kahit sila ay mga salot sa lipunan! Unawain pa rin sila dahil ang ugali, mabuti man o masama kung talagang “tumigas” na ay mahirap palambutin…by the way, hindi ko sinasabing sila ay mabuti.

 

Karapatan nilang bumatikos ng kahit sinong tao. Karapatan nila yan bilang botanteng mamamayan ng Pilipinas. Kahit sino ay may karapatan ding gumawa ng masama, huwag lang pahuhuli. Kung ang isang tao na walang konsiyensiya ay nakikipag-ugnayan sa mga drug lords sa Bilibid, upang yumaman, hanggang sa nagkaroon ng kulukadidang (kabit) na nagtanim ng gulay upang may makain sa pinagtaguan…karapatan niya yan. Kung may taong mahilig gumamit ng ibang tao para palabasing “witness”, pero bandang huli ay napapahamak lang, karapatan din yan ng taong mayabang. Unawain ang dalawa dahil sila ay nilalang din ng Maykapal kaya may karapatan silang mabuhay, kahit pa sabihing wala silang pakialam sa buhay ng ibang sinira nila o gusto pa nilang sirain. By the way, hindi ko sinasabing may kabit si de Lima o mayabang si Trillaners….wala akong binabanggit na pangalan.

 

Malaking indulgence ang makukuha ng isang taong maunawain. Ang katumbas yata ng indulgence ay bigat ng taong inuunawa….kung malaki ang kasalanan o katarantaduhang ginawa ng inuunawa, mas malaki rin ang katumbas na indulgence….kaya ang uunawa sa dalawa ay sigurado nang may malaking indulgence na “kikitain”.