4 days before Christmas..

december 21.. you can't lose what you never had..

..sabi nga ng kanta.. hay.. life talaga minsan parang nakakaloko.. hindi mo alam kung pinaglalaruan ka ba o talagang pinagtitripan ka lang.. minsan parang mas pipiliin mo na lang sumuko.. kaso hindi pwede eh.. dahil 'pag ginawa mo yun, para mo na ring pinatunayaan na mahina ka nga.. according to a quote forwarded by a good friend of mine, 'life can only be summed up to 3 words: it goes on'.. at yun na lang din ang iniisip ko, nagpapatuloy ang buhay.. hindi pwedeng tumigil ang mundo mo dahil lang sa isang tao, sa isang pangyayari, sa isang pagkakamali, sa isang pagkabigo.. God cares.. 'no pain comes to us without a purpose'.. i would like to share this poem (from gian) to you.. it lifted my spirits up.. it might help you too..

God knows what's best for us so why should we complain?
We always want the sunshine, but He knows there must be rain
We love the sound of laughter and the merriment of cheer
But our hearts will lose their tenderness if we never shed a tear
God tests us often with suffering and sorrow
He tests us not to punish us but to help us meet tomorrow
So whenever we are in trouble and everything goes wrong
It is just God working on us to make out spirit strong

ang ganda di ba? ganun lang talaga ang buhay.. may mga taong paglalaruan ang damdamin mo.. pero matuwa ka pa rin kasi alam mong nagmahal ka.. problema na nila kung hindi nila pinahalagahan ang ipinakita mong kabutihan.. sabi nila masyado raw akong mabait kaya lagi na lang akong nasasaktan.. sobra raw ako kung magmahal kaya kadalasan, ako ang talunan.. minsan nakakapagtaka kung bakit bad things happen to good people.. bakit kung sino pa yung nagsisikap magpakabuti, sila pa yung sinusubok at pinauulanan ng mga problema at sama ng loob.. minsan hindi ko na rin maintindihan ang buhay.. basta ang alam ko lang, may dahilan ang lahat ng bagay.. may papel na gagampanan ang bawat taong nakikilala natin.. kung sinusubok tayo ngayon, ayos lang yan.. God loves us.. yun na lang ang paniwalaan natin.. easier said than done pero yun lang ang magagawa natin eh.. kahit na ilang beses pa tayong magreklamo at magtanong, wala rin namang mangyayari.. hindi naman mababawasan yung sakit na nararamdaman natin.. kaya let go and let God.. anyway, wala naman talaga tayong matatakbuhan pa kundi Siya lang..

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my grown-up Christmas list

dahil Christmas break ngayon, sasamantalahin ko na ang pagkakataong magpost ng marami sa blog ko.. i won't be able to do this as soon as classes resume.. besides, na-miss ko talaga ang blogging.. kung masyadong mabigat ang nauna kong post, medyo light naman 'tong susunod.. now that i'm 20, i have 20 wishes this Christmas.. remember the song "my grown-up Christmas list"? well, i have my own version of that.. and here's my grown-up Christmas list..

i wish that..

1. people would know God, believe in Him, and follow His commandments

2. people would have a heart like Jesus'

3. people would know the true meaning of the words "love", "commitment", and "responsibility"

4. more people would recognize the needs of others and be willing to share the blessings that they have to the less fortunate ones

5. people would be sensitive to what others feel (sana hindi nila paglaruan ang damdamin ng ibang tao)

6. people would be less self-centered, more caring, more concerned

7. people would let go of their foolish pride and learn the value of humility

8. the youth would care more about their future and not settle with the cheap satisfaction that they get from lustful acts

9. people would be good influences to others

10. people would realize that life on earth is temporary

11. government officials would realize that they were voted by the people and must therefore work for the people

12. professors and mentors would be role models and would serve as inspiration to their students

13. the guys would respect, love, and take very good care of the girls

14. there would be peace on earth.. (i'm serious!)

15. there would be no more hungry people, no more beggars, and that happiness and love shall reign

>>the next 5 are more personal

16. wish ko na sana matutong mag-reply ang mga tao..sana naman gumawa sila ng paraan para magparamdam lalo na pag important matters ang involved

17. wish ko na may magbigay sken ng Bible Diary for 2007 (seryoso din 'to)

18. wish ko na sana may isang tao (kahit isang tao lang) na willing akong samahan sa lahat ng pupuntahan ko..willing sabayan kung ano mang trip kong gawin.. posible ba 'yun? may mahanap kaya ako? wish nga eh..

19. wish ko rin na may mag-sponsor sken para makauwi ako sa iloilo..kung hindi this Christmas, sana sa summer..

20. most importantly, i wish that everyone would be appreciated.. sana maging totoo ang quote na 'to: "the effort we put into our relationships is equal to the measure of joy we receive from them" (minsan kasi, well in my case, most of the time, we don't get the love, the affection, and the appreciation we deserve.. lalo na pag tayo ang mas nagmamahal..)

so there.. i have listed the 20 desires of my heart.. and i better end this post now.. have a merry Christmas everyone! God bless!

blog post for dec 19

so many things have happened since the last time i updated this blog. let me share the biggest events in my life.. the most important ones..

nov 25 - baptism (SFC)
i can't explain the mystery behind the uncontrollable tears falling from my eyes as we were prayed over by the older members in the community. i felt like something heavy was laid on my head and my hands seemed to have been placed on top of a raging fire.. i just cried the whole night.. but it was one of the best nights in my life. something strange happened but at the same time, i felt closer to my batchmates.. we had dinner together and it was among the times when we had the strongest bonding as a batch.. everyone seemed happy and although we came home late, the fulfillment is still there, knowing that we're closer to God now more than ever..

dec 2 - musicale (SFC)
after about a month of practice, we finally presented the fruit of our labor - the cabaret. i can feel the tension among my co-performers and it didn't help me to relax and be calm.. it was like hell.. everyone's worried about the costumes, the props, and everything else.. but God has proven Himself for the nth time, He didn't leave us, He was just there. Although we weren't able to grab the award for the best performance, we still went home with smiles on our faces because we know that we have done our best for God's glory. ask about my transformation? sorry, but i'll end here. =D

dec 5 - tambay sa sunken with leonard, tweet2 friends, and baby vaughn
i was just so happy to be with the people i hold dearest to my heart.. i hope days like this would be forever.. i hope they won't end..

dec 9 - Lord's Day & Christmas Party (SFC)
need i say more? i have one word to describe the whole event: fun! =)
dec 15 - UP Lantern Parade (tweet2)
i was with my tweet2 friends the whole day.. one of the best memories in my university life..
first night of the misa de gallo..

dec 19 - 4th misa de gallo
i wasn't able to attend the anticipated mass yesterday evening because of the SFC practice for the caroling. good thing, a brother (sidh) offered to attend the 5am mass with me.. and just like a blessing in disguise, the mass turned out to be something fun and meaningful. during the homily, the priest taught us a song and according to him, the song summarizes the true meaning of Christmas.. it is entitled "Jesus is Beautiful" and it goes like this:

Beautiful, beautiful
Jesus is beautiful
Jesus makes beautiful
things of my life
Carefully
watching me
causing my eyes to see
Jesus makes beautiful
things of my life

the song gives us hope that Jesus would still make beautiful things in our ugly lives.. we may have turned away from God but Christmas is here to remind us that through Jesus, we could go back to the righteous way. As what the priest has said, no matter how ugly our ways have been, Jesus, who comes to us during Christmas, can change us and make us beautiful persons again, if only we let Him in.

current song playing on my mind..

I GIVE MY ALL

Bless my life
Take away the shame
Allow me to experience
Your most amazing grace
Fill my heart
Its empty and frail
Make me whole again, Lord
Mend my broken soul

I offer my life to You Lord
With all my strength i worship You

And i give my all (take me as i am)
I am Yours oh God (lead me to Your arms)
And i give You praise (i rejoice in You)
'Til the end of my days
I give my all

You gave Your all
Unworthy as i am
You have died for me Lord
And now i am free
You're the only reason
Why my heart leaps for joy
I give You back the glory
Lord mold me and use me

I offer my life to You Lord
With all my strength i worship You

And i give my all (take me as i am)
I am Yours oh God (lead me to Your arms)
And i give You praise (i rejoice in You)
'Til the end of my days
I give my all to You

it's been a while..

sabi nga ni jen ang tagal ko ng hindi nakapag-post dito.. hindi lang naman dito eh..kahit sa friendster at mail tagal ko na ring nawala.. let's just say that i've been too busy doing more important things.. good thing my english 11 professor didn't came to class kaya i was able to grab the opportunity to go online..

more than a month na rin pala since my last post.. at syempre ang dami ng nangyari.. i'm part of a new community now, the Singles for Christ (SFC Rosario Chapter), and so far, i am enjoying my stay.. i'm learning a lot from them and i found the experience fulfilling..

acadwise, i think i'm doing fine.. i have completed my deficiencies last semester and kahit na madugo ang sem na 'to, happy pa rin ako kasi parang ok naman lahat ng subjects ko (ok ang profs, ok ang classmates, medyo hindi ok ang requirements..)..

lovelife, wala namang twist.. basta yun na yun.. we decided to be friends, and we're doing great.. it seems that we're better off this way.. =)

ano pa bang updates? well, busy na talaga ako kasi aside from school, may responsibilities pa ako sa tutees ko, sa family, at sa community (SFC)..

hindi ko alam kung kelan uli ako makakapagpost.. basta magpaparamdam na lang ako.. =)

lastly, i would like to include this song.. i like it very much.. sana magustuhan nyo rin..

God bless everyone! Have a nice day ahead! =)

**************************************************
ONE WAY

I lay my life down at Your feet
Cause You're the only one I need
I turn to You and You are always there

In troubled times it's You I seek
I put You first that's all I need
I humble all I am all to You

One way
Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for
One Way
Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for

You are always, always there
Every how and everywhere
Your grace abounds so deeply within me

You will never ever change
Yesterday today the same
Forever till forever meets no end

You are the Way the Truth and the Life
We live by faith and not by sight for You
We're living it all for You

*************************************************

let it burn...

i'm twisted.. 'cause one side of me is telling me that i need to move on, on the other side, i wanna break down and cry.. i'm twisted.. 'cause i want to be happy for them but i just can't.. i'm twisted.. 'cause i wanna do something but my mind tells me that it's wrong.. i'm twisted.. 'cause i wanna hate them, i wanna be indifferent.. but at the end of each day, i still end up loving them all the more.. i'm twisted.. 'cause i want things to be as simple as they could be, but everything seems complicated.. i'm twisted.. but i am at peace.. knowing that i have God! see how twisted my life is?

haha.. nonsense post.. but nonsense as it is, at least it's for real.. and it's as honest as i could possibly feel..

sem break na..

sana.. technically, sem break na talaga.. but i'm not on a break yet.. i still have to do certain stuffs dahil kung hindi, incomplete ang grade ko.. hay.. mahirap talaga ang buhay estudyante.. sino ba kasing nagsabi na madaling mag-aral? sa ibang school siguro.. pero not in up.. hay.. sana makatikim naman ako ng bakasyon.. kahit sandali lang..

i'm better off alone anyway..

forget about the title.. this post is really about father gil's homily during the 11am mass.. naisip ko lang, tama nga naman.. kahit saan totoo yun eh.. may sense of 'exclusivity' talaga.. once you don't belong to a group, you're already considered as a potential competitor or threat.. hay nako, ilang beses ko na bang naranasan yan.. since high school pa.. i don't wanna go into the details of the story.. pero basta, yun na yun.. alam na rin nung mga taong involved kung sino2 sila.. ayoko ng alalahanin pa yun.. basta ok naman ako ngayon.. sorry.. di ko na alam kung anong sunod na sasabihin ko.. next time na lang uli.. God bless everyone!

on being alone..

this post is about nothingness.. i have so many things in mind.. so many that i can't decide which one to think of first.. my life is such a mess right now.. and i can't seem to fix things up.. or rather, i don't have the means to fix them right now.. i'm hanging by a moment.. i'm holding on to something which doesn't even seem to exist.. what am i going to do now? let go? hold on? stay put? move on?

see? i don't have anything but questions..

and i don't feel anything but alone..

the karma test..

Unaiza, in the last year you've earned 926 karma points!

You've earned these points by doing good things, therefore allowing good things to circle back to you. There are 6 different ways people earn karma, and by looking at your responses to this test, we can tell that your compassionate nature is earning you the most karma.In fact, you seem to have a real knack for both understanding what people are going through and finding ways to support them during difficult times. By being a sensitive person with a keen sense of empathy, you can do much to alleviate others' pain. This has been an important way you've earned your karma up to this point. This kindness strengthens your current relationships but suggests it will come back to you positively in the future. Through your concerted efforts to care about and tend to the needs of others, you generate good karma for yourself and the universe.


>>i hope this is true..

tickle tests.. all about relationships. hmmm..

Unaiza, your relationship destiny is to Find a Fairy Tale Ending

Cinderella, Snow White — those ladies knew what they were doing. And like these fairy tale heroines, you're a princess at heart who believes that love really does make the world go round. Of course, you're not waiting to be swept off on someone's white horse — you're a modern gal who's not afraid to do a little rescuing yourself.Independent and confident, you're not about to rely on fate to give you what you want. You've got the drive and spirit to pursue your dreams and find your own destiny. And you're sure to bump into Prince Charming along the way. That's a happy ending!

Unaiza, the thing you need most in a relationship is Deep Connection

In your ideal relationship you and your partner would be deeply and passionately connected. This sense of intimacy is really important for you. As is the need for certain rules and an understanding of who wields the power in your relationship. But regardless of how this works, your deep need for this kind of closeness will ultimately drive your relationship.

Unaiza, your romantic pattern is Second Chances!

The Second Chances pattern is rooted in nostalgia — whether you're longing for the ex you haven't seen in a year, or are reminiscing about the crush you never connected with 10 years ago. But, here's the recurring pattern you may see in your relationships: A longing to recapture someone or something that can reconnect you to a time in your life when love was a larger focus.Whether you do it consciously or not, most people who migrate towards the Second Chances pattern either want to revise a past decision, confront someone they couldn't at the time, or revert back to a specific point in time.This romantic pattern is repeated more times than you could imagine. Take the film "Peggy Sue Got Married," for instance. In it, a housewife faints at her high school reunion and wakes up in her senior year at high school with the chance to change her destiny. The root of your pattern too, may arise from these feelings, that you need to reconnect with a time in your life when love was a larger focus of your life and responsibilities were much fewer.But it also might stem from other things as well. Your romantic pattern may arise out of regret for the past, or a desire to go back when things were easier. Did you have a particularly easy, fun adolescence? Have you recently suffered a loss — perhaps a divorce or the death of a loved one — that's made you long for the period before that incident? Are you acutely aware that decisions carry with them a strong impact? Do you spend a lot of time analyzing your decisions, going over things you've said or done in your mind. Or are you simply sentimental, in love with old books and classic films, as well as your own memories? It's no wonder this is such a common romantic pattern. How many films feature starlets staring off dreamily into a recollection of days past? How question books reveal a heroes and heroines kept apart in the beginning, only to find themselves together at the end?Romantic films and books often use this archetypal pattern of paradise lost and regained to create some of the greatest love stories of all time. "Casablanca" is one of the greatest renditions of this romantic pattern. In it Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, is haunted by a brief romance with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), shattered by circumstances beyond their control. "The Way We Were," another classic, follows a similar story line. In "American Beauty," Kevin Spacey plays a man who tries to recapture his youth through an affair with a teenage girl. These patterns are so powerful precisely because they are so easy to relate to. This historical romantic pattern overpowers everybody at one point or another. How this tried and true pattern plays out in individual lives, varies from person to person.

blessing called friends..

these are among the few people who really understand me.. and i love them..

lessons from asia's story/wake me up when september ends

i'm doing this essay for my ES10 class, sort of an explanation why we left early last meeting.. for the past 8 days of September, life hasn't been that good to me.. as a matter of fact, parang nakakaloko nga eh..i will no longer enumerate those hurtful, disappointing, pathetic situations.. i can't cry hard enough as the song goes..just think of it this way, "when it rains, it pours!" in my case, i wasn't showered with blessings, but with heartaches! i don't know if you know the feeling of being misunderstood..well, that's exactly how i feel right now..i am very much misunderstood.. i really don't know, but life has been throwing scraps on me.. hindi ko alam kung anong gustong ipahiwatig ng mga kalokohang ito..but one thing's for sure, i am at the lowest position that i could get in this life.. as far as the current situation is concerned.. ayoko ng isipin kung ano pang pwedeng mangyari.. wake me up when september ends.. because it seems that there's more.. and i don't know when exactly this would end..

its quite late already, but i'm still awake.. i just finished watching asia's story featured in Magpakailanman.. and i think i like her now more than ever.. i like the way she thinks..well, i really don't like everything about her but she's definitely an inspiration.. dahil na rin siguro sa mga pinagdaanan niya, ang dami niyang lessons na natutunan, especially on love and relationships.. like what she said, you should not give everything you have to your partner unless you're sure that he's already the one you're destined to be with.. may iba-ibang levels of love daw.. and the highest level is true love - when you're already decided to spend the rest of your life with that person..hindi rin daw hinahanap ang pag-ibig.. because true love lies deep in our hearts.. oh well.. matagal ko na ring alam yan.. pero bakit parang wala pa rin akong alam?

hindi ko na alam kung kaya ko pa 'to.. but i believe that everything happens for a reason.. God must have something important to teach me..
for now, ayoko na.. suko na ako.. nakakatawa na.. parang nananadya talaga.. tama na.. hindi ko na kaya..
i've cried more than a thousand drops of tears already.. ilang beses ko na bang sinabi na sawa na ako? ewan..
don't mind me.. this post is just my outlet.. dehins ko na keri to mga dude.. pagod na ako..
"ibuhos na ang beer sa aking lalamunan.. upang malunod na ang puso kong nahihirapan.." -beer, itchyworms
sana lang kaya kong uminom.. kaso amoy pa lang hilo na ako.. kaya dito ko na lang ibubuhos lahat.. dito, malaya ako..

because i own this blog, i could never be misunderstood..

i don't care if nobody understands, i don't care if nobody cares..

just let me write.. please allow me to write..

this post has been long overdue..

Guimaras Oil Spill..
one of the biggest oil spills in the Philippine history was the very recent Guimaras Oil Spill, which destoyed the livelihood of almost everyone living in the island..
the oil spill has caused much trouble not just to the residents of Guimaras but to the whole Philippines as well.. and the threat of having the oil spill reach the neighboring islands of Panay is still there..
the Philippines need as much help as it could get..
please take part in the advocacy to clean up Guimaras island.. its one of the most beautiful and most abundant places in the country.. lets not allow the oil spill to kill the island..
remember that there is only one huge water system that flows around the world..
whatever happens in our seas also affect the other seas connected..
biggest thanks to the countries and nations who have shown support and concern..
God bless us all!

kalungkutan..

nagpaalam na naman ang isa sa mga mahal kong pari sa parokya ng sto. rosario.. hay.. sa ibang parokya na raw sya na-assign.. sad ako kasi matagal din syang nanilbihan sa simbahan ng rosario.. at isa sya sa mga pari na napagkumpisalan ko na.. oh well.. nakakalungkot talaga..

oh well.. change topic.. excited na ako sa pagdating ng westlife dito sa manila.. sana lang makapunta ako sa concert nila.. mahal na mahal ko talaga sila at ako na ang pinakamasayang tao kung mabibigyan ako ng pagkakataon na makita sila..

so kung sino man ang may P4,500 dyan, pautang naman! hehe..

long weekend ngayon.. pero parang hindi ko rin masyadong nararamdaman.. sa dami ba naman ng dapat kong gawin eh.. hay..

paano, kailangan ko ng magpaalam..

hanggang sa muli..

magandang araw sa lahat!

God bless! =)

happiness is..

..when all your efforts are well paid off.. (i got a very good grade in CS180 first exam!)
..when you get the chance to see your all-time favorite (i'm gonna watch Westlife's concert in Manila, no matter what happens!)
..when you know that a lot of people are appreciating you (thanks guys!)
..when you know that your family will always be there for you (i'm so lucky to have such a great family!)
..when someone close to you will soon come home (!)
..when you get to see your friends after some time and then you would realize that nothing has changed (tweet2 had a reunion yesterday.. and it really made me feel sooo blessed to have wonderful friends like them!)
..when something important comes back to you (i got my necklace back!)

...happiness is knowing that God exists and He's doing so many wonderful things for you to enjoy!

God bless everyone! =)

Count your blessings and be happy always!

..lebanon..

i got this email from a friend.. and i would like to share it with everyone.. i realized that i can't reach that much people through email because, first and foremost, i don't have everyone's address.. next, some people might think of my message as a spam and just disregard it.. but this blog is published all over the world.. and i know, many people could somehow have a glimpse of this particular post..

so what about Lebanon? why did i chose to share these facts with you? well, just read on.. i swear its a good one.. read 'til the end.. you would find out my purpose.. =) have a good day!

LEBANON FACTS
1. Lebanon has 18 religious communities
2. It has 40 daily newspapers
3. It has 42 universities
4. It has over 100 banks (that is banks and not branches of a bank)
5. 70% of the students are in private schools
6. 40% of the Lebanese people are Christians (this is the highest percent all the Arab countries)
7. There's 1 doctor per 10 people in Lebanon (In Europe & America, there's 1 doctor per 100 people).
8. The name LEBANON appears 75 times in the Old Testament
9. The name CEDAR (Lebanon's tree) appears 75 times too in the Old Testament!!
10. Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times (this is why it's compared to The Phoenix).
11. There are 3.5 Million Lebanese in Lebanon
12. There are around 10 Million Lebanese outside Lebanon!

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS:
1. Lebanon, the country, was occupied by over 16 countries: Egyptians-Hittites-Assyrians- Babylonians- Persians- Alexander the greats Army- the Roman Empire Byzantine- the Arabian Peninsula-The Crusaders-the Ottoman Empire- Britain-France- Israel- Syria.

2. Byblos (city in Lebanon) is the oldest, continuously living city in the world.

3. Lebanon's name has been around for 4,000 yrs non- stop (it's the oldest country/ nation's name in the world!)

4. Lebanon is the only Asian/African country that doesn't have a desert.

5. There are 15 rivers in Lebanon (all of them coming from its own mountains)

6. Lebanon is one of the most populated countries in its archeological sites, in the world!!!

7. The first alphabet was created in Byblos (city in Lebanon)

8. The only remaining temple of Jupiter (the main Roman god) is in Baalbeck, Lebanon (The City of the Sun)

9. The name of BYBLOS comes from the BIBLE!!!

10. Lebanon is the country that has the most books written about it.

11. Lebanon is the only non-dictatorial country in the Arab world (it has a President!)

12. According to Christianity Jesus Christ made his 1st miracle in Lebanon, in Sidon (The miracle of turning water into wine).

13. The Phoenicians (Original People of Lebanon) built the 1st boat, and they were the first to sail ever!

14. Phoenicians also reached America long before Christopher Columbus did.

15. The 1st law school in the world was built in Lebanon, in Downtown Beirut.

16. People say that the cedars were planted by God's own hands (This is why they're called "The Cedars of God", and this is why Lebanon is called "God's Country on Earth."

Is it not a real Crime against Humanity to destroy a country with such history?

>>yes, it's a crime against humanity.. and its a crime against God.. why do we need to destroy one another? why do we need to hurt each other? is it our purpose to cause pain and suffering to our fellow humans? are we not created to love and to help one another? don't we realize that we are all created in the image of God? we are God's children, we are one family..
its so unfortunate that the world doesn't seem to recognize God anymore.. its like we're living in a world without God.. "heal the world, make it a better place.." this sounds so good but it doesn't happen anymore.. i am still hoping though, that someday.. one day, there would be heaven on Earth..

i don't mean to preach or anything.. i am not perfect.. i am also a sinner, i am human.. and i am strongly against inhumane practices..

honestly speaking, i get hurt everytime someone tells me that i am being idealistic.. i feel bad when people tell me to live in the real world.. i am living in the real world.. i am not living in fantasies and illusions.. yes, life is cruel, life is unkind, but that doesn't mean there's no more hope.. God doesn't want this kind of life for us.. He wants us to be happy.. He wants us to have peace, to have prosperity.. He loves us and He doesn't want to us to suffer.. We are His children and He cares so much for us.. the problem lies in our hearts..we make problems.. WE are the problem!

i don't wanna sound like a priest giving a homily.. but i know i can't prevent some people from thinking that way.. again, i would like to point out that i am not perfect.. and i am not a saint.. i am just speaking my thoughts.. and i don't mean to offend anybody.. i was just moved by the above email message and that inspired me to speak my mind, once and for all..

this is the problem of the world: we don't know the virtue of humility.. pride, lust, power, wealth - these are the things we focus on.. ever heard of the saying "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth"? that's the mentality.. and i believe, a wrong one..

however, if you try to keep quiet, if you don't fight back when mean people hurt you, you would be thought of as a 'martyr', a 'saint', a 'fool'..

they say that one has to be clever in order to survive in this harsh world.. but being clever isn't being wise.. and a wise person applies God's words & teachings in his journey.. a wise person has wisdom, not just knowledge.. and wisdom is all we need..

i believe that if people would just follow God's footsteps, if people would read the Bible and reflect on each message, and practice what is being preached, then, we wouldn't have to suffer this much..

if people would just learn how to respect what others believe, then there would be better understanding among different religions and culture.. yes, there is biodiversity, but we must all remember that all of us belongs to only one father, and that is God.. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, whatever faith you have, whatever church you belong to - we are all God's family..
why don't we just accept each other's differences? why don't we give up our pride and just be humble enough to accept failures and imperfections?

stop the bombings! stop the killings! stop discrimination and harassment!

start spreading the Good News! start spreading love! start making a difference!

if people are unkind, be kind anyway.. in the end, its not going to be between you and them.. its going to be between you and God!

its not always true that majority wins.. but it is always true that good triumphs over evil, right triumphs over wrong..

not because the world does it, its already righteous.. seek God.. know God.. follow Him.. you will never go wrong..

God has never forsaken us.. He has never left us.. It's not true that He's doing nothing.. He did something! He sent us! Let us be a blessing to others! We were created for a purpose.. and that purpose is to spread God's love to others..

Israel vs Lebanon.. what good would it bring? - destruction- deaths- pain & suffering- trauma..
is that how you treat your brother? is that the proper way of letting a family member know that you care for him? think again..

it is never wrong to be called a martyr.. as long as you are a martyr for God..

- Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. - Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.. let this be our prayer too..

while waiting for ma'am becca to come..

ay nandyan na raw pala.. hehe.. next time na lang.. may gusto akong i-chikka.. kaso lang hindi ko dala yung file na ginawa ko eh.. i'll try to post it later..

God bless everyone! =)

today's gospel: the transfiguration of Jesus Christ

yesterday, after the UPCAT, my brother and I went to Rob. Galleria to unwind and relax.. =) our original plan was to watch Miami Vice.. but my brother changed his mind and told me that we watch Just My Luck instead.. well, i think we made a good choice! It was a cool movie.. some romantic flick with a good quality of comedy.. and I loved it! Although I believe that the scenes were too good and too bad to be true, I appreciated the very nice & sweet ending.. i don't wanna be a spoiler so i'm not going to tell the whole story.. i encourage you to watch it.. well, like I said, it wasn't that realistic but it was fun! Perfectly suits those romantics out there.. i really love the ending! i swear! =D and another good thing about it was the fact that it introduced a new band to me.. McFly, some British band which really performs good songs.. they're my instant favorite!

i wanted to say more kaso lang someone's bothering me here.. hehe..

more stories next time..

God bless everyone! =)

i'll be ok..

When everything is going wrong
And things are just a little strange
Its been so long now you’ve forgotten how to smile
And overhead the skies are clear but it still seems to rain on you
And your only friends all have better things to do

When you’re down and lost
And you need a helping hand
When you’re down and lost along the way
Oh just tell yourself
I’ll, I'll be ok

When things are only getting worse
And you need someone to take the blame
When your lover's gone there’s no one to share the pain
You’re sleeping with the tv on and you’re lying in an empty bed
All the alcohol in the world would never help me to forget
When you’re down and lost
And you need a helping hand

When you’re down and lost along the way
Just try a little harder
Try your best to make it through the day
Oh just tell yourself
I’ll, I'll be ok

You’re not alone
[You’re not alone]
You’re not alone
[You’re not alone]
You’re not alone

Just tell yourself I’ll, I'll be ok
Oh just tell yourself, I’ll, I'll be ok
Won’t you tell yourself, I’ll be ok
When you’re down and lost
And you need a helping hand

When you’re down and lost along the way
Try a little harder
Try your best to make it through the day
And oh just tell yourself

I’ll, I'll be ok
I’ll, I'll be ok
I’ll, I'll be ok

**heard this song from the movie "Just My Luck", which was, by the way, very nice.. i really liked that film.. going back to the song, it was performed by McFly, which is now included in the list of my favorite bands.. =) Why did I choose to post this song? because i believe it perfectly suits me.. well, as far as the current situation in my life is concerned.. but just exactly what the song says, i'll be ok..**

God bless everyone!

last day of the month..

the month of july is about to end.. and i'm looking forward to a lot of beautiful things to happen in august.. i wish the coming month would be a better one.. i've gone through some really serious problems and difficulties this month.. i really hope that as july ends, my sorrows and agonies would also end.. i don't know how else i could get through this.. oh God.. i know You can hear me.. i know You understand..

mahirap pala yung ganito.. mukha na akong tanga.. i've been crying and worrying over some stupid things.. i am hurting myself.. i know you won't understand.. sorry but i can't tell everything.. just let me write these stuffs.. it helps me somehow.. kaya nga i love blogging eh.. it serves as an outlet for me.. instead of drowning myself to alcohol, i'd rather write and type and write and type..

so.. that's it.. i have to go.. i have to wait for tomorrow's promise of a brighter and better day..

more of my thoughts next time..

God bless everyone!

..maskara..

this is my new composition.. galing sa kaibuturan ng aking puso.. galing sa matinding inspirasyon.. hehe..

Maskara

Sa likod ng bawat walang malay na mukha,
nakakubli ang malawak na karanasan.
Sa likod ng matatamis na ngiti,
nakatago ang isang naghihinagpis na damdamin.
Sa bawat pagpatak ng walang katumbas na luha,
saloobin ay malayang naihahayag.
Sa bawat pagtangis ng sugatang puso,
kaluluwa'y nalilinis, napapalaya nang husto.

Ang bawat segundo ng katahimikan,
katumbas ay malalim at matalinong kaisipan.
Ang bawat minuto ng kaligayahan,
nag-uugat sa pagdaig sa matinding kasawian at kalungkutan.
Ang bawat oras ng paghilom ng pusong nasaktan,
katumbas ay mahalagang aral mula sa nakaraan.
Ang bawat awiting nag-iiwan ng kurot sa puso't isipan,
nagmula sa karanasan at sumasalamin sa katotohanan.

Ito ang tunay na kahulugan ng buhay.
Pag-ibig, pangungulila, kabiguan, at tagumpay
Lahat ay bahagi ng pagiging nilalang sa mundong puno ng kahiwagaan.
Bawat isa'y may tinatagong lihim, may pinagtatakpan.
Hindi makakailang minsan sa ating paglalabay,
kailangang ikubli ang tunay na nararamdaman,
kailangang magsuot ng pananggalang,
kailangang mag-isip at magpahayag sa ibang pamamaraan,
kailangang magtago sa likod ng isang maskara.

11:10 AM 26July2006 Wednesday

..luha (tears)..

this is the new poem i just wrote the other night.. just wanna share it.. =)

malungkot masaktan.
mahirap umasa sa kawalan.
mapait ang dulot ng kasawian.

masaya mangarap ng pag-ibig na walang hanggan.
masarap makamit ang kalayaan.
matamis ang dulot ng tagumpay at karangalan.

simple.. i was about to sleep when a thought came into my mind.. so yun, i came up with this poem..

classes in UP are suspended tomorrow! that's good news! but i still have to make my paper in CS 180.. better go now.. til next time!

God bless everyone!

is my life boring? i don't think so..

who says my life is boring? i definitely disagree.. as a matter of fact, i'm enjoying every single bit of it.. and why wouldn't i? just recently, i was given the chance to meet the members of calla lily.. they're not yet that popular, but i know, soon they would be.. they're a bunch of cool college students who knows how to share their talents.. as a proof of that really fun experience, here's my pic with tatsi.. and one more pic with the rest of the members, with my friend, leyn..
I AM HAPPY and CONTENTED with what i have and for who i am right now.. yes, i may not be the type of person who spends her time in bars, malls, parties, and other social gatherings.. i may be simple, religious, and conservative..it may seem that my life's very routinary(school-home-church-tutees' house), but one thing's for sure: I AM ENJOYING everything! This is me.. and i don't have to change even a bit of myself just to please other people.. i accept and appreciate the fact that each of us has his/her own personality, something unique to him/her.. then why can't some people understand that i am different?! i don't know how to react anymore.. all i can say is that i love myself, i love my life, and i'm not going to change to fit into other's "taste". if you can't appreciate me, fine. its not like i'm gonna die.. and it doesn't mean i'm a loser nor a failure.. i'm just being a true person.. no pretentions, no disguises, no masks.. just ME.

another tickle test..

Unaiza, your Good Heart makes you a real beauty

People consider themselves lucky to call you a friend...or even an acquaintance. Compassionate and caring, you're the first person to step up and help someone in need. You've got a sympathetic ear and are willing to listen to a friend gush about a tough breakup, a horrible workweek, or even just a bad hair day.But all this kindness doesn't mean you're a pushover. You've got the confidence and charisma to stand up for what you believe in, especially yourself. You want to make a difference in the world, and you're not afraid of doing a little hard work along the way. Now that's what we call heart.

i miss school already..

classes are still suspended due to the not so good weather.. i hope everything would be fine tomorrow.. i don't have much to say so i better end this thing..

til next time..

God bless everyone!

delayed post..

this post is due last monday, but i wasn't able to go online because of the bad weather and my busy sched.. nope i'm not a showbiz personality or something.. i'm just an ordinary person who works extraordinarily.. =) anyway, here goes my post..

july 10, 2006

i went down memory lane again as i answer sir leslie's question sa attendance sheet sa ES10.. everytime that he lets us sign the attendance sheet, we have to answer a question.. this time it was something like fill in the blanks.. the question was: complete the statement: batang 90's ka kung... (e.g. fan ka ng Eraserheads)

the first thing that got into my mind was my preschool and elementary days..

kaya naman, i decided to make my own list of the things which i remembered as part of the 90's chapter of my life..

1. boy & girl groups such as the following:
-Moffats (if life is so short, why won't you let me love you before we ran out of time..)
-Hansons (mmmbop..)
-Boyzone(i got a picture of you in my mind..)
-Spice Girls(mama, i love you.. mama, i care..)
-All Saints(never ever have i ever felt so low..)
-Code Red(this is our song..oooohhh.. this is our song we'll remember forever..)
-Damage(i'll be loving you forever, deep inside my heart you'll leave me never.. even if you took my heart, and tore it apart, i will love you still forever..)
-KC & Jojo(and all my life, i prayed for someone like you..)
-Roxette(she's so vulnerable, like China in my hands and she's so vulnerable.. and i don't understand.. i could never hurt the one i love she's all i got, but she's so vulnerable..)
-The Cranberries(does anybody care..)

2. solo singers including..
-Monica(i will cross the ocean for you, i will go and bring you the moon, i will be your hero, your strength, anything you need..)
-Joe(no one else comes close to you, no one makes me feel the way you do..)
-Mariah Carey(you'll always be a part of me, and i'm part of you indefinitely.. boy don't you know you can't escape me...ohh darling, 'coz you'll always be my baby..)
-Celine Dion(near, far, wherever you are..)
-Selena('coz i'm dreaming of you tonight, 'til tomorrow i'll be holding you tight..)
-Jim Photoglo(the will of the wind, you feel it ang then, it will pass you going steady, it comes and it goes and God only knows..)
-Alanis Morissette(it's like rain on your wedding day, it's a free ride, when you've already paid, it's a good advice, that you just didn't take..)

3. pinoy bands..
-Rivermaya(kumapit ka kaya, sa akin nang ikaw ay maitangay sa kalayaan ng ligaya, tayo na tayo na, ika'y magtiwala sapagkat ngayong gabi ako ang mahiwagang elesi..)
-Parokya ni Edgar(hoy buloy, nasaan ka man, siguradong kawawa ka, malamang walang alak dyan..)
-Eraserheads(magkahawak ang ating kamay at walang kamalay-malay, na tinuruan mo ang puso ko na umibig nang tunay..)
-Teeth(dalhin mo ako sa iyong palasyo.. maglakad tayo sa hardin ng iyong kaharian.. wala man akong pag-aari, pangako kong habambuhay kitang pagsisilbihan, o aking prinsesa..)
-Siakol(di mo ba alam, na ako'y nasasaktan.. sa tuwing ikaw ay aalis ng hindi nagpaalam..)
-Introvoys(if i ever had a line to heaven, i swear, i'll call you there..)
-AfterImage(so i sing this song to all of my age, for these are the questions we got to face, for in this cycle that we call life, we are the ones who are next in line..)

4. dance hits..
-5,6,7,8 (Steps)
-Doctor Jones
-Shalala
-Turn Back Time(Aqua)
-songs ng Vengaboys

5. Lala chocolate (yung maraming squares.. ang sarap nun grabe.. hehe)

6. Dampa (it's a kind of game na goma ang gamit)

7. rollerblades.. muntik na akong mabalian ng buto dahil dito.. hehe..

waah.. ang saya!! na-miss ko tuloy classmates ko nun.. ang daming memories, and it would take me forever to list them down.. =)

basta, naalala ko pa, naging fan din ako ni Gil.. sikat din yung mga kanta ni Donna Cruz.. at syempre, i won't forget the movie "I Can" starring Regine, Donna, and Mikee.. at syempre nandyan din ang "Campus Girls" na naging name pa ng group ko nung grade 2..wahaha.. ang saya talaga..

wala lang.. eto pa.. naisip ko lang 'to, just now..

here are the memories i cherish the most during my kinder and elem days..

kinder:
-naging miss talent at first runner-up ako sa Miss Jenny's during our intrams sa Jenny's Day Care Center..
-ang galing ni Levi mag-drums..
-i met Randy Santiago.. hehe.. he's from the other class..

grade 1:
-i studied in Iloilo kasi supposedly, dun na kami titira..
-sobrang lapit lang ng school (Colomer Memorial Elementary School) sa bahay namin (ng lolo ko)..
-ako ang taga-lista ng noisy..
-pag wala si ma'am, actually kahit nandyan siya, minsan, ako pa rin ang nagtuturo sa classmates ko.. sosyal di ba? hehe..
-basta, masaya ako kasi nakasama ko si lolo nang matagal..

grade 2:
-campus girls.. yan ang group ko nun (4 kame, ako, si grace, si melanie, at si maricris)..
-crush daw ako ni r.. hehe.. basta, sya..
-ang cute ni nherson celis.. syempre tanda ko pa full name sya.. ang chubby nya saka ang puti, sobra.. he was like my big brother..
-naging crush ko ata si harry.. tama ba? basta, sya yung pinaka-cute sa class namin..
-sumayaw kami ng "Oh Carol".. partner ko si erick..

grade 3 - 6:
-hindi na kasi naiba yung environment ko from grades 3-6 kaya i'll treat them as one chapter..
-same classmates, same group of friends.. ronald, rowena, sigrid, razel, myra, erick, gladys, federick, nap.. basta our class was one big happy family.. -
eto, hindi ko talaga makakalimutan: nung grade 5, sort of niligawan ako ni rey.. and if i remember it right, nagpabigay pa sya ng white gumamela sken.. wahaha.. may matching tula pa nga na medyo corny.. hehe..
-nabuo ang love team namin ni yove.. grabe, feeling ng ibang people kami na..
-close ko halos lahat ng ka-service ko.. parang family kame at si ate nita ang 'nanay' namin..
-maraming contest na naipanalo namin!! =D

OMG!! miss ko na talaga sila.. hay.. pati yung childhood friends ko.. sina paolo, victor, bucho, julius, rj, at yung iba pa..

sad kasi marami ng nagbago sa mga buhay nila.. and i really don't know if i'm still part of their lives.. but one thing's for sure, everyone who has been part of my childhood and my school days, will always be in my heart..

the wildest day in my entire life.. (so far)

OMG! i saw them perform live! who else but the greatest Pinoy bands including the very popular Bamboo, Hale, and Kamikazee..

i really enjoyed it despite the fact that we waited for almost two hours before we got inside the world trade center..

the intensity inside is very different.. and i can't help but scream and slam with them.. i really loved it.. i really did.. =)

it was just unfortunate that i lost my beautiful umbrella.. oh well..

i should say that it's worth it.. i mean having the chance to see lots of bands in a sort of concert, free of charge - wow, that's really great.. and i love it!

thanks GMA (Kapuso, not the president)!

i just need to see one performance.. after that, i could say that i have lived a life.. =) i hope and i pray that i could see westlife in september.. i'm crazy over them, i swear.. although others may say that they've been out of the limelight.. i still believe that they're one of the legends in the british music industry..

'til here.. God bless everyone! =)

profile? =) i wrote this some time during the summer break..

i'm unaiza, 19 going 20 (pero di naman halata.. i look younger than my age.. hehe.. walang kokontra! page ko 'to!)

computer science major po ako at hindi madali ang buhay ko sa unibersidad ng pilipinas.. but i'm glad to say that i've learned to love my course.. 3 years na ako sa engg at sa wakas ay nasanay na rin ako.. hay.. but wait, this is supposed to be about me.. enough of those school stuffs..

well, what could i say? why don't you just read the testimonials about me? lahat yun totoo.. well, yung magaganda lang pala.. wahehe..

seriously, if i were to describe myself, eto lang naman ang masasabi ko..

unaiza is...

– sweet & cute, like my email address.. =)
– very lovable.. hehe..
– very compassionate
– super sensitive
– super dedicated to whatever she commits to..
– God-fearing & God-loving
– very vulnerable lalo na when it comes to people she loves and cares for..
– a music lover
– a computer science major but interested in literature
– very much in love

intelligent agents paper..

Note: i made this paper for my CS 180 class this sem.. for anyone who's interested, you may read on.. this is based on franklin and graesser's paper.. references include sources from the net.. God bless everyone! =)

Intelligent agents - sounds cool and interesting! When I first read about them, I enjoyed the fact that these agents are "intelligent." How? By possessing several characteristics that could be associated with intelligence. So, what are intelligent agents? Before we get in-depth with the discussion of these agents, we must have a notion of what a software agent is.

Software agents are programs that perform task for the user. According to the definition provided by the ever-dependable Wikipedia, "a software agent is an abstraction, a logical model that describes software that acts for a user or other program in a relationship of agency. Such "action on behalf of" implies the authority to decide when (and if) an action is appropriate." A formal way of defining an agent would be as follows: an agent describes a software abstraction, an idea, or a concept, similar to OOP (object-oriented programming) terms such as methods, functions, and objects. But unlike objects, which are defined in terms of methods and attributes, an agent is defined in terms of its behavior.

Different authors have proposed their own definitions of an agent. But there are some similar concepts they have agreed on. These concepts are persistence (code is not executed on demand but runs continuously and decides for itself when it should perform some activity), autonomy (agents have capabilities of task selection, prioritization, goal-directed behaviour, decision-making without human intervention), social ability (agents are able to engage other components through some sort of communication and coordination, they may collaborate on a task), and reactivity (agents perceive the context in which they operate and react to it appropriately).

The above-mentioned information from Wikipedia gives us some background on the topic which I would discuss in this paper. I'm supposed to write something about a paper presented at the Third International Workshop on Agent Theories, Architectures, and Languages - "Is it an Agent, or Just a Program?: A Taxonomy for Autonomous Agents" by Stan Franklin and Art Graesser of the Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis. My goal is to give a sort of review of Franklin and Graesser's work. Starting with the definition of an agent, which I got from an online encyclopedia, I would elaborate the topic using the data provided in the source article. But before that, let me state my thoughts upon reading the article's abstract and introduction.

As I mentioned in the first statements of this paper, I was interested to learn more of intelligent agents because I liked the fact that they are intelligent. But then I thought, "how are they different from programs?" Definitions have stated that they are meant to perform specific task from, and for the user - but so are programs. So what is the difference then when they have the same goals and purpose of 'existence'? Are they not similar because agents are said to be "intelligent"? But I think programs have a sense of intelligence too. How would they be able to run properly if they don't have the capability to "think"? What I mean is, in order for the programs to achieve their goals, they must, first of all, know what those goals are. Somehow, they have the thinking capacity, just like agents. Another confusion factor is the fact that both "exists" in order to simplify human tasks. Aren't the two concepts interchangeable? Well, the answer lies in the heart of the article, and it would be revealed as I go on with this paper.

The Ultimate Question: What is an Agent?

When I hear the word agent, what comes to my mind are the real-life agents such as promodizers/sales agents, realty agent, or simply an agency. In simple terms, apart from the computer science world, an agent is just some sort of a mediator or a link from one entity to another - from a company to a prospect, for example. These are some of our notions of what agents are in the real world, but what about the agents in the "artificial" world - that is, the world of computer science? Here are the ideas regarding agents, taken from different sources, and which Franklin and Graesser stated in their work.

1. MuBot Agent - The term agent is used to represent two orthogonal concepts. The first is the agent's ability for autonomous execution. The second is the agent's ability to perform domain oriented reasoning.
Points Raised: There are two things which I would like to note in this definition, autonomous execution, and domain oriented reasoning.

2. AIMA Agent - An agent is anything that can be viewed as perceiving its environment through sensors and acting upon that environment through effectors.
Points Raised: This is the agent I'm most familiar with. And so, this would serve as my basis for comparison and analysis in the latter part of this paper. Key concepts here are environment, sensors, and actuators/effectors. An additional factor, which was not mentioned here, but is given emphasis in the book, is the performance measure. I'll give a clearer explanation later.

3. Maes Agent - Autonomous agents are computational systems that inhabit some complex dynamic environment, sense and act autonomously in this environment, and by doing so realize a set of goals or tasks for which they are designed.
Points Raised: What I want to note here are the terms computational systems, complex dynamic environment, sense and act autonomously, and goals.

4. KidSim Agent - ...agent as a persistent software entity dedicated to a specific purpose. 'Persistent' distinguishes agents from subroutines; agents have their own ideas about how to accomplish tasks, their own agendas. 'Special purpose' distinguishes them from entire multi-function applications; agents are typically much smaller.
Points Raised: The first notable idea here is persistent, the next one is special purpose.

5. Hayes-Roth Agent - Intelligent agents continously perform three functions: perception of dynamic conditions in the environment; action to affect conditions in the environment; and reasoning to interpret perceptions, solve problems, draw inferences, and determine actions.
Points Raised: Key points raised here are the three functions of intelligent agents; perception, action, and reasoning.

6. IBM Agent - Intelligent agents are software entities that carry out some set of operations on behalf of a user or another program with some degree of independence or autonomy, and in so doing, employ some knowledge or representation of the user's goals or desires.
Points Raised: Important terms include set of operations, degree of independence/autonomy, knowledge, and goals.

7. Wooldridge & Jennings Agent - ...a hardware or (more usually) software-based computer system that enjoys the following properties:
-- autonomy: agents operate without the direct intervention of human or others, and have some kind of control over their actions and internal state;
-- social ability: agents interact with other agents (and possibly humans) via some kind of agent-communication language;
-- reactivity: agents perceive their environment, and respond in a timely fashion to changes that occur in it;
-- pro-activeness: agents do not simply act in response to their environment, they are able to exhibit goal-directed behavior by taking the initiative.
Points Raised: The essential points raised are the underlined ones.

8. SodaBot Agent - Software agents are programs that engage in dialogs [and] negotiate and coordinate transfer of information.
Points Raised: This definition is somehow distant to the other ones. But I would like to take note of the terms dialogs, negotiate, and transfer of information.

9. Foner Agent - A software agent is a program that performs tasks for its user. While this may sound just like any program, agents have somewhat special properties, which the enormous amount of media hype (and subsequent misuse of the term) has clouded in recent years.
Points Raised: In addition to the above definition, Foner added the notions of trust, personalizability, and autonomy, which I think would be helpful in my analysis.

10. Brustoloni Agent - Autonomous agents are systems capable of autonomous, purposeful action in the real world.
Points Raised: One important idea stated here is the existence of agents in the "real" world, and of course not to forget the notion of autonomy.

11. FAQ Agent - This FAQ will not attempt to provide an authoritative definition..
Points Raised: According to the article, the FAQ Agent does provide a list of attributes often found in agents. And the list includes the following: autonomous, goal-oriented, collaborative, flexible, self-starting, temporal continuity, character, communicative, adaptive, and mobile.

ANALYSIS & COMPARISONS

Based on the facts we've gathered, we're now ready to examine which definitions overlap, and which ones are the exact opposite of the other. I've listed down several terms which are common in the definitions. Here are the similar concepts raised:

1. Autonomy (MuBot, Maes, IBM, Wooldridge & Jennings, Foner, Brustoloni, FAQ). An agent is autonomous if it could learn what it can to compensate for partial or incorrect partial knowledge. An agent should not be dependent only on what information is fed on it. In simple terms, it should undergo a process of learning.

2. Environment (AIMA, Maes, Hayes-Roth, Wooldridge & Jennings). Environments are where agents operate. Task environments are essentially, the 'problems' to which agents are 'solutions.' Although they all mentioned about environments, their attacks to the topic were not the same. AIMA Agent described a broad environment, which could either be observable or not, deterministic or stochastic, episodic or sequential, multiagent or single-agent, static or dynamic, and discrete or continuous. Maes specified that the environment is a complex dynamic one, and Hayes-Roth said it is a dynamic environment. One broader view of an environment is given by Wooldridge & Jennings. According to them, an environment could be a physical world, a user via a graphical user interface, the Internet, or all of these combined. Wooldridge & Jennings' environment has less limitations and wider scope.

3. Sensors & Actuators (AIMA, Maes, Hayes-Roth, Wooldridge & Jennings, SodaBot, Brustoloni). Agents use sensors to perceive the environment and actuators to act upon that environment. In the AIMA agent, the sensors are responsible for receiving input and actuators for the output. The Maes agent senses and acts autonomously in the dynamic environment, in order to realize a set of goals. Similarly, one of the functions performed by the Hayes-Roth agent is acting to affect conditions in the environment. Reactivity (agents perceive their environment, and respond to it) as a property of a Wooldridge & Jennings agent can also be associated with sensors and actuator, and thus belong to the same group. Another agent that could be listed here is the SodaBot. Negotiating and coordinating transfer of information as an ability of software agents, require sensing and acting. Although quite different from the others because of the idea that agents must perform purposeful actions in the real world, a Brustoloni agent still belongs to this group because of the actions involved in fulfilling its purpose.

4. Goals. Every agent is meant to achieve certain goals. They're created for a purpose, either in the artificial or in the real world.

5. Reasoning (MuBot, Hayes-Roth). The MuBot agent has the ability to perform domain
oriented reasoning and the Hayes-Roth performs reasoning to interpret perceptions, solve problems, draw conclusions, and determine actions.

STRUCTURE & ARCHITECTURE OF SOME AGENTS

1. Maes Agent. Pattie Maes has developed an agent architecture in which an agent is defined as
a set of competence modules. Each module is specified by the designer in terms of pre- and post-conditions, and an activation level, which gives a real-valued indication of the relevance of the module in a particular situation. The higher the activation level of a module, the more likely it is that this module will influence the behaviour of the agent. Once specified, a set of competence modules is compiled into a spreading activation network, in which the modules are linked to one-another in ways defined by their pre- and post-conditions.
There are obvious similarities between the agent network architecture and neural network architectures. Perhaps the key difference is that it is difficult to say what the meaning of a node in a neural net is; it only has a meaning in the context of the net itself. Since competence modules are defined in declarative terms, however, it is very much easier to say what their meaning is.

2. Hayes-Roth Agent. Barbara Hayes-Roth proposed that an intelligent agent must be adaptable, versatile, and exhibit coherent behavior. Adaptive in the sense that it has the ability to respond to an event in a dynamic environment with an acceptable response time. The agent must be versatile, meaning the agent has the ability to vary its responses in proportion to what it has already learned and on the current environmental context. Coherency requires that all the distinct systems the agent utilizes to adapt to its environment, and all the strategies the agent can take advantage of to be versatile must be integrated with a coherent overall plan of action developed by the agent.
The dynamic control architecture consists of a cognition system and independent perception and action systems. All subsystems operate concurrently and asynchronously and communicate through an independent but globally accessible communications interface(CI). This underlying modular structure allows for more appropriate (to the environment) response times by interacting with subsets of the environment concurrently thereby reducing the overall complexity each subsystem must be able to deal with.
The input and output modules consist of limited size buffers and dynamically modifiable perceptual filters, determined by the cognition component. The limited input buffers, located in the CI, are fed information at varying rates depending on the perceptive filter. Therefore the more important the data, the more often the system will see it. However, the CI has limited buffer size and therefore if the cognitive system does not look at the buffer often enough, events may go by in the world without notice. This strategy serves to further limit the environmental complexity encountered by first focusing the agents attention (perceptual filters) and then limiting the number of environmental events which can be active at one time (limited I/O buffers). Therefore, it is important for the cognitive system to function in real time and reason about the resources available to it.
The cognition system can also be broken into two subsystems. First is the knowledge base, which contains all knowledge, including factual, procedural and reasoning strategies for particular tasks. The second is the satisfactory reasoning cycle, which itself is composed of three parts. The first is the agenda manager, responsible for identifying and prioritizing reasoning tasks. The second is the scheduler, which interrupts the agenda manager when it is 'ready', and schedules the next best operation on the third component, the executor. Operations can have multiple possible effects, including modifications to the perceptual filters, intended actions, new conclusions for ongoing reasoning, etc. This enables the agent to apply multiple reasoning methods to the same problem, work on multiple problems simultaneously, and to trade off the quality for a timely response.. Within the knowledge base is a control plan which is developed by the agent in accordance with its goals, and is used to focus the reasoning cycle on completing the task at hand. This includes determining which actions have priority on the agenda, when the scheduler should interrupt, and what the perceptual filters should contain. The only changes to the control plan are those made by the agent, and hence were determined necessary by the control plan and environment at that time. This provides for a global coherence of reasoning, perception, and action within the agent while still allowing a wide variety of strategies to be applied to a specific task, including opportunistic actions and reactions.
Russell and Norvig's Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach clearly stated the structure of agents. They outlined four basic kinds of agent programs that embody the principles underlying almost all intelligent systems. These are simple reflex agents, model-based reflex agents, goal-based agents, and utility-based agents. If we are to classify each agent mentioned in the article according to these four structures, then we would have the following.

1. Simple reflex agents. These are the simplest kind of agent. They select actions based on the current percept, without minding the rest of the percept history. An example is the MuBot agent.

2. Model-based reflex agents. These agents maintain internal state to track aspects of the world that are not evident in the current percept. Hayes-Roth and Wooldridge & Jennings agents are (I believe) model-based reflex ones.

3. Goal-based agents. They keep track of the world state as well as a set of goals it is trying to achieve, and chooses an action that will (eventually) lead to the achievement of its goals. Almost every agent is goal-based. Examples include the Maes, KidSim, IBM, and Brustoloni agents.

4. Utility-based agents. An agent of this kind uses a model of the world, along with a utility function that measures its preferences among states of the world. Then it chooses the action that leads to the best expected utility. Expected utility is computed by averaging over all possible outcome states, weighted by the probability of the outcome. AIMA agent having its performance measure, is an example of a utility-based agent.
And of course, there is the process of learning through which the agents achieve better performance. Ideal agents are the learning ones.

ON THE ESSENCE OF AGENCY
Based on the information they have gathered, the authors gave a formal definition of an autonomous agent. They stated: An autonomous agent is a system situated within and a part of an environment that senses that environment and acts on it, over time, in pursuit of its own agenda and so as to effect what it senses in the future.
If I am to analyze this definition, I would say that it is more than enough. It has organized the key ideas presented earlier into one thought. Its a sort of summary and an intersection of all the definitions provided by the various sources. It has mentioned the environment, the goals (agenda), the sensors, and actuators. It is the closest, most definite, most concise definition that we could get. In terms of being realistic, my view is that it is somehow ambitious. But that's science. I mean, in the field of technology & computer science, that is all that matters - ambitious goals, which workers aim to achieve. Without ambition, science wouldn't exist. Regarding standards, its natural to have high ones. Its not proper to settle for the mediocre, one ought to be the best and the most outstanding. If we are to make an agent, we must make it better than what we already have, or at least on the same level of intelligence as humans. In order to check these qualifications, performance measures are readily available. But as I have said, they may be too ambitious. Nonetheless, science defies limitations and impossibilities. It could go beyond what we think is possible.

CONCLUSION
Having stated everything that I have understood from the source article, it became clearer to me the difference between a program and an agent. Franklin and Graesser stressed the idea that an agent need not be a program at all; it could be a robot or a school teacher. However, software agents are, by definition, programs, but a program must measure up to several marks to be an agent. Simply, an agent is a program, but the reverse is not always true.
Agents adapt to their environment, they are flexible and autonomous - they have a sense of independence, somehow they have a 'life' and they are capable of thinking. Programs on the other hand are constants. They could vary, yes, but that would depend on the programmer. Unless the programmer changes or alters the program, it would stay in its original state.
I would like to add that while doing this paper, it came to me that humans are just like agents. We learn from the experiences that we've had, from socializing with our environment that is the community. And we adapt to changes, we are flexible. And as long as we live, we would never stop learning, in the same way as agents do.

isn't it ironic?

its like rain on your wedding day
its a free ride when you've already paid
its a good advice that you just didn't take..

i hate them! i hate those people na member ng Alpha Kapal Muks! grabe, to the highest level ang kakapalan ng mukha.. oh well, wala na nga siguro talaga akong magagawa pa but to accept the fact that this world is not kind anymore.. this is such a cruel and harsh world.. survival of the fittest is the prevailing principle.

i got the title of this post from alanis morisette's song, which i think best suits my mood.. its the perfect song that could express how exactly I feel right now..it describes the situation i'm currently in to.. IRONIC..

what does that word mean? ironic.. its synonymous with the terms 'sardonic', 'sarcastic', 'wry'.. its when you don't get what you deserve or what you expect, seems like everything's a mess.. the situation turns out to be the exact opposite of what should happen.. some kind of black humor.. black in the sense that there's something bad about it, something which the humor tries to hide.. that's life.. funny, yet deceiving..

think about this as an example:
a broken heart is the single greatest pain you will ever have to endure, in fact, the most hurtful thing you can imagine, and the one who commits this emotional crime is not someone you hate; its not even someone you dislike.. no, because the only person who is capable of breaking your heart is the one who holds it precariously in his hands, the one with whom you have shared your dreams, your secrets, your fears - the one you love more than anybody else in the world - and therein lies the irony..

why am i saying this? why am i talking about irony and all these painful stuffs?

the answer lies in the essence of nothingness..

there's no special reason, whatsoever.. i just wanna express how i feel about some things which i can't control..

i'm just confused, a bit disappointed perhaps.. makes me want to vanish.. away from the hurtful realities of the earth..

if not for some people i care for and who have also shown the beauty of the world, i would say that i don't want to belong here anymore..

i've suffered enough.. nakakapagod din pala.. lalo na pag sobrang daming irony sa life mo.. you can't help but ask why.. why do these things happen when you've been the kindest person you could ever be?

i feel that i don't deserve this..

i've tried my best to be as patient, as understanding, as kind as i could be.. but unfortunately, people took advantage of my 'silence'.. i don't fight back.. i just cry my heart out, talk to God, and pray for more strength..

pero parang sobra na.. hindi na tama.. masyado na akong nasasaktan.. and what hurts me more is the fact that the people who have failed me are those whom i trusted and held dear..

but i guess i have learned my lessons..

1. don't ever give your full trust to anyone
2. nobody will ever be your 'best' friend
3. the only person you could rely on is yourself
4. if you do good to others, that doesn't mean they'll do good too
5. if you treat others well, never expect them to treat you the same
6. life isn't always fair.. it is never fair
7. always expect for the worst things to happen, so you won't get disappointed
8. no one could love you as much as God can

may sense naman di ba?

God bless everyone! =)

tweet2 girls

mars, leyn, chai, and unai at the megastrip during our first bonding moment for this sem.. =) i love these girls.. sayang, wala si alpha.. hindi tuloy kami kumpleto..

intelligent agents

i'm doing a paper for my AI class.. its about intelligent agents.. i was just wondering if someone could provide me with my own agent - an intelligent one. =) i really need a software agent that could do this paper for me.. hehe..

it's so unfortunate that i'm not motivated in doing this thing.. i don't know why.. during the summer break, i was so excited to enroll in this class.. pero bakit ganun? parang.. hay.. basta..

i hope maging ok pa rin.. the sem has just begun.. i still have enough time to convince myself that this subject is fun and interesting.. umm.. i hate to say this, but i think the topic itself is undoubtedly interesting, the problem is the 'environment' and the way it is handled.. there isn't sufficient time to enjoy the topic.. wala ng games, puro lengthy lectures na lang.. oh well..

i better go.. got to read lots of stuffs.. from software agents to intelligent agents to everything else.. i'm enjoying it.. yes, i got to convince myself that i'm loving what i'm doing..

God bless everyone! =)

school matters

i'm a bit busy now.. there have been some important things that i need to fix/do/attend to.. well, i should have accepted that fact already.. that's part of my life as a student.. i just get some kind of encouragement by telling myself that i'll get over all of these.. well, that's the least i could do..

i really don't know if this post makes sense.. but i hope it does.. i'll do better next time.. =)

God bless everyone!

my purpose, according to tickle.com =)

Unaiza, your destiny is to be a Protector


Whether you know it or not, this is the role that is most in tune with who you are at your core. As a Protector, you have an exceptional gift for guiding and comforting others when no one else is willing or able because you actually feel their pain as if it were your own. If you could insulate those you love from all hardship, you would consider that your greatest accomplishment. You offer caring and thoughtful advice that helps others heal and move in a positive direction, but you don't call attention to yourself, choosing rather to selflessly give to others in order to make the world a better place. This sense of duty and exceptional work ethic will get you far in life, however, it can lead to frustration when you don't get the appreciation you deserve. Remember to take care of yourself because if you feel good others will feel reassured by your steady, prudent, and methodical ways, and the world really will be a better place!

>> wow, that's great! i'm destined to be a protector.. if only i could save this world from every harm and disasters that are about to happen.. i remember the question our instructor wrote in the attendance sheet for in my ES 10 class.. "if you have any superpower, what would it be?'" and i answered: "the ability to predict and prevent forthcoming disasters.."

i don't know.. but i think i'm really in that line of fate.. because my greatest frustration is to heal the world.. i wish i know how..

new outlet..

i'm new here.. i had two blogs before but i wasn't able to maintain them (except the one in friendster) due to my busy schedule.. no, i'm not a popular tv personality neither am i a supermodel.. i'm just a simple college student who devotes most of her time doing school stuffs..

but i do love writing.. and its my way of expressing myself..

my friend told me about this site and she said something which caught my attention and made me decide to create my own blog here.. i haven't thought of any specific topic to fill this blog with but i'll make it a point to post worthwhile reads..

that's all i have to say for now.. i better go.. i have some other things to do..

God bless everyone! =)