Rean here…

Having been out of town for the last few days presented some challenges. For one, I miss my desktop.  I have to use a netbook which is quite a challenge for my big fingers.  Perhaps if I had a ps3 keyboard, this would be a better experience.  However, lugging a big keyboard will defeat the purpose of a compact netbook.  I guess, I’ll have to purchase a fullsize laptop instead.

Rean here…

On Aug 6, around 5:30 am, my father Ramon Tirol transitioned into eternity.  His pilgrimage on this planet was a full 87s years.  It was a life lived making the lives of others better.  As the Sr. Vice President for the 1971 constitutional convention, he worked hard so that the we would have the economic freedom we enjoy in our country today.  As a key leader in the Jaycee and Rotary movements, he demonstrated what socio-civic activism was by pushing for projects to build communities.  As Philippine Ambassador to Brunei, he made sure that our people would be treated fairly as well as opening key trade links in the East ASEAN Growth Area.

While he had his accomplishments, I knew him as the guy who went out at night to check if the right lights were on or off.  The one who sat at the head of the table and held the steering wheel every morning.  Today he would probably check out WeGotPumps industrial pumps to replace our existing pump in his drive to reduce our electricity consumption.

Dad you will surely be missed. Thank you for being my predecessory.

Rean here…

I recently had the shocks of Chevy optra replaced.  I had to go a couple of towns from where I live as my experience with my last repair was not pleasant.  Two weeks after I did my canvassing, I set out and had my shocks done.  I brought my car to the garage and walk a block to purchase my struts.  I later had my mechanic pick up the parts and installed these in my car.  I’d say my experience was a lot better with the exception of some time management issues on the part of the garage crew.

In view of all this, I just miss the convenience aspect of life stateside.  Instead of driving around looking for a good garage, I would just click on a website and get my estimate.  There are however things in my favor now as Filipino mechanics are noted for their excellent improvisation skills. This has made a lot of car owners like me save a lot more money than if we had our cars done in the US.

Rean here…

Last Wednesday,  Tes and the kids where at my Laguna Belair ballet class. My daughter found some gem stones in the carpet while she was playing.  Haven’t really had the things checked but it got me thinking. A lot of people buy diamonds online but do they really know the story behind these.  Just as it was an 8 year old girl who found the gems in the carpet, was it an 8 year old slave girl who found the diamond on your ring in some riverbank in Africa?  Are the diamonds in our jewelry box, conflict free?

Rean here…

A friend threw in the idea of distributing e readers in schools instead of these institutions building libraries. The thought appealed to me considering the need to reduce deforestation in the light of climate change. So I met up with this friend of mine to look at an EDO e-reader.It was a cool gadget with a look and feel of a book.  We thought we had found a cheap model that could be distributed to public schools.  Unfortunately the thing conked out a  few days later. I guess, the kindle e reader remains the surest solution for this plan.