Hormonal Imbalance strikes

Ever wanted to meet up with friends to have fun? Simple fun. Like bowling perhaps?

Ever been asked, "who else is coming?"

Am I not enough? Is there a specific person that has to be on the list before you go? Is there a specific head count to be met before you decide it's worth your time? Isn't a friend asking for your presence so you can both (with other friends of course) have fun? Isn't seeing your friends enough reason for it to be fun?

Why does planning for dinner and bowling have to be complicated?
Seriously, it shouldn't be. It's a simple "I can't come" or "Sure, I'll meet you there", or even "I'll let you know tonight". "I'm not sure" is only an answer if you follow it up with a definite "yes" or "no".

It's really strange to have to convince friends to come. An "I don't know" turned into "Ok, fine, I'll go" sounds like you don't really want to. If you don't want to go, then why not say "I can't" (since we both think "I don't want" to is too harsh an answer).

The top two answers I like receiving the most are (1) "When?" followed by "Sure!" without asking for further details about who's coming or who's not; and (2) "I'm not sure, I'll let you know" then I get a "What time are we meeting?" the very next day at the latest.

The first one either thinks I'm good enough company or doesn't care which of the friends go just as long as a few meet up then it'll be awesome no matter. The second one wanted to go, but wanted to make sure he didn't have any prior commitment before saying yes.

...or it's just me and my period being all too sensitive.

Hottest First Lady

Google Images said so.

Meet Carla Bruni-Sarkoz, the French nation's first lady.

This woman was involved with eight other men before settling for the French prime minister - including former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, and Eric Clapton.

I do believe guys actually dig that kind of resume.

Poker Newbie

If you're looking for online games that will help you learn about Texas Hold'em Poker then I recommend joining MiniClip's Governor of Poker. The first (relevant) stages are free - and it's enough newbie training for online poker.

Of course it wouldn't teach you the most basic rules, for example:
1. The lowest card is the 2 Clover
2. The highest card is the Ace of Diamond.
3. If you're the Big Blind then you're forced to bet the full amount.
4. If you're the Small Blind then you're forced to bet half of the amount.
5. If you're the Dealer: sometimes means that you actually Deal the cards, but it's much more convenient when there's actually an assigned Dealer.
7. First bet is always on the left of the Big Blind.
8. You only get two cards - don't confuse it with Russian Poker or Pusoy Dos.
9. Winner is determined by either "last man standing" (if everybody else folds) or by player with the highest combination of cards.

Swine Flu - what you need to know

Swine Influenza Virus

• mixture of pig, bird and human virus.
• humans have "very little or no immunity" against it

Symptoms
Swine Flu generally the same symptoms of a regular flu:

1. fever
2. cough
3. sore throat
4. body aches/lethargy
5. headache
6. chills
7. fatigue
8. others (less common): diarrhea and vomiting

But that's all very "common". Is there any way I can confirm that it's actually swine flu?
Of course. Submit a nose and throat swab (separate swabs, don't you watch CSI?) for a lab test.

Can I get swine flu from eating pork?
No. Stupid. You can however get it by eating a flu-stricken pig. Actually you don't even have to eat the flu-stricken pig to get infected.
If you're getting confused between pork and pig, don't let your friends know. You'll end up writing to F***MyLife. Just look it up on Wikipedia.

How do I get Swine Flu?
As I said, close contact with flu-stricken pigs. Aside from that, you can get it from other humans who are infected by it.

I went to Mexico last month, do I have Swine Flu?
No. If no influenza symptoms appeared after seven days then you're safe.

How do I keep myself from getting Swine Flu?
Got this from Wikipedia.

1. frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in-public
2. avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes with your hands unless you've washed your hands
3. cough into a tissue and throw it in the garbage immediately
4. or cough into your elbow or in your hand then wash your hands immediately

Make sure you also cover your mouth and nose when some inconsiderate dude coughs in public without following the preventive precautions above.

Restaurant City by Playfish (level 11)

First part of Restaurant City tips here.

Goal: to increase popularity rating by maximizing restaurant space.

I just reached level 11. I'm pretty bad at trading, mainly because I only found out that I should focus on 1 dish each course and ended up wasting ingredients instead of trading them.

Here's the layout that helped increase my rating from 23-31 in 30 minutes. I took this screen shot 10 minutes before I wrote the previous line.

4 cooks
2 waiters = 6 tiles
10 tables
a VERY narrow path

The important details:
Before this layout I had 2 waiters serve 10 tables but they had to manage 8 tiles. I had a 25 popularity rating then because customers kept on complaining about slow service.

I redecorated and maximized my space to achieve:
2 waiters only have to manage 6 tiles (that's how we measure restaurant space) in order to serve 10 tables. All 10 tables are accessible to customers. PLUS a very narrow path before customers reach the tables which is good for stalling. By the time they reach the free table, it would most likely have been cleared by the assigned waiter.

I just finished this post right after redecoration and I have now increased my popularity rating to 34.

Here's a better look at the tables and chairs layout.

Restaurant City by Playfish

I was skeptic to try Restaurant City on Facebook because I'm not the type who likes "commitment games" - that's what I call games that go on forever, the kind that you have to check every hour or so. You know? Like Tamagotchi. I really wanted one when I was a kid, I'm glad I didn't pester my mom to buying me, I was completely disappointed when I actually saw a friend playing it,

What? They don't get fat when you feed them more?
Bummer.

So yesterday, boredom got me bad. I was willing to go back to Neopets but went ahead and tried Restaurant City to humor my friends.

How did I like it? I swiftly, obsessively reached level five in four hours. It wasn't that hard to achieve it since I already had a number of friends who joined in before I did - that matters, and I'll tell you why.



Goal:
To get as much Gourmet Points as you can. The money doesn't matter because the game expects you to spend it. Actually, you get more Gourmet Points when you spend, you may also get awards for it.

How to get as much Gourmet Points as you can:
Leave the game open. That literally means open Restaurant City then

Tips:
1. You get a free ingredient on your first (ever) visit to another restaurant. So make sure that you go around the block when you signed up, then check the on your newly joined friends once in a while. Most of the first timers are on the left most side of the street because the restaurants are arranged from lowest to highest levels.
~ Now I know why I get friend requests from strangers. The darn addicts want new restaurants to visit for a free ingredient.

2.Place waiting chairs away from the door. The farther it is from the door, the longer the walk, the longer the customer queue ~ this is good only if you have more incoming customers that you can handle.

3. Create a maze. You can take this literally - as I have when I started (see above images). The longer it takes for the customer to enter your restaurant, the higher the probability that the table has been cleared by the time he/she gets there. This is advisable for levels 5-7 when your popularity significantly increased. However, once you reached level 8, those dividers would have to go to make room for more tables (at least I thought it wise to get rid of them, some prefer to keep the number of tables small to keep the customers happy).

[Update 29 Dec 2009] Due to the November 2009 update, creating a maze no longer helps you increase your popularity. Actually, it's helping you the other way around! As of now, it is better to make sure that customers have an easy access to the tables and chairs.

4. Focus on leveling up only ONE starter dish, ONE main dish, and ONE dessert. This is very important, else you'd end up consuming your ingredients carelessly (like I did). The higher the level of that one dish, the higher the Gourmet Points per order. Forget about variety because you only serve one of each.

Update: you can now serve multiple started dish, main dish, dessert, and (another Restaurant City addition) drinks! However, keep in mind that YOU DON'T HAVE TO SERVE MORE THAN ONE DISH IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.

You may opt to server only one dish even though you can serve two. This is important to note because if you have 2 started dishes and one is level 10, while the other is only level 5 then just serve the level 10 for now. Remove the second dish from your menu by clicking on it when it is selected. The selection will disappear.

5. Try to focus on a "unique" dish. If you and your friends are after the same ingredients, trading would be hell.

6. Keep the tables tight. The smaller the space your waiter navigates in, the quicker the service, the quicker the money. This can be achieved by enclosing your waiter inside tables and stoves. Don't worry, he doesn't have to sit or to get out for anything (except cleaning the toilet, for level 8 and even then you waiter/waitress magically gets out of the space when you reassign him a different job).

7. No, more expensive stoves DON'T cook faster. I even timed this and found out it takes 30 seconds in average for a happy cook to finish (happy cook = green smiley). I didn't check the speed on all levels, I just wanted to find out if spending additional 300 on a pink stove was worth it.



8. Selling items gets you 1/3 of the original price. You may want to just hold on to them by dragging them back to the item for storage.

Oak Room Divider originally costs 180 but you can only sell it for 60.

9. Click on the trees surrounding your restaurant or surrounding your friends' restaurants for bonus coins.

Click trees to get free money.

10. Feed your employees instead of letting them rest to get more things done. Resting takes too much time and even though you might save some by not spending 110 on an apple, you're giving up Gourmet Points. You earn money to spend it on your restaurant (or on your avatar's outfits) so do spend.

11. Don't split your tables into two sets, e.g., put a set of cook and waiter in a cluster of tables and another set of cook and table in a different cluster. I GUARANTEE you'd lose popularity. I tried this because some dumb "Restaurant City Guide" suggested it. You know what happened? One waiter in one cluster refused to serve two tables. My thumbs up went from 29.9 to 19.0 in 3 hours. THANKS. I hate you.

12. You don't have to assign a Cleaner (required in level 8) if you're checking on your game all the time anyway. Just make one of your cooks clean up the toilet once he's done with his dish, then make him go back to cooking. I know that sounds disgusting.

[2010 Jan 07 Post Update]

Here's an example of how a one-island layout looks like at level 42

And here's a less effective layout that I'm currently sporting. I do not recommend it --it keeps me above 40+ popularity, which is enough for me. I wanted to try a more restaurant-ish feel. But I figured that putting the chefs and the fridges in a separate room (with a door!) would crash my earnings. This is as "realistic" as I can get. The one-island layout above will help you keep your 50.0 popularity.

MOAR!!!
Restaurant City Level 11 Tips
** You can now BUY ingredients in Restaurant City **
Plant ingredients in your own backyard!

Tips from other Bloggers:
Restaurant City Starting Guide and Tips and Tricks
Restaurant City by Playfish at Facebook Tutorial

Underwater Photoshoot

That's me wearing a Php99 pair of goggles (approximately 2USD), using my Olympus mju1030 SW (Shockproof, Weatherproof). I've dipped my sturdy camera in drinking water, iced tea, orange juice and have tested it in a swimming pool. Last Sunday was the first chance I had to use it in salt water That up there my satisfied look on my wonderful 10megapixel point and shoot camera.

We went to Camayan Resort in Subic (Philippines) for a day trip with our relatives from the states. It was their last chance to visit a place in the Philippines that they've never been to - their 10 day vacation was spent on visiting close friends and relatives, eating lots of Filipino foods that they missed and holding karaoke nights. The trip to Subic was on their 10th day. It's a one and a half hour drive from Tarlac thanks to the new, convenient SCTEX (Subic - Clark - Tarlac EXpress Way), that's half the travel time it used to be.

Camayan Resort, Subic is right beside Ocean Adventure. You pass by Zoobic Safari on your way. The following are the expenses that you should consider if you plan to visit Camayan, too:

Php250 - entrance fee per head
Php1000 - for the mini nipa hut.

The hut is where you put all your stuff and where you eat your packed lunch (you're allowed to bring in food, but you may opt to eat in their restaurant instead.). The one we rented was just good enough for the five of us. If you have a bigger party, you should get a bigger hut unless you plan to spend the whole time on the sand, which you could.



That's my sister's first photo shoot under water. Doesn't she make Ariel jealous?



And this is the exact spot where I dropped my shockproof camera for the first time - right when we were packing up our things in the van and right before its battery ran out.

"It's MUJI" - minimalist design

Muji Acrylic Table with Magazine Rack

Muji's philosophy:

The Company’s basic principle is to develop new simple products at reasonable prices by making the best use of materials while considering environmental issues.

If you're the type who likes the minimalist feel on his furniture and house design then check out Muji's collection. They have a NO BRAND QUALITY GOODS philosophy. They practically leave out their brand name from their actual products because they want their products to brand them. They would have achieved their vision when people start seeing their products (or imitations of their product) and say, "It's Muji".

At the heart of MUJI furniture design is the concept of "Chodo-Yoi", the notion of seeking the "just right balance" between quality and price. With this concept in mind, we design products for your homes that neutralise, rather than clutter, your living space.

RapeLay

The Japanese just HAVE to push the limits. We've heard about their Porn for the Elderly now here's something worse: rape simulator game.

RapeLay is a 3-D Hentai game by Illusion, released on April 26, 2006 ~ it's 3 years old and still going strong! Similar products by Illusion are Battle Raper and Battle Raper2 which also feature sexual assualt but do no not have the RapeLay's key feature: abortion.

What's it all about? Your name is Kimura Masaya, an escaped convict scouting for new targets. You're given a situation and you're supposed to find a way to be able to rape your targets. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! You get to invite other male characters in order to simulate a gang-rape scenario.

What about pregnancy? Oh that's actually a key feature. If it's not enough horror that girls are raped, they made the game even more realistic by having the possibility of pregnancy. The more you rape the girl you impregnated (WHY YES! YOU DO GET TO RAPE THEM MORE THAN ONCE!), the more her womb becomes visible. You lose when you decide to keep the baby. How does one lose in rape simulator game? The mother pushes you in front of a moving train. How to solve the problem? Force her to get an abortion.

The game scenario: Stalk a young mother in a subway station, violently assault her, and then finish off with her two virgin daughters. Y

Game Features:
1. Blow wind under women's skirts to expose them.
2. Sexual arousal meter ~ no, you don't use it on yourself, you use it on your victims.
3. Option to force anal or oral sex.
4. Take pictures of your victims after you assault them.

If you're interested in RapeLay, please get professional help.

never been worn Pacquiao shirt - FAIL

FAIL

Smoking Parents

I have nothing against smokers, as long as they keep their smoke to themselves. I mean it in a very literal way; keep your smoke away from ME. Blowing the smoke on the other direction doesn't help at all if you're only standing/seated three feet away from me. Come on. YOU know it's bad for you, and YOU know it's even worse for those who become victims of YOUR second hand smoke.

INCONSIDERATE.

If you're affected by what I'm saying, it because you are INCONSIDERATE.

And you know what's worse than people who carelessly blow their smokes into other people's lungs? People who do it even though they know that someone's allergic to the smoke. Guess who's allergic to smoke? I AM.

And you know who's even worse than those smokers? Smokers who smoke in front of their children.

COME. ON. what. is. up. with. that.

Smoking in front of your 3year old? In front of your 6 year old? You don't even hide it? So, what, when they grow up into smokers YOU'RE going to throw tantrums? You are/were irresponsible parents (on that specific issue) so how would you stop them from becoming SMOKERS TOO?

You think I'm being over sensitive? Here, read some articles on how children as young as 2 years old end up imitating their smoking parents:
http://health.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1236841.cms
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9216875/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081124080812.htm
What? So hate me. I don't give shit.

Cat Killer

news source: http://theadoodles.livejournal.com/1931.html

A student openly admitted on killing cats for fun and in effect roused the Nekko Gods to punish his sorry ass through continuous harassment from Chii's protectors.
How can you possibly hate THAT so much that you'd actually enjoy killing it? YOU SHALL SUFFER not only the torments of the internet population but also the nightmares of Chii pouncing around your bed while its eyes stare at your from an inch away (it's a dream, stop thinking about the impossibility of the scene).

Here's the clip of the blog post he made, the stresses and the translations are mine. I did my best.

I killed Schrödinger's cat - Isang Araw na Puno ng Epick Phail
Apr 13, '09 9:41 AM
for everyone
...
4th Epic Fail: An Accidental Crime.
First day sa supercon (First day in Supercon). Lunch time came. On our way out of old NIP I saw the cat I almost killed last Tuesday. Now everyone knows I hate cats. It's an unexplainable feeling towards them. Like some internal hatred. Hindi ko talaga alam kung bakit pero anumang pagpipigil sa sarili ay hindi sapat upang mapangibabawan ang panggigil ko sa mga pusa (I really don't know why but I however much I try, I can't stop myself from venting my frustration on cats). I pulled it on its tail and threw it. Then like some pro wrestler I jumped on it and my feet landed on it's torso. Slam!

Felt good! But the cat didn't die, well not yet. It ran for it's life and just as I was about to catch up on it somebody yelled:
"Pwede bang pabayaan mo yung pusa?!"
("Would you leave the cat alone?!")
It was instant and involuntary. I stopped on my tracks. Nobody ever stopped me when assaulting cats. Well I guess there's always a first time for everything. The cat got away. Or at least that's what i thought.

So we went to lunch Mel, Jayson, Tracy and me. After lunch, balik na sa kung anumang naiwang gawain (back to whatever things I haven't finished). Then Tracy and Mel told me
"Hui Jc napatay mo yung pusa."
("Hey, JC, you killed the cat.")

Hours later, habang abala sa XRD (while busy with XRD), a guy came in. Tanong niya: (he asked)
"Sinong pumatay dun sa pusa?"
("Who killed the cat?")
Bang! Dat was me boi. Guilty as charged. I didn't see it die pero sabi ni Myles (but Myles said) it coughed up blood or at least something like that daw. Didn't realize I gave it a fatal hit. This isn't the first time I've killed a cat but this time it's different. It didn't occur to me back then that the cat had a leash. So I think somebody owns it. Well it's very well loved in NIP from what I heard and I just
ended it's life. So there you go I'm sorry. And I wont be striking another one for maybe about a month. It feels good when your beating it(a cat) up but you suddenly feel something strange when it turns off permanently. That's how I feel right now. And maybe for the next days. Dang, am I a cat serial killer?
...

...
Mahaba - haba na rin pala ito. Pagod na ang aking mga kamay. Muli, sorry sa mga nasaktan sa pagkamatay ng pusa. Hindi ko maipapangakong wala nang iba pang pusang papanaw pero pagsisikapan ko pong pigilin ang aking sarili. Daz it mahn. Cease Fire muna.
(I didn't realize this [post] has gotten long. My hands are tired. Again, sorry to all who got hurt by the cat's death. I can't promise no more cats would die but I would try hard to stop myself. That's it man. Cease Fire for a while.)

The guy was sorry for the people saddened by the cat's death - talking about it as if him murdering it isn't the atrocity.

Beginner Strength Training Routine by Tyrone Tan

Tyrone made a 3-day Strength Training Program for me.

Dumbbell weights involved: 5lbs for each arm
Barbel weight involved: just the bar

Day 1: Biceps and Triceps
1. 30-minute cardio workout

Elliptical Trainer/Cross Trainer is better than working on a Treadmill because it has less impact on the knees.
2. Hammer Curls 3 sets, 12 reps
3. Triceps Pull Downs 3 sets, 12 reps
4. Barbell Curls 3 sets, 12 reps
5. Triceps Kickback or Overhead Triceps Extension 3 sets, 12 reps
6. Leg extensions 3 sets, 12 reps

Day 2: Back, Legs, and Abs
1. 20 minute cardio workout
2. Lateral Pull Down
3. Leg Press
4. Seated row
5. Roman chair
6. Squats

Day 3: Shoulders, Chest, and Abs
1. Ball Crunches (for some reason, I find this routine's name very disturbing)
2. Dumbbell Press
3. Alternating Dumbbell Raises
4. Twisting Crunches
5. Flies

The UNO - unimotorcycle

An 18 year old, Ben J. Poss Gulak, invented this awesome land craft, the UNO.

How does it work?
Simple. You turn it on (yeah, it has an on and off switch... actually, that's all it has). Then to go forward, all you have to do is tilt forward - the farther you lean forward, the faster it will run. To backup, just lean back.

I would kill for it

You won't often come across a "good blog" - something that does not concentrate on ME! ME! ME! ME! but on showcasing talents and ideas - things that people actually want to see and to read. I was fortunate enough to come across one on Blogspot in the morning. After so many family photo blogs, flower photo blogs, micro rants that we all know were meant to be read by only one specific person but was posted to bother the whole world anyway, I hit gold!

The photo above was inspired by the song Samson by Regina Spektor.

I would kill for Chris Newberg's talent.




The art reminded me of Avid who's a Filipino artist and director that is just awesome... but I'm more for the sharp colors and smooth figures so if I could extract either his or Chris Newberg's talent, then I'd go for the latter.

Palatoob by Avid

I like Avid because of the wild, weird imagination but I like Chris Newberg more because his works are not alienating.

...although there's no Romantic poem/novel/short story to beat Avid's Not the Most Poetic of Declarations

Why Adidas' Philippine Flag jacket design was banned

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8491

SECTION 34. It shall be prohibited:
a) To mutilate, deface, defile, trample on or cast contempt or commit any act or omission casting dishonor or ridicule upon the flag or over its surface;

b) To dip the flag to any person or object by way of compliment or salute;

c) To use the flag:

1. As a drapery, festoon, tablecloth;
   
2. As covering for ceilings, walls, statues or other objects;
   
3. As a pennant in the hood, side, back and top of motor vehicles;
   
4. As a staff or whip;
   
5. For unveiling monuments or statues; and
   
6. As trademarks, or for industrial, commercial or agricultural labels or designs.
   
   

d) To display the flag:

1. Under any painting or picture;
   
2. Horizontally face-up. It shall always be hoisted aloft and be allowed to fall freely;
   
3. Below any platform; or
   
4. In discotheques, cockpits, night and day clubs, casinos, gambling joints and places of vice or where frivolity prevails.
   

e) To wear the flag in whole or in part as a costume or uniform;
f) To add any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawings, advertisement, or imprint of any nature on the flag;
g) To print, paint or attach representation of the flag on handkerchiefs, napkins, cushions, and other articles of merchandise;
h) To display in public any foreign flag, except in embassies and other diplomatic establishments, and in offices of international organizations;
i) To use, display or be part of any advertisement or infomercial; and
j) To display the flag in front of buildings or offices occupied by aliens.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

I have made it a habit to "blog hop" (to go on clicking "Next Blog" button on Blogspot in order to visit random Bloggers from all over the world). I read through the things if they aren't too long and if I don't understand the language, I just look at the pictures. Then I try to drop a comment if there's something to say. A "You have a very beautiful daughter" on a family picture or a "That looks very interesting" on an article sometimes makes a difference in a blogger's day.

Just a while ago as I was blog hopping, I came across a Japanese-English blog and it had a picture of Steve Jobs - whom I didn't recognize because I wasn't familiar with his face at all, only with his reputation. The post was about a speech he made during the 2005 Graduation in Standford, which I had to search on Google to read the whole thing.

Steve Jobs said he would share three stories, and for some reason, none of the stories he told stuck...only the lessons behind them, which shows in a very, very plain manner how brilliant a man he is.

The three lessons that he actually delivered:
1. Connecting the dots.

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.

He spoke about how if you follow your heart, you'd always be on the right track although you'd never know you WERE on the right track until you've passed it.

2. Don't settle. Keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
Steve Jobs spoke about how someone's job is a big part of his/her life and that we should keep on pursuing what our life interests are until we're sure. I particularly liked how he reiterated "Don't settle" because it stressed how important it is to keep on looking.

3. Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

This last item is what really struck me, "stay hungry, stay foolish" and "don't live someone else's life". I think it's a very noble life philosophy and it's also very difficult to live up to.

"Don't live someone else's life" was the best statement in the whole speech. We all try to live up to people's expectations and we all say to our selves that meeting those expectations would lead us to become the best of us, but would it really? Our families, our parents, know us best, but that's only in comparison against other people, and not against us. No one knows us better than ourselves and no one better knows how we could be truly happy.

"Don't be trapped by dogma" struck me religiously. I know too many people who follow their faiths blindly. You ask them why they do it and they tell you it's because "the Church said so". The Church says those things as "strong suggestions" and our actions should always be accordign to what our conscience dictates. The Church provides a religious point of view on issues for us to keep our conscience more informed and to therefore make better decisions - but we are not compelled to follow unless our consciene dictates us so. Reference: St. Thomas Acquinas on Conscience.

I also know that there are certain rituals that I follow and certain points of view that I take because I don't trust my own judgment although my gut feeling nags me to do otherwise. I am, however, certain of one thing: before the gates of St. Peter, I would be a fool to say that I have lived how I lived because I was told to do so.

clocks set early

I don't blame you for being you
But you can't blame me for hating it
Say, What are you waiting for?
Kiss her, kiss her.
I set my clocks early
cause I know I'm always late.

--Fall Out Boy, A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me"

There should be a rule that all establishments should follow the official time. (Official time: the time in reference to the Greenwich Mean Time, GMT). It's not really that hard to follow, all you have to do is go online and check what time it REALLY is.

For example: Philippine local time = GMT +8.

If only establishments would follow the right time instead of setting their clocks too early just to make sure that their employees come in on time, then everything would be so much more simpler. Stop worrying about tardy employees, if they ARE tardy then mark them as such. Let them set their personal clocks/watches early so that they'd come in on time.

I remember that there was a time when the clock in one of the schools that I attended was set 25 minutes early. Everyone had to wake up really early in the morning so that we wouldn't be late for the flag ceremony but then no one was allowed to go home 25 minutes early because they said it was too early - we all ended up staying in school longer than any of us wanted to.

I call that stealing. You're stealing people's time and there's no way for you to even pay for it - which also reminds me of parish priests who don't start the mass on time because they were "waiting for more attendants". WTH?! If they're late, then they're late. If WE're late, we wouldn't mind if you started without us, it's our fault anyway! The real reason why these people are ALWAYS late is because THEY know that YOU don't start on time ANYWAY.

As I was saying... there should be a rule, a law, that states that clocks on legal establishments should follow the standard local time.

Visita Iglesia

On Maundy Thursday we visited seven churches in following the Catholic tradition of Visita Iglesia. Churches reposed their Cyborium on makeshift altars for devotees to view and pray to them - for penance and for special intentions.


First Church: Our Lady of Voyage de La Paz
Probably the most beautiful Church that bore the most beautiful makeshift altar that we visited.



Second Church: San Manuel
The Church itself is still under construction. The Parishioners created a hut for the makeshift altar. They lit the road to the hut with lanterns.



Third Church: Our Lady of Lourdes, Maliwalo



Fourth Church: Radio Maria



Fifth Church: Our Lady of Ransom



Sixth Church: San Sebastian Cathedral



Seventh Church: San Rafael

"salibatbat": human crucifixion (Philippines)

As far as I am aware, the Catholic Church has forbidden people from taking part in the old Christian tradition of self flagellation during lent. We call these people "salibatbat" and we still have them in the Philippines. Just this morning when I went out for a jog, I saw a few men carrying wooden crosses on their shoulders, apparently in preparation for their personal penitence.

Tradition: What's the whole idea?
According to the tradition, men (or should we call them "sinners"?) wishing to be forgiven for their grave sins should willingly share with Jesus' sufferings. These men then reenact Jesus' painful journey to Calvary in order to be worthy of Jesus' forgiveness.

Reenactment: journey to Calvary
The journey may start when the Pabasa starts, which is either Holy Wednesday or Holy Thursday (Pabasa: devotees sing/read Christ's passion, although now also discouraged by the Church, is tolerated in the Philippines). The salibatbat's sacrifice end at Good Friday, 3pm because it is believed that Jesus died on the cross at 3pm.

Trivia: The reason why 3am is said to be the devil's hour - it's the devil mocking the hour of Christ's death.

The participants cover their faces for anonymity. I believe the original reason for this is that since it's a grave act, it's usually people with grave sins that participate in the tradition and they wouldn't want to be the center of gossip. However, a more appropriate reason (although not necessarily the participants' personal reasons) is that the participant should not take credit for his act of contrition - that sharing Jesus' sufferings should not be boasted about. The "mask" used to be either of black cloth or a black t-shirt that they tie over their heads by linking the shirt sleeves on the nape. In a tropical country like ours, a black shirt in the summer, let alone when the sun is highest, isn't the most comfortable attire. To have that black shirt cover your face for three hours... that could only be worse. However, the "modern" salibatbat are now preferring white cloths - most probably because the black cloths are much too warmer from the inside.

They are then given crowns of thorns. The crown is put ontop of the "mask". There were people in the past who used to use barbed wires as crowns and those must have hurt like hell. Then there were who wanted a more "natural look". They opted for stems with leaves and thorns from a bougainvillea plant. But the salibatbat I see on the streets mellowed down since 10 years ago - they now only wear crowns of harmless leaves, probably from a vine they entwined. Also, they now wear rubber slippers. It was also part of the tradition that they go bare foot but I guess it may also be due to the fact that more roads are cemented, which are far hotter than soil ground.

Some salibatbat start by having others whip their backs using a banana shoot patch (yes, bananas don't come from trees!) then proceed to visiting different pabasa centers (some visit seven different churches to follow the traditional Visita Iglesia) while self flagellating by whipping their backs with bamboo sticks tied to one end of a rope; others flagellate for a while then carry their cross after - imitating Jesus' Scourging at the Pillar and then Carrying of the Cross.

Other salibatbat neither whip their backs nor carry a cross. They crawl on the ground - not on their hands and on their knees but flat on their front like worms - to show their remorse.

The extremists go as far as have themselves crucified on the cross. Some have nails driven through their palms while supporting ropes are tied on their arms so that they won't slide down. The same is done with their feet. This act is extremely painful and most only last for a couple of minutes. A more popular form of "crucifixion" is being tied to a cross for 15 minutes.

Trivia: archeologists claim that the original cross of the Jews are of the shape of a "T" instead of a "+". Because it's far easier to nail a person to a horizontal bar with a hollow in the middle and then just slide that horizontal bar ontop of the vertical post that is a fixture on their curcifixion hill/spot.

What's wrong with all of these?
Self flagellation does not make someone worthy of Christ's forgiveness. Jesus Christ gave Himself up to save us from our sins. Does that mean that everyone, including sinners, will all go to heaven? I wouldn't know. It's not my Kingdom to share. But according to Catholic beliefs, by dying on the Cross, Jesus fulfilled "His part of the bargain" (of course we didn't really bargain with our Lord) and all that's left for us to do is to accept Christ as our Lord, which is basically the "hard part".

meet my brute

My Brute is a very simple game. You create a Brute (your character) and you challenge other Brutes to gain experience and other attributes such as strength, agility, and speed. You choose an opponent or an opponent challenges you - either way, the fights are automatic, you only have to sit back and enjoy the brutality.

It's certainly more interesting than having a Tamagotchi. But wait! Since creating a Brute does not require you to register, you can easily lose your Brute if you don't create a password for it. Go to your brute's cell to specify a password. Make sure that you won't forget your password because it's irretrievable through email (they have no record of your email in the first place!)

Blogger errors: bX-qkzscn and bX-cyccq work around

I encountered Blogger Error bX-qkzscn when I edited my Blogger layout and hit Preview button.

In the same session I encountered Blogger Error bX-cyccq when I tried to save the edits I made on my Blogger layout (edits were made by dragging and dropping widgets whien I was trying to organize my Blogger layout)

At present Blogger/Blogspot does nto offer any solution for the problem.

The work around on this problem is pretty crude: you'd have to delete then add the sorties in the proper order in order to re-organize your widgets. Apparently, the Blogger problem these two codes encompass are not triggered by saving new or deleted widgets. Blogger Error bX-cyccq in particular is triggered when you drag and drop widgets across your Blogger layout.

Indescribable

Father Mon delivered a wonderful sermon last night in Jophiela's wake.

When husbands or wives lose their partners, the person left behind is called a widow.

When a parent dies, the children left behind are called orphans.

When a child dies, what do we call the parents who were left behind?

Nothing. The condition and the sadness is simply indescribable.

Jophiela is a wonderful special child that brought joy in her family's lives. I was reluctant to go to her wake because I was tired for the day and I wanted to rest at home - something I look forward to every time I come from the city. I'm glad that my father insisted that I go.

You see, whenever I see rowdy kids in the malls, or in schools, I think about how bad their parents should be. Why weren't they teaching their kids manners and etiquettes? Why would parents have kids in the first place if they wouldn't invest enough time to make sure that their kids grow up into good people? Then I wonder how I'd be as a parent someday. And realize that I couldn't imagine the feeling of being solely responsible for someone else' life. Then...what if I had a special child? Would that be awful? Would I resent the child? Would I be a bad parent?

Jophiela's mom spoke about their life with a wonderful, special child. She said that many people think they sacrificed a lot of things to maintain Jophiela's quality of life, but the mom says they didn't sacrifice anything at all. That having Jophiela has been comfortable because they molded their needs into a way of life.

Special children are still first and foremost, children. What difference would it be if someone had a special child and if someone had normal child? Normal kids don't always turn out well even though they had all the proper nourishment and nurturing.

Rest in peace, Jophiela.

I owe it all to porn

I checked my blog diagnostics and stats and found out that I owe most of my page impressions and my blog traffic to none other than Fujiko Ito - the 70 year old Japanese Porn King.

Among the top 20 queries where my site appeared, the first on the list was fujiko ito with a 48%. 50% of the time, my site appears when people are looking for elderly porn action. That seems way off my target audience.

Apparently an estimated 37% of my traffic also comes from this guy. Followed by people who hate watchmen ("watchmen sucked") and those that are looking for information about index salon.

Where has all the hate gone?

Death's POV

the sight of it all:
the heart broken,
the damned;
like a crypt of living souls.
Death had had better days.

"You mortals and your trivial pursuits of happiness:
before Peter's gates
you beg for an angel's life.
you envious, greedy, uncharitable creatures,
with your capricious faith
and your carnal minds.
Do you honestly believe you hold merit for anything beyond damnation?
Will you not wash your filthy little hands,
your pale souls?
Will you not die of shame before Him?"

Yep. I wrote that because of a thought: if Death were a person (like how God is three persons) he probably wouldn't be eager to end anyone's life. How could anyone be eager to know that THIS person's time is up. There'd be no more chances to change or to say sorry or to pursue true happiness.

I can honestly say that I am not even 80% satisfied with my life. If I were to die NOW, I would have lived a pathetic life. It has been a life of preparations. I prepared myself to become a good college student. I prepared myself in college to become a good worker. Now I'm preparing myself to become a rich person. It feels like life hasn't really started. Where are my travels? Where are my dreams? When will I start? When CAN I start? I'm too young, I'm not rich enough, I'm not good enough.

I don't want anything to change in my past but there are a lot of things I'd rather do at present. But I won't because then I'd risk my future. And at the same time, I'm risking happyness. I'm proud of where I am. I just know I could be somewhere better and because I could, I know I should.

Would death be glad to take you?

fail jeep parking

FAIL

would you instruct your kids in English?

I often think that my English isn't good enough. I can't speak English fluently - I mumble and I trip on my grammar often even though I'm quick to notice when others do.

Why is it so important to me that I should be well trained in spoken English? Because it's the "language of success". It's what the bosses speak, what the managers speak, how the valedictorians deliver their speeches. It's the language that makes you sound intelligent (it's even better with a British accent).

When an MMDA officer waves you to stop your vehicle, roll down your window and speak in hard-ass English slang. He'd scratch his head, wave a lazy salute and let you go. English IS a powerful tool in the Philippines.

However, I can't get by my prejudice against Filipinos born and raised in the Philippines who have English as their primary tongue.

I admit it's prejudice. Most of these people aren't at fault that their parents raised them to be English speakers, nor are their parents at fault if it's the same language they were raised with. These people also go to schools where speaking Tagalog (Filipino) would cost you Php20.00 when caught. And certainly none of us is to blame that our whole education system is built ona foreign language; or that our parents train us to set our goals on going abroad.

Our parents send us to the best schools they can afford because then we'd have better chances of competing overseas, for what's left here in the Philippines? My parents have two jobs each and it never seems enough - there's always the bills to pay, kids to send to school, food to put on the table, charity cause to participate in, and taxes to pay (don't even get me started on the Philippine Government).

We HAVE to speak English to succeed economically in the Philippines. Tell me one rich Filipno who doesn't speak English well - aside from Impeached Past President Erap Estrada and Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao. Is it merely a correlation that all rich Filipinos are English speakers?

I am also not implying that good skills on English communication automatically means success since I'm very much aware of English speaking people who turned out terribly both in school and in their careers - although they STILL have that unfair advantage of knowing the right people and of having wealthy parents.

So why the prejudice? It just so happens that the English speakers I ride with in the elevator, or are infront of the line to the cashier, or I pass by in the mall - who annoyingly drag their pretty little Havaianas and Ipanemas (lift your legs for crying out loud!) - are the bad kind of people. It wouldn't matter what they spoke. Not even if they were fellow Kapampangan. Talking about liiike their hair and ohmygosh that cute out fit - You annoy me.

Stay away.

So will I raise my future awesome kid in English? Probably not. I'd let Barney and Dora the Explorer and school teach her English. I'd most probably talk to him/her in Tagalog-Kapampangan so she'd learn how to communicate with me properly. There's no point in trying to raise a kid in a language I'm not used to. And I wouldn't want him/her intimidating manang in the canteen just because he/she can't say "pabili po ng isang pirasong bond paper" - yeah, the PO is a requirement; "Mauna na ho kayo" means so much more than "go ahead".