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This song has been stuck in my head for quite some time now...another bad case of last song syndrome I guess. Anyway, I just love this song. :-)


High
The Speaks

So will it ever be
I tried so hard to find sweet serenity
Are you still afraid
Just close your eyes and dream
The feeling fade away

Time won't flow everyone knows
When the pain fades away
Dreams wont die tears in our eyes
Youve got to hold your head up high...
Yeah... yeah...yeah...
Hold your head up high

Its taken some time
And ive given off the will to change your state of mind
Im trying to understand
Its not so hard to see that i am just a man

Time won't flow everyone knows
When the pain fades away
Dreams wont die tears in our eyes
Youve got to hold your head up high...
Yeah... yeah...yeah...
Hold your head up high

So will it ever be
Ive tried so hard to find sweet serenity
Im trying to understand
Its not so hard to see that i am just a man

Time won't flow everyone knows
When the pain fades away
Dreams wont die tears in our eyes
Youve got to hold your head up high...
Yeah... yeah...yeah...
Hold your head up high
Yeah... yeah...yeah...
Hold your head up high
Yeah... yeah...yeah...
Hold your head up high

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c".

Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k".

This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f".

This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

Happy April Fools! :-)

Related Posts:

The Legend of April Fools’ Day

It's official. Out of 5,610 examinees who took the Bar examinations last September, 1,526 made it, for a passing rate of 27.22%. This figure is a bit lower than last years' 30% passing rate.

It was indeed a graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) which took the top spot. Other schools which made it into the top ten include the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), Manuel Luis Quezon University (MLQU), University of Perpetual Help-Rizal (UPHR), Philippine Law School (PLS), and Far Eastern University (FEU).

The complete results can be viewed here. While there certainly would be a lot of people having cause to celebrate, no doubt there would be more disappointed by the results. My heart goes out to them, knowing exactly how they feel.

Congratulations to those who made it. I can only hope and pray that my next attempt be as successful. To all the new lawyers, I ask of you to please use your legal knowledge and expertise into fighting for what is right. We all know that there are so many lawyers out there who are more like mercenaries than true lawyers, using their legal skills for financial gain or other interests, without any concern for the truth. Please don't be like them.

For those who didn't make the cut, try not to be too disappointed, and may you fare better on your next try.

The results of the Bar examinations held last September are supposedly scheduled to be released this evening. The passing rate was earlier announced to be 27.2% and rumor has it that it was a graduate of the University of the Philippines who took the top spot.

More details as they unfold. Good luck to all examinees.

An old man, probably some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the park bench. He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat. I wondered if he was ok.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was ok. He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," he said in a clear strong voice. "I didn't mean to disturb you, sir, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were ok?" I explained to him.

"Have you ever looked at your hands?" he asked. "I mean really looked at your hands." I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making. Then he smiled and related this story:

"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life.

They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and when I walked my daughter down the aisle. Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friends foot. They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.

They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And He won't care about where these hands have been or what they have done.

What He will care about is to whom these hands belong and how much He loves these hands. And with these hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."

No doubt I will never look at my hands the same again.

I never saw The old man again after I left the park that day but I will never forget him and the words he spoke. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children I think of the man in the park. I have a feeling he has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving me these hands.

Written by Melinda Clements

A Dragon Ball Z fan's wet dream: all 291 episodes on 40 DVDs. All original versions, with Japanese subtitles. Not the heavily-edited, censored, watered-down U.S. dubbed version. In full DVD quality and Dolby Digital. :-) Someone give me a life.

I guess that means no nightlife for the next week or so. :-)

Since I was in the area, on account of my attendance at the World TB Day 2006 event yesterday (see previous post here), I thought I take a few pictures of the Quezon Memorial Shrine.

Even though I see the monument dedicated to the memory of the 1st President of the Philippine Commonwealth/2nd President of the Philippine Republic virtually everyday, somehow, I never really took the time to really look at it. Well, now I did. Here are a few pictures:

The Quezon Memorial Shrine. It was penned by Federico Ilustre, a Filipino architect whose submitted design won in a nationwide competition. It took about twenty years to complete, with construction ending in 1978, on the 100th anniversary of President Quezon's birthday. It stands exactly 66 meters tall, representing the age when he died. The three pylons represent the three main islands of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.


At the top of the pylons are three mourning angels holding sampaguita wreaths. The angels are the work of Italian sculptor Monti. The sampaguita is the national flower of the Philippines.


Entrance to the Quezon Memorial Shrine Museum at the base of the monument. It houses various Quezon memorabilia. Picture taking wasn't allowed inside, so if you're curious at what's displayed, you have to visit it yourself.


Quezon's marble tomb at the center of the shrine. Its design was patterned after Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb in Les Invalides. President Quezon's remains were reinterred in it on August 19, 1979.

"I prefer a country run like hell by Filipinos to a country run like heaven by Americans. Because, however bad a Filipino government might be, we can always change it."

- President Manuel L. Quezon

Ironically enough, he seemed to have gotten his wish.

As a side note, President Quezon's grandson, Manuel L. Quezon III, aside from being a journalist and writer, is also a very popular blogger to boot. You can visit his blog here.

Pictures from the World TB Day 2006 event held at the Quezon Memorial Circle this morning:

DOH Secretary Francisco T. Duque receiving an award of appreciation after delivering his keynote speech.


In attendance were employees from the DOH, PhilHealth, and other government agencies, as well as various NGOs.


Officemates pose for a picture.

WE CALL on world leaders, governments, organizations, civil society, corporations and individuals to endorse, fully fund and implement the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015.
BECAUSE each year nearly 2 million people die and 9 million people become sick with TB, and because TB infects one-third of the world's population.
BECAUSE TB is a global pandemic and an emergency in Africa and the European region.
BECAUSE TB is the biggest killer of people with HIV/AIDS and multi-drug resistant forms of TB are a threat around the globe.
BECAUSE TB is curable.
BECAUSE the Stop TB strategy is getting results.
BECAUSE 14 million more lives can be saved over the next 10 years.
BECAUSE treating and curing people with tuberculosis prevents the spread of the disease, reduces poverty, strengthens health systems, engages all care providers and empowers those affected.
BECAUSE new vaccines, drugs and diagnostics to Stop TB are urgently needed.
BECAUSE access to TB treatment is a human right.
BECAUSE TB can be eliminated by 2050 if we take action now.
FOR THESE 10 REASONS, we commit ourselves, through our actions, to a world free of TB.

STOP TB - SAVE LIVES.

An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death's agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite sugar cookies wafting up the stairs.

He gathered enough strength to get out bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom.

With even greater effort, he forced his boney fingers to grab the handrail and he went down the stairs, one stumbling step at a time.

With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven.

There, on the kitchen table, spread out in rows upon wax paper, were literally hundreds of his favorite sugar cookies.

Was it heaven? Or, was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife of 60 years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he lunged toward the table, landing on his knees in a rumpled posture.

His parched lips were slightly parted. The wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth; seemingly bringing him back to life.

The aged and withered hand, driven by one last gritty effort, shakingly made its way towards a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.

"Stay out of those," she said, "They're for the funeral!"

Thanks to xtnag for this one. :-)

We really should be looking more into the psychological profiles of our school teachers.

Last week, Delmar Redota, a nine year-old second grade pupil of the Silangan Elementary School in Barangay Upper Bicutan passed away, a week after being forced to eat pencil shavings by a teacher as punishment for supposedly being mischievous. The ingestion of pencil shavings apparently led to the girl contracting tonsilitis and pneumonia, which led to her death. Read the full story here on INQ7.net.

The teacher, Brenda Elbambuena, is believed to be in hiding.

The victim's mother, Diana Redota, for one reason or another, or perhaps due to lack of resources, doesn't seem to be inclined to press charges, and only wishes for her daughter have a decent burial.

Considering that teachers exercise substitute parental authority and are responsible for our children's safety whenever they are in school, I think Elbambuena should be made to answer for the grim fate suffered by Delmar.

Surely we can't ignore this act of cruelty which led to the untimely death of a girl yet to reach her prime. She deserves nothing less than justice.

I remember a similar personal experience more than twenty years ago when I was still in elementary school. A teacher (teaching religion, no less) threw a toy rubber frog at me when the back of my chair which was being pulled by a classmate created a thud when it hit the wall behind me. The toy frog hit me smack in the face and caused my nose to bleed. My parents, out of mercy for the teacher who kept on apologizing afterwards, did not press any charges. A year or so after the incident, I heard the teacher had another outburst and injured yet another student. She obviously has some serious anger management problems.

Her apology notwithstanding, I think my parents should have just filed charges instead. It could have prevented the second incident, and sent a clear message that teachers, whether in public or private schools, should also accord students proper respect and not to vent their anger on them. Teachers with personality issues have no place in schools. While corporal punishment in classrooms may or may not be acceptable (this is a different debate altogether), punishment which causes injuries of any sort or maybe even death in the extreme, should absolutely not be tolerated, and the teachers guilty of this practice punished to the full extent of the law.

If I ever see that teacher who threw that toy frog at my face again (I still remember her name and what she looks like) I'll be sure to give her a piece of my mind. People like that have no business teaching children. And if you think about it, I was lucky. All I went through was a nosebleed. Delmar Redota lost her life.

I can only imagine what I would do if it were my child. There would certainly be hell to pay.

Porcelain
Moby

In my dreams I'm dying all the time
As I wake its kaleidoscopic mind
I never meant to hurt you
I never meant to lie
So this is goodbye
This is goodbye

Tell the truth you never wanted me
Tell me

In my dreams I'm jealous all the time
As I wake I'm going out of my mind
Going out of my mind

This is my favorite brand of canned meat/beef loaf ever since I was a kid.

But now, I'm a bit puzzled.

It says Beef Loaf right?


So how come there's pork in the ingredients? (Pause for dramatic effect.)

It's been more than two decades since I last played or owned a handheld game. I bet some of you would be surprised to know that, considering my background of being a techie/gamer type of person. But it's true. I'm into PC and console gaming, but I never really bothered with handhelds. For the most part the consoles and the games themselves can be quite expensive, and the sound and graphics usually pale in comparison to full-size consoles.

Before we go further, here's a little trip down memory lane. How many of you remember owning a Nintendo Game & Watch? You know, those small games with monochrome LCD screens which keep time on the side?

Well for me, and probably for a lot of you as well, the Game & Watch truly represented my first foray into handheld gaming. I was still in elementary school when I remembered owning my first ever Game & Watch:

Popeye.

Not long after that, I found myself with another:

Donkey Kong Jr.

These two games gave hours and hours of fun back then, which is a testament to their elegant design. It's amazing how much playability you could get out of them despite their simplicity. I'd bet that if you put a working unit of any of the two games above in my hands now, I can still score up to 999, the maximum high score these devices can remember. Those were the days...

But that was more than twenty years ago, and I've either broken or lost those Game & Watches of mine. Quite a shame too, since if I'm not mistaken those things seem to be quite valuable to collectors nowadays.

Well after a hiatus of two decades, I've found myself owning a new handheld. By some fluke I was able to find an extraordinarily good deal for a Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP (GBA SP). The deal was good enough that I ended up getting two, one black, and one silver. The other one is for my son, who, at age nine, is being introduced to handheld gaming at about the same age as I was.

It's also quite ironic when you realize that the GBA SP is a direct descendant of the old Game & Watch of yore.

Game Boy Advance SP.


Neat and compact when folded.


Look familiar?


In silver, with carrying strap and silicone protection. A must for kids.

With a 32-bit ARM CPU, this device is about as powerful as the original Playstation. Which isn't bad for something you can fold up and carry in your pocket. And with more than 700 titles available, I doubt it if I'll be bored with it anytime soon.

Some of you may ask, why not a Nintendo DS? Or a Playstation Portable? Simple because I can't afford any of them. Not right now, anyway. Maybe someday, when the prices of these consoles and their games drop. Who knows? Perhaps in another decade or two. :-)

*sigh* Been somewhat busy lately, as a result I missed posting an update yesterday.

It's quite a shame, since there were a lot of blog-worthy topics to write about the past couple of days. Maybe that's the problem. With just too many things to potentially blog about, I guess I momentarily lost focus.

Ironically enough, most of what I wanted to write about involves the current state of Philippine politics.

Among the topics that I wanted to blog about were Solicitor General Alfredo Benipayo's resignation, speculated to be connected to his less than stellar defense of the controversial Proclamation No. 1017. But then again, it certainly wasn't an easy task to defend such a questionable order. Who knows? Maybe his conscience indeed got the better of him, prompting him to quit.

I also wanted to write about the recent survey results released by Pulse Asia which revealed that virtually six out of every ten Filipinos want President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to step down. But there's actually nothing new about that. If anything else, the survey results only serve as a confirmation of the sentiments of the people regarding our current leadership. As usual, Malacañang has downplayed the significance of the survey results by saying that the present administration is more concerned about doing the right thing than doing what is popular. While that justification is certainly valid, personally, I'm inclined to think that there's a limit to one can do without popular support. The President should represent the collective will of the body politic, as that is the essence of a democracy. If her leadership runs askew of the will of the people, well, history has shown us that this scenario never works out in the long run.

The military has also joined the political bandwagon, claiming themselves to be the glue that holds the nation together. And sadly, they seem to have a point. One can only be dismayed by the apparent fact that the support of the military is a vital condition for any form of civilian government to remain in power. This despite the provision in our Constitution which states that civilian authority always reigns supreme over the military. Well, apparently not in this reality. If you have your doubts, one should only look back to the first and second EDSA revolutions. Both had the support of the military, hence their success. EDSA Tres and the supposed attempted takeover last February 24 didn't. That's why President Arroyo is still in power. One has to hand it to her. She did her homework.

Even the political opposition is feeling the pressure. Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel has been branded an "enemy of the state" in a video documentary released by Malacañang which details the supposed attempt by the military in cooperation with leftist rebels to topple the present government. It seems that as far as the Palace is concerned, freedom of expression doesn't include with it the right to criticize the administration.

And that's just the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

I don't know. I just don't know.

Too much politics. That's what's wrong with this country. No one is willing to give an inch, and everyone has his or her own half-assed interpretation of the law. Never mind if it's legal or not.

Not to mention a government which is so thin-skinned so as to interpret any criticism directed against it as inciting to sedition or rebellion. And our rights. Our rights! What the f*** happened to our rights?

*sigh* I really should find something else to blog about. All this politicking is giving me a headache.

Kung mayaman ka, meron kang "allergy"
Kung mahirap ka, ang tawag dyan ay "galis" o "bakokang".

Sa mayaman, "nervous breakdown" dahil sa "tension and stress"
Sa mahirap, "sira ang ulo".

Kung mayaman ka, "pneumonia" daw ang sakit mo,
Kung mahirap, "TB" yon.

Sa mayaman, "hyperacidity",
Kapag mihirap, "ulcer" dahil walang laman ang tiyan.

Sa mayaman: "malikot ang kamay" ang tawag ay "kleptomaniac"
Sa mahirap, ang tawag ay "magnanakaw" o "kawatan"

Pag mayaman ka, you're "eccentric"
Kung mahirap ka, "may toyo ka sa ulo" o "may topak" o "may sayad".

Kung mayaman ka at sumakit ang ulo mo, ikaw ay may "migraine"
Kung mahirap ka naman at sumakit ang ulo mo, ikaw ay "nalipasan ng gutom".

Kung mayaman ka, you are referred to as someone who is "scoliotic"
Pero kung mahirap ka, ikaw ay "kuba".

Kung ang senorita mo ay maitim, ang tawag ay "morena" o "sun tanned"
Pero kung isa kang domestic na maitim, ikaw ay "ita" o "negrita" o "baluga".

Kung nasa high society ka at ikaw ay maliit, ang tawag sa iyo ay "petite"
Kung mahirap ka lang, ikaw ay "pandak" o "bansot".

Kung socialite ka, ikaw ay "pleasingly plump"
Kapag mahirap ka, ika'y "tabatsoy" o "lumba-lumba"...pagminamalas ka, "baboy".

Kapag mayaman, "fasting" ang hindi kumain
Kung mahirap, "nagtitiis".

Kung well-off ka at date ka rito, date ka roon, ang tawag sa iyo ay "socialite"
Kung mahirap ka, ikaw ay "pakawala" o "pok-pok".

Kung mayamang alembong ka, ang tawag sa iyo ay "liberated"
Pero kung isa kang dukha, ang tawag sa iyo "malandi".

Kapag mayaman, "misguided" o "spoiled" ka
Kung mahirap ka, "addict" o "durugista".

Kung may pera ka, ang tawag sa iyo "single parent"
Pero kung wala kang trabaho, ang tawag sa iyo "disgrasyada".

Kapag mayaman at sexy, "fashionable" daw
Kung mahirap, sigurado "GRO" o "japayuki" ka.

Ang tawag sa mayayamang puro gulay ang kinakain, "vegetarian"
Habang kakaawa ang mahirap na "kumkain ng damo".

Sa exclusive school, "assertive" ang amy batang sumasagot sa mga guro
Pero pag ang mga mahihirap na bata ang sumasagot sa mga guro, ang tawag sa kanila ay "bastos!".

Ang mayamang tumatanda, "are graduating gracefully into senior citizenhood"
Ang mga mahihirap ay "gumugurang".

Ang anak ng mayaman ay "slow learner"
Ang anak ng mahirap ay "bobo" o "gung-gong".

Kung mayaman ka at marami kang kumain, you flatter your host who says, "masarap kang kumain and I like you, you do justice to my cooking".
Kung ghastly peasant ka eating the same amount in the same house, your host will say to himself na ikaw ay "patay-gutom".

Kung graduate ka ng exclusive school at sa ibang bansa ka nagtatrabaho, ang tawag sa iyo "expat"
Kung mahirap ka lang, ikaw ay "contract worker".

Kung boss ka at binabasa mo ito sa office mo, "okay lang".
Pero kung ikaw ay hamak na empleyado lamang, ikaw ay "nagbubulakbol....."

Thanks to Annie for this one. :-)

This message is from a commencement speech made by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen, at Villanova University.

Lilies Of The Field
by Anna Quindlen

I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work.

You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree; there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life.

Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank account but your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is a cold comfort on a winter night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've gotten back the test results and they're not so good.

Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say.

I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cutout. But I call them on the phone, and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, or at best mediocre at my job, if those other things were not true. You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are.

So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.

Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast? Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over Seaside Heights, a life in which you stop and watch how a red tailed hawk circles over the water or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger. Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter.

Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beers and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister.

All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.

It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the color of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again.

It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get.

I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this:

Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.

Check this out. Actually, I think they came pretty damn close. :-)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=49IDp76kjPw

Lucky seven.

Here I am, stuck in some internet cafe' in Quezon City. I'd rather go home, but I can't. Because my car's plate number ends in 1, I can't drive it on public roads until 7 PM.

I'm a bit bushed, bored, and uninspired. Thought I'd rant a bit to while the time away.

I never really did like browsing the internet from public computers. I have to be doubly certain that I log off properly from my email, blog, and other accounts, lest they be accessible to others when I leave this station. I have this friend who once opened her Friendster account in an internet cafe', and left the computer without logging off properly. Some idiot took advantage of the fact and sent expletives to various people in her friend list, including myself. Let that be a lesson to all of you out there who aren't careful about their accounts when on public computers.

Aside from the security issues, one reason I dislike using public computers is that virtually all of them, to me at least, don't seem to be configured properly. And somehow I have this uncanny ability to detect the problem. Must be a mutant power of some sort. All I have to do is sit in front of the PC for a few minutes, maybe open a web page, and then I instantly recognize some problem. Some people can see the future, or read minds. Me? I can diagnose PC problems with just a glance. Can I have this skill traded for something else that will actually make me some money? Sometimes it's something as simple as the image on the monitor not properly resized to occupy the entire screen. Sometimes the refresh rate is set too low, which tends to give me eyestrain. And sometimes the computer is just badly set up. Sometimes it's slow, which oftentimes can be attributed to Windows being improperly installed, or the PC running with too little memory. Ah memory. You can never have too much of it, just like hard disk space.

I'm rambling, ain't I? Oh well, just typing words off the top of my head. I haven't done this in a while, maybe I should do this more often. I just hope the grammar and spelling isn't too atrocious.

This morning I went to an old college bud's house where I sold him my trusty and ever reliable Nokia 6600. It was, and still is, a pretty good phone, and I was able to use virtually all of its vaunted hi-tech features, from email, web browsing and Bluetooth connectivity, to a host of cryptic acronyms only nerds like myself can understand, such as SMS, MMS, GPRS, IrDA, POP, SMTP, etc. Not many people can claim that about their mobile phones. Hmmm. Maybe I ought get a life.

6 PM. An hour to go. Now where were we?

Now that I sold my other phone, I have a line which only consists of a SIM card. That means I have to buy another phone. Doesn't it just piss you off when you buy an expensive, state-of-the-art phone, only to see its value depreciate faster than you can say uncle? Just paying for the thing and taking it home knocks off about P500.00 to P1,000.00 of its price in case you have second thoughts about the model and you want to sell it to someone else. Unfortunately that seems to be the way technology is nowadays. Just like my HIS Excalibur Radeon 9600 Pro video card. Bought it for about P10,000.00 not more than three years ago. Sold it the other week for P4,000.00. Can be bought new for P6,500.00 today.

I suffer from hyperhidrosis. Specifically, sweaty palms. I've had sweaty palms since about high school, and I'm honestly tired of having to rub my palms on my handkerchief or on my pants every time I have to shake someone's hand. I've heard that the only true cure is surgical, wherein a surgeon cuts something or other inside my hand to deactivate the sweat glands. Seems pretty extreme to me, though there are times like I feeling like opting for that surgery, like now for example.

It's now 23 minutes past 6 PM. Enough time I suppose to buy something to eat before I finally drive home.

I guess this winds up this rather nonsensical blog entry.

And if you read this far, congratulations! It's either you're a fan of this blog or you're bored silly just like myself. And somehow I think the latter premise is more likely. :-)

And by the way, if you know someone who's looking to buy land in Quezon City or in Cabanatuan City, please refer him/her to the ads I now put below my entries. Hell, what have I got to lose? If you wanna place an ad, just tag me or send me an email. Its free. :-) Why bother with ads? Call it "diversification".

Peace out.

There was a time not so long ago, perhaps a few years back, that having an account on Friendster was the "in" thing to do. Virtually everyone who had access to a computer and the internet was into it, and I was no different.

Not only did I actually exert the effort to look up friends of mine, I actually went to the extent of browsing the profiles of people I don't know for the purpose of inviting them to be on my Friendster list. It wasn't an unusual thing to do in those days. Almost everyone I knew was doing it as well. We even had a term for those who were truly bent on expanding their friend lists whatever the cost. We referred to them as kina-career ang Friendster. These are the type of people who would actually have shots of themselves taken at a photographer's studio just for the sole purpose of posting the pictures on Friendster. Fortunately, I was never that deep. :-)

After a while the novelty kinda wore off, and I hardly logged on my account anymore. Occasionally I would, but I would be bombarded by all sorts of inane and nonsensical bulletins, messages trying to get me into all sorts of commercial ventures and pyramid schemes, offers for self-help seminars, and all sorts of trash.

Then Friendster "improved" and offered customizable profiles and blogging services, among other things.

The vast majority of those who customized their profiles ended up plastering them with all sorts of blinkies and background images with colors or patterns which made the text on them virtually impossible to read. A lot of people also jumped on the blogging bandwagon via Friendster's new blog service, which is quite pathetic to say the least, when compared to that offered by "real" meat and potatoes blogging services like Blogger, TypePad (the real deal, not the castrated version offered by Friendster) and WordPress. Suffice it to say that I have hardly seen any blogs of note on Friendster, and if you're looking for good blogs to read, that doesn't really seem to be the place to find any.

All of sudden, to me at least, Friendster didn't seem to be a cool place to hang around anymore.

So what's a guy to do? At first I thought of deleting my account, but it would seem such a waste considering I did manage to build up a friend list with a lot of genuine friends, and I did get to make and receive a number of sincere testimonials (even though admittedly, I got a few which were of the copy/paste variety).

I did the next best thing. I deleted people whom I didn't know from my friend list. The only people who remained on my friend list are those whom I actually know, those I actually met, regular chatmates and fellow bloggers.

My friend list ended up being half as large as it was when I started. Initially I had 238 friends on my friend list. After my deletion spree had ended, only 104 remained. I may be 134 friends short, but the 104 are all real people whom I am actually familiar with.

If you have the time and are so inclined to, I recommend you do the same. Not only will you end up clearing your friend list of people you don't know, you'll save yourself from the aggravation of having tons of asinine bulletins cluttering up your Friendster Home page.

I guess the moral of this post, if you can call it that, is that your Friendster account, like everything else in life, could probably use a little cleaning up now and then. I know mine did. :-)

Check out this link. It's hilarious. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnivTYn-dps

Slowing down things a tad...

One of my favorite songs from the 80s.


Somebody
Depeche Mode

I want somebody to share
Share the rest of my life
Share my innermost thoughts
Know my intimate details
Someone who'll stand by my side
And give me support
And in return
She'll get my support
She will listen to me
When I want to speak
About the world we live in
And life in general
Though my views may be wrong
They may even be perverted
She'll hear me out
And won't easily be converted
To my way of thinking
In fact she'll often disagree
But at the end of it all
She will understand me
Aaaahhhhh....

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought and
With every breath
Someone who'll help me see things
In a different light
All the things I detest
I will almost like
I don't want to be tied
To anyone's strings
I'm carefully trying to steer clear of
Those things
But when I'm asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
I'll get away with it
And in a place like this
I'll get away with it
Aaaahhhhh....

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed:

"Dear Lord, I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen."

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.

The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, Set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the checkbook. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog.

Then it was already 1 P.M. and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, Then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9 P.M. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was, expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said, Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being ble to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back." Amen.

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied, "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night."

The last Battlefield 2 patch (v1.2) turned out to be somewhat (make that very) buggy, prompting Dice and EA to come up with this follow-up patch. It is strongly recommended that you download and install it if you want the best possible Battlefield 2 gaming experience. Hopefully this patch will be more bug-free than the last, and it doesn't introduce any new issues.

Somehow, I doubt it. :-)

Click here for a full list of bug fixes.

As for the v1.21 patch, here's a list of everything new:

BUG FIXES

• Fixed the Hmmwv with TOW crash on Battlefield 2: Special Forces maps

• Fixed the Battle Recorder crash

• Fixed the screen capture

• Fixed the issue with Pixel Shader 1.4 video cards

• Fixed the issue that caused heat seeking missiles to stick to oil towers

• Fixed the issue that caused heat seaking missiles to ziz-zag

• Reduced the maximum number of claymores that can be dropped to 2

• Fixed the Server Browser filter to enable search by map name

• Fixed the error in Client - Server communication causing sound, animation and other sync issues.

Amnesty International recently came up with a statement reasserting the need to respect human rights in the Philippines.

Here's a brief excerpt:

The recent alleged coup attempt prompted the arrest or threatened arrest of left and right-wing politicians, military officers and others accused of “rebellion” or involvement in the reported coup conspiracy. Amnesty International is concerned that this may lead to arbitrary detentions and an erosion of the right of every suspect to due process and a fair trial.

In particular AI remains concerned about the application of the charge of “rebellion”, designated as a “continuing crime” under Philippines jurisprudence and therefore allowing for arrests without warrants issued by the courts. Such provisions entail a danger of misuse in politically-motivated detentions. Summary inquest procedures which follow warrantless arrests could lead to prolonged periods of custody before the basis of allegations put forward by the police can be fully and independently scrutinised by the courts.

Amnesty International is also concerned about apparently political motives behind recent selective arrests and launch of criminal proceedings. Although the recent alleged coup conspiracy reportedly involved persons from across the political spectrum, there are reports that the political Left in particular may have been targeted for a repeated series of arrests on a variety of spurious charges.

Read the full statement here.

It is saddening to realize that human rights violations, some even under the guise of legality have become so rampant here in the Philippines that international organizations are starting to take notice.

The attempts to control the media, the warrantless arrests, the forcible taking into custody of individuals under the pretext of being merely "invited for questioning", the ongoing witchhunt among the armed forces in search of those sympathetic to anti-Arroyo groups are testament to this fact.

This decline in the respect for fundamental human rights can only be attributed to an administration bent on preserving its existence through whatever means possible.

This should be nipped in the bud before its too late.

A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband.

Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates. You may visit the store ONLY ONCE !

There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.

There is, however, a catch...you may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband.

On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.

The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.

The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking.

"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the ! Lord, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!

Remember Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.

You have to learn to be grateful for what you have to get more. When you are ungrateful you end up with nothing.

Thanks to my brother for this one. :-)

Today, March 8, is International Women's Day. It is on this day that we celebrate the achievements of women in various fields all over the world. This date has come to represent equality, justice, peace and development for all women worldwide.

The significance of this date has not been lost to us Filipinos, in fact the day has been marked by various activities from different groups commemorating the vital roles and contributions made by women in society.

Unfortunately, the importance of this day has been marred by overly apparent violations of various rights and laws by the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

This afternoon, Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel was taken into custody while participating in a rally spearheaded by the Akbayan Citizens' Action Party and the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) labor organization. The rally was being held at the Mabuhay Rotonda in Quezon City, in celebration of International Women's Day. It allegedly did not have a permit.

Also taken into custody was Joshua Mata of the APL.

Was the "arrest" of Representative Hontiveros-Baraquel legal? I strongly believe that it isn't.

First point. As a member of the House of Representatives, Hontiveros-Baraquel enjoys parliamentary immunity. She cannot be arrested for any offense punishable by six years of imprisonment or less while Congress is in session. Section 11, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution provides:

Section 11. A Senator or Member of the House of Representatives shall, in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session. No Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof.

Despite the clarity of this provision, our police officers have disregarded this provision in our Constitution.

Second point. Police authorities claimed that since the rally did not have a permit, it was automatically deemed illegal and as such subject to dispersal.

Again, I find this logic asinine, to say the least.

First of all, the Constitution expressly protects the right of the people to assemble and to express their grievances to the government. Section 4, Article III of the 1987 Constitution provides:

Section 4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

But what about the lack of a permit from the Mayor's office? The police claim that the rally did not have the appropriate permit as required by Batas Pambansa 880. Representative Hontiveros-Baraquel stated that they applied for a permit with the city government of Quezon City, but the application was not acted upon. The fact that an application was filed but was not acted upon automatically means that permit has been deemed granted. Paragraph (b), Section 6 of B.P. 880 provides:

(b) The mayor or any official acting in his behalf shall act on the application within two (2) working days from the date the application was filed, failing which, the permit shall be deemed granted. Should for any reason the mayor or any official acting in his behalf refuse to accept the application for a permit, said application shall be posted by the applicant on the premises of the office of the mayor and shall be deemed to have been filed.

Third point. Despite the fact that Representative Hontiveros-Baraquel and APL member Joshua Mata were forcibly taken into custody, the police have insisted that they were not actually arrested, but only "invited for questioning". How idiotic is that? There was no warrant, only the extension of an invitation for questioning, and yet the two were virtually manhandled into a waiting police vehicle for transportation to Camp Karingal. The police officers making the "invitation" weren't even in uniform, which makes their recognition as persons in authority impossible.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Police Director Vidal Querol in a radio interview insists that if a rally doesn't have a permit, the police automatically have a basis for performing dispersal operations and to take rally leaders into custody. Shades of martial law if you asked me.

Representative Hontiveros-Baraquel intends to file charges against the arresting officers. I hope she kicks their ass in the proper forum. Violations of the law as blatant as this should not go unrecognized and unpunished.

It is appalling how little regard and/or knowledge our law enforcers have for law and civil liberties. As police officers, they should be enforcing the law, and not violating the law themselves. Ignorance is not an excuse. Rights are supposed to be protected, not violated. The Commission on Human Rights better have something to say on this.

This only goes to show what kind of leadership we have. Leadership which show no qualms over violating fundamental laws amd rights just to preserve its existence have no place in a democracy. But the way things are going, more and more it seems as if we are living under dictatorial rule instead of a real democracy.

This administration hardly showed any respect for the the 20th Anniversary of the EDSA Revolution. It isn't really surprising to see the lack of respect for International Women's Day.

What have we gotten ourselves into?

Links:

Baraquel released, to file charges vs cops

Is marine Col. Ariel Querubin a hero or a traitor? It's hard to tell. Especially since we don't know all the facts regarding recent events which have been seemingly hidden by a veil of military secrecy.

Col. Querubin was one of the three military officers relieved last February 24 for allegedly being involved in a plot to overthrow the government. Three days later, he led a group of marines in refusing the authority of incoming marine commandant Brigadier General Nelson Allaga. What resulted was a tense standoff which lasted several hours before finally being resolved.

To further fuel the controversy, Querubin's wife was said to be a recipient of a check amounting to P3,000,000.00 in behalf of a Philippine Marine cooperative, with the funds originating from a foundation with Estrada connections.

Some quarters claim that Col. Querubin was paid by some people linked to former President Estrada to stage a coup. There are some who say that he did what he did in the afternoon of the 27th of February out of a sense of honor, when he maintained his allegiance to his former commanding officer, whom, he believed, was forcibly and unceremoniously relieved.

Who's to say if he's a hero or a traitor? Certainly not me, since there aren't enough facts to make a conclusion one way or another. But what I am certain of is that there is indeed more to this story than what we have watched on TV, what we have listened to on the radio, and what we have read on newspapers and on the internet.

It is ironic that one of the military officers the Arroyo administration has branded as one of those "military adventurists" bent of toppling the government happens to be a genuine hero, having been awarded the Medal of Valor by no less than President Arroyo herself for courage and bravery in leading a battalion of marines against a superior number of MILF fighters in Mindanao in 2000.

Now he has been stripped of his command, and stays at his residence in Camp Aguinaldo with his family, tight-lipped to the press on the events which transpired only a week or so ago.

An investigation is now underway, but I doubt it if we will ever know the complete truth. Not that it really bothers me or anything. The truth about a lot of things seem to be elusive lately. After a while you just get used to it.

But of course, curiosity sometimes has its own rewards.

Some research has turned up a copy of the Class of '79 Philippine Military Academy Yearbook. Here's a glimpse of Col. Querubin, fresh out of the academy:

sword '79.


Col. Ariel Querubin 27 years ago.


Obviously intelligent, well-rounded, and a natural leader during his academy days.

One can only wonder what is it that would make one of the armed forces' finest, most decorated warriors, a marine no less, turn against the chain of command, assuming of course that that is indeed what happened. Your guess is a good as mine. But somehow, it isn't really difficult to figure out why, given the current state of Philippine politics.

Karangalan, Katungkulan, Kabayanihan

- Philippine Marine Corps motto

If only there were more of them to go around.

This all-natural tea is supposed to "stoke your fires," if you know what I mean. Highly recommended by an officemate. I guess curiosity got the better of me. The question is, now what? :-)

Rhino herbal tea.


Hmmm...very interesting.

Mrs. Jenkins comes to visit her son Anthony for dinner...who lives with a female roommate, Vikki. During the course of the meal, his mother couldn't help but notice how pretty Anthony's roommate was. She had long been suspicious of a relationship between the two, and this had only made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to onder if there was more between Anthony and his roommate than met the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Anthony volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Vikki and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Vikki came to Anthony saying, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the silver sugar bowl. You don't suppose she took it, do you?"

"Well, I doubt it, but I'll email her, just to be sure." So he sat down and wrote:

Dear Mama,

I'm not saying that you 'did' take the sugar bowl from my house, I'm not saying that you 'did not' take it. But the fact remains that it has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.

Love, Anthony

Several days later, Anthony received a response email from his Mama, which read:

Dear Son,

I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Vikki, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with her. But the fact remains that if she were sleeping in her OWN bed, she would have found the sugar bowl by now.

Love, Mama.

Lesson of the day ... Don't Lie to Your Mother

Thanks to xtnag for this one. :-)