day 49

what is it you are most humble about yourself? most proud of?

the landlord

very very funny video - soooo cute!

if manila is attacked?

Another potshot disguised as humor... but before anybody gets offended, there is some truth to the legendary ineptness, inimitably found in Manila.

After the tragedy in New York and Washington the question arises:
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF Manila IS ATTACKED?
Well ... if that happens, there can be no comparison. That's because in Manila, we are much better prepared for these kind of attacks.
1. We do not have tall buildings. The only large structure that can be seen from above is the Marcos monument in Ilocos and terrorists are welcome to target that.
2. We all get on the job late in the morning specially government employees, so at 8:45 there won't be sufficient people to kill (well, not even at 10 am!).
3. Fire fighters and police officers will do their utmost not to get to the spot in time. They will reach there just when everything is over, so there will be no casualties among them.
4. The national airline would surely have fouled up the terrorists plans by being delayed again or crash before even getting to the target due to mechanical troubles.
5. A Pinoy would not have used his cell phone to call home. He would've hit the terrorist with it over the head.
6. If a terrorist was living for one year in Manila he would've been robbed and molested so many times he would've given up and gone back to his home country a long time ago.
7. In Manila, the terrorists would not have gotten the flight manual, they would've had to pay for it.
You see... in Manila we are well prepared!

day 48

do you experience mood swings? are you aware of them?

preoccupied

my current occupation - saint nick's assistant (office gift wrapper) -

day 47

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Or is it depending on who you are with?

fruits from the joshua tree

well what can i say? 20 years gone, the joshua tree is still on top radio playlists and imagine when its was first released i wasn't even in my teens then, but i knew these songs. U2 is just wonderful. this album, their tribute to americana is beyond words. just listen... i still havent found what i'm looking for & with or without you... really nothing i write is not good enough to describe them.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

U2 - With Or Without You

3 movies and the Globes

Reading an article today about the Golden Globe nominations for 2008. A few in the list I have already expected like Cate Blanchett and Angelina, and of course the tv show House. One thing though is I don't have an objective pick to win the Best Movie nominees. Surprisingly, I haven't watched any of them so, I will make that another one of the things I need to do.I have picked my top 3 possible contenders, from which I will pick my bet.
1. American Gangster
2. Michael Clayton
3. Atonement
Off the top of my head, it's probably Atonement that will sweep the Globes. For one thing it has the most nominations, but the black horse Michael Clayton might just do it for good ole'George, (Just seen him recently in Ocean's 12. He's fab), and then again you have Denzel in AG. Who doesn't love Denzel? So, we'll see if I ever get to watch these 3 movies before the year is out and before they hand out the Globes.

day 46

Do you prefer to be the life of the party or would you rather have an intimate, one on one conversation?

one tree hill

It's zero degrees celsius outside and its all over frost for most of this part of the country. My boss has appointed me gift wrapping person, as was last year, hmm, I've got gifts to wrap up tp my eyeballs and none of them for us poor office people. >Sigh< I'm just glad that i've got U2 to keep me company. This is a song from The Joshua Tree, released 20 years ago... classic.

We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill
As the day begs the night for mercy love
The sun so bright it leaves no shadows
Only scars
Carved into stone
On the face of earth
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes

You run like a river, on to the sea
You run like a river runs to the sea

And in the world a heart of darkness
A fire zone
Where poets speak their heart
Then bleed for it
Jara sang - his song a weapon
In the hands of one
whose blood still cries
From the ground

He runs like a river runs to the sea
He runs like a river to the sea

I don't believe in painted roses
Or bleeding hearts
While bullets rape the night of the merciful
I'll see you again
When the stars fall from the sky
And the moon has turned red
Over One Tree Hill

We run like a river
Runs to the sea
We run like a river to the sea
And when it's raining
Raining hard
That's when the rain will
Break the heart

Raining...raining in your heart
Raining into your heart
Raining...raining into your heart
Raining, raining...raining
Raining into your heart
Raining...
Raining your heart into the sea

Oh great ocean
Oh great sea
Run to the ocean
Run to the sea

day 45

Which one do you like better - small or big parties/gatherings?

Kisses Of Wishes

by Lim Yan Hsiang

A kiss of fiery passion,
To set my heart ablaze,
A kiss of fairy charms,
To send dreams of magic days.

A kiss of diamond drops,
To bring tears to my eyes,
A kiss of electric waves,
To wake my soul inside.

A kiss of dizzy swirls,
To spin my world around,
A kiss of soft touch,
To make me jump and shout.

A kiss of tight embrace,
to send me sky high,
A kiss of sweet honey,
To make my smile wide.

A kiss of lover's night,
To warm the chill inside,
A kiss of might and power,
For our hearts to entwine.

day 44

Are you a peace-keeper or a trouble-maker?

evil below the surface

Are we consciously aware that walking among us are evil people? And you would say, yes of course we are, but I’m not talking of obviously bad people here, career criminals, but those who are evil but for the most part of their wicked lives get unnoticed and do not get the retribution they sorely deserve.

What does undetected evil look like?

As I have said, they are covert individuals who blend so well with society that they are accepted as normal people. They do not act in a fashion like below-average intelligence criminals nor do they strive to accomplish the most evil deeds such as a serial killer or psychopath would. The concealed evil person is of normal intelligence that makes life difficult, agonizing and horrible for good people around them. This person is full of malice and scorn for no apparent reason, only the fact that it is their nature. They are evil. Malevolent.

What separates this individual from a criminal life is that they are quick to learn and be aware of the consequences of obvious evil acts that the less bright evil-doers tend to ignore. This type of person is careful and does their utmost to blend into good society. They are so successful into mingling with the general population that their assertions, aims and way of life have become usual and accepted. Their typical behaviours such as passive aggression, back stabbing, insults, name calling, down dragging; have been so accepted by good society that we even have a label for it; anti social behaviour. There is also the individual who is very much aware of the suffering he will cause but then again chooses not to stop himself but actually contrives to have credible deniability of his acts. All these things are so commonplace that society just accepts them as a normal way for a certain group of individuals to act.

Well they are not! These acts are as evil as they can be. Little do we know that most of the stress that normal people encounter in their lives is due to contact with such evil people. This thus creates a domino effect on those other people around us and unfortunately our loved ones. These people make others so miserable and yet they fall under the radar and do not get the punishment that we exact petty thieves, yet they do more damage.

If you are a good person you will meet numerous evil people in a lifetime, and we need to recognize them and their actions. More significant we need to identify their behaviour that they have conned us into accepting as just reasonable bad behaviour and to reject these – both in our lives and other people – as JUST UNACCEPTABLE.

In each one good person is an element of evil and the same with evil people, they have some element of good, but in a good person that element he contains in his fortitude – where his will enables him to contain it and not cause harm and to let reason prevail. And because of this that a person remains good versus evil, whereas an evil person just doesn’t have the will or fighting spirit to contain his nature.

As a society we need to expunge nature of this evil in our midst by naming them and shaming them and avoiding them at all costs and branding them a pariah. They do not have the right to share the air we breathe, they do not have a right to be in our sight, and they do not have a right to be in the same continent as us. Let them all be shipped in some isolated gaol to rot for eternity.

EVIL BELOW THE SURFACE

Natalie – A drugged existence and a hang-over does not justify what you do. You hurl insults and call people names. You hide behind the façade of a vulnerable female. You manufacture lies and like what my sister said “vile vicious vitriol” and yet you do not think twice regardless of what distress this may cause. You give women a bad name.

Ian Milne – You are very much aware of the consequences of your decisions, but their relevance eludes you, therefore any suffering that your decisions caused is on your head.

Andrew Jackson – the guise of being Christian, does not make you any less of a greedy, self-righteous hypocrite, and to think that greed is one of the seven deadly sins, you of all people should have known that.

Michael Hamer – destructive, foul-mouthed and racist, what more can I say. Ignorance does not warrant your existence. The prime example of what society labels anti-social.

Let’s all live and let live, but for the rest of them who have malice in their hearts, they just do not deserve to exist.

day 43

Do you think and plan before you decide or do things or are you impulsive?

Air force one and the farmer

Air Force One crashed in the middle of rural America. Panic stricken, the Secret Service mobilized and descended on the farm in force. When they got there, the wreckage was clear. The aircraft was totally destroyed, with only a burned hulk left smoldering in a tree line that bordered a farm. Secret Service descended upon the smoking hulk but could find no remains of the crew or the President's staff. To their amazement, a lone farmer was plowing a field not too far away as if nothing at all happened. They hurried over to surround the man's actor. "Sir," the senior Secret Service agent asked, panting and out of breath. "Did you see this terrible accident happen?" "Yep. Sure did." The man muttered unconcernedly. "Do you realize that is the President of the United States' airplane?" "Yep." "Were there any survivors?" the agent gasped. "Nope. They's all kilt straight out." The farmer sighed cutting of his tractor motor. "I done buried them all myself. Took most of the morning." "The President of the United States is DEAD?" The agent gulped in disbelief. "Yep, he kept a-saying he wasn't ... but you know what a liar he is!"

day 42

What makes you feel safe and secure?

interesting facts and tidbits - part 2

Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)

The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400

The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David Hearts - Charlemagne Clubs -Alexander, the Great Diamonds - Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what? A. Their birthplace

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested? A. Obsession

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"? A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common? A. All were invented by women.


Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil? A. Honey

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year? A. Father's Day

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~

Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

and...

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually looked back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.


AND NOW you are LAUGHING at yourself.

day 41

How often do you cry and what makes you cry?

random kindness

I have come across this quote today:

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Reminds me of a lady I met as I was having lunch alone at a hole-in the-wall burger place. I just got back in the Philippines from being away working in Brunei for more than 2 years. I was in an unfamiliar place and knew no-one. Richard, my fiancé, was arriving the next couple of days and I was going to meet him at NAIA if I could figure out how to get there. So going back to the lady, I said to her, you wouldn’t know where those buses are headed, would you? And she says, yes, actually I know. They are all headed for Manila. So our conversation started. She asked me if I was not a local and I said no I wasn’t and told her how I just arrived, rented a town house, etc etc and knew nobody in this place. The reason why I got to settle in this place was because my mom and my siblings were just living in the next town and being near family was good after being away for so long. So we kept chatting for a few minutes and our tête-à-tête ventured into my trip to the airport to meet Richard. And guess what? She works in the Security Department of the airport. Can you believe it? Of all people I would meet that day. Then she did a gesture that I still remember to this day. She said if I went to the Security Counter on the day I go to the airport, and give her name, she will leave a Security Pass for me to get in the Arrivals, at Baggage Claim, itself. Couldn’t believe my ears? She did that, just like that. I don’t know why, but what she did was so kind. Uncalled for. Unexpected.

So I did get to use the Security Pass and what happened next was something out of a sappy story. I got to baggage claim and was standing near the big windows adjacent to the washrooms and who goes whizzing past and not even saw me because he was looking the other way? Richard. So I tapped his arm and he whirls around. And the happy surprise on his face was priceless. He dumped his bags, hugged me, lifted me up and twirled me around then he dropped on one knee and on his hand was another engagement ring, and he was asking me to marry him again. People were looking at us but like heck I care, this only happens once in a lifetime. And so that was the beginning of ever after for us.

Random kindness not wasted.

day 40

Are you an optimist, pessimist or a realist?

the story of Peter

Peter Petrelli. Hospice Nurse, brother to a would-be Congressman, Nathan, an underachiever, he shines because of his compassion, and as Hiro said to him… be the one that we need.

He dreams that he can fly whilst caring for a dying man. He secretly loves Simone, the dying man’s daughter. Soon he confides to Nathan about his dreams of flight and eventually demonstrates the ability, but only when he is near his brother. Trying to find an explanation to the phenomena that he is experiencing, he tracks down the author of a book called, Activating Evolution, a geneticist, who seems to have an idea as to the origin of his new gift.

He finds out the geneticist, Dr. Suresh, has been murdered, but with the help of his son, Mohinder, they piece together some of the recent events that have taken place, and this leads them to go and visit the painter, Isaac, Simone’s lover. In previous conversations he had with Simone, he remembers that Isaac claims he can paint the future. However before reaching Isaac’s apartment, the train stops and everything inside it has stopped moving as if frozen in time. In all this he encounters, Hiro, from the future (approximately 5 years from that moment), and tells him… save the cheerleader… save the world…

And so the tale spins…

Does he save the world?

He does… he does… but not in the way that you would expect. The story of Peter is just one of the intertwined lives in Heroes, and he is my favourite so I wrote about him. He is the type of hero that this world needs now, for we humans are really great at exterminating each other. You know, Peter is for certain reasons better than Superman and you will understand what I mean if you watch the whole series. I was sad when Season 1 ended because there should have been so much more to the story. But, fret not, Season 2 is in full swing and I’m just waiting for it to conclude so I can buy the DVD of the full season. Watch out for Claire Bennet as well, and if you remember, she played the daughter of Ally McBeal. She is still cute.

Really, really great series… sorry Lost fans but it is better than Lost and better than the X-Men. Heroes is just amazing.

day 39

Do you have a child's heart sometimes? What sort of “childish” things do you think about doing?

lost in translation - part 2

Another glorious list of misconstrued phrases, but this time they are song titles, however the humour somehow gets lost in translation.

Song Titles in Tagalog
Imagine - Mantakin Mo
Bluer Than Blue - Malapit Na Sa Hukay
Tonight's The Night - Patay Kang Bata Ka
Hey Jude - Hoy Hudas!
Power of Love - Buntis
Three Times a Lady - Super Bakla
More Than A Woman - Tomboy
Can't Be With You Tonight - Meron Ako Ngayon
Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know - Huwag Mo Kong Gawing Tanga
You Should Know By Now - Alam Mo Na Dapat Ngayon Yan, Tanga!
Sometimes When We Touch - Minsan Kapag Tayo'y Naghihipuan
Touch Me In The Morning - Hipuan Mo Ako Sa Umaga
Stairway To Heaven - Mula Paa Hanggang Singit
Got To Believe In Magic - Walang Himala
Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Maitim ang Puso
King & Queen Of Hearts - Tong-it Na Ko Sa Jack
Macho Man - Walang Ganyan Sa Opis
Pretty Woman - Walang Ring Ganyan Sa Opis
How Deep Is Your Love - Magkano Ang Iyong Deposito sa Bangko

... only uniquely filipino droll will get you through a dreary and bleak winter...

day 38

Do you adapt to change easily?

big city

some pics from the BIG APPLE from PL, that may have never seen the light of day if not for me (he-he) anyway they are nice snaps...

busy street

from atop Flat Iron Building

The Flat Iron Building


Can you see the curvature of the Earth?

Big Yellow Taxi

day 37

Do you think you are a typical person in the way you think, act and believe?

10 songs

Saturday afternoon. I'm cooking a chicken roast lunch. Richard's at work and I just finished a run of my never-ending chores. I was meaning to post this yesterday but then I didn't get a chance. Anyway, yesterday afternoon I was doodling on my pad and just thinking of what defines a couple. For one thing, Richard and I love music. We are like 2 headbanging teenagers in our car/house sometimes. Our poor neighbors. They probably have ample supply of ear plugs. Well we are not all that bad. Not really. Ha-ha. We're both real mellow now. So I was saying if there were 10 songs that defined us as a couple, what would they be? So the following is my 10 song Hit List that say... This is US...

listed in order of recollection.

1. Follow You Follow Me - Genesis
2. Every Breath You Take - Police
3. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
4. Iris - Googoo Dolls
5. Lost In Space - Lighthouse Family
6. Groovy Kind of Love - Phil Collins
7. Sweetest Thing - U2
8. God Only Knows - Beach Boys
9. The Promise - When in Rome
10. Black Coffee - All Saints

day 36

Would you prefer a calm, consistent, stable relationship or a passionate, exciting but sometimes rocky one?