Weekend Musings

Alone with Crossing Over...

2009-06-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Again, i found myself alone in the house on a Sunday afternoon. I felt too lazy to go somewhere else so i decided to scrounge some DVDs from Wesa's stock.

I found this movie, Crossing Over, starring Harrison Ford as an immigration agent running after Mexican illegal immigrants.

The film deals with the border, document fraud, the asylum and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter terrorism and the clash of cultures.
from: Wikipedia
The movie highlights the lives of different nationalities struggling to get the much-coveted US green card.
There's the Mexican woman named Meriya (Alice Braga), who entered the US illegally with his young son.

Two Australian sweethearts with diverse interest of wanting to stay in the US. The guy (Jim Sturgess) was attempting to pass himself off as young rabbi. His Jewish friends taught him Hebrew prayers that he may use during the interview. He also involved his Mom in Australia to get "some papers" showing he got a Bar Mitzvah and went to Hebrew synagogue.

The girl (Alice Eve) was an aspiring actress and tried a shortcut by getting in bed with an immigration application adjudicator (Ray Liotta), whose wife (Ashley Judd) happens to be an immigration lawyer (pro-bono).

A Bangladeshi girl born in the US but her family is yet to get green cards who got enamored with Islamic extremism and caught the attention of Homeland security after she defended the 9/11 attackers in a class presentation.

A Korean boy and his family on the verged of getting naturalized but got involved with robbery turned bloody after his cohorts killed the Korean owner,

An Iranian-born immigration agent (Cliff Curtis, Ford's partner) belonging to an ultra- conservative family. His rebellious and liberal sister (Melody Khazae) was a considered a dishonor to their family and was killed by another brother (Merik Tadros) in a "family honor" killing. In the movie version, this "honor killing" was omitted. But in the DVD i saw, it was restored.

The climax of the movie was when the Iranian girl was killed by the younger brother , but it was Curtis that Ford suspected as the one who did it.

Distraught, Curtis went to a Korean store, and while inside, a group of hooded Korean youths stormed the store for a robbery. Along the way, the owner was shot and killed. Curtis engaged the youth in a gunbattle and killed all of them, except one young Korean (Justin Chon) who was about to be naturalized the next day. Curtis spared him his life and told him to go.

Ford receive a call from an immigration patrol who found the body of Meriya abandoned in the border. He went to Mexico to personally break the news of Meriya's death.

The Bangladeshi girl (Jaysha Patel) was deemed a future threat and was deported by Homeland security.

The Australian girl was arrested by immigration agents for having gotten his green card a bit too fast.

The Australian guy got a help from an old rabbi during the immigration interview, and eventually got his green card -- and a Jewish girlfriend.

Here's a review from John Hartl of Seattletimes.com:

The writer-director, Wayne Kramer, earned some fans for his 2003 sleeper, "The Cooler," which earned an Oscar nomination for Alec Baldwin. He's certainly good with actors, but he tends to push the big tear-jerker moments.

Kramer is also fond of swooping aerial shots that emphasize the boxy buildings and detention centers that litter the California landscape and trap his characters. He seems to be saying that they can't win in this environment, whether they're as world-weary as Brogan or as cynical as the actress who all but volunteers to prostitute herself.

But (spoiler alert) the movie does hold out some hope for people who luck out and/or won't let the system drag them down. As a result, the doom-laden visual scheme begins to seem inappropriate and a tad pretentious.

Next: DVD - The Red Cliff

Lost in Beijing, lost in translation..

2009-04-10T15:11:00.003-07:00

It's Thursday evening and i've got nothing to do, and nowhere to go. After two hours on the net, i finally got tired. So i went to the sala to watch DVD movies.

Already, my two Indonesian housemates were watching a very unusual movie, titled "Lost in Beijing"... This DVD was brought over from Jakarta since last year by another colleague. I thought this was about the Beijing Olympics, so I never attempted to watch it.

Since my two housemates were so engrossed with the movie, i decided to 'sit-in' with them.

To my dismay, the movie was in Chinese.... And the subtitle was in Bahasa Indonesia.

I was just trying to figure ou the story and asking my housemate, once in awhile, what is going n in the screen.

Though i can understand only a few Bahasa words and phrases, i was able to finish the movie with them.

I thought is was an "indie" movie. Shot with a single camera, 8mm i guess. Shots were crude and in some instances, blurry. The fnny thing is the obvious one-camera use with the frequent panning between two actors talking, without a break in the shot.

Anyway, i have to go to my friend Wiki to get an understanding what what was the whole story about:

Liu Pingguo (Fan Bingbing) and her husband, An Kun (Tong Dawei) are a young migrant couple from the northeast of China who have moved to Beijing for a better life. Pingguo and An Kun live in a dilapidated apartment eking out their existence working menial jobs. An Kun works as a window washer, while his wife works in the Golden Basin Massage Parlor as a foot masseuse. Golden Basin is owned and operated by Lin Dong (Tony Leung Ka Fai), an unabashed womanizer, and himself from Guangdong Province. His wife, Wang Mei (Elaine Jin) practices Chinese medicine. Very soon, the two couples find themselves headed for a
collision course.

When Pingguo's best friend, Xiao Mei (Zeng Meihuizi), assaults a customer, she is quickly fired by Lin Dong. Pingguo, wishing to commiserate, takes her friend out and promptly becomes drunk on bai jiu. Returning to the Golden Basin, she passes out in an empty office. Lin Dong, seeing the vulnerable Pingguo attempts to make a pass, which quickly turns into rape, a rape witnessed by the window washer, An Kun. Furious at the sight, An Kun begins a campaign of harassment against Lin Dong, defacing his Mercedes Benz, and attempting to blackmail him for ¥20,000. When Lin Dong ignores the furious husband, An Kun goes directly to Wang Mei, who rather than acquiescing, seduces the naive window washer.

Soon, it is discovered that Liu Pingguo is pregnant, though neither An Kun nor Lin Dong can be certain of who is the father. Lin Dong, however, sees in Pingguo an opportunity to make things right with his barren wife as well as to settle things with Pingguo and her husband once and for all. Soon, the two husbands have concocted a scheme wherein An Kun initially receives ¥20,000 for his mental suffering. If the child has Lin Dong's bloodtype, he will go home with the massage-parlor owner and An Kun will receive ¥100,000. If however, the baby is An Kun's, no money is exchanged, but Pingguo and An Kun keep the baby.

Moreover, if Lin Dong again sleeps with Pingguo, half of his assets will go to Wang Mei in a divorce proceeding. During these negotiations, Pingguo remains conspicuously silent.

As the baby is carried to term, Lin Dong becomes more and more attached to the idea that he will at last be a father. When the baby is born however, An Kun discovers that it is indeed his child. Unable to turn down the money, he manages to convince Lin Dong that it is his son, allowing him to collect the ¥120,000. Although, seeing how happy Lin Dong is with the baby, An Kun grows increasingly jealous, at last resorting to a clumsy and ultimately doomed kidnapping.

After being released (presumably by Wang Mei, who has decided to divorce her husband), An Kun attempts to "repurchase" his child, to which Lin Dong promptly refuses. Pingguo, who had moved into Lin Dong's home after the birth as a nursemaid, at last has had enough. Quietly, she gathers the money that An Kun had returned, and taking her child, walks out the door. The film then ends as the two men, Lin Dong and An Kun, attempt to search for her, only to have their car break down on a busy Beijing highway...

One of the amusing aspect of this movie is its depiction of sex and nudity. Reports said that Chinese censors ordered 15 cuts to the film before being shown domestically. But it seems that our copy is a sort of "Director's Cut" copy.

I almost choked (i was eating 'suya' barbecue while watching) watching the rape scene between Lin Dong and Pingguo, and the sex scene between the young couple. Also, the bed scene between An kun and Wang Mei (Lin Dong's wife). I thought for awhile i was watching a soft porn movie.

One might see it was a "risque" indie film, and very rare for a Chinese-made movie.

While the camera works (cinematography) is erratic and blurry, but the story was kind of tightl woven. Also, to kill time, there's plenty of skyline or horizon shots which served as 'fillers'...

Overall, even if I didn't understand the conversation, i surely understood the storyline.

Ah, to be young and ignorant in the city. And to be taken advantage...

Sounds very familiar. Specially to our female OFWs to Arab countries....

The 90/10 Principle

2009-03-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Author: Stephen Covey

What is this Principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you.

…90% of life is decided by how you react…

π

What does this mean?

We really have NO control over 10% of what happens to us.

We cannot stop the car from breaking down.
The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off.
A driver may cut us off in the traffic.

π

We have NO control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different.
You determine the other 90%.

How?... By your reaction.

π

You cannot control a red light.
However, you can control your reaction.

Do not let people fool you.
YOU can control how you react.

Let us use an example…

You are having breakfast with your family.
Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee
Onto your business shirt.

π

You have no control over what has just happened.

What happens next will be determined by how you react.

π

You curse.
You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.
She breaks down in tears.

After scolding her, you turn to your wife
and you criticize her for placing the cup
too close to the edge of the table.
A short verbal battle follows.

You storm upstairs and change your shirt.
Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish her breakfast and getting ready to go to school.
She misses the bus.

π

Your spouse must leave immediately for work.
You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school.

Because you are late, you drive 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone.

π

After a 15-minute delay and throwing
$60.00 traffic fine away, you arrive at school.
Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye.

After arriving at the office 20 minute late,
You realize you forgot your briefcase.

π

Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.
You look forward to coming home.

π

When you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your relationship with your wife and daughter.

π

Why?
Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?

π

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is “D”

π

You had no control over what happened with the coffee.
How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

π

Here is what could have and should have happened.

π
Coffe splashes over you.
Your daughter is about to cry.

You gently say:
“It’s okay, honey, you just need to be
More careful next time.”

Grabbing a towel you go upstairs and change your shirt.

You grab your briefcase, and you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus.
She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early a cheerfully greet the staff.
Notice the difference?

π

Two different scenarios.
Both started the same.
Both ended different.

Why?

Because of how you reacted.
π

You really have no control over 10%
of what happens in your life.

π

The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

π

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 Principle.

If someone says something negative about you, do not be a sponge.
Let the attack roll off like water on glass.
You do not have to let the negative comments affect you.

React properly and it will not ruin your day.
A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, or getting stressed out.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in the traffic?

Do you lose your temper?
Pound on the steering wheel? (a friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off),
Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket?
Who cares if you arrive 10 seconds later at work?
Why let the cars ruin your drive?

π

Remember the 90/10 Principle and don’t worry about it.

You are told you lost your job.
Why lose sleep and get irritated?
It will work out.

Use your worrying energy and time to find a new job.
π

The plane is late. It is going to mangle your schedule for the day.

Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant?
She has no control over what is going on.

Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger, why stress out?
It will just make things worse.

π

Now you know the 90/10 Principle.
Apply it and you will be amazed at the results.
You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90/10 Principle is incredible.
Very few know and apply this Principle.

The result?

You will see it by yourself!
π

Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and headaches.

We all must understand and apply the 90/10 Principle.
It can change your life!

π

It only takes willpower to give ourselves permission to make the experience.

Got Heroes?

2009-03-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

When i transferred to new staff house, i was happy that we had a DVD player and Magic Sing. My new housemates were also avidcollectors of movies in DVD and those TV series, like Smallville, Alias, Prison break, 24, and Heroes.

Of course, I am already familiar with the first 4 titles. Bu the last one, Heroes, i haven't seen yet. I was told it was actually being shown in the Philippines under RPN. But since our TV is ony tuned to GMA and ABS-CBN, i never got to see it back in pinas.

And so, i took out 4 DVDs of Heroes - Season 1.

However, i go to my friend, Mr. Wiki, for a synopsis of the Heroes series.

Season One
Isaac's painting of Manhattan's destruction in "Genesis" - the following episode, set five weeks in the future, depicts the same explosion, and the painting forms the basis of the primary story arc of the first season. The volume begins as a seemingly ordinary group of people gradually become aware that they have special abilities. Events illustrate their reactions to these powers, and how the discovery affects their personal and professional lives. At the same time, several ordinary individuals are investigating the origins and extent of these abilities. Mohinder Suresh, a geneticist, continues his late father's research into the biological source of the change, while Noah Bennet represents a secret organization known only as the "Company". While coping with these new abilities, each of the characters is drawn, willingly or unwillingly, into the Company's conspiracy to control superpowered people and into a race to stop an explosion from destroying New York City.

The episodes here are eally action-pack and showcases the powers of each individual, whether used in good or bad ways, and how it came to an end (self-destruction or by Sylar or by the company). I got hooked.

Season Two
Volume two begins four months after the events of Kirby Plaza. The main plot arc of "Generations" deals with the Company and its research on the Shanti virus. This research is explored through the Company's founders, whose identities are revealed, as well as through the effects of various strains of the virus. The "heroes" ultimately come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global pandemic.

I was a bit annoyed that in Season Two, all the usual bad guys, foremost of which is Sylar, came back. I can already smell the usual venganza in the air. But the introduction of new characters with new powers kept me watching Heroes 2.

Season Three
Volume Three began with the assassination attempt on Nathan Petrelli, and the consequences it has in the future. In addition, several villains escape from the confines of Level 5, and the Company attempts to recapture them. Arthur Petrelli heals from systemic nerve damage with the help of Adam Monroe's healing abilities and eventually gains a few of the villains (Flint Gordon Jr., Knox, and Daphne Millbrook) while later luring in Mohinder Suresh, Nathan, Tracy Strauss , Elle Bishop, and Sylar. Their objective is to create a formula to give people abilities but after many failures they soon realize they need to find the catalyst. Claire and Hiro go back in time with Hiro being given the catalyst by his mother. This is short-lived when Arthur intervenes and grabs the catalyst. Afterwards, Peter Petrelli, The Haitian face off Arthur at Pinehearst where they fight for control of the formula. In the end, Arthur is shot dead by Peter's bullet through Sylar's telekinesis ability, saying he is the killer not Peter. Peter injects himself with the formula in order to save Nathan, who was on his fathers side. Ando is given the ability to charge other peoples abilities (which helped him grab Hiro from the past with the help of Daphne's super-speed ability); Claire, Noah Bennet, and Angela Petrelli fight off Sylar at Primatech in which Meredith's ability goes awry burning the building to the ground with Sylar presumably dead.

I borrowed one DVD containing the first episode only. I looked for the entire set from pirated DVD vendors but couldn't get one. Until I mentioned my frustration to a Pinoy colleague, Roland, about my recent obssession with Heroes. Roland said he has a collection of the episodes he downloaded from the internet. I was finally able to see what looked like an ultimate showdown of superheroes - to the death. I felt annoyed that Peter lost his 'empath' ability, and with it, all the powers he collected from others. Also annoying is Sylar getting split-personality of good guy-bad guy characterization. I was expecting Ando to get a better ability than a 'power booster', super spark plug.

Already, I was beginning to think of how to get hold of Season 4.

Season Four
Volume Four begins with Nathan Petrelli telling the president about the existence of individuals who possess superhuman abilities. The president authorizes Nathan to capture heroes, and the majority of the main characters are rounded up, with the exception of Sylar, who escapes Nathan's agents while attempting to locate his biological father.

After futile attempt to download from the links given in got-heroes.com, i decided to try my luck with the torrents. I felt lucky that the new episodes (HDTV-rip) were already available on the torrent. Boy, aren't these torrent folks great. I was only able to download episodes 15 & 16 yet.

However, i felt that the first two episodes -- Trust and Blood and Building 26 -- were quite lame. It was all 'preparation'. Actions were intermittent. And there's plenty of incredulities in it. Hiro falling hard, face-flat into the ground without his eyeglasses flying or getting broken. The plane crash episode shows characters with a bad case of 'effects' make-up... Too tidy and neat to come out in a smoking and blazing plane...

Daphne getting killed despite her super-fast reflexes. And Matt Parkman not going ballistic with her death. Ando being unable to 'spark' Hiro's ability to come back. Noah Bennet's obssession in protecting Claire and in so doing he must again abduct people with abilities. And Claire's gung-ho attitude which always ends with her getting captured.

I really do not understand anymore Claire's role in this episode. I am beginning to think that this is going to be Sylar's season.

Anyways, 3 more episodes to watch...

Which got me to thinking. The reason why i am still watching Heroes is that i want to know which path Tim Kring will go. So far, the entire Heroes episodes tells of how people wih special abilities are despised or dstrusted by 'regular' people. Or want to be manipulated by others to do their vested interests -- like rule the world.

Some people with special disabilities are called 'freaks'. And special abilities doesn't have to mean super powers. A person with dyslexia, or with Down's Syndrome, or ADHD is a person with special ability, in some ways. For the rest of us, supposedly 'normal' people, we tend to consider them freak of nature or the weak link in our genetic pool. For all we know, for those with 'special abilities' or with 'special needs', "we" are the ones wo are freaks...

So far, Tim Kring reinforces our "normal" belief that people with superhuman abilities tend to wreck havoc to our regular lives, instead of becoming reluctant heroes like Spiderman or Superman that will save the day (and the planet) for us...

The only truism in Heroes is what Hiro realized in the Indian episode. That you do not need to have special powers or abilities to be a hero.

And that is why we comfort ourselves reading the news that there really are everyday heroes, the realistic heroes. No super power except the innate power to help and be of help to others, to lay one own's life to protect others... they are the real definition of 'heroes' ....

This Google search error

2009-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

I am an avid Google search fan. I never want to use any other search engine but Google.

But lately, i was getting this wierd message from Google everytime i type in my search.. It is not that my search words or phrase is about adult words or issues, or my laptop might be infected with spyware or viruses (i am using a commercial-licensed Kaspersky 6), but i wonder why i always get this Google error message:

Google Error

We're sorry...... but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can't process your request right now.

We'll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, if you suspect that your computer or network has been infected, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your systems are free of viruses and other spurious software.

If you're continually receiving this error, you may be able to resolve the problem by deleting your Google cookie and revisiting Google. For browser-specific instructions, please consult your browser's online support center.

If your entire network is affected, more information is available in the Google Web Search Help Center.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google. To continue searching, please type the characters you see below:

I was beginning to think it is because my ip address is in Nigeria that Google thinks i'm a darned 419 scammer.

So i had to use Yahoo to check if i am the only one experiencing this problem.

In an article from BBC way back Jan 31, 2009, Google said the problem is only temporary and it is because they are implementing a new anti-spamming technology in their search engine.

To quote:

Google's search service has been hit by technical problems, with users unable to access search results.

For a period on Saturday, all search results were flagged as potentially harmful, with users warned that the site "may harm your computer".

Users who clicked on their preferred search result were advised to pick another one.

Google attributed the fault to human error and said most users were affected for about 40 minutes.

"What happened? Very simply, human error," wrote Marissa Mayer, vice president, search products and user experience, on the Official Google Blog.

The internet search engine works with stopbadware.org to ascertain which sites install malicious software on people's computers and merit a warning.

Stopbadware.org investigates consumer complaints to decide which sites are dangerous. The list of malevolent sites is regularly updated and handed to Google.

When Google updated the list on Saturday, it mistakenly flagged all sites as potentially dangerous.

"We will carefully investigate this incident and put more robust file checks in place to prevent it from happening again," Ms Mayer wrote.

Yes, Ms. Mayer, please carefully investigate. Because until now, i always get this error. I have to key in captcha phrases twice before my query is displayed. And every time i close my browser or reboot my laptop and PC, the challenge comes up.

So i think stopbadware.org is blocking searches based not only on certain words and phrases, but also based on ip. And because i happen to be in Nigeria, they think all of us ar bucnh of scammers. I bet all ips assigned to Nigeria are encountering this problem.

But really, i still like Google despite ths annoyances.

If you encounter this error, do not panic. It is not your PC or laptop. It is just Google.

Talked about over-protection.

Are You Wasting Money on Multivitamins?

2009-02-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

I am feeling lazy writing something about this weekend's blues. SO let me just share an article about vitamins. You know i take too many vitamins, and not just multivitamins.. There are a lot of articles and email messages about the pros and cons of taking vitamins...

=========
Behind the Headlines
by Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D. a Yahoo! Health Expert for Nutrition

Advertisements with tantalizing promises of improved health, prevention of cancer and heart disease, and greater energy have lured millions of Americans to spend billions of dollars on the purchase of multivitamins.

An article in the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine reported that multivitamin use did not protect the 161,808 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Study from common forms of cancer, heart attacks, or strokes. And the numbers of deaths during the 8 years of the study were the same in vitamin users as in non-users. Still, it is important to recognize that this was an observational study, not a more meaningful clinical trial. Although these findings apply only to women, other studies have failed to show benefits of multivitamins in older men.

These results are not at all surprising for several reasons. No large study has shown that multivitamins significantly benefit healthy men and women. In addition, for some years physicians prescribed folic acid and vitamins B12 and B6 in the hopes of preventing heart attacks and strokes by lowering blood levels of homocysteine. (High blood levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of coronary and other vascular diseases.) A number of recent studies, however, have shown that, while these vitamins do lower homocysteine levels, they do not prevent heart attacks or strokes.

Many doctors have also prescribed the antioxidants vitamin E and beta-carotene to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Alas, studies have now proven that these supplements are not protective--and may even be harmful.

No one denies that an adequate intake of vitamins is essential; however, vitamins can and should be obtained from eating enough healthy foods rather than from swallowing vitamin supplements.

Then what about vitamins being a great source of energy? Some multivitamin ads do indeed claim that their supplements boost energy; and some professional athletes gobble handfuls of vitamin pills to increase their energy and strength. But researchers proved long ago that energy comes from calories, not vitamins. The highly touted cholesterol-lowering effects of substances added to some multivitamin supplements? Still unproven.

All this is not to say that specific vitamins supplements are never desirable. Vitamins can be valuable in certain situations:

* Folic acid supplements in women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant can help to prevent serious neural-tube defects that affect the baby's brain and spine.
* Supplements that contain more vitamin D and calcium than is present in regular multivitamin pills can help older men, and especially women, avoid osteoporosis and bone fractures.
* Supplements of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper may slow the progression of vision loss in people with early macular degeneration.

And multivitamins are beneficial for some entire groups of people:

* those on a very-low-calorie weight-loss diet
* strict vegetarians
* heavy alcohol drinkers
* individuals who are not getting an adequate diet because they are too sick or too poor--or live by themselves and are unable to prepare proper meals for themselves

I also agree with a comment made by one of the coauthors of the Archives of Internal Medicine article about postmenopausal women mentioned above. An 8-year follow-up period may not be long enough to show that multivitamins protect against cancers that take many years to develop.

All the same, the results of the studies on vitamins so far point to one conclusion: Healthy people who eat enough calories from a varied diet do not benefit from multivitamin supplements.

La Lingerie

2009-02-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

And there I was, on another lonely Sunday.

I felt lazy going to Ikeja's Family Sunday. No driver. And nobody to bum a ride. So i stayed in the house all day, Sunday.

I thought it was only me and Randy in the house. It turned out that the usual bunch is in the house -- me, Randy, Steven, Edward and Wesa. Only our boot camp manager went out that day.

As usual, i went to the living room and rummaged through our DVD collections. I think it is Steven who bought new DVDs regularly. Anyway, i've gotten tired of action flicks so i choose a rather sleazy-titled DVD - "La Lingerie". The cover photo was that of pretty young things (Hong Kong Chinese movie stars).

Hmmm, a teeny-bopper movie.

Bring out the camote and the yoghurt. The whisky and the soda.

I thought it's going to be a sort of B-movie, but it turned out to be a comedy. It's like the sort of Ruffa Mae Quinto movie. Sexy, funny, naughty, and some dorky life-changing experiences thrown in between.

The story is weaved by narration of the main character named Miu, who aspires to be a lingerie designer but ended up as a 'lingerie researcher'.

Among the bunch of characters are :

- Donut (yes, Marix, that's her movie name), Miu's cousin, who is having an affair with a married man.

- Celine, a flight stewardess endessly looking for a rich man in Business Class to seduce and marry

- James, a rookie policeman and an OC, who fell in love with Celine but indeed up as her boy-toy

- CC, a high-class GRO but manages her own lingerie store.

- Lucas, marketing manager f the lingerie store where Miu us working

- Antonio, the son of the lingerie store owner, who is gay and narcissistic.

- The unnamed lingerie pervert who stole lingerie from apartments and collects them in his pad.

I think the most hilarious part of the movie was the scene where the 'gay' Prince Antonio, supposedly wanted to have an 'experience'. Since both of them are virgin, Antonio suggested they should do Antonion's idea of 'safe sex', that is: "you do yours, i will do mine.." Nooo, there is nothing x-rated in that segment. Really reminded of Ruffa Mae's movies.

The movie may look like it has a convoluted plot (magulo) which has no direct relation with lingerie, except maybe for Miu. But if looking at the 'big picture' one will see where the title"La Lingerie" comes into play, and that is because all of the characters' separate story somehow has something with lingerie.

- Miu met Lucas when she was accepted in the lingerie store. Then, inheriting an expensive collection of lingeries from her dead aunt.

- James, meeting Celine after she complained about her missing lingeries

- CC, who owns a lingerie and met Eugene. She used her entire savings from the lingerie business to buy jewelries to be used in Eugene's 'Harvard' ball.

- Donut, who met the married man while doing assisting him in selecting lingerie for his wife

But the main theme is not about the lingerie. It is about everyone's search for true love. About dreaming of their Mr or Miss Right, while someone close to them is ignored. And as a teeny bopper movie, there is the usual need for sex or to wanting to be devirginized. At least the movie kept the 'sex' side of the story safe (no pun, intended) and wholesome.

And in the end, when the efforts failed, there is the (predictable?) usual ending .... realizing where true love lies... As their were four stories/plots in the movie, one ended happily (Miu and Lucas), another in status quo (Celine & James), the third in separation (Donut and her affair), and CC losing her sanity.

I know it's a cheap story. But it's definitely better and less corny than if it were a Pinoy version. Of course, i will make an exception if Ruffa Mae Quinto is in that movie.

The movie dialog is in Chinese (Canto) but the English subtitle is quite grammatically correct. Unlike those other Malaysia-recorded DVDs where the english translation is mangled.

Here is a review from an HK reviewer:

Miu Ho, a sweet and somewhat daffy virgin who's angling for a job as a lingerie designer. She seems to have the skills, but interviewer Lena (Gigi Leung) wants Miu to dig deeper into undergarment culture. Miu receives the title "Lingerie Researcher", and is assigned to look into the world around her to observe how underwear makes the woman - or, in some cases, vice-versa.
Miu starts her duties by surreptitiously peeping at accidental exposures in everyday life and noting in copious voiceover how many of the exposures may not really be accidental. After all, lingerie is hidden beneath a woman's clothes, but the lingerie is eye-catching and expensive, indicating that perhaps the women do want it to be seen. What's the meaning behind this contradiction? Miu's underwear thesis is ostensibly the driving force behind La Lingerie's narrative, and Chan Hing-Ka and his co-screenwriters dig into their toolbox of undue metaphor to come up with their canned, cloying discoveries.
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/la_lingerie.html

Despite the half-smile review in HK, the movie is not really that bad --- to alternate with internet...

But next Sunday, I swear I will go to Eleko Beach...

My Amarula Weekend

2009-02-01T03:32:00.000-08:00

Well, here comes another weekend.

I worked from Monday until Saturday 2PM. So i get 1 full Sunday off.

Normally, I will spend the Sunday either at the beach or at the shopping mall.

But today, there were no available cars. Marcio borrowed one Peugeot and Edward took the other. So I have no choice but to stay at home. Good thing though that NEPA seems to be holding on since midnight.

I switched on the DSTV and saw the ongoing finals of Australian Open between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

I ran to the kitchen and searched the fridge for something to bite and drink. I found my half-empty (or half-full) bottle of Amarula. Aha. Showtime....

I brought a bowl of ice cubes, chichiria and Amarula into my room (Yes, Marix, my room has DSTV) and settled to watch the game.

In between the game, i was on the internet. After finishing my first glass, i felt compelled to research about Amarula.

According to my trusted friend Wiki:

Amarula is a South African cream liqueur made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African Marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) which is also locally called the Elephant tree or the Marriage Tree.

Amarula was first marketed in September 1989. It has the taste of slightly fruity caramel. Amarula has received consistently good reviews, with the caveat that, like many cream liqueurs, it is too sweet for some palates. It has become the second largest seller in the cream liqueur category after Bailey's Irish Cream, with particular success in Brazil. It is very popular and common throughout Africa, especially the south and east coast. Recently, Amarula has attempted to break into the American market.

Because of the marula tree's association with elephants, the distiller has made them its symbol and supports elephant conservation efforts. For marketing efforts it produces collectible items featuring elephant head decoration. Elephants enjoy eating the fruit of the marula tree. A common tale is that the elephants enjoy eating the fermented fruits and become "drunk" from them. Studies, however, suggest this is not true and that an elephant drinks too much water to feel the effects of the
marula.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarula

I also found this video in Youtube.com about the effects of Marula fruit on African animals after they ate too much of the fruit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmQPwgV-WbQ&feature=related

I had a gas laughing out loud watching the drunken masters of the African wild.

Hah, but i am not going to do such inebriated foolishness. I'm in the safety of my room. No cameras. No embarassing moments.

Well, thanks to Amarula for keeping me company on this lonely Sunday afternoon....

Lars and the Real Girl

2009-01-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

As usual, i spent my Saturday afternoon with a solo videoke. Yeah, i had all the Magic Sing for myself. I think I sang 20 songs before my vocal chords started vibrating like cat on nips...

So I switched to DVD mode. i rummaged thru our DVD collection and found a promising new copy.

With well-boiled camote in a bowl, topped with ice cream and yoghurt, i was ready for Lars and The real girl.

I thought it's going to be teeny-bopper comedy but it turned out to be a surprise drama.

Well, okay, so there's comedy all over the place, especially in Lars' office and his interaction with Margo.

The story, set in a seemingly old, close-knit Swedish community in the US, revolves on Lars Lindstrom (played by Ryan Gosling), a young man with a very sad childhood, desperate for affection but disliked intimacy, specially with women.

Lars, however, managed with his phobia and was actually able to get an office job. After his father died, his older brother Gus, now married, came home with his pregnant wife Karin. As soon as Gus and Karen settled in the main house, Lars moved into the converted garage. Unable to interact with Gus and Karin.

One day in the office, Lars saw another officemate (the geek type) looking at life-size sex dolls that can be ordered online. Lars ordered one.

When the doll arrived, Lars named her Bianca. The arrival of Bianca turned everyone's life in the community upside down.

On the first night, Lars came to the main house and for the first time, talked to Gus and Karin about his 'girlfriend'. Lars said that his girlfriend's name is Bianca, who is a Catholic Brazilian nurse and he would like her to stay in the main house.

And so Gus and Karin invited them for dinner. To their shocked, they found themselves staring at the life-size doll to whom Lars is talking affectionately. They all have an uneasy dinner while Lars, for the first time, shows a vibrant and talkative mood. Describing Bianca's background in details.
Gus and Karin tricked Lars into going to the hospital to see their family doctor, who is also a psychologist. They explained beforehand what the case is all about. The pretext is that Bianca, the life-size doll, is sick and needs a weekly check up. Lars was very anxious about it. During this hospital visit, Dr. Dagmar takes Lars into her office for interview. The doctor said that Lars is suffering from extreme delusions, as he really believed that the doll is alive.

Meanwhle, Gus and Karin sought the help of the community elders, including the parish priest as to how to managed Lars' girlfrien. The entire community agreed to help by going along Lars' insistence about Bianca,

Margo, meantime, tried to move on by getting a boyfriend. When Lars saw her with the guy, he felt jealous. When he went home, Lars went into a fit of rage and jealousy. He shouted at Bianca and accused her of neglecting him...

Another day, Margo told Lars the she broke up with her boyfriend. Lars asked her why she took a boyfriend. Margo said because she felt so lonely... Margo asked Lars if he cares for a Friday bowling. Since Bianca has schedules to appear in charity event on the same night, Lars accepted the invitation. They had a great time in the bowling alley. As they went home separately, Lars, for the first time, had the courage to shake Margo's hand.

One morning, Lars woke the household, shouting that Bianca is not breathing. So they called 911. The ambulance arrived and paramedics even put an oxygen mask to the doll's face and rush her to the hospital. This being a close-knit community, everyone played their role. Bianca was wheeled into ICU. Lars told Dr Dagmar that Bianca is dying. The news about Bianca dying spread rapidly in the community.

After two days, Bianca was back in the house and Lars insisted that she is dying. One rainy morning, Lars came down to the porch to find it filled with flowers and get-well-soon cards for Bianca, from the community.

Next day, Karin and Gus invited Lars to go out with them to the lakeshore. Lars refused. But when Karin said that maybe Bianca needs fresh air, Lars agreed.

While in the lake, Lars brought Bianca to the water and declared that Bianca is dead.

They had a funeral service in the church, and a burial for Bianca, beside the graves of Lars/Gus parents.

--
Hmm, quite heavy on the psychology side, no?

Lars' delusions with the life-sized doll is brought about by his craving for attention by a female persona in his life. Because he grew up with a father who became a woman-hater and Lars lost touch with intimacy on the female side.

All the story that Lars weaved about Bianca was actually about his own life and his fantasy on what would be an ideal relationship with girl for him.

He thought he is happy with a woman who doesn't annoy him or whose touch do not scare him. But the jealousy against Margo's boyfriend brough Lars to reality and he realized he liked Margo also.

That is why Lars decided to let go of Bianca. The passing away of Bianca gave Lars a feeling of his father's emotion -- how it feels to lose someone you love. But Lars, despite being delusional, accepted the fact the he cannot marry Bianca.

But i think Lars made this story so he can free himself from Bianca and move on with his life, aimed towards Margo. That is why he asked Margo to walk with him after the burial.
------

The arrival of Bianca was actually a blessing in disguise for Lars. She helped Lars undergo a 'healing process' after an abnormal childhood. All the things that Lars wanted to do but unable to do because of his empathy-phobia, like bowling with friends, going to parties, dancing, going to mall and having family dinner -- all of these he finally did, with Bianca by his side. She gave him back self-confidence and empathy. It allowed Lars to express himself and break the chain that bound his emotions all through his growing years.

And Bianca's passing also signalled a 'healed' Lars. Finally able to move on with the real world.

We should expect a happy ending there.
--

Love conquers all. That is what this movie is all about..

===
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805564/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eivm8o07e0I

Battle Realms: Gaza Map

2009-01-14T01:53:00.000-08:00

I have been playing good, ol' Battle Realms in my tiny Axioo laptop during the weekends. Beside my laptop is our DSTV where my eyes shift from time-to-time to catch the news (Al-Jazeera and Euronews).

And since 16 days ago, the news is about the Israeli-Palestinian debacle at Gaza. And as we all know, everyone in the world (except Hillary and Barack) are accusing Israel of committing gencide against Gaza civilians.

From US to Europe, to Jakarta and Philippines, everyone (Muslim & non-Muslims) is on the street to protest the so-called Israeli aggression.

I have this creepy feeling that the world has become anti-Semitic once again... Welcome to World War III.

And welcome to the Battle Realms (BR) - Gaza map.

You see, BR, like other strategy games, have player maps where the player can choose where his battle will be played.

Along this recent events, I will add a special, hypothetical map of Gaza. I am playing Lotus clan, by the way.

--

In Battle Realms, the enemies will usually send a 'probing team' into my territory. And when my guards respond and chase the invaders, an ambush is waiting that decimates my soldiers. To counter this frequent probing attack, i have to make sure my rice harvest is working, water is plenty, and my peasant huts are producing enough peasant to be converted to warriors. And when i have enough of these Unclean ones, Leaf disciples, The Brothers, Zen masters and horse cavalry, then i attack the opposing camps with overwhelming force...

--

The same thing is happening in Gaza. For several months prior to Israel's attack, Hamas were raining rockets to Israel with seeming impunity. Israel had been warning Palestinians and the world that their patience is thinning at such rocket attacks. But no one in the world, except Egypt, bothered to raise a voice to inform Hamas that is provoking a war wih Israel. But of course, Hamas knows Israel will hit back, and they want it to happen.

So after a thousand rocket barrage, and some Israeli civilian injuries and casualties, Israel finally had enough and launch and fierce counterstrike.

Of course, Hamas said hey will not be cowered by Israel's attack and they will meet IDF on the ground and fight to the death.

And so, after successfully baiting Israel to attack, Hamas waits for ambush. But Hamas themselves did not do the ambush -- they are too few and too undergunned to do it.

It is the entire world who ambushed Israel.

Around the worl, including celebrities like Annie Lennox (band Eurthymix) joined in the anti-Israel protest. Everyone condemned Israel as th aggressor and their counter-attack as an act of genocide.

Ok, so let's pause for awhile and re-assess the situation.

If Hamas bombs out a thousand Israelis to kingdom-come, I guess the world will likely say "Ok, Good job"???

If it's Israelis who are getting killed, the world will not mind it -- because they are 'just' Israelis.

Will Annie Lennox protest? Will French Pres. Nic Sarkozy still be the first European leaders to call for a truce?

Will the peace-loving Europeans and Americans protest?

I guess the obvious answer there is 'No".

Possible reasons:
1. Israel has the overwhelming force and it is just right for Palestinians to destroy their state.
2. Too many rich Jewish who can send funds to Israel and so no humanitarian crisis can happen if if Hamas pounds Israel back to Moses' days.
3. The world is afraid of islamo-fascism that no one wants to say it that for peace to happen, Hamas must do a Fatah and learn to live in peace with its Jewish neighbor.

Sure, there is no denying that the war is causing more casualties to civilians than against Hamas. But for Hamas, that is what they want. That is how they planned. Fire rockets from civilian buildings. Hide near cvilian populations. And since Israel will not differentiate a location where the rocket has been fired, Hamas wins world opinion because of Israel's obvious overwhelming force.

And so, assuming Israel will agree to any truce, will it guaranty any peace between Israel and Palestine?

Will the likes of Annie Lennox guaranty that Hamas will stop rocketing Israel?

Becoz if not, war will never end in Near East.

Around the world, sympathy and funds were raised for Hamas, ere, Palestinians. But nothing for Rwanda, Dardur and Sudan. What is happening to these African people are as worst as what happens in Palestine. In Palestine, the images is blurred between a Hamas fighter and a civilian, except for old people, women and children. In these African hotspots, it is clear who are the aggressors and civilians (victims) and what kind of atrocities is committed.

Why no one is sustaining the campaign against the continued genocide in these African hotspots? Why the world is not sending enough humanitarian aid and protection force??

--

Back to BR-Gaza map, there will never be peace because the Gaza civilians (old people, women and children) are always at the mercy of Hamas. No one can complain. No peace is forthcoming to Gaza under Hamas. It is a vicious cycle of violence, attrition war -- until, Israel will have enough and re-occupies Gaza. Hopefully Fatah government will be back in Gaza.

As always, it is the defenseless old people, women and children who bears the pain and hardship of any war as it is in Gaza now.
--
Personally, i claim no admiration for Israel or Jews. But neither for people who makes it their avowed goal for the destruction of another race. If Hamas can do it agaisnst Israel, they will surely do it against the rest of us infidels.

--

Peace, is not the absence of war. It is when nations learn to accept their neighbors and decides to live in harmony with those around them.

Until then, we can only hope that this recent strife will be the last for Gaza 'civilians'.

And for heaven's sake, Annie Lennox, speak at least, so we will know if you are pro-peace or just plain 'rider' on anti-Jewish bandwagon.

--
Back to Battle Realms.

The coming of Windows7

2009-01-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

I have always been an avid and 'loyal' Microsoft user since Windows for Workgroup.

I have followed the progression of various flavor and versions of Windows since then. Probably, the only workstation Windows OS that never appealed to me is Vista, and its sidekick, Office 2007.

Vista is such a process and memory hungry OS that i promptly reformatted my laptop and replaced it with XP.

Maybe the murmurings against Vista has become so loud that Microsoft decided to start hyping since last year the 'ultimate' Windows OS -- Windows 7. According to reports, Microsoft's Bill Gates supposedly said that Windows 7 is developed with the user in mind.

But reading the reported 'new features' and features you will not find in Windows 7 makes me think Bill Gates wants us to lose control of our computer system.

Where Windows XP is probably the most user-friendly and the easiest to handle among Windows OS, it looks to that the Windows 7 will be is exact opposite.

Like Vista, Windows 7 is more on graphical and visual - shock and awe, kind of system, designed to make even the most devoted Mac users to blink twice upon looking at the Windows 7 desktop functions. The desktop and the internet browser has merged.

Like Longhorn before, there are now downloadable 'skins' or 'overlay' for Windows 7. And there is now downloadable beta versions of Windows 7. If you are geeky enough to install it.

Anyways, my friend Wiki has this to say about the vauntd new features of Windows 7:

There are many features new to Windows 7, including advancements in touch, speech, and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, support for additional file formats, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.

But i am more interested on the features that will no longer be in Windows 7:

Windows Shell

The file transfer dialogs for copying, moving or deleting do not show the actual file name which is being copied, moved or deleted at that instant.

Active Desktop functionality has been removed. As a result, animated GIF files can no longer be set as the desktop background. No other dynamic web content such as HTML or HTA files can run on the desktop, although Windows DreamScene (released only for Windows Vista Ultimate) allows using videos as the background and dynamic web content can run as part of Sidebar gadgets.

The File Types tab has been removed from Folder Options. This feature was available from Windows 95 up to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The File Types tab allowed users to change the file associations for various types of files.

The configuration tab to quickly associate with media file types has also been removed from Windows Media Player 11 options in Windows Vista.

It is not possible to override AutoPlay by pressing the SHIFT key as was possible in previous versions, though it can still be disabled through Control Panel.

AutoPlay settings cannot be configured per-device; they are set globally.

It is not possible to list fonts by similarity based on PANOSE information or hide font variations such as Bold, Italic etc in the Fonts folder.

Menus cannot be set to slide anymore using the user interface. Only the fade effect is available.

The taskbar cannot be dragged to the bottom of the screen to hide it manually.

Toolbars such as "Quick Launch" can no longer be "dragged off" the taskbar as floating minibars or docked to another edge of the screen, though physical folders can be dragged onto the desktop edge in a similar manner. The Language Bar is the only toolbar that can float on the desktop.

It is no longer possible to copy text fragments and other similar objects from a document, and paste them to a folder as a file (called a scrap, but actually an OLE object).

Windows Explorer

It is not possible to display the full path in the title bar when Aero Glass is enabled. When Aero Glass is disabled, the full path can be displayed in the title bar. The full path can be shown in the address bar regardless of the status of Aero, by clicking to the right of the breadcrumbs or pressing Alt+D.

The Toolbar button in Explorer to go up one folder from the current folder has been removed.

This is now accomplished by selecting a folder in the breadcrumbs bar or by pressing together Alt + Up keys.

The ability to customize the standard toolbar's layout and buttons was removed.

Users can no longer make the menu above all other toolbars.

Ability to add a password to a zip file (compressed folder) has been removed. (This has no effect on third-party compression tools, such as WinZip or 7Zip.)

The Common Tasks pane (renamed 'Favorite Links') and the Details pane can be removed only through the 'Organize' button.

Filmstrip view is replaced by the icon view feature which supports multiple sizes, and a new full-screen slideshow mode.

The ability to view and edit metadata stored in a file's secondary stream through the "Summary" tab of the file's "Property" dialog was removed.

The Web Publishing Wizard is no longer available.

Support for enabling a folder for web sharing with Internet Information Services via the Windows Explorer interface was removed.

The Desktop Cleanup Wizard is no longer available.

The "Computer Description" field is no longer shown on the Explorer view of a workgroup.

The Status bar no longer shows the total space used by a folder when displaying a folder's contents or free space remaining on the disk.

The drive mapping dialog box no longer allows a network path to be mapped without assigning a local drive letter to it.

It is no longer possible to add a background to folders via a desktop.ini.

It is not possible to view the Properties of an item in the left pane of Windows Explorer using Alt+Enter.

It is not possible to turn off autorefresh/autosorting of files and folders.

There are limitations to opening multiple files in a single operation, i.e. by selecting multiple files and pressing enter. The "Open" operation is not present in the context menu when multiple files are selected.

Internet Explorer

The ability to customize the toolbar layout is removed. The position of the address bar and the 'command bar' cannot be readjusted.

Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with Windows Explorer. This can also be seen in Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

Image toolbar has been removed. Most of the commands that were on this floating toolbar—Save Picture, E-mail Picture, Set as Background, etc—are now in the context menu that appears when an image is right-clicked.

Offline Favorites, a feature that automatically synchronized and stored web pages for later perusal when not online, was removed in favor of using RSS feeds.

The maximum size for the "Temporary Internet Files" folder (downloaded files cache) is limited to 1024 MB in Internet Explorer 7. This is also true for Internet Explorer 7 on other Windows versions.

For more info, click here.

New Features.

Removed features.

Windows 7 Reviews:

- Microsoft Windows 7 site
- First look at Windows 7's User Interface
- Microsoft Windows 7 / Windows Vienna

Christmas and New Year Quotes

2008-12-24T02:15:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS ----------------
Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
- Oren Arnold

--

Christmas at my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. And while everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we'll be seeing six or seven.
- W. C. Fields

--

From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it.
- Katharine Whitehorn

--
Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times.
- Kate L. Bosher

--

NEW YEAR -------------

The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year's Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you're married to.
- P.J. O'Rourke

--
Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.
- Mark Twain

--

People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.
- Author Unknown

--

But can one still make resolutions when one is over forty? I live according to twenty-year-old habits.
- Andre Gide

--

I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.
- Anais Nin
--

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!
- Joey Adams

--

New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions.
- Mark Twain

Dugang Jokes

2008-12-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Niay dugang pakatawa gikan ni bai Marcio.
-------------

Security: Excuse me po Lola, titingnan ko lang ang bag nyo kung may BARIL.
Matanda: Buang ka! …dili man gani maigo ang BALDI sa akong bag.. BARIL pa kaha?

Anak: Itay, ano po ba ang pagkakaiba ng COMPLETE at FINISHED?
Itay: Anak, kapag tama ang mapangasawa mo, then you're COMPLETE. Kapag mali naman, FINISHED ka na! Ha ha ha!

Anak: Tay, unsa man nang misa de gallo?
Tatay: Ah, kana gung mosayo kag mata, unya adto dayon sa simbahan aron matulog.. :'(

Juan: Kulang pliti nato, singko ra ni.
Pedro: Libat bitaw ng driver, mo dyis lagi na!
Juan: Pliti nong!
Driver: Oops kuwang ni!
Juan: Dyis baya na nong!
Driver: Upat baya mo!

Pahibalo: Ayaw mo ug tuo dayon sa mga text messages. Just keep track of the events in official news. Dili tinuod nga artista na ko. Ga hunahuna pa ko.

Buloy: Toy, unsa may diperencia sa CO2 ug H2O?
Bitoy: Sus Ginoo! Diin man diay ka pagtudlo ana nato sa high school? Kanang CO2 cold water, ang H2O hot water. BOGO!

Waiter: Unsay order nimo, Ma'am?
Ma'am: Fried chicken meal. Ikaw inday, unsay imo?
Maid: Sautéed pork boiled in thick essence of cane extracts with copious amounts of garlic, sprinkled generously with fine spices and served with a generous helping of root crops and a helping of rice.
Ma'am: Dong, adobo with rice na iya.

Pare # 1: Bakit ang layo ng tingin mo? Anong problema?
Pare # 2: Nanaginip ako na napaligiran ako nga 50 ka contestants ng Miss Universe 2008!!
Pare # 1: Swerte mo pare, ano ang problema doon?
Pare # 2: Ako daw ang nanalo!!!

If you love someone, set him free. If he comes back, nakalimutan mo siyang bigyan ng pamasahe. If he doesn't, sundan mo, wala yung pamasahe pabalik!!

Melanisms of Ms. Melanie Marquez:

1. I won't stoop down to my level.
2. Bakit ang dami mong tanong? You're so questionable!
3. Sumasakit ang migraine ko.
4. I don't eat meat. I'm not a carnival.
5. Ang tatay ko ang only living legend na buhay.
6. That's why I'm a success. I don't middle in other people's lives.
7. Englishin ko na. And to you Mrs. Dee, I have 2 words…ang labo mo!!!
8. You can fool me once, twice, even thrice but you can never me fool me four!

ISKO: Gubot kaayo akong kinabuhi.
PAENG: Ngano man?
ISKO: Tan-awa ra gud.. Naminyo ko sa byuda nga may anak dalaga. Gipakaslan pud ni tatay ang anak. Nanay na nuon nako ang dalaga, ug si tatay akong anak. Ang asawa nako, ugangan ni tatay, kung manganak sila, lolo ko sa akong igsoon. Waaahh!!! Gubota!!!

Extra Marital affairs..

2008-12-08T06:15:00.000-08:00

The 1st Affair :

A married man was having an affair with his secretary.

One day they went her place and made love all afternoon. Exhausted, they fell asleep and woke up at 8 PM.

The man hurriedly dressed and told his lover to take his shoes outside andrub them in the grass and dirt.

He put on his shoes and drove home. "Where have you been?" his wife demanded. "I can't lie to you," he replied, "I'm having an affair with my secretary.

We had sex all afternoon.""You lying bastard! You've been playing golf!"

The 2nd Affair:

A middle-aged couple had two beautiful daughters but always talked about having a son.

They decided to try one last time for the son they always wanted.

The wife got pregnant and delivered a healthy baby boy.

The joyful father rushed to the nursery to see his new son.

He was horrified at the ugliest child he had ever seen.

He told his wife, "There's no way I can be the father of this baby. Look at the two beautiful daughters I fathered! Have you been fooling around behind my back?

"The wife smiled sweetly and replied, "Not this time!"

The 3th Affair:

A woman was in bed with her lover when she heard her husband opening thefront door. "Hurry," she said, "stand in the corner." She rubbed baby oil all over him, then dusted him with talcum powder."Don't move until I tell you," she said. "Pretend you're a statue."

"What's this?" the husband inquired as he entered the room. "Oh it's a statue." she replied. "The Smith's bought one and I liked it so much I got one for us, too."

No more was said, not even when they went to bed.

Around 2 AM the husband got up, went to the kitchen and returned with a sandwich and a beer.

"Here," he said to the statue, "have this. I stood like that for two days at the Smith's and nobody offered me a damned thing."

The 4th Affair:

A man walked into a cafe, went to the bar and ordered a beer.

"Certainly, Sir, that'll be one cent."

"One Cent?" the man thought.

He glanced at the menu and asked, "How much for a nice juicy steak and abottle of wine?"

"A nickel," the barman replied.

"A nickel?" exclaimed the man.

"Where's the guy who owns this place?"

The bartender replied, "Upstairs, with my wife."

The man asked, "What's he doing upstairs with your wife?"

The bartender replied,"The same thing I'm doing to his business down here."

The 5th Affair:

Jake was dying. His wife sat at the bedside.

He looked up and said weakly, "I have something I must confess."

"There's no need to," his wife replied.

"No," he insisted, "I want to die in peace. I slept with your sister, yourbest friend, her best friend, and our neighbor!"

"I know, I know," she replied.. "Now just rest and let the poison work."

Resiklo and pirated DVDs

2008-11-29T02:32:00.000-08:00

I bought an 88-in-1 pirated DVD action movies from the Hausa peddler.

I thought i got a bargain for 350 naira. Later, when i loaded it in my laptop, i discovered there are 44 titles only. The other half are same movie in different languages (French and Russian).

Anyway, the copies are passable and so i watched, at least, 3 movies per night. After several nights, i am down to one movie left to see - Resiklo.

I thought it was a Russian war movie.

The intro of the movie was high-tech visual and looks like it was really 'foreign-made' movie.

To my surprise, it turned out to be a Filipino movie, starring Bong Revilla. Then i realized what the title means --- "Recycled''. Duh.

Well, i am not a big fan of Pinoy action movies. The last time i watched action movies was when Lito Lapid was in his prime.

Nevertheless, i gave Resiklo a 15 minutes viewing. After which, i thought pinoy movies never really progressed. Sure, the alien computer effects are passable, but the over all cinematography sucks.

I thought i was watching a TV show because the characters were doing 'blocking'. Looks like there's only one camera in the set. It's kind of annoying watching a movie and their is no change in the shots. Everybody has to make a sideways stance.

Hahay, the philippine movie quality has not really improved. Maybe they should look at some Thai films for ideas. I liked the Ong-bak series.

Anyway, i was amused that a pinoy movie made it to list of these Chinese-produced pirated DVDs. So far, it is only Chinese (mainland and HK), Thailand and South Korean movies that are included in the package. You can also buy an all Bollywood pirated DVDs.

I hope the chekwas will include movies of Lito Lapid, Dolphy and Ruffa Mae Quinto.

TO ALL FOLKS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1950's, 60' s, 70's and early 80's !!

2008-11-26T02:28:00.000-08:00

Well, here is another e-mail from Bisdak (bisayang dako) friends... Assuming you are not bothered by your lineage, maybe you can relate on this.

I am not putting any English translation on the Cebuano words. Just ask your bisdak friends for translation.
===

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer (Cerveza Negra) while they carried us.

While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, ate Linunod, balikutsa, bukhayo and didn't worry about diabetes.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints (ang uban kay duyan nga habol gihigtan ug pisi nga inigtabyog ug kusog ma pakong intawon ta sa bongbong. )

We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang sa General Milling nga naa'y faded picture nga nag-salute), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads, wala pa gyu'y break ang bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats (Bisaya Bus nga pultahan puros ang kilid, Corominas Bus nga senimana ang brake), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (karon kay Minibus na nga nindot kaayo ug sounds or Ceres Bus nga bugnaw ug aircon)

Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (karon, ang mga bata wala na kaila ug Kabaw)

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT bottled mineral water sa Nature Spring or Viva, or Absolute Mineral water (usahay gani, straight from the faucet or poso or Tabay!)

We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this. Or contacted hepatitis.

We ate rice with star margarine, bahaw nga gibutangan ug asin ug mantika sa baboy, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank sofdrinks with real sugar in it (dili diet coke or Pepsi Max), but we weren't sick or overweight kay......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Syatong, Bato-Lata, Bagol, Dakop-Dakop, Tago-Tago, Ngita'g Kaka.

No one was able to reach us all day (wala pa'y uso ang cellphone). And yes, we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (katong bearing ang ligid) or Karitong Kawayan nga karaang tsinilas ang giporma nga ligid and then ride down the street, wala ma'y gidungog nga naligsan atoh! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (sewage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters. ........ ... WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words.. sakit bai ? pero kung kontra gani nimo ang imong kadula, singgitan lang dayon ug.. Mayra, Gabaan!

We played marbles (jolen) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate Pan Bahug-bahug & Bagumbayan (recycled bread man diay to kay wala mahalin!) We were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs.

We had to live with homemade guns (giporma nga kahoy, gihigtan ug garter ug lastiko) , saplong , tirador ug uban pa nga pwedeng magkasakitay. Pero lingaw gihapon kaayo ang tanan.

We made up games with sticks (syatong ), and cans (Bato-Lata) and although we were told they were dangerous, wala man gyud to'y actual nga nabuta bah, bukol lang nuon sa agtang naa.

We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or batoon ug gagmay nga bato ang bungbong, or just yelled for them to jump out the window!

Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala pa nang mga childhood depression ug damaged self esteem ek-ek ra na. Ang maglagot, pildi.

Ang mga Ginikanan naa ra sa daplin para motan-aw ra sa duwa sa mga bata, dili para manghilabot ug makig-away sa ubang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.
You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed.

And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were.

It kind of makes you wanna go out and climb a tree, doesn't it?!

25 Ways To Improve Your Health

2008-11-13T05:06:00.000-08:00

And then again, this is the nth time i received this cutesy pets. I guess, i shoudl share this for those pet-lovers who did not receive this.

It took me awhile to figure out how to make the photos appear without me downleading and uploading each photos.

:-D
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1. Brush twice a day!

2. Dress right for the weather.

3. Visit the dentist regularly.

4. Get plenty of rest.

5. Make sure your hair is dry before going outside.

6. Eat right.

7. Get outside in the sun every once in a while.

8. Always wear a seatbelt.

9. Control your drinking of alcoholic beverages.

10. Smile! It will make you feel better.

11. Don't over indulge yourself.

12. Bathe regularly.

13. Read to exercise the brain.

14. Surround yourself with friends.

15. Stay away from too much caffeine.

16. Use the bathroom regularly.

17. Get plenty of exercise.

18. Have ! your eyes checked regularly.

19. Eat plenty of vegetables.

20. Believe that people will like you for who you are.

21. Forgive and forget.

22. Take plenty of vacations.

23. Celebrate all special occasions.

24. Pick up a hobby.

25. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Philippines: from a Korean's perspective

2008-11-13T02:56:00.000-08:00

This is from my Yahoo inbox again. I can't remember how many times i'd receive this article in my email.

Truth be told, i am tired of thise kind of exhortation. Numb already. But then again, truth hurts. And this one is just another reminder to us Filipinos to 'really' do something to reverse the descent towards corrupt governance and decaying society.

So i decided to post this for everyone to read, instead of spamming my friends with another forward-to-all.

Trivia:
Korea is now the Philippines’ second largest tourist market with 34,154 tourist arrivals during the first four months of this year next to the United States, overtaking Japan, which is now on the third slot.
Source: Korea Times

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As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time.

This is an essay written by a Korean student i want to share with you. (Never mind the grammar; it's the CONTENT that counts) Maybe it is timely to think about this in the midst of all the confusion at present.

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MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

(Jaeyoun Kim)

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines . Do you really think that corruption is the big problem in the Philippines ? I don't think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines .

Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand my point.

After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest country in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines , for Filipinos were very rich in Asia . We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos.. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine.

Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investor because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park . They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him.

President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea , and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea . He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off.

Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines ? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country.

They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines .

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines , I completely lost my faith.

I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines . Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are somany beggars and street kids. When we went to Pagsanjan Falls , I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat.

They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it.

But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them. My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action.

She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God, so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do unto Him. In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love.

If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.

You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others.

That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

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Do not blame poverty on political leaders. Leaders are nothing for without the help & cooperation of their countrymen. I hope this essay brings forth changes in our perspective in life especially with the way we see our future in this country, the Philippines!

Stand up & be proud Filipinos!

Mga Batang Basurero

2008-11-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

This story came across my e-mail. Normally, whenever the title says something like 'read this' or 'this is interesting', I would immediately delete it from my inbox without opening it.

But since this came from my schoolmate, Jeanette who's now in Thailand, i decided to give it a peek..

Hmm, ok, so this is somebody's first-person account, but like Jeanette, i was also moved by the story and so allow me to post this one for all Bisaya to read and ponder....

Akong gibutangan ug translation ang mga bisaya conversation para kasabot sad mga dili bisaya.

-mlf
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(Author Unknown)

Ever since it was diagnosed that I am having a possible heart enlargement in the last APE, I have exerted more effort to do physical exercises. I do jogging during week days and do long-ride mountain biking every Sunday.

But this Sunday is a special Sunday to me. While I was on my way to the mountains of Busay hoping to strengtened my heart by this exercise, instead, I personally encountered a heart-breaking scene that changed me.

I already passed the Marco Polo Plaza ( formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel) when I decided to stop to buy bananas at a small carenderia located along the road. I haven't taken any solid food that morning so I need fruits to have the needed energy to get to my destination -the mountain top. I was almost done eating with the second banana when I noticed two children across the street busily searching the garbage area.

"Basureros" (garbage urchins) I said to myselt and quickly turn my attention away from them to sip a small amount of water. I cared less for these kind of children actually; to make it straight, I do not like them, and I do not trust them evenmore. You see, several times I have been a victim to these kind of children who are pretending to be basureros looking for empty bottles and cans when in fact the 'plangganas' (basins), 'kalderos' (pots), and 'hinayhays' (hanging laundry) are their favorites.

I remember one afternoon while I was watching a Mike Tyson fight when I noticed that the TV screen suddenly became blurred. I checked outside and saw two young basureros running away with my newly installed antenna.

Hatred may be a little bit stronger word to describe my feeling towards these basureros, but I do not like them honestly ? not till I met these three children.

I was about to embark on my bike again when I heard one of the two children, a girl of about 7 or 8 of age saying aloud to the other, a 12-yr old boy , " kuya, si dodong kuha-a kay nag-sige'g tan-aw sa mga nagkaon, mauwaw ta" (Big brother, please get Dodong away from the diners' window, it's embarassing them), only then that I noticed a small boy standing near to me biting slightly his finger. He's a few inches shorter if compared to my 5 years old son ( but I knew later that he's also 5 yrs. Old). Though he did not asked for food to anyone in the carenderia, the way he looked at the customers who were eating, enough to convinced me that he intensely craving for it. The older boy then quickly crossed the street and gently pulled out the little one who politely obeyed. As I watched the two crossing back the street to the garbage area, I heard the tindera saying " Lo-oy kaayo nang mga bataa uy, mga buotan ra ba na". (I pity them. They are good kids)

I learned further from the carenderia owner that the children are from a good family , both parents were working before , and that their father got a stroke 3 years ago and became partially paralized and their mother died of heart attack while their father was still confined at the hospital.

The parents were still in their early forties when the catastrophe happened , and the children became basureros since then to meet their daily needs and for their father's medication.

Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery and bought 20 pesos worth of bread and gave it to the children who initially refused including the little boy. " Sige lang noy, salamat na lang, magpalit lang nya mi kung mahalinan na mi" (It's ok sir, thanks. we will buy later when we sell something) the young girl said to me. I explained that they need to go home because it started to rain . "Naanad na man mi ani " (we are used to this) the girl answered again.

Again, I explained that the rain can make them sick and if they'll become sick there's no one to take care of their father. Upon mentioning their father, they nodded and acccept the bread but I noticed that the older boy did not ate.

When I asked him if he does not like the kind of bread I bought for them he smiled but as he's about to explain, the little girl, who is the more talker of them interrupted, " Domingo man gud ron ,noy, basta Sabado ug Domingo hapon ra siya mokaon kami ra ang mokaon ug pamahaw pero dili na pod mi mokaon inig hapon, si kuya ra. Pero basta Lunes ngadto sa Biyernes, kay klase man , si kuya ra sad ang seguro-on ug papamahaw, kami hapon na sad mi moka-on " Pero kung daghan mi ug halin mokaon mi tanan." she continued.
(Today is Sunday, sir. During Saturday and Sunday, my older brother will eat in the afternoon only and we will be the ones eating breakfast, and in the afternoon, we will not eat, because it is his turn. But from Monday to Friday, we make sure our elder brother gets to eat breakfast because he needs to go to school. The rest of us will eat in the afternoon. But if we have enough money, we can eat together.) .

"Ngano man diay ug mokaon mong tanan, bahinon ninyo bisan ug unsa ka gamay?" I countered.
(So why not just share the food and eat together?)

The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted that her older brother to come to school with full stomachs so he can easily catch up the teacher's lessons. "Inig ka trabaho ni kuya mo undang na man mi ug pamasura , first honor baya na siya. " the little boy added proudly.
(When our elder brother (finish school and) gets a job, we can stop collecting garbage. He is first honor in his class.)

Maybe I was caught by surprise or I am just overly emotional that my tears started to fall. I then quickly turned my back from them to hide my tears and pretended to pick up my bike from the carenderia where I left it.

I don't know how many seconds or minutes I spent just to compose myself; pretending again this time that I was mending by bike.

Finally I get on to my bike and approached the three children to bid goobye to them who in turn cast their grateful smiles at me. I then took a good look at all of them specially to the small boy and pat his head with a pinch in my heart. Though I believe that their positive look at life can easily change their present situation, there is one thing that they can never change; that is , their being motherless. That little boy can no longer taste the sweet embrace, care, and most of al , the love of his mother forever.

Nobody can refill the empty gap created by that sudden and untimely death of their mother. Every big events that will happen to their lives will only remind them and make them wish of their mother's presence.

I reached to my pocket and handed to them my last 100 peso bill which I reserved for our department's bowling tournament. This time they refused strongly but I jokingly said to the girl "sumbagon teka ron kung di nimo dawaton" (accept this money or i will punch you). She smiled as she extended her hand to take the money.

"Salamat, 'noy. makapalit gyud me ron ug tambal ni papa " (Thank you, sir. Now we can buy papa's medicine), she uttered. I then turned to the small boy and though he's a few feet away from me, I still noticed that while his right hand was holding the half - filled sack, his left hand was holding a toy ? a worn out toy car. I waved my hands and said bye bye to him as I drove towards the mountains again. Did he just found the toy in the garbage area ? or the toy was originally his - when the misfortune did not took place yet? -I did not bother to ask. But one thing is crystal clear to me ? that inspite of the boy's abnormal life, he did not given up his childhood completely. I can sense it that way he hold and stare at his toy.

My meeting with that young basureros made me poorer by 100 pesos. But they changed me and made me more richer as to lessons of life are concerned.

In them, I learned that life can changed suddenly and may caught me flat footed. In them, I've learned that even the darkest side of life, cannot change the beauty of one's heart. Those three children, who sometimes cannot eat three times a day, still able to hold on to what they believe was right.

And what a contrast to most of us who are quick to point out to our misfortunes when caught with our mistakes. In them, I've learned to hope for things when things seem to go the other way.

Lastly, I know that God cares for them far more than I do. That though He allowed them to experience such a terrible life which our finite minds cannot comprehend, His unquestionable love will surely follow them through.

And in God's own time they will win.

(Author unknown)
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The advantage of using keyboard shortcuts

2008-11-06T07:25:00.001-08:00

I am an avid Windows user, from Windows 3.2, W for Workgroup, to Windows 95, NT, 98, 2000, ME, and XP. I haven’t used Vista extensively but i configured some Vista for my friends.

Before MS Office, we were using Wordstar and Lotus 1-2-3. Then WYSIWYG came and we switched to Ami Pro and Quattro Pro.

Later, a computer vendor gave us ’sample’ copy of MS Word and MS Excel. The die-hard (or the oldies) among us, refused to give up Wordstar and Lotus/Quattro. Until Office 95 came. And the discovery that Word or Excel almost have the same keyboard shortcuts as the jurassic warez.

One thing i like with MS products are the keyboard shortcuts. I have become so adept with the keyboard that my mouse would be very seldom used, except when i am browsing the net.

Why is this? There was a time when we are supposed to conduct a presentation for clients. I created the Powerpoint application. We were then using a desktop PC. Since the presentation is at another venue, we have to bring along our PC. (If we just put it in a disk, there is a big chance that the fonts used in my presentation will not be on their PC, or the MS Office version might not be the same as ours, or worst, their is no MS Office in the venue). After assembling the PC in our table, i switched ON the PC. To my horror, the mouse is not responding. As in the PC has no mouse function. Well, we finished the presentation despite the mouse scare. I have to navigate MS Office using just the keyboard shortcuts.

Also, I find it cumbersome to use the mouse in copying, pasting, or higlighting words. When i am typing and words are racing in my mind, I do not like juggling my fingers between keyboard and my thoughts get interrupted by having to move my my hand outside of the keyboard for the mouse. Even in my laptop. i seldom use the touchpad for navigation.

Even when i am conducting training or tutorial, i would emphasize the use of common shortcuts, especially in Windows and MS Office environment.

Of course, when writing this blog, i have to use the mouse to scroll up and down. I am typing directly into the wordpress editing window.

In all Windows applications, the menu can always be opened by pressing Alt plus the underlined letter of the menu name. For example, in Word document, you want to open Macro from the Tools menu. You can press Alt+T (Tools). This will open the Tools menu. You can then either scroll down to Macro, or you can press M (Macro). In other words, you can go to Macro sub-menu without using the mouse, but by just pressing Alt+T+M. Keyboard shortcuts are also very useful in Excel.

Applications like Photoshop, Corel, Flash and other graphics programs are mouse-intensive. But knowing shortcuts on copy, cut, paste and save can sure speed up the wok and save time.

Really, it depends on the user. And it depends on the application or program you are using. This keyboard shorcut works well in Word and Excel. Seldom in graphics and multimedia applications.

But knowing a little or two shortcuts can surely save you from embarassment or from deadline.

Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts which i found from Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_keyboard_shortcuts

Here is a list of MS Office shortcuts:

Microsoft Office Shortcut Keys

Shortcut Keys Description

Ctrl + A Select all contents of the page.

Ctrl + B Bold highlighted selection.

Ctrl + C Copy selected text.

Shift + Insert or
Ctrl + V Paste.

Ctrl + D Open the font dialogue box.

Ctrl + E Aligns the line or selected text to the center of the screen.

Ctrl + F Open find box.

Ctrl + G Open find and replace box.

Ctrl + H Also opens find and replace box.

Ctrl + I Italicise highlighted selection.

Ctrl + J Justify (spread) the text across the page.

Ctrl + K Insert link.

Ctrl + L Aligns the line or selected text to the left of the screen.

Ctrl + M Indent the paragraph.

Ctrl + N Open a new document.

Ctrl + O Open a document stored on your hard drive.

Ctrl + P Open the print window.

Ctrl + R Aligns the line or selected text to the right of the screen.

Ctrl + S Saves the current document.

Ctrl + U Underline highlighted selection.

Ctrl + V Paste contents of clipboard.

Ctrl + W Closes the current document.

Ctrl + X Cut selected text.

Ctrl + Y Redo the last action performed.

Ctrl + Z Undo last action.

Ctrl + Shift + F Change the font.

Ctrl + Shift + > Increase selected font +1pts up to 12pt and then increases font +2pts.

Ctrl + ] Increase selected font +1pts.

Ctrl + Shift + <>Moves one word to the left.

Ctrl + Moves one word to the right.

Ctrl + Moves to the beginning of the line or paragraph.

Ctrl + Moves to the end of the paragraph.

Ctrl + Del Deletes word to right of cursor.

Ctrl + Backspace Deletes word to left of cursor.

Ctrl + End Moves the cursor to the end of the document.

Ctrl + Home Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.

Ctrl + Spacebar Reset highlighted text to the default font.

Ctrl + 1 Single-space lines.

Ctrl + 2 Double-space lines.

Ctrl + 5 1.5-line spacing.

Ctrl + Alt + 1 Changes text to heading 1.

Ctrl + Alt + 2 Changes text to heading 2.

Ctrl + Alt + 3 Changes text to heading 3.

Ctrl + F1 Open the Task Pane.

F1 Open Help.

Alt + Ctrl + F2 Open new document.

Ctrl + F2 Display the print preview.

Shift + F3 Change the text from upper to lower case or a capital letter at the beginning of every word.

F4 Repeat the last action performed.

F5 Open the find, replace, and go to window in Microsoft Word.

Ctrl + Shift + F6 Opens to another open Microsoft Word document.

F7 Spell and grammar check selected text and/or document.

Shift + F7 Runs a Thesaurus check on the word highlighted.

F12 Save as.

Shift + F12 Save.

Ctrl + Shift + F12 Prints the document.

Alt + Shift + D Insert the current date.

Alt + Shift + T Insert the current time.

These shortcuts are common thru-out the MS Office and Windows desktop environment.

For Desktop shortcuts:

Ctrl + Esc Opens the Start Menu
Shift + Del Deletes a selected file without going to Recycle Bin
Alt + F4 Closes the present window
Alt + Tab Toggles or switches between all open windows
Remember, combination keys means you have to press each key in succession without releasing previous keys.

For example, if you want the Task Manager to show, you have to press Ctrl+Alt+Del. that is, press Ctrl and hold, press Alt and hold (now you are pressing two keys), then press Del. After Task Manager opens, you can release all the keys. Walla!

So there, explore your keyboard shortcuts.

O-key?

Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle

2008-11-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

This information's been coming and going from my Yahoo e-mail inboxes, so i decided to copy-paste this here, so more folks can read about this health info.

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BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain dam aging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain

-------------------------------

The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.

2. Not urinating in the morning.

3. Too much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.

7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which! include s even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.

8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to 'schedule.'

DO TAKE CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH.................

Mga Bisaya nga Jokes

2008-11-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

Mga binisaya nga jokes akong napunitan sa Internet. Wa baya ko nanngangkon ani ha. Para ni sa tanan.

katawa sad diha.
---------

Sa Pare

Bisaya1: nindonta sa awto, siguro sa mayor na.
Bisaya2: dili bay sa hepe siguro na.
Bisaya3: tonto jud mo! kang father na, tan-awa gisulat na gani sa likod o! SAFARI!!!
---------
Apelyido . . .

Pari: Unsa gani imong apelyido sister?
Madre: Imo baya nang hagkan kada adlaw father.
Pari: Ha! bisong imong apelyido sister?
Madre: Sus maryosep! Cruz father oy..
---------
Pilay anak

Nurse: pila imo anak nang?
Patient: 15 kabuok mam.
Nurse: sus, ginoo daghana gud! wa ka mogamit ug pills, condom ug uban pa jud?
Patient: krus my heart, wa koy lain gigamit Oh ten ra jud!…
---------
PANGIT

Eloy: Pre, sa imong banabana, guwapo ba ko?
Andoy: Pangit ka ug nawong, Pre.
Eloy: Pagtarong diha, Pre, ha! Unsa’y pangit?!
Andoy: Imong nawong, pangitaon kaayo ba!!!
---------
AMERIKANA

Juan: Bay Pedro, pananglitan kung ikaw ug usa ka amerikana nasaag sa lasang. Unya diha’y mga igorot nga nagukod ninyo. Sa daplin sa sapa, nakakita ka ug sakayan. Pero, usa ra ka pasahero ang masulod aning sakayana..

Unsa ma’y buhaton nimo?

Pedro: Aw, biyaan na lang nakong amerikana, Bay. Bahala na’g unsa kagwapa nang Amerikanaha na. Luwason nako akong kaugalingon. Ikaw, Bay unsa may buhaton nimo?

Juan: Bugo ka man diay, Bay. Akong isul-ob ang amerikana una ko mosakay sa sakayan.
---------
LAYO ANG MANILA

Bata: Tay, hai may mas layo?ang buwan o ang Manila?
Amahan: Layo ang Manila, Dong.
Bata: Layo ang buwan, Tay, uy.
Amahan: Kung layo pa ang buwan, nganong makakita ka man sa buwan? Unya kita ka sa Manila?
---------
WALAY SALA

Inahan: Mangumpisal ta rong Dominggo ha aron pasayloon ta sa Ginoo sa atong mga sala.

Anak: Nay, unsa may buot ipasabot anang bata nga makasala.

Inahan: Panaglitan, kung ang bata dili motahod sa ginikanan, mao na’y bata nga makasala.

Anak: Wala ko’y sala, Nay, kay nitahod man ko sa sugo ni Tatay sa pagpangawat og manok sa atong silingan.
---------
BAYOT

Amahan: Wala ka’y uwaw nga pagka-anak. Nakit-an ka sa atong silingan nga nisulod ug gay bar. Bayot ka! Bayot

ka! Imong gipakaulawan ang atong pamilya. Maayo pa’y molayas ka aron dili ako makonsomisyon nga ako duna’y anak nga bayot!

Anak: Saba diha, Tay, uy. Mora sag dili ka bayot!!!
---------

Muslim: Palit naka mo sa perfume nga snow white and seven dwarfs, humot kaayo.
Kustomer: Pre! baho man lagi ning usa ka garapa,
Muslim: Ooooy! namatay man god ang usa ka dwarf.

Muslim: Palit na kamo sa sing-sing nga pure gold, bisan pag itunlob sa suka dili gyod molobad.
Kustomer: Ha ba diha ka pre, ming lubad man lagi ning sing-sing human ug tunlog sa suka.
Muslim: Tungod kay dili man god pure ang suka.
---------
Insik, Kano ug Pinoy

Intsik - “sa amo sa Tsina, usa ka sakong harina isulod sa dakong pugon, pagula dagkong pan ug kuwarta na”

Amerikano - “sa amo sa Amerika, usa ka dakong baka isulod sa dakong makinarya, pagula ang bukog butones na, ug ang unod de lata na”

Pinoy - “sa amo sa Pinas, pagsulod soreso, pagula tawo”
---
Barberong Pinoy

Usa ka barberong Pinoy nga bag-ong salta sa Amireyka dili pa kaayo maka mao nga mo-iningles. Human niyag alot sa kustomer nga nakatulog, nakalimot siya unsa-on sa pagingon ang nahuman na. Sa kalit nakahinumdom siya nga kon mahuman ang sine, sa katapusan sa pelilkula duna’y “The End”. Samtang nagba-id siya sa labaha iyang gipukaw ang Kanu ug miingon, “Joe, this is your the end.”
---------
Pinoy Paks Masin

Pinoy sakay sa eroplano para mag tour sa Europe may kaabay siya nga duha ka Asian, Hapon ug Insik. Sa ilang biyahe nagkaila silang tulo, naghisgot sila sa mga bag-ong teknolohiya nga gikan sa ilang nasod.

Matod pas Japon - “kining akong ball pen camera ni”,

Ingon sab ang Insik - “kini sab ako sing-sing alarm watch ni,

Sus, kay ang Pinoy na-atol man sab nga nagda-ut iyang tiyan ug nangutot ug may turbo sound pa gyod

[purrrrorrrrrot].

Nakurat Japon ug Insik ug nagdungan pag-ingon - “unsa man ron?”
Tubag pas Pinoy - “mao toy bag-ong teknolohiya nga bag-ong produkto sa Pilipinas ang paks masin na-a sa sulod sa human body.”
---------
Kinsay Da Bes Nga Mabana!

Upat ka dalagang Pinay nurses naghinambugay kon kinsay ilang pamanhon.
Nurse 1: Ako ang akong gustong mabana ENGINEER.
Nurse 2: Nganong ENGINEER man?
Nurse 1: Tungod kay ang ENGINEER, sige lang erect ug erect!
Nurse 2: Bitaw no!…. Ako ang akong gusto ACCOUNTANT.
Nurse 3: Nganong ACCOUNTANT man?
Nurse 2: Tungod kay ang ACCOUNTANT, sige lang enter ug enter!
Nurse 3: Mau ba?… Ako ang akong gusto nga mabana DOKTOR gyod.
Nurse 4: Ngano man bi, nga DOKTOR man gyod?
Nurse 3: Tungod kay ang DOKTOR, sige lang inject ug inject!
Nurse 4: Wow, puro man big shot ang inyong gusto. Ako, simple lang.
Nurse 1: Oh kinsa may imong pamanahon bi?
Nurse 4: Gusto kog kanang pure nga BISAYA.
Nurse 2: Ngano man?
Nurse 4: Tungod kay ang BISAYA, gahi ug DILA!
---------

Si Juan nag ampo nga taga-an og senina ni Hesus !! Sige siya og ampo nga tagaan sya og senina ni jesus. Way lain niyang ampo nga tagaan ra gyud sya og senina ni jesus.
Sa ikatolo ka adlaw nag ampo sa sad siya !!

Mitobag si jesus, "saba diha, juan. Nag tapis ra gani ko, mangayo ka na hinuon og senina".

------------------

Asawa 1 - akong bana Engineer, sus makalagot sigi lang erect ug erect.
Asawa 2 - akong bana Doctor, maglagot pod ko kay sigi lang inject ug inject.
Asawa 3 - akong bana Attorney, sus makalagot jud sa tanan kay sigi lang postpone ug postpone.

bana: gang, naka-save ko ug 6.00 karon kay ako na man gigukod ang jeep, wala man ko mu sakay
asawa: bogo! taxi unta imung gigukod aron mas dako imong na-save

Doc: Ma'am, naa kay breast cancer.
Ma'am: ha? tinuod ka doc? dili man ko katuo sa imong gisulti! i'm healthy! naa pa ka second opinion?
Doc: Bati pa jud kag nawong!

ATTY: asa ka pagkahitabo sa rape?
JUN: sa kamaisan
ATTY: nag-unsa ka didto?
JUN: nalibang!
ATTY: pila ka kadupa gikan sa krimen?
JUN: naa bay malibang magdupa-dupa?…. Ayaw pagbugal-bugal 'torni uy!

babae: nong! sakay ko!
driver: cge! asa man ka?
babae: diha lang sa kanto! naay bayad ang bata?
driver: ay libre lang kay duol man.
babae: ah, ang mosabak naay bayad?
driver: wala gihapon!
babae: cge nak! sabaka ko...

BF: ga, naa koy dago nga problema.
GF: ga, ayaw pag sulti ana oi. Ayaw ingna nga problema lang NIMO. Ingna nga problema NATO kay nag hinigugmaay man ta. Dawbi, unsa man ATONG problema?
BF: namabdosan NATO si inday ug KITA ang amahan..

Customer: Day, kape.
Tindera: Tag P10 na ra ba.
Customer: Diba tag P8 ra na?
Tindera: Nimahal naman gud ang gasolina.
Customer: Ah, ayaw na lang butangig gasolina!

AMO: inday gipatotoy na nimo ang bata?
Maid: Yes mam! gipatotoy na.
Amo: Ang sir nimo ningkaon na?
Maid: Naah! mam, dili man mukaon si sir, gipatotoy na lng pud nako.

BISAYA: Pabili nga ng lemoncito.
TINDERA: Anong lemoncito?
BISAYA: Lemoncito gud.. yong maliit na buongon!
--
TEACHER: give me a tag question.
PUPIL: My teacher is beautiful, isn't she?
TEACHER: Very good! Ibinisaya dong.
PUPIL: Ang akong maestra gwapa, wa sya kuyapi?
---
Maestra: Kinsa ninyo ang gusto moadto sa langit? (Miisa sa kamot ang tanan gawas ni Pedro.)
Maestra: Pedro, di diay ka ganahan moadto sa langit?
Pedro: Pasayohon man god kog uli ni Nanay, Ma’am!
---
Maestra: Palihog barog kadtong mga bugo.
(Human sa usa ka minutos, mibarog si Juan.)
Maestra: Juan, midawat diay ka nga bugo ka?
Juan: Aw, gikuyogan ta lang ka Ma’am. Ikaw ra man gong usa ang gabarog.
---
Bungi: Sir, moaplay ko pagkasundalo.
Officer: Di ka puyde kay daghan kang ngipon nga nangapangag na.
Bungi: Ngano diay Sir, pinaakay na diay ang gubat ron?
----
Way labotay ug mama

Pari ug sakristan naghinambogay…

Sakristan: Unsa man, Dre… Abtik man gyod kaha ka sa tsiks, padaghanay ta. Inigsulod sa tsiks, motakla ta kon atong naiy***n.
Pari: Sige.

May misulod nga babaye. Mitakla ang sakristan, mitakla pod ang pari. Unya may lain na pod, mitakla ang pari,

mitakla pod ang sakristan. May hamtong nga babaye nga misulod. Mitakla ang pari, apan wa ka katakla ang sakristan.
Sakristan: Aaaa, way labotay ug mama Dre!
---
Mibagting hinuon ang tanan
Problema sa seminaryo ang balita nga dunay usa sa ilang mga seminarista ang nangabang og burikat sa Junquera.

Maong mihimog imbestigasyon ang kadagkoan. Ilang gisab-itan og kampanang gamay ang tintin sa matag parionon.

Dayon ilang gipasayaw-sayaw sa atubangan ang usa ka burikat nga naghubo.

May mibagting. Ila dayong gidakop ang maong parionon ug gipaadto sa atubangan. Aron kini maleksiyon, ilang gipahubo.

Mibagting ang tanan!
----
Kandila

Usa ka madre nagpatsek-ap sa klinika. Pero nasayop ang laboratoryo kay nailisan ang iyang ihi sa specimen sa babaye nga mabdos.
Doctor: Sister, ang resulta sa imong test miingon nga mabdos ka.
Madre: Doctor, makamabdos diay nang kandila?
----
Eksersays sa mga madre

Matag buntag mag-eksersays ang mga madre libot sa ilang compound. Ang paagi sa ilang pag-eksersays mao ang pagbisikleta. Apan kay lagi mga madre, ginadili alang kanila ang pagsaba.

Usa ka adlaw, nag-eksersays na sab ang mga madre kuyog ang ilang superyora. Nagbisikleta silang tanan. Pag-agi nila sa usa ka gamayng hump sa dalan, naniyagit ang mga madre, “Aaaaayyyyy!!!” ug nang-agik-ik. Napungot ang ilang madre superyora kay ginadili alang sa mga madre ang pagsaba-saba. Mibadlong siya, “Mga sisters, palihog ayaw kamo pagsaba kay makawala kana sa dignidad sa atong pagkamadre!” Ug nanghilom ang mga madre.

Nagpadayon silag tindak sa ilang mga bisikleta. Sa unahan, nakaagi na sab silag hump. Ang maong hump mas dako-dako kay sa ilang naagian ganina. Pag-agi nila sa hump naniyagit na sab ang mga madre, “Aaaaayyyy!!!” ug nang-agik-ik. Gipaningot silang tanan. Napungot na sab ang ilang madre superyora ug mibadlong, “Mga sisters, palihog intawon ayaw kamo pagsiyagit-siyagit kay mga madre kita! Abi pa lang unya mga mahilayon kitang mga madre!” Ug nanghilom ang mga madre.

Padayon gihapon ang mga madre sa ilang pag-eksersays. Pag-abot sa unahan, dihay dako gyod kaayo nga hump. Nakabantay ang madre superyora sa dako nga hump ug nahadlok nga basin maniyagit na sab ang iyang mga kaubang madre.

Busa, mibadlong siya daan sa iyang mga kauban, “Mga sisters, adunay dako kaayong hump sa unahan. Kon inig agi nato nianang hump maniyagit pa gani mo, ako na gyod nang pabutangan og lingkoranan ang inyong mga bisikleta.”

---
Kahibawo na ka?

Samtang naglakaw si Canuto sa Colon kuyog sa iyang pangasaw-onon, sa wa lang damha nakit-an siya sa iyang karaang uyab. Milingiw unta siya apan…

Bidat: Uy, Canuts, mosta?

Canuto: (Molikay unta apan, nahawiran sa iyang ex-gf). Awww, kuan diay ila-ila mo. Si Biday, akong pangasaw-onon.

Bidat: Pangasaw-onon? Unya kahibawo na siya… Nga adtong otso anyos na-diagnose ka nga dunay allergic rhinitis, gani miburot ang imong sip-on atubangan sa akong Papa… Nga human nato og gradwar sa hayskul na-diagnose ka nga duna kay overactive bladder, gani nakaihi ka atubangan sa atong silingang doktor. Nga sa dihang nagtrabaho na ka, na-diagnose na pod ka nga asthmatic, gani gitabang man ka kay naglisod ka og ginhawa atubangan sa inyong company surgeon. Nga duha ka semana human ta magsabot nga magminyo na ta, na-diagnose na pod ka nga hypertensive ka, gani mi-collapse ka man sa dihang mibisita ta sa klinika.

Biday: (Misagbat kay wa na makaantos) Kahibawo na man ko ana tanan, mao nga mas nagkinahanglan siya sa akong pag-atiman ug mas pa nako siyang gihigugma.

Bidat: Aw, mao ba? Pero kahibawo ka ba nga niadto tanang panahona, kon di pa lang unta siya talawan, natuli na unta siya?

Biday: (Misinta ang tingog) Ay nganong wa man ka magpahibawo nako pisota ka!

UEFA and the Filipino Premier League

2008-11-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Man United 1 Chelsea 1 - United win 6-5 on penalties after extra-time.

Africa and half of Europe held their breath last night during the finals of the UEFA Champions League held in Moscow. It was an-all English football club finals between Manchester United and perrenial rival Chelsea.

Just like in our country during a Manny Pacquiao fight, i am sure that UK and Africa experienced a no-crime night last night.

It is just too bad that our DSTV subscription was finished last Sunday and we were not able to pay in time to watch last night's game. So i have to stay online until 12 midnight reading the blow-by-blow accounts of the match.

Being a filipino, i grew up with basketball. But because i am vertically-challenged, i have to find other sports that suits my height. And so i played table-tennis (ping-pong), darts, billiards, and golf. As a spectator, i love baseball, volleyball and lawn tennis also.

I really have no idea about soccer/football. Even in university intramurals, soccer is the only game i never bother to watch.

When i arrived in Nigeria, the first things that intrigue my sight is the dominating products sold in the stalls -- football jerseys, pennants, banners and stickers. I learned later Africa is a football-crazy continent. And football is the dominant sports here.

So, to be able to adjust to the culture, i have to learn about football -- the teams, the names, histories, and of course, African national teams. So by my second month, i could talk football like a native.

Our client in Nigeria is managed by 4 brothers as directors of the company. One is a fan of Liverpool, two are Man U, the other is Chelsea. And all of them are fanatics, really. One time, one of the brothers came to me and asked me who my team was. i said, ahhm, Chelsea. And the guy just thundered his disapproval. He told me he lost respect for me and he went on to lecture me why i made a bad choice. He said i would be better off with Man U.

After that faux-pas, i decided to select other neutral teams. So i adopted Arsenal for English Premiership, and Real Madrid for UEFA. I even bought pennants to display in my door at the staff house and in my office desk.

-----------

I have read among Filipinos sports pundits that too much basketball is counterproductive to Filipinos because we are naturally short people. They opined that we will have better success in soccer/football and baseball, and attain the same status internationally in these sports as with South Korea and Japan.

Maybe so. In Asian football circuit, we stand a chance. But if it comes to FIFA tournaments, we will still be disadvantaged. Because, the truth is, football is also a tall-man's game. The disadvantage in in height is well-pronounced during running game and crucial headers from a corner kicks. In fact, a goalie must be tall to have a greater reach for bar and post-targeted goals.

But the footballing world is replete with superstar short (by european standard) football players who made their marks on the international scene. We can mention Pele, Maradona and Tevez.

But height is not really a big stumbling block to make it to international scene in soccer-football. Man U, has a Korean player. I think i saw other Koreans and Cinese players in other English teams also.

------------

You see, there is too much emphasis, and money invested, in basketball. And yet our basketball quality continues to decline each year as our national teams struggled (and lost more often than not) in various international competitions.

Too much fixation in basketball. We have PBA and PBL. Then they have the short-lived MBA. The LGUs initiated their inter-city nationwide tournament called National Basketball Conference (NBC). Aside from that, there is the Visayas-Mindanao LGU tournaments (MVBA) also.

We should consider introducing vigorously soccer, baseball and volleyball down to grassroots level and set up local, provincial, regional and national tournament all-year round. We should make our Filipino athletes as multi-sports athletes. Schools should emphasize on promoting

Why can't they make a schedule that during HS and Collegiate basketball season break, the players can move to volleyball or track and field tournaments?.

I remember watching High School musical in DSTV. During football season break, the football varsity players moved to basketball tournament. I assume some of them will also play for the baseball varsity.

So far, aside from basketball, only volleyball women has as much attention as basketball. Only because we loved the sight of the tight uniforms that players wear, and because they got a solid sponsor (Nestea), and, these girls do not play basketball.

Other games

Other games are played based on social status. That is, you have a well-funded golf tournament from Juniors to Senior amateurs. On the other hand, you have the 'tambay' sports like billiards and boxing, which has given us more international honors than basketball.

Summer Open Lawn Tennis tournament for juniors used to be sponsored by Milo. I think. Alas, lawn tennis is an 'elitista' game nowadays. Very few (i know one) promising young players who are not well-off or well-connected get to see international action because they can't get sponsorship. One of the most promising lawn tennis junior player i knew, who hails from Cagayan de Oro, almost did not make it to one Asian tournament. I heard his mother and coach were frantically looking and begging for sponsors. When the lad finally got sponsors, he did not disappoint them by eventually winning the said tournament. If only our sports association will acknowledge this young man's skills, he could be a regular campaigner in international circuit. And who knows, he can be budding Mamiit later on.

Chess is also an under-rated sports in our country. But it is one of those sports, aside from boxing and billiards, which gives us tremendous international honors, from the elder Eugene Torre to the young wizard, Wesley So. And we should continue to promote chess tournament in all levels - from elementary to collegiate, in-school and out-of-school. I believe it is easy to promote Chess since it does not require big venues and logistics.

All of these sports, considering their growing popularity, should be given a rotation schedule of tournaments nationwide so that players from other disciplines can also participate. Of course, we need to provide players with financial incentives, other than medals.

Football United

I don't know what happened to the summer Coke Go-for-Goal tournament for high school football teams. That is one tournament that LGUs, POCs and DECS should support and promote. Maybe they can make a national regular tournament out of it.

For example, an inter-High School footbal team tournament, playing for 6-months (24-26 weeks, played every Saturday or Sunday) qualifying games. These games will be played in home and away football grounds. With the schools group in geographical locations. Then the semi-finals will be played either in Vigan, Manila, Bacolod, Cebu or Davao. The finals (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th places) will be timed in summer. Venue can be any from those previously mentioned places. Since we have government-owned (or controlled) radio, TV and print media, these can be utilized to provide live broadcast of the games. Aside from the sponsors's advert.

Commercial Soccer

Soccer is very popular in Ilo-ilo. As it is also in Ozamiz City and Davao City. I think Ilonggos have their own regular soccer tournament involving homegrown football clubs.

There is a website which covers footballing in the Philippines.

http://www.pinoysoccer.com/

There was a 4-team Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup 2008 - Group B qualifiers tournament being held in Barotac, Iloilo last May 2008.
http://pinoysoccer.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1310

Photo is that of RP vs Bhutan action during the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup at Barotac Nuevo Sports Plaza in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, May 17, 2008. Philippines won the match (3-0) but lost on goal difference to Tajikistan who won against Brunei (4-0), and did not qualify for the Asian Challenge Cup finals set July 30 to August 10 in Hyderabad, India. (Photo by Victor Kintanar for Pinoysoccer.com)

And in case you are not aware, we do have a national soccer team called Team Azkals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_national_football_team

These days, soccer tournament is mostly corporate tournaments. Like this 1st Mizuno Futsal Corporate Cup.

READINGS:

http://www.skysports.com/football/match_commentary/0,19764,11065_2995193,00.html?reloaded
http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/24641-Manchester-United-vs-Chelsea-1-1-AET-6-5-on-penalties-210508
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/football/urowin.xml

Futsal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
FIFA.com - Futsal - Mission and Goals

Pinoy Soccer:

http://pinoysoccer.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQgUZXBT3uY
http://blogs.pinoysoccer.com/

Team Azkals:

http://philippinefootball.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_national_football_team
http://pinoysoccer.com/gallery2/main.php

A Mighty Heart - OFW perspective

2008-11-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

I saw the movie 'A Mighty Heart' about the account of Marianne Pearl regarding the kidnapping and killing of her journalist-husband Daniel Pearl in Pakistan.

I would say Angelina Jolie deserves whatever award she got for the role.

But hey, this is not a movie review.

What touch me in the movie is that within the first week that Daniel Pearl has been confirmed kidnapped, the French Embassy (Marriane is French) and American Embassy were all-out in their support to Marianne and in finding Daniel.

The American government provided high-level support also that made it possible for Pakistani police and security services to conduct their massive and effective operations to uncover the people behind Pearl's kidnapping. To think that Pearl is journalist (and a Jew) in a volatile Islamic country.

Now, fast forward.

If Pearl is Filipino, you can be sure that the government would only issue some trite press release about the kidnapping. And when it is over (as in the victim is killed), the government will most likely slap a ban on Pakistan for being a security risk country.

But did US and France put a ban on Pakistan for the incident? Nope. Not even a travel warning, which they casually release against travel to Southern Philippines...

And this is where it is sad to note about the state of government support that we OFWs get when one of us is in distressed. We surely heard about stories on how our own embassy staff or officials are pimping the female OFWs in distressed because their is no official budget for them.

And how emabssy officials tell ME OFWs not to rescue or provide relief to runaway/distressed OFWs so as not to violate the host country's law or offend the employers.

These days, OFWs in Middle East are occupied in their thoughts about the plight of 2 housemaids sentenced to death.

I believe that we should stop deploying domestic help to most Middle East and Arab countries (with the exception of UAE) because of the poor record of their nationals in treating our OFWs there. It is right to slap a TOTAL BAN against Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.

But the same TOTAL BAN on domestic help should be implemented in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar.

Just for a measly 200 dollars a month, they put their lives in jeopardy the moment they leave the Philippines for these countries.

I saw one documentary in Al-Jazeera about how many Sri Lankan maids in Lebanon got killed or committed suicide because of abuses of their employers. But they kept coming. And the NGOs and Christian organizations there are complaining about the lack of action from Lebanese government and Sri Lanka's lack of regulation for the protection of its overseas workers.

Why is the Philippine government not putting a TOTAL BAN against the sending of domestic helpers to these countries???

And so, how many more Filipinos need to die senselessly in these countries in the name of OFW remittance and to escape from abject poverty back home?

I hope we do not forget these fallen OFWs on the 2010.

==========

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view/20080414-130370/OFW-vows-to-take-care-of-3-Filipino-kids-orphaned-in-Kuwait

Whale watching in Nigeria

2008-11-04T04:38:00.000-08:00

After year of absence from Lagos, I was finally able to get a re-assignment. And the next thing i planned was to go back to Eleko Beach with my Pinoy colleagues.

I was a bit Eleko-phobic actually, after a bad experience last year. I almost drowned in Eleko beach, after getting trapped in the churning tidal water and being smacked down by giant waves...

This time, i stayed near the shoreline and made sure i have a companion nearby as we dive under the breaking waves.

An after, the entire beach went into a frenzy of fingers pointing into the ocean. At first, i thougt somebody is in distress (drowning). Suddenly in the distance, i saw something black came out of the water, and then a water spout appeared. It's a WHALE!

There were four of them, in pairs. The graceful undulating dives, punctuated with the release of water spout, and the splash of the tail fins really excited all of us.

Beachgoers came out of their cottages and into the water line, hoping for a better view. Digicams and video cams came out and everybody was snapping photos. My colleague also took photos, but forgot to zoom.

The 2 pairs of whales continued their rhythmic passage, seemingly following an unseen lane in the ocean, just on the edge where the shallow shore ends and the deep end starts.

It was not even a close encounter kind of thing, but the experience of seeing whales was really something. My friend joked afterwards that "somebody is going to write a blog about the whales in Eleko beach". Of course, he was refering to me.

Finally, i can relate my brief glimpse of whales to the shows of National Geographic in our DSTV.

The Weakest Link - Philippine edition

2008-11-04T03:29:00.000-08:00

For awhile now i have been watching British-edition The Weakest Link with the feisty Ann Robinson at the helm. It is shown in DTSV 3 times a week.

It reminded me of my own experience in Edu Manzano's The Weakest Link. Yes, Virginia, i was able to join TWL in 2003.

I was still in CDO that time and we were call-testing the various gameshow (TWL, GKNB, WW2BAM) landline participation number (i worked in a telecoms company).

Let me digress for awhile. I actually tried for "Who Wants to be a MIllionaire" (WW2BAM) and i was able to get to the second round, only to be trumped. I botched my last opportunity when the call for second question came. You see, the second question is made by a person and not an IVRS, and its a 10-second question. I ran to nearest computer trying to delay the question, telling the lady at the other end like: 'heloooo, a moment, i can't hear you.. heloo, heloooooo..." :-)

It did not work. By the time i reached a computer, it's 5 seconds to go. The question? "How tall is the Leaning Tower of Pisa in feet?". i rush up Google but by the time the info was up, it's 10-seconds gone. wtf!

Anyway, so here comes test call for TWL. Since it was test call, it's free. Normally, it's 10 pesos per minute when you call the game hotline. After three tries, i got a call from TWL telling me i have been selected. Yes! Finally....

I kept the infomation secret from my family and colleagues. I took a leave and went to Manila. TWL paid for my SuperFerry plus taxi. It took me 3 days travel and then off to the TV station (i think it was ABC-5 then). I learned to my annoyance, that i could have asked for a plane ticket instead.

There were twenty of us for the particular episode. I met one guy from CDO. He was browsing on a book about quick facts. Me? stock knowledge lang po.

Well, we were told only 8 will be selected. So in a small studio, we played a quick version of TWL conducted by the screening staff. We were divided into 2 groups, 10 per group and the last 4 standing will go into the final round.

First 10 went and 4 came out. Then our group was next. The CDO guy was with me.

The elimination was simple. The questions were the ones already asked on previous episodes on TV. So the person who watched TWL regularly will know it -- and that's the case for me. We eliminated the weakest link of course, and the CDO guy was the first out. Obviously, he was not regulary watching the shows since he failed to answer almost all question thrown at him.

In short, I survived the elimination. And together with seven other survivors, we were processed and given ID cards and meal stubs for hotel. The once who did not make it?? bahala na daw sila saan sila matutulog, bcoz TWL will only shoulder travel expenses (2-way) but not for their accommodation should they fail the elims. Crap...

So we went to Bayview Hotel and we got to know each other. Our group (Me, Veronica, Jean, Rommel) was especially close-knit and we came up with a strategy: Vote all the 4 persons ( from the other group, whether it's one of us who is the weakest link in the round. As for the 4 us, it will be the weakest link basis -- daw.

Taping day

We were taken to a converted warehouse in Paranaque. That's the TWL taping studio. After the makeup and the briefing, Edu Manzano came to give us some pep-talk and wished us good luck.

We were suppose to start at 8am, but bcoz of some technical glitz, the taping started late in the afternoon.

And so there i was. Finally on the podium number 2 on the left of your TV screen.

So the player position was like this:

P1 - Veronica
P2 - Maynard
P3 - Jean
P4 - Rommel
P5 - Nato
P6 - Edwin
P7 - Marc
P8 - Kim

From P1 to P4 is our group.

First round

Kim was the obvious weakest link in that round. So it was all unanimous in disposing him

Second Round

It was Veronica who was the weakest link, but 4 of us voted for Marc since he failed to answer a few questions also. Nato and Edwin voted for Veronica.

Third Round

It was Nato who was the weakest link. So 4 votes plus Edwin voted Nato out.

Fourth Round

Veronica was again weakest link. But 4 votes went to Edwin. Edwin voted for Veronica.

Fifth Round

Jean was the weakest link. Veronica and Me voted Jean. Jean voted for me. Rommel voted for Veronica.

Sixth Round

Only 3 of us left. Rommel was weakest link. When the voting came out - there was 3-WAY TIE!!! Rommel voted for Veronica. Me voted for Rommel. Veronica voted for me.

As usual, in case of tie, the strongest link in that round will break the tie -- and it was VERONICA. I felt being slapped in the face. Ask by Edu "why Maynard?", she said because i was a threat to her. Biatch!

I didn't see it coming. But, i was the weakest link. Goodbye.

Pot money: 92,000 pesos.

Seventh Round

It's suppose to be a "triple-your-money" round. But Rommel and Veronica were not able to bank any amount.

Final Round

Eventually, Rommel won the final round 2-1 to take home 92,000 pesos. The winning question was "What is the capital of Eastern Samar?"

In my post-game interview, i said on TV i felt bad not having analyzed the situation. And to think that I 'thought' Veronica and i had an agreement we will see each other at the final round.

Women....

Battle of the Internet browsers

2008-11-04T02:41:00.000-08:00

Our internet surfing experience depends entirely on what the internet browser can do. In case you are not aware, there's actually plenty of Internet browser in the field, but only few are talked about.

While some unknown browsers can be actually better than the usual type we use, but it is justifiable to stick with the known brand as you cannot be sure about security on the peripheral browsers. Talk about browser hijack, keyboard logging and auto-install spywares.

In the days of IE4/5, I use Netcaptor. This is an 'overlay' to the anemic Internet Explorer -- that is, it is not really a separate browser but uses the IE system. It only adds function like tabbing and auto-complete on web forms. I like Netcaptor. Small footprint. Easy to install and manage. But it also inherits the IE bugs. So when the first Firefox came out with tabbing, i switched to a 'real' separate browser.

So, i will let you in on my experience trying and testing the big four in internet browser arena.1.

Internet Explorer 7/8b1 - you cannot escape this one since it comes with all Windows OS purchase. IE is so enmeshed with the OS and even MS Office that attempting to remove or brute uninstall it can cause the system to crash.

Previously in IE6, there is no multiple tabs, so you ended up cluttering your desktop with plenty of windows. IE 7 is respectable with its tabbing. I like the way it handles New Tab or Click to open New Tab. The New Tab opens right next to one you are presently on.It is, however, like its parent system (Windows OS) slow and has a bad caching attitude.

One of the things IE7 needs is the ability to store login/passwords securely, like the other browsers. But since microsoft products are known for their security vulnerabilities, it is very unlikely IE will put this feature. In other words, IE is just too unsecure to be trusted with passwords.

IE beta 1 - I made a mistake of downloading and installing the latest Internet Explorer 8 beta 1. I thought i would see some improvements. Took me awhile to download, and even lonnnggeerr to install. When i finish installation and tried it, my system went crazy.

Everything drops to slow-motion. I am sure something is hogging all the Page File and CPU processes.So i opened Task Manager, and lo and behold, there were 2 iexplore.exe processes running with same humongous bandwith. I then realized that IE8b1 is nothing but an 'overlay' to IE7. It cannot even open a single website other than the MS homepage. I have to check the button "Emulate IE7" before it starts its snail-pace crawl to open Yahoo! website.

I decided to 'uninstall' the stupid and useless IE8b1. I went through the Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. After a reboot, i thought i finally gotten rid of IE8b1, to my dismay, my laptop's IE is still showing version 8. I have to make several reboot before my IE7 is restored. But by then, the effect if IE8b1 remained. IE7 is as slow as its proposed upgrade.

My advice? DO NOT install anything that is Microsoft beta.2.

Mozilla Firefox 2/3

I started using Firefox because of its multiple tabs, something that IE6 didn't have. Although IE7 'copied' most of the features of Firefox, but i still have preference for Mozilla because it is faster in loading webpages, and i like the stored logins/passwords for my membership sites, like blogger.com. It can even handle such security conscious website as my Yahoo! e-mail.

Firefox also has this "Restore Session" option, just in case i accidentally closed the browser. This allows me to open Firefox with all the websites i have previously opened.I also like the Add-ons for Firefox. Unlike the IE add-ons which are totally useless and downright annoyances, the Mozilla add-ons are great solutions to some of the things i like to do when browsing.

There is the Video downloader, which can 'get' video from youtube.com or similar websites. Another add-on serves as download manager for softwares. Another can download, unattended, all photos in a website. There's one that blocks autoplaying of Flash advert, making the webpage loads faster. If you want to see the flash ad, you can click the the box to make the flash load and run. Neat!My only annoyance in F2 is that i have no control over New Tab. If i click Open in New Tab, the tab will open at the farthest end of the line. No option to make it open beside your present tab.Recently, Mozilla released Firefox 3, and i promptly downloaded and installed it.

But alas, it is Firefox 3 beta 1. It lost the simplicity in version 2.x. I have the feeling that Mozilla hired/pirated a programmer from Microsoft's IE team to develop this latest version, considering the garbage features of the new version. I really think that version 3 has made my browsing more difficult. Since Mozilla attempts to make F3 Vista-compliant, so you can see annoyances (called *features*) that you can see *only* in Vista.

Very much like IE development. They give you features that average users do not need. Instead of focusing on a faster and secure browser, Mozilla jumped into the Vista bandwagon and now designs F3 like it is a Microsoft product -- too much security features you'd think it is an anti-virus, slow, visual aesthetics that increases the bandwidth/memory hog - just like Vista. It also crashes everytime I upload more than 2 photos on my Facebook.

I actually compared F2 and F3, opening the same number of sites (same websites). F3's process- use is twice that of F2. So i stuck it out with my F2.Anyway, this is still beta stage. I hope the final version of F3 will be more stable, and still faster.3.

Opera 9.5.1

I used Opera before, during the days of IE4/5 and Firefox was still in diapers. Opera is one of the early adopter of multiple tabbing.I dropped it then because it was still buggy and cannot handle frames and scripts properly.The latest Opera browser comes as a surprise. It offers a lot of stuff you have no need.

I don't know why it seems the term 'upgrade' actually meant 'garbage'.

There is a Widget in Opera. I thought this is as useful as Firefox's Add-ons. Turns-out to be the same 'useless' (for me) stuff like the ones they offer in IE.On the plus side, after i installed Opera, it immediately imported my IE Favorites. Now this is neat. Saves me the trouble of finding my favorite sites all over again. The password storage is like Firefox too.

On the multiple tabbing, Opera offers four ways to open new browser: Open in New Tab, Opne New Window and by allowing you to open a new site in the 'background', either as Tab or separate window. This is because if you select Open in New Tab, the present window will jump to that new tab. Background loading of new tabs is already common in IE7 and F2.Setting it apart from its closes rival, Firefox, Opera is less annoying when it comes to remembering last opened browsers. Unlike Firefox and IE, Opera does not ask you if you really would like to close all tabs.

Or in the case Firefox, does not ask you if you like to Restore old sessions or Start a new session. For HTML websites or static homepage sites, Opera loads it from cache quickly. Opera is like "have no fear" for crashes.

So for people who would like to keep websites ready when they open the browser, Opera is the way to go.One distinctive feature of Opera is Website High-Speed Dial. You will see this when you click an empty New tab. You can drag-and-drop favorite websites into the speed dial list.

The purpose is that you can immediately load the website by clicking on the screen-image of the website on the list. I like this feature. Although it is sort of redundant to the Personal Links.I also like the page preview when i hover the mouse in a tab. No need to click on the tab to see if it has finished loading.

The password storage also rivals that of Firefox. One of its original feature is the ability to store preset information like First Name, LastName, Address, Country, City, Tel. number. This is useful for any websites you enter that requires registration. Saves you the time to type in the usual information.

The downside of all these previewing is the high usage of CPU and memory resources. So if you have a lot of open websites with dynamic contents, you can experience a slowdown in overall PC performance. Opera can go as high 90k of process hog.But great if you have 2 GB+ memorry. Mine HP NX6310 has measly 512MB.One annoyance with Opera is that during loading of page, it freezes the slider bar.

Unlike Firefox and IE which allows the user to use the slider bar while the page is still loading.Also on Yahoo email, Firefox can store the login/password and automatically opens the site.

But in Opera, you have to use the Magic Wand to put the login/password.

4. Safari

This is the attempt by the folks at Apple to get back at Microsoft, considering that MS is trying its best to integrate well its products like MS Office into the Macs. Since IE wouldn't work well in Mac, neither the Firefox, because Apple has a native browser called Safari.

Now Safari has just gotten a new twist, it can now be installed in Windows/Intel machines.

Mesmerized by the distinctive Apple layout/ graphics, and can't afford to own a mac, i decided to download the Safari for Windows and give it a try.

After all, Apple promises Win-Safari as 2x faster than Firefox 2. If them Apple folks are shameless to claim superlatives for their browser ("The world’s best browser."), then it must be good. I'm sure Steve Jobs is not one for false advertising claim. But duh, Safari was a letdown. I mean, when you have Firefox 2, you can't help compare the 'others' to Mozilla's. Speed? what speed.

However, during a 'hackers SuperBowl', where the three major browser -- Firefox, IE7 and Safari, were put to hacking test, Safari fell to hackers in two minutes. Safari might be a wee bit better in speed and aesthetics over Firefox and IE7, but since it migrated to Windows, its developer were caught surprised by its vulnerability to Windows hackers. Among its famous flaw is the so-called "carpet-bombing flaw".

"While using Safari with default settings it automatically opens
unwanted or booby-trapped file with no prompting on the Windows users desktop.
Due to this problem unwanted icons flood your desktop. Whenever a person opens
Internet Explorer the unwanted file automatically causes all your notepad files
to open. Sooner or later this force fed file takes full control of your computer
where you are unable to do anything. "
Source: Browser review

Despite the hype, Safari is such a newbie in Windows browsers. Their are websites with scripts that failed to load.

Captured Market

The problem with browsers created by major software and OS-makers like Microsoft and Safari is that these two are using their browsers as a vehicle to push their other products.

IE and Safari users are like 'captured market'. Plenty of extra software installed in your system, without your knowledge or even forcibly installed (you can't update if you do not include another product), or user has been misled during updating to also install another program.

Apple Software Update, which is bundled with QuickTime and iTunes in Microsoft Windows, automatically selects Safari for installation when it is not detected on a user's machine.

John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla, stated that Apple's use of its updating software to promote its other products is "a bad practice and should stop." He argued that the practice "borders on malware distribution practices" and "undermines the trust that [software companies are] all trying to build with users."
Apple has responded to Lilly's statement, saying that the company is only trying to ensure users have the latest updates to Safari.

Source: Wikipedia

5. Google Chrome

Here is the new kid on the block. Not content with the GoogleTalk IM, search engine giant, Google, just couldn't help itself from joining the browser war.

The result? Google Chrome.

Well, they tried, but.... Chrome is yet on its beta stage, and this is the most minimalist browser i have ever seen. Still full of bugs. It cannot even load most websites, especially ones using server-side scripts. To my disappointment, facebook.com will not load. Chrome has got an attitude against PHP/JSP-powered pages.

I can see that Google has the intention to make Chrome as an 'all-in-one' browser. They can integrate GoogleTalk, GMail and all other Google widgets into their browser.

But until those things happen and until i can see any compelling features in Chrome, i think i will be safe with Firefox for now.

My Verdict? It's a toss between Firefox and Opera. I use them both alternately in my laptop.

Choose your browser well.

Safe surfing.

Choosing antivirus for your PC

2008-11-04T02:17:00.001-08:00

Last May 24th, our Kaspersky 6.0 antivirus license expired. Although the Kaspersky is still active, but the Update portion is greyed out. meaning, we cannot update the signature and virus db anymore.And not suprisingly, my laptop suddenly got trojan/worm that keeps popping up with various .exe and .bat files from my C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32. Kind of pesky trojan.

Although KAV was able to catch it trying to make changes in registry, but the the trojan's ability to create multiple files faster than KAV can handle. So i have to set to Deny all that pops up, one-by-one.To my horror, my directories multiplied. The worm created a mirror of my drive C: and E: (partition drive). I am suppose to have C: (root), D: (CD), and E: (partition). Now i got G: (mirror of C:) and F: (mirror of E:). When i double-click on the mirror drives, the worm gets crazy. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of denying access of the worm to the registry, i opened up HijackThis to see what is going on inside my PC. Well, HJT showed the worm or trojan has installed itself as a Browser Helper Object (BHO). I am using Firefox 2.0.0.14 and IE7.

I just can't tell which browser the bug latched into. So while doing battle with KAV on one side, i deleted (fixed) the BHO from HJT.Then i open Task Manager and killed the worm process running there under my name.After the pop-up warnings subsided, i rebooted my laptop.

The directories were restored, but my My Computer icon was corrupted. I had to install XPTweak software to rebuild the icons.

I opened Windows Explorer and went to C:\WINDOWS. I saw two explorer.exe files with different icons. Once was an exe icon, the other a folder icon. I deleted both. Then i opened another Explorer windows, and i saw another explorer.exe appeared on the list.

I clicked on the file and it says it came from MS. I mean the file properties description says it is from MS. No problem.I opened the two browsers to see if something will come up in the directory. Nothing.I ran HJT again. There are two BHOs remaining:O2 - BHO: ietzbpaq.dll - {29109876-7619-9101-7012-901938475192} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ietzbpaq.dllO2 - BHO: skqncbib.dll - {32023698-6984-8541-9654-698745012523} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\skqncbib.dllI tried to located them in system32 but the files are not there. My folder view is set to "view hidden files and folders".

Well, as long as it doesn't give my KAV a knee-jerk, i guess the trojan/worm is under control.

----------

Anti-virus Galore

I have reviewed and tried several anti-virus software.

I tried McAfee, the one that is supposed to be licensed and can be downloaded from P2P. I discovered it has a backdoor and can be turned off by third party programs, and when used in Internet cafe, it can be overwhelmed and crashed out of the PC. Verdict: Out.

Then there was Symantec's Norton AV. It usually comes with a new PC. Norton is like Vista. Its installation space is as large as Office 2007. It is sooo annoying with all those warning signs. It can't even distinguished legit windows operations. I guess MS Vista copied their UAC from Norton. If you think you can use Norton effectively from the time you bought your PC until after one year, you are wrong. You may be able to ignore its warning to register and get a license; you may see that your PC is connecting to Live Update, but the truth is, it is not protecting your PC after the expiry.

It will just warn you a virus or worm has been found but it will not clean it. If the file affected is a vital .exe file, it will just quarantine the file -- change the file extension, and promptly crash your system. Regardless what Norton-lovers will say, the program sucks. So i removed it from my PCs. Rejected.

I tried next, Panda's Titanium. Nice and simple layout. Not so much security feature. Quick updating. But when i installed it in internet cafe setup, the hapless Panda just got hammered by viruses and disappeared from the tray. Rejected.

My sister-in-law sent me from the US, an original licensed CD of AVG. I thought it was just another "cheap" anti-virus. But to my surprise, it withstood the internet cafe's onslaught of bugs.

It was easy to install and quick to update. The way it handled infected files is superb. Not like McAfee or Norton's quarantine. In AVG, if the virus is on its DB, cleaning is automatic. Otherwise, it gives an option to Delete or quarantine.

There was one virus which infected excel and word files. Under McAfee or Norton, the file would have been deleted or quarantined. But in AVG, it cleans automatically without damaging or corrupting the file. It was only anti-virus and anti-spam. So the spyware passed through. Nevertheless, i liked the performance and highly recommended it to my clients. I suggest you buy an original licensed CD. Not the one you can download from P2P (antivirus coming from P2P contains trojans). Do not bother using the Freeware - it does not clean, only warn you.

Finally, our company purchased Kaspersky Anti-virus 6.0 Enterprise . I used KAV when it was still v.3 or 4. I wasn't impressed. But this v. 6.0 was different. Easy to install and easy to configure. Even easy to update. After i ran the first-time scan, it caught a lot of bugs in my laptop. It even cleaned my flash drives of some worms that my 'pirated' AVG (because my previous license has long expired) did not capture.

It has anti-spam (e-mail), anti-phishing, anti-banner, anti-dialer, anti-spy features. There is also pro-active defense (I only checked the Application Activity Analyzer and Registry Guard. I turned off the Office Guard). I also turned-off Mail scanning, as it can caused problems with my MS Outlook. But overall, the KAV is very efficient and ruthless to the viruses, trojans and worms. I love it when the pop-up warning gives a Delete/Apply to All option.

Almost always, even when the filename is something like explorer.exe, it should be deleted. Highly recommended.

I really hate it when the office internet speed goes down because someone's PC has got a host of spywares and worms. So now, i requested our IT to purchase the Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 (an upgrade from our KAV). Since almost all of us are online most of the time.

Do not be fooled by all of those P2P, torrent-downloaded antiviruses. Buy licensed antivirus. That's the real security for your PC.

Have a safe internet surfing.

Computer Games on my laptop

2008-11-04T01:55:00.000-08:00

The time i learned how to use computer, i got hooked into computer games.

From the PC Gorilla and Pong of the DOS environment to the present-day MMORPG games.

Under Windows 5.1, I used to like Sokoban, a challenge in problem-solving and logic. Then there was my first shoot-out game in Wolfenstein. I played this game during lunch. It is also on this game that i learned how to use "cheat codes" to enjoy the Difficult level.

Under Windows 98, i played a LAN game called Command & Conquer (C & C) , the original one. I was wondering then why my IT colleagues are quiet after lunch and huddled in their PCs. They were playing LAN game against the Engineers. But then, my boss noticed that the network goes down during lunchtime. Eventually, he discovered the reason and promptly ordered a sweep-delete of the game in all PCs with a stern warning.

On internet cafe gaming, i played Ragnarok, Gunbound, PangYa and MUOnline. I like GB and PY because I can play without buying top-up cards. The cards are only for points and gears. I also played Battle Realms and Age of Empires. I tried playing Starcraft but i founf the game slow and boring.

A friend showed me PC Halo, and i got hooked. I played from 9 PM till 4 AM and finally finished the game. Too bad the Halo 2 & 3 were for Xbox only.

These days, i have only two hardcore games in my laptop: Rise of Nation and Red Alert 2.
Rise of Nation (RON)

RON is like an improved version of AOE. I use cheat codes to speed things up and put the Game Level to Very Difficult. But hey, i only use the codes when the enemy has reached the third level ahead of me. I like to 'tease' my enemy by almost annihilating it, maybe leave 2 cities. Then I will pull back my troops and allow the enemy to re group and recapture some of my cities.

Sometimes it takes me 3 hours to finish the game. The game starts from hunting village and progress thru various stages. You have to cultivate foods (crops and fish), gather timber, find some resources and build mandatory buildings like Trader, University, Church, and Library. You will also build defenses like Infantry, Cavalry and Towers in strategic corners of your village.

Then you check for research on various industries to upgrade to next level. Things get hot when you reach the Information Age. By this time, you have to mine for minerals, pump oil and mechanized your army.

You are allowed to build 8 cities only. But you can add more as you conquer the enemy's cities by overwhelming air and ground assault. When the enemy is down to one city, then game is over.
RON also allows for use of nuclear weapons, but with negative consequence -- Armageddon or Mutual Assured Destruction. You or the enemy can unleash nukes up to 7 attacks. After that, game is over as either party managed to annihilate each other by nuke attacks. That is why i only use around 3 shots of nukes and then rely on my airforce and tanks to assault the enemy.
Red Alert 2

I like RA2 because it is a fast-pace game. I never use cheat codes here. I use to have the Yuri's Revenge expansion pack, but it eats too much of my small HD space, so i settled for plain RA2. I like to play with two enemies, Easy Enemy and Brutal Enemy. Under Yuri's, I can create teams and colors and i make sure i have a Yuri on my side. I then set the enemies to Random.

On RA2, i always choose America for its paratroopers. The toughest enemy thus far is the Soviet and Cuban forces. I find the Kirov airships and the suicide truck bombers as most annoying to handle. I like it fast-pace and most of the times i get defeated in less than a minute.

If I want an even play, I select only one Brutal Enemy. After setting up the Main Cosntruction Yard. I build one Power Plant. Then Barracks. I then click on machine gun nest, while building an Ore Refinery. While these two are building, i create soldiers and dogs. After the machine gun and Ore Ref, i build an airforce field so i can generate Rocketeers. I also order for anti-aircraft gun.

Now, depending on the enemy distance (battlefield chosen), i may have enought rocketeers and paratroops to ward off initial attacks. There were times that my Construction Yard and War Factory had been destroyed, with only barracks, Ore Refinery and Airforce base left. If the enemy stops sending air raids, there is an even chance of defeating it by encircling enemy camp with sufficient ground troops to prevent enemy forces from counter-attacking my vulnerable camp. Preventing their ore miners from getting minerals will also weaken the enemy position.

Aside from these 'strategy games', also played these Gamehouse and Popcap games like TextTwist, Bookworm, Bejeweled, Dynomite, Zuma, and Soduku. I also have this Kasparov Chess game.

I have 53 Popcap games but only installed Zuma and Bookworm.

Zuma is lethargic color-coded shoot-out game. You need to hit colored balls in three's and prevent balls from falling into the trap by hittin combination-chain shots to hasten the destruction of the balls. It was my Lebanese friend Johnny Elias who introduced me to it. Before long, we were competing on who can get to higher levels. Ah, well, Johnny was stucked at Level 9, while i succeeded making it to Level 12.

I like Bookworm so much i spent my whole day-off just to break the 1million points. I did finish 6.3 million points with carpal tunnel (CT) syndrome and back ache as reward . As you can see, all ten list of Action player is all mine. I like the Action Game because it is faster. The Classical is meant for first-timer as the tiles burn slowly.

My annoyance in Bookworm is that when i tried to submit my score to their online website, Popcap did not reflect it. Maybe because i was using a 'hacked' version of the game.
.

My Sri Lankan friend, Ranjith, introduced me to this addicting shootout game of Air Assault. At first, i dismissed it as no-brainer. Later, i found myself competing with my housemates on who can finish first the entire game on Normal level. I was never able to make it past first level in Lagos. It was in Enugu i finally was able to find time (again, my Saturday day-off) to finally beat the game and finish it.

Lately i got addicted to Gamehouse's Casino Island. I'm not really into gambling. But if you know these casino games (except Ride the Tide), then you can afford to gamble here. Management of the Island gives initial 500 dollars gambling money.

I raised money thru video poker. And lost my money in Hold em poker. I thought that i got the pattern in video poker, but when i tried it on a real casino video poker, one thing became obvious -- you can never win.

I am looking for old 2-D games like Starcraft and Battle Realms.

Cheaters

2008-11-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago i was watching DSTV, while attempting (or pretending) to cook pork adobo.
By the way, since i can't find the usual adobo mix, i used toyo (soy sauce) and vinegar. then i tried to scrounge for some leftover ingredients that might have been left by another filipino in the house.

I saw a package marked "Clover", so i thot it might be a good ingerident, so i threw in generous amount.

Then i saw round blacks things which i thot to be "paminta", so i took some and threw on my adobo... and then when the pot started to boil, to my horror, it smelled like hell. those black things were indian ingredients and were giving what i suspect as saffron smell. shit. the kitchen smelled like a burnt prayer stick... well, whatever those things are, it's already cooking. i'm bound to eat my mistake... ugghhh..

Since it's adobo, i decided to watch TV to while away the time. I tuned to the Zone Reality channel. i like the channel because it has no commercial break, believe you me. I first saw the program "medical detectives". it's about use of medical forensic to investigate crime.
then came the next program, titled, Cheaters..

Yes, that's correct. Cheaters.

It's about investigating cheating spouses, or partners or lovers (GF/BF). You know, there is this group called Cheaters Investigations. And they handle surveillance against a suspected erring spouse or lover using sophisticated surveillance equipment third only to the CIA and FBI.
The host, a Mr. Greeco (i forgot his first name, but no, his last name is really Greeco, not Roman. geez), interviews "the complainant" and the reason why they sent e-mail to our C.I. to investigate if his/her spouse/lover is doing "other" things.

The first "client" was a 22 year old Latina, pregnant at 8 mos. and married her 27 year old BF. After they live together, the partner suddenly lost interest in her and oftentimes stayed out late, even on weekends. since she is going to give birth pretty soon, she wants to know what it is his cold husband is busy doing that he can't spend anymore time with her.

So surveillance started and before long, the guy was seen meeting with a chubby lady and dating her every night and staying at the lady's apartment. on one of the surveillance, while the husband was with the paramour, the wife called to ask where he is. Husband said he is on his job and kinda busy right now. The call was recorded.

After a week, Mr. Greeco met with the wife and showed her videos of surveillance. He then asked the wife if she would like a confrontation so that she and her husband would come into terms. But considering her advance pregnancy, Mr. Grecco reminded her it might complicate her situation. But the young wife said she's going to do it. Tee-deng!

So they waited at the parking lot while her husband and the other lady were having dinner. then, as the two lovers get into the guy's car, the wife came over and --- scandal on the parking light. cuss words, wife slap husband. husband don't what to speak. other girl shouting to the wife (what the f***) -- at least 4 cameras and lights focusing on the couple and on the fleeing paramour (protesting her innocence, that guy said he is single). cameras chasing the other girl and another camera on the spouses. Mr. Greeco and his bodyguards made it sure the husband can't do any physical harm to his young wife.

The twist is that, the young wife, broke her water bag (ikaw ba naman buntis ma tension like that) and proceeded to labor pains. CI crew and Mr. Greeco helped her into the CI van and they called 911. she was moaning saying that the baby is coming out... soon, 911 came right in time and she promptly delivered a baby boy, right inside the van. wow... how real can that be..
well, to make the long story short, the husband apologized to her and on TV about his misdeeds.

And young wife, crying, forgave him. Happy ending...

Reminds me of The Buzz.. hahahaha...

Movie blues: Crash

2008-11-04T01:34:00.000-08:00

Once again, i am alone in the house and I was stuck in the sala surfing the DSTV (cable) for good movies to watch. And i stumbled into an MM3 channel movie. It is titled "Crash". I thought it was a boring movie, but since i cannot find other interesting shows, i decided to watched it. And i like it.

Here is a summary of "Crash" i downloaded from the Internet.:

"For two days in Los Angeles, a racially and economically diverse group of
people pursue lives that collide with one another in unexpected ways. These
interactions are always interesting, and sometimes quite unsettling. The film
explores and challenges your ability to judge books by their covers.

Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a
collection of inter-related characters, a police detective with a drugged out
mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly
theorizing on society and race, the white district attorney and his irritated
and pampered wife, a racist white veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home)
who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood
director and his wife who must deal with the racist cop, a Persian-immigrant
father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young
daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more."

The movie, by the way, started with a car crash with the veteran but racist white cop (Philippe) refusing to help them because they're black. And it is the same black guy (husband) who the white cop has defended as he was cornered by other white cops after a hot pursuit, because a young black thief rode on his car pointing a gun at him. The white cop convinced his colleagues the black man is innocent and he is his friend and he can vouch for him. The black man refused to believe and challenged him to let the other cops shoot him instead. But the white cop prevailed over him and his colleagues. As they went on their ways, the black man drop the young thug in a corner and told him he was a disgrace. This young thug happens to be the younger brother of another black detective, who has to endure for an addict of a mother...

The actions in their respective lives were a whirlwind of events that connect each one of them by one or two of the other person in the movie.

That being said, i found the movie engaging, the story is told fast-paced and at first, you get lost on changing scenes, but near the end, you get to understand the underlying message of the movie. For me, the movie represents hope, amidst the noise, vices, crimes, vanity and greed. It is also about unconditional love for family and friends, belief in the thot that in every person, there is kindness within, and that when you do something good to someone, friend or stranger, it is returned - in more ways - like catharsis.

Sometimes, as we go through our lives, going to work, going home, interacting with people, we take things for granted. we tend to ignore others or regard them with utmost suspicion, or make malicious judgment on them. Only to realize later how wrong we were -- on all counts. In the end, one can only say, "wish i never said that, or do that".

"Crash" is a movie of redemption. of acknowledging that a kindness given has a wide-ranging effect from the first person who's surprised to received it. and from that first gesture, kindness continues or is passed on to another person..

i am not really very good in reviewing a movie, but this is much what i can say.

Weekend Chef - Operation Adobo...

2008-11-04T01:18:00.001-08:00

When you are alone (as in you are also the ONLY Filipino in the house), a lot of crazy things come to your mind. As for me, it is weekends that makes me do crazy things. Before, i'd drag my international housemates to the beach. But since we realize this is one dangerous place to go 'beaching', we decided a shopping in Shoprite or ParknShop in VI will do the trick.

I was watching Kylie Kwong on BBC Food and her seemingly simple, quick but delicious Chinese cuisine makes me wanna go home. I miss that Mandarin Chinese Restaurant in Cagayan de Oro. The chicken feet, the quail eggs and shark fin siomai dumplings, mixed vegetable toppings with quail eggs.

So, i lately discovered we had a kitchen. Becoz we have no cook on Sunday (day-off), we will be the ones cooking our foods for the day. Those who don't know how cook, they ask the chef to cook foods for them enough for 3 days (or even a week).

So now, i am one guy who gets tired easily of one dish. And since i recovered from malaria, i have lost appetite for African dishes (which i used to love a lot in my first 2 months). I like to cook in small quantity so i can have variations in menu everyday.

In my cupboard, I have Noodles (called Indomie), yam (gabi), cooking oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, margarine, camote, irish potato, black peppers, garlic, ginger, olive oil, Nido, Nescafe, and jasmin rice (from thailand). In my part of the fridge, i have eggs, butter, assorted veggies (baguio beans, cabbage, cucumber, onion, tomato, cauliflower, ampalaya (bitter gourd), talong (garden egg or aubergine), alugbati (african spinach), green peppers, dried red peppers and carrots), dried bagoong mix (given by a pinoy friend), and plain youghurt. I also have one loaf of slice bread. Meat would be chicken (wings), pork (chop and stew size), cow liver, chicken gizzard, and beef (cube lean meat or stir-fry cut). Occasionaly i'd buy goat meat and lamb meat.

My morning menu is usually Filipino. Eggs cook sunny-side up or scrambled in either fried rice or plain rice (toasted bread once in a while). When i get tired of eggs, i cook the ampalaya (ginisang ampalaya at itlog). As they say, eating ampalaya is an acquired taste. Then when i have talong, i broil (sugba) the eggplant and when it is peeled and cooked, i flatten it with a fork and then add it to a scrambled egg. Then toss it into a wok. I like my 'tortang talong' well done -- medyo sunog. I'll wash it off with coffee with milk/sugar. Ha! my housemates can only watch in amusement on what i can do with these veggies. :-D

Lunch and Dinner will usually be the same -- meat. This is where i got the inspiration to write this blog.

I wanted to cook adobo but can't remember how to do it. SO i searched the net (on a sunday) for a recipe. I am not good into translating recipe, but this is how i did my adobo. ta-da!!

My ingredients:

(10) cuts of pork stew meat (with fat)
half teaspoon Black pepper (ground)
1 clove Garlic, pounded
3 pieces Onions, rounded-sliced
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Vinegar (depends how much meat you use)
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce

How i cook it:

- Boil the pork for 30 mins. Then throw the water of the first boil.
- Put the pork back into casserole.
- Throw in the garlic, black pepper and half of the onion.
- Add vinegar , sugar and soy sauce. Add little water. Boil for 30 mins.
- Once in a while, stir the contents to mix the ingredients. Add water as necessary.

The meat should turn to golden brown. Add the remaining onions. Stir to mix.

When there is little water, turn off the stove and let it simmer and the remaining water will have a 'syrupy' consistency.

Done!

I did not bother to taste while i was cooking it. I was too worried i may not like the taste.

Since my housemates are Buddhist (no meat) and Muslim (labaw!), i cannot ask them to taste-test my obra. i just have to assume i cook it right. i just have to assume i cook it right.

And yes, it was good.

Really.

Next time, i will write about my chicken gizzard menu.

Watching Bollywood: Water

2008-11-04T01:05:00.000-08:00

Movie: Water
Producer: David Hamilton
Director: Deepa Mehta
Starring: Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Sarala(introducing), Manorma, Raghuveer Yadav, Khulbhushan Kharbanda, Waheeda Rehman
Music: Mychael Danna, A.R. Rahman-Hindi Song

--------------------------

I saw this one on MNet Africa (DSTV). This is a story of pre-Gandhi India when widows are separated into a commune or house for widows called "ashram".

In those times in India, children can be married by their parents at very young age like 7 years young. Widows are not allowed to remarry and are forbidden to work or be seen in public. They rely on donations and 'extra-curricular' acivities for funding for foods, clothing and house repair.

They are also not allowed to eat sweets or any 'nice' foods - -they have to make do with porridge or plain rice/lintel.

The movie opens in the widows' housing commune (ashram) near Delhi, beside the holy Ganges river, for the widows of all ages. There was elder Madhumati Didi (elder sister) who served as the ashram landlady and who pimps the younger widows to wealthy gentry to support the ashram house. Then there was the seven year old child, named Chuihyah (Hindi for mouse) who was bethroth a few months back, but then her child-husband died of disease. At such age, she was abandoned by her family to the widows house. Another was Kalyani, a pretty 20-something woman who also entered ashram house since 9 years old. She is the bread-and-butter of the house because she is young and pretty, so she was being pimped for by madhumati didi.

A young man, Narayan - British educated and a Gandhi advocate, falls in love with Kalyani, despite her mother's objection. Didi also warned Kalyani that if she insist on marrying, she cannot come back to ashram again.

Before the wedding, he tried to bring Kalyani to his house for introduction. When Kalyani saw the house, she asked to be returned to the ashram. Later, Narayan discovered that Kalyani was a regular visitor to his father's boudoir. Even his father felt guilty - knowing how much his son loved her -- but nevertheless, remained unapologetic.

Kalyani was heart-broken. She tried to go back to ashram house but Didi refused her entry. So she went to Ganges river and drowned herself. The next day, Narayan went to the ashram house to look for her - he still wanted to marry her. He was devasted when he was shown the funeral pyre for Kalyani. He decided to follow Gandhi, who was at the train station, to go around india preaching civil disobedience.

In the meantime, Didi, with the loss of Kalyani, decided to send the seven-year old widow Chuihya to Narayan's father. Another widow, Shakuntala Didi looked for her in the ashram house. When she saw the pimp coming from the other side of the river, she immediately knew what happened to Chuihya. She tooked the shaking, unconcious child in her arms and ran to the train station. Gandhi's train was just about to leave and Shakuntala was racing alongside the train - -begging anyone in the train to take Chuihya with them -- to safety, to freedom. As the train races past her and Chuihya, Narayan, who was hanging by the door of the last coach, saw her. She saw Narayan and ask him to take the child. Narayan understood and before the train finally left the platform, he took the child with him -- leaving Shakuntala convulsing in tears, but relieved..

I will not belabor you with my own review but i will just copy-paste one review i saw on the net for further information.

-------------------------------

Our eyes and ears are those of Chuihya (Sarala), a seven-year-old widow
sent to live in an ashram for widows. She encounters the vile head of the
widows, Madhumati (Manorma), who exploits the residents. Shakuntala (Seema
Biswas) is the only force that occasionally opposes Madhumati´s tyranny. Kalyani
(Lisa Ray) is the beautiful young widow who befriends Chuhiya-- she is also
pimped by Madhumati and the eunuch Gulabi (Raghuveer Yadav). Ironically, she
sent to work by crossing the Ganges. Narayan (John Abraham) is a follower of
Gandhi who falls in love with Kalyani, regardless of her status as a widow. Throughout Water, Mehta exposes the cruelties of Hinduism against widows.

Chuhiya, in her ignorance, asks all the right questions like "Hum apne ghar kab
jaayenge?" or "Aadmi vidhwaah kahan jaate hain? " It is not that Mehta is
rejecting Hinduism as a respectable religion. She is merely raising the right
questions--she is striving to empower those with the means to help those widows
who, till this day, suffer in the same conditions described in the film. No
religion is perfect. Each one has a dark past. Hinduism is no different. Whether
these injustices are innate to the religion or a by-product of chauvinistic
interpretation, one thing is clear: unleashing and relinquishing one of the
skeletons in Hinduism´s closet will only enhance the quality of the religion.

"We are very good, as different nations and different cultures, to have a
collective amnesia about our own [problems]…[Water] is about three women trying to break that cycle and trying to find dignity, and trying to get rid of the
yoke of oppression, and if it inspires people to do something in their own
culture, that´s what´s important." (Deepa Mehta, as told to the CBC).

Considered as a film, rather than a "baggage of controversy" (says Mehta
herself), Water is superior. The screenplay is crisp and tight. There are not
miscellaneous sub plots that divert from the prevailing theme, which is always a
bonus. No action completely overt, which makes the experience even more
fulfilling. Moreover, the dialogue is engaging, especially those lines in which
Narayan deciphers the need for a custom that sentences widows to lives of
degradation. Thankfully, the movie is not preachy but speaks volumes on the
issue it addresses.

Lisa Ray is a complete revelation. Her Hindi has improved leaps and bounds.
Not only does she look stunning, but she is convincing as the prostituted widow
trained to be submissive. Her self-imposed exile from Bollywood is sad, as one
wonders how many movies Deepa Mehta can make to keep this talented actress in
the limelight--there is minimal scope for actresses of Indian origin in Canada
and Hollywood.

John Abraham is too chic for his role. He´s just one of those people that cannot look average even with the right makeup. But his mannerisms and dialogue delivery are perfect. This is the performance that he should be most proud of.

Seema Biswas, best known for Bandit Queen but also impressive in recent
movies like Ek Hasina Thi, is no less spectacular. Her fear, concern, and confidence are ideal and she proves that she is ideal for the role. Even the original choice for
Shakuntala (Shabana Azmi) may not have been able to the kind of justice to the
role that Biswas has.

Manorma is perfectly vile. After being out of film for a long time, she
returns with a bang, playing a character you love to hate. Raghuveer Yadav lends
adequate support as the heartless eunuch.

Waheeda Rehman is in a small role that could have been played by anyone.

Sarala is the best part of Water. She´s cute, energetic and the perfect
choice for the role. In real life, Sarala cannot speak a word of Hindi. Her work
in Water is the complete memorization of lines and their phonetic regurgitation.
This makes her performance even more profound. What an amazing actress!

Source : http://www.planetbollywood.com/Film/Water/

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I hope Filipino Indie filmmakers will continue to make socially relevant, non-commercial films, like India's Water. I am sure there is a dearth of topics about the true Filipino culture and identity to relate.