c.r.u.m.b.s

kamusta na?!

2011-09-30T13:58:00.001+08:00

ako si palitaw. lulubog, lilitaw. sa ngayon nakalitaw ako! hehehe

birthday ko eh, kaya magpopost ako! hahahah.

anong bago? oh well. medyo adjusted na. sabi ko nga, the city, this city has grown on me. hinde ko na oras oras na-mi-miss ang pinas. pero namimiss ko pa rin. hinde ko na araw araw sinasabi na uuwi na ako ng pinas. pero sinasabi ko pa rin na gusto kong umuwi ng pinas, na kelan kayo ako uuwi ng pinas.

isang taon at 4 buwan, and we are on our 3rd house. yes, hobby namin ang maglipat ng bahay. haha. wag na nating pagusapan ang reasons, mga valid naman.

anyway, si jason nag tatrabaho as a programmer. regular job 8-430 (sometimes 7-4). at ako ay nagtatrabaho part time sa isang department store, 5-9. not in the office, i am now a sales associate! haha. bago ako umalis ng pinas, sabi ko matutupad na ata ang pangarap ko na magtrabaho sa mall. natupad nga!

well, the schedule works for us. basta one of us has the full time job. ayos na yun. i dont want to work full time and leave aquim in a day care. wag na lang. sa iba ayos ang ganong set up. sa akin hinde. i will not take it against you kung ganon ang set up nyo. pero dont take it against me and do not make me do that. iba iba tayo. kanya kanya.

ang sa akin, ngayon ako mas kailangan ng anak ko, tapos ngayon ko sya iiwan. pag malaki na si aquim at di na ako ganon kakailangan, then i can find job with more hours. sa ngayon let me enjoy our time together. enjoy ha, eh lagi nga kami away bati. as usual. hahah.

so there. till my next update. after a year?

heheh :)

kakapanibago

2011-02-12T15:27:00.001+08:00

haha i was reading my previous post. ahahhaa kakapanibago. walang sense. hahaha walang direction, parang ako.

ano ba to, tweet?

9 months

2011-02-12T14:55:00.002+08:00

in a week or so, 9 months na kami dito. feeling ko 9 years na. heheh kelan kaya makauwi?

i know i havent been posting though i said ill post often. nine months. in a matter of weeks, full cycle na. all 4 seasons. spring. summer. fall. winter.

so what to tell... mahirap nang isipin kung ano ang mga nangyari since the last time i posted. so let's just start again.

i dont know kung ano na lang ang ipopost ko dito. i have a few unposted entries. hinde kasi pwedeng ikwento. pero feeling ko, lahat ng pwede kong ipost hinde pwedeng ikwento wahahaahah.

feeling ko, ang tanda ko na. feeling ko pati si aquim, nag mature na din. sobra. when we came here, he was still a baby. pero ngayon, parang hinde na. iba na magsalita. iba na mag isip. hayyyy. kaka guilty. feeling ko dapat baby pa rin sya but because of the consequences of our decisions, of our actions, nag level up na rin sya.

i think the city is starting to grow on me. or nasasanay lang ako? sabi ko nga, ang ikinakatakot ko is yung maging stranger ako, sa pinas, at dito.

still, i can say that i am just going with the flow. i feel like i dont want to decide on anything anymore. i dont want to take charge. kung san na lang dalhin.

bad.

yeah i know

2011-02-12T14:42:00.001+08:00

this is one neglected blog. yun lang.
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home - michael buble

2010-10-21T14:57:00.002+08:00

another summer day
has come and gone away
in paris and rome
but I wanna go home
mmmmm

may be surrounded by
a million people, I
still feel all alone
i just wanna go home
oh, I miss you, you know

and I've been keeping all the letters that i wrote to you
each one a line or two
"i'm fine, baby, how are you?"
well i would send them but i know that it's just not enough
my words were cold and flat
and you deserve more than that

another aeroplane
another summer place
Iim lucky, i know
but i wanna go home
mmmm, i've got to go home

let me go home
i'm just too far from where you are
i wanna come home

and i feel just like i'm living someone else's life
it's like i just stepped outside
when everything was going right
and i know just why you could not
come along with me
'cause this was not your dream
but you always believed in me

another winter day has come
and gone away
in even paris and rome
and i wanna go home
let me go home

and i’m surrounded by
a million people i
still feel all alone
oh, let me go home
oh, i miss you, you know

let me go home
i've had my run
baby, i’m done
i gotta go home
let me go home
it will all be all right
i’ll be home tonight
i’m coming back home

hayyyyzzzzzz

i

2010-10-12T14:50:00.002+08:00

i don't know what to think anymore...

i am not sure about anything ...

but i feel like i am missing a lot.
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ode

2010-08-28T17:16:00.001+08:00

how i miss our bed, and our room,
i miss tenderbob's and goldenspoon.
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scores

2010-08-27T14:03:00.005+08:00

as promised, here are my my scores ....

reading: 8
no comment.

writing: 7
marilenn is able to write on both familiar and abstract topic. in her writing, she demonstrated an appropriate sense of audience. marilenn has very good control of simple structures and adequate control of complex grammar.

listening: 7
marilenn has no difficulty understanding questions or instructions. she was able to answer concrete and abstract questions regarding the listening. marilenn could pick out key words and phrases from the listening.

speaking: 7
marilenn speaks with confidence on familiar and abstract topics. she has very good control of grammar, and is able to use a wide variety of vocabulary. marilenn is able to make comparisons, give her opinion and provide supporting ideas.

----

so why didn't i have a perfect score in writing where as their assessment stated that i wrote well, i have coherent ideas and that i know that i have a particular audience in mind? that my punctuations are okay and that i have a wide range of vocabulary?

well.... i have to write with correct capitalization. you see, since high school, my handwriting has always been ALL CAPS. all right, i know that when typing or texting, using ALL CAPS means shouting. and according to them, it goes with handwriting too. so now, i am trying to change my handwriting. and i am hating it.

i always take pride in my handwriting. i know i have very good handwriting, legible and with a sense of certainty. but all in capital letters. right now, writing in correct capitalization makes my handwriting a little bit awkward and unsure. i even had a hard time in spelling because i am so not used to writing in small letters. hayyy..

listening is what made me so anxious. i thought i would fail, because i really had a hard time "memorizing" all the sentences that i've heard, word for word. good thing that he noticed that i can grasp the keywords.

really, when i was listening, i was memorizing the sentences. but after i took off the headsets, there goes my sentences. hehehe .. maybe because i'm so used in jotting down notes if i have to remember anything.

in actual conversation, we also listen, right? but we can talk back immediately without having to memorize everything. in listening and then mimicking it, i found it hard.

what i did to somehow made the evaluator think that i am a good listener? i engaged him in lengthy conversation. heee .. when he asked me about something, i replied in lengthy answers with lots of side stories. hehehe that is the purpose of the evaluation, right, to see if i can communicate in the languate. i guess that paid off. i remember even telling him stories about the queen and the streets in london and the streets here in winnipeg (i was reading diana chronicles that time and the queen was in winnipeg for a visit!).

i don't know why i didn't get a perfect score in speaking??? hehe duh! of course i know. i am still not that confident in speaking in english. i still have that habit of constructing the sentences in my head before speaking. but having a score of 7 is not that bad. i am accepting it :)

after the evaluation, i told the evaluator i am interested in taking english classes. there is this intensive english program from the university of winnipeg, there is this eglish for technical purposes and enhances english skills for employment. i am particulary interested with the correct pronunciation, intonation, diction and accent.

but most specially, i just really want to practice speaking in english. plainly having someone to converse with in english without having to laugh at each other. it's hard to speak in english in the house, jason and both felt and sounded hilarious.

but i didn't enroll. maybe this fall. i can't afford to try and have the accent while aquim would be alone in the house. maybe this fall....

english

2010-08-27T13:39:00.009+08:00

two months ago or so, i've undergone an english proficiency test here in canada. they say it's not a requirement for work but it is required by some immigrant training facilities to have a specific score to let one in on any of their trainings, so i had to take the assessment.

there are 4 areas on which i was tested: reading, writing, speaking and listening. one would receive a score and accompanying narrative assessment for each area. the highest score for each is 8.

reading: it was just multiple choice. it started with easy ones like images of things of which you have to choose the correct "word" that identifies the image (like pencil, money, etc.). easy stuff. then comes reading stories with increasing number of paragraphs. no sweat. the answer is on the story itself. you really just have to read. the clinch is that it is timed, so you also have to read it fast.

writing: easy to hard again. first, i was asked to write what was already printed on the form. easy, eh? then the next ones are essay writing stuffs with a required number of words. i'm good. i can write anything. the topics are easy. let me say that writing means handwriting. and it also timed. this is quite hard because i've been so accustomed with computer where in there are the backspace and delete keys. building your thoughts and make it appear coherent while handwriting it is quite hard, for me.

speaking: i was interviewed by an assessor. no sweat. i'm used to talking with strangers. i was just worried if he would ask me about current events or anything related to canada, hehehe i was not prepared for that. but it was just a casual conversation. he asked questions and i answered. more often providing more information than what is expected.

listening: i was provided with headphones. the instructions was to listen to the taped series of monologues. after each one, i have to repeat what it has said as completely and identical the source. easy to hard again. first few ones were just a couple of sentences that i was able to repeat it word for word. but it was getting longer and i had a hard time repeating it identically.

my scores on my next post.
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balita!

2010-08-25T14:22:00.002+08:00

nanay: uy ikakasal na yung dati mong crush ah.

moi: ah talaga?!

nanay: oo! invited ka nga eh!

moi: wow! kelan? sige sabihin mo attend kami. luluwas kami para diyan.... err... di pala. nasa canada nga pala kami akala ko nasa probinsiya lang...

***

panaginip lang ....
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what i love here: library

2010-08-17T07:06:00.007+08:00

time to rave.

the winnipeg millenium library

one of the things i like here is the library! yey for library, yey! books for aquim, books for me, for free! they have dvds, audio cd, cds for kids, magazines. we can borrow the actual books (hard cover!) or the ebook online. please take a look at their catalogue, click http://wpl.winnipeg.ca/library/ and http://elm.lib.overdrive.com/.

searching is easy, borrowing is easy. you can either search it online and reserve it online. choose where you would like to pick it up (there's a lot of libraries). if it's an audio book or ebook, you can check it out and read in instantly.

picking up is easy, just give your library card and voila, your books are ready. if you would like to borrow additional books, checking out is done thru a lib staff or you can do it all by yourselves using this computer.

of course there would be fines if you forget to return the items on time. returning is easy also, you can return it to any branch and you just have to put the books on the counter, that's it!

they also some have computers there and they have wi-fi. they have mini museum and they have this ascending terrace where one can actually read, surf or just ... stare. hehe i was not able to take a picture, but i'm sure it would be great just sitting there hehehe.

they have some paintings on display, like this one:

and this one:

which is actually, this just big (or small?)

i'd like to do that in our house. hehehe .

****

funny story...

last time, i asked jason to pick up some books that i borrowed, just 3 titles. when the lib staff gave him the books, he was shocked! what the.. they were giving him 12 books! he called me and asked "what are the books that you borrowed? they were giving me 12 books. they told me you borrowed the book club kit and it contains 10 books!"

me: hehehe! oh, i didn't realize that book club kit means there would be 10 books. i just thought it just comes with a special binding. because the actual book is checked out and i was like the 7th person on the wait list. and i saw that book club kits have several units left (3 actually). so i thought this is just a book binded differently. hehe i didn't know that it will be 10 books hehehe.

***

i am spamming

2010-08-05T16:00:00.002+08:00

after deliberately posting nothing, i am back into blogging. yes. i don't care if the posts will be too senti or full of rants. i want all of it to be here. i want something to make me remember when all of these has past.

so, just hang around.
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hello, stranger

2010-08-05T15:44:00.002+08:00

i admire those OFWs really. i've already admired them when i used to watch wowowee and cried when they tell their stories. but now that i am here in another country, leaving my family behind, i can almost feel what the OFWs have to go through just to give their family a better chance in life.

i know my story is so much different from them and it is nothing compared to what they have to go through. but in terms of homesickeness, i guess we are on the same page.

even if i am with jason and aquim, i am still homesicked. i don't know. maybe i still need more time. how much more? afraid.

i really don't know if i want to cope. i don't want to not miss them. but i want to have a "new" happy and normal life here.

yes, i think of the philippines and my family back there every hour of the day, and it scares me that i am letting my day here go by without appreciating it, without even noticing it.

right now, i am missing one country while being a stranger in another. what scares me the most is, i'll end up being a stranger in both countries.
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namimiss mo ba ang philippines?

2010-08-05T15:37:00.006+08:00

moi: namimiss mo ba ang philippines?

dad: ahhmmmm... hinde naman. lalo na ang weather. siguro yung mga tv shows pa. ikaw ba?

moi: ahhh... namimiss ko ang 9am sa philippines. namimiss ko ang 12pm. namimiss ko ang 3pm. namimiss ko ang 6pm. ang 7pm. namimiss ko ang 10pm at 11pm. yeah, na mimiss ko ang philippines.

yes. going on 3 months here and i'm still homesicked. everyday, everyhour, naiisip ko siguro ang philippines. kung 10am dito, naiisip ko ang feeling ko pag 10am sa philippines. or naiisip ko kung ano ang ginagawa nila ngayon 11pm sa philippines. pag sunset na dito around 9pm, naiisip ko ang 6pm atin or pag sunset na sa atin. namimiss ko ang tumambay sa terrace. namimiss ko ang hangin na medyo malansa at maalinsangan.

minsan nga namimiss ko rin ang traffic! hehehe.

kung ipapalista sa akin ang namimiss ko, everyday may maisusulat na ako dito sa blog ko. hayyy...
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i know...

2010-07-22T14:20:00.003+08:00

of course, i know it. i am not posting as often as i used to. it's not that there is nothing to post. it's just that i dont want to post it yet. if i'd post it, this blog will be full of rants... and negativity.

i just want to attract positive vibes. so please bear with me, please, dearest blog.
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one year

2010-06-20T14:44:00.001+08:00

it has been a year since I lost kutchie...wahhh!
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assiniboine park

2010-06-14T13:57:00.005+08:00

the sun is up today. after a week-long rain. where else to go (everybody is there!) but to the park. good thing we went with our hosts to the assiniboine park. we had a great time. assiniboine park is so huge (biggest in winnipeg), we only get to see one part. hopefully, we can get to go there again. and explore each and every garden. eat on its restaurants. and visit the zoo.

http://www.assiniboinepark.ca/

In 1904, the City of Winnipeg purchased 283 acres of woodland and prairie along the south side of the Assiniboine River. Termed the “Suburban Park” for the first ten years, Assiniboine Park, as it was later named, was the first of the City’s Regional Park system.

Leo Mol Sculpture Garden
English Gardens
Formal Gardens
Flat Gardens
Abilities Gardens
Herb Garden
Garden of Life

Citizens Hall of Fame
Miniature Steam Train
Pony Rides
Bike rentals

Assiniboine Park Zoo

We didnt get to see all of these. Actually, i'm not sure where we were. It was just a vast green land. Defintely, would like to visit it again and check out the gardens.

one of the entrances. dont know which side it is.

we were on the other side of the park, where we had our little picnic.

aquim get to see new friends.

hello there

then we head off to a more open ground, where everyone can do anything,

under the sun! hehehe

frisbee with a fellow kid. they're the youngest in the group.

at one time, he asked me if he can kiss the trees. because trees are nice daw.

hehehe he used to see me hugging the trees. now he wants to kiss it.

playing (flying) around.

end of tour.

the rest of the pictures are in here

steinbach

2010-05-25T15:50:00.006+08:00

our hosts took us for a road trip to steinbach, south of winnipeg. we had lunch at a.d. penner park and then take a dip at the indoor pool of steinback aquatic centre. here are some of the pics. the rest of the pics are at http://jolen.shutterfly.com/ontheroad/2623

it was windy and the wind is cold. aquim kept telling me he is ginaw. tita peng lent us her fleece jacket. we are still not quite familiar with the weather. people here are actually relying on weather forecasts and they are quite reliable. our hosts say when we've been here long enought, we will know what to expect when it says 18 or 12 or 22.
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one of the things i love here in canada, are the parks! this is the first park we have visited, the a.d. penner park. i'll google later what are the parks in winnipeg. this is quite a large park. one can play soccer, beach volleyball and has a playground.

aquim having fun going up and down the "mountain". actually it is just a hill.

trying out the swing. it's just sad that he doesn't get to play with other kids. maybe because he still doesnt speak english. but heck, most of the kids here at the park are pinoys. or maybe because he is the new kid in town. maybe because he is still too small for their games. hayy...sad.

but even if he is the smallest in the bunch, he is the first to try this zip line. and he did it several times until his hands hurt and let go of the handle on his 5th try. you can see the video on the link i posted above. a 5 year old gets to try this the first time, and he let go and he hurt him self big time.

after lunch and some play time, we are headed to the aquatic centre. it's just a few steps from the park. the centre opens up at 1pm and there are already quite a number of people in line outside.

here's after the door has opened. people trying to get tickets. the centre only has a certain capacity and if they have reached that limit, no one is going to get inside unless somebody else comes out. and if you get out, you have to wait and pay again if you want to come in. drinks and food are not allowed inside. this indoor pool is quite popular you have to pre-purchased a ticket to make sure you can get inside.

here's what inside. on the right is still another pool, similar to an olympic size pool, though im not quite sure about that. but it's just a rectangular pool where one can do laps. on the left, there is a hot tub and a sauna. i tried both. the hot tub is really hot. the sauna is like being in a small room with galvanized iron as room on a 12noon in our beloved country, that's how i felt.

this facility is quite strict. there are several roving lifeguards and supevisors. kids 7 and below should be within arm's reach of an adult. and if you stray away from your kid, the supervisor/lifeguard will really approach you.

one is not allowed to swim without a proper swimming attire. cotton clothes are not allowed. kids who are not yet potty trained are required to wear swim diapers.

the hot tub should have a maximum of 13 persons only at a time and the sauna 15. and they are really checking it every 3 minutes or so.

once, there was a kid who almost vomitted in the pool, about a spoonful or so and but he actually caught it with his hands. but when the supervisor saw it and asked everybody to leave the pool at once and replaced the water. it took about an hour before they let everybody back in the pool. hence food and drinks, even infant's milk are not allowed.

after a couple of hours, we went out and enjoyed the park again. jason and i kept telling each other that it was good we get to enjoy the philippines heat and beach one last time before we get here in canada. imagine here, we have to fall in line just to be able to take dip and a splash and swim ???

since aquim has no one to play around, we just contented ourselves sitting on the grass, collecting twigs and branches. too good aquim still enjoys our company teehee.

we leave the park around 630 and slept the entire trip back to our hosts' house. and slept more once we get to the house.

downtown winnipeg

2010-05-25T15:19:00.005+08:00

last thursday, we began processing important documents here in canada. we went to downtown winnipeg to get our SIN, healthcards and open a bank account.

i wasnt able to take decent pictures cause i'm with a local so i'm supposed to do what a local do, no picture taking hehehe.. these pictures were all i took while inside the car. additionally, i wasnt also sure if it's okay to take pictures of people and buildings, i might get apprehended.

if i get to know my way around here, ill post more decent pictures with appropriate caption. right now, all i can say is these are from downtown winnipeg or the way from our host's house to downtown.

typical house in winnipeg. i guess these are all the kind of house that are being rented for. the minimum is 700 CDN, and can reach as high as a couple of thousand dollars.

parks and playing fields. the people are really making use of the sun. they are everywhere taking advantage of it. playing, or just simply lying around the parks and mostly, they are on shorts. while for us, we are still on pants and sweaters. it will take time getting used to :)

church

one of the lakes i guess

planetarium. ill take aquim here once i know my way around. he keeps calling this big egg.

a park full of people and hotdog stand everywhere. our hosts told us that during summer, hotdog stands sprout everywhere here in downtown. speaking of, i want to correct myself. it is still SPRING here. i kept telling summer a few days ago. official summer season starts june 21

aquim getting acquainted with the car seat. i actually miss snuggling with him during car trips. we used to tickle, joke around and chat while inside the car when we were still in manila

building

buildings here are quite old also.

downtown. there are also a lot of one way street and it's hard to find a vacant parking space. not much different in manila. 30 minutes is 1 dollar i believe, or 50 cents. if you parked more than you have paid, you'll have to paid 20 dollars (not sure but im sure its so much more that having paid a few dollars in advance). so it's advisable to pay for 30 minutes longer than you intend to park

uploaded photos

2010-05-25T14:49:00.006+08:00

here are the links of the photos that i've mass uploaded. i'm still yet to upload aquim's photos and photos he has actually taken himself.

sophie's 2nd birthday party at jollibee, 17 jan 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/celebrations/4

lolo jim's birthday eat out at claw daddy shang, 29 jan 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/celebrations/56

grandpa max's birthday inuman, 04 feb 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/celebrations/76

lola irene's 77th, 04 april 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/celebrations/105

anna and sherwin's shanaiah's baptism, 21 feb 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/celebrations/89

good friday procession, 02 april 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/events/4

amie's despedida, 18 april 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/jolenfriends/140

bowling night with usap's friends, 28 april 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/usap/88

last hurrah at usap, 30 april 2010 - http://jolen.shutterfly.com/usap/100

photo backlogs

2010-05-22T20:53:00.004+08:00

i have the time now so i'll be uploading photos that should be uploaded months ago. i'm still on the month of january. after this, i'll be posting aquim's pics and pics that he has taken.

don't be shocked if you'll be seeing january birthdays heheheh ... it's not time warp, i'm just catching up.
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EDIT: this is hard. looking at these photos makes want to come back to the cainta. looking at all these places... familiar faces staring at me .. wahhhh.... homesick galore...
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so, where's home now?

2010-05-20T13:33:00.005+08:00

yes, thank, God, we have safely made here at winnipeg. last may18, officially, we are permanent residents of canada. today, we have strongly sealed that title a little more. we have already accomplished getting our SIN (social insurance number), which is like your identity here; health cards/benefits for the 3 of us and a bank account.

hopefully, in the coming week(s), we'll have a job and/or our house.

we are really thankful that jason's aunt and her family are really treating us very well. they are really generous, with their time, knowledge, skills and really hospitable.

we are living with them temporarily, with free food and lodging. jason's cousin even take a week of absence at work so thay they can really help us through with the first week. they drive us to the government offices that we need to go to. let aquim play with their kid's toy, even allowing aquim to bully him. they gave us tips and whatever help that we need to make us adjust here quickly.

honestly, right now, i'm still kind of lost and in denial that we are about to stay here for good. i'm still hoping that we can go back to the philippines the soonest time possible, say 2-3 years.

permanent residency is okay with me. the government here really takes care of their residents and citizens, which is so unlikely to happen in our country. and really i am grateful that we were given the chance to experience that and a chance to shape our future differently have we stayed in the philippines.

but i can't help but feel guilty. i guess because i left my "first" family there. that i've stolen priceless moements that could have been shared together for the sake of having a better and stable future. that it seems i've given up hope on our nation. hayy... we'll see.

i want to give this a try. and i really want to do my best. i will do my best here. this has better be worth it.

so help us God.

you can view our predeparture pics here and first day here in manitoba here

zoe gabrielle

2010-05-07T00:44:00.004+08:00

yey! i'm a brand new aunt! er... actually, this is a delayed post. i am now a 1 week old aunt :)

zoe gabrielle was born last week, april 29, 7.6 pounds, the normal way; to a mother who was born may 29th; with an aunt who was born september 29th (who has a husband who was born december 29th. oh yeah, mahilig kami sa 29! :)

welcome, zoe!

and, of course, hindi papatalo si kuya aquim. when aquim first met zoe, he drew zoe. o diba, first portrait of zoe, here.

gusto kong matutong magdriveeeeeee ...

2010-04-29T16:00:00.003+08:00

well, i've done 5 out of my 7-hour driving lessons, 2 hours of which is a 'matic car. the farthest i've been to is green meadows (from our house). o diba.

i've done parallel parking, maneuver, U turn, left and right turns. shifted gear up to the 4th. car died on me atleat 5 times. hahaha. so far, so good.

i'd like to do the 'hanging'. and practice more on handling the steering wheel. i am having a hard time on that. i suspect, maybe, just maybe, because i am accustomed on viewing the road from inside a vanette. i am driving now a vios. e diba me nguso yun? valid ba?

some comments from my instructors:

teacher: gigil na gigil ka sa manibela.

teacher: para ka namang nagkakambyo ng truck kung mahila mo yang kambyo.

teacher: pag di pa rin bumabagal ang sasakyan kahit inapakan mo na ang brake, ibig sabihin kulang ang apak mo, apakan mo pa.

teacher: magmenor ka naman pag me humps.

teacher: tandaan mo ang clutch.

teacher: wag mong pasingitin yan.
moi: okay, di ko yan papasingitin (sabay sumingit na nga yun isang car)
teacher: akala ko di mo papasingitin.
moi: hehe sumingit pa rin eh.

while trying to change lane
teacher: tignan mo ang side mirror mo kung sasakyan diyan sa kaliwa. meron ba?
moi: wala. and then turned the steering wheel to the left.
teacher: (sabay kabig pakanan) muntik mo ng mabangga yung motor.
moi: wala siya kanina dun eh.

everytime there's some driver/car messing my road:
moi: kuyaaaaaa
teacher: imbes na makuya ka diyan, apakan mo ang break, or mag menor ka or dumiskarte ka. chaka mas matanda ka pa sa akin, kuya ka ng kuya diyan.
moi: what i mean is, kuya ka pagdating sa experience sa pagdadrive.

don't get me wrong, those two instructors i got are all good and courteous. those statements were delivered in a nice manner, sometimes with 'madam' or 'ma'am'.
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how hot?

2010-04-29T15:25:00.008+08:00

okay, just to emphasize and to have a point of comparison (though i know we can not really fully comprehend how hot the sun is, i sometimes wish i am superman so that i can see the sun closely and feel its heat without really killing me, but rather, nourish me wholly, just like superman nga.. er.. where was i?) -- how hot 50,000 degrees celsius is -- just an emission from the sun.

Typical temperatures of fires and flames

oxyhydrogen flame: 2000 °C or above (3645 °F)
bunsen burner flame: 1,300 to 1,600 °C (2,372 to 2,912 °F) (flame from the burner being used during our lab class?)
blowtorch flame: 1,300 °C (2,370 °F)
candle flame: 1,000 °C (1,830 °F)
smoldering cigarette:

Temperature without drawing: side of the lit portion; 400 °C (752 °F); middle of the lit portion: 585 °C (1,085 °F)
Temperature during drawing: middle of the lit portion: 700 °C (1,292 °F)
Always hotter in the middle.

The temperature of flames with carbon particles emitting light can be assessed by their color:

Red
Just visible: 525 °C (977 °F)
Dull: 700 °C (1,292 °F)
Cherry, dull: 800 °C (1,470 °F)
Cherry, full: 900 °C (1,650 °F)
Cherry, clear: 1,000 °C (1,830 °F)

Orange
Deep: 1,100 °C (2,010 °F)
Clear: 1,200 °C (2,190 °F)

White
Whitish: 1,300 °C (2,370 °F)
Bright: 1,400 °C (2,550 °F)
Dazzling: 1,500 °C (2,730 °F)
..

so damn hot!

2010-04-28T17:18:00.004+08:00

All from http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
SDO - Solar Dynamics Observator
Mission: The Solar Dynamics Observatory is the first mission to be launched for NASA's Living With a Star (LWS) Program, a program designed to understand the causes of solar variability and its impacts on Earth. SDO is designed to help us understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously.
Science: SDO will study how solar activity is created and how Space Weather comes from that activity. Measurements of the interior of the Sun, the Sun's magnetic field, the hot plasma of the solar corona, and the irradiance that creates the ionospheres of the planets are our primary data products.
The picutures below are AIA data from March 30, 2010, showing a wavelength band that is centered around 304 Å. This extreme ultraviolet emission line is from singly ionized Helium, or He II, and corresponds to a temperature of approx. 50,000 degrees Celsius.

pink shirt day

2010-04-23T18:22:00.005+08:00

http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/

this may be a little bit late, nonetheless, i'd still like to post this.

Pink Shirt Day started in a Nova Scotia high school, where a 9th grade boy was being bullied over wearing a pink polo shirt to school. A couple of grade 12 boys decided to take a stand against the bullying and wear pink in sympathy for the boy who had been so mercilessly prodded at. They went to a local discount store and bought 50 pink shirts, and distributed them amongst the other boys in their high school. They stood up for their fellow classmate and against the bullies, and made a real difference in someone's life. ~~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/nimil/4516218810/

David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school. ~~ http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/

bullying: in cyberworld

2010-04-23T17:32:00.005+08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7691940@N06/456786390/

Cyber-bullying

Cyber-bullying is the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others; that is when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.

Cyber-bullying can be as simple as continuing to send e-mail to someone who has said they want no further contact with the sender, but it may also include threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels (i.e., hate speech), ganging up on victims by making them the subject of ridicule in forums, and posting false statements as fact aimed at humiliation.

Unlike physical bullying, electronic bullies can remain virtually anonymous using temporary email accounts, pseudonyms in chat rooms, instant messaging programs, cell-phone text messaging, and other Internet venues to mask their identity; this perhaps frees them from normative and social constraints on their behavior.

Furthermore, cyber-bullies might be emboldened when using electronic means to carry out their antagonistic agenda because it takes less energy and courage to express hurtful comments using a keypad or a keyboard than with one’s voice.

Cyberstalkers use posts, forums, journals and other online means to present a victim in a false and unflattering light. The question of liability for harassment and character assassination is particularly salient to legislative protection since the original authors of the offending material are, more often than not, not only anonymous, but untraceable.

useful link: http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/
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bullying: at workplace

2010-04-23T17:27:00.005+08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nimil/4476645306/

Workplace bullying

It is the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent aggressive or unreasonable behaviour against a co-worker or subordinate.

Workplace bullying can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation.

Workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization and their society.

Forms of Workplace Bullying

1. Serial bullying — the source of all dysfunction can be traced to one individual, who picks on one employee after another and destroys them, then moves on. Probably the most common type of bullying.

2. Secondary bullying — the pressure of having to deal with a serial bully causes the general behaviour to decline and sink to the lowest level.

3. Pair bullying — this takes place with two people, one active and verbal, the other often watching and listening.

4. Gang bullying or group bullying — is a serial bully with colleagues. Gangs can occur anywhere, but flourish in corporate bullying climates. It is often called mobbing and usually involves scapegoating and victimisation.

5. Vicarious bullying — two parties are encouraged to fight. This is the typical "Triangulation" where the aggression gets passed around.

6. Regulation bullying — where a serial bully forces their target to comply with rules, regulations, procedures or laws regardless of their appropriateness, applicability or necessity.

7. Residual bullying — after the serial bully has left or been fired, the behavior continues. It can go on for years.

8. Legal bullying — the bringing of a vexatious legal action to control and punish a person. It is one of the nastiest forms of bullying.

9. Pressure bullying or unwitting bullying — having to work to unrealistic time scales and/or inadequate resources.

10. Corporate bullying — where an employer abuses an employee with impunity, knowing the law is weak and the job market is soft.

11. Organizational bullying — a combination of pressure bullying and corporate bullying. Occurs when an organization struggles to adapt to changing markets, reduced income, cuts in budgets, imposed expectations and other extreme pressures.

12. Institutional bullying — entrenched and is accepted as part of the culture.

13. Client bullying — an employee is bullied by those they serve, for instance subway attendants or public servants.

Examples of workplace bullying tactics

1. Making someone and/or other people feel unwelcome and not letting them join in e.g. being in a clique and cliquey behaviors and being snobby and/or elitist. Another hurtful form of unwelcomeness is vilification.

2. Unkind remarks about someone's family, lifestyle, body, appearance, shape, weight, clothes and their personal life.

3. Invasion of privacy e.g. tampering with someone's personal effects, asking someone intrusive personal questions, e.g. about their love-life.

4. Being refused annual leave, sick leave and especially compassionate/bereavement leave without a genuine and a fair reason why.

5. Being subjected and called to disciplinary hearings/meetings without absolute proof and when they are suddenly out of the blue and especially WITHOUT moral support e.g. a Union rep/parent/friend/trusted colleague/other trusted person with you.

6. Discrimination and/or unfair treatment to someone because of disability/medical condition/age/race/ethnicity/how they live and sensitive issues about someone e.g. HIV positive and sexual orientation e.g. gay/lesbian etc.

7. Spreading stories and/or lies about someone and/or his/her friends/family.

8. Deliberately withholding/giving out false information to make a competent worker look unprofessional and in order to make him/her fail.

9. Playing practical jokes on someone/telling jokes to someone which they do not like and if it makes them uncomfortable and when they and others are NOT laughing and they DO NOT find it funny (especially those based on sex, body and race).

10. Sexual harassment of any kind e.g. persistently asking out for dates/romances, touching/staring at someone's body, forcing/coercing to have sex,(especially private areas), displaying explicit/pornographic pictures, cartoons, DVDs, videos, saying sexual comments and any unwanted touches (that the person isn't comfortable with) e.g. brushing against, hugging, kissing, patting, catcalls, wolf-whistling etc.

11. Beware of terms of endearment as not everyone likes them e.g. even terms like Dear, sweetheart, chick, babe, honey, hun, baby, babycakes, lovey, etc. CAN be offensive/uncomfortable to some people.

12. Harassment/stalking e.g. following the person around, always hanging around outside his/her home and/or workplace, favourite haunts like their local pub, shops etc.

13. Persistently emailing, phoning up, text messaging, writing typed/handwritten letters, Instant messaging, Facebooking, and looking at someone's personal and confidential information/giving out personal and confidential information without consent.

useful link: http://www.workplacebullying.org/
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bullying: in school

2010-04-23T17:22:00.004+08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anttyblog/4038267899/

School bullying

Bullying in school sometimes consists of a group of students taking advantage of or isolating one student in particular and gaining the loyalty of bystanders who want to avoid becoming the next victim.

These bullies taunt and tease their target before physically bullying the target. Targets of bullying in school are often pupils who are considered strange or different by their peers to begin with, making the situation harder for them to deal with.

Bullying in school and the workplace is also referred to as peer abuse.It is even a common push factor in migration.

useful links:
http://www.projectrockit.com.au/
http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/
http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/index.html
http://www.theritejourney.com.au/
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bullying: categories and types

2010-04-23T17:15:00.007+08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceyf/4239673154/

two categories

Direct bullying, and indirect bullying which is also known as social aggression.

Direct bullying involves a great deal of physical aggression such as shoving and poking, throwing things, slapping, choking, punching and kicking, beating, stabbing, pulling hair, scratching, biting, scraping and pinching.

Social aggression or indirect bullying is characterized by threatening the victim into social isolation. This isolation is achieved through a wide variety of techniques, including spreading gossip, refusing to socialize with the victim, bullying other people who wish to socialize with the victim, and criticizing the victim's manner of dress and other socially-significant markers (including the victim's race, religion, disability, etc).

Other forms of indirect bullying which are more subtle and more likely to be verbal, such as name calling, the silent treatment, arguing others into submission, manipulation, gossip/false gossip, lies, rumors/false rumors, staring, giggling, laughing at the victim, saying certain words that trigger a reaction from a past event, and mocking.

types of bullying

1. School bullying

2. Workplace bullying

3. Cyber bullying

4. Political bullying

5. Military bullying

6. Hazing

bullying: all about the bullies

2010-04-23T17:11:00.005+08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinaerni/2802857314/

all about bullies

Bullies may behave this way to be perceived as popular or tough or to get attention. They may bully out of jealousy or be acting out because they themselves are bullied.

Research indicates that adults who bully have personalities that are authoritatian, combined with a strong need to control or dominate. It has also been suggested that a prejudicial view of subordinates can be particular a risk factor.

Further studies have shown that envy and resentment may be motives for bullying. While some bullies are arrogant and narcissistic, others can use bullying as a tool to conceal shame or anxiety or to boost self esteem: by demeaning others, the abuser him/herself feels empowered.

Researchers have identified other risk factors such as depression and personality disorders, as well as quickness to anger and use of force, addiction to aggressive behaviors, mistaking other's actions as hostile, concern with preserving self image and engaging in obsessive or rigid actions.

Bullies are deeply prejudiced but at the same time sufficiently devious to not reveal their prejudices to the extent that they contravene laws on harassment and discrimination. It is often suggested that bullying behavior has its origin in childhood.

Bullies react aggressively in response to provocation or perceived insults or slights. It is unclear whether their acts of bullying give them pleasure or are just the most effective way they have learned to get what they want from others.

Similar to manipulators, however, psychopathic bullies do not feel remorse, guilt, or empathy. They lack insight into their own behaviour, and seem unwilling or unable to moderate it.

Bullies have deep seated psychological problems, including feelings of inferiority or inadequacy and difficulty in relating to others. Some may simply have learned at an early stage that their size, strength, or verbal talent was the only effective tool they had for social behaviour.

But the psychopathic bully is what he is: a callous, vindictive, controlling individual with little or no empathy or concern for the rights and feelings of the victim, no matter what the context.
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bullying: definition

2010-04-23T16:44:00.006+08:00

from http://www.johnnygoodtimes.com

here's something that i would not want aquim to experience. especially now that we are going to start another chapter of our lives.

all from wikipedia.

define bullying
Bullying is a form of abuse. It comprises repeated acts over time that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power with the more powerful individual or group abusing those who are less powerful. The power imbalance may be social power and/or physical power. The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a target.

Bullying is an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.

Bullying consists of three basic types of abuse - emotional, verbal and physical. It typically involves subtle methods of coercion such as psychological manipulation.

Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics.

Bullying behavior may include name calling, verbal or written abuse, exclusion from activities, exclusion from social situations, physical abuse, or coercion.
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eenie meenie minimo..?

2010-04-23T16:05:00.005+08:00

http://www.davidandgoliathtees.com/

childish - immature or foolish or silly (from ms word thesaurus)

unreasonable - difficult to deal with, irrational, out of proportion (from ms word thesaurus)

rude - impolite, offensive, bad-mannered (from ms word thesaurus)

rudeness (also called impudence or effrontery or unethical) is the disrespect and failure to behave within the context of a society or a group of people's social laws or etiquette. these laws have already unspokenly been established as the essential boundaries of normally accepted behavior. to be unable or unwilling to align one's behavior with these laws known to the general population of what is socially acceptable is to be rude. one example of which is: bullying (from wikipedia).

bullying is a form of abuse. it comprises repeated acts over time that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power with the more powerful individual or group abusing those who are less powerful. the power imbalance may be social power and/or physical power. the victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a target (from wikipedia).

is there something wrong ... ?
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hey, statement tees from david and goliath are cool. i've a couple of those, from the earlier batch, hinde na yata kasiya wahahahah. check out their website or visit local stores here, in greenbelth and rustans.
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repost: inconvenient truth in manila

2010-04-14T19:30:00.003+08:00

posted about this before, change date na pala, now it's on june 08, according to sm prime

"SM Prime Holdings, the Philippines' largest mall developer and operator,
announced that the third staging of the leadership Conference Series featuring
former United States Vice President Al Gore will now be held on June 8, 2010, to
serve as a fitting culmination to the company's activities in celebration of
World Environment Day."

try to be on these shoes

2010-04-14T18:45:00.010+08:00

these by far are the most outrageous shoes that i've ever seen. hehehe i can't imagine myself walking in them (i know i'd love to try it on heee)

from http://shoesmitten.com/blog/

marc jacobs' heel less shoes

junko shimada's shoes

pure chocolat wedges

from http://www.shoeblog.com/

by rick owens

from http://kuwait-style.com/

antonio berardi's boots

from http://vraiefillegarconmanque.wordpress.com/

alexander mc queen's shoes

from http://ifshoescouldkill.com/

high end low-end fashion

2010-04-09T17:49:00.007+08:00

original post can be found here, all photos are also from the original article (shine.yahoo.com)

haha. so pwede na tayong magfeeling mayaman. kayang-kaya nating gayahin 'tong mga new IT bags ng LV hihihi.

The "Raindrop Besace" tote. The waterproof purse is shaped and crinkled just like a trash bag and it can be yours for a mere $1,960 (or php 88,200 @ php45/usd1)

Sweatpants are the season's must-have fashion trend. Designed to be a bit shapelier than your basic gym-class styles, and dressed up in fancy fabrics like cashmere, the updated athletic wear is meant to be worn formally with elegant shoes, blazers, and blouses. This retail choice doesn't come cheap—the new sweatpants, from big names like Alexander Wang, Thakoon, and Bottega Veneta, start at around $250 (php 11,250) and run upwards of $1,000 (php 45,000). The Kors' version (pictured, below) are being sold for $995 (php 44,775).

Consider Balmain's spring army t-shirt, an artfully-shredded, 100-percent-cotton top that is often paired with cargo pants (giving it a military-chic appearance?), comes in just one color, olive green, and costs...$1,625 (php 73,125).

go, get the the pulubi look, the look of the season! :)
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don’t burn bridges

2010-03-26T17:57:00.005+08:00

from flickr's su yang

as much as possible, yes, we must not. this applies to all our associations, professionally and personally. sabi nga nila, it’s a small world after all (maliet lang ang siyobiz!), lalo na at may facebook na!

kaya nga ako, i always make it a point to always end my association with my employers on a positive note. aside from the fact that it is unethical to badmouth, i believe nga kasi in karma. sabi ko nga we all have our issues and differences with our current and previous employers or managers. but for me, i always like to look at the brighter side of it and not dwell on the negativity.

atchaka, careerwise, if i apply for another position in another company, most likely, if they ask for references, guess what, my previous bosses would be on top of their list, of course! imagine if i blew it off with my previous boss and/or employer, anong kalaseng reference background ang ibibigay nila sa aking prospective employer? nNot unless, i decided not to give credit to that company in my resume. or a reference would not be asked.

di natin masasabi, baka in the future, maging boss ko pa rin sila. baka maging magcoworker kami uli. baka maging client nila ako. baka maging client ko sila. alam mo na, just like in the teleserye. hehehe It’s a small world nga eh, that’s why i don’t want to burn bridges.

so far, i have positive endings naman. aside from the usual haggling and requests for extension, some has even kept their doors open for me.

“if your new job don't seem to be as rosy as you have expected it, you are always welcome to come back and work again here.”

“if you have decided to work again, please give me a call, i still want you to be in my team.”

“your resignation is going to be a big loss in the company”.

well, hinde ko lang alam kung standard dialog na yan ng mga boss. Hehehe. pero nakakataba pa rin ng puso :)

and yes, resigned na uli ako.
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bosses, are you listening?

2010-03-26T11:00:00.005+08:00

another article from Yahoo!News.

7 Things Your Boss Should Never Say to You

1. "I pay your salary. You have to do what I say."
Threats and power plays just do not cut it anymore (and they were always a terrible way to manage). ~~ I believe I haven't said these exact words yet. ~~

2. "I don't want to listen to your complaints.
It may be annoying, even painful, but that's why you get the big bucks. And even if a problem absolutely can't be helped, allowing your employees to vent can go a long way toward restoring morale and building loyalty. ~~ Ohhhhh.... Ouch! hehehe ~~

3. "I was here on Saturday afternoon. Where were you?"
This kind of "subtle" pressure to work 24/7 is a good way to burn out your employees. You may choose to work seven days a week. That's your call. But your employees shouldn't have to. ~~ No, i'm not guilty. ~~

4. "Isn't your performance review coming up soon?"
Maybe you're trying to motivate an employee to do a better job. Either way, a statement like this is not only tacky and passive-aggressive, it's ineffective. If you really want to motivate people, consider giving them a stake in the success of your enterprise. Show employees you value them. Let them know what they have to gain by doing a good job. ~~ Not me! Okay, I was tempted, once! ~~

5. "We've always done it this way."
Your employees may actually have a pretty good idea of how to do their jobs. Maybe they know even more than you. Your job as boss is to encourage them to have the energy and motivation to be innovative. In fact, employees who come up with better ways to do things should be celebrated and rewarded. (Hint: Cash is nice.) ~~ Yeah, somehow. ~~

6. "We need to cut costs."
Nothing breeds resentment more than asking employees to tighten their belts while you, to their eyes, are living it up. ~~ Guilty, attendance and punctuality. ~~

7. "You should work better."
Managers need to communicate expectations clearly. Don't assume. Managers need to to give employees the tools they need to do a good job, to set reasonable deadlines, and to offer help if needed. ~~ I'm not sure. ~~

In summary, leaders lead by inspiring, teaching, encouraging, and, yes, serving their employees. Good leaders never need to threaten. So keep your word, set a good example, praise in public, criticize in private, respect your employees' capabilities, give credit where credit is due, learn to delegate, and when you ask for feedback don't forget to respond to it. Being sensitive to other people's feelings is good karma. Leading by example is the best way to lead. The bottom line is that in the workplace, respect, a little tact, and a good attitude go both ways.
~~ Ouch sa attendance lang naman. And tact. Or meron pang iba? ~~

Karen Burns is the author of the illustrated career advice book The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use, recently released by Running Press. She blogs at http://www.blogger.com/www.karenburnsworkinggirl.com/.

serenity prayer

2010-03-23T14:59:00.003+08:00

by reinhold niebuhr

God grant me

the serenity

to accept the things i cannot change,

the courage

to change the things i can

and the wisdom

to know the difference.

amen to that.
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to be in love

2010-03-20T09:40:00.003+08:00

Kakahatid lang ng pinsan kong lalaki sa girlfriend nya sa house nila. As usual, sila pa rin ang magkatext habang papauwi na yung pinsan ko. So ang pinsan ko kiti-kitext habang nasa jeep. Nung malapit na siyang bumaba at papara na siya, eto ang sigaw nya:

'MA, I LOVE YOU!

Wahahahahah! Tawanan daw yung mga pasahero pati yung driver! Wahahaha! Funny talaga.... Obviously, yung ang itinetext nya sa girlfriend nya, nagkahalo lang at nasabi nya sa driver. Wihihihihihi!

I have my own share of bloopers while riding public transport. Nung kasagsagan ng Tabing Ilog na youth teleserye sa Channel 2 nun, nagpara din ako sa FX driver ng, "MAMA SA TABING ILOG LANG PO.", imbes na "mama sa BAGONG ILOG po.". Or one time, imbes na ang sabihin ko PARA!, ang nasasabi ko, MAMA, BABAY! Hehehe o diba feeling close.
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tricycle-stroller

2010-03-19T11:50:00.005+08:00

While surfing the net, came across this new tricycle-stroller combo! Cool... if only we have less of pollution here in Manila. Here are some of the contents from their website http://www.taga.nl/

TAGA is a multifunctional urban vehicle, uniquely deisgned to suit the needs of today's parents and children. Taga combines the benefits of a premium stroller and a carrier bicycle to create a new transportation modality.

Safe, reliable and fun, TAGA lets parents and kids move about the city easily,transforming a typical daily journey into exciting adventure. When reaching a desired destination, whether a shop, cafe, indoor playground or a friend's house, TAGA is converted within seconds into a stroller, allowing parent and child to conveniently enter the premises, ride and elavator or ascend steps.

TAGA has already won a few awards including Eurobike 2008 Award last September 4, 2008.

Some of the benefits:
Continuity: Nonstop motion, indoors and out,throughout the entire day. Always together with your child, always with TAGA.
Maneuverability: Keeps moving, even in the mostdifficult and crowded city spots.
Convenience: Easy operation. Changes modes- from tricycle to stroller-within seconds.
Modularity: TAGA can be fitted with various accessories. Mix and match to attach what is needed.
Fitness: The healthy way to travel, tone up and getback into shape after birth.
Ecology: Completely carbon emission free, TAGA is a smart city substitute for a car. Lets parents reach great distances throughout the city whilecaring for the environment.
Cost Effective: All-in-one solution. Saves ongasoline, parking and congestion fees.
Life Cycle: Reliable and long lasting. Good for newborns as well as toddlers, accommodating one or two children. Can also beused as a bike for teenagers or as a shopping bike.

Specifications:

TAGA is certified with the a few safety standards including: EN1888 -
European stroller standard and EN14764 - European city bicycle standard.

TAGA will be launched in the USA and Canada in mid April 2010. TAGA will be sold via TAGA website http://www.tagabikes.com/ and through selected retails (list will be published soon). The retail price is USD 1495. It can be ordered now, for more details pelase contact info@tagabikes.com.
For Southeast Asia (Singapore/ Malaysia/ Indonesia/ Philippines/ Brunei/ Thailand/ Vietnam): B.I.D. Trading Pte Ltd. +65 68441188; info@bidholdings.com.

secret to having happy employees?

2010-03-15T17:56:00.005+08:00

sure i've posted an entry similar to this... and in summary, that was just to treat them well. here's another advise on having happy employees...

FIRE THE UNHAPPY ONES!

tsk, sana dati ko pa to nabasa! heeee oh well, ako, one thing i learned is if i'm really not that happy in a company, i better resign. kasi there's no use working or not working diba? kaya lang some does not have the balls to resign and find another job. instead they'll whine. and bore the rest of the teams with all their problems and issues about the company and the management. sus. if you can't stand the heat, leave. ganon lang yun.

here's the rest of the article..

The Secret to Having Happy Employees
by Jay GoltzThursday, March 11, 2010
provided by the new york times

About 10 years ago I was having my annual holiday party, and my niece had come with her newly minted M.B.A. boyfriend. As he looked around the room, he noted that my employees seemed happy. I told him that I thought they were.
Then, figuring I would take his new degree for a test drive, I asked him how he thought I did that. "I'm sure you treat them well," he replied.
"That's half of it," I said. "Do you know what the other half is?"

He didn't have the answer, and neither have the many other people that I have told this story. So what is the answer? I fired the unhappy people. People usually laugh at this point. I wish I were kidding.
I'm not. I have learned the long, hard and frustrating way that as a manager you cannot make everyone happy. You can try, you can listen, you can solve some problems, you can try some more. Good management requires training, counseling and patience, but there comes a point when you are robbing the business of precious time and energy.
Don't get me wrong. This doesn't happen a lot. There's no joy in the act of firing someone. And it's not always the employee's fault — there are many bad bosses out there. Bad management can make a good employee dysfunctional. On the other hand, good management will not always make a dysfunctional employee good. And sometimes people who would be great employees somewhere else just don't fit your company, whether it is the type of business or the company culture.
In the worst cases, the problem of a bad fit can have a bigger impact than just one employee's performance. Being in charge does not necessarily mean you are in control, and being in control does not necessarily mean being in charge. Have you ever seen a company or department paralyzed by someone who is unhappy and wants to take hostages? It is remarkable how much damage one person can do. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you watch "The Caine Mutiny." Basically, one guy takes apart the ship. He was unhappy. It only takes one.
This is only my opinion. I don't have a Ph.D., an M.B.A., or even an economics degree. What I do have is a happy company. And that makes me happy. Now I know some people argue that business is about making money, and not everyone has to be happy. That is also an opinion. Everyone has a right to his or her opinion. When you own a company, you also have the right to surround yourself with the people you choose.
I have spent the last year and a half focusing on cutting costs, figuring out how the market has changed, and worrying about the economy. Things seem to be getting better, or perhaps I am just getting used to it.
Either way, I had a good day today. Not because I got a big order, great financial reports or even an employee stopping by to tell me what an awesome boss I am. (That generally doesn't happen. You have to tell yourself. It's a boss thing.) I had a great day because I spent most of it walking around the company and appreciating the fact that even after a year and a half of soft sales and cutbacks and furloughs, I have wonderful people working for me. They care. They are committed. They understand the whole customer–staff–company triangle, where all of the legs support each other.
If you read books on great companies, they usually leave out a dirty little secret. It doesn't make for good public relations — like talking about how you "empower people" or how your "greatest assets" are your people. Both of these well–worn clichés are true. What is also true is that it's hard to build a great company with the wrong people.
When you have the right people, business is much easier. I know because I have tried it both ways.
Jay Goltz owns five small businesses in Chicago.

save up, save up!

2010-03-06T18:36:00.003+08:00

for a 4D, 3N getaway of 2 adults and a 3-yo child

fare: 42,000.00 PHP
hotel accommodation: 35,000.00 PHP (roughly)

TOTAL: 77,000.00 PHP

wah! wala pang food, pasalubong and miscellaneous expenses...huwahhhhhhh

cebupac, magfly na rin kayo doon, please??
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e.g.o.

2010-03-06T17:54:00.004+08:00

he doesn't show false humility... but he sure doesn't hide his bloated ego either. thinks he's god's gift to us ...

Humility is the quality of being humble: modest, not proud,
self-abasing.

told myself i will not whine.

lost forever

2010-03-05T10:22:00.009+08:00

sadly, these species were recently extinct because of one primary threat: human.
images and texts from thedailygreen.com

The Javan Tiger was native to the Indonesian island of Java. In the 1800s they were so common they were considered pests by island natives,but as the island was developed their population dwindled. By the 1950s, only 20 tigers remained. Loss of habitat and agricultural development lead to severe population decline. Conservation efforts in the 1940s and '50s were unsuccessful due to a lack of adequate land and planning.

The majestic West African Black Rhino was declared extinct in 2006, after conservationists failed to find any in their last remaining habitat in Cameroon. Poachers hunted the rhino for its horn, which is believed by some in Yemen and China to possess aphrodisiacal powers.

The Tecopa Pupfish has the distinction of being the first animal declared extinct under the provisions of the endangered Species Act of 1973. A native of the hot springs of the Mojave Desert, the pupfish's decline was precipitated when its natural habitat was encroached upon by developers.

A native of Maui, Hawaii, the Po’ouli, or Black-Faced Honeycreeper, was only discovered in the 1970s. The population declined rapidly, and by 1997 there were only three known Po’ouli left. The species was formally declared extinct seven years later. Habitat loss, along with disease, predators and a decline in its food source – native tree snails – are all seen as reasons for the bird’s demise.

Spix's Macaw, also called the Little Blue Macaw, was known for its beautiful blue feathers. While some still exist in captivity, these tiny blue birds are extinct in the wild. Habitat destruction and illegal trapping and trade contributed to the macaw's dwindling numbers.

One of several subspecies of leopard, the Zanzibar Leopard made its home on the Zanzibar archipelago of Tanzania. It's still unclear whether this large cat is technically extinct – there are occasional unconfirmed sightings. Locals believed the leopards were kept by witches, and aggressively hunted them. The animals were seen as evil predators that must be exterminated.

The stunning Madeiran Large White butterfly was found in the valleys of the Laurisilva forests on Portugal’s Madeira Islands. Loss of habitat due to construction as well as pollution from agricultural fertilizers are two major causes of the species' decline.

The last Pyrenean Ibex died in 2000. However, a cloned ibex, created from skin samples taken from the last Pyrenean Ibex, was birthed in 2009. It died shortly after birth from lung complications. Hunting of the Ibex had caused the animal’s numbers to seriously dwindle and conservationists blame the Spanish government for failing to act in time to save it.

The Golden Toad. This fluorescent amphibian was found in the high altitude ridges of Costa Rica, but thanks to pollution, global warming and fungal skin infections, the species became extinct in 1989.

The Round Island Burrowing Boa preferred to live on the top-soil layers of volcanic slopes. It was once found on several other islands around Mauritius, but its population had dwindled by the 1940s, and could only be found on Round Island after 1949. It was last seen in 1975. The introduction of non-native species of rabbits and goats to the island destroyed vegetation and upset the boa’s habitat.

This Dutch butterfly -- a subspecies of the Alcon Blue -- was found mainly in the grasslands of The Netherlands. While closely related species (pictured here) still exist in parts of Europe and Asia, the last Dutch Alcon Blue was seen in the wild in 1979. Increases in farming and building had a negative impact on the Alcon Blue's habitat and caused it to lose its main food source.

i wish i knew how to drive

2010-03-04T10:55:00.017+08:00

really. times like this, i wish i knew how to drive. my own car. and below are my cars. i chose them because of their initial appeal to me. i'm no car enthusiast. but these are the only cars that call my attention. i don't know anything that much about their specs / technicalities.

1. mini cooper / mini cooper s. from the time i've seen the movie 'the italian job', i have always wanted to own this car. you know, channelling charlize theron's charm and beauty ;). i've inquired on a few pre-owned mini 5 or 6 years ago, and a decent one would cost about php350K. i think the lowest price was 280K. brand new would cost php2M to php2.2M visit http://www.mini.com.ph/ to view the specs and the other models.

mini cooper s from formulaphoto

mini cooper from EdZa

mini cooper interior from ' toshio '

EDIT:2. suzuki swift. i forgot this. much cheaper than mini. brand new costs php730K to php770K. image from http://www.globalsuzuki.com/

3. toyota camry. the only sedan that i like then (why then? you'll know shortly). astig kasi. sedan but has character and it's roomy. price range is php1.4M to php2.1M. all camry images are from http://www.toyota.com.ph/.

4. honda accord. the second sedan that i like. dahil astig din siya. so ngayon, 2 na sila ni camry na gusto ko. price range php1.7M to 2.1M. all accord images are from http://accord.hondaphil.com/.

and for our little family, i'd choose volvo. safe. roomy. functional. with form. efficient. earth-friendly. for volvo, i suspect it starts at around php3.5M to php5M. hay. all volvo images are from http://www.volvocars.com/ph/

5. volvo xc90.

6. volvo xc70.

i don't do well with financials

2010-03-02T16:46:00.007+08:00

well, i already know that i'm not good in handling my income and expenses since i owe this much to my credit card, that i always tend to spend money that is not yet in my hands.

but today, i just happen to know that i'm much worse that that, i've been paying for something that i haven't spent yet! i discovered that i've been paying my mobile phone provider even if they still owe me this much! haha!

you see, i don't give that much attention to the billings that they deliver, i just pay them every month. that's it. but today, when i visited their online billing, i discovered that every month, since august, i've been paying them more than i should.

example, from september last year, i still have a credit of php200 and yet i still paid them php1000. it came to a point that i accumulated php1000 credit and yet i still paid them another php1000!!! wtf! wahahah!

if i have my accountant or if someone handles my finances, naku... i'll be bankrupt. that someone can easily get money from me and i will not notice it.

sana lang, this is the same case with my credit card spending... oh well.
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tiger text

2010-02-27T18:27:00.008+08:00

for those who want to be super cautious with their text messages... here's one application for you. read it from a blog and as she has said, it is a technology product from tiger's scandal. heheh... decided to post it here also cause it's really quite interesting. now i just need to have a new phone .. :) i'm sure this app will not work with my 5110 :)

SEND TEXTS THAT DON'T LIVE FOREVER. MESSAGES ARE DELETED FROM BOTH USERS' PHONES. BE IN CONTROL OF THE RECORD YOU LEAVE. TRY TIGERTEXT FOR FREE.
Get it from appshopper.

how does tigertext work?
When you send a regular text message, the message is sent from your phone, routed through a server, and then delivered to the recipient’s phone. The message you send will live on the receiver’s phone until the recipient decides to delete it. The text message will also reside on the cell phone company’s server for an unlimited amount of time.
TigerText is different because, even though it looks and feels identical to a normal text message, the content of your message is never sent to the recipient’s phone and you control when the message is deleted from our server so you control the lifespan of the message!
how do i know if my messages are deleted?
Messages are displayed on both users (sender and receiver) phones until they are deleted from our server. All expired texts are cleared from our servers every minute of the day. Once you see the TigerText paws, you know your tracks have been covered and the message no longer stored anywhere.
what does "delete history" in setting
mean?
Some TigerText users really want to cover their tracks. Delete History will destroy the record of your conversation on your device once you exit the application. Thus, the next time you login there will no record of your ever having had a conversation on your device.
what happened if i send a message and it expires
before the recipient reads it?
The message is gone forever!

insecure

2010-02-27T15:24:00.006+08:00

why are some people always on the defense mode when being asked even by a very non-provocative, innocent question ?

they always make an issue that it is always about them. sus. they are so insecure about their work (or by not working or not knowing their job, for that matter).

a question answerable by a yes or no will get several paragraphs of explanation sounding them more guilty of a crime that they are not being accused of.

it was just a question. they always provide answers as if their capability in doing their job is being doubted. well, in fact, it's not. not yet, at least.
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seriously?

2010-02-26T16:11:00.002+08:00

they are not taking me seriously when i expect them to be ...
and they are taking me too seriously when they should not be ...

the saddest part is they can't help themselves spurting out nasty comments.

what's wrong with these people?!
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an inconvenient truth in manila

2010-02-26T12:30:00.004+08:00

al gore live in manila - sm prime

came across this while browsing the sm prime holdings site. i've seen the documentary in hbo(?) and i noticed there were also copies in the suking piratas. i don't know what's with the "updated asian version". it will be on 30 april, a week or so after the earth day. and a week or so before election day. i'm sure marami na namang politicos ang pupunta dito.
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my birthstones

2010-02-25T14:13:00.009+08:00

so if i were to follow the lists i provided on my previous post (not the one the having all stones and wear the specific stones/s for the current month), i must have 5 stones ...

the sapphire, which i really like eversince

from flickr, by hopechestjewelry

a peridot

from flickr, by awesomejewelry

agate

from flickr, by moonmystic

the cat's eye

from wikipedia

and the now popular moonstone (remember, bella's moonstone ring?

from flickr, by desiree desiree desiree

or i can have a ring like this and spread all my birthstones

from flickr, by anixijewelry

or have them stacked like this (peridot and blue topaz on this one) from flickr, by decadence_2artbar

birthstones

2010-02-25T13:20:00.008+08:00

i never thought i have different birthstones. from the start, i know that my birthstone is sapphire. and specifically, i feel that it is blue sapphire cause i like the color blue. when i did my research on birthstone (via wikipedia of course), i have 5 birthstones!

sapphire, from the natural sapphire company

(contents are from wikipedia, summarized and edited for the purpose of this blog entry)

history of birthstones

the first century jewish historian josephus proclaimed a connection between the twelve stones in aaron's breastplate, the twelve months of the year and the twelve signs of the zodiac.

the precise list of birthstones can be found in Revelation 21:19-20 where the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem are listed, in the order of the Roman calendar.

the custom of actually wearing birthstones first gained popularity in Poland in the fifteenth century. tradition suggested everyone wear the birthstone for each month, since the powers of the gemstone were heightened during its month.

for the fullest effect, individuals needed to own an entire set of twelve gemstones and rotate them monthly.

traditional birthstones
often combined with modern birthstone lists, traditional birthstones are older society-based birthstones. since many different cultures had their own list, jewelers' lists are often inconsistent over what constitutes a traditional birthstone.

january : garnet

february : amethyst

march : bloostone, jasper

april : diamond, sapphire

may : emerald, agate

june : alexandrite, emerald

july : ruby, onyx

august : sardonyx, carnelian

september : sapphire, peridot

october : tourmaline, aquamarine

november : citrine, topaz

december : zircon, ruby

modern birthstones
In 1912, in an effort to standardize them, the american national association of jewelers, jewelers of america, officially adopted a list, shown in the "modern" column in the table below. it is currently the most widely used list in the USA and many other locations.

january : garnet
february : amethyst
march : aquamarine
april : diamond
may : emerald
june : moonstone, pearl
july : ruby
august : peridot
september : sapphire
october : tourmaline, opal
november : citrine, topaz
december : turquoise, blue topaz

mystical birthstones
are of tibetan origin and date back over a thousand years.

january : emerald

february : bloostone

march : jade

april : opal

may : sapphire

june : moonstone

july : ruby

august : diamond

september : agate

october : jasper

november : pearl

december : onyx

ayurvedic birthstones
the ayurvedic birthstone list is from the ancient indian medicine and philosophy dating back to ancient india (1500 BC).

january : garnet

february : amethyst

march : bloostone

april : diamond

may : agate

june : pearl

july : ruby

august : sapphire

september : moonstone

october : opal

november : topaz

december : ruby

by signs of zodiac
early civilizations such as india and babylon have attributed gemstones with magical properties. over time, astrologers assigned gems of certain colors to the twelve signs of the zodiac to help people influence the planets in their favor.

aquarius : january 20 - february 19 : garnet

pisces : february 20 - march 20 : amethyst

aries : march 21 - april 19 : bloodstone

taurus : april 20 - mary 20 : sapphire

gemini : may 21 - june 20 : agate

cancer : june 21 - july 22 : emerald

leo : july 23 - august 22 : onyx

virgo : august 23 - september 22 : saphhire

libra : september 23 - october 22 : peridot

scorpio : october 23 - november 21 : beryl

sagittarius : november 22 - december 21 : topaz

capricorn : december 22 - january 19 : ruby

birthday stones
while this word has also been used as synonym of birth stone, this is a separate list of assignment according to the day of the week of birth:

monday : pearl

tuesday : garnet

wednesday : cymophane (cat's eye chrysoberyl)

thursday : emerald

friday : topaz
saturday : sapphire

sunday : ruby

the avatar is aang, aang is the avatar

2010-02-24T12:11:00.008+08:00

when i heard about the movie avatar, i thought this is about aang, the cartoon series that our family watches in nickelodeon. was surprised that it was another avatar.

i've watched the other avatar and i like the nickelodeon's avatar more. really. good news is aang's movie is now coming to theaters this july! woohoo!!! we'll watch it. i hope aquim will be allowed to watch it. it's not titled avatar though, movie rights rules, i supposed. it is titled "the last air bender".

aang, from wikipedia

if you're not familiar with aang, the avatar, the last air bender (official nick website) , let me give you some background. there were 4 nations in the planet: air, water, earth and fire. in each nation, there are gifted members called benders. benders are people who have the gift to control the element of their nation.

aang is a monk that belongs to the air nomads. he is an air bender. i wasn't sure how it has been decided or how it has happened but aang happens to be the avatar. an avatar is the only human being that is able to master the 4 elements and is said to bring balance between the 4 nations.

aang was 12 years old but was preserved inside an iceberg for 100 years (making him 112 years old, technically). thus when he "woke up", the world is now being ruled by the fire lord (and fire nation) and that all air benders are now vanished. hence the subtitle, the last air bender.

the story has 3 seasons or 3 books, water, earth and fire. i've watched books 1 & 2, but i'm not sure if it is complete though hehehe deebeedee kasi and we seldom catch it on nick. but it's fun. i've seen the last air bender's movie trailer and i have a feeling that it is serious movie, a bit different from the nick version that is light and comical.

here's the movie version of aang (from wikipedia, still).

the official website of the movie http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com/.

for the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W1dhqc-JBs (don't know how to post youtube videos here).

top ten toxic products that we don't need - last of 2 parts

2010-02-23T19:56:00.005+08:00

after reading this from yahoo! news, how safe can we be?

(contents are all from yahoo! news, summarized and edited to fit my blog)

the top 10 toxic products you don’t need

5. dry-cleaning - the chemical used to do it, perchloroethylene, has been linked to cancer as well as nervous system, kidney, liver and reproductive disorders. EPA studies have found that people who reported visiting a dry-cleaning shop twice as much perc (OR TETRACHLOROETHYLENE OR CHLOROCARBON) in their breath, on average, as other people. EPA also found that levels of perc remained elevated in a home for as long as one week after placing newly dry-cleaned clothes in a closet.

alternative: try wet-clearning, co2 technology or even handwashing.

(OR BUY CLOTHES THAT ARE WASHINE WASHABLE OR THOSE THAT DO NOT REQUIRE DRY CLEANING. TSK, I JUST SENT 5 GOWNS FOR DRY CLEANING AND THEY ARE ALL NOW IN OUR CLOSET)

6. bottled water - bottled water can be just as, or even more, contaminated than tap water. in fact, some bottled water IS tap water - just packaged (in plastic that can leach chemicals into the water) and over-priced. also, from manufacture to disposal, bottled water creates an enormous amount of pollution - making our water even less drinkable.

alternative: Do yourself and the world a favor and invest in a reusable stainless steel water bottle and a water filter.

7. rubber duckies - when it's made from PVC - the poison plastic. banned in over 14 countries and the european union, PVC, also known as vinyl, is still legally sold by U.S. retailers although it threatens environmental and consumer health at every stage of its product life cycle, according to the center for health, environment, and justice (CHEJ). when it's in your home, PVC can leach phthalates (linked to hormone disruption) and lead (a potent neurotoxicant) - contaminating air, dust, and eventually you. Go PVC-free by reading packages and avoiding the #3 in the chasing arrows symbol (usually found on the bottom of a product).

(I JUST BOUGHT A BAG MADE OF PVC! WAH!)

8. couch cushions - avoid cushions, pillows, and anything with foam labeled as meeting California TB 117, as it is likely to contain toxic fire retardants. these chemicals migrate from the foam to dust to people. in animal research, these chemicals are associated with cancer, birth defects, thyroid disruption, reproductive and neurological disorders such as hyperactivity and mental retardation.

alternative: look for foam and cushions made with polyester, down, wool, or cotton as they are unlikely to contain toxic fire retardants.

9. perfume and cologne - perfumes and fragrances can consist of hundreds of chemicals. among the chemicals of concern is diethyl phthalate (DEP) that is absorbed through the skin and can accumulate in human fat tissue. Phthalates are suspected carcinogens and hormone disruptors that are increasingly being linked to reproductive disorders. phthalates are claimed as a part of trade secret formulas, and are exempt from federal labeling requirements. find out if products you currently use contain phthalates and find safer ones on Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Searchable Product Guide website.

10. oil-based paints and finishes - there are 300 toxic chemicals and 150 carcinogens potentially present in oil-based paint, according to a John Hopkins University study.

alternative: look for water-based options - ideally those that are low- or no-VOC. You could also explore natural finishes like milk paint and vegetable or wax based wood finishes.

top 10 toxic products we don't need - first of 2 parts

2010-02-23T18:59:00.008+08:00

after reading this from yahoo! news, how safe can we be?
(contents are all from yahoo! news, summarized and edited to fit my blog)

the top 10 toxic products you don’t need

whether there's a warning label or not (usually not), many of the things we buy have associated health risks.

1. air fresheners - most mask odors with a synthetic fragrance or numb the sense of smell with chemical anesthetics. aerosol air fresheners spew out tiny droplets of chemicals that are easily inhaled into the lungs (WE HAVE THIS! BUT I NEVER USE IT. DADDY IS THE ONE WHO USES THIS, SELDOMLY).

alternative: choose natural deodorizers, such as zeolite or baking soda, which contain minerals that absorb odors.

2. drain, oven and toilet bowl cleaners - the lye and acids found in cleaners are the most dangerous cleaning products because they burn skin, eyes and internal tissue easily.

alternative: to clean extra-greasy ovens, mix together 1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of washing soda (WHAT IS A WASHING SODA?), add enough water to make a paste; apply the paste to oven surfaces and let soak overnight. next morning, lift off soda mixture and grime; and rinse surfaces well

to de-grease and sweeten sink and tub drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drain followed by 1 cup vinegar; let bubble for 15 minutes; rinse with hot water. repeat if necessary. this same mixture can be used prior to scrubbing your toilet bowl to deodorize and scour away grime.

3. canned food - food cans are lined with an epoxy resin that contains bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is being linked to hormone disruption, obesity, heart disease, and much more. eden foods is currently the only company with BPA-free canned foods

alternative: opt for fresh, frozen, dried or jarred foods.

4. pesticides: they are extremely toxic. they're made to be. that's how they kill things. pesticides may leave you with another problem - residual poisons that linger on surfaces and contaminate air.

There are so many non-toxic ways to eliminate pests and weeds - next time you need to get on the offense, check out the recommendations at Beyond Pesticides or locally, go to messy bessy.

(MY MIL HAS SENT US A MIXTURE THAT KILLS ROACHES AND ANTS. IT'S SAFE AND EFFECTIVE BECAUSE IT USES, I THINK, BAKING SODA. I'LL ASK DADDY WHAT IS THE FORMULA)
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she is one changed woman...

2010-02-23T18:56:00.002+08:00

or had she just been hiding her real self ?

maybe i'm just too duped to notice it?

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texting champ

2010-02-19T18:02:00.005+08:00

from yahoo news... (photo, contents are from yahoo news, just reworded them cause i don't want to post the whole content here, just click the link to view the entire transcript).
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teen at the picture is kate moore, 16 year old high school sophomore from des moines, iowa. her messaging habit has won her a whopping USD60,000 in prize money in less than a year!

she joined in LG US national texting championship held in new york and won USD50,000 and a chance to compete in the burgeoning sports's worldwide championships, held last month.

the phrase that won her the championship which took her less than 60 seconds to type was "zippity dooo dahh zippity ayy.. my oh my, what a wonderful day! plenty of sunshine comin' my way ... zippittydodahzippityaay! wonderful feeling, wonderful day!"

***

and i thought our nation takes pride in being the texting capital of the world! i wonder if we had a representative in this contest... she was 2nd place on the world championship, team #1 was from korea, 3rd place was from argentina, see here.

things can get really frustrating ... but

2010-02-19T17:59:00.002+08:00

i must remind myself not to listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious.

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preschool hunt

2010-02-18T13:51:00.003+08:00

this what has been keeping me busy most of the day today. i'm searching for possible pre-schools for aquim. he'll be turning 3 this july and as dictated by society, i guess he should be in a school na.

we are not yet really thinking much about this, matter of factly. we still think that 3 years old is too young for "school" school. during our times, we only have kindergarten before entering big school. these days, even a newborn can go to baby/toddler play school.

but as a mom, i often feel like i am not giving aquim a chance to develop his full potentials. i feel and i think that he can still can learn a lot given that there's someone who will guide him. yes i believe that, that is our role as his parents and no, i am not taking preschool (or school, as i may say) as an offloader of our responsibilities as his parents.

i teach him, in the best way that i can, as often that i can. kaya lang, i don't know if i am doing it right. i didn't have a unit about child development heee.

i'm dreading nga the prerequisite preschool assessment eh. will aquim be able to pass kaya? hehehe he can count 1-10 sometimes 1-14. but nagkakamali pa. sometimes, he just says numbers randomly. more often, pabaligtad pa magcount. he'll say 1 , 2 , 3, 4, 5.. and then 4, 3 .. hehe.. or 10 , 9 , 8...

he can't sing the alphabet. you can tell by the tone that he is singing the alphabet song but the letters are jumbled. haha.. but he can tell letters A, B, C, M, O, Q, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y. he learned the letters that he wanted to learn. we didn't teach him to memorize the alphabet chronologically.

he learns at his own pace. we don't pressure him to study, most of the times. most of the times and not all the time, kasi sometimes, when i hear other moms' stories that his son/daughter can already do differential calculus or can recite rizal's mi ultimo adios, i prod him to study his alphabet and to count.

last tuesday, i was on leave (again). aquim and i went to shang and i let him play in the gymboree. when he saw the kids inside the classroom, he really wanted to join them. i told his dad that aquim really wanted to be in school na. before this, aquim kept on telling us that he wanted to be at a school. he wants to go to school. i guess he just misses being with other kids.

anyways, as i've said, aquim going to school is not in our immediate plans. so i didn't bother looking/researching for play schools/pre schools within our area. so now, i'm thinking of enrolling him on a summer class muna, to see if he'll be adjusted on a school set up before going all the way and paying big bucks for an entire school year.

challenge is to find a good preschool within our community or within pasig area.
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work(?) week

2010-02-18T13:36:00.005+08:00

my idea of work this week is just submitting my weekly status report. how about that?

i have to discuss their 1Q KPI for this year and didn't even bother to put up a schedule. i have to do brainstorming on how their KPIs would change because of a change in process and i am not in the mood to even think about that.

hay. parang i got tired of thinking about the development of our team. it's hard, most specially if i am doing the brainstorming all by myself. this should have been sharing of ideas. lost. disconnected.

i'm one of those who pretend to work na. hahah. it's not a good feeling, trust me. and i don't want this.
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heart's day

2010-02-14T22:47:00.001+08:00

cheesy!

what is it with my tree posts?

2010-02-12T16:04:00.007+08:00

"song of the open road" by ogden nash (1902-1971)

i think that i shall never see

a billboard lovely as a tree.

indeed, unless the billboards fall,

i'll never see a tree at all.

(so true!)

wala lang. hahaha actually, i was searching kasi wood furnitures. i know there's narra and there's mahogany. affordable wood furnitures that i see are made of tanguile or lauan and i don't know what kind of wood/tree are they.

so yun, i'm not familiar with trees (or wood) kaya i did a litte research. tanguile or lauan or philippine mahogany, is in fact, not a mahogany. matibay din but not mahogany-tibay. hehe dami pang characteristics and baka maging wood expert na ko kung ituloy ko pa. and then i came across nga this list of famous trees from wikipedia.

of which it mentioned of 2 trees from the philippines. the baletes at the balete drive for its white lady sightings -- seen the trees and thank god, not the white lady; then the twin narra trees in rizal high school which saw the progress of the school from 1901 and survived the onslaught of world war II. this twin narra trees, i have yet to see. and i will, promise.
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and then i 've just discovered that the poem "trees" was by a man. haha. all along, i thought joyce kilmer was a woman. alfred joyce kilmer pala siya. sus!
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atleast ngayon alam ko na hehe
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my trees

2010-02-12T15:18:00.006+08:00

in my 33 years of existence, i have a few close relationships with trees. what can you expect, i used to lived in a city and now in a suburb, where trees are not so many.

in mandaluyong, there were the kaimito and duhat trees that tatay used to climb and throw in the fruits down to us. i believe they are still living but neglected. i notice they don't bear fruits that often than they used to.

in cainta, i have my alatris tree (opposite our house). and 3 other alatris trees (belongs to my sis and my cousins), and 3 alatris trees beside our house. the 4 philippine mahogany trees (opposite our house) that were cut together with the 4 alatris (including mine) to make way for a basketball court.

the 3 remaining alatris trees were cut to build the apartment that we live in now.

then there's the narra tree in our grade school yard, which still stands there and i planned to take a picture of everyday, but only managed to take a few ones and yes, that project is temporariy halted.

i used to love summers when we had a tree that has orange flowers, a tree with violet flowers and narra with yellow flowers. while our street smelled of flowers from the philppine mahogany.

and the acacia tree on our grade school where we used play under with. these acacia and narra trees are always present in my dreams, up until now, believe it or not.

and then the mango tree in our banal na bilog (holy circle) during my high school days.

one day, i'll visit those living trees of my childhood and take pictures of them.

for now, here are some of my tree pictures...

banyan tree (balete) in carson, california

tall trees in bohol (are those mahogany, i forgot)

a tree in davao (looks like baobab, but i don't know)

i think that i shall never see ...

2010-02-12T11:51:00.016+08:00

a poem lovely as a tree ...
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some famous trees (all from wikipedia)
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wawona tree
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giant sequoia in mariposa grove, yoshemite national park. height was 227 ft (69 m) and was 90 ft (27 m) in circumference. a tunnel was cut in 1881, enlarging a fire scar. it fell in 1969 under an estimated 2-ton load of snow on its crown, estimated age was 2,300 years old.

wawona tree, 1918

wawona, 1962

the fallen tunnel tree, 2006

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chandelier tree

a 315 ft tall coast redwood tree in leggett, california with a 6 ft wide by 9 ft high hole cut through its base to allow a car to drive through. the hole was carved in 1930s.

chandelier tree, 1941

chandelier tree, 2005

tree of life, bahrain

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a 100+ year old tree that stands alone in the desert about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from the highest point in bahrain. the source of water for this tree remains a mystery because it stands in a place completely free of water.

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l'arbre du ténéré, the tree of ténéré

a solitary acacia that was once considered the most isolated tree on earth. it was the only one within more than 200 km (120 mi).

it was a landmark on caravan routes through the ténéré region of the sahara and was one of the two trees (the other one is the lost tree) to be shown on a map at scale of 1:4,000,000.

it was the last surviving tree of a group of trees that grew when the desert was less parched than it is today. this tree has stood alone for decades. during the winter of 1938-1939, a well was dug near the tree and it was found that the roots of the tree reached the water table 33-36 meters below the surface.

the tree was allegedly knocked down by a drunk libyan driver in 1973. the dead tree can now be found in the niger national museum and it has been replaced by a metal structure on its actual place to represent the tree that was.

tree of ténéré, 1961

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el arbol de tule (spanish), the tule tree

it has the stoutest trunk of any tree in the world. in 2005, the trunk had the circumference of 36.2 m (119 ft), equation to a diameter of 11.62 m (38.1 ft). it is so large that it was originally thought to be multiple trees, but dna tests have proven that it is only one tree.

the age is unknown, with estimates ranging betwee 1,200 and 3,000 years. the tree is occasionally nicknamed the "tree of life" from all the images of animals that are reputedly visible in the tree's gnarled trunk, including jaguars and elephants.

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boab prison tree

a large hollow adansonia gregorii (boab) tree just south of derby, western australia. reputed to have been used in the 1890s as a lock up for indigenous australian prisoners on their way to derby for sentencing.

in recent years, a fence was erected around the tree to protect it from vandalism (see photo below). current vandalism is expected to vanish over the next 50 years.

boab prison tree, 1960
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stafford giant or luna

a redwood tree between 600 and 1,000 yeard old and live in an old growth forest - headwaters forest in humboldt county, california.

this is the tree where julia butterfly hill lived in for 738 days. she lived in a platform 180 ft above the forest floor (approximately 18 stories high) in order to save the grove from being clear cut by the pacific lumber company. it was christened luna in october 1997. hill descended on december 18, 1999.
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in november 2000, an unknown vandal cut halfway through the tree using a chainsaw. a system was designed to help the tree withstand the extreme windstorms. they installed a steel cable collar around luna'a main trunk 100 ft above the ground. cables radiate from this collar to remote anchor points 100-150 ft away. luna still lives on.

julia butterfly hill up on luna

dependencies

2010-02-10T10:12:00.002+08:00

sana manalo kami sa lotto....

mommy: daddy, pag nanalo tayo sa lotto, pupunta pa rin ba tayo sa canada?

daddy: hinde na siyempre... at ibibili kita ng bagong celphone!

~o~

ang hirap magplano ng buhay kung meron kang dependency na hinihintay. can we just go along with our life and not consider that we have a pending canadian immigrant application? seriously?

we can't plan to have a house of our own. menggay has been problematic lately, palitan na lang sana. pero hinde magawa. we can't plan to even buy expensive but durable furnitures thinking that in the end, we might leave them all here. i can't plan my professional life either. tsk. the canadian application has been on for about what, 3 years. hinde ba pwedeng sabihin na lang agad kung okay or hinde para we can move on?

ngayon, aquim has been sickly, asthma attacks. kung pwede lang, acquire na lang ng house. yung tipong mailalayo si aquim sa dust and pollution and smokers. kaso hinde pwede. we like to replace our mattress and couch. kasi baka puro dust mites na. we plan to replace na rin our dining kasi giray-giray na. kaso nagdadalawang isip kasi nga baka masayang lang. we assume that we're this close in being approved of our application, we already had our medical last year.

should we not consider ba that we have a pending application? maybe we should have live our lives like we will stay here in the philippines forever, noh?

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3rd hand smoke

2010-02-10T09:57:00.003+08:00

it's not enough that we, non-smokers, suffer from second-hand smoke. now, there's 3rd hand smoke. i've read it a few months back from reader's digest. now it's on yahoo news.

~o~

When a cigarette burns, nicotine is released in the form of a vapor that collects and condenses on indoor surfaces such as walls, carpeting, drapes and furniture, where it can linger for months, said the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"Our study shows that when this residual nicotine reacts with ambient nitrous acid, it forms carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines, or TSNAs", said Hugo Destaillats, a corresponding author of the study.

"TSNAs are among the most broadly acting and potent carcinogens present in unburned tobacco and tobacco smooke", he said.

The most like human exposure to TSNAs is through either inhalation of dust of the contact of skin with carpet or clothes -- making third-hand smoke particularly dangerous to infants and toddlers.

Opening a window or turning on a fan to air out a room while a cigarette burns does not eliminate the hazard of third-hand smoke. Smoking outdoors doesn't help much either.

"Smoking outside is better than smoking indoors but nicotine residues will stick to a smoker's skin and clothing", said Lara Gunder, a co-author of the study.

"Those residues follow a smoker back inside and get spred everywhere. The biggest rish is to young children", he said.

"Dermal uptake of the nicotine through a child's skin is likely to occur when the smoker returns and if nitrous acid is in the air, which it usually is, then TSNAs will be formed."

Substantial levels of TSNAs were also found in the truch of a heavy smoker, the study s ays, adding that most-vehicle engines emit some nitrous acid that can infiltrate the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory led the study, which they say, is the first to quantify the reactions of third-hand smoke with nitrous acid.

-- sourced from Yahoo!Health

~o~

honestly, minsan i'd like to put aquim na inside a bubble ball. hay. jason and i don't smoke. but we live in an apartment and our next door neighbor smokes. that's why nga our house is always close nowadays. it triggers his asthma attacks. both his lolos smoke. not while aquim is around, but if this study is true, then it affects aquim din pala. kaya pala feeling ko nagsmoke pa rin ang ang mga smokers kahit tapos na sila mag smoke.

woot woot!

2010-02-04T12:51:00.003+08:00

today, i must have delivered my best speech / monologue EVER!

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davao

2010-01-20T17:50:00.006+08:00

hay, finally. naupload, naedit at nalagyan ko ng captions ang pictures. dun na din ang kwento sa mga pics, di na dito sa blog, magdodoble lang eh. heheh

in summary, we were there to visit jason's relatives. it's my and aquim's first time to go to davao and see jason's relatives on lolo jim's side. ang dami nila. i'm glad we got to meet them.although hinde ko sila natandaan lahat. hehehe

so our itinerary were decided by them and not us (jason and i) kaya sa palagay namin, babalik pa kami sa davao! haha dami pa namin gusto gawin at puntahan dun.

here are the pictures! enjoy!
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you know where this is?

2010-01-15T18:59:00.003+08:00

yes, we were here for 4 days. pics and kuwento to follow. wah! dami ko na utang!

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chickening? pigging? fishing?

2010-01-06T17:43:00.008+08:00

my heart bleeds for the whales but who am i to judge while enjoying lechon cebu? adobong manok? or foie gras to some? isn't those just the same as this?

eLjeProks' photostream

beurremanie's photostream

they are right that the whales have lived a life in liberty before they were killed. while our pigs lived a miserable life in captivity. i wonder which is cruel, being bred to be killed for the purpose of serving another life (for food) or lived in liberty then to be killed because of tradition?

but if they are only doing it now because of tradition, maybe, it's about time to leave that tradition behind. if it's all for the food, i ammend, which would not happen because there are a lot of other food sources now. but then again, traditions are sometimes more important than food for some. hayy... hirap noh.

they claim that whales are not yet extinct, are we to believe that? we do not pet them. we do nothing to protect them. in fact we are doing everything to alter and destory their natural habitat, so how can we say that they are not yet extinct? what about the other species that accidentally were included in the hunt? the dolphins?

i glimpsed about "whaling" on the discovery channel a couple of nights ago. i didn't pay that much attention cause i'm busy playing 7 wonders (hehe). all i know is that this whaling is also prevalent in japan and that there are groups who were trailing these whalers.

hmm... kaya ko bang maging vegetarian? kayo?

on a separate note, have you heard about the possibly last indochinese tiger, who was killed and eaten by a man? 2010 is the year of, guess what, tiger (2010, metal tiger, to officially start on feb 15).

http://bokeh.myphotoaxis.com

whaling

2010-01-06T16:39:00.012+08:00

contents and images are all from wikipedia.

and here are futher researches i've done on this. first, those are not dolphins, those are whales. it happens in FAROESE islands, a constituent country of the kingdom of denmark, along with denmark proper and greenland. whaling, or gindadrap as it is being called in faroe, is regulated by faroese authorities, but not by the international whaling commision. faroese do it for food as well as a part of their tradition.
the purpose
most faroese maintain that it is their right to catch pilot whales given that they have done so for centuries. the faroese whalers defend their actions before international organizations like greenpeace with three arguments: (1) that gindadrap is not a hunt as such, but a drap meaning a kill (that is, they do not regularyly take to sea just to hunt for pilot whales, but only kill those which are sighted swimming too close at land); (2) the pilot whale hunt does not exist for commercial reasons but for internal food distribution among households; (3) they do not believe the pilot whale to be an endangeered species.

according to american cetacean society (whale protectionist group), pilot whales are not considered endangered. the society cites that there are likely about 1 million long finned and at least 200,000 short finned pilot whales world wide.
but according to faroese legislation, it is permitted to hunt certain species of small cetaceans other than pilot whales. these include: bottlenose dolphin, atlantic whie-beaked dolphin; rumpbacked dolphin; atlantic while sided dolphin, and harbor porpoise.

(moi: aren't these some of the endangered species?)

the origin
records of drive hunts in the faroe islands date back to 1584. because of the harsh faroese climate, climate, grain and vegetables havenot been able to grow very well. thus, during the winter months, the faroe islanders' only option was to mostly eat salted or dried foods. this means that over the centuries, the pilot whale has been an important source of food and vitamins to the isolated population on the north atlantic archipelago.

the meat and blubber (thick vascularized fat under the skin) of the pilot whale has been an important part of the islanders staple diet. the blubber, has been highly valued both as food and for processing into oil, which was used for lightning and other purposes. parts of the skin of pilot whales were also used for ropes and lines, while stomachs were used as floats.

black meat of the pilot whalre and blubber (middle), together with dried fish and potatoes

the hunt
when a school of whales has been sighted, messengers are sent to spread the news amont the inhabitants of the island. boats then gather behind the whales and slowly drive them towards the authorized location. the location must be well-suited to the purpose of beaching whales. it is against the law to kill pilot whales at locations with inappropriate conditions.

once ashore, the pilot whale is killed by cutting the dorsal area (the back side of the animal) through the spinal cord with a special whaling knife, a grindaknivur. the grindaknivur is considered the safest and most effective equipment with which to kill the whales.

in 1985, the faroe islands outlawed the use of spears and harpoons in the hunt, as it considers these weapons to be unnecessarily cruel to animals.

the pilot whales that are not beached were often stabbed in the blubber with sharp hook called a gaff and then pulled ashore. but after allegations of animal cruelty, the faroese whales started using blunt gaffs to pull the whales ashore by their blowholes.

distribution
the catch is distributed in such a way that all the residents of the whaling district are given the same amount of the catch, regardless of whether or not they took part in the hunt.

the pilot whale meat and blubber is stored , prepared and eaten in the faroese households. this also means that whale meat is not available at the supermarkets or as part of their products for main export.

animal rights and health issues
aninal rights activities argue the the grindadrap is not only cruel, but in view of the ample food supply in today's faroes, completely unnecessary. additional argumentation is supplied by the faories ministry of health, which warns of excessive consumption of pilot whale meat, since it has been shown to contain high levels of mercry, PCBs and environmental poisons. in practice, this could only be safely consumed once a month by the faroese, a much smalled quantity compared with previous decades.

proponents of the hunt further argue that the pilot whale lives its whole life in liberty, in its natural habitat, the atlantic ocean. and then they will be whaled and dies in a few minutes. this is in contrast to many commonly held livestock such as cows, pigs and chickens, the meat from which one finds in modern supermarkets (moi: and of which most of us eat). these animals often live in captivity or confinement for their whole lives and are then subject to lenghty transportation and other stressful event before their final slaughter.
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how's this for a new year's resolution?

2010-01-06T16:17:00.005+08:00

my sister sent me this email some time last year. it contains very disturbing pictures and maybe some of you has already received this too.

here are the pictures and the captions from the email i received.

~~~ ooo ~~~~

it is a big shame. the sea is stained in red and in the mean while its not because of the climate effects of nature.

tt's because of the cruelty that the human beings (civilised human) kill hundreds of the famous and intelligent calderon dolphins.

this happens every year in feroe island in denmark. In this slaughter, the main participants are young teens. Why? To show that they are adults and mature ...

in this big celebration, nothins is missing for the fun. everyone is participating in one way or antoher, killing or looking at the cruelty "supporting like a spectator".

is it necessary to mention that the dolphin calderon, like all the other species of dolphins, is near extinction and they get near men to play and interact. in a way of pure friendship.

they don't die instantly, they are cut 1, 2 or 3 times with thick hooks. and at that time, the dolphins produce a grim extremely compatible (comparable) with the cry of a new born child.

but he suffers and there's no compassion till this swee being slowly dies in its own blood.

it's enough! we will send this mail until this email arrives in any association defending the animals, we wont only read. that would make us accomplices, viewers. take care of the world, it is your home.

greetings!

2010-01-05T15:19:00.004+08:00

(super) belated christmas greetings!

hope you all had a wonderful time with your loved ones.

sorry for not posting for weeks. my real life has been pretty busy so online updates were neglected. i will post wedding pics, birthday party pics, christmas and new year's pics and weekend photos.

mga hirit ni aquim na mga nakalimutan ko na, i'll try to remember and post also. plus, i'll put up another page for aquim's pics, this time, aquim is the one taking the shots! yes, feeling photographer ang aking anak! :)

hoping i'll be able to do that in the coming days...

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new moon

2009-12-22T13:13:00.006+08:00

hay sa wakas, napanuod ko rin ang new moon, complimentary tickets pa yun ha! hehehe we were able to watched last thursday at market market. sows.. feeling ko mga vampires na kasama kong manuod kasi naman 6 na lang ata kaming nanuod nung movie hahaha..

at the middle of the movie, i wanted to go to the restroom but i didn't baka kasi me vampire wahahahah!

anyways, ang ganda ni dakota fanning. she's way beyond her awkward stage na. byootiful!

www.flickr.com/photos/eclairhot/3513324243

on gift giving

2009-12-17T18:49:00.006+08:00

articles from yahoo.

for husband and wife gifts:

1. women tend to care more about gifts. they shop more and think more about them. they attach emotion to them. if a husband is asked what he wants for the holidays and he says "nothing", he mean it. if a wife is asked, she will also say "nothing" as well. but the husband should not believe that (moi: exacto! diba sabi ko wag na tayo magregaluhan ngayon?).

2. in his new book, "scroogenomics", wharton school economist joel waldfogel estimates that the gifts others buy for us are worth 20% less to us than the gifts we buy for ourselves (moi: so dont expect, at wag na mag wish list). but of all the people on our holiday lists, he says, the ones we are best at picking out gifts for are spouses and significant others. that's because, presumably, we know these people best.

3. it's simple, really. sometimes men aren't listening to their wives. but just as often, women aren't clear about their desires (moi: cause we want all of them!!!). they want men to pick up on their subtle clues, rather than telling them outright what they'd like. as one woman i know explains, "it means we are special to them if they detect what we want without telling them.".

4. and there's the rub, when mean receive gifts they hate, they typically shrug them off. women, faced with the same dilemma, feel hurt.

5. some gift giving tips:
- when in doubt, go down a size (moi: atleast akala nya sexy pa rin ako :))
- never give a gift that suggests your spouse is not perfet. no unsolicited exercise equipment, self-help books (moi: south beach diet book?), wrinkle cremes or nose-hair removers
- appliances and cook ware are okay, ONLY if she asks for them
- don't even think about a gift that you will get more enjoyment out of than your spouse (moi: PSP? home theater?)
- remember: it's not just the thought that counts - especially if you didn't have the thought until the checkout linne
- when all else fails, at least try to create memories

to read the complete article, please click here.

office santa:

1. generally, it's not appropriate to give your boss a gift, says, mr. post. it can come with mixed messages. people worr that it seems like you are trying to buy favoritism. (moi: one off the list!)

2. you and co-workers also can chip in to get small gifts for people working under you, like the receptionist or mailroom staff.

3. if you're exchanging gifts with co-workers, it's best to buy something simple for everyone in your team or group. keep individual gift giving outside the office, suggests mr. post. (moi: sabi ko nga lunchout na lang eh)

4. you don't have to reciprocate if a co-worker gives you a gift (moi: yey!)

5. if your office sends out gift to clients and vendors, there's no need to do something on top of that. write a nice card if you feel like that person really made your year

6. if you decide to buy gifts for clients or vendors, make sure their company guidelines allow them to accept gifts. you also should check your c ompany's gift-giving guidelines, especially if you plan to use company funds to purchase presents (moi: we don't have rules, i can receive all your gifts :))

7. a nice box of chocolates or poinsettia plant are good options (moi: choco nut, choco nut!)

the complet article is here.

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humbug

2009-12-17T18:15:00.003+08:00

few days (8 days to be exact) before christmas and i still haven't shopped for a gift (save for the obligatory gifts for our department's kris kringle). i don't know. each year, i feel like the "spirit" of christmas is slowly rubbing off me.

it no longer thrills me. yeah, there's the 13th month pay (and other bonuses to some) but... i still don't know.

years ago, even before december steps in, i already have my christmas list and almost everybody i know is on that list with their equivalent gift budget. and i cram every weekend to search for the perfect gift for each one. got tired? no budget? maybe.

i feel guilty for my son (we don't give him gifts for christmas, really), for jason cause i really have no plans of buying him a gift. for my mom and dad, i'll just give the customary monetary gifts. for the rest of my relatives. nada. for my godchildren, i'll just give monetary gift also. save for my 3 nieces, i'll probably grab a shirt or dress from the mall.

for my office friends, i don't plan on giving out sana, cause i feel that i'm way past being that charitable and thoughtful. like giving small figurines, coin purse, etc., things that they will find no use of. but due to constant parinig (hehehe), i might. i'm checking out little things lang sana that are functional or edible, just a small token, not too fancy. still not sure.

every year naman kasi, i get this amount and they i'll end up spending all for gifts. as in. so feeling ko, tapos na ko dun.

for the christmas decor, we have christmas lights and the christmas balls/lantern. all year round naman andon na yun hehehe

noche buena, if ever we'll have our own (kasi nakikikain lang kami), i'll just order from restos. if only i can afford to have a caterer, i will. or spend it in a posh hotel. i don't want to stress my self come dec24.

i know i should be building up family traditions for aquim. childhood christmas stories that he will remember when he grows up. eh..sa ngayon, i'm just telling him that christmas is papa jesus' birthday. that's it. i don't want to make it too commercialized. i hope i'm doing it right.
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david

2009-12-16T18:11:00.004+08:00

credits: http://www.wikipedia.com/

also want to start reading sedaris' essays and short stories. i'm maybe a decade or so late but who cares, he only came here in the philippines a couple of years back (was it not?).
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he has already published 7 books and i am still not sure if i am going to buy all of those. the famous ones (as far as i know) are the naked, me talk pretty one day and dress your family in corduroy and denim.
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still not sure... still not sure. maarte pa naman ako. i just don't feel like reading books printed on not so nice papers or with too small fonts. i've checked a couple of bookstores and so far, i only liked naked's printing. the others are too small. if there'd be hardbound books, costly masiyado. hehehe ka arte!
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and i don't like reading ebooks. it strains my eyes more and nakakatamad, the effort to turn on the machine and it resrtricts my position. not unlike pag real book, i can read it anywhere, anyhow. i know, kawawa naman ang mga puno. bawi na lang ako sa iba.
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clues

2009-12-16T17:32:00.006+08:00

i want these books. i first heard about this book (yes, i thought there is only one book) back in 2007 when i was with metrobank. chernille told me about it and i was clueless. i got book 1 and made it as my reading book to LA (together with benjamin button and p.s. i love you). and then i was hooked. haha..

pang bata na kung pang bata basta gusto ko sila. i have the first 2 books. hopefully, ma-finish ko yung 6 books before the year ends. books 7 to 10 are going to be released come 2010.

and i read today na magiging movie na rin pala siya, by 2011. hmmm...

i thought nga there would be 39 books since there are 39 clues and so far, 1 clue is being revealed on each book.

credits: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

credits: http://wayspace.wayzata.k12.mn.us/

credits: http://www.tradeport.com.ph/

credits: https://sumthinblue.com/

credits: http://www.tradeport.com.ph/

http://www.whitbylibrary.on.ca/

just a post

2009-12-16T11:00:00.005+08:00

my uncle is in the neuro icu of the medical city. he collapsed on his work yesterday. he regained consciousness immediately after but had difficulty walking. he was rushed to the medical city by an ambulance. ct scan showed that he has 3 blocked veins, 2 were old ones and a new one that must have triggered the "stroke".

he seemed okay, though, thank, god. he's conscious and he can talk sensibly. but his left reflexes are weak. he can't raise his left arm in the same manner with his right. lab tests also showed that he has an elevator sugar count, 300 i think.

i hope he gets better soon.

******

this is the same reason why i am not that 100% solved about the idea of leaving for canada. life is short to be spent thousand of miles away from your family, from your loved ones. of course living here in the philippines is hard, with all that we read in the papers, those flash reports from the news. hay... tough decision, really.

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twins

2009-12-06T23:42:00.002+08:00

twins
Originally uploaded by jolen

double the cuteness. i have always wanted to have twin offsprings. hahaha.. pwede na to. doble rin ang kulet neto!!!

family portrait

2009-12-06T01:24:00.001+08:00

by far, this is our most decent family picture :) sayang nga lang at naka korto na ang anak ko hehehe ...

tutay and toneng

2009-12-06T01:01:00.007+08:00

december 05 2009

mary the queen parish church

c3 eventscape

naku, isa-isa na talaga kaming nag aasawa. these two were together as bf-gf for more than 10 years, mas matagal pa sila sa amin ni jason. hehe i never thought they will end up in marriage, away-bati kasi. but i guess if they were able to be with each other for more than 10 years with all those away bati moments, kakayanin din nila ang married life.

the wedding was fun and unconventional. from the invitation to the selection of music. they rock! hehehe if i remember it right, the groom and the ento marched to the sound of david cook's "the time of my life" and the bridal march was honeyz' "finally found". and we always caught them laughing and giggling all through out the ceremony hehehe..

it was also tiring. mainly because we don't have a yaya , still. and almost every family member has a role in the wedding kaya talagang salitan lang sa pag aalaga. eh sa kalikutan ni aquim at kakulitan, kailangan talagang bantayan at sundan. pagod.. pagod si daddy.
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for more of the unofficial wedding pictures, you may view it on our shutterfly account, under weddings page.
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full december

2009-12-03T13:42:00.005+08:00

there are lots (hinde naman lots, exag ko lang yun :)) of pictures that i want to post but i can't because office pc wont allow me. sigh.

coming weeks will be busy weeks. just this coming weekend, we'll be attending a wedding and a birthday party. week after that is our department and company's respective christmas party. and another wedding. then before i can pause for a breathe, it'll be christmas day and another birthday party to attend to, not to mention our wedding anniversary and jason's birthday.

in between those occasions, i have to think and find what to wear. it wont be that hard only if i can still fit into my old clothes. then shop for the gifts to give for the wedding couples and to the birthday celebrants and kris kringle gifts and work friends' gifts and christmas gifts. hayyyy... nakakapagod iniisip ko pa lang.

my december calendar has never been this full.

and my inlaws are also flying in later this month for a vacation :) hehehe

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my hero!

2009-11-30T02:37:00.002+08:00

my hero!
Originally uploaded by jolen

aquim aka astroboy aka wolverine (hehehe) sorry na, yan lang ang kaya ni mommy :)

happiness!!!

2009-11-30T01:44:00.006+08:00

this ...

and this...
and this...

panalo!

now i hate being late

2009-11-26T18:30:00.005+08:00

this is one of those days that i hate myself for being late (again, always, what else is new)

wah! for this week, it seems like i am always the last person to be out of the office. almost everybody is out by 4pm, cause they were already in by 7am. wahhh.....

i am trying really. to be in by like, 8 or even 9am. huhu... i'll get another chance tomorrow (or the next day, or next week :))

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tunggak

2009-11-26T13:40:00.006+08:00

hahaha... natawa ako sa translation. dahil pa rin ito sa silly hat theme namin, di ako alam, pinindot ko yung pagsalin sa google.

http://translate.google.com.ph/translate_t?hl=tl&source=hp&q=silly%20hat&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wT#

makulot, 2000

2009-11-25T15:17:00.004+08:00

november 2000, mt. makulot, batangas

tried mountain climbing once. never tried it again since. hahahha.. fun climb lang 'to. nagkayayaan lang over bottles of beer. o, diba, i was thin then. grabe, yung hita ko dito sa picture, braso ko na ngayon! wah! :(

click here to view the entire makulot album.

my parents wedding

2009-11-25T15:10:00.007+08:00

23 november 1975, cainta, rizal

one of the film-based photos that i salvaged from ondoy and scanned. hehehe ... ang payat pa ng nanay ko noh?! :) for more of this please go to my parents' wedding page on our shutterfly site .

uy 34 years na sila :)
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snakes!

2009-11-23T01:26:00.017+08:00

just wanted to share our close encounters with snakes. as i get older, mas natatakot na ko sa mga ganitong challenges. sign of old age na ba yun? hehhehe

avilon zoo, 2001. medyo malaki pa ang snake na kaya ko

avilon zoo, 2008. after 7 years, lumiit na!

aquim at avilon zoo, 2008

daddy at avilon zoo, 2008

bohol,2009. malaki nga, di ko naman na kayang hawakan :)

silly me

2009-11-23T00:45:00.009+08:00

hayyy... officemates are really preparing for our christmas party. kinacareer daw talaga ang pagdress up sa party. it's so un-me mwehehehe

theme is silly hat, and i don't think i am that artistic to think of something out of the box or yung may gulat factor, so i'll just comply with the hat-thing, and not so much with the silly hat theme. so far, i'm left with 3 choices:

sosyalan with pearls (http://www.polyvore.com/)

lenggings-type of girl (http://www.polyvore.com/)

or bonggang-bonggang pang miss earth! (http://www.missearth.tv/)

just have to make myself clear that above pictures do not have a hint of silliness in them. but since i always look silly wearing a hat, it wont matter whatever hat i'll wear cause i'll still look silly, anyway :) i might as well put this feathered friend on my head (alive and unscathed, not dead, of course :)). (last picture is mine :) http://jolen.shutterfly.com/)

kuwentong kalye

2009-11-23T00:36:00.005+08:00

nope, she's not at a park. she's kind of living in a spare lot by an intersection. cute noh, looks like she's having a picnic everyday :) she saw me taking this shot that's why she looked away

this is just one of those walking billboard ads. hehe saw them a couple of weeks ago, kaya lang i was inside a cab so i wasn't able to take a shot. naaliw ako when i saw them. they usually go in tandem and nakatalikod sa street so that passers-by and commuters can see their ads. sabi ni jason at night, may ilaw pa talaga ang ads nila. this was in ortigas, i don't know if me ganito na rin sa makati.

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i feel good

2009-11-21T10:00:00.005+08:00

The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
~ Hervey Allen

woo hoo! i'm at the prime of my life heheheh

on another note, i think i have successfully changed my blogger's skin? what do you think?

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change skin

2009-11-18T19:00:00.003+08:00

i'd like to change my template... hope i'll not scratch off my blog by doing so hehehe

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bohol - day 4

2009-11-17T16:17:00.015+08:00

nov 11. our flight is 1030am. medyo inagahan pa rin namin ang gising, para naman makapag swim and play pa si aquim.

while we were having breakfast, aquim was busy playing on the sand by himself. tapos me lumapit sa kanyang sexy girl na naka two-piece! whoa! nagpapicture pa sa kanya. sayang nga di ko sila napicture-an eh. as usual, mas gusto ko kumain kesa magpicture. hehehe .

habang nag re-ready na ang mga lolo at lola, kami ni aquim at todo swim pa rin. sinulit talaga. ayaw pa nga ni aquim umahon sa sea. sabi ko na lang sa swimming pool naman kami. si daddy naman, nagpicture-picture ng resort. nung nasa swimming pool na kami, paiyakan din para umahon si aquim. hahaha

kakaswim namin, yung sundo namin 3 beses na kami tinatawag, kami di pa rin ready para umalis. haha anyways, di naman kami nalate sa flight. as usual tulog uli si aquim pabalik.

sa house na kami naglunch. after which, nagligpit ng gamit, no time to rest kasi wala kaming yaya! tomorrow, back to reality na. back to office work at ipon uli para sa susunod na adventure :)

visit our family site and click the bohol 2009 page for more pictures

bohol - day 3

2009-11-17T15:47:00.009+08:00

nov 10. we woke up a bit earlier nonetheless super excited this day. we are going to see dolphins today, that's why.

just as the sun is rising, we were already at the shore waiting for our bankero. we had asked the resort to packed our breakfast so that we can eat them at the island.

kinakabahan kaya ako habang nagbabyahe. silently i was praying na sana, okay ang panahon at di magbago at okay ang dagat. okay ang banka. bonus na lang na makakita ng dolphin.

first time kaya ng aking anak na makasakay ng banka, at malalim ang dagat ha. when we sailed, i immediately asked aquim to put on his vest. hahaha kaya lang nairita at parang nasasakal siya kaya pinatanggal din. kaya naman todo-todo ang dasal ko. isang oras ding byahe yun noh!

pinagbigyan naman kami ni papa jesus. okay ang panahon at nakakita kami ng dolphin. medyo marami rami na ring banka ang nag aabang ng dolphins pero we are so lucky kasi sa pwesto namin sila unang lumabas. we had a headstart against the other groups. nung nagkakumpulan na yung ibang banca, nahiya na ang mga dolphins. hayyy.. happy. wish pwedeng magswim with them.

we had the dolphin watching near the balicasag island. but according to the locals there, mas marami and mas friendly ang dolphins sa pamilacan. oh well, next time.

after which, we decided to go to the fish sanctuary sa balicasag island nga. although hinde ganon kalalim, plenty talaga ang fishes! walang binatbat yung fishes sa batangas (san juan) nun nagsnorkle kami dun. dito, the fishes really swim with us.

since hinde pa marunong si aquim magsnorkle, nagpakain na lang siya ng fishes. hinde naman siya natatakot na makagat ng fish. ako nga nagugulat pa rin pag biglang kinukuha ng fishes yung sky flakes, siya carry lang. at mas matapang pa siya sa lola nya na hinde talaga nagsnorkle. ang lolo nya ay enjoy na enjoy talaga sa mga dagat. kami ni daddy ay salitan sa pag aalaga ka aquim. although yung guide namin offered us na sila na magtingin ke aquim while we enjoy the sea and the fishes.

nakakatuwa nga naman kasi. nakita ko si nemo at si dory. at pati ang mga anemone. na nagtatago pag hinahawakan mo sila. si manong guide, gustong gusto akong dalhin dun sa cliff na biglang magiging 100ft deep kasi mas magaganda raw ang fishes dun at mas malalaki. sabi ko ayaw ko nga. dito na lang, kahit maliet lang, enjoy na ko. hahah katakot eh noh. sabi kaya sa akin ni aquim, mommy, water lang yan. wah!

before 12 noon we headed back to the resort at dun na kami nananghalian at nagtulog. haha kami lang pala ni jason ang nagtulog. aquim contented himself playing at the sand. hukay ng hukay. si lolo at lola nya, binabantayan siya. ang salbahe kong anak, magigising na lang ako kasi binabato ako ng sand! kahit sawayin mo babatuhin ka parin. hehehe

nakakahiya nga kasi ang mga katabi namin na nakahiga ay mga foreigner at nagbabasa ng books or natutulog talaga. trying to find quiet and peace ba. tapos maririnig nila ang sigaw ko "AQUIM!" wahahaha

we also did try the swimming pool. parang today lang kasi talaga namin maeenjoy ang resort. anyway, it was a tiring but enjoyable day. kaya as usual, we had our early dinner and off we go to bed. we also watched our pictures and videos of the dolphin before dinner.

visit our family site and click the bohol page for more pictures.

bohol - day 2

2009-11-16T03:28:00.014+08:00

Nov 9. kahit na medyo pagod kami kahapon, we still woke up early (6am) dahil today is our country side tour.

we had breakfast at around 7am. bread with butter and marmalade, scrambled eggs, longganisa, water melon, pineapple, garlic rice, daing na bangus, sotanghon, coffee and iced tea. after that, we briefly strolled along the shoreline.

by 8am, we got ready cause we will be fetched by our tour guide by 9am. at exactly 9am, andiyan na nga si gwen at kuya p. nakalabas kami ng room namin ng mga 920.

first stop was the blood compact shrine. bronze statues of conquistador legaspi and sikatuna. the other one is the priest and the 2 others are soldiers. si aquim natakot naman sa mga statue. pag naman namamasyal kami panay hanap sa statues. ayan pilit kinukuha ang sword ni sikatuna, ang dialog: di makuha ang sword. ang tigas.

next on the list: chocolate hills. according to gwen, dati raw, carmen hills ang tawag dito. because, they were mainly located on the town of carmen. mainly, kasi there are 2 other towns na me choco hills, madami lang talaga sa carmen. but when an american tourist first saw the hills, he called them chocolate hills because they resemble the kisses, and it stuck since then.

since rainy season, hinde sila kulay chocolate, mint covered sila, kasi maraming grass. nagiging chocolate colored sila tuwing summer kasi tuyo ang mga grass or walang grass at all. ang choco hills ay di talaga soil or lupa. they were a mixture of limestones and sea bed. apparently, submerged daw dati ang buong isla ng panglaw as in seabed sila. kaso since may mga earthquakes na nangyari, ayan umusbong sila. siguro ganon nga kasi i noticed na halos buong land area puro parang mga corals ang bato.

here are some of the folk stories about the chocolate hills:
- teardrops of a giant who were not loved back by his beloved mortal.
- pupu of giant carabaos.
- stones thrown by a giant from cebu to a giant from bohol.

next stop: butterfly sanctuary. we revisit our 5th grade lessons. ipinakita ang life cycle ng butterfly. inexplain ang difference ng mariposa (which is actually a moth) at butterfly. pati na rin difference ng caterpillars nila. ayan ang caterpillar ng butterfly. hinde sila makati, di mabalahibo, parang rubber pero nakakakiliti pa rin sa kamay. obviously, ako ang pinakatakot na hawakan sila.

and then, the actual butterfly. this butterfly only lasts 21 days. the other colorful ones , around 3 months, if i remember it right. kuya let us smell this male butterfly's pheromones. at ang bango, amoy vanilla! btw, inulan din kami dito.

magaling ang tour guide namin, pleasant. magalang. hinde masiyadong madaldal, hinde rin tahimik. informative rin ang mga sinasabi at may sense. sayang we didnt have a picture with her.

next: man made forest. these are mahogany trees planted more than 50 years ago. ang dami noh? they didnt grow wide because magkakatabi sila masiyado, instead they grew tall. ito daw ang ginagamit sa poste ng meralco. pero not the trees from here kasi bawal magputol.

we had our buffet lunch at the loboc river, a top the banca. there were grilled tuna, pork bbq, hilabos na hipon, langkang gulay, sea grass (?), pansit, rice, fried chicken, pinakbet, watermelon, pineapple, puto, suman. si aquim buti na lang nagustuhan ang suman. of course, umulan rin dito.

ang sarap mag cruise. malamig. and anglinis ng tubig nila. we even saw a couple of blue birds. flying freely. sa cage lang ako nakakita ng mga colorful birds. dito naglilipad talaga.

highlight was this singing and dancing group. we stopped by at them and puwede daw bumaba para magpapicture and to sing and dance with them. hahah, ang anak ko (at ang stagedad), ayan. galing kaya ni aquim parang marunong talaga mag guitar. we ended up buying the ukelele (php350). sinulit ang guitar, sumama pa sa 2-man band. hehehe

these are 5-10 yr. old tarsiers. oo matanda na sila, muka lang bata. ang baby tarsiers, newborn, is about the size of the thumb lang daw. and may-july ang birth season. cute nila kaya. gustong gustong hawakan ni aquim at ni lolo. buti na lang pag medyo hahawakan na ni aquim nakikita namin at napipigilan hahaha

biggest philippine python in captivity,si prony. grabe, ang laki nya talaga. 32in ang biggest circumference ng body? 26 ft long. 60kgs pig ang meal once a month. or 2 goats. taba. takot na takot ako ng magpapicture. sa taba nito, jusko, pag nilingkis ako, patay talaga ako agad.

baclayon church, oldest church in the region. 2nd oldest in the philippines. marami pa silang old church kaso di namin napicture kasi di kami nakababa ng car :(

we bought pasalubongs along the way na rin.

namiss namin ang beach so pagdating namin, naglakad kami agad sa shoreline. hehehe... me nakita pa kami seacucumber. since padilim na, hinde na napicture.

had dinner at 630 again. chopsuey again, fried lapulapu, adobong pusit, halohalo, iced tea, mango shke, pineapple shake, spag bolognese with garlic bread. tiring but fun, awesome, exciting day.

tomorrow, island hopping, dolphin watching and snorkleing. hopes the weather (and the dolphin) cooperate with us. if not, panglao tour na lang kami.

for more of our pics, please go to our shutterfly account and view the bohol 2009 page.

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bohol - day 1

2009-11-16T02:40:00.010+08:00

Nov 8. woke up at 430am, we got ready and off we go to terminal 3 to catch our 830 flight. we immediately checked our bags in and ate breakfast at the 2nd floor.

30 minutes before our flight, we went to our boarding gate. but apparently, our flight was delayed. we just whiled our time: sleeping, watching the airplanes or just fooling around. nangingibabaw kaya ang boses ni aquim kakatawa while we were playing.

i thought, sa ground kami dadaan at magstairs papanik ng airplane. hinde pala, meron din palang pasukan na parang tunnel. as soon as aquim stepped inside the aquim, he kept on asking us:

asan ang driver ng airplane? asan? he even asked the stewardess: asan ang driver ng airplane? hehehe

tuwang tuwa ng makakita ng mga clouds. kaso, i dont know kung nahilo or what, because ang kasama nyang first timer sa airplane, ang lola nya, ay nahilo sa pag take off at pag andar ng plane, ayan nakatulog 15 minutes before landing.

nahilo man ang parehong first timer, nag enjoy naman sa mga clouds. kahit si lola nya, parang mga mountains daw ang clouds.

this is us boarding off the plane. this time, sa ground na kami dumaan. obviously, bitin sa tulog si aquim. our car service fetched us. malamig na crosswind ba yun? or revo. magalang ang driver at pahinante. makuwento rin.

when we reach the resort, dumaluan beach resort (2), ayan super enjoy sa sand. nagplay na sa sand kahit na hinde pa nakakapagpalit ng damit. we came in the hotel just after lunch time. so we had our lunch first of chopsuey, calamares, fried chicken, crab and corn soup. all of which, hinde gusto ni aquim. kumain lang siya ng konting chicken. ang hirap talaga pakainin. anyway, we caught this hermit crab before kami kumain and he was playing with it all throughout our lunch.

after lunch, we changed into our swimming attire, thinking we can swim right away. but ang inet ng araw so we decided to just play with the sand.

i wonder what are these pupu like sand formation on the beach. ang dami kaya.

here's us enjoying the sand, especially aquim. hinde mo talaga maistorbo. play ng play sa sand. busyng busy.

finally, we decided kaya na namin ang sun rays, we decided to take the plunge! aquim enjoying the sea for the first time. natuwa naman siya, in fairness. kaya lang, medyo maraming waves at sunod sunod at medyo malalakas. isang hampas ng alon, na nakaupo siya, hahaha salpok sa face nya ang sea water.

nakalulon ng tubig, masuka suka sa alat. hahaha pero sige enjoy pa rin siya. play uli. kaya lang medyo natatakot na siya sa waves. pag nararamdaman nya na parang tinatangay siya ng wave, nagpapakarga sa lolo nya. tapos siya rin ang nag sasabi na , "water lang yan diba?", so magpapababa uli. hehehe

2 beses kaya siyang natangay ng wave at padapang napasubsob sa water. hahaha. as in plakda. nakaka awa pero part of growing up. part of growing up ha, pero nainis ako sa daddy nya kasi feeling ko malulunod naman ang anak ko noh!

sandali lang kami sa water, kasi feeling ko magiginaw na si aquim. hapon naman na kasi, mga 4 na siguro yun. umahon na kami at nagbanlaw lang konti sa swimming pool. tanggal ang sipon ni aquim sa sea water. tulo talaga lahat. hehehe.

around 630-7, after we have bathed and changed our clothes, we had our dinner: no picture this time kasi while aquim is eating his dinner, nakatulog na! hahaha so salitan na lang kami sa pagkain. anyways, our dinner was chop suey again (request ni tatay), inihaw na liempo at fried beef. while aquim had carbonara with garlic bread.

for more of our pics, please go to our shutterfly account and view the bohol 2009 page.