Roco suffers from bone cancer

"Cancer cells that originated in the prostate gland of Alyansa ng Pag-asa standard-bearer Raul Roco have metastasized to the bones in his lower back, his campaign manager said yesterday..."

I got to give it to the man. He said he'd divulge what his condition is when he gets back. And he did.

IS IT ME?

Is it me? Or things seem quiet on the Philippine senatorial front. I mean, I don't know who's running, who's in the lead, or who's worth my attention.

Who's your top three for senator? You may be able to help me on that end.

Macapagal asks local bets to ensure clean election

'Even in the heat of the campaign, all candidates must see to it that clean, honest and peaceful elections prevail,' the President said in a statement.

'The future not only of their communities but of the entire nation is at stake,' she stressed..."

Let's play the word association game:

Campaign : Heat
Heat : Pot
Pot : Kettle
Kettle : Black

I'm digressing. Anyway, I do hope she's sincere in that statement and that everyone abi.... what am I saying? I can dream though, can't I?

A LONG LONG TIME AGO...

I found my Star Wars special edition VHS tapes.

My mission is to convert my two daughters to the movies. It's not difficult. I mean, they love LOTR. For years whenever I watch it, they keep saying "Papa! Not again!". Well, that movie basically symbolizes my childhood. The only movies that my father watched with us (Well technically just SW and ESB). Everyone worships the trilogy for the story, my brother and I have additional reasons.

With the event of the past two days, for some reason, I remember the movies. What they symbolized to me. What family was about (?!!). I do hope to pass it on to my kids. The only obstacles to my mission is Barbie, Sanrio, Frodo, and Legolas. I'm at an advantage, the Force is on my side. Not to mention that I am their father!

Oh and the fact that today (just minutes ago) when everything was fine, I got my Lucasarts T-shirt and other stuff...

Bishop wants Pagcor abolished

"Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz has called for the abolition of state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., saying that arguments against its continued operations have become stronger and clearer.

"Pagcor's social objective is pitiful compared to the havoc and shame it brings to the country. It distributes its daily earnings among 'official' recipients, as well as 'personal' beneficiaries," Cruz said in statement issued Monday...."

He may be a good bishop but things like this just irks me no end. I mean the catholic church is the most hypocritical institution around. Before they go judge other people, they should look within their own...

"...Pagcor breeds graft and corruption when it rakes in millions from otherwise decent and honest private employees and public officials..." - Hell, in my opinion, this statement also applies to them!

THE BRAVEST THING

A few hours ago (A few minutes after my post below), I did the bravest thing. I went to my wife and apologized. She was pretending to be asleep. I knelt beside her and said sorry.

Now all is well. I am in my happy place.

REAL CALM

I woke up this morning real early since I had a meeting. Although, I waited for the kids to wake up. They seem normal. We played around for awhile and they didn't seem upset or affected from the previous night. I guess they dismissed the fight as "one of those parent things".

Tess left earlier than me. Mondays are usually those meeting days. Although, Gabbi did look worried that Tess wasn't around. "Where's Mama?" , she asked. I answered, "She went to work early". After that she dismissed the issue. Hope they were ok.

Just got home and everything is quiet. I guess Tess and I are in "Q and A" mode for awhile. My sleeping clothes were in the chair and food was on the table. Hope this doesn't last too long.

Thanks for the comments, dudes and dudettes. Maybe, that's what I needed. And a big holler to my brother and Teacher Jet! Thanks a plenty.

Wonder, if I'm slipping towards the dark side of the force. Last night was fear and anger. I won't lead this to hate. Anyway, I'll try and follow the straight and narrow.

Must go to my happy place... Must go to my happy place... Must go to my happy place...

BIG FIGHT

I normally don't write about really personal stuff but last night, my wife and I had a big fight. Ironically, it started out really petty. But as things go, they always start small.

I'm not asking for advice, understanding, support or anything. I just want to vent it out. It's just dang frustrating when the situation is at an impasse'. No one wants to budge or anything. Then pride gets in the way. Worried about my kids though. The fight wasn't physical or anything but I could see how affected they were.

Hope everything turns out ok later.

Lawyer says client's rooster owned drugs

"A lawyer has told a court in the Philippines that drugs found in a rooster's cage belonged by the bird and not his client.Manuel Urbina said defendant Francisco Armando Rivera didn't own the 67kg of cocaine or the gun that was found in the cage.

Urbina argued in the court in Managua that the rooster and two hens owned the drugs and the weapon. Rivera was arrested and charged with cocaine possession..."

This is the justice system under GMA. Let's see how it goes. 'Nuff said.

US apologises for barring author

"Author Ian McEwan has received an apology from the US government after he was refused entry to the country.
McEwan was stopped by US immigration officials as he attempted to board a flight from Canada to Seattle for a series of lecture engagements in March..."

Wonder if he'd incorporate this experience in a future book. Truth to tell, I haven't read any of his books. But I hear they're really good.

Dagupan-based Internet shop raided for illegal PC games

"PHILIPPINE authorities on Friday raided an Internet shop in Pangasinan, north of Metro Manila, after it allegedly ignored warnings to stop offering illegal computer game titles by Vivendi Universal Games..."

Oooohh.. good thing my Warcraft III and Counterstrike are licensed.

Louella is ballistic!

I have to apologize for my daughter's rant. She wanted to have a gmail account but mom's got priority. Guess I'm stuck between a wedding ring and DNA...

But man, looking at her post, I guess she's way past pissed...

Godsend Institute :: Using Life to Create Life

Relax, guys. This site is just a hoax to promote a movie. Why people would react to it immediately, I do not know. I mean, if someone wants to clone me when I die, go ahead.

TWO AM

It's two in the morning and I could hear Lulu and Gabbi still talking to each other. I swear! These two sisters have bonded together like epoxy glue. They've been playing together the whole day and still they have the energy to talk the night out.

Gmail II

Well, it's been a day since I have been using Gmail. And I got to tell you, using Gmail is fun, really.

I finally got to test the Gmail "Conversation" process with my emails to Lylah. And it works. Think of it as chatting via email except that in Gmail, all the messages are stacked one on top of the other for easy referencing. No more ten emails going back and forth with those "Re:Re:Re:Re:" thingys. It's all just one email that Gmail conveniently files it in.

As for Labels, it does need a bit of getting used to but it's easier than making folders.

The Gmail search function is fun too. It's like googling but just in your emails.

All in all, the learning curve of Gmail is easy. Just a few minutes and a few emails in Gmail and you're off. Tess, my wife, saw it and immediately loved the "conversation" process. Too bad Google only gave me one Gmail account. Oh well, she just have to wait when the Gmail service goes public. Google hasn't mentioned when that will be.

I know this is overkill but I like it so much, I'll be using this as my priority email. It really is, truly is, fun. Take my word for it.

It's a bit hard getting used to not deleting emails. I mean, I am so used to automatically deleting emails to make space for the next ones. Now, I don't have to worry about it. Put into perspective, Yahoo has 6 MB, Hotmail has 10MB. GMail has 1000MB.

But I do have one itsy bitsy comment. A 10MB Cap on outgoing and incoming messages? I know hardly anyone sends a more than 10mb file but it has happened to me a few times. Those real heavy dbf or xls files easily hits 15mb.

GMail

I guess Gmail is already up and running. Got an invite to try out the service. So my new email address will be jobert at gmail.com.

Upon first inspection, the Gmail site looks ok. It's "Google simple". No fancy things on the page. Real simple and tight. Oh and get this:

"In most email systems, each time someone responds to one of your emails, that response appears as a new message in your inbox. With Gmail, all replies are grouped with the original message, creating a single conversation. For example, let's say that you're planning to go to dinner with three of your closest friends. You send them an email asking them to pick a restaurant. With Gmail, each of your friend's responses will be grouped with your original message, creating a single conversation in your inbox, providing you with context of the entire conversation and making your inbox easier to manage. In other email systems, each of your friend's responses would appear as a separate message in your inbox, forcing you to wade through unrelated messages instead of viewing all your dinner plan messages at once. When you open a message in a conversation, all of your messages will be stacked neatly on top of each other, like a deck of cards. We call this 'Conversation View.' In Conversation View, as a new message comes in, it is stacked on top of the ones that came before it, so that the newest message is the one that you see first...

Some comments though... in Gmail, I can't seem to make folders. Oh and it doesn't seem to have that number of new emails beside the regular folders. Haven't received or told people about my new gmail email address so I can't check with the search feature. But overall, the gmail service looks ok. I mean, gmail is email. Right?

Now, how would a 1 gigabyte email capacity change things? Wonder how the spam filter would be?


ADDITIONAL:

Found out why gmail doesn't have folders. They're called "labels".

Labels are like email folders, only better. By adding a label to a conversation, you get the benefits of folders. But Google takes the concept one step further. You can add multiple labels to a conversation -- something you can't do with folders. Once you've created a label, you can view all the conversations with that label by searching or by selecting the label in the navigation bar...

Oh and it takes nine months before a dormant account in Gmail gets deleted. Now I don't have to worry when my connection conks out.

ROCO II

Got an email from Patty commenting on my Roco post. In fairness, she has a point. I was too rash in dishing out my opinions about the man.

Maybe, I'm buying in to the negative publicity of the competition. I'm a sucker for this.

Maybe, I'm too opinionated to think clearly. I wear my mind on my sleeve.

Maybe, I'm too judgemental on people. No one is good enough, smart enough, and it's hard to like them.

Maybe, I don't know enough about the person to comment about him. Never met him, talked to him, or waved hi to him.

Looking at the list, Roco may be the sane choice. But choosing the lesser of evils does not mean it's the right choice. As you see, I need a lot of convincing. I still have no choice for president.

I'm digressing. I still am waiting on the pronouncement of what he's medical condition is.

MY TOP SEARCH TERMS

Got an email asking me what my top search terms are. Since this blog is set up more for people in the Philippines or want to know more about it. Here's the all time top 15.

1. filipino scientists
2. filipino authors
3. lala montelibano
4. famous filipino
5. famous people in the philippines
6. joy sumilang
7. filipino athletes
8. george estregan
9. famous places in the philippines
10. filipino heroes
11. friendster philippines
12. philippine movies
13. yellow cab pizza philippines
14. yahoo philippines
15. wow philippines

Now, if you notice, Lala Montelibano, Joy Sumilang, and George Estregan are in the top 10. These eighties porn stars (if I may call them that) are constantly in my search terms. To the uninitiated Lala Montelibano was 14 when she started doing skin flicks. SHe's our local version of Traci Lords. Joy Sumilang, said to be the daughter of an actor, was also really hot and popular. George Estregan (the brother of ex-President Joseph Estrada) was the local Ron Jeremy.

Why people are directed to my site for pictures of them, I do not know.

Well, for an update, Lala Montelibano recently was on a TV Soap, George Estregan is dead, and Joy Sumilang is MIA.

BushSpeech

This is so much fun!!!!!!

Have President Bush say what you want him to say.

(via The Presurfer)

ELUSIVE DREAM

It's eight am. Got home at four. Still can't sleep. Don't know why. And to think I haven't had my usual dose of caffeine.

Oh well, I have an eleven am meeting and a two pm report to submit. This day is going to be one hell of a doozy.

Could it be that something is going to happen? hmmmm.....

grave digger

"I have been working in the litle graveyard of my home village since october 2000. It just happened. The former grave digger died. I was out of job. Most my friends say it is the perfect job for me. It is the cliche. It is not my fault. I always saw myself as someone sensitive and gifted for arts. I have always imagined my future in that area of business. Slowly, I have been changing my mind. Digging graves is an important job. I take it with a sense of mission.
...It is not difficult to imagine that being a grave digger and having a goth lifestyle gives you deep and inspiring stories. That's what I will share with you in the next few months. I hope that you will join me in the ride. Believe me, one day someone like me will dig a hole in the dirt for someone like you..."

This blogger from Portugal has a most unusual job. Yup! He's a gravedigger. Go check it out. Real interesting.

"...The graveyard is all cleaned up. The sun is shining and spreading life all over the village and the surrounding fields. I hope that nobody dies while my friends are here...
grave digger

Google Search Trends

I recently stumbled into a blog whose main purpose is to get hits. Well, this site would be a godsend to the person. What it does is collates the top 50 search terms on Google for each week.

There's also the Lycos 50 but the top queries are a bit dated, I mean Clay Aiken and Paris Hilton?


Top 10 Gaining Queries
Week Ending Apr. 12, 2004

1. easter
2. elisha cuthbert
3. rebecca loos
4. jessica simpson
5. miss usa
6. irs
7. william hung
8. good friday
9. omarosa
10. masters golf

MINOR CHANGES

To the regular visitors (yeah, both of you!), i moved some of the links around. I think this is more efficient on my part.

There's nothing wrong with your browser.

BBC - Comedy - The Office

THE OFFICE



This series is my all time one of my favorite comedy series. I have seen all two seasons more than four times now. And that's in a span of five weeks! If you can catch the DVD or happen to know someone who has copies of it, you won't regret it.

It'll take two or three episodes before you really get into it. But it's worth it. Too bad Rick Grevais decided to stop after two seasons. Come to think about it, it's better to finish up when you're on top.

Check these out:

David: "I’m going to have to let you go first"
Dawn: "What? Why?"
David: "Why? Stealing. Thieving."
Dawn: "Thieving? What am I meant to have stolen?"
David: "Post-It notes."


Gareth: "In this room, I have special-"
Tim: "Needs?"
Gareth: "No, I am a special-"
Tim: "Needs child?"
Gareth: "No. And that’s not even funny"

And don't forget to watch the two part christmas special. It'll give you a bit of closure with what happened to the people of Wernahm Hogg after the series.

Oh and here's a link to a site with the full version of Handbags and Gladrags by the Stereophonics. It's the theme song of the show.

ROCO

ROCO

I still don't know who to vote for in the coming elections. But what's happening to Roco is bothering me. He is now at an "undisclosed" hostpital in Houston, Texas. His side is saying it's because of "chronic back pain".

Rumors are flying around that it's not that but prostate cancer. Why not divulge the hospital, interview the doctor and be honest about everything; backpain, cancer, or whatever. Not even a president and at this point is refusing to go out and settle this issue.

Talk the talk, walk the walk.

LOTR.gif (GIF Image, 525x315 pixels)

Lord Of The Rings

So, you're not up to watching all 9 hours of Lord of the Rings? Well, this site condenses it to about two minutes.

(via The Presurfer)

Songs/american pie interpretations

American Pie interpretations

We all know that song, 'American Pie', by Don Mclean. But do you know what it means? What's it about? Well, this site does offer a full view of the song and what it could mean...

Touchblue Entertainment

Touchblue Entertainment

UCSD Filipino students' website. Got lots of cool media projects there. Definitely worth a look.

World Famous in the Philippines

GREAT SERVICE

I really really appreciate this My Stack service. Notice the box on the left that says "Philippine Tidbits"? Well My Stacks searches the net and displays to me the 7 most CURRENT (I can go as much as 20 but that's overkill) posts that mentions anything about the Philippines.

I know I keep posting about this but it really helps me surf the net. Most of the posts here were courtesy of My Stacks. I really recommend this to people who want a real focused search.

Did I mention that this service is free?

Rance

Rance

They say that this blog is by Owen Wilson.

Weird WordsIndex

Weird Words Index

"The word weird in this section is interpreted broadly to mean words that refer to obscure or outlandish subjects, are in themselves rare, or which look odd..."

Want to know what salmagundi means? How about a turlough? Well, this sites have definitions on those daily weird words that hit us occasionaly.

Janice Kimball's Radio Weblog

Janice Kimball's Radio Weblog

The Labor and Employment Weblog.

What's with all these theme blogs?

Religionscope - Blog

Religionscope

Anything and everything religion in the Net.

psychicpants.net: Being the True, the Good, the Beautiful and Definitive Meaning of Jologs

Being the True, the Good, the Beautiful and Definitive Meaning of Jologs

"...Jolog came from Jolina....loose and wide pants that were huhulog-hulog (kept falling). "Hulog" later was spelled "Julog" until it was pronounced "ju-log"...actually originally spelled as 'diyolog' which stands for dilis (anchovies), tuyo (dried fish) and itlog (egg)--the food of the poor. And it was used like this: 'Oh, look she eats diyolog..."

Really fun reading. It kind of shows how diverse and "maleable" our language can be.

Get Fuzzy - Meet the Characters

"Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley, is a wry portrait of single life, with pets. At the center of this warm and fuzzy romp is Rob Wilco, a single, mild-mannered ad executive and guardian of Bucky and Satchel, anthropomorphic scamps that still live by their animal instincts. Bucky is a temperamental cat (is there any other kind?) who clearly wears the pants in this eccentric household. Satchel is a gentle pooch with a sensitive soul who tries to remain neutral, but frequently ends up on the receiving end of Bucky's mischief. Together, this unlikely trio endures all the trials and tribulations of a typical family... more or less..."

My most favorite comic strip of all time. Bar none

President says 'Passion' was 'wonderful' - Apr. 10, 2004

President says 'Passion' was 'wonderful'

"President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Saturday she watched the film, "Passion of the Christ" and described it as "wonderful," for graphically bringing the sacrifices of Jesus to a new generation...

I wonder if she watched it alone or with her whole family. Either way, would they be more christian in their ummm... ways afterwards?

The Passion might be too numbing for politicians (granted I haven't seen it) to "get the message". I'd suggest should start off with the Ten Commandments. Can't get more basic than that.

the prison blog

THE PRISON BLOG

"...providing links to news, editorial, relevant web sites, and interesting reports about all aspects of imprisonment. no agenda, no angle - just stuff that interests us...."

Guess what's on the top list of this blog today? Hmmmm... 53 prisoners escaping a Basilan jail, that's what.

A few days ago, a top terrorist was killed by "ELITE" Philippine troops. Wow. I'm so excited what adjectives the government will peg on this bit of news.

EASTMAS

For my kids, between Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, they have Uncle Rich.

As I posted before, Gabbi was appointed the Go-Out-Master. As such, she has to do the itenarary of the day. Where to go, what to do, yadda-yadda-yadda. Check that post, it was a week ago. That day, they never heard the word "No" from us. They didn't notice it though. The kids themselves made sure things weren't over the top. We regularly checked with the Go-Out-Master what to do next. And you could see Gabbi take that position and responsibility seriously. It was a lot of fun.

Anyway, thanks to Uncle Rich, we did it last Wednesday. Everything went off without a hitch although a last minute change from the zoo to the mall was made. With the G.O.M.'s approval of course. It was Lulu and Gabbi's day.

It made me see how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family,my brother, my wife and my daughters. Last Wednesday, I appreciated what I have and made me forget my problems. Just seeing Gabbi holding a little kitty toy in her hands with her eyes bright and smiling made everything right. Lulu with her funky white pants she tried on and liked brought a smile to my heart. And also, the two kids going around blue wave with their scooter is a sight to see.

It didn't matter that we were all tired afterwards. The things we did brought us together. Being together made us stronger. The strength made us feel loved by one another. It took Uncle Rich to make me see and feel this. Thanks, bro. You're a life saver.

Next up as Go-Out-Master is Lulu. She was the G.O.M. last February and it seems she's itching to do a killer day of fun like this.

Welcome to Engrish.com!

Welcome to Engrish.com!

"Q. What is Engrish?

A. Engrish can be simply defined as the humorous English mistakes that appear in Japanese advertising and product design..."

This one is guaranteed to make you smile. Not Warning. Make Loved for peace world. Yeah!

Reminds of a sign I saw at the National Bookstore, Robinson's Ermita Branch: "Close on Thursday and Friday". I didn't even knew that they'd get far...