HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Philippine Olympic Committee

"...When the Philippines joined the International Olympic Committee in 1918, a requisite for its entry was a solitary participation by MR. DAVID NEPOMUCENO in 1924 who competed in Athletics in Paris, France. He was a runner..."

And up until now, we still have yet to win a gold medal in the Olympics.

Anyway, this is the Philippine Olympic Committee official website. If it's about Philippine Olympics, it's gotta be here.

Angelina Jolie's Butt Reserved for Brad Pitt

This is fast becoming an Angelina Jolie Tattoo watch. As of this week, she has eleven tattoos so far. Anyway, I was wondering, which butt cheek is reserved for Brad again? I say the left one...

Top 25 Highest Grossing Domestic Horror Films of All Time

"Hollywood.com’s Top 25 Highest Grossing Domestic Horror Films of All Time..."

I can't believe number four and number eight are horror movies....

Amazon.com: DVD: Eraserhead

"Availability: This title will be released on December 31, 1969. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives "

Just like the movie, the amazon message is also bizarre!

Random thoughts the day before Halloween....

Ahhh... to be a child again. If only I could.

Have you seen the latest? Is it me or what? I mean;

1. We have a paranoid President who doesn't even trust her guards with guns.LINK
2. A Presidential ex-adviser-now-senator advising her to fire her advisersLINK
3. More money gained by government. Why not just minimize stealing and corruption? They'll gain more that way. LINK
4. President orders to shut down ILLEGAL mines. Ummm... what's wrong with that statement? LINK
5. President needs anti-terrorism law to arrest more terrorists. LINK

Angelina Jolie's latest tattoo spells out 'rights'

"'Know Your Rights' are the latest words etched across the back of stunning Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie..."

To paraphrase the 1991 remake of Cape Fear, I don't know whether to look at her or to read her...

Remote Control Works on Humans

"...A special headset was placed on my cranium by my hosts during a recent demonstration at an NTT research center. It sent a very low voltage electric current from the back of my ears through my head - either from left to right or right to left, depending on which way the joystick on a remote-control was moved..."

Remote control other people. Technology is surely growing leaps and bounds. Think of all the possibilities here. I mean, help handicapped people, controlling criminals, porn, and... ummm... did I say porn?

This beats the hell out of putting a bug up your ear like in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

I'm gay, 'Star Trek's Sulu says

"George Takei, who as helmsman Sulu steered the Starship Enterprise through three television seasons and six movies [of Star Trek], has come out as a homosexual in the current issue of Frontiers, a biweekly gay and lesbian Los Angeles magazine..."

If you think about it, the Star Trek crew would have been the first show to have an almost balanced set of racial and sexual demographics. All they're missing now is a lesbian.

Filipino Business Students Beat U.S. Ivy Leaguers

"A pair of senior marketing students from the Far Eastern University did what representatives from such “glamour” schools as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University could not – win the Battle of the Business Plans at the Spangler Auditorium of Harvard University..."

This is my third post today about Filipino achievements that we may have overlooked. And this happened last April!

I'm running out of things to say.

UP Math prof proves Princeton man wrong

"...Escultura went on to overhaul the real number system and reconstructed it without these false axioms using only three simple axioms instead of 12. The result is a new real number system that is free from defects and contradictions, finite and enriched with new numbers that have important applications for physics..."

Where's Edgar's ticker tape parade? How about our physicist on the post below? Where's his accolades? And this happened last May!

Not to sound elitist or anything, but if we want to be really proud of our culture, people, and heritage, why not give more attention to these kind of people who used their brains to show the world what we are capable of.

No offense but I'd pick them over a beauty pageant winner, a boxer, or even a bit-player in a TV series.

Philippine Physicist Space Experiment

"...scientist Rommel G. Bacabac, crafted the Soyuz test for disturbed bone metabolism seen in astronauts returning from space. "Jawbones got special attention.

...Bacabac is developing what scientists call an "optical tweezer set-up"--a device to test what happens to chemicals that bones use to sense loads when gravity disappears."

Wow! A Philippine Physicist got to conduct experiment in space. He didn't get to go but it's still his experiment. How come we didn't get to hear about this?



I mean, Filipino Physicists are rare to get the media spotlight. And now that one has, I have to dig it up from the archives.

I had a dream once that I was the top philippine physicist. Too bad I woke up.

Pinoy Big Brother Rigged?

Link is to a news post in filipino (tagalog). It's supposedly a taped conversation between PBB officials with Uma and Cass before the launch of Pinoy Big Brother. According to the article, the two of them are already chosen to win.

Excerpt:

"Director Dyogi (talkin to Uma and Cass): As what Ms. Tan said a while ago, If ever na ma-nominate kayo, kami na ang bahala. Pero sure na hindi kayo matatanggal, kayong dalawa ang maiiwan sa bahay [you won't be removed, the two of you will remain] and after that kayo rin ang maghahati sa money [you two will share the money], ang risk lang you need to give that 40% of the Total Cash Prize. Yung house and lot and car sa inyo na rin yun, who know's baka ma-dagdagan pa ang prize diba linggit [the house and care are yours too, who knows, there may be more prizes, right linggit]..."

The director, Dyogi, has denied these rumors and showed the audition tapes of the three (including Sam's). But this PBB Blog has this valid comment:
"In Sam’s final interview, he mentioned that he would be the youngest housemate. He already knew the composition of the housemates during the final audition?..."

I don't really watch this show but with this going on, it's getting mighty interesting....

Police won’t spare officials involved in murders

"SECURITY officials will not spare any member of the armed forces who will be found involved in the rash of killings of militant leaders in Central Luzon..."

This just means one of two things.

1. They're dead serious.
2. They just won't arrest them.

And it just occured to me that a group of killings is called a rash of killings.

What do you call a group of Philippine politicians?

Mostly corrupt...

TagCloud

"...TagCloud searches any number of RSS feeds you specify, extracts keywords from the content and lists them according to prevalence within the RSS feeds...It's a list of keywords taken from the news feeds you specify. Larger fonts indicate a higher prevalence for an individual keyword..."

In a nutshell, Tag Cloud searches the RSS feeds of a site or a group of sites and tells you the most popular keywords in it. It takes awhile to get it started but it's worth the wait. And the interface is kind of confusing, the code to plug into your site template can be found under "Implementation Guide".

But then again, this is really helpful if you have targetted ads on your site and want to know why Prison Rape Safe Prison Cells are coming out on your ad links...

Simply Recipes: Apple Chutney Recipe

"Chutney is a perfect accompaniment to roast chicken. We usually buy ours, but with our bountiful crop of apples I decided to try my hand at making some from scratch. It's easy, actually, much easier than I expected. Though cooking up chutney will make your kitchen, and house, smell like vinegar for a bit..."

This post is more for me than anyone else.

Philippine Webcam Feed

I posted this site two years ago and maybe it's time to revisit it. It's a realtime webcam stream of the EDSA Ortigas Flyover in Metro Manila.

I think you have to hit the refresh button to get the latest pics...

Sex ID

"The BBC collaborated with a team of psychologists to create Sex ID, which brings together a series of separate psychological tests related to brain sex differences for the first time..."

Cool test. If you have time on your hands, why not mozy a try?

Jollibee completes purchase of Red Ribbon

"Jollibee bought Red Ribbon for 1.8 billion pesos, and expects the acquisition to boost the group's annual sales by 2.5 billion pesos.

...the Jollibee group's worldwide network comprised 1,200 restaurants, which include Chowking, Greenwich and Delifrance outlets, as well as 88 Yonghe King stores in China...."

The Philippine fast food giant is still eating up everything in site.

Oh, and to non-Philippine visitors, Jollibee has constantly surpassed McDonalds in sales and brand recall here in this country.

I like McDonalds better. Eating a burger endorsed by a bug gives me the weelies. And let's not forget their other mascot who has spaghetti on her head.

Google Web Accelerator Download

Google Web Accelerator is...
• Designed for Broadband – Web pages load even more quickly on DSL and cable connections
• Easy to use – Simply install and enjoy faster web browsing in secondsKind of late for this post since it has been available for some time now. Google took it down before but now, it's available for download again.

Counterfeit appliances seized

"...'If you see an appliance from a known company, and it's being sold way, way below the standard price, then you should be suspicious...."

But what if it was on sale?

Net users told to get safe online

"Widespread ignorance about basic computer security is putting millions of people at risk from net-savvy criminals, a survey suggests..."

You think the Philippine Government is ignorant about the world wide web? I mean, they are proposing a bill making computer hacking an act of terrorism!

Next thing you know, hanging anti-GMA posters would be an act of sedition.

Oh wait. It already is.

Government TV

The Collective Noun Page

You know what they call a group of programmers? Yes, computer programmers...

What about groups of caterpillars, mobile phones, managers, and goons?

After a round of drinks and converstaion with a rhyme of poets, I can imagine the annoyance of mobile phones ringing at the same time asking me the same question.

Bill Watterson on the end of "Peanuts"

"I've never met Charles Schulz, but long ago his work introduced me to what a comic strip could be, and made me want to be a cartoonist myself. He was a hero to me as a kid, and his influence on my work and life is long and deep...

Bill Waterson is the creator of Calvin and Hobbes.

Oh. And if you're curious... Will Watterson ever resume drawing and writing "Calvin and Hobbes"?

Eastwood's Longest Food Rumble Part Two

"...Kevin Tan, director for commercial services, clarified that 'many patrons coming from the provinces still kept coming long after [organizers] had stopped selling tickets to the buffet.'

But to make sure only patrons who were not served in the buffet get the refund, Eastwood said it would only refund tickets that were not yet torn, as well as those signed by the organizing staff on the night of the buffet.

According to Eastwood, it laid out the 'longest documented buffet to date, beating France's 286-meter record by a wide margin with 350 meters.' A total of 36 restaurants in the high-end commercial complex contributed to the menu that featured cuisines from 10 countries. Soriano said the project was a fund raiser for impoverished children..."

Questions:

1. If only ticket holders can join the buffet, those hoards of patrons from the provinces couldn't enter the buffet. Unless of course they were sold tickets. Right?

2. Sources abound that ticket sales exceeded 8,000. Now, it's down to just 5,000. What's the real story?

3. So, if most everyone has expressed failure in the whole attempt, would they still be awarded the World Record?

Maybe they can apply for the world record for the most number of patrons hungry in one area?

Up until now, there's no news report (aside from the Inquirer link) about what really happened there. The only accounts I get about it are thru Philippine bloggers posting their experience that night.

Hacienda Luisita union president shot to death

"The leader of striking workers at the Hacienda Luisita sugar estate owned by the family of former President Corazon Aquino was shot dead last night in his house in Tarlac City..."

Why kill him? Who could benefit from his death? This will stump authorities for years to come. Just like with what happened to Ninoy Aquino.

Hmmm... maybe he was singing Sinatra's My Way. You think?

Mango joins Guess

"RETAILER Eddie Tekeli has sold 80 percent of Mango to Victor Siasat of Guess, keeping only 20 percent of the Spanish clothing franchise..."

So does this mean that Mango would also be manufactured locally?

Past Life Analysis

Who were you in your last life?"

100 Best Known Global Brand Names

"These are the brands that you just know and recognise. In many cases you probably have no idea who the companies are and what they sell. Its all to do with the power of advertising..."

It's aranged alphabetically. It sure would have been nice if it was arranged by ranking...

There are other lists on the right side too. I mean, LEFT, left side. I forgot my kindergarden and nursery school lessons. Sorry.

De Castro: I’m not an option

As the next leader of this country? He's right.

...more of a last resort...

How much is your blog worth?

My blog is worth $14,113.50.
How much is your blog worth?

You too can find out how much your blog is worth. Well, given that I have advert thingy above, that value is manageable, in a couple dozen years or so...

(via The Presurfer)

Anne Rice turns Born Again?

"In two weeks, Anne Rice, the chronicler of vampires, witches and—under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure—of soft-core S&M encounters, will publish "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt," a novel about the 7-year-old Jesus, narrated by Christ himself. "I promised," she says, "that from now on I would write only for the Lord..."

And she plans three sequels to it too. I wonder what she'll do at the end of this series? Will she go the way of the Da Vinci Code, or will she end it New Testament style?

PurePwnage WoWisafeeling

World Of Warcraft is a Feeling. The music video.

Computer hacking Terrorists

"If Congress approves the controversial anti-terror bill that Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is eagerly pushing to become a law, hacking or cracking would soon be considered as an act of terrorism.

What does this mean? It basically raises the penalty for hacking or cracking as provided for in RA 8792, or the E-Commerce Law, from a fine of P100,000 to a whopping P10,000,000 — a 100-fold increase..."

We are one step away from having our computers registered as a deadly weapon.

Velarde, Hyatt 10 push snap election

"The Black and White Movement (BWM) has given De Castro until Nov. 30 to withdraw support from Ms Arroyo and to accept the proposal to take over the government as her constitutional successor.

If he agrees, a "welcome prayer rally" awaits him on that day..."

Wow! A Welcome Prayer Rally! Who would pass up a chance to have one like that?

To non-Filipinos, our Vice President used to be a TV news anchor who bankrolled his popularity to become a senator. Now, he's our Vice President.

During the SARS epidemic, he proposed that all doorknobs be removed from the senate building to avoid spreading the dreaded disease.

Now, he's one prayer rally from the presidency of the Philippines.

Vin Diesel is The Hitman

"Fox has tapped Skip Woods ("Swordfish") to adapt its feature version of vidgame "Hitman," with Vin Diesel toplining.
...The story centers on an international assassin, known as Agent 47, who works for a mysterious org dubbed the Agency..."

Another videogame turned movie. Hope this one turns out as cool as the game.

What Was That Movie

"Have you ever walked into a video store after a classic movie, but been stumped when you tried to remember what it was called? Have you ever tried to piece together the title from small memories and gone crazy in the process? Ever said something like "You remember the movie with the guy that was in that other movie that came out this year..."

This is a very useful site.

The thing is, when I remember the title of the movie, I forget the reason why I brought it up in the first place.

No bail for sons of Flor Contemplacion - INQ7.net

"The three sons of ill-fated Filipina maid Flor Contemplacion are still detained at the San Pablo city jail without possibility of bail after they were arrested for drug trafficking last Thursday in San Pablo City..."

From what I gathered years ago, the mother died supporting her kids, her husband, and his mistress. This just blows.

Things People Said: Courtroom Quotations

" Lawyer: "Now sir, I'm sure you are an intelligent and honest man--"
# Witness: "Thank you. If I weren't under oath, I'd return the compliment..."

More of that over here.

Question, if one doesn't believe in God and how is he or she sworn in court?

`My Way`` to the cemetery -- another drunk Sinatra killed

"A MAN was shot dead while singing Frank Sinatra's song "My Way" yesterday in Caloocan City..."

I don't know the count but here in the Philippines, literally hundreds have already died while singing this song.

Is there a curse on Filipinos that whoever sings this song in a karaoke bar has a high probability of dying?

Here's an excerpt to Ted Lerner's Asia Times article:

".. The song "My Way" is perhaps the most preferred song when the drinks start flowing and the karaoke gets turned on. The song is so popular, and singing it is taken so seriously, that dozens have literally died because of "My Way." Perhaps someone laughed while a buddy was singing during a drinking spree, or someone didn't like the way the guy at the other table clapped after he tried to imitate Frank. It's always a ridiculously stupid reason but, no matter, out comes the fan knife or the pistol and wham!-it ends in a liquored-up flash, another senseless death due to "My Way." I wondered if Frank was aware that so many had died because of that song..."

Eastwood's Longest Food Rumble

What do you get when you sell more than 6000 tickets to people promising them the longest Buffet table in the world?

What happens when you advise all participating restaurants to prepare food for only 350 people?

What happens when you purchase the 9pm buffet when the 7pm buffet ticket holders ate up all the food available and are still there hungry as ever?

What happens when you don't have enough trashcans around?

I heard that a whole crowd mobbed over a tray of cheesecake. Seriously.

Dude. Somebody has to have footage of all this. This would be so wickedly classic. Not to sound bad but we filipinos are the bane of all all-you-can-eat restaurants all over the world.

Can't wait for the Press Release on this...

Cyber Pets for your blog!

interactive cyber pets you can "adopt" to put on your webpage, livejournal, xanga, blog, etc... for free!

Oh and you can play with Wiggy, my ummm... pet, using the mouse pointer. Just don't click on him too much. He gets dirty easily...

adopt your own virtual pet!

Email turns 30 Years old

"To most of us, electronic mail is a relatively recent phenomenon. But the first e-mail was sent 30 years ago, after a programmer came up with the "@" symbol format for e-mail addresses..."

Wow. 30 years old. I wonder if Al Gore also invented that?

Oh and here's Ray Tomlinson (the inventor of email?) explaining why he used the @ sign:

"The primary reason was that it made sense. at signs didn't appear in names so there would be no ambiguity about where the separation between login name and host name occurred..."

well, yes the "at" sign didn't appear in names but appears in some names to name names like @ssh*le...

Celebrities with and without makeup.

That's what it says, that's what it means...

Aquino regrets backing Arroyo

"FORMER President Corazon Aquino and preacher Bro. Eddie Villanueva yesterday publicly admitted regretting having helped Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo become president of the Philippines.

...Apparently referring to Vice President Noli de Castro, Aquino said the current "alternative has not been as attractive..."

Hmmm... I don't want to sound malicious but would this also have to do with the present government's stand on Aquino's Hacienda Luisita?

Oh and as for the vice president, all he needs is a makeover to make him attractive. How about a brain transplant?
NO?
Yeah, I know it wouldn't work. That's like installing Windows XP on an old 386PC with 1024kb of memory. (To non geeks - that means your old Sharp Calculator is faster.)

How about adding more advisers to his gaggle of lawyers?
Still not biting?
Talk about shooting yourself in the head after downing a bottle of arsenic while jumping off a cliff.

How about adding in a free ticket to any country of your choice and immigration status there?
Would that do?
Oh wait... there's an off-chance that GMA, Aquino, and the rest of the gang will come with us....

Top 100 Toys of Yesteryear

I remember sneaking in the backrow playing with a Six Million Dollar Man action figure when I was in the first grade. I remember the giddy feeling playing with one of those 200 in 1 electronic kit that my cousin had. This site brings back lots of memories. If you don't know what this is

then baby, you missed out on a lot.

Oh and I used to have this as a toy. Actually, I treated it more than a toy. It was a friend. I remember saving up all my allowance just to buy the six (6) AA batteries to keep it alive. I kept it in an old Carlos I brandy box and talked to it as if it were real.

It He died *sniff* when I finally saved up to buy an electric adaptor for it him *sob* and somehow fried up all his circuits when I plugged it in. *waaah!*

And no, kids, that is not a cellphone.

Arroyo to cut term if...

... she grows a conscience.

Just kidding. It was just set up so beautifully.

Anyway...

"PRESIDENT Macapagal-Arroyo will cut her term short if that is what the majority of Filipinos will say in a plebiscite on her continued stay in power, according to her spokesperson, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.

...Even Vice President Noli de Castro is willing to cut his term and support a shift to a parliamentary form of government, if the people who voted for him will also approve of it..."

The VP is alive! The VP is alive!

That reminds me, I have to google how many Philippine Vice Presidents can spell "parliamentary" and "plebiscite". No need to know if any understands what it is without ten lawyers around.

Foreigners can’t join rallies, says CHR

"THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) said foreigners joining anti-government activities are breaking the law, as the justice chief ordered a Bangladeshi arrested for speaking against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a farmers’ protest rally in Quezon City..."

So is it ok for locals to protest against foreign governments?

Protest marchers didn't even get a glimpse of Mendiola

"THEIR target was the bridge. They did not even get a glimpse. They never had a chance...

*chirp* *chirp* *chirp*

*chirp* *chirp* *chirp*

*chirp* *chirp* *chirp*

Maybe they took a wrong turn. They went left one turn too many.

To the uninitiated, Mendiola, as I understand it, is one of those places that people go to to protest against the Government.

Miss International's Nanny Speech

"...Precious Lara Quigaman, the Miss Philippines who took home the 2005 Miss International crown, was asked during the final round the following question:
What do you say to the people of the world who have typecasted filipinos as nannies?

...That wasn't Quigaman's winning answer.

Miss International traditionally doesn't have a final question.

The finalists each do a speech about what their cause is and what they would do if they were Miss International. Her speech was about helping children and their need for education..."

So it's all a hoax folks.

It never happened. If you think about it, she didn't even mention World Peace.

Stop emailing me that darned thing.

But wait, did Beauty Queen Beauty Pageant Winner Precious Lara Quigaman ever refute that story? Did she ever come out and say it never happened? No teary eyed press conferences saying that all those emails going around are not true? No libel suits against the perpetrators of those emails. But then again, why would she?

I hear she wants to get into showbiz now. Maybe she'll end up typecasted as a beauty pageant winning nanny. Hehehe. Albeit an intelligent and cute beauty pageant winning nanny.

Oh and Here's the link to Crispina Belen's article on what really happened.

What if I'm wrong? Well then check this out...

Tampabay: Driver goes 3 miles with lodged body

"A 94-year-old motorist struck and killed a pedestrian Wednesday evening, then drove about 3 miles with the body lodged in the windshield until he was stopped at a Sunshine Skyway tollbooth.

The driver told officers he thought the body had fallen from the sky, said St. Petersburg police Officer Mike Jockers.

"He had no idea he had been involved in an accident," Jockers said. "He doesn't totally understand what happened...."

What part of '94 year old motorist' didn't they understand? Heck! At that age, most seniors can't even drive a wheelchair...

Man charged with trespassing on farm in horse-sex death

"...Though police reports indicate that James Michael Tait of Enumclaw admitted joining the friend and another acquaintance for repeated acts of sex with horses at the Enumclaw farm, prosecutors said he couldn't be charged with animal cruelty because no evidence was found of any physical injury to any of the horses involved.

Tait can't be charged with bestiality. Washington is one of 17 states that permit bestiality..."

This is just the continuation on the man that died during horse-bestiality case I blogged last July. Go check it out here.

Oh and might I point out again, that the man died because of his colon rupturing.

Yep. The horse had a good time.

People who watch this can range from 5 to 150 million

It's a Quicktime clip from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

It's about the Bird Flu.

It's about 10mb big.

Worth it, though.

Go watch.

The First Music Video Filmed Entirely Using Cellphones

"...The new video from the goofy power-pop band The Presidents of the United States of America was shot entirely using an array of Sony Ericsson cellphones..."

Now why didn't this happen here in the Philippines first? I mean, everyone has a camera phone here. It's de rigeur (pardon the spelling, but even I don't know what that means, it just sounds appropo).

STOP THE PRESS!

I just had an idea for a new product! It'll be oh-so-cool!

It'll be the iPod killer!

Picture this, it's a small device, smaller than an iPod. Cheaper too. Still a music player. But instead of loading songs into it, the user can listen to music from pre-programmed sites that the device will pick up wirelessly.

And that's not all! It'll be free. See, these sites will be sponsored thru ads. Once in awhile a sponsored ad will come in, just a few seconds long. And why not just music? Why we could have talk shows, soap operas, anything!

I am going to be rich with this!

It's like a pocket radio but... but.. oh wait. It is a pocket radio.

5 New Things That Will Blow Your Mind

Yes, it's Time Magazine.

No. It's not porn.

Filipina breaks world record in power lifting

"A FILIPINA broke the world record for power lifting by carrying a total of 205 kilograms in the squat event of the 8th World Master Power Lifting Championships 2005 held recently in Pretoria, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday..."

At first glance I thought they were talking about GMA then I noticed it said power LIFTING not power FLIRTING.

TIME Magazine's ALL-TIME 100 Novels

Time Magazine critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo pick the 100 best english language novels from 1923 to the present.

100 novels? Dang. I notice that Lord of the Rings is here but does that count as three novels?

It's final: VAT law legal

"...Its implementation will be the backbone of the P1-trillion 2006 budget. This includes the P15-billion allocation for salary increases of government employees," said Camarines Sur Representative Rolando Andaya Jr...."

I understand that raising everyone's salaries just puts us all back to square one. And it's nice and all to think of those courteous and respectable government employees but WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE?!

Artist Needed

Greg Halloran of Gossamer Commons is in search of an artist for his webcomic.

You can get details at his site.

Gossamer Commons can be visited here.

He doesn't know me but just tell him World Famous in the Philippines sent you.

Welcome Minions of the Mistress!

My God!

World domination is at hand!

I just checked my counter stats and every other person who stumbles into my site got referred to by Jessica Zafra's blog, the Mistress of the Universe of the Philippines herself. The blog? It's called Jessica Zafra's Twisted.

I haven't got hits like this from one site since... well, since I started. Is she the Philippine version of Slashdot now? One referral from her and boom!

Dang! Now, my posts have got to make sense now. Did I just use the word "now" twice in one sentence? ACK! I have to be grammatically correct too!

Anyway, in case you haven't mozied on down two posts previous to this (ummm... true minions would scoff at this statement, i'm sure), here's my all time favorite, laugh out load, milk thru my nose, head banging, rip roaring, fart enducing strip of all time. (Click to enlarge).


And that right there, is the story of my life.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is 15!

"...15 years ago today the Internet Movie Database, in essence, took shape. To celebrate that fact we've created a retrospective, of movies and of our own history, on a special 15th Anniversary page. On it we have our editors' picks for the best films of the last 15 years, our own history page, highlights of the individual years in movies (we'll start you out at 1990 and let you go from there), and, for a limited time, a $15 offer for headshot purchases with our Publicity Photos service. Most of all, however, we want to thank all of those who contributed, corrected, criticized, coerced, and (sometimes) complimented us along the way. We couldn't have done it without you and you share in this accomplishment. Our thanks again: The founders and staff of the IMDb..."

Happy 15th IMDb!

Here's my top 15 for 1990 to 2005

01. Unforgiven
02. Pulp Fiction
03. As Good As It Gets
04. The Empire Stikes Back
05. Se7en
06. Fight Club
07. Groundhog Day
08. Spirited Away
09. Pleasantville
10. Galaxy Quest
11. The Fifth Element
12. Chasing Amy
13. Office Space
14. There's Something About Mary
15. Dumb and Dumber

Blatant excuse for not really checking years:
I know Empire is like so 1980 but hey! That movie is timeless and this is my list...

These are all laugh out loud funny!

Is there a wormhole in the universe that chose to open up a portal in my PC? I mean, dang! Four sunday comic strips that just made me laugh out loud! Here's three of them. Check the last one, it's a doozy!

Like my new welcome sign?

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Funny that I felt like Ferris when I was young but now, I think I'm becoming or I became Cameron.

Handwriting Tips

"You’ve decided you want to improve your handwriting and you’re probably hoping a fountain pen will do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would. Maybe you’re just adventurous and you want to try your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwriting improves). Good for you!..."

At this day and age, I prefer a real kick-ass keyboard and a nice handwriting font.




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I have a science blog at Quantum Day. It covers research material for technological breakthroughs such as stem cells, aerogels, and more!
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How to Communicate With a Non Native English Speaker

"...
6.When possible, opt for simple words instead of ones that are complex. The more basic a word is, the better the chance is that it will be understood. ("Big" is a better choice than "enormous" for example. "Make" is a better choice than "manufacture.")..."

Definitely make love is better than "manufacture" babies....

"...
Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your words. This helps them figure out what you are saying in many cases...."

Unless of course you are a spy in communist country trying to smuggle out stolen data instead of just emailing it out.

"...
Use gestures when they are appropriate to your meaning. If you want to indicate the number 2, it is appropriate and helpful to hold up two fingers. On the other hand, if you want to indicate "too," holding up two fingers will really confuse your listener...."

Unless of course you want to indicate the number three.

"...
Avoid exaggerations and phrases. Think about what you are saying and if it really makes sense. Common misunderstandings, "I am all tied up," and "I would kill for that." English is full of such phrases that could easily be misunderstood...."

Try shouting that out loud in Iraq.

Stallone squares up for Rocky VI

"...Now, more than 15 years on - and 30 years since first putting on his boxing gloves - Rocky Balboa is making another comeback.

Hollywood sources confirmed last night that Sylvester Stallone has agreed to star in the sixth instalment of the Rocky saga...

...In Rocky VI, a lonely, poverty-stricken Balboa comes out of retirement and looks to keep his hand in with a few low-profile fights.

But his return to the ring causes a media frenzy and a promoter comes up with the idea that he should fight the heavyweight champion, Mason 'The Line' Dixon..."

Sylvester Stallone is nearly 60 years old now. Maybe the title should be Rocky VIxX.

Jessica Zafra's Twisted - THE BLOG

"Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident

1. Yes that IS my real name, I AM the columnist slash talk show host, I AM the author of the seven Twisted books (eight if you count Twisted Flicks) and this IS my first and only blog.
2. No, I'm not on Friendster, and if you've ever read anything I've written, you would know that I am not friendly at all.
3. Because while looking over my old columns I found myself violently disagreeing with myself, and since I don't write a newspaper column anymore, I decided to blog so I could rebut myself...."

Yup! This is the real thing folks. Take it from me.

The Uber Mistress of the Universe of the Philippines, Jessica Zafra has started blogging! What can I say?

Go over and check her out.

San Miguel tests beer in plastic bottles

"..BEVERAGE and food conglomerate San Miguel Corp. will quietly launch beer in plastic bottles this Friday night in time for the Oktoberfest bacchanalia..."

San Miguel Beer in plastic bottles? Say it isn't so!

Bar room fights would never have that authentic bar room fight aura without an amber SMB bottle being smashed into someone's head. So instead of a SMASH!, we'd have to settle for a THUNK! I mean, with those beer cans we at least get a CLUNK!

Why do we believe in God?

"...some of the congregation dumped a large box of rattlesnakes into the pulpit (history does not record whether they were angry or just bored). Without missing a beat, in mid-sentence, Hensley bent down, picked up a 3ft-long specimen of this most venomous of snakes, and held it wriggling high above his head. Unharmed, he exhorted his congregation to follow suit, quoting the words of Christ: "And these signs will follow those who believe ... in my Name ... they will take up serpents

...There have since been around 120 deaths from snakebite in these churches, but most of the congregants tend to refuse medical help if they are bitten, preferring to believe that divine intervention will be more efficacious. Sadly, Hensley himself perished from a snakebite in 1955"

You think some of the preachers here in the Philippines can do this? I mean, all of them claim to be God's messenger and protected by Him. Heck! We can even have betting on this on who won't be bit. Organized religion with legalized gambling hand in hand....

Like I always say, I never get the church or any church get in the way of what little faith I have.

10 things you shouldn't buy new

"...Obviously, some things are best purchased new; lingerie pops to mind. But lots of other stuff depreciates quickly while still having plenty of useable life left. Here are 10 items where the cost vs. use equation strongly tilts toward buying used..."

I briefly worked in a company that specialized in selling used/refurbished/surplus goods. I remember they were selling a refrigerator from a medical facility that once had a bio-hazard sticker (it stank like hell when it was brought out the container van) on it. They peeled it (the sticker) off, cleaned it (the ref) and passed it as a ref for home use. I wonder if they still do that kind of stuff over there?

Rabbit sprayed with lighter fluid, set ablaze

"...Phoenix was found with charred fur and cigarette burns singeing his white-and-black coat Oct. 1, by a neighbor of the owner, who lives on Rodgers Street. The rabbit still smelled of lighter fluid and his fur was tinged brown from the liquid..."

That's real cruel. Real cruel.

Even Bernd ended up as dinner. Remember him?

I can't wait for Saturday to come...

"As you may know, it's a sin for a Taliban male to see a woman other than his wife, naked. He must commit suicide if he does. So this Saturday at 4 P.M. eastern time, all American women are asked to walk out of their houses, completely naked, to weed out any terrorists in your neighborhood. Circling the block for one hour is suggested for this anti-terrorist effort..."

I can't resist the urge to post this.

Palace sets 3 terms for emergency rule

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is keeping the declaration of emergency rule as an option to handle a crisis situation that may be triggered by a terrorist attack, a breakdown in peace and order, and a steep surge in oil prices.
...Ermita stressed that the government was not taking over private property just to show that it was a better manager...."

That last bit was really hilarious. You'd think that our Government is a bett... oh wait, he's serious. Omigod! He's ***king serious!

Yup. It's one of those days...

You tell 'em Calvin...

Zod 2008 - General Zod - 2008 Presidential Candidate

"...In 2008 I shall restore your dignity and make you servants worthy of my rule. This new government shall become a tool of my oppression. Instead of hidden agendas and waffling policies, I offer you direct candor and brutal certainty. I only ask for your tribute, your lives, and your vote...

General Zod is running for President on 2008. He needs your vote.
I wonder if Ursa is still one hot momma?

(via The Presurfer)

Movies I like

I rarely make a post about lists. But somehow, I just have this urge to post about some of my favorite movies.

As Good As It Gets - This movie just makes me feel good. I mean, no matter how imperfect (or crazy) a man is, he still gets a chance at love. I also learned to appreciate anything that is happening because that moment may be as good as it gets.

Chasing Amy - Notice a trend here? Well this one is about appreciating relationships and accepting people as who they are.

Dumb and Dumber - This one is a hoot! I like it for it's innocence.

Galaxy Quest - A rag tag team of over the hill actors reliving their past glory out to save the Galaxy? What's not to like? I've geeked out on this a lot of times.

Groundhog Day - Ever want to relive one day over and over again? How about reliving that same day over and over again for ten years? This is my ultimate Bill Murray movie.

Office Space - Ever work in a cubicle? Have a total brain dead zombie for a boss? Drank tons of coffee? Then you'd like this one

Pleasantville - Again, another movie that taught me to appreciate what's happening around. Perfect may not be good for us.

Spirited Away - It's hard to find quiet moments in a film. Specially in an animated one. This japanese cartoon just has those moments that just keeps you riveted in your seat.

The Empire Stikes Back - The best from the Holy Trilogy. Han frozen in carbonite, Luke, his hand cut off, Princess Leia in pieces, and Darth Vader lording it over. What's not to like?

The Fifth Element - One of my favorite sci fi movies. What can I say?

There's Something About Mary - Funny movie that just gets me in stitches everytime. All those goofy people surrounding one perfect person.

Unforgiven - Bar none, the best western I have seen in my life. I like the bleakness of Will Money. Sometimes I feel like him too.

There are a lot more movies that I adore but top of mind, these are the ones I keep coming back to. I've been dying to add Serenity to the list but seeing that I still haven't seen the film, it has got to wait

Hacking Google

"We’ve all got a little voyeurism in us. That’s why the recent article, Clearing Google Search History to Maintain Your Privacy sent my visitor counts off the charts :). In this article, I’m going to show you how to create search queries that will list the contents of unprotected directories on the internet. You’ll be able to play the music files, watch the videos, look at photos and more. I have to say, it’s really addicting..."

I'm just continuing this how to hack the net thread that my mind seems to be on. This one will teach you to look for unprotected private files on the net using Google. Or plainly how to hack with Google.

Draft declaration of state of nat'l emergency ready

"THE ARROYO administration is poised to declare a state of national emergency.
...In his draft, Gonzalez said that government, under emergency rule, will take over vital industries while the country's situation is still uncertain..."

We survived the earthquake but this one? What emergency? Are we out of bread?

Earthquake off Philippine coast

"An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale occurred in waters off the Philippines Monday, the Hong Kong Observatory said.
...The Philippines is in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common..."

At least nothing bad came out of this.

Teenage Jesus

"Where was Jesus when he was a teenager? Was he doing what most young people do or was his path a little different? There are 18 unrecorded, unknown and crucial years in the development of the great man known as Jesus Christ. Western sources are missing these important years. The following is the beginning quote of a rare documentary by Richard Bock called: THE LOST YEARS..."

If you feel a bit conspiratory right now, this is the place to go.

Palace: Anti-terror bill cognizant of human rights

"Malacanang said yesterday the proposed anti-terrorism bill is cognizant of human rights compared to similar laws in other countries and has enough safeguards to protect the innocent from abusive authorities.

Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor of the Palace’s Anti-Terrorism Task Force also said the proposed measure does not infringe on a person’s right to free expression, assembly or association and it would not be used against the political opposition..."

Yeah! I mean, we're in the Philippines. Who would abuse the law for personal gain here? Those oppositionists don't know what they're talking about.
Our Government is so "cognizant" of human rights. Our history proves it. I mean, remember those three people facing sedition charges for pasting anti GMA posters? Those people got what they deserve!

White House spy scandal embarrasses RP

"PRESIDENT Gloria Arroyo on Monday demanded an apology from opposition politicians who allegedly received classified US government documents stolen from the White House and FBI..."

One thing, how can these people apologize when they are denying ever receiving classified data?

I need a five minute smoke break right about now

Yeah... I sometimes get those kind of days.

Those Dark Hiding Places: The Invisible Web Revealed

"The Web," according to Chris Sherman, Internet search expert and Associate Editor of SearchEngineWatch.com, "is increasingly moving away from being a collection of documents and becoming a multidimensional repository for sounds, images, audio, and other formats." Because much of this information is not accessible to many general search engines' software spiders, we need to look for specific search tools that will lead us to this hidden content. Some of these tools include directories, searchable sites, free Web databases, and a few general and many specialized search engines...

Cool article regarding searching for content in the net. It's true that we are so dependent on search engines that we forget that there are other means.

Justin Kennedy

A couple of tutorials (some including video) regarding hacking.

Hacking techniques

"Attacks on a company or organization's computer systems take many different forms, such as spoofing, smurfing, and other types of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. These attacks are designed to harm or interrupt the use of your operational systems. This article deals with a single wide-spread form of attack known as password cracking...."

After the post I did about Friendster and some remarks about hacking friendster accounts, Friendster Hack Password is one of my popular search terms. Who knew?

My Son Peter

"My son Peter has always loved to play hide and seek. In fact, he loves it so much that he will wake me up in the middle of the night to play. The only problem is that Peter has been dead for eight years. This website documents the hell I've lived and continue to live every night..."

This is spooky.

Strange egg-shaped skulls uncovered all over the world mystify scientists

"...archaeologists discovered plates with drawings in South America. The plates or the so-called Iki stones are about 70 million years old. The drawings show people with disproportionately large heads. There are skulls of the same shape in the local museums. But archeologists find the elongated skulls in Russia too, in the North Caucasus. The Pyatigorsk museum of regional studies has them on display..."

They look like those Alien monster heads, don't they?

My First Book Review

Confused? Yes my dears. I do know how to read a book.

Well, I mean, they're just words bunched up together, right? I mean a lot of words...

!!! BREAD IS DANGEROUS !!!

"Research on bread indicates that:

...Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests...

..More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread...

...Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis...."

Don't know if much of this is true but then again, it's bread.

Gator vs. python ends in gory draw

"... A 13-foot Burmese python tried to swallow a 6-foot alligator in Everglades National Park - and exploded..."

A snake against an alligator. That would have been such a site ummm, I mean sight. The picture doesn't really make out that well but that snake handled more than it could swallow that's for sure.

Oh that reminds me, what's the latest on Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago against some Congressmen?

Imelda Marcos says her wealth was honestly earned

“The widow of ousted Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos said her wealth was honestly earned and insisted her government had no right to sell her jewelry”

Honestly, Right now? I can honestly say I am honestly laughing my ass off. Honestly!

GeoHive : Global Statistics

"Welcome to GeoHive, a site with geopolitical data, statistics on the human population, Earth and more. The main kind of data you can find here is on the population of regions, countries, provinces and cities. Next to that there are some statistics on economic factors like wealth, infrastructure; statistics on natural phenomena; ....... and yet, even more...

Want to know some statistics on the country you live in? How about the total area by state/region. Even population by region.

For example, I didn't know that Metro Manila's area is only 636 sq.km with 9,906,048 people living there as of 01 May 2005. That's a lot of people, people. But Cebu's area is 5088 sq. km. with 3,356,137 people in it.

Want to know more? Mozy on to this site and knock yourself out.

Google & Sun Office

"Google & Sun are to announce an Office Suite based on OpenOffice, and accesible via webbrowser, according to Jonathan Schwartz --President and COO of Sun Microsystems..."

A Web based Office Suite application. That's.. that's... so Google of them. And free too.

No more format discrepancies. No more buying the upgraded versions. No more downloading updates.

Couple this up with a 2.5 Gig Gmail account and you have online storage as well. That's as work-on-the-go as you can get.

So, the next obvious step is a browser based operating system and Microsoft is officially humped.

Friendster Philippines

"...Friendster, which today has millions of Filipino members, is one of a number of advertising-supported internet sites grappling with the dilemma of how to take advantage of unforeseen overseas popularity. Such sites are finding that business models that work in large, developed countries need serious readjustment in nations with small populations or low internet-penetration rate...
...the networking site now has millions of users in the Philippines. That growth occurred with no promotional efforts on the company's part, however, so no one had a predetermined strategy for how to respond...."

"We're a Hit in Manila! Now What?
Wired Magazine

Before I Begin...

1. Radio stations have Friendster accounts that listeners can join...

2. I was in a cab and the talk show blaring on the radio was an ummm... advice show. You know, about those with problems with relationships? Anyway, the woman in the show was asking for advice since she saw a testimonial on her boyfriend's Friendster froma girl she doesn't know about...

3. "Hey there Friendster!" is a common way to greet people who are in your Friendster account...

4. The Friendster site is commonly blocked in most offices.

5. Aside from getting phone numbers, some people exchange email addresses to add each other to their Friendster account

6. Some Filipinos have two or three Friendster accounts since they have maxed out on the 500 member limit on an account.

7. Friendster added a feature to include embedded music and video to one's personal site. Almost overnight, one site VideoCodes4U had an upsurge of hits from Philippine Friendster users downloading Video links from the site.

8. Even some consumer products have a Friendster site.

9. Some hack sites has comments from Filipinos requesting that their husband's/ wife's/ girlfriend's/ boyfriend's Friendster site be hacked. Some hackers even get paid to do it. The fact if it's really hacked or not isn't proven.

I had this urge to expand on this Friendster Phenomenon in the Philippines. I mean, even Wired Magazine has noticed this. I'm Filipino and for the life of me, I can't remember how I got into Friendster. I mean, I've been a member since October 2003 but I can't really recall how I got into the site. It's as if it's but natural that I have a Friendster account.

That's weird. And scary. Does that mean I'm part of the brainwashed public?


And for the life of me, I still don't know what the Friendster account does for me! If I want to communicate with friends either I call them, meet up with them, or email them. How do you 'Friendster' them?

After two years, I only have like 94 friends on my account. I know someone who just started and in a day or so and she got around 173 friends. Ack! "...only 94 friends...", Did I just fall into the numbers trap too? Did I judge my worth by how many friendsters have accepted me as their friend? What does this mean to us in a more social context?

I'm no sociologist but this phenomenon really needs looking into. I'm just a whack site, we need the big guns here. My brain can only process thoughts at the speed of a 1992 modem (around 14400kbps).



So, now Friendster has decided to introduce a new feature. It's the "Who has viewed me" feature. No more voyeurism. No more sneak peeks to sites of exes. No more reading the status of crushes or hidden loves. How does this affect us? I for one don't check the sites of some of my friends anymore. I feel paranoid. Even if I don't mean anything by checking the site. Will this affect the popularity of the site here in the Philippines? My opinion? Dang Right it will!

Speaking for myself and to the people around me, we love voyeurism. Big Brother is a hit here in the Philippines. Those showbiz shows that feature the travails, problems, and intrigues of actors and actresses (whether they're way up or bottom feeders in the poplularity ladder) are gobbled up almost fanatically by everyone. A five year old kid can name at least three or even all of the Big Brother contestants but would have difficulty naming three or four past presidents or senators of the Philippines. Well, unless of course one of these presidents or senators were linked to a showbiz personality and featured in one of those shows or joined Big Brother. That's as voyeur as we can get.

But with the new feature, users will be caught red handed peeking into other sites. We'll see awkward moments, sheepish grins or even all out fights because of this. Maybe Friendster satisfies the filipino hunger for voyeurism at a more personal level. I mean, does my girlfriend still send messages to her ex? Or does my ex have a new boyfriend now and I just want to check his testimonials to her. Stuff like this, is so Filipino.

So can I really explain why Friendster is a big hit here? No. And I don't know why it is. All I can really lay out here is how it affects me and my opinions about it. It's a numbers game. It's a chance to peek into someone else's site and find out more about the person. It's a site that ups one's paranoia level. It's a site that helps one shout out to the whole world how much he or she feels for a person. It's one's own personal resume with tons of referrals.

Here's an idea. I just got an Orkut account. And right now, I would want to do this little experiment. Can Orkut duplicate what Friendster has done? I mean, Orkut is huge in Brazil but virtually unheard of here. I would want to start this Philippine Orkut phenomenon. I don't really have a steady base of readers in my blog but maybe one or two of you can join me and in a couple of months we'll probably see Orkut become as big as Friendster. I don't know what this proves but one or two of you smart people there can figure it out. Just comment your first name, last name, and email address. Let's see where this goes.

(via The Washington Oculus:Daily Muesli)

Serenity in two months....

ACK! Serenity is already out in the USA. But it'll take two months before it hits the Philippines! The agony! The agony!

First, World of Warcraft, now this. I'm now whittled to keep singing the Firefly theme song until...

"...Burn the land and boil the sea.
You can't take the sky from me.

Have no place I can be, since I found Serenity..."