Blast vs Infocom's My ISP

Blast was the first to offer a prepaid internet service via SMS. Instead of buying a scratch card, users can now download a Blast logo and get 2 hours of prepaid internet service from Blast for only PhP20. Just text Blast to 2366. Although, the user only gets to use only 2 hours, he can avail of Blast's free off-peak hours from 12 midnight to 8 am. The service is open only to Globe subcribers. The download is only valid for 7 days.

Meanwhile, Infocom has recently introduced their My ISP service for Smart, Talk and Text and Addict Mobile subscribers. By texting MyISP to 483, the user gets 24 hours of unlimited internet service. The unlimited usage good for 24 hours after the first log-in and the download is good for 5 days.

Which is the better offer? If you are not a chronic internet user, use the Blast service. But if you love surfing and chatting and doing internet stuff, use the My ISP service.

Gender Roles

Earlier today in class, we are divided into groups and assigned to present a short skit about the functions of a family and its members. As my groupmates and I started to discuss our skit, I was disappointed that my female groupmates suggested that the "mother" stay at home and do housework while the "father" goes to work and does practically no housework. When I objected to the idea and told them that maybe it would be nice to have both parents work and do housework at the same time, my female groupmates frowned and rejected the idea because they said that that's not normal. (Notice that I keep mentioning my female groupmates only coz the guys pretty much kept quiet). Since I was outnumbered and I didn't really want to ruffle feathers, I gave in to their concept.

What's even more disappointing is that two other groups had the same concept of a mom staying at home and the dad going to work. While another group portrayed a widowed mother who was depressed and couldn't function properly.

I do not mean to undervalue housewives. Doing housework all day is definitely hard work.

What bothers me is the fact that everybody's concept of a family is pretty much the same, as if they are programmed to believe that all moms stay at home while dads go to work. And the widowed mom was portrayed as being weak. And they even told me explicitly that a mom going to work and a dad doing housework is not "normal." My groupmate also told me that the girls should help their mom with the housework while the boys dilly-dally with the dad.

It seems that even with all the technological and ideological advancements of our generation, a lot are still stuck in the gender-typing of the yesteryears.

TSK! TSK!

Survivor: Guatemala

Just had to say this: Stephenie is a bratty, catty, smug bitch who does not deserve to win. I loved her the last time she was on Survivor. But this time around she has been a whiner to a smug bitch. I hope she does not even get in the final four.

And don't even get me started on Judd and Lydia. Their just plain irritating.

My bets are Danny, Rafe and Cindy.

Kuweba.com

Looking for an easy way to sell something? Or maybe a stress-free way of posting your resume? Or maybe you just want to meet some people to connect with?


Introducing KUWEBA.com, an Online Marketplace For Filipinos, By Filipinos. Kuweba.com is practically an interactive online classified ads. It is divided into nine sections:

• Community - a venue for like-minded people to interact and possibly form a community amongst themselves; carpools and bands may also be created here
  
• Personals - for hooking up with friends, textmates, flings and other entanglements
• Discussion Forums
- for knowing what other people say and for sharing what you want to say
• Housing - to look for apartments, houses, and other pieces of real estate
• For Sale - to buy and sell
• Services - to post your freelance (or otherwise) services, from tutorials to plumbing
• Jobs - to post and browse through available jobs throughout the country
• Resumes - to submit resumes and/or to browse through submitted resumes from all over the archipelago
• Gigs - to post events, gigs and parties or maybe to look for one that you can go to attend, or be part of

Everything you need and want is here. Everything you need and want to do can be done here. What are you waiting for? Register at Kuweba.com and avail of it's unlimited utilities all for you.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Movie

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The movie was good IF you didn't read the book. But if you did read the book, the movie felt rushed and incomplete. I feel that it did not fully capture the true essence of the book and might cause some continuity problems for the movie adaptations of the next books. Some very important characters and plot devices were missing.

But the movie wasn't all bad though. It was nicely done. But I do hate the unnecessary emphasis on the love angles. If they put that much effort into those parts, then why not on the more important ones??? But I digress once again.

ANYWAY, the special effects were seamless (IMO). The cinematography was great. The acting was good. And my favorite part aside from the Triwizard and World Cup scenes was the entrance of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. And I was impressed with the chilling way the World Cup camp was destroyed by the Death Eaters. And the Death Mark was nicely done.

Now, another thing I hate is the casting. According to the book, Cho Chang and the Patil twins are among the more beautiful students of Hogwarts. The movie did not reflect that. Or maybe, as I've already pointed out to my friends, the Hogwarts boys just don't have very good taste in girls. HAH!

I also felt like the conflict between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron (Rupert Grint) was not played out well enough. But the two actors were great. Emma Watson (as Hermione) was also good. However, both Hermione and Ron were underutilized. Even the role of Sirius Black was not emphasized well enough. Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort was scary. He fits the role to a T.

And since the movie skipped on a lot of things, those who did not read the book might not be able to comprehend some parts. And some kids might not enjoy it. It's kinda dark and you know, somebody died.

So is the movie worth watching? Definitely. Fans of the book just have to grin and bear it and enjoy it as it is. I realized early on that if I kept on comparing it with the book, I would not be able to enjoy it. So I only compared the two after I watched the movie. HAH!

Rating: for those who didn't read the book -> 9
for those who read the book -> 7

PS There's a really cool movie poster in French (I think) that I found through Google, and I absolutely LOVE it!

Tenant: HAUNTED HOUSE DRESSING

This week's Blog Explosion Rent My Blog tenant is Haunted House Dressing by Jeremy C. Shipp. His Blog Explosion site description reads:

Tired of the same old websites filled with free online novels, short stories, animation, music, natural health information, movie lists, gibberish, insanity, and photographs of condor ghosts? Well then, you better not visit this website.

The blog's description/welcome blurb:

Hello, welcome to Haunted House Dressing. This is a place where toasters run free and hippos climb trees. Read what you want. Ignore what you don't. Laugh, cry, and tickle some nuns while you're at it. They won't mind. Throw a stinky old sock in the stinky old well, and all your dreams might come true (depending upon the humidity level). Beware of the garden gnomes lurking in (almost) every shadow. They're waiting for their chance to climb on your head and do a jig. All in all, it behooves you to have some weird fun, and think some weird thoughts. If you don't, the ground will open and an army of polka dot penguins will spew forth and eat up all the fish. And then they'll die of mercury poisoning, and then you'll feel guilty. Oh so guilty.

The content is basically poetry by the blogger. The blog itself has a goth feel to it. But the entries are not all gothic, gory and depressing. The writing is witty and entertaining. Visit it... ;)

For Every Woman

FOR EVERY WOMAN...
by Nancy R. Smith


For every woman who is tired of acting weak when she knows she is strong;
There is a man who is tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

For every woman who is tired of acting dumb;
There is a man who is burdened with the responsibility of ‘knowing everything’.

For every women who is tired of being called an ‘emotional female’;
There is a man who is denied the right to weep and be gentle.

For every woman who is called unfeminine when she competes;
There is a man for whom competition is the only way to prove he is masculine.

For every woman who is tired of being a sex object;
There is a man who must worry about his potency.

For every woman who feels ‘tied down’ by her children;
There is a man who is denied the full pleasure of parenthood.

For every woman who is denied meaningful employment and equal pay;
There is a man who must bear the financial responsibility for another human being.

For every woman who was not taught the intricacies of an automobile;
There is a man who was not taught the satisfaction of cooking.

For every woman who takes a step towards her own liberation;
There is a man who finds that the way to freedom has been made a little easier.

Taken from here.

Stockings

When I was a kid, about 5 or 6 years old, I was kikay. (Shhh... that's a secret, ok?) I bugged my Mommy to buy me stockings. Those white ones that I could wear to church or when we'd go someplace. Those days, kids that age wore dresses everywhere they went. And I wanted stockings to complement my frilly, itchy dresses and shiny white strapped shoes. And after a few weeks of making kulit, Mommy finally gave in. I remember my cousin telling me I finally have stockings and I shrieked and hurriedly ambushed Mommy who just came home from the department store (we didn't have malls then, I AM THAT OLD).

Fast forward to now. I am now 23 years old, and still a college student. My school now requires me to wear stockings on certain days, for our MSCED (Moral, Social, Civic Education) subject. Supposedly, it's to train us coz we would (according to school officials) be required to wear stockings when we start working. AND. I. HATE. IT. Sometime between being a kid and being a 23-year-old college student, I lost all my kikay powers and I now abhor dressing up. I love open-toed footwear and would gladly wear flip-flops everywhere. BUT NO! I have to wear two-inch-heel pumps to school everyday. And I have to wear stockings at least twice a week. QUE HORROR!!! To make it worse, I am only one of the handful of students who follow the rule. I can not wear stockings but I choose to do so coz I don't want to take the chance of having my grades shaved off. I am studying to damn hard just to have it taken from me. Hopefully, the school officials will see the light and realize that the policy is just plain DUMB!!!

Stockings are sooo impractical!!! It's damn uncomfortable! and I don't see any aesthetic value in it! If you're a stockings-lover, enlighten my please.

Flight Plan

Last Friday, I watched Flight Plan. And I like it. It does not make into my must-watch list, but it's definitely entertaining. I must admit one of the reasons I like it is because I love Jodie Foster. But that's not the only reason I like it.

I love the clever way it engages you into believing or not believing. It made me think and decide for myself if what I'm watching or hearing is reality or an illusion. It subtly but effectively demonstrates the power of persuasion. Yes, it's a thinking movie, so it is not what I would watch if I want to give my mind a rest. But it's not much of a mind-bender either. The end is not exactly a shock if you're a keen observer, but the way it was played out was good.

The verdict: 8 -> points for Jodie Foster and the clever plot, minus points for the slight predictability and the so-so performance of some cast members

A message from the Prince daw

I received this email...

From: "Prince Fayad W. Bolkiah"
Subject: Please Kindly Assist
Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 18:42:29 +0000

Greetings to you,
I am Prince Fayad W. Bolkiah, the eldest son of Prince Jefri Bolkiah,former Finance Minister of Brunei, the tiny oil-rich sultanate on the northern coast of the island of Borneo, in eastern Asia.I will save your time by not amplifying my extended royal family history,which has already been disseminated by the international media during the controversial dispute that erupted between my father and his step brother,the sultan of Brunei Sheik Muda Hassanal Bolkiah.

As you may know from the international media,the sultan had accused my father of financial mismanagement and impropriety of US$14.8 Billion dollars. This was as a result of the Asian financial crisis that made my father company Amedeo Development Company and government owned Brunei Investment Company to be declared bankrupt during his tenure in office.However my father was kept under house arrest, his bank accounts and private properties including a crude oil export refinery were later
confiscated by the sultanate.

Furthermore, during this unfortunate period i was advised to evacuate my immediate family outside the sultanate to avoid further prosecution from the sultan and his security operatives, but before I could do that I was placed under house arrest by the Sultan and i have no access to a phone but I have a Palm V hand-held computer from which I am sending you this mail.Before my Incaceration, I went ahead to dispatch the sum of US$58.5 Million United States Dollars in cash under special arrangement into the custody of a Private security and Trustee company for safe keeping abroad.

Hence I seek your good assistance to invest these funds into profitable investment in your country to facilitate future survival for my family abroad.I have decided to offer 10% of these funds to you as compensation for your strong cooperation.

Please I count on your absolute confidentiality,transparency and trust while looking forward to your prompt reply towards a swift conclusion of this business transaction.

I remain yours sincerely.

Prince Fayad .W. Bolkiah
Brunei Darussalam.

________________________________________________________________________
Offro&Cerco: CASA, LAVORO, VACANZE, ELETTRONICA, INCONTRI. Tutti gli
annunci sono online su Kataweb all'indirizzo http://www.offroecerco.it

RIGHT!!!

Seriously, anybody who falls for this crap deserves to be scammed for being too damn BOBO.

Tenant: ASK DADDY

My tenant this week is Ask Daddy.

"Ask Daddy. Mommy is Off Duty.
Ramblings about me, my family and my (not so much) adventures.
I am a WAHM, medical transcriptionist and a newbie to the world of lingerie sales.
Sleep is for the weak!

The blog's colors are christmasy. The entries are mostly about her children and their activities and memories together. It's a great read for parents who can relate to the blogger's anecdotes. ;)

Heartbreak

NOPE, I haven't had my heart broken recently. But three of my friends have had theri hearts broken and another one recently told me about his past heartbreak. I've never had any formal romatic relationships or commitments. But yes, I have had my heart broken.

No, break ups and heartbreaks are not mutually exclusive. One may have his/her heart broken without even having to break up with another person. And, in some cases, break ups do not bring about heartbreaks.

When one's heart is broken, one tends to be bitter, melodramatic, insecure, traumatized, frustrated and/or depressed. Heartbroken people usually cannot sleep or eat properly. The look at the world in a different light. And sometimes, like I did, they become guarded and build a transparent (but very much impenatrable) force field around them which deflects any form of affection, even if it is sincere, from somebody of the opposite (or for some, of the same) sex.

Heartbreaks are hard. It makes one think about the what could haves, should haves and would haves. It makes one reminisce the past and look for faults, and smile at the sweet moments at the same time. It makes one fear for the future. For some, it makes them wonder how they could live without the other.

Heartbreaks makes people question themselves. Or maybe question the other. And mostly, question what happened. What went wrong? What did I or he/she do wrong? Were we stupid? Am I stupid? And sometimes, it makes people ask about the future. Will I ever love again? Will I ever move on? Is there really somebody out there for me?

Yes, heartbreaks are unquestionably hard and painful. But it is not the end of everything. The sun will still rise and shine. It might bring about gloomy and lonely days and nights, but life will go on. We might not neccessarily be better people after all that happened. And maybe there is really nothing to be learned from the experience. Sometimes, a heartbreak is merely just a heartbreak. But it is not the end.

One must always move on. And the only proper way of moving on, I think, is to let go. Let go of what was. Let go of the what could, should or would haves. For if we fail to move, we fail to live.

We might never love again. There might be nobody there to love you that way again. And you might just have lost the greatest love of your life. But that is not the end of your life. There are still people to meet, places to go to, and adventures to experience.

MY Davao Blog

Interested in Davao City? Or maybe not coz you haven't heard of Davao City. Either way, acquaint yourself with the great city of Davao through My Davao.

Pure Instinct Band

Last Saturday, my friends and I watched the Brownman Revival perform at The Venue here in Davao City. One of the front acts was Pure Instinct. The most appropriate word to describe them, I think, is mixed-up. That band has a severe case of identity crisis.

First off, most of the members were wearing hip-hop garb. Then, they started off their set with an instrumental of a weird song which terribly sounded like the Little Drummer Boy (pa ra pa pum pum). THEN, their lead singer suddenly bounced into the stage and sang a rock song. Then, after a couple more rock songs, their other lead singer (a female) entered the stage wearing a pink themed outfit which seemed cute but didn't quite make it as great, not even good.

After a while, the band continued playing a weird selection of songs and ended with a handful of dance tunes which got the crowd dancing.

The most irritatin part about the whole thing was one of their band members, Raymond Bautista the second lead guitarist, who seemed to like himself too much. He was wayyy too cocky. He was wayyy to jumpy and wayyy to perky. He seemed to think he's a great guy. NOT! NOT! NOT!

They performed ok, I guess. But then again, I was too pre-occupied with their lack of style and apparent lack of identity. Simply put, they're better heard than watched. ARGH!!!

My Personality

Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF) You are a passionate, caring, and unique person. You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals. You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily. Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings. You seek out other empathetic people to befriend. Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships. In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily. At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career. With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone. As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style. On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours.

The Three Question Personality Test

TRO on PCIJ Blog

A temporary restraining order (TRO) has been served on the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) Blog. This is a momentous event for blogs and bloggers not just in the Philippines but everywhere.

For more about this, click here and here.

GeekBrit's Aquarium

My tenant this week for BlogExplosion's Rent My Blog, is Geek Brit's Aquarium.


The blogger describes his blog:

It's SUPPOSED to be about how I'm setting up a marine nano-aquarium, but I get so easily distracted that this blog could also be about religion, politics, almost anything except sport...

The writing is great and the topics are interesting. ;) His entries about his marine nano-aquarium are of special interest if you are into those things. I am not, but I read those entries anyway. And his political views are good reads too.

So visit it NOW: http://geekbrit.blogspot.com .

Yahoo Publisher Network

For the longest time, Google Adsense has been the un-challenged leader in providing text-based ads for blogs and websites. For those unfamiliar with Adsense, site and blog owners, have to sign up, choose and customize a format and simply paste its code to their site/blog. Then, Google will provide the ads. Both the site/blog owner and Google earns money each time an ad is clicked on. (SO click on some of those ads on my rride side panel will you? Thanks!)

Enter Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN), Yahoo's very own service for providing text-based ads. It is reportedly still in the beta stage but they hope to end beta testing by the end of the year. Allegedly, It works just like Google but with better services.

Unfortunately, Yahoo is only offering the service to US-based publishers for now. And they do not allow publishers to have text-based ads other than those from YPN. Thus, publishers cannot have both Adsense and YPN on at the same time.

For me, this can only mean one thing: competition. And competition usually bring about better services. So while, I am unable to avail of YPN's services (yet), I am hoping that Adsense will improve their services to compete with YPN.

Google Blog Search

Out of sheer boredom, I decided to search through Google Blog Search. I typed in a few keywords from my blog entries from Random Ria and Alleba Politics. And I got a high knowing that some of my posts/entries were either the first among the results or in the first page of results. Yeah, yeah, call me vain, but it did give me a sense of pride, somehow.

It also made me realize that the blog search is actually a good tool for researching, idea-forming and other such tasks. And I thought, it would just be fluff, another feather in Google's cap.

Deception Point by Dan Brown

I first read DECEPTION POINT months ago. And I liked it. Although the topic was a far departure from those in Dan Brown's earlier and more popular books--Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, it basically had the same elements: deception, twists, turns and a good dash of trivia and knowledge here and there.

This novel, however, deals more with politics and science. Instead of the Catholic Church, the institution in question is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The book reminds me of Michael Crichton's writing. Except of course, for the obvious pending romance between two of the main characters. Dan Brown kinda gives me the impression that he secretly wants to be a romance novel writer. Anyhow, the romance is kept to a minimum (although it is distracting and annoying at times).

The story revolves around the upcoming presidential elections and the bizaare events that can make or break the two contenders for the presidency. Senator Sedgewick Sexton is aspiring for the presidency. He criticizes NASA's overspending and the president's (Zachary Herney) tendency to bail out NASA from their blunders. Sexron's campaign is gaining steam from the public's surprising positive reaction to his hard stance against NASA. NASA, however has a discovery of meteoric proportions which could easily rob the momentum from Sexton. In a wise, political manuever, Pres. Herney calls upon intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton to be one of a select civilians to verify NASA's discovery. Not so coincidentally, Rachel is Sen. Sexton's somewhat estranged daughter who harbors hatred and bitterness towards her ruthless father.

The book's back cover has the following summary:

"When a new NASA satellite spots evidence of an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory--a victory that has profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity fo the find, the White House calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar, Michael Tolland, Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery--a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assasins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all."

Pulse-pounding? Not quite. But it is a good read. Very intriguing. And yet, dull at times. Nonetheless, if you're a Dan Brown fan, or simply wants to read something good, do read Deception Point.

In a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest, DUH!), I think this deserves an 8. Good plot and pacing but points off for being boring at certain parts and even more points off for the icky, cheesy and not so subtle romantic angle.

BRAVENET.com

For internet rookies like me, availing free user-friendly website tools is a MUST. When I first tried making a site on my own (ie without the help from my cousin), I used Bravenet.com tools to make a guestbook, a message board and a contact/feedback form. It was wayyy back when I blogs didn't even exist.

Now, I don't have any actual websites, only numerous blogs. Out of boredom (since it's sembreak right now), I decided to add a few features on my site such as polls and a refer to a friend button. And after browsing through other free providers, I decided to settle with bravenet once again since I am already comfortable with their interface.

Surprise, surprise, they now have a plethora of ther free services which are user-friendly and customizable. I decided register for their mini-poll service (see my latest Amazing Race post) as well as their vote caster, tell-a-friend and traffic exchange services. Navigating through the costumization service takes a little time to get used to, but it's worth it.

Making the poll using bravenet was definitely easier than making one in pollhost.com which I used for my Bebs vs Love post.

I didn't avail of their stat counter since I am already using the services of StatCounter.com which I already find very efficient.

Bravenet's other services are calendar, classifieds, counter stats, daily cartoons, e-cards, email forms, faq service, fast url redirect, free links, guest map, guest book, headline news, horoscope, live chat, mailing list, message forum, password gate, photo center, site ring, site search, today in history and web journal (blog service). They also offer tips for webmasters and other free stuff (clip arts, javascripts, etc).

Although availing of free services such as Bravenet's limit the possibilities for my blog, for now, I am content with using it.

Amazing Race: Family Edition Poll and Updates

There are only 6 teams left with the Bransen Family leading the pack. Unfortunately, my personal favorite, the Gaghan Family is now lagging behind the others. Hopefully, they will be able to have a better standing this week.

POLL ENDED!

CBS.com has a added a nifty feature in their Amazing Race website. They have invited former Amazing Racers such as Bill of the Guido Team, Al (one of the clowns) and Flo and Zach to post in a group blog commenting on the groups and their performance for each episode. It does make for an interesting read for bored people who are fans of the show.

BEBS vs LOVE

A few nights ago, a cousin of mine scoffed at another cousin's pet name/term of endearment for his girlfriend. Cousin 1 said that "Bebs" is a corny/silly term of endearment. SO, I brought up her own corny, "hilas" term of endearment for her own boyfriend, "Love." HEHE!

{For those who don't know, "Bebs" is a mutation of Babe (-> Babes -> Bebs).}

So now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to take a poll. Please vote for the term of endearment that you find less corny/silly.

Which term of endearment / pet name do you prefer?

BEBS

LOVE

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Frenzy over Friendster

It's funny that people are going crazy over the fact that Friendster (no links coz I'm mad at them too, hehe...) has a new feature. You can now see who browsed through your profile. Good for you right??? THINK AGAIN! If you have been stalking people -- your crush, your enemies, people you hate, people whose pictures you laugh at, celebrities, pseudo-celebrities, ad infinitum -- they will now know that you do. Oh, yes... it works both ways. Thus, friendsters everywhere are nervous. HAHA!!! I, self-confessed, uber-mega-stalker of every person possible even those I vaguely know, just laugh at the idea. SO what???

Let them wonder why I browsed through their profile. Let them think how I know them or how I stumbled through their page. Let them have sleepless nights (AS IF!). Seriously, are we really that shocked that other people use friendster to stalk and snoop like we do??? HELLO!!! Earth to you, it's not a novel idea. Ever since we signed up for it, we already knew its potency as a stalking device.

Now, what really pissed me off was Friendster's introduction of the Groups feature. So, I master-organizer of groups of all sorts, was crushed when this feature suddenly went kaput, gone without a trace, nowhere to be found without any explanations or apologies. THAT REALLY PISSED ME OFF!!!

Friendster sucks and we know it. We only stick with it because people are already there, unlike Orkut or Multiply or any of the other sites offering the same services. Personally, I prefer Multiply. So friendsters, lets go forth and multiply... hehe... Seriously, try it out. ;)

The Amazing Race: Family Edition

I was able to watch the live satellite feed of the season premiere of The Amazing Race. And it did not disappoint. Although the American History theme did throw me off quite a bit, I liked the novel idea of having families as teams. I like most of the teams especially the Gaghans, coz the kids are just too cute. Hehe... And it's nice to see the teams helping out each other.

BUT I do hate the Paolo Team. Their constant bikering is damn irritating.

I did like the Blacks and I was really sad when they were eliminated. :'(

Although this edition of the Amazing Race is rumored to be confined within the 51 states of USA, I hope it will match the intensity and excitement of the past seasons.

The Amazing Race airs on Studio 23 and AXN. The live satellite feed is shown on Studio 23, 9 am on Wednesdays. The primetime broadcast of S23 is at 8 pm on the same day while AXN airs it at 9 pm.

A Step Further

Two weeks ago, I was hired by the high school department of the school I am studying in right now. I am now one of the official remedial classes instructors. I was assigned the Saturday classes since the regular teachers don't want to teach on Saturdays. But I do, oh yes I do. Hehe...

I am now handling the remedial classes for the 2nd year Math Elective: Statistics on Saturday mornings, and for the 4th year Math Elective: Trigonometry. I was also I assigned to handle the 3rd Year Math: Geometry. I was initially hesitant to take the Geometry assignment because I wasn't so fond of Geometry in high school and we didn't have it in my other college.

Fortunately, I think I have been doing well. Better than I was doing in my tutoring classes simply because I am now focused on Math and I have at least 9 hours per week to discuss Math, Math and Math. HAPPINESS!!!

Plus, I think that this opportunity gives me an edge because it is a good practical application of my current course: Bachelor of Secondary Education major in MATHEMATICS. AND I think this will also help me improve my teaching methods and acquire some good classroom management skills. The fact that I have to give exercises and quizzes and I have to grade the students only adds plus points to the experience. I also think that it presents a very good challenge to me since I am handling students who have not so great grades in (and attitude towards) Mathematics.

My earliest memory of wanting to be something was wanting to be teacher. I remember back in grade 3, I was happy teaching my classmates hwo to do our math assignments, hehe... But I realized or at least I thought I was good at writing so then I wanted to be a writer, a journalist or something to that effect. Then, I got into a science high school which forced me to re-think my ambitions in life. And so I decided I wanted to be an evironmental scientist. But things sucked for me (I WAS DEFINITELY NOT BUILT TO BE A LAB RAT!). Although I barely finished BS ES, my career prospects weren't as exciting as I thought it would be. Actually, they were but I wasn't quite as excited as I thought I would and/or should be.

I had a stint as a tutor at a sucky profit-oriented tutorial center which cemented my desire to be a good teacher so I decided to study to be a teacher and be a freelance tutor while studying. And now, here I am, not quite an education graduate but already an official remedial instructor.

Although there are time when I do want to quit or feel like I am getting way too stressed or that everything is spiralling out fo control, my passion for math and teaching has kept me afloat.

30 things before I turn 30

A couple of nights ago, I began to think that I am about to turn 25 in about a year and a half. And most people think that turning 25 is some sort of milestone. So it got me into thinking of things I wish to have or accomplish when I turn 25. To make it sort of meaningful or at least cute, I tried to make a list of 25 things. But since I only have about a year and a half left, I thought it would be too ambitious and unattainable. SO, I amended the list into...

30 Things I HAVE to Have or Accomplish Before I Turn 30 (April 28, 2008):

1. buy myself a neat laptop, MP3 player, the latest mobile phone and digital camera USING MY OWN MONEY;*
   
   
2. successful D***D****.com (a website my paternal cousins and I are currently working on)*;
   
   
3. hold a successful CEX (another great idea by me and a maternal cousin) at least once* but hopefully twice;
   
   
4. go to Boracay and/or Palawan*, travel to Europe and/or go on an Asian Cruise;
   
   
5. have an undergraduate degree in Education* and a masters degree in either Education or an ES-related field;
   
   
6. attain and maintain an ideal weight of 110-115 lbs unless I get pregnant (AS IF!);
   
   
7. a kick-ass wardrobe composed mostly of stuff I bought for myself;
   
   
8. read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy;
   
   
9. learn to play a sport*;
   
   
10. learn Flash, php and other website development applications*;
    
    
11. learn a foreign language (either build on the little Italian or Spanish I already know or learn an entirely different language);
    
    
12. pay for my own cellphone bill (which I already do) and the best internet connection available*;
    
    
13. have a bank account with at least a million pesos in it;
    
    
14. earn at least P50,000.00 monthly from all my jobs and businesses;
    
    
15. healthy: no diabetes, no cancer, no heart problems, normal levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, etc;
    
    
16. still not smoking;
    
    
17. have learned to play an instrument (preferably reacquaint with the piano or learn to play the violin);
    
    
18. have taken voice lessons*;
    
    
19. have produced, directed, written, acted or otherwise participated in making an independent film;
    
    
20. write a book;
    
    
21. live in own apartment or house;
    
    
22. learn how to drive;
    
    
23. establish an academic institution (preferably a center for gifted children which focuses on math [hehe]);
    
    
24. throw a fabulous birthday party for myself (hehe);
    
    
25. forgive and make amends with at least one of this people ML, MA or MC or any other person who has scarred me significantly;
    
    
26. write as a legitimate columnist for a local or national newspaper;
    
    
27. earn respect and reputation as a writer and preferably win a Palanca Award for essay (as I am not creative enough for the other categories);
    
    
28. work for a government office for at least a year even just as a consultant or a part-timer;
    
    
29. live a moral life without being judgmental of others;
    
    
30. touch the life of at least one person in a positive way.

WISH ME LUCK, STRENGTH of CHARACTER and DETERMINATION! ;)

The New Me Update #3

It has been weeks since I posted an update about my self-reinvention objective which is to lessen cramming ang procrastination. Well, here's a little something...

Last week, our English 203 class was divided in groups of five. We were supposed to present a mock talk show yesterday. We were grouped last Tuesday, and by Thursday last week, we were already prepared with out topic and the flow of our discussion. We even had the plans for the required commercial break and news flash segments. Modesty aside, it was me who did most of the work, and I did it wayyy before the schedule.

As a result, we had one of the best presentations yesterday afternoon and our teacher praised our group. I guess working ahead of schedule and having the opportunity to polish and perfect it really does pay. ;)

Veronica Mars

The other favorite show of mine last season is VERONICA MARS. The show's lead, Veronica Mars (played by Kristin Bell) is the daughter of the former chief of police of Neptune. Veronica's bestfriend, Lily Kane, was mysteriously killed and Veronica's dad, Keith, accused Lily's rich and powerful father, Jake Kane, of killing her own daughter. However, days after the murder, somebody confessed to murdering Lily Kane. For this, Keith was fired and is now a private investigator. To make matters complicated, Lily's brother, Duncan, was Veronica's ex-boyfriend who suddenly broke up with her before Lily's death. AND Veronica's mom is rumored to have an affair with Jake Kane.

During the first season, Veronica relentlessly pursued solving the truth behind Lily's murder while struglling to keep afloat in Neptune High where she is considered an outcast. And along the way, Veronica forges a strong bond with a new kid, Wallace, another outcast, Weevil the biker guy; and surprisingly forms a connection with Lily's former boyfriend, Duncan's bestfriend and one of Veronica's most despised people, the cocky Logan Echolls. Despite the fact that the murder-solving dragged on for an entire season, it was still an interesting show with clever subplots, twists and turns.

The season ender was definitely a breath-taker. The real murderer's identity was a nice surprise which kept me guessing until I read a spoiler. Hehe...

Til next season...

ABC's LOST

One of my favorite TV shows last season was Lost. It's basically about a bunch of airplane crash survivors, lost in a weird island far away from civilization. The intriguing part is, the isalnd seems to have a life of its own. Imagine a polar bear in a tropical island. Or a delusional Frenchwoman who keeps on talking about "the others." Or people appearing out of nowhere. The shows creators, JJ Abrams (Felicity and Alias) and Damon Lindelof, are geniuses for coming up with a pretty used up idea and turning it into something exciting.

As the first season progressed, questions popped up, mysteries were revelaed but answers were nowhere to be found. The show also cleverly integrated the exposition about the characters' lives pre-crash into the storyline. If this TV show was a book, it would be a page turner. You just want to know what happens next.

Before the season ended, one of the main characters (and one of my favorites), Boone died. The death of a major character only made me more interested in the series. It goes to show that the writers are unpredictable.

The main cast is composed of:

• Matthew Fox as JACK the doctor
• Evangeline Lilly as KATE the runaway fugitive, and love interest of Jack and Sawyer
• Dominic Monaghan as CHARLIE the guitarist of a fermerly popular band
• Jorge Garcia as HURLEY the guy who became rish when he won the lottery after he used the mysterious numbers associated with the island
• Maggie Grace as SHANNON the spoiled brat stepsister of the now dead Boone and love interest of Sayid
• Malcolm David Kelley as WALT the only kid survivor, the son of Michael and is said to be a jinx
• Naveen Andrews as SAYID the former Iraqi Republican Guard and love interest of Shannon
• Harold Perrineau as MICHAEL, Walt's dad who is forced to take care of Walt after Walt's mother died
• Josh Holloway as SAWYER the bad boy who hoards stuff and love interest of Kate
• Terry O' Quinn as LOCKE the all-knowing former paraplegic, who leads the pack everytime they venture into the jungle
• Daniel Dae Kim as JIN the Korean hitman of his father-in-law and formerly controlling husband of Sun
• Yunjin Kim as SUN the Korean lady who hid from his husband that she knows how to speak English
• Emilie de Ravin as CLAIRE the formerly pregnant woman who was kidnapped

The second season is due to start in a few days in USA. (Unfortunately, it won't be shown here in the Philippines in the next few months.) The first mystery to be solved will the hatch. What is in there??? They promise to reveal in the first few episodes of season two.

Why was Walt kidnapped by "the others"? That, however, won't be answered sometime soon.

Will the second season be as exciting? Hopefully. New characters are joining led by Anna (to be played by Michelle Rodriguez) who is a survivor from another part of the plane. She is reported to be the new love interest of Dr. Jack. OOOhhhh, interesting...

Til the second season is shown here, I will have to content myself with reading spoilers and recaps.

Tinkering with Adobe Photoshop 2

A picture with my friends which I manipulated using Adobe Photoshop.

Tinkering with Adobe Photoshop

Since my TV is still out of order (BOOHOO!!!) , I was forced to do other things today. So I volunteered to make user pics / icons for a cousin of mine. She only sent me one picture and I was able to make 6 decent icons out of it. Here are the six that I made:

A TV-less Weekend

Prologue: Thursday
11 pm The TV breaks down for no good reason. So I surf and blog until 4 am.

Friday
12 nn I eat lunch.
1 pm I attend class until 4:40 pm.
4:30 pm I surf the net in school and discover the wonders of BlogExplosion.
7:00 pm I go home, eat dinner and start missing my TV.
7:30 pm I go out to play DOTA with my cousins.
12 mn We eat out. Hehe...
1 am I start surfing and blogging until 4 am.

Saturday
7:30 am I wake up and prepare for tutoring.
8:00 am I start tutoring until 12 nn.
12 nn I eat lunch.
12:30 pm I sleep until 3:30 pm.
3:30 pm I start working for a business project, go online to surf and blog here and here and here.
6:00 pm I eat dinner and decide not to go out for the night and surf and blog instead.
6:30 pm I resume surfing and blogging until 5 am.

Sunday
12 nn I wake up and eat lunch.
1:00 pm I read the newspapers.
2:00 pm I take a nap.
5:30 pm I wake up and go online.
6:00 pm I eat dinner.
6:30 pm I go out with my cousins.
12 mn I go home, go online and still am.



CONCLUSION
Internet ang gamot sa kawalan ng TV. HAHA!!!

Amazing Race: Family Edition

Amazing Race 8 will start airing this September 28 (live via satellite on Studio 23 from CBS). This installment of my favorite reality tv show will be a family edition with 4 members per team.

The Teams

1.) The Gaghan Family from Glastonbury, Connecticut, composed of father Bill (40), mother Tammy (42) and children Billy (12) and Carissa (9).

2.) The Schroeder Family from New Orleans, Louisiana, composed of Mark (40), Char (39) and Mark's children from a previous marriage: Stassi (17) and Hunter (15).

3.) The Aiello Family from Mansfield, Massachusettes is led by Tony (57) and his three sons-in-law: Kevin (31), Matt (31) and David (26).

4.) The Rogers Family from Shreveport, Louisiana, composed of Denny (46), Renee (42) and their children: former Miss Louisiana Britney (22) and Brock (19).

5.) The Black Family of Woodbridge, Virginia is composed of Reggie (45), Kimberly (40) and their two sons: Kenneth (11) and Austin (8).

6.) The Weaver Family from Ormond Beach, Florida, composed of Linda (46) and her three children: Rachel (16), Rebecca (19) and Rolly (14).

7.) The Linz Family from Cincinnati, Ohio is composed of siblings: Tommy (19), Megan (21), Alex (22) and Nick (24).

8.) The Bransen Family of Park Ridge, Illinois composed of Walter (51) and his three daughters: Lindsay (20), Elizabeth (25) and Lauren (22).

9.) The Paolo Family from Carmel, New York, composed of Tony (52) and Marion (52) and their two sons: DJ (24) and Brian (16).

10.) The Godlewski Family from Des Plains, Illinois is composed of sisters: Michelle (42), Christine (37), Sharon (39) and Tricia (26).

According to rumors, the season will have a historical theme.

Can't hardly wait for this. 18 days to go...

I Should Have Blogged in High School

After the cheering competition during 1st Yr HS

I am quite dismayed that blogging was not yet available when I was in high school coz high school was much, much, much more interesting than my life now. Right now, I blog about politics, books, movies, school, business and work. Not that my life now is not good, it's not just that interesting.

1st Year Retreat

Back in high school, there was enough drama to rival a teleserye. I cried, I shouted, I ranted like crazy.

And the angst. My goodness, there was more enough to last me a million years.

4th Yr HS cheering

And then there was action. I was bitchy and explosive. I even punched a guy and kicked another one.

Before the Grad Ceremony

And of course there was fun, fun and fun!!! Despite the drama, the angst and the (unwarranted) action, it was the best times of my life. I found who I really was and gained some of the most important relationships in my life. ;) Too bad I didn't have a blog back then that I could browse through right now to relive those moments.

Our Batch Logo

Pics from my HS friends. ;)

20% Weird

You Are 20% Weird

Not enough to scare other people... But sometimes you scare yourself.

How Weird Are You?

My Career Type

Your Career Type: Enterprising

You are engertic, ambitious, and sociable. Your talents lie in politics, leading people, and selling things or ideas. You would make an excellent: Auctioneer - Bank President - Camp Director City Manager - Judge - Lawyer Recreation Leader - Real Estate Agent - Sales Person School Principal - Travel Agent - TV Newscaster The worst career options for your are investigative careers, like mathematician or architect.

What's Your Ideal Career?

My Blogging Type

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog. And if someone doesn't what you write, you really don't care! Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way. But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Random FACTS

Got this from LJ: Write 20 random facts about yourself then tag the same number of people as minutes it takes you to write the facts.

Here are 20 random facts about me:

1.) My favorite color was white. Then pink. Now it's blue.

2.) I want to visit as many of the Philippines' 7,107 islands as possible.

3.) I can spend an entire day watching TV.

4.) I can spend an entire day surfing the net.

5.) I maintain 4 blogs.

6.) My favorite That's Entertainment group was the Thursday group. (BWAHAHA!)

7.) As a child, I thought that everybody with long hair are beautiful. (That's why I wanted to have long hair. Shhh...)

8.) My favorite TV show of all-time is Friends. I can watch it over and over again and still laugh at the jokes and punchlines.

9.) I looove coffee.

10.) The first time I had an asthma attack was when I was in Grade 3.

11.) I suck at video games.

12.) While my mom was pregnant with me, she fell off a motorcycle. (Don't even ask me why.)

13.) I love mangosteens.

14.) Some people irritate me just because.

15.) I punched a guy when I was in high school.

16.) I used to think I am sooo dark-skinned, di pala. Noy that there's anything wrong with being dark-skinned.

17.) I cannot sing. I am tone-deaf.

18.) My favorite songs are You by the Carpenters and Seasons of Love from the musical Rent.

19.) My all-time favorite movie is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (but I wasn't able to watch the new movie.)

20.) I used to pray the rosary every day.

It took me 15 minutes to finish this. I am tagging you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you AND you.

Rent

When I first watched the Rent musical on its first run in Manila at the Music Museum, I was initially scandalized but soon recovered and thoroughly enjoyed it. It ROCKED my world. I watched it again when it was mounted at the GSIS Theatre. I love Mark! and Roger! and Collins! and Joanne! and Maureen! and of course ANGEL!

I now have the full OST of the broadway cast on my PC and I play it all the time. My favorite songs are One Song Glory, Light my Candle, Tango Maureen, I'll Cover You and, of course, Seasons of Love.

Now, I am excitedly anticipating the movie. The trailer is so damn good it moved me. The movie stars Rosario Dawson as Mimi Marquez, Taye Diggs as Bejamin Coffin III, Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel Schunard, Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins, Idina Menzel as Maureen Johnson, Adam Pascal as Roger Davis, Anthony Rapp as Mark Cohen and Tracie Thoms as Joanne Jefferson. It is directed by Chris Columbus and produced by Sony Pictures.

Can't wait for November 23. ;)

~ 0 ~

Some memorable lines from the play:

"Time Flies, And Then - No Need To Endure Anymore, Time Dies" -from One Song Glory

"There's Only Yes, Only Tonight, We Must Let Go, To Know What's Right, No Other Course, No Other Way, No Day But Today" -from Another Day

"Might As Well, Dance A Tango To Hell, At Least I'll Have Tangoed At All" -from Tango Maureen

"I Think They Meant It
When They Said You Can't Buy Love
Now I Know You Can Rent It
A New Lease You Are, My Love
On Life"
-from I'll Cover You

"Take Me For What I Am, Who I Was Meant To Be, And If You Give A Damn, Take Me Baby Or Leave Me" -from Take Me or Leave Me

"The Moon Glows
The River Flows
But I Die
Without You"
-from Without You

"I Should Tell You I Should Tell You, I Have Always Loved You, You Can See It In My Eyes"
-from Your Eyes

and the song that defined the musical and my life:

Seasons of Love

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments So Dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?
In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife

In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure
A Year In The Life

How About Love?
How About Love?
How About Love?
Measure In Love

Seasons Of Love
Seasons Of Love

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Journeys To Plan

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life
Of A Woman Or A Man?

In Truths That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died

It's Time Now - To Sing Out
Tho' The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember The Love
Remember The Love
Remember The Love
Measure In Love

Measure, Measure Your Life In Love

Seasons Of Love...
Seasons Of Love

In Diapers - Report Cards
In Spoke Wheels - In Speeding Tickets
In Contracts - Dollars
In Funerals - In Births
In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Figure
A Last Year On Earth?

Figure In Love
Figure In Love
Figure In Love
Measure In Love
Seasons Of Love
Seasons Of Love

New Books

The package finally arrived. And I was ecstatic to see three new books for me, me and only me. The three new books I got are all for my Math classes, but I am so, so, so happy to have 'em all. My three new books are:

• A Concise History of Mathematics by Dirk J. Strunk,
• Fundamentals of Number Theory by William J. LeVeque, and
  
• Number Theory and Its History by Oystein Ore.

I was actually disappointed that there are only three. :( Nonetheless, I am happy, happy, happy. ;)

The Last Days

About a year ago, I was able to watch a music video of an acoustic performance on MYX of a relatively unknown local band. The band's name was Hourglass and the song they were singing was "The Last Days." Since then, the song has been a favorite of mine.

THE LAST DAYS
by Hourglass

If today were the last of all days
Would it change how you feel, who you are?
Would you rise for a moment
Above all your fears
Become one with the moon and the stars?

Would you like what you see looking down
Did you give everything that you could
Have you done everything that you wanted to do
Is there still so much more that you hold

Follow your dream to the end of the rainbow
Way beyond one pot of gold
Open your eyes to the colors around you
And find the true beauty life holds

Would you live for the moment
Like when you were young
If time didn't travel so fast
Be free in the present enjoying the now
Not tied to a future or past

Follow your dream to the end of the rainbow
Way beyond one pot of gold
Open your eyes to the colors around you
And find the true beauty life holds

You probably said all you wanted to say
But doesn't that strike you as strange
That we only begin to start living our lives
If today were the last of all days

If today were the last of all days
Of all days.....


Check out my current blog for the video and mp3 of this song: LINK.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to

JOANNA GRACE ABELLA

for passing the

2005 Philippine Physician Licensure Examination!!! ;)

Click here for the complete list of passers.

Men of Mathematics

I have taken a respite from reading Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World. I am now reading ET Bell's Men of Mathematics. I am still in the Introduction section. And so far, it has been interesting.

I asked my mom to buy this book to serve as my reference book for my History of Math class. However, I realized that it is not just an ordinary textbook. Actually, it is not a textbook at all. It's an interesting look at the lives of mathematicians who have made great contributions to modern mathematics. The introduction states that even those with only high school level knowledge of mathematics will be able to understand fully the book.

I know some people will probably crucify me for saying this, but it has been more engaging than Sophie's World. I know, I know it sounds geeky, but that just my opinion.

Memoirs of a Geisha Movie

Everyone who has read the book, like me, is probably excited about this movie. The book by Arthur Golden is interesting, engaging and unusually exciting. Sayuri's life, albeit fictional, was painted so articulately and vividly that you can almost feel her every emotion. I am about to re-read the book to prepare for the motion picture release.


The motion picture stars Zhang Ziyi as Sayuri, Michelle Yeoh as her mentor Mameha and Ken Watanabe as the Chairman. There has been much discussion whether the producers made the right decision in casting non-Japanese actors. Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks is one of films producers. It is directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago).

So far, the trailer does not disappoint. Big money was obviously spent to capture the setting of the story which was vividly describe by Golden in his book. Some book lovers, hoever, note that the filmmakers didn't use the proper period costumes. Honestly, I don't know the difference.

As long as the movie sticks to the spirit of the book, then it might just become one of my favorite films of all time. Just a few months of waiting left. ;)

If WW2 was fought by online gamers....

from: www.NonsensicalGibberish.com

*Hitler[AoE] has joined the game.*
*Eisenhower has joined the game.*
*paTTon has joined the game.*
*Churchill has joined the game.*
*benny-tow has joined the game.*
*T0J0 has joined the game.*
*Roosevelt has joined the game.*
*Stalin has joined the game.*
*deGaulle has joined the game.*
Roosevelt: hey sup
T0J0: y0
Stalin: hi
Churchill: hi
Hitler[AoE]: cool, i start with panzer tanks!
paTTon: lol more like panzy tanks
T0JO: lol
Roosevelt: o this fockin sucks i got a depression!
benny-tow: haha america sux
Stalin: hey hitler you dont fight me i dont fight u, cool?
Hitler[AoE]; sure whatever
Stalin: cool
deGaulle: **** Hitler rushed some1 help
Hitler[AoE]: lol byebye frenchy
Roosevelt: i dont got crap to help, sry
Churchill: wtf the luftwaffle is attacking me
Roosevelt: get antiair guns
Churchill: i cant afford them
benny-tow: u n00bs know what team talk is?
paTTon: stfu
Roosevelt: o yah hit the navajo button guys
deGaulle: eisenhower ur worthless come help me quick
Eisenhower: i cant do **** til rosevelt gives me an army
paTTon: yah hurry the fock up
Churchill: d00d im gettin pounded
deGaulle: this is fockin weak u guys suck
*deGaulle has left the game.*
Roosevelt: im gonna attack the axis k?
benny-tow: with what? ur wheelchair?
benny-tow: lol did u mess up ur legs AND ur head?
Hitler[AoE]: ROFLMAO
T0J0: lol o no america im comin 4 u
Roosevelt: wtf! thats bull**** u ***s im gunna kick ur asses
T0JO: not without ur harbors u wont! lol
Roosevelt: u little biotch ill get u
Hitler[AoE]: wtf
Hitler[AoE]: america hax, u had depression and now u got a huge fockin army
Hitler[AoE]: thats bull**** u hacker
Churchill: lol no more france for u hitler
Hitler[AoE]: tojo help me!
T0J0: wtf u want me to do, im on the other side of the world retard
Hitler[AoE]: fine ill clear you a path
Stalin: u arsshoel! WE HAD A FoCKIN TRUCE
Hitler[AoE]: i changed my mind lol
benny-tow: haha
benny-tow: hey ur losing ur guys in africa im gonna need help in italy soon sum1
T0J0: o **** i cant help u i got my hands full
Hitler[AoE]: im 2 busy 2 help
Roosevelt: yah thats right biznitch im comin for ya
Stalin: church help me
Churchill: like u helped me before? sure ill just sit here
Stalin: dont be an arss
Churchill: dont be a commie. oops too late
Eisenhower: LOL
benny-tow: hahahh oh **** help
Hitler: o man ur focked
paTTon: oh what now biotch
Roosevelt: whos the cripple now lol
*benny-tow has been eliminated.*
benny-tow: lame
Roosevelt: gj patton
paTTon: thnx
Hitler[AoE]: eisenhower hax hes killing all my ****
Hitler[AoE]: quit u hacker so u dont ruin my record
Eisenhower: Nuts!
benny~tow: wtf that mean?
Eisenhower: meant to say nutsack lol finger slipped
paTTon: coming to get u hitler u paper hanging hun ****socker
Stalin: rofl
T0J0: HAHAHHAA
Hitler[AoE]: u guys are fockin gay
Hitler[AoE]: ur never getting in my city
*Hitler[AoE] has been eliminated.*
benny~tow: OMG u noob you killed yourself
Eisenhower: ROFLOLOLOL
Stalin: OMG LMAO!
Hitler[AoE]: i didnt click there omg this game blows
*Hitler[AoE] has left the game*
paTTon: hahahhah
T0J0: my teammates are n00bs
benny~tow: shut up noob
Roosevelt: haha wut a moron
paTTon: wtf am i gunna do now?
Eisenhower: yah me too
T0J0: why dont u attack me o thats right u dont got no ships lololol
Eisenhower: fock u
paTTon: lemme go thru ur base commie
Stalin: go to hell lol
paTTon: fock this **** im goin afk
Eisenhower: yah this is gay
*Roosevelt has left the game.*
Hitler[AoE]: wtf?
Eisenhower: **** now we need some1 to join
*tru_m4n has joined the game.*
tru_m4n: hi all
T0J0: hey
Stalin: sup
Churchill: hi
tru_m4n: OMG OMG OMG i got all his stuff!
tru_m4n: NUKES! HOLY **** I GOT NUKES
Stalin: d00d gimmie some plz
tru_m4n: no way i only got like a couple
Stalin: omg dont be gay gimmie nuculer secrets
T0J0: wtf is nukes?
T0J0: holy ****holy****hoylshti!!!111
*T0J0 has been eliminated.*
*The Allied team has won the game!*
Eisenhower: awesome!
Churchill: gg noobs no re
T0J0: thats bull**** u fockin suck
*T0J0 has left the game.*
*Eisenhower has left the game.*
Stalin: next game im not going to be on ur team, u guys didnt help me for ****
Churchill: wutever, we didnt need ur help neway dumbarss
tru_m4n: l8r all
benny~tow: bye
Churchill: l8r
Stalin: fock u all
tru_m4n: shut up commie lol
*tru_m4n has left the game.*
benny~tow: lololol u commie
Churchill: ROFL
Churchill: bye commie
*Churchill has left the game.*
*benny~tow has left the game.*
Stalin: i hate u all ***s
*Stalin has left the game.*
paTTon: lol no1 is left
paTTon: weeeee i got a jeep
*paTTon has been eliminated.*
paTTon: o ****!
*paTTon has left the game.*

---

BadMonkey on Ars added the following:
*poland has joined the game*
poland:HAY GUYS HOWZ IT GOIUNG DUDZ?
*poland has been eliminated*
poland:F***!!!11
poland:F*** U F***ING SPAWN CAMPERS!!!

Jostein Gaarders's SOPHIE'S WORLD

For months now (yes, months), I have been struggling with Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World. For the longest time, I have wanted to read this book, because people say it has a great condensation of Philosophy. I got the book last January 1. And I started reading it right away.

But... it has been disappointing so far. I am now on The Postcards (page 118) . The book is terribly boring, unlike The Solitaire Mystery which I loved, love and will continue to love. This, however, seems more like a textbook. All the info is very helpful, but somehow I got the feeling that Gaarder is not as creative as I thought her to be.

I read this book in the hopes that it would be like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Sadly, that is not the case. Both of Dan Brown's books were exciting and provided a good, page-turning plot which also included some bits of information and trivia. This, on the other hand, contains, pages and pages, and more pages of outright Philosophy lessons. ARGH!!!

As of the moment, I am trying not to let my disappointment impede me from reading the book.

Christmas Party 2004

Here are some pics from our HS Batch (Legends '99) Christmas Party last December 30, 2004 at my house:

PGF Girls: EJ, Weng, Niña, Baby, Ria, Joie and Angie

(Chie and Grace, we MISS YOU!)

The Tech People (Rosal/Calcium/Electron):
Et, Ria, Tiani, Masol, JJ, Patrick, Bbboy and PJ

Pearl People: Joie, Angie, Ria, Weng, EJ, Niña, JR, Baby
seated: Ronald and Alvin

Attendance:
standing: Kittyn, Donnah, Joie, Bess, Niña, Baby, Kate, Angie, Patrick, JJ, Bbboy, Rene, PJ, Anna, Ellen, JR
seated on chairs: Chiqui, Mae, Ria, Catet, Neil (Siawee), Nened, Alvin, EJ
squatting: Masol, Tiani, Et, Ariz, Weng, Ronald

The partey ended at about 4 am, hehe... Til this December guys!!! Sana mas maraming pumunta this December. ;)

For more pictures, please visit riajose2's multiply site.