If you're a Pinoy, here's some "funny" ways to say "Thank You" in different languages:
However, nothing beats this one from Mexico:
:-D
For those in the know, my real name isn't Dexter. Dexter is the "screen name" I use whenever I go online in various forums and mailing lists, thus a lot of my online friends know me as such. Other pseudonyms I go with are "Dadi Dexter" and more recently, "Papa Dexter".
No violent gastronomic reactions please ;-)
As to how I got that name, it's another story in itself that I may get to writing about when I'll be in the mood for it hopefully sometime soon.
So what's my real name, you may ask?
I recall my parents telling me that they named me after a priest who hails from Belgium. He was based here in the Philippines a long time ago (and up to now) and they became good friends ever since.
Wow! I feel blessed already, imagine me being named after a priest!
Father Florent, as they called him, now resides in Agoo, La Union (I think). I haven't met him yet although I should meet him -- I wonder how he looks like and I also wonder if he knows that I exist? I fear that he might have a stroke or something if he gets to find out that we share the same name... ooops! Anyway, since people called him "father", I also adapted that prefix, modified it and used "dadi" instead, hence the "Dadi Dexter" name. And I modified it again recently, this time using "Papa" for "Papa Dexter" (a la the pope).
So that's one-half of the story of the name...
As for my surname, Dictionary.com has several definitions for "Flora":
Flora is also a city in the state of Illinoi, a town in the states of Indiana, Mississippi and North Dakota, and a street in Ottawa, Canada where the FLORA Community Web (no connection to me or the Flora Family) is based. Our family actually hails from La Union although I do not recall any street or town there named Flora. However, there's a small town named "Flora" in the province of Kalinga Apayao.
Now, I wonder how popular I am in the web...
Googling for my name yields the following relevant information pertaining to ME:
SO there it is... My name states that I'm a "dirty priest of a goddess who is a vegetarian". And I am not a famous personality on the net. Thankfully, the net says that I'm NOT a porn star, so my name comes clean :-)
I like my name, of course.
But call me Dexter :-)
Impossible?
Not with a new cellphone software designed for these people.
The technology, called "Mobile Speak", is a screen reader for mobile phones that provides speech feedback as a user navigates through the phone's user interface.
So if a person presses Menu => Messaging => Inbox, for example, the phone speaks and tells the person the menu item pressed. It can also read out text messages and even be able to decode text-speak abbreviations that Filipinos are fond of using.
More about "Mobile Speak" in IT Matters and in Technologies for Lifelong Independence website.
Here are some things Learned from John Maxwell's Seminar, "Building Leaders"
For excerpts from John Maxwell's "Building Teams" seminar, click here.
"If you believe... in destiny... in soulmates... in love at first sight... in eternal love...
Then that's the reason why you are still single."
(Enter the jingle from Love Radio): Kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan, buhay natin talagang ganyan... Kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan, buhay natin talagang ganyan... Ehek! Ehek! Tagos ba? ngyahahahaha...
Here's an interesting write-up on "Mga Dahilan Bakit Single ka pa rin" in En's Blog, Single?....baket?
"It's time to put the finishing touches on that speech you're been preparing -- and don't worry. There's no doubt that your audience will be delighted to receive you, and quite receptive -- after all, aren't they always?"
Actually, this was yesterday's forecast in Friendster Horoscope. I'm not really into horoscope thingys but this one caught my eye specifically since it was exactly what I was doing during that time... preparing a speech/presentation!
Coincidence, no?
And I really didn't have to worry 'coz the audience was really delighted to see me (well, sort of). The meeting turned out well and the plan presentation went really really well and the hostess was really thrilled that it was a success!
Coincidence again?
Whether horoscopes are true or not, this forecast really made my day :-)
I attended the "Healthy for Life" seminar last 16 July 2005 at the CCF in St. Francis Square -- the guest speaker is a Pinoy Medical Doctor who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (I forgot his name... oops!). He talked about healthy living and relates it with what the Bible has to say. He speaks very confidently and energetically.
Here are some excerpts from the seminar:
A. Our Responsibility to stay healthy
B. On Aging and becoming old
C. Keys to good health and long life (L.O.N.G.E.V.I.T.Y.)
I must admit that this is the first time I've attended this kind of a seminar that correlates religion and the medical profession so nicely. I'm impressed! I definitely learned a lot here.
So now, having learned how to live a healthy life, I expect that I am going to live beyond December 7, 2045.
Here's an entertaining but macabre site:
"The Death Test" says that I can expect to live up to the tender age of 74 years old and that I can expect to die on December 7th, 2045. It's a Thursday... And I was born also on a Thursday.
Coincidence?
Anyway, I'm gonna mark this on my PDA and calendar.
On that date, I will most likely die from:
- Auto-fellatio (11%)
- Alien Abduction (7%)
- Horrible Accident (5%)
- Drowning (3%)
- Alcoholism (3%)
Try it here. You will have to sign up and create an account, then just click "Continue where you left off" to start taking the death test.
After you finish answering the checklist, you'll know the date when you expect to die :P
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"I shall pass through this way but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect, it for I shall not pass this way again." - Anon
While the boxing sequences sometimes looked like a street brawl, the story, coupled with a great soundtrack, makes this movie the greatest Rocky movie of all time.
Here's the lyrics of the theme song:
Eye Of The Tiger
- Survivor -
Risin up, back on the street
Did my time took my chances
Went the distance now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive
It's the eye of the tiger
Its the cream of the fight
Risin up to the challenge of our rivals
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger
Face to face, out in the heat
Hanging tough, stayin hungry
They stack the odds still we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive...
It's the eye of the tiger
Its the cream of the fight
Risin up to the challenge of our rivals
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger
Risin up, straight to the top
Had the guts got the glory
Went the distance now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive
It's the eye of the tiger
Its the cream of the fight
Risin up to the challenge of our rivals
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger......
The eye of the tiger......
The eye of the tiger......
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You may hear the song here.
Doors of Opportunity close and open all the time. But it's difficult to recognize when a door is closing and when one is opening because most people remain in a "denial" stage for so long and when they do realize that a door has indeed closed, they so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that they do not see the ones that are opening.
It takes a strong person to take their eyes off the closed door and look for the ones that are open or are still opening up, and, without much regret or self pity, let go of the closed door and go on to explore new ones.
These "doors of opportunity" can be seen in different scenarios: in businesses, in relationships, in work, in school, and even in your day-to-day activities such as shopping and strolling in the park.
How do you spot when a door of opportunity has swung open? Be alert, stay awake, learn how to "hear" a door swinging open, learn how to "feel" the gust of wind as the door opens, listen to other people, and more importantly, listen to yourself.
Jesse Jackson ably puts it: "When the doors of opportunity swing open, we must make sure that we are not too drunk or too indifferent to walk through."
My Body Mass Index is 23.0
What does this mean?
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women. It is the measurement of coice for many physicians and researchers studying obesity. BMI uses a mathematical formula that takes into account both a person's height and weight. BMI equals a person's weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
If your BMI is <18.5, this means you are underweight.
If your BMI is between 18.5 to 24.9, then you have a normal weight.
If your BMI is between 25 to 29.9, you are obviously overweight.
But if your BMI is 30 or geater, this means that you are obese.
The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of developing additional health problems. Heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are all linked to being overweight. A BMI of 30 and over increases the risk of death from any cause by 50 to 150 percent, according to some estimates.
According to health experts, people who are overweight but have no other health risk factors (such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure) should eat healthier and exercise to keep from gaining additional weight. For people who are overweight and also have health risks, they recommend trying to actively lose weight. Be sure to consult your doctor or other health professional before beginning any exercise or weight-loss program.
You can use the Body Mass Index Calculator to compute your BMI.
Roses are RED... or white, yellow, orange, purple, pink, or peach. I should know - my uncle has a rose garden right in our own frontyard that I used to pass by everyday when I go out of our house in Baguio.
But a blue rose??? Nope! I've never seen one in my life. An article in Global-Garden Australia explains why the blue rose remains very elusive.
I've only recently discovered that scientists were able to genetically produce and grow a blue rose.
So what do the rose's color mean anyway when given to another person?
Purple roses stand for enhancement, magnification, opulence, majesty and glory and means I will always love you.
Orange roses indicate enthusiasm, desire and fascination. The orange rose says, "I am proud of you!"
Peach roses signify desire, anticipation, sincere appreciation and optimism for the future. Pale peach roses are a symbol of modesty.
Pink roses stand for elegance, gracefulness, refinement, gentility, style and poetic romance but are combined with fun and lightheartedness.
Red roses symbolize romance, beauty, respect, courage, passionate love and unity and are the most popular of all roses.
White roses represent unity, loyalty, reverence, humility, love stronger than death, sincerity, purity, silence and innocence as well as youthfulness.
Yellow roses signify strong feelings of pure joy, gladness, happiness and friendship, but were once used to convey jealousy.
Rosebuds symbolize beauty, youth and a heart innocent of love or: “You are young and beautiful.”
It is said that blue roses stand for fantasies, hoping for miracles, new opportunities and possibilities.
And the meaning of roses in mixed colors - "you're everything to me". A mixed-color bouquet carries all of the meanings of each individual rose.
So there it is, all the meanings, (well most of them) of the color of roses!
In a not-too distant past, the automobile was the ultimate symbol of coming of age: a way out from parents (and friends' parents), from siblings' prying eyes, from geographical constraints. No longer: for hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide, 'The Cell Phone is the New Car' (as the Economist cleverly stated earlier this year). Consider these similarities between the automotive and wireless/handheld industries:
• Model and customization define the owner
• Replacement is frequent
• Choice is massive
• Branding and design are key
• Competition is global
• Anticipation of new models is enormous
FREEDOM, MOBILITY and INDEPENDENCE rule, and the cell phone delivers these benefits to the youngest of generations. Want (staggering) numbers? The worldwide number of mobile cell phone users is estimated at 1.6 billion people in 2004 (from 1.3 billion in 2003). A staggering 320 million of these users can be found in China. The global number will rise to 2.1 billion in 2009 (source: Ovum, July 2004). Close to 30% of all tweens (age 6-15) in Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and Singapore own a cell phone. This number is 50% for most European nations. Germany and Sweden, with 65%, have the highest score. In The Netherlands and Japan, close to 100% of all 14 year olds possess a cell phone. No wonder that in the UK, a group of teens who recently agreed to go without their phones for two weeks as an experiment (Manning Gottlieb OMD), told researchers that their social lives had fallen apart
from Masters of the YOUniverse
To quote Microsoft Research's Rick Rashid: "You can store every conversation you've ever had in a terabyte. You can store every picture you've ever taken in another terabyte."
Now, that's what I call Life Blogging! No more bits and pieces of your life documented in a web blog -- It's your entire life blogged in a digital medium.
Here's another interesting trivia: the Net Present Value of a terabyte is only USD 200.
Within this Generation Y group, there's a niche generation of youngsters born between 1988 and 1993 called the Generation C.
Here are some excerpts:
"C" stands for CONTENT, and anyone with even a tiny amount of creative talent can (and probably will) be part of this not-so-exclusive trent. (More on "Creativity" here.)
The four other C's are: Creativity, Casual Collapse, Control and Celebrity.
Creativity: let's face it, we're all creatives, if not artists! (Notice we didn't say talented artists ;-)
Casual Collapse: the ongoing demise of many beliefs, rituals, formal requirements and laws modern societies have held dear, which continue to 'collapse' without causing the apocalyptic aftermath often predicted by conservative minds.
Control: besides the need to be creative, control is one of mans' other fundamental needs. To be in charge, to be master of one's own destiny (or at least have the illusion of control ;-), is a holy grail for many. So... to make a big leap to the world of business: consumers happily find they increasingly have control over what they buy and who they buy it from.
Celebrity: Most people still entertain the thought of being a celebrity, even a minor one. What has changed though, is that the implied waiting-time to get one's precious (and short lived) celebrity moment is over: members of GENERATION C can produce, display and then distribute to millions their own images, their creations, their 'content'.
OPPORTUNITIES:
In order to profit from the GENERATION C trend, as a professional or organization, make sure you not only provide consumers with the means to create and distribute content (from USD 999 professional cameras to the free global distribution network that is the internet), but also acknowledge deep human needs for control and for exposure. Get your customers involved with the design of your goods and services, have them deliver input on your processes, allow them to customize and personalize your offerings. And above all, never underestimate how much creativity is hidden deep down in all of them. Only 10 years ago, to most companies, the C in GENERATIOn C would most likely represent consumption.
Times have changed.
So... be creative!
~from Trendwatching.com
"Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb."
"You may never reach the summit; for that you will be forgiven. But if you don't make at least one serious attempt to get above the snow-line, years later you will find yourself lying on your deathbed, and all you will feel is emptiness." (from "How to be Creative")
July 13, 2005 (Manila) - I have now started climbing my Mount Everest. It's not as easy as I expected, but then again, it's not that hard either. Oftentimes I stumble and fall, and many many times the climbing really hurts. But it's just a mountain. It's just a matter of time, one little step by one little step and soon I will be at its peak. And when that moment comes, I'll celebrate and rejoice, I'll stand on the peak, do my little dance number, take off all my clothes to feel the chilly air, raise my hands up in the air in victory and then shout at the top of my voice "HURAAAH!"
And then I'll come back down again for there will be other Mount Everests to climb...
~dex
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HughMacLeod is an advertising executive and a popular blogger with a flair for the creative. He gives his 30 tried-and-true tips for being truly creative. His "How to be Creative" Manifesto can also be downloaded here.
How to be Creative (Summary):
So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years:
Good thing the phone had a Setting Wizard so it was a cinch to quickly configure its settings for the Smart network.
Next step is to configure the Packet data connection settings. Under Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Packet data, I had the following settings:
Packet data conn.: "When needed"
Access point: "internet"*
*The entry in "Access point" must be the same as the "Access point name" entry under Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Access points -> Smart Internet.
On the laptop computer with bluetooth, I just set-up Dial-up Internet Connection as usual and select the bluetooth modem. The username/password fields were left blank and *99# was entered in as the phone number to dial. *99# will instruct the phone to connect to GPRS when used as a modem by the laptop computer.
Presto! Instant internet connectivity outside the confines of a WiFi hotspot. No more blogging withdrawal symptoms for me.
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From a financial standpoint -- which is cheaper to use: using the phone as a GPRS modem or using the phone as a dial-up modem?
Assuming that I want to download a 1 MByte file to my computer:
Using the phone as a GPRS modem the computation is fairly straightforward:
Approx. download time for a 1 MByte file: 5 minutes
Charge: P0.25 per KByte
Total Bytes downloaded: 1 MBytes
Total Charges: P250.00
Using the phone as a standard dial-up modem, the computation is a bit more complex:
Approx. download time for a 1 MByte file: 15 minutes
Airtime charges (data charges for Smart Infinity): P3.00/minute x 15 minutes = P45.00
Dial-up internet charges (using Blast prepaid) = approx. P2.00 for 15 minutes
Total Charges: P47.00
Surprising, isn't it?
So if I'm in a remote, far-off place with no access to a landline phone or WiFi hotspot but with good cellular coverage and I need to download bulky e-mails, I'd rather use the phone as a dial-up modem and just dial into my favorite ISP over the air.
But for not-so-bandwidth-hungry applications like instant messaging (so I can be "online" most of the time), I would still use GPRS.
But hey, what the heck, if I really want to be online 24/7, I've got Agile Messenger for my phone. I'm online - I just stay "invisible" most of the time. There's really no need to use a computer for instant messaging stuff so now I can easily "text" anyone and send them a message for less than P1.00, even when they're out of the country.
Ain't technology great? If only everyone had Agile Messenger and GPRS phones... That would definitely save consumers a lot in text messaging expenses. This will mean less revenue for the telcos though :P
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This blog was inspired by Ka Edong's Technobiography, a great pinoy site for learning and knowing about anything and everything mobile.
In her blog "About a Girl... & a Girl" she discussed a bit on the "struggles of childhood":
1. how to save one’s self in “Hide & Seek”
2. how to determine the proportion of gumamela with soap to make lasting “blow bubbles”
3. how to make Barbie cross legs
4. how to remove stuck Lego pieces from the base w/o using the teeth
5. how to make a paperboat sail through rain residue
6. finding clues that lead to another inside the “Secret Passage”
7. how to win in “pekwa”, “monkey-monkey”, “1-2-3 pass” & “bluff”
8. how to sharpen one’s moves in "piko" & "patintero"
I've had my Friendster profile for a while but it's been only recently that I became active in the Friendster community and started experimenting with blogging. I started with this Friendster blog and finally created another two in Blogspot here and here. I'm really very rusty with my literary skills ever since I started making financial write-ups, business plans and even some attempts in computer programming.
Amidst all the daily turmoil in my existence I discovered that my sister Eileen also has a profile in Friendster. Well what a pleasant surprise indeed! She's so far away kasi in Singapore so communication is far and between. It's not like I'm alone in this world - I'd be more surpised though if I found out that my parents also have their profiles here in Friendster... yikes!
So now my sis is now my "friend"! :D
And another surprise - my sis has got a very excellent and well written blog! So far this is the the best blog I've read ever... Naunahan pa ako sa paggawa, hehehe. Hands down, my Friendster.Blog awards for Blog of the Year goes to "Me, Myself and Eileen"
Check out "En's New World"
clap clap clap clap clap clap!
Keep on blogging sis!
~Your brother for life (ano pa nga ba?) hehehe...
"The world makes way to those who know where they are going."
It's all about dedication and commitment to a goal, and all about the passion for achieving something worthwhile. Circumstances will always bow down to commitment.
These people certainly know where they are going:
1. Tony Tan Caktiong, CEO of Jollibee Foods and
Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2004
"When I think back on those early days, I can say I had a dream, and it was a pretty big dream. I once boldly stated in one of our early planning sessions that my vision was to create the largest food company in the world. That was when we had just five stores! Some people laughed when they heard it, but I wasn’t joking. Well, we’re still far from achieving it, but we do have over 1000 stores today, in six different countries, and we’re growing faster today than ever before." -- Commencement Speech at the Ateneo de Manila University, 18 March 2005
2. John Gokongwei, founder of JG Summit Holdings, Inc.
"Call it trite--but, believe me, success CAN BE ACHIEVED through hard work, frugality, integrity, responsiveness to change--and most of all, boldness to dream. These have never been just easy slogans for me. I have lived by them." -- Commencement Speech at the Ateneo de Manila University, 1 March 2002
"If you dream of creating something great, do not let a 9-to-5 job—even a high-paying one—lull you into a complacent, comfortable life. Let that high-paying job propel you toward entrepreneurship instead...", "The only barriers left are the barriers you have in your mind." -- Commencement Speech at the Ateneo de Manila University, 27 March 2004
This has been sitting in my phone for so long already, giving me a mischievous smile on my face everytime I read it... So I just have to post it here:
Dexter's Frazzled Wisdom...
The Finalists:
Acquired Computer and Communications, Inc.
Application: Baloon Pop (Game)
Ateneo de Manila Wireless Center
Application: GoSIP Groupware Suite
FC Liu Development Corp.
Application: Nuts and Bolts (Game)
Gibeon Technologies, Inc.
Application: Cellbots Battlestage (Game)
GMA New Media
Application: My Fanatxt (File Sharing)
Icon Interactive
Application: Patintero (Game)
Institute of Physics - Universiy of the Philipines
Application: Mike Mo To! Videoke
MMXtreme Technologies Corp.
Application: CameraSafe (Community Application)
Pixelwise Multimedia
Application: MyTindahan (M-commerce)
Wireless Services Asia - Mobinext
Application: Camera-Driven 3D Avatar
Emulator versions of their software applications will be submitted on or before 12 noon of July 6, 2005. Of these, five companies will be selected and granted a 1 Million development grant to complete the development of their respective applications.
Good Luck to everyone!
Just upload your mp3 file and We Need tunes will do the rest, including clipping the song depending on how long you want it to play (hmmm... this makes for a very good ringtone converter!).
From the movie Batman Begins...
Batman's dad says this to the young Bruce after he rescued him from the well that he had fallen into, where the young Bruce broke his arm:
"Why do we fall? So that we may pick ourselves up."
A good review of the movie can be found here.
This reminds me of John Maxwells book, "Failing Forward". John Maxwell says in his book that its just normal to fall down (i.e. to fail at something), but make sure that when you do fall down, its in a stepforward.
"Its not how many times you fall that matters, but how you pick yourself up after each fall that matters the most."
The way you carry your cell phone in your pocket reveals your emotional state of mind:
This statement is so true:
"When you commit yourself to a goal, circumstances will arise to challenge and test you to see how committed you are to your goal."
A majority of failures result from people "folding" up in the face of these challenges. The rest of the failures result from people being too afraid to even start trying.
Successful people persevere and see things through, no matter what the cost is.
Read more about goals in my blogspot: "Goals: How and Why"
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"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul".
