Payb Ow Wan Blue

        While rummaging through my closet looking for old clothes to give away this Christmas, I stumbled upon two of my beloved Levi's 501 jeans that I used to wear in the 90's.

        Okay... I know, I know... 501's are no longer the fad nowadays, the young ones might even say its downright baduy and jologs.  Yikes!  One thing I can say though about these venerable jeans is that they're very, very comfortable to wear, they fit me perfectly, and they're really cool (literally and figuratively) with its button-fly front (instead of a zipper).

perfect! showing off a little skin here, hehehe... sexy?

        I tried putting on those jeans and guess what?!  They fit me perfectly again (without any flab jutting out of my sides)!  Woweee!  The leather tag indicates a 29 waistline but I guess it has been stretched to around 30 through years of use.  Those jeans are really comfortable to wear. 

        Last Christmas, I was comtemplating on giving them away since I couldn't close the button fly anymore (even if I inhaled deeply to compress my guts).  Truly, God works in mysterious ways.  Money's a bit tight for me nowadays and so I couldn't prioritize buying a fresh pair of 501 jeans.  Instead, He made me slim down so that I could fit into my old ones. 

    And they fit perfectly, too!  Thank You! :-)

-----------------------------------------------------
501's never grow old.  They just fade away... and soon they will be re-born

Outrageous Japanese Kissing Underwear

I took some tests from Blogthing, just for the fun of it, and here are my amazing test results:

My Outrageous Name:

Hugh Mungous (as in Mr. BIG???)

My Japanese Name is:

Haruko Kato (Ahhh... Arigato Gozaimashta Kato-san)

My Kissing Purity Score: 60% Pure

For me, kissing isn't a casual thing ('coz it's intimate, of course)

Lip to lip action makes my heart sing (Every Shalalala, Every OuhOuooh...)

What My Underwear Says About Me:

I tend to buy new underwear instead of doing laundry (feeling fresh always, hehehe)

My ideal job: Gigolo, or Naked Cowboy (yessss!!! my dream job!)

How Am I In Love:

I fall in love easily and quickly.  And very often.  (must be the reason why I have so many "bukols")

In relationships, I tend to be a bit selfish. (ok, the test says so... whew!)

I tend to get very attracted when I'm with someone.  I want to see my love all the time.  ('coz absence makes the heart grow fonder?)

I love my partner unconditionally and don't try to make them change. (oh really?)

I stay in love for a long time, even if I am not loved back.  When I fall, I fall hard.  (and causing more "bukols" still... hopefully no broken bones, hehe)

 
True enough?  Hmmm, maybe...  :-)

---------------------------------
You bet this is a disclaimer: Believe the test results at your own risk.  Proceed with caution.  Death by lethal laughter could result from taking the tests.  You have been warned ;-)

Heart Check

My heart's rest pulse rate is now 69 beats per minute -- down from 80 bpm three weeks ago. 

This means that my heart is now "saving" 11 beats per minute (or theoretically 660 beats per hour or 15,840 beats per day or 5,781,600 per year!)  Considering how hard my heart will be working throughout my lifetime, those few beats "saved" per minute will translate to more active and productive years to my life and more life to my years. 

It's truly amazing what a few minutes of exercise each day can do to the heart.

Now, I could jog 5km in 34 minutes without running short of breath.  Whoopeee!  (My running mates, however, could run the same distance in less than 25 minutes. Now that's wooow!)

So I'll be pushing bit by bit and try to slice off my 5km time in small increments.  My goal in this fitness program is still to improve my endurance, followed by improving my strength and speed.

Ahhhh, it's really wonderful feeling healthy and fit.

And what more... my heart's beating truly absolutely wonderfully happily crazy, too! :-)

Geronimo!

---------------------------------------------
"The heart that beats is a heart that grows" - Blues Traveler, When Johnny Comes Marching Home

Instructions for Life

        I'm sure many people have received this list in one form or another already...  but here it is anyway:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.


2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.


3. Follow the three R’s: Respect for Self, Respect for Others, and Responsibility for all your actions.


4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.


5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.


6. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.


7. Spend some time alone every day.


8. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.


9. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.


10. Live a good, honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it second time.


11. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.


12. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.


13. Be gentle with the Earth.


14. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.


15. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.


16. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.


17. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

        These quips of wisdom are claimed to have come from the Dalai Lama, but it seems hard to believe that he is the one telling us to "approach love and cooking with reckless abandon."

        It's actually an urban legend and it is believed that the "Instructions for Life" are a shorter version of a much longer list that circulated around the Internet in 1999 as the "Nepalese Good Luck Tantra Modem."  This longer list is also believed to be a truncation of a much larger work, "Life's Little Instruction Book" by Jackson Brown and H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

        Actually, much of the Dalai Lama's actual work can be found here.  His real quotes can also be found here.

        Alrighty then... time to approach love and cooking with reckless abandon ;-)

Stewardship

Here's a wonderful story about stewardship and generosity:

        The very first person to reach the status of billionaire was a man who knew how to set goals and follow through.  His name was John D. Rockefeller. At the age of 23, he had become a millionaire, by the age of 50 a billionaire.  Every decision, attitude, and relationship he made was tailored to create his personal power and wealth.  His net worth at that time, when adjusted for inflation would put him in the top twenty modern day billionaires; however, when adjusted for the size of the United States economy in his day, his net worth would dwarf that of any of today's billionaires.

        But three years after becoming a billionnaire, at the age of 53 he became ill.  His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all the hair on his head.  In complete agony, the world’s only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest milk and crackers.  An associate wrote, "He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him."  His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. 

        That year passed agonizingly slow.  As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague remembrances of a dream.  He could barely recall the dream but knew it had something to do with not being able to take any of his successes with him into the next world.  The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life.  He was left with a choice. 

        He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his assets to hospitals, research, and mission work.  He determined to become a giver rather than an accumulator.  On that day John D. Rockefeller established his foundation.  This new direction eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for current strains of malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria.  The list of discoveries resulting from his choice is enormous. 

        But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, he slowly regained back his health and he got better.  It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be 98.   Rockefeller learned gratitude and gave back from his wealth.  Doing so made him whole.  It is one thing to be healed it is another to be made whole.

-------------------------------   

 

stew·ard

n.

1. One who manages another's property, finances, or other affairs.

from Dictionary.com

-------------------------------

        Giving and  receiving are but reminders that we are stewards of God's wealth.   In giving, we receive.  And in receiving, we give.  God's blessings flow through everyone.  Good stewards recognize that the blessings they receive should not stop with them, but should be passed on forward like a ripple in the pond that spreads far and wide.

        "I am but a steward.  I will therefore manage to the best of my abilities whatever it is God has given me for his Glory.  I resolve, to be generous with my time, talent and treasure, giving in proportion to the gifts I have been given.  I commit myself to taking care of my body and all of creation.  I know there will be times when I will fail to be a good steward, but I pledge to keep on trying.  I will confidently live each day with a spirit of true peace and joy, as I make stewardship a way of life."

What Gives?

This sign is posted inside the MEN's ROOM of Fitness First in Ortigas:

They must have caught someone flushing it in the toilet bowl...

The Mercenary

I sought to change the world

to change my life

I felt happy and contented

but it wasn't enough... something's amiss

so I chose to bare my thoughts

for it would be unfair to keep it trapped

to me and to someone that matters

and once those words were spoken

the world would never be the same again

there's no turning back

there's no friendship to turn back on

it's only what remains ahead that matters

an unknown territory

definitely no turning back

the world has changed

that's what I call... life.

it's not for me anymore.

shout it out, geronimo!

make it happen.

Voices on the Internet

Finally, the introduction of VoIP services is gaining momentum in the Philippine market. While the increase in fuel prices and in the prices of commodities continue unabated, the prices of International Direct Distance Dialing (IDD) calls are dropping faster that you can say "Voice over Internet Protocol".

Digitel has started with their $0.20 per minute IDD calls. PLDT has followed suit with its $0.10 per minute VoIP calls for its DSL subscribers. Bayantel will soon offer its $o.06 per minute VoIP IDD calling.

It's going to be a lopsided pricing scheme... Making IDD calls will soon be cheaper than making Domestic Long Distance (NDD) calls. IDD calls will cost only $0.06 or P3.36 per minute while NDD calls will still cost between P4.5o to P6.00 per minute. It's a good thing PLDT has its P10.00 per call (unlimited) to any PLDT landline phone while Globe is offering its no charging between Globe-to-Globe landline phones.

The Filipino consumer has triumphed.

Scaling New Heights

"We all have our own private Mt. Everest to climb." -- I talked about this quote in my "A View from the Top" and in my "How to be creative #9" blogposts.

Here are some more things learned about teamwork (and climbing my own private Mt. Everest) during a Leader's Convention I attended last Sept. 10, 2005 at the PICC:

• "Climbing a mountain is an expedition. it is not a one-off thing that you can do alone."

• "Never climb a mountain alone."

• "Mountaineers never climb a mountain alone. They link each menber of the team with a rope, never leaving the last person behind."

• "Pace and acclimatize yourself while climbing the mountain. Don't rush."

(excerpts from various speakers)

Lolo

Sept. 11, 2005... Whatta day!  I received 14 text messages greeting me "Happy Grandparents' Day!"

So now, I'm officially "Lolo Dexter", hehehe.

Blogography

        The “100 Things About Me” list seems to be an increasingly popular web meme. So, here's mine.  I listed down 165 things originally (I couldn’t stop) and then I had to trim it down to just 100.  Quite a not-so-easy task considering that I have so many things to say about me (as if!). 

        This is really an interesting exercise.  Now, I know myself more.

        So in the tradition of blogography, here are 100 things about me in no particular order...  Probably more than you’ve ever wanted to know:

1. My real name is Florent de Guzman Flora (and that's with a small 'd', so my initials are FGF, not FDF).  My family calls me by my nickname, “Polen”, while some cousins still call me “Ploy-Ploy”, my nickname when I was still very young (That’s why my favorite nursery rhyme is “ploy ploy ploy, the butterfly”).


2. I was born on June 17, 1971 at 8:47AM at the Baguio General Hospital in Baguio City.  For horoscope aficionados, the sun was in Gemini and the moon was in Aries when I was born.


3. I am a (non-practicing but licensed) Electronics and Communications Engineer.  I graduated from Saint Louis University in 1993 with cum laude honors.


4. I only have one sister, Eileen, six years my junior.


5. I absolutely love Spaghetti and Pizza (with thin crust), more than any other food in the world.


6. I don't like wearing watches or jewelries.


7. I usually wear contact lenses but I wear glasses when I have to sit down and face a computer or when I have to meet with some senior people.


8. I love dogs (the big, the small, the fat, and the skinny – any dog, as long as they bark). I eat dog meat also.


9. I fart at least 3x a day (the silent, deadly type that will definitely kill a dengue mosquito five feet away).


10. My body is really warm and I easily sweat that’s why I hate hot humid weather.


11. So I drink water a lot.


12. I played keyboards in a high school band named "Orderly Chaos".  We played new wave music.


13. And I played lead guitar in another band named "Grupo" when I was in college. We played Hard Rock, Grunge Rock and Heavy Metal Music.


14. My band (Grupo) and I would frequently go to bars around Baguio and we would pester the bar management to allow us to play for free.


15. I fell in "love" the very first time at when I was seven years old in Grade 1 with a classmate who kept beating me in academics (She was always 1st, I was always 2nd).


16. I have smoked only (and only) three sticks of cigarettes in my life, just for the thrill of it.  I never liked the taste and it made me very, very tense.


17. I have never taken illegal drugs.


18. If I could speak Niponggo, people would think I am Japanese.


19. I'm an amateur (or a wanabee?) race car driver.


20. I'm a fitness and wellness freak.  I take my vitamin and meal supplements everyday.


21. The first time I ever went to a strip bar was in Olongapo in 2nd year college when we visited a classmate and we went around town bar-hopping.


22. I used to hate veggies when I was a child but when they served "Pallang" (it’s the Ilokano name of the veggie), I ate all of it.


23. I used to eat flower buds from my Mom’s garden when I was a child (so I still ate “vegetables” after all).


24. Trust me, you won't like me when I'm angry.  Honest.  (a la Bruce Banner)


25. My first out-of-the country destination was in Japan in 1996 for a one-month company-sponsored training.  I became a child again when I visited Tokyo Disneyland.


26. I'm 5'4" in the morning and 5'3" at night.


27. I was 140 lbs six months ago (borderline near overweight).  I'm now at 128 lbs, my ideal weight.


28. I've never had my ear pierced (not even my tongue or belly button).


29. I don't get excited easily.  People say I that am always a calm and composed fellow.


30. Blue (any shade) is my favorite color (It was sky blue when I was young).


31. It takes me 20 minutes to relieve myself in the bathroom in the morning and another 10 minutes to take a bath.


32. I can identify the Orion, Gemini, North Star, Little Dipper and Big Dipper constellation groups in the night sky.


33. My high school classmates called me a "painfully quiet" type of guy.  Nowadays I tease a lot and they are always surprised when they see me talking.


34. I am good at remembering names but not faces.


35. I cringe every time I see people eating spaghetti by cutting the noodles to pieces with their fork instead of twirling it around and around like Italians do.


36. I love to drive fast... really fast  (both cars and motorcycles).


37. I started motorcycling only one year ago and have had seven spills, two of them left scar marks on my knees (right and left) and one on my elbow.


38. I also have had seven accidents while driving a car - five self-accidents, one involving an L300 van and another with a motorcycle.  Oh, and there’s another one where the company car I was driving was rear-ended by another company car (but it wasn’t my fault).


39. I was a consistent honor roll in elementary school (except for one year) and a consistent dean's lister in college (except for one semester - blame it on "love").  I never was an honor student in high school.


40. I sang "Footloose" in 1st year high school but without the dance steps.  I just stood absolutely still and only my lips were moving (that’s how "painfully quiet" I was).


41. I had “long” hair in college (not really long-long hair like in a shampoo commercial, but long enough to be able to tie my hair at the back and make a cute pony tail.)


42. I enjoy watching horror movies... even when I’m alone inside the theatre.


43. I seldom smile.  And if you see me smile, it means I'm happy… as in really, really happy (even if it’s just part of my teeth showing).


44. I sleep on my back with my legs straight and with my hands on top of my tummy, like dracula.  I can also sleep while sitting upright in a chair, as long as my head has something to lean on (and I snore, too).


45. I rarely notice it when I cross paths on the street with people I know, so they always say I'm a snob  (Kalabitin nyo kasi ako... I'm pre-occupied with my own thoughts most of the time)


46. I am never without my cellphone, although oftentimes I ignore text alerts and just read it later at a more convenient time (snob daw ako at hindi nagre-reply sa text kaagad).  And thanks to caller ID, I also ignore calls sometimes (but I do return those calls at a later time).


47. I rarely watch TV nowadays... there simply is nothing good to watch there.


48. I have a pesky pimple on my nose that keeps manifesting itself every now and then.


49. My first kiss was back in 2nd year high school during a class parlor game.


50. I almost got hitched (married) a few years ago, but it simply was not meant to be.  My fault… head ruled over my mind.  It’s now a closed book.


51. My legs are light and hairless; even girl friends become insecure and envy me when they see my legs.


52. I don't have any tattoos on my body.


53. I speak Ilokano, Tagalog and English.


54. I was baptized a Roman Catholic although I attend worship services in a Baptist Church (don't ask me to compare or elaborate).  I am a Christian in a complicated kind of way.


55. I rarely went to church when I was in High School.


56. My first real job was as a computer instructor in AMA Computer Learning Center in Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City.


57. I love all types of chocolates (choco bars, brownies, cakes, ice cream, etc.), except the white variety.


58. I have very lousy handwriting, considering that I am an Engineer. I can never write straight engineering letters like my dad's (he's an architect).


59. The shortest I have worn my hair is 1/8 inch all over just less than a year ago (semi-kalbo).


60. I got my driver's licence at age 24.  I didn't know how to drive when I got my license but I got it anyway.


61. I'm terrible at bowling but I enjoy it anyway (The highest score I ever got was 135).


62. I love cold mountain weather, with its cool breeze and morning fog.


63. I had my first taste of beer when I was in 4th year high school during a class outing in Pansol, Laguna.


64. The last time I drank beer was during my Boss' birthday party last February.  I try to avoid drinking alcohol when I can.


65. I like solving math puzzles.  I can solve the Rubik's Cube in 1 minute and 15 seconds


66. I won in an extemporaneous speaking contest when I was in Grade three.


67. My very first pet dog was named "Pacu".  He’s a big black askal dog with white collar and white feet and he loves to follow me around wherever I went.


68. My favorite pet dog (a chihuahua) was named "Medor".  He could somersault in the air and land on his feet like a cat.  He's a weird dog - he preferred bigger female dogs over his own kind.


69. I used to be able to do 100 push-ups and 30 sit-ups straight when I was in high school.  Now I could do at most 30 push-ups and 20 sit-ups (but I’m improving again).


70. I don't like routine.  I get bored easily.


71. Technically, I know how to swim.


72. I have never held, much less shot, a gun.


73. I prefer drinking coffee in Seattle's Best (real coffee mugs) vs. Starbucks (paper cups).


74. Although I know how to cook (a little), I always eat out or buy take-home food unless somebody invites me at their home for dinner.


75. I still have my tonsils, appendix, and gallbladder intact inside my body.


76. My biggest fear is to get sick and be hospitalized in a foreign land with no relatives and no financial aid.


77. At one time or another during childhood, I wanted to be a Policeman, a Fireman and a Garbage Collector


78. I hate Diet Colas (or any Diet Soda for that matter).


79. I am color blind (I can only read one number out of six on the Ishihara color blindness test chart)


80. I wash and iron my own clothes.


81. I have never been held up yet (knocking on wood).


82. I have lost two cellphones already (I left them inside a taxi cab in both instances).


83. I have a few strands of gray hair on my head that I have had since high school.


84. I have low tolerance for hot, spicy food (gimme lotsa water!).


85. I am sponsoring one child’s education through World Vision Philippines since 2004.


86. The farthest I've gone in the up north in the Philippines is in Kalinga-Apayao, down in Southern Luzon is in Sorsogon, and down south of the Philippines is in Davao City.  The best places I've been to are in Kalinga Apayao with its virgin forests and crystal clear spring water, and Bukidnon with its "rolling" plateus.


87. I don’t find Gizmos and gadgets interesting.  They don't attract me at all so I do not understand people who are so fascinated with these little things.


88. I rarely get colds anymore  (I used to have bouts of colds and cough attacks almost annually when I was young and my mom would say “Take your medicine” but I won’t).


89. I still have two units pending before I can get my Electrical Engineering Degree in Saint Louis University (I’ve not taken these since I graduated BS ECE in 1993).


90. I love to read. I'll read the back of the cereal box if nothing else is available.


91. If ripe mango juice is available in a restaurant, I'll order it.


92. I can sleep comfortably in complete darkness or with the lights on.  It doesn’t matter to me.


93. I have a scar on my nose that I got as a child when I stumbled and fell nose-first on our stair steps at home in Baguio.


94. I prefer sleeping in the living room at the ground floor of my apartment (it's much cooler down there).


95. I am a lousy gardener.  I once killed a rose plant that I was attempting to raise.


96. I prefer keeping a few friends than knowing many friends, and I remain loyal to them forever.


97. Sugar tends to loosen up my tongue and I tend to speak more (That’s why I put lots of sugar on my coffee during meetings).


98. I have this rarely-seen big birthmark on my butt/hip.


99. I give a fabulous backrub. And I enjoy it, too.  Give me a fabulous backrub and I'll follow you anywhere.


100. And finally, after hours of typing and thinking of 99 other things about me: My online screen name is Dexter, and that's what I choose to be.

        Whew!  Now, let's go back to LIFE.  :-)

Have your ever ridden in a "Jit"?

Go to Lurensbee's Blog for the answer.
 

The photo can be seen here.

I Won!!! I Won!!! (or did I?)

        I just received this text message on my phone:

"CNGRAT'S!CHRITY FOUNDATION PHI, Ur Sim#is1of our Lucky Wnnr 2day 08Sept./2005 2ndprze wnnr. P750,000psos DTI-NCR-1012 4Dtails call now. Im MR. MANUEL C. TUAZON" - from cell number +63927460XXXX

        How did they know my number? 

        And did I really win??? 

        Read this first.

        I didn't bother calling when I noticed these anomalies:

        1. The have a badly worded script.  (But it's a text message, you say. It's supposed to be text-speak).  But then, notice this: they use apostrophes in the wrong places: there should be no apostrophe in "CNGRAT'S", and there should be one in "Im MR. MANUEL C. TUAZON"

        2. How do you write down a date?  Should it be 08Sept./2005?  They could have just written 08Sept'05 or even simply 9/8/05 
 
        3. This is redundantly redundant: P750,000psos

        Suggestion to Mr. Manuel C. Tuazon, I have this better-worded, more believable script.  Use this instead:

"from SCAM FOUNDATION PHILS. CONGRATS! Ur Sim# is 1 of our 2nd prize winners 2day 9/08/05. Prize P750,000. DTI-NCR-1012. Call 4 details. -MR. MANUEL S. TUAZON"

 
       Your new middle initial, the letter "S", stands for "Scammer"

 

Plant and Harvest

From another mentor, the late Connie Manuel:

"The planting season is different from the harvest season."

Just like in farming, life is much the same. You start with planting seeds first, nurturing them and taking care of them. Rains will come, storms will come, droughts will come... weather them all. When harvest time comes, celebrate and enjoy.

And then start another season of planting and harvesting.

36 hours

        36 hours, no sleep...  "bangag" mode... followed by 12 hours of sleep...  aaahhh yessss.

        I never thought I could dream of so many things, all of them entirely weird, of course.  From sitting in the bathroom doing what everyone does in the bathroom, to counting my pulse and rejoicing upon finding out it's down to 46 bpm, and I even recall dreaming of some numbers while solving a math problem (3-6-30-2-24-33.  Lotto, anyone?).  No alarm clock or cellphone could wake me up.

        I woke up hungry and craving for, of all things, taho!  And as if hearing my thoughts, this Mr. magtataho passed by on the street with his ever famous "Tahoooooooo!  Tahooooooooo!".  Yes!  Answered prayers!

        I'm back to my normal time zone again.

---------------------------------------
"All men whilst they are awake are in one common world: but each of them, whem he is asleep, is in a world of his own." ~Plutarch

Almost a Misfit... but not quite

Aw shucks!  I didn't quite qualify being a Social Misfit...  I almost made it anyway ;-)

Here's my test results:

-------------------------------------
The Social Misfit Test

You scored a 10%.
For this test, the average percentage is 22.399332364185%.
18573 people have taken this test to date.

This score classifies you as:
You have some strange tendencies but for the most part you are socially adept.
-------------------------------------

Take the test: Are You a Social Misfit?

And BTW, I'm also NOT a jealous person, hehehe.  Thanks to sis for the link :)

I, D.E.X.T.E.R.

Ah, finally, I have my very own unique Cyborg name:

D.E.X.T.E.R. = Digital Electronic Xenocide and Thorough Exploration Replicant

from The Cyborg Name Generator

For YM Fanatics

        Wanna get Yahoo! Messenger on your mobile phone?  It's here!

        Standard GPRS charges will apply.  But hey, it's definitely cheaper than the P1.00 per message I pay for texting (only P0.25 per KB for Smart, P0.10 per KB for Globe)... and I can go international, too.  Anyway, almost everyone I know already have their Yahoo! Messenger ID's. :)

        Hooray! Hooray! 

        Ooops...  Yahoo! Yahoo!

Yahoo! Messenger for your Mobile

For Yahoo! Messenger fanatics out there who want to stay online and to stay "connected" all the time... have no fear. There is hope.

There's this nifty little application that I've been using for more than a year now (on my mobile phone and on my Pocket PC) that keeps me connected whenever and whereever I am, for as long as there is cellular coverage in the area I am in.

"Agile Messenger is the world's premier mobile MSN®, ICQ®, AIM®, and Yahoo!® instant messaging client. Innovative features include our patent pending Push to Talk technology which enables users to send voice messages from mobile to mobile and mobile to PC. It is the most feature rich and versatile Instant Messenger for mobile phones on the market today. Agile Messenger is used daily by over 400,000 users and has been perfected based on feature requests and feedback from tens of thousands of users. No other mobile Instant Messenger is as mature and reliable as Agile Messenger."

I once surprised my colleague when I was supposed to be in a conference and he YM'd me, "O, bakit nandiyan ka pa? (Why are you still there?)", thinking I was still at my desk at the office. I replied, "Yes, I'm already here at the conference." Imagine his surprise when I called him up and he could hear the conference noise in the background. :)

Now, I'm really "connected"

Agile Mobile can be downloaded here.

Permanently Infinity

Permanently Infinity.

Yup, that's the title of this love song, translated by babelfish from English to Japanese and then back to Engrish.

Just imagine Yoda singing the song, hehehe.

Wanna guess the real title?

   

Permanently Infinity

I looked at your surface exactly to be, when with thinking, it is.
Star of night.
When you we would like to feel exactly because I include it is.
Cool night.
I cannot be and believe by any means my thing now.

The I one time exactly was the dream which has been known.
I did not think of that never I am correct because of you.
The origin it cannot compare me by any means with something of this world.
I many am everything where necessity is certain permanently.

As for those year everything which I pass in order my arm to grasp longed.
I look at your dream directly.
You look at star everything where all nights directly I fall.
The fact that you desire is my thing now.
I cannot be and believe by any means my thing now.

The I one time exactly was the dream which has been known.
I did not think of that never I am correct because of you.
The origin it cannot compare me by any means with something of this world.
I many am everything where necessity is certain permanently.

Many times there are these modifications.
As for us it is not possible to end.
Time it continues to go truly steadily.
My love because of you is mainly permanent.
I cannot be and believe by any means my thing now.

The I one time exactly was the dream which has been known.
I did not think of that never I am correct because of you.
The origin it cannot compare me by any means with something of this world.

Permanently infinity.
Our love is restricted together.
I many am everything where necessity is certain permanently.

Permanently infinity (permanently).
Our love is restricted together, (together).
I many am everything where necessity is certain permanently.

-------------------------------

Here's the original version of the song :)

Forevermore
Side A

There are times when I just want to look at your face.
With the stars in the night.
There are times when I just want to feel your embrace.
In the cold night.
I just can't believe that you are mine now.

You were just a dream that I once knew.
I never thought I would be right for you.
I just can't compare you with anything in this world.
You're all I need to be with forever more.

All those years I've longed to hold you in my arms.
I've been dreaming of you.
Every night I've been watching all the stars that fall down.
Wishing you will be mine now.
I just can't believe that you are mine now.

You were just a dream that I once knew.
I never thought I would be right for you.
I just can't compare you with anything in this world.
You're all I need to be with forever more.

Time and again there are these changes.
That we cannot end.
As sure as time keeps going on and on.
My love for you will be forever more.

I just can't believe that you are mine now.

You were just a dream that I once knew.
I never thought I would be right for you.
I just can't compare you with anything in this world.

As endless as forever.
Our love will stay together.
You are all I need to be with forever more.

As endless as forever (forever).
Our love will stay together (together).
You are all I need to be with forever more.

-------------------------------

Had fun?  Go to babelfish and try out other translations too:

English => Korean => English
English => Chinese => English
English => Spanish => French => Portugese => English
English => French => Italian => English
English => German => French => Greek => English
English => Greek => French => German => English

Cool!

       Finally I'm up here in Baguio (again). Having pleasantly slept throughout the midnight trip journey, I dreamt, of all things, that I was in a bus travelling back to Manila. Imagine waking up and thinking that I was in Manila when in fact I have arrived in Baguio already... It's pretty disorienting. I didn't exactly know where I was. duh...        

       So after finally waking up fully and coming back to my senses, I finally convinced myself that I was indeed in Baguio already. No drizzle or rain to greet me this time, just a group of ''hotel agents" handing out little pieces of hotel flyers and bugging me for accommodation. No, thanks. I'm heading home.        

       Aaaaah, yessss, the cool air again... The cold, damp morning air assaults my senses like a dog assaults a hotdog -- with passion! Only in Baguio can the early morning air be so addictively pure, clean and sweet.        

       I feel invigorated again.

Life

from Le Chu:

“ L I F E ”
It’s not easy
This thing called Life
With its broken dreams
And lonely nights
That don’t work out right
It would be easier
If it came with a script
Of who we were to meet
And the right things to say
And nothing but sunshine
Filling each day
Yes, it would be easier
But it wouldn’t be Life

Passing through the Firewall

        For people who work in a company with super-ultra-mega-strict IT staff who filter and ban browsing through unauthorized websites (like Friendster, Yahoo, Myspace, etc.), I would understand your frustration.  Instant Messaging  services such as Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger and AIM are also banned.  It must be an awfully boring office life over there.  Luckily for me, this doesn't apply.

        But all is not lost.  There's a neat way of "bypassing" the filters using a little trick the geeks call "proxying", i.e. using an external server to act as a proxy for their office PCs, enabling them to access any site they wish to browse, or to use any instant messaging service they want to chat with.  Kinda complicated?  A bit ;-)

        Here's a simple way for us simple mortals to "bypass" the firewall and be able to browse through any website we wish.  I don't guarantee it's effectivity, though, and if you get caught, don't call me. 

Here it is:

1. On your browser, go to the Babelfish Website (It's actually an online translation service).


2. On the "Translate a Web Page" window, type the URL of the website you wish to go to.


3. On the "Select from and to languages" selection bar, choose "Japanese to English"


4. Click "Translate"


5. Wait for the page to load...  Enjoy browsing!


6. Stay alert!  Your boss might be sneaking up behind your back to catch you in the act.  When he finds out, your boss might tell you "Wow! Could you teach me how to do that too?"


7. Refer your boss to this blogpost.


8. And send me an oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips.

Easy?

You're welcome!  :-)

aaaaarrrrrrrrgggghhhhh

Oh no!  There it goes again!  That BIG RED SPOT is there again.  %$#&@$%#&^%!@!

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"Well whadya know?  There's a cute nose underneath that ugly pimple"
- Stand-up comic from Alabama