Happy Anniversary!

Today is my blog's 1st Anniversary, so before I forget to post anything here are my current blog stats. Not that many visitors or traffic at all, but it's okay. ;) I post about random things anyway and never stick to anything in particular for a longer period of time. I hope I will still have this blog for many more years despite all the rubbish.

Blog stats only from May 2010 - Nov 2010

EDIT:
I moved my first post to my other blog, which means my first post is no longer November 18.

Read more »

I need you like I need a cure for cancer

Cancer Man's Love Message Gets Star Treatment

An Australian man, husband and father of two little boys, has cancer of the liver and has been undergoing chemotherapy. To express his love to his wife and show his gratitude for her support through this hard time, he makes a heartwarming video tribute for her birthday. Only after a week the video has been viewed by thousands of people on Youtube.

"I need you like I need a cure for cancer", was one of his messages in the video, including a short video message attached in which Hugh Jackman says, "He loves you, Rachel". Read original post.

I'll be praying for you, Kristian Anderson, and I hope your love story has a happy ending.


(I'm not sure if the video below is showing up. It's restricted from playback on certain sites. Go to YouTube.)



Alternate video

Rachel's Birthday Letter - Hi-res from Kristian Anderson on Vimeo.

After watching the video, even I had tears in my eyes. It's the sweetest thing I have ever seen.



-Chichi

Read more »

Nihongo

I'm trying to learn Japanese in my free time. As of now, just Hiragana and Romaji (romanization of Japanese), and later on a bit Kanji. Seeing that Kanji is a bit difficult and a real pain in the a**, it'll probably take me a bit to memorize those nasty characters. (^.^) There's a reading aid called furigana, which is printed next to the Kanji characters, so reading Kanji won't be a problem as long as there are Hiragana characters beside it. :)

So far I memorized almost all of the Hiragana syllables and its additional sounds. I'm using a program called JWPce 1.50 (Japanese Text Editor and Dictionary), to write Hiragana characters. I tried writing down some characters, too, but my handwriting is a mess! I wonder if a native Japanese could ever read what I wrote.

I went to some Japanese sites, or downloaded mangas in its original language, and was astounded that I can read a bit Hiragana now. *squees* Though I don't understand what I read because I don't know its meaning. (^.^) So aside learning and memorizing Hiragana I do some vocabularies too, e.g. the adjectives. As a child I've loved eating Japanese snacks called Oishi and I never understood what it meant. Now I know it means "delicious". :) (The image on the side is a manga called "Oishi Kankei". The first few characters おいしい is [oishi], the same characters I saw on those delicious snacks.)

Other mind-numbing things will be the grammar, knowing the differences between written and spoken Japanese, when and how to apply honorific speech and knowing theーhow do I call it?ーlevel of politeness. There are 3: respectful (sonkeigo), humble (kenjōgo), polite (teineigo)!!! and the verbs and some nouns change respectively. Gawd!!! In addition to that there are honorifics for addressing and referring to people, depending on who you are speaking to, whether they're older/younger, a close friend/stranger/acquaintance, etc. Thanks goodness I know them already.

So yeah, this'll be fun and I wonder how long I'll be motivated to learn Japanese seeing that I never finish what I once started.

"Japanese" in:
Hiragana (にほんご)
Kanji (日本語)

-chichi signing off

Read more »

10 things all single people must do

A friend of mine sent this to me via mail. I thought I'd share it here.


By Amy Spencer

Here, we offer a checklist of experiences for single people to try before settling down.

1. Travel alone. Whether you’re trying to find your way through the Paris Metro or the London Underground, haggling over a painting in Mexico or choosing where to bed down in the Badlands , traveling by yourself builds a confidence you simply can’t get any other way. In an unfamiliar place, you have to make decisions by yourself, for yourself every day, which will build a self-reliance you’ll always treasure — even when you become part of a twosome.

2. Wallow in the ache of a broken heart. Oh, the pain. The agony. The pints of Ben & Jerry’s in front of the cable TV. Yep, getting dumped is beyond awful, but guess what? It’s the only way that you’ll develop the empathy you’ll need to be a better partner in a relationship. Because if you’re sensitive to the grief someone else has caused you, you’re less likely to do the same to anyone else. So, consider this painful milestone a lesson in karma that’ll serve you well as you travel through your dating days.

3. Spend a weekend with a married couple your age. On lonely nights, it’s common for single folk to envision marriage as a cozy scene from a classic film or mail-order catalog. But by spending 48 hours with a real couple, you’ll learn that in between the snuggling and pet names comes growling, bickering, silent treatments and maybe even a slammed door or two before they ultimately compromise. It will show you what married life is like, warts and all, so you won’t over-idealize the two-becomes-one phenomenon again.

4. Don’t come home all night. That’s right, wild thing. Crash on a friend’s couch, take your friends up on that offer of a last-minute trip… Once you have a mate, you can’t just take off on your own without explanation. And, truthfully, you won’t want to. So if you don’t have someone you have to call and check in with every few hours, take this opportunity to check out!

5. Stand up for a cause you care about. Whether you volunteer to help register voters for the next election (why not start early?) or convince your neighborhood or apartment complex to start recycling, get fired up over an issue while you have the time to devote to it. It will remind you that while, yes, finding your soul mate is pretty important, there are other issues at stake in the world that could use your help. And besides, the big-heartedness you’ll be cultivating is very attractive.

6. Have a real adventure. Learn to fly a plane, surf some big waves, or start your own business. Give yourself a thrill by doing something just for you, just for the experience — without having someone at home worrying about you or nagging you not to. Oh, and one more gift with purchase: Think about how much fun you’ll have telling your next date about your daring experience.

7. Learn how to take care of yourself. Being solo shouldn’t keep you from cooking for yourself, so learn how to make an impressive meal for one (even if it’s mac and cheese with your own added favorite extra thrown in). While you’re at it, learn how to back up your hard drive and sew on replacement buttons. You’ll feel strong and self-sufficient — and you’ll be armed with skills to share when you are in a relationship.

8. Buy something hugely impractical just because you love it. Once you’re in a relationship, you’ll start thinking about your partner before you purchase pricey items — not just “Will he or she hate it?” but “Is this where I want to be putting my money if we’re saving for a wedding?” The single life means a single bank account and an excuse to blow a wad of cash without (some of the) guilt. So, make yourself happy and buy something you crave, whether it’s an expensive vintage movie poster or a decked-out mountain bike.

9. Develop a hobby. Learn to woodwork, play acoustic guitar, speak French, DJ on turntables, or make digital short films for fun. Of course you can (and should) still have hobbies when you’re dating someone, but your solo time is prime time to devote yourself to something that makes life more interesting for you — and makes you more interesting to others.

10. Be completely, utterly, wholly single for at least three months. Hopping wildly from one relationship to the next can do you a disservice. Why? Because you’re never more ripe for self-reflection than when you’re on your own — and the more you know yourself, the more likely you are to find someone who’s right for the real you.

Amy Spencer writes about relationships and other topics for Glamour, Maxim, Real Simple and Cosmopolitan magazines. She personally swears by all of the above — though she admits to being a little too chummy with number 8 on the list.

Thanks!

DARYL MAE B. SAN VICENTE
HR-Welfare and Records

Read more »

Notification of limited account access RXI034

SPAM!

Dear member,

As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system. We recently noticed the following issue on your account:

Unusual account activity has made it necessary to limit sensitive account features until additional verification information can be collected.

We have been notified that a card associated with your account has been reported as lost or stolen, or that there were additional problems with your card.

Case ID Number: PP-071-362-996

Please fill in all the details that are required to complete this verification process.

To do this we have attached a form to this email. Please download the form and follow the instructions on your screen. NOTE: The form needs to be opened in a modern browser which has javascript enabled (ex: Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3, Safari 3, Opera 9)

Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account.
We apologize for any inconvenience.

If you choose to ignore our request, you leave us no choice but to temporary suspend your account.

Sincerely,
PayPal Account Review Department.

I've received this mail from PayPal just this morning, and what made me suspicious was that it was in my SPAM Folder! WTF? Because of the possibility that "normal" mails ends in my spam folder, I checked the "PayPal mail" and read it. Soon enough I figured that it was B.S.!

Anyway, if you receive the same mail, just ignore it. DO NOT download the attached form! If you want to view it anyway, go here.

This mail is listed in the Spam Collection

Read more »

Filipino Folk Beliefs

I found them interesting and thought I'd share some.

#Kapag ang nagbubuntis na babae ay kuman ng kambal na saging, siya ang manganganak ng kambal. Upang maiwasan ito, kailangang paghiwalayin niya ang kambal na saging sa kanyang likuran. (A pregnant woman who eats "twin" bananas will give birth to twins. To prevent this, she must split the twin bananas behind her back.)

#Kapag ang sanggol ay dumapa sa unang pagkakataon, maglagay ng lapis, papel, at libro sa ilalim ng kanyang tiyan upang siya ay lumaking matalino. (When a baby lies on her stomach for the first time, place a pencil, paper, and a book under her so that she will be intelligent.)

#Pagkatapos ipanganak ang sanggol, ang "umbilical cord" ay kailangan ipahid sa kanyang pisngi upang siya ay magkaroon ng "dimples". (After the baby is delivered, the umbilical cord must be rubbed on the newborn's cheek to produce dimples.)

#Ang paghiga sa kama ng basa ang buhok ay magiging sanhi ng pagkabulag o pagkabaliw. (Going to bed with wet hair leads to blindness and insanity.)

#Kapag ikaw ay nanaginip na isa sa iyong mga ngipin ay binubunot, ito ay nangangahulugan na isang kasapi ng iyong pamilya ay mamamatay. (If you dream that one of your teeth is being pulled out, this means that a family member will die.)

#Ang kaluluwa raw ng isang tao ay bumabalik sa ikatlo, ika-lima, at ika-pitong araw matapos siyang mamatay. (It is said that the soul of the deceased returns on the third, the fifth, and the seventh days after death.)

#Ingatan na huwag papatak ang iyong luha sa isang patay o sa kanyang kabaong. Kapag ito ay nangyari, ang patay na tao ay magkakaroon ng mahirap na paglalakbay sa kabilang daigdig. (Be careful that your tears don't fall on the dead or on the coffin. If they do, the dead person will have a difficult ourney to the next world.)

#Kapag nagbungkal ng butas na libingan na mas malaki pa kesa sa kabaong, ito ay magiging sanhi ng pagsali ng isang malapit na kamag-anak sa libingan ng patay. (Digging a hole larger than the coffin will cause an immediate relative to join the deceased in the grave.)

#Ang pagtapak sa unan ay maghahatid ng malas. (Stepping on a pillow brings misfortune.)

#Ang isang taong may lakad patungo kung saan ay hindi dapat ituloy ang kanyang lakad kung sakaling siya ay matapilok pagkalabas ng bahay. Ito ay pahiwatig na may masamang mangyayari sa kanya kapag itinuloy niya ang kanyang lakad. (A person who is headed somewhere should not proceed with her journey if she trips on something after leaving the house. Otherwise, something terrible will happen to her.)

#Umiyak ka sa gabi upang ikaw masaya sa kinabukasan. (Cry at night and you will be happy tomorrow.)

#Huwag mamimigay ng mga sapatos na walang bayad. Sa halip, itapon ang mga sapatos paitaas sa hangin at kung sino man ang makadampot ng mga ito ay siya ang magmay-ari, o di kaya ay bayaran niya ang mga sapatos ng singko sentimos. (Never give a pair of shoes away for free. Either throw up the shoes up in the air and let the prospective owner pick them up, or let him or her buy it for five centavos.)

#Kailangang ibigay ang anumang gusto ng isang nagbubuntis, kung hindi siya ay makukunan. (Give an expectant mother anything she craves for, or she will have a miscarriage.)

#Kapag kumakati ang iyong palad, ibig sabihin ay makakatanggap ka ng maraming pera. (If your palm itches, it means you will receive a lot of money.)

(source: seasite)

Read more »

My Twitter

I have signed up on twitter too. My cousin convinced me that it's actually a "nice" site. I'll be stalking my favorite celebrities there. hehe ^__^ If you have twitter, feel free to add me, or follow me, or whatever it's called.

Read more »

Pancit Palabok Recipe

Estimated preparation for toppings: 1 1/2 hours
Estimated cooking time for sauce & noodles: 40 minutes

Pansit Palabok Ingredients:

• Palabok Noodles / Sauce
• 1/2 kilo miki noodles
• 1/2 kilo small crabs
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of atchuete seeds or oil
• 2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in water
• 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• Palabok Toppings
• Tinapa flakes (smoked fish)
• Cooked shrimps, shelled
• Squid adobo, sliced into rings
• Pork chicharon, grounded
• Spring onions, chopped
• Hard boiled eggs, shelled, sliced
• Fried garlic, minced

Fresh calamansi (lemon), slicedPansit Palabok Cooking Instructions:

Extract fat and meat from clean crabs, set aside.
Pound crab and extract juice on 1 1/2 cups of water
On a pan, sauté garlic and onions until golden brown then add crab fat, crab meat, 1 1/2 cups of crab wash, patis and MSG. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add corn starch and continue to simmer while constantly stirring until thick.
Put miki noodles in a strainer and dip in boiling water for 5 minutes or until cooked.
Lay drained noodles on a platter and pour the palabok sauce. Garnish with toppings and serve

Source: Click

Read more »