Figure this scenario. Moses busy picking ticks and fleas from his favorite lamb one lazy afternoon by the green meadows near the river Jordan and a weird voice from the wilderness reverberates from nowhere revealing to him the origins of the universe “… you see, helium and hydrogen are the building blocks of the universe… nitrogen and oxygen are the building blocks of life ” Huh ? For someone who didn’t take up Chemistry 101 the language was a bit too complex and cryptic for the itinerant herdsman to comprehend so a much simpler version was put forth to make it more intelligible, one that collapses some 13.7 billion years spanning the creation and evolution of the universe into mere 7 earthly days. Yet despite the collosal abridgement, Moses’ Genesis 1 and the Big Bang Theory have startling similarities, at least in the chronology of events. The appearance of light, the formation of the firmament, land and water and eventually life forms on earth occur in the same order. The notion of man being created from dust and eventually returning to dust jibes with the scientific theory that we all came from the stars, from the combination and permutation of dust, or chemical elements, the building block of matter and life, particles and gas which were strewn into the cosmos, from the fallout from exploding stars that found their way into our earth’s atmosphere.

What is even more astounding is 2,000 years later, Moses’ descendants have the audacity to perform a reverse-engineering of creation of the universe and postulate a theory of its origin. To some people it is pure heresy to even doubt or second guess Moses’ pronouncements. Proving him wrong whether accidentally or on purpose would be tantamount a condemnation to eternal damnation. It could also be heretical to question the origins of other matter, like postulating origin of water , to say that water likewise came from the celestial bodies – comets and asteroids that constantly bombarded and collided with our earth in the formative stages of our solar system. If science and religion must not mix, those fearful of retribution from their earthly peers would be appeased to know that the Big Bang Theory was actually proposed by a shepherd of the flock, a Belgian priest and scientist by the name of Georges Lemaitre.

The Unfathomable Universe

It is said that a manned space mission from our Earth to planet Mars will take close to 2 years to complete. A one way trip will take 6 months. If you drove by car to Mars 100 km/hr non stop on a straight line, it will take you 431 years to arrive. Okay, take a jet travelling non-stop at 800 km/hr it will still take you some 50 years to arrive in Mars. Now that’s almost a trip of an entire lifetime for an earthling. Funny how petty, minuscule our concept of time and space once we exit the earth, with respect to the totality of the breadth of space and time of our entire universe.

Viewing the video gives us that sense of awe and admiration of a majestic creation yet at the same time such magnificence and infiniteness gives an underlying sense of apprehension of our inability to comprehend the reason of our being here. But that should not make us hopeless in seeking the truth or at least live a life of caring and sharing and enjoying the experience of our journey. Eckhart Tolle in his book “A New Earth” says and I quote :

“… churches are actually correct when they identify moral relativism, the belief that there is no absolute truth to guide human behavior, as one of the evils of our times; but you won’t find absolute truth if you look for it where it cannot be found: in doctrines, ideologies, sets of rules, stories. What do all of these have in common? They are made up of thought. Thought can best point to the truth but it never is the truth. “

“All religions are equally false and equally true, depending on how you use them. You can use them in the service of the ego, or you can use them in the service of the Truth. If you believe only your religion is the Truth, you are using it in the service of the ego. Used in such a way, religion becomes an ideology and creates an illusory sense of superiority as well as division and conflict between people. In service of the Truth, religious teachings represent signposts or maps left behind by awakened humans to assist you in spiritual awakening, that is to say, free of identification with form. “

“there is only one absolute Truth, and all other truths emanate from it. When you find that Truth, your actions will be in alignment with it. Human actions can reflect the Truth or it can reflect illusion.  Can the Truth be put into words? Yes, but the words are, of course, NOT IT. They only point to it “

THEME FROM 2001 SPACE ODDYSEY

2001 Space Oddysey was filmed in 1968 looking 33 years ahead. I couldn’t care less about the movie but I dig Brazilian jazz artist’s Eumir Deodato’s jazzy version of the movie’s musical theme. Enjoy the music with a spectacular view of the universe. Thumbs up

Yesterday I was at a large mall in the most multi-cultural part of the city. You’d think you’re in Guyana if you come to this place on a Friday night I tell you The place was packed with Christmas shoppers as well as parents who were lining up to get their kids a Christmas photo with Santa in his makeshift castle. Frankly, I disdain going to packed malls but had to go with the wifey and the daughter for our usual Friday night dine out . As I was sitting at a bench idling my time away as my wife and daughter were busy shopping, I noticed a woman approached the middle-aged African-Canadian man seated a bench away from me, politely ask ” what’s your time ?” The man spoke to her for a bit, surely more than telling the time so I guess, perhaps he just wanted to socialize Then about 15 minutes a young lad approached the man again asking the time and he spoke to the lad for a bit as if he was explaining something. Out of curiosity, I moved closer to the next bench, broke the ice and told the man ” tsk, tsk, some people are just too lazy to carry a watch eh ?” He replied “ I know but the time in my watch is African time and I don’t know what time it is here “ LOL, no wonder. He then told me he was from Nigeria, visiting with his wife for 2 weeks and staying with her wife’s family in the city.

I don’t know about you but I change the time on my watch the moment to go to a place in a different time zone. I need to know the darn time where I am not where I came from ! I know some people abhor wearing watches. My former boss never carried a watch. He relied on his cell phone for the time. He was just uncomfortable wrapping some leather or metal around his wrist. But he wasn’t the type of guy who would go around asking people for the time. It’s one thing if you can’t afford a watch and another thing if you’re lazy to carry one. Being a watch freak myself – I have 21 clocks in my house – I am always tempted to answer a person asking for the time with the proverbial reply – “ it’s time to buy your own frigging watch pal ”

THE PACMAN-KRISTA BROUHAHA

This issue seems to have died down a bit after the Pacman and his wife appeared to have patched up. The unbelievable part of it is how the Pacman was able to withstand the personal stress and come out winning a spectacular victory against a stellar opponent. Now I am not suggesting the outcome of the fight has something to do with the veracity of the rumor. At the end of the day, how silly the Pacman looked kneeling at his corner imploring for divine favors prior to the fight if he’s been balling out with another woman, cheating on his wife. The man from upstairs would have said ” you’re an asshole. Cotto will whip your butt in 1 round you jerk”

Pacman’s tight lip, his strange silence on the controversy may have helped him. Both he and his wife’s reluctance to feed the media sharks with even the tiniest morsel of information by way of impromtu interviews may have done them a favor. I can’t help notice the comical if not hypocritical turn of events – the Pac’s mom defends him, Pac’s in-laws diss him and the wifey comes to his rescue, and they kiss and make up – sounds familiar ? When in-laws get into the fray and become adversarial with their divided loyalties it is major trouble. Jinkee was wise enough to compromise and use her trump card to normalize the situation and lift the boat to sail again. The matter was entirely up to the Pacman and his wife to mutally resolve in the first place. We can only speculate whether the allegations were true or not and no one owes the public an explanation.

The Pacman was the only fighter in history to have booked a concert after a boxing match. Hello Guiness Book of Records ! Are you listening ? Here’s my suggestion to the Pacman to add to his musical repertoire. It’s a song by the Barenaked Ladies ( Alternative Girlfriend) sang by an ordinary dude The Pacman can probably do more justice to the song

MY LUCKLESS RUN GOES ON

My pathetic run with raffles and lotteries continued last Thursday. I was invited to a presentation where Blackberry phones, IPODs and Bluetooth headsets were given I away and I failed to win a darn prize. Mind you, we were only 30 people in the room and there were 12 prizes being given away so the odds were pretty good. When our business cards were drawn from the box, I murmured to myself with a glint of apprehension – “here we go again” True to my expectation, my card wasn’t picked – what else is new, duh. But you know what, I guess my luck isn’t in lotteries and raffles because of my intense belief that nothing in life comes free so I better shut up

The Pacquiao-Cotto fight on Nov 14 isn’t about boxing supremacy nor a prelude to the most awaited showdown for the pound for pound crown with undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. This fight is about Pacquiao making history – a phenomenal 7th title in 7 different weight classes. A win will be the affirmation of Pacquiao’s almost superhuman prowess – 7 world titles from 106 to 147 lb. weight classes , a feat no human has ever achieved in the annals of the sport of boxing. I couldn’t care less if Pacquiao quits boxing if he wins this fight. Proving that he can conquer Mayweather is no more than icing on the cake, if not to trample and silence the loquacious and arrogant Mayweather who bad-mouthed Pacquiao with his malicious allegation of the Pacman using steroids to defeat his much larger and bigger opponents. Rumors in the Quiapo middle earth point to the Pacman’s exceptional strength to his possession of an extraordinary amulet from the indigenous carabao, the country’s national animal and symbol of raw and indestructible fighting power. Or it might just be the samson-like effect of the balut or the boatload of rice and kilawin that turbocharges his biceps like what spinach does to Popeye’s. You’d make more sense to say that the Pacman is a freak of nature than someone who dopes himself to win fights.

Advantage Pacquiao

This post would be useless without a prediction so like what most odd makers say, I believe Pacquiao has the advantage to pull a win in this fight. I wouldn’t go to much details but my contention is based largely on the fact that just like de la Hoya and Hatton, Cotto switched to a new trainer for this fight. Switching trainers does not guarantee you’d find the magic formula to beat your opponent. de la Hoya gained nothing by employing Nacho Berestain, the famed trainer of Marquez, for his showdown with Pacquiao. Hatton learned it the hardest way. He dumped his former trainer to get the services of Floyd Mayweather Sr. for the Pacquiao fight, only to get knocked out senseless in the 2nd round. Hatton simply forgot that his old trainer took him to an impressive 45-1 record prior to his fight with Pacquiao. For some reason, Manny’s fighting style had been a nagging riddle even to the most astute trainers in the business. Hall of fame trainers Angelo Dundee, Emmanuel Steward and commentator/trainer Teddy Atlas always eat crow with their predictions on Pacquiao’s fights. They never get it right. The reason is they base their predictions solely on the tale of the tape forgetting that Pacquiao, aside from being an aberration, a freak of nature, has a team that makes him a progressively smarter and better fighter. Corners are the strategists and boxers the tacticians. No matter how superb a tactician Pacquiao is, he can’t win by himself. The evolution from good to great is a progressive fusion of confidence, strategy and tactics between the trainer, coaches and boxer. Disrupt that team chemistry and you would likely start over again. Cotto will be at a psychological disadvantage, precariously treading on new water with his new trainer in this fight. When Manny wins, team Pacquiao wins lest we forget.

The True Sign of Greatness

We all know that if Pacquiao wins this fight in whatever fashion, he will not be given full credit for the win. Pundits will claim that Cotto is a washed up fighter because of his devastating loss to Margarito, much like de la Hoya who was supposedly past his prime and Hatton, who they claim to be a shot fighter with a weak chin. Pundits will also say that Pacquiao’s legitimacy as a great fighter can only be affirmed if he beats the undefeated 39-0 Mayweather. People easily forget that the great Julio Cesar Chavez had a record of 87-0 at one point but continued to fight 25 more times and suffered 6 losses in the process. Had he quit boxing at 87-0, it would have made Mayweather’s 39-0 record look like chump change. Pacquiao and Chavez are great warriors because they consistently accepted challenges from the best of the opposition. Mayweather on the other hand reeks of cowardice, ducking legitimate challengers and picking on smaller fighters to preserve his record. He also pays his way into a fight, paying the $600,000 fine for showing 2 pounds overweight at the official weigh in for the Marquez fight. Worse, he did not want to be weighed at fight time. Not that it officially mattered but he clearly didn’t want people to know his net weight advantage for the fight.

No Fear, No Doubt, No Hesitation

If Manny wins this fight, he will possess an enviable record of 7 wins in 7 weight classes – exemplary, rare and unparalleled in the history of the sport. Yes, he can fight Mayweather for the $20M if he wishes and make Bob Arum even richer but the outcome of such fight won’t change history. For now, the Cotto fight is what matters most. This will not be an easy fight because Cotto isn’t a pushover by any stretch of the imagination but knowing that Pacquiao is on a mission to etch his name in the history books, we will see him show up in this historic fight with explosive fists, lightning speed, stealth and ferocity of a tiger and the resolve of a samurai warrior – no fear, no doubt, no hesitation – as if this will be his last fight.

This present swine flu pandemic threat gives me that eerie feeling that something has gone awry with this world of ours, that a gene mutating virus is out there to kill us or even turn us into monsters. I guess I’ve been watching too much sci-fi movies lately The good news is the antidote, the H1N1 vaccine is out to protect the human race from the dreaded virus. The problem is, there’s not a lot of them and priority is given to the most vulnerable among us – young children, the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases. The rule in this city is everyone must be patient since we will all get our shots before the end of December. Last Wednesday night, by some twist of fate, while at the mall in a nearby town, we unexpectedly got our shots when the H1N1 clinic operating near its pretty spacious food court decided to accept about 60 people more even if the clinic already closed. We were right by the door wanting to inquire about the schedule when the clinic decided to let a bunch of people in, some 20 minutes after the 7pm closing. Our timing was perfect and the elusive search for the magic needle was finally concluded.

While inside the big clinic, staff with laptops were in one section place taking the patient information from their health cards and drivers licences. I didn’t think the place was chaotic as there were many tables administering the shot but by golly, children were wailing left and right which was to be expected. I saw a 10 year old girl who thought that getting the needle was a death sentence, like going to the guillotine. She was wailing crazy, totally terrified by the injection. She wasn’t agreeing to the shot at all, stalling the process for some half and hour at the table. Finally a couple of clinic staff who may have been psychologists persuaded her to get the shot but man, it was some effort. In the end, the shot wasn’t the murderous axe she was fearing. Imagine the stress when you deal with this kind of people the entire day ! I can understand tots but 5th graders ? My horns would go stiff with smoke coming out of my ears and I would yell ” Shut the up you little imp ! This won’t kill you OKAY?” LOL I would go bonkers if did that kind of job believe me. My wife asked me why her arm bled a bit while ours ( me and my daughter) didn’t. I told her “ that’s because you’re fat and we aren’t. ” Then I added the punchline ” that’s also because we don’t eat lechon kawale “ Ooopps.

The 60 second Consultation

My family doc, a slim, medium built middle-aged guy has pictures of his marathon exploits pasted on the wall of his office which gives you the feeling that the man really walks his talk. It would be a little disconcerting to have a pot bellied and cigar chomping doc giving you tips on how to get healthy don’t you think? He gives me all sorts of tests you can imagine, some of them I thought was unecessary, all under the scheme of preventive medicine. He put me on blood pressure maintenance pills early because of the history on my mother’s side of the family. One noticeable thing about him is he works real fast, like running in an imaginary marathon, making you incur the feeling that either wants to get rid of you early because you’re a miserable sick puppy or healthy enough not needing his attention So one morning at about 7am I showed up at his clinic, called me to come in when he got my file folder :

Me : Good morning doc
Him : Good morning. Opens my file.
Me : I ran out of my pills doc.
Him : Do you get them here? ( at the clinic’s pharmacy)
Me : Yes .
Him : you okay ? Your blood pressure OK? ( Didn’t take my BP coz it seems to be OK everytime he did it)
Me : Yep
Him : Picks up the phone. Dials a number and speaks out the prescription into some kind of a voice mail service. Looks at me and says ” That’s it. You can go and pick it up”
Me : Thanks doc.

The whole conversation lasted for about 1 minute. I’m one that likes to be served quick and didn’t want to be talking about anything else than what I came for. Besides, I paid him zilch, nada and he bills the government for the service so why should I complain? Might this “indifference” be a negative ramnification of our universal health care system? Naah. I had no illness to report so I’m quite cool with the express service. Hey, I made it to my train on time The next time I return, after 3 months, I may have to time our conversation. I hope to beat the 1 minute mark

” Imagine no possession, it’s easy if you try”

Remember that line ? That’s from John Lennon’s song Imagine. Nice try but in this day and age, in your dreams pal. Perhaps 1000 years down our road to enlightenment. For most of us this life is all about acquisitiveness, a lifetime rampage of passion to own things beyond our reach. I’m thinking – what would the world be like of all of us aren’t obsessed with owning things that are for the most part, materials that exceed our needs and meant more to boost our egos? To prove that that this kind self-indulgent behavior is dysfunctional , isn’t it our utmost satisfaction albeit subconsciously, when we know that what we own is beyond the reach of people we know? Therefore, does it mean that the less friends and relatives we have, the less obsessive and greedy we become? Imagine if there are no people to brag to, or everyone can have the same things you own, would you have the same level of acquisitiveness?

Some of us would argue and say, “don’t I have the right to the better and finer things in life ?” Sure all of us do but our problem is identification with ego. Oftentimes we don’t look for the finer and better but the most expensive because it makes us standouts in the eyes of society. We are under the illusion that the most expensive stuff are the best quality when they are not. People who rave for a certain product believing it is the greatest are often hoodwinked by clever marketing hype into thinking that it is. Our egos dictate our brains and influence our decision. We buy a 60 in. flat screen and throw double the money because everybody else has less than 60. We build expensive private schools and exclusive housing subdivisions because we want to put a tag on our identity as members of the elite to separate ourselves from the pack.

People who have been to Cuba, one of the last bastions of communism left in the world today tell me that Cubans cannot easily own assets of substantial value and that even food is rationed by the government, the only employer in the country. The concept of free enterprise does not exist therefore people cannot enrich themselves and fulfill their version of the proverbial American Dream. The country looks like decades behind in terms of infrastructure development, much like the 50’s. Yet when I look at the Human Development Index ( HDI) rankings for 2009, Cuba places 51st amongst the 182 countries sampled, 54 slots higher than Pinas. Cubans might look poor for they can’t own much but they have free health care, free education at all levels, adequate housing and no one is dying of starvation. Contrast this scenario with a densely populated, cramped city like Manila, proud owner of the three of largest malls in the world but surrounded by extreme poverty, unemployment and an unstoppable population growth behaving like a runaway train. All because of our obsession to own and belong leaving the others on the other side of the fence where we think they should be ? Is this what we call the virtues of freedom under a democracy?

THE PLASTIC ROUTE

In a capitalist world, we all know that money is being made in astute and creative ways. For ordinary consumers, what would be more tempting to acquire things without putting money down ? The credit card business made it possible for people to subsidize their way to acquiring things they thought they could never own. Qualification for credit depends on one’s income but lately, card companies had made it a practice to extend credit to the unqualified applicants but at the expense of usurious interest rates. One bank made the dubious distinction of being the ultimate loan shark, charging as high as a whopping 79.9% APR on its credit card. Now, who would subscribe to such a diabolical yet supposedly legal interest rate ? Those who have filed for bankruptcy perhaps ? Gamblers trying to recoup their losses ?

WANNA TRADE YOUR BEEMER ?

Speaking of this Earth of ours being planet luxury, how about trading your BMW for a camera? You bet your behind, this camera commands a staggering price of $42 grand, good enough for a fair swap with a beemer. If you think 42K is quite a strech, how about downgrading to a 50 megapixel version for 12 grand less Now tell me, who would tote around with a 60 megapixel camera taking photos of earthly creatures and things ? Only if you’re crazy to think that a 42 grand camera can auto-magically win you photo contests or you’re one of those filthy rich Pinoy congressmen who take their luxury limos to the local market to attend a barangay meeting with the market vendors. Chances are you’d find one of these babies in the trunk of their Rolls Royces. Look now, this kind of camera works best if used outside this planet of ours I guess owning one would be really out of this world eh ?

My parents told me that I started walking at 10 months and was talking sense at one year. My relatives accredit my woody woodpecker skills to my dad feeding me vagina meat of a roasted pig the moment I started ingesting solid food When I was 2 years old, I went up the stage to claim a prize from Santa. Holding the microphone, Santa asked me to say my name, but I looked at him and said ” why do you have cotton on your face ?” We find children cute because of their pristine innocence that evokes purity – in a sense, something that is amiss in our nature as beastly adults teeming with carnality. Children don’t play mind games and tell things at face value. An officemate told me a joke about a man who while having sex with his wife in the middle of the night woke up his little guy. The tot shouted ” Daddy are we playing horsey-horsey now” ?

We have to be a little careful with what we say when children are within earshot distance. They could become instant moles for all you know, sabotaging your secret plans without your knowledge. I remember a time back in Pinas when we were at the kitchen having snacks and the family was talking quietly about the suitor of my cousin – more on his cons than pros. Incidentally the guy was visiting at the time, and chatting with my cousin at the living room. For some unknown reason, my little niece bolted to the living room and told the guy “ hey, they said ( pointing at us) you’re ugly“. Ouch. She ratted us to the max ! Totally embarrassing, like farting in an elevator full of people. One time when a nosy neighbor came to fetch my little girl to play with her daughter at their house, she nonchalantly asked my wife “ hey, your daughter says you’re buying a new car ?” Huh? We wish. We were checking out the showroom for the newer models. Maybe she heard my wife saying – I want this, I like that. Talk about kids having the tendency to embellish things.

Every week I bond with my little girl when my wife works half-day on Saturdays. Last Saturday we were having lunch at her favorite junk food place, and as I was sipping my coffee, she quietly told me, with her eyes gleaming ” the other night Mommy told me the reasons why she married you“. Huh ? I nearly pulled a Chiquito stunt (sipping coffee, news breaks, mouth spurts coffee all over the place).

Babes can be irritating, stressful and a pain in the you know what but little do we know that what they will become depends on how they see us as parents and guardians. They teach us to know and better ourselves. Unbeknownst to us, we wield tremendous power to mold, uplift or destroy a a child’s life.

“I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.” …… Dr. Haim Ginott

DINOSAURS – Royal Ontario Museum

( I invite you to view the full screen. Click on View All Images, Original View and Full Screen )

DINING DISASTER

I bet all of us at some point dread the thought of that absolute dining disaster – dropping your tray and spilling all the food on the floor. Well, last Sunday, at a self-serve family restaurant, we saw it happen to a couple and their two young kids. As I was queuing up to pay our orders, the little girl pushing the small cart carrying the food trays tripped, causing the cart to tumble, spilling everything on the floor. They barely reached the dining tables when it happened. The little girl cried but the parents consoled her from the embarassment, telling her she did nothing terribly wrong and that they will buy the food again. A cleaner quickly came to the rescue, cleaning the floor with the mess. My oh my I said. What a bummer. They have to fall in line and spend the money again. After more than 5 minutes we were done with the cashier and took our trays to the dining area and lo and behold, we saw family already eating ! We didn’t see them queue up again. I guess the restaurant told them to sit down, replenished the food, served them at their table. Good for them. What a commendable gesture from the restaurant. It kinda made my day too

What would you do on a dreary and rainy Friday night ? Last Friday night I did something different (don’t laugh now) – I went to a museum. Yes, Friday being a jeans day at the office allowed me to dress casually so at 430pm I took my camera with me, headed about 5 subway stops north and spent the evening at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). The wifey and the daughter wanted to watch a kiddie movie at a theater but I opted to go on a geeky date with my camera. Overall it was great learning experience for me, both with the exhibits and my camera. Not a bad place to bring your real date I tell you. If she can hang around for 5 hours it means she likes you

The real reason for my going was to photograph the Dead Sea Scrolls which is on exhibit until Jan 2010 but darn, cameras aren’t allowed in the special area where the scrolls are displayed. I was extremely frustrated and didn’t even purchase the ticket for the scheduled show that night. I saw no point for me to see the scrolls unless I took  photos of it.  The best part I enjoyed was the Earth’s Treasures section. I was in awe of the spectacular richness of the earth’s geological structures , the wonderful colors and shapes of rocks, gems and crystals that take takes eons – millions of years to form.  I had fun taking close up pictures of gem stones through the glass displays. The Dinosaur and Egyptology sections were equally interesting. I took the all the shots minus the flash in an effort to capture the shadows and details that defines the objects as they are when you see them. The slide show contains a few photos from the various sections of the museum. I will try to show more detailed pics of the Earth’s Treasures and the Dinosaurs exhibits in my next posts.

THE ROM

To view the full screen, click on View All Images, Original View and Full Screen

TALKING WHILE DRIVING

Tomorrow Oct. 26th marks the first of day of the talking and texting while driving ban in this province. The police will be a little tolerant for 3 months to give the people a chance to get used to the restriction. The fine is quite hefty – $500. To me this sounds like a government sponsored stimulus plan for the cell phone retailers, where people are compelled to fork out cash to fit their phones with Bluetooth and wireless headsets. Do you think this law is fair? I could understand the silliness of texting while driving but a phone call ?? Is it really unsafe ? What if it is an emergency call ? Or someone calling you for an urgent matter at the office? A job interview ? Or someone returning your call for a date ? Opportunity only knocks once they say.

THE ORGANIC HYPE

Are you one of those folks who have jumped into the “organic” bandwagon and pay a bit extra for your veggies ? I’m not yet a convert because I’m not quite sure if the stuff I’m buying are really organic. For all I know they are not but these days the marketing hype for anything healthy rocks and people are willing to pay money for anything that will lengthen their life span. Last weekend we went for snacks at a sandwich shop and since it was a bit cold, I ordered a healthy sounding soup made with “organic potatoes and mushrooms”. The order came topped with pea sprouts and my wife took the first slurp from it. She grimaced complaining that the taste was so “earthy” and the smell reminded her of the gumamela flowers she chopped when she was a little kid playing cooking game with the neighborhood girls back in Pinas. I thought maybe, the stuff was indeed organic

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Do I need a Netbook?

My answer is a resounding YES. But I already have a laptop – why would I need at netbook ? Well, here’s a simple guide to differentiate a netbook from the traditional laptop. It may clear the cobwebs for most people.

I need a netbook because it is so darn easy to lug it around. The fact that my computer activity outside the office is 90% internet browsing, a netbook perfectly fits the bill for my need. Put a G3 wireless stick on it and you’re wired to perfection, totally mobile and internet ready. But more importantly , I need a netbook that works – fast, no disconnects, no freezing, no stalling and you know where I’m getting at – retrofitting the netbook’s brain with something that really works and that means discarding the fickle and overrated and Windows for the leaner and meaner Ubuntu operating system. I just bought a Dell mini 10v netbook with Ubuntu OS in lieu of Windows XP and saved 70 bucks in the process. Shipping was free and yes, I saved more money by not requiring anti-virus software. Since Ubuntu runs on Linux , it isn’t susceptible to viruses and although not totally immune, it is much harder for hackers to infiltrate and gain control of the system and inflict serious damage. Therefore I don’t have an anti-virus system twiddling its thumb in the background depleting my memory resources causing the system to stall and freeze.

Ubuntu being an open source system can be downloaded for free, including all software that runs on it. My netbook came with version 8.04 which is certified for the Mini 10V. It has Open Office Suite – totally inter-operable with Microsoft Office. It also has slew of games, entertainment, productivity and educational software – all free ! What do I need Windows for ? With Ubuntu, you don’t pay for software and subsequent version upgrades except for customized applications .  Ubuntu support is free whereas with Microsoft you pay an hourly fee. So what’s the catch ? Windows can be compared to gas powered cars. You keep on making them because it keeps oil refineries pumping and the assembly lines running – but not for long though. Sooner or later people will start buying computers but download all software for free. I’m already thinking of partitioning my other laptop with dual OS – Ubuntu and Windows.  I’m sure there are consumers out there who think like me, wanting to ditch Windows permanently.

You can also resurrect your old Pentium PC with Ubuntu.  Its applications aren’t memory hogs so you don’t require a truckload of memory to run them. My wife plans to buy a netbook here to ship to her nephew. With 40 bucks more, you can get a 6 cell battery which could last for 6 hours. Charge and use it for 6 hours. Perfect for those who don’t want to get ripped by the blood sucking Meralco who charges the most ludicrous power rates in Asia. So my new netbook found its parking spot in my daughter’s bedroom. The size is just perfect for her. She doesn’t have to remember crtl-alt-del. I could have spent six times more to buy a Mac, but then, we all could be queueing up for our turn, never wanting to use the Windows laptop any longer.

KARATE – ANYONE ?

My 8 year old daughter goes to a karate class. Hard to think that a little girl who couldn’t swat a fly and craves nothing more than a sleepover with her friends or a new giggly monchichi would be interested in going the way of the dragon, learning flying kicks and slamming people to the floor. It was kinda difficult for me to assess the benefits of karate lessons other than having fun with 4 of her classmates who will be in the same class. Alright, I gotta think social skills this time. They say karate fosters self-discipline and respect for others. She also gets a kimono with the fee and time to hang out with 4 of her pals. I told my wife that if it teaches her how to deal with bullies and not becoming a bully herself then fine. Last Saturday it was my turn to take her to the karate school. I was greeted with a handshake and a bow by the receptionist, a lanky guy who speaks with a slight French accent. What’s with the bow anyway?? Do I look like Shintaro Katsu or Bruce Lee? It felt awkward but when I saw him doing the same routine to every parent who came to drop their kid I realized it is part of the script. They should have put someone believable like some Asian guy in kimono and it didn’t matter if he looked like Max Alvarado . The more mean looking the better.  It gives the club a bit more authenticity.

So what did the kids do? Well, there was a TV monitor that showed what the class was doing. It looked more like a stressful version of calisthenics session to me but its rather early and the moves may show up a few lessons later. I just hope other parents aren’t expecting their kids to beat the crap out of Darth Vader once the lessons are over. My expectations ? Frankly none. Zilch. I just hope she has a good time. When she came back from the lessons today I asked her ” so how many people did you beat up today?” . She replied “ Dad……” I quickly said ” .. just kidding

Many years ago when the pastor of the church I was attending announced that he would be preaching about the apocalypse of St. John in the Book of Revelation , the congregation had mixed feelings of anticipation and perturbation.  People seem to get carried away with anything the deals with apocalyptic predictions, be it prophecies from our very own faith or astrological conjectures from soothsayers of old as well as self-professed seers of our generation. The end of the world – lights out, disintegration of all living things is the most horrifying thought to most people. When we  experience natural disaster, drastic climate change, terrorist attack, war and famine we treat them as tell-tale signs of the end times,  an impending apocalypse.  For thousands of years we envisioned these repetitious cycles of tribulations as doomsday in the horizon threatening to drop like rain from a heavy dark cloud but so far it hasn’t fallen. When will it happen ?

This present generation made a bold prediction of the actual date of doomsday – December 21, 2012. The date comes from the ancient Mayan prediction of galactic alignment, the day when the sun is at the center of the galaxy, perfectly aligned with our earth.  Scientists confirm that the Mayans, amazingly astute astrologers in their own right, were correct in their calculation.  Strangely, the Mayan calendar ceases at this date, an implicit suggestion that time will come to a full stop.  So what will happen on Dec 21, 2012 ? Some say that the solar maximum(sunstorm) event anticipated by scientists to happen in 2012 will occur during this day , causing the earth’s magnetic field to weaken thus accelerating the magnetic reversal of the earth resulting in severe climatic upheavals. The movie Knowing was one that dramatized the Dec 21, 2012 doomsday scenario. Except for the ET-like ending of aliens rescuing Nicholas Cage’s son and his friend before the fateful event, I thought the movie retrogressed from serious science fiction to fairly tale. Methinks the producers didn’t want the audience to take them seriously  Others predict that nothing of cataclysmic nature will occur but a severe financial crisis would wreck economic havoc to the world resulting in panic and chaos. Some say it will be the dawn of a spiritual rebirth for mankind- whatever it means I’ll not be seeking the answer.

My problem with most predictions is aye sayers try their darnest best to correlate a prediction to an event that fits  the prediction scenario. Hurricane Katrina may have been not that cataclysmic compared to other events in history but the fact that  Nostradamus predicted in his cryptic quatrains  that the city of Orleans ( France) will be ” shaken by the land and seas” , people were quick to dovetail the great flood of New Orleans caused by Katrina to the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Our earth has been around for so long, some 4.5 billion years and no one knows how many natural facelifts, permutations, reboots it has gone through. The continental drifts, plate tectonics, polar shifts are real and whether we like it or not, islands and continents will move, glaciers will melt, climates will change, species will become extinct and new species will emerge. There is only so much we can do to control our environment to make them work to our advantage.  We fear doomsday yet oblivious to the fact that we humans  are perfectly capable of immense destruction and annihilation of our planet, with the massive amount of nuclear arsenal sitting ready in our underground silos, ready to be fired at the flick of a switch.  Our sun will be around for another 6 billion years before it extinguishes and dies so who knows, the earth could hang around for that long barring a collision with an asteroid. Will the end times happen in 2012 ? Nostradamus predicts year 3797.  Stand by and stay tuned.

It is Thanksgiving long weekend here (Canadian) and it is customary for people to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with roast turkey dinner amongst family and friends. It is always a two day celebration for us – one with family and a potluck dinner with our closest friends. It’s that time of the year when I’d be bringing turkey sandwiches for office lunch the entire week. Yep, I’m that lead vulture in charge of recycling left over scraps from the fat bird

It is also an opportune for me to be thankful for this blog being chosen as Best Pinoy Blog Abroad Award in the recently concluded PBA 2009 contest. I’ve always said before that I never won anything for free in my life. It seems that in anything I have won in the past, I had to break sweat. No raffle nor lottery wins for me. It always had to involve some decision making on my part. The fat lady never sings the blues nor smiles in my direction and I have admitted this to be my fate until the next 7,000 year polar reversal cycle completes and reboots our planet I have to greatly thank the blog friends who nominated me – yes, there’s more than one of them and I had to accept only once I also like to thank my blog friends who I rub elbows in cyberspace almost everyday, some of whom have been with me for many years, others since the inception of this blog. I greatly value your friendship.

The irony is, since I am blogging anonymously, a handful of people and I mean it literally – not more than a 5 finger count – know my true identity, name and face alike. Therefore I take this accolade and gloat literally under my hat coz I am not prepared to go gung-ho with bragadoccio and take the 5 people out to a Carribean cruise

I’ve always said before that this blog is never about me but my thoughts and I strive to endeavor to express them as they are and I hope, without getting obnoxious. The greatest thing about the virtual world of cyberspace is you can experience that seemingly limitless freedom of virtual existence and at the same time achieve virtual greatness. The last time I verified the definition of “gloat” in the dictionary I got this : gloat – to look at or think about with great or excessive, often smug or malicious, satisfaction… hahaha. I would be cautious to use this word in the real world next time. For now it’s fine. I’m ready to face the charges for virtual gloating

Thanksgiving is a time to recognize that God has put a smile upon our faces each passing day. We say ‘thanks’ for the most precious gifts in our lives – our family, friends and loved ones.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE !