addicted

I was really not fond of playing on line games (may be except online scrabble) until i discovered this. Before, i hated my boyfriend for staying stuck in front of the computer playing this game until the wee hours of the morning. I like watching it because it's like watching real basketball tournament.

My curiousity grew and one day i asked him to teach me how to play it. And voila! I loved it!

This saying is 101% true: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." hehehehe.

Ciao! Magdula pa ko. It's time for the big show baby... :P

bombed (?!)

Glorietta 2 after the blast (photo from the internet)

Past 2 p.m. Friday when the freaking news about the explosion in Glorietta broke out. I was at the Freeman newsroom and was about to write my reports when my attention was caught by colleagues gathered around the TV set. Curious, i joined them and was surprised when i learned that one of the posh malls in Manila was "bombed." I suddenly remembered by older brother who works in the same mall as a security personnel. Wasting no time, i immediately sent him text message asking how he was.

He replied: "Ok naman kami. Sa kabilang building lang namin (the explosion). Pinalabas na lahat ng tao dito."

It was such a relief to read his message.

**********************

The alleged bombing, which happened early afternoon last Friday killed at least 11 people and wounded more than 100 others.

The Rajah Sulaiman Group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident but many doubt it because anybody could just lay claim of being the one responsible for the bombing to further sow confusion especially on investigators doing probe on the cause of the blast.

Excerpts from the Philstar report: "The PNP earlier said evidence collected from the blast site tested positive for RDX, a main ingredient of the explosive C-4.... The findings were however, being re-evaluated because all other samples from the blast site have tested negative for explosives, according to the three investigators.... They pointed out the possibility that fumes may have leaked from a huge diesel fuel container, or methane gas from a septic tank, and ignited in the tightly enclosed concrete basement."

Was it perpetrated by terrorists groups, by loyal supporters of President Arroyo, or was it merely accidental?

Your guess is as good as mine.

filling the gap

i've been lost for quite a period of time... because i chose to live in a remote place like this where i can commune with the sea anytime. hehehe. see? mura na ko'g uling sa kaitom?

Where Does the Phrase "Knock on the Wood" Came From?

Just came across this interesting article in the Internet recently. PLease read on:

"To touch wood or knock on wood is a superstition action to ward off any evil consequences or bad luck, perhaps because of some recent action you’ve taken or untimely boasting about your good fortune (“I’ve never been in danger of drowning, touch wood”); it can also be a charm to bring good luck.

The origin is unknown, though some writers have pointed to pre-Christian rituals involving the spirits of sacred trees such as the oak, ash, holly or hawthorn. There is, I’m told, an old Irish belief that you should knock on wood to let the little people know that you are thanking them for a bit of good luck. There’s also a belief that the knocking sound prevents the Devil from hearing your unwise comments. Others have sought a meaning in which the wood symbolises the timber of the cross, but this may be a Christianisation of an older ritual. It wasn’t always wood that was lucky: in older days, iron was also thought to have magical properties, and to touch iron was an equivalent preventative against ill-fortune.

The phrase itself is relatively modern, as the oldest citation for the British version of the phrase, touch wood, that I can find dates only from 1899. The American equivalent knock on wood is roughly contemporary, with my first example from 1905."

Source(s):
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-tou1...

bandaged

Diona's little hands when she was hospitalized for dengue some five months ago. I find time, and courage to post this only now. Her agony was twice painful on my part and our five days stay at the hospital was seem eons to me. But she's a fighter and she's all well now.

I can hardly imagine how i nearly lost my baby partly due to the negligence of a doctor/pedia, who did not recommend to have the baby undergo CBC and have her confined until we insisted (If legislators would again push for the Medical Malpractice Bill, i may favor it). But all these are now charged to experience.

(I don't know how to write na... ugh!)

paris

Will Paris Hilton go to jail? (same question asked over CNN today)Make a guess.


But I just read she is permitted to drive again - despite receiving a sentence for jail time last Friday for violating her probation by driving with a suspended license. The hotel heiress will begin a 45-day sentence next month but, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles, she's free to get behind the wheel of a car in the meantime (from the net).

naming names

This is hilarious. Change the answers using your
names... I tag Vatski, Sona, whoever nga ganahan... Have fun!

1. YOUR REAL NAME: Wenna Anayan Berondo

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name
plus izzle.) Wenizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
White Cat

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, and current
street) Anayan Bacalso

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your
last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3
letters of mom's maiden name) Berweana

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite
drink). Blue water

7. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (Mother's middle name
and father's middle name ) Anayan Aliponga

8. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one your
pets) Black Popo

twosome

I wonder why babies grow so fast. Now, Diona Mae has nearly outgrow me. See? Hehehe

Glücklicher geburtstag

Thanks a lot for all those people who remembered my birthday-- my best friend, who roused me from my deep slumber early in the morning just to greet me. My classmate and one of my closest friends, Pearl Eunice, who persistently prodded me to treat her (sorry mafriend, pigado gid ko ya ah! kag wala ka man diri sa cebu) and to my officemates in The Freeman, who nearly made me cry by simultaneously (but not so harmoniously) singing a birthday song right after i entered this oven-like office (it's okay, it's peak of summer). mao to maski wa koy kwarta ako na lang sila gipakaon kay dala ra tingale tos kagutom... sige lang, maski wa koy ipalit og gatas og diaper ugma. Faet!
And special thanks too to Ma'am Ethel Natera of VECO for the very wonderful gift. Cheers! This is one of the best and happiest birthdays of my ___ years of existence (Sorry, my age should remain a secret, abi pa lang tigulang na ta).
*****************
(senti gamay)
When i woke up this morning, i felt a sudden pang of pain in my heart when i realized that it's my natal day and i am dead broke. But when i saw the little angel sleeping next to me, my nerves went alive. Thanks God, you have given me the BEST present ever. Indeed the best things in life could not be bought.

ThE GReAteSt AdViSe

Don't date because you are desperate.
Don't marry because you are miserable.
Don't have kids because you think your genes are superior.
Don't philander because you think you are irresistible.

Don't associate with people you can't trust.
Don't cheat. Don't lie. Don't pretend.
Don't dictate because you are smarter.
Don't demand because you are stronger.

Don't sleep around because you think you are old enough and know better.
Don't hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
Don't sell yourself, your family, or your ideals. Don't stagnate!

Don't regress.
Don't live in the past. Time can't bring anything or anyone back.
Don't put your life on hold for possibly Mr/Ms Right.
Don't throw your life away on absolutely Mr Wrong because your biological clock is ticking.

Learn a new skill.
Find a new friend.
Start a new career.
Sometimes, there is no race to be won.
Only a price to be paid for some of life's more hasty decisions.

To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.
To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.
To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.
Don't bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.

To make yourself happy, pursue your passions and be the best of what you can be.
Simplify your life. Take away the clutter.
Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits, and dangerous liaisons.
Don't abandon your responsibilities but don't overdose on duty.

Don't live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.
Be true to yourself.
Don't commit when you are not ready.
Don't keep others waiting needlessly.

Go on that trip. Don't postpone it.
Say those words. Don't let the moment pass.
Do what you have to, even at society's scorn.

Write poetry.
Love Deeply.
Walk barefoot.
Dance with wild abandon.
Cry at the movies.

Take care of yourself. Don't wait for someone to take care of you.
You light up your life.
You drive yourself to your destination.
No one completes you - except YOU.

It isn't true that life does not get easier with age.
It only gets more challenging.
Don't be afraid. Don't lose your capacity to love.
Pursue your passions.

Live your dreams.
Don't lose faith in God.
Don't grow old. Just grow YOU!

When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E because the essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves.

- Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

Interesting, very interesting!

I came across this very interesting news at the internet recently and I can't help it but share this to a few bloggers who may happen to drop by this site.

Below is the photograph and the details of the news:



LONDON (Reuters)- Unseasonably warm weather may have tricked the world's smelliest plant into blooming in the middle of the northern hemisphere winter, botanists at the Eden Project where the native of Sumatra is housed, told Reuters.

The warmth of 2006 and mild winter to date have encouraged the Titan Arum or Corpse Flower into a phenomenal growth spurt and into flower -- an event that usually happens only once every six to nine years.

"The Titan, standing at 164 cms tall is now giving off a revolting stink," said curator Don Murray. "It is a cross between rotten cheese, dog poo and something dead."

"Tonight the flowers will be in full bloom -- as will the stench -- and that will last through Tuesday and Wednesday. But by Thursday it will have started to die back," he told Reuters from the project in Cornwall 220 miles southwest of London.

Murray said it was highly abnormal for the plant to flower in winter.

"Last year's unprecedented warm temperatures and high sunshine levels and the extremely mild winter we are currently experiencing have to be considered as a factor in this rare occurrence," he said.

The Corpse Flower is a native of central Sumatra and it uses its pungent attraction to entice the insects it needs for pollination.

The insects dive into the honeycomb-like stem that houses the flowers where they become trapped and covered in the plant's pollen.

After its brief but olfactorily memorable appearance the whole structure dies back, releasing the insects while the corm of the plant lying under the ground rests while it gathers the energy it will need to surge back into visible and pungent life.

proud to be pinoy

I felt a sense of pride as i watched the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations wave their hands as local and international photographers and videographers document them during the first day of the 12th ASEAN Summit at the Shangri-La Mactan Island Hotel Resort. Pride because I guess it was the first time that heads of states, who are in official function, deviated from the tradition of wearing coat-and-tie and dressed themselves in original hand-made "Barong Tagalog."

They looked very refreshing and comfy/neat in their attires as they stood for a picture against a backdrop of the clear Mactan Channel waters and colorful vintas (I envied them. I've been wishing to have my pic taken against such a breathtaking background or stand in that place and watch the fascinating view. Ahhhh...Cool!).

I'm proud that of all the places in the Philippines, they chose this beautiful island city of Cebu, the "Queen City of the South," as the host of this year's biggest gathering of ASEAN leaders.

And of course, I'm proud I'm a Filipino. Could not say I'm proud to be Cebuano because I am not one. However, i already considered Cebu as my second home. So let's all be proud! (hehehe)



ASEAN LEADERS ALL IN A ROW. With the clean and beautiful ocean as a backdrop, leaders of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) attending the 12th ASEAN Summit wave their hands as they pose for a group picture outside the Mactan Summit Hall of the Shangri-la Hotel Mactan January 13. They are from left -- Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen of Cambodia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos, Dato Seri Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Lt Gen Soe Win of Myanmar, Thai Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam. (Photo and caption borrowed from www.12thaseansummit.org, the official website of the 12th ASEAN summit).

I guess i'm the most fortunate among the lucky reporters tasked to cover the summit because I was the only one who was able to take a glimpse (of course in flesh) of the dignitaries donned in the Philippine National Costume. But had I been caught having no permit to go there (because the event is strictly photo op, meaning no reporters allowed) I could have been the unluckiest as Sir Saul of the Media Affairs and Relations Office of the Malacañang announced: "Those who has no H5 passes (yep, media passes are in codes, depending on the event), get out of the hotel now!" I was pretending I was one of the volunteers so I was spared. Whew!

And this is the article i wrote about it:

Donned in traditional Filipino shirts hand-woven from banana and pineapple fibres, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations yesterday started their annual summit, discussing counter-terrorism, trade and regional security and the first ever ASEAN charter.

Breaking the traditional coat-and-tie attire in formal meetings, the dignitaries looked at ease while they gather inside the Mactan Summit Hall, overlooking the sea at the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel and Resort in Lapu-Lapu City at 9 a .m. for the plenary and retreat.

After several hours of discussions, later on the day, the heads of states came to terms and signed a number of declarations including the ASEAN Convention on Counterterrorism, the ASEAN Declaration on Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, the Cebu Declaration Towards One Caring and Sharing Community, and the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 (see separate story).

Several statements like the Statement on the DOHA Development Agenda of Two, the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia , and the Statement of the ASEAN leaders on the Debt-Equity Proposal for Funding were also inked.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was dressed in a beige linen barong-style dress, arrived at the venue of the meeting 30 minutes ahead of the 9 a .m. scheduled arrival of her fellow ASEAN heads of states. Arroyo, despite being the shortest, stood out among the dignitaries, being the summit’s host and the only woman in the group.

Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah arrived after Arroyo and followed by the leaders of the other member countries in alphabetical order.

The men, who wore short-sleeved linen barongs embroidered with brown trimmings, were welcomed by the only woman leader in the meeting. Each of the heads of states, including Arroyo, arrived on board a golf cart that ferried them from their respective cottages to the Mactan Summit Hall to a red carpet welcome.

Before entering the meeting's venue, the ASEAN leaders posed for their first group photo for the summit against the backdrop of the Mactan Channel where colorful vintas are sailing. Then they were led to the summit hall to start their first retreat session where they discussed very important issues that would determinethe future of the ASEAN.

Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros, the 12th ASEAN Summit's spokesperson said that the retreat style was adopted in the conduct of the sessions so the leaders' discussions would be informal and relaxed.

The heads of states looked very relaxed in their attires and the venue, where there are no tables, just sofas where they can sit comfortably as if they are in their own living rooms.

At the press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center, Lecaros said that each leader was given 10 to 15 minutes to "speak their minds on the issues," specifically security, economics and the ASEAN charter.

Lecaros added that there were also changes in some schedules of the meetings and signing of declarations and agreements because the discussions were finished ahead of schedule. "They moved faster than they think they could," he said.

Lecaros said that most of the leaders read their prepared statements on the medium-term development plan and "did not address each others on specific issues."

merci beaucoup

Diona Mae enjoying the company of her first teddy, courtesy of her Ninang Vatski as Christmas gift. Thanks pre, now my baby has found a good buddy. Hihihi.

Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!!! May we all have a fruitful 2007! Cheers!