not if you're squeamish

* just wanted to see how the multiply embed looks like. i posted this as a comment over at friendster but it doesnt seem to work there

what's so special about today?

it's my birthday!!!

this post is about nothing

closing time... yan ang kantang nakasalang sa speaker dito sa compass internet, rob. galleria. i'm actually kiling time, hehe. im here to meet someone kaya lang wala pa siya so i decided to go online...(nooo, im not an internet addict!! no i'm not *defensive* LOL)

...while typing this post, i'm exhanging text messages with mia sandoval. katatapos lang ng meeting nila, she's got good news...congrats friend! yehey!

*phone rings*

okie. gotta wrap this up...just got a call, nandito na yung imi-meet ko :)

here's what i realized

There's this counter thingy at g-mail's main page. At first I thought nothing of it, that it was just for show but then I realized that it actually does something. What it says in the counter signals the number of gig you get id est the longer the counter stays open in your browser, the higher your g-mail memory.

Aint that sweet?

PS. Those needing invites, just send me your e-mail add. I've still got tons.

sink or swim

note to self:

kung kailangan mong tumawid ng dagat, lumusong ka sa tubig.
kung hindi mo gagawin iyon, hindi ka makakarating sa dapat mong puntahan
wag kang magalala, pasasaan ba't matututo ka ding lumangoy

happy easter!

just click it!

mental picture

In front of me is a calendar. You know how it is when every month a different place is featured. Last month it was Cebu; this month, it's Surigao. Incidentally, that's the reason why the yacht my hero and heroine are frolicking in right now is called Siargao Princess.

Going back to the calendar, there are four pictures arranged to fit a frame. Of the four, three are shots taken of beaches. In one such shot, the horizon is clearly defined.

This made me think of the tsunami. I remembered hearing somebody on TV, a survivor, recount her experience. She said she saw the water draw as faaaar back as the horizon.

Picture couresy of www.surigao-city.de

Picture it, from the shoreline to the horizon, nothing but the ocean floor... from the shoreline to the horizon, that's how massive the wave was.

I shudder.

isang patalastas

Bi-bi Food Products, a fast growing food processing company is looking for (2) two licensed Food Technologists.

Successful candidates will be tasked to take charge of the over-all operations of the Bi-bi Food Products plant located in Project 7, Quezon City.

Those interested may get in touch with Ms. Jinky Esio at 4105887 / 0917-8278829 or you may email your resumes to switrose_29@yahoo.com

Would appreciate it much if you pass this message on. Thank you.

tingnan n'yo nga naman

imagine my surprise when i came across this post:

Check it out. It's the hottest thing. It's in a different language at the top, but then they decide to do the rest of the blog in English, cause English is cool! Ok so I never read a thing on this blog, but I did listen to the swell song for about 15 minutes. And not to mention the sweet picture of the hot guy from Charles in Charge. And that's why this is the Favorite blog of the week.Check it out. Tell almira, I said Hi.Did I mention it has the best song ever?

di ko akalaing may tagahanga pala 'tong blog site na 'to at porenjer pa! LOL

pinalitan ko pa naman kagabi yung song na flirt a rio dahil natutulili na tenga ko sa kanya *ngiwi*

sleep deprived

My eyes feel gritty. I haven't slept a wink at all last night. It's now past seven pm and I'm still awake. In other words, I haven't been to sleep since yesterday!

I can't sleep. I've tried but I just can't. So here I am blogging away. But I wanna sleep, dear Lord, oh how I wanna sleep...

luv ko c bantay

BANTAY BARKS FOR RIGHTS: STOP CRUELTY TO DOGS

quoting much

better a dreamer...

"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." - Edgar Allan Poe

than a cynic

"What is a cynic? A man who know the price of everything and the value of nothing." - Oscar Wilde.

feng shui horoscope

1. My soul is relaxed and I'm laid back.
2. I have a lot of love and friendships in my life.
3. I will have a strong love relationship that will not last long but the memories will last forever.
4. I will have a friend who completely confides in me and would do anything for me, but I may not realize it.
5. Libet is my Best friend.
6. "8", This is how many close friends I will have in my lifetime.
7. I like adventure.
8. I am spontaneous and
9. I like to please people.

This according to the feng shui horoscope chain thingy my best friend libet sent me. Wanna know the real score?

1. Not True. I'm a worry wart.
2. True. I hope.
3. I'd hate for this to be true!
4. Doubtful. I value my friends too much not to realize their worth.
5. So True.
6. Could be. As of last count I have four super duper close friends
7. True. I've tried trekking, spelunking, river rafting...
8. Not true. I'm a control freak. I find it difficult to move without my handy-dandy checklist.
9. Truer than true. NO isn't in my favorite word to say.

big mac, anyone?

And now for a dose of ironic news...

January 17, 2005. Charlie Bell dies from colorectal cancer. He was forty-four years old.

If you're wondering who the heck is Charlie Bell? Wonder no more. He's the former CEO of one of the world's biggest fast food giants, McDonalds. He was elected to take the place of James Cantalupo soon after Cantalupo died suddenly of a heart attack in April 2004.

no more coffee!

I'm an addict.

And I'm currently addicted to...

Green Tea!

As I wean myself off coffee, I find myself getting hooked on this brew instead. Which isn't such bad thing `cause everybody knows it's got anti-oxidating properties.

Googling for which variety would suit me best, I learned that basically there are two types of green tea, Chinese and Japanese.

Of the Chinese variety there are (6) kinds:

1. Longjing ("dragon well"; also lung ching) is a famous tea from the town of Longjing, near Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Longjing is further divided into 7 grades: Superior (qiqiang), Special (queshe) and then 1 down to 5.
2. Mao feng ("Mao Peak") is a famous tea from Mount Huangshan.
3. Gunpowder is a basic green tea from China's Anhui Province. The tea takes its name from the grey-green rolled-leaf balls. In Chinese it is called (zhūchá, "pearl tea" / "bead tea," not to be confused with Boba tea). This is the tea which is exported to the Maghreb and used in the preparation of traditional North African mint tea.
4. Zhenmei (zhēnméi chá, "precious eyebrow tea", also chun mee), the most common type in China, is named after the shape of the tea leaves.
5. Jasmine tea
6. Hyson is an early-harvested tea whose leaves are twisted in a long, thin style.

And of the Japanese kind there are eight (8)

1. Matcha ("rubbed tea") is the highest grade of green tea, used primarily in the tea ceremony. The tea bushes are shaded from sunlight for 3 weeks before harvesting, producing amino acids that sweeten the taste. The leaves are then ground to a fine powder, which is simply blended in lukewarm water for consumption.
2. Gyokuro ("jewel dew") is unground matcha leaf, prepared for consumption by infusion.
3. Sencha ("broiled tea") is the most common type of green tea in Japan, accounting for 75% of production. It is made from the young leaves of uncovered plants.
4. Shincha ("new tea") is newly harvested, lightly steamed sencha. It is aromatic but highly perishable, lasting for only about 3 months.
5. Genmaicha ("brown rice tea") is sencha mixed with roasted brown rice.
6. Bancha ("number tea") is from the last harvest of the season. It is milder, cheaper and contains less caffeine than other varieties.
7. Hojicha ("roasted tea") is prepared by roasting bancha leaves.
8. Kukicha ("stem tea") is made from tea twigs instead of leaves. It contains only a tenth of the caffeine of leaf tea and its flavor is commonly compared to oolong teas.

The brand I'm drinking doesn't say from which country, nor of which variety it is. It just says its authentic. *scratch head*

Mental note: Change tea brand.

Reference: wikipedia, green-tea.us

i'm a pantser?

What kind of a writer am I? That's what the online quiz I took just now aimed to figure out. Interestingly enough, I learned that I was a "pantser".

What exactly is a "pantser"?

...someone who "writes by the seat of her pants." The type of writer who has a brilliant story idea, and runs with it. Very creative, with the source of her creativity in spontaneity. Outlines bring her down, and she could never write a story if she knew ahead of time how it was going to end. She is a free spirit who writes as whimsy
inspires her without worrying overly much what others will think.

Is this me? Naah.

Well kinda.

More like, I'm someone who if the muse allows, "writes by the seat of my pants." The type of writer who has a brilliant story idea, and runs with it. Very creative, with the source of my creativity in spontaneity. Outlines bring me down, and I could never write a story if I knew ahead of time how it was going to end. I is a free spirit who write as whimsy inspires me without worrying overly much what others will think .

word for the day - jamais vu

Merriam-Webster defines deja vu as:

1 a : the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time b : a feeling that one has seen or heard something before

2 : something overly or unpleasantly familiar

I had this experience today, when a friend sent me the picture story below

for a bigger view, click this

I seem to remember having seen it before, when exactly, I can no longer recall. Nevertheless, it still didn't fail to amuse me.

Still on the subject of deja vu, I remember a college professor telling us about an experience called jamais vu which is the exact opposite of deja vu.

Word Spy defines the sensation as:

The illusion or impression of never having experienced something that has actually been experienced many times before

turning japanese

For lunch today, I had the Pinoy version of sukiyaki. That is, sukiyaki minus the sake (Japanese Rice Wine).

And I dare say it didn't taste as good. I was expecting that sweet tang with a kick and was disappointed when all I got was the oh so familiar taste of soy sauce. It was like eating a soupier version of our sotanghon. *sigh*

This got me into thinking. Andre's birthday is coming up soon and I was planning on treating him to a day of pigging out at DAD's. Now, I'm toying with the idea of cooking him tempura (shrimp coated in batter) and sukiyaki instead (para mas tipid, LOL).

In case I do, this will be the first time I'll be preparing these dishes. I'm still not sure if I will though 'cause my confidence in my cooking prowess is still shot. That's because I made a boo-boo the last time I cooked for somebody else.

It was last December 30, when my friend Emma asked me to cook Carbonara for our get together... a total disaster! Although my friends were kind enough to say it wasn't so, I knew otherwise. My carbonara sauce was too thick.

Anyways, I've googled the recipes and here's what I got:

Sukiyaki:

INGREDIENTS (4 servings):
1 pound of thinly sliced beef ** It tastes better if the beef is cut very thin.
A handful of shirataki noodles (made from yam cakes) or cellophane noodles
7-8 shiitake mushrooms
1 enoki mushrooms
1 medium size leek
1 Chinese cabbage
1 block of yaki-dofu (grilled tofu)

For sukiyaki sauce: (** You can also buy sukiyaki sauce in a bottle).
3 tbsps soy sauce
3 tbsps sake (Japanese rice wine)
3 tbsps sugar
1 cup soup stock for dipping
4 eggs

How to Cook and Eat Sukiyaki:

1. Cut all ingredients into bite-sized pieces.
2. Arrange all ingredients on a large plate and place the plate at the table.
3. Mix soy sauce, sake, sugar, and soup stock to make sukiyaki sauce.
4. Set a hot plate or gas grill at the table. ** After this point, everything is done at the table as you eat.
5. Heat a little oil in a shallow skillet (can be a fry pan or a hot plate) at the
   table.
6. Fry meat, then add sukiyaki sauce.
7. Add other ingredients when the sauce starts to boil.
8. Simmer until all ingredients are softened.
9. Dip the cooked sukiyaki into the raw, beaten eggs and begin to eat!
10. As the liquid boils away, add more sukiyaki sauce. If you are not able to obtain the above ingredients, you can use any meat and vegetables. It's ok to create you own sukiyaki.

Tempura:

INGREDIENTS:

12 large shrimps
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cold water
Vegetable oil for frying

PREPARATION:

1. Peel shrimps.
2. Make a couple incisions on the stomach side of each shrimp so that it stays straight.
3. Put flour in a bowl Pour cold water over the flour and add an egg.
4. Mix the batter lightly.
5. Heat the oil to 350 degree.
6. Then, pick the shrimp up by the tail and dip the body part in the batter.
7. Fry the shrimps for a few minutes

* Recipes courtesy of about.com which incidentally has a couple or so articles from my batch mate, Shai.

for what its worth

I feel bad for all those who have suffered and are still suffering because of the tsunami tragedy. In my own small way I want to help and I'm using this blog as a platform. I urge you, please share even just a fraction of your blessings to our brothers and sister in need.

In this relation, I am currently in the process of rounding up a list of local institutions where you could send your donations.

Philippine National Red Cross
Bonifacio Drive
Port Area
PO Box 280
2803 Manila

Contact Information Tel: (63) (2) 5278386 (main line) 5270866 /
Fax:
(63) (2) 5270857
Telex: 27846 PNRC PH
Telegram: PHILCROSS MANILA
E-Mail: pnrcnhq@redcross.org.ph

UNICEF
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND
31st Floor, Yuchengco Tower,
Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Plaza,
Ayala Avenue corner Gil Puyat Avenue,
Makati City,Philippines

Telephone numbers: (0632)
901-0154 Fund Raising
901-0161 Greeting Cards
901-0149 Health & Nutrition
901-0167 Education
901-0130 Child Protection
901-0170 Communication
901-0142 Local Policy & Institutional Development
E-mail: manila@unicef.org

argh!

because all i'm using is a dial up connection, it took ages for my .mp3 file to upload. when finally i did manage to do the seemingly impossible task, i found out that my server doesn't allow remote linking!!!

geez!

hey, know any free server that does?