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June 25th, 2009 by xxxmidangxxx
Sometimes I get the feeling that I’m torturing myself on understanding something and someone I could easily be free of. But what hinders me on taking action is because I’m afraid I might cause insurmountable pain on them considering that these people are among those I consider closest to my heart. And whenever I am confronted with these odd episodes, I tend to linger and tap on my happy thoughts to make myself better- a temporary relief of my wounded soul. But I guess you’ve also noticed that bad memories tend to be more accessible than the good ones, especially the ones wherein closure had been made impossible, thus rekindling those memories makes it more painful. But somehow I am grateful, because if not for these dreadful reminiscing, I’d still be ancient on knowing myself more and on understanding other people’s misery as well. I have to admit that I have lost part of myself as I tackle the life I’ve chosen, but it is only on this process of loss that I discovered where to begin with.
Posted in Uncategorized | | | 0 Comments
The Macapagal Clan- Educational
May 20th, 2009 by xxxmidangxxx
Here is the record of the traitorous members of Macapagal clan
———————————————-
-The first Macapagal in history is a datu from Arayat, Juan Macapagal. A grandson of Lakandula, Don Juan was among the principalia during the early Spanish era. He betrayed his own people by assisting the Spaniards quell the Kapampangan and Pangasinan Revolts of 1660 and Ilocano Revolt of 1661. By his handiwork, many natives died. For his services he was handsomely compensated with an encomienda — a.k.a. license to steal, cheat and plunder — and named Maestre Campo General of the natives of Arayat, Candaba and Apalit.
Two centuries later, the murderous tradition lived on to wreak havoc on the Philippine Revolution of 1896. This time, the Macapagal victim was none other than the venerable Supremo of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio. On May 10, 1897, Col. Lazaro Makapagal (Filipino derivative of the name) marched a wounded and hogtied Supremo and his brother, Procopio, up the rugged mountains of Maragondon, Cavite and shot them to death.
Indeed, duplicity is the Macapagal trade that many decades latter, another scion of the clan, Diosdado Macapagal, even managed to double-cross a master schemer, Ferdinand Marcos. In the 1960s, Diosdado promised the young (then) Senator Marcos the Liberal Party presidential nomination. In return for Marcos’ support, Diosdado declared that he would not seek re-election in 1965 in order to give way to Marcos’ candidacy. However, he reneged on such assurances later. The scheme backfired, however, when Marcos bolted the Liberal Party, joined the Nacionalista and soundly defeated Diosdado in the presidential elections.
Posted in Uncategorized | tagged cheater, gloria, macapagal, traitor | | 0 Comments
Our Liberators Will Sing a Joyous Song
May 15th, 2009 by xxxmidangxxx
The cancer of corruption in our country has reached an all-time high and unprecedented ,and when brides and payoffs are expected as part of the culture, and when corrupt practices are tolerated - even endorsed- truth and
justice are lost. Government officials accept money for their influence. Officials take away funding intended for the poor and hungry. Government appears to become more of a circus, in which propaganda
reigns supreme. Government officials taking brides and perverting judicial decisions, when will the scourge end ?
Dishonesty and fraud at the top eventually spread to lower levels. Few seem to any longer believe that character does matter!
Corruption had reached such a high level that the ”checks and balances” of self-policing written into the Philippine Constitution proved to be ineffective. Congress, the legislative branch, is paralyzed because of its own corruption and immoral behavior. In effect, each branch had the other blackmailed into inaction ! We know our institutions have been damaged by corruption, ethical lapses and moral compromises. We do not think this is because many legislators are bad people; it is because good
people are caught in institutions that can blind them to do the right thing. We are not to judge but to share these burdens and offer encouragement.
Would it be naive to ask our political leaders could not take the lead in rejecting the politics of polarization ? We must restore civility to public
discourse so that we attack problems and not one another. We need robust and principled debate on the difficult issues of our day. We have seen and heard the dialogs between Governor Among Ed Panlilio and the vice-governor of Pampanga. The way and tone of the voice of the
vice-governor showed the way of his up-bringing, the
lack of respect to whom he is speaking - as if he isin a basket ball court shouting against the opposite team… There is such a thing as proper conduct and civility in a public discourse.We must break out of
the war-room tactics, the daily recriminations, the
impugning of motives. We could start with, “Thou
shall not bear false witness.”
Preference given to one group as a result of gifts or payoffs is unfair to others who have an interest in the influenced policy, funding or law. Honesty and integrity is overwhelmed by graft and corruption when such exchanges become commonplace. Corruption inbusiness punishes honest men and women, and provides advantages - and wealth – to those
willing to be the most dishonest and ruthless.
When the media (radio, newspapers, and television
broadcast) becomes controlled and manipulated by political and financial gain and interests, they (major networks) are reduced as servants to
corruption.We see these types of manipulation not only in major newspapers of the country but alsoright here in the Province of Pampanga….. They work tirelessly to twist and spin news critical of the governor. Photos are carefully selected to manipulate and mislead the public. Words are chosen to infuse emotions into events, and to turn evil
into good and good into evil. We read and observed that the media “spin” always leans culturally toward amorality - and anyone who speaks
out honestly in a moral tone, with authority, isvilified. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20).
Corrupt behavior causes an entire nation to become spiritually sick, from the highest levels of government to those charged with enforcing its laws.
The book of Proverbs states, “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people”(14:34).
Perfect government and law have not been experienced since Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden for rebelling against their Creator. Even
ancient Israel - a nation that had God as its civil head for a time - quickly corrupted itself. “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed
of evildoers, children that are corrupt: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away
backwards” (Isaiah 1:4).
We quote St. Augustine who said that “a state which is not governed according to justice would be just a bunch of thieves”. But there is hope. An independent and objective news media can sometimes correct and even prevent the abuses of the rich and powerful. Let us be prepared for the dawn of a new era but we must be willing to “march into the gates of hell for a
heavenly cause” so that Honor and justice mayreign. As we march, let us sing a new song. What might that song be like? Let us sing a deeply
spiritual song. Let our song be a chorus and not a solo. Let us sing a liberation song so that we may be a bearer of good news wherever we go. We can dream new dreams and see new visions. When others are afraid as they look to the future, let us say to them, as Jesus said to us: “Do not be afraid when some chaos upsets the orderly patterns of your life,
because I can build a level road. Do not be afraid when darkness descends upon you, because I can make light shine in the darkness. Do not be afraid if your numbers as believers become smaller, because I
can raise up multitude from a faith-filled remnant. Do not be afraid when death approaches, because I have overcome death. I am with
you. I have come to set you free.” Our message to politicians:
Your relationship with the God Who loves you and all others, and your knowledge of the church’s social doctrine, which outlines the demands of
God’s love in the public arena, can help you fulfill your mission as a Catholic in public office. In applying its social doctrine the church does not seek, according to Pope Benedict, “to make this
teaching prevail in political life. Rather the church wishes
to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insights into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness
to act accordingly, even when this might involve conflict with situations of personal interest…The church cannot and must not take upon herself the
political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must not replace the state. Yet at the same time she cannot and must
not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.”
Over 2,500 years ago, reflecting gratefully on the mystery of God, the composer of one of the psalms cried out (Ps27:25), “I will sing and make music for the Lord.” We encourage you to sing a new song, a
wake-up song to the world, a harmonious symphony, a great chorus resounding to the glory of God and ringing out as good news for the world.
forwarded through e-mail by mario panlilio
Posted in Uncategorized | tagged corruption, panlilio, philippines | | 0 Comments
Philippines:world’s largest crime-free zone during Pacquiao Bout
May 4th, 2009 by xxxmidangxxx
Pacquiao a Filipino Uniter
They took away the death penalty, then brought it back, before three years ago abolishing it once and for all.
But still, two decades removed from the autocratic and brutal regime of Ferdinand Marcos, the Filipino authorities face a serious crime epidemic.
Drugs, gangs, murders, vigilante death squads and warring religious factions combine to provide a scourge to society in the Philippines that never stops.
Except when Manny Pacquiao fights.
Sunday is the Lord’s Day in the Philippines, a predominantly Roman Catholic country of 90 million people.
Yet even the day of worship can not normally slow down the spate of killings, shootings, stabbings and other miscreant turns that often transform the streets of major cities into battlefields.
This Sunday, though – Saturday night in the United States – it all stops. For one day, just one day, the Philippines becomes perhaps the world’s largest crime-free zone.
The reason is Pacquiao.
To boxing fans the 30-year-old superstar is the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. To his own people, he represents so much more.
The broadcast of his fight with Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will stop a nation, and any malevolent thought, in its tracks.
Events in Sin City will temporarily take the sin out of a country regarded as the most dangerous in the Asia-Pacific region. While Pacquiao fights, the most unsavory elements of Filipino society unofficially declare a temporary truce.
Crime rates were virtually zero for Pacquiao’s last two victories, over Oscar De La Hoya and David Diaz, a welcome respite from an unwanted reality.
“There were no registered reports [of crime] for the period covered during the duration of Pacquiao-Diaz fight,” said Manila police director Geary Barias. “It makes a huge difference when Manny is in action.”
Even separatists and known terrorist groups have ventured to the cities from their hillside hideaways in order to watch Pacquiao.
“The guns are silent in the street every time I fight,” said Pacquiao, who always appears mildly bewildered by the ever-increasing attention he receives. “There is no fighting, no crime. I would fight every day just for my people, if the guns will stay silent.
“These are the thoughts I carry to the ring and they are powerful thoughts. I am not trying to win this fight alone.”
The Philippines has never known an athlete like Pacquiao, and the small and understated man with the heart of a lion and astonishing fistic force has taken on mythological status.
It is highly likely Pacquiao will seek a career in Filipino politics once his career is over; he has already lost one bid to be selected for a congressional seat.
For now, the politicians are happy to use him as a tool to further their own standing.
In the capital city of Manila, the decision to broadcast the fight free of charge at several public sports venues is a move that has boosted the standing of Mayor Alfredo Lim.
Lim is a political rival of Pacquiao’s trusted advisor and ‘second father’ Joselito Atienza, and the five-weight world champion once turned down the chance to parade through the streets of Manila following a victory due to the animosity between Lim and Atienza.
Pacquiao’s fans would far rather he focused on the pugilistic rather than the political, in any case. In the minds of Filipinos he is the ultimate source of pride and a national treasure.
Estimates suggest that up to 30 percent of the Philippines population lives below the poverty threshold and Manny Pacquiao’s upbringing in Bukidnon, a place best known for its rice and corn industries, was no different.
As a child, he worked in a bakery and sold cigarettes on the street to scrape together some money to help his family.
This humble upbringing is a key reason why he is able to resonate so significantly with the public that adores him, as is his legendary generosity.
Those on hard times regularly beat a path to the Pacquiao home in General Santos City. When the champ is home few visitors leave disappointed, or empty-handed.
Promoter Bob Arum and trainer Freddie Roach fret that Pacquiao is generous to a fault and will end up broke, but he refuses to change.
Roach, the master technician and preparer of fighters, had to shut his Los Angeles-based Wildcard Gym in the afternoons so the Pacquiao training camp could proceed undisturbed by onlookers keen to get a glimpse of a modern-day legend.
“Manny is a very open person and he feels a responsibility to the people who come to see him,” Roach said. “That is part of what makes him a good person, but it is not the best thing when you are getting ready for a fight.”
Pacquiao has not lost since he was outpointed by Erik Morales four years ago and his status has grown immeasurably since then.
It is hard to imagine the scale of Filipino mourning that would take place if Hatton emerges as the victor on Saturday night.
While Pacquiao is a clear favorite, the Englishman has never lost at 140 pounds and repeatedly asserted that too much has been read into Pacquiao’s pounding of De La Hoya last December.
Hatton’s invading army of supporters will outnumber the Filipino contingent on fight night, but it can be argued that it is Pacquiao who will feel the weight of public expectation more acutely.
However, pressure has rarely blunted his abilities in the past and the man who belongs to his people insists he is ready to deliver another thrilling chapter to his rags-to-riches story.
“My people make special plans to see me fight and give me the best support and respect any boxer could have,” Pacquiao said.
“But it is not pressure, it is inspiration.”
-Martin Rogers, Pacquaio the Filipino Uniter
Posted in Uncategorized | tagged haton, pacquiao, pound-for-pound king | | 0 Comments
Francis M.: A Free Man
March 23rd, 2009 by xxxmidangxxx
I realized i have not written anything for my friendster blog this 2009. I just thought that i should write something meaningful to feature my first blog post for the year. SO, i decided that it should be about a man i greatly admired.
I don’t think i am too late to share my condolences, sympathies and grief for the loss of a good man with a truly dedicated heart for the Filipino Masses: Francis M. In his music, one could derive that he is one of those talented Filipinos who desired change, improvement and hope for this country. You could only name so few Filipino artists who have dedicated their music career on flourishing the nationalistic genre. Not only was he able to successfully establish himself as a nationalistic artist, he have created FMCC(Francis M. Clothing Corporation) with 3 stars and a sun, a t-shirt reminiscent of that of a philippine flag which have sold-out most of its stocks since it have launched around 2004.
MOreover, he has helped a lot of young Filipino talents to establish their own name in the music business, among them was Gloc-9. I was very touched by Gloc-9s performance in EB, i forgot the specific date, but it was a saturday and they have made that day a special tribute for Francis M. In his rendition of “Lando” a song collaboration of Francis M and Gloc 9, wherein he sang the last verse, he was crying so hard and at the same time trying so hard not to stutter the verses of the song. It was emotional, majority of the audience was crying, feeling the loss of a truly great person.
We was a good father and a husband too. Having followed the Filipino entertainment business, i have never heard of issues, scandals that have referred to the Magalona family. He have eight beautiful kids and a loving wife, Pia. And he has left them with something to look up to, HIM.
I have read his entries in multiply.com, i was only able to read his entries on his time in the hospital wherein he sounded hopeful and grateful to the God almighty for the strength He have given him in his battle for leukemia. It would break your heart, promise, it did mine.
But like they say, “Good boy, madaling kunin ni Lord” siguro he have served his time. Everyone could attest that he have lived it fully. And maybe it was just the right time for him to go. His memory will live in the hearts among those who was able to appreciate him fully as a person and an artist. I came to realize that its not how long you have to live in this life but it’s how you are going to live it fully.
Thank you very much Francis M. Rest in peace brotha.
And i live you with this song: LAndo.
Lando - Gloc 9 feat Francis M.
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mensahe
September 5th, 2008 by xxxmidangxxx
i’m sorry i haven’t talked to you in so long. I feel I’ve been lost, no bearings, no compass. I kept crashing into things a little crazy, i guess. I’ve never been lost before, you were my true north. I could always stir for home when you were my home. forgive me for being so angry when you left. I still think some mistakes were made and i’m waiting for god to take it back. but i’m doing better now, the work helps me. most of all you helped me. you came into my dream last night with that smile of yours that always held me like a lover, rock me like a child. all i remember from the dream is the feeling of peace. i wake up from that feeling and tried to keep it alive as long as i could. i’m writing to tell you that i am in that journey towards that peace, and to tell you i’m sorry about so many things. i’m sorry i didn’t take better care of you so that you’ve never spent one minute of being cold or scared or sick. i’m sorry i didn’t try harder to find the words to tell what i was feeling. i’m sorry i ever fought with you. i’m sorry i didn’t apologize more, i was too proud. i’m sorry i didn’t bring you more compliments in every thing you wore and every way you fixed your hair. i’m sorry i didn’t hold on to you with so much strength that even God couldn’t pull you away.
Posted in Hinanakit | tagged armida, kevin costner, love letter, lunday, message in the bottle, movie | | 0 Comments
Snapple Facts
August 12th, 2008 by xxxmidangxxx
Snapple Facts
#1 A Goldfish’s attention span is three seconds
#2 Animals that lay eggs don’t have belly buttons
#3 Beavers can hold their breathe for 45 minutes under water
#4 Slugs have 4 noses
#5 Camels have 3 eyelids
#6 A honey bee can fly at 15mph
#7 A queen bee can lay 800-1500 eggs per day
#8 A bee has 5 eyes
#9 The average speed of a housefly is 4.5 mph
#10 Mosquitoes are attracted to people who just ate bananas
#11 Flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp
#12 Emus and Kangaroos cannot walk backward
#13 Cats have over 100 vocal chords
#14 Camel’s milk does not curdle
#15 All porcupines float in water
#16 The world’s termites outweigh the world’s humans 10 to 1
#17 A hummingbird weighs less then a penny
#18 A jellyfish is 95% water
#19 Children grow faster in the spring
#20 Broccoli is the only vegetable that is also a flower
#21 Almonds are part of the peach family
#22 Alaska has the highest percentage of people who walk to work
#23 The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile national monument
#24 The state of Maine has 62 lighthouses
#25 The only food that does not spoil is honey
#26 The Hawaiian alphabet only has 12 letters
#27 A ball of glass will bounce higher then a ball of rubber
#28 Chewing gum while peeling onions will prevent you from crying
#29 On average a human will spend up to 2 weeks kissing in his/her lifetime
#30 Fish have eyelids
#31 The average human will eat an average of 8 spiders while sleeping
#32 There is one million ants to every human in the world
#33 Termites eat through wood two times faster when listening to rock music!
#34 If you keep a goldfish in a dark room it will eventually turn white
#35 Elephants only sleep 2 hours a day
#36 A duck’s quack doesn’t echo
#37 A snail breathes through its foot
#38 Fish cough.
#39 An ant’s smell is stronger then a dog’s
#40 It is possible to lead a cow up stairs but not down
#41 Shrimp can only swim backward
#42 Frogs cannot swallow with their eyes open
#43 A cat’s lower jaw cannot move sideways
#44 The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps
#45 Elephants are capable of swimming 20 miles per day
#46 Elephants are the only mammal that cannot jump
#47 Giraffes have no vocal chords
#48 Cats can hear ultrasound
#49 Despite its hump…camels has a straight spine
#50 Mosquitoes have 47 teeth
#51 There is 63,360 inches in a mile
#52 11% of people in the world are left-handed
#53 The average women consumes 6lbs of lipstick in her lifetime
#54 The average smell weighs 760 nanograms *
#55 A human brain weighs about 3lbs
#56 1/4 of the bones in your body are in your feet
#57 You blink over 10,000,000 times a year
#58 A sneeze travels out of your nose at 100mph
#59 Brain waves can be used to power an electric train
#60 The tongue is the fastest healing part of the body
#61 Pigs get sunburn
#62 The lifespan of a taste bud is 10 days
#63 The average human produces 10,000 gallons of saliva in a lifetime
#64 Strawberries contain more Vitamin C then oranges
#65 A one-day weather forecast requires about 10 billion math calculations
#66 Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza a day
#67 There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal cracker zoo
#68 The longest one syllable word is "screeched"
#69 No word in the English language rhymes with month
#70 A "jiffy" is actually 1/100 of a second
#71 There is a town called "Big Ugly" in West Virginia
#72 The average person uses 150 gallons of water per day for personal use
#73 The average person spends 2 weeks of its life waiting for a traffic light to change
#74 You share your birthday with 9 million others in the world
#75 The average person makes 1,140 phone calls per year
#76 The average person spends 2 years on the phone in his/her lifetime
#77 No piece of paper can be folded more then 7 times
#78 Alaska is the most eastern and western state in the US
#79 There are 119 grooves on the edge of a quarter
#80 About 18% of Animal owners share their bed with their pet
#81 Alaska has more caribou then people
#82 August has the highest percent of births
#83 Googol is a number (1 followed by 100 zeros)
#84 Oysters can change genders back and forth
#85 The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows
#86 Until the 19th century solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia
#87 A mile on the ocean and a mile on land are not the same distance
#88 A ten gallon hat holds less then one gallon of liquid
#89 The average American walks 18,000 steps a day
#90 The average raindrop falls at 7mph
#91 There are more telephones than people in Washington D.C.
#92 Fish can drown
#93 A Kangaroo can jump 30 feet
#94 Lizards communicate by doing push-ups
#95 Squids can have eyeballs the size of volleyballs
#96 The average American will eat 35,000 cookies in his/her lifetime
#97 A turkey can run at 20mph
#98 When the moon is directly over you, you weigh less
#99 You burn 20 calories an hour chewing gum
#100 In a year, the average person walks 4 miles making their bed
#101 About half of all Americans are on a diet at any given time
#102 A one-minute kiss burns 26 calories
#103 Frowning burns more calories then smiling
#104 There are more then 30,000 diets on public record
#105 You will burn 7% more calories walking on hard dirt then pavement
#106 You way less at the top of a mountain then sea level
#107 You burn more calories sleeping then watching TV
#108 Licking a stamp burns 10 calories
#109 Smelling apples and/or bananas can help you lose weight
#110 Frogs never drink
#111 Only male turkeys gobble
#112 At birth, a Dalmation is always pure white
#113 The fastest recorded speed of a racehorse was over 43 mph
#114 The oldest known animal was a tortoise, which lived to be 152 years old
#115 Bamboo makes up 99% of a panda’s diet
#116 The largest fish is the whale shark - It can be over 50 feet long and weigh 2 tons
#117 The starfish is the only animal that can turn its stomach inside out
#118 Honeybees are the only insects that create a form of food for humans
#119 The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards
#120 The only continent without native reptiles or snakes is Antarctica
#121 The only bird that can swim and not fly is a penguin
#122 A duck can’t walk without bobbing its head
#123 Beavers were once the size of bears
#124 Seals sleep only one and a half minutes at a time
#125 Pigeons have been trained by the U.S. Coast Guard to spot people lost at sea
#126 A pigeon’s feathers are heavier than its bones
#127 A hummingbird’s heart beats 1,400 times a minute
#128 Dragonflies have six legs but can’t walk
#129 Mosquitos have 47 teeth
#130 Koala and humans are the only animals with unique fingerprints
#131 Penguins have an organ above their eyes that converts seawater to fresh water
#132 A crocodile cannot move its tongue
#133 Honeybees navigate by using the sun as a compass
#134 An ant can lift 50 times its own weight
#135 A single coffee tree produces only about a pound of coffee beans per year
#136 Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside
#137 The city of Los Angeles has three times more automobiles than people
#138 Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows coffee
#139 Hawaii is the only state with one school district
#140 Holland is the only country with a national dog
#141 The square dance is the official dance of the state of Washington
#142 Hawaii is the only U.S. state never to report a temperature of zero degrees F or below
#143 "Q" is the only letter in the alphabet not appearing in the name of any U.S. state
#144 Texas is the only state that permits residents to cast absentee ballots from space
#145 Lake Superior is the world’s largest lake
#146 The smallest county in America is New York County, better known as Manhattan
#147 Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic
#148 The tallest man was 8 ft. 11 in
#149 Theodore Roosevelt was the only president who was blind in one eye
#150 The first sport to be filmed was boxing in 1894
#151 The fastest served ball in tennis was clocked at 154 mph in 1963
#152 In 1985, the fastest bicyclist was clocked at 154 mph
#153 The speed limit in NYC was 8 mph in 1895
#154 Americans spend more than $630 million a year on golf balls
#155 In 1926, the first outdoor mini-golf courses were built on rooftops in NYC
#156 Swimming pools in the U.S. contain enough water to cover San Francisco
#157 The first TV soap opera debuted in 1946
#158 The first MTV video was "Video Killed the Radio Star," by the Buggles
#159 The first TV show ever to be put into reruns was "The Lone Ranger"
#160 One alternative title that had been considered for NBC’s hit "Friends" was "Insomnia Cafe"
#161 The first TV network kids show in the U.S. was "Captain Kangaroo"
#162 The temperature of the sun can reach up to 15 million degrees fahrenheit
#163 The first penny had the motto "Mind your own business"
#164 The first vacuum was so large, it was brought to a house by horses
#165 Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise
#166 Before mercury, brandy was used to fill thermometers
#167 You have to play ping-pong for 12 hours to lose one pound
#168 One brow wrinkle is the result of 200,000 frowns
#169 The first human-made object to break the sound barrier was a whip
#170 In 1878, the first telephone book ever issued contained only 50 names
#171 The most sensetive parts of the body are the mouth and the fingertips
#172 The eye makes movements 50 times every second
#173 Chinese is the most spoken language in the world
#174 The world’s biggest pyramid is not in Egypt, but in Mexico
#175 In 1634, tulip bulbs were a form of currency in Holland
#176 The first bike was called a hobbyhorse
#177 The first sailing boats were built in Egypt
#178 The first ballpoint pens were sold in 1945 for $12.00
#179 The first lighthouse to use electricity was the Statue of Liberty in 1886
#180 The first VCR was made in 1956 and was the size of a piano
#181 The first jukebox was located in San Francisco in 1899
#182 A rainbow can only be seen in the morning or late afternoon
#183 The Capitol building in Washington DC has 365 steps to represent every day of the year
#184 The most used letters in the English language are E, T, A, O, I and N
#185 A male kangaroo is called a Boomer
#186 A female kangaroo is called a flyer
#187 There are over 61,000 pizzerias in the U.S
#188 Antarctica is the driest, coldest, windiest, and highest continent on earth
#189 The Sahara Desert stretches father than the distance from California to New York
#190 Thailand means "Land of the Free"
#191 Popcorn was invented by the American Indians
#192 Jupiter spins so fast that there is a new sunrise nearly every ten hours
#193 The year that read the same upside down was 1961. That won’t happen again until 6009
#194 You don’t have to be a lawyer to be a Supreme Court Justice
#195 Eleven of the fifty states are named after and actual person
#196 If you doubled one penny every day for 30 days, you would have $5, 368, 709
#197 The first person crossed Niagra Falls by tightrope in 1859
#198 The US is the largest country names after an actual person (Amerigo Vespucci)
#199 The largest cheesecake ever-made weighed 57,508 lbs
#200 The first country to use postcards was Austria
Posted in Games | | | 0 Comments
My Brother… a teary story
August 12th, 2008 by xxxmidangxxx
I was born in a secluded village on a mountain. Day by
day, my parents
plowed the yellow dry soil with their backs towards
the sky. I have a
brother who is 3 years younger than me.
I wanted to buy a handkerchief, which all girls
aroundme seemed to
have. So, one day I stole 50 cents from my father’s
drawer. Father had
discovered about the stolen money right away. He made
me and my younger
brother kneel against the wall as he held a bamboo
stick in his hand.
"Who stole the money?" he asked. I was stunned, too
afraid to talk.
Neither of us admitted to the fault, so he said,
"Fine, if nobody wants
to admit, you two should be beaten!"
He lifted up the bamboo stick. Suddenly, my younger
brother gripped
father’s hand and said," Dad, I was the one who did
it!" The long stick
smacked my brother’s back repeatedly. Father was so
angry that he kept on
whipping my brother until he lost his breath.
After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded
my brother,
"You have learned to steal from your own house now.
What other
embarrassing things will you be possibly doing in the
future? You should be
beaten to death, you shameless thief!"
That night, my mother and I hugged my brother. His
body was full of
wounds from the beating but he never shed a single
tear. In the middle of
the night, all of sudden, I cried out loudly.
My brother covered my mouth with his little hand and
said, "Sis, now
don’t cry anymore. everything has happened."
I still hate myself for not having enough courage to
admit what I did.
Years gone by, but the incident still seemed like it
just happened
yesterday.
I will never forget my brother’s _expression when he
protected me.
That year, my brother was 8 years old and I was 11
years old.
When my brother was in his last year of secondary
school, he was
accepted in an upper
secondary school in the central. At the same time, I
was accepted into
a university in the province. That night, father
squatted in the yard,
smoking, packet by packet. I could hear him ask my
mother, "Both of our
children, they have good results? very good results?"
Mother wiped off her tears and sighed, "What is the
use? How can we
possibly finance both of them?" At that time, my
brother walked out, he
stood in front of father and said,"Dad, I don’t want
to continue my study
anymore, I have read enough books."
Father swung his hand and slapped my brother on his
face. "Why do you
have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it means I have
to beg for money on
the streets, I will send you two to school until you
have both finished
your study!"
And then, he started to knock on every house in the
village to borrow
money.
I stuck out my hand as gently as I can to my brother’s
swollen face,
and told him, "A boy has to
continue his study; If not, he will not be able to
overcome this
poverty we are experiencing."
I, on the other hand, had decided not to further my
study at the
university.
Nobody knew that on the next day, before dawn, my
brother left the
house with a few pieces of
worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to my
side of the bed
and left a note on my pillow; "Sis, getting into a
university is not
easy. I will go find a job and I will send money to
you."
I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried
until I lost my
voice.
That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years
old.
With the money father borrowed from the whole village,
and the money my
brother earned from carrying cement on his back at a
construction
site,finally, I managed to get to the third year of my
study in the
university.
One day, while I was studying in my room, my roommate
came in and told
me,"There’s a villager waiting for you outside!" Why
would there be a
villager looking for me? I walked out, and I saw my
brother from afar.
His whole body was covered with dirt, dust, cement and
sand. I asked
him, "Why did you not tell my roommate that you are my
brother?"
He replied with a smile,"Look at my appearance. What
will they think if
they would know that I am your brother? Won’t they
laugh at you?" I
felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept
away dirt and dust from
my brother’s body. And told him with a lump in my
throat, " I don’t
care
what people would say! You are my brother no matter
what your
appearance is?"
From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He
put it on my
hair and said, "I saw all the
girls in town are wearing it. So, I think you should
also have one."
I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my
brother into my arms
and cried.
That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years
old.
I noticed that the broken window was repaired the
first time I brought
my boyfriend home. The
house was scrubbed cleaned. After my boyfriend left, I
danced like a
little girl in front of my mother, "Mom, you didn’t
have to spend so much
time cleaning the house!" But she told
me with a smile," It was your brother who went home
early to clean the
house. Didn’t you see the wound on his hand? He hurt
his hand while he
was replacing the window." I went into my brother’s
bedroom. Looking at
his thin face, I felt like there are hundreds of
needle pricked in my
heart.
I applied some ointment on his wound and put a bandag
on it, "Does it
hurt? " I asked him.
"No, it doesn’t hurt. You know, when at the
construction site, stones
keep falling on my feet . Even that could not stop me
from working." In
the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I
turned my back on him and tears rolled down my face.
That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years
old.
After I got married, I lived in the city. Many times
my husband invited
my parents to come and live with us, but they didn’t
want to. They
said, once they left the village, they wouldn’t know
what to do.
My brother agreed with them. He said, "Sis, you just
take care of your
parents-in-law. I will take
care of mom and dad here."
My husband became the director of his factory. We
asked my brother to
accept the offer of being
the manager in the maintenance department. But my
brother rejected the
offer. He insisted on working as a repairman instead
for a start.
One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder
repairing a cable, when
he got electrocuted, and was sent to the hospital. My
husband and I
visited him at the hospital. Looking at the white
gypsum on his leg, I
grumbled, "Why did you reject the offer of being a
manager? Managers won’t
do something dangerous like that. Now look at you, You
are suffering a
serious injury. Why
didn’t you just listen to us?"
With a serious expression on his face, he defended
his decision,
"Think of brother-in-law. He
just became the director, and I being uneducated, and
would become a
manager, what kind of rumors would fly around?"
My husband’s eyes filled up with tears, and then I
said, "But you lack
in education only because
of me!"
"Why do you talk about the past?" he said and then he
held my hand.
That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years old.
My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer
girl from the
village.
During the wedding reception, the master of ceremonies
asked him, "Who
is the one person you respect and love the most?"
Without even taking a
time to think, he answered, "My sister." He continued
by telling a
story I could not even remember.
"When I was in primary school, the school was in a
different village.
Everyday, my sister and I
would walk for 2 hours to school and back home. One
day, I lost the
other pair of my gloves. My sister gave me one of
hers.
She wore only one glove and she had to walk far. When
we got home, her
hands were trembling because of the cold weather that
she could not
even hold her chopsticks. From that day on, I swore
that as long as I
live, I would take care of my sister and will always
be good to her."
Applause filled up the room. All guests turned their
attention to me.
I found it hard to speak, "In my whole life, the one I
would like to
thank most is my brother," And in this happy
occasion,in front of the
crowd, tears were rolling down my face again.
Love and care for the one you love every single days
of your life. You
may think what you did is
just a small deed, but to that someone, it may mean a
lot.
Posted in Uncategorized | | | 0 Comments
Ephemera
August 12th, 2008 by xxxmidangxxx
caught a glint of your dotting eyes
on a sunny sunday afternoon,
stimulated the temperature of my body to rise
penetrated the hunger within me down to the bone
a smirk surfaced in your lovely face
wanting, needing, luring to the extreme
luscious lips thirsty for an aggressive kiss
a burning desire thought possible only in a dream
but on a sunny sunday afternoon
random people glanced us, touched us, admired us perhaps wanted us
but what needless risk they need to take so soon
if they just caught you passing in their life once
on a sunny sunday afternoon
Posted in Mindwreck | | | 0 Comments
It Takes Three to Disco!
August 4th, 2008 by xxxmidangxxx
When I look back into my not-so-distant past, I realized that you could never start experiencing the real life unless you put risks into it. I never imagined myself juggling responsibilities of being a wife, a mother, a daughter and working a full-time job. I presume none could imagine me taking all those responsibilities (tsk tsk tsk). I see marriage as a hindrance to happy life; I envision it as a choking apparatus (and so do a couple of people out there). But when I got myself married and pregnant and eventually giving birth, I realized that there’s no greater feeling than sharing your life with someone.
When me and my then-boyfriend (now my hubby) hook up. We are, as if, a match made in heaven (well, this is actually an irony). We were both spoiled brats! We have pride that equals the height of the Petronas tower! Yup, both of us! But no matter how oftentimes we psychologically damaged each other, we never broke up. We never experienced breaking up! Thank God! When we are, as if, living the life of a weed addict, that’s when I could definitely say, we are really meant for each other. Nobody knew our love story but I assure you it’s a Max fried-chiken-kilig-sarap-juicy-to-the-bone story. We’ll just keep discreet.
We made a pact to be responsible for each other. He treated me like a princess and sometimes a queen (but most of the times princess ra iya treatment nako) and I treated him like a king… heheheh …When I became pregnant, that’s when I got the full-time royal treatment. He never let’s me go alone. He was my full-time bodyguard.
The night I gave birth, my husband greeted me outside the delivery room with a smile and a kiss in my forehead that made me forget, in a short while, the pain that I have gone through. Right there and then, I became so grateful to God for everything he gave me. I have serious flaws, and somehow, I think I over-deserved such blessings. But of course, I could never be grateful to God without being grateful to my husband. Every time he jokes about being one-of-a-kind, sometimes I reply nothing, or sometimes I respond sarcastically but deep in my heart I know he is!
Our life even spiced up to the max with our little angel, Tristan Beau. Why such a name? One night we had brainstormed into what to name our little angel, we agreed on Tristan coz it meant bold and we both like the Tristan and Isolde movie too. And BEAU (bow) french for Beautiful. So his name means… Bold and Beautiful… hehehehe…
Everyone wants to claim that our baby has the resemblance of them. But in my honest opinion, my baby looks very much like his father. The cuteness, he definitely got from his mother… Walay moangal ha?! Well, we got used to waking up at night to feed him, change his diarpers…. But, our tiredness pays off once you see him smile plus his dimples which he always shows off… He likes to go out in the morning and in the afternoon to see the world. He likes to ride the trisikad and listens to the broom broom of jeepneys. He likes loud music and he is used to the noise. He mumbles a lot and they do sound the cutest, melts my heart every time I hear them. And above all he recognizes and feels your presence. And he is only 2 month old. So many things to hope for and so many surprises I look forward to.
When our baby was not yet around, I always tell my hubby that we’ll go through anything, as long as we’re together. But now with Baby Beau, it no longer takes ‘two to tango’, it takes Three to disco, which is much happier na!
Posted in Mi FamiLiA | | | 0 Comments
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