Quaere Verum

According to my small army of various counters, the following represent my most read posts for the year 2005 (based solely on the number of hits). Counting down from number 15: 15. Having faith in people.... (posted February 19) A short essay on the difficulties of having too high a moral standard for my own good. 14. Lakeside serenity.... (posted March 13) My favorite photograph of my son. 13. The Alchemist (posted February 7) My review of the Paul Coelho bestseller. 12. Tech poseurs.... (posted November 5) My rant against those who pretend to be techies just to be "in". 11. Unaware of your angel.... (posted November 11) A posted forwarded email which led to accusations of plagiarism. 10. On marriage, spouses, anullment and divorce.... (posted November 25) The title speaks for itself. 9. Evolutionism versus creationism.... (posted November 10) The two origin theories face off. 8. Dissecting the double standard.... (posted December 6) The differences between men and ...

New Year's Day U2 Yeah... All is quiet on New Year's Day A world in white gets underway I want to be with you Be with you night and day Nothing changes on New Year's Day On New Year's Day I will be with you again I will be with you again Under a blood red sky A crowd has gathered in black and white Arms entwined, the chosen few The newspapers says, says Say it's true it's true... And we can break through Though torn in two We can be one I...I will begin again I...I will begin again Oh... Maybe the time is right Oh...maybe tonight... I will be with you again I will be with you again And so we're told this is the golden age And gold is the reason for the wars we wage Though I want to be with you Be with you night and day Nothing changes On New Year's Day On New Year's Day

Snglguy and I have this pet project, a community blog for bored, single people. It's called The Bored Single Bloggers' Club , and we sort of envision it to be a place where single bloggers can hang out, post entries and messages, perhaps get to know each another, have affairs, oops, I was only thinking that out aloud. :-) We only started this out a week or so ago, and we're looking for fellow bloggers who would like to join us in this endeavor. Of course, we have very strict requirements. Only the best can join in. Here are the qualifications we are looking for: Must be male or female. No exceptions; Must be human . No exceptions; Must be able to use a mouse and keyboard. Working knowledge of DOS and WordStar are plusses; Must have some mild form of psychological disorder (like depression, bipolar disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, etc.); Preferably single, or at the very least possess the mentality of being a single person; Lastly, and most importantly, must be...

Dr. José Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonzo Realonda, executed by firing squad 109 years ago, on December 30, 1896. If by rebellion you mean to hope and to desire, to labor and struggle by every peaceful means for the liberties of my country, and if for that you demand the penalty of death, then gladly, willingly shall I die. - Jose Rizal

About six months ago I wrote a post about WWE wrestling superstar Batista 's Filipino roots. Here's another one. Did you know that Mutya Buena (center), one the co-founders and members of the UK all-girl pop trio Sugababes is half Filipino? Her full name is Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena and she was born on May 21, 1985 in London, England. Her father is a Filipino, while her mother is Irish. Sugababes was formed in 1998 with Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan (left) and Siobhan Donaghy as the original members. Their first hit was the song Overload from the album One Touch . Siobhan Donaghy left Sugababes in 2001 due to creative differences and went solo. She was replaced by Heidi Range (right). Their other hits are Round Round from the album Angels With Dirty Faces and their currently popular Push The Button from their latest album Taller In More Ways . Mutya gave birth to daughter Tahlia Maya on March 23, 2005. Last December 21 it was announced that Mutya would be leaving Sugabab...

While driving home after dropping my son off at his mother's the other day, I came across a radio station which featured TV and radio personality Larry Henares performing an oral reading of a column written by Conrado de Quiros. At first I didn't pay it much attention, but somehow the topic piqued my interest. It was about how language has become a barrier to literacy in this country. I found the piece quite interesting that I looked it up on the internet. It's entitled Dying things , and I found it posted here , on INQ7.net . It's also posted here , on Conrado de Quiros' blog . Maybe you should give it a glance before going further. Done reading it yet? Okay, to continue... I certainly agree that the quality of written and spoken English in this country has significantly declined the past several years. I have come across people in higher management and people who hold postgraduate degrees who are virtually incapable of speaking or writing at least acceptable Engl...

If CL has her Holiday Season Soup , I have my "holiday sandwich". :-) Actually, there's nothing really special about this sandwich of mine, only the fact that I seem to be able to make it only during the holiday season. It consists of two slices of bread (preferably whole wheat) a slab of holiday ham, a fried egg, a slice of cheese, some pickle chips, and dressed up with mayonnaise and tomato ketchup. Toast it for a few minutes in an oven toaster, and serve with a whole pickle and potato chips on the side. Chock full of calories, and really hits the spot. :-) I think the main ingredients by themselves explain why I'm only able to make it during the holidays. This is the only time of year that we have "holiday ham". It's not that ham isn't that readily available here, since it is. It's the "holiday" variant, cured just right, a little sweet, and not too salty, with nice marbling, glazed with brown sugar, dripping with sauce made from pi...

Giotto di Bondone's Massacre of the Innocents . Today, December 28, is Holy Innocents Day. On this day we remember the male infants slaughtered by King Herod in his vain attempt to murder the infant Jesus. Catholic tradition dictates that today is an appropriate time to bring our children to church and to have them blessed. It's also a good time to pause and reflect on the vast numbers of children suffering in one form or another around the world. Abortion. Child abuse. Neglect. Exploitation. Prostitution. White slavery. Drug abuse. War. Terrorism. Hunger and malnutrition. Disease. Land mines. Let us do what we can in order to free our children from these scourges. Our children are our most precious and valuable resource. They are, literally, and figuratively, our future. Let us treat them with the love and respect they deserve, and teach them the folly of our ways, so that the next generation would learn from our mistakes. O God, whose praise the martyred innocents did this ...

December Collective Soul Why drink the water from my hand? Contagious as you think I am Just tilt my sun towards your domain. Your cup runneth over again. Don't scream about Don't think aloud Turn your head now baby Just spit me out Don't worry about Don't speak of doubt Turn your head now baby Just spit me out Why follow me to higher ground? Lost as you swear I am. Don't throw away your basic needs, Ambiance and vanity. Don't scream about Don't think aloud Turn your head now baby Just spit me out Don't worry about Don't speak of doubt Turn your head now baby Just spit me out December promise you gave unto me December whispers of treachery December clouds are now covering me December songs no longer I sing

Late in the evening the other day, after the Christmas celebrations have wound down, I had this inexplicable urge to clean out one of my closets, one which hasn't really been cleaned for several years now. Amidst the dust and cockroach eggs and droppings (which gave me a bit of a sneezing spell), I found a treasure trove of memories - links to my past, both recent and distant. I found a lot of photocopied cases and case digests from my law school years, old issues of my school organ (I was a college writer in those days), some of my son's old baby toys, empty boxes, shopping bags, and used gift-wrapping paper. I found my old photo albums and my high school yearbook. There were also cards and souvenirs from various occassions, as well as campaign materials from Danding Cojuangco's 1992 presidential campaign and campaign materials from my own Dad's unsuccessful congressional and city council bids in 1987 and 1992 respectively. There were also a lot of miscellaneous items...

There was once this guy who is very much in love with his girl. This romantic guy folded 1,000 pieces of paper cranes as a gift to his girl. Although, at that time he was just a small fry in his company, his future didn't seem too bright, they were very happy together. Until one day, his girl told him she was going to Paris and will never come back. She also told him that she cannot visualize any future for both of them, so they went their own ways there and then... Heartbroken, the guy agreed. But when he regained his confidence, he worked hard day and night, slogging his body and mind just to make something out of himself. Finally with all the hard work and the help of friends, this guy had set up his own company... You never fail until you stop trying. One rainy day, while this guy was driving, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella in the rain walking to some destination. Even with the umbrella, they were still drenched. It didn't take him long to realize they were hi...

Bernardino Luini's The Nativity . And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." - Luke 2:7-16 May the spirit of love and giving be in all our hearts, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. A blessed and meaningful Christmas to you and your families.

'Twas the Night before Christmas Clement Clarke Moore 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer. With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shoute...

Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897 We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun: Dear Editor, I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clau...

In contrast to other departments within our corporation who chose to hold elaborate Christmas parties, we opted to go simple this year. The officers and staff of the Program Management Group (PMG) and the Program Management Office (PMO) had a small get together over lunch yesterday at Kamayan restaurant in SM Megamall. As usual, we took the opportunity to direct tirades against each other, as we always do. :-) And the food ain't bad as well. In fact, it was pretty good. :-) Here are some pictures: The good, the bad, and the ugly. You figure out the order. And by the way, that's not Jose Rizal on the right. :-) That's Ken actually making a reverse Vulcan salute. If you don't get it, don't bother figuring it out. :-) Thel, Kelly and Hazel. By the way, Thel and Kelly are also bloggers. Thel's blog is here , while Kelly's is here . Annie contemplating whether to return to the buffet table or to take a dump. :-) Who knows? Maybe at this precise moment she's ...

A few days ago I found myself "gatecrashing" the Christmas party of a neighboring department. Well, it turns out, lagi rin akong nakatambay dun so it wasn't really that surprising that I would find myself there celebrating the season with them, even though di ako taga-dun :-) Here are some pictures: "Stolen" shot. :-) With the entire staff of the Benefits Development Office (BDO). A few drinks with the boys. This was taken two days after the party.

December 1st TO: ALL EMPLOYEES I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. There will be lots of spiked eggnog and a small band playing traditional carols .. feel free to sing along. And don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus to light the Christmas tree! Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over $10. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Patty Lewis - Human Resources Director ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December 2nd TO: ALL EMPLOYEES In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday that often coincides with Christmas (though unfortunately not this year). However, from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to employees who are celebrating Kwanzaa at this time. There will be no Christmas tree and...

Talk about irony. :-)

After hearing some positive comments from Punzi (check out his blog here ) regarding Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. 's Genji: Dawn of the Samurai , I got myself a copy of this hack-and-slash RPG to see for myself if it deserved the accolades it has been getting from a lot of gamers. Suffice it to say that despite a number of nitpicks, yes , it does. Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is Game Republic 's first foray in the realm of PlayStation 2 game development, and it's actually pretty good for a first attempt. The gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of Capcom 's Onimusha and Devil May Cry series, but that's no surprise considering that Game Republic was formed by Yoshiki Okamoto, a former Capcom executive. There are some who insist that this game is nothing more than an Onimusha clone. If they think that, they're probably just not playing the game the way it was intended to be played. Set in feudal Japan, the game's storyline revolves around the adven...

For the first bug of Christmas, my manager said to me See if they can do it again. For the second bug of Christmas, my manager said to me Ask them how they did it and See if they can do it again. For the third bug of Christmas, my manager said to me Try to reproduce it Ask them how they did it and See if they can do it again. For the fourth bug of Christmas, my manager said to me Run with the debugger Try to reproduce it Ask them how they did it and See if they can do it again. For the fifth bug of Christmas, my manager said to me Ask for a dump Run with the debugger Try to reproduce it Ask them how they did it and See if they can do it again. For the sixth bug of Christmas, my manager said to me Reinstall the software Ask for a dump Run with the debugger Try to reproduce it Ask them how they did it and See if they can do it again. For the seventh bug of Christmas, my manager said to me Say they need an upgrade Reinstall the software Ask for a dump Run with the debugger Try to reproduc...

Don't you just get annoyed whenever the last person to pour soda from the bottle always leaves a small amount behind? If the amount left is not even enough for a small serving, shouldn't the last person just drink it all up? Am I the only one who finds this annoying? :-)

The other day was our office had its corporate Christmas party. And where was I? Here at home, with my son. So why didn't I go? I just didn't feel like it, for a variety of reasons. The past several months I've been losing interest in all things related to work. I find the decisions made irrational, most of the key people mediocre, the motives questionable, and the integrity, wanting. In all likelihood, these observations don't just apply to my office. It probably applies to the government in general. A prime example of this irrational thinking so prevalent in public service was the aforementioned corporate Christmas party. Due to an administrative guideline which requires the office to adopt cost-cutting measures, the corporation didn't actually sponsor a Christmas party. It was subsidized by donations and ticket sales, which come with "complimentary" bingo cards. That's all well and good, but someone had the bright idea of making attendance to the pa...

For the past several weeks, I've made a lot of posts on this blog regarding my personal opinions, photographs that I took, places I've been, food I ate, email I received, movies or TV shows that I watched, tests I took, games I played, etc. And yet, it's been a while since I posted an entry about me . This is supposed to be a journal of my thoughts right? It did start out that way. During the first several months of this blog, I've posted a lot of my thoughts regarding the things that have been happening in my life. Somewhere along the way, my writing has diversified, and I have been blogging a little about everything, except, as it would appear, myself. While I'm not out to reverse the trend in the topics I blog about, considering the interest and visitor feedback that those topics have generated, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to go back to this blog's roots and talk about my own humdrum existence, in this, and probably some future posts. Seems t...

Yay! Another test. :-) Picked this up from Lynne 's blog . You scored as Neo, the "One" . Neo is the computer hacker-turned-Messiah of the Matrix. He leads a small group of human rebels against the technology that controls them. Neo doubts his ability to lead but doesn't want to disappoint his friends. His goal is for a world where all men know the Truth and are free from the bonds of the Matrix. Neo, the "One" 79% Batman, the Dark Knight 75% James Bond, Agent 007 67% The Amazing Spider-Man 54% Captain Jack Sparrow 50% William Wallace 50% The Terminator 50% Indiana Jones 46% Lara Croft 46% El Zorro 29% Maximus 25% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

Approximately 35 hours after declaring himself the president of a revolutionary transitional government (see previous post here ), retired general and former defense secretary Fortunato Abat, along with his lieutenants former budget secretary Salvador Enriquez, former Ambassador and National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) chair Roy Señeres and lawyer Carlos Serapio where whisked away by plainclothes operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and and brought to Camp Crame where they were detained. So goes the end of Abat's "administration". However, upon reflection, even if his methods may seem a bit "unorthodox", the old geezer may just have a point. Here are some excerpts from his two page statement issued after his arrest: "I dared to heed the longing cry of 85 million Filipinos for a man who would lead them out of the tyranny of corruption and incompetence of the present administration." "Indeed, I find it a shame that given the il...

CL , one of my more vocal commenters, sends her holiday greetings by way of her own special soup recipe. Check it out here . Season's greetings to everyone. :-)

A visitor to this blog emailed me this link to a video of David Eric Poarch, a Fil-Am, while performing in a high school psychology class project. Here's a brief description of the video from the site itself: Originally a catharsis project for a high school psychology class, this assignment for David Eric Poarch turned into quite an entertaining video. Having been booted from a previous catharsis performing team, David was forced to perform solo. He had only a couple of days to come up with an idea and did so at the very last minute. Check it out. David also has a blog which can be found at http://coconuter.blogspot.com/ .

I originally posted this ad last June, with minimal success. Thought I'd post it again. Can't hurt to try now can it? :-) Anyone here interested in purchasing a plot of commercial land located along Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City? It's my father's property, and it has a lot area of 2,844 sqm., with a number of residential improvements. The frontage is a bit on the small side, at 14 m., but it directly faces Commonwealth Ave. The lot has been on the market for quite a while, but since the real estate market has been down for some time now...well you know how it is. Just in case you're interested, or know someone who is, please feel free to leave a comment or to email me at ronallandottk@yahoo.com . To cut the hassle, would prefer to deal with direct buyers only. Sometimes it can be quite hard dealing with a multitude of brokers and middlemen...you know how that is too. :-)

Last night, on the eve of the first death anniversary of actor and presidential aspirant Fernando Poe Jr., former defense secretary and retired general Fortunato Abat proclaimed himself as the head of a revolutionary transitional government mandated by the "second Malolos congress" with the objective of replacing the current administration and peacefully ousting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Say what? You heard me right the first time. We have an old geezer, a former general and cabinet member at that, suddenly coming out into the open, proclaiming himself the "president" of a "revolutionary government", vowing to remove President Arroyo from power. Is he a hero? Or a nutcase? The jury's still out on that question, though Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye and Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Raul Gonzales seem to be more inclined in believing the latter. Secretary Gonzales, while being his usual gauche self, was quoted as saying that he was not...

Husband walks into Frederick's of Hollywood to purchase some sheer lingerie for his wife. He is shown several possibilities that range from $250 to $500 in price, the more sheer, the higher the price. He opts for the most sheer item, pays the $500 and takes the lingerie home. He presents it to his wife and asks her to go upstairs, put it on and model it for him. Upstairs, the wife thinks, "I have an idea. It's so sheer that it might as well be nothing. I won't put it on, do the modeling in the buff, return it tomorrow and keep the $500 refund for myself. So she appears in the natural on the balcony and strikes a pose. The husband says, "Good Lord! You'd think that for $500, they'd at least iron it!" He never heard the shot. Funeral services are pending. Thanks to xtnag for sending me this one. :-)

If you visited this blog yesterday expecting to find an update, sorry to disappoint you. You can go ahead and blame PLDT's myDSL service for being on the fritz virtually the entire evening. Not only do I don't have my allotted bandwidth, neither do I have my connection. Go figure.

What can I say? I'm a trekkie, whether I care to admit it or not. As proof I bought myself another Star Trek DVD compilation, the first two seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise (see previous post on my other Star Trek compilations here ). I'll be reserving my comments regarding the series until I get to see all four seasons. However, it's pretty common knowledge that Star Trek: Enterprise has turned out to be the most controversial Trek series ever since the franchise was reborn in 1987. Unlike the earlier three shows which lasted seven seasons each, Enterprise only lasted four due to dismal ratings. Its relatively poor viewership and acceptance by the Trek community were due in part to allegations that the series violated Star Trek canon and continuity over the course of its four year run. As a result, a lot of hardcore trekkies have refused to accept the events depicted in the series as canon, despite the insistence of producers/writers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga ...

After my recent Experiments in photography.... post, I started looking for other things in our house to photograph. I ended up taking pictures of the goldfish in our aquarium. It was actually harder than I thought it would be. Most of the pictures came out blurred because the fish simply wouldn't stay still, particularly if they sensed a person was nearby (maybe they thought it was feeding time). But after some trial and error, and after finally figuring what the dang ISO setting is used for, I managed to snag a couple of nice looking pics, if I do say so myself. :-) Take a look: The pictures themselves are much sharper in their original resolution. Unfortunately, resizing them has this rather unfortunate side effect of reducing the image's sharpness. I wonder if there's a way to compensate for this? Hmmm... Who knows? I may just get this photography thing right after all. I hope. :-)

Got this from Snglguy 's blog . Who would have thought that my personality is similar to that of: Yoda You scored 50% airiness, 42% squishiness, and 84% edginess! According to our patented Jawamatic TM technology, you are most like Yoda in personality. A traditionalist at heart, Yoda has honed his intuition through hundreds of years of meditation and study. But don't let that fool you -- he believes the old ways are the best ways. To him, the known is preferable to the unknown. Yoda is, in a word, reliable. (The polar opposite of Yoda is Luke Skywalker .) The eight profiles are as follows: Han Solo Yoda Chewbacca Threepio Artoo Darth Vader Luke Skywalker Princess Leia My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender : You scored higher than 45% on airiness You scored higher than 43% on squishiness You scored higher than 96% on edginess Link: The Star Wars Personality Test written by MiguelSanchez on Ok Cupid ...

This is CL 's reaction to my post: Dissecting the double standard.... Fascinating commentary, capable of standing as a blog post by itself. Posting it for everyone to read (slightly reformatted for readability). Thanks CL. :-) Double standard is created by the society in which an individual or group are influence by an idea that they adapt base upon knowledge, beliefs and information. If men think they can do it, so can the woman. If women can do it, so can the man. Equal opportunity only applies if you know how to get it. If the men want to cheat on their partner – it’s a choice. If women want to cheat on their partner – it’s an option. If they want to mutually consent to cheating – then, it’s a rare deal. If they hide it – it’s a burden. Bear in mind that there are different types of love and relationships that exist. [preferences] Men can’t bear children, this is an obvious anatomical facts. Women can’t have children without the seed of life, an obvious reproductive fact. Gay...

Two days ago, former COMELEC Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano appeared in front of a Congressional hearing for the purpose of supposedly shedding light on allegations of cheating in the last elections. Instead of clearing up the issue, he undoubtedly muddled it even further. Rather than provide answers to questions on everyone's mind, his testimony only served to create even more questions. It was very obvious that his was not being totally forthcoming, and that in all likelihood he was withholding information vital to the resolution of this controversy. Despite being Garcillano's defensive stance, some of the more capable members of the House of Representatives were able to score some points off him, and seriously undermine his credibility as a witness...assuming of course, that he had any to begin with. But after eight hours of arduous questioning, despite some victories here and there on the part of those congressmen examining him (like his shaky testimony on not having...

Birthday greetings to my sister Liza who celebrated her birthday on the 6th, my sister Carol who's celebrating hers today, and my Dad , who's celebrating his on the 12th. Many happy returns!

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's The Immaculate Conception. Prayer to the Immaculate Conception O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Kudos to Team Philippines for giving us the top medal count in this years' South East Asian Games (SEAG). This is the first time since our entry in the SEAG in 1977 that we have actually topped the medal count. Only goes to show how much the Filipino can accomplish if he sets his mind to it. See the final medal tally here . Links: RP Sick man of Asian sports no more