Quaere Verum

Chanced upon this site which highlights bad taste in the use of Christmas lights. Here are some of the interesting ones I found: A little overboard, don't you think? Some people just don't know when to quit. Enough already! Makes you feel you're in Las Vegas. The Nativity meets the Last Supper. If you want to see more, just go to Ugly Christmas Lights.com .

Kumukuti-kutitap, bumubusi-busilak Ganyan ang indak ng mga bombilya Kikindat-kindat, kukurap-kurap Pinaglalaruan ang iyong mga mata

Wait and watch what happens. Thanks to Annie for this one.

No, I don't watch ABS-CBN 's Pinoy Dream Academy . I haven't even seen a single episode. There's just something about Philippine reality TV shows that makes my hair stand on end. That being said, for some reason I can't help but like this song from one of Pinoy Dream Academy's scholars. What can I say? Sue me. Note: Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button. Hawak Kamay Yeng Constantino Minsan madarama mo kay bigat ng problema Minsan mahihirapan ka at masasabing “di ko makakaya” Tumingin ka lang sa langit Baka sakaling may masumpungan Di kaya ako’y tawagin Malalaman mong kahit kailan Hawak-kamay Di kita iiwan sa paglakbay Dito sa mundong walang katiyakan Hawak-kamay Di kita bibitawan sa paglalakbay Sa mundo ng kawalan Minsan madarama mo Ang mundo’y gumuho sa ilalim ng iyong mga paa At ang agos ng problema’y tinatangay ka Tumingin ka lang sa langit Baka sakaling may masumpungan Di kaya ako’y tawagin Malalaman mo

Always use loose change or small bills when buying newspapers. This story didn't happen to me personally, but to my officemate's brother-in-law. This officemate of mine told the story with such aplomb and bravado that I couldn't help myself from laughing my head off. Yes, it was really than funny. Well, at least when he told it. :-) The tale goes something like this: My officemate's brother-in-law was in some province waiting for a bus ride home. Getting kinda bored with the rather long wait, he decided to buy a newspaper to while away the time. He bought a newspaper from a nearby vendor, but failing to have any loose change, he paid with a whole P500.00 peso bill. The vendor, not having change for a bill of that size, went off somewhere on the pretext of having the note broken down into smaller bills. Then one bus passes by, and then another. And the vendor was still nowhere to be found. It's at this point that it finally dawns on my officemate's brother-in-la

I looked like an idiot while this picture was being taken, but it was worth it. :-) Related Posts: Lawbreaker....

Weird Al Yankovic 's parody of Ridin' by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. I'm not by any means white, but strangely/sadly enough, I think I can relate with the nerdy part. :-) Note: Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button. White & Nerdy Weird Al Yankovic They see me mowin' my front lawn I know they're all thinkin' I'm so White and nerdy Think I'm just too white and nerdy Think I'm just too white and nerdy Can't you see I'm white and nerdy Look at me I'm white and nerdy I wanna roll with the gangstas But so far they all think I'm too White and nerdy Think I'm just too white and nerdy Think I'm just too white and nerdy I'm just too white and nerdy Really, really white and nerdy First in my class here at MIT Got skills, I'm a champion at D&D M.C. Escher, that's my favorite M.C. Keep your 40, I'll just have an Earl Grey tea My rims never spin, to the c

Came across this rather simple test through this blog entry . The test simply involves the selection of colors based on your personal preference. The results should reveal some pretty interesting things about you. Mine did. The theory is that our color preferences are reliable indicators of our personality traits as well as our current frame of my mind. This is what I got, and as far as I can tell, it seems to be pretty spot on: Your Complete Personal Profile You are a very sensitive person and you try hard (perhaps a little too hard) to make favourable impressions and to be recognised by your peers. But you have that inherent need to feel appreciated and admired and you are easily hurt if all of your endeavours go by unappreciated or not acknowledged. Stop trying so hard. For some time now you have been feeling rather insecure. You are looking for - and needing - an environment that can offer you roots, stability and a position that will relieve you of excess tension and stress. It is

Always keep loose change in your car. Several months back I discovered firsthand how important it is to have loose change in your car. In fact, it saved me from taking public transportation twice as well as the concomitant loss of time within a span of less than an hour. How? It all started innocuously enough. I was fixing something at home one weekend morning when I realized that I needed to buy a certain something to finish what I was doing. I hopped in my car, still wearing house clothes, and dashed off to SM City North Edsa, expecting to do a quick run - go to the mall, buy the thing, and head on out home. The thing is, sometimes things don't turn out as simple as we expect them to be. After parking at the SM City Carpark, I trudged over to Ace Hardware, intent on doing the deed as quick as possible. I looked around, found the thing that I needed to buy and proceeded to the cashier. That's when I realized I had done the unthinkable. I didn't have my wallet with me. I wa

More than a year ago, I wrote a blog entry sharing my thoughts on Pablo Planas' controversial yet popular gas saving device, the Khaos Super Turbo Charger (KSTC). That piece however, wasn't exactly a resounding endorsement of the KSTC. On the contrary, I came to the general conclusion that the KSTC isn't as effective as its marketers claim it to be, and that its popularity is more due to hype than to technical soundness. Quite ironic if you think about it. A technical flop, but a marketing success. Interestingly, found among the comments for that particular blog post was a reference for another gas saving device invented by another Filipino, Perlito Cabauatan from Nueva Vizcaya, the Nuvitron Electronic Fuel Economizer (NEFE). Information regarding the NEFE has been quite scarce on the internet, and I was quite pleased when one of my rarely used inboxes turned up an email straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, as it was from Patricio Cabauatan, the son of the

After almost four years, my trusty 19" NEC MultiSync V930 monitor has finally kicked the bucket. Requiescat in pace. It only started about a week ago or so. The first symptom was some strange flickering on the screen, and intermittent flashes of blurred horizontal green lines. And then at different intervals, displayed images would show a crimson tinge which varied in intensity from time to time which shifted from one side of the screen to the other. After a few more days, everything on screen appeared in a rather unpleasant shade of purple. I did the normal checks. I inspected, unplugged and reconnected the monitor's data cable, I degaussed the tube, even tried reinstalling video card and monitor drivers, just in case, but it was all to no avail. Clearly one the CRT's (cathode ray tube) electron guns had given out, and by all indications, it was probably the green one, since everything was in purple now. It was pretty disappointing. I was expecting the monitor to last for

Another Imago song, from their earlier Take 2 album. :-) Note: Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button. Anino Imago Doon sa likod ng ilaw paspasan ang laro nakikikasama Sabay pikit sa tiyempo wag kang pahuhuli sa kanyang sayaw Hinahanap ang iyong kamay bakit ang hirap mong kasabay? lahat ng gawin tila sablay balang araw walang maghihintay isa, dalawa, tatlo asan ang anino mo? apat, lima patay sindi ang ilaw ko anim, pito, walo, siyam, sampu nahihilo, nahihilo, nahihilo Handa ng magpaalam pagsapit ng gabi ika’y mawawala Sa pagkaulila ako ang kumot mong di mo makita hinahanap ang iyong kamay bakit ang hirap mong kasabay? lahat ng gawin tila sablay balang araw walang maghihintay isa, dalawa, tatlo asan ang anino mo? apat, lima patay sindi ang ilaw ko anim, pito, walo, siyam, sampu nahihilo, nahihilo, nahihilo sumpa bang magpaalam kurtina ng gabi ika'y mawawala hinahanap ang iyong kamay bakit ang hirap mong kasabay? lahat ng gawin

This Japanese magician gets his kicks being made up as an old man and performing magic tricks in public places. Watch it, it's actually quite funny. :-) Note: Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.

Got this through email. I'm not sure if this story is true or not, but with credit card companies being the way they are, but I can certainly see it happening. :-) Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is so priceless, and so so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today. Anyone who has dealt with an estate will agree with this. A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00, now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank. Here is the exchange: Family Member: "I am calling to tell you she died in January." Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply." Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections. " Citibank: "Since it is two months past due, it already has b

I have always been a shock absorber as far as I can remember. For some reason, friends, colleagues, even people I hardly know seek me out whenever they need help, advice, input of any kind, or at the very least someone to listen. Being somewhat empathic, it can be a very draining emotional experience, listening to people pour their hearts out, as they share their concerns regarding life, love, work, hopes, dreams, and what have you. The irony is, I myself have never been the type of person who seeks out other people to listen to my problems. I have always been a private person, and I've always preferred to keep my thoughts to myself. One of the reasons is that while I make friends easily, I don't readily give my trust to just any Tom, Dick or Harry. Trusting someone, whether it be a friend, or perhaps even someone more than a friend, takes time. And once lost, it can take a long time to build that trust back up, assuming that it even ever returns. Consequently, the people tha

What's wrong with this picture? :-)

The Red Rose - A Meeting of the Heart John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile hea

Today, November 2, is All Souls Day . According to Catholic tradition, this is the day of the year when we remember and pray for our departed loved ones. It's a bit ironic when you consider that we normally associate November 1, or All Saints Day instead, as the appropriate day for trooping to the cemeteries, lighting candles, and praying for our deceased relatives, when strictly speaking, it should be November 2. November 1, or All Saints Day , was meant to be the day of year in which Catholics honor the saints, both known and unknown. However, Filipino custom has somehow intertwined the practice of venerating the dead with November 1, instead of November 2 as provided in the Catholic calendar. This year didn't seem that conducive to visiting your loved ones' graves especially if they're located in far off provinces. Only November 1 was declared a holiday, and being a Wednesday, smack dab in the middle of the week, it didn't leave much allowance for traveling off