Quaere Verum

A whole year has passed...and here we are on the eve of a new one. Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2010, full of love and blessings.

Took delivery of a new small city car less than two weeks ago. It's a silver Hyundai i10 5-door hatchback with a 1.2 DOHC 16 valve engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. It's not going to win any drag races, and the looks may take a little getting used to, but it's cheap, easy to drive and park, reasonably comfortable, and most importantly, frugal on gas, a big deal nowadays given the rising cost of oil and concerns regarding global warming. Specifications: Variant: 2009 1.2 GLS M/T Type: Front engine, front wheel drive, 5-door hatchback Engine: Hyundai Kappa , Inline-4, gasoline powered Displacement: 1197 cc Valvetrain: DOHC, 16-Valve Fuel induction: Multipoint fuel injection Bore x Stroke: 71×75.6mm Compression ratio: 10.5:1 Power: 74.9 ps@6000 rpm (local spec) Torque: 11.8 kg-m@4000 rpm (local spec) Power-to-weight ratio: 84.6 ps/ton/11.8 kg/hp/25.9 lbs/hp Rated Fuel Economy: 5.0l/100km/47 mpg Transmission: 5-speed manual Dimensions: 3565mm x 1595mm x 1540mm Wheelbas

The message goes: As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time. This is an essay written by a Korean student I want to share with you. (Never mind the grammar; it's the CONTENT that counts) Maybe it is timely to think about this in the midst of all the confusion at present. MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES Jae Youn Kim Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines . Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines. Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources. Koreans used to talk about the Phil

An 85-year-old man was requested by his doctor for a sperm count as part of his physical exam. The doctor gave the man a jar and said, 'Take this jar home and bring back a semen sample tomorrow.' The next day the 85-year-old man reappeared at the doctor's office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day. The doctor asked what happened and the man explained,'Well, doc, it's like this. First I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing. 'Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then with her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, still nothing. 'We even called up Arleen, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit, and she even tried squeezin' it between her knees, but still nothing.' The doctor was shocked! 'You asked your neighbor?' The old m

Found this in my inbox. I don't have any personal knowledge regarding the events described, so I can't vouch for its truthfulness. but I really wouldn't be surprised if this e-mail is indeed genuine, as it reflects the sentiments of many following the tragic events of two weeks ago. HOW FRUSTRATING TO HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT IS UTTERLY USELESS! Very heroic. Yesterday, at the height of the floods, my sister's husband Rey whose family lives at Provident Village in Marikina, got a call from his brother. They were already at the roof of their 2-storey house -- his brother, his wife, 2 kids, his sister, and their 85-year old dad who just got out of the hospital last week. Not wanting to rely on our USELESS government to rescue them, Rey went to Makati and scoured the stores for a motorized boat that he can buy. At around 6 p.m., he finally found a store at Reposo Street selling a 6-seater motorized boat for over 100k. But since water at Reposo was lagpas-tao, he persuaded the

O God, Who knowest us to be set in the midst of such great perils, that, by reason of the weakness of our nature, we cannot stand upright, grant us such health of mind and body, that those evils which we suffer for our sins we may overcome through Thine assistance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. - for those who have suffered loss at the hands of tropical storm Ondoy.

Lord, let this feast of my birth be a reminder to me of all the gifts and blessings I have received from You this day and all the days of my life. On my day of celebration, I thank you for my life and all of my blessings and ask for another year filled with Your presence in my life that I may continue to grow in your love. Gracious God, I thank You for enabling me to celebrate my birthday. Lord You have been good to me all these years and I thank You for all the blessings I have recieved but especially for life itself. Creator God, I do not know what lies ahead for me this year. Yet I know that You are holding my future in Your hand. Let my ways be pleasing to you. As You have promised, be with me, Lord. Grid me with Your strength and grace so that I can live for Your light. Enable me to draw closer to You that I may walk in your peace and be the creative and loving person that you intend for me to be. I ask this and all things in the sure and certain knowledge of your love for me and

Just a repost. You never know who might notice. 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. :-) You can also call 9315575 if you have any inquiries. Siteplan of the property. Aerial view. The road at the top of the photo is Commonwealth Avenue. Here's a tighter aeria

Hi everyone. I'm currently in the middle of something, so I may not be able to post updates as often as I would like to. My thanks to those who persist in visiting, even though I haven't come up with anything new in quite a while now. I'll still post from time to time though. Regular updates will resume in a few months or so, once I'm done with what I'm doing. Until then, or at least until the next update, take care. :-)

Notice anything? I've always enjoyed having a nice bowl of soup while inside a restroom. And in case you're wondering, "Albatross" is a deodorizer. We don't actually keep seagulls in restrooms. :-)

These Philippine govt. officials ! The stories below probably explain why the Philippine government is in the shape that it's in now !!! In case you haven't read this, it is too good not to be passed on to all. Enjoy !!! A friend has been a Travel Agent for 30 Years. She says her 30 years of taking reservation requests from government officials explains why we are all in trouble. Here's a few choice reservation questions from these bright people: 1) Senator Tessie Oreta asked for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. 2) I got a call from ex-Mayor Joey Marquez, who wanted to go to Capetown. Explaining the length of the flight and passport information, he interrupted me with, 'I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts. ' Without trying to make him look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, ' Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa .' His response.... (click)

First and foremost, I admit it. I am a fan of Manny Pacquiao the boxer. Whatever you say, Pacquiao has to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today, and he has proved it many times over, the last time via a scintillating victory over the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya . But I have never been a fan of Manny Pacquiao the person. Take away the impressive boxing skills, the millions of dollars/pesos of winnings/endorsements/earnings, and you don't really get much left. I wasn't really surprised when I heard the news that Pacquiao jumped shipped over to ABS-CBN with regard to the rights to air his succeeding fights, starting with the match with Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton scheduled to take place this May 2. For one, he has never really struck me as a man of his word. It doesn't seem to bother him that he has an existing contract with Solar Sports lasting until May 2011. He also has an exclusive contract with GMA , which, in essence, prohibits him from appear

Found this in my inbox. I can't vouch for it's veracity, but it makes for an interesting read. To be honest, while some claims are at the very least plausible, I sincerely doubt it if the World Bank would actually be going around sending anonymous emails. :-) THIS IS VERY HUMILIATING STORY.............. I DONT KNOW HOW TO BELIEVE BUT WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY. To All Filipino Overseas Workers (OFWs): The Financial Analyst of World Bank would like to inform each and everyone of you that the present currency exchange rate of US Dollar to Peso is actually $1 = 52 pesos. Your government is manipulating the exchange rate for some years now. It is very much improbable and impossible that the Philippine Peso is appreciating compare to Euro, British Pound, Rials, and any other foreign currency. Even your ASEAN neighboring countries are suffering from the Global Crisis. Singapore , a developed country is affected by depreciation of their currency what more o

I first read this article two days ago in the Philippine Daily Inquirer . Let's just say I was appalled and amused by what I read. Here are some excerpts: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is challenging computer hackers to take a crack at the software that will be used in the 2010 elections to prove that the system is secure from fraud and tampering. The system isn't even in place with the bidding still in its early stages, yet the COMELEC is already arrogant enough to claim that their system is "hack-proof". I've got news for them. There is no system that is "hack-proof". The list of high-profile institutions which have been hacked in the past include the CIA , the FBI , NASA , the FAA , and various other foreign utilities , even a travel site used by U.S. government agencies. Indian government sites have been subject to cyber-vandalism as well. It probably goes without saying that these entities are in all likelihood light-years ahead of our o

I made this blog post four years ago to the day. Thought I'd repost it, since it still seems as timely as it was then. And to be frank, I still think we're in the same mess as we were before. Today marks the 19th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution, the bloodless revolt resulting in the ouster of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who ruled with an iron fist for almost two decades. The EDSA Revolution, brought forth to our consciousness the concept of "People Power" as a peaceful means of effecting change in our government. Though one of the most significant events in our nation's history, the People Power Revolution was only the climax in a series of events which started 32 years ago, when President Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972, placing the entire country under Martial Law. The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, along with other fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and the right to assembly, led to widespread abu

Here are even more signs that you may be a tech noob. God help me, I seem to be bumping into more of them everyday. 1. You try to measure the speed of your internet connection by sending an email to yourself (and actually timing it with a stopwatch); 2. You can't connect to your own wireless router because you don't know your own WEP/WPA key (and instead insist that the Wi-Fi adapter is broken); 3. You think a software firewall is the same as an antivirus program; 4. You think the "NO SIGNAL" message on your monitor means something is broken on your PC...when the monitor cable just worked itself loose; 5. You buy an expensive optical mouse only to use a old piece of corrugated cardboard as a mousepad; 6. You believe that a fast CPU means your PC will be fast at everything; 7. You expect a $1000.00 notebook to be twice as fast as a $500.00 one; 8. You believe a cheaper CPU is "less durable" or "less reliable" than a more expensive one; 9. You expect

At the Women's Lib International Conference... The first speaker, a lady from England stood up and said: "During last year's conference, we spoke about being more assertive with our husbands. Well, after the conference, I went home and told my husband, Barrington, that I would no longer cook for him and that he would have to do it himself. After the first day, I saw nothing. The second day, I saw nothing, but on the third day, I saw that he had cooked a wonderful roast lamb." (The crowd cheered). The second speaker, from Russia , stood up and said: "After last year's conference, I went home and told my husband, Ivan, that I would no longer do his laundry and that he would have to do it himself. The first day, I saw nothing. After the second day, I saw nothing, but on the third day, I saw that he had done not only his own washing, but mine as well." (The crowd again cheered). The third speaker, a Filipino lady from the Visayas, stood up and said: "Af

Just a repost. You never know who might notice. 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. :-) You can also call 9315575 if you have any inquiries. Siteplan of the property. Aerial view. The road at the top of the photo is Commonwealth Avenue. Here's a tighter aeria

People are strange. I'm slowly creeping up on middle age and yet I still get blindsided at times by the sheer absurdity shown by some people. Just when you think you've seen it all. The irony is, I'm a loner. Left to my own devices I'll probably stay on my own. I have a fair number of friends (too many if you ask me), but if it were all up to me I'd rather avoid them all. You go out of your way to help someone, to share your experiences, your expertise, to provide company, and for some reason you still get burned in the process. Or maybe it's just because I have the wrong friends. Don't get me wrong, most of my friends are nice, intelligent people. It just gets tiring sometimes adjusting to each and everyone of them. Most of you are thinking that I shouldn't adjust, that I should just be myself, and that's probably correct. The thing is, I was always a fairly easy going type of person, and for me it has never really been a big deal to accept the vari

Happy to oblige.

I getting sick and tired of all the hooplah about "saving the planet" and BS like that. It seems like everyone is getting on the green bandwagon, from politicians, celebrities, even that guy I don't know from around the corner is obsessed about doing his bit in order to prevent climate change, global warming, whatever you want to call it. The thing is, I think this is nothing but a whole lot of crap, meant to ease our conscience as we continue wrecking the planet by using up its limited resources and dumping noxious poisons into our skies and oceans. Am I saying global warming is a myth? No, definitely not. It is a reality attested to by eons of geologic records. Global warming is a cycle that the Earth goes through every 40,000 to 100,000 years or thereabouts. What this means is that, whether we do anything or not, the Earth will definitely warm up, as this is what it has been doing for several million years now. Maybe we can slow it down, sure, but stop it? I don'

From my own personal experience, here are some signs that you may be a tech noob. :-) 1. You insist that that a ball mouse is just as good as an an optical mouse; 2. You buy a desktop or notebook computer with a kick-ass processor but with a paltry amount of RAM; 3. You buy an expensive game not even knowing your PC doesn't even meet the system requirements; 4. You set up a Wi-Fi router without changing the default SSID or administrator password, and without enabling WPA, or at least WEP; 5. You believe the more on-board memory a video card has, the more powerful the video card; 6. You always reply with the size of your hard drive whenever someone asks you how much memory your PC has; 7. Your CRT monitor's refresh rate in 2D mode is at 60 Hz and you're putting up with the ghastly amount of flicker, or your LCD monitor is not at its native resolution in 2D mode and you think it's normal for all the icons to look squashed; 8. You believe you'll get charged by your mob

Happy New Year everyone! May your 2009 be prosperous, rewarding and full with all the blessings that life has to offer (never mind the recession) ;-)