Quaere Verum

Two old guys, one 80 and one 87, were sitting on their usual park bench one morning. The 87 year old had just finished his morning jog and wasn't even short of breath. The 80 year old was amazed at his friend's stamina and asked him what he did to have so much energy. The 87 year old said, "Well, I eat rye bread every day. It keeps your energy level high and you'll have great stamina with the ladies." So, on the way home the 80 year old stops at the bakery. As he was looking around, the lady asked if he needed any help. He said "Do you have any Rye bread?" She said, "Yes, there's a whole shelf of it. Would you like some?" He said, "I want 5 loaves." She said, "My goodness, 5 loaves ... By the time you get to the 3rd loaf, it'll be hard." He replied, "I can't believe it, everybody knows about this shit but me."

Things don't work out. Even if you try to do the right thing.

One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Phil says to Mike behind him, "My elbow hurts like hell. I guess I'd better see a doctor." "Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replies. "There's a diagnostic computer down at Costco. Just give it a urine sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it. It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars - A lot cheaper than a doctor." So, Phil deposits a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Costco. He deposits ten dollars and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample... He pours the sample into the slot and waits. Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout: "You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity.. It will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping @ Costco.." That evening, while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Phil began wondering if the computer could be fooled. He mixe...

The title of this blog post is a nod towards Ralph Nader's polemic 1965 book of the same title, responsible for bringing the issue of automotive safety into the eyes of the American public. Maybe, just maybe, this post could have a similar effect with respect to the Philippine public regarding the ubiquitous passenger jeepney. In May of 2005, I wrote a blog post about why passenger jeepneys should be phased out. After six years, I think the time is right to revisit this issue. Let's get straight to the point. My opinion on this hasn't changed. I personally feel that contemporary jeepneys should be phased out. Jeepneys are throwbacks to a long bygone era, and are potential deathtraps for the people who drive them, the people who ride them, and the people who walk around them, the people who drive around them. Think about it. While passenger cars have grown a long laundry list of safety features over the past several decades in an effort to reduce fatalities in accidents, j...

A lot of them have quit. Some have better things to do. For some it was just a fad that they hopped on. For some it became too much work. Not many people bloghop anymore. Why bother, when there's Facebook and Twitter . Me? I'm still here. It's been seven years. I still blog. I miss the old days.

It's nice to believe that we are all masters of our own fate. The captains of our own ships. The average Joe would probably prefer to believe the concept of free choice other than predestination. To believe in predestination is to believe that all our actions are of no consequence and our fate is predetermined and inescapable. Or, that our actions do have some little consequence over some bits and pieces of our lives but the ultimate outcome remains carved in stone. I don't know. The best I can think of is that life is like a game of Monopoly, or poker. There is still skill involved, but skill is nothing without a good roll of the die or luck of the draw. Skill and perseverance by themselves are probably not enough, otherwise everyone working their tails off should be successful eventually. We all know this is not the case. As for pure luck, I'm not sure, I've never been that lucky to know firsthand how it is. Still, I guess it happens. People win lotteries. Some peopl...

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars." The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose." He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother." She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave. The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

I've been driving for 18 years now. I guess that gives away my age, but I doubt it if anyone gives a damn if I was born during the martial law era. In my 18 years of driving I've known other people who drive as well, and they range from those who consider driving just another way of getting from point A to point B, to those who live and breathe driving and cars. I guess I'm somewhere in between. If I were richer I'd probably be more of an automobile enthusiast than I am now, but I'm just an average Joe, content to be a least comfortable during my daily commute and to average more than 10 km/l, though I enjoy a nice long jab at the accelerator every now and then. I used to read a lot of car mags, but now the economy has relegated me to reading only local publications. Not that I'm complaining though, the quality of writing on local car mags has improved significantly since the early days. But enough about me. This is a list of 10 stupid things that Pinoy drivers ...

Just a repost. You never know who might notice. Anyone here interested in purchasing or leasing 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 ti...