The Universe Unlocked

1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
2. A day without sunshine is like... night.
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
4. 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
5. 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
6. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
7. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
8. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
9. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
10. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
11. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
12. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
13. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
14. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
15. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
16. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
17. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
18. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
19. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
20. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
21. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
22. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
23. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
24. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.
25. Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
26. Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

When The Moon Hits Your Eye...

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…
That's amore.

When an eel bites your hand and that's not what you planned…
That's a moray.

When our habits are strange and our customs deranged…
That's our mores.

When your horse munches straw and the bales total four…
That's some more hay.

When Othello's poor wife, she gets stabbed with a knife…
That's a Moor, eh?

When a Japanese knight used a sword in a fight…
That's Sa...mur...ai.

… Amore!

HVD!

Wishing everyone showers of love on Valentine's Day!

Is it really over?

From Just Jared and all over the evening news:


“The writers’ strike is finally over. Party time!!!!!!! “It’s over,” former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner told CNBC. “[The major media companies and the Writers Guild of America] made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It’s going on Saturday to the writers in general.” The writers, however, could still reject the agreement, but the deal is definitely in motion.”

I want all of my fave shows to resume!!! Can't wait, bring them on!!!

A Different Perspective of Love

In a conference where the Keynote speaker was Jim Bouten, a former New York Yankees pitcher and author of the bestselling book “Ball Four” which rocked the baseball world in the early 70s. Although he had little to say about the online world, his experience was very enlightening (as well as very entertaining) as he was someone who had to work very hard and break a lot of rules to play in the big leagues, especially on a team with greats such as Yogi Berra and Micky Mantle.

Given that we are a week away from Valentines Day, or Love Day as some call it, it is important to understand different aspects of love – including “Loving What You Do.”

* You Must Learn to Love the Process of What you are Doing
* Secret of Success is Persistence
* Most People Don’t Fail – They Just stop Trying
* If you Love what you do, you can find a way to succeed
* One Thing I learned from Pressure is to try to have fun with it
* When you are having fun doing what you are doing, your mind and body work correctly

For everyone, be reminded to enjoy the process -- to love what you do. If you don’t, and can’t find a way to do so by changing your perspective, perhaps you should start looking to do other things. If you are just results focused, you will often be unhappy. If you enjoy the process, you can always be optimistic, even during difficult times.

Quotes on Love

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."
- Carl Jung

"To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose, the next best."
- William M. Thackeray

"All's fair in love and war."
- Francis Smedley

"Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of growths. No man or - woman really - knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century."
- Mark Twain

"Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache."
-Mae West

The Following Have Unknown Authors:

"To love something is to give it room enough to grow.”

"With most people lovability is not absent—it is merely undiscovered."

"Without loving acts, loving words are meaningless."

"People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway…"

Wishing you all a great week, and with a reminder not to wait to the last minute to get your Valentine presents.

Proud to be a UPian

Just in time for the Centennial…

1. Student number?
- 92-0X0XX (hahaha, secret po!)

2. College?
- ILIS

3. Ano ang course mo?
- Library and Information Science

4. Nag-shift ka ba o na-kickout?
- Shiftee, ang layo kasi ng Baguio. Originally from UP College of Baguio, taking up BA Social Sciences.

5. Saan ka kumuha ng UPCAT?
- UP Diliman, School of Economics

6. Favorite GE subject?
- Comm III

7. Favorite PE?
- Social Dance

8. Saan ka nag-aabang ng hot guy sa UP?
- UP Baguio – Tambayan ng Big Family
- UP Diliman – Nawalan na ng gana magabang

9. Favorite prof(s):
- UP Baguio – Chad Castelo
- UP Diliman – Dean Divina Pascua-Cruz

10. Pinaka-ayaw na GE subject?
- Nat. Sci II

11. Kumuha ka ba ng Wed or Sat classes?
- UP Baguio – Morning Classes lang since M-W-F ang schedule
- UP Diliman – Day Off

12. Nakapag-field trip ka ba?
- UP Baguio – Ilocos Trip with Humanities II
- UP Diliman – Los Banos

13. Naging CS ka na ba or US sa UP?
- UP Baguio – Dean’s List
- UP Diliman – US

14. Ano ang Org/Frat/Soro mo?
- UP Baguio – UP Breha at Big Family
- UP Diliman – UPLISSA

15. Saan ka tumatambay palagi?
- No specific place – kapag wala ng gagawin, derecho uwi na.

16. Dorm, Boarding house, o Bahay?
- UP Baguio – UP Breha at Boarding House
- UP Diliman – Bahay

17. Kung walang UPCAT test at malaya kang nakapili ng kurso mo sa UP, ano yun?
- Computer Science

18. Sino ang pinaka-una mong nakilala sa UP?
- UP Baguio – Kuya Menard
- UP Diliman – Mary Ann

19. First play na napanood mo sa UP?
- I can’t remember.

20. Name the 5 most conyo orgs in UP:
- No offense meant here - AISEC and Sigma Delta

21. Name 5 of the coolest orgs/frats/soro in UP:
- I can’t recall the name pero meron… balikan ko kapag natandaan ko.

22. May frat/soro bang nag-recruit sa yo?
- Yap

23. Saan ka madalas mag-lunch?
- UP Baguio – Upper Canteen
- UP Diliman – Casaa/Beach House

24. Masaya ba sa UP?
- Oo naman!

25. Nakasama ka na ba sa rally?
- Hindi. Delicate masyado ang condition ko though nanonood ng mga MOB.

26. Ilang beses ka bumoto sa Student Council?
- Every year.

27. Name at least 5 leftist groups in UP:
- LFS, Tabak, Gabriella.

28. Pinangarap mo rin bang mag-laude nung freshman ka?
- Nope.

29. Kanino ka pinaka-patay sa UP? (hmmm… crushes ba ito?)
- UP Baguio – Rick A.
- UP Diliman – Albert P.

30. Kung di ka UP, anong school ka?
- Ateneo

For most UPians, life in UP is the ultimate. Maligayang Sentenaryo sa ating lahat!

Claw Time

Chloé celebrated her 27th birthday last Monday, the 28th of January.

With no definite plans until 5pm, we got ready for a dinner somewhere in the area of The Fort. There are some new restaurants in Bonifacio High Street that we wanted to try out and that day is one of the best days to eat out. Right before leaving the house, Chloé decided to call a number of restaurants and find out which will appeal to her appetite.

We finally decided to have dinner at Claw Daddy’s Crab House and American Grill at Bonifacio High Street. They serve seafood and South American dishes. Claw Daddy’s a family-friendly restaurant and very casual.

Mom, Yaya Helen and Master Joeric were the first to arrive and were already seated when we reached the place. As we read the menu, there are so many to choose from and it was quite difficult to pick what we want to eat.


Together with Chloé, Reyboy and Yaya Juvy we started feasting with the buttered corn on the cob that they serve for free as appetizers. It was good! Corn on the cob is a better replacement for free bread. What a great start to a great night.

As we waited for our Dad to arrive with Patrick, Tito Joey and Tita Amor with her three fellow Pediatricians, Mom dissected the menu and stared ordering.

We tried the Boston Clam Chowder (sans the sourdough bread – sad!), Creole Crispy Shrimps (crispy enough), Classic Caesar Salad and Nachos for start-up. It was all good except for the BCC. According to my Mom, Italianni’s Clam Chowder is way better. But it is still delicious!


For our main course, we ordered three plates of All-Shrimp Basket, Cold Seafood Platter and of course, the ultimate crabs - two types – Butter Ginger Crabs (sautéed in white wine ginger and lots of butter); and Szechuan Crab (sautéed in sweet, spicy, and gingery Szechuan sauce).


It was a fun experience for everybody since we get to use our hands to eat all the seafood. We were provided with Orange Bibs with the fading imprint of “Who’s Your Clawdaddy?” Semi-hot wash towels and tons of paper towels were given to us to prevent any stains.


It was not even messy for us since they do have this bucket in the middle of each table. You’ll always have a clean plate since you can easily dunk your empty shells into the bin.


Before I forget, they don’t have a cracker; instead they have a square marble tile with a black stone. Yaya Helen and Yaya Juvy were laughing their hearts out since the black stone reminds them of what we usually see in spas. Get my drift?


Chloé enjoyed her birthday dinner so much that even the free birthday dessert – a slice of the Mudslice Cake was memorable enough for us. We even brought the birthday cake Mom bought for Chloe and the servers gladly serve it for us after tons of picture taking.


On our way home, I was telling Mom on the phone that it is better to go to Claw Daddy for lunch so that you have longer time to shell out the shrimps and crabs and more time to savor the good food.


As for the rest of the birthday dinner attendees, I can guarantee that they did enjoy every minute of their dining experience.


Until our next clawing session and to my favorite sister: Wishing you health, wealth, peace, and the warmth that comes with loving family and friends.

Seafood Night

It was Maria’s birthday last Monday and even though she’s approximately 7,500 miles away, we celebrated anyway last Wednesday with the Sistahuds (Mary Ann and Ella Elline) and guess what; Maria was represented by her beautiful daughter, Kyla.

Kyla’s currently in Manila for a three-week vacation before another term in school starts. During our dinner at Fish & Co. in Greenbelt 3, Kyla distributed the goodies.


We also met Kyla’s latest beau, VR. Hmm… promising boy I heard. Ha, ha, ha!


Just like any food trips of the Sistahud, we feasted on eating fish, shrimps and chips. We told Kyla that for the night, she’ll be her mom. Oops, before Maria can react to this post – yes, you’re way prettier than the daughter. Hint! She even got a free birthday dessert since we told Liezl (our server) that it’s her birthday.


Although Maria enjoyed the pictures from our dinner, she still missed a great night of laughter and good food. Next time around, we do hope to have her with us – physically.


Next time… sa Olive Garden kaya? Mary Ann and Ella Elline – wat u tink?

Humorous Helpful Hints

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you'll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time.

To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won't stick to your fingers.

To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove-top.

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there won't be any stains.

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

To determine whether an egg is fresh place it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dish washing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

So great!

Back to UP

After a few months and a number of “rain-checked get togethers”, I was finally able to meet with Cutie Iyra and Jer, last Saturday, even for just five minutes. It was enough though to make updates and photo-ops. They just had to sneak out during a class that afternoon, hehehe.

Iyra is still a sight to see; still petite but I sense a lot of stress from her eyes. As for Jeremy, he’s still that same jolly person and has not lost his thoughtfulness.

I wish we could have bonded longer but I had errands somewhere else in the campus and the “kids” had a class to finish. Even so, we promised to see each other soon with the rest of the “kids”. This is a PAGING CALL for Sheryl, Mike, Marvin and Ja.


After that, I took a few more rounds around the academic oval and a lot of pictures of my alma mater.


2008 is a big year for us – mga Iskolar ng Bayan, for it’s our Centennial! I missed the opening ceremonies two weeks ago but for sure there will be more events to cap the celebration.

Oops, before I forget, thank you Tuesday for the heads up regarding the Mini Oble. I’ll get my statue next week with Emerson.

Go, UP!

Tips for Inside Beauty

A dear old lady was asked what she used to make her complexion so beautiful and her whole being so bright and attractive.

She answered:

"I use for my lips… truth

I use for my voice…. kindness

I use for my ears… compassion

I use for my hands… charity

I use for my figure… uprightness

I use for my heart… love

I use for any who do not like me… prayer."

While we all appreciate outside beauty, what really counts is the true inner beauty of a person.

Feng Shui Horoscope

I got an email regarding horoscopes from Noellie and since it’s the beginning of a new year, I decided to check out the attached file. The questions were not hard but very intriguing. The results are below...

Rae’s 2008 Feng Shui Horoscope

You are alert and your life is full of love. You try to enjoy your life to the maximum and your love life is soon to blossom. You will have a strong love relationship that will not last long but the memories will last forever. Your life will take on a different direction, it will seem hard at time but will be the best thing for you, you will be glad for the change.

"8", This is how many close friends you have in your lifetime. You are a laid back person. You are spontaneous and like to please people.

Hmmm… a blossoming love life?! Yaiks!

Six "Single" Ladies

As early as the last quarter of 2007, Kumareng April’s very excited for her trip back to Manila. We didn’t get a chance to see each other the last time April and her family went to visit in 2006 so I’m so eager for their next visit.

Before they left Vevey, Switzerland I already confirmed with April our date with other HSFs. Gladly, I called and informed a few HSFs and booked the date. She’ll have a hectic schedule with the family and we want to have a concrete date of our kitakits. January 3, 2008 turned out to be a memory-filled event for us.


Along with Mrs. April Daisy Tupas-Buenaventura and me, four more HSFs were able to attend. Mrs. Adina Benosa-Manansala, Mrs. Ruth Cervantes-Casiño, Mrs. Czarina Imperial-Cuenca and Ms. Agripina Banigoos completed our group. Yes, only six HSFs, I invited a few more but due to their work load and the traffic that day they opted not to attend.


Six HSFs is a good number. April was happy to see familiar faces after a long time of nil communication with other HSFs. Agripina who was back for the New Year from Malaysia was also happy with the dinner date. Much to our surprise, Adina was able to go with the permission of the very jealous husband (hihihi). Czarina was able to leave her kid with her Mom to enjoy a night with friends.

Even though we’re only six, the laughter and the voices were really earsplitting with our own stories to tell and the tons of chismis with regards to our other class/batchmates. Just like in any occasion, we talked about almost everything under the sun.


Much as we want to stay longer and chat, the night was almost over and everybody have their own schedules for the next day. After exchanging kisses and hugs and tons of pictures, we said our goodbyes.

To Adina – Thanks for everything. Salamat din kamo kay Alvin. Kitakits sa YM. Ilang talon ka lang sa akin ha.

To April Daisy – I’ll see you soon and kisses to your two cute boys, sama na si Francis. Let’s keep the communication lines open especially when you’re back in Vevey. Don’t forget my Bacci.
To Agripina – I’ll miss again your laughter; hopefully, we’ll see each other before September. Don’t forget the Malaysian chocolates.

To Czarina – Freshen up your IT skills ha para mas updated. Send our regards to Oliver.

To Ruth – A few more months and you’ll be closer to my home; more bonding time with my BFF. Did Elian love the “pabalot”? Give our thank you’s to Cong. Teddy for driving you all the way to MOA and having a picture taken with the group.


Dinner was very filling and with all the stories told that night it was way over board. Kailan na kaya maulit?

Clichés and Conundrums

"You Learn Something New Every Day"
Actually, you learn something old every day. Just because you've just learned it doesn't mean it's new. Other people already knew it, Columbus is a good example of this. Edison and Einstein are the exception.

"The Sky's The Limit"
Well, how can the sky be the limit? The sky never ends. What kind of a limit is that? The earth is the limit. You dig a hole and what do you keep getting? More earth. The earth is the limit.

"You Get What You Pay For"
Clearly this is not true. Have you been shopping recently? Only a very naive person would believe that you get what you pay for. In point of fact, if you check your purchases carefully, you'll find that you get whatever they feel like giving you. And if corporations get any more powerful, you soon might not even get that.

"Everything Comes in Threes"
Not true. In reality, everything comes in ones. Sometimes, when three "ones" come in a row, it seems like everything comes in threes. By the way, in medieval times it was widely believed that everything came in twenty-sixes. They were wrong, too. It just took them longer to recognize the pattern.

"Nice Guys Finish Last"
Not true. Studies have shown that, on average, nice guys finish third in a field of six. Actually, short guys finish last. By the way, in medieval times it was widely believed that nice guys finished twenty-sixth. You can see how limited those people were.

"If You've Seen One, You've Seen Them All"
Do we even have to talk about this one? This should be obvious. If you've seen one, you've seen ... one. If you've seen them all, *then* you've seen them all. I don't even understand how this one got started.

"It Takes Two to Tango"
Sounds good, but simple reasoning will reveal that actually it takes only one to tango. It does take two to tango together, maybe. But one person is certainly capable of tangoing on his own. He just might look a little silly.

"If It's Not One Thing, It's Another"
No, not always. Sometimes if it's not one thing, not only is it not another, but it turns out to be something else entirely.

It’s 2008!

Cheers! It’s the New Year!
To a gr8 2008!

Wishing you all a New Year filled with new hope, new joy and new beginnings.

"Who Am I?"

Your best friend or greatest enemy, I am your greatest companion. I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden. I will push you onwards or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command.

Half the things you do, you might as well turn over to me and I'll do them quickly and correctly. I'm easily managed, but you must be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and, after a few lessons, I'll do it automatically. I'm the servant of all great men and, alas, of all failures as well.

Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures. I work with the precision of a scientist and the passion of a patriot. You many run me for profit or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet. But be easy with me and I'll destroy you.

Who am I?

…

…

…

I am Habit!

Good habits elevate you, and bad habits bring you down. The trick is to know which is which, and for you to control them, not let them control you.

Keeping Old Times, Strengthening Old Ties

Year in and year out we make it a point to see each other during special occasions. If we can’t make ourselves available in any ordinary day, we see to it that we meet at special dates within our lives. For years, I’ve been a little bit off in keeping my word with BFF Ruth in terms of seeing each other whenever it’s our birthday or the holidays. Time and distance are some big factors behind it but whatever date I miss, I make it up with constant emails, love letters and sending SMS.

For this year, I made it a point to lessen my shortcomings. BFF is always busy with her chores and I on the other hand have my own excuses. After I visited her at Cardinal, I told her that I’ll see her soon for the holidays. Lo and behold, after a number of missed get-togethers, we saw each other one more time before 2007 ended!


Over Chinese lunch and hot tea, we celebrated an early Christmas Lunch at the Highlands China Palace with Teddy and Elian. Baby Emilio’s still small so he stayed home with the grandparents.


Elian’s my godson and last time I saw him was three years ago in their residence in Don Antonio. I missed some of his birthday celebrations but I know I’m forgiven, because I didn’t forget my gifts! How’s that?! Hehehe. He really enjoyed the stuff I brought and was happy that we ate Chinese since he loves siu-mai.

Teddy, on the other hand, is looking very good; Ruth also. It looks like parenthood suits them both.


Seeing Ruth again with her family makes me reminisce the old days; the night-outs, the movie-dates, even the special lunches. Nowadays, it is really hard to do all the stuff since she’s already a mother of two and I’m always on the go.

Nevertheless, even if our bonding times are less, the true bond of friendship is still strong and will continue for a long time.

He's Big!

Last December 20th was the first time I laid eyes on my newest godson, Paulo Matteus, the first born of Jannice Bautista and Roger Vejerano. All that I can say when I saw him was “he’s so big!”

Pau was born last May 21st via caesarian section at Cardinal Santos Medical Center and baptized last August 18th. I was not able to attend the christening of Pau because I was in the US for the Kapatiran 2007. Though I was not able to attend, Maricel gladly shared to me photos of the christening and was able to inform me of the happenings.

I deliberately didn’t inform Ja and Roger of my Cainta visit since I’m not sure of my timetable. I had the window of time that Thursday morning and brought my gifts for the Baustista-Vejeano family.


Ina was there and she was babysitting Pau while the proud parents are at work. It was fun seeing another baby and cuddling him. He’s so cute, a carbon copy in color of Ja, might get the height of Roger and with features of Ja’s kid brother.

Pau didn’t cry when I carried him but he was already hungry and sleepy so I only spent a little time.

Though the visit was short it was still sweet – at least I’ve seen him face to face. Now, I have to see the parents. Hint, hint, hint!

Finally... I've Met Her!

Rowena “Weng” Bringula is Moises “Moi” G. Visperas III’s girlfriend for a number of years already. For years, her face is imaginary for a number of Corfin Family members but I’ve known a lot of stories about her from all of Moi’s detailed narrations.


Last December 22, I was able to finally meet Weng in person. Good thing that our schedules agreed and we had lunch together with BFF’s family at the Highlands China Palace.

Weng’s sweet and very feminine. Before the day was over, we were already text mates. We both have similar interests especially our love for Flip Flops. We promised to bond in the near future minus Moi. We’ll just make him our designated driver!


It was great meeting her finally and also seeing Moi again. Hopefully our schedules will permit us to see each other soon and see other Corfin Family members.

Puede ko na kayang bukuhin si Moi kay Weng? Ano sa tingin ninyo?