Dumb, Dumber and Darwin

High Quality Miss Saigon (Lea Salonga) Videos Found

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:33:00 +0000

While browsing through the web, I stumbled upon this high quality video of Miss Saigon top-billed by the Philippines' pride, Ms. Lea Salonga. Enjoy!

Why Apple’s Move to Block Flash is a Great Leap Forward?

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:54:00 +0000

By now you probably have heard about this little tussle between Apple and Adobe. The fight became “public” when Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted an open letter of sorts about his Thoughts on Flash where he criticized one of Adobe’s flagship products – Flash. Our good friend Steve said some unfriendly things against Flash, it being not secure enough, not touch-friendly enough, not technology forward enough and most of all, not open enough. So, enough is enough. Flash can’t get anywhere near Apple’s mobile devices. Whew!

Many people might not agree with Apple’s position. After all, more than 90% of all websites on the Internet have some Flash in them. Some even run almost entirely on Flash like HBO.com that if you try to visit the site and your computer doesn’t support Flash, you’ll see an almost blank page except for a line that says: You need to install Flash. Surely, if that much websites use Flash, it couldn’t be that bad, right?

Wrong! At least in Apple’s point of view. For Apple, Flash has no place in today’s mobile computing devices so they blocked Flash on iPhone, iPod and iPad. That means, if you recently bought an iPad, you now have in your hand ‘the best way to see the web, email and photos’, except that you can’t play Farmville, you won’t enjoy HBO.com and you will see some missing elements on CNN.com, Disney.com and millions of other websites running Flash. Huh?

But don’t be sad, it’s not that bad. According to Apple, an estimated 40% of the web’s video can still be viewed on its mobile devices, not to mention the best YouTube viewing experience, so no worries, iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video. As for games, there are over 50,000 games and entertainment titles on the App Store, and many of them are free. For everything else, Apple is pushing web developers to adapt HTML5 – a young yet promising new protocol for developing dynamic websites. Simply put, HTML5 is the anti-Flash.

Adobe hits back

Of course, Flash cannot take things sitting down. In response, it recently launched a PR blitz basically positioning itself as pro-Choice. Their main argument is that web developers must be free to choose whatever technology they want to use, may it be Flash or HTML5 or whatever, and not be “forced” into using a certain protocol just to get access to Apple’s mobile user base. I thought the ad was quite clever but I’m not sure if it’s achieving its objective.

But, Apple is clever-er! They responded with an equally witty ad (though unofficial) that essentially says, “We love you too Adobe, a little, but you’re still blocked.” That marked the beginning of what I think will be a full-blown epic battle between two competing tech giants. Get your popcorn and couch ready as the fun is just getting started.

Apple’s brilliant strategy

The recent move to block Flash in its mobile devices, albeit risky as some experts argue because of Flash’s dominance on the web, was a brilliant strategy and might I say, a great leap forward. Here’s my take:

By strategically blocking Flash on their mobile devices (iPhone, iPod and iPad) and yet wisely keeping it on their desktops (Mac), Apple effectively forces developers to adapt HTML5, warts and all, for mobile web applications. Consider this: there are 4 billion mobile devices in the planet today and Apple holds a big chunk of that market. Surely, developers would want to get access to that. Going by Apple’s rules, the only way to do it is to adapt HTML5. In the meantime, Apple can still benefit from all the Flash goodness on the desktop market, as it’s not blocked there. Clever.

As developers ease up on HTML5, Apple will continue to gain tremendous market share. At the same time, the global market as a whole will continue to shift to mobile. From desktops, everybody is now moving to laptops. It will not be long before the next great migration from laptop to iPhone and iPad – or any device resembling it – happens. By that time, Apple would have been the most dominant player in the mobile computing space. By that time, Apple would have built an all-encompassing ecosystem where the device, the operating system and applications are all under its control. By that time, we will wake up to a brave new world where Emperor Apple rules.

Clever!
(Photo credits: woot.com)

Purpose Driven OFW

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:27:00 +0000

It was a few years back when I heard about this speech made by a little known student named Patricia Evangelista. The then 19-year old sophomore from the University of the Philippines, has grown more popular these days. What with some hosting gigs and regular column for a major broadsheet, she has made a name for herself in the field of journalism and, might I say, literature.

Sadly, the speech that was instrumental to her success has now gone to relative obscurity. The speech that has won her the International Public Speaking competition in 2004 besting 58 other student contestants from 37 English speaking countries, including US, UK and Australia, has been sidelined by forgetful Pinoy. The speech that jolted me the first time I read it (as a student) because of its form and elates me now (as an OFW) because of its substance, has totally lost its luster.

Maybe it’s time all of us Pinoys working abroad get a wind of the message being imparted by this inspiring speech. We are living in a borderless world. However, it does not preclude the idea of a home, the idea that wherever we are, whatever we do, we are driven by a purpose. A purpose to give back to the country that shaped us, a purpose to serve, albeit remotely. Now, it is our turn to shape the world. We will start by being inspired.

Below is the full text of the speech entitled, Blonde and Blue Eyes

Blonde and Blue Eyes
By Patricia Evangelista

When I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I wanted to be blond, blue-eyed, and white. I thought if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I'd wake up on Christmas morning with snow outside my window and freckles across my nose!

More than four centuries under western domination does that to you. I have sixteen cousins. In a couple of years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest will have gone abroad in search of "greener pastures." It's not just an anomaly; it's a trend; the Filipino diaspora.

Today, about eight million Filipinos are scattered around the world. There are those who disapprove of Filipinos who choose to leave. I used to. Maybe this is a natural reaction of someone who was left behind, smiling for family pictures that get emptier with each succeeding year.

Desertion, I called it. My country is a land that has perpetually fought for the freedom to be itself. Our heroes offered their lives in the struggle against the Spanish, the Japanese, the Americans. To pack up and deny that identity is tantamount to spitting on that sacrifice.

Or is it? I don't think so, not anymore. True, there is no denying this phenomenon, aided by the fact that what was once the other side of the world is now a twelve-hour plane ride away. But this is a borderless world where no individual can claim to be purely from where he is now. My mother is of Chinese descent, my father is a quarter Spanish, and I call myself a pure Filipino -- a hybrid of sorts resulting from a combination of cultures.

Each square mile anywhere in the world is made up of people of different ethnicities, with national identities and individual personalities. Because of this, each square mile is already a microcosm of the world. In as much as this blessed spot that is England is the world, so is my neighborhood back home.

Seen this way, the Filipino diaspora, or any sort of dispersal of populations, is not as ominous as so many claim. It must be understood. I come from a Third World country, one that is still trying mightily to get back on its feet after many years of dictatorship. But we shall make it, given more time. Especially now, when we have thousands of eager young minds who graduate from college every year. They have skills. They need jobs. We cannot absorb them all.

A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much abandonment but an extension of identity. Even as we take, we give back. We are the 40,000 skilled nurses who support the UK's National Health Service. We are the quarter-of-a-million seafarers manning most of the world's commercial ships. We are your software engineers in Ireland, your construction workers in the Middle East, your doctors and caregivers in North America, and your musical artists in London's West End.

Nationalism isn't bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to create new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an example of a multi-cultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures. We are, indeed, in a borderless world!

Leaving sometimes isn't a matter of choice. It's coming back that is. The Hobbits of the shire traveled all over Middle-Earth, but they chose to come home, richer in every sense of the word. We call people like these balikbayans or the 'returnees' -- those who followed their dream, yet choose to return and share their mature talents and good fortune.

In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities come my way. But I will come home. A borderless world doesn't preclude the idea of a home. I'm a Filipino, and I'll always be one. It isn't about just geography; it isn't about boundaries. It's about giving back to the country that shaped me.

And that's going to be more important to me than seeing snow outside my windows on a bright Christmas morning.

Mabuhay and thank you.

Behold the beginning of the jejemon world

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:54:00 +0000

Quick, answer this question: What do jejemons and kris aquino have in common?
Easy. Both are annoyingly popular.

Maybe it started as a simple typing error. After all, “j” is just right beside “h” in your keyboard. Maybe a pre-teen girl is chatting with her mid-teen crush one lazy afternoon when he cracked a lame joke, and she replied: “jejeje” instead of the usual “hehehe”. Maybe he found it cute. Maybe she kept doing it just to be thought of as…cute.

I don't know. However it started, no one can deny, the jejemon phenomenon is taking the Philippines by storm. And it’s just getting started.

What the f*ck is jejemon?

Wikipedia has a fancy way of putting it: “Jejemons are those who managed to subvert the English language to the point of incomprehensibility and online lynch squads.” Vice Ganda puts it more colloquially though: “Jejemons yung parang mga timang, pinapahirap yun text…imbes na hehehe, ginagawang jejeje.”

Like a fast growing bacteria, the jejemons are now growing at an exponential rate. From a regular jejemon (the person), we now have jejenese (the language), jejebet (the alphabet), jejebusters (the arch-enemy) and other jeje-words that your jeje-lator can translate.

For the uninitiated, jejemons write by: rearranging letters in words; alternating capitalization; over-using letters H, X, or Z; and mixing numbers and normal alphabet. See if you can read this:

“3Ohw phOwh eVeR1yBhOodY! jejeje! i LLyK tO knOw moR3 bOut u, PwfoH. crE 2 t3ll mE yur N@me? jejejejeje!”

“Hello po everybody! hehehe! I like to know more about you po. Care to tell me your name? hehehehe!”

Dizzy? Disgusted? Dumbfounded? It’s alright. You’ll get over it.

Are you a closet jejemon?

While the jejemon trend has incurred the ire of many language purists and understandably so, there is no sign that this style of communication is dissipating anytime soon. On the contrary, it’s just picking up steam. It used to be that jejemons are associated with “jologs” – a word used with a negative connotation. Now, it’s slowly entering the mainstream pop culture. People who used to dismiss this trend are now taking notice. People who scorn the lingo are now using that very lingo. People who deny that they are a jejemon may in fact be a jejemon. The question is, are you one of them?

Here, there and everywhere

The jejemons are popular. It’s not a subject for debate but a fact to be recognized. Google it and you will find more than 635,000 search results. Search it on Facebook and you will find tons of fan pages, both pro and anti. Check your twitter account and be deluged with tweets about the topic – written in both traditional and jejenese fashion.

Credible mass media organizations are talking about it too. The likes of CNET, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, ABS-CBN and GMA, are joining the bandwagon. There’s even a song circulating on YouTube that serves as an ode to this inanity. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, mainstream artists like Vice Ganda, Vhong Navarro or Willie Revillame comes out with their own version of the song. Indeed, we're witnessing the dawn of the Jejemon World.

In a country that prides itself as English-speaking nation, where American call centers are aplenty and Western influence is strong, it’s quite perplexing how this kind of lingo got so pervasive. But then again, this is the Philippines. And these things don't come as a surprise anymore. What is that phrase again? Onli in da Philippines.

Top 10 bizarre life lessons you can learn from Philippine politics

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:06:00 +0000

And so it comes to a final close. The Philippine elections season will be ending soon and despite the doomsday scenario painted by many pundits, the recent and first ever computerized elections turned out to be quite peaceful, relatively credible and surprisingly successful. Philippines, welcome to the 21st century elections, finally!

But amidst all the mudslinging, grandstanding and political backbiting that happened over the last few months; no one can deny that Philippine politics doesn’t lack ‘color’ (yes, pun intended) and excitement, enough to feed the world with interesting stories that will rival that of the best movies Hollywood has ever produced. Heard about the Boxing champ who ran for a law-making position and sang ('Para sa ‘yo ang laban na ‘to') his way to victory? How about an 80-year old imeldific shoe collector who just refuses to retire? And this one is for the books, a CEO who wants to become a Clerk, only CEO actually means President and Clerk, Congressman. Certainly, there is nothing more ‘colorful’ than that.

Believe it or not, it’s not only fascinating stories that dominate Philippine politics. There are life lessons too! Bizarre as it is, you can’t help but wonder whether these things are the new rules to be successful in life. The list below smacks of dumb analysis. Or does it? Judge for yourself. Here are the Top 10 Bizarre Life Lessons You Can Learn From Philippine Politics:

10. Begin with a ‘color’ in mind. Old rules say: Begin with the END in mind. Not true in this elections. Everybody picked their ‘colors’ first. You would think that candidates will define and share their platforms first but you would be wrong. It’s colors first. Orange for Villar, Green for Gibo, Yellow for Noy. The rest just followed after that.

9. If at first you don’t succeed, find an easier challenge. We heard of a boxing champ who ran against a highly influential and political heavyweight in one province but lost. So he ran again, but this time choosing a different opponent. He’s now headed for victory. In life, there will be a lot of challenges; maybe the key to success is not to keep on trying but to keep on finding easy challenges. Hhmmm.

8. Whether you mean it or not, always promise change. Nobody gets satisfied in this world so any prospect of change is always welcome. Now, whether you can deliver it or not, it doesn’t matter. In Philippine politics, we’ve seen one too many People Power revolutions that are supposed to bring change. But here we are, still demanding change. How can we apply this in our own lives? Apply exactly that lesson. Promise change to your boss, promise change to your parents, promise change to your girlfriend. In everything you do, always promise change. It will give them hope. They will love you for that. You may not deliver, but hey, you can again, promise change.

7. Loyalty is for dogs only. Dogs are loyal fellow, we know that. We don’t need to demand it from them, they are just like that, loyal. For us humans? It’s a different thing. Loyalty is an alien concept in Philippine politics. Whoever is in power, that’s where your loyalty lies. Today you try to impeach a President, tomorrow you try to be his running mate. It’s ok. In life, you will not get ahead if you have loyalty. You must be ‘flexible’ so you will be in good graces of those who can make your life better.

6. Keep your friends close, and your celebrity friends closer. If there is someone who is as busy as the politicians themselves this past election season, it’s your favorite local celebrity. Nowhere in the world can you see celebrities playing such a huge role in shaping who will be the next leaders of the land, only in the Philippines. In life, you must do the same thing. If you don’t have any celebrity friends, start by “Like”-ing their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, try to interact. If you’re lucky, your will get an “RT”. Being friends with these folks will make you much more successful in life.

5. Rules, promises, they are all meant to be broken. Don’t start campaigning before the actual campaign season, Do not use your office to promote yourself, Be truthful in your ads. These are just some of the rules that were wantonly flouted by some politicians. But it’s ok, nobody got punished for it. Rules, as with promises, are there to be broken anyway, right? In life, do not care much about the rules; it will only make your life more difficult. Just do whatever is in YOUR best interest. That way, you will be successful.

4. Doing nothing is better than doing something. We’ve seen this all too often. Qualified guy who is an active proponent of progress and has good track record loses an election. In the meantime, guy who’s been silent on many important issues and got no track record at all wins the election. It’s classic. They say something is always better than nothing. I don’t know. The reality is just quite the opposite.

3. You will commit mistakes. When you do, deny them. All of us make mistakes. Some even commit mistakes that are illegal in nature. In Philippine politics, we’ve seen great examples of men (and woman) who were caught red-handed doing illegal stuff but they still get away with it. All they need to do is to keep denying any wrongdoing, no matter what. In life, maybe we should do the same thing. Never own up to a mistake, lest you’ll be punished. Own up to any mistake and you will not get very far in life.

2. Never underestimate the power of your mother. Mothers can feed you, raise you, dress you up, send you to school, cook dinner for you, give you advice and many other things you can never imagine. She can even make you a President.

1. No matter what happens, life goes on. Putting levity aside, we’re now at a stage where whatever the outcome of the recent elections, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. Like the many politicians who ran in different positions across the country, whether they won or lost, life has to go on. And same thing for us. The ‘lessons’ I cited above teems with sarcasm and should not be taken seriously. The thing is, most if not all of it rings true based on actual realities in Philippine politics. My only wish is it won’t be for long.

Life goes on. We may not agree on many things that happened in the past and might still disagree with how we should live our present. But we are united in wishing for a better future. We have new leaders. We have a new beginning.We have an opportunity to make things better.

Let us use this opportunity to shape our own destiny. It starts here. It starts now.

the proper way to sing the national anthem is...complicated!

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:11:00 +0000

I can’t understand what’s the fuss all about. So Martin Nievera sang the national anthem in the recent Pacquiao vs Hatton fight, which is one of the greatest boxing matches of all time, and that includes Thrilla in Manila and Rumble in the Jungle. Anyway, before I get sidetracked. Where was I? Ok, Martin Nievera.

So our dear friend Martin, Philippines’ Concert King, gave his rendition of the song Lupang Hinirang before the millions (billions?) of people watching the fight. I don’t know about you but for me, not a big deal I thought. After all, I was watching a boxing match, not a concert. So no offense to Martin, but my attention is not really focused on him but on the guy with the gloves.

Anyway, the fight went great and it ended gloriously for the East (Battle of East and West). Not a week passed by and here comes the guardians of national anthem criticizing Martin for the wrong rendition of Lupang Hinirang.

Some quarters say Martin sang the first stanza softly and slowly, then sang the last line with prolonged, high notes. This is wrong, they say. In the past, other artists / singers such as Sarah Geronimo, Kyla, Lani Misalucha and Bituin Escalante who also sang the National Anthem in different international events were also criticized for singing it incorrectly. I don’t know, maybe due to high notes, low notes thing as well.

Am I missing something? Is it just me or these people give off an impression that singing the national anthem is a complicated matter therefore should only be done by “experts.” We are making way too big a deal out of this thing that the moment we show glory to the world (through Pacman’s victory) we snatch it back by criticizing one of our own. The song was fine. Maybe not sang in the exact same way that Julian Felipe (Lupang Hinirang composer) would have wanted it but so do the millions of elementary kids all over the country who sing it every morning in their school grounds. If anything, singing the national anthem should be encouraged, not criticized.

Now, if you forget the lyrics, that’s another matter. Christian Bautista, maybe we should talk.

7 not-so-dumb reasons why manny pacquiao should avoid politics

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:05:00 +0000

As with millions (billions?) who witnessed the fight between the Hitman and the Pacman billed as “The Battle of East and West” last 2 May 2009, I was both thrilled and ecstatic when Manny Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton on the 2nd round of their fight. The fight was so action-packed I delayed my breakfast (something I NEVER do) until the fight, yes, including the commentaries and replays, is completely over. Even then, we still conducted our own analysis at home so breakfast turned into a late lunch that day.

So, Manny Pacquiao is this generation’s greatest boxer, if not sportsman. He’s an inspiration to many and I don’t only mean Filipinos. Just less than a week after his victory, I read that he’s forming his own political party. What?! Run for politics? But why?

Of course, Manny is free to do whatever he pleases but in a remote possibility that Pacman or one of his advisers are reading this blog, here are the 7 not-so-dumb reasons why politics is not a good idea.

Politics will destroy your image. By its very nature, politics is an adversarial process. No matter how good your intentions are, opposition will always be a part of the equation. It’s role? To destroy your hard-earned reputation so they can score political points.
No one is good at everything. You’re good, actually, great in boxing. Spare the politics to someone else.
You cannot, must not lose one more time. With a previous defeat in politics, you cannot, must not lose one more time. Not that you will, but politics is a very unpredictable game. Having a “winner” reputation, a loss, even if it’s political, will not be good for your morale.
You forfeit the chance to be a living hero. With your outstanding successes, you are already considered a hero, a living one at that. Let’s just keep it that way, shall we?
People look up on Manny Pacquiao and look down on politicians. This is obvious.
You’re already a part of history. Don’t opt-out. Only a few people get to be remembered for heroic things they’ve done. As such, they become a part of history. I think it’s safe to say that you’re already a part of it. Please don’t opt-out by entering politics.
You can help your country just by being you. Just by being Manny Pacquiao and letting the world know that you’re from the Philippines makes us all mighty proud already. We are eternally grateful to you because of that.

will facebook.com be a thing of the past?

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:48:00 +0000

Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t referring to Facebook – the world’s largest social networking site. I was referring to facebook.com – the URL. With recent announcement of Facebook that it is opening parts of its code to the public, third party developers can now build Facebook applications that will let users interact with most of the elements of Facebook (status updates, sharing of photos and links, etc.) without ever visiting Facebook.com itself.

For my layman brothers having trouble understanding the concept, this is like Twitter in action. If you are an avid user of Twitter, you will know that there is multitude of ways to post your messages (tweet) aside from visiting twitter.com site itself. There’s tweetdeck, twitterrific, twitterfeed among others.

Anyway, using the Facebook Open Stream API, software developers can build different (thousands, millions) websites and integrate Facebook functionalities into it. This thing can be a boon or a bane depending on which angle you look at it. Some say it will mean loss of advertising revenue for Facebook while some developers like the idea as it can leverage on Facebook’s “viral” power – an effective tool to market a product or service.

The way I see it, Facebook will not do this if it will not tremendously benefit from it. (not just plain jane benefit but tremendous!). Maybe the obvious loss of advertising revenue can easily be gleaned at this time as major bulk of its revenue comes from advertisement. However, times are a-changin’ and I see some genius behind this idea. By opening up to more developers, Facebook will become more and more ubiquitous shielding itself from irrelevance and mediocrity. And when it happens, business model will come, trust me. When Google started, nobody can also figure out how an internet search company will generate a profit. Google did not pay attention to its critics and it just proceeded with generating a great user experience. Look at where Google is now.

Currently, Facebook is arguably the top social networking platform that has been able to integrate third party applications (gaming, business, events, etc) very well into its site. This time around, Facebook might want to do it the other way around.

At the end of the day, Facebook.com (the URL) is still not shutting down. In plain and simple terms, it’s just launching an attack – front and back. Clever.

paano ba maging masaya? ikatlong yugto

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Sa panahon ngayon, di lang bawal magkasakit. Bawal din ang malungkot. Sa totoo lang, kung malulungkot ka pa, sa dinami dami ng problema sa mundo ngayon – nandyan na ang global warming, financial crisis, terrorism isama mo pa yung asungot mong ka-opisina na sobrang epal – ay masisiraan ka na ng bait. Mabuti na lang ang mga Pilipino, mababaw ang kaligayahan. Makita lang si Pokwang, matatawa na. Makatanggap lang ng Facebook comment, masaya na. Yun naman ang maganda, yung madali tayong tumawa, ngumiti at sumaya.

Pero kahit marami sa atin, mababaw ang kaligayahan, meron pa rin tayong mga kaibigan na mala-Pasan ko ang Daigdig ang drama sa buhay. Pag nakakapanood sila ng Maalaala Mo Kaya, iyak ng iyak kasi pakiramdam nila sila yung bida. Api, malungkot, nag-iisa. Tanong nila, Paano ba maging Masaya?

Sa inyong lahat, heto pa ang mga kakaibang tips na nakuha ko. Maganda kung mabasa mo rin ang part 1 at part 2. Tingnan mo baka me mapulot ka sa mga ‘to:

9. Manood ng Wowowee. Nasubukan mo na bang manood ng show na ‘to ng milyonaryong si Willie Revillame? Maaaliw ka. Di dahil kay Willie kundi dahil sa mga ordinaryong tao na sumasali sa programang ito. Dito mo makikita na ang mga pinoy kahit sobrang hirap ng buhay at walang katiyakan kung me kakainin pa bukas ay makakasayaw pa rin ng “Lambada” sa gitna ng stage.

10. Mag-reunion kasama ang mga kaklase mo nung College / High School. Isa sa pinaka masayang kabanata ng ating buhay ay ang buhay estudyante. Kaya nga pag nagkasama-sama tayo ng mga kaibigan natin nung college o high school, parang bumabalik lahat ng masasayang alaala at andun uli tayo sa kabanata ng ating buhay na puro saya lang at walang kahit anong problema.

11. Matulog. Oo ganun kasimple. Matulog. Marami kasi sa atin ngayon, halos di nakukumpleto ang tulog sa magdamag. Lalo pa kung sa call center ka nagta-trabaho. Isa sa pinakamasayang bagay na gawin ay yung matulog ng mahabang mahaba at walang kahit anong iniisip. Yung tipong paggising mo di mo kailangan bumangon agad at meron ka pang pagkakataong magmuni-muni. Maglaan ka ng panahon para magawa ang bagay na ‘to – matulog. Tingnan mo, sasaya ka.

12. Magbigay ng testimonial sa ka-Friendster mo. Simpleng bagay pero maniwala ka, sa panahon ngayon na bihira na ang nagbibigay ng “meaningful message” sa isang kaibigan, ang simpleng Friendster testimonial ay makakapagbigay sa kanya ng ngiti. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam pag alam mong me napasaya kang tao. Ang resulta, ikaw din Masaya.

Meron ka rin bang mga kakaibang tips para sumaya? Wag mong sarilinin, share mo sa amin. Pasayahin natin ang mundo:)

friendster vs facebook: is it even a battle?

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:08:00 +0000

Quick survey. How many of you have Facebook account? How many still have Friendster account? Looks like Friendster is slowly losing its luster and playing a losing battle against Facebook. I still have accounts at both sites but I find myself more and more drawn to Facebook.

Drawn, in this writer’s context, means spending more than 10 minutes in one site. It used to be that Friendster is my social networking platform of choice. I know, Friendster is so 90’s so why am I still there. Maybe being one of the early adopters of social networking phenomenon, Friendster has kept up with its promise of creating better communication between friends. Real friends and not just a name that you add on your list even though the person is a complete stranger.

I also like the level of privacy that Friendster used to provide. Only real friends can see an update. After all, they are the only ones who really care if you had coffee this morning instead of juice and not just some anonymous “extended friend.” The friend testimonial was also a big draw for it’s reminiscent of a modern day love letter. Real friends write meaningful testimonials and real friends read those testimonials with gusto. Sad that now testimonial has been reduced to just a one-liner comment like – “Cool!” or worse, “Hehe..” What does that even mean?

Last I heard, Friendster is still No. 1 in Asia but this may not be for long. I might be wrong but I notice Friendster is becoming more and more like Facebook. Its interface, features and overall feel is like Facebook – in its infant stages. If this is the case, then I’d rather stick to Facebook, right?

Let me know your thoughts. Post a comment.

85 million and counting - susan boyle is breaking records

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:17:00 +0000

Our heroine Susan Boyle has broken records. According to recent reports, all Susan Boyle related videos – including clips of her television interviews, recently released rendition of “Cry Me a River,” recorded 10 years ago and of course, that little video of her Britain’s Got Talent performance – have generated total of 85.2 million views. And that’s just in a week. Whew!

This data is from Visible Measures, a company that tracks videos from YouTube, MySpace and other video sharing sites.

Currently, she holds the record for “Most Number of Views in a Week” dislodging more popular and mainstream videos like Tina Fey’s impersonation of Sarah Palin and U.S. President Barrack Obama’s victory speech.

Aaahh, the power of social media. I wouldn’t be surprised if our dear friend Susan breaks some record in Facebook and Twitter as well.

With this enormous popularity, I wonder what she will do next. Talk to Rick Warren perhaps to find some purpose behind all these things? Hhmm…that’s another topic altogether.

Let me know your thoughts. Post a comment.

ashton kutcher is twitter king, now make way for the queen - oprah

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:14:00 +0000

Popular actor Ashton Kutcher (Demi Moore’s boyfriend for some) has recently been named Twitter King, being the first person to achieve 1 million followers on Twitter this week, beating out network giant, CNN. Twitter, for those of you who are living outside our galaxy, is a micro-blogging site that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as tweets.

Long been the leader of the pack, CNN commands the biggest followers in twitterverse, until recently. Dubbed as the defeat of “the establishment” over “the people,” Kutcher claimed the lead and brought enormous media attention in the process.

In one of his most talked about interviews, Kutcher even teased he will “ding dong ditch” billionaire Ted Turner (founder of CNN) if he beats CNN to million Twitter followers. What is a ding dong ditch you may ask? Well, it’s when you go up to a person’s house, ring their doorbell, then run away and watch as they look around to see who’s there. Would be fun if he actually does that, eh?

Now that the “small guys” are done playing, all eyes are on Oprah Winfrey, the media celebrity giant who recently joined the site. Based on recent reports, the Queen has already gained 300,000 followers in just a day. Take that.

Let me know your thoughts. Post a comment

Susan Boyle's Got Talent (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:52:00 +0000

In the hit British TV show, Britain’s Got Talent, an unlikely star wowed the audience, and in fact the world, with her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. The fact that she has great voice is one thing but I think one factor that made her performance “newsworthy” is that Susan Boyle, 47, is not your typical TV star.

One look at her and you can easily dismiss her as another aspiring singer whose main reason for standing in front of the stage is to waste everybody’s time. Frankly this is the look that the audience and even judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden gave when Susan Boyle stepped up the stage.

Then she started to sing. As soon as she opens her mouth and the notes started to permeate the room, everyone was dumbfounded. I was only watching it on YouTube but I got goosebumps all over while watching it. I bet the people who are hearing it live are even more overwhelmed, almost on the verge of tears.

Tears because throughout the whole song, you will realize that it’s easy to dismiss someone based on their looks, only to realize what a true gem that person is. You will be in tears because you will realize you are one of those people who easily pass judgment based on one look. I should know, I'm one of those people sometimes.

Well, Susan Boyle is certainly not one to be judged. Certainly not with that kind of talent. Way to go Susan! Keep wowing. Watch the video and see for yourself.

PC is cheap, Mac is Cool (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Remember the “I’m a PC, I’m a Mac” series of commercials? It was not a long time ago when Apple (creator of Mac) came up with series of “ads” that lampoon Microsoft and cemented Mac’s image as a cooler machine. Microsoft responded with an “odd” commercial that features Jerry Seinfeld and Microsoft founder Bill Gates himself. Truth be told, I don’t think Microsoft achieved anything with the release of that commercial so they had to pull it out earlier than expected. Had they kept showing that commercial, I think it would’ve achieved the real results they were hoping for. Anyway, that’s another topic. I blogged about it a few months ago, if you want to read it, feel free to do so.

Just recently, Microsoft flexed its “odd” muscle again and came out with an ad that basically says: “Ok, Mac is cool but PC is cheap.” Of course it was not said verbatim but anyone with an IQ greater than zero will get it. I’m not in any way an advertising genius but as an average user, that Microsoft ad screams Buy Mac! Buy Mac!

Basically, the commercial features an average user, Lauren, looking to buy a new machine. Sees an Apple store and finds the merchandise beyond her budget. Lauren sighed: “I’m just not cool enough to be a Mac person.” By a stroke of genius, she hops on another store where different machines running Windows are being sold. She looked around and found the “cheapest” one. An HP machine running Windows. Nice. Now HP is dragged into this mess. She bought it and showed a big smile on her face. End of commercial. Duh?!

I’m not sure who are the people behind this commercial but I’m pretty sure their respective careers will be finish sooner than they say “cheap.” I find it disappointing because I’m a PC user. I admit Mac is cooler but there are tons of reasons to use Windows also. Maybe my reason is similar to the billions of other PC users out there. For Microsoft to come out with this ad and (inadvertently) portray PC as somewhat inferior to Mac is for me a great disservice to the billions of PC users around the world.

I hope Microsoft can still redeem their badly beaten image – however much of it are of their own doing.

Watch the commercial below and see for yourself:

Let me know your thoughts. Post a comment

Tuesday, 11:45am is the worst!

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:40:00 +0000

In a recent study done in Britain, it was found out that Tuesday, 11:45am is the Most Stressful Time of the week. This debunks the Monday morning blues that used to permeate our collective inanity. First time I heard the news, I thought, hhmmm, this can’t be true. Surely, if Monday is the first day of the WORK week, then it follows that it is also the most stressful. Just imagine the rest of the work week that you still have to go through. Wow, the thought alone makes one stressed already.

However, reading through the article about the study, I see that it actually makes sense. Basically, respondents of the survey says Monday is not that bad because it is usually the day they check their Facebook accounts to view photos from their weekend antics. Tuesday is the time when they actually start to “work”, specifically, midday, around 11:45am. Hhhmmm..

For what it’s worth, I find the study rather interesting. The relationship of work and stress at this juncture seems directly proportional. I beg to disagree. Work can be fun and sometimes, can even be a source to de-stress yourself if you’ve GOT the right company and IN the right company (I hope my boss is reading this..hehe)

Maybe the next study should be about the most effective way to waste your time. My vote would be: “To read a study done in Britain about Brits while you’re a non-Brit living very far away from Britain.”

Let me know your thoughts. Post a comment

Will stem cell research lead to cloning?

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:09:00 +0000

US President Barack Obama signed an executive order Monday repealing a Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research. By doing so, President Obama gives a clear signal to the scientific community that his administration will be more “liberal” in issues dealing with science and faith.

This great debate about stem cell research has been raging for quite some time and both sides of the aisle have valid arguments in supporting or opposing it. Because stem cells have the potential to turn into any organ or tissue cell in the body (a lego comes to mind), research advocates say it’s possible to find cures to debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and spinal injuries. On the other hand, those who oppose it argue that because embryonic stem cells involve the destruction of human embryos, it is against the sanctity of human life itself. Moreover, critics are wary that this could be a slippery slope, meaning, after stem cell research, what will come next, cloning?

The topic of human cloning / stem cell research / genetic engineering has been subject of fancy for me for quite some time. It’s fascinating how science has evolved so rapidly especially in recent years (thanks to the Human Genome Project) and that the challenges confronting us now is no longer scientific but moral. Quite simply, it’s no longer whether we can do it but are we willing to do it?

It’s still too early to tell where this recent action from President Obama will lead. At this stage, I’m also not fully convinced which side to take on this one. What I know is that science and religion are set in a collision course. Or maybe it’s actually a convergence. I’m confused.

Man from Manila

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:38:00 +0000

It came as a shock for many to learn that the Man from Manila himself, the Master Rapper, Francis Magalona (Francis M. for many), passed away last March 6, 2009. Francis M’s legacy stands tall in the Philippine entertainment scene and indeed in the entire country as he gave nationalism a fresh and renewed flavor. He brought the spirit of “pagkamakabayan” front and center through his songs and his deeds. “Mga Kababayan Ko” was an instant hit when it came out, notwithstanding the fact that it was the first time that “rap” is being introduced locally. In a country where colonial mentality dominates most of the youth’s psyche, being patriotic suddenly became ok, even cool. More to the point, Francis M was all for humanity. His signature song, Kaleidoscope World (which he wrote himself) is a testament of the man’s essence and wisdom.

Francis M, your physical existence might have ceased but your memory and your legacy will stay. You lived your life well and for that, you deserve the admiration of us all. Here’s a reprint of your song. I hope the world over will read this and take to heart its message.

Kaleidoscope World
By: Francis Magalona

So many faces, so many races
Different voices, different choices
Some are mad, while others laugh
Some live alone with no better half
Others grieve while others curse
And others mourn behind a big black hearse
Some are pure and some half-bred
Some are sober and some are wasted
Some are rich because of fate and
Some are poor with no food on their plate
Some stand out while others blend
Some are fat and stout while some are thin
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most

Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world

Some are great and some are few
Others lie while some tell the truth
Some say poems and some do sing
Others sing through their guitar strings
Some know it all while some act dumb
Let the bassline strum to the bang of the drum
Some can swim while some will sink
And some will find their minds and think
Others walk while others run
You can't talk peace and have a gun
Some are hurt and start to cry
Don't ask me how don't ask me why
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most

Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world

Michael Jackson is staging a comeback. Please don't.

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:43:00 +0000

I heard Michael Jackson is staging a comeback. The 50+ year old “King of Pop” said in a recent press conference that he will do a series of concerts this July 2009 entitled “This is it.” Apparently, the series of concerts will be his final for British audience before his ultimate curtain call. After that, no more, nada, finish. According to some reports, Michael Jackson, whose album “Thriller” is still the best selling album of all time (750 million albums sold, really staggering numbers), has not performed a major concert since 2001. However, for this concert, it could net him a whopping $400 million! Wow!

I saw the press conference over at YouTube and it was barely a press conference as it was a simple Hi-Hello-This is it-Bye kind of thing. Although the world over still loves Michael Jackson (this writer included), clearly, things are not the same anymore. His persona and image is way way larger than the man himself and by doing this “comeback concert”, it might actually just ruin the legend that is Michael Jackson. Sure, the concert will still be a hit, might even be a sold out one but Michael will be doing a great disservice to himself and the millions (billions?) of his fans if his performance so much as lacked the same finesse and “magic” that has made him a world superstar. In entertainment industry, they always says you’re only as good as your last performance and if Michael’s last performance fall short, all the years he has worked so hard for might end up to be just a footnote in his illustrious career. Moreover, if the promoter of this concert bungled on their job and weren’t able to generate as much interest as it should, then that would be the saddest day not only for Michael for all of us who saw a generation defined by Michael Jackson.

So, Michael Jackson, I say to you: Comeback concert? Don’t do it. It will not do you any good. But if you still want to go ahead, this I say: Can I have a ticket? For the rest of you who wants to purchase an advanced ticket, you can go to this site.

Let me know your thoughts. Post a comment

The Credit Crisis in Plain English

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 04:12:00 +0000

My layman brothers are asking, “What is this credit crisis all about?” I’m sure by now, you’ve heard the term “credit crisis”, financial crisis” and other related terms often enough that your ears start to bleed at the next mention of the word. But, do we understand it really? More to the point, do we need to? The answer for most of us is NO we don’t understand it and YES we need to understand it.

As with the rest of my layman brothers, I want to make a sense out of this mess that we’re all in but I don’t want to spend more precious time going through the boring details. This video I found is very entertaining and highly informative. Presenting, the Credit Crisis in Plain English:

Outsmart-ed!

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:38:00 +0000

Can you guess what's in the box?

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:12:00 +0000

DSLR is the new iPod

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:28:00 +0000

At first I thought it was just a fad. Or maybe, just pure coincidence that I chance upon some people carrying this bulky item hanging around their neck. Until I realize, it’s becoming a phenomenon. More and more people I know (and even people I don’t know) now have it. More and more are aspiring to have it. More and more are getting their hands on their very own DSLR Camera. DSLR is indeed, the new iPod. Let me explain.

iPod is simply a portable digital music player, an evolution of the previous generation’s Walkman. But more than a digital music player, iPod stands for something else, iPod is this generation’s sign of “cool.” Not that everyone likes music but everyone likes the device. You have it, you’re “cool”, you belong. And true enough, almost everywhere you go, it’s not impossible to chance upon someone intimately connected to his iPod and ironically, disconnected from the outside world. But hey, it’s cool. So it’s ok. I bet you have one as well. I got mine when iPod was pretty common already and therefore the “cool” factor has already diminished. Just the same, I still got one, it’s cool.

Nowadays, the sign of “cool” is no longer the mighty iPod but the nascent digital single-lens reflex camera or DSLR. Like a normal camera, it takes still photographs but in a much more sophisticated fashion. The results are images comparable to that of an art or one taken by a seasoned and professional photographer. It’s just beautiful. I cannot understand why there’s a sudden interest in photography nowadays. I can only suspect the rise of photo sharing sites like Flickr, Photobucket and Multiply have something to do with it. I find it amazing because despite the very high cost of this device, almost everyone I know seems to want to have it, if they don’t have it already. I guess it will be fun to take some photos, upload it to your favorite photo sharing site and invite your friends for a visual treat. “Hey buddy, you’ve got DSLR, cool!”

My theory is this: If one or two people are taking a particular liking to DSLR, I call it a fad, a passion even. But if almost everyone seems to want to have it, then I guess there’s a phenomenon again on the rise. With this I dare say, Welcome to the new “cool”. DSLR is the new iPod.

Do you know someone who’s got a DSLR? If you can afford it, would you buy one for yourself? Let the world know.

Supplier from Heaven: Francis' Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:55:00 +0000

Today, we begin a series called “Supplier from Heaven.” Countless are the times when I encountered pesky suppliers whose products or services really, ehem, sucks! Forgive my French but the word is even an understatement compared to the kind of experience I’ve had with some of these soggy little creatures – ehem, my apologies again. This is your typical supplier: Over-promise, under-deliver, over-charge, undercut your authority, over emphasize their strength, under emphasize their weakness, there are a lot of overs and unders going on with them. In the end, what you’ll have is an overdose of stress.

But, once in a while, you will encounter suppliers, whose product or service is so good you feel like you got manna from heaven. In this series, we recognize those suppliers who deserve the title – Supplier from Heaven.

Just recently, we required a Photo and Video Coverage for our wedding. Many of us know that capturing that perfect moment is paramount in any wedding ceremony. Ours is not an exception. Our search was quite extensive given that we are working on a budget. We inquired with the big-named ones in the Philippines but the charge is just too much. We also stumbled on some cheap ones but, of course, we don’t want to get a “cheap” service. Then we chanced upon Francis’ Portraits.

Everything went uphill from there. We met with Francis himself and in the first meeting, we already saw how professional this guy is. He brought some samples of his work then discussed how we can work together. The discussion was light and breezy, even fun. Truth be told, we were quite intimidated with his image as he is one of the most sought after Photographers in the Philippines today. We are just glad we had an opportunity to get his services.

Needless to say, the results were really impressive. We had our pre-nuptial photo shoot last September. Soon after we got the proofs, we saw ourselves getting giddy and excited about the wedding. He was able to capture the love and happy feeling we want to project in a classy and unconventional way. I’m no expert in photography but when a photo evokes some emotion while you are looking at it, something tells me that it’s a good shot, excellent even.

On our wedding last December, the photos were even more impressive. Everyone who got married knows that while you are in that exact moment, you are like in a state of trance where you just go through the motions but not really having a full appreciation of the magnificence of the event. When we saw the photos soon after the wedding, it’s like we were able to go back in time and relive that magical moment, only this time, we have full appreciation of it. A captured memory that we can relive over and over again.

Just yesterday, we got our Wedding Video. It was literally like a transformation of an ugly worm into a beautiful butterfly. We saw the raw video (ugly worm) a few weeks back and we thought, “hey, at least the photos are great.” When we saw the edited video (45-mins long) yesterday… well, let’s just say we watched it total of 8 times, consecutive and non-stop.

Supplier from Heaven: Francis’ Portraits
Type of Service: Photo and Video Coverage
Website: http://www.francisportraits.com/
Contact: Rizal St., Dagupan City
Philippines, 2400
(63) (075) 522 0896
sales@francisportraits.com

Top 10 Weirdest One-Liners that make Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:29:00 +0000

I compiled a list of one-liners I heard, read and wrote in the past. I am sharing some of them with you. Here are the Top 10 Weirdest One-Liners that make Sense. Ok, a little sense. See if you can use them in one of your future conversations. Enjoy!

10. Shhhh…that’s the sound of nobody caring what you think.

9. A good listener is usually thinking about something else.

8. It matters not whether you win or lose; what matters is whether I win or lose.

7. Don’t worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.

6. Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs.

5. Most of us can keep a secret. It’s the people we tell it to who can’t.

4. If at first you don’t succeed… you’re doing about average.

3. Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.

2. The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.

1. Don’t worry about what people think, they don’t do it very often.

Can Beauty and Brain be together?

noreply@blogger.com (Darwin) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Of course they can and we know a lot of people who have both of these. Apparently, this is not the case in this video. Enjoy!

Let me know your thoughts.