Ibanag in the City

The "Lion of the U.S. Senate" is gone (1932-2009)

2009-08-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

The last of Rose Kennedy's men dies. Ted Kennedy passes on to the next life after being afflicted with cancer. He was 77.

Despite his many flaws, including those of his more historical brothers, the liberal part of the globe can not help but feel admiration for these brothers. Despite Chapaquiddick, and many other Kennedy life tragedies, Senator Ted it seems, were able to weather it all.

And now the last of them is gone. His remains lie in the Kennedy sanctuary, Hyannis Port in Massachusetts.

Reports say he will be buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Fake Mobile Phones with Voice Altering Feature

2009-08-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

Fake cellphones from China are circulating the black market. These phones are said to have voice altering feature: from male to female to child's.

I saw it on Unang Hirit awhile back. It was tested on cam by the program host and an NBI officer. The officer is saying that the phones can be used for unscrupulous pursposes if not crimes; hard to trace because they are smuggled, therefore not registered with the local National Telecommunications Commission.

I saw a site saying that India is flooded as well with these mobile phones. The site even spells out the models of the phones.

So what are they coming out with next?

Confidentially though, I like to test the gadget :-) joke!

Cheers everyone!

PS

I hope I can afford to stay hopeful today. my neighbor's car is not on her street garage again and someone left very early for an early morning appointment; i am afflicted with paranoia again... :-(

Cory! Cory! Cory!

2009-08-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

Finally, I was able to locate a copy of post EDSA TIME with Tita Cory on the cover, which I purposely bought for posterity. This issue is dated January 5, 1987. Only too glad to have kept it all this time.

I am very sure Tita Cory is in heaven now! Will I see you there when my time comes? :-)

The Marikina City Lapel Pin

2009-08-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

My partner gave me this lapel pin, a shoe emblem representing the industry for which Marikina is known for. Our Mayor MC Fernando gave him and his Korean business partners a couple of these pins, during a visit to the Mayor's office. The visit was about a business proposal offering the City with LUMINA eco-friendly and energy saving lighting systems. The proposal will save the city lots of money in terms of energy savings.

Seguey to getting the pin: I got curious about its history, where it was first used, etc. Also, I remember my partner also giving me the Mao-Tse-Tung pin which he got from a Vietnam trip, way, way back. I know I still have it somewhere in one of my memento boxes.

This is what Wikipedia says about lapel pins which I share:

"A lapel pin (also called "button" or "badge") is a small pin often worn on the lapel of a dress jacket. Lapel pins can be purely ornamental or can indicate the wearer's affiliation with an organization or cause; for example, American Flag lapel pins became very popular in the United States, especially among politicians, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001".

"Lapel pins are frequently used as symbols of achievement and belonging in different organizations. Fraternities and sororities use lapel pins as the primary symbol for their organizations. Members wear the pins to meetings and special events to show their belonging to the organization. Lapel pins from the organization are often collected by members and non-members alike".

"Businesses also use lapel pins to designate achievement and membership. Lapel pins are a common element of employee recognition programs, and they are presented to individuals as a symbol of an accomplishment."

For more about lapel pins, see it here.

A Tasteless episode at the famous Le Cirque

2009-08-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

While we were all busy trying to do unselfish and heroic acts, feeling sympathy and acting good as Filipinos for Former President Cory Aquino, President Arroyo and her party was in New York enjoying a blowout dinner at the very famous Le Cirque restaurant. It's a dining place where you experience a 'Table in Heaven', according to it's website.

Apparently, the dinner accompanied with caviar and champagne cost almost a million pesos. To me, this is ill-timed and "ill-conceived" as Merriam Defensor said in an interview.

I looked at the restaurant's menu, which accordingly cost 25$ for lunch and 35$ for dinner, consists of the following entree choices:

Appetizer Choices

Fluke Crudo
Basil, Cavaillon Melon, and Chipotle
White Almond Gazpacho
Smoked Paprika Shrimp
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Ciliegine and Olive Brioche
Grilled Octopus Salad
Chorizo Aioli and Fingerling Potatoes
Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnocchi
Wild Burgundy Escargot, Summer Vegetables, and Bagna Càuda

Main Course Choices

Diver Sea Scallops
Shiitake, Turnips, and Barley
Salmon Filet
Caramelized Cipolline, Fennel, and Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Chicken Breast
Local Corn, Wood Ear Mushrooms, and Basil
Pavé of Veal Breast
Zucchini, Tomato, and Pecorino
Bavette Steak
Oyster Mushrooms, Artichoke Mousseline, and Sesame Seeds

Dessert Choices
Brownie with Milk Chocolate Chantilly
Lemon Meringue Pie
Crème Brûlée Le Cirque
Mixed Berry with Vanilla Custard

Check out Le Cirque here.
Thanks to this site for the restaurant image.

Cory Aquino is on TIME again

2009-08-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Who would not be proud of this woman? Some one so simple and yet noble in her aspirations not only for herself but for her faith, beliefs and country. I pray that God gift us soon with someone as good as Cory.

Former President Cory Aquino is on TIME's Aug 17, 2009 Asian Edition (Vol 174 No 6) cover again. "Corazon Aquino 1933-2009: The Saint of Democracy"

The article extols Cory Aquino's contribution in restoring democracy in the Philippines. It highlights the virtues she exhibited starting from the day, Ninoy Aquino, her husband was assasinated at the tarmac of the then Manila International Airport.

Thanks to Time's image I liberally borrowed.

P.S.

My observations during the week that Cory was lying in state:

1. We heard nothing from El Shaddai, nor INK nor JIL
2. The Catholic Church gained so many pogi points as the days went on
3. That Kris might have been reared and loved by Cory but is not her daughter in terms of lifestyle choices; but the rest of the sister brood, I think are ( NO offense to Kris, please)
4. Delicadeza is really not in the vocabulary of some politicians who used the opportunity to advance their candidacies
5. Someone who used to be big is trying to use and hide behind Cory's legacy to perhaps, parry what seems to be coming in his direction
6. Why do some "political activists need to use Cory for their own political ends? Delicadeza, again please.
7. The military and the police may have earned pogi points as well. I hope it lasts
8. I salute the two Marcos siblings for their Christian but 'humbling' act of sympathy for the Aquino children
9. The networks, it seemed wanted to outdo each other in their respective media coverage. But the again, it's okey. We Cory followers benefitted.

Cheers for Cory!!!

For God and Country

2009-08-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ninoy and Cory dreamt the impossible and was surprised that with God anything is possible

As a tribute to a couple who in life and in death gave their all, I borrow this song -- considered I believe, as the national anthem of the Ninoy Aquino Movement previously, and now I think also appropriate for anyone or everyone, who dare dream the best for our country....

God
Country
Country Men
Fellow Humans
Family
Self
The perfect heirarchy of life.

And the Song ...

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Unity for Filipinos in Cory's Death?

2009-08-04T00:53:00.000-07:00

Just now, I saw on tv, Bongbong (plus wife), including Imee Marcos, attend the wake of former President Cory Aquino at the Manila Cathedral. Later, I saw Ballsy Aquino (I think), shaking their hands, perhaps as a thank you and welcome gesture.

I can't help but feel warm inside. As a Filipino, I have longed to see the day of real, honest to goodness unity. These gestures both from the Marcos and Aquino families might just be the start towards that end. Sana naman.

I know, deep in my heart that we can only move forward as a nation if we are all united.

To me, to move forward is to see the lesser among us have a better life.

Though my life is far from perfect, I sincerely hope that majority of Filipino families will enjoy what we had and have, and more:

-- like good education for their children. (I even have one, gone to and finished college for free {almost} at UP, and two, both finished, and one almost graduated [lacks 9 P.E. units]. hur

-- employment or small entrepreneurial activities for all or most family members
-- a clean, decent, comfortable and warm place to stay
-- 3 or more meals a day

Living condition more than all this is gravy.
Mababaw lang kaligayan ko. Translation: Material things don't matter much to me :-)

Still on Cory

2009-08-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

I have a copy of TIME Woman of the Year issue dated January 5, 1987. From my piles of important documents, I tried to find it this morning. And indeed it was there. Though a bit worn out, it was still okey. It bore my signature on the cover. Hur! Why did I have to do that? I look inside and on page 4 there it was written in bold white fonts Cory Aquino Leads a Fairy-Tale Revolution, Then Surprises the World with Her Strength

But then I get disappointed, her photo on page 5 was cut out. Hur!

TIME's piece on Cory's ascendancy to power pays tribute to Cory's "determination and courage in leading a democratic revolution that captured the world's imagination." The article also points out the role that "she has resuscitated its sense of identity and pride".

In the same issue, the piece entitled "A Christmas Conversation", Cory was asked who were the great influencers in her life. In response, he said that both her parents influenced her a lot. Her "mother saw to it that" they would, "appreciate everything" they had. "As she put it , it was not good to have anything in excess".

Words coming out of the mouth of someone who walked her talk. Pure simplicity. Sheer class. Good breeding.

Need we say more?

Bring back that Pride

2009-08-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

As I watched ABS-CBN's presentation last night about President Cory's fight for democracy, memories came rushing back. At that time my children and I lived inside Camp Aguinaldo. I have always felt lucky to be there, as those moments in our country's history were unfolding.

I remember, JPEnrile and his boys were holed up at the Defense Department building. On the radio, I heard Cardinal Sin was asking for the people to support Enrile. He was calling to what was later known worldwide as People Power.

And so as those moments started to develop, my mother and I together with my children started to feel uneasy, perhaps, short of being afraid. What was going to happen? Will there be civil war? That was foremost in my mind. I feared more for my children than anything else.

And so history revealed itself. It showed so many astoundingly good things about the Filipino. As a tinge of sadness for Cory envelop my rainy morning, I feel good again. Because of Cory, the Filipino stood proudly for a time. I fervently hope that President Cory's death will make us all feel that way again.

Goodbye Cory

2009-08-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

An icon who symbolized freedom. Someone you would not catch not wearing yellow, if she can help it. Someone who stood right with her husband, Senator Benigno Aquino, forgetting she herself was in pain; a mother who stood right with her children, wayward or not; and A President who stood right with her country, someone who never wanted to have that power, to begin with .

Sad we may all be... it is time to be with the loving embrace of the Lord. Alas, no more pain.

God bless Cory Aquino!!!

So long.

Hooray! Go Ecolight website

2009-07-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

At last the website project I helped build is finally finished! :-) See it here.

The Creative Genius is Gone

2009-06-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson is dead and I am so sad!!!

No matter what they have said or will still say, Michael Jackson was clearly a musical genius. And now he has become a legend of his own time.

Superfoods - Recipes for Healthy Foods - thedailygreen.com

2009-04-18T07:42:00.001-07:00

Superfoods - Recipes for Healthy Foods - thedailygreen.com

Posted using ShareThis

Amen-sch

2009-04-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

When will I have my very own mensch? I wish every woman would have their own too.

"In Yiddish (from which the word has migrated into American English), mensch roughly means 'a good person'. A mensch is a particularly good person, like "a stand-up guy," a person with the qualities one would hope for in a dear friend or trusted colleague."

A mensch is "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being 'a real mensch' is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous".

Jack Lemmon was called a mensch in a 1960 film called 'The Apartment', which starred Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray and directed by the great Billy Wilder. It is about a "love and ambition in the world of big business", and how people can get sucked into situations that spell losing character, suffer indignities and lead to irresponsible behavior. Understandably, the movie got a Best Picture award from the Oscars.

1960 film

Thanks also to wikipedia.

Uber Amazing and Bahay ni Badong

2009-03-31T06:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a young man named Badong and his blog. I feel privileged to have been bestowed with the uber amazing award.

Yes, I intend to pass on the same award to people I have met through the blogging world. But, I think most of them have received it.

Just the same it won't be difficult to find additional five (as required) deserving bloggers. But, I will just have to get that done another day as home duties are beckoning.

Again, Badong my appreciation for the kind gesture.

Cheers!

Another One Bites the Dust (problematic apartment unit)

2009-03-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

When we moved to this apartment unit 8 months ago, our drainage system in the kitchen and laundry area weren't working. Filthy water came out of the drain every time the rain poured. During that time I prayed hard against heavy rain because our kitchen gets flooded with super dirty , black and oily substances every time. Whew! Should I blame my blood pressure if it shoots up?

And so last December 2 dwellers out of the 5 left. I was surprised. I didn't realize they too were having problems. I heard that one was having problems about drainage of water affecting their roof - water came out of their ceiling. Har! And then the other one, kitchen sink was defective and washing of dishes were done inside the first floor bathroom sink. Eeww!

Just the other day, water overflowed inside over our next door neighbor's living area. Apparently, water supply plumbing got busted. Guess what. The pipes were sitting a few inches above the electricals. How dangerous is that? I wonder what kind of architectural designs were submitted to the City government. And how were they evaluated? Funny? I say dangerous.

To think that this apartment is just 3 years old? I don't care to imagine what happens after a few more years. What I know is that this real estate property was developed under a packaged loan type of contracting. Now the "owners" are saying they were duped!!! And whose fault is that now? More important, at whose expense, today. Grin. Us the tenants....

Lesson learned - do your due diligence. No matter if you're in a hurry to get a new place. Check the drainage, roofing system, plumbing, water supply system, laundry area provisions, kitchen. In other words, check everything, like you were using a fine tooth comb. You see most lessors suck! I am sure this one is.

Pronto! We need to fast track our moving-out plans.

Something To Think About

2009-03-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

I am liberally reprinting an article from the New York Times. It talks about something which most human beings do everyday.

A Highly Evolved Propensity for Deceit
By NATALIE ANGIER
Published: December 22, 2008

When considering the behavior of putative scam operators like Bernard “Ponzi scheme” Madoff or Rod “Potty Mouth” Blagojevich, feel free to express a sense of outrage, indignation, disgust, despair, amusement, schadenfreude. But surprise? Don’t make me laugh.

Sure, Mr. Madoff may have bilked his clients of $50 billion, and Governor Blagojevich, of Illinois, stands accused of seeking personal gain through the illicit sale of public property — a United States Senate seat. Yet while the scale of their maneuvers may have been exceptional, their apparent willingness to lie, cheat, bluff and deceive most emphatically was not.

Deceitful behavior has a long and storied history in the evolution of social life, and the more sophisticated the animal, it seems, the more commonplace the con games, the more cunning their contours.

In a comparative survey of primate behavior, Richard Byrne and Nadia Corp of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland found a direct relationship between sneakiness and brain size. The larger the average volume of a primate species’ neocortex — the newest, “highest” region of the brain — the greater the chance that the monkey or ape would pull a stunt like this one described in The New Scientist: a young baboon being chased by an enraged mother intent on punishment suddenly stopped in midpursuit, stood up and began scanning the horizon intently, an act that conveniently distracted the entire baboon troop into preparing for nonexistent intruders.

Much evidence suggests that we humans, with our densely corrugated neocortex, lie to one another chronically and with aplomb. Investigating what they called “lying in day-to-day life,” Bella DePaulo, now a visiting professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her colleagues asked 77 college students and 70 people from the community to keep anonymous diaries for a week and to note the hows and whys of every lie they told.

Tallying the results, the researchers found that the college students told an average of two lies a day, community members one a day, and that most of the lies fell into the minor fib category. “I told him I missed him and thought about him every day when I really don’t think about him at all,” wrote one participant. “Said I sent the check this morning,” wrote another.

In a follow-up study, the researchers asked participants to describe the worst lies they’d ever told, and then out came confessions of adultery, of defrauding an employer, of lying on a witness stand to protect an employer. When asked how they felt about their lies, many described being haunted with guilt, but others confessed that once they realized they’d gotten away with a whopper, why, they did it again, and again.

In truth, it’s all too easy to lie. In more than 100 studies, researchers have asked participants questions like, Is the person on the videotape lying or telling the truth? Subjects guess correctly about 54 percent of the time, which is barely better than they’d do by flipping a coin. Our lie blindness suggests to some researchers a human desire to be deceived, a preference for the stylishly accoutred fable over the naked truth.

“There’s a counterintuitive motivation not to detect lies, or we would have become much better at it,” said Angela Crossman, an assistant professor of psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “But you may not really want to know that the dinner you just cooked stinks, or even that your spouse is cheating on you.”

The natural world is rife with humbug and fish tales, of things not being what they seem. Harmless viceroy butterflies mimic toxic monarch butterflies, parent birds draw predators away from the nest by feigning a broken wing, angler fish lure prey with appendages that wiggle like worms.

Biologists distinguish between such cases of innate or automatic deception, however, and so-called tactical deception, the use of a normal behavior in a novel situation, with the express purpose of misleading an observer. Tactical deception requires considerable behavioral suppleness, which is why it’s most often observed in the brainiest animals.

Great apes, for example, make great fakers. Frans B. M. de Waal, a professor at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory University, said chimpanzees or orangutans in captivity sometimes tried to lure human strangers over to their enclosure by holding out a piece of straw while putting on their friendliest face.

“People think, Oh, he likes me, and they approach,” Dr. de Waal said. “And before you know it, the ape has grabbed their ankle and is closing in for the bite. It’s a very dangerous situation.”

Apes wouldn’t try this on their own kind. “They know each other too well to get away with it,” Dr. de Waal said. “Holding out a straw with a sweet face is such a cheap trick, only a naïve human would fall for it.”

Apes do try to deceive one another. Chimpanzees grin when they’re nervous, and when rival adult males approach each other, they sometimes take a moment to turn away and close their grins with their hands. Similarly, should a young male be courting a female and spot the alpha male nearby, the subordinate chimpanzee will instantly try to cloak his amorous intentions by dropping his hands over his erection.

Rhesus monkeys are also artful dodgers. “There’s a long set of studies showing that the monkeys are very good at stealing from us,” said Laurie R. Santos, an associate professor of psychology at Yale University.

Reporting recently in Animal Behavior, Dr. Santos and her colleagues also showed that, after watching food being placed in two different boxes, one with merrily jingling bells on the lid and the other with bells from which the clappers had been removed, rhesus monkeys preferentially stole from the box with the silenced bells. “We’ve been hard-pressed to come up with an explanation that’s not mentalistic,” Dr. Santos said. “The monkeys have to make a generalization — I can hear these things, so they, the humans, can too."

One safe generalization seems to be that humans are real suckers. After dolphin trainers at the Institute for Marine Mammals Studies in Mississippi had taught the dolphins to clean the pools of trash by rewarding the mammals with a fish for every haul they brought in, one female dolphin figured out how to hide trash under a rock at the bottom of the pool and bring it up to the trainers one small piece at a time.

We’re desperate to believe that what our loved ones say is true. And now we find otherwise. Oh, Flipper, et tu?

Learning Cascading Style Sheets

2009-03-11T02:15:00.000-07:00

I will try to learn CSS as fast as possible. I have downloaded a template for a business site that I am trying to build. No it is not from scratch because as I mentioned, already have a template. I need to fill it up with content and try to edit some of the elements. Am I trying to swallow more than I could chew?

Yes, back then, I sold millions of dollars worth of large scale systems packages to some of our local banks not knowing the nitty gritty, so to speak. But should that give me a reason to believe I can really do this:-)

Where am I going with this?

Just that it should be worth a try. For the challenge. Wish me luck.

Hail Women of Wisdom

2009-03-08T01:40:00.000-08:00

I celebrate International Women's Day in honor of the women in my family who came before me. For their strength of character, and the forbearance to head straight on despite the clueless situations they were stucked in.

They have lighted the way for me and other personas like me. They will all forever be treasured here in my heart.

1. My mother Lolita
2. My Aunt Encarnacion
3. My Aunt Rose
4. My Aunt Ruffa
5. Aunt Lily
6. Aunt Edith

Also today, I salute as well these women I had the pleasure of knowing: Dolly N., Emma T., Rica S., Cecille A. and Fe B. Nita D. and LydiaD.

Filipino Music Icon Francis Magalona Dies

2009-03-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Just got this very sad news. Francis Magalona passed away at about 12 noon today. We all know that he was on chemo therapy for awhile and most recently had a bone marrow transplant.

All I know about Francis is he was a brilliant song writer, a very intelligent rapper and most important of all, he was truly a good human being.

He was proud of his Filipino heritage. No doubt.

Francis Magalona is truly a big loss to the Philippine music industry.

Go Francis, in the bosom of God's love. There, you will find peace forever.

Join Bloggers Unite for IWD 2009

2009-03-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

If you are into blogging for a cause, I suggest you join bloggers unite. It is a place to find advocacies that's all worthy of your time and blogging effort.

For women issues as well as recognizing and honoring women heroes in our midst, affiliate with International Women's Day (IWD). IWD's objective is to celebrate "the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future".

The day could "be simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together"; or perhaps observe its "political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations, " "such that political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide, are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner".

Issues or not, I say women of the world unite!!!

Cheers!

Ibanag in the city needs new pots and pans

2009-03-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

I know this will look like a post that should have been included in my cooking blog. But, I guess that's alright. Cooking with all the accompanying accoutrement to concoct food is part and parcel of living. Right? And sooo, I write about things I want most at this period in my life - cooking tools and equipment.

It's been awhile that I bought anything new for the kitchen and that's kind of weird because, after 15 years of corporate marketing work, my kitchen and my dining areas now practically own me. My time, my care, including creative ideas to spruce these pieces of space are activities I love doing now.

And isn't it a swell idea to update or upgrade some of my kitchen tools who now are begging some time off from work. I became a member of shopwiki late last year. I was then fantasizing that someone would gift me a mini laptop computer. Scouring the web for specs as well as pricing information, led me to shopwiki. The truth is I was really impressed with the comprehensive style or format of the site. Never have I been to a site which offered all the practical and unexpected details, non-techies like me usually look for.

And now, as I again dream of refurbishing my small kitchen I go back to shopwiki for potential buys. What can shopwiki offer me and other shoppers out there? Cooking pans? I have been so dying to replace my old pots. I'd like to go back to the all-clad stainless steel type of pans. What I have now are mostly the non-stick anodized and they have served me well. I have no complains, really. If only I could afford those wonderful Dutch Ovens. That would be the day.

And this is what I found out also from the site when you are considering to buy cookware:

Size, Weight and Number
What size or sizes do you anticipate needing? Do you need more than one size?
Generally larger pans will serve you better, unless storage is a serious issue.
Will you be able to lift it comfortably even if it is full of water/sauce/chicken?

Materials
What material best suits your cooking needs? (Choosing Cookware Materials)
Handles
Are they attached firmly? heat resistant? long enough for your needs?
Lids
Does the pan come with the lid?
Is the lid made of glass? Will it get hot during cooking? Is it heavy enough? Does it fit snugly?

Cleaning and Maintenance
Is it dishwasher safe? Can you scrub/soak it? Will it need seasoning?

Gee, I never thought of these things before. And so if you are thinking of replacing your old pots, pans or any of your cooking tools, or perhaps, lucky to have a budget in purchsing additional small kitchen appliances, try shopwiki. You will never regret spending time in their site.

Me? I enjoyed browsing over the coutless products offered. To be exact, 215,187,279 products from every store.

Cheers!

I Watched "Pictures of Hollis Woods" on TV

2009-03-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

If I had a Hollis Woods in my life, how happy would I be?

Hollis Woods is one of the main characters in a "television movie that debuted on the CBS television network as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on December 2, 2007. The film is directed by Tony Bill, and is based on the Newbery Honor winning novel of the same name by Patricia Reilly Giff. It stars child actress Jodelle Ferland as the title character along with Sissy Spacek."

I just saw it on HBO, and I don't really know why but I cried buckets :-) while watching it. Maybe, my soul made an instant connection to the character as soon as I saw the expression of loss in Hollis' eyes.

In the movie, "Hollis Woods (Ferland) runs away from her last foster parents, she is placed with a new foster mother, a retired art teacher, Josie Cahill (Spacek). Josie is very caring and a talented artist, and her life could be told in her wood work, but Josie is also not very well (Alzheimer's disease). Over time, Hollis becomes Josie's caretaker, and comes to realizes what it is like to have a family".

And did I also mention that I love Sissy Spacek. Saw her first in Coal Miner's Daughter.

Thanks to Wiki for the accompanying image.

Would you like to plurk instead of twit or pownce or jaiku?

2009-02-26T23:44:00.000-08:00

A blogger friend told me about another "free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates (otherwise known as plurks) through short messages or links". Messages "can be up to 140 text characters in length".

Accordingly, wikipedia says that plurk "updates are then shown on the user's home page using a time line which lists all the updates received in chronological order, and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Users can respond to other users' updates from their timeline through the Plurk.com website, by instant messaging", or by SMS messaging.

Furthermore, wiki says, PLURK stands for:

P eace
L ove
U nity
R espect
K arma

Here's more from wikipedia:

"Plurk was developed by and envisioned as a communication medium meant to form a balance between blogs and social networks, and between e-mail messaging and instant messaging. After months of development, Plurk was launched on May 2008".

The etymology of the name was explained by the developers as:

* abbreviation of 'people' and 'lurk'
* portmanteau of 'play' and 'work'
* acronym of peace, love, unity, respect, and karma
* verb neologism, similar to how Google was eventually used as a verb

I am inclined to try plurk.