Scribble & Scribble

A Pseudo Relationship

2011-01-18T01:06:00.004+08:00

I came across a blog earlier because I was searching for articles on "Pseudo Relationships" on the net. I was touched by the write-up I found at lovestoryblog.com. I guess it completely describes what I'm having now. I wasn't actually looking for a relationship like this, but I somehow stumbled into one. :( I don't know if this would end in a good or bad way... but based on what I've read, it usually doesn't end well.

The article says it best:

The "parang kayo, pero hindi" stage. Others call it MU or mutual understanding. Pseudo-relationships. Pseudo-boyfriends. Flings. Almost like a relationship, but not quite. It is a phase where the persons involved are more than friends, but not quite lovers. Puwedeng may verbal agreement, puwedeng wala. One or both of you may have admitted your feelings, possible ding hindi. You just let your gestures do the talking for you. Walang pormal na ligawan na nangyari. Hindi kayo mag-dyowa. Pero sa kilos niyo, sa mga sinasabi niyo, parang kayo, pero hindi.

This kind of "relationship" can happen at different stages for different reasons. It can happen after a break-up. You still love each other, and you want to be with each other but you broke up for a reason. And for reasons that you alone know, ayaw niyo na muna magkabalikan.

It can also happen before a relationship, iyong pareho kayong nakikiramdam. Possible din na ayaw niyo munang mag-seryoso kaya kunwa-kunwarian lang muna. Testing lang. Puwede ring hindi puwedeng maging kayo kasi isa sa inyo may ka-relasyon na. Kaya habang hindi pa siya nakikipag-break doon(sabi niya makikipag-break siya soon pero di naman niya ginagawa), wala muna kayong relasyon para nga naman hindi siya nangangaliwa
kasi "hindi naman kayo."

This pseudo-relationship stage, for a time, can be fun. Lalo na kung naghahanap ka lang naman ng "kalaro." Pero huwag ka lang mag-e-expect na
may patutunguhan kayo kasi wala talagang kasiguraduhan.

So bakit ang daming nagse-settle sa ganitong setup ganoong hindi naman sigurado kung may patutunguhan?

Iba't ibang dahilan. Puwedeng for fun lang. Puwedeng "buti na iyan kesa wala" or puwede na iyang "pantawid-gutom." Meaning, habang wala pa iyong the real thing, doon muna sa kunwa-kunwarian.

For those who are not in a serious relationship, they would think that pseudo-relationship is better than no relationship at all. It would be fun, if all you are after for is that "kilig" feeling.

Mostly, ang rationalization ng mga napasok dito, "okay na iyun, kesa wala."

Aminado naman ako na once upon a time, may mga pseudo-relationships din ako. No commitments involved. For the simplest reason that they couldn't commit, because they were either committed to someone else, or that they weren't ready to commit.

Ang maganda doon, iyong kilig feeling. Iyong merong nagtatanong kung kumusta araw ko. Iyong merong ka-cuddle sa beach outing. Iyong kapag tumunog ang cellphone, mapapangiti na ako dahil alam kong galing sa kanya ang message. Iyong merong laging kasama. Habang wala pa ang the real thing, puwede na itong pagtiyagaan.

But then I learned that although it was only a pseudo-relationship, the emotions were real. And usually, in this kind of set up, ang nagmamahal ang lugi.

Una, you can't ask siya to commit. Since it's not really a relationship, you can't demand commitment from your partner. Ano ba kayo? May K ka nga ba magpasundo or mangsundo ng hatinggabi? You will always be uncertain about your role in his life. You can't expect him to be always there with you. And if you feel jealous of the others, you just have to keep it to yourself. Ano ka ba niya para magselos?

Pangalawa, what if you fall deeply in love with him/her? You can't be sure if he feels the same way. Baka nag-a-assume ka lang na mahal ka rin niya. Even if you are dying to tell him/her you love him/her, you can't. Because you're not sure if s/he'll like it. Baka mapahiya ka lang. This stage will always make you wonder where you are in the relationship. Or if there is a relationship at all.

Pangatlo, what if you become attached too much? What if you have invested all your emotions and that someone hasn't? What if you remain faithful to him/her, not entertaining others, only to find out that s/he is seeing other girls or boys?

Isa pang downside ng pseudo-relationships, it is fleeting. When a disagreement sets in, or when one of you gets cold, then that would be the end of it. Unlike in a serious relationship, hindi mo alam kung saan ka lulugar sa isang pseudo-relationship. Wala kang pinanghahawakan. Kasi sa pseudo-relationship, there is no "us." Meron lang "you and me," hindi "us."

Buti sana kung pseudo-pain din lang ang mararanasan mo. Kaso, hindi eh. Real pain. And usually, kahit tapos na ang pseudo-relationship, hindi mo maiwasan umasang one day, may karugtong pa rin iyun. And you will be miserable, hoping to bring back what you used to have, only to find out eventually that that someone is in another pseudo-relationship with somebody else.

Ang hirap, ano? You agreed to this kind of set up and then you'd end up hurting yourself in the process.

Pero puwede naman maiwasan ang pain eh. Puwede naman na hindi mo muna isipin ang future and just enjoy the feeling, without thinking of the consequences.

But if you are certain that you are going to hurt yourself in the process, kailangan mo mamili. You can be happy and live the moment without worrying what would happen next. Or you can stop settling with pseudo-relationships and wait for the real thing.

When I was younger and in a pseudo-relationship with an unavailable girl, a friend told me, "Sige, kung ayaw mong magpapigil, bahala ka. Magpakasaya ka. Pero huwag kang iiyak-iyak pagkatapos, dahil tatadyakan kita."

Ang bottom line lang naman, kung magpapasaya sa iyo, gawin mo. Ihanda mo lang ang sarili mo sa consequence. Dahil ang "parang kayo pero hindi" stage ay bihirang nagiging totoo. Usually, hanggang doon lang siya -- almost, but not quite.

Changes in Zodiac Signs for 2011

2011-01-14T17:14:00.005+08:00

Parke Kunkle, an astronomer in Minnesota, says that the change in the Earth’s angle will provide an all-new alignment of the zodiac signs this year. In addition, there may be a new sign - Ophiuchus (13th Sign).

Here is the new alignment:

Capricorn: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 – March 11
Pisces: March 11 – April 18
Aries: April 18 – May 13
Taurus: May 13 – June 21
Gemini: June 21 – July 20
Cancer: July 20 – Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 – Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 – Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 – Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 – Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29- Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 – Jan. 20

Worried that your Zodiac Sign will now change? Most people are, including me (I'd like to keep my Libra sign). But they say the general idea is that whatever you were born under still stands true, but those born starting in 2011 will follow a totally different chart. What do you think?

The Year That Was

2011-01-11T13:21:00.018+08:00

It's a shame I only have one post per year for the past two years.. Haha I have started a few blogs, but apparently, the determination to go on fades away through time. My other blogs haven't received any updates for years now. hehe For this reason, I have decided to take the 365 challenge. (It's really "365 Project" for most, but I'm taking it as a challenge.) For the whole year of 2011, I'll be putting up one post every single day. I made a different blog just for this. I'll be counting the blessings, no matter how small they may appear to be. I've realized that life is truly full of surprises and it's the little things that make up life. So I'll be keeping my eyes open for the little (and big) surprises that may come my way, everyday, for 2011.

Speaking of surprises, 2010 was full of it too -- things that weren't exactly planned way before it happened, but it happened anyhow.

January 2010 was a month of contemplation. My boyfriend and I broke up, so we took a time off. Our communication ceased, with the hopes that one day, we may sit down and talk about all of it calmly and objectively. On the bright side, my siblings and I, along with some friends, partied til morning during New Years (we went home at 8AM!). We were obliged to be there, since my sister and her bf were sponsors of the event. We didn't expect it would end the way it did. What's more, we ate pizza for breakfast! :)

February had it's ups and downs. Me and a friend (Carla) went to Manila for a weekend getaway. She wanted to watch some gigs, I was hoping I would finally have a talk with my ex.. but it didn't happen. We went to Manila, alright, but we didn't get to watch any gigs (because of the conflict of schedules), and I didn't get to see my ex, either. Luckily, we did meet with Vero, a close friend from high school, and she gave us a warm welcome. She sent a chauffeur-driven car, invited us to stay at her very nice condo, and took us partying. We saw a lot of celebrities on the side. Tor, a good friend from college, also showed us around town, and offered a place to stay. It was a fun trip! It didn't exactly go as planned, but it got better somehow.

I also got the chance to model for some photographers back in Feb. It was a great experience! I never thought posing, projecting and smiling in front of the camera could be exhausting. hehe Nevertheless, it helped me cope with the recent breakup sadness. I met new friends and it helped me gain my confidence back.

Two of my sisters have birthdays that fall on March. The family had dinner with two of my sisters' bfs. I can't remember anything else that happened on March.. hehehe One of our cousin's birthday also falls on March - Ate Kaye's.

Speaking of Ate Kaye, she came over for her brother's graduation, and took all of us out on a day trip to one of the nearby resorts last May for her brother's graduation party. It would have been best if we stayed their for the night, but we saved that for next time. :)

On the same month, my siblings and I had the chance to watch a show again, and be reunited with the folks at the performing arts school we used to belong to. It was great to see them, especially our director. It has been years! Watching them perform made us want to dance again. :)

June was one of my closest friend's birth month. We had dinner on his birthday at one of his friend's restaurant -- who, that night, asked for my number. Surprising how the digits in our mobile numbers are almost identical.

July was a month full of celebrations. Two of my closest friends' birthdays fall on this month, plus, one of them got married! :) And, there's one other nice thing that started last July... :)

The end of August til the first week of September was a time to get away from all the usual stuff. Me and my brother, along with our cousin, and her workmates, went to Cebu and Bohol for a vacation. It was a grrreat time! We had our own villa at Bohol, we took a day tour, went snorkeling, ate A LOT of fresh seafoods, went partying at Cebu, also took a day tour there, and went to Plantation Bay (one of the top 100 resorts in the world), among others. I probably need a separate blog post to tell you everything. haha But I'd let the pictures say a thousand words....

October and November were also months full of traveling -- Cebu, Hong Kong, and Manila. The Cebu-Hong Kong trip was spent with friends. I was kinda hesitant, (because of the bus hostage case) but Dixie was persistent, and I really wanted to go... so at the last minute I decided to join them, and I'm glad I did. I would have missed out on a lot of wonderful things if I didn't. I encountered a lot of "firsts" during the trip, including a ride on a roller coaster! Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? HA! I thought I'm gonna diiieeee...

November was vacation time for the whole family. We all went to Manila, and met with our cousins and aunt. It was a short trip, but we made the most of it. We even went all the way to Pagsanjan Falls! :) A particular highlight was the boat ride, which passes through 14 rapids maneuvered by boatmen between rocks and boulders, leading to the main falls. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we didn't reach the main falls. It was getting dark, and it started to rain.

December's always a great time. Why, it's Christmas time! :) 2010's special though. I had another "first"! :) And I'm super grateful. Truly, life is full of surprises. I wonder what's in store for this year, I'm excited to find out! Happy new year everyone!!

The End of Facebook - March 15, 2011?

2011-01-09T17:22:00.006+08:00

WeeklyWorldyNews:

PALO ALTO, CA –Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will be shut down in March. Managing the site has become too stressful.

“Facebook has gotten out of control,” said Zuckerberg in a press conference outside his Palo Alto office, “and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness.”

Zuckerberg went on to explain that starting March 15th, users will no longer be able to access their Facebook accounts.

“After March 15th the whole website shuts down,” said Avrat Humarthi, Vice President of Technical Affairs at Facebook. “So if you ever want to see your pictures again, I recommend you take them off the internet. You won’t be able to get them back once Facebook goes out of business.”

Zuckerberg said that the decision to shut down Facebook was difficult, but that he does not think people will be upset.

“I personally don’t think it’s a big deal,” he said in a private phone interview. “And to be honest, I think it’s for the better. Without Facebook, people will have to go outside and make real friends. That’s always a good thing.”

Some Facebook users were furious upon hearing the shocking news.

“What am I going to do without Facebook?” said Denise Bradshaw, a high school student from Indiana. “My life revolves around it. I’m on Facebook at least 10 hours a day. Now what am I going to do with all that free time?”

However, parents across the country have been experiencing a long anticipated sense of relief.

“I’m glad the Facebook nightmare is over,” said Jon Guttari, a single parent from Detroit. “Now my teenager’s face won’t be glued to a computer screen all day. Maybe I can even have a conversation with her.”

Those in the financial circuit are criticizing Zuckerberg for walking away from a multibillion dollar franchise. Facebook is currently ranked as one of the wealthiest businesses in the world, with economists estimating its value at around 7.9 billion.

But Zuckerberg remains unruffled by these accusations. He says he will stand by his decision to give Facebook the axe.

“I don’t care about the money,” said Zuckerberg. “I just want my old life back.”

The Facebook Corporation suggests that users remove all of their personal information from the website before March 15th. After that date, all photos, notes, links, and videos will be permanently erased.

Could this be true? I doubt it.

Here's what the people at Liquida has to say about it:

"It's a rumor based on a fictitious, satirical story published on WeeklyWorldNews.com, a tabloid-style website (and formerly a weekly newspaper) best known for such past scoops as 'Alien Spaceships to Attack Earth in 2011' and 'Megan Fox Is a Man.' It isn't news. It barely even qualifies as a rumor...."

FREE Trip to Boracay!

2010-01-11T11:30:00.006+08:00

I have always wanted to go back to Boracay. So if there's any chance to get it for free, then why not give it a shot? :) WOW Philippines Travel Agency is giving away a FREE Boracay Package!

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.
Vacation Package Inclusions:

- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat
- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information at: http://www.boracay-packages.com

Partners and Marriage by Kent Nerburn

2009-06-16T00:15:00.010+08:00

First post for 2009! Wow... A lot has happened, I don't know where to start! haha

Here's a little something about love... I found this on a friend's page (notes) in FB last January. It made me reflect on my past mistakes, and somehow guided me through the "selection" process. It's a well-written piece. Quite long.. but a good read! I highly recommend this... :) And oh, I googled this essay, and saw hundreds of sites showing the same thing. I found a post as early as 2007. But it doesn't matter, I'm sharing this to those who haven't had the chance to read it yet. :)

This excerpt, by the way, is frequently attributed to Eduardo Jose E. Calasanz, when in fact it is part of Kent Nerburn's book, Letters to My Son: A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love. Chapter 26.

My friend says this holds an advice for the married, planning to get married, single but not available, single and available, and even for those with no love life. So read on! :)

------------------------------
------------------------------------

PARTNERS AND MARRIAGE
By Kent Nerburn

I have never met a man who didn't want to be loved. But I have seldom
met a man who didn't fear marriage. Something about the closure seems
constricting, not enabling. Marriage seems easier to understand for what
it cuts out of our lives than for what it makes possible within our
lives.

When I was younger this fear immobilized me. I did not want to make a
mistake. I saw my friends get married for reasons of social
acceptability, or sexual fever, or just because they thought it was the
logical thing to do. Then I watched, as they and their partners became
embittered and petty in their dealings with each other. I looked at
older couples and saw, at best, mutual toleration of each other. I
imagined a lifetime of loveless nights and bickering and could not
imagine subjecting myself or someone else to such a fate.

And yet, on rare occasions, I would see old couples who somehow seemed
to glow in each other's presence. They seemed really in love, not just
dependent upon each other and tolerant of each other's foibles. It was
an astounding sight, and it seemed impossible. How, I asked myself, can
they have survived so many years of sameness, so much irritation at the
other's habits? What keeps love alive in them, when most of us seem
unable to even stay together, much less love each other?

The central secret seems to be in choosing well. There is something to
the claim of fundamental compatibility. Good people can create a bad
relationship, even though they both dearly want the relationship to
succeed. It is important to find someone with whom you can create a good
relationship from the outset. Unfortunately, it is hard to see clearly
in the early stages.

Sexual hunger draws you to each other and colors the way you see
yourselves together. It blinds you to the thousands of little things by
which relationships eventually survive or fail. You need to find a way
to see beyond this initial overwhelming sexual fascination. Some people
choose to involve themselves sexually and ride out the most heated
period of sexual attraction in order to see what is on the other side.
This can work, but it can also leave a trail of wounded hearts. Others
deny the sexual side altogether in an attempt to get to know each other
apart from their sexuality. But they cannot see clearly, because the
presence of unfulfilled sexual desire looms so large that it keeps them
from having any normal perception of what life would be like together.
The truly lucky people are the ones who manage to become long-time
friends before they realize they are attracted to each other. They get
to know each other's laughs, passions, sadness, and fears. They see each
other at their worst and at their best. They share time together before
they get swept into the entangling intimacy of their sexuality.

This is the ideal, but not often possible. If you fall under the spell
of your sexual attraction immediately, you need to look beyond it for
other keys to compatibility. One of these is laughter. Laughter tells
you how much you will enjoy each other's company over the long term.

If your laughter together is good and healthy, and not at the expense
of others, then you have a healthy relationship to the world. Laughter
is the child of surprise. If you can make each other laugh, you can
always surprise each other. And if you can always surprise each other,
you can always keep the world around you new. Beware of a relationship
in which there is no laughter. Even the most intimate relationships
based only on seriousness have a tendency to turn sour. Over time,
sharing a common serious viewpoint on the world tends to turn you
against those who do not share the same viewpoint, and your relationship
can become based on being critical together.

After laughter, look for a partner who deals with the world in a way
you respect. When two people first get together, they tend to see their
relationship as existing only in the space between the two of them. They
find each other endlessly fascinating, and the overwhelming power of the
emotions they are sharing obscures the outside world. As the
relationship ages and grows, the outside world becomes important again.
If your partner treats people or circumstances in a way you can't
accept, you will inevitably come to grief. Look at the way she cares for
others and deals with the daily affairs of life. If that makes you love
her more, your love will grow. If it does not, be careful. If you do not
respect the way you each deal with the world around you, eventually the
two of you will not respect each other.

Look also at how your partner confronts the mysteries of life. We live
on the cusp of poetry and practicality, and the real life of the heart
resides in the poetic. If one of you is deeply affected by the mystery
of the unseen in life and relationships, while the other is drawn only
to the literal and the practical, you must take care that the distance
doesn't become an unbridgeable gap that leaves you each feeling isolated
and misunderstood.

There are many other keys, but you must find them by yourself. We all
have unchangeable parts of our hearts that we will not betray and
private commitments to a vision of life that we will not deny. If you
fall in love with someone who cannot nourish those inviolable parts of
you, or if you cannot nourish them in her, you will find yourselves
growing further apart until you live in separate worlds where you share
the business of life, but never touch each other where the heart lives
and dreams. From there it is only a small leap to the cataloging of
petty hurts and daily failures that leaves so many couples bitter and
unsatisfied with their mates.

So choose carefully and well. If you do, you will have chosen a partner
with whom you can grow, and then the real miracle of marriage can take
place in your hearts. I pick my words carefully when I speak of a
miracle. But I think it is not too strong a word.

There is a miracle in marriage. It is called transformation.
Transformation is one of the most common events of nature. The seed
becomes the flower. The cocoon becomes the butterfly. Winter becomes
spring and love becomes a child. We never question these, because we see
them around us every day. To us they are not miracles, though if we did
not know them they would be impossible to believe.

Marriage is a transformation we choose to make. Our love is planted
like a seed, and in time it begins to flower. We cannot know the flower
that will blossom, but we can be sure that a bloom will come.

If you have chosen carefully and wisely, the bloom will be good. If you
have chosen poorly or for the wrong reason, the bloom will be flawed. We
are quite willing to accept the reality of negative transformation in a
marriage. It was negative transformation that always had me terrified of
the bitter marriages that I feared when I was younger. It never occurred
to me to question the dark miracle that transformed love into harshness
and bitterness. Yet I was unable to accept the possibility that the
first heat of love could be transformed into something positive that was
actually deeper and more meaningful than the heat of fresh passion. All
I could believe in was the power of this passion and the fear that when
it cooled I would be left with something lesser and bitter.

But there is positive transformation as well. Like negative
transformation, it results from a slow accretion of little things. But
instead of death by a thousand blows, it is growth by a thousand touches
of love. Two histories intermingle. Two separate beings, two separate
presence, two separate consciousnesses come together and share a view of
life that passes before them. They remain separate, but they also become
one. There is an expansion of awareness, not a closure and a
constriction, as I had once feared. This is not to say that there is not
tension and there are not traps. Tension and traps are part of every
choice of life, from celibate to monogamous to having multiple lovers.
Each choice contains within it the lingering doubt that the road not
taken somehow more fruitful and exciting, and each becomes dulled to the
richness that it alone contains.

But only marriage allows life to deepen and expand and be leavened by
the knowledge that two have chosen, against all odds, to become one.
Those who live together without marriage can know the pleasure of shared
company, but there is a specific gravity in the marriage commitment that
deepes that experience into something richer and more complex.

So do not fear marriage, just as you should not rush into it for the
wrong reasons. It is an act of faith and it contains within it the power
of transformation.

If you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you
are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the
endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if
you have the strength of heart to embrace the cycles and seasons that
your love will experience, then you may be ready to seek the miracle
that marriage offers. If not, then wait. The easy grace of a marriage
well made is worth your patience. When the time comes, a thousand
flowers will bloom...endlessly.

**********************************************************************

Twilight, Hair Color, and Shopping

2008-11-29T03:40:00.004+08:00

Just a few updates. You've probably noticed I haven't written as often as I usually do, and the last entry was a mere copy-paste. hehe These are the things that happened this week...

Monday, Nov 24: My BF was released from the hospital. I also felt a sigh of relief. :) He's still recuperating from the operation, but it's a good start. :) He said the doc placed 11 screws inside, and the stitches look about 3 inches long. Went to the gym in the evening, and I met "friendly" guys... Next time I won't go there without my brother. =/

Tuesday, Nov 25: The package that I sent to my bf (for this month) arrived (finally!). I sent pirated dvds (for personal viewing only), and I was worried it won't get through. The lady at the post office said sending it is a risk -- depending on the receiving country; some countries reject mails with pirated things inside. hehe Luckily, it was delivered. :) It's for a good cause anyways... He'll be staying home until he'll be fit to work again. DVDs work wonders when you're home alone. I bought 12 pirated dvds for the price of 1 original dvd! :D So it was a very good bargain... but, yah, it's bad... hehe

Wednesday, Nov 26: Went to Karasia (Mitsubishi) in the A.M. because the owner called to order some stocks. Did some business. I watched Twilight with my sisters and sister's bf in the P.M.! :) It's a nice film. I haven't read the book yet, but I'm positive it's just as cool, or even nicer. "Edward" looks pale-white, but that's 'cause he's a vampire. hehe I also did some shopping! I bought something for my bf. :)

Thursday, Nov 27: Stayed home and did some planning and organizing...

Friday, Nov 28: My sister and brother dyed their hair this afternoon. They also put streaks on mine. And it's not neatly done. haha One of the mall's having a midnight sale! Mall-wide sale 'til midnight, that is. :) Shopped a bit, but had to save up for tomorrow... I've got tired legs, new highlights, and sleepy eyes right now.

Tomorrow: All malls in the city will be open til midnight, and everything's on a cheaper price! :D So you'll know where to find me!

I'm also working on a new website. It's taking a huge amount of time and effort on my part... So writing everyday on this blog is just not possible at this time, and it's okay. :) The only thing I'm worried about is, if I lose momentum, I'd eventually fade away from writing here. hehe And I hope that will never happen. I hope everybody's doing well! Hope your Thanksgiving Day went great! :) Take care everyone!

Meteor Over Alberta

2008-11-23T12:27:00.002+08:00

Possible meteor lights up the skies in northern Alberta
Huge flash also seen in Sask. and Manitoba

By TAMAS VIRAG, Sun Media (Thu, November 20, 2008)

EDMONTON — The bright flash of light across the Alberta sky earlier this evening wasn’t a bird and it wasn’t a plane.

It was a meteor seen from across this province and even parts of Manitoba.

“I did hear a boom ... I lifted my eyes and this bright meteor was falling,” said Marcellin Gobeil, who lives on a farm about three kilometres west of Beaumont.

“It came down pretty fast, but it lasted a long time, a lot longer than I’ve ever seen it,” he said, adding the massive and awe-inspiring spectacle painted the dark sky at around 5:30 p.m. in bright shades of orange, green and blue. “When it hit the ground it was still lit.”

One Edmontonian even called the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre – the organization in Ontario that tracks airplane crashes throughout the country – shortly before the heavenly apparition was confirmed as a meteor.

“Somebody called here, she was driving downtown Edmonton and she saw a huge bright light turn orange,” said Capt. Pierre Bolduc with the centre, adding RCMP have gotten hundreds of calls.

Nikki Booth, spokesman for Edmonton Fire Rescue, said they also got calls about the flash of light, but did not respond to it, as they believed the meteor landed south of the city.

Gobeil, however, says the rocky space invader most likely slammed into the ground somewhere in Manitoba, which is just fine by him, after the moment of fear the apparition caused him.

“I was kind of scared, actually. I didn’t know what the heck it was and, to me, it was going to hit the town of umont and that’s where my kids are,” Gobeil said. “It looked so close, and when I didn’t see any explosion or anything I said, ‘Good, it’s gotta be way past that.’ ”

“The question now that remains is whether anything made it to the ground,” said Chris Herd, a science professor at the U of A. “This thing was so bright it indicates that it’s a pretty good-sized piece of space rock.”

Herd is hoping that reports from the public will lead to finding the rock – if any of it survived the fiery fall – so he and others at the university can analyze it.

Anyone wishing to report their sighting is encouraged to do so at miac.uqac.ca.

Source: http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/11/20/7482001.html

Most Beautiful Bottom In The World

2008-11-17T07:03:00.001+08:00

I didn't know they were holding competitions for the most beautiful bottom in the world. I could have joined! haha :P kidding. :)

Melanie Nunes Fronckowiak (R) from Brazil, and Saiba Bombote (L) from France pose after they won the female and male final of the "most beautiful bottom in the world" competition in Paris last November 12, 2008. 45 finalists from 26 different countries took part in the competition. Winners received a modelling contract and 15,000 euros ($18,769) prize money. Hmm... looks like I have a lot of work to do in the gym. I need to talk to my trainer. lol

More photos:

The Winners

Contestants

Source: REUTERS/Vincent Kessler (FRANCE)

Los Angeles, California Wildfire

2008-11-16T05:01:00.008+08:00

Sources say the blaze started Friday night in northern Los Angeles and has burned more than 2,600 acres. The fire was driven by high winds, causing it to spread. Thousands of residents fled in the dark. I can only imagine how scary this is.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County.

These are photos taken by Dan Steinberg. As you can see, flames burn on both sides of Interstate 5, the main freeway linking Los Angeles to the north. Click here to view the slideshow.

Here's an excerpt from the Yahoo News Article:

"You could see absolutely nothing," said Jackie Burns, 77, who, along with her husband, Len, fled their mobile home at 3 a.m. as the fire raged through the neighborhood. "It was like looking into a black hole. It looked like the end of the world to me."

Scary. I honestly haven't seen a wildfire as huge as this one, but I guess I haven't seen a single wildfire in my life... yet. hehe

Wikipedia cited, many states in the United States, Canadian provinces and many countries around the world use Fire lookouts as a means of early detection of forest fires. Did they see this coming? Daniel Berlant, a spokesman at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said, "the dry conditions make it perfect for more fires".

A wildfire is a natural condition - a natural part of ecosystems in many, but not all forest types. It is sometimes essential for forest regeneration, but when lives are at risk, then we have to do something to prevent huge, destructive ones from happening. Like maybe, find ways to improve the wildland fire suppression techniques? And it's always safer to live far away from wildfire prone areas, in the first place. Still, any kind of fire can happen anywhere, right? Even in big cities... But there are places with high risk, and there are places with low risk - you take your pick. If you're destined to die by fire, would you like to be burned by a forest fire, or fire caused by faulty electrical lines, or fire started by a candle in a lowly shack in the mountains, etc... hehe Sorry, just kidding. :)

165 homes were burned on Saturday. It's a sad and serious matter. I hope they'll find a nice, cozy home before Christmas.

Read the full article at Yahoo News.

Cheating Husbands and Suspicious Wives

2008-11-14T06:30:00.010+08:00

Last night, I received a message in Facebook from an American woman, based in Mexico. She is not in my friends list, so her message came as a little surprise. Why little, you may ask? Two reasons. One: Random messages are quite common in Facebook, being a very interactive site. Two: Receiving a message in this nature isn't a first time for me. I got a message or two from "curious" women before, and I dealt with them just like how I dealt with this one - by being honest. Below is the message I received from her last night....

But first, let me hide their true identities, by calling the woman "Eve", and the man "Adam". K, here's the message:

hi Wen,
how are you?
how do you know Adam? i see we have him as a mutual friend
kind regards,
Eve

Simple but you gotta read between the lines. Seemingly harmless, but a liiitttle insulting. Why? At first it makes one wonder why she's interested to know. The reason might be any of the following:

He's been bothering her, and she just wants to know how others perceive the guy.
She's a jealous friend.
Eve wants to be Wen's friend, and is just striking a conversation.
She's a curious girlfriend.
Suspicious wife.

I guess she won't go out of her way to ask a total stranger about someone whom she barely know. So it's given, they know each other. We can take the first option out. But why bother ask anyone about a certain person if they don't have a special sort of connection, right? Then one would eventually realize that perhaps she's the girlfriend or the wife. They didn't use the same last names, so it's hard to tell. But I did my homework, and from the looks of it, she's the guy's wife. Which leads to a speculation that they're probably having problems right now - a cheating problem for the guy, or lack of trust from the woman.

It's a little insulting because I personally have no intention to wreck any home, and I'm the faithful type. I "met" the guy in Human Pets last year. It was a friendly relationship - never sexual in nature, never intimate, and we were not even close friends. What could be her basis? Who knows, it could just be my profile picture. Haha Or maybe it's because of the fact that his husband has taken interest in adding me as a friend, and has sent me application invites and virtual gifts? But I'll have to clarify that. In Facebook, a person can send a gift to all of his friends by simply clicking on the "Select All" box. I did thank him just like I thanked everybody else whenever I receive a gift, but I never flirted in ANY way. Even if I was still single then, he was too old for me. He didn't indicate his marital status in his profile, but a guy his age? I guess it's common sense - he's either married, divorced, gay, or have sworn to be single for life. But I don't think he's gay, nor have sworn to single blessedness.

Anyway, I didn't snap at Eve or anything. I know she's just searching for the truth, and I did lay out everything. I told her not to worry about me, as I have a bf of my own, and I know my boundaries. I haven't even spoken a hundred words to her husband since the very first day we "met". I hope they can fix it, and I hope Adam's not cheating on her. If he is, I hope Eve finds that woman (if that's what she's trying to do). hehehe :D

Why do married people, especially men, act like single individuals on the internet anyways (and even in real life)? Do you think Eve was just carried away by her insecurities, which led her to send a message like that to every woman (possibly, but unlikely) in Adam's friends? Where should we draw the line between making friends and cheating? How can we prevent these things from happening? Are you one of them? Have you had similar incidents before?

Below are interesting articles, you might want to read. These are written by David Zinczenko, in his attempt to explain the "Mysteries of the Sexes". Fun articles, if you ask me. It's good to know what goes on in a man's head.

On Cheating and other problems...
Does a Wandering Eye mean a Wandering Heart?
Your Man's Infidelity Triggers
5 Surprising Symptoms of Infidelity
Who's Really Threatening Your Relationship?
What's the Difference Between Flirting and Cheating?
Why Men Cheat
Do You Expect Too Much From Your Relationship?

Solutions, suggestions, guides... a look at the bright side.
4 Instant Intimacy Boosters
What Makes Men Marry?
5 Ways to Keep Your Men From Straying
10 Compliments That Wow a Man
Can Cheaters Change?
7 Signs He's Trying to Buy Your Love
8 Surprising Turn-Ons for Men
Secrets You Better Tell Your Partner
Is it Time to Dump Him?
What Scares a Man?
The Secret Language of Men
What His Last Relationship Say About Your Current One

Single?
The Lonely Heart's Guide to the Holidays

And nope, David's not paying me for this. :D

Image Source: http://www.love-sessions.com/cheating_spouse.htm

Christmas Poll Widget

2008-11-08T05:05:00.021+08:00

I've added a cute new widget today! YAY! Thanks to MicroPoll.com. I was so excited with the outcome, I placed it on my page even if it's still November. =) Christmas is already in the air in the Philippines. The weather's starting to get colder and colder (at least where I live; as for the other cities, I'm not sure), and some people are actually starting to shop for gifts. Yup, as early as today! :) Coca-Cola has started to air their Christmas Ad on TV... I'm listening to Christmas songs aired over the radio at this very moment... Lots of Christmas Decors and Christmas trees are on display everywhere... Well, you get the picture. :)

Anyway, back to the widget... It's a poll widget, really, but after a few minor tweaks, now it reminds me of Superpoke in Facebook, except simpler. It's amazing to know it's customizable. You can set the color for the Title text, the Title background, Poll Border, Poll Background, Question and Answers Text, Chart/Bar graph, etc. You may even display an image for each answer option, thereby, adding appeal to your polls. Not bad, if you want to, let's say, get your reader's opinion on what dress to wear on Saturday, or whom should you go out with... Add a picture of every girl/guy you like in each of the choices, and find out what others think by gathering votes! Hehe Just my imagination... :) Read more about the poll's features here. Oh, and it's free! You do have an option to upgrade to MicroPoll Advantage and pay $15/Month (or more) to get advanced features, but I guess the free account's already cool by itself.

The only slightly-negative thing that I've found so far is, if a user chooses the Multiple-answer type of Poll (just like the one on my page). When someone votes, the counter counts the number of answers chosen, not the number of voters. So, if for example, I'm the first voter in my poll, and I'll choose "Smile at Wen" and "List as Naughty", the results would show there were 2 votes, not 1 voter. So it would give the site owner the impression that two of his/her readers have voted, but in reality, there was only 1 voter who clicked on two answers.

The poll provided by Blogger counts the number of voters, not the answers chosen. But this is just a minor thing, I guess... Unless you're doing a research, then you need accurate data for Statistics. Important thing is, the poll serves it's purpose, and that's to count the number of votes on each answer. My poll's not for the count, by the way. It's just for fun and interaction. :) I hope you'll click on it, it's not adsense... =) And voters remain anonymous (your identities are all safe with Santa, don't worry), so you can throw snowballs at me all you want, and I won't get back at you.. =P hehe This widget will be up and running til Christmas.

If you want to create your own poll, here's the link: http://www.micropoll.com/. Have fun and be imaginative! =)

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Is Obama the Anti-Christ?

2008-11-07T23:43:00.003+08:00

I first heard about this in Facebook. One of my "online" friends invited me to join the group called, "No, seriously. Obama might just be the antichrist." I was passive about it, and didn't join the group. When I heard he won, I got curious, and I did a search on Obama being the anti-Christ. Just so... you know... I won't unknowingly "worship" the demon god or something. hihi ^_^ Just kidding. I wanted to know the root cause of this claim. A lot of results turned up, showing different blogs and other sites. I learned there was an email circulated on March 2008 saying that the Book of Revelations described the anti-Christ as someone with characteristics matching those of Barack Obama. Here's the email:

According to The Book of Revelations the anti-Christ is:

The anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40s, of MUSLIM descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal.... the prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in power, will destroy everything. Is it OBAMA??

This turned out to be an Urban Legend. The words above can't be found in the real Revelations chapter. In fact, Obama is said to be a Christian. He was baptized at Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988. However, on May 31, 2008, Obama resigned his membership in the church because of controversies with his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright (video here). Growing up, he was not raised in a religious household. His mother was detached from religion (because she was raised by non-religious parents), yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known", says Obama. As stated in Wikipedia, he describes his father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." Hmm...

The Book of Revelations didn't really say the words, "Muslim", nor "anti-Christ". The phrase "a man, in his 40s" most certainly wasn't in it, but instead, it mentioned a "beast", and "the whole earth marveled at the beast", and "a mouth speaking great things and blasphemy", "Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.", etc. These are really mean words, really. I wouldn't call Obama a beast. At the end of the Chapter, it said, "Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six. "

For experimental reasons, let's take the last words literally, and do a Numerology test. hehe By numerology, I mean, digit summing - let's add the values corresponding to each letter's place in the alphabet (e.g., A=1, B=2, through Z=26) for Barack Obama's name. But let's try McCain's name first, to be fair. hehehe =D

JOHN SIDNEY McCAIN III

J+O+H+N = 10+15+8+14 = 47; 4+7=11; 1+1=2
S+I+D+N+E+Y = 19+9+4+14+5+25 = 76; 7+6=13; 1+3=4
M+C+C+A+I+N = 13+3+3+1+9+14 = 43; 4+3=7

What about the III? Hmm.. Let's see.. since he's the third person who holds the name, let's increment his numbers twice. The 247 is for the first John Sidney McCain, 358 is for the second, and John Sidney McCain III's number is 469. Fair enough? =)

Now let's look at Obama's...

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA II
B+A+R+A+C+K = 2+1+18+1+3+11 = 36; 3+6=9
H+U+S+S+E+I+N = 8+21+19+19+5+9+14 = 95; 9+5=14; 1+4=5
O+B+A+M+A = 15+2+1+13+1 = 32; 3+2=5

Since Barack is "the second" (II) person who holds the name, let the first Barack have the 955. Let's increment President-elect Obama's numbers....

9+1=10; 1+0=1
5+1=6
5+1=6

Close call! Using Numerology, the equivalent number of Obama's name is 166. The beast's number is 666. Whew! =P Hehehe Okay, that's silly. =) Seriously, I'm sure the Bible don't really say things too literally... And nobody knows for sure who or what the "beast" is, as written in the Book.

David Emery of about.com stated:

Barack Obama, the Antichrist? This would have to count as the ultimate political smear. I mean, accusing a politician of accepting bribes or cheating on taxes is one thing; naming him as the "Seven-Headed Beast of Revelation" (a.k.a. "the Wicked One," "False Prophet," and "Beast from the Abyss") is candidate bashing on an apocalyptic scale.

Though it is unclear what, besides being charismatic and popular, Barack Obama has done to earn this dishonor, outgoing Antichrist designee George W. Bush must be thrilled to see a newcomer wearing the ungodly mantle. Obama joins an extensive roster of modern luminaries branded with a "666," including Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin, Pope Benedict XVI, Bill Gates, and Barney the Dinosaur.

For the record, while Barack Obama is in his forties and by most accounts a persuasive speaker, he is not a Muslim (nor, for that matter, does the Book of Revelation say the Antichrist is a Muslim), nor has he ever delivered a stump speech promising "world peace."

While these may be true, I guess it wouldn't hurt to be vigilant, especially when it comes to evil and things like that. Snopes.com said:

The Biblical citation most relevant to this issue might not be one from the Revelation, but rather this passage from the Gospel of Matthew:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

But then again, this could be anybody... Let's not point our fingers at anyone instantly. And perhaps it's best to look more deeply into things before trusting anyone 100%. =) What's your opinion on this one?

UPDATE (Nov 9, 2008): I found this site a while ago... For supplemental reading, I suggest you visit this too:

What makes you so sure that Barack Obama is not the antichrist?
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Thank You, Subscribers!

2008-11-06T23:43:00.022+08:00

Wow, I can't help but notice the increase in the number of SCRIBBLE & SCRIBBLE Subscribers these past few days. From 0, to 6, to 10, to 13, to 19, and it did went down to 16 for a while, and now at 21! It's a new record! ^_^ It's not many, because I've seen sites with tens and hundreds of subscribers, but I consider myself lucky enough to have some anyways. :) I started this blog last October 15, and I am very grateful for the seriously kind-hearted people who noticed it. hehe It's barely 23 days old... I've seen blogs with only 1 or 2 subscribers, or none at all, and they've been in the blogosphere for a while. =( I always find myself signing up for email subscriptions to those sites, because I know how it feels to see a "0 readers" text on the tiny feedburner button. That's where it all starts, a perfect zero...

I would like to take this time to say THANKS to each and every one of you guys, for your support. My top blog friends, so far, are: xgenesis007, gerimox, and ronald. I appreciate your comments and visits guys. Thank you very much! You never fail to lighten up my day. I invite all my readers to go visit xgenesis' blog, gerimox's blog, and ronald's blog, too! They'll do the same for you, I can guarantee that. Raj, Bhavin, Zelmarqs and the rest of the visitors from BlogCatalog, MyBlogLog, and all the other sites, THANK YOU! I hope you'll visit again soon! :)

And if anybody could tell me, please help me on this one... I'd like to know if there's any way for me to find out who the other subscribers are, e.g. email subscribers, and those who clicked on the RSS feed icons? Feedburner doesn't seem to supply me with the list of email addresses... or maybe I should look harder...? =) I'd like to return the favor somehow. I would subscribe to my subscribers' site content, too. (If I haven't yet) ;-)

I also have one concern... With the frequency of my posts, my emails might end up in your Spam folder. Please let me know if this is happening... So I can find a way to make the email delivery right. :)

Once again, thank you very much! :) My readers' count may go down, or go up from time to time... I'll understand that... But I sure hope it will steadily rise. hehe Thank you!!!

P.S. If you're new to this site, and would like to subscribe to my feeds, please do so. And please let me know, so I could do the same. Thanks!

Barack Obama vs. John McCain

2008-11-05T20:00:00.005+08:00

I don't watch too much TV. I rely on the internet for the latest news on current events, the rest of the stories that I've intentionally (and unintentionally) ignored, I hear from my family and friends. Obviously, the biggest news today is the announcement of the new President-elect, Barack Obama. I wasn't very keen on looking at his biography during the elections, but I got the feeling he'll win. He's got celebrity-supporters, according to CNN: Adam Arkin, Jodie Foster, Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Tom Skerritt, Will Smith, Isaiah Washington, and Joanne Woodward, compared to John McCain who seems to have no celebrities (actors/actresses) at his side. I am not saying the celebrities made Obama win, but actors and actresses are influential people - whoever they like, their die-hard fans like, too... I guess. hehe I'm thinking about the likes of Chris Crocker... I bet he'll vote for McCain if Britney Spears supported the guy. hehe Just kidding. It might be a shallow reason for some, but in politics, influence and connections matter. The more people you attract, the better chance.

McCain did, however, have Evelyn Lauder of Estee Lauder Company, Roger Enrico of Dreamworks SKG, and Bob Perry the major funder of "Swift Boats for Truth" PAC as major supporters. Quite boring, if you ask me. =/ Through June 2008, John McCain was able to raise a total of $144,071,945 from his fundraising, while Barack raised $349,716,137. Surprising? Not really. Moreover, Obama is a charming guy, and he's very articulate - he was the first African American to be president of the Harvard Law Review, and graduated with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991. Very impressive. He's also younger compared to McCain (age 47, McCain's 72), and more persuasive. Again, Law School... but don't they also say that lawyers are the best liars? hehe He' not a lawyer, technically, because he is not licensed to practice law; he's a J.D. - a person who received the first graduate degree in law school, but they learn the same things, don't they? Anyways, lawyers=liars, is this true? I hate to sound like I'm generalizing people, sorry... ^_^

McCain, on the other hand, is clearly a supporter of Bush's plans, and with a lot of Bush-haters out there, I guess that pulled his votes down big time. Plus, his merits probably don't match that of Obama's. And, there were a lot of stories written about Obama (e.g. his grandma died, etc.) which, in my opinion, made him more popular; I can't remember anything striking about McCain... In my opinion though, McCain looks kinda nice (try looking into his eyes), but I guess he should smile more. Look at Obama's picture. hehe

Barack Obama is expected to take office as the forty-fourth President of the United States on January 20, 2009. Let's all hope he'll do a lot better than Bush, and the other previous presidents. With his credentials and all, I guess he's a better choice. But, people always rejoice in the beginning, and we always think we picked the right guy. I just hope he's the right one this time. =)

Britney Spears and Chris Crocker

2008-11-04T08:30:00.010+08:00

I was browsing through YouTube last night. I wanted to view Britney Spears' new Womanizer video. I went over the search results, and I watched the Director's Cut version. She really gained weight, didn't she? :) I noticed her thighs in some of the scenes, particularly when she was standing. Hehe But her body looked fit when she was naked and lying down. The song's catchy, by the way, and I guess she did it again this time. Way to go Britney! And oh, the guy in the video is so cute. =)

The reason I wrote about this is not entirely because of Britney's new music video, but also because of Chris Crocker, Britney's fan. Remember him? hehe Every person is entitled to his/her opinion, and it's a free country, so let him be... :D If you haven't seen his video - the video which possibly ranked No.1 in YouTube's most viewed videos in September 2007 (10,042,520 views as of today) - here it is:

Britney's Fan Crying

And I probably am very late with this... but I discovered the following video uploaded on September 13, 2007 by NatLamp (NationalLampoon.com), just this morning... hehe Am I the only person on earth who don't know about this? I don't really spend so much time on YouTube, so it's not surprising. :) This video was a response to Chris Crocker's video. I just have to share it! =D If you haven't seen this yet, enjoy! It's got 3,527,683 views so far... so maybe, about 6,514,837 people who viewed the Britney Fan Crying video didn't view this yet. hehe

LEAVE CHRIS CROCKER ALONE! Britney Spears Responds

On a serious note, we're all humans, and we must respect one another. :) I included these videos in my blog not to humiliate them further, or anything. Hehe They made their videos available in public anyways, so it was their choice. I am not a die-hard Britney fan, nor a Britney-hater, but I respect her as a person, living her own life trying to express her creativity through music. Believe it or not, I respect Chris' sentiments, too. I don't know him, and I haven't seen other videos of him. True, he might have done that for publicity, but it may also be a real outburst... Who knows, he might be a super emotional guy. We can't blame him for what he feels. NatLamp, on the other hand, appears to be making funny videos for a living, so that's their calling. :) hehe They want to make people laugh. We're humans. We act, we feel, we see, we observe, we reflect, we criticize, we understand, we ignore, we respect. It's all a choice, really. :)

It's A Long Story (Part III)

2008-11-03T20:11:00.007+08:00

My sister's bf immediately went to check if they carried a spare pair in the car, while the rest of us stayed put. We took pictures of her destroyed sandals, and her bare foot... while enjoying the hilarious moment. Haha I said to myself I'd write about this in my blog, and I'll post the pictures we took with the halloween monsters.. :) Luckily, my sister did have a spare pair, so the problem was solved and we walked straight to the car. Her bf suggested we'd go to Blue Post Bar and Billiards. He said they serve pasta. I've tried their lunch menu way back in college, with my ex bf, and I did find their pork chops tempting. I couldn't remember if there were any pastas, but we took my sister's bf's word for it. So we went there.

The place looked darker than I expected. Well it was night time... There were GROs/prostitutes... more or less 10 of them. It was more creepy, than exciting. We received cold stares, and blank faces... Maybe they were wondering what a group of innocent faces are doing in a place like that. Perhaps they thought we were a bunch of high school students dying to try out some adventure. We could have gone to McDonald's and have our pasta-craving fixed instantly, but my brother wanted something out of the ordinary. So we stayed. We went inside, and we saw only one table was occupied - with a young couple who were so busy with each other, they didn't even notice us when we came in. If our parents knew where we were, I'm sure they'd be furious. :)

Anyways, the waiter took our orders. My brother did order spaghetti, and that was past midnight. The waiter must have thought we're kids. haha Who orders spaghetti in a bar? :) There were only 2 orders left of the spaghetti, by the way, so the rest of us picked something else. We ordered Cheese Sticks, Kropek (did I spell that right?), Onion Rings, some Chips, and a half-pitcher of Bailey's Shake (which wasn't very good, because it had dark rum in it, and milk; I prefer Bailey's served as is). We took pictures, lots of them. We even had a contest... We each took our best shots. Have you ever heard of food photography? Yup, we we're photographer-wannabes that night. And we did get some cool shots. To make the long story short, we managed to come out of the bar alive, not-100% satisfied but it was getting really late, so we had no choice but to head home.

The following day, I was so excited to transfer all the photos from my phone to my laptop. I didn't show the pix to my siblings yet. I figured it would be better to view them in the laptop. So I got my usb connector, and established a Nokia PC Suite connection. I opened the folder with the pictures in it, and made a new folder on the desktop. I selected the new photos, all of them, and hit ctrl-x (Cut), and pressed Ctrl-V (paste) on the new folder. To my surprise, a window popped out saying the operation failed, as the source files do not exist in the original location. I checked the source folder, and found the new pictures were all deleted. Perhaps the Ctrl-X function doesn't work on the phone folders... Who knows?! The files weren't copied to the clipboard, they were all deleted, instead!!! I couldn't explain what I felt that night. I couldn't believe it happened. I felt angry, and stupid, and confused, and sad, and shocked, and I was absolutely in denial. hehe I checked the folders over and over again, including the Recycle Bin... I couldn't see the files. They were all gone.

I've read an article about data recovery before. It said owners should be careful on disposing or reselling their mobile phones, as the data could still be retrieved even if they were deleted. I held on to that tiny hope, and searched for a recovery software on www.download.com. I found a lot. Yay! The future looks bright after all! Some are for sale, a few are free, so I downloaded one, and immediately connected my phone to my laptop. Sadly, the program couldn't see the phone's files if it's connected through a USB connector. I had to insert my memory card to my memory card reader directly. =/ That, I couldn't do. My phone's memory card is too small for the MMC reader slot in my laptop. I need to buy a bigger case for it to fit. *Sigh*

Whatever happened to us that day, only us can visualize. I'd love to share the photos, but it's a long story...

It's A Long Story (Part II)

2008-10-31T08:00:00.004+08:00

We drove around town, in search of the perfect spot. I guess we headed to Damosa IT Park next. It's a pretty new place... with a few establishments... This time, we wanted to eat pasta. =) We parked the car, and decided to make an "ocular inspection" by foot. Spirale was already closed... Caffe Figaro was about to close (It was 11:40 PM; they close at 12) - too bad, they serve yummy pasta. Dimsum Diner doesn't serve pasta. There were a few shops there, I couldn't remember their names. hehe We walked across the street, and went straight to Damosa Gateway. We realized there's a Space Burger shop there, and their burgers are always inviting (even if we were craving for pasta), so we walked hurriedly... but as we got closer and closer to it's doorstep, the "closed" shop sign was getting clearer and clearer... (I don't have a 20/20 eye vision, so I can't see the sign from afar. I only wear glasses if it's really, really necessary.) *sigh* There goes the space burger dream... =/

The shops at Damosa close early on weekdays... but most of them remain open til 2am on weekends. Good thing we took goofy pictures along the way. At least our effort of walking around wasn't put to waste. There were Halloween decors everywhere, so we took advantage. Nobody was watching, so we kinda owned the place, and we had a greeaaat time taking goofy pictures with the Halloween monster-decors. Hehe

Then we remembered Fagioli Coffee Club, the coffee shop next to Kia Motors, and across Concentrix (formerly, Link2Support). So we walked back to Damosa IT Park, passed by Market Basket, passed by Dimsum and the other shops... and my sister's bf walked across the highway to check on Fagioli's... Sadly, that too, was about to close... So with a heavy heart, we walked back to the parking lot, but we never lost hope on our quest for pasta... On our way back to the car, just beside the Dimsum Diner, a mentos-moment happened... one of my sister's sandals broke apart! haha Guess what we made her do? I'll tell you the rest of the story in my next post... (I told you it's a long story... hehe)

It's A Long Story (Part I)

2008-10-30T23:24:00.010+08:00

Last night, I was out with my sisters, brother, and my sister's bf. We dined at a barbeque place inside one of the malls - they offer unlimited servings of rice, so we were very, very full. Afterwards, we roamed around the mall til closing time (9 PM), but we figured it was still early to go home (on a Wednesday night), so we went for a joy ride. We passed by the Sea Wall first. It's a hang-out spot, just beside the open sea and a famous motel/inn. At the beachfront, stands a 14-foot tall replica of Michaelangelo's naked Statue of David. It faced objections and raised controversies because it was placed near a motel. Others said it was a publicity stunt - a marketing strategy to raise curiousity from the general public, thus, more visits. I guess it worked... hehe Anyways, we didn't step out of the car, we just drove along.

We decided to stay in a hotspot - somewhere with free wifi. There were a lot of good choices, but we went to C5, a fairly new coffee shop along Torres Street. The place was packed, so we didn't think twice, and decided to go to K1, instead. K1's just a few steps away from C5. It's a Family KTV place, but we just stayed at the lobby. One of my sisters ordered a Caffe Americano, while her bf ordered a Latte. I drank Vodka Cruiser Blueberry. But I should've ordered an Irish Coffee. =/ After we finished our drinks, my brother wanted to eat pizza at Bruegger's. After hearing that, one of my sisters immediately agreed, as she wanted to savor their Onion Rings again. Plus, I haven't really tried Bruegger's yet, so we went there.

Bruegger's is in Auto Compound, a place with several party spots. Well, used to, that is... Last night, I felt sorry for the place. The whole Auto Compound is a no-man's land. I guess if it isn't because of Urban Club, the place would be barren. It used to be packed even on weekdays. We didn't mind, so we went inside Bruegger's and looked at their menu. Pizza... Cocktails... Meals... My sister just wanted to eat Onion Rings, but it wasn't available. I heard stories about this before - Bruegger's saying no to customers because their supplies ran out. It's probably understandable in the past, because there were a lot of diners then. But last night, only 2 tables were occupied... And I'm sure even if we went there earlier, we would've still seen the same scenario. I wonder who ate all the onions? o_O Anyways, my brother's craving for pizza was gone too, so with a unanimous decision, we left without ordering anything. hehe (To be continued...)

Statue of David's photo by Mark Wendell: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_wendell/485349005/

The New "Pasalubong ng Bayan"?

2008-10-29T17:40:00.005+08:00

It is a common custom for Filipinos to bring a "pasalubong" for their families and friends when they come back from a vacation or from any other trip, really. Pasalubong is a Tagalog word, which refers to a gift that is bought (or even collected) from another place. It's more like a souvenir, or a homecoming treat. Pasalubong could be anything - keychains, souvenir shirts, caps, food, etc. I mentioned "collected", because if you want to save money and be more creative, you could just bring a palm-full of sand from Boracay, for example... or a piece of volcanic rock from Mt. Pinatubo? hehe But I haven't tried that yet, I'm not sure if that's allowed. =)

With all the choices, I guess the most common pasalubong is food - any local delicacy. I know Davao's known for the Durian, and many other fruits. People from the North often buy crates full of Pomelos (Suha) for their families, and even though most of them abhor the taste of fresh Durian, I know a number of people enjoy the Durian candies. Cebu's most well-known pasalubongs are Otaps (I love the ones from Shamrock), and Masareal, Barquillos, and the likes. Xgenesis, I know you know this very well than I do, you are more than welcome to add to the list. :) Bohol boasts for it's Kalamay and Peanut Kisses, Iloilo has the Butterscotch and Dried Seafood, Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin Island are home of the Pastel, Baguio offers the Strawberry Jam, and all the other islands and cities have their own respective delicacies. All of these, by the way, are delicious. :)

In the 1980's, when people come from Manila, do you know what food they usually bring? The Dunkin' Donuts. I dunno if this goes true to other families, but my family and relatives have always brought Dunkin' Donuts as a food pasalubong in the past. Hehe Why do you think Dunkin' Donuts made "Ang Pasalubong ng Bayan" their tag line? :) The word Bayan, in English, means Nation or Country. Apparently, the doughnuts from the Dunkin' Donuts were a very popular pasalubong back when they were only available in the country's capital, Manila. But today, you can find them everywhere. What amuses me is that, there seems to be a new "pasalubong ng bayan" nowadays. And guess what? They're still doughnuts. The Krispy Kreme. I guess some things never change. :)

When my sister's friend visited from Manila, she brought Krispy Kreme. When a suitor of mine arrived from Manila, he also brought Krispy Kreme. When my sister came home from Manila last Tuesday, she brought 3 boxes of Krispy Kreme - for the family, and for her friends. Is this a general idea, or is the act just limited to my family and friends? hehe Don't get me wrong, we also buy clothes, toys, etc for pasalubong. But never without food to share. And this time, the Krispy Kreme seems to be topping everyone's list - if they come from Manila, that is.

And, oh, I'm just wondering... Do you still have the regular-sized Dunkin' Donuts in your place? The Dunkin' Donuts in Davao City are all small now. :) I'm guessing they compromised the doughnuts' size, so they could keep the price low.

Happy Diwali! =)

2008-10-28T20:00:00.001+08:00

A row of lamps, part of the Diwali observance.

From Wikipedia:

Diwali (or Deepavali) is a major Indian holiday, and a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Many legends are associated with Diwali. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. Diwali is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the month Kartika.

2007 date: 9 November
2008 date: 28 October
2009 date: 17 October (Tentative)
Celebrations: Decorating homes with lights, Fireworks, distributing sweets and gifts.
Observances: Prayers, Religious rituals

Photo uploaded on July 11, 2006 by dhondusaxena
(http://flickr.com/photos/dhondusaxena/187469545/)
Uploaded to Wiki by User Nikkul

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe...

2008-10-28T10:00:00.004+08:00

In connection with my previous post, I'd like to share the pictures of the other cars on display in the 2008 Paris Auto Show. I know these photos are readily available on the net. But I'd like to keep copies of them in my blog... I guess you could say this blog is not merely a scribbling page, but also a collection of some sort -- things that I find interesting. So, enjoy! And take your pick! Let me know what you like best! :)

Click on the image to enlarge. :)

Photos by John Lamm
Source: http://autos.yahoo.com
Arranged by: Me. :)

I Love This Car!

2008-10-27T00:00:00.013+08:00

*Sigh* Will I ever get to drive and own this car... The 2009 Ferrari California. This photo was taken at the 2008 Paris Auto Show.

A lot of new models from different reputable car manufacturers were made for the Show, but I liked this best, for a lot of reasons I don't even know where to begin. It was love at first sight. =) Watch me, I'm asking Santa for one on Christmas. haha JK! :)

Mike Monticello said, "the photos don't do this car justice, the Ferrari California looks absolutely stunning in person."

It has a fully retractable hardtop, with dual-clutch transmission. It's the first-ever production Ferrari with a front-mounted V-8. It is packed with the latest and greatest from the engineers in Maranello.

Ferrari says the California "is aimed at owners who desire a car which embodies everything the Prancing Horse represents in terms of sporty design and innovation, but also seek a car with greater versatility than ever."

Features:

can be ordered in a 2+2 configuration — children seating only — or for more storage space for weekend outings
top is slick in its operation, and only takes 14 seconds to go from open to fully closed
4.3-liter direct-injected flat-crank V-8 produces 460 bhp
Ferrari's first dual-clutch gearbox with not six speeds, as on every other recent Ferrari, but seven forward gears
Ferrari claims the California will be able to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 4 seconds.
steering wheel-mounted F1-style paddles
new suspension system (double wishbones at the front and multilink at the rear)
new evolved F1-Trac traction control system and Brembo brakes with CCM (carbon ceramic material) discs as standard (this latter feature is shared by the other models in the current range)
new aluminium-trimmed centre console
Ferrari California's chassis and bodyshell are both made entirely from aluminium
has an ejectable roll-bar to ensure that its occupants are protected should the car overturn - Ejection time is under 190ms
front retractable airbags (driver and passenger sides), side retractable air bags in door panels, bi-xenon headlights and LED rear lights
panel with analogue instruments (tachometer and rev counter) and four-screen TFT Multidisplay
new infotainment system with 6.5'' touchscreen, Sat Nav, USB connection, Bluetooth, hard disc, voice commands and IPOD connector

FERRARI CALIFORNIA TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHTS
- Length: 4563 mm
- Width: 1902 mm
- Height: 1308 mm
- Wheelbase: 2670 mm
- Front track: 1630 mm
- Rear track: 1605 mm
- Dry weight: 1630 kg
- Kerb weight: 1735 kg
- Weight distribution: 47% Front - 53% Rear
- Fuel tank capacity: 78 l
- Boot capacity: 340 l, 240 l (with roof retracted)
TYRES
- Front: 245/40 ZR19"
- Rear: 285/40 ZR19"
- Front (optional): 245/35 ZR20"
- Rear (optional): 285/35 ZR20""
CARBON-CERAMIC BRAKES
- Front: 390 x 34 mm
- Rear: 360 x 32 mm
ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
- CST with F1-TRAC Stability and Traction Control System
- TPTMS Tyre Pressure and Temperature Monitoring System
ENGINE
- 90° V8 Direct Injection
- Bore and stroke: 94 x 77.37 cc
- Overall displacement: 4297 cc
- Compression ratio: 12.2:1
- Maximum power output: 338 kW (460 CV) @ 7750 rpm
- Maximum torque: 485 Nm (49 kgm) @ 5000 rpm
PERFORMANCE
- Maximum speed: 310 km/h
- 0-100 km/h: under 4.0 sec
- 0-400 m: 12.2 sec
- 0-1.000 m: 22.1 sec
GEARBOX
- F1, dual-clutch, 7-speed plus reverse
- Manual 6-speed + REV
SUSPENSION
- Front: Double wishbone
- Rear: Multilink
FUEL CONSUMPTION
- ECE Combined: 13.1 l/100 km
CO2 EMISSIONS
- ECE Combined: 305.6 g/km

The Ferrari California is available in a choice of 16 different pastel and metallic colours, and it's priced in the range of the F430. According to rsportscars.com, it's base price is rumored to be just under $200,000. It's veeerrry expensive for me. I wish I'll win the lottery or something. hehe

Top & Bottom Photo by John Lamm
References: http://autos.yahoo.com/ and http://www.netcarshow.com/
Photo Gallery by www.netcarshow.com
Official Website: www.ferraricalifornia.com

Your Fingerprints Say Something About You

2008-10-26T05:55:00.006+08:00

Yup. You read that right. I found this article days ago, and I thought you'd be interested (if you haven't heard about it yet). In the fortune-telling world, there's palm-reading, and card-reading, crystal balls, and things like that. But fingerprints-reading? That's a new thing for me. :)

We all know that every person in this world has a different set of fingerprints - they differ in "prints" in it's most strictest sense, but did you know that there only 2 kinds of shapes? The circle, and the wave. These shapes create a pattern, for example: 5 circles, 5 waves, or circle-wave-circle-wave-circle, etc. And I guess some people may have the same patterns. Why? We only have 5 fingers on each hand, and there are only two kinds of shapes. Mathematically, we can only produce so much combinations from two shapes and only 5 fingers. :) Because of this, some people may have the same fingerprint pattern, as some people may have the same personality, but they are never identical (-both the fingerprints and the personalities).

One interesting thing to know about this is that, apparently, in the old days, the Chinese, especially the prominent families, scrutinized the fingers of their prospective daughters-in-law to ensure they did not "unwittingly welcome women who had fingers that showed alternate circles and waves on their fingers, as it was commonly believed that such women would bring trouble into the family, being particularly difficult to control and usually very aggressive." Hehe Quite a preventive measure, huh? :) But I feel sorry for those who were rejected, just because of their fingerprints.

The Chinese were convinced that studying the waves and the circles that appear at the tips of everyone's fingers is a way to read the person's personality and destiny traits.

If you would like to know what your fingerprints say about you, look at your thumb first, then your index finger, your middle finger, your ring finger and then your little finger - in that order. Guys should examine their left hands while women should look at their right hands.

Refer to the diagram shown above, to distinguish between a circle (O) and a wave (W), and read the interpretation below. :) Good luck! Let me know what you have! ^_^ I have the OOOOW pattern, and what it says is surprisingly true...

Fingers: OOOOO (all whorls)
Means: This person is very confident, has a strong character and a hot temper. He/she is an independent person. The luck of this person changes dramatically in life from one period to the next. The undoing of this person will be his/her hot temper so it is vital that this person must learn to be patient and calm.

Pattern: WWWWW (all waves)
Means: This person is a straightforward honest person who goes with the flow. The fingers indicate someone very sensitive, who is especially suited to design and creative work. People with these fingerprint patterns tend to be shy and uncomfortable in social situations, so are not suited to work in PR, politics or any kind of work requiring them to meet people.

Pattern: OWWWO
Means: If you can choose a prestigious working career, you will be very successful. However, you should avoid the tendency to get big-headed and you must never take your career for granted. You should also watch your back, as you tend to attract jealousy into your life and could get betrayed. Always look for long-term benefits.
Pattern: OWWOW
Means: You will need to work harder during the early days of your career. When you reach middle and older age, you will get recognition and wealth luck. So your life gets better the older you get.

Pattern: OWOWW
Means: It is vital that you resist the tendency to be narrow-minded in your attitudes and in the way you think and work. Try to be humble and learn as much as possible. This is how you will get influential help that brings you to the peak of your business and career life.
Pattern: WOOOO
Means: You are a very clear-minded person. As long as you work hard, you are guaranteed to be successful. Even though you tend to be in a hurry, there will be those who help you along. You are also a person with a kind heart.

Pattern: OOOOW
Means: Because you are kind and have an in-built polite attitude, you will easily get help from older persons and friends. You will enjoy great success in your working life and your only weakness is you don't trust people too easily. This can make you too conservative.

Pattern: OOOWW
Means: You have a tendency to be bad tempered, and rather quick to judge. This is a shallow attitude and could easily get you onto the wrong path. If you can correct this tendency of yours, you will have great success. The potential is in you, so try to be calm in your approach.
Pattern: OWWWW
Means: You have good character but can only become really successful in older age. Be prepared to have to work really hard during your younger and middle age periods, but you will become a successful person in older years.

Pattern: WOWWW
Means: You are very good in the social skills. No matter what industry you are in, you like to take risk and you will always face uncertainty. Be careful as the later years of your life could bring yet more challenges. Take less risk as you get older.

Pattern: WWOWW
Means: You are a person who has high vision and heavy responsibility. Be careful. Your visions could get you into serious difficulty. Better to stay more grounded, then your life will have greater success.

Pattern: WWWOW
Means: You are very intelligent and will enjoy a lot of scholastic honors. You will have a smooth life and benefit from wealth luck. If you can work hard, you will become a great and successful person.

Pattern: WWWWO
Means: You will inherit a business or property from your parents or from an older person. Even though you are a capable person and can be successful in your own business, your tendency towards impatience could get you into a lot of difficulty.

Pattern: OOWWW
Means: You have a tendency to be proud and snobbish, although deep inside you are a kind-hearted person. Your social skills however need improving. Your relatives tend to take advantage of you.

Pattern: WOWWO
Means: You are a deep thinking person. At a young age, you are already thinking of your future. You will enjoy a smooth and peaceful life; you will be very happy in your old age.

Pattern: WOWOO
Means: You are a very sociable person and you enjoy the carefree kind of life going out, partying and clubbing. When you reach middle and older age, you will rely on people to support you. Be warned, if you do not prepare yourself, you might have a hard time during your older years.

Pattern: WOWOW
Means: You are not an easy person to control or to convince, as you are something of a rebel. If you can stay focused on what you want from life, you will be successful. The problem is that you can be fickle and vague in what you really want from life.

Pattern: WWOWO
Means: Your whole life is full of ups and downs, successes and failures. However, if you can move steadily step-by-step, you can enjoy a peaceful life as you grow into maturity.

Pattern: WWWOO
Means: You are very kindhearted person and there will be good people in your life, as you will attract these kinds of people towards you. Work hard and you will easily reap your just rewards. You will definitely become successful.

Pattern: OWWOO
Means: You will get recognition and become famous. Even though your life appears unstable during your earlier years of working life and you need to work hard in your thirties, when you reach maturity, your life gets better and better.

Pattern: WWOOW
Means: You are a very capable person, but you tend to lack good judgment. You also tend to start something and then lose interest. Stay focused if you want to succeed.

Pattern: OWOOW
Means: You are a noble person with a good character. You tend to be very helpful towards colleagues and friends so you are a popular person. Because you can think in-depth and have sensitivity towards others, you will enjoy success in the creative fields.

Pattern: OWOWO
Means: You are blessed with a fast and formidable intellect. You work very quickly and with great effectiveness. However, your character is very aggressive and people tend to be intimidated by you. If you can correct this trait, you can rise to great heights.

Pattern: WWOOO
Means: You are a very straightforward person. But your thinking tends to be rather naïve and shallow. Even though your suggestions are good, if you don't think through what you say, you should not be surprised if people tend to ignore your views. Your speech tends to lack power.

Pattern: OOWOW
Means: You are a high-minded person, able to see and grab opportunities. You are best suited to work in the financial and investment fields. Your luck gets better as you grow older.

Pattern: OOWWO
Means: You are a very honest and reputable person. You have little urge to get rich or pursue material wealth. But watch it, if you don't know how to take care of yourself, you can easily get conned and taken advantage of by people.
Pattern: OOOWO
Means: Your social skills are good, so you attract guidance and help from influential people. Many people help you in your rise to prominence, and your luck turns fabulous in later years.
Pattern: OOWOO
Means: You are a very brave and hardworking person. A lot of people trust you when you are young. However, unless you work at preserving your reputation, you could make enemies on your rise up and find that life becomes harder as you get older.

Pattern: OWOOO
Means: You are a kindhearted character and easily get along with others. You are not good at doing business, but you are good as a teacher or even as a spiritual master. You can enjoy success in the academic world.
Pattern: WOOWW
Means: You are reputable and have a peaceful character. So you are definitely someone who can become successful and recognized. However, because of your tendency towards pride, you could end up offending the wrong people.
Pattern: WOOWO
Means: You are a simple but logical person. If you can focus on the fundamentals of life and adopt a step-by-step approach in your climb up the success ladder and not be too impatient, you will benefit from wealth luck and be honored by people.

Pattern: WOOOW
Means: You are a straight talking person who is forthright in your approach. You are strong in character, playful but you also easily offend people. But you are also lucky because when you reach middle age, you will rise to a prominent position and your luck really changes for the better.

Source: http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/

Unconscious Sex?

2008-10-25T23:43:00.002+08:00

Thanks to the Sponsored Links, I learned something new today. This ad caught my attention, because I never really expected to see something like this in my blog. I've never mentioned the word "sex" in any of my previous entries. Although, I do have lots of entries on health, so I guess that's the reason why this ad from healthline.com showed up.

I haven't heard of "Sleep Sex" before. Do you have any idea what it is? I searched the net, and saw an article at webmd.com. This is what I found out...

Sleep Sex, a.k.a. SBS (sexual behaviors during sleep), is "the forceful initiation of relations while in the unconscious state of sleep". In other words, making love unconsciously. Gee.. I never thought that's even possible. Skeptic? Here's an email from a woman who has a husband who's experienced Sleep Sex:

My husband has a difficult time falling asleep at night. Within that first hour after he finally falls asleep, he will initiate sex with me. He is a very different person while doing this, much more aggressive, groping and playfully biting me. I used to think he was awake and doing this consciously until I would confront him the following day and he wouldn't have any recollection of what he did.

This could be scary. Innocent people could be charged for rape because of this, and rapists could probably use this as an alibi.

And guess what? Sleep Sex is not limited to men. This scares me even more. Read on:

In several cases in the Stanford study, women had started moaning ("with sexual undertones," the researchers noted) within a few minutes of falling asleep. In another case, a woman had started fondling herself violently and compulsively while sound asleep.

I honestly wouldn't wanna be caught doing that - especially not by my family, or friends... haha... But how would we know if no one would tell us, right? Who knows? You've probably done something like this! hehe And someone might have caught you fondling yourself, and they thought you were.. what.. masturbating? =P Sorry for the quite vulgar words... :) But yup, a thing like this can be interpreted in many ways. Even the experts have yet to decide if this could be formally categorized as a parasomnia, i.e. sleepwalking.

Luckily, Christian Guilleminault, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., have speculated that 1% of the population may have sleep sex - only 1%. :) This is good news for the majority.

What causes Sleep Sex?

The reasons are not clear, but most often, people who engage in sleep sex have a history of other sleep/neurochemical disorders.

Michael Mangan, PhD, an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire in Durham likens sleep sex to multiple personalities: "Asleep, this is essentially a different person." He further stated that fatigue and stress, as well as drug and alcohol use, can precipitate incidents.

Guilleminault says that patients are confused and don't see reality. Here's something from the webmd.com article:

All of these behaviors could come from abnormal brain activity, though in some cases people may not experience the muscle laxness that is supposed to come during REM sleep, which can lead to forceful behavior they would otherwise be too weak to initiate. "These people exhibit slower brain waves," Guilleminault says, suggesting confusional arousal. There can also be abnormal breathing, resulting in less oxygen and a more confused mental state.

I personally feel sorry for the victims of Sleep Sex, I'm sure there are. =( Researchers say there's treatment available: If a person has a seizure disorder that is contributing to the behavior, that can be treated. Otherwise, clonazepam, in the benzodiazepine family, has proved helpful. It is best to consult a physician. But first and foremost, how should one seek help if he/she isn't aware that he/she has it, right?