text:
Best Canon Camera To Buy

best canon camera to buy

    canon camera
  • Canon Inc. is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, photocopiers, steppers and computer printers. Its headquarters are located in Ota, Tokyo, Japan."." Canon. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.

  • (Canon cameras) The following provides a partial list of products manufactured under the Canon brand.

  • Obtain in exchange for payment

  • Pay someone to give up an ownership, interest, or share

  • bribe: make illegal payments to in exchange for favors or influence; "This judge can be bought"

  • Procure the loyalty and support of (someone) by bribery

  • bargain: an advantageous purchase; "she got a bargain at the auction"; "the stock was a real buy at that price"

  • obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; "She buys for the big department store"

best canon camera to buy - Canon EOS

Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Now that you've bought the amazing Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D, you need a book that goes beyond a tour of the camera's features to show you exactly how to use the Rebel to take great pictures. With Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D: From Snapshots to Great Shots, you get the perfect blend of photography instruction and camera reference that will take your images to the next level! Beautifully illustrated with large, vibrant photos, this book teaches you how to take control of your photography to get the image you want every time you pick up the camera.

Follow along with your friendly and knowledgeable guide, photographer and author Jeff Revell, and you will:

Learn the top ten things you need to know about shooting with the Rebel
Use the Rebel's automatic modes to get better shots right away
Move on to the Creative zone, where you have full control over the look and feel of your images
Master the photographic basics of composition, focus, depth of field, and much more
Learn all the best tricks and techniques for getting great action shots, landscapes, and portraits
Find out how to get great shots in low light
Fully grasp all the concepts and techniques as you go, with assignments at the end of every chapter
With Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D: From Snapshots to Great Shots, you'll learn not only what makes a great shot work—you'll learn how to get that shot using your Rebel.

And once you’ve got the shot, show it off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you use your Rebel to get great shots at

89% (11)

321 of 365 – To Buy Used

321 of 365 – To Buy Used

Canon EOS Rebel 300D … This morning, unusual for me, I checked our work intranet and found that my co-worker was selling the VERY camera used to take the fabulous “professional” photos of Hermes and Iris last February (because she had bought a new Rebel XTi). She offered me the chance to I bring it home tonight to see what I thought. Of course I have no idea what I’m doing with a SLR but I’ve been intrigued since getting into my 365sp! Up until today I haven’t been sure enough to spend the money for one. C/net says this Canon EOS 300D is a good for an amateur, which I definitely am! Her price is very good and includes 2 Canon lens (EF 28 – 90mm and EF 80-200mm), an extra battery, and a 1G Ultra II. She is very careful with her gear, and she actually seems to love this camera!

I love the Canon over Nikon and want to gently move into an SLR just in case I lose interest … what do you think?

Why I Should Not Be Allowed Into Best Buy Without A Chaperone...

Why I Should Not Be Allowed Into Best Buy Without A Chaperone...

I bought the Canon SX110 today. it was on sale at another store, and Best Buy honored the sale price, so I got a good deal on the camera, along with another good deal on an 8gb SDHC memory card!
I used the camera this afternoon, and as soon as I can get someone to help me get the software on my computer, I'll upload. So far, I like it a lot. It has an amazing 10x zoom and is 9.1mp, which is nice for a camera that fits into my purse!

best canon camera to buy

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Cctv color ccd camera : What is the best camera to buy 2011.

Cctv Color Ccd Camera

cctv color ccd camera

    ccd camera
  • A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time.

  • Short for "charge-coupled device." A CCD is a light-sensitive electronic detector widely used in making astronomical images. Sensitive over a wide range of wavelengths, and much more efficient than emulsion in gathering light, CCDs are often used to image extremely faint objects.

  • A Charge Coupled Device, or CCD camera, converts light into electrical charges. This type of camera is used often in astrophotography.

  • having or capable of producing colors; "color film"; "he rented a color television"; "marvelous color illustrations"

  • a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect; "a white color is made up of many different wavelengths of light"

  • add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film"

  • The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light

  • One, or any mixture, of the constituents into which light can be separated in a spectrum or rainbow, sometimes including (loosely) black and white

  • The use of all colors, not only black, white, and gray, in photography or television

  • Closed-circuit television

  • (Closed Circuit TV) is a television system in which signals are not publicly distributed.  Cameras are connected to television monitors in the local LAN or even at a remote location and can be viewed over the Internet.

  • Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.

  • Closed circuit TV, a term long used to describe surveillance and security camera systems.

cctv color ccd camera - 1/4" SONY

1/4" SONY CCD Weatherproof Day & Night IR Color Outdoor Security Camera - 540TV Line, Super Low 0.0 Lux, Infrared LED 24 Pcs, up to 65.6 Feet projected Distance

1/4" SONY CCD Weatherproof Day & Night IR Color Outdoor Security Camera - 540TV Line, Super Low 0.0 Lux, Infrared LED 24 Pcs, up to 65.6 Feet projected Distance

Camera Specifications: Model GW648 Image Sensor 1/4" SONY CCD Effective Pixel NTSC: 811(H)x508(V) Horizontal Resolution 540TV Lines S/N Ratio >48dB Clock Frequency (MHz) NTSC: 19.0699 Scanning System 2:1 Interlace Minimum Illumination 0.0 Lux (IR LED ON) Synchronous System Internal, Negative sync. Auto Electronic Shutter NTSC: 1/60s~1/100,000s Gamma 0.45 IR Distance 20M (65.6 ft with 24 Unit infrared LED) IR Status Under 10 Lux by CDS IR Power On CDS Auto Control Video Output 1. 0Vp - p, 75? Auto Gain Control Auto Power/Current DC12V±10%/500mA Lens 3.6mm Dimension (mm) 126x69x67 Weight (g) 700 Storage Temperature -30 ~ +60?C Operating Temperature -10 ~ +45?C

76% (7)

7 inch video door phone

7 inch video door phone

Have a nice day !

This is sandy from Paili Technology Co., Ltd.

How are you ? Hope you everything well !
How about your business these days ?
Now i recommed a hot sell item of video door phone for you pls have a look !

Model: PVA-8012C-7 (COLOUR)
1?Colour 1/3 SONY CCD camera,?5X8PCS Leds
2?Colour 7 inch TFT Monitor
3?Case Material:Monitor?Outdoor Station
(ABS Engineering Plastics)
4?Way of Connecting Wires:4 PIN Line
5?Input Voltage:AC 110V-240V,
Output Voltage:DC15V 1.5A
6?Dimension:Outdoor Station 150*95*23mm
Indoor Station 225*155*28mm
7?Installation:Outdoor Station(Embeded)
Indoor Station(Wall-hanging)

Best quality Lowest Price.
two Yeasrs Warrantee
Best Service and Professional Technical Guidance

best regards

CCTV Headquarters Building, Beijing. March 2008.

cctv color ccd camera

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Cheap Nikon Camera Lenses - Logitech Web Camera Quickcam - Small Portable Video Camera.

Cheap Nikon Camera Lenses

cheap nikon camera lenses

    camera lenses
  • (camera lens) a lens that focuses the image in a camera

  • (Camera lens) A camera lens (also known as photographic lens, objective lens or photographic objective) is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an

  • Charging low prices

  • (of an item for sale) Low in price; worth more than its cost

  • (of prices or other charges) Low

  • brassy: tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments"

  • bum: of very poor quality; flimsy

  • relatively low in price or charging low prices; "it would have been cheap at twice the price"; "inexpensive family restaurants"

  • ' , also known as Nikon or Nikon Corp.''', is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan specializing in optics and imaging.

  • Bishop Nikon (Liolin) (born October 9, 1945, New York City) is an Albanian bishop who serves as the head of the Orthodox Church in America's Albanian Archdiocese and New England diocese.

  • Vibration Reduction. This is Nikon's nomenclature for a lens which has the ability to correct for "Camera Shake".

Nikon F2A

Nikon F2A

My 2009 Christmas Present from my Uncle Michael Tuan. A very well respected lawyer amongst the vietnamese people of argyle area in Chicago.

I got not one, but two! YES TWO! Nikon F2A's. Both of which baring DP-11 prisms.
I've wanted one since I was a child, my father had one but was stolen when our restaurant caught fire in the early 90's. The firefighters stole his Nikon F2 and ever since then I've had a weird wanting for one.

My mini review of these cameras: the one on the left is a bit more scratched up with a 35mm f/2 lens. The one on the right is near mint condition with a 105mm f/2.5 lens. The Motor drive is huge! Taking up 8 AA's batteries, for some reason it's a bit dirty but the actual camera body is squeaky clean. Both the focusing screens and prism heads are very clean on the inside. I shot with these a few times already they both work like a dream.

These cameras are by no means, easy to use cameras. If you want an easy camera buy an FM2, an N65 or even the newer F6. However, if you want one of the most sturdy, manual body to ever be produced, this is the camera for you.

It's got from bulb to 2000th of a second shutter speeds, ISO that comes down to ISO6
!!! The split focusing screen on this camera just works like a charm! Unlike my Canon FTB with a battery I have to order off the internet for 8 bucks a piece. The F2A takes LR44 batteries that are much cheaper and easier to find in more common electronic stores. Needless to say, this is a camera that was made to last. Other little nifty things found on the camera that was a luxury at the time include: self timer, built in light meter, removable prism head, and tons of prisms, motor drives, backs with other miscellaneous things to connect to it making taking pictures easier.

But you don't need any of these things, you just need the camera body, the standard head, and coupled with these fantastic manual focus lenses create what I think to be as one of the greatest cameras ever created for photography. Many people get lost in today's modern camera features. These extra features get many to lose sight in what real photography is about. Making good pictures. With these old vintage cameras, if they work try shooting with them. They'll have you thinking on your feet with the lens, light meter and a roll of film.

I'm definitely locking up the camera on the right for my personal collection and using the F2 on the left for my personal film works.

... I hope I didn't sound like a PR speech coming from Ken Rockwell. =]

strobist: Nikon SB28 on camera at 1/16 power bouncing off the ceiling.

Lonely Lenses

Lonely Lenses

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

I had to send my camera body in for a warranty repair (the built-in flash doesn't fire), so my lovely arsenal of lenses will go into storage for a while.

As I contemplated life without camera, I wondered how to keep up with my photo-a-day project. I ruled out getting a disposable film camera, because I've been too spoiled by the instant gratification digital offers. (And I'm cheap.) Then it hit me: I've got a camera built in to my computer! I'm sure the next couple of weeks will be interesting...

Day 1 without my dSLR. Taken with a Macbook. (In fact, it's the laptop you see in the mirror.)

cheap nikon camera lenses

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Cheap Video Camera - Best Nikon Camera For Beginners - Video Camera Backpack.

Cheap Video Camera

cheap video camera

    video camera
  • A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well.

  • A camera that records onto digital or videotape.

  • A camera for recording images on videotape or for transmitting them to a monitor screen

  • The modern CCTV video camera is available in both monochrome (black and white) and color. Cameras can be set in fixed-positions or placed on 'pan-and-tilt' devices that allow the camera to be moved up, down, left and right.

  • brassy: tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments"

  • (of an item for sale) Low in price; worth more than its cost

  • Charging low prices

  • (of prices or other charges) Low

  • relatively low in price or charging low prices; "it would have been cheap at twice the price"; "inexpensive family restaurants"

  • bum: of very poor quality; flimsy

Short video

Short video

Image of camera in the comments.
The first time I taped a lens on a camera was somewhere in the pre-digital nineties on a plastic TYCO toy videocam. I bought it in a toy shop, it was cheap and could be used only indoors, or, as long as the wire connected your VCR. It did fell outdoors out of a window one time, ten meter down to the street. It was not broken.
The result is blurred and black & white (it makes some blacks light and some light greys black). At one time I taped a small lens which I took out of a broken Praktica camera on the TYCO. For audio I used earplugs I taped on the camera's built in mic.

I do remember this music, Isaac Hayes : Fragile

recyclable video camera

recyclable video camera

this has been out for a while in the US (several months at least) but is extremely cool - pay $30 for a video camera with 20 minutes of digital video you can playback and basically edit, then take it back to CVS, get it processed for $13 and receive a dvd with your video on it in exchange for the camera which gets recycled. cheap vox pops anyone?

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Cheapest Polaroid Camera. Which Flip Camera Is Best.

Cheapest Polaroid Camera

cheapest polaroid camera

    polaroid camera
  • The instant camera is a type of camera that generates a developed film image. The best known use self-developing film and were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation.

  • a camera that develops and produces a positive print within seconds

  • (of an item for sale) Low in price; worth more than its cost

  • (of prices or other charges) Low

  • (cheapness) bargain rate: a price below the standard price

  • Charging low prices

  • (cheapness) tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar

  • (cheaper) biligari? ( buhy-lee-ar-ee? )

Polaroid Closeup 636

Polaroid Closeup 636

When most people talk about Polaroid cameras, they mean the popular and relatively cheap models of the 1980s and 1990s that used film packs with integral batteries that were designated the 600 series. The "instant" prints measure 79mm (3.1") square with a white border around them and take around 3 minutes to fully develop at 21 degrees. The film has an ISO rating of 640. The film was branded with several different names over the years, including "Extreme 600" and "Notepad". A high definition "professional" film named "779" could also be used with cameras from the 600 series. Some of the cameras had 'sonar' autofocus and/or featured glass lenses, but most had plastic lenses with a fixed focus of around 4 feet. A "close-up" lens was often included, but this took the form of a simple plastic meniscus that slid into place. Many of the models are functionally identical to others but have different coloured fascia, names and stickers according to marketing territory. Several models were limited editions with tie-ins to icons of popular culture, such as Barbie or the Spice Girls, while other versions were promotional items made for corporate entities and are now highly collectible thanks to their rarity.

Polaroid Super Swinger

Polaroid Super Swinger

The Polaroid Super Swinger was a rigid plastic bodied instant camera, made in the UK in 1972 and sold at a retail price of ?7.30, making it the cheapest Polaroid camera ever. Called the Zip in the US, this camera was only capable of black and white photos with an ISO of 3000. Correct exposure was enabled via a curious twisting motion on the shutter button. A checkerboard would reveal the word YES when the correct amount of light was registered by the electric eye.

cheapest polaroid camera

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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Need eulogy examples?

Eulogy Examples

If you are named to write someone's eulogy, chances are to be probably the first time you have had to write a speech like this. While it may seem intimidating to have to write about the life of somebody you knew, especially during the time right after his or her death, there are several ways to make your experience easier. One direction is to take a look at several eulogy examples, so that you will know how to model your own speech to fit the place.

There are some different ways to look for eulogy examples. One way is to go to your local library and look for books on speech writing and how to give speeches. Many of these books include information on how to give eulogies. You can also find some different books on the funeral procedure, which might also help you to find examples of eulogies that have been written for various situations. Of course, now with the Internet is accessible almost everywhere, you can also look for examples online. There are several different sites devoted to eulogies and you can usually find an model of what you are looking to say.

Eulogy examples are frequently divided into very different types of eulogies, related on your bound with the deceased. This is because a eulogy for your mother, for example, would be much more emotional and lengthy than one for your coworker. You will find among the numerous examples that there is a wide range of emotion displayed in eulogies - with some speeches being highly emotional and others being more business.

When the eulogy examples that you like and fits your situation is found, be certain to personalize the example for your situation. Never replicate an example word for word, even if the example says what you want to say in your speech. Make sure to sprinkle in some actual events that happened between you and the deceased, and don't let your eulogy be too generic. Try not to sound as if you have used a model or example for your eulogy, instead transform the example you have into something personal.

Using eulogy examples, you can take some of the pressure off of yourself for composition a eulogy. These examples can help you decide what language to use in your speech, and what order to place items in your eulogy. Examples can be a great way to learn how to say a proper eulogy.

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Expert Witness Services For Divorce and Custody

Dr. Warren Farrell - Custody and divorce expert witness in what is best for children of divorce and joint parenting

Dr. Warren Farrell's divorce and custody related services

(link to page spelling out options for expert witness and related services (3 major options: evaluation, telephonic testimony and full deal with all in person testimony)

1) A Parenting Report and Analysis - Dr. Farrell visits you to observe you with your children. He employs his writing skills to create a “Parenting Observation Report” that creates such clear pictures of your skills as a dad (assuming you are a good dad) that the judge experiences both intellectually and emotionally exactly why it would be a crime for your children to have your parenting guidance less than half the time. When the mother’s attorney reads the report, even if she or he tries to ignore your value, it is harder to ignore Dr. Farrell’s explanation of why, if shared parenting does not work, dad being the primary parent usually works better than mom being the primary parent. Most attorneys see how this can change everything. Until that point, since shared parenting was the worst-case scenario, mom had nothing to lose by continuing to fight. Now it is apparent that mom’s resistance to shared parenting could lead to dad being the primary parent. (Which has happened with some of Dr. Farrell’s clients.) When the attorney and mom additionally learn of Dr. Farrell’s lifetime as a persuasive public speaker and his credentials as the world’s leading male feminist prior to feminism leading the charge against father involvement, they want to keep Dr. Farrell from testifying. It takes this leverage for the mom’s attorney to be able to persuade the mom to settle out of court with a genuine shared parenting plan. If an out-of-court settlement does not materialize, Dr. Farrell’s time with you and your children serve well to qualify him as an expert whose research is directly relevant to your personal skills as a dad. And, of course, his time with you as a dad allows his testimony to be far more powerful, and the judge to have a written report that creates an emotional attachment to you as a dad. This in-person option is more expensive than telephonic testimony, but it is the most likely to give your children their dad. And if it leads to an out-of-court settlement, it could save all the costs of a court appearance, including your attorney’s costs, child support payments, and the increased animosity of continued legal battles that will wreak havoc on the children’s psyches for their entire lives.

2) Telephone Testimony on the Best Interest of Children - Dr. Farrell can also testify via telephone on the general findings of his research. When he did this in West Virginia recently (November, 2007), it led to not only the judge being so persuaded that he dismissed other witnesses to extend Dr. Farrell’s testimony to inquire about his other cases, but to the mom’s attorney doing the same thing! Dr. Farrell will answer questions personally via email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

3) Full service in-person evaluation and testimony with help to attempt agreement without a trial.

Dr. Warren Farrell

You can also email Dr. Warren Farrell at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your situation. He will set up a free phone consultation if he feels he can be of help. Depending on your situation, he will recommend anything from telephonic testimony on the importance of shared parenting to doing a parenting report followed up by a personal appearance in court. Some details…

Other Resources For Parents Fighting for Custody and Time with their Children: - Over 1,250 pages of searchable information for parents in divorce on custody, legal issues, restraining orders, the constitutional right to be a parent and more.


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Employee Benefits Health Insurance

Photos of Employee Benefits Health Insurance

News When City Retirement Pays Better Than The Job
James Mussenden doesn’t bring up his pension in casual conversation. No point getting his golf partners’ blood boiling. The retired city manager of El Monte collects more than $216,000 a year, plus cost-of-living increases and fully paid health insurance. … Read News

Pictures of Employee Benefits Health Insurance

News There Are Thousands Of Social Security Zombies
People who accidentally wind up in Social Security’s Death Master File have seen their bank accounts frozen, credit cards closed, health insurance cut off and benefit payments canceled. … Read News

Photos of Employee Benefits Health Insurance

News IBISWorld Industry Market Research: The U.S. Health & Welfare Funds Industry Is Expected To Earn Revenue Of $189.3 …
NEW YORK, Dec. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The industry provides healthcare coverage and welfare-related benefits to employees, unions and other professional associations. Thus, industry operators function in a similar manner as pension funds and other employee benefit programs. For the … Read News


text:
2 Days Basic trip to the desert for a touchdown with Morocco, enjoying the night in tents Berbers and his sky full of stars

Day 1: Marrakech – Zagora Desert (360 km)

At 9:00 pm, gathered at the place indicated by customers and start of the tour. Departure from Marrakech by car 4 × 4, crossing the High Atlas Mountains, the highest pass in the country Tizi Tichka (2.260m altitude), into the desert of Zagora. You will pass through interesting villages, enjoy stunning views and reach the desert at sunset. You will change the 4 × 4 by 8 × 8that are camels. It will start the tour by camel, stopping to see the sunset, into the heart of the desert. On arrival, I expected a great, refreshing tea, an exquisite dinner Berber. you will enjoy an unforgettable night, thanks to the large number of stars that populate the desert nights. You sleep in Berber tent.

Day 2: Desert Zagora – Marrakech (360 km)

Today, mandatory early to watch the sunrise from the top of the dunes. After breakfast start the return to Marrakech. You pass through the Draa Valley, composed of more than 10 million palm trees, Ouarzazate and visit the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou (World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987), a fortified inside a walled town that surely will recognize as this citadel has been the scene of such famous movies as Gladiator, Sahara, Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, among many others. After the visit will go through the High Atlas through the port of Tizi n Tichka (2.260m) above sea level, offering an unforgettable landscape. By mid-afternoon arrival in Marrakech night. END OF OUR SERVICES.

Price includes

      • • Private Tour there will be no more people in the group.
      • • Pick up at the hotel, riad, airport or place.
      • • Transportation in 4×4 Toyota Landcruiser (groups up to 6 people). For larger groups, transport by minibus or more 4×4.
      • • Fuel, tolls and all costs associated with transportation.
      • • Driver-guide speaks English or any other language, our driver-guide are local people, simple, friendly, accompany and guide them during their tour.
      • • Night in the desert, night in tents, berber camel ride and dinner.

Price do not include

      • • Meals at noon or drink in any of the occasions.
      • • Tickets, tickets to monuments and tips.
      • • Any other activity not specified in the itinerary.

Available departures

Unfortunately, no places are available on this tour at the moment


text:
34 Following

Just an avid reader who loves books!

Currently reading

Congo Kitabu
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Overcoming Daily
Dan Chesney
Progress: 12/192 pages
Where Dead Men Meet
Mark Mills
The Holy Bible : Scofield Reference Bible
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Progress: 456/1382 pages

Sophia & Benjamin Watch a Train Go By

Sophia & Benjamin Watch a Train Go By - Ed Brodsky, Ruth Lubell My granddaughter loves this book! This is an unusual book; instead of turning pages it unfolds. Very colorful and good for little ones learning to count.


text:
Anytime Anywhere Learning
More information »

Using InkSurvey with Pen-Enabled Mobile Devices for Real-Time Formative Assessment. I. Applications in Diverse Educational Environments

Date: August 13, 2013
Author: J.V. Gutierrez and Enrique Palou

InkSurvey is free, web-based software designed to facilitate the collection of real-time formative assessment. Using this tool, the instructor can embed formative assessment in the instruction process by posing an open-format question. Students equipped with pen-enabled mobile devices (tablet PCs, iPads, Android devices including some smartphones) are then actively engaged in their learning as they use digital ink to draw, sketch, or graph their responses. When the instructor receives these responses instantaneously, it provides insights into student thinking and what the students do and do not know. Subsequent instruction can then repair and refine student understanding in a very timely manner.

To illustrate the wide applicability of this use of technology, we report a series of seven vignettes featuring instructors of diverse subjects (mathematics, food chemistry, physics, biology, and chemical engineering), with students using diverse pen-enabled mobile devices (tablet PCs, iPads, and Android 4.0 tablets), in diverse educational environments (K-12, community college, publicly-funded engineering university, private university, graduate school), in two countries (United States and Mex- ico). In a companion paper, each instructor also shares some data, insights, and/or conclusions from their experiences regarding the effectiveness of this tool.

Source Article: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1308.3727v1.pdf


text:
Tuesday, February 22, 2005

When Lacey first told me about the homosexual episode of "Wanna Come In?" I initially thought she was joking. However, as I was flipping through channels waiting for what was going to come on next on Adult Swim, I stumbled on MTV's "Wanna Come In?" and realized she wasn't joking.

The basic premise of the show is to try and get the geeky guy to get asked into the house of this hot girl.

MTV's description says the following: "Two geeks bump greasy heads with one another to win money for a hot date with two beautiful girls. Wanna Come In? is the new show where nerds sweat through several challenges in an effort to get invited up to a babe's pad. The geeks are not alone, though, they'll each have their own personal "stud" coach to help them hear those coveted words: 'Wanna come in?'"

Well, apparently MTV went beyond that this time and turned the show into a homosexual episode. When I stumbled on it I was more surprised than anything else. The first thing I thought was "Wow, MTV really is trying to market itself to everyone." I don't think it's a bad thing to be airing homosexual-oriented episodes of any show, per se, at least on MTV--The Real World might as well just be that. However, it makes me wonder what else a network like MTV will try to market itself to all. Moreover, I wonder what will happen if younger kids happen to see these episodes. The show does come on late at night, but it doesn't mean that kids and teenagers won't see the show. And sure, children these days deal with more social issues than I ever really knew about when I was younger just 10-15 years back, but, perhaps, more exposure is not what they need in order to understand sexuality. Perhaps all they need is education, understanding, and tolerance of it all. Airing it on the networks people enjoy watching doesn't necessarily do that. It allows for the show to slowly become culturally acceptable over time, but it disregards the opinions many have about the subject at hand.

You can always change the channel like I did, but it doesn't mean that the issues regarding the content of shows on a particular network are swept away with it. Nor is the profit-motive and market. I just think that a network with as much influence on tweens and teens like MTV needs to proceed cautiously with what it's doing. Don't force the opinions of sexuality upon people. Let them decide for themselves, just as they decide to flip through the channels.

Bree said...

It's crazy, huh?

Sure makes Captain Planet look tame, doesn't it? XD

Thister said...

Hell yes! LOL!

Bree said...

By the way, random...but dude, do a search for Paris Hilton on Google News...apparantly her cell phone was hacked into and a bunch of famous people's cell numbers (AKA Lindsay Lohan) got published on the internet. Wicked, huh? XD

Suddenly, that little cartoon I found doesn't seem so *fictional*, does it?

Thister said...

Wow! You know, Chace would just be in heaven if he could get their (Paris and Lindsay's) numbers. Hahaha!

Screw the Olsen Twins!

Bree said...

"I know you like to think these twins ain't skanks...but 18's getting closer now and all we want to do is screeeew...all we want to do is screw yoooooou...."

Thister said...

LMAO! So true! HAHAH!

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Thursday, 8 November 2012

2012-10-21 20:50:44

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Grey Sky Hares Its been an quiet year for hares but then again it has been a very strange year for weather.I have certainly struggled to get any photographs of them in sunlight but then when it shines soinfrequently it is not particularly surprising that its unlikely to coincide with my visits.

wedding photography ideas

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Ma & Pa Kettle

A Life of Their Own

The Kettles were a colorful family created by Betty MacDonald in her first book, The Egg and I. Many of us grew up watching the Ma & Pa Kettle movies of the ’40s and ’50s, never realizing that these characters were loosely based on a real family! Betty’s semi-autobiographical book gave us many characters, including the Rawleigh Man, Birdie Hicks, and the fiery Mary MacGregor. But the Kettle family – with their 15 children, a fiesty and colorful Maw Kettle and her lovable borrowing husband, Paw – were the most memorable.

In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, a family named Bishop lived near Betty and her husband Bob. Some have said the Bishops were the model for the fictional Kettles. The Bishops had 13 children and farmed a large dairy operation on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. Hardworking and helpful, the Bishops shared what little they had with Bob and Betty Heskett, helped them fix their ramshackle farmhouse, and welcomed them into their home. Were the Bishops the Kettles? No. But they probably were at least the inspiration for the many humorous and touching stories retold by Betty in The Egg and I.

What are your favorites?


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Friday, August 07, 2009

Creative Health Tip 7 August 2009

Today's Creative Health Tip is about Awareness

We all tend to gather in groups of like-minded people, so it wouldn't surprise me if many of you are fans of positive thinking, creative consciousness and other "your thoughts and emotions create your reality" techniques.

Maybe you've read books by Louise Hay, Gregg Braden, or Ester and Jerry Hicks. If so, you know they all offer similar advice: be aware of your thoughts for your thoughts are vibrations and whatever you think about with strong emotions is what you will create in your life!

Whether your creation is favorable or unfavorable depends largely on those strong emotions. Emotions like anger, guilt, and fear will create unfavorable life experiences and physical disease, while emotions like hopefulness, happiness, and appreciation will create wonderful experiences and physical vitality.

The important point I want to make this week is that you must be very alert and aware of your thoughts! Several times in the last few days, I've spoken with people who are very knowledgeable in these co-creative processes, say they understand the need for positive thoughts and emotions, and yet all they did was grumble about all the negative events in their lives.

While it sure is ok to vent once in a while, if you spend too much time venting the negative, it gains momentum and comes back to haunt you when you least expect it, and least desire it.

Throughout the day, check in with yourself, and examine your emotions: are you stressed, happy, or bored? Be aware of the path and pattern of your thoughts: do you like what you are doing, or do you wish you were somewhere else, or are you getting ready to take what you're doing and toss it on the trash heap?

When you have a string of negative thoughts or emotions, acknowledge them but don't dwell on them. Instead, try to turn them around into something positive. Doing this will raise your vibration and let you manifest things you like and want instead of attracting all those things you are trying to avoid!

Have a great weekend!

Jade L Blackwater said...

Hi Michelle, I like your new blog. It's so nice to hear from you directly!

You're right - lots of people advocate "positive thinking", but seem to fail to walk the talk. Thanks for the friendly reminder of how energy follows thought.

Michelle Wood said...

Hi Jade,

Wonderful to see you again!

Yes, I have become very involved with the various aspects of the mind-body creative process.

Positive thinking, hand in hand with positive feelings and beliefs are the key to success in this area! :-)


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Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Polish Government Supports 'Strong' TTIP

Although the ruling Law and Justice Party has claimed that it is a patriotic party that defends the sovereignty of Poland, it is taking a strong line in support of the Translantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

During a meeting at the American Chamber of Commerce, the Vice PM and Minister of Development, Mateusz Morawiecki, said that Poland supports the US position on TTIP and are in favour of 'a stronger version of TTIP during negotiations on this matter'. He went on to add that Poland is a trade-orientated country and that  a 'soft' TTIP is not an option for Poland.

Negotiations around the bilatareal trade agreement between the USA and EU have largely been taking place in secret. It will reduce the regulatory barriers to trade for big business in areas such as the environment, banking and health and undermine the sovereign power of individual nations.

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{Sandra & Mark } Destination: Jamaica – The engagement

So our engagement session with Sandra and Mark this past Saturday had a new element for us–it was the first time we’ve met this awesome couple face to face! You see, Sandra and Mark live in Edmonton, Alberta and hired us through a combination of website, email, and telephone! The coolest part? We’ll be capturing their wedding memories in beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica! Neither Brian nor I have been there yet, so that makes this amazing opportunity that much more exciting for the two of us.

Sandra grew up in the Ottawa Valley, and Mark is a fellow Nova Scotian, so that should give you any idea of how much fun these guys are! We thoroughly enjoyed meeting them, spending an afternoon with them, and are so very happy that we get to go adventuring together in new parts of the world this winter. I hope you enjoy their images as much as we enjoyed making them!

Photography by Brian & Ivanette Hargreaves
Blog post by Ivanette.

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Saturday, October 29, 2005

The latest book news from PW

The October 17, 2005 issue of Publishers' Weekly has a picture of John Lennon on the cover. The lead stories are about manga, Japanese style comics and several other currently popular topics and authors. John Lennon died 25 years ago which has generated interest in the Beatles. The PW cover article reviews eight new books about the Beatles. In another article, PW notes that the movie Capote has created interest in Truman Capote's works, especially In Cold Blood. Take a look at thePW website for book reviews, free email newsletters you can sign up for to keep informed about the latest news in publishing and more.

Memoirs have been around in one form or another from pre-literate days to the present-day online blogs and personal tell-all websites. The book that stands out in my mind as the beginning of the latest surge in popularity of this genre would be Angela's Ashes: a Memoir by Frank McCourt (1996.) Despite, or because of, his grim and brutal childhood, McCourt's memoir was widely read and it was beautifully written.
Other popular and literate memoirs written in the last decade that come to mind are: Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First Hundred Years by Sarah and A. Elizabeth Delaney; The Liar's Club by Mary Karr and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggars. But then the inspired or merely perspired, the depressed, addicted, talented or talentless all took pen to paper to confess to an avid reading public.
Whether the memoirist is telling his stories over a campfire in a cave or huddled over the warm glow of a computer screen, telling our own stories and learning other people's stories is an age-old tradition. In recent years, so many journal writing groups have formed that the unwritten memory barely existed. For a while it seemed as though publishers were literally grabbing random people off the street and sticking a microphone in their faces to dictate their story to a ghostwriter. And of course, every celebrity seems to have penned his/her story, no matter how thin a book that might make.
Rick Bragg (All Over But the Shouting) tells about writing memoirs in this issue of The Writer magazine
Frank McCourt writes about memoirs in this issue of Writers' Digest magazine. And in another issue of the same magazine, there is more advice on the subject.
Good, bad or indifferent, memoirs remail a popular genre.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Funny Websites Vaguely Related to Books

Libraries have evolved in recent years into showcases of cutting-edge technology, and in the process have changed so much that patrons of yesteryear would barely recognize the 21st century library. Librarians' top priority should be educating patrons about all these innovations and in that spirit I strongly recommend this educational website
Peeps Visit the Library
In fact, the modern library must be updated to accomodate all the new hardware. Here are some cost-effective ideas for library renovation -
Unusual Library Solutions
And finally, the modern, wired library needs to retain a human touch, or feline, as the case may be:
Library Cats Map
If it's weird, it's on the web. If it's really weird, it's at the library

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Books into Movies

This month there are three movies out that are based on books: Where the Truth Lies, North Country and In Her Shoes. To read more about these books and others that have been made into feature films, go to Books into Movies which is a regular feature of the website BookReporter.

The Virgin Blue

The Virgin Blue was the first published novel by Tracy Chevalier, author of the popular and well-reviewed Girl With a Pearl Earring. The reviews were not as favorable and my bookgroup as a whole did not like it as much as her second book, but it did spark a very lively discussion. The story of 20th century American, Ella, who is living in France, is linked with the life of her distant relative, 16th century Huguenot Isabelle. Ella's dreams and other mystical feelings and signs lead her to uncover the secret of her ancestors. The coincidences and devices that drive the plot are somewhat arbitrary and unconvincing but the writing is solid and novel will appeal to historical fiction fans.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Publisher Websites:Algonquin

If you are always looking for the next good book to read, try publisher websites. They have downloadable studyguides for book groups, email newsletters you can sign up for, lists of author events, interviews with authors, books excerpts and more. Algonquin Press of Chapel Hill is a small press that specializes in current Southern fiction writers, slightly offbeat or quirky authors. For example, they have published the Lost Girls and other books of Lee Smith, Candy Freak by Steve Almond, The Woman I kept to Myself by Julia Alvarez, Tab Hunter Confidential, A Dixie Christmas, Enslaved by Ducks by Bob Tarte and other memoirs and literary fiction.

Top 100 Books

Americans love lists and one new one about books is on Time magazine's website. It lists the top 100 books in English published since 1923. This is one of the most popular pages of Time's website. There is also a place for reader comments, reviews of each book and a look back at Time cover stories on various writers over the years.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Rhiannon Nolan mystery series

Like most readers, I'm always looking for an author who reminds me of my favorite authors whose works I have read and reread. So when I saw the promotional comments of the back cover of Kathy Buchen's detective series comparing her to M. C. Beaton, I checked it out. Besides, Buchen is a librarian, so I felt I had to support a fellow librarian who made the leap to the authorial side of the book business. Buchen's detective is fiftiesh lawyer Rhiannon Nolan, self-deprecating and wise-cracking, who moves to a small town in Wisconsin filled with eccentrics and the odd murder or two. The first in the series of three, so far, is Death in Chintz (2004.) The town Lothario is murdered and all his many ex-girlfriends and their husbands are suspects. We meet Rhiannon's best pal, her family, the ineffectual police chief, her always-present handyman and her adoring (from afar) mechanic who repairs her car after her many fender-benders. If you are looking for a fast, entertaining book of the "cozy" mystery variety, give this series a try.

28 Year Old Retires to Florida

I just finished Early Bird; a memoir of early retirement by Rodney Rothman which passed the time pleasantly. The book received mostly favorable reviews, but it isn't hilariously funny, so don't expect that. Rothman, former writer for David Letterman, was laid off from his job as a television writer and decided to try out retirement well ahead of schedule. He moves to a retirement community in Florida and gives a balanced and non-judgemental view of his senior citizen roomate and others he meets during his six month "retirement." You can read the reviews on Amazon to get a more detailed view of the book. My feeling was that it filled in the time between books that I really "meant" to read or "should" read for book groups and it was perfect for reading on a rainy day, which we've had a lot of lately.


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22 November 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you, Auntie Sandy and Uncle Grant, for hosting us this holiday!

08 November 2012

A Thankful Run

As mentioned in my last post, I volunteered to come up with a running route and blog about it for Steve Good's AGoodRun.com project.

It's a pretty nifty concept - for a full calendar year he is asking runners to choose a city, document their running route, donate to a cause of their choice and give thanks along the way.  He'd also like to get representation from each state in the US through the course of the project.

Check out my post and share with others!

05 November 2012

Paper Cranes & Song Lyrics

Someone gave the Elliot Smith wall an update featuring paper cranes and his song lyrics.  I noticed it along my run for AGoodRun.com and had to stop to take a picture.


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Dancer on the lake

We thought getting a teenager up at 5am was going to be the hardest part of this shoot, but then a cool change came in bringing bursts of rain and making the water in the Mount Beauty Pondage freezing cold. Luckily we were still all able to keep our sense of humour and joked about how much we suffer for our art while standing up to our thighs in mud.

Gabby was the ultimate professional and managed to show beautiful poise on a very rickety platform. We gave up on the point shoes as they became so soft from standing in the water.

Luckily, the sun popped out to show it's shiny self for about 20 seconds and we managed to get one of my favourite photos from the shoot in this moment. Sometimes it's worth braving the elements and I am so glad Gabby and her support crew (Mum and sister Izzy) were up for the challenge.


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Poker ABCs – A is for Action

In POKER, there are five ACTIONS: check, bet, fold, call, and raise.

Whether at the poker table, or in your life, before you decide on what action to take, pause, and ask yourself, "Based on the information at hand at this moment in time, what is my correct action?"

"Correct" is the operative word.

You can certainly see that question on Phil Ivey's face as his eyes dart back and forth, searching his brain for all the pieces of the puzzle that fit that particular hand. Phil is transparent as he searches for the answer to that question, while other players become quiet and still. Regardless, what they have in common is that they take time to decide the correct action.

One beauty of the poker table is that you must take an action before the game can continue. In life, people often become frozen in one spot, afraid to make decision. Even sloppy action is better than perfect stagnation.

If you are ready to take action and move your game to the next level, sign up for my upcoming live poker coaching program: Poker Pure and Simpletm. It is unique… personalized and customized to your needs, based on your feedback and input.

Whether at the poker table or in life, the next time you are faced with a decision, remember this. Take a moment and move to your center. Breathe in and out. Then, take that next step… Repeat as necessary.

Take my motto to heart:

If you can't raise, don't call!

Donna Blevins
Poker Strategy Coach

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2 Responses to Poker ABCs – A is for Action

  1. Kathryn Merrow - The Pain Relief CoachNo Gravatar February 27, 2010 at 5:55 pm #

    I love the way you tie life and poker together.  Thanks, Donna!

    • Donna BlevinsNo Gravatar March 1, 2010 at 8:42 pm #

      Thank you Kathryn for stopping by. For me, life and poker simply mirror each other.

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Big Girl Poker: Guts Required. Sports Bra Optional.


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Friday, October 28, 2005

It's My Wedding And I'll Cry If I Want To

(delayed post from 10.16.05)

First off, OK. It's not MY wedding. And it really goes "It's my party..."...but then again, ain't a wedding a party, too? You just wait 'til you read about this wedding.

October 15. It was the usual Saturday in my life: waking up at 10am, begrudgingly going down the stairs to do my customary hundred and so sit-ups and crunches (which, God knows haven't done anything to my abs), having my milk and cereals, going down on all fours in the toilet to scrub the tiles white with Tilex before actually showering, and then leisurely dressing up to hit the mall to work out at Gold's Gym and then window shop.

Whoa. Wrong Saturday. Reality check. Let's do that again.

October 15. Woke up at 6:15am. No sit-ups/crunches, no milk and cereals, no Tilex. Just one quickie shower with no leisurely dressing up, and most certainly no gym or window shopping. With the Customer Delight workshop (aka immersion) at 8:30am, I quickly stuffed my white Banana Rep long sleeved shirt, my two dollar blue and green striped silk tie, and my cheap ass off-the-rack suit into my garment bag. I dashed out the condo. I had a seminar to teach and a
wedding to host. Busy, busy, busy.

At 4:15pm, I regretfully left the workshop, what with the more important part of it just getting brought into focus. But my call time at The Orchidarium, where the reception was to be held, was at 5pm. With my garment bag in tow, I hailed the cab and was off to Roxas Boulevard. I had plenty of time to rehearse and get jiggy at the venue.

Or so I thought. Upon reaching Quirino Boulevard, I was flabbergasted to find out that the entire stretch of Roxas Boulevard was closed--without any advisory--because of a fucking anniversary concert-party by Channel 23. With all the detours that we had to do, the wrong turns, and the God-I'm-going-to-bitchslap-the-cab-driver-pretending-to-be-Mister-Know-it-all, I reached the venue at 5:30pm. Thankfully, the wedding entourage was still having their photo session at the San Agustin Church, so that bought me more time to get used to the place, the coordinators, the DJs, and the early guests.

When cocktails was served, I opened by welcoming the guests to the venue, introduced myself, and told them, "This is so-and-so's wedding reception. Please make sure you're in the right wedding." When that got the hoped for snickers, I started easing out; this crowd wasn't stiff after all. Cheerio to them. Good for me.

When the couple arrived, I signaled the guests to hold on to their envelopes of live butterflies so they could release them when the bride and the groom enters the patio (of course, some of them were totally clueless about this, and so have wretchedly crushed the poor things). Immediately after my spiel about the symbolism of this butterfly ceremony, the couple entered the garden, and on my signal, the entrance way got showered by a lot of beautifully-colored butterflies and the sound of roaring applause. Ah. Off to a good start.

During dinner (and even before the program started), I was constantly told that I looked just like the older brother of the bride. And I constantly replied with a polite, "that's prolly because I'm a Gomez, too, Madam/Sir." But when I finally saw Ryan, the brother, I freaked out. He certainly looked just like me: his height, his facial structure, his smile, his eyes,his hairstyle, and even his freaking accent/voice. Freaky. This posted photo of us isn't exactly a testimony to that...but don't take my word for it; take theirs. I am now officially thinking whether I was the adopted one or Ryan...and that we could really be twins.
At least now I have a place to stay at Los Angeles next time I went to visit.

Now, going back to the "party" argument earlier.

As the principal sponsors, parents, and wedding entourage were called, every pair had a different soundtrack that they literally danced to from the entrance way down to the dance floor, while they wait for the bride and groom to complete the wedding party. From Benny Hill to A-Team to Superman to The Empire Strikes Back to Who Let the Dogs Out, the entourage built up to the bride and groom's entrance music: Theme from Rocky, i.e. Eye of the Tiger. Beat that.

High fives flew in the air as the couple joined the entourage. Now THAT was a way to usher in a bridal party.

Yes. It was their party, and they did cry when they wanted to.

That was fun. And I was a couple o' bucks richer. They're happy. I'm happy. My manager's happy. Now, wasn't that a PARTY, indeed? ;)

Terpsichorean Extraordinaire

(delayed post from 10.14.05)

Amidst the pandemonium going on in the office, what with the Customer Delight workshop rollout on full blast, I received an SMS from my events hosting manager, JP. He had invites to the 16th anniversary of the Illustrado Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila for that evening. From his perspective, this was a good opportunity to introduce me to the events management circle (since I do hosting and entertainment [see my biz card]).

From mine, it was a perfectly good chance to unwind from all the workshop preparations. So I left the office at 6pm pronto to meet up with him and two other friends, Rica and Martin, at Starbucks.

A couple of minutes later, we were in JP's SUV traversing the thankfully-relaxed EDSA. About 30 minutes later, we got to the place. It was a warm night, and since the venue was held outside in the garden, the guests were profusely sweating, but nevertheless seemed to be having fun.

The event was cleverly planned. Since it was the 16th anniversary, everything came in 16's: 16 hors d'oeuvres, 16 wine varietals, 16 main courses, 16 soups, 16 desserts, and games and entertainment every 16 minutes or so. How witty.

Halfway through the night, in between my sipping of Merlots, devouring of Paella, and nibbling of Raclette, cultural performers were ushered in to do a series of Polynesian dances. The dancers started off with a Hawai'ian exhibition dance where the men were juggling and twirling batons that were on fire on both ends (I have seen actual Hula in Hawai'i and Guam...and I can say that these Pinoy performers were really good). It was followed by Tahitian dancers and other performers that made you reminisce of the good Hawai'i Five-O days.

When they finished performing, the hostess of the evening, a young daughter of the restaurant owners, announced that there were going to be games, and that to start the series of games and revelries, a Polynesian dancing contest was in order. The young ladies quickly went to the crowd and grabbed unwilling gentlemen to join the included.

As if the thought of being made to dance in front of anonymous
alta sociedad people (well, plus one of my company's CEO's was there also...promising me that he would video the whole thing and MMS it to my boss) wasn't enough, the unwilling contestants (well, there were about two of them who were so much willing it totally showed on their faces that they were faking consternation) were made to wear grass skirts and hold pom-poms. I was contestant number four of six. Great. So not my lucky number. Hurrah for that.

As the three were already dancing and people were merely half-cheering, I said to myself, "Fuck it. I'm totally a freeloader tonight, might as well work for my food!!!" My turn came...and as if on cue, Hawai'i Five-O started bellowing on the speakers. That and the glasses of reds did it for me. When the two ladies with no bones at the waist and ribs ( should see them's hypnotic and salivatory) came to flank me, I gave them the performance of my life. My years of social dancing, street jazzing, tae-boing, aero-kickboxing, and Ricky Martin moves were instantaneously upstaged. This, ladies and gentlemen, was my dance of the millennium. Nyahahahahaha!

When the sixth contestant was finished, the hostess announced that the winner will be judged and declared by virtue of the audience's applause. Still huffing-and-puffing from my performance level moves and chitchatting with the boneless ladies behind me, I went towards stage center when my number was a thunderous applause. The fifth and the sixth didn't even bother going to the front. I won the damned contest, still hysterically laughing my ass off. And as the "King of Polynesia", I was made to wear a headress made of tea leaves, to complement my grass skirt...for the overall Hawai'ian look. With me in the middle, the speakers blared yet another round of Polynesian dance, to which all the sixteen boneless, hypnotic, salivatory ladies started dancing around me in a huge circle...replete with bumping of their hips and asses on my...drumroll...crotch. I wondered: are all Kings of Polynesia impotent or have crushed balls as a consequence of this ceremonial dance?

With a loot bag in my hand, I strutted back to our bar table. People were congratulating me and so I stayed in character by giving them my beaming smile and graciously thanking them for their kindness. Rolly, our company CEO told me that he has already MMS'd Boni a video/photo of my performance. Great.

Now, here's the one that cracked me up big time: the owner/manager of the Polynesian dance troupe asked me if I would be interested in joining their touring team. NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

If you'd excuse me, I still have to have my new grass skirt fitted.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

In the Palm of My Hand

Ten reasons why I should buy the new Palm TX:

10. I'm depressed.
09. I deserve it...or I think I do.
08. It should miraculously fix my chaotic life(style).
07. Wi-Fi and a big screen. That's HUGE.
06. 13th Month Pay and wedding hosting fees.
05. It's SO handsome that perhaps it will make me more handsome, too.
04. Ella and I want it BAD we'd turn into Tweety Hyde if we don't get it.
03. My Paypal has a fund just enough for it.
02. It's so whooo-hoooo! Woof! Woof! Awoooooo!
01. Because I said so.

Monday, October 17, 2005

4Ts: Totally Trivial Tidbits Today

Last Sunday, I was just killing time and watching reruns of Band of Brothers on my DVD player. It got totally lackadaisical at a certain point and I decided to just open my mail, sort through unread/filed messages, and trash unwanted forwards. Then the rain started pouring like hell just as I was pouring myself a glass of shiraz and slicing a sinful helping of Black Forest. Perfect for being even lazier than lazy-afternoon.

To complement the leisureliness of the afternoon, I decided to indulge my friend Dennis on his, uhm, survey. I just call it the Purposeless Juvenile Slumbook. Read on.

Name: Ben
Birthday & Time: June 28, 5:45AM
Birthplace: Sta. Mesa, Manila
Current Location: Makati, Philippines
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Hair Color: Jet black
Height: 5' 10” (OK. I'm like 0.00005in short of 10" Dammit.)
Right Handed or Left Handed: Right
Your Lineage: Pure Pinoy Dad, 3/4 Spanish Mom
The Shoes You Wore Today: Adidas sneakers
Your Weakness: Perfect set of teeth
Your Phobia: Spiders bigger than a quarter, church-side cemeteries
Your Perfect Pizza: Pepperoni, no anchovies please
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: Start construction of my 5-door rental apartment
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger: Nge
First Thought Waking Up: "Ohshit, I'm late."
Your Best Physical Feature: My eyes...or smile. Dunno. You tell me. Your Bedtime: Before 2am
Your Most Missed Memory: Riding my road bike by the beach
Where did you go to College: University of the Philippines

Pepsi or Coke: Neither. I'm Diabetic!!!!
MacDonalds or Burger King: Can't I have a Whattaburger???
Single or Group Dates: Single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Tazo Mint Tea
Chocolate or Vanilla: Choclit if it's dessert. Vanilla if it's Designer Whey/Protein Shake
Cappuccino or Coffee: Coffee. Brewed.

Do you Smoke: Quit almost four years ago
Do you Swear: These days, a couple of times. Haha.
Do you Sing: Yes
Do you Shower Daily: Twice or thrice a day
Have you Been in Love: Hmmm...rhetorical question?
Do you want to get Married: Not seriously considering it right now
Do you belive in yourself: Yeah
Do you get Motion Sickness: Nope...unless it's MAJOR turbulence
Do you think you are Attractive: I'd like to think so. ;)
Are you a Health Freak: Now that I'm ageing, I am
Do you get along with your Parents: Yep
Do you like Thunderstorms: I oddly find it soothing
Do you play an Instrument: Guitar, keyboards, flute (just a bit)

In the past month have you Drank Alcohol: Yeah
In the past month have you Smoked: Nope
In the past month have you been on Drugs: Nah-ah
In the past month have you gone on a Date: I'm a serial dater.
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos: Nope, but I finished a big-ass pack of ChocNut!
In the past month have you eaten Sushi: Yeah, baby!!!
In the past month have you been on Stage: Yes
In the past month have you been Dumped: Hmmm...kinda. Damn.
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping: Haven't tried. But I'm considering it.

Ever been Drunk: Major. Blowing like a mad man
Ever been called a Tease: Always
Ever been Beaten up: Nope
Ever Shoplifted: Nope. Too scared shit of getting caught. Haha

How do you want to Die: In ecstasy. LOL
What do you want to be when you Grow Up: Good Lord, I'd like to hope I'm all grown up!
What country would you most like to Visit: Europe and Africa. My next destinations.

In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color: Hazel
Favourite Hair Color: Any, as long as they ain't too loud
Short or Long Hair: As long as it looks clean
Height: Tall enough as to not look awkward when we're together
Weight: Not too thin, not too huge
Best Clothing Style: Preppy with a twist...or corporate
Number of CDs I own: Oh God...I dunno. A thousand plus?
Number of Piercings: One pair
Number of Tattoos: Zilch. I WANT ONE!!!!
Number of things in my Past I Regret: I'd rather not sulk and regret...I'd like to think I've learned from them.

Now, wasn't that fun? ;) I say, you go pour yourself a tall glass of red--with or without the Black Forest; and then email me back with your own reply. Will I read it? Hell no. Or maybe I will.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Stitches and Burns

Thank God for small favors: big needles with a couple of cc's of anesthesia, endless supplies of ice for cold compress, lots of milligrams of sedatives and painkillers, underwear underneath obscenely-cut hospital patient gowns, gourmet hospital food, and the comfort of loving friends.

Yesterday, I came out of a 46-minute surgery. It was otherwise minor, qualified for an outpatient procedure, but still I had to be confined overnight for pre-operation prep, considering that the operation will be at 9 the following morning.

Two days ago, just a few hours after I published the Death by Overtime blog, where I tried to desperately look splendidly fine-looking in spite of the harrowing thought of teaching seminars I wasn't much a crackerjack of, I woke up in the wee hours of the morning (at 3:25am, to be exact) with an excruciating pain in my mid-section. I tried all sorts of relief I could imagine--homemade milk of magnesia, forced defecation, Chinese-meets-Western ointments and teas, book of prayers, involuntary heaving, accupressure, and passing of gas--but nothing worked. Right when I got to the office, in between outbursts of shooting pain in my visceral section, I formed two theories of the possible culprits: (1) that bottle of extra-spicy Spanish-style sardines (with wheat bread) that I had for dinner (which was pretty imaginable); and (2) the anxiety from being unprepared for a series of consequential training programs that have been dauntlessly plotted into my now-multicolored and virtually cramped calendar (which was more likely).

As I was still iffy to have heavy intakes of food, I agreed to meet up with Manolet to have a hot bowl of soup inGreenbelt for lunch. Half an hour later, the same bowl of soup was staring back at me...from the toilet bowl. With a "Shit, I seriously need to haul my brown ass to Makati Med right this very minute and admit myself into my small Ps 1,950.00/day private room" thought in my head, I shutdown my PC, lugged all my stuff--replete with a Customer Service book, which I have been intermittently reading for a seminar, my UK Men's Health magazine, and my legions of forms for PhilHealth and the company hospitalization insurance--and checked myself in room 453 and snoozed for a good three minutes.

Barely three minutes into my forty winks, the nurse came in for my orientation of the facilities and the rules and regulations of the hospital (e.g. that if I wanted to charge my mobile phone, I will have to go up the tenth floor!). She advised me later on that there were more people coming. And true enough, in almost less than ten minute intervals, my door opened to legions of hospital doctors, nurses, orderlies and staff: for my remote control, my complimentary bottle of mineral water, my first, second, and third blood pressure, breathing and temperature check, the rounds of doctors, and the dreaded blood test. I finally got to drift to sleep at around 4pm, only to be roused from it by the incessant ringing of the room telephone. It was a lady named Rosanna who was telling me that my company was not accredited by the admitting physician...ergo, that I was there, technically, unofficially. And since she neither comprehended a single word I was saying--although spoken in basic, unsophisticated, layman's English AND Tagalog--nor even offered to just phone my company to settle this obvious misunderstanding, I had to do all the phone calls and settling myself. Geesh. Thank God I was a patient for minor surgery and not cardiac arrest!

My friends started to come in between my series of tests and x-rays and being wheeled in and out of my hospital room. Yes, Sheila, you were the very first one. And the doctor thought you were my wife from how we were touching each other when he came in with his staff (whose namesake was Rob)! Hilarious, eh? At half past ten, the last five of my visitors came to say goodnight. Since I was on NPO (or nothing per orem/by mouth) after midnight, I practically begged my companion Jeffrey to just intravenously feed the darned instant capuccino into me at around 1am. He didn't budge. Damn. He was already sleeping and lightly snoring on the couch while I stayed fully awake, watching endless reruns of TV shopping ads (which used to always put me to sleep). Finally fell asleep at half past three, with images of belly fats melting away because of the wonders of a daily 50-minute use of the Spa Belt. I should get one of those darned things soon.

The morning nurse Julie woke me up for my ultrasound. I wasn't even able to take a shower! Still wearing the same clothes from the previous night, I went to put on my hospital gown and got wheeled out of my room, into the elevator packed with passengers looking at me questioningly (and even one teasing me about my gown, to which I teased back, "there's really nothing underneath this flimsy gown"; that shut her up), and into the ultrasound room. I was told there by nurse Mitch that my pancreas seem to be hiding from her instruments, that my tests would cost Ps 3,300.00, that I should stop drinking and eating "fun" foods because my cholesterol level isn't exactly impressive, and that I was lucky my prostates are still in tiptop shape (Can I get a Whohoo?).

I was wheeled into the operating room right after, because I was running late for the 9am surgery schedule. Changed into a new green laboratory gown, and then started getting prepped by the O.R. assistant nurses, beginning with a requisite disinfecting of my mouth with isopropyl alcohol...or what tasted like it. My three doctors all came in with their sinister smiles and warm tools. Oh, I meant warm smiles and sinister bad; must be the anesthesia still jetéing in my nervous system. Four pokes of oh-so-painful and oh-so-thick and oh-so-warm anesthesia and barely four minutes later, I couldn't feel my lower lip. Next thing I knew, I was seeing (through a peep hole from the lower portion of my eye cover) streams and spurts of blood and tissue and skin cells. I was stitched up towards the tail end of the 46 minutes, and was wheeled into the recovery room. This was so reminiscent of my first operation at the Makati Med last October 2000 for a fractured and dislocated right pinkie. I will not get into the nitty-gritties, but let's just leave it at this: the condition of the fracture was aptly called "Boxer's Fracture". ;)

Although my lip felt like I was the male version of Angelina Jolie and Goldie Hawn COMBINED (dare I say Tony Ferrer???!!!), my lip looked perfectly normal. Must still be the anesthesia and its feeling of numbness that was causing that impression. With instant noodle soup dripping down my chin from my lip's inability to achieve chewing with a closed mouth, and the anesthesia starting to wear off and thus causing such a bitch of a pain, my friends started coming in again. It was going to be such a long day. And me not being able to speak in a normal way was going to be such a welcome treat for all of them. Haha.

Lunchtime and the gastroenterologist came in with good news: that I was cleared for discharge in the late afternoon, and that the pain I was getting from the day before was attributed to the clogged up intestines (read: fecal matters and acids), stress, and that I should also just infuse my diet with lots of fiber. In his own words, he said that no matter how much of a regular guy I was, was just "puno ng ebak", i.e. by those that were left over because of possible unhealthy eating regimen. Yes, I can now safely acceede that when someone tells me I'm "full of shit", I should just take that literally.

Now, armed with my antibiotics, painkillers, antacids, fibers/laxatives, mouth disinfectants, and my box of Black Forest, basket of fresh fruits, Zip-loc of Trail Mix, bottled water, and soft roll clusters, I am home. I am now lounging around sitting on my gym ball typing this blog, tearing piece-by-piece a sandwich and sipping low fat milk through a straw for breakfast, and then getting ready to watch the Shall We Dance dvd that I bought the other day.
I am going out in a while to upload this one at the internet café downstairs, and to buy more happy pills for my next few days of medicine intake. Yeah. I am a druggie.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Death by Overtime

It's 8:42pm and I am still here in the office. WHOA! No. I wasn't online the whole day, you dingbat. The reason why I am online right now is because I haven't opened my inbox until only about 30minutes ago, thanks to a gazillion and one meetings...and with the 48 unread messages that felt like forever to read, I decided to just blog away.

I am a day and a half away from going under the knife at the Makati Medical Center. The procedure, according to my ENT specialist, is called "excision of mucocoele". Yes, my Doctor friends, you may correct me at this point for a possible misspelling of such medical term. After all, I think you should incorporate St. Paul-style cursive in your curriculum...

I will find out my room assignment tomorrow when I call Admitting Office in the morning. For now, all I can do is just work on my legions of schedules, budgets, program designs, and presentations to do for the next couple of, uhm, days and weeks and months of non-stop daily training. Argh.

The photo? Well, I needed a break from all this. So I lounged at the 7th floor couches for a good six minutes. I swear, I am dying. But at least I wanted to look good dead. ;)

To my friends who have time to read my blogs, here's a shout out to all ya peeps. In case I don't get to SMS or email you tomorrow, I'll be at the Makati Med from 2pm til Wednesday afternoon at around 3pm. So you just holla.

Gotta go. Credit card bills due tomorrow morning. Dammit.

More than 24 hours have passed, yet I am still trying to get rid of the laughing fit that propelled itself some 30 minutes after the wedding hosting gig that I did at the Westin Philippine Plaza. I am not sure if the giggles were due to a sudden plateau in my pre-hosting hysteria, or the more than six glasses of Chilean red wine, or the singers' constant funny enunciation of lyrics. Or perhaps that 3-minute photo session with Imelda Romualdez-Marcos.

Yes. That's probably it. It was totally uncharacteristic of me to come up to a, uhm, celebrity, and perhaps ask for an autograph, let alone a photograph with me.

I remember back in the province when I was still a young boy, say 10 or 11, when a group of then-"promising" young stars came to grace the town fiesta's event(s). Their names escape me at this moment, but I distinctly remember having watched them in the boob tube in a daily afternoon variety show called That's Entertainment. The young man was a handsome lad with curly hair, nice pearly whites, really kick-ass Topsiders (it was such a fad back then), and a very sweet-smelling cologne (yes, I could appreciate nice scents at that age already!). The young lady, supposedly the young lad's "love team", was a svelte almost-coltish mestiza with blue contact lenses, [almost] naturally-blonde hair, and a face only an angel or princess could possibly have. A window in their otherwise busy schedule parading around town gave them a momentary rest period...only to be broken off by an impromptu photo session with their screaming and adulating fans who were already queued down the stairs of the municipal hall on a moment's notice. That time they were there, I happened to be with a church groupmate slash friend named Cleo who desperately wanted to see the male matinee idol. Despite her knowledge of my lack of curiosity for That's Entertainment in Bataan, she incessantly begged me to go with her, replete with matching fake tears and theatrical fainting spells. I obliged after eight minutes.

Finally making it to the top of the stairs and already next in line for the photo ops, I told Cleo I was going to be at the second floor veranda watching the still ongoing serenata of a from-out-of-town marching band. She was way too excited to even hear me mutter the words, and so I just left...only to come back because squeezing myself out was as impossible as, well, having Ben Redulla have a photo session with an actor/actress. The minute the door opened and Cleo and I were ushered in to meet the stars, I started to vehemently excuse myself from the photo ops. This whole chunk of episode, by the way, is such a memory black out for me...but what I can remember from the bits and pieces of recollection was that the personal assistants were insisting profusely that I stopped being a snob and just jump in the picture, as the stars were waiting...and me being mortified with the vision of friends teasing me on end for being starstruck with small-time stars...and me being literally dragged into the photo session nook and, finally, having my picture taken with them with my face contorted as if being made to eat raw salamander. I promise you, this was one memento I was not intending to keep.

Mega-fast forward to adulthood. Coming from a trip from Vegas in 2004, where I saw Celine Dion, Cher Bono, Emeril Lagasse, Leonardo Di Caprio and Nicolas Cage up close and did nothing fan-ish, I almost collided at the Honolulu Airport with Jasmine Trias, then still hot for her stint at the American Idol. I came in a Continental Airlines flight, while she was arriving from an Aloha Air from somewhere in the West Coast, I think. There was an instantaneous pandemonium as the fans and airport staffs and friends and bystanders shouted out her name and waved placards saying how proud they are of her and her being Hawai'ian. In the midst of all this, I was busy lugging my carry-on, and fumbling for my boarding ticket back to the Pacific. After being in a more than 15-hour trip with no shower or decent Pinoy-style taking a dump, getting starstruck was the least of my concerns. I gave the walking Jasmine a perfunctory glance, and I asked for my final boarding ticket from the attendant. I think I may have gotten irritated at the check-in clerk for not paying attention to us customers in the check-in counter and instead just be gloating at the celebrity. What a cluck.

There are more. Just a couple of hours earlier, coming from a dinner of La Paz Bachoy and Fish Kinilaw at the food court of SM Makati with Jeffrey, I noticed a holdup in the stream of people walking towards the exit. Upon reaching the exit and after checking out what in God's name was causing all the commotion, I found out that a young actor with an incredibly beautiful face and immaculately white complexion was being ambushed for hell of a lot of photo ops with fans--local and foreign. Same as with Jasmine, I just gave a perfunctory glance, and I trotted off to the cab terminal. No fuss.

Am I too indifferent? And even if I were, what's wrong with not being googly-eyed over people that are no different from us in terms of taking a dump or a piss, and need for sleep, air and water? End of argument.

Enter Imelda Marcos.

Hosting my probably-THE-wedding-to-top wedding last night, I was, more than being starstruck, nerve-wracked. I shouldn't, considering that my script--which has been proofed and sanitized by the bridal party--was neatly printed in chronological order on 27 neat white unruled index cards, which were safely stashed in the right front pocket of my recently-purchased black four-button suit. What was causing the fidgets was the fact that on top of the 650+ local and foreign guests who would be attending, a number of very important government, society, and business personalities were attending. There was PGMA, the Vice-Prez, De Venecia, Ebdane, Aboitiz, Tan, Hirohiko, Chavit, Atienza, Gordon, Defensor, a Supreme Court Justice, an entire Japanese and Singaporean delegation, and a legion of other biggies. And, oh. there's Madam Imelda Marcos.

Wedding reception went well. I could see from the smiles in the newlyweds as well as the wedding coordinator, plus that thank-God-for-her-kind-words lady who said that I was particularly good at making the event such "a smooth, proper, simple, and manageable" one. With that, and the seven or so glasses of red wine, I walked off my exhaustion from standing all night at the rostrum and doing the fake confident smile. I was halfway between the grand ballroom and the holding area for the coordinators and performers when Madam Imelda paused--and posed--with her entourage to have a photo taken by the emerald sculpture at the hotel hallway junction. Without thinking, I propped my Nokia 6230i into the wedding coordinator's hand, turned it to Night Mode, and had a photo shoot with Madam. Upon seeing that the first shot was blurry, I came up to the First Lady and sheepishly said, "Madam, our first photo did not turn out right. Could you indulge me with another one?", to which she sweetly said yes, replete with a half-hug on my waist. When the wedding coordinator was giving me back my phone, Madam amiably asked her for me, "Oh, did you get it right this time?" I was endeared.

Yes, for the first time, I was officially starstruck. After all, as that famous shoe store in Manhattan has put in their poster/place card, "we all have a little of Imelda in us".

No further comment, your Honor. I am still laughing my hearts out...and re-convincing myself that they are history's villains.

Friday, October 7, 2005

NYAHAHAHAH!!! I'm back! Yes. It's 15 minutes before my lunch break is over. So here's another nonsense blog: my blog things. Went to this website,, and found lotsa goodies. Here are some of the tests that I took.

1. What Pattern is Your Brain?

You have a tempered, reasonable way of thinking. You tend to take every new idea in, and meld it with your world view. For you, everything is always changing. Each moment is different. Your thinking process tends to be very natural - with no beginnings or endings.

Perhaps it just means that I'm a person that's commitment-phobic...and only constant change makes me happy. LOL

2. What Kind of Kisser Are You?

For you, kissing is about all about following your urges. If someone's hot, you'll go in for the kiss - end of story. You can keep any relationship hot with your steamy kisses. A total spark plug - your kisses are bound to get you in trouble

Dammit. I want what comes AFTER the kissing part...!

3. What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free. In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved. You'd like for your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

Hmmm...this totally contradicts #1! ;)

4. What's Your Blogging Personality?

Your blogging type is pensive and philosophical. You blog like no one else is reading...You tend to use your blog to explore ideas - often in long winded prose. Easy going and flexible, you tend to befriend other bloggers easily. But if they disagree with once too much, you'll pull them from your blogroll!

Trust me. I've told hard-to-please, as-if-I'm-writing-for-them-but-hell-I'm-not, people to shove it up their asses.

5. What Age Do You Act?

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart...23 to be exact. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

No wonder I find myself getting fond of dating 23 year olds. LOL

6. What's Your Ideal Career?

Your career type: Enterprising. You are engergetic, ambitious, and sociable. Your talents lie in politics, leading people, and selling things or ideas. You would make an excellent: Auctioneer, Bank President, Camp Director, City Manager, Judge or Lawyer, Recreation Leader, Real Estate Agent or Sales Person, School Principal, Travel Agent, TV Newscaster. The worst career options for your are investigative careers, like mathematician or architect.

Aha! I think it's time to move to being a TV Newscaster...!

Hmmm...Now, back to work. I'm eight minutes over break...!

Today's Forecast

October 7, 2005 Forecast for Benedict:

Cancer: Remember to take care of yourself. Nurture your own growth and find happiness.

Geesh. Like I needed an astrological forecast to tell me THAT.

(OK, OK, guessed it. I just couldn't stand not blogging [NYEHEHEHE]. So I'm taking a 10-minute break from our Customer Delight Cascade, SS Teambuilding, PLI Budget Presentation, and my wedding thingee. Argh)

Sunday, October 2, 2005

Caveat: this blog is going to strike you as a total kowtow, it being some form of citation to my boss(es). Then again, final performance appraisal ratings aren't in I just might be able to jack it up with this sucking up. KIDDING!!!

Despite the fact that I was consistently told I was self-assured, and that I could confidently carry a conversation with anyone anytime, I still find myself occasionally stuttering and anxiously organizing my thoughts whenever I am engaged in a conversation with bosses (or anyone in [higher] authority). I am yet to find the -phobia terminology for it...but for now, it will suffice to say that I am boss-phobic.

I've always believed that there should always be some invisible professional demarcation between the boss and the subordinate. This philosophy has long been corroborated by the numerous tables of organization where the boss is always in the higher box, and the subordinate(s) in teenie-weenie boxes underneath. Or the ever-raised platforms that a professor stands on to symbolize his higher status compared to his students. The concept of friendships between a boss and his subordinate is almost always a hypothetical situation. Needless to say, I have always maintained a safe distance from my bosses and kept them in a box labeled "handle with precaution".

Candy, the first boss who fished me out of my hodgepodge of a lack of career direction and who helped me find my niche in the corporate world, shattered this viewpoint effortlessly. She coexisted as my mentor, friend, and mother. It was through her that I came to realize that inspite of all the chaos of deadlines and presentations and standards in the workplace, there will always be time for a sympathetic, warm, and humane moment between a boss and his subordinate. I left the company in tears as she hugged me tight--also in tears--and sent me off to greener pastures outside of the country.

I was on this no-boundaries boss-subordinate mindset when I worked with my boss Luisa in the US Pacific. It started out fine and dandy. Imagine her picking me up from my flat (and vice-versa), or hanging out at her apartment just watching cable or laughing about people and events. Or her calling me at six in the morning to ask me to reassure her that her pelvic inflammation and irritation otherwise known as chlamydia was nothing deadly. Or me desperately making her change her mind about dumping her American boyfriend. Or me putting the entire training calendar at a standstill just to accommodate all the last minute preparations for her grand wedding...with the same American boyfriend that she almost didn't marry. Now, imagine me asking for a really minor request to have an emergency five-day leave because a loved one was diagnosed with gastric cancer and needed a companion to visit the specialist in the US Mainland...and being denied the request only because of some preposterous company policy about emergency leaves, which she cannot even circumvent for a friend in dire need. And imagine me filing my resignation the day after, and her telling me after accepting the resignation that I had "no regard for our 'friendship'"...and then weeks later telling everybody how I was an irresponsible and incompetent employee. And imagine nobody believing this scumlike mudslinging, but her still continuing to do so years later. Sad. How very, very sad. No. Wait a minute. It isn't sad. It's simply pathetic.

With that experience, I reverted to the cautionary subordinate-to-boss frame of mind. Call it edification, but when my new boss, Pilar, the school principal, showed signs of warmth, concern, and sincerity like what Candy showed years back, I did not respond too well. The whole semester that I was under her, where I was assured that I could tell her anything, or that I could approach her for anything, I still kept a safe distance. She was a very nice boss. But, alas, I was already played out with the friends-with-the-boss card, thanks to Luisa.

And then there's Boni. With the scarcity of Candy's appearance (note: we now work in the same company since I came back to the Philippines), thanks to her meetings on end, Boni became the Mini Me of Candy. I remember how I fought tears from falling when he told me how proud he was of me for doing a good job in one of our training programs. I also had the same emotions when he singlehandedly took over my training/facilitating parts in our out-of-town seminars when I caught the flu virus, and had to rest and snack on his supply of medicines. I am infinitely thankful to him for not making me feel stupid regardless of the fact that I MAY already BE an idiot in some of the decisions or task(s) that I needed to accomplish. I find lightheartedness in his allowing my constant attempt to do a makeover on his wardrobe/outfit, as well as in his confiding his stories about his (a) funny (b) weird (c) disappointing (d) heartwarming (e) semi-sexual and (f) all of the above dates...and finally ending with hopefully-THE-one girl in his arms.

Coming from yet another out-of-town workshop, where I totally felt like I was of no value whatsoever because I almost didn't understand the proceedings, he made me feel that I was not a failure...that Ella (our assistant manager) and I were not expected to be "experts" in it, considering it was simply an exposure program for us. He could have simply shaken his head and gotten dissapointed, but he chose to make us understand the process better, and helped us discover it ourselves. I know I would have just given up on a subordinate. But he didn't. And I wish that in my training as a manager, I could acquire such patience, understanding, and sensitivity.

Yesterday afternoon, while watching a B movie called "Land of the Dead" with my date (please don't EVER watch that senseless movie!), I got a text from Boni: Ben, for all the good work and friendship, I have a gift for you! Guess what??! It turned out to be an army dog tag necklace, which I have long been scouring all over to find, and which I have only fleetingly mentioned to him and Ella in one of our lunches together. I totally did not deserve it, but still I felt so overwhelmingly stoked to be made to feel important. And I say it again, I wish that in my training as a manager, I could acquire his virtues.

Thanks for the Boner, man.

Yes, dammit. I know that that one didn't sound right. But then again, coming from me or you or Ella (hehe...PEACE ELLA!), what does? ;)


text:
People who raise the hue and cry for the government to do something about the environmental issues the world faces should start the solution at the personal level. There are a myraid of things that an individual (multiply by approximately 200,000,000 to get the gross effect) can do on a daily basis. I will list a few:

  1. Stop driving everywhere. That effects petroleum consumption, carbon emissions, and one's weight. Walk or bicycle, or at the very least use public transport. Yes, I know that for some it is a humiliation beyond comprehension to ride with "the po' folk". In a lot of cases I think people would find a surprise at who *actually* rides the buses, the Els, and other public conveyances. I certainly had no trouble getting around Manhattan on the subway, other than figuring out the usual point-A-to-point-B issues.
  2. Unless one's profession requires living remotely (farming and ranching come to mind), think about why one feels the need to live somewhere that requires more than a couple of miles of driving to obtain daily necessities, or to commute to work. What is truly one's motivation for a home that is far removed from a community, and does not function in any productive fashion?
  3. Lose weight. It takes more energy to haul obese people around; it costs more in the medical care to keep obese people at least functional (not to mention the chemical by-products from pharmaceutical manufacturing); it costs more to clothe them, and (rather obviously) to feed them. (see #1).
  4. Pay attention not only to what one eats, but whence it comes, and the footprint it takes to produce. As an example: beef cattle are the least efficient in terms of the space required to produce by a fairly wide margin. I don't have the statistics that I read recently right at hand, but I think I'll track them down for the purposes of this discussion. If one needs meat (as I do on occasion), as the commercial says: Eat mor chikin. Or fish. Or rabbit. And, whenever possible, eat local produce (minimal transportation, refrigeration and packaging).
  5. Pay attention to packaging. Is it necessary to buy everything in hermetically sealed plastic which will require a couple of centuries at minimum to bio-degrade, or packaged in metal?
  6. Stop making babies. Encourage other people to stop making babies. It's environmentally irresponsible (see the first five items, and multiply by the number of children). It is socially irresponsible, since so many of them will be more likely to be part of a problem than part of a solution.
  7. Vacations: they're a psychological appendage which for practical purposes is about as useful as wings on a chicken; they are a barbaric leftover from the industrial revolution. There is so much to be done right where one lives - instead of stuffing kith and kin into the minivan or SUV and driving all over the place, find constructive work to do (that is dissociated with one's 'day job') within one's community. "A change of work is the best rest." [Conan Doyle]

Just a few thoughts - anyone with functioning brains can extrapolate from there.


text:
Monday, January 5, 2009

Miracle Hill: South Carolina

Penny's mom, aunt Linda, Penny, and I drove to Greenville, So. Carolina to spend a couple days service work at Miracle Hill Ministries. Linda's brother-in-law, Gerald Lehman, guided this act of love decades ago which is now run by his son Reid check it out! Penny and I found this to be a much larger operation then we imagined. There are several facilities around the region housing hundreds of homeless. The annual budget is in the millions with one hundred fifty employees, and many volunteers.

We were welcomed into Reid and Barb's home and were so comfortable there. Penny and I worked with Reid at the Spartanburg Rescue Mission. We cut plywood strips and installed 6-ply plastic on windows throughout the building. They are saving to pay for new windows to be installed in 2009. The nice folks were very appreciative of us before they heard we traveled from Indiana to volunteer; we were treated so well. We ate with the homeless instead of leaving for lunch to hear so many share their stories. Each member of the staff had their own testimonials which made the trip that much more meaningful. From the outset we found ourselves surrounded by need and joy as we shared in hopes of inspiring clients to love themselves and be happy, to help them believe in the path their walking to begin to understand God's plan for them. My life and its mistakes are perfect examples that everything happens for a reason. Take those life experiences and make yourself a better person. Put yourself in a position to help others walking the same path and show them your new spirit. Show them their plight is NOT a life sentence if they surround themselves with loving people...that's why we were there, installing plastic kept them warmer and heating costs lower, which is good.

We plan to help from afar (towels are needed). I so look forward to a return visit. They have six thrift stores so much can be sold for needed funds. It would be so wonderful to be heading south and know you could be a carrier of Love by dropping off donated items to Miracle Hill in Greenville So. Carolina on the way. If that fits you as a friend to the folks helping the weak and needy please contact Penny or me to make this connection.

To be used as a tool to do the Lords work is wonderful; to learn so much about myself and my faults makes me a better Christian to help others and have a more rewarding life. Win, win again, how great it is to do the Lords work!!!