Yahoo Answers Users Unite: A Call for a Christmas Project for a Cause

I just would like to update readers on Yahoo Answers users' Christmas project for this year. It's already underway and anyone who is interested is free to join us. Please click HERE for more details:

The specific details that weren't mentioned in Jonas' (who is a Yahoo Southeast Asia Community Manager) blog are below.

Proposed date: December 13, 2008

Recipient: Cottolengo Filipino Inc.

Profile: Non-Profit Organization (NGO) / Social Services

Cottolengo Filipino is an NGO that cares for orphaned abandoned disabled children. It is accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Address: Gloria Vista Subd., San Rafael, Montalban (20min from Batasan, Q.C.) Montalban, Rizal

Number of children: 80+

Profile of children under Cottolengo's care: There are 40 orphaned abandoned disabled children with multiple disabilities (physical and/or mental) who live in the center. They also assist 45 poor disabled children from the nearby community.

Proposed project: A Christmas party for children under Cottolengo's care. During the event, we will provide them with food, games and entertainment. A gift for each child will also be given.

What we need: Donations, monetary or in kind. We need toys and books for these children. We are also working on raising funds so we may provide these kids with a computer.

For more information about Cottolengo, please visit their website:

For those who are interested in joining us, please feel free to post a comment here and / or in any of these blogs:

Jonas'
Battgirl's

Thank you and we hope to get favorable responses from you.

And the weather would be like...?

Don't you just hate it when you are asked a question that requires just enough common sense in the asker for her to realize the answer herself?

Caller: 'Ne, you are in _____, right?

Me: Yes, Ma'am. The hotel is located in _____.

Caller: Okay. WOULD YOU KNOW HOW THE WEATHER THERE IS LIKE?

Me: It is usually sunny in _____. Sometimes, here in Manila, it rains but when we call our _____ office, it is not raining there at all.

Caller: IN DECEMBER, WILL IT STILL BE SUNNY?

Me: Ma'am, I am giving you a general picture of _____'s weather. It is usually sunny the whole year round.

Caller: Eh IN DECEMBER, WHAT IF IT RAINS?

Me: Ma'am, As I was saying earlier, it is usually sunny there. WE COULD NOT VERY WELL PREDICT THE WEATHER, see. Let's just hope for the best.

Caller: I am worried about my guests. ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING THE WEATHER IN DECEMBER?

Me: I know where you are coming from but I am sorry, Ma'am, but there is none. The best help that I can give you is by giving you a general picture of _____'s weather. It is usually sunny, regardless of the month.

Caller. Oh okay. Salamat 'ne. I'll call back.

Geez. The weather is unpredictable, for heaven's sake. Even PAGASA (Philippine Amospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services) has no way of accurately predicting the weather in upcoming months.

And what's with calling me 'ne? I am NOT a little girl, for heaven's sake! Nene ka 'dyan. Hmph! At least this "little girl" has enough sense to not wonder about the weather in December.

Bilao at Palayok - Palawan

After our City Tour of Puerto Princesa, we headed back to Puerto Pension to rest and refresh ourselves. We were obviously very tired because instead of taking a short nap, we ended up sleeping! LOL. When we woke up, it was already nearly 7PM. We took quick showers and fixed ourselves for our night out.

Our original itinerary listed Dang Marias as the restaurant to have our dinner in. When we asked the tricycle driver to bring us there, he said he was not familiar with the place. Jean, who had been there before, said she knew the place. So off we went. On and on. The driver kept on driving through the dark, bumpy roads of God-knows-where and Jean could not seem to remember exactly where Dang Marias is located. Alas, we admitted we were lost. When we finally reached the place, it's already closed! Yikes! So we headed back to the city.

Picking a restaurant wasn't much of a problem. We were too hungry to afford to be choosy or go somewhere far. Upon spotting its sign, I suggested Bilao at Palayok to my friends. They agreed.

As we went inside, I was charmed by its pond and its quaint interior. The place was full of people. I took this as a good sign as it meant the restaurant is popular.

Their menu was extensive. Angel ordered Sinigang. Jean's was Creamy Lengua. I ordered Buttered Garlic Crab. For my drinks, I tried their Jackfruit Shake.

When the waiter left, another waiter came in to set our table. I couldn't help but be charmed by their placemat which was made of bamboo.

While waiting for our orders, we looked around and took pictures. This hammock was a scene-stealer! We wanted to hangout there but it was always crowded with tourists. When my turn came, I'd rather take a pic than have my pic taken while I am on it.

Then our order came. F-O-O-D!

Angel's Sinigang was delivered first. Boy, what a huge serving! Not very fond of vegetables, I only tasted this dish and just asked for some "sabaw."

Then came Jean's Creamy Lengua which was really good. We ate it all up, even scraped the bilao to its last sauce. Te he!

My order of Buttered Garlic Crab was last to be served but it was really worth all the wait. It was really delicious and at a very reasonable price.

Their Jackfruit Shake was something new to me as that was the first time I encountered such a drink but after tasting it, it's something I'd recommend to anyone. It had just the right sweetness and the juicy aroma of jackfruit.

All in all, it was a great dinner. The food was reasonably priced, generous in servings (you can't find crab sold in Manila restaurants at Php180) and really very delicious.

So if you find yourself in Puerto Princesa, be sure to visit Bilao at Palayok. It's delicious food defined. In a palayok, that is.

==========
Definition of Terms:
Bilao - a tray made of bamboo.
Palayok - a clay pot used as the traditional food preparation container in the Philippines.

He rides...

A friend’s sister works in a recruitment firm and she told us this funny tale about one of their applicants.

My Friend’s Sister: Are you a WALK-IN applicant?

Applicant: Oh, no. I RODE (a cab).

And the interview went downhill from there.

Seriously, I am one of those wondering about the quality of some graduate students some of our universities and schools produce. Take the applicant above as an example. Worse than misunderstanding a very simple question of his being a WALK-IN applicant, he could not make a sentence with a complete thought. He rode a what? A cab? A jeepney? A bus? a tricycle?

Of course, I very well know that being fluent in the English language should not suffice as a parameter to gauge a person's intelligence or competence but this is a college graduate we're talking about.

Now I wonder about who is to blame in the deteriorating quality of education here in the country...

"Fine a Philippino Pinpal"

Yahoo Answers has long been one of my favorite online hangouts as it is a forum where I get to know a lot from other answerers' insights as well as share my knowledge to others by answering their questions. The place can be a good source of laughs too. Take this question as an example.

How can I fine a female philippino pinpal?

The question really cracked me up. What a funny way to start my Monday morning. Either the asker wasn't too good in typing or he is seriously linguistically-challenged.

Some answers are just as amusing. Read about them HERE. My Yahoo Answers (YA) account is not among the answerers as his question has already been answered, albeit not seriously by some.

If I am going to answer his question, not taking into account the typographical errors, then, my answer will be along these lines:

Why would there be a fine if a Filipino is corresponding with someone overseas? And it's Filipino, for chrissake! I've seen this proper noun being misspelled countless of times and the logic behind it eludes me, especially when there is a Spell Checker (Yahoo Answers does have a Spell Checker) to use. And yeah, how do PINPALS write to each other? By using PINS to write on paper?

LOL.

How to Bring out the Coña in Someone

When I was still studying in UP, I had an hour and a half break before my Economics class so I spent my idle time either sitting in the Sunken Garden or in the School of Economics' building, drafting my papers while listening to some music, doodling or writing in my journal. And yeah, engaging in one of my favorite pastimes which is people-watching.

One day, I saw this lady juggling with her things on the way to the building I was in. I was fascinated with her kikay get-up so I discreetly stared at her. Then she tripped.

Kikay Lady: (long A and rolling R sounds) Arr-ay... (then looks around). I mean, OUCH pala.

We just let her pass but the moment she's out of earshot, those who heard her burst out giggling.

Geez. Why bother correcting yourself to the word's English counterpart when you've already said it in Filipino? I don't see the point, or any point for that matter. Really.

Such people irritate me. Coños and coñas (noun, masculine and feminine forms for gender sensitivity, adjective coñotic) speak with such a grating, acquired accent that they murder the language.

Like you know, make salita purr-rhang like this, 'deh bah? LOL.

By the way, the word coño has an altogether different and vulgar meaning in the Spanish language, something I'd rather not post here.

So how do you bring out the coña in someone, especially in the trying hard ones? Simple. Just be observant. It will come out naturally when s/he's caught off guard.

Or bring her to a fishball stand so "s/he can make tusok-tusok the fishball na."

LOL.

Mental Speed Test

I am bored witless today and sleepy in a way so to perk myself up, I browsed the Net and discovered this site that offers Personality Tests.

Here's my Mental Speed Test results, the screenshot of which is detailed below.

Mental Speed Test Result - Version 1

Mental speed refers to how quickly you can process information and make decisions based upon the facts available. Being able to think on your feet is an asset in a wide variety of situations, as even the best laid-out plans do not account for all problems and obstacles we encounter at work or in everyday life. Therefore, the ability to come up with a quick solution can really come in handy! Even if you did not score well on this test, the good news is that mental speed is a skill that can be trained with time and practice.

Accuracy:

Accuracy percentage: -------------------------------------> 100

Your accuracy on this test was excellent - you were able to keep your focus throughout the test. With practice you can improve even more, especially if your timing wasn't as good.

Completion time:

You must have had your coffee today, because you finished this test in record time! Combined with a high accuracy rate, this is a good skill to have. Mental speed is an asset in many situations, and definitely puts you at an advantage under circumstances where split second actions or decisions are required.

The results left me astonished. Really?! A hundred percent?! And at record time?!

And I thought I was sleepy.

Now I'm feeling thankful as it made me realize that even when the body is tired or in dire need of sleep, my mind is still functioning normally.

Wrap it with "TOOL"

I was watching "Umagang Kay Ganda" this morning while having breakfast. The segment was about wrapping gifts.

Rica: So how do you wrap a stuffed toy that has an irregular shape?

Guest: First, make sure the wrapper can span the entire gift. If not, then two wrappers pieced together are required.

She then proceeded with her demonstration.

Guest: (picking a sheet of wrapper). You do the wrapping like this...

Kuya Kim: What do you call that wrapper?

Guest: TULLE.

And here's the fun part.

Kuya Kim: (not knowing how TULLE is correctly spelled). T-O-O-L?

Guest: T-U-L-L-E.

An almost uncomfortable silence ensued.

While I nearly choked on my cereals.

City Tour - Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

After Baker’s Hill, we went to Plaza Cuartel and the city’s church.

Plaza Cuartel was where 150 American soldiers were burned alive by the Japanese during World War II, specifically on December 14, 1944. Very few survived and they only lived because they were able to find a passageway that led to the river and to Iwahig. After the war, the remains of the dead were brought to and buried in St. Louis County, Missouri in 1952.

Afterwards, we headed to the church. We went inside and I said my prayers. Later, I took some pics.






And thus was how our city tour of Puerto Princesa commenced.

“BARLESS”

When I was having my practicum in Cebu, I was assigned in the housekeeping department of a prestigious 5-star hotel for two (2) weeks. There, each trainee was paired with one housekeeper and together, we cleaned the resort’s cabanas.

I already forgot my partner’s name but he was some guy who was kind. And yeah, he was responsible for one of my funniest albeit most embarrassing moments during that practicum.

Housekeeper: (addressing me in their vernacular which is Cebuano) ‘day, can you get the BARLESS?

Me: I’m sorry, Kuya? BARLESS?

Housekeeper: (still in their vernacular) Yes, ‘day. BARLESS. Just five (5) pieces.

Me: Okay.

I honestly did not know what a BARLESS was but then there were too many things that I did not know of. I was a student having her practicum and I was there to learn things. Maybe BARLESS was one of them.

So from the cabana, I walked to the Housekeeping Department.

I’m a bubbly girl and I am told to exude a vibrant energy anywhere so the moment I walked in the room, I charmingly said in my perkiest of voices:

Me: Ate, can I ask for some BARLESSES? I need five (5) for Kuya.

The department’s par stocker looked at me as if I suddenly sported horns.

Ate: What BARLESSES?

Me: I don’t know, Ate. Kuya just told me to get the BARLESS. He said he needs five (5) so I made it plural. BARLESS, singular. BARLESSES, plural.

Ate: Oh. Okay. BARLESS. Here.

Then she handed me five (5) sheets of paper. I looked at it and I could have died right then and there as I read the heading.

It read: BAR LIST. And it detailed the liquors and drinks that the hotel’s mini-bar held.

Oh my God. BAR LIST as against BARLESS? I even tried to be grammatically correct, for heaven’s sake! Since he said he needed 5 of them, the grammar police in me came up with the word’s plural form. Aaaaargh!

Red Eye

This movie is absolutely thrilling. Should I expect less knowing that noted filmmaker Wes Craven directed this movie?

Airport scene. Lisa meets Jackson. They exchange pleasantries and seem to get along fine. Airplane scene. Both are surprised that they are actually on the same flight and their assigned seats are next to each other. Destiny? Is there romance in the air? There seems to be an insinuation of it. That is, until the scene shifts to where Jackson menacingly reveals the real reason why he is onboard: he is an operative in a plot to kill a rich and powerful businessman who is due to check-in in the hotel where Lisa works and she is their key to getting to him. Chillingly, while Jackson is working on Lisa, a hired assassin has been sent to watch on Lisa’s father with orders to kill him if she refuses to cooperate.

Trapped within the plane’s restrictive confines at 30,000 feet, Lisa cannot summon for help without endangering her father, her fellow passengers and of course, her very life. How then, is she supposed to thwart her ruthless captor?

The film exceeded my expectations. I can feel Lisa’s terror as she was stuck in an airplane with a madman. My adrenaline was especially pumping in the airport chase scene as well as the house scene when Lisa battled against Jackson.

Fear takes flight, so the film’s teaser says. Indeed.