imagine.

Begging Again

2008-05-16T02:52:00.002-11:00

George Bush is now again in Saudi Arabia .For what ? The report said Bush will again ask King Abdullah to increase oil production to bring gas price down.I doubt if the Saudis will hear him this time.Just like the President previous visit to Saudi , his plea will amount to nothing. OPEC's policy is to limit oil production to increase demand so why would Saudi Arabia go against the oil cartel to which it belongs ? Just go home George.It's very demeaning for the head of the most poerful country in the world to beg the ragheads.Just seriously push for energy independace.Stop kissing ass.Not even the King's cheek.Just go home and be a president.

Papal Visit

2008-04-19T03:14:00.004-11:00

It's so nice of the Pope to visit the United States during the election year. What surprise me is none of the candidate has taken the opportunity to have a tete a tete with his holiness. Se. Mc Cain has been with the Pope but outside USA.Maybe none of them are eager to see the Pope.Maybe they think the audience with the Pope will alienate the Muslim,Jews and other non Catholic voters.There is one funny moment in this Papal visit.It happened when the Pope completed his speech . President Bush stood up,shook the Popes hands and said ' Awesome speech ' to the Pope.
What is wrong with Bush ? He could have chosen a more dignified and statemanlike compliment,dude !

Tax Break For The Likes Of Exxon.

2008-04-07T11:54:00.004-11:00

There is a recession now. No doubt about it despite Dubya's denial.Every Tom,Dick and Harry are feeling the pinch except maybe the oil people.How dare the oil company executives asked for a tax break for their firms despite the billions of dollars in profit ! Why did the government provided these ultra profitable companies this break. Give the break to the ordinary people and small companies.How screwed our priorities are.Only in America !

Obama-Wright Relationship

2008-03-21T08:53:00.005-11:00

The talking heads cannot seem to stop talking about Obama's 'misteps'. The Rev. Wright's anti-American rant is hounding Obama up to now.Why not. He was associated with the fiery pastor for 20 years .I should say , Obama is still connected with the pastor. He won't disassociate himself with the 'racist' pastor.Now Obama made the mistake of calling his grandma a typical white woman.The more he tried to explain himself of these boo boos , the deeper he sinks.Shut your mouth Obama. No comments,no mistakes.
Only the so called intellectuals appreciated the race sppech that Obama gave in Philadelpia.The ordinary people more importantly the independents in PA,Ohio and West Virginia are not impressed.They want him to cut his ties with Wright or else they will cut his ties with him in this coming elections.

Springtime

2008-03-02T06:35:00.003-11:00

I'm tired of the cold weather and the white stuff all over my front yard.I am sick of plowing the snow every other day.I am bored of looking at my backyard enveloped in white and covering the grass and plants.In short,enough of the winter weather.Send in springtime pronto.Unfortunately,my wife said winter is up to March 24 and it's only the 2nd of March .
I wish that I am in Miami or LA this time of the year.Lucky bastards those living in warm weather.They don't have to worry every morning about cleaning their cars before going to work.Sunny days are what we need now in New York.I can't wait for sprngtime !

Global Warming

2008-02-13T12:09:00.004-11:00

I can't stand the cold the past few days. It's really bitter cold out there with the wind chill as much as 27 degrees. I had to wear 3 clothes to dumb the effect of the super wintry weather. My officemate said he no less than 5 clothes ! Some of these body covers are extra thick . I saw him take off his 1) jacket 2) sweater 3) sweater again leaving 2 clothins to remain upon arriving to the office this Monday. What global warming are we worried about Mr. Gore ? The only Inconvenient Truth Mr. Gore is the cold inconvenient climate !

C SPAN You Rock !.

2008-01-05T07:22:00.000-11:00

Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus.I must admit I never understood this caucus thing until I read Caucus 101 on CNN.com . I watched last Thursday's vote counting on C-SPAN and enjoyed every minute of it . C-SPAN has the Democratic caucus coverage and C-SPAN 2 covered the Republican side.It was very interesting.I did not get bored at all.I remembered nightime comedians joking how boring watching C-SPAN channels are ! Not to me .Even the coverage the the Congress hearings and voting are fun to watch.I placed C SPAN in my favorite channel programming !

Special Gift This Christmas.

2007-12-22T14:27:00.000-11:00

This X'mas , one of the hottest gifts is a GPS navigator.Everybody seems to want one.Staple has one brand which sold out in a jiffy this Saturday.I think it is one of the greatest gadget invented the last few years.My friend rented a car when he went to Europe last month and he credited the GPS in the rented car for making his driving there flawless.My friend did not get lost inspite of his newness to the places he visited. No need for paper maps .The only thing that is wrong is when the road is under construction. He got to find another way .That's the advantage of an On Star system fitted in most GM cars.They are up to date and live.I always get a kick out of talking to the On Star live operator .Beats listening to a taped electronic voice.

World War III ?

2007-12-08T09:59:00.000-11:00

It's really embarassing that the Bush Administration fumbled again . This time on the nuclear program of Iran.The report from NIE that the Iranian halted their nuke program in 2003.What this talk about WWIII by the President last month if the Iranian will not stop developing the fucking thing ? Ms. Perino had a hard time explaining the confusion caused by the latest news.This is typical of the Bush Administration.No wonder we Americans are finding hard to find believers in our intelligence report anymore.

Thanksgiving Amen.

2007-11-19T23:37:00.000-11:00

There are a lot to be thankful for despite the uncertainty of times . My experience is that you really appreciate those things that you sometimes take for granted until you lose them. Anyway , some good stuff that I am truly grateful for are :

1. My favorite TV shows . Meet The Press : Sportscenter : Holmes On Holmes : All Discovery shows except kid and medical stuffs ; American Idol ; Simpsons and many others.

2. My newly reno basement . I have my own mini gym and theather room now. Wow ! I really like it. No more going to 'Y' .More viewing pleasure. Wait till I buy a new plasma TV . Next project is adding a micro mini casino in the basement !

3. Our new car . We just love the GMC Acadia. It's a pleasure to ride on it everyday.It's the closest to an SUV .Thanks God to the car manufacturer for the crossover vehicle.

There are many others that we need to be grateful for but none more important than the fact that I am still typing away my blog ....

What Is Next ?

2007-11-05T03:50:00.000-11:00

I was surprised to see people logging in their dog's activities in a social networking called MyDogface.After My Space and Facebook , this now the latest 'in' thing to do.More than a million people are regularly participating in this latest of social networking.This is another very dangerous situation for parents and now, dogowners.What if there are sexual predogtor lurking the net ?How do I protect my dog from pedogphile who lures young dogs to a dog park and molest them.I have to install a dogblocker to my pc now.Doggone world !

Wildfires In San Diego.

2007-10-28T07:15:00.000-11:00

San Diego is a wonderful paradise . A little more expensive than most of the country but awesome in beauty and weather. I went there once one a tour with my family to visit the famous San Diego Zoo , its military base and the 'old' SD with Mexican influence still very much alive.I was also in SD several times to conduct business .I found San Diego pretty laid back.One time, my business associate took me to show his 'former' home located in Ramones which is one of the area affected by the horrendous wildfire.He was separated with his 'evil' wife then but not divorced .I gathered by talking to him in our nightly conversations ( I stayed with him in his mother's condo) that he was not happy to be booted from their former home in Ramones. I wonder whether the wildfires burned his home ( or is it hers now ?) there. More importantly , whether he was happy or not . Probably , happy !

Ellen Degenerate

2007-10-21T11:26:00.000-11:00

Ellen DeGeneres was crying on TV like a thousand guys devirginized her .Ellen was in tears because a dog named Iggy was taken away by the pet adoption agency from her hairdresser's daughter. The agency said the transfer was illegal because it did not pass through it. Ellen overacted by crying in front of TV viewers . It looked like she was using the media to pressure the not for profit agency to give back the dog.Doggone world ! Talk is cheaper.Use it.

Rudy's Own Mafia.

2007-10-12T15:39:00.000-11:00

What is happenning to Rudy Guillani's former people ? Some of his ex staff members when he was the New York's city mayor are beginning to drop like Paris' and Britney's panties.Bad for Rudy's run for the Republican nominationIf Guillani made it as his party's presidential bet,one can be sure that his opponents will exploit this.The Democrats will say that Guillani is not fit to be a Presidentbecause he makes bad choices !

Shoes Galore

2007-10-03T01:32:00.000-11:00

I have a problem.I am thinking of building a container to house my wife's shoes in one area.Normally, this is an easy job.However,this is not one of those run of the mill project.The reason is simply because my wife's shoes number to gazillion! There are shoes eveywhere in our house.The coat closet,the kitchen,the furnace room,the storage area,the garage,the laundry room and of course , her closet.I kidded my wife that now I know where my money went.I told her that if she sells her shoes,she will have enough money to buy her desired new crossover car! I assume I need a wallful of racks to house all her shoes.It's time to buy instead of built the .....shoe bank !

Mattel Apologizes To China ? What For ?

2007-09-22T11:47:00.000-11:00

I was surprised to read the news that the head of Mattel, the biggest manufacturer of toys in the world, has apologized to China about the recent fiasco caused toy recalls.What the fuck ? China is poisoning our kids by the use of excessive lead in the paints for toys.Why say sorry, Barbie ? Mattel should apologize instead to all the parents and kids whose health they put in jeopardy.Mattel should be sued.China and Mattel showed negligence if not criminal wrongdoing.As of now,there are still loads of toys needing checking if not outright destruction.I hope Mattel and toy distributors won't dump these defective stuff in some Third World countries.

Sally Field Is Alive .

2007-09-17T10:07:00.000-11:00

I watched the Emmy Awards last night.One of the surprise winner was the long time actress Ms Sally Fields.It's nice to see her revive her career.I must admit her TV show is not appealing to me but I always see her in ostepuousis commercial.She is much admired in the industry. Two (2) Oscars for films such as Norma Rae and Places In The Heart. Ms. Fields said something in her acceptance speech which was censored.Very likely it's about the war in Iraq.Too bad the TV and the live audience missed it. By the way, why are Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart silent about it ( the Iraq War) during the award?I remember them being very vocal about different political issues in their own TV shows.A case of no balls gentlemen?

Casino Royale

2007-05-22T02:31:00.000-11:00

This weekend , we went to a casino. It was exciting after all , it's been a while since I last visited one. I noticed that the nearby casino has begun to do it the Las Vegas way. It now regularly books entertainers . On the list of entertainers to perform soon are Michael Bolton , Donna Summers and The Temptations. Not bad.I want to watch Bolton do his thing. His strained voice is kinda cool to me just like another oldtimer Rod Steward. I especially love Bolton's version of the Beegees' To Love Somebody. It's my favorite Karaoke song. Besides, the wife likes to see Desperate Housewife , Nicollette Sheridan who is Bolton's partner right now. Nicolette is a longtime fav of hers from her Melrose Place days. Don't you love that. Just like recycled clothes, these performers never grow old. They remain part of our youth , plastic surgery and all. BTW , I lost.

The (Un)Joy Of Gardening

2007-05-11T03:30:00.000-11:00

Here we are again. The time of the year when one prepares the tools for gardening. Really ? Not me.My gardening days are over.No flowers, no vegetables and as little work on the dandol... I mean , the green green grass of home. As you may recall , to those of you who still follow my blog, we just completed our first full year in this new place. We should start the landscaping and the like , right ? No.I don't intend to make the same mistakes I made 5 years ago when I planted tress left and right.WhenI built vegetable boxes for different kinds of veggies .When I had flowers galore coming out of my azz .Now we will have the minimum.This is what I told my wife.

1. cheery tomatoes ONLY for veggie and in a pot or 2 .
2. mostly perennial flowers ONLY of minimum nos. and kinds.
3. definitely NO trees 'cept in house ones i.e bonsai or mini orange tree.
4. no daily watering of the grass so these greenies won't be accustomed to H2O.
5. patio should be for use reading. If want to see a garden , I'll go to a nearby park.

Those are the rules I laid down to my wife and me to follow . Gardening should not take 1/4 of our time. Poor me should have time to blog.

Trophy Wife.

2007-05-02T03:47:00.000-11:00

I just love the Wind Beneath My Wings .I remembered 1st hearing about it in the movie Beaches starring Bette Midler..Ever since I saw the movie , I became a big fan of Ms. Midler and of course the song . The song never fails to bring a tear or 2 in me . I know it's not manly to admit it , but that's the way it is, macho man .That's why it's hard for me to understand why some men end up dumping their wives after they reached a certain amount of success. Their wives were with these men when they are still nobodies. As the saying goes , a woman is behind every sucessful man. Definitely so true with big business people. Jack Welch , the former big boss at GE , did it. Donald Trump did it. There an endless list of former first wives. It's funny that Bette Midler was also in the movie , First Wives Club .
In Asia , most successful men don't dump their 1st wives . They just get another one and keep her on the side as well as the original wife. I wonder if my wife will rather that I keep a 2nd woman or replaced her with a trophy wife ? Just asking .

Words That Cut Like A Knife .

2007-04-25T02:37:00.000-11:00

Alec Badwin is in a lot of trouble.His idiotic message which he left in his daughter's machine was released to the media by someone ( his estranged wife, Kim Bassiner , denied doing it ) causing angry reactions from just about everyone. His rant was no doubt idiotic as well considering they ( Alec and Kim) are locked in custody battle. That's not the point though.I was forced to look back at similar loss of control I exhibited as a parent when the boys were young . I'm no Alec but in fits of anger , I was guilty as hell. How do I correct these mistakes years after , I asked myself. It's important that I do that. Should I issue an apology letter like governments do now for wrong actions the previous ruling parties did ? I feel so guilty because as in recalling my mistakes as a parent flashbacks of similar wrong treatments I got from my parents as a kid came flooding my memory.How hurt I was then. Even up to now. Somehow the hurtful words seemed so fresh. That's why I'm not in agreement with a certain TV host when she used a line from a song to justify Alec's mistake . She said , ' stick and stones may break my bones but words don't bother me '. My parents' hurtful words not only bothered me .These words still haunt me .

Shock Jocks

2007-04-15T04:57:00.000-11:00

Last week , there was a continous debate on Don Imus' pathetic remarks that resulted in his firing. Now, I can't watch him anymore in the morning at MSNBC to amuse myself. Imus seemed genuinely sorry for his mistakes but the firestorm created by his comments was just too much to 'let go' without his head rolling. I'm also a listener of Howard Stern before he went into sattelite radio. I remembered looking forward to hearing what Stern's outrageous distribes every morning Monday to Friday . He served as my antidote to a boring 45 minute daily car drive to work. I don't travel that long anymore to work so I stopped tuning in. Also, Stern was on free radio then .Why should I pay x dollars to listen to insults, moronic jokes and all ? Imus' show was a lot tamer. In fact, half of his stuff was legit/ serious talks as evidenced by those guests who appeared in his show 'Imus In The Morning'. VP Cheney, Ford , Al Gore to name a few participated in Imus' show before. Just goes to show that sometimes, stuff like the things that Stern and Imus spew are borderline . These guys must realize that in this politically correct world, the joke is sometimes on them !

Things Move On

2007-04-09T11:36:00.000-11:00

It's funny that sometimes you think that things will remain the same.They don't.The only thing constant is change. It's proven time and time again.There was this female friend of mine who was in love with a married guy.I would'nt say she's madly in love but he adored the guy very much.Then the guy decided to say goodbye to her when he transferred location.Naturally,she's heartbroken.She decided to go somewhere to try her luck in another country . I'm sure she did that too as she to forget her lost love .Fast forward 8 years after. I received an e mail from her.She said she is doing very well and that she got a new condo with a clubhouse . She also wrote that she got a great job and is very pleased with how things turned out for her in the new location. ' Life is good ' she added in her e mail.
I thought about the girls in my past who swore that they will die if I leave them or something like that.It's safe to say that they are alive too and doing a good job as mothers to their children residing in their beautiful homes somewhere !

Laptops And i Pods.

2007-04-02T02:32:00.000-11:00

Yesterday, I watched a PBS docu with my 2 sons about the the baby boomers.I've seen a lot of docus about the '60's and 70's generations but this was extra special because I watched it with the boys. I want to get their reactions if any. The eldest one was kind of into these shows and as expected,he was glued to the television set as I was.He nodded and sometimes shaked his head and even loudly voiced his disbelief at the things he found weird and objectionable.I am somewhat reminded of the times that I watched TV with my father (which was practically all the time in the age of one tv for the whole family) .Other times,we listened together to our RCA stereo. I missed those days.The father and son moments.My father was not much of an outdoor guy or active sports guy so tv watching was 'our thing' together.
These days,watching tv together is rare. Instead , the kids are into their own laptops or iPods. That's why, on the way back to their school residence i.e apartment, I interrupted their use of their laptops by asking them to play 'oldies' if they have any stored in their respective computers.' Yes ' the young one said to his bro. ' Dad will like this '. He then played The Beatles ' Across The Universe '. The elder soon followed and played a song by Johnny Cash that I don't even know. Good . ' Those are expensive tv/stereos ' I said to myself.

Mid-life Crisis

2007-03-26T03:11:00.000-11:00

This time , my friend was talking about a very nice girl he met a few days ago on the job. The girl she said was 'hot'. In a sort of way.Not teenager hot or Paris Hilton hot.More like hot for middle age guy like him. ' I kn0w what you're thinking ' he told me. Does he ? ' I won't do that . I don't want to hurt her ' my friend said. She is young (28 yrs. old) and still single.My friend is that the married one who wants to kick his kids out as soon as they reach 18 years old.
Somehow,I don't believe him.Like a cobra , he is just waiting to pounce on this girl when the right time comes.My boss called his actuations as that of a man undergoing mid-life crisis.Funny.I do'n't know what age mid-life crisis begins (and if everyone will have one).I was thinking, if 40 is the new 30 age wise, should midlife crisis be much later now? Just curious.

Kida Don't Live Here Anymore .

2007-03-19T03:53:00.001-11:00

The other day , a friend of mine was telling me that he is getting ready for the day his kids are no longer living in the house with him and his wife . ' I've finished 2 rooms in my basement and need only to put a bathroom and a small kitchen ' he boasted proudly of his developing plan. My friend has 2 boys who are now in high school . He expects them to leave when they reach 18 years old . ' When they are working already , they can stay with me if they chose to but they would have to pay the rent ' my friend said matter of factly. It may sound 'cold' but I guess that's just practical thinking. I remember this movie about a man and wife wanting badly 'to kick' their 28 year old son out of their home even resorting to an outside consultant to help them do it. The consultant was the star of Sex And The City . I guess , it's possible to happen . No, not the hiring of a consultant but the kids staying up to their late 20's or so. Why not ? They get free board and all the amenities of life ! ' It's better if the kids know what's ahead ' my friend finished his statement .

Sweet Dreams ZZZZZ

2007-03-13T10:20:00.000-11:00

Snoring is got to be one of the main irritants between a husband and wife . I can't really say that snoring is the cause for some to dissolve their marriages , but I won't be surprise if it is . When I was a little boy , I hear jokes and read cartoons about a hubby snoring loudly . I found out that these jokes on your better half snoring loudly are really true . Sometimes , too loud to be funny . I teased my wife of her loud snoring but she bounced it back to me . I can't really tell if I snore but my wife knows that she snores . It good that I really don't mind her loud snoring except when I am watching tv while lying on our bed . With the tv volume low , her snores drown out the tv sound completely . I cannot turn up the volume 'coz it might wake her up . That's why I put up the captioninstead. It's not the best way to watch Jay Leno believe me . You missed the punch lines most of the time !

Thank God It's All Over . Is It ?

2007-03-05T12:41:00.000-11:00

Anna Nicole hugged the headlines for sometime . Even MSNBC and Fox networks devoted 3 full days of their telecast time to covering the court trial . I must admit it was very riveting television .All the characters involved in the case especially the judge were made for tv . I am glad though that it's over ! Anna Nicole was buried finally last week .
What about the paternity case ? I have enough of anything that has to do with late Anna Nicole .I can't stand another minute of her case although Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition always have daily dosage of AN news on their programs .One thing though , the Oscars did not even include AN when a narrator cited the names with photos of industry people who passed away last year !.

Rehab , Et Tu !

2007-02-21T04:10:00.000-11:00

Why is it that going to a rehab center has become very fashionable ? News of movie stars , politicians , sports stars and even non stars going to rehab are all over the news . Britney shaved her head , then she goes into rehab . Mark Foley embarrased himself , straight to rehab . An ex basketball star who said ' I hate gay people ' followed by a tsunami of criticisms , was adviced to go to a rehab .Somehow , going to a rehab is the cool thing to do . I got the feeling 'though that a lot of these people just used the rehab thing as some sort of an excuse to shield themselves from media attention . There is this young star , Lohan , who enters the rehab every night and comes out of it during the day . What kind of a rehab center is that ? In the old days , we call such a place , a hotel !
I just hope this rehab center thing does'nt become a trend among us ordinary people . I am afraid 'though that it will . Next thing you know , rehab centers will be right in every mall and locations near you .You'll see teens doing what their idols do. Wait . It just give me an idea . I should open a rehab center ......... with me as its 1st patient ! Cool .

My Elusive Dream

2007-01-28T14:29:00.000-11:00

I don't know why I've been having these dreams lately . The funny thing was these dreams were about the same person . A high school classmate . OK . a female h.s. classmate. She of the beautiful face and quiet personality .She's not aloof but nevertheless guys seemed afraid to approach her including yours truly . And so in these dreams , I see myself befriending her and I think we even fell in love .
It was impossible for me to go after a girl in my younger days . I lacked confidence then and was afraid of rejection . Unless a girl showed interest in me , I will not go after her . Even when I'm head over heels in love with a girl . So , I suffered from broken heart many times in the past and in silence. So , I told my sons to go for it . That it is better to try and fail than not to try at all . I wished somebody gave me the same advice in my early days so that I would not dream about her now . Instead , I'll be sharing the bed with her and we'll be dreaming together !

Surge Your Azz

2007-01-17T04:08:00.000-11:00

Hey . another fun word from the ' Decider ' . Pres. Bush is hellbent on escalating the war , I guess . As of this moment , additional US troops are on the way to Irag despite what the message of the last election . I must admit , Bush is one tough honcho . He never get swayed by polls . I wonder 'though if he is the parent of a military boy , would he make the same decision ? Oh how times have changed . During the Vietnam War era , numerous student protests vs. the war went on . Now , students are 'tame' or maybe because there is no draft yet ? I predict 'though it's only a matter of time before the US imposes one . Why ? The military would be s t r e t c h e d if the US fights Iran and maybe N Korea ! I don't think our present military can handle all these 'wars' . By then , it won't be a surge anymore . It will be a landslide and Dubya will be out of office . That's Barack Obama's problem !

Rosie Vs. Donald

2007-01-11T11:03:00.000-11:00

It's interesting how the Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trumps's battle of words has caught a lot of people's interest including yours truly . It kept me glued to the TV waiting for Rosie's views on her TV show, The View every 11:00 AM and in the early evening at 7:00 PM for Trump's response to Ms. O'Donnell's tirades in Entertainment Tonight . Finally , for a recap of the blow by blow account and analysis of the 'fight' at Fox ' Greta S. show at 11:00 PM . My day is not complete if I miss any one or worse , all 3 shows . Last night , one actor said Rosie is winning the war of the world. I mean , the war of words . Another actor said otherwise .I think , both of them will end up the winner . The ratings of The View has skyrocketed while that of the new edition of The Apprentice is said to be doing alright . Just a while ago , a news report said that there's talk about reviving the now defunct Rosie O'Donnell Show . As I've said , in the end , no one loses . No one dies. After all , talk is cheap . Unlike the Iraq War !

Expensive Buying Habits

2006-12-11T16:27:00.000-11:00

One of the things my wife was very proud of is the fact that our 2 boys are not brand conscious. No brand names for clothings are OK to them . ' I would buy them shirts and pants from Walmart and sometimes Sears and they won't mind ' she bragged to our friends .That was until lately . They changed a lot when they entered separate universities . I guess the ' influence ' of new friends , the internet and the school itself have changed their buying habits. Here's how .
My yougest son now buys a lot of cool stuff via the net . Several weeks ago , he asked his mom to buy 6 t-shirts for him and his friends which they will pay later . No problem with that except that buying through the internet is now becoming a habit for this son of mine .Net buying is more expensive and there is no haggling which my wife likes to do !
The eldest son is a different case alltogether. He has refrained from ' buying from countries that exploit labor and the like.'' Made In China' clothes are a definite no no for him . One time , while shopping together , I showed him a nice jacket and said ' This one is from the Phillipines . That country has strict labor laws '. My son answered ' Yes , but they have child prostitution over there ' . We ended up buying a far more expensive Italian made item even when I told my son that Versace probably employs illegal aliensl !

I Get The Hint.

2006-12-04T03:37:00.000-11:00

I'm sorry I'm not able to keep my blog updated lately . I have to do some trips . Anyway . I 'm back home to find the place all spruced up for the holidays . Of course , it's the month of December , silly me . My wife started with putting the light outside ' cos she better do it before it becomes too cold ' . Of course . She added a new one in our display this year . It's a prelit X'mas tree for outside use which she placed in the porch .That's the 1st few days of the Christmas month .
The 2nd week , she did all the interior decorating - the big X'mas tree, the stuff in the fireplace and just about every nook and coner of the house .As she was placing some decorations for the basement, she put some extra decos on the computer table . ' Why so much decorations on my computer table ' I asked her . She hesitated then replied ' That's so you won't forget my Christmas gift this year . I saw a good one at Kay's Jewellry '. I knew all these work will cost me something big !

Long Lines For Electronic Gadget

2006-11-20T10:50:00.000-11:00

I was astonished how some , make that many people , will go through to get the new Playstation. In our local Best Buy store , a long line formed a day before the PS3 was made available for sale . Not only in US ( photo showed line in Taiwan )
' Did they sleep overnight in front of the store ? ' my wife asked in bewilderment . In other areas , the news said that stampedes even happened . Like in Walmart in someplace . Unbelievable . I guess , a lot of parents want to make their kids happy although some enterprising folks eventually sell theirs at eBay for twice the price they paid for .
' Did you buy your son one ? ' I asked Ziggy , my friend. ' Absolutely not. Not ever ' he answered . He then explained why . Apparently , he bought his son a Playstation before and the son was ' addicted ' ( Ziggy's word ) to playing it . ' I'll probably do the same thing ' he then added . I guess it's true. Some countries in Asia banned arcades where these games are featured. I played video games ( as they were called then ) before and it was a lot of fun really . You just keep playing . More so of today's games . The games now are in HD and the graphics are mind blowing . I don't know if I will start playing electronic games again. Right now , I am trying to master electronic casino games !

Election Hangover

2006-11-13T10:30:00.001-11:00

I came across this wonderful poem about the recently concluded US election . I think it's really witty that's why I 'm sharing the post with you whether you are a Democrat or a Republican !

Outsourcing The Future

2006-11-02T14:34:00.002-11:00

Why the hell did American businesses came up with the idea of outsourcing? The other day , I read the news that 'outsourcing' will save American firms about $ 50+ billion in the future . That not only manufacturing , telemarketing , animation and similar jobs are going overseas. In the near future , HR , Engineering , medical etc jobs are in jeopardy . I told my 2 sons to carefully choose the professions they would enter . This was 4 years ago when my eldest was just starting college . I pointed out to him the jobs likely to go overseas then. I don't think the list of prospective jobs in danger of being outsource is the same now . A lot has been added to the list . In the future , what's left to Americans are low paying service jobs . Darn .
That's why China has the most number of billionaires according to Forbes magazines . Opportunities abound in that country that once banned individual wealth . I once visited Shanghai like 10 years ago . There was a sprinkling of modern buildings then . Now , it is sprawling with modern buildings of all kinds . Some are mansions of young rich Chinese. One thing is sure , these young Chinese never have to worry about outsourcing . Except when they are in Las Vegas !

What's That , Grampa ?

2006-10-30T13:15:00.000-11:00

It's amazing how fast things can change . What's ' in' today can be a museum item next day . Change can overtake you without knowing it . This happened to me several times . Latest is last week , I was looking for the disk holder of my son's laptop . Gone .Today's computers don't have use for disks anymore . Kids use USB now to save their files . It's the ' thingy ' you see hanging on college kids' necks or as key chains. In fact , some colleges including Harvard have their professors do their lectures in podcast . Cool . I want to be a student today . I don't have to take notes or worry about missing a lecture . I just need to be tech savvy.

I'm sure there are more obvious changes that are noticeable to us middle age folks . The ' film ' is definitely one . The popularity of digital camera certainly makes ' film ' obsolete . HDTV will definitely be a regular feature of every TV sets. I remember when ' fax ' was 1st introduced . I was amazed by the technology . It's of course ' passes ' now . You've got to be fast minded to keep track of all these changes or else people , if not your kins , will make fun of you . Like what happened to Pres. Bush lately . Of course , we've heard about him calling the internet , internets ! Now , Bush referred to Google as The Google.

We Live In Very Interesting Times ..

2006-10-25T05:16:00.000-11:00

Yup . The other day , my friend was telling me how different today's TV world is with so many channels . ' I don't know what to watch ' he ' complained ' to me over the phone . The reason why is that he lives in Canada and in that country they get the sattelite feeds of all channels without paying for them. Lucky bastard . If you have the right equiptments and dish , you can get Pay Per View , Video On Demand , History channel , Playboy , HBO , MSNBX , Fox News and CNN etc . without paying the monthly fees . It's a TV addict paradise over there .

Me . I am happy watching the 4 major netwoks - ABC , CBS , NBC and Fox and on cable - MCNBC , CNN and Fox News. Interesting how the 3 cable news are all different and competitive. Fox is rightist , while the 2 are left-middle of the road .When Fox' O'Reilly identified Rep. Mark Foley ( delirately or not ) as a Democrat when the scandal 1st broke , MSNBC sure highlighted the mistake in their various shows . Now CNN , featuring the terrorist arms video, is being criticized by Fox .
As far asthe network news battle is concern , it's as heated as before the days of 3 oldtimers - Brokaw, Jennings and Rather -who left news scene . CBS' Katie Couric Evening News , after initial surge in the ratings , is reported to be lagging behind at 3rd . NBC's World Tonight by Brian Williams is at 1st followed by ABC's World News by Charles Gibson . I watched all 3 news at 6:30 PM . I start with Gibson and change to NBC or ABC depending on which is more interesting . The problem is that all 3 networks break for commercials practically at the same time .

Hilary Or Ophra

2006-10-21T04:24:00.000-11:00

No . Ophra is not actually running for President . Ophra is assuming the role of a kingmaker . The TV Queen is openly endorsing 1st time Senator Obama . Obama is in some sort of a media blitz appearing in her show , in Larry King's and countless other shows . I just know that I watched Obama in these 2 shows . Even the latest Time magazine , he's there on the cover. The man is all over the place . Actually , the charismatic Senator is an interesting read . It will great to see the Hilary camp's strategy vs. him to gain the nomination of the Democratic party in 2008 .
Well , Hilary debated I don't know his name last Friday in NY. She has a wide lead over I don't know his name ( 63%/27%) and her campaign chest is a whooping $ 15 million vs. $500 thou of I don't know his name ! She can certainly channel the leftover to her presidential campaign . At least it would an interesting contest in 2008 rather than the battle now for NY senatorial seat between Hilary and I don't know his name .

Take Care Of Your Partner's Needs

2006-10-16T02:32:00.000-11:00

This weekend , we watched a very good movie . Not spectacular but it hits me real hard . The movie featured stories of diverse people and how they handled stress in their lives . What particularly interest me was the story of an elderly couple who lived a simple life . The wife did her stitch work while the husband watched TV while having dinner in a TV tray . Then he smoked his cigarrette after eating while she puts away her work to accompany the bunch she has accumulated through the years . That's the way they lived . Day in and day out !
One day , the lady met in a corner store, an old grade school classmate. He remembered her as a gifted girl who was good in producing wonderful things. They spent a brief time together and he told her that he lived in Europe for sometime with her wife and moved back to the States when she died . ' You should go to Italy . It's wonderful there ' the man said . Before they parted , he invited her to his place ' We can watch the ocean there ' he said.
One day , she remembered the man's invitation . She brought a chocolate bar which he buys daily from the store . She went to his place , pleasantly surprising the man . They went in and sat in the front of the ocean while listening to an opera music . She felt in heaven 'I could just sit here all day ' she said . Then the man's new wife arrived . He intoduced her to his wife. ' He told me about your chance meeting ' ' It's always nice to meet old acquaintance ' the man's wife said with a genuine smile on her face. She hurriedly said her goodbye while the man and his wife readied to go out like newly weds.
At home that night , the same routine except his husband instead put away his soiled plate. He went for his usual smoke in the balcony after eating . Then suddenly , she attacked her pounding her fists on his chest repeatedly . That's it . Simple message . Don't be boring . This week , I will ask my wife to go out and watch a movie/ eat at her fav resto ! Also , I'll recall what things she was good at before ( aside from shopping ) and try to cultivate it .

Massage , Anyone ?

2006-10-13T05:18:00.000-11:00

It's astonishing to note the proliferation of spas and massage shops . It's a testament to the emphasis for good living . I recently bought some massaging stuffs . I said some because it's more than one . And progressive at that .I started with a handheld one being peddled on the shopping channel . It was dissapointing. It's good on TV but it doen'nt do the work . Then I tried the one you put on your seat . Titilating at best but hardly powerful to really massage one's tired body .
Recently , I graduated to the expesnive one . The I Joy massage chair ( photo ) . It really does a decent job . And different types of massages too. I like the Shiatsu best . It's not the top of the line ( I think the Panasonic is ) but nevertheless it costs in the hundreds. I bought mine at Linens And Things . But I guess nothing beats the human hands . Every so often , my wife still visits the massage clinic . It's good that it's covered by insurance now . I wonder how much it will cost us to bring someone to do our massaging . Like IM . Instant Massager .

The Times Of Your Life

2006-10-06T02:17:00.000-11:00

Sometime last July , I embarked on a project . I resolved to put hundreds , no make that thousands of photos in order . Pictures when we ( me and the wife ) are in the early stages of our married life , to the arrival of each child up to the present . ' I should be done in 3 months ' I told a friend . Some of the pics I will scan and file electronically . Loose photos I will put in albums . Special ones , I will have these framed . Good battleplan . Kapis ? Nope . Just like Rumsfeld , I screwed it up . I barely scrap the top of our collection 3 months after . Why ? Memories. . Yes , just ike Paul Anka's song in that Kodak commercial of yesteryears . The photos have certain memories - some not so good , some funny , some happy and so on - one has to stop and reminisce . I scanned just 3 pictures so far!. One of which I posted several weeks ago and the other one shown here. I find myself awash with memories and I don't mind it . Screw the deadline . Just like the Iraq war , it's gonna' be forever !

Then suddenly you have to find .

The memories you left behind .

Remember ? Do you remember ?

The times of your life .

Whoamart

2006-10-02T16:52:00.000-11:00

It's crazy how Walmart continues to sink in the p.r. department despite hiring a bigtime company in charge of 'polishing ' it's battered image. Since old man Sam died , the largest company in the world right now has become the target of criticisms not to mention rallies against it's business policies and personnel moves . There this class lawsuit against it by a group of women who finds that they are being discriminated upon . What about that accusations levelled against the company for hiring illegal immigrants to do it's janitorial services .Jay Leno always joke about it . Of course , there is the union busting complaint by Walmart in Canada . And now this : . Walmart now plans to hire more partime workers .
I told my wife not to buy from Walmart if she can help it . The company should understand while the mission are to maximize shareholders' value and profits , there is still the social responsibility that is of equal importance . I think Walmart's ' bullying ' tactics ' on small towns kill the Mom And Pop stores and destroys the fabric of the community . Some town officials banned the enry of big stores like Sam'. etc in their community . Walmart workers need appropriate wages and benefits . Sam must be rolling on his grave now .

It should be made In China !

Something About September

2006-09-28T15:12:00.000-11:00

September is about to end . Somehow , I remember songs about the month of September more than any other month . I don't know why . There is in my pre teen years , a song that went like this :

I'll see you in September .
When summer is gone.
Have a good time but remember
Come back to me when summer is gone.

How can I forget that song by Gary Lewis And The Playboy , it's one of the 1st love song I memorized even before I fell in love . My elder brothers used to strum their guitars and sing it . Then there is the song by The Association .titled ' See You In September ' . These 2 songs came out at just about the same time.

In my post teen years , there was this song by Neil Diamond called ' September Morn ' . I became an ND fan because of how he sang this one . September morn can really make me feel that way ! Oh yeah , baby !

Early this year , I heard my son playing a new song by the Grammy Award winner Green Bay . The MTV shows a young man who went to join the military without the knowledge of his wife . He was eventually deployed to Iraq. It's titled ' When September Ends ' . It's beautiful .
So you see , whether in the '60s or up to the 2008 , September evokes passion.

There is something about September ...

In Some Goddam Places , It's Hard To Be Woman.

2006-09-25T03:39:00.000-11:00

Yesterday , I watched the presidenti of Afghanistan being interviewed by CBS' Schiffer . It was a good interview with excellent views by Pres. Karzai . He talked about the progress made by the Afghan government since kicking the Taliban out of power . Among these ' progress ' is that thousands more children go to school now when it numbered only like 700 before . And only boys at that ! It's really unfortunate that in some countries even in this day and age , women are treated as 2nd class citizens. I recalled an incident that happened in Saudi Arabia . Over there , women are not allowed to drive anything . One time , a group of women staged a rally ( illegal over there ) to protest this rule . A handful of brave ladies drove their cars ( I should say , their fathers' cars ) around the block where we reside and defiantly did this for a few rounds . I do not know what happened next . There was no news of this event in the papers the following days . I just know that the rule stays up to this day. However, during the 1st Gulf War , American women soldiers went around driving to the consternation of the religious police . They can't do anything about it.
When I was a small kid, we often see Chinese ladies with small feet . The took , obviuosly , very small steps on their way to whatever destinations they were going to . When I asked my father how come their feet are small . He said it's to prevent them from wandering afar from their husband's place . These ladies were fitted with steel shoes when they were small girls keeping their feet from growing !

Men Are From Mars , My Wife From Sears.

2006-09-21T03:05:00.000-11:00

My wife is a wise shopaholic . She's a tireless and patient shopper. She scours through rackful of merchandise store after store . Males do not usualy do that . Me and my 2 sons just buy stuff we see on the supermarkets without looking at the price. ' Just get it done and get out of there ' is my motto. Not so with her.
When we lived in Asia , she sometimes do some travelling just to shop . Her fav spot to shop is Hongkong . It's the shopper's heaven. Travel agencies even offer shopper's fare. Of course being part of China , it's no.1 market for imitation . All kinds of designer's copy can be found there . Christian Dior , Gloria Vanderbuilt you name it , it's there. In Bangkok , Thailand , she liked buying low cost real jewelries and fake watches like Rolex. The night markets there are great. That's where she shopped for inexpensive clothes. Singapore is the place to buy electronics . You might think that Japan is it 'cos that's where the electronic products are 1st made . Nope , it's expensive over there . Japan is the place where you can find new electronic products not found elsewhere. Lastly , Indonesia is where she shops for ' batik ' design textiles. One thing she missed in shopping here is the ' haggling ' with the sales people . ' You cannot haggle here 'coz it's fixed price ' she told me one time. ' Yes you can ' I quickly answered her . ' Go to the open market.' From thenon , she makes sure she goes to the open market wherever we are . Me and my big mouth !

Fireplace

2006-09-18T01:23:00.000-11:00

Yesterday , my wife bought an electric fireplace for our new home . We opted not have one built in by the contractor ' because in our previous home we hardly used one we had .' Same with the jacussi bath . In our 4 years stay in our previous home , I can remember the times we used the jacussi bath . One . Exactly one time when my wife felt like ' soaking herself in a whirlpool of water.' Great . These are 2 house upgrades that I feel is a ' waste '. She agrees or so I thought.

Suddenly my wife decided that an addition of a fireplace will be a swell idea. Hmmm. This is strange . She seldom sit by one much less enjoy the warmth of a fireplace with a book in hand. This is my one ' knock ' against my wife . She is not a book lover . Not even a magazine reader. She is not a reader period. She is smart alright being an engineer. Then I found out later that day after we bought the ' thing ' the real reason she had a change of mind. Two officemates of hers were talking how much they enjoyed their fireplaces . Aha , I teased her . You want one ' to keep up with the Joneses ' . I told her that I will monitor how often she will use the contraption. Oh yeah , she does read something . The flyers to see what's on sale !

Marrying Up

2006-09-14T03:08:00.000-11:00

It's funny but when I was young ' security ' was the last thing in my mind . I would marry the girl that will make me fall in love is what was in my mind then. This mentality was bolstered by Hollywood films . You know , poor girl meets rich boy , they marry and live happilly ever after . I was a real sucker for this kind of stories then . Even now . Pretty Woman is but one of the movies of the same theme that I love.
Now that I'm a parent of 2 grown up boys soon to enter the ' marrying age ', I tried to impart some wisdom to them that my parents did not pass to me ( not that they will listen to the old man ) . So one day , I told 'em in my best Cary Grant voice ' Boys , you should look for girls that will make you better overall '. From thereon , everytime my youngest needs extra allowance to buy a gift for his girlfriend who is taking up medicine , he would say to me ' You don't want the Doctor to get away , do you ? ' . Darn parenting skills .

Were Where You ?

2006-09-11T07:49:00.000-11:00

I was at work when the terrorsits struck . Walking the production floor actually . I noticed the shopfloor people were either mingling or glued to the radios. I thought it was unusual that these particular incident generated so much interest until I came up to office where the bosses and staff mingling at the computers . There were a lot of ' mingling ' going on that day . They were all looking at the CNN website showing the Twin Towers on the verge of collapse . Needless to say , productivity was kaput that day .

I have a taste of the anger that soon followed the terror attacks .Well sort of . Appararently , my boss told some people I work for Bin Laden the father or something like that . One officemate seething with anger asked me about it . I worked for a company that is a subcon of Bin Laden Org. which is a very large firm in Saudi Arabia , but not directly for BLO. Also , I made sure I'm no Saudi although sometimes I'm mistaken for , among other nationalities, an East Indian , a Pakistani , an Arabian etc. It was really cool before 9/11 . Not anymore . An Aunt teased me by calling me ' Omar Sharif ' , the Dr. Zhivago guy . Now , I told her to call me instead - Elmer Sheriff !

Anybody Here Seen My Old Friend Bobby?

2006-09-07T23:31:00.002-11:00

Can you tell me where he's gone ? That song always leaves me wondering . What kind of world would we be living in if the Kennedys and Martin Luther King were not assasinated ? With the forthcoming release of the film ' Bobby ' and the recent death of Mrs. Connolly , interests in the life and death of the brothers will be rekindled . Mrs. Connolly was the last living of the 4 passengers in that fateful presidential car . ' Yes, I believed we lost our innocense that day ' was her response to the question whether America was different after Nov. 3 , 1963 . I was a tiny tot then so I was still innocent but Bobby's death in '68 was kinda different . I was beginning to be aware of the girls errr ... of the political world . Although when given the customary question ' Where were you when Bobby K . was killed ? ' I have a tough time answerin' - I was in the bathroom taking a dump .
I think Bobby would have been a better President than his brod. The younger Kennedy has more morals and unbending too. I still remember the line that Bobby K. used ' Some people see things as they are and ask why ? I see things that never were , and ask why not ? I got 100% in history class the day that question was asked . I did not asked why !

Magic Makeover

2006-09-05T13:48:00.000-11:00

We did it ! We managed to to ' fit' the content of our former home to a bungalow . The old home is a 2 story with a finished basement . We did not conduct a garage sale and gave away only a few items so our move was practically 'all the stuff we have '. It not that we don't want to give 'em away . It just that nobody wants these. Even my kids won't take the couch etc. for their apts. They want IKEA stuff as most students do.
I am in charge of interior designing . It keeps my mind occupied even at midnight . Last night. I woke up at 3 AM thinking of the best locations for the loads of pictures. I was not able to able to sleep after that. Next action item , where to place the plants ? I guess this is ' my feminine side' if you know I mean . My Martha Stewart side less the bitchiness !

Stormy Florida

2006-08-28T03:29:00.000-11:00

Here we go again ! Storm Ernesto is supposedly the first of the many storm/hurricanes coming this year . Why is it starting with a letter 'E' ? Over here in the East coast , we don't bother much with hurricanes except when you are travelling to say Florida ! And that's exactly what we experienced 2 years ago when we went on a Carribean cruise . We left here on a perfect weather . We landed in Fla. with no inkling on what we will be facing us when we get back.
The cruise was alright . You know how your friends will tell you that ' you can eat steaks and lobsters every night in the cruise ' . Well , after 3 straight dinner of s ans l , I can't take no more . The buffet which are normally for breakfast and lunch are equally ' filling '. My boss has the habit of weighing each employee before and after the cruise and see how much weight one gained . There's one thing I enjoyed during the trip . Casino . It's stressless when you don't have to worry about driving home after 'gambling' . One only have to go to your room after getting tired from pulling the arm of the slot machine.
The 'hard part ' of that trip was when we got back to Florida , there was a hurricane . All flights were cancelled . No electricity near the airport and all nearby hotels were fully booked that we have to go to Disney Resort , until the flights resumed, which was after 2 days. From thereon , this East coast guy keeps track of all hurricanes coming stateside . By the way , I gained 5 pounds on that trip !

When I'm 64 .

2006-08-24T10:32:00.000-11:00

' Will you still need me , will you still feed me , when I am 64 ' goes the lyrics of a famous Beatles song . Although the song is really between sweethearts , lately it applies to aging baby boomers and their children more. CNN reported last Tuesday that there's an increase in suits involving the parents and kins and how the former want to be treated . Last week , replays of Soprano featured Tony sending a reluctant ( and angry ) mother in a nursing home. ' What kind of son sends his mother to a home ' said his TV uncle , Junior Soprano.
I have no problem staying in a nursing home when I grow old . Maybe ? Traditionally , the eldest child takes care of an aging parent(s). If not , they live close by . My parents live separately but really close to my big brother' home. . Although I said that I will have no problem living in a home for the aged when I grow old , I don't know emotionally how I will feel when that time comes . My son every now and then jokes that he will send us to a senior's home in the future . Wonder if he's really kidding !

Acquired And Inborn Traits .

2006-08-21T06:15:00.000-11:00

I have 2 sons . Two different sons . Two sons with nothing in common. Well , their father and mother . Funny , how you tend to compare 2 siblings especially if the 2 are not born so much apart .Not unlike Wally and Beaver in my fav TV show of yesteryears . My wife tends to cite their habits and idiosynchracies especially the not so good ones . She's quick to point out 'bad habits' my sons acquired from me . You know , like eating in front of tv whether in the basement or their respective rooms . ' In the new house , I won't allow eating if not in the dining table ' my wife warned me recently when my youngest ran with a plateful of food in the basement. See what I mean !

My youngest son amazingly is very much like me . Amazing because some of these traits I'm quite sure my son 'inherited' not acquired . My eldest son, although not exactly a social animal, is at ease with people. The youngest one is very inhibited except to his friends . I remembered very vividly one incident that happened when son no.2 was barely able to walk. We were playing - just me and son no.2 - when the doorbell rung in our condo unit . I left him to the carpeted floor while I opened the door . It was a friend of mine . I asked him to come inside and we chatted for a while while my son played on the floor within my eyesight so I thought . After my friend left , I called for my son . I cannot find him until I looked under the loveseat . The poor boy was under it hiding like a scared kitten all bent I don't know for how long . When my wife arrived with son no.1 from shopping , I told her the story . ' He's just like you . Scared of people ' she blurted . See what I mean . Again.

Garbage In,Garbage Out !

2006-08-17T15:04:00.000-11:00

Started throwing out some ' garbage' in preparation to our moving. We are going from a detached home to a smaller townhouse . Squeezing all our present furnitures would be a decorating challenge. Some furnitures had been allocated to our kids' apartments . Both are in different universities in the city so they don't live with us anymore except for the occasonal visits . Three to five years from now , we plan to downsize further to a condo unit . Funny , how it comes to full circle the size of one's abode . I just think , it's less headache for us if we don't have to worry about mowing grass, plowing snow and doing maintenance .

Once we get to the new house , we will start the planting of tress and shrubs . That's another ' garbage ' producing activity . I remembered that the last time we did some planting . We accumulated soils and stuff from all the diggings . It's a pain in the neck to dispose of bagful of dirts. Me and the commander in chief sneaked out in the night looking for vacant lots to dispose these bags. Sometimes near midnight to insure the folks were asleep. When we find a vacant lot , normally where new houses are being built , we dumped the junk near the construction company's garbage bin . It's a cloak and dagger operation . After disposing the junk, we fill ourselves with junk food from a nearby Mc Donalds. So it's really a case of garbage out , garbage in !

A Sickening Walk In The Park

2006-08-16T10:32:00.000-11:00

After so many years , the case of Jon Benet must be nearing end with the arrest of a man who is said to know details of the crime not published and therefore not known by anyone except the killer and the police .. Incredible . The man was in Bangkok. Why am I not surprised ? The story below .
My heart bleeds for this family . An angel of a child taken at so horrible a manner and on top of that , the family crucified by the tabloids . As you know , Jon's mother recently passed away with many still doubting her story. Some even expected a deathbed confession from her !

The man arrested is said to be an American grade school teacher . Bangkok , Thailand was known as the sex capital of Asia before . The sex industry at one time was about $2.5 billion a year industry . I don't know now . When I used to travel there on business , I noticed a number of tourists ? who were obviously there for the so called flesh market . The worst part was that in a lot of cases , it involved children . In plain view of everybody , the kids are peddled like goods by their pimps in the park where there are tourists . I was surprised when one pimp approached me one time and said ' sir , we have new ones here . Very young , sir ' . I thought he was referring to live seafoods , until I saw behind him a young girl with a make up smiling at me . It's really sickening .

Shredder Is For Papers Only

2006-08-14T14:32:00.000-11:00

As I've posted sometime ago that we've sold our house .We started the ardous task of packing stuff immediately. My books are one of the largest 'baggage' . I wonder if I need to take the books or just sell these via eBay ? Nothing special about my books . Definitely no collectors items . I seldom read what I've read . Just like movies or DVDs , once I watched it , seldom do I watch a movie again . That's why I don't buy DVDs . I just rent. Besides , I had a bad experience with Beta , VHS, and laser discs. These became obsolete eventually . I still have some Betas in my collection gathering molds .

One thing we do now is shred the papers before throwing the papers as garbage. We don't do this before .I think every household in America own a shredder now. You can buy all kinds of shredders even at WalMart . There was a time that you can find shredders only in Office Supplies stores. It's a fun activity this shredding . I don't know how we gathered so many paper stuff . But be warned . Shredding machines are dangerous . For humans and pets . One time , a TV special featured 'accidents' involving this invention . A small girl had her fingers mangled when she stuck her hand on one . The TV showed her hand w/ fingers cut short by the blades of the shredder .The little girl was asking her Mommie when her fingers will grow back to normal size ? The other example showed a dog's tongue shredded when the dog stuck it to the shredder. No, the dog did not asked the owner when the tongue will grow back . It's a dog remember . It is really unfortunate .

Who Wants To Be A Whistleblower ?

2006-08-11T09:16:00.000-11:00

Our society frowns upon those who rat on the fellow workers / friends . Last year, a professional basketball player of the Denver Nuggets , Carmelo Anthony , got into big trouble when he was featured in a home made rap video proclaiming that those who inform the police of drug use must be shot. Needles to say , his PR team particularly his Agent has his hands full doing damage control. Product endorsements were halted despite the baller's skill on the court .Then there is this lady Accountant from Enron who raised questions about anomalies to Enron's top honcho, bless his soul , Ken Lay. For some time after her memo , she was ostracised . Almost demoted
. Now there is this question on when the folks at BP in Alaska came to know the problem concerning ' damaged pipes ' . If not for the terrorist news , this fiasco will surely be headline hugger . And rightly so, you and me will be bitching about how price of gas is so high . This is one gas price increase that is preventable and not caused by crazy Arabs . It's local and it's caused by greed and negligence . I know how this came about . Sometimes those of us who are in charge of whatever , postpone preventive maintainance work 'cause it will disrupt the operation ergo the flow of moolah . Sometimes . we cut corners to cut costs. This happens even in household chores . How many times one will use a cheap imitation ias substitute for the real thing . The Managemen of BP is guilty in both counts if the documents are to be believed . BP used anti corrosive chemical well below the required concentration . It's maintainance of the pipeline was very poor. It's like your roof is leaking but you waited for the roof to deteriorate beyond repair before acting on it . Despite billlions in profits and several warnings about the situation , nothing was done to repair the damage. Now we all , including the consumers . have to suffer.

I'm Glad I'm Not Travelling Anymore

2006-08-10T03:42:00.000-11:00

Yes , and by travelling I meant by plane . There was a time I was on the plane 5 or 6 times a year and to such ' hot spots ' as the Middle East , East Asia , London and of course New York. My work then involved some flying so I can't help it . Although I must admit , I enjoyed the opportunity to visit different places. And free at that flying business class . Even then I worry a lot . Not because of terrorists but because of plane crashes . In the 90's the only terrorism related incidents I can recall is the Canadian Airline that crashed in Scotland killing all aboard . It's more like isolated case . Indian Sikh retiilating because of the destruction of their holy temple in their homeland . Then of course the pre cursor of 9/11 - the bombing of a Japan bound PAL killing one Japanese passenger . All in all , when they talk about terrorism then , it was just plain hijacking . The passengers are eventually released after satisfying the demands of the terrorists . Now , you're lusky if they find your body in one piece or several pieces . If not the terrorists , the government fighter plane will destroy a ' hijacked plane ' .The gover nment has no choice . It must prevent another 9/11 one way or another . Today there's news in Britain about the foiled attempt of some Pakistani descent individuals to blow up American planes bound for US . They now banned all liquids and gels aboard a plane . I hate to fly in today's world . I will definitely welcome the airport search wholeheartedly even if meant a 2-3 hours delay . Better than ending up in 2-3 pieces !

No Knowledge , No Problem

2006-08-08T14:03:00.000-11:00

The news today is about Paul McCartney's latest move against his wife Heather . It said that the former Beatle changed the lock of their mansion thereby preventing Heather and daughter from entering. It forced her bodyguard to scale the wall so that the police was called to check out what's happening . It's getting nasty this divorce . No doubt the reason may be the division of wealth estimated to be around $ 500 million. The marriage is without a pre nup . Big mistake . I don't know what Paul was thinking then . That everything will stay the same . Now he has to dig dirt on her wife's past . I read that there was a nude photo taken of Heather before when she was younger and that she was a high level call girl.

Do you think it is important to tell your better half to be your past ? Hell no said my friend . What she does'nt know wont hurt her . I guess he's right . Anyways , they are no celebs . No tabloids to dig up the past . Of couse it's better if he or she knows something from the start of the relationship . Before tying the knot so to speak. Like this newscaster from Naked News . Her boyfriend is well aware of her job which is to disrobe while reading the news . Nice job . Just make sure she does'nt take her clothes off while reading the morning papers at home in front of the kids !

Time To Move

2006-08-05T09:18:00.000-11:00

Finally , we've found a buyer for our house . It's amazing how tedious it is to sell one's house . Many times , we have to get out of the house to let some prospective buyers take a look at it . Sometimes , in the middle of something . Next week, the house inspector will do a thorough look at everything . I'll miss this house 'coz it's the 1st one we built ourselves . The other ones , we are the not the 1st owners. I remember doing wiring for the internet and speakers when it was still being built .

I was told by the agent , the buyer will do an inspection 2 days before the closing .Our agent was nice though . He gave us a gift pack for $ 50 for our fav resto and other give aways .I guessed his commission can afford it .The next few days , we will be up to our neck in packing our stuff. We only have the end of this month and next 2 weeks to do this . We have accumulated so much stuff , some 'garbage' now, we have to throw some or give 'em away. I'm not into garage sales . I'd rather give stuff away than sell these .

Politics Is Addition

2006-08-04T07:16:00.000-11:00

Once again it's proven that there is no permanent friends and enemies in politics . Only permanent interest . I saw the master politician himself , Bill Clinton, campaigning for the troubled Joe Libberman who is running for the Democratic nomination for the state of Connecticut. I'm saying that this is quite a 'move' by Bubba as Joe was one of those who spoke against him during the height of Monicagate . Bubba was as cool and suave as John Travolta . I don't know who copied who . John T. or Bill C . Anyway , both are the personification of what's cool.

I always liked Bill Clinton . Sorry guys/gals . I just think he's a fun president . Flawed but fun . The other day , I was asking myself - how did he pulled it off ? Doing all those things with Monica right in the oval office! Stupid and gutsy at the same time. Clinton idolized Jack Kennedy so much that even his shenanigans he copied . Unfortunately , the press today won't let you get away with such actions . Where is Monica now ? I read that Monica is now in England studying . Back to the heading . For sure , come presidential election , Hilary will need all the help she can get . Bill will surely cash in this chip !

While The Temp. Rises , Sales Is Down

2006-08-03T06:56:00.000-11:00

Summer sure is fun . One thing good is the drive in movie in our place is open now. Actually since last month . We watched RV there starring Robin Williams and Da Vinci Code of Tom Hanks. Somehow , drive in movie bring some nostalgia. It brought memories of life a lot simpler . I did not grow up in that period but from accounts I heard from much older kins, it was the start of awakening of the youth. That's when booze , drugs and other stuff were introduced to the youth. I wonder how much the young ones today are still doing stuff on drive in like depicted in the movie Amercan Graffiti ? The advent of smaller cars made this practice less enjoyable . I think !

I heard on the radio today that the Americans are not so much in love with their cars anymore like in yesteryears. In the 60's , about 1 of 2 cars on the road were GM cars. The Big 3 - GM , Ford and Chrysler - lorded it over the industry . Now , Toyota is set to overtake Ford as the no.2 carmaker in the world . Then , it's only a matter of time before Toyota dislodges GM as the world's numero uno ! The bosses at GM always remind us of the Toyota threat. You can say that we are operating at GM in the state of paranoia ! Every month, Toyota's sales go up while the Big 3 plummets . July is no different .

The End Of The World

2006-08-01T08:59:00.000-11:00

Lately , there been talk about the end of the world . This talk was triggered by what's happening in the world lately. Imagine a respectable network like CNN featuring some guys from every religious groups including Jerry Falwell talking about this. One guy said the tsunamis , earthquakes volcanic eruptions and the war in Iraq and Lebanon are proof of this. I don't know about that . Supposedly , Nostradamus in one of his quartet, predicted that the start of the EOW will be in the Middle East specifically Iran. There is some crazy dude insisting on continuing with his country's nuclear program there.

I tell you what . The EOW for Mel Gibson happened already . Well sort of . His arrest for DUI and tirades against the Jews and other stuff are hugging the headlines and airwaves . Gibson who already is the target of certain Jewish groups for his film , The Passion Of The Christ , is said to have sought the help of influential Jewish leaders to help explain his position. Coincidentally , the coming film by Gibson is titled ... you guessed it right - end of the world or Apocalypto .

DNA For Hot Weather

2006-07-31T07:00:00.000-11:00

verybody is complaining about the weather . From California to Canada , people are feeling the heat. Sporadic rainfall help a little . The temp here reaches to 45 deg C . It's good that some workers are provided heat relief . I remember designing a room where our workers in the plant can ' cool off ' when the weather becomes unbearable. The room has an A/C of course , a water cooler and seats . I thought of incorporating mist spraying unit but it's too complicated . They can spend their break at the RR . So after the shift is over , you'll find tons of newspapers in there . Sometimes. that's where I picked up newspapers to take home .

In comparison , plants in Saudi Arabia where I used to work have no such thing . One just have to bear it. It can really be oven hot especially with almost no humidity . Something between 50-55 deg.C. Somehow we survived . The toughest guys in hot weather are the Yemenis . These guys are small but strong hombres working in outside weather either in constructions and road building. Actually , Bin Laden is Saudi-Yemeni but he's tall (6'4'') .Then next to the Yemenis are the Pakistanis , Indians and sub Saharan nationals not necessarilly in order. I guess their DNA can accept such brutal weather !

Poker Up !

2006-07-27T02:55:00.000-11:00

I am excited about the coming world strip poker to be held in Cafe Royale in London. It is going to be the biggest of its kind and Guiness Book Of Records is going to be there to record the event. Wow ! Who has not played strip poker one time or another ? In high school , that's a common dare for us . That was then though. Now , you will think twice 'bout doing such a thing especially if you are not in shape . This London event is going to be on TV .

This Guiness thing is becoming the preoccupation of some local executives around the world . Why not ? It certainly puts their town in the limelight even for a brief 15 seconds of fame so to speak. One town in Asia holds the record for mass kissing by couples while another hold the honor of baking the larget pizza !
Let's just hope the participants in the London event are not big bellied beer drinking men and gigantic assed cigar smoking women !

New Products I Bought

2006-07-24T09:45:00.000-11:00

My friend in his visit yesterday told me about the latest inventions in the market . It's a robot maid . It's supposed to do most of what a real maid can do and without qualms . I missed that one so I check the net . Normally , I am up to date on things like this . I had a Newton handheld unit before my friends got theirs. It's what you might call the early Blackberry . I had it 10 yrs. ago and had fun with it because it cannot recognize my handwriting ! Totally useless product by Apple Computers.

Then , there's the Rhumba . What a piece of junk ! You're supposed to leave it , in the room and it will be vacuum cleaned . The real truth is , it needs your presence to move it to different spots as it get stucked . I hope this Robot Maid is as good as advertised . Remember , first is not necessarilly good !

The X - Americans

2006-07-21T01:28:00.000-11:00

No one can forget the hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of California when they staged the Day Of The Immigrant. A sea of US and a a sprinkling other flags adorned the rally . Actually , the rally was participated not only by Latinos but Asian - Americans and other mixtures of races. Or X-Americans . This paralyzed some businesses in the areas. Restos , laundry shops , hotels and other services were all affected . At least for that day. Having travelled part of California , I know the influence of Asian-Americans there. Daly City is sometimes referred to as Little Manila . There is Little Vietnam , Koreatown and of course , Chinatown everywhere. In fact , there's Chinatown eveywhere in the world. For those who like to try different culinary delights from different parts of the world , that's fantastic .

Last week , it's the Arab-Americans turn to rally. In a smaller scale , they held it in Dearborn, Michigan where there are more concentration of them than anywhere in the States. I don't know how they ended up there , but they there. At first I thought it's odd , but after meeting a lot of Arab-Americans there as part of my work as an Engineer for a car company then , I learned to accept it .
We are truly a beacon to those who seek a better life in this world !

Powerful Songs Of Different Era

2006-07-20T03:59:00.000-11:00

Now I know why journalists and other media men consider the blog as a powerful tool of the future. It really can exert influence especially on today's youth. A lot of young people don't bother reading the papers anymore and they just get the news via the net. Even myself. I read my blogs first before the papers.

Yesterday was no different. I read 2 of my fav blogs and found something that influenced my buying binge that day. I was in search of good music. Of all places , I found one in a sports blog ' I Hate The Raptors '. Why such a title ? I don't know . Coach post that day concerns Nelly Furtado's ' Promiscous ' . It's such a cool song no wonder it's topping the chart. Then Yellow Granny's post yesterday was about the classic ' American Pie ' by Don McClean . I was totally blown away by her explanation of each line. Go check out these 2 posts when you have the time. They should be in my links . Thanks guys for making my day ! By the way , I bought the CDs of the 2 songs yesterday. Now that's influence !

Issue For Life

2006-07-19T02:44:00.000-11:00

Here's a piece of good news for our Canadian folks. It seems like the planned implementation of the border requirements is not happening soon. That means passport is not required to pass the borber anytime soon.You never know . This can change soon.

This brings me to the mass evacuation of American nationals out of Lebanon. After receiving criticisms for requiring Americans to sign promissory note ' to reimburse the US government of of the evacuation fees ' , The State Department of Condi Rice rescinded the order. Hmm. One caller to CNN said that the order was moronic ' in the light of the fact that we don't require Mexican illegals to pay for their use of schools, hospitals etc. The illegal immigration issue just won't go away. There are some issues that may dislodge it every now and then , but illegal immigration will always be there.
Let's just say that CNN's Lou Dobbs , discussing illegal immigration in his program, will not end soon . I don't think so . Like America's Most Wanted , the show will go on and on.

I Am John The Senior

2006-07-18T04:27:00.000-11:00

Harper is in shit . The Prime Minister of Canada is under criticism for mouthing the White House lines regarding the Israel handling of the present crisis.. Not surprising . After all Harper is as conservative as Bush . The Conservative Party to which Harper belongs is aligned with the Republican Party. In Asia , Harper will be called the puppy of the Administration . That's in the days of student demos. It was fun and dangerous at the same time.

I recalled this period with amusement and admiration. Admiration for the steadfast belief of the youth of yesteryears. Not to say that the youth today are ' lazy ' or contented . It's just different. Hillary was criticized for her labelling the young ones as such . Her own daughter was 1st to call her attention to her mischaracterization . I guess that's when you know that you are really an adult. You've become your mother or father !

When War Is Fun

2006-07-15T03:46:00.000-11:00

This is an excellent time for news lovers . It's exciting because of several crisis happening in the world right now. There is the Israel-Hamas fight , then followed by the Israel-Hezzbolah war . These are coming right after the India bombing and N.Korea missile launcing .Oh , don't forget the ongoing Iraq drama and Iran nuke problem. What a mess ! Actually , these sporadic ' wars ' can be fun if not for people dying. I remember the first Gulf War was some experience for me and most wokers in our company. I was working as a Manager for a plant in Saudi Arabia. That's the time that Saddam sent several scud missiles to Riyadh. Initially , we were afraid 'cos there's been talk about Saddam fitting these scuds with deadly chemicals. So in the first few scud attacks , we donned our masks and sought shelter when the siren sounded. After a few of these attacks , we found out that the scuds were ' harmless '. These scuds were not fitted with chemical weapons. From then on , every siren was greeted by our people not by fear but by cheer. We would raced to the rooftop of our building and watched the US Patriot missiles intercepting Iraq's scud missiles in mid air . It's like watching the New Year's fireworks show.
What a sight !

Enuff Of Regis, Think World Issues

2006-07-13T04:22:00.000-11:00

I stopped watching America's Got Talent . I find it sickening . Same thing with ' So You Think You Can Dance ' . Sorry if you are a fan of these shows . I just find these shows revolting . The TV world is so full of talent contest . Models competing , housewives showing who's better etc. I guess that's the trend. Last night, I decided to be TV less . I just went out and look at the development in our area. Lots of construction . One wonders how come so many people still think of America as the land of opportunites . The jobs are going to China , India and some countries where labor is cheap and enviromental control anf ergonomics rules are non existent. It's true. I once worked for an electronic company in the Far East where waste water treatment was operated only when there was a visitor. For show obviously. Then such things as load and distance of travel by the poor workers were not taken into consideration when assesing workload. Unbelievable. You tell them about carpal tunnel and they would think it some sort of fish living in a tunnel. Will these modern world issues eventually be introduce to them ? Yes , Mr. Global Warming Al Gore will do it !

Running Of The Bulls

2006-07-11T02:51:00.000-11:00

The running of the bulls is on its 3rd day . Coming at the heels of the World Cup , this yearly event started in Pamplona , Spain largely unnoticed. To those looking for excitement , this runfest is the ultimate excitement . Why you asked . Imagine a 6,000 pound animal ready to gore you to pieces not to mention the danger of being stomped to death by fellow thrill seekers. As of this morning , the Gore Report is not too bad . There is one seriously hurt and he was not even a participant . He was a sideline observer who got gored by a bull who veered out of the normal path. Too bad.
I know many people who specifically go to Espana for the running of the bulls. It is not enough that they see the beautiful sceneries not to mention the equally beautiful senoritas , they got to participate in the event. Good luck to them.

Simon's Book

2006-07-08T16:55:00.000-11:00

I finally finished reading Simon Cowell's book entitled ' I Don't Mean To Be Rude But ...'. It was easy reading 'cause it is not too long and it covers light subjects. Nothing much to digest. It' s show biz after all. What's interesting 'bout Simon is how simple his taste is .Completely pop music. No fanfare. Even his fav songs like Unchained Melody and She Loves You. For a guy so critical of a lot of peeps , Simon actually is nothing more than a regular guy with a simple taste . That explains his fondness for the t shirt versus the formal suit.

What is interesting about his life is the start of his involvement in the recording business. It's not like Wall Street careers where the top people are nomally grads of bigtime schools with law or finance degrees and an MBA to boot. In the recording industry , you can start at the bottom and rise to the top like Simon. Imagine that . You can make millions even if you are not a successful recording star. Just a good judge of talent like Simon.

Mick Jagger = Riot.

2006-07-07T02:04:00.000-11:00

The other day , I watched Chuch Berry's TV Special . It was a show he did in one place in St. Louis where as a kid blacks were not allowed inside. What special about this was the presence of guests like Sean Lennon and Eric Clapton. They showed an old film clip of John Lennon and Chuck doing a duet . And now Chuck was with John's son doing the same. Of course , Julian is not as talented as John .
Chuck is considered the idol of many rock and rollers. He's an amazing guitarist. Oh by the way , Chuck has Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones as a back up gutarist. Do you know that Johnny Depp's character ac Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Caribbean was patterned after Keith ? I think it's brilliant . And I think that's jusy right . Imagine if Depp based his character on Mick Jagger's instead. It will be a riot !

Imagine If Your Leader Is This Joker

2006-07-05T02:18:00.000-11:00

The news is all about Noth Korea's firing of 6 miisiles yesterday and 1 today. Crazy Kim Il Jong. He timed the launching to coincide with the 4th of July celeb. Japan was particularly concerned . The missiles eventally fell in Japan Sea.

Jong Il is one odd leader . He is a collector of Hollywod films aside from Michael Jordan tapes. Jong Il collected several ' best actor ' awards for films he starred and produced for local consumption. What kind of fool will do such a thing. He is known as a playboy at the same time a brutal leader who kept his nation from progressing economically. You must seen his character parodied in Mad TV.
I visited Japan , Taiwan and even South Korea and I can tell that these countries are rich economically and culturally aside from free. The same cannot be said of Noth Korea. Just because of Kim Jong Il.

Imagine The Feeling..

2006-07-02T06:37:00.000-11:00

Imagine the feeling of the astronauts of the Discovery Shuttle. It's the nth time the launching of it has been postponed . It's the weather again , they say . It musy be a clear sky before the control team gives the OK . The CNN announcer said the peeps must be like those attending a wedding that keeps getting postponed . I tell you what . If I am the groom of that wedding , I will be long gone .
Actually , the announcer was reffering to the peeps who came all the way from different states to watch the launching . I am sure they have their hotels booked for a certain number of days only. Next time , just make sure you have plenty of allowances .
The space shuttle astronauts have !

The Firing Of Star Jones

2006-06-30T09:54:00.000-11:00

The internet is inundated with the news of the fiasco at The View . The war of words between Star , one of the show's host and its exec. producer , Barbara Walters , is getting ugly. Last night , Star appeared in Larry King's show and explained her side. Larry read ABC and Walters' written statement . Who's telling the truth ? I think Star was the aggrieved party here. Anyone who's been let go or fired by his/her company will sympathize with her. All the marbles are at the employees side .The suddenly ' jobless ' employee is helpless.
In today's world , the Star incident is repeated nth times . How many peeps are losing their jobs daily ? A lot. We can only guess . Unfortunately , some lose their jobs eventhough they worked really hard . Some put their full trust in the companies for years. You are lucky to retire in good condition financially and in good terms with your firm.

If I Have A Billion Dollars

2006-06-28T03:21:00.000-11:00

I'm sure you've heard the incredible donation made by billionaire Warren Buffett to the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation . Something like $ 30 billion dollars. The biggest charitable donation ever . What would make a man do such thing ? Belief . Buffett is a believer of that ' we should not leave too much wealth to your children that they will see no need to strive '. I wonder how his kids feel? Actually , one of his grandkids was a guess by Ophra one time when she tackled the topic of super rich kids and how they spend their time. She was with the kiddo from the fame Johnson and Johnson fortune. Buffett's granddaughter was quite refreshing .She shows no trappings of enormous riches and in fact is working her way in the art business just like other peeps. Just like other peeps . I am sure she doea not have to worry whether she sells one artwork in her life !
In any case , I just find the subject of wealth interesting .If I Have A Billion Dollars ... so the song goes .

Fruits Of Summer

2006-06-26T01:26:00.000-11:00

It was a busy weekend for the whole family. It's because it's the 1st weekend of summer . Summer is really great . I worshipped summer because of the ' long days '. You know . The sun is still up to 9 p.m..I just like the fact that you can stay in the backyard until the darkness appears. You can do a lot more stuff.
Another of ' summer treats ' are the fruits which are normally available only during summer . The strawberries are fantastics . Very soft and juicy. Bought a crate of it and some plums . In a little while, cherries will be available.We hope to do some cherry picking then . When I do that , I make sure my stomach is not full. It's because I eat cherries while I fill my basket with ' newly picked ' ones.
For now , it's strawberries a plenty. You can buy these at roadsides this time of the year. I have not experience picking strawberries but I assume it's backbreaking . It's much more fun picking fruits from a tree .

New Laptop

2006-06-23T05:42:00.000-11:00

I was excited yesterday 'cause the cable installer readied my TV for the long awaited installation. The deal was good and I should have HBO and other channels soon . It took sometime to do the job. I was busy myself doing some computer work. Talking 'bout computer work , I am not sure about my pc's capabilities . I want to try you tube work on some video clips but I'm not sure how to do it. I'll try to learn it. I gave my son the new laptop which I am sure can handle tough stuff. My wife just bought it from Best Buy . It's supposed to be a college present once he starts going to university but I can't help but tell him about the new laptop. My son is very happy of course. He took it with him to his apartment and I'm sure bragged about the laptop to his girlfriend . My wife said I wanted to be the hero that's why I gave it in advance . Maybe.

Association

2006-06-21T07:21:00.000-11:00

My wife attended the homeowners association meeting yesterday arranged by the MV Homes.
People from different locations were there. She was supposed to be back in 30 mins. time but as the door was closed in the venue where the gathering was held, she had to finished the whole thing. She missed her fav TV show while I did not have my dinner 'till 10:00 PM. The only consolatin was she won 2 raffle prizes . A t shirt and a cap. She's wondering if our son will like the cap. It's black which is cool to young peeps but has the name of the builder on it. Actually , I kinda' like it .Maybe , I 'll just keep the cap.
She said she saw the coordinator there. The tiles in our new house is screwed up. I suggest , they just change the counter ( of one of the bathroom ) rather than re tile again. Less work and cheaper .However , the counter installer and the tile installer are 2 separate contractors . In as much as it's the tile installer's fault , it should be him to do the rework. What a shame .

Building A New House

2006-06-19T11:54:00.000-11:00

It's funny when you are building a new house. Suddenly , you are into the nitty gritty of things. From the type of counters to the color of tiles. The wooden floor can be challenging . Looks like there's a million stains to choose from . I just gave up on making decisions. I let my wife do that . Of course , she makes sure to ask me.

Another transformation in me is the TV programs I patronize. Lots of home building and house deco shows are must see TV now. Spent hours and hours of watching them . Suddenly , Ty is your fav TV personality . You know , that exteme home makeover guy. I heard he's paid tons of money to do the program . There is a role model for little kids . Before , that's a definite no no for a career - carpentry. Now , it's not too bad . From the fun side .

Wealth

2006-06-14T06:38:00.000-11:00

Monday and Tuesday were kind of busy really. Busy watching TV and reading the latest issues of my favorite magazines.I hope to get satellite TV soon so I can watch HBO . I heard there are a lot of cool shows like Entourage . I caught a glimpse of the new show called Windfall in network TV. It's about the lives of different lotto winners . How they handled their new found wealth and how money changed their lives. It's a good plot or plots because I'm sure the winners handled them differently.

Some time ago , I came across a documentary about real peeps who won the lotto. Some of them more than the others. It's interesting. I sometimes , I hear of lotto winners not quitting their jobs despite the windfall . Crazy . What are these peeps thinking ? If I am their boss , I will ask them to resign . How do you handle peeps who have gazilion dollars ? Would they remain motivated ?

Imagine if you win the mega lotto. I will probably spend my time travelling around the world and meeting a variety of people. Nope , I will bring them over using my jet to see my mansion . It's better .

Try And Try Until You Die

2006-06-12T06:22:00.000-11:00

The day started pretty well . And early. I caught the Nadal-Federer title match of the French Open. I was rooting for Nadal because Federer was too dominating for tennis . The Swiss beat everybody except the Spaniard Nadal. The 20 yrs.old clay specialist has a winning record against Federer. Something like 7-1. Poor Federer . He failed to win the French Open once more.Until next year for him.

I did some channel surfing actually . I watched This Week . The talk was about Zarqawi's death as expected .What I love the show is the Sunday Funnies. I always look forward to that.

Early Morn

2006-06-10T11:00:00.000-11:00

Woke up early and had breakfast at Mc Do . What I like this time of the year are the number of cars with top down. I read somewhere that peeps who go around on their convertibles are reliving their youths. I must agree that a lot of them are 'older' folks. Maybe that's the case.

I wanted to see a Pontiac Solstice on the road . It's a great looking car !

Tony , Tony , Tony

2006-06-07T13:47:00.000-11:00

I watched a film earlier and it was good. I am excited about the last episode of Soprano. My wife brought home a copy of it. I heard it was not 'violent' enough. Kind of lame for a series . There are just 12 episodes left which will be shown later this year . Then it's finito.

Sunday Watch

2006-06-03T15:12:00.000-11:00

As usual , I started Sunday late . Woke up at around 10:30 AM and tried to catch the last of the talk shows . I managed to watch half an hour of This Week with George S. . Lame topics today . About gay marriage and the Bush plan which actually most of the invited newsmen find untimely. There are more important issues the US should worry about. like the high price of oil , immigration/border and the Irag war .

First Step In Publishing A Book

2006-06-01T06:31:00.000-11:00

Last night , I listened to author Dale Brown. He is a best selling author specializing on novels touching on military exploits. I will check Brown's books .He is supposed to release a book a year.
His advice to would be author is just continue writing and don't be discourage. One is not supposed to submit your draft straight to the Publishers but to find an Editor. The Editor will arrange everything if they find your work OK. Good advice.

People Can Change

2006-05-31T13:12:00.000-11:00

Cindy Lohan was a guest in Late Night with David Letterman. She's a knockout . Somehow , she has lost some of her appeal. Seems she is just another starlet in the mold of Paris , Nicole and the like. Oh well . Maybe she will turn out to be an Angelina who devoted a large part of her time to helping other peeps .
Let's hope .

Starting Over

2006-05-27T07:06:00.000-11:00

I transferred my blog to this site. I reckoned it's good to start over again . Fresh start. So here I am doing my initial post . I titled my blog afeter JL ' s Imagine. At this stage of one's life, that's all you can do . Use your imagination. Not because one is jaded but rather I'm still hoping . The power of one's imagination is immeasurable ! Right John ?