Just a few hours more. =D (Grabbed from Ray's Multiply.)

This is it guys. We're gonna win this!

ONE BIG FIGHT!!!!

Paul Potts in Manila

Paul Potts will be performing at the PICC on October 8. I sooooooooooo want to watch, but I haven't figured out who to bully into going with me. For one thing, not many people know him. Second, a lot of people drop dead at the thought of sitting through opera. And third, I am not willing to pay for my bully-ee's ticket. (And ticket prices range from 750 to 4500.)

I'm not much of an opera fan. Never been to the opera. I just like Paul Potts. (Check the videos section of this multiply account, I posted all of Paul Potts' and Connie Talbot's Britain's Got Talent performances.) His journey is just so impressive. Phenomenal, even. And that voice. Wow. Words cannot describe how a song I do not understand would drive me to tears.

So anyway, I'll spend my self-imposed breaktime watching my Paul Potts clips. Maybe viruses are scared of opera. Who knows, maybe Paul Potts can cure me of this dreaded cold-mutating-into-the-flu thing. Arrrgggghhh. I think I'm dying.

Just read it.

(This is a forwarded text message. Just skip the grammatical errors and forego proper sentence construction crap.)

When the unfaithfulness of the wife became known, they quarelled.

And that guy killed his wife.

The 5-year-old kid was still sleeping, and the neighbors never did find out.

So it was a perfect crime.

The weird thing was, the kid didn't notice that his mother was missing even afer a day or two later.

So the father told his son, "Do you have anything to ask me?"

The kid said, "Nothing... It's just that...

HOW COME MOM IS ALWAYS AT YOUR BACK?"

Bwahahahahahahaha!!! Happy Halloween in advance! =p

My fine is... (from Troy)

This is fun to do. Just read the "offense" and if you' ve done it, you owe that fine. Keep going until you' ve read each "offense" and added up your total fine. When you are done, tell me your fine below and make the same entry. You don' t have to confess your answers, just the amount of your fine. Make sure you have a calculator with you before taking this test.

> Smoker -- $10
> Ever had sex at church -- $25
> Woke up in the morning and did not know the person who was next to you -- $40
> Had sex with someone on an internet site-- $25
> Had sex for money -- $100
> Ever had sex in the bushes -- $20
> Vandalized something -- $20
> Had sex on your parents ' bed -- $10
> Beat up someone -- $20
> Been jumped -- $10
> Crossed dressed -- $10
> Given money to stripper -- $25
> Been in love with a stripper -- $20
> Kissed some one who ' s name you didn ' t know -- $0.10
> Hit on some one of the same sex while at work -- $15
> Ever drive drunk -- $20
> Ever got drunk at work, or went to work while still drunk -- $50
> Used toys while having sex -- $30
> Got drunk, passed out and don ' t remember the night before -- $20
> Went skinny dipping -- $5
> Had sex in a pool -- $20
> Kissed someone of the same sex -- $10
> Had sex with someone of the same sex -- $20
> Cheated on your significant other -- $10
> Masturbated -- $10
> Cheated on your significant other with their relative or closeriend -- $20
> Done oral -- $5
> Got oral -- $5
> Done / got oral in a car while it was moving -- $25
> Stole something -- $10
> Had sex with someone in jail -- $25
> Made a nasty home video -- $15
> Had a threesome -- $50
> Had sex in the wild -- $20
> Been in the same room while someone was having sex -- $25
> Stole something worth over more than a hundred dollars -- $20
> Had sex with someone 10 years older -- $20
> Had sex with someone under 21 and you are over 27 -- $25
> Been in love with two people or more at the same time -- $50
> Said you love someone but didn ' t mean it -- $25
> Went streaking -- $5
> Went streaking in broad daylight -- $15
> Been arrested -- $5
> Spent time in jail -- $15
> Peed in the pool -- $0.50
> Played spin the bottle -- $5
> Done something you regret -- $20
> Had sex with your best friend -- $20
> Had sex with someone you work with at work -- $25
> Had anal sex -- $80
> Lied to your mate -- $5
> Lied to your mate about the sex being good -- $25

Tally it up and Title it ... "My Fine Is..."

'Google phone' in stores in October

'Google phone' in stores in October

by Charlotte Raab Tue Sep 23, 1:27 PM ET

NEW YORK (AFP) - Internet search leader Google took a giant leap into the mobile phone market on Tuesday, unveiling a handset developed with telecom carrier T-Mobile to compete with Apple's hot-selling iPhone.

The T-Mobile G1, the first mobile device powered by Google's open-source Android software, will be available in stores in the United States on October 22 and will cost 179 dollars.

Cole Brodman, T-Mobile chief technology and innovation officer, called the G1, built by the Taiwanese firm HTC, a "game-changing" device which will "power a new mobile Internet of the future."

The G1, which is a bit thicker but slightly narrower than an iPhone, will go on sale in Britain in early November and in other European countries served by T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG, in early 2009.

The G1 offers many of the features of the iPhone and Research in Motion's popular BlackBerry including a touch screen similar to that of the iPhone, a trackball for navigation, high-speed Internet browsing, Wi-Fi, e-mail, instant messaging and SMS texting.

It has a 3.0-megapixel camera with photo-sharing capability and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a feature lacking on the iPhone.

Internet retail giant Amazon.com announced shortly before the G1 release, in a direct challenge to Apple's iTunes, that the entire catalog of the Amazon MP3 music store would be available on the new phone.

The new phone has, unsurprisingly, been closely integrated with Google applications such as Google Maps and G-Mail and can display videos from YouTube, the video-sharing site purchased by Google in 2006.

"Google's strategy is all about broad reach for their services," said Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester Research. "It's just the first step in a long strategic voyage for Google."

Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner Consulting, agreed.

"Google is moving into the mobile devices market not to become yet another mobile phone manufacturer but to enable a large addressable market for its services and applications," she said.

"The G1 is the first of a series of devices that will come to market and will be optimized to offer consumers a superior experience when using Google services and applications."

Google hopes the open-source Android software powering the G1 will eventually become the dominant operating system for mobile phones and make handsets compatible with the networks of multiple carriers.

"A developer will be able to use it as a platform," said Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms for Google. "A developer will be able to modify the platform and make it better."

"It's very exciting for me as a computer geek to have a phone that I can play with and modify," said Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who made a surprise appearance at the launch event.

The phone, Google's first foray into the highly competitive mobile phone market, also will allow users to access the Android Market, where they can download software applications from developers around the world.

Google announced the formation in November 2007 of a 34-member group called the "Open Handset Alliance" to develop Android, including China Mobile, HTC, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, Telefonica, LG and eBay.

Google's share price rose by 4.62 percent in New York to 434.76 dollars shortly after the unveiling of the G1.

Thought/s for the day

Some people are just so predictable. And not in a good way.

Enough said.

Life explained (from Troy)

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in
or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'

The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten
years and I'll give you back the other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said:

'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give
you a twenty-year life span.'

The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long
time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said:

'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer
under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family.
For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'

The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty
years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said:

'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you
twenty years.'

But man said: 'Only twenty yea rs? Could you possibly give me my twenty,
the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the
dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy
ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our
family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the
grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and
bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

(copied from forwarded email)

Troy's advice on how to achieve a state of inner peace

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and we
all could use more calm in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on a Medical TV show, I have finally found inner peace.

A Doctor proclaimed the way to achieve inner
peace is to finish all the things you have started.

So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't
finished and, before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a
bottle of scotch, a bottle of wine, a bodle of tequila, a butle
of vocka, a pockage of Prunglies , tha mainder of bot Prozic and Valum
scriptins, the res of the Chesescke an a box a chocolets.

Yu haf no idr who fkin gud I fel. Peas sen dis orn to dem yu fee ar in
ned ov inr pece.

WILOCI Induction Night (Please pass.)

The UP Women's Lawyers Circle (WILOCI) will hold its Induction and Recognition Night on September 11, 2008, 6:00 pm, venue is at Social Hall B of One Roxas Triangle.

WILOCI will welcome and induct its new members that night, led by the recent female bar passers from UP. At the same time, WILOCI will honor some outstanding members. All female lawyers who graduated from UP Law are automatically members of WILOCI. While the ticket for the event is Php1,000 per member, the inductees will be free. There will also be a raffle. Door prizes include cell phone from SMART, some cash gifts, etc.

The Recent Female Bar Passers from UP are as follows:

1.Along, Angela Sigrid
2.Alviar, Myvilen
3.Amparo, Ma. Lourdes
4.Avance, Candy
5.Bacelonia, Joy Anne
6.Bacorro, Lianne
7.Balba, Jennifer
8.Balein, Mignonette Emelaine Gail
9.Barroso, Rachel
10.Bartolome, Sheryl
11.Batocael, (Domingo) Faye
12.Castenada, Kristina
13. Celino, Sarah Eufrosina
14. De Claro, Christine Joanne
15.Del Rosario, Julie Fe
16.Dela Torre, Mailene
17. Depasucat, reyna Faith
18. Dychiao, Lorraine
19. Espano, Mary Trish
20.Espinosa, Maria Karla
21.Gan, Paula Katherina
22.Gervasio, Lianne
23.Lim, Joanne
24.LLave, Maria Isabel
25.Lu, Anna Victoria
26.Luna, Sandra
27.Macapagal, Richelle Joy
28.Manalang, Kristina
29.Menez, Kristine Joy
30.Mercado, Katherine C.
31.Milla, Patricia COrpuz
32.Ong, Jennifer
33.Paner, Linda
34.Rafael, Hyacinth
35.Ramos, Carmen Grace
36.Ramos, Liz Michelle
37.Recolizado, Ma. Nerissa
38.Repol, Judy Alice
39.Reyes, Ronces Anne
40.Rienza, Pia
41.Romero, Rowena
42.Rosales, May Ann
43.Sabado, Susan
44.Sabitsana, Clemens Angeli
45.Sabundayo, Maria Lourdes
46.Saldua, (Castillo), Cherry
47.Sanchez, Dionne Marie
48.Sarinas, KAren
49.Sebastian, Mia Mary
50.Sevilla, Camille
51.Sicangco, Maria Cecilia
52.Sta. Maria, Odessa
53.Tagle, Sharon
54.Tamayo, Kristine Jazz
55.Tan, Vivian
56.Timbol, Jennifer
57.Tizon, Sheryl Ann
58.Togle, Maria Inez
59.Torralba, Mary Grace
60.Tumaneng, Rochelle Marie
61.Veloso, Tonette
62.Yumul, Ily Grace

Interesting...

Interesting. Although in my case and most of my friends', the whole thing's moot and academic. Anyhoo, I got this off Michelle (Santos)' Facebook page:

http://msn.match.com/msn/article.aspx?articleid=1781&TrackingID=516311&BannerID=544658

Can exes be friends?

By Analise Pendergast

Wouldn't life be a little sweeter if we could all just get along? But when it comes to exes, bad blood too often taints the mix.

The weird thing is, theoretically, you used to think this guy was the bomb! Even if you don't exactly miss being his significant other, maybe you do miss his hilarious sense of humor, his lasagna and the ways he really "gets" you as a person. Okay, so the party's over, but does that mean you drop out of each other's lives forever?

Transitioning from breakup to buddies is a tall order. Even with the best of intentions, it's not always possible to bury the baggage and make a fresh start as friends. But if you're both up for the challenge, the rewards can be great.

If you and your ex want to stay friends, make sure that you:

Give it time. Changes of this magnitude doesn't happen overnight. After a split, there will inevitably be issues to resolve, lives to reconfigure, feet to be gotten back on. It may take a couple of years or more before relating in a whole new way is really workable.

Disconnect old buttons. Didn't it drive you nuts, the way he always left his dirty socks on the floor? Know what? It's not your problem anymore. Detach from old judgments and irritations that bedeviled your former days as a couple. Remember the bigger-picture stuff you really like about him, and let the picky stuff go.

Dredge for grudges. If grudges lay buried in your inner underground, employ grudge-removal techniques forthwith. Whether your style is to sort it out in a journal, with a therapist or by beating hand drums and burning sage, do your homework and work it through. You can't expect to have an honest friendship until you harbor no hard feelings.

Clarify boundaries. Are you absolutely sure you're ready to be friends, and just friends? Is a little tiny part of you secretly yearning to re-spark the old flame, or have a roll in the hay for old times' sake? If so, stop right there. It's not yet time to pursue a platonic friendship if romantic intentions still reside within either of you. Wish each other well, and proceed with establishing your own separate lives for now.

Jettison jealousy. Nobody's expecting you to love the one your ex is with now, but do respect their relationship and be cordial, at least. Still, a little jealousy can be a natural reaction, turning that hip dinner for four suddenly unappetizingly cold and crusty. Suck it up and be nice. Besides, she's the one who gets to deal with that nasty sock habit now.

Offer the olive branch. Accompany it with a slice of humble pie. Forgive yourself, and him, for blunders and bygones. It's a delicate operation, but with wisdom, patience, and care, you can welcome this man you once held most dear, back into your inner circle. Like the old campfire song says, "Make new friends and keep the old. One is silver and the other gold."

The earth is getting bigger around the waist. Literally.

Because the planet rotates and is more flexible than you might imagine, it bulges at the midsection, creating a sort of pumpkin shape. The bulge was lessening for centuries but now, suddenly, it is growing, a recent study showed. Accelerated melting of Earth's glaciers is taking the blame for the gain in equatorial girth.

http://www.livescience.com/php/trivia/earthfacts/index.php?qnum=10

Paris Hilton for President (This one works. The one I posted doesn't pala.)

Fairy tale trivia

I just finished reading some of my favorite fairy tales, as translated from the original, i.e. with all the blood and gore and taboo that you can’t let children read. I learned quite a few things. The originals are actually quite different from what most people remember having read as children. (I think Ray can attest to this. Hehe!) Anyway, here are some things I thought were quite interesting:

(1) Rapunzel is the German word for lettuce. Rapunzel was named so because, as you may remember, her mom had such an insatiable craving for the lettuce from the sorceress’ garden.

(2) Cinderella is not the poor girl’s real name. She was called that in jest because she was made to sleep near the hearth, over cinders, that her skin was perpetually darkened by ash.

(3) The original Cinderella story originated from China.

(4) Cinderella does not involve a glass slipper, a pumpkin that turned into a carriage, mice that turned into horses, or rats that turned into a coachman and a footman. It actually involved birds magically flying gowns into the cemetery where Cinderella’s mother was laid to rest, and where she frequently visited.

(5) In the original Cinderella, both of Cinderella’s stepsisters were not ugly. They were, however, quite the obedient children to their mother, as the first cut off her big toe, and the second cut off a portion of her heel in order to force their feet to fit into the slipper. And yes, the original story says that blood flowed into the shoe.

(6) In the original story of the Princess and the Frog, the princess did NOT kiss the frog. She flung him at the castle wall in a blind rage. And THEN he turned into a prince AND married her. Bad sign, Mr. Prince guy.

(7) Snow White was seven years old.

More next time. Have to go back to work already.

Did you know...

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992. The vehicle weighed in at 6,300 lbs and was 7 feet wide.

Coca-Cola was so named back in 1885 for its two 'medicinal' ingredients: extract of coca leaves and kola nuts. As for how much cocaine was originally in the formulation, it's hard to know.

Cocaine was sold to cure sore throat, neuralgia, nervousness, headache, colds and sleeplessness in the 1880s.

Colgate claims "Tooth Fairy" as a registered trademark.

Dismal first-year sales of famous products:
1. VW Beetle (U.S.)--sold 330 first year.
2. Liquid Paper--sold 1,200 bottles first year
3. Cuisinart--sold 200 first year.
4. Remington typewriter--sold 8 first year.
5. Scrabble--sold 532 first year.
6. Coca-Cola--sold 25 bottles first year. (For total of $50; supplies and advertising ran $70.)

False eyelashes were invented by film director D.W. Griffith while he was making the 1916 epic, "Intolerance." He wanted actress Seena Owen to have lashes that brushed her cheeks.

For two years, during the 1970s, Mattel marketed a doll called "Growing Up Skipper." Her breasts grew when her arm was turned.

Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where it was first developed.

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

In 1984, a Canadian farmer began renting advertising space on his cows.

In 1991 Procter & Gamble won a $75,000 lawsuit against James & Linda Newton who were found responsible for spreading rumors that the company supported the Church of Satan. The two were distributors of Amway Products, a competitor of Proctor & Gamble.

In M&M candies, the letters stand for Mars and Murrie, the developers of the candy in 1941.

In the 1700s, European women achieved a pale complexion by eating "Arsenic Complexion Wafers" actually made with the poison.

67 million pounds of pesticides and about 3 million tons of fertilizer are used annually on lawns in the US.

A single share of Coca-Cola stock, purchased in 1919, when the company went public, would have been worth $92,500 in 1997.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992. The vehicle weighed in at 6,300 lbs and was 7 feet wide.

Americans consume 29 billion, or 58 percent, of the 50 billion aspirin tablets which are taken worldwide each year.

Americans spend more than $5 billion a year on cosmetics, toiletries, beauty parlors and barber shops.

Americans spent over $360 million in 1982 to avoid having bad breath.

Bayer was advertising cough medicine containing heroin in 1898.

Britain's first escalator was installed in Harrods in 1878.

BVD stands for the organizers of the company: Bradley, Voorhies, and Day.

Carbonated soda water was invented in 1767 by Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen.

Cheerios cereal was originally called Cheerioats.

Chewing gum was patented in 1869 by William Semple.

Coca-Cola was so named back in 1885 for its two 'medicinal' ingredients: extract of coca leaves and kola nuts. As for how much cocaine was originally in the formulation, it's hard to know.

Cocaine was sold to cure sore throat, neuralgia, nervousness, headache, colds and sleeplessness in the 1880s.

Colgate claims "Tooth Fairy" as a registered trademark.

Dismal first-year sales of famous products:
1. VW Beetle (U.S.)--sold 330 first year.
2. Liquid Paper--sold 1,200 bottles first year
3. Cuisinart--sold 200 first year.
4. Remington typewriter--sold 8 first year.
5. Scrabble--sold 532 first year.
6. Coca-Cola--sold 25 bottles first year. (For total of $50; supplies and advertising ran $70.)

During the Prohibition, at least 1,565 Americans died from drinking bad liquor, hundreds were blinded, and many were killed in bootlegger wars. Federal Agents and the Coast Guard made 75,000 arrests per year.

False eyelashes were invented by film director D.W. Griffith while he was making the 1916 epic, "Intolerance." He wanted actress Seena Owen to have lashes that brushed her cheeks.

For two years, during the 1970s, Mattel marketed a doll called "Growing Up Skipper." Her breasts grew when her arm was turned.

G.I. Joe was introduced at the annual American International Toy Fair in New York on Feb. 9, 1964.

Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where it was first developed.

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

Hungarian brothers George and L"szlo Biro invented the ball point pen in 1938.

IBM's motto is 'Think.'

If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.

In 1889, the 1st coin-operated telephone, patented by Hartford, Connecticut inventor William Gray, was installed in the Hartford Bank. Local calls using a coin-operated phone in the U.S. cost only 5 cents everywhere until 1951.

In 1964 General Mills began marketing Lucky Charms cereal with pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers. The marshmallow bits (technically referred to as marbits) were invented in 1963 by John Holahan. The cereal is marketed using a leprechaun character named Lucky (L.C. Leprechaun is his full name) that touts his cereal as being "Magically Delicious." Over the years the various shapes and colors of the marshmallow bits in the cereal have undergone many changes.

In 1965, LBJ enacted a law requiring cigarette manufacturers to put health warnings on their packages.

In 1984, a Canadian farmer began renting advertising space on his cows.

In 1991 Procter & Gamble won a $75,000 lawsuit against James & Linda Newton who were found responsible for spreading rumors that the company supported the Church of Satan. The two were distributors of Amway Products, a competitor of Proctor & Gamble.

In 4000 BC Egypt, men and women wore glitter eye shadow made from the crushed shells of beetles.

In M&M candies, the letters stand for Mars and Murrie, the developers of the candy in 1941.

In the 1700s, European women achieved a pale complexion by eating "Arsenic Complexion Wafers" actually made with the poison.

Insulin was discovered in 1922 by Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best.

It was the Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, CT, whose name -- and lightweight pie tins -- gave birth to the modern Frisbee.

Jergens Lotion was created by Andrew Jergens, a former lumberjack, in 1880.

Kikkoman soy sauce was originated in 1630 in Japan.

Kotex was first manufactured as bandages, during W.W.I.

Laser stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." Developed 1950s - 1960s.

Levi Strauss blue jeans with copper rivets were priced at $13.50 per dozen in 1874.

Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of linen.

Most American car horns honk in the key of F.

Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Perfume contains ethyl alcohol and 25% fragrant oils. Cologne is cheaper to produce and to purchase because the oil content in cologne is only 3%. Cologne was named for the German city in which it was first produced. The original formula combined alcohol, lemon spirits, orange bitters and mint oil.

The Baby Ruth candy bar was actually named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth. The Butterfinger candy bar was first produced by Chicago's Curtiss Candy Co. in 1923. As an advertising ploy, candy bars were dropped from an airplane on cities in 40 states.

The condom - made originally of linen - was invented in the early 1500's.

The electric chair was invented by Dr. Alphonse Rockwell and was first used on William Kemmler on August 6, 1890.

The first credit card, issued in 1950, was Diner's Club. Frank X. McNamara started the company with 200 card holders.

The first safety feature for an automobile was invented in 1908 by John O'Leary. He patented a large net, to be installed on the front fender, to scoop pedestrians out of the way before they could be run over.

The first toothbrush with bristles was developed in China in 1498. Bristles were taken from hogs at first, later from horses. The nylon bristles were developed in 1938 by DuPont.

The first toy product ever advertised on television was Mr. Potato Head®. Introduced in 1952.

The first US consumer product sold in the Soviet Union was Pepsi-Cola.

The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

The revolving door was invented August 7, 1888, by Theophilus Van Kannel, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The safety pin was patented in 1849 by Walter Hunt. He sold the patent rights for $400.

The soldiers of World War I were the first people to use the modern flushing toilet. The inventor: Thomas Crapper.
This sounds feasible, but isn't true! Crapper actually invented the automatic shut-off mechanism used in the modern toilet.
"Flushable" toilets were in use in ancient Rome.

The WD in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement. It was invented on the 40th try for a formula that worked.

The word vaccine comes from the Latin word "vacca," which means cow. This name was chosen because the first vaccination was derived from cowpox which was given to a boy.

The yo-yo was introduced in 1929 by Donald F. Duncan. The toy was based on a weapon used by 16th-century Filipino hunters.

There are about 30 milligrams of caffeine in the average chocolate bar, while a cup of coffee contains around 100 to 150 milligrams.

VHS stands for Video Home System.

When Scott Paper Co. first started manufacturing toilet paper they did not put their name on the product because of embarrassment.

Wrigley's promoted their new spearmint-flavored chewing gum in 1915 by mailing 4 sample sticks to each of the 1.5 million names listed in US telephone books.

Thought/s for the day

I’ve basically been bumming around since yesterday. I finished everything I have to do so far, and I’m just waiting for everything to come crawling back to my in-tray. So anyway, lately, I’ve been seriously considering either pursuing an LLM degree or getting a second (well, third, if you count the LLB) degree, in the natural sciences (I was thinking either chemistry or physics, both of which I’ve always been very interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in, but my dad wouldn’t let me.), or in humanities (literature, philosophy---dannnnnng, I shouldn’t have shifted out…). So anyway, since I’ve got tons of time on my hands, and unlimited free internet access, I’ve been browsing through LLM and other post-graduate degree sites and scholarship sites, and the US State Department Student Visa site, and goddammit, I need at least 2M to go study abroad. And that’s a conservative estimate. Quoting Mondy, “ANAK ng MINATAMIS NA KAMOTENG KAHOY!!!” Exaj!!! How the hell am I supposed to come up with THAT?!!! Fulbright requires at least 2 years of work experience. Fine, maybe it’s too early anyway… I’m just craving student-dom. It’s so addicting, I swear! And the thought of studying abroad, oh boy. Freedom!!!

Well, I guess I’ll study my options first. Take the FSO exam next year. Get some work experience. Figure out how to work around the whole expense thing. AND rank the so many things I want to do:

(1) Get myself my LLM degree.

(2) Pursue further studies, preferably relating to my other interests: chemistry / physics / literature / philosophy, etc.

(3) Travel. – One of the reasons why I want to study abroad.

(4) Visit my relatives abroad.

(5) Shop.

(6) Buy a car.

(7) Get my own place

(8) Invest wisely. – which will have to be balanced vis-à-vis # 5, 6 an 7.

(9) (Reserved for future use.)

(10) (Reserved for future use.)

By 2010, I ought to have at least started on one of these. Otherwise, my life is going to the crapper keeper.

I'm 52% mean. --> From Rich

[x] I think I'm gonna have a highscore on this. I'm selectively nice.

[x] I don't talk to one or both of my parents that much. My mom's dead, and I've never been chums with my dad.

[x] I have said horrible things to someone's face. But I generally have a good temper.

[x] I give people disgusting looks sometimes. Glaring counts, I guess?

[ ] I've been known to have an attitude

[x] I took heads off dolls or action figures when I was little. I wanted to see how Barbie's doll was connected to her neck...

[x] I have destroyed something valuable on purpose. I don't think so...

[ ] Most people suck. A lot of people do, but I'd like to believe that they don't constitute MOST PEOPLE.

[ ] I have thrown total tantrums. I don't think NOT talking constitutes THROWING a tantrum.

[ ] I get mad easily. I'm generally very level-headed.

[x] I have no clue when I'm doing it. Um... Yeah...

[ ] Sometimes I order people around. I've never been bossy. I think.

[ ] I am/was known around myneighborhood as the kid everyone else doesn't want their kids hanging out with. I'm known (back home, anyway) as a good kid.

[x] I've argued with a teacher. Before law school, I did. =p

[ ] I could honestly care less about school I've always liked going to school. I actually miss it. Even law school, or at least, parts of the law school experience.

[x] I love messing with other people's heads. Rich: but karma's a bitch ... Grace: Yep.

[ ] I've been told I'm conceited.

[x] I joke around

[ ] I yell daily. I get deadly silent when I'm mad. The look says it all.

[ ] I seem to always be in a fight with someone. I try to stay out of trouble.

[x] I don't like smiling but do anyway. I don't like having to be on my best behavior most of the time. It's so boring and tiresome.

[ ] I know at least 3 people I would like to kick the crap out of.

[ ] I love pranking people.

[ ] Freaking hate a lot of people. I'm indifferent towards a lot. I don't hate them.

[x] People annoy me very easily Pretentious people, people with a superiority complex, people who have entitlement issues, yes.

[x] Some people are just flat out immature. YES THEY ARE......

[ ] I always have to get the last word. Rich, I agree, revenge is best served cold :) or left to karma

[ ] I always have the perfect comeback. I try.

GRAND TOTAL: 13

ADD UP ALL THE X's AND MULTIPLY BY 4

THEN REPOST THIS AS' I'M __% MEAN

Stella Awards

RVC forwarded this to all the lawyers in the firm earlier today:

It only proves that there is no such thing as a "stupid lawsuit"

Are there any Stellas out there? So You can scratch Your head this morning .... Stella Awards For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico , where she purchased the coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy. Here are the Stella's for the past year: 7TH PLACE : Kathleen Robertson of Austin , Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son. 6TH PLACE : Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles , California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps. Go ahead, grab your head scratcher. 5TH PLACE : Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT, days on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowners insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish. Keep scratching. There are more... 4TH PLACE : Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the behind by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the bite, because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun. Grrrrr .. Scratch, scratch. 3RD PLACE : A jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster , Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tail bone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions? Scratch, scratch, scratch. Hang in there; there are only two more Stella's to go... 2ND PLACE : Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure. May I have a fanfare played on 50 kazoos please...... .. 1ST PLACE : This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first time out, she was coming home from an OU football game, she entered the freeway, set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down, $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home. Are we, as a society, getting more stupid, or what?

Who would've figured...

I just got back from my twice a week field trip with one of the partners. Can I just say, I met the cutest lawyer guy today! Hehe! Who would've figured that they exist?!! Phew. Please wipe the smile off my face. Basta. Cute. Glasses. Kinda fair, but not mestizo. Not so tall as to be intimidating. (Hello, how short am I?!!) Not short either. Average height for a guy. Looks smart. Good diction. Seemed to know what he was talking about. Amiable. Around my age, or two batches older. Atenean too, I think. He was with his lawyer boss. I was with mine. Our bosses chatted. We smiled idly behind them. I hope I get to see him at the public hearing next week. Hehe! As to everything else, I'm bound by confidentiality rules. Anyway, work just poured in. Guess I spoke too soon.

Regular holidays and Special (non-working) holidays for the rest of the year

FYI.

August 18 (Monday) - Ninoy Aquino Day

August 25 (Monday) - National Heroes' Day

November 1 (Saturday) - All Saints' Day

December 1 (Monday) - Bonifacio Day

December 25 (Thursday) - Christmas

December 26 (Friday) - Additional special non-working day

December 29 (Monday) - Additional special non-working day

December 30 (Tuesday) - Rizal Day

December 31 (Wednesday) - Last day of the year

2009 - January 1 (Thursday) - New Year's

Sana January 2 na rin para loooooooooooong break. I definitely need one.

Tax does not like me...

And I don't exactly love it either. It took me forever and a half to answer this question earlier:

If the property leased is used for residential purposes, is lessee required to withhold any creditable withholding tax on rental payments to lessor?

By now, the answers to questions like this should come automatically. But they don't. And that really frustrates me.

I had to look into so many things before I could finally answer the question:

- Are lease payments subject to creditable withholding tax? - Duh. I should know this by now.
- What does "use in business" mean for the purpose of rentals under RR 2-98?
- How does the distiction between capital and ordinary assets apply, if at all?
- Is the definition of "habitually engaged in real estate" for under RR 7-03 relevant?
- If "use in business" is defined for the purpose of determining the nature of an asset as a capital asset or an ordinary asset for the application of capital gains tax, is that definition applicable to creditable withholding tax?

Damn. I should take a refresher course or something. I hate the fact that I still don't have a firm grip on the subject matter until now!!!

So there. On to my next assignment.