preMEDitated

A/H1N1, otherwise know as the “swine flu”, has caught the world holding its breath for fear of it breathing a lungful of contaminated air.
With a current casualty rating of 151 deaths, thousands of sick and infected persons, and stopping an entire metropolis in its tracks, A/H1N1 can no longer be ignored by the international community. Not to downplay the effects of this virus; which can cause dizziness, coughing, sneezing, and basically everything associated with other flu viruses; but its name has branded a certain population of the planet: pigs.
For the information of everyone, there are many subtypes of swine flu viruses. A/H1N1 is just one type in this category. Nevertheless, this subtype has gained for itself the title of being “the swine flu”. Yet despite its name, “A/H1N1 has not been isolated in pigs! The only thing link it has with the hogs is its structure, which, however, is not even a pure swine flu virus. The strain currently infecting the world has human and avian flu viruses parts in it.
Due to the nature of flu viruses, which are notoriously famous for their crossing over to different species, there is yet no conclusion as to what host (swine, human, or bird) caused the shift of this virus type to become contagious in a human-to-human type of transmission.
So in behalf of all the disparaged pigs in the world.
Please DO NOT:

1. Stop eating pork – Give pigs the chance to fulfill their lives’ yummy purpose, specifically being enjoyed on the dining table.
2. Kill all swine in your country*

Sources:
1. Understanding Swine Flu Spread: Questions and Answers (Update1)
2. International SOS Swine Flu (“Pig Flu”) Update > FAQ
3. Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu

* The intelligence of Egyptian Muslim officials is know highly suspect considering their recent order to kill all swine in their country.
Support the Christian minority (10%-30% of the population) in Egypt. Many of them base their income and livelihood and especially their diet on the condemned animals.

Congratulations to the newlyweds Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo.
After years of being in a relationship with each other, the two have finally tied the knot on April 28, 2009.
For such a high profile couple, the wedding was surprising in that the details were kept secret. Most of the 80 to 100 guests were even informed only about 2 days before the event. With the couple’s invitation kit containing half a pair of slippers, a map, and a note with instructions; they went early in the morning to witness the event at the San Juan Nepomuceno Church in San Juan, Batangas.

Photos of the event can be seen at the ABS-CBN site.

Btw, I have never been a fan of Judy Ann or “Juday”, as she is known by her fans, nor of Ryan Agoncillo. I didn’t care either way about their relationship, and I had condescending thoughts of their fans. Yet I must admit that I felt very happy while watching news coverage of their wedding.
I didn’t go howling, giggling, and screaming like a fangirl. I just had a few butterflies in my stomach. They looked authentically in love with each other that it would be impossible not to be affected by the event.
Nevertheless, the wedding did not convert me into one of their loyal groupies. My opinions about their capabilities remain the same. I do, however, offer them my deepest congratulations, and wish them a Happy Ever After!
CONGRATULATIONS MR. AND MRS. RYAN AGONCILLO!

With no end still in sight for the current financial crisis, the average consumer is faced with the problem of buying goods at increasing prices with his income at a fixed rate. In order to survive, he must learn some bargaining skills in order to extract the best possible deal with the lowest possible resources. Nevertheless, with the advent of standardized pricing as seen in shopping malls the practice of the art of haggling has declined especially among the younger generations. Fortunately, there are still shops that can still play the old bargaining game. Here are a few rules* for the soon-to-be-savvy consumer to guide him in his quest for more savings.

Rule 1. Be unimposing. Note your posture, and remember not cross your arms. Do not give shopkeepers the impression that you are “better” than them. They would feel threatened and give you a higher price. Speak their language, or at least show them some effort. This gives them the message that you are human and in need of a break.

Rule 2. Maintain eye contact. This shows them that you are not just interested in their products, but that you are also interested in what they have to say. This in turn starts them in a generous mood.

Rule 3. Never interrupt. Give them an impression that they are in charge of the conversation. Remember the rule that it is easier to steer someone if he thinks he is in charge.

Rule 4. The bargain is your goal. For example you are buying fish in a market. It doesn’t matter if the fish you are interested in is not the freshest in the market. What matters is if you are willing to buy the fish for the price given. Do not speak against their quality! Feigned disinterest is more successful than insulting a shopkeeper by disparaging his wares.

Rule 5. Act like it’s a game. It’s a contest of wills. Enjoy the banter with shopkeepers. So what if you fail, there are always other stores and other opportunities. In order to improve your skills just practice, practice, and practice.

Rule 6. Use the power of silence. Ask them if that’s the best they can do, then keep silent. Eventually, they’ll name a price. Btw, you could always walk out if you don’t like the offer.

Rule 7. Know your limits. Your purpose is to save, not throw away money. Shopkeepers may offer you the lowest prices in the world, but if they are beyond your range then don’t buy.

Rule 8. Negotiate as if you’re negotiating for others. Your family, friends, children, or organization may need the product desperately. Be their voice. This gives you the courage and will to strike a bargain.

Rule 9. Bargaining is win-win. Remember that shopkeepers need you, while at the same time you need them. A good bargain is fair for all participants.

*Most of these rules are based loosely from a conversation with Mitchel Waylander a character in Betrayal at Krondor, the best RPG ever.
Some of these rules are distilled from an article by Amy Reiter at Salon.com.

Filariasis, specifically lymphatic filariasis, causes the dreaded illness called elephantiasis. Due to the SAFE FOR WORK nature of this blog, no images of elephantiasis would be shown on this site. For the curious and the masochistic among my readers, I suggest you google for pics.
Suffice it to say that I’ve just been given the standard treatment for the prevention of elephantiasis: 5 tablets of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and 1 tablet of Albendazole. I have yet to actually drink the stuff, but they’re now in my possession.
Call me a little paranoid, but I had been bitten by mosquitoes in a filariasis-endemic-community about 3 days ago. For those not in the know, filariasis is transmitted from the bite of a mosquito carrying filarial worms, taken from biting an infected patient. The government recommends endemic areas to hold mass medication drives to stop the chain of infection.

I don’t care if:

1. I was bitten at full noon when filariasis-carrier-mosquitoes (Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori) usually bite at night.
2. the last positive case confirmed by nocturnal blood testing happened years ago.
3. that that case was in a community several kilometers away from were I was bitten.
4. that side effects of the antiparasitic drug DEC include drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and a host of other rare symptoms.
5. that even some midwives who handle health centers in filariasis-endemic-areas don’t even take the regimen!

I just want to be sure I’m free even from risk. Heck! I don’t even care if elephantiasis does not show up in its irreversible, maiming, and disfiguring glory until 5 to 10 years after exposure.
I’m taking the drugs now. Yes, I’m already unsealing them from their precious containers. Pretty soon, I’ll be gulping them and they’ll do their work against the tiny worms, real or imagined, in my body.

Btw, if you live in a filariasis endemic area, I suggest you take the drugs. They are given free if you only but ask in your respective health center…

Twin Rats aka Kambal sa Uma

Notice the resemblance?
Look closer.
If you strain hard enough, you’d swear they’re twins. NOT!!

In an ambitious bid to increase its ratings, television network ABS-CBN has recently launched another high budget teleserye: Kambal sa Uma. Featuring rat-human mutants, Kambal sa Uma is an adaptation of a 1979 movie of the same title. One word of advice: Avoid it like the bubonic plague.

You don’t believe me?

Do you know the show is based on a stupid premise? A pregnant woman, who somehow got insanely interested in rats, gives birth to rat-human mutants. Wow. They expect us to believe that unhealthy obsession with rats can actually make rat genes combine with human genes.*

Still having faith in folk stories?

That’s good. You can follow their advise and stop bathing on Good Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, and on all days that fall on the calendar. Who knows, you might smell like your rat-human-mutant-idol soon.

Surely you’re not impressed with the acting?

The extras are horrible! They react too quickly. For example, some extras removed one of the rat-human-mutant’s clothes, thereby exposing her furry back. They showed disgust**, even before the dreaded exposure.

And did I mention the show was stupid?

Yes it is, but not as stupid as the logic of the show. I don’t think Filipinos would dare kill deformed children, even if they look like abominations of the human-rat-hybrid kind. Experience dictates that Filipinos are more enterprising. The show should have featured the kidnap of one of the rat-human-mutants and sold her to a freak show!

Do you know that stupidity is contagious, especially if seen on TV?

You don’t?!! Then I pity you. The show must have taken hold of your intellect. Btw, I saw a mild case of Kambal sa Uma-induced stupidity today. He’s not yet at your level but he was getting there. He just came to the Health Center where I was doing my immersion when he suddenly said:
Hala! Buhi lagi na siya?!
WHAT! She’s alive?!
Apparently, what he last saw was one of the young rat-human-mutants being thrown to sea to drown. (Did I mention that those extras should have earned money had they sold the mutant at a freak show instead of murdering her?) As a sign of respect to the old man, I kept silent but my head was going:
WHAT!? HAS THE SHOW POSSESSED YOU THIS EARLY? THAT SHOW IS ONLY 1 WEEK OLD. YOU HAVE SEEN SCREEN SHOTS OF THE MUTANT GROWN UP, RIGHT? WHY WERE YOU SHOCKED TO SEE HER ALIVE?!

Btw, perhaps I’ve made a hasty diagnosis of your mental capacity. You may have some hope left. Surely, the show mustn’t have possessed you too quickly. Let me test your IQ with one question. If you can’t answer this, then you’re hopeless. Keep watching the show. It’s already owned you…

Q: What does Uma in Kambal sa Uma mean?

WHAT?! YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING THE SHOW FOR A WEEK, AND YOU STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT ITS TITLE EVEN MEANS? THEN THAT JUST PROVES ME RIGHT. STUPID. JUST STUPID. KAMBAL SA UMA IS STUPID.

*I don’t care if it’s Filipino folklore. It’s still stupid.
**Oops, I think disgust is too heavy a word to describe what they were trying to portray. It does, however, describe the way I felt about their acting.

Some psycho killed a cat in UP.
Let me correct that statement, psychopaths supposedly don’t know the difference between right or wrong. His blog post of the event (now made private but is thankfully saved in its original form here) shows that he does know the difference between right and wrong.
The murderer is identified as Joseph Carlo Candare, also known as JC. He is studying for a degree in BS Applied Physics at UP Diliman. Some people actually vouch for his “niceness”, but the truth is that he has a very dark side to his nature. In his own words, he describes the process of his crime:

I pulled it on its tail and threw it. Then like some pro wrestler I jumped on it and my feet landed on it’s torso. Slam! Felt good! But the cat didn’t die, well not yet. It ran for it’s life and just as I was about to catch up on it somebody yelled: “Pwede bang pabayaan mo yung pusa?!”
Won’t you leave the cat alone!

The bravado of his post just sickens me. I won’t be posting anymore flak about his crime. Googling his name would show that the Internet is currently abuzz about him. He is now facing murder, bomb, kidnap, and gay rape threats among others. As for me, I just hope disciplinary action would deal justice on him. Here’s his half-cooked apology that still sounds, hmmm, arogant?:

So there you go I’m sorry. And I wont be striking another one for maybe about a month. It feels good when your beating it(a cat) up but you suddenly feel something strange when it turns off permanently. That’s how I feel right now. And maybe for the next days. Dang, am I a cat serial killer?

Apparently, this boy has some deep psychiatric issues. He seems to be budding a serial killer tendency. He has an urge, a sick urge, that could only be satisfied by cat murder. Heck! This guy is dangerous. Better lock him up fast, and rehabilitate him.

PS I’m sure the cat is now at peace, but as to his safety and reputation — he’ll have Hell to face with in the following days.

I just had my first serving of dragon fruit.
It used to be called pitaya, but its marketers thought that sounded crude so they settled on calling it dragon fruit. They hoped it would turn an otherwise simple desert fruit into something exotic. IMO, it does have some resemblance to dragon scale, but all affinity to the mythical beasts end there.
The fruit is neither fiery hot, nor is it icy cold; powers fantasy tales attribute to dragons. In fact, its taste seems like a contradiction. I have to admit that I have never tasted anything like it before, but despite its originality the experience was forgettable. I cannot recall what it tastes like, and that is a bad thing for something that is priced so expensively.

So if you’re ever in the mood to try something “exotic” and somehow decided to try dragon fruit, don’t blame me for not warning you about it…

I would be going to Cebu tomorrow.
I may be back to my PC in about April 17. So I’d be on hiatus mode for a while (Yep, even in Tribal Wars*). I would, however, occasionally post should I have time to lay my hands on a computer with Internet connection.
So I bid a adieu for a while…

*A tribe member is currently sitting on my account.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium, the lining that surrounds many organs of the body. The mesothelium covering the lungs is called the pleura. The mesothelium on the abdomen is called the peritoneum. The mesothelium on the heart is called the pericardium.
As with all cancers, mesothelioma is characterized by an uncontrolled growth of cells which eventually leads to more severe symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, blood in the sputum, and eventually death in untreated pleural mesothelioma. Most cases of mesothelioma start from the pleura, but occasionally they may start in the peritoneum or pericardium. Mesothelioma is associated with exposure to asbestos, often appearing 20 to 50 years after exposure.
Companies that worked with asbestos had known that its exposure was attributed to severe symptoms, yet they hid this from the public for decades. Unfortunately, for the estimated 3,000 Americans diagnosed with mesothelioma every year, it is too late. The damage has already been done. Modern medicine, although effective in alleviating symptoms and extending the lifespan of sufferers, can only do so much for most of them.
You may know of someone who suffers from mesothelioma. There’s hope for their compensation. You many contact a mesothelioma lawyer from The Maune Raichle Law Firm. They specialize only in mesothelioma litigation. Furthermore, this mesothelioma law firm also provides representation referral services such as treatment options, information distribution and education for you to learn more about mesothelioma, and most importantly they are active with victim advocacy.
The Maune Raichle Law Firm may be reached through this link.

I must admit that I can easily get hooked on to games. This is partly the reason why I no longer install games in my PC. They usually just eat my time away.
So it was an ambivalent time when I came across Tribal Wars. I didn’t install it. It’s online based. I originally planned to check on it twice a day, but it is now on all the time I’m online.

Tribal Wars is a text based, RPG cum Strategy game. Yet despite being only text-based, it has captured the liking of hundreds of thousands of people across the world. At any given time in all the worlds (at least 35 as of recent count) of Tribal Wars, villages are either growing stronger, or getting plummeted. Troops are marching off in victory or defending otherwise hopeless villages. Merchants are hauling off tons of clay, wood, and iron for trade to drive the economy of war.
Players join tribes, or are kicked off from them. Tribes make alliances with other tribes as easily as they break them. Diplomats broker negotiations. In short, the game is the focal point of the epic fantasies of thousands. Yet for all its features, the game to me is just one big “Lord of the Flies” scenario, wherein everything is right as long as it is supported by might.
I have to go cold turkey on this game soon. It has started to encroach on my real life plans. It’s now demanding my all. I must remind myself that this game doesn’t have an end, or even a redeeming value. Sacrificing my precious time for a 6000 point village, or villages, is pointless.

So in tribute to my disappearance on World 34 of Tribal Wars, here’s a pic of my village.
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Click on the image to view it in full size.