Upgrade Your Personal Dictionary

     If humans did not discover a way to communicate through words, I can't imagine a world where people grunt, point and stump to get a message across.  Google defines LANGUAGE as the method of human communication, spoken or written, that's made of words arranged in a structured or conventional way.  I speak 3 languages:  English, Filipino and my own dialect, Bicol.  (There's still a debate on the difference between languages and dialects so OK, I will count Bicol as a language^[1]).  I'm quite aware that I have not perfected those three yet so I use them with care and try to mind my grammar as much as possible.

     Oopps, don't ever think for a second that I will bore you with all that stuff because the introduction is not  at all the point of this post.  Yes, it still has something to do with language but if you're not Pinoy or if you don't speak the Filipino language, please read NO further.  But if you are and you understand Filipino or Tagalog, then read on my friend.

     It's funny how sometimes we become creative with language and invent a version for our own amusement.  For instance, Filipino homosexuals have what they call "swardspeak^[2]" (also known as "Bekimon" or "gay lingo") and when they talk among themselves, you might wonder whether you've gone insane or you've landed on the wrong planet.  I received a BBM broadcast from @Varrylicious a few weeks ago and just thought that I'd share the content with you guys.  It was quite a laugh and the list might surprise you on how language has definitely evolved in ways that you can't imagine.

Words/Terms That Needs To Be Added To Your Personal Dictionary

• THE EGG - kapag mas magaling s'ya sayo, "the egg" ka n'ya.  Papa "the egg" ka ba?  


• DUE CARE - if you're a fan of Batman movies, s'ya yung kalaban ni Batman, si "due care."  Oo, s'ya talaga.   You have to believe.


• IN SEX - these are small invertebrate animals, especially those with several pairs of legs.  Halimbawa ng mga "in sex" ay ants, bees, bother fly, bugs...

Buko Pie from Melgian's Sweets

     My brother was in Laguna a few days ago and brought some pasalubong^[1] on his way home.  He was nowhere near our favorite Orient's Buko Pie but he was able to get some buko pie, among other things, from another store.  And since I'm a buko pie fan, I cannot miss this opportunity to compare.

     Folks, this is the buko pie from Melgian's Sweets.  According to the information printed on the box, it's made from buco, milk, sugar, eggs, flour, margarine, and cheese.

I'm Loving The Province

     Hey guys, how are you all doing?

     I'm having my vacation here at home in the province and a bit busy with something that my brother and I are brewing -- thus my long absence from blogging. It's supposed to be just a few days visit at my parents' place but something came up and it needed my attention so I extended indefinitely.  Anyway, just wanna tell you all how much I miss blogging and while I'm picking some stuff in the city, I dropped by at a nearby coffee shop and said HI to all my blogger friends and loyal readers.

The Monsoon Flood Through The Lens Of My Camera

     A few more hours before I head home to my province for a short vacation, I found myself in my room with nothing much to do.  As I transfer images to the desktop to free some space on my camera, I saw the photos I took a week ago during the height of the monsoon flood.  Going through them, I can't help but silently admire how resilient we Filipinos are.  Surely we have other positive traits, but one prominent characteristic that surfaces at the most crucial of times is our ability to cope and survive -- and most of the time, with a smile.

A boy aboard his improvised vessel looks on as two men settles aboard a boat.
Third day of southwest monsoon flood, Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City, August 9, 2012.

     Looking at the photos on this post, you can see how difficult the situation was for some of our fellow Filipinos.  Unlike other affected areas in Metro Manila where water have receded immediately, flood water in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig have stayed for at least a week.  Even worse was during the Ondoy flood back in 2009 when the flood lasted for almost a month.  The images below are plain proof that no matter how hard circumstances can become, people will always find a way to live through it and never lose hope.

Monsoon Scrambled Eggs with Beef, Oats and Tomatoes

     Being trapped in my apartment because of the monsoon flood have required me to be more creative with my food and what supplies I have left.  Today, I'm gonna share with you guys my scrambled eggs recipe that I have named after the flood which brought havoc to Metro Manila.

"Monsoon" Scrambled Eggs with Ground Beef, Oats and Tomatoes

Ingredients

For the Ground Beef Adobo:
1/4 kilo Ground beef^[1]
Oil for sautéing
5 cloves garlic, minced^[2]
1/8 cup chopped kinchay
Soy sauce, salt, and pepper to taste

Platehead.com's SPAM E-Mail

Tuesday, August 7, 2012:  Just as the monsoon flood is threatening the safety of thousands of people in Metro Manila (read my post and check the photos on this LINK), I'm in my room managing my worries and praying that the flood water does not go further beyond the gates outside.  The muddy flood water which greeted me that morning was made worse by the rain that went on through the day.  And as I monitor the happenings in the country, I also went through my e-mails and saw a really nice offer for a "web content writer" position.  I scanned the message and made a mental note to attend to it as soon as the monsoon flood situation becomes stable.

     Here's the full copy of that e-mail:

From: writers@platehead.com
To: yourlook2day@yahoo.com

Hello Michael X. XXXXXXXXX

We are looking for committed individuals to add to our team as internet marketing assistants/Virtual Assistants/Web content writers/copywriters

Job description:

You will be given a wide array of internet marketing related tasks and projects, especially search engine optimization work.
Tasks would include writing blog posts, publishing articles, web development, creating joint ventures with other websites, etc.

Skills required:

You must be fluent in written and conversant in the English language
You must be proficient with web-mailing, browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, etc.
Experience with building/managing websites and HTML,CSS,PHP, etc. are preferred.
Internet marketing experience preferred, but not required.
College degree preferred, but not required.
"Willingness to learn new skills useful for Internet marketing"

Pay:

13000-14000 per month starting pay.

How to apply:

Please submit atleast 1 article about "Information Security & Techonology" to writers@platehead.com

This job is 3 hours a day and 5 days a week we offer high compensation for qualified employees.


Thanks 

     Sounds legit, right?  Aside from some typo errors (i.e. missing punctuations and incorrect spelling), all seems to be in order.  But boy, was I in for a great surprise...

10 Best Ways to Ease Back Pain

     Anyone on the planet is not exempted from experiencing back pain.  A study^[1] once revealed that 90% of Americans experience back pain at one point in their lives.  A recent report from CBS News^[2] declared a much improved statistics, stating that 8 out of 10 Americans suffer from back pain at one time or another.  The difference on the findings does not really indicate a huge development.  Thus, the struggle against back pain continues -- and on this post, I've put together a list of the known effective ways to fight off or prevent back pain.  Please deal with caution as this is just presented for educational purposes.

     Back pain is that debilitating pain felt in the back which usually comes from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or structures in the spine^[3].  It can have a sudden onset or may be a chronic pain; it can be constant or intermittent, might stay in one place or extend to other areas of the body; it can be a dull discomfort or a sharp, piercing, or a burning sensation.  Back pain can be a cause for sleepless nights or an uncomfortable day all throughout. 

     Whether you are presently waging a war against back pain or trying to prevent it, here are some effective and recent solutions:

10 Ways To Ease Back Pain

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1) Inversion Therapy

     Many causes of back pain is attributed to the natural force that gravity puts to the body.  Inversion therapy claims to reverse gravity's effects by allowing you to hang upside down or at a certain angle using an inversion table.  Inversion therapy allows the body to work with the downward pull of gravity, which will then increase the space between the vertebrae and relieve pressure on the areas of the back that are in pain, such as the discs, ligaments and nerve roots.  Inversion therapy claims to reduce back & neck pain, relieve stress, reduce sciatic discomfort, stretch and relax the entire body and other benefits such as improved posture and improved blood circulation.  Consult with your doctor first before doing the therapy and invest on a quality and trusted inversion table brand if you decide to do so.