May 30
ErinGarbage, Work
Right now my leg muscles hurt. Every single one. The last time I felt something similar to this was when we watched the E’heads concert. My lower back also hurts but that is something to be expected. The bedroom now stinks from the menthol-laced oil that I applied to ease the pain. 🙁
The reason for the pain was I had to stand up most of the day during the Agile methodology introduction that I co-facilitated. My physique is really not something that can tolerate standing up most of the time. Now I realize that aside from the time that I had willingly sacrificed for the training session, I now have to unwittingly sacrifice some more to the pain.
In retrospect I can say that I regret being the primary facilitator for the training. I don’t like speaking engagements because I am not confident enough to put into words what I am thinking, much less in my non-native language. Thankfully the audience today was very forgiving and the mood was relatively light. Jon who co-facilitated the training with me has me enthralled in his public speaking prowess. He seems very at ease in handling the audience and that is something that I would like to possess someday.
I am looking forward in seeing the feedback as I know this impromptu shepherd has lost some sheep along the day’s journey. But for now I would settle in looking forward to some reprieve from the pain.
Sleep, my mistress, I bid you to claim me tonight in your bosom and provide some relief. Please don’t let that mischievous Cramps worm his way into our union as he will definitely wreck havoc for tomorrow if he gets his way…
ciao!
May 18
ErinRubbish
One thing I hate about all of these unlimited SMS promo is that it has increased the amount of spam text messages that I receive in my mobile. It is not uncommon for me to receive at least one per week as the barrier for spamming has been greatly reduced.
Here is the most recent 319ish spam message that I got split into logical sentences to ease the English and human-speak translation.
E2 bago # ko. / Here is my new number.
musta na kau? / How are you?
ok lang naman ako dito. / I am alright here.
may ipapadala ako sa inyo mga gmit! / I have some stuff to send you!
mer0n ka d0n.. / You have a reserved item there..
pakiloadn mo nga muna ng 300.. / Can you please load 300 (credits) to this number…
imp0rtante lang. thanx. / It’s just important. Thanks,.
The Filipino language is very intimate and respectful so the things that might not be readily discernible that the sender was always using the plural form of you to denote that (s)he is talking about the recipient’s family.
My alarm bells got tripped mainly by the fact that I don’t know the sender’s number and there is no mention of any name that will tell me that I really know the person who sent the message. It just banked on two things: getting on the Filipino’s family-oriented nature to get credibility and respect, and the human nature’s penchant for greed.
As with all spam operations, the rate of “biters” is very little so if every text message sent is equal to one peso then the ROI for SMS spamming is a very steep curve. The telco promotions cured that financial barrier as one night of unlimited SMS sending capabilities can cost as little as Php25. A crafty spammer only needs to hook up a phone to a computer and begin blasting these messages in the hope of catching one or two gullible greedy souls.
For those who did bite, I can’t say I empathize with you as you only have your greed to blame.
ciao!
Apr 07
ErinTop of my head
My wife’s nieces are staying with us for a week. While watching TV, an ad was played showing a senator commandering and pedaling a commuter tri-bike in a poverty-stricken area while spouting lines that roughly translate to “I will take care of you”. The 10-year old niece nonchalantly and innocently looked up and asked “Tito, eleksyon na ba?” (“Uncle, is it election time already?”).
And they are passing those ads as what again?
Apr 05
ErinTop of my head
Lifehacker had an article on these Earthtainers which basically converts any plastic containers into a water-efficient pot.
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The novel concept is using the capillary properties of soil which in layman’s terms mean that the soil will sip the water into the plant’s root system. This will make watering more efficient as all water (sans evaporation) will go into the plant and not drip into unused soil.
The instructions to build this container is freely distributed but a little daunting for non-DIYers like me. The quoted price of the whole thing is around US$20 but that is because they used some pretty sturdy materials. I don’t see any problem doing this in a smaller scale using the KFC chicken buckets and some smaller tubs (e.g. yogurt or icecream cups) with lots of holes as wicker baskets. It might not be as pretty or as massive but it will be definitely more applicable for people with smaller area.
ciao!
Mar 23
ErinTop of my head
How come when I am at work I have tons of ideas on what to do when I get home but when I get home I am drawing blanks?
Mar 20
ErinGarbage
[NOTE: A blog entry that started February and posted in March. Very un-procrastinator of me :P]
It all started with the desire to minimize the amount of waste we put out so I commandeered a broken laundry tub from our neighbor’s backyard and started a mini-compost pit. All of our food waste went directly to the tub which I covered with some sandy soil that I collected around the village. Decomposing is fun in its own way especially when I can find some worms that I can place in the tub to naturally hasten the decomposition process.
Then one day the chili seeds we threw in the tub started growing that I became so ecstatic. You see I always thought that I have the black thumb: the ability to kill any plant that had the misfortune to touch. When some tomato seeds started growing then that was the time I began transplanting the seedlings to pots and empty biscuit cans.
And here is the first fruits of my labor:
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| My first fruit harvest |
 |
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| Tomato Plant |
Not much but they seem to be the best tasting tomatoes that I have had. The plant gave out around 5 more fruits but they were stunted because the plant itself started to die for some reason. I think it also have something to do with the excessive heat and strong winds that nearly killed and blew down most of my shrubs.
Oh yeah, I also have the following
– 4 Oregano pots courtesy of a single shrub given by my mother-in-law.
– 6 Tarragon pots that I split from a single pot bought from Tagaytay. I still have no idea though where I can use tarragon but these seem to be the ones heavily affected by the gusty afternoon winds.
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| Sorry tarragon offshoots |
– 2 Mint pots that came from the single pot I bought from Tagaytay. We usually pick some leaves to put in a pitcher of Coke. When I become frisky enough, I’ll mix some mojitos.
– 1 pot of Basil that I don’t think are looking tasty enough.
– 1 pot of a Chinese parsley that had no chance of growing properly. The reason is we frequently prepare tokwa’t baboy to which we garnish with parsley. 🙂
And lots and lots of chili pepper plants. Some were already being planted on the thin front garden soil. To date I have taken two chili pepper pods from them. 🙂
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| The Chili Pepper Army. |
More pictures can be viewed in the Picasa Gallery.
ciao!
Mar 08
ErinReviews, Rubbish
Yesterday we went to the Eheads concert held at Mall of Asia concert grounds. Looking back I am torn between liking and hating the event based on various personal reason.
- The ticket was free. Technically my wife bought the silver tickets but I didn’t spend a single cent for them. 🙂
- The energy of a concert crowd, much more a very passionate one, cannot be matched by viewing a recorded video.
- It was nice to see the ‘heads back again. They already grew old but some of the antics that endeared them are still there.
- Most of the songs in the set were from the Circus and Cutterpillow albums which IMHO are the best albums they have ever released.
- The crowd was singing to every song so the fact that the band keeps on changing the lyrics of their songs adds a refreshing twist to the performances. Marcus’ reggae rendition of “Huwag mong itanong” was very entertaining.
- Since the venue was a reclaimed area, there was a slight breeze that occassionally blows into the crowd area, which alleviates the heat and humidity.
- The traffic going to MOA was horrible. The traffic when we went home was even worse. Typical of Manila traffic I can’t figure out the cause of such a traffic jam when every vehicle is driving along the same direction.
- The venue (specifically the silver and bronze sections) was literally filled to capacity. This triggered my utter dislike for places where there are too many people. It is not really agoraphobia but I really, really hate crowded spaces which is why I don’t go to sale events if I can help it.
- Some people are downright inconsiderate. Two notable examples are the people who smoke with disregard that not all people in the concert are smokers, and those ladies who sit on top of their boyfriend’s shoulders and effectively block the view of those behind them.
- The stage was too far from where we were that the people in the stage were like an inch tall. We viewed the concert mostly from the large screens placed strategically around the venue. The effect is like viewing everything from a large TV screen.
- Only the VIP section have seats (or so I thought until Paeng corrected it in the comments 🙂 ). Which effectively killed all the feeling I have on my legs and lower back. The lucky few were able to indian-sit but when I tried that my ankles hurt more.
- We forgot to buy drinks when we entered the venue and it was neigh impossible to move from our location during the set break. My thirst was already killing me that I found it very hard to enjoy the concert when it resumed.
- The event was too heavy with advertisements. Streamers and banners are one thing, viral multimedia on the wide screens and speakers are another. There is only so much repetition of ads can the audience take.
- As a whole, we spent 11 hours for a 2.5 hour concert.
- Organizers and sponsors should really think twice about feeding hosts to a bored mob that has been bombarded by the same set of advertisements for hours. MTV fielded 4 VJs (Anne Curtis, Kat, another female VJ that I don’t know and a guy) and the mob was killing them. Anne was relatively unscathe but the guy bore the brunt of it. I can’t even understand what the guy was reading off his advertisement clipboard due to the boo and hoots coming from the audience. A couple of hecklers on the silver area have even started a chant for him: “Wag kang iiyak” (“Don’t cry”). I almost pitied him but for the fact that my feet are already killing me from waiting 3 hours standing up for the concert to start.
- Ely Buendia is not the best vocalist when it comes to live perfomances but still an E’heads concert is an E’heads concert.
- The strain between Ely and Raimund is pretty obvious. Near the end, they had a misunderstanding that was pretty evident especially since there are screens that are devoted to tracking the movement of each band member. Buddy was evidently the mediator of the group.
- Never ever fight the mob. The woman who sat on her boyfriend’s shoulders learned that the hard way when she tried fighting the jeers of the people whose view she blocked. She made the mistake of rationalizing that she cannot see anything because of her height and she paid for her ticket. Those same reasons applies to the people she is blocking.
- I was disappointed that Marcus didn’t smash his Hello Kitty guitar. 🙂
All in all, I don’t think I will be going to another standing slot only concert any time soon. But I will always be an Eraserheads fan.
ciao!
Mar 06
ErinTop of my head
I can’t figure out why people would still unplug an electrical appliance if they have already turned off the mechanical kill-switch on the outlet that it is connected to. Some people are really just sheep.
Feb 23
ErinGarbage
- Why did the holiday only cover the schools? Shouldn’t it be an all or nothing deal?
- If the holiday declaration is to avoid having more non-working days this year, why not hold it on the actual date of the original bloodless revolution?
- Why can’t the roads be like what it was today everyday, a joy to drive through?
- Why can’t MMDA do something about the traffic that the Kalayaan fly-over construction is causing?
- Why does our system punish the drivers who obey the law and reward those who bend it to the breaking point?
- Why didn’t I win the 6/49 lotto?
- Why do I feel I am beginning to suck at everything that I do?
ciao!
Feb 22
ErinGarbage
I have decided last week to keep both my twitter and tumblr accounts. This blog now has the widgets that gets the feeds of both micro-blogging sites. To enable me to blog from areas that prevents me from accessing them *cough*office*cough, I have signed up with twittermail and ping.fm which allows me to post via email and instant messengers. The instant messenger portion was previously handled by imified.com but their bot is no longer reliable thus a need for replacement.
To keep things simple, this blog will contain the full flege ramblings. The twits will be limited to short updates and “heat of the moment” rants while tumblr will retain my initial purpose for it: a host for shorter blog posts that may or may nob be converted to a full post.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? 🙂
ciao!
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