Saturday, February 16, 2008

David Archuleta!

I have a huge crush on this kid.

Well not just because of his looks and his windy and smooth voice.

With all honesty, though it's quite hard to believe, I wasn't exactly fascinated on his first appearance despite the angelic face.

For his voice, I live in the Philippines where most are granted with remarkable singing voice. Heck, even the mere 'tambay' at the nearby videoke bar is able to sing a bit of Humperdinck and Ogie Alcasid. I was using an umbrella and wearing my raincoat when God showered singing talents because I don't have, not even a pinch, of tone and harmony. Maybe my voice would be good for rallies or as a barker for jeepney rides but not for singing.

Though his voice is identifiable, let's just say that I'm too used to hearing a lot of good singing here. This is not to downplay his talent because I'm already see him among professional singers.

The one thing that made me admire him most was the fact that he had a problem with his vocal chords, he had a surgery. I can't exactly remember his problem with his larynx, or maybe throat, but to think that he still has 'that' kind of voice is just remarkable. His every performance is applauded with ease.


And he plays the piano really well. Playing the piano is one of my frustrations, aside from my singing. My singing can frustrate others though.

So yeah, I have a huge crush on him.



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Monday, February 11, 2008

Text Scammers

I just received a text message from +639063762647

This is exactly what it says:

“Notice From: D’Auditors of The PGMA. Charity Foundation inform u dat ur Cp no# Won Php.950.000 last, 2 . 11 . 2008 Pls!Call me n0w IM ATTY.VENUS A.AYALA,”

This is obviously a text scam. I didn’t even bother to reply but I did ‘Google’ the alleged attorney’s name. This confirmed my gut feeling that it was a scam. There were at least 3 top sites that had a forum regarding these modern nuisances. The 'PGMA Charity Foundation" keeps on using different numbers and different names for their fallible Attorneys.

How did I know that it was a scam?
1)   I never joined or entered any foundation or raffle so how can I even win? It's just too good to be true.

2) If you have really won from a legal raffle or foundation the number informing you of your winnings, then it would be coming from something like 2870 or 2868 (obviously I’m a Globe subscriber) business numbers for automated results. It won’t be coming from another SIM card number which is ideally for private use.

3) Why would you even call when the price you won is just P950. Though I know that the price was intended to be 950,000 PhP it was punctuated with a period therefore cutting the three other zeros.

Now if that is legal, no machine would commit such a typographical error because it would be detrimental to the sponsor’s reputation.

4) Read the message, it is poorly written and it's completely hilarious.
Beware of these text scammers, with the affordability of sim cards they easily change numbers.

For scammers remember one thing, “Rule of Karma.”

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What in the world is Grimace?!

This is re-posted here from my Friendster blog. Original date of posting is August 2006.

I bought a grimace Bobble-head toy with a Happy Meal. That’s when I felt a knock at the back of my head, what does Grimace represent? What is he? Heck, I don’t even know if he’s/she’s a he or a she (p’wede naman siyang maging babae ‘ah kahit mukha talaga siyang lalaki baka nasobrahan sa testosterone). I remember an e-mail sent by my cousin about grimace which was nothing short of hilarious.

The Characters of McDonald's

Ronald McDonald – the main character whose reason for existence isn’t quite in my grasp. What does he represent? Wild guess! McSpaghetti! Hehe, I just thought that his red and white stripes denote the spaghetti. Is the meat in the spaghetti, Ronald McDonald’s real flesh? Morayta Chainsaw Massacre?

Birdie? -- Damn! What’s the name of that yellow-bird in a pink dress? She obviously represents Chicken McDo. She was intentionally designed not to depict a chicken, sige nga sabihin niyo nga kung mukha siyang manok. Why? So there won’t be any case filed against them for false advertisement. (another assumption) If she really is a hen, that’s fallacy. Look at the size of the servings, how miniature (Kasi naman chicken fillet binibili ko eh, maliit talaga ‘yun).

Hamburglar – Bright Idea! The advertisers used a criminal as an image. A burglar! Guess what, he’s still in his prison-cell uniform in black and white. How foolish, kids are the only ones who appreciate (that is if they’re not scared) these surreal mascots and they have fun with a BURGLAR? Oh save McDo from real hamburger-thieves. If they established a thief as the hamburger representative then they should not complain for any missing buns and burgers.

I don’t know (and don’t care) if there are anymore characters but my favorite is Grimace, though I don’t have any idea about his true nature. I don’t even know his/her gender. The color violet is too unisexual to infer his orientation. Is McDo secretly promoting homosexuality?

Grimace – What does he stand for? Ano ba siya? Who’s the purple blob?
There has been an e-mail rampantly passed around with Grimace as the point of ridicule. It’s hilarious! I grieve for my loss of that e-mail. Can someone email it to me?

These are not my ideas though I did infuse some of mine. All of these were in the email, but I couldn’t find mine, so this is basically what I can withdraw from my memory bank and a few other thoughts.

Queries about Grimace:
1) What is he?
2) Why is he purple?
3) Why is he blobbish?
4) Why name him Grimace?

Some theories:
1) Kamote Fries. Grimace is alleged to represent Kamote Fries that McDo intended to include in their menu but didn’t push through. But it still doesn’t explain his ‘blobbiness’ and the origin of his name.

2) UBE flavored ice cream. That explains his purple shade and blobby feature but if he’s an ice cream why not use strawberry instead? Pink is more of a head turner than violet, it calls more attention. Also, pink is somewhat friendlier than violet. Grimace is also an absurd name for an ice cream. I mean, hindi siguro masarap ‘yung ice cream kaya napapasimangot ka ‘pag kinain mo. Or nahuhulog lagi kaya naiinis ka dahil sayang binayad mo.

3) A milk-shake. Possible, but why not present the character with its container? So people can quickly perceive what he signifies. Again, why name a milk-shake as such? Does the milk-shake cause a scowl or a grimace? Siguro masyado expensive?

4) This is the most probable conclusion. Grimace is a VOMIT! Haha! He is the result of the mixture of different McDo products vomited by a customer. It does satisfy our criteria;
a) The mixture of the different McDo products can be purple in color (haven’t tried, nor do I have plans to)
b) A vomit is blobby
c) Ngumingiti ka ba ‘pag nasuka ka? You don’t smile before or after you throw-up right?
Hence the name—Grimace.

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Sunday, February 3, 2008

Solicited Advice

Listen to your friends, especially when you ask for their opinion. Close friends always have something to say whether solicited or not. Usually, it is second nature to discuss a problem with your best friend or someone trustworthy. Moreover, they redirect you to the right path. But an advice is still yours to sustain or denounce, it’s always up to you to imbibe and apply what they say. This is because they view things on a different perspective, from the outside looking in, which is not ultimately precise. Yet for the same reason, they're vision might be clearer than yours.
   
Now why is that so?
   
It’s like playing cards; your view is limited to your deck. You see the players but you don’t know who’s got the Ace. You tend to act according to your hand's best play. Risking your King may be the key to winning, since you don't know what the future holds—you move unfavorably. A friend is someone who sees via a different angle. Since I used playing cards as a metaphor, this friend appears to be an accomplice in cheating the game. Well, as long as the thought gets through.

He or she looks at your situation in a more comprehensive and mostly objective manner, which is the ground for feeling antagonized, unless your friend has an unseen or unannounced stand. They may propose something which doesn't acquiesce with what you think. They might also perceive aggressors you never deemed as such.
   
What should you do?
   
Never disregard opinions especially when the intention is for your gain. Yet, never act without re-aligning their perspective with yours. This might be beating around the bush rather than hitting the mark. Take it into account because your friend’s advice deserves credit, however, place your position and infuse your line of sight. This may not be all-the-time fruitful but it usually is.
   
Where is the problem?
   
Your dilemma heightens when you neglect sympathetic counsel just because it sounds adverse or even ridiculous to the point of being obnoxious. When an individual ‘seeks’ another’s guidance, it is blatant incapacity to decide. Expectedly, that individual accepts an advice. But if he or she shrugs that off, the possibility of making a mistake is high.

Bear in mind, you have a limited view of the matter. Unless you have multiple perspectives, be accommodating of potentially contradicting standpoints. And if you do have that, it won’t hurt to have an open mind. An outside angle is inevitably different from an inside viewpoint. Also, credibility is causal to a positive result. But the varying stance remains unchanged unless you make a choice. So it is important to listen and act.
   
A friend may be inexperienced when it comes to love and relationships but his or her meticulous assessment could be beneficial. He or she might not be a Business major but is able to identify a plausible market. All the more, seeking counsel benefits you. Because when you don’t listen, you tend to end up in tears as you sober and soak your friend's shoulder until he or she asks, “Do you need a bucket?.”
   
Indirectly, friends get hurt when other people berate you for your fault. They get affected because it’s as if they weren’t there for you. They may feel the worst feeling of being powerless as you keep on banking insults.
   
And what do they do?
   
They end up defending you. They get hit by tomatoes and coleslaw too. It won’t stop until you accept defeat; you stop denying and try to stand once more. Now, if you fall face-first again—your friends leave you but your true friends will kick your ass and punch you with reality. They may not be as lenient as before but it only means they care. Now if friends have done their part, you should do yours.
  
Just what is that?
   
Listen and act.

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