The Selfishness Test

If your eyes zero on in your face first when you look at photos, then you could be.

I'm a Filipino, First.

This National Language Week, I pledge to speak purely in Filpino: konyotic English is a taboo; English (outside of the office) is a no-no; bastardized half-baked Filipino is ewww...I pledge this starting...
NOW!
Ako ay mageensayo ring gamitin ang Alibata na aking natutunan noong ako ay nasa Araling Pangkasaysayan.
Nakakalungkot nga lang isipin na ang mga Pilipino ngayon ay mababa na ang antas ng kahusayan sa wikang Ingles at Pilipino. Saang wika na lang tayo magiging dalubhasa? Taglish? T__T

Eto ay kaunting paglilinaw lamang sa mga salitang madalas na mali ang paggamit lalo na ng mga dayuhan:
(for the sake of English-speaking bloggers):
Filipino - refers to all citizens of the sovereign land of the Philippines
Philippines - refers to the geopolitical entity that's 300,000sqkm
Tagalog - a dialect in the Philippines

Promenading Aliens

Having photo ops before going to the KONICOF convention on Women and the Science of Nuclear Technology. We were definitely ogled at by Korean students, walking from the dormitory to the meeting place.

My dear colleague, Tanya Quijano, was invited to deliver a speech in front of around 30 other nationalities. She appears here with Mr. Lee of KONICOF (a.k.a. Mr. Superman and ASEAN girls' ultimate crush. Sorry girls but I have to give you all away. ㅋㅋㅋ)

Nuclear Energy Generation in the Philippines

I guess it's hightime to say thank you to the organization that educated us to the importance of international cooperation and changed our perspective on the nature and utility of nuclear energy.


KOREA NUCLEAR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOUNDATION

Establishment of KONICOF
The importance and the role of nuclear energy will be ever increasing, as its characteristics of sustainability and cleanliness are distinguished from those of other energy resources.

However, because of strict international regulations imposed on the nuclear field, it is imperative that the government, instead of civilians, take an active role and provide full support for the expansion of international cooperation in nuclear energy research.

Korea, as one of the advanced counties in the field of nuclear energy, is challenged to shift from being a beneficiary to becoming the renderer and pioneer of nuclear technology.

And at the same time, there is a strong need to set up a firm foundation and strong support systems for the expansion of export in the field of nuclear energy because of the complicated procedures arising from international strictures.

The Board of Directors is composed of the heads of the following research centers: The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (KIRAM), Director of Atomic Energy Bureau, Ministry of Science & Technology (MOST), and professors of premier universities.

KONICOF has also been in cooperation with Daejeon University and ASEAN University Network. KONICOF aims to rectify the seeming incorrigibility of unwarranted fear of, and misconceptions about, nuclear technology especially in South-east Asian nations.

Despite the "power switch" in EU countries, I still am a supporter of nuclear energy generation in the Philippines. It is a necessary step in the transition to building facilities for renewable energy.

Hampering even more the move towards NE are the stupid senators who say that nuclear energy plants could easily be transformed for WMD manufacturing. Ignorance does bite.

A Financial Solution that's Accommodative ^^;

If you don’t know what unsecured personal loans are, then you could be missing a definite lifeline. Applying for personal loans is the second-best solution (having savings and emergency funds are still the best) if you are in need of urgent cash for personal use. Medical bills, debt consolidation, vacation allowance, and education expenses are the usual reasons why people apply for personal loans. This type of loan is amortized over a fixed term with regular payments of principal and interest (answers.com/topic/personal-loan-1). Unsecured personal loans usually do not require collateral and loan applicants are just screened for their ability to pay. If you are currently caught in debt, or in urgent need of cash, then Accommodative Financial Solutions could help you cross the financial bridge till you are able to manage your deficits. The website has a neat layout, with an image of a handsome man holding out his hand accommodatively gesturing financial help. Wouldn’t you just grab on to this! You can click on the pre-qualify hotspot (at the bottom of the website) to know if you are qualified to borrow. And if you are indeed qualified, expect that there would be no upfront fees, hidden costs, and setup charges.

Saturday Morning!

I've never felt so ante meridianly hungry in my life! I just woke up and I felt my stomach churning from starvation but I still managed to turn on my PC and write this entry. Anyhow, I saw this photo of my first ever lunch in DJU cafeteria in my cluttered desktop:



The side dish is an assortment of fruits with light mayo and milk. There's also twirly pasta Korean style spag, fish fillet, and bean curd soup.
Oh, I miss Korean food.

참! I'll head off to the dining!

Have a great weekend (for my Asian friends), and T.G.I.F. (for my Western blogmates).

Bring It Home Toni!

She's our one last hope for an Olympic medal. Welterweight Mary Antoinette Rivero will compete in Taekwondo tomorrow, Friday. She'll face off with Croatian Sandra Saric.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Go for the Gold!

A Different Chuseok Harvest

August 18, 2008
BBC News

For decades, Lee Tae-joon has wondered what became of his cousin, his childhood companion, who disappeared without trace at the start of the Korean War.

Now he thinks he knows the answer.

At an abandoned cobalt mine near the South Korean city of Daegu, evidence of a massacre is being slowly uncovered.

With brushes and trowels, working ankle-deep in water, a team of archaeologists is sweeping away the top-soil to reveal a mass of human bones.

It is thought that this cold tomb contains the bodies of up to 3,000 people who were executed and then thrown into a vertical mine shaft.

Mr Lee believes his cousin was one of them.

"My heart really breaks when I think that all this killing took place without any judicial process, and by our own forces," he said.

click here to read more.

Can't Let Go

Don't give me that stare,
It rends too much to bear.
Reserve that perfect smile,
It is a poison in beguile.
I'd drink it, though I know.
I'd stare at it, till I turn to stone.

Prison Library

In the library of solitary life
there is
On an old wooden shelf, chapping
It’s pages kept to itself
Gasping for breath that no one has given its letters.

A hundred silent touches
Each were mistaken; only false hopes
The book shall never be read.

When the library opens
It is still, and it waits
For a hundred dozen fingertips
There is one that can lift it from
The dusty wooden shelf.

First Team Building

No one in our team was late nor absent from work so we were given a team building fund for the month of August. We went to see Wall-e, ate a bombastic dinner at Shakey's and played till we drop in Time Zone.

Team Rio:


Karl, Me, Sir Matt:

Ducks do Turn into Swans

There is nothing permanent in this world except change.

The Face Shop makes nothing permanent.
Ergo, I still can be changed.

If you happen to be in Beijing...

...greet them for me. ^^

2nd Placer, First loser?

I don't think so.

Though Park Tae Hwan ended up second to Phelps, he did swim a good one! I was really rooting for Park in this ultimate swimming face-off...but meh,...He could have been Korea's most celebrated Olympian.

The Olympics of Development

Developed countries are dominating the Olympics. The host country is bagging a lot, the US is just an inch behind, and South Korea is contending strong.


The Philippines has been sending athletes to the Olympic games since 1926 but hasn't bagged even a single gold medal.

Indeed, one can never rely on [raw] talent alone.





Let's pray that our delegates bring home the glory. Even just a single gold can fan into a blaze the younger generations will of fire.

Bail Yourself from Future Unemployment

Having a job is only a temporary solution to a long-term problem: unemployment. I don’t want to be at the mercy of my boss every time recession kicks in. And I think that a better safeguard from an empty stomach is through entrepreneurship. If you are thinking of retiring, or on the verge of being fired, perhaps investing your separation pay would be the best step you can do. For business loan AfsLoansOnline can help you
open your own business. Funding is released as early as a week after application. It also guarantees that there will be no hidden charges. Loan application is also free. Above all, AfsLoansOnline assists its customers in finding lowest interest rates for Business Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and other specific loaning needs.

Go Team Philippines

Let's show our support to the Philippine Team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China!

1. Pink and Bubbly
2. Everything Kimchi
3. The Cake Chronicles
4. YOU

I'm tagging:
Mommy's Little Corner
Life in Korea
Pinoy Gaming World
Joy God's Grace
Mommy Passionista
Marvs18
Philippine Princes
Tentay Patis

A.I. (Androidal Infatuation)

A woman who won't die, whose beauty will not wither...
EMA...
Eternal Maiden Actualization

When I read this article about EMA, an anthropomorphic toy robot that kisses and smooches its--or her--owner, my initial reaction was to ask "why" would this kind of toy be manufactured? A robot that is intended to simulate the expression of human intimacy is 10x more unconventional than Tamagochi, if not more. It is not impossible for people to cathect* EMA as a human being; they wouldn't let EMA fall off a flight of stairs while anyone could just drop and break a Tamagochi without feeling the pangs of guilt.

I don't know.

Perhaps if EMA will be made more sophisticated, more like David (Hayley Joel Osment, A.I.), problems with "meaning" would surface. If we are making inanimate objects more animate, more human-like, wouldn't it be just right to accord them some love and respect, since what we are respecting essentially are the values that spring from their being human...? Equally important is the concern about the people who would fall in love with the future EMA, a.k.a Eternal Maiden Actuality in the far-shot future.




*to invest emotional energy

ECstumble

I was ecstatic about EntreCard's new feature: the EntreCard toolbar! Download it from here and begin stumbling on sites that have an ECard. This toolbar is really a must for all bloggers though EC toolbar only installs on Firefox 3. It doesn't work with lower versions, at least in my experience (so I had to upgrade).

Cake and Kimchi: A Match Made in Heaven

I have just procured a new blog: Life is a sweetly layered cake.

The Cake Chronicles.



It's going to be about my travels in Korea and whatever slices my co-author would post. Backpackers will also find here useful how-to's for reaching tourist spots in Korea. There will be photos, maps, transportation guides for everyone.

Find Your Language Exchange Partner Right Now

How can I practice my Korean if every Korean I know here wants to converse with me in English?... T__T I was supposed to take the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean)this month when I realized quite realistically that I'd just simply get at most a proficiency level of 2. Taking the TOPIK means taking 80U$D from the ATM, and I think that's about worth 3 or 4 TOPIK proficiency score. 8 is the highest possible level a foreign speaker in my category could attain. I'll postpone taking the test until I'm sure I can get a good score for all my money's worth.

Meh, I'll just study harder.... ^^; How I revel at that thought.

Anyway, the real deal in this post is this:

These days I'm learning informal Korean by talking with my friends in TT4you.com. It's a community of people coming from diverse countries who are eager to know and learn other peoples' culture and language. Think of social networking sites. But this is not just another one of those icky webs. TT4you is a free social networking site that allows members to actually voice chat with one another--for FREE. Yes, you've read it right. TT4you is a browser built in Skype, so to speak, where all registered members appear in the friends list. I was just so happy to have found out about this.

If you want to make international friends I think this place is for you. The website is decent as are the members. Join now and meet me there. ahahaha. my username is elliot86. We could have a good chat if we find a common time. ^^;