Isla de Nebz

Cartooning Erap

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Here are my lines...how are your's?

Dialogue 1.

Kids: "Sana bigyan tayo ni Santa ng laruan tsaka pagkain..."
Erap: "Sana manalo ako sa 2010..."
Mouse: "Cheese, what else?"
Santa: "The kids will get their wishes. This Erap has been naughty and un-nice, won't. The mouse will be a nice meal for my cat."

Dialogue 2.

Boy kid: "Ate, wag mong kalimutang i-wish na magkatrabaho na si Tatay..."
Girl kid: "Oo naman no..."
Erap: "Sana manalo ako sa 2010..."
Mouse: "Cheese and an exercise wheel?"
Santa: "Nice kids, yes to wishes. Erap, you're too...ah, how do they say it? Kapalmuks? Ooopps...bad words. You can run in Luneta but please, spare the Filipinos from further suffering. Okay...you get the mouse for Christmas."

Thank you to the following sponsors of this cartoon:

The backdrop is Alex Gregory's of The New Yorker. They have an ongoing captioned cartoon contest which is super fun. The rules are simple and no drawing knowledge is required. By using the provided backdrop, characters, and props -- with a simple click and drop movement -- create your own cartoon and caption. Deadline is on 22nd November. Too bad it's only open to US residents.

The two kids were of Ada Mendoza of Flickr.

The mouse was from How to draw cartoons online website.

And finally Google Images for Erap and Santa.

How will you decide in 2010?

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:50:00 +0000

The best way forward in 2010 is to be in the know, as early as now.

The Philipine Daily Inquirer has an ongoing poll related to Philippine Elections 2010.

There are four blank lines to be completed pertaining to:

Hot topic: What 2010 Election is about.
Character trait: What your next president should be capable of.
Political hero: To whom you hope your next president will liken to.
Political scandal: That sin you hope your next president will not be capable of doing.

Says PDI: "Let's start a conversation going in the run-up to the 2010 elections. We’ve got to make a life-changing experience. Or, we’re done in. So, please share your opinions. Click to the form that will appear on the Philippine Daily Inquirer three times a week and everyday on INQUIRER.net. Monthly, the PDI Research Department will collate the results which will be published on the Inquirer and posted on the INQUIRER.net. Entries filled with good-thinking/eureka ideas/innovative approach/provocative opinion will receive surprise prizes."

I have not joined the poll yet; I will do so after writing this post.

My blog goes audio via Odiogo

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:17:00 +0000

Isladenebz is now in audio. You can, too, if you want. And it's unbelievably easy.

You may have noticed it by now that all my recent posts bear an audio icon, and if you click it, you'll hear a recording of my post. Yey!

The audio of my post is courtesy of odiogo which you can all have via a free membership and a widget.

Upside.

It's the coolest of the widgets that I installed in my blog. It's a dream come true to finally convert my posts into audio files without the need to record my, ehem, well-modulated, bedroom, ala-Inday Garutay's voice. Odiogo, in a way, freed me from further embarrassing myself.

The automated voice is also crisp and clear, especially in past tense words ending in e and d, like modulated or enunciated.

Clicking the odiogo icon allows readers to, instead of reading my lengthy, boring article, just listen to the near-human voice while browsing other blogs. And the converted voice files can easily be downloaded by anyone via my RSS audio feed.

Most importantly, it brings my blog to another level. In a way, I'm not just blogging; I'm -- sort of -- podcasting! Cool, isn't it?

Downside.

Because the voice is automated, it is sort of unfeeling: no dramatic pauses; no fluctuations in voice. It also reads the post in full -- including the errors! (Why, what do I expect? A self-correcting, automated text to voice application?! Duh.)

It doesn't pause to catch breath unless there's a period, or a comma, or a colon, or a dash. I thought it reads the tagalog words well although sometimes it's almost inaudible. It reads acronyms per letter, hence instead of saying peba, it says pee E bee A. It also reads links per letter like this: H tee tee pee colon back slash back slah gee owe owe gee el E dot see oh em instead of google dot com.

Odiogo covers only the last 25 of your posts. Post 26th onwards are not recorded, and unless you save the voice file can no longer be listened to.

Recommendation.

I would still recommend odiogo for blogs that are mainly written in English. As I said, it's cool, it's hip, easy to install, it's automated, and it's totally free. Why not give it a try.

Nokia OVI honors PEBA tweet work

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:34:00 +0000

Thank you, Nokia OVI, and congratulations gals & guys!

Surprise, surprise.

Last Friday, Nokia OVI honored the 'tweet' art entries of PEBA bloggers.

My Cyrano tweet won as well as Reymos' Michaelangelo.

Nokia OVI will make a shirt out of the winning entries -- (I'll of course show it to you once I receive it).

Kudos too to Azel's David and Aphrodite, George's Scream (and I thought his McArthur's tweet was also very good although I think Nokia OVI failed to see it prior to the deadline) and Minddeth's Statue of Liberty. I also thought RJ's Rizal tweet is good and truly historical.

Unforgetting

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:23:00 +0000

I'm so uncool: You taught me so many things, and I can't even be with you on your last trip.

You held my hand. You introduced me to forty other children. Mostly craned their necks out of curiosity. Some smiled. Others snorted. Mostly didn't even gaze at us. You said my name. They repeated after you. And that started our relationship.

One day, you asked us to practice writing our names on a piece of paper. I filled my notebook with my first name. I glanced at a classmate's work next to me and I envied her. Why would her name be a paper-width long? And who on earth could have such a long name? I felt like crying because I totally envied her name. She wrote neatly, I thought. And then you came to me, pat my head and said it's okay. You took my work and after some time returned it to me. On my notebook is my full name neatly written on top of the page. I've never forgotten the day you let me discover that I own not just a single name; that I too, like my seatmate, have a full name: first, middle and last.

You were talking to someone when I approached you. You smiled and you spoke my name. I asked you if I can be excused. I wanted to use the loo. And to my surprise, you introduced me to your friend and said: this boy has the best handwriting in my class. I beamed with gladness and I showed my toothless grin. I didn't even know that my handwriting was good. Year afterwards, in a conversation with a classmate, I learned that you spoke of all of us, your wards, with fondness as having 'the best handwriting', the 'most disciplined', the 'best leader', etc. The truth is: I believed you -- that my handwriting is good, that I am special, that I can achieve something because you believed in me.

You said you think I can act and you included me in a cast of a moro-moro play -- as a Christian soldier. I, again, beamed with pride and I proudly told my playmates about it. They promised to watch and they did. We practiced for a month long and you made sure we didn't forget our lines and we didn't miss our blockings (at a much later age, I realized that a blocking is a director's instructions on where an actor should go at a certain cue). At the show proper, although I had a hard time pulling the sword from its sheath so instead I just raised my hand, I thought we all did well.

One day you just looked at me blankly when a classmate came to you crying because I hit him. I was very afraid then and I prayed hard that you will not tell my parents about it because I'm sure my father will be very mad and I will get a beating. You made me apologize in front of forty other children and you made me promise never to do it again. And then, as a punishment, you let me clean the whole room alone. The boy whom I hit that day, collared me on my way home but I didn't fight back. I went home with a bruise on my cheek but I told my mother a can hit me while playing tumbang preso. Of course she knew I were in a fight but all she lovingly said was: Whatever your reason is, never, ever be in a fistfight. I learned that day that bad deeds don't go unpunished and that anger will get me nowhere.

We were together for what, six years? I didn't even ask how many kids you have nor where your house was.

Now, so many years later, I found things about you. That you had four kids, one of them the same age as I. That you were a wife of a jeepney driver. That, throughout your career, you had a total of four thousand children under your wing. That out of those four thousand, one of them became a priest, mostly became fathers and mothers, some became OFWs, others migrated elsewhere and never returned to our town.

Someone, a teacher, passed away and, it made me write this piece to honor all my ma'ams and sirs.

You taught me so many things; from you, I even learned how to cook rice -- how to wash them, how many times to wash them, when to lower the flame.

When my family transferred town, I never got the chance to see you again. Too bad, I didn't even get a chance to thank you personally. But I know that you're seeing me now and you know that I am very grateful for what you did and what you said to me and what you taught me.

But it sure is uncool that I can't take you to your last trip. You're in my prayers tonight and tomorrow night and the many nights after that.

You see, my teacher lies in a coffin tonight, thus I'm sad.

PEBA gives giveaways

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:36:00 +0000

Prizes to be won from PEBA: Nokia 5130, a stay at Jupiter Suite and whole lot more!

Whenever friends ask me what would be the prize in case I win in PEBA 2009, I always kiddingly say: nutriban!

Further say I: It's not the prize, dear! It's the honor! (And then they roll their eyes).

Wait then till they hear this: PEBA is giving away Nokia 5130 cellphones and a chance to stay at Jupiter Suite in Makati City, plus other giveaways!

And so, for the sake of my friends to whom I'm going to give away the shirts and other giveaways that PEBA is putting for the grabs (excuse but the cellphone and the hotel voucher are mine! hehe), I'm joining PEBA's call (as if I'm assured of winning this raffle but hey, I won't know until I try, right?) to link these three honorable PEBA sponsors:

http://www.jupitersuite.com/
http://www.nokia.com.ph/
http://www.digitalfilipino.com/

To join, simply put a text link in your sidebar for the above sponsors. For example:

Luxury for $50 a day...in the heart of Makati (for Jupiter Suite)
Here and abroad...connecting people (for Nokia)
Empowering Filipinos Globally with the Internet (for Digital Filipino)

Interested? Here are three simple steps for you:

Step 1: Visit any of the following host sites

Kablogs
Thoughtskoto
Dungeon Lord

Step 2: Look for this sidebar

Step 3: Register your name, e-mail and URL addresses.

Voila!

You will receive a confirmation e-mail from PEBA with text and links to be displayed in your blogsites. Posting these links in your website This will entitle you to a raffle ticket and a chance to win those fabulous prizes.

By the way, this is open to all bloggers. So join now!

If you're not enticed yet, then feast your eyes with these:

Those are the prizes you and I could win!

Stung by Sting: Answering questions using title songs

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

I tag all of you! Please do try it. It is fun!

This is a tag.

Apparently, the exercise came from Facebook. I saw it from the site of Wits and Nuts and I thought it's a fun thing to do.

The instruction is simple:  Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer the questions. Try not to repeat a song title.

It actually is a lot harder than you think. But it is a fun thing to do. Do try it!

Pick Your Artist:
Sting

01. Are you male or female?
Nothing `bout Me

02. Describe yourself:
Driven To Tears

03. Describe your significant other:
Perfect Love...Gone Wrong

04. How do you feel about yourself:
I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying

05. Describe where you currently live:
Island of Souls

06. If you could be anywhere, where would you be:
Consider Me Gone

07. Your favorite form of transportation:
Little Wing

08. Your best friend is:
Sister Moon

09. Your favorite color is:
Lithium Sunset

10. What’s the weather like:
Heavy Cloud No Rain, Tomorrow We`ll See

Sting is a favorite because I find his melodies haunting at times and his lyrics always poetic.

11. Favorite time of day:
Twenty Five To Midnight

12. What is life to you:
Rock Steady

13. What is the best advice you have to give:
We`ll Be Together

14. If you could change your name, what would it be:
Jeremiah Blues (but Roxanne will do)

15. Your favorite food is:
Tea in The Sahara

16. Thought for the Day:
Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot

17. How I would like to die:
I Hung My Head

18. My soul’s present condition:
Like a Beautiful Smile

19. The faults I can bear:
Why Should I Cry For You

20. My motto:
Love is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)

Postscript:

One of my most favorite of Sting's songs is Why Should I Cry For You from his Soul Cages album.

Says an article I found on the web: "Soul Cages is dark, wintry, and by far the saddest album of music that Sting ever wrote. None of the songs on this album went on to become the iconic hits that marked Sting's earlier career, but almost every song on the album is a masterpiece. And the heartbreaking Why Should I Cry For You is no exception. It tells a tale of missed opportunities...the poetic lyrics show Sting reaching deeper than before..."

A portion of Why... is below:

Under the dog star sail
Over the reefs of moonshine
Under the skies of fall
North, north west, the stones of Faroe

Under the Arctic fire
Over the seas of silence
Hauling on frozen ropes
For all my days remaining
But would north be true?

All colors bleed to red
Asleep on the ocean's bed
Drifting in empty seas
For all my days remaining

But would north be true?
Why should I?
Why should I cry for you?
Dark angels follow me
Over a godless sea
Mountains of endless falling,
For all my days remaining.

Relativity of time

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:30:00 +0000

“Eistein: Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relativity.”

Here are the two pages from my workbook: today's and last year's.

I was a busy body then and when you're busy, time flies oh-so fast!

The more work there is, the busier I am, the lesser is my time wastage, the more tired I am at the end of the day, the more pissed off I become and, more or less, a sounder sleep in the evening.

Today, I'm (pretending to be) a busy body, and how time flies so s-l-o-o-o-w! The lesser work there is, the more pretensious I become, the more time I get to spend whiling away time, the more wonderful sites I get to visit, the more addicting I become of blogging, the lesser I sleep at night (churning my November posts).

Which of the above episodes do you think makes me a happier being? Which of the two would make you?

I tried reading materials about time relativity but had to beg off because this particular article is way toooo long for me. I've no time to read such a lengthy article! :-(

Pasta de Nebz

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:38:00 +0000

My pasta may be untypical but they do taste good than the sound of the ingredients. Do try it at home.

Houseflies, tarsier and larvae.

Those were the things I used to scare the wits out of you. (If I didn't scare you at all, then I guess I'm not as twisted as I thought myself to be).

And as promised I'd stop being weird. In fact, this entry is the first in my blog.

I introduce you to Pasta de Nebz!

(Okay, the photo may look as unappetizing as yesterday's post but believe me, it is delicious and so unlike what you've tasted before!).

Ingredients:
pre-cooked pasta, 400gms
ground chicken, 1/4 kg
garlic, 1 clove, chopped
onions, 2 bulbs, chopped
celery, 1 bunch, chopped
water or chicken stock, 1/4 cup
salt
freshly-ground pepper

1. Simmer ground chicken, without oil and water.
2. Just as the ground meat emits its own oil, put garlic and onions.
3. Cover for a minute.
4. Stir occasionally.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. When ground meat is a bit brown, put pasta and celery.
7. Stir in chicken stock.
8. Cover for a minute. Let celery wilts. (The above photo was taken before Step 6).
9. Serve hot with garlic bread or pandesal.

For this recipe, I cooked the pasta without oil and salt.

Why a whole bunch of celery? I don't know. I thought I need something with strong flavor. I didn't put tomatoes because it may clash with the taste of celery.

Why am I suddenly cooking in my blog? As I said in my previous post, I do cook. And I personally do marketing. (And also pack my lunches).

But I'm never an expert cook. I am more of a hit-and-miss cook. There are actually only a handful of people who appreciate my cooking. Even my nieces sometimes don't like what I cook. Elvie's eldest once called my picadillo, pikadiri. Haha.

I don't know. I find cooking therapeutic, although sometimes the end result depresses me more :-(

Not this Pasta de Nebz. I personally thought this is even better than Rachel Ray's Aglio Olio which is one of my favorite pasta recipes. It's simply a pasta with anchovies and olive oil. Sometimes too I incorporate lime (or lemon) to get rid of the strong fish taste. Yum-o!!!

I hope you didn't find my taste weird.

Guess my being weird

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:10:00 +0000

I'm being weird. Promise this would be the last of my being weird.

...but first you should guess whose body parts I used in this graphics.

Below is your clue: I've given you the first and last letters of their names.

Promise. Tomorrow, I won't be as weird as this. Plus I'll tell you if you guessed it right.

Saudis and their departed

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Saudi's burial rites are straight, simple and austere.

Today in the Philippines, all feet lead to cemeteries.

Not in Saudi.

A Saudi colleague said that they never revisit the graves of the dead. I tend to believe him because I've seen a Saudi cemetery and the grounds are unmarked. (He even said that they never keep a picture of their dearly departed).

When it comes to burying the dead, Saudis have the simplest rites and the shortest mourning period. When King Fahd bin Abdel Aziz al-Saud died in 2005, his burial ceremony was very short, simple, solemn and austere (NY Times, 3 Aug 2005). So unlike the long, multi-layered Filipino Catholic's burial beliefs, rites and traditions.

While ours usually takes a week-long (or even more) mourning period, the Saudis bury their dead as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours. Only after the dead is buried that they hold their mourning period of up to three days.

For most Islam sects, embalming of the dead is not allowed unless required by the court of law. Instead, the body is washed and shaven (founded on the belief that the dead shall be buried in the same manner that he was born -- clean). Ablution is done on the body just like how they perform the washing of mouth, nostrils, face, ears, arms and feet before prayers. The right side of the body is washed first before the left side. Sometimes too they perfume the Water with camphor. The manner in washing the body can be repeated more than once but should be in odd numbers (three, five, seven, so on).

The clean body is then wrapped in white cloth called kafan.

(I tend to think Jesus Christ's body was prepared similarly before He was laid to rest).

After the cleansing and kafan rites (these rites are accompanied by prayers), the body is taken to a mosque for prayer and then to a cemetery for burial. The burial ground is unmarked and the dead is buried on his right side and his face towards Makkah. It is never allowed to put candles on the grave.

The following articles detail how the Muslims perform the Janazah, their burial ceremony for the dead:

Mission Islam: Authentic Step by Step Guide for Janazahs (burial rites for Muslims)
Islamic City: All About Janazah
About Islam: Islamic Funerals

My scariest five

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Happy halloween, everybody!

In keeping with the ghoulish atmosphere that end of October brings, I'm posting here my five scares -- imaginative and real, in existence then and now -- which continuously give me the creeps; whom I wouldn't dare cross paths with; who'd surely give me a coronary if ever I chance upon them.

In villanous character

Etang Discher: For me, she is the ultimate of all the villanous characters on Philippine tv. Her Hispanic, gaunt look bescared my youth and up until now, I remember how I would squint my eye everytime she appeared on tv. The funny thing is, my maternal grandmother (Apong as I called her) looked very much like Etang, and I do love my Apong. I think Etang scared me because I know that everytime she's on a film, she'll do nothing but bad things; and she always did! I'm really afraid of her character even if, just this morning while researching about her, I realized Etang was Panchito's mother!

Photo courtesy: Eman of flickr.com

Runner-up: Buwaya.

Real person

Norberto Manero: When I saw Orapronobis of Lino Brocka, I came to know of Manero, a vigilante, who in 1985 killed Fr. Tullio Favali, an Italian priest, in Tulunan, North Cotabatoan. Manero reportedly ate Fr Favali's brains although the historical data I gathered from GMANews didn't mention any of this. Some say it was a hearsay but that gory scene in Ora Pronobis film scared me big time.

Photo courtesy of asiancorrespondent.com

Runners up: Kris Aquino and Willie Revillame. I fear their tongues.

Ghoulish character

Gollum: He looked like an evil version of my Smurf doll -- emaciated, wide eyed with only six teeths, and hisses when he speaks. I dread staring at him in Lord of the Rings and I also hated his look-alike Dobby in Harry Potter.

Photo courtesy: Music Banter

Runner up: Madame Auring

Aswang/ghost

Lady in white or Babae sa Balete Drive: Not that I've seen one nor do I dream of ever seeing one. Up to now, when I'm on vacation in the Philippines and whenever I go home at night, I dread looking sideways at the vacant lots near our house for fear of seeing a lady in white. I know they aren't true but fears have their own ways of seeing the unseen. By the way, my imagined lady in white used to have a long hair at the back of her head but after seeing The Ring, I now imagine her long hair covering her face. This make-over made me scarier of her.

Photo courtesy: Linsay Silveira at flickr.com

Runner up: Manananggal (again, I haven't seen one and don't wish ever seeing one).

In uniform

Police or the military: I once saw a policeman slap and hit a suspected thief -- a suspected thief! Without proof of the crime, the policeman just wielded his power over the poor guy. From then on, I dread the presence of a policeman or someone in a military uniform. In fact, I dread someone with a gun! I always remember Joey Ayala's song with lyrics that says: Ang balang tingga ay walang alam; kung saan siya nakaturo, duon sya pupunta.

Photo courtesy: chinapost.com

Runner up: Dentist

Nokia OVI Tweet - Cyrano de Bergerac

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Here's my own OVI tweet, my personal show of gratitude to Nokia for being a sponsor of PEBA.

There is a real Cyrano de Bergerac (1619 - 1655), a French dramatist and soldier. Full name: Hector Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac.

And there is the play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897) by Edmond Rostand.

Cyrano, the play, bears no semblance to the life of Cyrano, the person.

Cyrano de Bergerac is a wonderfully funny, exhilirating and romantic play translated into different languages including Filipino (translated by Francisco Rodrigo). When I was working in the Philippines, we did a production of Cyrano, directed by Tony Mabesa, via the Cultural Center's Tanghalang Pilipino. I played a bit role. I did nothing but cross from stage left to stage right. That's all. My role? Don't laugh: I played one of the nuns; a cornette-wearing nun.

(Grins sheepishly) Seriously.

Plot summary of Cyrano, The Play

Cyrano de Bergerac is a soldier in the French Army who is also a gifted poet. Despite his heroism and wit, Cyrano thinks himself unworthy to be loved by the beauteous Roxanne -- all because of his huge nose. To woo Roxanne, he asked his friend Christian to pose for him as Cyrano. With love lines that melt any lady's heart, Roxanne fell for Cyrano. When Cyrano was wounded in a battle, he went to Roxanne and, in his deathbed, admitted the truth.

You can find a better-written synopsis and note in Stratford Shakespeare Festival website. The photo I used for this Ovi tweet was also from their site.

I covet and I make promises. Darn!

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:39:00 +0000

I'm damned. Why do I always fail Exodus 20's 10th rule?!

Eight days without blogging. I almost got used to it actually. Thirteen days more and I would have kicked it. (They say it takes 21 days to develop a new or kick an old habit).

I've not excuse to offer except this.

For days, I oogled, studied and plagiarized this site without success. Was enamored by it's beauty, you see, and it's treasure-trove contents too. (Take time to read it and I hope you enjoy it too as I did).

Oh, and these too which I also found via webdesigner wall.

The sinister veil of covetousness, once again, shrouds me. I'm weakest at abiding Exodus 20's 10th rule.

Promise: In the coming days before October ends (even if that shameless shroud is not lifted yet), I'll publish my historical tweets for Nokia OVI for PEBA.

Another promise: Tonight when I reach home, I'll start re-visiting your individual blogs.

And yet another promise: I'll have a post everyday for the whole of November. I'll call the exercise 'November ember's blog zig'! -- thank you for noticing the acronym!. Hope the fire doesn't die down that easy.

Certain rules

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:24:00 +0000

I've certain rules in life and -- no matter how mundane they are -- I see to it that I strictly abide by them.

This post's title was from Friends show I saw last Friday. I was so bored last weekend that I ended up not doing anything except watch whatever was on free-to-air channels: MBC 2, MBC 4, DubaiOne, MBC Action, MBC Series, FoxSeries, FoxMovie, CNN, BBCWorld, Al Jazeera News Channel, KuwaitTV and even Arirang.

That Friends' episode (which I later learned as Season 5, Episode 12) was when Ross linked up with Janis (Owwh-mmmmy-Godddd!) who was Chandler's on-and-off-and-off-and-off girlfriend.

Here's the dialogue (which you can certainly find here):

Ross: Dude, we got to talk.
Chandler: Okay.
Ross: I just wanted to tell you something before you heard it from someone else and I hope this isn't too weird, but uh, I had uh, a thing with Janice.
(Chandler laughs, his real laugh this time.)
Ross: What you're-you're not mad?
Chandler: Why would I be mad?
Ross: Well, because y'know there are certain rules about this kind of stuff. You don't uh, you don't fool around with your uh, friend's ex-girlfriends or possible girlfriends or girls they're related to.
Chandler: (realizes what Ross just said and the implications to him - he was already seeing Monica in this episode!) I am mad! But you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna forgive you! Because that's what friends do! They forgive their friends when they do everything you just said, all on the list there. Well, but I want you to remember that I forgave you.
Ross: Okay.
Chandler: I also want you to remember that I let you live here rent free!
Ross: All right.
Chandler: And, I want you to remember that I gave you twenty (counts his money) seven dollars. No strings attached. Now, if you can't remember that, I think we should write it down — let's write it down!

This episode let me realize what my certain rules are (those that I certainly abide in and would certainly impose on others too):

GP rules

1. If it's necessary for you to take something from the fridge and you're certain that that something is not yours', you should immediately replace it;
2. You always return what you borrow no matter how small the value is i.e. a bulb of onion, a light bulb, a pack of Mamasita Tamarind, a pitcher of water, etc.
3. We always get what we pay for (also reads: you always get what you deserve, you get back whatever is that you give, etc);
4. You are always judged by your skin so you should always moisturize.
5. It pays to be honest. Anywhere. All the time.

R-18 rules

6. Don't fool around with any of your friends unless your friend wants to fool around with you (and even if it's mutual, you should both be unmarried or unattached);
7. Same goes with your officemates. (If you can't help it, re-read your employment contract to make sure that there's not a clause included which relates to inter-office trysts. And again, you should both be unmarried and unattached);
8. Don't commit yourself to a relationship if you're only after sex. Be honest if it's just a one-night stand.

You can continue my dream

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:07:00 +0000

Oh, I just gave up a dream. But you can have it if you want. Just give George a credit. Read on.

For the past few days...okay I'd be honest...weeks, I've been trying to create my own version of a PEBA advert just like those videos you can find in PEBA site. Today, I gave up. I just can't do a decent Flash animation and am too proud to create a Windows Movie Maker video.

Just like what this post title says: You can continue my dream.

You see, one of the many sites that I love visiting is Podsafeaudio which contains various kinds of music -- not the mainstream type.

One music which I thought is "very PEBA" (for me) is George Wood's Goal. I wish you'd agree.

Listen to this.

George, according to Podsafeaudio site, "has been a music professional for the last 10 years and his portfolio contains everything from Programming manager for the United Kingdom's leading manufacturer Standard MIDI files 'Hands On' MIDI Software Ltd, to overseeing the development of a range of Karaoke tracks for Easy Karaoke's astonishing Groove Station Microphone."

"As well as professional backing tracks George has produced mobile content for Nokia, Disney and Orange as well as composing and arranging original thematic library music for radio and television."

He does allow a use of his music as long as you credit him for his work.

And so guys, if anyone wants to realize my dream of seeing a PEBA advert with George Wood's 'Goal' music, please feel free to leave me a comment with your email so I can send you the mp3 file. It's not huge; around 1.8MB.

Remember: it's George's; not mine. (Eh, the graphics background, don't blame George for it; that's moi!).

Disfigured: When stats in Saudi become comical than true

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Statistics say that Saudis are high on perfumes, chewing gums and viagra. And they don't sleep in the same room with their wives.

I say: Highly misleading!

Ali Saad Al Mosa of Arab News took a jab (and so did I) on the following 'unreliable' consumer stats which are really funnier than believable.

According to a marketing report, Saudis buy about 50 million shumaghs every year.

Last year, Saudis spent about $1 billion on the purchase of shumaghs (the male head dress) — including 16 million sold on Eid night alone.

There are currently around 9.3 million male Saudis as per Saudi Central Department of Statistics and Information. Based on the above statistics, all of the male Saudis in Saudi Arabia bought around 2 shumaghs last Eid. I asked my officemates whether they think it's true and they all disagreed. All of them own at least two shugmahs but none of them bought even a guthra this Eid.

Saudis spend about SR5 billion annually on perfumes and this includes SR1.5 billion on perfumes for men. 

Mosa wrote: As my sense of smell is by far the best sense I have, I will also testify that I have very rarely smelt perfume on men.

I think perhaps the figures meant the sale of perfumes and cosmetics in Saudi Arabia. US-Saudi Business Council reported in 2006 that 5.25 million Riyals were spent on perfumes and cosmetics mostly by women than men. Reportedly in 2006, men spent only SAR 112 million for personal care items that included French, China and US-made perfumes.

Half of married Saudi men do not sleep with their wives in the same room and prefer to sleep in separate rooms. 

Mosa coyingly wrote: "This is happening at a time when men allegedly spend SR1.5 billion on perfumes."

I asked the opinion of my Saudi officemates about this and he said that there is 'some truth' to it. He has married friends who sleep in separate rooms.

I don't actually believe that it's true. I'm more perflexed than convinced. If indeed this behavior among Saudi couples is true, I can only guess that it's founded on religious belief.

Saudi citizens every year spend about SR100 million on chewing gum, which is then spat out on roads or pavements. 

I tend to disagree with this one because I see more cigarette butts on the road than used chewing gums. Mosa wrote: Paradoxically, Singapore collects about $25 million annually from fines for chewing gum thrown away on streets.

Pretty soon, I guess, Saudi Arabia will follow Singapore and start flogging chewing gum vandals.

Saudis top the entire world in the consumption of tea and coffee.

Did you know that coffee was thought to have been first brewed by the Arabs? Nonetheless, I think Saudis are more tea drinkers than coffee drinkers. Based on coffee-statistics.com (yes, there is such a website!), US consume 146 billion cups of coffee annually, putting them on top of the list.

Saudis also top the world in the consumption of Viagra, spending about SR150 million on it annually.

No comment.

I think these statistics are merely for marketing purposes -- lopsided, unverifiable and very untrue. Worthy in the comic page for entertainment!

In Saudi, crimes are punished harshly

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:59:00 +0000

Flogging is a beating with a whip or rod, with blows commonly directed to the person’s back. It is imposed to maintain discipline in schools, prisons, military forces, and private homes.

A throng of people at the foot of Corniche Alkhobar overpass surprised us last Tuesday, 29 September. Such a gathering meant only two things: a vehicular accident or a public show. The next day I read in the newspaper that the Saudi Religious Police flogged the teenagers who caused the Corniche mayhem during the Saudi National Day. (Read Siraj Wahab and Molouk Y Ba-Isa's news report: Dozen teens flogged for role in rampage, Arab News, 30 Sept 2009).

You see, in Saudi, convicted criminals are punished by a combination of jailterm, flogging or stoning -- or, depending on the gravity of the crime, beheading. I've been in Saudi Arabia for too long and I haven't witnessed neither a public beheading nor flogging. (Not that I intend to nor am interested in).

These punishments may appear too harsh to most people outside Saudi and others are claiming that there is no legal or Islamic basis for such sentencing but it's been in Saudi's legal system for a long time.

In Saudi, flogging is part of a judicial system and a mandatory punishment for some minor and most major crimes.

Today, I read a column by Tariq A Al Maeena at Arab News stating why we should all be flogged. Actually, what Tariq was saying is that it's the parents of the children who should be flogged so that "the rest of us would pay more attention to our own shortcomings that lead our children to activities that do no good to them as individuals or us as a nation." Tariq was referring to those Saudi youths who vandalized and rioted at Corniche Alkhobar.

Court judges mete out the punishment of flogging "in accordance with (the judge's) discretion and the interpretation of the Qur'an and Sunnah", wrote Noura Abdul Al Khereiji in her article 'Government Must Codify Taaziri Punishment Rules' (Arab News, 25 May 2008).

"This is in order to discourage people from committing sins and crimes for which the Shariah ordains no specific punishment".

Flogging sentences in Saudi Arabia "can range from dozens to thousands of lashes, and are usually carried out in instalments, at intervals ranging from two weeks to one month" (Amnesty International). Crimes that mete out flogging include consumption of alcohol, prostitution, acts of lasciviousness, homosexuality, etc.

Noura wrote that the ills of flogging arise when "different punishments are given for the same offense" depending "on the mood and temperament of the judge in charge and his personal views on matters that contradict Shariah teachings".

"Enough is enough for this humiliating punishment of lashes", she concluded.

The most celebrated flogging case I've heard during the past years is that of a 19-year old rape victim who was sentenced to get 200 lashes for "being in the car with an unrelated male at the time of the rape" (sourced from Daily Telegraph, Nov 2007)

Amnesty International claim that the punishment of flogging (as well as stoning and beheading) is "inconsistent with Saudi Arabia’s obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment".

I also don't agree with these harsh punishments but I cannot circumvent from Saudi laws and regulations just because I don't agree with its punishments. I am in Saudi and therefore has to follow its rules.

I also don't suggest that we impose such harsh punishments in the Philippines. It will be difficult to run a government with headless officials (no pun intended).

On the other hand...

I won't mind if we publicly flog one or two guilty government officials just to make a point. As long we do it judiciously. And yes, let's include those kidnap-for-ransom criminals, the heinous crime perpetrators, the Abu Sayyaf, the illegal recruiters and the drug dealers.

Action always speaks louder, clearer

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:11:00 +0000

This time, let our hands do the talking.

For all Pinoys in Saudi, click this to find out how you can help.

Sometimes we need to die

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:53:00 +0000

We must always remember that, sadly, there will always be a next Ondoy...

Sometimes...

We need to die a little to live longer, better.

We need to fall to rise up again.

We need to stop in order to continue.

We need to make mistakes to learn.

We sorrow to feel the sweetness of joy.

We need to cry so we can later smile.

We need to shout to break a silence.

We need to silent ourselves to be heard.

Sometimes, we need Ondoy to make us realize that...

there is something far greater than all of us;

we, Filipinos, are very much capable of uniting together for a cause;

there's a hero within us all;

there's hope;

there's always a tomorrow;

rains revisit;

there will always be another storm;

there's always a next Ondoy waiting to happen.

We need to learn.

(Arab News, a daily English newspaper in Saudi Arabia, carried today an editorial about Ondoy's wrath. In part, it reads: "...Philippines has made it clear that it cannot cope with a disaster...The world must be generous. Saudi Arabia in particular must be generous. It has special reason to be so. This country would not be where it is today without the contributions over the years from millions of Filipinos. Plumbers, electricians, drivers, secretaries, office managers, mechanics, accountants — the list of jobs that Filipinos have filled and continue to fill is endless. Where would the Kingdom’s hospitals be without the army of Filipino nurses who are the backbone of the service? It does not bear thinking about."

Full article here.

Saudi OFW groups set up relief efforts for Ondoy victims

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:04:00 +0000

Kailangan ang kabayanihan mo, Kabayan...

PEBA and KABLOGS enjoin volunteers and organizations in the relief efforts for those affected by Ondoy especially the urban poor relocatees in Kasiglahan Village in Montalban Rizal. "The sky is downcast right now in the Philippines and another typhoon is expected", according to Pete Rahon, PEBA Manila Coordinator. It will surely hamper relief operations and the more we should quicken our assistance for our fellow kabayans.

Our own PEBA Adviser Noemi L Dado's family was stranded in the second floor of their Kasiglahan Village house without food and water.

We, hence, need your assistance in any form.

For more information on how you can help, please call the following:

Pete at (632) 920-2595 local 107
Beth at (632) 922-0246 / 927 -0794

or email the following: peba09@gmail.com and kablogs123@gmail.com.

Migrante Middle East accepting OFW donations for Ondoy victims

In another effort, Migrante Middle East has opened its doors in accepting your help for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy.

OFWs in Saudi can contact Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan (KGS, Brotherhood in the Middle East) via the following numbers:

Riyadh
Eric Jocson (0531822766)
Mike Garlan (050562989930)

Alkhobar
Choie De Leon (0569117563)
Gerry de Guzman (0507373906)

Jeddah
Bob Fajarit (050502745340).

For your UAE support and Donations you can call MIGRANTE-UAE coordinators:

Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman
Nhel 0504238851

Abu Dhabi
Bhel 0502375106 / Bhoy 0501341465

RAK
Noel 0503724778

For Filipinos in other countries in the Middle East, they may contact John Leonard Monterona via phone number 00966 564978012 or email migranteme@gmail.com or via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Leonard-Monterona/1297246521.

Migrante accepts used cloths, blankets, any foods that will not spoil immediately, medicine, cash, etc.

This post is off for comments. Please redirect your messages to PEBA, Kablogs and Migrante Saudi Arabia sites. Some information were sourced from Philippine Daily Inquirer and Migrante Saudi websites.

Wasted

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 10:08:00 +0000

My feeling last Eid was that of Corniche...wasted.

Late last night, I had trouble sleeping. It was the last of my very long Eid vacation and I'm supposed to have gone to bed early. But no, I didn't. Instead, I'm nursing this Eid cough which I thought is already gone. And as if to taunt me, I saw a rerun of Criminal Minds with the opening line: "Elbert Hubbard said no man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one."

Ggrrrr....

So what became of my Eid? Except perhaps for that pesto pasta that I planned cooking and much lesser of those movies that I planned watching, I was practically right when I second-guessed what my Eid will be: boring. And unhealthy.

I met two old friends and we stayed up until wee hour in the morning catching up with stories about a lot of personal things; mostly nothing. The next day we woke up early and cooked cholesterol-laden fried fish with inihaw na talong and bagoong.

With another set of friends, we attended an alcohol-free beach party until two in the morning. (When I say alcohol-free, I didn't mean free alcohols; I mean, without a single drop of alcohol. So just imagine how boring the party was). There's a lot of glib talking and cigarettes and card games but practically nothing else which (or no one else who) could have prevented me from going home early.

Wednesday last week, Corniche in Alkhobar was lit with fireworks which I tremendously enjoyed. I was literally jumping with joy like a kid as I admire the beautiful (I think, China-made?) fireworks which lasted for fifteen minutes. A friend muttered: mukha kang tanga! I said: hey, you gotta enjoy these things because they happen only once a year.

Anna's Apple of My Eyes have some wonderful photos of the Corniche fireworks if you want to see them.

So that's what my Eid was. Today is my first day of work and I have a lot of catching up to do. Like a new post for my blog. (Grins sheepishly). Hehe.

Seriously, if I were to believe Morris Fishbein, I think I still need a longer vacation (and better vacation activities) because I'm not yearning yet for work.

More seriously, I've got to stop this. I'm here in Saudi to work, not to waste time. I need to re-channel my current state to a more pro-active tune...(as if I know how!).

I leave you with the following photos of what happened in Alkhobar last Wednesday during the celebration of Saudi Arabia Day. Full news here. I'm glad I stayed home after watching the fireworks display at Corniche.

(These photos were circulated via email. I tried googling who Sultan Al Sharqiah is for credits but was unsuccessful, hence, I linked the photos to the Arab News report).

As a PBA finalist, I'm gloating, sad and afraid

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:06:00 +0000

I'm honored...(and unashamedly gloating!) but I'm equally sad and afraid.

I self-nominated my blog at Philippine Blog Awards and I luckily landed as one of the finalists.

That's the gloating part.

I was hoping to see other Kablogs in the list like The Pink Tarha, Ed's Sandbox, Azel's Panunumbalik, Wits and Nuts, RJ's Chook-minder's Quill, NJ's Desert Aquaforce, etc because I honestly believe they deserve to be there more than I. (And by 'etc' I mean practically all those OFW blogs listed in my Blogroll).

That's the sad part. I don't think they need validation as much as I did.

The afraid part is that, like in Oscar's, most who won the Best Actress trophies (okay, the comparison is sooo way off but that's the closest thing I can think of right now), end up without a decent follow-up movie. Not that I am sure of winning because I gauged my co-finalists as better written, more OFW-ish in subject than mine but if in case I do (God forbid), I pray that my blog doesn't suffer the same fate as the Oscar's best actress winners. (Okay...this qualifies as partly afraid and partly gloating!).

Finally, I'm glad to see Pope's Palipasan, Baul ni Noel, Tambay sa Dubai and (sorry for missing you, Rey, when I first posted this) Rey Asis' As Is as among the OFW finalists and Ever's Pamatay Homesick too as a finalist in another category. Way to go Mideast OFWs! Way to go Kablogs!

My to-do this Eid

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:02:00 +0000

Oh yes. I've lots of plans this holiday. In fact, I have a to-do list this Eid. Read on...

In bed.

I think I know how I'm going to spend my Eid holidays in Saudi.

With a cough.

Just arrived from Riyadh at 3 in the morning and I'm totally exhausted. Still had to go to the office to tidy things up before a long holiday. I literally wanted to doze off while writing this journal. This dry cough is killing me.

Things to do today:

1. Buy lemon and honey. I heard a hot lemon tea is good for the throat.
2. Plus, sleep early. I needed that. I think this cough is my body's natural in-house MD saying I've gone overboard and exhausted my physical self once again.
3. Plus no blog hopping for 12 hours.

Things to do - Vacation Day 1:

1. Watch movies.
2. Doze off.
3. Blog hop but strictly no goofing around particularly on the layout section of my blog (because it was Eid last year when I accidentally deleted my blog! Realization: I do bad things in my blog during Eid!).

Things to do - Vacation Day 2:

1. Try creating this basil pesto pasta which I first saw from QTV's Secrets of the Masters and tasted last night from Pizza Company in Riyadh. It sure looks easy to make but I'm not just sure where to get pine nuts in Saudi. Will try Tamimi Market.
2. Watch tv.

Things to do - Vacation Day 3:

1. Play mahjong with friends. Don't worry, it's literally for fun because whatever amount we win, we spend in eating out after the game.
3. Watch tv.

Things to do - Vacation Day 4:

1. Oh, clean a little. Dust a little. Just to say that I've done something this holiday.
2. Watch movies.

Things to do - Vacation Day 5:

1. Someone's inviting me to a beach birthday party. I'll go and pretend I'm enjoying. But I'll sneak out after an hour so I can...
2. Watch movies.

Things to do - Vacation Day 6:

1. Worry on how unproductive my Eid holiday was.
2. Start planning for activities on the next Eid al Adha holiday (come November).

Happy Eid

deep_sonnel@yahoo.com (Nebz) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:06:00 +0000

Eid Mubarak, everybody!

The photo of 'Old Saudi Door' designed by Salwa Al Hokail is part of Unicef's Eid cards sold throughout Saudi Arabia.

Eid ul Fitr in Saudi caps the (almost) month-long fasting of all Muslims around the world.

Whew! One day short of a full week vacation; we're off from 20 to 25 September! That's how long our vacation is next week when Ramadan formally ends.

It's a bakasyon grande for Filipinos in Saudi (by grande, I mean grand; not grande, the San Mig beer!).

I'm sure most our kabayans will be on the go during this Eid Holiday. Those who are based in Riyadh and Jeddah will travel to the beaches of the Eastern Province (particularly in Alkhobar, Ras Tanura and Jubail). And those in Alkhobar will travel to Riyadh and Jeddah to visit their family and friends.

Piece of advice: Although Eid means "festivity" while Fitr means "charity" doesn't mean the mutawwa (the religious police in Saudi) will be laxed in imposing Saudi rules during this period. Be careful, guys: No over-speeding, no drinking, no pork, no illicit datings, no gambling, etc.

Just have a pure clean and fun enjoyment!

Check out Pink Tarha's page for things you can do during this holiday.