Posts (page 2)

I'm still not feeling very well for about 3 week already. I thought I will be better last weekend but when I came back to work, it started to come back again. I get this really cough the makes my throat really itchy. I think my old medication is not working and time to have another check-up. I'll probably make a visit to my doctor later after work it's starting to have a bad impact with my work like yesterday and earlier I'm not just late by minutes but by hours. An agent of mine told me to start taking in a lot of Vitamin C and Zinc supplements to make me more resistant to illness. How thoughtful. Makes me remember an old friend who brings me Vitamin C supplements every week. How sweet!

I need to finish 13 calls today to avoid delays. 10 more calls to go...

Last week we were all escalated when not all of us were able to attend one of our calibrations. Our facilitator is usually our client and what gets in my nerves is that they started calling those people who are not currently on shift and started demanding that they should join the calibration every week regardless of their schedules or if they're schedules are in the morning, make them report earlier. They can't even extend their time for 30 minutes and now they require us to work beyond our working hours. They have no idea how many people we handle each week that even on our break times we still do our work at the same time. And not only that, we are using 2 scorecards which makes it a lot confusing and making our calibrations scores a bit low that before.

I got an invitation for a hike to Mt. Pinatubo which will last for 2 days. Damn! I no longer have my trekking shoes and I need to get one before the end of the month.

Yesterday was the first day of the Chinese New Year. The Chinese year 4707 is the year of the ox. What's your Chinese zodiac animal and what does it say about you?

The Monkey is the most versatile sign of the Chinese zodiac. Such people are often inventors, plotters, entertainers and the creative geniuses behind anything ingenious, including mischief. They have natural quick-wittedness which enables them to understand what is happening and then make a right decision. Even during a conversation a person born in this year is aware of what is going on around him/her, and then makes a mental note of who said what and stores it away for future reference. In general, with their agile minds and multiple talents, monkey people can master any subject. They are reliable and honest people so that any secret is safe in their hands. These people are also honest in their dealings and are very good at problem-solving: knowing how to listen closely and work out solutions at the same time.

Although these people are trustworthy and unlikely to hurt someone out of spite, they would never let people escape if they have behaved badly or damaged a monkey's reputation. Their stamina and determination to achieve their main goals can make these people appear vain or manipulative. People born under this sign should be careful so they do not damage their friendships. It is important to remember for these people that it would be wiser sometimes not to pursue their goals and simply let things pass.

Monkeys have flexible principles and serene self-confidence so they are completely content; but they usually manage to complicate the lives of others. After yet another plan or project has gone wrong, they are seldom there to help clean up the disorder and confusion that they leave in their wake. Monkeys can handle that too; with their charm and persuasiveness they can make people believe that just knowing them is a privilege. The monkey person is most compatable with all animals.

Just finished applying for a passport earlier at DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and good thing I came in early because by the time I'm done and went outside, long lines are starting to build up. If your going to apply one avoid those fixers outside DFA's office and go straight inside. Or if you dont have much time, find a good travel agent who can process it for you. Next stop for me is to correct my personal info in SSS.

Sharing this info that I receive from an email.

Kung Hei Fat Choi or Kiong Hee Huat Tsai?
By WILLARD CHENG
ABS-CBN News Correspondent

Both greetings refer to the same set of four Chinese characters that means "Wishing you prosperity." But guess what is more appropriate to use and say when you are in the Philippines?

(Yes, it doesn't even mean "happy new year" -- more on this later)

"Kung Hei Fat Choi" has obviously been the more popular one, commonly said and printed on banners, advertisements and different forms of media. But this greeting is Cantonese.

Considering that majority of the Chinese Filipinos here in the Philippines speak the Hokkien dialect, I recommend that we say the greeting in Hokkien, which is pronounced and spelled as "Kiong Hee Huat Tsai."

Tsinoys will appreciate to hear the greeting in the dialect they understand. Cantonese is one of the nine other groups of dialects in China and is most commonly spoken in Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Macau. Hokkien is the dialect spoken in Fujian province where most of the Chinese-Filipinos come from.

If you happen to be in China and if you want to say the greeting in Mandarin, China's official language (and spoken by the most number of people in the world), pronounce the greeting as "Kong Xi Fa Tsai" (written and spelled formally as "Gong Xi Fa Cai").

I suspect some Hong Kong or Cantonese restaurant started to popularize the Cantonese greeting here, which is weird because there is a very scant population of Tsinoys from Guangdong or Hong Kong.

Oh, I remember a jingle from a TV commercial of a fast-food chain years ago that goes: "Kung Hei Fat Choi ay nandito na/ Sa McDo, may regalo, prosperity coupons/ Para to kay lolo/ Para to kay lola/ Para to sa buong pamilyaaa." Well, Tsinoys do not understand and speak "Kung Hei Fat Choi."

Itâs like saying "Maayong buntag" (Good morning) to a Tagalog who doesnât understand and speak Bisaya.

So, let's start banishing "Kung Hei Fat Choi" from our vocabulary and start to pratice saying the greeting in Hokkien, "Kiong Hee Huat Tsai," which is widely understood by Tsinoys here.

Spread the word, "Kiong Hee Huat Tsai!"

If you want to greet your friend "Happy New Year" in Mandarin, say it as "Xin Nien Kwai Le" (formally written as "Xin Nian Kuai Le"). In Hokkien, say it as "Sin Ni khòai lok."

Also, don't also be confused with the lion and dragon dance, which are sometimes interchanged. The four-legged dancing creature is a lion, which is maneuvered by two dancers (one moves the head while the other moves the tail). It has wiggling ears and blinking eyes and is the one that also goes around the streets and reach for the angpao or red envelope hung at the door. It is usually led by a masked man with a fan.

On the other hand, a dragon has a longer body that is maneuvered by more dancers. It is a guided by a man that holds a dragon ball.

Point out the difference when people say "Thereâs the dragon!" while the dancing creature turns out to be a lion.

Kiong Hee Huat Tsai!

Another phenomenon that has happened yesterday wherein the Moon is right in between the Earth and the Sun. It is known as a Solar Eclipse and it's when the Moon is blocking sunlight temporarily. It's rare occasion and unfortunately in the Philippines it was seen around sunset and when the skies are mostly cloudy.

5-55-55

I was looking at some of the college photos that we've taken and this is probably one of the funniest photos that we've taken during our retreat at Calaruega, Batangas. Haha!

N_a

I'm always fascinated with robots, more specifically with Gundams. A month ago I passed by SM Megamall and one thing that caught my attention was this exhibit by scale modelers and hobbyists. There were various scale models such as planes, cars, military equipments, trains, action figures and gundams. I don't have a good camera with me by that time and of all the Gundams that I took pictures of, here are some of my favorites.

Pic01

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Pic06

The only instant messaging software installed in my workstation and sometimes it doesn't send messages instantly, it get's delayed or your messages bounces back at you telling you the message could not be delivered. *sigh

It's been really cold in the past couple of weeks and this last Sunday the weather recently changed from cold to a bit warm and changes like these when me and my sister is more likely to have an asthma attack. In my case, good thing it was just a case of a sore throat due to cold weather and not an asthma attack (but a bit near to an attack since I almost had a hard time with breathing). Since it was a sore throat, I immediately purchased an anti-bacterial mouth wash to prevent it from getting worse. I had a bit of clumsiness since I didn't read what's on the label and as soon as I to use it, the stingy part was very strong that it almost feels like I'm gargling a very hot water. To my surprise, instead of having those ready-to-use mouth wash what I have is the concentrated one where you have to mix it with water before using. Next time I'll be sure to check the label first on purchase.

My sister had another asthma attack yesterday and the good thing was I went home early so we get to have her checked by a doctor. Her medication was not that effective so they had to prescribe a new one. The prescribed new medicine is the same as mine and I admit it's a bit costly since the price for the medicine is around 1.4k for 60 shots and she has to consume around 4-6 shots a day. Oh well getting sick is really not good, your body suffers and at the same time your pocket as well. The consultation alone can vary from 500 pesos to over a thousand and medication is still excluded.