What movies taught us.... 

-  Large, loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people--whether they are employed or not.

- At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.

- Should you decide to defuse a bomb, don't worry which wire to cut. You will always choose the right one.

- Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.

- It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts: your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.

- When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

- If you are blonde and pretty, it is possible to become a world expert on nuclear fission at the age of 22.

- Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.

- Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers, and man-eating sharks, which will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.

- All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets that reach the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.

- All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.

- It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.

- Once applied, lipstick will never rub off--even while scuba diving.

- You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.

- Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German or Russian officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German or Russian accent will do.

- The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.

- A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating, but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

- If a large pane of glass is visible, someone will be thrown through it before long.

- If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.

- Word processors never display a cursor on screen but will always say: Enter Password Now.

- Even wh en driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.

- All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.

- A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

- If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you meet will know all the steps.

- Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.

- When they are alone, all foreign military officers prefer to speak to each other in English.

IT'S A GIRL!!!! (well... most probably.)

Kuki and I went to the doctor yesterday for her monthly pregnancy check-up, and it ws time for our second ultrasound. The baby was in a breech position (suhi to my fellow Pinoys), but the doc said not to worry, most babies go back to the right position after a while.

There was no visible sign of a penis, but there also wasn't a visible sign that there's a slit in between the baby's legs, indicating that it's a girl. But the doc said in all likelihood it is a girl. The baby's 5 months old, and we'll get to know for sure on the seventh month.

The first ultrasound we had, the baby looked like a peanut... but this time you could see that it's really another human being in there. You could see the legs, the face, the arms... you could even count her fingers.

I hope everything goes well during this pregnancy, and I thank God for taking care of Kuki and the baby.

In keeping with my two previous blogs and in celebration of Philippine Independence Day, here's a forwarded e-mail I'd like to share with my fellow Pilipinos...

KUMAIN KA NA?
Kanin, Sinangag, Suman, Arroz Caldo, Lugaw, Puto, Kutsinta, at iba pang Kakanin,
halina't mag-anyaya kumain at magdiwang, busugin ang diwa at tiyan ng kapatirang tunay na tunay na Pilipino!
 
This June 12, 2003, as God is present... in the murmur of a gentle breeze (1 Kings 19:12) , cheerily waving our Philippine flags hoisted in flag poles, tied to vehicle antennas, proudly displayed wherever it is hanged, and as school kids may draw and color the Philippine flag on bond paper, let us with loving brotherly concern greet each other "Kumain Ka Na?"
 
Of all the unique Filipino trait that is being practised daily, more or less five times a day, is the invitation to eat, to partake of one's meal or meryenda, to fill one's stomach with our daily bread which the good Lord has gracefully given.
 
With rice as our staple food, once eaten by a cupful or two during meals, rice meals easily gets digested with the ample serving of ulam or viand. Hence, the habit of taking in-between snacks to fill in the craving gap. Nowadays, more Filipinos get by with a cup of coffee only, and maybe pandesal, or a hot bowl of instant noodles in the morning, light snack in between lunch and dinner.
 
One hears the line exchanged in offices, homes, work sites, and school, and is more often greeted with the one-liner during lunch breaks. It is almost unetiquette, like social bad manners or sign of selfness, when one just go ahead to eat without the customary invitation to eat, asked with sincerity or not, or even maybe a little worst, be sitted eating, alone. For the Filipinos, the more the merrier, the more rice, the heartier appetite, such warm instant gratification to feed one's being.
 
So, this Philippine Independence Day, let us be mindful of our katabi, our kabayans' hand-to-mouth existence, and with sincere concern sprinkled with celebratory tidings, of being alive, independendent- financially or otherwise, pack an extra helping, share our baon, and witness the Lord's bountiful miracle of multiplication of spiritual acts of kindness and generosity, straight from the heart to the tummy. Remember as we say our grace, our less fortunate Filipinos without meals or jobs, be thankful you have yours, or about to have, and let us try to unify our lives, works and goals to make our Philippines, truly independent of poverty, strife and ignorance,  but dependent on God's Almighty power, his mercy and love, to bless the Filipinos' aspirations and good deeds.
 
MALIGAYANG PAGKAKA-ISA, PILIPINOS !

My previous blog was somewhat about food, so here's another one...

ONE TRUE LOVE

The little old couple walked slowly into McDonalds that cold winter evening. They looked out of place amid the young families and young couples eating there that night. Some of the customers looked admiringly at them. You could tell what the admirers were thinking. "Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably for 60 years or more!"

The little old man walked right up to the cash register, placed his order with no hesitation and then paid for their meal. The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off of the tray. There was one hamburger, one order of french fries and one drink.

The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the french fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them.

As the man began to eat his few bites of hamburger the crowd began to get restless. Again you could tell what they were thinking. "That poor old couple. All they can afford is one meal for the two of them."

As the man began to eat his french fries one young man stood and came over to the old couples table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple to eat.

The old man replied that they were just fine. They were used to sharing everything. Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.

Again the young man came over and begged them to him buy them something to eat. This time the lady explained that no, they were used to sharing everything together.

As the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly with a napkin the young man could stand it no longer. Again he came over to their table and offered to buy some food. After being politely refused again he finally asked a question of the little old lady, "Ma'am, why aren't you eating? You said that you share everything. What is it that you are waiting for?"

She answered, "The teeth."

I was buying lunch with some of my officemates down at the foodcourt of our building yesterday. There was this one guy who was buying a drink from one of the establishments when suddenly there was a loud crashing noise. I looked to see what it was, and saw that the guy dropped his tray, thus spilling his food all over the floor. He just stood there for what seemed like a very long time, and then just walked away without a sound, right out of the foodcourt.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He didn't go and buy new food. He just left. Maybe he had no more money. Maybe he was really very hungry but couldn't do anything about it. I got pretty depressed.

I really don't have a point in telling this story. It's just something I wanted to get out of my system. Maybe some of you reading this will pick up a lesson or two.