In the train this morning I was stepped on several times by strangers who do not know the virtue of personal space. I know, I can not complain much. It is, in fact, the MRT where thousands of people ride just to be able to get to work in the morning. I wonder how terrible it is to be confined to this. And for the first time in my life I wondered about the prospect of "greener pastures", in New York perhaps? In London? But then again for a few quiet moments I realized I am still glad I live in the Philippines. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. We are not the first subjects for alien invasions. Leave alien invasions for the likes of the big cities like New York or Chicago. Aliens do not feel the need to attack such a small and insignificant race. Think: War of the Worlds. We do not get attacked by those aliens first. Maybe because they do not perceive of us as threats to their global domination. We do not go bombing other countries, in the guise of a war on terror, when we feel like exploiting them of their resources. The only significant alien invasion we have was the invasion of Kokey. Heck, how threatening is that!
2. Scary mad scientists won't attack our city streets anytime soon. Our people do not have the means to create large power plants enough to wipe out the entire nation's electricity. ugh, sorry, the government does not fund our scientists. We do not have the likes of Doc Oc of Spiderman fame to create large power plants. Thank god we do not have astronauts to send into space lest we have another Victor Von Doom who will suddenly feel the urge to control Meralco because it poses so much power-politically and electrically.
3. We are not the center for zombie invasions. Think: land of the dead, i am Legend, 28 days later. The significance? Our country is never in the forefront when it comes to medicinal research, thus the chances of our people turning into zombies because they are the first test subjects for a newly invented cure for cancer or leprosy or a plague induced by some medicine gone wrong. Seeing as we only result to using drugs which are not used in the states anymore! Think: there has been no reported incidents of people turning into zombies because of phenylpropanolamine use. Sure that medicine is not approved by FDA of the US, but surely it hasn't turned anyone into a zombie yet.

So Cheer up, The world isn't so bad. Our people may die of starvation because of more job retrenchments, there will be more killings, you will be pushed in the train because our modes of transportation are terrible but hey, those aren't as scary as zombies, alien invasions and mad scientists.

Tagged by the lovely Coco.

It took me this long to make this meme/survey because of the following reasons:

1. I'm insecure. i do not own any books at all. Only until last weekend did I actually buy books from my own money.
2. All the books I own prior to this survey are gifts from friends, ex-lovers, ex-friends. So I was afraid it could not qualify for the survey. But, what-the-hey, I'm posting them anyway.
3. The only books I ever read were borrowed from friends, shared books between me and Alex, and/or borrowed from her. I could not stress it enough: I do not own books.

Here we go with the survey:


Better Homes and Gardens Salad Book (1978)
where: my mom gave this to me.
why: actually we stole this from the library in her small town. We did not really steal this. It was more of: you can take that home, Atty. So she decided to give it to me. I was raised at the cook in our household. I had always loved cooking. I had always dreamed that if I did not become a lawyer, I would become a chef, or a housewife. I will own a small bookstore where I sell paperclips, and pens and glue sticks. I will cook food for my husband and kids. All I wanted was a simple life. And this is one of the testaments to that. Plus, it's from my mother.
price: Free.


The New F-1 World by Canon (1982)
where: this one is from mr. Darrel Jay Tolentino.
why: It is no secret: I am trying to take better pictures. I do not intend to be the best one in the planet--i just want to be able to take better pictures for my remembrance. This book is an old photography book, tattered and torn at the seams. It has a lot of photos which has some EXIF data explaining the aperture, the shutter speed, ISO value of each photo. This book is the subject of some discussions between me and a close♥friend. This book has some breath-taking nature photography.
price: Free.

The Illustrated Rumi: A Treasury of Wisdom from the Poet of the Soul by Jalalu'ddinRumi (2000)
where: this was a gift to me for my birthday from a dear friend.
why: This was actually on my birthday wish list. I had always loved Rumi. I remember the day I discovered him was a hot February morning. It was in Sir Delfin Tolentino's class. I have a penchant for Asian literature not coming from the Orient. Read: Indian and Hinduism and Islam. Rumi is a Sufist whose writing reminds me of drunkenness: fluid and never held back.
price: Free.

Amelia's Guide to Gossip: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Marissa Moss (2006)
where: this one is from Abel.
why: This book is a testament to how random I am. This book is directed for elementary students in the primary level. Read: Grade 2-4. It has lovely illustrations. It deals with all types of gossip and how to deal with it. Major discussions include the "Gossip Ripple Effect." It looks like a diary and can be read in some 15 minutes.
price: Free.

The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis [part of the Vintage Classic Twins-Vintage Lust] (2007)
where: National Bookstore, SM Fairview.
why: This is the first book I ever bought with my own money! It is half of the Vintage Classic Twins pair for Vintage Lust. I have been lusting over the Vintage Classic Twins since summer and this one is first on my list. Time and circumstance got in the way and only last weekend did I get the chance to buy this. I am now flat broke, but I love it. Teenage sex novels are just so exciting.
price: 324p for a pair.

Tagging anyone who hasn't been tagged yet: Xaris? Meia? Michael Yap? Kat Manalo? Raffy Galope? Anyone! WP bloggers, LJ bloggers, friendster bloggers, etc. :) Leave me a comment when you have done the survey.

Words are mere representations of the general narrative of a particular culture. A culture has a word for a concept, exactly because they feel the need to define the idea--in all its preciseness. They feel the need to confine one concept in one word. While it is easy to define concrete ideas such as sun, sword, symbols there are abstract concepts which need to be defined in several words. While some abstract words are easier to define, such as pain, precision, irregularity, there are others which have to be defined in a phrase, or a group of words.

It is interesting to note what concepts particular cultures choose to define. The Filipino culture has many one word direct translations for a lot of rice concepts: bahaw, tutong, sinangag, kanin, bigas. All of which are called RICE in the English language, save for adjective or qualifiers to define what type of rice they are: day-old rice, burnt rice, fried rice, cooked rice, and uncooked rice.

Here are a few interesting foreign words. (My favorites actually) All of which are: one word for a concept which if defined in the English language is usually defined in two or more words. The definition is not as precise, considering its code-switch from that culture's language and representation to English.

• Hitomebore - Japanese. "falling in love with someone at first glance". (Imagine the preciseness of this: at first glance, a fleeting second. It is not directly similar to falling in love at first sight, because sight denotes taking in of the vision longer than a glance.)
• Schadenfreude - German. "finding delight at the suffering of another person." (it is interesting to note why the Germans have a word for this kind of ill-wishing towards others.)
• Saudade - Portuguese.  "intense longing for someone who will never return." (Saudade is directed towards lost lovers, or missing people. The contemplation of death is imminent, but the recognition is not there, therefore saudade exists.)
• Kilig - Filipino. "A certain rush of excitement and bliss usually experienced after something good happens or at the anticipation of something good." (Usually pertains to love and relationships. It is similar to being smitten, except kilig contemplates a temporary state of happiness, perhaps fleeting even.)
• Sisu - Finnish. "The ability to sustain courage in the face of adversity." (Similar to stoic toughness, sisu is a pervasive FInish word that most products in Finland contain the name.)
• Stam - Hebrew. "Just because. Usually denoting amused frustration." (Why did it have to rain today when I didn't bring my umbrella? Stam.)
• Lagom - Swedish. "when something is done exactly right" (Similar to cooking pasta al dente, something is considered lagom when there is nothing more which begs to be done to something because it is done exactly right, the way it should be done)
• Huggelig - Danish. "When something feels warm and comfortable, small and cozy and there is a feeling of ease and happiness and contentment." (While the word "cozy" is pretty similar to the idea, it is not as precise as this. The word's additional feature: contentment assumes general happiness which is not attached to the idea of being cozy. Similar to a rainy day spent indoors, with someone you love drinking hot chocolate, eating champorado, cuddling and talking. huggelig.  )
• Mokita - New Guinean. "when a group of people are all together and fhey are all thinking of the same thing, but nobody is saying it." (this one has to be a real favorite. Imagine all the moments we have encountered mokita in our lives! It is not when someone thinks of the same thing. It has to be a group of people who agrees-without the need for words about a particular concept. It defines a cultural acknowledgement, an agreement to understanding.)

Forgive the extremely geeky discussion of words, I was a language and literature major back in college, and this is what I do for fun. Plus, seeing as I am in the bussiness of words, might as well!

Some reference here: http://ask.metafilter.com/10490/What-concepts-do-not-exist-in-the-English-language

1k1noisycameras   -

1001 Noisy Cameras in a nutshell
1001 Noisy Cameras is digital camera news, speculation, analysis, rumors, unique and off-beat features with a dose of humor. This is a mix-format blog, it's like having a dozen blogs trapped in one, or a photography forum compressed in a single page. Some of the core activities:

• chase rumors, engage in speculation, predictions
• cover hot topics, latest buzz and the latest news
• include comedy, parody, satire, silliness (think The Colbert Report for digital cameras)
• talk shopping, bargain hunting, pre-orders, price drops
• cover impact reviews, organize reviews
• gadgetology
• free market analysis blog-style (you get what you pay for!)

beyondmegapixel   -

They Jeff and Lisa, a husband & wife photography team. Jeff writes most of the content, while Lisa edits and maintains the blog.

What to expect from them: beginner-friendly content, photography tips and tricks, Photoshop tips and tutorials, and other fun, geeky stuff.

digiphototips   -

digital-photography-tips.net provides useful information about all aspects of digital photography. From buying the right digital camera, tips on taking beautiful photographs and advice on editing the results. There is even help on preparing your digital photographs for printing, and the best way to get quality print results.

For the benefit of the LJ community, I syndicated a few feeds so that LJ users can now subscribe to lovely, lovely sites outside of LJ-dom.

Today, let me put the spotlight on two of them:

marocharim_vol7  and beyondmegapixel 

If you are from Baguio, UP Baguio, a heavy blog hopper/cum political activist you might have heard of Marocharim before. Marck Ronald Chang Rimorin is a UP alumnus. He has this to say for himself:

I won’t always write about what people will want to read, and over the years, some people have hated me for it.  But in the same way, some people respect me for it.  I would even go to jail - by my own free will - if it means standing by what I write.  Standing by what I write means that I stand by what I think of in the first place, before I even began to commit my thoughts into an entry.  A blogger faces two realities: while I am more free to write about what I like, the laws that protect journalists here do not apply to me.

I don't think I can ever give the guy some justice if I continue describing him. Better yet, just go to his blog, and know why I think it is interesting. And why you must add him in your daily subscription in your LJ friends list. I know someone who might like this one.

Beyond Megapixel is a Digital Photography Guide for the Beginners, Advanced Users and the like. I find it surprising that no one has ever sydicated their feed yet. Only to find out that their blog is relatively new. Hmmmn, thay might be the reason. They have this to say for themselves:

We are Jeff and Lisa, a husband & wife photography team. Jeff writes most of the content, while Lisa edits and maintains the blog. You can e-mail us at info at beyondmegapixels.com.

What to expect from us: beginner-friendly content, photography tips and tricks, Photoshop tips and tutorials, news and product releases, and other fun, geeky stuff.

So head on over to the feeds and subscribe today. You may just know what you are missing.

Anorexia is an eating disorder. In simple analysis, it is when someone eats very little but exercises a lot. Or some variation of eating very little. It is surprising that human beings are not the only ones capable of starving themselves for the betterment of their social status.

Here comes the Emerald Coral Gobies. These fish starve themselves in order to avoid getting into fights with their bigger, dominant neighbors. They make way to remain small, so that they are "treated better" in their society. It is funny that humans do the same, although for an entirely different purpose.

"Rather than competing for the top spot, subordinate female gobies often limit their own growth to remain non-threatening to higher-ranking fish."

READ MORE OF THE ARTICLE HERE

Isn't that very informative, children? Now don't go starving yourself. Remember, we are better off than fish!