The Thick Red Line

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

10 Fun Things I Can Do with a new Lenovo Laptop

If you notice, I haven't blogged for a while - make that 20 months! So what made me come out of my self-imposed hiatus? It's this amazing contest over at YugaTech. They'll give a brand new Lenovo laptop (an IdeaPad G460, no less) to someone who has the best "10 fun things he/she can do with a new Lenovo laptop". So here goes my list, and I ask everyone to pray with me that I get that damn laptop!

10 Fun Things I Can Do With a New Lenovo Laptop

I can start blogging again! The reason I gave up blogging was I DON'T HAVE A LAPTOP! I love going out and writing about experiences, but I have to be able to write when the urge and inspiration to write presents itself. A new Lenovo laptop will surely help me blog about my diurnal activities and adventures.
I want to be able to update everyone about me real-time! I have Facebook, Twitter, and this blog. It would be nice to let all my friends know what's happening to me real-time. If I'm climbing a mango tree in Vigan, Ilocos Sur (my hometown), I would like all my FB friends know about that ASAP, when I'm actually up there on a branch of a mango tree, right?
I want to wow my trainees with great presentations! I'm a call center trainer. Sometimes the basic modules and presentations just don't cut it as far as grabbing your trainees' attention and not making them fall asleep through those boring lectures. I love making my discussions fun and bright. Imagine the great things I can do with that Lenovo laptop!
It would surely look way cooler to have a laptop for a lyrics book! I am a singer. I normally bring a lyrics book onstage when I sing. It looks really cumbersome and takes away "coolness" points when I use it. And when it's windy, the pages turn and I sing the wrong lyrics! With a new Lenovo laptop, it would be a breeze reading through the lyrics and no more page-turning disasters!
It would be nice to show off my videos in Youtube with that new laptop! With the screen size of my new Lenovo laptop, I can show my friends my videos in Youtube! I have music videos for originals and recorded live sessions of cover songs that would be really awesome to show with the new laptop.
I can dabble in music composition and arrangement! I can now fully branch out to new careers with a new Lenovo laptop. I have a lot of compositions waiting to be realized with applications and software that I can install on that new laptop.
I can watch my favorite movies and review them anytime anywhere! I am a movie-addict! If you read my previous posts, you'll find several film reviews there. It would be nice to review a movie right after you've seen it. So a Lenovo laptop will be very handy in this case.
Chat with friends and family anytime anywhere! I have friends and family all over the Philippines and the world. It would be nice to check with them on a regular basis. With a new Lenovo laptop, it's a small world. I can now give them the good news real-time: I WON A NEW LENOVO LAPTOP!!!
Spend more time with my dogs! I have two beautiful dogs. A pitbull and a shihtzu. I love them so much like my own daughters. When I'm home, I sometimes feel guilty doing computer work or spending leisure time online instead of playing with them. If I had a Lenovo laptop, my computer time at home will be cut immensely. I can now devote more time to my loyal pets.
I can now sleep soundly knowing that I just got my FIRST laptop! It's pathetic, I know! I have NEVER had a laptop. So please, everyone at YugaTech, hear my plea: Give me a brand new Lenovo laptop for Christmas!

This is my official entry to the Lenovo-YugaTech Laptop Giveaway contest.
http://www.yugatech.com/blog/contests/contest-lenovo-yugatech-laptop-give-away/

Sunday, April 12, 2009

How to handle stress...

Just in case you've had a rough day, here is a stress management technique recommended in all the latest psychological tests. The funny thing is that it really works.

1. Picture yourself near a stream.

2. Birds are softly chirping in the cool mountain air.

3. No one but you knows your secret place.

4. You are in total seclusion from the hectic place called "the world."

5. The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity.

6. The water is crystal clear.

7. You can easily make out the face of the person you're holding underwater.

Start with a cage containing five apes...

In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long, an ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the apes with cold water.

After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result - all the apes are sprayed with cold water. This continues through several more attempts. Pretty soon, when another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes all try to prevent it.

Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one ape from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other apes attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a third original ape with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes, which have been sprayed with cold water, have been replaced. Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not?

Because that's the way they've always done it and that's the way it's always been around here.

And that's how company policy begins....

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Thank You For Your Love by Dimsum

This was taken during a live gig at 19 East. The song is created by Direk Dennis Garcia. Nakakamiss talaga!

Shining Star by Dimsum

Our version of the Earth, Wind, & Fire classic. I MISS PERFORMING!!!

Heaven Sent by Dimsum

Here's a cut from our album, about 4 years ago. Timeless. Created by our dear Direk, Dennis Garcia. Featuring, Simone of D'Sound! Enjoy!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Common errors in English usage: Part IV

HYPHENS & DASHES

Dashes are longer than hyphens, but since many browsers do not reliably interpret the code for dashes, they are usually rendered on the Web as they were on old-fashioned typewriters, as double hyphens--like that. Dashes tend to separate elements and hyphens to link them. Few people would substitute a dash for a hyphen in an expression like “a quick-witted scoundrel,” but the opposite is common. In a sentence like “Astrid—unlike Inger—enjoyed vacations in Spain rather than England,” one often sees hyphens incorrectly substituted for dashes.

When you are typing for photocopying or direct printing, it is a good idea to learn how to type a true dash instead of the double hyphen (computers differ). In old-fashioned styles, dashes (but never hyphens) are surrounded by spaces — like this. With modern computer output which emulates professional printing, this makes little sense. Skip the spaces unless your editor or teacher insists on them.

There are actually two kinds of dashes. The most common is the “em-dash” (theoretically the width of a letter “M”—but this is often not the case). To connect numbers, it is traditional to use an “en-dash” which is somewhat shorter, but not as short as a hyphen: “cocktails 5–7 pm.” All modern computers can produce en-dashes, but few people know how to type them. For most purposes you don’t have to worry about them, but if you are preparing material for print, you should learn how to use them.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

I AM SO

STRESSED OUT!!!

5 "facts" that are actually baseless and/or false...

False Fact #1: A scientific study on peanuts in bars found traces of over 100 unique specimens of urine.

After rigorous searching for more information, it turns out that no scientific study (or non-scientific study for that matter) has ever been conducted in to peanuts at bars. However, there was a study in ice-cubes in UK bars in 2003 which discovered that 44% of ice cubes tested contained coliform bacteria - bacteria that comes from human poop. Even more shockingly, 5% were infected with the potentially deadly E. Coli bacteria. I guess that proves that they aren’t making their ice cubes from bottled water. So, next time you are in London, pass on the ice and enjoy some peanuts instead.

False Fact #2: Elevators have killed or can kill when their cables snap.

There is a small element of truth to this “fact” - but we will get to that soon. Firstly, elevators usually have a minimum of four operating cables, as well as an inbuilt braking system and a backup braking system in the shaft which forces a wedge into the shaft to prevent too rapid a drop. If the cables were all to snap (and believe me, elevator cables are strong), the cars braking system would detect the free fall and automatically apply. If that also fails, the shaft’s braking system takes over. Now, the small element of truth I mentioned earlier is that there has been one recorded account of a complete elevator free fall; it was caused by an airplane which crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945. The crash caused the cables in the elevator to be weakened - ultimately leading to them breaking. The person riding the lift (Betty Lou Oliver) survived the 75 floor free fall because of air pressure beneath the car.

False Fact #3: You can’t fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times.

This is one we all hear regularly - and we believe it because it is true when we tried it. But, in 2002 a US high school student Britney Gallivan proved it wrong by folding a piece of thing gold leaf more than 7 times with the use of tweezers. To further prove that it could be done, she bought a giant roll of toilet paper on the internet and her and her family took it to the local mall where they attempted to fold it more than 7 times. Seven hours of folding later, they had it folded into 12 folds.

False Fact #4: Polar Bears are left-handed.

Where this myth came from is now lost in the dark recesses of history. The widespread of this misnomer is quite extraordinary with more google results announcing it as gospel than not. But in reality, scientists who have spent their working lives studying polar bears have found that they are actually ambidextrous (they use both hands equally well). It is possible that the myth was started when people observed the bears working well with their left hands, but they neglected to notice that they also worked well with their right.

False Fact #5: The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space.

Well this is wrong on many levels. Firstly, while you are still close enough to earth to actually see the great wall, you can also see road networks, and other large objects created by man. There is, in fact, no distance from earth in which you can only see the great wall. By the time you get a few thousand miles away, you can see nothing man-made. Astronaut Alan Bean said:

“The only thing you can see from the moon is a beautiful sphere, mostly white (clouds), some blue (ocean), patches of yellow (deserts), and every once in a while some green vegetation. No man-made object is visible on this scale. In fact, when first leaving earth’s orbit and only a few thousand miles away, no man-made object is visible at that point either.”

A message from a pet...

Hi, I'm your dog. I've got something to say to you ....

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments. But I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, and yet I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too will grow old.

10. On the difficult journey, on the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there. Because I love you so.

11. Please don't forget to put my goggles and helmet on when we ride. I am as fragile as you are.

Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. Life would be a much duller, less joyful thing without God's critters. Please pass this on to other dog lovers.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

At hindi magbabago ang tibok ng puso ko... para kay Mr. Ratsky...

LSS. Last Song Syndrome. Over bottles of SanMig Light, tokwa't baboy, and obviously inebriated talk at Rufo's, a secret is revealed. Chase trainer Randy divulges Pam's object of undying affection (since she was 5 years old, for chrissakes!): Mr. Bababaero himself, Randy Santiago. Allyn, Ed, and I are flabbergasted. Allyn asks, "What did you like about Randy Santiago?" I couldn't resist, "His name?"

Indeed, Pam, explain, "Why the hell do you like Randy?"

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Mic test, one, two, one, two...

Emile Berliner invented the microphone in 1876. I don't know why some people still confuse it with something else. Here are some videos showing mics misused as cellphones, pepper mill, or food (accidentally).