Just like many other Filipinos, I have never fallen in love with football in as much as I have loved basketball and tennis. I have often heard some people say that there is no sense for eleven men chasing one ball in a huge field.

But when you're in a country where football is a national craze, then I have to learn to watch football. Malaysians wake up early mornings just to see their favorite teams play. They watch English Premier League, World Cup and Euro Cup and all other leagues in Europe. I have to watch especially the final games or crucial matches mainly because the topic of discussion during tea and lunch breaks in the office would be the latest football match. Anyone not knowing who made the goals, who got punished with yellow or red cards, or whose fans turned rowdy, would look a real idiot.

This Sunday morning (SEA time) is the finals of Euro 2008 and two great football nations will be chasing the ball to win that coveted Cup. It's Spain versus Germany. I will have to watch the match, evern if it means waking up at 2:30 am because I'm sure by Monday, this is going to be the hot topic in the office. I am placing my bet on Spain. 

She was one of the clear favorites. She was one of the three women who have three titles this year. She was in peak form since winning the Australian Grand Slam.

Unfortunately, her fellow Russian with the a difficult surname, Alla Kudryavtseva, beat her 6-2  6-4 in the second round. What made the defeat more shocking was that Kudryavtseva is lowly ranked 154th in the world and has never really made a mark in any of the Grand Slam.

Sharapova's double faults and unforced errors made it much easier for her compatriot, who was playing all out to beat her. Kudryavtseva really played as if she had nothing to lose, and winning over world no. 3 Sharapova was worth more than winning a Grand Slam.

Something's wrong with the glamour girl in tennis. Whatever it is, only she knows. She has to reflect back after this loss, and work harder even more and be ready for the next Grand Slam.

Yes, change some of our habits and we can help reduce the world's carbon footprints. This is the theme for 2008 World Environment Day set on June 5. How much are you willing to do for the environment? Can you do something this day to save our Mother Earth?

These are the A-Z to observe WED on June 5. Which one can you do? Little things such as what I do can have a huge impact on the environment if the great number of us do it at the same time.

On March 8, we observed Earth Hour by switching off our lights for an hour starting at 8pm in many cities all around the globe. The mere one hour without using electricity helped to reduced thousand pounds of carbon footprints.

The award-winning documentary The Inconvenient Truth showed scientifically the consequences if we continue not to care of the environment. Some of us may not like the narrator of this film but scientists around the world have concurred to the technical basis of his power point presentation.

Stop the apathy. Do something. Act now. Protect the environment. Save Mother Earth.

Well, she lost to an in-form player, no doubt about that. Besides, this is her least favorite surface. Whatever happens, she is still the no. 1 women's player in tennis. Maria Sharapova!

Her shocking exit from the French Open 4th round last night further dampened this clay court Grand Slam event, already  without former no. 1 Justine Henin who retired couple of weeks ago and the formidable Williams' sisters who both were beaten in earlier rounds. There is definitely going to be a new women's champion on Saturday's final.

Maria may have lost but she is still looking glamorous as ever, especially in her 1920-inspired Nike Paris dress designed for the French Open. Her Grand Slam dresses are always specially designed by Nike. She also wore a Tiffany designer Elsa Peretti's Wave earrings in 18k gold. Her elegant dress is finished with Tiffany pearl button at the back.

She is looking more slim than in the Australian Open grand slam which she won. I looked at her biodata and her weight is only 57kg. That's pretty thin for a towering 1.88-meter lady. Without her, now I can forget the French Open, there's nothing interesting to watch on sports TV. I have to wait for Wimbledon to see her on the court again.

That day I woke up at 4 a.m. There was no chance I could go back to sleep. Outside the window it was bright. I realized I that I was in another part of the world. I sat on my bed, watched news on TV for a while before taking my morning shower, even if I know that our meeting starts at 9 a.m.

I went down to the hotel's coffee house thinking that the buffet breakfast starts at 6 a.m. as in most hotels in Asia. I was wrong, breakfast is served at 7 a.m. I decided to walk outside the hotel and noticed that it was a beautiful morning at the fjord. What a beautiful morning in Tjome, Norway.

After taking some photos of the sunrise at the fjord, I went back to the hotel's coffee house. No one was there except for the hotel manager, Mr. Geir, who greeted me in a cheerful tone. Obviously noting that I was Asian, he started to brief me about the Norwegian breakfast. He asked where I come from, proudly I told him that I'm from the Philippines though working in Malaysia.

He then asked me if I could give him the Filipino translation for "Have a nice day!". This I will have to think for a while, I told him. Suddenly, I felt I have a enormous task on hand, and I couldn't concentrate on my breakfast. I was struggling as I kept staring at the blank paper that he gave me. We always say "have a nice day" like it's part of our everyday Filipino language. The ones that were coming to my mind were awkward. I was not confident at all at what were coming to my mind.

As I was finishing my breakfast, I managed to scribble something on the piece of paper with "Magkaroon ka ng magandang araw!". It sounded correct but I was not for certain. It was not pleasant to listen to. After I passed the paper to him, he thanked me as he walked back to his office. Moments later, he came back and asked me if this is true translation, makung sure I didn't use any obscene words or profanity. He said it's going to be sent to a Filipino kid. I was relieved! I thought he came back to tell me that my translation sucks!

Guys, how to translate "have a nice day" to Filipino? Any smarter ideas than what I managed that morning? I am quite sure there is a better way to say "have a nice day" in Filipino.

Imagine normal adults slugging it out with 5th graders in answering ten questions that are normally answered by ten year olds in school. All for the prize of one million bucks. It is often hilarious when the adults try to answer and explain. This is what happens in this Mark Burnett's game show on Fox TV. During the game, they have two "cheats" and one "save".  If they are not sure of their answer, or have no idea at all, they can cheat either by a "peek" at a the 5th grader classmate's answer or simply "copy" the answer without even looking at it. If the contestant gives the wrong answer, and the classmate gives a correct, the adult can be "saved" once.

There was this African-American lady contestant who was asked the question "What country is in the northern border of America?". She had to peek at her classmate's answer for help. A blonde lady was asked "What is the only continent that is also a country?" She said, "This is difficult because all the continents are countries too, say like North America is a country too." Lol! She had no choice but to use one of her cheats to get the correct answer. Another blonde who said her favorite subject is Mathematics was asked "If the two equal angles of an isosceles triangle are 1 degree, what is the third angle?". She answered 1 degree.

You can try the game youself by clicking here. The show is available in Asia on Star World on Mondays at 10pm with replays every Thursdays at the same time. It's both educational and entertaining.

Whoever didn't watch American Idol Top Five Performance yesterday wouldn't have seen Paula Abdul's major blunder on global television. Watch this.

Two things came to our minds: Is American Idol scripted after all or Paula is on crack? She claims though it was confusing. The sudden change of format by the producer led her to confusion.

The top five finalists were made to sing two Neil Diamond songs. After they sang their first songs, host Ryan Seacrest suddenly asked for the judges' quick comments on the performance, even though he announced earlier that the critique will be done only after the second songs. When it was her turn, Paula gave comments to Idol Jason Castro for his two songs, when he had just sang his first. Simon quickly took over to avoid further embarassment. It was funny and embarrasing probably leaving a question of credibility on American Idol. Or maybe just the credibility of Paula Abdul!

April 7 is the World Health Day! This date marks the founding of the World Health Organization. This year's theme is "protecting health from climate change."

This Saturday, 29 March 2008 at exactly 8pm, lights will be shut off for an hour in 24 global cities.

For what? If more people are aware and switch off their lights for one hour, it can help to reduce this year's carbon footprints by thousands of pounds. That's equivalent to saving hundreds of thousands trees or preventing million pounds of carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere.

What can you do? Switch off your lights. A simple act that will affect our environment.

If we can spread the awareness, we can be involved in a noble cause to preserve our Mother Earth. The more people are aware, the more people will be involved, and the better environment for us to live in.

You can get more info from this Earth Hour link.

(thanks to my friend Vin for sharing the email).

There are times that I dream of lasting peace in this world. There would be no poverty and no hunger and no war. Real world peace - not the world peace we talk about in beauty pageants! Wouldn't  be it nice to live without animosity, apathy, power struggles and greed?

This dream is summed up in the famous song of John Lennon "Imagine", part of which was performed by David Archuleta, a 17-year old talent in this week's Top 20 performance of American Idol. On why he chose this particular verse instead of the more popular first verse, he said this is more relevant and more meaningful. Very well said!

"Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"

His own unique rendtition of this iconic song was lauded by the judges. Simon Cowell said that he is the one to beat, and there are 19 other contestants who are feeling miserable right now. I think I quite agree with Simon, although I am still a big fan of our own pinoy talent Ramiele Malubay. Click the link below to watch his performance.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ovborwDaooQ

He could very well be the next AI!

I got this from my friend Shela.

Some may loathe me for posting this while I'm sure there will be some who will be delighted.

"Bakit babagsak sa Physics si GMA?
Dahil ang RELATIVITY sa kanya ay ilagay si FG at Mikee sa pwesto.

Why won't GMA make a good chemist?
She does not know any SOLUTIONS, only a lot of corruption.

Why is GMA pretending to be a geologist?
She is only good at finding FAULTS.

Why will GMA fail in mining engg?
Because she has underMINED the people's trust.

Why will GMA fail in mechanical engineering?
Because we will not allow her to SCREW us forever.

Why will Gloria fail in civil engineering?
Because her heart is really in EVIL engineering.

Bakit hindi pwedeng geodetic engineer si GMA?
Dahil sa umpisa pa lang, mali na ang BEARINGS nya.

Why will GMA fail in electrical engineering?
Because she SHORT CIRCUITS the people's interest.

How do mathematicians see GMA?
1+1+1+1+1+1. ... a non-terminating SERIES of corruption and lies.

Seriously though, if you feel that we need a change, please support the petition online in this link. But if you are for the status quo, don't bother opening this link and you may hate me for your entire life. Peace!

Sign on also to http://www.petition online.com/STSC2008/petition. html
Scientists for Truth, Scientists for Change

(From an email of an ex-colleague Vin)

A first-grade teacher has twenty-six students in her class. She presented each child the first half of a well-know proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first-graders, six year olds, because the last one is a classic.

1. Don't change horses.....until they stop running.

2. Strike while.....the bug is close.

3. It's always darkest before.....Daylight Savings Time.

4. Never underestimate the power of.....termites.

5. You can lead a horse to water but.....how?

6. Don't bite the hand that.....looks dirty.

7. No news is.....impossible.

8. A miss is as good as a.....Mr.

9. You can't teach an old dog new.....math.

10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll.....stink in the morning.

11. Love all, trust.....me.

12. The pen is mightier than the.....pigs.

13. An idle mind is.....the best way to relax.

14. Where there's smoke, there's.....pollution.

15. Happy is the bride who.....gets all the presents.

16. A penny saved is.....not much.

17. Two's company, three's.....the Musketeers.

18. Don't put off till tomorrow what.....you put on to go to bed.

19. Laugh and whole world laughs with you, cry and.....you have to blow your nose.

20. There are none so blind as.....Stevie Wonder.

21. Children should be seen and not.....spanked or grounded.

22. If at first you don't succeed,.....get new batteries.

23. You get out of something only what you.....see in the picture on the box.

24. When the blind lead the blind,.....get out of the way.

25. A bird in the hand.....is going to poop on you.

and the classic one,

26. Better late than.....pregnant.

We were all saddened after the disappointing third place finish of the Filipino buddies Mark and Rovilson in the finale of TARA2. They were leading all the way until that last "roadblock" challenge in Singapore. Rovilson couldn't remember the flags of the countries they've been to. What a pity! However, they were still winners having won 8 of the 12 pit stops grabbing prizes such as cash, handphones, videocameras, and fully-paid vacations. They were the "winningest" team ever for any Amazing Race.

There was another Filipino team in TARA2 in the American husband-Filipina wife Henry-Teri, but Teri was so annoying that Filipinos, I guess, would have been more grateful if they were not in this race carrying the Philippine flag.

In American Idol, we were entertained by the comic audition of Reynaldo Lapuz, with his delivery of his original composition of "I Am Your Brother". He was cool and fun although, of course, he was out from the very first round.  Watch http://www.youtube.com/v/GXPxY5Ot6XY&rel=1.

At least we have something to cheer about. This week, the Top 24 in American Idol were chosen among them a genuine Filipino talent in Ramiele Malubay. She is petite with a big voice that impressed all the judges. I bet she can sing better than Jasmine Trias, another Filipino who was third place in Season 3. She is someone to watch out in this competition. Watch http://www.youtube.com/v/dZWgNUDRND8&rel=1.

Last year, I was at a quandary on what to recommend my boss, who was travelling Manila, on "must do" or "must see" in my country. I recommended a few places, including Glorietta and a week after my boss came back to Malaysia, the explosion happened. Anyway, my boss and company didn't go to Glorietta as they spent most of their time in Mall of Asia due its proximity to their hotel.

In today's travel section of The Star in Malaysia, there's a special feature on "must-do" in Manila. I took note of the recommendations in case in the future friends ask me again about Manila, although the first on his list "Baywalk" is history.

Alternatively, I can propose these activities (thanks to high school classmate Ganei who until now has not lost his humor). When he sent this email, he was actually offering himself in jest to be a tour guide to some friends from the province.

Suggested must:

Try and test pirated DVD's in Divisoria (I commented this can be optional as there may be more of them here) 

For a taste of history:

Heard Trillanes has taken over Manila Peninsula with Gen. Lim, is this true? I cannot go into the news websites in the Philippines?

Anyone can update?

I mean, nothing but jokes......hehehehe.

This blog is dedicated to all my lawyer friends - a good laugh is a wonderful break from your hectic lawyering job.

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
(thanks to cyborganization for sending me this email and giving me a good laugh during my holiday)

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?


ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!


ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh....are you qualified to ask that question?

And the best for last:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive,nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

With unpredictable weather and climatic changes becoming a major concern globally, the responsibility of protecting the environment does not rely alone on Nobel Peace prize winners Al Gore and UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. All of us have a role to play in making our Mother Earth a better place to live, not only for today's generation, but for many more generations to come.

Being one who loves nature and likes to climb mountains, trek jungles and do all sorts of adventure outdoors, it pains to think that the environment is on the brink of destruction due to human recklessness and nonchalant attitude, unless we all start doing something to prevent it.

These are just a few things that I do to protect the environment. Hope you too can do your own little part.

1. I recycle as much as I can. Bottles, plastic bags, newspapers, even printing ink cartridges, all can be recycled. In my neighborhood, there's a recycle center for charity accepting all kinds of stuff, and at the same time, the organization that handles the job use the proceeds for charity. I regularly send all my recyclable items to this center instead of throwing them just anywhere.
   
   
2. I use airconditioning sparingly. Conserve the use of electricity since the more electricity we use, the more fuel we burn. I use timer for aircon so that I use it enough only for a good night sleep. I switch off electrical items when not in use too.
   
   
3. Use water wisely. I brush teeth at the same time that I am in the shower. This way I can save few liters of water everyday. I wash my car only when really necessary to save a few more liters. I do laundry weekly to maximize the load of the washing machine, thus wastage of water is minimized.
   
   
4. Since I wash my laundry weekly, I am reducing my use of surfactant-based products like detergent. Surfactants are said to be non-biodegradable and can cause ecological imbalance. If you can find alternative those that are surfactant-free, go for them. If no alternatives available, make sure to use these chemicals less and less. Same thing applies to our shampoos, soaps and shower gels. It may sound ridiculous, but bathe only when necessary.
5. As a paint chemist, I formulate coatings that are environment-friendly - low VOC, low odor. Although paint is just a small part of the major contributors to air pollutants that can destroy the ozone layer, at least, we are doing our part of being responsible in our actions to the environment.

This is an appeal to everyone to care for the environment. There is no such thing as we cannot do anything. We have many ways to contribute, little ways, all it takes is your own initiative and commitment to do it.

PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT, SAVE MOTHER EARTH!!