Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Right Words

The English language is vast but there are just some things/events that we can't express using a single word or a simple phrase. Below is a list of words from various languages around the world. These words and more can be read in Howard Rheingold's They Have a Word for It and Adam Jacot de Boinod's The Meaning of Tingo.


katahara itai - (Japanese) laughing so much that one side of your abdomen hurts
gigi rongak - (Malay) space between the teeth
bakku-shan - (Japanese) a girl who appears pretty from behind but not from the front
nakkele - (Indian) a man who licks whatever the food has been served on
Kummerspeck - (German) describes the excess weight gained from emotion-related overeating; literally means grief bacon
Putzfimmel - (German) a mania for cleaning
Drachenfutter - (German) peace offerings made by guilty husbands to their wives; literally means dragon fodder
die beleidigte Leberwurst spielen - (German) to stick one's lower lip out in a sulk; literally means to play the insulted liver sausage
Backpfeifengesicht - (German) a face that cries out for a fist in it
uitwaaien - (Dutch) walking in windy weather for fun
toto - (Maori) shout given in a game of hide-and-seek to show readiness
plimpplampplettere - (Netherland) skimming stones

Below are some weird occupations.


geshtenjapjeks - Albanian who sells roast chestnuts on the street
koshatnik - Russian dealer of stolen cats
kualanapuhi - Hawaiian officer who keeps the flies away from the sleeping king by waving a brush made of feathers
cigerci - (Turkey) seller of liver and lungs
fyrassistent - (Danish) an assistant lighthouse keeper
aviador - (Spanish) government employee who only shows up on payday

tingo - (Easter Island) to borrow objects from a friend's house, one by one, until there's nothing left
ho'oponopono - (Hawaiian) solving a problem by talking it out
kyoikumama - (Japanese) a mother who pushes her children into academic achievement
kekaku - (Indonesian) to awaken from a nightmare
bol - (Mayan) stupid in-laws
Torschlüsspanik - (German) the frantic anxiety experienced by unmarried women as they race against the 'biological clock'
Treppenwitz - (German) clever remark that comes to mind when it is too late to utter it
Schlimmbesserung - (German) a so-called improvement that makes things worse
Fachidiot - narrow-minded technical expert
animateur - a person who can communicate difficult concepts to general audiences
occurencia - a witty remark
Elementargedanken - elementary thoughts of mankind
attaccabottoni - (Italian) a doleful bore who buttonholes people and tells sad, pointless tales
uffda - (Swedish) word of sympathy, used when someone else is in pain
Korinthenkacker - a boss that obsesses on insignificant details; literally means raisin crapper
mokita - the truth everybody knows but nobody speaks
razbliuto - the feeling a person has for someone he or she once loved but now does not

Kidsbeer

Talk about BAD INFLUENCE!

Kidsbeer, a Japanese soft drink bottled and formulated to look like beer, may soon be available throughout Europe, but watchdogs of underage drinking say they will fight any effort to ship it to the United States.
The drink, which comes in a brown bottle and is advertised with the slogan "Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink," is lager-colored and foams like beer, but tastes like cola.
[via NY Times]

Tarantado talaga 'tong mga Hapon na 'to!

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Happy Birthday

She blooms into a lady...


pikit ako.. pikit siya.. pikit uli ako..


freddie kreuger.. ang baho ko raw.. sa wakas, matino rin

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Buzzer Beater

Actually, I didn't make it on time. I was three minutes late for my Sociology-Anthropology 21 class since it took a couply of minutes to print my 12-page (yes!) paper on my socialization. My paper didn't get any deductions but I learned a lesson today: every second counts. What if I woke up a little earlier? What if I didn't eat a pack of Hansel cookies? What if I didn't brush my teeth? What if I didn't pee? What if I didn't blog (verb not noun)? What if I didn't plug my cellphone to charge it? I know that there is one and only one answer to this question - I would have arrived at the sound of the second bell.


Here's a photo of my post-classes merienda.



Burger Maching Jumbo Burger & MiniStop NESCAFE Freez

I needed coffee since I am cramming for another project. This time, it's a C++ program due tomorrow.


Below is a picture of the action in Abada Drive (para asteeg) as seen from my window.



Asphalting & Pinkification of Abada

Time is Relative

It's a little past 6:00 AM and I have an 8-page paper due within 3 hours. I am currently at the 2.5 page mark. Am I doomed? Will my laziness (finally) catch up on me like a rabid dog and rip me to shreds? Nobody's sure. But one thing is certain. I am definitely running out of time.


On another part of the world, a guy just have too much time in his hands.



Click on pic for Gameboy's big daddy

Monday, September 19, 2005

Sorry Na Lang

Hindi ako makatulog. Sa oras na ito, maraming bumabagabag sa isipan ko. Ang mga multo ng nakaraa'y nagsisibangon na naman mula sa kani-kanilang mga libingang 'di nasilidan. Ngunit 'di ko sila masisisi, ako ang tunay na salarin.


Tarantado kasi ako. Oo, tao lang akong nagkakamali pero tila yata sinasagad-sagad ko. Dahan-dahan kong binabalikan ngayon ang mga panahong nakasakit ako ng aking kapwa. Muli kong ginugunita ang mga panahong inisip ko lamang ang aking sarili at hindi ang iba. Bakit ko ba kailangang manakit? Nakaukit na ba sa aking mga kamay ang kapalarang ito?


Oo, isa akong walang kwenta't walang pusong tao. Ako ay isang bastardong nilalang na walang kinikilingang damdamin. Wala na akong mukhang mahihirap. Alam kong pagod ka na sa akin. 'Di ko alam kung tama ba ang ginawa ko noon. 'Di ko alam kung bakit pa kailangan humantong sa ganoon. Akala ko talaga.. Inakala ko talaga..


Tanging inis lamang ang nadarama ko para sa aking sarili. Matindi ang sala ko sa iyo. Tila hindi ko kayang magpakita pang muli sa iyo. Hiyang-hiya na talaga ako. Sana mapatawad mo ako.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Just Movies

Movies that I want to watch:
1. Akira - has alwatys been refered to as the best animated film ever made
2. Tombstone - Western-action gallore
3. Pulp Fiction - it's a Quentin Tarantino film!
4. Ran, Seven Samurais, Hidden Fortress - ever heard of the great AK?

Got a VCD/DVD of any one of them? Share the love brotha!

Sunday, September 11, 2005

iPod Nano-Nano

The iPod is one of the greatest symbols of pop culture. As the previous year was dubbed as the Year of the iPod, the trendy white earphones are quickly becoming the hottest status symbol in the Philippines.


But if you think you're cool with your iPod or your Mini or your Shuffle, hehehehehehe, think again bub. Apple has unveiled, the iPod Nano



The new member of the iPod family comes in two versions, 2 GB (500 songs) for $199 and 4 GB (1000 songs) for $249. It can store photos and can play for 14 hours straight. The best part of it all, it's only 3.5" tall and as thick as a pencil. It isn't called Nano for nothing.


I'm not really an iPod zealot but I know a lot of people are. Good for them. They have money to spend on an entertainment thingamajig while millions of people (like me) are starving (some to death).


Remember the Nano-nano candy of yore? It's the candy line with really weird flavors but most of them were bitter. That may be the reason why they were quickly off the market. Oh well, go connect the dots.

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle

My mom bought a new cellphone and she gave her phone to me. Thus, I have a "new" cellphone. Rejoice all yee friends!

Monday, September 05, 2005

Losing It
Mayroon akong stampita
Ang santo ay mga letra.
Madali lang mag-novena
Lagyan ng load ay sagot na.

It's funny how we elevated a machine to a level that it doesn't deserve. Yes, a cellphone is very useful, but does it deserve the credit we give it? Does it deserve being the last thing we look at night and the first in the morning? Does it deserve the attention it grabs every 3 minutes or so? Is a cellular phone so deeply engrained in our lifestyle that when we lose ours, we feel so helpless, so vulnerable. How could we wakeup on time? How could we do damoves? How could we tell our moms that we won't be home on time? How could we tell a special friend that we have a special problem? How could we make-up a call so that we could escape an unwanted conversation?


I lost my phone, for the nth time.