Rich Inc.

Mr. Meant-To

2009-01-22T20:14:00.001-08:00

Mr. Meant-To has a comrade,
And his name is Didn't-Do.
Have you ever chanced to meet them?
Have they ever called on you?
These two fellows live together
In the House of Never Win,
And I'm told that it is haunted
By the ghost of Might-Have-Been.

- Anonymous

The English Language

2008-09-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Poem below was sent to me by a colleague. They said that once you've learned to pronounce every word in it, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world.

If you find it tough, do not despair, you are not alone. Try it.

English is Tough Stuff.

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamor
And enamor rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangor.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loath.
Job, knob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succor, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation-think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spiky?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing grouts and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough-
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

The Blind Men and the Elephant

2008-09-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

This is a simple poem/story that has good content. I dunno where I originally copied the file cause I found it in some of my files.

Six blind men were discussing exactly what they believed an elephant to be, since each had heard how strange the creature was, yet none had ever seen one before. So the blind men agreed to find an elephant and discover what the animal was really like.

It didn’t take the blind men long to find an elephant at a nearby market. The first blind man approached the beast and felt the animal’s firm flat side. “It seems to me that the elephant is just like a wall,” he said to his friends.

The second blind man reached out and touched one of the elephant’s tusks. “No, this is round and smooth and sharp - the elephant is like a spear.”

Intrigued, the third blind man stepped up to the elephant and touched its trunk. “Well, I can’t agree with either of you; I feel a squirming writhing thing - surely the elephant is just like a snake.”

The fourth blind man was of course by now quite puzzled. So he reached out, and felt the elephant’s leg. “You are all talking complete nonsense,” he said, “because clearly the elephant is just like a tree.”

Utterly confused, the fifth blind man stepped forward and grabbed one of the elephant’s ears. “You must all be mad - an elephant is exactly like a fan.”

Duly, the sixth man approached, and, holding the beast’s tail, disagreed again. “It’s nothing like any of your descriptions - the elephant is just like a rope.”

And all six blind men continued to argue, based on their own particular experiences, as to what they thought an elephant was like. It was an argument that they were never able to resolve. Each of them was concerned only with their own idea. None of them had the full picture, and none could see any of the other’s point of view. Each man saw the elephant as something quite different, and while in part each blind man was right, none was wholly correct.

If you combine their decriptions, this what you'll come up with:

There are several things I get reminded of with this story.

There's never one way of looking at things. That's why they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Everybody is entitled their own opinion and we have to be flexible about it. We're not right all the time. We have to listen to what other people think. Because we are not perfect and no matter how keen we are, there are just instances when we miss out on some details.

They came up with several generalizations from what they thought an elephant is. What we perceive does not only depend on what we see but where we're looking. It helps to see things in proper perspective - the bigger picture. That way we don't just interpret the parts but the entire being.

Disaster... Hurricane Gustav, Typhoon Frank

2008-09-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am so outdated when it comes to news. I just found out from a colleague that there was a another hurricane that hit the US. Same as Katrina? I guess, I did research and I found an article from Fox News comparing Gustav to Katrina: http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/gustav-vs-katrina-bolling-breaks/. When I heard about hurricane Gustav I remembered the recent flood that hit our city – Typhoon Frank (international codename Fengshen). The typhoon shocked everybody since we haven’t had a flood like this in years. We, humans are experiencing the consequences of abuse in nature. Is this a wakeup call? We can do our part by having good waste management at home. After all, the family is the basic unit of society.

The pictures below were taken by a colleague’s friend last June 21st at SM City Iloilo. A lot of shoppers got stranded. Those that went out and tried to go home despite the strong winds were no longer allowed to go back in. There were people who spent the night inside and outside the mall.

The day after the flood in Smallville and Jaro Tabuc Suba.

Don Gato

2008-08-26T04:20:00.000-07:00

When Jarod was born there was a craze in the house. That would be normal I guess considering he's the first baby in the family. We were researching about things that's good for babies especially for him. I was in search for an audio clip of my favorite nursery rhyme. Our mother was able to buy us nursery rhymes in audio tapes before. You know how audio tapes are - they just don't last long enough. This is not just a personal favorite but a favorite of my siblings too. I'll upload the audio file soon. Here's how the rhyme goes. Hope it becomes your personal favorite too. :)

Senor Don Gato
Written By: Unknown, Copyright Unknown

Oh Senor Don Gato was a cat
On a high red roof Don Gato sat
He went there to read a letter,
Meow, meow, meow
Where the reading light was better,
Meow, meow, meow
'Twas a love note for Don Gato

I adore you wrote the lady cat
Who was fluffy, white and nice and fat
There was not a sweeter kitty,
Meow, meow, meow
In the country or the city,
Meow, meow, meow
And she said she'd wed Don Gato

Oh, Don Gato jumped so happily
He fell off the roof and broke his knee
Broke his ribs and all his whiskers,
Meow, meow, meow
And his little solar plexus,
Meow, meow, meow
Ay Caramba cried Don Gato

Then the doctors all came on the run
Just to see if something could be done
And they held a consultation,
Meow, meow, meow
About how to save their patient,
Meow, meow, meow
How to save Senor Don Gato

But in spite of everything they tried
Poor Senor Don Gato up and died
And it wasn't very merry,
Meow, meow, meow
Going to the cemetery,
Meow, meow, meow
For the ending of Don Gato

When the funeral passed the market square
Such a smell of fish was in the air
Though his burial was slated,
Meow, meow, meow
He became reanimated,
Meow, meow, meow
He came back to life, Don Gato

Sleep - Vital for Health

2008-08-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Ever feel sleepy after a meal especially after lunch? It is normal to feel sleepy in the early afternoon because of the drop in body temperature. Recently, scientists have discovered a protein called hypocretin or orexin. This is produced in the brain and helps to keep us awake. When we eat, the body secretes leptin, the hormone that lets our body know that we have eaten enough. However leptin inhibits the production of hypocretin. In other words, the more leptin there is in the brain, the less hypocretin and the greater the feeling of drowsiness. This could be the reason why in some countries people take a siesta—a break in the workday that allows people to take an afternoon nap.

To quote Shakespeare, sleep is the "chief nourisher in life's east." Our brain interprets lack of sleep as lack of food. When we stay awake longer than we should, our body produces less leptin, and we feel a craving for more carbohydrates. So sleep deprivation can lead to increased carbohydrate consumption, which in turn can lead to obesity. Sleep makes it easier for our body to metabolize free radicals—molecules that are said to affect the aging of cells and even cause cancer. Sleep deprivation even affects the production of white blood cells and the hormone cortisol, making a person more prone to infections and circulatory diseases.

In computer terms, sleep is a state where a program or task is suspended or placed into inactive mode for a period of time. If computers need sleep, how about humans? We only have one body and this was given to us to take care and not to abuse. Sleep tight! :)

account restriction

2008-08-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Problem: I was trying to connect to another server using the Remote Desktop Connection client and I got the following error:

Unable to log you on because of an account restriction.

Explanation: This may happen if the account you're using to connect has a blank password. To resolve this, go to that computer and assign a password for that user account.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303846

coffee fascination

2008-08-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

The Finns call it their national drink. For many Italians, preparing it is a ceremony. After tea, it is the world's favorite drink. In many countries around the world, it is an essential part of breakfast and even snacks. With the boom of Starbucks, a lot of coffee shops are popping up in almost every corner making coffee available anytime, anyplace. Going out for a cup of coffee is now a status symbol.

Regardless of what you feel about it, we can't deny the growing demand & popularity of coffee.

Coffee is made by roasting the seeds of the coffee tree - a large evergreen shrub that has glossy deep-green leaves growing in semitropical regions. There are about 70 different species of coffee but only two account for about 98% of the world’s production. The finest coffees come from the Arabica varieties (Coffea arabica). Robusta varieties (Coffea canephora) are used mostly for instant coffee and it has a higher caffeine content.

How do take yours?

I came across an article in national geographic and this is how a French statesman Talleyrand described his: “Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.”

Do you agree? I’m not a frequent coffee drinker but I drink it whenever there’s a need. For me who’s on a night shift, a cup would help especially when I begin to feel sleepy and when there’s a need to extend hours.

Came across a site that has a lot of trivia about coffee: http://www.koffeekorner.com/trivia.htm

There’s a lot of work involved - planting, cultivating, harvesting, processing, classifying, blending, roasting, grinding and preparing before making that quality coffee available from the tree to your cup. It’s nice to sit down and savor the flavor and aroma of your favorite cup while thinking of these.
Drink up! :)

Dark Chocolate

2008-08-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of products in the market that boast about their antioxidant properties. One way of checking whether a certain food has antioxidants is by getting their ORAC value. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. The US department of agriculture (www.usda.gov) posted a list of foods and their ORAC values. One of the articles say that more cocoa content means higher antioxidant capacity. Dark chocolates have higher ORAC values as compared to milk chocolates. I guess it has less fat too and more of the cocoa to suffice your craving. Though the score is high, antioxidant tests like ORAC simply measure the antioxidant potential in a test tube. Neverthless it's nice to know that dark chocolates have high antioxidant properties. So when having a chocolate craving, I look for a dark chocolates instead. It makes feel less guilty.

Lindt chocolates are very popular because of it's quality & taste. I like and prefer dark chocolates. Recently, I had Lindt 70% Extra Thins. They are thin squares about a square inch each and only about 1 mm thin. What I like about it is it's thin so you only get a thin piece each time. That allows you to savor and enjoy the taste and still have a lot left in the box. Most chocolate bars are thick and it's just not thin enough for babies. You still need to slice into small pieces. With Lindt extra thins, just get a pinch and it's big enough for the baby to much. This is my nephew's first chocolate. Next try is Lindt 85% Extra Thins. Can't wait! :)

Begin with the end in mind...

2008-08-12T03:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog!

I'm not sure really sure where the quote is from. I have this on my shirt and I like it. It means that you should know the reason why you're doing something. The "why" is very important because as long as you know it, you will find the way (the "how") to get the end result. Pretty basic huh?

So why did I sign up for a blog when everybody else has theirs? I've never posted a blog before. I only get to read blogs from friends and acquiantances. Recently, I came across an article talking about how I can take advantage of platforms like these. Now, I'm learning and starting to indeed make use of these.

More blogs to come! :)