Literary Scratchpad

Mesothelioma

2006-11-02T16:58:00.000+08:00

I came across this dreaded disease on the net which is caused by excessive exposure to asbestos whose name I couldn't even pronounce correctly, Mesothelioma. This disease affects the mesothelium, (hence the name) where malignant cells develops. Mesothelium is a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. It is commonly found at the pleura which is the outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity. It can also be found at the peritoneum which is the lining of the abdominal cavity and pericardium which is the sac that surrounds the heart.

Asbestos is available in many commercial uses and is classified into two groups, Serpentine and Amphibole. For Serpentine group, chrysotile is the form of asbestos that has been used commercially. It is usually present including but not limited to the following materials:

sheetrock taping
mud and texture coats
vinyl floor tiles, sheeting, adhesives and ceiling tiles
plasters and stuccos
roofing tars, felts, siding, and shingles
"transite" panels, siding, countertops, and pipes
acoustical ceilings
fireproofing
putty
caulk
gaskets
brake pads and shoes
clutch plates
stage curtains
fire blankets

For the Amphibole group, amosite and crocidolite were used in many products until the early 1980s. The use of all types of asbestos under this group was banned in the mid-1980s. These products were mainly:

Low density insulation board and ceiling tiles
asbestos-cement sheets and pipes for construction, casing for water and electrical/telecommunication services
thermal and chemical insulation (i.e., fire rated doors, limpet spray, lagging and gaskets)

According to the information I gathered, symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Since I was conceived during the 1980s, I became worried because during my growing up years, I remember our house went through a lot of renovations and makeovers. This renovations and makeovers involved cement which during those times may or may not contain asbestos. The scariest part about this disease is that it has no known cure yet and after diagnosis, the median survival time of patients who had this disease is between 6 to 12 months. However, there are ways to alleviate the person's suffering like surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, etc. and according to statistics, these may add up to 5 years of patient's survival time.

I really hope I am just being paranoid. Last time I checked (through employment medical examination), my lungs are nothing like the picture above. My fingers are crossed and hope they remain the same for the next 20 or so years. Now, if yours resembles the x-ray picture above, be very worried and visit your nearest doctor for a check-up.

Source: Wikipedia

At the US Embassy

2006-10-19T21:04:00.000+08:00

In reference to my previous blog, this is the reason that I cannot disclose before because I wanted to make sure that my Visa gets approved first before telling the whole world about it.

I woke up at 4:00AM. My interview schedule is at 7:00AM. I arrived at the US Embassy around 5:30AM. They started letting people in at around 6:00AM. We were instructed to go to the baggage screening area. Cellphones are prohibited inside so you have to leave them at the counter. A valid ID must be presented to claim them back after the interview. I was instructed to get a number at Window 1 (or Window A). I presented my passport and other documents. The officer checked the completeness of my answers in the application form. After checking, the officer gave me a number. I went to the Pavillion area to wait for my number to be called. When my number was called, I was instructed to go to the Interview area to wait yet again. After waiting yet again, my number was called yet again for fingerprint scanning. I stated my name and birthdate before the fingerprint scanning process. The officer is a bit strict about the entire fingerprint scanning thing. I remember the officer telling the other applicants "Press harder, press harder, like this oh. Mmm, like this". She did not complain however when it's my turn to scan my fingerprints. I did press harder, that's why. So anyways, after fingerprint scanning, I went back to where I was seated at the interview area and waited yet again for my number to be called. I was there early so we were the first batch to be interviewed. Once the clock hits 8AM, the Visa officers will immediately start the interviewing. When I was called, here's the dialogue between me and the Visa officer (VO) as far as I can remember them:

VO: Good Morning, How are you?
Me: Fine, how about you?
VO: So-so (smiling).
VO: May I see your documents?
Me: Sure, do you want all of them?
VO: Go ahead.
Me: (slipped all the documents under the window)
Me: Oh by the way, my employer wants me to give you this as well (handed over the sealed short brown envelope)
VO: Thanks. (browsed the documents). So your company name is xXx?
Me: Yes, that's correct.
VO: Isn't it xXx has some other offices aside from its location in
xXx?
Me: I'm not sure about that. What I do know is that their main office is in xXx.
VO: Okay. (browsed the documents again, then asked...) What's your position there and what will you be doing?
Me: (explained everything)
VO: Okay.

Yada, yada, yada.

After answering her questions, she opened the sealed envelope. Browsed the documents found inside the envelope, then uttered the words, "Okay, that does it." (then handed me the yellow slip)

VO: Go back to the pavillion and present this slip to arrange for your passport delivery. Have a nice day."
Me: You too. Thanks.

Voila! Visa Approved!

Upgrade to Treo 650

2006-07-25T22:43:00.000+08:00

Barely six months after my Motorola Razr and Palm Tx purchase, I had a new one - Treo 650. I swapped my Palm Tx to Treo 650 and sold my Motorola Razr to my officemate. Then after tinkering with my new gadget for a couple of weeks, here are my thoughts:

Look and Feel

Having used to the slimness of Motorola Razr, the Treo 650 is quite bulky. Its bulkiness is even more evident when you put it inside your pocket. Nonetheless, its bulkiness is acceptable for a PDA-slash-phone.

Functionality

Palm OS UI is the best UI I've experienced so far in terms of navigation on a PDA phone. Texting is great with its QWERTY keyboard. Browsing the internet is not a problem with its built-in web browser - Blazer. I use it to browse for movie schedules at clickhecity.com. Office documents from MS Word Doc, Ms Excel and MS Powerpoint can be easily transferred and viewed using the included software, Documents To Go. Email is also possible using its built-in email client, Versamail. Its VGA camera is useful for taking snapshots. Sending pictures to your contacts through MMS has never been easier. Sharing multimedia files to other devices is also possible through IR or Bluetooth. Picture Quality is acceptable. Camera has three effects: Normal, Sepia and Black and White. Below are unedited samples of the snapshots.

Sepia

Black and White

Normal

Indoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Entertainment

Aside from its usual PDA functionalities (i.e. Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Memos, etc.), the Treo 650 can be used to listen to MP3s and watch videos. RealPlayer is included for playing MP3s. For a better MP3 player on your Palm devices, I recommend using Pocket Tunes. For videos, I downloaded a third party application to play Divx movies - TCPMP Player. Video playback quality on Treo 650's screen is great.

Conclusion

I liked it a lot. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I Failed!

2006-01-10T10:30:00.000+08:00

After a few months of my so-called gadget respite, I failed. I couldn't blame everything to myself. The transpiration of certain events while I was solemnly fulfilling this so-called hiatus served as a balk to my commitment which was terminated eventually.

I missed being online anytime anywhere! There's this one time (at bank camp) where I needed a certain piece of information which I can only imagine getting immediately by "googl-ing" it, so to speak. This rekindled my experience with my old gadgets that do just that.
I lost my 6510 (see my previous blog why the heck am i owning this piece of phased-out cellphone)! The unexpectedness of this event, though, did not at all disturb my sanity. I'm actually surprised how I handled the situation to the point where it's effect was almost negligible in my mundane goings on.

These events are the ultimate reason (...and again to emphasize the fact that it crippled my being able to immediately satisfy my thirst for the information I needed) why I had to undergo yet again the glorious world of gadget researching and window shopping whether online or actual.

These happenings without a doubt brought myself to the inevitable hence breaking my former commitment of gadget quiescency.

Thus, after such a very long explanation, I am now a proud owner of a Palm TX and a Motorola V3 Razr Black Edition. I never sounded off ever since. In fact, I commend their marvelous convergence which is almost flawless in order to deliver what I needed not to mention the extra features. And boy did I mention the fantastic technological sophistication of Moto Razr's form factor and the ever so useful dual wireless technology (bluetooth and Wifi) of Palm TX. I've never been so technologically satisfied in my entire life!

"There are times when something must be destroyed in order to create." (not in exact words... I'm pulling this off from my memory) I read this from somewhere just recently and whoever said this, you have every right to feed your ego because it certainly did apply in my case.

Gadget Hiatus

2005-12-02T16:00:00.000+08:00

Yes.. Hard to believe but yes I've sold my gadgets (Dell Axim X50, Samsung MP3 Player, Nokia 6600 and Nokia 6230i) and converted its revenue to multiple-account peso time deposits. The reasons for doing so: (1) I can't believe the value of my recently-bought Nokia 6230i phone depreciated by five thousand pesos in less than a month; (2) I needed money for a reason I cannot disclose as of this writing. Had the former never happened, I would not have done it and be satisfied with what I had.

So far, it's been a success. I don't miss them... at all. No kidding. I'm happy with my low profile lifestyle now. I must say it's even better. I don't have to worry about "hold-uppers" and "snatchers" anymore. I go to work without anything with me but my coin purse and a phased-out-but-still-functional cellphone... the Nokia 6510 which I traded for my Nokia 6230i with no regrets at all whatsoever.

So when will this gadget hiatus end? Only time will tell... and most especially when the "reason I cannot disclose as of this writing" materializes.

Stay tuned.

Quotidian Interruptor

2005-09-06T10:30:00.000+08:00

It was a Tuesday morning in the Philippines and a Holiday in the US. I was debating within myself whether to go to work or to stay at home. Apparently, my prevailing limpness succeeded in convincing myself not to undergo my mundane ritual since our US counterparts will not be available anyway to give us tasks. And so, I stayed home looking like a splat of gelatin in my bed. Badminton, Jogging, Movies and Eating-out are just some of the things that crossed my mind in order to fill-out my entire day which I used to spend sedentarily in the office..

Then I thought... Since my dad is a few hundred miles away from us, I can freely use his car. I borrowed the car key from my grandpa who is apparently the "key keeper" of my dad's car. He gave me the car key without asking too many questions which is what he normally does whenever I borrow it from him. I told him that I'll just go to the mall to buy some stuff. And so I did go to the mall but the "buy some stuff" part from my previous sentence turned out to be groceries. It was a fun day at the grocery. I can buy whatever I want without having to worry about my budget knowing that I can pay them all because my recent job promotion is there to back me up. Haha!

I then went home wearing a smile on my face.

With A Vengeance

2005-06-07T14:02:00.000+08:00

Bruno couldn't continue his sleep due to the loud sound created by the heavy rainfall outside. Displeased he was, he got up his bed and closed the windows. He went back to his bed only to find out the alarm now going off. He irritatedly reached for the alarm to shut it off and remained seated for a while on the side of his bed with his eyes closed. With the sound of the rain outside grew stronger, Bruno opened his eyes, glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and realized that it is already ten minutes later than his usual wake-up time. He then got up from bed, grabbed his towel and made his way to the bathroom. After taking a bath, his mother showed up.

"Hiniram ng kapatid mo yung payong mo." His mom told him.

"Ha! Anong gagamitin ko!?" He replied in an annoyed tone.

"Manghiram ka na lang sa tita mo." His mom replied.

Furious he was, he asked their katulong to go to his Tita to borrow an umbrella. Luckily, he was able to borrow one.

He then opened the refrigerator to get his milk and prepared some breakfast but he was halted by what he saw on the chiller - two pieces of Toblerone* Chocolates. He knew it belongs to his sister so he grabbed it right away and slid it immediately inside his lunch bag.

Later that day, he went back home from work and saw his sister burning with anger.

"'Bat mo kinuha yung Toblerone* ko!" His sister threw the words right at his face but Bruno calmly replied,

"Ngayon alam mo na ang pakiramdam ko nung kinuha mo ang payong ko!"

Utter Humiliation

2005-05-30T11:35:00.000+08:00

Petunia half-opened her eyes due to the loud sound of her alarm clock. She stood up reluctantly and went to her desk to turn it off. As she went back to her bed, she was scratching her head realizing that she couldn't be late again due to an important exam on her first period class.

"Pepay, gumising ka na nga diyan. Tatanghaliin ka nanaman." Her mom screamed from the outside of her room.

"Opo 'nay, gising na 'ho ako!" She replied petulantly.

Petunia opened her door and came out with a dreary disposition. She lifted her feet indolenty making her way to the bathroom. She reached for the shower knob and twisted it until droplets of water started to come out. After finishing her shower, she toweled herself dry, wrapped the towel around her body and approached the breakfast table. She grabbed a big piece of pandesal, snapped it open from the middle and stuffed it with fried scrambled egg. She drank her milk hastily while still chewing on her food. She then hurriedly went back to her room to get dressed after finishing her breakfast.

"'Ma, pasok na 'ho ako." She told her mother and avoided her sight.

"Oy, oy, oy, Pepay, sandali nga. Anong kalokohan yang nasa mukha mo? 'Bat ang kapal kapal ng make-up mo. Gusto mo bang pagtawanan ka sa klase niyo?"

"'Ma naman. Dalaga na 'ho ako 'no."

"Bahala ka. Basta sinabihan kita. Hala cge pumasok ka na."

She reached for her small mirror inside her shoulder bag while waiting for a jeepney to arrive. She checked her face and thought about what her mom told her.

"Di naman makapal e. Si 'nay talaga, ayaw nakikitang maganda ako." Petunia facetiously told herself.

When the jeepney came, she returned the mirror inside her bag and replaced it with a reviewer for her exam. She chose to be seated at the far back-end so she could concentrate with the review. After waiting for a few minutes, she glanced outside through the jeepney's window and saw the traffic light change from yellow to red.

"Para 'ho sa tabi!", Petunia told the driver.

"Anong para-para! 'Di ka pa nagbabayad!" The driver yelled attracting other passengers to stare at her.

"'Wag naman 'ho kayong manigaw. May barya 'ho ba kayo sa isang libo?" Petunia arrogantly asked.

"Asan ang isang libo mo?" asked the driver.

"Teka lang po. Eksayted kayo masyado e." She replied telling the driver to wait while she looks for the bill. Unable to find one, she returned to the driver grinning and said in a humble tone,

"Nagastos ko na 'ho ata. Eto na lang 'ho palang bente."

We Won!

2005-05-09T21:09:00.000+08:00

Our company held a badminton tournament last Saturday. This is the first sports tournament I've ever joined and excitement is an understatement to describe my state of being during the tournament.

Eliminations

All matches are composed of 2 sets with 1-11 scoring system per set. A pair shall play against all other pairs in their respective level among all teams. There are eight skill levels with Level 1 as the highest. A pair who wins a set shall be awarded 1 Match Point. A pair who wins 2 sets shall be awarded 3 Match Points, otherwise, should either pair win a set each, they're awarded 1 Match Point each. The top 2 pairs who garner the highest number of Match Points in their respective level shall enter the Championships.

We played level 6 and won all three elimination games which gave us a total of 9 Match Points hence bringing us to the championships with an unbeatable record. =)

Championships

All games in the Championship Round per level shall be best of 3 sets race to 15 points. If the set is tied at 14, the first pair to reach 17 points wins the set. A pair who wins a set shall be awarded 1 Match Point. A pair who wins the game with 2 sets to none (2-0) shall be awarded 3 Match Points, otherwise (2 sets to 1), shall be awarded 2 Match Points and the opponent with 1 Match Point. The team who garnered the highest number of Match points in the Championship Round will be declared the Overall Champion.

We won the first and second sets of the game thus giving us a total of 12 Match Points and made us the Level 6 Champion. Our team had the most number of level champions which made our team the Overall Champion! Kudos to our team.

The next working day, our manager sent us an email message:

Thanks for participating in the Badminton Tournament. I was waiting for the official announcement pero unahan ko na - Yey to our project. We had 4 out of 6 pairs playing in their level finals, and two pairs being level champions!!!
Nick and Richard - Congratulations to the level 6 champions!! No mercy sa mga kalaban!! Grabe pinagod ninyo kalaban niyo sa championships!!

Note: Portions of this blog were edited in order to not include company specific details like project name in accordance with our Client Confidentiality Agreement.

Of Bizarreness and Drollery

2005-05-04T14:45:00.000+08:00

He lifted his head from a quick nap on his right arm. He opened his eyes and waited until the blurry image of his surroundings become crystal clear again. He took a quick look at his watch and realized that his thirty-minute break was almost over. He lifted the black pen on the right side of his desk with so much effort, as if lifting a fifteen-pound weight. He immediately reached for his handkerchief on his right trouser-pocket and wiped away the clear liquid that has been gushing out unexpectedly from his nose since his day started. He placed the opposite side of his left palm to his neck and felt an unusual high temperature from his body. He then reached for his headset, wore it and pressed a button.

"Thank you for calling. This is Mike speaking. May I please have your first and last name?" He said as if forced to do so.

"Yeah, it's Lilibeth Donahue." The woman from the other end of the line answered.

"Thank you for that information Ms. Donahue..."

"It's Mrs. Donahue. You can call me Lily." She interrupted.

"Okay Lily, how may I help you today?" He asked as he spread his left arm on the desk, placed his forehead on top of it and closed his eyes again.

"I don't know how to set the clock on this VCR. I was wondering if you could help me with that."

"No problem Lily." He said without any hint of genuine interest to help the lady.

"Okay, may I please have your clock?" He opened his eyes realizing what he just said.

"What?! You want my clock?!" She confusedly exclaimed.

"Oh my god! Am I calling technical support?" She continued.

"Yes, mam. This is technical support." He answered thinking of a better way to escape the embarrassment.

"Let me now transfer you to another agent. Thank you for calling. Have a nice day."

Crush

2005-04-29T10:40:00.000+08:00

He got up from his chair after long hours of thinking and turning ideas into writing. He headed straight to the pantry while debating with himself whether a latte would be better rather than having the usual hazelnut coffee. Joe is a self-confessed overachiever who is working as an advertising consultant in a multinational company and is constantly racing with time to beat his deadlines.

She went away from her desk to pick up the paper she crumpled near the bin after attempting to shoot it from her location. After placing the crumpled paper inside the bin, she realized that she forgot to get a cup of unsweetened black coffee. Tina is a sporty geek who works as a marketing assistant from the same company and is seated on the other side of the office.

Joe entered the pantry not aware that his bodily movements are weak and faineant which was caused by his over dedication to his work. He approched the coffee machine and ran his fingers from the topmost button and stopped at the button where it reads, "Coffee Latte". As the clear hot water which later turned into a light brown color continued filling up the mug he placed under the spout of the coffee machine, Tina entered the room spiritedly. She headed straight to the mug rack and stood patiently behind Joe who is now ready to get his coffee and have it stirred. Joe switched to his right and strolled away from the coffee machine. Tina placed her mug on the machine. While Joe was stirring his coffee with his left hand, he accidentally poured coffee liquid on his right hand.

"Ouch!" Joe uttered.

"Are you okay?" asked Tina.

"Yeah. " He replied without even acknowledging her presence.

"Are you sure? " She asked again as she approached Joe.

"Yes." He answered but this time his eyes met hers. He moved his head backwards as if in disbelief.

"Are you new here? " He queried.

"Yes, I started just a couple of weeks ago."

"I see. That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Oh, sorry for being impolite. My name is Joe and I've been in this company since I-forgot-when."

She giggled and stared at him as though fascinated with his feeble sense of humor.

"I suppose you have a name too or was I wrong?" He continued.

"My name is Tina -- the new marketing assistant here. Nice to meet you." She answered as she extended her arm and gave him a handshake.

"Me too." He said without realizing that he's grinning.

"Me too." He repeated as if flabbergasted by her unique smile.

"I gotta go back to my desk. If you need anything I'm just seated on the other side." She said slowly without removing the smile she started.

"Yeah, sure. Nice to meet you again."

She turned her back and followed the path leading to her desk. He did the same but this time he was smiling.

He opened up his email client and went straight to the directory services. He typed in her name and the screen was filled with several results. He refined his search by typing "marketing assistant". He clicked the search button and instantly returned Tina's contact information. He was about to create an email message when he noticed that her IM contact is right next to her email address. He added her IM contact to his IM client. He was overshadowed with hesitation to start an IM conversation with her but immediately overcame it anyway.

joe_newman: Hi
tina_wilson: Hi. Is that you, Joe? (Wondering at first but later realized that their contact information is available to all company employees)
joe_newman: Yeah.
tina_wilson: What's up?
joe_newman: I was wondering, if I could invite you for a coffee break this afternoon.

A long moment of pause interfered...

joe_newman: U there?
tina_wilson: Yeah.
tina_wilson: You see, Joe. I'm flattered really but I'm sorry I cannot accept your invitation.
joe_newman: Oh, okay. No problem. I understand.
tina_wilson: No, you don't understand.
joe_newman: Don't understand what?
tina_wilson: I'm married.

Another palpable silence insued...

joe_newman: Me too.

Sun Certified Professional for the Java Technology!

2004-04-12T09:14:00.000+08:00

I had a certification exam for the Java 2 Platform 1.4. I had to study real hard. Luckily, I passed. I am now a Sun Certified Professional for the Java Technology. I'd like to thank God for giving me the knowledge to pass the exam. I would also like to thank my brain for functioning well in times I needed it the most. Also, my friends and officemates for being there. Thank you.