NY Times’ 49-year-old erratum

In 1920, the New York Times published an editiorial saying that launching a rocket into the vacuum of space is impossible based on Isaac Newton’s third law. In July 17, 1969, a day after the Apollo 11 reaches for the moon, NY Times published this:

News clip by Gizmodo

Who says it’s too late to apologize?

 To know more about the overdue correction and how do rockets boost themselves into space, click here. 

Am I boring you? Eight tips to help you tell

Have you ever been in a conversation wherein you are talking about something you’re extreme passionate about then the one you’re talking to brings up an entirely different topic?

Unless you are overly obssessed in grabbing everyone’s attention, while in the midst of a conversation you’d often find yourself if people are still listening to you. I usually ask if I’m boring the other party, and it’s hard to tell if they are telling the truth or they are just being polite and kind. So to aid you in your talking quest (and to know when to change topics), here are eight tips to know if you’re being boring.

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What is your cosmic song?

A cosmic song brings you to this certain kind of high that gives you a soothing floating feel. Mine is Rufus Wainwright’s cover of Across the Universe.

 Lyrics can be found here.

Even John Lennon, former Beatles and this song’s composer, finds his song as cosmic. More info here about Across the Universe.

Get me back here

Bantayan Island, Cebu (April-May 2008) 

FancyFastfood.com: Foods from rag to fab

Out of boredom, I skimmed through one of Paris Hilton’s books (yeah, she has managed to write more than one, about herself of course). One principle in Ms. Hilton’s princessie life is that she only eats gourmet food or fast food. I found a website that mashes up these two opposite food poles: www.fancyfastfood.com.

 Check out how Wendy’s Baconator and a bottle of water (below):

can become seemingly “gourmet”:  

and is now called “Wendy’s Napoleon“.

 Favorite chows from US fastfood chains like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and 7-11 to name a few have also been tapped to be faux gourmet. There are no added ingredients in the recipes, except for thyme or herbs used for garnishing.

 And oh, nutritional values have not been altered too.

[FancyFastfood.com]

Jeepney ketchup boys

In a jeepney traversing Buendia, gleefully listening to my iPod on an early Tuesday night, my isolated music world was rattled by co-passengers left and right. A few minutes back I was surprised on why it suddenly smelled like ketchup mixed with vinegar. Then the affirmation came, “Binato ka ng ketchup nung mga tambay kanina,” my jeepned seatmate on the right (let’s name him Pax#1) told me in the most startled manner. He and another one on my left (Pax#2) were quick and panicked if they too have the unfortunate sauce on the back of their shirts as I mysteriously have.

They were unscathed. And suddenly, Pax#1 was too eager to point me the stained areas of my peach polo shirt. He even asked for a cleaning rag from the unknowning jeepney driver, then tried to wipe off random areas of my back that had the smelly stain. A seemingly office lady even handed out to me wet tissues for me to personally do the cleaning. Pax#1 was too ecstatic that I clean off my soiled shirt.

 I, on the other hand, remained glued to my earphones and was giving minimal focus to my dilemma. Vito cruz was my destination, and it was just 10-15 minutes away from Buendia. I want to do the cleaning when I get off the jeepney. I did not want to wipe off the stain because it’ll just spread.

Pax#1 was still jumpy about the incident. He was still trying to make me clean myself. He then told me to transfer to the other side of the jeepney in order for him to clean off my seat. I still cared less, so I did transfer seats. I took off my right earphone so that I could hear Pax #1 tell me what to clean because I do not want to be rude. When I was already on the other side of the jeepney, his energy never wavered. Even when I’m already in front of him he still wants me to clean myself up. But seeing that I was more than halfway to my destination, I shifted my focus to finding coins for fare in my backpack that I placed on my lap. The coins were a little bit elusive, they were quite scattered and hard to reach.  What made it more difficult is that my new seatmate (Pax #3), also with a backpack on his lap, startted to chatter about what happened to me. Pax#1 and Pax#3 were talking to me at the same time, and I still were trying not to mind them too much that is why I kept my left earphone intact.

I was still scouring for coins in my bag when Pax#1 pulled off my left earphone from my ear, and continued in telling me how I should clean up. All of the sudden I felt that Pax # 3 was too close to me, and underneath his backpack, his hand was sneakily working it’s way in opening my bag to in the partition where my iPod and phone were. Upon noticiing this I shooed away his hand and pulled my bag away from his reach. In less than ten seconds Pax#1, Pax#2, and Pax#3 halted the jeepney and got off as fast  as they could.

It was only after they got off that I realized the fiasco about my weird stain. I immediately told everyone left on the jeepney that those Jeepney ketchup boys were trying to rob me. The remaining passengers were at awe at what they had just witnessed.

Immediately when I got off at Vito Cruz, I met up with Tin and told her the entire deal. She then told me a similar story of how one of her friends got barfed upon in a jeepney. Her friend has his mobile phone strapped on a necklace. After he had cleaned himself up, he checked his phone and it was already gone. My phone (which I just bought a day before), and my less-than-a-year-old iPod touch were still safe and sound. Same goes for my wallet that was in a different partition but is also in my backpack.

After the jeepney incident my adrenaline was off the roof. I constantly checked my backpack if all of my stuff were still with me or have gone to robber’s heaven. Going home I rode an FX and I held my backpack with utmost care, afraid of a deja vu with a twisted happy ending for the goons.

 Now I check my bag every five seconds whenever I’m on board a public transportation. The hardest place to constantly check my belongings is the MRT train, which is sardined with people and I have less space to perform my bag inspection. But carefulness prevails!

New

Back in the days, not so long days, this was a rant spot. On the outside, I’m an average college student, obedient church goer and firstborn son. But like a lemon being squeezed into fresh wounds, this blog has endured my teenage angst. I reflect and deflect at who I was a few years ago. My definition of opening up and speaking my mind out was in one word - ranting. So wrong. 

 And as time heals all wounds, now is an appropriate time to pull out all the thorns that I have hammered into my words. Let the roses bloom and thrive! Change is a daunting yet exhilarating event. But I feel that age has seasoned me to be more of a thrillseeker rather than be sheltered and stagnate. Life has too much excitement that I could not just watch from the sidelines. I want to be in the heart of the action. I am enticed to feel the roaring winds of the new things slap my face.

 I told myself that when I write again, it will have direction and focus unlike my previous whirlwind literary romance. But the directions are not so clear yet. All I know is that whatever goes in here will be about the things that I am passionate about. This writing space is my heartbeat put into words.

 To challenge myself to write more, I have decided to participate in this year’s  National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November. I joined last year but was not able to output a single word. I am more willing to participate this year. Please pray for me that I pull through. 

 That is the only current battleplan. Armed with a keyboard and internet connection, may I press on and win this battle I have been losing on purpose dozens of times. If writing was my girlfriend, I think she would have slapped me a million times already as I have given her my heart, but robbed of the time and devotion that she deserves.

 Here I am my love, let us light up the flames and set the world ablaze!