“I'm old enough to be living in the future I was warned about.”
- Myron Krueger

Yesterday during dinner, our little family (ahem! there’s just 3 of us) were discussing about the global economic crisis/recession/jobs being laid off, et cetera (you know, the perfect recipe for indigestion) and I couldn’t help but worry if I would be able to keep my wonderful job for long. Aside from that, I couldn’t also hide my concern for 500,000+ graduating students this March and what might happen to the 20 million Filipinos who would become jobless before the year ends??? Ayayay! What is this world coming to?

And in the light of that subject, which ensued until today's lunch, my mom mentioned it could be because big companies have stopped investing because they are building an underground city in the South Pole. Uhh... ANTARCTICA!!!??? She said something about a SOLAR STORM in 2012... which could be the END OF THE WORLD??? Those being the keywords, I went ahead and Googled these things and now I really don't know what to say. I've been reading nonstop and getting mixed emotions all over!

From what I gathered, the solar minimum had arrived in 2006. Sunspots have all but vanished. Solar flares are nonexistent. The sun is utterly quiet. Like the quiet before a storm. There's a prediction that the next solar storm is going to be the most intense solar maximum in fifty years! And it's going to be in 2012 or earlier!!! NO WAY!!!

However, recently in December 2008, they found unexpected, thick layer of solar particles inside Earth's magnetic field which suggests there are huge breaches in our planet's solar defenses. Accordingly, these breaches indicate that during the next period of high solar activity, due to start in 2012, Earth will experience some of the worst solar storms seen in decades. OMG!!! You can start holding your breath.

So why should we worry about solar storms anyway? For a number of things really! It could fry power grids, disrupt cell-phone calls, knock satellites back to Earth, endanger astronauts in space, and force commercial airliners to change their routes to protect their radio communications. So much hassle, huh? So this huge ass solar storm that is coming could short-circuit a world increasingly dependent on giant utilities and satellite communications networks.

My wild imagination is already racing with thoughts of the Bible stating there would be rain of fire and all that darkness.. Eeeeekkk!! Isn't that really possible with a solar storm? IT IS!! And we're doomed. So, I looked around cyberspace for more info and got these somewhere. I don't know if it's really possible but I guess we'll never know.

Here are some scenarios to happen:

1. The daytime becomes twenty hours and also nighttime, this means that the earth's rotational speed has decelerated. Cities and forest are burn to ashes due to the intense heat wave that even the lakes boil.

2. Ocean will rise up to 500-800 meters with giant waves at 250 knots. Then, there will be earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, massive lightning bolts and gigantic hurricanes with center wind at 800 mph.

3. There will be famine, diseases and virus spread, genocide and wars, and worst of all, mass suicide and cannibalism.

4. There will be meteor showers like thousands of fireballs from the gigantic sun's flares hitting earth at 4-8 megaton bombs. One massive fireball can possibly cover the whole earth with fire.

5. There will be darkness all over the earth for 480 years. There maybe some survivors on the ground within the 8 years major solar storm but what comes next is darkness throughout the earth for more than 400 years... Not even a single grass would grow.

It's so.... biblical! Noh? And also in some Myspace entry for fun, I found this.

How to survive in 2012?

Stay away from the major cities. It's chaos out there without electricity/electronics, your car won't even start!... Go into the highest mountains in your area. Dig up a tunnel-like shelter as deep as four hundred meters or build a bunker with 16-feet thick concrete slab and 3-feet thick lead to get away from the deadly rays of the sun... Construct an underground greenhouse and stock live animals as many as you can, preserve seedlings too. Make sure that you have spring water in your underground shelter and install natural-energy-generators. When the solar storm begins- "do not stay outside or you'll be cooked like in the micro-wave oven". Secure a periscope so you can see what is happening on the ground.

Sheesh. Now it sounds like the WAR OF THE WORLDS or The Day After Tomorrow! Yeah, well... read on:

The only feasible area where to build an underground city on this planet earth is in the South Pole. It has a solid ground and there's no presence of volcanic activity, less earthquakes and minimum deadly sun-rays and fireballs impacts.

For those who survive (?) in the Antarctic after the gigantic major 8-years solar storm and 480 years of darkness, when they come out from the hole, they will be surprised that they are in the rain forest area. The earth has shifted its pole at 72 degrees. By this period, it will be 28 hours a day (not anymore 24 hours?) and the moon have move further away from the earth.

There will be 12 leaders in a new world order called the "Earth Corporation", from the Antarctic's 10th-generation-survivors. This time, they work on nighttime and go back to the hole and rest on daytime. One more big problem... The ants have mutated from the solar radiation and are now the size of the human being.

So I guess my mom's talk about the South Pole City is becoming more realistic than ever! If these things are for real, then I shouldn't be worried anyway because I know I won't live that long.

It is also said that before 2020, two large comets will pass in the solar system that will shield Earth from the gigantic solar flares and fireballs. Jesus protects Earth because he "still" loves us. Let us love one another and protect Earth from global warming. Believe! It's Earth's last chance! And so like everyone else who has faith, when these things do happen... let's just accept Jesus as our personal saviour and we are absolutely SAVED!

⋆✌㋡ღ⋆ ia\m/^_^\m/ai 陳美西

For more info, jump to:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0306_060307_sunspots.html
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_031027.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478024,00.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216161147.htm

Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO1do4pHxUY&eurl=http://mymaria.multiply.com/journal/item/341/The_calm_before_the_storm_2012_is_the_END&feature=player_embedded

My dad gave me this gift certificate for tonight's Chinese New Year's buffet dinner at the hotel. By gift certificate, I meant he only handed me ONE! What am I supposed to do? Go to dinner ALL BY MYSELF??? Toink! Guess it's time to persuade my homies to get themselves tickets for tonight's chow. *sigh* Let's see what happens...

Okay, so my BFF posted her Rat's forecast for 2009. So here's for all of us PIGS!

恭喜發財!

Another twelve months of peace and quiet coming up for you Piggies! What could be better than that? The Ox is in charge and he wishes you no ill. In fact, Oxen and Pigs get on like two Pings in a pong. [I'm not sure I even have friends born in 1973, 1985, 1997!] Always content to meet up and banter back and forth about crops and flower varieties, exchange country recipes for jams and compare the qualities of their respective honies. [See? That's not exactly my cup of tea.] Good old fashioned rural-living people. The only fly in your Ox year ointment has to do with work. You are anything but a lazy person. [And you have to state the obvious!!!] You enjoy producing and caring for what you produce. You take pleasure in buying expensive art and jewelry. [Guilty as charged.] And you covet golden sconces and antique furniture. All of these lavish purchases cost money. [Butange!]

In order to get that loot, you have to work hard. Fine. So far, you see nothing amiss. [I'm a workaholic now, so nothing to worry here!] However, the Ox is a demanding taskmaster. This year you will be working your squiggly little tail off. There be less time and therefore less likelihood you will stumble on someone irresistible at the beach or at a chic spa or even at your local outdoor market. So try to accept that this year will be best used as a time to generate cash. [That's my plan for the year, diba? I'm gonna save!!! FOR REAL!] Once you have done so, you will be able to kick back and take off for some museum hopping in Amsterdam or Rome or Vienna. [I'd love that!] Nose to grindstone Piggy. The Ox is watching. [Okay, okay.]

By "generating cash" I mean re-build your capital. [I am aware of my 6-digit loss, okay?] Whatever you do, don't re-invest in the stock market. Do what you are best at Piggy: Buy items of enduring value. Sinking some of the money you make this year into art. Either buy paintings and sculptures by recently dead almost famous artists or else go for the gold and nab yourself a bona fide masterpiece. A Goya or a Caravaggio or a Picasso or a Braque will never lose value. Even if you daren't keep it in your home for fear of it being stolen right off the wall, have a reproduction made and put the real one in your safe deposit box or in your own person wall safe (Pigs often have such devices built right into their homes). [Yeah, in my panic room. LOL!] Same holds true for jewels. If you go straight to Cartier and buy a 5 carat diamond or a ruby and emerald necklace with tiny diamonds spattered decoratively around the colored stones, have a copy made to wear and put the real thing safely away somewhere. Those kinds of sure-thing items are classic Pig possessions. You Pigs love culture. And it's no secret you crave good food. But face it. You like riches even better. [I plead Guilty!]

And speaking of culture, this is not only a year for slaving over a hot job. You can use whatever little spare time the Ox year affords you to catch up on knowledge. We all have gaps in areas we wish we knew more about. In your case, it's likely to be art, music, the dance or the theater. Read yourself silly. Don't buy books. The public libraries are full of them and you can go borrow them. Or... you can spend an evening in the library itself. Catch up on the intellectual magazines you don't any longer want to pay for subscriptions to. Find out more about things you feel you need to know. French. Early Egyptian religion. Organic gardening. It's all there for the browsing. [So it really is a good idea that I go to cooking school this summer! Yipeee!!!]

Mainly this year Piggy dear, be careful to save your own skin. [Literally? Hmm.] You have a naïve streak that needs protecting. There are (as always) many sharks swimming about who would be only too happy to know that you have a Rembrandt buried in your garden. [Holy shit! I think I know what you mean now. Sheesh.] By all means, increase the balance in your Swiss bank account. But shrink the number of people you tell about it. [Got it!]

-By Suzanne White (The High Priestess of Astrology)

So wait, what about my LOVE LIFE??? Nothing interesting??? Bah! *sulks*
Then Dapoiee offered me some comfort over at her blog. Guess what she said? Lemme quote her. "Your love life is so secure that it does not need any forecasting. :D"

Now, I'm relieved. *hugs Dapoieee* I love you, bestie!!! And I miss you more...

So there you go, folks! But that's just a forecast. Remember: Life is what we make it! Always has been, always will be. Shall we live life to the fullest? You betcha! Life is short, right? We only get one chance to live, so let's make it the best. So why not make the spotlights shine on your life!?

I'm going to continue living my life in the moment because the only thing that is assured in life is this moment and death. So let's cherish every moment of life and make it worthwhile. And while I'm at it, I will try to accept death now. It's going to happen, anyway. One day you will die. Let it echo through you, and you can begin to appreciate life. Trust you will be okay. Trust it or you'll go crazy. (LOL!) Live your life with the motto, "If I die now, I die happy." Wouldn't it be nice if supposedly you would die now to know that many people would attend your funeral because you've been a great person?

And aside from trying to make life better for the less fortunate people in the world, in my humble little ways (and my mom's encouragement to do works of mercy!), I will also start accepting other people, even if they're different. (Really different!!!) Well, I don't have to like everyone; just show acceptance and tolerance and maybe then I'll be cool with everyone [[extremely important in connections later on]]. I will also try to understand that not everyone has my world view, thinks like me, or has the same values. But one thing everyone does want is to be treated kindly. The point is: You can't judge anyone else because you don't know what that person has been through and how it's affected them. Not everyone reacts to the same situations the same way. Some have more tolerance than others.

Lastly, I would like to send this message to anyone who cares to read my blog: Be comfortable with yourself. Love and accept yourself, even if others don't. Know who you are. You will naturally become an outgoing person if you can do this. Also, have an internal locus of control [an internal locus of control implies the belief that one is largely in control of the things that happen to her/him], meaning be who you are and stay true no matter the situation. Be strong and continue to grow your entire life. (I'm actually saying this to myself, really. Hehe!) And stop caring what other people think about you. Just apply the faith and trust in the fact that you will die someday, to you, and the fact that you were meant to be yourself no matter what other people say.

Here's me wishing everyone prosperity, health, love, and joy in the Year of the Ox!



Gong Xi Fa Cai!

恭喜發財,利是逗來,伍毫嫌少,壹蚊唔愛 !!! ^_^

⋆✌㋡ღ⋆ ia\m/^_^\m/ai 陳美西

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!” - Bob Marley

At 25 and waddling through my so-called quarter-life crisis, I think it’s now time to examine the characteristics that a quarter-life crisis may include (from Wiki) and analyze where I am at and how I am doing. Let’s begin:

• Feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level - PASSED! I found a job I sooooo love and am planning to stick with it for a couple more years.
• Frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career - PASSED! Moved on from the call center industry then I got rid of people I don’t need in my life and kept the ones I will cherish for all eternity.
• Confusion of identity - PROCESSING! Honestly, I still don’t know why I am attracted to females more than the opposite sex. LOL!
• Insecurity regarding the near future - DELIBERATING! Although I am quite compensated, I still don’t want to become the bread winner of my future family, so yeah… go figure.
• Insecurity concerning long-term plans, life goals - PROCESSING! My life insurance is fully paid now but I am STILL paying for another crisis-covered insurance which eats up quite a bit of my salary. *sigh*
• Insecurity regarding present accomplishments - Somehow I think this does not apply to me. Hmm.
• Re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships - PASSED! I got rid of the unwanted [shady] characters in my life and am enjoying the circle of friends I have as well as found my great love. Ayeee.
• Disappointment with one's job - CHALLENGED! Although, frustrations are inevitable when dealing with team members, I find it challenging to be able to get things done and right!
• Nostalgia for university, college, high school or elementary school life - Hardly ever. The corporate world is a bitch, alright… but I wouldn’t want to go through the pains and merciless taunting back in school.
• Tendency to hold stronger opinions - BINGO! “I think, therefore, I am.” Sometimes I come out intimidating and rude just because I insist on my own beliefs and often I have to defend myself because people judge me so unfairly. Geez.
• Boredom with social interactions - N/A. With Facebook, Multiply, Friendster, and the rest of the cyberworld’s social networking services, my cyber and real social lives are intact.
• Loss of closeness to high school and college friends - NO ISSUE HERE. I am still in contact with MOST of them… There were only 42 of us in high school and most of my college friends are basically, my Barks & Co. :)
  
• Financially-rooted stress (overwhelming college loans, unanticipatedly high cost of living, etc.) - PASSED! What a wise move it was to move back home!!! No regrets here! I lived [independently] in Cebu for 3 years and I must say it was a great learning experience, financially-speaking. Now that I am back home, I can very well say it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life, so far. I am with my family and nothing beats that! Boomerang Generation!!!
• Loneliness - CURABLE! I only experience this when Manoy isn’t around but, nevertheless, my Barks are with me as well as my family. So I’m doing just fine.
• Desire to have children - WORKING ON IT! I never really thought making babies literally was difficult. Now I know timing is the key. God willing! I do want to have kids.
• A sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you - PASSED! I am so over this. This might be true for some; and now I can’t help but feel that some are jealous of me and want to put me down. LOSERS!!! Well, it sucks to be them.

I have lived in the “real world” and I have felt blood rushing through my veins as I feel life's energy flow in and out of me. Winning and losing were never the issues. It’s really about surviving. Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg. So true. And I just want to address this to people who don’t really know me or are assuming they do: “When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.”

So moving on...



My dear friends, readers, and everyone else who just stumbled upon my blog, let me just say, for the Nth time, that I am not being defensive and I am not being a smart-ass. I don’t understand why some people question my morality/principles without even understanding where I am coming from. I really hate it when people say those things (behind my back or to my face), as if I am a criminal who has done something illegal against the constitution, when I don’t ever intentionally hurt other people. I don’t understand why others would even care to be involved in my personal life when I don’t give a damn about theirs. Why is there so much controversy in my life? Why can’t I be left alone loving the one person I consider my great love and vice-versa? Why all the drama???

If you don’t believe what I say, then don’t bother talking to me or even acknowledging my presence. We can forget about each other. Like pretend neither of us existed! I don’t need people who try to show concern only to try to ruin everything good that’s happening to me. Are you green with envy? Is that why you want me to become as miserable as you? Because in the first place, I don’t think I’m violating anything. Am I? Then say so! If you have anything against me, bring that up instead of finding loopholes or ambiguities just so I will look bad. Does it really make you happy to see people around you getting hurt? What kind of a monster person are you?

People are like dirt. They can either nourish you & help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth & make you wilt and die. So yeah, life is too short to stress yourself with people who don't even deserve to be an issue in your life. I’m not ranting, I’m simply trying to prove a point here. To each his/her own!

Now I give you sanbiki no saru (three wise monkeys). Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru! 見ざる, 聞かざる, 言わざる.



In other words, SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL.

⋆✌㋡ღ⋆ ia\m/^_^\m/ai 陳美西

I was going to write a kick-ass blog tonight [ahem! bitch mode!] but decided otherwise just because my mind set is still off. I was never the type to compose myself and proofread my blogs a gazillion times before publishing them. You know I write from the heart, from the deepest recesses of my insanity, and then some. I didn't want to hyperventilate from ranting and venting so I did this survey instead. A little preview of what's to come...



`Honestly, does your father approve of you dating?
** well, he's got nothing against it..
..
`Honestly, what color is the shirt you're wearing now?
** stripes...green.brown.black
.
`Honestly, whats on your mind?
** need to finish work and party TWICE tonight!
.
`Honestly, when did you last cry?
** i'm no cry baby.. but sto. nino made me cry! hehehe
.
`Honestly, have you watched Shot of Love with Tila Tequila?
** hahaha.. i passed
.
`Honestly, do you want to see someone this very minute?
** not just see... wanna BE WITH...
.
`Honestly, do you like someone?
** i LOVE someone, ok?
.
` Honestly, are you normally a happy person?
** ADHD :D
.
` Honestly, what makes you mad?
** people who don't mind their own business...who judges you unfairly... and not even try to listen to your side of the story... i hate that... and i especially hate people who stick their noses to other people's affairs. ever heard of the saying... "don't say anything if you have nothing good to say?" sometimes, silence must be heard. :P
.
` Honestly, are there any people who don't like you?
** yes, my boyfriend's mom and his sister apparently. classic, huh!? :P
.
` Honestly, do you miss anyone?
** i miss my bao now..
.
`Honestly, have you ever kissed someone whose name started with an M?
** as in Manoy... :) yeah, i kissed him first way back 5 years ago and i'm still kissing him now hahaha never got over it :D
.
` Honestly, have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
** 3 years max... :P
.
` Honestly, do you think that you're a good person?
** i am.. in general. ayaw lang gyud ko hagita ug ayaw ko labti kung wala ko nanglabot nimo :P some people are so exag gyud! OA ra kaayo sa nga tanan, way makalupig cguro.
.
` Honestly, do you believe in love at first sight?
** no
...
`Honestly, do you hate the last person you were talking to?
** archie...? what's to hate? :)
.
` Honestly, who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
** pajan
.
`Honestly, do you know what you want in life?
** i want nothing more than be able to love and be loved in return... ug walay magbuot MASKI KINSA PA ana ha!
.
`Honestly do you smoke weed regularly?
** recreationally :D hahahaha
.
` The last text you received on your cell was from?
** manoy ^_^
.
`Do you like your cell phone?
** yep... especially the prism phone hahaha
.
`Do you believe in true love?
** yes and i believe i have it :D
.
`Do you miss your past?
** i buried it.
.
`Are you proud of the person you've become?
** yes.. u can only imagine the change that happened in my life over the past decade. I'm glad i've finally grown up. :D and it's really true that with age, comes wisdom.
.
` What are you doing besides this survey?
** working XD
.
`Who was the last person you had a serious talk with?
** manoy
.
`In the past week have you felt sad?
** kinda... but sadness is easily cured hahaha
.
`How do you feel when someone kisses you on the forehead?
** so-so... why? does anyone have those kinda nerves in the forehead that makes the kiss anything but ordinary? oh, shut up and kiss me for real! :D
.
ia\m/^_^\m/ai



So yeah, you get the picture. If not, then wait for it! My upcoming blog that is. And it's not the Silence of the Lambs, ok!? ^_^

⋆✌㋡ღ⋆ 陳美西

I was never really a Star Wars fan, although I did watch all those movies that came out. I just happened to be an Eighties kid, thus, the familiarity of it all. And so back in July 2007, I blogged about a Nokia Prism phone. (CLICK!) See? And ever since, I couldn't get it off my mind. It reminded me of a light saber. It was probably the closest thing to ever owning one! Hahaha! It was just so sad that the phones didn't land on Philippine soil... if it did... well, I can't seem to remember anyway.


So I would like to quote myself from that old blog of mine... "I would definitely buy it, even if it was auctioned." Then recently, high from online shopping over the holidays, I stumbled upon an eBay.ph post. Take note... dot PH! So meaning, it's in the Philippines!!! Oh em gee!!! So there it was... an auctioned, used Nokia 7900!!! And this is the Prism phone that came with 3G!!! Quite the upgrade from the original Prism phone (Nokia 7500) that I blogged over 15 months ago. PLUS this one works with our networks!!! (Read: It had been "open lined" already to work with any sim card.) Since Prism phones originally come from Europe, I don't even know of anyone who owns one locally. If my friends had one, I'd have noticed.


And what's so special about this phone??? It's looks so ordinary. Aha! Now let's get the ball rolling...

Contrary to the usual TFT 16M color screen, with my Jedi, you get an OLED display! :) What's that? Well, I must say it makes the colors brighter and more saturated than most conventional displays. The new Nokia 6600 fold sports this type. That's something worth checking out!


But that's not it... It's the backlighting!!! You get 49 different colors to choose from for the keys and the light effects of the horseshoe LEDs on the top of the body. What am I talking about? Here, take a look:


Get a load of that!!! ^_^ And while you're at it, check out the light effect on my video below:



This is what really makes my Prism a Jedi. Hee hee. So what else is fascinating about Jedi? Hmmm. Since the OS is Symbian S40, naturally it's fast. It comes with 1gb of built-in memory so you get ample space for tones and images. It's only 11mm thick... and also, you can charge via USB! Yey!!!


More than enough for a RED MOBILE phone, huh? :) So the eBay drama was all worth it, eh?
(See previous blog entry!)

You betcha!
⋆✌㋡ღ⋆ 陳美西

I recently bought an item in eBay from a seller with 0 feedback. I know it's a big NO-NO if it's not going to be a meet-up and especially if it's worth 5K, right? I'm from Leyte and since it's the New Year, I felt being up for a challenge. :D So given the benefit of a doubt, I went ahead and paid for the item via BPI bank transfer today. (No GCASH! So it should be good, right?!)

I was informed the item will be shipped tomorrow morning. I'm crossing my fingers that this equation:
Seller with ZERO feedback + bank transfer payment
= EQUALS = a positive result.

I will update this post once I receive the item (giving it 2-3 days to arrive if it will be shipped tomorrow). I read that being given a tracking # isn't quite enough because I might not get the actual item, right? So I'll leave my feedback to this seller once I get the item.

And so for some peace of mind, I am hoping for reactions, suggestions, or advice from Ebayers. Please let me know if I made the right choice... (especially that I just broke my New Year's resolution of not shopping online anymore! Hehe!!)

Happy 2009 online shoppers!!!

ia\m/^_^\m/ai

P.S. I posted this at the eBay Philippines Discussion Board :]