40 Little Ways to Share

I am inspired by zenhabits.net with its list of 34 Little Ways to Share with the World, and I've created my own, Philippine-friendly list. It's a little more, because Filipinos are - I believe - a very friendly and warm people, capable of compassionate acts and greener actions, given the chance. In no particular order:

1. Greet the security guard back.
2. Smile at the teller/cashier/barista.
3. Donate unused clothes and/or canned goods to a local charity*
4. Press an elevator button for someone who can't reach it.
5. Give up your MRT/LRT seat to someone.
6. Say 'thank you' to someone.
7. Teach a kid a coin trick.
8. Give used books to a school library.
9. Dispose of trash properly.
10. Deposit coins and change to Bantay Bata collection cans.
11. Join a fun run for a charitable/environmental cause.
12. Skip the car a couple of times a week.
13. Give free rides (if you have a car) once in a while.
14. Bake/get some cookies/pastries and share them with a neighbor.
15. Volunteer at a fund-raiser/charitable organization.
16. Tip the pedicab driver.
17. Tip the waiter/server.
18. Hold a potluck.
19. Pay for someone's jeep ride.
20. Put in a good word for someone.
21. Give a friend a call - just to say hi.
22. Fix something for free.
23. Share an inspiring quote on Twitter or Facebook.
24. Write an instructional blog post on something you're good at.
25. Snacks for the office mates.
26. Babysit.
27. Ask the boss how's he doing.
28. Re-post funny pictures and/or videos.
29. Spot for a gym newbie.
30. Buy fresh and buy local.
31. Walk and take the stairs whenever possible.
32. Pick up trash before the janitor does.
33. Rack someone else' weight plates.
34. Baon lunch to share.
35. Sign up for paperless billing.
36. Blog and/or tweet great, money-saving deals.
37. Help a friend move.
38. Be someone's kuya (big brother) or ate (big sister).
39. Learn a new skill and teach it to friends.
40. Allow someone to go first when lining up.

*De La Salle University (South Gate) is a depository for donations to Typhoon Sendong victims. Local 7/11 branches accept cash donations as well. 

Good luck, and always remember that sharing follows the Golden Rule.

"Treat others how you would like to be treated."

Jay~

More Fun Maker

Interested to make your own It's More Fun in the Philippines posters? 

Look no further! This site is awesome!
Upload your picture, your caption, and your name as author (optional) and voila!

More Fun in the Philippines! :D

Jay~

The Dirtiest Places

According to this Men's Health blog post, the seven dirtiest places are the following:

Automated Teller Machines (ATM)

Self-checkout Counters

Touch Screens

Mobile Phones

Remote Controls

Shopping Carts

Reusable Shopping Bags

Read the linked article for further elaboration on each one, though some (like the ATM and remote controls) are rather obvious.

For picture sources, click and check the link for the name of the picture.

Jay~

Useless College Degrees

As a recent graduate of International Relations, I often find myself questioning the value of my degree. In the words of one of our faculty, "You understand why conflicts happen. You know all the ways on how to prevent them theoretically. Then one day, a madman just f*cks everything up." HOW TRUE. At least, my degree taught me valuable research, writing, and critical thinking skills that apply to my current work.

So when I came across this Top Tenz site, I couldn't help but agree. Click the link for more details, but in a nutshell, these are the degrees (from tenth to first):

David Beckham Studies (the study of, OMFG, David Beckham)
(offered by Staffordshire University, UK)

Parapsychology (studying ghosts and the paranormal)
(offered by Coventry, Liverpool, Northampton, and Edinburgh Universities, respectively, among others)

PhD in Ufology (studying UFOs, post-grad)
(offered by Melbourne University)

The Phallus (studying the phallus and various phallic objects)
(offered by Occidental College)

Surfing Studies ("studying" surfing)
(offered by Plymouth University, UK and Southern Cross University, Australia)

Philosophy (philosophizing?)
(offered by various institutions around the world)

Queer Musicology (studying gayness and music science)
(offered by UCLA, USA)

Star Trek (studying.. Star Trek :|)
(offered by Georgetown University, USA)

Golf Management (LOL!)
(offered by University of Birmingham, UK and Florida Gulf Coast University, USA)

Art History (studying art history, duh)
(offered by various institutions around the world)

Some are downright dumb, some may be valuable. Make up your own mind! :)
Read and obtained from toptenz.net

Jay~

Invisible Car

It is very refreshing to know that in the age of computer-generated images (CGI) and special effects (SFX), there are still those who wish to create impossibly artistic art using physical tools. I found this article at Boing Boing, and I was simply amazed.

Original article by Cory Doctorow can be found here.

Reverse angle, courtesy of the Manchester Evening News.

Sara Watson, with her 'invisible' creation.

Beautiful creation. :)

Jay~

Thank You, GMA7

GMA7, producers of the morning show Unang Hirit ("First Strike"), invited Skittlez Crew to dance at their televised show. Unfortunately, due to our academic schedules and the very early nature of the show, we had to regretfully deny their gracious request.

On behalf of Skittlez Crew, thank you GMA7 for honoring us with an invite to dance in one of your premier shows.

On a good note, Krumpinoy, Philippine's pioneer krump crew, will dance for Unang Hirit on January 14, 2009 (as far as I know). Do tune in if you have access to the channel. The shows air at 5.30am I believe. Support the dance community!

More about Unang Hirit here

"More Stupid" by Blogger

Here is an interesting article written by my good friend and fellow blogger. Unfortunately, her blog is set on 'Private', and you will probably be unable to view her site, so I have acquired her permission to reproduce her article on my blog.

Here is the article.

-------------

So I read in the paper today that the ISA has made two arrests recently.

One:
A blogger that posted an article that insulted Muslims.

Two:
A news reporter who wrote about the Ahmad Ismail nonsense. (For those who don't know, Ahmad Ismail is a politician from the ruling party who made very racist remarks against the Chinese in Malaysia.)

Okay, I actually abhor politics, especially Malaysian politics. Why? Because they do stupid things like this, and many others, that make my blood boil.

Why the hell are you arresting someone for reporting on a politician that made outrageous racist remarks? Because the politician was part of the ruling party? Oh, but wait...you've suspended the idiot...so why arrest the reporter?

My government makes no sense most of the time.

I mean, they upped the price of petrol, and then gave the people compensation. Therefore creating more trouble for the people at the post office, because everyone was flooding the place trying to get some money back.

Whyy?

They give out scholarships based mostly on race, and not results, because the Malays and Bumis should get special treatment. Therefore creating resentment amongst the Chinese and Indians, who then feel no need to come back to their own country to work, because really, what has the government done for them?

And what does the government get in return for all this? Give scholarships to the people who are less smart, and you get less smart people working in your country. And all the smart ones go somewhere else and the other places profit more.

How stupid can you be?

Don't get me wrong, if you're Malay or Bumi or whatever and are smart, then you deserved that scholarship. But giving someone who got 5As in SPM a scholarship for medicine, and forgoing the student with 11As? Just because of race?

"Don't you think it's sad that, 50 years from independence, the issue of race is still such a big deal in our country?" - Pastor

Yayy. I know I'm bitter about this. It's so unfair that some of my friends are really smart and can't afford to go overseas, and their own government can't help them. Not only that, they even get discriminated from going to local universities! How screwed up is that?

Anyway, I've gone waay off the mark. I have a very extreme dislike for my government. Not to mention my state (Sarawak) contributes so much to the economy in terms of oil (we have lots) and get hardly anything in return. The oil and revenue we give the government, and the income generated from that, is spent all on making West Malaysia better.

What do East Malaysians get in return? Shit roads and jacked up prices for simple things like newspapers because they have to send things over the sea. Our state is not as developed as the ones in West Malaysia.

I feel like such a special citizen of Malaysia.

Discriminated because of my race, and living in an underdeveloped state.

-------------

From personal experience, I can confirm that all the above are true and accurate. Original article can be found in her blog, but, again, it is set on private.

Article from:
www.blog.blogspot.com. Writer, Anonymous (2008)

Jay~

Rated on Blogged.com

This is the email that appeared in my inbox this morning:

"Dear the black skittle author,

Our editors recently reviewed your blog and have given it an 8.0 score out of (10) in the Personal Blogs category of Blogged.com.

This is quite an achievement!

http://www.blogged.com/directory/personal-blogs

We evaluated your blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.

After carefully reviewing each of these criteria, your site was given its 8.0 score.

We’ve also created Blogged.com score badges with your score prominently displayed. Simply visit your website’s summary page on Blogged.com:

Click on the "Show this rating on your blog!" link underneath the score and follow the instructions provided.

Please accept my congratulations on a blog well-done!!

Sincerely,

Amy Liu

Marketing Department

amy@blogged.com

http://www.blogged.com"

Isn't that cool? :D

Review my blog here:
http://www.blogged.com/blogs/the-black-skittle.html

This is why there is now a rating on the right side of my blog. :P

Jay~

Goodbye From Wolf Pack

What can I say guys? You were all my family in this game we played called DT. We were the best, we were the most elite. Even though I was one of the youngest (in age, and in membership), I was very honored to have met all of you.

The following is the final WP message in DT Beta that I wrote for Wolf Pack's goodbye.

Greetings DT.

On this day, many WP leaders simultaneously retired.
Today, on the fifteenth of May, 2008..

Wolf Pack officially retires from Dark Throne.

From Wolf Pack leadership,

Goodbye Dark Throne

We came, we saw, we had fun.

This is the 200th blog post in my blog, and I get to tick off one of my goals on the right side of this page. I dedicate this post to the wonderful gaming family that I've met for the almost two and a half years as a DT player.

My mentor in the game, Phil (Methuselah_the_Great):
Man oh man. Thanks for all the lessons and teachings on how to become a leader. With you over my shoulder, I have become a respected figure in the game. Thanks for your most important lesson, which was that "members should always come before myself". Thanks for the MSN chats, the tips and tricks, and all the friendly banter we shared.

Another mentor in the game, Melissa {DracoD):
You were my 'aunt' in the game and you took good care of me. LOL. Especially with my forum behavior, when I would get suspended by the moderators. Thanks for the alliance management lessons, and I wish you and your family the best in real life.

One of the most important figures for me, Ranae (Quenb):
You were my 'mother' in the game, and you kept my temper in check. When I couldn't care less and just want to destroy other people's accounts, you reigned me in and taught me the value of patience. However, you were also one of the most ruthless Wolf Pack leaders ever, and you made it clear no one could mess with me. Thanks Ranae.

The Singaporean leader, Eric (kaiwen):
Boss! We never ceased to have fun with you, especially on MSN convos when we would mass accounts like crazy. I miss those 200k kills-a-mass that we did. Thanks for the advice, the contacts you got me, and the massing lessons. LOL. Have a good future with your wife, and don't forget to name your first kid Jason. LOL.

The genius, Thomas (fr33lancer):
You are wicked! You mastered the game dynamics more than anyone else in the game, and all your 'helps' for us Wolf Pack members made us the best group of players in the entire DT. Thanks for the leadership, especially in HOC.

Our official cheerleader, Jen (Nyeka):
Thanks for the cheering and behind-the-scenes help. Your hard work was instrumental in a lot of our victories, and I'm glad of the loyalty and friendship you gave to each and every wolf. It was nice to meet you Jen. Again, I wish the best for your family.

Our funny chicken, Jeremy (Thunderchicken):
I never understood the motivation behind your name, because you literally owned the 1-15 level range! You were one of our best people Jeremy, and it sucks to see you go. Good luck in your real life endeavors.

To my Wolf Pack brothers Zach (en_heaven), Sergio (limier), Juan (Dark_Curse), and Chris (kavanagh), we had some great times in the game didn't we? All the chaos we caused, all the players we made cry, all the wars we dominated. Wolf Pack will always be the best.

For all the rest of Wolf Pack who have not left the game yet, I look forward to us being the best again in DT Silver! We rocked DT Beta, and we will do so again in DT Silver. Wolf Pack may be retired, but for us still left, I'm sure there's still more to come.

Wolf Pack says goodbye to DT.

Jay~

EPL 07-08 Champions

The English Premier League Champions for the tenth time since the conception of the EPL is..

MANCHESTER UNITED!!

The team!

Cristiano Ronaldo with trophy.

Wayne Rooney with trophy.

Go Red Devils!
87 points! Massive goal difference!

We couldn't have done it without our god-like Back Four.
You guys are insane defenders.

I've been a Red Devil for 6 years now.
No turning back, no giving up.
Glory Glory Man United!
10 titles in the EPL.
Boasting the best mix of experience and raw talent.
Unstoppable!

And of course, Cristiano Ronaldo who is on his way to become the best player in the world right now.
Also Ryan Giggs, United's 34 year old stallion who's still got the speed and the moves.
Not forgetting the awesome individuals like Nani, Anderson, Nemanja Vidic, Owen Hargreaves, Wayne Rooney, and all the rest.

Let's get to Moscow for the Champions League finals and give that Chelsea a smack-down!

(Photos courtesy of Manchester United Official Website)

Jay~

Silver Top 100

I did it.

From 2006, I have been playing DT Beta, which is a pretty boring game now, though I still do have my beloved family there, Wolf Pack. Anyway, in December 2007, I moved to DT Silver, a much harder version.

And today, I broke the Top 100 players in the world.


(Click on the picture to enlarge. Look for 'Overall Rank'.)

I am ranked #99. w00t!

This post is dedicated to my blogger mate, friend, and DT brother-in-arms, Joseph, or otherwise known in the game as SmileTheJoker. I know you quit the game, but hey, this top 100 is for us bro.

I have one cute avatar. :)
I will probably blog about the collection of DT avatars made specifically for me.

Feels good to be in the top 100. :D

BBC on Facebook

The British Broadcasting Channel or BBC, has exposed a potentially damaging flaw in the 'Applications' available to FaceBook.



If you have a FaceBook account, I encourage you to watch the video above.
This is why I reject lots of Applications. :)

Jay~

Inventor or Killer?

Yet another site from a DT player.
Those guys must be really bored to find sites like this. LOL.

Can you tell a Programming Language Inventor from a Serial Killer..?
Take the test to find out. :)

Programming Language Inventor or Serial Killer?

Have fun dear readers.

My score, 10/10.
"My liver is safe".

Jay~

IQ Test

Got this from another DT player.
It measures your basic IQ and there is a chart that shows where you are as compared to the other people who took the tests.

I suggest taking the practice test.
If you can't get all three test questions right, something is wrong, brotha/sista.
LOL

But don't be discouraged and do take the real one, which has 38 questions.

IQ TEST

Have fun!
Do post your results here if you want. Comment box. :)

Mine is 132.

Jay~

Miss Philippines 2008

She won the Best in Long Gown.
She won the Best in Swimsuit.
She's beautiful and sexy.

And then.. She opens her mouth.
(Keep in mind that she won and will represent the Philippines in the Miss World 2008).





Now, don't wonder why the world makes fun of Philippines and Filipinos when the best we can send is rubbish like this.

*sigh*

Jay~

Lame/Stupid/Dumb

Another rant slash complaint but more to rant about Friendster bulletins.

I cannot help but notice that a lot of people spend countless minutes of their lives reposting and forwarding absolutely useless rubbish through the Friendster bulletin board. The bulletin board is supposed to be for putting up notices right? Well.. "Supposedly". I mean, these new 'Friend's Bulletins' really irritated me enough to merit a post in The Jason's blog.

Exhibit A
Subject: How To Kiss Someone During a Movie
Message:
You have just been visited by MATT. I
will grant you one wish. Make your
wish when the count down is over.
10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1
MAKE A WISH
repo st this with the title " HOW TO
KISS DURING A MOVIE[cute] " to throw
people off.... within 2 minutes. If
you do, your wish will come true. If
you don't, it will become the opposite

Did you know? before you go to sleep
at night there is one person thinking
of you. They want you they want to
kiss you, They want to be with you

I mean, W.T.F.??? Who would actually believe rubbish like that? Matt? Aren't there more fairy-tale-ish names out there? What a load of senseless rubbish. Take this next one.

Exhibit B
Subject:AlerT iN mId VaLLey!!
Message:
Dear All,

I am sending this out as to alert
everybody regarding this Incidence
that happened to me last Saturday when
I was in Mid Valley.

Just beware, it happened to me & might
happen to you as well...

I was in Mid Valley making my way to
Coffee Bean to meet up my friend
there. There was this Indian guy, aged
around 30, well dressed & looked
decent, coming to my way right in
front of Body Shop & greeted me, "Hai,
Miss , you look happy but recently you
have been working too hard... Probably
you should stop pushing yourself too
much & relax a bit.."

Usually, my way would be to brush him
off & thinking that he is "chi sin" -
crazy. But that day, unusually, I
stopped & listened to him, allowing
him to continue with his lines for
about a minute. Some how or rather,
fortunate ly I suddenly felt that
something is not right & immediately
turn back & move away from the spot.

When I had made my may to Coffee Bean,
after sitting down for a few minutes,
I felt very dizzy & sleepy. It took me
about half an hour to recover while
sitting there. Then , I recalled this
Indian guy had a strong fragrance
smell with him while he was talking to
me. I do not know how he did it but I
was nearly trapped.

Something similar happened to one of
my friends in KLIA before but I never
expected it to happen in a busy place
like Mid Valley. May be our mothers
are right, do not talk too strangers
but they forget to tell us, NOT TO
EVEN LISTEN TO STRANGERS.
Please pass this to your friends
around you to keep them alert of this.

Oh right, now if that was not a racist post, I do not know what is. Come on! Grow up! Must these 'real stories' be forwarded? I thought your mother taught you about strangers when you were 6? The person who reposted this is freaking 19! Get a bit of common sense. Maybe you wouldn't seem so stupid? But nothing beats chain messages like the next one.

Exhibit C
Subject: I LOVE My Boyfriend
Message:
you
have 200
seconds to repost this or your dad
will die, in a crash and your mom will
kill Herself in about 24 hours. only
say one
1.I have a boyfriend now
2.Bitch
3. I want a boyfriend
4.I like someone
5.We broke up for sure
6.I am single
7.I LOVE my boyfriend.
8.I LOVE my girlfriend
9.I'm ugly
10.I miss my boyfriend
11.I miss my girlfriend
12.I want my guy because some chick
13.His cinderella
14.Her Prince Charming
15.I Miss somebody I like
16.We did it last night
17.My bestfriend!
18.BI TCH!
19.He is so HOT
20.She is so HOT
21.I Want My ex-boyfriend Back
22.I Want MY ex-girlfriend Back

It's flame time. People who repost rubbish like this deserve to take a wet fish and slap themselves on the face for lacking common sense, being stupidly superstitious, being dumb as a bag of barf, having no sense of intuition, and being downright gullible. Come on!! Are the teenagers/young adults of this world suffering IQ loss at a preposterous scale? This is so unbelievable it's stupid.

Could we finally have some real bulletins?

I would like to commend my friends for posting real bulletins like those noting dance workshops, events, or recent news. Thank God these people's IQ have not dropped 30 points every 18 minutes.

Jay~

Death Predictor

Click this: Death Predictor

Jason Cruz: At age 68 a large monkey will beat you to death, using the antiquated art of fisticuffs.

I find that mildly disturbing.
However, I would be the first to admit that an awesome death is a lot cooler than, say, dying in my sleep.

Plus my grandkids need to impress the other kids in the canteen.

"Your grandad was hit by a truck? No way! Mine was beaten fugly by a gorilla."

Now that's what you call bragging rights.

Jay~

Ryu Wins

It's called 'break dancing' for a reason, you stupid kid.

Only one thing to say.

KO!

(ROTFLMFAO)

Jay~

Miss Teen Carolina

An exemplary example of a dumb biatch air-headed blonde bimbo.



You can't argue with that.
I personally believe.

Now go stand outside your house naked holding a map.
Count to 5. When nothing happens, you need a new map.

Jay~

Sleuth Ranked 3

Well well. I ended up my stint at the Novice Detectives (younger than 10 days) today and I ended it at 3. That's right, I am in the Top 3. If you look at #1 and #4, they also belong to my agency. *grins* We rock don't we now.

Sleuth is an online community game in which you play as a detective.

I subscribed, so I could do more cases and join an agency. I was finally snapped up by EyeSpy Investigations, which also happens to be the top agency in the game.

For more information, visit http://playsleuth.com/

I've recommended this game to a lot of people and it's really addictive. =)

Jsn~