Aren't you just glad that we live in this great country of ours?
China forces websites, bloggers to register
And if you do register, you won't get a licence
By INQUIRER staff: Tuesday 07 June 2005, 14:30
THE AUTHORITARIAN Chinese government has ordered individual owners of websites and bloggers to register with the government or face being shut down.
According to Reporters without Borders, the Chinese authorities have developed a system to monitor sites in real time and find out whether they have registered.
The decree requires owners of websites, whether commercial or non-commercial, to comply with the edict by the 30th of June and give the name of the person or persons responsible for the sites.
Bloggers in China have had email messages telling them to register or face sanctions. And, said the organisation, one blogger who contacted the Shanghai police to register was told there was no point in registering as independent blogs would not be granted permission to continue.
Being a huge fan of World Rally Championship, I really find it hard to get into Indianapolis 500 (How exciting can that be? They're just going around in an oval track). But I just can't get enough of rookie sensation Danica Patrick. Her entry into the Indy Racing League catapulted IRL's popularity to new heights. And why not? Her stunning good looks and involvement in a male dominated motorsport caught everyone's attention.
And with the entire United States cheering her on, she almost won the Indy 500. Patrick's fourth place was the highest ever finish for a female driver besting Janet Guthrie's 27-year-old ninth place finish record. Danica led 19 laps overall.
When I saw her in the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, she was just as TV savvy as she is gorgeous. Definitely, we'll be seeing more from this hot racer. She's only 23! I'm pretty sure that after her career in racing, Hollywood is next.
All the good reality TV shows are over. Survivor. The Amazing Race. American Idol. The Contender. The Apprentice. When will the new seaons start? I just can't wait.
The finale of The Contender was filled with drama and great boxing! I cheered Sergio on whenever he'd come up with a flurry of punches despite having his back on the ropes. And I jumped to my feet when he trashed talked with Peter Manfredo's corner! Watching professional boxing all my life, I've never seen anything like it! Sure, Manfredo was able to take advantage when Sergio lost focus during the trash talking, but the punches that Manfredo connected was easily shrugged off by the Latin Snake.
By the end of Round 7, Manfredo had to cling to the referree to help him get back to his corner while Sergio was firing up the crowd. There was no doubt as to who was the winner.
Sergio Mora is The Contender!
My only gripe about the finale of The Contender is that Mark Burnett, with all his money, didn't even bother to hire Michael Buffer. Caesar's Palace and Michael Buffer go together like peanut butter and jelly. The Contender's announcer stinks.
When I was young, I'd pretend to be a boxer, put on my mom's robe, and imagine that Michael Buffer would introduce me as I enter the arena and then just before the bell rings he would utter the famous words: To the thousands in attendance... and the millions watching around the world... ladies and gentlemen... LLLLLLLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBBBLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEE!
After checking out several resorts, we were ready to give up. We were all tired and sweaty from the summer sun and were all thinking of just going home and taking cold showers. We decided to try one more resort since we were already at Coco Grove anyway. We went a bit further and checked out Coco Grove Picnic Area. The name threw me off a bit. If this is a picnic area, where will we stay? Turns out that the beach area was great. There were only a handful of people, there were lots of tables, and it was very quiet that the only sound I heard were the birds chirping.
We asked if there's a place for us. It turned out that they provide camping tents for the guests and we can have the tents setup anywhere! Woohoo! We hit the jackpot! Camping by the beach! But they told us to check out the beach first because it was low tide already (3:30pm). When we saw the beach, we were dumbfounded. It turns out that the shallow end stretches out for about 150 meters from the beach and so, we'd have to walk a long way just to get to the water (see the photos). I didn't mind. I've never seen anything like it. It's a marine biologist's paradise. There were a lot of tiny sea creatures that were left out in the sand when the water retreated.
So, we settled in our camp, and grilled the tilapia that we bought from the market and just got drunk by the beach. We decided to just go swimming the following day.
When I woke up, the beach was a sight to behold. The water was so calm, it's as if I was looking at a lake. This picnic area is a great discovery. Not only is it inexpensive, but they have the most courteous employees. And there are no rules. We wanted to grill our own food and they provided us with a grill. We asked if they could cook the rice for us, and they did. We asked for banana leaves to wrap the tilapia with and they obliged with smiles. So we will definitely be back. In the end, the beach trip was salvaged and we all had a great time.
What a weekend. It started out terrible enough. Some people backed out at the very last minute and put a crimp on our budget. But that was ok, since we were sort of expecting that. That's a problem when one entire team plans a trip. Since it's a team trip, people that you won't normally include in your trips get included. And of course, people back out. And to think that those who backed out are the most vocal in arranging the beach trip while those of us who pushed through are the ones who would go to the beach on a day's notice. Anyway, that's not really the problem since there were still five of us--the ones who are easiest to invite.
But what really tore through us was the site of the beach upon our arrival. The beach was recommeded by a co-employee whose girlfriend was from Laiya. We would be staying in a hut but it's by the beach. I was thinking of a small cottage in isolation and thought that would be perfect. However, when we got there the hut was like a shanty made entirely of wood and there were a lot of them in close proximity to one another. And the people! There were dozens of people cramped in the small beach area in addition to the people of the community who actually live there. The covered area is filled tables close to one another and people were sleeping on the benches. To top it all off, there were several videoke machines. It was a terrible place and we left in a hurry.
Now we realized the problem. With no other reservations, we had to scout the different resorts and pray that there's a vacancy. However, the chances of that get slimmer with each resort that we visit. It was a saturday and all the rooms or cottages were occupied. And since the girl who requested that the beach trip be scheduled on a saturday so she could come backed out, we had nothing else to do but plot to kill her.
I'm on my way to becoming a Jedi Knight (or a Dark Lord of the Sith!)
In order to prepare myself for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, I reviewed my Episode I and II DVDs just so that I'd be sure not to miss any connections. When Qui-Gon Jinn got a blood sample from young Anakin Skywalker and we were introduced to the most ridiculous idea in Star Wars history since George Lucas decided that the Empire would create another Death Star (ho-hum) in Episode VI. I'm talking about the midi-chlorians--they are microscopic life-forms that reside within the cells of all living things and communicate with the Force. Midi-clorians comprise collective consciousness and intelligence, forming the link between everything living and the Force (Wikipedia.org).
The thing is, when Qui-Gon looked into the microscope to examine Anakin's blood sample, what he saw was something that was strangely familiar. Growing up in the 80s, and watching all the commercials, it would be impossible for me not to recognize what the midi-chlorians are. The midi-chlorians are actually Lactobacilli Shirota strain! It was foretold in an ancient prophecy that a chosen one would appear, imbued with an abundance of midi-clorians, a being strong with the Force and destined to alter it forever.
Determined to become a powerful Dark Lord of the Sith (I initially wanted to become a Jedi Knight but the Sith are way cooler. The Jedi are clothed in rags), I rushed to the grocery store and grabbed as many Yakult as budget would permit. Soon, my body will be filled with enough midi-chlorians (aka Lactobacilli Shirota strain) and be on the path towards becoming a Sith Lord. Soon, all shall tremble before Me.
One year has already lapsed since Stephanie Calvert, one of my favorite bloggers, died. She figured in a car accident and she died at the scene. It was such a shock to me and to everyone who frequently visits her blog. I couldn't believe it then, and writing this, I'm still having a hard time accepting it. She was just so full of life. Her entries were always hilarious. Most of them nonsensical but hilarious nontheless. Hers was the blog equivalent of Seinfeld and it is the one blog that I read religiously.
Being a huge fan of World Rally Championship, I really find it hard to get into Indianapolis 500 (How exciting can that be? They're just going around in an oval track). But I just can't get enough of rookie sensation Danica Patrick. Her entry into the Indy Racing League catapulted IRL's popularity to new heights. And why not? Her stunning good looks and involvement in a male dominated motorsport caught everyone's attention. 
I reviewed my Episode I and II DVDs just so that I'd be sure not to miss any connections. When Qui-Gon Jinn got a blood sample from young Anakin Skywalker and we were introduced to the most ridiculous idea in Star Wars history since George Lucas decided that the Empire would create another Death Star (ho-hum) in Episode VI. I'm talking about the midi-chlorians--they are microscopic life-forms that reside within the cells of all living things and communicate with the Force. Midi-clorians comprise collective consciousness and intelligence, forming the link between everything living and the Force (Wikipedia.org). 
The thing is, when Qui-Gon looked into the microscope to examine Anakin's blood sample, what he saw was something that was strangely familiar. Growing up in the 80s, and watching all the commercials, it would be impossible for me not to recognize what the midi-chlorians are. The midi-chlorians are actually Lactobacilli Shirota strain! It was foretold in an ancient prophecy that a chosen one would appear, imbued with an abundance of midi-clorians, a being strong with the Force and destined to alter it forever. 
