When the songbird sings

Roger Federer finally wins his first Olympic gold, but not in the singles event. He and tennis doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka beat Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.

From the LA Times Olympics blog (Emphasis is mine.):

“Fittingly, the gold-medal match was on Federer’s racket. He served at 5-3 of the fourth set, 2 hours 59 minutes into the final. He got it to 40-15, hit a wide serve to Johansson and watched the return float wide. Then he jumped in the air three times like a 10-year-old.

“At the medals ceremony, when they played the Swiss national anthem and Federer and Wawrinka stood on the highest platform, both were clearly on the edge of tears.

“In three tries, Federer, for years the top singles player in the world and the winner of 12 major titles, has failed to win a medal in Olympic singles. Turns out, he was just playing in the wrong event.”

I had been waiting for any of The Fed’s matches to be shown on C/S since the station had an exclusive deal to air the Olympics and was affiliated with/owned by Solar Sports. We needed to upgrade our cable subscription if we wanted to be able to tune in to Solar, and that was an option that I did not even want to consider; it was highway robbery. It turns out that C/S was more interested in airing the useless basketball and boxing matches. Please, C/S, stick with the X-Files and Buffy reruns.

As Irony would have it, when I finally caught a tennis match airing last night (or was that at 3AM this morning?), it was the semis between Nadal and Djokovic. Wedgie boy won. I’m still wondering how the heck Djoker blew that point, (Hello! Drop shot, anyone? Long Pants was miles away at the back of the baseline.) though it was heartbreaking to see him sob on his way out of the stadium. For now, he’d have to be content with a bronze win.

As for the classy player, I hope that this win helps him defend the US Open title, which some analysts say, still won’t help him retain the no. 1 ranking. But hey, a slam is a slam.

This is too cute to not share.

SIDE NOTE:

So, China’s hopes of sweeping all five golds in badminton crumbled when Indonesia won in men’s doubles. I don’t know who’s bringing home the gold in singles, though. Will it still be Lin Dan? ::Yawn:: While I know he outclasses everyone in the field, I’d be happy to see anyone but him (or his mates) bring home the gold. Come on, diversity is exciting. It just might help the sport get more media attention.

“Fedrinka” photos and video from RF.com members. Pic with a collapsing dude from the Olympics site

Birthday cupcake by emma.c

I celebrated my birthday yesterday in almost the way I had lived each of the days in recent years: went to work, got in touch with friends, finished the day’s business in a not so fabulous fashion. I had a 12-hour workday, which began with a status meeting in the morning and ended with another meeting, paper work and an overseas call in the evening. In between were ten million emails, follow-ups, and cursing the ATMs at Cash and Carry for running out of cash and then debiting the amount that I was not able to withdraw from my account in the first place. And then there was the stupid mishap during merienda that proved for all time that I could not be a domestic diva.

I came up with two birthday wishes that popped right off the top of my head, like in a Freudian kind of wishing, except that the wishes were neither sexual nor violent (remarkably, not romantic). First wish was dashed even before the day ended. Bummer. Second one is still up in the clouds, but I won’t be holding my breath for it. It will happen when it happens, and I am at least thankful that the person who matters in making this come true is on my side.

Thanks to everyone who remembered. Catherine was beaten by Joy, and then Fulton, in the annual competition for who’s first to greet me happy birthday. Joy greeted me at 11PM on August 13. Fancy that, sister! Tina, you still owe me a kitteh. Morguers, thanks for the cake. Top prize goes to my mom for the drama.

UPDATE:

Nice…nice…nice greeting on Friendster from Club.net badminton club. They kinda know the stuff that interest me–books, badminton, food. Not sure about Jose Cuervo, as I had a bad episode with tequila last summer.

This one is quite frustrating because there is no way right now for me to get the Sephora birthday gift. Merci, just the same. I registered last year for the store’s freebies, and every now and then, I get vouchers by e-mail. I just love this store. I had loads of fun trying their fantastic potions and colors last year with Mary and Keng. Je veux à nouveau rendre Sephora.

UPDATE AGAIN:

First wish wasn’t dashed completely. It was granted in a slightly different form, but it still happened.

From a mail forward that’s too funny, it’s got to be shared:

1. Contemplate - kulang ang mga pinggan (Not enough plates)
2. Punctuation - pera para maka-enrol (Money for tuition)
3. Ice Buko - nagtatanong kung ayos na ang buhok (Does my hair look ok?)
4. Tenacious - sapatos na pang tennis (Tennis shoes)
5. Calculator - tawagan kita mamaya (Call you later)
6. Devastation - sakayan ng bus (the bus station)
7. Protestant - Tindahan ng prutas (fruit stand)
8. Statue - Ikaw ba yan? (Is that you?)
9. Tissue - Ikaw nga! (’Tis you!)
10. Predicate - Pakawalan mo ang pusa (Let the cat go)
11. Dedicate - Pinatay ang pusa (The cat was killed)
12. Aspect - Pantusok o pandurog ng yelo (Ice pick)
13. Deduct - Ang pato (The duck)
14. Defeat - Ang paa [ng pato?] (The feet)
15. Detail - Ang buntot (The tail)
16. City - Bago mag-utso (The number before 8 )
17. Cattle - Doon nakatila ang Hali at Leyna (Where the king and the queen live, in baby speak)
18. Persuading - Unang Kasal (First wedding)
19. Depress - Ang nagkasal sa PERSUADING (The one who conducted the first wedding)
20. Defense - Ginamit na mga pangsulat sa kontrata sa PERSUADING (Used to sign the first wedding contract)
21. It Depends - Kainin mo ang bakod (Eat the fence)
22. Shampoo - Bago mag-labing-isha (11) (Before eleven)
23. Delusion - Maluwang: “Kapag maluwang ang damit, eh DELUSION” (If the the dress doesn’t fit, then it’s loose.”)
24. Delivery - Walang bayad: “Kapag working lunch, eh DELIVERY na ang tanghalian.” (If you are having a working lunch, then lunch should be free.”)
25. Profit - Patunayan mo (Prove it)
26. Balance Sheet - What comes out after eating a balanced meal
27. Backlog - bacon at itlog (bacon and egg)
28. Beehive - magpakatino ka (be nice, as in…”Be quiet, ok?“)
29. CD-ROM - tingnan mo ang kwarto (see the room)
30. Debug - ang ipis (the bug)
31. Defrag - ang palaka (the frog)
32. Defense - ang bakod (the fence)
33. Defer - ang balahibo (the fur)
34. Deflate - ang plato (the plate)
35. Detest - ang eksamin (the test)
36. Devalue - ‘yon ang susunod sa letrang V (W)
37. Devote - ang boto (the vote)
38. Dilemma - brownout!, a! (it’s dark!)
39. Effort - ‘dun nagla-land ang efflane (where the “efflane” lands)
40. Forums - apat na kwarto (four rooms)
41. July - nagsinungaling ka ba? (did you lie?)
42. Liturgy - what comes after litur F
43. Thesis - ito ay… (this is…)

Dumb lines from Narinig Mo Na Ba ang Latest? (Have You Heard the Latest?):

“Hindi na uso ang gentleman ngayon. Kung gentle yan, hindi yan man.”
(Gentlemanliness is so old-fashioned. If he’s gentle, he’s not a man.)

“Kapag hindi mo ginagamit, malalaglag “yan”. Cancerous daw yun.”
(If you’re not using “it”, it will fall off. They say not using “it” is cancerous.)

Sister: Cancerous yan kapag 30 ka na.
Me: Ows?

Good coffee, nice cup by Greg7

A New York Times article debunks some of the myths about/against coffee. I equate coffee with caffeine here because in my book, coffee is useless without the drug. Decaffeinated coffee is loathsome, while Coke and other soft drinks are cop-outs. And no, don’t even suggest Kopiko. I go for old-fashioned brewed coffee with sugar. The fanciest stuff I buy at Starbucks or any of those boutique coffee houses is either latte or cappuccino, and if I didn’t have enough sleep the previous night, then it’s a tall coffee of the day for me.

So here be some coffee myth busting:

• Coffee is a diuretic, but only if it contains more than 575 milligrams of caffeine. That’s more than what 1 Starbucks grande contains.
• Coffee does not increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, drinking one to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Coffee only induces a small, temporary rise in blood pressure. Emphasis on “small, temporary.”
• Coffee does not increase the risk of either pancreatic or liver cancer. One study found that compared to those who do not drink coffee, coffee drinkers’ risk of having liver cancer is cut by half.
• Coffee does not make you thin even if caffeine helps you burn an extra 75 to 100 calories a day. This also means you should stay away from the 650-calorie mocha frappuccino. Just because it’s liquid doesn’t mean it doesn’t make you fat.
• Coffee does not cause osteoporosis. Even if you lose up to 5 milligrams of calcium for every 6 ounces of coffee, you can replace it by adding 2tbsps of milk to your coffee. I hate adding milk to my coffee, but I guess that’s what ice cream or a bowl of cereal with milk is for.

• Coffee makes you happy. Consuming up to 200 milligrams of caffeine allows you to have an “improved sense of well-being, happiness, energy, alertness and sociability,” said Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.” However, having too much caffeine in your system causes you to be easily frazzled or have stomach discomfort. Ewww.
• Coffee makes you alert, therefore…
• Coffee makes you smart because it helps you concentrate or maintain attention, have better memory, and perform complex tasks.
• Coffee helps your performance in aerobic activities.
• Roger Federer drinks coffee. I’m not 100% sure about this one, He confirmed it, and heck–I’ll [still] drink anything he’ll serve me.

Additional reading:

Caffeine: The Good, the Bad, and the Maybe (PDF)

• How to Reward and Retain Top Performers

“If a business is to maintain an edge over its competitors and establish a good relationship with clients, it must rely the participation of its best people. How it does so is not only reflected in compensation appraisals, but more importantly, in rewards that suggest their value to the company.”

• Green Project Management

“Because green project management is still in its infancy, it offers many opportunities for companies to explore the possibilities of aligning methodologies with the need to take care of the environment. What is important at this point is to promote the idea that project delivery can be done in ways that have minimum impact on the environment.”

• Information Process Maturity Level: The Basics

“In a nutshell, the IPMM exists to gauge the competency of information development teams (or companies) in matching the maturity models that engineering or software development outfits follow. Ultimately, by achieving or going through any of IPMM’s five levels, the goal is to increase productivity, reduce cost, and develop quality information. ”

Anabell’s Kitten at 8 Weeks by endbradley

I’ve been thinking of either adopting or buying a cat. Thanks to the curious incidence of the smelly dog last year, I have become a cat person. And because the apartment which I share with two other women is too small, there is not doubt that the perfect fourth member of our household will be a cat. I like cats–they’re low maintenance, smart, won’t stink up the apartment if properly litter trained, and can help prevent the proliferation of rodents and roaches which I notice have been frequently paying our unit a visit lately.

Notwithstanding the host of pusakals that have made our apartment building their home, I still want my own cat, so that leaves me with two options: buy one or get in touch with PAWS to check if they have a kitty for adoption. Whichever option I pursue will mean the cat will already have left a gaping hole in my pocket even before it becomes a formal member of our household. I never knew that the smallest feline costs thousands, and that does not even include vet, food, and grooming. Hmmm…maybe I should just really watch out for a baby pusakal (pusakalette?) in our compound then.

Pencil by Balakov

“To many school officials, Filipino teachers are ideal job candidates. The mostly female recruits speak English, hold advanced degrees and pass internationally recognized teaching exams. And they see the salaries offered here as small fortunes. But for all their enthusiasm and experience, they first have to learn how to manage unruly American students.

“In Prince George’s, the starting teacher’s salary is $43,481 — almost 10 times what the same teacher would make in the Philippines. Many Filipinos, like Mabel, can make much more here because of their years of experience. Salaries for someone with two decades of experience and a master’s degree can be more than $80,000.

“Perhaps most important, the teachers get a shot at becoming Americans. If they perform well for three years, the county will sponsor them for a green card, or permanent residency. It can take years for them to actually get the card and, later, citizenship, because of the government backlog. But theirs is a much easier path to the United States than that of many other immigrants. They don’t have to come here illegally or win a visa lottery. They just have to do their jobs.

“As life-changing decisions go, Mabel didn’t agonize that much. Going overseas for more money is common in the Philippines. About 10 percent of the country’s 89 million citizens live abroad, according to the Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas.”

–“Lessons Far from Home,” The Washington Post

Troll with bra by abbyladybug

I’m still digesting this feature on New York Times magazine, a fine piece of journalism that sheds light on one of the Web’s oft-hated subcultures: the trolls. Writer Mattathias Schwartz profiled trolls, provided examples of trolling/cyberbullying victims who paid the ultimate price, and attempted to explain why trolling happens in the first place. There are many reasons, according to Schwartz and his interviewees, and the most frequently cited is for the “lulz” or the corruption of LOL; in other words, just for the kicks or because they can. Any self-respecting Internet denizen would be quick to judge trolls as psychopaths, but the trolls themselves also put blame on the recipients of bullying: they are drama queens, they had it coming, they take themselves too seriously, etc. While the trolls’ rationale is debatable, it is also true that there are people–a lot of them–who put themselves up for it with photos posted on social networks, daily dramas shared in minutest details on blogs, rigid principles that upon closer look expose the authors to further ridicule. Yet in spite of all the drama and narcissistic tendencies happening on the web, trolling is essentially cruel and does real damage to many, especially those who did not invite it in the first place. And technology, which allows for anonymous trolling, does not help recipients either.

“Why inflict anguish on a helpless stranger? It’s tempting to blame technology, which increases the range of our communications while dehumanizing the recipients. Cases like An Hero and Megan Meier presumably wouldn’t happen if the perpetrators had to deliver their messages in person. But while technology reduces the social barriers that keep us from bedeviling strangers, it does not explain the initial trolling impulse. This seems to spring from something ugly — a destructive human urge that many feel but few act upon, the ambient misanthropy that’s a frequent ingredient of art, politics and, most of all, jokes. There’s a lot of hate out there, and a lot to hate as well.”

In a response to the article, one of the profiled trolls provided a couple of tips on how to protect oneself from trolling:

All that having been said, there are only two ways to deal with a troll:

1. Don’t reply. Don’t privately address him. Don’t acknowledge his comments. Don’t even make a passing reference in another blog post. Just pretend the troll doesn’t exist. This gets rid of 90% of the trolls out there instantly. Then, if you’re smart, shut up and quit blogging for a few days and logically re-evaluate the post that set the troll off. Chances are, there is a glaring flaw in your post that makes you look like an idiot or a nutjob, and that’s why you got trolled. Don’t post again until you’re ready to amend it or defend it with better logic.

2. With the other 10% of trolls, you have to play the game. For every insult you receive from a troll, play along and join in the joke. If someone tells you’re fat (because you probably are), don’t get offended and rant. Just reply with a photo of a whale and say, “You mad skippy I’m fat! I would say this photo is me, but that wouldn’t be fair. The whale isn’t that big.” If you can successfully take yourself and the insults less seriously, you will win the good graces of the troll and he’ll either go away, or he’ll chill out, knock off the insults, and you’ll have made a new online friend. And trust me, it’s good to have a troll for a friend.

Of course, now that I’ve revealed this, no troll is going to let up because you’ve all been warned and can no longer claim ignorance as an excuse. So, your only recourse is to just not be stupid and/or batnuts crazy on the Internets. If you can do that, everything will be just fine.

Related:

Craigslist (from Wired’s Threat Level blog)
Trolling for Ethics (a blog about Schartz’s story, with lively readers’ comments)