[quote me] A smartphone is not a phone! (You got it wrong, again!)

One guy started to complain about why people appear to be racing to build the fastest bullet trains or the tallest buildings or the longest bridges. He said that during his time, around 40 years ago, cars didn't have power doors and windows, power steering, GPS navigation systems, or air-conditioning even. He said that, "Now, I only want a cellphone; something that can enable him to make phone calls, send messages, and check the clock and the date. Just 4 features! I don't even need a camera."

[who is ronjie?] you were not listening; [quote me] on advanced degrees

One of the things I hate so much is how, when I make a presentation wherein I explain how "1+1=2," at the end of my presentation in the Q&A portion, I get asked the question "so, what is 1+1?"  Or, "you should try to find the answer to 1+1."

[quote me] A UP bachelor's degree is an advanced degree...

...and yes, we feel a bit of superiority but we usually hide it because we're smart enough to know that relationships are just as important as degrees.

I thought this so, because some people who don't have UP degrees try to justify themselves saying, "You may have a degree from UP, but I am better than you," in the same way that people who don't have advanced degrees also say, "You may have an advanced degree, but I am better than you."

Come to think about it, maybe I hate these statements and the attitudes that borne them because they're anti-relationship. This is not the UP way. The UP way would be not saying those things directly to people; instead we'll tell another fellow UP grad "That was just stupid. Obviously not from UP." Of course, that is if indeed those actions of theirs are stupid and those people not from UP.

[did you know?] Indian giver

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giver

[did you know?] Are you a Cafe au Lait or a Cafe Latte person?

I probably first encountered the term latte upon the advent of a certain "coffee drink restaurant" called Starbucks, ca. 1998, in Manila. Probably not because of that "coffee drink restaurant" per se, but nonetheless that was one event I can associate with our eyes being opened back then to coffee other than Nescafe and Folgers and some other instant coffee brands from the US that balikbayans brought back home. Of course at that time, coffee shops like The Coffee Beanery from the Cravings Group helped Starbuko to somewhat co-educate us as well.

[did you know?] Upo in English

I'm talking about the vegetable, the one which we usually sauté (yung kadalasang ginigisa natin) or that we can use as substitute for green papaya or sayote in a tinola dish.

You will never believe this.

You will never, ever, ever believe this.

It is...

[did you know?] Catch-22

I know many of you know this already, but for the benefit of those who don't, Wikipedia (as of 8 Sept 2011) defines a Catch-22 as:

"...a logical paradox arising from a situation in which an individual needs something that can only be acquired by not being in that very situation; therefore, the acquisition of this thing becomes logically impossible. Catch-22s are often spoken with regard to rules, regulations, procedures, or situations in which one has knowledge of being or becoming a victim but has no control over it occurring (i.e. heads you win, tails I lose, output is the input...)"

Additionally, it was mentioned that "Catch-22" was coined by Joseph Heller in his novel entitled "Catch-22."

Maybe it's not exactly the same, but one interpretation of mine for a Catch-22 is this popular expression by one of the most important figures to come out of the 1990's, Bart Simpson:

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

Yeah, come to think about it, it's not the same. What the heck.

[quote them] Molly Wood on Yahoo!

No, I'm not talking about Molly Wood, the adult film actress. :-D This is from Molly Wood, the CNET Senior Editor, while she was talking about Yahoo! after its board recently fired CEO Carol Bartz, in "Buzz Out Loud," a CNET podcast:

"Once you get the stink on, it's pretty hard to get it off."

How true. In so many ways. How true.

Sad. But true.

On my part, I feel sad to see what has become of Yahoo! since its early beginnings 16 years or so ago when it was the very first website I ever visited. That was a big "whoa!" moment, seeing the Yahoo! website on our then brand new computer. I remember that day quite clearly.

[thoughts] [prustrations] Catch-22?

Peyups -- i.e. UP. UP naming mahal. (The UP that we love.) There is an on-going internal effort there to help "UP to regain its role as a top university in the Asia-Pacific region." Take note the word "regain." Here are my thoughts on the matter.

[who is ronjie.com?] Visited Countries

Just updating... :-D  Wait for me, Australia, Africa, and South America! (And everywhere else in between.)

[who is ronjie.com] My Lakbayan Grade is now C+!

As of Feb 2010, actually!

[reactions+reflections] [thoughts] Old wine drinkers

Today I was surprised to see that a quote like this is actually in the Book of Luke (5:39):

"And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough.'"