Today I received a text message from an old pal and this is what it says:
“Coming October 17, 2008 the sun will rise continuously for 36 hrs (1.5 days). During this time the US countries will be dark for 1.5 days.
It will convert 3 days into 2 big days. It will happen once in 2400 yrs. We're very lucky to see this. So don't miss it. –Courtesy of CNN/BBC News”

Sometime last week another friend also asked me if I’ve heard of this news. It was the first time I’ve heard of such so I tried to research it but didn’t find any coming CNN or BBC. Since tomorrow is the 17th of October I decided to write an entry about this. Sorry to disappoint you guys but this is hoax. False. Untrue. (Just like any other chain letters or emails.) I don’t know who started this faulty report but isn’t it funny how a lot of people spend so much time spreading it?

This online rumor actually started circulating sometime last August. David Emery, of About.com, wrote an entry last 15th of September debunking that “During a one-month period from mid-August to mid-September 2008, over 15,000 postings containing the phrase ‘the sun will rise continuously for 36 hours’ appeared on the Internet.”

As we all know the sun does “rise” continuously. We only perceive it as setting because the earth, while rotating on its own axis, revolves around the sun. The sun does not really (literally) stop rising or slow its speed of setting. So for such 36 hours sunrise phenomenon to happen, the earth would actually have to stop revolving and rotating on its orbit. And guess what, that has never happened and will never happen.

So for you out there waiting for that supposed 1.5 days of sunrise or 1.5 days of darkness, you can continue to live your normal life and go on with your daily activities since no such report will occur.

As we all know yesterday was the world’s biggest day. It was the start of the 17-day long summer Olympics competition, a tradition that started way back in Athens in the year 776 BC. After four years of intense training, athletes all over the world will be able to showcase their skills and compete in the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship. It is the battle among the best.

As we all know, this year’s Olympics has been prepared by China since over 8 years ago. Well, that’s as far as I can remember. It was all worth it, I guess. The opening ceremony was like no other. It was incomparable. The Chinese government has put on so much time, effort, and money on this event. It was just the most expensive and majestic opening ceremony ever. They did it! The whole world was in awe with their rich presentation. Credit goes to them for a wonderful 2008 Summer Olympics.

If you ask me what team I am cheering for. Well, that’s a tough question. (Hahaha!) I guess it’s not if I can cheer for two teams, right? Go Team USA and Team Philippines. It is understandable though if most of the time I’ll be cheering for the U.S. since they are competing in more events that the Philippines. But I love them both.

And as they say, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Side note: It was also yesterday when YouTube started its 2-day 888 YouTube gathering in Canada.

I’m sure some of you have heard the case of Brandon Rayner. I only knew about his story at my work last Sunday. He is a 10-year-old kid who has an acute illness. He is a bright and bubbly kid who survived a brain tumor about a year ago. Unfortunately, he was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.

This little boy has 2 final wishes. He is in search for a bone marrow donor match that would give him the miracle of another life. And a simple wish of setting a world record as the one with most business cards ever collected. For the past two years he has been collecting business cards from 3 states in the U.S. He currently has about 18,000 and is asking every one’s help to eventually reach 150,000. He is hoping to get some from outside the U.S.

KVBC/DT Las Vegas reported that Brandon’s collection also serves a practical purpose. “Because if I ever need to call someone, I have their card,” Brandon said.

Brandon’s request is a simple wish that we can all take part of. If you’d like to add to his card collection, please send your card (or piles of unused business cards) by August 15 to:

Brandon Rayner
Sunrise Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Oncology
3186 S. Maryland Parkway,
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(A customer told me last Sunday that Brandon’s wish is absurd. It would have been better if he requested to go to Disneyland. I told her, “It’s because Brandon thinks differently than children his age. That’s what makes him special. He wants to be part of history and leave this world with a mark. That’s why he’s doing this.”)

I live in Las Vegas and hope to meet little Brandon one of these days.

Summer getaways are supposed to be fun and exciting especially when you’re going to one of the world’s most popular destinations – Paris, France. Unfortunately, that is not the case for one Israeli family. The unidentified couple, along with their 5 children, was running late for a charter flight from Jerusalem to Paris last Sunday. In their hopes to catch the flight, they made a dash to the airport gate taking with them their duty-free shopping bags and 18 suitcases while leaving behind their 3-year-old daughter at the airport. (Yes, they accidentally left their daughter.)

A policeman found the child wandering in the duty-free area at Ben-Gurion airport, which is Israel’s bustling main international airport. The officer immediately alerted the airline staff; unfortunately, the airplane already left.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld reported that the parents never realized they boarded the aircraft with only 4 children until 40 minutes in the air when the cabin staff informed them. The little girl was accompanied by an airline staffer on the next flight to Paris where she reunited with her family.

Unfortunately, as soon as they get back to Israel after their European vacation, the parents would have to face police questioning for suspicion of parental negligence.

I’ve been so busy for the past couple of weeks that I haven’t checked out the latest news about the Philippines (even here in the U.S.). Today I heard from my mother that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made her SONA (State Of the Nation Address). And of course the usual reaction from the Filipinos – rallies and oppositions. Since I was younger I always thought that all these rallies and oppositions all add up to the chaos that is already present in the country. I think that by doing so, the people are only making the situations worse.

Here’s what I think:

1. Why put all the blame to Pres.GMA? I am not a big follower of the president not because I dislike her or what but because I am not a big Politics person. (You know what I mean.) I have faith in government and democracy but what made me lose faith in the system is the quality of people, in general, governing the nation.
2. Where are the other officials elected to run the country? The senators? Congressmen? Governors? Mayors? And other representatives? They should take responsibilities for all their actions. They are all partly to be blamed for whatever it is that’s happening in the Philippines right now. Chaos? Disunity? The reason why the citizens behave in such manner is because their own leaders don’t have one voice. One group doesn’t believe in President Arroyo so they don’t show up during the SONA? What kind of leaders are they when they can’t even show some amount of respect to the country’s president? How can these leaders lead their citizens and bring some amount of hope and progress to the nation when they can’t even teach themselves some morals? Citizens, don’t put all the blame on the President, what are your locally elected officials doing to help you?
3. Enough about the officials, now it’s your turn. What are you doing for your country? As former U.S. President John F. Kennedy said,“ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” So to those citizens who keep on complaining about their sufferings and the worsening economy of the Philippines, let me ask you – What have you done to help improve the state of your country? I guess nothing. Other than whining, complaining, and constantly putting the blame on other people – nothing. No wonder the country, as you said it, keeps on sinking further to the bottom. Stop complaining and do something!

The country, just like any other relationships, is a partnership between the people and their officials. Without cooperation the Philippines will definitely sink. There is still great hope for the country. If we all pause, look at the person beside us, and help each other stand up – we can all make it! We were once a nation who conquered the universe, we can still do it now. All we have to do is open our minds, listen to the other party, and unite. How difficult can that be? We made it before; therefore, we can do it again.


Photo from: http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2005/6.29.05/pix/unity.jpg

Please let me know what you think by commenting below. Thank you.

Just when you think breaking up with someone ends easily with that “breakup talk” that starts with the “We need to talk” line, think again. Most people think saying “it’s over”technically means it is over between you and your partner. However, this nineteen-year-old girl from Pennsylvania thinks otherwise.

May 22, 2008 – Thursday, Shanta Dargbeh from Bristol, PA set fire the residence of her ex-boyfriend in Hillcrest Avenue in Trenton, NJ. Although no one was injured in the incident, it unfortunately left 10 people homeless. Nine of them were home that early morning when the fire started on the home’s front porch. The family climbed through the windows to escape the burning house and save their lives. Two of them were treated for smoke inhalation.

Why it happened? Authorities reported that Dargbeh got furious and upset at hearing that her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend brought another girl to the Trenton High School prom the previous weekend. Hence, she burnt his house. (Talk about sweet revenge.)

Unfortunately, everything has a price. Just as Dargbeh’s ex-boyfriend’s house got burned, Dargbeh herself was arrested. Friday - May 23 - she was arrested by authorities and today faces 10 felony charges including aggravated arson. She is being held on a $250,000 bail. Yes, that’s definitely a lot of money and charges to pay for a case of rejection.

Now that has got me thinking whether that revenge was as sweet now as she thought it would be. Kids these days.