Elements Bits: Contagion

Cast:

Laurence Fishburne - Dr. Ellis Cheever
Jude Law - Alan Krumwiede
Gwyneth Paltrow - Beth Emhoff
Matt Damon - Mitch Emhoff
Kate Winslet - Dr. Erin Mears
Marion Cotillard - Dr. Leonora Orantes

When Beth Emhoff returns home from Hong Kong, she acquired what seems to be a regular flu. Four days later she turns up dead. Not long after, her 6 year old son got infected and died as well. After Mitch Emhoff loses both his wife and step son, he is quarantined but after several tests is released since he was immune to the virus.

CDC, Centers for Disease Control, then sends someone to Hong Kong to investigate the source of the virus and rule out the theory of Homeland Security that this may be a weaponized biological virus.

But what makes things more complicated is that the virus quickly mutates and a new strain pops up every so often, which makes it difficult to contain.It also doesn't help that you have a freelance blogger who keeps posting information about the virus that proves to be more of a risk and a danger to the world population.

Every fear imaginable in these circumstances comes to life. Shortage of food, looting, 26 million dead, tens of millions infected, and no cure.

Will the CDC finally end this terror? Will they ever know if it was a biological weapon or not?
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Elements Bits number 1:

Health is Wealth. And what is better than having a cure...Prevention. We should not take our bodies for granted. It is not as if we live in Neverland and remain young and healthy for the rest of our lives. No matter how strong we are, we have to be reminded that our whole system is fragile. One mosquito bite can prove fatal. We need to take preventive measures to ensure that we remain healthy. If you think you are some type of Superman, remember...kryptonite kills.

Elements Bits number 2:

Is having a cold good for you? To find out, click here: Having a Flu is Good.
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Memorable Quotes:

Alan: "Yes I am a writer. Yes I am."
Doctor: :Blogging is not writing. It's graffiti with punctuation."
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Homeland Agent: "Is there any way someone could weaponize the bird flu?"
Dr. Cheever: "Someone doesn't have to weaponize the bird flu...the birds are doing that."
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Dr. Cheever: "What we do know is that in order to become sick, you have to first come in contact with a sick person or something they touched. In order to get scared, all you have to do is come in contact with a rumor, television or the internet."
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Top 10 Infectious Diseases of All-Time

10. Polio

If it paralyzes you, then it is most definitely serious. Scientifically called Poliomyelitis, is a virus that affects the central nervous system.

9. SmallPox

What seems to be a simple rash can turn out to be deadly. With a mortality rate of 30%, it cannot be taken lightly.

8. Bubonic Plague

Popularly know as the "Black Death" during 14th century Europe, it kills 70% or 3 out of 4 of it's victims in 4 days.

7. Cholera
An infection of the small intestines, it causes rapid dehydration and massive diarrhea and vomiting and can bring a person into shock within 12 hours.

6. Rabies
The reason why I don't like dogs in the house. Rabies is a disease that causes inflammation of the brain, and if not treated immediately, can be fatal for the human within days.

5. Anthrax
Though it is used as a biological weapon, if for some unfortunate reason you inhale it, there is a 92% chance that you will die from it.

4. Malaria
Can you imagine one mosquito bite that can put you in a coma. In 2010 there was an estimated 216 million cases of Malaria.

3. SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome. A disease that spread across 37 countries back in 2003.

2. Ebola
Currently with no cure found in the last 30 years, Ebola can kill a person within 7 days from multiple organ failure.

1. HIV/AIDS
An estimated 2 million die each year due to AIDS. Though there have been discoveries to prolong the life expectancy of a victim, it gradually cripples your immune system that leads to a slow and painful death.

CSI Lessons: Megan's Law

It’s not all the time that you pick up something interesting or good in whatever you are watching on the tube. Conservative and traditional parents would often say that watching too much television is not good for you; it corrupts the mind and pollutes it with nonsense and violence.

I admit I have been watching way too much CSI, but I did pick up a couple of “learnings” in some of its episodes; which for me is not nonsense at all. Thus, I would like to share with you…

Megan’s Law

In the United States, there is this law that mandates convicted sex offenders to register themselves at the local law enforcement of where they are residing after they are released from prison or psychiatric rehabilitation.

They are also required to notify the police of any changes in address and status of employment. The local law enforcement is then required to share the information of the sex offender, such as full name, home address, and a picture, which is then shared and displayed throughout the community in various mediums such as local newspapers, pamphlets, and community websites.

The primary purpose of this is to make the community aware and vigilant in reporting any suspicious actions by the individual or unusual occurrences within the vicinity of his residence.

Megan’s Law, also known as the Sexual Offender (Jacob Wetterling) Act of 1994, was crafted in response to the murder of seven year old Megan Kanka on July 29, 1994, by her neighbor who was a convicted sex offender, who served a total of 7 years in a correctional facility but was eventually released into the general population.

Unfortunately, a study would show that this law may not be that effective, considering that the state incurs huge costs in maintaining the database, and historical data indicates that despite its implementation, there would still be reoccurrences of sexual assaults and it did not stop first time offenders in committing the said crime.

It made me wonder if it would be effective if our country would employ such preventive measures. If not for sexual offenders, can it be revised or tweaked in such a way that it can be applied also to any convicted felon who was charged of any crime such as theft? Would there be any grave repercussions if such legislation is enacted? Would it be considered as an invasion to privacy if the community puts surveillance on the individual? Does it give the civilians more power to invoke citizen’s arrest, or will it trigger a lynch mob or vigilante execution?

Let’s just hope that our taxes are put to good use and that the government and local police are really doing everything in their capacity to ensure the safety and protection of each and every one of us.

Featured Clips of the Day: Valentine's

In the name of Love...

Budweiser

VW Golf

Cupid tries to evade Taxes

Amstel Beer

Give and You shall Receive

The Sound of Music

Last Friday I finally got the chance to watch the musical play, Sound of Music, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila. Courtesy once again of the great discounts I get from the company I work for. I received almost a 30% discount on each ticket. (20% off the actual selling price and less 7% service charges)

With a superior cast led by stage veterans, Joanna Ampil as Maria and Audie Gemora as Captain Georg Von Trapp. We were actually lucky since it was the last performance night of my good friend Lorenz Martinez who plays the role of Herr Zeller. (Another evil role role for you brother? haha) But he will be playing the role of Snoopy in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, which is presented by 9 Works Theatrical.

The Sound of Music has been extended till May 27, 2012.

Prior to the show, we had dinner first at the Old Penang Restaurant:

Chicken and Beef Satay

Pad Thai with Shrimps

This is how weekends should always start for me.

My Son's 1st ABL Season

I am proud and happy that my son who is in his 6th grade, joined his first ever season in the Ateneo Basketball League. In his first game, he injured himself and finished the game with just one rebound. But on his 2nd game, he was able to chip in 4 points and grab 4 rebounds. Good job Kyle!

(Number 20)

(Just like his dad, mid-high to knee-high socks! haha)

(Little brother Kian cheering on, Go Ateneo!)

Featured Clips of the Day: Bogart the Explorer

A clever and funny spoof of a Nat-Geo type documentary of  the different "Filipino" species...

The Philippine Conyo



The Filipino Snatcher

The Philippine Barker

Elements Bits: Killer Elite

Cast:

Jason Statham - Danny
Robert De Niro - Hunter
Clive Owen - Spike

After a botched assassination hit, where Danny was shot by the police, he decides to retire from the hired gun business, leave the past behind and just start a new life. A year later, a wealthy oil sheik, wants to hire him to take revenge on those who murdered his sons in Oman. To futher complicate things, those responsible for the murders were allegedly the glorious special forces of Her Majesty, the SAS.

But Danny is retired, why risk his life again? Unless it is to repay a debt from a good friend who saved his life a year ago, and that would be Hunter. He was abducted by the sheik, and if Danny does not take the assignment, Hunter will be executed.

There were three SAS soldiers responsible for the murders, and statham needs to track all three, with the help of his crew. But it is not as simple as walking up silently to the target with a silencer; the shiek wants the confessions of the killings from the alleged soldiers and all assassinations must look like it was an accident.

Now the SAS will not be the SAS if they were not that damn good. After sensing that someone might be digging up the past, they send out their own specialist to neutralize statham’s crew and protect the key targets.

This by the way is based on a true story.
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Elements Bits number 1:

You can run. But you can’t hide. Especially if you are a criminal, your window of opportunity for places to hide is very small. You tend to keep yourself mobile so that the authorities will not be able to pin point your location. But what about if you just want to isolate yourself, go into hibernation, or simply avoid seeing people that you don’t want to get in touch with?

Some individuals actually have perfected the skill of detaching themselves to the world. Usually they first cut themselves from the social media dimension. They carefully select the places they go to. Does research on the circle of friends they hang out with. (Reason being, God only knows why you want to hide from society.) But sooner or later, you will put your guard down, and eventually you will be found.
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Memorable Quotes:

Agent: “I’m a vulture. I live off killers. Gives me a unique perspective.”
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Danny: “Killing is easy. Living with it is the hard part.”
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Hunter: “If you go after them, I will find you. Remember, everybody gets found. Even you.”
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The Feather Men

A novel by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, that claims that the story is based on real events, is about a group of retired British soldiers and SAS agents who were targeted by a hit squad hired by the sheik of Oman, claiming that the soldiers murdered his sons during the Oman war. The author also claims that he was one of the targets and that they were saved by a group that called themselves the Feather Men.

“To this day, the full involvement of the SAS in the Oman War remains highly classified under Britain’s Official Secrets Act.”

Practicality - Life’s Simple Pleasures

Nowadays there are so many expenses that money just flows through your hand like water. It is sad sometimes that there is not enough left for you to spend on out of town trips, getting that new gadget, or simply buying the usual magazine every month.

We have to learn to spend smartly. Like now, I seldom buy magazines since I can just view them in the Internet. We are so wired right now, that you unconsciously spend so much time browsing the Net. And the good thing about it, it doesn’t add to the magazine clutter at home. (I do keep some since most of the comics and magazines I have can be considered as collector’s items already)

Last year, I paid off and closed three of my credit card accounts. I realized that even if some consider it as a lifesaver in case of emergencies…been there, done that, and the card is just pure temptation. Having that huge credit limit is actually a black hole and will suck your hard earned money into oblivion. The interests and penalties are just outrageous. Before, I spent about 20,000.00 pesos every month just to pay off my credit cards, and that’s just settling the minimum balance with about an additional thousand or two to try to lower the remaining balance.

With those gone I can now proudly say…been there and now I am totally done with it. I have to live within my means. Sure, it’s exciting to see that you have a hundred thousand credit limit, but how will you ever pay that off? If I had that kind of money in the first place, why would I even need a credit card? Prestige status? Does having dozens of credit cards show how successful you are in life?

What are the basic necessities of Life? (Click on the following to view my opinions on Bare Necessities)

The Life We Live

What I Want, What I Need

I was also never a huge fan of hanging out in bars. People usually spend a lot in booze and bar chow. What we do is just hang out at home; I buy my liquor at a store in Greenhills that for me has the lowest retail prices on bottled drinks. You get to cook your own bar chow with minimal cost, play your own music at the right volume and not blast your eardrums, and still have that fun filled evening with friends and family.

(Is that sunlight?? Johnnie in the middle of the day??)

Don’t get wrong, I still enjoy going places and spending the night out. I simply became more practical.

I admit, I have splurged every now and then, such as bringing the family to the zoo or recreational parks, spending the weekend in a hotel or watching a Broadway play, or having dinner out at a famous restaurant. And it’s true, the happiness, experience and togetherness that these activities bring to the family is priceless. But we have to realize that there are other practical alternatives.

Like in the case of my 3 year old son; I already brought him to Ocean Park (Ocean Park Adventure) a couple of months back, and that was with a huge discount from the partnership Ocean Park had with the company I work for. He was so happy and excited to see all those attractions, but he experienced the same happiness and excitement when we took him for a ride in the MRT (Metro Rail Transit). If you compare the expenses, I spent a couple of thousand pesos in Ocean Park, but taking a ride on the transit was no more than a hundred bucks.

Different monetary values, but same priceless moment of happiness.

With this, I shall leave you with two quotes to ponder on:

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated”. ~Confucius

“To be happy, do not add to your possessions, but subtract from your desires.” - Anonymous

Apparel 02.01.12

Got myself some new stuff this past week. A pair of anniversary kicks and a really cool gift from the office.

K-Swiss Liblen Low

Adidas Superstar II

Don't Hassel the Hoff shirt

Julia's Christening

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved..." ~ Mark 16:16

Officially welcoming my 3-month daughter, Julianna Kassandra to the Christian world.

Thank you Ninongs!

Thank you Ninangs!

Hangover: Alcohol Appendix

• The reason why we sometimes have memory loss, splitting headaches and loss of focus when consuming excessive amounts of alcohol is because our body over-produces a chemical known as Cytokines. Actually, the body uses these cells to fight infections. But an overdose of cytokines can cause muscle pain and headaches.

• Why do they say that red wine is good for the heart? Because it contains Resveratrol, which is a strong antioxidant. Scientific studies would show that antioxidants such as Vitamin C or E, helps prevent illness or diseases. But studies also claim that excessive supplementation is also harmful. So it should be taken in regulation.

• “Martini, shaken not stirred.” One of the famous lines of James Bond. But what does that really mean:
• On the rocks — drinks are served and drunk over ice.
• Straight up — drinks are shaken or stirred with ice; the ice is then taken out before being served.
• Neat — drinks are served and consumed with nothing added.

• Alcohol causes dehydration. When consuming alcoholic beverages, it should be balanced out by drinking water so you will be rehydrated.

• You have seen the terms 40% Proof or 70% Proof, in bottles of Vodka. What does that stand for? Alcohol Proof is the amount of alcohol in the said drink. The computation is that it is twice the percentage of the actual amount of alcohol. So if the bottle indicates 40% Proof, the drink has 20% alcohol content.

Drinks with the Highest Proof:

Everclear - 190 Proof

Irish Poteen – 180 Proof

Devil’s Springs Vodka – 160 Proof

Bacardi 151 – 151 Proof

Enigma Absinth – 144 Proof

Elements Bits: The Hangover Part II

Cast:

Bradley Cooper - Phil

Ed Helms - Stu

Zach Galifianakis - Alan

Ken Jeong - Mr. Chow

The wolf pack is back. This time, in Thailand where Stu is getting married.

Still recovering from the Vegas hangover, Stu does not want to get involved in any bachelor parties ever again. In fact, instead of a party, Stu just wanted a bachelor brunch. Once in Thailand, all they had planned for that night was a quiet bonfire by the beach, a bottle of beer for each one of them, and throw in a bag of marshmallows to roast. But we all know, lightning strikes twice, especially with Alan around.

Apparently, Alan spiked the marshmallows with some muscle relaxants and other medicinal drugs, and they woke up at the wild side of Bangkok. To make matters worse, Stu’s future brother-in-law who they dragged along, went missing.

It’s now time to take a crazy ride aon their time machine and try their best to retrace their steps, to find out what freaky stuff they did that night.

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Elements Bits number 1:

If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. During our teen years we were always swayed into doing things that tests our conscience and moral judgment. One of them would be the peer pressure of chugging down bottles of beer and shots of Cuervo. Fear of being an outcast, you tend to give in, only to wake up the next morning totally wasted. But you always have a choice to drink responsibly. If they are really your friends, they would understand. And besides, you can be the designated driver, that should count for something.

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Memorable Quotes:

Phil: “Who is that guy anyway?”

Mr. Chow: “Invest in my business.”

Phil: “Yeah? What business is that?”

Mr. Chow: “It’s called not your business, okay!?”

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Stu: “I got a dark side. There’s a demon inside me. Point is, this demon takes me to some pretty weird places.”