Curious onlookers

I went home to Pangasinan to take advantage of the long weekend. That is courtesy of EDSA 1 Revolution Anniversary. I had a great time as is usually the case every time I go home. Fresh air, fresh food and over-flowing love and caring from family. There is no place like home!

We went kiting again with the kids. The wind so cooperative in the late afternoon. There was one thing I forgot though and that was to bring my camera or my mobile phone. My sister luckily brougth her old mobile phone. Its not the kiting that interested me to take pictures. I know it would have been more colorful but nothing beats this one. A picture of two kids, Bea and Xi, intently watching a female cow nursing her days-old calf.

There are farm kids nearby but these two tots have never before seen this sight. The scene also caught my attention but the curiosity of my young niece and nephew more than anything else got me engrossed also. It made me reflect how caring mothers, be they human or animal, could be; to sustain the life they have carried in their womb for how many months and the caring and the devotion they gave once the baby is born.

Chechebureche and Yada yada over translations

In the Philippines, “Chechebureche” means ”Entailing many useless details or frivolities.”  In Mexico, however, it has the opposite meaning; it denotes a lack or absence of certain details. These renditions to the word is taken from Eric Zarate’s Malictionary book as quoted in this site. I sure would like a copy of this book, by the way.  Another site says, “Chechebureche” is the same as “kaekekan” and “achuchu”.  Ok, so “chechebureche” is a slang or colloquial Filipino word and I just discovered today that it is used in the Google’s Filipino translations.   

Admittedly, I was surprised to see the word and the other translations that more or less made me rather, hmmmm… entertained. No offense meant to the translator(s). I am no expert also in the language. I was just probably expecting something maybe different for the translation.

Look at this:

 

Maunlad na tampok ng Google Toolbar made me smile.

Piliin ang isa sa mga pagpipilian made my smile a little wider.

Pindutin ang pindutan ng “Wakas”  made my day! My colleagues didn’t know what hit me. They’re asking if its a full moon we’re having tonight.

To be transparent, here is the English version:

Yada yada? I must admit with all humility, I have to search again for its meaning. I got this one:

Yeah, it just might be that chechebureche is yada yada.

Anyway, I eventually have to download the English version Google Toolbar because I am confused with the word Humayo in the toolbar.  My officemate from Cebu who equally admits she’s not very good in Filipino asks, wouldn’t it be better if Sulong is used. Hmmm… I don’t know which one is better!

This goes without saying that translating words from one language to another is hard, especially when it comes to our now ICT-driven world. It is richly and constantly evolving.

Like how do you really translate Cookies, Pop-up windows and Dialogue boxes?  Tough one, right?

The question only makes me remember the effort that was given by the Philippine Department of Education a decade ago to translate Mathematics words into Filipino. Until now, I am lost to the Filipino translations for square-root, much more for logarithm, hyperbolic sine, quadratic equations, quadric surfaces and other countless math words. But must I know the translation to be able to effectively compute when I am asked to? Or is it enough that i know the concept? Whatever?

Now with all my achuchu here, I do still hope that Google’s English-Filipino or English-To-Any-Other-Language translation projects will serve its purpose and reach the audience it is supposed to help.

Don’t get me wrong. Anyway, I am just one bored individual who knows nothing about languages.

JH is 2008 Proximus Diamond Champ

The Proximus Diamond Games 2008 Championship kept me awake late last night. I watched it’s live telecast at ESPN. My favorite female tennis player, Justine Henin, was playing for that beautiful diamond imbedded tennis racket prize.

After one and a half hours of playing, Justine won over Karin Knapp of Italy, 6-3, 6-3.

Picture copied from Justine’s Official site.

I watched the whole segment till the awarding ceremony. Unfortunately, I could not understand the interview in French. Fortunately though , one can read the English translations or what was said in this site.

Up close with the Prize (which she has to win the tournament another two times in the next four years to really take it home!):

Picture copied from Proximus Official Site

 

Incidentally, Justine won the 2008 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year. 

The Laureus is the premier annual sports award, and is the international sporting world’s version of the Oscars in terms of depth and prestige.  

The award-giving body says:

“Belgium’s Justine Henin completed a historic year with her victory over Maria Sharapova in the end of season WTA Championships in Madrid to become the first player to win ten titles in a season since Martina Hingis achieved the feat ten years ago.  Her phenomenal exploit also included Grand Slam wins in the French Open and the US Open and she was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon.  Even more amazingly she achieved all this despite her season not beginning until February because of personal reasons.  During the year, she only lost four out of 67 matches and her winning percentage totalled 94%, the best in women’s tennis since 1989.”

Hearty ‘Jatujak’ food on a Valentine’s Day

What’s in a Valentine’s Day that people should go agog about it? Well, the romantics would probably say, “it’s all about love “.  Hmmm… i shouldn’t be writing about this topic. My friends wouldn’t believe me anyway.

I’ll just write what i did today.

Had lunch with my officemates at Jatujak today. Jatujak is a newly opened Thai restaurant in SM Megamall that is becoming popular among people working near the place. I wish I could write more on the place. I hope it will suffice if I just say that the place and the foods are just delicious. I would recommend to those who haven’t been there to try the place.

Below are some images I have taken. I wish I could have taken more pictures of the other dishes we ordered. The foods in front of me already grabbed my rather short-lived attention span so I was not able to.

My ready plate for Jatujak food!

Tom yum gong soup

Jatujak Dessert in a Pandan Leaf contraption

Picture below is unrelated. I just took a fancy taking a snap of the image.

Lonely Lilies in a cold office pantry overlooking Makati Skycrapers

2008 Forecast for the Rat-born

Your year at last! 2008 begins a whole new cycle of Chinese animal signs and, as usual, you are leading the pack. Directly following the New Year, life will seem suddenly more fluid. Bumps in the road will even out for you and people you thought you could never get along with are all of a happy sudden on your side. Profit from every possible angle you can wangle.

But come April watch out for a tendency to let down your guard and go slack when you should be quicker on the draw. Toward June, romance will increase in intensity and want to become engagement. Commitment beckons. Then marriage is nigh. Don’t hold off. If you feel you have found “The One”, then go ahead and tie the knot. Real estate will doubtless become a preoccupation this year. You current property/ies is/are too costly, meaning that the real estate that you own or rent and inhabit either doesn’t suit your lifestyle or work well with your commute or else it simply clashes with your taste. Find a new place to live that is appropriate not only to your needs – but to your pocketbook.

Before winter sets in, lay in stores. You will be needing them around Christmas time when shortages loom. Keep in mind that, overall, your main objective this year is to carefully plot out the next dozen years of your life. Where do you want to be in twelve years? With whom will you be living? How much do you want to be earning and will you prefer the city or the country? You have twelve long years to get where you want to go with whom and for how much. Think ahead and be extra calculating. Make major long term decisions in 2008. And don’t look back. Life is too short to regret missed opportunities that are probably out of fashion anyway. Stay alert. Leap into new projects with your usual enthusiasm, but hold the reckless abandon. 

Rat Ratings

59% (8 favorable, 1 neutral and 3 unfavorable months) The Rat year may not be as good to you as the kindly Pig year, especially since it is an Earth year and Earth drains your Rat luck. Making favorable deals, for example, will be more challenging. It should still be a good year for you, as you have eight good months ahead of you. If you avoid risk and rely on hard work to get ahead, you most likely will. You may get off to a slow start, but the latter part of the year will present more and better opportunities — so be patient.    

Rat Career

This is the year of your namesake Chinese animal sign. If you are seeking career advancement, the time could be perfect. On the other hand, if you feel that your present job has grown stale and you yearn for a different flavor of cheese, it may also be the time to move on. Presentation of new ideas or projects, mixed with your enthusiastic and conscientious style, should impress upper management.

Rat Relationships

In your personal relationships, there seems to be a tendency towards growth and expansion of your social circle. There is a chance that a recent acquaintance or a newly formed friendship could develop into a serious love affair. There is also a good possibility that you will be able to get plenty of enjoyment from both your family and social life this year. Try to make it a point to accept as many invitations as you can, especially to weddings. This is also a very auspicious time to marry, if you are so inclined.

Rat Health This year should be smooth sailing for your health as the Earth element brings stability to your overall physical well-being. One caveat though, as you will most likely be feeling stronger, you might try and push yourself a little too hard in one of you many schemes or money-making projects. This could result in you getting sick or having an accident, especially if you are doing any manual labor. Be vigilant when traveling, especially out of the country.

Rat Wealth Rats may need to stay on their toes in order not to miss opportunities to expand their bank accounts. These possible opportunities might reveal themselves in the form of conservative investments. As the Earth element favors practicality and conservatism, your long-term savings and retirement investments could also show gains. However, you might be hit with some costly home repairs or improvements, so it would be a good idea to stick to your budgets.  

Source: http://chinese.astrology.com/year/rat.aspx 

Related Links:

1. http://www.fengshuiweb.co.uk/advice/chineseanimalpredictions2008.htm (this site contains forecasts for each animal in the zodiac: Ox, Tiger, Rabbit/Hare, Snake, Dragon, Horse, Goat/Ram/Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar/Pig)

2. http://www.springsgreetingcards.com/catalogs/store.asp?pid=232024 

3. http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Rat.htm

4. http://www.chineseastrologyonline.com/2008.htm 

5. http://www.raymond-lo.com/ver2/aboutmasterlo/articles.asp

6. http://www.panasianbiz.com/2007/12/2008_chinese_year_of_the_rat_5.html