PRAYERS FOR A BLESSING
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
- Matthew 5:45
Grant me O Lord the gift of forgiveness; that my heart and mind will learn to forgive and forget; that by being forgiving towards my fellowmen, I may be worthy of Your mercy. Take from me the burden of hate, regret and misery that plagues me. Make me as light as a feather, that I may soar like the angels that abound you.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
STRIPPING
I like the title. Catchy yet it really depends on how you took it to mean. Anyway... why the title? Well, life is. Every revelation is as good as it is in the moment. As it passes by, it fades and rots into the history books. What is revealed now won't hold true for long. What is tasty now won't be once it exceeds its shelf life. What is important now will be important for now and might not be when it loses its urgency. Like stripping apples, you reveal the essence of what you intend to experience, the juice and fibers that you intend to taste. Yet if you leave it on a plate for sometime without even taking a bite, you will never realize how tasty the apple was when it was just freshly peeled. Nothing beats a freshly stripped apple... not even those that come in cans with preservatives and extra doses of vitamin C can compare to the zest of a freshly peeled apple dripping with sweet fruit juice.
And just as life's essence is slowly revealed, relish the experience at every state. It will never be the same again.
I like the title. Catchy yet it really depends on how you took it to mean. Anyway... why the title? Well, life is. Every revelation is as good as it is in the moment. As it passes by, it fades and rots into the history books. What is revealed now won't hold true for long. What is tasty now won't be once it exceeds its shelf life. What is important now will be important for now and might not be when it loses its urgency. Like stripping apples, you reveal the essence of what you intend to experience, the juice and fibers that you intend to taste. Yet if you leave it on a plate for sometime without even taking a bite, you will never realize how tasty the apple was when it was just freshly peeled. Nothing beats a freshly stripped apple... not even those that come in cans with preservatives and extra doses of vitamin C can compare to the zest of a freshly peeled apple dripping with sweet fruit juice.
And just as life's essence is slowly revealed, relish the experience at every state. It will never be the same again.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
WISHES
"I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." I think I am too grown-up to chant that before going to bed. Nonetheless, making wishes gives some form of direction for a pursuit or a goal yet to be achieved. I could only imagine waking up one morning and not knowing what to do or what to aim for.
I believe wishes and opportunities come hand-in-hand. A wish remains a wish unless a door opens to reveal what lies beyond it. Sometimes the goal looks as miniscule as an object that is miles and miles away. Sometimes, it is just staring right at you standing at the doorstep.
What happens when "Carpe Diem" isn't as simple doing it as speaking of it? When a wish evolves to an opportunity, with the passing of time, it slowly eludes you, lest you do something quick and hold on to it. The trick with opportunities is that it comes when you least expect it to. "Had I been more prepared for it, I could have given all to seize it.... BUT" Let it stop right there with the big fat "but". I think what follows won't come out as a surprise to many of us. Yes, we make wishes. We pray hard for the opportunity. to come... real soon. And then it suddenly creeps in at you like a thief in the night. And then it leaves you feeling cheated, like flashing a candy infront of a kid and then immediately swallowing it. What a tease!
And so there goes the opportunity. Brushing off the dust and standing up once more isn't a simple chore as what the cliche might dictate. It helps a lot to realize what exactly went wrong; what was holding me back; what kept me from meeting the expectation of holding on to it like dear life. Some may agree or disagree with me with what I am about to say. (Keep it to yourself, by the way.) There is no point having something if you can't keep it. Some would counter "Well, you'll never know what happens after it unless you tried." "Point taken, but I'll take this road, thank you." Spoken like an evolved cynic.
So what happens to the wish then? It stays. It has to, lest the compass would just be spinning round and round. I guess with every lost opportunity, there is always some amount of hope that another opportunity comes knocking. The previous one might come knocking once more, ever elusive and yet more familiar this time around, or it could be a new one, mysterious yet of better value.
I view lost opportunites not as failures nor products of lame excuses nor of sheer laziness. The world just didn't conspire to provide me with the resources necassary for me to also generously shower what I am capable of sharing. And I do hope this is well understood by myself and the rest of the universe. I could say that if I had what I needed and if I had my insecurities filled up, then why would I forego of a wish that has become an opportunity right under my nose? I guess it was not for me to decide, but for the world to understand that patience and understanding would have made things work. And perhaps if the world truly knew what's deep in my heart and mind... *sigh It will never care to even know.
And all these is for the world to know that I am not out here to prove something. Nor do I exist to be judged and spoken about. That's what the weather is for - to be judged and spoken about. I am here to live a decent life just like anyone else. That is my every right and so it is for everyone else. I am here to give my love and my life's worth to the world as a token for the abundance it has endowed upon me. I am here to be taken for who I am, to be treated as a person who feels and can feel for others as well. I am not Superman nor am I Clark Kent. I am not as smart as some would say I am. But even if I thought of myself as totally dumb and stupid, dumb people can have wishes too.
"I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." I think I am too grown-up to chant that before going to bed. Nonetheless, making wishes gives some form of direction for a pursuit or a goal yet to be achieved. I could only imagine waking up one morning and not knowing what to do or what to aim for.
I believe wishes and opportunities come hand-in-hand. A wish remains a wish unless a door opens to reveal what lies beyond it. Sometimes the goal looks as miniscule as an object that is miles and miles away. Sometimes, it is just staring right at you standing at the doorstep.
What happens when "Carpe Diem" isn't as simple doing it as speaking of it? When a wish evolves to an opportunity, with the passing of time, it slowly eludes you, lest you do something quick and hold on to it. The trick with opportunities is that it comes when you least expect it to. "Had I been more prepared for it, I could have given all to seize it.... BUT" Let it stop right there with the big fat "but". I think what follows won't come out as a surprise to many of us. Yes, we make wishes. We pray hard for the opportunity. to come... real soon. And then it suddenly creeps in at you like a thief in the night. And then it leaves you feeling cheated, like flashing a candy infront of a kid and then immediately swallowing it. What a tease!
And so there goes the opportunity. Brushing off the dust and standing up once more isn't a simple chore as what the cliche might dictate. It helps a lot to realize what exactly went wrong; what was holding me back; what kept me from meeting the expectation of holding on to it like dear life. Some may agree or disagree with me with what I am about to say. (Keep it to yourself, by the way.) There is no point having something if you can't keep it. Some would counter "Well, you'll never know what happens after it unless you tried." "Point taken, but I'll take this road, thank you." Spoken like an evolved cynic.
So what happens to the wish then? It stays. It has to, lest the compass would just be spinning round and round. I guess with every lost opportunity, there is always some amount of hope that another opportunity comes knocking. The previous one might come knocking once more, ever elusive and yet more familiar this time around, or it could be a new one, mysterious yet of better value.
I view lost opportunites not as failures nor products of lame excuses nor of sheer laziness. The world just didn't conspire to provide me with the resources necassary for me to also generously shower what I am capable of sharing. And I do hope this is well understood by myself and the rest of the universe. I could say that if I had what I needed and if I had my insecurities filled up, then why would I forego of a wish that has become an opportunity right under my nose? I guess it was not for me to decide, but for the world to understand that patience and understanding would have made things work. And perhaps if the world truly knew what's deep in my heart and mind... *sigh It will never care to even know.
And all these is for the world to know that I am not out here to prove something. Nor do I exist to be judged and spoken about. That's what the weather is for - to be judged and spoken about. I am here to live a decent life just like anyone else. That is my every right and so it is for everyone else. I am here to give my love and my life's worth to the world as a token for the abundance it has endowed upon me. I am here to be taken for who I am, to be treated as a person who feels and can feel for others as well. I am not Superman nor am I Clark Kent. I am not as smart as some would say I am. But even if I thought of myself as totally dumb and stupid, dumb people can have wishes too.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
SERIOUS PLANS
It's been so many months now that I've been looking for an outlet to spend time on outside normal work. And it seems to me that after so much searching, it still boils down to... yes... doing more work... but at least it is some work that will benefit the family business as well as expand my programming skill set... and at the same time realize how software costing is really measured.
Tonight, three friends (from high school and college) invited me to have dinner with them. We spoke for 4 hours. They talked of having me setup a team of developers to develop some custom software for their business. And once it is made, they will sell customized versions of that software to their clients who buy hardware (PCs and PC components) from them. Looks like a good plan to me... and at least this is one plan that I have a little bit more knowledge of above the other plans that other friends have proposed for months. I think this triad is serious on what they want to achieve and I am inclined to take part of it outside my normal workhours. The good thing is that we are in agreement that it should be strictly project-based, not payroll. It will be good for us to keep our jobs and have this on the side (but still darn serious enough to merit the attention on weekends and weeknights). I think I have the extra time since it's been just office and home for me for months now. So there. I hope this plan soars or else it will just be another one of those plans that died before they were even born.
It's been so many months now that I've been looking for an outlet to spend time on outside normal work. And it seems to me that after so much searching, it still boils down to... yes... doing more work... but at least it is some work that will benefit the family business as well as expand my programming skill set... and at the same time realize how software costing is really measured.
Tonight, three friends (from high school and college) invited me to have dinner with them. We spoke for 4 hours. They talked of having me setup a team of developers to develop some custom software for their business. And once it is made, they will sell customized versions of that software to their clients who buy hardware (PCs and PC components) from them. Looks like a good plan to me... and at least this is one plan that I have a little bit more knowledge of above the other plans that other friends have proposed for months. I think this triad is serious on what they want to achieve and I am inclined to take part of it outside my normal workhours. The good thing is that we are in agreement that it should be strictly project-based, not payroll. It will be good for us to keep our jobs and have this on the side (but still darn serious enough to merit the attention on weekends and weeknights). I think I have the extra time since it's been just office and home for me for months now. So there. I hope this plan soars or else it will just be another one of those plans that died before they were even born.
Monday, January 08, 2007
void Passion (int args)
{
/* Vars undeclared here are global */
/* See globals.h for a complete listing */
unsigned char
world, goal, focus;
int
time, x;
/* Check the time to validate whether we need to perform this function */
/* Time follows 24h and is displayed in 2 byte hex notation */
/* E.g. 5:30PM is declared as 0x1730 */
time = check_time();
if(!(time > 0x0000) & (time <0x0330))
return;
/* If nothing was passed, then consider it as just force-feedback */
if(args > 0)
return;
/* Do the real work here */
if(args == CAREER)
world = args;
else if(args == FUN)
world = (afford? (FUN & indulge) : (FUN & pass));
else
world = THINK_STUFF;
goal = args & HAPPINESS;
switch(goal)
{
case MONEY:
focus = OT;
expense_rate --;
load_work --;
stress ++;
break;
case FAMILY:
focus = VL | EL | SL;
/* Update vars on daily basis */
for(x=0;x < VL;x++)
{
load_work ++;
stress --;
}
break;
case SECURITY:
focus = THINK_STUFF;
stress ++;
break;
default:
focus = SLEEP;
}
#ifdef NEWHAVE_HAVENOTS
achieved + count_achvd = &haves
upd_haves();
upd_havenots();
#else
/* Use default values: haves and havenots are limited to 15 at any one time. */
/* Haves are automatically archived into "achieved" data array, havenots that are unachievable are NULLed*/
/* NOTE: This array of elements is not defined as an enum, so no order of priority is defined */
haves = { family, friends, supply_food, roof, water, air, job, laptop, theatre, faith };
havenots = { plasmaTV, house, lot, car, businesses, wife, kids, legacy };
#endif
if(focus > 0)
{
/* Inform our main ioctl that we are doing OK */
alert(GREEN);
return;
}
else
{
printf("GET A LIFE!!!!");
/* Service the error and inform main that we're in bad shape! */
if(world == (FUN & indulge))
alert(YELLOW);
else
alert(RED);
}
}
{
/* Vars undeclared here are global */
/* See globals.h for a complete listing */
unsigned char
world, goal, focus;
int
time, x;
/* Check the time to validate whether we need to perform this function */
/* Time follows 24h and is displayed in 2 byte hex notation */
/* E.g. 5:30PM is declared as 0x1730 */
time = check_time();
if(!(time > 0x0000) & (time <0x0330))
return;
/* If nothing was passed, then consider it as just force-feedback */
if(args > 0)
return;
/* Do the real work here */
if(args == CAREER)
world = args;
else if(args == FUN)
world = (afford? (FUN & indulge) : (FUN & pass));
else
world = THINK_STUFF;
goal = args & HAPPINESS;
switch(goal)
{
case MONEY:
focus = OT;
expense_rate --;
load_work --;
stress ++;
break;
case FAMILY:
focus = VL | EL | SL;
/* Update vars on daily basis */
for(x=0;x < VL;x++)
{
load_work ++;
stress --;
}
break;
case SECURITY:
focus = THINK_STUFF;
stress ++;
break;
default:
focus = SLEEP;
}
#ifdef NEWHAVE_HAVENOTS
achieved + count_achvd = &haves
upd_haves();
upd_havenots();
#else
/* Use default values: haves and havenots are limited to 15 at any one time. */
/* Haves are automatically archived into "achieved" data array, havenots that are unachievable are NULLed*/
/* NOTE: This array of elements is not defined as an enum, so no order of priority is defined */
haves = { family, friends, supply_food, roof, water, air, job, laptop, theatre, faith };
havenots = { plasmaTV, house, lot, car, businesses, wife, kids, legacy };
#endif
if(focus > 0)
{
/* Inform our main ioctl that we are doing OK */
alert(GREEN);
return;
}
else
{
printf("GET A LIFE!!!!");
/* Service the error and inform main that we're in bad shape! */
if(world == (FUN & indulge))
alert(YELLOW);
else
alert(RED);
}
}
Saturday, January 06, 2007
HOLIDAY FAT
Two weeks ago, I visited the doctor's clinic for an annual check-up and I recalled that I took my weight on the scale and it read 154 pounds. Today, I went to the gym to pay it a visit since I haven't visited the gym for over a year now. I stepped on the scale and it read 161 pounds. Should the sirens go "weew... weew... weew..."? And so I jogged incline on the treadmill for like 5 mins... not enough to burn the fat but I was in dire need of time. So did some weight lifting, benchpresses and crunches for another hour. I was running short of time since I went to the gym to kill time before I have to go home and change for a dinner invitation tonight. So went to Ayala to do my cooldowns by walking briskly around the mall (this is what I do to tone my body whenever I have no time for gym). Walked around for 15 minutes and then drove home. On the way home, my whole body was flaming and aching, and so was my stomach... so I went for a McDo drive thru and got a fillet-o-fish... MEAL!... upsized!
Tonight, my uncle and aunt invited our household and our Aussie relatives to Acqua at the Shang. Today's their anniversary and they took us out to one of the best restaurants in town. I love gourmet food and all the more I love seafood. I nearly filled my tank with their Selezione di Antipasti... and that was just the appetizer. I loved the marinara and a certain pasta that's creamy with mushrooms, spices and shredded beef. Haven;t tasted any pasta as heavenly as that one... too bad my stomach was so full already that I hesitated to eat more of it to give way to the desserts. And I made the right choice! The chef gave my aunt and uncle a choclate cake that was thick, moist and tasted so darn good! I had 2 slices of it and couldn't take more lest I'd burst. So i finished the meal with a couple of glasses of champagne and that sealed off my second largest meal of the year... yet!
I will have to make up for that by working out real hard tomorrow. And... well... tomorrow... we got a wedding to attend, so this really adds to the fat dump. I just can't say no to good food... and they almost always serve good food in weddings. I can now use the fat I've always wanted to gain and I can now burn them to get a more firm physique.
I gotta sleep now. For sure, my body will ache all over tomorrow morning as I have always made it a point that when I go back to the gym from such a long time, I try as much as possible not to reduce the weights I lift and the reps I lift them with. I can now smell the scent of Salonpas!
Two weeks ago, I visited the doctor's clinic for an annual check-up and I recalled that I took my weight on the scale and it read 154 pounds. Today, I went to the gym to pay it a visit since I haven't visited the gym for over a year now. I stepped on the scale and it read 161 pounds. Should the sirens go "weew... weew... weew..."? And so I jogged incline on the treadmill for like 5 mins... not enough to burn the fat but I was in dire need of time. So did some weight lifting, benchpresses and crunches for another hour. I was running short of time since I went to the gym to kill time before I have to go home and change for a dinner invitation tonight. So went to Ayala to do my cooldowns by walking briskly around the mall (this is what I do to tone my body whenever I have no time for gym). Walked around for 15 minutes and then drove home. On the way home, my whole body was flaming and aching, and so was my stomach... so I went for a McDo drive thru and got a fillet-o-fish... MEAL!... upsized!
Tonight, my uncle and aunt invited our household and our Aussie relatives to Acqua at the Shang. Today's their anniversary and they took us out to one of the best restaurants in town. I love gourmet food and all the more I love seafood. I nearly filled my tank with their Selezione di Antipasti... and that was just the appetizer. I loved the marinara and a certain pasta that's creamy with mushrooms, spices and shredded beef. Haven;t tasted any pasta as heavenly as that one... too bad my stomach was so full already that I hesitated to eat more of it to give way to the desserts. And I made the right choice! The chef gave my aunt and uncle a choclate cake that was thick, moist and tasted so darn good! I had 2 slices of it and couldn't take more lest I'd burst. So i finished the meal with a couple of glasses of champagne and that sealed off my second largest meal of the year... yet!
I will have to make up for that by working out real hard tomorrow. And... well... tomorrow... we got a wedding to attend, so this really adds to the fat dump. I just can't say no to good food... and they almost always serve good food in weddings. I can now use the fat I've always wanted to gain and I can now burn them to get a more firm physique.
I gotta sleep now. For sure, my body will ache all over tomorrow morning as I have always made it a point that when I go back to the gym from such a long time, I try as much as possible not to reduce the weights I lift and the reps I lift them with. I can now smell the scent of Salonpas!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
ROLLING
My inbox was flooded with emails this morning. Spent an hour reading through the notes. It seems Americans started work January 3rd and there's no such thing as New Year inertia for them. And so things started rolling in the office too. I think when you are surrounded by people who are working hard and a lot of the things that you are supposed to do are within your capacity then you get a lot of things done quickly. Writing this, I don't feel burned out even if I've accomplished a lot. I think it is about work that is within my capacity.
Another thing is rolling... a friend called me at the office to talk about some interesting venture. I think it is also aligned with my plan to setup an automated accounting/inventory/payroll system for our family business. I didn't know business softwares cost that much (half a million? you gotta be *beeping me), though I personally believe that only 30% of the cost is the actual value for it. Even if I knew how to write the code for it, I think that the 70% was placed there to fund for some personal wishlist or for the brain cells that died thinking of the algorithm. Heehee I doubt if there is a specific market price for business software. IEEE should have had that figured out. The only thing I can think off is using the man-hours or the KLOC metric. Nonetheless, how much of the declared man-hours is actually spent on serious coding? If only clients knew the what goes on on the other side, then they would probably just develop the software by themselves. But then again, time spent somewhere else would probably earn them more. Thus, they wouldn't mind paying for that personal wishlist now wouldn't they? It's probably just pocket change. Now I know how a client on a budget feels.
My inbox was flooded with emails this morning. Spent an hour reading through the notes. It seems Americans started work January 3rd and there's no such thing as New Year inertia for them. And so things started rolling in the office too. I think when you are surrounded by people who are working hard and a lot of the things that you are supposed to do are within your capacity then you get a lot of things done quickly. Writing this, I don't feel burned out even if I've accomplished a lot. I think it is about work that is within my capacity.
Another thing is rolling... a friend called me at the office to talk about some interesting venture. I think it is also aligned with my plan to setup an automated accounting/inventory/payroll system for our family business. I didn't know business softwares cost that much (half a million? you gotta be *beeping me), though I personally believe that only 30% of the cost is the actual value for it. Even if I knew how to write the code for it, I think that the 70% was placed there to fund for some personal wishlist or for the brain cells that died thinking of the algorithm. Heehee I doubt if there is a specific market price for business software. IEEE should have had that figured out. The only thing I can think off is using the man-hours or the KLOC metric. Nonetheless, how much of the declared man-hours is actually spent on serious coding? If only clients knew the what goes on on the other side, then they would probably just develop the software by themselves. But then again, time spent somewhere else would probably earn them more. Thus, they wouldn't mind paying for that personal wishlist now wouldn't they? It's probably just pocket change. Now I know how a client on a budget feels.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
FUTURISTIC??? (I finally got a cue on what title to give this post)
I've been thinking a lot lately. Thinking stuff like... am I cut out to be some kick ass career person? or/and am I cut out to be some aggressive businessman? Sensee the tone? All WORK!!! hehehe Well, I've been thinking a lot lately in terms of how I plan to bridge my career with the businessES I soon would like to have like rings to my finger (coz I don't think THE ring on THE finger matters anymore to me as of this moment... like I said "Can't afford!!! and being of the male specie, I shouldn't be too concerned about it? Likely so."). I've given it some thought and I see my link in getting my hands dirty on L.A.M.P. and hopefully if I get to build the bridge right, I could be well off with operating businesses like goldmines and my career would be soaring with mastery in SAP technologies. Proof enough that dreaming is for FREE. hehehe Current status of this plan would be like a Filipino (still in the Philippines) wanting to climb Mt. Everest all the way from its foot to its apse with barely any mountain climbing skills. With a year in firmware, and with my TL leaving the company, I realized that there is really no physical evidence of ones work since code is totally proprietary in firmware. My worth and marketability would most likely be measured in terms of years of experience. But when you develop business software, you can proudly add to your resume that this company and that company runs its operations and sales using software you developed or you co-developed. Plus with my plan, our family business gets to be benefited and I can control/monitor different aspects of the business via software that I created/co-created.
It's so pathetic to think that I don't know how to develop software for our business... considering the fact that I graduated as a computer engineer and I am curtrently developing firmware for an international firm. I feel like wanting to make a 180 turn... without actually knowing what I am up against.
Some may ask why the sudden focus... I myself don't know. My mind is once again thinking BIG... too BIG maybe. Probably because there was practically nothing to do in the office today. If this goes on tomorrow, then I'd know that this could be something... if not then this could just go down as another brain fart. Ugghhh... people keep telling me I look too far into the future. I just can't get the world that's right infront of me.
I've been thinking a lot lately. Thinking stuff like... am I cut out to be some kick ass career person? or/and am I cut out to be some aggressive businessman? Sensee the tone? All WORK!!! hehehe Well, I've been thinking a lot lately in terms of how I plan to bridge my career with the businessES I soon would like to have like rings to my finger (coz I don't think THE ring on THE finger matters anymore to me as of this moment... like I said "Can't afford!!! and being of the male specie, I shouldn't be too concerned about it? Likely so."). I've given it some thought and I see my link in getting my hands dirty on L.A.M.P. and hopefully if I get to build the bridge right, I could be well off with operating businesses like goldmines and my career would be soaring with mastery in SAP technologies. Proof enough that dreaming is for FREE. hehehe Current status of this plan would be like a Filipino (still in the Philippines) wanting to climb Mt. Everest all the way from its foot to its apse with barely any mountain climbing skills. With a year in firmware, and with my TL leaving the company, I realized that there is really no physical evidence of ones work since code is totally proprietary in firmware. My worth and marketability would most likely be measured in terms of years of experience. But when you develop business software, you can proudly add to your resume that this company and that company runs its operations and sales using software you developed or you co-developed. Plus with my plan, our family business gets to be benefited and I can control/monitor different aspects of the business via software that I created/co-created.
It's so pathetic to think that I don't know how to develop software for our business... considering the fact that I graduated as a computer engineer and I am curtrently developing firmware for an international firm. I feel like wanting to make a 180 turn... without actually knowing what I am up against.
Some may ask why the sudden focus... I myself don't know. My mind is once again thinking BIG... too BIG maybe. Probably because there was practically nothing to do in the office today. If this goes on tomorrow, then I'd know that this could be something... if not then this could just go down as another brain fart. Ugghhh... people keep telling me I look too far into the future. I just can't get the world that's right infront of me.
Monday, January 01, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Woohoo! Took many nice photos of family, firecrackers and a mix of both. I love New Year's Eve coz food is always THE BEST and lotsa drinks afterwards. After all that noise, I'm now watching some DVD my aunt lent me. Nice story... Will cut this short since I can't make out what to type here... and I'm kinda hungry... again.
Woohoo! Took many nice photos of family, firecrackers and a mix of both. I love New Year's Eve coz food is always THE BEST and lotsa drinks afterwards. After all that noise, I'm now watching some DVD my aunt lent me. Nice story... Will cut this short since I can't make out what to type here... and I'm kinda hungry... again.