Can't say anything else about these displays of concentration and discipline except... how impressive!
US Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon:
US Army Ceremonial Drill Team:
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
My kind of before-and-after shots
Rule #5: A case studyLongtime Cuteologists know that a fisheye lens + baby animal is cute, but now a pair of before-and-after photos allow us to examine the phenomenon up close.
Cute:
Ultracute:
Thanks to field researcher Fred of One Bark at a Time.
Source: Cute Overload
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Man on a mission
While looking for a photo of Mrs. Pam Tebow and son Tim, I stumbled on this January 2009 Washington Post article. Very interesting. No wonder the star quarterback seems so well-grounded.
An excerpt:
On the first of now-annual missionary trips with his father, Tebow stood behind a microphone and told the assembled high school students about his Christian faith, putting to the test evangelistic skills honed through years of speech classes at home.Six years later, Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, has become so comfortable addressing crowds that he spoke to inmates at a Florida prison in April. And he has seen so much poverty and despair during his visits to the Philippines that he can't imagine getting stressed out over something as inconsequential as the BCS national championship game on Thursday, when his No. 1 Gators will face No. 2 Oklahoma.
"Pressure is not having to win a football game; pressure is having to find your next meal," Tebow said this weekend. "Even though we love it so much, football is still just a game. A lot of people bleed over it and love it, and I'm one of those people. But at the end of the day, I know what's more important, and pressure is definitely not football."
Read A Man With a TwoFold Mission
Of seaweed and Spam
Late last week, Nicole and I walked over to the supermarket two blocks from the office and invaded the "chips" aisle. We were after "healthy" chips, so none of those MSG-superloaded kinds -- just the "healthy" kind. She picked out a very Japanese-looking seaweed variety (imported from Thailand) while I chose a nicely packaged pack of vegetable sticks. Since I was also hankering for pretzels, I grabbed a small bag of those as well.
Back at the office, we dug into our snacks. Frankly, it seems Nicole's choices always end up appealing to my tastebuds, and this was no different. The seaweed chips were wonderful; they weren't filling at all, and at 40 bucks you'd think you'd have to feel full to get your money's worth. But they were tasty, and I wanted more!
Which is why all morning on Tuesday I was looking forward to making a pitstop at the supermarket again right after lunch and getting my own seaweed chips for merienda. I had some serious proofreading to do the whole day, and Nicole was out attending a press event, so it was just me and my computer.
Busy, busy, busy... it was nearly mid-afternoon when I finally got to get out of the building and walk over to the supermarket, where my dear seaweeds would be waiting for me. I negotiated the aisles and headed up and down the chips section. Tostillas, Piattos, Chippy, Doritos, Oishi... where in the world are the "healthy" chips?? I asked myself. I retraced my steps and combed the section once again. What junk! Have they gotten rid of the non-MSG snacks? Upon whose orders? Conspiracy theories began swimming in my mind. Then it dawned on me -- I was at a supermarket near the office alright (in fact, a block away), but a different one. The place Nicole and I went to the previous week was two blocks away; hence, my darling seaweeds were nowhere to be found among these aisles. Work was waiting for me at the office, and there was no time to spare to go hunting for preserved marine vegetation just because my palate yearned for them.
Okay, just get the muffins and go, I quietly said, reminding myself that I had muffins on my list as well. Trying to let it go, the thought of the seaweeds escaping my gustatory grasp remained. Normally, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but for some reason, today I needed a "replacement." The cans of Spam I saw on one of the nearby aisles beckoned. Now when was the last time I had some Spam? Not your run-of-the-mill luncheon meat one can't help but think of as a sorry substitute for Spam, but the real thing. Probably 10 years ago? Or more. I happily sau
ntered to the cashier with a can of the 30% less sodium kind in my hand. It would be our breakfast at home the following day. No seaweed chips, that's okay. I've got my Spam!
On my way home that night, I was still thinking of the Spam, looking forward to breakfast in less than 10 hours, amazed by the thrill I was getting from such a superficial preoccupation.
By the time I was minutes away from home, my stomach was rumbling! It was, after all, past dinnertime, and I had nothing besides a strawberry muffin and some iced tea at around 4pm. A lot of brainwork + no food = MAJOR HUNGER.
"Hmm... I haven't had barbecue in a long time. I'll pass by Grill Queen!" I thought. Those who've tried those pork slices on sticks at Grill Queen know what I'm talking about when I say it's superb. Not to mention, reasonably priced. I think there being two Grill Queen outlets on the same street (about 300 meters from each other) for years now is enough testament to the appeal its fare has on appreciative diners.
Upon coming to the house-converted-into-a-barbecue-place, I pulled over and walked to the counter. Approaching the counter, though, I realized that no one was manning it, and nowhere in sight were the sizzling pieces of meat, chicken, squid and other mouth-watering delights that normally greeted customers. "Sarado na ho," the lady nearby chirped.
"Hanggang anong oras ho ba kayo?" was my exasperated question.
"10:00."
It was 10:05 on the clock back in the car when I got out, and since it was 10 minutes ahead, that meant I could demand for my two sticks of barbecue if I wanted to exercise my rights and insist on the value of punctuality. But I did no such thing. With a heavy heart, I smiled wryly and walked to the car, realizing that another culinary fancy was blown off yet again. Looks like God is trying to tell me something popped in my mind.
Well, all the more I'll enjoy my Spam tomorrow! After all, I would have savored the seaweeds and the barbecue on my own, while I'll be sharing the goodness of Spam with my family for breakfast.
------------------------------------------
Today is Wednesday, for which Spam was the scheduled piece of excitement on the breakfast table. But the schedule was made with a lousy memory. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and on which fasting and abstinence are obligations of love.
Hence, upon getting up today, upon realizing that yet another gustatory thrill would have to be postponed, I simply smiled. "Good things come to those who wait" came to mind. What's another day? For some reason, the thought of abstaining from meat felt like a major sacrifice. What better way to begin the season of repentance? Suddenly, the 2-strike foodie disappointment of the previous day made plenty of sense.
Again, it takes mere ordinary things like seaweed, barbecue and Spam to help some people realize how God orchestrates things without interfering, to impress on them the things that really matter in life.
Back at the office, we dug into our snacks. Frankly, it seems Nicole's choices always end up appealing to my tastebuds, and this was no different. The seaweed chips were wonderful; they weren't filling at all, and at 40 bucks you'd think you'd have to feel full to get your money's worth. But they were tasty, and I wanted more!
Which is why all morning on Tuesday I was looking forward to making a pitstop at the supermarket again right after lunch and getting my own seaweed chips for merienda. I had some serious proofreading to do the whole day, and Nicole was out attending a press event, so it was just me and my computer.
Busy, busy, busy... it was nearly mid-afternoon when I finally got to get out of the building and walk over to the supermarket, where my dear seaweeds would be waiting for me. I negotiated the aisles and headed up and down the chips section. Tostillas, Piattos, Chippy, Doritos, Oishi... where in the world are the "healthy" chips?? I asked myself. I retraced my steps and combed the section once again. What junk! Have they gotten rid of the non-MSG snacks? Upon whose orders? Conspiracy theories began swimming in my mind. Then it dawned on me -- I was at a supermarket near the office alright (in fact, a block away), but a different one. The place Nicole and I went to the previous week was two blocks away; hence, my darling seaweeds were nowhere to be found among these aisles. Work was waiting for me at the office, and there was no time to spare to go hunting for preserved marine vegetation just because my palate yearned for them.
Okay, just get the muffins and go, I quietly said, reminding myself that I had muffins on my list as well. Trying to let it go, the thought of the seaweeds escaping my gustatory grasp remained. Normally, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but for some reason, today I needed a "replacement." The cans of Spam I saw on one of the nearby aisles beckoned. Now when was the last time I had some Spam? Not your run-of-the-mill luncheon meat one can't help but think of as a sorry substitute for Spam, but the real thing. Probably 10 years ago? Or more. I happily sau
ntered to the cashier with a can of the 30% less sodium kind in my hand. It would be our breakfast at home the following day. No seaweed chips, that's okay. I've got my Spam!On my way home that night, I was still thinking of the Spam, looking forward to breakfast in less than 10 hours, amazed by the thrill I was getting from such a superficial preoccupation.
By the time I was minutes away from home, my stomach was rumbling! It was, after all, past dinnertime, and I had nothing besides a strawberry muffin and some iced tea at around 4pm. A lot of brainwork + no food = MAJOR HUNGER.
"Hmm... I haven't had barbecue in a long time. I'll pass by Grill Queen!" I thought. Those who've tried those pork slices on sticks at Grill Queen know what I'm talking about when I say it's superb. Not to mention, reasonably priced. I think there being two Grill Queen outlets on the same street (about 300 meters from each other) for years now is enough testament to the appeal its fare has on appreciative diners.
Upon coming to the house-converted-into-a-barbecue-place, I pulled over and walked to the counter. Approaching the counter, though, I realized that no one was manning it, and nowhere in sight were the sizzling pieces of meat, chicken, squid and other mouth-watering delights that normally greeted customers. "Sarado na ho," the lady nearby chirped.
"Hanggang anong oras ho ba kayo?" was my exasperated question.
"10:00."
It was 10:05 on the clock back in the car when I got out, and since it was 10 minutes ahead, that meant I could demand for my two sticks of barbecue if I wanted to exercise my rights and insist on the value of punctuality. But I did no such thing. With a heavy heart, I smiled wryly and walked to the car, realizing that another culinary fancy was blown off yet again. Looks like God is trying to tell me something popped in my mind.
Well, all the more I'll enjoy my Spam tomorrow! After all, I would have savored the seaweeds and the barbecue on my own, while I'll be sharing the goodness of Spam with my family for breakfast.
------------------------------------------
Today is Wednesday, for which Spam was the scheduled piece of excitement on the breakfast table. But the schedule was made with a lousy memory. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and on which fasting and abstinence are obligations of love.
Hence, upon getting up today, upon realizing that yet another gustatory thrill would have to be postponed, I simply smiled. "Good things come to those who wait" came to mind. What's another day? For some reason, the thought of abstaining from meat felt like a major sacrifice. What better way to begin the season of repentance? Suddenly, the 2-strike foodie disappointment of the previous day made plenty of sense.
Again, it takes mere ordinary things like seaweed, barbecue and Spam to help some people realize how God orchestrates things without interfering, to impress on them the things that really matter in life.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Things that make me go "ooooh!"
An 11-month-old in action.
First, she sits pretty...
Then she discovers the soft carpet and the fun she can have on it with her favorite stuffed toy...
Then it's crawling galore! Photographer Krissy Rodriguez gets down on all fours as well to capture the baby's spirited nature for a nice photo for a magazine cover.
How does it turn out?
Know more fun stuff about Baby Magazine's February issue here
First, she sits pretty...
Then she discovers the soft carpet and the fun she can have on it with her favorite stuffed toy...
Then it's crawling galore! Photographer Krissy Rodriguez gets down on all fours as well to capture the baby's spirited nature for a nice photo for a magazine cover.
How does it turn out?
Know more fun stuff about Baby Magazine's February issue here
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