Engadget reported that there were 37 million iPhones sold last quarter. 37 million!!! How crazy is that? As Joset posted on Google+: “Babies born each day – 371,000. Apple phones sold each day – 377,900.” That crazy. Granted, last quarter includes Christmas, the season for giving, lots of iPhones under the Christmas tree, so that’s a peak number. But still, that’s just astounding.
Month: January 2012
Last night, Jeanne and I were seated on the couch when she started a conversation.
Jeanne: Witch.
Me: What?
J: Witch.
M: Where?
J: Outside.
M: There’s no witch outside.
J: Only birds.
M: Yes, birds. And cats and dogs. Did you see those?
J: Yes.
Les, Nino, and I went to Club Manila East for some surfing lessons and practice. It was a blast! The constant and consistent waves of the wave pool were really helpful in getting the basics down pat. The foam boards we’re supposed to be no-brainers but I managed to wipe out quite a few times. Still, I progressed quite significantly. For starters, I was able to pop up. Then I was able to ride the board all the way to the “shore” more than a few times. Maybe a visit or two more and we can then visit Zambales and, eventually, La Union!
If I look back the past few years, I’d be hard-pressed to name an action actress more badass than Kate Beckinsale. Yes, the lead of romance movies like Serendepity and Pearl Harbor. Now, after a short absence, she’s back in the franchise that launched her action career. She reprises her role as Selene, a vampire “death dealer” (that means exactly what it says). The story is frankly ho-hum: The humans found out about vampires and lycans and, with the help of UV flashlights and silver bullets, set out exterminating them. Fast-forward 12 years later and Selene awakens from cryo-stasis, freed by a mysterious benefactor and soon after escapes from captivity. She later finds her liberator, not her mate as she expected, but her progeny. She also finds a world where humans are still vigorously hunting the remnants of the vampires but strangely less so the lycans. Digging through the mystery, she finds a powerful pack of lycans planning on harvesting her daughter as a source for biological fixer-uppers. That’s a big no-no and she proceeded to shoot and slice through the lycans in the coolest, most impossible, matter-of-fact way possible. Did I say Kate Beckinsale is badass? Hell, yeah!
Unless I’m overcome by a serious case of pity, I don’t usually give to street beggars. To me, giving to them is just an quick feel-happy activity that doesn’t really accomplish much. At best, you make someone happy though you’re probably the one who feel happiest (is that selfish or what?). But at what cost? Encouraging them to risk life and limb at the thoroughfares? At worst, you may actually be contributing to aggressive begging and to the exploitation of the weaker beggars (yes, syndicates). Also, you are already giving thanks to the government. Social welfare is one of its functions and part of your taxes goes there. But since the government is notoriously corrupt in so many levels, there is no doubt the social welfare budget have been seriously diminished by the time it actually reaches those who need it. So it would actually be good if you can supplement by giving. But not at the street. And not to the government, they’ve taken enough. The better choices would be the church and NGOs involved in education, livelihood, micro-credit, cash transfers, etc. Make your gift matter. Make your gift count.