Michelle gave me a pack (Thanks babe!) of Starbucks VIA “Ready Brew” (in other words: instant) Colombia Coffee. She got it for free when she ordered a drink. I wanted to compare it to Italian roast coffee home-brewed with my Bialetti Dama so I bought a pack of Italian Roast VIA (and they gave me another pack for free). As expected, it was no contest. Moka is full-bodied and strong while VIA is essentially still instant coffee: less aroma, less taste, less strength, less coffee, higher price. I’ll stick to my Moka coffee, thank you.
Yesterday, I cleaned the range oven and hood. After a few weeks of use, they invariably get coated with a layer of oil and grease or, in some areas (especially the grille of the range hood), sticky gunk. Previously, I have been using dishwashing soap and it would always take a lot of time and effort to get good results. But this time around, I used Simple Green which I happen to have around for bathroom cleaning. Back when Jeanne was born, I decided to get only organic and environment friendly bathroom cleaning products just to be safe. I didn’t realize it’s also an awesome kitchen cleaner. It made short work of the oil, grease, and gunk! In just a short time and with minimal effort I had a gleaming range oven and hood!
Probably because of Araw ng Kagitingan (lit. Day of Valor), a holiday commemorating the fall of Bataan, there’s talk again of whether Marcos is a hero or not and whether he should be buried at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani (lit. Cemetery of Heroes). It reminds me of the time my grade school teacher talked about Emilio Aguinaldo, a Philippine president who is not buried at the Libingan. My teacher said, he was a president but he was not a hero.
On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) is a generic term referring to a vehicle’s self-diagnostic and reporting capability. Through a port, it provides realtime data in addition to a standardized series of diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), which allow one to rapidly identify and remedy malfunctions within the vehicle. OBD-II is simply an improvement over OBD-I in both capability and standardization.
In the endless history of human interaction and/or conflict, you will sometimes hear the statement “Don’t be judgmental”. Ignoring the obvious irony of their being judgmental when they tell you not to be judgemental, what exactly is wrong with being judgemental? When you compliment, nobody’s going to call you judgmental. But when you criticize, constructive or otherwise, you will be called judgmental. But the reality is, in every situation you judge people as they interact with you and others, situations as they happen, and things as you see them. It is just how you go about life. It is how you go about getting the good things and avoiding the bad things. Perhaps what is really meant is “Don’t be wrongly judgmental” as in “Don’t judge a book by its cover” But that’s an entirely different thing.