How to protect your home from those minuscule-sized wreckers

Just imagine the home that you have worked so hard to put up going down not because of a sudden natural disaster, but because of those “friendly” termites.

So,here are a few precautionary measures to make those termites eat dust.

1.  Always have the proper termiticide in place. Whethere you’re just moving away in to your newly built home or maintaining the one that you have lived since childhood, it is always highly recommended that you have a termiticide in place.  As always, keep them away from the kids.

2.  Check the house for wall cracks. Termites need only 1/64th of an inch to enter and start a full-blown infestation.  They create tunnels from their home in the soil in constant search for wood to survive. Once they find cracks and crevices inside your home, they will bore into it or worse, create pencil-sized mud tunnels from ground levels to where a structure’s wood frame begins.

3. Repair damaged pipe and sewers. Termites love moist areas and and tiny cracks in the sewege system may provide them openings for a full-blown infestation. Best to have a safe organic solvent around.

While a termite attack is more tolerable and more bearable than a damage caused by an earthquake or a cyclone or any form of mother nature’s wrath,  life would be less-stressful if we don’t have those little wreckers ramong around our homes which we work hard to pay its mortgage.

Doing everything by myself

Ever had the feeling of doing everything by yourself?  That you entrusted someone with something and you were confident that they’ll do it and upon waking up nothing was done?  I’m in that situation right now.

I feel responsible for everything that is happening in my family and at work. Yes, those are where my life evolves now. I still do indulge in a few things for myself but a this-is-for-them goal is still intact in those seemingly selfish actions.  I am close to giving up and thinking of just walking away from all of those.  Giving is better than receiving, but I believe there’s a time to take a break from all of it even for just one day.

5 Secrets a cheating partner keeps

In all relationships, both parties must expect turbulence to protrude in any way possible. And as we all know, trust is the basic foundation for any commitment. What more in relationships? We may or may not trust someone but at times, we cannot really elude being in doubt about some ideas running through our mind. We all know too, that, being in such a commitment like love means, being attached to one person and that is called, monogamy. We are not made to be polygamous but most women say that men can have such attributes.

What goes through a man’s mind then? Do you think women can do the same? I think both gender have the capability to be a little off track at times of confusion and here are some deep secrets, a cheating partner may keep.

1. Being too much of an angel – Being a good person to your significant other is great. But being one too much? Something might be fishy. Study shows that men who have office affairs tend to make up their “polygamous mistakes” when they get home. We cannot prove that this goes with every men but, this will just depend on you if you really trust your man. Someone I knew narrated that story to me. His wife was so good to him that he thought it was too good to be true. Turned out, when the guy goes to work, another guy substitutes for him.

2. Accounts – Whatever kind of account, check it out. Myspace, Multiply, Facebook even bank accounts! They can hide something there. Make sure you know all your partner’s accounts because I’ve read this testimonial once from a wife to a cheating husband that went saying, “Thank you for letting me know that you are cheating on me through myspace!” What happen was, the guy, thinking the girl wouldn’t find out the secret account, posted pictures of him and the girl he was seeing.

3. Friend – A guy or a girl’s close friend must be the best source IF and only if, the friends’ loyalty is in you or to the guy. This happens in two ways. He is too loyal to the person that he doesn’t want his life to be messed up, thus, spreading the beans in the floor to let you know what is happening for early recovery or, the vice versa of it. Ratting you out.

4. He buys new things – It may be a new wardrobe, a new exercise or whatever beauty regimen he does to himself. Who then is he/she doing that for then? The dog? The street beggar? A colleague? Maybe? You’ve got to be suspicious to be safe.

5. Secret stuff- This will be the strongest indicator as this is the topic. Be careful if your partner talks to someone every night while you are sleeping, chats with a so-called “friend” when you are taking a bath or, drives off at an odd hour when your partner is usually home on weekends.

These are just 5 indicators that you should be cautious and aware. It is like secrets that you do not want to come true. Also like prevention is better than cure, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Just remember, with trust, you do not need to doubt these. But if you are suspicious even a teeny-winy-bit, you better check those things listed here! Are you having a smooth one?

What has the world come to?

The world has been hit by two major disasters in a month.  First, cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar and a 7.8 earthquake hit Soutwest China.  The death tolls are not in single digits but by hundreds of thousands and even millions of people.  The military junta Myanmar only began accepting a few international aid weeks after the nasty cyclone and a almost a considerable part of Sichuan province in China has been literally drawn out of hte map..

What makes matters most disheartening are those children who got trapped in the school buildings in China. They were just innocently studying and I can’t imagine the fear they felt when the building shook so badly.  As I was watching the updates on the rescue operations it was so sad and I was almost teary-eyed when I saw the parents crying the so helplessly.  Please let us all pray and hope that those tragedies will be the last at least in a longer time.

3 Women you’d like to bring home to Mom

There are hot actresses and there are hot actresses. But not all of them you can bring home to mom. For example, Angelina Jolie is one great babe but with all the tattoos on her skin and her hone-wrecking tendencies, Mom might just not approve. So the best would be the innocent looking hot girls.

Scarlett Johansson. She has that most popular girl in school kind of look. She’s sweet and although she doesn’t truly believe in monogamy, she will work hard for a relationship to end up that way.

Jessica Biel. She’s one of the guys in a very sweet way. With her athletic nature, I do not doubt that there are just numerous activities that we can share together. So you get a buddy, a sweet girl and a hottie all in one. Perfect for me, perfect for mom.

Jessica Alba. Hot, beautiful and principled. Jessica Alba refuses to exploit her beauty and her sexiness on film. Fantastic! With her any man will feel safe and secure.

These are the 3 top women I’d want to introduce to my mom if I had a chance. The operative phrase: if I had a chance. Well I know it will never happen but there’s nothing wrong with dreaming.

Video Games: Beyond the Controversy

Recently I’ve been pretty frustrated at the media using games as a publicity stunt, and usually in a controversial sense. As with my previous post about GTAIV, it’s like they’re just blaming games just for the convenience of it and it’s getting out of hand. There’s actually more to video games than violence, like these examples.

1. Beautiful Imagery – Over the years, video games have been evolving to be more interactive, and the most obvious change is with it’s graphics. With the current generation of games, the graphics have been advanced to the point that you get totally immersed in the setting. In Oblivion for example, sometimes I just put down the controller and just sit back and enjoy the view.

2. Storytelling – Other than providing lots of enjoyment, games have really well done stories too. They’re great as storytelling devices and unlike movies, you really get immersed on the setting because of the interactivity. Some games recognized for their great storytelling are the Final Fantasy series, and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Here’s an interesting article on the future of video games and interactive storytelling.

3. Music – I’m a big fan of video game music. Since the 8-bit era, video game music has been evolving as well but one thing remained the same, they’re very memorable and nostalgic. Today, video game music has been getting mainstream attention with concerts like PLAY! and tours of video game music composers and I think it deserves more attention from the media. Listen to this moving medley of tracks from the games Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross performed by the PLAY symphony:

As you can see, games have more to offer than what most people are getting worked up for. I’m aware that there are games with violent content out there but as I’ve said before, I believe it’s the parents’ responsibility to guide their children on what’s wrong and what’s right.

Persona 4 Gameplay Trailer Revealed

Persona 3 is arguably the best RPG of 2007, and Atlus will soon be releasing a follow-up for the Playstation 2, Persona 4. A 17-minute trailer was released with the gaming magazine Famitsu giving us an exclusive look at the new game:

Unlike Persona 3 which took place in a modern setting, Persona 4 will be set in a rural town and will have a suspense-thriller murder mystery theme as well as new characters.

Aside from that, the systems that were introduced in the previous game such as Social Links and the battle system will remain intact, but gone this time is the controversial “evokers” of the first game, replaced by what seems to be eyeglasses. Another new feature of Persona 4 is an active weather system replacing the previous game’s moon phase system.

I loved Persona 3’s unique style and engaging gameplay and I can’t wait for this game to be released on our shores! Persona 4 will be released in Japan on July 2008. Also, check out screenshots of the game at The Magic Box.

Five Hilarious Videos from the Land of the Rising Sun

Japan is well known as the technology capital of the world, and for their mix of traditional and modern customs and traditions. But in the intarwebs, they’re mostly known for their unique and random sense of humor, most of which have circulated the net thanks to Youtube. Here are five hilarious videos featuring some of the weirdest and quirkiest skits ever.

1. Hard Gay – One of the most well known videos circulating is that of Japanese comedian Masaki Sumitani‘s unique persona called “Razor Ramon HG” or simply “Hard Gay”, where he runs around in tight black leather gay fetish outfit performing acts of “charity” for unsuspecting bystanders while doing his trademark pelvic thrusts and catch phrases (such as dancing around while shouting “HOOO!”). Watching his videos really crack me up, especially the reactions of the unsuspecting populace as a flamboyant man dressed in a leather fetish outfit comes along and prances about.

2. Do not Laugh! – A clip from the variety show Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! featuring a skit called “No-Laughing High School -batsu (or `punishment´)” where the 5 stars of the show where if the participant laughs in any way, he gets punished. It’s really hilarious and it’s really hard not to laugh from it, if I was part of this I’d definitely lose bigtime.

3. Toilet Pranks – Probably one of the most bizzare and outrageous pranks ever, and one that’ll definitely never see light on this side of the world is this hilarious toilet prank, where unsuspecting people who use portable toilets get the shock of their lives when they suddenly rise up from the roof or get dragged out into sea by a boat. To see is to believe!

4. Human Tetris – Here’s a really creative contest on a Japanese gameshow where contestants try to match the shapes of the holes on an incoming moving wall. It’s one of the most famous skits and I think there are shows who tried to copy the concept, but this is definitely the funniest.

5. The Silent Library – Also from Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, here the participants are subjected to a sort of “Russian Roulette” with cards inside a library, wherein cards with a crossbone on it entitles them with a punishment, and they have to stay as silent as possible! It’s recieved international attention thanks to the participation of former K-1champion Ernesto Hoost.

Warhammer Online Collector’s Edition Unveiled!

I just received a newsletter from Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and as expected, a limited collector’s edition will be released which will include miniatures and a graphic novel! I’m glad that even if they’ve shifted the stage to MMOs they’ve still pretty much remembered the roots of the Warhammer universe, and I’m pretty sure a lot of fans appreciate it too, if they’re lucky enough to get one.

Even if the chances are low that I’ll get a collector’s edition, I’m sure that this’ll be the best online game of the year! And who knows, it might even topple WoW!

GTA IV racking up controversy

As expected, Grand Theft Auto IV was met with a lot of complaints and issues from parents, organizations, politicians and the media, and to think it just came out a few days ago! I can’t blame them for it since the game does feature gruesome violence and the more grim side of human nature, but when it comes down to it as long as kids play it with proper adult supervision and guidance I guess there’s nothing to be afraid of. When it all comes down to it, they just want accountability for the terrible crimes happening everyday, and for a sandbox game like GTA IV where you can do everything, it’s just too convenient.

In any case, I got the 360 version and I’m enjoying the hell out of it. Rockstar did a terrific job with updating the franchise for the next generation, and i’ll probably play this for years to come… and I haven’t even tried multiplayer out yet! It definitely deserves it’s title as the most anticipated game for 2008.