This Side of Heaven... where angels love to tread!

Volcanic Iceland



Iceland has been formed by geologic eruptions. It is located Northwest of Europe and interestingly enough even if most of Iceland's mountains and the lands are snow-covered, it is considered a geological hotspot since it is located at the Mid-Atlantic ridge thus making the island volcanically active and also producing geysers and hot springs .

Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa

Graham Hancock is known for his books like The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis (with Robert Bauval), The Mars Mystery (again with Robert Bauval and Johns Grigsby) and several more books.

Now, his latest book "Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind" brings us closer to the truth by going through the extra mile that other researchers would dare not do.

I have always love peanuts and it doesn't matter in what way it is cooked; boiled, dry-roasted or deep-fried. Back in the Philippines, peanuts can be had everywhere you go, so there is really no problem when one gets hungry and you need something to tied you over till you get home and have your big lunch or dinner. Besides, who could ever resist the smell of garlic and peanuts wafting thru the air?

Here in the US, you can get the dry-roasted peanuts packaged in cans or bottles. However, I sometimes look for the boiled ones or the deep-fried but it is really hard to find it here. The only place that I can usually get it is if we sometimes visit New Jersey where there are a lot of Filipino stores and that means maybe once a year or whenever my sister-in-law comes to visit us here in Boston and she never fails to bring us a big bag or two.

So a year ago, I decided to conquer my fear of trying to make homemade fried peanuts based on my memory of watching the vendors frying it in their big woks. After the initial trial and error, I was able to make fried peanuts and confident enough to serve some when we had guests for Thanksgiving...

So now, whenever I want fried peanuts, all I have to do is make it myself.

Here's the easy recipe that you can follow:

1 lb raw peanuts (can be bought in your local Asian stores)


Garlic (lots of it and crushed)


Oil for deep-frying (high heat)


Be sure oil is really hot before adding the garlic first. Then add the peanuts.


Stir the peanuts constantly to make sure that all the nuts are cooked evenly.


Cooked for at least 15 mins or until the nuts turn a bit brown and transfer the nuts out of the oil to prevent from further cooking otherwise, they will burn. Sprinkle with salt and let cool.

Dominique was watching this movie the night before and showed it to me the next day. The movie is entitled "Strings". This is one cool movie that I've seen in years. Forget about the computerized and animated film features that we, the movie audiences, have been bombarded lately. This film directed and written (together with Naja Marie Aidt) by Anders Ronnow Klarlund does not in anyway deviate from most movie themes; love, hatred, violence, peace, family ties, etc... but what sets it apart was that the characters were played by "marionettes". Though this is not the first time that a full-length movie was done on marionettes, this movie goes a little further with its awesome cinematography and attention to details that you wouldn't even mind that the puppets don't open their mouths when they talk.

A synopsis of the movie written by Daniel Williamson says: Hal Tara is the son of The Kahro of the city of Hebalon and heir to the throne. When The Kahro kills himself, Hal is chosen to taken his place to rule Hebalon. But the discovery of The Kahro's suicide letter, that his father's death was no suicide, and was conducted by rivals of the city known as The Zeriths, Hal disguising himself as a commoner leaves the city and sets out to find the Zeriths and avenge his father. But Nezo, The Kahro's evil advisor who discovered the Kahro's body sends a warrior known as Erito to join Hal and to kill him. Entering the Zerith's camp, unaware of his identity, Hal falls in love with Zita, a Zerith female warrior, unaware Nezo has evil schemes to take over ruler ship of the city and Erito's wife Eike and Hal's sister Jhinna have uncovered his evil plot.

Enough said, watch the movie in its entirety here.

This version of Michael Jackson's dance video "Thriller" has been viewed millions of times and is now gaining popularity worldwide. This performance was a brain child of Byron Garcia who is a security consultant for the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center or CPDRC. I believe that since this was shown on i-Caught last night, this video would now become mainstream and get more viewers. You can see more of Byron's uploaded videos from here.

Imelda Marcos will always be remembered for her extravagance and colorful personality. Her rise to fame and fortune validates the childhood stories told to us by our parents when we were young and innocent, that fairy tales do come true. However, this tale does not have a glorious ending. She has been a symbol of a kleptocracy that has swept the Philippines since her husband, Ferdinand, was elected president in the early '60s and sadly, still continued with the dubious presidency of Joseph Estrada from 1998 - 2001.

Whenever Imelda's name is mentioned, it will always bring to mind her thousand pairs of shoes which I kid you not is true since a few days after the whole family hastily left the country, the new government in the country decided to have an open house in Malacanang so that the public would have the chance to see what was only talked about in gossips and by those in the know.

Her propensity for shoes has been fodder for jokes through the years and now here are 2 you tube videos showing her as a "working maid". I found these videos hilarious and hits you in the funny bone... However, there are some people who found it rather offensive and demeaning to the Filipinos and the nation as well. Please people! This was only meant as a joke and a parody of someone's colorful character. Since when did Filipinos lose their joie de vivre? Aren't Filipinos known for their great sense of humor? Don't we usually laugh at ourselves most of the time? This vital characteristic has made us survive the hardships (political and natural) that we have to endure and made us resilient people, thus, creating a Filipino persona that is well-liked, loved and appreciated wherever we are in the world?

The Filipinos need not worry. No amount of character assassination of infamous Filipinos would in any way hurt the individual since we know that our own individual personalities are far beyond these character portrayals. It is time to move on. The Marcoses may have plundered the country and it may take a while for us to get back on our feet again but they have never taken away our spirit which defines us as Filipinos; strength of character, hard-working, hospitable, strong religious faith and family ties and most of all optimistic. We all (whether living in the Philippines or abroad) are in this together to make our country become prosperous again so let us start looking at the bright side to find ways and means to uplift our country and our fellowmen.




Another parody is from the "On The Television" series which can be viewed here. Don't miss this one.

Karrol filling up an application form.

Waiting under the hot sun.


Karrol forwarded thru email last Friday, the 10th, an announcement about a casting call to be held Saturday for a new movie to be filmed mostly in Boston. The movie is "Bachelor 2" starring funny man, Dane Cook, and funny girl, Kate Hudson.

Though this seems like a long shot, but we did go the next day for Karrol to submit her application. My husband and I were also curious as to how they go about the process of casting people for movies, tv shows, commercials, etc... that we really didn't mind chaperoning our daughter.

Thankfully, the lines weren't as bad as when you see the auditions for American Idol. They didn't have to fill a whole stadium of aspiring performers. The line was only a block from the office, Boston Casting Call. At least we didn't have to wait that long, only about an hour and a half before she finally got into the building and in front of the casting directors.

Meanwhile my husband and I amused ourselves by people watching... First thing that I notice was that there were also a lot of elderly people auditioning (going back to the casting notice, it said that they are looking for talents 18 - 75 years old). No wonder! There were people of different ages, sizes, and looks. For some reason, I always think that these auditions were just meant for the tall, good-looking, and the youthful.

I was proven wrong when we saw all kinds of people auditioning; young and old, thin and very healthy, beautiful and some are facially challenged. You can pick out the veteran auditioners from the first-timers simply by their familiarity with other auditioners and their body language. Most of them exude an air of self-confidence like they already got the part or got in as an extra. Usually, the professional auditioners are part of the actors union where members' rights are protected and represented. Union auditioners usually can just go in and submit their resumes. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that they will get the part since I believe that everybody has to go through the actual audition process later on.

Some came prepared with their "Glamour Shots" photos making them really look so good and photogenic and very appealing. One came without any photo nor resume with her but was just there to chaperon a friend and just as a spur of the moment thing ended up submitting an application, too.

You can tell that the veterans feel that this is just another day while the neophytes look so starry-eyed and hopeful.

One of the fjords in Norway



Satellite view of the fjords in Norway




The very first entry on the list of 100 great world wonders are the Fjords which can be found in Norway. Honestly speaking, I am not sure how the editors determined which is first or which is last. I am guessing for now that they chose the places at random so that it does not make any of these amazing wonders more or less greater than the other.

To see videos of Norway, you can click here.
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+Fjord photo from http://www.scantours.net/

++Satellite photo from http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

I had the chance to browse at MIT's Coop Bookstore last week trying to kill time to wait for my husband and daughter after office hours. Before you think that I was playing hookie from work that day, I had to leave work early just so I can make it to my doctor's appointment. Well that explains it... but back to my story, I was again checking their bargain book section and found this book (the last copy I think) "100 Great Wonders of the World".

I thumb through the heavily illustrated book and went gaga over the beautiful and amazing photos of the worlds great wonders. Published by Barnes & Noble, this book is all about 100 of the most wonderful and awesome wonders of the world that are either man-made or natural as selected by its editors. Even though there are more that a hundred great wonders in the world, this book still offers the kind of wonderment that will wow any reader. The book is divided into the seven continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Central and South America, Australia and Oceania and last but not the least, Antarctica.

I had to buy the book since it gave me more ideas where my husband and I could go after retirement. The more I flipped through its pages the more it fueled my desire to travel given the opportunity later on. If you ever see this book in your local library, borrow it or better yet, if you find the book in your favorite bookstore, buy it cause it's worth keeping a copy in your private collection.

I will try to blog about these great wonders to be able to share with you what the world has to offer.

I have taken to reading once again. For awhile there, this favorite hobby of mine had to take a back seat for several reasons. One, I was always tired and spent a lot of time relaxing (sleeping to be exact). Two, when I started blogging, most of my time was spent on the internet; surfing and browsing other blogs (to get ideas most of the time). And last but not the least, I lost my motivation...

However, lately thru serendipitous events, I have been drawn to some subject matters that has been of interest to me for sometime now. So, in order to satisfy my inner curiosity I once again delve into my stack of books and look for something that is calling to me.

My daily read from Crystalinks blog has pointed me towards the "subterranean world". Alec Maclellan's "The Lost World of Agharti" and Nicholas Roerich's "Shamballah" were seemingly beckoning to me to be read.

adopt your own virtual pet!

Pizza... that is. For the first time we made homemade pizza using store-bought dough since making your own could take a lot of work. Most of the time, we'd order pizza which is tomato-based with lots of peperoni (or the works) so this time, for our homemade pizza, we decided on something light and healthy. The recipe for this pizza was shared by my boss who found it on the internet when he was looking for a recipe that will use whatever ingredients he had at home.

He found this recipe for "Spinach and Feta" cheese pizza which he also shared to the women in the office.



Spinach & Feta Cheese Pizza

• store-bought dough (or you can make your own)
• fresh spinach, chopped (we use baby spinach)
• garlic, chopped
• onions, sliced any way you want
• olives
• crumbled feta cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare dough on a clean and floured surface to knead. Drizzle pizza pan with olive oil to prevent dough from sticking to pan. Place the dough on pizza pan. Arrange the toppings by drizzling olive oil first, then spread mozzarella cheese all over. Then add spinach, garlic, feta cheese, onions and olives alternately. Drizzle with olive oil before going in to the oven.

Pizza came out really good. This is worth making cause it not only taste very good but also the ingredients use are healthy and simple to make.

If you haven't seen Russell Peters perform his stand-up comedy yet, you are missing a lot. He is one of the funniest comedian around and is for sure a rising star. Latest news about him is that he now moved to Hollywood and will soon star in his own TV show. Peters describes himself as a South East Asian (India) who grew up and was raised in Ontario, Canada.

His kind of comedy is deeply rooted in something that is close to home... his family, his community, his culture and his motherland (India). However, because of his travels abroad, his act has included his experiences and observations of the countries that he has visited. He is much like Margaret Cho (Korea), John Leguizamo (Puerto Rico), Paul Rodriguez (Mexico) and other unknown and undiscovered talents whose keen observations of everyday life make it appear that life is funny. However, what sets him apart from the rest is the man is a genius not only for the kind of comedic material that he comes up with but he is also great at doing accents.

One of our student employees, Anish, shared this 45 mins. show called "Uncensored" about 4 years ago. I thought that this was one hilarious act and I really loved it. One thing about his act is that you can easily relate to what he is saying.

You can just imagine, how happy I was when I saw this show posted on youtube. This was on Russel's website for sometime but after a while it was taken out.

So for 45 mins. don't try to do anything. Just watch the show and laugh out loud. You won't regret it... Thank you zeeshan for sharing.

This is another comedic skit performed by Canadian comic, Winston Spear. Another one of my favorites... Lots of laughs here.

I was browsing the web when I happen to see this parody of Harry Potter. I loved it and wanted to share it with you. If you appreciate "Bollywood" movies and understand the nuances of dancing and the singing that is always incorporated in these films, you will find this movie amusing...

I just want to share here 2 of my favorite songs written by Bill Withers. Both are "feel good" songs and I am sure that you will want to listen for more...


Lovely Day (written and sung by Bill Withers)



Just the Two of Us (written by Bill Withers & sung by Grover Washington Jr.)

You Can't Stop the Beat



Without Love



This is for all the "Hairspray" fans... Most reviews for the movie were positive and it gave people a warm fuzzy feeling after watching the show. Enjoy these "slideshows" posted by Speedy73.

Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America; Kentuckians, Tennesseans and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as "HILLBILLIES." You must now refer to them as APPALACHIAN-AMERICANS.

And furthermore...

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1 She is not a "BABE" or a "CHICK" - She is a "BREASTED AMERICAN."

2. She is not "EASY" - She is "HORIZONTALLY ACCESSIBLE."

3. She is not a "DUMB BLONDE" - She is a "LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY."

4. She has not "BEEN AROUND" - She is a "PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION."

5 She does not "NAG" you - She becomes "VERBALLY REPETITIVE."

6. She is not a "TWO-BIT HOOKER" - She is a "LOW COST PROVIDER."



HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. He does not have a "BEER GUT" - He has developed a "LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY."

2. He is not a "BAD DANCER" - He is "OVERLY CAUCASIAN."

3. He does not "GET LOST ALL THE TIME" - He "INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS."

4. He is not "BALDING" - He is in "FOLLICLE REGRESSION."

5. He does not act like a "TOTAL ASS" - He develops a case of "RECTAL-CRANIAL INVERSION."

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*shared by EB

This video is a bit dark and grainy but it is worth watching especially after you realize that...

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be . Here are some facts about the 1500s:**

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water".

Houses had thatched roofs -thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirty. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leak onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and re-use the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer..

**Author Unknown**
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*Thanks to my friend S. Brown for sending this to me.
**Urban legend
***Photo from http://www.florilegium.org/