On my way to work tonight, onboard the purple train, I saw one kid, probably in Grade 7 or so. He was standing few feet away from me. I can sense he came from somewhere Sunday -ish hang out. I noticed him because he kept staring at the “Berso sa Metro” ads.

“Berso sa Metro” is an innovative campaign, where they printed popular Spanish/Filipino poems and hang it on the walls of LRT 1 & 2. This campaign intends to promote reading to Filipino commuters while in transit and hopes to awaken public awareness of how close we are to Spanish culture.

I was amazed. I mean, in this generation where most students read books only because they need to and not because the enjoy doing it, here is this kid, reading a poem posted on the train wall, and his interest is so great that he hungers for more. He moves his way, inch by inch, holding on to the train bars, reading all the poems on the wall on to the next carriage. It makes me feel good.

Everyday we rush to do our daily business, working hard to improve our lives and elevate our quality of living. We aim to increase our material value. I admire my fellow Filipinos in putting so much effort on that. We toil hard, we sweat, we squeeze our creativity, all for the grand intention of enriching ourselves and our families.

In doing so, many of us forgot to enrich our minds. How many of us read the daily broadsheet? How many of us care to watch the evening news? How many of us care about the most pressing political issues which determines the immediate future for us? How many of us care about our country’s diplomatic relationship with other states?

This is our responsibility. This is our country, this is our time, this is our generation. Like what Net 25 always shouts - “Feed your mind”. Same with our need to enrich our lives materially, the need to enrich our knowledge is essential in reaching our goals. I am sure we all know what I mean. It is just that we are afraid to care, or we are preoccupied and blinded.

I hope the hunger for information and the interest to read shown by that LRT kid is present in all of us. That would make all the difference we are longing for ages. This is our key to reaching social justice.

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A used-to-be-officemate of mine asked me a favor. he needs me to repair his Compaq portable( Because he heared I am working for Dell- Does that make sense?).

Fine. I have no problem with repairing a broken portable really. I mean It is ok, I am happy to do it for a used-to-be-officemate especially that the trouble is just the operating system.

The only concern I have is - this portable is somewhat vintage if not Jurassic I guess. It hardly runs windows XP, the RAM is too low, the processing power is comparable to that of my high school scientific calculator, the integrated components are almost nonexistent (it lacks on board optical drive), and most of all, the cinematography is horrible! Omigush! Its two tone finish is bathed with wolverine scratches and the hinge assembly is terribly unstable. There is no connectivity option except for the wireless card that sticks out of its dilapidated left hand side! The ac adapter bundled with it is immaculately covered with ice age dust and the prongs got this rust assembly which makes it look obviously doomed.

When you try open “My Computer” the error NO. I cannot afford to describe the OS status. It would ruin my sanity. I mean this is a total wreck that I cannot see a single reason for repairing this thing. I just dont get why my used-to-be-officemate would want this thing to work again (assuming this worked before). And he seems so proud of this, take note.

But since I said yes to him, ok, here I go. reparing this monster. Because I cannot install a fresh copy of WXP due to the missing on board optical drive, I am running the system file checker. Lets see if this works.

Moreover, I heard the owner is planning to sell this item for a hefty amount.

Hehe. Horribly funny.

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After two years, Chicane played live in Manila again. Rhea, Val, and I were there. Although I am a bit disappointed because they did not played “daylight”, the night was still one of 2008’s best.

I was all in total excitement when they did “Bruised Water”. I was like, OMG.. goosebumps all over. hehe. Nobody does electronic sounds better than Chicane. All emotions.

Even though the sound failed like four times, the good vibes was still overwhelming. Thats why I love parties like this. True music. Beautiful people. Good vibes. What else can make a perfect night?

More images here. Thanks Vally.

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That’s one of the reasons maybe why I love taking early morning flights. The airbus a320 took off around 5.15 bound to the city of smiles down south.

We left the cloudy manila smoothly. I can see the city lights fade as we climb to our cruising altitude. It was a sight I wanna see over and over again. Saying goodbye to the chaotic cityscape and looking forward to reach the tranquil and amazing scene over the clouds.

Upon reaching assigned cruising altitude, 29000 feet, overhead monitor says we are over the city of batangas. Then mighty sun began to shine brightly, it was splendid. White clouds below my feet and the early morning sunshine gives glow to the wing of the aircraft. So calm. So breathtaking.

Just minutes after our initial descent, over the city of Iloilo, I can see the shimmering blue sea. I feel like a kid again.

This is such a sweet brief escape.

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After the all too perfect plan went wayward because of the rain, my coming home and my September Western Visayas sojourn is one of my travels worth writing here. This is a birthday treat for myself; for enduring the attrocities of fate; for living the unearthed touch of my childhood memories.

I loaded my W880 with Tiesto’s In search of Sunrise 6 and 7. This is the soundtrack of my trip; the melody to keep me going. After all, this is all about me, I will be travelling with myself and my animosity.

So much happened; so much information that I dont know where to start. Hehe.

Let me just show the western visayas map where I plotted the areas I roamed mostly.

The Arrival Day

Right after I landed in Bacolod, I went straight to Mcdonald’s at 6th street to meet James and have breakfast. I actually missed doing that. Breakfast at 6th street. I looked around and everything looks different now, the mall across the street where I often check before is having some facelift, changing the facade and all. Capitol Lagoon is still filled with early morning joggers and yeah, the Stone Guyito is still there. Just adjacent to the old Mcdonald’s is a rather unusual McCafe. They actually sell bibingka. I like. Few hours into my unending talk with James, an old friend, Enzo joined us. The last time I saw this guy was in 2005 I guess. He was out of the country for quite sometime. After the talk, I went home.

And when I got home, amazingly neither mom or my brother was there. Haha. Oh well. Its me and my old room now. I cooled the room, changed the sheets, showered lavishly and went to sleep for 10 hours uninterrupted. Haha. When I woke up, another round of kwento kwento. Mom was so hesitant to push through with our Boracay plans because of the impending storm. Oh well, I cant blame her, she had issues with her health few weeks ago. I told them if they cannot then i’ll just do it myself. Hehe.

The morning after, I moved around, and I noticed something strange. This one:

The old garden is doomed. Dried leaves around. Wayward grass. Untrimmed plants. Less flowers. What had happened?! I love this spot.  This is where I play with our cats while they chase low flying butterflies before. Sigh. I felt low.

I learned mom was not able to do the garden because of her health. (She is not allowing the helper to touch the flowers and all.) Sigh. I felt even sad. Now she cannot do the things she love. But I now she will be better soon.

The Long Way

The next day, Im headed for Boracay. I packed light, just a few shorts and shirts. Im thinking of having a haircut before boarding for Iloilo. Unfortunately, the mall opens at 10 here so I just cannot make it. I went straight to Bredco Port and bought my ticket to Iloilo. I took the 9:15 Weesam Express. After an hour of sea travel, we docked at the Port of Iloilo.

From the Port of Iloilo, I took a cab going to SM City Manduriao. I had my head shaved. Then I went to Watson’s to get my Hawaiian Tropic. hehe. I roamed around the mall and as usual, not so much changes. I spotted the old Sbarro, where I had my early lunch.

After my heavy early lunch, I head straight to Tagbak, just outside Jaro district. This is the terminal where vans and buses going to different areas of Iloilo are stationed. Instead of taking the usual van going directly to Caticlan, I decided to try the bus. Ceres Liner got this airconditioned bus that ply the route. The trip would run for five hours because of the stop-overs but I think its ok. Calculating the travel time, I’ll be in Caticlan at around 6:00 PM. Sunset at the port!

I thought this would be fun. But the stop overs really arent as fun as they should be. Hehe. I endured the five hour travel; passing though a whole bunch of towns, muddy roads, and some nasty seatmates.

Five hours after, Caticlan is where I am. Jetty Port looks sleepy. Not much activity. Instead of taking the usual boat going to a Boracay Station, I boarded the Montenegro FastCraft going to Cagban Port.

Ten minutes later, I am in  the beautiful Island of Boracay. I hired a three wheeled thingy, (tricycle, hehe) going to the hotel. It is a bit surprising that even at this time of the year, where storms and typhoons are frequent, Boracay never fails to attract beach-hungry guests.

My Boracay days and Iloilo sojourn .. Posting soon.

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Hmm.. this one is great. Read the rest of this entry »

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What a lucky year for four of my close friends. Four women of different personalities, four women with different stories, four women in one of  the greatest adventures of their lives - pregnancy and the miracle of childbirth.

Rhea already gave birth to baby Doms. Next up, Macy this coming September, Jen early January, and of course MeAnne on February of 2009. Uso ba buntis ngayun?

Alright, 4 babies, Im sure, I cannot escape. Ninong na naman. Hehe.

Im uber excited! I just love attending baptismal ceremonies, where u gotta hold this candle and say those stuffs and all. Hehe.

Congratulations to the four of you! May those babies grow up .. hmm…as glam and as posh as they should be. And of course, never forget - make sure they understand the Philippine Constitution at the age of eight.

Popularity: 96% [?]

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Miles Away, Live. I love the airplane theme, the landing gear retraction. hehe.

There is no stopping her. MADONNA STICKY & SWEET TOUR ITINERARY 2008.

23-Aug - Cardiff Millennium Stadium
26-Aug - Nice Stade Charles Ehrmann
28-Aug - Berlin Olympic Stadium
30-Aug - Zurich Military Airfield - SOLD OUT
02-Sept - Amsterdam Arena
04-Sept - Dusseldorf LTU Arena
06-Sept - Rome Olympic Stadium
09-Sept - Frankfurt Commerzbank Arena
11-Sept - London Wembley Stadium
14-Sept - Lisbon Parque Bela Vista – SOLD OUT
16-Sept – Seville Estadio Olimpico
18-Sept - Valencia Circuito Ricardo Tormo Cheste
20-Sept - Paris Stade de France - SOLD OUT
21-Sept - Paris Stade de France
23-Sept - Vienna Danube Island
25-Sept – Budva Jaz Beach
27-Sept - Athens O.A.K.A – SOLD OUT
04-Oct - E. Rutherford Izod Arena – SOLD OUT
06-Oct - New York City Madison Square Garden - SOLD OUT
07-Oct - New York City Madison Square Garden - SOLD OUT
11-Oct - New York City Madison Square Garden - SOLD OUT
12-Oct - New York City Madison Square Garden – SOLD OUT
15-Oct - Boston TD BankNorth Garden - SOLD OUT
16-Oct - Boston TD BankNorth Garden
18-Oct - Toronto Air Canada Centre - SOLD OUT
19-Oct - Toronto Air Canada Centre - SOLD OUT
22-Oct - Montreal Bell Centre - SOLD OUT
23-Oct - Montreal Bell Centre - SOLD OUT
26-Oct - Chicago United Center - SOLD OUT
27-Oct - Chicago United Center
30-Oct - Vancouver BC Place Stadium - SOLD OUT
01-Nov - Oakland Oracle Arena - SOLD OUT
02-Nov - Oakland Oracle Arena
04-Nov - San Diego Petco Park
06-Nov - Los Angeles Dodger Stadium
08-Nov - Las Vegas MGM Grand - SOLD OUT
09-Nov - Las Vegas MGM Grand
11-Nov - Denver Pepsi Center - SOLD OUT
12-Nov - Denver Pepsi Center
16-Nov - Houston Minute Maid Park
18-Nov - Detroit Ford Field
20-Nov - Philadelphia Wachovia Center
22-Nov - Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
24-Nov - Atlanta Philips Arena
26-Nov - Miami Dolphin Stadium
29-Nov - Mexico City Foro Sol - SOLD OUT
30-Nov - Mexico City Foro Sol - SOLD OUT
14-Dec - Rio De Janeiro Maracana Stadium
18-Dec - Sao Paulo Morumbi Stadium

Amazingly, as of this writing, the Lisbon, Paris, Athens, East Rutherford, the four nights in New York, Boston, two nights in Toronto, two nights in Montreal, Chicago, Vancouver, Oakland, LasVegas, Denver, the two nights in Mexico - sold out already. Sigh.

And of course, no third world city is on the list. hehe. Oh well.

Popularity: 98% [?]

I came across a WikiHow article about acting sober when you are not and when you need to. Hehe. Funny. I know someone who tried doing some of these.. but it turned out otherwise. hehe.

• Use eye drops. Keep them in your pocket. Apply as needed.
• Keep your eyes slightly wider open than you otherwise would. Anyone can have red eyes, but red almost closed eyes are a sure sign of cannabis use.
• Be casual. Don’t be afraid to talk, but don’t try to argue or get involved in a debate.
• Keep sentences short. ( Yeah.. I agree..)
• Keep those “fantastic thoughts” to yourself or only to those you are partying with. (This is not the proper time to get-to-know your neighbor)
• Keep in mind how messed up you are, and act accordingly.

Follow the next few steps if you find yourself under the influence of too much alcohol.

• Don’t walk around too much. Find a seat and stay there. (Stay means, just sit, not leaning for support)
• Be alert. Keep your eyes open and focus on the action going on around you. ( Of course, Dont stare too much and so near to the other person’s face)
• Limit your end of conversations to short, simple answers.
• Placing a hand on a solid object helps your brain compensate for your lack of balance. (Solid object does not mean other person’s shoulder)
• Move briskly when you must walk. Forward momentum will keep you from staggering. (This does not mean you should run)

There you go. Now I (we) know. After all, acting sober is not an easy task, and .. oh well.. It pays good.

Popularity: 90% [?]

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Sharing with you what I consider as Cher’s greatest performance in her Farewell Tour.

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I was browsing through the Overall Medal Standings of the 2008 Beijing Olympics today and I saw China on the top post then the U.S. the UK and so on. I tried scrolling down ..long enough until I reached the end of the page. Opps.. no luck, I never saw a country name with the letters p.h.i.l.i.p.p.i.n.e.s.

Omigush. Lets see.. we first joined the Olympics in 1924.That was 84 years of spending millions and millions of pesos training these pinoy athletes.. and until today, not even a single gold medal was achieved! It remains a Pinoy Dream.

Actually, in 1988 Seoul Olympics, bowler Arianne Cerdena got the country’s first gold medal, but then, during that time bowling was just a demo event so.. it was not officially counted. Funny.

So what is the government doing? Will this remain a dream for us? Are we giving full support to our potential champions? Are we serious enough? Philippine Sports Commision! Hello…

To top it all, every Olympic year, the goverment just say ” hey Pinoys, join the Olympics and bring home the gold, I’ll give you 15 million pesos”. Good but not the perfect option though. Then after the Olympic year, these athletes are virtually forgotten.

I guess getting there is not just a seasonal thing, we need an enduring committment from the govermnent, we need consistency, we need to mobilize the resources we have, and in pure concerted effort, let us go to the direction that we want. Determination of the athlete and sincere support from the government.

Unless of course, the government starts to think about giving Michael Phelps a Filipino citizenship. Hehe.

Popularity: 47% [?]

The complete Nick Bracegirdle discography. Im still trying to collect all of the sunstroke remixes, hmm. Cant wait for the big day.

Offshore (DE) (CD5) (1996) 
01 - Offshore (Radio Edit).flac 3:09
02 - Offshore (Original Version).flac 7:01
03 - Offshore (Disco Citizens Remix).flac 9:23
04 - Offshore (Disco Citizens Edit).flac 4:26
 
Far From The Maddening Crowds (1997) 
01 - Early.mp3 4:17
02 - Already There.mp3 2:56
03 - Offshore (Original Version).mp3 6:45
04 - Lost You Somewhere.mp3 8:25
05 - From Blue To Green.mp3 5:50
06 - Sunstroke (Disco Citizens Mix).mp3 9:06
07 - Leaving Town.mp3 5:58
08 - Red Skies.mp3 7:34
09 - Sunstroke (Original Version).mp3 6:17
10 - Offshore ‘97.mp3 9:13
11 - The Drive Home.mp3 6:06
 
Lost You Somewhere (CD5) (1997) 
01 - Lost You Somewhere (Radio Edit).flac 4:17
02 - Lost You Somewhere (Original Version).flac 8:26
03 - Lost You Somewhere (Heliotropic Mix).flac 8:42
04 - Lost You Somewhere (R.O.O.S. Remix).flac 8:14
 
Offshore (AU) (CD5) (1997) 
01 - Offshore (Disco Citizens Edit).flac 4:28
02 - Offshore (Original Version).flac 7:01
03 - Offshore (Disco Citizens Remix).flac 9:22
 
Offshore ‘97 (CD5) (1997) 
Name Length
01 - Offshore ‘97 (R&D Edit).flac 3:52
02 - Red Skies (Edit).flac 7:36
03 - Offshore (Disco Citizens Edit).flac 4:29
04 - Offshore (A Man Called Adam Remix).flac 9:04
 
Sunstroke (CD5) (1997) 
01 - Sunstroke (Disco Citizens Radio Edit).flac 4:02
02 - Sunstroke (Original Radio Edit).flac 3:50
03 - Sunstroke (Disco Citizens On The Train Remix).flac 8:04
04 - Sunstroke (Original Mix).flac 6:21
05 - Sunstroke (White Mix).flac 6:40
 
Strong In Love (CD5) (1998) 
01 - Strong In Love (Radio Edit).flac 3:55
02 - Strong In Love (Original Version).flac 7:50
03 - Strong In Love (Disco Citizens Remix).flac 8:06
 
Saltwater (CD5) (1999) 
01 - Saltwater (Original Radio Edit).flac 3:29
02 - Saltwater (Original Mix).flac 9:50
03 - Saltwater (Mothership Mix).flac 3:24
 
Autumn Tactics (CD5) (2000) 
01 - Autumn Tactics (Chicane’s End Of Summer Radio Edit).flac 3:47
02 - Autumn Tactics (Chicane’s End Of Summer Remix).flac 8:44
03 - Autumn Tactics (The Thrillseekers Remix).flac 7:23
 
Behind The Sun (2000) 
01 - Overture.mp3 3:44
02 - Low Sun.mp3 6:56
03 - No Ordinary Morning.mp3 5:10
04 - Saltwater (Original Mix).mp3 10:03
05 - Halcyon.mp3 9:01
06 - Autumn Tactics.mp3 4:55
07 - Overlap.mp3 4:38
08 - Don’t Give Up (Original Mix).mp3 8:23
09 - Saltwater.mp3 6:55
10 - Andromeda.mp3 6:36
 
Don’t Give Up (US) (CD5) (2000) 
01 - Don’t Give Up (Original Radio Edit).flac 3:42
02 - Don’t Give Up (Original Mix).flac 8:37
03 - Don’t Give Up (Disco Citizens Vs. Tomski Remix).flac 7:31
04 - Low Sun.flac 6:57
 
No Ordinary Morning (CD5) (2000) 
01 - No Ordinary Morning (7” Radio Edit).flac 3:49
02 - Halcyon (Original Mix).flac 9:02
03 - Halcyon (Airscape Remix).flac 7:01
 
Saltwater (US) (CD5) (2000) 
01 - Saltwater (Original Mix).flac 9:52
02 - Saltwater (Tomski Vs. Disco Citizens Remix).flac 9:10
03 - Don’t Give Up (Peter Rauhofer Roxy Anthem).flac 10:00
04 - Don’t Give Up (Johnny Vicious Club Mix).flac 9:31
05 - Autumn Tactics (Chicane’s End Of Summer Remix).flac 8:42
 
The Best Mixes Saltwater (2001) 
01 - Lost You Somewhere.mp3 6:59
02 - Saltwater (Original).mp3 6:37
03 - Offshore ‘97.mp3 4:05
04 - Strong In Love Feat. Manson (Disco Citizens Remix).mp3 5:30
05 - Autumn Tactics (Thrillseekers Remix).mp3 5:15
06 - Red Skies.mp3 5:08
07 - Sunstroke (Disco Citizens On The Train Remix).mp3 5:02
08 - Autumn Tactics (Chicane’s End Of Summer Remix).mp3 6:39
09 - Halcyon.mp3 7:17
10 - Sunstroke (DJ Quicksilver Remix).mp3 6:08
 
Easy To Assemble (2003) 
01 - Love On The Run (Peter Cunnah).mp3 4:52
02 - Daylight.mp3 5:19
03 - East Side Story (Bryan Adams).mp3 3:46
04 - In Praise Of The Sun (Espiritu).mp3 6:52
05 - Locking Down.mp3 4:46
06 - Spirit (Jewel).mp3 4:46
07 - Arizona.mp3 3:01
08 - Some Might Say.mp3 4:50
09 - Kilometre.mp3 6:14
10 - Something Wrong.mp3 4:17
11 - Empires.mp3 7:14
12 - Love On The Run (Blank & Jones Remix).mp3 6:47
13 - Love On The Run (Rob Searle Remix Force Remix).mp3 8:37
14 - Love On The Run (Original Mix).mp3 8:25
 
Love On The Run (AU) (CD5) (2003) 
01 - Love On The Run (Single Edit).flac 3:39
02 - Love On The Run (Blank & Jones Remix).flac 6:48
03 - Arizona (Part 1).flac 3:20
 
Love On The Run (UK) (CD5) (2003) 
01 - Love On The Run (Single Edit).flac 3:40
02 - Love On The Run (Chicane Mix).flac 8:38
03 - Love On The Run (Force Five Remix).flac 7:33

Popularity: 64% [?]

In my recent trip home, the few elements that matter in life was defined in such a way that my senses allowed me to brush up my reason.

Five of my favorite images.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 51% [?]

I had a 2 hour training today for our new product, the Dell Hybrid 140g Desktop uSFF. Never been amazed and excited in any of our products before as much as now! Hehe. It seems like  uSFF is the direction of today’s technology.

The go go factor. The eye candy design lets you do anything to its appearance and add to that is the amazing orientation versatility. Best mix of  design and power.

The other side. Actually, the standard not so expensive brandless pc offers big difference in terms of upgradability wiht the presence of expension slots and better computing power. And in comparison with a standard portable, of course space and mobility wise, this melty sweet sugar is no match.

This is actually a cross between a portable and a regular desktop. Check the standard specification.

Processor Options
Intel®  Pentium®  Dual Core, Intel Core 2 Duo

Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista®  Home Basic
Genuine Windows Vista®  Home Premium
Genuine Windows Vista®  Ultimate

Memory
Up to 4GB2 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drives
Up to 320GB3 Serial ATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)

External Connections
Additional drives can connect to IEEE1394 and/or USB 2.0 ports

Optical Drives
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Writer (DVD+/-RW)
6X Slot Load Blu-ray/CD/DVD Combo Drive

Graphics
Intel®  Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

Audio
Intel High Definition Audio 2.0
Optional Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy Advanced HD Software Edition

Wireless
Integrated
10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet LAN on system board

Wi-Fi Options
Built-in Draft-N Wireless Networking (Optional)

Externally Accessible Ports  (Check this out!)
Five USB 2.0 compliant ports
IEEE1394a port (4-pin)
HDMI video connector
DVI video connector
Integrated network connector 10/100/1000 LAN (RJ45)
AC adapter connector
Digital Audio: S/P DIF Out
Analog Audio: Headphone (front); Line-in / Line-out (back)

Dimensions & Weight
Length: 196.5mm (with sleeve)
Height: 71.5mm (with sleeve)
Depth: 211.5mm (with sleeve)
Weight: 2.18kg (with stand)

Security
Cable lock chassis security slot

I tried opening up the chassis and yeah, I love how they cramped those components inside. With all those laptop components in place, this chassis is 70% to 80% smaller the your usual Dimension system. With seven shades to choose from and the all too clever orientation options, and if you dont need much power, and you care too much for space, this is definitely the item to take home today.

The other down side? Im not sure if this will be offered here in Asia. haha.

Popularity: 46% [?]

Mom is already out of the hospital. I am so thankful that our ordeal is over. Sigh. Thank you to those who poured compassion, undoubtedly, those words during our grey moments were invaluable. More than the experience, I am thrilled of the responses. I and Mom felt so loved and cared. Again, my sincere appreciation of everything.

Popularity: 42% [?]