An hour ago I was just pulled over for not stopping on an intersection that the light was not working at all. I was given a ticket for not yielding. The ticket was for $110 dollars.

I was arguing with the officer because I really dont think I was suppose to get a ticket. First of all I was following a flowing traffic (meaning if I would stop I will definitely cause an accident), second I was not familiar of the place and it was pitch black it was very difficult to see that a traffic light was there.

The officer said that a non-working light is to be treated as a four way stop. I said that is if you can see it.

I will be contesting the violation though and face the judge the next available time. I really dont think I deserve that. I hadnt had any tickets for over 3 years and I have been a very cognisant and careful driver.

Goodbye to the Rat and welcome the OX.

The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

Ox people need peace and quiet to work through their ideas, and when they have set their mind on something it is hard for them to be convinced otherwise. An Ox person has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, even without imagination. These people speak little but are extremely intelligent. When necessary, they are articulate and eloquent.

People born under the influence of the Ox are kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Security is their main preoccupation in life, and they are prepared to toil long and hard in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest for themselves and their families. Strong-minded, stubborn, individualistic, the majority are highly intelligent individuals who don't take kindly to being told what to do.

The Ox works hard, patiently, and methodically, with original intelligence and reflective thought. These people enjoy helping others. Behind this tenacious, laboring, and self-sacrificing exterior lies an active mind.

The Ox is not extravagant, and the thought of living off credit cards or being in debt makes them nervous. The possibility of taking a serious risk could cause the Ox sleepless nights.

Ox people are truthful and sincere, and the idea of wheeling and dealing in a competitive world is distasteful to them. They are rarely driven by the prospect of financial gain. These people are always welcome because of their honesty and patience. They have many friends, who appreciate the fact that the Ox people are wary of new trends, although every now and then they can be encouraged to try something new.

It is important to remember that the Ox people are sociable and relaxed when they feel secure, but occasionally a dark cloud looms over such people and they engage all the trials of the whole world and seek solutions for them.

This is a day to celebrate even more that you past Christmas. It is like a new beginning once again. It feels like a brand new start for me.

Every year we anticipate Christmas day would come sooner but when it comes it doesnt stop there and life goes on. Actually for most people they go back to work immediately.

For me personally I am thankful that I am blessed another day.

We celebrated our Christmas eve with my wife's relatives. It was pretty regular night but what made it special was I was with my beloved wife.

She gave me a lot of special gifts that night but the most special one is that great massage from head to toe.

I love my wife.

I am hoping of a white Christmas this year. The last couple of years was not. It has snowed the day before or the day after but not the actual Christmas eve.

That way it would not be as cold.

The feeling is always great when it is snowing outside when you come out of church or while you are eating dinner or drinking wine with your family or close friends.

I feel very much motivated and inspired. The feeling of Christmas is always full of joy and hope, no matter what's happening around.

May the bad weather didn't stop Jesus from coming to your homes for Christmas. Rejoice in all circumstances.

May the spirit of Christmas bring everyone joy, hope and more blessings in their hearts as it did to me.

I cant believe adsense would disable my account. I think they should have at least given me a warning before disabling my account or anyone's account for this matter. You never know if its an honest mistake, a sabotage, or a plain disregard of the terms and conditions or just being a jerk.

For my case I had no idea and never knew that my adsense was posing some significant risks to the advertisers and other publishers. My only mistake is I haven't been paying detailed attention to my hits and clicks everyday as much as I should. I would have caught this, maybe.

I worked hard on that page. I put in a number of hours to put that together. But now its gone.

This is really an inconvenience. I already contacted adsense and hopefully they would reconsider.

Do you think that the loan was not given to the US automakers right away is because the replublicans wanted the public's sympathy back after the recession that has been happening?

The US auto makers had the hardest time getting the 17.4 billion dollars from the US government.

If you look at it now, who is considered a hero for getting the loan approved? Bush approved the loan few days after it was denied by congress.

It is very politically driven.

Here's a list of things I have prepared to do till Christmas;
1. A Romantic dinner with my beloved wife.
2. Buy 50 inch screen plasma TV.
3. Buy sofa bed.
3. Pick up the new washer and dryer.
4. Pick up the new dinner table.
5. Buy curtains for the new house.
6. Arrange the garage.
7. Organize the office at home.
8. Host a dinner party at home before Christmas.
9. Upgrade phone with T-Mobile.
10. Update blog with ads.
11. Add blogs.
12. Send greeting cards.
13. Shop for dining sets.
14. Buy feeds for the cats.

This was originally 25 items. Now I am down to 14.

This should be done before Christmas.

It was a great night for Manny "PACMAN" Paquiao. Paquiao an underdog on this match just won by a mile on a fight with Oscar "GOLDEN BOY" De la Hoya.

Paquiao won the fight by TKO on the 8th round. The boxing doctor stopped the fight after an obvious defeat of the Golden Boy. De la Hoya was unable to block Paquiao's jabs and power punches.

De la Hoya congratulated Paquiao of the victory and acknowledges how great of a real champion Paquiao is.

Paquiao who will most likely fight for four to five more major boxing bouts before considering retiring is the most exciting boxer to watch and follow. Paquiao is thinking of going back to 130lbs weight for his next fights. But his management and promoters are looking into Floyd Mayweather (retired) to fight next.

Congratulations to Manny "Pacman" Paquiao.

Switzerland has just been added to the Schengen Agreement. The Schengen Agreement is an agreement where international borders does not apply. It is the abolition of systematic border controls among the participating countries. The EU is currently composed of twenty republics, six kingdoms and one grand duchy.

The following 28 countries are now the borderless countries or under the Schengen Agreement.

Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Ireland · Italy · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Netherlands · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · United Kingdom ·

Picture above is a typical Schengen border crossing that has no border control post and only a common EU-state sign welcoming the visitor, as here between Germany and Austria.

It is a fact that the American automakers are losing their own battle of building cars. For decades the icons like GM, FORD and Chrysler are seen as the only cars available.

What the heck happened now?

First the Japanese automakers made its mark that their cars are more affordable. Then few years later it made its mark that the Japanese cars are far better quality than what the US automakers have. Which catered the american's quest of looking for a vehicle that would last more than five years which originally US automakers have designed their vehicle platforms.

And then comes the Korean cars, not just affordable, high quality vehicles but they are safer and environment friendly vehicles. They also last at least 10years of use before replacement.

They have expanded their operations here in the US and have generated jobs (not Union) for americans. And if you look at GM, Ford and Chrysler, they have been laying off workers and have been closing plants this year and will be closing some more in the next months to follow.

More bad news and more market loss for them now that the Indian and Chinese automakers have expanded and will be more competitive.

I like the notion that no one is able to cut a tree without a plan to plant ten trees to replace it. I cant imagine one could just cut a tree and not replace it. Even worst if I think of a 100 year old tree or older cut down for whatever reason.



I have heard of this almost 20 years ago when they created the Department of Environment and Natural Resources but I havent seen it in action. I see a lot of trees being cut everyday but I havent seen trees planted.

As far as I know before somebody could cut a tree that person got to have a damn good reason why he needs to do it and he goes through a process of approvals to get a permit accompanied but a state/city officials and of course required to buy the replacement trees as well. It is not a simple process which I think is a good way of making sure our environment is kept safe and beautiful. But somehow this has not been happening.

Apparently, some state officials skip these processes, it could be because they get paid or they are just not doing their job.

Where I live (Bukidnon, Philippines) represents the richness of the world. It still has one of Philippine's virgin forests. It has kept its living rivers and creeks. The awesome views of the mountains and hills. But everyday I see how rapidly it is deteriorating. Her climate has already changed.



The government has to step up and start looking at this. We might not be able to let our children or grandchildren see the actual beauty we see now and the experience we have but in pictures and videos.

For my part, I just bought a 12 hectares of land so I can plant trees. With the area I have, I will be able to plant 6,000 trees and will be fully grown by 2019.

I hope I am not too late.