vocabularian

hey everyone, just like the nerd i am i have been visiting merriam webster online every now and again mainly because i need to check and recheck my pronunciation for broadcast but here are some words i found interesting. they are not really in the dictionary but i think you might find them cool too... read on!

What a lovely bunch of vocabularians (persons who make up new words) you are! Lasterday (refers to any day before today) we squinched (action required to fit something into a space that is slightly too small) a schmiglet (a small unit of measurement) of your awesomtastic (so wonderful the words just meld in your mouth) one-of-a-kind entries into this space in preparation for our Top Ten reveal. With so many chizzy (awesome, super, happening) creations to choose from, we admit to becoming a bit flusterpated (a state of being flustered that's so intense, one's actions and words become bound up) and fahoodled (confused, esp. when trying to think of too many things at once). We craughed (to cry and laugh simultaneously), we troddled (to wander around without knowing of doing so), and finally decided to use the schwack (a large amount) of multiple entries received as the basis for the Top Ten—this is, let's not forget, all about favoritism.

From the thousands of submissions we received, here, then, are the ten words (not in the dictionary) entered the most often:

Top Ten Favorite Words (Not in the Dictionary)
1. ginormous (adj): bigger than gigantic and bigger than enormous
2. confuzzled (adj): confused and puzzled at the same time
3. woot (interj): an exclamation of joy or excitement
4. chillax (v): chill out/relax, hang out with friends
5. cognitive displaysia (n): the feeling you have before you even leave the house that you are going to forget something and not remember it until you're on the highway
6. gription (n): the purchase gained by friction: "My car needs new tires because the old ones have lost their gription."
7. phonecrastinate (v): to put off answering the phone until caller ID displays the incoming name and number
8. slickery (adj): having a surface that is wet and icy
9. snirt (n): snow that is dirty, often seen by the side of roads and parking lots that have been plowed
10. lingweenie (n): a person incapable of producing neologisms

POPULAR CULTURE
ESPN-onage (n): secretly viewing an all-sports network when your wife leaves the room
polkadodge (n): the pseudo dance when two people attempt to pass each other, each moving in the same direction
scrax (n): the waxy coating that must be scratched off an instant lottery ticket

LANGUAGE
dunandunate (v): to overuse a word or phrase that has been recently added to one's vocabulary
lexpionage (n): the sleuthing of new words and phrases
whinese (n) a language spoken by children or spouses on long road trips

WEATHER
slush turtle (n): the snow that collects on your mud flap
spinter (n): the season between winter and spring where everything is drowning in a slush/mud mixture
sprummer (n) when spring and summer can't decide which is going to come first—hot one day, cold the next

PEOPLE
headset jockey (n): a telephone call center worker at the other end of a toll-free number
knitpicker (n): a person who selects your knitted sweaters. Beware the Christmas knitpicker or the put-the-family-in-the-same-sweater-for-the-photo knitpicker.
stealth-geek (n): one that hides nerdy interests while maintaining a normal outward appearance

ANATOMY
fumb (n): the large toe
jimberjaw (n): a protrusive chin
wibble (n): a trembling of the lower lip just shy of actually crying

MENTAL & PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
asphinxiation (n): when you are sick to death of unanswerable riddles
museum head (n): being mentally exhausted, and unable to take in anything more; usu. follows after a full day at the museum
precuperate (v): prepare for the possibility of being ill

TECHNOLOGY & THE INTERNET
shanghaIM (v): Instant Messaging somebody who's in the process of IM-ing somebody else, causing them to inadvertently type (and possibly send) their message to you
vidiot (n): one inept at programming a VCR
wurfing (v): the act of surfing the Internet at work and rationalizing that it is for work purposes

TRANSPORTATION
detroitus (n): car parts found alongside the highway
junkstaposition (n): when two or more immobile vehicles are parked next to each other
pregreening (v): the tendency to creep forward while waiting for a red light to change

FOOD
onionate (v): to overwhelm with post-dining breath
smushables (n): the groceries that must be packed at the top of the bag or separately to avoid being mangled by the time you get home
spatulate (v): remove cake batter or other substances from the side of a mixing bowl with a spatula

MISCELLANEOUS
dringle (n): the ring-shaped stain on wood caused by condensation from a glass of liquid
espacular (adj): especially spectacular
furgle (v): to feel in a pocket or purse for a small object such as a coin or key
hoyle (n): the point at which a genius transcends our reality and becomes a madman
nudenda (n): a nudist's unhidden agenda
optotoxical (adj): of or pertaining to poisonous looks that could kill, esp. from a spouse
parrotise (n): a haven for exotic birds, esp. green ones
quackmire (n): muddy edges of a duck pond
sinspire (v): to compel one to be creatively wicked
sprog (v): to go faster than a jog but slower than a sprint


source: www.m-w.com

at a standstill

i have been out of school for four months now and i am terribly missing it. i long for the constant mental challenge and spontaniety of it all. funny, i, who would shut myself in the library for hours at a time to avoid the noisy students shouting at one another for no reason, do hereby admit it now- the silence is killing me.

i have been working for the last four months and i have increased in waist size for the mere fact that all i do is sit infront of a computer surfing reuters, cnn, bbc, abs-cbnnews, inq7, and etonline to await the news and re-write it for fm radio adaptability. i like my work but i do not like the weight im putting on because of it. back in the day i had this image of myself losing weight by the time i became a working person. but no, we have free donuts everyday, free coffee and when the people in the program committee have a meeting free pizza or whatever they are having. however, i guess its a choice we make to put on the L-Bs.

i miss running after my dear professors to submit a project/ paper i have fininshed in the last two minutes before deadline (yet again). hey, im a person who works best under pressure and i like the blood rush of running, i used to say. now, the only excercise i get is about a 150 meter walk in total everday.

also, when i was in school, i spent my money to the last drop in everyday that came. that is to make the exception of course if i was saving up to buy something special or go somewhere special, which i would tell myself i deserve for working so hard at school. i used to see mcdonalds, jollibee and several other fast food chains plus starbucks to boot. now? i take a packed lunch to work. i see a fast food chain and think of what would my hundred peso bill buy at the market to take home. i do sometimes give in to a combo one meal but that's once in every fifteeen days. what i spend in a day these days is one third of what i used to spend in a day in college.

i used to see an occasional movie which i did not mind paying. hah! i no longer watch a movie unless its the station's movie premiere of the month which i get to watch for free by the way. we have had batman begins (which i do not recommend by the way), hotel rwanda (which i found very moving), war of the worlds (which i refused to watch precisely because of the whole media blitz about tom and katie prior to the movie- in other words i found the promotions too fishy to attempt watching it. i was not mistaken, the reviews agreed with my view- it was a hurried movie which does not live up to the genius of speilberg.) and of course charlie and the choloate factory (which by the way was FANTASTIC over all- and woah! jhonny depp's portrayal of michael jackson, i mean willy wonka was superb- you cannot tell that he is the same person who did edward siscorhands or captain jack. nobody could hav done it better in my book)

plus, i used to ride an fx taxi to where ever i was going. my excuse then was my allergic rhinitis could get worse if i keep riding the jeep. now i fight to get my fifty centavos of change from the driver or kunduktor of the jeepney and demand for the official tariff released by the land transportation franchising and regulatory board. i simply bring a spare hankerchief to protect my nasal passage from the pollution.

do not get me wrong i earn enough to get an average 22 year old by in a month. in fact i earn more money than many hardworking laborers in this country. i like my job and the whole lot of people i work with. the thing is ms. expenditures has finally learned the value of money.

funny how we as youth were pampered till the age of college where in fact we should have been shoved into the ways of the world at an earlier age. i cannot say i that i have been looking at the world with rose tint glasses for years but i did not view it as cruel either. what im driving at is my world is at a standstill at the moment. i am neither here nor there. i'd give anything to get a bird's eye view of my life right now just to get back to being trh driven, passionate person people know me to be.

it used to be i was driven to move towards the goal of the next examinations, the next term, the next activity. but as of posting time, i am at a loss as to where i am headed. i probably need an outlet- i just do not know what. any ideas?

pgma state of the nation address

Every year, we meet on this day in this great hall to celebrate democracy and take stock of the nation: the country and its condition; the government and its performance; the people and their well-being.
Ours is a country divided; the story of our nation is a tale of two Philippines; almost, as it were, two countries under the same name.
One is the Philippines whose economy, after long years of cumulative national endeavor, is now poised for take off. The other is the Philippines whose political system, after equally long years of degeneration, has become a hindrance to progress.
As a country on the verge of take off, our storyline would surprise many at home and abroad. The story includes an economy that grew more than 6% last year and that has continued to work in the teeth of the biggest oil price hikes in history, while generating 4 million jobs in the last four years.
The story includes marked improvements in tax collections, infrastructure, housing construction, shelter security for the urban poor and indigenous peoples, and rice productivity.
The story includes 69 million beneficiaries of health care insurance, including 30 million indigents, whose re-enrollment started early this year and is still ongoing.
That same story, over four years, saw the drug menace cut in half, the rash of kidnappings become a thing of the past, and insurgency in the south abated.
This story should work itself out as one about an economy as resilient and full of potential as its people are patient and hardworking, guided by a government – with the executive and the legislative hand-in-hand -- that is able to pass a no-nonsense budget and make tough decisions to put our Fiscal House in order.
I specially refer to our recent titanic struggle to enact the three laws that comprised the biggest fiscal package in our history, the biggest revenue increase in a generation. That will break the vicious cycle of financing development by borrowing and having to borrow again just to service those loans. This is the one reform that will snap the chain that has bound our future to a profligate past and the debt-burdened present. The Filipino's strong sense of family has given Congress a stronger resolve not to pass on today's debt, and bankrupt our children and grandchildren tomorrow. That struggle has done the House and the Senate great honor. Congratulations.
Abroad, the story continues. We’ve worked long and hard to restore our country to the prominent place it once held as co-founder of the United Nations and the free world's first line of defense in the East. We won a seat in the UN Security Council, where we presided over the landmark resolution calling for democracy in Iraq. The Philippines chaired the historic Conference of Interfaith Cooperation for Peace at the UN, the fruit of a bold and creative initiative by your Speaker of the House.
We head the APEC anti-terrorism task force. Our victories in the war on terror have been acknowledged by no less than President Bush before the U.S. National Defense University. The Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf can only pick up the pieces of its broken backbone in Mindanao.
We have worked with the organization of the Islamic conference to forge peace with our Muslim brothers. Eighty percent of our peace talks with them have been completed. Permanent peace in Mindanao is within reach.
Indeed, our story as a country on the verge of take off is real. Analysts need only to look at our stock market, and even the peso-dollar exchange rate, to sense the strong anticipation of significant improvements, if only we would overcome the tendency to be our own worst enemy.
Thus, with investors both here and abroad in mind, I invite you all to join me in sending them a strong message from this great hall: we will not waver in our commitment to economic reform and fiscal discipline, whatever the political cost.
The other message to send is that we will address the burden that the other Philippine story imposes on our anticipated take off. I refer to the story of how our political system has now become a hindrance to our national progress.
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it is difficult for anyone to make any headway yet keep his hands clean. To be sure, the system is still capable of achieving great reforms. But, by and large, our political system has betrayed its promise to each new generation of Filipinos, not a few of whom are voting with their feet, going abroad and leaving that system behind.
Perhaps we politicians have done our best; but maybe our best is not enough, given the present system. Perhaps we have strained the present political system to its final limit.
It is time to turn to the people, bring them into government -- and change the way that government is done.
The people want government that works for them at every level. They want good government that begins at their doorstep in the barangay, and does not end before the closed door of a bureaucrat in Metro Manila.
The system clearly needs fundamental change, and the sooner the better. It's time to start the great debate on charter change.
We must address such questions as how much more government is needed for the greater safety and economic security of our people, and how much less government is more conducive to free enterprise and economic progress.
The mode of Charter Change is the exclusive prerogative of Congress. But a Constituent Assembly may well give our people the quickest reforms.
I shall work with Congress, civil society groups and local government executives who are convinced that Charter Changes are needed to enable the country to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st Century.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the local government executives who have brought about an LGU power revolution through transformative leadership.
The economic progress and social stability of the provinces, along with the increasing self-reliance and efficiency of political developments and public services there, make a compelling case for federalism.
Perhaps it's time to take the power from the center to the countryside that feeds it.
I recognize that our form of government will be the decision of the body constituted to undertake Charter change. But we should consider that legislation could be quickened and laws made more responsive to the people under a Parliamentary system, similar to that of our progressive neighbors in the region.
But even as we make a serious start in Charter change, I hope we can still work together on other initiatives to the lasting benefit of our people.
In the area of education, we've spent our increased resources on better trained teachers in more classrooms, teaching students in more effective ways. We have laid a strong foundation by building almost 30,000 classrooms in the past four years, providing computer access to more than 3,000 high schools, and beginning a "healthy start" breakfast program for our young schoolchildren.
I ask Congress to pass the pre-need code to rehabilitate, reform, and regulate the pre-need educational programs that worked so well in the past as a major vehicle for youth education entitlement.
College education is the great Filipino dream. But in a world of rapid technological change, getting a job or keeping it depends as much on how well one reasons as how well one uses his hands. I have issued E.O. 358 so that hours spent in vocational training can be credited towards a college degree. That will combine job readiness with the dream of a college education while increasing the competitiveness of our nation.
But our competitiveness is greatly endangered by the global oil crisis. I call on Congress to pass legislation encouraging renewable and indigenous energy.
In the area of national security, I urge the swift passage of an anti-terrorism law that will protect rather than subvert, enhance rather than weaken, the rights and liberties that terrorism precisely threatens with extinction.
These examples serve to highlight that there is much work to be done.
Now is not the time for divisiveness, and while there's no avoiding partisan politics, there can be a determined effort by all sides to limit the collateral damage on a country poised for take-off.
Let us call on the Lord to lead us. Let us ask him for the grace to make us worthy of his healing our land.
Alam kong tayong lahat ay naghahangad ng isang makabuluhang pagbabago para sa ating bayan. Tayong lahat ay nagsisikap para matamo ang kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Kung kaya't ako'y nakikiusap na tulungan ninyo ako, para sa kapakanan ng taong bayan.
We may disagree among ourselves but let us never lose sight of that greater battle for one people, one country, one Philippines.
Not the country of this or that president but the Philippines of our shared and passionate affections.
Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.


I want you to know that i am not about to defend president gloria arroyo to anyone when i post this transcription of the sona. my sole intention is to post it for the people who may have missed the live broadcast. for me, i think there can be no absolute change in anything or anyone in this world- but it does not take away the fact that we must try. i pray for a step by step change to this great nation. masaya parin akong maging pilipino. we all long for a better society. Luli arroyo had said in an interview that unless we are willing to undergo procedures and respect institutions, we do not deserve the society we are aspiring for. i believe her and for me as an individual, if all anyone does is bicker, point at other people and blame the goevrnment and yet he does not do his part for this great country, then he does not have the right to complain. none of us have clean hands. so shut it and lets move on.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrenderbe on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career,
however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.