My favorite author

I just want to share my favorite fictional writer. Her name is Dr. Tess Gerritsen. Yes, she's a doctor but chose to concentrate her career in writing novels where she is known today as one of the international bestselling authors of medical thrillers. I like her style better than other authors in this area. Her books are fast-paced, page-turner, and very intuitive. I have amassed all her books from Harvest to Vanish and amongst these, my most favorite is Gravity. I am still waiting for the paper back edition of her latest work The Mephisto Club. I highly recommend her books specially those who are greatly inclined in mystery thrillers. Visit her site at www.tessgerritsen.com

Real Courtroom Dramas

These are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm and quiet while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY : When is your birthday?
WITNESS : July 18th.
ATTORNEY : What year?
WITNESS : Every year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS : Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS : Yes.
ATTORNEY : And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS : I forget.
ATTORNEY : You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS : Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY : How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS : Forty-five years.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Are you sexually active?
WITNESS : No, I just lie there.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS : He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY : And why did that upset you?
WITNESS : My name is Susan.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS : We both do.
ATTORNEY : Voodoo?
WITNESS : We do.
ATTORNEY : You do?
WITNESS : Yes, voodoo.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS : Did you actually pass the bar exam?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : The youngest son, the twenty-one year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS : Uh, he's twenty-one.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS : Would you repeat the question?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : So the date of conception of the baby was August 8th?
WITNESS : Yes.
ATTORNEY : And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS : Uh....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : She had three children, right?
WITNESS : Yes.
ATTORNEY : How many were boys?
WITNESS : None.
ATTORNEY : Were there any girls?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS : By death.
ATTORNEY : And by whose death was it terminated?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS : He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY : Was this a male or a female?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS : No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS : All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS : Oral.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS : The autopsy started around 8:30 pm.
ATTORNEY : And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS : No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS : Huh?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTORNEY : Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS : No.
ATTORNEY : Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS : No.
ATTORNEY : Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS : No.
ATTORNEY : So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS : No.
ATTORNEY : How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS : Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY : But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS : Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

A Cup of Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said:

"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."

"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change."

"Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So folks, don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.

"Unquotable Quotes"

I was born intelligent -
education ruined me.

Practice makes perfect.....
But nobody's perfect......
so why practice?

If it's true that we are here to help others,
then what exactly are the others here for?

Since light travels faster than sound,
people appear bright until you hear them speak.

How come "abbreviated" is such a long word?

Money is not everything.
There's Mastercard & Visa.

One should love animals.
They are so tasty.

Behind every successful man, there is a woman
And behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.

Every man should marry.
After all, happiness is not the only thing in life.

The wise never marry.
And when they marry they become otherwise.

Success is a relative term.
It brings so many relatives.

Never put off the work till tomorrow
what you can put off today.

"Your future depends on your dreams" So go to sleep

There should be a better way to start a day
Than waking up every morning

"Hard work never killed anybody"
But why take the risk

"Work fascinates me"
I can look at it for hours

God made relatives;
Thank God we can choose our friends.

The more you learn, the more you know,
The more you know, the more you forget
The more you forget, the less you know
So.. why learn.

A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where a train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station....
what more can I say........

12 things to think about

1) If you want your dreams to come true, don’t oversleep.

2) The smallest good deed is better than the greatest invention.

3) Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

4) The best vitamin for making friends is B1.

5) The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

6) Minds are like parachute… They function only when open.

7) One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.

8) One who lacks the courage to start has already finished.

9) The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.

10) Don’t learn safety rules by accidents.

11) Jumping into conclusion can be a bad exercise.

12) The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime.

The Seven Wonders of the World

WHAT DO YOU PERCEIVE AS THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD?

A group of students was asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noticed that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.

The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:

1. to see
2. to hear
3. to touch
4. to taste
5. to feel
6. to laugh
7. and to love."

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!

A gentle reminder - that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

- Author Unknown

A lesson from prison...

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:

Dear Son,

I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

Love,
Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram:

"For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!"

At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad.. It's the best I could do for you from here.

Don't Quit!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Anonymous -

I've Learned...

I've learned....
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned....
That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned....
That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

I've learned....
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned....
That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned....
That you should never say "no" to a gift from a child.

I've learned....
That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned....
That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned....
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned....
That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned....
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned....
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned....
That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned....
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned....
That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I've learned....
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned....
That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned....
That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned....
That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned....
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned....
That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I've learned....
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned....
That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned....
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned....
That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned....
That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.

I've learned....
That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned....
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned....
That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I've learned....
That when your newly born child holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned....
That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned ...
That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.

I've learned....
That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Life's little lessons...

How do you read this:

godisnowhere

It can be read two ways:

1. god is no where

or

2. god is now here

That depends entirely on you...

The Paradox of our Times

This very inspiring message was written by a Dr Bob Moorehead, a former pastor of Seattle's Overlake Christian Church. It was originally titled "The Paradox of Our Age" in his 1995 collection of prayers, homilies and monologues called "Words Aptly Spoken" which he used in his sermons and radio broadcasts. The very sad part is that Dr. Moorehead was rightfully accused of molesting members of his congregation which prompted his resignation.

Legal Guide for Bloggers

Before I started setting up my blogs, I was concerned with posting some materials coming from other sources particularly from the internet. It's well and good that we have the freedom to express ourselves thru our blogs but do we have the right to copy materials from others and post it in our blogs? I've found a good link for this and it presents FAQs and other legal stuffs on blogging. http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/faq-ip.php

An unworhty homily...

Sometimes going to mass is a drag. This is because of some priests who do not know the real reasons for their vocation. For some of us, hearing mass is a form of spiritual nourishment. It's where we get our spiritual strength, re-learn our moral values, and for personal upliftment. It's like a "soul-booster", well you know what I mean.

Last Sunday, my wife and I went to mass as we often do. Unfortunately, we were not able to achieve the "nourishment" we were expecting as we were totally disheartened by the priest's homily. He first started talking about the church being a prolife which was ok. Then he delved in the subject deeper talking on abortion. And then he cursed this people doing such a thing. Then he talked about same-sex marriage, divorce, then he cursed some more. And then he touched politics. He cursed this politicians who authored bills on divorce, abortion and same-sex marriage. And then he lectured us about voting for the right people as if we don't have minds of our own. It's like listening to some old drunk. This is one reason why some catholics lose their faith in the church. If he only dwelled on the spiritual side of these problems and their moral implications. If he only enlightened us more on the day's gospel and readings, I think people will be able take the right path and they will be inspired to choose the right persons for the government.

Thankfully, there are the likes of Fr. Mario Sobrejuanite (a Philippine charismatic priest) and Bro. Bo Sanchez who continually inspire and feed us words of wisdom, keeping us in touch with our faith.