My 45-Day Broilers

You will surely be missed.

Last Monday marked the 45th day of my 20 broilers; 16 of them already bid goodbye to serve their purpose, and the rest were fortunate enough to live a little longer as they were bought alive. And yeah, I did the dressing alone! All it takes is some guts to murder those helpless chickens.

For the past month and a half, I have been wasting alloting a portion of my daily 24 hours just to clean my broilers' poop (the volume of which increases as the broilers grow old) and refill their feeder and waterer with feeds, water and vitamins two to three times a day.

Aside from the broilers' daily routine of pooping, eating, pooping, drinking, pooping, eating, pooping, sleeping, pooping, eating and pooping again (they can also do several combinations of these spectacular activities), they have nothing else to do. Just imagine the sacrifice I endured - the foul smell they brought to my place and the tedious task of properly disposing their copius poop. Sigh!

I admit, I don't have any single idea about broilers, much more how to raise them. But what pushed me to venture into this agri-business is my desire to earn and have something to keep myself busy after losing my job. If carefully planned and studied, poultry farming is not that bad. In fact, it is a very good business if you have basic knowledge, a good place and enough resources. But sans these must-haves, I pursued with the business, which I consider an experiment as far as I am concerned. Little did I know that I will just end up as a loser - financially, physically and psychologically. I should have looked for a good and hands-on mentor first before I took the risk. Okay, next time!

On the other hand, I got some things to be grateful about this flopped business of mine.

First, I was given an opportunity to learn more about accountability. No matter how sleepy I am because perhaps I slept late the night before or I just feel like sleeping until midday, my unconscious mind tells my lazy ass to wake up, get moving and feed my hungry broilers once they start to get noisy. The same thing happens before the sun sets down or when I get home no matter how tired I may be. But take note, feeding is the cause and poop cleaning is the effect.

Second, it taught me something new. I learned about broilers and how to raise them. And the next time I venture into this kind of business again, I know better what to do. One good thing about it is that when someone talks about broilers, I will not be caught amazed by whatever he says, filling my mind with theories. Instead, I can already share some of my first-hand experiences.

Third, I got to have an animal to take care of once again. It was way back in my High School when I first took care of an animal - pigeon/dove of different sorts. It feels good to have something, especially an animal, to keep an eye on. And while attending to their needs, I find myself entertained and relaxed with their activities. So with my broilers, the memories of my then pigeons/doves and how I took care of them were somewhat relived.

And lastly, thanks to my broilers' delicious meat! Tinola, chicken adobo, and fried chicken are just some of the viands that my family enjoyed. And surely, those who bought from me will also enjoy or have enjoyed their hairy/feathery(?) meat because as expected, I was not able to clean them thoroughly. Eheh.

So just like life, no matter how bad it may seem, there are always some good things that we should all be grateful for.

So there it goes - In loving memory of my 45-day broilers.

Maktub!

Domain Names, Anyone?

Just when I was getting the feel of writing posts for my blog, or simply getting the feel of finally having my own blogsite after being left out for years now, my former colleagues are one by one having their own domains. Huhuhu.

My ever supportive blogging mentor and editor, Peachy, just recently bought www.atomicgirl.net and my former supervisor, Bhem, bought www.phoebeonline.com a couple of weeks back. Months ago, our beloved bossing Dex acquired www.psychosanctum.com, while my dear friend and co-worker, Ate Razh, purchased www.raziella.com last January.

Is there anyone else who was not mentioned?

Sigh. I think I need to catch up with them as soon as possible, or by the time I decide to join them, they might already be going somewhere else again. Eheh.

So what are the advantages of having your own domain name, you may ask?

• First and foremost, it gives you a personality or unique identity in the World Wide Web.
• With it, you can easily and conveniently direct your existing followers and potential followers to your virtual real estate, just like a building address where people can visit you anytime. (This is very much advantageous to those who are doing business in the Web as prospective customers will uncomplicatedly find your business niche in the Internet, should you be able to establish a good one.)
• You can advertise your own website instead of someone else's when sending emails as your domain name will appear already in the email address that you are going to use. This is because once you got your own domain name, you will also have your own domain name email address i.e. emailadd@domainname instead of emailadd@yahoo.com or emailadd@gmail.com and others.
  
• Domain names are easier to remember as compared to free web hosts, and they allow you to change web hosts without losing your web address.
• It further allows you to use custom error pages to prevent people from leaving your site because of broken links and other errors.

HOWEVER, having your own domain name means shelling out some bucks from your pocket. You need to spend for its initial purchase and annual renewal as well as the annual renewal of your web hosting. Although cheap, expenses are still expenses. But if you have a kind friend who's willing to take care of your domain's hosting for free, so much the better. As for me, I don't have money nor that kind of friend, and there's no compelling reason yet to get one so I guess I will just have to settle with Blogger for the meantime. Eheh.

Sources: this and this.

Maktub!

Finals: Chef's Matadors Vs. Magayon Carwash

Chef's Matadors are heading to the finals. Yahoo! With a covincing win (a 22-point lead) against the Nikko-Tin team, we snatched the championship slot. We were missing Fire & Ice though along with his clutch 3-point bombers; so, this one is for you, buddy. Eheh.

One more Yahoo! for my small time achievement for the day - I was able to successfully refuse a drinking session tonight. Eheh. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the 'big' celebration if we eventually emerge as champions in another best-of-three series. It is surely going to be one hell of a party. Woohoo!

Maktub!

Antolin Acuña Jr.-Fatima Pavia Nuptial on 08.08.08

August 8, 2008 – the opening of the most awaited Beijing Olympics and also the most awaited date of lovers Antz and Ting to take each other as husband and wife. At the St. Gregory the Great Cathedral, Antz looked great in an all-white coat and tie attire while breathlessly waiting in front for Ting who looked lovely in her wedding gown while promenading through the nave. Before the altar, the couple looked beautiful together. Having God as the ‘star witness’ of their unending love for each other, the two exchanged vows and rings, kissed and were wed. A simple yet elegant reception at The Concourse with family, relatives and friends followed right after. Hours later, the celebration concluded and the rest of the couple’s life together started.

By the way, I’m happy to be their Bestman (my first time).

A blessed married life to my dear friends, Antz and Ting. Cheers!

Maktub!

Just Quit It

Last night, we had a sorry loss in a best-of-three semis game for our supposed-to-be-friendly-but-turning-out-to-be-serious small time tournament. After the game, the Chef told us that we will just have a short ‘meeting’ at his place. About what? I do not know. I was a bit hesitant to go with them because I am having a weird feeling that it was going to end up meeting with Mr. GranMa instead. Nonetheless, I found myself driving to D’ Chef’s House. Upon arrival, I told Air France that I will not drink, and that I will head home right after the ‘meeting’. While seated, we had a ‘disappointed’ talk about what happened in the game and planned what we should do in the next game to win and consequently play in the finals. But my weird feeling wasn’t really weird at all. Mr. GranMa did sneak in and join our meeting. With an empty stomach, I regretfully found myself drinking and smoking. Tsk, tsk!

Okay, the temptation was so strong to resist so I told myself again that I will go home after we fnished the bottle. An hour and a half later, I was still sitting and drinking but was slowly getting dizzy. Good thing, the last shot was shortly coming. After a few minutes, the bottle was down. I really wanted to go but something’s holding me back. Unknowingly, Mr. GranMa called for backup. The next moment, I found myself continuously taking shots as the night grew old. Poor me; I went home lightheaded drunk. I even puked right in front of our gate. Fortunately, I still managed to drive home safely.

To cut the story short, I woke up this morning with a severe hangover telling myself not to smoke anymore and to, as much as possible, moderate my alcohol intake (save some reservations) for a number of reasons, hence, this post. And to cut it even shorter:

Quit smoking .

Drink moderately.

I know, some of you heard this resolution from me several times already but still find me doing the same thing over and over again. And I’m guilty of that. This time however, I’m not just going to do it verbally but I am also writing this post to serve as a reminder to myself. No promises, though. I know I can’t do this alone; help me help myself.

Maktub!

Fireproof

FIREPROOF is an action-packed love story that opens in September 2008. A movie that will leave audiences laughing, crying, and on the edge of their seats as they are drawn into the world of a firefighter, his wife ... and a marriage worth rescuing.

Definitely a must-see movie.

My reflection on this movie will be posted here soon after I have watched it.

Maktub!