How to 'look' busy at work

1. Never walk down the hall without a document in your hands.
People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they’re heading for the cafeteria. People with a newspaper in their hands look like they’re heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.

2. Use computers to look busy.
Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, calculate your finances and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work.

These aren’t exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they’re not bad either. When you get caught by your boss - and you will get caught - your best defense is to claim you’re teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training dollars.

3. Messy desk.
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like you’re not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace.
To the observer, last year’s work looks the same as today’s work; it’s volume that counts. Pile them high and wide.

If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.

It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor etc. Can always borrow from library. Thick computer manuals are the best.

4. Voice Mail.
Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don’t call you just because they want to give you something for nothing - they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That’s no way to live. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they’re not there - it looks like you’re hardworking and conscientious even though you’re being a devious weasel.

If you diligently employ the method of screening incoming calls and then returning calls when nobody is there, this will greatly increase the odds that the caller will give up or look for a solution that doesn’t involve you. The sweetest voice mail message you can ever hear is: "Ignore my last message. I took care of it". If your voice mailbox has a limit on the number of messages it can hold, make sure you reach that limit frequently. One way to do that is to never erase any incoming messages. If that takes too long, send yourself a few messages. Your callers will hear a recorded message that says, "Sorry, this mailbox is full" - a sure sign that you are a hardworking employee in high demand.

5. Looking Impatient and Annoyed.
According to George Costanza, one should also always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the impression that you are always busy.

6. Appear to Work Late.
Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read but have no time until late before leaving. Make sure you walk past the boss’ room on your way out. Send important e-mails at unearthly hours (e.g., 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc...) and during public holidays.

7. Creative Sighing for Effect.
Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are very hard pressed.

8. Build Vocabulary.
Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use it freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember: They don’t have to understand what you say, but you sure sound impressive.

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Ces Drilon and companions freed

ABS-CBN senior correspondent Ces Drilon on Wednesday thanked all those who helped secure her release and two others late Tuesday night in Sulu.

"I want to thank everybody. Words are not enough to thank those who prayed for the professor, Jimmy, Angel, and myself," Drilon told reporters in Sulu before boarding a military chopper bound for Zamboanga City.

Asked how she felt, Drilon said: "Siyempre, masayang masaya (Of course, very happy)."

Senator Loren Legarda helped negotiate the release of Drilon, cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion and their guide Prof. Octavio Dinampo of the Mindanao State University late Tuesday night. Assistant camerman Angel Valderama was freed June 12.

They were all kidnapped by armed men, believed by authorities to be members of the Abu Sayyaf terror group, last June 8.

Drilon, wearing a white T-shirt and white jogging pants, looked tired and may have lost weight from their nine-day ordeal in the hinterlands of Sulu. She also had mosquito bites on her face.

"Giant ang lamok doon," she said.

Drilon and her companions were immediately brought from Sulu to Zamboanga City by military helicopter.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Avelino Razon told dzMM Wednesday that Drilon and her companions underwent medical exam in Zamboanga City.

Doctors said Drilon was suffering from low blood pressure, presumably due to lack of sleep, and had many mosquito bites.

Razon said the Abu Sayyaf Group which the ABS-CBN crew tried to interview was the same group that kidnapped them.

He said Drilon was not hurt by her captors, contrary to earlier reports. He also said no ransom was paid.

Razon said the kidnappers threatened to behead their captives but this was not carried out.

He said the release of the ABS-CBN news team and their guide was due to the work of the negotiators and the "pressure of possible police-miltiary operations."

Loren helps

Legarda, a former ABS-CBN broadcaster, worked behind the scenes to help free the ABS-CBN crew and Dinampo, a Mindanao peace advocate.

"I just talked with Ces now. Ces is free, she is resting, and she will soon be in the hands of her family," Legarda told radio station DZMM early Wednesday morning.

Legarda said Drilon and her companions had to walk five hours before they were picked up by authorities and brought to the house of Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji.

She said the military operations conducted by the Philippine military helped put pressure on the kidnappers to release their captives.

On Sunday, the military shelled rebel positions on Jolo but denied that the operation had anything to do with the kidnapping.

In a statement dated June 17, 11 pm, the families of the three ABS-CBN TV crew thanked Legarda, local officials of Sulu, and police and military officials for helping free the ABS-CBN team.

"There are people who gave us timely and valuable advice as we grappled with ways to secure the release of Ces, Jimmy, and Angelo. They wish to remain anonymous, but they know how eternally grateful we are to all of them," the families said, in a joint statement released by ABS-CBN corporate communications.

"Above all, the release of Ces, Jimmy, and Angelo could not have been possible without the help of Senator Loren Legarda and the cooperation of the people of Sulu and their local government namely Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and Vice Governor Lady Ann Sahidullah. We thank them and share their hope for enduring peace in Mindanao," it said.

"For their invaluable assistance, we thank Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno; National Police chief Avelino Razon Jr.; officials of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER) led by Senior Supt. Leonardo Espina and Senior Supt. Edgardo Iglesia and the PNP Intelligence Group led by Chief Supt. Rolando Anonuevo and Supt. Winnie Quidato; the Marines based in Sulu led Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban," it said.

Legarda said Drilon kept promising to give P15 million or P20 million to the kidnappers, but when they "realized they wouldn't get anything and when they felt the [military] pressure," they decided to release their captives.

Legarda said Drilon thought she would die in captivity and asked to help get her released. "You are my lifeline," she quoted Drilon as having told her.

Legarda said she coordinated her effort in securing Drilon's release with ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs executives Maria Ressa and Charie Villa.

She said she did not promise the young kidnappers anything, but she told them she knew their parents.

DZMM Correspondent Noel Alamar reported that the turn over was done around 11 pm in Barangay Kagay, Talipao.

They were held for nine days by an armed group believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu island.

"Nandoon po sila sa sa bahay ni [Indanan] Mayor [Alvarez] Isnaji," Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said in an earlier interview over DZMM.

"Sila ay dadalhin dito sa Zamboanga [City] kung saan po ay mag-uundergo sila ng medical check up at pagkatapos po niyan ay isang debriefing para malaman po natin sa kanila directly kung anong nangyari," he added.

There were reports that the armed group kept the captives in the bandits’ lairs in Maimbung and Indanan towns.

The kidnappers initially released ABS-CBN assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama on June 12. He was released by to Jun Isnaji, son of Mayor Isnaji.

Mayor Isnaji, a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader whom the kidnappers agreed to be an emissary, said the kidnappers contacted him through their mobile phones. The negotiating team was led by Sulu Governor Sakur Tan and Vice-Governor Hadja Nur Ana Sahidullah.

When asked if they are going to pursue the kidnap group, Razon said they will have to get more information from the former captives to get a better idea on the identities of the suspects.

"Atin pong titignan po matapos nating madebrief sina Ces Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion at Prof. Dimampo para lalong pagtibayin ang ebidensya na hawak sa grupong ito," he said.

He added that the PNP will maintain it heightened alert on the area until such time the alert is no longer needed.

"Magpapatuloy po muna… at iyan ay ating a-assessin po kung kelangang manatiling ganun," he said.

Razon said the three will be brought to the Jolo provincial hospital for a medical check-up before flying to Zamboanga City for a debriefing. -- with reports from Noel Alamar, DZMM; Jay Ruiz, TV Patrol; Reuters

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Sleeping with the Enemy [2008]

Nope. I'm not talking of the 1991's Julia Robert's movie.. it's real life! A cat adopts a baby rat.

Pet cat's maternal instinct has made her overlook the fact that one of the youngsters she's nursing happens to be a baby rat. (see pic)

According to the Qilu Evening Post, the cat's owner Sun Shujun, of Yantai City, China, reveals that the rodent has been living along with the cat ever since the feline gave birth to four kittens last month.

And, the rat not only nurses alongside the kittens, but also plays with them, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The moggy also makes sure that the rodent does not feel left out by treating it rat exactly as she does her kittens.

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What if I crossed my eyes for 10 minutes?

"Don't cross your eyes -- they'll stick that way!" That's something most of us have heard from our mothers at one time or another. Can they actually stick? Let's take a look at how your eyes work.Your eyeballs are controlled by six muscles. When you look up, down, left or right, the muscles attached to your eyeballs make this movement happen. When you cross your eyes, you're simply telling your muscles to move your eyes inward together. This is something you naturally do when you look at something that's very close to your face.

So was mom's warning just a ruse so you would stop tormenting your younger brother with another one of your gross-out maneuvers? The answer to that question is yes. Although crossing your eyes for an extended period of time might cause a temporary strain on your eye muscles, no medical evidence suggests that they would stick that way. You would most likely suffer from some eye spasms or twitches, and your eyes might feel a bit fatigued, but they would certainly return to normal within an hour or so.

Source: HowStuffWorks

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Welcome Home, Discovery!

Seven astronauts flew space shuttle Discovery back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Saturday to end the latest construction mission to the International Space Station.

Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Ken Ham were at the controls of Discovery as it glided through Florida skies to touch down on time at 11:15 a.m. EDT.

Kelly, Ham and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum and Japan's Akihiko Hoshide spent 14 days in orbit installing the Japanese Pressurized Module to the space station. The module is the largest section of the Japanese laboratory called "Kibo," or hope. Garrett Reisman also returned onboard Discovery. He spent three months living on the space station.

Talking to the news media a few hours after landing, the crew of STS-124 beamed about the flight.

"I think I have the best space shuttle crew of all-time," Kelly said.

Although there are more pieces to add on future flights, Fossum said the addition of Kibo made the station look nearly complete.

"It was a great feeling of accomplishment as we backed away (from the station)," he said.


Hoshide, one of the astronauts of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, spent time on Earth monitoring Kibo's preparation for space. Saying goodbye to it in orbit was not easy.

"When we went to close the hatch, that was a tender moment, it was kind of sad," he said.

NASA and Japanese officials hailed the flight just after landing.

"I can't think of a mission really that's been better than this one," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator of Space Operations. "We're starting to break that tie to planet Earth and get out and do what exploration is."

Discovery returned to its base in good shape, said Michael Leinbach, shuttle launch director.

"It's just a terrific day here at the Kennedy Space Center."

Astronaut Ron Garan came back with a unique spacewalking experience. Perched at one end of the station's long robotic arm, he swung far out and away from the shuttle and station to move a nitrogen tank into place.

"I got the impression I wasn't just looking at the Earth, I was looking at a planet hanging in space," he said.

After a night at Kennedy, the crew will fly to Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA's next shuttle flight is slated for October when the crew of STS-125 is to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Source: NASA

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