I enjoy have coffee with my father in law and his friends in Philippines,Coffee The Old Fashioned Way. Brew the Perfect Baraco Batangas Coffee in your own home!
Kapeng Baraco, or Kapeng Batangas has become synonymous with Batangas, the province girding Taal Lake. In fact, Batangas was once on of the world's coffee capital, thanks to Baraco. Baraco's mouth feel is as "memorable as its strong body and arome." Today, you can enjoy this refined version of Baraco harvested by Batanguenos as their forefathers did. Enjoy the virility of flavor without sweeteners or tame with a bit of coarse brown sugar.
Enjoy the taste and smell of the perfect Kape Baraco Gourmet Coffee in your own home! Kape Barako, also spelled Baraco (English: Barako coffee) is a coffee variety grown in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. It belongs to the species Coffea liberica. The term is also used to refer to all coffee coming from those provinces. Barako is the Filipino term for a tough man.
Kape Barako is prepared using a drip brewing device, French press, or by simply pouring hot water unto the grounds and filtering the mixture using a piece of cloth. Barako is best sweetened with honey or brown sugar. Barako can be used to make espresso and other espresso-based drinks.
Barako is not a common coffee variety, although it is abundant in Southeast Asia especially in the Philippines. It has the largest beans of all the coffee varieties.[citation needed] Its taste is said to be superior to Robusta, and most Filipino coffee drinkers prefer Barako to Arabica. The Arabica-Barako blend is a popular gourmet coffee. Barako is considered to be the best among Liberica species.

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I’ve been a computer user for over 20 years. I was 7 years of age when I first sit in front of “Radio Shack model 1 ” and then Later "Color Computer from Radio Shack" after that CPU, Ms Dos, OS/9,win 3.1, win 95, win 98, etc.. Until now, I had give Linux a go! (it was many years ago) but I couldn't get install on my hardware at the time. My good friend Curt work his butt off help me install it.... Then I used Ubuntu 6.0.4 and WOW!.. Now I am in love with the OS. Everything is perfect, I can customize most of the things visually or technically.. Ubuntu can never be compared in visualization with Compiz (in comparison with windows). This OS is really quick and provides you everything free.. You can watch your favorite movies and series (any codecs), internet surfing is very fast, this OS detected all of my hardware and I didn't have to install anything to get them worked, they are already installed. Installing software is very easy with Synaptic packet manager (or even so easy with “sudo apt-get install” commands).. To give it sum up, this new release of Linux really rocks, and its so hard to leave it and turn back to MS... I would not go back to Microsoft any way.... I am having joy learning Linux commands and deeper details of the OS. Its so hard to believe everything comes free with this OS. You can download any software written by anybody to meet your requirements. For example, I didnt have to install any software to open my microsoft office files such as doc, xls..in Linux. You have to pay quite good money to install MS Office.. Openoffice software came free with Linux. There are so much things to talk about the beauties of this operating system but its way too better to install and start using & learning it. The Microsoft users should know that, it takes some time to customize the things on your desktop, icons colors fonts, sizes etc.. But make it sure that after customizing the things on your desktop, you will see how cool alternatives and themes you can get.. Wow Ubuntu.. Ubuntu.. Ubuntu..


  Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is Here!

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There are a lot of great quotes out there, Here are four quotation of wisdom that will inspire and hope to empower you to achieve ...

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."
Albert Einstein

"It is not clear that intelligence has any long-term survival value."
Stephen Hawking

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.
Thomas Jefferson

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.
Thomas Jefferson


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I'm Home with my family now in Philippines, But here my Christmas gift for you from the Hawaiian Islands.

Do you know how to wish someone a merry Christmas in the Hawaii? You say, “Mele Kalikimaka.”

The Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing Merry Christmas, and so came up with a phonetic translation that rolled more easily off their tongues: MEL-lay KAH-lee-KEY-mah-kah.

The easiest way to learn how to say Mele Kalikimaka is to listen to Bing Crosby sing this classic song from his White Christmas album. Click this link to see a video of Hawaii scenes set to the famous song, Mele Kalikimaka. Soon you’ll be singing right along and Mele Kalikimaka will roll right off your tong....

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ~ Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou




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I'm finally flying home to Philippines. Can't wait to see my asawa (wife), family and friends. After ten long months the time is finally here! Its now 9:30AM HST and I just now finished packing. Checking the weather for next week ect. I'll get home on Christmas eve so it's the holiday so need remember to take it slow and enjoy every moment with family for sharing, for giving, and a time for food, fun, and friendship.

Our Christmas eve in the Philippines is one of the traditions most families celebrate. It is a night without sleep and a continuous celebration moving right into Christmas Day. As December 24th dawns, preparation begins for Noche Buena, which is a family feast that takes place after midnight.

Now! We no winter or snow in the Philippines at Christmas time. There are very few pine trees. We no traditional Yule log or fetching of the pine sprigs from the woods. But yes Santa Claus, though visible in displays and believed by most Filipino children to exist, seldom comes bearing gifts.


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Well it's was about time for a blog post and I've toyed with the idea of writing this for weeks now.... I took some time off from Blogging, and things have been semi-crazy with my work also getting ready for my holiday flight home to the Philippines to be with my family.

I’ve flown dozens and dozens of long haul flights for work or to visit family overseas. (Oh Philippines! Why are you so far away? Not exactly in my own backyard. Even if I live in the Hawaiian islands.)

The Philippines is known as the "Land of Fiestas," and at Christmas time, this is especially true. To most Filipinos, Christmas is the most anticipated fiesta of the year and is celebrated accordingly. The splendid climate of this tropical island nation, the abundance and beauty of its flowers, and lovely landscape, its multitude of culinary delights, and above all its warm-hearted people with their true devotion to family and faith all contribute to a holiday celebrated in the true Philippines fiesta tradition.

I can't wait to fly home. It's always good to go back home and be with my family.

Here is a great link for making your a long journey easier!

How to Be Comfortable on a Long Airplane Trip




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I have two roommates who despise each other, seem to have very little in common besides an abundance of free time and there love for the internet! My roommates can drive me nuts from time to time because I’m also like the old big bother for these two. I feel like Dave Seville, from the move Alvin and the Chipmunks. Maybe it's cramming three roommates into a one-person space in Honolulu, Hawaii Apt. Now for sure it’s usually easier for two roommates to coexist rather than three. The more bodies squeezed into a small space, and it’s more likely that there some type of problems. We work very different hours of the day, we all eat very different types of food and very different needs.

My one roommate has more clothes and shoes than my wife who is a Filipina. Oh my God it’s unreal… and takes every bit of space he can get for his things. The other one has the absolute minimum things that one need to get by in life and try’s to respecting others stuff...etc

My roommates have their own characters. We work hard to cope with each other, otherwise survival would be difficult. I take a lot of time to talk with them and too understand them... also I’m open to their thoughts/ideas/concerns as well everyone has some negative characters and nobody one is perfect.

Roommates can make you still feel like a guest or uncomfortable in your place event if it’s living in a shoebox.

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Well I thought of collating some more reasons which would help you think twice before buying another PC running on Windows!

1. Ubuntu is Free and so any other Linux distro. (Saved ~ $250)
2. You don’t have to buy Office (Word, Power-point, Excel etc.) separately. It comes with OpenOffice preinstalled. (Saved ~ $200)
3. You don’t have to buy costly hardwares for the basic need. (RAM. Processor, HDD etc.)
4. Ubuntu is more stable.
5. You are free from Viruses so you don’t have to buy another upgrade of Norton or any other Antivirus software. (Saved ~ $75)
6. When you have installed Ubuntu, you don’t have to install anything else to get you started with your productivity.
7. You don’t have to wait for years for the bugs to get fixed. You can track them down in Ubuntu.
8. You can update everything on your system with just one update manager. No need to run separate Update manger for all the softwares you installed. (Saves your system resources.)
9. Don’t get tired restarting your computer all the time. You do it almost never with Ubuntu.
10. You are free from Pirated softwares. With Ubuntu you can share it with as many people as you want and it is LEGAL.
11. Don’t have to bother searching the web for new softwares. Ubuntu gets a whole lot of software free of cost to you.
12. Play hundreds of games for Free.
13. Your PC won’t get slower day by day. It happens in Windows only.
14. Use MSN, AIM, ICQ, Jabber, Gtalk, Yahoo and many more with a single program. No need to install separate software for the same thing.
15. Tired of managing multiple windows on your screen. You can use workspaces to manage your work.
16. You old computer will get a second life. Because Ubuntu does not need those high resources as Windows.
17. Jump into the next generation of desktop themes with Compiz fusion and all with lot less resources than Windows Vista.
18. With Ubuntu, you are always free. Free as in Freedom and in Free Beer. Ubuntu is free and will always remain free. (Saves ~ $200 every 2 years when Microsoft releases a new version of its operating system and you have to buy it.
19. All future upgrades of Ubuntu are provided free of cost. Upgrades are released every 6 months.
20. Upgrades are installed automatically. You don’t have to bother about losing your data and redoing lots of personalization. The updates are installed with your permission and only if you want them…not in the background without you knowing it.
    
21. You can tweak your desktop wallpaper or any other setting the way you want it. You can make it look like Windows or Mac (if you want.). You can even get the sidebar you were fascinated in Vista.
22. You don’t have to defrag your hard disk every now and then to boost the performance. Ubuntu does it for you automatically.
23. You don’t have to go to a shop to buy operating system. You can download it anytime you want it and burn it on a CD. You can even burn it on a re-writable CD to save some CDs.
24. Thousand of user are there to help you with when you are stuck. Become a part of Ubuntuforums.
25. You will get free and Long Term Support (LTS) for Ubuntu. Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop version.
    

I think these many reason are enough to get you started with Ubuntu or any other Linux flavor.

If you want to try it now you can download Ubuntu 9.04 now and later it will be updated to the released version.

Dell Computer with Ubuntu installed.

Also if you currently use Linux, then please add a comment to this post, why you use Linux and which distro you use so that others can get more information about it:


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These days, I have been a bit home sick for my asawa (wife) and my family in the Philippines.

When I first came back to the United States of America I never dreamed that I was going to end up being an OFW .

For those of you who don’t know, an OFW is an Overseas Foreign Worker. Unfortunately the Philippines exports manpower to other countries, this leads to a certain amount of “brain drain” back home as only the best and brightest are chosen for overseas work. A contract for a worker is generally one year but can last longer. It is an opportunity for those chosen to make a better life for themselves and their families as they can make far more money being an OFW than they can working back home in the Philippines. The bad side of it is that many do not see their wives and families for long periods of time.

The sacrifices of OFW cannot be avoided as they need to struggle to fulfill their dreams and to achieve success in life. Those hardships and sacrifices should bear good fruits rather than withered tree.

So I'm OFW these days to my asawa (wife) and my family in the Philippines!
I'm an American born in United States of America.

You are The one is a side show and is a tribute to my Loving wife and best friend. Music By: Toni Gonzaga ft. Sam Milby - You Are The One

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Wow, today my one year of sobriety date from using Windows! It feel so great to be free from the blue screen of death. Why switch to Ubuntu Linux? I was fed up with Windows. I hated having crashes all the time, security flaws cropping up every hour on the hour, having to pay for software, and everything else the closed-source community embraces. This why I did it!

My top 10 reasons to switch:

1.It Doesn't Crash.
2.Viruses Are Few and Far Between.
2.Virtually Hardware-Independent.
3.Freedom of Choice.
4.Standards.
5.Applications, Applications, Applications.
6.Interoperability.
7.It's a Community Relationship, Not a Customer Relationship!
8.It's Not About How Big Your Processor is!
9.Linux Is Configurable.

I've booted up in Windows three times, for a total of about an hour. In Ubuntu, everything just works. If I want to talk on Yahoo,Gmail, Facebook,AIM or MSN, I just pop up Pidgin, which is pre installed. Wanna edit images? Just use Gimp! Almost everything you want to use is available right off the bat. Even Open Office.

Ubuntu is a true multi-user operating system. Each user can have his or her own individual configuration all on one computer. This includes the look of the desktop, what icons are displayed, what programs are started automatically when the user logs in and even what language the desktop is in.

Now, I must say, I'm in love with Linux. I'll never go back to Windows as my main system. I will, however, leave it installed for my wife and family. But for me everything I need is included in Ubuntu, and it's very functional.

Some links to check out.

http://www.ubuntu.com/
Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more.

http://www.osalt.com/
Find open source software alternatives to well-known commercial software.

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Last week I was flying back to USA t, and the lounge in the airport at Manila, Philippines was packed with many travelers. There was a throng of relatives and friends who said farewells to their departing loved ones. There was a group of other voyagers anxious to get to their destined locations; a few were traveling to USA, other people to the Middle East and further more to Europe. My family was among them. I was also waiting for this day to come, It was very sad day for me. I going to miss everyone in my family, I will miss my wife (Asawa) so much. it going to be very hard being apart for so long.

In the Philippines at least 2,500 citizens leave each day to earn their living in foreign lands. Many times you will see a couple of persons in a family usually working and residing abroad like myself. The same is a fact with other regions in Asia and other poorer places in the world. What are the factors influencing this exodus of citizens from one region to the other? The first factor is for financial reasons. People want to obtain a better life. Alluring openings like high paying jobs, better working situations and finer standards of living. All of these tempt many people to go abroad.
When leaving to a more economically developed country, a worker usually enjoys a large financial disparity as contrasted with what is generally made from their country of origin. For example, a Filipino nurse, commonly makes about 6000 pesos monthly, approximately US$150 when engaged in the Philippines as compared to making $6000 in a month while working in the USA. The greater salary does not just do god to the immigrated worker but including the family, the immigrant leaves behind.

The third cause is interracial marriage. This will be my wife (asawa). Soon I will make applications so that she will be able stay with me in her new adopted home of USA. But it all take time along time.





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Tomorrow, I fly home to United States of America. I can’t believe my time here in Philippines has come to an end. It has flown by, but we have had the most awesome time with each other. Every time I see my asawa (wife), it makes me a little more sad that she can't come with me - or vice versa or I can't stay here with her. I hope another year does not have to pass until my next visit home to see my family.

Today I cried a silent tear! My asawa (wife) is most special and wonderful woman on Earth too me! I don't want to be apart from her! Mamahalin ko siya magpakailanman. (I will always love her.)

My wife is the best wife ever! Not so long ago, I said to my wife, you should be blogging. "Honey, you feel good to knowing that people want to hear what you have to say. So start blogging and find your voice...." Well now she has started to write her own Blog. It will be great because she has a lot experienc in her field and another can benefit from it. She will love getting emails thanking her for a particular post, especially when someone tells her how she has helped them. This is going to be an amazing feeling for her I'm sure.

So please read my wife’s blog:
Philippines Travel and Life style


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What is twitter you ask? Twitter has become extremely popular all across the Web, with more blogs, and now companies using it to communicate with their audiences and customers. Even I started Twittering a couple of months ago. http://twitter.com/kkodak

But this is just the best, Twitter / BarackObama! Yes new President is on Twitter with brief reports from the president-elect on what he's doing and thinking.




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Desktop Nexus: Wallpapers > Boat Wallpapers > Human Powered Wallpaper


This was taken near my house in the Philippines in the area of Bataan. It is used here at the top of my blog everyday. Now a lot of you have ask me to post it as wallpaper... So here it is!!! Enjoy.


Direct URL: [URL=http://boats.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/33436/][IMG]http://static.desktopnexus.com/wallpapers/33436-bigthumbnail.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Forum Code:[URL=http://boats.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/33436/][IMG]http://static.desktopnexus.com/wallpapers/33436-bigthumbnail.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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It's time to put, the negative things from 2008 behind us and look forward to the hope and change that 2009 will bring! I am very excited by 2009, as I have a lot of plans for this year. Brings with it a sense of renewal.....

Here’s wishing you a grand and glorious 2009, Peace, Health, Money and Success,

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Happy New Year!" That greeting will be said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets under way.

Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.

Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

Well to all, Manigong bagong taon ( Happy New Year )!!! from Philippines.

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Dear Readers, Friends and MY Family

My grateful hearts and warm appreciation for the time we share,and the progress we make possible over this year.Have a Blessed Christmas to you & your family.

More to come in 2009!!!

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New Year's Eve is another one of thous big event. Filipino families believe in welcoming the New Year by preparing a sumptuous feast. They believe that a big feast will bring good luck and prosperity to the family. This gathering is called Medya Noche, where families share the feast on midnight after hearing mass. At midnight, there is a lavish display of fireworks. Firecrackers are believed to help remove badluck and evil spirits.

This custom of making noise and merrymaking is not only meant to have all the fun on New Year but also to drive away evil spirits. The people in Philippines believe banging on pots and pans and blowing on car horns to be the safer methods of merrymaking on New Year.

Another custom is opening the doors during the first day of the New Year is a custom that is followed to bring good luck for the New Year.


Maligayang Pasko or (Merry Christmas) and Have a Happy New Year!

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Philippines has earned the distinction of celebrating the world's longest Christmas season. Christmas celebrations start on the month of Septmeber. Parols or Christmas Stars are everywhere. Caroling would also be heard during the Christmas season in the Philippines. You'll get to see a gang of little kids walking from house to house singing the old time favorite Filipino Christmas carols. Even the older generation may go about caroling as well. Simbang Gabi or Missa de Gallo a nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16 is a novena Masses that is very important part of Filipino Christmas tradition.
Christmas Eve is often celebrated by families at home enjoying a Christmas dinner at midnight. This tradition is called Noche Buena. It is a time for thanksgiving and a time for families and friendsto be together. For Filipinos, Christmas Eve ("Bisperas ng Pasko") on December 24th has the much-anticipated Noche Buena - the traditional Christmas Eve feast after the midnight mass. Family members dine together around 12 midnight on traditional Noche Buena fare, which includes: queso de bola (Spanish: "ball of cheese"; this is actually edam cheese), "Tsokolate" (a hot chocolate drink) and jamon (Christmas ham), and some would open presents at this time.

Maligayang Pasko or (Merry Christmas)
God Bless you and your family.


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