It is remarkable how these Peruvian women separate the ideas of keeping these adorable guinea pigs (known locally as cuy) as household pets, and later on tossed into the frying pan as dinner. In a competition to raise the “fattest, fastest, most fashionable or tastiest rodent,” the indigenous women of Huacho, Peru battle out to keep their home-bred cuy from becoming stuffed swine for the village as such is the fate of the unvictorious hogs.

“We never raise them as pets. We raise them to sell and of course, to eat,” said Betty Andres, from the Ayarpongo community, who was competing to retain her first place title from last year.

Funny how people like us consider this practice to be disgusting or cruel. But come to think of it, stuffed guinea pigs are no less unusual than skillet chicken rosemary. It’s just that, we never dress them in cute little outfits only to see Pepe, the neighbor, taking a bite of its crunchy little tail.

Read Primped Peru guinea pigs tossed in frying pans

More photos here.

Image Source: Reuters Photo via Yahoo! News

Working from home has presented me with a profusion of benefits. And with the aid of technology, conference calls, which one would normally have to undertake in an office equipped with Avaya mechanisms, can now be largely accomplished in a computer outfitted with a softphone utility or more ubiquitously, Skype (works best with your company’s webconferencing provider as all 1-800 numbers are free to call).

But before our entire self-respecting office duty-bound workforce begin clamoring to work remotely (certainly a reticent proposition to avoid the drudgery of daily commute in these hard times), Web Worker Daily busts the corporate myths around Remote Work and provides us with nifty ways to getting the best out of video and audio conferencing solutions.

Read 14 Things Corporations Can Learn from Seasoned Web Workers from Web Worker Daily

HP may have just shattered the record for superfluous packaging when a man received a delivery of a very big box containing wires? No. Worthless AOL media? No. A penguin? No.

What the überbox did contain was 16 smaller boxes “which in turn [each] contained (wrapped in foam so they wouldn’t get broken) exactly two sheets of A4 paper”… So that’s 17 boxes in total to protect 32 pages. A world-class effort there from HP.

A veritable display of total indifference to HP’s commitment to environmental responsibility:

We are committed to reducing the waste generated by our operations at the source. When this is not feasible, we strive to divert waste to beneficial uses.

Last year, the top priorities for our operations continued to be reducing our energy consumption and limiting the solid and hazardous waste we produce.

Source: HP Eco Solutions

[HP shatters excessive packaging world record]

I’ve only started to hit the ground running on my blog and there are still a myriad of things to learn about Wordpress. Being a first-time domain owner, I’ve taken a beating on learning how to configure MySQL databases, installing Wordpress 2.6, and constituting a suitable theme – with the support and assistance of my friends AJ and Will.

What better way to learn about this superb blogging engine than going to a camp? WordCamp Philippines 2008!

Southeast Asia’s first ever WordCamp is in the Philippines and will be held at the College of St. Benilde on September 6, 2008 (Saturday), from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Inexperienced bloggers like me will benefit from the wealth of knowledge and expertise presented at the WordCamp’s Deployment (Usage) and Development Tracks. Topics include:

• Blogging 102 - Basics & Beyond
• Other Ways to Use WordPress
• Video and Mobile Blogging
• Cascading Style Sheets
• Blog Monetization
• Migrating to WordPress
• Organizing / Optimizing Your WordPress Blog
• Advanced WordPress Management
• Developing WP Plugins / Best Practices in PHP Coding
• Designing WP Themes
• WordPress & SEO
• WordPress E-commerce Site
• Configuring & Deploying WordPress MU
• Developing WP Aggregator Sites
• WordPress Security / Anti-Hacking Techniques
• WP Development Ethics
• Microformats

Made possible by the Mindanao Bloggers and the following sponsors:

• i.PH: the Domain for Individuals
• Free Online Flash Games
• Wazzup Manila Philippines
• Real Estate CRM
• Real Estate Website Designers
• Orange County Real Estate
• Auto Insurance Quotes
• Lane Systems Inc.
• RedMedia

See you all at the Camp!

As I have assimilated into my new Work-At-Home (WAH) job, fundamentally a sitting job totally unlike my previous role as a trainer/instructor, I have grown to dislike how oily my face can get after hours of staring at a computer monitor. A greased face against a bright console conjures up images of crispy lechon skin. Mmmmmm.

To fight the battle against possible roasting-by-radiation, I use a strange concoction called the Mask of Magnanimity from Lush, you get two jars for Php325—a very good deal!. The description on the label is hilarious: “Big Green Giant of a Face and Back Pack!” Noting that I already have an allegedly large face on account of my plump cheeks, the allusion becomes so much more amusing.

The stuff tigthtens and refreshes your skin with its “pepperminty” essence. Bits of ground Aduki beans, (sweet beans used in various Chinese delicacies) enhance the experience with an exfoliating feature. I apply the face pack just before beginning to work on labor intensive projects or extended conference calls. Sometimes I resist the urge to laugh thinking how my colleagues (or other people) would react seeing me in my underwear and a big green giant of a face.

[Lechon Image Source]

This blog is a reflection of my vivid and complex inner life. I do a great deal of introspection on things ranging from the ephemeral to the eternal. Some of these thoughts will cause people, myself included, that type of embarrassment which induces a full-frame internal wince, where memories become objects of fascination and repulsion all at once.

I am fascinated by how books render readers into the character’s own mind much like how I would transport myself into deep self- introspection. Current favorites are Gael Garcia Marquez, Neil Gaiman, Edward P. Jones (The Known World), and David Foster Wallace (Oblivion).

Oh, but please don’t think that I am always so serious! Physically, I am what one might call a hobbit. You may never know that I have such a studious bend.

Music is my other passion. My religious upbringing has provided me with a natural affinity towards Gospel (of course), R&B, Pop, Classical, and Vocal genres. But I also like to get crazy with Hip Hop, and occasionally, Trip Hop (Massive Attack) sans the narcotics.

My iPersonic type assessment has determined my personality to be an Independent Thinker pertinently described by these adjectives:

• introverted
• theoretical
• logical
• planning
• rational
• independent
• intellectual
• self-confident
• analytical
• structured
• dogged
• witty
• resolute
• self-critical
• visionary
• inventive
• independent
• unsociable
• reserved
• nonconformist
• quiet
• visionary
• honest
• demanding
• hardworking

If you’re like me, then we should get along pretty well. If not, one moment and I will have my cosmopolitan and amiable personality assist you. Kidding.

Welcome to my blog and God bless!