My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague

Friday, June 27, 2025

Thirty Longest Words in English

 Here are the 30 longest words in English to add to your vocabulary, in case you have not heard of them.  

1. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis | A lung disease caused by inhaling very fine silicate or quartz dust. (Longest word in a major dictionary)

2. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia | Ironically, the fear of long words.

3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious | A playful, invented word meaning “fantastic” (from Mary Poppins).

4. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism | A mild form of a rare genetic disorder.

5. Floccinaucinihilipilification | The act of describing something as unimportant or worthless.

6. Antidisestablishmentarianism | Originally, a political position against disestablishing the Church of England.

7. Incomprehensibilities | Things that are difficult or impossible to understand.

8. Thyroparathyroidectomized | Having had the thyroid and parathyroid glands surgically removed.

9. Electroencephalographically | In a manner related to measuring electrical activity of the brain.

10. Psychoneuroendocrinological | Relating to psychology, neurology, and hormones.

11. Uncharacteristically | In a way that is not typical for a person or thing.

12. Counterrevolutionaries | People who oppose a political revolution.

13. Radioimmunoelectrophoresis | A scientific method used in medical testing.

14. Microspectrophotometries | Measuring the light spectra absorbed by microscopic samples.

15. Transubstantiationalist | Someone who believes in transubstantiation in theology.

16. Honorificabilitudinitatibus | The state of being able to achieve honors (used by Shakespeare).

17. Insubordinationist | One who consistently disobeys authority.

18. Overintellectualization | Excessive analysis or rational thought.

19. Hypercholesterolemia | The condition of having high cholesterol levels.

20. Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine | The chemical name for the explosive known as tetryl.

21. Mischaracterizations | Inaccurate or unfair descriptions of someone or something.

22. Chrononhotonthologos | A parody tragedy from the 18th century (also a long invented word).

23. Disproportionableness | The quality of being out of proportion.

24. Unconstitutionality | Being inconsistent with or in violation of a constitution.

25. Overcommercialization | Excessive emphasis on making money in cultural or social areas.

26. Deoxyribonucleoprotein | A complex of DNA and protein.

27. Pharmacogenomics | The study of how genes affect drug response.

28. Uncontrollably | In a manner that cannot be controlled.

29. Internationalization | The process of making something international in scope.

30. Anthropomorphologically | In a way that attributes human characteristics to non-humans.

Meanwhile,Here's Pink beach at Komado National Park

Lastly, Presenting the......
The Stunning Golden Blue Arowana! 
This incredible fish, known for its vibrant and iridescent scales, is the Golden Blue Arowana. It's a rare and mesmerizing species found in Southeast Asia, and its beauty is beyond words.
 Fun Fact: The Golden Blue Arowana is considered a symbol of luck and fortune in many cultures!

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Trump and Putin Photos

If you have been reading social media, you probably have seen numerous TACO ( Trump Always chicken out) photos of Trump

This posting I am sharing with you some of the humorous, comical and satire photos of our current president. Enjoy!

https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?phrase=trump+taco

Meanwhile, my photo of the Day:

 You Can Spot the World's Heaviest Eagle! Prepare to be awe-struck! The Philippines is the exclusive home of the Philippine Eagle, also known as the "monkey-eating eagle." 

This isn't just any eagle; it's one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the entire world by length and wing surface area. It's critically endangered, which makes seeing one an extremely rare and privileged experience.

 Its sheer size and majestic presence are truly breathtaking.


Lastly, here are the companies in the Chatbot Race ( From the Washington Post)

Companies in the chatbot race
Return to menuOpenAI: The San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research lab launched as a nonprofit to build “artificial general intelligence” outside of Big Tech’s control. Since then, it’s transformed into a major corporate player, creating image generator DALL-E and chatbot ChatGPT. It is now for-profit and has partnered with companies including Microsoft and Salesforce.
Google: The tech giant — long a leader in AI including via search — launched chatbot Bard after competitors’ offerings went viral. It is known for its LaMDA technology, a system for building chatbots based on large language models.
Their voices are their livelihood. Now AI could take it away.
Microsoft: The software company invested billions of dollarsin OpenAI and teamed up to create a Bing chatbot, developed on GPT-4 technology. But there have been missteps, including when the chatbot went rogue, told reporters it has feelings and called itself Sydney — forcing the tech giant to reel it back in some ways.
Meta: Even before ChatGPT, Facebook’s parent companyreleased a chatbot called Blenderbot, but it failed to gain traction. Its chief artificial intelligence scientist later called the bot “boring” because it was “made safe.”
IBM: IBM was an early leader in artificial intelligence close to the current chatbot trends, most notably with its robot Watson, which captivated audiences on “Jeopardy!”
Have a Good Thursday Afternoon, EveryOne

Sausalito Lunch Excursion- A Panoramic and Gastronomic Delight

Another fun-filled and perfect THD excursion was our Sausalito Ferry Ride and Lunch at THE TRIDENT💚 Restaurant yesterday. Six THD adventurous/eager residents along with our excellent driver LIZA and Capable Activity host TED, enjoyed the perfect clear summer day in Sausalito to the fullest. It is indeed an activity that enhanced our Quality of Life and Sense of Commnunity Belonging here at THD.

Thank You Ted and Liza. I took pictures during this excursion and delighted to share it with you.

My Baked Oysters Appetizer-Reminds Me of my Oyster Rockefeller Recipe

My $18 Tequila Sunrise Cocktail- The tequila sunrise is a cocktail made of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup. The drink is served unmixed in a tall glass. The modern drink originates from the TRIDENT in Sausalito, California, in the early 1970s after an earlier iteration created in the 1930s in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Yee Tock Chee Park-in Honor of Indy's (My Massage Therapist) Grand Father

yee tock chee park

MAD at Yee Tock Chee Park with The San Franciso Skyline in the Background

Another red Cap, I purchased to add to my collection.
💚https://www.thetrident.net/

We want Liza and Ted Again for our next lunch excursion. Thanks again Liza and Ted from the bottom of our hearts.

Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like:

Friday, June 27, 2025

Thirty Longest Words in English

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Trump and Putin Photos

Companies in the chatbot race

Sausalito Lunch Excursion- A Panoramic and Gastronomic Delight

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