eDz pOmtiDDlypOmPoM

On presenting and other thoughts and complications

2011-11-09T14:56:00.001+08:00

Currently I’m stuck in a dilemma. I’ve learned just today, 9 November/ Wednesday, at around 8AM that I will present at the NIGSCON 2011 on 10 November/ Thursday, 10:30AM. Wow. I assumed that since I wasn’t able to submit an abstract, though I submitted a title, I’ll be automatically removed from the symposium. But no. Huhuhu. It was my professor/mentor/adviser/boss who even texted me this morning to let me know my name was included in the program. I panicked; I didn’t know what to do. She told me to remove my name from the program otherwise “masisisi na naman tayo dyan”, as she have stated. I am now confused whether to present or not. Whoo. Decisions, decisions. If you cannot defend your decision with conviction and honesty, be ready to suffer the consequences. If I present, I MAY suffer the consequence of having a bad presentation; a presentation not reviewed by my adviser. If I do not present, I WILL suffer the consequence of failing my professor, forsaking my slot in the symposium, and just being a coward. Take note of ‘MAY’ and ‘WILL’. For someone reading this, the logical answer should be: mag-present ka na! What’s 15 minutes of talking in front of scholarly people for someone who keeps on talking almost non-stop all day? Yun yun e. The difference lies in the AUDIENCE. Bring me in front of my fellow youth to talk about leadership, passion, achieving your dreams, being happy and contented, no problem with that! It’s very easy. Impromptu speech about inspiring others, go! Sudden introductory/opening remarks, I’m game!

But this… the academic people… AYAYAY! It’s a different ball game. They will criticize you, scrutinize you, hang you dry in the open. In short, they will eat you alive!!! Gusto ko ba ‘to??? Gusto ko ba ‘to???

I am writing this entry because I need to feel again how to write. It has been quite a while since I last wrote in a journal, complete with all the emotions and all those English words. I just have to get my juices flowing again.

I’ve thought a lot of things to blog lately. Every time I would experience something great, a realization or insight or something funny/wonderful/sublime, I would tell myself, “This is worth blogging”. Compendiums of consciousness were stored in my memory. However, they have seemed to lodge in the frontal lobe’s short-term memory area, where it can only be remembered to a maximum of seven to eight seconds. Sigh. I’m trying to probe my long-term memory for possible records of such compendiums.

Searching…

File not found…

YET.

Soon perhaps.

Sigh. Reading what I’ve written above makes me feel compelled to do it. Just do the frickin’ presentation! Just present! Fifteen minutes plus five minutes of questioning, that’s it! Never mind if you’re exposed. Never mind the flaws. Never mind the mistakes and the humiliation you’ll feel if someone will badger you with questions. I know that after this presentation, I will come out relieved, stronger, and not afraid to face my professor. Kasi I need her signature for my Form 5 eh, hahaha!

LET’S GO EDZ!!!

THAT WHICH DOES NOT KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER!!!

travel abroad...

2011-08-21T23:31:00.002+08:00

2008- Melbourne/Sydney, Australia

2009- Bangkok, Thailand & Castellaneta Marina/Rome, Italy & Singapura

2010- Vienna, Austria

2011-??? Bakit wala??? :( dapat Hawaii, USA e :( huhu sayang. :( o 'di kaya Madrid, Spain. Not yet too late!!! please Lord one travel abroad this year! :D :D :D

The Legend of Zelda

2011-08-13T23:28:00.003+08:00

Bata pa lang ako, nilalaro na ng mga kapatid kong lalaki ang The Legend of Zelda. Nakaka-intriga yung pangalan ng video game, ang sarap pakinggan. Ang ganda ganda ng pangalang Zelda, ang ganda ganda rin ng pagkaisip ko nun sa hitsura ni Zelda. Tapos nung nalaman ko na yung bida, si Link, nais niyang iligtas si Princess Zelda mula sa masasamang kamay ni Ganon, lalo akong mas naintriga at naging masugid na taganood sa mga kapatid ko habang naglalaro. Oo, tiga-nood lang ako nun kasi four years old lang ako at hindi pa talaga marunong mag-Nintendo.

Mas natuwa ako kay Princess Zelda kesa kay Princess Peach ng Mario. Ewan ko, ang korni kasi ni Peach e, parang pa-cute. E etong si Zelda may powers kasi siya at mukhang hindi lang maarte na prinsesa na patapon. Gusto ko yung ideya na mandirigma rin siya.

Kahit na alam kong olats ako maglaro ng game na ito, wala lang, gusto ko siya. Gusto ko kasi yung plot, ang astig e, me mga salamanca eklavu. At naalala ko kasi kailangan mong gamitin utak mo pag naglaro ka nito, parang Diablo RPG. :)

Sana makapunta ako sa isang party or sa comic con tapos yung suot ko si Princess Zelda :D

thoughts today

2011-08-05T10:17:00.001+08:00

the anger grows, it builds up, like the snowball effect.

next comes apathy.

i hope i don't reach this.

if i do...

i don't know what will happen.

commuting with the right outfit

2011-07-31T22:18:00.017+08:00

I have no qualms with commuting. Really. I am a COMMUTER GIRL. But I have one requirement:

THAT I'D BE DECKED IN THE PROPER YET STYLISH COMMUTING ATTIRE.

Weather 1: Sunny and humid.

Shorts just above the knees or commonly called as puruntong is okay by me. Perhaps I can pair it with a collared sleeveless top tucked in my shorts with a belt. Every time you tuck your shirt in jeans or slacks with belt flaps, ALWAYS wear a belt. Sandals are okay but definitely not slippers. I think I've outgrown the "slipper phase". Sige tingnan mo paa mo pagkatapos magcommute pag naka-tsinelas. Super dumi diba? For me, the sandals I'd like to wear is Birkenstock (hindi ako pa-sosyal okay, pero yung porma ng Birkenstock yung gusto ko). Still I'd opt for closed shoes over sandals while commuting in this weather. I don't want to wearpekpekshorts as these do not only attract peeping toms/harassers but you invite all the dust and bacteria to enter in your down there. Yuck. At baka kung anu-ano na lang ang dumikit sa hita mo, lalo na pag sumasakay ka ng bus. Buti na lang malamig sa MRT, bacteria is slower to proliferate compared to buses and jeepneys. But still, there's bacteria everywhere. Another thing to consider is the material of your clothing. You can opt for sweat wicker tops and bottoms so that when you perspire, your body will remain cool. Sleeveless tops are enough, don't go for spaghetti straps or tube tops. Again, dust and bacteria and soot will anchor themselves onto your skin. Kung ang biyahe mo ay maikli lang, siguro pwede na rin ang mga maiikling damit or damit na nagpapakita ng balat. Pero kung tipong Parañaque to QC, think twice. Anyway here's a summary of what I think should be worn for this weather:

Bottoms: -puruntong/boyfriend shorts (not pekpek shorts)

-pants with lightweight material- avoid corduroys and thick jeans

-skirt (can be a about and inch above the knee-this should be the shortest length)

Tops: -sleeveless tops

-short-sleeved shirts

-shirts with sweat wicker material

Shoes: -sandals NOT slippers

-closed shoes with lightweight material

-sneakers

Accessories: any that will suit your get-up but make sure they don't jangle much

these are really cute necklaces, teehee! :)

Bag: any just as long as they're closed or outfitted with a zipper or flap

i didn't know that this was the Prada Fairies bag! haha! i just thought it was a stylish and classy bag but i was surprised that it is PRADA! naku! if you bring this while commuting, patay tayo dyan! just bring this extremely expensive bag when you're NOT commuting!

Dresses: okay but length shouldn't be too short and sleeves shouldn't be spaghetti

Weather 2: Wet and cold.

Naku, in the Philippines, this is a BIG problem. When it rains, it's a DOWNPOUR, especially during the monsoon months. That is why, as much as I can, I equip myself for this weather type. I don't want to be caught unprepared. Kaya if there's a sale on rain gears, I buy them kahit na summer pa lang. I don't want to get wet all over. I don't want to suffer from the cold, lalo na lamigin ako. And my pet peeve of all, I DON'T WANT MY FEET TO GET WET!!! Yaaak! Proven na yan! Maarte talaga ako when it comes to my feet getting soaked in URBAN RAINWATER! Yaaaak! Baka may leptospirosis pa yun! Wala akong pakialam kung nasa bundok ako or nasa ilog or sa dagat sa malayong lugar, yung hindi populated, okay lang sakin ma-soak sapatos/paa ko roon, pero sa ciudad! Hell no! Yaaak! Iniisip ko pa lang umuurong na pwet ko, eeeew! Naiiyak nga ako minsan pag nararamdaman ko nang nababasa na siya e. Minsan kasi umuulan sa kalagitnaan ng biyahe ko, e hindi ako naka-outfit ng maayos! Huhuhu! For me, the MOST important item to invest in in this weather type are your SHOES, really.

Bottoms: -jeans with thick material- wear this provided that you tuck them in your boots

-pants with quick dry material- if you don't have boots where you can tuck your bottoms

-skirts that are not too short but your boots should be calf-length or knee-length high

-leggings

Tops: -long-sleeved shirts that can be worn as is or folded into three-fourths

-turtle neck tops for that extra cold and wet season

-thick and long-sleeved tops- if you're not wearing a jacket

-quick-dry shirts

Jackets: -preferably waterproof rain jackets (I recommend TNF or Columbia or the like)

-trench coats with waterproof material for heavy downpours

-denim jackets for the cold winds and rain

-cardigan/sweaters and the like for the cold winds but not really for the rain

cardigans can really jazz up your attire :)

UMBRELLA of course!

i do hope i have this kind of umbrella! ikaw na ang astig na payongyong!

Shoes: -RAIN BOOTS! The best!!! Tried and tested! Nomad Turquoise Blue Monet!

-waterproof field/climbing boots- Mine are Vasque field boots. They can be stiff and heavy for my small feet but it does the job of protecting them!

-shoes that you don't mind getting wet but will protect your feet from the icky urban rainwater which carries a smorgasbord of bacteria

my peyborit!!! yey!!!

i feel confident to step into shallow puddles with these sturdy and durable boots! :)

Accessories: anything suitable for your outfit but make sure it wouldn't tarnish or get oxidized easily as rain water can be acidic up to some extent. It would be nice if they are colorful. Add life to the gloomy weather :)

Bag: preferably not leather or cloth.

Dresses: Hmmm... if you can pull it off and not feel grossed out by splashing urban rainwater on your calves if you're not wearing high boots, why not? :)

So friends, these are just a few tips on what and what NOT to wear during these weather conditions here in Manila. Actually I haven't included here yet the weather in between, like windy and sunny, cloudy but warm, sunny then cloudy then wet (oh this can be the worst as you don't know what you'll wear at the start of the day!), etc. Perhaps will post them some other time. :)

Bottom line is, be prepared for the weather so that you'll find commuting easier and relatively comfortable. And don't hesitate to throw in a few style punches as this can make your experience more fun. :)

sporadic boredom

2011-07-30T12:43:00.002+08:00

I wonder why at times I'll just feel bored of things. I lose all that jazz, pizzazz and razzmatazz for life. I feel lost and a bit downtrodden but I don't know what's eating me up. I lose focus of the things I need to do. Like today for instance, I have a vicariate meeting at 2pm then dance class from 3pm to 6:30pm. I know I HAVE to attend but I'm seated here in my RA room, plastered in front of my laptop and feel like I haven't done anything for my thesis whereas I've been working on it almost the whole day yesterday. It's this effin' thesis that makes my life miserable. Really. As in REALLY. It's like an anchor to my body. I can't go/accomplish/achieve anything FULLY with this anchor attached to me.

I HAVE TO BREAK FREE!!!

LORD GIVE ME STRENGTH!!! I need it, please!

LBM Monday

2011-07-25T23:59:00.001+08:00

Yep. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I had loose bowel movement today; LBM for short, but I hope not for long, haha! There are those times when you feel not going to your appointment or to work or to school, you feel like ditching it. I have friends who experience the same thing, backing out of a "date" or whatever. And normally, the advice I'll give, "tsong, sabihin mo me LBM ka. surefire reason yan." Pag inisip mo, how can you not excuse someone who has LBM diba?

Well, okay nga na dahilan ang LBM KUNG WALA KA TALAGANG LBM. Pero mare, kung meron talaga, e GRABE talaga ang LBM. Ikaw na! Ikaw na ang balik nang balik sa banyo kada oras! At kung malala talaga, tulad na lang nung after ng WYD 1995, ikaw na! Ikaw na ang limang beses sa isang oras pabalik-balik sa banyo! Oh my poor pwet :( Ngayon hindi na ganun kalala. Kada oras lang ako bumabalik, haha!

I think my LBM had something to do with all those INSTANT NOODLES I ate for the past week. At hindi lang pala instant noodles, CANNED GOODS din! Shet. Ang dami ko na sigurong inflammations in my body and my brain might get weak! Ugh! Nooooo! I can't afford for my brain to get weak until I finish my MS! Give me until December!!!

Kaya kanina, bigla na lang ako napabili ng Fontana vegetable juice (blech!) which contained concentrated juices of tomato, celery, beet, onion, paprika, carrots, and other vegetavles. Paprika?! Onion?! In a juice?! Blech!!! But I just had to. Food supplement din yun. I was supposed to buy cranberry nga e, kaso too much fructose. I've been drinking cranberry for the past two weeks. Tama na. Vegetable juice naman, hehehe. Kahit na yucky. Yuck!

Oh well, I need to be healthy again. Tama na yang noodles na yan! Or siguro hanggang maubos ko yung Lucky Me Kari flavor noodles. Ang sarap e! Haha! :D

when you were with someone for a long time and suddenly all ties were severed...

2011-07-24T13:47:00.002+08:00

when you were with someone for a long time and suddenly all ties were severed...

it sucks, doesn't it?

you long for that person.

you wish for that person to notice you again.

you strongly hope to be friends again.

you desire to bring back those memories you shared with that person.

when you know that that person can calm your heart.

when you feel all that you're doing is futile but you know when you go to that person, everything will be alright.

when you find solace in that person amidst the chaos.

when everything in your life crumbles and still the only one left standing is that person.

sigh.

and you know it's all your fault why everything became severed...

it sucks, doesn't it?

Less is more

2011-07-23T16:20:00.000+08:00

Is less really more?

I've encountered this cliche many times. But two events stuck to my mind. One was a conversation about fashion with Lia Javier, a highschool buddy of mine whom I've worked with in J&J and who's now in Australia piling on the dough in her bank account; another was in a meeting with my Vicariate bros, all of them men, biologically speaking. It was Kuya Toffee who brought up this idea, which he and his wife applied to their lives. Nung kami ni Lia, inapply namin sa fashion. Nung kay Kuya Toffee, inapply namin sa life.

And I thought to myself that maybe, less IS more, especially in life. You only need one pair of shoes that can probably last a year, not several pairs. You only need a few clothes to dress yourself up properly, not two closets filled with clothing you don't actually wear everyday. You only need a simple watch or simple jewelry, i.e. a nice pair of pearl earrings, and not boxes and boxes of trinkets and accessories. You only need one cellphone that can call and text, not a phone that has everything in it including a TV, music shizz, and games. What's the use of your TV and computer at home? You only need a simple meal, one rice, one viand, and probably vegetables, and not too many food on your plate which you cannot finish at na-"takaw tikim" ka lang. You only need one bag or two to fit in your things, and not several with varying colors, style, and sizes. You only need one jacket to protect yourself against the elements, and not so many that it takes up much space in your closet. You need a material that is inexpensive but functional and can meet your needs, not something that is way expensive because it's branded. You need not go to salons to get a manicure/pedicure/foot-hand spa/wax to feel beautiful; just being happy and content with your life and doing good deeds makes you FEEL beautiful.

Everything that I have now was driven by my WANT and not by my NEED. It was also driven by my "society-conscious" persona (see my Ang PUNYETANG society article in my earlier posts). Bad trip talaga yang society. I've decided to probe deeper into myself and started to evaluate my style and attitude towards material things--- what makes me WANT MORE when I actually NEED LESS. And I found out that:

I love fashion. I like dressing up. I like expressing myself through clothes. I like wearing accessories, fashionable clothing, stylish yet functional shoes, etc.

I like branded but exceptionally-crafted goodies. I believe branded goods have a reason why they are more expensive than those that are not. More time at the R&D department, multiple road tests of the product, skillful craftsmen are employed in creating the product. In short, there is a VALID REASON why they are expensive. But then again, there are branded goods that are just awful and would make you wonder why the hell is that thing extremely expensive. Like my friend who bought a Bam Pineda blue poncho worth 1800+ (sale pa 'yun!). What struck me at first glance is the color of the material--- electric blue. And also yung cut and style nung damit, mukhang okay naman, jersey style poncho. Edi okay siya, maganda-ganda naman, but not super wow. Plain lang ito ha, no embellishments at all. I asked my friend where he bought it and he said he bought it from Bam Pineda's atelier. I asked how much and he told me the price and I was like, "What??? Nasa'n na ang 1800 dyan???" I was furious!!! True, it's one of a kind, pero nasan na yung HALAGA ng 1800 doon??? The materials used were hideous! Parang matte jersey cloth na ginagamit sa uniform ng mga atleta!!! Eto pa! The drawstring used for the neckline was like the string found in the drawstring short na mabibili sa BANGKETA! Nasaan ang 1800 dun?!?!?!

The problem with some Filipino designers is that they invest sooo much on the mentality na "one-of-a-kind" lang yung produkto nilang ginagawa when the QUALITY of their clothes suffer!

... I've written this blog entry since August 2010 and it will be August 2011 soon and haven't finished it yet! Haha! Might as well post it anyway. I bet I can think of other entries related to this. I'll just write a new one for that. For now, I'll publish this na! :D

The Unsung Heroes of the Night

2011-07-06T20:30:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to write this blog for a long time but didn't get the chance to really sit down and write my thoughts. This article dawned upon me when I go home late at night and get to see the tired and weary workers shuffle in and out of buildings and vehicles. So who are these unsung heroes of the night?

1. Bus conductors

Yes driving can drain the energy from you but being a bus conductor, I think, drains energy the HELL OUT OF YOU. They're the ones who call out to people, "'yala lalim, 'yala lalim (Ayala ilalim)" and "'rtigas krosing, 'rtigas krosing (Ortigas Crossings)", "o marami pa, marami pa". And yes, they have to shout it at the top of their lungs, multiple times at pedestrians and commuters to get their attention. They risk their lives by jumping on and off the bus while it's still moving. Ang hirap kaya nun! When I tried to jump in the bus as it was starting to speed up, I slipped on the ledge and my shin landed right smack on the edge of the stairs! ARAY talaga! It left an ugly scar and dark mark on my once-beautiful (ching!) legs. Kader-der ang hitsura!

Kinakabahan nga ako every time the conductors will do that feat. Another difficult thing is giving and receiving passengers' money and ticket. You have to be an EXPERT in arithmetic. Bawal ang babagal-bagal todits. Also in tearing the ticket from the roll, dapat mabilis at malinis, you should know where the ticket per amount is located in your roll. Just thinking about it makes me uneasy kasi iniisip ko kung ako yun, oh no! OH NO TALAGA! Kaboom! Pandemonium na sa loob ng bus! Another malupit feat is that the conductor should memorize, more or less, who has paid or not. Ang hirap diba??? And you have to reach your quota for the day! Each bus has a quota, and the money they earn on top of that, goes to their pockets. Kaya dapat kayod ng OA so they can bring home enough money. Nakatayo pa sila most of the time inside the bus.

E pa'no kung gabi na, like 12mn? Isn't this task just too taxing and wearisome??? When you could have been at home resting by 8pm and having dinner with your family. Juggling arithmetic, memorization, dexterity skills, voice modulation and physical stress all at the same time is just a mean feat. Mabuhay ang mga konduktor ng bus!

2. Late shift fast food/restaurant crew
After feeling satisfied with your delicious food, you stand up, leave your table and plates uncleaned, get your things, and head for the car. A maitre d' then approaches your table and cleans the mess you've done. What if you decided to eat at around 9pm and eat for an hour? Can you imagine the hassle for the restaurant crew to be cleaning at 10pm whereas some people, as early as 8pm, are already sleeping? I've seen these men and women work hard, trying to utter a smile and produce a cheerful aura even if they're tired. If the restaurant closes at 10pm, makakauwi pa sila around 11pm or 12mn because they still have to clean the place and ready it for the next day. Just thinking about their job makes me tired.

3. Late shift mall/school/office maintenance/staff
After everyone has gone home at around 9 or 10pm, the mall maintenance/staff stay up late and check if everything is in shape. Sigh. How would you feel if everyone's going home already and you have to stay and fix things and everything that surrounds you seem dark and desolate...

4. Jeepney drivers/tricycle drivers working the late shift

'nuff said. You be the one to imagine this.

5. Vendors during late nights
That's what I always think about when I see these unsung night heroes. Why are they out here cleaning/working at this late hour when they should be at home resting, sleeping? I guess that's just how it goes to earn a living. But shouldn't these people deserve a decent salary? Compared to the politicians who, after JUST signing some legal papers, meron silang mga "lagay" na tinatawag. Mga leche sila! Corrupting taxpayers' money! Hayop yang mga pulitiko na yan, ang dami-daming naghihirap ngunit eto sila, taking more than what they should receive! At the end of the line, marginalized people get shortchanged and end up breaking their back to work! CORRUPT POLITICIANS MAKE ME SO ANGRY!

I've started writing this way back in August 2010 and it's only now that I've completed it. I wasn't actually able to add more, except for a few lines perhaps. This is it.

So people, next time you go home late, if you feel tired and weary and you feel like lashing out at someone, let's say the late night restaurant crew or the tindera sa kanto or the bus conductor, think twice.

i am now alright.

2011-07-06T20:06:00.002+08:00

after this afternoon's accomplishment of tasks, i feel relieved! :) eventhough i've only finished one out of three tasks, i still feel unburdened. perhaps THAT problem was the thing bothering me the most. sigh. thank you so much Lord :) now i can be focused on my other to-do tasks such as the thesis and that something else that requires money. i've also finished paying my braces! woohoo! so more money to save! but i've taken up dance classes at Symmetry so that'll also make a dent in my savings. hmmm. i think i should compute how much i'm saving monthly.

let's go go go thesis!

completely blank.

2011-07-06T13:30:00.002+08:00

My life right now is in shambles. Sigh. I know I've experienced far worse problems than these, but I don't know, these problems I'm facing right now seem to burden me much more. :( I catch myself staring blankly into empty space, thinking nothing, thinking anxiously, thinking nervously then thinking nothing again. Sigh :( what's happening to me... :(

Fun time with Audrina! :D

2011-01-14T22:49:00.002+08:00

I finally got home after spending five days at school. I felt like I've been gone for ages. I went upstairs to make mano and kiss Mama, si Papa kasi na-mano and kiss ko na because he picked me up from school. I hurried upstairs kasi nararamdaman ko na si Audrina and just the thought of seeing her made me giddy with excitement! When I opened the door of my parents' room, Audrina was there! Lying on the bed with Mama! And then she immediately arose and looked at me and flashed her pretty pretty smile! Oh my heart melted and as I walked towards her, you could see her eyes lighting up some more and her smile became even wider, haha! Then she giggled and hid her face on Mama's thigh, haha so cute! And when I called her, "Audrinaaaa! I missed you, halika rito!" She stood up on the bed, went to me, and flung her arms around me, and I felt all my troubles float away! Ang sarap sarap!!! :)

Namomroblema na ko sa kotse kanina, pero isang ngiti, isang yakap, at isang halik kay Audrina, nawala na lahat ng problema ko. Sigh :) Tapos eto pa, when Papa and I were eating dinner, Audrina wanted to play with me. Naghabulan kami around the house, hahaha! And we were laughing all the time!!! Ang saya saya ko! It was truly a GENUINE, INNOCENT, and JOYFUL laugh! Oh how I will remember that moment with Audrina :) Kaya ko nga sinulat kasi I can't contain my feelings about it, ang saya! Ang sarap sarap tumawa with Audrina! :) Pure joy lang talaga, walang kailangan na mental work. Matatawa ka sa tuwa. Sigh. :)

Audrina, tita patricia loves you very much! :)

I need you Lord

2010-12-28T19:48:00.002+08:00

Dear Lord,

I am in total distress right now. I don't know what to do anymore. But I know that every time I write to you, I feel better. Thank you for making me feel that way.

I am calling and begging for help from you. You know my deepest thoughts, desires, and problems. You are the only one who can truly remedy and calm my anguished self. Sigh. I don't know if there's a way out of the problems I'm facing right now. I just want to disappear and not feel this way anymore. What happened to my optimism??? What happened to my enthusiasm towards life??? So this is how it feels like when you get overwhelmed by problems. They become too big, too foreboding, it crushes your life and laughs on your face. It's like my orbitals are all full and every electron that wants to attach to me, wala na, tumatapon na. Haha sorry Lord hanggang todits ang geek ko. Well I guess I just want to make myself laugh. And what better way to do it than talk to you! :) Sigh. I love you. Thank you for all the blessings you've given me. They are abundant and priceless. Just thinking about them makes me feel loved and blessed and I think they serve as reminders of a full life that I'm living. Maraming salamat po.

Lord, teach me to count my blessings. Open my eyes to the wonderful graces you've showered me and my family. May I not see my problems as a burden, but rather as a gift from you, to make me feel that you still care for me and that you'll forever love me. Thank you :') I've written you numerous times, be it in my notebooks, my blog, on a piece of paper. I guess it's my strongest way of communicating--- writing. And you've never failed to bring me happiness, joy, and contentment. I love you Lord. Thank you.

As I finish this entry, I feel relieved and light. It's amazing how your powers work in as fast as five minutes, even sooner! Wow! It sure beats any panacea ever created. Thank you for making me feel this way.Ang galing! Even if I don't see you, your presence is felt, it's really amazing. Oh how I love you Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. :)

I love you. Thank you. :)

x_x

2010-12-28T18:19:00.004+08:00

Nahihirapan na ako. Pagod na ako. Malapit na akong sumuko. Hindi ko alam kung ano nang gagawin ko. Nagpatong-patong na ang mga problema ko. Hindi ko na kinakaya. The feeling of sadness and despair overwhelms me so much that I just want to die. Literally.

Sukdulan na.

:')

2010-12-27T19:03:00.002+08:00

Ito'y kantang nilikha ni Mr. Ryan Cayabyab at kinanta ng San Miguel Master Chorale. Isa na ito sa mga paborito kong OPM love songs. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam kapag mayroong mag-aalay sa iyo ng napakagandang awitin na ito... Maikli subalit punung-puno ng emosyon :)

Iniibig Kita

Kulang ang araw at gabi 'pag kita'y kapiling.
Kahit ang bukas ay 'di rin sapat upang mamasdan lamang kita.
Labis kitang minamahal, pag-ibig ko'y walang kapantay.
Kung kaya ko lang abutin ang mga bituin t'yak ito'y gagawin.

Malaman mo lang wala nang ibang mas hihigit pa sa pag-ibig ko sa'yo.
Walang ibang nagmamahal nang tulad ko sana'y paniwalaan mo.
Iniibig kita.

collage of me going to Benguet

2010-12-20T18:39:00.002+08:00

I took these photos while going to Sinipsip, near Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet. No post-processing involved! :)

On spending

2010-09-30T23:49:00.004+08:00

Tonight I shall write not the saddest lines, but only sad lines about my life.

I'll be writing how I'm such a BIG SPENDTHRIFT!!! Buy this, buy that, buy here and there and everywhere!!! Aaargh! I'm angry at myself for being like this, huhu. :( How can I be prudent when it comes to spending??? How can I curb my habit of spending too much like there's no tomorrow??? Oh Lord please help me!!!

I'm not rich. I don't have limitless supply of money. I should only buy what I NEED and NOT WHAT I WANT. I should develop a stronger sense of saving for the future and saving for a rainy day. I should think of long term investments that builds up my future rather than something that just caught my fancy and drains my money at hand, like accessories. Goodness how I love accessories! And clothes! And shoes!

TAMA NAAAA! Please! Lord, teach me how not to be a spendthrift. Teach me how to be prudent and practice self-control over material things. These things that I buy, they are just things that don't contribute any meaning in my life. Pampasikip lang sila ng bahay at ng cabinet. Please channel my spending spree in other matters, like finishing my thesis writing! And helping the poor!

Oh man I really should stop spending on nonsensical items. :(

Cooking for family :)

2010-08-29T14:54:00.003+08:00

It's just sheer joy to spend quality time with family!

Yesterday, I cooked caramelized pineapple with ice cream for my Mama, Papa, Kat (she was here), and BingBing. Too bad, the others weren't around. I also prepared pesto, a quick recipe over the phone courtesy of Adong, hehe. It's just super fun to do something good--- and delicious---for your loved ones, 'no? Gives me that sense of "completeness". :)

Later tonight, I shall be cooking sole with spinach, an easy to prepare dish but healthy. It also adheres to the blood type diet my brother's following. Next week kaya, what shall I prepare? Hmmm...

Oh! I can't cook next Sunday pala, there will be a bazaar at the park and everyone's invited to eat there because it's a fundraising activity by the church. So no cooking next week. By the way, Kat and I will have a HumanHeartNature booth there, so I hope you, dear readers (if there are any, haha :D ), can come on 5 September 2010, 8am-9pm, at the Tahanan park for some Sunday-afternoon eating and shopping! :)

Women leaders

2010-08-25T17:30:00.002+08:00

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT!

The women leaders of BIDA Change! :D

Maan Palmenco, Edz Mendoza, Tracy Villanueva, and Noey Arcinue

thoughts again in the xrd lab

2010-08-25T16:02:00.002+08:00

I find myself writing and thinking a lot while here in the XRD lab. Maybe because this lab fosters an atmosphere of "if-you-don't-appear-busy-you'll-be-asked-a-lot-of-questions". Haha!

I'm all alone in the XRD lab now, and I must say, it's good to work here. No one's around, the surrounding's bright, it's cool, it's quiet, it's conducive to write. I'm a social animal but there are times I just want to be alone with myself. Masarap din pala yung ganung feeling. Mahirap kasi makakita ng tao na katugma mo talaga, pero swerte ako kasi may nakita na ko. But sometimes being alone is just the way to go.

Losing Momentum

2010-08-12T18:16:00.002+08:00

Oh no.

I'm scared.

I think I'm losing momentum for my thesis. This week have passed and what have I done that's substantial? Nothing so much really. Just prepared oriented slides for XRD. And today's already Thursday! Oh man! I'll do sieving tonight to prepare my samples for oriented analysis then by tomorrow do the oriented slides. I have checked with Kuya Joval my samples and he'll just grind them in the agate mortar then I'll have all my samples with me.

Oh dear Lord, I humbly ask you to please inspire me again and to enlighten my faculties so I may finish all my analysis this August. Please, please, please. Also, may I not neglect my responsibilities in the Church (youth ministry, choir, lector, etc.) Thank you!

thoughts in the XRD lab

2010-08-10T15:50:00.004+08:00

I'm now at the XRD lab here in NIGS. I wonder if the x-rays here can be deadly or mutagenic. Hwow! Magkaka-anak pa kaya ako? Anyway...

When I walk along the corridors here at the Institute in the day or at night, an overwhelming feeling envelops me, something that makes me feel nostalgic of things. I feel that I'm really in a University, this is what a university should be like, should feel like. Kahit hindi gaano kagandahan itong NIGS, I love this building. It may take a while to cross to the other wing since the building is "U" shaped, I like to think of it as a form of exercise.

Cath, Kat, and I jogged around NIGS one night, when the rain outside was pouring. In fairness, masaya! And I got again that "university feeling" :) Even if this building is old, so is its style and materials, I am endeared to it.

Wow new template!

2010-08-10T15:37:00.002+08:00

I got excited upon editing my blog's template! Woohoo! It has such a refreshing look for me! I miss the old one though, but I can always revert back to it. Time for a new change! Natuwa ako sa bagong hitsura ng blog ko! Yehey!

Thanks blogger.com! :)

thank you Lord for giving me...

2010-06-05T00:50:00.002+08:00

Dear Lord,

Thank you for giving me Wilbert, Dhes, Miki, Rienzie and Ate Carl for the meeting tonight. They made my burden lighter. Actually. they removed the burden that I've been carrying. Thank you very much Lord. Thank you for their enthusiasm. Thank you for making them an inspiration to me. Always bless them Lord and keep them safe. Lord, let's go go go for the youth ministry. I was really inspired again to do great things for the youth ministry here in our village. Thank you for these people. And thank you in advance for the people who are willing to help and dedicate their time, talent and treasure in doing your will. Thank you Lord, I love you. :)

patricia

Vienna thoughts

2010-06-02T22:26:00.004+08:00

I saw our house help watching Rubi in her quarters and it reminded me of my post-presentation day at my Filipino host's home. The day after my presentation at EGU, I woke up quite late in the flat. I was alone since Tita Lina and Tita (I forgot her name) went to work. Tita Lina bought a TFC box which allowed her to watch shows from ABS-CBN. So I got curious what the shows in ABS are since I support GMA. Also, I felt homesick and needed to hear the Tagalog language. I turned the television on and the TFC box. On the menu, I clicked on the, uh, I forget what's the title of the heading but to make the long story short, I ended up choosing Rubi. I thought it was Juday who played the role of Rubi but I found out only in Vienna (haha) that it was Angelica Panganiban.

I got hooked because I liked the character of Angelica (Rubi). She was sexy, ambitious, full of mystery and the type of woman who will do anything to get what she wants. The plot was not set for the teeny bopper shizz but rather for the mature audience. Plus, there was a sexy scene of Diether and Angelica where they made out in the beach, haha! Throw in Shaina Magdayao, Cherrie Gil, Cherry Pie Picache and Gardo Verzosa as the other characters and you've got yourself a good Filipino sitcom! Cherrie Gil's acting was superb! You can really feel her emotions! Grabe nakakaiyak ha! Also Shaina's. They were all fantastic! Then I realized why ABS's sitcoms are better than GMA's... The actors and their scripts are really good. Magagaling talaga silang lahat. GMA's sitcoms are like, blech.

And when I finished watching all of the episodes, I realized I was in Vienna! Half of the day was wasted watching Rubi in Vienna! Whaaat?! I went to Vienna to watch Rubi?! Hahahaha! I could have gone to visit the sights and museums but no, I watched Rubi! Haha! Panalo talaga yun. After that, I immediately took a bath and prepared myself to tour around the city. Good thing there was still time but sayang lang, half the day was spent doing nothing inside the flat.

Eto pa winner. After I got back from Vienna, I wasn't going gaga to watch Rubi. I just didn't watch it because, ayoko lang, haha. I seldom watch local channels. Pero ewan ko ba, nung nasa Vienna ako, pinanood ko talaga yung mga Filipino shows sa TFC, haha. Pinoy talaga ako. :) And I'm proud of it. :)

'Cause it feels so good

2010-06-02T09:53:00.002+08:00

After a long time, peace, happiness, joy and contentment finally came to me. I am now happy and less bothered by my surroundings. So this is what it feels to be on Cloud Nine, haha. It all started when I had an argument with a very close friend. Ang tagal namin hindi nagkita tapos mag-aaway pa kami. Hello, bothering. Then buti, ayos na ang lahat. Or I hope. Ako ata ang may problema e. Anyway moving on...

Why do I find myself staring at a blank screen or looking at a lot of literature and eventually write NOTHING? Why do I find writing difficult? I've been writing articles since elementary and now in graduate school, I get stuck quite a lot of times when writing. Bakit kaya? Maybe I don't try hard enough? I get distracted easily? I don't sit down and focus? Probably. Alam ko naman pala kung ano'ng problema. Hindi ko lang inaaksyunan. Haay.

Sana tumaas-taas naman ang level of concentration ko and focus. Huhuhu. It's what I need! I'm in graduate school na pero ganito pa rin ako mag-isip! Grrr... Grow up Edz, grow up.

Down in the pits...

2010-06-01T02:52:00.002+08:00

Had this serious argument with someone... Sigh. It makes me feel down and a failure. Ang hirap pala ng ganitong feeling. But sometimes I feel numb, sometimes rotten, sometimes apathetic, sometimes uber depressed.

What did I get myself into????

what to do with my thesis...

2010-05-26T03:12:00.003+08:00

Haaay... I'm super stuck with what I'm doing right now for my thesis... It's like geology, chemistry and engineering combined in one! Massive attack, don't know if I'll survive this. I can but I need to really FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS.

I can't truly say I don't have time. Heck, I have all the time in the world. I just need to be efficient. But it's hard! Aaargh! I get distracted easily and my extra-curricular work is catching up on me. Ang dami kasi. Church work, socio-civic work... But I'm thankful I still have a social life, haha! And a great family where I can get much strength from. I'm so blessed to have them.

Matagal-tagal na rin pala ako hindi nakapag-blog. So many events have passed, travels here and there. Let's see... What have I done...

presented orally at EGU in Vienna, Austria

did fieldwork for reconnaissance in Baguio

did fieldwork for cross-section in Guinsaugon, So. Leyte

What else? Uhm... I can't remember anymore! Why do I just remember the travels? Why can't I remember better things such as doing outreach or making someone happy by helping them? Baka kasi wala akong activity na ganun lately, haha! I miss those days. Ay wait... meron!

launched BIDA Change (heads the Environmental Advocacy arm with Tracy)

emceed with Steph during the BIDA Change voter's education forum

had a general assembly for the youth of JDHP

played frisbee in Vienna! yahoo!

jogged in Vienna, along the Danube

partied in a pub in Vienna

bakit puro Vienna ito? ang memorable kasi! haha!

went to Schoenbrunn Palace

went to Kunsthistorisches and Naturhistorisches museum in Vienna

spent the WHOLE day at Haus der Musik (fantastic museum!)

wait, LOST MY CAMERA IN VIENNA! BOOOOO! goodbye all photos from my camera :'(

I think I left my heart (and camera, shet) in Vienna... sigh... such a beautiful place! And the people! Oh they were so kind and amazing! Super duper thanks to Tita Jane and Tito Efren, Tita Lina, Mike Ernst, and of course, Omar Pecho! Waddup! For waking up early to pick me up at the airport to oversleeping and muntikan nang hindi ako mameet sa airport on departure day, haha!

Sigh... Sana makabalik akong Vienna someday... :)

Dr. Marissa Tejada, Dr. Efren Abaya, Dr. Jane Gerardo-Abaya, future Dr. Edz Mendoza, and Dr. Glenda Besana-Ostman at the entrance hall of the Nobel Prize winning institution, International Atomic Energy Agency

Woohoo with the LUNAR BRECCIA! And it's authentic!!! :)

Striking a pose with the United Nations logo at the UN Headquarters, Vienna, Austria

All the flags of the countries who are part of the United Nations (cool! daming flags!)

Ultimate is the ultimate!

2010-01-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

Ang sarap talaga mag-Ultimate frisbee! Woohoo! Sakit lang sa katawan pero GO GO GO! Ahlavet! :D

The only boy who I would love like this...

2010-01-05T17:30:00.007+08:00

is D_ _ D_ _ _ _. It's been six years and my feelings for him are still the same since the day I met him and came to know him. Sigh.

I walked into a room where a dining table was filled with good food and people. All I can see were women, all dressed in white, who were all ogling at him and asking him who was he with, does he have a girlfriend, if yes then where is she, if not, why doesn't he have one--- all of those questions. I sat a little behind him but still beside him on his right. The women were still interrogating him. I inched a little forward and for some reason I touched his right hand with my left and he held it. We held hands together, the boyfriend-girlfriend type of holding, and we were looking at each other and smiling, as in wide smiles, haha. He introduced me to these women and they had on their faces a sneering and doubting look as if they were thinking, "Why is he with a woman like that??? She's not pretty naman and as if meron siyang "k" over us. Why that woman?". But it didn't bother me at all. They could contort their face all they want but I have the one thing that they don't. And that's the person holding my hand right now. He introduced me to them, "Guys, si Edz." He didn't have to say what I was in his life. It was understood. Aside from the holding hands and the wide smiles, an aura of happiness and contentment overflowed from the two of us, that's why the girls didn't need to confirm if we were in a relationship or not. They felt we were really in love. No more questions.

We stood up, waved goodbye at the women and went outside. While walking towards the door, I felt sooo content and overjoyed! I've been longing to be with this elusive boy after how many years! I finally have him! Oh blissful state, how I love thee! :) The feeling was unexplainable. It was a mixture of happiness, anxiety, bliss, excitement... Oh man ibang klase! Basta ang sarap ng feeling! :) When we got out, it was already dusk. We were still holding hands, bodies close to each other, hearts pounding on our chests, as we walked down the stairs a few steps and sat down. He pressed his face to mine and we hugged. We didn't kiss but the hugging meant also a longing from him, that he wanted to have me for the longest time and finally, we were together.

Sadly, nagising ako sa katotohanan na panaginip lang pala ang lahat! Grabe! But it was weird, it felt sooo real! Especially when we touched hands and he pressed his face to mine. And thennapaisip-isip ako, baka naman kaya may sensation sa pisngi ko dahil matagal na akong nakahiga sa side na yun at kaya malamig ang kamay ko dahil naipit siya habang nakahiga ako at nakulangan ng dugo.

Huhuhuhu. :( Well anyway, I wanted to write this down because the feeling was just overwhelming! Haha! And I don't think he'll know because he wouldn't bother reading this or do anything related to me, haha. But if he will know about it, wouldn't it be great if he can comment on this or email me and tell me something nice about this blog? I'm not expecting anything amazing, just a simple 'thanks' will suffice, hehe.

Ooookay, I think I just exposed myself a bit too much, but hey, I do love the guy. :)

A child-like heart for Christmas and other thoughts

2009-12-27T13:11:00.003+08:00

Ganda nung homily nung pari sa amin nung Christmas Eve. It's about possessing a CHILD-LIKE heart. Take note, child-like ha, hindi childish. There's a difference between the two.

Napaisip ako. Ano nga ba ang child-like heart? It's like having the heart of a child. What is inside the child's heart? Malamang me aorta, valves, ventricles, veins, etc. Haha! Wait no, shaddup Edz! Haha! A child-like heart...

Well if I start to recall what was it like when I was a child, I cannot say there is much of a difference now. I still have a child-like heart. That's what I am until now. I am reminiscing how it felt like when I was a child. Here's the list:

I remember being curious in a lot of things. How things worked; what do words mean; why were objects like this and like that; how does a TV work (I was a TV addict then); how do radios work; why were leaves green; why do plants grow; why do cats look like cats; why do dogs bark, etc. We have this Childcraft volumes. Pinakagusto ko dun yung Make and Do. Gagawa ka ng mga home-made artistic toys. Gagawa naman ako! Hahaha! Isa pa yung gustung-gusto kong basahing libro, yung Did you know?. It was given to us by mama and papa. Dami kong natutunan dun like what was the first universal language established in the world? It was the Esperanto. Isa pa yung what is the dog that doesn't bark? It's the Basenji. Astig nga e. Astig yung libro na yun.

I remember putting myself in other people's perspective all the time. Yung iniisip ko ako sila and how do I see my environment from their perspective. Ang saya nga nito e. Parang nakikita ko rin yung nakikita nila kahit magkaiba kami ng lugar.

I didn't care what other people said as long as I'm happy. Wala akong pakialam. Bata ako. Masaya ako. Maglaro man ako sa loob ng mall or maghahahawak ng kung anu-ano, basta may natututunan ako at masaya ako, wala akong pakialam sa mga tao.

I trusted people. Even strangers. My first perception of them was they are good and they would do me no harm.

I was open to every idea present. Absorb lang ako ng absorb, no argument.

I had no pressure to be somebody. What I was, I was. No pretensions. I don't have any anxieties or troubles to think about. I wasn't pressured by society or family to perform well. Basta masaya ako, yun ang ginagawa ko.

It was easy for me to imagine things. Like flying in the sky, eating the stars, riding the dog in the Never Ending Story movie, stroke a unicorn, be like an astronaut, have superpowers like in the cartoon The Visionaries, have wings, be part of Voltes V or Voltron (hahaha!), etc. Basta ang dami kong gustong maging nung bata ako. Lakas ng imagination e.

I accept objects/things/situations as they are. Hindi ako nagsasabi ng, "dapat naging ganito ka na lang" or "dapat ganito na lang ginawa natin". I don't blame other people if something goes wrong. Iniisip ko na lang, "ganun malamang nga yung mangyayari talaga".

I easily get happy with whatever. Hindi ako mahirap pasayahin. Mababaw kaligayahan ko.

Haaay. Marami pa yan. Dami kong vivid memories nung bata ako. Blessed ako kasi I had a GREAT childhood. Others were robbed of this e. Wala silang childhood na matatawag. Maswerte talaga ako I have loving parents and wonderful brothers. I also grew up in an environment na malinis at malayo sa ingay ng kalye. Peaceful ba. Tapos ang saya pa ng extended family namin. Edi rambulan na. Haaay.

Lord, thank you for giving me wonderful memories of my childhood brought by my wonderful family and friends. Not everyone is given this privilege.

I was inspired by the story of the The Gallo Brothers. Sila yung big wigs of the wine industry in the US. I was able to watch it sa Biography Channel. Grabe, kawawa talaga sila. Sila yung sinasabi kong walang childhood. Mayaman nga sila when they became old. But when they were young, dugo't pawis talaga puhunan nila makaaral lang. They were doing hard labor when they should be enjoying the life of a child. Hay. Kaya nga kahapon naghugas ako ng pinggan.

If these Gallo Brothers were able to be successful knowing they started from the poorest of the poor, how much more can I be/accomplish if I started out with something?

ang punyetang society

2009-12-23T23:47:00.003+08:00

Nung isang gabi, December 21, naglalakad akong mag-isa sa may bandang playground sa CP Garcia at kabababa ko lang sa Ikot. Ang dami kong iniisip. Bago ako bumababa, inisip ko kung okay bang bumababa ako sa may KNL para trike papuntang TomatoKick tapos lakad papuntang apartment o 'di kaya'y baba ng playground tapos lakad na hanggang apartment. Malayo-layong lakarin din kasi tapos ang dami ko pang bitbit. Dala-dala ko kasi si Chiqui, yung laptop kong kay bigat, tapos nakakatakot din baka ma-holdap ako kasi muntikan na kaming mabiktima ni Kat sa isang punyetang holdaper pagkatapos ng lantern parade. Sa kaiisip kaiisip, napagpasyahan ko na lang na bumaba sa playground at maglakad hanggang apartment. Walangya. Napagod pa neurons ko.

Ang lamig. Suot-suot ko yung denim jacket ko tapos si Amira nasa likod ko lulan si Chiqui tapos dala ko si Davao bag at yung bag kong kayumanggi't itim. Ambigat. Lakad, lakad, lakad. Habang naglalakad, nakakasense ako ng pagkati ng mga kamay kong gumastos. Naisip ko medyo maaga pa, bukas pa yung mga tindahan, gimmick muna ako mag-isa. Me pera ako para punan yung kalungkutan. Naisip ko na iwan ko na lang muna sa apartment mga bag ko at lumarga pagkatapos. Naisip kong magpa-manicure/pedicure, o di kaya'y magpa-wax ng legs, o magpa-masahe, o kaya magpa-thread ng kilay. Grabe, daming choices. Pero alam mo ba kung saan ako lumanding na choice? Ang bumili ng dinner at chichirya at manood ng pelikula kay Chiqui (hay so much for a date with myself).

Habang naghihintay sa Cibola ng chicken fingers, naglabas ako ng notebook at nagsimulang magsulat. Ang dami kong iniisip. Ang dami... Ang dami... Parang lahat na lang ng katanungan ng
"why" o "bakit" tinatanong ko. Eto yung naisulat ko:

Ganito pala ang feeling ng mag-isa at may dalang pera. Yung mafi-feel mo ang the need to spend. Mag-isa ka. May pera ka. Edi ibili mo ng pera ang kaligayahan. Kaya pala madalas kumita ang mga girly bars. Meron kasi silang mga kustomer na single at may perang gagastusin. Kaya rin kumikita ang manininda ng mga luho tulad ng electronic shops, spa, mga restorang may GRO, casino, etc. Pag mag-isa ka pala, may tendency ka to spend kasi gusto mong aliwin ang sarili mo. Gusto mo magkaroon ng bagong gamit, may makinig sa mga sinasabi mong walang katuturan pero gusto mo lang na may nakikinig sayo, matawa kahit mag-isa. Yung bang gusto mo lang na may magawa na ikatutuwa mo. KAYA KA GAGASTOS KASI SARILI MO ANG GAGASTUSAN MO. Wala ka namang asawa't anak. Magulang mo mayaman naman. Wala ka lang talagang malagyan ng limpak-limpak mong salapi. Siguro eto yung sinasabi nilang "single blessedness". WALA KANG AATUPAGIN KUNDI ANG SARILI MO LANG. Hawak mo ang sarili mong pera at oras. In fairness, enjoy naman. Unbridled freedom.

At nang masulat ko ito dumating na ang chicken fingers. Bago pala akong pumuntang Cibola, bumili muna ako ng gourmet chips at bote ng Pepsi sa Mini Stop para magsilbing snack habang nanonood. At habang naglalakad ako, ang dami kong iniisip.

May mga nakita akong poor sa sidewalk. Merong mag-jowa na nakahandusay dun sa sidewalk. Nakahiga yung babae dun sa lap nung lalaking nakaupo dun sa sidewalk. Isipin mo ha, sa sidewalk sila nakahiga at nakaupo. Biglang naisip ko yung kantang "when we're hungry, love will keep us alive...". Naisip ko, hinde, hindi kaya ng love lang ang bumuhay sa isang couple! Nagiging realistic lang naman ako. Pero in fairness, at least mukha naman silang masaya. Yung lalaki nakita akong dala dala yung polystyrene from Cibola laman yung chicken fingers. Inignore ko na lang pero nasasaktan puso ko.

Bakit may mahirap? Bakit may mayaman? Bakit sa istorya ng buhay, kailangan merong nang-aapi at inaapi? Bakit ngayong pasko, sobrang makikita mo yung discrepancy between the rich and the poor? Bakit ganun yung majority sa society, that they look down on the people who cannot afford much in life? Bakit kailangan para maka-achieve ka ng magandang status in society, kailangan pera ang iharap mo? Bakit yung may pera, sila yung mga tinitingala? Bakit ang PUNYETANG SOCIETY na yan e ang nangdidikta kung paano ka dapat kumilos???

Punyetang mga norms of society yan.

the day before yesterday, yesterday and today

2009-12-21T16:34:00.005+08:00

The day before yesterday, December 19, was the "dedication" of Kat's niece, Lyanna Marie, at Tarlac. It's called dedication because in the Born Again religion, that's what they do. Merong pastor na magpipreach for a about 15-20 minutes. Maganda yung sinasabi niya, it's about a child being raised properly based on scriptural principles. Maganda in fairness talaga and I agree with what he's saying. Olats lang yung the way he delivered it. Ang olats talaga. Na-bore ako big time. Ang baduy nung speaker e. May laman sinasabi niya, baduy lang siya. Hahaha! Ang laki ng lupain nila Kat sa Tarlac as in! Haciendera kasi, haha! Pwede mong itapon yung ultimate disc with all your strength and hindi pa maaabot yung dulo ng lupain nila. Heck not even one-third! Laki sa yaman talaga tong si Kat e, hehe!

Yesterday, December 20, I was sooo tired from the biyahe back and forth from Tarlac that I just slept the whole day and woke up to get dressed for Jam Sacaben's debut. Napagalitan pa ako ng magulang ko kasi wala akong naicontribute sa house na chore. Actually totoo nga yung sinasabi ni Papa e, yung maswerte ako dahil bababa na lang ako ng bahay para kumain, aakyat pagkatapos kumain at manonood ng TV o kaya mahihiga o maglaro ng computer. Maswerte talaga ako. Maswerte kami dahil meron kaming house helpers to take care of the household chores. Hindi ko nga alam kung mabubuhay ako nang walang maid. Ipinangako ko na sa sarili ko that when I grow up and live alone or have a family, I will have definitely have the money to afford a house helper! It would definitely make things easier for everyone in the house. Now if I'm extra rich I'll get a driver, haha!

Kaya nga ako nagsusumikap ngayon to afford the things that I need and want in the future. So that I can send my kids to a good school. Or if I won't have a family, I will work hard so I can support my parents in their twilight years. Also support my brothers' families. I shall be a rich, gay auntie (hahahaha Sunny!). By the way, gay here means happy, hahaha! :D

Hay buhay. Daming pwedeng mangyari ng isang idlap. Marami akong gustong gawin! Hay. Dami kong gustong i-try, daming gustong gawin, daming gustong kainin, bilhin, suotin, maranasan. Hay. Anyway, magpopost na lang ako ng picturan ko todits. Eto yung Italy trip ko nung June 2009:

This was in Sassi di Matera in Italy. This village was carved out of the limestone outcrops here in this area. People were like living in "caves" in the olden times.

Of course, the famous St. Peter's Basilica in Roma, Italia. However, we weren't able to enter the Basilica due to time constraints. Bad trip. So Doc Chelo just took this jump shot of Meg and I in St. Peter's Square.

The historical place of the GLADIATORS!!! The COLOSSEUM!!! :)

Actually nilalagay ko lang tong mga photos na ito para kung me magbabasa man, e hindi naman ma-bore sa mga text heavy kong entries, hehe.

Sa susunod uli! :D

December 2009 and other thoughts

2009-12-18T21:57:00.004+08:00

Ang tagal ko nang hindi nakakablog talaga. A lot has happened in this year. Eto na ata yung taon na ang dami kong napuntahan. I consider traveling as one of the highlights in my life. You know why? Kasi I get to travel for FREE! Haha! Except for Singapore, where Papuy got married, and Dakak for an extended family getaway. All other trips were FREE! :D I was able to go to Bangkok and Italy this year. Also to Davao, Bacolod, Negros, Aklan, Iloilo, Sorsogon, Bicol, Boracay, into the remote areas of Kalibo (as in mega remote), at marami pang iba. Hindi ko na nga maalala e. I presented my thesis topic thrice this year (Bangkok, Italy, and Davao). Wow grabe.

Ang kulit ko noh? I mean here I am writing about my trips. Sinasabi ko kasi baka malimutan ko e. I'm not a good picture keeper. I don't know where my other photos are so isusulat ko na lang, hehe. Ang sabog ko talaga when it comes to keeping photos. Ang daming trips napuntahan but the pictures are in someone else's camera. Ano ba yan. Mga bundok trips ko rin marami-rami na and I love them all pero I don't know where they are, huhuhu. Teka, eto isa sa mga trips ko:

Eto yung nag-Bicol kami. Medyo matagal na nga ito e. Hay. Pero buti na lang kita yung tugatig ng Mayon. Bakit ba kasi ang sabog ko magtago ng mga litrato? :(

I FINISHED MY THESIS PROPOSAL NA! Yehey! :D Well, hindi naman siya tapos na talaga kasi hindi pa siya approved ng IESM at ineedit pa siya ni Doc Chelo and Doc Mark. Pero at least me draft na! Woohoo! Gusto ko na talaga grumaduate. Gusto ko nang mag-aral sa ibang bansa. Gusto ko nang ma-experience kung paano mamuhay sa isang foreign land at kung paano mag-aral doon. Ang dami kong gustong gawin. Sometimes I find myself writing my thoughts often. I realized I'm better in expressing myself through words instead of drawing. Though I dabble in art at times, it is in writing that I find relaxation and relief. When I'm upset I write. When I want to do something but can't, I write. When I imagine myself soaring to greater heights, I write that thought on paper.

Hay.

Ang dami kong gustong gawin. Sana lang magawa ko silang lahat. There's so much for me to do out there. Plenty of opportunities waiting to be harvested by eager people. Sana swertehin ako balang araw, hehehe. Berkeley, I pray that you won't be elusive in reality.

Kakatapos lang ng lantern parade at wala man lang akong dalang camera. Loser. Pero ayos lang, me utak naman ako para itago yung thoughts na yun. Bad trip lang kasi ako lang makakanenjoy sa utak ko. Maganda diba shinisheyr sa iba. Buti na lang nandun din si Kat sa lantern last year at this year. Para siya na lang yung ka-sheyr ko sa mga memories ng lantern. Masaya na ako dun. :)

Ano pa bang gusto kong isulat? Dami e. Ayan na naman ako. Maraming gustong gawin at maraming iniisip. Masyado yata akong nag-iisip at nagloolook into the future kaya hindi ko na alam kung ano'ng gagawin ko in the present. Sabi nga sa Kung Fu Panda, yung isa sa favorite lines ko ni Master Oog Wei, "Quit, don't quit; Noodles, don't noodles; you are too concerned of what was and what will be. There is a saying: Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery; and today is a gift; that's why it's called the PRESENT."

Is it bad if I think of the future too much? Pero paano yung sinasabi nilang 'envision yourself of what you want to become in the future so that it will come true'? Hay. Dapat ata equal footing lang yung pag-iisip sa future at sa present. Hay. Ewan ko ba.

Basta, masarap magsulat. Hehe. Natuwa nga ako sa entry ni Debs e, kaya ako na-inspire magsulat ulit todits sa blog ko. Anyway, kailangan ko nang umuwi dahil 2230H na e nandito pa ako sa lab sa NIGS. Adik. Haha.

See you soon blog! :)

My Bangkok Trip (January 2009)

2009-10-16T14:39:00.003+08:00

It's been a year since my last post. Anyway, update lang muna ako uli ng hay-bu ko para lang maalala ko kung anu-ano na ang nangyari.

I went to Bangkok, Thailand last January 2009 to orally present a paper in the 6th Research on Infrastructure Development. I was with Dr. Sandra and Jun. We visited the Chaophraya River, the famous river of Bangkok where their civilization began. We went to the Chatuchak, the famous flea market in Bangkok where you can purchase cheap yet very nice and unique items. Unfortunately for me I lacked the moolah to go shopping. Eto pa, nagoyo pa ako nung isang tindera dun, bwiset. Also the dress that I bought ended up with Apple kasi narealize ko mas bagay sa kanya at hindi sa akin. But I'm glad when she wore it, it looked good on her. We also went to the zoo. I was able to hold a snake and have its fangs/mouth beside my face. Here's the photo below. And check out my zit, grabe umepal pa yan. Below are more photos from our River "cruise".

Ang lalaki naman ng photos na ito, hay. Anyway, that trip was a fun trip. Ang saya kasi nung mga tao na kasama. Everyone was game. We even ate street food! Amazing! Siguro kung ibang tao kasama ko, hindi sila game to try street food. E super sarap kaya! Wow! It was a feast for the taste buds indeed! :D Here we are eating somewhere in the streets of Bangkok:

And here we are riding the famous Tuktuk:

And here is one of Bangkok's temples under renovation:

Grabe bakit ba ang laki ng mga litrato na ito! Shopping in the night market of Bangkok:

And here I am presenting the paper:

Woohoo parang totoo! Hahahaha! Tapos heto yung sikat na bagong airport sa Bangkok, I forget what the name is kasi naman kakaiba sila dun sa Bangkok, tipong Ratchadapisek Rd., Savarnabhumi (eto ata yung pangalan ng airport), basta weird mga names, haha! Pero ang ganda kasi nung airport kaya heto ako nagpapicture:

Ang saya talaga ng trip na yan. And the best part about it was it's FREE! Thank you UP!

Hindi na naman ako pumasok sa trabaho

2008-10-31T23:59:00.002+08:00

It's sembreak! And the government offices are friggin' half day! :D

I was supposed to go to this seminar in Ortigas. It's a rare seminar sponsored by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Council (ADPC). They usually hold it abroad but it's nice they commenced it here in Manila, as what had Dr. Sandra told me. Yeah I was able to wake up at around 8am. Pero just thinking of the hassle of traveling on a jeep, bus, and MRT, plus about a 1.5km walk from the MRT going to Astoria Plaza, nadyadyahe na ko. Tsaka umuulan. Eto pa, kinunsinti ako ng magulang ko... ayos! Haha.

Syempre hindi ako papayag na hindi pumasok dahil wala lang at wala akong gagawin kung hindi nandito lang sa bahay. Of course with a little persuasion and a lot of luck, my father, mother, and I went to Alabang to eat. Then my mom and I went shopping. Ayos! Daming napamili! Hehe. I did utilize my money, pero marami ring nalibre sakin si ma, hehe. Astig talaga pag hindi pumapasok, haha. Hindi naman, it's just that bihira na lang kasi ako sa bahay so I feel that my parents would like us, my brothers and I, to enjoy our time with them. Lalo na ngayon lahat kaming magkakapatid busy building our future.

Sunday will be a fun day again I hope. We'll be visiting our subdivision in Naic, Cavite. Our bamboo house there is a bit old, pero ayos pa naman. It was a beauty way back in the 90s. Syempre wood, naluma na. Sayang nga e.

Well, more documentary of my life tomorrow! :)

In exchange for not going to work...

2008-10-27T19:23:00.001+08:00

Grabe hindi ako pumasok ng trabaho today! Haha! Pasaway!

Well, it's sembreak naman and damn, I live far from UP and commute everyday. Lalo na ngayon wala pa namang carpool. But I did something productive in the house the though.

I cooked shrimp scampi! (Again! :D )

Expert ako magluto ng shrimp (ang K ng F!). Kung meron man akong alam lutuin, e yan na yun, hipon. Too bad some of my friends are allergic to shrimp. Well, sayang. Wala na akong alam lutuin talaga e, kahit ang adobo. Pasta and the sauce kaya and prito-prito ng hot dog, itlog, spam, and other canned goods. Pero hindi master. Etong shrimp talaga, winner! Haha! (Buhatan ng sariling bangko'!)

Masaya. :) Kasi at least my day didn't go to waste here in the house. It's great :)

A fun afternoon with my family harvesting flowers

2008-10-26T17:42:00.002+08:00

Today was a happy day for me and my family!

We went to our property in Victoria, Laguna to visit not only the house nor the market, but to harvest camias, ilang-ilangs, and mirasols as well in our small garden patch beside the house. It was sooo fun! The garden was full of camia shoots and there was this big ilang-ilang tree and a couple of mirasol shrubs. Ang ganda nga e! And the air reeked the smell of pleasant flowers. It was a medley of scents that danced in the air. Papa had this big pail and we would all deposit the flowers there. It was amazing to pick the camias. You have to pick them in a manner that you do it quick and with a jerky movement. Otherwise, you'll end up breaking the stalk.

Aside from picking flowers, it was fun to see again the house. The view from the third floor was fantastic! You could see the mountain range from there and the clouds that kiss the mountains' summit. Truly breathtaking. And the wind that enters through the windows breathes life into the house. Pwede nang hindi mag-electric fan, ang lakas ng hangin e, haha.

Masaya talaga ang buhay. I love my life... :)

Happy pics with happy friends!

2008-10-17T17:55:00.003+08:00

The reunion of the decade! DLSU Chem/Biochem batch 2002 reunited at Solihiya in Greenbelt 5! This was taken last, uh, I forget the month, but it's definitely 2008! :) I think this was around August...

This is Marianne, my thesis mate in undergrad, and I. Fresh from the US of A si Marianne todits e, kaya ayan, tingnan mo, ang ganda... Haha! At may boyfriend na ang bruha! And to think dati kineclaim niya na siya ay isang.... *toot*... Hahaha! So who's the *toot* now??? :D

Reunited 'cause it feels so good... DLSU-M Chem/Biochem batch of 2002! Seated around the table starting from left, Krisanne, Jwan, Jo, RJ, Marianne, me, Karen, Rap, and Romeo... Oh there's a waiter and a customer at the right side of the photo... Hehe.

The BRADY bunch posing at GB 5... From left to right (seated): Marianne (ang babaeng nanggaling-lang-states-eh-nagka-boypren-na), Karen (ang kabiyak ni Rap), me (ang pinakasexy, pinakamaganda, at pinakamatalinong hayop sa balat ng lupa-charing!) , Jo (ang batang may malaking hinaharap), Louise (ang headturner nung undergrad), Jwan (the hot diva from Batangas na ngayon ay isa nang plant engineer---hwaaat?!). From left to right (standing): Romeo "chickboy" Torreta, Harold "hanep sa kapayatan" Go, RV "mountaineer" Tan, Rap "kabiyak ni Karen" Espiritu, Krisanne (ang babaeng walang sawa magpamasahe dahil walang kiliti), Marlo "dakilang guro awardee" Castillo, at Ryan Jay Fernando "driver sweet lover ng Pajero" Fuentes.Jwanini and I... :) hindi ko po siya jowa ladies and gentlemen.

Trying out Romeo "chickboy" Torreta's Sony digicam that takes your picture only when you smile... :)

Haaay ang saya ng college days ko!!! Panalo!!! Woohoo!

World Youth Day photographs

2008-10-15T03:35:00.002+08:00

At Flinders station at Melbourne, Australia with Grace. Behind us is St. Patrick's Cathedral,

At the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Jenina and the Philippine flag behind us.

With the gorgeous London boys at the Barangaroo area in Sydney. Mega-dikit naman ako dun sa naka-shades, haha!

One of my favorite photos at WYD. With the Papua New Guinea delegates. This pic looks like a National Geographic shot, hehe.

With Grace and Peter at the Barangaroo area. Check how bright the sun is! Such a sunny day. :)

melancholia

2008-10-15T02:53:00.002+08:00

I am here at UP-NIGS's Engineering Geology Laboratory doing two papers:

One is for my presentation for Bangkok and another one is for Dr. Duyanen's class of ES 297 (Sediment analysis).

And I can't help but get this mixed feeling of melancholy and despondence. There's this looming thing, a looming forebodingness somewhere that's going to eat me. And for a long time, too...

Ugh...

A fun and comedic day

2008-10-11T23:59:00.001+08:00

Ayala museum...

laughed at paintings with eden and adrian and allan

met larry and pat gotuaco

chat with other fossil enthusiasts

chat with larry and pat

met eric ebro and carlos syllanteng at ayala museum

rushed to greenbelt for fuera de carta with allan

laughed my ass off at fuera de carta

met ms. natty manauat, one of my two most favorite professors at DLSU, at figaro in greenbelt

went to G4 to watch tropic thunder with allan (again)

laughed my ass off even harder at tropic thunder

This day was just sooo fun. And it's fucking amazing.

p.s. but it could've been more fun if...

Moments that make me smile...

2008-10-10T12:54:00.002+08:00

I have seen three things today before going to school that put a smile on my face.

First were the kids on the bus on the adjacent lane waving at our bus. They were so innocent-looking and you'd get that feeling of happiness when you see the kids waving at you and flashing their incomplete teeth in front, haha.

Second was a boy who I rode with in the ikot jeep. He had this cute hat of an animal. The funny thing was I didn't know what animal it was! Haha! I don't know if it's a fox or an anteater because it had a long snout. It couldn't be an anteater because it had whiskers and it has a two-tone color on the face but it couldn't be a fox because of a long snout. Or maybe it was a fox, mali lang yung tahi niya... Hmmm... I was amused because I was imagining a cross between an anteater and a fox, haha!

Third was when I was whistling down the hall at NIGS going to the lab the tune of Kill Bill. I have only whistled a few notes when suddenly Nick, a geology undergrad student, whistled the remaining notes of the tune, haha. And it echoed throughout the hall. It was amazing.

Priceless moments that I got for free... I love my life. :)

Another check this out...

2008-10-06T11:37:00.000+08:00

Science at its funniest.Clockwise from top-left: Master of Ceremonies Marc Abrahams with a paper airplane lodged in his hat; a silvery Harvard undergraduate; Redundancy, Again the operetta; and a demonstration of the jumping ability of fleas.

CREDIT:J. BOHANNON/SCIENCE

Ig Nobels Honor Studies of Lap Dancing, Soft Drink-Based Contraception

By John Bohannon
ScienceNOW Daily News
3 October 2008

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS--Where can you see a Nobel prize-winning chemist, the inventor of the pink plastic flamingo, a sword-swallower, and an accordion band on the same stage--and all being pelted with paper airplanes? At the Ig Nobel prize ceremony, of course. Last night in a Harvard University theater, 10 teams of scientists were honored for research that "first makes you laugh, then makes you think."

Much like Sweden's slightly more famous Nobel Prize, the Ig Nobels often amount to a lifetime achievement award, granted on the basis of research that is considered highly significant--or hilarious, in the case of the Ig Nobels--many years later. But recent breakthroughs do get recognized if sufficiently world-shaking. This year's Ig Nobel Economics prize, for example, went to the discovery that a lap dancer's tips wax and wane with her ovulatory cycle (ScienceNOW, 5 October 2007). According to the study, published last year in Evolution and Human Behavior, a woman unconsciously signals her fertility state through body movements, which motivate her admirers to tip more generously. While accepting their Ig Nobel, Geoffrey Miller and Brent Jordan, psychologists at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, wryly noted that their research subjects earned double their annual salaries as scientists.

The sexual overtones continued with this year's Ig Nobel prize for chemistry. In a first for the Ig Nobel, two teams were honored for finding the opposite result. In a 1985 New England Journal of Medicine study, a team led by Harvard Medical School fertility researcher Deborah Anderson discovered that Coca-Cola is an effective spermicide when used promptly for vaginal irrigation after a sexual encounter. But 2 years later, a team led by Chuang-Ye Hong of Taipei Medical University in Taiwan found the soft drink's "spermicidal potency" lacking, as reported in Human Toxicology. In honor of the ambiguous findings, a Coca-Cola toast was made on stage by the ceremony's dignitaries, including Harvard chemist William Lipscomb (Nobel 1976) and fractal geometry pioneer Benoit Mandelbrot.

The cabaret-like ceremony included much more than scientific recognition. Don Featherstone (Ig Nobel 1996 for inventing the plastic pink flamingo) showed off his latest yard ornaments, and Dan Meyer (Ig Nobel 2007 for a study of the side effects of sword-swallowing) swallowed a sword on stage. Then, the world debut of an operetta called Redundancy, Again was performed with live accordion accompaniment. The audience also had a chance to get in on the action. Besides being encouraged to express themselves by folding pages from the program into paper airplanes and launching them toward the stage, two lucky audience members won a night out, one with Lipscomb in the Win-a-Date-With-a-Nobel-Laureate Contest and the other with Mandelbrot in the Win-a-Date-With-Benoit-Mandelbrot Contest. Details of the date preconditions were not released, but both the winners and their prizes looked immensely pleased.

taken from www.sciencenow.sciencemag.org

Check this out...

2008-10-06T11:34:00.000+08:00

A fool and his money.
Men tip lap dancers more when the gyrating women are most fertile.

Credit: Gary Houlder/Corbis

Something in the Way She Moves?

By Constance Holden
ScienceNOW Daily News
5 October 2007

In a particularly stimulating study, researchers have found that lap dancers--women who work in strip joints and, for cash, gyrate in the laps of seated men--earn more when they are in the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle. The finding suggests that women subtly signal when they are most fertile, although just how they do it is not clear.

Women, unlike many mammals, don't come into heat or estrus, a state of obvious fertility that attracts potential mates. Common wisdom has it that estrus was lost as humans evolved. The notion is that women evolved "concealed ovulation" along with around-the-month sexual receptivity the better to manipulate males by keeping them in the dark, says Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. But now Miller and colleagues have found evidence that a woman’s state of fertility may not be so secret after all.

The researchers used ads and flyers to sign up 18 lap dancers from local clubs. Each woman was asked to log on to a Web site and report her work hours, tips, and when she was menstruating. Lap dancers generally work 5-hour shifts with 18 or so 3-minute performances per shift. They average about $14 per "dance"--all of which is called a "tip" because it is illegal to pay for sex in New Mexico.

Over a 60-day period, the researchers collected data from 5300 lap dances. They divided the answers according to whether the dancers were in the menstrual phase, the high-fertility estrous phase, or the luteal phase. The result, as they report online this week in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior: Of the 11 women with normal menstrual cycles, those in the estrous phase pulled in about $70 an hour--compared with $50 for those in the luteal phase, and only $35 an hour for those who were menstruating. The other seven women were on birth control pills. They earned less across the board, and there was no peaking at the estrous phase.

The numbers suggest that men can tell when a woman is most fertile, although the message seems to be conveyed by "subtle behavioral signals" that evade conscious detection, the authors say. They add that the study couldn't identify whether it is scent or other physical changes that cue the men in, but they don't think it's anything obvious such as type of dance moves or "conversational content."

Evolutionary psychologist Karl Grammer of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban Ethology in Vienna says the result fits with his findings that it's possible to detect ovulation through the effect of raised levels of estrogens on the way women walk and dance. "It is highly possible that estrogen modulates motion abilities," says Grammer, in which case "it seems to be most likely that body motion--and not pheromones--is the information carrier."

taken from www.sciencenow.sciencemag.org

My brother's wedding!

2008-10-01T22:17:00.005+08:00

Omigas abelgas my brother's married! Aaaaaa! Yep, last September 24, 2008 at Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati followed by a reception at the Pasay A and B function room in Shangri-La Hotel, Makati. Here are a few snippets (photos) of their simple yet elegant wedding. Oh wait, it was also the birthday of my brother and father. It was a celebration of life (birthdays) and love (wedding) :)

The picture of our family at Santuario de San Antonio with the newlyweds.

That's me and my brothers kissing the bride. This is such a fun picture. :)

Best shot I've seen so far by the bride and groom at the Shangri-La.

Caught the bouquet! Landed smack right onto my face! Dapat si Jolina ang nakakuha e, hindi ako, haha!

Me, Laurice, Kuya, and Diko. The boys (that includes me) with the bride. Haha!

That was such a fun and blessed day... :)

Some photos somewhere...

2008-09-29T00:28:00.003+08:00

The snake wrangler bitch... haha! That's somewhere in Tiendesitas. Feeling Jeff Corwin naman ako...

Part of the family at Nanay's house in Tandang Sora when she was still alive. Christmas 2007. Wow sobrang luma na pala nitong litrato ko na 'to...

That's me at the foot of Mt. Can-abag checking out the hummocky topography. This was the area we visited for the Guinsaugon 2008 International Conference. Yes, it was international. We had guests from New Zealand, Canada, Sri Lanka, US, etc.

That's me at Bulusan Lake...

And this is me at the Cam Sur Water Sports Complex with my knee board. Too bad I wasn't able to try the wake board. Sakit na ng arms ko pucha.

My life from March to September 2008

2008-09-28T22:31:00.002+08:00

So much has happened...

So many achievements... (well that's what I would like to call it)

So many experiences---> the hurts, the joys, the fuckin' rockin' times of my life...

Let me see, here I go again doing the list:

Visited the following places:

Mt. Can-abag in St. Bernard Southern Leyte and Tacloban, for the International Conference-Workshop on the 17 February 2006 Guinsaugon Landslide
Samar (crossed the San Juanico bridge)
Panglao, Bohol
Balicasag Island (went skin diving, dolphin watching)
Chocolate Hills (saw the Tarsiers)
Baclayon Church
PNOC Geothermal plant in Bacon-Manito, Albay
Camarines Sur and went knee-boarding
Irosin, Bicol (went Mulberry bush picking at Apple's ancestral house)
Bulusan Lake (also saw Bulusan Volcano)
Sydney, Australia
Melbourne, Australia (both for the World Youth Day 2008)
Mangatarem, Pangasinan (field for Geol 297 class)
Kalibo, Aklan (for QRT)
Boracay Island (some RnR after QRT)

Oh yeah, I went to Melbourne for Days in the Dioceses and to Sydney for the World Youth Day proper. Woohoo astig talaga yung time na yun. It was my first time out of the country. Ang saya! I got to see the Darling Harbour in Sydney. It was fantastic! It really was such a darling! It was such a romantic place! I even got to watch an opera show at the Sydney Opera House! For free! Woohoo! I also went to the Metropolitan Museum in Sydney with my cool cousin, Danielle. I got to pose with the works of Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso! We also cycled around the city, drank my first Heineken at this posh bar, walked in the park somewhere, went to St. Mary's Cathedral, etc. Masaya talaga! Another great thing was a feeling of independence. I got to ride on Australia's trains, which were double decked, in Melbourne's cable car, in their buses, which were on time all the time. I wasn't able to ride a cab though.

sorry singit, check this out:

http://gcruz09.multiply.com/photos/album/57/Youth_Ministry_Page_WYD_Special_Edition#2

http://gcruz09.multiply.com/photos/album/53/wyd_pilgrim_postcard#1

Ayan... hmm, what else? Well, I have finished analyzing my thesis soil samples at PNRI. Yeah, after hours of being exposed in X-rays. Magkakaanak pa kaya ako?

The XRD and XRF machines have arrived at NIGS. ICP-MS na lang ang hinihintay.

The DOST project for the Bicol Arc region of Dr. Sandra with Dr. Alyssa, Dr. Marissa, and Dr. Ando has been approved. Yehey! I hope I get to go with her in her trips though...

May air-con na ang lab ko! Woohoo!

I have a new pair of Levi's copper jeans! Woohoo!

My abstract was accepted for the 6th Research Symposium on Infrastructure Development to be held at Bangkok, Thailand where I would present a paper.

Played Nintendo Wii with Jwan, RJ, and Jonalyne at Jonalyne's house

I kissed a girl and I liked it... the feel of her soft lips... haha! Katy Perry!

Contracted dengue fever

Omigod my brother got married to Laurice last September 24! Hooray for the newlyweds!

First time I contracted an allergy my whole life and on the day of my kuya's wedding! I was rushed to the hospital and injected by a knock-out steroid for the itch/allergy.

Been into the movie house 11 times last June. Eto na ang pinakamarami kong pelikulang napanood sa isang buwan sa buong buhay ko.

Checked out an alkaline hot spring somewhere in Pangasinan

Immersed in clay studies lately. I got clay in my thesis samples! Yey!

Was able to play two jazz piano pieces, The Nearness of You and That's All. Woohoo konting practice na lang jazzy-jazzy shit na 'to!

Had my picture taken beside the works of James Gleeson, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Claude Monet.

Was able to visit Ayala Museum's exhibit on the Surigao Gold and ceiling paintings of Baclayon Church.

Well I guess that's some of my achievements from March to September. Marami pa e, kaso hindi ko na masyadong malagay pa todits. Life is really fun, I just love living my life.

when you get that uneasy feeling...

2008-09-28T22:27:00.001+08:00

I don't know what's up with me lately but there's this thing that's eating me... ugh, I hate it. But it's there and I know the only time that this would let up is when you face it and just solve the problem. But how?

Ano baaaaa?! Saan ba talaga akoooo?!?!?

2008-03-30T10:30:00.005+08:00

Ayaaaaan!!!

I'm so happy that I can write again in my blog with no work, no school, no time limit pressuring me. So, what's up with my life? Hmmm...

I have this dilemma you see, I don't know which MS degree I should take. Enrolled nga ako sa MS Envi Sci and it has been a year when I started studying. I have completed 13 units and what's left are 11 units of coursework and my Master's thesis and my Master's seminar.

Pero putek, I want out!

Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit e. Maybe it's because of Dr. Lem's subject na 212 which is Environmental Problems and Issues. Namulat ako dun sa subject na yun: that environmental science is a study of INTERRELATIONSHIPS. So hindi ka talaga based lang on pure, hardcore science but it is mixed with social science, politics, law, philosophy, history, geography, anthropology, heck, even religion! Kasi it's about assessing man's relationship with the environment. And once you start dealing with man, especially here in the Philippines, ang daming factors to consider.

One is the great populace with stratified social classes. Marami yan, may mga poor, mga isang kahig isang tuka na pamilya, mga middle class, upper middle class (not filthy rich, but not middle class, kumbaga can afford to have more than the minimum normal luxury), and the filthy rich. You have to deal with all of those. May mga patakaran na patok sa mga poor, pero hindi patok sa ibang class. O kaya may mga patakaran naman na babagay sa mayayaman (the filthy rich) pero hindi magkiclick sa mga poor o kaya middle class. Ang hirap e. Ika nga, the poor gets poorer, the rich gets richer. Proven ko na yan (well at least for myself). Eto na lang e, sa school: pansinin niyo na yung mga matatalino, sila pa yung makakakuha ng mas matataas na grade. Sasabihin ng teacher, "okay, those who would get above 75 would have an additional 5 points." Pano yan, edi magiging 80 sila? Samantalang those who really need the grade, like the people with grades below 75, edi stuck na sila dun e mas kailangan nila? E sa economics... Kunwari mayaman ka, tapos marami ka nang pera. Syempre diba ano gagawin mo dun? Edi iiinvest mo? In return you would get more money. E yung mga wala talaga, they have nothing to start with so poor na talaga sila. They become poorer! And this goes on and on.

The politics in the Philippines is a farce. Aside from that, it is obscenely plagued with corruption, greed, demoralizing acts, and clowns prancing around the Senate. Ang pulitika dito ay parang HIV/AIDS. Isa siyang virus na hindi nagagamot. It would weaken the country and attack its system little by little, until it crashes and die. Napag-usapan namin sa klase yung mga laws and acts that were approved by the government to help protect/conserve the environment (like the clean air/water act, promotion of renewable energies, eco-tourism policies, solid waste management, pollution control, etc.) Ayos sila, magaganda. Some are really ideal and good. Talagang nung iniisip yun, e iniisip ang kapakanan ng tao at ng environment. Pero alam mo kung saan tayo nagkulang? Sa implementation and monitoring! Bakit?! Because this strategy is not thoroughly backed up by the government! Kulang pasahod sa mga taong nangangalaga, kulang benefits, there's this culture of thought na wala yan, na marami pang ganyan, at yung pag-iisip na "e bakit ko aalagaan yan o bakit ko iiimplement niyan e ang makikinabang sa project na yan pag nag-succeed e yung pulitikong me pakulo ng proyektong yan." Haaay... And this goes on and on.

Majority of the Filipinos' priority is not to take care of their surroundings but on how to put food on their table. This attitude is apparent to a big portion of the Philippine populace because a lot live below the poverty line. If you go to the coastal provinces, notice the litter on the beach, notice how the bahay kubos there throw their trash just a few steps away from their property, notice a kid when s/he opens a candy and throws the wrapper on the beach... they just don't seem to care. Actually nabobother talaga ako e. I tried to put myself in their shoes at ganito ang naisip ko: okay kunyari ako yung bata na kumain ng candy. Since nakita ko na malaki ang beach, hindi sobrang dami yung basura dun, itatapon ko na lang yung wrapper, anyway maliit lang naman yung waste na yun compared sa size nung beach tsaka, ano ba namang klaseng litter ang magagawa nun e ang liit-liit. Yan. Ang ganyang pag-iisip ang kikitil sa buhay ng marine coastal areas. Nakakalungkot. But on the other hand, masaya na rin ako because there are people who are concerned---people who love the environment.

Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang isusunod sa post na ito dahil sobrang tagal na nito sa blog ko at ngayon ko lang na-publish... kahit nga yung desire kong mag-shift nagbago na... woohoo!

Mga kathang isip ko...

2008-02-21T19:56:00.005+08:00

So much has happened in 2008 for me! Sobrang dami hindi ko na maalala! Haha. Anyway, the most recent event I had was traveling for FREE (because of work) to Tacloban City and to the Guinsaugon landslide at St. Bernard with Dr. Sandra. Oo, as in super free lahat! The only time ginastos ko pera ko was to buy souvenirs. Ang saya! Second time ko palang sa airplane, haha! Ang pathetic ba? Pero super saya ko and excited!

Naaksidente pa nga kami sa St. Bernard e. The habal-habal we rode got knocked out and the motorcycle landed on my leg which produced a big and painful hematoma, the skin on Dr. Sandra's hind skull bled profusely, and the driver suffered a nasty bruise on his forehead and a lot of gashes on his shins. Pero I am thankful na ganun lang ang nangyari samin. Lalo na sakin! I didn't have any open wounds talaga! As in galos lang ng konti sa siko, and a cut sa hand pero yun lang! Thank you Lord for protecting us.

Mga kathang isip ko...

2008-02-21T19:56:00.004+08:00

I always get stuck on writing my blog because I want to write them long.

It's been a long time...

2007-12-19T18:17:00.001+08:00

Hello blog!

Man, it has indeed been a long time since my last post. Well not really long. Meron yata ako nung November. Pero so much have occurred in between those months! Actually even before! Eto na naman ako, I can't relive them so much here in my writing that I'll end up listing them na lang! Dyahe. Anyway, here they are:

I was able to attend the National Training Course on Landslide Risk Management held at Baguio last October 17-19 but we were there on October 16. A total of four days at Baguio. And I got sent there because of work! Yey! Hehe. Astig yun e, yung you get to travel because of work... and it's for FREE! Oo, I want to travel to exotic places, pero iba yung pag libre at sagot lahat ng trabaho, hehe.

Wow...I'm really into research now...

2007-11-07T08:42:00.000+08:00

When I was still an undergrad biochemistry student, I read in the book of Campbell (Biochemistry) an article where a woman scientist was interviewed. I forget who the scientist was, basta babae siya and she talked about her life as a scientist, how she was able to find her husband in the field of science too, how she took a leave from the academe because she was going to give birth (and she was trying to catch up with her ovaries this time, hehe.), etc. As I read it, she said there that what made her going every morning was:

the fact that there is something new to learn about your research...

the fact that when you wake up every morning you are excited to do your research because there is something new to discover...

Upon reading it, I said to myself, "nyek, hanep 'to ah, adik sa research. Hinid naman ata mangyayari sakin 'to...'sus research? Who da hell would get all fired up for research?"

And then it hit me...

Grabe...I really never thought that I would end up being an "adik" for research. There's this project where my bossing is the project leader. It's all about the sustainability of SOILS and SEDIMENTS in Metro Manila (can't put here the complete title eh, baka magka-isyu isyu pa, hehe. Isipin mo ha, SOILS! Huwaat?! Oo importante ang soil pero parang ang geeky pa pag pinag-aralan 'to! Hehe). I'm going to take part in this research project since I'm the URA of Dr. Sandra and I think this would be my thesis. Hwow, SOIL CHEMISTRY! Kaya nga ako umalis ng Chem kasi ayoko na ng chem! Waaa! Well I guess hinahabol na ko ng chem... Dati ako naghahabol sa kanya eh, haha! I just have to face it with open arms and a loving hug after that, haha! Huwaaat?!

Ako na 'tong naeexcite ngayon every morning to wake up and go to UP (take note sa UP! From Parañaque to UP everyday, back and forth...commute ha! Hindi kotse.) I felt the drive to go to UP and study and learn and absorb all the knowledge that I can to make me a competitive scientist of the future...CHARING! Haha! No, but seriously, I really felt this remarkable change in me...and I'm loving and enjoying every moment of it :)

I think I'm here to stay in this research caravan...:)

Ang pinagpaguran kong essay!

2007-10-05T19:09:00.000+08:00

So just you know, ganito ang buhay sa MS... Walang tulugan... Hindi tulad ng undergrad... Etong essay na 'to solid pinagpaguran ko... research dun research dito, walang katapusang research! Nasiraan ata ako ng bait habang ginagawa ko 'to, haha. Enjoy!

Edna Patricia P. Mendoza
MS Environmental Science
2007-78411

A comparison of marine waters, fresh/terrestrial waters, and estuaries
The earth is an enormous ecosystem in which the living and nonliving worlds interact through four major subsystems: the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. In the hydrosphere where the planet’s waters are contained, three major types of water are connected and interact with each other: (1) the marine waters, (2) the freshwaters or terrestrial waters, and (3) the estuaries. They vary in their composition and their physical, chemical, and biological processes.
Marine Waters
Marine waters comprise the North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, Indian and Arctic Oceans, and the Antarctic waters or seas and covers 71% of the earth surface (See Table 1). The average salinity of seawater is 35 ppt where the dominant anion is chloride, 19 ppt by weight, and the dominant cation is sodium, 10.5 ppt by weight (Barnes & Hughes, 1982). Salinity is due to the gradual concentration of dissolved chemicals eroded from the Earth's crust and washed into the sea. Solid and gaseous ejections from volcanoes, suspended particles swept to the ocean from the land by onshore winds, and materials dissolved from sediments deposited on the ocean floor have also contributed to the salinity (Swenson, USGS).
The ocean floor is mostly covered with loose sediment from particles which settled down from higher regions. The sediments reach thicknesses of thousands of meters and the great pressure exerted by the weight of such masses of materials compresses the bottommost portion into sedimentary rock. The nature of the uppermost layer of benthic sediment will be determined by whether it is organic or inorganic in origin. The nature of the bottom will be affected (Reid & Wood, 1976) too, by the types of organisms of which it is composed.
Marine organisms that thrive in the ocean can be affected by some physical factors of the ocean such as tides, waves, circulation cells, and settling velocities. Tides have an effect on the shoreline species that have special adaptations to the semidiurnal changes in the environment. Organisms living here must be able to tolerate extended periods of immersion and exposure which can last for weeks or even months Waves affect marine organisms, both in the open ocean as well as near the shore, by alternately raising and lowering them. Waves are important primarily because (Reid & Wood, 1976) they circulate the upper layers of the water (mixing heat, dissolved nutrients, and oxygen), they cycle plankton in and out of the bright surface light, and they disperse the gametes and larval forms of many species. A circulation cell, a block of surface water where water cycles down and up beneath the surface, may affect marine organisms by changing its temperature while cycling and picking up nutrients and drifting organisms along the way; thus the rising current between cells is often cooler and richer in food than the surrounding water (Reid & Wood, 1976). Because of this, the distribution of autotrophic organisms in the surface layers may be affected. Settling velocity is the rate at which a particle settles toward the bottom of a body of water (Reid & Wood, 1976). They are important to the distribution of suspended particles and small organisms throughout marine waters.
Aside from physical factors, chemical and biological processes occurring in the oceans may affect marine organisms as well. Marine organisms can be categorized into two large groups (Barnes & Hughes, 1982) on whether they live in the water mass (pelagic) or in the bottom sediments or rock (benthic). A minor, third category is required for those who straddle the air-water interface (pleustic). Pelagic organisms occupy a large portion of the group and it includes the plankton and nekton. Plankton varies in sizes ranging from less than1μm in diameter to 0.5m (Table 2). Phytoplankton, with exception of the littoral zone, are the sole source of the food energy which fuels the entire oceanic food web (Barnes & Hughes, 1982). Phytoplankton utilize light to synthesize complex organic molecules by undergoing different processes; however, the most frequent process in the oceans as a whole (Barnes & Hughes, 1982) is the photosynthetic fixation of carbon by the phytoplanktonic protists using water as the hydrogen donor (Fig.1). Photosynthetic fixation is responsible for the primary generation of organic compounds in the sea. Clearly, therefore, all primary fixation of organic compound by photosynthetic organisms must be a phenomenon confined to the surface waters. There are factors limiting primary production. These are (Barnes & Hughes, 1982): (1) light, (2) turbulence, (3) nutrients, and (4) grazing. All can have an interruption on the magnitude of primary production.
Freshwater/Terrestrial Waters
Freshwaters, in layman’s term, are waters that have no salty taste. They are categorized into two: (1) lentic habitats, and (2) lotic habitats. Lentic habitats are “standing waters” or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, swamps, and marshes; and lotic habitats are flowing-water habitats and are derived from the hydrologic cycle. Examples of lotic habitats are rivers, streams, brooks, groundwater, and channels of other sorts.
Swamps and marshes are relatively easy to distinguish from one another. The former are wet lowlands which support mosses and shrubs, together with relatively large trees such as cypress and gum while the latter are broad, treeless wetland areas, occupied by abundant grasses, rushes, and sedges (Reid and Wood, 1976). Neither of them is a completely aquatic habitat. They are also called “terrestrial” wetlands which are important to wildlife habitant because biogeochemical processes in wetland ecosystems are mediated by soils with low redox potentials (Class handouts). Net primary productivity in wetland ecosystems varies widely, depending upon nutrient supply (Brinson et al., 1981). Net primary production (NPP) is directly related to nutrient inputs in many swamp forests (Brown, 1981), and productivity is highest in wetlands that are seasonally dry, allowing for periods of rapid nutrient turnover when soils are exposed to oxygen.
Lakes and ponds are harder to distinguish from one another because neither term is necessarily restricted to any one kind of environment. They also usually change in character with the passage of time. For laymen and scientists alike, the term pond generally suggests a small, quiet body of water, shallow enough for rooted plants to grow from one shore to the other. For lakes, they are larger bodies of standing water and occupy distinctive basins. The shores and lake bottoms near shore of typical older lakes are composed of coarse gravel and rocks. Mud and fine materials occur in the deeper regions of the lakes and unconsolidated or soluble materials such as sands and limestone are rather quickly eroded to develop gently sloping lake shores of sand and near shore bottoms of fine sedimentary particles (Reid & Wood, 1976). The physical properties of water have a significant control on net primary productivity and nutrient cycling in lakes. Sunlight warms the surface waters, but light energy is rapidly appeased with depth. Since freshwater shows its greatest density at 4OC, stratification of water develops in deep lakes consisting of the epilimnion, warm surface waters; and hypolimnion, cooler, deep waters. During summer stratification, phytoplankton are confined to the surface layers that contain only a small portion of the total nutrient content of a lake (Class handouts). During these periods, NPP in the epilimnion depends on direct nutrient inputs to the surface waters (Schindler, 1978) and on nutrient regeneration in the epilimnion (Fee et al., 1994). Surface waters have high redox potential but low quantities of available nutrients are in the epilimnion as a result of rapid uptake by phytoplankton.
In terms of physical characteristics, fast-flowing streams differ from lakes in various ways as follows (Sigee, 2005): (a) the water body is transient (low retention time) at any particular site. It is also typically highly turbulent, with no thermal or chemical stratification. Both of these factors combine to limit the development of a planktonic community (phyto- and zooplantkton), which may be significant in larger rivers but does not normally make a major contribution to the stream community; (b) the substratum (bed) of streams is typically well aerated and exposed to light, and is the major site of algae and associated biota; (c) inflow from the catchment area is typically periodic, giving rise to marked fluctuations on water level and flow velocity (high and low flow periods). Concentrations of dissolved particulate matter, which are mainly derived from the catchment area, typically follow this periodicity in inflow. Because of this, stream ecosystems are dominated by benthic organisms. Some large rivers occupy an intermediated position between lotic and lentic environments, with limited movement of the water body, restriction of turbulence to the upper layers and sediments that are exposed to minimal water flow and are in permanent darkness (Sigee, 2005). In this situation, rivers may resemble lakes in showing chemical and thermal stratification and develop substantial phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Groundwater is the water contained in the rocks below the water table and usually is of more uniform volume than vadose water (water in the soil above the water table) (Reid & Wood, 1976). Many of the factors that influence the surface water composition also influence groundwater composition. Groundwater is always in contact with rocks and minerals and moves more slowly than surface water. Because of this, groundwater regularly contains more dissolved minerals than surface water. When water seeps below the surface, it passes through the soil where microbial respiration processes release CO2. As water encounters the CO2, the pH is lowered, and the water can dissolve more minerals. At higher temperatures, minerals dissolve more readily. Deep groundwater tends to be warmer and as a result, has higher mineral content. Ultimately, what controls the composition of groundwater is (waterencyclopedia.com): (1) the geologic materials groundwater is moving through; (2) the type of reactions taking place; and (3) the contact time, or length of time groundwater has been in contact with the rocks. The contact time may vary from a few days to more than 10,000 years. Knowledge of water–rock–organism reactions helps hydrologists unravel the origin of a specific water parcel. Carefully analyzing the water allows them to identify what types of reactions have affected the water, and to understand the geological and ecological history of the area.
Estuaries
At and near the region where the freshwater from the land meets the salt water of the sea, a distinct aquatic environment occurs – the estuary. It is defined (Dionne, 1963) as follows: an inlet of the sea reaching into a river valley as far as the upper limit of tidal rise, usually being divisible into three sectors: (a) a marine or lower estuary, in free connection with the open sea; (b) a middle estuary, subject to strong salt and freshwater mixing; and (c) an upper or fluvial estuary, characterized by fresh water but subject to daily tidal action. The estuary is an ecotone, a rather complex “buffer zone”, sharing some characteristics of both types of aquatic ecosystems, but identical to neither (Reid & Wood, 1976). It is an ephemeral feature in a long-term, geologic history and must be regarded as a dynamically evolving land-form that will go through a life cycle from valley creation (by fluvial or ice erosion), followed by the drowning phase (eustatic rise of sea level, with or without vertical crustal motion), and ending with the progressing infilling (mainly deltaic, but some offshore sedimentation, aided by eustatic drop with or without vertical crustal motion) (Fairbridge, 1961).
There are some physical, chemical, sedimentological, and biological features of the estuarine environment that are potentially important controls of the nutrients, dissolved gases, and the general biogeochemistry in estuaries. These controlling influences may be summarized as follows (Aston, 1978): (a) the tidal mixing of fresh and seawaters on a semi-diurnal or diurnal time scale, with corresponding changes in the volume of water in an estuary, produce temporal changes in the contributions of nutrients and dissolved gases from marine and fresh water sources; (b) the circulation, and especially the stratification of some estuaries, generates the possibility of vertical and horizontal variations of the concentrations of nutrients and dissolved gases within an estuary; (c) estuarine topography may give rise to particularly restricted calculations where the mixing of external seawater with the estuarine waters is greatly reduced, and the restricted mixing leads to unusual chemical environments; (d) the current regime on coastal waters and estuaries leads to the deposition of various types of sedimentary material. The deposition and resuspension of sediments in estuaries may influence the budgets of dissolved constituents in estuarine waters, including nutrients and gases; (e) chemical reactions occurring during the mixing of river water with seawater may lead to the removal or addition of the dissolved nutrients. Also, the changes in temperature and salinity during estuarine mixing influence the solubility of dissolved gases and thus influence their removal or addition in an estuary; and (f) biological production and metabolism have significant influences on the occurrence and distribution of nutrients and some gases, e.g. CO2 and O2 in estuarine waters. Estuaries are environments with special problems for biological organisms, so that there is a tendency to a decrease in species diversity in estuaries. This decrease does not, however, imply that productivity is low.

Phytoplanktons, like in marine and fresh waters, are present in estuaries too. They reside for a short period of time in estuaries usually coming from adjacent seas and rivers. Phytoplankton development in estuaries differs from that in coastal waters in that estuarine phytoplankton shows a continuous high productivity between spring and autumn, whereas coastal waters a spring peak is usually followed by a second peak in late summer (Riley, 1967; Cadee and Hegeman, 1974). Phytoplankton growth is one of the main biological processes affecting the chemistry of estuaries, since photosynthesis results in the decrease of the concentrations of CO2, SO42-, NH3, NO3-, and silicate as well as the range of micronutrients. At the same time, O2 is increasing, often to supersaturation. At nighttime, these processes are reversed.
The main features of estuaries are not its biotic aspects but the chemistry and biogeochemistry of it. However, there are biotic transports in and out of estuaries. Many species of animals move actively between the sea and its adjacent estuaries and they have been reported to occur in seals, whales, fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, polychaetes, and other organisms. There are also animals migrating between estuaries and freshwaters, such as the anadromous fish (salmon, sturgeon, sea lamprey). They spawn in fresh water and live as adults in estuaries or in the sea (Wolff, 1973).

REFERENCES:

Barnes, R.S.K., and Hughes, R.N. 1982. An introduction to marine ecology. Blackwell Scientific
Publications, London

Class handouts, may be obtained from NIGS library at reserved section (I don’t know the title)

Drever, James I. 1997. The Geochemistry of Natural Waters: Surface and Groundwater
Environments 3rd ed. Prentice Hall, New Jersey

Olausson, E., and Cato, I. (editors) 1980. Chemistry and biogeochemistry of estuaries. John Wiley & Sons
Ltd., Brisbane

Reid, G.K., and Wood, R.D. 1976. Ecology of inland waters and estuaries 2nd ed. D. Van Nostrand
Company, New York

Sigee, D.C. 2005. Freshwater Microbiology. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., England.

Swenson, H. Why is the sea salty? http://www.palomar.edu/oceanography/salty_ocean.html

Hwow my first day as URA-1 at UP!

2007-10-04T16:12:00.000+08:00

Hello dear blog!

Guess what, I'm here right now at UPD working as a University Research Associate - 1! Woohoo! Astig 'to! :D Can't wait to go on field works with Dr. Sandra! :D

Tama ba 'tong pinasukan ko?!

2007-09-25T23:20:00.000+08:00

One of the reasons I took up MS Environmental Science is:

I want to escape the realm of chemistry and math.

Pucha, malaking pagkakamaliiii (To the tune of Ryan Cayabyab's song) As in solid. Well, hindi naman talaga siya "pagkakamali". It's more like mali siguro 'yung naging perception ko sa EnviSci. Iniisip ko it's all about the animals. Iniisip ko konti lang 'yung math niya. Oks lang ako sa chem kasi hindi naman supah dupah hardcore 'yung chem e. Pero kasi napag-aralan ko na kaya masasabi ko na oks lang sakin yung chem. But math? Omigas abelgas, eto na yung hardcore.

Our teacher said that Environmental Science is a difficult course since it encompasses a wide field of science disciplines. Na-realize ko, shet, oo nga. Bakit ko ba kasi naisip na puro hayop ang makakadeal ko sa EnviSci? Eh hindi naman pala! It's about encompassing everything in the environment--- the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Isispin mo, lahat yan kelangan mong i-link! Pero naman kasi pwede kang kumuha ng specialization kaya oks lang din, hehe. You know like there are those days lang talaga that you would stop and think and reflect on what's going on with your life...

Tama ba talaga na nag-envi sci ako? I fear that I'm not cut out for this. Nakakaintimidate nga e. Actually minsan napapaisip ako habang naglalakad sa UP, kapag nakakasalubong ko mga UP students, nakaksalimuha ko orgmates ko, napapaisip ako ng, "shet men ang tatalino nilaaaa... Kung hindi sila nanggaling ng Pisay, e malamang nasa upper 10% sila ng graduating batch..." Hanep manindak e, haha! Minsan iniisip ko kung fit ba ako dito sa UP... Well in some aspects yes, but in some maybe no... Haaay...

Pero you know, right now my life is back in the right track. Dati talaga windang ako e! Remember my other blog, yung sabi kong nagka-anxiety attack ako? Grabe talaga yun, I was thinking of dropping everything, quitting pa nga e. But now oks na siya. I'm happy kasi tapos ko na lahat ng assignments, woohoo! I'm just praying na oks silang lahat! Hhuhu... Hindi ko keri kung babagsak ako! Ano ba yan... My grade should be above 2.0!

Hay pero I thank God tapos na ko, and He has given me strength to finish all my assignments. Hanep naman kasi sa UP, talagang sasagarin ka, as in sa dulo ng sem lahat ng tapusan. Hindi tulad sa DLSU, laging on your toes kasi mabilis talaga. Sa UP, petiks muna tapos cramming na sa dulo! haha. But it's good, ibang style naman, haha :)

Mga Kathang Isip ko... Part 3

2007-09-22T01:43:00.000+08:00

Every time I try to open my blog and compose something, my mind just goes blank. Parang nauubusan ako ng sasabihin when in fact sa bawat segundo na ginawa ng Diyos, hindi ako tumigil sa pag-iisip. Pag-iisip ng gusto kong mangyari sa buhay. Ang dami kasi e. Iniisip ko rin kung paano malalampasan mga suliranin ko ngayon sa MS... pucha, nagka-anxiety attack ata ako nung isang araw. Sobrang nagpatong-patong talaga mga problema ko:

nawala ID ko
may findings sa urinalysis ko
ang bagal ng doktor dumating sa clinic
wala pa akong med certificate for employment
pumuntang Philcoa para kunin sweldo sa DPB
bumalik ng school sa ilalim ng init ng araw
meron pa akong take home exam
meron akong 4 chapters of loaded reading
3-page hardcore essay
journal critique
trabaho as GA sa NIGS
powerpoint presentation for journal critique
emotional problem sa lovelife (meron pala ako nito?)
kapaguran sa paglalakad sa napakalawak na paaralan
hinahabol ang pagsasara ng cashier at banko
AAAAAAA!!!

GRABEEEE!!! I was going to burst that day! People were saying, "edz ang sabog mo na, windang ka ba?" They just don't know what I was going through! I normally don't worry about these things pero grabe 'to, parang feeling ko ngayon lang ako nakaranas ng ganoong kasama na pakiramadam...

At buti na lang... nandyan si JWAN... haaay, thanks tae, astig ka. Dahil sayo napakalma mo pakiramdam ko. Thank you for answering your cellphone. Alam mo bang usually 'pag tumatawag ako sa mga tao, walang sumasagot. Good thing Jwan's always there to listen. Wala na rin si Lyka, masyadong malayo, long distance pa. Dehins na kaya ng plan ko i-cover yun, hehe. We talked and we talked. I narrated to her everything: my feelings that day, my worries, anxiety attack, pressured environment... And she gave me the best advice which, until today, lingers in my head:

Tsong, one step at a time lang... Kaya mo naman 'yan once inupuan mo 'yan isa-isa...

And true enough, after she said these words, I became calm and composed myself. I was on my way to the chapel when I called Jwan. I really needed God that time, hindi ko na alam gagawin ko. Tamang-tama, before I stepped in the chapel, Jwan answered the phone. Kinausap ko siya habang nakaupo ako sa damuhan sa labas ng chapel. It was a comforting moment. God's creations were relaxing me: the touch of cool, green grass, cool wind over my face, serene environment, relaxed atmosphere. It was as if all my worries vanished after entering the vicinity of the chapel.

God sent me friends so I can call on them when I need help or when I need to vent out my feelings. I'm so thankful for them. Inisip ko nga, kung may boyfriend kaya ako matatawagan ko siya ng parang ganito? Yung talagang dumadaing ng todo? Naisip ko parang hindi yata... Kaya oks pa rin kahit single, haha. (Parang may bitterness somewhere ah... hahah! Hende, wala 'no) Wala pang jumajackpot sa'kin eh, haha! Darating din yan at an unexpected time, at an unexpected place (by the time I'm 35 at nagreresearch sa Africa... hwaw ovaries ko wala na nun!)

Dear Lord, thank you for sending me such great friends. I love them all so much. Keep them always safe and always bless them with your infinite love. Thank you.

He's got me lovestoned... but I don't think he knows...

2007-08-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

GRABE! There's this guy in school that I have a major crush on, as in solid! AAAAA! It's freaky but I like it, haha! Got that line from JT's new song, Lovestoned/I think that she knows...

PERO! Nakita ko na ang totoong siya, and I don't like it. It got me really turned off. Taray ng lalaking 'to, shet. Hindi namamansin! Ang yabang nga e. My feelings for him came as quickly as it left... Oh well, malas na lang niya... hahaha!

Marami pa naman... actually marami pa nga, hehe :)

Animal Chronicles: Marine and Terrestrial 4

2007-07-14T12:25:00.000+08:00

Wahaha, I'm back posting my Animal Chronicles! Haaay, a lot have been going on with my pets, Midnight and Puss (in boots---a la Shrek yung tono) gave birth to 4 and 3 kittens respectively. Si Puss (in boots) mas unang nanganak, mga March yun e, tapos ang kukyut ng mga kuting niya! As in super! At first they were cuddled up in a corner under our water tanks. It was scary because the environment there was moist and little light would come in. But fortunately, after how many months, Puss (in boots) took the three cute kittens out of their lungga and put them in an accessible spot for us, which is sa likod-bahay namin. Grabe they were so cute! Two were white, and one was brown. The brown and white were males, the remaining white was a female. Edi ang lulusog nila diba, tapos etong si Midnight, nanganak din! Apat naman! Grabe it was a hayday for us and the cats! We had 11 cats! Wow! Ang saya!

Tapos, it was time for Midnight to get her kittens out of their lungga again and before we knew it, we had SEVEN cute and cuddly kittens! Nakakatuwa! Tambling sila nang tambling kasi mga naglalaro. Yung isang group naman, yung mga anak ni Midnight, e tulog nang tulog, mga kuting pa kasi. Tapos yung isa sa mga anak ni Puss (in boots), yung puti, nagbabadyang mamatay kasi pikit na yung mga mata niya gawa ng morning glory tapos ang lampayatot, hindi nagkakakain. So I decided to bring the kitty to the vet, hanep, first time ko, as in. For the past 17 years na nag-aalaga ng pusa, ngayon lang ako nagpa-vet (kawawa naman mga pusa ko, ahihi). Ayun, bumalik sigla! Sinaksakan ata ng United American Tiki-Tiki, pampalusong ng inyong kitty... Pucha, hanep sa kakornihan! Hahahaha!

And then the kitty was back to normal, ang saya! However, one of Midnight's kittens died, yung three colors. Two browns, one white, and one three colors kasi yung anak ni Midnight..:( mahina kasi talaga yun nung una, maliit kasi. Siya siguro yung pinakahuling nabuo. Kasi ang mga kuting, o ang mga pusa, pwedeng hindi lang iisa ang ama. Pwedeng maraming tomcats ang makabuntis sa kanila, multiple pregnancy ba. Hanep 'no? Sa tao rin kaya pwedeng maraming lalake ang makabuntis sa isang babae? Well, maraming POSSIBLE na makabuntis, and a woman can have a lot of sex partners, but it is not PROBABLE for a woman to become pregnant with different kinds of sperm coming from different males. Isang male lang, hindi tulad sa cats, different males, one female. Okay, back to topic. Ayun, namatay na nga yung isang kuting, edi anim na lang sila. Tapos after some time, napilay yung kuting na pina-vet namin. Ewan ko ba, parang hindi gumagana yung paa niya na yun. Right hind leg yung naapektuhan. So pag tumatakbo siya, dinadrag niya yung paa niya, ahhihih! Nakakatawa kasi pero at the same time nakakaawa, ahahah... Haha sorry ming...

Edi okay na sila diba, parang healthy healthy na... Tapos paglaon ng panahon, naging malnourished yung dalawang anak ni Puss (in boots), hindi yung pilay, yung dalawang healthy pa dapat. Ewan ko ba kung anong nangyari! Nagbabadya silang mamatay! Meanwhile, yung anak ni Midnight e malulusog naman. Pero, I've decided to bring the kittens to the vet, all six of them. The vet found out they have ring worm and another type of worm that feeds on the flora of the intestines, kumbaga eto yung bad worm. Yung ring worm kasi, they feed on what the cat is eating. May kasosyo baga yung pusa kung kumain. Tapos pinrescribe sakin ng vet yung isang gamot na mapakla for the cats and a certain powdered milk. Ihahalo ko raw yung gamot sa milk para hindi mag-slaver ang mga pusa. So sige, I force-fed them when I arrived home tapos pucha, naglaway nga ang mga pusa! I was not able to give them the right dosage of medicine. Hala, ayun, bale wala yung gamot. But for the milk, finoforce-feed ko sila, ayaw kasi rin nila nung powdered milk e, jologs ata kasi, dapat fresh milk. Anyway, talagang napakapayat na nung dalawang kuting! Nakaktakot!

Tapos nung isang araw, nagulat na lang ako nang makita ko na KINAIN NI PUSS (IN BOOTS) YUNG ANAK NIYA! Yikes! As in! Wala na yung two front legs! Grabe! Kasi hindi na maliit yung kuting e, medyo malaki na. Tapos makikita mo na yung ribs and heart! Eeek! Meron pa nga akong picture e, ang morbid naman diba kung ilalagay ko pa rito… Grabe kakagulat. Anyway, hindi na kami nag-wallow pa masyado sa pagkamatay kasi kung hindi pa namin itapon yung pusa (talagang itapon e ‘no, hindi man lang ilibing, haha!) e lalangawin pa yun at magiging unpleasant smelling yung place diba. Kinain pa naman niya malapit sa tulugan nung mga kuting, nyek. So nilagay namin yung kuting sa supot tapos initsa namin sa bakanteng lote sa kanto. Na-realize ko nga dapat hindi ko na nilagay sa supot kasi mabubulok yung pusa, e yung supot hindi, nyay. Ayun, edi anim na lang yung mga kuting. Tapos after a week, nagbadyang mamatay yung brown! Grabe! As in nakahandusay na siya dun sa lapag, tirik ang mga mata, pero humihinga pa rin!

Ang tigas ng kuting na ‘to. Finorce-feed ko siya pero it can only do so much, hindi na hihigit pa yung inooffer niya na benefits like nourishment. Edi hinayaan ko na lang siya dun, in case baka mamya hindi na siya humihinga. Aba! Nung gabi humihinga pa rin! Ang lakas ng will to live niya, as in super! Tapos nung gabi, umulan! Binaha yung mga kuting tapos syempre inelevate ko yung mga buhay pang kuting. Hinayaan ko lang si brown dun, grabe ang sama ko nga e, pero kasi naman, hindi na talaga siya tumatayo, nakahiga na lang siya. Ayun, binaha na lang siya dun. Edi morning came the next day… Guess what… buhay pa si brown! As in major humihinga pa siya and if you agitate him, he will make a meow sound! Naghintay-hintay pa ko ng hanggang late morning… Hindi ko na talaga kinaya, kasi pagbalik ko sa kanya, his feces was out and he micturated already. I decided to load him onto the dust pan, even though he was still breathing and jerking (remnants probably of his sparking nerves), went to the vacant lot, and with one swoop, ayun, umitsa siya dun sa madamong part ng lote. Lumilipad siya nung initsa ko, ahihi. Nakakatawa kasing tingnan na lumilipad siya e. Parang zoom! Grabe ang morbid ko… Hinde! Natatawa lang ako, that’s all. Pero in fairness, sobrang elib ako dun sa will to live ng kuting na yun. It was as if he really wanted to hold on to his life, only I realized it a tad too late. Nakikita ko na parang he was trying to fight whatever illness or disease he had, gusto pa niyang mabuhay. Eto naman ako, nag-euthanasia. I put my kitten’s life in my own hands… Pucha, nakaka-guilty.

On to the pilay kitten. After 2 weeks, namatay na rin siya. Weird thing is, malusog pa siya, kumakain, tumatakbo. I realized maybe he was lonely. Even if there were other kittens, hindi nga lang niya ka-age, they were younger, my paralyzed kitten was sad. Hindi siya nakikijoin sa mga kuting. He was always cuddled up to his mother, Puss (in boots). Eto yung example ng mahina na will to live. You may still be alive but life to you is nothing but a complete...uhm... NOTHINGNESS... You don't have a purpose to exist... Ang saklap 'no?

It's like when you wake up everyday, do your morning routine, do what you do every single day, and at the end of it all, wala lang, hindi mo siya inenjoy... Ayun... Yung tipong wala lang... Ang baduy 'no? So baduy pala yung pusa ko? Ahehe hindi naman... Kawawa lang talaga siya. He have seen his brother and sister die unmercifully. His sister was eaten, the other one was thrown away, even if it was still alive. Haay, buhay nga naman ng mga pusa.

Eto, mukhang nagbabadya na naman yung isa naming kuting... waaaa...

Abangan ang mga susunod na kabanata...

Utilizing The Secret... First Step

2007-06-27T13:49:00.000+08:00

When I watched The Secret, a video which tells how to use and utilize "The Secret", in order to be put in a certain state of happiness, one must write down what s/he is happy about. You must be full of gratitude towards life and be in tune with the universe. And one of the secret to be happy is to be in constant happiness with your surroundings. I'll start off by writing down things I am happy/grateful about:

I am grateful about having a loving and wonderful family. That I grew up in an environment where my father and mother is a faithful husband/wife, have no vices, always there for their children, totally funny, and a source of inspiration. My brothers too are great! I love them all so very much... :)

I was born into a family who’s not filthy rich, but not staggeringly poor. My brothers and I had our education at DLSU, and now I am studying as a FULL-TIME student (hindi ako nagtatrabaho, woohoo! Iskolar ng magulang!) at UPD.

I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed because I have slept in a queen-sized bed with a lot of pillows; I know that I won't be bothered by the evening's or morning's heat because of lack of ventilation; I can roll and spread my arms and legs on the bed knowing that I am alone on my bed and don't share it with anyone else.

I may not be provided constantly by the things I WANT but I am blessed and abundant with the things I NEED like food (eating more than 3x a day), good shelter (a big stone house, not just some shanty), quality clothing, potable water, access to clean and sanitized toilet and bath, having a household helper to do the chores (which makes my life easier after meals since I don't have to wash the dishes or clean the kitchen or even cook), transportation (I may not drive but my father and brothers are willing to take us places), a nice village where the people interact cloesly with each other (not some snobby village where people don't give a damn about their neighbors), cute household pets, the list goes on...

I am able to do the things I desire, like climb mountains, play sports, dance like there's no tomorrow, because I was born complete--- with arms, legs, eyesight, everything. I don't have any defects on me. I thank God and I am grateful that I was born healthy and normal; I did not lack any chromosome in my genes. I remembered I sprained my ankle from climbing Pico de Loro; I couldn't do any normal movement and I had to be assisted by a walker/cane. It was a big hindrance for my work and for my daily activities. That incident made me appreciate more the value of health, and it made me humble in a way because there are people who are afflicted with several kinds of illnesses. I am thankful I am not.

I am thankful that I live in a country which is so naturally diversed and beautiful, and the temperature is warm. Although it is littered with grossly corrupt officials of the government, the Philippines someday would be a famous destination because of the future effects of global warming. I have watched last night on NGC that the world would experience again an "ice age" where temperatures would drastically decrease. The parts of the world that would be most affected would be Britain and the US. So you see, this would be a hayday for the tropical countries, and the Philppines would be a part of that. And did you know, that THE BIGGEST GOLD DEPOSIT IN THE WORLD IS IN MINDANAO? My professor in Envi Sci told us that the CIA has mapped out the world where the biggest mineral deposits are using remote sensing techniques (malamang satellite 'yung ginamit). I believe him because not only is he a PhD and teaches at UP, I've seen his credentials and man, Big time prof 'to. And also, the Philippines is the CENTER OF CENTER MARINE SHORE FISH BIODIVERSITY proclaimed by Dr. Kent Carpenter of WCU! Woohoo san ka pa?! Maganda talaga dito sa Pilipinas. Leche lang talaga ang mga KORUPT na opisyal.

Even if I don't have everything, even if I see people who are far richer than us, far more beautiful than I, have accomplished more than I, have more friends than I, I am HAPPY AND CONTENT WITH WHAT I HAVE. I desire and want more, but the secret is to be happy and content with what you have and everything that you desire and want would come to you. When you want something, everything in the universe conspires to help you achieve it.---Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.

I know the list goes on but I think one of my gifts in life is that I am able to see the beauty in all things. I am optimistic and always hopeful. I am fervent and persevering. I have a fighting spirit. I can easily detect even the minutest blessing.

And for this, I live a life full of happiness and contentment. And for this, I thank God... :)

This is me in my happiest state!

2007-06-27T13:14:00.000+08:00

After a long break from posting... I'm baaack!!!

2007-06-18T12:53:00.000+08:00

Ang dami nang nangyari sa buhay ko since my last post... As in they were a bit life-changing 'ika nga. Oh well, as my good friend, Lyka, said, "Past is not present." Haha how profound! (Lyka I miss you!) Let me see, in the past two-and-a-half months, I have learned to or have accomplished the following:

play mahjong,
went to Pagudpud,
work in an HR environment,
watched the latest flicks,
have two dance recitals (one for pole dancing and one for latin jazz),
bought 3 Levi's jeans (woohoo my favorite jeans ever!),
take care of 7 cute and cuddly kittens,
party with Chris, Grace, and Inca at WTC for Ministry of Sound party,
passed at UPD for MS Environmental Science...

Hmm... Not bad in 2.5 months! Hehe. Alam ko marami-rami pa kong nagawa e, nalimutan ko lang. I'm happy that I have done all these activities, ang saya. It made me realize that I was living my life to the fullest everytime and I see the beauty in everything that I do. I just hope and pray that things would continue to flow smoothly in my life. Haaay... Well blog, as soon as my laboratory and classroom woes start, I would be writing to you soon, hehe. As of now I'm loving my subjects pa. I haven't seen the wrath of the professors yet, haha!

More Scuba pics!!! :)

2007-03-15T13:03:00.000+08:00

SCUBA DIVING!!! :)

2007-03-03T11:59:00.000+08:00

It was my first time to go scuba diving today! Grabe ang saya at ang sarap ng feeling! It was like being in another world under the sea. The corals were magnificent, the fishes were marvelous, the life under the sea was throbbing with such diversity and beauty!

It all started when the diving group, Ed Garcia, sisters Ava and Pam Mercado, Patricke Rivera, Mike Ajero, Edeline Ang, and me met up at Shell Magallanes at 6am. Ingua unfortunately woke up late and was not able to join the trip. Iniwan na lang namin siya tuloy, ehehe...(sorry Ingua...) We then sped off to Anilao, but dropped by Cuenca market to eat and meet up with my good friend Jwan Solis, then proceeded to the parking lot of Portulano Dive Resort where we chartered a bangka and sailed to the resort. Below is an attached pic of us girls waiting at Cuenca market, at the bangka, and at Portulano jump-off:

Well, as you can see on the look of our faces that we were all excited! Tagal ko na rin kasi hindi nakapag-beach kaya talagang excited ako! When we reached Portulano dive resort, it was very nice and cozy. It was perfect for small diving groups to come and converge at the place. It was homey, relaxing, and beautiful at the same time. If you wish to virtually check out the place, visit their website at www.portulano.com. After arriving, we put our bags in our rooms and put on our bathing suits. The group was lectured by Dr. Eric and sir Ed. Below are the pics attached during our lecture. As you see, the second photo is Dr. Eric Punzalan showing us his underwater pressure and air supply gauge in hot pink, hehe:

Syempre pagkatapos ng lecture, edi excited na kaming mag-dive! Sino ba naman hindi mas maeexcite sa actual kesa sa mga theoretical? Anyway, tinuro na samin yung basic, mga equipment, diving techniques, state of mind mo dapat when underwater, and of course, yung pinakaimportant na nantutunan ko, "what you can do on the surface, you can also do underwater." and, "the only way that you can breathe, is through your regulator and your mouth. Never through your nose." Edi syempre handang handa na kami! We gathered the equipment, and started assembling them. Then everyone went into the water with full gear: Wet suit, booties, and diving mask, mamya yung flippers na kay sakit sa paa. Below were the pictures:

We trained in the saltwater pool provided by the resort. It was only 9ft. deep but when I reached the bottom and knelt, the pressure on my ears were great. It was painful in the beginning but then the instructors taught us how to equalize the pressure by closing your nose and exhaling through it so that the pressure on you eustachian tube would equalize with the pressure under water. Next was of course, after eating lunch and resting a bit, was the open water dive. Eto talaga, e the real thing na. I realized it was a whole lot different than training in the pool! Bukod sa mas malalim therefore masakit sa tenga, e yung merong current kaya sa ilalim medyo magssway ka. Also, I was strapped with 12lbs. of lead weight! Floater kasi ako kaya kelangan talaga mabigat. Ang hirap lumubog ha! Ako, si Ava, Pam, and Pat were all floaters! Kaya by the time na paubos na yung air sa tank, e malapit na lang kami lahat sa surface! Ano ba yan, para san pa yung scuba gear namin, edi sana nagsnorkel nalang kami, haha! :) Kahit naka-deflate na yung Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) namin, e wala, nasa surface pa rin kami. We dived to a depth of 15ft. Bagay para sa beginners kasi even if you go up and down the surface, okay lang, wala masyadong pressure on the body. Below are the underwater pictures taken by our master photographer (charing!) Mike Ajero (he uses Casio Exilim and Canon EOS DSLR):

Parang octopus ako dun sa first pic! Haha! Ang dami kasing tubes e! Next picture was a Christmas tree worm. When you touch it, it zooms back in its hole. Yung picture ng maraming fishy, e feeding frenzy yan, haha! I don't know if the last pic is a blue-lipped clam. I think the color comes from algae present on the lip which feeds on the passing organisms found in the sea. I forget the name of those small creatures... it's not plankton e... or is it? Next pictures are from the re-surfacing stage:

First pic was me and and Eds, second is Ava in her neon pink mala-bioman pink5 wet suit, her sister Pam, and me. Sayang, wala pa yung pic na naka-wet suit kaming lahat e, astig yun. Mukha kaming mga power rangers! Haha. Ang saya talaga, sobrang ibang klase yung fulfillment and yung feeling... I hope I can go back and do this again... Below is my midnight pic by the pool:

Well, eto na ang katapusan ng aking scuba blog, hehe. But I do hope makapag-scuba pa uli ako... Until next time...

p.s. visit mikeajero.blogspot.com for more scuba pics

My Second 10k Marathon

2007-02-24T08:56:00.000+08:00

Whoo! After weeks of training, running around the village park, and covering at least 5k per run, I beat my old record of 1h36m for a 10k run. New record: 1h2m! Yahoo! Thanks to Vladi, I was able to take part in the 3rd International Marathon for the Pasig River. Almost 9,000 participants joined in, and I am happy to say that I am one of the 9,000, hehe.

The terrain of The Fort Global City was a bit difficult, compared with Roxas Boulevard's 10k route. Some of the roads slanted inward, like that of a NASCAR route but not that exaggerated. Inclined surfaces were sporadically appearing and since the road was slanted, the pressure on my other leg was greater, therefore, it got tired earlier.

I met my friend, RC, and his friend, Ben. In the beginning, we were still running together until they got faster and I became slower, hehe. I also saw Pia Cayetano, the senator who ran the 10k race. She was fast and wore pink cycling shorts and a printed pink sleeveless top. Haha, I really wrote down the details! :)

I was so happy when I finished the marathon because I didn't stop running until the end. I did not walk (what our varsity coach taught us to do while running) and I continued to jog even the race was wearing me out a bit. Ang saya talaga and it made me feel fulfilled and satisfied! My craving for running in a marathon after a long time was now satiated, finally.

What was even better, my parents were so supportive! They even dropped me off at the race and waited for me to finish! Grabe saya talaga nun :) I'm so proud in having them both as my parents :)

Sana makatakbo uli ako sa mga marathon. A runner told me that Pia Cayetan was setting up an all-women race come March. However, I haven't found any schedule on the internet yet. Another awaited marathon is the New Balance Power Race (yehees shoes ko 'to! The best shoes for running! :) ). Kelan kaya 'to? I can't wait!

My new love song...

2007-02-14T15:58:00.000+08:00

Heck it's Valentine's Day! I did not post this song intentionally for vday... Nagkataon lang na ngayon ko lang talaga pinost, hehe. To all of the couples out there celebrating Vday07, and to those who share vday with family, friends, and with thyself (as in my case), have a Merry Valentine's Day today! :)

Let's go to the park
I wanna kiss u underneath the stars
Maybe we'll go too far
We just don't care
We just don't care
We just don't care

U know I love u when u loving me
Sometimes it's better when it's publicly
I'm not ashamed I don't care who sees
Just hugging & kissing our love exhibition all

We rendezvous out on the fire escape
I like to set up an alarm today
The love emergency don't make me wait
Just follow I'll lead u
I urgently need you

Let's go to the park
I wanna kiss u underneath the stars
Maybe we'll go too far
We just don't care
We just don't care
We just don't

Let's make love, let's go somewhere they might discover us
Let's get lost in lies
We just don't care
We just don't care
We just don't care

I see u closing down the restaurant
Let's sneak and do it when your boss is gone
Everybody's leaving we'll have some fun
Or maybe it's wrong but u turn me on
Ooh, we'll take a visit to your Mama's house
Creep to the bedroom while your Mama's out
Maybe she will hear it when we scream and shout
And we will keep it rocking until she comes knocking

Let's go to the park
I wanna kiss u underneath the stars
Maybe we'll go too far
We just don't care
We just don't care
We just don't

Let's make love, let's go somewhere they might discover us.
Let's get lost in lies
We just don't care
We just don't care
We just don't care

If we keep up on this fooling around
We'll be the talk of the town
I'll tell the world I'm in love any time
Let's open up the blinds cause we really don't mind

Ooh I don't care about the priority
Let's break the rules and ignore society
Maybe our neighbor like to spy too
So what if they watch when we do what we do

Oh, let's go to the park
I wanna kiss u underneath the stars
Maybe we'll go too far
We just don't care
We just don't care
We just don't

Let's make love, let's go somewhere they might discover us...

Song performed by John Legend
Title: P.D.A.
Taken from: lyricsmania.com

Mga Kathang-Isip Ko... Part 2 (Tricycle Chronicles)

2007-02-09T11:25:00.000+08:00

Everytime I go home from the office and ride a tricycle, I am very much amused watching tricycles get ahead of each other in a lane where only two cars can be accommodated. (See this feat live at BF President's Ave!) Nagkakarerahan pa ang mga trike na yan ha! Hahah! As in feel na feel pa nila... Yung tipong gitgitan pa sila tapos magoovertakean... Haha! Eto pa yung malala: Kapag yung nangunguna sa long line of cars e dalawang tricycle na nagkkwentuhan yung mga tricycle driver, hahaha! One time, nakakita ako, dalawang tricycle nagkakarerahan, sakay ang limang pasahero, each! E kasi dun sa isa, may nakasakay na medyo chubby, o sige fine, may nakasakay na hebigat. Tapos dun sa isa, puro lalake yung nakasakay! Edi contest ngayon sila kung sino mauuna dun sa regular route nila, haha! Tapos habang nagddrive sila, nagtittinginan yung mga driver tapos tumatawa! Hahah! It is truly a sight to behold! Nakakaaliw!

More Kathang-Isip ko to come... Maybe even more tricycle chronicles... Haha!

Mga Kathang-Isip Ko... Part 1

2007-02-09T09:49:00.000+08:00

Malamang Part 1 'to diba, kasi syempre, life goes on... Alanganamang tumigil lang ako rito, hehe. Para sa mga ganito ang blog---documentation purposes of one's life.

Hello! My name is Edz Mendoza. I am 21 years old, but I feel I am still 20. When I wrote this entry on paper with my left hand even though I am right-handed, I accidentally wrote: I am 20 years old. Haha! I graduated from DLSU-Manila, with a degree in BS Biochemistry. I am currently pursuing, correction, I would like to pursue a Master's Degree in Environmental Science in a University abroad. There's this course that interested me from Macquarie University in Australia: MS in Wildlife Conservation. Wow. It was as if this course was made for me (duh it was not made for you, it was made for the animals!). Sorry for that interjection, it was my pilosopong part of the brain. How I wish I can study abroad. I need to take the TOEFL first and next the GRE. To hell with the GRE Subject test! There's no way I am ever going to take that--- that is if I'm going to pursue chemistry. Yes, Chemistry is great, and I can see myself in that field too but no, I am not going to take it. Because I can see myself with the animals... You know... taking up Animal Care... (Wtf?! Animal Keyr?! Haha! That's not even a course!) My mind is fighting between Envi Sci or Vet Med... And the moment I said to my mater that I was interested in taking up Vet Med, her face got contorted and said, "Ano, magvevet med ka? Anong mapapala mo roon?" Haha! And when I saw the course offerings, they have courses in swine and poultry management. I thought to myself, "
Ayos 'to ah, pwede na ako magnegosyo ng farm... Babuyan tsaka manukan..." Hahaha! But then everytime I watch Animal Planet and see those veterinarians work wonders for the animals, I want to be like them too! The veterinarians, not the animals. In the beginning I should have entered Vet Med instead of taking up biochem. But then I realized having a good BS background, either Engineering, Science, or Computer Science, is a big factor in determining your job right after graduation.

So much for Part 1...

My Last Climb... Part 2

2007-01-16T12:47:00.000+08:00

Thank goodness after a long break from blogging, I am back baby! Well, I did not take a break really, it just took me a long time to access the website due to the earthquake in Taiwan. Now, as I am writing this blog entry, it's already February 8! Wtf?! Where have I been all this time?!

Ngayon ang hirap na tuloy i-recall lahat ng nangyari nung Tarak ridge climb ko... Pero hindi... Matatandaan ko yan! Teka ha... tick tock tick tock... Syet ang korni nung tick tock tick tock! Haha! Eto na, newscaster mode:

What I am about to post below are my pictures taken from Nova Nina Lontok, current president of DLSU Outdoor Club, which depicts the pristine Papaya river (though no papaya trees ever exist there) and the kahalayan pictures we took of ourselves. The water at the Papaya river is crystal clear and so cool. It refreshes a person's body, after grueling hours of climbing. I took a bath in my bikini, since this was my last climb. Wala nang hiya-hiya noh! I don't have boobs naman kaya hindi malaswa tingnan yung hitsura ko, wahehe. We were able to reach the peak at around 9am, way out of our schedule which was 8am. The ridge was breathtaking! As you can see from the pictures of my entry, My Last Climb Part 1.

Sobrang lakas ng hangin! (I think I mentioned this already) But all those hair-whoosh experience was so worth it! Heck, wala pa akong alam na mas gaganda pa sa Tarak. Although my friends from Metropolitan Mountaineering Society (MMS), Emma and Kieth, say that it's better at Mt. Daguldol (which hopefully I can climb this weekend). Mas maganda pa raw ang ridge dun... Well, I hope I can come. Anyway, here are the second batch of pictures from my Tarak climb. Enjoy!!!

Posing mo Edz! Haha! Ano kaya ang nasa dako roon?

Eto pa! Ano ba yan?!

Kitang-kita rito ang kagandahan ng Pilipinas...

My Last Climb... Part 1

2006-12-22T21:33:00.000+08:00

It took place at Mt. Mariveles, doon sa Tarak ridge. It was planned on December 16-17, 2006. This would probably my last climb...until I go independent and leave our house. My father and I got into a heated discussion about my mountain climbing escapades. He gave me an ultimatum and made me choose whether to:

a. Do not join the Tarak trip but you can still climb whatever mountain you like, PROVIDED it's near (Pico, Batulao, Maculot, Makiling, Banahaw, Cristobal, Sembrano, etc.)

b. Climb Tarak and never climb again.

I chose B. The thought of climbing with my closest climbing friends and walking Tarak ridge made me choose this option. And when I saw Tarak, I knew I made the right decision. See the pictures below (thanks Edwin!)

Atop Tarak ridge with the group. Whattahair kaming lahat! Etong si Edwin mala-machete look ampowtek! Haha! Thanks for the pics!

Astig 'tong pic na 'to kasi, yung sinasandalan namin na bato ni Maez, if you go overboard, e talagang mahuhulog ka na sa bangin. Ayan kami, sobrang lakas ng hangin, kaya one wrong step could prove fatal. Hanep sa sindak no? Hehe.

Again, one of my favorite pictures. That's me, Maez, and Viv, higher on the Tarak ridge. Super lakas ng hangin kaya check out our hair! As in! Tapos nakakatakot kasi baka matangay ka, e bangin pa naman yun...

I love the Philippines! Oo, sa Pilipinas 'tong ganitong kagandang lugar.

Kung paano namin tinahak ang landslide. Oo,kelangan namin bumababa diyan sa vertical area na yan. Gumamit pa kami ng ropes.

The whole climbing group. Dami no? Ang saya :)

The feeling was so exhilarating! After ascending the steep part of Mt. Mariveles, we arrived on the cogon area. Ang ganda! As in puro cogon lang makikita mo, swaying in the strong wind. Tapos ang ganda talaga. I cried in it's beauty. I let myself bask in the sunlight's rays and let the wind pass through my face. I reached this area alone. I prayed to God and thanked Him for making all things beautiful. After that, I went straight to the ridge, climbed a little higher, stared and marveled at the beauty of the Tarak ridge, the clouds (na kapantay na namin), and the spectacular view.

It was a feeling and a moment I will never forget. Actually I still remember all my climbs. And I think that through this, I am able to talk with God openly and serenely. Sarap ng feeling. We also went to Papaya river, ewan ko ba kung bakit tinawag na Papaya river yun, e wala naman ni isang puno ng papaya! Ano ba naman 'yun, haha!

We took a dip at the papaya river and camped near it. Syempre, naka-bikini ako! Haha! Tinake advantage ko na no, it's not like everyday I can swim in crystal clear waters, which is also potable. Thank God hindi ako nag-tae or anything, asteeeg :D Ganda grabe... Wala pa akong pics e, pero i-uupload ko rin yun, hehe. Ang lamig ng tubig! Pero sobrang clear talaga! Wow... That place was so pristine...

Abangan ang part 2... hehe :)

Animal Chronicles: Marine and Terrestrial 3

2006-12-05T21:37:00.000+08:00

May balita ako. Recent weeks have seen major breakthroughs in stem cell research, including the restoration of vision in blind mice and the use of human stem cells to produce insulin "naturally" in diabetic mice. copied verbatim from www.nationalgeographic.com.

And this picture above is an alpine-dwelling species of the butterfly genus Lycaeides. It appears to be a genetic mashup of two known species—Lycaeides melissa and Lycaeides idas—according to a new study. copied verbatim from www.nationalgeographic.com.

Visiting www.nationalgeographic.com gives me such a big feeling of, uhm, relief? satisfaction? intellectual craving? I don't know what words to use. I think this website is my way of 'de-stressing'. Dami 'kong natututunan. Ang saya :)

2006-12-04T00:48:00.000+08:00

Omigas! I was able to watch Rex Navarrete In Your Face! Live!!! Yahoooo! Tonight at Bagaberde. He was also with Mike Unson. They were both funny! Haha! Sayang wala akong pics, nasa phone e.

2006-12-04T00:45:00.000+08:00

One of my favorite pictures ever! Rappelling at Montalban! O, one hand lang 'yan ha! :)

Expedition High!

2006-11-27T22:48:00.000+08:00

It has been two years since my Banaue-Batad-Sagada-Baguio expedition with the DLSU outdoor club. Natatandaan ko December 26-30, 2004 yun. Super saya, hindi ko alam kung may mauulit pa akong ganoong expedition... I hope so, if my time, money, and parents would permit. Oh how I miss those moments: Arriving at the BALIWAG Bus station at 10pm, getting ready to leave for Solano, Nueva Vizcaya (check out the Philippine Map). It took us 8 hours, with four stop overs. Finally we have reached,uh, I seem to have forgotten. Basta gabi na when we arrived in this community. Then we took a jeep going to Banaue, I forget na rin kung saan specifically. Syempre topload sakay namin, ang ginaw! Haha! We were freezing not only our butts off but our noses as well! Malalaglag na! Then we hiked for a very long time and the trail was steep. I was carrying six, sais, anim, sez, 6 liters of water! Grabe bigat nun! Plus all my camping gear. Super tarik pa nun. Daya nila RC and RJ, nag-dyip paakyat! Haha! Nga pala, umabot kami ng Mountain Province. Check out the Philippine Map and see how far that is from Manila ",)

After riding a lot of jeepney, toploading, hiking, and trail running with our humongous backpacks, we finally arrived Batad. Dito matatagpuan ang the real Banaue Rice Terraces. Nakarating kami mga 4pm, tapos syempre rest rest. We decided to go for Tapiya Falls. Ay sus, ginabi kami sa kalagitnaan ng rice terraces! Grabe! As in super dilim. Example: Takpan ang mata at pumikit. Wala kang nakikita diba? Ganun, ganun ang hitsura! We only had our headlamps on. Si Vivian muntikan pang madulas at mahulog sa mga palay! Yikes! Ang taas pa naman. Mukha kaming mga alitaptap sa gitna ng dilim. Eto pang mas masakit, hindi na namin kinayang puntahan yung falls. Nyek.

After spending one day at Banaue, we headed to Sagada. Buti pa sa Batad, nag-inn kami for our accommodations. Eto sa Sagada, hardcore! Nag-camping kami sa isang abandoned school malapit sa isang sementeryo! O, san ka pa? Pag jejebs naman kami, meron kaming na-discover na dump site, sa may likod ng isang dilapidated building. But we made sure we took a dump only in the morning. Pag gabi, e baka lapitan ka pa ng mumu. Again, super dilim! Nakakatakot! Haha! Ang saya sa Sagada, we went spelunking. Ang saya! Kaso it was hard to take pictures inside, ang dilim kasi e, hirap ng walang light. Hindi kinaya ng flash.

After spending two nights and three days sa Sagada, we went to Baguio then back to Manila. Below are SOME of the pictures, pero grabe super konti lang niyan. I just posted it to relive my memories :)

Eto kami, DLSU Outdoor Club! From L-R, yan yung Canadian explorer na na-meet namin, I've forgotten his name, Miguel, RC, Vivian (hell gurl!) RJ, Nova, Nina, Me. Seated, Josh

Ah, hindi po iyan ang totoong banaue rice terraces. Pero hanep ang view noh? Ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas :)

Sa may Sagada ito, somewhere doon na waterfalls. Grabe, it's breathtaking. I love the Philippines!

"Don't you know that you, you give me something... Something that nobody else can give..."

2006-11-21T21:58:00.000+08:00

"And my heart, has started thumpin'. You know now you're the one I truly know I dig... Don't you know that you, you give me something..."

~Jamiroquai (You give me something)~

Syempre wala na namang kinalaman itong title ko sa post ko, wekekek :D. Pero I'm just wondering sino kayang makakantahan ko sa harap ng, "you know babe you're the one i truly know i dig. Don't you know that you give me something?" Haha! Anak ng kakesohan!

The reason I posted on my blog is to talk about "ordinariness". Is there such word? I know someone, duh malamang hindi ko sasabihin kung sino, who lives such an ordinary life, as in super ordinary. The person has ordinary taste, actually hindi ordinary siguro yung word, let's try to use conventional. Napaka-conventional niya. S/he always chooses the "safe choice". Kumbaga s/he does not dare to do anything UNconventional, laging NORMAL, as in yung hindi exciting. Pero you know what, it is by him/her doing ordinary things that makes him/her stand out.

Hindi nga ako makapaniwala e. Pero hindi ba kaya people spend so much time on how to be extraordinary when being extraordinary makes you become ordinary?

Kumbaga yung dapat extraordinary, since lahat extraordinary na, edi yung ordinary nagiging extraordinary, gets? Therefore, to be extraordinary, be ordinary. Labo man.

This person I'm talking about almost has a perfect life, brainy, maganda/gwapo, affluent, has a great gf/bf, has a great career/academic life, is in control of his/her life, the list of perfect things go on. What s/he does everyday is somewhat a routine pero parang, I can't explain it, parang s/he always chooses the SAFE CHOICE and ends up always being on top. Parang ayoko kasing maniwala dun sa "you always have to choose the safe choice" kasi ang boring nun e, walang excitement. Pero hindi kaya sa pagpili ng safe choice doon mapapabuti ang mga bagay-bagay? Is being normal THE choice? We all have our idiosyncrasies, but some people I know, even their idiosyncrasies are the SAFE IDIOSYNCRASIES. Ano ba naman yun?

Ewan ko, I don't know why I am so bothered by my friend who is living an ordinary life... Baka gusto ko lang siyang impluwensiyahan... to do evil things, haha! E bihira lang naman kami magkakulitan, so baka matagal-tagal pa yun. I really just don't get it, why s/he lives such a perfect life when everything s/he does, everything s/he wears, everything s/he speaks, basta lahat! is so ordinary...

Is being ordinary the new pink? AAAAA! If it is, then I'll make sure to wear anything else but pink.

Animal Chronicles: Marine and Terrestrial 2

2006-11-13T19:37:00.000+08:00

Maya, our adopted bird, died today due to lack of will to live. It has been three days since her adoption, and it has been three days of no food and water for her. *sigh* It really is a survival of the fittest. As I was transferring Maya into another place last night, I could feel her tiny bones lining her frame and sense that each passing day, her body becomes more and more feeble.

I had this imagination of feeding her to the cats, haha! I know it's so morbid but if you watch National Geographic Channel (NGC), the big cats really hunt the weakest one in a herd of prey. But as I held Maya in my hand, she started to chirp, an unusual chirp. It was the sound of a bird that was about to die. It seemed that she lost her will to live. As I placed her in a new location, she didn't fight back.

When I went home at 5:30pm, I asked Bing Bing if Maya was dead, and yes, she died in the late afternoon.

Animal Chronicles: Marine and Terrestrial 1

2006-11-12T23:56:00.000+08:00

My good friend Kat Luzon and I love to talk about the environment. Kung meron akong taong gustong kausapin when it comes to animals, be it marine or terrestrial animals, si Kat yun. More or less we share the same passion for the need to conserve and preserve animal life on earth. We then decided to post on our blogs Animal Chronicles: Both Marine and Terrestrial by Kat Luzon and Edz Mendoza, Edited by Norman Rodrigo, Published by Marianne Nidea. San ka pa? Haha!

On the way to the Philippine Heart Center where my dear lola is confined because of a brain tumor, I SMSd Kat. I narrated to her how our helper found this bird, a maya, in our garden and was being ravaged by antiks! The big red ants that when it bites you talagang mapapasigaw ka ng "aray!"? Our helper Bing Bing rescued it from the merciless sting of the ants, that is comprised of picric acid. She then brought it to our bird cage, together with Birdie (yes, that is the name of our bird, quite original is it not? :D ). Natatakot ako nung lumaon ang isang araw kasi baka ma-double dead si Birdie gawa ni Maya (yes, that is the name of our adopted Maya bird). Maya is very young, her plumage haven't developed fully and I think the way she is to be fed, kailangan yung regurgitated pa, yung galing sa parents niya.

Eto pa ang panalo: When we were about to leave the house, I noticed Maya was sitting still on the base of the bird cage. There was something unusual. The dark plumage yesterday that I saw on her side wasn't there anymore. Tapos pagtingin ko sa sahig, bakit parang eto yung brown spot na nakita ko kahapon? Anak ng patola! Yung pakpak ni Maya natanggal! Nabali! As in nyek! Eto pa mas malala: Kasama ko si Midnight nun, yung pusa kong itim na cute, nakita niya yung pakpak sa sahig. Aba, KINAIN! Hahaha! Nyek! Ano ba naman 'yun?!

I felt sorry for Maya... It was at that time napag-isip isip ako kung Marine Science ba talaga o Veterinary Medicine? Actually naiisip ko rin talaga mag-vet med, before pa talaga yun. Ngayon kaya ako napa-isip ng marine science kasi biodiversity sa Pilipinas e mataas... Pero naisip ko, kawawa naman yung mga animals that need a lot of medical help. Hindi lang nila masyado nae-express because we can't understand them.

E si Minggoy nga e, yung isa ko pang pusa na malaking puti, nagka-almoranas! Super dumi and pumayat talaga siya. I could see him suffering pero wala naman akong nagawa. If I just had the knowledge to treat him I would.

Haay... I just have to wait until I am free to study again...

2006-11-12T00:23:00.000+08:00

Your Personality Is

Artisan (SP)

You are both grounded and flexible. You adapt well to new situations.

You are playful and free spirited - but you are also dependable and never flaky.

You don't do well in conservative, stuffy situations.

It's probably very hard for you to keep a normal job or stay in school.

You are always up for fun and adventure. Most people are too boring for you.

You take risks and bend the rules. And if things don't work out, you chock it up to life experience.

In love, you tend to take things quickly - but you have a huge problem with commitment.

At work, you need to make your own rules. You're best suited to be an entrepreneur.

With others, you are animated and physical. You prefer doing something with friends to just hanging out.

As far as your looks go, you tend to be buff and in good shape. Your spend more time on your body than your clothes.

On weekends, you need to keep active. From cooking up a storm to running a 5K, you wear yourself out.

The Three Question Personality Test

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system.

You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent.

Like Mars, you seem attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down.

You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future.

Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

What Planet Should You Rule?

Your Scholastic Strength Is Developing Ideas

You can take a spark of inspiration and turn it into a full fledged concept.

You are talented at brainstorming, visualizing, organizing, and independent thinking.

You should major in:

Natural sciences

Computer science

Creative writing

Math

Architecture

Journalism

What Should You Major In?

2006-11-11T23:20:00.000+08:00

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy.

You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts.

People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused.

But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Your Dominant Intelligence is Musical Intelligence

Every part of your life has a beat, and you're often tapping your fingers or toes.
You enjoy sounds of all types, but you also find sound can distract you at the wrong time.
You are probably a gifted musician of some sort - even if you haven't realized it.
Also a music lover, you tend to appreciate artists of all kinds.

You would make a great musician, disc jockey, singer, or composer.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Your EQ is 153

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick!
51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese.
71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely.
91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that.
111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt.
131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin.
150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

What's Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

You Are Apple Red

You're never one to take life too seriously, and because of it, you're a ton of fun.
And although you have a great sense of humor, you are never superficial.
Deep and caring, you do like to get to the core of people - to understand them well.
However, any probing you do is light hearted and fun, sometimes causing people to misjudge you.

What Color Red Are You?

2006-11-11T23:17:00.000+08:00

Your Element Is Water

A bit of a contradiction, you can seem both lighthearted and serious.
That's because you're good at going with the flow - but you also are deep.

Highly intuitive, you tune in to people's emotions and moods easily.
You are able to tap into deep emotional connections and connect with others.

You prefer a smooth, harmonious life - but you can navigate your way around waves.
You have a knack for getting people to get along and making life a little more peaceful.

What's Your Element?

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

Duh, ewan na lang kung hindi ko pa ma-perfect 'to diba? I mean I finished college and took up BS Biochemistry... What a shame kung hindi... (syet yabang, haha!)

2006-11-11T23:14:00.000+08:00

Your Aura is Violet

Idealistic and thoughtful, you have the mind and ideas to change the world.
And you have the charisma of a great leader, even if you don't always use it!

The purpose of your life: saying truths that other people dare not say

Famous purples include: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony

Careers for you to try: Political Activist, Inventor, Life Coach

What Color Is Your Aura?

If you got the feeling, jump to the ceiling I'll be getting down tonight...

2006-11-11T22:42:00.000+08:00

Last November 7, it was Maureen Virginia Pascual's birthday and we, Clang, Gail, and Jade, decided to give her a surprise! party. It was around 9pm and we went to her house and shouted, namamasko po! Haha! That was a riot! We even sang a tune of a normal Christmas song like Ang pasko ay sumapit. tayo ngayon ay magsi-awit... Our voices were blaring, haha! I guess they heard it from inside since Mau's tita went out and welcomed us. And when we went inside, ayun na, Happy Birthday Mau! We brought pizza (Gail may utang pa kami sayo, haha!) and cake (c/o Clang, which she bought at Dusit hotel since she's having her OJT there). Jade and I brought the candles (hwow candles lang? haha!). We made the pizza as the cake--- wow, a PIZZA CAKE! Haha!

Of course we ate, made small talk, debunked highschool chismis stories, took a lot of pictures, cherished memories, discussed the future, etcetera, etcetera. Grabe super saya! Dami naming napagkwentuhan and tawa lang kami ng tawa, haha! I can still remember! Hanep yung mga photos! Pareho pa kaming naka-red ni Jade, edi syempre sasabog kami. Si Clang, hanep sa suot! Business attire, haha! Si Gail naman, hanep din, office chic! At ang birthday girl, sa sobrang surprise, pagdating namin e nakapambahay, take note: terno! Haha! Below are the photos of our happy gathering... Konti lang yan, tsaka ininclude ko naman yung matino, kasi halos lahat yung mukha ko either deformed sa funny face, or downright crazy expression lang talaga ang nakapinta, haha!

Hwow, ang layo ng camera! Matino pa tong pic na to... Tingnan ang sumunod...

Nyay! Special children!

Hanapin ang naiba... Clue: Mukha itong autistic at out-of-this-world ang hitsura

2006-11-09T21:24:00.000+08:00

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a firestorm - full of intensity and drama.
Your thoughts may seem scattered to you most of the time...
But they often seem strong and passionate to those around you.
You are a natural influencer. The thoughts you share are very powerful and persuading.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

"Just think of me as the pages in your diary..."

2006-11-08T23:00:00.000+08:00

Oh no, bigla akong nalungkot. Because... Because... I can't take my mind off a certain person, but the way he snubs me, grabe... Ano ba yan... I'm very happy for him kasi *secret* tapos the way he replied parang ka-text niya ako, e samantalang ka-ym ko siya! Isang salita na nga lang, e short cut pa! Wala man lang sense of excitement samantalang *secret*! Parang wala kaming pinagsamahan ah...Pwiset...

Tama, just think of me as the pages in your diary na pwedeng hindi pansinin at paminsan-minsan, pag may maling entry, e pwedeng punitin...

Pwe.

2006-11-08T22:59:00.000+08:00

Your Personality Cluster is Extraverted Intuition
You are:

A true wordsmith - a master of words
Original, spontaneous, and a true inspiration
Highly energetic, up for any challenge
Entertaining and engaging, both to friends and strangers

What's Your Personality Cluster?

2006-11-06T23:50:00.000+08:00

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable.

You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Your Aura is Violet

What Color Is Your Aura?

What's Your Personality Cluster?

Your Luck Quotient: 86%

You have an extremely high luck quotient.
Not only do you consider yourself lucky, probably everyone you know does too.
But you're smart enough to know that you've mostly made your own luck.
By being positive, open, and flexible, a lot of luck has come your way!

How Lucky Are You?

Your Brain's Pattern

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Your Element Is Water

What's Your Element?

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

You Are a Mermaid

You are a total daydreamer, and people tend to think you're flakier than you actually are.
While your head is often in the clouds, you'll always come back to earth to help someone in need.
Beyond being a caring person, you are also very intelligent and rational.
You understand the connections of the universe better than almost anyone else.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Your Animal Personality

Your Power Animal: Eagle

Animal You Were in a Past Life: Whale

You are active, a challenger, and optimistic.
Hard-working, you are always working towards a set goal.

The Animal Personality Test

2006-11-06T23:44:00.000+08:00

Your True Love Is an Aquarius
Why you'll love an Aquarius:

Independent yet devoted, you'll appreciate the unique approach to love Aquarius takes.
You both see love as a bit of a game, and Aquarius will challenge you until you're completely hooked.

Why an Aquarius will love you:

You're secure enough to give Aquarius tons of space - even if it means separate interests and friends.
You have the brains to keep Aquarius engaged and curious. And the passion to change the world together!

What Sign Is Your True Love?

Yuck ano 'to? Crush ko sarili ko? Eek! Narcissistic! Haha! Pero 'yung crush ko nung college aquarius din! Haha! Grabe I've known him and worked with him for two years... Hindi man lang ako napapansin! Ano ba naman yun?!

2006-11-06T23:37:00.000+08:00

People Envy Your Ingenuity

You're a person with unique ideas, big plans, and a zany outlook on life. Many people look to you for inspiration.
People envy your creativity and "who cares?" attitude. They feel very ordinary next to you - and they usually are!

What Do People Envy About You?

Totoo kaya ito? Hmmm...

2006-11-06T23:36:00.000+08:00

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Forgotten Jet

Your Superpower is Biotechnology

Your Weakness is Bacteria

Your Weapon is Your Flame Dagger

Your Mode of Transportation is Catapult

What's your Superhero Name?

2006-11-06T23:04:00.000+08:00

Nararamdaman kong wala ako sa ulirat ngayon... Haha! Patay tayo diyan.

2006-11-06T22:56:00.000+08:00

Back to You by John Mayer. It's an old song but it's one of my favorites. Taken from www.sing365.com.

Back to you
It always comes around
Back to you
I tried to forget you
I tried to stay away
But it's too late

Over you
I'm never over
Over you
Something about you
It's just the way you move
The way you move me

I'm so good at forgetting
And I quit every game I play
But forgive me, love
I can't turn and walk away

Back to you
It always comes around
Back to you
I walk with your shadow
I'm sleeping in my bed
With your silhouette

should have smiled in that picture
If it's the last that I'll see of you
It's the least that you
Could not do

Leave the light on,
I'll never give up on you,
Leave the light on,
For me too, for me too

Back to me
I know that it comes
Back to me
Doesn't it scare you
Your will is not as strong
As it used to be

"'cause I gave you all my love, and you gave me all your trust... you're everything I want and need..."

2006-11-06T22:19:00.000+08:00

Wala yan. Part lang 'yan nung lyrics ng pinariringgan kong kanta ngayon, haha! Why oh why do I usually put titles that are not related to my posts? Well, I don't know, because maybe that will manifest in this blog.

Get that orgasmic high! Haha! I just came from my jazz dance class and my calves hurt! We were wearing heels when we danced, until it came to a point where I removed them and wore my trusty canvas ballerina shoes--- what a relief! Ang sarap talaga sumayaw! It enlivens my spirit, refreshes my soul. After a grueling day at work, dancing would always be a welcome regimen for my tired brain... (whaaat? As if my brain is needed at work, haha!)

Feeling ko 'yung mga pinag-aralan ko sa chem are slowly dissipating. Pero ayoko! Sayang naman. Chemistry is very interesting, it just seems difficult and like "omigas it's out of this world" pero asteeg talaga siya. Here I go again making praises for DAKILANG CHEMISTRY. Hindi naman kasi siya nagagamit sa work.

*Sigh*... Oh wait I have a dilemma... Since the tuition fee at UP already increased, it is at par with the tuition fee of DLSU! Ano ba naman yan? I don't know if I would study at UP. My friend, who is an RA for DLSU's Biology Department and who goes to Diliman to do research at MSI, is also having the same dilemma. She told me that facilities at Diliman talaga, medyo, uhm, dilapidated? Kalahati lang ng classroom ang may ilaw; the hallways only have lights on both ends, none in the middle; yung kisame mukhang guguho na raw; bathrooms don't have water in the water closet, heck the others don't have water closets anymore... (pasensya na to my UP friends... hindi ko minamaliit school niyo, nag-iisip lang ako) Because I thought to myself, "if not UP, where else?" Sa ibang bansa? Nyek, hindi pa ako ready--- emotionally, intellectually, and financially. Siliman? Malayo... UCAL Berkeley, anak ng *** bawal managinip at this point! Ah ewan... May isang taon pa. I also can't decide if I would work for two years then take my MS or work for one year only, go to grad school. Lord please help me...

Okay, I can conclude that my titles usually don't have any bit of connection with my posts. There seem to be no whatsoever manifestation in this blog.

Ikaw na ang bida!

2006-11-02T20:54:00.000+08:00

Haha! Wala lang, trip ko lang lagay 'tong title na 'to. Today was a tiring day--- we had an overtime at work applying, guess what, the product on fresh leaves then drying them in the oven, see what will happen. Kinda like the commercial of Dove. Isipin mo, pinag-OT namin 'yung ganung experiment... It was futile!

Moving on, I am going to document tonight my dreams and aspirations. Just now, I was able to watch on the Animal Planet, a show that presented Sir David Attenborough and his contribution in the realm of broadcasting and journalism, and how he was able to share his intellect in developing television history. I thought to myself, "how can a man do so much in his/her lifetime? What are the ways and means?" I envied David since at such a young age, he was promoted to be the President of BBC world, then the Director of Programs, and eventually being a host of nature shows at the BBC. He took things to another level, something unfathomable during that time. He pioneered ideas and put them into action. Grabe, nakakamangha. What's even better is he's in tuned with the environment! 'Yung pwede mo talaga siyang tawaging nature boy. He has gone to almost every corner of the earth, searching and sharing to the world knowledge about a certain place. From the north pole to the south pole, from penguins swimming in the arctic seas to raging volcanoes, from deserts to rain forests, from underwater caves to mountains, name it he has gone to explore it. Super idol. Two other idols of mine are Dr. Brady Barr and Mr. Jeff Corwin. Hanep mag-deliver 'to ng mga scenes nila in the wild! It's as if you're also there! Both are so animated and they just know so much about the Kingdom Animalia, asteeeeg! I don't have a woman idol when it comes to hosting a wildlife show, hehe. Baka ako na kasi 'yung sunod na maging DA BEST wildlife adventure host, Edz Mendoza on the prowl...charing!

I tried to join the Discovery Travel and Living five takes competition. Fortunately, I passed the initial screening. Unfortunately, talagang pinagdidiinan nila na kailangan 21 years old. Ayun, wala na. Isa pa, kailangan ng video blog, e medyo eng eng ako pagdating sa mga ganyang bagay, yung techie stuff, wala rin. This could've been the world's greatest opportunity to see the dazzling and ravishing me live on international television! Grabe ka na managinip Edz! Tama na! You're pouring it on real thick! Hahaha! :D

My greatest and most ambitious dream would be: to find a cure for AIDS. Ganito ineenvision ko, as in minsan pinipicture ko sarili ko na ganito... I took up biochemistry for my undergraduate course, then I took up my Master's Degree abroad, sa UC Berkeley daw! Tapos syempre nag PhD ako. I was called Dr. Edz Mendoza (syempre sa panaginip lang lahat 'to.) I was really into natural products, 'yung tipong nasa field ako lagi, like the rain forest in Peru or in the Amazon. I'm doing research there, where there is no shortage of plant and animal life. Of course before going there, I have studied the mechanism of the AIDS virus, kumbaga sikat ako na scientist kasi I was a Filipino who knew a lot about the disease. Alam ko syempre kung ano yung structure niya, how it can attack and spread the virus in the body. Kumbaga super alam ko talaga everything there is know about the AIDS virus, yung tipong pag pinadiscuss sakin, pwede ko siyang gawan ng analogy in layman's terms. Now in the forest, I was out to find a cure. There was an established research facility deep in the vegetation, think Jurassic Park. Tapos 'yun, research research ako dun, until I finally found it! Grabe asteeeg! Hehe! My imagination's running wild! Then after the discovery, I was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry or the Nobel Prize in Medicine... Sarap ng feeling... Haha! Grabe para na akong nasisiraan ng ulo sa kakaimagine ng mga ganitong bagay... Pero masaya lang talaga siyang isipin and it makes me feel great to know that I can muster images such as these :)

Eto hindi dream, nais ko lang talaga siyang makamit sa buhay ko. Subalit kung hindi ko kayanin, e kakayanin ko, haha! I finished my Biochem undergrad course at DLSU, it's time to move on to another school, UP naman. I plan to take up my Master's Degree there, preferably Marine Science or Environmental Science. But only after working for two years at Johnson and Johnson. Siguro work muna ako for WWF in the lull period. But my friend told me that it is run by the Ayalas. I'll see if I can join other NGOs that also support nature's plea for conservation. Pagkatapos ko na magmaster's, I'll work then study abroad. I'll stuff myself with knowledge there, then come back to the Philippines to help out in the environmental scene.

The Philippines is a smörgåsbord of exotic and endemic wildlife. We were ranked as the most "biodiversified" marine life IN THE WORLD! Imagine that! But sadly, isa rin tayo sa mga nangunguna sa pinakamaraming endangered species. Haay... Sabi nga ng kanta, "on and on it seems to go but you don't know what you got 'till it's gone."

Kaya ipinapangako ko, sa lahat ng halaman at hayop ng Pilipinas, gagawin ko ang lahat ng makakaya ko para ma-conserve kayo at mapalago pa lalo ang iba't-ibang species ninyo.

(grabe this last sentence is so corny... but a promise is a promise...)

Save Room (for my love)--- THE song...

2006-11-01T21:14:00.000+08:00

Here's the latest song from John Legend... Save Room. I just love this song. (taken from www.lyriczz.com

John Legend
Save Room

Say that you stay a little
Don't say bye bye tonight
Say you'll be mine
just a little of bit of love Is worth a moment of your time

knocking on your door just a little
so cold outside tonight
let's get the fire burning
I know, I keep it burining right

If you stay, won't you stay - stay

save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh

This just might hurt a little
love hurts sometimes when you do it right
Don't be affraid of a little bit of pain
pleasure is just on the other side

Let down your guard just a little
I keep you safe in these arms of mine
Hold on to me - pretty baby
You will see I can be all you need

If you stay, won't you stay - stay

save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh

[pa-ya-pa-pa] - [pa-ya-pa-pa] - [pa-ya-pa-pa] - [da-da-da]

Ohhh come on

Make time to live a little
don't let this moment slip by tonight
you never know what you are missing untill you try
I keep you satisfied
if you stay, won't you stay - stay

save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh

save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save a little, save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me

boozing, laughing, and eating

2006-11-01T18:18:00.000+08:00

It has been three days since the LSS. I can say that I am still close to God because in every action that I do, I think of Him. I just hope this feeling would last even for just two years then I can go back being my bad self then go back again to the Lord. Or better yet, maintain a close relationship with God---forever. (Oh God please help me...)

Ironic is the word to use comparing my experience with God to the title I used in this post. Hanep 'no? Parang ang dami ko tuloy nainom nung pagsabi ko ng boozing. E di ba nga sabi you should not harm the temple of the Holy Spirit? The temple of the Holy Spirit is our body. Naku patay. Kagabi lang, October 31, I was drinking and smoking. Nikki, Inggie, and I got into this conversation where we debated whether smoking is a sin, since all of us have gone through LSS. Ayun, lumabas nga yung reason you should not harm the temple of the Holy Spirit. Hala sige, I puffed and drank alcohol. But it was not excessive. I just puffed enough to finish one cigarette and drank two plastic cups of liquor--- take note, super diluted na nung alak kaya malamang 5% alcohol nalang yun.

Enough of that crap. Yesterday, the Voices in Praise (VIP) choir had their anniversary, celebrated with the Halloween party. It was celebrated at Val's house and the people brought food. Ayan na naman! My favorite: AN UNLIMITED SUPPLY OF FOOD! There was that famous cake of Bettina's mom, barbecue, Big Apple pizza, macaroni, chicken, chicken, and chicken, liquor, liquor, and jello shots. As usual there were games and of course, ang favorite ni Mito Dizon, basaan using water balloons. This year however, hindi kami nagbaasan kundi nagtapunan ng arina! Grabe mukha na kaming mga espasol! Ako naman, nagmukha raw lola kasi super puti ng hair ko and with my matching eyeglasses. Thank goodness I wore khaki pants and a white shirt kundi I could've looked like, uh, hmm... ano bang pwede? Sige na nga, espasol. The other people were wearing a gothic attire, so you could just imagine them being in black clothes with white flour covering their face and get-up. Some of their make-up also went white! Haha! Super saya and I realized I really missed the VIP choir. I sing na kasi for The Young Adult (TYA) choir. Haaay...

By the way, I think our cat, Minggoy, has almoranas! Waaah! Kawawa naman siya! He's our seven year old cat and I think he's slowly deteriorating, boo hoo. Last night when I tried to caress him (yuck parang minamanyak yung pusa, haha! Hinde ah, mahal ko lang talaga mga pusa ko:) ) bigla na lang siyang napa-jebs! Haha! Grabe as in! I think I even heard a fart! Kaya nalaman kong na-uu siya. Haha! It sounds funny yet it saddens me... Huhu... He's getting thinner and dirtier every time I see him... Hindi siya maka-upo na mabuti because he can't let his behind touch the ground. I wonder how much it would cost if I were to bring him sa vet... Huhu...

Work na naman bukaaaas! Pero in fairness, natapos ko na pala yung mga experiment, encoding na lang sa computer. Yahoo! :D

Power Overwhelming! I feel so ALIVE!

2006-10-29T22:39:00.002+08:00

The power of the Holy Spirit is just so overwhelming.

Today was round two of the LSS. Yesterday, I was still doubting God and kept thinking about science and religion. Now it all became clear to me. I choose to believe in God, because in my way of thinking, science and religion can be fused. Even if someone would not agree with me, I would accept their opinion but nothing can make me change my mind. I do believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity. I choose to believe in God because I choose to think about God--- that He is my savior, He is THE GOD.

We were baptized in the Holy Spirit at the seminar and images conjured in my mind, images that if I were to think about it on a normal day would not appear. There was a force, an energy that was signaling my brain to think about these images. The feeling was real too. If there was an epinephrine rush that made my body excited and tingly all over, it was because my brain signaled my adrenal glands to secrete those hormones. Why? Because a force/energy was telling my brain to do it. And this force/energy was the Holy Spirit.

Grabe! Now I am a believer! A while ago the Gifts of the Holy Spirit was discussed to us and here are some examples: Gift of Tongues, Gift of Prophecy, Gift of Interpretation, Gift of Wisdom, Gift of Knowledge, Gift of Faith, Gift of Discernment. These are but a few gifts that can be received. I just don't know what I received. I got slain by the Holy Spirit, a term used if the priest prays over you and you just collapse suddenly. Check out healing masses, this is a common sight.

It felt like the Holy Spirit was engulfing my soul, my being. I felt warm at the same time cold and tingly. I pictured images in my mind and it was, again the word I overly use in this post, overwhelming! My facilitator, Pia, said that the Gift of Tears is also a gift from the Holy Spirit. While praying and reflecting, I cried until my eyes hurt but it won't stop. When I was slain I was crying but I did not bawl. The rears just flowed from my eyes to my ears and mouth. My body remained static and I felt bit numb. Again, images flashed across my mind--- images of the Holy Spirit, sunrise, mountain tops, caves, fields of green, and guess what, are you ready for this? the image of GOD, his face... HWOW! This sounds too much pero totoo! And when I saw it, I started to cry even more, it was like reaching the climax of an emotion and you can feel everything, the feeling of joy and ecstasy! The feel of the sun's rays touching your skin, the wind blowing beneath your hair, the light that is so powerful yet you are not blinded...

Sarap magsulat ng mga emotions...hehe! What was even more overwhelming, I got appointed to be an assistant coordinator for next year's LSS! Out of the 81 participants, I was one of the three chosen to be an officer of the class--- a chance to serve the Lord better and be filled by the Holy Spirit! Grabe ang sarap ng feeling to be much closer to God! And I can feel that my fingers keep on typing and typing the words as my brain continues to search for the right words to type in, asteeeg!

I can't stop exalting the Lord, His love is just so overwhelming! And because of that I feel so alive! I feel alive and great and I know that whatever happens in my life, it is God-given... And He will always be there for me. God's love for me is unique...

Doubting God...and other thoughts

2006-10-28T22:02:00.000+08:00

I had my first round of Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) today in our village parish, there's a round two tomorrow. The seminar was all about the following topics: God's Love, Salvation, New Life, and Praise and Worship. Of course, when attending seminars such as these, there would be always a song and dance repertoire taught to the participants. When I was watching and trying to join in the song and dance, I felt awkward and felt foolish... Parang hindi na ako game. When I was in highschool, I would gladly oblige and join in the fun. Heck, kami pa nga ng mga friends ko yung naglealead ng pagkanta at pagsayaw.

I just don't know what came over me. I guess I should have done this a long time ago, when I was still game. Was it because of age? I was starting to notice the change in my behavior lately--- starting to doubt other people about their credibility, seeing that everyone has an evil hidden agenda, afraid to help out because of the "exploitation" that might happen, being CYNICAL about everything. Hwow lahat negative. Grabe 'no? Hindi ako ganito dati! And I hate it! I hate having to think about these things but I can't help it. Everyday I meet new people, grow relationships, get to know more about a person, and I suddenly become cynical and doubtful. Is this person out to get me? Is s/he about to take advantage of my friendly nature? Am I about to be duped by someone who I trusted so much? Grabe, nae-eeks na ako sa ugali na ganito. I was forewarned by my brother about this, and he said not to fall into this trap. Yes, it's a trap. I don't want to live another day, thinking about people who are out to get me and exploit me...

About doubting God, when I started to probe into deeper science, I began to think about all the things the Bible is preaching. It say things about how the universe/earth formed, how man was created, the seven plagues, the staff of Moses, the pass over of the Israelites, the big tidal waves, etc. I believe that stories like these can be backed up by scientific evidence. Take for example how the earth was formed---through the big bang theory; how man was formed---Darwin's theory of evolution; the staff of Moses--- it was just a snake that can stiffen itself when held in a certain part/position; the water of Nile turned into blood--- it was red earth/clay that in a certain time of the year, it deposits itself in the river Nile. And the reason why the water that Egyptians drank became red was because river Nile was the source of their water; tidal waves/ pass over of the Israelites on the Dead Sea--- caused by the nearness of the moon to the earth. See? Majority can be backed up by Science.

But of course, there's that never-ending debate about God's existence. My favorite argument was the one proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas. He was able to reason that for an object to be moved, there must be a mover, and that mover is God. I realized that through God natural things happen, get my drift? For the gases and the solids to combine, a mover must be present, a strong energy must come from somewhere, and that energy MUST BE GOD. Read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. In that novel, Science and Religion was fused together--- in the molecular level. If you want, visit CERN.com and see.

When I took confession today, I discussed all of these problems to the priest. God has given me that priest to be able to convey His message to me. This was what he said: God made us intelligent and made us to logically reason things out. I tried to logically sort things out, and as I reasoned further, things fell into place. I know what I need to know about God, and nothing more. God does exist.

teka, pramis eto na huling hirit ng EK!

2006-10-28T21:37:00.000+08:00

After spending the whole day at EK, we were invited with open arms at the Peria residence in Laguna. Not just open arms, but of course UNLIMITED SUPPLY OF FOOD! There's nothing like ending the day with lots of food. It was Ivy's birthday and nalibre kami sa kainan ng di oras! We enjoyed and communed with each other while eating, the food was superb! MGA Lechon manok, MGA tuna with onions, a fountain of rice (ang dami kasi), gulay, grapes, and bananas. Grabe sog-bu! While we were eating, super traffic sa kainan! Abutan ng mga ulam at kanin at inumin! Hehe! After eating, we were laughing our heads off because of the pictures we took while jumping. Each had a crazy look on their face. Isa na ako sa mga pinagdiskitahan! Haha! Sumunod na si RJ at Jwan, haha! Super gumugulong at tumatambling na kami sa kakatawa! It was indeed a momentous meal for us. Thank you so much Ivy for welcoming us to your humble abode and accepting us and our hungry stomachs. Of course, thank you to your mama and papa, and two brothers :) Mabuhay ka Ivy!

Grabe! Super saya namin! Here we are even late at night, we have the energy to jump at the facade of EK!
Meron kaming iniimitate na tao dito... Hmm... Haha! That's Jwan, me, and Teyet
Evening at the Rio Grande. Makikita rin dito ang hyperactive naming ugali, kahit gabi na, pose pa rin ng pose.
Laughtrip 'to! Hahah! May mga ginagaya rin kaming mga mukha eh, pero syempre, sikret! Haha!