Welcome To The Real World

Hello, still here. I have been busy and not so busy, but I've not made time to write anything down. Not that I had much to blog about, it's just been work and rest and work and rest. 

Today, a world leader has been reelected. I was monitoring the exit polls up to sometime past 11am when Obama was projected to win. And so the lunchtime topic was fairly political, and if you know me I love a good dose of political jibber jabber.

It's just that this time, I was in a circle wherein at least a couple of standpoints were completely opposite of mine. I can see that they truly believe in their arguments about this and that that I just sat silent knowing that if I speak up I'll just get into an argument I am not willing to lose. I know everyone's opinion varies, and I have friends who support candidates or policies other than my own, but good Yoda how extremely polar our views are.

But in the end, I can see that this difference in political stance stems from our difference in religious convictions. Before anything else, what ever happened to the segregation between church and state? There really are people whose votes are swayed by religion, why am I still surprised? Sure the church still has power in a number of communities, but really is it that difficult to vote for someone who is not a Christian or a member of your faith? Is it too much to ask for equality and choice that one must be cast off his/ her religion? It does make sense that if your religion believes in XYZ and you believe in the opposite of Z you must not me really a believer of that religion, but are we that one dimensional and are religions that black and white? I have so may issues with their statements my mind gets so wired whenever I think about it.

With this I also realized, how should one vote? Should one cast his vote to someone he sees eye to eye with, or to someone who just has better capacity to get the job done? I would compare this to an HR staff weighing a candidate's interview vs his actual resume and what would be more significant, but since I'm nowhere near a career in HR I'm just making an assumption.

I am my own blend of conservative and liberal, but after that lunch I've never felt more liberal. I am all for unity and equality and choice, I feel that I would never vote for anyone who contradicts that or be really friends with someone who doesn't support those similarly as I do. While that lunch discussion wasn't as political as I originally thought, it was eye opening with regards to what others give importance to. People make choices based on a number of core principles that they hold and deem applicable to the situation, and it really does vary sometime by a mile sometimes by a dimension. I guess such is the fact of life: different people, different truths.

The Terminal

I live in a country where a lot of people are obsessed with immigrating out of the country, particularly to America. It's an endemic disease that's been passed on by past colonizers, and is unfortunately very much kept alive by today's media, trends and even food. Even I am not completely immune to this virus, when it comes to technology and innovation I always look West. Nonetheless, I feel that in the end I will always want to call this humble, humid and hospitable country my home.

It is this idea of home and love of country that really struck me with The Terminal. A first time traveller to the USA with limited English, Victor Navorsky is a Krakhozian national forced to stay in Terminal 67 of JFK after his country entered civil war while he was on air. The government has been overthrown and the new regime has not been recognized by the US so Victor's papers are moot. I can only imagine how that would feel -- a person without a place in the world. 

Victor has been given several chances to sneak his way out of his predicament, both legally and not so legally but he refused. He was going to America with a purpose and he wanted to do that without compromising his position nor his beliefs. Because his country is in a state of civil war, he could have sought refuge in the US if he wanted to but he held firm, he loved his country even if it was in a state of unrest and he still wanted to come home to Krakhozia.

It's one of those movies that for me are really good because I feel so much for the movie. I am rooting so much for Victor, I am affected with the immigrants' situations and like Victor I hold my country very dear to my heart despite its flaws and shortcomings. 

I get high with a little help from my friends.

At this point, so close to coming back, is where I'm terribly missing home. I've sort of been counting down the days to our departure for a few weeks now. Today starts the last week of my stay here and all I can think about is what I want to do, eat and see when I get back. I've never been the kind who gets really homesick and it's funny I'm like this now. I'm used to living apart from family since high school (since Pisay, really) and I'm not the cariñosa type at all. But home is home, and I can't wait to go back to GMT +8.

This longing to go home peaked when I started to think and plan about the trip some of my friends and I will be taking in July. Being out of college I always look forward to spending time with friends, chatting and catching up, sometimes reminiscing and dreaming even. Sometimes we'd get to serious stuff, what we want to do with our lives, our current positions. What strikes me, after some thought, is how similar our thinking are at times. Maybe that's why we're friends, or somehow because we're friends we feed ideas off each other that we've grow to a certain inclination as a group. It's always wonderful to talk with people whom you can talk anything and everything about, without fear of offending or misunderstanding. It's not about agreeing on the same things, but actually sparking intellectual conversations. But of course when it comes to gossip, no specific level or frame of mind is really needed. :)

On some level, I am a bit saddened that I got to go around and introduce to my relatives my work friends instead of my dearest friends. I know it's mean to think this, but somehow there's this impression my relatives have that my work friends and I are closer than we really are and I don't like it. I wish my becky friends were with me in New York. I wish my geeky physics friends were with me in Chicago. I wish my brothers and cousins were with me in Wisconsin. Maybe it's just the homesickness that's talking because I did have a good time with my work friends, but I just feel so meh thinking how I wish my actual friends were with me.

I don't really have a list of things I tick off when I make friends, I just go by how things go. But one thing I know is that I gravitate to people who are tolerant and open minded rather than discriminating and picky. I've made friends here and there but there are always certain people who will speak to you more plus I don't think I consider someone a treasured friend that easily. That said, I am not discounting the possibility of adding some more people into my inner circles, it's just that I'm the type who likes small tight groups.

Thankfully, in a week's time I'll be back in Manila. Never having stayed this far away from home before, I really feel that Manila is where I want to be; counterarguments are aplenty and to explain myself would steer this entry off its already wonky track so let's leave it at that. I love to travel and I want to travel as much as I could, but my heart belongs to the Philippines for so many reasons starting with the people who keep me happy and sane.

Dry run

On a regular day, around midday, it takes me an hour to an hour and a half to commute from our house to Bonifacio Global City (BGC). And since I will soon be coming to work at BGC, I tried to see how long it will take me to get there during the morning rush. 

I woke up later than I wanted to, around 5:30 AM. I left as soon as I could at around 6:10. It took me several extra minutes to reach the train station because of the volume of cars out and about. By 6:35-6:40 I was at the MRT North Ave station and in less than ten minutes I was on a moving train. By 7:15 I arrived at the Ayala Ave station then I headed down to the Fort Ayala bus terminal. This was the only time I had to really wait, because the East bus took at least 15 minutes to arrive. Before quarter to eight, I was standing in front of the tower we're in. Approximate travel time: 1 hr 30 min. 

I was rather surprised how easy it was to commute from QC to Taguig during rush hour, or start of it I guess. I thought I was doomed before I even left the house because I wanted to be at the train station by 6. A week ago I saw the line entering the MRT station up to about 100m outside the station and that was a quarter to seven in the morning on a Monday. To my surprise, it was a breeze to board the train. But I think I must arrive at the station at least 30 mins earlier during Mondays, to avoid the extra long lines. Of course commuting back home is another matter. I think the ease of my commute to work is aided by the fact that the North Ave station is the first station. Ayala Ave station on the other hand is a little more to the middle of the route so getting on the train would be far more difficult.

Here are some pressure points (Masterchef?) that I think are worth considering when commuting during rush hour:

• Five minutes makes a lot of difference in the volume of people you are commuting with. Leave the house/ office (hehe) as early as possible.
• Dress comfortably. It would kill me to be standing the whole way in heels. Or long sleeves.
• Be patient. 
• Be patient.

I have always regarded commuting in groups (in this case public commuting) better than traveling separately. It's cheaper and very environment friendly. Commuting in groups is more fuel efficient, contributes less pollution and erosion, and enhances traffic flow. But of course I'd like the luxury of commuting more privately, e.g. carpooling, so it would be easier especially during the rainy season.

I start work on Friday, srsly.

I secured a job a few weeks ago and they want me to start on the 16th, I guess so I can begin the day after salaries are handed out. It just feels weird though, to start on a Friday. I was told it would probably more of an orientation for me, being a noob and it being the end of the work week. 

I know my responsibilities but I don't know exactly how to fulfill these. Hello zero experience. I abhor uncertainty. Yes, I do know what I am getting into but I want to know the nitty gritty of it all. I have no work experience and I'll be learning from scratch. I dread that I may not perform well enough, this is not exactly the type of job an applied physics major is trained to do. Maybe I just have very high expectations of myself, I don't know. I am anxious to say the least.

I think what drove me to frequent Booksale was my hunt for Italian language books. I wanted to buy a second hand dictionary, since I was taking a basic course it makes no difference if I buy something a few years old. But it took me several months of browsing to discover an Italian language book that my Italian course was actually over when I did. 

And so, back to Italian and Booksale. Tita Vien, a friend of my Tia, borrowed my Php45 Just Enough Italian pocket reference for her trip to Italy. I was at Tia's during one of my job hunting escapades and we were having doughnuts (I think) when Tita Vien told us about her upcoming trip. Amazingly, I had my book with me because I had lots of idle time and I figured I should brush up on my Italian. Just Enough Italian was perfect, especially because of a dedicated chapter on shopping.

She just got back and so did my book. One of the tours she was in was on Leonardo da Vinci (and I guess somewhere along that leg is where she got me this Vitruvian Man magnet) and it can be concluded that he is becky! Or kami lang nagassume, kasi in addition to his scientific, mathematical and artistic endeavors ay events planner/ coordinator and clothing designer din siya. Hehehe

I am so proud of my cheap-o reference book! Naunahan nya pa ako pumunta ng Italia. :p

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

A while back, Jamie asked me why I don't blog much recently. I told her it's because I've been at home mostly and I haven't been doing much so I really don't have anything to write about. Feels a bit weird to say that, since in theory there'd be more time for me to blog since I'm unoccupied. But anyway, I am glad to say that today was a bit of a break from my usual routine.

Nins, Jomax and I went out to see Crazy, Stupid, Love. and it was really good. Yes it's hilarious and yes it has a gorgeous cast, but what's great is that everything works well even in the cheesiest moments. It's a light hearted movie but with notes of drama, just the right balance of both in my opinion. We all enjoyed the movie, and I mean everyone in the cinema. As if on cue, everyone would snicker (or laugh out loud) when a comical situation presents itself. Really awesome. I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

HBO's Game of Thrones Trailer

Must watch, check. Must read, working on it.
Below is the 2011 Comic Con trailer. It basically sums up what happened this first season, and if you don't want to be spoiled do not watch it. I just can't help posting it because I am in such a withdrawal, the second season is not until next year. Ugh.

Also, I'm back to watching True Blood this season. I just googled how seasons 2 and 3 went. Hehe.
Sookie and Vampire Eric ftw!

Napulot ko 'to kay BA weeks ago. Jaw drop inducing.

Via: Online PhD Programs

Buti nalang I'm not in grad school.
Yet.

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

Technical Stuff.

The main character Susie Salmon narrates, but the whole book isn't told in the first person. Up in her heaven, she observes her community and keeps tabs on her family. Alice Sebold created a gripping story of loss, through maneuvered turns in the story more than the prose itself. The tone was in the whole gloomy because Susie's death was always that big elephant in the room that while not always mentioned made its presence felt.

Story and Themes.

The novel kicks off with the death of Susie Salmon, a girl of fourteen. She belonged to a close-knit family, in a small town (from what I infer). Her untimely demise was crafted by a singularity in their neighborhood, a Mr. Harvey. He planned everything to the smallest detail, and was able to pull off his crime without leaving evidence. The rest of Susie's body was forever lost save for an elbow. It was not long though when the family, particularly Mr. Salmon and Susie's younger sister Lindsey strongly suspected Mr. Harvey of the crime and later driving him into hiding. For years, the Salmon family grieved and each in their own way. Mr. Salmon became obsessed with finding his daughter's killer and became very much occupied with her death. Mrs. Salmon tried to do away with what happened, resorting to starting an affair and then leaving town and separating herself from everyone she knew. Lindsey on the other hand tried her best to stay tough and helped her family from falling apart. The youngest of the Salmon kids, Buckley, was unaware of Susie's death for a while.

A major theme is loss and consequently how people  deal with it. The Salmons were part of a small community, and everyone felt the loss of Susie in their own way. From what I observed, Susie's father was most affected of her death. I can't even imagine a father feeling the weight of the responsibility of having lost a child. Mr. Salmon often resorted to his study and experienced the loss a hundred fold on his own. Mrs. Salmon, while deeply affected, became more distant after the tragedy. She no longer felt at home in her own home, she wanted a different life and even resorted to a little affair with Detective Fenerman who was the detective on the case. A few years after the loss, she left her family and her community. The Salmons continued even without her, but now with Mrs. Salmon's mom to look after the kids. Mr. Salmon, while aware of her disappearance, did not try to find her. I think he knew that she needed that time and space to find peace and compose herself. But for himself, he continued to be in a state of grief and seemed unable to move on. When Buckley tried to use some of Susie's old clothes for his garden that Mr. Salmon snapped and had a heart attack. On the up side, this incident is what brought everything into perspective.

I belong to a small and close family, and I can see how a loss can have so much more weight in those circumstances. While I am a scientist, I do believe in the gut feeling that people sense. One actually pursues lines of inquiry in terms of foresight based on known knowledge, and I think it's just the same in occasions that involve maternal instincts and whatnots. Susie's family especially Mr. Salmon suspected Mr. Harvey from the beginning, and they were quite right. What's so frustrating is the lack of evidence and technology to prove it that he cannot be held responsible. Of spirits and ghosts on the other hand, I think it's pure fiction but it makes for good reading. What is important is how much stronger people become after all the grief and sadness just as Susie's family and friends have become.

Overall.
Everybody is just too fragile after a loss and it manifests in different ways. It's interesting that the author chose to tell the story mainly through Susie's eyes, she was an integral part of so many lives and the disturbing fact that her remains are nowhere to be found made all the suffering more real. That said, I think the book was quite compelling. I give it a C+.

Teen heartthrob Neil Patrick Harris is awesome!

I started watching The Vampire Diaries yesterday.

I still haven't decided if I'm for Elena + Stefan or Elena + Damon. Hehe

Rad movie. Absolutely not your usual no brainer superhero movie. Showed a concise but coherent history of the main characters, had political tones blended well within the plot, had cool and appropriate effects, it's really good.

Of course these two make the movie worthwhile as well. Haha. I go for Magneto because he's a polyglot and his powers are were relevant to my research. Chos.

On Graduation Speeches

These are waaaaay above and beyond awesome compared to the commencement speech we received last April 17. Absolutely hilarious and inspiring. Naiingit ako. Haha

Brad Delson, Linkin Park's guitarist, gave the commencement speech during the UCLA graduation of 2009.

Part 1


Part 2


Ellen's at Tulane was great as well!

The Origin of the Exploding Fist Bump -- powered by Cracked.com

Live Streaming

Finally. A useful and simple live streaming aggregator. Yes, it's free. There are occasional ads but otherwise it's good.

http://www.fromsportcom.com/

Roland Garros starts in a a few days and it seems like the King of Clay has to get ready for a coup d'etat. I don't usually play favorites but yes I am biased. I mostly bet on Rafa, but I like Nole as well. I just don't like the implication that when Rafa loses this year's French, it means so much more than losing any other Grand Slam.

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While searching for a real live stream, I stumbled upon this site. Interesting. http://www.glogster.com/

Really really good TV

I've been bumming around, watching series here and there. I've finished two kdramas, and now halfway through another. That is, apart from the other shows I've been watching like Bones. And maybe because I've too much time in my hands or I've watched too much Castle, when I watch these shows I map out the possible future scenarios. Yep, kinda like spoiling myself. I actually find that if the ending is outside the range of my possibilities, the better. 

This is why I absolutely love The Good Wife. It's not a crime or love drama like most shows I watch, though it does hover on these themes. The best classification I can think of is drama in general, because  the law practice part is secondary in my opinion. Come to think of it, I've never tried to map out how this show would twist and turn. Maybe because it's not a crime series where you try to solve the case yourself. At the same time, it's over and beyond the usual dramas that have these ridiculous turn of events. It's like reading a memoir, the events seem so natural. But what makes it great is how they write these simple and ordinary events into big dramatic scenes that are so damn brilliant and witty. 

At this point, I'm anxiously waiting for the season finale that's airing next week. 

And oh, I'm also watching IRIS. It's a really superb kdrama. It's just as beautifully made as The Good Wife but in a different genre to say the least. Will rave about that after I finish it. :)

Munja wa shong!

Back when I was a freshman, I was glued to Crunchy Roll. Recently I've been hooked to US shows and haven't been able to catch up on what's fresh in the Korean drama scene, partly because Crunchy Roll no longer streams movies and series. 

The last kdrama I saw was The Coffee Prince and I count it as one of my favorites. Only now did I get to watch new kdramas, namely Secret Garden and My Princess. I plan on watching several more, since I went on a dvd shopping spree a few days ago. Tia has this list of kdramas to watch you see.

Sequined tracksuit, anyone?

Of the two I've finished so far, I loved Secret Garden. It's really fun even if I'm reading subtitles! Also because the lead characters are really good, the comic parts really crack me up. Okay, even the more dramatic turns got me. I think I found my favorite Korean actors after watching this series, Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won. 

My Princess on the other hand was kinda blah for me. I like the lead actors, though I think SSH looked better in the first Endless Love, and they played their parts well. But I hated how I predicted almost every turn and not get something more. More meaning novelty and comedy I guess. But it's still a kilig drama, so it's probably worth watching if you have the time.

I wanted to post videos of these but online kdrama videos are sort of volatile because they are taken off the web for copyright infringement every once in a while. But if you search in youtube for episodes of Secret Garden as of this posting, you might get lucky. :)

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Reminder to self: Finish The Lovely Bones blog entry and get moving on next book.

I cleaned my area last Thursday. 

And then I attended the NIP recog the day after.

This picture I grabbed from BA's tumblr.

  

Manong

There will always be time for fussball.

Geek stuff or fashion, there's always Ma'am May. ;)

Leaving NIP is bittersweet.

I don't have pics for a grad entry yet, next time.