Singapura!

Last weekend, my cousin Bea, my mom, my lola, my aunt Janet and I went to Singapore. We stayed at Tita Meldy's for four days. It was my first trip out of the country. Singapore has been one of the places I have wanted to see for so long, so I was really ecstatic for this trip ever since we booked our tickets!

National Geographic Singapore! Tito Osman treating us to a Singaporean dinner.

Tita Janet, Mama, Mi, Tricia, Bea @ Telok Blangah bus stop

Awesome cars are everywhere!

My mom and I.

Chinatown

Bea.

My mom fancying this Audi.

At the Singapore National Museum

Twas raining :(

Songs of the Sea!

I truly believe Bea takes the best vanity pictures.

Rain, rain go away.

Flowers at Changi Terminal 3

Fountain of Wealth at Suntec City Mall

The Singapore Flyer was closed because of a mechanical glitch.

No sitting please?

From Paragon basement. Super high exchange rate!

Pinoy siguro mayari ng franchise na ito.

 

Ride back to the airport.

There were so many lows as much as highs in this trip. But it was absolutely unforgettable. :)

UPPA Team Building!

Sooooo much fun. I'm dead tired and my thighs are aching, but it was super worth it. I think I speak for everyone that this was the ultimate team building we ever had. Yaaaaaaaay!

My camera battery ran out of charge, so I had only a couple of hours of the event covered. And then there's my strike of laziness in uploading pictures, so I'll post some nalang. (Parang ang hirap magupload e!)

UPPA at Phillip's Sanctuary

Team 1, Abat Coalition

Hee hee

Trust walk (ata)

Aubz, first time?

Umm?

Sinong vain?

Tino's favorite shot

Shiz, I need to get the rest of the pics from Shua. 

PS Blog ko to. Marami lang talagang zipline pics si Tino at pinapost nya.

Machead?

I use a Mac and I think it's absolutely terrific, yes. But I'm not really a die hard Apple fan. It is a fact that Apple products consistently interest and sometimes amaze me, but I am not very much into the Mac above everything else hum. In any case, I am excited for the WWDC keynote each year. Steve Jobs is such a great communicator (sales person?) and of course this event features the newest and latest in the Macintosh world or even the computing world.

You can follow the live coverage of the WWDC Keynote at gdgt.

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Photo from gdgt as well.

Last First Sem

My Form 5A now bears the ever red and ever powerful word, Graduating. My enrollment took about four hours yesterday, which was a bit of a downer since I wanted to be finished in two hours. However, my Adviser was not yet in UP and was not available until yesterday afternoon. Good thing Dr. Bantang came around 10 am and I got him to sign my enrollment materials. Yahoo for that!

First Sem 2010-2011

For all I know, this could be my last first sem here in UP, or at least last first sem as an undergraduate. Being in a Graduating status feels nice, makes the enrollment process quite easier too.

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In Roland Garros news, Robin Soderling has defeated yet again another World No. 1 and defending champion, this time being Roger Federer. Too bad I missed the match, I'll download it later. Now, I want a Soderling Rafa final. Hmmf.

Roland Garros Bets

Woosh. I don't actually play, but I call tennis my sport. After all, I do watch live matches in the wee hours of the morning. Hehehe

Of all the Grand Slams, I like Roland Garros best. For one thing it's in France, which among the four is the one richest in culture and history as I'd like to think. Another is that clay is a novel surface, not the usual hard court. And lastly, it's quite easy to watch live French Open matches here in the Philippines, with a time difference of only six hours.

The draws for this year have been laid down yesterday. I hear that the women's draw has very interesting match ups even early on, in the first round. I'm not a fan of the decibel wars particularly in the women's games, one of the reasons why I like watching men's games more. I like Maria and I admire Serena but I just think that it's a big distraction to grunt that much. I am glad that former World No. 1 Justine Henin is back on tour, a non-grunter if I may add. I kinda think she's the female Roger Federer: very refined and composed, and hits effortlessly. That and for so many reasons, I'd like to see Henin win the title this year. If not, perhaps Ana? 

Now, I prefer Rafa over Roger especially on clay. I know that Federer is the best, I do not contest that. The man is The One, I don't think he ever got injured! Rafa is his biggest threat, the only person who can actually beat the king, and that is perhaps the main thing that I like about him. This is probably the same reason why I like Agassi over Sampras, aside from the fact that I find Agassi super cool. Last year was such a disappointment and the finals between Federer and Soderling was so anti-climactic. I hope this year Rafa and Roger meet in the finals again, however tricky Roger's draw may be.

As of this posting, it is a day before the slam starts. Allez!

Roger and Rafa in the RG 2006 final.

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Photos from Wiki Commons.

First Time Voter

I hope everybody eligible voted today! :)

(Photos taken by Bea)

Revisiting Nueva Vizcaya

I was running late. I agreed to meet Gil before four in the morning to catch the first bus to Nueva Vizcaya, but at that time I was still at home rinsing my face, I think. I hurried and went to the Baliwag terminal first because he said we had a lot of competition for seats at Victory Liner and maybe we had better chance sat Baliwag. But their first trip was at 7 am, hindi pwede, so I went to the Victory Liner terminal afterwards. Luckily we got into the next bus to Cagayan Valley at 5:30, in very good seats if I may add.

Vivian is a dear, dear friend from high school who just finished her Biology degree from UP Diliman. Being among the kindest souls on earth and a magna cum laude, she got accepted to the UP College of Medicine for this coming school year. We've known each for more than half a decade, and I have seen her bloom to the more beautiful and more edgy (who knew?) person she is today. Her party is the reason we got together this weekend.

By two in the afternoon we were at the 24/7 Inn and Resort. We had a lot of time before the celebration dinner, so we went around first. Frankly, the last time I was in Nueva Vizcaya was about three and a half years ago during Vielle's debut. Aside from Vivian's Karlo, I think I needed to take a look around as well. Familiar places were not so familiar anymore, a lot of things have changed: there were indigenous houses on display at the Capitol; our old boarding houses were improved; some eating haunts were still there, some have closed down; our old Pisay was empty because they moved to Masoc; Solano now has a McDo, and lots of other details that weren't there before.

Night time came, and it was time to party. Good thing I brought an extra blouse because there was an unwritten dress code, plus I think all the doctors from Nueva Vizcaya were there. There was a short program, but most of the time was spent on eating and chatting. Food and drinks were plenty and good, I don't think anybody left unsatisfied. The buko lychee pandan salad was the highlight, it was super yummy! After the main affair, we stayed up til morning playing cards: poker when we were still wired and silly games to sillier games as time elapsed.

I have never attended a reunion, official or otherwise, in Nueva Vizcaya. But it really feels good to spend time with old friends and revisit remarkable corners in the past. Seeing our old building reminded me of stipends, late slips, homeroom meetings and class pride. The streets of Bayombong reminded me how much I appreciate this little town, how everything was a few minutes' walk away and how safe it was there. It was a bit frustrating that some of the residents and nearer towns weren't able to attend the merriment, particularly Nins, Jomax and Ruby. Nins, I think everyone missed you. Jomax, I reckon I understand why. Ruby, I'll see you soon bitch. 

It was a long ride, no doubt. It was out of my way, completely. It was an awesome trip, absolutely. :)

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On an entirely different but equally significant matter, tomorrow is election day. Let us all exercise our right to vote, and vote conscientiously without any external influences. Let us all work together towards honest, peaceful and orderly elections. As the Potterhead in me would put it, "Constant vigilance!"

And finally, I bumped into Dr. Blanca at the resort we were staying at. I'm not sure but I'm guessing he's there on business. He looks healthier.

Baguio Weekend

My family went to Baguio for the weekend. I have always liked going to Baguio. I used to spend summers there while Tia was still stationed in Baguio, good times. This weekend, we stayed at Tita Nadine's transient space for a night. The house was spooky, but we had a great time scaring Miguel. 

Saturday afternoon, my siblings and I wasted time at Burnham Park. They went biking while I read. I feel quite happy that over the weekend, I finally got to finish a novel! Scrap one off my tally of unread books. Mwahaha. For those wondering, I read Jane Eyre. I found it a very good read, maybe because I can identify with her principles, kinda.  I got the title when I saw Definitely, Maybe.

Bea met with her HS friends from Berkeley and Achievers, my mom went shopping at the flea market and ukay-ukay, my grandparents and my dad went to Good Shepherd for goodies. We had different plans, so we just agreed to meet at SM Baguio. After dinner at home, we went to Session Road for some nighttime ukay-ukay. I have frequented Baguio, but this is the first time I went to the nighttime ukay-ukay. The goods were laid out on the streets, where numerous street food were also present. My only purchase was a small bag, 'cause it was hard to see which ones were good with the little light that was available. And besides, I'm kuripot. Haha

Before we went home, we stopped by Camp John Hay. Unfortunately, the humungous chocolate crinkles at Everything Nice was not available in the branch at CJH. Boo. Good thing we already have alfajor and ube jam from Good Shepherd, that's quite enough Baguio goodies for me. 

Leaving Baguio, I realized how it has degraded. When I reached SM, all the negative little things I saw while driving around just overflowed.  I used to picture Baguio as a very cool, green and rural-ish retreat. I loved that it had parks, had so many family activities, and that it had a very cozy charm. The Baguio I saw this weekend was dirty, very commercialized and populated. I hate to say this but I think it has lost its spell on me.

I hope after this coming elections, those who will be fortunate enough to win will at least try to get Baguio cleaned up and jazzed up again. I hate having no favorite Philippine city. 

Absolutely Unforgettable

First week of summer classes is done and finally my friends and I got to go out. The first plan was to hold a double birthday celebration for Jomax and I, but in the end we decided to celebrate one at a time. First up was Jomax's, so we went to SM Mall of Asia to go ice skating! The four of us skated, while waiting (and doubting) for Rainier. In fairness, Rainier got to MOA just in time for dinner, which is a good thing even though he was several hours late. He's usually missing in action so the fact that he came is like winning in bingo.

Picture taken by Jethro, a skating buddy we found at the rink.

Being the newbs that we were, we struggled fo a while, some more than others diba Jamie? We skated slowly and close to the railings until we picked up enough confidence to skate more freely. There were lots of skaters, big and small and the because of this the ice got ugly quite easily. Each of us fell on the ice except for Nins; unfortunately, my one fall was the worst even with everybody else's combined. My left arm, particularly my elbow, ached and swelled. However, I didn't take it seriously until after dinner, when it was still throbbing after I put some ice.

Injured at MOA. Hehe

So our clinic, err, hospital hopping commenced. First, we went to the mall clinic where a couple of nurses attended to my swollen and aching elbow. They called in the cute in house nurse from the skating rink to log in my case and advise me on what to do. They gave me a cold pack and converted my jacket into a sling. They can only offer first aid, and they suggested I go to the nearest hospital, San Juan de Dios. I had no idea where that was, but one thing was clear: I needed to see a doctor.

I didn't really know which hospital to go to. I thought of St. Luke's but I think my case is too simple to make the long journey there, I decided to go to UP's infirmary instead. There we met a very nice doctor, I forgot his name, who unfortunately did not know what to do because he's a family/ community doctor. He gave me mefenamic acid for the pain, and a sling to better suit my condition. He told me to go to the nearest hospital with an x-ray machine, or better yet go directly to the Philippine Orthopedic Center; and so we went.

Sling, for reals.

Frankly, I was disheartened when I saw the POC. It was a public hospital and was really unkempt. I'm sorry but we're in a country where public hospitals are in a mess, so I had very low expectations. And so I was really surprised with the good service I got in the hospital. The procedure was efficient and the x-ray was quick. Bravo. Maybe because it was past 11 pm when we got there but I was impressed just the same. I was equally amused with the doctors and radiologists there as they were amused with how I got my injury. Sabi ko na nga ba sisikat ako sa dahilan ng pagkabagsak ko. 

It is such a relief that I did not break any bone, pull any muscle, or dislocate anything. Nabugbog lang daw ang siko ko. While this incident may have been severely unlucky, since it was my one fall that turned out to be quite serious, I still do not regret going ice skating. I had fun, I got to fool around after a week of Bio 11, and I got hang out with Rainier again who I missed dearly. Accidents happen, and when they do all anyone can do is to resolve it as best as he/ she can. I feel completely fortunate to have such great friends who went on a very unconventional night out with me. Thanks for laughing at me and taking care of me at the same time, winner talaga. I love you all, you are the best. :P

Eureka Moment

Last April 7 was IPL's graduation party, held at UP Balay Kalinaw. Not that there's something special this time, it was composed of the usual message to the graduates marathon and AVP fest. But what I really loved about it was Ma'am Jing's message to her advisees, and to the whole of Instru as well.

First, let me introduce you to Ma'am Jing. She is Dr. Maricor Soriano, an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Physics. She specializes in image processing, and she's been my teacher for three subjects as of last semester. Anyone can attest how hardworking and how passionate Ma'am Jing is, it is an honor to know her and belong in the same laboratory as her.

She opened her message citing the eureka moments of her advisees who will graduate this school year: Ate Lau, Kuya Vars, Ate Cherry and Ate Kaye. When you are troubleshooting for days and a spark of realization hits you, that is a eureka moment.  When you keep on running your simulations and then find a very viable solution, that is a eureka moment. When you calibrate your sensors exactly right to be able to gather all the needed data, that is eureka moment. She said that her eureka moment was to have led her students to their eureka moments. And that from there, she needn't do anything and all she needs to do is to stay back and let things fall into place.

A eureka moment in research, or in any endeavor, really buoys you up. It gives you a certain momentum to keep on going, to keep on working even if it's 3 in the morning. It is such a great feeling to realize something significant when you've been working at something for so long. It's like a pat in the back that you're doing well and what you're doing is correct. Ay. How I wish moments like that happen more often. But can only think of two ways to increase the frequency of eureka moments, to work more frequently and to work more rigorously.

Ma'am Jing made me realize that I do want my eureka moment(s?) and I want my adviser to have his eureka moment while I have mine. Actually, I think I miss being eager to do research and I miss being fueled by good news to present in my RM.

After my social life suicidal decision to take Bio 11 this summer, I will have my eureka moment, hopefully more than once.

Stat mech at 1 am. Indescribable.

As in.

My sem is not over. I am finishing my Physics 151 prob set due at 4pm today. I can't cram to the last minute since I have Physics 192 reporting at 2pm and I will travel back to Manila this morning. After today, I have two more grueling days of cramming: postlabs, a project, and a grad party.

Postlabs. Applied Physics 185 postlabs to be exact. I cannot fully express the frustration I have with electronics. It adds to my innate resentment of the field even more. Pano ka gaganahan kung ayaw gumana ng set up mo?

Project. For Applied Physics 185, surprise, surprise. Ma'am Jing told us about it on the last week of classes. It would've helped a lot if we knew we had to make a project waaaaaay before crunch time. Naku naman kasi.

Grad party. I actually enjoy planning, but this time I can't say that I do. Grabe. There is so much to do, and only a few of us BS IV are actively planning and thinking. It's so hard to contact people as well. I know it's Holy Week and everyone has his or her own academic requirements to fulfill, but what about this other responsibility?

I feel guilty having slacked off the whole time I'm here at home. This is the only break I have, more like pseudo-break pala, and I wanted to rest a bit. Hay. What's done is done. What's left to do is all that matters now.

Trending Topic: Earthquakes

In July 1990, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines, its epicenter in my hometown Cabanatuan. My mother recalls that I was so amused as the things in our room, including the bed I was on, swayed back and forth. I don't remember anything of the incident as I was only a couple of months old, but boy what bliss innocence brings.

Just last month, a massive earthquake hit Haiti. The third world nation and the rest of the world are still recovering from the said disaster but just this afternoon, Philippine time, an 8.8-magnitude quake shook Chile. Chile is part of the Ring of Fire, this is a belt where most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. While we know this to be a fact, there is no accurate measure of predicting earthquakes (as are natural phenomena, they're too complex to be modeled accurately for prolonged periods of time) so its hard to actually prepare for it. Chile is quite lucky, in the regard that it's quite prosperous to be able to respond to its country's needs unlike Haiti. Still, the magnitude of the damage is severely extensive and it will not be easy to bounce back.

Unlike storms where destruction ends as the storm leaves, earthquakes have aftershocks and trigger tsunamis. Now, every island in the Pacific is on alert for possible tsunamis. Hawaii, another area quite prone to the perils of the Ring of Fire, is now the next big target of tsunamis. The Philippines, having several thousands of kilometers of coastlines, is also part of this danger. We cannot handle another big disaster. And I just can't imagine the additional political turmoil this will bring. We'll be the new Haiti if a big tsunami swallows the eastern Philippines.

Where science can no longer give cues, there is only vigilance and informed choices to rely on. Here are a couple of links that may be useful.

Philippine National Red Cross

What to do in an earthquake

NOAA Tsunami Safety Rules

CNN International Desk - Chile Quake Twitter feed