Iska again

I'm into my fifth week of classes for my masters and, with the exception of a couple of "freshie moments" (some would call them "senior moments"), the going has been smooth. But the recently re-commissioned ship is approaching battle zone. Reporting period has started in both courses, with the writing course being, well, a writing course. Take home writing assignments in addition to writing exercises every meeting. I appreciate that, but I also write at work so it gets numbing sometimes.

Right now I am working on a short story that's due tomorrow afternoon, in two formats (dialogue and paragraph). I took a little break to blog.

here it comes

A wise person once told me that the most fearful thing in this age will be nothing compared to what is to come. At the time (20 years ago), I decided I feared war the most. And then came terrorism, which turned up an uglier face each time it surfaced. I did not think anything could be worse than 911, but the world did not end there just yet. So there must be something else, something that is not fully conceived in our consciousness yet. What kind of evil is awaiting in the sidelines for its turn?

Evil changes faces. We will no longer find it in the usual fronts. It no longer looks ugly. It looks friendly, amiable, smart, new. It grins up to its ears. It speaks eloquently. It tells people what they want to hear, thus it is popular. It gives you options. Ooh, humans love options. It carries in his banner a promise to make it easy.

It's a big wait and see.

i got tagged.

I got tagged by Wyatt, UPLB vetmed graduate, a Lingkod kuya and, may I say, a Leonardo of gastronomy. Visit his food blog (or better, his kitchen) and you will see what I mean.

The Rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

My 7 Things:

1. i'm a peanut butter junkie on rehab

2. i find it hard to sleep on moonlit nights

3. i eat dog meat, but only in my islands

4. i have a love-hate relationship with females

5. my childhood literature was spy novels, Asiaweek, Newsweek (i lost my innocence very early)

6. i had my first crush at 8 - Robert Redford in "The Natural"

7. in college i dissected more toads than required for lab or self study. i enjoyed pithing with manic glee.

I intend to tag:

lavern
rona
monet
francois
eisen
au l
joy g
jojo

hello again!

No, the tornado did not get me. But nobody seems to have noticed, so let's not go there.

A quick update:

Sarai is having solids. No problem so far. We add a new kind of food each week to track allergies if any. The other night, I started her on squash, adding a lot of water to the pulp at first, and then adding just a bit the next time, so its thicker. She had no problems adjusting, and I love how she moves her lips toward the spoon every time; she must really enjoy food! Which is good.

She also holds her bottle now and can reach for her teether, grasp the handle, and put it to her mouth. Although sometimes it's the handle or her fingers that ends up between her gums. That must hurt... hmm.

The best part of the past month is her increasing communication skills, of which we her parents are the greedy beneficiaries. Can't get enough of the happy shrieks and low belly laughs! And of our little girl 'talking' as though she already has an opinion about everything.

buhawi (tornado) in Los Baños!

14 August. We heard noises outside at around 4PM. From my office window I could see students flocking towards the UPLB Gate, cellphones aimed at something above the Grove area. My first thought was, some building was on fire. With another wave of delighted screams, I saw several among the crowd aim their camera phones higher and eastward.

I ran out the door and saw a huge debris cloud swirling high above the tallest structures on the ground. I could not make out how far it was from where I was standing.

Seconds later, a funnel cloud was visible higher up in the southeastern sky. It seemed to be moving in the direction of the lake. Our house, and my baby, is less than a kilometer from the water. I could not phone the yaya because the networks were suddenly clogged. I felt panic pangs.

I was relieved when the funnel cloud gradually tucked itself back into the clouds. As scared as I was, the whole thing was amazing to watch. I have never seen one before. What a spectacle.

The final moments of the funnel cloud:

can't stop laughing

Can't help posting these. Hope you enjoy as much as I did. :-D

I actually felt sorry for this guy. He did his best to keep a straight face, which is not easy when your diaphragm is about to explode.



The type of woman I'd fall for, if I were a guy. Someone who can't help laughing.

Feast Day in my hometown!

Happy Pista du atavu Ivasay!

While the rest of the world tunes to the Beijing Olympics opening, folks in the little town of Basco, Batanes will gather in one anothers' houses today to celebrate the feast of our patron, Sto. Domingo de Guzman.

Early this morning I received a text message from my mother, informing me that she has prepared uved, a dish made from grated banana root, mixed with fish, seasoned with salt and pepper, wrapped in leaves and steamed. How my mouth watered...

Maparara kamu pas' vunung!!!

The torturous thing about craving things of home is that they could only be had there. There is no other way.