Undercoverpixie

Nerdy desperation

2012-02-12T15:47:00.004+08:00

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I have been away for a long time. I haven't had inspiration to write again. :-( It felt like the writing muses already abandoned my nook. I wonder if they're ever coming back again...

I have been very preoccupied with work recently. The tissue culture laboratory is under renovation that's why I'm currently experiencing the "lag phase." I'm trying to make the most out of it by drafting journal articles. Last week, my colleague invited me to attend another conference. It will be held this April. The deadline for the abstract is on Feb 15. I haven't started writing yet; in fact, I have not started conceptualizing what I will write. I want to attend but I'm afraid I will be shouldering all my expenses again. I will also be travelling alone again. I dread the thought of riding a plane in solitude. What if the plane crashes? I will not have anyone to share my last moments with. I have already imagined all sorts of ways to die in a plane crash. Several beautiful, talented and famous people died in a crash... I can't believe I'm thinking about death. Everyone has a specific time to die. Whether it's a plane crash, a car accident or a disease... Everything will fade into oblivion one day...

Ok then. I'll discard the thought of not attending the conference just because I'm scared to fly a plane by myself. It seems like I will be travelling a lot this year. This March, I'm flying to Palawan. Come April, I will be in Boracay (for the conference). This July, I will be in Manila. Hopefully this August, I will go to Australia. But I need to get my Visa first. Then this September, I might be in Europe. If not, I might be studying in Australia February next year. I'm hoping I will finally get accepted in the Master Degree Scholarship. I've been pulling my hair, thinking about studying again. I badly want to study again. Working is so boring...especially because my Professor is no longer in the office. I want to learn more! I want to study :-(

The Largest Crocodile Alive-- (doesn't look so large)

2012-01-21T21:20:00.003+08:00

I have a weird obsession with dinosaurs and anything occurring before the history of Homo sapiens. This is why when I had the chance to pass by the area where they found the largest reptile alive, I begged my colleagues to come with me and have a glance.

Two weeks ago, we went to Agusan, and saw with our naked eyes, a 21-feet crocodile which was nothing like I imagined. Seeing the huge crocodile relative to a huge pool and from a distance, dispelled my hallucination of being slurped back into the time of the dinosaur. It looked way smaller than the dinosaurs I imagined. I wish they will find a bigger crocodile soon. :-(

What happened to my Abstract

2012-01-12T23:13:00.008+08:00

Hi Everyone!

I wrote about the conference this coming July in my previous post, right? As I have said previously, I had to pass abstracts in order to join the conference. So then I wrote 2 abstracts and sent them to my professor!

Instead of narrating what happened, I created a humorous comic strip! :P I

hope you like it!

XOXO,

Pixie Zhi

I took and edited the photos from the following webbies:

CuOI/AAAAAAAACPk/QRALGg_5CQ8/s1600/nerdGirl.jpg

http://us.cdn1.123rf.com/168nwm/shadowstudio/shadowstudio1012/shadowstudio101200007/8420259-a-professor-testing-a-formula-in-the-lab.jpg

http://www.clipproject.info/Cliparts_Free/Comics_Free/Clipart-Cartoon-Design-22.gif

Annual Scientific Conference

2012-01-08T16:49:00.003+08:00

Hey Everyone!

I purchased plane tickets again last week! The departure will be 6 months from now. haha. It's way cheaper than buying 6 days before the departure date. I want to attend the annual scientific conference in Manila Hotel this coming July 11-12. I went there last year with the research project funding my plane ticket. My professor told me to take care of my accommodation expenses. This time, because the project is running low of funds and I still have money to spare, I have decided to pay for everything and fly to Manila this July.

The annual scientific meeting is calling for poster presentations. Abstracts are due 7 days from now. I have not yet written an abstract for the event, but I have handled several projects already, I just have to identify two to three studies to present. I want to attend the conference so I can sit and sip hot coffee during the plenary session. When I want to stretch my legs, I can also go to the next room and do poster presentations. The annual scientific conference is such a brain-stimulating and inspiring event where I can meet, in flesh and blood, the national scientists and academicians whom I have always read in books.

I'm very excited. I can't wait for six months to unfold.

Love,

Pixie

P.S. My professor is one of the 50 National Academicians in the Philippines by the way. =) Yes, I am very lucky :D

Airline seat sale on New Year's Day

2012-01-01T20:43:00.008+08:00

Today, I spent around 4 hours booking a flight!

When I checked my inbox this morning, I learned that one of the airlines was on a seat sale. I immediately grabbed the opportunity because I knew I was going to save more than 50% on the plane fare. The first person I thought of bringing with was my boyfriend. I wanted to go on another adventure in the wilderness. But he was very preoccupied celebrating New Year with his family that's why we were not able to discuss it thoroughly. My boyfriend is also like the typical guy who doesn't understand what "sale" means. For females, sale means "big time savings!" (...But actually, that's not true. When things are on sale (like my shoes on the left), we tend to buy more!haha )

So then I contacted my female colleagues. It seemed like they pumped adrenaline when I mentioned the words "seat sale." I told them,"there is a seat sale." They replied, "Let's go!" They did not even bother asking me where.

"So where do we go?" I asked. They said, "anywhere, as long as it's on sale!" And for four hours I was trying to figure out where we would go. There were 3 considerations: (1) It has to be either close to nature or (2) has a lot of shopping malls and (3) of course, the flight should be included in the seat sale.

First, I proposed that we go to Palawan's underground cave. It was my chance to investigate nature's beauty and take millions of pictures! However, there seemed to be some complications in the seat sale booking. So then I proposed flying to Hong Kong--the place where my girl friends and I can buy a lot of dresses. I was about to book Hong Kong when I realized that the tax was overwhelmingly large. It was as if there was no sale at all. So then, after 4 hours, I decided to solve the complex booking problem and just go to Palawan! It was an agonizing 4 hours. Nevertheless, I felt so satisfied in the end because I only spent 3,155 pesos (70 US dollars) for my roundtrip fare (Davao-Cebu-Palawan and back). My girls and I were very happy. We had very big time savings!

Hawaiian party and more pixie updates

2011-12-11T21:24:00.004+08:00

Hi Everyone!

I am back. Where have I been? What have I been doing? Well, I'm still in the Philippines...still in the same University. But I have a different boss now and that made my life a little complicated. I've been adjusting; and I am glad to announce that I already did because I received my first "blow" last week and I ended up superb. My initiative went overboard and she did not like it. But I guess it was partly my fault--although not entirely mine that's for sure. I learned from it, that's what matters most. Right?

I am going back to my same routine. But I have vowed to commit myself more to research so I can publish. I wrote 3 just recently. 2 are still being edited by my very busy professor (my old boss). The other one is finally under review! Finally, I'll have something published next year. XD

So Miss Researcher attended a party last friday night. In case you don't recognize me (because I changed my hairstyle again), I'm that flower girl on the left. The theme was anything hawaiian. I didn't have a grass skirt so I wore a long printed dress and clipped a lot of flowers in my hair. Did the trick work? I guess it did because everyone was awed when I entered. haha

The sunglasses also perfectly matched my "hawaiian" outfit. But there's a funny story behind that pair of lenses. I left my sunglasses at home because I was hurrying. My friend and I got to the venue really early so we decided to buy sunglasses in the nearest shopping mall. It so happened that the nearest mall was 150 steps away from the venue. Since it was barely 150 steps away, we thought that riding a cab was not economical and thus, we decided to walk. My friend and I traversed the streets with our fancy outfits and caught the attention of several lads. So as to keep their hopes down, while walking, we pretended talking like gay guys; we talked in an amusing pretentious baritone voice. haha. They really must have thought we were gays. We were too dressed up to be normal females in the Philippine setting.

Funny Pictures

2011-10-23T22:08:00.014+08:00

Hi Everyone!

My brain really shut down the past 3 days because my big brother came to visit us. It's their last night here in Davao and it will be long before I see him and her fiance again. :-(

I will be busy beginning tomorrow because I have to begin writing a detailed research proposal for the tissue culture project. I'm getting very excited. But before I allow my dopamine and serotonin to climax, I still have to write a proposal otherwise, my experiment will be a disaster. After 2 years and and 3 months of working as a Research Assistant, I learned how important it is to plan ahead. I tell you, I learned it the hard way! haha!

Anyway, tonight, I will not talk about shoes, cookies and cakes. haha. Instead, I want to show you guys/girls some funny pictures which I found while wandering around this invisible binary network. I want to emphasize that these pictures are not mine. I just found them somewhere. They're really very funny. My favorite is the first picture with the odd one out! Very very cute! ^__^

Awhile ago, I realized that very simple things make me happy! I don't know why. Maybe it's because when I was growing up my parents would constantly remind me to be contented with what I have. They also didn't give me much money while I was studying that's why I had to find ways to make myself happy without needing money. I'm very happy my parents raised me this way, otherwise, I would have grown to be a spoiled brat with no other desire but to buy shoes, clothes, accessories, etc. I do admit that I love (love) shoes but whenever I buy a pair and I know I don't need it, I feel very guilty. I ask myself, "why am I buying this?" More often, I put down the shoes, gaze for 5 seconds and turn away without looking back. haha. I do that frequently so as not to waste money.

Ok everyone. I guess I have to snooze now. I'll try to visit the soonest time possible. Good night everyone! Have a beautiful week!

Love, Pixie!

My favorite blue wedge ;-)

2011-10-21T11:13:00.004+08:00

Hi Everyone! Guess who's back again. :P I finished writing the first drafts of the 2 journal articles which I am aiming to publish. I sent them to my professor the other day and I'm just waiting for his (bloody) comments. I'm supposed to begin writing a research outline for our upcoming project but my brain refuses to function (after it underwent extreme stress while writing journal drafts! haha). Because of my brain's incapacity to operate, I'm here writing a whimsical blog post about my favorite blue wedge! It's my favorite blue wedge! =) Umm, wait. I think I already said it's my favorite! haha

I use this pair of azure gladiator wedge anywhere--even when I walk in a rocky terrain. It's so comfortable, I can even run without tripping. haha! Ok everyone, I have to go. I will try to "talk" to my neurons.

Dear Neurons,

please start sending impulses...

Love,

Pixie

Food for the Pixie (inspired by Food for the Gods)

2011-10-18T22:15:00.009+08:00

Hey Everyone!

I'm very happy I'm back to blogging again. I'll try to keep it up so as to improve my ranting skills...err writing skills, I mean. haha!

Last week, I got stung by a bee. I was very furious I thought of many ways to avenge my chubby arm that got even chubbier after the nasty insect injected its venom. I suffered for 3 days waking up in the middle of the night just to scratch my arm! (And while scratching, I was plotting my revenge! hahaha.) In the end, I have decided to buy so much honey to teach bees a lesson!

And so, the other day, I bought 3 bottles of pure honey taken from a wild beehive! Aside from slathering a tablespoon of honey on my face, I have decided to formulate my very own recipe with honey as my special ingredient. I have drawn my inspiration from the mouth-watering "Food for the Gods." Three of the main modifications were: (1) proportion of ingredients - I decreased the amount of butter, cups of flour and number of eggs; (2) I added 5% distilled spirit with natural citrus flavor (in the Philippines, it is popularly known as Tanduay Ice); and (3) I reduced the amount of sugar and added honey instead. So my ingredients are as follows:

Food for the Pixie (inspired by Food for the Gods)

1 1/2 stick butter

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup rum (Tanduay Ice)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup chopped cashew nuts

1/2 cup honey!

I am very proud to say that for the first time my dad asked me to bake this again. My mom and her colleagues said it was delicious. My 2 friends also affirmed that it is. I think this is the first time I ever succeeded in my kitchen experiment! I am calling the recipe "Food for the Pixie." It is very delicious, you will be enchanted!

And oh, by the way, about the bee... My boyfriend told me it was a wasp that stung me. He reminded me that bees and wasps are mortal enemies. So you see, I had my revenge on my enemy's mortal enemy! (Let me represent that with an elementary equation: -(-x) = x . ) I'm supposed to be on the bees' side since bees and wasps are enemies. But because I don't think sometimes, the bees got framed. @_@ Oh well. At least I baked a delicious pastry! haha!

Good night everyone. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz --- bee sound! :P

Love,

Pixie

My new toy!

2011-10-16T23:20:00.005+08:00

Hey Everyone!

I'm sorry I left this nook for a looooonnnng time. I have been engaged with so many activities. Recently, I have been reunited with an instrument which I used to play when I was a kid: the piano! But I cannot afford a grand piano at the moment that's why I'm (trying to be) contented with the electric keyboards.

We used to have a grand piano when I was young because my parents are good piano players. But I didn't enjoy it that much because I only wanted to play barbie dolls and cars. When I was in high school, I quit playing dolls and began playing the guitar. Why? It's because I realized I love music but I was soooooo off-tune, I abhorred listening to my own voice! haha! Plus, we sold our grand piano back then so I was left with nothing but an acoustic guitar. When I was a university student, I got preoccupied with books and dancing, so I veered away from music a little bit. But now! I'm back to playing again. I realized that I like the piano better than the guitar for 2 reasons: (1) the guitar ruins my nails. hahaha! and (2) the piano is more difficult. I really enjoy challenges!

Ciao for now. I will come visit my blog as soon as I can...

Love,

Pixie

Bananas anyone?

2011-09-18T13:51:00.003+08:00

Hi Everyone! Did I ever tell you my favorite fruit is banana?

When I woke up this morning, I saw one box of bananas in the kitchen. I immediately thought, "Wow! Bananas! This must be a lucky lucky day!" But then upon scrutiny, I silently asked, "why Cavendish?" Cavendish is the variety of banana which the Philippines exports all over the world (most abundantly in Japan). However, it is not widely eaten in the Philippines because other varieties are more delicious. Although it is more aromatic than most varieties, it is a little bit bland. The sweetness is different from other varieties. The main reason is that Cavendish bananas are unripe when harvested. While it is being shipped to other countries, the workers spray the naturally-occurring hormone "ethylene" so the bananas will ripen and turn yellow. By the time the Cavendish bananas arrive in other countries' ports, they look majestically ripe and delicious.

I have juxtaposed the Cavendish banana with one of my favorite banana variety: Latundan. As shown in the picture I took, Cavendish (on the left) is more than twice the size of Latundan. However, Latundan is twice more delicious than Cavendish. In the Philippines, we love eating Latundan and Lacatan. These two are more expensive than Cavendish. Probably the reason why they are not widely exported is because these two (Lacatan and Latundan) are quite small (very cute ^_^) and not as spotless as Cavendish.

Ok. So now, I have a problem. How can I eat one box of Cavendish? They are very (very very) big! hahaha.

Happy Sunday everyone! My apologies if I have not visited my blog for quite some time... ^_^ See you next week!

Love,

Pixie Zhi

Unkempt short hair

2011-09-18T10:26:00.005+08:00

No text available. haha. I'm kidding :D

Short hair = no need to comb

What happened to my red shoes?

2011-09-03T18:16:00.005+08:00

Magandang Gabi!!!

Last Thursday, I attended a meeting with the research team, and it was held downtown for a change. Since we hired a vehicle to take us anywhere in Davao City, I decided to slip a pair of classic red shoes which happened to be my favorite last week (but not anymore! haha). We were seated most of the time while we had our meeting. The only two occasions where I had to lift my lazy butt off the chair was when I had to take pictures of the participants and when I had to pee after I drank so much blueberry yogurt smoothie. Wearing the red shoes during the meeting was effortless. But right after the meeting was adjourned, my self-inflicted agony began.

Two of my colleagues and I (plus the driver who became our friend since we belonged to the same age bracket), decided to go to the mall and look for anything "cute" to buy. Just like me, my friend who happened to be very fascinated with shoes decided that she would buy a new pair! In the first shoe store we ran in to, I fell in love with a white-wedged shoe with an intricate design. But then I thought maybe I can find better designs in other shoe stores. So despite the numbing pain I felt while walking with my closed, classic red shoes, I continued trekking. We hopped from store to store, but never found anything which made me feel in a way similar to the first shoe I fell in love with. Then we entered the flip-flops store. The place was so cozy, I removed my devil red shoes and walked with bare feet while choosing from the myriad of displayed flip-flops. I never fell in love with any of the designs, but due to necessity, I forced myself to love just one flip-flop so I can finally be freed from the red shoes which caused so much pain. I picked one and packed the red shoes. When I slipped the flip-flops in my blistered feet, I felt freedom. Then to myself I said, "Oh flip-flops, I love you so much!"

White Shoes

2011-08-28T22:07:00.004+08:00

I slept the whole afternoon because I was feeling a bit blue. I regretted it because I was supposed to watch a dog show. My college friend and her boyfriend, could not make it, and I thought it would not be fun watching alone, so I decided to just stay home. Staying idle led me to a quick introspection. It was when I realized I don't have a bestfriend anymore. I was so blue, I decided to sleep. When I woke up, I saw several missed calls from my bf. I woke up and told him about my realizations. Our conversation went something like this:

me: Baby, I just realized that I don't have a bestfriend anymore :-(

bf: yes, you do, Baby.

me: oh yeah?

bf: he may be ugly but he is your besty!

Haha. He's not ugly at all. I think my bestfriend is hot. I also happened to be in love with him. Yay!

After the mushy talk which made me feel better, he started talking about wrestling. What was funny was that, while he was passionately describing what happened to the wrestling dude (see, I can't even remember the name. haha), I was looking at a fashion video. haha. It's interesting. The two of us are really poles apart but we are hooked to each other.

Anyway, I'm happy now. Next week I'm looking forward to swimming with my college bestfriend. Yay! Oh, by the way, the "white shoes" is irrelevant. I will be whining for the next couple of days. I'll add pics of my shoes to lighten the mood. Yes. Yes. This is what my bf has to put with to everyday. I talk about a million topics in one minute. haha. Good night everyone!

Short Hair!

2011-08-28T07:45:00.004+08:00

Good morning everyone!

One of my friends asked me to put a picture of my recent hairstyle in this blog. haha. Iwent from long and curly to long and straight...and now to short and straight!

I decided to get a short haircut because I realized I spend so much time in the morning just to dry my hair. I could have used that time to sleep. haha. Besides, I'm very busy to comb my hair on weekdays. So then, this hairstyle is better: just wash and wear! ;-)

Behind the Car Racing Scene

2011-08-26T20:47:00.003+08:00

Hey Everyone!

Even though, I rarely log in to blabber about nonsensical topics, I hope you will still visit once in a while because I just want to assure you that, at the moment, I am not thinking about abandoning this nook. "I've been busy." That's my usual clamor. But that's not actually the reason why I haven't been writing. It's because I have a separate gmail account for this blog. The email I'm using 24/7 for business matters is preventing me from accessing this site. Not exactly preventing... but it's just that I find it a bit tedious to shift from one email to another. haha. yes, yes. I am lazy sometimes.

Moving on to our next nonsensical topic for today...

Last weekend, I watched car racing; but I did so coincidentally--right after I experienced a series of unfortunate events. I started my day on the other side of the bed; and I was getting anxious for no apparent reason. Probably it was because of a dog show which I badly wanted to see. So then, I decided to leave the house and watch the dog show. I rang my bestfriend and my bestfriend's boyfriend because a week before, they said they were coming over to Davao City to watch the street dance and the dog show. I rang several times but the clearest answer I received was the clangorous ringtone. I was very frustrated so I decided to set-foot to the rendezvous without them. Matina Town Square. That's what my bestfriend's boyfriend told me as far as I could remember.

When I got there, almost all stores were closed except for the hiking area where there were three guys on dreadlocks sitting in front of the entrance. One of them greeted me "hello." I responded with a coy nod. Then I surveyed the whole perimeter of Matina Town Square and even asked the guard about the dog show. The reply was unanimous: there was no dog show. Frustrated, I went back to the hiking store where the three guys were and asked if they had any knowledge about a dog show, whatsoever. One of them, whose name begins with V, generously showed me his GPS and said, "there is a big probability that the dog show is being held at crocodile park." He was navigating his GPS while telling me how to get there. I didn't exactly understand because, as you know, I have very poor ability to find places unknown to me unless I have been there at least 40 times. I just nodded and said, "that's alright, I'll just take the taxi..." I was about to step inside the cab when he quickly remarked, "My name is V. I hope you don't mind if I get your number." I thought it would be handy to give my number and ask for his in case I would get lost, so yes, I gave him my number.

The taxi glided more than four kilometers when I realized I only had 250 pesos in my pocket. "Kuya, stop by an ATM in case you see one, " I instructed the driver. "Ma'am, I don't think there is any," he said. Cold sweat dribbled in my scalp. How was I going to get back if I won't have enough for taxi fare? "Is there any other way to get out of crocodile park other than riding a taxi?" I inquired. The driver probably thought I didn't have money. He said, " there is no other way. Only through taxi."

Waaah. Ok everyone. I'm very very sleepy now. I'll cut short my story tonight and resume tomorrow. Good night for now.

*** to be continued ***

IELTS results

2011-08-13T18:49:00.006+08:00

Hi Everyone!

I just got my IELTS results today and it was super "ok!" (By the way, the hand sign on the left means "ok" in scuba diving ). I was very euphoric when I saw the results because the scores were higher than I expected.

IELTS by the way, is the acronym for International English Language Testing System. The highest possible score one can get is Band 9.00

Here's the scoring system (taken from the back page of my IELTS results):

Band 9.00- has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.

Band 8.00 - has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.

Band 7.00- has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies and inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.

Band 6.00- has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.

Let me band scores 5-2. The lowest is Band 1.00 - Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.

My score are as follows: Reading - 8.00, Writing- 7.00 (waaah. I need to improve on this :-( ), Listening- 8.00 and Speaking- 8.50. I took the Academic Training Module because I intend to pursue graduate studies abroad. I'm working hard to attain this. One day, I'll be one of the best scientists in the world! Happy Saturday Everyone. Sleep tight! ;-)

What's more difficult than studying?

2011-08-08T14:23:00.001+08:00

When I was waiting for my turn during the IELTS speaking test and I was heavily sweating and panting as usual, the invigilator told me to calm down. "I'm sure it will be easy for you. What is more difficult than studying in the University of the Philippines (UP)?" I wanted to engage in a short discourse but my neurons were shivering so I sat silently and answered the question in my head. What is more difficult than studying in UP? Why of course, studying in Harvard or MIT! Or perhaps washing the dishes and cooking a delicious dinner. Maybe even talking to Greenpeace and convincing them to support transgenic crops. Definitely talking to farmers in pure Bisaya (a Philippine dialect)! Or telling grandma to sleep in the middle of the night (she's ALWAYS awake at midnight, I have observed). Have I mentioned blowing my nose hard and suffering from epistaxis for 2 days? Or telling mom I'm a good girl but I'm not sure if I have a religion. There are so many things which are more difficult than school. Not to mention "growing up." It's the hardest of all. Sometimes I wish I stayed a toddler so I can play dolls the whole day and wait for grandma to read me a fairy tale before I sleep.

this is the doll I gave to my cousin's very cute daughter.

My Expenses

2011-07-08T21:23:00.006+08:00

Magandang gabi! ("Good evening" in English)

I am attempting to come up with a good set of data for journal publication. I passed tables and figures to my professor yesterday; and he told me to analyze them using a different approach. Just by looking at the new experimental design, I immediately realized the data I gathered are still insufficient. I guess I still have to run another batch of experiment.

Meanwhile, let me talk about "another study" which I have been doing the past couple of months. It's easier to interpret than my laboratory experiments. I still cannot run a statistical analysis because I was only able to religiously get a full data for 2 months (March and June). I was not able to accurately account my expenses last April and May. The reliable data were from March and June. The first figure shows the proportion of my March expenses while the second shows the proportion of my expenses for June.

As shown in the figures, Bills at Home, which composed the biggest chunk of the pie graph (30%) for March expenses was not evident in the June expenses. Health and Beauty Products/Services, which used to be the second biggest expense in March, constituted the biggest share in June expenses. Research and Cellphone Load also drastically increased in proportion (18% and 8% increase, respectively). Among the increasing parameters, Food and Fare had the lowest rate of increase: 1% for each. Notably, the amount spent for clothes was 8% lower than the amount for March. Computer accessories, which was previously accounted last March, was not evident in June expenses.

Apparently, expenses for March and June were different although it was not indicated whether they are significantly different. The lack of Bills at Home, may have been due to the possibility that this was paid during the previous month. The increase in Cellphone Load Expenditures and Research may have been due to the shift in the individual's priority. Food and Fare remained almost the same likely because these commodities are considered, "necessities". In contrast, computer accessories which was reflected in the March expenses, no longer appeared in the June expenses because they were likely not necessary.

Dragon Lady

2011-07-05T23:35:00.011+08:00

A beautiful evening everyone! I am very busy and emotionally-harassed. My colleague and I just clashed. It's the first time it happened in my 22 years and 7 months of existence in this planet. I have never encountered someone who is so rude and tactless. It just so happened she awakened the mean, bratty and sassy girl that has remained dormant for ages. After an exchange of not-so-pleasant emails last week regarding a project which we are supposed to work with together, we finally ended up with a verbal battle yesterday.

She was making irksome, unnecessary and rude side comments yesterday when I blurted out, by reflex, sentences delivered in a very stern manner. I could not believe it myself. I was very mad at her and I could no longer contain my hidden undesirable emotions against her. Have you ever encountered a person you dislike? It is my first time! And it bothers me a lot because I normally like everyone. I felt better when I finally fought back. I thought it was finally time to fight. Some people used to tell me they do not like my colleague. Initially I was very shocked to find out they do not like her. But now I finally understand. I think she is unaware of it and no one dares tell her. She is a very generous girl and a very good friend. But the problem with her is that, when pressure from work or social-relations hit her, she begins to blow dragon fire and burns all the people around her. I happened to catch the fire. The emotions screamed deep inside, hurt me hard and when I could no longer hold back, I blew the fire back to her face.

I did not regret what I did yesterday but I feel have to do something about this. She used to be my

very good friend; but she has bad manners. She doesn't know she has bad manners and people are scared to tell her. I don't know how to tell her. I am very confused. I am secretly wishing she will chance upon my blog and read this. Again, I want to reiterate that she is not a bad person. She tends to be tactless at times. She's also quite pessimistic especially when the project runs out of money. Research is difficult in the Philippines because we often do not get support from the government. Money is difficult to get that's why our salaries often arrive late. In fact, I still did not receive my salary for 2 months. But I am not clamoring because I find other means to find money. Besides, money is not the only thing that makes me happy. I find happiness in small things. For instance, when I see my dog, I feel happy. haha. It's something money can never buy... It seems like money is the prime mover of life for my dear colleague. And such thinking is very skewed.

She clamors about not receiving the project funds so she can pay her workers. I thought to myself, why couldn't she just use her own money? She gets paid and I'm sure her salary is enough to cover her workers. I often use my own money for the project. I do not feel bad using my money and not getting it back as soon as possible because I think of it as my savings.

Alright. Enough said. Now I feel better. I hope I'll be able to tell her many people do not like her attitude. Yes, not just me. But many! They just fake it. I tried to fake it; but it's not my nature to fake my affection so there... we clashed. >_< Cruising now to a more positive rambling.... waaaah. Sorry I digressed. Let me now succinctly talk about something positive before I retire to bed...

Last weekend, I bought 2 dresses. hehehe. I was thinking of wearing them to the conference. I showed the dresses to my mom and she said, "What?! You are wearing them to the conference? You don't look like a scientist at all. You look like a receptionist or a hotel staff! ...If I were the judge during your presentation, I don't think I will be able to concentrate listening to your study. I will be looking at your clothes!!!" hahaha. Sweet mom just violently reacted. Maybe I should wear a different garment. hahahaa Good night everyone! Have a placid week. :-*

Much Love,

Pixie

Flash floods in Davao City

2011-07-01T00:27:00.005+08:00

The world is full of surprises; and they are not always positive.

With the sea level increase due to global warming, Asia has been experiencing surprise visits from the unforgiving Poseidon. Two days ago, while most of the people were placidly swimming in their dreamland, water began to overflow in the inefficiently drained channels resulting to a drastic increase in the water level. People were awaken to meet their worst nightmare.

This is by far, the most disastrous event in Davao City ever since I was born. The last time I checked, around 22 people were confirmed dead, many were missing and 3000 families were affected. I grabbed these photos from a photographer (J. Lamata) at facebook. I'm safe and sound;but I worry about the 3000 families. They lost all their belongings because the water level was said to reach past the waistline, and in some areas, it reached the shoulder. It happened as quick as lightning but restoration will definitely take time. :-(

Thoughts before I sleep

2011-06-28T00:37:00.005+08:00

Hi Everyone! Recently, I have been seeing sparks in the sky. No, I didn't hit my head on the wall. I mean it figuratively... I am seeing the glint of hope for my career. I will be involved in several conferences this July and I can bag these so my resume will be heavier once I apply for graduate school scholarships the second time around. It's very hard sneaking my way into graduate school because I live in the third world country. If I had a lot of money, I would probably partition my savings in this way:

60% - for graduate studies

30% - clothes and cute things

10% - everyday expenses

Yes, I will likely save 60% of it so I can

go to my dream university: University of California Berkeley. But since I don't have sufficient funds for graduate studies abroad, I will just aim to get scholarships. I'm so excited! I need to work hard in the next couple of months so I can garner more merits for applications.

...I have been very busy that's why I haven't visited this blog lately. I want to blog more often but I find it very lazy to log in. I wish the blog environment is much simpler than going to "post," "new post," "publish", etc. I hope in the future it will be friendlier... Like it's a notebook type where you can drag and paste the picture (no need to upload) and just scribble anywhere in the page. In that way, I will be able to blog more often...

So anyway, this post really lacks coherence (as usual) because I am ready to drag myself to dreamland. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sleepy. Before I go, however, I wish to tell you one of my many crushes in this universe. It's the famous American rapper, Eminem. I have loved him since I was 12! After one decade (yes, I am 22), I still love him. I don't know why. It's just another enigmatic fact in nature that some things never change!

Good night Everyone!

Ohh!! I forgot. Click this link for Eminem's latest famous song. ;)

Beauty Rush

2011-06-20T22:37:00.017+08:00

It's the beginning of the week again; and I started working with full-fuel despite the fact that it's a holiday. I was about to leave home for work awhile ago when mom asked, "Where are you going?" I replied, "To work, mommy." But then she reminded me it's Rizal (Philippine National Hero) Day. So then I changed back to my household garment and immediately sat in my computer to begin working. I have only done no more than tallying my activities for the entire week and revising the scientific poster for the conference. I also received an email from my professor awhile ago and he congratulated me because the other abstract I passed also got accepted for the conference. I was taken aback due to the strong conflicting emotions raging inside my system. I was euphoric because it got accepted. However, the thought of it immediately stressed me out because it only means I have to make another scientific poster. Waaaaahhhh!

So now, let me cruise back to what I intend to talk about before I begin to jot down my haphazard thoughts... Last weekend, aside from finishing one of the many books my boyfriend gave me, I went to my sister and asked her if she has a make-up palette. I don't have a make-up palette now, by the way. I lost it last December and I still haven't bought a new set from a local drugstore. I want to buy a huge palette where I can see the colors of the world. Unfortunately, they usually sell the small ones here--those with 4 to 10 colors only. Anyway, I went to my sister and asked if she has a palette. She said "yes." Surprisingly, she added, "you can have it if you want!" Yay!

She gave me a very small palette with 10 colors. In addition, she also gave me Beauty Rush. It's a lipgloss which she used once in her lifetime. I asked her why she never used it when it's as hot as summer sunshine. She tersely replied, "I don't like it." I was appalled. How can anyone not like Beauty Rush? Who does not adore this small red tube with colorless fluid which can make the lips twinkle like a bright star in a desolate night? I thought my sister was crazy for not liking Beauty Rush...but it was a good thing and I was happy my sister was crazy enough not to like it because it is now my possession. I love Beauty Rush so much that I slept wearing lip gloss the other night. It's Victoria's secret. My secret. Shhh. Don't tell anyone! haha. Good night everyone! Have a beautiful week!

P.S. I forgot. I practiced putting on make up (with Beauty Rush on my lips of course) but the effect was horrendous. I can't stare at my pictures without getting scared. hahaha

Dilemma solved!

2011-06-15T23:18:00.003+08:00

Hey Everyone!

I really have nothing very important to share tonight. I just wanted to drop by my blog and say, "hi." The picture on the left is one of my favorites these days. Recently, I just realized I don't look ugly even if I don't smile. I don't need make-up too! Yay!

Oh! By the way, I finally have answers to my dilemma last week: (1) take English test this July and (2)attend the conference in Manila. The deciding factor for dilemma 1 is that I am definitely not ready for the June exam. As for dilemma 2, it was what my professor suggested. He is a very wise guy so I'd better believe him before I end up regretting an unwise decision of mine.

Dilemma: Red Apple or Green Apple

2011-06-09T05:59:00.006+08:00

I have been tormented with two dilemmas lately. One is regarding the schedule of my IELTS exam. IELTS is a language exam similar to TOEIC and TOEFL. I initially planned on taking the test on the 30th of July. However, my boyfriend insisted that I take it earlier because I might miss application deadlines which are set on the 31st of July. His opinion sounds very rational. However, my only concern is that I only have 16 days left to prepare. In the next 16 days, I have to dramatically increase my speaking, reading, writing and listening skills. My boyfriend seems to have confidence in my english ability more than I do. I wonder if I can pull it off without trickling a drop of cold sweat.

The other dilemma is regarding the conference this July. My professor asked me to pass 2 different papers for 2 different conferences. I got positive replies for both! One is in Davao City and the other is in Manila. However, it turned out that both conferences occur on the same dates! How can I possibly present the papers for both conferences if I have only one body? I wish I can resort to binary fission even just for 2 days so I can attend both conferences and come home extremely satisfied.

These dilemmas are way more difficult than choosing which apple to eat: "green apple or red apple?" If I were to choose between the apples, I will definitely eat both! In my IELTS exam's case, I certainly have to choose between June 25 or July 30. However, I will probably be taking the test 16 days from now because it's the sanest choice. Regarding the conferences, I will try to call the secretariats today and see if they will permit me to attend both. How? You see, the conferences will be held for 2 days: July 13-14. I can present the paper in Manila on the 13th. Immediately after, I can fly back to Davao and present the paper on the 14th. I hope they will permit me. It will be a very big accomplishment for supergirl!

Crunchy Oatmeal cookies

2011-06-05T11:06:00.019+08:00

One of the many things I love to do during my leisure time is baking. When I'm in the kitchen, I'm like a mad chemist who is desperately trying to formulate a potent drug for an incurable disease. That's how desperate I am because I often fail in my attempt to bake something palatable. But my failure is often due to sheer curiosity. It is because before I begin baking, I ask myself, "what changes in the recipe should I make in order to come up with a result which is different from the last?"

So yesterday, my goal was to bake a crunchy oatmeal cookie with a definite shape. During the first few batches of oatmeal cookies I baked, the shape was horrendous and definitely will not pass commercial standards. I know by common sense that, when you want to commercialize a product it has to be uniform. My problem at first was that my cookies were irregularly shaped (see pictures on the left). The cookies looked "ok" for my sister because she was very hungry yesterday. Even if the cookies look like deformed ginger bread monsters, she will still probably swallow them all as long as they are palatable. However, I thought that if I were to show my cookies to my mom (who happens to have high standards in baking because she also bakes (unlike my sister who doesn't)), she will most likely comment on how odd the cookies are shaped. I halted my baking operations for a while and looked for a moulder. I took the cover of my cream of tartar bottle.

I was able to flatten the cookie mixture by sandwiching it in between 2 sheets of wax papers. Afterwards, I punched the mixture using the cover of my cream of tartar bottle. Doing this will make my cookies more uniform! I baked the cookies at 180 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes. When it was golden brown (like fried chicken), I removed the cookies from the oven. Some of my cookies got burned because I got busy tasting the first few cookies I baked. My sister and I ate the first batch of cookies.

My sister, by the way, doesn't bake. She just criticizes my products. She's like a very demanding customer. She goes like, "Oh, this is too sweet." "What is this? I cannot taste anything!" "Are you sure you are baking a cake and not brownies?" "Are you sure that's brownies and not cake?" She complains about everything--just like a very demanding customer. hahaha But I like it that way because I am able to improve my skills.

As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to make crunchy cookies. In my previous oatmeal cookie recipes, the cookies were somewhat chewy. Some people like chewy cookies. Others don't. However, my sister's favorite commercialized cookie (from Quaker) is crunchy. I thought maybe my sister will be pleased if I make crunchier cookies.

So then I decided to play around with the ingredients. I wanted to make nutritious and crunchy oatmeal cookies. I decreased the amount of butter I put and increased the ratio of oatmeal:flour.

Here is my recipe:

3 1/2 cups sifted flour

6 cups oatmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup butter

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon powder

one bag of raisins (you can put as much as you want)

1 cup evaporated milk

Here is how I did it:

(1) Melt butter. Mix butter, sugar and eggs.

(2) Sift flour and baking powder and cinnamon.

(3) Alternately put flour mixture, oatmeal,, raisins and milk to the butter-sugar-and-egg mixture.

(4) Bake until golden brown.

It is that simple. Very nutritious too! I wanted to reduce the amount of sugar actually. But for my grandma, she said it isn't too sweet. But if you are health-conscious like me, maybe you can still reduce the sugar to let's say, 2 1/2. What do you think? Did you like my cookies?

Ok, that's about it for now. Happy Sunday everyone! I have to begin my day... ;) I'm actually torn between baking and reading a book today. What will I do? I love doing both.

TV interview

2011-06-03T22:47:00.003+08:00

I have had minimal contacts with the virtual universe the past couple of days because my internet provider had a faulty internet line. For the past days, I had a difficulty staying in touch with my boyfriend who lives one pacific ocean away from me. Lack of internet also resulted to the cancellation of my online classes, which then resulted to an inconvenient penalty.

Anyway, I'm finally back and I deem it necessary to update this blog. What have I been up to? If you ask me to enumerate my activities lately, it will take one whole day. So let me just breeze through the highlights.

(1) I created a website! Click this to go to the website I created. My major is cell biology but I know html coding because I learned it when I was 13 years old--way back when I studied in a special science high school. What I did with this site is a shortcut. I just downloaded a template from CSS designs. Then, I edited the free template, changed the content and a little bit of the lay-out. It's easier than coding html from scratch.

(2) I also appeared on local news. I was interviewed around 2 weeks ago. It's all about the eggplant study we were conducting. No one else from the research team was available at that time so they pulled me out of the seminar and took videos.

I've been exercising!

2011-05-25T19:00:00.001+08:00

Due to my very hectic schedule, it is only on rare occasions that I find myself jogging in the street just before everyone in the village opens their windows and greet the merry birds, "good morning." My routine in the morning is simple: (1) I wake up and turn off my alarm clock then (2) I wake up again. No exercise, whatsoever. And so, when the month of May began, I suddenly realized that I was getting fat due to this very unhealthy sleep-work-sleep-work routine.

Impulsively, what I did when the month began was join belly dancing class. On the first meeting, I fully-paid the instructor for a one-month-three-days-a-week-class. But after the second meeting, I quit because I realized that it doesn't give me the workout I want. I thought I needed something "harder."

At the moment, I am looking for a good exercise class. I'm thinking of joining yoga class or zumba class. Unfortunately, the gym that offers these two classes is lightyears away from my nook such that going there every other day will turn me into a zombie. For the meantime, while I still have not joined an exercise class, I'm doing squats and abdominal flexes. My muscles are so weak, I tremble after doing 20 squats and 40 abdominal flexes. My stomach remains big and I still look fat after almost two weeks of desperate attempts. haha. Nevertheless, I am not giving up. Wish me luck. :P

My abduction Part 2

2011-05-15T13:05:00.001+08:00

One of the many things I love about my boyfriend is that he loves the things I love. And so, during the brief vacation we had together, we decided to hit east and west of Davao City in search for something which could make us both very happy--Nature.

We traveled on four wheels, two wheels and even without wheels. From land to sea, we conquered nature. Every time we see animals we usually pull over to take photos. As you will see in the pictures below, we saw this cute cow who was apparently sitting like a model. Then there were three little black pigs. He and I are very fond of pigs for some reason. For my case, I love pigs ever since I was young. In fact, my favorite toy used to be a cute little pink pig. I told him I like him because his skin turns pink--like my cute pink pig. haha.

We also drove to Kidapawan because we wanted to have a glimpse of Mt. Apo since my parents did not permit me to climb. Mt. Apo, by the way, is the highest mountain in the Philippines. It's 3,000 meters above sea level. We badly wanted to climb; but since we couldn't, we decided to drive to Kidapawan. He asked me to print a map from Google. I was amazed we got to our destination without getting lost! He has a very good sense of direction--something which I don't have, that's why we get along so well. I just let him do the driving while I sit down beside him, ramble about trivial matters and ask him every now and then, "Are we there yet?"

Bikini Lines

2011-05-07T21:20:00.006+08:00

In the Philippines, beauty is often associated with the skin color.

Brown = ugly.

White = beautiful.

After staying in the beach for almost 2 weeks, I got my nasty tan. "Nasty" because it is uneven. Currently, my skin is also peeling off (as though I'm moulting). Lesson for me. I should have constantly applied sunscreen. I applied before I dipped myself in the ocean. However, the ocean got me so smitten, I completely forgot about reapplication.

My abduction Part I

2011-05-06T15:44:00.004+08:00

Am I dead? Of course not! I just went on a two-week vacation with my boyfriend. Did everyone agree with me having a vacation? Definitely... not! I just took off and left them with no choice. haha It was only a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence so I reckoned there was nothing wrong with what I was doing.

I will tell you more about me and my boyfriend's adventure. We conquered land and water. The only territory we couldn't conquer was the sky because my parents forbid me to leave Davao City. That's my boyfriend in the picture, by the way. I had the worst boyfriend in the past. Now I'm wondering what was it that I did to get the best. It must be some magic potion I formulated in my laboratory. hahaha.

Killer shoes for my new appointment

2011-04-11T11:41:00.005+08:00

Good morning Everyone!

A lot of transitions have been happening in my beautiful life lately. Last week, I got a new appointment because the funding for Breeding and Tissue Culture of Nipa was not going to arrive after all. Beginnning today, I will be assuming the IEC role. I have to be responsible for information dissemination, education and communication--these three aspects are so out of my league. I graduated in BS Biology major in Cell Biology. What do I know about all these things?

I accepted the job because I have no intention to bum around and sleep at home while we are waiting for the funding. It is also going to be a good avenue for learning. What scientists usually lack is the rapport for people that's why more often than not, scientists have the tendency to become fiscally unstable. I wish to become a scientist-businesswoman-mommy one day, hence, I deem it is an opportunity for me to learn.

At the moment, I am struggling to create a website. I am sooooooooooooooo lost. I used to code html when I was in high school, but that was more than half a decade ago. A minute earlier, I was asking my ex-boyfriend to give me a program which can make my life easier. He told me to use flash, java and microsoft front page. I told him I am only familiar with flash... and there was another program which I am planning to use. Dreamweaver! I don't know Dreamweaver but it seems like a promising program! I can foretell that coding html will be a big boulder to move away from my beautiful road. Wish me luck!

Oh! Oh! I forgot to talk about the shoes you see in this post. Well, you see, since I have a new appointment, I thought maybe I should change my fashion statement. I'll toss my jeans and shirt for a while and put on those high heels when facing the crowd. Yes, Ms. Dorky Scientist will pretend to be a fashion icon. I can't wait for this appointment to end. One month. Only one month and I'll throw myself back to the white dungeon I call, "laboratory." haha. Have a beautiful week to all of you! *hugs*

The most stupid Filipino food

2011-04-06T21:51:00.003+08:00

Hi Everyone! Last weekend I ate one of Filipino's most stupid food. It's not really scientifically correct to declare so. haha. It's just my own English-Filipino pun. If you're curious as to how this food is named, I will tell you. However, before I reveal it's ridiculous name, let me introduce you to the levels of stupidity, now that we are into this topic already.

In the scientific community, there are 3 statistically recognized levels of stupidity depending on the IQ range:

(1) MORON - 50-69

(2) IMBECILE - 20-49

(3) IDIOT - 20 and below

My own definition, however, would go something like this.

MALE category

(1)MORON - A man is a moron when he answers his pregnant wife's question, "Am I fat?" with "Not really but you seem bigger these days."

(2)IMBECILE- A man is imbecile when he answers his pregnant wife's question, "Am I fat?" with, "Not really but you seem bigger than me."

(3)IDIOT- A man is an idiot when he answers his pregnant wife's question, "Am I fat?" with, "Yes." Period. haha

FEMALE category

(1)MORON - A woman is considered a moron when she soaks her hair in the bath tub less than 24 hours after she had a rebond even though the hairstylist clearly emphasized that it is forbidden.

(2)IMBECILE - A woman is considered an imbecile when she soaks her hair in the bath tub less than 12 hours after she had a rebond and styles it with a curling iron even though the hairstylist clearly emphasized that it is forbidden.

(3)IDIOT - A woman is considered an idiot when she soaks her hair in the bath tub right after she had a rebond, styles it with a curling iron and applies one liter of hairspray even though the hairstylist clearly emphasized it is forbidden.

Now I'm straying from my topic... haha. Cruising back to one of the Philippines' most stupid food. The pictures you see above is a special Filipino dish which is generally classified as "suman." Suman is a food wrapped in banana leaves. They make suman by cooking the content first. Then they wrap them with banana leaves. Afterwards, they are boiled. Very easy. But there are so many techniques to make the dish more palatable.

The pictures you see above are "morons." Yes, they are called, "morons." The pronunciation is different though. English "moron" is pronounced with long o sound. In the Philippines, it's short o. Although the two are spelled in the same manner, they are entirely different. So if you come to the Philippines and you want to see a moron, don't go to mental hospitals. Go straight to a Filipino restaurant, ok? Good night everyone!

The Zombie's favorite instant coffee

2011-03-30T15:27:00.005+08:00

Hi Everyone!

I've been a walking zombie the past few days. I often sleep at 1 in the morning and wake up 5 hours later. That's 6 in the morning, the time my body spontaneously wakes up irrelevant of how much sleep I get.

I've been sleeping less because my work load keeps piling up.

I'm stressed, yes. But I'm very happy! I guess I'm more efficient when I'm so stressed and pressured. Without the two, I will probably be crawling in the smooth, calm and relaxing road of ennui where every tree droops and all the flowers sleep. I would love to imagine that I am trekking a cobbled path with so many random, interesting but unfamiliar objects! It's like I'm in a wild intellectual adventure.

I finally passed my report by the way. Tomorrow, I have to begin making a presentation for another project proposal. I can foretell I will not be sleeping much the next couple of days that's why I bought several packets of B-complex vitamins. I am also planning to buy several packs of my favorite coffee (Jimm's coffee). I love love coffee especially this instant pack. It has Agaricus mushroom extract and Korean Ginseng. Actually, there's another 7-in-1 mix which I prefer because it contains spirulina. Spirulina a blue-green algae that contains a notably high amount of protein. It is also a rich source of vitamins and minerals including calcium, potassium, iron, etc. Ever heard of this algae, anyone? Click here for an easy read. You can also verify how true these claims are by reading journal articles. It's an antioxidant. It prevents formation of free radicals. Do you know what that means? In one simple sentence, it means, it will make us prettier! haha

I love this coffee. It keeps me up all day. And whether or not it's true (or it only has the placebo effect), I would love to think that this coffee can make us beautiful!

The Elevator

2011-03-26T12:34:00.008+08:00

I've been very busy these days, I hardly see my boyfriend. One time, he rang my phone and we had this conversation.

Me: mmmm

Boyfriend: What did you say?

Me: I have ummm

Boyfriend: Baby, I don't understand.

(then I removed my mouthpiece)

Me: Baby, sorry I couldn't talk well. I had an elevator in my mouth.

Boyfriend: What? What is the elevator doing in your mouth?!

What is the elevator doing in my mouth? hahaha My boyfriend was probably imagining this:

What I was actually talking about was this:

It's a dental tool used to raise my bite so that the upper and lower teeth won't bump into each other. I call it "elevator" (although my dentist has another technical term). The elevator in my mouth! Not the one you're thinking about right now. My mouth doesn't have a second floor. haha

Why I Love Pink

2011-03-21T22:46:00.002+08:00

Two years ago, my favorite color was black. Every time I go shopping, I drop on my knees whenever I see a black dress or a black shirt--especially when the design is layered with a white fabric. I adored the combination of black and white! However, every time I go shopping and I'm with my mom, she frequently puts the dress back to the rack and tells me to pick another color. I always tell her, "but I want black, can I have it?" She purses her lips and raises her brows while she says, "whatever you want." Who would want to disappoint a mother, right? I don't. So hesitantly, I would end up putting the clothing back to where I took it and pick a color which was more pleasurable to her eyes. I would then pick either pink or purple, her two favorite colors.

The same scenario would happen again ang again. Then, there came a turning point in my life where I wanted to please my mother because I just had too much of her petty complaints (be it household skill (or the lack of it), my lack of commonsense, clumsiness, sleepiness, etc.). I thought that if there was one thing I could do which she would like, it was none other than loving her favorite color.
So then, I had to pick between pink or purple. I thought that pink was easier to love because I had so many pink dresses, pink t-shirts, etc. all thanks to my mother. (Yes, she used to buy my clothes and she would choose pink pink pink!)

From then on, I decided to love pink. Conditioning myself to love something I never loved was not easy to do. But because my mother loved it, I thought it wouldn't do me harm if I'd love it too. Like what they say, "mothers know best."

I began brainwashing myself to love pink by buying a lot of pink things! Pink t-shirts. Pink dresses. Pink underwears. Pink bed sheets. Pink slippers. Pink shoes. Pink memory stick. Even my computer is pink! I hoarded a lot of pink things until finally, I learned how to love pink! Now my room is pink. My dad had it painted last week. He asked me what color would I want my room to have. He had wanted me to say "ivory." But then I was very insistent. I kept telling him, "I like pink, Daddy! I like pink." And so, he agreed. My walls turned pink. And look! It's the same color as my laptop!

The best wine I've ever tasted (so far)

2011-03-19T08:30:00.007+08:00

It is only on rare occasions that I voluntarily drink. More often, my friend has to drag me to the bar and ask me to sip a jigger (that only happens once or twice a year, by the way). I also do not like beer because it's bitter and it only builds up a disgusting pot belly. I refrain from consuming all alcoholic drinks (although I love brandy when I drink with my friends on rare occasions) because these dampen my ability to think rationally. I often astutely say, "No thank you, I'm fine with water and lemonade."

But suddenly, there came this wine in the refrigerator! Initially, I was hesitant to try because I never really loved wine. However, being a curious lassy who enjoys trying something new and peculiar, I decided to investigate. When I poured around 10 mL of the chilled ecstasy, my head began to float--not because I was drunk, but because it was very delicious! It doesn't taste like wine at all. Raspberry and lime suppressed the scent of alcohol.

I looked at the label and saw that it was manufactured in New York. It must be popular so I googled the website. You can visit Arbor Mist and check their best-tasting wine. Or if you happen to find this beverage in your place, I suggest you buy a bottle. It's so fruity, you will probably think it's just a bottle of juice. Just don't consume everything at once, ok? It's 6% alcohol.

Sakura fell too soon

2011-03-15T23:18:00.005+08:00

I've been feeling blue the past few days that's why I refrained from writing here in my blog. But it seems like things aren't getting any happier lately. So I thought maybe I should just blog about the sad things that are clouding my head these days.

Last Friday, after I finally passed the terminal report to my professor, I turned on my laptop and a devastating news from yahoo greeted me. The 8.9 magnitude tsunami! I've been talking to Japanese people for almost a year now. And for that span of time I have grown to love Japan, its culture and the people in it. It wrecked my heart to see debris of what has previously been a well-developed place conducive for living. Everything is but ruins of a very splendid memory. It saddened me so much especially because the day before the incident, one of my students had been telling me about the sakura that bloomed in his area. He showed me pictures and I was so awed. I imagined myself dancing under the sakura while the blossoms twirl and tangle in my hair. The wind crept and blew life to the people under the majestic sakura. I fancied these thoughts but they were suddenly ruined. 8.9! That was the end. Now the blossoms are plucked, torn and washed away by the great tidal wave. Nothing has ever been more brutal than nature. I love nature--but hate it at the same time now. :-(

Chocolate roll cake

2011-03-05T07:47:00.005+08:00

One of my many hobbies is baking! I really enjoy baking! I look at baking as some sort of experimental procedure where I have to mix chemicals and explore adding new substances and see if it will have a better result. Every time I bake, I feel like I'm in a laboratory, conducting experiments that's why I enjoy it so much!

This is what I baked yesterday:

I was writing my report when I suddenly got bored and decided to bake. It was a bit frustrating in the end because I baked but I didn't finish my report. That's why today, after doing my laundry, I will continue writing my report. I hope I won't get bored again. Who knows what I'll be doing in the kitchen...

Today, I fell in love with a pair of shoes

2011-02-28T00:14:00.005+08:00

Today, I fell in love with a pair of shoes but it was one size larger than my feet. I told myself it was not rational to fall in love with something which was not meant for me. The pair of shoes would perfectly fit someone else's feet. Thinking it was insanity to love it so much, I searched the entire department store for one fruitless hour in search for a replacement. But no shoes has ever caught my attention that I badly wanted to bring it home and worship it with all my energy.

After what seemed like a millenium of searching for something which could distract me from what I truly love, I finally gave up. I thought that because I was madly in love with the pair of shoes, I could just bring it home and make some modifications so it will be perfect for me. So, I bought it. It didn't fit but I changed it. Now we're a perfect match and I am indescribably happy!

Why I can't be a civil engineer nor an architect

2011-02-25T09:52:00.010+08:00

When I was in high school, we used to have "drafting class". In that class we had to manually draw outlines of buildings and polygons with definite measurements. Sometimes, the teacher would ask us to draw assembled objects from boxes like these:

My brain was so poor in spatial reasoning, if felt as though there was a bursting supernova in my head every time I stare at the boxes. Somehow, I am able to glue them together in my head. But another worse challenge was to draw the actual image. I was so poor at drawing, I had to keep three kneadable erasers in my pencil case. It was during those helpless moments that I realized I could never be an architect nor an engineer. Neither can I be a carpenter nor a mason. Inevitably, I always end up breaking objects by accident.

So yesterday, when my friend and I passed through a construction site in the university and saw that no one was there, we took advantage and took pictures so that we could brag about the time when we looked like engineers!

I didn't have the key to start the vehicle so I tried pushing it!

I don't know this object, but it looked so cute!

I don't know how the objects were called but they looked huge and scary.

I liked the equipment! It reminded me of the toy robot me and my brother used to play with when we were kids. I had fun playing in the dirt yesterday! haha Now back to work... Have a "pretty" weekend everyone!

The Pseudoevolutionary Phenomenon in the Beachfarm!!!

2011-02-24T18:41:00.009+08:00

You're probably wondering what happened to the crazy adventurous pixie. Well, I've been busy running experiments in the laboratory and reading journal articles on weekdays. On weekends, I've been VERY busy sleeping. haha. A lot of things happened too. Like for example, last week I bumped my right leg on a heavy metal push cart. Until now, I have bruises and my legs are greenish violet. The day after that, I lost my cellphone. During that same day, I spent most of my savings buying a smart phone! I figured I had to upgrade and embrace 21st century technology!

I also went exploring nature again! I went to a beachfarm the other day! It's a small farm near an open ocean that's why they call it "beachfarm". Although I enjoyed my visit, I never initially thought of going there for leisure. I go there for work--to gather samples for my nipa tissue culture experiments. The other day I went there but to my dismay, he tide was very high. I could not get into the dense nipa plantation because the water level was up to my waistline. (The nipa plantation by the way, is beside the beach farm)

Because I could not go to the plantation and I had to wait for the water to recede, I sat in a wooden bench and took pictures of every mundane object I could see (like photos of me). I got bored so I stood up, walked around and explored the beach farm. Well, this is what I discovered:

As I was inspecting the beachfarm, I noticed something very peculiar. Can you see anything unusual in the trees in these pictures? If you will notice, almost all of the trees were bent. In fact, when I surveyed the site, I noticed that they were leaning towards the sea shore. I was appalled. And my brain suddenly lit up like a blue star. I asked myself, "Hey, is this an evolutionary adaptation?"

I jumped like a toddler upon discovering that mysterious phenomenon in that beach. However, I could not think of a rational explanation why the trees looked like that. I kept on thinking while surveying the beachfarm. When I went past one of the owner's caretaker, I asked why all the trees were bent. I asked if he observed such phenomenon in other areas too. His answer was a disappointment. He told me, "the owner bent the trees when they were young!"

Waaaah!!!! My whole world shattered! That was it! I really thought I was witnessing an evolutionary phenomenon unknown to humankind! :(

So the owner bent the trees. Fine. Fine. Fine.

Wakeboarding!

2011-02-13T10:39:00.006+08:00

Hi Everyone!

I hopped into another crazy adventure last Thursday and the consequence was extreme body pain. haha. It was unique from my usual escapades because it was a working day. Normally, I would go out for a short trip to nature on weekends. But then last time, I could not wait for another two days to pass and my friend was asking me to tag along, so I decided to have a short escape.

I went to the lab early last Thursday and set-up the materials I needed. I planned it perfectly such that when I had my glasswares in the autoclave, I thought of going out to catch the soft breeze. weeeeeeeeee!!! <3 style="text-align: justify;">From 10 am to 1pm, I went to the lake and tried wakeboarding for the first time! The time alloted was quite short because I had responsibilities in the lab and I had to come back. For that short span of time, I was very euphoric! With the wakeboard's right velocity, I was able to have a full round course in the lake. Riding in the water was a lot challenging than riding in the land. It's because when the vehicle (the wakeboard for this case) stops, I drown! Good thing I was wearing a lifevest and the board can float!

Normally, wakeboarding needs a speedboat. A rope is attached to the speedboat and the wakeboarder has to grip the rope so he/she will be propelled in the water. Wakeboarding in that resort was slightly different because instead of attaching the rope into the speedboat, it is attached into the sky cable. The cable will then pull the wakeboarder and take him/her to an oval pathway around the lake!

I'm not good at it. In fact, I cannot stand on my feet. I can go as far as sitting on top of the board with my knees bent (see the picture). It's an addicting sport. I want to try it again when I have ample time. And if, one day, I will learn how to swim, I want to try surfing too! The water is the most dangerous place to be; but it's also the most exciting place on the planet. Like what they always say, when you're in the water, it's "either you sink or swim."

And oooohhhhhhh... I forgot to tell you. The lake is yummier than the ocean! hahaha

My dog died yesterday :(

2011-02-09T17:38:00.002+08:00

My dog died yesterday and I broke into tears. :-( I only learned one hour after my dad took her to her resting place. I was not even able to bid her goodbye. I never even told her how much I loved her. I never tapped her and told her I would be fine. I never hugged her. Never kissed her. Never carried her in my lap and caressed her thick white fur. I wept bitterly while I blankly gazed at the red palm that marked her grave. She was there, sleeping beneath stones. There, peacefully disposing her soul to reunite with the earth.

My dog died and I wailed silently. Repressing self-remorse. Imprisoning regrets. Why had I not greeted her "good morning" that day? Why had I not looked for her when I came home? All these times, she had been there to give me utmost attention. How she would wag her tail in the morning to greet me, I remember vividly. How she would bark like a ferocious lion when she sees me, I remember clearly. How she dashes to the gate to welcome me back home, I recall distinctly. All that did not happen for the first time yesterday and I did not even notice.

Not until Daddy knocked on my door and said "Sushi is dead." I fell on the floor and howled like a sorrowful canine.

If my dog was alive, she would have brushed her nose up against my chin to affectionately tell me in silence: "cheer up, Master!" But she was not there. Not even her soul was there. My heart shattered like a pistoled glass. Melted into a thousand teardrops.

Revel Bars

2011-02-05T07:47:00.006+08:00

I'm finding it a little lazy to hop off my bed because my throat started to feel sore. It's so difficult to swallow. I probably ate too much sweets again. I'm thinking of baking a pastry which isn't sweet. My bf asked me to bake it. I kept saying, "yes. I will. I will." haha. I really love it when someone asks me to cook or bake something for him/her. My sister used to do that a lot and it amuses me to see her face light up everytime she pushes my pastry in her palate.

At the moment, I can't think of anything to talk about but another one of my (in)famous kitchen attempts. I was able to successfully bake this recipe for 2 consecutive times already so I thought of sharing this with you in case you want to try. This is my own version. As much as possible, I try to reduce the sugar. I don't like sweet sweet pastry. I like sweet pastries--but not too sweet.

Base
5 cups oatmeal (not instant)
4 cups flour
2 200g butter
4 eggs
3 cups brown sugar
1/4 evaporated milk
2 teaspoons baking soda

Top
1 can condensed milk
3/4 cup powdered chocolate (I used the sweetened chocolate)
1 teaspoon vanilla

This is very easy.
Base
(1) Mix butter, sugar and eggs.
(2) Sift flour and baking soda. Alternately add flour-baking soda mixture and oatmeal.
(3) Pour evaporated milk. I add a little amount of evaporated milk because sometimes, this gets too dry.
(4) Spread evenly in the baking pan.

Top
(5) On a separate bowl, pour condensed milk and mix with chocolate. Add vanilla.
(6) Cook this mixture for around 5 minutes. (semi-low fire)
(7) Pour this in the pan (containing the base mixture)
(8) Sprinkle with a little of the base mixture.

You can add nuts, actually. The reason why I didn't add nuts was because of my braces. haha. The nuts get stuck in between so it's hard to eat. :S

This is it for now. I'm off to begin my day! Have a beautiful Saturday!

Yes, you can eat flowers!

2011-01-28T23:14:00.007+08:00

Like typical girls, I really adore flowers! I just love looking at them and sniffing them one by one as though I were a pollinating bumble bee. And although I act like an insect who is very attracted to flowers, I have never considered eating flowers not until my professor told me that flower petals are edible. When he told me so, I was very appalled. But then he showed me a picture of a floral salad he ate last December when he went to Bohol. After that, he asked me to make a floral salad for our New Year's party.

And so, I made a floral salad out of flower petals. Initially, I found the idea very disgusting. But then I pursued with my endeavor because I was also curious as to how the floral salad would taste like. Early that day, I started tasting the flower petals I see in the university. Most of which were actually tasteless.

I wanted to just pick the flowers in the university; but then I thought everyone would notice the "mysterious case of disappearing flowers" and they would blame it all on me so I decided to just go to the nearest market and hunt for flowers. In the market, there were several flowers to choose from and I was not quite familiar with the taste. One of my friends told me that she actually tasted rose petals and that it tasted good. So then , I bought 3 bouquets of roses. I thought it was not enough so I was trying to guess which among the flowers there was edible. Tasting was only one way to find out but I was very reluctant to do it because the sales lady would think my screws were loose if I would eat flowers. But as I have said, it was the only way to find out. And so, I ate one petal in front of the sales lady! I saw her expression! Indeed, she thought I was crazy! hahaha.

When I got all the edible flowers I wanted, I plucked and mixed the petals. I also added my favorite lettuce. There it was, my experimental dish.... the floral salad. It looked beautiful but it was disgusting. I guess I was never used to eating flowers, that's why....

I went Scuba Diving!

2011-01-21T20:13:00.006+08:00

Last week, I attempted to conquer my fear by diving 10 feet down the ocean where I could see funny-looking fishes and uniquely shaped corals. It was a very frightening experience because I did not know how to swim. Yikes. If you will notice in this picture, it seemed as though I was about to faint. hahaha One reason was that I was very scared. Another reason was that the mask they gave me was too tight and it somewhat pulled my nose cartilage upward. :-(

Diving was 10% fun and 90% scary for me at that moment. haha. When the day concluded, I was very frustrated. I realized that I could have enjoyed diving had I conquered my fear. :( I saw the creatures underwater but I was not able to scrutinize them (the usual thing I do) because the entire time, I was concentrating on my "breathing." Even though I did not have 90% fun at that moment, I definitely (100% certain) want to do scuba diving again. But first, I need to learn how to swim (although my friend said it is not necessary). I want to give myself a second chance. The next time I will go scuba diving, I will have 99% fun!

P. S. Wish me luck. My swimming lessons will begin Sunday! YEY!

Let's start this year with something cute!

2011-01-01T11:44:00.009+08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!! 2010 swept by like a breeze! I can't believe it's another year!

Have you pondered about your New Year's resolution already? Well, if you ask me, I haven't! haha! And I also have not assessed 2010 yet. I will do that more thoroughly tonight as I contemplate. 2010 was a learning experience for me. Sadly, I learned the hard way. :-( But that's all right. I matured because of that...

Now let me talk about something "cute" for this New Year's post!

For the past days, I have been characterizing my fruit samples for another experiment which I will set-up this month! I am currently working on Nypa fruticans. The challenge for me is to regenerate a new plant from a thin slice of tissue coming from the endosperm of Nipa. Nipa nut is very difficult to obtain because it is enclosed in a shell which in turn is covered with a husk.

Dehusking was very difficult. What was more difficult was cracking open the hard shell without damaging the meat inside. I tried all shorts of tools--from hammer to chisel to butcher's knife to saw.... In the end, I had to use a vise and a saw so I could crack the seed crosswise. I was VERY delighted to see the nipa meat because it was so cute!!! It was heart-shaped! Look!

Nipa-cracking was very laborious! Nevertheless, I managed to crack all my samples with the sole motivation that I will be able to see a super cute heart-shaped nut in the end!

Aren't my nipa nuts cute? :D Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

GM eggplant, Cat costume and NMAT result

2010-12-24T15:42:00.009+08:00

Hi Everyone!

I haven't visited my blog for a while because I've been too busy with my career and social life. There are really very few special months where I get to have a so-called social life because I'm frequently in the lab, doing research or at home, doing chores. Anyway, a lot of things have occured this month. Allow me to elucidate...

Genetically-modified eggplant

Last December 17, an eye-opening event took place in my life. It was the day the Mayor of Davao City ordered some people to uproot the controversial genetically modified eggplant. It was very untimely because my professor was taking his vacation. Students were also not around because they were celebrating lantern parade d0wntown. There were very few GM eggplant supporters and we could hardly do something because we were overwhelmed with a boisterous mob of close-minded people!

It was quite traumatic. They were yelling at us, insisting make-believe facts about the genetically modified eggplants. I don't know where in the world they got those facts. I'm pretty sure though those facts were not found in the internet--probably from hearsays. And hearsays are very unscientific and often illogical. After 4 hours of psychological harassment and torment, my colleague was forced to uproot the eggplants she planted . Just to make it clear, we never violated any biosafety rule. Bureau of Plant Industr representatives were not there because as far as they know, we have been very compliant. The only problem was Davao City Government. They said that postings and information-dessimination were inadequate. The Mayor released her statement last week. She said that field test trial was "ok" for her. She was just offended because our University did not inform the City (but we informed the surrounding community where we conducted the trial). I think her decision was very ridiculous. She was not against the trial because she thinks it's unsafe. Rather, she's against it because we did not ask permission from the local government? The question is, is the approval even necessary? It was approved on the national level!

Costume Party
Now, let me cruise to a lighter topic! I attended a costume party last Dec. 13! I made my own cat costume! Thanks to my liquid eyeliner, I pulled it off! haha. I wish I can put so many pictures, unfortunately, I ACCIDENTALLY deleted ALL the pictures in my camera--including the full-body shot of me where you can see my cute red tail! I loved loved the costume party! (Click on the photo to enlarge it)

Career

I will elaborate more on this. Meanwhile, the other day, I got the results to the exam I took last December 12! (Click on the photo to enlarge it)Let's celebrate! I got 99! Yey!!! Congratulations to me! Weeeeeee

That's it for now. I still have to wrap gifts and cook! Yey! Happy happy Christmas! Take care everyone! *Hugs*

Dec. 6, 2010

2010-12-06T22:30:00.002+08:00

I've been learning my lessons the hard way. "God" never made the world easy for smart people. But I am never giving up! Go Georgianna Kae!!!

2010-11-20T19:46:00.015+08:00

I was so lonely awhile ago because I finally broke up with my boyfriend. I cannot bring myself to love him the way I loved him after he admitted that he was partly in love with his ex-girlfriend. Like what I said in the previous post, my heart has diabetes. If you cut it, it will take awhile to heal. Since the beginning, I always had apprehensions too. I have been dipping my feet in and out of the water. All these times, I had been wishing he'd teach me how not to be afraid of him. I wanted to be loved as much as I love myself. But his love was half-baked. I felt he wasn't thorough in expressing his love. And it was probably because he never loved me anyway :(

No need to cry now. I'll just hope I'll learn how to love :( Besides, even if all the people in the world will not love me, one person will remain madly in love with me... and it's none other than: MYSELF! I love myself! haha! You don't love me? I don't care! haha! Anyway, awhile ago, when I was so blue, I took pictures of me in my red dress to make me happy!

I bought this dress online. I'm getting addicted to online shopping now! But I'm not buying a lot because once I start, I might not be able to stop. I'm also learning how to save. So, even though I love dresses soooooooo much, I don't buy them! haha.

Anyway, so much for my vanity. haha. I'm going to bed now... but before I do so, I would like to cast my prayers :( :

Dear God (whether you exist or not),
Please send me a man to love one day. :( Please send me someone who doesn't have another woman. I will take care of him, I promise. :(

What happened to Pixie?

2010-11-18T20:06:00.006+08:00

I haven't been writing much because I've been very preoccupied lately. But at this moment, I think there's a desperate need for me to jot down my thoughts and start pondering because I'm getting slightly unhinged ever since my life started moving in a fast pace. It's like a bullet train of no return. Tonight, I'll stomp on the breaks and recollect...

There are three things that usually eats up most of my time. With that said, I will divide my introspection in three parts:

(1) Career - I know what I want; I just don't know how to get there given the very scarce opportunities my country has. I want to be a scientist and a writer. I have started off my "career" as a research assistant. It's been a year now; but I cannot bring myself to surrender my body and soul to it because I feel I am in the wrong field. I'm not very much interested in plants. I guess what interests me the most is the human body. However, I do not want to be a medical doctor. I cannot see myself working in a hospital and attending to patients either. I always imagine working in the laboratory and studying enzymes, human cells and tissues. I always also daydream about publishing books both in the scientific and the literary field. I have read quite a handful of creatively written books from authors coming from the scientific field. If they can do it, maybe I can too.
Anyway, I'm going to try to take one step forward in order to attain this goal. This month, I am aiming to get my passport so I can apply for a Master's Degree scholarship abroad. I badly want to study in first world countries because technology is so advanced. Apparently, my poor country is still living in the New Stone Age. I wish to immerse myself in new cultures and new wave of thinking. Oh please, scholarship committee, accept me! haha. I'm sounding so desperate now! That's Plan A.

For the past years, I have been committing the same mistake all over again: never getting a Plan B in mind. For a change, I came up with an alternative plan in case the first one won't work. Guess what my plan B is! I am going to medical school! I thought of taking the long way. I will go to medical school. But once I have graduated, I will aim for medical research. That way, it will be easier for me to cross field. I'm currently handling agricultural researches. I guess it's out of my league. I want to be a medical researcher. :S Anything but not an agricultural researcher please?

(2) Vanity - I have been so stressed lately, I nearly forgot how to look beautiful. I don't want to be an ugly scientist. Oh please. Not of all things! haha. People always have a misconception that scientists are ugly. Not me though. I wish to look a decade younger when I reach forty. I'm still 22. The least thing I can do is to look like 16. I'm petite so it would be easier to camouflage. Anyway, here are some photos of me which I independently took last Saturday. I did not have a photographer so I had to set timer manually and run to my post before the camera clicks. hahaha

I really love this checkered skirt! I bought this online. I'm really loving online shopping now. I don't have to form a line in the cashier to pay my clothes. I just order and there it is!

Anyway, my goal was to look like 16 in these photos. Did I succeed in doing it? If I did, I'm very happy! I'm already 22 years and 11 days old! :D So that's 6 years off my real age. Keep it up Georgianna Kae! haha.

(3) Love Life- Finally, my life. I guess I don't have it anymore. :-( My bf and I got back together but I think we'll fall apart very soon. I guess I've been gripping in our love rope for so long. He is really very skillful in making me fall out of the rope. Last week, he accidentally told me he is partly in love with his ex-girlfriend. I wept so hard in bed for that. He crushed my heart and dumped it. We made up for it and got back together. I was very happy because I love him so much. But there's this part of my heart which refuses to heal. It feels like my heart has diabetes. It's over flowing with my sugary love, so sweet you will drown. But once you cut it, it will take forever to heal. It's taking forever to heal, true. It still hurts a little actually. Worse, he cut it again awhile ago.

My bf is a very good liar, you see. But I'm also a very good lie detector. haha. He's obviously not over with his ex-girlfriend yet. He sent me a song which was evidently referring to his ex-girlfriend. :-(

Anyway, no need to cry. From the start I knew he didn't love me enough to keep me forever anyway. He tells me he loves me almost everyday. But it doesn't show sometimes. He never even sent me a birthday present! Wow. That hurts a lot too. :-(

These are my ramblings for now. I feel so much better. This is what writing does to me. It keeps me sane! Good night Planet Earth!

I'm 22 and Single!

2010-11-07T20:30:00.002+08:00

My 21st year ended in a tragedy. I wept bitterly in bed after someone I madly love squeezed my heart in his palms like a soft and tender tomato. The juice oozed out and trickled in my eyes as tears filled with salty memories. He never truly loved me, that's what I realized after all this. Part of his heart still belonged to a girl who probably never loved him as much as I did. The rest of it, was mine. Mine, yes. But not all of it. So at last, with great courage, I decided to end such a remorseful fantasy. It was hard to say no to one thing that truly made me happy. But I'm not the kind of girl who settles for less. If I could not have all of his heart, I'd rather not have anything at all. So it ended. It was a tragedy.

But as soon as the new rays of light began to pierce through the clouds, a wide blue planet earth unveiled before me. I celebrated my birthday at home in the arms of my family. My friends were channeling their love and care in a modern way--through facebook. So while I had been writing my terminal report for one of my research projects, I was replying to all of their greetings. I never expected it would reach up to a hundred greetings. Wow! I felt so special. I wanted to make them feel I cared for them too so I wrote back to each of them. Now I'm blazing again with a new source of energy. Life is beautiful with family and friends... and research, books, fruits and pastries of course! haha. Now I have to finish writing my report. I'd better be a good girl, otherwise my professor will be disappointed...

The washing machine in my stomach

2010-11-06T05:29:00.004+08:00

Awhile ago, I woke up cramped in my thin blanket because my world was suddenly drawn back to ice age last night. I happened to run into someone yesterday and it made me feel sick in the stomach. My vital organs began to churn and my entire body malevolently reacted. As a defense mechanism, the switches wired for temperature was turned on-off until my body temperature finally dropped near its threshold.

So then, I found myself waking up in this physical turmoil while constantly asking "What went wrong?" What went wrong? Why did I get that sick gut feeling which had frozen my universe? Probably it was another hormonal overreaction. Some mysteries in this female body of mine which I can barely comprehend despite my knowledge in biology. It was the same sick feeling I experienced way back in 6th grade when mom forced me to attend a math training which I lacked interest in. I was solving trigonometry problems then. Five minutes before the time the professor announced our doom. My doom. I saw I barely reached the finish line. Sensing my defeat, my body overreacted. It shut down temperature valve, sanity valve and whatever valve in my body I could ever think of. It started with that same gut feeling, of course--that kind of feeling where I was sensing a dysfunctional washing machine inside my stomach. Not butterflies. No. But washing machine.

So now, there is this washing machine. Could it be that I will be defeated again? I'm wanting to become valor this time. I cannot afford to lose because I lack the energy to mourn.

Black Plum

2010-10-31T23:38:00.008+08:00

One of my goals in life is to taste all the fruits in the world. This is one of the many reasons why I badly want to travel. Hopefully, I'll be able to acquire my master's degree soon so I can set foot on different places and eat all new species of fruits! I have started trying to accomplish this somewhat absurd goal of mine by beginning eating all kinds of fruits in my country--including those that are being imported. Last week, I ate fresh black plum! :D

To be honest, I really didn't think it was delicious. It was like a bland, soft and juicy fruit. When I eat fruits, I usually look for three factors: (1)sweetness, (2)sourness and (3)aromaticity. It was neither sour nor aromatic. Just a little sweet. I did not like it. Next fruit please! :D

Butuan

2010-10-24T21:41:00.008+08:00

I had battle with nature last week when my colleague and I went to Butuan. It was a 7-hour bus ride from Davao City. It was a very exciting adventure. I definitely want to go to the wilderness again!

Sago't Gulaman

2010-10-17T13:42:00.004+08:00

It's another hot Sunday in the Philippines. Good thing I made Sago't Gulaman for my sister last night and I have more to drink today! I want to share this with you because it's a delicious refreshment. Plus it's very easy to prepare. You only have to be patient with boiling the tapioca pearls.

Ingredients:
1 pack flavored gelatin
200 g tapioca pearls
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vanilla

I suggest that you boil the tapioca pearls first. Then while boiling it, heat and dissolve the gelatin. You know when the tapioca pearls are cooked when they're already transparent. Same with gelatin. It's cooked when it looks glassy. For the two ingredients, just boil and cook. Simple as that.

Now make your caramel. Well, it's so easy. Just melt sugar. Add water. Add vanilla. Do not overcook sugar because it will taste bitter. Don't add too much vanilla either because it will become bitter too.

Add caramel. Top with tapioca pearls (sago) and cubed gelatin. That's it! :D There goes your refreshment.

It is delicious, yes. But what I've realized while I was preparing this was that it doesn't have much nutritional value. There is too much sugar. Tapioca is starch, a carbohydrate. Sucrose is a dissacharide (also a sugar). Gelatin is a protein-- but we're not putting much. Basically, we put too much sugar. It's delicious but I don't recommend you drink this everyday. I'd rather drink milk or mango shake each day!

Natural look in shades of brown

2010-10-16T14:24:00.008+08:00

I had a very busy week again. I tried taking a private holiday last Thursday; but still, I ended up doing errands related to my laboratory works. Yesterday, the media also came to our university again and interviewed my professor. One of the projects he's currently handling right now is the field trial of a genetically modified food crop, Bt Eggplant. Some people want to put a stop to the field trial because they fear that the so-called "contamination" will occur. Others insist on quitting the trial because they say the crop can have adverse impact on human health. What they do not understand is that this trial is necessary in order to determine if indeed it is plausible to commercialize Bt Eggplant in the future. How will we be able to prove or disprove the allegations if we don't even conduct experiments? It is not even being commercialized yet because so many experiments concerning its safety should be conducted. We are still on the first leg of this overwhelmingly long process. Why can't some backward people here in my country give science a chance?

Anyway, I did have a tiring and busy week, my eye bags were bulging again last night! haha. I had such a sound beauty rest awhile ago! I also did not do any work-related nor stress-inducing activities. In addition, I practiced putting on make-up again.hehe

For the first time, I refrained from doing "witch" and "fairy" make-ups. It's just a very light and natural look. I used three shades of brown: auburn, ochre and tawny. :D I put auburn near the lash line. I sort of spread ochre and tawny in a slightly abstract manner. haha. The result isn't that bad, I guess. The look is so natural, it's like I'm not wearing make-up at all!

I logged in at facebook awhile ago and got a comment from a friend of mine. He used to be my officemate. Now he's taking up Master's degree in UC Davis. His school is near my dream school: UC Berkeley. :S Anyway, he said that I look good in my profile picture. But then he said that I didn't need it and a natural make-up free look will do just fine. I personally prefer not wearing make-ups. In fact, I don't put on make-up when I go to work... Just at home--on Saturdays in particular because I still want to learn the key steps before I use it for special occasions.

Anyway, I have to run now. Sister asked me to make Sago't Gulaman for her. I really love preparing desserts for my sister. haha. I love the look on her face when she tells me she hates my dessert even though in truth, she really likes it. hahaha. Bye for now everyone!

Default post. Default halloween look.

2010-10-11T00:20:00.009+08:00

I am supposed to conclude this day with a sound sleep but it looks like I went past my bedtime again so I'll just go ahead and reflect about what transpired last week. Well, last week was a painful week. I had to endure agonizing teethache, swollen gums, canker sore, etc. all thanks to my braces. As I have mentioned in the previous post, 3 teeth had been removed for the sake of teeth beautification. I have "deep bite", a type of malocclusion. In order to make my teeth more beautiful, I had to sacrifice 3 premolars. So I really suffered a lot last week especially because I have to cut back on food and I love food so much, I will faint if I can't eat at leasr 3x a day. haha. Normally, I would eat one and a half cup of rice (typical of males, hey! haha). Last week was entirely different, I would eat half a cup or even none at all. In fact, most of the time I ate noodles. Worse, I ate instant cup noodles because I don't have time to prepare food when I'm in the office.

Aside from eating noodles, I have also been "eating" scientific journal articles. I am now addicted to PubMed Central. It's a site where I can download biomedical journal articles for free. I really love that site! Every time I'm reading biomedical articles, I feel saddened I'm not in the biomedical field right now because of my country's lack of opportunity for such field. Nevertheless, I am fervently praying I will get to the biomed field one day so I would be very euphoric! haha. Dreamers have vision and vision is important for success (although it is not enough). :D

So then, that's it. Nothing much happened last week except for the excruciating mouth pain. haha. Anyway, I don't want to end this post without a picture, so I'll post my latest witch make-up. I seem to be very good at putting on witch make-up some people think it's cute! weeeeeee!!

Ok. For this witch make-up, I used three colors: black, violet and purple.

It's my first time to use liquid eyeliner. I was really scared, it was stinging a little. I thought I'm allergic to the eyeliner again... Anyway, I took some pictures of me with and without flash.

Without Flash

With Flash

There it is. I looked like a witch by default again. I was targetting the fairy look but I just can't get it right! haha. Oh well, try again next time. Anyway, if people will say I look ugly in this make-up, I'm gonna tell them "it's ok." It's a witch make up anyway. (Crosses fingers!) haha. Good night everyone!

Pixie make-up (failed attempt 2)

2010-10-06T22:49:00.006+08:00

I'm going to bed in a while. I'm glad I'm beginning to feel better. I wish tomorrow all these teeth and gum aches will disappear... :D Anyway, I've been browsing through my pics and stumbled into another one of my infamous art. haha. I'm supposed to look like a pixie but I ended up looking like a witch. I didn't have a liquid eyeliner when I did this. The other day I bought my very first liquid eyeliner so hopefully I can give justice to the pixie on my second try. By the way, in case you're not familiar, a pixie, is a tiny fairy... Tinkerbell is a pixie... :D Good night everyone!

Wanton Noodle Soup

2010-10-05T00:10:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, my dentist extracted 3 premolars. I was not on my right mind early morning so I emailed my prof and told him I'll be absent. In the afternoon, with much will power, I went to the office and tried to work. Power went down all of a sudden. And you know what that means. No power. No work. A country needs power in order to develop. For some reasons again, electricity was off for 2 hours and it was nearly evening when it resumed. I was so hungry at that time, I decided to eat the cup noodles I bought. That's the only food I can eat right now considering my unfortunate gum condition. :-(

In the evening, I went with my friend, Ate Joy, to pick up her new puppy. She wanted my so-called "discretion" in buying a pet because I've been around dogs all my life and in my free time, I study their behavior. haha. Anyway, we went to pick up the dog and we were both shocked and dismayed to see it. Bluntly speaking, it was really ugly. So, I decided to bargain with the owner. haha! Fortunately, our charisma worked and she gave it to us for a lower price.

I don't feel so good right now, actually. I've been aching since Sunday. I don't want to drink too much pain reliever either :( Anyway, this is the highlight for the day. I ate Wanton noodle soup! weee! I really love noodles. :D

Grey Smokey Eyes (failed attempt 1)

2010-09-27T00:25:00.010+08:00

I was supposed to tag along with my sister to General Santos where the Tuna Festival was held. Unfortunately, I did not have a place to sleep in over night so I spent the entire weekend talking and bonding with my bf, an activity which I find very productive and rewarding. The two of us were watching movies when a computer problem came up and he ended up fixing it for almost an hour. Being an obsessive-compulsive, techno-savvy, computer fanatic he instantly forgot he was having a date with his girlfriend. So I ended up waiting and waiting until I got to a point, I got so bored, I started to pull my hair! haha. To alleviate my boredom, I decided to do something fun and for the first time this month, I took my make-up kit and played with some colors: black, silver and white.

So now, I will introduce you to my failed version of Grey Smokey Eyes!

I can't give you tips on what to do to make an astounding Grey Smokey Eyes because, as I have said, my attempt was a failure! haha. Nevertheless, from this failed attempt, I realized that I must never use a powder with SPF as this will reflect light when the camera light flashes! :D

Anyway, I had a fun weekend! I'm looking forward to the next so I can watch movies with my bf again! I just hope everything goes smoothly with his computer because he usually forgets EVERYTHING in the world once something wrong happens to his computer. hahaha. I remember my big bro. He does this to his girlfriend all the time too. I guess all techno guys who love computers do the same. They forget they have girlfriends when their computer gets sick! And we, girlfriends, always end up sighing, "Oh, I wish I'm a computer..." hahaha.

Good night everyone!

Why the cabinet has a bottom handle

2010-09-20T21:05:00.010+08:00

I'm a bit blue today because my internet connection suddenly started to become murky again. It was stable yesterday (right after the ISP changed the server). But for some reasons, my router lights keep on blinking as though I'm celebrating Christmas as early as September.

It was one lifeless and languid Saturday when my bf visited his mom and I was left at home dateless and bored. I didn't want to throw away cash at that time so I refrained from shopping and opted to stay home and do something worthwhile (like reading online articles and playing with my dog Sophia and Sushi). After getting exhausted from reading and playing, my hands started to itch; suddenly, an unseizable, electrifying and spontaneous thought popped in my brain: What if I will bake today?

So, I bid bye bye to Sophia and Sushi, shut down the computer and took my mixing bowl. Then, I found myself baking pies and cookies again! I made a sunny pie!

That cabinet contained some of the baking stuffs I needed. Each time I had to get something, I had to drag our heavy wooden chair (the nearest one available) in order to reach it. I really could not reach the two circular handles in the middle of the cabinet even if I wore 3-inch slippers or if I tiptoed and crushed all my nails. I kept coming back to the cabinet because I would always forget the things I had to get. Everytime I'd do that, I had to drag the heavy chair.

Fortunately, my mother was watching from a distance. When she saw I was having a hard time reaching the cabinet, she went to my dad and asked him to put a handle so I could reach the cabinet. After seeing my pitiful circumstance and laughing at the back of their heads because their daughter is sooooooooooooooooo short, dad did as mom told. And all of a sudden, there it was! A handle! At the bottom of the cabinet! That made me so happy so I kissed my parents! haha. <3

Torn Fifty Pesos

2010-09-14T19:51:00.003+08:00

Awhile ago, when I accidentally ripped a fifty-peso paper bill, I started pondering what I could probably buy with it in case I have the "superpowers" to mend it back together. The instant thought that bolted my head was "mango!" With fifty pesos, I can buy one kilo of medium-sized mangoes! I can also opt to buy one bunch of sweet and yellow bananas! Or four pieces of apples. Or one huge pineapple!

There are some little things which I can buy with fifty pesos. I just never realized it's worth not until I ripped it.

Friday First Times

2010-09-12T23:10:00.005+08:00

Hi everyone! I've been busy with work lately. Last week, I spent most of my time writing the terminal report for my research project. Every time my professor would return the draft he'd tell me, "Oh Gee, my head is aching!" Once, I was tempted to give him pain reliever because I could see he was not exaggerating when he said his head ached because my paper was terrible. haha. It was so badly-written, my head also ached while I was revising it!

Anyway, Friday was a holiday. So my friends and I decided to take a day off and forget our careers for once. We went to the salon! I had a haircut! I also had my eyebrows shaped. It was the very first time I had my brows trimmed! Finally, I am looking like a girl! The technique is called threading. It's called threading because threads are literally used to pull eyebrows. I do not know how it's done, but I find it very fascinating! It hurt at first. I have gotten used to it when it was being done again and again!

Last Friday, I also did something different for the first time! I ate kiwi and I was very ecstatic. We do not have kiwi in the Philippines that's why I was very euphoric I ate a kiwi fruit for the first time ever! I love the sweet and sour tastes that mingle in my taste buds! And the aroma... oh, it's so good!

I'm a die-hard fruit lover. One of my goals in life is to eat all the fruits in the world!

Neurotic Dogs!

2010-09-04T16:53:00.009+08:00

Last night, I was astounded when dad brought home another pet. Immediately, I felt a mixture of happiness and grief. I was happy because he looked adoringly cute and cuddly. However, I was afflicted with sadness after realizing that WE ALREADY HAVE SIX DOGS! Yes, we do have six dogs now: two hybrids, one purebred and three mongrels. Today, I will introduce our extended fur family!

Meet Sophia. Among our dogs, she is the most neurotic (thanks to her neurotic trainer :D). She was a very aggressive puppy when she was brought to our household. She gnawed our living room sofa and bit our dining room chair. She enjoyed running around the house and messing up with our over-all furniture arrangement. For being restless and bratty, mom kicked her out and chained her at the back of our house.

Her favorite sport next to furniture climbing is "fetch." She enjoys running and sniffing stones, grasses, soil, etc. When bored, she chews stone or wood. She loves biting rags while aggressively shaking her head. She lets out an irritatingly high-pitched bark whenever I come home. I come to her and command, "sit." Then she keeps quiet for a while and barks again when I'm out of sight. She weighs around 15-20 kilograms. An American pitbull terrier and Rottweiler hybrid, Sophia is the strongest!

It's hard to tell whether she's a friend or foe. She instantly harasses any stranger who steps inside our house. She does not quit barking unless she realizes it's a family friend. Once she does, she immediately begins to make friends.

She's the noisiest dog at home. She makes a big fuss out of anything. She ensures that our house is devoid of cats (she hates cats!). She abhors being chained outside. Every time we attempt to do so, she incessantly barks until we're so fed up with her that we eventually give up and say, "Fine. Fine. We'll let you go."

Her greatest fear is Dad. In fact she stays under my chair when she sees him. She loves biting my brother's pants. She sits beside my brother while he watches a movie or plays online games. Her favorite sport is "Beg." She loves eating pop corn! A very useful dog! Very helpful in delivering small things to a person nearby. Furry. Tiny. Around 2 kilograms. Her name is Sushi, a chihuhua-spitz hybrid.

Dolf. A poodle. I just met him yesterday. I made friends with him a couple of minutes ago. He looked cute to me last night. Upon second glance, however, he seems bizarre, weird (and not to mention) repulsive. He is shy, aloof and static.

I am yet to discover more about Dolf. I have a feeling this dog is neurotic too! And even worse than that, I think. I noticed involuntary twitches in his hind legs. He probably has some sort of neuro-muscular disorder. He appears like a very lonely dog with a tragic past. I don't really know much about him. I'll tell you more as soon as I can.

These are three of our six dogs. I'll introduce the other three next time! I really love animals--dogs to be specific. I grew up with dogs and I don't think I'can stay sane without them. They're very good companions for neurotic people like me! haha. Happy Saturday everyone! arf arf aaaAAAAWWWWOOOOOOOOooooo!!

"Misplaced" brain = missed events

2010-09-03T20:11:00.007+08:00

I have been so disoriented lately because of my awfully hectic schedule. I frequently forget to reply to people's text and instant messages. I also miss some important events. In fact, just a couple of seconds ago, I remembered that I was supposed to attend the Monash University Advisory Day. It was only brought back to my mind when I was browsing through my pictures (taken a month ago). I realized it was held last August 27--so that's exactly a week ago. It's too bad I forgot. :-( I am now in desperate need of a planner. I used to keep one actually, but most of the time I forget to open it. I guess it's pointless to keep a planner which I frequently forget to open, right? Maybe I need to have sticky note reminders everywhere in my room and office nook which says, "Reminder: Do not forget to open your planner!"

I'm thinking of looking for an electronic planner. The problem is that I do not use a single computer. At home, I either use the desktop or laptop. Sometimes I bring my laptop to the office. In the office, however, I was given a desktop unit. So basically, I use three computers everyday. Transferring data from one computer to another via flash drive is very tedious. There is a very high possibility that I will forget the flash drive anyway. So maybe an online electronic planner is ideal. However, there are times when I cannot connect either in the office or at home. Recently, connection at home is very unstable. It's irritatingly slow in the office. Likely online electronic planner will do me no good. What am I going to do? I definitely need a planner which I must not forget to look at everyday otherwise, I might miss some events again just like what happened last week. :-(

Why I was gone for a while-- Stringing the events

2010-09-01T03:20:00.005+08:00

I've been having murky internet connection for 12 days now. For a long time, I've been playing this now-you-see-me-now-you-don't kind of connection. The Internet Service Provider and I, have been engaging in this tedious hide and seek game. And it's definitely not amusing. I just want my connection back!

Anyway, even though I'm facing this technological barrier, I realized that I must not stop blogging. If I were to extend this hiatus, I might not be able to get back to my writing momentum. A lot of things have occurred in the past days... My self-initiated experiment was a failure but I'm not giving up. I wrote a terminal report which was at first, incoherent, vague and erroneous. My professor gave it back and said, "My head ached while reading this; you might want to read it again." I fell into my chair under a state of shock while my mind scrambles in an unending limbo. When I got to my senses, I started rewriting and felt my head ached too. haha

Fortunately, last week, I was able to squeeze in my "sweet" vice in my hectic schedule. I baked revel bars for the first time and everyone loved it. In fact, last weekend, mom has been encouraging me to bake revel bars again. I was busy watching movies with my boyfriend so I completely forgot about baking. I'd rather watch movies than bake. I can't believe it myself! LOL. Here's a picture of revel bars so you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about:

I will reveal my ingredients as soon as I make my modifications. The one I baked last time was too sweet for my taste buds. I love sweets, yes. But I detest those that are too sweet.

I have also been watching news and soap operas lately. Sometimes, I skip watching soap operas but I always watch news. I guess it's when a person begins to grow up that he/she starts watching news. When I was kid, all I ever wanted was to watch Dexter's Laboratory at Cartoon Network. In college, I did not even watch T.V.

What's preoccupying Philippine Media recently was the inhumane hostaging of Chinese tourists by a defunct police officer. I was stunned when I saw how the story unfolded and ended in a brutal multiple murder. The Chinese seemed to have hated ALL Filipinos because 8 Chinese tourists died. In consequence, some (alleged) Chinese hacked many Philippine Government websites in order to retaliate. Some Overseas Filipino Workers in Hong Kong had also been murdered for no reason. Whoever did it was probably avenging their countrymen. But I think it is absolutely wrong. Blaming the entire country because of one unhinged murderer is not just. None of us, Filipinos, ever wanted that to happen. Even I, hate the police man! I'm a Filipino by heart and a 4th generation Chinese by blood. It's quite disappointing to see these two races fight in my system.

So that's the news. Can you guess anything new to me? It's none other than my freaky hairstyle! I got bored last Saturday and decided to get bangs. I think I look awful. Two weeks ago, I also tried curling (temporary perm) my hair. When my professor saw me, he could not help but remark, "Gee, what happened to your hairdo?" Thinking he'll probably say that again in case he'll see my bangs, I'll just perpetually wear a small clip to keep my bangs intact and off my forehead! haha

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll try to come up with a more coherent post next time. I came up with this blog post in order to fall asleep. An hour ago, I woke up from a terrifying nightmare. I dreamed that there was a colony of black ants in my bed. There were also other hazy white figures which made me scream 'til I woke up.

Looks like the sun is almost up now. I'd better get some sleep before it's too late. Good morning everyone! Have a "beautiful" Wednesday!

Curacha seafood

2010-08-14T23:45:00.005+08:00

I went to the supermarket last week and noticed something which had always escaped my scrutiny. It's a peculiar kind of seafood called Curacha. These are huge seafoods belonging to the family of crabs. It is highly possible that I have tasted this before without my knowing. Nevertheless, according to the "supermarket boy" curacha's meat is similar to crab's meat. Further, he said that it contains more meat than crabs. Surprisingly, however, the price of curacha is around 10% lesser than the price of usual crabs. Then I asked him, "why?" To my surprise he said, "it's because it's not popular."

He's right. It's not that popular. But who knows, maybe this tastes a lot better than crabs!

Chinese Lauriat!

2010-08-10T22:33:00.008+08:00

Lauriat in chinese fast food chains here in the Philippines is not exactly what the original chinese lauriat is like. The real chinese lauriat is a roster of courses! It cannot be contained in a single plate--like the one I just ate. It's supposed to be a sumptuous, gluttonous and limitless array of chinese foods! Nevertheless, I still love the lauriat served in local fast food chains.

See that? I ate a platter! Yum yum! Along with plain steamed rice, the lauriat I ate awhile ago was composed of buchi, orange chicken, pancit and crackers (see pictures below--from left to right).

Delicious!!!

Taho!

2010-08-10T06:25:00.004+08:00

This is one of my favorite Filipino desserts. Taho! It's made up of soy (white), caramel and sago pearls! I love eating taho after breakfast. Soy is so nutritious too! The caramel isn't also that sweet. I can eat half a liter of taho in one sitting. That's just how much I love it!

Teased hair!

2010-08-01T23:38:00.002+08:00

The 80s style is once again claiming a stage on 21st century fashion. From skinny jeans, to leggings and even to hairstyles. Nowadays, teased hair are becoming more popular!

What I like about teased hairstyle is that it adds volume to my thin hair. It's also a lot more dynamic than my usual straight hair.

Congee or Lugaw!

2010-08-01T11:42:00.004+08:00

In Asia, the most staple food is rice. To make meals more variable, we always try to come up with new ways to present it in the dining table. Like for example, Japanese turn rice into sushi. In the Philippines, however, we frequently eat steamed rice only. But we do have viands to couple the steamed rice with. For instance, we eat rice + adobo (viand) or rice + chicken curry (viand), etc. However, there are times when we eat lugaw. In chinese, it's called congee.

Congee is a porridge. The rice is boiled in a bath of water until the pectin oozes out and make the rice sticky. In the depressed regions of the Philippines, many people are only eating lugaw + salt. That's it. They are eating lugaw instead of steamed rice so they can save the amount of rice to use. Usually, one person can consume a cup of rice. When people turn the rice into congee or lugaw, one cup of rice is good enough for two people.

However, it is not always true that congee or lugaw is solely a poor man's food because many restaurants also serve it. More pieces of food are added. In the picture, you will see egg, meat balls, chopped bell peppers and other garnishes. It's amazing how rice can be cooked in so many ways depending on your budget and preferences. Truly, it is a food for everyone!

Chinese Black Gulaman

2010-07-31T11:28:00.007+08:00

I really love drinks and desserts! Among my many favorites is the Chinese Black Gulaman. It has a bitter-sweet aromatic taste. The sweet taste, however, is more prominent than the bitter taste. It's made up of black grass jelly, crushed ice, vanilla extracts, tea extracts, etc. Sometimes they add pearl sago (white one in the picture). I think it's very easy to prepare but getting the right "Chinese taste" can be challenging.

I really love Chinese black gulaman! It's definitely helpful to quench your thirst! Try it! :D

Vanity butterflies

2010-07-10T16:39:00.012+08:00

I worked so hard in the laboratory this week. I thought of giving myself a break by doing "nothing" today. All I did was sleep, eat and take pictures of me. So, here's the outcome of my unproductive day. There are vanity butterflies everywhere!

I got these butterflies from my brother last Christmas. He gave me three. I only have one left which I will use for the photoshoot hopefully next year... I love butterflies! :D

Braces!

2010-07-05T00:17:00.011+08:00

I took pictures of me again awhile ago so I can record my teeth history. So for the record again, this is me with braces now... At first, I was so frightened I'd look ugly with braces. But it didn't make any difference. I took these pictures without make-up. I don't really like make-up. I'm glad I don't have to cover up anything because I have managed to solve my pimple problem with a comedone remover! Yey! :D :D

Banana, Durian and Mango! :D

2010-06-26T00:11:00.006+08:00

I really really love fruits! :D My three favorites are: (1) banana (2) durian and (3) ripe mangoes.

(1) Banana
Among the three, my top favorite is banana. Why? Because it's so easy to eat! It's not messy either. Plus, it's so sweet and soft. Banana is also available in any part of the Philippines--especially in Mindanao. There are different varieties of banana, actually. The most famous is the Cavendish banana! The Philippines is the second largest exporter of bananas--especially Cavendish. But I tell you, that's not the most delicious variety. I prefer the Lakatan banana. :D It's 30x more delicious than Cavendish. In the Philippines, Cavendish bananas are often fed to cows and pigs. Try Lakatan if you come here. It's the most delicious!

In the Philippines, there are three widely-eaten bananas: Lakatan, Latundan and Señorita. Cavendish is not even on the list. So if you come here, look for the three varieties. But among the three, Lakatan is the best!

(2) Durian
I also love durian! It has a bitter-sweet taste which is so difficult to understand. My favorite is the native variety. It's more bitter than sweet. However, it contains very little edible portion. My second favorite is Arancillo. Bitter and sweet tastes are competing in your taste buds. I really love Arancillo! The cheapest durian variety is Puyat. I don't like puyat because it's too sweet. But still, I eat Puyat. It's better than not having any.

At home, my dad calls me "sniffer." He would always ask me to determine which of the durian is ripe. A ripe durian has a strong (for some people, foul ) smell. I really love sniffing! :D Durian is very delicious; however, it's hard to eat because you have to break the spiny exocarp.

(3) Ripe mangoes.
I really love mangoes! It's so aromatic and sweet! ^__^ It's best served when chilled. One of my favorite desserts is Mango Float. It's so easy to prepare. You only have to make layers of mango, cream and honey-flavored crackers.

Mango Float Ingredients:
- Ripe Mangoes (4)
- Honey-flavored crackers/ Graham crackers (2 packs)
- Condensed Milk (1 can)
- All purpose cream (2 packs)
- Unflavored gelatin

I often add unflavored gelatin to hold the cream and condensed milk together. Here's what you need to do.

(a) Boil 1/4 cup water and dissolve unflavored gelatin. Set aside. Let it cool.
(b) Thinly slice mangoes.
(c) Mix condensed milk, all purpose cream and cooled unflavored gelatin.
(d) Create layers. Begin with the crackers. Top it with cream then mangoes then crackers again...
(e) Chill

I really love mango float! :D I also tried making banana float. It didn't taste good. In making floats, mangoes are the best! :D

Georgianna La Hermosa :D

2010-06-25T22:47:00.010+08:00

Yesterday, it took me one hour to eat one spare rib which would normally take me 15 seconds to lick, bite and gobble. I used to eat faster than my dog when it comes to spare ribs. ^__^ It's a pity it took me a century to finish it. Anyway, looks like I will be suffering for two years just to have my teeth straightened. A lot of my friends told me that I wasted money just fixing a make-believe teeth defect. In the pictures, it's not really obvious that "something is wrong with my teeth." But the truth is, I really have a deep bite--it's the condition where in the protruded upper teeth cover up the lower teeth.

Because my so-called "teeth defect" is not obvious, in the pictures, I have gotten less beautiful with braces on. Usually, in any cosmetic enhancement, the "before" pictures look uglier than the "after" pictures. But it's the opposite for my case. I look prettier in the "before picture". :D

............Before.................................... After..................

The "after picture" reminds of this famous Mexican soap opera, "Betty La Fea." But in the end, Betty La Fea became beautiful. :D And because I don't think I'm ugly to begin with, in the end, I will be Georgianna la mas hermosa! ^__^

St. Ives' Apricot Scrub

2010-06-19T14:12:00.006+08:00

Although the first St. Ives product I ever bought (accondicionador) was a total disappointment, this did not, in any way, impede me from trying another St. Ives product knowing that such cosmetic brand has become quite popular and has received worldwide appraisal from a significant number of women. So then, when sister bought another product for try out, I immediately found myself swept to the bathroom with the torrents of alacrity and curiosity.
When I squeezed a pea-size of the Apricot scrub into my beauty fingers (middle and ring finger) and lathered it gently into my face, I immediately blurted out, "Wow! It smells so good!" Because it's mellifluous and "delicious to the nose," the more I was enticed to lather it for a longer time in my face. The Apricot scrub, being a facial scrub, contains beads of organic products which exfoliates the skin. Layers of dead skin cells are peeled, thus exposing the new smooth layers at the bottom.
Note, however, that it is not advisable to use exfoliating products everyday as these may excessively peel off the outer layer and your skin will become pinkish and tender. Too much friction applied will also cause pigmentation. It is best if you use this Apricot scrub 3 or 4 times a week and not everyday. I have noticed a significant difference in my face! Try St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I really really love this!

Product of Boredom

2010-05-30T19:54:00.006+08:00

Last night, I resorted to taking pictures of myself to alleviate the crippling disease brought about by boredom. What was different about the activity last night was that, for the first time in my life, I got frightened of staring at myself. I self-timed the camera and placed it on a stable surface to minimize movement and thus, make the pictures more vivid. For a while, I waited in front of the camera with the big smile carved on my face. After the unusually long time of waiting for the self-timed camera to click on its own, I began to suspect that something was wrong. It just wasn't clicking on its own. So I looked at the camera settings and found out I pressed the video set-up and that, all the while, I was recording the silly manner of posing in front of the camera with my huge smile. When I replayed the video, my hair stood! My video looked like a portrait hung in a wall where in my body was motionless while I etched a creepy smile--like that of a horror movie. It was so freaky. I was frightened, I immediately deleted the video and stopped taking pictures. I feared I might see something else in the video which may eventually transform reality into a horror movie!

Apple and Cinnamon Pie

2010-05-27T23:21:00.004+08:00

I just realized that I keep on baking the same pastries again and again. Last week, I baked apple and cinnamon pie (again). But this time, I modified the steps. I just thinly sliced the apples and mixed the other ingredients. It was great! :D

For the filling:
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Condensed Milk
1 tablespoon Butter
1 Egg Yolk
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups apple/mango/squash
(for apple pie: add 2 teaspoons cinnamon)

For the crust:
1 cup butter/margarine
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoons water

Procedure:
(1)Mix butter/margarine and flour. Knead in the pan. Add volume to the edges for the crust.
(2)Mix all ingredients for the filling. Pour in the pan.
(3)Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 C.

Good shampoo and bad conditioner

2010-05-27T21:49:00.015+08:00

The dry season in the Philippines is almost drawing to a close. Unlike the vast plantations in Mindanao which were ravaged due to the long drought the region experienced, my hair remained undamaged, smooth and silky thanks to L'oreal Elseve Smooth-Intense which has a special anti-frizz formula. :D

I owe my sister a lot since, as usual, she was the one who bought this for my hair and hers as well. The packaging caught my attention. It was so orange and it looked very delicious. When I poured the shampoo in my palm, the more I was awed. Applying this product, was like dressing my hair with honey. It really looked like honey! The scent also carried me to cloud 9. Among the shampoos I have used, this is the best so far. I have also tried a lot of L'oreal products; I should say, this is the best they've ever formulated. The most disgusting, perhaps, was L'oreal anti-dandruff shampoo. The one with the yellow packaging. Pouring it in my palm was like squeezing a big bottle of mustard.

Another product which I have recently used is St. Ives' acondicionador. I bought it out of curiosity. I didn't even know what it was for because the packaging didn't have an english translation. I read, "acondicionador;" and it sounded like a conditioner so I assumed it was and bought it instantly.

Coincidentally, like L'oreal's worst shampoo, St. Ives' acondicionador also looked like mustard. It's a herbal product. It would have been a plus factor if they refined the product even more such that it won't seem too raw. While applying it, I felt I was wiping my hair with crushed sunflowers. I generally like St. Ives--but definitely not this product.

The wet season is nearing. I'm looking forward to a change in shampoo. My sister makes sure we have a dynamic turn-over of hair products. She's my hair products supplier. I need not buy a separate bottle for myself. I'm just not fond of spending too much for my hair. I prefer buying different soaps. I really love soaps! :D :D Anyway, that's another topic... Good night universe!

Brownies

2010-05-09T16:01:00.005+08:00

To commemorate mother's day, last night, I baked something which my mom used to frequently prepare when I was young: brownies. I have written about this in my other blog a long time ago. I have new insights to share that's why I'm writing about it again. I finally learned the secret in baking brownies!!!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
4 egg yolks
3 cups sugar
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa (Hershey's I recommend)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sliced peanuts
(Thanks to Vanessa for the pic)

(1) Sift and set aside: flour, cocoa and baking soda.
(2) Mix together: butter, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla.
(3) Add sifted ingredients in the batter. Add sliced peanuts. Mix!

That's it. Brownies is so easy to prepare. I have, however, baked dried brownies in the past and it tasted like half cake- half brownies. Not really brownies. The secret is that you must NEVER use the electric mixer for this. And instead of setting the temperature to 180 C (the common temperature you use in baking most pastries), set it only to 150 C! The secret is "slow baking." 150 C is all you need. ;)

Osteoporosis

2010-05-05T21:56:00.005+08:00

For the past weeks, I have been religiously drinking high-calcium milk formulated especially for women of ages 19-50. I'm 21 years old but my lumbar region (lower back) has been perpetually aching. Being a hypochondriac, I started thinking that maybe I have osteoporosis--a condition where in bones become porous due to lack of calcium deposits. Osteoporosis frequently occurs when a woman's estrogen in the body begins to decline. Estrogen, the hormone responsible for producing female secondary characteristics, is also the same hormone needed for calcium absorption. The decline of estrogen, which is associated with aging, greatly affects calcium absorption and thus, makes a woman's body more susceptible to osteoporosis.

The decline of estrogen can be a factor, true. However, the mirror tells me the opposite. At the moment, I look "too female" to even suspect my estrogen level is declining. Perhaps the most plausible cause is simply inadequate calcium intake. People of ages 19-50 must take in at least 1000 mg of calcium. My daily diet usually consists of vegetables and fish meat; I'm not carnivorous either. Obviously, I cannot acquire sufficient amount of calcium in the dining plate. The usual milk I drink does not provide enough calcium either. For this reason, I finally gained the strong resolve to drink milk which has 4x the amount of calcium found in ordinary milk.

Another factor which I considered while choosing the type of milk was the amount of vitamin D supplemented in the product. Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption. Without it, our cells cannot utilize calcium. Our body is able to produce vitamin D provided that we expose ourselves under the sun for about 15 minutes each day. With enough excitation from UV rays, 7-dehydrocholesterol (a derivative of cholesterol) , is transformed into a usable form of Vitamin D (calcitriol). It is only in this configuration will the body be able to utilize Vitamin D.

Now here comes another constraint. I feel I do not harbor enough Vitamin D because I use sunscreen everyday. Sunscreen reflects UV rays; and if it absorbs UV rays, these are eventually dissipated as harmless heat. The use of sunscreen, thus, impedes the formation of enough usable vitamin D.

I have pondered on my case incessantly. I realized that the solution to my problem is simple: I must drink high-calcium milk which has added vitamin D. In addition, I should also abstain from using sunscreen once in a while. Healthy bones are necessary so I won't end up kissing the soil when I grow older. I definitely do not want to walk the way human evolutionary ancestors did.

Telangiectasia / Spider Veins

2010-04-30T12:52:00.002+08:00

I saw these red web-like marks near my knee joints which are about a centimeter wide. I inspected my body and realized that I also have them near my mouth. Those near my mouth, however, are not as salient as those in my legs. In fact, it's invisible unless I deliberately blow air inside my mouth such that I look foolishly like a hot air balloon.
I took a picture of the red marks found near my knee joints. It is not prominent. But if you have an eye like mine that is too keen to spot a skin disease, you'll probably see it. I ransacked the web and found that such skin problem is called, "spider veins" or telangiectasia. Telangiectasias are small, dilated blood vessels on the skin's surface. These are very fine blood vessels--too fine that they resemble cobwebs. Causes are varied: from the underlying cardiothoracic problems to the frequent wearing of tight garments. Appearance are also variable depending on the severity. These can be aesthetically degrading especially if abundant. But for my case, it's just a small issue--like a speck of dust which I made a big fuss of.

Acne

2010-04-26T16:01:00.005+08:00

For some reasons, I have suddenly been slurped back into my puberty--the stage where pimples and comedones are sprouting like wild mushrooms. My face is so spotted that sometimes I imagine seeing a leopard whenever I gaze at the mirror.

I can only think of two reasons why I incurred this "condition": (1) hormones and (2) weather. Like most women, I have fallen prey from sudden hormonal changes which are likely induced by women's regular cycle and as well as environmental conditions (such as stress). To add to that, temperature in Davao City has been unusually elevated these days. Morning temperatures fall from 28C to 35C. It is so hot, sometimes, air conditioners cannot suck out all the hot air molecules inside the room. Because most pimple-causing bacteria thrive at warm temperatures, my clogged pores easily became infected.

This malady will come to an end soon. I just need to discover the best treatment.

Leche Flan

2010-04-02T22:44:00.007+08:00

From now on, I will move my kitchen experiments in this blog. I really really really love baking and preparing desserts. I wish to learn more about cooking. I know the basics but I'm not good at it. I just realized that if I bake and bake everyday, my future husband and children will get diabetes. I'm currently worrying about my boyfriend's blood sugar. I fervently hope everything will be just fine.

Today, I made Leche Flan again. I wrote about this in my other blog a long time ago. But this time, I have discovered a technique in caramelizing sugar. It's a lot better than the last time.

Leche Flan Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 can condensed milk (380 g)
1/2 cup brown sugar (or 3/4 it depends on you)

Procedure:
It's actually very easy to prepare.

(1) Caramelize the sugar. I used to caramelize sugar directly in the molder. By doing this, there's a tendency for some sugar granules to get burned and others to never get melted. Heat may not be uniform. So, what I do instead, is that I add water and boil the sugar along with it. Heat will be evenly distributed to the sugar granules; burning will be avoided. I pour just enough water to make a saturated sugar solution. Say, for half a cup of sugar, I use 1/4 cup water.

Pour caramelized sugar in the molder. Leave to cool.

(2) Beat yolk, whole eggs and condensed milk together. Beat properly. You can use the electric mixer if you don't want to do manual beating.

(3) Put beaten milk and egg mixture in the molder. Make sure the caramelized sugar is not hot anymore, otherwise, your flan will not be properly formed.

(4) Steam for 15-20 minutes. This makes 2 molders.

I really love flan. It's so easy to prepare. It can always serve as an "emergency dessert!" :D

Hats

2010-04-02T17:34:00.006+08:00

It's a Holiday! I have nothing to do. I might as well post these different hat pics.

(1) Loosely woven abaca hat

(2) Hula bandana

(3) Black knitted bonnet

What to do after removal of impacted wisdom tooth

2010-03-18T23:34:00.012+08:00

Last Sunday, I had my impacted molar removed through surgical extraction. It was actually the second surgical attempt. During the first attempt, my dentist sort of "backed-out." She said there was something unusual in me. She already applied localized anesthesia twice and yet, my blood kept oozing. Normally, when anesthesia has been applied, oozing is not observed. We had to postpone the surgery; she asked me to go to my physician and ask for a clearance. I had my blood checked: CBC, prothrombin time, bleeding time and clotting time.

As I have expected, everything was normal--although my clotting time was nearing the upper range. I really tend to bleed a lot. This is the reason why, way back in college, in our anatomy and physiology class, my classmates would frequently draw blood from my hands.

But at last! Last Sunday, we finally pushed through with the minor surgery. Prior to that, my dentist asked me to take Hemostan (generic name: Tranexamic acid). It prevents the break down of clot.

There are two types of tooth extraction: (1)Normal extraction and (2)Surgical Extraction. The dentist does not need to "slice" your gums in normal extraction. The dentist basically just have to apply pressure and loosen your tooth. Surgical extraction is tough. It actually took us about two hours to remove my horizontally impacted wisdom tooth. She also applied anesthesia several times just to dull my senses.

After battling with my molar, I immediately went home. Bleeding did not occur when anesthesia was still taking effect. But when it finally wore off, I felt excruciating pain and my gums just kept bleeding like a waterfall. I bled for more than an hour even though I drank 500 mg of Tranexamic acid after we had the surgery. I lost so much blood, I fell on the floor. I called my sister and brother. Seeing my blanket and two face towels soaked in blood plus my chest covered with blood, the two were alarmed.

Then sister read several articles over the web and relayed to me the information she gathered from different sources. It worked. If not for my sister and the world wide web, I would have been dextrosed by now.

I am jotting this down so that people who desires to have their impacted wisdom tooth surgically removed, will not lose as much blood as I did.

Before surgery:
(1) Have your blood checked.
If you think there's something unusual in your bleeding and clotting time, have your blood checked. Go to the laboratory and request for: Bleeding time, Clotting time and Prothrombin time. You can actually do the first two tests yourself. It's very easy, actually.
How to determine your Bleeding Time:
Prick your finger. Dab your finger with filter paper every ten seconds. When you can't see the red spots in the filter paper, it means bleeding has ceased. Record bleeding time.

How to determine your Clotting Time:
Get glass slide. Prick your finger. Gently touch the glass slide with your pricked finger. Use pin to examine if the droplet of blood has completed coagulated (when it's not liquid anymore). When it has, record clotting time.

(2) Drink Tranexamic acid (500 mg) about an hour or two prior to the surgery.

After surgery:
(1) Instead of cotton, put tea bag in swollen gum. Why tea bag and not cotton?

First of all, if you stuff your gum with cotton, and it will bleed and bleed and bleed, of course, you will definitely taste blood--and you don't want that. The tendency is that, you will remove the cotton and stuff another cotton. If you find the taste of blood, gross, you will likely never stuff cotton in. Then you will have the tendency to spit blood and the blood clot formed. Tea bag has its distinct taste. You will never feel like your actually sucking your own blood. If you're not a tea drinker, go for yellow tea.

(2) AVOID spitting blood and the blood clot formed. This will be avoided if you will follow tip #1.

(3) Because you can't chew, go for soft foods. During the first day, I've been feeding on oatmeal and salt. I just swallowed the oatmeal by pushing it with fruit drinks. You can also try baby foods and jellos.

(4) Drink a lot of natural fruit drinks for your natural source of vitamins! Sister bought me liters and liters of fruit drinks, I felt so loved.

(5) Do not forget to brush your teeth. Bacteria will swarm your mouth and you must do away with them. Brushing will hurt, yes. But you have to. Just be careful not to touch your wounded gums.

(6) Gargle with antiseptic. Better use oral povidone iodine. Ordinary mouthwashes can irritate your wounded gums.

(7) Did I mention antibiotics? F0r healthy and fit people, you don't need one. If your gums got infected, then that's the time. For those with frail immune system, maybe you should consider drinking antibiotics. Just force yourself to eat a lot otherwise your stomach will become sore.

(8) And finally, get some rest. Sleep and rest.

Good night everyone! :D By the way, swelling can occur from 3-5 days. That's me there with my swollen cheeks. :D Night~

With or without?

2010-03-08T22:01:00.019+08:00

(1) Glasses

(2) Hair tie

(3) Big smile

See the difference?

Tips on Making Strawberry Jam

2010-03-07T11:27:00.007+08:00

Several weeks ago, I bought so many strawberries. I was thinking of bringing it back to Davao City (my hometown) because strawberries are three times more expensive here. I was planning to bake strawberry pies. Unfortunately, my flight got delayed; and when I got home, most of the strawberries were already rotten. I could not make pies anymore. :-( I made use of the remnants nevertheless. I made strawberry jam!

There were only two basic ingredients: (1) strawberries and (2) sugar. Commercialized jams have additives to extend the shelf-life. But because I was only making jam for my consumption, I only used strawberries and sugar. The ratio is 2:1. Two cups strawberries for every cup of sugar.

Just pour the ingredients in the pan and stir it constantly. You know it's cooked when it sticks to the ladle.

Things turned out well except for that one characteristic which I wanted my strawberry jam to acquire. In commercialized strawberry jams, there are usually whole cooked strawberries inside. This feature makes the jam seem more palatable. I mean, there's a difference between a strawberry jam with whole cooked strawberries inside and a plain red strawberry jam, right? If you'll see a strawberry inside, you'll immediately salivate and say, "Aha! This is a strawberry jam!" If you don't see any strawberries inside--if it's only plain red, you might think, "are you sure that's a strawberry jam? It looks too much like a tomato jam." :D

Anyway, (anyway) I discovered that if you want to make a seemingly palatable strawberry jam (with whole strawberries inside), you must set aside few whole strawberries. When the jam's almost cooked, pour the whole strawberries. Don't cook them together at the same time! ;)

Well now, I guess I made a fuss about this simple realization. I could have sifted all the paragraphs above and condensed it in a single sentence:

When making strawberry jam, set aside few whole strawberries and pour them when the rest are nearly cooked.

Happy Sunday! :D

Before and After Photos

2010-02-28T08:09:00.009+08:00

I took my photos yesterday just to monitor how much I have aged. I wore my pink tube dress and took a couple of shots. Then I remembered that I do have photos of me in my pink dress last year. I was surprised to see that there's a difference between my looks today and last year.

The disparity is due to my hair--which has gotten longer after having only one trim in eight months. I look so much healthier in my current photo. Maybe it's because I have finally bounced back to live up to my old motto, "Hakuna matata!" It means, "no worries."

The happier, the healthier! Cheers to the world!

I wear sunscreen!

2010-02-14T11:26:00.002+08:00

While I was riding the jeepney last Friday, I saw this very pretty girl. When I looked down at her chest, I was like, "woops. She's not biologically female. Yikes." But really. She looked so pretty! She brushed mascara in her lashes and her eyebrows had this sophisticated arch. In fact, her eyebrows looked like Taylor Swift's. Then I turned my gaze on the glass window beside me. I saw myself and I silently blurted, "Gosh, I look like a boy."

This might sound queer...but I really like looking at gay (guys) who look staggeringly beautiful. They inspire me to comb my hair and dab a little powder. Many men want to look like women--and they would even go beyond drinking pills to elevate their female hormones. Whenever I see them, I'm often drawn back to ponder about my sexuality. I am a woman yet I look like a boy. Now isn't that an insult to my self?

It was only around May 2009 that I started to use lotion. The years before that, I never really bothered about my looks. But since May 2009, after a heart-wrenching event and an outpour of epiphanies, I started using cosmetics. I started with the lotion then the powder. I have not yet went as far as putting make-up each day. I always believed "a little powder will do." But there is this one habit which I have gotten very much accustomed to: I use sunscreen! I cannot live a day without sunscreen.

I'm blessed with a yellowish-olive skin. It's fairer than most Filipinas' but darker than most Chinese'. While I adore the golden shimmer whenever the sun pierces, I always take into account the fact my epidermal cells will likely mutate faster and thus, cause premature aging. I love the color of my skin! I love being a woman! Take care everyone and I'm reminding you to always wear sunscreen!

Happy happy Valentine's Day! :D

Off-shoulder: Fuschia on a windy Friday

2010-01-29T22:49:00.000+08:00

I have not written anything in this blog for ages now. I have been constantly dressing up every Fridays. It's unlike the usual "dressing up" most women do because I have not really "given it my all" yet. No stilletos. No make-ups. It's basically just a deviation from my casual jeans and shirt. I feel good whenever I dress up. Well, even if I don't, I still feel good actually. I guess the most important thing a woman must wear everyday in order to be happy is peace of mind.

Today, I wore a wide bright smile! :D Ornamenting this glee is my flowing fuschia off-shoulder blouse which was very much in tune with the windy weather. While I was preambulating from my two laboratories (Tissue Culture Lab and Plant Science Lab), I really felt like floating.

I adore the design because it's really like OFF-shoulders. Plus the two-inch straps make it more comfortable to wear.

I have eventually grown to love fuschia. It's a hot hot hot color! From now on then, I will declare fuschia as my 3rd favorite color! :D Happy happy Friday! :)

Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

2009-12-27T13:18:00.000+08:00

The most expensive gift I gave last Christmas eve was my electric guitar. I gave it to my brother! I figured, I don't want to be a rockstar anymore. :D I want to grow up and hit on the mellow and pacifying notes. Next month, I will teach myself to play the piano again...I used to have piano lessons when I was young; but back then, I did not realize the essence of music that's why I stopped playing. Dad bought me an electric guitar years ago. After I got "electrocuted" (because I touched the metal chord with my wet hands and I did not wear slippers), I set it aside. :D Nevertheless, I never stopped playing our old (ancient) acoustic guitar. Despite its horrendous appearance, it still plays well.

My brother can keep my guitar!

My brother, by the way, did not give me a Christmas present (as usual). So I went into his room and took something. I coveted three tattoo stickers. (You cannot call it theft because he agreed to give it to me.) I stole three butterflies! I already stuck one on my face the day before Christmas. After a couple of minutes, I rubbed it off because I did not want to provoke my immune system and get rashes again...

These tattoo stickers I got from my brother were the cheapest of the Christmas presents I received. But I still love it because it's from him.

Santa never dropped by to give me any one of those in my wishlist. No SPF 75. No Ulysses. No white cat. No big La Germania oven. But hey, I'm getting a new dog next month! There will be no Belgian Malinois pup. Nevertheless, I'll be getting a Golden retriever. It's not from Santa. It's from my father. Screw Santa! He doesn't exist! :D Now I have a new problem. I have too many dogs to feed. @___@

Anyway, I also got a black dress and a lot of black underwears. I really (really really) adore black! I also got a new Continental Swiss made stainless watch studded with white sapphire crystals. I'm very lucky, I realized. Thank you God for all the blessings!

Merry merry Christmas!!

Royal Elegance

2009-12-16T09:34:00.000+08:00

My bestfriend and I did our first photoshoot when she flew all the way to Davao "to get her diploma." We spent two days wandering and craving for Sans Rival, a layered dessert of meringue and cashew nuts. Because I had much work to do in the office morning of Monday, and we could not wander around the City, we spent some time at home, in our backyard in particular, just to satisfy her desire to take pictures and my desire to be taken.

This is our first photoshoot. We took these pictures at the back of our house, near the biodegradable wastes and behind my ferocious pit bull.

I wore a straight-cut dress in violet and black stripes . Because I didn't know how to paint my face, I did not attempt to assume a particular character. I just carved a genuine smile instead.

My mom really loves pink and purple. I adore black and white. Lately however, I have been conditioning my mind to love her favorites. Unfortunately, I couldn't. I am still madly in love with black and white. Nevertheless, after months of conditioning, I have grown to like fuschia and violet. Pink and purple are just too weak to be loved.

I fall in love with violet every time it's paired with black (and especially when these two colors tend to highlight my yellowish-olive skin).

(I will miss you Best! :-( )