cgsa pips (after wolfgang puck dinner) 

post haircut (ang itim ko!!!) 

magnolia tree 

aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!

i'm seeing sting tonight!!!!!!!!

free time

it's 1:30 in the afternoon and i am here in my couch, watching spin city on upn and blogging. this was supposed to be a busy quarter right? i got lucky. the way my rotation project works, i have to wait for my plants to grow which takes about 2 weeks. so i have a little time in my hands. hmmmmm. . . what to do with all this free time?:) . . . of course i could study, but that would be a waste of this beautiful weather. . . or i could clean my apartment. . . or do my laundry. . . or just bask in the sunshine. . . decision, decisions. . .

spring squirrel 

study group 

real men wear pink 

7th time down 

mirror lake park 

finally got around to uploading pix from the indigo girls concert. had some free time today. was not scheduled really. didn't go to lab. or seminar. had a very good, and unfortunately, very painful excuse. but the story is not for everyone to hear. . .

spring quarter has been good so far,before today that is. my classes are pretty tough. but the geek in me finds them very interesting and challenging. i like the lab i'm working at too. surprisingly enough, it seems like i'm getting along well with my PI. people keep saying he's really hard to get along with but i guess i'm doing ok. and it's just pcr work for now so it's nothing i couldn't handle.

another great thing about spring quarter is spring! the weather is perfect! has been since sunday! sunny and the temp gets up to 70 deg now! gorgeous! and as usual, people are going crazy. too bad i had to spend most of today inside. but i'm counting on there being more days like this.

saw "the great gatsby" last night. awfully romantic movie. and very tragic. someone should've warned me he was going to die! anyway in my opinion, the greatest thing about gatsby is the way he could wear a pink suit and pull it off. pink!

ok, have to watch AI. go bo!

arena grand district 

waiting for george. . . 

indigo girls 2 

indigo girls 

amy ray 

emily 

spring break part I

been on a break since thursday. feels weird to not have to do anything. as an added bonus, we had lovely weather the last couple of days. i was actually able to walk out yesterday in just a t-shirt and jeans and without thermals! so cool. or warm. whatever. hehe. my arms have not seen the light of day in a while. didn't notice i was getting so pale.

funny story: i have been craving for a margarita for a couple of weeks now and my friends here humored me and we went on a "liquor run" thursday night. fyi, thursday was st patrick's day so people were commemorating it by doing what the irish do, which apparently, is getting drunk. so we went out at around 930 at night i guess looking for jose cuervo tequila, margarita mix and ice. the first place we went to was a kroger (a supermarket) but strangely enough they didn't carry jose cuervo. stranger still was that they carried some other jose cuervo products like mixes and stuff but no tequila. we tried another grocery and same thing. only available tequila was carlos tequila which comes from no one knows where. we then went to a liquor store which happens to be closed (at before 10pm?! on st. patrick's day?!?) a convenience store (carries carlos too but no joe) and lastly to another kroger. it was then that we figured out that they didn't sell undiluted tequila. everything was diluted. even the vodka. geez. so weird. . . when you could get a bottle of tequila at a gas station back home. so we settled for a prepared margarita which was not very good. . . didn't even give me allergies:) i guess that's the trouble with hanging out with other grad students. they never know where the good booze is. . . hehe.

we also went frisbee golfing (?) yesterday. the course was near hoover dam (this confused the heck out of me. . . the hoover dam is in ohio?. . . apparently this is the other hoover dam). this was, of course, the first time i've played. frisbee golf is, well, like golf, instead you play it with a frisbee that you try to shoot through different metallic baskets in the course. there also 18 "holes" in the course. interesting and a bit tiring since you do have to fetch your frisbee. and my frisbee of course went in all directions, except for the one towards the basket. so i was pretty much running all over the place:) was fun though since the weather was so nice and it would have been a waste to spend it indoors.

i've also seen three movies in three days. wooohoooo. saw garden state wednesday night. pretty good. but i think guys would enjoy it more (girls get zach braff and guys get natalie portman? not very well balanced.). but it is worth seeing. thursday night was napoleon dynamite. weird, weird movie. was funny sometimes but didn't get some of it. or maybe it was because of the margarita. . . most disturbing scene for me though was the girls in blue sequined dresses doing hand movements to backstreet boys' "larger than life". . . *shudder*. last night was the incredibles. still thought it was funny even if i've seen it before. . . plus the dvd has the animated short "jack-jack attack". sooooo funny. actually saw it twice. i highly recommend getting (or netflix-ing) that dvd.

i've one more week of vacation left! yey!

freaky window display 

gigantic cat in bookstore 

first spring flower 

IT IS DONE!

wooooohoooooo! winter quarter is done! finally! finished my last final this afternoon. was the worst exam i've had since i got here. pero kebs. basta tapos na. then went out to lunch with my indian classmates at short north. did some window shopping too. interesting place. lots of antique shops and art galleries. regrettably, we didn't get to go into any of the vintage clothing shops. there's time for that i hope. . .

i have another ddr party to go to tonight. weird activity for grad students i know but it's a good way to unwind after finals. . . i'm starting my unwinding now with a movie starring a certain JR and KH that involves a lot of mangoes. . . let's see if i could make it through this one without puking. . .

Bookworm finds

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (paperback) - $0.75
Byron Selected Poetry and Letters (paperback) - $0.75
Still Life by A.S. Byatt (paperback) - $0.75
The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank (paperback) - $0.50
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (Hardbound!!!) - $1.00
Tax - $0.26
Total - $4.01


I kid you not. . . . Finals? . . . what finals?

jeff on violin, alisha on clarinet and ian on cello (playing canon in D, i believe) in my messy apartment 

surreal saturday

just wanted to share how weird this last saturday was. it really is not every weekend that you get an impromptu concerto in your very own living room. but it happened. really. i even got pictures to prove it. . . these are my friends from church. how they got to my living room is kind of a long story. suffice it to say that it was their dream to be able to play in the park, but since it's still wintry here in columbus, it just was not feasible (although they did try to do it which nearly damaged their precious instruments). So they had to make do with my cramped, but warm apartment. . . it was very pleasant to hear strains of brahms (or mozart or bach, as if i could tell which is which) while i was going around doing household chores. parang may soundtrack buhay mo. aliw. maulit kaya uli? but i think their next attempt for the park is likely to be successful since it should be spring soon. in any case, they have enlisted my help to be either a a) fake bystander who'll laud their skills and give them money, to get the ball rolling supposedly or b) fake blind singing person. anyway i get a cut of the profits. hehe.

woohooooooooo!

I'm done with my presentation! so happy! it went ok i guess. . . i really have a difficult time answering questions though. good thing my PI was there and he actually answered both questions that were asked. It was pretty embarassing really since i should've known the answer to these questions but he was nice about it afterwards. And my classmates were sort of surprised at me because when somebody asked me a question and i didn't know the answer i said "i don't know". I was just too tired and nervous to pretend that i at least had an idea what the answer was which i of course didn't. I did that once when my boss asked me something that i didn't know the answer to and after much senseless muttering from me he finally said "you don't know the answer". so i decided to just not do that anymore.

anyway, i went to see "hitch" with shu after my presentation. my way of celebrating. it was pretty cute. very entertaining. and will smith sure looks good:) it got really sappy near the end but it was really entertaining. and guys could sure learn a thing or two from this movie. . . like "listen and respond". apparently guys have to be told that. . .

anyway, my head's throbbing right now. wonder where i could get a head massage. . .

friday night rant

it's a friday night and i just got back from dinner with cgsa. i've been so wiped out this week. i had midterms monday which went, well, i don't really know yet but all i know is that it's over and done with. then my project for my rotation went awry. it wasn't my fault really. they had me transfect into a cell line that apparently was not transfectable(?!). so they had me do it all over again with a new cell line. so i ran my rt-pcr this afternoon and, of course, there was nothing there. we're still not sure if it was something wrong i did (which it could be since i added 4 ul of cDNA instead of the required 10 ul. . . i couldn't properly multiply 2.5 x 4). but the controls worked so that shouldn't be it. or it could actually mean something, something i'm not sure what yet but i'm hoping my pi does. . . or i'll have to present a blank graph on tuesday.

sorry for ranting about research stuff. i really wish i could write a nice essay-type thing, contemplating my purpose in life, or reminiscing about things past, but i'm finding it real hard to get over the everyday things now. like why alka-seltzer and vinegar can't seem to dissolve all the hair stuck in my drain when it used to do that quite easily. . . or how i could get quarters to do my laundry tomorrow. . . or how i could get back to a normal sleeping habit. . . well, doing this does not help either. . .

i'll be going swing dancing tomorrow. so that should be something to look forward to. now i have to pick an outfit for that. gosh.

this was me last thursday at giant eagle! :) 

it's 1 in the morning but i had a tall cappuccino a couple of hours ago and i'm still wide awake! i had the coffee because i ought to be studying (for another midterm yes, they never seem to end). but a classmate of mine lent me a copy of two seasons of sex and the city and i've just gone through 7 of them now. . . i'm one heck of a grad student aren't i?

wooohooo! the sun is out and it's 67 deg outside. this day is gorgeous! and i have a midterm in 2 hours and 13 minutes. i'm not really worried. i've finished studying a while ago. . . i just realized there are two things that are essential for my happiness. . . sunshine and chocolate. . . realized that while eating yanyan while sitting out in the sun. . . . midterm? . . . whatever. . . hehe

para sa mga walang balentayms. . .

been playing this song a lot lately. naghahanap ng pag-asa:) . . .

Guess I wasn’t the best one to ask
Me myself with my face pressed
Up against love’s glass
To see the shiny toy
I’ve been hoping for
The one I never could afford
The wide world spins and spits turmoil
And the nations toil for peace
But the paws of fear upon your chest
Only love can soothe that beast
And my words are paper tigers
No match for the predators of pain inside her

I say love will come to you
Hoping just because I spoke the words that they’re true
As if I offered up a crystal ball to look through
Where there’s now one there will be two
I was born under the sign of cancer(love will come to you)
Like brushing cloth I smooth the wrinkles for an answer(love will come)
I’m always closing my eyes and wishing I’m fine(I close my eyes and wish you fine)
Even though I know I’m not this time(even though I know your not this time)

I say love will come to you
Hoping just because I spoke the words that they’re true
As if I offered up a crystal ball to look through
Where there’s now one there will be two

Dodging your memories a field of knives
Always on the outside looking in on other’s lives

I say love will come to you
Hoping just because I spoke the words that they’re true
As if I offered up a crystal ball to look through(I have offered up to you)
Where there’s now one there will be two

And I wish her insight to battle love’s blindness
Strength from the milk of human kindness
A safe place for all the pieces that scattered
Learn to pretend there’s more than love that matters

"love will come to you"
Indigo girls

meals on wheels!!!!

finally had the time and the motivation(?) to blog. i know i should have no excuses now not to blog, what with the coming of my "baby". but life is just so uneventful. why bother writing anything down? but my motivation this time is i'm looking for more reasons not to study for my midterms. . . hehe.

anyway, i actually did something interesting today. cgsa, the christian group i've been running with since i got here, volunteered for the meals-on-wheels program. basically, you take food to people who for one reason or another, aren't capable of leaving their homes to get food and groceries and stuff. so these are mostly old people who live alone. anyway, the group i was assigned to (christina, alisha and i) picked to go to this one highrise apartment building. the other route choices were neighborhoods and it's really hard to expect three girls, two of whom are not from columbus, to navigate the treacherous and often confusing roads of this city. anyway, it was pretty interesting because you actually see how most of these people live. it really made me thankful for how things are back home, with regards to the elderly. i mean, some of these people don't get visitors for days so those who deliver these meals are sometimes the first people they've talked to in a while. . . but it made me miss my lolas back home. . .

i really should be studying now. or napping. . . hmmmmm. . . decisions. . .

malabong blog

finally figured out how to post pictures properly, silly me. thanks prek! although i'm sorry for posting these photos in a somewhat illogical sequence. it's not chronological, nor is it in order of importance. and most of these were from our vacation at montemar in bataan when i went back home over the christmas break so medyo delayed na.

well it's friday night and i've decided to stay at home and chill (nask). pero literal na chill kasi malamig pa rin at medyo giniginaw nga ako kasi parang lalagnatin ako or something. but i'm fine. i just need to rest i guess. the good news is though that iinit na this weekend! baka umabot a daw ng 50s! sa wakas!

my thoughts are a bit addled right now. must be the 2 paracetamols i took:) i don't really have much of an update anyway. well, i bought a pair of boots yesterday. i wasn't feeling well kaya yun, napabili tuloy. pero cute naman kasi talaga siya, in fairness. tsaka sawang-sawa na ako sa itsura ng winter boots ko. kelangan na niya magpahinga.

ang labo ko na talaga. 'til next time na lang. tulog na ako.

kayaking 

mama and i at dambana ng kagitingan 

si leeron naliligo ng buhangin 

sgt. zeth-zeth 

parang survivor! (our own little cove in bataan) 

my baby 

Musical Tag

I've been tagged by my sis
Random 10
1. Ghost - Indigo Girls
2. Ligaya - Eraserheads
3. I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston (was watching american idol)
4. Spinning Around - Kylie Minogue
5. Everlasting Love - Jamie Cullum
6. The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
7. Sweetest Thing - U2
8. Miracle Drug - U2
9. Some Kind of Wonderful - Joss Stone
10. Unang Araw- Sugarfree
What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
according to my wmp . . .370 files
3. What is the last song you listened to before this message:
Blower's Daughter
4. Write down five songs you listen to a lot or mean a lot to you
1. All I Want is You - U2
2. Ligaya - Eraserheads
3. Burnout - Sugarfree
4. Ghost - Indigo Girls
5. Sometimes you can't make it on your own - U2

5. Who are you gonna pass this stick to? [3 persons and why]
sarah: madami kasi yang music files. tsaka matagal ng di nagba-blog
jae: kasi parating nagba-blog
jem: about music yung huling blog niya e

another cold day in columbus

i'm so sick and tired of being cold. aaaaarrrrrgggghhhh. can't take this anymore. i'm in the lab, but for some reason it's just frigid here. and we can't even adjust the thermostat.

well, on the bright side, it's the first time in two weeks that i don't have any studying to do. . . well, i could be reading up on stuff, you know, being a grad student and all. . . but i'm not yet that type of grad student. . . anyway, with midterms being over i decided to treat myself to a trip to target and buy myself. . . socks. i never appreciated the importance of socks ever before, since i rarely wore them in the last 6 years or so. i mean, you only wear socks if you're wearing school shoes or rubber shoes. i personally prefer sandals over, well, any other footwear so back in college i'd be lucky to own 3 pairs of socks. now i own approximately 30 pairs of socks. astounding ain't it? and they're still never enough. hence the trip to target. i got these really cushy angora socks for half price. and a knitted hat for about three bucks. but sadly enough, target seemed to have stopped carrying gloves, thermals and other winter stuff, which does not make sense at all. it's still the middle of winter for goodness' sakes and they're already plying use with spring coats and skirts that you'd have to wear five of (one on top of each other) in this temperature, which i'm sad to report is back to the teens. so there.

funny thing, on the way back to lab from target (which is about a 10 minute walk from where my lab is now) with my bright yellow old navy bag (ok, so i also bought a pair of jeans that i could fit a couple of thermals under it, if ever it gets really cold again) who else should i come across but my PI. lucky me. i was of course immediately on the defense. no hi's or hellos, only " i had a 4 hour incubation so i went to buy socks". mukhang guilty.

hmmmm. . . seems i have to stay until about 8 in the lab tonight. i'm being punished. that's what i get for going shopping in the middle of the day.

have you met my baby?

ha! my first blog on my new laptop. feels good. . .

i really should be studying. i have midterms tomorrow and i've barely studied this entire weekend. it's just soooo hard to be motivated when you're alway soooo cold. . . well actually, it's a bit warmer today. . . around 30s so it wasn't as cold as it was last week. still. . .

and how could i be motivated to study when i could be doing other much better things? like. . . download songs. . .shhhh, chat, shop online, sleep, eat pie. . .

yeah, i finally got to eat pie at 'just pies' yesterday, a pie shop around 15 mins from my apartment, that was voted to have the best pie on oprah. the pie was pretty good. i couldn't really judge if it was the best pie ever since i haven't had that much pie since i got here. therefore, it is imperative for me to sample as many different pies as possible so that i can confirm to you, my readers, if oprah is a fair judge of good pie.

i've also tried out my laptop's dvd player. we saw "de-lovely" starring kevin kline and ashley judd. it was "de-pressing" to say the least. all i knew about it when i ordered it over at netflix (yes, i am now a netflix member. . . that was one of the first things i did on this laptop) was it was a musical (which is good) about cole porter (also good). what i didn't know was that cole porter was actually gay while he was married to the character of ashley judd (not very good but slightly interesting) and having affairs with men left and right (very bad). and she knew about it all the while (just sad). then cole porter falls off his horse and has his leg amputated (he had it coming). then ashley judd dies of tb (just tragic). but in between all of this you have robbie williams, alanis morisette, elvis costello and lara fabian in some musical number or another. it was the perfect downer for people who have had too much pie.

i now just finished watching not 1, but 2 hours of extreme makeover home edition. i just love that show. makes me cry all the time. and it also helps that ty is so darn cute. . .

i so should not be doing this the night before my midterms . . . why am i not even a wee bit nervous?!?

naglilihi

hay naku. siyempre umuwi na naman ako ng maaga at hindi nag-lab. inaantok ako e. tsaka sabi naman ng mentor ko oks lang. nung matutulog na ako may tatlong salitang hindi ko maalis sa isipan ko. . . max's fried chicken. saan ako makakahanap ng ganyan dito sa ohio? e sa balat nga ng manok takot na sila, paano pa kaya sa manok na may balat na pinirito sa taba ng baboy (actually, di ko sigurado kung ganun nga iluto manok ng max's pero may tsismis na ganun. . . basta masarap. . .hmmmmm). naglalaway na ako. . .

nga pala, have you all met my new baby? i'll post pics later. i'm thinking of a name for him/her. any suggestions?

whining

it's 630 pm and guess where i am? where else, but here in the lab. i'm actually the only one left here. they trust me too much. i mean, it's practically just my second day working here and here i am with all these expensive equipment and, would you believe it (?) lots of radioactive material. hmmm. . . what's a girl with mischief on her mind to do?

as you would have gleaned by now, i'm kind of in a murderous mood today. . . okay that may be a tad bit too strong but i certainly am pissed. This is just not my day. well to begin with, the weather really does not suit my usually sunny disposition. hence, my disposition adjusted to the weather accordingly. we reached a little above freezing for a little while and now we're back to the 20s. then, my laptop was supposed to arrive today (thanks kaka!). UPS tried to deliver it yesterday but i wasn't there to sign for it so they said they would deliver it today sometime between 1030-200. so i had a class that ends at 1015 and i almost ran back to my apartment but when i got there the ups guy has come and gone. and i got there at no more than 5 minutes past 1030. so i called ups and they told me that 1030-200 was just the "approximate" time. duh. wouldn't that usually mean that they'd be a bit late? but the delivery clocked in at 1010. whatever.

so now i'm in the lab and i don't like this one bit. rna work = too much work. i could be a bit OC with lab work but this is just too OC for me. and i also have to do cell culture work and that's just a whole other kind of OC-ness (what?!?). . . .

haaaaay. patawad po at ang downer ko ngayon. i'm in another one of my "what-the-heck-am-i-doing-here?!?! mood". i seem to be getting that more often now, since i got back. . . . when will winter end?!?!!!

survival tips please

i'm here again. using anything as an excuse not to study. really, how do i expect to reach a certain "calibre" as a grad student if i keep this up (peace shie!)? but the day is too pretty for me to spend it cooped up in my apartment studying. so here i am in the computer lab. ngek. laking improvement talaga.

yes, you heard it, the day is really pretty. the sun is out and there's not a cloud in the sky. but it's still below freezing. it's not 0 anymore at least. it's about a decent 20 something.

i am determined to not start griping about snow again. but the snow is getting really gross now that it's starting to melt. . . there, got that one out, now i can move on to other things.

we are going to be having a snow storm over the weekend (this does not count as a weather gripe because i've something else to add to it). and this got me to thinking about how ill-equipped i am to live on my own. i mean, just the other day, i bought an antenna for my tv because God forbid something should prevent me from watching the premiere of american idol. so there i was with my new antenna which strangely enough did not come with any instructions. well, the box did tell me how to make the antenna stand on top of my tv but it did not tell me how to connect the wire to the tv itself. well, it really wasn't that tough to figure out but the thing involved screws and i of course realized i didn't own a tool that should be an essential for any home - a set of screwdrivers. i never really thought of that before this happened. but the macgyver in me kicked in and i was able to hook the whole thing up using a paper clip. yey for me!

also the day has arrived when i had to face something i have been so afraid of facing. . . a bottle that i cannot open. . . it's a bottle of apple juice that i've had for three days now and have still not been able to open. it is so frustrating. i've actually thought of knocking on people's doors and asking them to open the bottle but that's probably not very safe. i should probably start working out or something. . . or i could just wait for my knight in shining armor to knock on my door and ask if there are any bottles that need to be opened. . . hmmmm. . . better find me a gym. . .

so, back to the problem of coping with the coming snow storm. i've actually done a bit of shopping this morning in preparation for this. i got milk, bread, eggs, instant noodles and chicken soup. well, not very promising but at least i won't be hungry.

for all of you taking time out to read this: first, thanks for caring enough to read. and second, what other stuff do you think are necessary for me to survive that i probably haven't thought of yet? please comment. oh and sarah, i do have a flashlight and batteries now. took me 3 months to figure out i needed it but i do have it. i just have to remember where i kept it. . .

survival tips please

i'm here again. using anything as an excuse not to study. really, how do i expect to reach a certain "calibre" as a grad student if i keep this up (peace shie!)? but the day is too pretty for me to spend it cooped up in my apartment studying. so here i am in the computer lab. ngek. laking improvement talaga.

yes, you heard it, the day is really pretty. the sun is out and there's not a cloud in the sky. but it's still below freezing. it's not 0 anymore at least. it's about a decent 20 something.

i am determined to not start griping about snow again. but the snow is getting really gross now that it's starting to melt. . . there, got that one out, now i can move on to other things.

we are going to be having a snow storm over the weekend (this does not count as a weather gripe because i've something else to add to it). and this got me to thinking about how ill-equipped i am to live on my own. i mean, just the other day, i bought an antenna for my tv because God forbid something should prevent me from watching the premiere of american idol. so there i was with my new antenna which strangely enough did not come with any instructions. well, the box did tell me how to make the antenna stand on top of my tv but it did not tell me how to connect the wire to the tv itself. well, it really wasn't that tough to figure out but the thing involved screws and i of course realized i didn't own a tool that should be an essential for any home - a set of screwdrivers. i never really thought of that before this happened. but the macgyver in me kicked in and i was able to hook the whole thing up using a paper clip. yey for me!

also the day has arrived when i had to face something i have been so afraid of facing. . . a bottle that i cannot open. . . it's a bottle of apple juice that i've had for three days now and have still not been able to open. it is so frustrating. i've actually thought of knocking on people's doors and asking them to open the bottle but that's probably not very safe. i should probably start working out or something. . . or i could just wait for my knight in shining armor to knock on my door and ask if there are any bottles that need to be opened. . . hmmmm. . . better find me a gym. . .

so, back to the problem of coping with the coming snow storm. i've actually done a bit of shopping this morning in preparation for this. i got milk, bread, eggs, instant noodles and chicken soup. well, not very promising but at least i won't be hungry.

for all of you taking time out to read this: first, thanks for caring enough to read. and second, what other stuff do you think are necessary for me to survive that i probably haven't thought of yet? please comment. oh and sarah, i do have a flashlight and batteries now. took me 3 months to figure out i needed it but i do have it. i just have to remember where i kept it. . .

isnow

it's been snowing here since sunday and it got to 5 below 0 yesterday. yep, that's in fahrenheit folks so malayong mas malamig dito kahapon kesa sa freezer ninyo sa bahay. i never really imagined it could get that cold, so cold that it feels like your leg will fall off while you're walking. i could have sworn my blood stopped flowing to my extremities altogether. but my toes and finger are still where they should be last i checked so i'm ok.

but the snow out there is a whole other thing. for one, when snow starts falling, they never tell you that snow could get into your eye and temporarily blind you. . .i mean, you never see anyone yelling "my eye! my eye!" while playing in the pristine snow. . . and we would also think that when snow melts ito becomes water. but actually, it first becomes ice which is very dangerous for a klutz like me. first time i walked out in the snow i almost slid to the middle of an intersection because you really couldn't tell where the sidewalk ends and the road begins. . . then when it gets a bit warmer like today, the snow becomes muddy slush which is so disgusting to walk on. and it makes the most annoying squeaky sound when you walk on it. . .

i can't seem to do anything else other than gripe about the snow and the cold. . .

brrrrrrrrrrr.....

since i got here...

it's been 51hrs and 2 mins since i arrived here in columbus. as expected, i'm still slightly jetlagged but am very much awake at this time (which is 4 in the afternoon) which is very surprising. i am currently doing my laundry (surprise, surpise) and am killing the time between washing and drying here at this public computing site across the street.

well, columbus is almost exactly the same as when i left. i was relieved to find my apartment still intact. my pipes didn't burst nor did my stove blow up (thank God). although there was a leak in my linen closet which dampened my only clean sheets and comforter which is why i am doing my laundry right now. i'm really not sure where the water came from but justine and shie have been scaring me about it being something out of the movie the grudge. but i think it's because of the severe storms here in the past week or something. i sure hope it's not from the toilet in the upstairs apartment (eeeuwwww).

i attended my classes for the first time today. i seem to have missed a whole lot already. must start studying since midterms are on the 24th already. sigh.

the weather today is really strange. it's like an unexpected reprieve from winter. the temperature today is in the 60s (about 20+ deg Centigrade). the sun even shone a few times. and people are running around in shorts and t-shirts. and it's the middle of winter!

shucks. i sooooo want to go home........

Happy New Year's Resolutions

What the hey, it's new year's anyway and there's no better time to make resolutions so i'm making them here and now. all of you reading out there, try and hold me to these resolutions ok?

1. spend less on clothes. . . well, spend less in general. must learn to save money for sending home and possibly buying a car in the near future (like in the next 2 years?)

2. stop watching too much tv and devote time to more worthwhile and enriching things like reading important (what?) books, learning new languages (owwwws), and cleaning the tub (not very enriching but worthwhile in a sense)

3. stop being so critical of others (i.e. pintasera)

4. will become mature, sophisticated woman (meaning will control giggling, swooning and blushing over every other hot guy)

5. expand color choices (stop buying pink stuff!)

6. walk more quickly

7. not make schedule revolve around doing the laundry

8. learn to cook food other than adobo, teriyaki, bistek, afritada and molo

9. blog other things that are important, other than me. and blog regularly

10. learn to apply makeup

hmmmm. . . ten is a nice round number so i guess i'll stop here, though last item is very anti-climactic. i'll probably think up more soon. and please post your suggestions and comments.

HAPPY 2005!!!!

calmer me

i will attempt to write a proper update now that i am reasonably less panicked. somehow, shopping allows me to find the inner peace i need to blog coherently. . . does not make any sense but is very true.

went to market! market! again today. and then greenhills afterwards. talk about overdoing it. though i didn't make that many purchases due to my woeful shortage in peso. most of my money is still in my bank which i could only use through my debit card which is useless when shopping in the tiangge. but i always have fun when at the mall and i got to buy some stuff for my apartment that will hopefully add a tropical flavor to my otherwise drab apartment. we also had leeron and zeth with us which drove us nuts but they are just so adorable!

it's really strange how the shopping season here in manila doesn't seem to end on christmas day. the malls are still packed 4 days after christmas. it's just insane.

we just confirmed our reservations for montemar next week. so i'll be in the beach come january 3rd while the rest of the folks at osu are starting classes. wooohoooo! . . . my mom was getting a little paranoid about going to the beach what with the tsunami and all. pardon me for this morbid thought, but wouldn't that be a good way to go? i mean, one minute you're having fun, swimming, or snorkeling on the beach and the next you're in heaven? just a thought.

i could barely keep my eyes open now. better go to bed. . . and prek: parang di pa rin sapat na rason yon. i need more!

back home

hey you! i've been here in manila for a couple of weeks now and i haven't blogged yet. well once, but that's not a real blog. anyway, i've been too busy with other more important stuff (like shopping, sleeping, eating, sleeping, eating. . . and oh yeah, sleeping). i'm so happy to be home for christmas. i really couldn't imagine spending christmas in THAT place. . . yeah, since i got here, i found myself really hating THAT place and dreading going back THERE so badly that thinking about it gives me a tummyache. anybody, give me one really good reason why i should hop on that plane for the horrific 18 hour flight to be all alone again in that blizzard-ridden place huh? huh!?. . .

jona, calm down.

i was fully intending to write down a log of what i have been up to since i got here but i was so overwhelmed with the thought of me having to go back THERE. geeez

maybe i'll do the update some other time. . .

Collide

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah
I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find, you and I collide
I'm quiet, you know
You make a first impression
I've found I'm scared to know
I'm always on your mind
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find, you and I collide
Don't stop here
I've lost my place
I'm close behind
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find, you and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide

***

letse

I'm back. . . .

stream of consciousness blog

ohmygosh. just had 2 cream cheese-lathered, banana cupcakes. i feel a sugar buzz coming on. . . buzz buzzzzz. . .

that's one thing i like about america. . . the sweets. . . cookies, cupcakes, chocolates. . . there's a lot of variety out there. . . not very good for the figure, but very good for the soul. . .

anyway, i have been wandering around campus half-awake for 3 days now. I've been taking allergy medicine, the drowsy kind, since sunday. just because i had a couple of glasses of wine last saturday while watching love,actually and elf. geeez. i've slept through every class i've had since then. and i've been oversleeping every morning. it really doesn't help that it's getting really cold and getting out of bed in the morning is the last thing you'd want to do. it would probably help if i had someone who'll wake me up every morning other than my alarm clock. . . another downside of living alone, i guess. . .

just did my very first rna extraction experiment. was really sleepy while doing it. made the mistake of using 15 ul of water instead of 115 ul. good thing my postdoc caught it just in time. . . well, it's actually her experiment it would have been bad for her if she didn't. . . now i'm just blabbing. . .

so excited to go home. looking forward to all the christmas parties. i just have one party to go to here and i can't even wear my cute christmas outfits then because it's too cold. . . i'm so tired of looking like a bubble all the time. . .

blah blah blah. . . better get home now. it's just 430 and it's starting to get dark! what is wrong with this place?

mga kwento lang

i'm too tired to organize my thoughts into one essay-type composition so i'll just go ahead and write down stuff i want to.

kwento #1
last sunday i went to see an opera (yes, that was very cultured of me wasn't it?). it was mozart's don giovanni. it was kind of interesting but rather long. not too different from your usual musical play (the singers weren't all fat and wearing hats with horns or anything like that). i kind of dozed off towards the end though. anyway, while we were waiting to get out of the parking garage after the show, who else passes by our car but don giovanni himself! just to inform you, he was kind of hot in an almost model-type kind of way with longish, shiny brown hair and a strong jawline. so of course, i did what one would expect me to do. . . i waved at him. he looked kind of surprised and actually looked like he was keeping himself from laughing which is kind of a strange reaction from someone who is almost a celebrity. my friends on the other hand were soooo embarassed for me for what reason i'm not exactly sure of. they kind of gave me a hard time about it but i didn't care. i just told them i always do things like that and there is no shame in that right? so, come monday, when i went to our bible study, we were telling bob, our bible study leader, about going to the opera. and of course alisha (my music major friend) told him about my supposedly embarassing behavior in the parking lot. of course it just so happens that "don giovanni" was bob's churchmate and the vocal coach of his son! he of course went on to inform me that "don giovanni" was already married and with a small child. but if i so wished, he would be glad to introduce me to him and have him sing for me or something. then i was embarassed. seems i would be hearing about this for a long time. . .

kwento #2
finished my rotation presentation yesterday. it went pretty well, i think. people keep telling me i explain stuff very well. if explaining means talking non-stop for ten minutes without pausing for breath then i think i was a success. i'm pretty proud of myself. i actually had cheat sheets prepared but i did not so much as glance at them while i was presenting. so very PI-like of me. i was also wearing pink which always makes me feel pretty. hehe. in fact, i had lunch afterward and the waiter (who was obviously gay, because he immediately commented on my sweater) kept calling me gorgeous and pretty in pink and precious. and guys kept opening doors for me. must remember to buy more pink sweaters. . . i bought the new U2 album pala. sounds good so far. pero wala pang song na nagsa-stand out for me other than vertigo just because i heard it so much before the album came out. but its U2 and U2 can do no wrong in my book, just because bono is bono. . .

have to go now. tuyo na siguro laundry ko. i actually have to make two trips from the laundry place to my apartment this time!

weekend!

yipee!!! i can't believe it's the weekend already. This week seemed sooooo long for some reason. i just finalized my presentation for tuesday. saved it on a zip disc, a cd, a flash drive and 3 computers. that's OCD for you. i'm so glad that's done with. just the actual presentation to get through now.

tomorrow's the big osu-michigan game. i hear it gets really crazy. although how it could get any crazier than what i've witnessed so far is beyond me. that's why i'm planning to stay locked up and safe in my apartment tomorrow.

i still haven't seen bridget jones! i can't find anyone to go with. so sad. ang hirap ng walang friends. . . haaaay. . . nag-drama. . .

guess what i was watching last night?

" why didn't you tell me?"
" i didn't want you to worry. it was nobody's fault but my own. i was looking up. it was the nearest thing to heaven. . . you were there. . ."
"if something had to happen to one of us, why did it have to be you?"
"oh, don't look at me like that. . . it doesn't have to be a miracle. . . if you can paint, i can walk. . . anything can happen don't you think?"

or something to that effect. . . the wonders of cable tv. . .i'll probably be staying home more often now.

i actually stayed up 'til 1 am last night watcing a bette davis film (now, voyager) after watching love affair (this is the really old version, even before cary grant and debra carr. . .or kerr. . . whatever). lesson learned. . . a luxury cruise is the best place to pick up guys. . . just make sure that the guy is not married (as is the case with bette davis) and that you are very careful when crossing the street so as not to be run over on the way to your rendezvous (as with irene dunne) and everything will be just fine.

better go home now to watch more tv.

ang molo (bow)

as per request of shiela:

ingredients:
ground pork
ground beef
chicken
shrimp
molo wrapper (or as they call it here in the US of A, wonton wrapper)
chopped spring onions
minced garlic (lots of it)
chopped onions (lots of it too)
cooking oil (duh)
patis (absolutely necessary)
chicken broth (kung meron pero oks lang kung wala)
(please don't ask me about measurements. di applicable sa akin yun. pag feeling mo masyadong marami, e di bawasan. . . ganoon din pag kaunti. . . )
protocol:
1) boil chicken until cooked (meaning di na madugo). keep broth.
2) mix ground pork, ground beef, a few chopped shrimp, some garlic, onion and a little soy sauce. kamayin ha.
3) spoon about a teaspoonful into a molo wrapper and, er, wrap (make sure to have an interesting show on tv while doing this. highly recommended ang extreme makeover home edition. . . nakakatuwa, nakakaiyak. . . and of course, ty is sooooo dreamy. . . preferable lalo kung 2 hour special )
4) himayin ang chicken. . . siguraduhin pong malamig na para hindi mapaso
5) saute garlic and onion. add shrimp.
6) when shrimp is cooked, add broth. add water na rin.
7) Pag kumulo, idagdag na ang molo, chicken at spring onions.
8) Pakuluin pa. Add patis to taste.
9) Alisin na sa apoy pag gutom na gutom ka na (kasi sa tagal mo nang nagluluto niyan, gutom na gutom ka na talaga at this point).
10) higupin at namnamin ang sarap.

o yan shie, di na tayo giginawin sa winter. yey for molo!

Veteran's Day

today's a holiday. i've been here at the lab since 1030. today would have been a good day to do my laundry or do groceries (which is my favorite thing to do). but i am here in the lab. . . actually, i could go home now, but it's raining and i don't have an umbrella, silly me. so i guess i'll wait this out a bit.

i just had a meeting with my PI Christine. she is just the nicest PI one could ever hope for. she took a look at my results and turns out i'll have to say that my injections didn't work. but she was so nice about it that i don't feel bad about it at all. it's not my fault anyway, they picked the beads. and she asked if i would be interested in doing my research in her lab. i really am. but i still have to see what my next 2 rotations would be like.

i should actually start working on my presentation. . .

long time no blog

ooooohhh.... haven't blogged for quite a while. . . what to write about now. . . i got my MG 701 test results today. i got 193/200 would you believe?!? i didn't get anything close to that score when i was in undergrad. exag talaga! it was all i could do to keep from myself from skipping and hopping and dancing all the way home. didn't know a test could make me this deliriously happy. but the other people here are so tough on themselves. there's this girl in my class who's still stressing out because she lost 3 points. . . i'm like, geez, that's still better than 90% what are you complaining about. . . well, i guess it's because she didn't get 193!!!! wahahahahaha. . . ang sama ba?

anyway, kaya di ako nakaka-blog kasi sobrang busy ko this past 2 weeks. everytime i sit down to write, i'm just too tired to think. ang stressful pala ng grad school. hehe. pero, anyway, i'm back. and i'll try to be a better blogger.