Reporting for duty.

One.



Two.



Three!



Had no classes today, basically just hung around at the usual places: coffee at Vargas in the morning, sat at Sunken, had lunch at Mashitta, sat around at Katag. Then over to her place to try cooking tortang pancit canton and fail twice; by the third time we had achieved a moderate success, but were sort of sick of the concoction already, haha (from already having had two, not because tortang pancit canton is a bad idea).

We also got lens cleaning cloths, yay. Our glasses shall be smudged no more.

That's pretty much it, for now. (The day might not be over yet.)

Sticky noodles

I was planning to try writing something here everyday, but the DSL was down last night when I got home (yet again, crappy PLDT service), and it was nearly midnight, and I was a bit tired and sleepy already, so I just went off to sleep.

But last night was fun. Spent the afternoon and had dinner at Vilma's boarding house, thanks to her urge to feed us spaghetti. Jeanne and I brought some bread, and prepared a green salad with mango and orange, yay. Had some wine after dinner, while working on a box of chocolates and watching an amusing but fairly inscrutable Italian film. We even lit some candles stuck into empty wine bottles. Never mind if it looked more like the electricity had gone out rather than any sort of romantic.

First day of this year's classes, today, only one of my professors showed up, and we just discussed the answers to the exam we had before the break. Met with the ExL execom to discuss org-related matters. All in all, a pretty good day, I guess.



Pardon the rather uninspired writing, I'm not used to doing this anymore. Too easily distracted now, and it's not like I usually have a point, to begin with, so you see. I have a theory (read excuse): I need to get all this crap out of my system first before I can go back to my old (relatively better) ways. Yeah. Pardon the phlegm.

Pretty Eventful Sembreak, I guess.

I didn't really get a chance to just bum around the house like I do on breaks.

October 24-26, I was at Los Banos for the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas (SPP) Congress. It was an instructive and fun experience, in some unexpected ways perhaps. Got to spend a lot of time with the batchmates, as well as gain a sort of new perspective on the condition of physics here in the Philippines. (Although I can't be sure that the event provided a good enough representative sample.)

On Friday, the 26th, the last day of the SPP Congress, I then met up with some other friends (whose names, I guess, I don't need to mention here) to enjoy a night at one of the many hot springs resorts nearby. First time I ever really puked because of alcohol, but one can always insist that the better moments were worth it, I don't know. As far as drunken nights go, it was rather fun. Also found that my body mass gives me a decent tolerance for the stuff.

Then on the Monday directly after this started the workshop sessions with Dr. Muriel. He's a physicist who's now retired from all official academic positions (he's 67), but still continues to do research work. He gave a talk at the SPP Congress about his work in developing a molecular theory of turbulence, and a few of us students and Sir Perry have been meeting with him to work and explore and try to flesh out the theory a bit.

It's been fun, not only because Dr. Muriel pretty much pays for everything (brings us food, etc.), but also because, well, we wouldn't really have been productive, research-wise, without his prodding. Haha. He even plans to have us give a talk in La Salle on Tuesday (the 6th), summarizing what we've accomplished so far (which he assures us is significant, especially for just a week of work). I don't know, I'll have to work on this, work with the others.

It's nice enough to be back home after this period of sudden busy-ness. Basically today's the only day I got to spend just lazing about in my room, rereading old favorites (finished the first two books of the original Dune series, working on the third) and messing about on the computer.

Tomorrow is the start of registration for the next semester, imagine that. *stretches, yawns*

Journal Entry Number Eight

I don't know why, but I haven't felt like blogging lately. More for the record than anything else, let's see. What's been new.

Have been reading the Achewood archives again. The characterization is excellent: he even keeps up blogs for nine or so characters! Hmm, some of the strips I liked the best, in no particular order: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. It's actually hard to choose, since a lot of the appeal comes from having gotten to know the characters, from previous strips (and blog entries!). I don't know, I don't seem to be describing it well, but check it out for yourself. I recommend starting with the archives - even though the earliest ones are a bit rough, it's worth it to sort of build up your appreciation.

What else. Uh, recently my sister sent me her old PDA, since she got a new Blackberry PDA/phone. I've only had it for a few days, will see if it helps me become sort of organized or something.

Oh, there was a dinner with the Aboys at Raj's house last weekend. Great food, some drinks. The Aboys' group dynamic doesn't seem to have changed appreciably, with people falling into familiar roles. It's only been a few years, I suppose.

And before this dinner, we had an exam in the morning, and in the afternoon Jeanne and I visited the huge Fully Booked branch in the Fort. It was big, yeah. Too big, even. I was too tired from walking around and looking at all the books to actually buy anything, haha. There was even a Starbucks inside!

And it's located in an area that's, oddly enough, both upscale and undeveloped, or, well, in the process of development. Posh restaurants, ugly new apartment blocks, the works. The restrooms at Serendra even have an attendant each, who stand around inside and greet you when you enter and leave. Weirdness.

Oh, and, well, an unfortunate carbuncle problem. I'll spare you the details.

Uhh. Now that I have a PDA to scribble in, I suppose I can leave the journal-type (i.e., mundane records) out of this blog. Farewell, and celebrations.

Journal Entry Number Seven

Lethargy

Last night I fell asleep while resting my eyes for a bit, and tonight I'm feeling quite low on energy, too. I wonder why this is. I haven't been doing any more work than usual. I hope I'm not not eating right, or not getting enough sleep...

Hmm. I hope I haven't become dependent on coffee, either. I think I haven't had proper coffee, these past few days...



Again, for the record

(Processing to come eventually but not right now, so feel free to skip the raw transcript below, thanks.)

Monday. No classes, stayed at home to not get much done, as usual (although I did prepare for the lecture I was to give on Wednesday, and cut a hole in a plastic soda bottle for our Physics 191 demo (total internal reflection)). Tuesday. Philo 11 midterms, did well enough, I suppose. Found out that the bottle I made worked fine! Went with Jyan and Vilma to Bubble Tea in the afternoon. Finished one out of two problem sets due Thursday in the evening. Wednesday. 191 workshop in the morning, progress reports (no lecture!) in the afternoon. Hung out in the food court: coffee, a mini baguette and a tuna turnover from French Baker, capped off by "Manila Fries" (small chicharon bits) from R.Lapid's. In the evening rewrote problem set and attempted to finish the other one to no avail. Thursday. Tried to make bubble mixtures in Theory out of detergent, starch, glycerin and water. Made bubbles, but the differences between solutions that we wanted to show weren't that evident. Finished the problem set during the long break. Dinner at Sbarro: cheese pizza extra cheese, half baked ziti, and a sighting of a German exchange student. Friday, i.e., today. Classes as per usual. Lunch at Wok Dis Way: sisig with cheese! Proceeded to do CWTS, i.e., hang out at the NIP Lib. Jeanne came over to watch us play Hangaroo and the slapping game. Chocolat: Bailey's cake, English scone (something like a cross between pancakes and muffins and cookies, which are apparently actually biscuits?). At the food court we almost sat next to the twins (should write them up sometime, or something, and, no, you probably don't know them, unless you spend the same amount of time that we do at the SM North food court, didn't think so, i.e., in short, not *those* twins), but wussed out. They later moved to a table next to ours, which was kind of weird. Dinner: Binalot, tapadobo/tocidobo. Bow.



Now what?

Well all the typing seems to have woken me up a little. I guess I'll go see what I can do. Oh, the exciting life I lead!

Journal Entry Number Six

Another lazy weekend

It's been a lazy weekend again, echoes of the monster weekend that just passed? In any case I managed not to get much of anything done. Dabbled a bit in some online RPGs, did some articles, bummed around some.



Well, okay, fine, for the record:

Saturday I met up with Jeanne in the morning so we could spend some time together before my 2 pm make up class. Chanced upon Yas and Abby who were at the AS steps for the Book Fair volunteers' meeting. Wandered around UP a bit.

Had lunch at Mashitta, where we met Frau Lenz, one of Jeanne's German professors, and got to talk about higher education in Germany. She's a member of DAAD, Germany's academic exchange organization, which handles foreign students from the undergraduate to the Ph.D. level. Short version: it'd be hard to get a scholarship for a master's degree; easier for a Ph.D., but only if I had taken my master's here. Master's degrees are aimed more for practical courses like engineering, while doctorate courses are intended to help other countries' academes.

While eating I found out that the make up class was canceled (our professor got sick), so we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Proceeded to SM to while away the afternoon. Tried out the new Bubble Tea place. Had cold Almond Milk Tea, which was fine, and hot Royal Milk Tea, which was better. They have this cool sort of second floor that's nice for hanging out in. I tried to write, to no avail.

Then it was to the food court, our usual haunt (we're cheap, really, sometimes). Talked, hung out, etc. Had lugaw, and, well, fries. Haha. Stayed there until going home.



Okay, now what?

Well, I've been thinking thoughts again.

Having never satisfactorily finished a short story, I still do not know what sort of approach I should take. I've been telling myself to just pick one to go ahead and try, but it doesn't seem to work that way, either.

I've been thinking of going through my blog archives to see what sort of things I always end up talking about. I'm supposing it'd be easier to write something revolving around those things, since I'd be sure that I'd have something to say, eh?

Speaking of recurrence, well, it's happening again. Aha. That feeling of ending up in the same ruts, the same patterns and routines. I suppose that's part of what's called 'identity'?

Journal Entry Number Five

Sociable-ness (or, okay, read this first)

I just realized that it might seem weird to people that I'm rather... inconsistent about how sociable I'm willing to be. I always get the feeling that people are surprised whenever I seem willing to talk for more than a few words at a time.

Introverts like me sometimes just need to withdraw from the world for a while, but we'll be ready again eventually. We have some fun times together, right? So if the quiet spots begin to disturb you, hang on to the fun times. There could be more fun times in store for everyone, including (especially) you and me!

We are all friends. Even if I seem a bit out of it sometimes, I know, it's (I'm) kind of awkward, sorry. If you're my friend, you should know how awkward I can get, haha.

(Okay, I'll go withdraw for a bit now. Stay available, friends. But first, the rest of this entry!)



Expenses, coffee

It's been a bit of a spendy week, haha. Over the span of a few days, we had lunch at Sbarro, dinner at A Veneto, coffee and cake at Chocolat, coffee and donuts at Dunkin Donuts, coffee at Mister Donut (twice, once with donuts). Hah.

Well, Dunkin Donuts does have (surprisingly) good coffee, and pretty cheap too, at thirty pesos for a big cup. Mister Donut also has good coffe. (at least the one at Trinoma) at twenty five pesos (regular size), and an option to add vanilla, choco mint, or hazelnut syrup for ten pesos more. We've only tried the French vanilla, and it seemed to be worth it, more or less; it basically neutralized that slightly bitter coffee aftertaste without masking the coffee flavor.

We've been drinking our coffee without sugar or creamer or anything else, and Zafra's right, that's the only way you can really taste your coffee. (Although I admit I sometimes am partial to Nescafe's 3-in-1, haha. Great for rainy days.)

Coffee tends to make us more talkative, at least sometimes. But, for me at least, after the initial burst of energy, eventually I get sleepier than I would've been without the coffee. Also, coffee is no good when it's not hot anymore. Ick.

Anyway, yes, coffee: I love the smell, the heat, the taste... how it feels against the insides of my body. MMMMM



ANYWAY, now let's talk about something else

Hmm, well, I've been reading Murakami again. I guess I'm just not used to reading him in shorter forms than novels, but at times I find myself looking for something more than just these brief excursions into different (yet familiar) lives. (i.e., minsan, nakakabitin!)

Perhaps it's the deceptive simplicity of his stories (and his writing style in general), but reading him I feel as if it wouldn't be that hard to get writing again. Hah. Right.

In any case I've been meaning to try my hand at writing something again, but nothing's actually been happening yet. Either I'm too busy, or too lazy, or too, I don't know, dull, like an unused knife (that was never the sharpest in the drawer in the first place, although it did manage to cut those tomatoes from time to time).



Plans

Well, it's only a year and a half or so to graduation. Like I said before, someone's already told me to start making plans if I want to pursue my studies elsewhere immediately after graduating.

And it does seem to make sense. So far, I've been looking at universities in Germany, for reasons that should be obvious. (Sausages and beer, mmm-mmm.) It seems that higher education in Germany is generally good, and that it would be easy to get into the country as a student.

But, well, I have no idea yet how to start preparing. Except for, perhaps, starting on the paperwork for a passport? I do not have one yet.

I'm not sure if my parents'll trust me enough to let me go off on my own yet, anyway. Perhaps I should prove myself independent and capable of taking care of myself?

(Now how am I supposed to do that?)

Journal Entry Number Four

Today's notes

Today, I applied for Bayantel DSL, but apparently I have to wait and see if they'll be able to allocate facilities for me. Something to do with the area my house is in not yet being heavily covered by their services, I suppose. PLDT DSL is always possible, but I'd rather make that the last, fall-back option.

Lunch was at Sbarro. We seem to be frequenting this restaurant more than any other at SM North. We seem to think that it has a good balance between quality, price, and portion size.

Then we had coffee and cake at Chocolat. Pretty nice. Business seems to be picking up for them - the five or so tables they had were all occupied when we left. I suppose it's partly because it is a holiday today.

Then wandered around a bit at Trinoma. I remarked that I hadn't bought a book in a while, and fortuitously when we passed by Powerbooks they had a sale going on: 20% off on most items! Got Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Murakami. I would've gotten a graphic novel or something equally more expensive (to increase the discount, of course), but their graphic novel section was sadly lacking. (Fully Booked nearby (at SM) has a much better comics and graphic novel section.)

Realized that we indeed do spend quite a lot, when we hang out at malls. Considered cutting back a bit, but rationalized, hey, we were each earning a bit extra on side jobs, anyway, so what the heck. (And, well, we have begun saving up monthly for no particular reason. So why deny ourselves these little consumer comforts?)



Late hate

I hate being late. This is why I've stopped hitching a ride in the mornings with my brother, haha. They're too easily delayed, and a few minutes in the morning counts for a lot in terms of avoiding the morning rush.

I was going to meet Jeanne at 11 am, and by 10:30 I was set to leave, but then it seemed that my family was also going out anyway, so I waited, and so I did, and it stretched out until it was 11:30 and I ended up being an hour late. Aha.

If ever I somehow become in charge of a family, I'll be sure to instill in them a respect for punctuality. (Although I suppose it's naturally harder to get a group of people ready to leave than it is to get ready by myself, but still I think I do still have a point. Yes.)



Requisite rambling section

So it's back to the normal daily grind tomorrow. (Well, not exactly, as it so happens that our lab class tomorrow won't be meeting. But still.)

I don't know. I haven't been able to use the sudden many days of no classes properly, but neither has anyone else, I'd expect. Yay all of us!

I think I'm ready to try my hand at creative writing again. Blogging is well and good, but all this journaling is getting too much. But I don't know what to try to write - after all this time, I still don't know how my creative process really works. (Aha, as if it does, cue sting - i.e., *badum TSH*!)

Journal Entry Number Three

Replay

So these past two days have been eerily like last week's Wednesday and Thursday. Heavy rains on Wednesday, class suspension on Thursday. Normally this would be a good thing, but I don't know.

Our classes that are scheduled to meet on Mondays and Thursdays are falling behind. And there are two more Mondays of no classes scheduled this August alone: 20 and 27, I think. This is bad. This is just going to mean that we'll be scrambling to finish the topics when the end of the semester nears.

Also we were supposed to have an exam last Monday, which was moved to today, then to tomorrow, and now it's scheduled next week. I haven't studied yet, I suppose I should. It's actually a bit uncomfortable when exams are postponed, sometimes. Coupled with the no classes today. It seems like today should not have been a break, but it turned out to be one (with me just reading Butlerian Jihad almost all this afternoon). So, it's a bit odd.

(Well, despite it being a far cry from the original Dune series, I'm still reading the next book in this prequel series: The Machine Crusade. I don't know, I guess I just want to find out what happens. And they aren't really horrible books, once you take them for what they are: action-packed space opera masquerading under the Dune name for greater sales.)



No News

Well, nothing much of interest happened today, future self. Tried to study for the Optics exam (that was supposed to be tomorrow), but when somebody told me it was postponed, well...

I should really resist the temptation to go back to bed after getting up in the morning. I end up taking naps, and basically just lazing around almost all day, thinking that I really should get up and do something else, but not doing so.



Blogging

I have 570 entries on my Tabulas. (Link leads to the monthly archives.) I've kept it up for more than three years already, which seems like quite a long and, well, varied time, in retrospect.

It's quite fun to go back and consider that length of time, that period of my life that I've sporadically blogged about. I guess looking at my archives is one of the best ways for me to realize that I really do think that blogging is worthwhile.

I always get a renewed motivation to blog, just realizing that I already have a relatively extensive archive of the previous years. I can just imagine having an even greater archive, in the future. Wouldn't it be fun (or, at least, instructive) to be able to get into your past self's mind? Shoddy memory will not completely defeat me.

Even if I don't always remember exactly what I was thinking when I wrote all those past blog entries, just the feeling of resonance (for lack of a better term) is a bit nostalgic, a bit comforting, a sort of reminder that life goes on, that I'm still here.

I guess looking back would always make one curious about what the future is going to be like.



Journalling, Three!

So, I suppose "journalling" doesn't really have to be that much different from how I've been blogging, all this time. I suppose what's different is that I'm becoming more conscious about what things, exactly, I want to make a record of. It's becoming more intentionally a record of things that I think my future self would find interesting.

So the compromise is, I suppose, a bit of making these entries more... presentable? Although I'm not always conscious of doing so, I think that in these years of keeping a public blog my blogging "voice" has adjusted to take into account that, hey, other people actually read what I write here.

I've actually tried to keep a pen and paper journal, and, yeah, it's much different from writing something here. Sometimes I feel that I'm lazier, there, about being correct or precise or not redundant or not obscure. Which is to be expected, I suppose.



It's Getting a Bit Longer than Usual

I wonder if I should just split these sections into separate entries. It'd seem weird to me, but maybe eventually I'll get used to it? Or, hmm. Delay posting about things until I have something more significant or thought-out to say about them. Decisions, decisions. (Probably I'll just end up being too lazy to do anything different from what I've been used to doing, anyway.)



A Final Note, Promise!

I seem to have slipped back into my old blogging voice. Most interesting.

Journal Entry Number Two

SPP

Otherwise known as the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas. But perhaps what is more relevant here is the 25th SPP Physics Congress about to be held soon.

Yay my paper is done. (Also, it's a bit odd, writing a journal here. Who am I writing for, myself, or yous guys? Can't... reconcile...)

So last night I began writing the paper in LaTeX, and finished most of the first draft before going to sleep. This morning I went to UP, to eventually meet Sir Perry at about 12 pm and ask for his comments on what I'd finished so far. Spent a few hours incorporating his suggestions and making other minor changes to the manuscript. By 3, I'd printed out a revised copy, and had Sir review it. He gave it the go signal and we submitted it using the online service at the SPP website.

Yay. My first actual original research paper. It isn't a particularly exciting or novel one, but it is my first. And having gone through the experience of writing one paper makes me a bit more comfortable about thinking of writing the (inevitable) next ones. (The thesis, though, is still a bit large in the future of my mind. That is, in the future, in my mind.)

If the manuscript gets approved, I'll get to go to the 3-day Congress! It should be an interesting experience.



Dragon fruit

I wasn't sure if this deserved its own heading, but there we are. My dad brought home some dragon fruits. They look like this (pictures are not mine, and plenty more could actually be Googled up, but hey here they are):



The rind can be peeled off by hand to reveal a round mass of fruit flesh dotted with small seeds, like those of a strawberry or kiwi. Tastewise, those are also the closest comparisons I can think of. Although dragon fruit flesh does seem a bit firmer than either, but I can't be sure. For some reason I am also reminded of pears.



It'd actually be good to use in shakes, and online sources say that it also makes for a good alcoholic drink. But apparently they are pretty rare, as the flower blooms only for one night, and hence has to be pollinated within that night in order to form the fruit. This translates to a cost of about thirty five pesos per fruit, which is a bit much, really. But once in a while, perhaps the novelty of the experience would be worth getting a few pieces.

This reminds me of that scene from some Miyazaki movie with the young girl and the pineapple. Her dad had bought the exotic (for them) fruit as a treat, but I think the particular fruit they get was not that sweet, or else they didn't find the taste much to their liking. So the girl (the protagonist, actually) goes and finishes everybody's servings, in a strange sort of maturity.



Journalling, Two

It still feels odd. I have the feeling that I could let myself go on in greater detail about things, but somehow I won't, out of respect for my readers, and, I don't know. Just because it doesn't seem like the kind of thing that I would actually do.

Although, I admit, the idea of having a relatively comprehensive record of life is appealing. Perhaps I should just look into getting a recorder? Haha. Naaah.

Journal Entry Number One

The Altoids Case

I got some more work done on the Altoids tin today. The square is now clearly visible from the other side, and the hole should be done in a few days at the latest. Pretty soon, I will have my own Altoids case for my new Creative Zen Micro player! Yay. (I still haven't finished the mints that were in the tin, haha. Following some sort of symmetry, they are now in the pouch that was bundled with the player. They are dark chocolate covered mints, and are pretty good, if pricey.)

We looked everywhere in SM North for those Altoids. They're not sold in the Hypermarket, or the candy section at the department store, or at the Pick & Mix stalls in the main building, or either of the Watson's outlets, or at the drugstore near the supermarket. We found them at last at the candy stall that used to be near Goldilocks, but is now at the Block near... Fully Booked? (Shoddy memory. I can't even remember for sure which floor it was on.)

In any case, we've been carving out a hole for the headphone jack to fit through since then. Using an exacto knife. It's going okay, but there are lots of scratches around the hole itself. We hope that they can be sanded away.

The carving out has actually been sort of fun. It takes a lot of your attention, but it's rather simple. And it's going to be pretty satisfying once the hole is finished. Makes me want to take up a craft, almost. (Knitting? Making chain mail?)

At least the foam inlay is done, and fits snugly without needing to be glued to the tin or anything. (Yay thanks Jeanne.) Hats off to the first person who thought of making a Zen Micro case out of an Altoids tin. But, really, the dimensions of the thing are quite suspicious, as if tailor made to fit into the mint tin. Can't wait for the case to be done.



Someone's Birthday

It's someone's birthday today. I think Ate Anne's. There was cake and I partook of it and I hadn't even greeted her yet. Shame on me. *sobs*

Also I don't know how old she is exactly. Thirty-something, to be sure. Also I am not a hundred percent sure that it's her birthday, but the evidence is overwhelming, i.e., there's birthday cake and I'm pretty sure no one else is having a birthday today. Haha.



LaTex

I encoded another problem set in LaTex [wiki] today. I really like how neat the documents look, once they're done. (Hint: It puts MathType, or Microsoft's Equation Editor, to shame.) But it does take quite some time to encode things; I'm far from an expert yet, and I've only used it for a few problem set solutions and such.

It's got a few things going for it, though. One, it's pretty neat, and I like seeing the final solutions laid out so prettily. Two, if I begin to use it regularly, I'd have digital copies of my solutions, which could prove invaluable someday. (Not the fact that they're digital, especially, but the fact that they're problems that I've already solved. Being digital just makes them easier to keep track of, I suppose.) And three, it's probably going to be what I write my thesis on, so it'd be good to get comfortable with it already.



Journalling

I'm not used to it, I find. I sound too chatty to myself. Why am I telling you these things, anyway?

No I will not look over this entry and edit it. (P.S. I couldn't resist putting in that space.)

I don't seem to feel the same drive to blog as I used to. Now, I mostly have to force myself to go and write something here. I wonder why.

Partly, I suppose, it's because I've been busier lately. And also I'd stopped blogging regularly for quite a while.

Mostly I have a shoddy memory. I can't remember my childhood that clearly, except for some isolated instances and images. Like this yellow plastic truck that I used to play with. I can't visualize it exactly, but I can sort of summon up some vague sensory impressions: how it must've looked like, how big it felt under my fingers back then, how it felt to be pushing it along. Also when I was a kid I think I was not as hairy.

So to help my memory a little I really should develop the habit of journaling.

[start TV commercial person voice]
Because every life, even yours, is worth chronicling.
[/end TV commercial person voice]

I might as well start now. But not in this entry. For purposes of, I don't know, neatness, I'm going to separate the journal-type entries from the, er, others. Like this one and most of the recent ones.

Yes, I think I will go do that now.