Limang araw at apat na gabi sa Baguio: nakakapagod, magastos, pero sobrang saya. Hahayaan ko na 'yung mga iba kong kasamang mag-kwento nang mas detalyado, hehehe. Halu-halo na 'to, hindi ko na pagsusunurin nang maayos ang mga pangyayari. Basta. Makinig (magbasa) na lang kayo kung gusto niyo.
Ang ipinunta namin (kuno) sa Baguio ay ang conference ng Samahan ng Pisika sa Pilipinas (SPP). Pero ang nangyari naman talaga, nag-gala kami sa Baguio, tuluyang sinulit ang hotel, at nag-inuman gabi-gabi. (Kahit na hindi naman boring 'yung conference, siyempre kung ikukumpara sa mga iba pang mga pwedeng gawin sa Baguio, hindi rin siya ganun ka-exciting, pasensya na lang.)
Wala akong reklamo sa mga bus ng Victory Liner na sinakyan namin papunta at pabalik. Swabe naman ang biyahe, nakapag-usap naman kami ni Lei (na katabi ko sa biyaheng papunta) nang maayos. Okay lang din naman ang mga upuan nila, pero sabi ng iba naming mga kasamang napadpad sa may likuran, namamatay-matay ang aircon dun. Ah, basta, sa kinaupuan namin walang problema.
Maganda ang Bloomfield Hotel: bago, malinis, malapit na lakaran lang mula sa SM, UP Baguio, Session Road, Burnham Park, atbp. Mababait din ang mga staff. (Pero pangit ang Screwdriver nila sa bar, lasang matabang na orange juice lang. At siyempre medyo mahal rin ang binayaran namin, pero sa tingin ko nasulit naman.)
Maayos ang Executive Suite na kinuha namin. Tatlong bedroom, dalawang banyo, isang living area. Minahal namin ang sofa-bed kung saan naganap ang panginginom (at ang pamamato ng lobo at paluan ng unan).
Nakapagsuot ako ng leather jacket, halos gabi-gabi rin. Saan pa ba kasi magagamit yun dito sa Pilipinas kundi sa Baguio?
Nung isang gabi, nag-inuman ang halos buong batch sa Brew Yard, isang bar sa Nevada Square. Dalawampu't apat na katao, isang bandang game sa pagpapakanta kahit sa mga taga-Physics at 'di naman kagalingan (biro lang, Amarra, Fritz, Lei, Jorge, at Rica!). Special mention din dun sa mga natamaan nang todo: ang birthday boy na si Anthony, at ang mangiyak-ngiyak na si Rica (tungkol ba talaga saan 'yun, hmm?).
Iba-iba ang mga nasubukan namin. Nakakain ako ng pinikpikan, carabao milk yogurt, tortang talong na may kesong puti, sariwang gulay, mountain rice, at s'mores cake. Nakapag-jogging at boating kami sa Burnham. Bumisita kami sa mga Pink Sisters, sa Botanical Garden (medyo mahaba-habang lakaran ang naganap para dito), at sa Minesview. At, hindi pahuhuli, nakasubok kami ng strawberry wine, tapuy (rice wine), sari-saring cocktails, Kahlua, at Jack Daniel's. Nasubukan din naming mag-eat-and-run sa SPP: pumunta kami para sa merienda sa umaga, nag-SM, bumalik para sa tanghalian, pumuntang Minesview, at bumalik para sa Fellowship Night. (At, sige na nga, nasubukan ko ring malasing hanggang makatulog at magkulong sa banyo nang tatlong oras. Walanghiyang Gran Matador at Tanduay 'yan, sa banyo na nga ako natulog, masakit pa ulo ko kinabukasan.)
Sa dami ng mga napuntahan namin sa Baguio, para sa akin, ang naging pinakamasayang lugar sa mga ito ay ang suite namin pa rin. Doon, kami ay naglasing, nagkwentuhan (madalas hanggang madaling-araw), tumambay, at natulog (kahit na konti lang). Kaya maraming salamat sa mga batchmates at kaibigang nakasama ko sa suite: Amarra (special thanks sa 'yo para sa nilibre mong Kahlua, beer, cocktails, at Jack Daniel's), Laganapan, Lao, Lim (special thanks din para sa paghahanap sa Bloomfield Hotel), Mercado, at Suarez. (Special guests: Narag (tour guide!) at Uy.)
Saan ang next batch gimik? Siguraduhin nating may plano tayo pagkatapos ng graduation! Pero sa ngayon, pahinga muna, at ang unti-unting pagbabalik sa dating buhay.
P.S. Okay, that wasn't as hard as I thought. But it probably sounds a little weird to people who actually speak/write well in Filipino. (Lumalabas ang pagka-Atenista/Ex-Libris-UP-member kapag sinusubukan kong mag-Filipino, e.)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Puerto Galera
I had a great time at Puerto Galera this weekend - and it was my (and Jeanne's) first time to leave the island of Luzon!
The trip to and from Puerto Galera took around four to five hours, with a 2-3 hour bus ride from Manila to Batangas Port and then a 1-2 hour ferry boat ride to Mindoro. The ferry ride was fun for the first few minutes, but the novelty wore off rather quickly. Fortunately, neither of us turned out to be susceptible to seasickness. Unfortunately, the weather forecast of rain proved accurate, and we landed onto a rainy beach.
After some hunting around, we ended up getting two rooms at White Beach Hotel. Kady's sister's boyfriend cooked lunch (tocino and hotdogs), and after eating we went off to enjoy the beach.
Being people who appreciate simple pleasures, enjoying the beach mostly meant playing with the sand, collecting some rocks (the sand by the way was rather coarse, and there were a lot of pebbles and stones) and trying to skip others, and letting ourselves be pushed to and fro by the waves. Oh, and playing with Kady's sister's adorable little baby, who seemed to take to Jeanne and me quite well.
Once we got tired of flailing around in the rain, we went back to our rooms and played some cards, mostly pusoy dos. After dinner (spaghetti with red, red sauce), we continued playing cards - and broke out the chocolate milk (+condensed milk +vodka).
(This mix was dubbed "the drink of amazing powers" by Kat, that time she showed us how to make it. We tend to agree, since the alcohol taste is quite effectively masked by the chocolate milk and the sweetness. The original recipe called for gin, but vodka seemed better, contributing only a slight spicy aftertaste.)
At around midnight the three of us walked back to the beach to look at the stars and talk a little (and sober up, as it would turn out). They say they saw shooting stars, but I personally didn't, boo. Eventually we all got pretty sleepy (we were lying down on the sand) and decided to go back and sleep.
The morning went as all mornings-when-you-have-to-return-to-reality do. Woke up relatively late (9 am), spent a little more time on the beach (it wasn't raining anymore, I think we got a slight tan), and packed up. Left on the ferry at about 1 pm, after getting some small pasalubong items from a handicraft/souvenir shop.
We parted ways at the port: Jeanne and I boarded a bus to Cubao, while Kady and her sister's family went on their way home to Laguna. About two and a half hours later we were having dinner at Tropical Hut, and a little later were back home. Bow.
On an unrelated note, I now have a Plurk widget near the bottom of my Blogger page!
The trip to and from Puerto Galera took around four to five hours, with a 2-3 hour bus ride from Manila to Batangas Port and then a 1-2 hour ferry boat ride to Mindoro. The ferry ride was fun for the first few minutes, but the novelty wore off rather quickly. Fortunately, neither of us turned out to be susceptible to seasickness. Unfortunately, the weather forecast of rain proved accurate, and we landed onto a rainy beach.
After some hunting around, we ended up getting two rooms at White Beach Hotel. Kady's sister's boyfriend cooked lunch (tocino and hotdogs), and after eating we went off to enjoy the beach.
Being people who appreciate simple pleasures, enjoying the beach mostly meant playing with the sand, collecting some rocks (the sand by the way was rather coarse, and there were a lot of pebbles and stones) and trying to skip others, and letting ourselves be pushed to and fro by the waves. Oh, and playing with Kady's sister's adorable little baby, who seemed to take to Jeanne and me quite well.
Once we got tired of flailing around in the rain, we went back to our rooms and played some cards, mostly pusoy dos. After dinner (spaghetti with red, red sauce), we continued playing cards - and broke out the chocolate milk (+condensed milk +vodka).
(This mix was dubbed "the drink of amazing powers" by Kat, that time she showed us how to make it. We tend to agree, since the alcohol taste is quite effectively masked by the chocolate milk and the sweetness. The original recipe called for gin, but vodka seemed better, contributing only a slight spicy aftertaste.)
At around midnight the three of us walked back to the beach to look at the stars and talk a little (and sober up, as it would turn out). They say they saw shooting stars, but I personally didn't, boo. Eventually we all got pretty sleepy (we were lying down on the sand) and decided to go back and sleep.
The morning went as all mornings-when-you-have-to-return-to-reality do. Woke up relatively late (9 am), spent a little more time on the beach (it wasn't raining anymore, I think we got a slight tan), and packed up. Left on the ferry at about 1 pm, after getting some small pasalubong items from a handicraft/souvenir shop.
We parted ways at the port: Jeanne and I boarded a bus to Cubao, while Kady and her sister's family went on their way home to Laguna. About two and a half hours later we were having dinner at Tropical Hut, and a little later were back home. Bow.
On an unrelated note, I now have a Plurk widget near the bottom of my Blogger page!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Eventful day
I am pooped right now, so I'll just give a quick rundown of today's events:
- the passing around of org cake at ChocKiss
- Math exam
- Jollibee/Tomato Kick/Bookay Ukay
- "Chocolate milk" at Kate's room
- Pork Barrel Kalayaan for videoke with Physics people
A fair amount of alcohol use, but no significant effect, it would seem. Going to sleep now; a more substantial entry may come in the morning.
- the passing around of org cake at ChocKiss
- Math exam
- Jollibee/Tomato Kick/Bookay Ukay
- "Chocolate milk" at Kate's room
- Pork Barrel Kalayaan for videoke with Physics people
A fair amount of alcohol use, but no significant effect, it would seem. Going to sleep now; a more substantial entry may come in the morning.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Things that only seem like good ideas
Only one of these things is based on personal experience, and it wasn't intentional, we promise!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Undergoing tweakery.
So my Blogger has become doodly, and now is undergoing some other cosmetic changes. Please bear with the current color scheme for the moment, as I really need to get to sleep. Will fix as soon as possible.
My CSS/HTML is a little rusty. I miss the days when I'd cobble together an entire layout on my own. Maybe I'll give that a try, one of these days.
My CSS/HTML is a little rusty. I miss the days when I'd cobble together an entire layout on my own. Maybe I'll give that a try, one of these days.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Should I go to grad school?
Should I Go to Grad School?
I've more or less already decided not to go to grad school, at least not immediately after graduation. Many factors contributed to this decision, but basically I realized that I am nowhere near ready for such a big leap into the academic life.
This article only serves to further strengthen my decision. After graduation, I'll hopefully be able to find a job balancing free time with decent compensation, and take time off from the academic life for a while. If I find that I miss it enough, who knows, I may eventually return.
Short answer: no.
...
Just don't try graduate school in an academic subject with the same spirit of carefree experimention. Medical school, sure. Law school, no problem. But a Ph.D in an academic field? Forget it. If you take one step down that path, I promise you, it'll hurt like blazes to get off, even if you're sure that you want to quit after only one year.
Two years in, and quitting will be like gnawing your own leg off.
Past that, and you're talking therapy and life-long bitterness.
...
If you decide in your first year that it is not for you--indeed, suppose you conclude that you're better than all of this, a broader, richer thinker who can't be constrained by the ivory tower--you will still have to deal with the nagging fear that somehow, some way, you just weren't good enough, that you couldn't cut the mustard. That fear will almost certainly be wrong. Perseverance can get most students through graduate school. You should feel good about how well you know yourself if you decide to quit. But academia is a total culture. It changes your standards for what is good and what is bad, what is smart and what is dumb.
Independently evaluating academic life from within its confines is a near-impossibility.
I've more or less already decided not to go to grad school, at least not immediately after graduation. Many factors contributed to this decision, but basically I realized that I am nowhere near ready for such a big leap into the academic life.
This article only serves to further strengthen my decision. After graduation, I'll hopefully be able to find a job balancing free time with decent compensation, and take time off from the academic life for a while. If I find that I miss it enough, who knows, I may eventually return.
I therefore conclude... (or, Y SO SRS?)
...after some deliberation and thoughtful conversation:
1. I am not as smart as I think I am.
2. I should not stop striving to meet the high standards that I believe I should be meeting. The magna cum laude I'll most probably be getting when I graduate, to be perfectly frank, means little to me, because it could have easily been summa, and because I know, personally, that I haven't been performing as well as I possibly could have been.
I have been lowering my standards (or at least reasoning to myself that these lower standards do exist and are just as valid) in justification of my natural laziness, it seems to me now.
3. I should stop regretting the past, or at least turn this regret into more productive, forward-looking avenues. I can't do anything about my shortcomings in the past, but I can still do something to ensure that my future performance will be better.
4. Contentment is different from satisfaction. One gets satisfaction from fulfilling a goal or meeting a need; contentment is a subtler thing having to do with how one looks at the world.
5. Now that I think about it, contentment seems more suited to my temperament than goal-driven satisfaction. But where does that leave statement no. 2 above?
6. I suck at making conclusions.
1. I am not as smart as I think I am.
2. I should not stop striving to meet the high standards that I believe I should be meeting. The magna cum laude I'll most probably be getting when I graduate, to be perfectly frank, means little to me, because it could have easily been summa, and because I know, personally, that I haven't been performing as well as I possibly could have been.
I have been lowering my standards (or at least reasoning to myself that these lower standards do exist and are just as valid) in justification of my natural laziness, it seems to me now.
3. I should stop regretting the past, or at least turn this regret into more productive, forward-looking avenues. I can't do anything about my shortcomings in the past, but I can still do something to ensure that my future performance will be better.
4. Contentment is different from satisfaction. One gets satisfaction from fulfilling a goal or meeting a need; contentment is a subtler thing having to do with how one looks at the world.
5. Now that I think about it, contentment seems more suited to my temperament than goal-driven satisfaction. But where does that leave statement no. 2 above?
6. I suck at making conclusions.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)