holiday mode

finally! i've finished my year's obligation to my boss -- that is, to present my work's preliminary results to the geological community. after waiting for another day because we ran out of time in my session yesterday, they've given me a few minutes this afternoon to present . i'm glad that my officemates and even friends and classmates from the university stayed to lend me their support. finally, i'm done and i can have a little relaxation time. i'm taking it slowly from now on so that my stress level will lower down *lol*

on a lighter note, readable has finally shown her face after arriving from her us stint two months ago. it was fun to see her again and hear her talk about what she'd done and how they learned to use the dishwasher, bread toaster and basin drain! hahaha she also showed us her new laptop and the pictures she took. they were all amazing and i'm so happy for her because in a way, what she'd shown us, has given us a first-hand look at how to live in america! amazing! :)

guess what i saw

guess what i saw early this morning on my way to work?

a full arc of rainbow! with its second layer! wow! how i wish i could just go to the ends of it and find the pot of gold buried underneath it.

yeah, i still believe in magic.

what will you be?

if the world comes to war again, what will you do or be when that time comes?

i have been asking myself that ever since i was a kid and finished reading Sweet Valley's The Wakefield Legacy. there, one of jessica and elizabeth's ancestor was a brave nurse imprisoned in a pow camp during the world war II. she became a secret correspondent to the navy outside, hiding her stolen radio, reporting significant changes in the camp while doing their laundry.

anyway, that was a good story and made me think, "what would i be if i were caught in a war?" will i be an informer, a nurse (will i stand the blood that will come my way?), or a soldier? will i carry a bayonet or arms just like my forefathers did when faced with enemies? or will i be a coward, just standing by waiting for the war to finish, cowering in the dark -- hiding?

i won't know until that happens but it's an event i wouldn't wish in my lifetime or anybody else's. there are a lot of wars going on around. as everyone would agree, nobody's a winner and everybody's a loser. too much damage done, too much lives lost for nothing. i believe that peace must come from each of us, within ourselves first and then let us share that peace and give it a chance to take effect. too much has been given, it is time to take stock and start all over.

but as if, it is an easy task to do. all i can do now is pray for peace and reconciliation, and the safety of those involved, one way or the other, in wars or conflicts.

lucky day

thank God! it's been a happy, lucky day for me :)

i WON the grand price at the alumni association's annual bingo event last night! wahoo!

(now i can pay my credit card! yipee!)

another rally, another coup d'etat?

almost four years ago, a military officer staged a failed coup d'etat in one of the posh hotels in the business center of the country. today, returning as a senator, this same officer is again starting a rally (that might be a coup d'etat) in another posh hotel in the same district as the last one and calling everybody to join him. luckily, it's raining and i guess that nobody would want to go out in this weather. all gates/roads to the place are closed as i write this.

now, we ask ourselves. for an officer and senator to declare that he is for the poor, he seem to be enjoying staging his 'destabilization' efforts in posh hotels in one of the richest districts in the country. and we ask ourselves (again) how one person who's been in jail can go run for the senate and still win?!

questions that one day i want answered. and yes, dangerous times are ahead.

wishabi wish

From Facebook, my Wishabi Wish Assessment!

i won the bet

after lunch today: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the earthquake felt around noon today had a 4.2 magnitude and was located slightly offshore, 77 kilometers northwest of Lingayen town, Pangasinan province.

my guess: magnitude 4.3

the money was used to buy Krispy Kreme!

*****

unfortunately, A was right in saying that i might not be the real winner if we base our results from phivolcs and that he would bet that before the end of the day, the agency will change it. true to his word, they changed the magnitude to 5.4 just in time for the prime time news.

how sad it was because this is the second time this week that an agency of the government has "incorrectly predicted" a natural event's effect to the country. early this week, the pagasa has mentioned that the typhoon mina will move in a westernly path when cnn has already predicted a northwest movement. at the end, the path predicted by cnn was correct. it was sad that the agency stuck to their first prediction and said something about different scenarios (and that they are still in top form for weather forecasts, or so). the question is, when have they been right lately?

and now, phivolcs. granted that the magnitude can have different values depending on the 'data gathering system' one's agency has, it was a "revelation" to see the usgs have a report way before phivolcs gave their statement. and tonight, the magnitude they have given is way near the one the usgs has given earlier, a 6.0 magnitude.

what has happened?!