Finally, it's vacation time...

...and my bed is getting crowded. ;)
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by Philipina A. Marcelo


The first semester of Academic Year 2010-2011 has finally come to an end... and I am free to go on vacation! Well, almost free... there are a few things that need to be done: "removal exam" for students who didn't make the "first cut" but did a few remarkable stuff in the semester, and therefore, deserve a "second chance"... the completion of grades of the same students, and a few research updates-related documents. Nevertheless, my craving for leisure reading and spending days sprawled in front of the TV - watching the Asian Food Channel, Sports Channel, NatGeo and Travel Channel, Lifestyle TV (Fashion and Architecture), or movie marathon - until I'd be ready to hit the kitchen to do some yummy experiments or to explore the countryside for a breath of fresh air kicked in... and they won't wait!

Books, maps, the cable box remote control and the ultimate artists/techie's toy - the iPad, of course - started to crowd my bed... and they make cozy bedmates, too... just because they induce very nice dreams! ;)

***

Missing...

...my mother as I watched the Costa-Gavras obra, "Missing", for the nth time.
======================================================
Philipina A. Marcelo

Exhausted from "laboring hard" to finish grading quizzes so I could return them to my students before the final examinations week, I took a much-needed pause. I decided to give myself a couple of hours to decompress and refresh. I was debating between leisure reading/walking (in the Mall, that is, hehe...) or spending my time productively on the mindless activity of fixing my walk-in closet, which was suffering from terrible neglect over the past two weeks or so of marathon lectures that it was no longer possible to walk in it!

I absently reached for the TV remote control and pressed the "on" button while entertaining my tired brain with the trivial debate. I automatically surfed the cable channels without paying attention to the programs, just letting myself be lulled by the blur of images and sounds as I flipped from one channel to another. And then, something caught my attention - a familiar music... from a long time ago - a slow melody on piano, melancholy but so sweet... my mind switched to "alert mode" instinctively and I started to pay attention. Hmmm... that music - unmistakably Vangelis! The movie... I retraced my way back to where the sound came from as my mind did a rapid scan through my memory shelves... there it was! Ooooh, of course it was "Missing" by the brilliant film maker, Costa-Gavras! It is one of my favorite movies of all times! All of a sudden, memory lane beckoned... and I allowed myself to be transported back in time when films were made for high-quality value first and commercial value second! Sweet!

"Missing" was one of Costa-Gavras' highly acclaimed political films - bold and daring in its exploration of power struggle in a country ruled by terror, a classic in its brilliant screenplay and editing, highly artistic in its beautiful cinematography and incredible musical score. It exposed the brutality and the utter absence of respect for human life in places where lust for power reigned... and the conspiracy that involved powerful nations that aided them, rather than abating the monstrosity's rise to power, in order to protect their selfish interests. The lies made and the willingness of democratic nations to turn a blind eye from the death of the very democracy that they stood for to win the favor of those who were unjustly clinging to power were horrific! Citizens were expected to align their thoughts with the powers that be without questions, otherwise, they would be eliminated. And so, people were constantly rounded up and arrested without apparent reason... if there were reasons at all, they were fabricated from the vile of sheer lust for power and the abhorable thirst for blood. The arrested usually never returned. In some cases, people merely disappeared... and were reported as missing... and never to be found again - alive.

The plot involved a man, Ed Horman (played with such rare powerful impact by Jack Lemmon), and his daughter-in-law's search for his missing only son, Charlie Horman (played so effectively by John Shea). The place was Chile, during the time of the infamous coup d'etat in the '70s. Charlie was an idealistic Harvard-educated journalist and artist who ventured to Chile with his politically left-leaning wife, Beth (played by the brilliant Sissy Spacek), much to Ed's disapproval. Propelled by his instinctive journalist's instinct, he uncovered the inner dark workings of a coup d'etat that pushed his idealism to its very core. Always optimistic even when faced with the most horrific of situations, he dug deep. His tenacity to get to the heart of the truth led him deeper into the dark pit of conspiracy between his government and the military strongmen that were to overthrow the oppressive yet legitimate government of Chile... the aftermath of the conspiracy plunged the country to a deeper pit of violence and disrespect for human life via military rule. As he pieced the clues and hard-dug little pieces of information together to draw the picture of truth, he became a target of the coup plotters and their supporters' disdain. Soon, he was picked up from his house by the military and disappeared... missing.

Upon learning of his son's disappearance, Ed traveled to Chile from New York to aid Beth in her search for Charlie. Ed and Charlie never saw eye to eye in their political views - Ed's political beliefs were conservative and he saw Charlie as an unreasonable and stubborn idealistic Marxist while Charlie saw his father's opposition to his political beliefs as an expression of his disapproval for the path he'd chosen for himself - that of a penniless journalist whose life was always on the line. Being a successful New York professional, Ed had big dreams for his only son... but Charlie was inclined to fulfill his big dreams for humanity - freedom and equality. Beth had the same idealistic mind and had chosen the same path as Charlie's, much to Ed's disapproval. Little did father and son knew about their much deeper oneness in thoughts and principles - that they had the same dream for humanity... the father's approach was through uncomplicated practice of profession and obedience to authorities without question, the son's approach was through writing about the truth and subscribing to the ideals of Marx. Both had kind hearts and simple desires... and a deep love for each other. But such love was cloaked with the superficial difference in approach to fulfill their common dream. The superficial polarity between father and son caused a rift between them, surmounting the much-deeper and more important similarities.

As Ed and Beth searched for Charlie, the father came to know more about his missing son... Beth served as the link between the two, introducing the son to the father by mirroring him to his father through herself - the true "other half" of the missing son... and the father came to realize how he and his son, and even Beth, were so alike... that in various circumstances - easy and hard - he found himself choosing, mostly instinctively, the same choices as his son made, which didn't surprised Beth as she got to know Ed better. Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek gave great performances in the film... as I always say, "whenever I think of great actors, Jack Lemmon in 'Missing' always comes to mind". And, for actresses, Sissy Spacek in "Missing" would definitely make the short list.

At the end of their search for Charlie, Ed found himself in exactly the same spot where Charlie was before he went missing... and with all the bitter realization of his son's true whereabouts as he himself uncovered the truth, he found joy in knowing that their every footstep matched, and that he arrived at exactly the same decision as Charlie had that caused his disappearance... the only difference was that Charlie was braver to have actually taken the selfless choice, for which Ed was absolutely awed by his son... and his love and respect for his son intensified - in ways that Charlie will never find out.

While the film narrated the violence that defined the coming to power of a military rule in a democracy-starved nation, the film also explored the beauty and complexities of human relationships... how some could be pure and easy in their honesty and openness, as that of Charlie and Beth's, while others can be overwhelming in their utter intensity that love was often mistaken for hatred, like that of Charlie and Ed's. Still, others are pure and beautiful, and yet they are hard to decode in their subtlety, like that of Ed and Beth's. Costa-Gavras' wonderful story telling was at its best in this film - he left his audience at the edge of their seats in suspense. At the same time, his artistic exploration of human relationships appeared to be a vital part of the storytelling rather than another objective. And so, in the end, he left the audience wondering whether the storytelling is a means to understand human relationships, or the exploration of human relationships was an artist's tool to make the storytelling more interesting and effective. In any case, the film was absorbing in ways most fascinating - an absolute classic in film making artistry!

***

The Costa-Gavras obra, "Missing", was one of the last few films I've watched with my late mother before she was taken away by cancer. She had such a great taste when it came to films, TV programs and books. I learned about "Peter the Great" of Russia and the venerable Padre Pio of Italia while hanging out with her and my siblings in front of the TV, snacking on her to-die-for pancit. I grew up wondering about India after watching with her the screen adaptation of "A Passage to India" by the legendary David Lean as well as the great Attenborough film, "Gandhi" in the early '80s... Films of brilliant local film makers like Lino Brocka ("Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang"), Ishmael Bernal ("Himala") and Mike De Leon ("Kisapmata") who made big waves in the '70s and '80s were part of our early education in local critically acclaimed film literacy, thanks to our mother.

Like my Mother, I was awed by the talent of Barbra Streisand, especially in "The Way We Were", and the classy grace and intellectual air that surrounded Ali MacGraw in "Love Story". And yet, I developed a liking for beautiful "techie" guys as I spent evenings savoring my TV time reward after finishing school homework with her and my siblings. We were big fans of Jan Michael Vincent in "Airwolf", Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver, Pierce Brosnan in Remington Steele, and even the guys in "A Team". I became a big fan of Portia of "The Merchant of Venice" at the age of 10 because she told us the story with passion before I ever got to read the William Shakespeare romantic comedy a year later. My siblings and I are John F. Kennedy fans even if we all were born many years after his assassination - all because of our mother's books, magazine and newspaper cut-outs about JFK. I became a Charles Dickens believer after she suggested that I read "Tale of Two Cities", which I did in my early years as a devout bookworm. Most of my High School literature readings, I've already read even before stepping into High School - all out of inspiration from my mother. I've enjoyed debating with her over Elias' personality and principles while I was reading "El Filibusterismo" - one of the immortal novels of the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal. There was so much to remember about her... and about the many lessons learned from her... and through her.

She was a most wonderful woman, my mother - beautiful, totally intelligent, outspoken, brave, idealistic, artistic, thoughtful, loyal and loving. But, just like Ed, her love for us, her kids, were masked by the oddly focused and strong desire to get us to the shore of success... even willing to carry us through to the finish line herself when we were faltering. When I think about it now, perhaps she had a premonition of her early demise, passing away at the age of 48, and therefore was eager to set us on our feet - strong and on track - early on. While I had so much admiration for her - more than I ever had for anyone else I'd admired in my life - as a teenager it drove me crazy how she seemed so controlling and domineering - always had opinion about things, especially regarding what I should do with my life. In her awesomeness and perfection, it was hard to grow in her shadow, however warm it was there... she was the persistent voice in my head, telling me what to do whenever an unusual circumstance occurred and I had to summon "untried wisdom" to come up with a decision... and it pissed me off how she was always right, no matter how hard I tried to use all the logic I so painstakingly learned in school just to come up with something akin to some reasonable decisions!

Despite my quiet rebellion, I was never disrespectful to her. And, just like Ed and Charlie, my mother and I had a lot of things in common... our idealism for one, and our love for anything artistic for another. I think I inherited her love for reading and writing, and her natural inclination to arts. I remember being awed by the decorated walls of her "homeroom" in school - she was an elementary school teacher. They were very colorful, artful and, at the same time, so highly informative for the students. Parents were so appreciative of her work and her dedication to teaching their kids. While I do not have "homeroom" to decorate, I do have my way of liberating my artistic side in teaching - Powerpoint. :) I could almost imagine my mother rolling her eyes at me... but deep inside, I knew she would be proud and delighted. :)

My mother was so committed to her teaching profession that as a little girl, I remember that our family's typical Saturday mornings were spent in her Graduate School - playing word games and doing school homework with my siblings while she attended classes. After her classes, my father would pick us up, from a weekend overtime in his own business, and Saturday afternoons were spent in the local parks close to her School. After church, Sundays were spent in her school "homeroom" helping her out with the wall decorations - cutting out letters, geometric figures, flowers and animals - and watering the plants inside and outside the room. And then my siblings and I were rewarded with a cone of ice cream, banana queue or her tastiest cookings afterwards - simple joys for big and meaningful efforts, simple rewards for big missions fantastically accomplished, and converting extra work time to sweet family time. That was our way of life, it was our frame of mind - it still is until now... all of it were borrowed from our mother - such priceless gifts that were absolutely irreplaceable.

It was probably those experiences that made me so committed to my own Academic profession as well... finding joy in the little things of great sacrifice that brought humongous success to my students - in many ways and in many forms...being free from the bondage of materialism and shallowness of purpose, and always having that voice in my head - no matter how stern and annoying - that kept me grounded and on course, especially in the most challenging times when hard decisions and choices were to be made. The lessons of idealism learned from my mother got embedded in my head and in my heart, more than I realized... and more than I was humble and brave enough to actually admit!

Irreplaceable - my mother is, and I do love her - totally. And... I miss her so!

***

Photo credits and Acknowledgement: (1) My photo (Part 1 of Thermodynamics Quiz #3); (2) "Missing" poster (grabbed from IMDb); (3) "Missing" still (grabbed from www); (4)"Missing" still (people were being rounded up by military, grabbed from www); (4) Collage of photos grabbed from various sources in the www, mostly wikipedia; (5)Collage of Mike De Leon, Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal films grabbed from various sources in the www; (6) My picture, "Morning with Mama" (with my mother and three siblings, waking up on a weekend morning and crowding our mother and father's bed, 1982); (7) My picture, "Weekend with Mama", (spending Saturday afternoon in Luneta Park with my mother and two siblings, and my mother's youngest brother, after my mother's Grad School classes, 1976); (8) My picture (thesis defense of my undergraduate students, January 2010).

***

33 lives saved in 22 hours...

...mission accomplished!!

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by Philipina A. Marcelo


October 12, 2010: The world waited, hoping against hope that the Chilean miners trapped in the bowels of the daunting mountains of the San Jose Gold and Copper Mine for a total of 69 punishing days emerged alive and well! The world paused to pray with the families of the trapped men for the meticulously planned rescue operation to work, and for the catastrophe to find a happy ending. The world watched in admiration as the rescue team, propelled by the Chilean President himself, Sebastian Piñera, focused to carry out a mission of intense importance - bringing back and restoring 33 lives on the surface of the earth, and therefore sending a wonderful message to the world that hope springs from the goodness in peoples' hearts, and that hope can turn into the most cherished results through teamwork.

The world held its breath as the first rescuer, Manuel Gonzalez, was lowered into the borehole leading to where the trapped men were by Phoenix - the metal capsule that was the main tool of the Chilean rescue team. Reported to be approximately 21.5 inches in diameter, about 6 ft. and 4 inches tall, and weighed about 1,000 lbs, the capsule was able to hold a man, and an oxygen tank to sustain its passenger within the 20-minute rise to the surface, from more than 2,000 ft. below the ground. Phoenix had wheels on its outer wall that helped it slide through the hole as it was lowered and pulled up by a crane.

Minutes after Mr. Gonzalez reached the trapped men, the world erupted in joyful celebration as the first of the miners emerged to the surface... alive and very well! Carried by the Phoenix that spooned the miners one by one to the surface, Florencio Avalos, emerged first to a great jubilation in the four corners of the world. And then, 22 hours later... the last of the trapped miners, Luis Urzua, who was also the shift supervisor in the lot that got trapped emerged to the surface via Phoenix, too. To borrow President Piñera's words, "like a ship's captain", Mr. Urzua performed "his duty" until the very end by being the last to be freed from the darkness below the ground. The rescue team then unfurled a banner at the very pit that held the 33 men hostage for more than two months... the banner read: "Mission Completed, CHILE". It was as if to say, "wives and children, parents and siblings, friends and loved ones, here we return these men, our brothers, to you - these men whose lives are part of yours... so you may live long and happy lives with them. Mission accomplished!" And, indeed it was... and most wonderfully, too!

***

It's a man's world... and that isn't just the engineer in me talking!

After getting used to having my TV time interrupted by "breaking news" on the Gulf War in the early 1990s... and later, by the 911 tragedy in New York City, the killings and assaults in Iraq, Darfur and Maguindanao, the Afghanistan insurgency, the power struggle in Pakistan and in Zimbabwe, and the seemingly unending bloodsheds between the Israelis, the Palestines and their neighbors, human and drug trafficking, not to mention that Wall Street greed-induced tremors that triggered the global economic downturn in the late 2007 and eventually led to the catastrophic collapse in 2008 - all orchestrated and participated in by powerful men... at some point I've been losing faith in the goodness in men's heart. In frustration, I asked myself once... is this all that men want: war and bloodshed, money and power, sex and instant gratification, dominance over one another? Isn't there love in their hearts, too? Isn't there goodness in their souls? Must they rule the world with guns and bullets, greed and unbounded ambition, pride and selfishness, lies and conspiracy, and with blatant disregard for innocent lives that are abruptly ended even before they bloomed? Have they no respect for human lives at all? And then the picture of the men at the head of the North Korean ruling dynasty flashed on TV... there's my answer! :(

While I find consolation in watching sports to keep reminding myself how men - some of the most beautiful at that - could actually use their impressive power - both physical and mental - their admirable ability to focus on the prize of victory, and their natural, almost instinctive, flare for teamwork to dominate in non-violent and non-catastrophe-inducing avenues, and in absolutely inspiring ways, too, sometimes (never mind that they pick up fat checks for playing the part), the on-going interruptions of those "breaking news" usually cancelled my sports-induced reverie. While, ironically enough, most of the people I admire are men... the miners of San Jose, Chile and their rescuers painted an entirely different picture for me altogether....

Indeed, on that fateful day, 12th of October 2010, the Chilean men showed the world the value of teamwork and the genuine caring for one another, like they were each other's brothers, looking after each other... keeping the beacon of hope in places where there seem to be nothing else but darkness... helping one another to keep going through a collective desire to survive for the sake of their loved ones... risking and lending their own lives to the other in order to extend them rather than putting an end to them.

Ah, men are good after all. Love and goodness reside in their hearts - it is possible... how can it be not? The mere thought of it is beautiful - the way it should be! And, in their best moments, they are absolutely beautiful - the way they were meant to be... and capable of accomplishing impossible missions in awesome beauty!


***
Photo credits and acknowledgement: (1) Phoenix: Getty Image, grabbed from Telegraph; (2) Chile Rescue Team "mission accomplished" - grabbed from CBBC-BBC News; (3) collage of Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal and Diego Forlan - individual photos grabbed from various sports and news websites.

***

Summation of simple joys = A delicious week

...hardwork + play + joyful mini reunion + a little surprise = happyness
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by Philipina A. Marcelo


The past week has been one of those times when it felt like some nice angels trying to overcome boredom on the clouds took notice of me - after a few months of neglect, and decided to wink at my lucky stars... blowing a breath of truly refreshing air in my direction. It felt like I was rained on by the proverbial magic dust... it was a lovely feeling - it more than made up for the months of neglect! :)

Last Monday, my senior research students got back from their weekend recollection held at the Dominican Retreat House. Nestled among the breathtaking hills of Caleruega in Nasugbu, Batangas, the House was both serene and beautiful, the students loved it there. They brought me presents from their trip, which caught me "emotionally unprepared". :) After my lectures in the morning, I was ready to spend the whole afternoon holed up in my office at the Research Complex. I wasn't expecting my research students for I knew that they were coming back that day, and therefore, may need to take the day off from school. I was surprised when they came into the lab quietly in the afternoon and went about their work... and then just before they left in the early evening, they knocked on my door and handed me my presents: a lovely little plaster sculpture of St. Dominic, a box of my favorite cashew tarts, and a box of cashew polvoron. I accepted the presents with my mouth open... and a tentative, "thanks, guys" - I was lost for words. After a few minutes of staring at the presents, I realized that they came with letters... I read the letters, and that's where the emotional unpreparedness manifested itself by the gentle tugging at the heart... a pure but subtle energy that almost condensed to tears. All I could see were thank you's - lots of them... they swam in front of my eyes, in my head... and in my heart. Surprisingly, while it felt as delicious as drinking a fine Italian wine, it wasn't intoxicating... it felt rather calming - blissful!

***

Tuesday and Wednesday lightly went by in a breeze... no complications. I felt like both days were made for serene existence - just being in harmony with what each second brought. It felt like a fluid dance where the body merely went with the flow of music, like it had a mind of its own, like both were meant for each other. And, I glided, and swayed, and twirled - allowed myself to be swept away... paused to catch my breath... and went again - and again! Ah, delicious! :)

Thursday was special in that one group of my research students and I finally found what we were looking for in our work!! Our ploy, care of father Science, to cajole Mother Nature with a slew of relentless and methodical trials to reveal another one of her secrets to us paid off... she softened, and she spilled the beans! Hurray! :) And then, as if the angels were delighted by my squeal of excitement, they seemed to turn up the magical dust flow... somebody sent me an e-mail. Every word and punctuation in the e-mail, and especially the professional position of the sender - all of it made up a promising research-related partnership in the offing. Sweet! :)

Friday was heaven! In the morning and early afternoon, I gave lectures on my favorite engineering topic these days - flux modeling and process design in Membrane Technology. It went very well.... I thought I knew how much I loved discussing the topic, but even I was taken by surprise by just how "crazed" I was with it - I got completely lost in the lecture myself. I felt like I was going to burst in the seams... I needed several horsepower of sheer will to restrain myself from gushing! =) I lectured with brute force until I was blue in the face! I think that the students were close to clapping after the two-hour lecture... but they seemed to realize clapping would be weird in a regular class lecture - I would think the same, actually, even if the thought was delicious. :)

***

Friday evening was a Wonderland... just because it involved the (sizzling) hot John Mayer! A sister, three nieces, a friend and I went to see "John Mayer Live in Manila 10.01.10" at the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. The venue was open-air... and it was raining - cats and dogs! Undeterred by rain, we went and sang the night away with the fabulous John Mayer... talk about delicious! =) We had reasons to celebrate, too... it was a belated birthday celebration for one niece, a first job celebration for another, and a belated "congratulations" celebration for another who just passed the Nurse Licensure Examination - in one try, of course! :) So it was a good time to let our hair down and enjoy the music of one talented musician who came to perform in Manila - for the first time.

John Mayer was amazing... we had so much fun singing with him, and dancing to a number of his songs - in the rain! He treated his Manila fans with his "Room for Squares" songs, some with new arrangements and updated vocals, peppered with impressive guitar solos. His voice was husky, low, and "quiet"... even when he's all a-rockin' and fired-up - totally S.E.X.Y. Of course, the enthusiastic crowd was wowed... and they screamed, howled and twirled in the gushing rain! :) My personal favorites were "Love Song for No One", which he sang beautifully, and "Why Georgia" where he reiterated his hypothesis on "quarter-life crisis"... it's amazing how the emotional chaos in the lyrics could send shivers down one's spine - deliciously - by the carress of his voice... *gasp*... but, of course, just like everyone else, I died a little bit with "Your Body is a Wonderland" - colossally romantic and, oh, so sexy! Whew! :) It was great to hear him do a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" as well... adding the John Mayer touch - new arrangement a la "Neon", complete with his signature drawl, titillating discreet moan (oy!), and awesome guitar playing - whew, hot! So, that was probably why it was raining - some cooling effect was (badly) needed! ;) It looked like even the angels were pleased by JM that the rain stopped and let us enjoyed the last five or six songs with our umbrellas folded... the air all tasted of JM's music - and it was sweet and delicious!

We got hungry after expending tons of energy to contain the electrifying performance of John Mayer. So, we capped the night feasting on a really classic Pinoy treat - lugaw, in ... well, where else but in Lugawan Republic at Tomas Morato! =) I wanted to keep it "pure and simple", so I ordered a "basic" lugaw while everyone else got adventurous and ordered the more intricate variants. We also shared two servings of the mouthwatering tokwa't baboy while we viewed our photos and videos from the concert, laughing at each other like mad and eating like there wasn't enough lugaw in the world. :) We parted ways at the Lugawan... and made plans for another escapade con bonding soon. Needless to say, we went home all satisfied... wonderful experience - concert in the rain, great bonding time, celebrating milestones in my young nieces' lives with great music in the background, and belly-satisfied as well. Delicious!

***

Careful not to wake the village, I restrained myself from belting out "Love Song for No One" and tiptoed to my room from the JM Concert. Mindful of my "date" with former students the next day... well, on the same day, actually 'cause I got home after midnight, I went to bed trying to imagine what the mini reunion would be like. In the morning, staggering to the kitchen to fix myself my morning "shots" of coffee, I almost squealed at the sight of my "wooden finds" in the TV/living room - from my bargain hunt with my sisters two weeks ago! The shiny hardwood center table with laminated drawers greeted me with a truly smug artsy elegance... and I made a double take and wheeled towards it! :) I shook my head to think about how it got there... and remembered that the day before was the end of the 10-working day wait until its delivery. Aww, wow! And then, I remembered, I purchased one more... I turned, and there it was - my wooden console table! It wasn't as smug as the center table... but it stood with quiet and classic elegance, too.

I turned to grab the little table-top pieces of decor I picked up here and there while I waited for the new furnitures to arrive, and tried them on the center and console tables. The kind angels seemed to be paying attention to what I was doing, and what it did to my mood... the morning sun peeked through the windows to touch the top of the center table, and it shone beautifully - I was dazzled, it made me giggle! :) Suddenly, there was a surge of delicious energy that almost cancelled out my need for morning caffeine and I bounced around. I went about eating breakfast and listening to the morning news, admiring my "bargain finds" at the same time... as if the fresh memories of the JM concert the night before wasn't enough to bring smile to my lips. I was so happy, it made me look forward to my "date" with great anticipation!

***

Aah, Saturday!

After fulfilling a "daughter's duty", I raced to the University to attend my senior students' "Career Talk" Seminar. The speaker was my former student and thesis advisee who currently holds an intimidating position - regional level (Asia-Pacific) - in a giant multinational that is known for innovation and excellence... and she's married with two kids... and is only 35!

The moment I saw her... with her whole family in tow, towering waves of emotions hit me - joy, pride, longing, excitement, thankfulness... I floated with glee! She gave a really engaging career talk, simply because she's spoken on a very personal note... chronicling her journey to where she is now, learning very good lessons from every experience, and using all the lessons learned to move to the next phase of her career - better and wiser each time. The students and I were completely absorbed... deliciously awed! From a teacher's perspective, it was beautiful to watch her showing my current students how her present could be their very future... and I was surrounded by the delicious air of meaningful success! She made me feel how the past 21 years of committing myself to my profession was so worth it!

She went on to interact with the students until her family came back to remind her of the "real reason" why they were there - my ice cream date with the kids. :) I promised to treat her little girl to a cone of ice cream in the campus after getting one of the highest grades in her class in the second quarter... and her little boy for the wonderful progress he was making in his school, too. Her husband, who is making waves in his workplace as well, is also a former student of mine... in fact, they worked together in their undergraduate thesis, and I stood as their adviser together with a colleague. I was very young and extremely aggressive back then, and they matched my every step, my every leap as I sprinted tirelessly to accomplish as much as I could as the Laboratory Supervisor of my Department. Together, we made up the very young and productive group of Thomasians who had nothing else in mind but to make a difference for our Alma Mater in terms of modernizing our Laboratory facilities and programs... and we're successful, too! :) Working with them back then, I saw how they grew and matured to be promising engineers... I saw them get married and build their home a few years after graduation. Now, after several years, I was overjoyed to see them fulfill the promise I saw in them when they were still students - even surpassing them so impressively! But even more gratifying was the fact that they turned out to be very good parents... their lovely kids bounced around them cheerfully with a great sense of security in the warmth of their parents' nurturing affection. Obviously, they are very well reared and thoroughly loved lucky little souls.

Ah, the air tasted of the most delicious flavor of love! And, yeah, our ice cream date was a success - yum!

***

Compliments to "The Chef"!

I had an extra-special week, and therefore, I went to give thanks - extra-special way, too - to The One who prepared a sumptuous week-long menu and put those angels on a cook out mission! Rather than hearing mass in our Village church - a few meters away from our place, I went with a sister to hear mass in the Sto. Domingo church, about 10 km from our place. I offered prayers and lit candles for my current and past students, for my loved ones, and for my angels and myself. As I watched the smoke rose to the clouds... I found myself wishing that the angels turn them into magic dust once again. ;)

***

Hmmm, those kind angels must be giggling happily on that cottony and delicious Cloud 9. I just knew it... 'cause I was! :)

***

Morning ritual...

...augurs well to a great day!
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo

Ritual recipe: some coffee, a lot of Math, a little bling... and Goo Goo Dolls in the background!


It was another one of those days when a lecture heavy on Math was to be delivered, and the best way to make it look delicious to the students was to discuss an application in Food Processing. The topic was the Permeate Flux Model based on the Film Theory in Pressure-Driven Membrane Separation. The application? Ultrafiltration of milk and whey, of course! :)

While the lecture preparation can become gruelling sometimes, answering the tough question of how to garnish those prime cuts of technical meat with artistic touches via Powerpoint for an effective knowledge transfer, mine slides quite nicely with some Goo Goo Dolls lubrication. :) My mind stays alert throughout the cook-out by the periodic sips of that "stay-awake" potion called café and headache is shooed away by breathing air saturated with the potion's aroma. And to soften the all-tough task, I turn the fashionista volume in me a few notches up with a little bling! :) And so, the lecture becomes a fabulous concoction of all things tough, delicious and beautiful - absolutely irresistible! :)

For a while now, I have been happily savoring the sweetness of multilingualism in the Scientific World, speaking the ultimate language of Engineering - Math, the alphabet of Natural Sciences - Chemistry, and the fuel of human life - Food Science and Technology. It is a professional arsenal that is defined by the equation: Chemical Engineering + Food Science and Technology = Food (Process) Engineering, which basically is the yummy application of Math, with a huge serving of Chemistry - on the side... and I love it! :)

Life is good... finger lickin' good! ;)

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Sisterly bonding... shopping + eats

Girls just wanna have fun... and when sports won't do, shopping + eats certainly will! :)
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by Philipina A. Marcelo


So, after almost a couple of months, I finally spent a Saturday afternoon not glued in front of the TV tuned in to the Sports Channel - watching either tennis or soccer, relaxing. :) The US Open wrapped up last week... the Davis Cup is on, and the UEFA qualifying rounds are on, too... but I wanted a breath of Mall and Restaurant air for a change - so to the Mall and restaurant I went with two sisters - in our house clothes, too! Talk about "relax"! :)

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Shopping

So, on an older sister's suggestion, we went to check out the "Homeworld Warehouse Sale" at the SM Megatrade Hall together with a younger sister! Older sis "abandoned" her husband for the weekend to go bargain hunting with us! :) We found good items... I invested on some wooden furnitures - beautiful and artsy ones... and more than 50% off on their sky-high prices, too! So, I got a very good deal! :) That's the great news... the not-so-great news is that I will have to wait 10 days to have my purchases delivered. But that's fine 'cause I requested the manufacturers to give the pieces a retouch here and there to get rid of a few indiscreet scratches - maybe the reason why they were on sale. And, I think between me and my two sisters, we bought a gazillion of curtains! =) We got 50% off on most items - quite nice, too. So, yeah... we went a little crazy. :) But hanging our finds on our windows later made us feel that all five hours of squeezing ourselves through that intimidating "mob" of "ferocious" bargain hunters was worth every single hour! :)

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Eats

We originally planned to dine at some fancy place at "The Podium" - some plush place at the Ortigas Business Center. However, after depositing our purchases in the car, we were just too excited to see how the curtains would look like on our windows. :) So, we decided to just go ahead and eat at a nice restaurant close to our Village... and so, we drove home. And then, approaching Quezon Avenue along EDSA, we passed by the new "Eton Centris Walk" with all the glowing "mushroom heads" around - looking as if a space craft landed there! Hardcore Trekkers that we are, the place intrigued us, and we decided to check it out and eat there instead.

There was a limited choice of restaurants - Italian, Vietnamese, Thai and a few other chains. After experimenting on an Italian dish in my own kitchen last weekend, we were open to other options. So, we decided to eat at "Asya", a Filipino-Asian Restaurant. The ambiance was quite nice and the service was good. It was unique in that the head of the backrest of one of the chairs at every table was a drawing of an Asian person - Arab, Indian, Chinese, Filipino, etc. We chose a table with an Arab man's drawing - my younger sister's idea. :)

The food was good. We started with my younger sister's choice of crushed crispy catfish appetizer, garnished with thin green mango sticks, a variety of chopped nuts, chili and lettuce. It came with a vinegary dip with chili mix and chopped spring onion. The catfish was on the salty side... but when mixed with the garnish, wrapped in lettuce and soaked in the dip, it tasted heavenly! The texture was perfect, too! We then continued to titillate our taste buds with prawn Tom Yum soup. I thought I knew Tom Yum well... but the way Asya made theirs was interesting - the spicy spikes were delicately balanced by the rich flavor of coconut milk and the sourness of chunks of red tomatoes. The surface of the soup was lined with a thin membrane of coconut milk where finely chopped chilies were adsorbed. Sipping it was in itself a wonderful experience, with the sour taste, spiciness, and the coconutty flavor all blending in my taste palate in an interesting swirl - it was so good, I didn't realize I finished three servings! :)

My sisters and I then chose a dish each to share... I chose Pad Thai, my younger sis chose breaded Lemon Chicken, garnished with crunchy greens, and older sis chose Bagoong Rice, which came with unsalted scrambled eggs and smoked fish cooked in a sweet marinade, and garnished with chopped lemon grass, green mango strips, caramelized onions and crunchy garlic.

The Pad Thai looked too pale for me, but tasting it... the flavor was definitely not pale! The blend of Thai and Filipino spices balanced the fish sauce, it was hard to tell if it was even there, which was perfect for me because I do not really appreciate it whenever fish sauce becomes overpowering in a dish. The mix of bean sprouts and chopped nuts provided a crunch that complemented the noodle texture, which was just perfect. The chicken was excellent - very tender and tasty underneath a thin breading... and the lemon sauce was not overly sour - it has pale sweetness to it that eases down the palate just when it was about to scream "SOUR"! And chewing on the greens and the thinly sliced cucumber washed the palate - getting it ready for more tastes experience. The Bagoong Rice gave just that - the fermented fish ("bagoong") posed a salty challenge, but was balanced by the neutral taste of the unsalted scrambled fried eggs and the band of garnish that also provided a variety of textures and defined tastes. Together - the "bagoong ensemble" made an exotic taste that was absolutely irristible! :) Needless to say, we were totally satisfied that we even skipped dessert! :) The servings were so big, too, that we needed brown bags to take a considerable amount of left-over home.

Later, we walked off the carbs around the Centris Walk - watching the "mushroom heads" turn green, yellow, blue, purple, pink, and then back again! We had fun people-watching, too... and figuring out what the Eton Centris developers have in mind with the place's Zen facade, a carousel right by the entrance, and a Trekker touch at the square where the restaurants are... and, oh, a kiddie train rounded the square, too! The Asya staff shared that there will be bump cars at the square soon! Hmmm... interesting! :) We made a note to come back when the bump cars are up and running.... :)

So, yeah... time well-spent indeed! We did have a great time... not sure about my brother-in-law though who ate lunch left-over for dinner! =)

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Sports fan... what fun!

by Philipina A. Marcelo
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These days, the working equation in my life is:

2010 FIFA World Cup + 2010 Wimbledon = superbad productivity

I am almost ready to feel guilty... but then, the World Cup comes only once every four years... and Wimbledon is a tennis fan's tradition that's painful to miss - too painful! So, I have been converting most of my sleep time to sports time... and so I walk around like a zombie in my workplace these days... but you know, the sports fan in me couldn't be any happier! =) So, I guess, spending the days like a zombie isn't too bad after all... not if you see the likes of Diego Forlan, Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi, Kaka, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at least once a week - you may as well put "Zombie" as my middle name! Go right ahead, thank you very much! :)

Aaah, how could I feel bad when I am able to watch those beautifully graceful Spaniards, Brazilians and Argentines running like they're one with the wind... kicking the soccer ball with so much ferocity like their own mothers' lives depended on whether or not the ball was sent to the goal in a sharp thin path across thick walls of goal defenders?! It's like they're showing the world that there is another way to dance the Spanish Flamenco, Argentine Tango and the Brazilian Samba. Hmmmm... delicious!

Just a few hours ago, I saw Uruguay progressed from the Round of 16 after out-goaling South Korea, 2:1. It was beautiful to watch how the South Koreans fought to the finish - refusing to go down without a great fight! When the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the match, with Uruguay having one goal more than South Korea, the jubilation in triumph among the Uruguay warriors was beautiful to watch... and yet, there was joy in watching the South Koreans weep on their knees in defeat... joy because their tears confirm the hard battle they fought until the very end. And this is the beauty of sports, when played with passion, skill and camaraderie, some beautiful souls shine in the playing field... and it's just awesome to behold!

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A final quarterfinal... for now = turning point

“They all come to an end at some stage. You hope they don't happen, but they do. It was a great run...."

- Roger Federer, after being overcome by the rising tennis superstar from Sweden, Robin Soderling, in the 2010 French Open Men's Quarterfinals, right at the center stage of Roland Garros' red clay.

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by Philipina A. Marcelo


I think I know what RF means... yeah, I really think I do!

But, oh, no, no, no... I'm nowhere near RF's star streaked professional path - not even remotely close... not even in my wildest dreams - oh, no, not at all! But I know what it's like to be pitted right on a track where you're expected to work like an unfeeling human dynamo, delivering the goods to some people's delight without a question, when all you really want to do is enjoy life's gifts and see how far you could reach with all your cylinders fired up and blazing. Of course, in the beginning everything is fun and fulfilling - the adrenalin rush, the excitement, the laughter, the challenge of clearing formidable hurdles... and the conquest! And you keep going, tasting success, savoring it... pushing further - driven by impossible dreams and good intentions, powered by idealism, sustained by prayers and faith.

And then just when you're about to yell your gut out from all the exhilarating run, life suddenly becomes merely about satisfying people's expectations! Sometimes, the expectations are reasonable and worth the efforts, and you feel compelled to commit and go for them... but in most cases, they are just utterly ridiculous! It becomes sad when life is taken over by seemingly compelling reasons to oblige... luring you to wander away from the roots of your happiness - love. And then, when reasons become non-reasons, then the whole experience becomes just a tragedy... and you float like an empty shell with the shallowest reason for existing. And you just wanna get out... the sad thing is, exits are not conveniently accessible - they never are... and so, you grope for them blindly, stumbling miserably, and without any help from people whose gruesome hunger you fed in those days of naivety.

Fortunately, it is during these moments when love comes to your rescue... taking you by the hand, guiding you out of your misery, and out of your nightmares! And then life becomes rosy once again... and you know that's where you want to stay. Of course, you have gone through so much to know that it will not always be as rosy, but it's easier to imagine that it would always be a happier place, therefore, it's worth devoting one's life to. And so, everything else becomes just a memory. The achievements still bring an awesome feeling of rush and exhilaration whenever you think of them just because you have accomplished all of them very well - even under extremely discouraging circumstances - with the best intentions in mind, and with deserving people thriving from the fruits of your labor... but that's all that they ever will be - just memories. And it feels just about right - perfect, in fact!

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For the first time since 2002, I missed seeing Roger Federer in action in a Grand Slam Quarterfinals - it's a tennis fan sacrilege, I know! Dang! ;) But I had no choice, I had to satisfy a few expectations - not very unreasonable, but they still interrupt living, obviously! :) I had time to listen to RF's interview after his QF match though... and it's amazing to see how relaxed he was (not a single tear fell, hehe...), taking on questions about his unsuccessful QF run against the same opponent who tried and failed to stop him last year in winning his first ever French Open title - the rising Swede tennis superstar, Robin Soderling - the same guy who masterfully ousted the King of Clay himself, Rafael Nadal, last year from his very own kingdom in the City of Lights!

Maybe RF's composure come from being on top of a heap of incredible talents in men's tennis for the longest time now and from earning an iconic place in the tennis world as possibly the best player the world has ever seen. When one gets to a place like that, it must be easier to be experiencing defeat... just because those experiences no longer send questions on one's capabilities. They are mere glitches as a person like El Maestro, whose sublime talent and intrinsic genius is recognized by everyone, pushes his engine to its limits until its mileage is exhausted beautifully and good!

Still, maybe RF can afford to joke and give just a gentle shrug - almost nonchalant - as Soderling marches on to the semis because at the back of his head, with his new role as a father to beautiful twin girls and a husband to an obviously devoted and supportive wife, there is life after professional tennis! And maybe, pursuing such life would be as exhilarating as amassing Grand Slam titles at a rate that no one else could probably surpass in the future... and so, at this point, RF can afford to sit back and watch Robin Soderling battle it out with Rafa Nadal in the formidable red clay of Roland Garros, while he imagines hanging up his professional tennis racquet in a not-so-distant future? While my tennis fan's heart grieves over that, I can only wish RF the very best when he decides to do that... afterall, it has been a GREAT RUN - unparalled in its awesome glory! While that will become just a memory in the future, it will be a great memory - for him and his multitude of fans.

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Now that an old phase is coming to a close in my own career, I cannot help but wonder about Roger's run. While I certainly do not feel sadness or regret as I watch the end loom in the horizon, it's hard to rummage through tons and tons of memories, throwing away those that will wear my heart down as I move on, and keeping those that will give greater meaning in welcoming and pursuing this new phase that's about to unfold. I can't even lament the lost time when I think about those kids and their loved ones who might have benefited from my years of idealistic idiocy! I'm just too happy to see them all successful and excited about their own careers now... but, just the same, the idiocy has got to come to an end. And it will... and that's that.

Just thinking about the prospects of new beginnings brings immeasurable happiness... it's pure joy just to commence it! I do not only bring with me "awakened idealism", good intentions, faith and the benefits of great experiences as I navigate this approaching new phase, but I also bring wisdom that sprang from wonderful lessons learned... and, more importantly, I know it will bring me closer to a place I have been longing for - that place that will lay down my roots in the soil of this new phase - love. In that place, there will be no sad experience that will tear my heart apart - never again. And that's where I will stay... to take roots, to grow and flourish, until such time when all but love alone perish to mere memories once more.

Fourteen years... hundreds of students... hundreds of engineers, most of them chemical engineers - all successful now! Whew! And yeah, it may have reached the end but it absolutely has been a great run! And with a few more new concepts I'll be leaving behind as I prepare to fly, it will be an awesome finish, too! And, I certainly am all set and fired up for the next lap... so bring it on! :)


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Love is...

... the order of the day!

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by Philipina A. Marcelo


Aaaaww!

I have been a BIG fan - HUGE - of the heart-warming cartoon panel "Love is..." for more than four years now! I usually begin my day by reading the Gospel and then looking at the "Love is..." panel for the day. :) More often than not, my daily mood and productivity are somewhat positively influenced by how cute the panel was. :) It keeps me company all day, like a pretty rainbow behind the clouds of challenges on many fronts as the day progresses. The panel's magic is mostly rendered by its association with a beloved one... the one in whose heart-imprinted abode I used to find solace and immense joy.

I'm really, really busy right now, trying to beat a thousand and one deadlines... but today's panel is extremely cute, I just can't help myself... had to take a few minutes and write about it! :) While I have a number of favorites over the years, what makes today's panel more special and meaningful than others for me is that I have been hoping and envisionng the exact same thing in the drawing for the last how many months now... but I have been wondering whether it's still possible to be "where I want to be" after all these months of putting "the place" under "urgent professional stuff" in my stack of priorities as I ran all day - everyday - trying to beat these sickening deadlines, hoping they were all for keeping the fire of idealism burning... squeezing out what's left of selflessness, to be of service to humanity in whatever way possible... so that love would become even more meaningful in the end. Riding the dizzying professional twister, I did not realize how far away I strayed from what my heart truly desires though. But alas, I've had enough of running around - chasing things that are, at the end of the day, utterly meaningless to me! I know that now... I just hope it isn't too late... that I am not too late.

A few days ago, with my decision to stop this unnecessary wandering, I have been seriously figuring out a way to retrace my steps toward "the place"... only to see that someone else seemed to have claimed my place there. Naturally, the sorrow drained my energy, and it made me float like an eggshell - unfeeling and empty. :( I have been sluggishly moving about, uninspired and without passion... just going through the motion. And then, I saw this panel... and I realized, of course, it IS POSSIBLE to reclaim my place! And you can bet your bottom dollar that I will reclaim it! :) And I'd be where I want to be! So, help me, love! :)


Cartoon panel credit: Love is... by Kim Casali, conceived by and drawn by Bill Asprey. (http://www.gocomics.com/loveis/)

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Something happens… and I’m head over heels!

"Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure, nothing ever lasts forever..."
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by Philipina A. Marcelo


Tears for Fears Live in Manila!!

After more than a quarter of a century since I first heard them hit the airwaves and saw them sing their hit songs via music video, I finally saw them perform – LIVE - last May 2, 2010 in a soldout concert at the Araneta Coliseum... yes, in Manila… and with my sisters, too! :) It was the most eventful 2010 evening for me so far - awesome!

Straight from memory lane, it seemed, Tears for Fears, or simply TFF to their fans, burst into the Philippine sky and fell right on the centerstage of Araneta Coliseum in front of a TFF-hungry "80's Manila crowd"! As soon as the first note sounded from the keyboard, everybody knew TFF didn't come to Manila just to talk about the weather... or did they??

They didn't run in circles, they hit the ground sprinting with 'Mad World'... naturally the crowd went TOTALLY MAD! And then they followed it up with 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' without leaving a breather... and the breathless crowd almost brought Araneta Coliseum down to the ground! And, there was no turning back after that!

Roland Orzabal then slowed the phase down to say hello to the screaming Manila crowd... and his greeting drowned completely in the thundering noise in the Big Dome. Curt Smith took his turn, greeting Manila with "Mabuhay", and the crowd went wild... all I heard were my sisters screaming, "I love you, too!" Er, huh?? Yeah, both sisters are married - and their husbands were left at home! =)

With one foot in the past, the duo treated their fans with 'comforting and familiar' as well as brand new TFF songs. Roland and Curt each played songs from their solo ventures as well... you can totally hear the distinct boldness and metaphor in Roland's music and the melancholy quality of Curt's, wrapped in an endearingly soothing voice... and the crowd can't get enough of both! By the time they played the intro to 'Sowing the Seeds of Love', Araneta Coliseum was roaring, and it totally shook the Big Dome. Roland Orzabal did the slow version of 'Billie Jean', as in Billie.Jean of Michael.Jackson, in his signature booming angry voice. That drove one sister crazy! And she's always composed, so you can just imagine how that went! =) Something happened... and I think I COMPLETELY DIED somewhere between 'Pale Shelter' and 'Head Over Heels'... yeah, they sang those two hallmark TFF songs, one after another - relentless! Curt and Roland didn't have to sing much in 'Shout' or 'Woman in Chains' - we did most of the shouting, er, singing! =) We completely let it all out! The crowd was INCREDIBLE... the bottled up excitement for TFF music that got unleashed with a vangeance after more than a quarter of a century was dizzying - in a good way!! So worth the wait! =) Naturally, Curt and Roland were overwhelmed by the response. Roland wondered aloud why on earth haven't they traveled earlier to Manila when they traveled so many times to the Americas and countless European cities to perform, and here was this mob of TFF fans waiting for them to give some love, but getting only pale shelter for nearly three decades! But that evening of May 2, 2010, the performers and the audience were lost in admiration for each other - and no heart was broken either!

My 20-year old niece who just saw Justin Timberlake perform at the Mall of Asia arena went to watch the TFF concert with us and she was rendered completely speechless by the crazed crowd of mostly thirty- to forty-something, with tears fillin' up their glasses, singing with TFF with absolutely flawless lyrics! Her mouth fell open and stayed like that the whole time, shaking her head, not understanding. She's a music enthusiast, too... but I don't know... maybe one has to be an 80's person to have a real appreciation of the profound lyrics and unique sound of songs in that glorious era - TFF's lyrics are, without a doubt, among the most brilliant and thought-provoking in the 80's. The danceable tempo of TFF sound and the unique moves that went with it are simply one of a kind (check out the video of 'Mad World' for instance). In fact, I yelled their songs a lot and danced a lot in their concert - can't help myself there... I tried, but no dice! But hey... 300,000 calories spent and 6 lbs. gone in two hours... maybe more - nope, not complaining!!! =)

Before going to the concert, a friend of mine warned me about how one entertainment writer called a recent concert by TFF in the Bay Area as "disappointing". So, I didn't have great expectations. My sisters and I were just too keen to see two of our music heroes in the 80's, and we didn't really care if they faltered and messed up a few notes here and there. But surprise, surprise! They sounded almost exactly the same as we remembered after more than 20 years of absence - just AWESOME! I can't imagine 'disappointing' and 'TFF' in the same sentence after seeing them perform like that! :) Pure fun - absolutely unbelievable! :)

We went to grab smoothies in our favorite coffee shop after the concert to cool down and rehydrate. It was like coming out of the gym from an exhilarating workout... only that one had our brains working out as well... what with TFF's timeless metaphor - no need for gentle persuasion. And, because Roland and Curt taught us a long time ago that nothing ever lasts forever, we made the most of our momentary freedom from grown-up responsibilities, and allowed ourselves to get totally eightyfied! And, it felt good! Oh, sooo good! :)


Photo credits: Photos 1, 3, 4, 5, 6: Janzen Poala Marie Marcelo (the niece...she's not in any of the photos, of course! Hehe...); Photo 2: Grace Marcelo-Go

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