Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Happy birthday, RF!
Oh, and, uhm, on another cheerful thing... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROGER FEDERER!!! All the best in the US Open! Go for it! :)
***
Photo credit: Grabbed it somewhere... can't remember where - sorry... but thanks! :)
Monday, August 8, 2011
Footie! ManU prevailed over City to claim Community Shield
Ah, finally, footie days are here again... "emo days" are over! :)
==================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
And Wembley roared again!!
The battle for the FA Community Shield between The Red Devils and The Citizens didn't disappoint. It was an exciting match that thrilled more than 77,000 screaming fans in Wembley... and several millions more around the globe! Happy days are here again! Hurray for footie!
***
Manchester United FC - the 2011 EPL champs, and Manchester City FC - the 2011 FA Cup winners, went up against each other on the pitch of Wembley to battle for the Community Shield - the season opener. Fresh from their 2-1 win over (the mostly second team of) FC Barcelona in their Stateside friendly match, the nicely revived ManU squad asserted their dominance of English football by lifting the silverware - for the 15th time - via a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Citizens. And what a win, too!
While ManU dominated ball possession and attack in the first-half, all their attempts for goal were unsuccessful. The strong Citizens squad tightened their defense line, patiently waited for their own opportunities and slowly mounted their own aggression, too... their patience paid off. All of a sudden, the Red Devils had a steep mountain
Manchester City taking the early first-half lead, 2-0.to climb when the second-half opened, having been buried with a 2-0 City lead at the end of the first-half - to the sheer delight of the Citizenry in Wembley. The first City goal came on the 38th minute, through a crack in the ManU defense that was taken advantage of by Joleon Lescott via a follow-through header of David Silva's free kick. The second goal was a lucky try from Edin Dzeko, testing the new 20-year-old ManU goalkeeper, David de Gea, with a nothing-to-lose kick from several yards away, which didn't look unstoppable. De Gea had plenty of time to position himself for a clean save, but opted to keep his footing and went for a stretch. He caught the ball with the tip of his fingers, but only managed to slow it down as it went into his goal. Yep, I have to admit, I missed Edwin van der Sar right there and then... a feeling I'm quite sure Sir Alex Ferguson shared at that moment. :) De Gea hang his head as he walked to their dressing room on half-time. Aw, the poor thing!
ManU returned on the pitch looking unperturbed by the huge task in front of them in the second-half. They resumed their inspired
ManU's attacking crew, Ashley Young,
Wayne Rooney and Nani. aggression, stepping on the gas more forcefully, while City seemed to have cooled and slowed down their campaign. With the youthful aggression of Tom Cleverley, who came on from the bench for Michael Carrick, taking the rythmn up a notch with fast and decisive reactions, the Red Devil attackers were relentless. And, at 52nd minute, Chris Smalling finished Ashley Young's free kick with a flick to the goal, taking the score to 2-1. Wembley roared mightily as a wave of red in the stands rose and bounced! That rejuvenated the Red Devils, and they displayed brilliant partnerships on the pitch to create more chances, scattering the City defense. Nani then finished a nice play with a lift of the ball over City's goal keeper, Joe Hart, for an exciting equalizer! Wembley went berserk, of course! Patches of Red and patches of blue bounced crazily in the stands... and quite understandably, too!
And then, on injury time, de Gea channeled his "inner van der Sar" to stop an Adam Johnson aggressive attempt with a decisive punch. A-ha, our kiddo amigo has got "it" in him, after all! :) Wembley went crazy... and loudly, too! There was a stampede in front of de Gea's goal as 20 men scampered for the ball he just punched. Wayne Rooney caught it, and gave it a strong kick towards the sprinting Nani, who received beautifully and never looked back. City's stand-in captain, Vincent Kompany, gave Nani a spirited chase... the field in
Nani, the Portugese Red Devil - Man of the Match.front of Joe Hart was practically empty. I can almost hear Roberto Mancini's heart beating loudly in his own ears as he and his men watched helplessly the on-fire Nani sped towards Hart's goal with only about a minute to go. After seeing that Kompany, who was a step behind Nani, had no hope of overtaking the speeding Red Devil, Hart decided to try and foil Nani's approach with a block-of-passage advance - and positioned himself for an intercepting kick. But the Portugese Red Devil kept his composure... he avoided Hart with a fake and a quick side step to swerve to his left, losing Kompany behind him in the process, too, and then tapped the ball behind the goal keeper - the second in a brace of goals that scored ManU their winning goal! And that was how the Portugese winger became the Man of the Match, too. :) Whew!
While they were completely outclassed in all fronts and buried to definite defeat by the extraordinarily brilliant FC Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League fixture last May, also in Wembley, ManU seemed to have moved on from that humiliation. Granted that the itching-to-leave City's captain, Carlos Tevez, and the newly acquired Argentine striker, Sergio Aguero, did not
The Red Devils - victorious!participate in City's Shield campaign, hey, ManU was missing the retired van der Sar and Paul Scholes, and the sidelined Ryan Giggs as well. Therefore, it was as even a match-up as one could get out there on the Wembley pitch. And, if that ManU performance against City was an indication of things to come for the 2011 English Premier League champs next season, then it's going to be fantastic for the EPL! Add to that the possible arrival of Inter Milan's and Oranje's fast-and-furious and prolific striker, Wesley Sneijder, at Old Trafford, and you've got a problematic situation for Mancini, Arsene Wenger, and the new "pretty boy" of the EPL managers circle, Andre Villas-Boas. Ah, there you go... something to chase the economic blues away! :)
The new EPL season begins next weekend. Here we go, adrenalin pump! Can't wait! :)
***
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROGER FEDERER!!! :)
Photo credits: All photos were grabbed from the Zimbio website - thanks.
==================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
And Wembley roared again!!
The battle for the FA Community Shield between The Red Devils and The Citizens didn't disappoint. It was an exciting match that thrilled more than 77,000 screaming fans in Wembley... and several millions more around the globe! Happy days are here again! Hurray for footie!
***
Manchester United FC - the 2011 EPL champs, and Manchester City FC - the 2011 FA Cup winners, went up against each other on the pitch of Wembley to battle for the Community Shield - the season opener. Fresh from their 2-1 win over (the mostly second team of) FC Barcelona in their Stateside friendly match, the nicely revived ManU squad asserted their dominance of English football by lifting the silverware - for the 15th time - via a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Citizens. And what a win, too!
While ManU dominated ball possession and attack in the first-half, all their attempts for goal were unsuccessful. The strong Citizens squad tightened their defense line, patiently waited for their own opportunities and slowly mounted their own aggression, too... their patience paid off. All of a sudden, the Red Devils had a steep mountain
Manchester City taking the early first-half lead, 2-0.to climb when the second-half opened, having been buried with a 2-0 City lead at the end of the first-half - to the sheer delight of the Citizenry in Wembley. The first City goal came on the 38th minute, through a crack in the ManU defense that was taken advantage of by Joleon Lescott via a follow-through header of David Silva's free kick. The second goal was a lucky try from Edin Dzeko, testing the new 20-year-old ManU goalkeeper, David de Gea, with a nothing-to-lose kick from several yards away, which didn't look unstoppable. De Gea had plenty of time to position himself for a clean save, but opted to keep his footing and went for a stretch. He caught the ball with the tip of his fingers, but only managed to slow it down as it went into his goal. Yep, I have to admit, I missed Edwin van der Sar right there and then... a feeling I'm quite sure Sir Alex Ferguson shared at that moment. :) De Gea hang his head as he walked to their dressing room on half-time. Aw, the poor thing!
ManU returned on the pitch looking unperturbed by the huge task in front of them in the second-half. They resumed their inspired
ManU's attacking crew, Ashley Young,
Wayne Rooney and Nani. aggression, stepping on the gas more forcefully, while City seemed to have cooled and slowed down their campaign. With the youthful aggression of Tom Cleverley, who came on from the bench for Michael Carrick, taking the rythmn up a notch with fast and decisive reactions, the Red Devil attackers were relentless. And, at 52nd minute, Chris Smalling finished Ashley Young's free kick with a flick to the goal, taking the score to 2-1. Wembley roared mightily as a wave of red in the stands rose and bounced! That rejuvenated the Red Devils, and they displayed brilliant partnerships on the pitch to create more chances, scattering the City defense. Nani then finished a nice play with a lift of the ball over City's goal keeper, Joe Hart, for an exciting equalizer! Wembley went berserk, of course! Patches of Red and patches of blue bounced crazily in the stands... and quite understandably, too!
And then, on injury time, de Gea channeled his "inner van der Sar" to stop an Adam Johnson aggressive attempt with a decisive punch. A-ha, our kiddo amigo has got "it" in him, after all! :) Wembley went crazy... and loudly, too! There was a stampede in front of de Gea's goal as 20 men scampered for the ball he just punched. Wayne Rooney caught it, and gave it a strong kick towards the sprinting Nani, who received beautifully and never looked back. City's stand-in captain, Vincent Kompany, gave Nani a spirited chase... the field in
Nani, the Portugese Red Devil - Man of the Match.front of Joe Hart was practically empty. I can almost hear Roberto Mancini's heart beating loudly in his own ears as he and his men watched helplessly the on-fire Nani sped towards Hart's goal with only about a minute to go. After seeing that Kompany, who was a step behind Nani, had no hope of overtaking the speeding Red Devil, Hart decided to try and foil Nani's approach with a block-of-passage advance - and positioned himself for an intercepting kick. But the Portugese Red Devil kept his composure... he avoided Hart with a fake and a quick side step to swerve to his left, losing Kompany behind him in the process, too, and then tapped the ball behind the goal keeper - the second in a brace of goals that scored ManU their winning goal! And that was how the Portugese winger became the Man of the Match, too. :) Whew!
While they were completely outclassed in all fronts and buried to definite defeat by the extraordinarily brilliant FC Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League fixture last May, also in Wembley, ManU seemed to have moved on from that humiliation. Granted that the itching-to-leave City's captain, Carlos Tevez, and the newly acquired Argentine striker, Sergio Aguero, did not
The Red Devils - victorious!participate in City's Shield campaign, hey, ManU was missing the retired van der Sar and Paul Scholes, and the sidelined Ryan Giggs as well. Therefore, it was as even a match-up as one could get out there on the Wembley pitch. And, if that ManU performance against City was an indication of things to come for the 2011 English Premier League champs next season, then it's going to be fantastic for the EPL! Add to that the possible arrival of Inter Milan's and Oranje's fast-and-furious and prolific striker, Wesley Sneijder, at Old Trafford, and you've got a problematic situation for Mancini, Arsene Wenger, and the new "pretty boy" of the EPL managers circle, Andre Villas-Boas. Ah, there you go... something to chase the economic blues away! :)
The new EPL season begins next weekend. Here we go, adrenalin pump! Can't wait! :)
***
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROGER FEDERER!!! :)
Photo credits: All photos were grabbed from the Zimbio website - thanks.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday photo
This makes me tingle with "happie-ness"... it was taken in the summer of 2003 - a lucky shot. :) The Cornell Institute of Food Science welcomed new grad students with an "uncork New York" wineries and vineyards tour in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. Since we were "old students", we helped host the event. These ladies in the photo - dear friends both - were "lightweights"... therefore, only two wineries later, their cheeks were pink and they were already giggly happie! :) While the rest of the group "studied" the lunch menu in one vineyard, these two were trying it out - as a sunblock! =) Needless to say, the new students felt the warm welcome! :)
I'm only talking about wineries tour here... just imagine when we spent a few days in Las Vegas... or, the French Quarter in New Orleans! Ah-hahaha... uhm, ahem, sorry. =) Memories - incredibly fun ones! I miss these ladies... I do.
***
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday nostalgia...
...Trekker, trekkie!
=====================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
"When something is important enough, you make the time."
It's one of those important lessons that's incredibly vivid in my head, one which I always share with my students... and it came from Lt. Hikaru Sulu
"...to boldy go where no man has gone before." - a helmsman in the Starship USS Enterprise (NC-1701).
Yep, "Star Trek", baby! ;)
Call me geek, I don't care... I'm an avid fan! I got definitely caught up in that Starfleet-generated energy ribbon... starting from the original series, with Capt. James T. Kirk and his mandala-carrying half-vulcan, half-human Number One, Mr. Spock, to the "The Next Generation" of awesome techieness with Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his Number One, William Riker. I burned the boobtube to catch as many episodes as possible... and bought "used books", too! 'Cause, c'mon, which science fiction series is actually bold enough to tackle that incredible scientific abstraction called entropy without sounding like it was being presented with a footnote, huh? :)
Okay, so maybe "House" and "CSI" in the current times come close to cool geekiness... but, that's the
"...to boldly go where no one has gone before."thing, y'see... they are cool! =) The characters are wonderfully sarcastic or too pouty and fashionably flashy - too perfect to be true compared with the "traditionally geeky" spandex-wearing Star Trek characters with their seat-of-cheesiness fashion sense! :) In spite of that, the USS Enterprise crew uttered undying "quotable quotes" - the seriously serious kind. And they fearlessly took up "profound" engineering stuff like, uhm, a-hem, Fluid Mechanics, as if vena contracta is as common as an LV purse! :) Awesomeness? Definitely! :)
Alright then... beam me up, Scotty! :)
***
Photo credit: Photos are not mine - grabbed from other websites -thanks.
=====================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
"When something is important enough, you make the time."
It's one of those important lessons that's incredibly vivid in my head, one which I always share with my students... and it came from Lt. Hikaru Sulu
"...to boldy go where no man has gone before." - a helmsman in the Starship USS Enterprise (NC-1701).
Yep, "Star Trek", baby! ;)
Call me geek, I don't care... I'm an avid fan! I got definitely caught up in that Starfleet-generated energy ribbon... starting from the original series, with Capt. James T. Kirk and his mandala-carrying half-vulcan, half-human Number One, Mr. Spock, to the "The Next Generation" of awesome techieness with Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his Number One, William Riker. I burned the boobtube to catch as many episodes as possible... and bought "used books", too! 'Cause, c'mon, which science fiction series is actually bold enough to tackle that incredible scientific abstraction called entropy without sounding like it was being presented with a footnote, huh? :)
Okay, so maybe "House" and "CSI" in the current times come close to cool geekiness... but, that's the
"...to boldly go where no one has gone before."thing, y'see... they are cool! =) The characters are wonderfully sarcastic or too pouty and fashionably flashy - too perfect to be true compared with the "traditionally geeky" spandex-wearing Star Trek characters with their seat-of-cheesiness fashion sense! :) In spite of that, the USS Enterprise crew uttered undying "quotable quotes" - the seriously serious kind. And they fearlessly took up "profound" engineering stuff like, uhm, a-hem, Fluid Mechanics, as if vena contracta is as common as an LV purse! :) Awesomeness? Definitely! :)
Alright then... beam me up, Scotty! :)
***
Photo credit: Photos are not mine - grabbed from other websites -thanks.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
More reflections...
...on more of those very good things!
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Many things happened during the past how many days... all very good things!
***
All about choices
Like I said before, if I weren't starting the day in the University with a 7:00 AM lecture, I usually start it rather beautifully with a mass at the campus Church, usually at 7:30 AM... or 7:00 AM on good
The Santisimo Rosario Parish Church,
University of Santo Tomasdays. And, catching a homily from the Dominicans (you know, those "O.P. men") is usually a splendid experience for me... it brings out my most contemplative side - that part that is most aware of God's awesome presence in our midst! And the day proceeds in a fantastic way... like a walk in a fragrant garden with cheerful cherubim filling my thoughts with their delightful soft giggles, engulfed in the air of that mystic presence of the Holy Spirit.
Uhm, a-hem, yes, I'm exactly the same person who wrote that oh-gosh-inducing nostalgic post here a few weeks ago. =) Nope, I wasn't hallucinating when I wrote that either. :) It's probably another proof against the myth that we, "Catholic girls and women", are so boring that we are just about rosaries and prayer books. We are as
With former professor and fellow
Thomasians (UST Quadricentennial
Alumni Dinner, January, 2011). normal as every human beings in our natural ability to feel all sorts of human feelings. I guess, most of us are good in keeping things together in the right dosage. We slip up, of course... I believe it's called imperfection. But that's where the profound beauty of Catholic education comes in, I think. There's always that "buzz of reminder" engrained in our hearts that goes off when we slip up, or when we find ourselves trudging the dangerous boundaries of the "benign" zone of letting human frailities apparent. But this is not to say that other forms of education do not have the same wonderful effects on people. Perhaps, it's a matter of how a person let the good aspects of his or her education influence his or her conduct. That can be a struggle sometimes... but, hey, where's the beauty of living if there were no struggles?
Talking about "Catholic girls and women", I had such a wonderful experience last Friday... I was able to catch the 7:00 AM mass, and I got to hear the Gospel and the homily from one of my "favorite" Thomasian Dominicans, and in the company of a very good friend in the University, too. :) The Gospel was about the sisters, Martha and Mary... and the church was
The Dominican Fathers Residence,
University of Santo Tomas church. commemorating the feast of St. Martha, too, on that day. While I've always marveled the luck of the sisters and their brother, Lazarus, for being straightforwardly called "loved" by Jesus, I think that the difference in the sisters' personalities and how Jesus viewed them is totally interesting.
The practical Martha - always ready to extend a hand, render service lovingly to those who need them... and the contemplative Mary - who savors the sweetness of her faith in quiet contemplation, detached from the swirling hustle-bustle of the world around her. When Jesus and his disciples visited them in their house, Martha chose to take charge of the household chores while Mary chose to sit by Jesus's feet, which she bathed with her own tears, listening and thinking about his every word. But when the task was proving to be too much for Martha, she complained to Jesus about how Mary was not being of help to her. Jesus admonished Martha and told her to let Mary be... because Mary chose the "good part".
Hmmm... what a revelation, isn't it? Here we are, running around like crazy, thinking that our everyday activity is "crucial" to the continuous ticking of life's clock, forgetting to pause for the quiet contemplation of the incredible beauty that surrounds us. And, in the end, when our time is up, the swirling stops, the dust settles... and we find ourselves among the dust.
And yet, those moments when we took the briefest of pauses, those when we took the time to sit still, and made someone smile - by just being quiet and thoughtful with them as we savor God's kindness - were the little fragments of thoughts that seemed to float in the air endlessly into a beautiful swirl of awesome memories
The Fountain of Knowledge, UST campus.
of us in people's minds. It is probably why people hardly ever talk about a deceased person's professional accomplishments in eulogies... people often talk about how that person made them feel when he or she was still living. I myself never ever think about a deceased or dying person's professional accomplshments when I hear about their demise or illness. What comes to mind are always about how these people touched my life in ways that are unimaginable, and how their demise would leave a void in my heart... and that's what makes me miss those passed away friends and loved ones.
It is the choices we make in this life that define our legacy as individuals. And we can't go wrong by choosing God. Alas, it isn't about those shiny trophies and certificates in fancy cases - while they serve as helpful mileposts in our professional journey, they will rot and fade in time... it's all about the experience, the journey, and how much we have paused to appreciate the incredible gifts - of love, joyful moments with family and friends - that God handed to us along the way. It's about the time we spent thanking and praising God for these gifts. And it's about sharing those gifts with those who haven't found them, so that they, too, would find the courage to seek them... and rejoice in the awesome feeling of finding them.
***
Meaningful friendships: the condiments of a "tasty journey"
These days, I usually catch myself wondering why some days are less than enjoyable in my workplace. Today, I found the answer.
A former colleague and a very dear friend came with his wife - another former colleague and very dear friend - to give a career talk to our graduating students. These friends have been two of my great companions in that part of our professional journey where we confronted the towering challenge of modernizing our laboratory facilities and some aspects of our academic programs. Both being brilliant and extremely committed professionals, they were my stalwart allies in bringing changes that were unimaginable to our predecessors! The same changes that
A reunion with a dear friend and
her Dad (Singapore, Nov. 2010).fueled people's imagination and brought the "wheel of change" in motion in the four corners of our workplace. Those changes remained to be the solid framework on which more positive changes these days are laid upon... and we are joyful for it all!
During those joyful days, my two friends and I would spend many hours in those open-air good-for-the-budget fast food chains that served a great variety of rice porridge - for "25 hours" - as we figured our plans. :) We were dreamers - the very big kinds! We were incredibly in the same wavelength that we could talk about anything... and everything! From science to politics, teaching and engineering, love and marriage, family and friends, books and films, music and travels, faith and loyalty, romance and sex... and, shoes and clothes - the subjects are endless, and there was never enough time to cover all of them! And then, there was one more wonderful friend, younger than us, who joined our eating sprees... and she dropped by with her husband, too, today. Together with our other young friends, we made an incredible team. We were "feared" by so many... and admired by those who dared! =) But most of all, there was so much laughter among us, and we got everyone laughing with us, too. Great years, those were - most definitely!
And then, our paths slowly parted... I went to another continent - to study... and I missed my dear friends' wedding in the process. Another time, I went away again to study in yet another continent. When I came back, the husband and wife and their little family just completed a relocation to another country - career move - a
Somewhere in Stanford University, July 2010.decision made with a good future for the kids in mind, a fulfillment of a dream. Our young friend started to be busier with demanding studies, various scholarly pursuits, and budding family life, too. At one point, I contemplated another move to another continent... and it was the husband and wife, who spent one evening of their vacation in Manila with me, who helped me cement my decision to go for it - as usual, in that open-air rice porridge place! :) It was a fantastic decision with fantastic results! And I have the two of them to thank for so very, very sincerely.
After a short while, husband and wife went "country hopping" - career con familia move - while I served a self-imposed "lab slavery" in another continent. When I came back, our young friend was all set to move to another continent, too, with hubby - for "world peace" as we call it. :) And then, other friends moved to other continents, too. Soon, we were living in different countries... pursuing different things.
In our mini-reunion today, I re-discovered the immense happiness that I have been missing so badly in my workplace. They were the missing pieces of that "puzzle" - my dear friends. It was like being back to 15 years ago or so... when youth, not just youthful thoughts, were with us! Those days when we feared nothing... when age-related illnesses were unimaginable to us... when the world was a huge playground that was beckoning for us to explore... when our whole life was right in front of us - pregnant with exhilarating challenges!
While their brief presence brought me joy, I also knew that it was going to come to an end before the day ended. While we remained great friends, who understand each others' feelings without verbalizing them, I know, too, that we are now pursuing different paths - paths, that will no doubt cross often enough to savor friendship because they are made of the same basic stuff... faith, hope, idealism, sense of humor, and enduring love and care for each other. Therefore, I resolve to enjoy the remaining days in my present workplace without their physical presence... and to seek comfort and encouragement from our little successes as a team in the past when the going gets tough in the coming days... until the day that I myself depart for yet another "new adventure".
Life goes on... and we move on.
***
Photos: I own all photos.
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Many things happened during the past how many days... all very good things!
***
All about choices
Like I said before, if I weren't starting the day in the University with a 7:00 AM lecture, I usually start it rather beautifully with a mass at the campus Church, usually at 7:30 AM... or 7:00 AM on good
The Santisimo Rosario Parish Church,
University of Santo Tomasdays. And, catching a homily from the Dominicans (you know, those "O.P. men") is usually a splendid experience for me... it brings out my most contemplative side - that part that is most aware of God's awesome presence in our midst! And the day proceeds in a fantastic way... like a walk in a fragrant garden with cheerful cherubim filling my thoughts with their delightful soft giggles, engulfed in the air of that mystic presence of the Holy Spirit.
Uhm, a-hem, yes, I'm exactly the same person who wrote that oh-gosh-inducing nostalgic post here a few weeks ago. =) Nope, I wasn't hallucinating when I wrote that either. :) It's probably another proof against the myth that we, "Catholic girls and women", are so boring that we are just about rosaries and prayer books. We are as
With former professor and fellow
Thomasians (UST Quadricentennial
Alumni Dinner, January, 2011). normal as every human beings in our natural ability to feel all sorts of human feelings. I guess, most of us are good in keeping things together in the right dosage. We slip up, of course... I believe it's called imperfection. But that's where the profound beauty of Catholic education comes in, I think. There's always that "buzz of reminder" engrained in our hearts that goes off when we slip up, or when we find ourselves trudging the dangerous boundaries of the "benign" zone of letting human frailities apparent. But this is not to say that other forms of education do not have the same wonderful effects on people. Perhaps, it's a matter of how a person let the good aspects of his or her education influence his or her conduct. That can be a struggle sometimes... but, hey, where's the beauty of living if there were no struggles?
Talking about "Catholic girls and women", I had such a wonderful experience last Friday... I was able to catch the 7:00 AM mass, and I got to hear the Gospel and the homily from one of my "favorite" Thomasian Dominicans, and in the company of a very good friend in the University, too. :) The Gospel was about the sisters, Martha and Mary... and the church was
The Dominican Fathers Residence,
University of Santo Tomas church. commemorating the feast of St. Martha, too, on that day. While I've always marveled the luck of the sisters and their brother, Lazarus, for being straightforwardly called "loved" by Jesus, I think that the difference in the sisters' personalities and how Jesus viewed them is totally interesting.
The practical Martha - always ready to extend a hand, render service lovingly to those who need them... and the contemplative Mary - who savors the sweetness of her faith in quiet contemplation, detached from the swirling hustle-bustle of the world around her. When Jesus and his disciples visited them in their house, Martha chose to take charge of the household chores while Mary chose to sit by Jesus's feet, which she bathed with her own tears, listening and thinking about his every word. But when the task was proving to be too much for Martha, she complained to Jesus about how Mary was not being of help to her. Jesus admonished Martha and told her to let Mary be... because Mary chose the "good part".
Hmmm... what a revelation, isn't it? Here we are, running around like crazy, thinking that our everyday activity is "crucial" to the continuous ticking of life's clock, forgetting to pause for the quiet contemplation of the incredible beauty that surrounds us. And, in the end, when our time is up, the swirling stops, the dust settles... and we find ourselves among the dust.
And yet, those moments when we took the briefest of pauses, those when we took the time to sit still, and made someone smile - by just being quiet and thoughtful with them as we savor God's kindness - were the little fragments of thoughts that seemed to float in the air endlessly into a beautiful swirl of awesome memories
The Fountain of Knowledge, UST campus.
of us in people's minds. It is probably why people hardly ever talk about a deceased person's professional accomplishments in eulogies... people often talk about how that person made them feel when he or she was still living. I myself never ever think about a deceased or dying person's professional accomplshments when I hear about their demise or illness. What comes to mind are always about how these people touched my life in ways that are unimaginable, and how their demise would leave a void in my heart... and that's what makes me miss those passed away friends and loved ones.
It is the choices we make in this life that define our legacy as individuals. And we can't go wrong by choosing God. Alas, it isn't about those shiny trophies and certificates in fancy cases - while they serve as helpful mileposts in our professional journey, they will rot and fade in time... it's all about the experience, the journey, and how much we have paused to appreciate the incredible gifts - of love, joyful moments with family and friends - that God handed to us along the way. It's about the time we spent thanking and praising God for these gifts. And it's about sharing those gifts with those who haven't found them, so that they, too, would find the courage to seek them... and rejoice in the awesome feeling of finding them.
***
Meaningful friendships: the condiments of a "tasty journey"
These days, I usually catch myself wondering why some days are less than enjoyable in my workplace. Today, I found the answer.
A former colleague and a very dear friend came with his wife - another former colleague and very dear friend - to give a career talk to our graduating students. These friends have been two of my great companions in that part of our professional journey where we confronted the towering challenge of modernizing our laboratory facilities and some aspects of our academic programs. Both being brilliant and extremely committed professionals, they were my stalwart allies in bringing changes that were unimaginable to our predecessors! The same changes that
A reunion with a dear friend and
her Dad (Singapore, Nov. 2010).fueled people's imagination and brought the "wheel of change" in motion in the four corners of our workplace. Those changes remained to be the solid framework on which more positive changes these days are laid upon... and we are joyful for it all!
During those joyful days, my two friends and I would spend many hours in those open-air good-for-the-budget fast food chains that served a great variety of rice porridge - for "25 hours" - as we figured our plans. :) We were dreamers - the very big kinds! We were incredibly in the same wavelength that we could talk about anything... and everything! From science to politics, teaching and engineering, love and marriage, family and friends, books and films, music and travels, faith and loyalty, romance and sex... and, shoes and clothes - the subjects are endless, and there was never enough time to cover all of them! And then, there was one more wonderful friend, younger than us, who joined our eating sprees... and she dropped by with her husband, too, today. Together with our other young friends, we made an incredible team. We were "feared" by so many... and admired by those who dared! =) But most of all, there was so much laughter among us, and we got everyone laughing with us, too. Great years, those were - most definitely!
And then, our paths slowly parted... I went to another continent - to study... and I missed my dear friends' wedding in the process. Another time, I went away again to study in yet another continent. When I came back, the husband and wife and their little family just completed a relocation to another country - career move - a
Somewhere in Stanford University, July 2010.decision made with a good future for the kids in mind, a fulfillment of a dream. Our young friend started to be busier with demanding studies, various scholarly pursuits, and budding family life, too. At one point, I contemplated another move to another continent... and it was the husband and wife, who spent one evening of their vacation in Manila with me, who helped me cement my decision to go for it - as usual, in that open-air rice porridge place! :) It was a fantastic decision with fantastic results! And I have the two of them to thank for so very, very sincerely.
After a short while, husband and wife went "country hopping" - career con familia move - while I served a self-imposed "lab slavery" in another continent. When I came back, our young friend was all set to move to another continent, too, with hubby - for "world peace" as we call it. :) And then, other friends moved to other continents, too. Soon, we were living in different countries... pursuing different things.
In our mini-reunion today, I re-discovered the immense happiness that I have been missing so badly in my workplace. They were the missing pieces of that "puzzle" - my dear friends. It was like being back to 15 years ago or so... when youth, not just youthful thoughts, were with us! Those days when we feared nothing... when age-related illnesses were unimaginable to us... when the world was a huge playground that was beckoning for us to explore... when our whole life was right in front of us - pregnant with exhilarating challenges!
While their brief presence brought me joy, I also knew that it was going to come to an end before the day ended. While we remained great friends, who understand each others' feelings without verbalizing them, I know, too, that we are now pursuing different paths - paths, that will no doubt cross often enough to savor friendship because they are made of the same basic stuff... faith, hope, idealism, sense of humor, and enduring love and care for each other. Therefore, I resolve to enjoy the remaining days in my present workplace without their physical presence... and to seek comfort and encouragement from our little successes as a team in the past when the going gets tough in the coming days... until the day that I myself depart for yet another "new adventure".
Life goes on... and we move on.
***
Photos: I own all photos.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Reflection...
...on an inspiring lesson in life - the very good kind.
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Yeah, I'm guessing some of my students would be glad to know that I finally made time to visit the hair and nails salon, and the skin care spa... after more than two months now. Those kind souls,
Hmmm... I need to beef up the "blue section" of my
wardrobe. :)while they show touching appreciation of how I have been working like mad to make up for lost time at work when I was ill, they have been discreetly showing their disapproval at how I've been neglecting myself lately. I know it puzzles them why I've been looking like a "cavewoman" lately... not the delightful Carles Puyol-ish kind either! I did mention about putting work in the backseat for a day... but it never happened - but, of course! :( So, today, I thought I'd make an effort and do something to show my appreciation for their thoughtfulness - visit the salon and spa. :) But in doing so, I actually did myself a big favor! ;) I feel quite good... especially with my new nail lacquer color - metallic blue... and my first time to wear that color, too! :)
***
(A wonderful) Life begins at forty...
If my spa and salon people's extra-ordinary delight to see me surrendering five hours of my life (and not in front of the TV tuned in to sports channel, mind you) and submitting myself to a five-hour session with them was any indication of how badly I needed the visit, then I must have been a total mess! =) But none of their reproachful look and distaste when they first saw me enter their doors could turn me away... I walked in with my eyes closed - in complete surrender! :)
Since I forgot to bring my Food magazines (another indicator of my appetite threatening to turn into an endangered species on me), I passed the time scanning the covers of the gazillion of "salon magazines". I found one that was more than one year old, and dared to leaf through it... just because its cover promised to mention "football" in its pages. :) It turned out that the article was a "photo diary" of a "noisy" showbiz couple's trip to South Africa to watch the England National Team go down on their knees as they were walloped by Germany in World Cup 2010! I'm not sure if the couple even knew who were playing? =) The only "legitimate" reference to football was a photo of the pitch with the couple's painted faces in the foreground. Huh? face paints? Hmmmm... Nah, I still doubt very much if those two had an opinion about that football phenom called "offside rule"! =) I sighed loudly... and all the salon employees turned their heads to me knowingly, rolled their eyes, and then shook their heads in unison! I have such a bad reputation, I know... and I deserve it, too, I think! ;)
Disgusted with the magazine, I tried to settle it on the table... but it slipped through my fingers and fell on the floor. When I picked it up, I saw an article about Che Che Lazaro - my fave Filipino female journalist! Hmmm... and I thought to myself, now we're talking, er, reading! :)
The feature on Che Che was written to commemorate her Probe Production's last airing of "Probe Profiles" on its 24th year. It chronicled Che Che's illustrious broadcast journalism career. Starting out as a brilliant academician from the University of the Philippines, Che Che left the Academia to respond to the call of respectable journalism in-action - when she was in her forties. She was one of those who valiantly chronicled the EDSA People's Power of 1986, when the late Ferdinand Marcos was ousted, and the revolution put the burden of leading the Philippines on the shoulders of the late Benigno Aquino Jr.'s widow, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. It was a glorious start of a truly incredible career. Now, she's on semi-retirement as she chose to play the role of a doting grandmother to her first grandchild at the age of 65.
Che Che's story was truly inspiring. It is wonderful how she started her "second career" - the more illustrious one - in her forties. Underneath her calm façade, which earned her the distinct reputation for hard-hitting journalistic diplomacy, was a steel determination and relentless passion to do well. At some point, she even had to stand up against "commercialized journalism" - the exploitative and sensationalizing kind - and faced the formidable challenge of building her own broadcast journalism production to carry her signature program, "The Probe Team". She borrowed money from her husband, rented a little townhouse, which she converted into her Production's humble office, and hired idealistic journalists like herself to work with her. Soon, it became a stable of credible journalists and a firm with the seal of reliability... the most sought-after group for intelligent and fair journalism in the country. She worked as field reporter under (much) younger producers at "Probe Team", where her tenacity to do well served as professional model for her Team. One producer, younger than Che Che, said that she'd always preferred Che Che to do the field reporting herself because she could always be relied upon to do her utmost best to get the most unheard-of "sound bites" from their interviewees... or, she'd die trying! Her colleagues admire her for her incredible focus - even in the face of grave danger. She said that when one is focused, one tends to not see the peripherals, and therefore, becomes unafraid of any danger around.
So, there... inspiring. It makes women to dare painting their nails with metallic blue - for the first time - and... to boldly launch a new career - in their forties! ;)
***
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Yeah, I'm guessing some of my students would be glad to know that I finally made time to visit the hair and nails salon, and the skin care spa... after more than two months now. Those kind souls,
Hmmm... I need to beef up the "blue section" of my
wardrobe. :)while they show touching appreciation of how I have been working like mad to make up for lost time at work when I was ill, they have been discreetly showing their disapproval at how I've been neglecting myself lately. I know it puzzles them why I've been looking like a "cavewoman" lately... not the delightful Carles Puyol-ish kind either! I did mention about putting work in the backseat for a day... but it never happened - but, of course! :( So, today, I thought I'd make an effort and do something to show my appreciation for their thoughtfulness - visit the salon and spa. :) But in doing so, I actually did myself a big favor! ;) I feel quite good... especially with my new nail lacquer color - metallic blue... and my first time to wear that color, too! :)
***
(A wonderful) Life begins at forty...
If my spa and salon people's extra-ordinary delight to see me surrendering five hours of my life (and not in front of the TV tuned in to sports channel, mind you) and submitting myself to a five-hour session with them was any indication of how badly I needed the visit, then I must have been a total mess! =) But none of their reproachful look and distaste when they first saw me enter their doors could turn me away... I walked in with my eyes closed - in complete surrender! :)
Since I forgot to bring my Food magazines (another indicator of my appetite threatening to turn into an endangered species on me), I passed the time scanning the covers of the gazillion of "salon magazines". I found one that was more than one year old, and dared to leaf through it... just because its cover promised to mention "football" in its pages. :) It turned out that the article was a "photo diary" of a "noisy" showbiz couple's trip to South Africa to watch the England National Team go down on their knees as they were walloped by Germany in World Cup 2010! I'm not sure if the couple even knew who were playing? =) The only "legitimate" reference to football was a photo of the pitch with the couple's painted faces in the foreground. Huh? face paints? Hmmmm... Nah, I still doubt very much if those two had an opinion about that football phenom called "offside rule"! =) I sighed loudly... and all the salon employees turned their heads to me knowingly, rolled their eyes, and then shook their heads in unison! I have such a bad reputation, I know... and I deserve it, too, I think! ;)
Disgusted with the magazine, I tried to settle it on the table... but it slipped through my fingers and fell on the floor. When I picked it up, I saw an article about Che Che Lazaro - my fave Filipino female journalist! Hmmm... and I thought to myself, now we're talking, er, reading! :)
The feature on Che Che was written to commemorate her Probe Production's last airing of "Probe Profiles" on its 24th year. It chronicled Che Che's illustrious broadcast journalism career. Starting out as a brilliant academician from the University of the Philippines, Che Che left the Academia to respond to the call of respectable journalism in-action - when she was in her forties. She was one of those who valiantly chronicled the EDSA People's Power of 1986, when the late Ferdinand Marcos was ousted, and the revolution put the burden of leading the Philippines on the shoulders of the late Benigno Aquino Jr.'s widow, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. It was a glorious start of a truly incredible career. Now, she's on semi-retirement as she chose to play the role of a doting grandmother to her first grandchild at the age of 65.
Che Che's story was truly inspiring. It is wonderful how she started her "second career" - the more illustrious one - in her forties. Underneath her calm façade, which earned her the distinct reputation for hard-hitting journalistic diplomacy, was a steel determination and relentless passion to do well. At some point, she even had to stand up against "commercialized journalism" - the exploitative and sensationalizing kind - and faced the formidable challenge of building her own broadcast journalism production to carry her signature program, "The Probe Team". She borrowed money from her husband, rented a little townhouse, which she converted into her Production's humble office, and hired idealistic journalists like herself to work with her. Soon, it became a stable of credible journalists and a firm with the seal of reliability... the most sought-after group for intelligent and fair journalism in the country. She worked as field reporter under (much) younger producers at "Probe Team", where her tenacity to do well served as professional model for her Team. One producer, younger than Che Che, said that she'd always preferred Che Che to do the field reporting herself because she could always be relied upon to do her utmost best to get the most unheard-of "sound bites" from their interviewees... or, she'd die trying! Her colleagues admire her for her incredible focus - even in the face of grave danger. She said that when one is focused, one tends to not see the peripherals, and therefore, becomes unafraid of any danger around.
So, there... inspiring. It makes women to dare painting their nails with metallic blue - for the first time - and... to boldly launch a new career - in their forties! ;)
***
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday photo
"Hide and seek...." That's exactly the scenario between myself and my appetite for food these days. It's a recent health issue aftermath, I think. I'm not used to not having an appetite for food because I am, generally, a hearty eater... I guess, even in my major career choices that's apparent, too. A chemical engineering junkie, with special focus on "food engineering", which was obtained via a heavy dose (a.k.a. "academic lab slavery") of food science. ;) But, nope, I don't do human nutrition though... and while I love cooking and totally admire great cooks and chefs, that doesn't comprise my work as a scientist either... which doesn't mean I haven't been wishing that it did! :)
While I design processes, and study ingredients interactions that are relevant to process design, to develop food products... I don't really look deeply into how the food product I develop gets consumed in the human body - that's the job of a human nutrition expert. While I'm interested in that, too, I can't be dipping my fingers in too many bowls - no matter how tasty what those bowls are holding. "Focus", remember? ;)
What I do is relevant to eating per se, but the specific choice of food product, the processing of which I endeavor to design, is "market-driven" or "need-driven". Sometimes I get alerted by a market trend, where consumers show desire or fondness for certain products... but they have issues with the sensory or nutrition-related quality of the products. And since engineers are "problem solvers", problems on food quality related to processing are "solved" by food engineers! *wink* Most of the time, sensory and/or nutritive quality problems can be addressed by reformulation... and to do that, ingredients interactions must be understood. And that's when "good old chemistry" comes in - a food scientist's ballgame. In some cases, the formulation is perfect, and all that is needed is twitching the process here and there to control ingredients interactions to obtain the desired characteristics of the product... or simply design a new one! And that's when "good old process engineering" comes into play - a chemical engineering background is perfect for this sort of thing. In most cases, both chemistry and engineering are needed, in varying degrees, to successfully solve a problem. Luckily, my training usually allows me to work on both - food engineering, baby! ;)
Going back to process and product design motivation... other times I get alerted by nutrition and public health scientists who raise concerns about a need for a suitable vehicle to deliver certain nutrients to solve prevalent nutrition issues. In this case, my work begins from a "wish list" from a human nutrition scientist about specific needs. And then, "good old chemistry" takes center stage... formulation phase... to design the nutrient vehicle - the food product. Once happy with the formulation, process design commences... and then the design is adjusted here and there until the sensory quality of the product becomes acceptable to the target population. And then, the ball goes back to to the nutrition scientist's court - is the body "happy" with our design? If yes, fantastic! If not... well, fantastic, too - more challenges to keep our minds occupied with extremely interesting and tasty stuff... other than football and tennis, that is! :)
And still, sometimes, I get inspired by sheer "nerdiness".... and the lab becomes a fantastic place for "child's play" - the totally crazy... but "responsible" kind. :) These days, however, "nerdiness" hasn't paid me a visit... serious illness aftermath, too? Maybe.
So, how are these related to "hide and seek"? Hmmm... not sure. I just feel that I need to explain what I do to some people who most generously and so kindly invite me to sit as panelist in human nutrition planning - for the country - or, to be the judge in a fierce cooking battle among seasoned chefs - whoa! :) While I absolutely appreciate the faith, and the opportunity to render my professional service for a good cause, I'm afraid, I am really just a "good old problem solver" who is happiest when working in a pilot plant, hitting those clogged pipelines with those beautiful rusty wrenches (not that I've been doing that lately - sad)... rather than in an immaculate health clinic or an awesome industrial kitchen with fancy vacuum sealers. :)
So, there! I wasn't really hiding when you came seeking for me to do a "non-problem solver's job"... I was just keeping things honest - professionally. So, don't feel bad, okay? :)
***
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday nostalgia...
...Cornell University - a wonderful journey.
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
The Cornell University Product Development Team (DMI 2003):
Ten people, nine countries, four continents... and one University.
One of the most rewarding aspects of studying abroad is the opportunity to forge friendships with different people from different regions in the world. And when the opportunity becomes a real experience, it is personally enriching as it is professionally envigorating. It opens one's mind to the varied perspectives on global concerns - from serious to mundane - of individuals whose minds and personalities were shaped by the varied societies where they come from. Societies that, in turn, evolved through unique cultures and traditions, spiritual formations and common experiences of its members.
Cornell University is one of those academic institutions where diversity in academic pursuits - and openness in their pursuits - is encouraged in many levels. Such
My Rheology class - 14 people from 8 different
countries and four different fields of study.pursuits are always defined by dynamism and incredible enthusiasm that bore through one's deepest realm of interest... almost bordering obsession - formidable in its fierceness, joyful in its purity - and always defined by excellence. Cornell's campuses (there are four: three in New York State - Ithaca, Geneva and New York City, and one in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East) are some of those campuses where one, regardless of race and culture, religion and creed, will find a place... to grow and flourish, both as an individual and as a member of an academic community. A community where the only thing that's required to be common among its members is the discipline... and where hardwork is rewarded with the bliss of sweet academic fulfillment.
Being an Ivy League University, while prestigious, is not what makes Cornell special. It is the very reason for its foundation that makes it a
Homecoming... Cornell, in Ithaca, NY (June 2010).great academic institution. "Any person, any study." This is how Ezra Cornell, the University's founder, envisioned Cornell - a place of diversity. And now, with its nationally and internationally topnotch Academic Programs in the fields of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture, Planning and Design, Hotel Administration, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business and Management, and Medicine and Medical Sciences, among others, anyone with a serious intention to pursue a desire to search the depths of his or her academic interest, with an
Goofing around with "Uncle Ezra"... :) intention to use his or her findings to humanity's common good, will find a place there. Cornell will not only provide space for such individuals, but will also give a feeling of inclusion in its community. And the exciting pursuit is made wonderful and, indeed unforgettable, by friendships forged that span the globe... defy societal backgrounds and individual origins, and seek understanding in rather immensely delightful ways. And through those friendships, individuals transcend the biding of fulfilling personal goals, and seek, instead, to become a part of a global community where a greater goal is pursued. All these while having tremendous and outrageous fun... that sometimes even surprises one of his or her capacity for fun! :)
Ah, yeah... the thoughts of Cornell do bring warm feelings of
Great friends... six people from six
countries and three continents
(New Orleans, USA, July 2005).nostalgia... especially when I think about the people - great friends all - who made that part of my journey such a delightful and incredible experience. Such wonderful, wonderful people! I will always feel indebted to them.
No... I didn't just attend Cornell... I experienced Cornell, and it did transform many aspects of my life, especially those that needed transformation badly, in truly satisfying, absolutely fulfilling and delightfully unexpected ways. It showed me the many avenues where I could maximize God's gifts - avenues where narrowmindedness and shortsightedness have no place. And Cornell did become a part of me... a beautiful part that I will always cherish and value.
Nope, this most definitely won't be my last post on Cornell! :)
***
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
The Cornell University Product Development Team (DMI 2003):
Ten people, nine countries, four continents... and one University.
One of the most rewarding aspects of studying abroad is the opportunity to forge friendships with different people from different regions in the world. And when the opportunity becomes a real experience, it is personally enriching as it is professionally envigorating. It opens one's mind to the varied perspectives on global concerns - from serious to mundane - of individuals whose minds and personalities were shaped by the varied societies where they come from. Societies that, in turn, evolved through unique cultures and traditions, spiritual formations and common experiences of its members.
Cornell University is one of those academic institutions where diversity in academic pursuits - and openness in their pursuits - is encouraged in many levels. Such
My Rheology class - 14 people from 8 different
countries and four different fields of study.pursuits are always defined by dynamism and incredible enthusiasm that bore through one's deepest realm of interest... almost bordering obsession - formidable in its fierceness, joyful in its purity - and always defined by excellence. Cornell's campuses (there are four: three in New York State - Ithaca, Geneva and New York City, and one in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East) are some of those campuses where one, regardless of race and culture, religion and creed, will find a place... to grow and flourish, both as an individual and as a member of an academic community. A community where the only thing that's required to be common among its members is the discipline... and where hardwork is rewarded with the bliss of sweet academic fulfillment.
Being an Ivy League University, while prestigious, is not what makes Cornell special. It is the very reason for its foundation that makes it a
Homecoming... Cornell, in Ithaca, NY (June 2010).great academic institution. "Any person, any study." This is how Ezra Cornell, the University's founder, envisioned Cornell - a place of diversity. And now, with its nationally and internationally topnotch Academic Programs in the fields of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture, Planning and Design, Hotel Administration, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business and Management, and Medicine and Medical Sciences, among others, anyone with a serious intention to pursue a desire to search the depths of his or her academic interest, with an
Goofing around with "Uncle Ezra"... :) intention to use his or her findings to humanity's common good, will find a place there. Cornell will not only provide space for such individuals, but will also give a feeling of inclusion in its community. And the exciting pursuit is made wonderful and, indeed unforgettable, by friendships forged that span the globe... defy societal backgrounds and individual origins, and seek understanding in rather immensely delightful ways. And through those friendships, individuals transcend the biding of fulfilling personal goals, and seek, instead, to become a part of a global community where a greater goal is pursued. All these while having tremendous and outrageous fun... that sometimes even surprises one of his or her capacity for fun! :)
Ah, yeah... the thoughts of Cornell do bring warm feelings of
Great friends... six people from six
countries and three continents
(New Orleans, USA, July 2005).nostalgia... especially when I think about the people - great friends all - who made that part of my journey such a delightful and incredible experience. Such wonderful, wonderful people! I will always feel indebted to them.
No... I didn't just attend Cornell... I experienced Cornell, and it did transform many aspects of my life, especially those that needed transformation badly, in truly satisfying, absolutely fulfilling and delightfully unexpected ways. It showed me the many avenues where I could maximize God's gifts - avenues where narrowmindedness and shortsightedness have no place. And Cornell did become a part of me... a beautiful part that I will always cherish and value.
Nope, this most definitely won't be my last post on Cornell! :)
***
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Bits and pieces...
...of "so-what" information.
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Nope, no "Foodie" today. :(
Dear old appetite is still going on-and-off on me... and there's too much work, I can't concentrate on convincing my appetite to stay put when it decided to run away from me again. At least, it usually stays long enough to sustain life... just nevermind that even good old See's or Lindt doesn't sound as inspiringly mouthwatering as they should. While that's alarming, it's temporary... I hope. :)
I plan to spend the whole of tomorrow, chasing and seducing my renegade appetite. So, work, you're taking the backseat tomorrow.
***
Curiousity sustains the Duranie kitty...
With my appetite for food getting quite seriously "impaired", and remains "unrepaired", I concentrated on other forms of appetite... one of which is "curiousity", if you could call it a variant of appetite, that is.
Browsing through a few of Duran Duran's latest videos, I came across the fantastic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, or simply "Coachella Fest". Hmmm... it's been a long time since I last heard of it... starting from the Pearl Jam gig there the very first time, and last year's appearance of Echo and the Bunnymen - yes, them, of the 80's "Killing Moon" fame - one of the most remarkable songs in the "second British Invasion" playlist of the 80's! That EATB should grace the stage of Coachella was quite remarkable indeed!
"Dance into the fire..." Uhm, anytime... I guess! :)
Two years ago, I even grabbed a Coachella "sort-of-a-t-shirt" when I did a presentation in a conference in California and had a chance to roam. But I lost the t-shirt. Ugh! Anyway, this year DD scored a slot in the Fest - and, on the last day, too... opening their segment with "Planet Earth" and with the beautiful sky ablazed in the flaming color of sunset in the background. They were awesome, of course! Nick Rhodes's brilliant touches gave DD's distinct sound a very "now-sounding" quality about it. With the still deceivingly sullen-looking but actually incredibly fast-and-hard-hitting Roger Taylor on drums and the unbelievably talented John Taylor on bass, DD's rhythm section is still crazy, crazy, crazy! C.R.A.Z.Y! The beautiful JT is still totally rocking that bass... at 51! Whew!
"Girl panic!" Aww, what else!
And, man, Simon Le Bon, I think sounds great! His voice is so much better... it's less "shrieky". Of course, the shriekiness was fine in the 80's - a part of the Duran sound appeal, in fact - but now, this more toned down and deeper quality in his voice appeals to my also-grown-up taste. :) And he looks good, too! Unfortunately, his throat is quite impaired, too, lately, forcing the band to postpone their "All you need is now" British tour - a first in a long time. I hope he gets well soon... 'cause the world deserves more from this wonderful band! It's fantastic - almost moving - to see them still passionate and having fun doing what they do best: DD music. I hope I could get away from work to see them perform live... again... when they resume touring. Aww, gosh!
***
Kick-ah America
And so, the side that kicked out the Albicelestes from their own backyard lifted the Copa America silverware! The Óscar Tabárez managed National Team of Uruguay picked up their country's 15th Copa as they beat Paraguay, 3-0, in the final. Wasn't I just talking about Tabárez last Saturday? Hmmm... he's really got it in him. He led Uruguay to the semis in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa - the last South American Team standing, bowing only to the Oranjes, who went on to challenge the eventual Campiones - the fabulous Spanish side, of course - in the final!
And what do you think alerted me with this info, despite my inactivity, away from the football scene eversince Lionel Messi and the rest of the Albicelestes were ousted by Uruguay from Copa about two weeks ago... ah, what else but the most "reliable" football news site of 'em all - kickette.com?! :) Those gals (or are they?) writing in that website are unashamedly and unremorsely scandalous - unbelievably hilarious! =) I survived my health ordeal over the last three months because of the very potent daily "laughter medicine" from that site - totally awesome! :) Now, the "healing medicine" has turned to an "addictive" drug - the fabulously potent, devoid of any decency, laughter-inducing kind. =)
Alright, that's it... my "hobby time" is up. I think I need to get some work done now if I were to spend tomorrow taming my recluse appetite - for food.
***
Acknowledgement: Thanks, YouTube and www.ca2011 for the video links and photos.
======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Nope, no "Foodie" today. :(
Dear old appetite is still going on-and-off on me... and there's too much work, I can't concentrate on convincing my appetite to stay put when it decided to run away from me again. At least, it usually stays long enough to sustain life... just nevermind that even good old See's or Lindt doesn't sound as inspiringly mouthwatering as they should. While that's alarming, it's temporary... I hope. :)
I plan to spend the whole of tomorrow, chasing and seducing my renegade appetite. So, work, you're taking the backseat tomorrow.
***
Curiousity sustains the Duranie kitty...
With my appetite for food getting quite seriously "impaired", and remains "unrepaired", I concentrated on other forms of appetite... one of which is "curiousity", if you could call it a variant of appetite, that is.
Browsing through a few of Duran Duran's latest videos, I came across the fantastic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, or simply "Coachella Fest". Hmmm... it's been a long time since I last heard of it... starting from the Pearl Jam gig there the very first time, and last year's appearance of Echo and the Bunnymen - yes, them, of the 80's "Killing Moon" fame - one of the most remarkable songs in the "second British Invasion" playlist of the 80's! That EATB should grace the stage of Coachella was quite remarkable indeed!
"Dance into the fire..." Uhm, anytime... I guess! :)
Two years ago, I even grabbed a Coachella "sort-of-a-t-shirt" when I did a presentation in a conference in California and had a chance to roam. But I lost the t-shirt. Ugh! Anyway, this year DD scored a slot in the Fest - and, on the last day, too... opening their segment with "Planet Earth" and with the beautiful sky ablazed in the flaming color of sunset in the background. They were awesome, of course! Nick Rhodes's brilliant touches gave DD's distinct sound a very "now-sounding" quality about it. With the still deceivingly sullen-looking but actually incredibly fast-and-hard-hitting Roger Taylor on drums and the unbelievably talented John Taylor on bass, DD's rhythm section is still crazy, crazy, crazy! C.R.A.Z.Y! The beautiful JT is still totally rocking that bass... at 51! Whew!
"Girl panic!" Aww, what else!
And, man, Simon Le Bon, I think sounds great! His voice is so much better... it's less "shrieky". Of course, the shriekiness was fine in the 80's - a part of the Duran sound appeal, in fact - but now, this more toned down and deeper quality in his voice appeals to my also-grown-up taste. :) And he looks good, too! Unfortunately, his throat is quite impaired, too, lately, forcing the band to postpone their "All you need is now" British tour - a first in a long time. I hope he gets well soon... 'cause the world deserves more from this wonderful band! It's fantastic - almost moving - to see them still passionate and having fun doing what they do best: DD music. I hope I could get away from work to see them perform live... again... when they resume touring. Aww, gosh!
***
Kick-ah America
And so, the side that kicked out the Albicelestes from their own backyard lifted the Copa America silverware! The Óscar Tabárez managed National Team of Uruguay picked up their country's 15th Copa as they beat Paraguay, 3-0, in the final. Wasn't I just talking about Tabárez last Saturday? Hmmm... he's really got it in him. He led Uruguay to the semis in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa - the last South American Team standing, bowing only to the Oranjes, who went on to challenge the eventual Campiones - the fabulous Spanish side, of course - in the final!
And what do you think alerted me with this info, despite my inactivity, away from the football scene eversince Lionel Messi and the rest of the Albicelestes were ousted by Uruguay from Copa about two weeks ago... ah, what else but the most "reliable" football news site of 'em all - kickette.com?! :) Those gals (or are they?) writing in that website are unashamedly and unremorsely scandalous - unbelievably hilarious! =) I survived my health ordeal over the last three months because of the very potent daily "laughter medicine" from that site - totally awesome! :) Now, the "healing medicine" has turned to an "addictive" drug - the fabulously potent, devoid of any decency, laughter-inducing kind. =)
Alright, that's it... my "hobby time" is up. I think I need to get some work done now if I were to spend tomorrow taming my recluse appetite - for food.
***
Acknowledgement: Thanks, YouTube and www.ca2011 for the video links and photos.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Saturday photo
Just a few days ago I was sort of ranting about my frustration over health issues that won't go away, preventing me from dealing with backlog at work... and in life as a whole. And so, the backlog steadily grew into a mountain... and a very intimidating one, too! There was no help in sight either. The people who were supposed to help me were pushing me over the edge instead, as if my physical pain wasn't already battering me thoroughly. Running out of patience, I was ready to retreat. But taking the cue from Óscar Tabárez, the Uruguay football National Team's headcoach, who, when asked about what he planned to do to stop Lionel Messi when Uruguay was to meet Argentina in the Copa America quarter-finals, said, "if you have a problem but not the solution, why worry?" He had a point, of course... in fact, his demeanor earned Uruguay a place in the semi-finals, ousting the Argentine hosts, including the phenomenal Lionel Messi, in an exciting duel that befitted a championship! They went on to beat Peru in the semis, and are now set to face Paraguay in the final. Isn't that a totally remarkable feat for a team that was supposed to be beset with the seemingly unsurmountable "Messi problem" just last week? :)
And so, inspired by Tabárez's practicality, I detached myself from it all... went home, prayed... and slept! The next day I woke up feeling so much better - the pain subsided. Talk about miracle! Of course, my first stop that day was the church... and the Gospel was about casting one's burden upon God... for the yoke He will give us is easy, and His burden light. He did say, "come to me and I will give you rest." And rest, I did have. Just like that, and my physical pain sank to the bottom of my worries... as hope floated.
***
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)