Speaking of standing by one another...

...I had "Thanksgiving Dinner" with wonderful people.
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by PAM


It's always great to know that whatever sort of challenges life brings, there will always be people you could count on to stand by you to meet those challenges... people who will stand their ground even in the face of the most perilous of challenges.  Among family, it's usually called Love.  And, among friends/colleagues, I think it's also called "Teamwork"... or both!  How ever anyone might want to call it, such an awesome relationship is a blessing from God that deserves to be celebrated and nurtured!  

We have so much to thank God for... all the marvelous blessings
we received amid the challenges of 2013.

My family and friends/colleagues had our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner for 2013 this evening... and it was a beautiful, beautiful time!  Many of my colleagues/friends were not able to make it as they were attending family events that coincided with the Dinner... but, just thinking of them made the celebration complete. :)

Here's looking forward to more reasons to give thanks for in 2014... cheers! :)

***

Family time...

...is always a great time!
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by PAM

This is what I love about the holiday season... it brings many opportunities to celebrate the gift of family and friends.  Today, it was wonderful to experience being "kids" again with my

Less (expense) is more... as long as love is in our midst.

siblings, nieces and nephews, and even with our 'grandchildren'... as we celebrated the 49th birthday of my cousin-sister... at McDonald's! :)  

There weren't McDonald's outlets yet in the Philippines during our kiddie days... and we would usually celebrate our birthdays with pancit (noodle dish) cooked by our mother, and cake bought from good old Merced Bake Shop (a real treat back then)!  Haha... 

As our cousin-sister is about to become "golden girl" next year, her kids decided to have her experience celebrating kiddie party at McDonald's!  But the bigger reason is making sure that the celebration is fun and memorable... minus the high expense, as they'd rather use the money to help the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).  And because of that, the celebration is something we are certain we'll remember for the rest of our lives.

In any case, the bond of love among us is enough to celebrate for... not to mention, we are all 'crazy' enough to figure out 'hilarious ways' to enjoy our being together. :)  Therefore, yes, we had so much fun! :)

***

Saturday photo

High School buddies... in the house, yo!  :)

It's hard to believe how it has been almost 30 years now when we parted ways, graduating from High School, to pursue our passions to College... and through life.  Only one or two of us actually became what we thought we'd become back in High School though.  Even I... well, nobody thought I'd pursue, and actually finish, Engineering in College (least of all pursuing Engineering to Graduate School!)... and then  teach afterwards!  

Back in High School, I was the one who was going to become a very good and hard-hitting journalist or a famous novelist, or a renowned political scientist... and then a humanitarian lawyer!  :) One of my High School buddies said, it's not too late to pursue my "real passion"... even considering what I've become, and what I presently do, which is a million miles away from what I thought I'd become!  Ya know what... that's not such a bad idea!  :)

We'll see what 2014 would bring.  Hmmm... exciting!  :)  

In the meantime, friendship - that's the one thing that we haven't lost over the years.  And, in this season of love and hope, it feels great to be reunited with very good friends... the kind who would stand by you - no matter what.  Now, that feels really great!  :)

***
     

Music day Friday...

...today!
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by PAM


It's been a very busy (joyfully busy, that is) few days, preparing for this-and-that holiday-related stuff.  Good to slow down a bit and just chill with some relaxing (pop) music.  For some reason, the first song that comes to mind is the first song I heard when I played that little radio I had in Lund, Sweden, as a visiting scholar in Lund University, Autumn of 1999 to Summer 2000...

"Sunshine through my window, that's what you are - my shining star.

Making me feel I'm on top of the world, 

telling me that I'd go far."

---"Sunshine" by Gabrielle.  It was my first time to live in the Scandinavia... and I chose the best time to go: autumn, which was actually the beginning of more than six months of biting-cold winter!  It was my first time to live in a place where English is not the native language... and it was surprisingly manageable.  People were nice, accommodating and efficient.  They seem quiet and aloof compared with us, Filipinos, and it was not easy in the beginning, especially in the middle of all that winter gloom where the predominant color is grey against virgin white snow.  Coming from a colorful tropical country that is gaily a-buzz-buzzing from overpopulation all year round, that was a major change for me.  As soon as I get to speak with my research adviser though, every thing changed!  She was incredibly nice... and it was because of her and all the people I worked with in the University, including the friends I made in the Catholic Church there, that Sweden will always be one of the nicest places on earth for me.  Come to think of it, Sweden was beautiful... especially, Stockholm, whatever time of year! :)

Aside from Academics, I did many things while in Sweden... I went hiking many times, running in all sorts of terrain, met many, many very interesting personalities, made many great friends, and went traveling, shopping and bar-hopping with some of them in various places in Scandinavia... most of all, I think I first learned the meaning of the word "innovation" from the Swedes!  Yeah, I'd love to go back to Sweden... hopefully, sooner than later! :)

Speaking of Sweden, this old ABBA song comes to mind, too...

"Tonight the Super Trouper, 

beams are gonna blind me, but I won't feel blue like I always do 

'Cause somewhere in the crowd there's you."

..."Super Trouper", one of the least known songs by the Swedish quartet, but for some reason, it's one of my biggest favorite ABBA songs.  The emotions expressed in the song seemed honest and real, and yet, it didn't lack the 'ABBA quality' that's easy to listen to.  

Of course, the theme from my favorite teleserye these days comes to mind, too...

"Tell me how two people find each other in a world that's full of strangers.

Got to believe in magic...'cause it's magic when two people fall in love."

"Got to believe in magic" performed by Juris (originally from David Pomeranz) - the theme of ABS-CBN's teleserye, "Got to Believe" starring the cute duo, "Kathniel" (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla).  I swear, if I had kids, they would be as adorable as Kathryn or Daniel! :)  I hope that these two would stay as nice and good influence to young people... and I hope that "Got to Believe" would continue to mirror Filipino traits and values: family-oriented, loving, polite, honest, humble, God-fearing, resilient and persevering, fun-loving and service-oriented.

Oy, Music Day is a good day... and  "me time" is awesome time!

***

A joyful Christmas to all...

...from my family to yours!

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by PAM

"Dear brothers and sisters, today, in this world, in this humanity, is born the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Let us pause before the Child of Bethlehem. Let us allow our hearts to be touched, let us allow ourselves to be warmed by the tenderness of God; we need his caress. God is full of love: to him be praise and glory forever! God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world. Let us allow ourselves to be moved by God’s goodness."

         - Pope Francis

           From his 2013 Christmas Message

Joy to the world... today and everyday!

Simple but joyful, quiet but fun, exchange of inexpensive gifts but given with heartfelt intention to share blessings... an opportunity to joyfully celebrate God's love as one family, amid all the gloom that the challenges of 2013 brought.  Tuloy ang Pasko!  

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!  Him in our midst and us being in His loving and merciful heart is all that matters.  We continue to live a joyful life... a life of service to Him - in love and in peace, and sustained by faith and hope.  Merry Christmas! 

***

Saturday photo

Paul Marion J. Demapelis, a Thomasian - numero uno!
University of Santo Tomas - numero dos!

Amid all the gloom that typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) brought comes a ray of hope for rebuilding: the Filipinos' resilience because of strong faith in God... coupled with the commitment and idealism of budding engineers in the country.

Aside from those disturbed sleeps we've had because of typhoon Yolanda, we have had a few more sleepless November nights, just waiting, waiting... waiting for the results of the November 2013 Civil Engineers Licensure Examination given by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Civil Engineering.  Nope, we weren't doubting our graduates' capabilities, and their commitment to pass the daunting Examination - aw, man, not at all!  We were simply excited to see how our graduates would fare compared with their peers from 227 Engineering Schools in the country.  

And here's how they did:  out of 3,168 passers from 6,584 Exam takers, one of our graduates took the #1 spot (Paul Marion J. Demapelis), and two others shared the #3 (Kristoffer Dave A. Tabong) and the #9 (Randolph C. Camaclang) spots with other passers from other Universities in the Top 10 passers who obtained the highest scores.  More importantly, they distinguished our University in that pool of 227 Universities in the country that were represented in the previous Examination.  They captured the #2 spot for us in the Top Performing Schools (schools with more than 50 exam takers and 80% or better passing rate) in the country by posting a passing rate of 91.79% (that's an incredible 179 passers out of 195 exam takers) against a national passing of 48.12%.   Of course, we are VERY PROUD of them, and VERY PROUD of their mentors in the Civil Engineering Department!  :)

And, today, I am proud to see them taking their Solemn Oath as professional Civil Engineers, wearing their Dominican Crosses around their necks... and that renders the oath to be a true vow to practice their profession with honor and integrity, and with firm commitment to excellence - all in the service of those who need their help, and for God's greater glory.  May God bless them always!

***

Thomasian Christmas: "the precious gift of self and selflessness"

"A Season full of Grace"... Christmas 2013.

"As another memorable year draws to a close
With the long anticipation almost over
It is once again that time of the year the world awaits -
the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ
A season that speaks of the greatest love,
the profoundest joy, and the most heartfelt of intentions
The precious gift of self and selflessness
We offer to you Lord as we continue in our mission
to walk in the light of faith, to be witnesses of truth
to aspire for things ideal, and to be bearers of the Good News
With firm belief and fervent hope
We say our sincerest prayers
for you and your family
to be blessed abundantly with unending grace
to flourish continuously, this season and always.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

         - Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O. P.
           Rector, University of Santo Tomas


***
Image:  "A Season Full of Grace" by Dante V. Lerma, M. D.
             2013 Acrylic on Canson paper, 32 x 24 cm

***

Wednesday nostalgia...

...a proud moment for a teacher.
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by PAM


Just a couple of years ago, I was gauging, calibrating my approach in my teaching in order to effectively reach them, how I could effectively mentor them.  I was feeling my way through to build a two-way road where I could help them understand and appreciate Momentum Transfer, Thermodynamics, and Membrane Technology.  We did manage to find each other where there is enough light for illumination.  At some point I believed I saw them transition

Congratulations to the newly licensed Thomasian Chemical
Engineers!  May you illuminate your work places with your light
of Thomasian values.  Be good engineers!  Serve, and serve well.

from young people aspiring to become engineers to actually blossoming engineers.  I believe this was during our "Product Innovation Challenge + Mini Expo" event.  Along the way, there were ups and downs, too... man, were there ups and downs! :)  There were 'ugly moments'... but there were countless beautiful moments as well.

And then, they graduated... and then they have become all-ready to conquer the world with a "Thomasian Engineer passport".  And, this afternoon, they just earned themselves a "visa" to practice their profession in the so-called "real world"... and, boy, am I proud!  To see them with wide-eyed hopefulness as they savor their first 'success' as professional, which they earned on their own... like toddlers who took their first step unaided... aw, man, it was priceless indeed!  I'm glad that, in spite of all the heavy challenges today, lady luck showed me a hint of a smile, and I managed to squeezed in a few minutes to see them take their oath as newly licensed Chemical Engineers.   

Congratulations to the new batch of newly licensed Thomasian Engineers - all 69 of them!  We're very proud of you guys!  I wish you great things in all your future endeavors.  Godspeed.

***

Holidays = rest days...

...it's all I want for Christmas!
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by PAM


I thought I'd never outgrow the child-like feeling of anticipation and excitement, looking forward to unwrapping gifts in this season of gift-giving and merry-making... but I did!  Now, I wish for nothing else but some "me-time" during the holidays... gifts are good, but I prefer quality time for much-needed rest.  

It's been a really, really exhausting year!  I cannot even begin to look back to the past 11 months without cringing over that challenging roller coaster ride of 2013!  I don't think there is a word to describe the exhaustion that I feel right now.  No matter how profound the inspiration to offer one's time and self to meet the challenges, it is unfortunate that the body is not immune to 'wear and tear'.  Since last week, I basically am just languishing through the days, just wishing for the year to be over soon, with the thoughts of the coming holiday and the cheers it brings as my inspiration to keep going.  

Yep, dude, I'm so looking forward to the holidays when I could just sleep in... think of nothing but give my tired bones and 'battered' body and mind some rest.  I'm so looking forward to a few 'slow days' when I could just wake up at 8:00 in the morning and drink my coffee lazily as I watch our furry bundle of cute antics does his thing. I am so looking forward to spending hours in a rocking chair under our mango tree, just

"Me-time" is leisurely reading time.  Oy, what a great time!

reading leisurely as my mind and body recuperate from all the incredible challenges that 2013 so mercilessly hurled in front of me.

***
Two months ago, I celebrated Alice Munro's win of the Nobel Prize in Literature.  I've always been a big fan of hers. I love her works - the simple words, crocheted into an alluringly beautiful story that unknowingly draws one into a maze that is the intricacies of human nature, engages one to relate his/her own understanding of himself/herself with Ms. Munro's views as if the story she was telling was the reader's own story, and coming out of it with much amazement.  

Early this year, I bought a 2009 Alice Munro paperback, "Too much happiness", that I meant to read during summer.   It is a compilation of 10 short stories.  Yep, I could get as sentimental as buying paperback even when I maintain a 'relationship' with my iPad. :) Anyway,  summer 2013 passed, and I only managed to read one short story!  Not even Ms. Munro could weave a web of great imagination that could hold me in a momentary blissful trance that only reading literary works could do... that's how extremely busy 2013 had been. :(  Nevertheless, I'm still

Holiday theme:  making quality time
to appreciate this 'borrowed time' more.

thankful.  I feel blessed with so much opportunities to make this borrowed time useful and meaningful.

This holiday season, I have the 'perfect' gift to myself - read the Munro book in its entirety! :)   Of course, I intend to finally 'devour' my Thor comics as well - even get "The Dark world" DVD if it's already available - and, spend time reading those articles on The Economist that I missed during the last three months or so, and feast on a few 'camera tricks' with my photography stuff, too, if I could get some more "bonus" time. :)  Hopefully, the body could recuperate enough to enable the mind and heart to find ways to give more in 2014.

Yep, I am so looking forward to have some much deserved (man, I hope so!) "me-time" during the holidays. Uh-huh, it's feeling a lot like Christmas already! :)

***

Saturday photo

Our kind elf ushers in Christmas 2013...
...amid the usual glitters is a giving heart.

It's feeling a lot like Christmas... if it isn't on a standstill, traffic crawls in the Metro whatever time of day, colorful lights are a-twinkling and a-blink-blinking as soon as the sun sets in the horizon, Christmas carols fill the airwaves, people are smiling, kids are shrieking with delight and excitement as they see gifts piling up under the Christmas tree, Churches are adorned with Christmas decors with the Nativity scene as the centerpiece.  Beauty, beauty everywhere!  Yes, it's that time of year! 

It's that time of year when we all pause... check that the centerpiece of our lives is still our relationship with God, check that all that we desire in this life is anchored in God's will as we surrender our lives to Him who is almighty, merciful and loving, check that we still view the world with the optimism of our Blessed Mother, check that we fulfill our mission in this world with St. Joseph's humility and obedience, and welcome all of God's goodness with the purity of heart - as pure as the baby in the humble manger... who is the very reason for Christmas.   

Christmas is just around the corner... and we pause as we pray, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men!"

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