Down the Rabbit Hole

That sums up what I felt as I entered the UPLB Sigma Beta Sorority's Road Rage 4 at the temporarily covered the Student Union Building's parking lot. A lot of jazzed up cars and a continuous stream of loud music greeted me as I went past the entrance... this was what it must have looked like being on the set of The Fast and The Furious. If Japanese music was playing in the background, then it would be the set of Tokyo Drift. I half-expected to see the makings of a drag race, or a drift race, with all the cars with the lamborghini doors propped up, and all the revving of the engines (one car even had flames coming out of the exhaust!). One of the attention-grabbers was a small van with a disco in it (complete with pillows, a wine rack, a smoke machine,a lava lamp, a disco lamp, and some seriously loud music. Then there were the cars with paintings all around the body, and lights glowing underneath the doors. Best of all were the entertainment systems propped at the back of ...

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season in western Christianity. The priest's homily during the 7pm service at the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Los Banos reminded the attendees of the significance of today's commemoration. Indeed, why is ash placed on the forehead? The priest related the answers of some of the people he interviewed. One said that people around him were going to church, so he went with them. Another person said that he did not know what Ash Wednesday is all about. The third person replied that he wanted to make a strong statement to the whole world that he is a good Catholic. Putting ash on one's forehead, the priest said, does not make one a good Christian. What makes a person a good Christian is his heart. The ash serves as a reminder of the commitment one has made with his Creator. It is but a step to being a good Christian.  Forty days from today, we will be commemorating the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus. T...

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season in western Christianity. The priest's homily during the 7pm service at the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Los Banos reminded the attendees of the significance of today's commemoration. Indeed, why is ash placed on the forehead? The priest related the answers of some of the people he interviewed. One said that people around him were going to church, so he went with them. Another person said that he did not know what Ash Wednesday is all about. The third person replied that he wanted to make a strong statement to the whole world that he is a good Catholic. Putting ash on one's forehead, the priest said, does not make one a good Christian. What makes a person a good Christian is his heart. The ash serves as a reminder of the commitment one has made with his Creator. It is but a step to being a good Christian.  Forty days from today, we will be commemorating the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus. T...

Rating: ★★★★ Category: Movies Genre: Comedy Hilarious... Two thumbs up... It was the second movie I've seen where the audience interacts with the cast! This year's perfect Valentine's movie for unattached people... I just don't know if it premiered in Philippine theatres during that weekend. I ought to get a copy of the movie. :)

On our way home, my sister and I found ourselves sitting in a traffic bottleneck at an intersection caused by a five-car collision... late at night! Why is anyone in his/ her right mind rushing at that time of night?! To top that off, the driver of the car behind us was also  in a hurry, honking the car's horn away as traffic enforcers sorted out the mishap. After a few minutes, though, the car overheated and the hood was steaming all over. In defensive driving class, the adage "expect the other drivers to be stupid" must be true. How else could anyone explain why a driver would turn right on a corner from the inner lane of a four-lane road? Tailgate at an intersection (or anywhere for that matter)? Drive a vehicle with headlights and taillights switched off at night? Drive after drinking alcohol or without having adequate rest? Or ride motorbikes without helmets?

On our way home, my sister and I found ourselves sitting in a traffic bottleneck at an intersection caused by a five-car collision... late at night! Why is anyone in his/ her right mind rushing at that time of night?! To top that off, the driver of the car behind us was also in a hurry, honking the car's horn away as traffic enforcers sorted out the mishap. After a few minutes, though, the car overheated and the hood was steaming all over.  In defensive driving class, the adage "expect the other drivers to be stupid" must be true. How else could anyone explain why a driver would turn right on a corner from the inner lane of a four-lane road? Tailgate at an intersection (or anywhere for that matter)? Drive a vehicle with headlights and taillights switched off at night? Drive after drinking alcohol or without having adequate rest? Or ride motorbikes without helmets?

Fe brought her daughter, Hannah, to the office before going to the FebFair. Looks like Hannah was groggy while the officemates tried to make her smile. :)  

I kept noticing how bright the moon was during the UPLB FebFair. It was the week of the full moon, and I just had to get a shot when the sky got clear enough, when thick clouds did not block the view... and I once again regretted not having my tripod with me on a week like this. A lunar eclipse had occurred on February 9, 2009 at about 8pm, the first of the four penumbral lunar eclipses that will happen this year. I was actually looking up at the sky while it was happening and I didn't notice the shadow on the moon's surface! Perhaps it's because of the clouds... but still, I feel sad not realising what was going on. I only learned that it had taken place while looking over eclipse schedules days after the event! The picture above was taken the night after the eclipse, exactly 24 hours after, at 8:31 pm because that was when the sky got clear, with only wisps of clouds here and there. I was at the parking lot near the office... not too many buildings, trees...

After taking all the moon shots I wanted, I drove off the parking lot at work on my way home. The full moon wasn't the only attraction that night, it seems. As I traversed Pili Drive, and approached the guard house, some brightly lit object streaked the sky towards Mount Makiling! At first it was a hot white blob set against the ink black sky (the wispy clouds and the moon were behind me), and then it split apart. The bigger blob was still white while the smaller one was bright green. And then, both objects faded into the night.  Left-over fireworks? Probably. But I did not hear the usual boom of a fireworks display. The likely place where fireworks would originate was the Freedom Park area, where the FebFair was located, and which I was going to pass on my way home. However, the blobs of light came from behind me, and it was unlikely for fireworks displays to be staged in the residential areas in a night without a fiesta.  How about a shooting star? Maybe. The ...

 Never realised how fast time flies! It's been seven years almost since I graduated from my B. Sc., and the thought of a reunion made me consider what I have done the past years since I've left UPLB. The reunion was great! I had a fab time catching up with some of the attendees because of my abbreviated stay (literal eat and run)... I only had the lunch hour to spare that day because I was about to submit a paper to a refereed journal (which I hope will get accepted).

FebFair 2009 , a set on Flickr. My annual pilgrimage to Freedom Park: on Wednesday, I brought Neerja along to try the food at the International Students' booth. The tapioca in coconut milk and the rice rolls were yummy, and cheap too! On Friday night, Tita Ruby and I checked out the even more chaotic scene, and decided to eat at the Student Union building. After Tita Ruby's left, I began searching for classmates. Unfortunately, the crowd I usually went with hadn't replied to my text messages. :( Nevertheless, I still had an enjoyable evening taking pictures (my only regret was not lugging the tripod along in anticipation of the crowd - tsk tsk) and meeting up with friends I rarely see, like Abby and RJ, whose company I enjoyed immensely :D

Neerja (India) and John (Ghana) were present to partake in our love for pizza and pancit. Unfortunately for me, these had shrimp and calamari; I couldn't eat them, so I took pictures of them. Good eats! Happy bday, Kuya Jun!

Tita Babie was in the Philippines for a visit in time to watch the Sto Nino parade of the Philippine Independent Church. The statues were garbed in unique costumes: some were in Boy Scouts' or police uniforms, some were wearing red and yellow just like Jollibee. Then there were those wearing more traditional attire. ... there are just way too many statues of the child Jesus on this day (at least in my opinion).

Lola Bats visited her friends in Padre Garcia after Christmas in 2006. She was so excited to see everyone that she forgot she had to walk around slowly. Nothing beats being home to ease one's joint pains :D

A little typhoon did not stop me from bringing Lola Bats to Padre Garcia, Batangas to join the festivities. It was a good thing too... the rains were concentrated in Manila, but the farmland was relatively dry. Gala si Lola!