baby bob marley

9:34 AM Steph

 the power of reggae!


on keychains, vinegar eels and puke

11:19 PM Steph

lit's only yesterday from the very first time i became a patient of my doctor (way back 2008) that i noticed this at the reception area of his office:



an A0 sized cork board full of keychains from different places.  i was amazed by the sheer volume of keychains attached to the board that i had to take a picture of it.  i know from our conversations that he has traveled to different  countries to train other doctors or visit factories where he can source newly developed medicines fro his patients.  i just didn't realize it's that many until i saw the board.

after my doctor's appointment, my mom and i had lunch at mang inasal.  i've eaten at mang inasal before but it's the first time i noticed those wriggly, very thin strands of worm-like creatures inhabiting the vinegar. i noticed i've been staring a lot at fixed objects so much lately. that's probably why i chanced upon those little critters swimming around the vinegar.  anyway, i called the manager and inquired what those wriggly critters are.  turns out, he doesn't know what they are called, but he assured that it's safe to use the vinegar.  those critters are part of the fermentation process because they are using natural vinegar from coconut.  a few inquiries with mr. google and i found out what those little organisms are: they are vinegar eels (Turbatrix aceti).  they are in there for a reason.  they eat the microbial culture used to make vinegar and then die off once all the bacteria has been consumed. the presence of both the eels and the bacterial culture in the vinegar are not harmful, still it's ewwwness.   from now on, i won't be eating mang inasal vinegar.  just the idea of all those squirming little critters moving inside my mouth gives me goosebumps.  i wasn't able to take a picture of the wriggly fellows but i found this at youtube:



another ewww-worthy addition to my day yesterday was this woman.  we saw her on our way to my qc apartment so i can get some stuff that i'll be needing for my next trip back to work.  she was puking non-stop from baclaran, up to the pearl of the orient building.  outside the window of their very new vehicle.  we had to change lanes and slow down a lot so we can avoid catching all those vomit she was carelessly spitting out.  her companions should have been very horrified/embarrassed by her public display of grossness.

PS3

11:20 PM Steph



I was supposed to go to the mall on the 11th to buy a PS3 for someone who really wants it.  Oh well, just enjoy your flash games for now.

comics from xkcd

Mamihlapinatapai

5:28 PM Steph

Mamihlapinatapai: A look shared by two people with each wishing that the other will initiate something that both desire but which neither one wants to start.”

Geek Bar

3:29 PM Steph


how much progress have you made so far?

Disappointment

1:36 PM Steph

Fallen

4:59 PM Steph

Fallen from Sascha Geddert on Vimeo.

coming to terms with what life has to offer, however short it may be.

Finally!

9:00 AM Steph


so i finally bought a new laptop after almost fourish years of using Acer dearie.  the reason being i thought Acer gave up on me already. i was wrong.  oh well, he has served his purpose (well, not really.  thesis is still in the making, hehe).  he's now in the care of my younger sister whose laptop just broke down.

my new travel companion is a Lenovo Ideapad Z360, which i bought at the cheap laptop haven of the Philippines, Gilmore.  i also, upgraded to Windows 7 after months of agonizing over it.  

i wonder if i'll finally be able to finish the darned thesis, though. hmmmmm

where i've been lately

3:42 PM Steph

i've been amiss in my blogging duties lately.  been working, and traveling (on the side, hehe).  and i have pictures to prove that!
during one of our 'digs'.  yes, i work in close proximity to heavy equipment, and i also wear one of those orange shirts with reflectorized stripes. plus a helmet. and safety glasses. oh, and steel-toe boots!  safety first!

hmmm... so i work with unexploded ordnance a.k.a. UXO, in Laos.  I learned yesterday from the National Geographic Channel that the US dropped a massive amount of bombs in this country.  How massive, you ask?  Oh, it's just about much much much greater than those they dropped at Europe, Japan, etc. during the World War II, combined.  And our site is at the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, so you can just imagine the number of bombs we're dealing with.  enough about history, here are some of the babies recovered at the site, which we periodically bury for QC purposes during our surveys.

 

yes, i am living a dangerous life. =P oh well, it pays the bills plus a whole lot of other stuff, including vacations:




Malacca, Malaysia


Bangkok, Thailand

travel bug

3:02 PM Steph



this travel bug will be traveling soon. =D





lazy saturday

2:43 PM Steph

i'm in the mood to update this blog today.

it's another lazy saturday.  the skies are gray and it's relatively cool today.  i opted not to go home to the province in hopes of having a good long rest today.  i woke up to the sound of birds chirping (although i live in the city, there is a patch of land in front of my apartment cluttered with trees and shrubs which is home to several birds (and mosquitoes during rainy season).  oh, and my next door neighbor breeds lovebirds).

i had a breakfast of toast with butter and strawberry jam, care of my dear housemates.  lunch was left-over fish tinola on rice, some watermelon and a flavorful almond-vanilla ice cream for dessert (thanks to my housemate's friend), some orange juice, and finally, freshly steeped lemon tea (from thailand, care of jan).

maybe later i'll go out and watch a movie or do some shopping.  and then start reading this operations manual for the equipment and software that i'll be using for my new job.

ah, life.

work = jet setter

2:17 PM Steph

it's been what?  two months? since i last wrote an entry here.   been busy lately.  will be working abroad soon.  for those who want me away, don't be too happy just yet, i'll still be in the country most of the time.  i'll be out 24 days (work) and be back in the country for 18 days (vacation); go back abroad for 24 days (work), back to the Philippines for 18 (vacation) *repeat for a total of two years.  talk about being a jet setter. 

oh well, i need to make money for plans i've set up for the future.

Earth Day by Google Doodle

10:11 PM Steph


today is Earth Day

I Love You Earth :-*







lightning

8:08 PM Steph

take a look at these photos taken from the presently erupting Ejafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano in Iceland:


photographers have reported seeing these spectacular bolts of lightning which seem to have come from the volcano.

neat huh?

i wonder what the science behind this phenomenon is.


Photo credits: Jon Pall Vilhelmsson, Associated Press; Lucas Jackson, Reuters





SPAM is evil

2:55 PM Steph

and i am talking about the food, not junk mails


being too lazy to cook lunch, i decided to open up a can of juicylicous SPAM (which has been in my food storage for a while now), cut them into thin slices and then heat them up on the stove.  i didn't use any oil to heat the slices up as the pan i used is non-stick.  look how much oil accumulated inside the pan after all the slices has been heated (errr... fried)


that's about two tablespoons of fat and cholesterol. haha

still ate the stuff though... nothing beats the taste of pure evil. *hehe

MMDA's Go Green Metro

2:11 PM Steph

i'm currently loving the new color of foot bridges here in the metro:




refreshing green =)

although i am a big fan of pink, the hue (hot pink, whoa!) that MMDA previously chose for the footbridges is really an eye sore.

repainting the bridges green is part of MMDA's new program, Go Green Metro, which is in line with the celebration of Earth Day this month.  Apart from footbridges, all fences, urinals and flyover will be painted green as well. 

plus, we can also look forward to more trees lining our streets:


weeping figs (Ficus benjamina) will be planted on center islands of major and secondary roads... i have a concern however on root system of this tree.  according to wikipedia:

The United States Forest Service [1] in Fact Sheet ST-251 states "Roots grow rapidly invading gardens, growing under and lifting sidewalks, patios, and driveways."

i wonder how the MMDA will handle the destructiveness of this tree's roots.  i hope they have a plan/mitigating measure in mind.

anyways, i'm just so happy to see more green things here in the metro.  for the Earth!

Cebu Dancing Inmates

11:55 AM Steph





 Now here's another treat from the "Dancing Inmates" of the  Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC)






choreography:  Travis Payne (long time choreographer of Michael Jackson)
back-up dancers:  Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid


Einstein and PI

8:16 AM Steph






today 3/14,  is PI day and Albert Einstein's birthday

hoooray to two of the most famous and important entities on Earth!


2:22 PM Steph


and this is what i've been tinkering on for the past two days

cables
  


rusty tools


and copper sulfate porous pots
  


i feel like a boy =|

 

Male Nudity anyone?

10:00 AM Steph



here are funny japanese videos showcasing the male anatomy. hehehe








peeechuuurrrr!

1:20 PM Steph


i can't help but love myself in this picture =D
hehehe



blurry vision and a lot more

11:09 AM Steph



my eyes have been really blurry since last week.  dunno if it is due to lack of sleep or my eye grade has really risen (again)... but i'm more inclined on thinking that i need to rest my peepers more.  anyways, since my lenses are due for replacement, i'm currently thinking of which color/s to buy this time.  of course i'd still buy a set of the good old-fashioned-just-tinted-ones, but is saw this add at the centris station where a pair of colored lenses costs just a little above 1k.  and these lenses are already good for use for a whole year.  not sure of the quality though.  anyways, it's just for kaartehan.



schedule will really be hectic this week... got an exam tomorrow, a lunch date with a friend on wednesday, another lunch date on thursday, facial sometime this week.  mani-pedi needs to be squeezed in too.  plus a dentist's appointment.  oh and a class exercise due on friday.   and grocery shopping.  i wonder when i will be able to buy my new lenses.  probably after i have rested my eyes enough to reduce this pesky blurry vision.  i want to make sure that my eyes only need rest instead of another increase in grade before buying my lenses.  

after the exam, i'll sleep earlier and start unbreaking my new year's resolution/s.







bitter melon

10:11 AM Steph



finally!



after numerous [FAILED] attempts, i got to cook this dish yummily and beautifully last night (despite me being tired and all)!

wooohoooo!!!

behold the magic 8 ball!

1:31 PM Steph

solving life's dilemmas since 1950!



i do hope this ball can point me to the right direction.

*hmmmm

happy vee day everyone!!!

10:52 PM Steph

Random mystery photo for February

4:18 PM Steph

Now this one's pure grossness!

click below if you dare.  don't say i didn't warn you peeps!


men vs women

1:23 PM Steph

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MALE AND FEMALE SPECIES




smiley

12:12 PM Steph


cute guy isn't he?

too much water

7:48 PM Steph



i've been drinking a lot of water lately... and i mean a LOT.  MASSIVE, HUGE, APLENTY.   i've been doing this because my lips are somewhat always parched, so i thought i'm dehydrated.  the recommended amount of water that needs to be consumed is 8 glasses per day.  so my water-drinking schedule goes like this:

upon waking up:  1 glass
at the office (including lunch):  5 to 6 glasses
dinner: 2 glasses  
before sleeping: 1 glass

i use these huge glasses at the office whenever i drink water.  it's just today, when  i bought some orange juice for lunch that i realized that the capacity of those glasses is 333 mL each!  i read from somewhere that a standard glass only holds 200 mL of fluid... so 8 glasses should only amount to 1.6 L...  in other words, the amount of water i've been chugging at the office is more than enough for my daily needs.  so that's why i'm getting these  whole-day, whole-week headaches which is getting worser and worser each day since i started this water-drinking habit, i'm probably suffering from water intoxication right now, which is quite deadly. my brain might be swollen right now hence the headaches.

good thing i bought that orange juice today.  otherwise you'll probably read in the news a few days from now  this freakish headline:  

lady geologist, dead from water intoxication






January 2010 Philippines Architectural Board Exam Rankings

11:21 PM Steph

Top Ten Examinees:
1. ROMANUEL ABUEL CONTRERAS, MAPUA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - 86.80%
2. DAVID XANDER TORRES LACSON, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN - 86.00%
3. DENIECE SY YUSUN, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN - 85.40%
4. FRANCO LINTAG FLORES, UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS - 85.20
5. JOAQUIN GENEROSO CORPUZ, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN - 85.00%
6. JUMAR TAGANAS BALICAO, PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY-URDANETA
PIA RAIMONDA OZAETA MARANAN, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN - 84.70%
7. MICHAEL VELASCO ABUAN, UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS - 84.60%
8. IRIS INA YOLANDA DOROL ALMAZAR, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN - 84.50%
9. ANNE LORRAINE DEL ROSARIO CABAN, MAPUA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - 84.40%
10. JEROLD SENG KING, UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS - 84.10%

Schools Passing Rates:

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN 15/15 100%
PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA 12/14 86%
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS 123/160 77% (Top Performing School w/ 51 or more examinees)
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-MAIN-STA. MESA 24/34 71%
UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS 17/27 63%
MAPUA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 29/55 53%
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY 10/19 53%
ADAMSON UNIVERSITY 20/22 48%
TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-MANILA 10/21 48%
TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES-MANILA 15/36 42%
FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY-MANILA 29/75 39%
TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES-QC 10/30 33%

The comic Gerry Alanguilan

12:46 PM Steph

I saw this really funny video on youtube.  This man is Gerry Alanguilan.  I lifted these words from the "about me" section of his You Tube channel:
I write and draw comic books. I did work for Marvel, DC and Image, and inked books like Superman: Birthright, Batman/Danger Girl, X-Men, Wolverine, X-Force, Stone, and many more.

Here in the Philippines I created Wasted, Timawa, Humanis Rex!, Elmer, Johnny Balbona and the upcoming "The Marvelous Adventures of the Amazing Doctor Rizal."
Amazing graphic artist, huh?  Enjoy!




Here is Mr. Alanguilan's official website.



Farmville: How to build horse stables

12:25 PM Steph

Finally, another functional building; this time for our horses!  Acquiring this new building requires effort though... It needs to be a neighborhood activity or the construction wouldn't be finished.

 So, how does one build a horse stable in farmville?   here are the steps:

1.  Peek inside you gift boxes to find the foundation for a new horse stable.   
2.  Place the foundation at a vacant space on you farm.
3.   Announce to your friends that you need help in building the stable.

  

4.  Buy materials (1 FV$ each) from the market or wait for friends to give them away when they also buy their materials.  The harness and the bricks may also be given to you as a free gift from the gifts section. You need ten a piece of these items:  Brick, Harness, Horseshoe, Nail, Wooden Board

5.  Wait for good neighbors to come help you.
6.   Viola! A new Stable for your dear horses!

Mahal Kita Kasi

7:11 PM Steph


it's almost February: THE LUUUURRRVVV MONTH

time for some cheesy tagalog song:


this song, entitled "Mahal Kita Kasi", is sung by Nocole Hyala... yup that female DJ from the Tambalan ng isang Balasubas at isang Balahura program from Love Radio. If you are a commuter, like me, you have surely heard this tandem. The male DJ is Kris Tsuper. These two are really hilarious. Well, you might probably be, hmmmm... what's the term... put off? by their noisy (and frequent use of hmmm... unrefined language) at first. But then you'll get used to them and find yourself laughing at their jokes. Hmmm... shall i say, listening to them in the mornings can bring a huge grin on your face, so you can start your day happy (except, of course, if you've got a really bad hair day and the toilet wouldn't flush). *teeehehehe







Attention!

11:51 AM Steph



On hydraulic conductivity

9:30 AM Steph

I am NOT memorizing this formula (these formulas, I mean)





hydraulic conductivity


for Lw < h, use:



for Lw = h




I am not detailing the meaning of each variable, which may be obtained by reading complex semi-log plots of Slug Test data.


Thank you very much Bower and Rice for figuring these out for us, struggling students of hydrogeology. =|



Related Posts with Thumbnails