RANDOM NOTHINGNESS

Books! and that's with an S!

10:48 PM Steph

Got these books today at El Solidaridad bookstore along Padre Faura, Malate for only PhP300! That's right, three books for THREE HUNDRED PESOS only . F. Sionil Jose was kind enough to offer huge discounts (Buy two books for 200 pesos and get 1 free!) on some of the books at his store.

Tsk, tsk... unread books on my nightstand are piling up!

Hubble and baby galaxies

1:54 AM Steph

Refurbishing the Hubble Space Telescope has done wonders to its resolution... The installation of the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) has given the Hubble the capability to detect near infrared energy from the farthest galaxies/stars. Why near-infrared? Because light from distant galaxies get stretched as the universe expands (thus converting the ultraviolet to visible spectra into near-infrared).

Just take a look at this picture, which was released by the Hubble today:

The reddest and faintest objects in this picture are galaxies that were formed 600 million years after the Big Bang. Most of the objects observed in this 173,000-second exposure photo were not detected when Hubble's Ultra Deep Field camera was in use.

Read the full story at the Hubble Site and here (Hubble digs deep to see baby galaxies).

Busy Bee

9:50 PM Steph

Yesterday and today have been very busy days, I didn't even have time to blog and harvest my crops at FarmVille =(

Hmmmm... at least I can now say, I earned a really honest living for the past two days. hehehe

Hot off the press! New article! Weeee!!!

2:02 PM Steph

The special issue on arc-continent collision of Tectonophysics just got out...

Guess who the author of one of the articles is?

Meee!!!!

Abstract

A complete ophiolite sequence and mélange are reported for the first time in the Romblon Island Group located at the central part of the Philippine archipelago. The study area comprises Tablas, Romblon and Sibuyan Islands built on amalgamated crust and mantle rocks that are typically fault-bounded and stratigraphically disrupted. The Sibuyan Ophiolite Complex (SOC) consists of harzburgite and dunite, layered clinopyroxenite, layered and isotropic gabbro, diabase dike swarm and basaltic–andesitic pillow lava and flow deposits. A Jurassic–Cretaceous age of formation and late Early Miocene age of emplacement are suggested for the SOC by available data. Emplacement of these crust–mantle units is believed to have been facilitated through displacements along east-verging thrust faults developed consequent to the Early Miocene arc–continent collision in Central Philippines. Along with recent K–Ar isotopic ages (12 Ma) obtained for some of the metamorphic rocks in the area, these lithologic units and structural features provide critical information regarding the arc–continent collision which is one of the significant events in the evolution of the Philippine island arc system.

The usefulness of potential field geophysical methods to studying lithologic and structural relationships in an extremely disrupted terrane is evaluated in this study. Observed variations in gravity and magnetic values correlated with lithologic distributions and geologic structures. Higher relative Bouguer and magnetic anomalies are observed over members of the complete ophiolite sequence and younger igneous materials exposed in Tablas and Sibuyan Islands. Their geophysical characteristics contrast markedly with the less dense and magnetically inferior sedimentary rocks exposed only on Tablas Island. On the other hand, metamorphic units in Tablas, Romblon and Sibuyan Islands display variable magnetic and gravity signatures that reflect differences in composition and alteration or weathering. Thrust faults related to the emplacement of the ophiolite as a result of the collision are inferred from sudden changes in gravity and magnetic values.

GEOCON 2009

12:17 PM Steph

Attending the Conference of the Geological Society of the Philippines (GEOCON) has been an annual event that me and my other geologist friends take time to attend. It has been a venue for us to update ourselves with the current issues, technologies and trends in the geologic community. Of course, it is a valid (and legal) excuse not to go to work and meet with friends, without risking our salaries. *hehe

Late comers get to sit at the back... no table! =(

Lunch out

betch's debut performance as a doctor of geology

FarmVille: Christmas decorations

10:52 AM Steph

In line with the Christmas season, Zynga released new items to decorate farms:

FarmVille: Holiday Gifts

10:02 AM Steph

Christmas presents can now be sent to friends from the gifts section of FarmVille. There are five available presents at the moment:

Blue present

Pink present

Green present

Red present

Brown present

These presents should be placed under the FarmVille holiday tree, which is a free item that Zynga already provided in the giftbox. The holiday tree can hold upto 60 presents. Be sure to ask your friends to send gifts as the holiday tree grows as gifts are added under it.

We need to wait until December 25 midnight until the gifts can be opened... just like in real life!

Good News, Bad News

2:19 AM Steph

First, the good news. Salary just got in today....

Bad news: I lost my love of my life phone: my Sony Ericsson K800i who's been with me for more than three years now... =,( It's the first phone I ever bought using my own money (well, partly... 'rents gave me half of the money i need to buy it). I've got lots of pictures stored in there. Important phone numbers, messages worth keeping (i am sentimental), recorded phone calls. Lots of memories.

I must have left it at the hotel at cocktails last night. The last time I remember using it was when I checked my email for new messages whilst chatting with friends. I do hope K800i is at the Lost and Found Department, although it seems hoping is a lost cause because phone has been turned off (by whoever found it).

First order of business upon waking up: Call EDSA Shangri-La.

FarmVille: New Christmas-themed giftable items

10:40 PM Steph

Apart from the Reindeer, new Christmas-themed items are available at the FarmVille gifts section to be sent out as gifts to neighbors:

White Soldier

Red Soldier

Green Soldier

Elf Gnome

Sushi and Sashimi, Finally!

11:10 PM Steph

I finally got my fill of Sushi and Sashimi after months of not being able to eat these Japanese dishes.

Our professors treated us to lunch at Sumo Sam at Shangri-La Palaza Mall after the morning session of the Annual Convention of the Geological Society of the Philippines. The food was really good (or is it just the effect of months of starving myself with sushi and sashimi.... hmmm). I can't wait for my trip to Japan next year! B promised to indulge me, the glutton, with all the sushi and sashimi I can eat! Weeee!