Obscure Truths

Swim Alert

2011-05-11T21:53:00.001+08:00

though med conversations still seem like alienspeak to me, it was nice catching up with you, guys! the guimaras trip should still push through one of these days. :)

KAMUNING, GET ME.

2011-05-07T20:26:00.001+08:00

Ramblings of a Travel Bug

2011-04-01T10:02:00.001+08:00

omai. I wouldn't call myself that. It's been a recent discovery, that i could travel the whole philippines if i wanted to. The trip to bohol has urged my dormant love for travel to manifest. For the past days, i have busied myself planning itineraries, reading travel blogs, looking up online hotel rates, and BOOKING PROMO FARES. I thank the commercial airlines for reconsidering the working class who need to save up for trips and watch out for online promos that they could afford. Because of cebupac's piso fare and airphil's 100-peso fares, i am set for travel almost every month till october of this year. On my list are Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete, Zamboanga, and Puerto Princesa.

I have realized that you don't have to be filthy rich to be able to do this. You could do so on a tight budget. you could go with big groups to be able to divide an otherwise large sum. you could opt for traveler's inns or lodges or dorm-type accommodation and splurge more on the activities. you can skip the tour packages and plan for yourself, taking separate bookings for the hotel, the adventure parks, the city tours.

I have realized that now is the time to start traveling, and not after retirement. Travel lets you educate yourself, lets you experience CULTURE. To say otherwise connotes ignorance.

Plunge

2011-03-25T08:49:00.001+08:00

You can really feel my heart racing in this video. Notice how desperately I cling to the steel platform while being lowered. And how I still hold on to the rope though I know that it's really senseless since I'm in freefall. Well, don't we all need a semblance of security in our lives? haha

TBA

2011-03-22T19:48:00.001+08:00

photos dated march 22, 2011.
just had to kill time before off I go to the airport. I hate having to say goodbye.
ooops. no time for edits, folks. haha. but the photos are great as they are, thanks to nina's cam. napakainit ng araw na ito kaya ang hirap mag-isip. at namimilipit si Jan sa sakit ng tiyan kaya iisa lang ang mukha sa lahat ng photos.
jenny, just had to post these. no memory triggers intended. hehe

lucy in the sky

2011-03-12T17:48:00.000+08:00

12 March, 2011. after an overnight stint at jenny's (yey to mini-kumot and fullblast AC! haha), we just couldn't miss the last day of the pyromusical competition at MOA. We had to wait for hours because jenny was uber late and then, as the waiting fever continues, got stuck in traffic because seemingly every family in metro manila flocked to MOA for a sky-spectacle-and-picnic family day.

cosplayers' photo shoot, mainlib

show some girly love
explain, jenny!

Quiapo day

2011-03-11T09:46:00.001+08:00

11 March, 2011.
After taking a few crazy shots with my phone and its wacky frames, off we went to Quiapo! Yey. Oh how I love quiapo-bound buses. ha! They're the newest, ergo the cleanest, buses in the metro!

tila may pahalik sa nazarenong itim nang dumaan kami sa underpass ng Quiapo. napakabagal ng usad ng mga tao, kasi naman napakaraming tao! at may raid pa daw kaya kanya kanyang ligpit ng paninda ang mga ale sa instant bag transformation ng kanilang nilatag na mga canvas/trapal.
just had to drop by crossings because jenny was on a bikini hunt. haha
went to nina's afterwards and heard about the devastating news in japan. cooked pesto and contemplated about the ancient astronaut theory. Must-see for you guys, ANCIENT ALIENS on History Channel. Giorgio A. Tsoukalos is waaay too convincing with his sun-kissed skin and his crazy hair!
it was a long and tiring day but it ain't over yet. went to Yero and then Sarah's to grab some drinks with the guys from antas.
half an hour and a cab ride after, Cainta na! ransacked jenny's pantry supplies and whipped up a tasty midnight meal.
chenny, thanks for being so hospitable and letting us spend the night at your house.

kumain sa ramon lee's, for details click here.

On lying and other random things

2011-03-04T17:31:00.003+08:00

I really am a lazy blogger. I comfort myself with the fact that I could express everything with just photographs, that these could tell the entire story of how my day went. Or sometimes I feel that I'm revealing too much about myself, that some psycho would know my whereabouts and then eventually know my personal number and then send me creepy text messages. or is it just my narcissism that's talking? (Let's call that narcissist alter-ego, Daphne. Don't ask me where that came from. I just happen to really like that name, for no apparent reason. I am a make-believe schizoid.)

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Vampire Weekend - Holiday

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I've been watching Lie To Me, a tv series which gives us very insightful knowledge on microexpressions that help us discern whether a person is lying or not. A microexpression is a brief, involuntary expression shown on the face of humans according to emotions experienced. They usually occur in high-stakes situations, where people have something to lose or gain. (http://www.never-be-lied.com/micro-expression/)

Lie to Me was actually based on the life and work of Dr. Paul Ekman, the pioneer scientist in the study of facial expression and gesture, and renowned for his breakthrough study of a stone age culture in New Guinea that established the existence of universals in facial expression. (http://www.paulekman.com/)

Body language is a more obvious indication than microexpressions, which are actually very short-lived (the order of 1/25th of a second) and can be noticed by just a select few. How few? Well, Paul Ekman, together with Dr. Maureen O'Sullivan, worked on "The Wizards Project" in which they studied the ability of people to detect deception. It turned out, only 50 out of 20,000 people have this "gift".

This particular link is also very informative: http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-tell-if-someone-is-lying/. Among its indications under body movement are listed below. You don't have to be a Truth Wizard (as what they refer to the gifted individuals in the Wizards Project) to spot these.

Movement

Liars often fidget. This occurs because the person's nervous system reacts to the lie, producing excess energy.⁴ This excess energy can manifest itself in a number of ways:

Covering one's mouth or face. This often occurs when the liar feels bad or guilty for telling the lie.⁵
Touching the nose. When we lie, the tissues in our nose engorge with blood and cause them to tingle or itch.⁶
Nervous hand movements.⁷ This includes wringing the hands together and rubbing, picking or playing with the fingers.
Defensive behaviors such as leaning backward and crossing the arms or legs. These act as a "barrier"for the person and reduces their anxiety levels.
Holding an object in front of the body as a sort of invisible barrier.⁸
Rubbing the neck.⁹
Rubbing the eyes. This indicates that the person doesn't believe or disagrees with a statement.¹⁰
Shuffling the feet.
Clenched jaw.¹²
Licking the lips.

One of the truth wizards is blogger who goes by the domain, http://www.eyesforlies.com. EFL is a natural and wants to keep her identity private. She has not undergone training on deception and works in a entirely different field from law enforcement. Dr. O' Sullivan herself told the press (http://jcamillieri.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/img0021.jpg) that "Eyes for lies is quite unusual because most Truth Wizards are professionals; they're profilers, arbitrators, federal judges. She is one of four people who seem to have an interesting ability to understand people [naturally, without training]."

To be able to spot lies is a very rare talent and if you are one of the lucky few, you should really put this to good use. It's not really a responsibility on your part (don't fastforward your brain to crime-busting and court dramas) but a very useful tool for everyday living (like figuring out who dumped their garbage on your front yard, ha!).

Fringe-Soul

2011-02-28T10:18:00.001+08:00

"We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had no souls at all."

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

The best things in life are free

2011-02-27T16:06:00.002+08:00

aaaaaww. :)

Baihana: The First Time

2011-02-26T17:24:00.003+08:00

Teatrino, Promenade, Greenhills.

Little Tokyo

2011-02-26T17:01:00.003+08:00

20 Feb 2011 Little Tokyo, Don Chino Roces Avenue, San Lorenzo Village, Makati.

Legazpi Sunday Market

2011-02-20T18:29:00.004+08:00

Legaspi Sunday Market is located at the parking lot across Starbucks Herrera, Herrera corner Legaspi Streets, Legaspi Village, Makati City.

UP FAIR 2011

2011-02-20T02:00:00.006+08:00

Good vibes

2011-02-09T09:49:00.003+08:00

Nina! :)

2011-02-05T17:46:00.001+08:00

Nina and me, on a stroll along the track oval, UP, last Jan. 28. It was a sunny afternoon, hence the chinky eyes on the 2nd photo. Went to grab isaw at SC and surprised to see the Coop Sago/Malamig/fishball stand now with a new screaming orange interior. Now it has ambiance! haha. Forgot to get a photo though.

She presses on, enthusiasm kindling within her.

2011-02-04T15:16:00.001+08:00

The title of this post was a sample sentence in the "Kindle" definition wallpaper which was the first thing I saw when I turned on my newly purchased Kindle 3 Wifi. To be able to store 3500 e-books basically enables the user to carry his whole library with him! oh boy! No need for paperbacks that get borrowed by friends or dormmates or officemates, and eventually get lost. The owner just can't track 'em anymore. With the kindle, you could stay on track in your reading list and listen to music too! It has an MP3 player but you can't choose the tracks to play on your whole music folder, you just either pause or skip to the next track. This feature needs some upgrade in the near future. Plus you can't read in the dark since there's no built-in light (which is also a plus on the energy-consumption side, the kindle could last up to 3 weeks!). And the e-ink technology ensures that there'll be no glare when you read under strong external light. The kindle is like printed text, it's black and white. and with wifi, browsing the net in B&W is surely something new. haha. I love, I love, I love my new baby. :) Now I can reread my Murakami books. Murakami, hands down, writes the most beautifully surreal sad fiction.

a crappy photo of my kindle. I love how the wallpaper changes everytime you put it on sleep mode.

Piso Fare and Travel Plans

2011-02-04T13:36:00.001+08:00

I was able to book a flight for me and H on Cebupac with their (still on-going, as of writing) Piso Fare promo. Oh boy, too many page errors, a lot of refresh clicks, and 2 hours later, I successfully got my itinerary. Oh yeah! 4 pesos for 2 roundtrip tickets Manila-Dumaguete plus web admin charge (PHP200) plus VAT (PHP 52.08) and Aviation Security Fee (PHP 30.00) charged me a measly PHP310 pesos. My hardwork and patience paid off, after all. Now all I needed is a travel itinerary. I've heard the dive spots are world class at Apo Island, and Casaroro Falls is breathtaking, and the Mabinay Caves are equally spellbinding. Can't wait! Can't wait! From now on, I will consider every vacation leave as a great travel opportunity. 2 weeks ago, I went to Iloilo for the Dinagyang Festival and went home satisfied gastronomically, socially, and visually. Next vacation, the plan's all set for Bohol. It's gonna be legen-wait for it-DARY (as Barney Stinson says it)! :) And a couple of months after that, Dumaguete!

Dinagyang 2011

2011-01-29T17:11:00.009+08:00

Good friends. Great food. Great merriment.

The Glow Series

2011-01-29T16:52:00.004+08:00

Went drinking last night with Joms, Nina, Mark, Erl, Koethy, and Jen. This was after Jen's spanish-themed event which featured performances from dancer friends. The kids wanted to have fun and so staged a glow-drawing series. see photos below to see how magic happens with slow shutter speed. :)

(particularly fond of this one. haha)

Jeannie's Pre-birthday Pictorial

2011-01-29T16:23:00.003+08:00

Last Jan. 26, Jeanni asked me to take photos of her, sort of like a pre-birthday shoot since her day is on the 27th. There. Bought some balloons, picked a sweet dress, a hint of makeup and with the special participation of her niece we whipped up a lovely editorial, balloon-themed. LOL

hairography

2011-01-17T10:01:00.003+08:00

gif animation

2011-01-17T09:52:00.003+08:00

Jan, as shown here, is obviously having fun with his splits in midair. HAHA

With a bang!

2010-12-30T18:59:00.003+08:00

omaigad. 2010 is coming to a close and I thought I might share with you my year in photos. yey! :)

23 January. Went to Cebu for the first time for the scholars' orientation. I had to catch a plane in the evening because I have an exam the next day. So basically, I was in Cebu for just 9 hours.

30 January. I sooo love this fieldtrip. Marine science 1, oceans and us. The class went to Lian, batangas and had some ocean adventure. We went snorkeling, hiking (see photo below), and made a skit out of everything we've learned. HAHA. It was fun, really. The class really bonded and our professor was never "kill-joy".

A view from Mt. Tikbalang which we climbed very early in the morning.

5 February. Thesis presentation. We presented our thesis in front of students and professors from the department and got to answer some questions while ignoring a few difficult ones. ha!

7 February. I went home to the province because grandpa died. Why am I even smiling in this picture with mom?

13 February. H and I we're supposed to watch the hot air festival in Clark and had to travel early in the morning on the 14th. We we're supposed to go with some friends and one of them offered to bring his car. But nooooo, his date backed out and everyone had to suffer the consequences. So it was Feb 13 and we were fresh from UP Fair. We decided to drop by a friend's house because some orgmates were drinking there. So this is how we made salubong Valentine's day. haha. T'was fun. The next day, we woke up to a slight hangover but managed to go to a grocery store and buy ingredients for a pasta dish. Going Italian for Valentine's! :)

6 March. Formal dinner at the dorm. Of course, I brought H as my date.

7 March. We watched the pyromusical show at MOA. What a spectacle!

31 March. Huling Hirit! Sem-ender party with orgmates at Batangas. Thanks to Joseph's very accommodating family!

21 April. Grad dinner. Presenting the graduating batch of 2010!

24 April. It was graduation day, a momentous day in my life where I get to reap the fruits of my labor with my parents as witness. We had lunch at chocolate kiss afterwards. And got free cake!

Free cake for the graduates!

24 May. Started working. Yes, I thought so too. I'm too young to be working. haha. Thanks to these great people who make the workplace less intoxicating.

8 August 2010. I can't believe it's been 2 years. H and I celebrated our anniv brunch at the Chocolate Kiss - Roces Branch with mouth-watering treats that'll keep you full till the next day.

17 August. Board Exam. Yes, we were all wearing white. After a not-so-rigorous review period spent at home (and also at work, for 2 months) over carafes of coffee, we had to endure 24-hrs (over a period of 3 days) of nauseating examinations. whew!

16 September. I served as booth attendant for our company at the Mine Expo held at the Manila Hotel. I've never seen so many chandeliers in my life! The first photo was taken near the hotel's pool and overlooking the manila bay.

17 September. Got my license! Now, I'm officially a mining engineer!

16 November. Attended the Mine Safety Week at Baguio. Met up with old pals and got my D60 on a test run! See my shots on my previous posts "Baguio baby" and "Photos from Baguio".

3 Dec. Met up with grade school pal Apol and HS acquaintance Elias. It's been years, I must say, so I really appreciate this catching-up dinner at Spicy fingers in Greenbelt.

17 December. My first ever Lantern Parade as an alumnus! I never thought I would see this year's parade since I was scheduled to be back on site on the 9th. I guess UTI's a blessing in disguise. December has been quite a fruitful month for me, in terms of my walks, places I've been to, people I've reunited with, and photos I've taken! yes, ze photos! :)

I have an excellent plan for new year's eve and new year's day and I will keep you posted. I am in the workplace now but with my spanking new plan, everything's gonna change tomorrow. (R and I have been conspiring to welcome the new year with a bang.)

2010 has been good to me, how about you?

Lonely Metal Souls

2010-12-26T11:27:00.000+08:00

I closed my eyes and listened carefully for the descendants of Sputnik, even now circling the earth, gravity their only tie to the planet. Lonely metal souls in the unimpeded darkness of space, they meet, pass each other, and part, never to meet again. No words passing between them. No promises to keep.

Haruki Murakami (Sputnik Sweetheart)