nephithyrion

Jamie Libera

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000+08:00

This is me making fun of my sister and her obsession with anything choral. =p

Her name's Jamie and she was part of the University of Mindanao Chorale when it won the NAMCYA 2009 competition. Anyone here sings in the shower? I do and I sing songs with lyrics. My sister does, too, but you'll only hear ooohs and aaahs from her.

This idea came while we were sorting through CDs in a store. We got hold of Libera's Christmas album and I started making fun of her, telling that I could make her an album cover. But in all fairness, she was very game.

Crochet for Gifts

2012-01-03T13:47:00.000+08:00

Instead of money, I spent time and effort to make gifts for friends and family last Christmas. All patterns, except for the bracelets, are from Japanese crochet books in original or modified form.

a purple flower brooch to match my mother's office uniform and bracelets for friends

An amigurumi strawberry keychain.

First time to make one.

The sewing part is rather difficult because of its tiny size.

glass/bottle holder for my father, to be used at work.

house keychain for my brother. He's into real estate :)

2012

2012-01-01T15:16:00.001+08:00

"Today is the beginning of the end."

LOL I got that from a status update of a friend.

New year's day is a perfect time to talk about beginnings. It's the time most people make resolutions, to do or not to do certain things, which most also tend to forget a month after. I used to make new year's resolutions, then it became middle-of-the-year resolutions, until I stopped altogether. I believe every day is a beginning, or a chance to begin, to have a fresh start. But I don't want to start all the time. What I'm trying to say is, if one's following my line of thought, that I'm a slacker. If I had a vice, it would be sleep. That's what I want to change badly. God help me.

This year I pray for new beginnings for my friend and his family who lost their house in the recent Magallanes fire; also for all those victims of all floods in Mindanao, from Iligan and to Cagayan, Bukidnon and Carmen, Davao del Norte. May all the lost souls find peace, and the ones left recover quickly.

Happy New Year!

Nick Drake Sketch

2011-12-28T11:52:00.001+08:00

I made this sketch last night while my mother was doing overtime work at home. This is an edited image. The drawing was photographed because there's no scanner. Then I used poster edges in photoshop filters. This was copied from a color picture of Nick Drake. I finally have a Nick Drake drawing! ^__^

Music: Ryan McAllister

2011-12-24T13:04:00.001+08:00

To celebrate Christmas, I am sharing Ryan McAllister's music. He's just released a Christmas single called "My name is Blitzen" which can be downloaded for free.

Ryan McAllister is a Canadian musician who was the lead singer of the band Dakona. I loved their song "Good" that's why when I found out they split I still followed his music. There are other free singles on his website and Bandcamp page so you can check him out. In the meantime, here's my favorite song:

<p>&amp;lt;a href="http://ryanmcallistermusic.bandcamp.com/track/life-everlasting"&amp;gt;LIFE EVERLASTING by Cowboys &amp;amp;amp; Indians&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;</p>

Merry Christmas!

Life Everlasting

When the longest of rest only makes you more weary
When the Brightest of suns only makes you feel cold
When the blackest of nights comes in to surround you
There will be a light and you got to grab hold

There’s a place in the life everlasting
Where the Father will sit by the side of the Son
And after this desert has dried up the water
The river will flow and the river will run

When the song that you sing feels worn out and tired
When the baby that’s born already feels old
When the blackest of nights comes in to surround you
There will be a light and you got to grab hold

There’s a place in the life everlasting
Where the Father will sit by the side of the Son
And after this desert has dried up the water
The river will flow and the river will run

Until the moon turns red
Until the kingdom comes
Until justice shines it’s light over everyone
Until it all goes right in a world gone wrong
You got to hold on

There’s a place in the life everlasting
Where the Father will sit by the side of the Son
And after this desert has dried up the water
The river will flow and the river will run

I know you’re tired cause you’ve come so far
Still you’ve got a long way
You’ve got a long way to go

© Ryan McAllister

The Hobbit First Trailer

2011-12-22T15:01:00.002+08:00

I bet everyone's seen this already, but I can't help it. I want my own post, too!

Ahhh Fili and Kili! I remember being excited for Karl Urban in The Lord of the Rings, a New Zealand actor who played Cupid in the Xena and Hercules TV series. Now it's Dean O'Gorman's turn as Fili. He was Iolaus in Young Hercules. Then there's Kili. Too bad Aidan Turner had to leave Being Human to shoot the Hobbit. I loved his chemistry with the other two characters.

Don't you think Richard Armitage's makeup looks too pretty for a dwarf? They should have made his nose bigger or something. :)

Seeing Elijah Wood's back gave me goosebumps. Seriously.

A song and Gollum's voice!

December 2012... But because there's Metro Manila Film Festival every December, I expect it to come out January 2013. Sad.

Profile Test

2011-12-19T11:31:00.000+08:00

I tried to remove the background in this photo.

Photographed my sister while she was texting. An emergency light was used as light source.

What is an eskimo pi?

2011-12-02T13:49:00.000+08:00

What is an eskimo pi? Mathematical Strategies Revealed is a book by Queena N. Lee-Chua. For the most part, it gathered inputs from students, teachers and others to talk about Math Anxiety and the ways a teacher can improve Math appreciation from students. The book also gave real world applications of Mathematics.

I bought the book because my dad currently teaches Math and because, well, I miss Math. The last time I had Math classes for my masters was in March 2010 and I'm still undecided on whether to continue with thesis. My adviser wanted me to study fractals, and behold I find this little book which discussed snippets of it. It's very intriguing, this fractal, and I envy miss Queena for being adept in this subject. FYI, I also found and bought a book by the man himself, Benoit Mandelbrot titled Gaussian Self-Affinity and Fractals, but I don't know if I could understand that.

Here are some quotes from the Eskimo Pi book:

People who fear math either disregard it from the three-dimensional world or refuse to see how it surrounds, permeates, and penetrates our world. What is factual, however, is that the application of math becomes a natural human process through both instinct and acquired knowledge.
Do you ever notice that there are fewer "great leaps" in science now than, let's say, 50 years ago?... Look at the population of scientists now, the few that there are. Even from this handful, the majority is focused on "commercial science" and not breakthrough science.
Suzanne Miller says that math anxiety often results when students try to randomly learn just the "math facts" as separate bits of information. When they have no landmarks, they must recall each math fact independently. If information is forgotten, a student has no strategy or structure to recover or reconstruct it... Without a solid foundation, math becomes painful and is avoided.
It is always a big discouragement to students when the teacher doesn't seem to have a grasp of what he/she is teaching.
If I were a Math teacher, I would not stop educating myself.
Teachers should be able to teach certain things not found in textbooks.
Math is truly humanizing if it helps people to recognize what their minds are capable of -- the ability to hold ideas firmly while still being open to all sorts of creative possibilities.

It also included the Math Teacher's Ten Commandments by Donald Edge & Ellen Freedman

Thou shalt accept the challenge of teaching math and educate thyself in every way so that students will learn.
Thou shalt recognize that some students fear or dislike math and be compassionate and understanding when teaching.
Thou shalt convey to students that their self worth is unrelated to their math skills.
Thou shalt adapt teaching strategies to meet the different learning styles of students.
Thou shalt respect all student questions as you would have them respect yours.
Thou shalt pursue the response of "I still don't understand" through different avenues until there is understanding.
Thou shalt not ask a class "Do you understand?" Instead, thou shalt determine what each student knows and does not know, and address student problems individually.
Thou shalt identify students in need of extra help and make certain they get it.
Thou shalt actively involve students in class, assign daily homework and quiz frequently, knowing that student discipline comes from teacher discipline.
Though they may at times seem few, thou shalt count thy blessings.

Other books on my shelf:

I've recently read The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. It's my first Doyle book. And the verdict? I couldn't put it down.

Currently reading: The Stand by Stephen King.
I've seen the TV mini series back in high school, but I can't remember most of it. Unfortunately for me, the book I have is the extended version: more than a thousand pages. =(

Panas Waterfalls, New Corella, Davao del Norte

2011-11-21T12:01:00.001+08:00

followed two dragonflies

there they are again

picture picture

Start: Davao City. One bus, one jeepney, and one habal-habal ride later, we reached our destination. Panas falls is a layered waterfall in New Corella. My friends were worried that it might be muddy because of the hard rain the previous day. Fortunately, it was not. But it still rained before we left for home.

Cycy and I had a fun stop in Tagum. Grace accompanied us to the fair where we had more than ten rounds of ferris wheel ride. The operator said ten rounds for a ticket, but I guess he stopped counting.

Back door peek

2011-11-11T23:19:00.000+08:00

roaming around Nuestra Señora Church while Ailen's wedding ceremony was going on...
found this outside the office back door.

Grandma's Crochet and a Bracelet

2011-11-08T10:39:00.001+08:00

Mom recently found my grandmother's crochet from her piles. We've been talking about those these past months and finally, I get to keep them. Grandma made the top and skirt for me when I was a baby. I wish to be as good as her someday.

my late grandmother's crochet; some parts are a bit torn

And here's my latest crochet project: a bracelet using broomstick (jiffy) lace and double crochet. For the "broomstick," I used a larger than usual colored pencil. I tried using a marking (pentel) pen, but the circles were a bit large for a Cannon thread. Next time, I'll be trying this stitch out with a larger yarn, marking pen and single crochet.

I used the back side because it has more texture. The right side is smoother.

Francis-Eds Wedding

2011-11-03T12:40:00.002+08:00

heavy rains threatened when I got out of the house going to the wedding

featuring the new altar of San Pedro Cathedral

the entrance

playtime!

first dance: with the bride's father

pro videographer =)

It poured during the wedding. We were eventually told at the reception that Eds used to ask for rain as a sign. ^^

October 10, 2011
Church: San Pedro Cathedral, Davao City
Reception: Gardena Fresca

Tagaytay and Quiel

2011-10-28T11:35:00.000+08:00

view of Taal volcano from Picnic Grove

this one's a bit blurry =(

on the way back to Manila, where typhoon Quiel is lashing

Mom and I stayed the night at her friend's house in Cavite. Early next morning, mom's friend took us to Tagaytay. We almost decided not to go because of the strong winds, though when we reached Picnic Grove, it looked like a normal day. It drizzled now and then, but it was fine.

October 1, 2011 (day 5)

A Walk Around Intramuros and Luneta

2011-10-25T16:07:00.003+08:00

a view of the Manila City Hall

the Manila Cathedral

pipe organ

inside San Agustin Church

the Philippine flag at Luneta

Third day in Manila.
September 29, 2011.
The day after the wedding, I got back to business: being a tourist! My mom and I walked from SM Manila to Intramuros and Luneta. The weather was fine but made me sweaty. At the end of the day, I was feeling a little sick.

DruLen's Wedding

2011-10-13T17:24:00.010+08:00

The past three weeks have been a busy time for weddings and birthdays. I went to Manila with friends last September 27. Unfortunately, it was the day typhoon Pedring crossed the city. It's like hitting two birds with one stone, being in Manila for the first time and immediately experiencing a typhoon. We were worried the rain won't stop until the next day, which was the day of Ailen's wedding. But the sunny angels were on our side and the wedding day was a blessed one.

Ailen and Andreau

Eds who got married just this Monday :)

the pretty wedding singer

September 28, 2011
Church: Nuestra Señora de Gracia, Makati
Reception: St. Francis Shangri-la Place, Mandaluyong

Pretty Distractions

2011-09-30T09:04:00.000+08:00

1st three photos: old Sasa Airport, Davao City

last two photos: Sta. Ana Wharf, Davao City

When you are hired to take corporate shots, in the long run it becomes too corporate you'd need pretty little distractions like these and be at ease.

Crocheted Purses

2011-09-27T09:32:00.001+08:00

my latest crochet projects

a gift for my mom on her birthday

Both of these patterns are from a Japanese book, adjusted to fit the thread used. For the coin purse, I used a zipper because a kiss clasp was not available in the stores.

Secret Garden

2011-09-25T11:16:00.003+08:00

"The sun shone down for nearly a week on the secret garden. The Secret Garden was what Mary called it when she was thinking of it. She liked the name, and she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in no one knew where she was. It seemed almost like being shut out of the world in some fairy place. The few books she had read and liked had been fairy-story books, and she had read of secret gardens in some of the stories. Sometimes people went to sleep in them for a hundred years, which she had thought must be rather stupid. She had no intention of going to sleep, and, in fact, she was becoming wider awake every day which passed at Misselthwaite."

Barry Pepper

2011-09-23T08:23:00.000+08:00

Before Eric Bana's Hoot, there was Barry Pepper's Private Daniel Jackson, the tough sniper from Saving Private Ryan. After watching that movie, I became a fan.

In all the films I saw him in, he always gave great performances. The Green Mile, We were soldiers, Flags of our Fathers... all memorable. I bought The Snow Walker from ebay because I've never seen him in a lead role.

Last year I got a nice surprise when I watched True Grit with my parents. I didn't know he was in it and when he came out, he was all covered up, hairy, and dirty. But if you've seen him many times before, you wouldn't miss his nose. He played a bad guy, but what a bad guy! With those teeth, he could rip John Wayne's. :)

This week, the History Channel played the miniseries The Kennedys and, for me, Barry Pepper as Bobby Kennedy's the highlight of the show. He is an amazing character actor and it's about time the world recognise this talent.

Here's to Barry Pepper for winning an Emmy.
I hope you get a Golden Globe, too!

P.S. I hear he's going to be in a Terrence Malick film. That is something to look forward to.

Francis-Eds Wedding Invitations

2011-09-21T10:03:00.000+08:00

The envelopes were made of abaca.

These were handmade by Eds and her family. I helped with the card design and printing. The flowers are of dark purple, though they look almost black in the photos.

view the album

Crocheted Headbands

2011-09-19T11:05:00.004+08:00

white crocheted headband

The pattern was from a Japanese book.
I increased the number of starting chains to make up for the thinner thread. This is the main problem I have with following patterns from other countries because here in the Philippines we only have two available threads, the mercerised cotton thread ball and the acrylic yarn.

my sister wearing the white headband

and another one: a red wide bobble headband

Pattern from the Crabby Crafter
I increased the number of rows in the widest bobble and double crochet parts to reach the 21-inch circumference.

Recent Packages: All Jane Austen

2011-09-16T11:44:00.004+08:00

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

and a note from the author :)

Pride and Prejudice jigsaw puzzle

Big thanks to Maria Grazia and Ms. Rigler for the giveaways. My sister won the puzzle and it was her first time to join. She might frame it in the future. We've never had a 500-piece puzzle and it took four hours to complete it last night.

Lorie Ann

2011-09-08T10:17:00.002+08:00

Her hair always got messy when we took these photos. It was very windy at the old Sasa airport. LA blogs, too, mostly about poetry. You can check out her blog: LA Reveals.

Felis Resort

2011-08-29T10:27:00.003+08:00

Felis Resort, Davao City

A Game of Thrones

2011-08-25T22:44:00.006+08:00

Eddard Stark

Spoilers ahead.

In anticipation of the TV series A Game of Thrones, I bought the book, the first in a series of seven, last year. I finished reading it just this Monday and loved it, although I'm not sure I want to read the rest (awfully long). Already I've lurked in wikis and fan sites, read summaries of the next four books, character profiles, and took "what character are you" quizzes, most resulting with Eddard "Ned" Stark, a figure I admire. He and his 'bastard son' Jon Snow are my favorite characters, but I'm still a bit disappointed with Ned for being too kind.

For those who don't have an idea what A Game of Thrones is, it is "the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin" (Wikipedia). Here's some of the text at the back of the book:

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to.

The Starks is a family you would root for. However, I am not fond of Sansa (Ned's eldest daughter) and Catelyn's (Ned's wife) rash decisions and coldness towards Jon. Most readers also feel that Robb (eldest son) is a bore. The character's not well-developed they say. Well I think that's because he is his father's son. You'd only have to describe Ned to know Robb. He even died the same way as his father.

Bran and Jon

There are some other characters that I always look forward to reading. They are Tyrion Lannister, Arya and Brandon Stark as well as others who have interesting transformations in the series: Jaime Lannister and the Hound Sandor Clegane.

This Sunday evening will be the show's premiere in HBO Asia. I. cannot. wait. ~~Boromir's~~ Sean Bean's gonna be there!