Sunset at Cordova, Mactan

My Flickr friends proposed a series of photoshoots over the weekend. They had a pretty hectic schedule laid out so I was only able to go to the Cordova sunset pictorial set for Saturday. Farley and I drove out to the pier from Compostela at about 5:00 pm and arrived at Cordova before everyone else because my boy knows a shorter way to get to the place, Mactan Island being his hometown. Hometown advantage, so they say...



We got trigger happy with the camera as soon as we got there. Farley as you could see in the picture above did not lose time and started capturing the setting sun. I, on the other hand, started eyeing this old boat docked near the road because the sunset light was bouncing off it such a warm glow.



By this time, the sun was really lying low and just about to set. It was the most beautiful yellow and its reflection on the sea surface was just amazing. The sky turned a screaming orange.



Just to show you the beauty of that reflection, here is my capture of it. I am so glad I did it justice.



After more than 30 minutes of shooting, our Flickr friends still have not arrived. They got stuck in traffic and so they missed out on the awesome sunset. While waiting for them, I got a shot of some homebound boatmen.



The quartet of Elmer, Estan, Tet, and Mark finally arrived. Greetings abound and I got into chika mode as I have not seen these guys for quite sometime. Elmer's trip to Japan was very especially interesting for me since I lived there for close to 7 years. But these guys were also here for a photoshoot, so I had to let them be. I even had time to capture these rowing boys:



Alas, it was almost 6:30 p.m. I was hungry and thoughts of the salmon sushi from Kagura (Farley and my favorite Japanese resto) was already haunting me. So, we bade our friends goodbye after taking this last shot...

Long Hiatus

It has been six months since I last posted here. As usual, I got so busy with my job and traveling. I also fell in love with the most adorable boy on earth. That should keep a normal girl busy, right? Hehe.


Now that the dust has settled, I will go back to blogging. Wish me luck... :)

I Love Sushi!

sushi set from my favorite sushi bar in tokyo

If there is one thing I miss about Japan, it should be sushi. Everytime I have the chance to go back, I always get excited because going there would mean an abundance of authentic, succulent, mouth-watering sushi.

When I was staying in Japan as a graduate student, it was inevitable that I would succumb to blue periods when life just hits me with really hurtful blows. Days would be spent holed up in my room, doing nothing but sleep, sleep, and sleep. Getting up gets too painful at those times. But after days of eating nothing but what I have laid out near my bed, hunger pangs take over and the first thing that comes to my mind is always SUSHI!


visions of this can snap me off any depression

Trembling because of hunger, I would take a bath and dress up, fly out of the room and into the nearest sushi bar and gorge on sushi until satiated! Miraculously, my blues would go away, a smile starts to wash over my face and I am a new girl again.

Yes, sushi is my Prozac.


sushi and sashimi from the breakfast buffet of circles cafe, makati shangri-la hotel

Louis Vuitton Madness!

I went to Manila explicitly to buy Louis Vuitton bags. Cebu does not have an LV store yet, although I am hoping that one will be put up once the expansion of Ayala Center Cebu is completed. It is such a hassle to go to another city just to buy their beautiful bags.

In a previous post, I have already blurted out my Christmas wish for an LV Epi Alma in Mandarin. I was quite apprehensive since when I called the store the Sales Associate mentioned that there was only one bag left in this design and color.

Wishing that no one had thought of buying the only bag I have been lusting for months, I entered the store. Abby, the SA approached me and without hesitation I inquired if they still have the bag I wanted in stock. You can hear my sigh of relief from a mile away when she smiled and said, "Yes, Ma'am, we still have it." She showed it to me and THE BAG TOOK MY BREATH AWAY! It was that beautiful. Even my thrifty friend Maricel was mesmerized. We both may have held our breathe for about 5 seconds! Maricel did not even blink when the price was mentioned. Beside me, she was murmuring her agreement to my purchase. Well, it goes without saying that I bought it.


gorgeousness!

Well, since I went all the way to Manila, I thought that one bag was not enough. While the SA was packing my Epi Alma, I was in deep thought and was arguing with myself on what the second bag should be. The SA has already shown me the Speedy 30 and the Monogram Vernis Reade PM and I could not decide on which of the two I would buy.


sigh, if i could just buy all of those gorgeous bags and shoes!

The Speedy 30 is more practical since it is a hardy bag, but the Reade PM in Pearle was really beautiful and delicate. Although Maricel liked the Reade PM because it appealed to her ladylike personality, I was won over by the Speedy 30's toss and tumble toughness. I could bring it anywhere in any weather and I would not be too OC about it. So, there! Another bag bought!


yeah, i shopped too much..., but what the heck! :p

Thus and more, 2005 was a Happy Year for me! I hope the year 2006 will bring me more blessings, too!

Happy New Year everyone! :)

Posted in Shopping, Louis Vuitton, Bag

Christmas Party 2005

I know, I know. This is 2 weeks late, but life has been uncooperative with this blog. First, I got sick before Christmas. Then, the merry, busy, migraine-inducing Christmas week was just too much for me...

Anyway to the topic...


student's videoke room

Our department decided to have a videoke singing contest for our Christmas Party. The students, teachers and staff were assigned to one classroom each where they could sing their hearts out for 2 hours (actually more! hehe). After the two hours, representatives for the standard, novelty and rock categories would be chosen for the CHEMISTRY IDOL finals.


jotay doing rock, while ising and maemae do the pose...

Really, it was the best christmas party we ever had! Hehe...


ma'am P's granddaughter and ma'am echong's niece were our cute visitors...

Sinulog Festival 2006 Tentative Schedule of Activities

The Sinulog Foundation has released the tentative schedule of activities for the upcoming Sinulog 2006 festival. I know that all Cebuanos, whether currently here in Cebu or abroad would be very much interested in this. Pit Senyor!

The photos interspersed between the schedules are my pictures from the Sinulog 2005 Mardi Gras Parade. For more of my Sinulog pics, click this.

I am planning on taking pictures of the Sinulog 2005 Fluvial Procession at the Mactan Channel, the Solemn Procession through the streets of Colon, and of course the Grand Mardi Gras. Below, I made the fonts bold for these activities.



FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2006
2:00 PM - Solemn Mass at the Basilica del Sto. Niño sponsored
by Sinulog Foundation, Inc.
7:00 PM - Opening and Launching Program at the Fuente Osmeña Circle.
8:00 PM - Opening & Launching Program at the Plaza Independencia
9:00 PM – Street Party, Band Concert at the Fuente Osmeña Circle



SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2006
Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan
1:00 PM - Parade of Participants from Capitol to Cebu City Sports Center
2:00 PM - Competition Proper - Sinulog sa Barangay - CCSC
4:30 PM - Awarding of Winners
7:30 PM - Cultural Show, Dep-Ed, Cebu Division, Fuente Osmeña Circle
Cultural Show, LGU, Cluster I, Plaza Independencia
9:00 PM - Street Party Band Concert, Fuente Osmeña Circle



SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2006
Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan
1:00 PM - Parade of Participants from Plaza Independencia to Cebu City Sports Center
2:00 PM - Competition Proper - Sinulog sa Kabataan
4:30 PM - Awarding Ceremonies
7:30 PM - Cultural Show, Dep-Ed, Cebu Division, Fuente Osmeña Circle
Cultural Show, LGU, Cluster I, Plaza Independencia
9:00 PM - Street Party Band Concert, Fuente Osmeña Circle



MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2006
7:30 PM - Cultural Show, Dep-Ed, Cebu Division, Fuente Osmeña Circle
Cultural Show, LGU, Cluster I, Plaza Independencia
9:00 PM - Street Party Band Concert, Fuente Osmeña

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2006
7:30 PM – Cultural Show, Dep-Ed, Cebu Division, Fuente Osmeña Circle
Cultural Show, LGU, Cluster I, Plaza Independencia
9:00 PM - Street Party Band Concert, Fuente Osmeña



WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2006
7:30 PM – Cultural Show, Dep-Ed, Cebu Division, Fuente Osmeña Circle
Cultural Show, LGU, Cluster I, Plaza Independencia
9:00 PM - Street Party Band Concert, Fuente Osmeña Circle

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2006
January 12– 16, 2004 Devotee Tent City at Plaza Independencia
7:30 PM – Cultural Show, Dep-Ed, Cebu Division, Fuente Osmeña Circle
Cultural Show, LGU, Cluster I, Plaza Independencia
Ms. Cebu 2003 (Waterfront Hotel)
9:00 PM - Street Party Band, Fuente Osmeña Circle



FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2006
7:30 PM – Cultural Show, Dep-Ed, Cebu Division, Fuente Osmeña Circle
Cultural Show, LGU, Cluster I, Plaza Independencia
9:00 PM – Street Party Band, Fuente Osmeña Circle

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2006
6:00 AM - Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of Señor Santo Niño from Mandaue City to Cebu City passing the port Lapulapu City.
9:00 AM - Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana & Rajah Humabon at the Basilica del Santo Niño Pilgrim Center.
2:00 PM - Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of Señor Santo Niño.
6:30 PM – Search for Sinulog Festival Queen at Fuente Osmeña
7:30 PM - Band Concert at the Fuente Osmeña and Plaza Independencia



SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2006
7:00 AM - Assembly of Contingents, Carousel Parade Route.
10:00 AM - Start of Sinulog Grand Parade.
6:00 PM – “Best of Cebu” Variety Show at the Cebu City Sports Center
7:30 PM - Fireworks Display at the Fuente Osmeña Grand Stage
7:45 PM – Street Party at the Fuente Osmeña Circle and Plaza Independencia

MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2006
1:00 PM - Awarding Ceremonies & Repeat Performance of Winners
at the Cebu City Sports Center

Phenolphthalein and Fluorescein

It was a whirlwind of lecture and laboratory classes today. The sophomore Chemistry majors prepared phenolphthalein and flourescein in class. I have always liked this experiment because of the lovely colors on the products. The students get excited by it all, too.

Resurrected Shoes and a Dead Earthworm

As I was looking at my collection of shoes to find a pair that would coordinate well with my outfit, I chanced upon this old pair which has served me well for the 3 months I was in Tokyo on a research fellowship. It has been two years since I wore these shoes and I chose to wear it since I found it to be a good combination with my brown halter blouse and cardigan.


The dead earthworm was attacked by ants! - a garage shot...

So what did I accomplish today?
1. I delivered my lecture.
2. I got my Pag-ibig check which will be deposited to my bank account this Thursday.
3. I paid my VISA card bills.
4. Not an accomplishment, but I got my 13th month pay! Yey!

Oh, and Pancit gave me a bottle of white wine as Christmas gift. Thanks, Pancit!

Brownies and Checking Papers...

I have no classes on Mondays. With too much time on my hands, I baked a batch of chocolate fudge brownies and enjoyed it at tea time. My favorite tea of the moment is Houji-cha or roasted green tea. I love how it offsets the bittersweetness of the brownies.

As written in the New World Tea website:

Despite its brown appearance, this roasted green tea is still considered a green tea. Houjicha's (pronounced HO-jee-cha) exquisite smoky and roasted flavor is a perfect combination for almost any kind of food and contains less caffeine than other green teas. To insure the utmost freshness, our Japanese green teas are grown, picked, processed and vacuum-packaged at a single location, before being shipped to the United States. When you open your tin it will smell as if it were just picked from Japanese tea fields - you will be surprised by how fresh this tea is!

Then at almost 4 p.m., I started to work on checking the exam papers of my Organic Chemistry class. But as it is with me, I dozed off after about 10 minutes and woke up at 7 p.m. Bad teacher! :p



Oh, by the way! I also faxed Louis Vuitton Manila about the availability of a few bags in their collection. I have made a list of bags that I would choose from. Right now, I am veering on an Epi Alma in Mandarin. I also called them to ask if it is in stock. They said that there was one available, but they are not sure if it would not be sold by December 28 since this style and color is now in demand. Howell, I still have other styles on my list...


From the christmas 2005 catalog Louis Vuitton sent me... I want this one but in Mandarin yellow.

Rest Day, A Book, and Bananas

Sunday is my rest day. As much as possible, I just want to enjoy a day of leisure, read some books, and eat well. Although I was already awake by 9am, it was only at past noon when I sat down for a late breakfast, which consisted of yoghurt and left-over pizza. This breakfast stretched to more than one hour because I was engrossed on a book while eating.



Entitled "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee, this book is a culinary classic and a masterpiece that any food lover should own. It completely describes the source of our food, the organic and inorganic compounds that they are made of, and how cooking results in a chemical transformation that makes them palatable and delicious. Here is an interesting excerpt:

Bananas develop a meltingly smooth consistency, and a distinctive aroma due primarily to amyl acetate and other esters, and green, floral, and clove (eugenol) notes. Banana acidity also increases during ripening, and sometimes twofold, so the flavor becomes more full in several dimensions...

McGee may write well about bananas, but I eat them better:


Banana-Q, one of the best foods in the world. Devoured for merienda.

Pinoy Big Brother Winner "Nene Tamayo"!

Pinoy Big Brother just had a very successful Big Night at the Clark Expo in Pampanga. Everyone that I know wanted either Jayson or Nene to win the PhP 6 million prize money as the first PBB winner. Well, Nene won and Jason was the first runner up. Although I was rooting for Jayson since the beginning, Nene won the hearts and minds of the Filipino people and I acknowledge that she was a deserving winner. Her strength of character showed through in every episode of the series. She never resorted to back-biting and always did the tasks assigned by Big Brother with grace, poise, and a never-gonna-quit attitude. The girl was loved by my mother and most mothers I know. They must have seen in her the ideal daughter. My congratulations, Nene!



But in contrast to the excitement of PBB's Big Night, my day was kind of boring. I had a monstrous migraine last night which caused me to be groggy the whole day today. Yet I still had to go to school even on a Saturday because of the Pre-Midterm exam I had to give my second year Organic Chemistry students.



As you can see from the picture above, they took their exams in the faculty room because I wanted to work on my afternoon lecture while looking after them. Unable to concentrate because I was too hungry, I just enjoyed watching my friends play Tumblebugs - the latest craze in the Chemistry Department. I had to wait for the pizza to be delivered by 11:30am.



The pizza was delivered at almost noon. Good thing that I was too famished to complain! Anyway, here is proof of my hearty appetite:


My lunch!

Classroom Scenes

Teaching may not make you a millionaire, but the fulfillment you get from the job more than makes up for it. I do get my share of lazy and dull students, but I am generally blessed with bright, enthusiastic, and respectful students who remain my friends even after they graduate from my class.

Today, I had Organic Chemistry laboratory and lecture classes for the Chemistry majors. They were engrossed in the lab trying to finish their analysis on an unknown organic compound. They have until next Friday to submit a report on the identity of the organic compound that I gave them for qualitative analysis.




Color reactions are fun!

For my lecture class, we continued on the discussion on how to separate the components of a mixture of organic compounds.






Settled on my desk, I noticed an envelop addressed to me. It bore good news as I finally got my tenureship! Tenureship means job security, but most all it means that I still get my 2-months summer pay even if I do not work for the 3 months of summer. During this time, I could focus on my translation job, photography, reading my back-log of books, watching DVDs, and trying out new recipes to cook. I also got promoted to Associate Professor Level 3, which is 7 levels my former rank of Assistant Professor Level 1. This signifies a higher pay and more financial security. When before I have to augment my income with my translation jobs (which actually pays me 5 times more!), now my salary as a teacher can support my lifestyle. The money I get from translations will be saved and a portion used to buy luxury items like another Louis Vuitton bag. hehe.



After a few shouts of joy on my part and congratulatory cheers from my colleagues, I had to eat lunch. Since the start of this semester, I have been preparing my bento box for lunch whenever my classes take the whole day. The food at the cafeteria got tiring on the palate and they were expensive to boot!

Pag-ibig, Dentist, and Some Shopping

My application for the Pag-ibig loan had to be submitted today. I was already at the Pag-ibig office by 8:26 to get my priority number. The wait was not that bad, an hour for a really busy government office...

I got out just in time for my 10:00 am appointment with my dentist. It went along fine and I got some tidbit from my dentist about puppies of imported dogs costing PhP15,000 to PhP25,000 here in Cebu. Each dog could give birth to about 10 puppies which can be sold easily since demand is also up for them. That would be a nice business to take up if only I love pets. But I don't, so it's not a good idea at all. hehe.



Right after, I decided to proceed to Ayala Center to have brunch at Idea Italia. I love their minestrone! It is hot, delicious, and comforting. Satiated, I decided to walk around the mall. My first stop was the Beauty Bar where I got the Bebe Magic Matte facial oil absorber made of linen paper. At only PhP85, it was a bargain. To think that my Shu Uemura, with only a few sheets left, costs me 5 times! Hmmm. Let's see if the Bebe beats the Shu quality wise, too...



Remembering that the girl from What A Girl Wants texted me yesterday about the arrival of new Havaianas, I went to the 3rd floor to visit the shop. Fortunately, a pair of the Havaianas in white was available in my size. Bought! My last stop was my favorite magazine shop to get copies of the December 2005 issues of my favorite magazines.




I went home by 2pm to finish some proofreading job I had to submit by early afternoon. That done, I revert to teacher mode and made 3 exams.