goodbye, 2008

The Passing of the Year

by Robert W. Service (1874 - 1958)

My glass is filled, my pipe is lit,
My den is all a cosy glow;
And snug before the fire I sit,
And wait to feel the old year go.
I dedicate to solemn thought
Amid my too-unthinking days,
This sober moment, sadly fraught
With much of blame, with little praise.

Old Year! upon the Stage of Time
You stand to bow your last adieu;
A moment, and the prompter's chime
Will ring the curtain down on you.
Your mien is sad, your step is slow;
You falter as a Sage in pain;
Yet turn, Old Year, before you go,
And face your audience again.

That sphinx-like face, remote, austere,
Let us all read, whate'er the cost:
O Maiden! why that bitter tear?
Is it for dear one you have lost?
Is it for fond illusion gone?
For trusted lover proved untrue?
O sweet girl-face, so sad, so wan
What hath the Old Year meant to you?

And you, O neighbour on my right
So sleek, so prosperously clad!
What see you in that aged wight
That makes your smile so gay and glad?
What opportunity unmissed?
What golden gain, what pride of place?
What splendid hope? O Optimist!
What read you in that withered face?

And You, deep shrinking in the gloom,
What find you in that filmy gaze?
What menace of a tragic doom?
What dark, condemning yesterdays?
What urge to crime, what evil done?
What cold, confronting shape of fear?
O haggard, haunted, hidden One
What see you in the dying year?

And so from face to face I flit,
The countless eyes that stare and stare;
Some are with approbation lit,
And some are shadowed with despair.
Some show a smile and some a frown;
Some joy and hope, some pain and woe:
Enough! Oh, ring the curtain down!
Old weary year! it's time to go.

My pipe is out, my glass is dry;
My fire is almost ashes too;
But once again, before you go,
And I prepare to meet the New:
Old Year! a parting word that's true,
For we've been comrades, you and I --
I thank God for each day of you;
There! bless you now! Old Year, good-bye!

at it again

Yes, SUHS Class '78 is at it again. Meaning, nagkundat na pud. Last night's sumptuous dinner at Hayahay ended at two am with dancing at Why Not Disco. And today we had karaoke and budbud time at Rommel's place in Daro.

And on January 2, which has been declared a holiday, we'll have a New Year Party and exchanging of funny gifts, again at Rommel's place. And they say there's going to be a majong table, too. Hmm.

To all our batchmates scattered all over the world, wish you were here! Hope to see you this coming 2009!

ernie, antoinette and batch '78

Today is my cousin Ernie's (aka Bingbong) wedding to Antoinette and almost all my relatives are in Cebu to attend the big event but here I am, left alone in Dumaguete... duty calls and all that. I was supposed to follow them (my relatives who kept running commentaries and updates by text messaging) as soon as possible but it turned out work finished at almost seven pm so it was way too late to go to Cebu.

It wasn't too late though to attend the Batch '78 Christmas gathering held at the Hayahay Restobar in Piapi. This was an instant tapok as text messages started circulating at around 6 pm already, but a good number of Batch '78ers were there. Atit, Erlyn, Mitch and Hya from Manila were present as well as the usual Dumaguete suspects.

This year's Christmas party was sponsored by Ingrid G., who is on vacation from Obama country Chicago. Ingrid was here in 2007, twenty-two years after she left the country. And Ingrid so thoroughly enjoyed that last visit that she vowed she'll come home more often. And the very next year, 2008, she made good on her promise. Salamat, Ingrid, for the tons of delicious food we (over)ate!

sea forest

Spent the day at the Sea Forest Resort in Sibulan.

Then after all that swimming, we had body and foot massages this evening. Grreat!

posting the post-Christmas post

What have the Pinoy MD Bloggers been up to this Christmas?

Abner almost didn't "Realize it's Christmas" maybe because right now it is summer down under in New South Wales.

Brian takes time off from all his toxic residency duties to be a "bum" even for just a day, before he goes on Christmas day duty at the ER. A fine bum he makes, as he remembers Christmases past, mulls on Christmas present and dreams of his perfect future Christmas which he hopes will not be "Scroogey".

Clairebear, also down under, in Perth, Australia, experiences Christmas away from home, away from loved ones and away from everything familiar for the first time in her young life. She surrounds herself with comfort foods like Mang Tomas lechon sauce and Lucky Me pancit canton in "Christmas out of the Box".

Em Dy explores the many creative ways of Exchanging Gifts during Christmas. There's drawing lots, Monito-Monita, Kris Kringle and a few more... but Doc Em reminds us that the best gift of all is the giving of one's self.

Before Gaya gives a book review on The Shack by William P. Young, she writes an emphatic letter to someone, a move that will probably change her life dramatically in the very near future as she " was Caught in a Whirlwind of My Own Making."

Lei Si, as the last romantic standing, fell deeply when as a clerk she volunteered to go on Christmas eve duty hoping to recapture the magic of assisting in the birth of a modern baby boy, if only to get a feel of what it must have been like 2000 years ago when a virgin birth was unassisted by medical or paramedical personnel but was instead attended by kings from the east and shepherds from nearby hillocks. So, did she find "Romance on a Christmas Eve"?

When Louell decided to join the annual toy giving mission, his motives were less than noble. That is, until he met Rachel, a little girl afflicted with cancer of the blood. His heart and his mind were bowled over and he comes into an epiphany on the meaning of Christmas, as if he had been touched by "Angels."

With as much passion and attention as Manggy puts into his food creations today, as a child he longed for this one toy with all his heart. Years on end he wrote to Santa for this precious and pricey toy and was sorely disappointed when Christmas came and the gift fell short of his expectations. Find out the startling realization that dawned on him when he did not get the Toy Houses he wanted so badly.

Kitty Mama is one lucky mama for having lovable kids and a loving husband like A who showers her with her favorite things and "brings me the world in his hands." See what A got for his wife as an Early Christmas gift.

Rheiboy is a young dad (so young looking that he is still being asked to show his ID everytime he enters R18 movies) whose Christmas revolves around his huggable/pinchable family: wife Marie and kids Yuan and Kyan.

Sonia, the tale-telling easy-rider, is ever busy with hospital work but she found time to appreciate the Tree Lights on display at the Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete.

Tes, aka d labandera, together with her loyal and reliable drayber, relates their Colon Christmas esCapades in Cebu as they searched for gifts for the multitudes. Their finds: imitation flipflops, imitation DVDs, one great movie, Ploning, which is "not your ordinary i-am-indie-movie-i-dont-care-what-you-think-this-is-my-movie-gadam-yu-mader-paker " and one common fruit that they all love, "Tungod ug Alang sa Lychee in Cans."

And saving the best for last, guess who owns this love story?

Malipayong Pasko kaninyong tanan!

post-Christmas post

What have the Pinoy MD Bloggers been up to this Christmas?

[coming up...]

family reunion 2008

It's been a hectic day. The highlight of which was our family reunion party and exchanging of gifts. In the words of my nine-year-old nephew Onin: "The best Christmas ever!"

Next up: We're all (well, almost all) going to Cebu for my cousin Bingbong's wedding on Monday.

spot the not

This is a Saisaki lechon de leche.

This is a Cebu lechon de bakery, lovingly hand-carried by Lalaine all the way from Cebu, where she was on hospital duty on Christmas eve.

forlorn? burnt to a crisp

all i want...

fourth Christmas party for 2008

Of all the December parties, perhaps the one I look forward to the most is the Med School party because every year the students wow us with their creativity and enthusiasm. They're in charge of everything about the party, from planning, to posters, invitations, menu, program, strobe lights, skirted tables and chairs, to clean-up and aftercare, all the big and little details. So far, they haven't disappointed us.

First year students turned their lab gowns into choir gowns by clever use of metallic green and red collars.

The lab cum choir gowns came off as they did a fast paced Broadway number next.

The Sophomores did a through-the-years song and dance medley.

Dancing to Jaicon's Mama Mia

Allen led the Juniors in an Indian inspired dance.

The Seniors (also known as the Clerks or the Junior Interns or the Lowest form of animals in the hospital) altered the words of a carol to ask for a Christmas gift (written on that little paper they're holding): a duty break this Christmas. The faculty's response: in your dreams, babeh.

Compared to last year, the faculty was more prepared this time for our presentation. The "preparation" came in the form of printing the lyrics of the songs that we sang during our first and final practice. ;p

If the faculty was faux prepared the staff was genuinely so as evidenced by the audio-visual presentation they came up with. It started as a slide show about the school, the students and the teachers and it ended with this Christmas number that that they made. (This is only a partial clip showing the initial part of the movie. The rest of the movie is actually more of the same, only repeated several times.)

Credits:

Scriptwriter and narrator = Koren, our secretary

Editors = Lance and John, our computer guys, officially designated as Learning Resource Personnel

Cameraman and provider of costumes = Carlo, Koren's husband

Choreography = Manong Nato, our Lab Assistant, plus everybody

Who is who"

Koren, the only rose among the bushes, is the leader
Manong Nato, follows Koren
John Dale, follows Manong Nato
Lance, sleeping on the sofa

bacolod trip

Framed miniatures: me, Ynadz, Ruthie, Jed and Noynoy

Saltimboca Inn, where we stayed for four hours to sleep, bathe and eat breakfast


Bamboo bars on bintana


Stone detail on Saltimboca steps


Bacolod is maskara country so it is only fitting that the Saltimboca Christmas tree should have masks as decor.


A beary merry Christmas and a fruitful new year to you all

back from away

:: another day of weblogging rest ::

o o t

going out of town
to Bacolod
this weekend

break time

- - - - -

Jed Madela was here

Yes, he was. He had a concert at the NegOr Convention Center last Monday, December 15. And now everybody (who saw the concert) is raving about him, a young man with talent to the superlative level.

How super? Check out Wikipedia's entry on him:

In 2005, he bested over 3,000 contestants from 52 countries to win the grand prize in the World Championships of Performing Arts.

There were six categories whereby Jed won the golds. For the pop category, he sang “I’m Your Angel.” For the original song category, meaning a composition from the singer’s home country, he did Martin Nievera’s old hit, “Be My Lady.” For Broadway (“Home”), pop duet (with Risa Navales, they sang “Last Night of the World”), gospel (“Take Me Out of the Dark”), and for the final song that made him grand champion, it’s Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing.”

He also brought home two Champion of the World plaques, one star trophy for the award Grand Champion of the World in the singing division and a huge diamond trophy for the most coveted Grand Champion Performer of the World.

Still not convinced? Check out the youtube videos of his concerts. This guy has been all over the world and in a recent trip to Europe he was given a standing ovation by thousands of Filipinos and Europeans alike.

In Edu Manzano's words:

"And then meron pa kaming ginawa, kinuha po namin yong rights, binayaran po namin yong rights, kasi hindi pwedeng ipirata yong kantang yan, kinanta uli po ni Jed Madela doon sa gathering namin with the Filipino community, 25,000 Filipinos po, andun yong mga Mayor ng Rome, mga Conciliary, mga Deputy Mayors, kung sino sino pong mga Italyano, mga security namin puro Italyano. Anyway, dahil nung nabayaran na, pinahirit ko ulit kay Jed Madela. Mga kaibigan 25,000 Filipinos ang nag standing ovation, kasama din po yong mga Italyano para lang sa isang Pilipino."

Jed Madela was here. Yes, he was. And where was I? Not at the concert! For the simple reason that I did not know what an incredible artist this Jed Madela is. I thought he was another of those matinee idols who look good but can't carry a tune, and we've had a lot of these coming here at this time of year in the past. And also because the venue was at the Convention Center instead of at the Luce Auditorium, where I believe all real talents should perform instead of anywhere else here, mainly because of the acoustics and the seats that are really comfortable for the audience.

I did not like my last concert experience at the Convention Center (Bossa Nova featuring Sitti in February 2008) because the people were walking, buying food from the stalls on the side, eating and talking while the concert was going on. So many distractions. And the floor is flat so if you're seated at the back, it's quite difficult for you to see the stage. Unlike at the Luce, which is an auditorium where the seats are gradually elevated towards the back, no matter where you sit you still get an unobstructed view of the stage, although the people are smaller the farther away you are.

As for Jed Madela, the next time he comes to town, I'll be sure to watch his show (hopefully it will be at the Luce). As for you, in case he has a concert near your place in the future, I strongly suggest you get a ticket and see that Filipinos are not only good in boxing (and copying) but in singing, too. But you already knew that, of course.

third Christmas party for 2008

Tonight the Pedia Department and the OB-Surgery Departments of SUMCFI had their Christmas parties at the SUMCFI rooftop and at the Cunningham Hall respectively. Are there more of us or did the Cunningham Hall get smaller that's why it seemed pretty crowded in there? Or maybe there was just so much food that the food tables occupied a big part of the place. The food, by the way, was not catered but lovingly cooked by staff members who, well, love cooking.

On display were lechon, pancit bihon, pancit palabok, fish fillet with vegetables, chopsuey, dinuguan, shrimps, and a lot more but I didn't bother about them as I zeroed in on my all time favorite, the humba. The assortment of desserts was too numerous to count, but I will gladly try: chocolate cake, butter cake, brazo de mercedez, mangoes in cream, fresh fruits, buko salad and some other trays that were empty so I don't know what they contained. This is so typical of Filipino parties. There just has to be a lot of food or a wide assortment to choose from. So unlike the parties in American homes I've been to where there is usually only one main entree.

There was a pre-dinner and a post-dinner program but I didn't stay long because I was not feeling too well. Eat and run, that's what its called.

What I ate, among the abundant array: humba forever, pancit palabok, fish fillet with vegetables, buko salad and pickings of assorted other desserts. "Pickings" means "just a little bit, instead of one whole slice." Hohoho. Looks like I'm not that sick as I don't seem to have lost my appetite.

qarol quiz with anzwerz

Yesterday's quiz reposted, this time time with answers somewhere around...

First Set:

1. Listen to the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds

2. Embellish the interior passageways

3. Twelve o'clock on a clement night witnessed its arrival

4. The Christmas preceeding all others

5. Small municipality in Judea south of Jerusalem

6. Omnipotent supreme being who elicits respite in distinguished males

7. Nocturnal time span of ubroken quietness

8. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals

9. Tintinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in inverted, metallic, resonant cups

10. In awe of the eventide characterized by religiosity


Second Set:


1. The only thing that I desire at this most jubilant time of year is a couple of forward facing incisors

2. An overweight white bearded red clad male persona is scheduled to arrive in this locality

3. My visual organs beheld the woman, in whose womb I thrived before my natal day, exchanging oral exercises with an overweight white bearded red clad male persona

4. This is the penultimate phenomenal period in the chronology of a dozen lunar cycles

5. The given name of a scarlet snouted four-footed mammal with branching antlers

6. The Tintinnabulation of a hollow cast metal instrument to the tune of a musical genre popularized in the 1950's

7. Liliputian lad banging on the bongos

8. The presence of all colors in a special year-end holiday

9. Seasonal snow in a magical place

10. A royal trio from the east, that’s us

And here's a cute addition:

Depart! And declare the good news from atop an elevated body of land with an altitude of greater than 2000 feet, that Jesus Christ is born!

Malipayong Pasko sa inyong tanan.

tintinnabulations ten days prior

Most times it is best to get the message across in the simplest language possible. But sometimes, depending on one's mood, it is nice to get the message across in a more complicated language. For what purpose? Maybe for none other than the fun of playing with words.

Today I am in such mood. It is exactly ten days before the 25th and Christmas carols are in the air. Let's see if you can name the titles of familiar carols from these circuitous textual arrangements.

The first set of ten came from an email. The second set I made myself.

First Set:

1. Listen to the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds

2. Embellish the interior passageways

3. Twelve o'clock on a clement night witnessed its arrival

4. The Christmas preceeding all others

5. Small municipality in Judea south of Jerusalem

6. Omnipotent supreme being who elicits respite in distinguished males

7. Nocturnal time span of ubroken quietness

8. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals

9. Tintinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in inverted, metallic, resonant cups

10. In awe of the eventide characterized by religiosity


Second Set:


1. The only thing that I desire at this most jubilant time of year is a couple of forward facing incisors

2. An overweight white bearded red clad male persona is scheduled to arrive in this locality

3. My visual organs beheld the woman, in whose womb I thrived before my natal day, exchanging oral exercises with an overweight white bearded red clad male persona.

4. This is the penultimate phenomenal period in the chronology of a dozen lunar cycles

5. The given name of a scarlet snouted four-footed mammal with branching antlers

6. Tintinnabulation of a hollow cast metal instrument to the tune of a musical genre popularized in the 1950's

7. Liliputian lad banging on the bongos

8. The presence of all colors in a special year-end holiday

9. Seasonal snow in a magical place

10. A royal trio from the east, that’s us


Now, did you get a perfect score? :-)

Loboc children's choir at the Luce auditorium

Last Saturday, December 6, the world renowned Loboc Children's Choir from Bohol was here for a couple of performances at the Luce Auditorium. I am grateful to the SU Cultural Committee for giving Dumaguete the privilege of witnessing such a delightful concert!

colorful, vibrant

patriotic, wonderful singing

newly upholstered comfy seats at the Luce

Read about the choir here and listen to the children here.

second Christmas party for 2008

Tonight the Silliman Medical Center held its Christmas Party at the NegOr Convention Center, a nice spacious place for a big group of almost 600 people. After the usual speeches and the much awaited bonus announcement for employees, we all enjoyed a very entertaining program prepared by the very talented party committee.

Every year they surprise us with a different gimmick. Last year it was a ballroom dancing competition, and some years back it was a fashion show. This year we had a Mr. and Ms. SUMCFI (Silliman University Medical Center Foundation, Inc.) Contest as well as several awards like Best in Cocktail Dress, Couple of the Night, Most Transformed (yeah, it was amazing to see everyone out of hospital uniform and in party clothes!), Best Hair, Most Futuristic Outfit, and some others that I forgot.

And the winner for Mr. SUMCFI is Bernard Pinero, our ER nurse who looks like a movie star and the winner for Ms. SUMCFI is non-other than Post-Graduate Intern Dr. Stephanie Miaco, who has two weblogs on my links on the right! Way to go, Stephanie!!

Surgery resident Herbert Rebaya, PGI Stephanie Miaco, a nurse (forgot her name!) and Bernard Pinero

Her weblogs:

Tales of the Easy Rider and Mia Medica

first Christmas party for 2008

The Dumaguete Doctors Medical and Dialysis Clinic (DDMDC) and the Dumaguete Medical Laboratory (DML) had our Christmas party last Friday, December 5, at the new Ang Tay Golf Course and Country Club where there's a new airconditioned function room and a new cook who whipped up an exotic menu for us. The food was really delicious but the names on the menu were rather unimaginative and made the dishes sound ordinary when in fact they were NOT!


Mixed seafood with bean curd soup

Stuffed chicken

Lo hon chay

Fried Lapu-lapu with sweet and sour sauce

Fried chicken with chicken balls

Fried crabs with chili sauce **my favorite for the night!**

Carved fresh fruits

the young once

Ed, Jon, Joe, Me, Agong, Roy, Lynn

the young ones

some of our staff (nurses and medtechs)

'Some of our staff''! This goes to show that I don't know the names of all our employees. DML has expanded so much (four branches in ten years) so that I have not been able to keep tract of our staff, especially those assigned in Tanjay, Bayawan, Siquijor and Guihulngan.

mango experiment

[feeling a need for some comfort food, made a mango float experiment today.]

these are what i used. other recipes recommend some other variations.

two big ripe juicy mangoes, sliced into thin strips (not so easy to find these days as it is december). canned peaches will do, too.

1 big can condensed milk

1 big can Nestle cream

graham crackers (crushed or solid? i tried solid for this time.)

half bar gulaman, melted (there's always the gelatin sachet but just tried the gulaman bar for now)

STEPS:

mix cream, milk and gulaman. layer crackers, cream/milk, mangoes at will. top with whatever is left behind, preferably cream and mangoes. may sprinkle crushed crackers on top, too, for effect, it's up to you. chill the finished product. crunch on unused crackers. nibble on mango seeds. use a piece of bread to wipe the remaining condensed milk from the can. eat the bread. drink plenty of water to dilute all that sugar. clean up the stuff. wait patiently for the mango float to set. try not to think about it too much.

after what seems like many hours, take out the pyrex dish from the ref. we placed ours in the freezer but i think it's best that you don't freeze it, unless you want to have popsicles. anyway, ours didn't have time to freeze. just enough gelling so it's not too jiggly when you cut it. slice and arrange in little saucers. those who want more can have bigger slices. those who are shy can have little portions and just get some more later. if there's still some left over. dig in. let melt in mouth before swallowing. savor. ahhh.

verdict? kulang. next time double the recipe. heck, quadruple it. and take a picture.

why i hate parades

Dumaguete is probably the most parade-prone city in the Philippines. At the slightest provocation, people / schools / organizations /whatever will go on a parade. And with gusto, too. Complete with bands, costumes, floats, gimmicks, celebrities, the works. That was fine, years ago, when traffic was not so horrendous. But these past years, I have found parades to be bothersome, if not outright irritating, because they clog up streets and make going to the hospital very difficult. And then last year, my own mother fell and broke her hip during Silliman's Founder's Day Parade, when she scrambled to get candies that were thrown by a parade contingent.

But what happened recently is the worst parade related event that I've ever encountered. During a girl scout parade in one of the cities of Negros Oriental, a passenger bus that allegedly lost its brakes plowed through the parading little children aged 9 to 11. Their injuries are just so horrible that I say with all my heart PLEASE LET US BAN ALL PARADES FROM HIWAYS FOREVER.

dyan tayo magaling

If there's one thing that Pinoys are good at, aside from boxing, it's definitely copying. And of course, the esteemed object of our fervid emulation is the one and only home of the brave and land of the free, the US of A. We have prime time television shows like Pinoy Big Brother, Kapamilya Deal or No Deal, Kakasa ka ba sa Grade 5?, Bitoy's Funniest Video and many more as testament to this. Even our 24-hour source of current events, ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel), is patterned after CNN.

Kapitolyo by Revey

And in Negros Oriental, the provincial capitol is actually architecturally designed like, guess what, the Capitol in Washington, DC.

And so it is only natural that as Election 2010 approaches, local politicians are quick to catch on to the incredible socio-technological tool that has played a significant role in Barack Obama's campaign and election: the internet and weblogging.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is a weblogger of sorts, as she has a website with transcripts of her famous and sometimes infamous but always walloping speeches. Though she says she is not running for office in 2010, her weblog is interesting to read if only because Miriam is Miriam, a very intelligent lawmaker, a Karakter, sometimes a caricature, in the Senate AND it gives us a glimpse of a not-one-to-mince-words senator's take on the recent series of mind-blowing shenanigans by our very own government officials. (Hat tip to Meloinks for the link.)

Senator Mar Roxas seems to be a nice guy who is running for president in 2010 and has tapped the internet as an arsenal in his bid. His website is themed blue, just like Obama's, but at risk of offending the web designer, I have to say that it is a super eyesore. Even if I already wanted to vote for Roxas, after visiting his website I would most probably change my mind.

I like the fonts and colors in Loren Legarda's clean and green website. Looks like she has a young webdesigner. What I don't like are the photos. Rather boring and undynamic.

As for the other candidates, looks like they haven't found a dedicated weblogger to blog for them yet. Or maybe I haven't looked hard enough. And for the others (de Castro, Erap, Villanueva), I didn't bother to look at all.

artPAIX

"Is this a magic show?" my nine year old nephew, Onin, asked as he saw this barefoot, long haired, reed-thin guy in a cacha floor length gown chant words in a foreign language (Aramaic) as he set his cacha rug on fire.

Such was the beginning of last Saturday's program that launched Razceljan Salvarita's artPAIX exhibit at the Luce Auditorium Foyer Gallery. This exhibit, which runs until January 3, 2009, includes paintings, photographs, installations, performance and videolight projection.

Here's a collage of some of his works.

Gracing and making the launch possible were:

(1) Dessa Quesada-Palm, my beautiful and earthy director in Usaping Puki, who sang two songs in Tagalog by Joey Ayala. I did not know Dessa could sing so well!

(2) Susan Vista-Suarez, my friend since high school, and now choir conductor and designated University Cultural Officer

(3) Yen Ocon, Susan's music student, my friend and idol vocalist, who I do believe can hold a concert all her own! She is so small and yet her voice is just so heavenly. She can hit the high notes with seemingly zero effort.

(4) Quddus Padilla, restaurateur, patron of the arts and owner of Boston Cafe Art Gallery. I heard from somewhere that cooking is the most passionate of all professions. Was it Ratatouille? Or was it The Devil Wears Prada? I'm not sure now.

(5) And of course, Kuya Moe and Ian, the dynamos of Silliman, were there, they being the movers and shakers of everything artsy and cultural hereabouts.

(6) Rianne Salvarita, the artist's brother who is a painter and photographer himself, presently has an ongoing exhibit at the Boston Cafe Gallery.

(7) Razcel and Rianne's parents

(8) The audience, whom Razcel kept thanking for coming

So was it a magic show? I don't know. What I know is that the dried leaves that Razcel splayed on the Luce Foyer Gallery floor brought me magically back to adolescent summers when the shed acacia leaves in the Silliman Campus would pile ankle deep on the ground, and we would plow through them, reveling in the crackling of the crisp leaves beneath our feet.

Leaves and trees and soil are close to Razcel's heart for he is an environmental activist of such caliber that has earned him the distinction of representing our country in two United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Montreal, Canada and in Bali, Indonesia. Just in his early twenties, Razcel has been featured by The New York Times, BBC and Reuters. And next week, he'll be in Boracay for a SolGen (Solar Generation) Youth convention on climate change. Dare we hope that something great and good for our environment will come out of this Boracay gathering?

pacman packs power punches

Hurray for Manny Pacquiao!!

This afternoon, for the first time in my life, I watched an entire boxing match. And I'm glad I did, as it was a proud moment for the Philippines as our "national treasure" showed remarkable form, skill, speed and oommph as he won by TKO over the highly acclaimed (but elderly) Oscar de la Hoya. And to think that some months back some high ranking Philippine officials were advising Pacquiao to back off from the fight because he was likely to be clobbered to mincemeat by the much bigger de la Hoya.

As they say, stats don't lie so look at these stats here: de la Hoya landed 83 out of 402 punches thrown; Pacquiao landed 224 out of 585 punches thrown.

(image from flickr photostream of ext212)

On a side note, I'm amazed by the technology that makes counting of these stats possible. Can you imagine the unaided human eye doing all that counting accurately?

It's incredible to throw that many punches in eight three-minute rounds. To be recipient of those blows can be face-changing and career-altering for those are not wimpy arm thrusts but powerpacked ones. Here's a sample of those deadly hits: (photo by Devin Loretz, caption by UNLV Rebel Yell)

Manny Pacquiao slips Oscar De La Hoya's jab before delivering a counter hook. Taking away the jab was crucial for Pacquiao's game plan, trainer Freddie Roach said.

events events events

Friday night: First Christmas party for 2008!

Saturday morning: Hospital work (very disturbing cases lately)

Noon: Checked out how the first and second floors of the SU Medical Arts Building are coming along. The fourth floor, which is an extention of the Pedia Floor, is already operational.

Afternoon: Watched the world acclaimed Loboc Children's Choir from Bohol perform at the now-more-posh-than-ever Luce Auditorium

Later 1: Attended the launching of Razceljan Salvarita's art exhibit at the Luce Auditorium lobby. Studded with Dumaguete's finest artists of different genres, the launch was not just any ordinary ribbon cutting ceremony. It was a celebration of art in all its forms. Artists supporting fellow artists. Such is the culture of Dumaguete.

Later 2: House warming party for my cousin Ging-ging who recently moved in to his newly built home at the Sta. Rosario Heights, a new subdivision just within walking distance from where I live. Even as we marveled at the beauty of his new home, we all sorely missed the presence of his once feisty mom, Auntie Aling, who succumbed to multiple myeloma a few years back. It is her birthday today.

Later 3: Writing this outline before I sleep and letting the images and emotions brought about by all these activities coagulate into terms I can write down and post tomorrow. That is, after I watch the Manny Pacquiao - de la Hoya match. As my boxing instructor would say, "Fight!"

portraitography exhibit

Malkootha is an Aramaic word which means "our very being becoming a fertile field for creating." It is also the theme for environmentalist Razceljan Salvarita's art exhibit which opens tomorrow, December 6 at five pm, at the Luce Auditorium.

Salvarita also has an ongoing art exhibit at the Boston Cafe Art Gallery entitled "Salvarita/Jumalon."

sweetness and light

That's what we had last Saturday night as the crafts team held a gingerbread-(complete with electricity)-house-making contest! It was a per-family team arrangement and those who did not have complete families banded together to make instant families. Raw materials were specially baked gingerbread slabs for the walls and roofs, pretzels, nacho chips, jelly beans, m and m's, marshmallows, biscuits and lots and lots of icing.

A Filipiniana inspired gingerbread house

Where are Hansel and Gretel? This house is good enough to eat!

We had some architectural wonders and we had some architectural disasters that ended up in a heap of goo before the judges could go around and choose the winners. Some adults were dismayed when over-enthusiastic little hands caused their gingerbread houses to teeter or tilt, if not outright fall to the platform. But I think two year old Chelsea summed it up quite well when she said of their handiwork, "This is a happy house!"

Chelsea had a hearty appetite after building their gingerbread house with her Mom and Dad.

What to do with all that left over icing? Right.

* more pics over at the side bar

the doctor is [sic]

Throat is so scratchee
Eyes burn so hottee
To bed I shall go early
In sleep find some recovery

earthshine

Here's my drawing of the last night's sky smiley.



Uhh... the real thing was actually more spectacular than this... The sky being pitch black. And the planets boldly unblinking. And the earthshine clearly visible.

What is earthshine?

This is a smoky glow on the dark portion of the crescent Moon. It is caused by sunlight that reflects off the Earth onto the Moon's night side. Under the earthshine, the Moon's outline and its dark features can be seen, even though only a thin crescent is bright. We see the Moon because of reflected sunlight (the Moon does not generate its own light). At times, however, the dark part of the Moon glows.

- from The Moon and Earthshine

smiley in the sky with diamonds

What a wonderful treat we had tonight! At around 7 pm, there was a huge smiley in the evening sky, formed by the crescent moon as the smile and two bright-as-diamonds somethings as the eyes. I learned later through the internet that the two bright lights were actually Venus and Jupiter! How awesome is that?!

I tried to take pictures but looks like my camera is not powerful enough to capture such distant light sources. Here are some pics from the net instead:

" A Celestial Summit Meeting" from the Hayden Planetarium

Planets, Crescent Moon to "Frown" on Skywatchers Dec. 1 from the National Geographic. To frown? Well, thankfully for Dumaguete, we got a smiley instead of a frowny. :-)

And here's one drawn by me.

(have trouble uploading. will try again later.)