duh?!

Reason Number 463 why I've not been writing here a lot:



Ahehehe! Saw this shirt at SM North Edsa last week and just had to take a snapshot of it. Boohoo!

25, 24, 23

November 25: Happy Fiesta, Dumaguete! This is the religious holiday of Dumaguete, celebrating the feast St. Catherine de Alexandria. This is when the pigs become lechon and the young coconuts become buko salad.

November 24: Charter Day, Dumaguete. This is the official non-working holiday of the city with matching city parade and closed offices. Aka bisperas, some pigs become lechon and humba on this day too.

November 23: Robinson's Mall opens in Dumaguete, changing the landscape of the city. There's a week-long series of celebrity shows at the mall every afternoon, drawing folks of all ages from all over Negros Island, the western part of Cebu, and even all the way from Dipolog, Dapitan and neighboring localities in Mindanao.

Here's a celfone photo of the entrance to the Mall, I think my hand was shaking thus the blurr.

Goooooooo, Mannnnyyyyy!!!!!

:-D

Hurray to Manny Pacquiao!

::fans jumping up and down::

dissecting d worm

Our computer technician, Greg, is familiar with worms, the kind that replicates itself in computer programs. Never did he imagine that one day, in his stint as the Learning Resource Unit Officer in our school, he would be encountering (and in fact dissecting) another kind of worm, namely the lumbricus spp., humble earthworm of the kawayanan.

And why the earthworm? Well, it's because earthworms are true coelomates, and as such they have a body cavity that is lined with muscle on both the inside of the epidermal tissues and the outside of the endodermal tissues (gut). Coelomates have muscle lining their guts, thus peristalsis can occur independently of body movements.

We were studying the effects of different neurotransmitters, temperature and ions on gut activity. The wriggly-squiggly earthworms had to be immobilized first by soaking them in ethanol, to put them into a drunken stupor.

This experiment wouldn't work with the human ascaris because ascaris is a pseudocoelomate and as such does not have muscle tissue around its gut. (Not to mention that I think that would quite eewww, huh, dissecting an ascaris!)

L-R: My student (CL), our all-around-guy (Manong Nato) and our computer-guy (Greg)

gutting the gut

Lessons learned (among the many):

1. the bigger the earthworm, the easier the dissection, and the bigger the gut harvested (elementary)

2. the blunter the knife, the greater the number of earthworms that get macerated before we send for a new set of surgical blades (~_~)

3. dissecting earthworms is fun, especially for students who dream of becoming surgeons someday

4. the earthworms have to be duly anesthetized, before they will allow you to terminate their soil-y lives in the name of scientific advancement

hallo-vember

Okey, so this is like... one week late?

But since it's still November, I still want to post this here. If only because it's not a very common site in the Philippines, where instead of Halloween we have Tingkalalag, which means Time of Souls.

So, BOOOOO!!

Kalabasa with lights

yes, here it is

The blurb inside the ice cream tub cover says:

"One bite of our Macaroons and we're confident you'll agree they're one of the best. Moist and very chewy, they're made with lightly sweetened milk and mixed in with tender grated coconut shreds oven-baked to perfection. Scattered in a light , buttery classic vanilla ice cream, and swirled with rich caramel fudge, Macaroons in Vanilla ice cream is a combination that's classic and romantic.

We put our ideas where our taste buds lie. That's why at Selecta, we are committed to bring you an exceptional ice cream experience. We lavishly use only the finest milk, chocolates, nuts, and the choicest fruits that nature has to offer. This ice cream is made exclusively for your pleasure, from source to scoop. Created with so much passion, you can taste it.

This paper lining assures you of ice cream that is safely packed and handled with care. Enjoy!"

Wow. I think this is the first time I've actually read what's written on the paper covering the ice cream in the container. As I keep saying, I'm not much of an ice cream person. That's why I'm wondering why I have vivid mind images involving ice cream.

Like:

Driving out to Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham, Texas, in a van full of assorted relatives, having our picnic lunch in somebody's driveway, then laying down among the bluebonnets blooming on the hillsides, to have our pictures taken.

Savoring the absolutely fabulous three-layered chocolate parfait at the Broadway Centrum, in Quezon City, just a few minutes away from my post-grad dormitory.

Eating ice cream with peanut butter at the Insular Hotel in Dumaguete with someone who doesn't even remember that memory.