Pasalubong Cravings

Ever since I left for Manila to study college, I always made sure that I go back to CDO 3x a year -one before summer semester (late March), one before 1st semester (late May) and one during semestral break (late October).

And my flight home is NEVER complete without these sweet cravings exclusively found in Manila :) .Since even when it comes to buying some food, I'm still a bit of a crammer and there I go shopping for sweet stuffs a day before my flight and sometimes, even hours :D And here are the top three things that enter my mind during my last-minute pasalubong-buying because 1.)they tend to be accessible from the dorm and 2.) i just simply love them.

They call it pasalubong, but I call it "taking-advantage-of-the-pasalubong-custom-to-satisfy-my-sweet-cravings" :))

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts <3

and here is something new which is one of my favorite flavors :)) Snickers + Krispy Kreme = <3>

I say the minis are Krispy Kreme's version of Dunkin Donut's munchkins or Mister Donut's smidgets. But who would have thought that two of my guiltiest pleasures -Snickers bar and Krispy Kreme doughnut -will be merged into one? Every bite of the doughnut is also synonymous with biting a small chunk from Snickers. My, I wonder how many calories are loaded in there. It sure will scare the appetite out of my health-conscious friends :)). So much for my beach body figure goal this summer. this thing is too hard for me to resist :D

aside from doughnuts, I also love buying these sweet stuffs for my flight home:

Brownies Unlimited

Banapple's Cakes especially
Banoffee Pie <3

who knows what my waistline would be if I would eat these yummy things on a regular basis O__O. that's why I'm treating them as food rewards or pasalubong, not ordinary foods always present in my fridge, ready to answer my most random cravings especially when I'm studying, watching TV series or worse, bored :))


I still have my whole college year to explore for more yummy and accessible pasalubong. if I can't think of something else, these 3 will spare me. so much for wanting to look good this summer, I still can't say no to good, sweet, tempting food :)


btw, HELLO SUMMMER!!

Conserve NOW, or PAY Later.

The problem with our generation nowadays is our self-centeredness and naivety. We seem to ignore and learn from the past and at the same time we are not the slightest bit concerned for the future.

We kill tigers, rhinos and other endangered species without concern for the survival of their species.





We take off the shark's fin just to prepare the most mouth-watering soup in 5-star hotels. And we throw those finless sharks into the sea confident that they'll still manage to swim without fins.







We either stay online 24/7, or fail to turn off the lights when not in use. We pay for them, so why bother conserving them?








We cut down trees and are too lazy to replace them with new ones.








We don't seem to bother to know what our ecological footprint is, let alone the definition of the term.










And we find pictures of polar bears hanging onto icebergs for dear life ...cute.







Our generation seem to overlook the fact that our resources are limited and the bulk of our energy source comes from a NON-renewable source -fossil fuels. Our generation seem to overlook the impact of CFCs, carbon dioxide and industrial or domestic wastes on our environment -our water and land source, the air we breathe, our ozone layer. Our generation does seem oblivious to the idea that everything they do has a consequence, which somehow, affects the unfortunate ones.

Now you know.

And what are we doing nowadays?

We are used to the thinking that whatever climate change brings, it won't affect us much today. The effects of climate change will take years to manifest that our generation will probably be gone and thus, spared from suffering such effects.

But unfortunately, effects of climate change are everywhere.

We just chose to ignore these.

As far as I know, there is only one planet that is discovered so far which is capable of supporting life -and that's our Earth. Unfortunately, we haven't got any luck in discovering new Earths in this vast universe.

And colonizing our moon or another planet is harder than you think.

Which leaves us to this: Earth is the only planet we have. so far.

Are we ready for the possibility that someday, these animals will cease to walk the Earth and they will forever be memories kept in merchandises like stuff toys, food labels or key chains?

We tend to overlook these things, since we are too focused with ourselves. And time is running out, my friends.

Lastly, we are used to the thinking that it's too late to change now, too late for reforms and actions. But no, it's not too late to apologize to Mother Earth. There is still hope. The international community is doing their part, and so we must as well. Climate change and environmental and wildlife conservation are not only global, but rather they are also local issues as well. Our country can't always depend on 1st-world countries to do our part in combating climate change and saving our wildlife and natural resources. In case we didn't know, 1st world countries, especially the USA, has still a WHOLE LOT to do for our environment, yet they are hesitant because of economic issues. As if US dollars is enough to save us in the future. One of the most recognized non-profit conservation organization is WWF or World Wildlife Fund which aims to protect natural areas and wildlife species, promote the use of renewable resources and efficient use of energy and reduction of pollution. Visit them here or better yet, visit WWF Philippines here.

WWF shows the world that saving our environment can also be a fun thing to do. Visit their Travel Blog and be amazed by the wonders of nature and wildlife which we seem to ignore all these time. Swim with dolphins and whalesharks, climb mountains ---ahhh, that's a perfect de-stress! Or even a career! Watcha say?

Let's just say that taking care of our Earth is our way of giving back to nature for everything that it has given us. It's not too much, really. If we can just let go of these trivial things and take these matters seriously.

As I say, " CONSERVE NOW, OR WE PAY LATER." :)


*BTW, don't forget to participate in this year's Earth Hour on MARCH 27, 2010, 8:30pm. I tell you, it's fun. You'll survive an hour without Facebook :P

Man's Beautiful Curse II

Yesterday, our SCI 10 professors showed us pictures of some of the latest advancement in science -the discovery of evidences for the Big Bang model, the scientists' best bet on the origin of the universe. Here are some of the pictures she shared with us:

The universe's latest "baby picture"
red - warmer spots
blue - cooler spots
white lines - direction of the oldest light

Scientists speculated that if there was indeed a Big Bang, which was a really massive explosion that created this universe, then we would still see remnants of the explosion, in the form of light and radiation.

And they found such evidences.

Interested, I searched for more info about the Big Bang at Einstein's world, the site that our professor recommended. With the latest findings, scientists believed that the Big Bang was the earliest known event in the universe. Of course, it couldn't be THE FIRST since how could the Big Bang model explain the origin of the energy and matter necessary for such "explosion" or event, or how the event itself was triggered in the first place. But our researchers have come up with three evidences that give witness that the Big Bang event really took place a long time ago:

1. The galaxies are moving away from us
they must have been closer together before @__@

2. Presence of chemical elements in the Big Bang
proportion of helium and hydrogen in the universe is what the scientists predicted
-if the universe was hot and dense before

3. Ancient light from the Big Bang

This radiation is known as the cosmic microwave background
also known as the oldest light in the universe

The afterglow image or the infant picture of the universe was taken by NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, or WMAP (image left) after a 12-month observation of the entire sky.Thanks to these advancements in technology, space exploration and studies about the universe are made more accurate and possible, something that Galileo and those before him had never done. With the help of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, scientists are able to comprehend the Big Bang model by realizing that those empty spaces we see are not just "nothingness", -rather they are something which the scientists have yet to comprehend. In the history of science and in the study of the universe, Einstein's contribution seem to have been an extraordinary missing chunk in the puzzle that we were trying to solve for all this time.

But then my SCI 10 professor popped a question that made me...well ...think.


ohh, the picture's exaggerated but you get my point: all this time we're led to believe that we're light years closer to the answer. Scientists would be disappointed. And most of all, students would really freak out after realizing that what they've been learning all this time would be still be replaced by a better theory or model (I'm kidding but really :D). Now we have to start from scratch and look for an alternative model that will best explain the Big Bang, or yet, the origin of the universe. But hey, history of science taught us that this is actually what science is all about. It's all about revolutionizing our thinking about the universe, testing our hypothesis and theories against inconsistencies and fallacies, and changing our way of thinking if it means that this will get us closer to the answer we're seeking for. Our present view of gravity now wouldn't be possible if not for the ancient view of gravity as presented by the falling of an apple in Newton's head. But come to think of it, new discoveries are the end-results of the advances in space technology and instruments, which gives us an assurance that these discoveries are backed-up by strong evidences. BUT If Einstein will indeed be proven wrong in the future, then it just means that we have found the missing piece in Einstein's theories and we're closer than ever to solving this puzzle.

Yes, nothing's perfect. As is nobody's perfect.

It seems that everything is provided for us in our quest in discovering life and the universe. Our minds are capable of coming up with such thoughts and the universe did its part by leaving some ancient evidences which could help us in our research.

Imagination equipped with knowledge.

Is what it takes to solve this beautiful curse some divine Being has put upon us: Uncovering the mysteries of life and the universe.

But all curses have an end, just like Sleeping Beauty finally waking up after 100 years of slumber.

IF we can find the key, just like Prince Philip planting his true love's kiss on Aurora's lips.

And me? I'm positive and hopeful that someday, all of us will be enlightened with our origin.

**pictures of the universe courtesy of NASA.

Man's Beautiful Curse

The Helix Nebula, only 650 light years away from Earth
image taken by the Hubble space telescope

The picture above is just one of the wonderful images that mesmerize us with its genuine beauty. If you're still craving for more, then I suggest you visit Hubble's Site. I can't wait to browse this site myself after all this schoolwork *wink*.

Throughout the years, only two main things have bothered our the most learned and the most curious: the origin of life and the origin of the universe. In the former, scientists are bothered with how life technically came from nothing -nothing more than just a combination of elements and organic compounds. If I were to ask in Biblical terms, who breathed life into them? Yes, eukaryotes evolving from prokaryotes seem easier to grasp but how the smallest unit of life began, remains a puzzle to be pondered on.

As for the universe's origin, scientists are also concerned with how it came into place. Did it just pop out of nowhere? Did it come from a big explosion known as the Big Bang? Or did it just simply exist, suspended in black nothingness as if strings were attached to it.

Fortunately, scientists are one step closer to the answer due to ceaseless and persevering studies and researches.

Thank God our scientists are not much of quitters.

And this is why I love and respect science, along with my other fields of interests: dance, art,music and communication. Science was never stagnant in the first place and though it is govern by laws, theories and other scientific rules, it is still subject to change, be it paradigm shifts, disproving of old laws and acknowledging new ones. Science is never stagnant because there is a A LOT (really) to discover and sticking to one rule could never get them that far. Just like with dancing, each type of dance has its own set or 'rules' or steps that dancers have to be faithful to. But the grace of the dancer, the attitude she portrays, how she plays with the steps (or rules), is up to the dancer herself and not subject to the rules anymore, not even to her instructor. The instructor can only guide her and teach the basics. Same goes for music and art -there are chords to be memorized, strokes to be mastered and other unspoken 'rules' yet their masterpieces are up to their creators. In communication, there are a lot of theories and strategies formulated but when you're on the job, let's say, advertising, it is also your call on how you apply the theories with your own thing in order to get that customer notice and buy the item you are marketing for.

"One must have to learn the rules in order to break them".

Artists are following this simple 'rule' -they can never create their own style nor leave a personal mark on their creations if they haven't even religiously mastered the basics yet. And I can say scientists could also be called artists -only that they deal with numbers and scientific thinking rather than chords or dance steps.

I am hopeful of science, hopeful that one day everything would fall into place, which excites and scares me at the same time. Just like the feeling when your best friend calls you in the middle of the night just to tell you something about your happy crush -you're dying to know what it is yet you can't help but feel anxious about it. You wouldn't know if you'll like what you're about to hear. Unless you're confident for some reasons <3.>
Glittering, colorful planets. Why not? Our universe is so vast and mysterious that almost everything we could think of under the sun is possible unless proven false. So why close our doors to aliens, extraterrestrial beings, parallel universes, time traveling, and all other things science fiction has taught us (hello Star Wars and Star Trek)?

And maybe this is why man is born restless. He is cursed to satisfy his never ending curiosity about himself and the world in which he lives in.

Redesigning Humanity with the Fruit of Knowledge

If I were to assess this world I've been living for more than 18 years, then I guess that one of the best things that happened to mankind is technology. Webster defined technology as "the application of scientific knowledge to practical purposes in a particular field". What good are ideas and man's superior knowledge if it does no good to the society? If I were to describe it from a Communications Technology Management major, science is the conceptual development of a project while technology is the productions. We can say that science and technology are bound to co-exist, same story with adenine which is doomed to pair with thymine in a DNA strand.

It is common human knowledge that technology made our life easier through machines and technological devices that greatly improved the way we do business, household management, agriculture and communications. Technology allows us to do mass productions of food and products in order cope with our growing population. It has conquered geographical barriers by making transportation easier and possible, wherever it may be. Not only that, communications between individuals is possible, despite any geographical barriers that could separate the two. Overall, the quality of life has no doubt improved since with technology comes convenience and modern way of doing things.

However, it is part of human nature to learn more and crave for new knowledge and think of ways of doing new things. By default, man is not easily satisfied and contented. I think that man's superior capacity to think is the reason for his constant desire for more knowledge and ideas. At one point in time, scientists have stumbled upon nanotechnology, which is working with things and substances at a nanoscale -that is smaller than microscale but larger than atomic scale. How small a nanometer is? According to Berkeley Laboratory, a national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and is composed of outstanding scientists from Nobel Prize winners to university students, a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, smaller than a visible wavelength of light and a hundred-thousandth the width of human hair. Small, huh? But of course, nobody beats the atomic scale of things, for an atom has a diameter of 0.1 nanometer and its nucleus is about 0.00001 nm. The word small, or tiny, may be an understatement if you ask me. One major reason why scientists and scholars are fascinated with the nanoscale since unlike the atomic scale, it is their first step in assembling something in a nanoscale to create something more advanced and specialized which could hold answers to our present problems. Engineers are creating powerful microprocessors whith nano-wires while doctors are working with nanoparticles to discover future medicine applications.


Another breakthrough in science is the discovery of genetic engineering which is the science of controlling and modifying genes and genetic combinations for specific purposes. At first, this was popular with agriculture, the creation of GMOs or genetically-modified crops. Desired traits from other crops are transferred into another crops with the purpose of improving its quality -saltwater tolerance, pesticide tolerance, size, shelf life, etc. Now, scientists have discovered ways and techniques in meddling with our genetic composition that genetic engineering is now been used to combat genetic disorders and treat hereditary defects through gene transplantation and gene therapy. Aside from agriculture, genetic engineering has proven useful in the field of medicine since it provides a key to discovering new cures and treatments for diseases. Genetic testing like newborn screening are devised with the goal of identifying genetic defects at an early phase for high chances of cure. Nowadays, scientists and the community who are affected by genetic diseases are hoping that genetic engineering will be the key in unlocking the very mysteries of human life.

Ok, this is funny. I just had to post this :))

Redesigning humanity with the Fruit of Knowledge

I yearn for the day when the cure for AIDS is available, when family members need not suffer the loss of loved ones due to incurable diseases such as cancer and the like. I yearn for the day when science has successfully accomplished one of its purposes: to unlock the key to quality human life -convenient and healthy life, less chances of suffering from any hereditary defects or diseases. It would be great that no one needs to suffer genetic diseases and be differentiated from the society. With that, science can focus on other pressing matters -the origin of life and the universe -which I myself am excited to know.

One day, everything will have a cure. Human anatomy and physiology is not a mystery anymore. Human needs are more or less answered by science. What if they now turn their focus to human wants? What if the people are now willing to spend just to attain their ideal human body -from hair color, eye color down to height, figure and complexion? People are uncontented with plain cosmetic plastic surgery and they're open to the possibility of which I shall dub as cosmetic genetic engineering. Scary, but I say it can be possible. People are nowadays fond of personalizing merchandise like create-your-own Havaianas slippers or frozen yoghurts that one day I won't be surprised (though I would definitely be horrified at the idea) that scientists are now offering create-your-own pet or baby @_@. With pets, you can choose the breed, hair color and gender. For babies, you can have a say on trivial things such as her eye and hair color, and even serious ones like gender and personality. Or we can create our own clones that will serve as our "organ insurance" just like in the movie, The Island starring Scarlett Johannson and and Ewan McGregor. But really, would we go that far? I hope not. Are you ready to wake up one day (not feeling like P. Diddy) and realize that you're just a product of your parents' discretion and not of nature's? You are the projection of what your superiors or parents want for themselves -their desired traits -and not of what nature has in store for you. Then when you're old enough, you'll blame your parents for choosing the wrong eye color or personality, and the cycle goes on and you'll project your ideal trivial traits to your future offspring. What's the big deal, scientists are already tinkering with our genes to cure any defects and diseases, then why not with our traits? Well, for the simple fact that it does not make us any different with things -product of human discretion and artificial creation.


I am pro-science as long as it serves the best of interests of humanity. But to meddle with the uniqueness of an individual as though one is some sort of a Barbie doll seems way overboard. This is not only morally controversial but this could also open gates to more human problems such as reduction of genetic diversity and harmful effects of these stuff. I don't think God would approve of this -redesigning a human individual out of vanity. But who I am to say what God wants right? We haven't even proven that there's such a thing as God.

But just what John Von Nuemann said,

"There probably is a god. Many things are easier to explain if there is than if there isn't."



* info about genetic engineering and nanotechnology are taken from HowStuffWorks.com --> this is a cool site!*

Primer Post

Hi!

Ingz here, short for my real name Ingrid. I forgot who first coined that name but whoever that was, thank you. So this will be my official blog, I've been wanting to create my own blog since i-forgot-when but then school works, laziness and procrastination always get in the way.

I will post RANDOM stuff, mostly things conjured in my mind which I am too shy to post in Facebook. or share with friends personally (yes i'm shy). this is my mind's virtual refuge :D

Yes, I'm hoping to make blogging a habit and one of my top boredom killers.

first things first, here are some random stuffs about me:

1. I was born under the sign of Gemini (June 1)
2. My first name's Louise
3. I love viewing other people's Tumblr accounts yet I have no plans of making one
4. I can listen to a song for a number of times nonstop
5. sometimes I prefer to listen than to do the talking and entertaining
6. I dance and wanna learn figure skating someday
7. I have read all Harry Potter books straight for 3-5 days
8. I feel sad having to give up ballet for academics (but i have my own pair of toeshoes haha)
9. the world and new things fascinate me
10. I wonder how it's like to be a genetic engineer or an astronomist
11. I love shoes
12. I like red, black, white, and pink?
13. I can just stay in bed and listen to music
14. I love to sleep
15. I am grade-conscious
16. I am not yet a hardcore Kpop fan (dunno why hehe)
17. I'm a Roman Catholic
18. I love to write
19. I wanna practice photojournalism someday for a part-time career
20. I want to learn how to speak in many languages (French, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish)..information overload? I know :)
21. high grades don't impress me as much unlike before
22. the little things do seem to do the trick
23. i go to bed with earphones plugged and my ipod on a 30-minute loop
24. I sleep 6-9 hours a day (usually). yes, even though I'm a college student
25. cramming works for me
26. I can be a procrastinator
27. IF ever I'm insecure with someone, it's not really for their looks. rather, it's for their talents :D
28. I like Broadway, indie and foreign films (though I haven't watched a lot)
29. I lack motivation in dieting, despite wanting to have a beach body or slimmer thighs and arms
30. since I love food
31. I like science and dislike math (anything with numbers)
32. despite this, I still took a management course which is not free of math since I love challenging myself to things
33. I gave up my childhood dream to become a doctor after founding out that I can't survive a Saw movie and see gore and blood
34. I like to scare myself and watch horror movies (with friends of course)
35. I wanna try scuba diving someday
36. I have watched more Asian dramas than Western ones. Yes, I prefer cheesy asian tv series and I find a hard time controlling myself from watching the series nonstop :)
37. if I were to change my name, I would prefer guys' names that can be girls' (aw yeah, Louise can be a guy's name)
38. I'm patient and don't get mad easily
39. and when I do, I tend to hide it
40. I want to learn to play the guitar
41. my favorite piano pieces would be "Fur Elise", "A thousand miles" by Vanessa Carlton and "River flows in you" by Yiruma.
42. I noticed that I'm quite a fast learner. but i also easily forget things especially when it's not that interesting (like accounting haha)
43. I believe in ghosts or the "3rd kind" (just don't bother me and we're good :D)
44. I don't cry easily
45. I wonder what's it like to swim with dolphins
46. I really wanna see a live mermaid (haha)
47. I grew up with Disney
48. I personally know 3 people who share the same birth date as mine :)
49. I would know that I like the person when my heart skips a beat every time I see him and when I realized that I don't want to see him with another girl HAHA
50. I want to have my own library, music room, dance hall, skating rink and shoe museum someday :)

so read away. you can bash, but not too harsh please :D

<3,ingz