I should be doing my problem set now but I can't help but share this rare experience.. I swear it's a good one.. =)

Our Chem professor told us to attend a lecture at the NISMED auditorium.. at first, we were kind of hesitant to go.. lecture? wouldn't that be boring? but we heard something that was just striking.. the keyword: Harvard Scientist of the Year awardee!

Curious of who and what kind of person he is, we headed to the venue and eagerly waited for the program to start.. and i'm telling you, it wasn't the usual lecture we thought it would be.. we had fun listening to the speaker, and more than that, we were inspired!

Dr. Baldomero "Toto" M. Olivera, BS Chemistry graduate, UP 1960.. 2007 Harvard Foundation Scientist of the Year.. need i say more?

He told us a very interesting story about the cone snail.. haven't heard of it yet? well, i suggest you start reading stuffs about it.. it's fascinating! =)

I won't repeat his lecture, neither would I enumerate the facts that I got from his talk.. but what I want to list down are the life lessons that I think are worthy to be mentioned..

Lesson 1: find out what you're interested in.. focus on and work for it.. it doesn't matter if it seems nonsense at first, just persist in it.. who knows where it might take you.. [dr. olivera never expected that he'll get this far with his studies on snails]

Lesson 2: a mentor does have a tremendous influence over a student.. a student's life could be forever changed by one word of encouragement or discouragement from his/her professor.. [dr. olivera's passion for the chemistry of marine species started with a motivation from his high school instructor, dolores hernandez.. and he has never failed to mention her over and over again throughout his lecture.. he owes her a lot.. really..]

Lesson 3: it's okay to make your own rules once is a while.. explore.. [one of dr. olivera's students in his laboratory did an experiment different from what they were asked to do.. amazingly, he came up with one good result which they used to develop the alternative drug for morphine, prialt..]

According to Dr. Olivera, part of his success was his good luck.. but I would like to believe that more than luck, what made him the man he is now, was his determination and persistence.. and it all started with an interest..

What did I gain from the lecture? Well, aside from the interesting facts about snails, I was inspired by his story.. and I came to this conclusion:

..success starts from an interest.. supported by at least one person who believes in you and motivates you to persist that interest.. and of course, hardwork..

It was such an honor to be able to hear a talk from a Harvard Foundation awardee.. and i never regret the fact that I sacrificed a major subject to finish it.. it was worth it! it's not everyday that I'll get to be inspired by not just a personality, but a star in his chosen field.. and I'm glad I didn't let that opportunity pass.. =)

i missed blogging.. when was my last post? may? i dunno.. i've been busy since classes started last june 13 and i rarely had time for the online stuffs.. but because we're required to post blog entries as part of our thesis, i'll take that opportunity to update my online journals..

for my first post for the month of july, i'd like to share some quotes i recently received from friends.. and i would like to have them categorized as follows:

on love..

*may mga bagay na nakalaan sa tao kahit anong mangyari.. pag para sayo talaga yun, makukuha mo.. kaya wag kang mag-alala kung mawala man siya.. di man kayo ngayon, baka nakalaan siya sayo sa tamang panahon*
>>pwede rin namang may ibang nakalaan sken diba? i'll just wait for him.. anyway, in love pa rin naman ako eh.. sa family ko, sa friends, at higit sa lahat, kay God at sa service.. =)

*somebody asked me.. "are you taken?" i answered, "yes, i'm taken.." then i turned around with tears in my eyes as i whispered.. "taken for granted"*
>>awwww.. ehem, nakakarelate ba ako? hehe.. parang "halaga" lang ng parokya ah.. hay.. di na ako bitter no! kunwari lang nagdadrama.. haha..

*if you're in love but afraid to tell the person for some reason, just think: one moment of embarassment? or a lifetime of regret?*
>>umm, ipaparamdam ko na lang sa kanya that he's special.. bahala na what will happen next.. but definitely hindi ako ang manliligaw.. =D

friendship stuffs ..

*kung malungkot ako at kailangan ko ng isang taong magpapasaya sken, pwede ba kitang puntahan at sabihing "pwede, kahit saglit lang, payakap naman?"*
>>fortunately, i don't need to ask that.. i have super good friends who know when i need a hug.. and they would give it without question.. =)

*when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness.. and call it friendship..*
>>haha! yeah, right!

Godly/spiritual/inspirational..

*"What God wants us to do in our hearts is to love the poor. Worship is meaningful only if one hand is up in the air worshipping God and the other hand holding a piece of bread for the poor. GK (Gawad Kalinga) is God's work, and I am very privileged to be part of this." - Bo Sanchez*
>>enough said.

*life's pretty simple.. when you're asking for apples and life hands you lemons, make lemonade. if you're on your way out and it starts to rain, at least you won't have to water the plants anymore. it's a matter of seeing things in perspective. the benefits may not be immediate nor obvious, but you have to know this for sure: God will never give you anything you can't handle, nothing you can't triumph over.. there will be problems, there will be struggles.. but if they're not there, how would you know how strong you are?*
>>TRUE!

life, hurt, and some more..

*psychology speaks: "it's not what people do to us that hurts us. in the most fundamental sense, it's our chosen response to what they do to us that hurts us."*
>>yeah, i guess i can agree to this..

*i met him at the time when i really needed someone to help me overcome the pain i was feeling.. he stood by me all along.. then after all that happened, i suddenly thought of this: he helped me forget my sad story.. and yet, he started another one..*
>>ehem.. sapul na naman ba ako? parang si peter pan ba 'to? haha.. hay.. hindi naman ako sad ah..maybe i'm just missing him.. c'mon! haha.. tamang drama ka unaiza.. tama na yan! thesis mode ka na dapat.. =D wala lang.. syempre naisip ko na si peter pan.. i was reading his text messages a while ago and na-realize ko, sya nga talaga si peter pan ko.. kaso lang hindi ako si wendy.. pero ok lang.. ayoko na nga.. thesis mode na uli.. hehe..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

next topic: action speaks louder than words..

i realized recently that indeed, it's not important how many times you say 'i love you' to someone you love , and it really doesn't matter how sweetly you deliver that line.. what's more essential is that you do concrete actions to prove the sincerity of your words..

it goes the same for your dreams, and for everything else in life.. don't just say something, DO IT!

why and how did i come about this realization? blame him.. he was responsible for it.. and honestly, i thank him for that..

he could hardly believe that i've moved on and have finally let go.. but it all started with him.. he was the one who told me to find my new charger.. he doesn't want me to depend on him anymore.. and that's just what i did! but now that i'm finally healed, he was like "how did you that?".. at eto pa, nawindang talaga ako.. sa kanya daw ang salita, sken ang gawa.. in other words, hanggang salita lang siya.. at sinabi pa niyang hindi daw niya ata kayang gawin yung ginawa ko.. ngayon lang naging clear sken ang lahat.. yes, hanggang salita nga lang talaga siya.. and even in loving, hanggang dun lang ang kaya niya.. somehow, natuwa ako kasi at least i know for myself na kaya kong magmahal nang totoo.. i just don't say 'i love you'..pinapakita ko rin sa gawa..

haha.. hindi po kita inaaway, kung sino ka man.. pero salamat.. because of you, mas lalo kong naintindihan ang ibig sabihin ng 'pagmamahal'.. sana in God's time, matutunan mo rin yun..

that will be all .. hanggang sa muling pagdaldal.. goodluck sa lahat ng thesis mode din ngayon.. God bless everyone! =)

nothing good about goodbye.. the real one..

for the last time, i was able to spend lunch with my fellow interns.. i'll surely miss those guys.. i do love them.. my internship wouldn't be this sweet and fun had i not spend it with them..

i really hate the thought that i'll be leaving the company in less than 4 hours.. i really had a great time.. i swear!

and so, before i leave, let me tell you how great my co-interns are.. and by the way, please feel free to visit our summer blog in case you want to know what we've been doing the previous month..

here's the link: http://summer2007.wordpress.com/tag/chikka_16326

the chikka interns..

*sabz - he's our leader.. siya ang bumuo ng chikka intern-national community.. ang responsible sa paghahanap ng venue para sa lunch namin.. sobrang bait..

*julian - can't say much about this guy.. basta this week, 8:10 siya laging dumadating.. tambay sa batcave.. at mahilig mag-forward ng mga katatawanan..

*doy - grabe, ang hyper niya kahapon.. for some reason.. ewan, kape ate.. basta sobrang kulit niyang kausap sa ym.. rich kid pero sobrang easy to get along with..

*harley - well, sorry naman hanggang july pa siya sa chikka.. umm, one time nagdala siya ng isang box na kitkat at pinamigay lang niya yun samen.. grabe, sobrang generous..

*richard - pinakamaraming nabasa dun sa doctoral thesis at malamang he also got the highest score sa quiz namin.. mukhang tahimik at seryoso pero sobrang kalog din..

*bert - basahin niyo na lang comment ko sa kanya.. grabe, lakas-tama talaga ang batang ito.. ibang level ang energy.. hehe..
siya rin ang tga-bati namin ng 'good morning' at supplier ng daily jokes..

*jem - hindi raw nagsasalita sabi ni sabz.. hehe.. tahimik lang nung una pero nahawa rin sa kakulitan ni bert.. sobrang dami niyang requirements sa school.. ang arte pala sa ue.. bukod sa hardcopy, kelangan pa ng softcopy.. hehe.. syempre siniraan ko pa ang school niya.. peace!

err.. hindi ko na matuloy.. someone needs my help..

basta happy and sad ako na end na ng internship ko dito sa chikka..

hay.. i just hope they'll give me a chance to work here after i graduate.. yun lang.. God bless everyone! =)

there's nothing good about goodbye

today's the last day of my internship here in chikka and i'm partly sad, partly happy..

chikka had been my second home for the months of april and may.. more than a month din akong nagstay dito, and i swear, i really enjoyed my stay..

i was thinking of having an extension but my body doesn't want to.. sobrang ngarag na rin kasi ako e..

i need to rest for at least a week before the start of classes.. magiging madugo na rin kasi yung sem na 'to for me.. yeah, time for thesis at very crucial tlaga yun so i should be well-prepared..

umm, marami akong iniisip.. marami rin ata akong nararamdaman.. di ko alam..

i wanted to take things one at a time pero bakit parang sabay-sabay ata ang mga pangyayari.. cge, i'll try my best to organize my thoughts.. let's start from last night..

yesterday, nagpost ako ng isang 'happy post'.. because i was really happy then.. ok naman ako hanggang pagdating ko sa bahay e.. ka-txt si kuya ian, kuya don, ruthie.. ok lahat..

pero..

we had our regular music min practice..

hmmm... ayokong dumaldal.. basta..

alam na ni kuya pip yun..

err.. hindi ko na alam kung anong kasunod..

nonsense post..

later na nga lang uli.. pag naisip ko na kung anong sasabihin ko..

broken.. no more..

~*Those who thank God even in trials turn burden into blessings. So keep your faith close to your heart and God shall provide the comfort you need.*~

kung gaano ako kabadtrip kahapon, ganun na lang ako kasaya ngayon.. haha!

yeah, i'm happy.. i guess i woke up on the right side of the bed.. =D

para malaman nyo kung gano ako kabadtrip kahapon, here's an excerpt of what i've written para sana sa blog ko..

***
i hate this day.. nothing went right.. well, it's good that i was able to finish my task and that i'm done with the testing, but still, in general, i didn't have a good day..

i arrived two minutes late for the 8-5 shift so i have to be in the office until 6pm if i want to get the full daily allowance.. and yes, i chose to stay.. that money would mean a lot ,i swear! and i can't just take it for granted..

hell is listening to emo songs.. i hate emo but i love secondhand serenade, i love dashboard, i love dishwalla.. true enough, there's a certain pleasure in pain.. and now that i'm hearing that damn "every little thing" by dishwalla, it makes me feel broken, depressed, sad.. but at the same time, hopeful.. hopeful that someday, someone would sing me that song.. 'wish i could be every little thing you wanted..' and hell again, lifehouse! ...'you're all i want, you're all i need.. everything, everything..'

yeah, chai's right.. i can't move on by listening to these darn emo songs.. to hell with emo! but how can i ever stop myself from loving them? all i've been wanting to hear is emo..
***

see? obvious naman sigurong yesterday was a bad day for me.. hindi lang yun, nasira pa PC ko.. for some reason, bigla na lang siyang namamatay.. grabe talaga.. at dahil 6pm na ako umuwi, mahirap ng sumakay, traffic pa.. past 7 na ako nakarating sa bahay.. at hindi pa good news ang sumalubong sken.. at may natanggap pa akong text message na lalong nagpainit sa ulo ko.. i swear, nakakarindi talaga.. sa lahat kasi ng ayaw ko e yung sasabihin mo sken kung anong dapat kong maramdaman.. utang na loob naman, pati ba naman emotions ko pakikialaman pa.. err.. i don't wanna talk about it anymore.. mga walang kwentang bagay..

anyway, change topic..

so, why am i happy?

una sa lahat, ngayong araw lang ako nagising na walang new message sa phone ko.. masaya ba yun? hehe.. well, actually sad kasi walang nakaalala sken pero ok lang.. =)

i started the day right.. syempre prayer muna.. well, ganun naman ako everyday.. ewan ko ba, di talaga maiwasan ang mga hindi magagandang araw..

at ano nga bang nangyari? well, hindi ako matagal na naghintay ng masasakyan kanina.. buti na lang mapalad ako ngayong araw.. at umabot pa ako sa 8-5 na shift.. ibig sabihin, makakauwi ako ng 5pm mamaya..yey! yun pa lang, masaya na ako e..

pagdating ko rito, sira pa rin ang pc ko..so i had to report it to zer, our supervisor, who called the attention of the tech support..

after x minutes, kuya jojo arrived..

ayun, may ilang bagay siyang ginawa at ayun nga, na-experience nya rin ang topak ng pc ko..

after a while, he decided to restore the system..

good thing it worked.. and now, ok na uli PC ko.. yey! =)

that's the first good thing.. what's next? well, wala lang naman, nakatxt ko lang naman ang isa sa mga taong super miss ko na.. si ruthie! grabe, sa wakas, nag-abot din kame ng sis kong yun..

syempre chikka galore.. kaso lang nasa byahe sya and i had to do something na rin kaya natigil na kme.. later na lang uli.. =)

yeah, when it rains, it pours tlaga.. kahapon, inulan ako ng mga hindi kanais-nais na pangyayari, pero ngayon, good things naman ang bumubuhos.. hay.. i guess that's just the way life goes..

another good news: i'm done with almost everything.. actually, with everything.. =)

done with the setup, testing, queries, unistats.. ok na lahat.. kaya for the rest of the day, eto lang ang gagawin ko.. dumaldal sa blog..

for the meantime, eto na muna, later na lang uli.. lunch muna ako.. =)

God bless everyone!

it's so nice to be happy.. =D

current song playing on my mind: "I'll worship at Your throne, whisper my own love song.. with all my heart I'll sing, for You my Dad and King.. I'll live for all my days, to put a smile on Your face.. and when we finally meet, it'll be for eternity.."

when love and hate collide

can't stop the hurt inside..

how can i love and hate a person and a song all at at the same time?

i don't know what's gotten in to me.. last night i acted so badly.. just because of one song.. what's with 'your love' that makes me cry and break down?

i love that song.. i really do.. but in times like these, i hate it..

chai, you're right.. something hurts but i don't know where it is.. and i don't know how to ease the pain, heal the wounds, and get over it..

i spent my time looking for a perfect song to describe what i'm feeling today and why i broke down last night.. and i found not only one..

i'm not sure if i have mentioned this before.. but i have a new love.. secondhand serenade..

emo/rock/acoustic.. that's how he describes his music.. yes, secondhand serenade is composed of only one member.. john vesely..

and his story is really amazing.. i wish to have a lifetime partner like him.. someone who can sing me songs of love written with sincerity.. songs which came from the heart.. songs which not only contain words, but emotions..

why secondhand serenade?

"It's everything I would want in a band name and more. It basically sums up what I do. I write my songs about events and feelings that occur in my life, and I sing the songs to my wife. Everyone else gets the Secondhand Serenade." - John Vesely

isn't he sweet? i swear, he's really good.. and he hits me with his songs..

for more info, visit his myspace page: http://myspace.com/secondhandserenade

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You know that I hate this song
Because it was written for you
*I Hate this Song, Secondhand Serenade

And someday, I promise I'll be gone
And someday, I might even sing this song
To you, I might even sing this song, to you
and I was crying alone tonight
and I was wasting all of my life just thinking of you
So just come back we'll make it better
So Just come back I'll make it
better than it ever was
*Maybe, Secondhand Serenade

I lose myself in all these fights
I lose my sense of wrong and right
I cry, I cry
It's shaking from the pain that's in my head
I just wanna crawl into my bed
And throw away the life I led
But I won't let it die, but I won't let it die
*It's not Over, Secondhand Serenade

Will you stay awake for me?
I don't wanna miss anything
I don't wanna miss anything
I will share the air I breathe,
I'll give you my heart on a string,
I just don't wanna miss anything.
.....
And if it's a hero you want,
I can save you. Just stay here.
Your whispers are priceless.
Your breathe, it is dear. So please stay near.
*Awake, Secondhand Serenade

Take me with you
I will never let you down
I will love you now and forever
*Take me With You, Secondhand Serenade

I wish my life was this song
cause songs they never die
I could write for years and years
and never have to cry
*The Last Song Ever, Secondhand Serenade

I'll hold you closer and tell you I love you
but it won't matter in the end
It's obvious you're leaving soon
just another heart to mend
So what happens once you lose control?
When the future has to start
What happens when you're still in love
but time rips you apart.
Is there ever an answer
for when love is not enough?
*End, Secondhand Serenade

If you leave me tonight, I'll wake up alone,
don't tell me I will make it on my own,
don't leave me tonight,
this heart of stone will sing till it dies
if you leave me tonight
.....
I'm not the only one for you
but you're the only one for me
*Stay Close Don't Go, Secondhand Serenade

I never wanted anything the way that I want you
But my words dont seem to matter
*Tested and True, Secondhand Serenade

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
*Your Guardian Angel, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

You're the only one I turn to
When I feel like no one's there
And when I'm lonely in my darkest hour
You give me the power
To sit and pretend
*Damn Regret, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

not related..

"if someone you love hurts you.. it's fine to cry a river.. just make sure you don't forget to drown the idiot in it.." <<--haha! thanks for this message leyn! i love it!

i'm akemi.. =)

Your Japanese Name, Anime-Self, and Personality!

Akemi Your Japanese name means 'bright and beautiful.' You're very beautiful inside! Heres a little um...'flaw' though. You're not the brightest person in the room! Or anywhere else. But who cares? Hard-work is proved to be the best thing in life! And you have that. You're innocent, sweet and a workaholic. You're extremely determined when it comes to your life goals, and people admire that. But alot of people wish you would toughen up a bit, but they can't resist your charming klutzy-ness. You are a very loyal and thoughtful friend, and anyone who befriends you will be in for a lot of understanding. You have the ability to know, and it seems like it comes naturally. But it's not so true, you've been hurt before. Many times, in big and small ways. But you found out how to rebuild again, and all I have to say is that keep heading towards your goals because your heart is in the right place. ^-^ Anime Personality-Like: Tohru Honda (from Fruits Basket) Take this quiz!