Fluids, materials and possibilities

Having juniors and seniors in the same course as friends can help you anticipate what can happen to you in major subjects and the rest of your college years. One time, they were talking about thesis projects and summer internships. From then on, I can't help but let my imagination run wild about my future in chemistry. Will my internship be in quality testing laboratory or in a factory of one of the country's leading industries? Will I receive allowances? Will I do a good job in it? Or will I embarrass myself and continue to live as a failure? Will my internship lead to choose a thesis topic so astounding it works?  What if it fails? What if I can't finish it? Will I ever get published?

Website-hopping, I chanced upon a video about non-Newtonian fluids and its possible applications. The video got hold of my interest. I thought it can possibly be an inspiration for a thesis project. Possibly, because I am not yet sure about anything regarding thesis. I still have about a year to think things through.

I would love to have my project go around materials science with environmental applications. I think a project with these two together will be quite useful in the current state of the world. Not that the other branches of science are useless, I believe the two that I have chosen can deliver more important contributions in this day and age.

Riddle me this...

... riddle me that.

Logic Boat (c) xkcd.com

When randomly browsing the Internet happens to give you a very important lesson in life: common sense. Thank you, xkcd!

Not yet our time, but...

If you believe that the end of the Mayan calendar is equivalent to the end of the world, then you have five more weeks until the so-called Apocalypse.

Don't fret though. Scientists have found that neither the Mayan calendar ended to foretell the end of the world nor that the Mayan civilization ended. In fact, Mayan descendants still live on; the great empire, on the other hand, did not. The Mayan people had to disperse throughout Central America to survive because of an extreme drought a long time ago.

I found these information through an informative YouTube channel, the Sci Show. There are many more science-y stuff over there, so you better check them out. More to know about the "Apocalypse" in the Sci Show videos below.

Torn between education and vacation

I'm two weeks back in school for the second semester after a three-week semestral break, but I'm already itching for Christmas vacation, especially that I found out that it will be three weeks long again. I know, I know. It's pathetic to be looking forward for something that I still haven't earned, with classes only just began.

To keep my head in the game, I decided to find some sort of inspiration. It has been written that the mainstream thing any girl my age would do is to look for a guy of her preference (a face of a celebrity, the height of a skyscraper, a 160-plus IQ, etc.) and develop a crush on him and melt every time he passes and have friends tease her to death. And, voila, she's "inspired" to study, possibly to get good grades, but honestly, to get attention from the guy. However, I find this idea not feasible for me because (1) most guys are taken or prefer their own, (2) swooning and melting and daydreaming about guys eat up a lot of study time, and (3) having unattainable standards is the curse of a fan of many fictional fandoms. Sigh.

Flying in water

The sun was just above the horizon-- high enough to paint the world with golden sunbeams and confirm that dawn is over, low enough to only feel the soft warmth of the blazing ball of fire. I once read that the sun's light takes eight minutes to reach the surface of the Earth. I find it amazing that something from the past would be the very thing that can enlighten people to see the present and help pave the way toward the future.

A cool morning breeze blew.

A bit of water swelled into a small wave, encircling something invisible, growing a bit as it moved away, and instantly replaced by another small wave as soon as it left. One, two, ten, twenty, a hundred waves, and possibly more if they were left in peace, moved across the blue chlorinated water in uniform intervals like the tick and tock of a clock. Ripples. They have the same effect as dominoes falling down consecutively, only the waves become widespread, growing in all directions, instead of one linear motion.

Boo!

Sorry, I don't have a picture of me in a costume, but here's a chubby vampire spooking you for a happy Halloween.

Turning legal

They say that when a girl turns 18, her parents would dress her up in the most beautiful of dresses and throw her a party, with all their adult friends invited, as their daughter's debut to adulthood. It is when the parents present to the whole world that their daughter has reached the ripe old legal age, has blossomed into a supposed lady and is high time for her to choose a mate.

Hold up. Does that mean when I turn 18, I need to get married ASAP? I don't even have a boyfriend yet. Can't I just learn to drive and get my license first?

I'm home...

...and my semestral break has commenced! So, what have I been up to?

For starters, I am trying to devour as much books, movies, TV shows and food as I can in the span of my (almost) three-week vacation. I have luck on my side as I just finished "Nevermore" by James Patterson today, which I started yesterday while waiting for my flight in the departure area, and I am already in the second chapter of "Crossed" by Ally Condie. More books up ahead for me. Regarding the movies and TV shows, my sister and I are working together on this one. (Talk to me if you really want to know how we are doing.)

I have access to food, and lots of them for that matter. Tonight I'm cooking fried rice with sautéd shrimp paste (bagoong rice) and I hope it turns out just fine. I'm trying to be a good cook, though there's no need for that since I stay in a dormitory without a kitchen, but, still, I want to cook. And with that, I'll be sharing my creations every now and then and boast to the world how yummy they are. Ha ha!

I hope I have fun with this short vacation, and I hope you do, too. Oh, and do you have suggestions of books for to read or movies or TV shows for me to watch or food that you want me to experiment with? Go ahead and share them with me. I'll be more than willing to try them out.

Finals are too soon

Before I drown myself in the depths of the sea of lessons I have to review and suffocate from the lack of social life, I would like to take this moment to appreciate life.

*long awkward pause*

If anyone out there would like to share something extraterrestrial, supernatural, a witty bit of wisdom, now's the right time.

And then here comes some memes to keep us from getting insane as the final examinations week, a.k.a. "Hell Week", otherwise know as the death of me, gets nearer by the second, but let's keep optimistic, shall we?

True story. We just got the news today.

October started

Just when I thought I've seen it all, the Cebu dancing inmates steal the scene and dance to Psy's Gangnam Style. I found this out through a Rappler article and I just can't sit here and not share it. It seems that the Gangnam Style has not lost its touch yet.