Nerd alert!

Science has always been my favorite subject ever since i was a kid. As i grew up, it has been the field i've been pursuing and eventually got into. Right now, i may have found my niche in medicine but astronomy will always be my first love. Pursuing space exploration as a career is a dream that will always remain a dream.

Stars, galaxies and other cosmic stuff fascinate me sometimes to the point of obsession. Well, not really as im not very fond of the Physics and the Math that goes along with it. I have fond memories of this fascination when i was young. My parents bought us this 12-volume science encyclopedia where each volume was devoted to a specific science branch like biology, medicine, geology, etc. The volume that was not always in the shelf, as you may have guessed, was the astronomy volume.

I've seen the gray, crater-y surface of the moon with a small-time telescope our dad bought us back when i was in gradeschool. When i got into highschool, biology class taught me how to use the microscope. It was only then that i learned that focusing things under the microscope is very much like focusing things through a telescope. I mean both apparatus make use of different objectives/lenses and have fine and coarse adjustment knobs. It was just too bad that by the time i knew this, my younger brother had already dismantled our precious telescope. =( Because that's what kids do. i never had the chance to take a closer look at Venus, Jupiter, Mars or even the rings of Saturn (that's what was written in the package insert of the telescope).

As i became an adult, i still carried with me that interest even if i was too preoccupied with the science that i am into now, Medicine. I still try to be updated with the latest astronomical events like meteor showers, eclipses or Supermoon and i try to see them personally whenever i get the chance (those chances were very few). I blogged about my Venusian transit experience in 2004 and got excited about the Pluto flyby last month that i regret not blogging about it. I frequently check the NASA website, follow astronauts on Twitter and Instagram. Recently, i watched the "Gravity" and "Interstellar" and at present, i am reading "The Martian" by Andy Weir. I just couldn't help but be captivated by the mysteries of the outer space.

There's a lot more that i need to cross out in my "cosmic" list like seeing the Milky Way and the International Space Station with my naked eye. I am one step closer to the latter thanks to this website which i wish i knew about earlier! Basically, you just need to register and then you will receive alerts via email or SMS 12 hours before the ISS appears in your night sky which depends upon which area you are in. All the other info about viewing the ISS can be found here. This is actually the only reason i wanted to blog today.

out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks

so many things have happened to me this year. mostly positive. mostly gratifying. i've traveled, reached a few milestones, made new friends, made a "special" friend, but none has really made me enthusiastic to write. im technically on a vacation right now. unlike what most people do on vacations, i stay home, spend time cleaning and organizing stuff (like i previously mentioned) and in the process, get nostalgic from seeing old things. yeah, nostalgia is like my favorite feeling in the world. i've got plenty of time now and i cant write the way i do in the distant past. im no writer. most of my past blogs just show the 24-year-old me fan-girling, blogging about things as shallow as tv shows, movies, pop icons, crushes and obsessions more than bigger, more important events. i (the present me) cringe with the thought that i blogged about those but when i actually start reading, the fan girl in me which i thought has died a long time ago is somehow being resurrected (eh?). it's surprising to actually find myself smiling while reading my old posts, even the ones that i unpublished. perhaps those were the times when i was truly, overwhelmingly happy. even with the smallest things. now the question is, at present, with all of these bigger accomplishments i have made, why cant i write? am i truly happy?

TWD GOT memes

2014 is also the year i got hooked back to watching some tv series and that is inspite of having a ton of responsibilities. must have been a boring year. the last tv shows i can recall watching are the first 3 seasons of prison break and grey's anatomy. i'm not counting the japanese and taiwanese dramas i've seen some 6 years ago. the walking dead and game of thrones are now my favorites. can't wait for the succeeding episodes next year.

just some of the funny memes i found...

...my 2 favorite characters!

*credits to the makers of those memes

relieved

I thought i lost you forever, my 10-year old blog! what happened Blogger?!?!?  i was being asked for a google account when i tried to sign in but i never used a google account in the past. good thing i was able to recall the old yahoo email account i used for this blog which i haven't opened for the longest time! it took me 3 hours. perhaps it's also my fault i lost touch (or never signed in) for probably a few years. i am SO not updated. anyway, i'm so glad i finally got in and got to write a new post (and got to read unpublished ones). hehe.

okay, so this is what i do best during holidays - trying to "organize" my files (digital or not). In so doing, i get to see old pictures, sms, notes, posts and all that shit. so nostalgic. i get mixed emotions especially in things i couldn't believe i said or did. i am amazed at how reading some sms/emails still gives me that same feeling those messages gave me many years ago. Those things remind me that life is still beautiful especially at this time when my mind is dominated by "adult stuff" (distressing stuff related to my career).

aside from taking a trip down memory lane, i also got to spend the holidays watching video blogs on korean makeup and skin care. i did purchase and try some products. i also have been trying to keep myself fit by running and doing some yoga/pilates-inspired exercises. i'm using this app by Nike training club and i have been seeing improvements actually. i hope this keeps me inspired in 2015.

so that's it. my first post in 3 years? i hope to post more in the coming months despite my busy schedule to keep you updated so i won't lose you again, my 10-year old blog.

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2014 has been a year full of losses (i have probably used this line more than once) - money, people, friends, the roof of our house (from a typhoon), quality time, patience. i 'm still thankful i didn't lose my mind, or did I?! this year has been full of efforts going to waste but i'm positive 2015 will be better. it could be as stressful as the previous year but it will not suck as much as 2014 did. it will be better.

happy new year.

delete delete delete

hello universe!

just woke up from a very long hibernation. i read the last few posts and decided to unpublish them. hay... i cant believe i spent time retyping 'our' txt messages and posting them for the whole wide world to see. people really become stupid when they are in love. now i can say that from experience hahaha!

-mp