Soopah doopah schoolwork.

Hello, everyone. It's good to be back.

Truth be told, I'm actually stealing a few hours away from legitimate schoolwork time for my STS. I kid you not. as of now, our group report of GMOs (Genetically Modifed Organisms) in Philippine Food is scheduled for Monday next week, so it's kayod,kayod... kayod! (Apo Hiking society song trails off)

Things have been pretty eventful for the past weeks. Our STS report has whisked me off to places where I'd never imagined I'd be in, like an NGO's office (for GreenPeace), a Microbiologist's lecture hall (for Dr. Virginia Monje of the National Center for Microbiology and Biotechnology... whew!), and just for today, Sandigang Bayan (for Mr. Noli Mirafuente, right-hand man to congressman Del De Leon). It's amazing: I'm learning so much it's mind-blowing! (I mean, in a good way.) Plus,there's the feeling of being hip-deep in something controversial, something actually happening in the here and now, something real serious if people would only listen up. Wow. simply put.

But of course, we must have downs when we have ups, and mine just happened over here. Lesson: learn from mistake, pick self up, and shake off dirt. Walk it off, and work on it.

On other random past nice things...

After my colloqium, James and I helped a Korean exchange student find his way to Eunilane foodmart. the poor guy had absolutely no idea what route or jeep he needed to take, how much he should pay, etc. I wrote out instructions for him. The exchange student boarded his first jeep and sat on the furthest corner, nearest the driver. We could tell the poor boy had a lost, fidgety look in his eyes. So, James let his good-guy side get the better of him and hopped us on the same jeep as the Korean to guide himas far as we could and ease him. We found out his name was Kim, and he flew here to the Philippines because he wanted to speak better English. James let me chirp on a bit over jeep fares and UP sunflowers in summer; as soon as our charge alighted the jeep he told me men feel more at ease hearing women talk than hearing men talk. For some reason, he thought that little circumstance was a little exercise on parenting. Hmm. ^_^*

One itty-bitty thing I will admit: I've gone back to sneaking playtime on Tantra. Whenever I'm plagued with my overly-dramatic imagination and before I send myself on the brink of soap-opera teary-eyedness, I rent a PC with the game installed, log in, and go hunting for giant ape-boars and unicorn-tigers with my lovely Mage for an hour or so. I really do fond it therapeutic, specially after a day of intense research and schoolwork. Call it quality time with my inner child.

And well, seeing my Garuda slay fearsome beasts twice and thrice her size with tactics my honey taught me gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. ^_^