The year so far

January has been okay thus far. My return to school was surprisingly uneventful (i.e. the forces of Procrastination did not make an appearance), and everything else is more or less getting on smashingly. But for some mysterious reason, I keep mucking around in the darker corners of my head. I am writing this post to remind myself that THERE IS NOTHING TO BE DEPRESSED ABOUT. And also, lists are fun.

• I live in a place with lots of strawberries.
• I have a Lemur who loves me.
• I have great friends.

• I have a large black dog who is always around for spontaneous hugging, and a tall-ish little brother who talks to me about airplanes (and is also around for a hug should he permit it).

• I have a bunch of books (understatement) waiting to be read. (Dear Attention Span, I wish you would stop disappearing at inopportune times. I would really like to finish a book.)

• I have time to read. A miracle, because I thought my only reading material this month would be evil, ungraded papers.
• I bought a smaller bag for my camera...so that I could put it in a bigger bag. Shuddup. It's preeettty.

• It's blinkin' cold up here. (We didn't need snow, you idiots.)
• I have Assam tea again, thanks to a friend. In October when I ran out (Was it October? It feels longer.), I survived, but barely. My life was in shambles without it.

So. Life is pretty great. I want I want I want to get out of my head.

2010 in photos

Here are a bunch of photos from a truly nebulous year:

         *The last six photos in the final row are borrowed from Inky of inkytakespictures.

As for resolutions, I promise to drink more cups of positivi-tea: let there be good cheer in my cold, black heart all year round.

Happy 2011, Universe!

May you continue to shower us with a slew of interesting, random serendipitous events.

He was the best of us all

"Rizal could have lived beyond December 30, 1896, if he had stayed out of the Philippines and its politics. If he remained in Hong Kong, then he would just be another forgotten expatriate Filipino doctor. Rizal, however, was different. You could say he had a death wish and this, for me, makes a "conscious hero" doubly brave, because unlike military heroes whose job description contains "death in battle," Rizal was a quiet, peaceful man who willfully and calmly walked to his death for his convictions. Before his execution, his pulse rate was reputedly normal. How many people do you know who would die for their convictions if they could avoid it?"

From the essay "Why Rizal is the National Hero" (1989) by Ambeth R. Ocampo (included in the compilation Rizal Without the Overcoat, 2008 ed.)

Heinous fuckery most foul

“This is a bawdy tale. Herein you will find gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity, as well as non-traditional grammar, split infinitives and the odd wank. If that sort of thing offends you, then gentle reader pass by, for we endeavor only to entertain, not to offend. That said, if that’s the sort of thing you think you might enjoy, then you have happened upon the perfect story!” 

On The Exchange, I write a review of Fool by Christopher Moore.

Free book contest!

Over at The Exchange, we're having our first book giveaway contest. The winner gets this:

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg is a pleasant, comforting read. The milk and cookies are pretty awesome too, except the courier company may have issues transporting dairy. Nonetheless, the book would be an excellent companion during the holidays. Check out the contest details, and send us a message! Deadline for entries is midnight on Christmas Day. Enjoy!

These are strange days

"Oh my Eugenia!"

Two weeks ago, Leonard Co and two members of his team were killed while on field in the forests of Leyte. He was a brilliant botanist and hard core field scientist. Few were as passionate or as genuine. He was very generous, always ready to share from his vast store of knowledge. His death is a crippling loss to science.

An excellent article on Leonard Co by Michael Tan in the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

"The stories were about Leonard the person, much loved and respected. He was famous for his generosity with friends and students; yet he was also known for his simplicity, in particular his trademark Chinese cloth shoes. There was Leonard the entertainer, full of humor and wit and which didn’t exclude poking fun at himself, for example, his “membership” in the Ho Chi Minh Society, together with feigned lamentations about possibly ending up a perpetual bachelor like his idol. Eventually he did marry, and had a daughter, named after the Swedish scientist Linnaeus."

Read the full article here.

JUSTICE FOR LEONARD CO