will be back in a while . . . .

haven't posted anything in the past 2 months because of busy schedule. . . . . .

Yamagata September 2010

It's been 4 years since I obtained my PhD from Hokkaido University, so I am very excited (and at the same time anxious) of going back to Japan, which was my home from 2003-2006. I went back to Japan to attend the 13th International Nannoplankton Association Conference in Yamagata. This is the first time the conference was held in Asia so the Filipino nannopaleontologists came in full force: my masters adviser in UP, Dr. Alyssa Peleo-Alampay and 2 graduate (MS) students, Adrian Fernandez and Deborah Tangunan.

Midway during the conference, we visited Yamadera, which are temples/shrines along the slopes of a mountain, with nice views of the valley below. My PhD adviser and supervisor in Hokkaido University (Prof. Okada), acted as our tour guide.

new lap top after 4 years

i have just purchased a new lap top after 4 years. I am finally "retiring" my HP which I purchased in Japan in 2006. Welcome my baby lenovo.

spartlys 2007

I never imagined I will be able to visit and see the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, but in April 2007, I was fortunate to visit (and swim) in the area when I joined a scientific cruise co-sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines) and the government of Vietnam. Along with fellow scientists from the UP NIGS, UP MSI, BFAR and Silliman University, we spent almost 2 weeks onboard BRP Presbitero (owned by NAMRIA), collecting sediments, water and biological samples and measuring water properties in the North Danger Reef, Jackson Atoll and Seahorse Shoal. The most interesting part of the cruise for me was when I set foot on Parola Island, the Philippine-claimed islet at the North Danger Reef where this shot of me doing cartwheel was taken by April Concepcion, a graduate student at NIGS.

last year's seven lakes tour

With my friend Joe and student RC, I joined a guided tour to the 7 lakes of San Pablo, Laguna. The lakes are actually maars, broad, low-relief volcanic craters that are caused by phreatomagmatic eruptions (i.e., groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma)*. The lakes (according to the order of visit we made) are Sampaloc Lake, Bunot Lake, Calibato Lake, Pandin Lake, Yambao Lake, Mohicap Lake and Palakpakin Lake. Each lake has its own charm, with Mohicap (for me), the most picturesque of the seven (pictures courtesy of RC). The most difficult to access were the twin lakes of Pandin and Yambo, which required at least 2 hours of hiking (just ask my student what happened to her).

This year, i am planning to bring my students to the 7 lakes of San Pablo as part of their Geology 1 fieldtrip. We are now in the planning stage and will be able to finalize the itinerary by this week. I hope the students will enjoy these geologic wonders not everyone will be able to see during their lifetime.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maar

UP Diliman Birdwatching

I woke up at 5:30 am last July 31 to birdwatch around UP Diliman with a graduate student who recently got hooked with birdwatching. We were really not expecting to see a lot of birds, although i am hoping (for myself) to see at least 1 lifer. There were the usual long tailed shrikes, yellow vented bulbuls and orioles, but the rails that used to be common near the MSI Building when I started birdwatching in 2003 were nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, we went to the area near the Executive House, where we saw a lot of interesting feathered creatures. First was the coppersmith barbet, a lifer for me and a bird I really want to see up close. Next were the golden-bellied flyeaters, philippine woodpecker, pied thriller and, to our surprise, a plump and bright green guiabero, drying itself atop a lifeless (leafless?) tree, near where there were also a lot of white-collared kingfishers. Four (4) lifers for my companion in just 30 minutes!!!

For beginners, therefore, I would recommend this area (aside from NIGS/CS Complex and Hardin ng Rosas) because the birds are easy to spot and are relatively "large" enough to be identified even with the most simple binoculars.

Bicol Region Volcanoes

Going to Northern Samar for our Geology 215 class, we passed by the Bicol Region and stayed overnight in my aunt's place in Irosin, Sorosogon. We were able to see two of our country's 23 active volcanoes - Mayon and Bulusan Volcanoes in Albay and Sorsogon, respectively.

Mayon is the Philippines' most active volcano, having 48* known historical eruptions, the latest of which was early this year (2010). You can still the hardened lava deposits along the volcano's slopes. I have witnessed Mayon's fury way back in 2001. It was a scary, yet exciting, experience.

Bulusan, on the other hand, has at least 16* known eruptions. Fortunately for the people around the volcano (including my aunt), the eruptions are not as catastrophic as the eruptions of Mayon and Pinatubo in 1991.

* Source: PHIVOLCS website

birdwatching in UP

I started birdwatching when in 2003, Mr. Mike Lu (now President of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines) invited me to join one of their activities. I immediately got addicted to birdwatching and even got some of friends to get involved in the activity as well.

My favorite place is UP Diliman, where I took my BS and MS degrees and where I am now employed as a faculty. A lot of rare and unusual bird species have been photographed and sighted in this place, making the UP as an important birding sites in Metro Manila. This is something the UP community should be very proud of.

Lately, I've been birdwatching with a friend, trying to revisit areas around the Science Complex where we used to see a lot of birds. Sadly, because of the development in the area, many of the habitats have been disturbed. This is evidenced by the few sightings of birds that were present in the area many years ago.

Baroque Churches in the Philippines

from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/677:

Immaculate Conception: District of Intramuros, City of Manila Nuestra Senora: Municipality of Santa Maria, Province of Ilocos Sur San Agustin: Municipality of Paoay, Province of Ilocos Norte Santo Tomas: Municipality of Miag-ao, Province of Iloilo These four churches, the first of which was built by the Spanish in the late 16th century, are located in Manila, Santa Maria, Paoay and Miag-ao. Their unique architectural style is a reinterpretation of European Baroque by Chinese and Philippine craftsmen.

I was able to take pictures of all the churches inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List when, finally, in November 2009, I was able to visit the church of Nuestra Senora in Sta. Maria Ilocos Sur. The first church I was able to see was the San Agustin Church in Paoay when I was still an undergraduate student. The second was the Immaculate Conception Church in Itramuros, then the Sto. Tomas Churh in Miagao, Iloilo during a brief stay in that province.

Sunset

When i was a little younger, i often go to Paraiso Memorial Park in San Mateo to watch sunset, which is actually my favorite part of the day. How I wish I still have the time to just sit somewhere and watch the drama of colors that accompany sunsets. How I wish ...........

Sagada Mushrooms

We stayed in the house of Xsa in Bangaan during our stay in Sagada. The first activity we did was to look for mushrooms in a nearby mountain. We did see some mushrooms but we don't know whether they're edible or not......

Sagada May 2010

I went to Sagada with my brother Mark college friends Monina, Hillel, Xsa, Luz and Edward. I've been looking forward to go to Sagada ever since I've read about the caves and waterfalls in the area. It was a long trip, with the bus leaving the station around 830 in the evening and arriving in Bontoc, Mountain Province after 13 hours. Along the way to Bontoc, we passed by the Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, I was seated far from the window where I could have taken pictures of the terraces.

Before going to Sagada, we visited the Bontoc Museum and bought some souvenirs. The trip from Bontoc to Sagada took at least 1.5 hours and not long after, the limestones of Sagada came into view. I was in Sagada at last!!!

Summer in Samar 2010

I spent almost 3 weeks in Northern Samar, doing fieldwork as part of the Geology 215 mapping course offered at UP-NIGS.

It's my second time already in Biri Island and it's as dramatic and as beautiful as ever. The highlight of the fieldwork was the visit to the rock formations located on the eastern coast of the island. One of the rock formations is named Magasang. These rocks have already been featured in the PNOC Calendar and more recently as the cover of a book entitled "Lexicon of Philippine Stratigraphy" which was published in 2008.

My students are now doing their reports regarding the mapping and sampling we conducted in Northern Samar. A lot of really interesting stuff came out during the analysis of the samples we collected in the area. Looking forward to visit the island again this year.