My Lakbayan grade is B!

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Created by Eugene Villar.

high school song

Here comes the dawn, the time everybody is waiting for
A brand new day and a brand new life
The colors of the sky and the colors of the earth
Blending into one as the day unfolds

People, reach out for the sky
Reach out for the dreams you have
As this is the day we've waited for so long

Here comes the sun, kissing everybody on its way
Lift all the doubts and fears you have in your heart

Reach for all the dreams you have in your heart
Reach for all the dreams you have in your mind
Make these dreams into realities
For these realities are for you and me

Insects of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya

I don't like insects in general, but I like taking their pictures especially if they are unique and/or colorful. The insects in Kasibu are both. Although I shudder at the thought of getting close to these creatures, they seem not to mind me at all.

Birds of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya

Some birds from Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya . . . .

Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya (April 11-21, 2011)

After arriving from Northern Samar, I joined the Geology 170 Class in Nueva Vizcaya, which I first visited March 29-31 for reconnaissance fieldwork with another faculty from NIGS. The area which we mapped for the class is situated north of the Caraballo Mountains at an elevation exceeding 700m. This makes the area a bit cold in the morning (almost zero visibility due to fog) and cool during daytime which makes it easy and bearable for the students and faculty. The town of Kasibu is known for its vast citrus plantations (which I was not actually expecting) which are sold locally for ~25 pesos/kilo!

We were in Kasibu for geologic field mapping but I won't talk about the rocks found in the area. Alright, I will just mention the caves in the area which were part of the Sta. Fe Limestone/Formation. The presence of these caves in the area made it possible for Kasibu to host the 2011 Cave Congress that was sponsored by the National Cave Committee, which I am a member of.

As you all probably know, I am a birdwatcher so this trip to Kasibu made it possible for me to observe birds in the area for the first time. I was able to observe at least 4 lifers: Scarlet Minivet, Yellowish White-Eye, Blue-headed Fantail and Rufous-bellied Eagle. There were a lot of insects too, not to mention the amazing flowers that I have been using as photography subjects since 2004.

Biri Island, Northern Samar (April 2-7, 2011)

I and colleagues from the National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP Diliman) went to Allen and Biri Island, Northern Samar from April 2-7, 2011 to conduct mapping and sampling of a rarely-occurring rock that was "discovered" in April 2010. We spent 2 days in Allen (stayed in a hotel courtesy of Mayor Suan) and another 2 days in Biri Island before going to Catarman where we waited for our flight (Cebu Pacific) going back to Manila.

There are two options of going to Biri Island: plane or bus.

For those who want to take the plane, you can either take the plane to Calbayog or Catarman, which are just 1 to 1.5 hours away from the town of Lavezares, which is the jump-off point to Biri. The plane schedule, however, is limited so you have to plan your schedule well. Flights are also cancelled from time to time because of bad weather conditions, so be sure you are prepared to spend additional days in the island. One can also take the plane to Tacloban (Leyte), although this would be an additional 5 to 6 hours land travel to Catarman/Lavezares. One good thing about this option is being able to cross the San Juanico Bridge which is the longest bridge in the Philippines.

For those who seek the ultimate travel adventure, one can take the bus from Manila to Matnog in Sorsogon (~10 hours), take the roro boat to Allen, Northern Samar across the San Bernardino Strait (~1.5 hours) and take a tricycle to Lavezares. In choosing this option, one is rewarded (if you are lucky) majestic views of active volcanoes like Banahaw, Iriga, Mayon and Bulusan.

This trip to Biri Island is my 4th since I first visited the Island in January 2010. In fact, a 5th visit is already scheduled this coming July with friends from college.

UP Los Banos

After a very busy summer and after the postponement of our trip to Ilocos which we have been planning the past two months, I decided to go to UP Los Banos to relax a bit and contemplate on what I have done the past school year. It's been a very "busy" vacation for me, waking up at 5 am and walking for kilometers to do some birdwatching and photography.

dormancy

it's been a very busy semester for me, teaching 2 major subjects and doing some projects that mostly involve microscopy work . . . .

2011 adventures officially started

The first two weeks of January had been a very busy time for me. I don't have any teaching duties so I decided to spend my weekends visiting places with historical and geological importance. My first adventure happened last january 8, when I, along with my college friends, visited the old churches in the western part of Laguna. The 2nd adventure happened last january 15 when I and my brother went to Mt. Pinatubo. Details of the trips to follow.

happy new year to all!!!

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......