The Passionate Pilgrim's Musings and Ramblings

Happy 2009!!!

Karen — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:40:07 +0000

Fantastic! Almost one decade into the century yet the 1990s do not seem that long ago. I wonder if the Earth is turning faster. Hmmm…

No long list of new year’s resolutions from me. Just two points, very closely related even:

To take better care of myself.
I will pursue my passions more.

Details to be figured out all throughout the year.

Who me, serious?!

Karen — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:53:51 +0000

But that’s ridiculous! I’m probably the silliest, most whimsical and most absent-minded person on the planet. Well, perhaps not the most, but someone told me my posts on the food blog are quite serious.

Hmmm… probably because I try to organise my thoughts on food and culture there. There’s so much material that’s just out there with no sense of order that when my obsessive-compulsive tendencies get the better of me and I try to make sense out of it, I get a headache and the result is what I write.

Oh, does that mean my readers get a headache too? Hahaha! I hope not.

But then again, I should strive for balance. Some serious academic posts, some whimsical. That shouldn’t be so difficult - except that I need to figure out a good ratio. Hehehe!

I should’ve been a taxonomist!

I know it’s very late

Karen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:07:31 +0000

I can hear songs blaring, dogs barking and activity on the streets. What’s up?

Ah! It’s the first Simbang Bengi (Simbang Gabi or dawn novena Masses) in an hour and I’m still up, haven’t slept. No, not in anticipation. I’m furiously reading and writing for a report which has to be done before the year ends, by hook or by crook.

Isn’t my life fantastic?

Oh, but I’m back where I TRULY belong and for that I am happy.

Merry Christmas to everyone, including me!

Bach to Beethoven

Karen — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:13:37 +0000

Bea reminded me last week that I used to play classical and only classical music in our room. I think that’s true. I’d even drag my roommates and a few other victims from the dorm to concerts across the metropolis. Around this time of the year, to the Messiah Oratorio which the University of the Philippines staged.

One of my many idiosyncrasies is to have music playing while I’m working (like now), most especially when cramming - like on Wednesday, if I don’t get anything done by tomorrow. In college, Mozart had the most relaxing effect on me till the dark, brooding and tempestuous Beethoven irrevocably captivated my heart. I started by collecting all nine of his symphonies but it was and still is the lone violin concerto (Op. 61) which never fails to relieve my overworked brain (think of college hell week).

Nowadays, my repertoire is more varied. I’ve gone on to listen to OPM and the Beatles. I love the songs that have ’sun’ in them such as I’ll Follow the Sun and Here Comes the Sun.

I need to initially organise a report tonight though, so back to my old ‘friends’ - was on Bach and Handel earlier, now on my forever love Ludwig. Never fails to send my heart aflutter.

Write, write, write!

Karen — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:10:51 +0000

One thing I realised in the last few months is how I really, really want to pursue writing seriously. No, I don’t have dreams of writing a prize-winning tome or even a bestseller. What I want to do is to document traditional food preparation techniques, cultural practices and ecological issues - things closest to my heart.

I am trying to get back into the groove of working on hardcore environmental issues. That’s one reason I need to revive my environment blog. At the moment, I am directing a few student-volunteers in conducting an inventory of Pampanga junkshops. Why? Baseline data-gathering for one and the results, I foresee, will have implications on solid waste management and creation of jobs.

Recently, I’ve also gotten in touch with ASEAN Biodiversity and sent them an abstract of my unfinished paper on food and ecology. It seems like someone there likes it and would like to see the full paper. Hmmm… now, where do I get the resources to work on it? The reason why the paper’s unfinished is because I was not confident in the material that I had. It will entail more research. Yes, more back-breaking work.

Speaking of which, I need to read several climate change documents. We’re supposed to submit an inception report for a project before the year ends (that’s less than two weeks - given the number of working days we have) and guess who’s assigned to write it? Hmmm…

Note to self: I need my magic tonic to keep me awake. Will have to stock up on fruits and vegetables too, to keep me from devouring junk food.

Another note to self: Aren’t you supposed to e-mail the new editor-in-chief of the daily you used to write for? Procrastinating, as usual…