Two Days Before 2012 Ends

Gosh, with all the  things running in my mind, I suddenly have no sense of time and even forgot what date it is today (which also happens to be the wedding anniversary of my parents) and that tomorrow will be the last day of the year already! 2012 went by so fast. Whew! Okay, so as much as I wanted to have an organized blog entry, this one would consist of some random thoughts so please bear with me.

I spent Christmas - my last Christmas here in Korea - in the solitude and comfort of my room. I was down with cough and cold. Too bad I wasn't able to attend the mass in the morning. The only thing that made me happy was my skype session with my family the night before. Guess what? I was even in the lab when we were talking. Anyway, by mid afternoon, I was feeling so all alone I decided to go to downtown and got myself a Christmas present... Hello The Perks of Being A Wallflower! 

I love the movie so I realized I needed to get my hands on the book. When I feel so stressed out already in revising my manuscript, I read The Perks. I really like the characters of Sam and Patrick (sociable, very outgoing, with no care on what other people may think of them) but I feel like I'm more of a Charlie-esque type of person (introvert and often finds himself thinking about things instead of participating in life). As of now, I'm halfway with the book. At first, I really felt I was reading a book made by a high school student. The writing is, you know, so high school. But as I read from one page to another, I got the answer. The author has captured the spirit of the book's character who is writing to his 'friend' even though he doesn't know him. And as I go on, I'm beginning to get to know and understand Charlie.

This afternoon, I watched Les Miserables all by myself. It's my first time to go solo on a movie theater. It's weird but it's also liberating. The movie itself, it's like 98% singing and 2% talking in a normal way. What should I expect? Of course it's a musical! But I was really hoping there were more dialogues spoken normally. But I should really say the actors were all so good! Singing and acting full of emotions? Well done!

Two days from now, it's going to be a new year. Can you believe that?! 2012 will be gone and 2013 is here to stay! Have a blessed and amazing 2013 everyone!

 So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I 

 am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure 

 out how that could be. 

-Charlie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The First Noel

"Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,

That hath made heaven and earth with nought,

And with his blood mankind has bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel."

 Happy birthday Jesus Christ!♥ 

After Six Months

Time flies. Definitely.

I just have to mark this day as one of my happiest moments here in Korea. I arrived in the laboratory at two in the afternoon, kind of worried, but lo and behold! The first person that I saw when I opened the door was him. All I was able to do was say/shout his name with a tinge of excitement and unbelief. I wanted to hug him but of course I did not. I am just so happy he's finally back. Then we had some talk, you know the usual talk of two persons who haven't seen each other for a long time. How's your stay in the US? Did you enjoy your time there? Do you miss it already? et cetera. et cetera. And then he gave me this.

A box of chocolates. For some girls, it's just common to receive chocolates and other things from guys. But in my case, he's the first one to give something like this. I don't want to put some special meaning to it aside from the fact that he has given it to me because he is my friend, but deep inside me I feel that it's such a sweet gesture.

So yeah, maybe I got an early Christmas gift. ♥ 

See you there!

Hey guys! I have now moved to

http://emancipationongoing2.blogspot.com

Winter Snapshots

Two weeks ago, it started snowing here in Daegu. I felt like it's an early snowfall because during last year's winter, the first snowfall occurred on January. Or maybe last year's snow just came up late. But whatever it is, one thing remains the same - I definitely love the sight of snow. On a Saturday morning, I took some time to walk around the university campus. The sun was up and everything was covered with snow. The scenery was just perfect! There's not much people so it's very peaceful. It's just nice walking and sometimes standing in one spot looking at and appreciating the beauty surrounding me.

I probably should do that more often - walking around, savoring the view even if it's freezing cold - and make the most of my last winter in Korea.♥

Have a great winter season everyone!

xoxo,

pamella (in her furry red cape)

New Home

EMANCIPATION [on going] has finally found a new home. I admit, it's not really easy. I will be using a new blogging platform. I will be logging in to a new site. The layout, colors, etc. will not be exactly the same. But the good news is, I will be able to import all the posts and comments from here to the new site.

So this is probably my last post here. It's sad that I'll be leaving Blogger. Again I should say, it has been my little piece of world here in the internet. But change is inevitable. A new home, a new beginning, you can find me at http://emancipationongoing.wordpress.com/.

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Update: I tried and convinced myself to continue blogging in wordpress but something doesn't feel right. I miss writing here. So yeah, I'm coming back soon. New site but same look and feel! Can't wait! =)

What to do?

It's so sad. I will not be able to upload images anymore because I already reach the limit (1GB total storage). The only way I can continue posting with pictures is to upgrade and pay a monthly rate =(

Must decide. Maybe I should look for a new platform then. If that happens, if I find one, it'll definitely feel like I'll be leaving my home because Blogger has been my home, my own little world, here in the internet for two and a half years now. Seriously, it's a long time and as much as I wanted to stay, I think that would not be possible anymore.

P.S. On my way back to my apartment just a few minutes ago, I was greeted by a crazy snowfall! December 5. First snowfall of this season. Happiness!

Countryside Girl At Heart

Skyscrapers. Cabs. Lights. People. Traffic. Rush hour. Those are the words that come to my mind when I hear the word 'city'. I've never been a city girl though I was born in the city. There's not really much of a memory of what my life was when we were still living in Manila (Philippine's capital). My parents told me that we used to live in a very small apartment and the surroundings were polluted so me and my brother always get sick. That's the reason why they decided to move back to the province.

Clean environment. Fresh air. Bugalow houses. Peaceful life. Province it is. Or in other words, the countryside. I grew up in the house of my grandparents located in a small town in the southern part of Luzon. It's those kind of houses which possess an ancestral charm, built with four very strong timber as posts, nipa roof, wooden floors, and windows designed with capiz. It's just beautiful. Spending my childhood in that place and with the people I love is purely a bliss. Years went by and I've lived from province to province (spent my high school days in a province near my hometown then transferred to another province for my university studies and eventually for my work). There were a few times I went to the city, merely to meet my friends and shop. But living there? Oh, I know it's not for me. I am really not a city girl.

Even going overseas, I tend to gravitate on the countryside. I spent two months in a province in Taiwan for my internship. And one of the things I loved most during my stay there was biking along the fields after my experiment. Green fields everywhere with the sunset on the background. Waking up in the morning on the chirps of the birds. I just love all that!

And now, well, what can I say? Things got a little bit different. I am living in Daegu, the fourth largest city of South Korea. Downtown is just a few minutes away from my university, cabs are everywhere, department stores here and there, well yeah it's a city after all. But I still feel like I'm living in a countryside. Good thing it's not as big and as grand as Seoul. It's peaceful and there are really not a lot of people. Parks are everywhere and it's surrounded by mountains so I still feel close to nature. It's like I've got the best of both worlds. It's been almost two years now...and I'll be leaving soon. I'll surely gonna miss this city, my home away from home. But wherever life takes me, be it in a hustle and bustle of city life or the stillness of the countryside, I'd still be a countryside girl at heart.

Uh oh

While the world is excited about the coming holidays, here I am trying to 

image source

Droppin' by

Ugh my posts are kind of a mess lately. I was actually planning to have an organize set/series of posts (eg. beauty/skincare series for a week or a month, then fashion, then some inspirational quotes or something) but unfortunately what's happening is the total opposite. Maybe there's just a lot of things going on in my head and around me and I just don't have time to organize them all. Whatever I feel for a particular day, I just write it down and post it. What goes around, comes around. Anyway, I just want to drop by here today. I have a looming deadline for my manuscript. So yeah, I better get working!

No more time to waste 

#second chances #make the most of it

*even shut off FB, will get back to it once everything's A-ok

Since Christmas Is Just Around The Corner

Ramblings & Paranoia

• must submit the revised manuscript on Thursday but up to now I still haven't figured out/started the revisions
• someone told me that I am so thin and I told her I was so stressed with my thesis defense and manuscript. You know, lack of sleep and unhealthy eating habits. The comment lingered in my mind for days, until now, and paranoia struck me.
• my hands and arms seem so thin (well, they are really thin even before and I like them but having a double look at them now, they look so freakin' thin) which is making me all the more paranoid and makes me think that I have some sort of disease. I already have a diagnosis for myself, googled the suspected disease but I will not tell it here because it'll just make me a lot more paranoid.
• since I am a paranoid kid now, I cannot focus on other things, even with the urgent manuscript submission
• bottom line: stressed out me once again=(

God, please help me. Please don't let me have that disease. Please let me concentrate on working with my manus. Amen.

P.S. Since I am so paranoid and skeptical now, I also looked at pictures in the internet of skinny arms and hands and realized that I am not the only one experiencing it (refer to this thread). And I've also seen some models with skinny arms and hands... Oh, but of course, they are models! So maybe I can just be a model. So maybe my arms can have a modelling career then. Hehe! Just kidding. I just need to lighten up my situation.

I can see my arms and hands in hers.
 (image from Current/Elliott)

Based on the thread that I read, I think I really should focus on gaining weight. I don't want to be so big, I just want to have a normal and healthy body. I also don't want to have big arms and hands. Again, I should say that I like my arms and hands but some people (and now, I also) think that they look unhealthy so better start doing the necessary thing: LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE!

Breaking Dawn Part 2

Finally, I get to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. The previous installments, I just watched them in my laptop but the final film, well since it's the last one, I decided to stash some cash and watch it in the big screen. And I must say, it's all worth it! It's definitely a wonderful and heartfelt movie. Aside from the fact that The Twilight Saga's central theme is Bella and Edward's love story, in the final film it's not just about their love for each other anymore, it's also about their love for their daughter, Renesmee. Bella, Edward, Jacob who has imprinted on Renesmee, the Cullens, and the other vampires have one goal -  to prove that Renesmee is not an immortal. All of them plus the wolf pack are prepared to fight and risk their lives to make sure that Renesmee will live.

At the end, Alice has seen the future of Jacob and Renesmee, them being together. Seriously, I feel like I wanted to see how their love story unfolds (another movie please?). Bella then showed Edward her thoughts, their memories together (with the the collection of clips starting from the first movie & Christina Perri's A Thousand Years playing in the background, which is so perfect!) and telling him how much she loves him. Aww, isn't that sweet?


Talk about fashion. I am loving the dress Bella wore during her and Edward's honeymoon.

image source here

image source here

It's so simple and neat and Bella clearly looks so polished and put together in that dress. It gives the right amount of maturity and sophistication. Waaah, I want that dress! Since they say that it's a one-of-a-kind vintage, I am therefore planning to have something like that made/tailored when I get back home. If my grandmother is still a bit younger, I know she can make this one. I suddenly remember when I was in Grade 4, I wanted to wear the pink jumper of my barbie doll for our class' christmas party and my grandma made and sewed a jumper (exactly the same as that of barbie's) for me. Really wish I can also sew just like her but I think I haven't inherited that trait well.

Dreaming Of The Holidays...In This Dress

A Wear

The holidays are just around the corner. And this simple and classy dress paired with gold strap sandals is just perfect for the coming dinners and parties with family and friends. Can somebody please give me this gorgeous dress as a Christmas gift? Please? Hmm, wishful thinking?!? Or maybe Santa can drop this at my door. That would be wonderful!☆

'Tis The Season To Be Sparkly

Modcloth

Whistles

TFNC

 ♫  Fa la la la la  ♪ ♫ ♪   la la la la  ♪ 

Beauty and Skin Care Journey

Admit or not, every girl has something to say about how she looks. Every girl has an opinion on what beauty means and all other things that are associated with it. Every girl has her own journey when it comes to beauty and skin care.

Well, here's my journey.

Going back in time
When I was in high school, acne started to invade my face. That's the time I started using skin care products. I used Pond's, Eskinol, Clean and Clear, and many other products which I saw in TV that promises to clear your skin of pimples. But unfortunately, nothing worked for me. So, I just went back to my regular soap, Safeguard. When I entered the university, unlike other female students, I was never the type who would buy lots and lots of beauty products and make-up simply because I know that they just don't work for me. And due to my hectic schedule, I just didn't have time to prettify myself so I just went to my classes with a face powder and a lip balm on. Those were the only products that I used after washing my face with a cleanser. For my cleanser, I tried Cetaphil, Olay, St. Ives, and other random cleansers that you find in the grocery store or drugstore. For the face powder, I specifically used Johnson's Baby Powder. That's the only product I stick on for a long time because if it's good for baby's skin (meaning it's gentle), I know it's definitely good for my skin too. By the way, my skin type is combination (oily T-zone and dry cheeks), acne-prone, and sensitive. For my lips, it easily gets chapped, especially on the colder months, so my lip balm from Nivea always comes to the rescue.

                           




However, after graduating and finally getting a job, I started to allot some time in improving and taking care of my physical well-being. Since I was having acne troubles (well I still do until now), I decided to go to a dermatologist. So  I started to get facials and other treatments, such as Light Peel, and used the skin care products from my derma. So yeah, I was indeed alloting time for my derma appointments, alloting time for applying the skin care products every morning and night...and alloting money also. Part of my salary was devoted in maintaining my skin care but no regrets, everything paid off. Little by little, my acne started to lessen. You might wonder, why do I still have acne until now? Well, blame the hormones and stress and the genes. But during that time, my derma and her products were doing wonders for my skin. I was still not into make-up though because my skin was so sensitive and if you put a product on, it'll easily result to acne. But if there's a special event, I did wear a little make-up (Revlon foundation, Maybelline blush & lipstick).

Fast forward
Almost two years ago, I arrived in Korea. Oh boy, I was just overwhelmed with all the beauty products. They're literally everywhere! From the low-end/"for high schoolers" - The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Inisfree, Skin Food, Etude House, Holika Holika, Mischa, etc. (You may ask, why for high schoolers? These brands, although they have different product lines, most of the customers that you see when you walk in their shops are usually high school students.)

warning: don't be deceived by the claim in the above picture

to the middle/somewhat high-end brands - Laneige, Mamonde, etc. Actually, there's a blurry line between some of the "middle" brands and high-end ones when it comes to pricing. One word, expensive.

The high-end brands - Amore Pacific, Iope, (both are owned by Amore Pacific Co.), etc.

Gosh, looking at the pictures above, with the brand models and their perfect looking skin, makes me want to have a skin as beautiful as theirs. And the shops? They're on every corner in the city! So ever wonder why Koreans have that beautiful, healthy, glowing, smooth skin? Now you know the answer. And I should add, it's also in the genes.

At present
So yeah, since I am just in awe, I couldn't help but try the Korean products. Up until now, I am still looking for that perfect product for my skin type. And for my future posts, I'll be sharing some of the Korean products that I bought and tested and my experience/review about them.


More to come!



Image sources: Johnson's Baby Powder, Nivea Lip Balm, The Face Shop, Skin Food, Etude House, Laneige, Mamonde, Isa Knox, Amore Pacific, Iope

For more information about Korean high-end products, read here.

Thesis defense, you're done!

After several days of preparation and cramming and praying...

three consecutive nights of sleeping at 4 or 5 or 6 in the morning...

two cups of  mocha caramel & vanilla frappe and tons of instant coffee mix...


finally my THESIS DEFENSE is over! Hooray!
(insert big smiley)

haggard look, i know. hehe.

I am so grateful, first and foremost, to God for giving me the wisdom and the courage; to my family for never failing to encourage and support me (suddenly remembered those skype sessions we had while I was in the lab for my "all-nighter-moments"); to my friends who wished me good luck; and, of course, to my professor and senior for guiding and helping me in my experiments (though we had difficult and trying times in the lab). Thank you, thank you very much!

One down, one more to go. Last one. Hello manus-writing-mode!

 From now own, I will stand up for my right.  

I.Want.You.

Zara velvet slippers with embroidered mustache

Last Weekend: On Being an Emo

12:42 AM. Yes, I am writing this entry at the most convenient time and place - past midnight, straight from the laboratory. These days, I am spending most of my time (well, most of my life literally) here in the lab. I just go back to my apartment to eat lunch and dinner and to sleep. So now, since I am still waiting for the incubation of my samples, might as well be productive and write a post. So yeah, after attending the Jeju conference, my life was back to normal, well, except for one thing: I noticed that I am in hot water with the people here in the lab. I just didn't know what exactly is the reason. Maybe because of my mistakes, which seemed like really blown into something big. And then, I get those raising of voice scenario. I wanted to answer back like this, "Raising your voice would not help, seriously." But of course, I didn't do it. I just told myself that it's only gonna be a short time, just be patient and be calm in front of them. There's this point, I think it happened last Friday, that I wanted to cry but I gathered all my strength not to show my emotions. I really don't want them to see that I'm so affected emotionally on the way they're treating me.This is not to say that they're so bad or something (maybe a little, haha!) but probably times like this just happen. However, I should say my situation right now, it still has a good effect on me though by making me more and more focus on my experiments. I'm just putting all my energy in my experiments because, honestly, it's easier than dealing with people.

10th International Congress on Plant Molecular Biology

I've been waiting for this event for several months and now it has finally happened. I am really thankful and it's definitely an amazing experience to be able to listen and learn from the brilliant minds all around the world.  They're not only good in explaining their research but I really see the passion that they have in what they're doing. They're such an inspiration.

I was also able to meet my former boss and other scientists from IRRI. The scientific community is indeed a small world.

And of course, I got to explore the beauty of Jeju (even though around the conference site only). The weather was just perfect and we're so lucky the International Convention Center is just located near the coast.

Attending this conference and seeing the scientists from other parts of the world is truly an honor. I really wish I could be like them in the future.

xoxo,

Pam

Something always brings me back to you

Captivating. Soulful. Beautiful.

Every word and melody expresses the emotions buried deep within one's heart. 

Sadness, heartache, the struggle of loving and getting over someone.

But at the end of the day, 

"Something always brings me back to you."

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This is the effect of missing someone though it's more of a one-sided feeling because that "someone" doesn't have a clue that someone is falling into his gravity.

You're never fully dressed without a smile

Something to perk me up on the first day of October. SJP on glee is ♥. And of course, Kurt and Rachel are amazing! Well, this is what you call "Fashion Meets Music".

You're never fully dressed without a smile. =)

(so true!)

Since my condition is getting quite better now (thank God! whew after four days of bed rest), I now have to face you my dear manus. Honestly, all I have right now is just the abstract. T_T It's still a long, long way to go and I only have very, very little time left before I hand it to prof. But after watching this video, I realized that I should write my manus with a SMILE. Hope it helps. Good vibes, good results...and miracles, please.

Down with a flu

were on the same boat =(

While the whole Korea is celebrating 추석 (Chuseok), here I am stuck in my room, down with a flu. Last Thursday, I thought I was getting better because the sore throat was less painful. However, come Friday, I was coughing so hard, my nose was clogged, my body just felt so weak, I had headache and was feeling feverish. I didn't go to the laboratory and just stayed in my bed. It was like the longest day and night of my life. You know, the life of being sick. It's so hard, especially the fact that I'm away from home. All I ever wanted in that moment was to go home and be with my family because nothing beats the experience of being sick in the comfort of your home, with your parents taking care of you. Ugh, I miss them so much. We had a chat yesterday so it made things a little bit better. Right now, I am still taking a rest and slowly recuperating.

So you guys, let us all take care of our health. It's when you get sick that you get to realize the importance of being healthy and being able to do the simple things (which you don't really think is a big deal, like being able to go out of your house, having a walk, etc).

Feeling Under the Weather

Autumn has completely taken over. The temperature has dropped and trees are starting to change colors. But with that shift in season, my body is feeling a bit confused. I guess my nose, throat, and lungs are not yet ready for this new season. Yesterday I got dry cough and scratchy throat. Speaking and swallowing were painful but I still managed to talk to my friend like nothing's wrong. I bought 유자차 (honey citrus tea) and had myself gargle hot water with salt to ease my sore throat. By night time, I decided to go to bed early but I haven't really gotten a good night's sleep due to the excruciating pain in my throat. I woke up several times the whole night because my throat felt dry and burning with pain. It's hard to swallow my saliva so I just spit it out. Also, breathing normally with my nose was quite difficult, and with that I just tried inhaling and exhaling through my mouth. It's probably one of my worst nights ever! Last year, I also had that same experience. Actually, it was even worse. The sore throat lasted for about two or three days. I couldn't eat rice and meat, thus I resorted to noodles, but still, swallowing even a single strand of noodle was very hard. It never fails, whenever I'm going to get a cold, the first symptom is a very, very painful sore throat.

This morning, I woke up feeling really sick. I felt like I had a fever so I decided to just wash my body but not my head. I still went to the lab because staying in my room will probably make me feeling more sick. The only downside was that, I was lightheaded the whole time. Good thing I didn't have any major experiment scheduled for today. I was thinking to myself, "This is not a common cold. I maybe down with a flu." So to make sure, I went to the clinic and had a check up. You see, it's still better to go to the doctor if you're not feeling well instead of self-medicating.

Finally got my much needed meds!

Well, it seems like I'm not the only one having cough and cold. Another student in the clinic also has. Blame it on the change in season.

P.S. I am now feeling a lot better. Thank you Doc! 

God's timing is, indeed and will 
always be, perfect.♥

Discover and Experience Korea

Since I've been sitting here in the lab for the past few days (literally! sitting the whole day and reading, err, staring at journal articles), my mind tends to drift somewhere else. I suddenly miss exploring different parts of Korea. I couldn't help but look back at my previous travels.

Herb Hillz, Daegu
(August 14, 2011)

Palgongsan, Daegu
(August 28, 2011)

Shilla Millenium Park, Gyeongju
(September 30, 2011)

Apsan Park, Daegu
(October 30, 2011)

Duryu Park, Daegu
(April 15, 2012)

Haeundae Beach & Gwangalli Beach, Busan
(May 20, 2012)

Expo 2012, Yeosu
(May 26, 2012)

Yeouido Park & Seoul National University, Seoul
(June 3, 2012)

Korea is such a beautiful country. There are lots of wonderful places to see- from parks, to traditional villages, to mountains, to beaches... So if you're planning to visit, I say, Go on, come, see, discover, and experience Korea!