Salamin - On The Serious Side

Happy Birthday (Part One)

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:31:07 -0700

It's February 18 today, and I'm happy. And it's a big deal.

With Daddy (beaming with pride, I believe!) on my wedding day (January 6, 2001).

You see, it's my Dad's birthday, and today I remember him with happiness in my heart, instead of sorrow and grief. This day is unlike the previous birthdays which had been punctuated by sadness and longing for the man who left us some four years ago. This day, I feel more alive than ever, and grateful that he had been a part of my life.

Had he been alive today, he would have been 69.

Continue reading "Happy Birthday (Part One)"

Not So Easy

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 02:35:05 -0600

Whenever I am with Aya in Filipino gatherings, most of them would often inquire: "How old is she?" And after being told about her age, they would make the ~~dreaded~~ expected follow-up question: "So kelan nyo susundan? Wala pa ba kasunod? (So when's the next one? None yet?)"

Aya and her gummy grin at 11 weeks

Others are not so discreet and would unabashedly tell it to my face: "Sundan nyo na! (This would be literally translated, "Follow it up!" But perhaps "Make another one!" would be the more appropriate translation.)

Easier said than done, folks. We never said that we don't want more.

In those situations, I usually just whip up my standard response: "Yeah." "Uhm....?" "We're trying." "We'll wait and see."

You see, there's a bit of a story before our daughter was successfully conceived.

Continue reading "Not So Easy"

Finding Peace and Tranquility at Hainan

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:40:56 -0600

Hainan is known as the "Hawaii" of China. Haikou, also known as the Coconut City, is a major port of the island, and has a domestic airport for flights connecting to various major cities in China like Guangzhong and Beijing. As soon as I arrived at Haikou, the sights and scents welcomed me as if I was returning home. Really!

Quite interestingly, within my short stay of three days in that island, I was able to sample native "Filipino" dishes like adobo, lechon kawali, and even the intricate kare-kare. Of course there are also other dishes available, but those dishes caught my attention because of their familiar taste. Not exactly cooked the way we Filipinos cook them, but the resemblance is still striking. And if you're wondering if the said kare-kare dish was served with bagoong(shrimp paste), the answer is a resounding yes. However, as with the dishes, the bagoong was a bit different from the ones we have in the Philippines. It was not too salty, and even had a spicy tinge to it.

More than the food, though, was the fabulous opportunity to have a glimpse of the sea. I love the sea. Everyday, from the balcony of my room, I would stand outside and take in the breathtaking view before me.

Sunsets were spectacular. Here is a photo I took one afternoon:

Continue reading "Finding Peace and Tranquility at Hainan"

The Making of a Scientist - Part Two

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:20:35 -0600

Here is part two of the series.

Q: Did you have a chance to work as a research assistant?
Not as an RA, but as a graduate student. The only difference between an RA and a graduate student? The grad student does not get paid. The work is usually performed as part of the graduate thesis.

Q: Did you attend any special programs or schools that nurtured your interest in science?
The special science class in high school which I attended was the only one I could cite as one of those institutions that nurtured my interest in science.

Continue reading "The Making of a Scientist - Part Two"

The Making of a Scientist - Part One

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 06:26:30 -0600

I found this interesting article from the DOST website, entitled "The Making of a Scientist." It's interesting for me because 1) it featured Filipino scientists, and 2) the said scientists were all women, and 3) I personally know one of them. Dr. Maricor Soriano, one of our former colleagues when we were still at National Institute of Physics, also happens to be a very good personal friend of ours, and of course Baggy's former labmate at the Instrumentation Physics Lab.

Among other things, the article made me realize how important it is for scientists to let other people have a glimpse into what made them into what they are today. I realized that there may be someone out there who may even be inspired to take up science as a career.

It's not a dead end, nor just an exclusive path for the ultra-genius. I think some of you may still be harboring the notion that science is reserved for the highly intellectual but emotionless individuals. Those who care not for anything else except the noble pursuit of knowledge. Well, it may be true for some, but not for all. I know several Filipino scientists who came from humble beginnings, people just like you and me. They just took the path less traveled.

Continue reading "The Making of a Scientist - Part One"

Goodbye, Tonette Binsol

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:12:30 -0600

We never met in person.

Out of the blue, one day I got a friendly call from Ms. Tonette Binsol. I don't know how she got hold of my cellphone number. But someone like her had resources, and lots of connections. People connections. So it was not really surprising. Just the same, I was flattered that she knew me at all.

The call, as it turned out, was made in order to convey her request for me to remove the link to an interview article featuring her at Philippines Today. Of course, I asked her why.

Continue reading "Goodbye, Tonette Binsol"

Cold Facts and the Lonely Road

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:25:23 -0600

I've already written about what it feels like to be a mom. I've also shared some of my thoughts and experiences as a scientist. But I have not written much about what it feels like to be all at the same time - woman, mom, scientist. And for good reason: it's a lonely road. Not everyone can relate to my experience. In my circle of friends, I could always find someone who is a mom, or a scientist, but to find both at the same time - it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

I've taken to reading several books and literature on women and their participation in science. And the statistics are disheartening. Experts describe the situation as a leaky pipeline: women "leak" out of the pipeline at every stage, beginning from students up to higher positions. Women describe their situation as akin to hitting a glass ceiling - a proverbial ceiling that prevents their ascension to the top. Thus, even if there would be a high percentage of women entering the scientific field at the very early stages of their career, only very few persistent ones manage to wiggle their way to higher positions. Understandably this is a reason for concern: how long would it be until I hit my own glass ceiling?

I now ask you to close your eyes and picture in your mind a scientist working in the lab. What is the image that first comes to your mind?

Continue reading "Cold Facts and the Lonely Road"

Tales of Two Passports

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 01:30:00 -0600

Have you ever applied for renewal of your passport? How about having it amended from your single name to your married name? Was it as simple as 1-2-3?

Because I live in Tsukuba, I am under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. Here, we can apply for passport renewal by mail. Yep, no need to appear in person at the Embassy. Hurray. All we have to do is submit our application by mail, and as long as our documents are complete and in order, we can expect our new passports to be delivered through the post office or takkyubin. As simple as that.

However, what I had expected to be a simple process could get pretty complicated sometimes. Read my "tales" below and judge for yourself. Pray, tell, was I amiss?

Continue reading "Tales of Two Passports"

Sulat Kay Daddy

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:03:47 -0600

Dear Daddy,
Alam mo kagabi napanaginipan kita. Wala ka raw sakit. At kung sa anong dahilan, ang saya-saya mo raw. Nagluto ka pa nga. Hindi ko lang maalala kung saang bahay ba tayo nandon, pero parang bahay ata natin. Bahay natin. Yung bahay na matagal nating inaasam-asam. Hindi bahay ng ibang tao. Yung sa atin talaga. Yung kusina raw natin ay bagong gawa pa nga, at ang linis-linis pa ng mga tiles. Pero parang hindi ka raw masaya don sa tiles, kaya sinimentohan mo pa raw ng panibago. Pagkatapos mong gawin yun, mukhang hindi ka pa raw napagod. Inakap mo raw ako tapos inikot-ikot - parang twirl ba, yung ginagawa natin sa mga bata. Nagulat ako kasi ang lakas-lakas mo raw, eh kahit na mas mabigat ako at mas malaki kesa sa 'yo kaya mo raw gawin yun.

Nagulat na lang ako bigla nong mag-alarm na. Sobrang bitin ako. Ang dami ko pa naman sanang gustong sabihin sa yo. Kaya naisip ko na dito na lang isulat.
Continue reading "Sulat Kay Daddy"

Geeks Rush In

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:59:13 -0700

Just in time for Valentine's day, I was amused to find a special report published in Nature, entitled: Scientists in love: When two worlds collide. Inspite of the work I have to do, I found myself dropping everything else, and read this article twice. The reason? Because this article resonates with my own experience - or rather, our experience as a couple working in the scientific field. Like the scientist couples featured in that article, we too had to contend with certain problems at the start of our marriage, the two-body problem being at the forefront of it all. In physics, the two-body problem pertains to the calculation of paths of two objects in orbit with each other. For couples whose careers are in science, this refers to the problem of finding work not just for yourself but also for your spouse. This is a problem for most women scientists because a higher percentage of them are married to scientists like themselves.

Geeks can be romantic, too. Got roses for Valentine's. Again. Hey, I'm not complaining!

Continue reading "Geeks Rush In"

Our Hidden Face

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 02:46:50 -0700

I got this article from an email sent by a friend. This comes at an opportune time, because I have been thinking of making a personal list of all the wonderful things I love about the Philippines. How often do we come across positive viewpoints like this?

One of the Philippines' hidden faces. Photo of Loboc River in Bohol (October 2004).

Continue reading "Our Hidden Face"

Ten Japanese Habits Worth Emulating by Filipinos - Part Two

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 05:17:43 -0700

Continuing from part one, here are items five to ten in my list:

6. Drink green tea. Lots of it.

Cheers to good health!

The Japanese, apart from the Chinese, are among the top consumers of green tea. For them, drinking green tea is akin to drinking water for Filipinos. Tea has long been considered to be beneficial to health, including benefits such as prevention of atherosclerosis, diabetes, etc., possible prevention of cancer due to its antioxidant component, called catechin. According to an article posted at BBC news:

Continue reading "Ten Japanese Habits Worth Emulating by Filipinos - Part Two"

Ten Japanese Habits Worth Emulating by Filipinos - Part One

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 08:30:29 -0700

In every culture, there are good and bad habits. This is true for Filipinos as it is for the Japanese. But as a Filipino living in this great country, I have observed various Japanese habits which are both admirable and worth emulating by anyone. We could learn from them. In no particular order of importance, listed below are ten of these habits:

Trains in Japan leave on the dot; it would be disastrous if they didn't follow the time schedule. Shown here are two shinkansen trains (bullet trains). Image taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen

1. Be punctual.
When a Japanese sets a particular time, you can count on him/her to observe it. In this way, nobody's time is wasted. On the other hand, we Filipinos are notorious for following the so-called "Pinoy time," which unfortunately means "always late."
Continue reading "Ten Japanese Habits Worth Emulating by Filipinos - Part One"

Free Time

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 08:28:20 -0700

Someone asked me recently, "So what do you do in your free time?"

I responded, "Well, we do the laundry, we go to the supermarket for groceries..."

"So it's not free time after all," the person replied.

"Well, it's free in the sense that it's not spent for work," I hastily added. No sooner had the words left my mouth did I realize how funny it sounded. When we say free time, do we only mean that we're not at work? But household work is still work, isn't it?

Continue reading "Free Time"

Off to Singapore

nospam@example.com (kathy) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 21:23:22 -0700

Baggy, that is. We're not going with him. He actually didn't think that he would be needed in this particular trip, not until late last month. One of those last-minute trips. Besides that, we had visited Singapore just last year, so this is a trip that we can pass off. Now why don't they just organize meetings somewhere in Hawaii or Bali, for a change? Heck, why not even Boracay? We could use a free ticket home.

Continue reading "Off to Singapore"