Mugna is devise, concoct, contrive, fabricate and an amusement park.

In our place  we call it "perya." But ever since I studied in Iligan City and got to know the place through the arduous  years of college education I now call it "mugna." The first time I heard the words I couldn't make out what it means albeit the literal English translation. In  my Bisaya, mugna means devise, concoct or contrive or even fabricate. In Iligan, when jeepney barkers shout at the top of their lungs the controversial yet popular word they mean amusement park.

And to the amusement park we went. It's quite amazing how a vacant lot during most days of the year turns into a place laden with so many make-shift shops and boutiques clad with hundreds of people who seem to remain undecided as to which pirated DVD would they buy, or which henna tattoo design would look good on them. As for us, we were captivated by the hats and bags made from abaca fiber and in our zeal we    took photos wearing them. (Clearly, the consent of the owner is out of the question  when our group is so bent on  having our photograph taken. That rule goes without exception.)

Don't look for me. I'm not there.

And of course, who could forget the rides? They're obviously close to dilapidated compared to the famous (and sometimes infamous) rides of big amusement parks like Enchanted Kingdom or Star City but  still they beget excitement and the occasional shrill of mixed terror and longing to indulge thyself. (Ha, I imagined myself unable to restrain a jump.) There are, in fairness, a considerable  number of rides. Although some are unexciting, and other highlights scientifically uninviting (headless lady, to see is to believe. Gah!), some still stood out from plain eyesight. They name them Galactica and Spider (although we insist to call it Octopus.) Galactica reminds me of the physics problem about uniform circular motion that ends with the statement "riders say that they felt like being pushed to the wall. Is there really such a force?"

Experience with the Galactica told me that it pays thirty pesos to get dizzy. It also works when you want to increase the number of people you see by threefolds. However, the feeling of travelling on a bus traversing a long and winding road did not deter me from trying the ride named after the mollusk with eight tentacles. (The truth is, I've wanted to try it ever since. This time, I succeeded in doing so.)

Whopee-doo. The enjoyment is apparent. Even when subjected to high angular velocity, we still managed to contort ourselves just to pose for the camera and bathe in the photons emitted by the flash.

                                                                                     

Now who would deny Iliganons and non-Iliganons alike to find revelry in the place by forwarded bomb threats from God-knows-where? 

Happy fiesta, Iligan! Viva Sr. San Miguel! I'm deeply indebted to this event. Without it, we wouldn't have no classes for 2 days.

This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you

During the ChE quiz  bowl I was able to answer a question about him at the mere mention of the thickness of his brush strokes. Vincent van Gogh is ubiquitous in quiz shows and it is because of this fact that I came to appreciate his artworks. (Not to mention include Vincent by Don Mclean as one of my favorite songs.)

To honor the artist whose posthumous fame is rivaled only by Rembrandt, NASA features the astronomy picture of the day.

Drumroll please.

Starry Night Over the Rhone
Credit: Vincent van Gogh, Wikipedia; Acknowledgement: B. Schaefer (LSU) 

 

Explanation: How can the majesty of the night sky best be captured in a painting? This was a continual challenge for Vincent van Gogh, a famous painter in the late 1800s who pioneered stirring depictions of star filled skies into several of his works. Pictured above is van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone, where the French town of Arles is depicted complete with gas lights reflecting off the Rhone river. van Gogh's night sky appears alive with turbulent stellar images contrasting with lofty dark blue hues. Above the river, one can discern the stars of the familiar Big Dipper asterism. Following a line connecting the two Big Dipper stars on the right, the North Star Polaris could be easily found, the height of which can then be estimated and actually gives the latitude where the painting was created. 

Credits to:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

I love astronomy.

The frenetic

The adjective is too fitting it can't be the right one. Frenetic- busy as a bee. Thanks to the 5th Chemical Engineering Week Celebration. This year's theme is "Filipino Chemical Engineers: Breaking Boundaries." 

First on the list is the essay writing contest. I'll assess my own performance. It's deplorable. I never thought that waking up after having a very bad migraine could hamper my writing. The throbbing pain was still there at the back of my eye when it was augmented by the sight of what I am going to write about: On House Bill No. 1743 otherwise known as "An Act Converting MSU-IIT into a national state university in Iligan City to be known as Iligan National University (INU)." 

I almost surrendered. I have no firm grasp of that bill. The KASAMA officers were given copies of a primer on that bill but I failed to read it. It's so unfortunate I curse the moments when I read newspaper wrappings of flowers. I read crumpled material intently yet I overlooked the primer printed in bond paper. All I can do was use a different style, and I pray the judges were as informal as me.

Next came the Lecture Series.(Assuming 2 consecutive lectures would qualify for a series.) I was asked to deliver a lecture about nuclear power. I decided to focus on the feasibility of putting up a nuclear power plant here in the Philippines. My lecture was entitled "Why go nuclear? (And other frequently asked questions about nuclear power in the Philippines)." The lecture went on smoothly, with a couple of inquiries from a persistent classmate (Oy, Russil!) barely affecting my composure. I condemn my cough for destroying my moment. I can't amplify my voice and raise intonations without straining. And the worse thing is, it shows.

Which brings me to Radio Broadcasting. Yes, the one only heard of in Schools Press Conferences is now in the ChE roster of Literary Events. They made me the anchor, Henry Gabi Diaz with a whooping cough and an "excuse me po" to countermand it. I am so elated that I did not went into coughing fits while we are "on-air." I did not have to use the "Excuse me po."

Unless of course you champion in the spelling bee and quiz bowl. Spelling bee for 2 years and quiz bowl for 4 consecutive years. You definitely have the air of what you've achieved. 

Taking all these, I've already proven myself in the literary arena. What I'm excited about is my newest venture. A cross over into the Cultural events.The WannaBe competition. I want to be surprised, even shocked by no other than myself.

I can't wait.

In search of a clean, well-lighted place in hopes of memorizing the ChE code of ethics

We found ourselves hopping from one coffee shop to another, until we finally settled for Aruma. I refused with the idea of  reading at coffee shops at first, thinking that it was not my idea of a clean, well-lighted place. (I suggested Jollibee, if you must ask. Don't laugh. I'm quite serious.) I found out later that I was right. The lights are not as intense as that in the aforementioned fastfood chain. It's relatively dimmer. However the ambience was infinitely more relaxing and that fact beats everything. 

The deliberate misspelling is ingenious. It almost sounds like the repeated syllables of a Lady Gaga song. The place wasn't so large by the way and that actually makes it homely. There are plenty of magazines (Mostly for men. No. Not anatomy magazines for men. Gadgets, tailored suits, etc. They could also pass for men's interests. Duh.)

We settled for the part beside the wall, where we stood to take the picture above.It is because the couch was more comfortable albeit you want to read intently. Also, the table design is interesting. Look.

I wonder if these are real coffee beans. Nevertheless, I never placed my things on top of it for a while. I took time to revel at the artwork. (For a coffee lover, it is.) But of course we never forgot what we came here for. (No, not the code of ethics.) I ordered an Aruma Jelly Frappe and my friend, Madam, bought me a banoffee pie. Banofee is an apocopation of banana and coffee. True enough, there's banana, coffee and of course chocolate in every bite. 

I would dare to say my sweet tooth was overworked. The pie was too sweet I could become hyperglycemic. I was a little disappointed with the frappe. I couldn't taste the coffee distinctly enough. Later, I realized i should have bought the caramel one. The taste of coffee in here was more pronounced.

What about the code of ethics? Well, I perused the photocopy haphazardly. I never got it all absorbed during the Aruma stay. The experience and the company of my friends was overpowering and in a general sense, more important.

I decided that I would go back. But I would never bring school stuff over.

To those who advised Regine to not tell she's a Filipina during her rise in Asia-- "I am a Filipina. But I can sing!"

Yes, we are a nation of servants. The truth hurts, eh? But look, where will the rage, the affront, the repugnance bring us? To the same state of complacency and lack of desire to improve our nationalistic sense? 

This is another one of F. Sionil Jose's essays. He's an old man. All he can do is to write about what we, the young generation, the next in line, the "pag-asa ng bayan" could do. I just hope admonitions such as these will be heeded by the youth. 

How many of you have the time to watch this, instead of watching videos of your favorite Korean superstar? My theory is that the youth seeks the unintelligible to escape the piercing truth of the state of the Filipinos in plain, understandable language. Well my advice is, FACE IT. 

If not now then when? If not us, then who?

The past, the present and the future of the Philippines is enough to remind us that our generation cannot afford to screw up. 

P.S. And yes, Regine was asked to not say she's Filipina, because in neighbouring Asian countries, Filipina means domestic helper. But she exclaimed to anyone who asks, "I am a Filipina. But I can sing!"

We are poor because we are poor-- this is not a tautology. The culture of poverty is self-perpetuating. -F. Sionil Jose

It's a shame I only read an article of F. Sionil Jose. The one entitled "An Open Letter to Noynoy." (To the non-existent person who doesn't know F. Sionil Jose, he's a columnist in the Philippine Star.)
Now, I came across this video accidentally and that accident placed things in perspective. I dedicate this video to all "mayayabang" Filipinos out there.

To all of you, inhale this!

Fly Me to the Moon

I want to escape all this ruckus. And one solution would have to be flying myself to the moon. If only I'm as ingenious as Phineas and Ferb, the siblings who could conjure a spaceship in their backyard without so much of a fuss.

But then again I'm JanMell. And I should take responsibility for whatever lapses of judgment I had incurred that made things wonderfully worse. I seriously pray that these PALAKASAN issues be settled already with the least possible damage to friendships. Personally, I don't care If I lose the sympathy of a whole college. What bugs me is to lose the closeness of a single friend.

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During our Plant Tour in Cebu I bought a copy of Jessica Zafra's Twisted 8 and 1/2. (I also obtained a copy of Ian McEwan's Saturday and the classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne. Until that time, I did not know that Jules Verne is the most translated author of all time.) One article in the compilation was entitled The Moon, The Meryl. There's this thing about the Meryl Syndrome. Apparently, people doesn't get excited with the excellent performances of Meryl Streep anymore because they have become used to her superb artistry. After reading it, I thought the same idea applies to Regine Velasquez, this time in singing. I call it The Regine Syndrome when listeners do not get too enthralled with you singing on stage because they have become used to you singing beautifully and mind-blowingly. (That's actually literally mind-blowing, try reaching B5 with pure chest and you'll know what I mean.) I think that explains why the only video of Regine who reached a million views is the video where she sang Beyonce's Listen with awfully wrong lyrics. The public wants something different from Regine's impeccable vocals. And that would spark their interest towards her.

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Have you made a bus wait and delayed a field trip departure just because of books? Yes I did. Thanks to the hardbound Ian McEwan, the classic Jules Verne and the wicked Grungella, Ms. Zafra. They cost Php 300 all in all and of course a scold from the official chaperon. Note to self: Do not say "be back in a jiffy" if going to National Bookstore, or any bookstore for that matter.