Art and Earth Science by Grass
Earlier this week, I found myself walking alone among the sunflowers lining University Avenue in UP Dilimanโmy alma mater, my academic home. On an ordinary summer day, the late afternoon sun might have cast a golden light over everything. But itโs already the rainy season, and the skies that day were anything but clear. The… Continue reading Walking Among the Sunflowers and A Quiet and Victorious End to My Graduate Study (for now)
Yesterday was no ordinary day at work. Instead of reports and meetings, my colleague and I rolled up our sleeves, tied on aprons, and stepped into the makeshift officeย kitchen spotlightย to represent our department in this yearโsย Master Chef Challengeโand guess what?ย We won!ย The task sounded simple (but wasnโt): prepare healthy snacks in under 30 minutes using a surprise… Continue reading Teamwork, Avocados & a Surprise Win at the Master Chef Contest in the Officeย
Photo of the "toys" from UMAE & Ladybug the day they arrived in the mail. A few months ago, I shared a blog post reviewing the UMAE & Ladybug watercolor paper blockโa product that had genuinely impressed me with its quality. I included a few of my paintings done on the paper, thinking nothing more… Continue reading A Surprise Gift from UMAE & Ladybug – A Taiwan-based Art Company
Iโve recently moved into a new placeโand itโs a dream come true. While itโs officially our familyโs secondary home near my workplace, Iโve begun to think of it as something more: my sanctuary. My babies visited me for the first time and spent a few days to keep me company while I spruced up our new… Continue reading A Space of My Own: Where Art, Science, and Stillness Meet
The name Kakuno (ใซใฏใ) is derived from the Japanese word kaku (ๆธใ), meaning "to write," and the suffix -no (๏ฝใฎ), indicating possession. Thus, Kakuno can mean โfor writingโ or โthe writerโs.โ This name suits these cheerful pens that make writing enjoyable, even for beginners. Let me explain. One of the things I enjoy about my… Continue reading Why the Kakuno Fountain Pens are the Best Beginner Pens Beloved by Me and My Kids
If you havenโt noticed yet, Iโve grown quite fond of writingโespecially with fountain pens. Naturally, that led me down the delightful rabbit hole of collecting not just pens, but also fountain pen-friendly notebooks and inks. Iโve written a few articles about some of the brands Iโve triedโhere are two of my recent ones, with snippets… Continue reading Review: Majohn Q1 Demonstrator Fountain Pen (Fine Nib)
I'm currently taking Stanford Education's Code in Place (CIP) online course, which I applied for while I was unemployed. This might surprise some people since I've used Python a lot in my Master's research in Geology. So, why am I taking a basic coding course? But hereโs the thing: Iโm really glad I did. CIP… Continue reading Why You Donโt Need to Understand Everything Under the Hood to Be a Good Python Coder
Happy Motherโs Day, dear fellow mommies! Today, I want to send a warm embrace to each of you who drop by this little spaceโespecially to fellow homeschooling families and all the incredible moms balancing home, work, and everything in between. A Tribute to Your Everyday Heroism To the moms who teach lessons in pajamas, patch… Continue reading Quality Family Time: How We Celebrated Motherโs Day
Hello, everyone! I took advantage of the Easter break to slow down and recharge โ spending some much-needed time with my potted and hydroponic plants, and finally picking up my watercolor brushes again. Itโs a hobby Iโve missed dearly but had to set aside due to work, which Iโve shared more about in the blog… Continue reading Exploring UMAE Watercolor Paper Block: A Review and My Watercolor Sketches Using the Block
There was a time, not too long ago, when my inbox was filled with polite rejection emailsโsome from PhD programs I worked so hard to apply to, others from local jobs I thought I was qualified for. The worst case was not even hearing from the professors from universities abroad or HRs of private companies… Continue reading From Rejections to Redirection: How Setbacks Led Me to the Job I Needed
The Fabulous Scientist 