Art and Earth Science by Grass
Earlier this month, a fellow MS in Geology graduate who now works with theย UP Resilience Instituteย and I discussed a bold, forward-looking idea: what if Metro Manila could reimagine itself not as a flood-prone metropolis struggling to cope with yearly inundations, but as aย โsponge city", an urban landscape designed to live with water rather than fight… Continue reading How Sponge Cities Can Mitigate Metro Manila’s Flood Issues
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
Disclaimer:ย This review is based entirely on my personal experience after several hours of using the pen. I purchased the Jinhao 58 with my own money and do not receive any form of commission or sponsorship from the brand. All opinions shared here are my own. Please make purchase decisions at your own discretion. Hi, everyone!… Continue reading Fountain Pen Review: Jinhao 58 Fountain Pen (EF Nib, Spring-Inspired Colorway)
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
Letโs talk about gel pens. If you love stationery like I do, you probably have a favoriteโor several! A colleague at work, who also uses fountain pens, suggested Pentel EnerGel for signing documents or jotting down quick notes. I tried his EnerGel and enjoyed how smoothly it wrote on regular copy paper. So, What Makes Gel Pens So Special? Gel pens… Continue reading Pen Review: Pentel EnerGel Gel Pens
The Fabulous Scientist 