Entries from February 2012 ↓

1. It seems weeks since someone last knocked on my door, due to my voluntary proposal isolation. First knock heralds an excited bride-to-be who makes the most of my laptop desk. The second is from the amazing chef who raids my bare kitchen to create a wonderful meal out of thin air. Lastly is a mini-closet lugging room mate who knocks again, this time bearing lechon kawali and pan de sal. My place is meant for guests.

2. After scribbling my outline in my thesis journal, I try to turn on Athena. Horrors, she showed the BSOD (blue screen of death with an error message). I wailed via text, and the phone rings instantaneously. It is my Ian, lunch delayed to help me troubleshoot long distance. Thankfully, Athena got over the blues and started up again.

3. Twelve hours , twelve resources, eight pages, and three cups of coffee later, I have a thesis proposal draft. Time to nap so that I will be coherent when I submit papers. And for fellow UP Diliman College of Education MRR students, the deadline for request for readmission and extension of residency is on March 30. Details here.

1. The morning sky is a deep blue with nary a cloud in sight. Summer is saying hi, and I sing back:
“Sunlight, oh sunlight
bring me the love I need to guide me
shine it deep inside of me
sunlight, oh sunlight show me the way…”

2. I’m allowed to finish all of work tasks in just 4 days, so that I can devote the entire weekend to proposal writing.

3. My Ian likes the idea of going up to Baguio with me, as a post-proposal defense treat. As requested, we plan to bring his Munchkin set. It is very nice to go on long bus rides with someone you love.

1. Baguio, Banaue, and Silang are my motivation for finishing my thesis proposal and topic defense.

2. One of my office mates lives just a few blocks away from my place, so hitching is now a semi-regular thing.

3. My song of the moment:

Here I stand
Forever in Your mighty hand
Living with Your promise
Written on my heart
I am Yours
Surrendered wholly to You
You set in Your family
Calling me Your own

In Your name
I will lift my hands
To the King
This anthem of praise I bring
Heaven knows
I long to love You
With all I am
I belong to You

1. A word here, a few tweaks there, and our program adviser manages to turn my spaghetti-thrown-on-the-wall brainstorming sessions into actual, operationalizable research questions. When I shared how the related literature popped up with the right key words, she congratulated me for hitting the proverbial gold mine. And she assured me that I have a slot on the fifth (gulp). A Chocolate Kiss late lunch made everything even sweeter.

2. There is now an asphalted walkway from the Bahay ng Alumni to the Carillion, and the bell tower is gilded by the dying sun.

3. My fourth cup of hot chocolate in my left hand, and my Ian cradling the other hand, bandage and all.

4. A cooling fan for Athena has the added bonus of raising the screen to eye-level, making my laptop sessions more ergonomical.

1. I drop a cup while washing dishes and a shard cuts into the flesh between my thumb and index finger. The one-inch gash is shallow and thankfully stops bleeding after a few minutes. A transparent band-aid seems to do the trick.

2. I type in cavl and awl, and a dozen related literature pop up in our library’s online database. Information overload is such a happy problem.

3. I no longer have the ability to pull an all-nighter, so I back up my computer files and resolve to read everything tomorrow before I meet my adviser.

4. A deserted coffee shop on a Sunday afternoon is perfect for reviewing literature.

1. My thesis is going into the realm of the unknown: quantitative research. I was able to get away with a qualitative study for my undergraduate thesis by doing a historical narrative of a corporate merger. But apparently, my MA professors expect a quasi-experimental design. =/

Consulting with the experts have led to questions about graphs, instruments, reliability, theories, validity, items, respondents, quizzes, randomization, ethics, operational variables, etc. And the blessing is that I am beginning to accept the inevitable: I need to be intimately acquainted with statistics for the foreseeable future.

2. I join my Ian and his family in his post-birthday dinner at North Park. Garlic squid, yang chow rice and noodles are a given. And since she learned that Sookie the cactus needs a home, Tita Lulu gives me a ceramic pink flowerpot.

3. The King’s Speech is a lovely background to Saturday household chores. The movie inspires me for two reasons. First is Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) a speech therapist to King George VI (Colin Firth) and how his perseverance with a single student had an impact on a nation at war. That depiction resonates with the teacher in me. Then, the Queen Mother (Helena-Bonham Carter) beautifully portrayed the quiet encouragement and loving support that a wife can give to her husband. For future reference. =)

And that support and encouragement included helping her husband overcome stammering with some unusual speech therapy exercises:

1. Lei assures me that the flowery gold design at the back of the chocolate piece is edible paint, not paper as I mistakenly thought.

2. The big boss and consultants like the topic, whew. And my mom finally, albeit grudgingly lets me have a room mate.

3. An x-ray truck is parked outside our office building for the city’s annual work permit tests. It’s a good thing caffeine and antihistamines are legal.

1. Rob and Shirl help me pull off a pre-birthday surprise for my Ian. I listen over the phone as he opens my present with lots of appreciative noises. My Ian saves the pretty gift wrap that Rob made: watercolor stars on a pale blue sky.

2. Kimono Ken’s kani salad maki never fails to delight me, and my Ian loves the beef teriyaki. Everything tastes better with Japanese mayonnaise and chili powder.

3. He gives me this for Valentine’s Day. I am one happy bookworm.

1. It is my first time to taste grilled salmon, and the one stick quickly became four. Tempura, sushi and sashimi complete a healthy and free buffet dinner.

2. Having a thesis partner is such a great help in an otherwise painfully solitary process. We have our individual topics, but we meet regularly to talk about our progress. She helps me rephrase my problem statements and hands me a bunch of articles. In return, I hand over two writing books for her topic. And all these while enjoying a nice Figaro dinner of salad, pizza and pasta.

3. My Ian always says and writes exactly what I need to know. Vow to tell them on Valentine’s Day.

1. I greet the day with a mug of muesli, cornflakes and fruit loops soaked in soy milk. Agenda for this season is to be healthy, not to lose weight. I happen to like being curvy, and so does my Ian. ;-P

2. I meet with my triad, and realize that this is the season for transitions: one is getting married, the other is migrating, and I am writing my thesis and graduating (such fervent hope). Our chat meanders through finding a house, finances, resolving conflict, honeymoon stage, being independent, submitting without losing our identity, future kids and ninangs, wedding plans, secondhand appliances (dibs!) and feeling extremely blessed at the love we receive from such wonderful men. And the expected blank stares when I started to talk about my thesis, but they let me vent in peace. Thank you Lord for sanity breaks.

3. I finally use a Christmas gift certificate to buy an apple fritter. Sugary crunchy fruity goodness at midnight.