The Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

So I guess I am back to watching movies about the military by accident. Back in 2014 when The Edge of Tomorrow was showing in the theaters, an officemate invited me together with our common buddies to see it. That didn't materialize however, and I could still remember how they laughed at me when I heard "The Age of Tomorrow" which incidentally is also another 2014 movie. 

Yesterday while rummaging through my files, I found a copy of this film in my HD and decided again to watch as many movies as I can to delete files and give way to new ones since I am about to start another project to hopefully add another milestone in my life. There will be no stopping me now as I have lost everything and so I don't really care much about making mistakes and regrets coz okay, you just move forward because there is no other way. As I have posted a few days prior to my Spain trip, it's too bad life is not like in video games wherein you can save the game before you face big bosses and reload from that save point if ever you get killed fighting a boss. 

So anyway, The Edge of Tomorrow is pretty much like what I have thought at that time. William Cage was sent to the battlefield in the midst of war between humans and aliens known as mimics. There he acquired the unusual power of resetting time if he gets killed when he was exposed to an Alpha Mimic's blood and died. He woke up to find that time has been looping and then comes a point wherein he meets Rita Vrataski who's known as the Full Metal Bitch (a reference perhaps to the hit animé Full Metal Alchemist) or the Angel of Verdun. It turns out that Rita also had the same power before until she underwent blood transfusion and lost the ability to reset time. Rita trained Cage over and over for combat and eventually they searched for the location of the Omega, considered to be the cerebrum of the alien species. So in short they only need to destroy Omega and the mimics will be destroyed and humanity will be saved. But the two were able to do this with the J-Squad, a group of misfits but who eventually sacrificed their lives so Rita and Cage can finish the mission. Rita lures the alpha mimic away so Cage can blast the underwater Omega with an explosive and he did so successfully. The explosion that succeeded killed off all mimics and suddenly Cage woke up inside a helicopter. News about the Louvre explosion was being broadcast and Cage saw the J-squad members doing drills. He paid Rita a visit who seemed to have no recollection of everything that happened.

My comment: So whenever time resets, is this absolute time? What happens if two or more humans get the power and one of them dies? Will time reset? This is pretty weird since the other persons may have distorted notions of time. I just happened to think that when Cage dies in every loop, of course life goes on for other people as well, unless with every reset a new dimension is created that will accommodate the reset. Anyway, I am not too knowledgeable about physics and time warps but this is just a basic question I ask. It is unlike Source Code although the loops are similar in that these were key to resolving a problem. At least in Source Code, the reset duration is only 8 minutes except in the end when Colter Stevens was able to enter a whole new reality past the 8 minutes.

Another comment: This film is a film of the underdogs and the misfits who do all the dirty work but do not get recognized. It's pretty much in real life wherein those in position of power and authority are so detached from what's happening on the ground and so we get a world that's getting fucked up all the more by the day. I'm talking not just about government officials but also about "intellectuals" who can only sit in forums and conferences to discuss ideas when in fact these ideas are just theories and not even grounded in reality. And these people all talk high and mighty when they cannot even do simple tasks. I still hope that I will meet a real intellectual in this lifetime. I already met one but he passed away too soon.

The Pirate Fairy (2014)

I may not like Disney but then I should admit that they are really good when it comes to animation (I am a fan of Dreamworks though…). So one day while looking at the long list of movies in my collection, I got curious about what Pirate Fairy is and being a One Piece fan, I put it on my to-watch list. It turns out to be a prequel to Peter Pan because it narrates how Captain Hook got his fear of the tick-tocking crocodile.

The story is about Zarina, one of Tinkerbell’s friends. This highly inquisitive fairy questions everything and even raises important questions in science: Do we discover things or do we invent them? Her main obsession is the pixie dust which makes fairies fly and which gives them their abilities. One day while doing experiments, she accidentally created a mixture that makes things grow big. The substance fell on a plant which suddenly became gigantic, causing earthquakes and destroying the pixie lab in the process. She was stripped of her job. Her ego hurt, she ran away.

One day during a festive celebration, Zarina returned. She put everyone to sleep, but good thing Tinkerbell and her friends are not. They chased after Zarina but she fought them off and stole the blue dust which produces the pixie dust. The gang chased again and were horrified to learn that Zarina has become the captain of a pirate crew. They attempted to make her change her mind but to no avail until she divulged the secret of the pixie dust to Captain Hook who then showed is true colors and imprisoned Zarina. The fairies managed to save themselves thanks to the baby crocodile who followed them. This crocodile accidentally swallowed a clock thus the tick-tock sound it makes signalling its arrival. And it is also this same crocodile which, as a baby, terrified the young Hook.

Hazard Maps Seminar @UP NIGS 12052015

Last December 6, I attended a seminar which was forwarded to me by a former ASP classmate. When I first received the invitation, I couldn't inform H immediately if I could make it since that Saturday was already allotted for the office's center-wide Christmas party, something I shouldn't miss since the theme is Rock Music and all of my fave rock bands are sure to be reinterpreted in the different teams' performances. In the end, my love for maps prevailed. I also wasn't too keen on going to Pampanga to party all night.

It was also the last day of a personal project so I decided to just skip the party in favor of this seminar. It doesn't disappoint. Maybe because I am neither an architect nor an urban planner nor a geologist that's why I was happy to have learned a lot. Because mapping is integral in archaeology simply because spatial analyses are also involved, I was super interested in this seminar. It also gave me a chance to know other uses for mapping and why it is suddenly becoming the "in" thing especially in matters involving disaster risk management and mitigation.

Finally happy to see the great Dr. Mahar Lagmay in person (so I made sure to get a fullbody shot!). He talked about Project NOAH, what the project has done so far and upcoming projects which I am very excited about. I hope I can be part of this project. It looks so cool and I have visited their den in NIGS once when we were toured there. And I so love their sophisticated equipment!!! I regret not taking up Geology in college. #cries

Introduced as Dr. Mahar Lagmay's righthand man, Mr. Oscar Lizardo is Project NOAH's Chief Technology Officer who talked about how the average person can use the database developed by Project NOAH and how to leverage the NOAH app.

Arch. Geomilie Guittap discusses the oft-ignored part in disaster management: how to deliver relief goods to affected communities. Hers is an interesting talk that draws parallelism and notes differences between commercial supply chain and humanitarian relief chain. The speaker is someone I would really love to connect to since she is confidently smart with a beautiful heart. (Inspired by Pia Wurtzbach's response in the recently concluded Ms. Universe Pageant.)

Arch. Nicasio Espina Jr. talked about how risk and hazard maps influence design and urban planning and talked a lot about the CLUP (Comprehensive Land Use Plan). While it is cool that we have the CLUP, I am actually far more interested in how CLUP is used, or is it just another theory sadly unused in practice? (I love hs curly hair! And he resembles Hiro Mizushima, the actor who played the lead character in Kamen Rider Kabuto...)

And so spending the whole day in my beloved alma mater, what else is there to regret? Definitely nothing. Parties end when they end, but seminars make possible the beginning of something wonderful because great ideas are shared on the floor for the benefit of mankind.

That ^, and finally knowing a little bit more about urban planning. 

許士芬地質博物館

Since two days of my recent Hong Kong trip was allotted for a seminar at Hong Kong University, I also took the opportunity to visit the Geological Museum. I came in just in time for the seminar, having run all the way from HKU Station. This is a new MTR station BTW, and the last time I had to take the bus from the Hong Kong Museum of Medicinal Sciences. At least, being familiar with the place helped me a great deal or else I would waste time in trying to find my way around.

busy stores somewhere in Wan Chai

cute kid-friendly double-decked buses

 After the seminar, other Filipino participants and I roamed around the campus and even in Hong Kong side the following day to search for the Jose Rizal markers. We spent some time marveling at the rock collection inside the Stephen Hui Geological Museum. Being fond of rocks, I was overwhelmed and half serious, pleaded to my companions to leave me there to live for sometime so I can study each and every rock and mineral.

the lobby of the museum

some specimens

I wish we had a similar museum here in the Philippines. There could be one in NIGS inside UP Diliman, but I have not yet visited it. Will probably do so VERY soon. :)

Read: My Hong Kong 2015 trip

Jeju Stone Park Museum

To get to Jeju Stone Park Museum, one has to walk through mini forested area where I enjoyed the fresh air and again being with nature.

Inside the museum are scientific discoveries mainly bordering on the geology of the island. Such a museum, with a huge collection of different rock types, is where I can definitely spend an entire day in, being a lover of lithics. Of particular interest is the suiseki, natural rock formations which can be viewed and admired in an aesthetic way. This art was originated in Japan and is again, one aspect which Koreans borrowed.

volcanic rocks of different sizes and forms inside the musem

Because Jeju is a volcanic island, its inhabitants made use of the rocks to fashion stone crafts and implements for use in farming, fishing, stock raising, construction of fortresses, and transportation. Indeed the stone culture is very much prevalent in this part of South Korea, that even stone objects are worshiped by the people as guardians. 

Interplayed with the natural surroundings which has been wonderfully preserved despite the construction of a museum in 2001 is the mythology that tells the beginning of Jeju Island. It tells of how Grandmother Seolmundae created Jeju Island. In fact, many myths portray old women as primary divine beings, which reflect the matriarchal culture where women toil hard and men just relax.

500 Generals expressing love for their mother who sacrificed herself for them, Mt. Halla in the background

Grandma Seolmundae and the 500 Generals lithic monuments

Feynman's Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and Life (Leonard Mlodinow)

One day early this year, I arrived at my workstation surprised to find a book entitled "Feynman's Rainbow" on my desk. It came with a note that read "Something to start the week on an upbeat note. Have a wonderful day, Melo. :) J". Reading the title, I immediately thought of the famous physicist Richard Feynman and quickly scanned the back blurb and was happy to be the recipient of such a book. Another item in my collection, and something related to quantum physics!

I brought the book with me to Bohol and started to read a few pages while in Dumaluan beach in Panglao, Bohol. I didn't finish it though because the allure of the scenery was quite distracting and I kept looking far out into the sea. At that time though I was more than excited to read about one of the biggest minds that I admire, Richard Feynman the physicist.

I first learned of the him as a college freshman in UP Diliman. One of his essays was part of our reading list for Natural Science 1 class, a course I unfortunately failed to enjoy because of the large class and I often fell asleep despite whatever resistance I put up. Later on, getting hooked on chaos theory and ultimately to quantum physics mainly because of Dr. Amador Muriel's talk in our STS class in my final year, I would always encounter his name in the books that I read.

Later on, curious about the man, I did a quick search on the net and downloaded an ebook entitled "Sure You're Joking, Mr. Feynman", read the first few pages and decided that the man is bigger than I thought. His is a curious mind since his childhood days as he spent his early years tinkering with radios and shortly after doing repair jobs while young.

So having a book written by a younger physicist about his encounter with Feynman thoroughly made my day. I wanted to see how others viewed him, how he influenced and inspired others, and also look into how his mind works, what he's like as a person. I didn't expect to be teary-eyed after reading "Feynman's Rainbow".

The book narrates Mlodinow's arrival in Caltech where he was worrying about what physics problem to work on, aside from his doubts if he has what it takes to be a scientist. Meeting Richard Feynman, then already a big man in the physics world, made him realize many things. According to Mlodinow, Feynman loved math and physics but disliked philosophy and psychology, something I found weird since I've always thought that math and philosophy could make very good bedfellows. Despite this, I found the man pretty much like those ancient philosophers who can offer great insights into many things.

Many passages in the book made me imagine scenes were the book  made into an animé, and I am more than sure that if this book were adapted to a film or series, I would certainly cry. I was thinking of the animé Honey and Clover, that series which I consider as one of the best series for its profound insights into human relationships, happiness, and life in general. In the same way, this book, although focusing on physicists and physics, has that power to inspire its readers. Personally, getting to know more about Feynman, I think I share an affinity with the man and it comforts me that I am and will be alright, too, because we share the same outlook in life--- never wasting time on things that do not rouse interest, being imaginative and intuitive and a bit pragmatic, not minding much if what we work on is deemed significant or not by others as long as it retains interest and enthusiasm, and most importantly, looking at the world through a child's lens and appreciating the beauty of phenomena and getting inspired in the process. I am also amused at how he would attend a seminar just for the cookies, something I am guilty of doing in most cases.

For instance, when asked if Mlodinow has that something special to be a scientist, Feynman answers that being a scientist is not different from the average person in that we all think in a constructive way, we all use our imagination, that the only difference is that scientists analyze things thoroughly like a detective out to solve a mystery with only a handful of clues. I love how Feynman does not elevate the status of scientists as most are wont to do because they feel they are intellectually superior to other human beings.

The book contains a lot of wise words from Feynman and here are some of them:

"(...) When there is a hard problem, one has to work a long time and has to be persistent. In order to be persistent, you have got to be convinced that it's worthwhile working so hard, that you're going to get somewhere. And that takes a certain kind of fooling yourself." (p.59)

"When asked if it would be wise to work on something that everyone else thinks is nonsense, Feynman simply says, "only under one condition (...) that you don't think it's nonsense." Continuing, he says, "Maybe you just don't know enough, or haven't known it long enough, to be spoiled by what you know. Too much education can cause trouble." (p.78)

"(...) Whatever you choose to work on, be your own worst critic. And don't do it for the wrong reasons. Don't do it unless you really believe. Because if it doesn't work out, you could end up wasting a lot of time." (p.94)

And the following dialogue when the topic shifted to rainbows:

 ‘Do you know who first explained the true origin of the rainbow?’ I asked.

‘It was Descartes,’ he said.  After a moment he looked me in the eye.

‘And what do you think was the salient feature of the rainbow that inspired Descartes’ mathematical analysis?’ he asked.

‘Well, the rainbow is actually a section of a cone that appears as an arc of the colors of the spectrum when drops of water are illuminated by sunlight behind the observer.’

‘And?’

‘I suppose his inspiration was the realization that the problem could be analyzed by considering a single drop, and the geometry of the situation.’

‘You’re overlooking a key feature of the phenomenon,’ he said.

‘Okay, I give up. What would you say inspired his theory?’

‘I would say his inspiration was that he thought rainbows were beautiful.’

I especially loved the latter part of the book when, as Feynman was nearing his death due to his sickness, he would talk about his family, how he would regret not seeing his daughter grow up (though he did see her reach adulthood), how he shared that he loved his wife Arlene but that he didn't grew resentful even after her death and just accepted that there are things beyond our control (something I am trying hard to learn). I love reading about the humane side of big people, they inspire all the more when we can see their struggles. Another thing I loved about the man is how generous he had been, as he shared bits of wisdom to enlighten a lost man.
---------------------------
To J whoever he/she is, thank you for giving me this book. I don't know what's on your mind when you picked it for me but whatever it is, thank you for thinking of me.

Siem Reap, Cambodia 0112172014

We arrived at Siem Reap around 5AM, still sleepy despite the comfortable bus ride we had with Giant Ibis. We went straight to Hak's House where we had booked 5 nights. The hotel was small and there were mosquitoes about due to the place's proximity to an almost dried up canal, but we had a pleasant stay there. The owner Hak was accommodating and very approachable. Did I say that I love their version of French bread with tomatoes and cheese? And to think I'm not even a sandwich person.

That same day, we headed to Apsara Angkor Hotel to register. There were already a lot of people. Due to lack of sleep, I dozed off a number of times during the plenary, which was sad because the speakers talked of the development of Cambodian archaeology. From the explorations by Westerners (French mostly) to the abrupt halt in archaeological endeavors in the Pol Pot regime, to the revisions in curriculum in archaeology, the plenary session was very informative for me since I don't remember including Cambodian archaeology in our class discussions.

The next four days saw us attending different sessions based on our research interests. There are of course boring lectures but I was lucky to have attended really really interesting lectures on archaeometry and cultural heritage management. I especially loved the presentations by Japanese and Chinese scholars and I realized that their contributions in archaeology are largely overshadowed by Western achievements primarily because of language barriers. Most of the presenters couldn't speak English very well, but looking at the flow of their research methodology, one can say that they are at par, if not better than most Westerners.

I was also fortunate to have conversed with some Chinese professors. When I asked them if they were going to present a paper, they said yes and invited me to their session. I was elated to hear that their session focused on scientific analyses of artifacts, something I have taken a liking to. The use of the latest technology to analyze artifacts is just appealing to me who loves doing lab work so much. (At that point, I wondered again why I didn't pursue a science course... Sigh! I could have dabbled in many experiments!)

Wednesday was reserved for a whole day tour in the Angkor Wat Complex. The intricately detailed carvings are just super awesome that they left me speechless.Many questions formed in my mind, like how many people built the magnificent structures, how they knew which material to use, which technology was available at that time, what led the rulers to commission the construction of such a massive temple complex. I also wonder how the laborers fared in the whole project. Were they slaves subjected to cruel whips or were they highly skilled craftsmen who join together under a ruler, or a mixture of both?

It was in Angkor Wat where a friend and I met a Chinese American girl who was travelling Mainland Southeast Asia all alone. We chatted a bit and afterwards, decided to meet up for dinner somewhere in Pub Street. We had a five-meat dinner composed of chicken, pork, beef, squid, and crocodile. I didn't know they also eat crocodile meat here. The first time I heard of crocodile meat was last year when I went to Palawan, and boy do I love the sisig version!

The last day of the conference was for me the best. It was when I saw the presentations of Chinese scholars and they were really brilliant! While at the session, all I thought about was how to grab a scholarship and be under the tutelage of expert scientists in China.

The last day I also got to chat with an Australian professor who remembered me. She was ever a lovely woman, very chatty and very nice. She lectured of geochemical characterization last year at ASP and she remembered me as the girl who "was good with computers" because I ran xPRF tests in rapid succession hoping to get the most of their visit because we don't have that ultra cool portable machine. She asked me if I also did GIS and I answered no. GIS is something I'd really love to learn given the opportunity to go back to school since I am fond of maps and mapping. Then again, it sucks not to have much funds for schooling. Tsk... SIGH!

Our last night in Siem Reap saw me and my friend having a relaxing time with fish spa (2 USD each). It was a bit surprising at first to feel the fish pecking at your feet but eventually it was fun and very relaxing.

I wish to go back to Siem Reap and explore more of their food. Also, we didn't get to explore other places due to lack of time. Of course we wanted to attend as many sessions as we could since we paid 75 USD for it. The price may be too high but it was all worth it. I was more than inspired.

On Friday night, we boarded the night bus to Ho Chih Minh.

Read about our Phnom Penh trip here.

January

January is coming to an end and I have yet to add anything other than what I did in December last year. 2014 started with a personal vow not to wish for the usual things I ask for, so I can give my heart a rest and stop expecting things to get better. 2013 ended with a promise to focus on the self and continue to reconnect with people whom I care for.

Reading my diary entries in highschool and early college years made me aware of how much I changed. I didn't realize the big change in me all these years, always thinking that I remained the same. But comparing my erstwhile angry, furious, self-centered writings to those at present, I can say that I have definitely become more compassionate and more tolerant of other people.

Perhaps, reading more about Buddhism and visiting Buddhist temples struck something in me. That life is illusory and empty used to be only a theory, but now a principle I hold, so I try to create meaning for myself in this world of constant change, to help me cope with my daily existential grievances. Pain is a passing illusion and relief is always just around the corner. Just be patient, I always tell myself. Perhaps my daily engagement with the very inefficient transportation system here somehow changed me a great deal. To escape great discomfort, I allowed my mind to wander aimlessly and come to myself when I am about to get off the train. No-mind practicing at its best.

Back from my first IPPA (Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association) Congress, held this year in Siem Reap, Cambodia from January 12-18, I was left utterly stunned and restless from all the amazing things I learned about archaeology in different parts of the world, more so about methods in archaeological science, a field I want to specialize in because however it is difficult to admit, I realized I love lab work more than the field.

I wanted to write so badly about Cambodia, but I didn't know where to begin. On cold nights when you feel too lazy to do things, I couldn't even look at the pictures I took for fear that I might just stare for hours on end hoping for muses to visit me so I could begin to write. It seemed like a dream. Yesterday's dream. I used to think that I would certainly cry when I walk on the grounds of Angkor Wat and touch the ancient temples' walls. When I was there, I only stood, overwhelmed, breathless, aiming to breathe in all the memories, wishing for time to stop so I could spend more time recording, touching, investigating. Now back in Manila, it felt surreal, like a beautiful dream you didn't want to wake up from.

Just four days after my return, my sisters and I flew to Boracay for that much-needed getaway. Boracay was never on my bucket list of places to go to, because of my perceived notion that the island is already very much commercialized. Indeed it is, but it was there where I found the finest white beach sand yet. My feet happily tread on the beach, sometimes deliberately burrowing deep to wallow in the creamy sand-saltwater mixture. And the winds! How they blew! The sunset blocked by hundreds of paraws... The lights at night, the blue sky... There is more than one reason to go back.

Just got back from Boracay this Monday and headed straight to work despite feeling extra sleepy and tired. But it's all so worth it.

Now if only I can start writing about my recent travels....

November

November is a rather gloomy month mainly because of Supertyphoon Yolanda leaving most of Visayas devastated. The deadly typhoon has now been confirmed to have taken more than 5000 lives and many are yet to be found. What's heartbreaking is that relief operations are chaotic and donations were not efficiently delivered to those in need. Many, including me, suspect that those in office are taking advantage of this tragedy to pocket money for themselves since donations by corporations and nations were not transparently announced. Nor will the public ever know if the funds will completely be used to deliver relief and aid in rebuilding houses and lives.

It just happened so soon, and barely a month after a major earthquake that destroyed most of Visayas' heritage structures in October. I could still remember the disgust I felt upon hearing someone (certainly not a friend of mine) say "This is it! It's our time to shine!" It felt so wrong, to take advantage of the situation to uplift one's self. At that moment, I was repulsed by the hypocrisy and by the shallowness of that person. How different is she from those politicians who added to the delay in relief delivery by demanding that donations go through their office first? Or how about those who, despite much criticism from the media, still resort to packing goods with their names on the bags? Printing those plastic bags means more resources spent, not just money but also time.

As an environmentalist, I cringe at how relief goods are packed using plastic bags. It's good if people reuse plastic bags or dispose of these properly. But in my observations, Filipinos are not very good at taking care of their surroundings and random disposal seems to be the norm. In soup kitchens, I wonder how many disposables are used and end up as trash afterwards? Sometimes I don't wanna think about these but they haunt my mind.

So instead of giving money as donation, I chose to give old clothes and volunteer at UP National Institute of Physics. The department initiated PROJECT LIGHTLINE, which aims to create portable cellphone chargers from old and broken ones. The concept behind this is joule thief. (I'm no scientist and I only got to work on circuits when I volunteered for this project so I'm in no position to talk about how to make a joule thief.) What I understood from my own research though is that a joule thief gets energy from seemingly drained batteries and then give energy to power something. (Just how vague was that???) Anyhow, I was glad to learn parts of a circuit--- diodes, transformers, transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc. I also learned how to solder and desolder. For a while I thought how cool it would be to take up some TESDA courses to be able to hone my skills. (But I already have my hands full with calculus alone... Poor brain of mine.)

Photo taken here
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectLightline

a circuit I assembled (a masters student coached me on what to put together)

Another highlight of my November is that I got to finally donate blood!!! I was once rejected because I was "anemic". Maybe I just lacked sleep at that time. It makes me happy to be able to pay it forward. I may not be able to pay back the person whose blood was transferred to me when I got dengue many many years back but I hope someone will benefit from my blood.

And just when I thought that Ilocos would be last of my trips this year, I found myself happily joining my two office friends and their friends to Baler. The end of the month saw me suddenly buying makeup and having the desire to learn how to properly put on makeup.

The last day of November, the 30th, and also Bonifacio Day, was spent with a very dear friend. We had a quick lunch at Sci Fi Cafe. (I was disappointed with the Aligue pasta but I LOVE their nachos!) We watched The Addams Family Musical at the Meralco Theater. Having watched the cartoon show in my childhood days, I am reminded of how both strange and adorable this eccentric family is. This time, my favorite character is Uncle Fester. I can't stop laughing at his solo number about his love for the moon! (Fellow lunatics unite!)

Hoping that in December I get to at least finish studying Calculus. Though of course it doesn't mean that learning will stop altogether since I haven't fully mastered everything. Integration and antiderivatives are driving me crazy... I wonder what I'll be studying next.

Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science (Carl Sagan)

I find it weird that I have suddenly become interested in science books when I got out of school. I guess my brain craves something other than the usual literary forms I grew up with. Lately, fiction has taken the backseat after dominating 15 years of my life.

Since I became engrossed with chaos theory, I would often find myself buying science books from Booksale. For some reason, my lack of science courses in college gave me this thirst, this feeling that my education lacks something essential for me to have a clearer grasp of the natural world. One of the books I bought is Carl Sagan's Broca's Brain, which struck me at first as a sci-fi novel. (I didn't know any scientist named Broca, that's why!)

One thing I like about the book is that it is written for the lay reader, for those like me who are not science majors. The book on the whole is very engaging as Sagan not only focuses on scientific findings and discoveries but also touch on myths and pseudoscience. Reading the introduction part, one is already tempted to read the book from cover to cover in just one sitting. There's just this excitement that I felt when I read the following words:

"We live in an extraordinary age. These are times of stunning changes in social organization, economic well-being, moral and ethical precepts, philosophical and religious perspectives, and human self-knowledge, as well as in our understanding of that vast universe in which we are embedded like a grain of sand in this cosmic ocean. As long as there have been human beings, we have posed the deep and fundamental questions, which evoke wonder and stir us into at least a tentative and trembling awareness, questions on the origins of consciousness; life on our planet; the beginnings of the Earth; the formation of the Sun; the possibility of intelligent beings somewhere up there in the depths of the sky; as well as, the grandest inquiry of all--- on the advent, nature and ultimate destiny of the universe. For all but the last instant of human history these issues have been the exclusive province of philosophers and poets, shamans and theologians. The diverse and mutually contradictory answers offered demonstrate that few of the proposed solutions have been correct. But today, as a result of knowledge painfully extracted from nature, through generations of careful thinking, observing and experimenting, we are on the verge of glimpsing at least preliminary answers to many of these questions."

In Broca's Brain, Carl Sagan successfully captures the attention of readers to hear the side of science as he tackles major claims made by pseudoscientists. In particular, he debunks Immanuel Velikovsky's Worlds in Collisions which explains why catastrophes were experienced by ancient cultures, as reflected in their myths and religions. After a detailed critique, Sagan suggests that science should not be kept in an ivory tower and should be demystified so that technological initiatives can be supported by the people since scientific research is expensive and more often than not, funds are sourced from the taxes that dutiful citizens pay.

Sagan also offers a personal snippet of his life as he traces his early interests in science through science fiction, though he has come to think that science is way cooler than fiction. While sci-fi is too romantic and too full of speculations, he notes one benefit of sci-fi is that it becomes an avenue through which readers can learn bits and pieces of scientific knowledge. He is quick to point out though that one downside to science students having been exposed to sci-fi would have prejudices which would be difficult to detach from when they do their own experiments.

Another point of interest in the book is how the celestial objects got their names, as well as the widely debated extraterrestrial life. At the end of the book, Sagan juxtaposes sciences to religion, touching on the question of origins and which inevitably would lead to the question of whether God exists or not. To this question, Sagan plays it safe by saying that "we simply do not know" (p. 337) quoting the passage below from the Rig Veda:

"Who knows for certain? Who shall here declare it?

Whence was it born, whence came creation?

The gods are later than this world's formation;

Who then can know the origins of the world?

None knows whence creation arose;

And whether he has or has not made it;

He who surveys it from the lofty skies,

Only he knows--- or perhaps he knows not."

Science Books

Lately I have noticed that my book purchases are related to the sciences. Ever since I became interested in chaos and also in cognitive psychology (the latter thanks to Colin Renfrew whose archaeological theories I truly admire despite obvious minor flaws), I suddenly have this thirst for the sciences.

Just yesterday, I intentionally passed by Booksale to see if I can find something to but since it's been weeks since my last book purchase.

I was delighted to find Volume 42 of Great Books which contains Antoine Laurent Lavoisier's Elements of Chemistry and Michael Faraday's Experimental Researches in Electricity. I also bought an introductory textbook on cognitive psychology entitled Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Study of Mind by Jay Friedenberg andd Gordon Silverman, as well as Arnoldo Has and Dean Wilde's The Delta Project: Discovering New Sources of Profitability in a Networked Economy.

Years back, I wouldn't have even given these types of books a second look when at a bookstore. It just surprises me how tastes can also change through the years.

Science, Math, and Chaos

Taking up an STS (Science, Technology, and Society) course in college has a profound effect on my life. Not only was I able to learn many new things about science, I learned to appreciate the role of science in our  everyday life. STS let me see that science indeed plays a vital role in addressing the problems the world faces today. In highschool, I used to think of science as the reason why everything got extra complicated in this world. The advent of new technologies contributed to increasing social fragmentation, not to mention destruction of the environment. But the very reason why I shunned science was because I really didn't believe anything I learned in high school- I always thought something was amiss, like all those theories do not really mirror phenomena in reality. So in college, while I considered to take up Mathematics, I decided to pursue foreign languages instead, with my love for literature and etymologies prevailed over mathematical abstractions. (Or perhaps blame it to the fact that I wasn't much informed about possible careers after studying Mathematics in college... It came too late.)

In STS class, which I took three years ago, the students are lucky to listen to lectures by different professionals, from engineers and scientists to historians, forensic experts, and archaeologists. The topics are diverse but the main point is that one cannot escape science as it pervades every aspect of our reality. In particular, I was very much inspired by the lecture given by Amador Muriel. He talked about turbulence and quantum theory, though mostly he just talked about himself which made me view him as an egocentric, self-centered old man who keeps on enumerating his achievements and how he survived in the West although he came from a poor family in a Third World Country. Despite my aversion to all those self-praise talk, I must say that I honestly admire this man for his struggles, how he made it big despite his poor origins. Another is that in enumerating his numerous mentors, one can say that he takes pride in his academic pedigree and as such gives credit to and rightly acknowledges the people who have contributed to who he is now.

Back in college, my friends know me as a spendthrift who only buys books from Booksale and who seldom gets the required readings. But when he announced that his book is now available, I didn't think twice. I just had to have the book. The book isn't that expensive, which is a good thing, and students could get autographs right then and there. I bought his book "Folding Water: The Search for a Quantum Theory of Turbulence" which was co-authored by Ninotchka Rosca. I almost never had the book autographed because of students suddenly flocked to him like moths to a flame. I braved the crowd. He asked me what I am studying and I answered, "European Languages." He wrote a short note on the first page of the book:

"Melo:

              Look up to the

       allusions to

       Europe.

                   A. Muriel"

It was the first time I got a book signed by the author. It instantly became one of my prized books. And when I read it from cover to cover, I was more than sure that never shall this book go out of my collection. It's more detailed compared to the lecture and I wasn't at all surprised that this book is also a memoir in addition to its being a book on quantum mechanics meant for the layperson.

Not long after, I got interested in chaos theory. Reading short articles online increased my appetite for chaos. At that time, I described my life as chaotic. I was a lost kid in a jungle of civilization. Suddenly everything I know crumbles, it feels like being a witness to widescale destruction a la Inception (yes, that movie by Christopher Nolan where scenes of crumbling edifices are many) and I didn't know where to start from.

One day as if by chance, I found a book at Booksale which costs just P75. The title of the book is "Chaos: Making a New Science", authored by James Gleick. I knew I had to buy it. As soon as I got home, I read the book and was enlightened as to why I became averse to science in high school. In high school, we were taught that this happens assuming this is the case. In short, it was highly idealistic. But chaos, as Gleick writes, "poses problems that defy accepted ways of working in science." Moreover, high school science lacked the interdependence of disciplines and thus provided an unrealistic view of phenomena. Physics for example was isolated from biology and chemistry. Each subject was compartmentalized. Chaos on the other hand, brings together different disciplines in an attempt to investigate global nature of systems. When a child, who yearns to make sense of the world around her and who sees the intricate web of relations of things, is made to study a subject without reference to other disciplines, she quickly loses interest. I do not know if this holds true to others but it does to me.

Gleick's book is meant for the layperson. It traces the beginnings of the study of chaotic systems and chaos itself. It narrates the development of such subject as other disciplines like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology advanced, or the other way around. Gleick also briefly sketched the important contributors to chaotology (study of chaos), from Lorenz to Mandelbrot, to Feigenbaum and Libchaber, to the scholars of Santa Cruz. I also appreciated how the book attempts to enumerate the many applications and relations of chaotology in other dsiciplines including economics, philosophy, art, and literature.

Reading the book made me wonder what if I took up Mathematics instead of foreign languages. Then maybe I would be very good at working with computers. Then maybe I would be dabbling in chaos. Then maybe I would be able to offer an explanation as to why my life is chaotic.