On the move again

Been a while since I've updated the site. But here it is for the readers:

We've finished our classes at USC and decided not to remain at the university. We said our goodbyes to our profs, and informed them that they were by far the best part of the university. We were informed that our grades had been submitted and that we could pick them up - great!

So we head across the city to main campuss, and are told we have to fill out a form to request a transcript. The form requires 6 signatures from various department heads, including textbook and library departments, the chair, the dean, etc. Most of the signature are from our own campuss and when we address the chair for the signature we are informed: 2 additional signature are required bringing the total to 8. The school isn't setup to forward documents abroad neither, nor can we request them later from abroad - and figuring it'll be a cold day in Cebu before we come back I requested 5 copies for each of us and paid the registrar personally to fedex them to us in Canada.

We managed to sell all of our aquired belongings in Cebu, frige, washing machine, fan, a/c, desktop computer, chair, desk and more. We left our flat 2 days before our flight to Manila, and stayed at the Hilton on Mactan Island. Which is usually a relaxing stay, when one doesn't get food poisoning. We left the Hilton with plenty of time to catch our Zestair flight to Manila, which would get us in with almost 3 hours before our connecting flight to Abu Dhabi and then Toronto. The flight however was delayed, so delayed that the plane we were supposed to be on, hadn't yet left Manila. We were informed that the ETD of 11:25 was likely to be earlier and we would make it in time, we took off at 12:35, our connection was at 1:05, we didn't land in Manila til almost two. During this we were in communication with a gentleman from Atlanta who wished to purchase our Sealife camera, and who planned to meet us at the airport for a flyby sale. Well he was patient enough to meet us there at the appointed time, and even wait through our delay with us, after which he gave us a lift to our hotel.

Turns out the gentleman, Claude, is a partner in a local treasure hunting company and needed the underwater camera for a project. We're headed out to Angeles City today to take photos of said project.

We'll be able to reschedule our flight to Toronto for the 31st of October, and we'll still get in at 5:10pm, which will be too late for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary ceremony, but we'll still make it to the reception even if we are cranky and tired when we do.

No pix, for this post either, not sure what I'll do as we have a lot of them, but many are sorta school related of corals etc.

Myla and I both ended up with a mid 80% everage for our semesters.

Happy Canada Day

Thought you wouldn't know it around here. Myla and I have been settling in more here in Cebu, rolling with some punches and dealing with some bullshit beauracracy, but what can you do?

Classes are good, botany is proving challenging, as it covers both molecular biology and botany. I'm in the midst of preparing a study to compute coral coverage in front of the marine science station for my oceanography class.

Myla and I will be creating a guide to local corals in the area as well, for our marine biology course, but the work on it won't being for a few weeks. Both projects will be stepping stones towards larger not school projects done in conjunction with local ngo's.

My first dive at the science station should be this Saturday with another during a class on Monday, the goal will be get aquainted with the reef in front of the station, and develop grids from which randonly selected areas will be selected.

So not much else, we finished furnishing out place here, and Myla is applying for a residency status for me, which will hopefully lower my tuition. We have made some headway in the pie department, I made a no bake key lime pie and Myla has made a fresh mango pie which was yummy.

til next time, hope all is well

B&M

Sorry no pix

Hey all, been a lil' while since my last post.

Since then we have found ourselves an unfurnished apartment near the USC Talamban campus, semi-furnished it. Enrolled in school, Myla is taking the B. Marine Biology but is also looking at continuing her Athabasca studies to finish her degree more quickly. I have been enrolled in the M. Marine Biology, however I have two undergrad courses as well, which I am taking with Myla. Cebu City has taken some getting used to, we are travelling around in Jeepney's and have explored some.

Our first two days of classes were nice, my first class consisted of myself and my prof sitting on the bench looking out at the ocean and chatting for about an hour before another student showed up, it was a nice breeze and a great conversation about what to expect over the duration of the course. There are only four students in Oceanography class, which takes place at the Maribago Marine Reasearch Station. Meanwhile, back at the Talamban campus, Myla was at her first class; a Phys Ed class. she tells me she will be learning a native dance along with 50 other filipinas and perform it in two months, keep your fingers crossed for future video to come. 

Today though we had our Marine Biology class 100 together, it is taught by the chair who we have had good association with, and are looking very much forward to the rest of the semester. We expect to be published by the end of next term, if not by the end of this one. 

Our Schedules are pretty good, I am off Friday and Sunday's with classes on Thursday and Saturday mornings. Myla is off Fri-Sunday with class on Thursday morning with myself. We are looking to get aquainted with local NGO's to volenteer with reef protection projects, and are trying to setup a deal to get our MBIO100 classmates certified as divers.

a few pix from around Cebu City

Cebu's largest pizza.

The Hilton Jeepney.

update

Well we're in school, and we don't start tomorrow, which is Sunday, I have been told. Nor do we start on Monday, we start school on the 15th of June now, as the deadly H1N1 virus has put school of for a week for the entire country - so far 4 people have tested positive in the Philippines.

So, we're still looking for a place to live, now in Talamban and not in Mactan. Talamban is in the interior of Cebu City, we have more class time in the campus than in the Marine Research Center this semester,  I have been enrolled in the graduate course and Myla has been enrolled in the undergrad. But we still have a number of classes together.

More vid's

This is a vid of a scorpionfish, you'll notice how differentit looks without a strobe, from the previous posted pic.

This vid, although not great ( I have the settings on the camera set to webcam) is of a school of Baracuda.

Myla and the square.

Myla and the Panda  Anemone Fish.

This video shows an anemone trying to pull my hands toward its maw, but if you watch the top of my hand you'll see a glass anemone shrip climb on to it and start cleaning it off.

Getting ready for school

School starts tomorrow (Monday) and we'll still in the process of getting all the administrative stuff done. The folks have been busy getting my transcripts notarized, then officially sealed by the Ontario government recognizing the notarization, then they will have to be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy prior to sending them overseas. Jay has setup the police clearance process in ident for me, which is great news, as the RCMP can take upto 3 months to provide clearance, so thanks to my family for helping.

We on the lookout for a place to live, it looks as if we'll be moving to Mactan, an island off of Cebu City, where the Marine Biology Research Centre is. So we'll be out there today looking at more places.

Today we pick up our entrance exam results, get our classes and schedules, and then get our uniform exemption forms completed.

It's been hectic, next will be to get myself a drivers license and then shop for a car. You can google Suzuki Multicab if you were wondering.

Below are some vid's from our last diving trip.

This is us finding a Monstrous Frogfish, notice the mysterious creature that appears from the right

If you watch until the end you'll get a good view of his face.

Divemasters and June

We're both now certified DiveMasters, we completed our course on the 29th of May through PADI. We both worked very hard on this course physically, especially Myla. Part of our trial was to complete a 400m swim, no gear, but the distance was miscalculated and we swam more like 600m, and in current. There were a few times I looked up to find that the current had turned me completely around. Another trial was to complete and 800m swim using snorkel gear, as well as a 12 minute tread. We did these excercises marathon style and did them one after the next. Last though we had to push eachother 100m, both of us wearing full scuba gear at the surface... So Myla had to push me 100m in full gear, weighted, inflated, and in current. It took her 9 minutes of constant pushing.

That's over though, and so is our stay at Sierra Madres, in Panglao Island, Bohol. We left Bohol on the 30th to go to Cebu a day earlier to start some paperwork.

Myla is still waiting to hear about her accreditation through CHED for lawschool, but in the meantime,  we've decided to enroll in the University of San Carlos in a Marine Biology program - which one is yet to be determined.

I had fingerprints taken in Cebu at the NBI, which went rather well on the 1st, and then flew to Manila that night. Today (the 2nd) I went to the Bureau of Quarantine to take care of all the examinations needed their, including stool. Somewhere lost in translation was the need to take a swab of stool, and filling the cup. I'll go back tomorrow morning to get the results.

We have more diving vid's and pictures to post from our last dives. Our last dive was memorable was we were able to find the Monstrous Frogfish we had scene on an earlier dive but had not brought our camera with us.

We fly back to Cebu City on the 4th, at which time we get more school admin stuff done and look for a place to live.