TCP#104: Dante's Peak

Uh-oh! I am in big trouble for posting TCP soooo late today! I am awfully sorry my dears... This blogger is just so busy reviewing for her final exams. Would anyone of you like to be the guest Coucher for next week's TCP? I have my examinations scheduled the entire month of September and I wonder if there is someone willing to make guest the TCP posts in the coming Tuesdays of September. Just let me know if you are up for it.

Anyway, without further ado, here's my pick for this week's theme Disaster Strikes. It is no other than the film "Dante's Peak", a 1997 disaster film which stars 007 Agent Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton and Charles Hallalan. Brosnan plays the role of a scientist, Dr. Harry Dalton, who was tasked to invertigate possible volcanic activities in the Cascade Mountains which has not erupted for 7000 years, and is located near a town called Dante's Peak. Dante's Peak has just been awarded the "second most desirable city to live in" and is celebrating it's annual Pioneer Days Festival when a strange thing began to take place: two backpackers were spotted floating in the hot spring due to very high temperature. What's more is that after two weeks of evaluating the mountain and finding no results of an imminent eruption, other strange things began occuring such as the water from the tap having a burnt orange due to sulfur dioxide seeping into the town's water supply. Seismic activities followed after that and it was almost too late to evacuate the town's people. Indeed you can sometimes never tell with mother nature, despite the technical equipment that you have to predict it's activity. A dormant volcano is even more dangerous after it has not erupted for thousands of years.

I picked this movie because it is reminiscent of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 which took hundreds of Filipino lives due to the raging lahar that swept villages living near the Zambales Mountain Ranges in Luzon. The pressure was definitely on the volcanologists of PHIVOLCS at that time since they needed to issue an evacuation warning and convince the residents to evacuate due to the severity of the threat but I guess it became way too late for some. I just hope that this natural catastrophe won't happen again and that there will be a more accurate and better disaster-preparedness plan for events such as these.

How about you? What's your Disaster Strikes movie for this week? Come share it with us and leave your TCP link in the linky below:





Thank you for joining us this week on Tuesday Couch Potatoes. I hope to see you all again next week for another edition with the theme: "Groovy Kind of Movie"... movies that make you groove with its upbeat music and cool dance steps.

Happy TCP everyone!

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Congrats Kat and TJ!

Isn't it wonderful when two people are united in the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony? I always find weddings beautiful and that of TJ and Kat's is certainly one of them....

Although I haven't been really close to my high school batchmates since I didn't go to the same university with them during college and had my own set of friends when I got into college, I still keep the Livewires as a part of my extended family and keep them close to my heart... After all, we have been together for four solid years in high school and have kept in touch through social networking.

I am always amazed at the closeness and the strong friendship that the Livewires share and although I usually consider myself as the observer and the silent reader in our FB group page, I can’t help but find myself immersed in the gossips and the excitement that the Livewires have been up to these past few months and found myself commenting and sharing some of my thoughts.

I must admit, I am always among those last to know the most important happenings in town, the wedding of Kat and TJ included. I didn’t even know that they have been going out! That is how clueless I am… But needless to say, I am really happy for both of them. Too bad I wasn’t there to witness their beautiful union. I can only wait for the photos to come flooding…



To Kathy and Timong, my heartfelt and warm Congratulations and Best wishes… Indeed, it's a beautiful day!

“May you live for as long as you love…

May you love for as long as you live…

And may the measure of your love…

be a love without measure.”

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It's Never Too Late for Summer

Oh yes, it definitely still is summer, at least in the past few days when the sun is really scorchingly hot and everyone is in their sleeveless shirts and shorts, people are eating ice cream and sunbathing at the parks. I am confined inside the Universum though, trying to prepare for my exams and blogging on the side.

I wish though that I were out of town with my family, enjoying the summer heat and visiting another city, enjoying the scenery while we drive, with native sunglasses on to protect my eyes from the sun's glaring light. And then sip an ice-cold drink in one of our stop over cities or simply have a picnic at the town square or park. Oh, what a lovely and relaxing scene. I wish that by the time my exams are over, I will still have some time to take a week off from school and enjoy the remaining days of summer with the family.

How I wish!

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A Study Haven at the Universum

August is a busy month for any student taking up a Bachelor's or Master's degree as it is the month of preparing for and taking the final examinations. With so many things to study and prepare for, a place where one can study and discuss with your classmates would be ideal. Of course, there is always the option of studying in the library but one needs to maintain a level of silence there as it is a place for reading and studying. One can also study in the comfort of his or her own room or home. But for someone like me who finds it difficult to focus studying at home because of a lot of distractions, e.g. housechores that clamor for attention, television, playing with the daughter, sleeping, a place that has enough room to study and work, an internet connection and power source, and not so noisy environment is just what I need.

Photo by Christoph Hoffmann, Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Thankfully, I found Universum, introduced to me by my colleagues from the Master Progam last semester when we did a group study in preparation for the final examinations for one of our subjects. I haven't got photos of this study hall yet but I will be sure to post them here when I get the chance to bring my camera with me.

The entire week, I have been going to the Universum to study for my exams. My husband is very supportive enough to take a week off from work so he can look after our little girl while I go to the university to study. I can say that I have neen able to study pretty well this week. My next exam will be on September 1st and I hope that by then, I have already understood and learned all that I need to learn and can confidently say that I am ready.

Thanks Universum!

The Universum can be found at the University of Stuttgart, Vaihingen Campus. It is located at the underground floor of the Mensa Buildig, and is beside Wittwer Uni-Buchhaus. See the modern art installation in the photo above? The door behind leads to the Universum.

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