childhood geek stuff

im out here on the roof deck admiring the full moon. i remember my childhood, my fascination with space, the universe, the planets. i so wanted to have a telescope so i could see those saturn rings, or even the moon's craters. though the constellations fascinated me, i could never figure out how they could connect arbitrary dots in the sky and agree among themselves that the dots look like fish, or a reclining goddess, etc.

planetarium visits organized by the school was such a highlight! i love the way you felt that you were really under a night time sky. and they outlined the planets, the constellations, the galaxies. i remember seing the effect of the aurora borealis and wishing that one day, i could see that in alaska. or the artic.

another preoccupation was dinosaurs. i love getting to know the names, the characteristics. and i would always try to imagine their proportions and how gigantic they must have been. the diplodocus, triceratops, the brontosaurus, the pterodactyls, and of course, tyranosaurus rex. my dream then was simply to go visit a museum and actually see the skeletal structure.

my pc is into astronomy, his father has a keen interest in it. they have a sizeable telescope at home. one of his first gifts to me was a picture of a half moon he took, connecting his dslr to the telescope. it was so romantic of him to do that.

with his guidance, i downloaded 'pocket universe' in my ipad. and im now enjoying real time sky viewing with its help. its amazing! the drawback, skies in manila are just so unclear so only the brightest of stars and planets reach my naked eye.

i hope to rediscover this astronomy fascination by investing in a good telescope someday. reminds me of a quotation: you are never too old to have a second childhood.

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