| sanchez |
[April 07, 2009 @ 3:07am] |
A repost from Patrick Ostrea and Patrick Alcantara:
Guys:
Our Filipino teacher, Mrs. Mercedita Sanchez, has been recently diagnosed with cancer. She has already been operated on, but she needs further treatment in order to get well. At this point, she really needs all our financial help and prayers, and I think that she would appreciate it if we come together as one Pisay community and help her out.
I have been in touch with Mrs. Aguila of the Filipino Department, and she has said that Pisay is receiving donations for Mrs. Sanchez. If you wish to donate, please contact me at 0917-8878522 so I can make arrangements. In the interest of transparency and accountability, I would be giving updates on the donations I receive.
I hope we make it as our chance to say thanks to someone who has made an impact on our lives back in Pisay. Thanks! You can course your donations through this account: Patrick Alcantara BDO Acct # 289-004-4770 BDO Greenhills Roosevelt To make it easier for us, and to facilitate the preparation of a financial statement, please send me a soft copy of your deposit slip at pats.alcantara@gmail.com. You can also text me the amount you sent when you have deposited your donation. Thanks again! ******************************
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| FINE |
[April 06, 2009 @ 11:39am] |
"I'm fine"
It is an often used phrase whenever one is asked as to his or her current disposition. Such an answer is precipitated by a question such as "How are you?"
The said response is often matched with various body gestures such as the thumbs up, the half smile, the head bob, the head tilt, and the dismissive hand wave to name a few..
The thing is, whenever a person uses it to say something or to express his feelings, more often than not, what he is feeling is actually the exact opposite.
He is not fine. He merely says he is fine in an effort to calm the individual who seems to be concerned for his well-being.
But he may also be indeed fine. If the word "fine" is actually the acronym "FINE". In which case the person simply admitted that he was Freaked-out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.
Take your pick.
Hi Abby. By the way, I'm fine. :)
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| mollusca |
[March 31, 2009 @ 1:20pm] |
FYI: This is not about that animal phylum. If you know her, well, you'll figure out why.
Sunshine in her smile.
Rainbows in her eyes.
Spring in her footsteps.
Summer in her laughter.
Autumn when she cries.
Winter when she's gone.
 Happy Birthday Rachelle!!!
Elegance in Simplicity
7 years together and counting!!! Hahaha. To my longest best friend, Happy Birthday!!!
P.S. "I lurve you!!!" - tin
P.P.S. She helped make the poem. The word "help" is emphasized. :p
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| smolensk |
[March 30, 2009 @ 7:07pm] |
FYI: I am not speaking about the Russian city. Hehehe. Read the title aloud and maybe you'll guess why. :p
For the little girl with a big brain.
For the little girl with a big heart.
For the little girl with a big dream.
For the little girl with a big hope.
:)
Happy Birthday Jana Mier!!!
What she may lack in height, she makes up for in spirit.
Dahil nung nagsabog si Lord ng growth hormone blessings, wala siya. Mwehehehehe. >:) God bless you.
Oh no... Dito ka na pala lagi starting this school year... o_O Here's to more soupyness with Abby!
P.S. iMed2014, future classmate niyo ito. Hehe. Greet her. :p
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| 8-9 |
[March 28, 2009 @ 9:01am] |
It's dark.
Well, what did you expect? You switched the lights off didn't you?
The clouds are blotting out the stars and the moon, assuming that it isn't a new moon tonight. So the only source of light right comes from my neighbor's porch lamp. Apparently he is not aware of this little environmentalist effort. Oh yes, the other source of light is the soft glow coming from this laptop, illuminating the darkness of my room in an eerie way...
I just noticed, it does feel a bit cooler... It's one of those rare moments in human history where the whole world comes together, standing united. Or at least, I hope everyone is. My neighbor is living proof of non-cooperation of some members of the Homo Sapiens species. Yes bub, you with the porch light, I'm talking to you!!!
Staving off global warming one hour at a time. Maybe we can save the world after all... And maybe we don't have to rely on paintings or a cheerleader for it to be done. But if Captain Planet were real, saving the world would have been fun. Oooh Oooh! Or maybe the Power Rangers instead!!
Because there isn't a problem in the world
that cannot be solved by throwing a squad
of Power Rangers at it.
The world ends on 2012. How will it end? I remember that documentary on the Discovery Channel which discussed 10 possible doomsday scenarios. Let's see... There's Nuclear Holocaust, Pandemic, Yellowstone Super Volcano, Meteor Impact, Black Hole, Runaway Matter-Antimatter Reaction, Rise of the Machines, Alien Invasion, Global Warming, Solar Flare. Hmmm... sounds like a nice idea for a blog post... Okay, stay tuned for that.
What was the point of this post anyway? Ah, "the random things that I write about while there is no light on".
Lights on in a few minutes... and it's going to be De... wait for it... Lightful!!!
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| charts |
[March 26, 2009 @ 10:06am] |
I think it's fairly obvious right now that I no longer want to study. I am sooooooo procrastinating right now...
The next few lines are actual lines from patient's charts in the Philippine General Hospital. As amusing as they are, we must understand that while you're on duty things like grammar tend to fall last in the priority rating... I guess... Intern and clerk friends, my apologies. We shall soon share in your toxicity and soupy-ness.
1. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year. (I do believe anyone would have chest pain if they do this)
2. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared. (Biblical... But maybe surgical!)
3. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night. (OH SHEEEET!!!!)
4. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed. (Now this actually sounds like a decent assessment of a patient... I mean, is there supposed to be something wrong with this?)
5. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993. (Dude, is this your patient... or your girlfriend?)
6. Discharge status: Alive but without permission. (And this is the intro for the new Resident Evil movie)
7. The patient refused autopsy. (Who wouldn't???)
8. The patient has no previous history of suicides. (That would be apparent)
9. She is numb from her toes down. (What if the patient was upside down?)
10. While in ER, she was examined, X-rated and sent home. (Now I'm having second thoughts about visiting the radiology department...)
11. The skin was moist and dry. (To be fair to the person that wrote this, it took me a good 5 minutes to get this)
12. Occasional, constant, infrequent headaches. (Yes... Those are the choices... Now, pick one...)
13. Patient was alert and unresponsive. (Again, please choose one!)
14. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid. (You know where your rectum is right? You know where your thyroid is right? Now draw a straight line.)
15. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce. (Must have been a really bad marriage if you ask me...)
16. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function. (What kind of a lab is this anyway??)
17. The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stockbroker instead. (Hmmm... Okay... I see it... No wait, I don't)
18. Skin: somewhat pale but present. (Because if it were absent, then she'd be a ghost)
19. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities. (Teenagers are indeed a problem lately...)
I should probably go back to studying right now...
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| bwisit |
[March 26, 2009 @ 9:22am] |
This is from an email sent to me courtesy of Tina.
THIS IS A VERY SHOCKING STORY... NAKAKAKILABOT TALAGA...
This is a story from University of the Philippines (Diliman) about a young college girl who passed away last month. Her name was Tiffany. She was hit by a dump truck. She had a boyfriend named Joel . Both of them were true lovers. They always hung on the phone. You could never see her without her cell phone.
In fact she also changed her network coverage from Smart to Globe, so both of them can be on the same network, and save on the cost and get good network coverage. She spends half of the day talking/texting with Joel. Tiffany's family knew about their relationship. Joel was very close with Tiffany's family. (Just imagine their love). Before she passed away she always told her friends "If I pass away, please bury me with my hand phone" she also said the same thing to her parents.
After her death, people couldn't carry her coffin. A lot of them tried to do so but still couldn't, everybody had tried to carry the coffin, the result is still the same. Eventually, they called a Feng Shui Master. He took a stick and started speaking to himself slowly. After a few minutes, he said "THIS GIRL MISSES SOMETHING HERE". Then her friends told the Master about her intentions to bury her with her phone. He then opened the coffin and placed her phone and SIM card inside the casket. After that they tried to carry the coffin. It could be moved and they carried it into the van easily.
All were shocked and in disbelief!
Tiffany's parents did not inform Joel that Tiffany had passed away. After 2 weeks
Joel called Tiffany's mom and said, "I'm coming home today. Cook something nice po, ha? Don't tell Tiffany that I'm coming home today, I wanna surprise her. "Her mother replied... "You come home first, I wanna tell you something very important."
After he came, they told him the truth about Tiffany . Joel thought that they were playing a fool game on him. He was laughing and said "don't try to fool me - tell Tiffany to come out, I have a gift for her. Please stop this nonsense". Then they showed him her grave. Joel said, "It's not true. We spoke yesterday. She still calls me." Joel was shaking Suddenly, his phone rang. "See.. this is from Tiffany, see this..." he showed the phone to Tiffany's family.
All of them told him to answer. He talked using the loudspeaker mode. All of them heard their conversation. Loud and clear, no cross lines, no humming. It was the actual voice of Tiffany & there was no way others could use her SIM card since it was nailed inside the coffin. They were so shocked and asked for the Feng Shui Master's help again.
The Master brought his co-masters to solve this matter. He & his co-masters worked for 5 hours. Then they discovered one thing...
GLOBE HAS THE BEST COVERAGE, WHEREVER YOU GO, THEIR NETWORK FOLLOWS...
ANG LAKAS TALAGA NG GLOBE... KAHIT NASAAN KA MAN... KAHIT NASA PURGATORYO KA PA...('WAG LANG SA IMPIERNO)
KAYA GLOBE NA KAYO NANG KAYO AY NAKAKASIGURADONG MALAYO ANG MARARATING NINYO...
IYON LANG...!
NAISAHAN KA BA?
**********************************
Hence, the title... BWISIT...
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| hazelnuts |
[March 26, 2009 @ 7:56am] |
You are an evil woman.
I started the day believing that I would actually run into you despite my busy schedule. You had lured me with the promise of a sumptuous meal, something that I have not had in quite some time. You made me wait. You made me hope. Then you took it all away.
I am lonely. I am bored. And on top of that, I am hungry. You don't want to see me hungry. I am Justin's raging bile duct.
So for that...
I will see you in PGH... Mwahahaha! Bow down to your senior resident!!! You will not see the outside of the hospital until I say so! *lightning flash*
This public service message was meant to make one Hazel S. Baconga feel very guilty about leaving her friend hanging.
****************************
"Wake me up at 7:30."
Sounds like a simple task? No. It's been a total of 20 missed calls, and still you show no signs of waking up from your quiet slumber in a dormitory far far away. My ear is now red from having the receiver glued to it for the past 30 minutes now.
It's not exactly a fun thing to talk to someone who only says "The subscriber cannot be reached, please try again later." It's just plain sad.
And I am still hungry.
This public service message was meant to make one Christine Hazel B. Yalung feel very guilty about sleeping too soundly.
****************************
Clearly, two Hazels are just one too many Hazels to handle. :)
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| anino25502 |
[March 19, 2009 @ 12:37am] |
It's the middle of the day, and I can't really write about anything right now. There's a lot on my mind, and I can't pen it down properly while I'm on the phone talking to a doctor who can't remember where he placed the research survey forms...
Okay, that last part's off topic.
Tin showed me some stories that she ripped off the net. To be precise, from the peyups site. These were written by username anino22502. You are about to read some excerpts from those articles.
*****************************
Story #1:
“What?”
“We’re supposed to be friends. Sure, friends have fought before, but friends get through whatever is bothering them together. We haven’t done that.”
Another silence.
“It’s because of him, isn’t it?”
“It’s not just him. It’s you too. You act like you don’t know that I have these feelings for you, you act like I’m just another friend.”
He could feel the blood rushing throughout his entire body.
“What happened? We were good friends.”
“No. I was a good friend. You can’t tell me I wasn’t. I worked hard to keep the wool over your eyes, because that was what you wanted. You wanted to pretend that I wasn’t who I am, that I don’t feel the things I feel. I don’t want to fool you anymore.”
*****************************
Nice right? Okay, here's the next one.
*****************************
Story #2:
The bespectacled boy looked at his friend. He was thankful that his friend was there.
“I love her. I am in love with her. But she will never care for me the same way that I care for her. She will never care.”
Those words were enough for the goateed friend. He felt the pain in his friend’s eyes. He knew that the bespectacled boy would not tell him anything else, not unless he says something. He cleared his throat.
“It’s better to have love and lost—“
“Not when you love every morning, not when you think that this might be the day when she finally cares for you, when she finally sees you and loves you. Not when you think all this, only to have it all come crashing down, everything you expected destroyed at the end of the day. Not when you know that even though you felt all these things, all this pain and hurt, you will expect to feel the same way again tomorrow. That tomorrow you will love, and lose, her again. It’s not better when you love, and you lose, every single day, and know that you will come back for more.”
*****************************
Okay, that's it for the meantime. Good news, as of this moment, the doctor has found the survery form. Yehey. Groupmates, we now have additional data!
I have to go back to class now. Bye!
Coming Soon:
iMed2012 - The Reunion
Tagaytay - 4 Years Later (The Jade-Muon-Bercs Outing)
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| pairs-I |
[March 02, 2009 @ 8:55am] |
Kids, the last two weeks of February were a jumble of events. These were really amazing stories, well what would pass for "amazing" in the world of a medical student, and it would be a waste that they should be left rotting somewhere in my memory. I never seemed to have the time nor the energy to pen any of these down. Now that I have this small breather, I might as well do so. Let's begin with the story of...
*insert how i met your mother flashback sequence*
Abby and the Spaghetti
As the only fool willing enough to be Abby's nanny for the day of her interview, I found myself spending my quiet mornings prepping her for the interview and waiting for her to be finished with them. Wait, I stand corrected, I was the only fool present at that time, as if the stories are true, there are plenty of fools back in Diliman who would gladly wait on Abby all day long, for all eternity. I won't say much on the matter for fear of retaliation. Abby knows too much.
I have no idea why I allowed myself to be subjected to such an inhumane act. I owed this woman squat! In fact, she owes me one year of my life! Then again, maybe it was pity for the poor girl about to be thrust into that terrifying interview session. Yeah, I guess it was pity... Hehehe... Just kidding.
The original plan was that we were going to have spaghetti from Brooklyn delivered right to my unit. This was made with the assumption that she would be spending three hours in Manila, with plenty of time for chit-chat and gossip. Unfortunately, Abby had to cancel this plan. It seems she has to return a bit earlier than usual. But I was hungry. And so was she. And no way will I let the day end without getting my fair share of chit-chat and gossip. Turns out, Carlos and Kamela were looking for a place to eat in Rob. Being hungry after the interview, it wasn't hard to get them to eat at Brooklyn. With the way things went, it was a good thing that the plan was cancelled. Thanks to Carlos' stories, I finally learned all that I needed to know in order to convince Abby that she... Well... Let's not put that here. :p Oh and Kamela, eat faster. Hahaha.
Now let's move on to the second person I baby-sitted...
*insert how i met your mother flashback sequence*
Hazel and the Donuts
It was Hazel's turn to be interviewed. Ruffles were apparently the "in" thing for this occassion as she seemed to sport quite several of them. Her interview was scheduled a bit too early for my liking, forcing me to wake up at the unholy hour of 6:00 in the morning. She was fortunate that I had another errand that required me to wake up that early... Unlike Abby, Hazel was not too shy about making demands from me. Why so?
Hazel and I are what people would call "soulmates". No, no, not that mushy "the one I will spend the rest of my life with" kind. By pisay05 definition, a person is called your "soulmate" if he or she has consistently been your classmate from freshman up to senior year. The two of us have had the good fortune, or misfortune, depending on how you'd like to see it, of being this way in pisay. Let's see... that's Garnet, Champaca, Cesium, and Muon. Hmmm... Marvin once said that things would have been a lot more fun if I were Jade, ... Oh well. And boo Sapphire, because it spawned three of my greatest headaches. But those are stories for another day. :)
Anyway, she requested that I provide her with food and beverages. Thankfully, I didn't have to do all the spending this time around, as she was considerate enough to provide me with the cash. I went across the street, bought from the first store I found, and came back to her with a bottle of mineral water and two donuts. I ate one, while she stowed the other in her bag. Again, there were plans for lunch after her interview. And like Abby, these were also cancelled, as Hazel wanted to go partying in some bar in Malate. Yeah, that got me scratching my head a bit. What kind of bar plays "tugsh tugsh" music at 12 noon? In a rare moment of sensitivity, Hazel saw the disappointment in my face, and in order to make up for it, she gave me the squished donut from her bag. Swell.
disclaimer: Writer is not sure as to the exact origin of the use of "soulmate" in the pisay civilization. If the aforementioned word was already preconceived or coined in the said context by another batch either living or dead, said writer cannot be sued by that or any other batch, either living or dead, for infringement of intellectual property rights. Writer is protected from any lawsuit henceforth.
The previous two people have histories of being "mean" to me in some way. This next person has been nice to me in every possible way... I think...
*insert how i met your mother flashback sequence*
Jana and the Piano
The highlight of Jana's visit wasn't the mind-numbing wait outside the interview room. Rather it was what happened in front of the piano in my unit. To understand why it was so special, let's look back four years ago...
Jana and I were classmates in IV-Muon. One of Jana's many talents is her jaw-droppingly awesome voice. Believe me, her song is powerful enough to bring even the mightiest of high school jocks down to their knees. One my not-so-many mediocre-at-best talents is the piano. In our time together, we've never had the opportunity of pairing up our musical talents. Since then, I've always wondered how it would sound like...
Back to the present. I decided that this was the perfect moment to answer that question. Luckily, I had a large music selection tucked away in my unit, from Disney songs, to Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables. It is perhaps the dream of any instrument-wielding musician to find that voice that would give that Midas touch to his music, that voice that would give a new life to the notes he plays. Yeah, that's a lot of literary crap in that last statement. But you get my point right?
On My Own. Part of Your World. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. Words are not enough to describe how it sounded. All I can say is that it was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Once Jana's here, we'd get to have more that soon. :p
*To Be Continued*
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| valentimes |
[February 15, 2009 @ 4:56am] |
Back in grade school, Valentine's was a just like any other day. None of us really paid much attention to it. Heck, we were kids. The only thing we paid much attention to were the free candies and cookies that the cafeteria handed out. That and when one of us would give a bouquet of roses to a really pretty teacher whom he had a major crush on. Being the little rascals we were, we wouldn't let him get off the hook easy, especially when it's the pretty teacher who's up front.
It wasn't until I entered high school when things started to change. Now what has happened during every February since then is a long story. We'd probably have to devote extra posts if I'm going to have to tell you everything, so I'd rather not. There are only two conditions under which you'll know those stories: 1) if you can find my old high school blog, or 2) you ask, and I somehow cave in. That last one? Not happening.
So let me just hand it straight for you. It was bad. Nay, really bad. Nay again, it sucked. Need proof? Ask Abby. This misery streak would continue into the first two years of college. Eventually, I realized that being that way made me miss out on so many things. Missing out on stuff meant that life was starting to get boring. And when life starts to get boring... Uh-oh... I just had to put my foot down. So I decided to turn over a new leaf. Okay fine, maybe there were several leaves Quoting a very wise man:
"Whenever I feel sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."
That resolution happened only last year. I resolved that I'd celebrate every Valentine's differently. Valentine's is a special day, whether you're single or not. So I would stay true to that belief by making sure that other people's Valentine's are a bit more memorable for them. From this, last year's "Anonymous 2012 Harana" and this year's "2012 V-day Video" were conceived.
And yes, my good friend, it worked. True story.
Well, something else happened this year... But I guess I should just keep all of those details to myself. It's not really important anyway.
I am a very unreliable narrator. Sue me.
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| elevator |
[February 07, 2009 @ 11:07am] |
Here it is kids. The story of a strange week I never had the time to write. I decided to skip a few details and just talk about three interesting elevator rides I've had throughout the week... The thing about elevator rides is that you'll never really know whom you'd be riding with... And so, like I said previously, our first elevator story begins with a broken watch...
Elevator Ride #1
I own a simple silver watch, had it for three years and it has never failed me, until one day, when it stopped ticking. The watch shop was located on the 4th floor, right next to the caricature shop and the spray-painted shirt booth. To get there, I could take the regular route, which consists of three flights of escalator rides. The other route is the elevator ride. The latter one is the slower of the two, as you have to contend with the long lines and fight for a space in the car. The escalators were the clear choice, but then I realized that in my 4 years here, I have never ridden on that elevator... No kidding.
I decided to take the elevator. Besides, it offers this little "scenic" view of the fountain and all the stalls in the atrium. It's offered a decent break from the routine. So there I was in the elevator, riding it up from the ground floor. It didn't seem like such a bad idea at the time. Until it stopped on the second floor... and then Martin entered...
I haven't told you about Martin yet? Ok... let's back up a bit...
It was around August, rowing season. While waiting for the boat to arrive at the loading bay, I heard some strange commentary coming behind us. I looked to see a short man, wearing a semi-formal attire with a black umbrella, sitting on the railings. He was engaged in a dialogue, filled with colorful social commentary, like how studying at a university was similar to a farmer harvesting cow dung and how people who exercise are fools.
But that's what not disturbed me. Though clearly he was responding to someone's queries and arguments, he was actually talking to no one... Just a blank space in front of him...
Almost every week, I'd see him there at the marina. His topics would change with each sighting (yes, I paid enough attention to notice what he was talking about), and he'd always carry that black umbrella of his. I don't know why he preferred that spot every morning, or why he always had an umbrella. Why I do know is that he had some serious problems... and that his name was Martin. How'd I find out? In one of his morning sessions, I heard him saying this line to his invisible friend: "Di mo ba ako kilala ha? Ako si Martin!"
So, back to our story. There Martin was, inside the car with us. And he began to rant... Again to his invisible buddy... Two more floors felt like an eternity... This time he talked about capitalism, corporate America, and how we were all idiots in supporting Robinson's malls. When the door opened for the 4th floor, I was one of the first out of the car. Lucky for me, Martin decided to stay in the elevator. Unlucky for those who entered the car with him. I swore I could see the look of terror on one man's face as the elevator doors shut in front of him...
Elevator Ride #2
I needed to bring something to the 8th floor of the PGH. The only way to get there is first by elevator, up to the 7th floor, then a flight of stairs to get to the top. Sure, you could use the stairs all the way, if you wanted to have a cardiac arrest.
The thing you should know about PGH service elevators is that one of them has a crude means of calling the cars to your floor. The elevator on the left works just fine, like a normal elevator. Just press the button, and ding! here comes the car. But the one on the right... According to staff members I've encountered, namely the person who operates the elevator, the means of calling the elevator involves... brace yourselves... knocking.
Yes, knocking. As in, "knock knock, who's there" kind of knocking. Knock once for the first floor, twice for the second, and so and so forth.
But that isn't related to our story. Just a public service message I'd like to post here. And maybe just to orient you a bit...
On the way down from the 7th floor, the elevator opened up to let three passengers in. Two of them were involved in carrying the third person, who was lying on a stretcher. And also, two of these three passengers is dead. It was unsettling riding with a dead person in an elevator. It's not that I haven't seen a dead body before. I've seen plenty last year, 16 to be exact, all preserved and ready to be dissected. But this person just died within the past 24 hours. Somehow, there was something solemn about that elevator ride...
But the solemnity didn't stop me from remembering that campfire ghost story. It was about a doctor who takes an elevator ride alone at the top floor of the hospital, all the way down to the ground floor. For some reason, the car stops and opens at each floor, but no one enters. Some time during the ride, the "elevator full" light flashes.
Then the dead man's arm began to dangle... It sent shivers up my spine...
Elevator Ride #3
Rob Adriatico elevators beat the Rob Faura elevators hands down. They're more spacious, have more mirrors, and have two sets of buttons to press. Although there is that pesky service elevator that occassional comes to pick me up. I hate that elevator... There are times that it smells... Horribly... The scent is a mix of dead fish, garbage, and LRT armpits.
This story happens after I had brought my friends back to their homes after staying at my unit. It was late at night when this happens, so a lot of "seedy" people start to appear. You know, the ones that offer a unique form of service, a service which is frequented by the various foreigners who visit the humble streets of Manila. I won't delve much into that, you should get the picture by now. Just know that these figures would play a role later on.
The way to my friends' houses, with the exception of the occassional joke made at my expense, was uneventful. The way back was... interesting. Specifically, you guessed it, the elevator ride.
I was at the ground floor, waiting for the elevator to come down all the way from the 30-something floor. I don't know how they programmed these elevators, but I find it strange that the elevator waiting on the 7th floor wasn't the one that came down to pick me up. Anyway, after waiting for a few minutes, the elevator arrived. As the doors were about to close, I heard a voice call "Oi! Hold up!". I pressed the "open" button, and there in front of me was a sight that I never hope to see anytime soon.
There were two men, and judging from their accent, they were British. They were rather old, well into their 60's. One was fat, the other was thin. Heck, they could have been the retired versions of Laurel and Hardy. Each Brit was accompanied by two rather unpleasant looking females. And judging from their scant clothing, excessive make-up, and really bad hair-do's, they were the "special service" folk. They were all giggling when they went in, discussing where each was from, what the other did for a living, you know, small talk. They rode at the far back of the car, placing themselves a few feet behind me.
And then, the torture began. From simple "getting to know you" questions, they began to talk about... Well, let's just say that if I wrote what they talked about, this would bump this page into the R-18 department and any reader would have me sued for indecent writing. What you should know is that I live on the 20th floor, and these guys lived on a floor higher than mine. So that's 20 floors worth of agony.
I thought, hey, it was just dirty talk. It couldn't and wouldn't get any worse than this right? Wrong. Remember that I said that Rob Adriatico elevators had nice mirrors? Just look into one, and you would get a good view of the entire car and its occupants. Some new noises began to fill the car, and it didn't sound like small talk. I glanced at the mirror to see what was going on... You know that saying, "curiosity kills the cat"? I re-learned the lesson of that quote the hard way... What did I see? Let's just say that I wished I was blind at that moment...
Then again, even if I had cataracts all over my eyes, it wouldn't block out the sound... and the occassional jarring of the elevator car...
I wanted to vomit so badly...
*******************************
So here's to more elevator rides... and the people we meet in them. Let's hope that these elevator encounters become a little less insane than these...
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| entrees |
[February 01, 2009 @ 9:43am] |
WOO!!! They're here!! Well, this is just for those who are approved to proceed to the final screening process: the interview! Good luck kids. Just be honest, say what you really mean, and of course, mean what you say! God will do the rest. :p
ABALOS, KAREN THERESE S
ABAYA, RONALD MARTIN B
ACHERO, IAN CARLOS P
ACOSTA, MARIA JOANNA EMILY M
ALACAPA, JASON V
ALCANTARA, MARIA GERRY LYN E
ALEJANDRO, MARIA CARISSA A
ALFABETO, ACE ROBERT B
ALIGAM, KATRINA JOY G
ALMANON, CHRISTELLE ANNE M
ALMEDA, THERESE MARIE ROSE C
ALONTE, JORAM D
ALVARO, KRISTINE I
ANGELES, ROLAND REUBEN B
ANTONINO, ANGELO JOSE D
ANURAN, GEANNAGAIL O
ARANETA, KARLA TERESA S
ARCE, BRYAN GEOFFREY P
ASENCE, STEPHANIE E
ASONG, MARISSE C
ASPRER, JEANINE ELAINE T
ASUNTO, PAOLO ANGELA Q
AVILA, CHRISTINE MAE S.
BACONGA, HAZEL S (panget ka! dapat imed ka eh! haha. 11 years sana tayo magkakalase :p)
BALACCUA, MARIA CHRISTINA TABITHA P
BALTAZAR, JOANNA PAULINE A
BAÑARES, KARLA KRISTEL A
BANSON, MARA RUZENA PILAR Z
BARRAQUIO, ANNE L
BASCO, ARRIANE MAE P
BAUTISTA, TRISHA CARMELLI G
BERNARDO, NICOLE A (hindi na si gina ang kaisa-isang octet sa manila. hehe.)
BICO, JONAS DANIEL P
BOCAYA, MARGARET ROSE C
BONIFACIO, CARLA YSABELLA L
BRAZAL, JOSEPH I
BUÑO, BONIFACIO II O
BUROG, ALDRICH IVAN LOIS D
CABANILLA, MARIA CORAZON C (pisay by association. haha. hi pol! congrats!)
CALIBARA, RALPH LAURENCE M
CAMACLANG, MARIE LEN A
CANG, SANTI REX G
CANLAS, KRISTINA M
CANONIZADO. EXCELLE GRACE M
CANTALEJO, ANGELA CLARISSA DR
CAPUGAN, HANNAH CHRISTEL G
CARANDANG, CARLA MIA A
CARO, LEAH ANTOINETTE M
CASTILLO, JOAN JOSEPH S
CANTANGUI, FRANCO ANTONIO C
CANTANGUI, MIGUEL ANTONIO C
CATEDRAL, LANCE ISIDORE G
CATIBOG, ISABELLA BIANCA D
CATINDIG, TRISTAN JEGAR JOSEF FREDERIC P
CHAN, MARVYN ALLEN G
CHAVEZ, JENINA FAYE C
CHING, MARIA CECILIA C
CHING, MARIA ELIZABETH C
CHUA, LENNIE LYNN Y
CHUA, RONALD D
CO, HAZELINE Y
CUAÑO, CARLOS ROLANDO G
CUARESMA, GEROME CEF L
DALMACION, DENISE LAUREN V
DAVID, PHILLIP ANDREW D
DE GRACIA, BRYAN JAY N
DE GUZMAN, ANTONIO CARLO D
DE GUZMAN, GLAIZA S
DE RIVERA, MA. MARGARITA S.
DEATRAS, MARK CHRISTOPHER DA
DEE, ANNE MONICA O
DEL MUNDO, HUCKIE C (di rin pisay, pero members kami ng freshmen team nung bakbakan basketball. gj huck!)
DELA CRUZ, ANNA MAE DLC
DELA CRUZ, KETH IVORY O
DELA CRUZ, MARIA AMANDA J
DEMIGILLO, JOSEMARIA M
DICIANO, DAVID JR. G
DOMINGO, XIOMARAH GINA F
DOVAL SANTOS, CHRISTINE MARIE G (hoy! magmed ka!)
DURO, HANSEL L
EDRALIN, STEPHANIE LORRAINE M
ELFANTE, ANNE LORRAINE M
ESPIRITU, ADRIAN I
ESQUIVEL, APOLINARIO III E
ESTEBAN, MARCUS JUAN L
EVANGELISTA, ARRIANE P
FAIGMANI, DULCE KRISELDA E
FAJARDO, ROBERT PAULO DLC
FERNANDEZ, JOSEFF KARL U
FERRARIS, KEVIN PAUL B
FERROLINO, JOSE BRIAN A
FIDER, VIVEN LORENZ I
FLOR, JOAN MARIE S
FLORES, KAREN MARIE G
FLOSE, RICO ANTHONY M
FOJAS, JHALIQUE JANE R
FRANCISCO, MARK DAVID DG
GABRIEL, FRANCHESCA GABRIELLE C
GADDI, MAIRRE JAMES S
GALLARDO, MA. PAMELA S
GALVEZ, MARIA ISABEL R
GARCIA, DONALIZ R
GAWARAN, MARK AUSTINE F
GOCE, RICHMOND PAUL E
GOCHAN, JENNIFER JOYCE L
GRECIA, GLENN JR L
GUERRERO, PHYLICIA ALEXIS DLR
HERNANDEZ, ANNA KRISTINA M
JACOBA, CRIS MARTIN P
JOSE, ROSEMARIE G
JUAÑO, JOANNE G
KIM, PRECIOUS FEDELINE H
KING, RICH ERICSON C
LABSO, LLOYD LEONELL P
LAPUZ, APRIL FRANCES M
LAZARTE, VINCI R
LENON, ALCARLO RAUL L
LICARDO, RHODA L
LOMANTA, JAN MICHAEL JESSE C
LOO, LYNDON TIMOTHY EDWARD G
LOPEZ, JULIUS ADAM V
LOZADA, RAYMOND H
LUKBAN, LAUREEN CARMELA B
MACADINE, JESHA M
MAGBOJOS, JAYSON JOHN L
MALBAS, VINCENT SCHUBERT R
MANIWA, MICHAEL S
MANUEL, MARIELLE LOIS M
MANZANO, MARK
MAPA, MARIVIC
MASALUNGA, MARVIN C
MATA, RAMON JOSEPH Y
MATIAS, KARA MAE H
MAURICIO, MARK JEROME G
MENDOZA, JAMIE LEIGH L
MENDOZA, JEAN HANSEL A
MENDOZA, RALPH JULIUS L
MIER, JANA DEBORAH B (janaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!)
MONTEVIRGEN, KAREN ANJELA M
MONTINO, JONATHAN D
MORIAN, FAYE Q
NABOR, MARIA ISABEL P
NAIDAS, ANA LOUISE M
NARIA, MARIANNE JOY N
NELSON, ZANE OLIVER III M
NG, KARMELA CHARMAINE S
NOBLEZADA, JAMAICA M
OCON, MAETRIX O
OLONDRIZ, KAREN M
ONG, KIMBERLY MAE G
ONG, SCOTT RILEY K
ORDILLO, CRIS NIÑO F
ORDUÑA, PATRICIA G
ORTAL, ABIGAIL Z (pseudo-ex-girlfriend!!! mag-dorm ka na ah, para pwede ka na maging regular resident ng 20E)
PACHECO, ALEXANDRA P
PACLIBAR, RONNELLEE G
PADRE, SARAH MAY C
PALAD, GERARD PER G
PALIS, FELICITAS JEAN C
PANGANIBAN, JAYSON C
PAULINO, JOSE ANTONIO T
PENSERGA, GRACE G
PEREYRA, MARY YÑA ELUISIA T
PONCIO, MAR ARISTEO
PORLAS, ROMEO JR V
QUEZON, ANNA SHARMIE C
RAMOS, EVERLY FAITH P
RELENTE, MARIA RICCI ELEARHINA S
REMONTE, EDGAR JR F
REY, KATRINA LOREN R
REYES, JULIANNE FRANCESCA F
REYES, KRISTINE P
REYES, PAULA CITADEL B
RIVERA, ADOVICH S
RIVERA, KAY C
RIVERA, MANUEL GREGORIO T
ROBLES, ANNA FRANCESCA M
ROÑO, ELIZA MAE D
ROSALES, AILEEN L
ROSETE, MARGARET B
SAN JUAN, MARI DES J
SAN LUIS, CARMELA V
SAN MIGUEL, ALBERT M
SANTIAGO, MARIA CARMINA L
SEE, JOHN PATRICK C
SILVERIO, LEAN ANGELO A
SIÑAGAN, MARK C
SIY, WALDEMAR T
SO, JACKLYN M
SOTALBO, DENORSON R
SOYANGCO, RENZ S
SUMILANG, FRANCESCA MARI P
TAGAYONA, APRIL C
TAGOMATA, KARL BABE G
TAGUM, SARAH L
TAN, HAROLD NATHAN C
TAN, MICHAEL ALEK Y
TAN, RANDALL ISAAC F
TOLIBAS, ANGELLI V
TORRES, GODFREY JOSEF R (twin brother!!! haha. it runs in our pseudo-identical genes!!!)
TUOZO, TALITHA JENNA M
TY, ANDREW EDWARD B
UY, ANGELIQUE BEA C
UY, FELIX MAVERICK JR. R (no comment na lang. nakakasawa ka na kasing makita dito sa maynila eh. hahaha)
UY, PEARL PRINCESS D
UY, TIMOTHY JOSEPH S
VALENZUELA, DIANNE G
VALENZUELA, MARIROSE B
VASQUEZ, CAMILLE FAYE L
VELASCO, ROGELIO JR N
VENTURA, KATRINA L
VERGARA, NICHO ANGELO M
VILLAFUERTE, MARY GRACE M
WAGA, ANGELI LOREN B (hindi na ata mabubuwag ang yeyen-hazel tambalan)
YAP, MA. CRIZIA CAMILLE C
YU CHUA, CONSTANTINE L
YU, ARLENE L
YUGA, ANN CAMILLE Q
YUMENA, RYAN P
ZUMARAGA, MARK PRETZEL P
ZUNIEGA, RALPH ROMMUALDO A
Yehey! I'll be your resident when you're clerks or interns!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Be nice to me. Especially you Abby. You won't see the outside of the hospital until I say so. :p
Oi, just kidding. :)
*******************
"ba't parang ang kaunti lang?" - qasdan
The list is indeed shorter than usual. Only around 200+ are scheduled for the interview. Which is sad come to think of it. Fine, only 120 (well according to lovely, they'll be taking 121) of them will be accepted to be part of 2014 (labing apat? walang katapat!). But doesn't the short list mean that fewer and fewer people are interested in getting into the medical profession? That's a bad thing since there's a shortage of medical personnel in the country, and the rate at which we fill up that demand is on the negative end of the number line.
I could go on and on about what the possible causes are, creating a post that would be several paragraphs long and would probably bore you to no end with my incessant commentary and side remarks. It would be a tedious exercise, and I really don't feel the need to do elaborate more on the topic, since after all this time, aren't the answers obvious?
*******************
A lot of things happened last week that are definitely worth setting in stone. Let's just hope that they don't seep out of my head as my brain is a complete sieve lately. So just that I won't forget, it'll be about an elevator ride, kidomanga, shopping, another elevator ride, a fashion show, ice cream, and a third elevator ride. And funnily enough, the story begins with a broken watch.
Anyway, I still have an exam tomorrow. And I've only skimmed the reading materials... And by skim, I meant "reading said trans without highlighting, and focusing on italicized, bolded, underlined, or bulleted items".
Blogging is definitely a form of glorified procrastination.
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| iwouldhitthebrakesforyou! |
[January 27, 2009 @ 10:26am] |
Hi friends!!!
Traffic Jam is some sort of a modeling competition. A friend of mine, Marla, is a contestant.
Show some support. Vote 5 times because that's the maximum number of votes per account. Just comment "I would hit the brakes for you", and do so 5 times. Again, 5 times. Thanks!
Oh, the link is here by the way. http://trafficjam09.multiply.com/photos/album/4/VOTE_FOR_MARLA
"I would hit the brakes for you"
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| discombobulated |
[January 25, 2009 @ 10:15am] |
The CRSRS.
It seems like a simple question warranting a simple answer. But with the sudden influx of so many arguments, so many counter-arguments, and so many voices talking all at the same time, it's starting to make Babel feel like Nirvana.
I'm a med student, with piles upon piles of transes to read, and other stuff that peels my free time away from me. I wasn't able to completely dissect each and every argument to the bone. But with the help of people posting information about it on the net or printing it on paper, I more-or-less got a picture of the whole deal. My initial decision was a "no".
The question was "Do you approve of the existing Codified Rules on Student Regent Selection (CRSRS) as rules and qualifications to govern the selection of our student regent to the UP Board of Regents?"
Sounds simple enough, right? I do remember a council meeting involving a discussion on what the CRSRS rules are, and some flaws in it, like that 2-vote/1-vote thing for the "major" and "minor" campuses respectively. It wasn't equal representation, because if it were, why the major/minor label? Then there's the whole "maintaining grade" issue. I couldn't remember what other issues that were brought about, but I formed the opinion back then that if the current rules had a lot of loopholes, inconsistencies, and logical fallacies, then it's something that must be reformed. "No", I don't approve of it.
But what probably started to befuddle the issue was the tarp posted next to the CM complex. The tarp, painted on the back of a (insert three greek letters) organization, asked everyone to vote a "YES" to that question. I later learned that the reason why we had to vote "yes" is that if the "no" side wins, the position of the student regent will be compromised.
I looked at the question again... Ok... What did I just miss? Was there a trick question in here somewhere? It didn't look loaded to me... Or was it... See the problem?
After reading argument after argument... Well... No offense meant to anyone, but as a person who believes that everything has a logical explanation, the arguments thrust by the "yes" side were nowhere to be found in the question. And from what I know of our laws, which I have to applaud our past legislators for having thought of it so well, the UP system is protected quite well by the charter. Sure, it's not perfect, but it does its job nonetheless. The "yes" side came off as a tad too paranoid for my liking, it was as if they were pulling the metaphorical bunny out of the hat. Fine, stuff like that happening is possible, but it's a bit on the "low probability" end of the spectrum.
Still, more stuff flew left and right, taking the form of flyers, posters, emails, and oddly enough, a trans. It was civil war CRSRS style. And this poor student became even more and more discombobulated...
Then I read this post. And it things sort of became clear again. So in case there are others who are as discombobulated as me, I hope this helps. Although I think it's a tad too late...
*******************************
Myth # 1: The question in the upcoming referendum is "Do you still want student representation in the Board of Regents?".
Observation: The Student Regent herself, in a statement released last January 16, stated that the one and only question in the upcoming referendum will be: "Do you approve of the existing Codified Rules on Student Regent Selection (CRSRS) as rules and qualifications to govern the selection of our student regent to the UP Board of Regents?" [Yes] or [No]
Status: Busted.
Myth #2: The Office of the Student Regent will be abolished if the NO vote wins in the upcoming referendum.
Observation: The upcoming referendum may only have an effect on the rules that we use in selecting the Student Regent. In no way may a vote of NO by us in the referendum abolish the said office – a position created by law and which may only be abolished by a subsequent law.
Status: Busted.
Myth #3: The students will never have a CRSRS (Codified Rules on Student Regent Selection) if the NO vote wins.
Observation: The UP Charter (sec. 12 [1.g.]) specifically states that the Student Regent shall be chosen by the students in accordance with the rules and qualifications approved in a referendum by the students. Nothing in the law states that a vote of NO will bar any rules for selecting the SR from being set. A NO vote is a edict by the students that they reject the old CRSRS as the rules in selecting the SR, and therefore is a command that a new one must be proposed before them for their approval.
Status: Busted.
Myth #4: There will no longer be any Student Regent if the NO vote wins.
Observation: We again look at the law. The UP Charter (sec. 12 [1]) states that the Board of Regents shall be composed of, among others, one Student Regent. By law (Lecaroz v. Sandiganbayan) a public officer is entitled to stay in office until his (or her) successor is chosen and has qualified. In other words, the current Student Regent may temporarily hold over her position until her successor is selected through a legitimate set of rules.
Status: Busted.
Myth #5: Assuming that the NO vote wins, if the current Student Regent graduates or resigns from her post, it will be the administration who will select her successor. Our independent representation in the BOR is in danger from attacks through admin-intervention.
Observation: Let us quote Section 12 (1 [g]) of the UP Charter: "One Student Regent, to serve for a term of one (1) year, chosen by the students from their ranks in accordance with rules and qualifications approved in a referendum by the students;" There is no question that the law mandates that only the students may choose the Student Regent. Any act by the administration to appoint the SR will surely be annulled by the court due to it being contrary to law.
Status: Busted.
Myth #6: We will have no Student Regent to represent us if the NO vote wins and the current Student Regent eventually graduates or resigns because the process to select the SR has been rejected by the students. No rules = no process = no Student Regent shall be selected.
Observation: The UP Charter has also given us a remedy for this situation. Section 12, paragraph 2 of the said Charter states that in case of vacancy, such shall be filled in the same manner as provided for her predecessor. In as much as the current Student Regent may temporarily hold-over her post until her successor has been selected through a valid set of rules, the current CRSRS may also be temporarily retained as the rules to select a temporary Student Regent until an official one has been selected through a legal set of rules.
Status: Busted.
Myth #7: The councils failed to recommend their amendments on time. The deadline for filing amendments is set by the CRSRS on the first day of October. No proposals were given to the OSR before such date.
Observation: It may be true that the first day of October is indeed the deadline for submitting proposed amendments under the old CRSRS. However, we must also take the following into consideration:
a. The practice for the past ten years is for the GASC to convene twice annually: once in October to approve the CRSRS (and any amendments proposed thereto) and again in December to select the SR by implementing the rules approved during the October session. The wisdom behind setting the October 1 deadline, therefore, must have been to ensure that all proposals are submitted before the October GASC session. For everyone's information, the October 2008 GASC was unilaterally cancelled by the SR due to the upcoming referendum.
b. The Student Regent circulated letters to the local student councils indicating her intention to visit each one of them from October until December, to consult on what must be done in the referendum. It is not difficult to imagine that any rational student council at that point believed that the SR's agenda at that time, among others, must have been to seek suggestions on the probable referendum question. Considering that the at the SR's scheduled consultations with the said councils the October 1 deadline would have already lapsed, one may logical infer that the October 1 deadline must have been also suspended together with the October GASC session.
c. Article V, section 1 of the CRSRS mandates the SR to inform all student councils, through official memo, of all pertinent information vital to the process of selecting the Regent. A new law was passed commanding that the rules for selecting the SR must be passed in a referendum. A rational SR must have concluded then that the councils are in a state of limbo on how to go about selecting the said rules. The presumption of regularity has been shattered. Yet, despite this state, the SR still failed to inform the student councils that the October 1 deadline still stands.
Status: Plausible.
*******************************
What exactly am I going to vote?
NO.
Which side are you on?
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| 59k!!!???!!! |
[January 18, 2009 @ 5:43am] |
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Here I was, happily reading neuro (thanks toy and cielo for the reviewers :p), when a special email coming from our beloved class president entered my inbox. Scrolling down, this part caught my attention:
*****************
I’m sure some of you have seen the Manila paper by the stones stating that the tuition has increased to PhP 59,000 / YEAR. The background of this adjustment is as follows. 1. In 2006, UPCM raised its tuition from roughly 11k to 21k. 2. The following year, a UP SYSTEM WIDE adjustment was made to PhP 1,000/unit. 3. LU 3 - LU 6 curriculums are quantified in terms of hours and was not able to implement the PhP 1,000/unit rule. 4. This year, the college converted our hours into units and will implement the PhP 1,000/unit rule for incoming Class 2014 onwards. (Direct entrants are included since they currently pay PhP 1,000/unit at CAS.) 5. The administration calls this an implementation of the rule of the system-wide change. The MSC has already written to the administration addressing this issue with the following points. 1. To clarify how the hours were converted to units. As well as to bring to their attention that according to university rules, the maximum number of units allowable per sem is definitely less than 50. 2. That although this may be an “implementation,” the fact is... the tuition was raised. No form of student consultation or at the very least, information dissemination was done. **************** My first reaction to this was, "what the hell just happened?" The tuition fee skyrocketed to a whopping 59,000 pesos in the blink of an eye. Obviously the students were not given information on the matter, at least telling us that:
"Hi kids! Remember that 1k per unit thing we used to have? Well med students, we're converting your hours into units so that we can follow that system-wide gig. Then we'll do the math and we're going to slam a brand new and extra hefty form 5 in your faces. Wassup?"
A heads-up would have been nice. A consult would have been even better. Now I can't say much at this point, since there I have not read that paper at the medstones, nor has Tina emailed anything to the council, since, duh, we've not been properly informed by the higher ups. I hope we could meet on this soon. Speculation time... Let's see...
The low health budget led to the inability to provide quality health services to the community as well as the inability to provide a sustainable livelihood for the medical personnel who work in public institutions. As a result, medical professionals have sought to work overseas, where the promise of being able to earn enough for the family you love is a reality. The burden of taking care of the underserved fell heavy on those left behind. Still, the health budget did not budge... The STFAP bracketing remains to be a big question mark in the UP System. The concept of segregating students into clades depending on their family income is a brilliant means by "distributing the wealth" of the students. Those who can't pay enough, are ensured that they pay only what they can, while those who pay more somehow 'subsidize' their colleagues with their higher tuition fee. However, the means by which they implemented this bracketing system is, no offense, idiotic. Having 4 fans, a tv, and a motorbike puts you in bracket 9, you don't earn much, but they're asking you to pay full tuition. While there are those with high ITR's putting themselves into the lower brackets so that they could pay less. Perhaps, indirectly or directly, this improper fund collection caused the university's income to take a nose dive. The university needed money... The OSI Curriculum is the new-fangled system of medical instruction developed by the college. Instead of tackling each branch of medical knowledge separately, the topics are now to be intergrated with each other, lumping them according to the organ system that they'll be discussing. Indeed, the concept of the system of instruction is laudable, and it should have made learning much easier, as one should have been able to properly correlate the topics with one another. But quoting a senior consultant, no such integration exists. Theoretically, in integration, one lecture should "flow into the other". The lectures are still given as if they were completely unrelated to the one that came before and that one that would follow after. Admittedly, there are excellent professors in the college. However, there are those who are incapable of properly imparting knowledge but are highly competent in inducing REM sleep. End result? Frustrated med students...
Medical personnel are leaving left and right in this country. The patient-doctor ratio increased. In order to contain the "brain drain", the university implemented a Return of Service, taking effect for the incoming batch of 2014. It states that medical students from class 2014 onwards need to provide a mandatory number of years of service to the country either by working in a public hospital, private practice outside the greater Manila area, working in the academe, and research to name a few. It was a temporary fix, but the number of the applicants to the college would drop considerably. It was justified that at least those applicants who would still push through are willing to accept these terms and in effect, are willing to serve the country, even if it is just for a short time...
In a last ditch effort to increase the funding of the university, the TFI was implemented. The amount charged per unit increased several times. This posed a problem to the students, especially to those in the lower brackets. With the STFAP unable to properly prioritize the students who needed the subsidy, some of the low-income students could not hope to afford the increased tuition fee and could not continue with their education. The university now charges 1000 pesos per unit... Taking all that into account, what is the fate of the incoming med student? He will be paying a tuition fee that is very expensive, and if he belongs to the lower end of the social income class, the STFAP would not be able to help him much. Should he push through, he will be under a curriculum that is not properly managed, and he'll eventually be working for a system that would not give him enough to provide for himself or for his family. Doesn't look pretty from where I stand.
Everything is connected... Tsk. This is all just speculation on my part of course. But... you decide.
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| BBB |
[January 18, 2009 @ 1:30am] |
From Hematology to Neurology... Gentlemen, we have crossed the blood-brain barrier.
Geek.
It's been more than two weeks since I last wrote something. Having a large time interval in between posts has its upside and its downside. The upside is that you accumulate so many experiences, hence you have so much you could write about. The downside is selecting those that you would like to write about and then organizing them in a readable format. So where do I start?
Hema = First Blood. Weh. Shame that the first lectures were never discussed thanks to the little misunderstanding between the department and the chancellor. To think that even happened on the first day of class! I was early! How early, you ask? Well my friend, I came in waaaaaaaaaaay before Ryan and Carol ever did. Hahaha.
Neuro benign. Ok, everyone's said that already, no point reiterating their opinions and reflections on that topic. Is it really? I just spent a good half-hour staring blankly at the transes I have to read for the upcoming exam. The only times I did attend neuro classes were the SGD and the group presentation. I was stuck in my unit just browsing through the book and the transes. But Pam's words offered some comfort: Ok lang yan. Walang paki ang neuro :D. That's good enough for me.
Well, there was this one time that I decided to go to class, but instead I went to PGH and took the history of a patient for our cardio elective. Maybe I felt my brain had better use there rather than being stuck in the classroom. Anyway, Manong Merlino is a fun patient to talk to. He has a rather sunny disposition, has a very warm yet toothless smile, and is very helpful to the newbie med student. One slight hitch that I had to overcome when talking to him: his history. Why so, you ask? At the time I interviewed him, his symptoms started two weeks ago, then got worse 3 days prior to this admission. This time interval encompassed the days of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. For no fault of his, he switched the events that happened on these days, such that what happened on Wednesday happened on Friday, what happened on Friday happened on Thursday, and what happened on Thursday happened on Wednesday. Confused? So was I, since the progression of the symptoms didn't make sense. Luckily for me, Manong Merlino was very patient in helping me iron out his history. To this, I wish the man: STOP SMOKING! and keep carrying those Meralco posts! You the man!
By the way, I'm not kidding. The man carries Meralco posts part-time for a living.
"My name is Benjamin Button. And I was born under unusual circumstances. While, everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger... all alone." So... Differentials? I say tumor. O_o Really, really nice movie. I'd like to watch it again so I can really mull over the symbolisms or analogies that the movie was trying to make. Strange though, how come Mr. Daws only narrated 6 out of 7 lightning strikes? And what did the clock at the start of the movie have to do with Benjie's condition? Yes, I do have to watch this one again.
Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.
Brooklyn Pizza is fun. Even more fun when you eat there with friends. I must say, they really do have big servings. Supposedly each pasta bowl is able to serve 2-3 people. That is an understatement. There were five of us at that time, so doing the math, we ordered two different pastas and individual slices of pizza for each. White cheese pizza = mmmm! I was surprised to see later on that just one bowl of pasta was enough to make all of us full. I could barely finish my pizza... Moral of the Story: Don't order more than you can chew. But if someone else is paying, please, go ahead. The fridge was made for keeping leftovers.
I've been out of touch with the rest of the world lately. Thanks to Tin, I have some idea as to what's going on with the CRSRS (did I get that right? >_<). When I have some time, maybe I could dig a bit more into that lengthy article on this site: choose to know. Once I get what both sides are trying to say, that's when I can make a choice. Of course I'd go with the one that makes more sense. That's a given. But right now, let me just get these transes and other paperwork off my desk.
Congratulations to the new members of MSS. :) Walk tall. Be proud. Stay MSS.
February's almost here. So it's time to remind you all of this picture posted several February's ago:
 Long Live Singles' Awareness Day (S.A.D.) :p Celebrating soon. =))
That's a lot...
Time to go back to stu-DYING... :(
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| 800x600 |
[January 04, 2009 @ 1:38am] |
Tomorrow's the first day of class for the year of 2009...
Crap.
Oh please, don't tell me you're actually excited to go back to school? Expose ourselves to the nightmare that is Hema (for block B) and Cardio (for block A), the tortures of work, the intravenous injection of caffeine, and the grueling demands of everything else. Then again... there's always the flipside: you get to go through all of that with your friends. Prepare for some major bellyaches.
So... Resolutions!!! I'll just do away with the specific forms of resolutions, since I just make these up as I go through the year. Let's just stick with the generics.
I promise... To See No Evil, To Hear No Evil, and To Speak No Evil.
and... To be a doctor with House's Head and Wilson's Heart...
Yeah, I just finished season four last night. It's just sad. *SPOILER* (and tearjerker) lines coming up. Skip quickly if you have not seen it. :p
Wilson: Just a little longer.
Amber: We're always gonna want just a little longer.
Anyway... That should do. For now. Hehe.
Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to....
My pseudo-ex-girlfriend Abby: *picture taken - Grad Ball 2005*
My bestfriend-turned-karibal David: *picture taken - Me-an's Debut 2006*
My "runaway" friend Dixi: *picture taken - Grad Ball 2005*
My estranged daugter Mel: *picture taken - Grad Ball 2005*
Ayan. Hehe. Dun sa mga nakalimutan kong batiin, sorry sorry. Eto na lang sa inyo, generic na HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! o_O
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| kryptonite |
[January 01, 2009 @ 6:41am] |
*Just so you know... there's a music meme in this Post. Feel free to skip the intro and have fun.*
Smallville. I'm almost done with the season 7 marathon. In my opinion, what cemented the series easily on primetime television, is that aside from narrating the genesis of one of the most popular superhero characters, the show incorporated some rather outstanding pieces of music.
Don't believe me? Remember the pilot episode of Smallvile. Yeah, Season 1, Episode 1. At the end, as Clark sees Lana happy with evil-jock-turned-good-guy-then-dead-guy Whitney, the slow plucking of an all too familiar pattern begins. Then as the camera zooms out of Clark's barn, our memory kicks in, and we realize that it's "Everything" by Lifehouse.
Weren't you all "awww... poor Clark... he's just like me... sniff..." and then you'd break out into song, "How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?"
Or was that just me... Oh boy... Now this is embarassing... Hahaha. Just kidding. Of course I didn't go into something like that! You do get my point though?
Where were we... Oh yes. I managed to track down seven seasons worth of songs, cherry-picked around 110 of them, compiled them, and did a little shuffle. Now you get...
The Smallville Music Meme of 2009!
This should be fairly easy. All of these songs appeared on Smallville, throughout Seasons 1-7 (yes, I know there's a season 8 already, but I'll just wait until next year). No artist appears twice in this meme. So... indulge!!!
1) Three months and I'm still breathing... Three months and I'm still remembering...
2) What if I missed you? You got caught in the sun... What if I did something never to be enough?
3) I don't want a thing from you... Bet you're tired of me waiting for the scraps to fall
off your table to the ground...
4) Flying to nowhere is better than somewhere... That's where I've been and nothing's changed...
5) This prayer is for me tonight... This far down that line and still ain't got it right...
6) Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum... And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart...
7) Then you say... Go slow... I fall behind... The second hand unwinds...
8) And I don't think, you see the places inside me that I find you... And I don't know, how we woke up one day somehow thought we knew exactly what we're supposed to do...
9) Yeah, she caught my eye as we walked on by... She could see from my face that I was flying high...
10) And I don't want these devils... They're knocking at my door... So I can't love you no more...
11) When we live such fragile lives, it's the best way we survive... I go around a time or two, just to waste my time with you...
12) 15 there's still time for you... 22 I feel her too... 33 you're on your way... Every day's a new day...
13) I would give anything I own... Give up me life, my heart, my home...
14) Never turn your back on it again... Here by my side, its heaven...
15) Isn't anyone trying to find me... Won't somebody come take me home...
16) 'Cause right know I'm crying outside the door of your candy store, your candy store... It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that...
17) Am I in to deep... Have I lost my mind... I don't care... You're here tonight...
18) I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door... I've had you so many times but somehow I want more...
19) I don't know your thoughts these days... We're strangers in, an empty space... I don't understand your heart... It's easier, to be apart...
20) Well I know what I've been told... You got to work to feed the soul... But I can't do this all on my own...
21) If there's a reason, it's lost on me... Maybe we'll be friends, I guess we'll see...
22) 'Cause you're turning me inside out, it's taken all my strength and will to stay... Maybe time will make it right...
23) I've made this whole world shine for... Just stay... Stay... Come on... I'm still waiting for you... [pag di niyo na nakuha itong kantang ito, ewan na lang. haha.]
24) And I want to get free... Talk to me... I can fear you falling...
25) You're too quiet, I'm too loud... Now we've rid a storm cloud...
26) The angels they burn inside for us... Are we ever, are we ever gonna learn to fly...
27) You're falling back to me... The star that I can see... I know you're out there somewhere out there...
28) What may seem complicated may be uncertain... But the responsibility still rings true...
29) Staring at the same four walls, have you tried to help yourself... The rings around your eyes they don't hide, that you need to get some rest...
30) Suddenly someone means more than you felt before... Her house and its yard turns into home...
Hahaha. Quite a lot... I think I got carried away there. Hahaha. By the way, to the one who guesses #26, do you know any other songs that that band made? :)
Brb. Off to save the world. >_<
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| annual |
[January 01, 2009 @ 4:43am] |
Welcome to the Special Annual Entry. (as you may have probably guessed, this is the second annual I've written. obviously the last one was waaaaay back at the start of 2008... or was it the end of 2007... but it was entitled differently... i think...)
Anyway, looking back at the year 2008, there are moments that I believe were the most important/special among all the others. Of course, these are all preferences. And for crying out loud, don't even think about looking for any of your birthdays. That's just insane! I mean, sure, you turned x+1 years old, and yes that is indeed special. But there's too many of you!
Thanks to that wonderful technology known as the camera, we have photos for each item, though some of these are not actual photos of the related event. We have google images for that. Some of these photos are courtesy of Toy G, Alric M, Jeboy P, and Ikey C.
So before we deviate too much from the topic... let's start :D
TRP 33:
Why? Perhaps our most fun class presentation ever. Showgirls, Clowns, Flagbearers, Majorettes, Hoop-swingers. To be performed again in the year 2037.
 Mediscene:
Why? Two-time Champions. Going for round 3 again in 2009. Hehe. "Teka! HINDI PA AKO TAPOS HERMANA!!" Hahaha.
 Secret Invasion:
Why? The Marvel comic event of the year! Skrulls, Heroes and Villains allied... and a rather "dark" ending that spells an even darker fate for the Marvel Universe.
Iron Man:
Why? The return of Robert Downey Jr, and the debut of the most wicked power suits on the face of the earth. Not to mention that if it weren't for this, we wouldn't have Tropic Thunder... and coming in 2011... The Avengers. HOOOO!!!
The Dark Knight:
Why? So Serious? Hahehehahohehahoha... Perhaps one of my most favorite movie villains of all time, beating Sephiroth hands down. My dream car just shifted from a James Bond car... to the Batmobile.
Lady Med:
Why? It's like being touched for the very first time. Perhaps our most whacked-out dance number in years. The debut of our very own blond bombshell, Madonna Esteban.
Hustisya:
Why? I'd never expect to meet people as crazy as these guys. Hahaha. Brod and sis alike, you guys have made signing up one of the best things to happen to me. There is no Glory without tears. :p
 Diablo 2:
Why? Ace Tiu's greatest influence on me. Sure, this game came out like... probably a decade ago... but heck, it's still fun to freeze demons and shatter them with a well-placed hail of arrows. Vengeance Paladins are just boring to use. Haha.
How I Met Your Mother:
Why? I'll tell you why my friend. It's going to be LEGEN... wait for it... wait for it... and you better not be lactose-intolerant because the next word is... DARY!!! I thought nothing could fill the void that was left by F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Thankfully, this series disproved that and gave me night after night of belly aches and a new set of quirky mannerisms. SUIT UP!!!
Sembreak:
Why? 'Nuff said. High School Musical is there because it was the "highlight" film of the sembreak season.
Vader at the Mall:
Why? The Revenge of the Sith at Mr. Choi's. You guys think I left my idiot boy years in high school? Guess again. Hehehe. Jeboy and Dane patronized this stunt by being very amused with the reactions of the people in Robinson's, from people staring with their mouths open, to people tripping because they were looking somewhere else, and the occassional yelp of fear and surprise.
Twilight:
Why? Huh?? What are you doing here??? This is not supposed to be here... Oh yeah! I remember why... It's all because of a vampire named Alice. <3
Class Jacket:
Why? See attached image... 'Stig no? Dos Whutting just got a little more... theatrical this time.
OSCE song:
Why? A story definitely worth noting in the history of the college of medicine, when "a great song" met up with "a great class". A victory amidst adversity. May the lessons that the song set out to remind everyone remain in our souls 'till the end.
Caroling at the Wards:
Why? "Kung mawawala ka sa piling ko sinta... Paano ang paskong alay ko sa iyo..." The second caroling at the wards by the formations committee of class 2012. Helping spread some Christmas cheer in the wards of the Philippine General Hospital. Seeing the smiles on the patients' faces is definitely worth the risk of getting your frog voice exposed.
 2012 at Fridays:
Why? The Friday at Friday's. A night of merry-making, singing, antics, gift-giving, and of course, bottomless ice tea.
Well... that's a wrap!!!
Here's to looking forward to 2009.
09??? Benign!!!
The end... Is just the beginning :p
How Far We've Come
Matchbox 20
Hello, hello, hello...
I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world
But it's feeling just like every other morning before
Now I wonder what my life is gonna mean if it's gone
The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour and I
Started staring at the passengers and waving goodbye
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?
But I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I believe it all is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
I think you turn, turn the clock, but I don't really know
And I can't remember caring for an hour or so
started crying and I couldn't stop myself
I started running but there's nowhere to run to
I sat down on the street, took a look at myself
Said "Where you going man, you know the world is headed for hell?"
Say your goodbyes if you got someone you can say goodbye to
But I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I believe it all is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
It's gone, gone, baby it's all gone
There's no one on the corner
And there's no one home
Well it was cool cool, it was just all cool
Now it's over for me, and it's over for you
Well it's gone, gone, baby it's all gone
There's no one on the corner
And there's no one home
Well it was cool cool, it was just all cool
Now it's over for me, and it's over for you
I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Yeah well, I believe it all is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
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