My Island Adventure

Summer Break Flashback Part 4b: Boracay

2007-10-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

In Boracay you can find many people offering a boat cruise around the island for less than ten bucks. In the Bay Area 10 bucks wouldn’t even be enough for you to get a round trip from Vallejo to San Francisco. So when we were given the opportunity for all seven of us to be shown around the island on a boat, we hopped to it. And so here goes the story of our three hour tour.

We sailed straight pass all the tourist on the beach to a little cove where a few other boats had already dropped anchor. Once we reached the other boats one of the guides then pulled out some snorkel gear and dropped it in front of him. We were told if we like we could jump in the water and try feeding the fishes. The offer may have seemed a little more enticing if the gear wasn’t lying right next to his crusty toes, and I didn’t know full well that those things have never been sanitized since the day he bought them... or maybe even longer. So I hesitated for a moment but then figured what’s a lifetime of herpes when you can go out there and feed a few tropical fish for a couple of minutes. I took the gear and jump in the water with one other foolish soul.

The water was crystal clear. I could see coral and several small colorful fish down below. The guide gave me a piece of bread and hundreds of fish began to swarm around me to grab a bite. Some of them I could see clearly as they paused to nibble on the bread but mostly of them were just a blur of colors, blue, yellow, orange, red, and black, darting in and out. It was something you only see on a documentary for National Geographic. It was amazing.

Then I felt it. A sharp sting on my left arm as if something was trying to crawl under my skin and after failing to see what it was I popped out of the water like a torpedo. As I was trying to tell every one on the boat what had happen I could start to feel my whole left flank and neck start to burn. I realized then it must have been a jellyfish but as the pain continued to worsen the guides repeatedly denied that there were any jellyfish in these waters. However, after the welts started popping up all over my body they must have realized it was pointless to continue on lying to me. Finally they admitted that there are jellyfish that inhabit these waters but they said they were only small ones and that the pain would go away in a couple of hours. Like the f*@# I was really going to believe those @$$#*!%$ after they so blatantly lied to me just seconds ago.

Now, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was living out another one of National Geographic’s documentaries but this one didn’t have that oooh, ahhh, amazing feeling. I recalled their special on a certain species of jellyfish, no bigger than the size of a quarter, living off the coast of Australia. Apparently these small jellyfish are amongst the most poisonous in the world and were responsible for killing a string of people off the Australian coast. I then began to wonder how close is the Philippines actually to Australia. From maps it doesn’t look that far. In any case it was way too close. I also realized that the jellyfish that stung me must have been really small since I didn’t even see it. Then I didn’t really know if the reason it was getting more difficult for me to breathe was due to the toxins of the jellyfish or my fears.

The rest of those who were with me on the boat asked me if I wanted to be pissed on, in order to somehow counter act the poison. Now, though it had gotten a little more difficult for me to breathe I knew what the answer to that would be right away… No way in hell. If I was gonna die, I was gonna die a man. Not as some dead fool who smelt like piss. And despite my splendid condition we ended up just continuing the rest of our trip. And after not a couple of hours but several hours later the pain and the welts finally started going away.

Now, I suppose the boat crew initially denied the presence of any jellyfish because it would obviously be bad for business if people were to know that jellyfish were stinging divers along the coast. But you know what? Screw them... Beware of the jellyfish!

Some of the welts still left on my arm after the boat ride.

Summer Break Flashback Part 4a: Boracay

2007-10-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the buffet to get started I found my self sitting on one of the hottest bikini clad beaches in the Philippines... with my parents. Well, at least I didn’t have to pay for anything during my stay in Boracay.

When you ask people which is the best beach in the Philippines there are two destinations that usually come up, Palawan and Boracay. In Borocay however, you don’t have to worry about contracting malaria as much as you would in Palawaan. And now after having been to Boracay summer I would also have to agree with what most of those people have to say. The beach sand is white (at least whiter than the black sand in Batangas) and the water is clear with minimum algae (unlike in Pagudgod). Also there is hardly any trash anywhere (unlike most of the Philippines). There are actually people on the beach with rakes combing thru the sand to keep it debris free as possible.

For all that Boracay is however it is not your idea of a “secluded” tropical paradise. This place was definitely designed for tourist and the party crowd. All along the beach strip there are bars, restaurants, tattoo parlors, souvenir shops, etc., and even a mall. What I found surprising was the number of shops with signs written all in Korean. It seems that the Korean crowd is a big market in Boracay. There are also a lot of other things to do if you are more of the adventurous type such as parasailing, island hoping, scuba diving, etc. I didn’t get to do too much of that but I did go snorkeling for a bit and I’ll have to tell you more of that in the next post.

Now rather than just lying on the beach and being contempt with taking in the sun, if you know me at all there were just a couple things I had to find and complain about. Despite being one of the major tourist attractions in the Philippines and hallo-hallo being one of the more famous Filipino deserts my parents and I were hard press to find any place that actually sold hallo-hallo during our stay. We went to three restaurants, one right after the other, and though they all had hallo-hallo on their menus for whatever reason they couldn’t make us one. One place had no ice, the other said they had no ice cream, and the other place had nothing at all. Eventually, we just gave up our search and settled for an American style shake at this little establishment owned by a Caucasian woman from the Bay Area. In reality however, not having what’s on the menu in the Philippines is quite a common thing. I’ll give them one thing though, they did have the only Ice Monster I’ve ever seen in the Philippines that actually had strawberries in stock.

The other thing I found a little odd was the lack of authentic Filipino souvenirs. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of shops that sell souvenirs made by Filipinos but what one of my dad’s friends was trying to find was something with meaning. Something that represents the essence of the people, their struggles, their joys, their sorrows… The heart and pride of the Filipino people! OK, maybe not that deep but maybe something with a bit of cultural significance or at least with some authenticity. We didn’t really have much luck finding it though…

It appeared that what most of the shops where passing off as Filipino were really products of another culture. At one souvenir shop that also did alabata tattoos, we told the lady what were looking for and pointed us to some of the pendants she had. We were told that one pendant which was clearly a musical cleft was the symbol for one who loves music. Though maybe what she said held a little bit of truth it wasn’t exactly that part of the Filipino culture we were looking for.

These masks seem to be Polynesian.

The shop owner told us that Aetas in the mountains used these mask to scare away evil spirits in order to bring good luck to their business. Hmm, personally I couldn’t see why a bunch of hunters and gathers would be in such a need of a thing for their “businesses”.

This is maybe African in origin?

The mask of tragedy and comedy with a bit of a Filipino twist?

These are clearly resemble American Indian dream catchers however I was told they are also part of Filipino culture.

All in all I would have to say that Boracay is a nice place to go. I would not recommend against anyone going there. However, if you are looking for a bit of Filipino culture to take home as a souvenir you better just bring a camera.

No apology needed Erap, we love you!

2007-10-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting here watching Joseph Estrada (a.k.a. Erap) arrive in San Juan on live TV, just after he had been given a full presidential pardon earlier today, and the whole time I'm asking myself why does this guy still have so many supporters? Didn't this guy steal millions of their hard earn pesos? Or maybe these are all the people that failed to pay their taxes so they could care less of how he had plundered their country. It's either that or I'm still trapped in the Twilight Zone. As I continued to watch his supporters carry their balloons and wave their banners saying “Welcome home Erap”, I couldn't help but see the irony in this as well.

Just a week ago people around here were still fuming about the comment made in regards to Filipino doctors on Desperate Housewives. Filipino officials were demanding an apology from ABC and after they got it they were saying it wasn't good enough. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago (the one who stated that the Chinese invented corruption on live TV) asked the people to stop watching the show and that the television station that airs the show here in the Philippines pull it from the airwaves. Another senator even wanted the directors to write in a Filipino character to be shown in good light.

Now, I'll admit that when I first heard the comment made by Terri Hatcher I just laughed, but then later I realized it may have been a little offensive. Any doctor who graduated from a school in the Philippines and ended up in the US as a doctor would have to work his/her ass off to get there. To work in the US you will also have to pass the US boards just like any student who graduated in America. So how can one imply they are not qualified? However, at the same time though I am sure that are quiet a few good medical schools here in the Philippines a lot of them are also... well, crap. I attend a medical school here in the Philippines and to tell you the truth I would be scared to enter my medical school's hospital for any serious injury. I would rather take my chances on surviving the long plane ride home than be admitted here. I have heard of so many horror stories at this hospital and I am sure this is not the only place were such atrocities are being committed.

One of my classmates once told me that you have to choose your battles, but why choose the battles that mean so little? What will all this fuss over some comment in a silly television show get you? Redemption in the minds of the rest of the world? Personally I don't think the reputation the Philippines has established will change much over night with any form of apology given by ABC. And even if it does what good would it do for a country that is rotting from the inside? Everyday in this country Filipinos are being treated unjustly by their own countrymen. These injustices range from small to grand scale crimes, and most of the time the people are content in sitting there and doing nothing about it. Hell, even at my university students are mistreated by the administration but I've never seen the student body here once take up any kind of stand against them. Even worse people who plunder the country like Marcos and Erap are set free to live out their lives without so much of a slap on the wrist or an apology. Just a few minutes ago I saw Erap live on national TV deny that he had ever committed any form of corruption as president. Is what is being said on a sitcom really all that more important to the Filipino people when corruption in the country is allowed to go unabated?

One other thing I have to point out concerning this issue is that while Erap was under “house arrest” the Philippine government continued to allow him to fly over to the US for medical treatment. I guess the government felt that being forced to stay in the country and be treated by Filipino doctors would be too unjustly of a punishment for the crimes he committed. Hmm, it seems the irony never ends...

The return...

2007-10-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

After dropping off my car at Honda Alabang, which was over four weeks ago I finally got my car back yesterday. It took them an entire month to fix the scratch on the rear passenger door and replace the front bumper. Hmmm... Did they make these parts from scratch?

"We at Honda extract raw material from the center of the earth and then weild it into perfection to insure the best quality repair work for your automobile."

Seriously they didn't have to go that far.

A month to fix...

Ok, so the real reason why they say it took so long was that they were having problems with my car insurance company. They told me since I got my car insurance “outside” they can’t act right away on fixing or releasing the car. I find that to be a little strange though, especially when I had bought the car I was specifically told by Honda that I must purchase insurance from one of their “in house” insurance companies for the first year of ownership. I also remember when I brought the car in to Honda for the estimate their “in house” insurance agent who expected my car wore a BPI/MS Insurance logo, and in fact did work for BPI/MSI. It just so happens that the logo at the very top of the paper for my insurance policy also says BPI/MSI, and in fact the company that insures my car is BPI/MSI.

...Yeah, I really can’t explain it anymore than that. I feel like I’m stuck in an episode of the Twilight Zone. They should have just told me that they were having trouble extracting the materials from the center of the earth.

And you know after having my car for over four weeks in their shop you would think they would have the time to put back my seat covers, but they didn’t. They told me if I wanted the seat covers put back on it would take them another two hours. Who do they have installing seat covers there? Grandma? So I just cursed out the guy for a while and then left. And it was when I was driving away I noticed they stole all my maps.

F@#$!*& Honda of Alabang!

Summer Break Flashback Part 3: The Manila Hotel

2007-10-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

Manila Hotel is the place to be even when you can’t sleep inside.

The five star Manila Hotel opened in 1912 and is one of the oldest hotels in the Philippines. At one time General Douglas McArthur was a resident at this historic hotel and its grounds also served in the campaigns of both Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon C. Aquino. Other famous guest of this hotel include President John F. Kennedy, the Beatles, Sammy Davis Jr., John Wayne, and Michael Jackson.

The grand lobby is one of the nicest in all the hotels I have ever been to.

The were quiet a few wedding pictures being taken of different couples during our stay.

Someone once told me that Manila Hotel is still the place where you can go to see all the politicians with their mistress (or hookers) coming and going at the wee hours of the night. Unfortunately for me I’m not a politician. So I spent my first night at the Manila Hotel with my dad and a few of his buddies. Imagine if you can, spending your night listening to a live band at a bar in the Manila Hotel, and having a beer with a few 50+ year old martial art masters while watching grown Korean men dance with one another on the dance floor. Well it's not something I would have to try hard to imagine, it was a reality for me. Sometimes there is nothing more bizarre than life itself.

The rooms are nothing spectacular but for what it's worth you get a view of the Manila Bay.

The very next morning we headed out to Rizal Park which is right across the street from the Manila Hotel in search of what they came all the way from the US for, Filipino martial arts. And the one giving the marital arts demonstration that morning turned out to be none other that Grandmaster Rodel Dagooc, A.K.A. the Smoking Sticks.

Grandmaster Rodel Dagooc holds an 8th degree black belt (Lakan Walo) in Modern Arnis and though he looks a little small and feeble I bet he could still take a few people down. For his age the old guy still moves pretty well too. Check it out...

Here is another clip of his buddy showing some moves. And just to let you know this guy is missing a thumb.

And here is a Grandmaster Edgardo Telebangco showing us some of his techniques against a knife. He also had some cool moves against a person with two knives but my batery ran out.

We would end up staying one more night at the Manila Hotel before my dad and his buddies set off to make their little Filipino movie, while I returned to my non-functional air conditioned dorm.

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting
Those kicks were fast as lightning
In fact, it was a little bit frightening
But they fought with expert timing

Summer Break Flashback Part 2: The Road to Pagudpud

2007-10-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well as you could imagine during a 14 hour road trip to Pagudpud there are probably going to be a lot of things to see... most of which is traffic. However, once you get further up north and more along the coast just around the corner the view gets a whole lot better.

Some shorelines along the way looked better than the ones I’ve had to pay for in Batangas.

Like this stretch of beach some places had little tide pools where if you had a net you could stock up your salt water aquarium.

This is the mouth of Abra river, one of the three rivers that surrounds Vigan. Unfortunately like many of the other rivers in this country it has been heavily polluted due to urbanization. There is now a movement going on to try and preserve this river which once used to support the populations along its banks.

In the northern half of Ilocos Sur lies the city of Vigan. In 1572 Captain Jaun de Salcedo sailed to the island and took the already established town by force. Then two years later in 1574 Salcedo brought with him Augustian Missionaries to evangelize the native people and establish the Spanish colony. Today many of the historical buildings still stand erect and give you an idea of how the city looked back during its Spanish roots for which it is famous for. The city of Vigan is listed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List for being the best preserved Spanish colonial city in all of Asia.

I actually missed Vigan on the way to Pagudpud and had to stop by it on the way back.

Before the automobile there was the calesa.

All along the streets are little stores for you to buy your souvenirs...

...Such as this cool hat which I should have bought made from a huge gourd. By the way I think I’ve seen this same person in Pagudpud. She may have been stalking me. Hmm...

I would have liked to spend more time in this city to take more pictures. The city streets with their cobblestones and rustic appearance are very picturesque.

A little tidbit of history trivia, before the time of the Spanish Vigan used to be a trading port for sailing merchants from all around Asian, especially China. Many Chinese sailors integrated with the native people and decided to settle down in the area which earned the town the name of Kasanglayan (where the Chinese live).

A little farther up north is another historical landmark the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. The lighthouse was established 1892 when the country was still under Spanish rule and it still runs today, which surprises me because it doesn’t look very well maintained. When I got there, there was only one very old caretaker running the whole show.

I bet this placed would look creepy at night.

A view from the highest elevated lighthouse in the Philippines. I stuck my camera thru a broken window to get this shot. Of course the window was already broken when I got there.

That’s the biggest light bulb I have ever seen in my life. I wonder if I could get one for my room.

Well, as you finally make it closer to Pagudpud you’ll come across an interesting sign that I presume marks another popular tourist attraction.

Hmm, "a lot of people have died here". I wonder why that would be when you have a buss trying to overtake a semi-truck around a blind corner.

Just a little farther down the road there is a little rest stop with a nice view over looking the town of Pagudpud.

I guess incase you get into some horrible automobile accident out there this will give your family something to sooth them as they morn over your loss.

As you get down to flat land surrounding the town Pagudpud you'll see many fields of rice. I would guess that farming is actually the real main source of income in this town.

Also along the way to Pagudpud you'll get to see many of these guys tied up along long the side of the road. A national symbol of the Philippines, the carabao.

This guy was tied to the tree buy his nose. That’s got to hurt.

Well I’m sure there are also a lot of other things to check out along the way to Pagudpud but that’s about all the time I had for this time around. Until next time...

Summer Break Flashback Part 1: Pagudpud

2007-09-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well it seems the semester break has come and gone, and I have to say these past two weeks have been quiet adven… Actually it has been pretty much mundane so how about I this post into a flash back about last summer vacation.

During the first week of last summer vacation I took a trip to the white beaches of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. From Binan that's about a 590 kilometer drive to one of the most Northern points of Luzon. For you Californians that would be about the same distance as driving from Vallejo to LA, a trip that would take the average driver about 6 hours. However, since the physics of time and space follow different rules here in the Philippines this trip is about a 14 hour ride. Anyway, after everything I have heard about the place and then finally getting to see it first hand ... I have to say, OK ...

The beach shore was nice and definitely cleaner than most other places you will find in Luzon. I didn't see one piece of trash floating in the water either and the water so clear that you could see… all the seaweed. The seaweed was just about everywhere. When you are looking thru all those internet sites of Pagudpud and the pictures of the beach you don't really see the seaweed but believe me it's there. The people there were saying it's pretty much like that all year round. I guess you probably could still swim thru it but I didn't really want to try.

White sand? Looks like ordinary beach sand to me.

There weren't very many people there.

I staid the night at the Apo Idon Beach Hotel, which has some really good rates. (Maybe the low prices also had to do with the fact that no one else was there. I guess my summer break didn't coincide with that of the majority of other college students here in the Philippines.) Anyway, the rooms were still considerably nice and large for a beach resort for the price. A piece of advice however, if you see a conc shell in your room don't put it to your face. Whatever originally inhabited the shell must have been left in to rot and die. That shell smelled so bad.

Did I mention you get a free meal with your stay?
Mmm, lechon. I can feel my heart stopping now.

I guess the place was nice but I don't think it exactly lived up to all the hype but then again they did have a monkey chained to a tree.

Poor monkey, they are all gonna laugh at you.

Why?

2007-07-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

When I walked in to the room she didn't appear at all like I was expecting. She was lying there on her bed, almost as if she were sitting, with her torso prompted up against her pillows and her legs bent at an up right angle. She was missing that smile that was attenuated by her chubby cheeks whenever I would first great her. In its place was a pair of deeply chapped and purple lips. She almost looked as if she were asleep but I can't imagine how anyone would be able to do so while gasping for air as hard as she was.

Two weeks ago my cousin text me that my grandmother Remy had a bout of diarrhea accompanied with fever and nausea so they rushed her to the emergency room. I figured it was just something that she ate or drank and to that extent I was right. The doctors said she was suffering from amebiasis. I didn't expect however that along with the amebiasis she had developed a severe GI bleed. My cousin told me that she needed a blood transfusion fast, however since she had such a rare blood type (type “O”) for Filipinos it would be hard to find.

That very day I found out she needed a blood transfusion I went to the hospital's laboratory to see if I was a match for my grandmother. There I found out two very important and surprising facts. First, you can't donate blood if you have taken asthma medication in the last three months. They won't even give you a blood screen. Secondly, the hospital had a supply of blood to match my grandmother's type right there and then. So why weren't they giving her the transfusion? Unfortunately, there is some absurd policy that states the hospital will only give blood to a patient if suitable blood donors are willing to donate in her name. For my grandmother that would include 2 people of any type blood and 2 other people of type “O” blood.

So for the next 7 days my grandmother sat in the hospital not receiving best possible treatment available for her to get better because of some illogical hospital policy. Finally on the 8th day one of my cousins locates a Red Cross with the blood type my grandmother needs and so I drive my uncles along with a styrofoam cooler filled with ice 2 hours away to just to pick it up.

I'm not sure if she received a blood transfusion on that same day I got the blood or not. However, after the 13th day of being admitted to this hospital she has a heart attack and the on following day she died.

For some reason I can't stop from wondering why did she have to die. I know my uncles have been telling me over and over again that the doctors have said she had a heart attack which lead to renal failure and subsequently to her final weakened state but I can't help but think there is more to it. My grandmother has had a long history of heart disease and though this can explain the heart attack to some extent, it can't explain why the doctors knowing this as well didn't give her the transfusion she needed at day one of being admitted to the hospital. The doctors should have known that due to her low volume of blood this would put extra strain on already previous compromised heart and that the longer she stays this way there is more of a chance a serious complication could arise.

Maybe if she had been given the transfusion on day one then her heart wouldn't have had to under go all that unnecessary strain during those 8 days of wait. Then maybe she would have never developed that heart attack which the doctors blame for her demise. I know that doctors try to do their best to save the lives of their patients, or at least they should, and maybe nothing could have been done to avoid this outcome. But what was right there listed under the official cause of death didn't say she died of that heart attack which the doctors have been blaming everything on nor did it say it was dues to a severe loss of blood, secondary to an ameba infection. What was written on the paper placed across her chest said “cause of death: anemia” a condition that could have been corrected the first day she entered the hospital if only they had given her the blood transfusion right from the start.

Good by Grandma Remy, rest in peace.

The Decision

2007-06-05T03:46:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve been ignoring this blog due to sightseeing and trying to make a big decision. There has been a lot going on these past few months and I will have to get back on that but for now my big decision…

Do I stay here or head on out? The decision might be a little easier to make if it were that easy to transfer schools in this country. The biggest problem I have is the so called “donations” that the universities around here ask for. Hmm, maybe they should look up the official definition for “donation”. Asking for US$10,000 upfront along with your application like the University of Santo Thomas does, doesn’t sound much like a “donation” to me. Sounds more like a new car for one of those Dominican priest. I’m a former Dominican alumni, they should cut me some slack. Anyway, just about every school here does the same thing however, there is one school that isn’t asking that much. Cebu Doctor’s College of Medicine! My savior… kind of. Well it’s my only choice really.

CDU is asking only for about $500, something I might be able to pay however, unlike Perpetual Crap they are under another system. In CDU they are under the PBL (Problem Based Learning) system so most of the time students are left to study on their own. Basically Perpetual Crap is under the PBL system as well but no one else knows about it. Anyway, because officially CDU is PBL and PC is traditional there is some discrepancies in the curriculum as outlined in the email that CDU sent me.

Our Medical Education Unit has gone over your documents. The following are your deficiencies:

1. First Year level
1.1. Research in Medicine I (21 hours)
1.2. Pedagogy and Andragogy; The Filipino Family; Domestic and Family Violence (36 hours)
1.3. Reproductive System (108 hours)
1.4. Patient-Doctor Relations I
1.4.1. Leopold's Maneuver (12 hours)
1.4.2. Eye Examination (12 hours)

2. Second Year level
2.1. Research in Medicine II (35 hours)
2.2. Integumentary System (35 hours)
2.3. Special Senses (35 hours)
2.4. Reproductive System (105 hours)
2.5. Patient-Doctor Relations II
2.5.1. Labor, Delivery, Abnormal Pregnancy
2.5.2. Eye Examination

It will be very difficult even to start at our Second Year level because there are First Year level topics that you have not taken. Your options are: 1) to transfer to a school that uses the traditional curriculum, or 2) start as a First Year student with us.

Crap on me! Damn, I don’t want to stay in this perpetual hell any longer but two years over again? Part of me just wants to go home… now! But the other part is just wondering if I take what looks like the quickest route back home will it really get me anywhere in the end?

I cup

2007-04-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

You might be wondering why I took this picture of this man. What is it that he is doing there in the middle of the road? Is he checking the pressure of his tires? Changing a flat? Does he need any help? Should someone be giving him a hand?

No, he definitely doesn't need any extra hands for what he is doing.

This is an everyday scene here in the Philippines. However, usually the guy would be standing next to the wall of a building or in front of a bush. Not, in the middle of some busy street in Manila where this guy decided to take a piss.

Out here it is as if almost anywhere is a public restroom. So for all you foreigners walking around in slippers and who have stepped in a puddle, you'll have to think back if that was really water.

I C-U-P

Holy Week journey

2007-04-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

Last week was they celebrated Holy Week here on the island and on last Thursday my uncle had invited me to go on a “spiritual journey”. Despite my usual religious fervor I was kind of reluctant to say yes immediately but after realizing I had nothing else at all to do in my dorm I decided to go along.

The first stop on this spiritual journey was Kamay ni Hesus (Hand of Jesus) in Lubac, Quezon where they have among other things a healing priest by the name of Rev. Joey Faller, a 50 foot statue of Jesus sitting on top of a 20 story hill, and ex-beauty queen. At a glance it looks like an amusement park for Christians with a 20 story hill decorated with statues of the 14 Stations of the Cross. However, as you watch the hundreds of people both young and old make their way up the 200+ steps of the hill bearing the heat and humidity you see that everyone here is seriously devoted to their faith. We'll most of them...

The 4th station, Jesus is adorn with a crown of thorns.

The 7th station, Simon helps carry the cross.

The 8th station.

Where Jesus plays pat-a-cake for the last time.

One of the buckets of coins they pulled out from a pond on the hill.

Religion pays in this coutntry!

Hundreds of candles are burnt for personal wishes.

I was told if you want to bestow ill will on some one you turn this guy upside down and then make your wish.

Alright praying to God to hurt some one. That's a new one to me, but maybe one I'll try.

I believe this is Guadalupe Sanchez. She's a former Miss Philippines who now runs a restaurant in Manila.

Well, you know beauty doesn't last forever.

Though it was already dark and most of us were sweating from climbing to the top of the hill I came to discover our spiritual journey wasn’t over yet. It just began. One of the traditions here in the Philippines is Visita Iglesia which means church visit. It’s a modern day pilgrimage where people go from one church to the next in a physical representation of the Stations of the Cross, minus having to carry an actual cross and adorning a crown of thorns. Although there are some places where they do that. Most people visit 7 churches but others do the whole 14. We sort of got going kind of late so we weren’t able to complete the Visita Iglesia but at least we did give it a go.

One of the places we managed to visit was Tayabas Basilica in Quezon province. Built in 1585 by Franciscan Friars it is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.

Though it needs a little restoring it is a really nice church.

Oh snap! Jesus is black!

Another church we got to visit before the night was over was Lucena Cathedral, which was completed in 1884.

This was a nice church as well with a lot of decorative wall paintings.

Looks like Cain is about to serve Able a can of whoopass.

We were able to hit up another two churches before everthing started to close down. However, they where just your typical modern churches. So with that our little spiritual journey came to an end.

Case discussion

2007-04-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

The case:
While celebrating with a group of friends a 58 year old med student managed to consume 6 bottles of beer and 6 shots of hard liquor. Also on the menu that night was clams, grilled fish and oysters some of which were particularly hard to open. The following day he began feeling the typical symptoms of a hang over including headache, nausea, and myalgia. On the 2nd day symptoms persisted. The 3rd day symptoms were accompanied by severe epigastric pain, fever, chills, and an acute bout of diarrhea. The consistency of the stool was noted to be watery with tiny flecks of debris.

Initial diagnosis:
Vibrio spp. infection

The reasoning:
Vibrio is a gram negative rod that is pathogenic to humans. Typically the body's natural defenses, such as the acidity of the gastric fluid are enough to prevent infection. However, the large quantity of carbonated alcoholic beverages consumed during the party may have increased the normal pH level of the gut. Thus, allowing the organism to survive upon consumption. Shellfish such as clams and oysters are known to be natural host of Vibrio spp. and were served in large quantities at the party. Adequate cooking is normally enough to kill the organism. When shellfish are adequately cooked they will typically pop open to expose their meaty flesh. However, as noted many of the oysters where difficult to open indicating that may have been undercooked. Initials symptoms of Vibrio spp. food poisoning may have been masked by alcohol intoxication. However, the symptoms of epigastric pain, fever, chills, and "watery-rice" like diarrhea typical of Vibrio infection still fell within the normal incubation period of 1-3 days.

The reality:
Once I had taken an aerobics class in junior college where we would have to do situps for a period of 45 minutes straight each session. I still remember the how painful my abs felt after that first week and it was... nothing compared to this. This felt like some one grabbed hold of my intestines and was trying to wrench them dry. On top of that I had made a trip to royal throne so many times that I eventually ended up with toilet paper burn.

Lesson learned:
Don't mix beer and oysters, just drink beer.

The price of cut backs

2007-04-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Now, for some unknown reason I don't have an unlimited amount of money to spend while I'm staying in this country. In fact my budget is quite limited. Luckily for me you could say I've have been born with an innate sense of making my money work. And one of the ways I make my money work is by cutting down on what I spend. And one of the things I have been cutting back is on toilet-tissue. By getting the generic brands I save 10's of pesos. Hey, every cent counts or in this case centavo. Well, at least that's what I thought.

After 7 visits to the John today I've decided that cutting back on the cost of toilet tissue was not such a good idea. Some of this stuff is ruff. My ass now has toilet paper burn.

From now on it's nothing but the softest for me.

The year in review

2007-04-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I finally completed my second year in medicine (actually we been done for about a week now) and apparently I have managed to pass all my classes. Amazing. Anyway, it’s time now for my year in review report.

For this second year of medicine I have to say it has been... total crap. Other than out of pure stupidity I can tell you why I thought this year would have been better than the last. I just thought that maybe this year I’ll ignore the fact that the teachers are constantly late and the rest of last year’s problems and try to learn something. However, the teachers that used us as guinea pigs and as personal stress relievers, and the ones that we saw only at Starbuck’s took it to a whole ‘nother level. We had one teacher this year who must have shown up no more than twice for class tell us, “it’s ok for me to be absent but not for you because I know everything and you know nothing”. This had to be one of the stupidest comments of the year. It’s right up there next to DSM’s speech. Ok genius, don’t you think that since you know everything maybe you should be showing up more often so that maybe we might actually learn something? After all you’re suppose to be our $@#%!&* teacher.

As for my grades, they are slightly lower than last year but I don’t think grades really tell you much around here. You got to look personally at what you got out of it. And with that I would say I got the same amount of education as I did last year which was crap. I don’t think I’ve learned much in pharma and definitely not much if anything in medicine. The one thing I did learn though was that if you don’t feel motivated OTs aren’t going to matter much. Don’t get me wrong though OTs are definitely a big advantage. But I would have to say I basically went OT free as one can get this year around and my grades are basically the same as last year, considering the effort. I probably looked at an OT before a regular exam no more than twice but then when finals came around they start popping up everywhere. For some reason it still surprises me to find out who has these things. It’s like everyone has a secret stash. If this was prison OTs would be like cigarettes and you probably could trade them in for sex.

I still have a hard time trying to concentrate on what it is that I came here for, which is an education in medicine. There is still just way too much bullshit that goes on around me that ends up taking most of concentration away. And I seriously doubt that the system at this school is going to get any better so why am I still here?

And the award for best melodramatic actor...

2007-03-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

Well, today was scheduled to be our much anticipated showdown with the doc since we turned in the letter. Apparently the administration at the institute I attend didn’t see much of a problem with the way he treated us. Two of the doctors here told us straight up that they didn’t see what the complaint was about at all. Apparently they feel it’s the right of every teacher here to refer to his students as bitches at least once. So at the most the admins here probably just gave him a slap on the wrist and told him “You’re a naughty doc. Now, go run along and play nice.” Anyway, seeing as how he basically got off scott free we were expecting a little more of the same from the good ol’doc.

However, after walking in an hour and half late, one hour earlier than usual, to much of our surprise he calmly took a seat in the back and asked for the papers of the reporters for that day. Then 2 hours later after all the reporters were done, except for Bambi who managed to get out of reporting yet once again, he stepped to the front of the class to tell us (queue in the melodramatic music)... his side of the story. The side that we failed to see. The side of man who truly cared for us...

...Ok, seriously I have thought of several ways about how to write on what he said but I just can’t seem to think of a good way to do it. Honestly the way he stated all the reasons behind his actions to make him look like the victim in all of this was just too good and could never be out done. I mean some of the girls in class told me they wanted to cry afterwards. It was Filipino melodramatics at its finest. You know the kind of shit that doesn’t make any kind of sense but at the same time can make others reach for the tissue box. Personally I just wanted to gag and thinking about it even now makes me want to hurl. But just to fill you all in on what the doc had to say I’ll try to hold it in...

According to doc everything that he has been doing was all for our best interest. This includes the derogatory name calling and the coming to class three and a half hours late. You see he explained that as we continue our studies in medicine there will be a lot of people who will insult us and even those who will do worse. By calling us puneta and blurting out putang ina mo (your mother is a whore) he was just trying to prepare us now for what we will eventually face. It wasn’t because he was mad because there were 4 people absent in class. (Or maybe it was? I’m not really sure anymore.) Anyway, the reason he wants us to believe, is that he did it because he cared. Yeah, I guess he could have just told us that there will be these kind of people but by being that @$$#*!& himself he makes the experience all that more real for you, that’s compassion. Now if only you dad had that much compassion when he told you to watch out for those bullies at school who may try to beat you up and take your lunch money.

You see all this time he just wanted to be our friend. He invited (or made us resume class) in his house to eat and have a good time. (Never mind the part of how he hoped to get one of us in bed with him. That’s just a minor detail anyway.) He came to class three and an half hours late to give us time between classes. (Just a little side note doc if you really wanted to make it look like you came to class late all those times for our benefit I wouldn’t also mention that you came in at that time because that’s what they told you in your contract. It makes whatever is the real reason sound a little iffy.) All this time he was trying to make that effort to get close to us and none of us was making the effort in return. (Though knowing your prof may want to sleep with you while you’re straight seems like a logical enough reason for me not to try to get too close. I don’t know what the excuse is for you girls, though.)

We were a disappointment. We failed to show compassion to person who was not just asking it from us but demanding it. Maybe it’s because like he said we are just children who can’t see the bigger picture. We are still that child who would storm out of a room over the littlest thing like not having a projector ready. (Ok, maybe not that child.) Anyway, as children he sought not just to be our friend but also to be a father figure. (By the way kids if your dad is referring to you as bitch every day you are probably not in a very good place right now. And if your dad is also trying to sleep with you, you might want to call 911 right about now.) But we eventually betrayed him and so in the end it was he who was the real victim for caring too much about us when we didn’t care enough for him.

Seriously this guy needs some help. One of the points he tried to stress is that we should be consistent. He should take his own advice. My parents have never referred to me as a bitch and not one of my friends has ever spoken to me in the way that he has. I’m not sure were he gets his idea of how to be a friend or a father figure from but maybe he should try to reanalyze what the real definition of those terms mean.

Fear

2007-02-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

Fear is an infectious disease that can easily swallow up another man's courage.

Climbing the ladder

2007-02-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

One of the strange things here in the Philippines is the contradictions. In this country 2 times the people have managed to rally together to take down a president. However, there is still this prevalent air that most people have that nothing can be done when we are offended by our so called “superiors”. These so called superiors demand respect but don't give it. The so called underlings talk of how they have no such right to treat them that way but don't do anything about it except take it day in and day out.

I've read some place before that there is a silent hierarchy here in the Philippines. And people here know where they belong on that pecking ladder. So when someone higher up on that ladder offends the guy below typically he won't do anything about it because of the fear of falling off. After all there is not much room on a ladder for you to move out of the way if the guy above decides to step on your head. And for the same reason that's why those higher up on the ladder usually always stay higher up and you're only left with a view of their rear.

So in a sense I can understand maybe why some people would be scared. But then again to me that's a rather sad way to live your life, sniffing the ass of someone else. And besides in reality there is no ladder! Yes, in this country it may be more true than anywhere else that those on top will always stay on top. And if you attempt to fight back there is that chance you may end up getting the worse end of it. However, there is still always that guarantee that if you don't attempt to fight back you will just continue to be stepped on.

So though yesterday I had no clue as to what the ass was saying. Today I'm writing a letter to the dean about it. However, I don't know why when some shit goes down here people think that I alone should do something about it. This time it's not going to work that way because I know just how ridiculous I would come out looking like if I tried to make a stand on this issue by myself? Just about as ridiculous as everyone else bending over to take it in the ass by the good old doc again. The only way anything is going to be done about this, is if WE make a stand TOGETHER.

Puñeta, puñeta, puñeta

2007-02-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Two and half hours later he finally walks in the door. With all his ranting of how he rather not be a teaching and how he's only doing this as a "favor" I wonder why he even comes in at all. Just by look on his face you can already tell he's not in a good mood. Then after a couple looks around the room he begins his tirade. For the next half hour all he is saying is bla, bla, bla, puñeta, bla, bla, bla, tanga, bla, bla, bla, puñeta....puñeta...puñeta..puñeta. It looked obviously to me he was mad but I really didn't understand what he was saying. And I didn't get why he would be so mad either. So a few students were absent, big deal. After all he did say he didn't care if you showed up to his class or not just as long as you pass. So, I just kind laughed it off to myself. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Later on I came to learn what puñeta means is somewhere along the line of your mother is a bitch. Furthermore I learned that the mothers he was referring to was ours in class. Ours? And I thought he was mad because people were absent obviously all of us sitting in class weren't absent. I have never in my life have been so belligerently insulted by a professor in my life. No matter what he thinks we did to offend him gives him no right to be saying shit to us like that. I'm surprise though that my classmates took it so well. If I had known what he was saying I would have walked out. Actually let's just say that would have been the most rational thing I would have done.

I really don't get the never of this guy. First of all if anyone should be mad it should be us. He constantly comes in to class two or more hours late and when he gets there all he does is complain. Saying that he is either sick or how he doesn't want to be teaching. If his life is shit he should be taking out on us. He should go see a f*&#@!^% shrink.

Right now I can feel that tightness in my chest. And I want to go break something but I'm out in public right now so people could end up looking at me a little weird. Anyway, thing that really bother's me the most is not what he said. When people curse at you and you don't know what they are saying it is usually more funny than offense. What upsets me the most is that I feel like I'm wasting my time here. I'm tired of having crap ass teachers show up 3 hours late only to hear about their bullshit shit story and then have them teach you absolutely nothing. That is not what I came here for or what I'm paying for. I know it is cheaper to than going to school in the States but it's not that cheap. And what I hate most off all is wasting the money. My parents and grandmother are giving me a lot of money just to be here, but for what?

I'm just waiting for that moment I finally give up all hope and realize that this is all just a waste of time.

The 2 miracles

2007-02-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

Miracle No. 1
Yesterday I was able to take a hot shower for the first time since I arrived in this country over a month ago.

Miracle No. 2
Trying to clean some dirt off the shower head I was lucky not to electrocute my self to death. Though, I did get a good jolt.

Look at her. Ain’t she a beaut?

Hmm, I wonder how long that electric tape holding those wirers together will last and keep me from any further shocks with all the moisture in the bathroom.

Yup, I finally got me a water heater installed yesterday. However, a little after I shocked myself and before I got done in the shower, during that first test run, all the lights went out in my dorm and I was to be left again with no hot water.

The passive American?

2007-02-01T06:58:00.000-08:00

For a country where people usually beat around the bush before telling you what they actually want to say I find it strange that lately a lot of people are coming up to me to tell me what it is that I got to do. It has happened before but when it has happened in the past I used to not think of it much, I'd just say no or maybe do it or whatever. In any case it didn't seem to be much of a problem but lately people telling me what I got to do has become a lot more frequent. One of my friends told me before that one of the reasons why he tries to keep distance from everyone here is that because sooner or later they are just going to start to take advantage of you. Recalling what he said I'm beginning to think what he said was right. After all when you're friends you don't have to be shy but does that mean you don't have to show any courtesy as well? It seems like a strange phenomenon but in Asian countries I think this holds a little bit of truth. Though I don't think it's really a matter of a lack of courtesy per se but instead the result of when the passive Asian personality is being taken for granted.

Hmm, so if you feel like you're that person being taken for granted what do you do? One of my classmates recommends the use of a lot of explicatives. Now, in America immediately telling people off may be a common thing to do but in Asia that's not usually how it goes. The passive Asian will continue to put up with it even when they feel like they are being taken for granted. I'm not sure as to why. Maybe it stems from a desire to please or not to offend the other person. In any case the passive personality tends to let things build up before anything is done to put a stop to their grief. This is not a very good practice of course because when they get tired of having people stepping all over them and finally reach that point where they want to put their foot down, they usually want to put that foot down on the heads of other people.

Now you can ask me anything and asking me if I can do something for you is not a problem. I might not always give you the answer you're looking for though but hey it doesn't hurt to ask. However, when some one comes up to you and starts off by saying "Tally all these…" or "You are going to be this…" that's not asking. That's telling. No one likes to be simply told what to do. I know as sure as hell that many of my classmates don't like it either. Have you read Ray's blog lately? Anyway, I can understand the way they feel because if that person is not your boss, your mentor, the person that puts food on your table or provides a roof over your head it can come off a little disrespectful. And no one wants to feel like someone's personal little bitch.

So in case some of you didn't get it, don't come up to me anymore telling me this is what I got to f@#%!&* do without me agreeing to it or even asking me about it first.

Lesson on shopping in the Philippines

2007-01-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

Me: Magkano ang plant?
(Translation: How much is that plant?)
Shop Clerk: 100 pesos
Me: Wow, that plant is a 100 pesos.
Shop Clerk: 800 pesos
Me: I thought you said 100?
Shop Clerk:

Seriously, all he did was smile back at me. Then I just left.

Lesson 1 on shopping in the Philippines
Never speak in English

It's white and fluffy

2006-12-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

When I walked into my dorm I was surprised to see all this snow on my counter top.

It didn't taste like snow. Just kidding I didn't taste it.

Ok so it wasn't actually snow. I found it growing where ever the rain from the previous night had spilled on to the counter. Maybe they were sugar crystals? Candida? Anthrax? At that moment I didn't care too much about what it was though. So, I just grabbed my Lysol bottle and sprayed it down.

Now, I'm wondering how it looks above the cardboard tiling that makes up the ceiling of my dorm. It's probably your typical winter wonderland up there. Could that be why everyone who goes to my dorm gets sick?

Storm watch

2006-11-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

Another typhoon is on its way. It's a super typhoon at one time thought to have the potential to be a Category 5. To put that into some perspective Hurricane Katrina was a Category 5 that hit Louisiana as only a Category 3. If worse comes to worse the last typhoon, Milyeno, won't even be in its league. As I'm sitting here wondering whether or not I should move to higher grounds I find it almost shocking that there is hardly any current up to the moment news of this super typhoon heading this way. After having over 1,000 people die due to Milyeno you think they would have some sort of 24 hour storm watch on one of the local channels. However, as I surf the channels right now there is absolutely no information on it. You kind of get the feeling that this storm is not even a concern of the Filipino people. In fact I can hear construction workers outside still working on the building next door. As I sit here waiting for this storm to rip through my province I find this nonchalant attitude so addicting.

The rest of the world, however, seems to be more concerned about this storm than the Philippines. Basically all the current information I have regarding the storm is coming from outside sources via the internet. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Service Administration website with their Real-Time Weather forecast is 5 hours behind. The lack of current information made available to the public by this government is absolutely astonishing. My friend just seemed tossed this lack of available news aside as due to being in a "backwards" country but, even for a third world country as the Philippines getting urgent information to the people as in regards to this storm shouldn't be that difficult to do. In fact it should be a priority as it can help to save lives. With a lack of information one may even think there is nothing to worry about at all when there definitely is.

I just got news from another friend that the storm has already touched down on land an hour ago but as I surf my television channels I still find no current news on it. By the end of this storm I just wonder how many people will end up losing their lives due to ignorance and an incompetent Philippine government.

Jeepni hitchhikers

2006-11-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

If you hang outside the jeepnies from the back does that mean you don't have to pay? I can't imagine any other reason as to why this guy would be hanging out there.

Trust me he's not exactly young either and he's not the only one I've seen do this.

Proper discipline

2006-11-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

There we saw him walking by himself on an unusually un-crowded street of Manila. He was probably around ten years old, definitely no older than twelve. Now seeing children walking alone aimlessly on the streets in this country is not an uncommon site but there was something that made this particular instance standout to me. Maybe it was because this poor kid was drenched in tears. Or maybe it was because he was butt naked.

The first time we drove right pass the kid but then we decided to circle back around. This time as we approached him my friend rolled down the window to ask him what had happened. In the back of my mind I thought maybe he had been beaten up by a group of other kids who ended up taking his clothes. Or in the worst case scenario he was abducted and then tossed on the street naked. But all the possible scenarios that ran thru my head ended up being so far off.

The kid didn't even attempt to stop crying in order to answer my friend's question. Instead the lady that stood behind him readily shouted back an answer. The lady was his mother and as a form of punishment she had made her child walk up and down this Manila city street while completely naked.

Holy $#!% what the ^*@# is up with the people out here? They have no child abuse laws out here? Then again they probably do but just like every other law out here it's one that no one abides by. In the States that woman would be in jail but out here she's just disciplining her kid.

That kid is going to grow up to have some major psychological problems.

Magic milk

2006-10-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

Nestle makes everything here.

I remember my friend talking to me in amazement (actually more like complaining ) about how long the milk in the States last. Apparently in Japan, where she's from, the milk is good for only about a week or two. In the States a carton of milk is usually good for about a month. I just figured the difference was due to the US being a superior milk advanced nation. Then I went and bought a carton of milk from Makati Supermarket in Alabang.

The milk here is good for about 5 months. Now, that's magic.
...Except for the taste.

Over budget

2006-10-29T23:37:00.000-08:00

It's time to have a budget plan. Despite being thought of your typical "rich American" I find my self short of money way before the end of every month. Not exactly sure why either. Maybe it has something to do with 250+ we have to give to each proffessor to cover the 6 pages of exams they'll give us for the entire quarter. Well, whatever it is guys I'm gonna have to say no to some of those Yellow Cab pizza nights and Tiborin VIP rooms. Time to be Mr. Kuripot.

Minus a box of cereal, a bag of pasta noodles, a 5lb bag of rice, parmesan cheese, and a bottle of cooking oil what you see there is over 3,000 pesos (US$60) worth of food. I didn't even buy any beef. Now, who said living in the Philippines is cheap? Then again maybe I should have checked my recipt.

The wildlife

2006-10-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

Coming to live in a tropical country I was expecting to see a lot of strange and unusual creatures (other than human). You know like what you see on the National Georpahic channel. However, that hasn't been the case. Usually the only wild life I see here are the house gekos and toads.

I think I have three of them living in my dorm.

Then the storm came and brought a few other interesting creatures (other than human).

This guy was hanging out in one of my dormmate's room during the storm. I don't know what was more surprising, the bat taking shelter in her room or her not caring at all that it was there.

Oh and guess who's room was it Kissey? Ooh, I know you're jelous.

Right after the storm I saw this guy chewing on papaya leaves. It's kind of hard to determine this guy's size by just looking at the picture. It was huge, about 4 – 5 inches. I have never seen a grasshopper that big.

When I was little me and my cousins would catch grasshoppers in the field next to my grandfather's house. Some times we wold pull off the head and then put it back and watch them hop away. For reals.

On the first day of class this guy decided to also show up. He was sitting up near the top of the wall. I wanted to get a better shot but I didn't exactly feel like reaching up there and pulling him down to do it. Like the locust this spider was one of the biggest of it's kind I have ever seen. And as you can see not only was it big it was hairy.

Well that's all wildlife (other than human) I have necountered for now. Stay tuned for more strange and exotic creatures (other than human) to come.

End of the line for me

2006-09-27T03:02:00.000-07:00

Well, to continue a previous post. I some how managed to make my way to meet my aunt in Dasmarinas. When I got there I found out that the amount of money I need to get the thing was more than expected, another 44,000 pesos. I also found out that I wasn't going to be able to use my credit card at her bank or even at the dealership to make any kind of payment. I guess I should have known this was coming. Should have gotten American Express. There was nothing else I could really do about it though. So after a quick lunch I found a van headed in my direction and tried to make it back to Binan and said #@$% it. I give up. No more car for me.

You know one of the things about this whole ordeal I found amazing was the communication between my parents and my relatives here. It's like we everyone is speaking in another language to each other. I got my mom telling me that my aunt will just pay the whole thing off so I don't have to worry about the money as we will just be making payments to her. And on the other hand I got my aunt who looked as if she was going to have an aneurism trying to figure out how she was going to get the money for the down payment. After all, the car was already put in her name along with the loan, so it is her credit on the line. You know mom for some reason I really don't think you understood what she was saying. Sheesh, it's like we need to hire an IBM business management team just to get everyone's facts in order.

Anyway, it looks like I got 4,000 pesos in my pocket to burn. I guess I could use it to pay last month's rent or that 3,000 pesos internet bill I have but... I say #@$% it. I got my platinum Citibank card and I say we rent a private airplane to take us to Palawan or Davo. ( Then again that is if the name Citibank has any value in this country. Should have gotten an American Express. ) We can spend my 4,000 on booze and chics. So is anyone down to go with me?

Long winded

2006-09-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

I've noticed my post have been getting longer and longer and I've come to conclude it can only mean 1 of 3 things.

1) I'm getting older and senility is starting to set in. Have you ever sat down to listen to a story your grandparents were going to tell you? It could go on and on.

2) I'm getting lonely and starting to feeling like I have no one to talk to here. So that's why I talk and talk hoping that someone will catch just a bit of what I'm saying. It would seem kind of retarded to keep on talking and talking if you think no one is listening to you but I think psychologically that's how it works. It's a compensatory mechanism.

3) My problems are getting more complicated. Yup, it doesn't seem like I can really convey what I'm experiencing sometimes in 1 or 2 sentences. When crap happens out here it's like a boulder that is rolling down hill. It just keeps going and going.

Hmm... or maybe it's a combination of the three?

The chain of pain

2006-09-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I got half my class calling me the golden boy around here things don't really go all that smoothly for me out here. Usually when ever I'm trying to get something I need done it's a long laborious process with a lot of speed bumps. Take for example my little adventure in trying to by a car.

The Prolog
Last year I had the money in my hand to buy me a car. Nothing fancy, just a simple fan that I thought would be cool to have to haul everyone around in.
The speed bump:
My aunt was telling me not to get it because it wouldn't be safe. So I stop to think about and plus also I start to have second thoughts about coming back.

Act 1 – Let's get a loan
Attempt 1:
Around 2 months ago my grandmother and I go to the car dealer to see if we could get me a car.
The speed bump:
Despite the fact that my grandmother can buy a brand new car in the States just like that, in the Philippines she's too old. Where are those anti-age discrimination laws when you need them?

Attempt 2:
So I'm not going to be able to buy a car with my grandmother's name. But maybe we could put it under my name after all my monthly allowance is more than enough to pay for the down payments. So I fill out the form and put her as the co-signer and wait.
The speed bump:
The dealership calls me up later that week saying my loan wasn't approved. Did I mention my grandmother can buy a car just like that in the States and that my monthly allowance is more than enough to pay for the down payments? Anyway the sales lady, Rugi, suggests that I try to get someone else to co-sign for me.

Attempt 3:
After searching everywhere for a relative I am finally able to get my uncle to go back with me to the dealership three weeks later.
The speed bump:
This time when we get there Rugi isn't around and we speak to a different sales lady who gives us a harder time. She tells me that in order to buy a car I'm going to need a power of attorney. Not really sure for what, because I'm not old enough to get one with out the consent of my parents?

Attempt 4:
I filled out the paper work anyway putting my uncle this time as the co-signer and tell her I'm leaving it for Rugi whom I spoke to three weeks ago. I call up Rugi the next day and she tells me that she is going to put it thru and see if it works.
The speed bump:
Besides the fact that my uncle has his own business and his wife is a co-owner of a chain of hospitals and universities here in the Philippines the loan doesn't go thru. Did I mention that my monthly allowance alone is more than enough to pay for the down payments?

Attempt 5:
Rugi calls me up again later that week suggesting I try to get the car by putting it under someone else's name. Maybe the reason it's not getting approved is because I'm a stinking foreigner.
The speed bump:
Who's gonna wanna do that for me?

Attempt 6:
A week later luckily for me my aunt decides she'll be willing to put it under her name while I make the payments. Well, maybe it wasn't exactly a week later when she made a definite decision to do this for me because it took her another two weeks before she went back to the dealership to tell them that she would. Anyway, with in that week she gets approved. Whoohoo!

Act 2 – Let's collect the cash
Attempt 1:
The bank has finally approved a loan for me. Well not exactly for me but either way I'm going to finally be able to get a car. Well maybe.
The speed bump:
When I first went to the dealership with my grandmother I calculated that we were going to have more than enough money to pay for the down payment more than a month ago. However, 100,000 pesos of that money seemed to have magically disappeared. Damn I should have excepted that job as a male gigolo. Where am I going to get that kind of money now?

Attempt 2:
So I can get the car. I just need the money. I call up my mom the next day to see how much she can send me. Luckily for me she says she is going to wire me some.
The speed bump:
Unluckily for me she could only send half of what I need. I guess I shouldn't have turn down that job as a coconut sales man either.

Attempt 3:
So I got half of the 100,000 pesos I needed. I just needed to figure out how would I get that other half of that 100,000 pesos. Then I remembered that I could make a cash advance on my Citibank Mastercard. I call up Citibank just to see exactly how much money I can get on that cash advanced.
The speed bump:
Turns out my mom missed the last payment. $20 is now keeping me from collecting on $500.

Attempt 4:
I call up my mom and tell her about the situation. She tells me that she'll go to Citibank and make a payment tomorrow. When she does they tell her that I could just call them up and I could use the card.
The speed bump:
Now I got all the money, sort of, but my aunt she tells me that I might actually need a little bit more than 100,000 pesos to get that car.

Attempt 5:
I got the 100,000 pesos but it turns out that might not be enough. Now I was thinking I should have agreed to test out doc's experimental med for Enterobius for 10,000 pesos. Then I remembered that two years ago when I first got here I opened a savings account at the university's savings bank and had a little bit in there. Maybe I could use that money.
The speed bump:
Just read the previous post.

Attempt 6:
I call my aunt up and tell her that's all the money I can get. She tells me that's ok and tells me to come on over to Cavite City so we could deposit it to her account.
The speed bump:
I'm staying in Laguna and as a foreigner who can't speak and hardly understands the language commuting 2 hours across the country by public transportations is going to be a bit of a problem.

Attempt 7:
Well, my uncle here told me that he wouldn't be able to take me but after getting some crude directions I decided to set off despite the fact that I could end up being sold to the highest bidder by one of the Filipino mobs out here. But before I left Ray suggests that I should make the payment at one of branches of my aunt's bank around here. I call up my aunt says that I could just do that if I want. Why didn't she just tell me that before?
Side note: My friends seemed to be more concerned about my safety trying to get to Cavite City than any of my relatives did.
The speed bump:
Turns out I just can't make a cash advance with my credit card at any bank. They say it needs to be at a Citibank and there isn't one close by that I can go to. The closest one is about 45 minutes away but since the banks here close at 3 I wouldn't have made it in time. Should have gotten an American Express.

Attempt 8:
Well it looks like I will have to wait until tomorrow. Luckily for me Tom says he'll give me a ride to Alabang the next day as well.
The speed bump:
So today me and Tom went to the Citibank branch in Alabang and the teller tells me that they don't do any over the counter cash advances for foreigners. Damn son of bitch, now that's discrimination. Yup, I really should have gotten an American Express. I went to 5 different banks but none of them were willing to grant me a cash advance on my credit card. Bastards.

Act 3 – Time to give the down payment
Attempt 1:
Well that's all the cash I'm gonna be able to get for now. I call up my aunt ready just to give up but she tells me that maybe if I come to Cavite with my credit card tomorrow maybe the bank there will accept it.
The speed bump:
I'm still not exactly sure of how I'm gonna make it there alive.

Attempt 2:
My aunt suggests that I go to Dasma early in the morning and that they will just pick me up there. I don't really know how to get there either but Kissey tells me that if I meet him at 7:30 in the morning he'll show me where I can catch a passenger van to get where I want to go.
The speed bump:
As I was typing this thing up my aunt texts me saying she has to wait for some papers before I make the payment so she's not exactly sure if I should go out there anymore. They have been texting me the last few days, basically telling me to hurry up and get the money and now they are going to tell me that bank doesn't even have all the papers ready.

Attempt 3:
She asks me if I could come out there on Thursday but I have a test that day so she suggest that I just go ahead and try to come out there in the afternoon.
The speed bump:
Looks like I'll be missing another class to try and get this done. And even if do somehow manage to make it to Cavite City something else is bound to pop up making my attempt just another waste of time. But hey what can I do.

If you have been reading up to this point then I need to get you a cookie.

I'm on the verge of just giving up on this whole damn thing. It just seems like I always have go thru a bunch of $#!& before I can get anything done around here, not just in getting this car. The situations may be different but there always seems to be a chain of events that makes things even more difficult for me. Like how my air conditioner broke down last year just in time for our last shifting exams and comprehensives. And like how I had diarrhea but no running water in my dorm room earlier this year. That was a bitch and because my windows couldn't close all the way rain water was hitting me as I sat there on the can. I'm bound to have another problem with my door knob too. It's getting harder and harder to open it up even though it looks like it is barely hanging on to the door. I'm going to snap one day and just kick it down. Living in this country is going to make me crazy.

Well, I guess one thing that looks to be going my way is that earlier in the year when they assigned every one advisors mine so happened to be a psychiatrist.

Miscellaneous fees

2006-09-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

As I racked my mind earlier trying to figure out how to squeeze every pesos I had into my aunt's bank account I came to realize that despite what everyone thinks living here isn't all that cheep. Now it's not the initial price of the services that will get you in your pockets, it's all those miscellaneous fees they add on.

For example I had to get my air conditioner cleaned due to a leaky ceiling that deposited a thick black film over the vent. So after about two weeks from when I initially requested to get it cleaned someone finally showed up to do the job. I wasn't there when they were cleaning it up but when I came back one of the care takers in the dorm told me that the air condition service men where going to need 250 pesos to replace a broken thermometer. Hmm, other than being dirty I didn't really realize anything else was wrong with it. It seemed to be wroking just fine to me. Also I never knew that the thing had a thermometer in it. I mean it's not like one of those more expensive air condition units that turns off or lowers down when the room gets to a certain temperature. Basically once you set it, it just continues to run at that same the rate no matter what the room temperature is. It would seem to me then that a thermometer would be pretty useless but hey if that's what they say it needs then I guess that's what it needs. After all I'm no air conditioner specialist. So before taking off to go back to class I left a 500 peso bill with the care taker. When I came back I knew I didn't exactly get the amount of change I was expecting but I never thought about it much or even bothered to look at the receipt until today.

20 pesos for transportation and another 20 pesos for snacks. WTF?

First of all when I was shown the part they were going to replace it looked like it couldn't have weighted more than 2lbs. Plus I was told they were going just across the street to get the thing. So how are they going to charge me for delivering a piece of equipment that probably weighted only 1 1/2 lbs at a distance of less than a two minutes away? Even if one of them decided to ride a jeepni the whole 10 yards to the shop it would have cost him no more than 14 pesos for a round trip. Now I could understand if it were something like a sack of rice but even the boy who delivers my water doesn't ask for a fee for delivery, and the darn jug looks to be at least one third his weight.

Second of all I didn't see any potato chips on my desk when I came back from school. So does that mean they charged me 20 pesos for the snacks that they ate? I asked to get my air conditioner cleaned I didn't ask for someone to come to my room and eat. I don't even know what to say about this one. I mean who the hell pays some one to come over and eat? And more so who has the nerve to charge some one for doing that when they are supposed to be fixing your air conditioner? Hell, if there is a job that pays you eat I want that job. I could do that all day. I hope to see who this fool was and have him try do that same shit to me again while I'm there.

Anyway that wasn't the only surprising thing I found out that day. You ever see that Futurama episode where Fry goes to check on his bank account? He had about 93 cents in there since the last time he checked but after 1000 years in suspended animation the interest made him a billionaire. Now it had only been 2 years ago when I opened my savings account at the university bank and I wasn't expecting to make that much but I did have considerably more that 93 cents in there the last time I checked, 5,000 pesos to be exact. So I was a little bit giddy to see what I had accumulated when I came to withdraw my money for the first time since opening the account.

To my surprise it turned out the 5,000 pesos I had put in to that savings account yielded me a total -1,409 in interest. Wow... Did you read that correctly? I earned my self a m-i-n-u-s 1,409 pesos on my account. That means they deducted a total of 1,409 pesos from my original balance. And you know this whole time I thought what I had opened was a savings account to save money. I didn't know what I had opened was a take my money away for your snacks account.

However, in all fairness as Bambi said in the fine printing it does state that if you don't keep pouring money in to your account over a period of one year they'll charge you a fee for not using it. personally I have never heard of such a policy back in the States. Yes, they do charge you if you don't keep a minimum balance in the States but there was no mention of a minimum balance to keep at this bank. Also as I look at my statement I was actually accumulating a tiny bit of interest during that first year but after that they started to suck it dry like some blood hungry mosquitoes.

Blogger education

Now let me give you a brief idea of how banks work. You and a lot of other people give their money to the banks. The bank then uses that money to invest in other things and to give out loans which ends up making money for them not you. Then when you want to get back some of the money that you gave them they charge you a fee for using their tellers or ATMs. Pretty sweet huh? Essentially they borrow your money and charge you for them borrowing it. Now, in attempt to keep from getting a ticket straight to hell when they die, these bankers offer you a chance to make a little money for your self. It's not actually much but it is a little something depending on how often you try to spend your own money. That's why checking accounts make no interest while savings account make a bit. After all how can they make more money with your money if you are spending your money.

So by leaving your money in their bank you are doing them a favor and they usually give you a little bit of interest back in return. But out here when you leave your money alone for too long bankers start thinking of it as a young calf lost in the jungle. And we all know that the only way a calf gets left alone in the jungle is either because the mother is dead or has abandoned it. So like to a pack of vultures your account becomes fair game for the bankers to start picking away at until there is nothing of it left.

Hey now, life's not exactly fair when you are living in the jungle.

I'm sleepy

2006-09-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight is one of the rare night's I'm up past 10 pm. Being in med school and considering our classes usually run from 8 am to 6 pm some of my friends find it hard to see how I get in more than 8 hours of sleep per day. Well, it's easy just don't waste your time studying.

I really don't know why I'm always feeling so sleepy. I'm starting to think it is a mental thing. My psychiatry professor said insomnia is one of the first signs of a mental disorder. Seeing how I'm not like most normal folk instead of insomnia I guess I have an opposite reaction. When I was living in San Diego sometimes I would go to sleep early to ignore the hunger pain. Out here it maybe it's a different kind of pain.

Well though I could spend hours trying to pin point the exact reasons for my misery I must admit there is a little bit of sunshine in my life. So hopefully all my grey skies will just go away.

You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.

Tired of f@#$!%g waiting

2006-09-18T05:55:00.000-07:00

I'm so tired of f@#$!%g waiting on people here. Having people telling me they will help do this and that but always saying tomorrow. They build your hopes up to only shoot you down. Why even f@#$!%g say you gonna do something if you are clearly not? Maybe it's the habit of the people in this country to never directly say "no, I'm not going to help you and I don't plan to either" but I wish they f@#$!%g would so then I would know that I could f@#$!%g move on without them. Because like a dumb f@#$ waiting for the late train to arrive I keep on waiting and it just pushes everything on my schedule back. And the longer I f@#$!%g wait for it I end up missing my chances on other things that I could have been doing instead of f@#$!%g waiting for them.

Correction

2006-09-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I was wrong. Maybe a lapse of sanity. Anyway, turns out I didn't do so hot in micro... I guess.

Still don't see how they recomputed Mr. Cabigan's score to be a 61 and mine a 54 for the mad doc's exam. I could of swore I had the higher grade too after corrections when we first got the test. But I guess the re-computation says different. So, hey whatever.

Hate ko'to

2006-09-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have a habit of calling for delivery only when I am really hungry knowing full well that it's gonna take a while for the food to get here and that I'll only get hungrier in the process. So not learning anything from the past last night I got to the point where I could no longer take my hunger pains and decided to call up McDonald's. I just heard they began delivering to my part of town so I decided to try them out. Yes, McDonald's actually delivers in this country, it's amazing. So you can get to your goal of being 400lbs by eating Big Macs and never have to leave your couch. Anyway, it was at 7:30 p.m. when I made my call and placed my order for a quarter pounder with cheese, 6 piece chicken nuggets, and McFlurry. You have to order at least 250 pesos of food. Despite sounding as if I was disturbing her, the operator took my order and told me my food would arrive in about 30 to 45 minutes.

It was 8:20 p.m. now even hungrier than before, I still had no food. I decided to give them a call back to see what was going on with my order. The lady on the phone gave me some excuse that in Binan they have a delivery time of 1 hour so they still had 16 minutes to deliver my food. Now, that's not what the first lady told me and furthermore I had already waited 50 minutes so if I had to wait another 16 minutes that would be over and hour. So I really didn't know how the hell she came up with 16 minutes. And as I tried to get her to explain what she was talking about for the first time in my life I felt what it would be like to be a door-to-door salesman who just had a door slam shut on his foot from some house wife only wanting mothing more than for him to leave. But the strange thing was I was talking to this lady over the phone. It was if she didn't want to hear anything I had to say and only wanted me to hang-up. Wow, the customer service they have out here is just @#$%ing amazing. I can't say I'm really all that surprised though. I have been noticing that "customer service" basically has no meaning out here. When they know you have no other choice but put up with them they usually will just treat you like an unwanted stepchild.

I ended up deciding to give the lady her 16 minutes. If I were to place an order anywhere else I would have to wait again anyway. Big mistake. I ended up waiting another 25 minutes before I called them back to cancel my order. This time the lady tried to tell me that the delivery driver was already on his way but I really didn't care for what she had to say. I guess that she could already tell I was pissed so she didn't really try to put up much resistance this time around and just said "Thank you for choosing McDonald's". For what?

Anyway, wouldn't you know it 5 minutes later I get a knock on my door. By this time I was really pissed and I started to develop a headache from being hungry. I threw open the door and there was this delivery man bending over the delivery sack on the floor. I told the guy that I had already called and canceled the order and that I wasn't going to be paying for it anymore so he could just go. Then he stood up. He was about 6 feet tall and probably over 200 lbs. Maybe a normal man would have stepped back and tone his voice down just a bit. But maybe you haven't really been reading up to this point. Any piece of sanity I had was gone and I was @#$%ing hungry and pissed. So like small rabid dog planning to take down a German Shepard, I puffed up my chest and started barking at him again. Initially he tried talking to me in English and I guess he was getting a little flustered because he began repeated everything he just said to me over in Tagalog. He was telling me how that they only have one driver and he has to go all over the place to deliver these two orders. WTF, two orders? He should have thought of a better excuse. It wouldn't have mattered to me if he had to make 20 orders. McDonald's is just down the street. I order from the pizza shop right across the street from them all the time and it takes them less than a half an hour to deliver my food.

But unfortunately I let my sympathetic side (the part that I got to rip out because it's holding me back ) get to me. At this point the guy's face was all red and he was starting to get a little teary eyed. (I don't know what they do to you out here when you get back and you fail to make your delivery. Maybe they get the rights to your first born child.) Anyway it would have been a little embarrassing to see a grown man cry at my door. So I told him that the food still better be warm and he told me it still was. I guess he was still a little shaken up because it took him a couple of minutes to figure out what I owed him but once he did I gave him the exact amount (I'm not giving anyone a tip for a meal that was over an hour late ). As he stood there trying to count the money I gave him in the light of my door way I just closed the door on him. Yeah, maybe it was a little mean of me for doing so but it turns out that my food wasn't actually warm after all. What I should have really done was thrown his sorry ass and his cold hamburger down those three flights of stairs of my dormitory.

After I finished my cold meal I opened up my phone book and deleted the McDonald's delivery number from the directory. That's was the last time I will ever order delivery from McDonald's and if you live in Binan, Laguna and I suggest that you don't waste your time in dealing with them either.

Payback

2006-09-12T04:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm alive the mad doc's serum didn't kill me... yet. Anyway, I found out that our favorite doc got his degree in veterinarian medicine. Sweet and here he is injecting all us homo sapiens with some experimental vaccine. Furthermore, it turns out that our animal loving doc was performing this little vaccination project on his own, with out the consent of the university. A few people weren't quiet all that happy when they had found out what was going on and from what I heard he got chewed out pretty good.

Well, knowing that I got my grade in the mad doc's class today. It wasn't that bad actually but I must admit that I was a little surprised when I started to hear the grades of everyone else. Not to put my classmates down or to toot my own horn but I thought I had been doing pretty well in that class. For the sake of my arguement let's just make a little comparison between me and Mr. Cabigan, the top nother of our batch. Now, typically I wouldn't expect to get anything close to Mr. Cabigan's scores but for the first part of this quarter things where different. For our first long exam our scores differed at the most by a few points. As for the final shifting exam I had the higher score this time but not by much. Either way for our only two exams in the class our grades were very similar. So I started to wonder why did he end up with an 87 and me an 80? Furthermore I don't think anyone else in class was matching our scores. Believe me if some one else had a higher score we would have heard about it but I didn't hear anyone from the front of the class talk about getting a higher score than Mr. Cabigan that day when we got our finally shifting exam back. So as I sat there isolated to the back of the class, amazed that I actually got a higher scored than Mr. Cabigan (like I said it doesn't happen often, it's something you just have to mark on your calendar as a special day ) I just assumed I got the highest grade that day. Then again it could have been Deds. Let's just say that the girls are a little more humble than the guys in class. Anyways I couldn't get how matching Mr. Cabigan's scores only got me to the middle of the pack?

Then as I tried to calculate the possible scenarios my paranoia set in. In this country people are afraid to speak up against a professor because apparently there is no separation of a professor's personal feelings when it comes to the professor-student relationship. So getting your professor in trouble would definitely be considered a no, no. Now, my aunt wasn't exactly all that happy with doc's personal experiment. I don't know exactly if she did anything personally about it but I do know that somebody did. So could my grade possible reflect a kind of pay-back from doc? It would be a shame if it was.

In reality I can't say that he is lowering my grade on purpose. I don't have any real proof. It's just all those stories I have been hearing though has started to make me a little paranoid. Right now I can only assume what I got was either a mistake or that's what I truly earned. If that's the case I wouldn't have a problem with it. If that's what I've earned then that's the grade I deserve but if someone is shortchanging me on a personal vendetta then I'm gonna be mighty pissed.

Lab rats

2006-08-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

I write this to you today because I don't know how long I have left. Two of my colleagues have already been stricken with fever, one bed ridden. As for the rest I am not sure of what has become of them. Today at approximately 1000 me and my colleagues were subjected to the injection of an experimental vaccine of unknown origin. The vaccine was said to have contained antigens of Salmonella typhi, Vibrio cholerae, and Shigella dysenteriae species.

Though many of my colleagues verbally expressed their objections, it was to of no avail. It was if we had no right to object, as if we were no more than lab rats for a mad man's goals. It was if our very grade and entire future in medicine depended on our unwilling compliance.

One after another we were forced to endure a 1ml subcutaneous injection of this experimental vaccine into our upper arm which upon minutes resulted in a variety of adverse effects. Tenderness and swelling at the site of injection as well as numbness of the shoulder and a slight raise in body temperature was reported with in minutes after being injected. I am afraid that as time progress we will only succumb to more severe adverse effects that are due to this experimental vaccination.

As my limbs weaken and the light begins to fade from my eyes I only pray that someone reads of my misfortune to know the truth of what became of my colleagues and I.

I can't believe I actually let myself get injected with that shit. In no way in hell did that bottle look hygienic or reassuring. This was insane. In the States this would = big law suit.

Blogger education

Salmonella typhi
Infection of Salmonella typhi is the causative agent of typhoid fever which can include symptoms of fever, chills, bradycardia, weakness, diarrhea, myalgia, and in severe cases hemorrhage, and delusions. It is responsible for approximately 600,000 deaths worldwide annually.

Vibrio cholerae
Vibrio cholerae is the cause of cholerae which results in perfuse diarrhea. Over 2,000 people worldwide die annually from cholerae. Outbreaks of cholerae have result in 7 pandemics through out history.

Shigella dysenteriae
Shigella dysenteriae is one of the causative agents that can result in shigellosis which symptoms include cramps, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, blood, pus, or mucus in stools or tenesmus. Shigellosis is reported to responsible for 600,000 deaths worldwide annually, claiming mostly children.

Textmates

2006-08-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Last Monday night...
Text: "H!"

Text: "H! Guv evening pho..."

Text: "Hello pho.."

Monday morning...
Text: "Gud morning pho...."
My reply: "Good morning. So who is this?"

Text: "i'm liza.. Sorry f i disturb u..anu pla name m?"
My reply: "Liza who? Do I know you from some where? I'm assuming you know who I am since you have my number."

Text: "La, pho bngay lang skin..XENcya na poh u pla anu name m?"

Text: "Bkt d kna reply!h! im fr..Binan laguna. U?"

Text: "N0pe t0 tel u h0nesty i d0nt really n0w u p0h..i just guess it...s0 f u d0nt mind can we be friends? Bag0 lng kc sim q n im l0oking 4 a new frend..i h0pe mgte2xtbk kpa..tnx"

It's not unusual here to receive a text message to your cell phone from someone you don't even know saying "good morning" or "good evening". People do it out here all the time in the hopes that someone will respond back wanting to be their "textmate", not even knowing if the number they just dialed is active or not.

I for one don't really care for a textmate, especially if it is someone I don't know. So when I got that first text message last night I simply ignored it, figuring if I don't respond the person will just stop. But then I got two more text that night and one again the following morning. I found it a little surprising that all the text messages so far had been in English as well. I figured who ever this person was must know me some how. So I decided to finally text back to see who it was. And then she started to play that game as if she didn't know me at all. My surgery grades maybe low but my IQ isn't that low, missy. There were way too many clues indicating this was no random number text.

First of all, she texted me 4 times before I gave her a response. If you are dialing a random number you're not going to waste 4 text messages over a 12 hour period to see if someone texts you back. Also her first 5 text were all in English until I mentioned what a coincidence it is. Then all of a sudden she texts me in Tagalog? Yeah, nice way of trying to play that off now. And what a coincidence it is that she lives in Binan, the same town that I do. Later on she would call me "sir" however, I didn't even tell her I was a man or give her my name. Ok, there is a possibility this can all be coincidental but I don't think so. With that kind of luck she should play the lottery or have her own psychic hotline.

You know if she just told me how she knew me or who she really was I would have probably entertained her messages. I don't mind really mind listening to people. In fact I think it might be a problem of mine. No matter who it is I'll stop to listen to them, old ladies I've just met who want to tell me their problems, bums off the street wanting to tell me how they got there, or Mitch wanting to tell me the same story over in 3 different ways. I figure they just need to talk and have someone listen so if I'm not doing anything, I don't mind giving them a bit of my time.

But if you are going to text me trying to pretend you don't know me when you clearly do it makes you sound like a stalker or a psycho... Or both. I've dealt with enough crazies in my life already. I don't need any more. And how the hell are you going to ask me to be your friend when the first thing you did was lie to me? Yeah, that's how I like all my friends to be. This is like the third time this has happened to me so far. The sad thing is I think I'm really easy to approach so I don't know why people feel like they have to try and run this game on me.

Ladies if you want to talk to me just feel free to walk up to me when you see me and say hello. I'm really easy, more like a tramp.

Rain, rain go away...

2006-08-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a dream about being back in the States. The weather was nice and sunny and though the setting wasn't exactly anywhere special I had a feeling like everything just looked beautiful. I guess I'm kind of missing being back home.

Or maybe I'm just missing getting out and enjoying the sun. Usually if I'm not in class I find myself sitting in my fortress of solitude. Since I keep the ac running 24/7 and my windows are all frosted I don't get even see the outside of my little concrete cell. Once in a while I do get out to go to the mall but trust me the scenery along the way isn't all that nice. Also even if I do go outside the weather has been kind of gloomy these past months. It's been cloudy and raining but still hot and humid. Maybe I shouldn't complain because if the sun was out then it would be a lot hotter out here. Then again maybe I could finally take a warm shower. Since the only way I can get any warm water here is due to the sun heating up the pipes and the water tank sitting upon my dormitory's roof. It's been a long time since I hadn't had a cold shower and I don't think I'm getting any more used to it as the time passes along despite what everyone says. And unfortunately as the days go by I think I'm getting less and less accustomed to sitting in this fortress of solitude as well.

The self-diagnosed schizoid

2006-08-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Last week after realizing that I will probably fail pharmacology and while studying for psychiatry I came across this web site called, Internet Mental Health. While reading thru their list of mental disorders and their accompanying signs I found one description that seem to fit me pretty well.

From the page of Internet Mental Health:

0.1 Schizoid Personality Disorder
Personality disorder characterized by at least 3 of the following:

(a) few, if any, activities, provide pleasure;
(b) emotional coldness, detachment or flattened affectivity;
(c) limited capacity to express either warm, tender feelings or anger towards others;
(d) apparent indifference to either praise or criticism;
(e) little interest in having sexual experiences with another person (taking into account age);
(f) almost invariable preference for solitary activities;
(g) excessive preoccupation with fantasy and introspection;
(h) lack of close friends or confiding relationships (or having only one) and of desire for such relationships;
(i) marked insensitivity to prevailing social norms and conventions.

Excludes:
* Asperger's syndrome
* delusional disorder
* schizoid disorder of childhood
* schizophrenia
* schizotypal disorder

All you need is at least 3 to be diagnosed as a schizoid? I don't think there is at least three from the list that don't apply. No need to discuss which one's those are but damn the majority does seem to apply. Maybe that's why they assigned a psychiatrist to be my guidance councilor. And I thought it was because of my little speech on Filipino personality. Judging from my family history I think I'm screwed.

Who's throwing the party?

2006-08-25T04:45:00.000-07:00

Next month the university I'm attending will hold its annual "Med Night", an event that I don't plan on attending this year but one that the student body officers (SBO) are insisting that I pay for anyway. You know in the States there is a saying that you get what you pay for. And since I'm not getting anything that night I don't get why I have to pay for anything. If I throw a party at my dorm but you don't come I wouldn't expect you to pay for anything.

The Man: "Hey, Ray I'm having a party tomorrow night."
Ray: "I'm sorry man I can't come."
The Man: "That's ok but I want you to get me a case of beer for the night."
Ray: "Ok, I'll pick it up on my way back. You got the money?"
The Man: "Um, no you're the one paying for it."

Would that shit make sense to you? It doesn't to me. Every time I ask them why I have to pay they never give me a reason other than "you just have to". And when I ask them then what would I be paying for they start off with "well, dinner is 250..." Now, just hold $%^& up since I'm not going to the event I'm probably not going to be eating dinner there either. So why would I pay for a dinner I'm not eating? (Refer back to my little dialog.) That doesn't make any sense. It's not like the dinner is buffet style either, people just get one plate, so I'm assuming they will be paying per plate. Just tell the caterer not to make an extra plate that I'm not going to eat anyway and don't pay for it. It's as simple as that. Do people get a monthly bill from McDonald's once a month for not ordering a Big Mac? Well, I know it doesn't happen in the US.

Another thing I don't get is that since this coming Med Night the school will also be celebrating a 25th year reunion for its first medical college alumni, why is it that the students are the ones getting stuck with the bill for the university's event? I don't think any of the students even know these people but their dinner, the decorations, and the entertainment will all be paid for by the students, even the ones that aren't going. (Refer back to my little dialog to put this in some perspective.) Wtf?

Well, I guess it's a cultural thing because it seems that the rest of the students have no qualms about it all, especially the SBO. Maybe they are getting some kick back. I don't know. Anyway, the only thing that they are complaining about is that since the students are paying for the party they should have a say in where they are going to hold it. Finally there is one comment that makes a little sense to me. However, they don't get a say at all.

The university has decided that the night must be held on campus. So let me see, it will be the university staff who run the lights and provide the equipment for the event. Oh and that catering service for their lovely dinner that night is also run by the university. Hmm... So not only do the students pay for the university's event but they also have to pay the university for throwing it. Wow.

Now let's put this in a way so that some you might be able to better understand what is going on here.

The Man: "By the way Ray I'm gonna need $50 from you, that's just to cover part of the hosting fee."
Ray: "Isn't the party going to be at your house? And aren't you the one who decided to throw the party?"
The Man: "Yeah, it is but you know it is my house and you people will be there."
Ray: "But it's your party."
The Man: "Um, yeah. But anyway I'm also going to need an additional $50 to cover the DJ fee."
Ray: "Who's the DJ?"
The Man: "Oh, I am."
Ray: ? "We are going to pay you to DJ at your party?"
The Man: "Yeah, isn't it sweet? It's like I'm the one throwing the party but you are all the ones paying me to throw it. The best idea I had so far."
Ray: "I guess so, but like I said I'm not going."
The Man: "That's ok you're still gonna pay me anyway. That's the beauty of it."

Now, who in their right mind would agree to that shit? If you would I would like to meet you because I'm planning on throwing a party next Friday night.

Let you win and throw away my fancy schmancy dinner?

2006-08-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have a hang over but the strange thing is I only had one bottle of beer last night. One Corona that's it... and about 4 pounds of food. I ate until it felt like the food was up to my neck. Kasi, last night was the pay up time for my dear friend who lost her bet with me. What the bet was over is not as important as the fact that I won. Yes! Originally the deal was that the looser would pay for the winner's lunch. However, I some how got it so that the looser would pay for dinner at some fancy restaurant in Makati. I knew I was going to win anyway. Hahaha. You know I think she thought that I may actually let her win. In fact she even told me that I should have let her win.

For some reason girls always tell me that, "you should let me win." And then they give me that look like I did something horrible wrong for not doing so. You know a bet is much like entering a competition. You wouldn't play a game just to lose would you? Or walk into a casino and lay 20 dollars down on the table thinking “I'll just let the dealer win this one”. That would be ridiculous. So why do girls feel like a man should always simply let them win? Are they looking for ridiculous men to date or are they the one's being ridiculous for thinking that way? Ladies if you want to see if a man will do something for you, you should just ask. There is no point in trying to see if they will make a fool of themselves for you. And in the case that they do seem a little hesitant to do what you ask all you have to do is sweet talk them or pose for them in your lacey dolly and usually that would be enough. (Now, if you are a man who disagrees with what I just said ask yourself what kind of man you really are. )

Anyway, as you already know I didn't let my friend win and I didn't let her get out of our deal either. If she thought I was a gentleman, haha, she thought wrong. I've been living off tortilla chips and fruit bars for the past week and a half. I was ready for some good food, but I guess I was not ready to eat that much food. It just goes to show you though, that you should be careful of what you whish for. To make a long, long meal short she took me to the National Sports Grill in Greenbelt 3 where the portions are American sized. I already felt like I was going to burst when we got finished there but then we went to Bubba Gump's for dessert. And I believe that was the turning point in me becoming a type two diabetic. I was actually sweating while trying to finish eating my ice-cream.

There was a wall of chocolate.

But she kept on eating untill it all came down. That is called gluttony.

The scent of yellow papaya...

2006-08-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

...doesn't smell that good at all. It is a good thing however, that it doesn't taste like it smells. It kind of taste like a cantaloupe, would probably go good with sugar.

This is my first papaya.

Are those seeds or the parasitic eggs of some tropical insect?

A friend of mine got it for me because I have been having major epigastric pain which I thought may be due to some serious constipation. Well, I ended up eating the whole thing but it didn't quite work. So maybe it wasn't due to constipation. I don't know what it is but I feel like I'm really falling apart out here.

Anyway, Marms thanks for the papaya, I owe you one again. Hey, if I end up dying out here I'll reserve you a front seat at my funeral but you have to wear a cape.

Blogger education.

Did you know, that the papaya fruit grows on plants, up to 10 to 12 feet tall, and not on trees. And this now common fruit to all of the tropics originated in Central America.

Well now you know and knowing is half the battle! Yo Joe!

Driving me Peanuts

2006-08-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

You ever watch those Peanuts specials with Charlie Brown and Snoopy? They usually came on during the holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Well, I guess if you're not from the States then maybe you haven't. Anyway, if you have then you probably now what I'm talking about. I remember watching those cartoons when I was younger. They would have this classroom scene where they are all sitting there and then their teacher would say in these exact words or sounds "wawa wawawa." I would sit there thinking what the hell did she just say? And before I knew it one of the characters would answer the teacher back as if the "wawa wawawa" actually meant something. Needless to say I was amazed. As a kid I just assumed she was speaking another language and I remember wanting to to learn whatever language that was also just so I could understand what she was saying there.

Nowadays, I don't watch anymore of the Peanuts specials but you know I get that exact same feeling when ever I'm sitting in class. I know the professor is asking me something but half the time I just don't know what that is. And it doesn't matter whether they are speaking English or Tagalog because contrary to popular belief Filipino English isn't exactly American English. You got accents placed where you are not used to hearing them, vowels that you think should be silent pronounced, and at times the pronunciation of T, D, B and V can all sound the same to me. You would think I would be used to the Filipino accent being surrounded by Filipinos my whole life and all but I've noticed that even the accents of one Filipino to another here are different from one another. Well, what can you expect when you are in a country with over a 100 different dialects. Fortunately, for me each of my professors have their own unique way of speaking. I can't even begin to describe them. Anyway, in the States I have many foreign friends who speak English with an accent but you know I don't nearly have as much problems understanding them as I do with the people here.

Maybe it only seems that way because I'm exposed to having to hear more people speak with an accent here or maybe it's because in medicine you use alot of words that already sound foreign. Well, at least I can say it's not as bad as it was last year but then again I don't know if that's really saying much.

Is there a plumber in the house?

2006-07-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well it's been another weekend without water. At least they brought me a cleaner bucket of water this time around but the dishes in my sink are really starting to stink up. Apparently plumbers don't work on the weekends in this country especially on Sundays. Nope I'm not being sarcastic about it this time, that's what they told me.

Saturday evening, concerning the lack of water running in the dormitory...
Me: "Will somebody be fixing it?"
The little man who brings me food: "Umm, it's Sunday tomorrow. No one works on the Sabbath Day. Do you expect someone to be working on that day?"
Me now a little startled: "Well, um.."
The mad little man who brings me food: "That would be blasphemy! God have mercy on you for even thinking of such things. We will have a plumber here Monday and no sooner."

Ok, now I was being a little sarcastic about the little guy's response but he did basically tell me that there are no available plumbers on Sunday and that we would have to wait until Monday before anything could get done about it. Why is that? You could come to your own conclusions.

You know though if I was a business man I could see a really big opportunity here for me as Sunday only plumber. Hell, I would have the entire market to myself and I could jack up my fee really high. Who else are they going to get to fix their plumbing when they are in a jam? They would be at the mercy of my prices. But then would that be worth the price of your soul?

Mom, I'm dropping out of medical school and becoming a plumber.

Silly thieves

2006-07-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

At approximately 9:45 pm two men walked into the internet shop asking to use two of their computers. After a few minutes surfing the internet the two men stood up, one brandishing a hand gun and the other man a knife as they demanded the shop owner's purse. The two men were then proceeded to flee from the scene of the crime on foot with the shop owner's purse. This all occurred as a guard stationed just out side the shop sat at his post complete unaware of what was going on.

Bah! All they got was a purse? Silly thieves. If I was them this is what I would have done. First I would have gotten the store owner to lock the front door to her shop. I would then proceed with her thru the backdoor of her shop which leads straight to the dormitory I'm staying in now. Once in the dormitory I would have the other guy watch her to keep her mouth shut as I went to the front entrance of the dormitory and lock it as well. Now the dormitory would be completely sealed off. As all the students sat in their rooms either studying or proceeding to sleep I would then begin to rob them one by one going from room to room. I would corral my latest victim into a single room with the shop owner and all the other students I had previously robbed, where my companion could watch over them. I would stash the most valuable of their things into 4 or 5 of their own school bags which I and my partner could easily walk away with. Once I had finished with that I would barricade off the room I had them all corralled into. I could probably do that by setting the door of the room they're in on fire. Seeing as how you can't really open any of these windows wide enough to fit thru this would prevent anyone from running out right away and alerting the guards. No one would see the smoke as the sky is already dark and no one would notice the fire either, especially if the room was on the first floor as the walls of the building prevent anyone from looking into the dormitory grounds. Don't worry about a conviction for murder, as long as the students stay away from the door none of them should get toasty in the fire. Besides the doors everything here is made out of concrete. Me and my partner could then walk out calmly thru the front door of the internet shop once again and make our get away with all their stuff.

Sheesh, just a purse? Amateurs. I would have at least gone up to rob that AM boy blind. Anyhow, now you know and knowing is half the battle.

...On second thought maybe you should forget everything you just read.

Delta Phi Beta or Binan's Badboy Barkadas?

2006-07-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been entertaining the thought of joining a medical fraternity but have been having mixed feelings about it. The pros of joining one are the support from other medical students which includes access to their secret stash of notes and obviously an instant boost in your social network. Seeing how I haven't figured out yet where the subject matter for our test actually comes from all the time and how I'm not much of a socialist joining a frat could be especially beneficial for me.

So what's stopping me? Well the cons. Actually I guess technically there is only one con which is the initiation. The typical initiation into a medical frat out here consists of recitation, humiliation, and a good beating. I remember seeing these two poor girls from last year who decided to join one walk around for a couple of weeks with black and blue bruises all up and down their thighs and shoulders. I assuming this practice also occurs in the States but I don't know for sure. Anyway, I don't quite understand why an organization of soon to be medical doctors would condone such a practice. It would seem to me that beating someone like that is just a tad bit contradictory to a doctor's role as a healer. If these people were joining a gang then yes I could probably understand the mentality behind it all.

I remember back when I was in high school this... umm, friend of mine joined a gang. Why he did it I don't understood. You know kids. Anyway, his initiation into the gang also consisted of getting a beating. You could say at the time he did gain a lot of immediate support and his network did expand as well but looking back on it in the end overall the whole thing was... well, pretty stupid. Just to reiterate for my mom, I'm speaking here from second hand experience of course. I think she still reads this thing.

Anyhow a medical fraternity is nothing like a gang... I suppose or would like to believe so but as the old saying goes if it sounds like a duck and looks like a duck then it probably is a duck. Some of the guys here like to brag about how tough the people in their frat are and how other frats are scared of them. It's a freckin' medical frat what are you planning to do later? Bully the nurses in to give you their lunch money? I'm nolonger interested in joining a gang these days. Though at times I may still act like an adolescent, I'm too old for those kind of things.

There is one frat here though that seems less like a gang, in their initiations anyway, and doesn't inflict a beating. However, you just got to be prepared to be humiliated while doing some singing and dancing for them. Hmm... Well, I'm not really sure if that's for me either cause...

"gangstas don't dance, we boogie."

Are you gonna flush?

2006-07-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well quite a few things have happened to me since my line was taken away, such as feeling as if someone kicked me in the crowned jewels, then took a bat to the back of my hip and suckered punch me in the kidneys for good measure. Every once in a while as I took a step I would also feel as if I was going to be folded in half backwards. Yup, I was in a bit of pain and my hip still hurts a llittle now actually but you know that story is a little boring. So I got a better one for you here...

I had been constipated for an entire week and after listening to a couple of lectures about Ascaris lumbricoides I started to get a little paranoid. So after my parasitology class I decided to perform a self diagnostic test of my own to see just how bad this constipation of mine really was. My plan was to start eating and keep on eating. I ate fruits, yogurt, oatmeal, and even some fruit bars (couldn't really find any true fiber bars). I also started to drink these bacterial yogurt drinks and lots of water on the advice of a friend. I figured if I actually had an obstruction some where along my bowls due to some parasitic worm or another, eating all this food would cause me to throw it up because it would have nowhere else to go. ...Right? Anyway, and if there was no obstruction then well it would just come out the normal route. Fortunately for me things came out at the normal end. I think it was drinking all that water that actually did the trick. Thanks Marms.

So as I got done with my double flusher I proceeded to flush the toilet for the last time. But to my dismay there was no sound of rushing water as I pushed down on the handle. It turns out that my entire building was out of water. Being late at night and with an oncoming typhoon I didn't think it was going to get fixed any time soon. Though I was glad that my constipation wasn't caused by thousands of worms obstructing my bowls I started to wish I was constipated once again because, once the flood gates are open it's not that easy to go back to closing them.

Usually when you are just standing in my restroom it's like being in a sauna, mainly because I can't install any air conditioner in there. Now imagine that felling along with the stench of an un-flushed toilet. But what are you gonna do? Crap in your pants? Fortunately, well kind of, that night it wasn't as hot as it usually is in my restroom because of the typhoon. The typhoon also actually brought back running water in to my room for a moment. It came in from the rusted open window of my restroom and it rained down on me as I sat there performing my duty.

It wasn't until noontime of the following day that my uncle had a pail of water delivered to my room. As the pail of water sat there in the middle of my room I stood over it for a minute trying to thinking of what I should do with it exactly. I could try to take a bath with it since I had class in about an hour or I could try and flush all that brown poopie stuff down the toilet. Now the bottom of the bucket didn't look all that clean but I figured it couldn't be any worse than the water silo where my water normally comes from. Hmm...

Why would a blue bucket have a brown bottom?

In the end I decided to use it for what smelled the most. No, not me. The toilet. There was a week of constipation sitting in there. To take care of my own manly smell I just hosed my self down with a bottle of alcohol. Probably not the smartest thing to do especially if I happened to pass by any smokers along the way to class. But, hey this is the Philippines and what'cha gonna do?

You've been cut

2006-07-19T03:38:00.000-07:00

Finally I'm back online. I am sure that many of my frequent readers... ok maybe the one or two people that occasionally browse site may have noticed that I haven't posted anything new these past few these weeks and had wonder why. No it was not because I was being my usual lazy self but because I had my dsl line cut. Hmmm... maybe I shouldn't use the word cut because some of you may be get the wrong notion that I had not paid my bill and that my provider simply canceled my subscription because of so. You can rest assured that the appointed treasure of second year medicine is not a man who skips out on his debts and pays promptly on time. So a better term would be that someone took my dsl line and carried it off with them to some unknown parts. Do you get it now? If not don't worry my dsl provider didn't get right away either. It took them 3 weeks to try and figure out what I was saying. Someone literally cut my dsl line out from the side of the building and took it away with them. Why? I've been asking that same question my self.

Blueberry bread?

2006-07-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

So after finishing off the first half of the sandwich my aunt gave me I reached for the second half and realized those weren't blueberries.

Damn.

While you were gone

2006-07-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

So when you come home hungry and don't see any food on the table most people look in the fridge. When ants don't find any food on the tables here they do the same. After coming back from the States I had found that ants have managed get into my refrigerator by chewing a hole in the door's rubber siding...

They must have some of the smartest ants in the world here. How do they know where to look for your food? Ants don't have miniature refrigerators of their own do they?

I guess it was a little too cold for them though because I found dead ants everywhere, in the cheese, in the butter and even on the shelves.

Maybe what they do is have an ant scout assigned to watch your every move.

"We got a report from a scout that the hairless monkey has just bought cake and placed it in his grey box."
"Good. Prepare the troops. We will strike tonight and feast on that cake by dawn!"
"Haha, That monkey has no clue, does he."
"No, not a one. Hahaha."

Pictures

2006-06-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, since Kuya Boy was pretty lazy with showing you what it's like in America here's some pics from back in the States.

I got 4 aquariums back home. One of them is setup as a vivarium with firebelly toads and an anole.

This is one of the baby firebellies rest on the glass. Not sure how long he will be able to make it in there though before he gets eaten.

I don't know why people buy small dogs, especially ones that cost $800.

This guy craps everywhere.

This is the value meal menu at McDonald's.

Notice something? There's no McChicken or McSpaghetti. What's a Pinoy to do?

Had to visit my favorite pizzeria, Zachary's, in Berkeley before I came back out here.

This is personal size pizza. The crust is about an inch and a half thick.

Part of the SF skyline.

This was taken from the ferry.

A look down one of the streets in SF.

As you can tell parking is a bitch in the city almost no matter where you are.

Pics form the Beverly Center in LA.

It's a pretty nice mall. Small compared to the one's out here though.

The reason why we were out in LA in the first place was for E3.

As you can tell from the pics, E3 is an electronic expo.

Damn what is up with the gas prices in California? It is more expensive there than in the Philippines and they don't even pump your gas.

Why did we take over Iraq again?

A street merchant in Berkeley selling his handmade jewelry.

Some of his stuff might make for a nice gift... I think.

Well, that's enough of the States. Time to get back to things here on the island...

Round 2

2006-06-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back on the island. Why? I don't know. Could be because I'm a sadist. Anyways, I have been back for about three weeks now and I can say besides some minor details not much has actually changed. So I would say this time around my chances are

4:5 I'll succumb to a parasitic disease
3:5 perish from a tropical disease other than parasitic
3:5 get taken out by a tricycle while crossing the street
9:10 meets my demise by other causes
1:500 actually survives the year unscathed

We got any takers?

The first thing I saw walking back in to my dorm room...

A family of 5 cockroaches.

American wood

2006-06-07T02:53:00.000-07:00

I have been here for a long time now but I am still not sure if where I stay is in the city or the province. There are many paved roads here with traffic lights so it looks like the city but there also many trees so it reminds me of my province. Every where I look there are trees but then there are no farms, only trees! So I don't know if "V-town" is a city or province?

V-town is surrounded by trees.

You know though there are many trees there are no banana, mango, papaya or any fruit trees! I don't know why. If I were them I would have fruit trees there so you can feed the people. Why only plant trees to feed the animals, like the squirrel?

We don't have in the Philippines. They look like a grey and brown rat but with a fluffy tail. And it is always hopping hopping.

Cherry blossoms

2006-04-27T00:58:00.000-07:00

Last time I forgot to mention why I went to San Francisco in the first place, it was for the Japantown Cherry Blossom Festival parade! We don't have a Japantown or cherry blossoms in the Philippines so this was the first time for me to ever see such things.

The Peace Pagoda located in the Japan Center complex. It was donated by the people of Osaka Japan to the city of San Francisco in 1968.

After we finally found a parking space, which took one hour to do, and walking the 5 city blocks to the festival I was surprised to see so many Asians. Of course Filipinos are Asian and there are many Chinese and Koreans in our country as well but I was expecting to see more people who are like Tom Cruz, Salma Hayek or Usher. I guess since this was Japantown I should have expected to see many Asian people, like Japanese. Pero, I was surprised kasi, I hardly ever see Asians in American movies, maybe only Lucy Lu.

Anyway it was still very exciting. There many things to do. They had a costume show, live music, and a parade! We had a parade once for my school. We had a band, majorettes, we carried a statue of Mother Mary and everyone walked behind us. Well, maybe to the American it does seem very exciting but we had fun that time.

I think in America the parades are usually more elaborate because the parade had many people in different costumes, each having a different theme. Some people just wave but many gave a performance, liking cutting bamboo, playing drums, dancing and singing. It was my first time to see a parade like this.

After the parade we went to their mall. It was very small. I think the mall in my province is bigger but it looked very social. Many of the items looked like they were from Japan and they had many restaurants selling Japanese food. I feel like maybe I am in Japan! I wanted to buy something as a souvenir and taste all the food but I did not have much money with me. Sayang. And that Alex he is very kuripot you know. He don't like to spend any money. For the whole day he bought only one sandwich and that's all. No drinks. Maybe it's because he is like a camel he doesn't need to drink. But I think it is really because he is kuripot, talaga. They had a water fountain but I didn't want to drink because I'm afraid of having LBM (loose bowl movement). I hope next time I can come back but with more money.

Here are some more pictures from the Cherry Blossom Festival.

These ladies in the kimonos just got finished dancing along in the parade.

This person is dancing also... I think.

The otaku.

A golden shrine.

Look at his forehead, it's a Neo Nazi dragon! Joke lang. Long before the Nazi's turned the swastika into a symbol of fascism and racism in the West it had been a spiritual and religious symbol to that of many different cultures. Even to this day it still remains as a holy symbol to many, especial to those in the East.

Some pageant contestants.

The world-renown musician and composer, Kitaro, who won a Golden Globe award for his work on the soundtrack of Heaven & Earth.

They ended the parade. I don't know the meaning behind what they are doing, however.

Last but not least the pageant Queen and her court!

This of course is only based on appearance. Maybe in America the pageants are based more on personality. Or maybe, like in the Philippines it all depends on who sold the most raffle tickets.

Wasted drive space

2006-04-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

All my friends who have been to America have told me that driving in this country is very different from the Philippines. I thought maybe they drive on the left side of the road like in Japan but it's not like that. The roads here are very wide even on the freeways, much wider than in the Philippines. Not by the number of lanes but by the width of the lanes alone. I think the freeway that goes thru this town has 4 or 5 lanes. In the Philippines we have freeways with 4 or 5 lanes as well but here everyone drives very far apart. They don't maximize the space. In the Philippines we use all the available space of the road so we can have many cars going at the same time. I don't know why they don't do the same here.

Last Sunday Alex and I got caught in traffic on our way to San Francisco. We almost came to a stand still. I told to Alex,
"Why don't you use the side lane over there."
"You mean the shoulder?"
"Yes, that one. No one is there. Sige na."
"That's the emergency lane in case you have any problems with your car. We don't have a problem with the car."

He acted as if I did not know what it is. You know we have it in the Philippines too. Anyway, I told him,
"I know what it is for but there is no cars having an 'emergency' there."

Alex turned to look at me for a moment. Maybe because I am so pogi. Pero I don't think that was the reason why. He finally says to me,
"This is not the Philippines. This is America."

This is America? So what? I know that. He means to tell me because this is America he likes to sit around in his car, wasting time in the traffic? I don't like traffic, so I don't want to wait. But ok, I don't want to argue with him you know. Maybe he misses driving a car and wants to spend as much time as he can in the driver's seat. So I let him be but I was surprised to see no one else used it either. Everyone here, likes to stay in their lane, "in between the lines", even if they are going very... very... slow.

It took us an hour and a half to get to our destination but you know if I was the one driving maybe it would have only taken us a half an hour. My friend said that Americans drive everywhere because they like to drive. So maybe the rational is if they wait in traffic they can feel like they get to drive longer. Aywan ko.

On the way home there was no traffic. So I thought maybe Alex would drive slowly to stretch out his driving time but I was wrong, talaga. Alex's was driving so fast! I thought maybe he had to use the CR or he was upset but he told me it was neither. So I don't know why he was driving so crazy. He acted as if he was driving a sports car but we were not in a sports car. We were in a big family van going over 135 km/hour!! He told me to relax, but how could I? What he is doing is very dangerous you know. Pero, I don't want to argue with him again so I just try to sleep. I closed my eyes and prayed to God that I won't feel any pain.

When we get to his home town I finally wake up. I was happy to be alive but I had to use the CR very badly. As we got off the freeway we stopped at an intersection. We waited for a while and there were no other cars coming. I thought he was in a hurry but I don't know why he waited so long there. So I told him to go because I had to go too you know. Then he says to me,
"It's a red light. It will just take a minute."
"But there is no one coming. Look. Wala na."
"I know."
"Well, it does not seem like you know to me. Sige na."

Then Alex he turned to me and gave me that same look as before. You know I don't think I like this look. He tells me again,
"This is not the Philippines. There are rules here. You just can't drive across an intersection on a red light whenever you feel like it."

Rules, talaga? So it's the rules that make him drive like a bobo. We have rules in the Philippines too but if no cars are coming why not go? There was no traffic police there, either. So what's wrong? There is no harm in crossing an intersection when you are the only one there! Or to use the "shoulder" when there are no cars in an "emergency" there. It may be good to follow "rules" but what is the harm done in these situations? How about driving over 135 km/hr? That can be very dangerous you know and it is also breaking the rules. So what happened to those "rules" of his then, ha?

You know I think he was not being very considerate. He knew I had to use the CR. Maybe if he also had to use the CR he would have crossed the red light but I don't think that will ever happen. I don't know where he stores all his fluids but he almost never has to use the CR. He is like a camel.

Anyway, siempre it is generally good to follow rules but sometimes you should think for your self, de ba.

Before the toll gate going on to the Bay Bridge.

You eat too much

2006-04-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

You know so many Americans are big. Bigger than most Filipinos. Even the Filipino Americans are big. I wonder why? I think it is because Americans eat so much. When they buy food everything is so big! The pizza, the hamburger, the French fries, the drink everything is so malaki!

One day Alex wanted to buy jamba juice. I never had a jamba fruit before, so I ask for only a small size because I might not like it. But then they all told me it taste very good and I should try a larger size. So sige na, I told them I'll have a regular. When they come back though it's so maliki! Sugoi! It's good enough for four Filipinos. I couldn't finish it all in one sitting. I had to save it for later but everyone else they finished it so fast.

On the same day they also bought super burritos! Talaga it's so super. It's not a regular burrito. You can feed a whole Filipino family with only one. I have never seen a burrito like this in my country. It was masarap, but I could not finish mine again because it was so big. It was bigger than Alex's forearm, talaga! But that Alex, oh my goodness, he finished it all in one sitting! I think that's why he is taba.

Americans eat too much.

This is a regular sized Jamba Juice. It's probably bigger than a supersized cola in the Philippines.

See the toy arm? That's like Anna's arm! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating... just a little.

This is a wet burrito from Papa Chuy's Taqueria in Pleasant Hill, CA. I don't think they have any burrito like this in the Philippines. (edit: Oops, plugged the wrong restaurant. All fixed now.)

It really is big! No exaggerating.

Coming to America

2006-04-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

Before I left to America everyone said I would arrive in time for spring. They said the weather would be so nice and cool. I thought that would be wonderful you know because it can get so hot in my country during this time. Sometimes you can't even sleep because it's so hot, talaga. But when I get here, it's not spring here! Hindi! This is more like winter in Baguio! Maybe, even colder. You know I bring only my chinelas, some short-pants and t-shirts because in my province it is always warm. Now, I don't know if I can survive like this. Everyone here wears rubber shoes, long pants, sweaters and thick jackets. Filipinos here dress like Eskimos, not like tropical people. This is not right.

Switch

2006-04-08T03:11:00.000-07:00

Seeing how I'm no longer on the island, at least for the moment, I've decided to make a little change around here. Instead of talking about my experiences on the island (How can I do that when I'm not there, anyway? )Kuya Boy is going to give you a first hand account of what's life like in America from the perspective of some one who's visiting here for the first time of course.

So until further notice ladies and gents here's Kuya boy.

Time to go home...

2006-04-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

Well, this looks to be my last post from the island... for now at least. I got two more days left actually but I'll be spending them in Manila (the real Sin City) before I head off... I don' have much else to really say except, I want to go home. So for now, so long.

Home by Michael Buble

Another summer day
Is come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I'm fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it's just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aerorplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I've got to go home

Let me go home
I'm just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life
It's like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
But this was not your dream
But you always believe in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
And even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I'm surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Oh, let go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I've had my run
Baby, I'm done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all right
I'll be home tonight
I'm coming back home

Pasalubong

2006-03-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

So the nightmare of first year medicine is finally over. In just a few more days I'll find my self sitting on a plane heading back home. But until then there's the task of buy everyone back home souvenirs. Joy, joy, joy.

So that's what I and my guide, (Who shall remain nameless because of the fear of prosecution. The poor girl gets teased enough when ever we are seen together. ), set out on a 12 hour tour to do in Manila's bargain district.

We first started out our little adventure in Tutuban mall and then headed over to Cluster mall and the Divisoria. The places were crowded. Out on the streets it kind of reminded me of those movie scenes where the good guy is chasing some bad guy through a crowded Asian market place. The stalls are packed together almost as tightly as the people walking by. Just about anything you want is for sale, well except for the wooden slippers that my little cousin's wanted me to get, but they had just about everything else and it was all so cheep too. They were selling Rolex, Tag, and Omega watch brands for only around $30. They also had Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Coach wallets and bags going around for less than $10.

Can you believe that? In the States you could spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on these things but for less than a hundred bucks you can walk away with more bling than what Paris Hilton would normally sport. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. Something is definitely wrong about this. We're getting ripped off buying that stuff in the States people.

As we left the Divisoria to head over to the other shopping center, Quiapo, we decided to ride a kalesa. The kalesa is a small single horse driven carriage big enough to sit two people and the driver. It was the first mode of transportation in Manila. Even though the Manila streets don't look anything like back when the Spanish first arrived the ride had a rustic awe to it as we navigated through the crowded streets with plenty of on lookers. You would think that it would be my guide who sat there giddy with excitement but no it was I. (Hey, it was my first time so lay off. ). Anyway that was until the jeepni's started blowing exhaust in our faces. It was cool though. At least an experience to remember.

In Quiapo you could find some of things that you wouldn't normally find in an average mall, things that pertain to the supernatural. All around there were vendors who could sell you potions for solving matters such as love and ones that could even take care of any problems that may arise if the love potion works a little to good, if you know what I mean. We also found this one elder lady selling amulets called anting-anting. Shaped like old bronze relics, they are supposed to poses special protective powers. I bought one that is to protect the bearer from evil spells, because you can never be too sure when some evil witch is going to try casting a hex on you. I also bought another one which looks to be for protection from pedophiles. Hey, I couldn't give everyone the same one.

By the time me and my nameless guide were done searching thru the hundreds of stalls we were dead tired. And you know through out the whole time we were shopping, or maybe I should say I was shopping, I don't think she bought a single thing for her self. Oh, wait she did buy herself dinner and mine too when we went to Wendy's. (Yup, they got that here too, with biggie fires, biggie drink and biggie everything ). Yeah... Well, it's not like I asked her to pay for my meal. In fact I wanted to pay for hers just to pay her back in some way for showing me around but she wouldn't have it.

She's just kind of that way though. Through out my entire stay on this island she has been one of nicest and sweetest girls I've met. And even after hearing all the crazy stories about Filipino women and even having some of my own personal experiences she's someone who could still actually make you want to go out and look for a pinay who's just like her. Well, that was until we started eating. Let's just say after hearing about chocolate pudding with ketchup and bubble gum with wrappers I'm having second thoughts. It might be in my best interest just to not to even bother looking for anyone out here and just remain single.

Then again as I'm sitting here picking the blacken snot out of my nose and reading her text messages threatening to kick my ass, I don't want to make her out to sound too bad. After all that she went thru a lot just to show me around. That has still got to count for something right? So how about we say 30% of her is concentrated sweetness and the other 70% you just better watch out for.

Thank you my nameless guide for showing me around. I just want to let you know I really appreciated the time you gave up for me.

Stranded

2006-03-22T05:49:00.000-08:00

Been trying for the past two days to reserve a flight back home but I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone. None of the numbers for this airline company or for the ticket agency that my parents supposedly got the ticket from are active in Manila. Not even the ones on their website work. It says on the ticket to call in to reserve your flight, but how the hell do you do that? Makes you wonder what kind of company this really is. I could understand why some little shop on the corner around here doesn't have a phone line but an "international" airline without an office phone line? Did someone forget to pay the bill?

This traveling coconut dealer has a business line but Cathay Pacific doesn't.

Maybe this is a sign. Yes, I see it now. It's all coming together... This whole idea about coming to the Philippines for med school was just an evil plot to dispose of me!

Unnamed Parent: "Oh, there's nice beaches where you'll be going."
Where?

Unnamed Parent: "A lot of celebrities like vacationing there also."
Who?

Unnamed Parent: "And don't worry if you don't know the language because all you're professors will be speaking to you in English."
When?

Unnamed Parent: "If you don't like it there you can come back anytime. It's an open date ticket."
Shit.

After, those first three lines of bulls#!& I should have known the rest was going to be the same. They probably didn't think I would still be alive until now but I am. Just got to figure out some way back to the States now. There's no way I can walk. Maybe I could swim. ...

Gonna try one last time to call this so called airline company, using their number in the States. So I went out and bought a calling card earlier today because I know it's going to be one expensive call. I was already having a shitty day too and the lady stiffs me on my change. It was only P10 ($.20) but it was the principle of it all. I've been there several times before and I know how much the card cost. The difference this time was that I actually had to speak, in stead of just point. I tried to ask her where my change was but she just smiled and told me I didn't have any. That's f@#$*%-up. Why do we foreigners got to be such a mark out here? I should have grabbed her by neck as she lied to me in my faced but I just walked away.

One of these days though, someone is going to piss me off and I'm not going to be able to just walk away. And then that person is just going to have a shit load of pent-up frustration unloaded on them.

"This is for the jeepni driver that took my 20 pesos, the burger stand lady that charged me double, and that @*#$ who didn't give back my 10 pesos."

Yeah, I'm really loving it out here, even all the way up to the very end.

How otay is it to be OTay?

2006-03-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

For some reason my moms reads the things I write here. (That's why I can talk about all of things I do out here. Like that time me and my cousin smoked all that crack and started chasing pink rabits around the campus for the next three days. Just playing, mom. Crack is bad. ) Anyways, so she read my last post and sent me this e-mail about what kind of OTay doctor I'll end up being if I depend on them OT's.

HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO. Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

You know mom I'm gonna probably end up being like that anyway.

So this brings up the question, "how otay is it to be OTay?" Maybe I didn't answer that good enough earlier so here goes.

Like I said getting an OT from someone involves a lot of secrecy. Transactions happen fast and discrete or when no one is simply around. Makes you feel like you're in some kind of Mission Impossible flick or like you're out on the streets slinging crack. Take you pick. Either way you get the impression you are doing something you aren't supposed to be doing. But why? Well, if you are not part of this person's frat you might be breaking the frat rules and this person may get in trouble for doing it. So is that the reason for all the secrecy? Well, maybe not exactly.

Yes, the students don't want the professors to know that they got them too. I'm not really sure why, though. I'm sure that these professors must know that there is bound to be one of their OT's floating around someplace, especially if they have been giving the same test for the past five years! Remember the "O" is for old. It doesn't mean someone had to actually sneak in to some teacher's office to get a copy of it. Even so you still have to keep it out of their view and not only that but you're not supposed to perfect the exam if you got an OT. One of my classmates got a perfect on one of the last test and some people are giving him crap for it but why? If you read the books and then look over an OT's aren't you just doing what you're supposed to? So if you get 100% what's wrong with that? Isn't that the goal? Maybe it's because the professors might be tempted to not be so lazy and write up a new test the next time around to actually test your knowledge of the subject. Then again what's wrong with that?

So I'm not sure as to exactly why getting an OT from some one really bugged me before. Part of it might have been because I felt like it gave me such an advantage over others, though I'm starting to see that a lot of the times I was the one at the disadvantage. Having an OT, however, is not a guarantee that you got in your hand what will exactly be on the next. Though, it is pretty close to it some times. It also doesn't guarantee you have the right answers. You would be surprised to find out how many of the answers are actually incorrect on most of these exams and I'm not talking about the students making mistakes but the professors with their corrections. Kind of makes you wonder about the quality of the education you're paying for out here. Anyways, what this all means is that you still got to study. Or at least you should.

If you do, however, decide not to open a single book and solely depend on the chance you're going to get another OT you kind of take a gamble. Not only that, there is a chance you'll be learning the wrong facts. One of my classmates has tried to justify putting down the wrong answers marked correct on the OT's but I can't agree with his justification. When you are simply memorizing answers from OT's you are cheating. That's plain and simple. There is nothing to it, you're cheating yourself. Then again there's no real crime against that. Is there?

People cheat themselves all the time, in more ways than one, and it's not some thing that depends on whether you have an OT or not. So it's nothing new and I ain't trying to preach about why people shouldn't be doing it now. So, what people are going to do with their OT's I don't care too much about. There is one thing though, don't come up to me bragging about how well you did on some test or go talking smack to me about some other person who didn't do as well as you did. I don't want to hear about it. Having OT's definitely give you a huge advantage, especially over those people who don't have one.

As for my personal conundrum I don't think it is so much because I actually had some OT. I've never memorized just the answers. Even though, I've felt like I've been cheating my self throughout most of this year. Somewhere along the line I've lost my enthusiasm, for one reason or the other. I don't want to be here right now. I'm just hanging on trying to get this school year over with. Next year it can't be like this. There would be no point in coming back. I'd just be wasting my time.

Anyway, on to another topic here's something else I got in my email box today from my cousin. Sorry, ladies it's only for the guys. It's a pic of some exposed celebrity. Can you guess who? Click here.

OTay!

2006-03-16T01:14:00.000-08:00

OTay! You OTay? I'm OTay too... Sometimes.

Well, as we are coming close to the end of the school year I'm finding out just about how many of my classmates are OTay. Translation: they have old test papers from the previous years, and since most of our instructors are too lazy to write up new test from one year to the next and if you can put one and two together I think that you can see why they are OTay.

Now, I don't want to sound like a hypocrite because some times I'm sitting OTay too. Not as much as I would like but sometimes. Yes, I admitted it. Hell, there's no one in class that hasn't looked at least one OT before a test and I'm starting to finding out there is a whole lot of people doing it more often than I had originally thought. Yes, it seems a little sneaking that we are all doing it in private as if we were carrying around some STD, but that's not the thing that really gets me chuckling.

In the beginning of the year when all the frats were looking for new recruits I remember hearing all this talk from some of my classmates of how they weren't going to join any frats. Some of them were kind of making it out to be a negative thing. Now other than getting paddled while not being able to swing back I really didn't see what they were talking about. Then they told me of how people join frats in order to get OT's. They said there is an underlining belief that you have to join a frat in order to do really well in medicine. So in order to prove that notion wrong they were going to do it all on their own. Now after hearing this come from their mouths I was amazed at their somewhat seemingly high sense of integrity and desire to get thru medicine all on their own. However, now I see that you don't need to join a frat when you got close friends and relatives who are going to give you the OT's anyway. Well, needless to say that bubble has really burst.

Now, again not to sound like a hypocrite but I wasn't the one trying to sound like I walk the straight and narrow path in the first place. Anyway, having OT's is not really all that bad. Though, when everyone has to be so secretive about it makes you a little suspicious. Sometimes we have to cover just way too many things in a short time. And it's not really like the profs really give you a clear indication of what's the most important things to focus on. On the other hand if you just focus squarely on memorizing the answers, A, B, C, and then the professors decided to switch some things up you're screwed. I'm sure some of the people in class can attest to that. Well, I know at least one person can since he is my main supplier of OT's.

However, the idea of whether to take an OT or not seems to put me in a bit of a conundrum at times. On one hand I feel like I'm cheating and on the other hand I feel like it's really helpful in knowing that I can move on to more important matters rather than spending three hours on trying to remember who developed the first scuba gear and when and what the letters S-C-U-B-A actually stands for.

Well, for a bit of personal vindication it's not like I have gone the entire year on OT's. Though, maybe that's only because I need to switch my OT supplier. And the classes in which I get the majority of OT's for are the classes in which the professors actually try to switch things up... at times. So they are almost more like a study guide. Well, sometimes. And I'm doing fine in them. I think. As for the classes that I basically don't get crap for (not that it really matters to me though ), one I'm doing pretty fine in. Though it would have still been nice if someone... or make that some "people" told me they had shit for it. (Ok, does it sound like I'm jealous? ) Well, I guess though that's where the whole secrecy thing comes in to play though. The other major course, I'm doing pretty shitty in but then again the reason for that may be a whole another story. No OT is going to make it OTay when you just don't study or got the time.

Anyway, I know I pretty much half assed my way throughout this whole year. Things could have been a whole lot different if I had put more effort in to my studies than I did in to writing these blogg posts. Or if a few other things hadn't happened along the course of the year. Maybe the thought of having an OT wouldn't have even crossed my mind. Then again who's to really say.

Blogger education

The letters S-C-U-B-A stands for self contained underwater breathing apparatus. It was a term first coined for an invention invented by... Dr. Christian J. Lambertsen of the US NAVY in 1939. Now though Dr. Lambertsen's use of the term SCUBA for his invention is a relatively new word underwater breathing apparatuses have been around for a long time. Some accounts of underwater breathing apparatuses have been dated as far back as 400 B.C. A tale from Aristotle tells of how Alexander the Great used a glass "diving bell" to explore the depths of the ocean. Since then there have been several other accounts of underwater breathing apparatuses in written text from different authors including one detailed design of a leather type underwater helmet by Leonardo De Vinci.

So if you're in my physiology class you might be wondering where does Jacques-Yves Cousteau fit in all of this. Well, he is among a long list of inventors which includes the famous magician Harry Houdini who has contributed to the history of SCUBA diving. However, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan's invention of the Aqua-lung in 1943 was not an insignificant one. Their improvement over the previous types of SCUBA gear would change the sport of SCUBA diving for the next decade.

The sanctity of marriage

2006-03-11T07:10:00.001-08:00

So today we had our last formal class of the year. I'm kind of glad the year is almost over but from here on out it's three weeks of straight testing. It's putting a little damper on my enthusiasm if you know what I mean. Anyway fitting for a private catholic university the last class of the year we had was Christian physician. The class that's supposed to show us how to be good and caring doctors in a Christ like way. Well sort of.

One of the topics we had for today was the sanctity of matrimony. Well, we all know that the Catholic Church believes that for a marriage to be valid you only a man and woman can be married to each other. You need those two components and you can't substitute one or the other for anything else. For example a man can't marry a fish , a woman can't marry a squirrel , and a squirrel can't marry a fish . It's just not natural and therefore if they were to allow it, it would threaten the concept of marriage. Now for all you animal lovers out there is no need to write me a bunch of hate mail. That's just what my prof was saying, not me. Well maybe that's not exactly what he was trying to say. It was the gist of it however, but in actuality he didn't put it so politely. His exact words were "homosexual marriage is a threat to the sanctity of marriage".

Now when you say a "threat" I can't help but think of George Bush Junior's war on terrorism and his constant ranting of how "terrorist are a threat to our society". Well maybe I shouldn't use the word "ranting". When someone blows up a building with thousands of people inside, obviously they are a "threat". There is no doubt about that. However, until married homosexual couples start blowing up Catholic Churches or forcing heterosexual Catholics in to homosexual marriages at gun point I don't see how in any way you are going to use the word "threat" in reference to what homosexual marriage is doing to the sanctity of marriage.

When I asked for the reason as to why the Church views homosexual marriage as a threat. The answer I received was that sexual intercourse between a man and another man and woman and another woman is not natural. (How do two women have sexual intercourse anyway? If anyone out there would like to demonstrate it how it is done please let me know. Just for educational purposes of course. ) In all honesty I don't see how it is natural either. One of the purposes in life is to procreate and a man with another man or a woman with another woman, just aren't going to be able to do that. But then again that's just my view from a biological stand point and who's to say what's really "natural". Is what is natural only those events that occur in nature? Those that we can see in the wildlife that happens around us? Therefore would religion be natural? How many dogs or cats do you see attend mass on their own? What about all these drugs and medical treatments we use on the sick in order to keep them from dying? Is that natural? Death is definitely a natural thing, so why do we try so hard to stop this event from happening? Do you find animals of the same sex having sex with one another? Well, yes you do. The closest species in the animal kingdom in which humans are believe are to believed to be related to are monkeys and there are in fact monkeys that do commit homosexual acts. So does this act in nature make homosexuality natural?

In either way whether one thinks homosexualality is natural or not, it does not answer my question of how homosexual marriage is a "threat" to the concept of matrimony. Even if you are only referring to the "Catholic ideal of matrimony" how do marriages outside the Catholic Church affect the Catholic view? For example I like chocolate chip ice-cream, if someone were to choose plain vanilla ice-cream over chocolate chip how does that affect my preference of chocolate chip? (Peppermint chocolate chip is actually the best but back to the point I was trying to make.) Maybe if I was 5 years old it would but I'm a grown man (at least I like to believe that) and I can choose to think for myself. Take this concept of a "threat" a step further and what does it imply about civil marriages done outside the Church, not under the eyes of "God", or the marriage between two Shintoist or Buddhist? Is that also a threat to the "Catholic marriage"? Should we all start thinking the same, like those religious fanatics from the Middle East (or from anywhere else for that matter) who believe that anyone with a view outside their way of thinking is a "threat" to society and these people should be prevented or even forced to stop living their life the way they want to?

Right of peaceful assembly

2006-02-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

People were running in every direction, waving their banners and shouting as police officers were chasing after them with their batons high in the air. I saw one man with a camera trying to escape from the pursuit of several officers who unfortunately wasn't able to get very far. The officers caught up with him as he tried to turn the corner. At the corner there was a woman beside him who tried pleading with the officers. The officers just ignored her however and proceeded to beat down the man with their batons. It was like that video of the Rodney King beating in L.A. They surrounded him and started whacking away until he fell to the ground. After a good beating the officers started to move on but as they did I saw one officer quickly turn back around, reach out and give the man who was already crying in pain one more good whack.

What the heck was that for? He forgot to throw in a hit in there for his Tito too? There was no point in turning back all the way around just to hit the poor guy once again. First overall the man was already defenseless when they proceed to be him and secondly, after they had finished beating him it did look he was about to do anything but lie there for a really long time. I couldn't believe it. That's when I realized how glad I was that we have civil rights in America and how glad I was to be watching this in my clean pressed white uniform from miles away in front of a television set.

Though, one of these days I got to go there to get some of this on camera. I was watching the MSNBC news coverage online and they mentioned how the police met the ralliest with water cannons. The video clip didn't mention at all however how they also chased and beat down helpless protestors with their batons. Here's one quote from an article covering the story of the Filipino protest against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which occured last Friday in Manila, from MSNBC.com.

"Hours later, another scuffle broke out, with police using truncheons on protesters who pushed and shoved them. No one was seriously hurt and the rally dispersed soon after."

That one man I saw on TV got his ass beat. Now would that qualify as news censorship? They obviously weren't telling the whole story. I hear that when the crowd control officers out here hit the streets it's anything goes. You better bring a helmet and lots of Band-Aids.

The four elements

2006-02-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

"What are the four elements?"

That was the question presented to our quiz-b contestants. It was one of the few questions that I could actually answer. Hell, my nephew probably could have answered this question back when he was five but here it was presented to all of us college students. As each participating group held up their answers upon white eraser boards they all read the same, air, fire, water, and earth. It was the same exact answer I thought to myself as I was sitting there. I was feeling a little good about my self right about then until the judge announced that they were all incorrect.

"The correct answer is" she stated, "air, wind, water, and fire."

The contestants looked confused. The audience booed. It seemed like everyone there hand the same answer in mind. Well, except for the judge. Granted the question was a little vague but I think we were all safe in assuming that the question was pertaining to the "four classic elements" of Greek philosophy. Even if it wasn't, in such broad classifications couldn't wind or air be included as part of one or the other? Then logically there would have only been three elements according to her answer. Even more so, logic should have told her that earth (you know the stuff that comprises the ground we walk on ) probably should have been included in there some place.

Despite everyone's protest however the judge stood stubornly by her answer. Even after when one of the students explained to her how it was the Greek philosopher Empedocles who stated that all mater was made up from air, water, fire and earth. The judge's response to the student was that she got the answer from some encyclopedia. I don't know what encyclopedia she was referring to but in all likelihood if it was indeed a credible source what it probably stated was that the four elements consisted of water, fire, air or wind, and earth.

Now everyone makes mistakes. There is nothing wrong with that or even in admitting that you were wrong when proven so. However, the problem here was that she wasn't supposed to wrong. She was the infallible and supreme quiz-b judge after all. Give me a break, as if being a judge for a school quiz-b makes her almighty. If she could have just opened her mind to what everyone was saying for maybe a second and put some of that pride of hers away then maybe she might have came out not looking so... well, stupid.

Pride and arrogance 1. Common sense 0.

Time for another segment of blogger education.

Many ancient civilizations have theorized their own "classical" set of elements in which they have used to explain all mater in the universe. And, earth is usually commonly found among these classic elemental sets.

The most widely known set of classic elements among those with western education is the one theorized by the Greek philosopher Empedocles. Some time during the 5th century BC, Empedocles stated that all matter of the universe can be made up of a combination of air, water, fire or earth. This same classic set of elements is still used today by astrologers to interpret the stars. Later the more popular Greek philosopher of this day, Aristotle, added aether to this set of elements to represent the stars/heavens above.

The Aristotelian set of elements can be likened to the five classic elements in Hinduism. In Hinduism belief the Panchamahabhuta, or "five great elements," are vayu or pavan (air or wind), ap or jala (water), agni or tejas (fire), are prithvi or bhumi (earth), and akasha (aether).

In Buddhism the word akasha is interpreted as "space" or "void". Thus, the Buddhism set of five classic elements consist of air, water, fire, earth, and void.

The five great elements (godai) of the early Japanese philosophy is similar to the Buddhism set of elements. In an ascending order of power they are chi (earth), sui (water), ka (fire), fuu (air or wind), and kuu (void).

In the Chinese philosophy of Taoism air or wind is not included in the set of five classic elements. The Chinese set of five classic elements include huo (fire), shui (water), mu (wood), jin (metal), tu (earth).These five classic elements also represent Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday respectively in the Chinese weekly calendar. (It's also the same in the Japanese calendar.)

There is another set of classic elements in the Chinese belief that incorporates the two missing elements from the Buddhism set of classic elements, feng (air) and kong (void). Thus in this second set the total number of elements is seven; void, fire, water, air, and earth.

So air, wind, water, and fire. Hmm...

Tissue please

2006-02-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

There I was about to get more of my favorite Filipino dish, lechon kawali. It's mainly pork meat and fat. Well, mostly fat, fried in more fat. Umm-mmm-mmm, yummy. Yeah so it's probably not the healthiest thing to eat in this country. In fact eating this everyday is probably the easiest way to raise your cholesterol levels which would eventually lead to other health problems for you such as atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension.

Anyway, as I stood there about to ask for another order of the coronary destroying juice fat laced pork my nose starts dripping. I first thought it was just snot so I didn't think much of it until I whipped it away with my hand and saw that my hand was bright red. My nose was bleeding (a possible early sign of hypertension ) and soon began to flow like a fountain. I didn't have any tissue so I turned around to look for someone and there was this pharmacy student staring right at me. I asked him if he had a tissue and then watched him slowly turned his back to me. I waited for a little while to see if he was going to turn back around with a napkin or something but I soon realized he was about to do no such thing. Maybe he didn't hear me over the noise of the rushing blood flowing from my nose. I don't know.

After that incident I figured I wasn't going to be getting much help from people around me so I stood there contemplating on what to next. Do I jus try to suck it up? Pray that it will stop soon? Or do I walk all the way back to the canteen where my friend, Kissey, was to get some help. I didn't want to draw too much attention to my self by walking down the street with all this blood gushing everywhere but I figured it didn't really matter. People were already staring, the majority of them all in the health profession but not one of them seemed like they were about to offer me any help. Maybe they could already tell I didn't have any health insurance so they just said #@$^ it, "how is he going to pay for my fee?" Perfectly understandable.

So I figured it would be best to run back to where Kissey was as quickly as possible since I was obviously not going to get any help here. When I got there the ladies working at the canteen took a much more caring attitude towards me. They took me to the back right away and got me some cold rags and ice to place on top of my head. They were really kind. I couldn't understand a word they said but they seemed really nice. After I left and paid for my food I wanted to leave a tip but they wouldn't accept it at all.

And to come to think that they're the ones in the food service profession making a living off waiting on people; not someone studying to be in a health profession which was meant to actually help people.

A Filipino funeral

2006-02-12T04:29:00.000-08:00

It was already 11:00 a.m. when I got back to my dorm. Since my uncle had told me that they would be leaving at 9 a.m. that morning I had declined to go with them. However, 2 hours after their expected departure time I decided to give him a call just in case there was a remote possibility that he would still be here.

Remote? Ha, I keep on forgetting people here run on Filipino Time. When I called them they weren't even remotely close to leaving though he told me they were just about to go. We left at 12:00 p.m. for the funeral of my Uncle Bert.

Now before I start to talk of the first funeral I have ever attended here in the Philippines I should backtrack about 6 days ago when I went to the house of my late Uncle Bert.

It had already been 3 days after his death and we were going to his family's home to pay respects to his remaining family. When we got to their street there were two tents blocking off and quite a few people standing outside. At such a late time I really didn't expect so many people to be there. It kind of looked like a party scene than the house of a grieving family. When I finally walked in to the house I was in for another surprise. There he was, my late Uncle Bert.

Now, it wasn't like that movie Weekend at Bernie's or anything. He was just there in the living room lying in his coffin. As you may have guessed they don't usually do this in the States. Well, not were I'm from. Come to think of it I don't think they would allow that at all in the States. It could get mighty hot in some places and having a dead body sitting in your living room is not going to smell so good after awhile, unless you have a lot of saran wrap. I guess that's why the casket had a sealed glass top.

I know he's family but waking up in the middle of night to get a glass of water and then having to pass by a casket has to be a little creepy. I would imagine it makes the grieving processes even all that much harder but that's how they do it here. The body of my Uncle Bert would stay with them for 9 days before the date of the burial, which takes to me back to present time of my story.

When we arrived there were even more relatives this time around and a marching band complete with majorettes. At first I thought they were apart of a separate activity but when they pulled my uncle's casket from the house and loaded it up in to the hearse. They began playing and leading the way for the funeral procession. As for my relatives instead of getting in their cars to follow after the hearse (that's what we do in the States) they followed right along walking behind them. They all have cars here too but that's just how they do it here.

Now, I knew that the cemetery wasn't exactly very far from their place but I was wondering what if they had a longer way to go? It was a hot day and not everyone walking was exactly young and vigor. Another thing I was wondering was if they could be allowed to do this in the more crowed city streets? I would imagine as we took up the entire street we could cause a major traffic problem. In the States usually the funeral procession is required to follow the laws of the road though in most of the ones I have been in I can't say that has always happened. However, walking behind the hearse is definitely out of the question.

As we got to our first stop, the church. I had noticed that we didn't exactly take the quickest route here. We kind of took the long way around. I guess it was in order to give my uncle his last stroll around the block which seems like a nice symbolic gesture to me. When I die I want my family to take me around San Francisco, Vallejo and Lake Tahoe since that's were I mostly grew up. Better hope I don't die out here because I don't know how the hell you are gonna walk my body back to the States. Anyway, after saying a few good things about the life of Uncle Bert we left for the last leg of the trip.

When got to the cemetery we viewed him once again for the last time, the preacher said his last words and we closed the casket. However, before we buried him they passed the small children one at a time over the top of the casket. I'm not sure what this was for but in Creole tradition they do this in order to prevent the souls of the dead to come back for the children. I don't know if this is done here for the same reasons or not.

Now I don't know if I should exactly say that we "buried" him because the cemeteries here are not exactly like the ones in the States. No one here is really laying six feet under. Instead the caskets are placed in to sarcophaguses that lay above ground. Normally in the States we would watch people cover the casket with dirt but instead here we watched them seal my uncle's casket away in cement.

After the funeral ceremony we proceeded to my uncle's house for the party.

Farewell Uncle Bert, rest in peace.

The puzzle

2006-02-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

It's 2:00am and I've spent the last few hours watching her cry. Spent the last few hours listening to people who've destroyed my faith. How is it that Christianity can teach someone to be so arrogant and cold? Or is it that these so called "Christians" have just been missing the point?

Filipino Time

2006-02-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

So today we had another follow up discussion about my report on Filipinos. Maybe I touched on a sensitive topic I don't know. By the way despite what everyone was saying in class I think I mentioned more positives than negatives if you really want to take count but hey, whatever. Anyway whether or not people thought the comments were "negative" in the end I think they were quite understandable (meaning I think I can see the reason behind it). The one thing though that I have yet to figure out why it constantly happens and the one thing that actually pisses me off is the "Filipino time".

"Filipino time" is a specialized time zone with in the head of each Filipino. Typically the time frame doesn't correspond with what you would see on a clock and it may actually differ from one Filipino to the next. Usually, however, it will run an hour or two hours behind of what you see on a clock. For example if the clock hanging on the wall in front of you were to have the small hand on the 5 and the big hand on the 12 it would mean that the time is 5:00 o'clock. Now, a Filipino would read this as 5:00 o'clock as well but mentally it will be only around 3:00 o'clock in their heads. So if your Filipino friend has told you that he/she will be meeting up with you at 5:00 o'clock and you got there at 5:00 o'clock you would be two hours too early because what he/she actually meant was 7:00 o'clock "normal people time". Get it?

Now you say I'm must be joking but I'm not. This constantly happens. If my relatives here throw a party they subconsciously take this concept of "Filipino time" in to consideration. You don't know how many times I have shown up to their place at the given time only to come to see that I'm the only one there and that they haven't even finished with the preparations.

This is something I just don't get it. Does it have something to do with "yes means no and no mean yes" thing? Is there some body sign that I'm failing to read when they give me the meeting time? I don't think so. So then why do they have to constantly give me a time so far a head of the expect time to only have me sitting there waiting? I don't see the point. This constantly throws off my schedule. There are a lot of other things I can be doing other than waiting pointlessly for someone who's not going to show up. If I have to be some place at a certain time I will try my best to get there at that appointed time. If there is traffic I will put that in to consideration and leave early. Has this idea never occured to them? Now, I can understand being late once, twice or even every now and then but every single time? I have once heard that the psychological reason for one being constantly late is because that they don't feel your time is all that important to them in comparison to theirs. It certainly feels that way at times.

Today I have been waiting in my dorm since 5:00 o'clock. It's past 11:00 o'clock now. For some reason maybe because of the gravity of the situation I thought in this one instance "Filipino time" would not apply but I was wrong. "Filipino time" is all the time. It doesn't matter if it's a birthday party, a wedding ceremony, or your mamma's funeral.

Well, I guess as long as I'm here I either better get used to it or just learn to stop waiting around for people anymore.

Uncle Bert

2006-02-03T04:03:00.000-08:00

To tell the truth after hearing so much about him and then finally coming to meet him for that first time my Uncle Bert was nothing like what I had expected him to be. I don't know what I was exactly expecting but it wasn't him. My cousin was saying he would be angry upon hearing some recent news but I never saw it. Now, I couldn't always read what he had on his mind but when he smiled it was like he didn't have a care in the world.

Though I don't think I actually got the chance to spend much time with him, to me he seemed to be your stereotypical Filipino. He loved cockfighting, San Miguel beer, and being with his family especially his brothers. He was also one of the first people to give me advice on what to do if I got into trouble on the streets and what to do if I found myself with a girl from a beerhouse. That's one of the things I liked about him most. He didn't sugar coat anything or try to make excuses, he simply told me how it was. He wasn't an uncle that you had to tippy toe around. You could just be your self and you could tell he was going to be honest and be himself as well. In the end I wish I had the chance to get to know him better but that's how I will remember him the most, down to earth and yet carefree and full of life.

The Contradicting Filipino Personality

2006-01-27T05:15:00.000-08:00

Today I had to give a report on the Filipino personality (the ones in the Philippines). After I had given it people were kind of quiet. Maybe what I had to say wasn't what they were expecting. Maybe I should have realized that Filipinos are not that comfortable being directly confronted. Then again I'm not exactly a Filipino. I'm and American-Filipino an I call it like I see it. So if you're wondering what I had to say in this report it kind of went a little something like this.

The Contradicting Filipino Personality

Love for the Family but none for the country

The way I see it the family is a very important social unit for Filipinos. It provides a source of emotional and economical support. Elders are regarded with much respect and the younger generation is expected to be obedient with almost no objection. Family is expected to come before self and so at times there maybe a lot of self-sacrifice especially on the part of the younger generation. However, this makes them a very tight and close nit group. The family circle is also just not limited by blood but extends to in-laws and close friends making them one bigger unit.

Another aspect of the Filipino family I have come to notice is their warm hospitality. Step in to any Filipino home as a guest and you'll notice how they will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. They may not even have much themselves but they'll give you the best they have in order to make you feel comfortable.

On the opposite side the focus on one's family may hinder the love for country. Taxes may go unpaid and regulations may be broken for personal need. If laws are put in place that appears as a hindrance to the people they may not be so easily followed. Sacrifices can often be seen for the family but not for the country.

Some people I have talked to have a feeling that things are not going to get any better here that they might be better off else where. The number of people exiting this country opposed to the number of people migrating to this country is kind of evidence to that predominant feeling. The current out pour of nurses from this country maybe viewed as a source pride to some but this country cannot keep it up. There is a serious "brain drain" occurring in this country that is taking away would be doctors and other professions that are needed here to keep this country running more sufficiently.

"But what can one person do about these things?" I hear this often as well. I find it strange however when that same one person will try so hard to make their guest feel so important in their home." Thecountry is an extension of your home; it doesn't just stop at your door. People seemed to have for gotten that here.

Church going and commandment breaking

The church is another important factor to the people. Religion can be seen almost in all aspects of daily life here. As the largest Christian nation in Asia it may be obvious as why their practice is taken in to the workplace, school, and even politics. Almost no event is held without a prayer and so many people can easily take quotes from the Bible.

As the second (I was corrected on that) most corrupt nation in Asia, the 11th in the world. It is kind of obvious that not all the laws of the Bible are exactly being followed. This maybe more of a representation of the economic situation here than of their religious beliefs, none the less it is quite striking.

Things that have really surprised me here is number of adulterous husbands. I have often heard people talk about their affairs freely, of course not in front of their wives however. Well not most of the time. Seems like some of these church goers may have fell asleep when the sermon of the 10 commandments came up.

The church here is also very advent against premarital sex and the use of contraceptives. The alarming growth in population is kind of indicative that at least one of these rules is being followed but maybe not the other. I had a hard time trying to figure this one out. To me they were already going against the church when they decided to commit premarital sex so why didn't they just go ahead and commit the other little sin in getting a condom? It maybe be explained by the fact that having sex can go on indiscreet with only the participants knowing of it however buying a condom at the local drug store involves a third party. In doing so they risk the chance of being caught by a third party and a possibility of having their and their partner(s) reputation being damage. How they are viewed by their peers is very important to Filipinos.

I can take a joke but not from you

Following that it can be seen that their pride is very important to them. When one may not have much they can afford economically it is the one thing that's there. So people may become a little sensitive when it may seem like another may be openly offending it. (Maybe I should have paid a little more attention to this point before I gave my report. Lol. Oh well)

Knowing that I find it interesting how friends can so easily joke with one another on topics which to me as a foreigner maybe a little sensitive. For example one of my classmates is openly teased about her weight and her skin tone. In the US comments regarding physical appearance would not fly, especial when they're aspects that they can not change like skin tone. However, she takes their comments so light heartedly (at least on the outside) and that's a common trait to see here. Seeing it from the outside what you have to understand is that the people here don't have malice behind their words so it is not taken personally as an attack on them.

The one constant

The one thing I have come to see that holds so true here is the Golden Rule. "The one with the gold makes the rule." As long as you have the money you can get away with almost anything. Money is often more important than pride. You will see doctors take a step down in status in the hopes to work elsewhere as nurses with higher pay. Students prostituting themselves to pay for tuition. No more does the saying "everyone has their price" seem more true than here. If you look at their economic situation however I don't see how you can blame them.

One biological goal that most people cannot avoid is the drive to survive. If there is one thing that Filipinos do so well, it is finding a way to survive. If they don't have something they will make do with what they have. They will do whatever is necessary to make it, in the hopes of finding a way out. To ensure a better life for themselves.

I mentioned a few other things but this thing is getting long. Anyway, this was basically the gist of it. Now some of my peers might have viewed this report as being a little harsh or over critical. However, that really wasn't my intention. To me it was the truth of what I saw. Though it may have seemed that I have focused on the good versus the bad, that really wasn't the issue. As a foreigner trying to understand the actions of the Filipinos here, may bring about some conflicting ideas. As I stated I think that once you get an understanding of how these actions are in fact not so contradicting you will then have a better sense of who the "Filipino" is.

In kind of going along the lines of this topic...
I think that people everywhere are basically the same in a sense. As they struggle to survive they all search for a sense of happiness and feeling of security in their lives. The only real difference from one culture to the other is what defines these values and the current state (economical, psychological, etc.) in which people find themselves to be under. However, I think you will also find that given the exact same circumstance people from anywhere will ultimately take the same paths in order to achieve these goals.

The final stretch

2006-01-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

I can't study here in my dorm or maybe it's just that I don't want to study here. I know I have mentioned this before and actually I'm getting tired of writing about it but even more so I'm getting tired of trying to struggle with it. The funny thing is that when I was at my friend's house in Manila, sitting there in front of the TV while reading my biochemistry class I felt like the stuff was actually seeping in to my head more so than any other time that I have been trying to study here in my cell. So I don't know if it's the distractions here or just the environment. At this point I think it's almost psychological. I know I didn't exactly like it when I first came here but I never thought that I would have to like it here either. I guess coming to hate it here though was a different matter.

In all fairness some other things have gotten better or maybe I've just gotten more used to them. If there has been garbage in front of my door for the past three days because no one has bothered to come to pick it up and the cats have now scattered everything about I don't well on it. I just ignore it. When I find something extra on my plate I just push it aside or eat around it. I have also come to realize that asking people to do things around here is pointless so I have been saving more of my time by just doing things my self. Like changing my broken door handle. When I do get a chance to finally move in to that other dorm room they have been promising to me since last October I know I will have to be the one replacing the broken door knob and also the dirty torn-up toilet seat as well but I have accepted that... well kind of.

I got one just more quarter left to see how things go. To see if things change or if they stay the same. To see if there is still a reason for being here.

My one night...

2006-01-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

It's was late and I couldn't think of any place were we could go to do it. A hotel was definitely out of the question. There was basically no other choice so I decided to just take her up to my room. And there we were just me, her and my bird (the myna bird). I didn't know exactly where to start, it's been a long time, but as I looked into her eyes she took the initiative and told me "so how does the kidney keep blood from entering the urine?" Well I guess that was actually more of a question but I still had no clue. I know we just went over the kidneys last quarter, so maybe it wasn't really all that long ago but I couldn't recall anything. I started pulling out physiology books and she started to surf the internet. After about an hour of trying to figure out the ins and outs of the renal system she managed to finish her assignment.

As we sat there I could sense she didn't want to leave quite yet. It were as if there was something more on her mind, somthing that she wanted to do. I was right. Looking into my eyes she spoke softly and told me "I will help you clean your room." Yeah, I know my room is kind of messy but... but... Well I guess I have no excuse it's just messy. All of the sudden she grabs the broom and starts sweeping up. Feeling a little embarrassed I try to tell her that I'll take care of it later but there's no stopping the girl. Eventually I just give in and let her do her thing. By the time she was done the clutter on my desk was clear and even my pillow and bed sheets were changed. Don't shake your head at me. I tried to stop her.

Anyway after somehow coming to stand there face to face in the middle of the room I thought she deserved at least my thanks but before I could say anything it looked as if she wanted to show me a little bit of gratitude herself. I always thought that the girls here were conservative but as she reached into her pocket and pulled out that little piece of plastic she changed my whole view. What are they freakin' missionaries? She pulled out a plastic CD cover with a CD of gospel songs and gave me a pamphlet entitled "Christian?" to go along with it. I've been down this road before and it didn't work then and I'm pretty sure it's not going to work now. We can't all go to heaven and I've learned to simply accept that fact. For some reason though I couldn't exactly tell her that at the moment, so instead I thanked her and showed her to the door.

May sound a little crazy but it's all so true.

Ssh... Secret...

2006-01-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

Ever time I see her... I freeze and find my self stumbling upon what to say. I know she'll want to talk but... The things I know I just can't simply say. I hate my self for having to be this way. Though, I try to tell myself it's probably better this way... But then how come it never seems that way?

Ok, got stop this post from sounding all too emotional... Filipinos can't keep any kind of secret. Everyone knows this too. You go to lunch with some Filipino in Luzon and you tell him a secret that he can't share with anybody. By sun down Filipinos all the way in Mindanao will be talking about what you just said. So why do I got to be the one person in this country to actually "keep" a secret? Well, I guess it's because this ain't the "don't tell tita I sold the goat for a case of San Miguel" kind of secret. This secret contains the kind of the drama that people write about in movies where the plot has so many twists and turns your head is still left spinning after you leave the theater.

A lesson in...

2006-01-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

I got my shifting exam back for gross anatomy today. I managed to pass it but by just barely. As I sat there wondering how could I do so poorly I tried to recall what I did that night before the test to prepare for the exam. That was when I remembered I did absolutely nothing. That night before the exam, when I probably should have been studying one of my dorm mates was giving me a lesson on Filipino courtship. When she was thru I never knew I had so much to learn. It was such a wealth of information that I kind of forgot all about gross anatomy. So for the few of you out there wondering how to get your self a hot Pinay I'm here to share with you what I've learned in examination form.

Question:
So there is this fly Pinay you have been thinking about for sometime. When you see her in the hall you give each other a wave hello and exchange a smile. You may have even been successful enough to get her to join you at Jollibee's one day. However, you two don't really know each other that well but you got the feeling you would like to make her your girl. What do you do?

A. Continue to ask her out but remain cool without seeming to giddy over the fact that she has agreed to do so. This way you keep her guessing about your true intensions and she doesn't come to realize that she's probably the first girl to have ever agreed upon seeing you again who wasn't locked up in some cage.

B. The next time you see her you just be straight forward and ask her "how much will it cost for your services?"

C. The next time you see her you tell her how much you like her by letting all those emotions you have been bottling up in side just spill out. Then after doing so and recomposing your self to the best of your abilities you ask her "may I now court you?"

Answer:
C. – If this were the States, telling a girl how much you really like her "I like you, I like you a lot" would be considered a very big no-no it's perfectly fine here and in most cases the preferred way to start off your "courtship". If you were just try to wine and dine your way into the girl's heart with out actually telling her about your true intentions you could just be wasting your time. Before most Filipina girls are willing to get involved they are expecting you to "show them the money." I'm not I'm not talking in that prostitute kind of way. So answer B is out. (Then, again that's not unless you're the type to frequent the local gentlemen's clubs.) This way they now know that you are now willing to begin the trials.

Question:
Letting a girl know that you are really interested in them puts you in a bad position whether you're in the States, the Philippines or anywhere else. Even if she does decides to give you a chance by not telling you to hit the road right then and there. By confessing to her how you feel you have placed yourself at her mercy and have set things in motion that can't be stopped. You will now be put thru a trial. So as you attempt to prove that you can come thru her trial by fire unscathed what can you expect?

A. Things will not change much between you except for the fact that you will be required to spend more time and money on her. For example you will treat her to the movies and maybe dinner, buy her flowers and either call or text her at least once everyday. Then after one week (remember they are conservative) she will tell you that she loves you signaling the end of your trial.

C. You will be basically left up creek with no paddle to try and find your way into her heart. She wants to see how much you two were naturally meant to be or if you have e.s.p. Due to all the stress of trying to figure out how to please her because you obviously don't have e.s.p. or she's either putting up some kind of psychic force field, you will have to undergo major gastric bypass surgery.

B. The 'friendship' you have established with her will change drastically and you will now learn the true meaning of "turning a cold shoulder". Hey, it's you that said you like her, not the other way around. So it's up to you give her a reason to get with your looser ass and it better be good.

D. B & C

D. – Well it's definitely not A. 1 week? Psssh. I have heard stories of 1 to 2 years! Filipina girls are usually ultra conservative. So if you are going to court a girl expect to be in it for the long haul. Don't expect her to be all that warm to you while you are courting her either. Even if she did like you she can't let you tell you or even let you on about it. What makes her happy, what makes her sad will be all up to you to figure out on your own without even so much of a peep from her. (Never could figure out why girls everywhere do this. It's not like we are X-men and can actually read minds thru e.s.p. Gives us some kind of clue!) Eventually you will succumb to some sort of stress related disease but thanks to that third job you got to fund all expenditures you should be able to afford the cost of the surgery just in case she leaves you.

So you survived the trial and finally managed to woo your way into her heart. Congratulations on obtaining a girlfriend whom you probably don't even have one clue about. I mean her real personality probably isn't anything like what she has shown you while you were courting her, right? Well, at least you hope not.

Now I'll admit at times I like to take risk. I some how ended up in this country after all didn't I? However, I'm not that much of a gambler. If I can't see the light at the other end of the tunnel I'm not just gonna keep on walking hoping that it's actually there. I'm gonna turn back the other way around. I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm gonna stay single in the Philippines for a long time.

Trust me, there's no need to tell me

2006-01-09T04:50:00.000-08:00

"Oh, so you are by yourself here. You don't have a girlfriend. It must get really boring and lonely for you..." For some reason a couple of girls have come up to me and have basically told me something similar along those lines. Ok, you know what? Maybe it does get a little boring and lonely at times but you don't need to remind me of it. I guarantee you I'm quite fully aware of my current situation. Thanks. Sheesh.

Anyway, it's not like I'm really all that lonely. I'm a grown man not some little mamma's boy. I can handle being by myself. I just can't be locked up in a little room like some animal. All I need is to get out once in a while, especially from here. Then I'll be just fine.

There is no need to reiterate the 'not having a girlfriend' part either. Yes maybe it would be nice to have someone you could depend on for company. Especially on those long vacations where I'm just sitting here in my concrete cell by myself while everyone else is busy with their family or significant others. Even if we couldn't go out all that often it might be nice just to have someone I could count on for support. Then when things go wrong maybe they wouldn't seem so bad. It would also be nice to have someone to speak to face to face once in a while. Instead of some myna bird that hasn't even learned how to say one word yet.

Then again, what am I talking about? I must be going crazy. At least no myna bird will ever criticize me or nag me about "why don't you always call me?" Because I'm a busy man. I'm in med-school not pre-school. I got things to do. Plus, girls equal money. You pay for her dinner, maybe some flowers, her movie tickets, her day at the spa. I'm not rich. I don't got a job here. I'm eating cheese sticks for breakfast that should tell you something. And I don't need someone who always wants to be so close to me or holding my hand as I'm walking around either. It's hot as hell out here. The extra body heat is not going to help. Learn to keep your distance, woman.

If I really need someone to talk to I'll call up one of them psychic friend hotlines. And if I need just a body then I could always take up that governor on his offer of some young thing who's as he says "never been touched, never been kissed." No, no, no. I'm just kidding about that last sentence. I'm not about to do something that will have me spending my first few weeks once I return back to the States in some jail cell. So no need to start calling the CIA agents on me now. I'm already tired of living in the cell I'm in now.

Anyway, like I was saying I don't need no one or no body...
I'm just fine with the way it is now...
Just me and my bird...
No, really I am...

No more freebies

2006-01-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

After the start of the New Year my free meals have disappeared. Up until now my breakfasts have consisted of a cup of yogurt and stick of string cheese. I wonder what happened. Maybe they didn't like their Christmas present. But you know what, breakfast is the one meal that I have said I would pay for and have been paying for.

Attack of the cockroaches

2006-01-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

I just walked in to my rest room and I can still smell the fumes of Raid in there. The can says it would dissipate in around 15 minutes. It's been over 2 days already! I wonder if they were talking about 15 for minutes for each spray? Then maybe it would make some since. I probably emptied out half the can in that restroom.

A few days ago I spotted a cockroach about 2 and half inches long in there. Instead of normally just stepping on it (they are not really that fast) I decide to pull out the Raid. I got him square on with a full blast and it didn't do anything. I must have sprayed him at least 5 times before he finally started slowing down and keeled over.

As I was chasing him around in my little square bathroom I discovered he wasn't alone. There was like a family of them, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces. They were coming out of the drain and a corner in the shower. It was like some sci-fi horror movie. And just like Anakin did the Sand-People in Episode II, "I killed them! I killed them all! They're dead, every single one of them!" Yeah, I'm a killer. Before you know it I'll probably end up becoming the Filipino Darth Vader.

As you have probably already deduced I used a lot of Raid in the process. Even up until yesterday the fumes were strong enough to knock out another cockroach that I saw lying on its back twitching. One thing that surprises me though is that after a few hours after I had started the massacre the ants went back in there like it was nothing. I on the other hand was still getting dizzy off the fumes just sitting at my desk. I probably lost a few layers of my cerebral cortex that day.

"There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you."

Mr. & Mrs. Villar

2006-01-07T04:40:00.000-08:00

Last Monday on the 2nd of January Dale and Juvi Villar held their wedding ceremony at the Fernwood Gardens in Quezon City. They had a nice ceremony in which I had the honor of participating in and in which quite a few people showed up including a couple of governors. One former governor even offered me to go out and pick up 16 and 14 year old girls after the wedding reception. Then he offered me his niece to take back home to the States. See it is true that Filipinos are hospitable people.

Anyway, before I get carried away let's get back to Mr. & Mrs. Villar.

I've known Dale for a long time. I've been there when he first got drunk, when he got picked up by the cops in a gang fight, when he almost drowned at Venice Beach, when he started to think he was going crazy because me and Al pulled a joke on him... Ok so not all of the times can be as pleasant as this one but it's going to be hard to top a moment like this in his life time. I just want to say congratulations on your second marriage hopefully it will last as long as your first. (They already had their civil wedding before hand, this one was the church wedding.) I wish you two the very best and that you may have the family you have always dreamed of. So, Dale be a good husband to her. Well I shouldn't even actually have to say that. I know already that he's a good man, Juvi. Sometimes he's actually more like a kid but then again he's bearable.

May you both grow old and happy together.

In the morning

2005-12-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

I woke up early this morning and decided to step outside just for a little bit. The sun was already out and the morning was nice and bright but the air was neither hot nor humid as it is typically in the afternoons. As I stepped closer to the railing looking over the center court I was greeted by a cool and gentle breeze, another rare but pleasant occurrence in a country where the sun beats down on you like a hammer for the majority of the day. For a moment everything was surreal but then as the wind swirled about and changed its direction towards me it carried with it a scent that so vividly reminded me of where I was... A foul and wretched odor of cat shit knocked me back a couple of steps and took the drowsiness out from my eyes in an instance.

How would you like to wake up to that every morning? I guarantee that it would do a better job of perking you up in the morning than a cup of Folgers. For the past week the odor from the cat shit around outside my dormitory room has gotten really bad. Could this have anything to do with why I'm sick?

Is there a doctor in the house?

2005-12-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

I'm hurting. I'm hurting bad. My throat is sore, my muscles are aching, I'm feeling a little hot, and I think I look as bad as I feel. I can feel this big lump on the left side of my neck. (Would that indicate a swollen parotid gland, guys? Someone fill me in here.)

I got that family reunion to go to today too. That's why I got all them gift baskets. Well, if I don't go then I won't have to starve. It's funny how things work out sometimes. Then again I'll still probably end up stopping by there just for a few minutes at least.

Would I go to the hospital though if I got any worse? I don't know about that one. I've heard the stories from the clerks here and if the doctors end up treating me as well as they do in class, then I'm better off staying here.

The nurse would probably come in as I'm already nearing death,
"Sir, the doctor said he will be here in 15 minutes."
"But you said that an hour ago."
"I know sir, but he said there is a long line at Starbu... I mean at the tollgate."
"Son of a %!@&#."

I'll manage it by myself some how. Anyone know what the initial symptoms of bird flu are?

Christmas Shopping - Part 2: The Reality After Christmas

2005-12-26T05:37:00.000-08:00

Marmie, what I was hoping to hear you say was "you don't need to get them anything". That's what my mom said. Well, she just said get gifts for the kids and my grandmother not every single person. Thanks for telling me now mom, after the fact. Maybe if you guys picked up the phone at the house once in a while you could have informed me about it earlier.

Ok, so from the sound of some people it seems like I may have gone a little over board with this Christmas shopping but when Filipinos in the States talk about Christmas here they always talk about it as if it is some great big event. Well I guess it is and in the States it is as well but from their stories it always seems to mean so much more here somehow. "Oh, Christmas in the Philippines yada, yada, yada..." I may have Filipino blood but I know nothing about the customs out here. Though I hardly ever say it in the States (Ain't that ironic? ) I'm an American. I didn't want to screw up on the biggest day of the year and end up being shunned for the rest of my stay here just because I made the mistake of not getting someone a gift. So I covered all my tracks and tried to get something for everyone.

I did take your advice Marmie and did get food. I appreciate your advice too but there are just so many families out here. To get them all something to eat isn't cheap. I was thinking about getting a small cake at first but these families aren't small. Filipinos love to procreate.

Anyway if I think about it, in the States I would be so lucky to get away with spending only this much even if all the gifts were just for the kids. There are a lot of little kids back home. And have you seen the prices of Spider-man figure these days? Don't think about getting some generic figure either like Man-spider or something. Kids in the States recognize that right away.

"This ain't no Spider-man uncle. Spider-man doesn't have four legs, he's a man."
"Oh that's because this is Man-spider."
"Who the heck is Man-spider?"

Yeah, so maybe it ain't that bad after all.

Well, it's not like I'm complaining about buying all these gifts... or am I? I mean, I understand it is Christmas! It's all about giving. It's not like all of my relatives out here are rolling in Benz's either. I'm not either but some of them aren't exactly all that well off and I am sure it would be nice to get something once in a while, especially at Christmas. I don't know if they're exactly expecting pound cake but hey it's something.

I also got a little something for the help. It wasn't much. The amount of money they have borrowed from me probably is more than what I spent on their gifts. Maybe I should have just told them to cancel their debts. Well anyway they don't really have much either and they do take care of me out here... sort of. At least they feed me even after I have already told them I don't want their food anymore.

Hey, at least I didn't follow Dale's advice and give out 500 pesos out to the guards, right? That would have been crazy, huh? There's hell of them out here. I would be in debt right now. I'll just defend myself.

...Ok, is it obvious yet that I'm just trying to make myself feel better about all this? Then again what's to feel bad about? Like I said it's Christmas! Another positive could be that I'll be saving my liver because I really don't have money for drinking anymore. Maybe I'll finally even be able to loose weight ‘cause I'm not sure if I'll have enough money to eat next month or for the rest of this week for that matter. Yeah that should do it.

So this is Christmas

2005-12-25T00:12:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas here in the Philippines and though I've went to Simbang Gabi, had a Christmas Eve dinner with my relatives and even had my usually mad one day of Christmas shopping it's just not the same. Where's the lot of pine trees to choose your Christmas tree from? The streets here aren't even really decorated with Christmas lights or ornaments. There are some homes that have them but not nearly as much as back home. Could be because not that many people can afford them here but even most of the stores in the pricey Alabang Town Center have hardly any decorations. In the States just about every store you got to would have some Christmas motive, a mannequin of Santa, ornaments and holly placed along the isles, and even spray painted snow on the windows. Even all the skyscrapers in San Francisco would be lit up with Christmas lights. Watching TV here they have a lot of religious programs but where are the shows like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas or A Christmas Story? As for the weather it is a little colder but I really can't tell if it's actually winter or summer here. Obviously there'll be no sleigh riding or snow fights this Christmas.

Maybe that's alright though. When you think of what Christmas is supposed to represent maybe things are more authentic out here anyway. I mean they didn't have snow or pine trees in Bethlehem back when Jesus was born. Most scholars even believe that Jesus was born around the time of spring not December 25th, which was already a day of celebration for many pagans. So the weather out here would actually be more like it was the day Jesus was born. Santa, Rudolf, the Christmas tree and all that other stuff were also mostly pagan traditions that were added later. But don't let me get started on that now.

Anyway, I realize that Christmas has come to represent a lof of different things to a lot of different people. And weather I'm there or here, Merry Christmas to everyone! To all the friends and family I've made and met out here. To all my family and friends I've left back home, some of which may have already gone off else where to Iraq, Korea, China, Japan, Canada or where ever. (You guys are the biggest difference why Christmas is not the same here.) I hope you all have a good one.

Simbang Gabi

2005-12-24T14:50:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday my uncle asked me if I would like to attend the Simbang Gabi. I have never heard of it before and my uncle said it would be a good custom of the Philippines to try at least once. So curiously I decided to give it a shot and staid up for the next 4 hours until it was time to head off for mass at 3:30 am! The literal translation for Simbang Gabi means "night worship". I don't know why it's call that because at 3:30 am the night is already over; it's early, early morning.

When I got to the chapel in Pacita I was sort of expecting to see something I have never seen before maybe some guy with a magical banana plant healing the sick or at least a live reenactment of the nativity with a real birth but I got nothing like that. It basically seemed to be your normal Sunday mass except for being held way earlier in the morning and with quite a few people sleeping in the pews and even some sleeping as they stood straight up. I saw one older gentleman who dozed off while standing up and ended up falling back in to his seat. (He broke his hip but it was alright because the priest pulled out the magical banana leaves and healed him up really good. Just kidding.) After that mass ended I and my cousins headed off to another chapel in Alabang to attend their 5:00 am mass. I wanted to see if there was something extra I missed the first time around. Nope not a thing.

All kidding aside it was at least an experience for me. I don't think I have ever been to such a mass in the States. It's kind of a symbol here of the people's devotion to their faith as they go about their normal lives working and what have you and then proceeding on to mass at the wee hours of the morning for nine days straight. I did it for one day and I'm still tired.

Now for the educational portion of my blogg.

The Filipino tradition of Simbang Gabi is what is sometimes referred to as a Classic Christmas Novena. It last for nine days starting on December 16th and ending on December 24th. The word novena itself is derived from the Latin word "novem" meaning "nine", hence the nine days of prayer. But why actually nine instead of seven or eight? I'm not actually quite sure of this. It may have something to do with the pagan religions that date back during the early times of the Roman Catholic Church. The number nine seems to have had a special meaning to many of the early pagans, especially to the Anglo-Saxons.

This Classic Christmas Novena is not actually a custom in which all Roman Catholics take part in. Neither is any other novena for that matter. However, holding a church mass for this particular novena has been popular for a long time in the countries of Spain and France (where it originated) and later in the Latin American countries and the Philippines (where the custom was introduced the by the Spanish). While most of these countries begin their mass in the early morning, usually from between the hours of 5:00 am to 6:00 am, Simbang Gabi may start as early as 3:30 am. The reason for this may have been to accommodate the lifestyle of the Filipino people during their time under Spanish rule. Most of the Filipinos during that time were farmers who normally began their work at the start of dawn. So starting the masses exceptionally early gave the Filipino farmer time to attend Church before they had to begin their days work. Due to this bit of historical trivia the title Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster) has now almost become synonymous in the Philippines with Simban Gabi but in doing so they have created another misnomer.

It would almost seem perfectly logical to entitle the mass of Simban Gabi as the Misa de Gallo if you had no prior knowledge of history, since roosters are known for crowing at the break of dawn. However, Misa de Gallo was originally the Spanish title given to the mass which is held at the night of Christmas Eve. This is because it is believed that the rooster was the first animal to recognize the birth of Christ; crowing at midnight to usher in the dawn of Christ in to this world not the morning sun. A more appropriate Spanish title for Simbang Gabi would be Misa de Aguinaldo (Christmas gift mass).

One of the beliefs of completing the Simbang Gabi is that you would receive what ever it is that you were asking for Christmas. Ain't that cool it's kind of like a divine chain letter.

Now send this to nine people with in the next nine minutes and in nine days Santa will send you what ever it is you wish for.

Christmas shopping

2005-12-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Go ahead and call me Mr. Scrooge or what have you but I really wasn't planning on buying anyone anything for this Christmas season. I just have way too many relatives out here and I just don't have enough money to get each of them a gift. So I thought just to be fair I would get them all... nothing. Then as my relatives took me out shopping to finish up buying their gifts and I after mistakenly texted Marmie for advice which I was not hoping to hear (thanks anyway Marmie) I had a change of heart and decided I better get some gifts. So with two hours left before all the stores closed I made a mad dash around the mall in an attempt to purchase a Christmas gift for 30+ people. Talk about pressure. I have a hard time as it is deciding on what to get for one person even if I have already been looking around for weeks. My brain just isn't capable of dealing with this kind of dilemma. I didn't have enough time to think of what's best to get for everyone. So I took the easy route. I hope all of you out here like fruit cake. Oh, and mom that money you sent me earlier this week it's all gone. Yup, I bought a lot of cake.

Left at the altar

2005-12-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

We just got thru with the wedding ceremony of J and M. I was glad because it was already 3:30 pm and I was starving. I haven't eaten anything the whole day except for a few strawberries, a cup of yogurt and a small croissant. I guess I could have just gotten something to eat at the Aristocrat which was right next door but I figured that since in a few minutes we would at the site of the wedding reception I could hold off the hunger for a little while longer. How can I be so stupid?

The wedding reception was held in the center court yard of the San Agustin Museum. It was actually a rather nice place for a wedding reception. (Sorry, I don't have any pictures to show you but I don't have a camera anymore) I would say the majority of us whom were at the wedding ceremony got there no later than 4:00 pm. All except for the bride and groom. Well I guest that's customary though, so that the bride and groom can get a proper introduction as they walk on in. So we waited... and waited... and waited. As we all sat there at our assigned tables the only thing they served was alcohol and a few plates of finger foods. Four small sized saucers half filled with finger food for a table of 10 hungry Filipinos? I don't think so. That was not going to do. I don't know what surprised me more the actual waiting or that they had the nerve to continue serving us alcohol and not feed us as we waited there. There could have been a riot on their hands. Maybe what they were doing trying to gets us too intoxicated to complain. Some of the smart people just left but like an idiot I was clinging on to the hope of getting some free grub. When the bride and groom finally walked in at 6:30 the crowd was lifeless. I don't think they even cared for who J and M were anymore. Half of the people probably forgot why they were there in the first place, too delirious from low blood sugar levels. So after they were finally introduced and they thanked their sponsors and what have you the biggest applause that night came when we were finally allowed to line up at the buffet tables at 7:30pm, four hours after the end of their wedding ceremony. Filipinos sure do love making people wait.

Dale you better not be doing this to us on your wedding day. I'm warning you now you could end up with another Donner party on your hands.