Twenty-Eight

As much as I celebrated my birthday last year with a loud bang, and extended parties, I spent this year’s birthday solemnly. Well, maybe because of the fact that it’s actually our first day back in school for the second semester. lol!

But really, it wasn’t as grand as how I celebrated it last year. It was simple, and I wasn’t even able to gather all my friends for it.

The best thing that happened today was how Team 73, my adoptive family surprised me with a little yet very amazing present. Yes, a cake…SURPRISE! hahaha!! But really, it was a gesture that I would keep in my heart forever. :)

So since it was the first day of class, I spent most of my day in school, thanking the people who greeted me in all way possible: phone call, text, Facebook message, Facebook wall, Twitter, Instagram, or personally. Though some of them greeted me because they saw in their notifications that it was my birthday, I still appreciated it all the same.

So my duty groupies had our first day of rotation in the Surgery department at DDH. It took a while, we were dismissed at around 6:30 in the evening, so we just had our dinner at a little pizzeria just outside the hospital. It was also two of my groupies’ birthdays the past couple of weeks, so we decided (or were forced lol) to treat the whole group to a pizza dinner. Really, it wasn’t much, but it was fun. :)

So maybe I’ll be celebrating with my Aceteryahe Family sometime this month, and I’ll be celebrating with mom on the weekends, perhaps. :)

Duty groupies at Alberto’s Pizza. It was a joint celebration for the three of us who had our birthdays in the past two weeks. :)

Dan Brown calling Manila the gates of hell

So you know that issue circulating today, about how Dan Brown called our country’s capital the “Gates of Hell” in his new novel, Inferno, and Filipinos getting enraged about it.

I have read the book, and though it saddens me to see Manila in a bestseller, being described in a negative way, I can’t really complain that much. Because look around you, people! Though it was so much exaggerated, it’s true. And we know that Philippines isn’t the only country with citizens who live in poverty, drugs, and prostitution.

Why are you feeling so insulted about it? The problem with us Filipinos is that we are always proud of our achievements, of what we did, of our nation’s progress; but we turn a blind eye on the things we are not proud of.

Take the Bourne Legacy for example. We are so proud that part of the movie was shot in Manila, and I’m sure a lot of you watched it just because of that fact. But you were so proud of our country being featured in an international film that you failed to notice most of the scenes were shot in the slums. Though the movie didn’t really call Manila the “gates of hell” or something, but they showed the world a part of our country that we are not proud of. Then why didn’t you complain about that? Why are you guys so eager to hear only positive thoughts about the Philippines, when we know there are far more pressing issues that the world needs to know about us? Better give them a negative outlook of Manila, and realize it wasn’t entirely true, right?

So instead of complaining, or bashing Dan Brown, or asking fellow Filipinos not to read his book, why don’t you try to do something for future references not to depict Manila as an epitome of poverty? Why don’t you go and choose the proper leaders to make our economy better, instead of voting for politicians just because they’re someone’s daughter, or son, or grandchild?

All your complaining will make Dan Brown’s novel become more famous. So just keep quiet and start doing what you can as a Filipino who doesn’t want to be insulted in front of the world.

The Road Less Travelled | 03/25/2013

So in a jiffy, from Davao del Sur, we went to Davao del Norte in Tagum for a pre-Holy Week escapade.

The next day, we went to Davao Oriental for the beach!!! Bonhomie was such a paradise, truly something you’ll never realize exists. Kung baga, “Gandang ‘di mo inakala.” :)

Our car broke on the way to Davao Oriental, and we had to wait for at least an hour for our rescue to arrive. Good thing, it broke down beside a closed sari-sari store, that we were able to sit and eat, and buy some dirty ice cream while waiting.

Arriving at Bonhomie was all worth it, especially after seeing the pretty scenery, that I never expected exists in BanayBanay. :)

Once Upon a Mountain | 03/24/2013

Stayed overnight at Camp Sabros after a literally “cool” mission in Kapatagan. It was a very foggy and chilly night, and seriously, I had soooo much fun ever! :)

After the circumcision and excision, together w/ the DOH interns, we went to Camp Sabros to spend the night w/ food, booze, music, and lots of laughter! :)

My modified planking. lol! :))

The beautiful view of Mt. Apo in the morning. :)

Life Begins at Sunset

March 16-17, 2013

An overnight stay at Sunset Beach Resort in Samal. Food, drinks, music, and some “pakaulaw” moments.

Of course, the highlight of the night was the “tent nga giguyod.” hahahah! :))

Oh well, some memories, though. :)

Got off the fifteen-minute ferry ride from Sasa 11 to Villarica. :)

Admiring our humble, open cottage for our overnight stay. :)

 The calm, peaceful sea at sunset. :)

 The Aceteryahe girls. :)

In memory of Darleen’s tent. We never really found it, because Darleen said it was green when it was actually blue. lol! :))

Spent most of the afternoon putting up our tents. heehee… :)

The unforgettable night, from dinner to Firedance. :p

A photo-op before we say bye-bye….It was indeed an awesome first summer hurrah w/ my Kapamilya. :) 

Unwinding at Two Thousand Feet Above Sea Level

It’s Monday, and my friends and I decided to spend the afternoon at Eden Nature Park…ON A MONDAY! Yeah. haha! There weren’t a lot of people at the park, so we had it for ourselves. Actually just spent the whole afternoon playing, taking pictures, and eating. :p

This beautiful thing spread its pretty colors for us, and he stayed there until we finished taking photos w/ him. :)

Fun fun fun Indiana Jones! We were actually in the Children’s corner. The adults’ was on the other side. lol! :))

Bringing out the little kids in us. Played around in the playground w/ extra grown-up precautions. :)

My red raptor w/ his eyeliner full on! :)) So I told my friends we should take photos w/ these dinos because they don’t exist anymore. :p

I just lurve how the sky contrasted w/ the view. It was like taking a photo of the sky, with me as the background. lol! :))

We do love the same colors. :p

 The view, the breath of fresh air. The perfect Monday escapade. :)

Kuro Neko

This is an eraser. It’s one of those things that I don’t want to use simply because it’s too cute to be damaged. So yeah, I’m just putting it on display atop my desk.

He says hi! :)

I see the world when I look in your eyes
I see us climb the mountaintops and soar above the clouds
The sky is bright blue, shining its warm light over us
Every day is an adventure when I'm with you ♥

Scientists are developing a method of erasing negative emotional memories (like a break-up) using mild electric shocks.

Well, is it really necessary? Do people want to erase the negative emotions that they feel, resulting from unfortunate events?

I don’t think doing that is indeed a good idea. I mean sure, we all want to forget all the bad things that happened to us, the people who hurt us, and the experiences that weakened us…But if we do, then we’re left with nothing but all happy thoughts, positive feelings, beautiful memories. Soon, life will be boring for we will not want to look back on our monotonous happy life anymore, not sure whether we really moved on, or we’re stuck in the same uneventful lifetime.

The painful experiences that we have are part of us being human. It’s a way to tell us that we are weak, and that we need to get hold of ourselves and become stronger, to face more battles ahead.

Negative emotions are signs for us to be able to look back and remember our pains, and say, “Yeah, I’ve moved on, and I’m continuing to move forward and grow up.”

Labeled my keys for organization. :)

So, I have loads of keys. I have keys for the gate locks, the two doors to my house, the rooms inside the house, the main door of the second house, and our school office. :)

So most of these keys have the same brand which basically has the same design, so they confuse me a lot. Thanks to these key indicators, I was able to label each key, so I can just look at it, and know which ones to use. (Though I seldom lock my bedroom doors, and usually use the kitchen door). :))

You get my gist though. :))

Killer Combo: Champorado + Bulad :p

So it's been a while since my mum and I last ate dried fish. I've been craving for this for the past few days already, and I begged her to drop down her "kaartehan" so she could cook. You see, the extreme smell of cooking dried fish irritates my mom. haha :))

Well anyways, she heeded my request and cooked one of my favorite dried fish today. She also paired it with champorado, which is traditionally dried fish's best partner. :)

However, I dunno, maybe it's because of the lack of desensitization, that I had an allergic reaction after eating. Thanks to citirizine, I was relieved, but it's just disappointing that I can't eat any more of the yummy, smelly fish for today. :(

Just when I missed it so much. :p

FRINGE ♥

• PETER: Emotion is our weakness
• OLIVIA: No Peter, it's our strength. Because it's the one thing that they [Observers] don't have.

“I know that our hearts are broken, and that it hurts, but that’s what makes us human.”

—	Olivia Dunham, Fringe

Oh, hello there, my morning partner in crime!! ♥

McDonald's delivery w/ mum on a rainy Friday. :)

Ze workplace. ♥

CLUB DAY | January 13, 2013 | Jurassic Park, Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc.

So this year, it was put up like some sort of bazaar. No more programs, no more presentations, and the likes. Each club was supposed to produce something to sell to the students, and since ours is the school publication, we tried to sell published stories and magazines.

Too bad, the medical school aren’t much fond of reading owing to the times they spend reading for the academics. We really should have stuck to food.

It was really dull, and we had to endure a whole day’s worth of staying under the sun, trying to entertain people who’d peek at our products, but wouldn’t buy. :))

Pat’s 24th birthday at Ahfat Seafoods Plaza. It was such a short notice that I was already home when he called me out for the dinner, and take note, our house was an hour from Ahfat. haha! :))

But the effort to change, and go back to downtown was worth it. The food was great, as usual, and I really ate a lot because I was so hungry when I got there.

It was indeed a very simple dinner, but sharing it with your friends was what made it special. :)

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ― C.S. Lewis

The United Colors of Recollection. :) | Brothers of the Sacred Heart | January 9, 2013

The worst recollection evarr! It was so hot, and our food was not good. The only thing I enjoyed was the nice nipa resting hut. I had to go home ahead of schedule because I couldn’t take it anymore. It was really the worst that I had, and I had a lot. :))

ELENA: Something happened today. I realized something about you…about us. And you can say that it’s the sire bond and you know what maybe…maybe it is but I’m telling you, it’s the most real thing that I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I love you, Damon…I love you. ♥

DAMON: Look, I’m gonna get this cure for you. And I’m gonna have to do things you’re not gonna like.

ELENA: Damon…

DAMON: Listen carefully…Get in your car right now. Come to me. ♥

ELENA: I’ll be there soon…

[The Vampire Diaries Season 4, Episode 10]
Yes! We’ve definitely been waiting for this moment for four frickin’ years! ♥ - DELENA - ♥

Best way to spend a bed-weather homebuddy night. Mid-season premier of The Vampire Diaries and a huge mug of coffee. ♥

Jeez, two hot vampires in one scene, now that’s more like it!! ♥

“The odd thing about people that have lots of books is that they always want more.”

On sale at National Bookstore. :)

Bel Ami

4/5

Bel Ami is based on a novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, of the same title, published in 1885. It was set in Victorian era Paris.

I actually just found this randomly, and decided to watch the movie because of Uma Thurman, Cristina Ricci and Robert Pattinson. I mean I admit I like Rob Patz, just not as Edward in the Twilight Saga.

So anyways, the other reason why I watched this was because of the 19th Century setting; I just love the horse-drawn carriages and the bulging tight-fitting dresses. :p

So I really didn’t know what this story was about, until I finished watching it. I wasn’t able to read the novel (which I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere) so I couldn’t compare the two, but movie-based, it was good.

The story chronicles journalist Georges Duroy’s corrupt rise to power from a poor ex-NCO to one of the most successful men in Paris, most of which he achieves by manipulating a series of powerful, intelligent, and wealthy mistresses. (Wikipedia)

At first, it looked just like a typical seductive movie, where a really good looking guy seduces a married woman, but as the story went on, it grew deeper, and I came to understand what must be the reason why one would do such a thing.

It tells a story not only about love, but loyalty, and honesty as well as being able to have a choice between staying dignified but poor, or becoming rich but corrupt. It cannot be that far from what happens in real life, when most of the people believe that money is the only thing that could make their world go round; that they have no other option but to resort to climb the unethical ladder, just to reach the top.

The movie was good, considering I couldn’t compare it with the book. The actors were also superb indeed, from Thurman, to Ricci, and especially Pattinson.

This is one of those times when you’ll be able to see Rob in a whole new light, apart from a sparkly vampire in the Twilight Saga, and the dead champion in the Harry Potter series. Indeed, I realized that Rob’s acting has been so underrated in the past years, thanks to the fact that he starred as Edward Cullen, the vampire that everybody loves to hate. In this movie, I found out what an amazing actor he is, that he deserves more than what he is getting now. :)

And oh, a fun fact: I tried Google Translating the title, Bel Ami, and surprisingly, there was none, so I searched it on the web, and found out that it meant, “A beautiful friend” however, the reason it wasn’t in the Google Language Tools was because it was an obsolete French word, used only in the 19th century. :)