I've been doing a bunch of stuff for our special studies(aka the thesis) and I realized how low the quality of research is in the Philippines. I guess there are good papers but you have to sift through tons of papers before you find them(if you have the access to the papers or the database at least). Even the papers written by members of UP Manila and PGH are no exception. Some are so bad that even us, undergraduates, find holes in their arguments. The worst papers, I find, are those touting the beneficial effects by these alternative modalities of treatment(eg acupuncture).

You really want to go to those authors and tell them,
"If you cannot do a study properly(insufficient sample size, insensitive and non-specific tests, etc), then don't do it! You are just wasting time and resources."

Examples:
1. change in itchiness index as measure of efficacy of virgin coconut oil against dandruff(a hospital in Makati)
-> Can't you just culture some fungi? You can't? Then do something else. Their Lord knows I have dandruff since high school and I only experience itchiness at certain times and not all the time. Meaning, itchiness is not a good measure of efficacy of something. Washing my hair takes away the itch but it doesn't take away the dandruff. Hello?

2. acupuncture effective in aiding smokers to quit BUT the treatment group contains a disproportionate number of females compared to the control. And there is that placebo effect.(PGH no less)
-> This study sucks. In its defense, the paper is written in a way that you'd have to read the whole paper before you notice something is off(no blinding and unsuccessful random allocation). I wonder why the editor didn't notice such a glaring error.

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Yes, I will work hard in order to make sure that our thesis have no huge holes. I will try very hard to make something good enough that it could be published and important enough that CPH and DOH can make use of it.

Finally the PHAC production is over. Now we can return to our "normal" lives.

And yes, the backdrop rocks.
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UP Pep Squad won the cheerdance competition. I saw the routine. Very unique but I saw a bunch of mistakes.

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Tiya Dely(Fidela Magpayo) died last week. In case you don't know her, she is this very big radio host. She was a radio host till the very end. I last listened to her when she was 77 and I was 10.

For the younger crowd, she is so big even the leader of the communist party of the Philippines says he will miss Tiya Dely.

Actually, I thought she was already dead when I started high school. I even thought a voice talent was hosting her show when I caught it right around the time I started college(It wasn't really impossible, during her peak localized[ie in the native language like Bicolano or Bisaya] versions of her show was broadcast in different provinces using voice talents.)

Another famous cultural icon just died recently(last month), Lucrecia Kasilag. She is one of the pioneers of the Bayanihan Dance Company.

chucks
wonder what the owner and her seatmate are doing...

Wednesday is like the eye of the storm. You know you need to face two horrendous days before Saturday arrives but you get to breathe first. Just don't rest too long and forget to recheck the bearings and ropes.

Finished reading Hunters of Dune. So much for studying for my test tomorrow. It's okay I guess. Not as philosophical as the other Dune novels(or maybe I should call them the real Dune novels). What I like is how fast the narrative is as compared to the other novels and how you have at least an inkling of what is happening and what is going to happen. Then again, I am using God Emperor of Dune as the reference novel. To the uninitiated, God Emperor, is the fourth novel of the series. It is the is most philosophical and has the slowest plot among the lot. I guess Frank Herbert really wanted to create a philosophy book but ended up writing fiction.

What I don't like is that the "chapter titles"(or the quotes from various characters and books of the Dune universe) tell too much about the chapter. The past novels are really great in making you think about what the relationship of the quote and the chapter is. I guess I just missed that pleasurable aspect of the Dune novels. And the book reads too easily. I expect that the Dune novels be trials in themselves. I recall frequently going to skim mode while reading God Emperor and Dune Messiah and then rereading a passage because I ended up not knowing what is happening.

Anyway, I look forward to reading the last book, Sandworms of Dune. I hear it sucks but I'm already a fanatic so whether it be good or bad, I am going to read it.

I know I have a very low(zero I think)number of readers but hopefully this'll help.

We need concerned citizens of the Philippines to sign the petition:
"Declaration of Support for the Immediate Passage of the Reproductive Health Bill into Law"

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/rhan2008/

Let our voices be heard amidst the din the irrational (religious) Right is making.

I watched the Reproductive Health Bill special of the ANC Debate show, Square Off. Instead of inviting student debate teams, they invited congressmen, professors and government officials to debate the issue. Of course, it smells of trouble. Clearly, they shouldn't have used their usual format for this special as most people do not know how debate works. The clear example is the slow speed of speech the speakers use while giving their arguments.The emcee even commented how refreshing to hear their speeches at such slow speeds.

As I'm pro-reproductive health bill, my opinions may be biased but I think I am open enough to discussion and will readily change my views if proven wrong. Though, the evidence and arguments should be of great magnitude to convince me that the RH bill shouldn't be approved.

I find that the negative group gave useless arguments overall. There were glimmers of brilliance and points that if properly framed and argued would have helped their side win but they wasted the chance. Besides, they used such stupid arguments(Natural law? Pope John Paul II? We shouldn't help the poor?) that the affirmative side was even able to rebutt them without even giving contrary evidence.

They also used dirty tactics. Ad hominem attacks are a favorite. Citing debunked studies. Citing studies which are so old that they preceded the Philippine Independence from Spain. Cherry picking data. Putting words into the mouths of the affirmative side. Fallacious arguments like ad populum and appeal to emotion. Lying. Twisting the truth(No Cong., they would not spend 5000 pesos to have a ligation if they already have 5 children to worry about. And no, not all LGUs allow their constituents access to cheap or free contraception). What the F?

Of course,their arguments could probably sway some of the people HAD the affirmative not countered them completely. I also fell for the decreasing fertility rate canard when I first encountered it that I had to rethink my beliefs and arguments again. The answer of course is that, firstly, the fertility rate is just an average and not representative of the whole population. I think the distribution is very skewed. In addition, the fertility rate is still not equal to the desired fertility rate of women, which I think, is the most important thing to consider in reproductive health.

The affirmative side also had some problems. During cross-examinations, they also use ad hominem attacks though to a lesser degree. And they failed to answer some arguments properly. And they speak so slowly.

What I like about the debate is that it didn't end up going into the messy icky discussion about abortion, contraception and Life. Even though, the negative group was really trying to draw the affirmative into that area. The affirmative succeeded in highlighting the repercussions of the bill on the situation of the poor while the negative succeeded in showing that they really don't care for the poor and that they really hate it when people enjoy having sex.

What I wanted to hear but didn't was clarification on why the negative oppose the bill when it doesn't violate the rights. And how NOT passing the bill will help the poor.  I also wanted to hear the arguments of the affirmative about (what I think is one of the biggest issues regarding passing the bill) the protecting the unborn found in our Constitution.

A more comprehensive and clearer recap might follow this post.

the public health student lounge
yes, it's rudimentary but we have wi-fi

I feel that I've hit another plateau in my dancing. It seems that my memory is failing me and my body is not doing steps properly. I hope this slump doesn't last any longer. I really love dancing but I have little time left. I am attending med school next year and I am not sure if I can continue with it. Not to mention the cost of all those master's classes. *Sigh*

We also received most of the results of the first wave. I really sucked at two subjects. I've decided that I'll take the finals of one of my subjects in order to pull my grades up. I do not want to lose my current standing. Three years of hardwork should not be wasted.

It begins. We finally learned who will be our groupmates for the PH 197/199 Special Studies course aka the THESIS. I feel no hard feelings about my groupmates. I don't hate anybody and I am not super close to anybody. I don't know if this is good or bad. The only thing I'm worried about it what our research topic and problem will be. And I ended up in health promotion and education not in any of the "hard sciences." Is this a foreboding regarding my future career?

self-portrait, B&W practice
not that noticeable but the bridge of my nose
got focused instead of my eyes...

I'm bored again. And I have stiff neck. And I have test tomorrow. The test is scheduled in the afternoon and I don't have a morning class so I have plenty of time. I want to download this anime torrent but my PC has this set-up where it deletes all the things I save in the C:/ folder whether it be a program or a simple txt file every time I shut down. So, I have to remove that first, restart my computer, install Bittorrent, download the torrent, restart my PC, return the settings and finally, restart my PC. Really, too much work for a Sunday afternoon. Maybe, next week when I have a long weekend.

As I was making this post, Patti Smith was playing. I'm no hardcore rock fan; I am still not sure whether I've heard Bohemian Rhapsody and if I did, I'm not sure that I liked it but Patti Smith is nice...no wait... cool. I should download more of her songs but my D:/ drive(the one without the setting I mentioned) is almost full so I have to transfer some of my files to the very empty C:/ drive which entails that whole sequence in the previous paragraph minus the Bittorrent part. Now Hikaru Utada is playing; I don't understand Nihonggo but I like how she conveys emotions in her songs and the anime fanboy in me really likes Jap songs.

peace

Life is returning to normal. Batch conflicts and issues are resolved though the scars of conflict still remain. People are starting to realize that despite the sparks and outbursts, we still and need to care for each other. My life remains conflict-free. I have long ago let go of the bias I felt for certain people though there a some out there I wouldn't want to work with.

Special studies or thesis groupings will be released next week. I can't wait to start our research. I want to experience high loads of stress again. And then there is that group dynamics thing to worry about.

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A demonstration was held near our college building last month.(No photos, I didn't have my cam that day.) I saw an old HS classmate and asked her about stuff and what was the purpose of the rally. Surprisingly, it was not only in UP Manila do organizations feel the "repression." It was actually quite worse in the other campuses. UPLB still doesn't have its own University Student Council. Also many organizations are not being acknowledged due to illogical reasons like Fraternities are discriminating against females so they shouldn't exist or religious gatherings are wrong because UP is non-sectarian. FTW?! UPD organizations are being asked to pay exorbitant fees in order to use rooms and facilities. They also have to experience very strict and time-consuming procedures in order to get accredited or have activities approved.

What happened to UP trying to produce human, humane and humanistic graduates? I don't know. On the other hand, students really are trying the admins patience by charging their laptops, psps and whatnots in university facilities. Tambayans are turning into student lounges instead of being used as areas for productive work.

Still, I agree that UP charges too much for students to use facilities(the room rental for one hour is almost equivalent or greater than our electricity bill). If my org was asked to pay for the room we use for practice, we'd have disbanded a long time ago or would be practicing in the Paz Mendoza parking lot.

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I finally learned what to call the Abu Sayyaf scarf that's becoming a fashion trend: keffiyeh or shemagh. A friend thought it was called a pashmina. Hah! Hiphop be's and wannabe's wearing a pashmina. Lolz. Anyway, I think this trend is harmless but people really look stupid when they go to malls wearing this, a sando, shorts and slippers. We get it you want to keep warm with your oh-so-fashionable shemagh but you could have achieved the same effect by wearing a really nice scarf or jacket and real clothes not underwear.

Pharm, a turo-turo
(in reference to the College of Pharmacy building in front of it)

I had a minor spat with my mom yesterday. I was in a bad mood due to some stupid thing I did(yes, I've been doing loads of stupid stuff these days). I was also forced to miss dance class in order go to mass. And, I didn't get to spend the afternoon with my nephew. And I they interrupted my nap. And it was super gloomy. So, I was in a really bad mood. I was frowning and being sarcastic and nasty like a spoiled brat(which I am sometimes). Naturally, I vented my anger towards those around me, who, unfortunately, are my parents.

My mom, who doesn't know how to handle teenagers despite living with one for almost ten years, started complaining and scolding me. I really wanted to say to her that shopping for appliances don't count as bonding. Attending mass is not bonding and I hate going to mass. I do not need to hear more lectures about how the Bible says this therefore you must do this or you won't go to heaven. And, that I really wanted to go to dance class because the teacher is a really great dancer but I instead chose to spend some time with you. But, I just kept quiet.

Well, she used the silent treatment on me and I used the quiet-and-then-hold-hands-as-a-sign-of-apology-but-not-really-saying-I'm-sorry method because I still have my pride and the blame is not 100% on me. It worked and we had a nice dinner afterward.

Why am I sharing this? I'm procrastinating since I don't want to study yet.

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The sermon of the priest was interesting. He is a good speaker but I completely disagree with him. You don't need to go to heaven. You shouldn't even think about that. What you should think about is how to make this Earth we a have a paradise.

In addition, Your God said to think about others and not yourself yet the priests preach about how you should think about how you can get to heaven? Shouldn't you be thinking about ways to help people get to heaven instead? Praying doesn't count. The assumption is there is indeed a heaven.

Lightbending

OMG! I just saw the last five episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. So wicked cool!
For those Avatar fans, you can download the LQ episode here. There is also a high quality download for those who have more patience and faster internet connections. Just go to avatarchapters.org.

Of course, I plan to watch it again when it does air here in the Philippines. The finals episodes do not disappoint! Really really!

What a great way to end a not so good day!

There's been a lot of hoolah-balooh with the recent revival of the Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act of 2005(HB3773). The Church(you know what church) is calling all its minions to help stop the passing of the bill. They even printed a Manifesto that criticizes the bill. And they plan to withheld communion to the congressmen and women supporting the it. Take about Noli Me Tangere and Spanish Colonization.

I haven't read it(can anyone send me a copy?) but according to an article in Phil Star, it was full of lies and fallacious reasoning. What strikes me as the stupidest belief by the Church is that this bill will pave the way for the legalization of abortion. How they manage to connect the uplifting of reproductive rights of women and abortion is beyond me? Somehow using their sex-deprived egos, they formed this correlation. Just because it happened in other countries, doesn't mean it will happen here. Besides there are tons of countries where abortion is outlawed but there is widespread reproductive health education policies and programs.

Maybe they just hate it that women will learn that they don't have to get pregnant when they have sex. That sex could be used for fun and not just creation. Maybe they just want that all those "promiscuous" will get STIs and help make the HIV/AIDS an epidemic here in the country because, all together now, using condoms is a sin!

Haven't they heard that the recent uplifting of the ban on sex education in Manila was welcomed by not only the NGOs but also the families in Manila themselves? The Church say that they are all for the family but really what they want is for people not to have sex because priests can't have them. Sorry ad hominem but it's just so annoying.

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Something to think about:
Use of Condoms is a sin because it prevents the meeting of the egg and the sperm (Actually they still believe that the sperm contains the soul) yet, withdrawal is not. Spilling of seed, anyone?

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LOLZ: 

"Francisco also points out that the bill also prohibits persons "to act from conscience" because it threatens up to six months imprisonment for "any health care service provider who shall ... refuse to perform voluntary sterilisation and ligation" and for "any public official ... who shall prohibit or intentionally restrict" the provision of services outlined in the bill." Source

What? They are really getting desperate. Remember that ability of patients to leave the hospital even without the consent of physicians? Usually, the physicians's conscience says to sedate that individual and bind that person to the bed until he or she receives treatment. But no, the law says no. Nobody seems to protest against that.

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There are some questionable points in the bill but I think these will all be fixed during the House and Senate readings. Their lord knows how long before bills  become acts in this country.

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This is my 300th post. Wow!

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Assignment: Counter this article.

 This will be quick.

Oh my gulay! I love Opera!

Back to studying and that Sicko paper...

nothing to do with actual post...

I, along with my friends, went to CCP yesterday for the Cinemalaya film festival. We failed to get tickets for My Fake American Accent so we settled for Namets. It was a nice movie. My reaction is that this is how love story films should be, no forced kilig scenes and the plot should not be sacrificed because the audience needs to see the faces of the big stars all the time. The shorts interspersed in the main film is nice but weird. I commend the film for using the Negros language throughout, of course true to modern trends, with sprinklings of Filipino and English. The only weird part is that the conflict seem too long coming. Or maybe that's just me.

After the show, we smooched around for a bit and took pictures with some people. I didn't bring my camera with me but my classmate managed to smuggle hers inside. I was starstruck by Kidlat Tahimik and said silly things to him. Stupid. We failed to have a picture taken with him anyway.

My classmates went home so I had to see the next feature alone. It was my first time inside the CCP(yes, ordinary citizens of the Philippines feel scared of entering the CCP and other art centers) and was pleasantly surprised to see art galleries/corridors. Stupid me spent 30 mins in Jollibee reading for Clin Chem instead of ogling and appreciating the photos and paintings in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the complex so my field trip was cut short since the movie I was suppose to see next is about to start(I heard the CCP warning music while olging).

Brutus is the title of the movie I saw. It was screened in a relatively small room; more of a function room instead of a proper theater if you ask me. The screen was small and I had to tilt my body slightly sideways so my view wouldn't be blocked but I still enjoyed watching it. I think Namets is better but Brutus' plot has much more potential. The editing and directing of Brutus could still be improved. Lines were too spaced apart and the scene lasts longer than needed. And there were preachy lines like save the trees and stuff. Still, there were sequences of good quality.

I think my fellow audience members didn't get the foreshadowing thrown at the end scene because they were smiling and seemed happy for the end. Don't they realize that the paradise the two kids are experiencing are coming to an end again? That another cycle of logging and migration is facing the two protagonists?

Anyway, based on the two movies, indie films have come a long way. They now use better cameras, better effects and, most important, better sound equipment. I hope that gone are the days of endless white noise.

I had planned going again today to see the shorts but I'm tired and I have to tons of school work to do. Gotta get good grades to maitain my GWA! I just had my first test of the sem yesterday and I'm happy with my performance.

I did some stupid things today. And I procrastinate again. Learning stuff that won't help me graduate on time. Really... I should be studying for the double whammy next week.

After our lab session yesterday, I've realized I'm not really suited for a career as a laboratory medical technologist. I don't have the patience or the steady hands for doing the more manual tasks. Then again, I could just be beating myself up because I suck at making blood dilutions and smears for blood counts but I'm really good at microscopy and gaining more skill at venipuncture. Besides, I like analyzing stuff... I mean the act of doing tests on samples and analytes.

I'm not so sad as I do not picture myself working in an office or lab situation where you do tasks repetitively for months or years. Of course, this is for the Philippine med tech situation. I hear that tests in Hematology are very easy to do in the first-world countries where automated counters are cheaper. Anyway, there is a wider world for Public Health majors like me; areas where our skills could be of more use.

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Finally removed that annoying horizontal scroll bar! More like hid than removed anyway. Thanks to Google and this site.

Smokers can be so stupid. Especially, young smokers with plenty of money or at least appear to. And especially, those smokers in certain university in Quezon city. Use of twisted logic and laying all the blame on the Government, the Tobacco Companies and the Media. What? You didn't play a part in it? Who lit the first cigarette you ever smoked? Who first blew that swirling mass of white gas? Who went to the store yesterday and bought a stick or so of cigs?

You're complaints hit hard on us PH people as we feel it is our responsibility to protect you from this filthy filthy habit. And we are not idiots. At least not all of us. We know who are our enemies and who are the victims. Unfortunately, some of the victims are also our enemies(take you for example). We keep trying to make promotional programs, policies and laws but you young "rebels" seem to think you're above all of this. You say, "Oh! I know smoking is bad but I'm addicted. And it keeps me sane." and all that shit. And instead of actively dissuading people from picking up the habit, you keep a neutral uncaring stance. Well screw you! But then again, we'll still try to help you beat your addiction and all your complaining and bitch-fits won't stop us.

Smoking in a non-smoking area is wrong just like using the N-word is racist and wrong even though there is no black person within a 1km radius.

Holy sh*t!

The Fed or, as we(me and Federer's fiance Madie) like to call him, Feddy Bear lost to Nadal.

Ugh... ew... it hurts. I didn't saw the match. I need to sleep. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch reruns in Star sports.

History happened last night but it wasn't a good one for Feddy. Then again, this is good for the tennis drama.

I love dancing. Dance is a major part of my life and being. Part of the reason why I hate the end of semesters is because dance training is halted and will resume at the beginning of the next sem. But dance is not the only important thing in my life. My studies and fulfillment of my plans are more important than dancing.

Right now, dancing is draining most of my time and energy. Instead of relaxing or studying, I'm dancing. It's almost reaching the point where dancing is becoming like a chore. And it is only the beginning of the sem. And it seems our new adviser wants us to join a dance competition. Us, senior students, students who will be starting their thesis a month from now, students trying to maintain or pull up their GWA to get into med school. Crap. Then again I could just quit the org but I'll hate myself for doing that.

Rant rant rant. Go do your homework!

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I've been losing so many things this past week. It started with Simulaw, where I lost my dignity and self worth, but more importantly, I lost my green cap. Then, I lost my notebook for HPAd, EH and Spanish. It's a good thing that it is only the start of the sem but a lost notebook is still a lost notebook and for a meticulous taker of notes, that sucks. It really really sucks. But all hope is not lost, I might still find it, there are only two places in which I have to look anyway. Besides, unlike a cap, what possible value will they get from keeping MY notebook?

UPDATE:
I found my notebook! Yey! I'm happy now. Really happy. yeynes!