I have never supported Chiz. There's just something about him that reeks of evilness. Similar to the feeling I get from Erap actually.

"Ang partido lamang dapat niya ay Pilipinas at ang kanyang mga kapartido ay lahat ng Pilipino." - Chiz

Uh... you can't do that. A party is a group of people with similar stances on key issues. It exists to form a strong and unified voice on a certain issue. Forming a single unified stand on issues is impossible for this nation. For example, you cannot have a party of secular Filipinos with very religious Filipino Catholics. That party will never be able to form a decision regarding key issues such as population control and management. You can't please everyone. In the first place, who gave you the right to do that? I for one don't want you in my party (if I would ever have one).He also leaves a party of Filipinos to join a party which has all Filipinos as members. I feel a disturbance in the Force.

"Para po sa akin, hindi dapat idikta ng isang partido ang gagawin ng sino mang tatakbo. Dahil kung ganoon, papaano niya mapapanagot ang mga tiwali sa gobyerno kung ito ay kagrupo o kasama niya?" - Cheeze

There's a thing we call leadership where you encourage your party to agree with your beliefs and make them follow you not the other way around. If you think your being a mere puppet of your party then you're probably not qualified to be the president. And are you saying that there are corrupt individuals in your party? Then why are you leaving it? Aren't you supposed to be doing the opposite, forcing those corrupt people to leave? Returning to your previous statement, you say you want a party of all Filipinos but you don't want corrupt people and clearly, there are no corrupt Filipinos in the world.

Besides why should we support a candidate with no party backing him or her. That president would be a cripple and be at the mercy of a Congress that would antagonize his every move. For all of GMA's faults, she and her party were very successful in securing power and that is what every presidentiable should aspire to mimic. It makes the development process much faster.  (Granted, the minority should still exist just not too the point where voting for laws always end up in deadlocks.)

self in room

Because I was bored and have a narcissistic side

We had to set our own personal objectives during our first subject in med school. So far, I have only one thing left to accomplish and I'm just too lazy to do that. Well not really, the meet-ups take place in a place too far from home. Besides, I can only tolerate a certain amount of pomp and intellect in a day.

Well, I did attend a similar meeting today. Unfortunately, it was a waste of my time and money. The only good thing I've got from the thing is that I was finally able to buy the novel Tutubi tutubi... by Jun Cruz Reyes.

And I finally got a tutoring job. I don't know if it's going to be permanent though because med school manages to find ways to drain ones will to impart knowledge. And I have made my Saturdays sacred days of rest, recollection and general bumming around (and I'm still agnostic so don't get your hopes up).

Due to my sudden employment and a host of organization (again?!) related activities, I haven't been able to enjoy my sem break yet. For the first few days, I was actually at a lost of what I will do. Nothing to study but so many things to worry about.

I'm hoping to maintain my sanity in med school. Wait... I will remain sane. Of course, people already view me as demented and emotionally broken so that's not much of a resolution.

Going to bed (but it's only 9:30! Shock! Gasp!) now.

And, I'm starting to plan our family summer vacation. We'll be "turistang Pinoy" again. Hopefully, my parents will agree to go to Palawan. But I still have to work out my organization summer immersions schedule first.

MY Sembreak finally starts.

Still stressed though.

Yesterday was such a long day.
Morning was the Biochemistry/Immunology/Molecular Biology/Physiology exam.
It left us tired but it wasn't over yet.

We still had ward work and most of us felt the need to crack open a few transes.

Our group came early. We finished performing the neuro exam but our consultant didn't arrive until much later. So we loafed around.

While other groups are happily leaving the wards.

She finally came, ward work ended and off I went to the Mooncake party hosted by UP Meridian.

And no I am not a member of this org.

Did end up helping a bit though.

We ate, talked and fell in line for the Dice game.

So that's the last day of classes for me. Next week will just be exams, more exams and a proposal waiting to be finished and bound.

And blogger is finally fixed.

Blogger is still messed up. If this doesn't resolve I might have to move.

Taking tests for stuff you know you know enough sucks. Seeing the scores suck even more.

I'm really eager for the end of this semester. But sem break is starting to sound less of a break and more of time spent catching up on stuff I need to do.

Two of the mangas I follow just ended.
I really don't mind Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles ending because it's giving me a headache but Nodame Cantabile!
Why? This sucks... I'm sad. The ending was really nice but it's just so unexpected. *sigh* Nodame hasn't even performed a real concerto with Chiaki. Aargh...
Okay, I'm pathetic.

So IE works fine but Firefox doesn't.
From the forums, google chrome doesn't work either.
Is this just a ploy?

Why is blogger being twisty and difficult?

I've been reading a lot.

but I am Deprived of the pleasures of reading.

Reading for pleasure. I miss you so.

It's not helping that I have to pass through National Bookstore everytime I go inside Robinson's.
It's not helping that the shelves have recently been restocked with new titles, new editions and oh so pretty book covers (yes, I'm shallow...)

I need to drown myself in new novels this sembreak.

School will start again on Monday. My attempt to finish our proposal failed due to uncooperative groupmates. Some had valid reasons, others I don't know... I think they're just being irresponsible (would it kill them to reply to my text message?).

On the other hand, I spent too days helping out in the UPM relief efforts although I didn't participate in the distribution and med missions. I'm still a med mission virgin. Yes! Judging from the stories from other people, the med missions didn't just serve to meet the health consequences of Ondoy. They provided means for people who have no money or time to consult a health professional regarding their diseases. It was a bit funny (I'm twisted, ok?) to hear that one of the leading morbidities in a med mission was hypertension. Hypertension. Disasters don't result in hypertension. A single butter-laden meal doesn't cause hypertension. Funny, right? Just shows how poor the health system is in encouraging people to get their yearly check-up or at least visit the health center for illnesses (granted, HPN can be asymptomatic).

Also, Red Cross can be sexist. They have this policy of excluding females from tasks which involve carrying heavy objects such as sacks of rice. How they could be so backward is beyond me but then again, it is a Filipino-run organization so maybe. Doesn't erase the fact that it is a stupid policy. I really don't want to hear that lame argument of males being stronger than females. Individual females may be incapable of carrying a sack of rice but there is nothing that will prevent them from working together or using machines (wheels, levers, etc), right?

---
I also went skating last Friday. It was really nice to have a nearly empty rink. It was cold. There was a mist. And you could go faster and do more things without worrying about hurting someone. I should do it again but I have to come on a weekday though.

Spent a good part of the day repacking stuff and will probably be doing that again tomorrow due to the whole week suspension of classes in UPM.

There were too many people for the available tasks. When a shipment of stuff appears, it takes less than 30mins to repack all of it. People who volunteered for Red Cross say there's also a surplus of volunteers. Methinks a volunteer network/sign up tool should be created, at least for UPM. I know there's Pahinungod and virtually every College has the SC and an org for this kind of thing but there's this issue of coordination and resource (in this case, volunteers) allocation. How many and what kind of people (skills, experience, preferences) should be deployed to volunteering sites such as repacking areas, Red Cross/Crescent chapters, whatnot are things the coordinators would be tackling. I'm all about efficiency and maximizing the use of the volunteers' skill set. Besides, the time we spend waiting for new stuff to arrive could be spent in other ways.

I am truly amazed at the level of mobilization in the NCR right now. Milenyo and the other storms didn't generate this level of concern and activity. I don't know if this is the effect of direct damage in the NCR(literally every NCR resident was a victim or was close to someone who was a victim of Ondoy), the high coverage of the media or finally a tangible effect of all those "hip" commercialist nationalistic drives featuring fashionable accessories, shirts and whatnot (in fairness to those efforts, "pirated" versions of their merchandise has become widely available).

Facebook or multiply groups with sign-up applications. Mobile and SMS technology could also be used. Maybe I should suggest it to our formations committee.

---
In the meantime, I've stopped studying for exams and resumed watching series online. Yey early sembreak. Too bad we have tests and a proposal to look forward to the next weeks.

 Bayang Pilipinas, utang muna ako ng aking oras. Marami pa akong dapat gawin. Oo na, masama na akong tao.

Because I don't know how to say no, I ended up walking from Monumento to Balintawak* fighting the wind and the rain with a broken umbrella. I also had to endure a full bladder.

The experience was so horrible I was tempted to pee in my pants. I figured no one will notice anyway. Luckily there were still some open establishments in EDSA and I managed to relieve my bladder.

However, I still had to contend with a broken umbrella.

Did I mention I had my camera and cellphone with me? Thankfully,  my mother bought a Logitech camera bag for it so it remained dry while I was wet, cold and numb.


The experience really tested my character. In one of the events I attended today, we talked about peace, war and conflict. I think I now know a little about the suffering they endure. Of course, their suffering is a thousands or a millions times greater but now I know what real suffering is.

The moral is when the weather bureau tells you that there's going to be a storm on a certain day, stay at home regardless of other commitments you have. But if you do that, you'd have one less funny story to tell your descendants.

And I really am grateful for having a home on a higher region where flooding remains a foreign concept. The highest "flood" we ever had barely reached my ankles and that is only on certain areas of the road. I feel sorry for those living in the lower regions though. Some residential areas are severely flooded and some are nearly underwater. Roads have submerged Balintawak has turned to a lake and Taft cor P.Gil waters achieved a new record: waters reaching up to the thighs (I heard one person say "abot panty.")

* - Actually, I walked a few more kilometers to Balumbato but you probably don't know where that is.

September is fading into October. I feel the end of this semester. Rhyme unintended. But seriously, I'm starting to feel that burst of energy one feels when a semester nears its end. I'm starting to adjust to not getting the scores that I want. And I'm starting to realize that research would be really good place to be in.

I've already achieved to of my objectives for this year: organize an event and work with disorganized people. Oh how I regret making that a 2nd objective. It's such a pain to work with those people. However I'm starting to find people I know I would love to work with in group projects. It's just too bad that many of these people are alphabetically too distant from me.

It sucks that I have to bring our mercury sphygmomanometer to school tomorrow. Have they forgotten how hard and dangerous to lug that mercuy bomb around?! And I don't understand why EVERYONE has to bring a BP App for the physiology exercises.

And I've got my lowest grade yet and for a subject I figured I'd be better at.

And my classmates still keep some respect for me, despite my subpar performance. It boggles but it's nice to retain a bit of clout.

So my Lolo (the non-MD) died a while ago. I'm okay. We weren't too close. I visited him in the hospital yesterday and watching him was painful. I wouldn't want to live that way nor would I want him to live in that state. He did have a full life unlike my Lola who died abruptly.

I do hope that my Lola(the one who is alive) is okay and will live for a longer time. I want her to see me get my MD and my take my oath as a registered physician.

I've been working on the training kit we'll be using for a seminar on the Mindanao situation. Looking and scanning through articles, I realize how messed up the conflict in Mindanao is. It's so sad that the Philippines really seem to be "running in place." Unfortunately, here in Manila we are too caught up in other issues to notice. Hopefully, we'll hear the strategies of the "presidentiables" for Mindanao in the coming campaign period. I doubt Noynoy has something though (noynoy bashing. hahaha) much less Erap (hahaha). Oh well, I'll give them time to formulate their strategies and wait for the debates.

Forgot to send something important.

Reading up on methods for cancer research.

Body aching from that training session.

Sleep deprived.

Another whole day exam looming... looming... looming.

Ah med life.

Another holiday spent studying. Not really...

Ok, pGMA is totally whack and being such a kiss-ass to the huge INC faction. Really, she should know that her support for a candidate is a curse rather than a boon. Even giving a holiday will probably fail to convince the INC leaders to command their followers to vote for GMA's bet.

Such stupid reasons for declaring a holiday really. I don't remember devoting a holiday for Cardinal Sin who is a the leader of the church of the overwhelming majority. I don't ever remember devoting a holiday for the death of a muslim leader. Really...

Okay, with that out I am kind of thankful of the holiday because it gave yet more time to study os201.

I've danced on stage again. I like how people are congratulating me on my performance but I don't want to perform again any time soon. I tend to stress about the performance for days. Not good, not good at all.

In other news, our Biochem exam got moved again. Now I have to study real hard. Hahahaha. No more excuses for getting a not so good grade.

---
The Noynoy thing? How come I only learned he was a senator after Cory's funeral? WTF was he doing the past years? What law or program could he proudly stamp his name unto? Sorry Mr de Quiros but a person not wanting the presidency means he knows he is incapable of it. Don't go into the romantic BS. I also believe that Power attracts the corruptible but the presidency is such a big deal that he or she needs to have at least a vision and strategy for the country outside of motherhood statements such as no more graft and corruption or no more poverty.

And another Aquino in leadership roles reeks of Trapos and Political dynasties. Leadership doesn't necessarily run in families. I don't remember him being very vocal about national issues. If Noynoy were like Ninoy or Cory, I'd have heard of him somehow.

No desire, no vision, no to Noynoy.