2009 Review

in photos! also known as 2009 exercise in vanity
Some taken by me, others grabbed without permission. =D

January

Just after our last written exam for the AY

February

As med tech interns in PGH

March

Cluster meeting in San Juan

April

Graduation!

May
Working as a research assistant and for some reason I have found no picture of that.

June

With orgmates... oldest one in the pic.

July

Anatomy group -1 in dissection hall

August

UPerture Photowalk

September

As Ondoy rages

October

 Skating in MoA

November

Friend's birthday dinner

December

TRP opening number

Bonus! Where's Ado?


Hint: You'll have to look for my hair.

Hating on multiply and its broken import function. They're really trying hard to discourage users from uploading pictures first at dedicated photo hosting sites such as Flickr and Photobucket. And right when the Photobucket bulk uploader has started working for me.

Anyway, here are some photos of things from december...

It looks like I'm not going to make my 500th post by the end of the year which is fine. I don't want to make it look like I'm having too much free time in med school. Totally untrue...

And people who made med school not too sucky...

We do have a proper group pic in case you're wondering.

 “The party-list system is not a tool to advocate tolerance and acceptance of misunderstood persons or groups of persons.”Mr. Melo of the COMELEC opines as he denies Ang Ladlad its accreditation.

Then what is the eff*n partylist system for?

And in affirming the proposed inherent immorality of LGBT individuals, shouldn't then the police be rounding up every out and open homosexual and transsexual in the country for being indecent?

Melo also adds, "How do we resolve matters of morality? Through our background."

Do you know we have ethics experts and established ethical committees in the country? And no, they don't use their biased and colored background. They use reason, principles and landmark cases to resolve matters of morality.

And norms don't equate to morals. It may be the norm for politicians to be corrupt, that doesn't make it moral. It may be the norm to pee in sidewalks and other public places and that doesn't make it right.

Walking along the oval...

The weather didn't cooperate and turned cloudy just as the parade was passing by Engineering. It pains me to see how crappy the parade photos turned out.

And trees! Oh glorious trees!

Organic food is not equal to sustainable food.

Why would you even reject technology if it has been shown to be able to drastically improve efficiency (yield per land and labor units)? Because it's natural? F*ck that.

I don't know what's the obsession of those people in the Western hemisphere with going organic and local and all that crap. They want to help the environment AND the farmers. They feel better when they eat "sustainably." Guess what? Farmers in developing countries HAVE to export their goods to your country to earn. These farmers don't give a crap about organic labels because they know that forgetting to apply fertilizers or pesticides (that will degrade into trace concentrations anyway) will determine whether they will starve or survive till the next planting season.Think about the whole picture, the global picture and you'd probably be not so proud of yourself.

Not that I'm arguing against using total rejection of organic methods (buying just local maybe...). Farmers have practices that should be changed in order to improve the environment's condition. Allowing them to use GM crops is NOT of those practices that should be barred. I say keep the good practices and throw the dogma. Don't go romantic on us, a farmer's life is far from romantic.

Weird things...

"Ang ganda mo." totally inappropriate adjective

"Padaanin niyo ang doktor, sa susunod na mga taon manggagamot na iyan." at least hindi ako napagkamalang nurse

While a friend was lining up for the photocopy machine, he overheard two girls whisper my name and my course. It wouldn't be weird if it wasn't in Diliman. I don't know those effing girls.

"Bakit hindi ikaw ang gumawa?" Uh... sorry. Ang dami kayang tinatambak ng org na iyan sa akin na i-isang APP pa lamang  Tama ba namang gawing rep sa interschool meeting ang isang APP?(not that I'm incapable, it's just weird and risky org practice)

Tondo

Life will finally return to normal. I've had fun performing in TRP. Hopefully, next year will be just as fun.

low grades... ugh...

Hell of a non-academic kind. On Wednesday, I have to teleport from UPCM to my home for an online meeting. Of course, I wouldn't be having this kind of problem if upmnet will be allowing Skype.

Friday will be the most horrifying day where I have to rehearse at 12AM, trans for the morning lecture and then perform three times (2 dances and 1 song) then on Saturday I have to go teach my chem tutee in order to have money to spend for the Christmas celebrations. Then I have to study for two exams the following week.

And something important will probably pop up and I'll even have more stuff to cram into my self.

Have I mentioned I already lost the weight I gained last sembreak? I already see my too prominent cheekbones making me look more skull like than ever.

Through all this personal mess, I find myself less attached to social issues such as the Maguindanao massacre, injustice to the LGBT community and the presidential race.

And I've just heard a retired professor on a religious radio talk show (not that the nature of the program is to blame... or maybe it is?) about how climate change is caused by water vapor, changes in sun radiation and other non-carbon factors. Really irresponsible and unethical for that professor. You've not been teaching for 9 years and probably hasn't kept with the times (or you follow some dubious sources). Regarding fields where you are not or no longer an expert, please shut up or provide a disclaimer at the very least. Last thing the Philippines need is the emergence of a climate change skeptic community. Fortunately, we are at the mercy of climate change and the skeptics would really have a hard time convincing people not to worry and just accept what is happening.

The comments on a certain PhilStar Article makes me want to vomit. How come there are still people who think that being part of the LGBT is a mental disease? How can they not see the LGBT as a legitimate marginalized sector in our society? Actually, the LGBT is one of the best examples of a marginalized sector needing dire representation.

It is true that the State (actually, everybody) should protect the youth from moral and spiritual degradation.
As such we have the minimum drinking age law, laws that prevent them from being jailed and institutions that offer counseling to victims of abuse to prevent a downhill spiral to becoming sociopaths. The COMELEC, however; seems to have forgotten to check the definition of the words "moral" and "spiritual." They should realize that moral, spiritual and religious are not synonyms. Nor is it right (in every sense of the word) to use Catholic and Islamic doctrine to justify their claim that LGBTs can cause moral degradation. The scientist in me is shouting that they should have atleast cited a study wherein children raised by homosexual couples are more immoral (or atleast exhibit deviant behavior) than conventionally raised children. They could also show that schools who accept LGBT teachers have higher rates of juvenile delinquency. Raising the Bible and Qu'ran just doesn't cut it. They may offend you but that doesn't mean it is immoral. Bad breath is offensive but it is certainly not immoral. And they shouldn't even dare to claim the homosexuality is a transmittable disease because its not. It is not a disease period.

Returning to morality and spirituality, the government being a secular institution (we are not in the Unitied Catholic and Muslim States of the Philippines, right?) should use secular ethics and principles or at the very least use it in adjunct to their arguments citing dominant religious ethics. They should allow for an environment where the youth are allowed to make their own decisions. They shouldn't be an environment censored and controlled by the ruling class. The COMELEC has no right to impose their beliefs on everyone especially if those beliefs can only be supported using supernatural beings and religious texts.

Let us expand their argument a bit to LGBTs are harmful to the youth. As far as the current evidence shows, LGBTs are not a separate human species which can carry but not be harmed by diseases that can kill the youth. They are equally capable of gaining and sharing skills and knowledge. They are equally capable of contributing to society. Nor are they the sole carriers of the sins of society such as alcoholism and polygamous relationships because straight people are capable of those things and may even exhibit them at proportions greater than the LGBT. It bothers me that the only harm I could think of is the nauseated feeling some homophobic people get from seeing LGBT couples... wait, seeing LGBT people just breathing make them sick. Unless this brand of nausea has caused massive deaths and disabilities or calamities the level of Ondoy, I see no reason to mark the LGBT as a harmful agent (in terms of health and morals) to society thus the youth shouldn't even be protected from them.

FTW?!

They were at least a real party representing real people unlike this one which represents people they don't even have as members.

School starts again tomorrow. Not yet in the bored to death with the break phase which means I'm not ready.

My parents "accidentally" printed a whole CD of pictures... bad pictures... bad pictures taken by my brother. Think how much that cost! Money wasted just because they can't follow my very simple and clear instructions. Now whenever I look at our pictures from japan, I'll remember this shitload of a mess. I feel angry again.

On the other hand, I finally found evidence that foodies and people at the cooking network are full of BS regarding food. Buy local! Buy freaking local! Like that'll save the world. I was always wondering how efficient it is to transport one crate of tomatoes over a few miles versus a thousand crates over thousands of miles. And shudder at how they romanticize the life of farmers, they should really try going to developing countries and ask farmers how "wonderful" their lives are. NGC also has fault with their food lovers guide to the world series by trying to promote the organic and local only movements. Blegh... ideology over reason. People being brainwashed to buy goods grown the natural way and shunning over processed foods. For that matter, what is the meaning of over processed? Of course, in the environmental sense, consuming foods with less carbon input is indeed better but you have to look at the whole picture. Maybe freezing foods or turning them into long shelf life forms are more efficient than selling them in their original state. Maybe country X needs this fruit grown in country Y. So I'm ranting... I also feel that the local foods only movement is a way of oppressing the agricultural countries whose economies rely on a strong international market.

My first week of vacation is almost finished.
I don't feel like returning to med school just yet. Weeks which do not end in exams are nice.

We're supposed to be experiencing a typhoon right now but it has been awfully quiet. I hope I'm not jinxing it or anything. I probably won't survive tomorrow if there's no internet. Well, I'm exaggerating really; I have my med books.

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.