Think, Pats! Think!!

STEAL ALL YOU WANT!
(grabbed from pepper :p)

google image search your answers to the ff:
(remember, get from the first page only)
1. the age you will be next year
2. place you’d like to travel
   3. favorite place
   4. favourite object
   5. favorite food
   6. favorite animal
   7. favorite color
   8. town in which you were born
   9. town in which you live
   10. name of a past pet
   11. first name of a past love
   13. your screen name
   14. your first name
   15. your middle name
   16. your last name
   17. bad habit of yours
   18. first job

  1. the age you will be next year

2. place you’d like to travel

4. favourite object

5. favorite food

6. favorite animal

7. favorite color

8. town in which you were born

9. town in which you live

10. name of a past pet

11. first name of a past love

13. your screen name

14. your first name

15. your middle name

16. your last name

17. bad habit of yours

18. first job

Newp, it’s not a person.

It’s related to my old flame: food.

I’ll let you in on a secret (although a considerable number of people know this already): i didn’t really want to become a doctor in the first place. I just did, because my dad (thanks to him) ordered me to check that tiny box beside the question, "are you interested in the INTARMED program?" or something like that.

My first choice as a profession? Being a chef.

I unearthed this hobby of mine a couple of weeks back when i threw in some stuff together for salads during Valentine’s Day. It was then that i realized, hmmm. This is fun, indeed! Not only is it fun, but also relaxing.

Some people have told me, mapapagod ka lang pag nagluto ka pa! etc. But it has a different effect. Once i come home from work and settle in the kitchen, the toils of the day that has just passed suddenly vanish, and i become just Me. Not a PGH doctor who has tons of stuff to worry about, but just another person preparing a decent meal. It doesn’t matter how much booboos you’ve committed during the day, or how many problematic encounters you’ve had… food is what matters while you’re in the kitchen, and you CAN forget everything else. Yup, a very therapeutic distraction, indeed.

Try it sometime. You might like it.

For those of you who do… recipes would be highly appreciated! Hehe.

-nothing follows-

… that take your breath away.

… that make you feel that there is nothing else that matters, except you, and…

fireworks.

Real fireworks, i mean. Not the romantic, figurative kind of fireworks. Anyway, this is just a "hats off!!" to those people who’ve chosen to hold the Pyro Olympics in our country.

Nope, no pictures/videos here. A thousand snapshots or bits of film wouldn’t do justice. You have to see it for yourself. (methinks that line’s from The Matrix)

Type A people that my folks are, we decided to go to Mall of Asia at 4pm to get a feel of where to position ourselves for The fireworks. We parked our AUV around 3 blocks away from the Mall (para madaling makaalis later in the evening) and strolled to Italiannis to have an early dinner. We didn’t realize that that area of the Mall was cordonned off for the Pyro, and that you’d have to pay P100 to get a view, P1000 to eat. Yikes. Scrooges that we were, we left. And shopped instead. Haha. (but we ate at said restaurant a few minutes before the P1000 thingie kicked in)

Anyway, as we went back to where we parked, i saw hundreds, maybe thousands of people parked in their cars/jeeps/BUSES/pickup trucks, people having picnic dinners in the moonlight, children wearing devil horns and playing with their glowsticks. It felt great, because it seemed like nothing else mattered. Rich or poor, young or old, doctor or bystander, everyone was the same at that point in time: spectators waiting to be awestruck.

And true enough, we were. The line of sight was GREAT — we had an unencumbered view of everything they launched (we were right smack dead in front of The Source). I saw my mom with tears in her eyes. I felt myself at a loss for words as i saw the first few rockets of light. It all sounds exaggerated as i write this down, but oh boy, it’s not. Everyone was cheering, clapping their hands, or attempting to film the whole frigging display on their digital cameras/phones. Bottom line: i’d say everyone had a good time. (even though the way out of there was gruelling)

What was my point again? Oh. I feel very fortunate to be here, in this Third World country, which is very much blessed to view First World stuff like that. We may be burdened by economic problems, by religious wars, or by political upheavals, but we can be united by simple things. Like world-class fireworks.

-nothing follows-

*sniff*

-nothing follows-

Another storm is coming, even speedier than the one last September. This brings me back to that time….

9/28/06. i just got off from the usual 24-hour Pay duty. But this wasn’t just any other day. Almost everyone was scared of the coming hurricane. To keep up with everyone, i headed back to Rob as as soon as i could. THis was at 11 am.

Big mistake.

Or was it?

For you guys who’ve gone past that long driveway where the Spine Unit is: it looked — and felt — quite different. It was… surreal to see the roof of the Nurses’ Home speed past you, as if it was as light as the sando bags flying around with it. ‘Twas scary trying to go against the swift wind, as if i was pushing my way through a huge crowd. As if on cue, the wooden roof of the cigs/newspaper stand (just outside the gate) nudged my head as i walked past it. GCS 15 naman after, so okay lang. (shit, these med terms talaga)

As i arrived at our unit, i was welcomed by our balcony door swinging like crazy. With zero visibility when you look out the window. In sheer panic, i held on to the handle for dear life — with all my 120-pound glory leaning back — for ONE HOUR AND A HALF. Imagine this: i couldn’t call my dear roomies for help coz the phone was across the room. Thank goodness, they arrived at last. The ever-practical Edhel devised a way to secure the blasted door:

Galing, noh? Hehe. A closer look:

                                 

Materials: mop, garrison belt, some steel bar we got from somewhere, duffel bag strap, ropes of our bamboo shades, a chair, and gazzilions of books from Boards review.

–> this was when we finally had the luxury — or peace of mind, perhaps? — to just sit back, relax, and eat.

Tonight, Lala and i got our blasted door ready again. Hahaha. Being pro-active is the way to go.

Be safe indoors! Reading a book, watching TV/DVDs, snuggling, or whatever.

As expected, post duty siraan-ng-body-clock kicked in. I got this from Lala’s blog (i saw her answering it when i woke up, at naiinggit ako). hehe. Again, nostalgia hits me whenever i see these pseudo-autograph book thingies.

Some stuff about Patsey…

Nervous Habits: I bite my nails. Manicures are useless.

Are you double jointed: i have no idea what this means. next!

Can you roll your tongue: yup!

Can you raise one eyebrow: yup yup! just the right, though.

Can you blow spit bubbles: unfortunately, i have yet to learn this feat.

Can you cross your eyes: if i focus on an object, yes. but spontaneously? nope.

Can you move your ears? i haven’t met a girl who can do this. puro guys.

Do you make your bed daily? nah. i’m such a slob.

Do you use blankets? yup. my face and feet have to be covered when it’s cold.

Which shoe goes on first: right

Speaking of shoes, have you ever thrown one at anyone? hell no! sayang e.

On the average, how much money do you carry daily? 500 bucks

What jewelry do you wear 24/7: Earrings

Favorite piece of clothing: jeans

Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? twirl

Have you ever eaten Spam: love it! especially when it’s crisp.

Favorite ice cream flavor: ube and chocolate (pag Magnolia), strawberry (of FIC and Soul Food)

How many cereals in your cabinet: none at the moment

What’s your favorite beverage: water and any kind of tea — chrysanthemum, green, black, iced!

What’s your favorite resto? marami. depends on what i’m craving for. at the moment, Italianni’s (at Mall of Asia) because of the splendid view of the Bay, and Banana Leaf (and its derivative)

Can you cook?: in my past life, yes.

How often do you brush your teeth: 2x

Hair drying method: none. i have no skill with the blow dryer, and getting close with my electric fan only creates a very bad hair day.

Have you ever colored / highlighted your hair: yup! love it!

Do you swear: hell yeah. especially when i’m tipsy.

Do you ever spit: nuh-uh.

—FAVORITE—

Animal: dogs and turtles

Food: i eat anything except liver. cuisine? southeast and east asian.

Month: december

Day: wednesday and saturday

Cartoon: not much of a cartoon person

Shoe Brand/S: Aerosoles, Rockport, Bass, Naturalizer, Charles and Keith, Juan by Janylin

Subject/S in school: History and Chem

Color/S: orange! blue-green! yellow! black!

Sport/S: to play — table tennis. to watch — tennis and basketball

TV show/S: CSI, Band of Brothers, Jewel in the Palace

Thing to do in the summer: go to the beach, read all my backlog novels

CD: marami e. Better than Ezra’s How Does Your Garden Grow?, KF’s compiled 50 First Dates OST (kulang kasi yung binebenta sa record bars), Norah Jones’ first album, all Dave Matthews Band albums, Audioslave’s first album, etc.

Person you talk to most on the phone: my good friend David Mortel

Thing you do when depressed: jog, watch a cheesy movie by myself (such a masochist!)

Do you regularly check yourself out in store windows with mirrors? yup! hahaha

What color is your bedroom: at home, dark blue. at 21J, yellow

Window seat or aisle: window

What’s your sleeping position: prone/facing the right

Even in hot weather do you use a blanket: yup

Do you sleepwalk: thank goodness, no.

Do you talk in your sleep: yup. callroom people can attest to this

Do you sleep with stuffed animals: nope

How about with the light on: yup, but it has to be outside my room

Do you fall asleep with the TV or radio on: TV

Yipee!

When i was in high school (or early years of Intarmed, i can’t remember exactly), our teacher asked us to write down a few things we’d want to accomplish in our lifetime. At the time, most of us thought of grand/major things. But now, they’re admixed with simple ones that are somewhat harder to attain.

Just to refresh my memory, i’m gonna list them down (as i said, i loooove making lists) to pass the time. (Post duty insomnia sucks)

1. climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

2. go bungee jumping

3. go white water rafting - check!

4. go skydiving

5. learn to scuba dive - check!

6. have a baby before age 30 - check! (kidding)

7. get a tattoo - check!

8. learn to play the violin

9. go around the US via AmTrak

10. learn to speak Russian

11. go to the following countries: New Zealand, Ireland, Belize, South Africa, Egypt, Cambodia, China, and Korea (check na ‘to!)

12. baybayin ang Rose Line

13. see the northern lights

14. visit every province of the Philippines, especially Batanes

15. devise some way to make health care more accessible to everyone (charing!)

16. get a Master’s degree, throw in a PhD as well

17. construct a decent house

etc.

i hope i wouldn’t need to become a vampire to do most of these things. hehe.

will add some more as i remember them.

what are YOUR life quests?

Nope, not rebounding on ANYONE.

This might seem a little farfetched, but…

Anyone who knows me well knows that i have a voracious appetite. For food, that is. I just noticed that my food intake has grown considerably for the past few weeks/months (no, i’m not pregnant)… It’s normal, i guess, but as Carrie Bradshaw would say, “I couldn’t help but wonder”: am i eating a lot because a full stomach = happy feeling = replacement to fill a void left by a previous relationship (naks) = REBOUND?

Well, there still are many causes of this increased intake: 1. stress; 2. stress; 3. stress; 4. yummy food.

It’s just disheartening to even think that i’m rebounding on my first love, which is food. Like people, we SHOULD be with people who like/love US, not with those who just want to fill a vacant slot. Solution: NOT to think about it.

Care to share your take on this?

Hats off to food lovers!
Please don’t hesitate to share any wonderful experiences you’ve had with any restaurant in this part of the country — with the cuisine, i mean
Time for a late-night snack!

First of all, I’m sorry Doray… This isn’t one of my light, carefree blogs. Probably in two weeks’ time, there will be.

This is actually a delayed account…

On the afternoon of the 27th of April, 2006, one of my ward patients decided to stop her heartbeat. Being the panicky, tension-filled MD that i am, i rushed to her SD bed, carelessly not thinking of bringing my WHOLE bag with me. Okay, we were able to revive her, but a few minutes later, i thought frantically, “where the f— is my bag??”

As expected, kaput. No trace of it, or its contents, namely: wallet (with not much money BUT with my PRC license, driver’s license, credit cards, ATMs, PICTURES), iPod (my free iPod shuffle, which is gone FOREVER), Palm, my favorite compact powder (haha, kababawan), 20 pcs of Fenofibrate for my mom, among others.

Days 1 and 2 post-loss of bag, i was doing OK. But come Day 3, i was shocked to find myself sobbing desperately. Not just for the loss of possession, but more importantly, i felt stripped and betrayed. I had no hard copy of my identity to speak of. I’m overworked, underpaid, doing my freaking best para itawid ang mga tao sa kamatayan, and yet, some person in my beloved hospital decides to take advantage of an opportunity.

Knowing me, questions suddenly branched out… Why are we taking all these shit? What drives us? Is it masochism? Good training? Being comfortable in a familiar place? Emotional fulfillment? et cetera. Suddenly, all idealism left me. I found myself becoming heartless and desperately wanting to leave.

I wasn’t the same since that day. What happened may be mundane compared to life-shattering events of other people, but it was definitely a turning point for me. In what way? you might ask. There are two sides to this turning point (forgive me if malabo, but what the hell):

1. Shit happens. Glitches in the system affects people at random. It’s just another shitty day in paradise. Siguro naman, in the next few days, hindi na ako mawawalan ng bag. Slash, magdala ng nondescript bag. Bottom line: i’ll just get on with my life. Send to file folder: Bad Stuff to Forget.

2. Maybe i just need some time away from this place. Yes, it’s a glitch, but things MIGHT be clearer if i took a break for a while.

Hence, i’m taking a short, paid sabbatical. 5 days lang naman, but it SHOULD do the trick.

3 days till Freedom grabs me by the balls!!

Coming soon: white water rafting pics.

Patsey’s regimen to brighten a cloudy day: zone out with earphones, eat to her palate’s contentment, jog till your lungs (or heart, as we learned in Physio) give up, look at pictures, or the easiest and most handy method: look at saved text messages.

I’m sure most of us save (or postpone deleting) messages in our cellphones for various reasons: sobrang nakakakilig, such that reading them again and again makes us re-feel the emotion we felt upon receiving them; at one point in time our hearts were weary, then here comes a message from a friend that uplifts our spirits; they remind us of an unforgettable event that should forever be catalogued in our minds; usernames and passwords we take note of; and so on.

I’m a sentimental freak of nature, and my Nokia 3100 boasts of messages from the past 2 years that i’ve decided not to erase (which is the main reason why i cannot bear to part with this phone of mine). These saved messages are contained in folders, as follows: Thoughts (my own, stolen ones from friends and books)… Brighten Ur Day (messages that make me smile or laugh out loud when i read them again)… Unforgettables (heart-wrenching or life-changing events)… Sweet Thangs (similar to Brighten Ur Day but with more serious content), and Chronicles (unforgettable messages from a certain Someone).

I’d like to share some messages from my Thoughts folder (siyempre hindi pwede yung sa iba, kakahiya!), for us to ponder on, and maybe brighten your day as well.

From my good friend Hugs:

- The only things we regret are the risks we didn’t take.

- The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.

- "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity."

From my NFF (you know who you are… i miss talking to you about just-about-anything. I hope you’re happy. At sana kayo na!! Hehe) –> "Bad experiences in past relationships serve to teach us how to appreciate the right one when it comes along".

From my blockmate with the best butt in town, Sharolle (You guys may have received this fwd at one time in your life):

–> New day, new blessings… Don’t let yesterday’s failures ruin the beauty of today. Coz each day has its own promise of love, forgiveness, joy, and success.

From my batchmate Aldolase, who has been sending me inspirational thingamajigs while reviewing for the boards:

"God makes life a little rocky… Not to grind you into dust, but to polish you into a different gem." –> This one has gotten me through several emotionally taxing days. Thanks Alduz!

The following thoughts came from coasters (yata) with quotes written on them, courtesy of A Different Bookstore (Eastwood):

–> "One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." - Nietzsche

–> "Some stories do not have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity…" - Gilda Radner

Konti na lang…

These ones came from books i leafed through:

–> If you don’t know what you want, you end up with a lot you don’t." - Fight Club, page 46

–> "For every evil there are two remedies: time and silence". - The Count of Monte Cristo, page 198

–> I accidentally erased one message containing 12 ways to not let your past run your future (from Bo Sanchez’s new book). If you’re interested, check it out at any NBS or Powerbooks branch. It’s not hardcore religious, trust me.

Whew!

Anyway, I’m driving at something: Tough times lay ahead. But we don’t have to be — or feel — alone through these. We have friends. And we have a lot of nuances around us (no matter how mundane) which can get us through; it’s just a matter of perspective and our capacity to appreciate them.

Care to share some of those saved messages? Post a comment! Pleez!