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Monday, May 14, 2007

Suffrage: the right to suffer

Today, we Filipinos are given the chance to make a change. And this present opportunity is significant, if not great. Sadly, there is sufficient reason to believe that many people do not take the polls seriously. I have several assumptions for such supposition. First, people are shortsighted so as to see the far-reaching effects of their electoral decision. Second, they do not realize that when they allow incompetent people to achieve victory in the polls, they become guilty of burying alive themselves and their neighbors. Third, there is a sense of indifference--a lack of belief that the system would work. So instead of giving it a chance by casting their votes, they instead choose not to go out.

These problems should have solutions to them. Theorists say that reason separates man from the animals. Indeed, this is true. People should be adequately educated so that they may be able to go beyond their immediate needs and wants. It is only rightful that the voting population choose the skillful people, if not the ablest. According to Plato, philosophers must be kings. I view philosophers as enlightened men. Of all the beings, they are the few which see and discern reality from illusion. With this capacity, they should take lead and share the light to their lesser companions.

The context presented here has many similarities with the purported intellectual loss with the movement of the best minds out of the country. Those that look for greener pastures abroad rationalize that they do so for sufficient remuneration. I would like to believe otherwise. I think that greed and self-worth are underlying causes for working elsewhere. Although, greed is regarded as basically evil, it is responsible for the evolution and establishment of most institutions. Its noblest expression is low prices in healthy competition, which is to the benefit of the consumers or general public. For those who move out because of self-worth, a misplaced sense of self-worth supersedes authentic self-worth. As its name implies, it should be innate. As such, it is impervious from association with one's environment. If you know yourself and you accept its entirety, then you are ready to face the challenges time churns out to you.

The truth is our elders have fallen short. And their failure cannot go overlooked, since what they have overlooked all point to the foundations of the society. Charley Reese stated, "Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals." There is no other place in the world where this idea is truest than in the Philippines. This is partly due to our multinational characteristic. If our failure to achieve unity continues, then it may well serve our interests if we unite at dividing ourselves. This can be done by making our regional differences sharper. This is when we attain our identity--who we truly are. Unity does not necessitate the genetic manipulation to reach racial congruence. We will truly benefit when we do not have problems. Instead, they should be instead viewed as challenges, eagerly waiting for action. Likewise, we must turn our weaknesses into strengths. For example, cultural diversity should be accepted as it is. There should be proper acceptance and respect for others's beliefs.

A quick definition of suffrage is the right to vote. It is clearly stated as 'right to vote' and not 'right to suffer'. Cliché, but true: "There is already too much suffering in the world." For sure, we neither need nor want more of it. So in every election, most especially in sovereign states, vote the better (candidates) for the better (future). So long as you are a citizen, you have the right and duty to vote. I even like to suggest transforming voting from a right (suffrage) to a duty ("enjoyage", a term I am proposing here). Also I would like to propose the addition of educational requirement to all candidates, especially for the top positions of the nation. We have suffered long enough from allowing demagogy by wanton democracy. It is simply atrocious. I rest my case.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Cavite Fiesta

I went to Cavite today to accompany my mother for fiesta. The main reason I suppose we went there is to here the band or musiko play. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it on time. By the time we reached the place (around 12:30 P.M.), the band was already gone. We rode a taxi all the way from Cubao. The fare was P250. My mother added P50 for compensation, in case the taxi driver wouldn't be able to find another passenger along the back to Metro Manila.

When we arrived (at my grandparents's place), we immediate ate on whatever my relatives had to offer. My mother offered the driver to eat with us. It took my uncle's convincing powers to finally get his approval. Food was plentiful; there were about five different viands.

After that, we to my cousin's (Kuya Lowe) place. It was rather large and I certainly felt the abundance. Since I was already full, I chose to focus on the 1.5-L Mountain Dew softdrink. My mother and I toured the house. Things which caught my attention were the large open space (which was designated as dining place for the fiesta in their house), the two cement tanks for the culture of tilapia (there were fingerlings), and the personal computer (which had Red Alert 2 installed on it). Also, it's safe to assume that it has a very fast internet connection.

We then went around the village or subdivision. On our way, we came across the way of some of my mother's relatives. One of which had a son who was successful with buy and sell operations. We came back to base camp. Most of our time was then spent in uncle Lucio's house which was nearby. We talked mostly about my aunt Mary, cousins (father side), aunt Mina, and uncle Urong. We ate snacks within the chatting. We then went to my cousin Kuya Jorge's place where we ate and took food as baon. We returned to base camp, ate some Moo ice cream. We waited for the parade or prusisyon. We watched it; aunt Ester was one of the participants.

My cousin Kuya Bryan drove us to Guadalupe, where we got a cab. The fare was P80.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Interview: mortal sins


"I learned from it--a lesson forever."

It's final. My UP dream is lost. It hurts. But what did the greatest damage is the financial burden my family will carry for the next 5 years. Let's summarize my short stint (application) at the UP:
1. GWA - not excellent
2. NMAT - excellent
3. Interview - terrible
a. I did not prepare for the interview! I was sure that it was inadequate.
b. I refused entertaining the idea of getting leakage of the interview questions from a batch mate. I know that this is not honorable so I did not ask for a copy. Even so, that could have greatly helped me prepare for the interview.
c. I was scheduled at 10 A.M. but the actual interview started at around 2 P.M. This could have affected my physiology and answers. I slept late the other night trying to prepare for questions which were rather general.
d. Some of my answers were inadequate, not from the heart.
i. I could not justify my reasons for being just a normal student as an undergraduate student. I was afraid of showing my weaknesses to them. I was tired of defending myself.
ii. I lied by saying that some situations never occurred to me. Things were just too personal for me to divulge the information they needed even if I understand that everything was part of the interview. It may also be a case that I was tired of speaking English and wanted to end things as soon as possible.
e. I insisted on speaking using English even if I could have expressed myself better with Tagalog. I did so even if in the start the interviewers told me that I could speak in Tagalog. ( I just had to have the guts to ask such favor from them.)
f. After the interview, they noted that I was too tense. This was a sign that during the interview, I already noticed that things were not going well. Bad body language is not supposed to be shown, but I guess I am not good at hiding it or pretending that I was comfortable with the interview.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Selosong poor na magdudoktor

Nagselos ako. Kapal kaya ng mukha ko. Yung isa kasing nilalang na may crush ako. Ano kasi. May iba siyang gusto. Alam ko hindi makatwiran yung nadarama ko. Pero, wala naman akong magawa. Alam ko na pangshobis lang naman yung asosasyon namin ni ano kaya okey lang. Paano kaya kung mas malalim pa roon yung relasyon namin? Sa palagay ko'y mas matindi ang pagseselos ko. Busy ako sa paggawa ng final draft ng aking undergraduate thesis. (Clue na kaya 'yon!) Buti na lang hindi niya alam. At saka kung sakaling malaman niya, e ano ngayon? I just stopped caring. Sarap magpost ng taglish. I refrained from doing a while back, but I can't help myself. This is one of the cases that I deemed I will be able to expressed myself the most if I used them simultaneously. I am poor. Sa kalungkutan, sa UST at UE med school ako natanggap. E alam naman ng lahat na mga 1M ang magagastos kung full payment ang gagawin namin bilang pamilya. So I really intend on getting a scholarship ASAP. Ansarap siguro ng feeling kung maging medical board topnotcher ako. Saka nga pala, tinamaan ako/kami ng katotohanan: Mahal ang med school. Mahal talaga. Gusto kong mag-aral ng med sa UST kasi wala na yung UP. Not applying for the Regionalization Program and my mediocre academic performance in college (as what I think they're standards are) are equally possible reasons why I did not make it into UP.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Paalam, UP

Hindi ako pumaasa sa med school ng UP. Nakalulungkot. Ito pa naman ang inasahan kong magbibigay sa akin ng morale boost para sa natitirang mga araw ko sa kolehiyo. Umasa talaga ako. Sinabi sa email sa akin ng UERMMMC, magaling daw ako. Lumalabas na magaling nga ako, pero hindi ako nabibilang sa pinakamagagaling sa mga magagaling. Alam ko naman na may basehan ang hindi nila pagtanggap sa akin. 200-katao kaming ininterbyu at 120 ang tinanggap. Masama ang loob ko kasi kung titingnang mabuti, nasa lower 40 percentile ako sa mga umabot sa interbyu. Sa paglalagom, ito ang aking ebalwasyon sa nangyari:
50% - mga grado sa kolehiyo: sobrang baba sa mga pamamatayan nila
40% - NMAT: mataas
10% - interbyu: masagwa, sa palagay ko
* regionalization program: hindi ko ito kinuha. dapat sana'y mas binigyan ko ito ng pansin kaysa pagpapasa ng mga resikitos sa takdang panahon. :(

Medical Books - 1st Year

  • Bates' Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking, Ninth Edition with E-Book (Guide to Physical Exam & History Taking (Bates)) by Lynn S Bickley and Peter G Szilagyi (Hardcover - Jun 1, 2007)
  • Biochemistry (Biochemistry (Berg)) by Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, and Lubert Stryer (Hardcover - May 19, 2006)
  • Clinical Anatomy by Richard S Snell (Paperback - Jun 1, 2003)
  • Clinical Neuroanatomy (Clinical Neuroanatomy for Medical Students (Snell)) by Richard S Snell (Paperback - Jul 1, 2005)
  • Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry (Harper's Biochemistry) by Robert K. Murray, Darryl K. Granner, Peter A. Mayes, and Victor W. Rodwell (Paperback - Jun 13, 2006)
  • Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry (Synopsis of Psychiatry) by Benjamin J Sadock and Virginia A Sadock (Paperback - May 1, 2007)
  • Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, Fourth Edition by David L. Nelson and Michael M. Cox (Hardcover - April 23, 2004)
  • Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry (Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews Series) by Pamela C Champe, Richard A Harvey, and Denise R Ferrier (Paperback - Jul 1, 2007)
  • Medical Physiology, Updated Edition: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access (MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY) by Walter F. Boron and Emile L. Boulpaep (Hardcover - Nov 19, 2004)
  • Review of Medical Physiology by William F. Ganong (Paperback - Mar 8, 2005)
  • Textbook of Medical Physiology: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access (Textbook of Medical Physiology) by Arthur C. Guyton and John E. Hall (Hardcover - Sep 1, 2005)

Documentaries

  • [Al Fry] Hidden Bible Knowledge
  • [Al Fry] Hidden World History
  • [Alberto Villoldo] Munay Ki - great rites of initiation of the shamanic medicine way
  • [Alex Jones] ENDGAME - Blueprint For Global Enslavement (2007)
  • [Barrie Zwicker] The Great Conspiracy - The 9/11 News Special You Never Saw (2005)
  • [BBC Horizon] How to Make Better Decisions (2008)
  • [BBC Horizon] Is Alcohol Worse than Ecstasy (2008)
  • [BBC Horizon] What on Earth is Wrong with Gravity (2008)
  • [BBC Panorama] Sex crimes and the Vatican
  • [BBC TWO] Alternative Medicine - The Evidence
  • [BBC] Microchip
  • [BBC] Planet Earth
  • [BBC] The Death Of Yugoslavia
  • [BBC] Why Democracy Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
  • [CBC] The Blue Buddha - Lost Secrets of Tibetan Medicine - Nature of Things
  • [CBC] The Fifth Estate - Spies, Lies, and Secret Weapons
  • [Daniel G. Karslake] For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)
  • [Dave Hunt] A Woman Rides The Beast - The Catholic Church And The Last Days (2006)
  • [David Icke] Revelations of a Mother Goddess
  • [Dokument Dun] Thin
  • [Dr Deagle] Connecting the Dots - Granada Forum (12-2006)
  • [Drew Heriot, Sean Byrne, Marc Goldenfein, and Damian McLindon] The Secret (2006)
  • [Eric Jon Phelps] Vatican Assassins - The Ultimate Conspiracy
  • [Fritz Springmeier] Undetectable Mind Control Lecture
  • [Gary Hustwit] Helvetica (2007)
  • [Hans Jenny, Peter Guy Manners, and Jonathan Goldman] Cymatics - Science Of Sound Vibrations on Matter
  • [Jed Riffe] Waiting to Inhale - Marijuana, Medicine and the Law
  • [Jerry Brunetti] Food as Medicine (2005)
  • [John Pilger] The War On Democracy (2007)
  • [John Steele] Geomancy
  • [League of Noble Peers] Steal This Film (2006)
  • [League of Noble Peers] Steal This Film II (2007)
  • [Matthew Ogens] Confessions of a Superhero (2007)
  • [Michael Tsarion] The Destruction of Atlantis
  • [PBS Frontline] The Medicated Child
  • [Peter Coyote] Out of the Blue - The Definitive Investigation of the UFO Phenomenon
  • [Project Camelot] Project Camelot Interviews (2007)
  • [Science Channel] 100 Greatest Discoveries
  • [Seth Gordon] The King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
  • [William Gazecki] Future By Design (2006)
  • Communis and the EU
  • The Freeman Perspective - Chemtrails - Clouds of Death
  • The Medical Aspects of Nuclear Radiation (2007)
  • Unit 731 - Nightmare in Manchuria (1998)
  • {National Press Club] The Disclosure Project (May 9th, 2001)