Fishball Memories
Fishballs! Squidballs! Quail eggs! Kikiam!
I was just in Diliman for an errand yesterday, and any visit to my college alma mater is not complete without a pit-stop at the decripit COOP to get my fill of these goodies. Not because I think it’s more sanitary – it’s just the only place where I’ve gotten street food with no adverse consequences following.
Being a doctor, you’d think I would be more wary of any kind of street food – but, truth is, it takes a good deal of willpower for me not to just buy them from anywhere.
Bloggers Unite for Human Rights (5-15-08) – God Bless the Children
Today, May 15, 2008, Bloggers Unite in a project that aims to harness the power of the blogosphere “to help elevate human rights by drawing attention to the challenges and successes of human rights issues.” Take up the challenge. Blog about it.
“The child shall not be admitted to employment before an appropriate minimum age; he shall in no case be caused or permitted to engage in any occupation or employment which would prejudice his health or education, or interfere with his physical, mental or moral development.”
- Principle 9, Declaration of the Rights of a Child
To all Manila citizens, they are a ubiquitous sight – knocking on windows, peddling their wares. Rain or shine, night or day, they dart among cars stalled in traffic, knocking on windows with winsome smiles and wistful eyes. We have become so used to seeing them that we take for granted that, by virtue of who they are, they should not even be there at all.
The Great Beef Cake Festival (a.k.a. why women should give “300″ a chance)
I happened to unearth my DVD copy of 300 last night, and, because I had nothing better to do, I decided to watch this hard-core guy movie again for the third time (or is it the fourth?).
Hard to believe, as I was the lone voice of dissent when two of my best girl friends picked this to be our detox movie of the week when it first came out last year. From the reviews I’d heard, I knew that with its requisite blood, gore, and body count – it was eons away from my usual fare of neuroses-inducing romantic comedies or intelligent thrillers. I was completely befuddled by my friends’ vehemence to see it, but so outvoted, I let them usher me into the theater like a lamb to slaughter.
And actually found myself glad that I did. But not just for the reasons you might think.
Must Love Dogs
is it possible for anyone to resist this funny face? (our family pug, Sage)A person can fall under any of the following categories: dog people, cat people, other-kind-of-pets people, and get-those-animals-away-from-me people. I make no secret of the fact that I am and will always be a dog person.
Dogs are funny, amusing, and great companions. But it’s their uncomplicated love and adoration of their “pack” that is a definite draw for true blue doggy lovers – and something that cat-people hold against them.
While there have always been dogs in our household for as long as I can remember, I really want to have my own dog. Not a family dog, but MY own dog. Unfortunately, given the uncertainty of my circumstances, it would be crazy to even consider raising a puppy now. But I’ve already gotten as far as coming up with the breeds I’m considering when I do get one – someday.
Where to Next? (Wanderlust Asks for Travel Advice)
I’ve always had the heart of a kaladkarin (from the same Tagalog verb which means “to drag; to haul along”). I’ve never made a secret of the joy I get from going to new places and just drinking everything in, no matter the destination. Whether it’s a trip to the glitzy and cosmopolitan or the rustic and back-to-basics, if I’m free, I’m in.
Summers have always triggered a serious attack of itchy feet; this, the longest summer I’ve ever had since I started kindergarten, is no exception. But now that I’ve indulged my inner lakwatsera (n. “wanderer”), she simply doesn’t want to stop.
So does anyone know where I can take my itchy feet next?
Finding Caramoan
Jean, my fellow wanderlust-wanna-be, and I first heard about Caramoan last August. Described in glowing terms as an “untouched paradise” by someone who had never seen it himself, the hype whetted our curiosity – and we’ve been planning to take a trip there ever since. After discovering beauty of Bicolandia during our weather-cursed trip last February, we’ve been even more eager to realize its promise.
With a resident’s schedule, easier said than done. (This is no longer really my problem, but with my travel buddies all tied to the hospital, I don’t have much of a choice.) But sure enough when there’s a will there’s a way, and last weekend we finally managed to get away.
The Caramoan Peninsula is found in the Bicol province of Camarines Sur. It is three and a half hours away from Naga City – itself already an eight to ten hour drive from Manila. Caramoan town proper is an hour and a half by land to Sabang Port then two hours by boat to Guijalo Port. That’s a total of twelve hours travel for people who can barely get a weekend away.
Disturbing Behavior – a Doctor’s late reaction to the Vicente Sotto Video Scandal
(this is a scene from Grey’s Anatomy – no picture was taken without consent.)
Having been figuratively removed from the world for the past few days, I almost completely missed the explosion of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Hospital Video Scandal into the Philippine media firmament. Now, because of some unthinking, insensitive, and generally stupid health care workers’ behavior, the medical profession is once more being given the spotlight – and not in a good way.
My resident batchmates and I discussed this issue over dinner last Saturday. Having been trained in charity teaching hospitals, we are not unfamiliar with being surrounded with so many young student spectators, whether nurses or medical students, while in the heat of an urgent medical procedure – like an urgent intubation or even an on-going resuscitation.
Despite this understanding and experience, my batchmates and I were all hard put to justify the behavior of the nurses and doctors who are involved in the above case. While at the time, I had not yet seen the video, the mere narrative of what had transpired disturbed me. More so after I had.
(Come to Chronicles from the Middle of Nowhere to read the rest of this post)
Heroism Not Required
If more people were willing to tilt at windmills, our country would be a better place.
I’d like to believe that people have their hearts at the right place, they just don’t think there’s much they can do as one person. I, for one, am guilty of this.
We are an optimistic people. As Filipinos, it is inherent in us to hope, for a better country, for a brighter future. But, as a wise friend of mine recently said, that hope must broaden into responsibility. To realize our hopes, we must also learn to become responsible for making them happen.
Not all of us are cut out to be heroes. But this does not mean that there is nothing more we can do.
The Blog Rounds – At A Crossroads
Without further ado, I bring you TBR 3 – At a Crossroads.
Confessions of a Sleepwalker
When my friend, Ei, invited me to attend a dinner meeting with her friends from Team RP, the first thing I asked her was, “What the heck am I going to do there?”
In this aspect of our personalities, Attorney E and I are polar opposites. What she has in idealism, I make up for in cynicism. Her passion for involvement in issues of national importance is equally matched by my shrug-it-off apathy. I was never the type to take strong stands on national issues.
Don’t get me wrong, I do try to keep abreast of what’s going on. I believe in trying to do my share – just not in this way. I may vent my frustrations from time to time about the country’s downward spiral and dismal prospects, but most of the time, it feels like I am looking in on someone else’s nightmare.
