Every.Single.Day

stark-queen: they were meant to have them

Fri, 03 May 2013 20:22:00 +0800

they were meant to have them

Tagaytay Summer Escapade

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:44:31 +0800

Ever experienced your shirt sticking to your back like scotch tape, sweat dripping all over your body as if you just came out of the shower, or going out of the house feeling you’ve just entered an oven? If you’ve been to the Philippines during summertime, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And during these days, any escape from the sizzling 35 degrees of the metro seems like a good idea. Sad to say, but that wasn’t our idea when we decided to go on a 2-hour drive to Tagaytay. It just so happened that I’ve developed an interest into internet traveling: searching for hotels, restaurants and whatnot, not to mention that agoda.com and tripadvisor.com have become my new best friends. So when my brother and I came across Tagaytay, we just knew it was the perfect place for a quick vacation–just a road trip from Manila, lots of activities, wonderful scenery, and there’s this new amusement park that hosts the country’s highest ferris wheel!

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04/13/13Performed our first minor surgery, yo! Successfully...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:14:00 +0800

04/13/13

Performed our first minor surgery, yo! Successfully turned boys into men, in turn making us feel like real doctors. Priceless experience indeed ;)

Been a while, eh?

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:02:06 +0800

Oh the life of a medical student! It’s not always as busy as it seems but when those not-so-busy days come, we spend them breathing fresh air, stress eating, getting wasted, and sleeping for hours on rather than sitting in front of the computer and doing a blog post. Not that anybody cares but yeah, that pretty much explains my absence. Besides, even if I wanted to write, there isn’t much to write about. My days are mostly confined to a four-cornered auditorium that is most conducive to sleeping than anything. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not complaining. I love medicine and although things may not have gone as smooth-sailing as I wished them to be, I am completely happy with my life right now. Nuks! Haha

Anyway, I’ve been on vacation for weeks now and I’m therefore back doing my old hobbies, writing/blogging included. And this time, it’s not only on tumblr because just yesterday, I’ve also created a WordPress account. It’s coffeetablenotebook.wordpress.com. Nah, I’m not abandoning tumblr. I just want a more private blog free of reblogs and more on words than pictures. Instagram could easily do the latter for me. I’m also embarrassed whenever I post extremely long entries that eat up most space of my followers’ dashboards. And finally, a WordPress gives me a false sense that nobody’s reading my blog even if I’m promoting it myself. Consider me someone insecure of my writing and proud at the same time. Oh well, I don’t understand myself either. I’m just weird like that. Haha!

"Things didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to, but what can you do? You must take life the..."

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:04:50 +0800

““Things didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to, but what can you do? You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.””

- Yann Martel (Life of Pi)

Happy 21st Birthday

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:41:09 +0800

01/13/13

Simply one of my best birthdays so far. Rainfall on the eve of my birthday and just before it ended signifying, as most people believe, blessings. Got to spend the day with the most important people in my life ♥. Guilt-free pamamasyal, partly because I already studied as much as I can last Saturday but mostly because I just have the perfect excuse to not study at all. It’s my birthdayyy! A Jambalaya birthday song from the Gumbo staff that went with a Mardi Gras-inspired headdress that made me feel like a princess even for a couple of minutes. Plus the food, gifts, surprises, and the warmest greetings from y’all. Aww! Thank you! :)

Cheers to the year that was

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:28:00 +0800

To old friends who stayed

To new friends gained

(c) Mara

To achievements

and breakthroughs

To adventures

and misadventures

To weight gain

(c) Jana

(c) Precious

and weight loss

To hard works

and lazy days

To bright sunny days

and even brighter nights

To new experiences

To a love which continues to grow

To a family who never ceases to support

And to Him most especially for a bountiful and overall successful 2012

Cheers! Cheers! Cheers! And to more people about to be met, new feelings demanding to be felt, and new risks to take, CHEERS! Bring it on, 2013! :)

Merry Christmas from my tumblr to yours! Cheers! ♥

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 11:44:53 +0800

Merry Christmas from my tumblr to yours! Cheers! ♥

Love is not who you were expecting, love is not who you can...

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 21:23:00 +0800

Love is not who you were expecting, love is not who you can predict. Maybe love is in New York City, already asleep, and you are in California, Australia, wide awake. Maybe love is always in the wrong time zone. Maybe love is not ready for you. Maybe you are not ready for love. Maybe love just isn’t the marrying type. Maybe the next time you see love is twenty years after the divorce. Love is older now, but just as beautiful as you remember. Maybe love is only there for a month. Maybe love is there for every firework, every birthday party, every hospital visit. Maybe love stays. Maybe love can’t. Maybe love shouldn’t.

Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to, and love leaves exactly when love must. When love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.” If love leaves, ask her/him to leave the door open behind her/him. Turn off the music, listen to the quiet. Whisper, “Thank you. Thank you for stopping by.”

Perfect way to end a stressful first week back in medschool :)

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 21:08:00 +0800

Perfect way to end a stressful first week back in medschool :)

INTO THE WILD: Subic Sembreak Adventure

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 20:18:00 +0800

I wanted to update my blog ever since the semestral break began and I have unceasingly failed to do so. I did reblog a couple or so posts though, just to let my tumblr know that I haven’t forgotten her. But suffice it to say, my numerous attempts remained to be just that—attempts—as I felt that my writing skills were rusting and my creative juices haven’t been stirred for a while. Plus, there really wasn’t much things to write about, that is, until three days ago.

October 31, 2012

It was one of those trips that we were simply joking about, unaware that it would actually come into fruition. In effect, everything was arranged just the day before the trip, and I’m telling you this because I’m proud that I was the one who made the reservation at Casablanca Hotel and Resort in Subic via the genius that is the internet. And mind you, it was the last room available so I grabbed it at once and without hesitation. Lucky us, the place turned out to be awesome which made me even more proud. It’s actually a condo unit complete with a kitchen, living room, a clean toilet with heater, a dining area, a cozy bedroom for two and a veranda for the win. There was also a pool that I unfortunately wasn’t able to jump into because I had my period upon our arrival at the hotel. So sad, I know.

We left our house at around 2:30 PM and taking the route to Subic via SCTEX, we reached our destination past 4:00 in the afternoon—almost a 2-hour drive. It was a rather short ride considering that we were leaving a day just before the holiidays. But still, we thought it was already too late to embark on an adventure, not to mention that we’re tired from sitting in the car, so we just spent the rest of the afternoon and the good night touring the hotel, taking pictures here and there.

November 1, 2012

I was up as early as 5:30 AM the next day excited for the day to unfold. At 7:00 AM, we had breakfast at the hotel’s bar and restaurant and by 8, we were already on the streets of Subic. They have pretty strict traffic rules and regulations there that my dad, who’s kinda a reckless driver, was halted for not stopping at the stop sign even though the roads were obviously clear and for not wearing seat belt. Fortunately, the officer let us pass with nothing but a reminder to constantly follow the rules. So after that short delay, we continued our journey towards the Zoobic Safari. It took us some 20 minutes to find it and several times, we felt lost in the middle of an unfamiliar place—no signs, no other cars, and monkeys (not vendors) both on the sidewalk and crossing the street.

Welcome to Zoobic Safari!

My favorite! They “meeee-eeh-eeh” so loud you wouldn’t believe it’s them!

Upon arrival at the attraction, we were briefed about the grouping and the various areas of the safari which would be covered by the tour. Yeah, I knew it would be a tour and I hated the idea ever since I learned of it. I really hate going with a group and the tour didn’t do a great job making me like it. I couldn’t really enjoy the fascinating fauna with all them people blocking my view and talking in loud voices. It’s educational though and I did learn some notable trivia about the Animal Kingdom from our tour guide.

Still part of the tour, and the most exciting part of it, is the Tiger Safari. It’s a bit scary especially if you’re the one sitting beside the bars and you can feel either the tiger’s saliva or some liquid from the shredded dressed chicken (I’m not really sure which) splattering on you, but I just found the whole thing cute and amazing for the most part. I was even so tempted to touch the paw of the tiger. Hihi. And it’s really not that wild to the point that the jeep would stumble and fall as I imagined it before. In fact, it was a rather peaceful ride. Or maybe it was only because we didn’t buy enough chickens for the tigers to chase us. Oh well. Next time, next time.

The crocodiles impatiently waiting for their prey

The last three stations of the tour were called the Savannah, Aeta’s trail and Croco Loco, all for obvious reasons. The last station freaked me out the most knowing that I’m walking on a steel bridge just a few feet high from the ground with a crocodiles’ den directly below me. And my oh my, they looked so hungry when the other groups fed them with chicken that I felt like they’d jump out of water any time. Yikes!

One of my main purposes in going to Subic—photo op with snake and tiger. Success!

Tired and wasted but still game for one more destination. Hello Ocean Adventure!

You could feel the Halloween spirit all around Ocean Adventure that day

From Zoobic Safari, it took us another 10 minutes to reach Ocean Adventure. And if you’re like us who arrived there around lunch time and given that foods and drinks are not allowed inside, you wouldn’t really have any other choice but eat in their restaurant which by the way, offers a not-so-satisfyingly good Salisbury steak not worthy of its price.

Taking the food in without much complaint, we finished our lunch just in time to catch the Sea Lion show at 12:30 that afternoon. We saw a total of four shows that day—Sea Lion Marine Patrol, Dolphin Friends Show, Walk on the Wild Side, and the Balancing Act featuring the African acrobats. My lazy ass refuses to describe them one by one, but to say the least, I liked the Sea Lion show best. Aside from the spectacular stunts and performance done by the sea lions, I also had a photo encounter with Dakila the sea lion. He was so cute I wanted to hug him and take him home if only that was possible! I wasn’t able to have a picture with the dolphins though because we were already so tired by this time and the weather was just so freakishly hot. Aside from photo encounters, there are other animal encounters in Ocean Adventure like swimming with the dolphins, or better yet, training them. But the prices for these activities ranges from P4000-5000 so thanks but no thanks.

This little fellow followed us when we offered it popcorn on our way out of Ocean Adventure

The sun was still high up in the sky when we left Ocean Adventure, but tired as we are, we decided to just have some snacks then head back to the hotel.

Tucked-in early for the night.

November 2, 2012

Our last day in Subic was nothing short of exciting and exhilarating. To complete the wildness that the title implies, we did something physical and out of the ordinary. So off we went to Tree Top Adventure. There are a number of activities your adventurous soul could try out including the Canopy ride, Superman ride, trekking, Tree Drop, Silver Surfer, and Free Fall with prices ranging from P150-P700 depending on your package of choice. We chose Package B worth P500 which includes the Superman and the Canopy ride. It was only me and my brother who availed the package though because everybody else was scared. Haha

Geared up for the Superman Ride

A hundred feet above the ground. That couldn’t be so high. Haha!

I have always wanted to fly and, for the longest 40 seconds of my life, I really felt like flying while aboard the Superman ride. It was my first time to try the activity or anything similar to it (i.e. zipline) for that matter so I had no idea what to expect. My heart was lub dub-ing so fast both from excitement and nervousness while watching the other riders scream as they fly a hundred feet above the ground. To cut the story short, I survived and am still very alive to tell you that it’s soooo fun that I’m planning to go back there again with the intention of trying out their other activities.

We went to the Canopy Ride next which is relatively slower and less exciting compared to the Superman ride. There are four stops/stations where we transferred to another seat each time and at the end, we had to walk on a hanging bridge headed out of the forest and back to start. And that last part, folks, scared me the most because I just recovered from some sort of an asthma attack and I wasn’t quite sure if my heart and lungs could handle such a walk. This is precisely why I decided to take the Superman ride first. Don’t worry though for I did just fine although I was sweating all over when we reached the end of the bridge and was basically so tired that I slept for the most part of our trip back to Manila. We had lunch along the way. At around 1 PM, we were already safe and sound in our home sweet home carrying with us our backpacks and a sackful of memories and experiences from our brief but wonderful stay in Subic. This is definitely one sembreak to remember! ‘Til we meet again, funtastic Subic! :)

Photo

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:10:55 +0800

♥

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 23:43:00 +0800

♥

Photo

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 10:21:40 +0800

Photo

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:15:04 +0800

I will ride, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky ♪♫♬

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:14:00 +0800

I will ride, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky ♪♫♬

Carpe Diem

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:51:00 +0800

Good morning!

Just got a word an hour ago that classes are suspended today and I don’t remember ever feeling this ecstatic about such announcements. Doesn’t matter now what they do with our schedule, I will live in the moment. And at the moment, I get to enjoy an extra day in my own comfort. Will roll in my bed, eat what I please and not be in white for an entire day. Yay! It really is the best news I’ve received in a long time since I don’t know when. I’ve always liked class suspensions, but I guess not this much. Back in college, there were even days when I don’t like cancellation of classes. I don’t know. UP just doesn’t feel like a school to me as opposed to med school now where I’m being slapped with studying whichever way I look. See, it’s nudging me again so I must get back to Moore and Netter now and probably Acland’s later! Geez. Anatomy’s being so stubborn, it stretches my imagination beyond its limits. But don’t get me wrong, I have no qualms with studying anatomy (or any other subject for that matter). I appreciate it now. The human body is amazing! It’s just that it takes too much of my time and I can’t do much about it. But rather than complain, I’ve decided to give in and give it time, if time is what it needs. I will seize the day and make it mine. Happy Monday! :)

Medschool Photo Diary

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 02:09:00 +0800

I couldn’t have chosen a better time to get back to writing, and temporarily pull myself together and away from the zombie, extra nerdy version of myself. First exams are finally over! Yee-huh! But don’t be deceived (telling this more to myself than to you), I won’t make this long because works are already piling up as I speak. As the title implies, just a photo diary.

Batch 2016 Section A - last day in civilian clothes

Batch 2016 Section A - first day in uniform, first class picture. My eyes are peeking somewhere out there. :p

Friends ♥

Forever groupmate, Jana! I just realized that we still don’t have a complete group picture. We must have one soon. :p

Because finally, I know how to use the microscope. Hihi!

I sense that you don’t believe me so here’s a proof of my work. Organization of muscle tissue — epimysium, perimysium and endomysium.

Our classroom slash bedroom. Nyaha! But seriously, I haven’t slept in class. Not yet at least.

See what I mean? Haha!

My sister’s drawing table is my study table in the wee hours of the day. And as I’ve mentioned in my previous post, I now use highlighters of varying colors. In fact, I bought some more today along with colored pens and post-its. ;)

My source of strength and inspiration. If not for him, I would’ve given up on medicine a long time ago.

Despite the stress, the lack of sleep, hours of lectures, inadequate coffee, puffy eye bags and the never-ending workload given to us, I think I’m having the time of my life! Seriously, my life has never been this exciting. Each day, I learn new things. Each day, I don’t learn everything that I’m supposed to learn. Each day, I get to do something that I’ve never done before. Each day, I meet new people. Amazing people. Wonderful people. From different walks of life. With different stories to tell. Teachers, friends, classmates, strangers. And I wouldn’t have met them if I’m not in UERMso as early as now, thank you UE! Just please bear with me as I still am adjusting to this newness around me. :)

P.S. Credits to the rightful owners of the above pictures as most of them are not mine.

Metamorphosis

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 02:02:05 +0800

Change is inevitable, especially in medschool. Below are some of the things that I’ve so far experienced in the course of my month as a medical student. Big and small things. Tolerable and torturous things. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to call this process of changing as “metamorphosis” but I’d like to believe that these are necessary steps for my growth and that in the long run, they will all help to transform me into the butterfly that I aim to be. :)

Slept at the living room because waking up early to study is impossible with my cold bedroom and perfectly comfortable bed
Immunity to caffeine that no matter how many cups I take, I still doze off
Resorting to energy drinks instead
Always feeling sleepy, saturated with information and drained of energy
Increased ice cream consumption. It’s my comfort food now.
Spoiled by my parents. And by spoiling, I mean, my parents have been providing me with my requested midnight snacks for when I study. Haha!
Use of table for studying. Before, I only study in my bed but now, it could no longer accommodate all my study materials. Plus of course, there’s always the temptation of sleeping.
Studying everyday, with or without an exam
Staying up until 2 or so in the morning just to study for a QUIZ
Staying up until 2 or so in the morning for n consecutive days
Didn’t get to finish studying a single subject for the exams. I still am getting used to having an exam week instead of what we had way back in UP wherein exams are staggered and given by professors whenever they want.
Failed planning. I’m a planner and I make schedules all the time but in medschool, time management is apparently a problem.
Been too sleepy to take an exam that I shaded the wrong box in the answer sheet and had to pay P50 for a new one
Had had black ink stain on my white uniform and endured the staring eyes of the people
Use of highlighters. I’ve never used them in high school or college but now I have them in all colors.

Oh, what have I gotten myself into? :|

07/20/12 Ultimate Friday stress buster ♥ (Taken with Instagram)

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 02:00:00 +0800

07/20/12 Ultimate Friday stress buster ♥ (Taken with Instagram)