My First Minor Surgery aka the "Tuli" Experience

May 06, 2007

FILCHIMSA had it's Medical and Surgical Mission with the Knights of Columbus in San Lorenzo Ruiz Academy. It was a very exciting day since we will be doing minor surgery which was mainly circumcision! :D

Me and mic was first assigned to the Medical section. First time to do history taking and more or less "diagnose" the complaints of the patients. We were even allowed to prescribe medicines. Basta for minor complications lang like colds, coughs, sore eyes, headaches, pero pag medyo malala may doctor naman dun na pwede namin i-refer to. Parang crash course for pharmaco, dun lang ako natuto magsulat ng prescription, how many tablets and explain to the patient when to take the medicine. After the medical part, we were then assigned sa surgical section. Assist muna, then the doctor taught the procedure while he is doing it. At first, I got a little scared, parang ayaw kong gawin. But still I was able to do the procedure. Naghati kami nung isang Filchimsa member sa isang patient. She did the anesthesia part, then I did the main procedure which was "cutting" the prepuce, and stitching the first half, she did the last half naman. After that I wished may isa pang patient, I was more confident after doing the first one :D

Mic and I took the pic in my room hahaha We were not able to take pictures of ourselves during the mission hahaha :D

the *new* Taiwan Experience

hmm i shouldve have written this a long time ago.. haha this post was meant to be posted on May 2, 2007

anyway, here goes

We had another Taiwan trip. Well, it has been part of our "tradition" since my father's relatives are there in Taiwan. So we go there almost once or twice in a year. Basically, what we do there is to visit our relatives, buy some Taiwanese foodstuffs in the grocery, look for cheap bargains. and basically REST. It's quite seldom that we go sightseeing, since we basically went around Taiwan when I was younger. And usually it's just my dad and me or my dad and mom who goes there. Minsan lang na kaming tatlo umuwi ng Taiwan. This year, the whole family of three went to Taiwan. And luckily, we went there during the weekends. Kaya my uncle had the time to take us somewhere.

Apr 26-27
Did our "shopping" of foodstuffs hahah, mga basic needs of taiwanese goods :P

Apr28
We went down South of Taiwan. My uncle took us to this little island XiaoLiuQiu (小琉球) and we rode a boat. Took us 2 hours to arrive at the port and 45mins to arrive at the island. It was HOT! but still Manila is hotter... anyways, in that island you go around by riding a scooter. And i don't know how to drive one. ahah Buti na lang we were 6, and my uncle was the one who drove for me. (i should learn how to ride one! Every taiwanese knows how to ride one! :P) It was fun, there were many tunnels and caves there. One of its attraction was 美人洞. "Beautiful Girl Cave" Then may isang place na parang katulad sa Mt. Makiling, wherein you squeeze through the tunnels to get to the other side. It was a fun experience, and the sea breeze was literally "seeping" through the tunnel, kaya ang sarap ng feeling when you're in the tunnel, very cool and breezy. We also went to the beach where there is this Cone Stone.

We stayed in the island until around in the afternoon. Then we were back on the road again. We stopped at this coffee shop near the beach too.

I had a Mochaccino! :D very yummy! :D

From there, we went to Kenting (墾丁) which is like the "summer" capital in Taiwan, because of it's beaches. :D We stayed there overnight. Kinda ironic since we have many beaches here in the Philippines but still we went to the beaches of Taiwan. And it was VERY CLEAN! compared to what we have here in the Philippines. They also had night markets there. Very cool!

The next day Apr. 29
We went to Taiwan's National Museum of Marine Biology Museum/Aquarium. It was also very interesting. Being able to see the things that we just saw in the laboratory preserved. They have it alive there! Like the garpikes, the stingray, the sea urchins, and starfishes. We can also touch them too. Just like that in the Guam's Underwater World and also in San Francisco too! Philippines should have one too.. *sigh* What's different about this place is that they also have pools where you can play with the water. Shallow pool for the kids mostly, with fake dolphins and whales.
We also met a 原住民 (or parang mga aborigines) there. She was very friendly, tapos when she found out that we were from the Philippines she said that their language is similar to Tagalog. She asked us if it's "ina" and "ama" for the Tagalog of dad and mom, and it really was! They use the same too. Then she asked what "pig" was in Tagalog, and I said, "baboy" and it was the same too, although they call it "vavoy" There are similarities, but not the whole language, medyo nainfluence din daw ung langugage nila with Japanese din.

I want to go there again! :D

So... Who are the 3 Senatoriables you WON'T VOTE this coming May Elections?

I actually read this in the blog, Political Pinoy wherein the blogger also got the idea from an email of his readers. The email. went like this:

I got this idea from RJTV when I was channel-surfing last night. This show was hosted by an old lady, who had the strangest voice I had ever heard, and 2 old men who does nothing on the show, but to sit down at both ends of the old lady. Their topic was �Name 3 Senatoriables You Wont Vote For?�.
Now, I ask you. WHO ARE THE 3 SENATORIABLES YOU WONT VOTE FOR? And explain why you wont vote for them!
My 3 Senatoriables that I wont vote for:
1. Alan Peter Cayetano - He is a member of the Cayetano dynasty in Senate. His father, whom I regard as a good Senator, was the late Sen. Renato �Compa�ero� Cayetano. His sister is current Senator, Pia Cayetano. Tapos sasama pa siya? Hello? Hu-hu!

2. Koko Pimentel - Remember his political ad? Its something that talks about their surname. So - - - what about their name? It doesn�t mean that if your father is good, you�re good too. Remember the political satire/allegory of the old Kapamilya sitcom �Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata�?

3. Richard Gomez -Wala siyang kredibilidad, porket ba hindi siya kukunin ng GO para tumakbo, didkit naman siya sa administrasyon. Tapos nung hindi siya pinatakbo ng administrasyon, nag-independent naman siya! What a sore loser!

Now? Who are the 3 Senatoriables you wont vote for?

The blogger also posted his 3 Senatoriables:

As for me, the 3 Senatoriables that I won't vote for are:

1. Alan Peter Cayetano - I hate political dynasty esp. in the Senate. His father, whom I consider as a good senator, is the late Sen. Renato Cayetano. His sister is incumbent senator, Pia Cayetano. 2 members of the same family is just not my cup of tea. (with that i am adding the Estrada's and the Pimentel's too) Plus, i seriously doubt that he has anything to show for in terms of accomplishment in Congress or in his district except that he consistently targets the First Family just for the heck of media attention and projection to land on national early evening newscasts without any proof at all.

2. Antonio Trillanes - I hate mutineers. Wala silang disiplina. They should exhaust means within the system first before doing something which will definitely hurt the economy and the institutions we have.

3. Gringo Honasan - I hate mutineers period.

Now, who are the 3 Senatoriables you won't vote for?

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o

This was really a great idea! I also thought of the candidates I won't vote for but there are MANY of them...
anyways, my TOP 3 Senatoriables I won't vote for are:

1. Chavit Singson - He is not very credible. Although I'm not a supporter of Erap, I can't help but wonder why this guy suddenly spoke ill of Erap. What are his reasons? Why did he suddenly betrayed Erap? And one more thing, I was able to watch one of the episodes of ABS-CBN's Forum 2007, which featured 3 Senatoriables, each from a different party, and had a little debate. Topic of the episode where Chavit Singson was one of the candidates was about Corruption. With him were Kiko Pangilinan and Peter Cayetano. I was surprised that Chavit Singson was "bobo." His answers didn't connect with the questions. there was also this question from the panels that he didn't even understand! His answers were crap! I don't want to have a Senator who speaks crap all the time!
2. Richard Gomez - (can i also include Ceasar Montano?) - anyway, as much as I don't want "artistas" in the political realm, Richard Gomez is one guy who I don't trust either. I was wondering why does he keep on pushing himself into the political parties, first was the opposition, then the administration. What the? He's worser than the "balimbings." I remembered that he also represented a party-list before, pero natalo ata. I don't like his guts and attitude. We can all see how bad his attitude is even on television. Sour-graping on the Kapamilya network, kasi wala siyang project then jumped into the Kapuso network. As if he's a good actor or host.. Tapos host pa siya ng ASAP? As if he has a good voice.. And now Senator? Hah! How desperate...
   
3. Tessie Aquino-Oreta - First, the dancing, then the jumping to the administration ticket, then the "I'm Sorry." Are these people really that desperate!?
   

To be honest, I don't see enough credibility with the Senatorial candidates.. even the local candidates.. Politics in the Philippines is really really trash... but there is a candidate I will surely vote for, Chiz Escudero!

Kayo ba? Who are the 3 Senatoriables that you WON'T VOTE?

Dismayado...

3 days.. no phone line.. the phone that is connected for DSL... nakakainis.. PLDT is really the WORST company!

Was looking for an alternative, Globe sana, I called them up, and sabi nila meron daw sa area namin for DSL only, walang phone line. Super saya ko. Then the CS noted that we go to their business center in SM North EDSA to confirm kung covered na ung place namin. So we went there, and to my dismay... we're not yet covered... argh... kala ko pa naman I'm released from PLDT's bad service... I thought that may other choice na kami.. Sayang.. But at least magkakaroon na din sa area namin.. sana sooner... Sobrang money -eater na ang PLDT esp sa DSL nila.. oh well...

PLDT S**CKS!!!!!

Korean MVs

I can't help but notice how nicely done Korean Music Videos are. Most of their videos usually star tv/movie actors and actresses. And usually you won't see the song artist in the videos. I once watched a documentary regarding korean music videos in ArirangTV. They said that this brought about the trend in the Korean Music Industry, making the song more appealing to the people. And I'm not talking about songs that are part of OSTs of a movie. These are songs from the artists' album (called singles). Comparing it to American MVs, I must say that Korean MVs are way way way better! Movie Quality talaga! :D And they are very touching ;) Here are some of the Korean MVs. Some of my fav songs :D

SG Wannabe- Partner for Life


SG Wannabe - Slow (the continuation of the first video)


KangTa and Vanness - 127 Day


Brian Joo - 일년을 겨울에 살아 (I Live A Year In The Winter)


Se7en - 잘할게 - I Will Do Well

And many more! :D Oh, one more thing... I think this one is very nice too, not quite sure, but this MV is like introducing the new album of the artist. They are SG Wannabe and the album is Sentimental Chord. The MV contained 3 songs from the new album. Very nice :D The MV is 21 mins long, it was split into 3 parts in youtube. Here they are ;)

1/3

2/3

3/3

其實還愛你 "I Still Love You"

Very nice song.. *sigh* by 阿 of FIR

here's the video and lyrics.. i'm trying my best to translate everything.. ahah my chinese is a little rusty... will update this post once it's done :D

我讨厌阴天的风
冷得那么刺痛
只有你能够抚平所有的寂寞
昨天的风筝在角落
被谁丢到了路口
我很不想让你找到离开的理由
每一夜闭上眼睛
我看到了恶梦
你微笑但是旁边的人不是我
天空切开一道裂缝
直接割到我心中
不想装作脆弱
也不想爱得懦弱
其实我非常爱你不想失去你
难道我没有权利说我不愿意
你给了他的吻
虽然只有余温
可知道我多渴望抓住你的心
我知道他很爱你你怕他伤心
我每天假装开心害怕你离去
可不可以任性
求求你不要去
藏在我心里最后一句
其实还爱你
可不可以任性
求求你不要去
藏在我心里最后一句
其实还爱你

Deathnote Mania!

just started watching the anime and i'm liking the course of the story. Basically, a student got hold of a "death note" which can kill people just by writing their name in that notebook. By default, the person will die of a heart attack unless you specify what kind of death you want that person to die of. So this student started killing the criminals. The police, on the other hand, became "suspicious" of this "killings" and now they want to catch who this killer is.

Bum bum bum... hahaha

anyway, found the lyrics of the ending song of Deathnote. sounds nice ;) With the English translation, the romanized version, and the japanese character version ;)

Alumina
Vocals: Nightmare

A momentary sparkle twinkles within the flowing time
I’m a Believer who can keep walking so to engrave into this world’s memories

I had a dream that no one else could have and I threw away everything that I didn’t need
Thoughts that I can’t surrender dwell in my chest

Even if I’m still in the rift between reality and ideals and my feet are bound by shackles of sacrifice
My overflowing impulse isn’t fully repressed because I have a heart that yearns powerfully

“Pretense” “Fear” “Vanity” “Grief”; I won’t be weak enough
To be apprehended by the various negative things; I’m a Trickster who doesn’t know loneliness

The groups of buildings that pierce the night sky, I look up at the air in which stars and such are invisible
And ask myself, “Won’t I be lost?”

Things like being smeared by those who overflow in this entire city or being infatuated won’t happen to me
Because at the end of the road that connects to the future, I want to see something that’ll grab onto my hand

I close my eyes and it surfaces in my sea of consciousness: the moment when I’ll get the ideal that I’d pictured

To merely receive limited “life” in this world and rot away is equal to being stupid
Go toward that which no one else can have- the crystal known as “my oneself”

The fact of piercing through the whitewash will turn into the truth someday
I want to keep believing in it stubbornly; It’s just my faith. The absolute truth.

A momentary sparkle twinkles within the flowing time
I’m a Believer who can keep walking so to engrave into this world’s memories

Arumina
Vocals: Nightmare

Nagareru toki no naka matataku setsunateki kirameki o
Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame arukitsuzukeru Believer

Dare ni mo mirenai yume o mite iranai mono wa subete suteta
Yuzurenai omoi kono mune ni yadoshite

Mada riaru to idearu no hazama ni ite gisei no kase ni ashi o torarete mo
Afureru shoudou osaekirenai tsuyoku motomeru kokoro ga aru kara

“Itsuwari” “Osore” “Kyoshoku” “Urei” samazama na negatibu ni
Torawareru hodo yowaku wa nai kodoku mo shiranu Trickster

Yozora o tsukisasu biru no mure hoshi nado mienai sora miage
“Mayoi wa nai ka” to jibun ni toikakeru

Kono machijuu afureru mono ni mamire utsutsu o nukasu you na koto wa nai
Asu e to tsunagaru michi no hate de kono te ni tsukamu mono o mitai kara

Mabuta o toji ishiki no umi ni ukande omoiegaku risou o te ni suru sono toki o

Kagiri aru “sei” o kono yo ni uke kare yuku dake wa oroka ni hitoshii
Hoka no dare mo ga mochienai mono “jibun jishin” to iu na no kesshou e

Kireigoto o tsukitoosu koto itsuka makoto e kawaru
Katakuna ni shinjitsuzuketai It’s just my faith. The absolute truth.

Nagareru toki no naka matataku setsunateki kirameki o
Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame arukitsuzukeru Believer

アルミナ
歌: ナイトメア
作詞:咲人
作曲:咲人

流れる時間の中瞬く刹那的煌きを
この世の記憶に刻むため　歩き続けるBeliever

誰にも見れないユメを見て　要らないものは全て捨てた
ゆずれない想い　この胸に宿して

まだ現実と理想の狭間にいて　犠牲の枷に足をとられても
溢れる衝動押さえきれない　強く求める心があるから

「偽り」「恐れ」「虚飾」「憂い」　様々なネガティブに
とらわれるほど弱くはない　孤独も知らぬTｒｉｃｋｓｔｅｒ

夜空を突き刺すビルの群れ　星など見えない宙見上げ
「迷いはないか」と　自分に問いかける

この街中溢れるモノにまみれ　うつつを抜かすようなことは無い
未来へと繋がる道の果てで　この手に掴むものを見たいから

瞼を閉じ意識の海に浮かんで　思い描く　理想を手にするそのときを

限りある「生」をこの世に受け　枯れゆくだけは愚かに等しい
他の誰もが持ち得ないもの　「自分自身」という名の結晶へ

キレイゴトを突き通すこと　いつか真実へ変わる
頑に信じ続けたい　It’s just my faith. The absolute truth.

流れる時間の中瞬く刹那的煌きを
この世の記憶に刻むため　歩き続けるBeliever

Celebrity Look-alikes hahaha

the Lenten 2007

Let's take a little of our time to reflect, to think, and to appreciate everything that Jesus sacrificed for us, to show His Love for us.

"Give not over thy soul to sorrow; and afflict thyself in thy own counsel. Gladness of heart is the life of man." - Ecclesiastes

Med students like to complain? :P

Another blog entry from Medscape: Is Your Med School Perfect?

Kendra Campbell -- I’ve noticed on campus that I frequently hear people complaining about one thing or another related to our med school. People complain about things like the staplers not be refilled quickly enough, the cadavers not being taken care of properly, professors not writing fair questions, and there being too many students on campus. It seems like some students are always complaining about something. In addition, it appears that no matter what the complaint actually is, many students always end their rant with, “well, what can you expect from a Caribbean school?” or “well it is Ross University.” Why are some people always unhappy about something? And why do they blame it on the school, even when it’s something like other students not taking care of the cadavers?

Personally, I rarely complain about anything. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely had my complaints here and there, but in general, I don’t really think there are that many problems here. And more importantly, when there is a problem, I don’t necessarily see it as the fault of the school, nor do I blame it on the fact that this is a Caribbean medical school. I mean, if someone doesn’t refill the staplers the second they’re empty, does that really reflect poorly on the school? Sure, there are some issues that are definitely in the school’s purview, but isn’t that a part of life? If I walked into an Ivy League medical school right now, would I find all the staplers filled to the brim, the cadavers in impeccable condition, and every professor perfectly designing test questions and without any faults? Somehow, this seems very unlikely to me.

Obviously, my school has its faults, but I don’t see any good reason to randomly complain about it all the time. If there really are important issues, they should be properly brought to the attention of the administration. And does it really make sense to automatically blame everything on the fact that our med school happens to be Caribbean?

I was talking to a student the other day, and she had previously attended one of the top medical schools in the U.S. She had to leave because of personal reasons, and she ended up deciding to come here to finish her medical education. She was telling me how our campus is absolutely amazing compared to the U.S. school, and that we are way more technologically advanced. I think a big problem with the complainers is that they have never actually been to another med school, so they don’t really have anything to compare it to. Is it possible that the dissecting tables are just always shinier on the other side of the campus wall?

I’d love to hear from all of you on this topic -- whether you attend a top-rated med school, or one that’s not very well known. Does your med school have a lot of problems? Do students frequently complain about one thing or another? And do they always blame it on the school, no matter the true cause? Or does your med school happen to be perfect?

__
Quite true, I guess it is inherent to every student to complain. We almost complain about everything. Lahat napapansin natin, mga questions na binibigay sa exams, pati mga pagkain sa canteen pinupuna.
So what do I complain about our medschool? Nothing much really, only some profs who doesn't teach well. Oh yeah, I really hate it when we take exams in the Anatomy lab.. The smell is bothering during the exams, it's hard to concentrate. I guess un lang. My other complaints doesn't really affect the whole student body anyway. hehe

maybe fewer exams? :P hhaha

"No Med Student is an Island"

Early this morning, I came across this article from Medscape Blog

No Med Student Is an Island

Ali Tabatabaey -- For most of the X-generation robots attending med school during our times, life is about day-to-day patients, disease, prescriptions, discussions, and the whole thing all over again. Not many of us dare to disclose our human emotions, and even if we do have such feelings, it’s something we hold to ourselves for those lonely moments when no one is around to see. And so the real tragedy of being a med student unfolds: the lonely human, facing a world of emotions!

It seemed like a normal shift, checking on the patients, organizing the files, writing notes, going to the interns’ room to rest, seeing your colleague crying her eyes out…

“I’m sorry. Did I bother you? I’ll come back another time.” It was like being shocked with 10000 volts of electricity. She’s one of those disciplined interns who do the job and leave out the accessories, hardly losing her frown while at work. I was stunned.

“No. Thanks, I’m ok. I have to get back to work anyway.”

“You don’t look OK. You can go home if you like, I’ll cover for you.” And I’m one of those people who just can’t keep their nose out of people's business! “Is there anything I can do? I might be able to do something if you tell me what’s wrong.”

“Have you seen the patient in room 9?”

“Yes.” A 2.5-year-old girl who has spent the last 10 days in a coma. 12 days ago, she came down with a fever and vomiting. Her condition deteriorated by the minute, and now she is brain-dead. It was probably viral encephalitis or a complicated tumor, but no one knows for sure. Her family has not allowed further investigations. “What about her?”

“She came in a couple of months ago with a febrile convulsion. She wasn’t my patient, but I remember her clearly. She was a beautiful girl, bending down the side of her bed. I walked in and called her a naughty girl!” The stream of tears running down her face refused to be controlled by the pathetic attempts made by the wet tissue in her hand. “Is she really dead now? How could she turn like this in two days? We probably missed her diagnosis the first time.” Frustration, anger, sorrow and many more emotions flooded her. I was muted by the enormous emotions overwhelming her. I had nothing to comfort her. “Why her? Why so fast? Isn’t there any hope? Isn’t there any justice?”

The truth is that the girl is in fact dead, at least as far as the neurologist is concerned. There is nothing we can do except to keep her body alive. The story had become more tragic now that I knew a bit more about her, but still there was nothing we could do. We had been beaten by a virus. My fellow intern knew all this too but … In such times of hopelessness, we need someone stronger to hang on to. All I could think of was praying at the holy shrine. Maybe this way she could calm down a bit. She accepted.

I guess all of us X-generation robots attending med school still have a touch of humanity deep down inside. No matter how rock solid we try to be, the so-called everyday events around us are so powerful, that just when you least expect it, they will push you over the edge. One day we will all break into tears. It’s just not the same day for all of us.

Two days later, room number 9 was empty again.

First Year Med.. coming to an end.

"time really flies" But this year was the longest year of my life! Just 10 months ago, I was enrolling for medicine, which was also the longest enrollment I had in UST. And now, we have just finished our first comprehensive exams! 2 weeks full of exams! whew! What an experience!

My blog has been left in the dust for quite some time. Only got to update it just once every month or maybe no update at all. It was really hard not to be able to write. And I'm getting rusty already! All these exams full on ABCDs.. full of medical terminologies.. memorizing.. analyzing.. it's draining my creative juices! Although we had some little creative activities in med, but they were not quite enough. And doing these creative fun things in just a little time and being paired with exams, how can we squeeze out our creative juices! :P

So here comes summer.. what am i going to do, without anything to study.. anything to read.. anything to highlight.. :P guess I have to open some of my books this summer and keep on reading! hahah just joking! Well, i have no definite plan yet, but I really want to work. Keep myself busy! I'm currently eyeing on this English tutoring job, online. Found some in JobsDB.com I was also eyeing on medical transcription. At least its quite related to my course. C'est la vie! Or maybe just enjoy bumming throughout the summer! :P Definitely i have to lose weight!!! minus 1000cal off my diet to lose 2 lbs per week! That's Biochem for you! :P Oh well..

Now.. I'm bored...

LiveScience.com: "iPods Help Doctors Recognize Heart Problems"

article originally posted in LiveScience.com

Doctors can greatly improve their stethoscope skills and therefore their ability to diagnose heart problems by listening repeatedly to heartbeats on their iPods.

Previous research has shown that the average rate of correct heart sound identification by physicians is 40 percent.

In a new study, 149 general internists listened 400 times to five common heart murmurs during a 90-minute session with iPods. After the session, the average score improved to 80 percent.

Proficiency with a stethoscope—and the ability to recognize abnormal heart sounds—is a critical skill for identifying dangerous heart conditions and minimizing dependence on expensive medical tests, said lead researcher Dr. Michael Barrett, clinical associate professor of medicine and cardiologist at Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital. "It's important to know when to order a costly echocardiogram or stress test," Barrett said.

Barrett believes the skill of learning heart problems is best learned through intensive drilling and repetition, not by traditional methods, usually a classroom lecture or demonstration in medical school and then on the job.

"You don't build this proficiency by osmosis," Barrett said.

--
My take:
Wow! That's nice. It really is true. Both seeing and hearing clinical applications would really make it easier for medical students to more or less understand these things, aside from just memorizing everything from the book. And also let's not forget the applications of the things we have learned. ;) Seeing, hearing, and doing, not one less. As quoted by Dr. King in one of his lecture on the Special Senses Physiology: "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand."

The Motley Fool: "Apple is only maker that couples insanely great design with insanely great service"

This article is originaly posted from MacDailyNews
The whole article is published in The Motley Fool

"Look, I like a decaf venti latte with a splash of cinnamon as much as the next Fool. But I can also easily live without it. Don't ask me what I'd do without my MacBook Pro," Tim Beyers writes for The Motley Fool.

"And I'm hardly alone. Enter any of Apple's beautifully designed retail stores, and you'll see firsthand the crowds clamoring for gizmos. Teens camp out by the iPods. Dads inspect the video gear. And geeks like me are set up by the MacBooks, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the iPhone," Beyers writes.

Beyers writes, "Indeed, if there's anything that proves the Mac maker's superiority in this contest, it's the iPhone. Starbucks may be able to charge $3.50 for milk and coffee, but Apple has the audacity to charge $600 for a phone."

"Why can't others do the same? Because Apple is the only electronics maker that couples insanely great design with insanely great service," Beyers writes. "No, really. When you buy from Dell, you're buying a PC. Wait a few days, and it'll be shipped to you. Have a problem? Call Geek Squad or the creepy neighbor who waters his lawn at midnight and who knows something about computers. Or, worse still, wait on hold for 30 minutes to get help by phone."

"When you buy from Apple, chances are you're doing it at one of more than 170 of its retail stores, which, at last count, are outperforming both Tiffany and Best Buy in sales per square foot," Beyers writes. "And if you have a problem? Head back to the store to get personal service from one of Apple's specialists, called Geniuses. Don't underestimate this advantage, Fool."

----

My take:

No doubt about it. But that makes Philippine's PowerMac Center an exception in giving good service to Apple users here. Wonder why Apple gave them such privilege... at least they're not the only apple service center in the Philippines. There are iStudio and Ynzal. ;)

Full Course Exams!!!! :D

Pre-Finals weeks just ended :D yup, it was Pre-finals from March 12-16th :D I must say that March is an Exam month for medical students :D Just last March 8, 2007, we had our Gross Anatomy Grand Practicals! Yes, it was GRAND! Everything that we dissected from the start of the school year, we took it up again, in ONE practical exam! It even coincided with our NeuroAnatomy Practicals. The Grand Practical was a "fun" experience hehe. Doing it the first time, was nerve-racking but also a little exciting. Yes, i'm weird, but it was a nice experience. I didnt even know what to study for the grand practicals. There were 6 stations, 5 items to identify in each station, giving you only 2 minutes to answer. It was hard. The muscles were ROCK hard.. it was hard to identify them. The organs were deteriorating, the stomach didnt look like a stomach anymore. The nerves looked like muscles already, the blood vessels too. It was a nice new experience!

The next day, March 9, 2007, we had our Histology Grand Practicals. Just like Anatomy's, only in microscopes! We have to identify 30 slides too, 4 5 seconds for each slide!!!! Nerve-racking again! What was even scarier was that this will serve as our Pre-finals exam! Unlike Anatomy, the 30 points in the Anatomy grand practical is part of the FINALS exam.

after that, Pre-Finals Week! Everything we took up during the fourth shifting period. Which is lighter. This week is done. It's the Appetizer! hahah

For the FINALS week... EVERYTHING we took up from the start till the end of the school year. All in one exam, for everything subject! Physiology, Anatomy, NeuroAnatomy, Histology, Biochemistry, and Psychiatry. the Main Course of the Exam Month. Hope we can get through this week. Grabe, i can't imagine myself trying to "cram" everything, reading them all over again, from the very start. I guess this is the test of memory recall, how much have retained throughout the year. It's like a mini-revalida for us!

And this doesn't end there. There is a dessert! The last of the series of exams! The COMPREHENSIVE EXAM, on March 26! This is like taking the boards, all the subjects we took in first year in ONE exam! Sounds like fun huh!?

So.. i guess EXAMS are really part of a Medical student's life! We live for studying and exams!! :D

PLDT is getting into my nerves....

our telephone line that is being used with our DSL is out of service.. no dial tone, no DSL.. :(( this is the second day..

called PLDT yesterday and today to follow up the repair of our line.. And still NO LINEMAN... ang kupad talaga ng PLDT.. argh.. i have yet to download the powerpoints of the lab conference for review for the finals.. arghhhh!!! files are big, and they're sloooooow to download using dial up.. what to do.. what to do...

anyway, enough of that.. baka lalo lang akong maging hypertensive hahah

Pre-finals week was ok. I'm pretty satisfied with the scores that i got. the SCOFYL exam was hard... really hard... esp the anatomy part... argh.. and speaking of Anatomy... i'm not sure how i faired in that exam... hoping to pass it.. argh...

anyway, Biochem exam was easy, most of the questions asked were already given during the quiz, with some modifications :D I did well :D i deserve a pat on my back hahah Physiology was hard, but i did get a good score ;) Neuroanatomy was the hardest! But it was quite interesting. Though i had a hard time answering the questions esp the Cases part, it was interesting, trying to analyze the signs and symptoms given, and deducing which part of the brain had a lesion, which side, which artery etc. And thank God, i did ok in the exam :D hmm parang gusto ko na din mag Neuro specialty hahaha although Onco is still my choice hehe ;) maybe brain oncology? ;) i wonder if there really is a neuro-oncology specialty :D or sub-sub specialty :P

歡迎豬年！Welcome the Year of the Pig!

一年復始，萬象更新，在此祝福，
諸事如意，諸事享通，諸家平安，
豬年行大運！

敬祝大家新年快樂，大吉大利，迎春納福，財源廣進！

Happy Hearts Day!!! :D

HAPPY HEARTS DAY EVERYONE! :D

Sony Product and Service WOES

I was very disappointed with the kind of service Sony Center gave to me. And even the product is disappointing. We bought a Sony MiniDV Handycam DCR HC-96 last October 2006 and an audio recording and playback problem occurred December 2006. We brought it to the service center Dec24, 2006. a day before the holiday. And we just got the unit TODAY.. Feb 07, 2007!!! the first week was tolerable because it was the holiday season, and it's really not expected to be repaired within the first week. But come the first week of january, still no call from them. I called them Feb 8, and they told me that the product was still UNDER OBSERVATION.. 2 weeks... I was already asking for a replacement at this time. Been following it up every two days. I got pissed off and reported them to Sony Main Office, and behold, they called the next day saying that a part was to be replaced and to be ordered from Singapore. Come one week, i called, and they said that there was a problem because the part which was the main board was displaying Japanese system, ONE WEEK again.. they come the next week, and the problem was about the video system.. PAL/NTSC.. PAL is Europe and NTSC is for Asia. How can they be so STUPID... shipping a Japanese system and a PAL system to a country in Asia and PHILIPPINES?! To my dismay, and it was TODAY, when i was going to get the unit, i saw their INTERNAL EMAILs.. and the service report.. They all didn't coincide with the reports they were giving me when i was constantly following it up. And what was worse was the part "For some unknown reasons, the customer is insisting for a product replacement!" This was so frustrating, and so unprofessional! Adding up to that was their wrong english grammar! It was frustrating seeing the Unknown reasons, because my reasons were: 1. It was taking them forever to repair my unit! 2-3 weeks for an observation!? 2. The product was SELDOM USED! in 3 months it got busted! 3. We NEED the handycam BADLY already!
Oh yeah, when i got the product.. the unit was NOT CLEAN, it looked like it AGED already.. There were some scratches and the lens was not CLEAN... *sigh*

Guess Sony is not as GOOD as before. To think of it, they have many batteries recalled. Esp. Apple's Powerbook and iBook's batteries that were Sony made! Even my Powerbook Battery was part of the recall. Sony's digicam recently had a recall too. oh well, i'm not going to buy any Sony Electronic products.. I wonder.. Sony Ericsson... oh no...

Think before buying SONY!

Goong S

Though not a sequel of Princess Hours, this is a "spin-off" of the successful series Goong/Princess Hours.

I think the story of this series is about a prince who will return to the palace. not quite sure about it. hehe

It's called Goong S or Prince Hoo (for the english title).

Stumbled upon it while I was searching for Princess Hours OST. And goong S's OST is nice too ;) esp. this song "MIRACLE" which is sung by HowL

enjoy!