dentist

"ayayi a a?" tanong ko sa kanya habang nakaupo sa silyang walang gustong umupo habang nagtatapangtapangan.
"medyo malalim pa." sagot naman nya habang walang awa nya dinidrill ang ngipin ko.

nakatatlong tanong pa ata ako bago sinabi ng dentista na tapos na sya sa unang ngipin. meron pa daw dalawang natitira na bubutasan at papasakan ng amalgam. ayoko na! promise, di na ko kakain ng chocolates!

habang nakaupo ako kanina sa silyang yon, nag flashback lahat ng mga pagkain na kinain ko. chocolates, candies, chocolates, tsitsirya, chocolates, butong pakwan, chocolates, mani at chocolates. "pero nagtotoothbrush naman ako ah. bakit ganon?" paulit ulit na tanong ko sa sarili. ah ewan! di na talaga ako kakain ng chocolates!

pagkatapos ng tatlong oras ng pagkakaupo ko doon, natapos na rin ang hirap ko. yun nga lang, medyo maluwag na bibig ko sa kakanganga.

sa wakas, pwede na ko uli kumain ng chocolates!

fieldtrip

felt like a grade school kid on a field trip yesterday. my 10-year-old nephew, D, requested to visit fort santiago since we were in the area. too bad i didn't have my camera so i could post some pics here to complete the effect. i haven't been there for a long time and D served as our tour guide, bringing me to all crooks and crannies of the place. i didn't wander too much from my nephews since a part of me was afraid that i'd step into some warp zone and bring me back to the past! baka maeskandalo mga kastila!

D wasn't too much interested on the old clothes, furnitures and stuff, but the structure of the whole place. he's probably imagining himself to be part of the japanese military. i checked on rizal's genealogy just in case i could find a link to my family. as expected, there was none. asa pa! anyway, it was a cheap and nice way to spend the time, trying to relearn history (given the fact that i must have learned it in my elementary and highschool years)... and thanking my lucky stars that i wasn't born during that era.

after the trip to the past, we went back to the modern world. in short, we found ourselves in the mall and this time, my brothers joined us in rockwell. first stop was the bookstore but the book i was looking for wasn't there. when the kids were done browsing on all the kiddie books, we went to the arcade. after i spent my game card on time crisis 3 and the zombie game (name i can't recall), my muscles were sore and i couldn't raise my shoulders. but i had fun and i wanna go back and play!

i wonder when the next field trip is and where...

ano nga ba title na ok?

kanina pa ko nakatunganga sa harap ng computer, wala pa rin ako maisip na isulat. si B kasi eh, naghahanap ng update, di naman maglagay ng comment. hmmp.

kahapon, nagpunta ako sa oath taking ng mga bagong manggagamot sa manila hotel. sa sobrang dami ng tao, di ko nakita agad sina B at K. buti na lang, malinaw pa mga mata ko kaya natuntun ko rin sila, pagkatapos kong magmukhang tanga ng ilang minuto kahahanap. di bale, di naman ako nag-iisa.

panigurado, kung nabubuhay pa si daddy, sangdamakmak na ukin ang inabot namin dahil medyo late na kami dumating. nakakamiss talaga si daddy at mga famous words nya. haay...

pagkatapos mag march ang top 20 at mga board members, nagsimula na ang programa. syempre, ang pinakamaraming palakpak eh nung tawagin si joram. paniniwala kasi ng karamihan, si joram ang nagbibigay ng pinakamahihirap na exam. kaya siguro maraming pumalakpak sa kanya eh sa sobrang tuwa ng mga nakalusot sa exam nya. o kaya mga nangaasar lang dahil kahit kontra sya sa pbl, nakakalusot pa rin ang mga produkto nito, kahit papaano.

gutom na kaming lahat na nasa table ko. pero di pa nila sinerve ang pagkain hanggat di pa tapos ang mga speeches at oaths. bale tatlo yun, yung physicians' oath, yung isa para sa PMA. ang pinakahuli yung hippocratic oath, na mali mali naman yung kopya na nakasulat sa programme. nung nagsalita na yung topnotcher, isa-isa na kaming umiskapo para pumila sa envelope na binibigay ng prc. nagmistulang mga sardinas na nagsisiksikan sa sobrang excited makuha ang prc card na nagpapatunay na sya nga ay isang ganap ng doktor. lintsak ang tagaktak ng pawis ko pagkatapos kong makuha ang envelope. pati tuloy kil...kilay ko ay pawis na pawis na rin.

pagbalik ko sa table, wala na kong gana kumain sa sobrang init. at biruin mo, sa halangang pitong-daang piso, ang pinakain ng manila hotel ay pansit (sa iba spaghetti), siopao, chicken leg at brownies. ano na nga ba nangyari sa manila hotel? ibang iba na sya sa manila hotel ng kabataan ko.

so yun nga, umalis na kami ng nanay ko at ate ko at nagtuloy na kami sa isang hotel na malapit sa ccp. don na nanlibre ang nanay ko kahit medyo may kamahalan, dahil sa sobrang tuwa na ang bunso nya ay di na tinik sa kanyang dibdib. malamang din, kung kasama pa namin si daddy, sangdamakmak na ukin pa rin ang binitawan nya habang pilit na tinatago ang bakas ng ngiti sa kanyang mukha.

driving

for the past 3 weeks, i've been practicing my driving with C's guidance, the family driver. for the first session, i practiced inside the cemetery where my dad is. before driving, i dropped by my dad's tomb to inform him, in case he has some objections. but then, i know my dad wouldn't really object to me driving a car. what he would not allow is for me to have my own car before i go into residency. he made sure my mom knows that before he died.

for the next 2 sessions, i practiced somewhere around the reclaimed area in manila. we asked permission from a guard if i could practice there and he was kind to us and even told us where we could do it...syempre, because he is so accommodating, we gave him something for meryenda, in short, nilagayan. driving without other cars in sight is heavenly. i tried to master the art of making a U-turn, but there was a patch of rough road that i had to pass, strategically located to where i make the turn. the goal is to do it gracefully, but at the end of the session, C and i were dizzy from all the sudden brakes i made especially when i made the U-turn.

so far, i've caused slight traffic jams, almost hit a guard, been cursed by impatient drivers, stopped in the middle of quirino highway. C said it's all part of the training. i just hope that before C loses his patience with me, i'd be able to drive on my own. for now, i'd continue practicing and at the same time, save money and hope that i'd get rich real soon so i can hire my own driver!

couldn't find jacky chan's star along avenue of the stars. i hope this guy is famous too.

wednesday nights

kahit sinong tanungin mo, ang miyerkules ko eh naka reserve kay noel cabangon sa 70s bistro. ewan ko ba, parang ginayuma ako ng mokong mula nung ma introduce sya sakin ni F. ang ganda kasi ng boses at ang galing mag gitara, eh pangarap kong matutong mag gitara mula pa nung bata ako...na hanggang ngayon eh pangarap pa rin. at syempre, pag nag request ako, patok, kakantahin nya yon.

grabe, parang kelan lang, dinala ako ni F sa 70s para mapanood, sa unang pagkakataon, si noel. valentines day ata non at tutal wala naman kaming date pareho, kami ang nag date, pero KKB! limang taon na rin ata nakakalipas pero yun ang simula ng tradisyon namin. tuwing wednesday ng week ng valentines, kami ang magka date sa 70s. at tuwing miyerkules na ala kaming magawa sa buhay, tiyak, matatagpuan kami sa 70s habang umiinom ng malamig na iced tea...heehheeh...syempre, san mig light. kaso ngayong nasa tate na si amay, este F, ala na ko constant date sa 70s.

naalala ko pa nung internship, may journal reporting ako ng thursday morning sa pedia opd. syempre inassign sa akin yon ng miyerkules ng hapon. eh nayaya ako ng barkada ko sa college na mag 70s ng miyerkules ng gabi, patay na! habang break si noel, nagbabasa ako ng journal na di ko mainti-intindihan.

pero kagabi, hindi na sa 70s ako nagpunta. sa conspiracy garden cafe, sa may visayas ave. na tumutugtog si noel pag miyerkules. medyo nakakalungkot kasi napamahal na rin sakin ang lugar pero ganon talaga, kelangan mag move on. on a positive note, di mausok sa conspiracy at mas maganda ang ambiance. at ang pinakaimportante, pareho lang ang presyo ng san mig light sa 70s. ayos!

noel in action

concert

norah jones concert '05

last night, i saw the norah jones concert. if you've noticed from the picture, you can barely see norah. well, that's my view from where i sat. we got the 2nd cheapest tickets, and they were not cheap at all. i lost track of the total number of songs she sang. i stopped counting at the 7th song when she sang the nearness of you, or was it the 8th? the show started at around 8:30 pm and ended at around 10:15 pm. it was a short one, compared to other concerts i've seen, especially those of filipino artists. so, was it worth it? hmmm...i'm still thinking about it, but i'm leaning on yes.

oh, and i almost had my camera confiscated last night when i got a shot while the show was going on. the guard flashed his flashlight on our row, more on my back, but K and i didn't move a muscle, willing him to just go away. he left us eventually, muttering something to himself. but we avoided another confrontation by not taking another photo. it's too far, anyway.

medics girls

girls from 207

had dinner last night with my medics roommates in one of the restaurants along t. morato. of course, dinner wouldn't be complete if we don't have our dessert in our favorite bakeshop/cafe, also along t. morato. it was a much delayed kwentuhan for us 4 girls. we've been planning on meeting since late last year and since i was indisposed till recently, it was only last night that we got together. actually, only A & M were my roomies while J was a former roommate of A before we moved in. but since J was a frequent visitor, she was regarded as a roommate too, along with a couple of other friends.

it was a fun night and for the most part, we forgot that we were in a public place and laughed our hearts out. there was a lot of catching up to do but we did it all in good time before my curfew was up. J was the one who had a lot of catching up to do since we haven't seen her for more than a year and boy, was she surprised by some of our news.

we didn't do much eating though (oo duke, konti lang kinain ko). in fact, there was a lot of pasta left and we had it wrapped. then we transferred to the dessert place, which was a block away from the restaurant. as we were ordering our dessert, i saw the waiter from the restaurant looking for us. for a moment, i thought we forgot to pay our bill. but i noticed that in his hand is our leftover bag. great service, huh? i was pleasantly surprised. i didn't realize that there are still establishments/waiters who put their clients first above all else. fine, fine, the restaurant was burgoo in t. morato (although my family and i had a bad experience on that restaurant before...but that's another story).

it's amazing how people could still stay as friends no matter how far they are from each other or how long they've been apart. in this cynical world i live in, i'm so blessed to have friends like that. maybe it would take months, another year or longer before we'd be complete again but i'm sure the friendship would stay the same forever.

and to think that i met these girls in my mid-twenties, when we all have our own set of friends since way back, i was still lucky to have formed friendships with them. some would categorize them as new friends, but i've always considered them as old friends who were a part of my life when we were all struggling to become good physicians, balancing studying with having a good time while in med school.

series of unfortunate events

the broken bakya

remember my precious bakya/clogs? it's dead... maybe from the heavy weight it carried or from the cobblestones it walked on last night or most probably, the wood was not just sturdy enough. whatever the reason is, the right shoe split into two at the wrong place and at the wrong time. and no, i wasn't out on a date but i was out, just the same. my money down the drain, just like that. i swear, i would never buy a bakya ever again.

good thing, i was with my ever dependable friend, B., who picked up the other half and went with me to the nearest 7-11 store to buy mighty bond. take note, i walked a few meters from where we were to the store, my R foot wearing only half of my broken bakya. it was uncomfortable and i felt all the dirt was sticking on my sole. B., on the other hand, was holding on to the other half of my broken shoe. i was laughing the whole time and at the same time i wanted to cry in sheer frustration. bakit o bakit ngayon pa?!? buhay nga naman!

thank God, my bakya cooperated after it was glued to its other half. in fact, i had a really great time despite everything. noel c. was very good as always, singing my requests, and didn't even take a break! he sang and played the guitar for 3 hours straight. dunno where he gets the energy. btw, for those who are wondering, he doesn't play at 70s bistro anymore on wednesdays, instead, you can catch him at conspiracy garden cafe, which he co-owns. show still starts at 9:30 pm. he said he's sick and tired of all the second-hand smoke he gets from 70s. plus he's scared for the effects on his lungs...well, he should be!

oh yeah, my series of unfortunate events did not finish with the broken bakya. this morning, i went to see my mom before she left for work, to inform her that i'm going out again tonight. she casually told me that she just called up M (B's bf) at his house, waking him up to ask where i was. she and the maids thought that i wasn't home yet coz the maids didn't open the door for me and B last night. they didn't know that it was my brother who opened the door for us coz i couldn't get through the maids' phones. and no, they didn't check if i was in my room. they just presumed i wasn't home yet. now, i couldn't face M yet. i'm still embarassed as hell.

and whether i like it or not, it just proved that i'm still the baby in the house, even if i'm nearing thirty! ah ewan!

shoes

If there's one thing that remains constant in my life for the last couple of months, it's my shoe size. That's why I love shoes and buying them...but only if they fit my budget! Recently, i bought a pair of bakya/clogs(?) at the mall. I was eyeing something else but they don't have my size. My friend K was with me and she's getting the white bakya. Of course, I wouldn't want to go home empty-handed while she has a new pair of footwear! And to think that it was I who wanted to go to the shoes section, in the first place. So, I got the black one...even if i already have 3 pairs of black shoes.

My love affair with shoes started from way back. But it was a different case then...I couldn't afford to buy shoes before. I could only buy what I need so a pair would do and when that pair starts to break down, that's the only time I'd get a new one. Today, though I still can't buy too many shoes, at least I could save ...or better yet, I could try the 'look' which could melt my mom's heart...

The decision making is the best and the worst part. The best because I could try on a lot of shoes, which I really enjoy doing, and the worst because I have to choose only 1. When choosing, I let my heart do the work. Like when I go inside a shoe store, and see a beautiful pair of shoes or sandals, my heart squeezes. It's like love at first sight! Sometimes, it feels like my heart is palpitating and that's when I ask help from my friends. My heart palpitating means I see a lot of shoes that I like and I can't decide which one to get. Pretty tough decision making, really.

guandong hotel

minutes after we found out i made it...

freedom

freedom!!!!!! at last, i'm free from that dreadful exam that wreaked havoc to my social life!

it's been a week now since the last day of my exams and i'm so glad it's all over. that chapter of my life is closed now and i'm ready to start a new one. life had been a series of failures and heartaches in 2004. and now, finally, the sun has started to shine down on me. what a great feeling!

but before anything else, i need a page break! while B and I were reviewing, we've been making plans on what to do after the exam. mine is not so long and i hope to get to do them soon...but not necessarily in order...

1. go to boracay...B and I spent hours thinking of what we're gonna do there. and we agreed on one thing...get drunk on the first night! but first, i'd probably...

2. go to the gym...not just to drop by but really do some workout. i'm in the stage that a simple diet would not do the trick...i need to burn calories!

3. start driving...but not my own car, not yet.

4. decide on my career path. this is a very big decision that needs deep thought which i'm not very ready yet. my neurons are still recuperating from the exams i took.

that's just about it...for now.