Back from Davao

Finally, maka-post nako. I've been a bit busy this week kay nag-prepare mi para sa badging and capping. The ceremony took place yesterday.

I arrived last Sunday and I really enjoyed my time in Davao. It's so good to see my labidab again. I missed her a lot.

Here are some pictures:


My labidab and her best friend Henri.


A view from Henri's backyard.


This is Pangga's family's adorable little poodle, Donnie.


View from inside an eatery in Davao City. Across the street is Limso Medical Center.


Another view.


Taken from the skywalk near Victoria's Mall.


NCCC Mall in Matina(?), across Juna subdivision.




The parish church inside Juna subdivision, where we went to see a Kerygma Feast. We expected to see Bo Sanchez but he wasn't the speaker that day. It was a Bro. Arun... I forgot his last name. He was a good speaker, had a great sense of humor.


I took a shot of the church's ceiling.


A sign in a rest room in Davao City. You know you're in Davao when you hear people talk in a mixture of Bisaya and Tagalog... :)


The City Hall in downtown Davao.




Quezon Park in front of the City Hall.


The Rizal monument in Rizal Park.


I forgot the name of this church...




The Freedom Park monument.


A version of the Pieta.


Me and Pangga in the City Triangle, near the Ateneo de Davao University, her Alma Mater.


Pangga and Donnie. Hehehe... Donnie looks at the camera, the pup knows how to pose!


A view of Davao City from a pumpboat. We were on our way to the Costa Marina beach resort in Samal island.


Say cheese!


A view of Samal island.


Preparing to dock.


A view of the tampi.


The beach's entrance.




One of the things that make Costa Marina attractive is its greenery.


A parrot.


Wala ko kaila unsa ning langgama!




The beach. Notice the white sand. Pangga said this resort made controversy some time ago because of their use of the white sand, which they got from somewhere else.


A cargo ship on its way to the international sea port.


:)


Another view of the beach. We got there at about 7 in the morning and at that time the sea water was already receding. The tide started rising at noon.


See? No more water in the background, just dry leaves... haha.


In a swing... :)


Puppy eyes hehe... :)


Waiting for the boat.


On our way home.


A magnificent view of the sky from the pumpboat. Pangga took this shot. Notice the details of the clouds. I love this shot because of the color of the sky. The sun is about to set.


I took this shot. The sky is so beautiful.

I also enjoyed the plane ride. The experience was truly surreal for me. It was only my second and third time since I was a baby, so the whole thing was new to me. It was surreal to see the houses and the islands hundreds of feet below. Everything looked so small, yet they seemed so near as well. I marvelled at the whole thing, and I was smiling widely from the airport till we landed in Davao. It was surreal to see the clouds. One time in the middle of the trip it almost as if we were riding a boat, because the clouds below us was so vast and so smooth they looked like the sea. It felt like a dream... :)

My only regret was that I forgot to bring the camera along with me... I left it in my bag, which I deposited in the cargo. I only managed to take photos on the return flight.

Leaving Davao International Airport:

Leaving on an airplane

I'll be going by plane instead of by boat. The longer route would've been more fun. Imagine, only an hour and I'll be in Davao already!? It takes the adventure out of travel.

Anyway, at least I'll get there sooner to see my baby.

You know when's the last time I rode on an airplane? More than a decade ago. Actually, I've only been on an airplane twice. The first was when I was only two years old, and the second, tomorrow! Haha.

I'll be gone for only a week.

The sculptures at night

They're still on display.



They look even more beautiful at night, with the yellow lighting. Click on the image for a bigger view.

I'm going to Davao!

I'll be leaving tomorrow night. I'm so excited to see my pangga again. (It just hit me... today's exactly 1 month since she left for Davao. Hmm....)

I'm also excited because this will be my first time to travel all by myself. Or as my pangga said, this will be my first time to set my feet on Mindanao alone. It's kind of a scary thought because Mindanao is a pretty vast land...

So it's actually excitement with a mixture of fear, and I'm sure the latter will intensify when the boat docks in Cagayan de Oro on Sunday.

Hmm... Cagayan... I'm getting all nostalgic once again. Pangga and I got stranded there last year for a night. It was a Sunday. Nagtuo mi nga naay barko pa-Cebu that night. We were shocked when we found out there's only one schedule for Cagayan-Cebu, and it left that morning. We got there 6 hours too late. So we had to contact a friend of her father's, his college classmate, and I later found out that the last time they saw each other was when they were still in college! My pupils dilated. But we didn't have anywhere else to go. We were tired and desperate for a place to stay. Cagayan is like Cebu, you know (at least it looks like Colon in downtown Cebu), you feel like you could get mugged or robbed there and no one will be able to help you...

But Tito (we called him 'tito') Vic and his family was very accomodating. He's a dentist and he also runs a restaurant. His wife is a retired banker and their son is studying nursing. We really felt so at home there.

Anyway, that was last year. I can't believe I'm going back.

I miss Davao, too. There's a lot of things I like about Davao: the place itself (relatively cleaner and more neat than Cebu), the food (I miss the place where we ate kebab), the people... basta daghan nindut didto...

I'm also looking forward to... the six and a half bus ride from Cagayan to Davao! Ugh... It's going to be a long, long ride. Hehehe... Pero makalingaw ra man gihapon because of the landscape, especially when you get to Bukidnon...

I'll relish, too, the boat ride tomorrow night. I just love travelling by boat, especially at night. I don't know, there's something magical about travelling by the sea... I love seeing the pier, smelling the salty air, feeling the cold sea breeze, looking at the distant horizon... It sets your spirit free.

This will be a good break from school... :)

See you soon, Ga... :)

Broom broom

This car is on display over at the Ayala Activity Center, part of an autoshow:



What a car. It's a Porshe. I wonder tag-pila na... Wala ko mangutana kay basin matuk-an ko.

Disappointing

We could've gotten a perfect score for our case conference this morning, if not for me. We only got 93. I still don't know how to make a correct Nursing Care Plan. Our CI had so much to correct in it. Mine was too general and vague. She wanted goals and interventions that are specific, measurable, realistic, and achievable. I relied too much on NANDA and that big NCP book by Doenges. Sigh.

Oh well, there's plenty of time to practice next sem... hehehe.

Beautiful sculpture

A beautiful set of sculptures over at the Ayala Lagoon area. It's part of the three-day Philbex exhibit (It ends today).

Unwinding

I don't drink, but this afternoon after our final exam I broke that vow when I went along with Alvin and Dennis to Cup N' Saucer to "unwind". We downed a few bottles of Red Horse. I felt so tipsy afterwards. When I stood up to go to the bathroom I felt like dropping to the floor. My eyes and forehead felt heavy. I looked at my surroundings and I felt like the world is spinning around me. Ingun ana diay ang feeling kung mahubog? Lol....





After that I still managed to go to the gym. I sweated the alcohol out of my system.

Gonuts!

I almost went nuts when I saw this in our fridge:

Question from a reader

Woohoo, I have a reader! Lol....

I'm posting my reply for Tine here because the TagBoard doesn't have enough space.

She asks:

What does it feel when ur stil 1st yr. colege and taking up Nursing?? Is it easy taking up this course or an interesting one...and why you say so?

My reply:

hi tine :) i can't say because when i started nursing 2nd year nako. second-courser man gud ko, so daghan na-credit sa ako nga minor subjects. it's not an easy course, pero wala man pud siguro course nga sayun. are you a fresh HS grad? if you love caring for people and serving the sick, then nursing is for you. though daghan nagkuha nursing for the opportunities abroad, i suggest that you base your decision on what your interests are. :)

One down, two to go.

We had our moving exam on Physical Assessment this afternoon (We also had our final moving exam in Microbiology and Parasitology this morning). I'm glad it's over. Last night I had to stay up until two because I had to watch a video on physical assessment. The video runs for only an hour, but it took me 3 hours to finish it because I had to pause it often to take some notes.

Man, there's too much information in there. There's too much you need to know and remember in physically assessing a patient from head to foot. It will take you probably a few months to master it. Me, or rather all of us who are taking Foundations of Nursing, on the other hand had a few days to memorize all the stuff in it. Our CIs can be harsh on us sometimes. (Gossip: Not all our CIs are in agreement with the moving exam thing. There's actually some conflict going on among them, brought about by this CI, who is relatively new, who apparently wields a lot of power and influence over what goes on in our year level. Oh well.)

But it was okay, nonetheless. It was informative stuff.

Now, all we have to worry about is the looming final exam on our NCM lecture this Friday... Yikes. Then, our case conference on Monday. But we already have classmates who will take care of all the paperworks and the reporting in behalf of the class. Mga naning man to ila group, so we'll let them be... hehehe.

Time flies when you're having fun

... so they say. But I'm not having fun. Not at all.

The semester's about to end, and I can't attribute the swiftness by which it has come and about to go to fun... lol...

Next week's going to be our Finals week. Magtuon na pud ko... sigh... (tapulan jud!)

This past few weeks I've had clinical experiences in Talisay Health Center, the wards at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (Male Surgical Ward and OB Ward [The condition of the patients there was very sad, because mothers had to share one bed with two or three others! The place is congested.]), and the district hispital in Minglanilla (where I live). Last friday was our last duty for the sem. I was, thankfully, able to adjust and blend in with my duty mates. They're not hard to get along with. Although at first it was a bit hard because all of them already know each other and are already friends since the first semester last year. I felt like a stranger at the start. But they were very friendly. They're an intelligent bunch, too, so I had to catch up with them often... :)

The week after finals will be our case conference, and then finally, if I make it (hopefully), practice for the badging ceremony, which will be in June.

Missing Filemon

I'm listening to Missing Filemon. What can I say? They're a band so in love with Cebuano culture (present and past)! They're lyrics for one is in Bisaya and they sing about experiences one can recognize as Cebuano. Their music is also beautiful: modern and of top quality.

Great band.

They've been around for quite some time now, I think. I remember seeing them live once years ago, when the grounds outside Mango Square (where now stood the various restaurants and food stalls) was still vacant and when concerts used to be held there. They played together with bands like Smooth Friction, Urbandub, Who's Next?, Shiela And The Insects, The Ambassadors, and others. Karon lang jud ko nakapaminaw nila og tarong. Two thumbs up! Go Bisaya music!

Duh Vinci Code

I watched the Da Vinci Code yesterday with my friend Alvin. Dan Brown is now 240 pesos (120=1 ticket) richer because of the two of us... hehehe. Anyway, the movie was... boring.

My friend said he literally dosed off in the middle of the movie. It was not convincing at all, not even compelling. It was like an ordinary thriller film. Tom Hanks' acting was mediocre, compared to his other films.

The lines outside the Ayala cinemas were amazing: long queues that extended several meters away from the theaters' entrance. Amazing how this movie has become such a hit. The controversy undoubtedly helped make this happen.

Alvin was disappointed because he thought the movie's gonna focus on Da Vinci's paintings themselves, on the supposed "codes", and how they relate or lead to who killed the museum curator, and the whole conspiracy thing of Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion. Painter man gud siya, so he's interested in that.

I find nothing "theatening" in the movie at all. Perhaps many things from the book was left out. I really wish to read the book someday, for the sake of curiosity, then read Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel's "Da Vinci Hoax". (Also visit the blog.)

A very helpful website you might want to visit (by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, by the way): Jesus Decoded.

Also important: the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' pastoral statement.

On a slightly unrelated note: I was reading about incorruptibles this morning and I thought to myself, "This is the thing one should point out to agnostics and atheists -- solid proof for God's existence!"


(Photo above: Saint Bernadette Soubirous)

To watch or not to watch?

Showing na ang Da Vinci Code. It opened last night. I was in Ayala last night and I saw the long line of people outside the cinema.

Hmmm... should I join in and watch the movie? Probably I will. I am just curious. I know many people want to boycott it because they just don't want to put money into Dan Brown's pockets. But I'm just curious. I look at it as a work of fiction, or a mere piece of entertainment. Ah, some people would say, it's a dangerous work of fiction, because there are just too many lies and historical and theological distortions in the novel and movie. Hmmm, that's a good point. But there's really nothing to be afraid of if you're in the side of the truth, right?

I agree with the Archdiocese of Cebu's position, letting people decide for themselves if they should watch the movie or not. As one newspaper columnist said recently, the Da Vinci Code (some people call it the "Duh! Vinci Code") phenomenon, is sort of like a "blessing in disguise", because only now are more and more people talking about the Gospels; only now are more and more people opening their Bibles. There's a renewed interest in Christianity and Jesus.

So yes, there are many historical and theological dictortions in the DVC, and our response as Christians should be to research further the truth behind the wild claims of the novel. The Church's role, too, is to answer its faithful's questions about theology or Church history.

The sea and the highway at night

The sea and the highway at night

Driving down the highway
at night,
tiny rain drops falling against
the wind shield,
at 60 kilometers per hour,
the wind cold,
the sea shimmering under the moon light.

I see a light house in the distance.
The light twinkles.

North Country

I watched North Country last Sunday. What a powerful movie. I cried a few times, especially on that scene wherein Josey's father finally stood up for her daughter in front of their company's union meeting. That was very moving, heartbreaking, and triumphant. It's a story about what courage and dignity really means.

I love the song at the end of the movie, when the credits were rolling. It's called "Sweetheart Like You" by Bob Dylan. I downloaded it just now using LimeWire.

Going home to Davao

It still hasn't settled in. My baby's going home to Davao tomorrow. I will be driving her tomorrow to the airport.

It still hasn't settled in. But already I could feel a deep sadness creeping into me. My heart is starting to ache. I am starting to feel afraid.

This will be the longest time we will be away from each other. She needs to go home to her mother, and she needs to start a business for them. She is finished with being an employee.

She will be back on August, hopefully, if things go as planned. Then, we will start our business here together.

But at the end of summer classes I will be visiting her in Davao.

I am afriad... my nights and days won't be the same without her. It will be difficult to bear.

But we will strengthen each other, Ga.

Holiday in San Remegio

My family and I, together with my Pangga, went to Victoria Hard Rock beach resort in San Remegio yesterday. That's in the Northwest part of Cebu. We spent the night there. We all had a wonderful time. My father did a lot of fishing (the resort had a fishing farm), a hobby he loves so dearly and which he hasn't done for decades already. The place is so beautiful. The beach, too, was nice, although it wasn't well-maintained. The pools were great!



We rented a room in this cottage.



Another cottage will possibly rise on this site.



A superb photo of the sunset my brother took. That's the sea West of Northern Cebu.



Another view of the sunset. My brother surely has an eye for beauty.



Fishermen. Early in the morning.



The fishing farm.

(To be continued)

2nd year

Me and Pangga in Bahia Resort in Lapu-Lapu, during our 2nd year anniversary last March. =)

Back with SFC, finally

I finally am back to Singles For Christ. I attended our service meeting last night. When I entered Sis Fe's residence my brods and sis were surprised. Although Jaypee and Carlo texted me to come they probably didn't expect I'd actually attend the meeting (Having gotten used perhaps to my habit of saying "Yes, Ill be there" and not actually showing up, hehe). They all looked at me at first in silence and seriousness, then they clapped their hands, and one of my brod said, "Welcome back!" I felt like the prodigal son, or brother. Haha.

I really feel happy. At first it was truly, truly awkward for me to be there. I missed a lot of things during my absence: countless meetings, activities, fellowships... I felt not a bit out of place. But I had to be there. I have to be with SFC again. It's okay for my brods and sis to think that I'm irresponsible and unreliable, that I turned my back on the commitment I made to Singles when I became a member more than two years ago by abandoning my household members for several months. They have every right to think that way about me, because it's true. I don't mind. I just want to be with Singles again, to serve the community again, and this time with more seriousness and dedication, commitment and perseverance, and hopefully with the Lord's help, with all my heart and mind, resources, time, and talent.

At the end of the meeting some of my brods, including ManMan who just got back from Manila, shook my hand and chatted with me and asked me how I was. I'm good, I'm fine, I said. I didn't add that I'm happy to be back among them.

Cebuano Church song

There's a Church song that I really love to sing. I forgot the title, and I can only remember the chorus. It goes like this...

O Dios, Ikaw lamang ang sundun ko
Himua nga takos
Pagatawgon nga anak mo
Hugasi ako sa mga sayop ko
Higugmaon ko Ikaw O Dios hangtud...
Sa kahangturan...

Gloria heckled

Have you read this piece of news in the Inquirer yesterday?



Brave girl.

Random thoughts

1.
Summer vacation is going to end tonight because tomorrow's gonna be our first day of school for the summer term. And I'll be taking Microbiology and Parasitology, and Foundations of Nursing.

And how have I spent my two weeks? Not wisely. I've squandered it. I've done absolutely nothing. I haven't read a book (except browsing on a few pages). I haven't gotten into sitting down and arranging my priorities on what goals I want to achieve in the coming months (which I planned I would do). I've been absolutely unproductive. Too much free time just wasted me away, haha.

2.
I sound like a male version Norah Jones when I talk. That is, I sound hoarse, a bit jazzy. That's because I have a cough. It has hounded me since last week. I've had terrible coughing fits when I go to sleep.

3.
How can I make my life beautiful? I want to live a beautiful life. Any suggestions?

Behind the times

Ulahi na siguro kaayo ko, but I just recently discovered Youtube.com. This site is heaven sent! Imagine you can search through their files and you can find videos by Paulo Santos, Norah Jones, Bob Marley, and Matisyahu!? Awesome.

Speaking of Matisyahu, if you haven't heard of this guy yet, I can't recommend him highly enough: King Without a Crown by Matisyahu (Live at Stubb's). Listen to him. Watch the video. Awesome, awesome artist.

And videos of Noam Chomsky, too! Wow!

Inquirer editorial on entrepreneurship

I completely missed the PDI's wonderful April 4 editorial: Entrepreneurship.

The editorial's timing couldn't be more perfect for me and my Pangga. As I've said in my post yesterday, I've become interested in entrepreneurship lately. Now, my baby and I are planning to go into business together.

It's amazing how the editorial really captured my personal views about employment and making a living. It's really hard to get a decent job these days. The ones that are good paying are call center work, and it's not really for everybody (for many, if not most, of the people in the industry, especially those in the operations work - the agents - it can't be considered as a long-term career). More and more people, high school graduates and even professionals from various backgrounds, including doctors, are enrolling in nursing because of the promise of better-paying work abroad. Majority of the new graduates will enter the growing ranks of the unemployed and the underemployed. Therefore, it is truly wise to look into entrepreneurship as an option to making a living. It's a really promising venture, and very exciting, too. Although, it will surely take a lot of hard work, perseverance, and of course imagination and creativity. I believe it will be very beneficial for us if most of our countrymen will seek to become entrepreneurs rather than employees only. I think that's the mindset of most of the Filipino-Chinese: They teach their children to venture into business. We native Pinoys, on the other hand, teach our kids to aspire to become employees only (not to sound condescending).

CBCP statement on the "People's Initiative"

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has released today a pastoral statement on the so-called "People's Initiative" to change the constitution:

PASTORAL STATEMENT ON THE ALLEGED "PEOPLES'S INITIATIVE" TO CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION

1. Introduction

"The Church must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice." (Deus Caritas Est, 28) This challenging call of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, impels us to express to you, our beloved People of God, our deep concern over the attempt of certain sectors to make hasty and substantial changes to our Constitution, supposedly through the "People's Initiative" provision in our present charter. We speak to you, not as lawyers or politicians, but as Shepherds, applying principles of our Catholic Social Teaching to our present situation, and inviting you to discern, decide and act in the light of the Gospel.

We recognize and respect those many concerned and thoughtful Filipinos who see constitutional reform as a necessary remedy to the country's many problems at present. In our pastoral statement of January 2006, we already stated that "we agree that certain aspects of our Constitutions may need amendments and revisions." What we wish to challenge and express unease about is the process by which these challenges are being brought about.

2. Concerns about the present campaign

First, we believe that "changing the Constitution involving major shifts in the form of government, requires widespread participation, total transparency, and relative serenity that allows for rational discussion and debate." (CBCP Statement, 2006) The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches that "the shared participation of citizens in the destiny of their communities calls for work for information and education." (No. 191) The provision for a "People's Initiative" in the present Constitution was precisely an attempt to allow our people this participation.

We view with alarm, however, the present signature campaign endorsed by the government. Signatures are apparently collected without adequate information, discussion and education. The manner in which these signatures are supposedly collected, including door to door campaigns, are not conducive to the kind of informed participation that such fundamental changes demand. The changes that are being proposed for signatures of citizens are dangerously unclear and open to manipulation by groups with self-serving interests. The complexities and variations of the parliamentary system are not adequately explained and have not been sufficiently discussed by our people.

Second, we believe that "the reasons for constitutional change must be based on the common good rather than on self-serving interests or the interests of political dynasties." (CBCP Statement, 2006) The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches that: "An authentic democracy is - the fruit of - a commitment to the common good as the purpose and guiding criterion for political life." (No. 407)

In other words, charter change can only be morally justifiable if the revisions being proposed will lead to authentic reforms and development for the nation. Changes must assure shifts towards: principled politics, transparency and accountability, electoral and institutional reform, and more efficient delivery of services to the people, especially the poorest.

However, no such provisions have been clearly specified in the present signature campaign. What form of parliamentary system, how such a parliamentary system will truly serve the common good and the interests of the nation, especially the poor, have not been articulated. Instead, people are given general and sweeping promises of political stability and reform that will allegedly automatically come with a new political system.

This lack of clarity on how the changes will truly benefit our nation raises disturbing questions about who will truly benefit from these changes. It seems that the changes as they are being proposed now will benefit mainly those who already hold positions of power and privilege in the current political system. This raises questions as to the authenticity of this signature campaign and the motives of those who promote it. Is this truly a "people's initiative" or the initiative of self-seeking political players wanting to entrench themselves in power? We might further ask the question of the source of funding for this entire operation.

3. Conclusion

A call to discernment and action. In the light of the difficulties connected with the present efforts to change the Constitution, we, your Pastors, invite the People of God to take up once again the responsibilities of good citizens, who love this country and seek its true good. We remind you of the words of our Holy Father: "The direct duty for a just ordering of society - is proper to the lay faithful. As citizens of the state, they are called to take part in public life in a personal capacity. They cannot relinquish their participation - to promote - the common good." (Dues Caritas Est, 29)

We invite you then to reflect and pray over what we have presented in this statement. If, before God speaking in your conscience, you agree, we call upon you to discern the appropriate actions. As Christians, we cannot be complacent and inactive in the face of this present issue of charter change, which is so crucial to the future of our country and people. Vigilance, education, principled opposition may be necessary steps to take.

As Holy Week draws near, we pray that the self-sacrificing love of Christ, that along brings life to the world, may fill the hearts of all Filipinos and bring about the new life we all desire for our nation.

For the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines

+ ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO
Archbishop of Jaro &
CBCP President
April 7, 2006

What a powerful and enlightening letter. I pray all of us Filipinos, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, will heed its message.

Health (bad) news

Thousands of nurses leave RP yearly:

NURSES and other medical workers are leaving the Philippines at the rate of at least 15,000 a year for better-paying jobs abroad, threatening the country's health infrastructure, World Health Organization (WHO) officials warned Friday.
"It is a serious, serious situation," WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley said, noting that even Filipino doctors abandon their practices and go back to medical schools to enroll in nursing courses.

The number is more than any other country, with the United States, Britain and lately Australia the main destinations.

WHO country representative Jean Marc Olive warned that the exodus was expected to persist until 2015, with annual demand for medical workers in the United States and Europe estimated to be about 800,000.

"In the Philippines the shortage of nurses is starting to be felt, therefore it's a pressing issue that needs to be addressed, but not the quick fix solutions," Olive told a news conference.

He urged the government to look into the needs of the health workers" and adopt plans to convince them to stay.

UNICEF raises alarm on malnutrition in RP:

THE UNITED Nations Children's Fund has raised the alarm on malnutrition in the Philippines, which it noted has not substantially improved in the last 15 years.

At the first National Conference of Nutrition Stakeholders in the Philippines, UNICEF Country Representative Dr. Nicholas Alipui said he was especially concerned that child malnutrition rate in the country had remained at 30 percent for over a decade.

“Damages to children include lower intelligence, reduced physical capacity, and passing on malnutrition to the next generation. These result in reduction in productivity and sluggish economic growth, which perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Most importantly, every child has a right to be free of malnutrition,” he said.

AIDS taking 'terrible toll' on health workers--WHO:

LUSAKA -- The HIV/AIDS pandemic was taking a "terrible toll" on health workers, the World Health Organization’s top official said Friday, with many communities shorthanded of workers needed to care for those living with the disease.
Speaking in the Zambian capital Lusaka at the launch of the agency's 2006 World Health Report, WHO chief Lee Jong-wook highlighted the impact of the pandemic on the lives of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.

"I know that there are great difficulties to [be] overcome," Lee said at the report's three-city launch in Lusaka, Geneva and London.

"I know that HIV/AIDS is taking a terrible toll. It is taking skilled doctors and nurses from the bedside of the sick," he said in a speech.

The report issued on World Health Day on Friday under the banner "Working together for health", stressed the serious shortages of medical staff in poor countries from Asia to Africa.

The WHO said poor countries urgently needed 2.3 million health workers to deal with major diseases such as HIV/AIDS and everyday healthcare.

"The magnitude of the health workforce crisis in the world's poorest countries cannot be overstated and requires an urgent, sustained and coordinated response from the international community," the report warned.

"The Gospel of Judas"

The National Geographic Channel will be showing a feature program on "The Gospel of Judas" this coming Sunday. Carl Olson, co-author of the book The Da Vinci Hoax, web editor of the Ignatius Press website and moderator of the Insight Scoop blog, has a long article about it here.

On an unrelated note, tomorrow's Kapamilya Media Forum (ABS-CBN DYAB's weekly public program) will talk about celibacy of priests. They have invited two guests to tackle the issue of whether priests should be allowed to marry or not. Interesting topic. I hope to be there tomorrow at SM Activity Center at 10 in the morning.

Entrepreneurship is it!

I'm into entrepreneurship these days. Reading up/ researching on entrepreneurship, that is, and not actually engaging in any business. At least, not yet.

I've bought two back issues of Entrepreneur (Philippines) magazine yesterday. I'm also reading If Success Is A Game, These Are The Rules by Cherie Carter-Scott. It's a very good book. It has a lot of very useful insights.

My main goal is to become financially independent someday (Thank you, Bo Sanchez!). But that's quite a long shot. My more "immediate" goal is to start and operate a business within the year (Hehe, a bold goal indeed). If I can pull it off (and I really hope I can), it can help me finance my personal miscellaneous expenses, and help me and Pangga fund our wedding next year. :) Hopefully, it can also help offset the large expenses of nursing school.

The bottom line really is education. I want to learn more about entrepreneurship (and also financial literacy; I want to read Think Rich, Pinoy! and Rick Dad, Poor Dad), so that I can someday be financially independent.

New CPU

We recently bought a new CPU. And is it amazing! It's super fast. We also have a new keyboard, and it's so good to type words now. We've had our old CPU and keyboard for 6-7 years, and we've agonized over it for it has broken down several times in the past. Now we have finally changed the CPU. It's now Pentium 4. At least we have now moved on from the "pre-historic" era of computers (Pentium 3, Windows 98, etc.) Hehe.

A confession

I just read Atty Cortes' sermon on "Honoring Christ" over at his blog. It's a very insightful, simple and beautiful essay. It hit me right on the mark. Kung sa Bisaya pa, "Igo kaayo ko!"

So you see, God is in control of our circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be. For all we know God has allowed our circumstances to be what they are because he intends to save souls. Precisely because Paul was a prisoner the gospel reached Rome. And precisely because he was a prisoner he had access to the Praetorian Guard; the case would probably have been otherwise had he been free! Therefore let us not be dismayed by the circumstances God has allowed us to be in. For all we know our very failures, our very difficulties, are the very circumstances God intends to use to lead people to Christ. (Emphasis mine)

I am in such a difficult circumstance right now. For many months now I have been inactive in our Singles For Christ community here in Cebu. I can give many reasons for why I have been absent in all of our major gatherings (cluster, chapter, and weekly prayer meetings, teachings and talks, retreats, and fellowships). I can tell my "bros" and "sis" that I've been busy with a lot of things in school. But the truth is, I could've attended the meetings if I really wanted to. The truth is, I didn't want to.

Prior to being a constant absentee, I was quite active in the community. I attended all the meetings. Being in the community, meeting people, serving, listening to talks, sharing thoughts, problems, and laughter with my "bros" and "sis" truly gave me joy and peace, and certainly strengthened me each day, gave me confidence, supported me in the hardships that life offers. Until bad habit got in the way: laziness, irresponsibility, insincerity, lukewarmness to service, and most of all, pride.

I was assigned to be a household head. I was reluctant at first to accept the responsibility, because I knew it was going to be a big responsibility, because I was going to be taking care of people; that is, I was to be put in charge of looking after the new members of our community, of guiding them and helping facilitate their growth in the Christian life. I was also hesistant because I have a great weakness in dealing with people - I'm not very good with people. I accepted it, eventually, and during the first few weeks and perhaps months all went well. It was challenging, but it was a good experience. However, little by little I became weaker in my service. I was not very sincere with my obligations. Then our prayer meetings became less frequent, until another "bro" who is also a head from another household became concerned; he did not want our households to disintegrate, so he proposed that we merge our households together so that we can become more united and bonded. It worked well. Although we didn't acknowledge it, we had a silent understanding/ agreement that he was now going to be the head of our two households. He's really a very good leader. He has his way with people. He's very humble, and he can easily make people at ease with him. We in the community really see that he's serious and very dedicated to the community. Around that time I enrolled in nursing. It was then that I started missing our weekly meetings. My classes would usually end up at around 7 in the evening, and they would usually fall on the night of our prayer meetings. If I was not absent, I was late. It became a habit. I started not taking my service seriously; I became less and less dependable. Later my "bro", the one I was talking about, and her girlfriend, who is also our "sis" in the community, got a job in Manila, so they had to transfer there. During our last prayer meeting together my "bro" announced that he was assigning another member of his household to be our new head. That really hurt me; that is, it really injured my pride. I felt bad and offended about his decision, although, deep inside me, I know that the "bro" he's appointing to replace him is truly more qualified and capable than me, and he is indeed dedicated and zealous with his service, whereas I, am the opposite.

I accepted what happened for a while, but I couldn't help feeling hurt about it. I nurtured the hurt inside me. Later I learned that before my "bro" left for Manila he had a "despedida" party at his house with most if not all of the members in our chapter. I didn't know it, I wasn't invited. This injured my very high pride even more, and so steadily I distanced myself from the community. That prayer meeting was the last one I attended, and it was 3 months or so ago.

To make things uglier, I became more envious about his great fortune (landing a good job in Manila). That despite the knowledge that those are God's blessings to him for his faithfulness to his service. I know it's very wrong to feel envious, but I can't help feeling that way. That reveals something truly ugly about my character.

Anyway, I now realize that the Lord may have a reason why He has allowed me to be where I am now.

Besides, the Lord knows best: it is possible that by humbling you and laying you aside he intends to accomplish much more than you ever dreamed of.

Or He may only want to teach me a lesson in humility, because that is one of my greatest weakness.

For the same reason he was beyond envy, for what mattered to him was not his personal influence or honor, but the honor of Jesus Christ. In the words of John the Baptist, “He must increase, I must decrease.” There is no room for envy in the ministry. The ministry is not about competition; it is not about self-exaltation. It is about glorifying the Savior. Sometimes the Lord allows us to be humbled while others are honored. Nevertheless we will rejoice, for the ministry is not about this servant or that servant – the ministry is about the glory of Christ and his glory alone.

That has been my problem mostly. It's not about the people in the ministry. It's Who the ministry seeks to serve and honor and glorify. It has never been about the personalities in the ministry.

I am really hoping of going back to SFC. It has really been a source of strength for me (perhaps that's a very selfish motive). The Christian life, as we have been taught, can be likened to a wheel. The hub of the wheel is Christ, because He is at the center and therefore He acts as the 'foundation' of the wheel. The wheel has four spokes, namely, Prayer, Study, Fellowship, and Service, and these are the pillars of the wheel. The road signify life, with its rough and smooth surfaces. Without the spokes the wheel easily breaks or is crushed. When one or two spokes are missing, the wheel is damaged and it can't function properly. Same with Christian life, even if the two pillars of Prayer and Study are present, but you don't belong to a Christian community, meaning you don't have Service and Fellowship, you can easily be weakened in your faith; you are easily defeated by the trials in life. I want to go back to the community but I'm struggling with my fears and my pride.

A highly interesting Pinoy theology blog

I was searching Google for Pinoy theology blogs (because I wanted to know if there are Pinoy bloggers out there who tackle theology in their blogs) and I found this highly interesting blog:

Philippine Theo Law Gee: On Theology, Law and everything else from a Filipino perspective

A lot of interesting stuff in there. It's by a lawyer who also teaches theology, writes songs and loves books. Wow!

I have found a treasure of a blog. Why treasure? Because we virtually don't have Pinoy bloggers who blog about the beautiful subject of theology (the only other blogger I know is Father Stephen Cuyos). I sure do hope Atty. Cortes (I believe that's his name), will continue his blogging. I would've wanted to leave a comment in his blog but I don't have a Wordpress account.

A quote from his blog:

“What is it that true theology aims at? To gain understanding and wisdom in gospel mysteries by experience of personal knowledge of God in Christ, to gain an insight into the marvels of God’s plans and covenants through the ages, and to experience and partake of spiritual worship and obedient faith…. Above all, let those who undertake the study of theology and have no wish to squander away their time and efforts always keep in mind that their aim is to attain wisdom, and that wisdom is the spiritual, saving wisdom of the gospel.”

– JOHN OWEN, Biblical Theology (Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 2nd ed., 1996) p. 694

Guru of what?

This is unbelievable:

Fr. Bernas: From law dean to 'guru of destabilization'

Asked to comment, Gonzalez said: "It seems to me he (Bernas) is the guru of destabilization. Everything he says is always against the President. The problem with Bernas is that he thinks he's the only one who knows the law ... the Constitution.

What an irresponsible thing to say. It's hard to think that he's our Justice Secretary.

Here Gonzalez sounds even more childish:

Gonzalez went on to describe Bernas as the "lord and master of all constitutionalists and we have to bow to him."

The coming qualifying exam, and some recently acquired books

We finished our final examinations last week. It went okay. I studied at the last minute (as is my habit). Fortunately, the exams weren't very hard. I still can't celebrate or relax yet, though, because we'll be having a qualifying exam this coming Friday. It will cover Anatomy and Physiology, and Health Care 1 and 2. The exam will compose 20% of our final grade. That's a lot. So we better do good on it. They said the type of exam is only going to be "multiple choice". I hope so. They said it's only going to be easy, as it is "general", and requires only "stocked knowledge". Gee, I sure hope I still got a few of our lessons in Anatomy and Health Care 1 stocked here in my head.

Maybe I'm very lucky to have found this very interesting book: Nurse by Peggy Anderson. (Notice the picture of the nurse on the cover of the book. Doesn't it look like a figure of a white lady??? Hehehe... creepy; you'd think it's a horror book.)



It's the true story of a nurse (Mary Benjamin, not her real name) as she goes about the daily challenges and routines of her work. From the back cover:

"Sometimes I help people live.
Sometimes I help them die.
Always, I help them. I'm a nurse."

"The shocking, inspiring, surprise bestseller, Nurse is the story of eight weeks in the life of a nurse in a large urban hospital. It is all here: the joy and pain, the death and drama, the mistakes, successes and secrets. Nurse reads like a novel, but sticks in the memory like a real experience. Because it is."

I found it this afternoon in RSO Bookshop in SM. I have started reading it and I'm enjoying the story so far.

I also found a second-hand copy (still in very good condition) of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.



I already have my own copy here at home, but I like the one I saw in SM because it's bigger. The texts are larger and more readable (Nindut unta palitun, pero it's a bit expensive, PHP350). The one I have is somewhat pocket-sized. I haven't read it yet because I'm still learning more about Theology of the Body. I'm still trying to finish the audio programs about TOTB over at the EWTN website and I am still planning on reading more about it at Christopher West's website, plus I also hope to read the late Pope John Paul II's work itself on TOTB (Whew, it's going to be a very tough challenge). I am also reading this book called Marriage: A Path to Sanctity, by Javier Abad and Eugenio Fenoy.



It's not an easy read (theological texts aren't usually immediately understandable to laymen like me), but the effort is worth it. There are gems of thoughts in the book. Here's an example:

"This should explain why married couples who engaged in pre-marital relations soon discover that they never got to know each other well. A relationship ruled by passion clouds the mind and maims the will: one loses the freedom to love. The sense of touch is not enough to discover a person's qualities and defects, which can bring about disconcertment, frustration and "falling out". We have said that courtship is a period of getting personally aquainted; and this is possible only when the couple use their mind to guide their will and thus freely decide whether or not they should go on with their relationship." (Italics mine).

The quote is significant for me because of my belief that pre-marital sexual relations, or sex outside of marriage, is wrong. My Pangga and I understand this... :)

I also bought recently The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines for Education Within the Family, by the Pontifical Council for the Family. It was pure coincidence that a saw an only copy of it at St. Paul's in Ayala. It was mentioned as a reference in the Abad and Fenoy book. I got it for only 25 pesos (it's only a booklet).

Tonight I'll be staying late to continue the bi-monthly report I have to make for my father's, or our family's, business. It's quite a tedious, monotonous work. The only thing that keeps me going is my listening to the EWTN radio over the internet.

PCIJ targeted by the DOJ

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in its blog has come out with a statement expressing its disappointment with the Department of Justice over what Raul Gonzalez recently said in an interview on ANC.

Why is the government singling out PCIJ? The DOJ is clearly resorting to intimidation tactics. PCIJ is not the only media group who carried the "Hello Garci" audio recording in their website. Several media websites and blogs also carried it. The audio recording was even played in Congress during its hearing on the issue. And what's more ironic is that Malacanang itself, through Ignacio Bunye, released a copy of the recording, which it claimed to be the "authentic" one, when the controversy first broke out.

More and more this administration is resembling the Marcos regime. It's truly scary and disturbing, how this administration is going after the media, resorting to all sorts of threats and harassment. But what is perhaps more troubling is that the public seems to be complacent about what is happening.

Hope for sea turtles

A beautiful news story about sea turtles over at Inq7.net:

Feeling the rough sand for only the second time since they were hatched on this resort island, a dozen marine turtles inched their way toward the waters off the coast, following the fading light of sunset as their guide to a vast new home.

What a noble thing Club Paradise is doing! What a hopeful message to bring to this environment-hostile world of ours.

And I just found out about this amazing fact:

According to Humphreys, it is important for marine turtles to walk on the sand before reaching the sea to allow the minerals in their body to register the magnetic field of the earth at that spot.

Female marine turtles that survive return to the exact same place where they were born to lay their own eggs.

It is hoped that the dozen or so babies released last week would make the return trip to this island and deliver the next generation of marine turtles, which will again follow the sun and propagate their kind for another 30, 50 or 150 years.

Sea turtles have that ability? To be able to find the exact same place where they were born? Wow!

New look

I think it's about time I change the look of this blog... :)

Thank you to this cool site: Blogger Templates.

I'll still be working with the links (I'll be adding a lot of GREAT sites I've come across lately. I've long wanted to link them here, but I haven't got the time), as well as the Haloscan comments system and the tag board...

Nostalgic about PS

I met Marty tonight at National Bookstore in Ayala. She's our officemate when Pangga and I were still working in PS. She was still the same cool person I knew her to be. I waved my hand in front of her to disrupt her distant glance and she was surprised to see me. She is now a TRON (I forgot what this stands for), meaning she no longer takes calls and troubleshoots client internet problems (technical support, which was very hard and emotionally draining, especially when you're not used to irate customers). She now coordinates with technicians who fix clients' internet problems at their homes. That's a far easier job to handle than what we in our batch first dealt with. Memories came flooding in. I became nostalgic again about PS. These questions came back to haunt me again: "Would I have been happier if I stayed in PS a little while longer, at least until the time I can get promoted to another department and to a more bearable kind of job? Did I make the biggest mistake in my life by leaving PS? Was I such a great fool?" Yet, that night when I decided never to report for work again, I felt sure that I never wanted to work in PS again. I felt quite certain that I can't take anymore my job, that I've had it with call center life. I even assured myself that I will never ever regret my decision to leave. Strange how things change as time pass by. I now doubt whether I made the right decision. I now doubt whether what I did was wise. In fact, sometimes I find myself criticizing my decision as totally foolish. I find myself telling myself that I lacked foresight and did not use my head. That's why these days I've learned never to make decisions based on mere feelings... And I now admit that my decision then was based on my feelings. I did not use reason.

Even now I am still amazed how radically different my life has changed since I left PS. It's quite painful to contemplate, that often I shun the memory off, and choose to focus instead on the present.