If you ever have time to read a book this summer, I suggest you pick up a copy of She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb and read it. It's a story about the trials and tribulations of a severely obese and abused child who grew up to be an even more troubled adult. Dolores Price has endured a lot, much more than what we have experienced I guess. From rape to mental illness to divorce to death of her loved ones, Dolores has experienced it all and still emerged from it a stronger person. It may have taken her years to deal with her issues, notwithstanding a trip to a mental institute, but amidst all this she has found herself, which is more than what some of us may hope for. Read it and weep. Read it and celebrate life.

Note: One of the surprises of this book is the fact that it's written by a man. Wally Lamb wrote it so convincingly in the female point of view that you'd have to flip to the back cover so many times to make sure he's really a guy.

Wehehe walang pasok ngayon! This is the first time the classes were postponed due to floods. And for some reason, I'm not as homesick anymore. Hehe. Mala-Pinas kasi ang baha eh. The school will open next Tuesday so that gives me almost a one-week vacation. Yun nga lang we have to pay for those missed classes by extending the interim course. It's ok, as long as that wouldn't conflict with my summer classes.

When Gmail was launched just weeks ago, I knew it would be in high demand. Not only of the 1 GB capacity but also because of its name that people would be clamoring for an account. However I didn't expect this kind of following:

"One poster on the Web site Gmail Swap (http://gmailswap.revhost.net/), which is not affiliated with Google, offered a certificate for a donkey ride down the Grand Canyon valued at $200 in exchange for a Gmail invitation."

"Another person used as a lure an authentic Trojan costume that he said was from the Hollywood epic "Troy," starring Brad Pitt."

"A resident of France appealed to users of the online community Craigslist for an account, offering in exchange a "beautiful postcard from Paris ... with a message of choice to anyone you like/love."

"Another poster to the service vowed to pray for the person generous enough to hand over an invitation, with one exception: "Unable to repair male-pattern baldness."

More from this article.

The news seemed amusing until I read the last line:

Early users of e-mail services often have the first crack at common or unique addresses. However, because Gmail is still in testing, Google could ask users to re-register when the official version is launched -- a scenario the company declined to comment on.

WTF?!?

Testing BloggerBot from Hello Photoblogging... Wow this is awesome! A software that lets you post digital photos on your blog for FREE! No separate server, no resizing through a photo editing software, and really, no fees! Best of all, it's affiliated with Blogger so rest assured, it's very newbie-friendly. Try it!

I got a letter from FCCPT last May 7. Due to my insane schedule, I haven't had the time to post it and announce to the world that I got approved by the said affiliation.

I can hear the Hallelujah chorus going through my head!

ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouLORD!

Now all I need is the SSS card and I'm all set. Once I have it, tuloy-tuloy na to: driver's license, a job, and an application to the Board of PT here in Illinois. Teka that means I have to start studying?! Eeeek.

Someone I consider a friend once said that it’s easier to believe in yourself after someone else has believed in you first. I guess it's true. There are many things I haven't realized that I've been doing for the past years... including this. I've been too hard on myself to the point of having crippling self-doubts and being unable to forgive my shortcomings. I can't get past my failures and the it-should-have-beens. But now, I know better. It hurt a lot before but not anymore. I can look back and not feel a pang of pain over the things that have gone wrong. Totoo nga -- failures have their purposes too. They made me stronger and more prepared to face what lay ahead.

I received a call from the supervisor of the department where I applied for a job. Here we go again. After numerous failed attempts, I don't know if this is going to be the job for me. Hay bahala na. Wish me luck. And I got it! Thank you Lord! The only problem is I don't have a social security number. The department won't hire me unless I have one. Got to work on that then. :)

Why did I ever sign up for an interim course?! 4 hours a day, 4 days a week in three weeks?! Plus it's freaking Anthropology!!! What a bore. Well the subject is ok I guess. Learning about different cultures, finding out our differences, understanding human nature -- that's an ok subject don't you think? Pero hello four hours?! After the first hour, I can feel my eyes drooping and at the end of the 2nd hour, I am totally asleep and lost. Sigh. I hope I can get through this. I just kept on thinking, in less than 2 weeks, we're done. :)

As a wake-up call yesterday, I went to Old Orchard and watched Troy. Not bad for an epic movie. Good thing I forgot the story of Iliad. If not, I'm sure I would have thrown a fit over the details they changed in the movie. What can we do anyway? This movie needs to sell and what better way to sell than to show butts and abs? Who am I to complain? Here are my other thoughts on the movie:

• Muscles and ego definitely define this movie.


• Paris is way prettier than Helen. Too bad he's a wuss.


• Eric Bana as Hector -->


• Lord of the Rings anyone?


• Noble King Priam -- a totally unforgettable character in Troy.


• Good thing the movie did not focus on Paris and Helen's story. The political and human side of this story is far more interesting than two people in lust.


• Still can't decide if I like it or not.

Anyway I'm looking forward to visiting Old Orchard again and watching Kill Bill 2 and The Punisher. Any comments about these two movies?

I feel so helpless. It's like waiting for the inevitable end although I know there is still hope. I feel cramped... suffocated... by all this hullabaloo. What am I talking about? Well, the finals of course. Kakapraning.

... and what a great way to end it! I finally had to stick a patient with an insulin injection. What an experience! I almost hesitated at the last instant. If I waited for one more second, I guess I would really have backed out. Plus, I also got the chance to change an IV tubing, administer an IV piggyback and an IV push, and perform a blood glucose test. Whew! For almost 9 weeks I didn't do anything except give meds and assess vital signs and now, on the last week, they dump on me all these skills! It's funny if you think about it but it really was overwhelming. I'm glad I had the chance to do all of these skills though. Now, I can say that I'm not at all the girl who had her first clinical experience as a nursing student 10 weeks ago. Everything changed and it was really for the better. I'm surprised I just realized it now.

4 final exams done, 1 more to go! FINALS ARE DONE! Woohoo!

Oh something good came up this week. I want to share it with you but not today. Let's just say it's one of the things I'm glad is over.

Uy bago na pala interface ng Blogger. Buti pa sya, naka-update na, ako hinde pa. :( Ang busy-busy kasi eh. Hopefully, by the end of this week, I'll be able to revamp my site and at the same time, explore Blogger's new settings. Uy may commenting feature na pala sila! Sa wakas.

Heyyyyyy... Douglas Bowman, Jeffrey Zeldman, and Dave Shea provided new templates?! Cool! If you didn't know, these guys are the webdesigners I've been going gaga over. Ganda ng mga layouts nila. Visit their sites (and official projects) and you'll see how brilliant they are in CSS-rendered styles. Hmm let's see, Jeff's site is this one, Doug's are this and this, and Dave's is this. Gaganda di ba?

BTW Happy Mother's Day sa lahat ng mga nanay!

Ay onga pala, today's election day in Pinas right? Naku, musta na kaya ang eleksyon? Sana naman maganda ang resulta. Haayyy...

EDIT:

So how is it guys? How's the (election) results coming along?

Care to try your tongues on these twisters?

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase

Total gastrectomy esophagojejunostomy

Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase

And that's just a handful of the (unbelievable) terms I learned this sem. Thank God for abbreviations. :)