the bilog blog goes totally Male.

Belated Happy Birthday United States Marine Corps!!!
232 years of kicking butt all over the frickin' World!
Semper fi!

Now, can anyone tell me, when our elite Philippine Marines celebrate their birthday?
Philippine Marines: XX years kicking butt in Basilan! Booyeahh!!

Another date gone horribly wrong

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me: "So, what kind of movies do you like?"
girl i recently met: " I like foreign movies."
me: "Hollywood movies?"
girl: "Yeah, and some Japanese movies. I love Akira..."
me: " Yeah, I watched Akira too! On Betamax. Best anime ever..."
girl: "I was talking about Akira Kurosawa."
me: "Eh? Well, I still watch a lot of Japanese movies."
girl: "Really?! That's great! Ano favorite mo?"
me: "GUNDAM."
girl: "Are you totally retarded?"
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the Bilog Blog's take on the Desperate Housewives brouhahah

A friend asked me ( they always ask me crappy questions) what I thought about the recent scandal over Teri Hatcher's line about "some med school in the Philippines." I answered that the writers were dumb and had no idea what they were talking about. Then I went back to watching porn - I mean - reading my Kaplan reviewer.

On later introspection (while sitting on the toilet) I realized that I shouldn't have been offended. Teri Hatcher's line went this way:

“Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines.”

Notice that she said "some med school." Well, I am not just from SOME med school. I graduated from THE med school of the Philippines.

Hehehe! Angas ng peyups! UP Fight!

Dudes, I kinda suck!

I didn't get into the residency program of Veteran's Memorial Hospital. That sucks.

Now that's out of the way, let's go back to what we do best here in the blog: making fun of other people. (Yes, this is a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black, but I don't give a flying f*ck. Not right now.)

The Bilog Blog Picks a Fight. Issue 1.

Something I saw on the internet pissed me off today. In one of the friendster clone-websites I joined (this one supposedly for book lovers) a person I was connected to gave this review about the book "Soulmates, Karma and Reincarnation" by local woowoo idiot Jaime Licauco:

"either we believe it or not ,, there are some facts that prove about reincarnation... try this book and let's talk bout some experience (if you believe in such thing as karma, reincarnation and soulmate) "

Something in the above statement made me want to provoke a fight. (Guess what it was?! Hahahaha!!) So I added a comment to her little review:

"What facts prove reincarnation?"

I'm waiting for her to reply. I'll keep you losers posted.
___________________________________________________________________

Note: I don't believe in reincarnation. What I do believe is that any Christian or someone with a good education who believes in reincarnation is an idiot.

Next Issue: The Bilog Blog picks a fight with Losers who like The Da Vinci Code.

The week of the crap interview and b*llshit exam.

September 23, 2007

Lest you think that I practically spent the whole week just eating rich food and lying around at home, let me clarify that I did have an eventful week. I had clinic days and was called for an interview at Veteran's Memorial Medical Center. The entrance exam for NKTI was also last Saturday.

The interview at VMMC was, in my opinion, okay except for when they screwed us all in the ass by giving us an oral exam. Each of the interviewees was given a clinical case to discuss with the interview panel. I'm not going to tell you what my case was because I'd really rather not think about it anymore. (Sobs in the corner.)

Last Saturday was the entrance exam for the residency program of NKTI. While I did browse through my Harrison's I have to admit that I didn't study for it since I was trying to finish my Microbiology for USMLE.
...
Okay, fine! I was also lazy! Ahhh, Constant Reader, you know me so well. F*ck you.

At NKTI, I met a batchmate of mine from UPCM and some people who were my clerks at PGH. They were all taking the same test I was. Holy crap! Madami na kami na UP grads applying for only FIVE slots sa IM Department! (Nakanampucha naman mehn!) Then there were about 60 to 70 others applying and taking the exam that day. I had a really bad feeling about my chances and I'm no longer hoping for it.

As for the exam, the only thing I can say about it is, "tawa na lang ako."
I then went home and sulked for the whole day and only went out when I was weak from hunger.

Wow, two ass reamings in a week! No wonder I overate.

The Week of Overeating

September 23, 2007

My mother is currently visiting my brother and his wife in Hong Kong, leaving me and my cousin to fend for ourselves. What this basically means, since we were both fully functioning adults, is that we were left to our own devices when it came to our meals. I don't know what my cousin ate but I soon found myself, after a few meals, in a bit of a pickle.

The fundamental problem I had was basically I could only barely afford to feed myself. To solve this, I made out a budget and told myself I was going to stick to it. I woke up late everyday so I didn't have to eat breakfast. What I had almost everyday was brunch, which according to Timmy Turner's dad in the cartoon Fairly Oddparents is "better than lunch!" I planned to stick to the standards, Jollibee, McDonald's and KFC and probably something like Chicken Bacolod or a pizza. The purpose of eating out was also so I didn't have to wash dishes or put out the garbage.

By the end of the 2nd day, I was sick at the thought of fastfood. So I shifted to foodcourt stuff which was only marginally better and more expensive since I ate at the foodcourt in Gateway Mall. My budget was in shambles soon enough because of this. I also found myself eating more than what I normally eat (an understatement), having extra rice for one thing and some dessert, which I normally never have. Having to get dressed every few hours to walk to the mall soon wore me down. Kakatamad!

By the end of the 5th day (last Friday), I was a bit eager for my mother to come home. However, I did not want to worry her too much since I knew she was enjoying her stay abroad so I just shut up about how I was eating when we talked over YM.

Tomorrow, I pick her up at the airport so my week of hellish (not really) overeating is finally over.

Conclusions:

1. If ever end up living alone, I need to hire a cook. Someone who knows how to cook healthful meals. Otherwise, I predict I'll be dead by 40.

2. My eating habits since med school have changed. I can no longer tolerate non-home cooked meals for very long. Nakakasawa ang food court at fastfood.

3. I am a spoiled brat and will probably be hanging around my mother's house even when she and Dad are old and retired.

4. I'm obsessed with food. I even write about it in my blog. Huhuhuhuhuh!!!

A Clinic Story - that sucked!

This guy comes in and he tells me he has a problem with "singaw." I take a look and see one small oral ulcer on the inside of his lower lip. I then disregarded one of the lessons I learned in medicine: "Don't overthink." I asked about sexual history. Yup, he did have sex with a you-know-what. I then asked him if he developed a painless lesion in his thingy. Yes he did. I then informed him that he may have syphilis and that we needed to do a blood test (RPR) to confirm. I then made out a lab request and sent him on his way with the instruction of seeing me when he got the results back.

I was a bit proud of myself. I was finally developing the vaunted CLINICAL EYE. I was so sure of the diagnosis that I even filled out a prescription for antibiotics.

Then the poor fellow came back with the results. Negative.
Hehehe. So much for clinical eye.

THE JP Update - September 2007.

Hello! For once sinipag din ako gumawa ng update sa super blog na ito. Stuff happened during the past few days since my last post. A lot of stuff.


August 27, 28, 29

I went to the 1st ever BREATHE Conference which was held in the PETA theater in QC last August 27-29. I paid 1500 for it and it sucked. It was supposed to be a CME (continuing medical education) seminar but instead it was a disorganized mess. The lectures which I wanted to attend were in conflict with the Basic Life Support workshop which I had to attend (due to NKTI requiring it of their applicants) and the lectures I did manage to attend were for respiratory therapists and nurses. What was I doing in a lecture on the different types of mechanical ventilators for example? There was even this Australian speaker who gave a talk about Buteyko Breathing, a psuedo-scientific load of crap and I could see that all us doctors there were itching to interrupt and say that what the speaker was saying was pure horsesh*t. However, the Filipino trait of not wanting to contradict and embarrass guests prevailed and I (and apparently everyone else) kept my piehole shut.

And then there was the food.

The food, while okay, was in very small portions that we had to (even the very slim doctor who was with us) buy additional food later. That to me was the worst thing about the whole damn conference.

The whole seminar was a waste of money and the only good thing I got out of it was the BLS training and certificate. I left early on the last day and went home to sleep and cry on my pillow for the money I had flushed down the toilet.

September 1
I was called for an orientation for pre-residency in Quirino Memorial Medical Center last Saturday. I went there early and was shocked to learn that the damn thing was a month long and was in September. However, they did say it was okay for us to do it in October and about half of us jumped on that. The residents then gave us a tour of the whole hospital.

As we walked through the place, I began to have a feeling that while I had run away from my beloved PGH, I was going to a place that was almost a twin of PGH. A big hospital bursting with charity patients. I didn't know if I should rejoice or feel dread. This time, I would not even have the luxury of my peers of having clerks and interns to order around!!

As of today, I'm only about 50% sure that I'm going to go through with it and show up there on October 1. You see, I finally received my exam permit for my step 1 MLE and I know I have to ace it in order to have a good score. I was advised to not go and just spend October studying. I don't know. I'll give you updates later.


September 4
I spent the day cleaning the car and driving to 2 hospitals today. I went to National Kidney and Transplant Institute and to Veteran's Memorial to submit applications for residency. More on that in later blog updates. Tamad na ako eh.

LeeeLooo

I found myself switching channels today between the Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix and Star Movies which was showing the movie Herbie Fully Loaded. Featured in this movie was a sentient VW Beetle (no not Bumblebee!) and Lindsay Lohan with her "two best friends." Much as I love LiLo's thingies, I love the VW Bug more. Our old car before we moved to Manila was a grey-blue VW Beetle which we called "Ocho." We left Ocho when we moved here to Manila and last I heard, the poor thing was headed to a junk yard after a really bad accident. I think my mom actually cried over it.

As such, I have added restoring a vintage VW bug and naming it Ocho II to my list of crap I'm going to do before I die from a stroke or a heart attack at the age of 55. It's number 67.

I think Lindsay Lohan looked hot in the movie. This was the the movie where she was still fresh and sexy. However, she's a train wreck now. It's amazing how she went from this:

To this:

Eeeeeewwwww.

Awww, who am I kidding? Just clean her up and I'd still do "evil" things to her.

THE JP Update - August 2007.

Hello Constant Reader! It's been a long long while since I updated this blog. As I said before, nothing much has been happening in my life and I don't have anything worth writing about. My life is still the same; wake up in the morning, screw around at home or study for USMLE or go to the clinic if I have clinic that day. PrOn, TV, internet, youtube, friendster, webcomics complete my days.

I don't go out much too. The last movie I saw was the Simpsons Movie which for me, since I'm a fan, is one hell of a good movie. 4 out of 5 stars! And before that, I saw the supreme awesomeness of The Transformers and realized I was never going to watch those old 80s cartoons ever again.

Career-wise, I'm still stuck in the GP rut but hopefully, in a few months, I start residency and while this would mean a more stressful life and a lot less bilog blog posts, it would also be the formal start of my medical career. I'm also studying for my US medical licensure exam (USMLE) so I can leave (temporarily) this place.

Personal life? Still non-existent. Go f*ck yourself. Huhuhuhu.... (weeps in the corner.)

My career and personal life is in limbo. Things can only improve from here.

It's been a long while since I made an entry to this most excellent of blogs. The reason for this is that there wasn't anything to write about anyway. For the past few months since the Hong Kong trip, all I did was get up in the morning, either go to the clinic if I had a clinic day (Thanks Petite and Rose!) or screw around at home, then work in the evenings as the world's greatest editor of medical transcription crap. Add a few minutes of pr0n (Minutes? Yeah right!) and a few hours of TV and the picture of my life is complete.

Then I got fired from my job last week.

They ( the douche-bag manager of the MT department) wanted someone office-based and probably willing to work for less than what I was getting. I'm currently at the end of my last 2 weeks with the company and surprisingly, I'm not angry or bitter. I have to admit that I'm going to miss the money but the fact is I'm a bit relieved to be out of the editing business. It was getting boring and I was enjoying my few clinic days (Thanks Petite and Rose!) plus I was getting tired of always rushing home at the end of the day to finish my workload before 10 pm (7 am in California).

What I am is a little bit depressed. With the loss of the job, I realized that I've been sitting on my ass too long and it's time to get up and be a doctor. What the hell was I doing editing other doctor's notes when I should be working on becoming the one whose notes are being edited? (Hmm. Pangit at OA ng pagkasabi ko nun ah, pero you get the point di ba?)

So right now, I'm just waiting to finish my last two weeks then I apply for a moonlighting job in a hospital, read Harrison's 16th edition cover to cover, and finally take the first step on getting training in the US. Time to get busy.

As for the personal life thing...you know how it is. (!@$$%^%!!!)

Bahala na.

Hey, more posts to follow!! The bilog blog is back! Comments are welcome!

post-Hong Kong blues

It's been almost two weeks since I arrived home from the Kong and a few people were asking me why I haven't put anything into the bilog blog about it. Frankly, it's because I was too lazy and too busy having fun and exploring the place to blog about it and after I came home, it hurt to think of the place too much so I busied myself with other pursuits.

Yes, I fell in love with the damn place. Hong Kong is wonderful! The tourist and commuter friendly city with its clean streets, efficient transport system (trams, double decker buses and MTR trains), and tourist traps like the Peak, street markets, museums, and Ocean Park made me wish I was one of the rude, English-torturing, dollar-worshiping Chinese living there. Unfortunately, the 14-day visitor limit, a rapidly shrinking wallet, and a mother who by then was demanding I come home eventually forced me to leave. The last few moments at the large (huge!) Hong Kong International airport were some of the saddest in my life. The plane ride was no fun either even though I met an older but still pretty woman.

So now here I am back in Manila, but resolved to go back to this place of many delights but difficult to understand English. As soon as possible, when enough money is available to me, I will go back. I still have a lot of new places to go to and places to re-visit.

And I'm inviting you, Constant Readers to come with me. How does an October trip sound? Not hot like in March-May, but not freezing like in January and February (My only complaint while I was there. T*ng*na! Ang lamig!!).

(I will soon put up a photoblog of my eleven day odyssey as soon as I learn how to use the features of blogspot. Asa pa kayo na ilalagay ko sa friendster mga pics ko.)

The Bilog Blog in Hong Kong - the first few hours.

Hello Constant Readers!

I'm in Hong Kong for the next few days visiting my brother and his wife. I'll try to make posts everyday I'm here. This trip is kind of a big deal for me, because I've never been fond of travelling and this may be the last time I could get to do something like this since next year, Im going to go into residency (no quitting this time).

The flight in (Cebu-Pacific) was uneventful except I got robbed when the damn flight attendants sold me a 100-peso sandwhich. I had not eaten anything since 11 am that morning and what I had eaten was very little-I was excited-so I was very hungry.

We landed at HK International at 6:40 pm. I went through immigration and baggage claim with no trouble and met my sister-in-law. We then took the train from the airport to Hong Kong station and then took the taxi to their apartment in Sheung Wan. Then we had pizza delivered. Yes, I came all the way here to eat pizza.

Observations:
1. The airport is a great place to see a lot of beautiful women.
2. When you're hungry and you're thousands of feet above the ground, 100 pesos for a dry, tasteless sandwhich isn't so bad.
3. Having a window seat is great. Except when the wing of the plane is right outside the window and you can see the damn thing wiggling in the turbulence. Holy shit!
4. The difference between a travel hub like Hong Kong (henceforth referred to as The Kong) and a backwater like Manila is huge. Very.
5. Saying "Ang daming foreigners!" is stupid.
6. The Chinese are really rude. If given a chance, I'd kick them in the teeth.
7. Taxi drivers in the Kong are rude and drive in a way that made me think of roller coasters.
8. Finally, if you're very hungry, you won't mind eating pizza as your first meal in the Kong.

I haven't seen much of the place so nothing else to say here. Tomorrow I'm going out to really explore, but for now, the poorest conyo is signing out.

What happened after. Issue # 1

THE EMPEROR.

“Hail the Emperor!!!!”

“Have they found the boy, general?”

“Not in this village, Sire. We believe the rebels have taken him to the mountain strongholds.”

“I assume that you have sent troops to that area as well?”

“Yes, Sire. Twenty veteran legions and some of the best trackers we have. We will find the boy.”

“Excellent, general.”

“What of the villagers, Sire?

“They were there when the boy dared to mock me?”

“No, your Highness, only the headman.”

“Nevertheless, burn the village.”

“Yes, Sire.”

“And General?”

“Yes, my, Emperor?”

“Why do you avert your eyes when you address me?”

“Uhhh…”

“What, General?”

“Um, I said that the clothes you are wearing are too beautiful for this old soldier’s eyes, Sire.”

“Yes, I know what you mean. These clothes are amazing!”

“Ummm….”

“It’s so light and cool. It feels like I’m not wearing anything!”

“Uhhh…”

“Too bad, that the tailors are dead, executed for overcharging me and giving me that unfinished outfit that caused that boy to mock me during the parade…”

(shudder) “Yes, my Emperor….”

“Hehehehe….Laugh at the God-Emperor, will they? Do they not realize that only the truly worthy can see what I wear?"

"How many did we execute that day, General?”

“Twenty-seven thousand citizens, Sire. Virtually everyone who was at the parade.”

“Hmmm… Execute a few thousand more until we find the boy.”

“Yes, Sire.”

The Emperor then rose from his seat in his majestic, new clothes that no one could see and walked back to his camp. Behind him, the village began to burn.

Another rant against conyos. Envy makes me creative.

I really hate it when people talk about "following their passion." There was this article I read many weeks ago in the uber-conyotic section of the Inquirer (Saturday SUPER!) about this conyo dude who said that he shifted from architecture to film because he wanted to follow his passion. My reaction to what he said was a laugh and the thought, "Ulol. Sino niloloko mo?! Nahirapan ka lang sa archi. Hahahahaha!!! F*cking conyo."
Using the term "passion" when describing your hobby, job, vocation, or sexual perversion is such a pompous thing to do. Dude, we get it, okay?! We can see from the way you rub your crotch against street signs that you love doing it. But please stop talking about it.
This rant was brought about by the situation of somebody I know. She had just passed the UPCAT but didn't get into the BS Nursing program. Instead, she was accepted to the College of Pharmacy and to the College of Engineering. Now, she's under a lot of pressure from her parents to just stay in their province and enroll in a local college as a nursing major. Kawawa naman. She wants to study in UP. Too bad her family's not rich enough for her to follow her passion.

Welcome to the new Bilog Blog!

This is the first post of the new Bilog Blog.
The friendster.com Bilog Blog will still be updated but this will be where I'll be putting my main effort.

For know, I'm still thinking of crap to put here. So stand by, Constant Readers.