This Article Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth

I love reading articles from Thought Catalog and this particular article got my attention so I'm going to share it to you guys.

People Tell Me I Have High Standards, But A Feeling Is All That I’m Looking For 

SEP. 27, 2013 By JENNIFER VANDERS 

I do not date much and as a result, both friends and family have accused me of having unreachable standards. One of the arguments that I constantly hear is that every boy deserves at least a chance.  

The problem with giving every guy a chance is the false hope that accompanies it. I have always operated under the golden rule of treating others the way I would like to be treated. There have been so many times that I have been on not one, but multiple dates with guys who were ‘just giving me a chance’. I would honestly prefer it if they did not even bother because most of the time, if they are indecisive from the get go, it never changes. I know that there are exceptions to every rule, but in my experience, every time I've allowed myself to become remotely involved with a guy who was on the fence about anything, I have found myself disappointed. With that in mind, I also know that if I am even slightly iffy about accepting a date invitation from a guy, most of the time I am definitely not interested enough to be wasting his time and money. I understand that the concept of dating is taking the time to get to know someone, but it’s not fair to string someone along with my uncertainty. I appreciate the same respect from guys because in the end, I don’t want to just be considered an option, and that’s what uncertainties usually end up. Options. Not decisions. 

Whenever I use this argument among friends, they like to counter with my standards being too high. I have been told that I am superficial or that I am asking too much or that I watch too many Disney movies and am looking for a handsome prince that doesn't exist. The bottom line is that I am not looking for some handsome prince to sweep me off my feet. I actually do not have a specific set of standards that I expect a man to conform to. All that I’m looking for is a feeling; I want someone who makes me want to check my phone for texts every two seconds, want to feel butterflies every time I go out to meet him. I want someone who challenges me, makes me think, makes me question everything and just generally makes me a better person, while hoping that I do the same for him.  

I think that ultimately, a feeling is all that anyone is looking for. There are different standards that are set to achieve said feeling, but the desired outcome is usually the same. Some people will date a million guys in search of it; others will sit and wait for the right one, ignoring all others in favor of that perfect fit. Having high standards is no worse a means of searching than the philosophy of giving everyone a chance is.

I'm glad to know that I'm normal at this point. Haha.

Insomnia + Boyband Videos on YouTube = Nostalgia

A few nights ago, I couldn't sleep for no apparent reason. Giving up my lame attempt to get some sleep, I had this sudden urge to watch music videos of boybands from the 90's. I'm a 90's kid and I love boybands so I had a kick out of watching because every video brings back the bittersweet memories of my childhood, early adolescence and mid adolescence. Before I start pointing out the appropriate developmental task by Erik Erikson per stage, let me share my top five favorite videos I watched the other night:

 5. Code Red - What Good Is A Heart

Well, what can I say? One pretty boy, CHECK. That random guy who never gets to sing the lead, CHECK. Cheesy dance moves, CHECK. This video comes in complete in the boyband requirement even if they have four members only (standard is 5 members). It's nostalgic because as a high school freshman transferee at that time, coming from a very strict school, I don't get to see something as golden as high school senior dudes dancing to this in the exact choreography of this song.

 4. 911- How Do You Want Me To Love You

This song comes off from the band's second album. I liked their first album so I have high hopes for their second shot and I wasn't disappointed. This was nostalgic to me because I dance to this whenever I clean up my stuff in the room that my sister, Cha and I share. The cleaning part is so rare but the dancing comes in more often. Whatever, it makes me feel good despite the fact that I dance like a crippled dog.

3. LFO - Girl On TV

LFO, which stands for Lyte Funkie Ones, became my favorite boyband during the late 90's because of this song. This song is my most favorite among all of their songs and it's the reason why I bought their first album...in cassette format, which I still have up to this day. I remember at that time, Jennifer Love Hewitt's career was flying off the hook so I wasn't surprised that she was chosen to be the lead in this video. The reason why this song is memorable because the popularity of this song among my male classmates and my possession of the LFO album helped me to become as "one of the boys". It was an achievement for a socially awkward female transfer student during the formative years of adolescence, in which talking to strange boys could kill in an instant. LOL.

2. Boyzone - Isn't It A Wonder

The cool thing about boybands is that they can get away with matchy-matchy outfits and each member can still stand out in it. Take this example from the Irish boyband, Boyzone, who wore white tops with casual bottoms while cruising the dirt road to some town in a far off place. Ang gagwapo nilang lahat dito. Plus points for Keith Duffy for the motorcycle. But what the heck, I was in love with Ronan Keating. Hahaha. This is nostalgic to me because I was playing this song on the same day I heard the news that Stephen Gately died. </3

Little Things That Make Me Happy (Internship Edition)

Since I'm a dork whose life revolves around the hospital for now, I have turned into some sort of a freak of nature...like I have my head up my ass. Although I have this anal retentive vibe going on right now, I'm still the idiot that gets giddy over little things. Here are some of the internship related things that make me pull my head out of my sphincter once in a while:

1. Tisanes Herbal Thai Tea Drink from K2

Image from Amazon. 

I first tasted this when I went on a solo adventure in Orchard Road in Singapore three years ago. The ginormous can intrigued me so I decided to try it out for myself and boy, it tasted good! Fast forward to 2013, I was glad that I saw that K2 Drugstore (across QMMC) started selling this. The pharmacy assistants already know that it's what I came for. Hrhr. Although it's a bit sweet for my liking, it remains a good pick me upper for extremely annoying duty days.

2. Beef Tapa from Dimsum House

Photo from Startin' A New Life Too

Beef tapa or cured beef is a popular Filipino breakfast staple usually served with egg and fried rice. This is also served in Dimsum House, a cafeteria (?!) across QMMC wherein most of the nurses, doctors and hospital staff hang out. I think their beef tapa is one of the tastiest there is so I order this most of the time whenever I have breakfast on a from status. Who doesn't feel good when there's yummy food in front of you?

3. Chillax Duties Without Stage Moms/Anxious Relatives/Difficult Patients

Don't you just love it when you're on pre-duty or on duty with a reasonable amount of patients sans the stage moms, anxious relatives and difficult patients? I understand where they come from but personally, I think these kinds of people are a roadblock in giving the patients the appropriate treatment because you also attend to them. Although it is practically impossible for a duty to go on without those three, there are those days that they actually didn't swing by. Those days are just priceless.

4. Industrious and Efficient People

If you know me very well, you'd know my pet peeve on the job are lazy people. I mean, seriously, what the hell are you doing here if you're just going to sit around and won't do work?! GTFO and wipe Preparation H on your ass, please. Industrious and efficient people on the job are heaven sent, I tell you. Luckily, I haven't had a "lazy partner experience" or a "lazy nurse experience". Yet. Mrhrhr.

5. When the LRT 1 isn't crowded

Image from GMA News

No explanations necessary.

So there. These are the little things that make me happy while I'm cooped up during my internship. Now excuse me while I go back to my anal retentive self. :P

No Excuses

Got this from Nike Tennis Twitter page after I retweeted the photo that I liked best from their No Excuses campaign for this year's US Open.

@sugar_baroness made #NoExcuses in NYC. Check out your moment on the 34th St. billboard. pic.twitter.com/ynyNR10CmK

— Nike Tennis (@NikeTennis) September 20, 2013

This is a pretty good campaign, just in time for my slacking, in connection to reviewing for the board exams. I procrastinate so many times that I actually never get anything done. 

I can do this. I will finish that Physiology BRS book.

No excuses. :)

Laway Makes The World Go Round

When there's a major hoopla, there would be idiots who would be feasting on that certain issue. Give morons a smartphone or a computer with an internet connection, then you'll have an instant source of entertainment or a headache. As the level of stupidity increases, I get more ambivalent. That is, I don't know whether to get annoyed or feel sorry for that person because he or she is such an imbecile. Sometimes I just dismiss it with a good laugh and briefly wonder how can a person with that level of narrow-mindedness exist.

Take this example from this viral photo from Facebook posted by Jun Dizon. 

Saan ka ba nagpapatingin Koya, sa magtatawas? Yung tipong papalawayan mo yung tiyan mo para di ka mabales? Wala ka naman sigurong napuntahan na doktor na nagrekomenda ng laway bilang gamot. Kahit ako, never pa akong inutusan ng mga residente na magreseta ng laway.

I am astounded by the audacity of this person to say such things. "Laway lang puhunan"? How can you say that doctors are the leading tax evaders? Please prove your point by showing 20 appraised journals with meta-analysis of the facts presented. I wanted to rant to prove my point but I'm sure Koya wouldn't get it anyway.

Para sa akin, ang shunga mo Koya dahil ang tingin mo laway ang nagpapatakbo ng mundo namin sa ospital. At dahil dyan eto ang rating ko sa kashungahan mo:

INFINITE FACEPALM!!!

Akala mo ang talino ko eh, no? Haha.

Ang Carinderia Ni Doc KC

Since the BIR's new directive drew flak from netizens and the involved professionals, I decided to protest through poking fun at it by making a list:

Kasi naman magmumukhang carinderia ang mga clinic pag natuloy ang gusto nilang mangyari. Carinderiang may menu ang kalalabasan kung ililista ko lahat. Kaya ayan tinuloy ko na, nilagyan ko na rin ng pagkain para naman di nakakahiya sa kanila. Haha. DAWORST.

Oozing With Vacuous Ideas

As I was lurking online last night, after deciding that staring aimlessly at my Anatomy book is not studying, I came across numerous posts regarding the BIR's directive that professionals should post in their offices the rates that they charge their clients. 

That, by far, has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. No, probably in my lifetime. 

Speaking as a future physician, I really cannot hide my disgust for this directive because I felt that it belittles medicine as a profession. Ever since I went to med school and went on to internship, I experienced a lot of things that a lot of people do not see. These are the years of sacrifices and hardships that the physician and their families had to go through in order to care for the sick. Giving up a part of your life for the sake of others is not easy but we opted to do it to serve the people. And now the smart aleck BIR comes up with a a bright idea that equates the profession as a money-making scheme.

It's true that there is a so-called "business side of medicine". Hey, we also need to earn money to live but we don't do it all the time. I know of the noble deeds of my mentors and seniors who do not charge financially incapable patients. I don't need to expound on that but I'm sure you've heard of such stories already. A simple "thank you" is enough for them and it makes them feel like they've been paid a million dollars.

That makes the practice of medicine worth it and it cannot be equated to any amount of monetary value.

I do not approve of this directive because his move is plainly UNETHICAL and it DEVALUES THE NOBILITY of the profession. Let me check it out with the Philippine Medical Association's Code of Ethics so I can prove my point about this directive being unethical:

 Exhibit A: Article III Section 4

So you see, only the name, field of specialty, office hours or the office or residential address may be posted. I do not see a SERVICE PRICE LIST written in there and in the other parts of the Code as well. To drive my point home about physicians giving out their services for free and why some fees seem to be higher than that of the other cases, I give you:

Exhibit B: Article II Section 7

Funny how this is imposed at the same time that questionable allocation of revenues is the current national issue. So now I'm thinking about how would the taxes that I'm going to pay in the future be used?

Sentimental Value

Ever since I lost my stuff to those fucktards a few weeks ago, I can't help but feel sad because all of the stuff they took are of value. As you might have known or read a few posts back, I don't wallow on the monetary value of my stuff but on the sentimental value of it because all are gifts from my parents and friends. At this point, I don't want to gag at my own sentimentality but I would like to go to the reasons behind that. What was most painful was the loss of my watch that was given to me by my Tito Nonoy when I was in 6th grade and my Samsung Galaxy Tablet which was given to me by my dad for my 26th birthday.

You might say that I shouldn't worry about the material possessions I lost because at least we weren't hurt. Yes, I'm happy that no one was hurt but you see, I have reasons for mulling over the loss of my stuff. First off, I am not the type to ask my parents for seriously expensive stuff unless I really need it or deserve it. I usually wait for an occasion so I can ask for it or I just wait for it to be given to me if my parents also think as I do. So just imagine my joy when it's given to me. Not only that, we were raised by our parents wherein we should work hard in order to gain something and that not everything should be given in a whim. For example, something would be given if we follow the condition that we would get good grades at school. Receiving stuff out of hard work is really bittersweet. Lastly, if an object was given to me out of sheer kindness and generosity of the giver, I really treasure that because it makes me feel that someone actually cares. Haha. Mababaw lang naman ang kaligayahan ko, basta naalala mo ako kahit gaano pa kamura yan, binibigyan ko yan ng halaga.

For the record, I am not materialistic. I am just a very sentimental young woman. Kbye.