One Step To Break The Monotony

I think I will do just that. :)

Dati-rati

Whoever said that OPM is dead, sure does not know what they're saying. There are a lot of great songs by Filipino composers that are hitting the airwaves. Take this ultracute example, "Dati" written by Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana for the 2013 Philippine Popular Music Festival. The song was given justice by Sam Concepcion, Tippy Dos Santos and Quest.

In a shitty day, all I need is to play a feel good tune to chase the blues away. This song will do just that because it reminds so much of how simple things had been and the friendships that you made when you were a child. From Nintendo to Sarah ang Munting Prinsesa, this song has got all the elements of the 90's. Because yeah, you can take me out of the 90's but you can't take the 90's out of me. Songs don't have to be all about boobs, butts and booze. The simplicity of it all makes it tick.

Expect me to play this song over and over again until I start to get tired. Tee-hee!

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