“The paradox of our time is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine but less wellness….

“We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space but not inner space.

“We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.”

Literary mind!

If only The Da Vinci Code is not a fiction novel, I would have convinced myself that each detail in it is nothing less than a fact. Eight minutes before midnight, I finally crushed through the last verse of the book. After barely two days of stop-believe thrills and nerve-cracking twists, the book devoured my mind. I would have never thought that this book would be this amazing and literary-wise, flawlessly spectacular. Forsaking a few people's advice to give this book no slot in my schedule, I grabbed one copy and started reading it. Undeniably, there were some truth in it, it's just that the plot is fictitious, thus, it logically follows everything as fiction.

In every part of that 105-chaper book, there were unexpected stuff & shocking revelations. An unsuspecting mind could easily fall itno the author's exceptional wit. Brown has somehow never gave me a hint to what is next. No wander The Da Vinci Code is #1 New York Times bestseller, a controversial story and now a sought-after movie (So sad that MTRCB rated it R). The whole of that 489-pages or so novel took place for less than 20 hours. Imagine that! Such a witty plot! These are evidences, very meticulously engraved in every twist and turn - unpredictably mapped - that show this man's genius in his writing stances. Shew to all controversial air - Dan Brown rightfully deserves the winds that are blowing into his fame and wealth now (Imagine being paid $125 Million for the world-wide sale of this book, excluding the fee he has to get from movie, etc.). And yes, the movie is a must-see too. I just wish that the producers would give justice to Dan Brown's obra maestra.

And with this phenomenal success, this is not just a book for the decade, but for ages. And, oh, Mister Brown, I would really be glad if you'll be the head of that Priory of Sion. You deserve that, after all Sophie Neveu's grand pier is dead.

And why on earth is Mona Lisa smiling? Check it out!

A photo...

Taken in Sandbar, Bais, Negros Oriental... With my classmates and in the far right is my clinical instructor.. Come on! It's not just all about nursing stuff; more so with life and fun!

You can take a look for more pics on this site http://chimneyhouse.multiply.com/photos/album/16

B-R-O-K-E-N DREAMS

As children bring their broken toys
with tears for us to mend
I brought my broken dreams to God,
because He is my friends.
But then, instead of leaving him
in peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help
with ways that were my own.

At last, I snatched them back and cried,
"How can you be so slow?"
"My child," he said, "What could I do...
You never did let go?"

This is really a good poem. I like it!

Why there are very few Blonde Doctors ? This one is hilarious. Before you start out, please keep some towels handy...there're going to be tears streaming down your cheeks.This is the story of a Blonde who took a medical entrance test. Given below is a portion of the test answers he gave. Read on.......

Antibody - against everyone
Artery - the study of fine paintings
Bacteria - back door to a cafeteria
Benign - what you be after you be eight
Bowel - letters like a, e, i, o, u
Caesarian Section - a district in Rome
Cardiology - advanced study of Poker
CAT Scan - searching for lost kitty
Chronic - neck of a crow
Coma - punctuation mark
Cyst - short form of sister
Diagnosis - person with slanted nose
Dilate - the late British Princess Diana
Dislocation - in this place
Duodenum - couple in blue jeans
Genes - blue denim
Enema - not a friend
False Labor - pretending to work
Impotent - distinguished / well-known
Labor Pain - hurt at work
Lactose - people without feet
Lymph - walk unsteadily
Microbes - small dressing gowns
Obesity - City of Obe
Pacemaker - winner of Nobel Peace Prize
Protein - in favor of teens
Pulse - grain
Red Blood Count - Dracula
Rupture - Ecstasy
Secretion - hiding anything
Subcutaneous - not cute enough
Tablet - small table
Tumor - extra pair / you die
Ultrasound - radical noise
Urine - opposite of you're out
Vein - at what time?

TIRED BUT NEVER WASTED

Oh! I thought, today, this day would be the sun 's revenge to my skin . I thought that golden yellow planet will hurt my skin much. But well, that's all what I thought. Today is not one sunny day neither one wet day to rest my body in my rather warm room. And so as I was so eager to go on Sanbar, I actually did, and we conquered that wide white kingdom of dusty coral sand or something. It was a blast especially that everybody was so wacky with the exceptional talent of Vicfel, with every joke ready and your blue is out! Oh, well, things went right as we were on our way, only that we cannot find a store or a restaurant maybe that sells lechon manok in that early part of the day, say 8 am. Anybody, who can sell me that gold, roasted chicken in a stick? But well, again as never expected, it turned out that nobody along our way to Bais ever had that already roasted chicken. And so, we decided to look for any good store that can kill a chicken, remove its feathers and asal it for us. (That's too literal! But heck!). And so we got a pair, instead of five. But that's fine!

We had that wonderful experience in Sandbar. With that wide, white island, and that so green cottage that we rented. Everything's almost perfect, only that the sun is not on its full strength to give us that tan. But anyway, it was an extravagant way to spend a day - laughing our hearts out, fill our stomach until nauseated, shouting and doing nothing but kill time. Oh, what an experience that was!

Without rest, workaholic/energy waster that I am, I went straight to poetry reading at Cafe Antonio, Spanish Heritage. That was a wonderful time, reading their poems and with everything. There are, indeed, more life in the literary world. And not only that, I headed off to the internet cafe to do some browsing and clicking that mouse. As I am so exhausted for that long, tiring, yet fun day, I decided to stop myself from doing something more. I just stopped, resolved not to go anywhere else.

Summer Greats

Life in a city as many may have thought lies in the perplexity of the people who live there and the infrastructures that pose big before every commuter's eyes. But well, that's maybe true, but for me life in the city is much more than that. I appreciate and yes, love the malls, the restaurants and the cinemas - these are boredom-breakers actually. Not-much-on-beach thing, this summer is more on malls and shopping treats for me.

As summer could have been an ideal time to actually swim and bake-my-skin-till-charcoal, I am afraid it is not so. Aside from a seven-day-vacation-cum-business trip to Davao, there's nothing really summery that I did. When I envy my friends who are tanned to death from their beach escapades, I can only wish things were otherwise. And so, to satisy this ego in me, in exchange of beach games, of swimming, of wearing that white, cotton shirt, of a glassful of thirst-quenching iced tea, I go beating off summer heat and feel the chill inside the mall. Things change when you're inside: Summer outside, near winter inside. And so, with no one to beat like in a beach volley's competition, I can only fight for my cravings for more of shopping. And, oh, in exchange of a bright, sunny day and breezy, blue sea, I find myself in a dark, and chill-to-the-bones big, big room with almost every couple in the row and a large, silver screen at the far end. By the way, Mission Impossible III again showcases Tom Cruise's every beautiful angle. And Michelle Monaghan is stunningly dead gorgeous. And yes, this another summer adrenalin-filled flick has become even better and more thrilling - impossible stunts, really.


But I am telling you, I still have twenty days to prove that Summer 2006 is a blast. It may be too late, but never a miss at all. I may have been preoccupied with school works, but summer would be great! And so, to start kick off this summer treat for myself, I will be happily heading my way to Sandbar in Bais City (North of Dumaguete, A two-hour ride from Dumaguete/three-hour ride from Bacolod). Summer sun is waiting for me. Bake me, bake me. Oh, kill my skin! I am now heading home to pack up my summer wear and stuff that will make my day and that's tomorrow! Oh, that deep, blue sea, come on, wait for me!




Pictures courtesy of http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_3/photos.php for Mission Impossible III http://butchgjimenez.blogspot.com for Sandbar in Bais City.