With bated breath..

So tomorrow the Metro will finally be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ). While this relaxation of quarantine rules means that further economic activity can proceed, it also comes with a sudden increase in people on the road. Granted that more activity would be welcome in light of all the sacrifices people had to make while adhering to the rules of quarantine, but I can't help but be a little bothered by the fact that Filipinos are notorious for not following the rules, or at least trying to pakiusap their way out of everything. Its just sad that the Filipino mindset like is that of a privileged beggar:

"Kawawa ako kasi tinatamad akong maglakad pa ng onti kaya kailangan pagbigyan mo ako kahit tumawid ako ng wala sa tamang tawiran", or

"Dapat pagbigyan mo ako sa di ko pagsunod sa traffic light kasi nagmomotor ako, kaya nga nakamotor kasi walang pera bumili ng kotse", or even

"Kotse ka at motorsiklo ako, so dapat pagbigyan mo ako dumaan kahit na parang gago ako magmaneho, at kasalana mo kung magkabungguan tayo kahit na maayos ka naman magmaneho, dahil ikaw ang mas malaki ang sasakyan".

These are typical scenarios I encounter every day, even during this quarantine period. Nakakainis lang. Mahirap maawa kung alam mong kinukupal ka lang. Don't get me wrong, people in big cars are sometimes jackasses too. There's just so much jackassery to go around, but those jerks on two wheels are just too much!

Ok, traffic rant over.. A lot of people are making gloomy predictions about the outcome of this GCQ because lets face it, wala ka namang maasahan sa mga tao. Marami ang pasaway na di susunod diyan. These individuals would then probably spread the disease, and would render other people's efforts to properly distance, wash up, stay indoors, moot and immaterial. If we're lucky, these troublemakers would end up as casualties of the disease and we would be better off without them..

We at the frontlines continue to toil away, and we are faced with the potential of a larger wave that would come crashing down on everything we have worked hard for up to this point. Nakakapagod na, but we have no choice except to go on, because if we don't, then who will? So for those people, do what you like, flaunt your gross inability to follow the rules. I'll be waiting to see you on the opposite side of a body bag zipper.

Long overdue

Finally! After a couple of months worth of exhaustion and procrastination, I have finally been able to revise my research protocol, and now I don't have to hide from my adviser anymore! :D Now the challenge lies in maintaining this momentum that I seem to have gained for myself..

This has been a grueling past couple of months for me to say the very least. Being SHO and ICU at the same time during duty nights for two straight months can suck the happiness out of anyone, not to mention a considerable amount of energy and zest for life. :P

Finally I have broken free, and am now happily tucked away at the sleep lab for an entire month where I have minimal interactions with the outside world and can finally have a bit of peace and quiet..

I've recently been diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a diagnosis which I have long suspected anyway. What remains to be seen is the severity which would be revealed when my poluysomnogram results come out. Sleep Medicine is a fascinating science, and I never thought that there would be more to sleep than just, uh, sleeping..

The implications of this OSA diagnosis however, means that I may have to invest in a CPAP device which would greatly aid in improving my sleep quality. I'm a little apprehensive though, since theses devices tend to cost a pretty penny, although the Sleep fellow says that it costs about as much as the latest iPhone.. Problem is, I'm not really fond of buying top of the line devices, so the price is still gonna hurt my wallet badly.. :(

Putting things in perspective though, I guess I'm obligated to keep myself healthy since I intend to live a full and happy life with another in the future ;), and I'll be damned if  I'd let something like this get in the way. :)

I've also been thinking a lot about purchasing a vehicle for the family. We've never really had a car we can call our own since I was a child (since we've never had the finances to do so). I'm not thinking high-end here, since it's really going to be impractical from my standpoint. I just need a reliable vehicle to get us from point A to B without any hitch and would seat my aging parents comfortably. You see, I notice my parents now seem to have a difficult time getting in and out of sedans.. but a regular SUV is out of the question due to the prohibitive cost.. Sigh.. We'll just have to wait and see what develops... :/

Growing up is really expensive business.. I guess I consider myself lucky that I still do not have kids to worry about. Seeing my bros with their families often leaves me a little bothered as to whether I can deal with all of that once it does come my way eventually,,

It has been raining like crazy lately, and all that without a definite storm in the country's area of responsibility, with the threat of massive flooding always a grim possibility. In fact, I already encountered a bit of flooding the other day as I was making my way home.. Good thing I was able to find a place to stop and wait it out.. I hope the days that follow won't be as bad..

Compulsion

For some strange reason, I feel compelled to blog today. It's as though I'm driven by a need to jot down something profound..

Nah.. :P

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Our new president had his first Stae Of The Nation Address (SONA) yesterday, which to me seemed like a pleasant departure from what we see year in and year out, which is pretty much more of the same detached nonesense that the one in charge spout out. It was really different this time around. Although there were still shades of a well-prepared speech, our prisident made a lot of ad-libs and cracked a lot of jokes, making light of the situation and delighting both the atendees and viewers alike. He also gave the militants their free space to approach the venue, and the rallyists in turn did their part by not causing any trouble and even had pleasant interactions with the police, including the police chief himself.

Changwe has truly come to the Philippines, and I hope this will be all for the good of everyone (excluding the bad guys of course. They'll be dead :P)

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I've been contemplating getting a vehicle for quite some time now, since the one we've been using has been suffering through a plague of various maladies associated with old age..

The market is presently rife with soooo many options despite my efforts to narrow it down given my very low budget..

I never knew car research could be so exhausting..

But I've had a recent breakthrough, like just a few minutes ago, which has helped me narrow things down by a great deal.. ;)

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I should be going home in a few minutes, unfortunately there will be a Webinar (Web Seminar) later at the office, so we can't leave just yet.. :/Oh well, at least I get free grub..

Waiting Waiting Lang..

*Late entry

It's approximately 8:30 AM and here I am in the department office awaiting the moderator for my journal report. Man, I feel so tired.. We had to go to the monthly interhospital conference which was unfortunately held in a pharma company's headquarters far away in Paranaque and ended up with me finally reaching home at around 11:30PM due to the lateness of the event and the severe traffic along EDSA.. and to make matters worse, I was from duty yesterday, so imagine how lousy I feel right now..:(

I wish residents and fellows would not have to be compelled to attend such time consuming late-night functions, seeing as they already carry such a heavy workload in the context of their training. Pharma people may think that they are giving the trainess comfort food with a bit of medical education, but in my point of view, they're just contributing to the already unhealthy lifestyle endured by the residents in fellows in training, by asking the to eat really rich food then go home late at night.

Call me a killjoy, but I fail to appreciate treating us to nights out on our birthday, when people would drink and sign videoke, both of which are not really my cup of tea. I admit that I hardly enjoyed the last one I went to, and got home completely drained since I was already from duty (again) that night.. Then again, I'm nottoo much of a night person anyway..

I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I would much rather appreciate being able to go home on time and sleep on my bed. If there was a pharma company who would provide me with free transportation to my home hassle-free, I would gladly support them with no strings attached :P You don't need to feed me or shower me with ballpens and other useless little trinkets. Just get me to my resting place in one piece when I'm dead tired from duty and we'll call it even.

Quick Hits

I rarely have time to myself these days, and today is no exception.

I still feel the need to write though, so here goes..

• Kudos to the NU Bulldogs for finally taking home the UAAP Men's Basketball crown after 60 years!

• Pacquiao is now playing in the PBA as a "playing coach" for his own team??? Is nothing sacred anymore?.. :(

• Is it just me, or are those UV Express drivers really just assholes? Especially those who drive vans along the North Avenue area..

• Too bad Gilas never made it past the Elims in the FIBA Worlds, and didn't take home the crown in the Asian Games. However, they were able to get people to start believing again, and that's the more important thing..

• I finally got that weight bench I've had my eye on for the past year or so. :) Thanks for the great discount!

• Saw a great piece of Audio by Bose. Expensive though, but the sound quality is just superb..

• Its almost November.. I can't believe that the three years are almost over...

• The RITE Exams have come and gone.. leaving me more anxious for the actual exams this coming March..

• My friends say that I should just let go, and move on.. Easier said than done...

There, a few quick hits for the night!

Traffic Enforcer

Another long overdue post..

Have you ever noticed that whenever you pass through a place with cars at a standstill but is not normally known to have traffic, there is usually a traffic enforcer right smack in the middle of it?

Matbe it's due to bad judgement on the part of the enforcer, heck it's OFTEN due to bad judgement!

But then again, you have to take a look at the job title...

"TRAFFIC ENFORCER"

I guess they're just doing their jobs..

Enforcing the traffic. :P

Damn bright lights!!

I've tried to refrain from ranting about this, but people have just gone too far...

What is it with those JERKS who install those REALLY BRIGHT lights and drive around in city traffic? Do they really ENJOY blinding people? I mean, with the current pace of traffic around the Metro, I seriously doubt if you'll really need the "added visibility" that these light provide.

I've been driving for about 10 years, and lately there has been a noticeable increase of these well-illuminated vehicles on the road.

What the hell man? I noticed that most of the cars with these types of lights early on are those tricked-out gas guzzlers probably owned by those rich guys who go on drag races and whatnot, but even so, the lights weren't really that bright back then, so it was ok (I guess). But now, as if it suddenly became the automotive fashion statement of the year, more and more vehicles began to be equipped with brighter and BRIGHTER lights!!!

Now don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against pimping your ride, its your money anyway, not mine. But it becomes bothersome when the ULTRA-BRIGHT headlights hit my eyes when I'm cruising along the road!! Its as if someone switched on one of those very bright LED lights you could buy at 168 in front of my face. Hmm, when I think about this comparison, I find it to be really, really cheap and tacky hehehe. The extreme brightness of the light causes your pupils to constrict as a response to limit the light coming in. As a result, other less-illuminated thigns on the road are obscured from view. That's a very dangerous scenario anywhere on the road, but especially if you're traveling along one of the major thoroughfares like the expressways where the traffic flows at a faster rate.

There are some automakers who package their cars with bright lights but have special modifications to minimize road glare to other drivers like BMW, but on the Philippine roads, I guess that's more of an exception. Everywhere I go, I see these custom lights ounted on everything from an F150 to even an owner-type jeep!! Sometimes I'm guilty of wishing that these guys would blind an onrushing car so badly that the car would collide with them because the driver of the other car couldn't see!

Another thing that pisses me off about this is that apparently, the bright lights are not even in the high-beam setting! So that means these jerks drive around with that much illumination AT THE MINIMUM, with no way to turn them down!! Not that those drivers really care anyway.. I guess their mindset is that: "At least I can see the road well. You're blinded? Gee, that sucks. Deal with it!" Sabi nga ng tatay ko, KAYABANGAN lang yan.

Night driving is already a bit difficult as it is, add the "mayabang" guy riding your tail with his precious bright lights blazing, reflecting off your rear view mirror into your squinting eyes, and you're in for the ride of your life. Such great fun! =P Same goes for those cars you meet on a narrow two-lane street, but the one at your back is a lot worse, coz he's there for a longer period of time, rendering your rea mirror useless..

Parang awa niyo naman! Hindi lang sa inyo yung kalsada!! What the hell is your justification for using those ULTRA-BRIGHT lights anyway?? Do you also use your car to illuminate your entire house when you get home? Para makakita ng mabuti when you're driving fast? As in really fast?? Eh di wag kang masyadong mabilis magdrive! Makakaiwas ka pa sa pinsala! Sheesh!!! Hindi ka makakita sa gabi? Bakit may lisensya ka kung medyo bulag ka pala?? Sometimes people do it dahil, wala lang, astig kasi eh. That's how inconsidarate some people can get!!!!

Whew.. Sorry folks, I really just had to let this angry thought go before it exploded... Nabubwiset na talaga ako eh. Sana talaga there would be a law passed about this.. but given the government of this country?.. Nah... Wish ko lang..