Eighteenth Blog - Goodreads

The month ends today, so I have to make a new entry... Hmm, I don't know what to say to the world this month really... So, I'll just have to say what I've been busy about this month:

I've been addicted to goodreads.com!

It's a sight for bookworms like me! I love it so much! You can rate books you've read there. Talk to authors (the live ones, of course!). So far, I've talked to two: Samantha Sotto & Steven Scaffardi. Look them up. They're both great authors. :)  And you can do many more. :D

Oh, and my goal is to win a free giveaway! Yup, you read it right. FREE! Goodreads.com is giving free books to those lucky readers out there. I want to win a free nice-to-read book. My sister says that there's a greater chance of winning when you've reviewed a lot of books. That's why I've been reviewing books I've read for the past few weeks.  I hope I win soon. I envy my sister because she has won one! I'm so jealous. And you know what? She doesn't even like reading that much. *sigh* Why is life so unfair?

Anyway, here's the link to my goodreads account. Maybe, I don't know, you're interested in reading my reviews. :)) 

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss, I Can read With My Eyes Shut!

P.S. I forgot to tell you that I've won one book the next I posted this blog! Isn't that amazing?! Though, I've forgotten the title. I think it has an almond in it, LOL. I believe that I'll be receiving the book six to eight weeks prior to the deadline of the entry. So excited! :)

Seventeenth Blog - Question Again

Aunt Irma (reference from IT Crowd) has visited me this month again. And every time she visits, there's this question that keeps bothering me. It's gross - a lot of people thinks so, but my curiosity finds it interesting.

"Can you use menstrual blood for a blood-typing test?"

So I type my question to the all-knowing google and here are the answers I've gathered:

- No 

 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_use_menstrual_blood_to_take_a_blood_type_test

-Yes it could. All you need is red blood cells to react with the reagents of the test. It doesn't really matter where you get the blood from. The only problem I can think of is the blood clots might make it difficult to read the agglutination on the card.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110722012349AAjNtsH

-Menstrual blood is a shedding of the uterus -- not the same as "regular blood" however, yes it can be used for most blood typing.
http://www.themedicalquestions.com/women/1222614222010.html

Some says no but most answers are indeed "Yes, you can use menstrual blood for a blood-typing test but it will be harder to examine because of its other components."

There. My curiosity is satisfied once more. Thank you internet! Special thanks to google for providing the links above. :))

"Gradually my whole concept of time changed until I thought of a month as having twenty-five days of humanness and five others when I might just as well have been an animal in a steel trap." - Florence King

Sixteenth Blog - Whatever Works

As I'm writing this blog entry, I'm watching Woody Allen's Whatever Works. It is just like other Woody Allen films with the quirky (or should I say crazy) mannerisms, actions, and thoughts coming from each character in the story. I love how every film of Woody Allen captures the interaction of people with emotional baggage and personality disorders. With that, he's a genius and a madman. :))

I really don't know what to say but I have to admit that I'm fascinated by how people mind's works and how it affects their behavior. It's mind-boggling yet entertaining at the same time especially when other people do something defiant with our concept of being normal. I just hope that someday, I will be able to, I don't know, understand even the half of it. 

Anyway, I'm getting of topic. Let's go back to Woody Allen's Whatever Works. It's about a cynical old man (you know the kind who has his theories about everything and somewhat neurotic too) who marries a sweet, cheerful, naive twenty one year old girl. The complication starts, or should I say, it gets more complicated when the parents of the girl comes in to the picture. Hmm, actually, I don't have much to say, sorry about that... but it's a nice movie. (Some people may find it boring but I like it.) The characters in the film just do whatever works for them even if it's out of the norm or something. It has a funny ending too. Oh, for the ladies out there, here's one reason why you should see the film: 

Henry Cavill as Randy

"See, I'm the only one who sees the whole picture. That's what they mean by genius." - Woody Allen

Fifteenth Blog - Happier

"Are you happier than you were one year ago? Yes or no, be honest with yourelf." That's what the tweet reads. Just had to type it again because I can't read it in the image. :))

So, to answer the question honestly: Yes, I am happier than I was a year ago. The year 2011 is not really one of my best years. I just graduated from college and I was undergoing making life-changing decisions. Other people, like my mother and sister, want me to find a job and immediately start working. On the other hand, as I've said, for the past four years, to my parents, to my classmates, to my teachers, and to others, that I want to take medicine. They must have thought that I was joking or something. So what should I do? The question that ran and ran again in my mind is: "I know what I want to do. But what do I need to do?" Do I need to please my mother and sister? And I did - at first. I looked for jobs and started attending interviews. But I wasn't happy. During my very first interview, I think - no scratch that - I did self-sabotage. I passed the battery test and first interview. So, that was good, I thought. And during the final interview, there's me and only another applicant. Oh, we're applying for the position of HR Assistant. As we were waiting, I'm thinking what it would be like to work in that company I was applying for. I didn't like what I imagined. The place is dreadful! It's so quiet, restraint and boring. I'm not meant for that kind of life. In five years, I didn't see myself working in that company. So, when the employer asked me if she called and gave me the job, would I accept it. You know what my answer was? "I'll think about it." The self-sabotaging didn't end there. While waiting for the result, the other applicant who was so nice to me, even gave me a biscuit. But in return, I vomited at her! I was so self-conflicted that it affected my biological aspect. That is one of the most embarrassing moments in my life. The other applicant didn't get angry, or at least didn't show anger. After that, I went home - feeling tired (but relieved).

Anyway, after a few apprehending months or was that weeks, my mother finally agreed to my taking a medical degree. I didn't talk to her and I was hostile to her. I was sulking in my bed. I don't have a room of my own. But in the end, she agreed. And I continued reviewing for NMAT that was scheduled December last year. That's when I looked for a part-time job: Freelance Writer. See, I do compromises. :D

In conclusion (what's this? an essay? XD), I am happier now than last year. Because I have little certainty on the path I'm taking for the rest of my life. And I got what I want. :)) Certainty makes us feel secured so it helps in our happiness. However, I admit that it's sad sometimes, because I keep feeling doubt but then I have to look at the big picture: I am a doctor, that's my purpose! I won't give up! :)

"Sometimes, it gets frustrating to see that my goal is just a tiny seed right now; but having a vision of what I want it to become keeps me motivated to just go for it without giving up." The Happiness Project

Fourteenth Blog - Missed Blog

I'm sad... :( I missed an entry blog for the month of July. It's not like I have a deadline and it's not even like others are reading my blog. But what I have in here is the proof of my commitment. This blog-thing is supposed to show that I know how to commit on matters I decided to do. I've been very busy studying (the subjects I need for MY medical degree!) but that's no excuse. It's not. I really should learn how to find time for this kind of thing... 

"It's better late than never. However, never late is better." :))

Thirteenth Blog - John 3:16

Ages ago I read something amazing in my quiet time. It's that the verse John 3:16 is God's miniature Bible. You want to know why? Here's why... :)

 - God - the greatest lover

 - so loved - the greatest degree

 - that He gave - the greatest act

 - His only begotten Son - the greatest gift

 - that whoever believes - the greatest simplicity

 - in Him - the greatest person

 - should not perish - the greatest promise

 - but - the greatest difference

 - have - the greatest certainty

 - everlasting life - the greatest possesion

Now, isn't that amazing - how one verse can tell so much... :D

I love God! :)

Twelfth blog - Fusiform Gyrus

This months blog is a trivial matter. Well, it depends. For those in the medical field, it's an important matter. Anyway, I'm going to introduce you to one of my favorite parts of the human brain: the fusiform gyrus. 

Fusiform Gyrus

The fusiform gyrus is part of the temporal lobe. (The temporal lobe is a part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying inside the temples of the head.) It's like a computer loaded with a terabyte memory. (Have I used that term right? XD) And it's that part of the brain that allows us to recognize or distinguish one face among the literally thousand of faces that we know. Amazing, right? :)

Hmm, let's see. Try picturing the following people: Albert Einstein, Beethoven, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, your favorite teacher, your parents, your friends, your first crush... Done? You've just used your fusiform gyrus. ;)

The human brain is a most unusual intsrument of elegant and as yet unknown capacity. Stuart Seaton