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[Jun. 22nd, 2008|11:51 am] |
I've been thinking about this for a while. It's time to let go of Livejournal - blogging on it, anyway. I could detail my reasons, but that would just defeat the purpose of ending this LJ.
Nevertheless, I've had my LJ for four years (first post April 2, 2004) so I think it deserves a proper goodbye. And here it is. |
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| 106 books of pretension |
[Apr. 27th, 2008|04:49 pm] |
I picked this meme up from some celebrity blog. Strikethrough for books I've read before. Italics for books I've read before but haven't finished.
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| DOH probes rectal surgery on YouTube |
[Apr. 18th, 2008|12:47 pm] |
In brief, a couple of medical personnel used a cellphone camera to film a rectal surgery extracting a perfume bottle from a gay man's rectum. The video showed them making fun of the patient. This video was posted on YouTube. The unwarranted violation of the person's privacy has been harped on and people have made their indignation known. I don't think there's a need to comment on that further. (Read about it in PDI.)
I did want to comment, though, on the homophobic undertones of the case. Duque was quoted, "Regardless of whom you did it to, it was bad." Although it was never explicitly stated, the quote suggests that the identity or person of the patient (read: sexual preferences and practices) were made an issue and Duque had to disregard it. It was as though it was on people's minds that this violation of privacy were marginally more excusable than if it had been done to a heterosexual patient. It was as though everyone thought that being gay meant you deserved to be treated with less dignity, respect or even courtesy.
What's sad isn't just that Duque is afraid there are people think this way. What's sad is that many people actually do.
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| Marital musings |
[Apr. 11th, 2008|05:44 pm] |
Marriage seems like a really hot topic these days.
First there was that PIDC Quarterfinals motion on legalizing polygamy, followed by the news the next day about the raid of a polygamist house somewhere in the U.S.
Then yesterday I saw The Other Boleyn Girl. The movie's a must-see, by the way. I'm not much of a history buff, much less a European history one, so I can't really say anything about it's historical accuracy. It was still interesting to watch Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn creating spaces for themselves within the outrightly patriarchal structures of Henry VIII's court. (I now know who Kristin Scott Thomas is. Pantira na 'to sa OSCARS: Romulus My Father to Eric Bana to Other Boleyn Girl to Kristin Scott Thomas to Horse Whisperer...)
Now I'm reading a book by Stephanie Coontz called Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage. It's an interesting read. The back of the book says:
At a moment when people are clamoring to protect "traditional" marriage, this explosive book...bluntly asks, "What tradition?"
The main argument is that pretty much every marital aberration under the sun has already been practiced in some culture at some point in time. The truly unique element of today's marriages (originating sometime in the late 17th century) is the idea that love is an important consideration in deciding to marry. In the past, marriage was considered too important a political and economic arrangement to be decided by something as irrational and fleeting as love. Today, since we place such a premium on love as a reason to marry, we might be gaining more personal fulfillment or satisfaction out of the institution, but it possibly comes at the cost of marital instability.
I've barely started, but it's been interesting so far. The little tidbits (like how one Japanese magazine allegedly said, "Young People, don't hate sex!") are pretty cool. The idea that love, rather than moral decadence, is the reason why the institution of marriage is on the rocks today is refreshing. Hmm. |
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| See you at Level IV |
[Mar. 19th, 2008|12:09 am] |
The only thing standing between me and my summer vacation is the comprehensive exam on Friday next week. And since this is just a no-bearing evaluation of how much we've retained from the past 2 semesters, I think I can say I've successfully completed my first year in med school.
Our prof ended our last lecture by saying, "See you at Level IV" (that's 2nd year proper in UP-PGH), to which we members of the UP College of Medicine Class of 2012 loudly cheered. Those words were pretty much the best thing I've heard all year.
It's hard to describe how I feel, what I went through this year. Maybe if I can do it justice, I'll write an entry about it in the future.
But right now, all I can say is that I'm proud I made it, and I'm fucking proud of every single person in my class. If we make it all the way, in the future we'll know that this wasn't gonna be the toughest year of our medical education, but it was still the first one. And that means something. |
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| City-wide bike sharing |
[Mar. 16th, 2008|02:14 pm] |
Yes, I don't know how to ride a bike. But this is still really cool. |
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