Journals
Monday,Sep 27 2004, 08:55:09 PMtorn apart... literally I’m currently...
torn apart... literally
The purpose of the dissection is for us to study the specific muscles of the human body. We were introduced to four deceased individuals with ages ranging from 65 to 99 (can you imagine... 99 years old?). Among the cadavers, there was only one male. One died from cancer, and the others died from other medical complications, but anyway, I don’t want to elaborate much about the manner of their deaths.
Since the first weeks of anatomy class, my curiosity always compelled me to take a peek at the lab containing the cadavers only to be frustrated to see that they were still covered with body bags. On that note, last Saturday was definitely the consummation of my curiosity for it was the day our deceased subjects were finally unveiled. The fact that I’ve been eagerly anticipating this moment, seeing the lifeless bodies stimulated my interest even more. Most of my classmates, on the other hand, felt disgusted.
Strikingly, the complexion of the cadavers was as pale as the moon, most probably because the blood was already sucked out. Well, there was one thing that bothered me heavily though: The odor! The odor emitted by the cadaver solutions was offensively intense! The solutions were meant to prevent the bodies from further deterioration, but the smell was like cough syrup gone bad, or as if some mad scientist made a terrible concoction of various chemicals and medicines that profusely emitted an acrid scent. The whole classroom then reeked with the sharp smell of cadaver solutions. I could stand the idea of slashing and dicing dead bodies, but being forced to savor the smell of these solutions is a different story. Our instructor seemed used to it (of course, why wouldn’t she?).
Considering that the allied medical service is my chosen field of education, I figured I HAVE to get myself used to the scent of these solutions because eventually in my career (if I’m lucky enough to make it in the real world), I’ll be dealing with more serious stuffs—bloodcurdling stuffs behind the curtains of the operating table. So might as well train myself to get used to such an environment… NOW!
[signed by: CEDRIC
Monday,Sep 6 2004, 10:55:25 PMsilly videos! These are silly videos I found...
silly videos!
These are silly videos I found from a website. Here are a couple of my handpicked videos that exemplify each of the following categories: silly and weird, funny and amazing, and umm... just plain annoying.
INSTRUCTIONS: Just click the following animated gifs. They will provide you with links to the videos.
First Video (silly and weird): I can’t believe this one is for real—seriously, I’m weirded out. Initially, I thought it was a commercial ad about breast enhancement because of its rather suggestive images. To my surprise, it’s actually an ad for a Japanese construction company named “Anabuki.” The producers of this peculiar ad really have the balls in devising such a concept for a commercial. See it for yourself.
Second Video (funny and amazing): Oh yeah, I like this one a lot! This one is cool, definitely one of my favs. It’s Japanese ping-pong with a matrix twist. I wish I could play ping-pong like this. It's like watching a live anime cartoon. It's a must-see!
Third Video (annoying!): This video features two guys celebrating the joy of milk and cereal. Love cereals? Then this video, with all its pathetic absurdity, is guaranteed to make you hate cereals afterwards. It has a bothering catchy tune that goes along with it, and now I can't get it off of my head... Talk about annoying to the max…
Hungering for more? Click "enter" below to see more videos. It will link you to the main site.
Monday,Sep 6 2004, 08:12:59 PMif life is a game, these are the rules I’m...
if life is a game, these are the rules
I’m reading this book titled, “If Life is a Game, These are the Rules” by Cherie Carter-Scott. This book provides a philosophical template in dealing with life’s offered challenges. It’s quite enlightening and serves as an effective reminder about the basic rules in life. Although I don’t agree with some of what the author says, the book still does an adequate job of instilling messages of hope and encouragement, making me realize what is my current status in life.
The Ten Rules For Being Human
1. You will receive a body.
You may love it or hate it, but it will be yours for the duration of your life on Earth.
2. You will be presented with lessons.
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called “life.” Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
3. There are no mistakes only lessons.
Growth is a process of experimentation, a series of trials, errors, and occasional victories. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that work.
4. Lessons are repeated until learned.
Lessons will be repeated to you in various forms until you have learned them. When you have learned them, you can then go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning does not end.
There is no part of life that does not contain lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.
6. “There” is no better than “here.”
When your “there” has become a “here,” you will simply obtain a “there” that will look better to you than your present “here.”
7. Others are only mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you.
9. All the answers lie inside of you.
All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all of this at birth.
You can remember it if you want by unraveling the double helix of your inner knowing.
[signed by: CEDRIC
Wednesday,Sep 1 2004, 10:22:18 AMbeautiful and ugly people It’s been quite...
beautiful and ugly people
It’s been quite a while since my last journal entry. It’s been exactly two months in fact. I just didn’t feel like writing any stuff. By the way, I’m glad I passed my political science summer class with flying colors!
Time passes really quickly, and fall season is slowly creeping in. I’m truly looking forward to the end of summer season. I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about it. The heat is killing me! I don’t know how much longer I could sustain it...
But anyway, let’s move on to my topic for this day. So what’s up with my journal title, “beautiful and ugly people”? Well recently, I’ve been fairly active in Zorpia's community area (it's an online forum), and one of the peeps there posted this seemingly arrogant topic on August 28, 2004: “this world is for beautiful grls n handsome man or boy.” I then felt this irresistable urge to respond and here’s what I posted on August 29, 2004 as a refutation to his nonsensical claim:
FIRST: *What is beauty?*
Let me start by contrasting different cultural perceptions of beauty. There are a lot of aboriginal tribes in remote corners of the world wherein their perception of beauty is quite different from the media’s portrayal of the ideal look for a man and a woman, i.e. having a thin and lean body, a chiseled face, 6 pack abs, and so on. For example, there are tribes in Africa in which beauty is determined by the size of their earrings and nose rings (may I remind you that these are no ordinary ornaments from yo mama’s. These are extremely large ones with the capacity to deform your facial features). I think the majority of us would find people with unusually large odd objects hanging from their faces rather repulsive; however, in the perspective of certain African tribes, those are—as people would say today— their “bling blings” that make them attractive to their fellow people. Thus, justifying this cliché: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
SECOND: *Beautiful and Ugly People*
Hypothetically, let’s say you were the only person on earth. How would you be able to determine if you were “beautiful” or “ugly” if you couldn't compare yourself with someone else? You couldn't, right? That’s why “beautiful” people should be grateful for the existence of “ugly” people. Why? If it were not for ugly people, beautiful people wouldn’t be called BEAUTIFUL because there would be no means for comparison. Beautiful and ugly people should then learn to co-exist. All that said, I believe that the not so attractive people are also for this world and shouldn’t be considered as outcasts of society.
and LASTLY: *Evidence of Beautiful and Ugly Married Couples*
I personally know a lot of couples out there in which a not so handsome guy is married to a really beautiful girl and vice-versa, and they’re IN LOVE. That only goes to show how unrealistic your claim is that "this world is for beautiful grls n handsome man or boy." Whether people like it or not, physical beauty fades. If someone won't accept you solely because of the way you look, then that’s his or her problem, not yours. That will clarify how shallow their personalities are.
That’s what I thought at the moment, but then I realized there was also some truth to the dude's claim (yup, only some. I don’t completely agree that this world is FOR beautiful people ONLY).
We are living in a physical world, and of course, what people instantly notice are the physical attributes of other people. Inevitably, misconceptions arise from people's tendency to quickly conceive unnecessary judgements on what their eyes are seeing. As unsettling as it sounds, that’s how the grim nature of this world goes—which I greatly disagree with.
Let’s say an employer is looking for future employees for any of the following job positions: bank teller, anchor newscaster, sales representative, and flight attendant (notice that these are jobs requiring a lot of physical exposure or interaction with people). Coincidentally, two applicants are trying their luck on the same job position. The first one is a dreamy guy with average skills, and the second one is a promising, but ugly genius (oh my. I didn't realize the pun until I typed it) with superb skills and has an I.Q. of 140 plus. Here’s the magical question: Who’s more likely to be hired? Hmmm… Undoubtedly, the dreamy guy would stand a better chance in this area because he’s more “presentable.” Sadly, as for the ugly genius, most people would probably think he’d be better off with solitary jobs.
Ok, so it seems as if beautiful people have the whole world in their hands. Think again. Beware of the revenge of the facially offensive! Now take note, being painfully less attractive also has its unacknowledged advantages.
To begin with, the “unattractive” physical features of ugly people help them keep their feet on the ground, making them attractive, personality-wise. Not surprisingly, beautiful people are more prone to be arrogant and be annoyingly snotty little brats as opposed to ugly people. And who says ugly people don't fair very well socially? Their stunning personalities are more than enough to elevate their worth and stature in a society convinced that everything revolves around beautiful people. Ugly people may be physically unpleasing to the human eye, but that doesn't make them any less of a human being. Lastly, pretty ugly people (pun intended this time, can't resist it...) have better chances of experiencing the bliss of safer and more secure marriages considering that physical attraction from third parties is highly unlikely, conveniently preventing extra-marital affairs.
Looking at the big picture, when physical beauty begins to fade, what will matter the most will be one's character (as it should've been right from the start). Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be beautiful, right? As long as a beautiful person understands where he/she is coming from, then his/her good looks will always be a plus—definitely.
Ok, so much for the beautiful and the ugly. As for me, looks are not as important as character, and I prefer to associate myself with someone who’s physically less appealing, but has an exceptional personality rather than with someone whose beauty reaches the sky, but has a personality that’s as good as Hitler’s.