Thursday, January 31

Something Med

I can't sleep.
I'm disturbed. Physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Yay.
Where is boredom when I need it.

Anyway. To lessen the agitated feeling, I took this Medical History Quiz from MSN Encarta. Then I realized some things..

1. I know that Hippocrates is considered "the father of medicine."

2. I know that leeches were once widely used in medicine.

3. I didn't know that in ancient India, physicians performed plastic surgery.

4. I know that surgeons first wore rubber gloves when performing surgery in 1890.

5. I know that the Egyptians were the ones that are skilled in the art of embalming.

6. I didn't know that the first successful organ transplant involved a kidney.

7. I didn't know that during the Middle Ages, physicians thought the practice of surgery was inferior to medicine, and so it was left to barbers.

8. I didn't know that the oldest known medical operation involved the skull.

9. I didn't know that cocaine was the earliest known local anesthetic.

10. I didn't know that in 1509, the German knight Götz von Berlichingen was given a prosthetic hand.

4 of ten. Beat that you geek. Lol.

Wednesday, January 30

Whatever Gets You Through Today

Another Wednesday.
People have a Parasitology class. Boooring.
Me? I have things to do. This day specifically has been my official "What's Up?" day.

1. Thesis meeting with our adviser regarding the Defense.
2. Thesis draft editing
3. Humanities II report on 'Molecular Beauty' by Roald Hoffman
4. Announcement of accepted UPCM applicants queued for interview
5. Watch the High School Musical On-Stage play at the Ateneo de Manila University
6. Gallery viewing at the Metropolitan Museum
7. Screening of entries for the Culture Week's Art Exhibit
8. Preparation of the requirements for the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health
9. Tomorrow will be my Ate's birthday. The following day will be her son's birthday. And on the day after that, it will be her husband's as well. Sounds fun? Sounds exhausting. Joke!

This coming week is going to be exciting. Can't wait. Woot!

Tuesday, January 29

The Day Before Tomorrow

UP Manila's Science Week!

It started yesterday. Several exhibits were set up at the Rizal Hall lobby (courtesy of the Dept. of Physical Sciences and Mathematics) in order to showcase several science projects and researches related to the field. We dropped by in the afternoon, around 2 PM. My favorite project: The Gummi Bear Murder Fireworks! Mwahahaha. I can't recall the solution that the biochem. presentors used, but when it's heated and you drop a piece of gummi bear into it = in-vitro fireworks! (hahaha.. weird..).

What caught my attention actually was the fact that the theme for this year focuses on the field of Bioinformatics (wow, I can relate! -- thanks to thesis). This morning, our thesis adviser was one of the three guest speakers for the Science Week Symposium held at the Little Theater. The moment she was introduced up to the last part of her talk, I have been smiling all along. Weird. No, not weird. It felt good listening to her and to the things that she wanted to point out regarding Bioinformatics. (Hmm.. I had a few hints on what to say on our thesis defense! Woot).  Really inspiring. In addition, we were anonymously mentioned. Lol.

We had brunch after the talk. Anyway, I am still holding on to my 3,000-cal diet. Weee. Pizza, pasta, sundae, chocolate cakes and brownies, and a lot of dairy products. Unexpectedly, we saw Lala and Arlene on the same restaurant. *more weeee*
After dragging us to the Smart Wireless Center where Lala applied for an internet service for her new condo unit, she and Arlene agreed to take a shot on the dance floor (DDR Forever!). It was their first time, but they did great! *more more weeee*.
And of course, who would forget Faicah, Richard, Diana, and Lala? --> The perfect combination.

That same afternoon, a lot of us (friends) joined the UPCM RSO's 'Sariling Atin' Pinoy Trivia. We came in fourth. Me, Winnie, and Arlene. Well actually, we were more shocked from what we have learned regarding the Regionalization Program than anything else at that moment. Whoa. Major whoa. As in seriously? *sigh*.
Back to reality: Fai's group won! Yay. Food, food, food, talk, talk, dance, dance, dance (go Lovely!) *-----* *-----*, and stuff.

Nakita ko pala si Ate Mai (after a long, long, long time). Sorry for not dropping by for months. Sige, kelan mo ako gustong pumunta diyan? Medyo maluwag naman schedule ko. :) I'll try to visit maybe next week, for the USB cord.

Happy thoughts Ian, happy thoughts. :)

Sunday, January 27

Key: Bored

Have you ever wondered how the keyboard was invented? How the inventor(s) came up with the QWERTY arrangement, what symbols have to pair with each of the numeric keys, the idea of putting a Tab key, why is the Enter/Return key called like that, and stuff. (Wild guess: this must have been created decades ago, along with ancient typewriters.)
Of course, the modern keyboard nowadays is more popularly identified with computers. Several keys have also been added to fit the demands of modern computing/typing.

These keys never caught my attention until right now. They help me remember. Sounds insane but the idea is the closest thing to what is on my mind at this moment.

CTRL - Mind over matter. But to what extent can my brain hold everything in place to make sure I'm still in control? With a damaged heart, it won't go that far.

ALT - That is why people have options. If this one doesn't work for me, then I'll start a new one. Leave all the baggage that made me choose to drive along the alternate route.

SHIFT - Grow up. I can do better.

Tab - I have been crawling my life for almost a year now. I'm being dragged by something I can't escape. Not until a few more rounds. It's like I'm tied to it with an enchanted rope, a rope that won't break, not until the owner dies. But it doesn't matter. I feel like it's getting less and less tight as days pass. After that, I think it's time to take bigger steps and prepare myself for 'the giant leap' to Med school (in just a couple of months)

Fn - Function. Work. Job. Responsibility. I hope everyone comprehends the first three words in a way they read the fourth one, especially on things where the future hangs on the balance.

Enter - It's very distinct among everyone else. It pushes you down, and it never stops. One moment you won't even realize that you already hit rock bottom. What's worse is when it begins to chop off the ideas that were once coherent. It separates one from the other. Just one line and it's over.

Backspace - I hope everything will get back to how they've been before. It is possible, but the hard part is you have to delete everything - what's been thought of, said, done, heard, felt, etc. The worse part: people don't usually do that. People can't. *sigh* Things will never be the same again, ever.

Del - We all make mistakes.. and that's how we grow. We either rewrite it, or, think of someting else to write. Me? I prefer the latter.

Home - This is where I can always go back to where I started without compromising everything that has been done: my family.

Pg Dn - There are a lot of things, billions, in my mind to be remembered. In fact, what's currently on the surface is the sometimes the one that tells my mood. But we all know that dwelling in these memories will lead us to nowhere but here. Only here.

Pg Up - It is where I want to be. If could only skip all the things that has to be done to reach that goal..

End - A new beginning is about to come. Behold.

F Keys - Oh, I almost forgot them. These are the people I knew since World War II (kidding.) There are 12 of them. There is the funny, the futile, the fag, make that two, the friendly, the fake, the first-lady, the flirt, the three foul creatures, and a fairy.
Twelve *F'n* people living in harmony.

Saturday, January 26

Stop talking. I can't hear you.


Oohhh.. What do we have here?
Juicy gossips, half-truths, total lies, and.. partnership issues?!? This is going to be fantastic.

The week started with a lot of 'uncertainties'. Maybe because nobody actually enlightened me with what's going on.. I just 'sensed' things. Really weird. But fun. That's when I realized how important it is to go to school every single day. You just don't know what you're missing. Not just the lessons in class, but some of the lessons in life.

Orb #1 - Are you really?

Orb #2 - Are they beginning to provide me with things that will support my good old hypothesis about them?

Orb #3 - No he's not. He's not. I am sure. But is he really?

Orb #4 - You seem sad. You need company?

Orb #5 - What are you doing..?

Orb #6 - Come on, tell me you're kidding.

Orb #7 - Since when?

Orb #8 - You actually think I'm going to do that. Seriously?


*image courtesy of Dark Pony

Thursday, January 24

I love Claude Monet

The hell I was talking about early this morning wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thank goodness.
And oh, one of our readers finally returned our first draft. Yipee. I'm happy to know that she's happy with what we did on our Results and Discussion.
Everything paid off.
I just hope that we'll be able to push through with our other reader, too. If that happens then wow.

Claude Monet, The Cathedral of Rouen, in Full Sunlight, Canvas, 1894, Museum of Impressionism

*image courtesy of mockingbird.creighton.edu

I have an exam today!!!

Just before I enter the fires of hell by taking my very first Humanities II exam today, I decided to leave something that would make me remember this day.
What it is: The very first image result when someone actually google for "the world's best painting." (Well, this information is consistent as of now, January 24, 2008, 5:48AM, +8 EST)
Insanely non-sense, huh? Right. Anyway, I was just puzzled what might come out.

It's called "Las Meninas" by Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez (1599-1660).



To see the complete art analysis, click here.
*image derived from the same site

Wednesday, January 23

Heath Ledger found dead at age 28


I have only known him from "10 Things I Hate About You", "Brokeback Mountain", and his role as the new Joker in the upcoming sequel to 'Batman Begins.'
And right this morning, he was on the headlines. He's been found dead in NYC.
He's only 28 years old.
Saaaad.
Here's the complete Yahoo! omg Article:

(ASSOCIATED PRESS) NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, naked in bed with sleeping pills nearby, police said. The Australian-born actor was 28. It wasn't immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide.

He had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the tony neighborhood of SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers gathered outside the building on an upscale block. Ledger's body was still inside, and several police officers guarded the door.

The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger most recently appeared in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan ƒƒ‚‚ as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker this year in "The Dark Knight," a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins."

He's had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot," and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball." He also played a heroin addict in the 2006 Australian film "Candy."

Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts. He met Watts while working on "The Lords of Dogtown," a fictionalized version of a cult classic skateboarding documentary, in 2004.

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, "Seat."

After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew."

Offers for other teen flicks soon came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.

"It wasn't a hard decision for me," Ledger told the Associated Press in 2001. "It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, 'You're crazy,' my parents were like, 'Come on, you have to eat.'"

His movie career caught on anyway, culminating with his Academy Award nomination opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback."

"Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan said earlier this month that Ledger's performance as the Joker would be wildly different than Jack Nicholson's memorable turn in 1989's "Batman."

"It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."

___

Associated Press Sara Kugler contributed to this report.

*photo grabbed here.
*original article from Yahoo! omg

Monday, January 21

Lively • Merry • Cheerful • Carefree • Gay

You know what, it is still unclear what really happened. At least to me. All I did was to respond to what I saw. To what I heard. To what I felt. But then, you didn't even bother.
You didn't think I'd notice it? Or maybe that's what you really wanted to happen.
It happened already. A long time ago. Now what?
It's not that I think it still matters, but, 'why do you keep on throwing things at me?' Silent but deadly, huh? Nice try.
'Coz you know what, everytime you do that, I get paranoid. It is as if you have a sniper and you really want that bullet to pass through my brain. Why am I paranoid. Does that mean that I am guilty of whatever you think I did? Will that put you on the good side and me on the bad side now? Wow. Not necessarily. Let's just think that, maybe, no matter how hard I try to deny it, I still f**kin' give a damn! About you. About what you say. Or do. Or whatever. Happy to hear that?

Why are you so mad anyway?
1) Maybe because you think I am selfish. But come on, I am a human being. And my senses are working properly. Hello (?) As if I made a decision just for nothing. You think I'm that stupid?
2) Maybe because you think you're the loser. Do I need to explain this?
3) Maybe because you are out your mind. You are insane. You have nothing to do. You want a fight. (Nah. I don't think so. Hmm.. *careful thinking* It seems, though.)
4) Maybe because for you, "It's better than nothing." Maybe despite all that has happened, you still have this goodie-goodie side that keeps on telling you to never give up, and instead of accepting the fact that it's totally over, you would rather start a fight with me just to keep us connected. (Sounds pathetic to me, but sweet. Too bad I can't associate even the slighest idea of it with you.)
5) Maybe because you think I didn't have any idea of what was happening then. I am insensitive at times, I know. But with something as important as this? No way.
6) Maybe you really have the answer and I don't get you that's why it's none of the above.
7) Maybe you're just naturally bad. Sagad to the bones.

You know what, you can keep throwing for as long as you want. If you're doing this to make you or someone else feel better, then go ahead. At least I'm helping.

Kaya naman, sige lang. Keep on hitting me with a hammer.
I assure you, it will feel so good when you stop.

Sunday, January 20

I Have Never...

This is my version (a written version) of a vlog (video log) I have seen on YouTube by JohnnyDurham19 entitled "I have never.."

I have never...
  • been out of the country
  • been stung by a bee
  • smoked a cigarette
  • been on a bar/club
  • shopped online
  • been to Luneta (Rizal Park)
  • lost a 200-, 500-, or 1000-peso bill
  • been held up at gun-point
  • been on a huge musical event/concert
  • joined a rally
  • dated someone on a Valentine's Day
  • been dropped by a teacher
  • been kicked out of school
  • broken a single bone in my body
  • eaten one whole tomato or strawberry
  • read any of the Lord of the Rings trilogy book
  • been hospitalized for more than 12 hours
  • dyed my hair
  • had a tattoo (even the temporary ones)
  • worn pink clothes (shirt, polo, whatever)
  • ridden a horse, or even a carabao
  • punched someone on the face (like in a fight)
  • touched a snake
  • been bitten by a dog (or a cat)
  • seen a real tarsier
  • done scuba diving
  • been handcuffed
  • tried online dating
  • fixed a broken furniture
  • streaked
  • sung by myself in front of more than 10 people
  • had a gold ring
  • experienced a computer crash
  • cut my hair
  • bought anything from Starbucks
  • been on TV
  • bought anything from a garage sale
  • been lost on a forest
  • been to Boracay
  • visited Jose Rizal's house at Calamba, Laguna
  • been very good talking to teachers/professors
  • seen a ghost
  • been Confirmed (my faith)
  • done ice skating or bowling
  • been on a golf course
  • rowed a boat
  • been to a spa
  • had a smartphone
  • been on a surgery
  • yelled at my parents
  • been on a gym
  • played a violin, or the drums
  • sold any of my personal stuff
  • drove a car
  • been really good in ending blog posts like this
There you go.
How about you -- what are the things that you haven't done?

*t-shirt design from ThinkGeek

Saturday, January 19

What's Up Today


The nineteenth.
What's up today?

I have been working for 3 days straight. Making sure that this thesis won't be a disappointment is not an easy job, especially when.. okay enough.

Things to do:
1. Make a Sample Cover and Spine Label
2. Write the Announcement page
3. Write the Endorsement letter
4. Write my Biographical Data
5. Reformat the Table of Contents, List of Figures, Tables, and Appendices
6. Redo the schematic diagram. It lacks something. Good thing I noticed. (11:20 AM)
7. Label all the tables and figures used
8. Write the Abstract (Courtesy of Sith)
9. Finalize the Literature Cited part. This task is easy, man. I can't believe I haven't finished it yet. (11:39 AM)
10. Write the Acknowledgement (Courtesy of Sith)
11. Buy a ream of bond paper. (Jan. 21) Print the draft. Copyread
12. Call UERMMMC to schedule my Med app. Interview
13. Read Chapters 5, 9, and 13 of The Humanities
14. Make a reviewer out of #13.
15. My laundry (Jan. 23)

Let's see what I can do later on. I'll just grab some sleep first.
*photo grabbed from iceman

Friday, January 18

New To Me


Since new Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Heroes episodes are still on hold due to the US writers' strike, I decided to scout for a new series to watch.
And here comes Kyle XY (Official Site). So far I have only seen the first five episodes but I must say, the story is very good. The plot moves you. It brings you in.

Plot:
Kyle is a sixteen-year-old boy, found in a forest area outside of Seattle, naked and without any memories of an earlier life. Kyle is like a newborn baby in his lack of knowledge of human social life: He doesn’t know the simplest things, like how to eat or drink, and cannot communicate with others easily in the beginning. When Kyle walks naked into a nearby town, he is picked up by the police. As they cannot find his records, he is taken to a juvenile detention facility, where it is discovered he doesn’t have a navel. Nicole Trager, a psychologist, is interested in Kyle because of his gift for art and his innocence. She realizes Kyle doesn’t belong behind bars and brings him to her home while the police look for his family. The series follows Kyle and the Trager family as Kyle develops socially and searches for answers to his past.


Somehow it is a good thing that I still have a handful of thesis work to finish -- or else I would be spending hours (or maybe days!) watching.

*photo grabbed from thetvaddict.com

Thursday, January 17

Extreme Makeover: Thesis Edition



Today after lunch, I decided (like what I usually do now) to stay at the library (despite the fact that I don't have any classes anymore) in order to work this thesis thing out.
Although, I can say, it's almost, uh.. more than three-quarters finished, actually there are still a lot of things to be done. The content - it's okay. The minor parts - not yet. The formatting - definitely not.
I searched the CAS library's thesis area around 2 PM today for several samples, hoping to get some idea on how to do the proper formatting. And, tadaa! My gut feeling was right. I messed up with our formatting. Too bad we already submitted copies to our thesis readers.
What are they gonna say now? That we don't know how to properly write a thesis? I mean, the basic rules and guidelines in writing one? Darn.

I was pissed. But then the heavens must've turned the table around.

Luckily, I saw Fai that same afternoon. Holding a red pen, she's copyreading their thesis as well. And, she was alone, too. (Well, Blythe was there, but I am referring to our thesismates).
Why lucky?

Well, first, we had a quick talk about what's going on with the world ('with the world' I meant 'thesis world'). It's been five days since the last time I went to school. It turns out they're having a difficult time. They're exhausted. Quite full of this thesis sh*t. And I feel sad about it, too. Like her, I have been going through our draft over and over again just to make sure everything is in order -- and I don't deny the fact that by doing this, eventually, boredom, stress, and exhaustion will eat you. Just you. Alive.

Second, we figured out that a copy of the rules/guidelines for thesis writing is available at the Department of Biology through Ate Malou.

Third, my 'thesis excitement' began rising (at last, again) when I started telling myself that: finally, I will be able to do a major thesis reformatting. An 'extreme makeover.'

Fourth. Fai and I pala, we're not just brats. We didn't realize until today that we share a common illness. Lol.

Fifth. Life is never fair. It's either you sit back and relax, or spend the rest of your life working. You can't be both.

Sixth. Sense. Your senses do not lie. If you feel like there is something weird. There is.

Seventh. What am I doing.. I'm starting to talk nonsense.

Eight. It's a good thing that no one decided to go out with me this morning to watch Sweeney Todd. Lala and Arlene know why. I love you, guys. =) You've always been the best.

Ninth. My favorite number.

Tenth. Inspiration is not enough. Sometimes we hang on to pain, anger, revenge, and the like. They do it best. And not until the end of the day will you realize that you have just finished doing someting great. Something excellent. Something that you always thought could be done with just inspiration alone.

And I feel lucky today.
It wasn't only me after all.

I am not alone.

*Logo adapted from Extreme Makeover. (TM) and Copyright (C) by ABC.com

Wednesday, January 16

Must Have Seen -- Part 1

I knew it.


There was always a reason why these titles were on the box-office!
Too bad I wasn't paying attention.


But that's okay. At least I got to see all (finally!) today.
Eragon, Happily N'Ever After, and The Devil Wears Prada.

*Happily N'Ever After Copyright (C) Lionsgate Films

*Devil Wears Prada (TM) and Copyright (C) 2006 Fox and its related entities. All rights reserved. Property of Fox.


*Eragon Poster grabbed from www.allposters.com.
*Eragon (TM) and Copyright (C) 2006 Fox and its related entities. All rights reserved. Property of Fox.

Tuesday, January 15

Infectious IQ? No way.

The title sounds weird. I know. But this post is not about IQ that is being passed on to someone. (Hello?)
Actually it's a quick test/quiz about how knowledgeable a person is regarding the most basic facts about microbes (or germs).

Go ahead and take the quiz here to see if you know enough and if you'll do better than I did. I nailed 8 of 11 questions. Not good enough for a Biology student like me though! Lol.

Here are some of the interesting facts that everyone should know about germs (click "Read More").

NOTE: If you are planning to quiz yourself, do not read the succeeding paragraphs unless you have taken the quiz. These are some of the answers to the questions.

1. The telephone is one dirty whatever.
Chances are, you are reaching out and touching hundreds of thousands of germs every time you pick up the phone. There are 25,000 germs per square inch on phones. Desks were a sick second, with 21,000 germs per square inch. The office toilet seat has a mere 49 germs per square inch. (Of course, individual results may vary.)

2. Makeup tester products at department stores are not safe!
Makeup tester products found they were loaded with staph bacteria and E. coli (which comes from poop). Even when store employees scrape away the used stuff or use antimicrobial wipes and alcohol dips, samples still get dirty. And the more shoppers there are, the worse things get, making Saturday the sickest day of all to test makeup.

3. Bad mouth. Really bad mouth.
There are more than 700 different species of microbes that live in the human mouth.

4. Toilets and toothbrushes. Urgh.
It is true that germs can escape a flushing toilet and contaminate things in the bathroom--such as toothbrushes. A flushing toilet sends an aerosol spray containing bacteria and viruses all around the bathroom for at least two hours after each flush. Please, people. Put the toilet seat down.

5. "Let there be light!" said Mr. Toothbrush.
Toothbrushes are often wet and encrusted with food and debris. Put them in the dark--like in your medicine cabinet--and you've created a germ nirvana. Storing them someplace light, dry, and away from the dreaded toilet-flush toxic plume--like near the bedroom window--is a better bet.

6. Wala pang one minute. Pwede pa yan!
It is a typical Pinoy notion (or maybe a joke) that when a food is dropped on the floor, you have this "one minute" window of time to pick it up before the food becomes "dirty". Well apparently, a Howard University student won an Ig Nobel prize for a research project she did as part of a summer job after high school. Dry floors, she found, generally don't have enough microbes on them to infect dropped morsels. With wet floors, this is not the case. (Also, the student researcher found women were slightly more likely than men to eat off the floor.)

7. Spongebob! You're not from the kitchen, right?
One sponge can have as many as 7 billion microbes growing in its damp, dark crevices. After that, the kitchen sink drain, the faucet, cutting boards, and fridge handles are areas you might want to wipe down with obsessive regularity.

8. Good heavens, what did you do?
Influenza got its name because people thought the flu was caused by the evil influence of the stars. It is actually caused by a virus, but before people knew that, they cast their blame to the heavens.

* information from MSN Encarta

Lisa Gherardini a.k.a. Mona Lisa


BERLIN - German academics believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery behind the identity of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait.

Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo, has long been seen as the most likely model for the 16th-century painting.

But art historians have often wondered whether the smiling woman may actually have been da Vinci's lover, his mother or the artist himself.

Now experts at the Heidelberg University library say dated notes scribbled in the margins of a book by its owner in October 1503 confirm once and for all that Lisa del Giocondo was indeed the model for one of the most famous portraits in the world.

"All doubts about the identity of the Mona Lisa have been eliminated by a discovery by Dr. Armin Schlechter," a manuscript expert, the library said in a statement on Monday.

Until then, only "scant evidence" from 16th-century documents had been available. "This left lots of room for interpretation and there were many different identities put forward," the library said.

The notes were made by a Florentine city official Agostino Vespucci, an acquaintance of the artist, in a collection of letters by the Roman orator Cicero.

The comments compare Leonardo to the ancient Greek artist Apelles and say he was working on three paintings at the time, one of them a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo.

Art experts, who have already dated the painting to this time, say the Heidelberg discovery is a breakthrough and the earliest mention linking the merchant's wife to the portrait.

"There is no reason for any lingering doubts that this is another woman," Leipzig University art historian Frank Zoellner told German radio. "One could even say that books written about all this in the past few years were unnecessary, had we known."

The woman was first linked to the painting in around 1550 by Italian official Giorgio Vasari, the library said, but added there had been doubts about Vasari's reliability and had made the comments five decades after the portrait had been painted.

The Heidelberg notes were actually discovered over two years ago in the library by Schlechter, a spokeswoman said.

Although the findings had been printed in the library's public catalogue they had not been widely publicized and had received little attention until a German broadcaster decided to do some recording at the library, she said.

The painting, which hangs in the Louvre in Paris, is also known as "La Gioconda" meaning the happy or joyful woman in Italian, a title which also suggests the woman's married name. (REUTERS)


*exact same article source from msnbc
* photo grabbed from Entertainment News UK

Monday, January 14

Harry Potter's Family Tree

The Harry Potter hype is not that evident anymore (at least for me). Maybe the sparks will come back when the new film returns this year.

Well, I was surfing the net when I decided to visit JK Rowling's site. It's been a while. I remember how frequent I visited her site during when the Harry Potter series was still on the works. So sad..
I wasn't expecting anything new or shocking to see in there, but hey, I was (again) wow-ed when I saw this interesting sheet of information: The 'modern' Weasley family tree.

If the photo is not that clear enough, you can always visit her site (linked above) and click on the pink eraser on her desk.

*Photo (C) JK Rowling.

Project Runway Parody

I love Project Runway and I love MadTV (they're insane!).
Now imagine watching Project Runway on MadTV. Wow. It's definitely nirvana! Lol.

This parody here really got me laughing. Heidi Klum is really awesome.. I mean, loud.

My name in 368 words

Holy smokes. I never imagined my name to be interpreted the way this long. It's almost as lengthy as writing my name a hundred times.

From what I know, I am basically:
- stupid
- boring
- lazy
- always late
- don't have the nerves for loud/noisy people
- tech-y
- smart

15 words. Fifteen? Great. Good thing blogthings.com got it all figured out and came up with a novel. Yeah. A "Who Am I?" novel. A novel about what my name means.

Well anyway, I just thought I'd give it a try.

And here it is. Is this really me?


You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.
You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.
You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life.
You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you.
At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

You are very hyper. You never slow down, even when it's killing you.
You're the type of person who can be a workaholic during the day... and still have the energy to party all night.
Your energy is definitely a magnet for those around you. People are addicted to your vibe.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous.
You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things.
Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times.

You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way.
And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life.
You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it.

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life.
You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone.
Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs.

Yay. At least blogthings.com and I had a common thing in mind. I am smart.



Sunday, January 13

Spread the word!

This video has been viewed more that 3 million times in YouTube and it has been featured recently on Yahoo!

To watch more of his videos about climate change, click on this LINK.

Saturday, January 12

Katherine Heigl's Newest Movie


27 DRESSES


Jane (Katherine Heigl) is idealistic, romantic and completely selfless--a perennial bridesmaid whose own happy ending is nowhere in sight. But when younger sister Tess captures the heart of Jane's boss -- with whom she is secretly in love -- Jane begins to reexamine her "always-a-bridesmaid..." lifestyle.

Genre/s: Comedy and Romance
Running Time: 1 hr. 47 min.
Release Date: January 18th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, some innuendo and sexuality.
Distributors: 20th Century Fox Distribution
Studios: Fox 2000
Filming Locations: New York (USA), Rhode Island (USA)
Produced in: United States

Friday, January 11

si • ra

Me and some of my friends went to UERMMMC this afternoon to submit our Med apps.
Geez.
Mixed emotions.

One thing: It was my first time thinking about how I am going to be as a med student if ever I didn't get into UPCM. Scary.

One more thing: The fact that I am going to med school in just a few months now doesn't excite me anymore. I don't know. Ann just mentioned yesterday (again), "excited na ako mag-med".. And it felt weird because everytime she says that, I easily get affected and begin feeling the excitement, too. But yesterday was different. I just rolled my eyes.

Another thing: Today, Blythe and I kept talking about the possible ways on how we are gonna earn money right away after graduation. It was like the 'alternative to medicine'. I don't deny the fact that I myself is tempted into thinking that it is possible for me not to pursue med anymore and find a suitable job instead. Holy crap. My dad's gonna kill me. Who doesn't want money anyway.

Important thing: It shows that I am not as prepared as how I thought I was after all. What is really happening pala is that I am just going with the flow. What they do, I do. What they plan, becomes part of my plan, too. What they want to be in the future, becomes what I imagine myself to be, too, in the future.
I am still not sure. And I can't just leave this like that.

Unexpected thing: The official list of graduating students for 2008 has been posted. The bad news is, my name wasn't there. What the-- .. um.. I submitted my app. for grad. form late. Maybe that's why. I checked on it at the OCS. They said they'll update it later. Ay nako, yang word na later, sumosobra na yan ha. Stop being so unsure.

Funny thing: With all this uncertainty of whether or not I'm gonna graduate on time (the list, thesis, etc), the fact that I am so eager to get over this final semester gets me laughing eventually.

Some other thing: Just like med, (lately) I wasn't been so optimistic about our thesis. It just passes me by. When something has to be done, I work. When done, it's done. No worries. Thinking of how I am going to handle it for the next couple of weeks up to the part where it actually ends is, just like med, still unsure.
Don't know what to do. Will I just wait and see how things are going to happen?

But things don't just happen. I can't just say that I would rather live everyday of my life as how it happens.
Man has options. I have choices. I make decisions.

One last thing: It's pointless not to think of these things right now.

The thing is: Shit happens. But it doesn't JUST happen.

Wednesday, January 2

Dementor! Dementor!

"Expecto patronum!"


Got this photo from Ria's Multiply. Hilarious. Got me laughing for quite some time.
Here you see Ron, casting a spell while Hermione and Harry talk on the background.

This was during our Rad. Biology Trip to PNRI last December.

Tuesday, January 1