cheering squad

I want Jackie Earle Haley to win the Oscar for best supporting actor. He was amazing in “Little Children”. I longed to see more of him on screen (the character he was playing) and I simply couldn’t take my eyes off him. Brilliant performance. So happy he got nominated.

Like everyone else, I was shocked to witness Serena Williams destroy Sharapova. What a nice comeback for Serena though. I am equally surprised that Roddick couldn’t defend himself at all against Federer. Their match at the US Open last year was far more interesting. But since I am a huge Federer fan, I am hoping he’ll win another one tomorrow. This guy is so good. I often shake my head in disbelief with his ability to return the ball (especially Roddick’s serve). Hope the game with speedy Gonzales tomorrow will be a good one.

Also watched my other favorite sport – figure skating. I guess it was not a surprise that Kimmie Meissner won the gold at the nationals. She has never wowed me so I feel somewhat indifferent about her win. Bebe Liang’s 4th place finish is disappointing because I hoped she could at least get the bronze but she fell twice in her long program. She’s such a dynamic skater unlike Meissner. Kimmie can land the jumps but she feels mechanical and very disconnected with her music. The two skaters who really caught my attention were not even in the senior’s event - Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu. Caroline is definitely somebody to watch. Barring any serious injuries, she is a serious contender for 2010 Olympics. She is so fun to watch, very fluid, graceful and has one of the best layback spins. Plus she can do an Ina Bauer like Shizuka Arakawa.

gluetube

For months, I have whined and complained about not having enough time to accomplish all my schoolwork and work demands. Yet, during a chat with my coworkers today over lunch, somebody commented, “Wow, Sheryl, you watch a lot of TV.” Gulp. I retreated to my office after eating my banana and decided to examine how I spend my evenings and weekends. What I discovered cost me my right to whine and complain about not having enough time. I am guilty as charged!

Granted I do tend to be more productive on Monday nights but this is because I have a whole day of demanding classes on Tuesdays that require some degree of preparation. I used to watch “24” but I cannot stand waiting a whole week to find out what happens so I decided that “24” should only be seen on DVD when all the episodes are within my reach (I have trouble delaying gratification when it comes to my TV shows which is why I stopped watching other serialized shows like “Lost”). Tuesday nights are devoted to my current favorites “House” and “Dirty Jobs”. I Tivo “American Idol” so I can watch the hour-long show in 25 minutes or less. Wednesday nights are reserved for “Criminal Minds”, “Project Runway”, American Idol results show, sometimes I watch “CSI:NY” or “Primetime Medical Mysteries”. I used to watch “Grey’s Anatomy” when it was on Sunday nights, but since moving up against “CSI” on Thursday nights, I chose to stay loyal to my procedural crime drama TV show. The racial spin on the previous season of “Survivor” made me curious enough to watch it (plus, I thought the Korean guy was hot). Normally, I watch “Ugly Betty” too. The evening that should probably be allotted for TV time would be Fridays but I find the scheduled primetime shows uninteresting. I try to watch “Monk” whenever I can because I do enjoy that show but I keep forgetting that it’s on Friday nights. Oh, and of course there’s “Dr. Who” but I have already seen most of the episodes airing on Sci-fi channel. James always watches “Mythbusters”, “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef America” so I watch those too (almost every night). “48 Hours Mystery” on Saturday evenings is another excuse for me and James to cuddle on the couch. Sunday nights are far more interesting because of “The Sopranos”, “Rome”, “Mystery!” on PBS, “Extras”, “Amazing Race”, and “Battlestar Galactica”.

Goodness gracious. And I haven’t even mentioned all the hours I spend watching youtube videos… all those cute silly kittens, figure skating, and tennis videos… I’m not sure giving up the Law and Order shows made much of a difference. Geesh. Feelings of guilt abound because I have so much stuff to do. And the guilt kinda takes away the pleasure of watching TV.

hands of time

I have ambivalent feelings about my first week back at school. It is always nice to see familiar faces but dissertation deadlines and exams are looming over my head day and night. Nermine is dependent on her crutches but at least she’s mobile now after her ACL surgery over the break. One of my new year’s resolutions is to spend more time with Maria, Cherie, Christine and Annie… to not let school take control of my life this semester. My classes this term are very interesting. Neuropathology rocks! The subject matter feels very CSI. Timing couldn’t be more perfect because I read my first Patricia Cornwell novel over the holiday so my interest in forensic pathology is probably at its highest right now. I’m quite pleased that I have another semester with Dr. Bradford. He is definitely one of the coolest professors I’ve ever had. He wore a devil suit in class during Halloween last semester, hehe. He was also kind enough to agree to be in my dissertation committee. My neuropsych appraisal class is finally more hands-on than last semester. Less time will be spent on lectures and more on actual testing, case presentations, and report-writing which represents what my career will look like (hopefully). Our professor took us by surprise by notifying us that we already have patients scheduled for Tuesday (gulp). But I am very much looking forward to this experience. I am itching to hone my skills because it dawned on me that I only have 3 semesters left. Yikes. 3 semesters and I will finally bid adieu to school. I will officially become a full-fledged adult/professional/clinician. No more excuses for my failures. The time will soon come where I must find structure in an unstructured and competitive world. Quite scary and daunting. I’ll try not to think about it for now. But geesh, I have identified with the role of student for the past 24-25 years of my life. What will I be after that? A psychologist? Wife? Friend? Perhaps a mother? I just hope I don’t fall flat on my face.

p.s. yehey, we had some snow! It’s about time.

A Closer Look At The iPhone

how cool is this?

love at first sight

Gasp!

The rumors are true... iphone has arrived!

I instantly asked James not to renew our cell phone contract with Verizon. I've been persuading him to switch to Cingular for months because they have cooler phones... but after today's revelation from Steve Jobs... this will be one of the easiest decisions we'll make. This gadget is ultra cool. Can't wait to get my hands on one.

pauper whopper

I came across a very interesting and insightful article from the December 2006 issue of Smithsonian magazine. Eliza Griswold, a Nieman Fellow at Harvard wrote the piece “Waging Peace in the Philippines”. I am reprinting an excerpt from the article that left an impression on me.

Pakila [Pakila Datu who leads the Moro Islamic Liberation Front] said his battle with the governor [of Maguindanao province, Datu Andal Amapatuan Sr.] had nothing to do with Islam. It was about control of land with untapped oil beneath it. This is today’s MILF, I thought to myself: its leaders are more concerned with oil than jihad, and the Moro people are caught in the middle.

Pakila asked me to come outside into the glaring sun. The schoolteacher from the boat approached. “They are fighting because the government stole their land,” the teacher said. I asked her to translate a question: Would everyone who’d lost their land to the government please raise their hands?

I waited a minute, but no hands went up.

Maybe they didn’t understand, I thought, but Pakila interrupted. “No,” he said. “The land the government has taken is mine.”

“All of it?” I asked.

He nodded yes, saying there were 1,000 hectares (about four square miles).

Suddenly I realized that these “rebels” were actually the private army of a feudal lord. Pakila was a very rich landowner. “So let me get this straight,” I said. “If you weren’t at war right now, would these men be farmers in your fields?”

Pakila Datu beamed. Exactly.

It struck me that the most pressing problem in today’s Philippines isn’t terrorism or even government corruption but poverty and a lack of social mobility. People at the bottom of society are trapped.

… … People who don’t own land have no way to feed their families other than to work, as they have for generations, on property belonging to large landowners like Pakila Datu. That’s how these “rebels,” and others like them, have ended up on the battlefield, fighting not for their own rights but for those of the big men they serve.

Before I left camp, Pakila took me aside and said he wanted to start prospecting for oil. He wondered if I knew any American oilmen who might pay for the use of his land.

To read full article: http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2006/december/philippines.php

blast from the past

L-R: Neil Lim (batch '94), JM Villa (batch '94), moi (batch '97) and Heidi Mae Tieng (batch '92)

"Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne?"

The unexpected invitation from JM to meet up with old friends on Saturday (Dec. 30) turned out to be a wonderful experience. Despite not having seen each other for years, the four of us chatted endlessly throughout the afternoon. We ditched a movie because we still had so much stuff to talk about. I have very few Filipino or Chinese friends here in NJ so it felt really nice and nostalgic to reconnect not only with people from my culture but from people who graduated from the same high school. Hope Haidee moves to Philly soon! :) I briefly met Zabrina chi's adorable newborn daughter Dawn (who has gorgeous eyes) and her husband. It was odd to see remnants of my past but I definitely welcomed the experience... and hope for more.