Valentine cards, UP Manila and Butterflies

Ryan McGinley’s Beautiful Rebels on Nowness.com.

Today is a good day because I moved back into my own dorm room, liberated from the confines of the dormitory isolation room! Classes resume tomorrow. Thank you for Ryan McGinley for the nice video above which gives me a sense of celebration.

I participated in a tour around the University of the Philippines - College of Medicine (UP-CM) in UP Manila today. I was able to go in the Philippine General Hospital which I've been wanting to visit since my dreams of becoming a public doctor materialized. 

For the whole duration of the trip that occupied most of my afternoon waking hours, I was able to take a whooping set of 4 pictures! I wasn't in the mood. Above was taken from one of their humungous lecture halls. 

The girl wearing red is an awesome friend from high school. She is an Intarmed freshman at UP-Manila so we barely see each other anymore. Sad. 

I have to mail these stuff tomorrow! But I wonder how. One is a state-of-the-offspring address to the parental. The other three (or four) are Valentine cards because I think its kind of old school to send out cards in the mail. I love old school stuff. Hahaha

Runner's World Magazine January-March 2012

I decided to get out and buy some stuff (mostly food) for the week. I grabbed a copy of Runner's World which felt like getting my certificate for being a legit runner.

Two weeks ago I started my Smashrun.com account. I already put in 36 miles in a week but I had to stop because of this stupid infection. I was hesitating wether I should get the magazine because it might put in bitterness. I haven't been able to run for a week already!

Good thing, it comes with a free gadget strap for running! That is awesome because I've been looking for these that come at reasonable prices. Most are just outrageously expensive but this one is for free. Yay! If my foot feels fine later I might run some miles!

It fits my iPod Touch perfectly!

There are a lot of good stuff inside and is definitely a must-read for a beginner runner. Its an awesome local version of the world's biggest running magazine. I bought my copy from National Book Store for P150. A new issue comes out every 3 months. Yay!

Free shipping of books to the Philippines

There are a lot of online stores out there that distribute books but unfortunately most of them think delivering to our country is not worth the risk. Or, if we're not blacklisted, the shipping costs could buy a library. I live in Manila and it has a lot of great book stores but I'm not in the mood for exploring all the time. And there are books that are just damn too hard to find. Like Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" (the library has a copy available for lending according to the online catalogue. Been looking for it since late last year. Never found it)

The BookDepository.com offeres FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE(this time, Philippines is on their list) of all their books. They cary titles at very reasonable and sometimes even discounted prices. You need not worry about shipping because its for free. Isn't that amazing! Its a U.K. based service and is awesome. 

Here is someone's own history with the service. From what I've read, the books usually arrive within two weeks! Thats not bad. 

I haven't actually tried their service but I will. Very soon and I would be glad to share the experience.

Check out the BOOKDEPOSITORY.com

One Day: There is this Anne Hathaway scene I will never forget

I am going to reattach myself to society again tomorrow. I will return to my room, three floors above this solitary confinement. Until then, I will watch movies in fear of ennui.

I just finished the movie above. A few months back, my friend caught a good deal on a DVD of the movie and she was elated, telling me how it had been suggested to her a couple of times. I'm not sure if she read the book but judging by her reaction, the novel was a winner (or her sources were very appreciative). Also, I am a big fan of Anne Hathaway.

The movie was ok. I am under perfect circumstances to appreciate it. Its a story of Dexter (Sturgess) and Em (Anne), two best friends and their twisted, telenovela-material love story which immediately begins after college graduation. They fall for other people when all along, they are sure they only truly love each other. This is funny. Its like looking at people trying to drink liters of Coke when all they need are two glasses of water. 

Photo from a little heartwarming interview with Anne on Elle.

Em becomes an author, of course. Dexter, I don't know. He becomes this British TV presenter then he prepares food at an organic restaurant. Symbolisms, maybe, that are yet to be revealed to me. 

Spoiler: They end up together and they live in scenic Paris, where Em has an awesome apartment. Then the most unforgettable act I have seen of Anne Hathaway so far. It involves a bike and complete negligence of "Stop, look, and listen".

Should you watch it? I am sick, alone in a cold, ground-floor room. I watched it and I don't regret it. 

******

I will be watching "Midnight in Paris". I'm seriously excited because unfortunately, this would be the first Woody Allen film I'll be watching. I probably watched several others before without knowing it was his. Obviously, I am a very ignorant movie nut. 

Too young for career choices.

Stuck in a room alone, I have plenty of hours just to think about life. Mine, in particular. While watching Serendipity and after finishing all of Friends just a few days ago, I realized how much I wanted a day job, behind a desk in New York City. Panic ensues as I remember I am pursuing a premed course.

photo from here

I heard a couple of times already that my college degree doesn't determine my future. That is not comforting at all because everyone knows its better if my years in college is spent stuffing my head with things that will land me on a chair with wheels, in front of a computer and a phone, maybe, in my own cubicle, on a two-digit floor in some company, several blocks from Central Park. The sappiness from Serendipity might have climbed my head!

This is really sad because all my ideas on living such life come from American television. As TV only produces pretty images to the pleasure of the audiences, I am highly skeptical that when I actually step into my dream middle-age life, it will be as fun as I've seen it being lived by others. In fact, this is a problem for all dreams. You will never know how it would actually feel "being there".

Then the dilemma: what am I doing now? I'm in my freshman in college -- pursuing a premed course! Even more, I'm in a room with numb fingers, completing a week-long recovery from a systemic viral infection! My life is a mess. I just want it to make sense RIGHT NOW!

People say I should relax, close my eyes, and imagine tranquilizers calming my brain. They say I must stop thinking so much and enjoy the moment as it slowly drifts along. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is my life we are talking about.  I was born imprisoned within my own point of view in this universe and I only get one uni-directional chance at observing and feeling it. 

What if I turn out homeless and a failure? What about those years in school? Well, I don't know how it actually feels like to be homeless. Who am I to judge the feeling? 

What am I doing with my life?

Still sick

One of the few benefits (huh?) of being sick is that staying inside your room and just browsing the internet is not a mortal sin. The internet is a wonderful place and below is a haunting find. A photo set by Anna Skladmann entitled "Little Adults".

Ilona and Ella in a Rowing Boat

It is a very interesting set where the subjects are the children of the elite in Russia. The little dialogues that come with the captions show how much of the playfulness and innocence are gone from this privileged bunch. 

Read more about Little Adults on Times.

**************

The infection in me is exceptionally bitchy. I have the worse case of lesions and bruising. My fingertips can't feel anything so no matter how smooth and silky your hair might be, it will only feel like dry paper when I touch them. I think and I hope this is just temporary.

IDK

Tumblr, for now.

I'm sick and have been into isolation since Monday night. I have something apparently super contagious and everyone healthy must avoid any form of physical contact with me. I feel like a piece of turd with legs. Everyone, run away!

Tumblr is awesome when I want to make small, one-way talk on whatever I think everyone should know. Follow me there, please!

http://leolutero.tumblr.com