fight!

FOR all the times that quitting seems to be the easiest way out.

Yes, it will be hard.
Yes, you'll definitely get tired.
But, trust me, it will be all worth it.

Sabi nga ni Sen Blas Ople:
"Umiikot ang mundo. Hindi pwedeng nakatayo lang tayo rito."

arggh.

I want my old vigor back!

now.

LET me start my new entry (after being on hiatus for a long time) with a passage from one entry I have read online,

We have been born for greatness. Not for the selfish satisfaction of fulfilled ambition, but rather for the addition of significance and contribution to the breathing multitude called homo sapiens.(sic)

It has been about a month since I started medical school and boy, am I STRESSED! Now that I am here, I really have to work very hard. It is no longer enough to just get by. To quote one of my classmates, "Mahirap na maging olats na doctor." But amidst all the sleepless nights, caffeine intoxication and stress, I don't have any regrets at all in choosing this field because I know soon enough, all of these is going to pay off and I would be great and I would be able to add a significant contribution to the breathing multitude of Homo sapiens.

Happy New Year!

THE Old Year has gone.
Let the dead past bury its own dead.
The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time.
All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!

-Edward Payson Powell



*photo not mine.

3 idiots.

I have recently watched the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots" and I must say that I enjoyed the three-hour movie. The film is a sad depiction of the attitude of most students towards education. This could be captured by the the passage written by Rizal in his novel El Filibusterismo, "pumapasok noon sa kolehiyo, hindi upang matuto mag-aral kundi upang matapos ang kurso."

On a different note, the reason I liked this movie, apart from I being able to relate to it, is the originality of the plot juxtaposed to the traditional boy meets girl romance storyline employed by Philippine movies -a sad commentary on the state of Philippine cinemas.

Going back to the plot of the movie, Rancho -a mechanical engineering student in a prestigious institute of higher learning in India, complains about how flawed the current education system which suppresses critical thinking and creativity is, and how most students turn a blind eye for the sake of obtaining a diploma -not necessarily gaining knowledge.

Pondering on this, I remembered how back in preschool up to high school, students were always asked of what they wanted to be when they grow up and the reply was usually to become a successful doctor or lawyer or whatever vocation. But how does one really measure success? Is it through one's monthly income? one's fame, prestige or influence?

Nevertheless, during my stay in college, I cannot remember an instance wherein one is encouraged to study or work harder in order to be successful. It was always to work hard in order to excel in a certain field. Excellence -and not success, was the goal. Hence, I agree with Rancho when he said that a student's attitude should be towards striving excellence not success. For in excellence, success will automatically follow. One must therefore study with utmost passion for gaining knowledge and achieving excellence and not for the sole purpose of getting a diploma and landing a good job. I guess that is the lesson that most students miss or forget upon entering college. It is not so bad relearning it again.

AHL IZ WELL. AHL IS WELL.

sigh.

There is this feeling again of intense fear of failure and living a life of mediocrity that cripples me and keeps me awake at night.

blackforest.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE GASTRONOMIC VALUE OF GOLDILOCKS AND RED RIBBON BLACK FOREST CAKE


TWO slices of black forest cake, one bought from Goldilocks Sta Lucia (Cainta) Branch and the other from Red Ribbon Sta Lucia (Cainta) Branch, would be compared based on the following criteria.

Appearance: colour, size, presentation
Taste: icing, cake, chocolate
Cost

Findings of the said study are as follows.

APPEARANCE
Colour
Goldilocks black forest cake is a three-layered dark brown cake with a cream white icing in between. It is topped with chocolate shavings, a cherry and a slice of peach. Red Ribbon black forest cake, on the other hand, is also a three-layered dark brown cake with a cream white icing in between, though icing is creamier in color. It is topped with cherry ad chocolate shavings.
Size
Though both are three layered cakes, Goldilocks black forest cake is wider in width by a centimeter compared to the Red Ribbon black forest cake.
Presentation
Aside from the plastic container in which both cakes are packaged, the Goldilocks black forest cake is inserted into a plastic sleeve thus reducing mess.

TASTE
Icing
Goldilocks black forest icing has a relatively bland taste with oily textured as opposed to the frothy semisweet icing of Red Ribbon black forest cake.
Cake
Goldolocks black forest cake is soft and has a smooth texture. There is very little taste of rum which makes the cake almost similar to that of a chocolate cake. Red Ribbon black forest cake, on the other hand, has soft granular texture. Flavor of rum is very distinct.
Chocolate
Goldilocks used unsweetened chocolate and is relatively thicker in dimension compared to the semisweet milk cholate shavings used by Red Ribbon.

COST
Goldilocks black forest cake is cheaper at Php 56.00 per slice compared to Red Ribbon at Php 59.00 per slice.

CONCLUSION
Based from the observations made above and my personal preferences, I therefore conclude that Red Ribbon black forest cake is generally better than Goldilocks black forest cake.