lovely family

My dear friends Erlyn, Atit and their children: Gabby, Kurt and Kyle, before the boys had their hair cut.

booth browsing

Made booth rounds tonight and I could see why the booth gathering is aptly called "Hibalag" as I did meet there a lot of friends and acquaintances that I haven't seen in a long while. The both area is more brightly lit this time compared to previous founder's days and I like it this way, it seems a less likely place for hanky-panky.

The highlight of the booth rounds, of course, would be going to the Horror Booth, the runaway blockbuster of all booths every year. The Psychology Society is in charge of transforming the Katipunan Hall into a haunted house during the founder's week and bringing shrieks and delight to the multitude of students and other guests who patiently line-up for almost an hour along the candle-lit pathway just to enter the horror chambers and see if blood and monsters made by the psych majors are scary enough to elicit surprise and screams from the willing adventurers.

It was no Val Helsing Horror House but I had such fun walking through the monster-filled rooms because I was with dear friends Karen and Pam. And now we are about to begin a late-night all-night talking session, to see how many topics we can cover and until what time we can stay awake. :-)

Ciao!

Odd in Odessa?

This is the Odessa Opera House in Ukraine, touted to be one of the finest architectural structures in Europe, once host to concerts conducted by Peter Tchaikovsky and ballets featuring Anna Pavlova.

I've not been there yet, but my poster has. Courtesy of my friend Vicky. Wahah! Thanks, Vick. :-)

aNesstajah in fantajah



I'm wearing this cool Marc O'Polo shades Vicky brought all the way from Germany. Salamat, friend!

Nurnberg and Rothenburg

That's where I'm going, to these exotic places in Germany, near where my friend, Vicki, who sent these postcards, lives.

When? Someday, someday! For now, in my dreams only. :-)

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Nurnberg or Nuremberg

bahig sa bulak

Last Sunday my dear friend, Jonnah Ruth, gave me this flower and fruit (notice the miniature pineapple!) arrangement that she made and look at it today (Wednesday), still so alive!

Thanks, Mother Jonah!

pagkabahig sa bulak

ang pinya, zoomed

gremere, long hair

Not anymore!

Gifted vocalist and musician who can play all kinds of musical instruments, Gremere V., 25 years old and a fresh Architecture graduate, shed his long curly locks yesterday.

Before

September 2008



The Graduate
March 2009

After

June 2009

Guapo ra japon, and it didn't affect his voice one bit. :-)

last scrub!

Today is our beloved OR Male Aide Manong Cardo's 60th birthday. It is also his first day of retirement after thirty years of being with the SUMC. His earliest memory of working in this hospital was when they were making hakot all the hospital stuff from the old Mission Hospital (now the Katipunan Hall) to the new location in front of the SU Ballfield. And the hospital memories that he said he would miss the most would be the outings and the numerous parties throughout the year. In fact, he would be joining the OR summer outing in Dakak this weekend.

We are going to miss him (and his singing!) as he is going to miss us too, for sure! As for me, Nong Cardo would always be my standard for perfect patient positioning. I do hope the new male aides would do as well as Nong Cardo did.

Yesterday was his last day at work ...

Last scrub of the OR walls!

At Room 1 with Cherry, Lando, Carlisle, Edith and MaryAnn

At the Workroom with Mommy Mila, Edith, Ma'am Ordna, Amy and MaryAnn. The two guys in front are Nimrod (capless) and Ronald (colorful cap).

Nong Cardo and his successor, Lando

Graduation Day

Finally, it's the most awaited day for Silliman and Foundation Universities.

To our medical graduates, congratulations and get used to your new names! (Click on image to see the rest of the Testimonial Dinner pictures.)

(l-r, back)
Dr. Yugeong Go
Dr. Philmed Salindo
Dr. Georgitha Partosa
Dr. Marikit Bituin Buquiran
Dr. Tanya Ramas-Uypitching

(l-r, front)
Dr. Julie Cabristante
Dr. Sheena Saycon
Dr. Pearl Vidal
Dr. Kristine Espancho

To my literature and creative writing classmates Jordan, Ayla, Mario and Sonia, congratulations and hoy balik-balik pud mo.

To my friend Jun Quevenco, Magna Cum Laude from the Foundation University College of Law, I am speechless! Ang galing! Hugs to your wife, Jay, and daughters, Katrina and Maika.

To my niece, Paula, already a weblogger at Grade 6, who graduated from elementary with honors and leadership awards, I am so proud to be your relative! :-)

To all the rest of the graduates, congratulations and happy job hunting.

To all parents and guardians, whew!

To my colleagues in the teaching profession, it's been a fun year and I salute you for braving the heat and the sweat by sitting at the SU Amphitheater in your incredibly thick doctorate togas for the entire sweltering afternoon hours to honor our pioneering graduates.

To my hairdresser, thank you for the tender touch and hair care advice, but would just like to let you know, ni fly-away na pud ako buhok. Duh.

And finally, to my dear teacher, Dr. Dale Law, thank you for the wonderful semester of brutally frank critiquing of my essays. I actually hope you won't get to read this because I'm sure you're going to flip with my colloquialisms and many "awkward" word choices. If you must know, Sir, from this day forward, every time I write a sentence, I always ask myself, "What will Dr. Law say? What will Dr. Law say?" I know what you'll say. "Repetitious!" ;-p

And, oh, p.s. to Prof. Andrea Soluta, my Literary Theory teacher, yes, Ma'am, I promise to submit my writing assignments on the different -isms before the deadline. I just have to make this post and yeah, uh, finish some pending Guess the Sketch Challenge games.

And while I'm at this, I might as well thank you, dear reader, whether you come visit here regularly or just stumbled upon this today, I am grateful. What's the use of writin' if no one's gonna be a readin'?

I, thank you all. Bow.

last day of school

It's Friday the thirteenth, the last official day of classes in SU today. Next week is final exams week. It's hectic and panic time for students and teachers alike.

To my graduating classmates Fred Jordan (Creative Writing), Ayla (Literature) and Mario (Languages), I can't believe I won't be seeing you in school next sem! Huhuhu. I'm gonna miss you, guys. Thank you for all the 'discussions', intellectual and otherwise. ::wink::wink:: Hehehe.

To my graduating students, hey, I hope you finish all your hospital make-up duties so you can march this March. ;-)

The art and poetry of Jordan Carnice

My friend and classmate in lit and writing classes, Fred Jordan Carnice, the only Creative Writing graduate this year, is holding "Lines Verses Lines", an exhibit of his poetry and paintings at the Sidlakang Negros Gallery starting March 15. This exhibit is sponsored by Sidlakang Negros, the Weekly Sillimanian and the SU Kadugong Bol-anon.





Way to go, Bullfrog!! I am so proud of you! Congratulations!!

bacolod trip

Framed miniatures: me, Ynadz, Ruthie, Jed and Noynoy

Saltimboca Inn, where we stayed for four hours to sleep, bathe and eat breakfast


Bamboo bars on bintana


Stone detail on Saltimboca steps


Bacolod is maskara country so it is only fitting that the Saltimboca Christmas tree should have masks as decor.


A beary merry Christmas and a fruitful new year to you all

nov celebs

Happy Birthday

Karen and Linda!!

ooppss! ;-)

november celebrants

Happy birthday Kat, Ted, Faye and Rhes!

posing jud amidst the white plastic chairs

Ted the thorn and the three roses

four november bday celebrants with one white-shirted joiner on the left, Gremere, the vocalist

intermission number

taking a break

it's a struggle to stay awake

now taking a little snack

but later i shall be back.

erlyn's boys

how to study for the board exams

Well, here's one tip: a Formula Wall, where all the equations and must-know facts are written.

Courtesy of Kira Katrina Ma, the newest, prettiest, sweetest,

REGISTERED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER in the Philippines!!!

Congratulations, Ate KringKring! We are so proud of you!

And by the way, Silliman University has been ranked among the top performing schools nationwide for doing well in the September 2008 licensure exam for electrical engineers.

jude, kring2x, ernie

6 x 5 x 6 or the number of years it took them to finish college

the oliva-esmero wedding

all aglow

Best Wishes to the newly weds!

September 5, 2008
Cebu Waterfront Hotel
Lahug, Cebu City

Charles, the groom's best friend and best man

Jule, the groom's younger sister and the bride's maid

my RL and VL collide

This post is dedicated to Vicki, a Dumaguetena who now resides in Germany, whom I met virtually through this weblog!

Several weeks back I mentioned in a post that once upon a time, during high school, I used to have a German penpal, primarily because my friends and I were collecting stamps from exotic countries. Vicki, quick to indulge my affinity for stamps, sent me an "experimental" postcard. Experimental because my real name is not published here and I asked her to just address the postcard to "Dr. A. Nesstajah, c/o Manong Cardo, Operating Room, Silliman Medical Center, Dumaguete City." The name, of course, is derived from my specialty which is anesthesia. Manong Cardo is our male aide at the OR whom I wrote about as my hero at work. Would the Dumaguete Post Office and the hospital receptionist deliver?

Well!! Here's the evidence!

Manong Cardo and the postcard from Germany

Vicki's postcard with classmates Dr. Bong and me, fully scrubbed and gowned this time

After surgery, the surgeons usually buy lunch or dinner for the entire OR staff. Yehey! "Mangaon ta," says Nong Cardo.

To celebrate the meeting of my Real Life and my Virtual Life, coffee and the New York Blueberry Cheesecake at Don Atilano. Ahh!

Vielen Dank, Vicki!

.

Kuya Jed and my baby

...who is now a teenager!

Carlo turned fourteen yesterday and as a treat to himself, he invited his Kuya Jed for a sleepover. (To my great delight, as Jed is a computer wiz so I ambushed him to teach me some computer stuff.) Kuya Jed is Carlo's drum instructor and mentor and friend. On many weekends Carlo would camp over at Kuya Jed's place. He has his own toothbrush and stuff there already. Before I met Jed, my opinion of drummers was that they are noisy, irritating, nuisances. After I got to know Jed, my attitude towards drummers and drums totally changed. This guy has heart and soul. And a funny bone. (hehe, pun intended)

A lot can be gleaned from the following pictures:

imitating chubby cheeks

Baby Rydeen

Ahehe... Just checking it out... if it's safe for kids!

Jed's very first double bass XP

He loves kids and the kids love him back

Be the reds, Khoya Jed!

Horse big, horse small

Kuya Jed will ride them all.

LOL

Labor of _______. That's what he calls it.

Let's check out what Kuya Clyde has been doing the past few days. (Warning: ala-Blairwitch)

Ok, ok. Take two.

This is a special kind of power tool called a pneumatic Nailer. It hammers a special kind of floor nail onto the tongue and groove wooden planks.

And since power tools need power, here’s the compressor, which he filched from his sister’s place for a couple of days.

And here's Clyde in action:

Yesterday he laid down the joists...

And today he's nailing down the Matimco floorboards.


Notice the plastic (handcarried from Korea) between the cement floor and the wooden boards. That’s to keep the cold down and the wood warm.

After four days of mighty toiling, voila! The whole room is fully wood-floored.

And Clyde goes off to his “other life.” Ask him what his job is and he’ll say, “Drayber lang po.” Yeah, right. But his garage is a hangar, yo!

Clyde with relatives in California. Yes, that's a Boeing triple 7.

.