So much for Equality

Last night Auster and I watched an episode of “What Would You Do?” (not sure if it’s a rerun) where John Quinones and his crew set up an experiment to confront racism in America. This experiment involved 3 actors, one playing a racist fast food chain cashier and two actors posting as non-English speaking Latino laborers. They were trying to see how other customers would react when the cashier refused to sell food to the two laborers after failing to state their orders in English. Some costumers sided with the cashier, stating that they should learn how to speak English, some even went as far as accusing these laborers to be “illegal” aliens. Others showed compassion and tolerance to these laborers accusing the cashier to be racist and inhumane. Some costumers could not stand the “racism” going on and just left.

Except for some ocassions when I got mistaken as a sales associate at the mall or a waitress at a Chinese buffet I have not experienced blatant racism. Some of my friends are not as fortunate. One of my friends even had an experience where someone shouted to her “Go back to your F-ing country” and flipped the bird.

Here in this melting pot we call, America diversity has become a buzzword. In some school admissions or application for tuition assistance, you get an edge over other applicants if you can contribute to the diversity of whatever institution you are applying for (i.e. you’re a minority). The same is true when applying for a job. In research, millions of dollars of grant moneys are awarded for researches looking at diversity or disparity, specially so in healthcare. Despite all these, racism still lingers on.

By 2050, it was extrapolated that the ‘minorities’ will dominate America (US Census Bureau), with Hispanics (Latino-Americans) estimated to constitute a whopping 30% of the entire US population. African-Americans at 15%, Asian-Americans at 9%, Alaskan and America-Indians at 2%. Multiracial Americans will also dramatically increase. All in all by 2050 ‘minorities’ will be more than half of the US population, 54% to be exact. What all these numbers are saying is that, the diversification that the US is going through is inevitable. We have to keep an open mind. We have to educate ourselves about our countrymates. Like a roommate, you don’t have to like them, you just need to be able to tolerate them because if you don’t have any other options you’ll be living with them. We need to get over ourselves. The world doesn’t revolve around us or our own ethnicities.

How you can educate yourself about other cultures:
+ Read books on different cultures to learn about their way of life, language, religion, customs, norms, cuisine, & music
+ Learn a second or third language
+ Interact with people of different cultures
+ Travel/Become an exchange student

To learn more about diversity/other cultures visit:
+ Global Gateway: World Culture & Resources
+ Countries and their Cultures
+ Cultures: Social Studies for Kids
+ African Cultures
+ World Cultures from Washington State University
+ Experiencing different cultures Stories from teens who lived overseas in Foreign Service families

Meet our little puppy – Twitch!

I got him as a birthday present from Auster last week. He’s a 12-week Maltese pup. His original name was George but we renamed him Twitch, after Auster’s favorite So You Think You Can Dance contestant. Somehow we thought the name “George” doesn’t fit him. Too formal for such a cutie pup. He’s very sweet and cuddly. He likes to sleep, run around, and chew on things a lot. He’s very friendly even with strangers. He kept our guests entertained on our housewarming. I’m planning to grow his coat long, just like the Maltese pups we see on dog shows. I know it’s going to be an ordeal to maintain his long coat. But we brush him often and I am off most of the time so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.

Since I’ve never had a pet before, I’m a little bit nervous about taking care of Twitch. I’ve been reading a lot about Malteses over the internet and books from the library. I found “Maltese: A complete Pet Owner’s Manual” and “The Essential: Maltese” very helpful.

My problem right now is his tear stain. I haven’t tried anything to get rid of it, aside from frequently wiping it with wet cloth and drying it off. I’ve read home remedies such as using milk of magnesia, peroxide and cornstarch but haven’t tried them. He’s going to have a check-up on Tuesday and hopefully the vet will give recommendations.

Twitch loves the camera – below are his most recent pics:

Puppy eyes

Twitch and daddy Auster

Lookin like a bear

Playing on our bed

Hairstyle dilemma

I don’t trust just anybody to cut my hair. I’m sure a lot of you can sympathize with that. I know it can’t possibly get messed up any more than it already is. But still.

My doubt of any hairdresser’s expertise can be rooted back to when I was 5. My mom brought me to the salon to have my hair trimmed, or so they told me and ended up having my waist-length hair cut to below ear level. Imagine my horror!

From then I just let my hair grow long, only having haircut once a year or couple of years. I tried to play with it once in a while, but even I don’t trust myself with a pair of scissors. My sister, Rizza, on the other hand is pretty good with cutting her own hair.

I’ve been telling Auster I needed a haircut, for several months now. But I also kept on telling him, “how about next time?” (women!) Then Rizza told me, “dude, your hair sucks!” LOL. I told her, I’m not paying $30 for somebody to mess up my hair. She offered to “practice” with it and I figured why not? So if she messes it up, I’ll be more motivated to go to a hairdresser. Besides, if she can cut her hair nicely, she could do mine, too. I wasn’t nervous or anything. A little bit of change wont hurt. I was surprised with the outcome… it turned out better than I expected. Check out the pix below:

Frugality is beauty

I once read a posting online that states “the difference between looking chic and looking cheap is the price tag” talking about clothings. I SO disagree. You can spend millions on clothes and accessories and still look undeniably cheap. Take Paris Hilton for example.

In general I hate spending a fortune on things as frivolous as clothing, accessories, perfumes, and what-have-yous. Why buy a $100 dress if you can look good in a $10 one?

I do so many things to save money. Call me frugal, but heck, at least I have something saved for the rainy season!

- Like I said, I rarely buy expensive clothes. Unless they are on sale. Forget it.

- I rarely watch movies at the theater. I just rent DVDs from the local library

- I don’t buy CDs from the music store, I rip CDs from the library =)

- I don’t have a magazine/journal subscription I read them from the library. (I’m paying too much taxes, I might as well utilize my community resources!)

- We don’t pay a monthly internet bill – I make good use of my neighbor’s wi-fi! hehe

- We don’t have a cable subscription, we use a bunny ear. We rarely watch TV anyway

- I pack my lunch

- My boyfriend and I rarely eat out. Honestly, he can cook better meals than any of the gourmet restaurants in the area. =) hehe

- I usually buy in bulk (warehouse price)

- I don’t keep up with trends (I like to set my own!)… I’m mainly talking about cellphones and other gizmos. At some point in my life I used the same hand-me-down phone for 3 years! And I still don’t have an iPod. My boyfriend and I are kind of opposites on this area. He’s into new gizmos. When you talk about cellphones he’d like to have the newest and the coolest models. Hopefully he’s going to change now. Hehe.

I don’t know. It’s just me. I don’t like not having money when I need it. While in school I was in that kind of situation most of the time… and it wasn’t fun.

of Cheyne-Stokes and mottled skin

Sent a patient to the morgue today. It was my first.

Surprisingly, I handled it better than I expected. I told my preceptor at the beginning of the shift that if the patient dies, I’ll totally freak out. When it happened I was able to maintain my composure and handled everything as if I was a pro. I could not have done it without our other staff nurses. They were very helpful in the post-mortem care. It was actually more of a hassle doing all the phone calls notifying the patient’s physicians and organ donation hotline.  

When I think about it, it was probably for the patient’s best to have passed on. She’s been in the hospital for almost a month. Her endometrial cancer has widely spread. All we could do was to keep her as comfortable as we could.

After we did the post-mortem care, I hugged one of the patient’s daughters and told her I’m sorry for their loss. She was very thankful for our nursing service.

You’ll go places

One of my HS teachers once told our batch “you’ll go places.” It was not just some BS talk teachers tell their students. She affirmed she had an intense gut feeling that my class will go places. I did not realize the truth of that simple statement until recently when I learned that a lot of my batchmates are not only going places in the metaphorical sense but also literally. I’m so thrilled to learn that atleast half of my classmates are scattered all over the globe.

Here’s a list of folks I can think of off the top of my head:

Jonah Aludino – CA

Mary Joy Begonia – HI

Leomar Bundoc – Singapore

Monchito Cabacungan – Italy

Christine Cabanting – HI

Bryan Coronel – CA

Kristine Gay Lumanga-Corpuz – CA

Rhea Corpuz – CA

Rely Ann Dasalla – Canada

Marites de Leon – Dubai, AE

JC Domingo – Taiwan

Annajho Fines – CA
Jhoanne Fines – CA

Jacque Garcia – VA

Melanie Lazarte – HI

Lendel Ong – NV

Dianna Rose Soria – Quebec, Canada

Jasmine Yao – CA

These are just peops from my class, I’m pretty sure there are more from my batch like Mary Ann Cachero-Garcia, Jacqueline Ang, Saudilyn Apostol, Sonia Funtanilla, Kathleen Gines, Jayvee Corpuz and Jayson Corpuz, and many others.

Relationship Q and A

INTRO QUESTIONS

How did it all begin? We were friends for a long time. Then when I started hanging out with another dude, I noticed he seemed kind of aloof. Then he finally admitted he was jealous and that he loved me

Where did you meet? Back home, we used to live in the same neighborhood.

When did you meet? We got introduced when we were 11 years old. I was in the 5^th grade he was in the 6^th. But before that, I’ve seen him many times I just didn’t know who he was.

Was it love at first sight? Crush at first sight, yeah

How old were you both? We were 11.

When did you have your first kiss? 13 years after

How long have you been together? 18 months

Where was your first date? At a luau in Sheraton Kauai Resort

How long until you met the parents? 2 months after we were officially “together”

When was it official? April 2007

 

FIRST STUFFS TOGETHER

Kiss like? Unforgettable – we were watching The Notebook and then we just kissed

Date like? Fun! We went to a luau at the Sheraton Kauai, we were at the golden table, and it was free

Anniversary like? Romantic – Auster cooked/served a three-course meal

Movie you went to see together? Rush Hour 3 – we were disappointed. We really liked the first 2

Song you danced to together? Last Request

Meal she/he made you? French toast

The first meal you made him? Adobo

Time you met like? Thirteen years ago, an uncle of mine (who was my age) told me somebody had a crush on me and he wanted to meet me. I was too shy to get introduced to him. When we saw each other again, in Kauai over a year ago, I felt like a little 11-year old again, too shy to meet him.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Not so sure

 

THE GOOD…

What are his good habits? He puts the toilet seat down (Thank God!), and he wipes off spills on the toilet seat. I can’t thank him enough for that! He’s very independent. Unlike a lot of guys I know, he’s not the get-me-this-get-me-that kind of guy (Thank God!). He has hands and feet and he makes good use of them!

What’s your happiest memory with him? When we had our 3-day trip to Honolulu

What’s the sweetest thing he has ever done for you? He’s sweet all the time… it’s so hard to pick. But I’ll say when he moved out of the sunny state of Hawaii to live in the boring state of Ohio, just to be with me

Does he buy you lots of gifts? He used to buy me stuffs like the Sidekick, then the Canon 40D, but I told him to just save his money to buy things for the new place.

What’s your favorite thing to do together? Snuggle and talk when we get up in the morning.

 

THE BAD…

What’s his worst habit? Watching too much TV

Is there anything he does that annoys you? He’s too sensitive sometimes

Has he ever hurt you badly? No

Would he ever cheat? On me, no

Has he ever cheated? Yes, in his previous relationship lol

Do you trust him? Of course

 

& THE UGLY…

Best facial feature? His eyes

Favorite part of his body? His arms

Hair color? Black

What does he smell of? Axe (his shower gel) mixed with different herbs and spices (when he comes home from work)

What’s he wearing when you picture him in your head? Chef uniform

 

INTIMACY

How do you feel when he holds you? Safe and comfortable

How do you feel when you fall asleep and wake up in his arms? Safe and comfortable

How does it feel when he touches you? Loved

Does his touch give you goose bumps? Uh-huh

Does he kiss your neck? Yeah

Your tummy? Yeah

Your forehead? Yeah, sometimes

 

DEEP & MEANINGFUL

Do you have lots in common, or was it more like opposites attract? We share lots of interests – we both like to dance, he had a dance crew when we were younger, I used to do ballroom in high school. We both love the arts – he draws better than me now. We both love music and play the guitar, he can play better though. We both love to cook

Does she/he have the same basic beliefs and opinions as you? Yes, mostly

Have you changed any opinions since you 2 started dating? Many times. One thing I can think of is my view on weddings. I’m not the kind of person who thinks I need to march down the aisle and take a vow to prove I’ll stay with somebody for the rest of my life. Weddings are just too overrated for me. But it’s one thing that Auster wants to do. If it makes him happy, then we’ll do it.

Could you be without him? We’ve been together everyday for the past 10 months and I can’t imagine being without him again.

Do you think about him constantly when you’re apart? Before he moved here, we were constantly on the phone… 12-14 hours a day. We were texting each other even when I was in class and he was at work. Now that he’s here, even if we see each other at the end of the day, I still constantly think of him.

How long have you been together? 18 months

Can you see a future together? Of course

Would you like to get married? Of course

Have children? Of course

Where can you see your relationship in a years time? Get married, get settled in our new place

5 years time? Have a little tot

Is he your best friend as well as your lover? Yes

Does he come first over everyone else in your life? Yes

 

FUTURE

Have you discussed having kids? Yes

Of so, how many? Just one

Name of first daughter: Aster RJhynne

Name of first son: Lynster Jayren

Age you think you should have kids: 27-28

What age do you think you should get married: 26-27

Will you have any pets? Yes, I’d like to have a mini pin or a toy collie, Auster wants either a Doberman or a pit bull

 

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

What’s the most fun thing you have ever done together? Gone rollercoaster hopping

Say something that only you two understand? Give me something to believe in…

Do you have nick names for each other? He calls me baba, I call him bibi sometimes. Does that count?

Does he make you laugh? Of course, especially when he imitates Achmed the dead terrorist and says “Silence….. I kill you”

Do you wrestle? All the time, especially when we wake up in the morning

Is he ticklish? Yes

Are you? Even more

 

HIS FAVORITES…

Food? Pinakbet without eggplant

Drink? Corona

Sport? Basketball

Past time? Playing with his PS3, watching movies, hanging out with me

Animal? Dog

Aftershave? Axe

Clothing style? The baggy kind – especially from LRG

Band? Linkin Park

Music? Hip-hop and R&B

 

LASTS…

Time you saw him? 6 hours ago, he came home during his lunch break

Kissed him? 6 hours ago, when I gave him a goodbye kiss

Spoke to him? 6 hours ago

The last text he sent you? He txtd “Hi baby, watcha doin?” I was asleep hehe

WHEN WILL YOU…

See him again? In 1 and a half hours

Speak to him again? In 1 and a half hours

Tell him you love him again? Later today

 

WHO’S WHO

Who’s temper is worse? Mine

Who does the laundry? Most of the time, he does

Who does the dishes? Most of the time, I do. Sometimes, we do the dishes together

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Who’s feet are bigger? His’

Who’s hair is longer? Mine

Who’s better with the computer? I am

Who mows the lawn? No lawn yet, but when we’ll move, he’ll do the lawn

Who pays the bills? 50/50

Who cooks dinner? I do

Who makes more money? Now, I do

Who drives when you are together? He does, all the time

Who pays when you go out to dinner? 50/50

Who’s the most stubborn? I am

Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong? He does

Who’s parents do you see more? Mine

Who named your dog? We don’t have one

Who kissed who first? He did kiss me first hehe

Who asked who out? Hmm not sure

Who’s more sensitive? He is

Who’s taller? He is

Who has more friends? Auster

Who has more siblings? Auster

Who wears the pants in the relationship? We both do, though I could be a little more bossy at times

 

HAVE YOU EVER…

Spent the night together? Yes, every night since December 2007

Celebrated a holiday together? First Christmas, New Year, and Valentines day I celebrated with a significant other

Met his parents? Yes

Had naughty time? LOL yeah

Made him cry? Yes, several times

Done anything spontaneous together? Yup, moved in together

Is this love? If not, what else could it be

 

LASTLY…

Are you going to get your boyfriend/girlfriend to do this survey? I’ll try but he’s too lazy to do these kinds of things

Are you going to let him read the answers to yours? Yes, I will

Just when you think life can’t get any sweeter

Came home from work today and went right to the laptop to take care of bills. Opened it and saw bf’s love note written on a napkin. Hehe. So sweet!

Furniture window shopping

Auster and I went furniture window shopping yesterday. Although I told him “I’m bored” a couple of times [hehe] because I couldn’t find the kind of furniture I liked, it was actually fun. I want a modern-style furniture, a Mies van der Rohe kind of thing. Unfortunately the only store that sells contemporary furnitures I know of [Krispin's] was closed yesterday. We went to Morgan’s Patio, Fireplace and Spa because I heard they have electric fireplaces on sale but didn’t find one we liked. We went to Watson’s to look for the same thing but their electric fireplaces were either too big or too small for our place. We wanted one with a white or antique white finish and they have very limited selections of those. We might end up buying one from Lowe’s or Home Depot. I already saw something I liked from their website. Then we went to Value City & Thomasville. We saw a comfy and affordable King-sized mattress at VCF and we’ll go back to get that. But their living room sets were too ugly for my taste. We were looking for a white, black or (fiery) red microfiber or leather sofa & loveseat, preferably contemporary style. Then we went to Elder-Beerman. Theirs were not only ugly-looking, they cost an arm and a leg, too. Mom suggested I buy furniture from Ethan Allen because they are longer lasting. Auster and I were supposed to go check out their showroom but missed the exit and so we just decided to go back there next time.

We haven’t really bought anything, aside from accessories (drapes, vases, rugs, bamboo decors). We’ll probably start buying furnitures once we get the key so we can just have ‘em delivered to the new place. Since a lot of appliances came with the house, the first few things we need to buy are:

1. Living room set (saw one we liked @ modernlinefurniture.com but I’m hesitant about buying online!)
2. Washer/dryer (we just want the small ones since our laundry room is so tiny)
3. Bedframe & mattress (since Auster wanted a King-sized one)
4. Electric fireplace (winter is coming up, so this will not only be decorative but also purposeful)
5. Formal dining set (maybe a little later, we still have our old one)

Man, we are gonna be so broke!

Laziness

I’m such a lazyhead!

See, I’m off 4 days of the week, three days straight at times. I don’t have kids or a spouse (my bf is very independent) to tend to but I can’t seem to get anything done around the house. I should be packing our stuffs now, to get ‘em all ready for our upcoming move. But nosiree, I’m too lazy to do that. Auster pushes me to go out and do something fun on my days off, but I told him I’d rather stay home. He bought lots of DVDs to give me something to do when I’m at home but I’m also too lazy to watch ‘em! He told me to go to the park to take more pictures but I refused to go. I haven’t used my DSLR for almost a month now, so Auster told me to just sell it. (Is he crazy!?). I don’t know.

Well, one thing I’m never too lazy to do is to sit in front of the computer. I can do that all day! I can be just looking up stuffs, reading, or simply playing tong-its. Oddly, I’m not as prolific in writing blogs as I was before. And my phlog’s latest entry was from 1 and a half months ago. Oh well, whatever.