"Helmet Girl Rising"

"Helmet Girl Rising"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

By this time she has probably had enough Internet bashing to last her a lifetime. From the reactions she gave to being apprehended with a helmet as Ulam holder to the fact that she is actually clueless as to what she has done wrong.

Helmet girl is a symptom of a greater disease in our society , it is easy to just say that she is the exception rather than the rule but one only has to drive around the metro for a couple of hours to see that this is not and will never be the case.

People who take traffic violations and offenses for granted because no one reacts to it or because they get away with it and then become angry when someone actually calls them out on it or penalizes them for their mistakes. 

"Matagal ko nang ginagawa yan eh wala namang sumisita." They would say and then complain that the world was conspiring against them. That they have the worst luck possible.

I have seen people on motorcycles being hit and dying because the rider tried to beat a red light and an 8 wheeler truck suddenly happened to appear. Surprise surprise there right?

People will take these rules for granted until something bad happens and when they do happen they will often point their fingers at everyone else except themselves.

"Matagal na akong nagpapark dito."

"Matagal na akong tumatawid dito."

"Matagal ko nang ginagamit na lalagyan ng ulam ang helmet ko."

They would keep on complaining and that is just sad since nothing will ever be resolved when the parties involved turn out to be idiots through and through.

"The Quarter approaches"

"The Quarter approaches"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Time flies when you are having fun." Someone once told me but then again time also flies when you are up to your neck in incomplete , ongoing and will take forever to finish tasks. And this is the case for me since the death of my Dad. It has been gathering one paper after another , one phone call to this person and that and the meetings that never seem to end. The truth is that ,

"Time flies even when you are not having fun."

I remember why I do the things that I do though ad it is to secure a legacy that my parents had left to us their children. My sister in particular needs to be taken cared of for the rest of her life and it is not really up to no one else but me. The burden is not light and like the One Ring no one else can carry it for me. Only in this case there is no Mount Doom to melt it. There is no Isle of rest for those little cuts that are killing you slowly in the inside. Only the endless things that come with this responsibility.

I am thankful for all the people who have been patient with me and helped me and gave me advise in these troubling times. For the people who have been more of a problem than help , you can just go to hell and say hello to your god there. He is sure to welcome you. And don't come back.

I digress though. This post is a thankful one. Though things are hard I know that there is an end to everything and there are things that one can do to keep one sane. As the quarter of the year approaches and things are still a long way off I am thankful for the things that have been finished and the things that are on the way.

Only thing to do now is to keep on trudging. Keep on working. Keep on keeping this fire in my heart burning. There will be an end to this. There will be an end.

"Caption this: Fleetswallower Edition!"

"Caption this: Fleet Swallower Edition!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Yup. Fleet swallower has been the topic of a Caption this post. This is my first one and probably not the last. Here are a couple of my takes on this giant fish.

"Guppy is that you?"

"I told you to take the left portal! The left portal!"

"This is going to hurt."

"Well I guess he wasn't such a small fry after all."

"I think I peed in my pants."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

"So it's either the consuming vortex or the consuming fish then?"

"That is a Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge fish!"

"Quick ask it for directions!"

"The playfulness of the local fishes suddenly turned deadly."

Well that is 10. How many captions did you come up with?

"Doc in,Doc out Espesyal Letter to patients:Pinauwi ni TL edition"

"Doc in,Doc out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Pinauwi ni TL edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Di Masyadong minamahal na patients,

Isa sa mga bagay na ayaw marining ng mga doctor na nagbabantay sa mga call centers ay ang mga katagang "pinapauwi po ako ni TL" pagpakapasok na pagkapasok pa lang ng pasyente sa loob ng clinic.

Ito ay dahil sa mga sumusunod na dahilan:

1) Ikaw ay desidido nang pauwiin ni TL. Kung ganito ang sitwasyon bakit mo pa kailangang bumaba ng clinic at makisama sa mahabang pila ng mga taong tunay na may sakit at di alam ang gagawin? Ang sagot ko lang palagi ay kung decided na po si TL na pauwiin ka eh di mo na kailangang dumaan ng clinic. Uwi ka na.

2) Kung di mo gustong marining ang assessment ng clinic at ang gusto mo eh basbas ng clinic para lang umuwi ka eh again si TL ang kausapin mo at wag ang mga nurses at doctor. Kung gusto mo naman na ma assess ka namin eh ok lang kasi yun ang mas gusto namin.

Gagawin kung malinaw para sa lahat. Di na po kailangan pumunta sa clinic kung sinabi na ni TL na gusto ka niyang pauwiin. Pero wag pong sasabihin na kailangan ng clinic pass or basbas ng clinic bago ka umuwi. Nasa paguusap niyo na po yan ng inyong TL.

Ngayon kung gusto mo namang magtrabaho at humingi ng tulong sa clinic tutulungan ka namin. Kung kailangan kang dalhin sa ER o pauwiin eh sasabihin namin sa iyo pagkatapos ka naming tingnan. 

Mas maganda siguro na sabihin mo na masama ang pakiramdam mo and we can take it from there.Ok? Wag yung sa bungad pa lang eh "Pinapauwi po ako ni TL."

O malinaw na ha. See you soon. Or not. Ok din. Whatever you decide.

Di masyadong nagmamahal,

Doc June

"Count The Days"

"Count The Days"

By: 

Alessandria Venice De Leon

I

It’s inching closer

Count The Days

Sure, work puts us all in a daze

Students are in a haze

II

We’re all in a hurry,

Really, it’s a mad flurry

But don’t you worry,

It’ll be summer soon

III

Only a little more,

We’ll graduate

Push through

Set the date

IV

We’ll be saying our good-byes,

We’ll share our laughter, and of course our cries

But it’ll only be for a while,

See you next year guys!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Editors Note:

As Aven's moving up ceremony inches closer and closer she has so many emotions about saying goodbye to her familiar surroundings and has anxieties if she would still be in the same class as her best friend. She is evolving  and I expect to see a lot more expressions from her in the coming years.

"The Ghost Bride: Confusing as hell."

"The Ghost Bride: Confusing as hell."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Ever since my wife subscribed to Iflix I have been bombarded with filipino films while I am having lunch or dinner. Some are good  , then there is the Ghost Bride which makes me scratch my head.

Synopsis: In this story , Mayen (Kim Chiu) is offered a chance to elevate the status of her family from hard times by marrying a dead man. Seems easy enough at first but things turn ugly when the dead man is not really a dead man.  

The Good:

Learning some more chinese folk lore and culture is always great. The traditional theater form of Kao-ka for example and the knowledge that not everyone is in the rich range bracket when it comes to bein chinese in this country.AKA Mano po peoples.

Seeing Alice Dixson and Ina Raymundo in a movie is good too. 

The Bad:

Here we go. So Mayen looks chinese and all her siblings are chinese and then we have Ina Raymundo and Robert Sena as their parents. I mean why couldn't they just get normal chinese actors for this one? These guys are as moreno and morena as everyone else.

Mateo G-something also plays a chinese! That guy looks European/Italian as hell so how did he get this role anyway? 

The Ghosts in the story are confusing as well. You don't even know if they are protecting Mayen or scaring her. They seem to be casting Mayen as someone special even before she was propostitioned to be a Ghost Bride. So how did they know Mayen? How is it that she is special aside from the fact that she is easily susciptible to the proposition since her family needs money?

I guess we would never know.

Seeing Ina Raymundo as a Mom. It makes me feel old.

Hearing Alice Dixson and her confusing accent. She sounds like an old chinese commercial  , a stereotypical chinese and weirdly enough Visayan Chinese. So if that isn't confusing I don't know what is.

The Ugly:

Incest is Wincest said no one ever(And meant it) but in this movie it seems that Robert who is a cousin of Mayen is propositioning to marry his own cousin. And that is ugly on so many levels. Especially when your own cousin seems to want to put you in the friend zone.

All in All it was a total waste of time. The plot was dragging and seemed expensive at best. I hope they got their moneys worth in producing this. 

"Oishi:Equalizing the Salted Egg Chip Market"

"Oishi:Equalizing the Salted Egg Chip Market"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD 

Oishi has done it again. It has managed to get me hooked on another unhealthy snack by making it delicious as hell. Once upon a time I was addicted to Oishi's pillows and my friend Joseph Sentero told me that that company always had something down the line when it comes to snacks and so I waited what else they were developing and how long they would release it into the public.

I have been aware of the Gourmet picks that they have been releasing but none of them seemed to catch my interest until my wife and I saw this little thing in the snack aisle and I promptly put 6 of them in the shopping cart despite that warning look that wives give their husbands when they think that they have too many snacks in the cart already. 

It said Gourmet picks Salted Egg flavor! And I was curious to know if this would be a hit or it would be a miss but my bet was that all 6 of these packs would not make it past an hour in our house. And I was right after keeping all the other groceries someone got hungry(mainly me) and we tried the darn things and sure enough I had to fight off the natives for my share.

The original salted egg chips cost about 200 or more and one in particular has cornered the market with it's very addictive taste. I guess this would no longer be the case anymore as Oishi has delivered the flavor in this new chip but without costing an arm and a leg.(I can afford it anyway but now everyone can have hypertension and diabetes and dyslipedemia on much equal terms!)

So thanks Oishi? Yeah thanks are really in order.

"Remembering Together"

"Remembering Together"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The school looked like any other as far as he was concerned. He used to carry a lot of books to school when he was younger but then he realized that he did not need them. He did bring a pen however and maybe he could just borrow a paper from a seatmate in class. Oh wait this was College , no one needed paper. Maybe notes but then again he was getting bored by the minute as he walked. His thoughts turned elsewhere.

The massive fountain at the front of the building was a local gathering spot and you can see students in two's or three's sitting idly while chatting away. He was always wary of those 3's or 2's because he was not so sure of what they were talking about. He was more familiar with the lone person sitting in a corner or bopping their head to some tune that he can only imagine. One of those loners was a pretty girl who seemed unhurried. Must be waiting for someone he muttered to himself and he half forgot that she was there.

The same pretty face approached him a moment later and she asked , " Do you know where I can find Room 3-B?". Formal and polite , he noticed , probably born and raised in one of those catholic schools in that rich part of the city.

"I'm going there myself , if you don't mind tagging along with me." He said and gave off what he thought was his most winsome smile. The one his friends said won over the ladies but he believed his friends were lying because that same smile made the pretty girl a bit awkward somewhat.

"It's ok. I think I see one of my friends over there." She pretended to wave at someone. Or at least he thought she did.

He picked at his teeth to make sure that there was nothing there. The girl freaked out when he smiled at her. Never happened before. Does she know that girl?

Looking at her from behind wearing simple tight jeans and a white shirt that clung to her tightly. It was bringing out curves in that petite body. He slapped himself out of it and walked to where he thought Room 3-B was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thank goodness you came." The pretty face said to her friend.

"Wait. Isn't that..."

"Yes , I think it is him."

"Well if not for that weird diamond tattoo on his right arm I would not have recognized him. High school seems to be making people a lot buffer don't you think?"

"I don't know about that."

"You didn't notice  that"

"I mean I did but he smiled at me , looked right at me and didn't even remember who I was."

"He probably had too much fun in his high school to remember you YuuA. Look at him , he seems so sure of himself now. A far cry from that nerd you spent that summer with."

"Yeah. I guess he doesn't remember me at all then. I think we are going to be in the same class."

"You are? That should be interesting? Keep me updated then."

"Wait, Aren't you going to class too?"

"On the first day?are you kidding? Let me explore this place first. I heard that the fine arts boys are really into painting women nude."

"Don't tell me you'd volunteer?"

"Why not?"

"Suit yourself. I am going to class."

"More fine arts boys for me then."

YuuA gave a smirk at her friend and walked away. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the stares some of the men were giving her.

"She must be one of those korean exchange students"

"Anyeong!" 

"Saranghae" 

Some were shouting comically at her direction. One actually approached her to ask for her phone number and she had to pretend that she didnt speak a word of english or tagalog. 

"Di pala nakakaintindi ng tagalog pre. Wawa naman."

"Sexy pa naman."

"Baka type ka niyan , di lang niya masabi."

The group of guys who approached her laughed. This was becoming uncomfortable as they walked along side her. Still asking for her number though she feigned ignorance.

"Pre alam ko di type niyan."

It was him. She remembered that voice. It used to soothe her to sleep when she was upset at night.She remembered all of those nights they would sneak out after lights out and he would tell him stories and she would fall asleep.

"Eh sino ka naman?"

"Alam mo kayong mga freshman dapat alam niyo lugar niyo eh."

YuuA noticed that the guys were too muscular to be in the year level that they were in. They would insist and pester her. 

"She is not worth the trouble." He simply said. "Believe me. Not worth the trouble at all."

"At bakit naman kami maniniwala sa iyo? Sino ka ba?"

"Just someone who remembers.Pero kung ayaw niyong maniwala. Subukan niyong sunggabin yung bag niya. I did warn you though."

"Eh gago pala ito eh."

One of the muscular guys grabbed YuuA and with a reflex that surprised even herself she grabbed the mans arm , twisted it a little and sent him flipping on his back. The others were surprised and came to the guy who was lying on his back.

"Get her."

3 guys approached YuuA menacingly. V smiled.

"I remember. And you should be remembering too YuuA."

"You remembered me?"

"How can I forget you? Now show them what you remembered during camp."

YuuA was a blur  , striking three throats in what seemed like one swift motion of her arm. People uploading the video on youtube later noticed how many strikes were actually thrown in that one brief encounter. "Bullies given hard lesson by hot korean freshman" the video was titled. The video also showed a smiling man with a diamond tattoo in his right arm.

"I told you. She wasn't worth it.Tried to save you the trouble but you just didn't listen." V said to the choking men as he placed his hand on their throats and their bruised airways healed. The man who probably had a broken back was the last one he laid hands on.

YuuA looked on as he did all this. "V?"

"I always seem to clean up after you.I haven't seen you in 6 years and you still beat up people twice your size."

"I am not even sure how I did all that."

V offered his hand. "Come. Let's remember together."

YuuA found that all her fear dissipated and she took his hand.

"Where are we going?"

"To Room 3-B. I heard the professor doesn't like late comers. We better get a move on."

And as the two hurried away the 4 men laid there puzzled as to how a petite girl managed to treat them all like they were nothing.

In the shade of s tree nearby someone started speaking to a phone."The master has made contact with the princess.Do we proceed as planned"

"Proceed."

"I will report back soon." It was a woman all clad in blue who stepped out of the shadow and followed the pair to class.

"Midweek Magic Jan 2018 #7:Neheb Returns X 2"

"Midweek Magic Jan 2018 #7:Neheb Returns X 2"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

My friend Jus and I have been talking about Neheb the Eternal for weeks and how we wanted to face off with this particular Red commander.

Since Ram provided Mountains for Jus and his deck last week he was able to finish it's build. A Chaos build if I say so myself from our mad brewer. My Neheb had a more aggro tilt to it as it was the whole point of my deck. Attack and get the mana and then cast more creatures that could attack or simply burn the soul out of players.

We finally got our chance to face off with our different versions of the deck and what ensued has been chaotic fun.

"Doc In Doc Out Espesyal Letter to patients: Dear Lolo Anger Edition"

"Doc In Doc Out Espesyal Letter to patients: Dear Lolo Anger Edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Lolo Anger,

Hello po. Kalma muna tayo po ok. Alam ko po na naging stressful ang mga nakaraang linggo sa inyo dahil sa inyong pagiging absent. Alam ko po na kayo ay may edad na at medyo sanay nang makipagtalo at makapagdahilan sa mas bata sa inyo.

Pero po kung kayo ay nagabsent at naospital pa ng ilang araw kailangan po ng clinic ng fit to work certification galing sa inyong doctor. Lalo na at kayo ay nangaling sa isang nakakahawang sakit. Alam po ng doctor ninyo yan dahil di lang naman po ang kumpanya na ito ang humihingi niyan.

Ngayon po kung pupunta kayo sa clinic at sisindakin niyo ang doctor ng mga argumento ninyo eh di din po maayos na gawin. Lalo na po kung ako yung doctor. Ako po ang nandito Lunes at Biyernes. Ako ang Literal na Alpha at Omega ng schedules , di puwedeng di ko malalaman kung kayo ay dumaan o di dumaan dito.At base sa bilis ng pagkuwento mo sa akin at sa lakas ng boses mo sa akin pakiramdam mo na papayagan na kitang pumasok kahit wala ang mga clearance mo?

Diyan po tayo nagkakamali. Matagal na po akong sindak kaya di na ako masisindak. Matagal na din ako nakikinig ng kung ano anong palusot kaya yung lahat ng sinabi niyong palusot ay narinig ko na din po. Wag niyo pong sabihin na di kayo binigyan kasi ang matinong Doctor at hospital eh magbibigay niyan kahit di kayo magtanong.

Ngayon ako naman ang kakalma ok? Bumalik na lang po pag dala na ang mga papel at wag sayangin ang oras ng iba. Marami pong pasyente at kaunti lang ang oras.

Di masyadong nagmamahal,

Doc June

"Spiral"

"Spiral"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Spinning and spinning out of control in this spiral

The world shapes and reforms without my signal

And in the end it all ends with a sigh

Not with the bang that I always thought it would be

II

I am met with silence and the secrets it keeps

the thousand annoying little things

the thousand little whispers into nothing

the ones that keep me straight awake

III

Much better than the hiss of vipers 

this , the embrace of oblivion

And I find myself embracing it back

This the end that I have always wanted.

MVR 02 17 18

"CLC - Black Dress MV reaction: Where?"

"CLC - Black Dress MV reaction: Where?"

by:

The Vole

CLC finally came back with their single Black Dress and I am glad that the song stands out from the songs that are currently in the Kpop rotation for this month. It is a dance tune and you can beat that CLC danced the heck out of this one.

The sounds seems a little bit more experimental for them , they seem to be in a transition of sort from the 4minute persona while infusing something else into the song but it is still a girl crush concept that features them in power suits and various gold colored dresses. So what I really want to ask is who is wearing this black dress that they are talking about? Well there are three of them who wear it in various parts of the MV but for 99% of the song you just need to be happy seeing them dancing and singing in the various dresses and power suits.

The Black Dress has often been referred to as the dress that a woman feels most powerful and confident in. The song talks about this dress as well as a woman who is getting ready for a date or a night with a lover as the song suggests. 

The MV features a dichotomy where the girls of CLC are wearing plain white dresses in contrast to the more lavish dresses of gold and black themes. A purity of sorts and there are scenes here where the woman thinks that she should stab that purity but is also stopped by herself before she does it. Meaning you can have power , you can be confident but you don't have to compromise what you really are.

Eunbin also has a full pole dancing scene here where she shows off well that sexy body of hers and her audience is her own members. I wonder if they were all serious when they filmed this scene or were some of them giggling uncontrollably after wards. I am looking at Sorn and Yujin here.They seem the giggling type.

I do hope that CLC can also have their first Music Show win this year. It seems like they are ripe for it and they do stand out this comeback. 

Now did you see the 3 people who wore the black dress?

"Boi B Feat Sik-K - Ady MV reaction: Drunken Late Night calls"

"Boi B Feat Sik-K - Ady MV reaction: Drunken Late Night calls"

by:

The Vole

One of the things I enjoy about K-rap is that it features a myriad of rappers who boast of their own unique voices. One of them happens to be Sik-K who is by far my most favorite who is also featured here along with Boi B. Another Alum of Show me the money and also under the Amoeba Culture label.

Ady means one of a kind according to the Urban dictionary and it seems that Boi B can't get enough of this one particular girl which brings on the the other meaning of the word Ady , the short hand for the drug adderall. Granted certain kinds of women are addicting and one cannot deny the fact. 

Boi B seems to be so hooked on this one girl that he keeps on calling her in a drunken state and makes pleas like "you don't need that guy you are meeting right now" or "don't worry about me if I am drunk I can go home alone." 

Of course the girl seems to still be hung up on the guy as well as he always promises that they would talk in the morning when the guy is sober. A great tactic to use on drunks who call you in the wee hours of the morning expecting a meaningful conversation. 

The guy in the song seems to be persistent but self aware enough to say that now is not the timing several times. One of the central themes of the song is that of loneliness and being alone. The guy is lonely without the girl he has been pining for and the girl despite being surrounded by others also feels isolated and detached.

The throbbing lights of this MV and all those scenes that represent the times that they are supposed to be talking are great touches. Overall I have been listening to this song for awhile now because it has one of those addictive hooks to it. And well Sik-K.And Boi B.

"When did I notice that I got older?"

"When did I notice that I got older?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

1) The day that my daughter looked into my eyes and said , "Daddy I am as tall as you now."

2) The day I stood in front of my Mom and Dad's urn looking on as I remembered them when they were alive.

3)  When it seems that all of the attractive women are all half my age. 

4)  When I turned to ask the next person who is considered an expert and realized that it was me at the end of that long line.

5)  When I seem to be ruled more than my upper head than my nether head and all it's drives.

6) When the music that I used to head bang too are now considered "Sunday Classics". 

7) When I realized that I could buy all the Magic cards I ever wanted but had no time to actually make the decks that I wanted.

8) When I started watching the junior version of players play basketball. eg. Isaiah Thomas Jr. , Arvydis Sabonis Jr.  , Bobby Parks Jr. Sigh.

"Doc In , Doc out :Wala po doc , head injury edition"

"Doc In , Doc out :Wala po doc  , head injury edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

A patient came in due to dimming of vision and numbness from the back of his head all the way to his face , after neuro exams and checking that he has stable vital signs I asked for several questions and suspected a past head injury.

Me: Meron po ba kayong mga head injury dati?

Patient: Wala po.

Me: Mga time na tinamaan ang ulo ninyo o nawalan kayo ng malay tao? 

Patient: Wala po.

Me: Hmmm. Hindi po kayo nasuntok sa ulo ni minsan?

Patient: Wala po.

Still in doubt about this patient. I decided on one final question.

Me: Ganito na lang. Ano po ang sport ninyo?

Patient: Boxing po.

Me: Aha! Pero di ka tinatamaan ng mga suntok? Feeling ko naman simula pa lang training , sparring hanggang sa actual matches eh may mga tumatama sa iyo.

Patient:....

Me:Ilang taon kang nagboxing?

Patient: 6 na taon po.(sheepish)

Me:(trying to hold all of my collective frustration) Ok. 

I then begin a series of neuro lectures that ended with the patient seeking Neuro consult.Sigh. 

"The Glass Beyond"

"The Glass Beyond"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Seoul Skyline stretched on in the horizon through the clear glass but that view paled in comparison to the person who was sitting on the table for two who turned slowly at him and flashed him with a smile. V knew that he had to play his cards right or that smile could turn into something that he might not be able to deal with later. Why oh why did he have to meet her early in the morning instead of the afternoon when he was always good and ready.

"You are late." she said as greeting , she turned her head toward him and tilted it to let the long fine black hair fall to the table. "Now convince me that I should not punish you."

"Here we go", V said as he felt his hands twitch a little and some small beads of sweat gather at the small of his back. She always knew how to ask the best question and V was wondering if she should just come out with the truth and be done with it. I have been battling dragons all night and woke up late is what he should have said but instead he stood there like some sort of deer in front of a headlight.

"Well? Aren't you going to start with your lies so that we can properly have breakfast together?" The smile from the womans face was fading in degrees and soon it would be that cute frown that he also liked but all the same dreaded.

"I..." V started as he sat down in front of the woman and was promptly saved by the waiter who was asking for their orders.

They both smiled at the man who stood their remembering all they said and their preferences without writing anything down. 

"Will that be all?"

"Yes that would be all." V said thankful for the little time it allowed for him to think of an answer to YuuA and her question.

"So let me guess, you have a friend who owns this place?" YuuA pressed on forgetting what she initially asked.

"Well , I own it myself."

"Bee told me that it was difficult getting space in this building."

"It is really not hard when you own the whole building."

YuuA looked out the clear glass window that was from floor to ceiling. She looked at something near the Han River that V could not decipher at the moment with his dragons eyes. "It must be nice to own so many things."

"Not to a dragon."

"What do you mean?"

"Well , things are things and once you have accumulated them that is all that they are. Things."

"But money grows and when used wisely can grow to even more money. It can change lives."

"The money that I have already had. I don't mind that it does but there is more to a thousand years of existence than seeing one's finances grow."

"I think I know what you mean."

"No you don't. The one person I like is something that can never be mine."

"And who decided that?"

"Fate.Destiny.A higher power.Call it what you want but at every turn there seems to be another obstacle to my happiness."

"You are here aren't you. You are with me."YuuA moved her face closer to V who seemed to be unsure of what to do with the action."Enjoy me as I am now. I have seen my future with you as well. I know how it ends but we are both here now in this place."

YuuA stood and moved to the clear glass and looked at the bridge crossing the river Han. "I haven't thought of a punishment for you just yet for being late today. Do you want me to forego thinking of one?" Her tone was playful.

"I would appreciate that." Then V felt the sharp pain in his back. He was not getting any younger and the dragons that kept appearing to try and devour YuuA were getting stronger and stronger. A few more days and the Magistrates might figure out his weakness. A few more days and all that he is protecting will be gone. He will be damned if he would let any of them touch her. 

YuuA looked at him. "Stop being so serious ok? It is a great day today. I am not even mad at you anymore." She smiled at him. And oddly enough the day seemed so much brighter with that smile.

"3 things I have seen this week:Papers , Lots and lots of papers"

"3 things I have seen this week:Papers , Lots and lots of papers"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

There is a process to everything and almost everything needs papers. You are in love? want to get married? there are papers you need to sign and file. You are dead? well those you leave behind have papers they need to file on your behalf as well.From birth to death there are papers and this week I saw more than 3 of them but then again handling the affairs of my dead dad is more than a handful.

1) Application forms 

There are tons of things to sign and tons of things to check and signatures matter as well as who is signing for what. With my almost chicken scratch writing it is fortunate for the companies involved that I have a wife who writes so divinely. 

2) NSO/PSA copies of documents

One of the things that we need to order and wait for patiently were these documents that seem to be in high demand in whatever office that we go to. It is a great thing that my wife is as organized as my dad was when he was alive. Scratch that. My wife is triple times the organization freak as my dad.

3) Photocopies

Riso , Ink and Colored photocopies. We then had to have copies of all these papers. My mom used to say that you will be thankful to have someone who can arrange all of these for you. My wife is wonderful in this regard as she has 10 copies of everything and organized in a manner that is easily accessible. Clear file is life I said to her one time. She managed to laugh at that but I was dead serious.

With the amount of paper that we have I think we have managed to somehow used up an acre of trees. And things are far from finished by the end of all these process we might be under the watchful eye of some government agency in charge of the environment and I dont mean the DENR. 

"Ultra electro magnetic meltdown:Clampers hell!"

"Ultra electro magnetic meltdown:Clampers hell!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

A few weeks back I saw a video of a girl who reacted violently toward traffic enforcers who had clamped the tires of her car that was illegally parked blocking another car in the side of the side of a busy road.

I do not question the legality of the enforces in this video. What I would like to question however is the sanity of the girl in the video who screamed  , kicked and punched at the traffic enforcers who dodged her attempts.

"Alisin niyo!!!" She kept shouting over and over again , referring to the clamps that the enforcers did not have any inclination of removing.

I cannot say anything about this woman but all I can say is that she is not having the best of days. It does not justify her insane reaction even the one where she sat in the middle of the road and caused a traffic jam. 

This is showing the person at their worst , we do not know if this person is a great person normally or if this is what a normal with her is like but all I can say is things does not look good for her and netizens are always eager to comment and judge. 

Nowadays everyone has a camera and someone is sure to record something. This meltdown might not be representative of this person. Speaking as a person who at times feels like on the brink of melting down as well I am sad that this was actually posted.

On the other hand I am extremely grateful to my wife who keeps me in check whenever I am about to lose it or surely even when I lose it she manages to stay and talk to me calmly afterwards. One can only be so lucky. The lady in the video was not so lucky to have someone beside her that day.

One can only hope that after she had calmed down and paid her fines that the clamps were actually loosened and another burden was lifted from her.

"Maskara"

"Maskara"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Ako ay nakasuot ng maskara

nagaagam agam na sana , sana

Di nila mapansin ang aking ginagawa

Di nila masira ang dating sira na

II

Kung bakit ito ang aking ngiti

at ang sadyang mga sinasabi

Di ko din naman mawari

kahit na ano pa ang kanilang masabi

III

Mahigpit na ang pagkakadikit

at kahit alisin pa ng pilit

Sasama na ang balat na tunay

mabubura na ang mukha ng tuluyan

IV

Kaya hanggang ngayon ay suot pa

sa takot na ako ay mawala

sapagkat alam ko sa habang ng panahon

ang maskara at ako.Sadyang iisa.

Shaw Sykes Centrum , 02/12/2018

"Doc In , Doc Out: Parang ano po , Parang ano..."

"Doc In , Doc Out: Parang ano po , Parang ano..."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Overheard at the Clinic:

Patient:(Rushing In) Nurse gusto kong magpauwi.

Nurse: Ano po ba ang nararamdaman ninyo?

Patient: Parang nilalagnat po  , na parang Sinisipon po , na parang malat ang boses.

Nurse:(looks at me and I signal for her to give me a consultation sheet and hand over this patient)

Patient:Good evening po Doc.

Me: Good evening po Sir. So lahat po ng nararamdaman ninyo eh puro parang , di kayo sure pero ang sure niyo po ay gusto niyong magpauwi?

Patient:(calmed down) Opo

After examining the patient who neither has a cough , cold , fever or hoarseness I was sure in my decision to send him back to the floor.Yan sure na sure po.

"Midweek Magic Jan 2018 #6:Kiki Jiki Rampage!"

"Midweek Magic Jan 2018 #6:Kiki Jiki Rampage!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Thursday is usually our big group EDH gathering in Eton Centris. I did not really want to write about last weeks games since I suffered through it all! Ram and the other missed bullying me so much that like an 8th seed in an NBA playoff I was eliminated early and had to watch in the sidelines.

This thursday was different though and I was able to pull off a combo that I have been itching to try for years. Our game for this week was Double Archenemy. Ram and Cheska played our Archenemys and we had to defeat them both at once because if we only eliminate one the other Archenemy wins. 

Our team consisted of Yo and his Pussies , Jethro and Mimeoplasm , Me and Omnath , Locus of Rage and Vince who controlled Vela the Nightclad.

The game was closing. We had Ram and Cheska by the throat , we declared attackers and I think he cast Blunt the Assault. It was frustrating but I also remembered that the deck he was using was meant to wear you down with things like that.

Well I was not going to let that thing wear me down. On our turn I cast Mina and Denn Wildborn , sacrificed it to my Birthing Pod and plopped down my Foil Kiki-Jiki who looked at the Zealous Conscripts I already had on the battlefield and I declared that the game was over. 

I demonstrated how I would make 2 million tokens and attack for lethal. There is no way in hell that they would be able to block it as Ram had no cards in hand and Cheska tapped all her Islands. 

It was all in the timing though and if I waited one more turn Ram would have had his hand on this.I would have control of the most number of tokens in our EDH history at 2 Million. 

And Ram would have had 4 million life! Probably the most any one in our EDH games would have as well. Close.

"Jollibee Hot Choco Incident"

"Jollibee Hot Choco Incident"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

There is 3 minute and a half video making the rounds in Facebook newsfeeds lately about a 3 year old little girl who reached out at the counter of a Jollibee and tipped a scalding hot cup of Chocolate on herself. In the said video you can see the little girls mother screaming at the crew of the store. The girls father in the meantime argues with a man twice as big as him and he ends up being swiped away like a little kid.

Several things bother me about this video.

#1 How did the little girl reach out for that cup in the first place? 

And of course at first glance the answer is simple , she simply slipped through her own mother and father with a speed that none of them could match.

#2 How in the hell is this the crews fault?

Normally orders are put on the counter and the crew usually even assist the customers in carrying these trays.I get it that the mom probably lost it after seeing her own child get hurt but still you are the adult in this situation and you need to assess what is really important at the moment. Speaking of which...

#3 The parents argued and shouted and just let the little girl cry in pain.

Most of the video focused on the moms screaming fits of anger and the dads inattentiveness to his own daughter. Weirdly enough it is as if no one in Jollibee also remembered their first aid training nor did a store manager try and placate this customer.

The quick response to this is to put ice on the scalded area or pour water on it while people sort things out. Instead the child remains crying for most of the video and no one cares. Not the parents nor the crew from that restaurant or maybe they were afraid of assisting the child because of the moms hysteria?

#4 The parents finally storm off and supposedly bring the child to a nearby hospital but before they do they promise to come back and sue.

I don't know about that suing part. They would have a hard time proving that this was any of the crews fault. 

Conclusion:

If you have a small child always be attentive to them so as to avoid these kinds of scenario. I have a daughter who has grown up to be 12 without a single incident of this nature thanks in part to the fact that her mom and I always pay attention to where she is at all times. Hence no hot chocolate scalding.

"Hadana's Climb: Up the steps Vorel goes!"

"Hadana's Climb: Up the steps Vorel goes!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I was able to catch up with Vorel of the Hullclade before he boarded a Pirate Schooner going to Orazca. It seemed like everyone and their guildmate wants to go there to get their hands on the Immortal Sun which we know is probably already smuggled off plane somewhere for one of those Nefarious contraptions that only elder dragons could understand.

Anyway back to Vorel and what the heck he was doing in Ixalan despite being a champion from Ravnica.

Me: "So what are you up to these days?"

Vorel: "Nothing much. Just on Vacation. Not really on any Simic duties from Zegana, Prime Speaker. Just me minding my own business and drinking this cup of Pirate brew here"

Me: "Why don't I believe you?"

Vorel: "Well if you buy me more of these stuff I might be inclined to tell you..."

5 hours into the Sleek Schooner ride and a whole bunch of +1/+1 Counters that keep on doubling every time Vorel burps and he coughed up why he was really here on Ixalan. 

Vorel: "I heard there was a very special Aura here. In Simic colors too. It cost cheap at 3 mana!"

Me: "Ok. What do you want with it?"

Vorel: "Simic and counters! Check it out. Assuming I cast a G and X hydra out with 3 counters already on it and then attach this aura they call Hadana's climb , it would check those counters at the beginning of my combat phase and what happens is that it sort of changes into a Legendary Land , The Winged Temple of Orazca!"

Me: "Very Magical then!"

Vorel: "You bet! And then it can give you mana of any color or you can use it's ability to make a creature you already that is probably huge and make it bigger. You know how it is with the Simic nowadays , bigger is still better."

Me: (Whistles) "So it gives a creatures like a Primordial Hydra Flying and +X/+X until end of turn where X is its power? Now that is some really big Hydra right there.

Vorel:"And don't forget about me. I can double the counters on the hydra and make it even bigger. The controller of the deck just needs to keep in mind to use my ability first and then the Winged Temple of Orazca's."

Me:(Scribbling Notes) Anything else?"

Vorel: " Oh and watch out for that damn Blood Sun! It can ruin any of those Legendary lands and their abilities. It might not be a Blood moon but it is as painful in given situations."

Me: (Carefully puts all the +1/+1 counters into my druidic satchel for future use) See you around then. Take care on the climb. I heard it could be slippery especially seeing as how many merfolk are here."

Vorel: "You don't have to tell me about that. Just when you need a pair of Fleetfeather Sandals and you left yours back at home. Hooo well. Slow and steady then."

I got off the next port and wondered who would buy all these +1/+1 counters.

"Doc In , Doc Out: Dumadaloy"

"Doc In , Doc Out: Dumadaloy"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Patient: Doc puwede po magpa BP?
Me:  Sure.
Patient: Kasi po nagaalala ako kasi parang may nararamdaman po ako na dumadaloy ang dugo sa utak ko.
Me:(eh mas nakakatakot po kayo kung wala pong dumadaloy na dugo sa utak niyo) Ok po upo na muna kayo.

"Kissing Snakes"

"Kissing Snakes"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

I have fallen in a nest of vipers

And they bite me when they smile

They praise me to my face

and poison me when I turn away

II

They say the words

and hiss their malice

Things like family and devotion

just really never ending retributions

III

I feel the venom in my veins

and every time I turn and run

they see my helplesness ,

They bare their fangs and dig some more

IV

I have fallen and received the lies

And now here I lie

UHG QC , Feb 1 2018

"Fromis_9 - To Heart MV reaction: Lovelyz 2.0"

"Fromis_9 - To Heart MV reaction: Lovelyz 2.0"

by:

The Vole

It is quite an odd feeling that when you are watching one MV and you draw similarities from another girl group. In this case the whole MV of Fromis_9 feels like a Lovelyz MV circa Achoo. Maybe I am old or maybe I have seen so much in the last couple of years when it comes to concepts that I instantly thought about the Lovelyz when I saw this video.

It might be the cute school girl outfits and the school setting that gave me off but there are beats here that makes it seem like it was from that other group. Of course Fromis_9 has different set of visuals and vocal characterizations but the over all feel is of Achoo.

With that out of the way the MV focuses on the girls as they seem to be planning on confessing to some lucky guy and this confession letter seems to be being passed on , hidden or talked about as the MV progresses.

The last scene alone is worth the MV , a very pretty girl handing over a letter from the guys perspective. The approach to the guy seems to be cute but this main visual from Fromis actually exudes  a certain kind sexiness that goes beyond her innocent looks.Ah to be young and the object of such a girls attention and imagination. One can only be so lucky. 

Overall it is a great and bubbly song that is worthy to be called their debut song and it does establish them as a group. While some already stand out because of their Idol School exposure I am sure that the others would have their time to shine in later songs. All in all I look forward to more songs from Fromis-9.

"3 Things I have seen this week:The Orphans"

"3 Things I have seen this week:The Orphans"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Often times Orphans have been the subject of apathy or extreme pity. No more parents means no one taking care of these children. I often see orphans after war and my heart goes out to them. I know how they feel. Maybe they are looking for care. Or for guidance or understanding or even forgiveness from their parents but in my experience the dead can neither absolve or bless you. This week I saw 3 orphans.

1) Orphan#1 The Innocent.

The youngest feels the pain of losing both parents but cannot express it properly. Only a general feeling of fear and loss. 

The youngest looks on and probably does not worry for the future. There are others that should be worrying about that for her now. And since she has been left behind she is under the care of others. 

2) Orphan#2 The Eldest.

Working by night and by day trying to manage and fix those that have been thrust to him.A heavy responsibility of lives and needs and wants that he never imagined would be his too early. He tries to separate all of the tasks and hopes for the best but there are sleepless nights ahead of him and the people left to him.His heart is filled with worry for the future but he cannot give up despite the circumstances as it would mean that death of his youngest sibling and the loss of his family's legacy. 

3) Orphan#3 The Selfish. 

Things of nothing. Acts like their is money at hand to spend on frivolous things. Always asks what is in it for me before he acts. And if things get different whines like a child. Does not understand the plan. Nods as if he listens to the plan and cries unfairness when he does not get his way. Not understanding the dire situation that his family is facing at the moment. His battle cry. "Give me what is mine." And I will not care for anything else. I do not care about Legacy or family or honor. Cash , that is all I want.

I envy those who could sleep at night without a care in the world , those who's burden is light and those who will never be entrusted to carry something to precious. I pray for these 3 orphans , One to see that there are people who love her. One to see that there is an end to all of this and the other to go to hell and stay there.

"Midweek Magic Jan 2018 #5: Getting Ahead with Urza"

"Midweek Magic Jan 2018 #5: Getting Ahead with Urza"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

In one of those unplanned games I was able to use Urza , Academy Headmaster for the first time against Janry. It was Monogreen Oviya Pashiri , Sage Lifecrafter EDH vs. 5CC Scion of the Ur-dragon. And it was epic. 

It seemed that my dragons were on the losing end of this game as Janry had a Constant Mists in his hand that he would be able to Buyback as long as he sacrificed a land effectively stopping any damage I could muster. I was able to draw a diabolic tutor and I did not have any way of making him discard that lone card in his hand. In desperation , I decided to choose Urza and play him as I had the available mana.

I went to Askurza.com and use his first planeswalker ability for the first time.And then this happened.

Exile a card from an opponents hand. Janry and I were laughing so hard. Of course he could have simply cast the spell and buy it back again but since it was an instant it would resolve and then get exiled anyway. So he cast it to take advantage of the fog effect for one last time.

Who could have predicted that I would be able to get that ability out of all the random ability that Urza has. It was starting off great for the year and I was happy to have been able to use this planeswalker at last!