Today, I finished reading a book that I didn’t expect to make me cry.  After all, it’s been ages since I cried over a book (the last one being James Patterson’s "Sam’s Letters to Jennifer").  I’ve read plenty of books between then and now, and this was nothing as poignant, or as profound.  I didn’t find anything special with this other book that I had been reading, until three-fourths of the way into the end.  Then the waterworks started (embarrassed smile). 

Came across this while browsing the Internet:

Celle Chair - Basic

Celle is uniquely suited to respond - to your shape, your motion, and the needs of your workplace.

(Apparently, I’m being marketed as such :D). 

Herman Miller’s just introduced Celle Chair is uniquely suited to respond to the body’s shape, motion and the needs of the workplace.  Its innovative Cellular Suspension provides immediate comfort and support.  Designed for multiple applications throughout the workplace, Celle works well in settings from individual spaces to team and community areas.

Basic features:
- Standard Height Adjustment Range
- Standard Tilt
- Fixed Seat Depth
- Fixed Arms

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What are you waiting for?  Buy now!  All for the low, low price of $449.00.

http://www.sit4less.com/products/herman-miller/celle-chair/32?mt=E&se=G&KNC-DI0735593689&gclid=CIaj0_G0no4CFRYHFQodzhLmZw

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Sorry, folks.  I initially typed the above on a Mac.  As much as I loved the interface, the design, and everything that made Mac a Mac, I know my fingers love PC’s more.  Sigh.  So I’m back to blogging on a PC.

Last Thursday, I got really sad news.  A very nice older lady I know had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor.  It was glioblastoma multiforme, which is a really aggressive (and malignant) kind of brain tumor that won’t show symptoms until it has gotten big enough that the important parts of the brain are affected.  As with most tumors, early detection equals better prognosis.  What makes GBM even more horrible is that it’s symptoms can be pretty benign — headaches, nausea and vomiting, memory loss, problems with speech and reasoning, problems concentrating, and then seizures — so most people over fifty years old (who are more commonly affected, although it does occur in various age groups) will be unsuspecting until the seizures start.  Prognosis improves with complete removal of the tumor, and thank God the doctors were able to do that.

Someone told me this once: "Empathy is your greatest gift.  It’s a wonderful thing, to be able to feel for others and share their pain.  It makes you a better dentist/friend/person."  I don’t know how much good it does me and that nice older lady I know, when all I want to do right now is cry. 

Raining cats and dogs, my foot!  Try raining lions and wolves!  Arrgh!

Today, I got caught in torrents of rain and gales of wind that would put Manila’s typhoons to shame.  That is probably an exaggeration.  But tell that to my poor, drenched body.  I looked like a drowned rat two seconds after stepping into the rain — yes, with a payong, thank you very much.  Though the umbrella didn’t do me any good, it kept my research stuff from getting wet.

Damn my research that made me run to the library when I could be in my warm, comfortable room in the first place.  Damn global warming that makes it pour in the summer, when it should be nice and warm. Damn our lifestyles that contributes to global warming, throwing nature’s sense of timing out of whack (grumble, grumble, grumble).

Let me try to recall my second-grade water cycle lessons:  water vapor goes up into the skies, then cools and helps build clouds, and then the clouds get heavy, and when it can’t hold itself up anymore, rain pours…waaaitaaaaaminute!!!  Does that mean that, in fact, it is supposed to rain more in the summer, since it’s warmer, and therefore, there’s more water vapor, and so on?  If that were true, how come it never rains that much in the summer in the Philippines???  Damn the US and it’s crappy, unpredictable weather. 

The water cycle was the last thing on my mind while I was walking around in my squishy shoes.  My biggest concern was how to dry my sneakers (Should I put them in the dryer?  Should I hold a blow-dryer to them until they dry?  Should I leave them outside when the rain lets up, and let them air-dry?), and how it’s really justified that a person should have more than several pairs of shoes.  More than several, actually.  After all, it could rain all week, all month, it may flood, and our shoes won’t be dry soon enough, and we might all need to build an ark, and we need shoes to pace around and strategize and ration our food supplies…yup, can’t have those splinters getting into your feet.  Yes, I’m definitely getting more shoes ASAP.   

Sometimes, people come up with one-liners, or near-one-liners that will knock your socks off.  This week’s winning line is from Deeqa:

(On my remark about a guy who was trying to sell me something: "But it’s such a shame, Deeqa.  He seemed like a nice guy.  And he has nice kids, too…")

"Well, Celle, I guess crooks have to come from somwhere.  And crooks DO reproduce."

Brava, Deeqa.  That line will stay in my head long after we’re done with real-time PCR, and it will still make me laugh as much as I did the first time I heard it from you.  Thank you.

If you have FoodTV, Rachael Ray does not need further introduction.  If you have regular TV, she’s the girl zooming around in the new Dunkin’ Donuts commercial.  She also has a regular morning show that is on another channel (which I can’t recall at the moment).

She’s a great cook and she projects a "nice person" aura.  I am a nice person (or presumed-to-be nice person, as long as you don’t p*ss me off), but I don’t know how to cook.  See the parallelism here?

A few months ago, I tried to grill burgers and nearly set the house on fire.  I’m pretty sure my roommates nearly had a heart attack.  Two days later, the house still smelled of smoke (from the burgers), even with the windows left open.  Sigh.

Fortunately, EDC-General Dentistry is the perfect venue for people who has no culinary skills to speak of (like me) to learn how to cook.  Thanks to the numerous parties, potluck lunches, and picnics that we hold several times a year, we poor residents who don’t know how to cook (I think it is a General Dentistry admission requirement of female international residents for the year that I applied — 2. Must not know how to cook, which was right below 1. Must hold a DDS/DDM/DMD degree or equivalent – because Foni, Xiomara and I all fulfill those two requirements so very nicely) eventually have to learn to make food — a dish to pass — or raid Wegman’s for lack something to bring.  After the first few potluck lunches, we’ve all brought in everything Wegman’s can offer, and we’re running out.

The first dish I tried to make was Apple Crisp, which was really fairly simple.  No one complained of food poisoning or was rushed to SMH-Emergency.  And people ate it, so it must be okay.

I went one better the next time, bringing in Lemon Cheesecake for a baby shower.  It was a little too sweet for me, but people actually said it tasted good.  Munira even asked for the recipe.  I nearly passed out from shock.  Munira is now one of my new favorite friends for that reason.   

Buoyed up by the apparent success of the last two desserts, I brought another dessert for the latest lunch: Cinnamon Crumb Cake.  One of the faculty was eating the last of it when I went to retrieve the baking dish it came on, so I’m chalking that up as a success as well.

Now, for the savory part of the menu:  I saw a recipe for Stuffed Shells and tried it.  The result was beautiful — and plenty.  I had so much leftover that I was eating it for lunch and dinner for two days, and I still have half of it left.  Archana (also my new favorite friend, for obvious reasons) tried it and said it was good.  I don’t know — I ate too much of it already, so I guess my tastebuds are a little biased now.  Biased against it.  It looks like I won’t be making Stuffed Shells for a long, long time. 

Toochie was nice enough to show me how to make chicken adobo. It tasted great so I wanted to try making it myself.  Recalling everything from memory, I tried to copy the dish.  It tasted okay, but a little salty.  Toochie told me that "Hahahaha!  You forgot to put a little vinegar!"  I didn’t even know adobo needs vinegar.  So I added some vinegar to repair my adobo, and it tasted okay.  Good, actually.  Toochie says I should let my classmates try the food so we have impartial judges.

Someone showed me how to make Shepherd’s Pie several years ago.  I tried to make it myself recently, and it was okay.  I forgot to put salt on the mashed potatoes, but it picked up the meat’s flavor so it was all okay in the end.  Again, Archana liked it.  Two points for Archana!

Next up:  Chinese Fried Rice, courtesy of Dr. Ning (Please, please, please God, don’t let me poison anybody). 

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I’ve added more ads to my videos:  M&M’s Dark Chocolate, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and Petsmart. 

Just because it’s you, Char.  That’s why I’m doing this.  So, here goes…

A - Awaiting:  Harry Potter 7 — 3 more days!!! — and I hope it won’t be a disappointment

B - Best Friends (in no particular order):  Peejay, Vanessa, Nice, Jill T, Sands/Jill, Minami, Ate Nieves, Kathy, Len, Zanne, Len, Chepay, Daddy Mark, and Bez Dan

C - Cartoon Character I Like:  Spider-Pig in the new "Simpsons" movie

D - Dog’s Names:  At home - Fishie, Sally, Venice and Jigger; in Rochester - Hershey and Bailey (they’re my roommate’s dogs)

E - Expression/Expletive:  Amir’s "Blllooody Hellll"; "Oh, holy moly"

F - Favorite Activity:  Reading.  I can curl up all day with good books, and be blissfully happy.

G - Good Deed for the Day:  Help out in emergency.  Also, help answer the new residents’ questions.

H - Hours of Sleep in a Day:  This summer, 6-7 hours work.  During the school year, 4-5 hours.  Sometimes less.  When I’m on vacation, 14-16 hours.  Yay!

I - Inches on the Growth Chart: 5′1-1/2".  But I round it off to 5′2".

J - Junk Food I’m Currently Binging On:  White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookie from Subway, Wendy’s Frosty Float, Apple Cinnamon Crepes, Distillery’s Garlic Chicken Wings

K - Kilig Movie I Would Watch Over and Over:  You’ve Got Mail   

L - Lab Accomplishment:  Amplified Strep. mutans DNA today.  Yesssss!  I’m very, very happy.  This must be how it feels to have a child. :D  Or not.  But I’m really happy about this.

M - Movies I Saw Last:  On cable - Miami Vice.  It sucked.  Colin Farrell looked like he hasn’t had a bath in days; In the theater - Live Free or Die Hard. Had a kick in knowing that the hacker is the Mac guy of the "Hi, I’m a Mac.  And I’m a PC" commercial fame.

N - Newest Friend on Friendster:  Jojo

O - Onion Rings or Fries:  Onion rings with tons of ketchup

P - Plays:  Texas Hold’em Poker with my relatives when I’m bored

Q - Quirks:  I’m a picky eater, but what I like, I eat a lot of.  I won’t eat vegetables, spicy food, and anything exotic, but I can consume my weight in junk food. :p

R -  Righty or Lefty:  Lefty

S - Sarcasm: is wasted on fools.

T - Traveled Last To:  Chicago for the Prostho Conference (had a blast — I will definitely move there in the future)

U - Under My Bed You Will Find:  SpaceBags with extra sheets, pillow cases, comforters, my kiddie-scrubs (scrubs I wear especially for child patients), a vacuum cleaner for the SpaceBags, and two empty suitcases

V - Vivid Childhood Memories:  Playing in the dental chair in my Dad’s office; sitting at the teacher’s table while my Dad lectures in UE, meeting the UE College of Dentistry Dean at 3 or 4 years old

W - Weight:  approximately 97 lbs

X - XX or XY:  XX

Y - YM or MSN:  YM, but YM now has MSN capability.

Z - Zodiac Sign:  Libra

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1.  I can bake decently, but I am still learning how to cook.

2.  I’m scared to drive (but I do, anyway).

3.  I’m terrified of needles.  Flu shots are always an experience.

4.  I can drive stick.

5.  I quit kindergarten after a few days, because I got a really bad haircut, and I hated going to school besides.  To me, it was a valid excuse, and my Mom was nice enough to let me do it.

6.  I don’t drink coffee.

7.  Apparently, no one else can read my handwriting. :p

I am tagging:  Dennis, Minami, Ate Nieves/Lissa, Blythe, Sands/Jill, Peejay, RG. Come on, guys.  Humor me.

I am a TV junkie.  I sit in front of the idiot box for hours at a time watching — nope, "The Starter Wife’ is over — TV commercials.  I watch the ads, filter out those worth nothing, and remember those that appeal to me.  Mostly for laughs, or because I appreciate the creative process that brought them about.  And then I tell people about it.  The problem with telling people about a TV ad is that they don’t GET the entire experience.  I can memorize the lines, but my delivery is not just the same.  How will I describe the characters’ facial expressions?  The setting?  How everything went down?

So I tried to post those commercials that I liked here.  Unfortunately, Friendster blogs don’t support media upload.  So, I posted them in my profile (which, thankfully, does support media) and now Cingular (the new AT&T), Budweiser, Coke, and Dairy Queen, will be getting mileage out of me. ;p

Stay tuned!

After receiving numerous comments about my unhealthy diet (read: fried, greasy fast food, tons of processed sugar, lots and lots of calories, and as little vegetable as I can get away with) from everyone, and reading that not exercising was as bad as smoking cigarettes everyday, I decided to try to rescue my poor arteries from atherosclerosis and indulge in an activity more physical than clicking the remote control of my TV or typing away at the keyboard. 

I finally gave in to my friend Jasleen’s invitation to go with her to the gym.  I’ll tell you a secret…to date, I’ve only been to the gym 5 times.  I went three times last year, and twice this week (yes, that’s for all of twenty-seven years).  This year, I’m shooting for four.  :p

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Somebody brought his dog in SAS class today — Jack Russell terrier, male.  I didn’t get to ask the dog’s name, but he reminded me of Myla (my cousin Ryan’ s dog), and he made my day.