{ 2007 06 04 }

The Round Up: A Bad Week For Blogging

The past week has been fairly bleak as far as my blogging goes. If you’ve noticed, all I’ve done all week is answer memes, express my frustrations about the band that I left/ left me, rave about an up-and-coming band as well as a legend making a comeback, perform a practical joke and update my picks for the ten emerging influential blogs of 2007. Fortunately, my it’s-so-funny-I-can’t-stop-listening-to-it podcast was also released in that span of time to somehow diffuse the mediocrity.

 

Now I know it’s still better than what most most blogs showcase for the world to see, *hides* but it’s a bit disconcerting at the very least. If you’re really observant, you would notice that I passed the 50000-hit mark this week and my Feedburner subscribers peaked at 61. It’s down to 56 now, but I when I got back from Cebu, it was down to 19! I have no idea why it keeps fluctuating.

Ratified.org

I continue to put the RAT in Ratified! I’m number 80. Thanks for linking. Technorati rating: 165 and still rising albeit at a snail’s pace (yes, a snail going vertical).

Let those few lines serve as a disclaimer for this not-so-amazing and not-so-thought-provoking post. Again, I will be rattling off random items as I go along:

 

I know it’s only June but I’ve already trying inquiring at the University of Melbourne regarding the elective courses that they offer. I was looking at the possibility of going to Australia for a month-long off-campus elective course on Radiology. Oh did I tell you that I was planning on taking this course next April? Haha. Yes, I’m that determined to make my next summer an educational and travel-related one.

 

Here’s the excerpt of the reply I received:

 

 

Elective periods are formally offered at the following clinical schools:

1. Royal Melbourne Hospital/Western Hospital

2. Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre

3. St Vincent’s Hospital

* Geelong Hospital may take elective placements on case by case basis between December and January.

Please note you must be in your final year or about to commence final year to be considered for elective placement at one of the above hospitals. Elective attachments are usually between 4 to 8 weeks long maximum. Costs vary according to each clinical school’s arrangements.

If you are not in your final year but have completed disciplines in Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Neonatal Paediatrics, you may apply for elective placement at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. You could also apply for placement at the Department of Paediatrics. You can also apply for these placements if you are in final year. Places are very limited however, and often these clinical schools have filled their quotas 6 to12 months in advance.

Ok, there goes my chances for the University of Melbourne! I’m not yet on my final year nor am I about to start my last year in the College of Medicine. According to this letter, the only elective available for people at my level is one in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatal Pediatrics. That has to be the trifecta of the sub-specializations that I don’t exactly see myself doing in the future.

 

So now, I have to look for other schools and hospitals that would offer me an elective in Radiology. Some people had electives in Coron and Boracay the past two years. Hmmm… I have to act fast because the slots will be filling up very quickly and I might still have to apply for visas and other clearances before I get to be approved by any of these hospitals and colleges abroad.

 

On the same note, three of my basketball buddies/ friends I grew up with went to Europe this year for training. Engineer Gilbert went to the Czech Republic (!) back in April for some reason while Popo just arrived from Germany after doing inspections on whatever installation. Engineer Emil is currently in Switzerland learning on commissioning. Apparently, that happens after the erections phase, whatever that means. Boohoo you engineers! Haha

 

 

I just realized that I have a backlog for travelogues! I was supposed to write about the post-PIDC Hundred Islands getaway that we had last April, but I chose to put that article on hold pending the sending of photos by the chief photographer for that trip, Justin. Justin has since gone to the ends of the world and back over the past two months and there’s still no trace on the pictures on his Multiply account. The only account that I have of is a very wild and crazy whodunit podcast recorded straight from Quezon Island.

 

 

 

Some people have expressed their anticipation over my Cebu travelogue, but after reading what people expected, I lost all interest to write it! Haha. What I had in Cebu were five days in the city – no island hopping, no scuba diving — to sum it all up, nothing out of the ordinary. It was all about asking what my Cebuano friend Myke was thinking of doing and tagging along. It was fun and all that, but there won’t be “hey, I hovered over a sea turtle” stories on that entry if I were to blog about it. As I’ve said, the podcast should pretty much cover everything of interest from Cebu’s economy, pedophile industry and logical parasailing.

 

Will ever make those write-ups? I have no idea. As this summer vacation comes to an end, it’s great that I got to visit the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan (incidentally the hometown of Yves), Puerto Galera (as a send off to the graduating debaters) and Myke’s home city – Cebu.

 

 

 

I was supposed to get a laptop via the same way Aaron got his, but my parents shot down the idea due to a laundry list of reasons. Most relevant of which is the fact that they’re going to the US next week to attend yet another Lions Club event. The upside is that I can get the laptop at a far cheaper price of 51 grand instead of the already low price of 65 grand.

 

The drawback of course is that instead of getting my laptop within the next two weeks, I’ll have to keep my technolust in check until the ninth… OF JULY! AAAAAARGH. But I want it nowwww!

—

June 9 is going to be a very hectic day for me.

  • post-christening party for my second cousin’s first daughter in Makati
  • debate cross-training with DLSU and CSB in the afternoon
  • meeting with bloggers at MOA****

I haven’t debated for so long and I would really love to try it one last more time.

—

 

That’s all for now.

Wow, this is probably my best post for the entire week. haha

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by benj on Monday, June 4th, 2007, at 7:45 pm, and filed under blogging.

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