I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I’m not a big on gossip. It’s true, I’m not. Like most things, however, there comes a point when you have to make an exception. Today, I read the juiciest goss ever to hit the shores of fashionable Manila and I was instantly hooked. I read all the entries and all the comments and took them in like I was drinking ice-cold water after a 10-mile run.

Who knew Manila’s famous socialites (or social mountaineers, as one of the anon commenters said), had such dirty little secrets ranging from drug addictions to 3-million peso debts? Brian Gorell, the scorned boyfriend-slash-scam victim whistleblower (this is such a frequently-used term nowadays here in Manila, no?) dishes out some dirt on these people in his blog in an effort to pressure his ex-boyfriend, Philippine Star columnist, DJ Montano into paying him back the $70,000 he shelled out as investment on a non-existent restaurant. Read it, but I’m warning you, it’s very addictive.

I see those faces all the time at glossies like Preview and Mega fashion magazines, thinking how I wish I could be like them… have customized clothes made for me, wear something totally crazy and make people want to wear them too, have my photos taken, drink expensive champagne and brag about buying an Hermes purse or taking a trip to London on a whim… all those just seemed so glamorous and I get starry-eyed just thinking about living that kind of life. Though at the back of my mind I’ve always been aware of how frivolous that kind of life is, I just can’t help but want to just be rich, famous, and connected. Life just seems more comfortable on their side of the island.

Reading this blog has definitely changed my mind. I’d rather be drinking C2 (bottled iced tea) and chicharon (deep fried pork skin. hehe!), sitting on a ratty old couch at home with a bunch of true friends than be out partying at Embassy (popular exclusive club here in Manila), getting high on crack, and faking a glamorous life when all I really have are glamorous clothes, a tired old body, and a circle of friends who will care for me as long as I buy them coke. Ugh.

I’ve been trying every 5 minutes to try and post a new blog entry but unfortunately, the blogs are still down. So I’m writing one anyway to amuse myself

Yesterday, I went to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) with mbf to hopefully enrol into a Dialysis Nursing Training course but unfortunately, all the slots have already been filled and even if there were still some slots left, we can’t enrol because we’re lacking Intravenous therapy training and Basic Life Support traning. So now, we have to take the necessary trainings and wait for the next course (in September! for gadzooks!).

*Sigh* I felt soooo bummed about this for a number of reasons.

1. I felt bad about the time I had wasted waiting for this other hospital to contact me about my application. Like the optimistic little giggly nurse that I am, I expected to receive some good news about this, but unfortunately, that text/call bearing the good news… never came.

2. I felt bad about not being proactive (at all)! Argh. I’ve always been proud of myself for always taking the initiative to do things, but this time, I slacked off. Though I had wanted to attend seminars, I never got around to actually doing it. Thinking about this is making me sick, really.

3. I hate to say this, but I feel real bad about being a nurse in the Philippines. Getting into a good hospital isn’t as easy as people think. Many hospitals now “prefer” (it usually means, “require”) fresh graduates who have attended Intravenous Therapy training (IVT), Basic Life Support Training (BLS), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support training (ACLS). These trainings are quite expensive. Thus, one really needs to invest a lot of money in these to get into a good hospital. What about those who don’t have enough moolah to fund these trainings? Well, there’s still hope. Read on.

They now look at not only what you know but who you know in their institution. When I was called in to take the exam at this certain hospital (Initials contain the letters “C” “L” “M” and “S”) I asked the other examinees when had they submitted their requirements (because I waited a month and a half before I was called in for the exam), one of them, who comes from a school that has a very close affiliation with the said hospital, said she passed her requirements 3 days prior, and one of her professors is a member of the hospital’s training team. The other one, from a school in the province, passed his requirements a week prior to the date of examination through an uncle who was a nurse in that hospital. Weird, you say? This isn’t new here, unfortunately. Even if you don’t have stellar grades or the “preferred” trainings, as long as you know someone, you have a good chance of getting hired. Sometimes, affiliation (by any sort of relationship) trumps talent.

Meh. I’m not actually surprised that this happens because I, myself, have sought the help of certain family members to get one foot through the door. Now, (no. 4) I feel bad because I have been an enabler of this system. I’ve been passively riding that wave, enjoying its benefits, and have not thought for a second how truly unfair it is. Now that I’ve experienced being on the disadvantaged end, I really don’t have the right to complain. It’s just the way it is.

5. I feel bad because 4 years ago, when I decided to take up Nursing as a second course, I was dead certain about what my future would look like. It was bright (green! I’ll be very honest.), happy, worry-free, and smooth. Now, what with my nursing career here in the Philippines on indefinite hold, and with other countries slamming their doors one by one against foreign nurses’ noses, future seems a teeny tiny bit bleaker.

Bah. I think PMS just wrote a blog entry, hehe! *sigh* Feels good to let all these bad thoughts/feelings out!

I’m so happy I can post entries again!

*jump up and down*

Going to the bathroom is always a nice time do a bit of thinking and reflecting because what you usually do in the bathroom are routinary activities that don’t require much thought. My mind wanders a bit during bathroom breaks, thinking about the current events significant to my life, the people around me, new experiences, paranoia-powered thoughts about lizards slipping off of the ceiling and falling on my head or legs, and a lot of times, about the things that I know about myself, thus far. Here are some of the things I’ve realized about myself while on the throne of thoughts:

• When I’m in a bad mood or when someone pisses me off, I only tend to snap at people when they are REALLY close to me or when I don’t know them and I don’t care about knowing them at all. When I’m pissed at a non-friend acquaintance, I just shut up.
• I am quite competitive but usually my biggest competition is myself. I have a tendency to beat myself up over not being able to do or accomplish certain things or over small mistakes.
• In relation to the bullet above, I am very apologetic. As in. I’ll say sorry for whatever small mistake I’ve committed and will even apologize for YOUR mistakes. It’s THAT bad. I should really change this, I think.
• I have a weird sense of humor that only a few people can get. Either that, or I have a corny sense of humor that only the shallowest people can laugh at. hehehe! :p
• (Shoutout to Luj) I think I annoy people sometimes by trying to finish their sentences. heehee
• I am quite friendly. For the longest time, I’ve tried to deny this. I don’t know why. Maybe I’ll know next time I spend some quality time with my ceramic friend.
• I’m a visual learner. I should have known this when I was still studying! Dang.
• I am a laidback worrywart. I worry a lot but I am too dang lazy to move. haha!
• I never used to like writing until I started this blog :p
• The tiles really need to be de-scummed.

Wee! That’s all I can remember from my reflection session today… What are YOUR bathroom reflections?

I don’t normally live and breathe showbiz gossip and I’m not one to scour the net nor hound all the showbiz talkshows on TV but this particular tsismis (gossip) is too good not to tell.

One very famous actress-slash-socialite-slash-antiagingcreamendorser-slash-controversy magnet who I shall refer to as “GB” was in an event and was seated in a table with a very accomplished physician (One of the best in his/her field of specialty). According to my very reliable source, GB was going on and on bragging about how her daughter, D, is going to a British-run school and is very proud of her accomplishments. And by accomplishment, she meant, the British accent. After a while of mindless chattering about said school and daughter, this GB turns to the accomplished physician and requests to have her Jimmy Choo bag passed to her. Being a nice and polite person that this accomplished physician naturally is, he/she proceeds to pick up this Jimmy Choo bag’s handles. GB seeing the accomplished physician heading for the handles, stops him/her and says “NO NO NO! Don’t pull it by the handles. Carry it from the bottom..” So, the accomplished physician carried the bag from the bottom, hands it GB, and sits on his/her chair with “ABUSE ME” written all over his/her forehead.

What a diva!

Before I start, let me just warn you that I will be ranting throughout the whole entry. And no, this isn’t about that old arcade game (I used to love playing, by the way :p). So here goes…

MBf (My Boyfriend) and I recently went to CD-R King in SM Fairview to buy a USB Flash Disk. We had just gotten at the front of the queue so the saleslady asked us to occupy the space beside the line so she can entertain us. As mbf was choosing from a myriad of flash disks, a couple suddenly lines up behind us and ever-so-rudely calls for the attention of the saleslady while she was entertaining us. The saleslady tells them to get in line like the rest of CD-R King-dirt-cheap-merchandise-hungry consumers have to do. They didn’t budge. Instead, they stepped closer to mbf (probably leaving only 1 inch of space between them) and proceeded to look around the store. I suppose they don’t have even the slightest knowledge about keeping an appropriate distance from a stranger, much less how near or far the appropriate distance is, because as the guy was looking at CD-Rs, he kept on bumping his head against mbf’s buttocks and back! It was so annoying! On top of that, it was bad enough that they were standing to close to us, they had the gall to start kissing, hugging, and groping each other while standing only a few centimeters away from us! WAH!

Ugh, rude, rude, rude! Why are some people like this? 18 inches, people. 18 inches!

Okay, I’ve been wanting to use that title for soooo long now! Finally, using it now makes some sense. ha ha ha!

I suppose a little introduction is in order…

My actual name isn’t Giggles. It’s Denise. ^_^ My sister occasionally calls me “Giggles McGee” because I laugh easily, a lot, and loudly (like a hyena, she says). I like to think that I brighten up others’ days with my gregarious and careless laughter but who am I kidding? I think I enjoy being smile-y, happy and perky more because it makes me look younger than I actually am. :p

And, yes, I can be just a wee bit vain. Or maybe a lot vain. I can’t really tell. ha ha!

I like a LOT of different things. I am easily influenced by people around me who encourage me to try and and see if I will be interested in the stuff that they’re into. So yeah, I’m very open and receptive to new things and experiences. And, I’m very excited to share new interests and experiences here.

Among the topics that I’m very passionate about are: fashion, do-it-yourself crafts, graphic design, and nursing (because I’m a nurse!). I suppose these topics will comprise the bulk of my blog… so those who hate these topics… you have been warned! hihi!

Anyway, enough introduction, on to the posts!