29-Hour Days

Yeah. That's what I need. Extra 5 hours each day so I can do everything I want and need to do. 24 hours don't seem to cut it for me nowadays. What with all the craziness of writing my thesis proposal, piles and piles of books to read, papers to write, a demanding internship at SFGH/UCSF and on top of that, my life too. Well, I don't have much of a life for the past year or so. I barely even have time to hold my camera anymore. But hey, last night was different.

I am swamped with 4 papers, a thesis proposal and a group presentation all due next week, but last night I decided to procastinate. It was a conscious decision on my part. I just didn't wanna do anything. So A and I went to see a movie instead, went for a coffee after and browse the travel section at the bookstore later.

A and I saw Feast of Love which I thought was going to be a romantic comedy. Dumb, uh? It wasn't comedy. It was a definite tearjerker! And almost all the people in the movie theater were significantly older than us - probably 20 years older than us or more. Everybody was sniffling and crying and I did have those moments too but I just pretended I didn't cry. Overall I would say the movie was good because it made me cry so you can say it impacted me. But it's not something I would rave about. I would have been fine waiting for it to come out on DVD. But it was a fun night. Away from my papers, my books and my computer for once.

The coffee was good and it was fun just reading about places to go to and dream about.I didn't wanna go home after having coffee. I was having such a fun time away from my books that I didn't want it to end. So armed with my camera we drove to the lake and took some pictures. The lake was so still, the moon's reflection so captivating. I've never seen the lake by my place so beautifully serene. I snapped some photos and then it was time to go...

Now I'm staring out the window and I see blue skies. Now I wish I did my papers last night so I could go outside and play in this beautiful weather. But I guess I should be satisfied that I get to walk to the Farmer's Market realy quick and see if I could buy some cheap ampalaya (bittermelon), talong (eggplant), okra, kamatis (tomatoes) for good 'ol pinakbet.

Ok, gotta put my sneakers on and head to the farmer's market. See you around!

Fun Saturday

Z and I strapped our bikes to the car and went biking in San Francisco. We only biked around 11 miles at Golden Gate Park, exploring small trails and main roads then stopped at a little cafe on Irving for a nice afternoon snack. It was beautiful day, a little foggy at first but it burned off. I just wish we rode more - I enjoy pumping my leg muscles this way and it's a great cardio exercise.

Golden Gate Park is such a bike-friendly park and lots of green grass to sit on and rest whenever you need to. Our last stop was the Shakespeare Garden which is rarely ever crowded unless there is a wedding ceremony. And just like the last time I was there, it was empty. We had the garden to ourselves and it was so nice to take my helmet off and lay on the grass to relax.I am hoping we could log more miles this week. Need that exercise you know....

Ngarag Na

Ngarag dahil sa walang katapusang summer school. Iisa na nga lang klase ko ngarag pa rin. Pano ba naman kasi, dala-dalawa ang trabaho. Hirap talaga ang buhay estudyante. Haaaay, dalawang trabaho pero hirap pa rin. Puro noodles na nga lang kinakain ko hahaha. Kaya di na rin ako nakakapagblog masyado dahil sobrang kabusyhan sa buhay.

Haaaay buhay. Naiinis lang ako ngayon kaya ako napa-blog ulit. Kais ganito. Kung nasa trabaho ako at nakita mo akong papasok sa banyo - parang awa mo na - huwag mo akong sundan para makipagkuwentuhan. Kahit pa boss kita, hindi mo dapat gagawin yan dahil yan pinakamatinding pet peeve ko yan. Pano kaya ako makakapagconcentrate so kubeta kung nakikipagkuwentuhan ka sa kin. Sa susunod, ganito. Antayin mo akong matapos sa kubeta. Tapos tawagan mo ako sa extension ko para alam mo kung nandun ako sa loob ng aking opisina. At kung nandun ako, umakyat ka at tsaka tayo magkuwentuhan. Komportable ka na, makakaupo ka pa. Hindi yong ako lang ang nakaupo at sa inidoro pa. Okay?

End of rant. Magsusulat muna ako ng aking policy analysis...

My First Real Long Weekend

We're talking about a real long weekend. A weekend where I did nothing but fun stuff! I spent Wednesday night working on my research proposal and got a feedback from my Professor the next day saying I no longer need to edit anything because it's close to perfect and gave me an A+ for it. Thank god she responded on Thursday. I was able to enjoy a leisurely weekend.

R, Z and I went on a day drive to Glen Ellen up north in Sonoma and visited Jack London State Park. It was quite a nice walk through the woods all the way to the Wolfe House, built by the famous author Jack London. We also walked all the way up to where his ashes were scattered marked with a big rock. It was so quiet up there. So relaxing. There was nothing but the sound gentle sound of our footsteps on the trail and the occasional chirping of birds.

We drove back to Glen Ellen and stopped for some chocolate tasting. Hmmmm. I love the tiramisu cabernet the best. They were about $1.50 per piece which was a little steep. But they're so worth the money. On our way back, we went through Napa, sipped espresso and just enjoyed the day fading out.


Saturday was family time. I took my mom on a drive to San Francisco, relaxed at the Golden Gate Park, sipped some tea at the Japanese garden and stopped by Sausalito for some afternoon coffee.

Today was bike ride day. My good friend Bolivs let me borrow his bike and had to test it out. So I drove to Alameda and tested it on the trail by the bay. Man, the bike rides so fast! I'm hooked!!! I loved the wind against my face and the views were fantastic.

Now, I'm back to reality. Gotta finish a few more papers and I'm done for this semester.

Things That Matter

I spent the whole weekend and Monday at the State Capitol learning more about the legislative process and how appropriations work. It was definitely an eye opener for me, having the chance to understand Assembly Bills and Senate Bills and what they really mean for me and the population I work with.

We discussed the governor's proposal of $456 million dollar cut on CalWORKS in 2007-2008 and $566 million annually thereafter which will directly impact families and children. It looks like the governor is trying to balance the budget on the fragile backs of California's children. We say no to this budget cut because it is unfair. We say no because it will create great difficulties for low income families, especially children, who will be at risk of hunger and homelessness.
We also tackled the issue of homeless. Senate Bill 2, if passed, will mandate cities and/or counties to designate a space as shelters in their planning. I'm not really sure about this bill. I think it is shallow, temporary and palliative and doesn't really address the problem of homelessness.

One thing that I was passionate about was Universal Health Care for all Californians. The state of California is the 6th largest economy in the world. We already spend about $180 billion dollars in health care and $20 billion is wasted over unnecessary administrative cost due to HMO's and what nots. Yes, $180 BILLION and many Californians are still without access to medical care. What are we thinking? Yes, we want health care. And we want it for everyone. Senate Bill 840 will allow every Californian to have access to health care. It won't be based on employment. Health care which is a basic right will be available to all. Universal Health Care will cut the unnecessary administrative cost, thus saving the state more money. In the long run, the state will save around $346 billion dollars in ten years because of the focus on preventive care and other cost saving measures.

Before leaving the capitol, we were able to meet with a few senators and members of the congress about these bills and how much their votes matter. We appealed to them in behalf of their constituents that would be impacted if they reject this bill.

It was an amazing experience just being there, learning all the tools on how to lobby for a bill that would impact me and other fellow constituents. Plus I got to spend some time with friends and colleagues in exploring Old Sacramento and touring them around the State Capitol.
Let's be proactive. Write to your senators and your local representatives. Tell them how Universal Health Care would benefit you and others. IF you voted for your senator, tell them so. Let them know that you voted for them and that you expect them to represent you and the people.

I am looking forward to that day when health care is available to every Californian. Young and old, working and non-working, students and professionals having access to doctors and medical care. Prop 63 happened. SB 840 can and will happen.

For more information about the Universal Health Care Bill (SB 840), visit www.onecarenow.org