A recent study in the UK gives light to the mystery why mosquitoes are drawn to certain people and not to others.  I am one who is always followed by mosquitoes wherever I go, with every tissue of my skin (no matter how hard I try to conceal it) a potential garden for the blood meal of these pesky mosquitoes.  It’s disgusting sometimes to see others relax in their presence while I continually scratch and worse, I get mosquito bites that are bad and big.  Repellents don’t seem to work sometimes so it’s really annoying.

Enter the results of the study that mosquitoes are drawn to people who are not so stressed out.  It’s because they’ve shown that mosquitoes are not attracted to people whose bodies secrete chemicals that are byproducts of stress and thus are offensive.  Stress as mosquito repellent. Cool!  Ergo, if mosquitoes root for you instead of others, you are less stressed than them.  Kinda comforting conclusion.  But I think this doesn’t help solve the problem.  I am still worried by their presence.

All healers are wounded.  This is one reflection in the recent training cum workshop on mental health and psychosocial support that we’ve organized/attended.  Therefore, it is important that we, as service providers, keep a deep sense of self-awareness and control as we face life’s adversities before we’re able to relieve the sufferings of others.  Like a rope that’s stuck, we can’t relieve our suffering if we don’t know its cause.  We first need to find where it’s stuck to and remove the knot to freely pull it.

That’s right.  It’s a medical term for the condition when you unconsciously grind your teeth against other teeth.  They say it’s due to stress–your subconscious telling you to slow things down a bit. 

I have bruxism–so when the dentist happened to check on my teeth again, after a filling, I was reminded to get myself a mouthguard–to prevent the further thinning of my two lower incisors which suffered the brunt of my toothgrinding all this time.  And got the mouthguard I did…I started to wear it, feeling like Manny Pacquiao ready for a fight.  It’s really inconvenient to wear especially for someone who never wore any brace or retainer.  But has to get used to it, lest I get a false teeth just because of this inane condition.

A letter to the editor of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine recently explained the epidemiology of the current A (H1N1) pandemic in relation to international air travel.  The study analyzed flight patterns, especially the destinations of travelers from Mexico.  It showed that countries which are the common destinations, like the US and Canada, are also those which have the large number of cases of A (H1N1) virus infection.

In conclusion, studies of air travel patterns can help us predict where the next epidemic will take place so we can set anticipatory measures.  Life in this globalized and connected world now has certainly become easier but also scarier, because diseases now are more easily spread.

Judgment day has come!  I passed our Comprehensive Exam for MPH!  After 2 years of juggling work and studies, after 6 weeks of toiling in the field, and after less than a week of review, I made it!  This signifies the start of my career in Public Health, more than having a valid reason to have another 3 initials attached to my name.

Praise God!  He blesses me so much these days.  Hope this will continue…On my part, I will do my best to get His signs and plan my future according to his grand design.

Been blogless for many weeks now because of fieldwork for MPH.  Our group is assigned in Pila, Laguna, the Vigan of Laguna because it is home to a lot of heritage houses and a museum. We’ve been here last year for our Laguna Loop tour; but this time, it’s all work.  This is the culmination of our masters studies and this is where the theories get to be applied to real practice to benefit the community.  Four more weeks to go, and this will soon be over.  But hopefully we can gain much from this exposure. 

I finally got to attend our club’s Toastmasters meeting, the first for this year, as a guest (I haven’t submitted my application form and haven’t paid the membership dues).  Full of new-year optimism, the meeting was packed by members, new and old, and guests like me.  Even before the program was over, I thought that it is really a right decision to be part of this great club.  At Toastmasters, your public speaking and leadership skills are honed in an atmosphere that is very friendly, motivating (a lot of applause, clapping, shaking of hands and commendations) and serious–to the art of speaking that is.

I’ve come to realize that speaking is the ultimate indicator of one’s level of personal development.  Many have good ideas, but only a few can convey them well to others to persuade, entertain or teach.  Communication at its finest will make one a better person in this cutthroat world.  The best opportunities will come to him like metal to a magnet because he radiates self-confidence and positivity.  This is why I joined Toastmasters.

I will labor on my first speech, the Icebreaker, which I’ll deliver next meeting.

Happy new year to all!

Quite uncommonly does the rain interfere with the celebration of the new year. But last night, it did, significantly reducing the number of firecracker-related injuries. Hope the rain is auspicious, bringing us blessings that can last us the whole year through.  The year of the ox, as I’ve checked, is not so lucky for sheeps like me.  Lots of impediments to hurdle, work overload, health concerns, the list goes on (I had a bracelet charm made for this purpose, as posted previous to this).  But just like what I did before, I’ll face everything head on, with the help of my friends, colleagues, loved ones and of course, God.  A list of new year’s resolutions remains to be put into paper (still in my mind after a series of random but purposeful reflections, thanks to the long holiday vacation) and of course into action for the days to come.

Ron Law will continue to run…

Our charms for 2009.  Both have the one-eye DZI bead, our birth signs’ common lucky bead, as the centerpiece.  Hope the year of the ox brings good luck, fortune and health to both of us.  Welcome 2009!

2008 is about to be replaced by a new year. So reflections and resolutions are the things to make now.  But before these, here are some recent snapshots:

My Hon’s gift to me, “Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews” which I started reading.  I find the book very enjoyable and informative. Reading it is transcendent: it kinda deepens my connection with my idol.  “Like a rolling stone…”

Dragon dance at Ongpin.  The atmosphere was very festive.  Coins were thrown on the streets to the audience’s excitement.

Ate lunch at the ancient “Delicious Restaurant” in Onpgin.  Nothing beats their delicious and cheap Chinese food.

This caught my attention while I was driving.  Brace for the Year of the Ox or Cow.