The Beatles’ gift to… science?

I learned something new today, and one I did not expect to learn from a medical journal. Through the years, I’ve been editing STM (scientific, technical, and medical) articles, and rarely have I learned anything plainly because the topics are usually way beyond my understanding, and science is really not my forte.

Reading through the article about the Nobel Prize laureates in the field of physics and medicine, I was led to The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust Web site. Surprise, surprise. The title of my article’s reference is, The Beatles greatest gift… is to science!

Just the words The Beatles already caught my attention. I initially thought I clicked on the wrong site. What’s that phenomenal music group got to do with science? I’ve read a lot about their contributions to music, their huge influence on their society (both good and bad), and John Lennon’s controversies, including his statement, “We’re [the Beatles] more popular than Jesus.”

I like the Beatles. I wish there is a group such as that at this time—the Fab Four’s music transcended time and defied geographical and sociocultural boundaries. They touched the lives of not only those from Liverpool but also from across nations.

The article is discussing about the important invention of the CT scanner, believing it to be “one of the top five medical developments of the twentieth century.” Here are some of the excerpts:

As a direct result of The Beatles’ success, Dr Timmis claimed, the [CT] scanner’s inventor, Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, was able to devote about four years developing the scanner from its 1968 prototype, to something that could be used in a clinical setting. His work was done in the Central Research Laboratory, a facility near Heathrow airport that was part of the EMI Group. Having sold 200 million of the Fab Four’s singles, (at seven inches, almost enough vinyl to stretch the length of the equator) the Beatles’ record company, EMI, was able to fund Hounsfield to do his research and the scanner was ready be used in hospitals in the 1970’s.

Dr Timmis said that EMI’s research had initially estimated a worldwide need for only 25 of the machines, but thanks to their decision to invest in the pioneering technology, now there are thousands of the scanners worldwide being used in hospitals every day.

Although it was actually the EMI (the Beatle’s record company) who funded the research, I still think it’s nice that this very significant invention is a “direct result of the Beatles’ success.” I’m one with the many people who think that The Beatles is not just a rock-and-roll band!

one happy, magical day

I had a truly happy weekend.

I went home to my province, about 3 to 4 hours away from Metro Manila, last Saturday morning. I was feeling kind of depressed and lonely. Although I like the quietness of living alone here in Manila, I prefer to be in the province whenever I feel sad, in the comfort of my home and my family, although I am never outspoken with them. In a way, the air feels reassuring, even the heat of the day is not as annoying—a comfort zone, people say.

Saturday, instead of my usual habit of staying at my room either sleeping or watching DVDs with my little cousins, I stayed in the terrace with my grandmother and my 15-year-old cousin, eating merienda there, listening to her updates about people and about her, and talking, not so seriously, about life and about my future. I jokingly told her that I would never marry and that I’ll die at 42 (don’t know why it sounded so funny then), Ian and I laughed at the idea, but my lola smilingly objected, telling me “Bago ako mamatay, ipapa-pangako ko sayo na kailangan kang mag-asawa, kung hindi wala kang mana” [Before I die, I would have you promise me that you’d marry because if not, you won’t get inheritance]. I wittily replied that it sounded like a soap opera, and we all laughed hard. I actually don’t know if she was serious, but maybe she was. Ever since, she was the only one supportive of my “love life.” One time, lola told my strict parents that I would accompany her to a senior citizen meeting, and I did. The thing is, she told me that the guy I like should come with us. It’s a secret between us, of course. Cool, ha? Amazingly, I never told her that I like that guy, not even implied. How come she knew? Since then, she’d tease me about him and defend the guy from my parents.

Even if I was so sleepy, having to wake up 5 am, I stayed there until 5 pm, not noticing the time passing by. Before I went to my room, I asked her if she’s going to mass the next day. She said that she would, and I told her that I would come with her.

A first for me, I woke up at 7 am to go to church. On Sundays, I normally wake up around 12 noon, and normally, I don’t go to church. But yesterday, I was prepared to go to church even before she was. I waited for her to dress up, then the two of us headed to the cathedral. During the collection, I was opening my wallet to get donations for the church, but she insisted that she would give the money for us. Nakakatawa. It was like I was only in elementary and that she was in charge of everything.

After the mass, we went to the city’s palengke. I felt nostalgic because I used to go with her to the market and carry the basket for her, up until grade 2. She’d buy food and tuba (not the wine) for me, then she’d tell the vendors and the people she knows there, “This is my granddaughter. She’s studying in Montessori. She’s an honor student.” I’d smile at them meekly (I was a very shy child, back then). At the market, I still carried all the things she purchased, the onions, the lumpia wrapper, the chicken, the niyog, etc. She’d insist that she carry some of the bags, but I liked carrying all of those for her. I guess it’s my way of compensating for all those times that I missed doing pamamalengke with her there. While we were there, it was as if I would stray if I lost sight of her. I almost held her hand like a little child afraid to get lost. Standing behind her, she’d introduce me to the people, “This is my granddaughter. She’s a UP graduate,” among other things, and there was an aura of pride coming from her. That’s one person proud of me! We went home around 11 am, I ate lunch at our house, and she at hers. And by 2 pm, Ian, I, and lola were already on our way to the newly opened Robinson’s mall. She promised me she’d treat me to an eat-all-you-can merienda, but my other cousin, Tootie, told her that he’d meet us at the mall to treat us (because he would be regularized by Smart soon). While waiting for Tootie’s break time (he’s working at the mall), I told her and Ian that I would go to the comfort room and that they should just stay at Tootie’s office to wait for him. Lola insisted that she’d go with me, accompanying me until the door of the comfort room. Was I a small child in her eyes? I think not, but perhaps she also just liked to spend as much time with me as possible. I guess she somehow sensed my loneliness, explaining why she wanted to eat out when she rarely wants to leave the house.

At the buffet, we ate a lot, and all the time, I’d ask her what she wants and bring her whatever that is from the buffet table—this is mordsith at her nicest! Haha!

From the time I stayed at the terrace until Sunday night, that I was lonely slipped my mind. There was an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I never had that bonding moment with lola and my cousins for a long time. It was like an answered prayed. I asked to not let me be sad, and it was magic, she was my magic!

[lola with cousins ian and billy (from left to right)]

I was so happy I felt like I don’t want to come back here in Manila. It almost pains me to sleep last night knowing I’d leave in the morning. It was just 4 hours away, but it seemed so far. I gotta have more moments such as these. Someday, all things will fall into place. Maybe someday, I’d be her magic.    

The Moment of Truth

          It was my first time last week to watch the show The Moment of Truth. It was a Fox game show, which from the name itself, brings out the truth from the contestant—painful or not. The questions get harder as the show goes on and becomes very, very personal. From watching just one episode, I can say that this show can ruin oh so many lives. The show uses a lie detector, which I think cannot be disputed. The willing “victim” sits in the stage where the host asks him or her a series of questions. I think you can win as much as $500,000 by answering all the questions without lying. The episode I watched reached the $200,000 level (at this point, his husband already looked angry and betrayed), but after revealing hard truth in front of her family (ie, parents, sister, husband), she was deemed by the all-knowing lie detector as lying when asked, “Do you think you’re a good person?” She said “yes,” and from what I gathered from the previous questions, she hardly is. Hey, I am allowed to be judgmental! Heck, she joined that show! She confessed in public, in front of her husband (emphasis here), that she thought that she should have been married to somebody else on her wedding day, that she sometimes remove her wedding ring to appear single, and that she had sexual relations other that with her husband, among other things. Well?

          Apparently, this is not the first show which had the “truth” mechanics. A Colombian game show started it all, and some 20 countries adapted it. It was earning big bucks but had to be cancelled when a contestant admitted negotiating with a gun-for-hire to kill, guess who, her husband. Fortunately of unfortunately for her, the husband was able to run away.

          I find it amazing how much the entertainment industry and the people have evolved. We are now at the masochistic/sadistic level!

          It gets me to thinking: If there was a show such as that here in the Philippines, who would you want to be its contestant? Hmmm… I know!

the tale of the Filipino bookstores

Last week, I went to a place which claimed to be the largest mall in Asia, yes, the Mall of Asia (MOA). I was on a hunting for a gift to an old woman who would be celebrating her 80th birthday. Where else could you have the highest probability of finding a gift than the biggest mall in the country—it’s all rolled into one, isn’t it?

I did find a gift, but after long walks and strenuous searching. My companion and I first went to the department store to get ourselves an idea of what I could possibly get to entice (too strong a word) the birthday celebrant. After searching from one floor to another, I decided that I would get her a spiritual/religious book, and as suggested by my companion, it should be in Filipino. Imagine my relief when I finally had an idea of what I would buy. Immediately, we proceeded outside the department store.

Fortunately, my companion knows his way through MOA (after a hundred times of being there, I still take the longest route from one place to another). I thought to myself that in a few minutes, we would already be heading home. First stop: Books for Less. The books here were cheaper, relative to the price of the bigger bookstores in the country. Before searching for the gift, I delighted myself first with the books in front of me, browsing through the columns of book and looking for something to buy for myself. Then, I decided that I could do that some other day. I looked for a Christian book in Filipino, and voila, there was none. Miss, do you have a Christian book here in Filipino? No, ma’am. All we have are in English. I did not expect that.

Off to National Bookstore, I was pretty sure that I could find something here. After all, it was the most popular bookstore in the country, with hundreds of branches nationwide. And in MOA, National Book Store was an actual bookstore—with books. In most malls, National Book Store is a department store concealing itself as a bookstore. And so I began my search for the book. After several aisles of books, the only Filipino read that I can find is the bible in Filipino. What? It’s not possible. The customer service personnel said that they do not have any religious book in Filipino. Then it is possible! Bummer.

I think we only stopped by Fully Booked for a few minutes then left to go to Power Books (which was owned by National Book Store, am I right?). At this point, I was already losing hope of finding a gift. I was already thinking of getting the celebrant a cake. I no longer have the energy nor the enthusiasm. This would be another futile search. At the religious book section, I only found the same books that I found in National Book Store. I was tired and frustrated (mostly because I was already hungry). But to my surprise (yes, I was already surprised), there were Filipino religious books placed at a table near the back! Although the books were written by a single author, I was still glad that I found these books. Of course, I was happy that my tired feet and my hungry stomach can already go home. But more importantly, I found a Filipino book published in Filipino and sold at a Philippine bookstore.

It was only then that I realized the scarcity of books in Filipino sold in these big bookstores. But can I blame the commercial bookstore industry? I think not. If there were more demands from consumers of readings in Filipino, perhaps there would be more of those in the bookshops. Do we also lack writers of books in our native language? I don’t know. It just saddened me that this is the current state of Filipino literature (and nationality?) in the country, perhaps stemming from the overwhelming effort to be fluent in English. Where did this get us?

And look at this entry.

Billie Joe is back!

He’s my Billie Joe Armstrong, the genius lyricist, the lead vocalist, and the guitarist of my favorite, favorite band—Green Day.

Well, he did not really go away. It’s just for a long time, I stayed away from music. At some point, I did not want to hear the songs that I like. Ironic, isn’t it? (Oh! I miss Alanis!). The lyrics of most songs I listen to are not particularly happy. Hey, I believe that the most beautiful songs are made of the saddest lyrics (sounds like Neruda, huh?). So intense, so meaningful, so dark, so vast. It feels like the words are mine, and the drama is enveloping my being. Okay, enough. This is overly dramatic already.

Anyway, I’m just joyful that I am again listening to the radio (and not DZMM all the time) and to my CDs and MP3s. Last Friday, I took out my Warning and American Idiot albums from their case and inserted it to the car stereo while going to work. I again was exhilarated by the drumbeats, the guitar, and the characteristic voice of Billie Joe. After a long time, of course, Green Day would be the first band I’d like to voluntarily listen to (absolute abstinence from listening isn’t really possible). If only I had their Dookie album, that would be the first (I only have a cassette tape). Nothing has changed. I’m still imagining watching their concert live. And I still sing along with every line that I know, even that of the second voice. Wala akong pinapalampas. I’m just so happy.

I thought of going on a vacation for months and just listening to songs. There are still so many good songs that I want to hear, those that were there before I was born and while I was growing up. At times I try to imagine what life would be without music. And that’s unimaginable. There was music when I was born, music when I am happy, and music when I am sad—and there’s still music at the end.

But I couldn’t afford to have a vacation at this point. I’ve already listened to my Green Day songs. So for next, while driving home, I’d listen to Zach de la Rocha! Au revoir!

what’s your lucky number?

According to my mom, the number 8 is a lucky number. She got that from the Chinese. It’s infinity, she said. She even married my dad on 8/8. And this year, there are three couples I know who got married 8/8/8, and one who started a relationship on that date. I don’t really know if the “lucky” number is true, but I have friends who are really lucky (relationships, career, money, etc), and a former officemate whose name is Lucky. If it were true, I guess people (mostly Chinese) should have been flocking the Vegas casinos right now. And for people who cannot leave home but feeling very lucky, especially on every 8th month of this year, there are always online casinos to visit. As for me, this year hasn’t been particularly good to me. Maybe bad luck would bounce off me before the “lucky” year of 2008 ends. If that happens, I may visit an online casino myself—maybe 8 days before 2008 exits and takes my luck away.

carpe diem? maybe not!

I like Dead Poets Society. It’s a great movie. Good acting, good actors, quotable lines, poetry, embracing yourself, following your dream, the idealism—I love it. But this is not about the movie; this is about the phrase that I first heard from the movie: carpe diem.

I like the idea. Seizing the day. It’s appealing to me. From then on, I’ve heard the idea so many times uttered using different words, tones, and faces. Really, if I could do that, that would be great.

There are so many things I want to do, but so many things I have to do first. Trying to make most of my life when I simply can’t YET is very stressful and tiring. And most enjoyable things require spending money and time, which I do not have right now. I must admit though, I haven’t done really fun stuff for years now. My life was sucked out of me, and life begins to suck. Haha. Maybe I think it does because of this carpe diem thing; I just cannot do it.

But then, my life does not suck. I like spending Sundays lying in bed all day and watching TV. I like resting at weeknights after work. I never want to force myself doing things when all I want to do is to sleep. Wanting to achieve things in a short time can be really depressing. So, I’ll just wait for my time. It will come. No pressure. Then, I’ll seize my day!

chocolate cakes and chocolates

After long hours of watching DVD, from the time I woke up up to around 5 pm, I took a break from watching and decided to rest my eyes. Uhm, not really, I wanted to play Devil May Cry and be a little interactive. So I turned off the player and switched back to television, only to find out that Maxene Magalona is on TV and that I may have missed a major part of her interview! Oh… I forgot to tell, I adore that girl, especially her face. She looks intimidating with her chinita eyes and pretty face, but she also looks sweet and innocent to me. And her hair, I just love it. She usually wears it long and straight, just like that, much like how she dresses—simple BUT striking.

Okay, okay. I must admit, I started to adore her BECAUSE I like his father so much. I have great respect for Francis Magalona (not to mention a big crush). I like his songs, Three Stars and a Sun, Nilamon ng Sistema, Kaleidoscope World. I’m not really a huge fan of rap, but I appreciate it because of him. After all, wasn’t he the one who single-handedly brought rap to the Filipino music scene? I like how he performs whole-heartedly, how he has never shown arrogance, and how his songs have social significance. They’re not crap. (By this time, I hope you get I REALLY like Francis). Plus, the guy’s a charmer, boyish looks and all.

Back to Maxene, she was talking to his father on a phone patch. And there were tears in her eyes (which seemed she did not want to show), but she was smiling. Francis thanked the director of the soap Maxene would be doing for “bringing out the best of my daughter,” and added that before, she didn’t know how to cry. Then Maxene interjected, “You know why I’m crying Dad? Coz you’re very, very sweet.” Oh my, that’s a very sweet father and daughter there! She added, “Even if I’m making a mature role now, I’m still your baby. I’ll always be Daddy’s girl.” It’s amazing how they can be so sweet and so open to each other. Most people couldn’t (at least I couldn’t be). And on national TV? I don’t think it’s “acting.” It’s either they’re really good actors or Francis brought her up well. Whether it was heightened emotion because of Francis’ leukemia or not doesn’t matter; they became more endearing to me.

Too much sweet moment… I went back to watching Friends.

the old safeguard commercial

          Due to my developing lack of attention and to my aimlessly wandering mind, I was hit by a sudden thought—one that, after a few days, I’m still wondering about.

          Last weekend, while in a car and not speaking to anyone, I was staring blankly outside the window, hypnotizing myself with the electric posts that amazingly seemed to have a very exact distance apart from each other. Then, boom! I asked myself a very important (?) question—what does my soul look like?

          Was it like the kunsensiya in the old safeguard commercial? Would she (or it?) be a translucent mirror image of what I look like when I die? Or would it take the image of a healthy me? Or of an entirely different face? Do souls all look alike? Would a soul be blackish if the person was bad in real life? Colors may be a good way of labeling the souls (haha!). I was also thinking if my soul would walk around the earth before moving on to the light (hope not to the dark), exploring the world without a body and maybe seeing more colors than I used to have when I was alive.

          And how would my soul move on to the afterlife? Would there be a bus for all souls that would take them there? Or would my lone soul rise up to heaven (aha! finally, I’d be able to fly!)? I hope there is an angel of death who’d walk me through the afterlife. It sure hell is scary starting a new “life.”

          I am assuming of course that my soul is “trapped” inside my human body. What if that is not the case? What if she was just walking around with me, sleeping beside me, and if she is a bit of an adventurer, going long distances away from me? I hope I could talk to her and ask her a zillion questions; after all, isn’t it advisable to get to know yourself?

          Another assumption here is that the souls have human forms (at least those of humans). What if they have animal shapes? People have always described themselves as certain animals. Maybe that’s why… If my soul has an animal shape, I’d want it to be a unicorn (because it has wings!), though I’m pretty sure the unicorn and I barely have the same traits.

          What if my soul is without shape? Would it be like a ray of light blending with rays of the sun? I like that.

Johari window

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http://kevan.org/johari?name=mord-sith. i’d appreciate it a lot!!