December, 2010 NLE Results

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Welcome to the profession!

Coffee, anyone?

An Open Letter To The Love of My Life

To Whom It May Concern:

Greetings in the Name of Saint Thomas Aquinas!

I, Juan Paulo G. Gultiano, RN, 25 years of age, am writing this untimely yet formal letter to declare my eternal and undying love and affection to you, the love of my life, and assure that no matter what happens, we will be together. I promise.

It has come to my attention that the time for us to meet and perfectly know each other is making the both of us seriously impatient and, I reckon, this could possibly lead to a number of inappropriate behavior and promiscuous activities which can be detrimental to our future relationship.

For me, the past few years has been a wild and bumpy circus act. I don't know about your side but I have been constantly searching for you in every probable spot that I could possibly imagine: bars, book shops, coffee parlors, shopping centers, and even clubs and strip clubs. Yes, I even got THAT desperate in order to have a glimpse at your lovely and fine face. But, alas, I have been unlucky at my relentless pursuits and random endeavors and it usually leaves me crying, bruised, and even wounded.

I can still fondly remember my last attempt at a so-called "relationship." I accidentally fell in love with a former co-worker after bouts of alcohol, bottles of cola and endless cups of coffee. It was a cold night, the stakes were high and the Paris-ish view of a certain mosque was coursing through my love veins. It was as if everything was perfect and picturesque. We were even daring each other, at some point. Sadly, after weeks of relentless communication, my co-worker wasn't ready to embrace the reality of it all.

"Why are you even saying these things?" one might ask. My career has been great, although the paycheck isn't that good. My immediate family has been supportive of my plans and aspirations. My close friends are still there whenever I need them. What's the point? Why now?

Frankly speaking, I am at a certain point in my life that I am desperate for necessary attention, yearning to be loved by someone I can fully trust and express my deep and undying love to the person I am meant to be with. Winter has been a harsh reminder of how cold and lonely my life has been for the last 25 years. Imagine spending most of my time alone with nothing but a pillow and blanket? Cool, right?

I need you. I need to feel you are there. That you seriously exist in this crazy and unfair world that we live in. I need to know that you are yearning for my presence too. That, at some point, you feel lonely and depressed that you haven't met me, your better half. And that you are also waiting for the time of my arrival, the moment wherein the world will stop and the only thing that you'll hear is your heart telling you that I, the love of your life, have finally arrived.

Yes, I am overly romantic, I know. Cheesy, actually, if I say so myself. Not to mention that its Valentines Day today, not that it matters. But the point is: I am here patiently waiting for you. Our time will come and when it does it will be phenomenal. I'm sure of it.

Please be careful and take care of yourself. Always wear a seatbelt and lock the doors. Eat and drink as much as you can and live your single life to the fullest because once we're together, I will never let you go.

I love you, whoever you are.

Sincerely,

Juan Paulo G. Gultiano, RN

*****

Happy Single's Awareness Day to all singles out there! Hahaha.

Coffee, anyone?

On Egypt and Freedom

After almost a month of nonstop protests, Hosny Mubarak finally relinquished his title as the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt yesterday, the 11th of February, 2011. Here are some images from the famed Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo courtesy of my photography buddy, Amir Hakim. Thank you! I owe you BIG TIME!

Every Egyptian brought a friend, a family member, or a co-worker to the square in order to celebrate the end of the 30-year regime. They were singing the national anthem ("Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" or "My Country, my country, my country") full of pride and joy that freedom has finally arrived at the land of the pharaohs.

Every vehicle that I saw honked to their hearts content rejoicing for this wonderful day. Its as if the country has been freed from serious oppression and tyranny. Children of all ages also took part in this pivotal moment in Egyptian history, waving flags and accompanying their parents to the square.

To all of my Egyptian friends, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Hard work is necessary in order to bring true and effective change. Thank you for showing the world that nothing is indeed impossible.

Happy birthday to my dear friend, Mohammed Shazly. Your day will forever be remembered. LOL. :-D

Coffee, anyone?

Marry Me - Train

Forever can never be long enough for me
Feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry Me
If I ever get the nerve to say
Hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm

Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way
Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm

Promise me
You'll always be
Happy by my side
I promise to
Sing to you
When all the music dies

And marry me
Today and everyday
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Marry me
Mm-hmm

*****

Errrr. Weird. I suddenly felt the need to get married. LOL.

Maybe its the age or the cold weather or even the fact that February 14th is just around the corner. Nonetheless, the yearning to be with someone special for the rest of my life is freaking me out. But, frankly, I like the thought of it. :-D

The million Euro question is: Who would it be?!

Coffee, anyone?

Of #Tahrir and #Egypt

Thank God!

Those were the first two words that came out of my mouth last Tuesday, the 2nd of February, when a co-worker told me that the internet connection was back. As we usually say it here "El Hamdullah."

After almost 2 weeks of social unrest and political instability, things are finally starting to move here in Egypt after the Jan. 25 Tahrir Square protests to oust the 30-year regime of Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak. As seen on BBC and CNN, thousands of Egyptians went to the streets of downtown Cairo calling for drastic reforms in government policy, even his immediate resignation from office. Instead, Mr. Mubarak showed a calm and decisive demeanor not only to his supporters and detractors but also to the rest of the world and vowed to remain in control of the country until the September, 2011 elections only.

As expected, news of this fiasco reverberated to Manila and, as always, everyone overreacted. After watching an interview with a local TV network in the Philippines, my mother immediately called asking about my current whereabouts and if the reports were true. Yes, to some extent they were factual. But the bombing statement, the lack of food, water and other basic commodities, not to mention the utterly nonsensical thing about bystanders getting shot head-on was clearly pointless and ignorant. Come on!

From where I'm typing this blog post, the 6th of October City in Giza, I can perfectly say that I feel safe. Yes, I did hear a couple of gun shots here and there during the first few days of the protests but they were, in my opinion, expected from any form of public demonstrations in order to "control" the crowd. Besides, I haven't heard of any rumors of a Filipino ganged by Egyptian protesters anywhere in Egypt.

We are entitled to our own opinion, of course. Freedom of speech as we all call it, but I certainly think that with this liberty to say whatever, whenever and wherever we want comes with great maturity. In other words, think before we speak. People are easily swayed with words that are largely untrue, especially on national or international television. And with the help of the internet, these things tend to be replayed over and over again. Seriously!

Anyways, I do hope that things would get better in the coming days. I'm getting quite bored and my bed's tired of my ass. Plus, my photography skills are getting really rusty. Hahaha. :-D

*****

Please, do everyone a favor and keep your mouth shut. Its irritating. If you want attention, go buy yourself some in the slums.

*****

Coffee, anyone?