DEMS-PHILIPPINE GENERAL HOSPITAL

MAKING MY WAY TO MY HOMETOWN

The Science of Life

Simple things we do each day

is more than just a work or play

All these utilizes willed energy

either a push or a pull in life's sanity

The force exerted in all your plight

could either be just fight or flight

The power, then, that we exert to succeed

is equalled to one's own want or need

I, therefore, came to a conclusion just now

that life is not just a mere know-how

It's the power that you gather up inside

that'll surely make your obstacles collide

Just awhile ago my ex-girlfriend sent me a message in friendster and, of course, tried to ask me how I was doing at the moment. Being dopey (as always) as I am, I fumbled at the thought that she remembered me and that she made a surpising effort to re-establish the communication that we have lost since the "dinosaur age" (dinosaur age is a word that I associate with the phrase "very long time ago"). My mind began to recollect vague memories that I have of her; her smile, her laugh, the way she jokes, grins and grasp my chin whenever she feels like cuddling and (ok, ok.. I'm getting a little bit overboard with this reminiscing) many others. Well, to cut the roundabout, I would like to say that during that instance I began to miss her! Perfectly normal if you ask me, but the thing is that I felt a little hope in my dumbfounded heart, thinking that we can go on a rebound of some sort (I can't believe I am writing this!). Absurd right?! I was already forecasting a sunny day without even looking at the satellite feed. It was very assuming of me, but this didn't happen just once, it happens to me all the time. This is maybe because I have this made-up syndrome that I've just recently termed as the "Ricochet Syndrome" wherein I began to feel things just because of an antecedent event. In this situation, the antecedent event is the message that she made and I woudn't feel such, if it weren't for the presence of the antecedent event (Oh my goodness, I sound like a theorist!). Anyway, this syndrome of mine have put me into trouble for numerous times already. My close friends would know this syndrome as my "go with the flow" philosophy in life (right bes?!). I depend my decision on the unveiling of the different events and not because I truly believe in my decision. This is, yet again, another scapegoat that I have from rejection. Who would want to be rejected from the first place, right?! But, unfortunately I move a notch higher than normal because I really depend my decision based from the unfolding of circumstances. I couldn't resist! Trash, right?! Well, that's the sad reality of it. That's why I am letting all of you know to serve as a warning from my sleazy personality.

INTRAMUROS CHAMP (HARHAR..)

BILLIARD CHAMPS OF THE WORLD

I was browsing through the web and I just thought that it would be nice if I'd know the current rankings of our fellow Filipinos in the World Pool scene. I was expecting that we would be on the top of the list since Efren "The Magician" Reyes and our other pool players are all over the place. But I found out the contrary! According to the World-Pool Billiard Association, clinching at the top of the list is Thorsten Hohmann from Germany, which was followed by fellow Germans like Thomas Engert and Ralf Souquet occupying the second (2nd) and third (3rd) spot respectively. Going down the list, the top Filipino contender was Ronnie Alcano who registered at number 29. Marlon Manalo trailed behind him in number 30 while our more celebrated billiards player lagged behind at numbers 36, 37 and 38. They were Dennis Orcollo (36), Francisco Bustamante (37) and Efren Reyes (38). This came out as a surprise for me! Other Filipinos who ranked are as follows:

• Rodolfo Luat - 41
• Alex Pagulayan - 54
• Gandy Valle - 84
• Jose Parica - 120
• Jeff De Luna - 120
• Elvis Calasang - 170
• Warren Ciamco - 170
• Lee Van Corteza - 170
• Elmer Hoya - 170
• Rudy Morta - 170
• Jharome Peña - 170
• Roberto Gomez - 201
• Ramil Gallego - 201
• Israel Rota - 263
• Leonardo Andam - 263
• Antonio Lining - 263
• Eduardo Villanueva - 418
• Roland Garcia - 418

I thought the list would never end, but fortunately it did.

I just learned that you would have to garner points from the world pool-billiard competitions that you have joined just to make it in the list. The corresponding points that you will garner depends on your performance on the competition. Well, unfortunately for our Filipino comrades they were outwitted by the number of exposures of those players at the top of the list.

But just the same, the pride that I have in my heart still lauds for our Filipino players. The shear number of Filipinos who made it in the list redeems the fact that no Filipino made it in the top 10. In whatever position they may be, Filipino players continues to be a force to reckon with in the world pool-billiard scene. So, what can I say, kudos for a job well-done and keep on making the Filipino people proud of you because I surely am!

for more information on the difference between RA and OA click this link: http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/uh1181abc

Difference Between RA and OA

There are numerous types of arthritis (inflammtion within the joints) known to humans but the most common types are Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Being a healthcare practitioner and a son to both parents who suffer from the said diseases, I became more interested in looking for more information with regards to the difference of the two. RA being an autoimmune disorder (it means that your body's cellular defenses attack your own cells) is systemic in nature, which usually affects both pairs of joints. On the other hand, OA is a wear and tear type of arthritis, which means that mechanical forces applied within the joint is a prelude to the inflammtion that occurs afterwards (this signifies that obese and older individuals are more opt to have OA). To better understand their difference, here is a table that summarizes the difference between OA and RA:

Characteristic	Rheumatoid arthritis	Osteoarthritis
Age of onset	Typically 30 to 50 years old, but can appear from age 8 to 80	Usually older than 55; rare before 40
Type of onset	Relatively rapid, over weeks to months	Slow, over years
Location of affected joints	Usually small joints on both sides of the body (symmetric): wrists, knuckles, ankles, toes, and also shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and the neck	Usually a few joints that may or may not be on both sides (asymmetric), though many joints may be affected, most commonly hips, knees, thumbs, and the fourth and fifth finger joints. Very rarely involves the wrists, ankles, or elbows unless there was preceding injury or stress to the joint.
Symptoms of arthritis	Swelling, prolonged stiffness (hours)	Swelling rarely occurs except in knees. Stiffness may be severe but is brief in duration (less than 30 minutes). Stiffness returns at the end of the day or after periods of activity.
Associated symptoms	Frequent feelings of "being sick inside," with fevers, weight loss, or involvement of other organ systems	Symptoms occur in isolation, with no systemic symptoms.