q*O*p fRiDaY tHe 13Th q*O*p

Date: 13 April 2007
Start: 10:00 AM

Good day to everyone. Lucky for you your Friday the 13th is coming to an end. As for me, the day has just begun. Anyway, I realized that it was Friday the 13th from the status message of a friend at YM. After reading it, I even counted the days starting from Monday, April 9. Yes, today is Friday the 13th, which is somehow considered as a bad day. Well, I really don't believe in superstition or other beliefs. Recognizing Friday the 13th is done out of nothing. It is not meant to scare people such that they panic whenever something unusual is going on. Anyway, since I do not have any story for this day, I will just tell what happened the day before Friday the 13th.

April 12, 2007:

So I woke up in the morning and my father was there at the computer. He told me that I am going to have my check-up this morning. So I had my breakfast of milk and those thin chocolate mints from the Girl Scouts. I was surprised when I found the box a few weeks ago. So it did really exist. Anyway, after my breakfast, I took a bath then brushed my teeth. My father told me to hurry up, since we are going to be late. Anyway, after getting prepared, we then went to the parking lot and drove off to the clinic.

Passing by my second cousin's place along the way, we came to a building, which does seem old. Anyway, when I got off the car, the weather was not that cold. I just left my jacket, which is actually my father's since I only grabbed it from nowhere. The clinic was in the first floor as in upon entering the building, just face to the right and there it is.

There were many patients waiting in the clinic, which are usually very small children. Most of them are Latinos. There was one boy who kept on crying, maybe nervous of the doctor. When the boy came out of the clinic, he was silent. Anyway, I also heard screams from the inside. Maybe a child is having his or her shot of a vaccine to strengthen his or her immune system. Anyway, after waiting for a long time, with me almost falling asleep, it was finally my turn.

Upon entering, they got my weight and height. They also checked my ear and my blood pressure. After that, my father and I proceeded to the doctor's office where we waited for a little while. After all the waiting, finally the doctor came. Well, I am proud to say she is a Filipino. Her husband, who also works there and a Filipino, was the one who examined my brother the year before. Anyway, she first evaluated the vaccines that I already had in order to determine which vaccine shots do I need to have now. As she was doing this, she was chatting with my father from time to time. After her evaluation, I then had my physical examination. Well, she asked my father to go outside, which leaves me, the patient, and the doctor. The check-up was fine, except that part where she presses somewhere around my stomach and it tickles me. I could have laughed or something, but I restrained myself from doing so. During that check-up, she discussed very personal matters, usually about the students here.

I really agree with her. Things here and back home are very different. Life here may seem good, but I tell you, it is still better back home. The people here have a very different mindset. For example, girls here learn how to use make-up at a very young age. I do not know if they are wearing one at school. Anyway, as for me, I still do not know how to use a make-up. Well, not really. Maybe I just do not know how to coordinate the colors and stuff. What I can do is put lip gloss or even petroleum jelly, and put baby powder on my face. That is all I can do, like my hands easily get tired, and really wastes a lot of time when it can only make you beautiful for a few minutes. At the end of the day, it wears off, whatever technology cosmetic companies use to make it long lasting. Imagine the sweat washing off the makeup. At least they do not look like a monster there after. Anyway, enough with the makeup. Maybe the next one would be a better example.

Students here have a boyfriend or girlfriend at a very early age, which usually starts in high school. When I was younger, I used to think that in high school, having a boyfriend or girlfriend is like a popular trend, with all the series and the movies that I have watched, which implied those things. Anyway, after going through high school, I now agree with parents who used to say you are too young to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Think about it. Why do people have a boyfriend or a girlfriend? Usually, these relationships end up in marriage, and only adults can marry. Does it mean that only adults can have a boyfriend or a girlfriend? Not really. Well, this is very complicated to explain. Maybe I will just tell what you should do. Enjoy your life and make the most out of it. Always try something new. Enjoy the company of your friends, who will always be there for you in time of joy and sorrow. Be sure to be in a good-influence company. Most importantly, keep yourself occupied. I mean this in a good way. In your free time, read a book, cook something, play a sport or do something that you really liked to do. In high school, with all the subjects and the electives, I have realized that I want to be this person who would like to discover the world. Also, it has made me want to be a career woman, whose priority, aside from family and God, would be work. Where are the friends? Well, we make friends along the way, right? Anyway, I have said to much. Well, to tell you, I have shared part of my mindset. At least you would understand me whenever I say or do something that would seem unusual to you. Anyway, after a long explanation of these two examples, let's get back to the main story. I have sidetracked too much.

After the physical examination, I had other tests. I had two vision tests. One is the usual letter chart. The other involves looking at a figure. I was asked whether something is distorted, such that it is too near or too far. Well, everything is normal. So I passed the two vision tests. I am proud to say that I have 20-20 vision, even after the rigorous training I had in high school. Anyway, as for the hearing test, it is quiet confusing. The sounds sometimes blend with the noise outside. One tone sounds like a telephone ringing. By the way, I am only supposed to hear beeps. Anyway, after the test. The technician, or whatever she is called, said that I have a problem with my left ear. That really made me nervous. Sometimes I really think there is a problem with my left ear, like when I listen to music over the earphones, the sound is louder on the right than it is on the left. So when the doctor came in, she examined my left ear. I was really ashamed after that. The doctor said I did not clean my ears very well. I cleaned it that morning. Maybe I did not just clean it well. Anyway, I was really ashamed in front of my father and the doctor. When I told my mother later that even, I think she laughed, but I think the scolding part is greater. Anyway, she did not scold me that much. Maybe I really had it at the part where I am old and yet I had that kind of remark. Going back, after my shameful moment, I then had my shot and blood drawing. Again, I am now old and yet afraid of the needle. Well, not really afraid as in it is in the phobic level. Anyway, things went well, as if I had been bitten by a very small creature, and things went by fast. I was surprised at how it just went like a breeze. Anyway, so I had a shot at my left arm and my right thigh. They drew blood from the right arm. As of now, I have not removed my bandage from my right arm and my right thigh hurts, as said by the doctor. Going back, since they had one vaccine out of stock, we had to get back next week in order for me to take the shot, along with another round of the hearing test. Luckily, the doctor did not fail me in the left ear due to, as I have said, technical reasons. And so my father and I went home by lunch time. My father even went to the office after lunch. As for me, I just read a few books afterwards.

Later that night, as I have mentioned, I told my mother about my shameful moment. It was also that night that my right thigh started to ache. Anyway, despite my shameful story, I was glad when CSI was on the air, as in the original CSI series. It has been a long time since I watched the series. Anyway, the story was about this killer who kept on leaving these strange miniatures. In every crime scene, there is a miniature of the house with the victim in it, as if the miniatures were the blueprints of the murder. The miniature was done by excellent hands, yet sadly, he is a criminal. Unfortunately, they were not able to find the criminal at that episode I watched. Still, i like that episode. There was this guy who wanted to worked with the featured case. It was after when his colleague, I think, got angry at him, that he told her he wanted to help in the case since it was lucky day. It showed flashbacks of him finding a one dollar bill in the street, and a beautiful woman passed by, looked and smiled at him. At the office, with the one dollar bill he has found, he bought some snacks from the vending machine. Instead of dropping one pack, it dropped three. At his office, he received some email, which made him happy, and he got a perfect match from a certain test, or whatever that was. When his boss, I think, and a colleague passed by, discussing the featured case, then a colleague of his across the room left, or whatever that was, he thought maybe it was his moment or whatever that is. Anyway, that was one good twist. Anyway, the last scene was his boss caught him examining the miniatures, yet he told him of his discovery among the miniatures, that all the miniatures had bleach. Anyway, he apologize to his boss and told him that he will never cross the line again. With the boss impressed, he left his office happily, and indeed it was his lucky day. Anyway, I hope I could watch the next episode to see if they can catch the culprit. By the way, during the program, a certain website is flashed. I searched for it recently, yet it seems that the site does not exist. What came out were reviews that talk about this ghost site. Well, so much for the expectation. Anyway, watching CSI was the last major event of the day. After brushing my teeth, I then went to bed.
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The day has just begun for me. So far, I just ate breakfast, surfed the Internet, and of course, write this post. We are about to eat lunch. Maybe I will just continue reading the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. This is the only novel that I have not read from her. I first read the Hundred Secret Senses during one boring vacation. I read the Kitchen God's Wife for our 4th periodic exam in English during our third year. I read The Bonesetter's Daughter recently. After finishing Joy Luck Club, I would have read all the novels of Amy Tan. She is indeed a great writer. I hope that she would write more novels. Anyway, I hope I could watch something nice this evening. Ever since I came here, I just started watching TV this week. My mother said they don't usually watch TV. Anyway, as for me, I hope to make the most out of this vacation. I hope you could also make the most out of your vacation. As of now, I will be having lunch. 'Til then!
:)

End: 11:35 AM

* I am sorry for telling the story of the episode. Sorry for spoiling things, even if I hate spoilers.
* While writing this post, I received a phone call from a family acquaintance who is inviting us at Sunday over merienda since it was the caller's birthday. Unfortunately, my father is not around. He will return from his trip at Sunday afternoon. Also, I think my right thigh will still hurt by Sunday, so I do not think we will be able to come. Besides, it's only merienda. It would have been better if it were a lunch. :P