On the other side of the coin, boys never dream of becoming knights in shining armors or Prince Charming himself. The only time they want to become these figures is when they fall in love. With excitement, they declare to save the women they've fallen in love with as princesses who need to be saved from evil witches, dungeons and dragons. Show the world that with one strike and one kiss all evil will fall over.
Unfortunately at this time, the woman no longer thinks of herself as a princess but rather a lady. She believes that it takes more than a kiss and a strike of the sword to show what love truly is. To his dismay, he felt that he can never live up to "his" princess' condition and ends up running away, leaving behind a scarred lady, just the right mix that shows his cowardice. It is only then that he realizes that there is no such thing as fairy tales.
Too bad, knights and princes only exist when you don't need them.
I say this because recently I had a series of mishaps and accidents. First I went diving without a wet suit, wearing only pants and a sweatshirt, in a location full of hydroids. My elbows, neck, face, legs, knee and even palms all got stung with this underwater fire breather. I got my finger dislocated playing center in a basketball game. Jumping to rebound with an untrained hand lead to my finger, the same finger for all three games (three days), being dislocated. Unable to manage my swelling finger, it's movement was limited during wiping a table and ended up touching a dying wasp lying on the table which stung my finger with its stinger. Man, the pain was nasty! My hands were trembling both from the bone injury and the pain caused by the toxin. Think of tears and nasal mucus dripping while I was bearing the pain! A swelling finger plus a splint to correct the dislocation, that's something!
But who can beat my record if I add almost being run over by a car while riding on Portia, a mountain bike, with an injured finger? Good thing the road was narrow and the car wasn't driving too fast.
The healing process of this finger lengthens as it always gets soaked with my work, i.e. diving. Speaking of diving, I almost drowned when I didn't surface even after running out of air in my SCUBA tank a week ago. Imagine, I even chose to work and do buddy breathing (a very difficult task to do underwater)...and mind you, when doing buddy breathing, a diver should be ascending not working...I was so absorbed thinking of finishing one last meter of my transect underwater that I risked working while buddy breathing. I've never longed for air after drinking a mouthful of seawater when I took a sucking on my buddy's regulator (mouthpiece providing air into diver) instead of air. In my lack of oxygen, my body automatically opened my mouth to take in air and all I got was another mouthful of water! Good thing, it was only 20 feet deep, I'd probably have the bends if it was deeper. For the love of air, think properly, sweetburntlips! Safety first even if it's shallow (is 20ft. deep shallow?)
Today, even with my splinted finger, I went out to buy some vegetables and fruits enough for me to carry while riding on Portia. On my way back...down a hill, a wet pavement, a child crossing the street, but turned back halfway through...screeech...and there I went rolling down skinning both my knees and elbow, squashing my bananas, and my mangoes following suit.
I've taken a vow 18 months ago never to learn to drive motorcycles or even cars because I might not only leave a scar on my forehead like it did when I tried to learn driving a motorcycle, but might also leave me & my passenger decapitated...but no bikes? That I can't let go. TT__TT
Now, I'm a walking injury. Scars from the hydroid stings, an injured finger and bruised knees, what else can I say more? Why do I still think that I'd drive Portia, dive without a wetsuit...of course I'd never let go of SCUBA, that's my work...even after all that's happened?
Now I know why it's also bad to always hear "don't panic!" you'd end up acting all phlegy when it comes to situations that needs immediate action. Aren't I abnormal? I think so.
I copied and pasted it here because I don't want sharks misconstrued for what they are. They are less dangerous compared to solitary barracudas!
---
Human deaths from shark attacks hit 20-year low last year
February 13, 2008 - GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Fatal shark attacks
worldwide dipped to their lowest levels in two decades in 2007 with
the sole casualty involving a swimmer vacationing in the South
Pacific, according to the latest statistics from the University of
Florida.
Except for 1987, when there were no fatalities, the last year a
single human death occurred from a shark attack was in 1985, said
George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File
housed at UF's Florida Museum of Natural History. By comparison,
there were four deaths each in 2005 and 2006, and seven in 2004.
"It's quite spectacular that for the hundreds of millions of people
worldwide spending hundreds of millions of hours in the water in
activities that are often very provocative to sharks, such as
surfing, there is only one incident resulting in a fatality," he
said. "The danger of a shark attack stays in the forefront of our
psyches because of it being drilled into our brain for the last 30
years by the popular media, movies, books and television, but in
reality the chances of dying from one are infinitesimal. "
Advances in medical treatment, greater attention to beach safety
practices and increased public awareness about the danger of shark
attacks are all likely reasons the fatality rate so far for the 21st
century, at 7.6 percent, has been lower than the 12.3 percent
recorded for the 1990s, Burgess said.
The number of shark attacks overall increased from 63 in 2006 to 71
in 2007, continuing a gradual upswing during the past four years, he
said.
"One would expect there to be more shark attacks each year than the
previous year simply because there are more people entering the
water," he said. "For baby boomers and earlier generations, going to
the beach was basically an exercise in working on your suntan where
a swim often meant a quick dunking. Today people are engaged in
surfing, diving, boogie boarding and other aquatic activities that
put them much closer to sharks."
Occasionally, the number of attacks may drop in a particular year
because of changes in meteorological or oceanographic conditions
that affect water temperature and salinity, such as the frequency of
hurricanes and tropical storms, Burgess said. But scientists don't
put too much stock in these year-to-year fluctuations, preferring to
look at long-term trends, he said.
Traditionally, about half of the world's attacks occur in United
States mainland and Hawaiian waters, but the proportion was greater
in 2007, Burgess said. Last year's total of 50 attacks returned to
2000 and 2001 levels of 53 and 50, respectively, after dropping from
30 to 40 for each year between 2003 and 2006, he said.
Elsewhere, there were 12 attacks in Australia, up from seven in 2006
and 10 in 2005, but down slightly from the 13 attacks recorded in
2004. There were two attacks each last year in South Africa and New
Caledonia, with single incidents reported in Fiji, Ecuador, Mexico
and New Zealand.
There also was an upswing in attacks along the Florida coast,
jumping from 23 in 2006 to 32 in 2007. There has been a gradual
increase in human-shark skirmishes in the Sunshine State since they
dropped from 37 in 2000 to an 11-year-low of 12 in 2004, he said.
Within Florida, Volusia County continued its dubious distinction as
the world's shark bite capital with 17 incidents, its highest yearly
total since 2002, Burgess said. Attractive waves off New Smyrna
Beach on the central Atlantic coast are popular with surfers, he
said.
Additional U.S. attacks were recorded in Hawaii - seven - marking a
five-year-high, along with South Carolina, five; California, three;
North Carolina, two; and Texas, one.
Fifty-six percent of the 2007 victims were surfers and windsurfers;
followed by swimmers and waders, 38 percent; and divers and
snorkelers, 6 percent.
Last year's Sept. 30 fatal attack involved a 23-year-old woman from
France who was snorkeling off the Loyalty Islands archipelago in
French New Caledonia and became separated from a friend, Burgess
said. She was a nurse who had just finished a hospital contract in
Noumea and was taking a brief vacation before flying home, he said.
"We advise not getting yourself isolated because there is safety in
numbers," he said. "Sharks, like all predators, tend to go after
solitary individuals, the weak and the infirm, and are less likely
to attack people or fish in groups."
Last year had few spectacular attacks or heartwarming rescue
stories, Burgess said. "It was mostly minor injuries," he
said. "There weren't too many made-for-movie moments."
-University of Florida
*sigh*
After all those attempts during childhood to get inflicted with Varicalla (Chicken pox), I only got them now when I'm getting 26 years old!
But the more I thought about it, the more pros of having this virus at my age now:
CONS:
1. I get to have bigger and deeper blisters, so the higher tendency of big scars.
2. I have to be absent from work (others may think, that'd be great, but not in my case). You miss out on lots and lots of things when it comes to science.
3. Tonsilitis. The worst I ever had in my entire life. Imagine drooling while asleep due to the pain from even swallowing my saliva!
4. I don't know from who and where I got the virus. It just appeared.
5. I was not able to take a photo of myself (like I did with the hydroid stings). This was just a once in a lifetime...I did bring my camera with me in my isolation chamber (that sounds creepy) no, isolation unit, but who would take my photo?
PROS:
1. I get to have more self restraint on scratching the blisters. The only ones I ever scratched were the first few blisters/rash when I still did not notice that I was sick.
2. I have no fever.
3. Antivirals are available. I guess during my childhood days, people tend to just wait until it is all over. But with antivirals, the number of blisters are minimized. From the usual 200-300, I only had approximately 100 blisters.
4. The first rash started at the small of my back and on my head...no visible scar!
5. I have already experienced hydroid stings which are way more nasty when they itch.
6. I get to watch anime as much as I want.
7. I have half a gallon of ice cream in the refrigerator all to myself. Hahah!
I know I just posted a blog a few hours back, but I just can't help this one.
I have been selectively reading chapters of Ouran High School Host Club and I've just finished chapters 50-53. These are cute chapters. I like the romance factor in it but I love better the emotions and coming of age thoughts of the twins. I never had such a relationship with any of my brothers due to age gap, but...believe it or not, I got teary eyed after what's happened between the twins. I don't know, but lately, after reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" I've been a sucker on filial relationships and slices of life genres.
It's just heart warming to know that despite everything love still reigns over all.
Maybe I have weak knees when it comes to love, whichever form it takes?
Waaahhhh...
Or maybe I just miss home?
I'd bet both.
Nah, look at me, I'm blabbering.
Guess I just need to sleep. It's 2:15 AM here already.
Night night!
POOF!
No, this isn't Lemony Snicket's story, but my own personal unfortunate events.
My hometown, Iligan City, is not situated in a storm's track. As I grew, I have never experienced what a typhoon is like. A week back, Iligan City declared a State of Calamity due to the presence of Typhoon Hagibis. Although my friends back home were ravaged with heavy rains, I was sitting in my office dilly-dallying seeing the weather was agreeable. Bolinao, a town where I am presently staying, and is a region in the Philippines commonly swept by typhoons, was not affected by Hagibis.
Then came Typhoon Mitag. Weather predictions informed us of possible damage. We sat preparing for it's arrival. Thank goodness she only brought with her winds and several drizzles.
Just as Mitag left northwards, we were informed that Hagibis is tailing Mitag and coming back to release it's fury at us. I thought I was still experiencing Mitag's fury when it was actually Hagibis' anger. Mighty winds swept us and tagging along with it, a bone-chilling temperature. I was sluggish when I woke up yesterday, thought it's early morning, but a quick check on my wrist told me it was almost noon! Why does cold and the sound of wind and rain lull me to sleep? But, had to wake up and reheat my spaghetti in the oven or else my dear parasites may go on a hunger strike.
In the middle of the commotion between strong winds, sleepiness, cold and hunger, a tremor with a magnitude of 6 shaked my sleepy head and brought me to consciousness. It took me and my friends about 5 seconds before realizing that it really is an earthquake. All four of us were staring wide-eyed at each other, asking silently, "what's going on?" We looked like we needed somebody's alarming shout to jumpstart us into running downstairs from the 3rd floor into the open. It was a different tremor from all the experience that I ever had. Tremors usually feel like I am being rocked to sleep. But this time around, it felt like I was riding on a truck on a rough road. The tremors lasted about 10 seconds after we started running downstairs. That's approximately 15 seconds.
What a way to start a day! Good thing Mitag and Hagibis never brought with them flood nor the earthquake, a tsunami. If both did, who knows...