....i've decided to come back to this blog once again.....and since i'm in a lot of emotional pain these past days, it only seems logical that i write about pain, physical pain, this time....

....i was in grade 5 when me and my brother asked to be circumcised (actually, i was dreading it, but i've been looking forward to it too...(in our town, it was never customary to circumcise baby boys at birth)....

....i don't want it done by an "albularyo" so my mom booked us in a private surgery clinic...there were three of us: me, my younger bro and an elder cousin...

...the cousin went in first....anticipation built up in me...i felt like running away....i was actually sweating cold beads....but of course i wont show to my mom that im scared (i don't wanna return home "whole").....

....my turn came...whew!!..deep breaths....lie down on the operating table....a white cloth with a hole was placed on my quivering and tense torso.....betadine....anaesthesia....5 pricks around my prick...ouch!!....(the nurse was a young lady so i didn't wanna show im scared or chicken!)....then the surgeon went to work....i could feel only numbness down there....i saw blood....my mom was beside the operating table(for moral support...or maybe to make sure that i dont run away)....

....and then, mercifully, i'm being sewed up...but the anaesthetic was starting to wear off by this time so i felt needle enter flesh.....i felt it!!....the painful passage of the thread as it passed through my sore skin!!.....and after what seemed like an eternity, it was over!!....

....i survived the operation!!....and i went home with the "i'm a man!" expression on my face....it felt good....but the feeling was short-lived....because i couldnt sleep that first night...it hurt!!...and then a week followed which could be described with the following words: swelling, boiled guava leaves, Supra-Tulle, bandage, "kamatis", antibiotic......

....a week later when all was well "down there", i heard my mom talk to a neighbor.....about our "operation"....and when i went out, a lot of people were teasing me about being "a man"!! ....it seemed that the whole of Tinundan Street knew about my circumcision!! aaarrggghhhh!!!.....

.....after 26 years of life on Earth, I finally decided to see an orthodontist regarding the increasing gaps on my teeth....

.....never in my life did I think that I would ever get braces....and as an adult at that!!....but the image in the mirror is becoming scary.....so I went to see Dr. Angeles Orrosco.....

....the diagnosis was grim....the reason why I have increasing gaps is that I have 4 missing teeth!!....not missing because I had them pulled, missing because it's just my bone structure.....which, as Doc Angel told me, is a rare case but could be hereditary.....and: the jaw will start to protrude if I don't do something about it (meaning: I will look like Ai-Ai delas Alas in 2 years' time)....

....and so I decided to have the good doctor do "corrective work" on my choppers on May 18, 2006.....at a cost of P35,000 (P10,000 downpayment and P2100 every month for 12 months).....she installed metal brackets, molar bands, ortho wire and ligature bands on my upper teeth.....and I was made to wear a removable "orthotic device" on my lower teeth to correct my jaw.....

....and the pain begins....

....I had great difficulty eating and speaking during the first week....and the metal brackets kept falling off, thereby requiring frequent visits to the clinic for rebonding.....and my tongue is impeded by the orthotic, giving me a sort of "lisping" sound, especially when I say words with the letter "S"....it was a hellish first week....

....but now, after 2 months as a metal-mouth, I'm actually getting the hang of it....any discomfort is barely noticeable....and Doc Angel changes the color of my ligature bands every 3 weeks, making it less boring to look at.....my color choices so far: white (first 3 weeks), blue (4th to 6th week) and green (currently)....I plan to have it changed to red next week to match our organization T-shirt which we will wear in our upcoming intramural games....

.....I still feel some discomfort, especially when I think of the cost of these aliens in my mouth, but thinking about nice, aligned teeth and a "normal" jaw more than makes up for it.....

.....while researching about prostate cancer a couple of months ago, Google pointed me to a news article on BBC with a surprising headline....curious, I read the article and was quite surprised....here's the first part of the article:

               * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Men could reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer through regular masturbation, researchers suggest.

They say cancer-causing chemicals could build up in the prostate if men do not ejaculate regularly.

And they say sexual intercourse may not have the same protective effect because of the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted infection, which could increase men's cancer risk.

Australian researchers questioned over 1,000 men who had developed prostate cancer and 1,250 who had not about their sexual habits.

They found those who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to develop the cancer. 

The protective effect was greatest while the men were in their 20s.

Men who ejaculated more than five times a week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer later in life.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

.....whoa!!! it is actually RECOMMENDED that guys in their 20s (me included, because I'm 26) pleasure themselves MORE THAN FIVE TIMES A WEEK to reduce their risk of having prostate cancer later in life!!.....

.....this may be welcome news to the majority.....but what about those people who actually think that masturbation is a sin??....

.....I grew up in a Catholic household,  went to a Catholic High School, attended a Catholic University, and currently employed by a Catholic College.....all those years of Values Education and Theology 101 to 108 had programmed my mind to the "wrongness" of "self gratification".....

.....now I'm not going to pretend that I am innocent or pure or whatever.....but this article really did make me think.....soul health or body health??......

....so guys, what do you think??.....

PS: The whole article is posted HERE.

.....after 5 years of studying to become a Computer Engineer, my pioneer students finally went to Manila for their much-awaited "Seminars and Field Trips" (January 23-29, 2006).....

.....and me, being the department head, is the "Official Chaperone" (along with Ton, a co-teacher).....

.....it was my second time in Manila, and the first thing that greeted us as the ship approached the Manila port is.....dig this.....floating "organic" things (is that what i think it is??).....

.....whew!! our first trip was to ABS-CBN.....we had a studio tour.....then we watched Wowowee live.....that's where I learned how to clap on cue and to sing the jingle (it was corny, but we had fun anyway).....

.....the second day was spent visiting the Traffic Engineering Center in Manila.....and Cypress Semiconductors in Cavite.....and at 12 midnight (yes, midnight), we endured a 6-hour trip to Baguio....

.....third day was spent roaming Baguio....it was raining the whole day so we were not able to fully appreciate the sights.....SM Baguio was architecturally great.....I finally found the black turtleneck sweater I was looking for.....and the Skechers shoes I was craving for .....and silver bracelets from Ibay's!!....and peanut butter and all sorts of strawberry products.....awww.....my wallet complained a lot!!!.....

.....we left Baguio at 3 AM.....I had one hell of a sore throat!!(but it was relieved by the big bottle of Bactidol I bought at a convenience store at 1:30 AM, which I later found out, has December 2004 as its expiry date) .....we went to Subic and visited the Mabuhay Satellite and Subic Telecomm.....we also had a Subic tour....and a stopover in their duty-free shops (wallet complained again!!).....

.....January 27 we went to Laguna to visit ON Semiconductor......saw Geffred (a former classmate at USA).....the lecture was long but very informative.....we cancelled the visit to ICC Telecoms bacause we were so late.....we went to SM Megamall instead.....

.....at 8:30 PM, I was able to persuade a taxi driver to deliver me to the Music Museum (for P150) to watch Jed Madela's concert "The Voice Behind the Gold".....it was great!!.....and I got to meet new friends.....

.....we left Manila the next day, at about 10:30 AM.....I slept like Rip Van Winkle on the ship.....all my energies were depleted by the one week tour.....my spirit was drained.....and I desperately needed the "recharge"......

.....I survived the trip.....but I was almost traumatized by the endless bus rides.....I just don't know if I could still handle it next year, when the second batch has their field trip..... yahooooo!!!.....

.....Google really is a wonder..... I tried it's picture search by typing "Hadji" and whoa!!....there's a world full of Hadjis out there!!!.....I compiled some of the more notable ones here....

....there's Johnny Quest's sidekick Hadji.....and a municipality of Hadji Panglima in Sulu....and a book by Leo Tolstoy called "Hadji Murat".....and a store selling oriental rugs!!.....and a soccer player named Hadji Diouf.....and escape artist Hadji Lazaro.....there's also another book on Elder Hadji Georgis the Athonite and a movie called "Les Aventeurs de Hadji"!!.....

.....I was named after the 70s singer "Hajji Alejandro", but my father changed the spelling of my name.....I always get asked if I'm a muslim or if I've been to Mecca (because "Hadji" is a name given to those who have made the piligrimage to Mecca).....I used to wish my father hadn't named me "Hadji".....I never wanted to be unique....I wanted to be named Christian, or John, or even Steve.....but I was baptized a Hadji.....and I've now grown to like my name.....it's unique, it's unusual, and I am not alone :)