Borrowed Heaven

(by Jodi Picoult)

"What if it was someone’s fault?"

When Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s daughter, Willow, is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, they are devastated – she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. As the family struggles to make ends meet to cover Willow’s medical expenses, Charlotte thinks she has found an answer. If she files a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob/gyn for not telling her in advance that her child would be born severely disabled, the monetary payouts might ensure a lifetime of care for Willow. But it means that Charlotte has to get up in a court of law and say in public that she would have terminated the pregnancy if she’d known about the disability in advance – words that her husband can’t abide, that Willow will hear, and that Charlotte cannot reconcile. And the ob/gyn she’s suing isn’t just her physician – it’s her best friend. (summary and image taken from here)

This book was my mom and sister's birthday present. It's a loving and tender story about a family like so many others around us. Like you can understand for sure, I can't tell you much about it without spoiling you, but you should take my advice and try it. It will make you think a LOT about many things - things that you probably don't think about too much.

And get ready for the end. I bet you'll never predict what is going to happen in the final pages.

Enjoy it! ;)

First weeks at college 2010.

Well, they were nasty, I think.

People had already told us that things would be terrible this year, but by Christmas the worst part would be over. I guess they weren't lying. I started 2010 with exams on Friday, I had final exams on Anatomical Pathology and Microbiology on the second week, and an oral exam last Wednesday. Microbiology was a huge surprise to me. Forgetting the third exam I had really good grades, I think. Let's see if the final exam was as easy as I think it was. AP, on the other hand, was a disgrace, like I thought it would be. At least I didn't fail at any exam - I think.

And you have no idea how terrible it was to have that oral exam. First, it was really bad to have an exam about Histology, because we have no basis on it. But it was much worse once the teachers told us that we would lose all our points if we failed it. Which means, we would have a zero (!!) on Anatomical Pathology. I spend four days terrible nervous about it, everyone was crazy on Tuesday, and I barely slept that night. Fortunately, the exam went fine - though I had only one diagnosis correct. Oh, who cares, I just needed one. XD

Wednesday was such a perfect day. After the exam I felt so good with myself, I cleaned up the house, I read a book and I went to the movies with my friends. Unfortunately, Thursday was terrible. We had some problems with one of the subjects, but it's a little complicated to tell you about them right now. We're still trying to work on this, hope things will get better. I just know that I got really stressed (again), cried (again) all night and wished (again) I had never applied to med school.  

My schedules changed. I spend the entire weekend without touching at a book (well, school book, I mean XD) because I won't have exams next week. I'll have to present a work about MRI and TC, but I'll try not to think much about it. This was a really good weekend.

Oh, and I found out I'm going to have another cousin. Yeay! =D

Well, I think I'm going now. Wish you all a great week and have fun, people!

See ya! **
 

**happy 2010**

OMG, IT'S SNOWING, IT'S SNOWING, IT'S SNOWING!!!!

I know it's not much to you, but it is to me! I had never seen snow in here since 1997!! Well, it snowed last year but I wasn't here to see it... and it wasn't as much as now, according to my mom and my sister. It's been snowing since morning and everything is white! What a wonderful day. I should be studying, but I can't - my neighbours made a "snow penguin" and now they're taking pictures with it. XD

Now, the worst part is that my mom is scared that they might cut the roads to my college and wants to send me to there as soon as possible. JESUS, I'm supposed to go only tuesday! I hate when this happens! =/

Oh, yes, I'm back to college. I had two nasty exams last friday, I had disgusting grades on the ones I had before Christmas and I'm not very confident about the ones next week. God, help me now...

Well, I just want you to know that I'm okay and I'm sorry I can't post more. Hope you're having a great new year so far!

See you all ASAP! ;)

Huggles and kisses! ***

PS - snow fight! XD

I'm in a hurry (mom wants to leave soon) so a quick note just to wish you a Happy New Year. May 2010 be a great year to all of you and may all your wishes come true!!

Enjoy it! *-*

See you in 2010!!

So here I am, back after being "abducted" from here for a month. Gosh, people, I'm so sorry, but college has been driving me crazy. Again.

My final exames were terrible. Psychology had almost every question from our previous exams (that's why we can't see the correction) and Preventive Medicine was too long, it left me with a terrible headache. Pharmacology was a stupidity from the first question to the last. Can you believe they asked us for medication that we NEVER studied?!I had a 10, but I don't even know how!

I need to say, though, that we had really great results, I think. Only (cof cof) 28 people failed, and most of them with 8 and 9. I must said, we're the best year in that stupid college! They try to bring us down everytime, but they can't. Yeay... --'

Anatomical Pathology is a disgrace. We don't have the basic concepts in Histology to understand that thing and what annoys me the most is the fact that it seems pretty interesting. I don't even want to know my result in the latest exam. And please, we're learning everything in 4 weeks. Who can know everything in 4 weeks?!

Microbiology, on the other hand, was a surprise. I had a 15 on the first exam and I barely knew a thing. And I had a 17 on the second. Weeeee. Unfortunately, the third one was a tragedy. But it's okay, the other results will blind me on this one. XD

So, now I'm on vacations and I need to study Microbiology and Anatomical Pathology because we'll have exams on the first week of classes and the final exams on these two subjects in the next one. Great, isn't it? The last week was terrible in one way, everyone is feeling frustrated about college and my class had a huge fight for something really stupid, but it ended okay, I think. I'm feeling very lazy, I didn't do a thing last week, I don't even have the copies to study yet, and I hate to study during Christmas. There's so many things to do, once you realize it it's January and you're back to school!

Oh, and yesterday was my birthday! =D I had a really great day, all my friends sent messages, even some from college, and I got things I really needed. I have Jodi Picoult's latest book, woo woo! Can't wait to read it! *-*

So, I guess that's it for now. Once again, sorry for disappearing for so long, you know how I am. And I hope to post a little more during Christmas break, even though I need to study. See you all soon, I hope.

Huggles and kisses! ***

I still believe that I will be strong enough to survive college. Everything will be okay and I will thank myself the fact that I didn't give up.

But at the same time...

WHAT THE HELL was I thinking when I chose medicine?! That choice was a suicide and people don't even get it!

I'm so sick and tired of that place. You have NO idea! I'm sick and tired of those classes that are nothing more than a waste of time, I'm sick and tired of those teachers, who have this special pleasure in ruining two weeks of hard study for their own joy, I'm sick and tired of those exams because I know things but I can't answer those questions, I'm sick and tired of people around me, who don't get that I'm tired, that I'm NOT complaining because I'm lazy, that I'm NOT complaining for nothing!

Now I get what that other guy said on tv: when people commit something stupid, they always give others signs... the others are the ones who aren't interested enough to notice them.

I can't wait for this week to be over. Maybe I'll feel a little better by then.

Glad to talk to you again. Kisses!

***

 

I'm tired. TIRED! I wonder if my teachers know the meaning of that word...

Last week I decided to relax a little and I kind of lost my mind. I had a dinner with friends at my home. I went to the "Latada" (wonder if there's a translation for that --') and to the Tunas festival. I skipped that stupid class on Friday afternoon.

There's no need to say I barely studied last week, right? Oh, nothing to worry about. I just have, what, ten more chapter to read for my next exams on Friday. There's no need to be stressed, right? 

RIGHT?

I had lunch with my family today. It was wonderful and it really helped me to relax a bit. 

I guess I'm not making much sense tonight, but my neurons are kind of dead by now. Wish to add some more interesting stuff next weekend. Just wanted to tell you that I'm still alive. 

And happy birthday, Oscar! *-*Gee, I'm such a nerd... --'

Well, people, have a wonderful week. Hope to see you in some days. I think I'll go to bed now.

***

This was the worst week ever. And I'm not kidding! Thank God I skipped classes on monday (Tuesday was the city's holiday) or I think I would have gone mad!

On monday, Oct 12th, we had this seminar about Psychology in Health. My colleagues acted very childish and spend the entire class talking with each other and not paying attention to what the teacher was saying. I mean, c'mon, I was on the second row and I couldn't hear half of what he said. So, after break, the teacher spend 15 minutes asking them "Can I start my class?" but no one listened to him. Well, long story short: the man gave up and he abandoned the class, saying that we were terrible and we would complain about us.

So, do you want to know my opinion? I agreed with his decision. I know it's a pain in the ass to be on that room, sitting on those chairs for 4 entire hours, but, please, it started right in the beginning of the class. They really overreacted that time.

The problem was last monday, when the second seminar started with the teacher and the responsible for our course and the president of our college, who started complaining about us, saying that everybody already knew about our behaviour, and that we were desgracing the college's name (my opinion: pfffff... I tell you who's desgracing the college's name...) and that we would be punished for our actions.

First, they wanted to take five points from our result in the next Psychology exam. To everyone. Five points. I mean, I had a 14 in the last exam. Without those five points, I would have a 9. A F****** NINE!!!! Who the hell do they think they are?! But people started complaining it wasn't legal, and it wasn't fair to those who had been paying attention. So they gave up. Instead, the president (who's our Preventive Medicine teacher) decided that multiple choice exams were over in his class. Well, to me it didn't preoccupied me a lot, I prefer to write than to check little boxes (though I have no idea about my grades on those exams), but WHAT THE HELL?? It didn't happen on HIS class, why did he had to punish us on HIS exams? Then, it seems like he confirmed that the alteration on the last exam was because of this. I knew it...

Like you imagined, I almost fainted when I learned about all this when I returned back there on Tuesday night... --'

Then, on Wednesday, some colleagues managed to irritate the Preventive teacher again. Luckily, it seems like he's not planning to get revenge on all of us for what happened. When will people learn: they can kid around with some teacher, they need to behave decently with others?! Someday those teachers will lose their mind. And they will punish ALL the class!

On Thursday, I had my Pharmacology exam. Do you imagine the frustration: Wednesday's night I knew all the medication we needed to know, I knew for what they were used, I knew how they acted in the organism, I knew the effect they could have (good and bad), I knew how they were administrated, I knew practically everything. Still they managed to ruin my entire exam. It was like "Medication X can be administrated orally. True or false?" and I thought "Well, it's mainly inallated. How the hell am I supposed to remember if it can be taken orally or not?!". Or maybe everytime they used information not present in the book. Or possibly that time when they asked questions about stuff which only information we had was "There's not much known about these medications..."

So, I mean, I know we need to know these things. But, c'mon, how do you think doctors know all of these things? EXPERIENCE, people! They work for years around this and that's why everything becomes so normal for them! You know, I think it's very good that we can remember the general rules every exam. We have two weeks for study, TWO. And it's a lot of information. And we have two other classes at the same time. It's not easy, you know. We're not machines. But people don't understand. They don't know what it's like to have only two weeks to know all these details. So they keep calling us "fool", "lazy", "overreacted" and stuff. Maybe someday, when I'll end up at a mental institution, they'll say: "Oh, maybe she was right when she mentioned all those problems..."

At least he other two exams weren't as bad. The Preventive teacher, in the end, made a very decent exam. The Psychology one had  a few nasty questions, but maybe they're not enough to fail me. The worst part is that I always thought I could have a great grade at this class, and it probably ain't gonna happen. Oh, life goes on...

I'm now taking my weekend off and it's tasting sooooo good. Tod bad it's almost gone by now. I'm now trying to prepare myself for next week, which won't be better than the last. Actually, I think it will be even worse. I just hope I won't feel too desperate when I realize I won't have enough time to study all the things needed for next exams. At least, I try to hear my older colleagues: "Don't worry, by Christmas you'll all be able to relax... a little." XD  

I'm sorry for the huge post, but I really need to put all those things in the paper (?) once I can't talk to anybody (except my college colleagues), because no one understands what's going on in there.

I think I'm going now. Have a wonderful week and try to be happy. :)

Kisses and huggles to all of you,

Belinha ***

Shameless self-promotion:

Closure - Aprendendo a Dizer Adeus

Avisos: fanfiction não apropriada a menores de 13 anos.

Spoilers: PF, CdS, PdA, CdF, OdF, PM, TdM

Sumário: colectânea de drabbles relativas às duas guerras no mundo mágico. Porque morrer é fácil, o difícil é sobreviver…

Novo drabble adicionado: Vitória

Próximo drabble: Tarde De Mais

Gone

Rating: G

Summary: she was gone.

Extra: set in 1973. Pre-X-Files.




I really like to make drabbles... *-*

I have a bad feeling about next week once again. I spent these last days studying Pharmacology, but I'm getting more and more stressed about the next exam. I guess it's because I recently found out that they changed the schedule (AGAIN!!) and the exam is now on Thursday and not on Friday. 

WHAT THE HELL??? People have plans for their study, do you know that?! We asked to have Psychology and/or Preventive on Thursday, since we need to have exams on that day. Not Pharmacology. WHY ARE THEY ALWAYS CHANGING THE RULES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME????

I'm getting more and more frustated everyday. They should cancel classes and we'd only have to go there for the exams. Then everybody would be happy. We don't learn anything at classes, they're a total waste of time, when will they understand that? 

I'm leaving tonight. Let's see what future holds for the next days.

Huggles and kisses to everyone. See ya as soon as I can!

Bel ***

PS - I was studying Psychology yesterday and I read that type A personalities have a strong tendency for heart problems. I was sure I wasn't a type A girl, but now I look at my stressed appearence and I'm starting to believe I was wrong...

PS2 - I'm so tired! Today I slept too much and woke up at 11 am. I didn't study AT ALL this morning (and afternoon, by the way, because I'm too stressed) and, worst of all, I missed TXF episode of today! ='( I don't even know which episode was. I'm afraid I might get disappointed again...

PS3 - I discovered that they're showing Sabrina, the Teenage Witch again on Saturdays. Five episodes until 3 am. Call me crazy, but I'm going to watch all of them, if possible! XD

PS4 - Yesterday, I found a bat on my balcony! O.o

God, I'm sorry I didn't post on Saturday, but, you see, they changed our exams schedule: we were supposed to have all three exams on Friday (the 9th) but on Wednesday they changed the Psychology exam to Thursday and the Preventive Medicine teacher let us choose the day to realize our exam. In short, my colleagues wanted the exam to be on Tuesday (the 13th) and I spend the entire weekend studying that thing - for nothing, I can say. =/

I'm so tired of that place, for real. I mean, why do they always choose MY year to make experiences? Everybody knows that third year is the worst, why are WE the ones who need to twist to fix other year's schedules? O.o I don't get it, really. Besides that, they keep complaining that people get high grades on exams because they're the same from past years, but they refuse to make new questions (their excuse: we don't have time). So now we don't have access to the correction of our exams - it's like, you're expecting an 18, you have a 12 but you don't know why because they don't let you see what you've done wrong.

Tuesday, the 13th, was such a terrible day. The Preventive Medicine teacher said that the exam would be just multiple choices, but he changed his mind (without warning) and made a free answer test. Six questions for us to elaborate an answer. And they weren't difficult, but when your brain is prepared to a multiple choice exam, it doesn't work properly when they change the rules. He was really rude. And so was the other teacher, who kept complaining about our writing skills the entire time. Who does she think she is? The next class was just terrible - when will people learn that Power Point is a great tool WHEN USED PROPERLY?! It's just boring to death to be two hours listening to people who just read the Power Point presentation. And due to the long time wasted, I lost the bus and I only returned home yesterday.

I'm studying Pharmacology... again. I'm already late because I felt terrible yesterday, I had a nasty headache and I felt very sleepy. I should be studying by now, but I got dizzy and I decided to take a pause. I'm probably not making much sense now, but it's the plain truth, I swear! XD

I'm sorry I couldn't write more and more often. I'm going mad over that place. Hope it to be just a (bad) phase. 

See ya as soon as I can. Thanks for listening.

***

PS - OMG, I was invited to join a portuguese XF blog. How cool is that? =D Too bad I don't have much time to post in there...

PS2 - I couldn't post it anywhere else, so I'm posting it here: happy birthday to Felix, Gillian's baby number 3, who turns one today. So sweet... ^^
 

I simply would like to say that I'm still alive and well. A bit tired, but oh...

It's been some time, I know, and I'm sorry for that. I planned to write something after my first exams, but I spend the weekend out and I hadn't much time to post in here. I've been studying Pharmacology since last wednesday almost non-stop (my brain is a mess...), but I hope to post some more about my first... hum... four weeks at college next weekend. XD Not that people care about it, but I love to write about random stuff. XD

I should get a life. --'

Oh and by the way, remember when I said that school gives me inspiration to write fanfiction? Well, it's happening again. AND I DON'T HAVE ANY TIME TO WRITE THEM!!! So I'll try to relax and write some drabbles during those boring classes! :D

And you won't believe it: channel FX suddenly appeared at my home and guess what? THEY'RE SHOWING SEASON 1 OF THE X-FILES EVERYDAY!!! Season one, I mean... I don't watch season one since 2004! I've stopped studying for one hour at ten o'clock every morning just to watch that thing. Today I saw Ice. I can't believe I watched that episode so many times before and I never noticed that the female doctor working with them was Felicity Huffman! XD

Well, I'm going now. See you on Saturday, I hope.

Wish me luck! ^-^' 

Kisses ***

Yesterday, September 10th, the X-Files had their sweet 16!!! ^-^ Wow, I can't believe it has been 16 years already since the Pilot aired! Many congratulations to the cast and crew and I just want everybody to know: we still want believe! =D

And look this promo I found on YouTube! It's from the portuguese television, 1998. It's really good:


Ah, the good old 90s! =') Wish I could go back time...

I'm returning to college next monday and I'm not exactly ready for it. But I've received news from there today and I already know who's part of my study class. Can you believe that I have like half of the people I get along with in there? =D It's so wonderful! It will be like when we had  Gastrology classes again (or at least I hope so), those were some great, GREAT times! *-*

I really have some work to do over FanFiction.net - a new chapter, a new project and some fics to read. But it's so hot in here, with the pc on... God, I think I need to take an entire morning/afternoon to do such.

I'm going now. If I disappear for a while, you know the reason. Hope to see you before monday. If not...

Wish me luck! ^-^'

Bye!

***

The meme goes as follows: Comment, and I will give you a person. Find a picture of that person for each category. Post the results in your journal.

lovely_treasure  gave me Gillian Anderson (who else? :D)

( Read more... )

I already have a bed and a desk at my new home in the city where I study. Things are slowly falling to their place, I think. My bedroom in there is still a mess, with things all over the place, but mom says she'll help me when classes start. :)

I can't believe it's coming so fast now. Third year, fourth in college... I'm so old! O.O 

I'm in the mood to watch DVDs I don't have, like The X-Files: Season 1 or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Bah... with so many DVDs in here, why should I want to watch the ones I don't have?! =P 

I'm going now. It's already September but it's still too hot and my brain is melting down! Have fun!

Kisses! ***

 

I'm back! =D 

I had a really good time at the beach. Being away for only one week is so much better than two. You know, other years always end up in the same way, the routine gets so annoying and everyone can't barely wait to return home. This year it didn't happen.

The beach was great. We went to Foz do Arelho (a Wikipedia picture in here), which was a really good and calm place. We could actually swim in there because we were in the confluence of a lagoon and the ocean. The wheather was great, not very hot during day and a little cold at night (which I really like), and the house we rented was amazing. I even told my mom we should buy one of those houses to spend some weekends at the beach! XD

I would say I'm going to post some pictures in here, but I say that every year and I never post them. My sister has the photos and I never know where she has them until months later! *lol* 

So, now it's September and I'm about to return to college for my third year. My classes start on the 14th and I already made my inscrition. Let's see how this year will be! =P Right now I think I'll enjoy the end of my Summer vacations.

I'm working in a new HP fanfiction project, called Closure. It's a collection of short stories about the First and Second Wizard Wars in the books. I already wrote eight and I'm really happy with some of them. :)

I'm going now, expecting to return soon. Stay well! ^-^

Huggles and kisses to all of you!
 

I went to Fátima yesterday with my family. It was a really good day - though I was so tired at the end, I sleep way the way back.

We went to the Via Sacra (which I had never visited) and it was a great experience. We also visited the Wax Museum again, which I only saw when I was little girl (I'm glad to say I'm no longer scared of the station The Hell's Vision XD). My godson loved it and, as usual, he didn't give up before touching one of the wax figures! ^-^'

I'm just posting here to announce that I'm alive and that I'm leaving to the beach. So I won't be around from August 24 to August 31. I know you won't miss me, but I just like to keep everyone informed! XD 

So I guess I'll see you again in September! Have a lovely time until then! *-*

See ya! ***

So, I spent these last days at my dad's and I returned last Sunday (on Gillian's birthday ^-^ I remembered the date, and I had an artwork planned for this day, but I wasn't at home and with my dad I don't have time to do anything so I couldn't make it. Maybe next year, I hope!)

I enjoyed a birthday dinner last monday for my cousin Francisco (who turned 9 - Jesus, I still remember the night he was born! O.O I'm feeling old!) and I had a great time near my family. My cousins are back from the beach, which is great because I already missed them. My cousin Teresa complained the entire night about how much she had cried while reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and they say baby Marta loved the sea! ^-^ We'll spend a week at the same house they rented, so my mom wanted to know everything about it. 

I'm looking forward to go to the beach this year. I need some fresh air to revive my ideas! =P We're leaving on August 24th.

It's too hot today! I really can't function at all and hearing my mom complaining about it everyday only makes it worse! I think it's impressive how much I did for this summer (I'm being sarcastic, obviously!). Let's see:

a) I brought some of my books to study Anatomy and Histology because they're so important next year and I can't recall much of it - the books are still in the same place where I left them in June and I didn't read a page until now;

b) I have a bag full of books I borrowed from my cousin, because I already read everything I have at home and she always has great pieces with her - I never read a single one and I have this book a friend of hers borrowed me almost a year ago and I only read two pages of it until now;

c) Like I said before, I had this wonderful dream in here I finished my Out From Under fanfiction during summer and I would have enough time to prepare my next big project - I know it wouldn't be the first time, but I highly doubt I'll be able to write six chapters in a month, especially when I'm drowning in a thousand different ideas to another fanfiction projects;

d) I really wanted to find something to do this summer, maybe taking classes on drawing or theater - but, if they exist, they're only accepting people under 16 years old, 19 at most.

See? This is why I hate summer! =P That and the fact that my insomnias are back - it's always in summer, especially because it's too hot, I can't sleep at night, I can't sleep during the day and I'm a monster when I don't get to sleep properly! O.o

I'm going now. Maybe it will refresh a little at night. Let's hope so.

Kisses! ***