BFF #2

Bestfriends.

Celebrating singlehood.

Celebrating love.

Celebrating two decades of friendship. 

Celebrating life.

Our story here. 

Warning: NEVER LAUGH at our old dugyutin faces way back grade school and high school! 

Remaining Days

Kick-off party for the remaining 100 days of internship!!

ONE-HUNDRED FREAKING DAYS INDEED!

BFF #1

MY BEST FRIEND'S AROUND!!!!!!!

THIS IS GONNA BE A LOOOONG NIGHT!!!

I'M SO EXCITED I HAD TO WRITE IT IN ALL CAPS AND REALLY BLOG ABOUT IT AND PUT A LOT OF EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!

Ahem.

Excuse my manners. :)

I just miss this person A LOOOOOOOT!!!

#feelingsikat

Yehess!!! This blog which I started for more than a year now has reached a whooping 10,000++ views!! LOL! Thank you to my untiring audience! Although most readers do not drop their comments, I am happy to know that sharing a tiny piece of my life publicly don't go futile. :) 

This year, I hope to write substantially as this blog was originally meant for. Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem. :)

Nomads On Expedition. Again.

I do not like being unsettled, I never liked the nomadic way---changing from one place to another. Traveling is different from living at different places for shorter terms. I started my nomadic life since I entered med school where I had to rent a house with three roommates. I lived comfortably in that niche for three long years until I had to look for another house for clerkship  where I happily lived for a year. Then I found a beautiful condo unit here in the metro with three other roommates where we struggled to live for 3 months. Some problems arose so we decided to separate ways and now I am gleefully living in another unit of the same building! I guess that story deserves an entry as a form of gratitude to the people who caught me wholeheartedly when I was badly bruised. :)  

In addition to the seemingly life-long pressure chamber I'm into, board exam is just around the corner!! So my med school friends and I hurriedly bus-rided to Fairview to house-hunt and see for ourselves the location of the review center. It was a long bus-ride from Ermita to Fairview!! After seeing the rooms, I picked the 7-person capacity room. It would seem crowded but the moment we begin reviewing, all of us would shift into a serious mode  having a single goal: TO PASS (or even, top! echoserang char char!!). So I believe it wouldn't be noisy after all. :) *fingers crossed* 

Because I felt the tension in the air among those reviewees we met there, I felt my heart drumming as I figured I would be in their shoes in few months' time! OMG!

So, to calm my almost throwing-a-tantrum child-self, I treated her to a P15 worth of sorbetes on a sugar cone. Happy heart! :)

Last Saturday was the 4th session of our monthly board review series at the Buenafe Auditorium of UP-College of Medicine. The subject was Microbiology and was productive as I unexpected it to be. Previous ones, the first two because I was absent on the third session, were really boring lectures I had to bring coffee inside the hall to keep me alive.

All interns are excused every second Saturday of the month since November 2011 to attend the 4-hour lecture on basic medical subjects. It's an opportunity to leave the humid environment of the ER when the review falls on a duty day. Hahaha! :)

As always, I took notes. 

P.S.

LAST FOUR GRILLING MONTHS OF INTERNSHIP!! WAAAAH!

An addition to my Eiffel stuff! A planner gifted by @rocayaaa! Thank you soooo much! :)

Now I have two planners for 2012, I get a bit confused where to write my daily activities. LOL! This Eiffel planner won the daily routine while Mr. Coelho's is for outpouring of emotions aka diary. 

I've listed down in random order the things I would do after passing the physicians licensure exam. 

Inshaa Allah, all of these shall begin after August this year! Waaah! I can feel the chills down my spine!!

Ending 2011 Right. :)

I never anticipated that I would end 2011 on a road trip. It was merely a wish I do not know how to put into reality considering the meager time I have for myself. After my IM (Internal Medicine) rotation which demands interns to stay 90% of their time inside the hospital, I longed for a vacation where I could just forget the hospital and just relax.Oooohh...relax. The word. I initially swayed my best friend Lily to come here in Manila so we can set off into an adventure but she lacked time as well. FYI: she's also a doctor which justifies her reasons for not coming. So when my cousin Ate Hannah buzzed about an impending three-day family trip to Subic and Baguio, I never thought twice and asked about the details. Luckily, I was already rotating at Rehabilitation Medicine which is benign so I planned for my great escape!! Hohoho! 

It was my first time at Subic and Baguio, hence the pure excitement!! The weather was perfect for a road trip! The sky was azure blue as the sun smiles on its mighty throne!

We stayed at The Lighthouse Marina Resort, Subic Bay. The place was impeccable! Just perfect for hanging loose! 

Star sighting: actress Dawn Zulueta and her husband's entire family were also there. She kinda irked us for being snob, but hey, she could just be in one of her mood swings! So, um, forgiven?  

Hosni and I ready to zooom!!

Subic is quite synonymous to Zoobic Safari and Ocean Adventure but unfortunately, I wasn't able to experience those as we arrived late in the afternoon already. Instead, we joined the boys on their jet skiing spree! I looked so ridiculous because I'm not even on a jet skiing gear! SO WHAT? I had fun!! I bet my cousin Hosni couldn't stand me screaming my lungs out as he sways the jet ski to full speed I had to really hold on tight! That was superb!!!! I will definitely return to Subic one of these days and experience everything! :)

Breakfast buffet at Sands Restaurant, Lighthouse Marina's premiere resto. The food was excellent I was able to try and discriminate different types of cheese! My favorite? CHEDDAR still! Hahaha! 

We had to leave Subic early the following day in preparation for the long road trip to Baguio City! We had an heads up that it's chilling 12 degrees celsius in the Summer Capital of the Philippines!!! To my ultimate surprise, beads of sweat were rolling down my forehead as we explore the Philippine Military Academy and The Mines View Park! And I thought to myself, all those people wearing winter clothes here in Baguio as if it's raining snow were all fooling themselves! Hahaha! And oh, Session Road was filled with heavy volume of people almost equal to those in the metro! 

Photo collaging on the web with a slow laptop and slow internet results to such disaster! I'm sorry baby Fia! 1/4 of her plumpy cute face is obliterated by an unwanted road photo! Sorry babe! 

The traveling team! The Khalil-Ayo, Ayo-Tomawis Families and I! LOL! 

Sabreen was highly ecstatic as she runs and giggles! Kulang na lang mag-somersault and bata! Haha!

 Emoterang Asma beside the beach where we jet skied. 

My nieces made the trip extra memorable! Although they'd sometimes throw tantrums, their adorableness overrides their tantrums you'd just want to carry them in your arms so they's stop crying! Cuteness overload! 

There. I'd end my entry with this hilarious photo of the year! Haha! We paid ten bucks each to wear the traditional Igorot costume! Kalurkey!

I'd be forever grateful to my cousins who made my year end with a huge bang!!!! 

Hoping for more travel sprees this 2012! Cheers yo! And, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

This is the hallway that connects the two wings of the Outpatient Department building. I find it very dramatic as the rays of the sun penetrate the glass roof creating shadows behind those pillars. To put it in a movie, this is where a couple break their vows of love as the other walks away leaving the other soaked in tears. 

Ideals

How many of you, medical students and physicians alike, have Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine?  Have you read the section "Ideals"? If you haven't because the moment you get your hand on the book, you directly flipped on the index to search for a particular disease, well, here goes:

Decision and intervention are the essence of action; reflection and conjecture are the essence of thought: the essence of medicine is combining these realms of action and thought in the service of others. We offer these ideals to stimulate both thought and action and action: like the stars, these ideals are hard to reach--but they serve for navigation during the night. 

• Do not blame the sick for being sick.
• If the patient's wishes are known, comply with them.
• Work for your patients, not your consultant.
• Use ward rounds to boost the patient's morale, not your own.
• Treat the whole patient, not the disease. 
• Admit people--not 'strokes', 'infarcts' or 'crumble'.
• Spend time with the bereaved, you can help them shed their tears.
• Question your conscience--however strongly it tells you to act. 
• Be kind to yourself--you are not an inexhaustible resource.
• Give the patient(and yourself) time: time to ask questions, time to reflect, time to allow healing to take place, and time to gain autonomy.
• Give the patient the benefit of the doubt. If you can, be optimistic: optimistic patients who feel in charge live longer and feel better.  

I have always categorized my books into two: school books and non-school books. School books are the text book ones, the boring ones, the one you read with the pressure of understanding it to get a fairly good grade during the exams. Non-school books are the fiction ones, literary ones, non-boring ones, the one I read with utmost desire while I let my imagination take me to some far away land and meet strangers and bizarre characters, books that teach me how to live life, books that present me with a new perspective. So it kinda surprised me to read something about how to practice the medical field in a humane kind of way. I should place this book under the uncategorized label because it is more than just a school book, it is a book on life--both literally and figuratively. :)

With all due respect, I've observed doctors who treat patients as patients and not as human being that they actually are. I, myself, is guilty of referring to patients according to their specific diseases and not by their names. (E.g., "Pauwi na si Lupus!" Instead of "Pauwi na si Ms. De Leon".)

I believe that medical practice shouldn't be based on how genius you are in treating your patient's disease but by treating the patient as a respected human being. :) 

Will post more about the few chapters in this book preceding the discussions on the diseases per se. :)

Say No To Prejudice!

As I scroll down my Facebook homepage, I come across this post by Atty. Algamar Latiph to Atty. Toie Mitmug's  page. 

"Glad to hear that Anti-Ethnic, Racial or Religious Discrimination and Profiling Act of 2011 is in bicameral committee. glad to be one of the first lawyers who wrote the first working draft during the time of then AMIN Cong now RG Mujiv Hataman who first introduced and sponsored the bill at the House of Rep. I still remember when we sat with Amie Sangcopan and Raissa Jajurie i think on Nov 5 2008 at Greenhouse. Couple Atty Toie Alonto Biruar-Mitmug and Ras Mitmug also volunteered. Hopefully, this bill will be enacted into law so Muslims in this country can have a legal mechanism to redress wrong against discrimination on account of ethnicity and religion."

I am more than glad to know that there are people who exerted an effort for passing such bill. Majority of non-Muslim Filipinos, especially those in the northern area (Yes, I mean Luzon and the National Capital Region) may deny that there is an actual racial discrimination going on, as they claim that we are their "Muslim brothers" who enjoy the same rights as everyone else. However, they may be unconscious of their words or actions, but racial and/or religious stereotyping is an undying epidemic.  For instance, I was walking with a male co-intern to grab a lunch when my phone rang. It was my cousin who I normally greeted with "Assalamu'alaikom"  preceding our conversation. I absolutely heard this male co-intern let go of a loud sneering sound while I was talking over the phone. As I put down my phone, he asked me what "Assalamu'alaikom" means so I did a little lecture on how we, Muslims, politely greet one another. As the person that he is who keeps on teasing me a lot about every little thing, he said: "Hindi eh. Sinasabi nyo yun kasi by default, at war kayo sa lahat ng tao kaya kelangan niyong i-declare muna na at peace kayo with the person na kakausapin niyo". He was saying those words guiltlessly while a mocking smile was painted on his chubby face. And then our endless debate about my being a Muslim and his being a judgmental, narrow-minded person began (Of which, he wholeheartedly claim that he is a bad, bad, judgmental person). He would utter sentences that imply prejudice such as, for instance, when I unintentionally commit a mistake, he'd say "Ganyan ba talaga kayo?", or, "Muslim na 'to oh". He say those words in a joking manner, because he's really funny by nature, but I honestly take those words as a form of discrimination. And yes, I tell it to his face how pernicious he is. But you know, you can never straighten a crooked perception until you show them the truth through actions.

I think it's pathetic that we actually NEED to create a LAW so that majority of this nation's citizens will change the way they see us. But this is just the first of the baby steps towards achieving "total freedom" without declaring independence from the entire system. 

And yes, I am more than glad for the passing of this bill because when the time comes, I can literally file a lawsuit against this co-intern of mine who enjoys and loves bullying me. Hah! *evil grin* Now I can actually hear him say "Ganyan naman talaga kayo eh!". 

Facebook It!

While Facebook has become the perfect avenue for giving people a piece of your mind, there are stuff that you can't put on Facebook because you know it will light a fire and you don't want that to happen. In this tiny nook of mine, I know this is the perfect place for shouting:

DO NOT PROVOKE ME! I BITE TOO, BITCH!

I may be keeping my silence most of the time, laughing things off and pretend it didn't occur, but hey, I know exactly what you're talking behind my back. Now I'm telling you this, YOU'RE NOT PERFECT EITHER SO DON'T PRETEND LIKE ONE. Nuff said.

P.S.
I wish the font size could get any larger than that. My emotions are way too huge for those font size! Haha. 

I saved P95 for buying Paulo Coelho's latest book and his 2012 Planner/Journal. Not bad. In a world where we need to tighten our belt to make both ends meet, a single centavo matters.

Bring it on, 2012! :)

Watching the sun rise as I rush off to the hospital. Hoping for a great weekend. :) 

Acute Care Unit-Emergency Room

(late entry)

After the strangling schedule at IM wards for one whole grilling month, we welcomed ourselves to a relatively benign duty at the ER! I say benign because PGH ACU-ER will be subjected to fumigation, hence only "real emergencies" such as cardiac cases, intubated and trauma patients will be admitted! Woot! Alhamdulillah, God has given me some time to breathe! 

However, the scene below shows the LEAST number of patients this institution can accommodate. 

We normally write on a white board the name of our patients under the student-in-charge's (SIC) name to easily keep track on the patients' progress. Last November 30, 4 of us had only 1 patient and no new patient came in! Cheers! This is one of the things I love about PGH--- it is never impossible to close the ER. Back when I was clerk, I always wished for our ER to close!

During this time, we have the power to choose the patients we want to admit while the rest will be transferred to hospital of choice (THOC). 

Yet and again, I'm in the company of boys! Rona and Pat though will return from Medical ICU (MICU) on the second week at the ER in exchange for Borg and AD. This photo was intentionally taken blurred.

Dane's post-birthday dinner treat at Recipes. Duty Team with Jeboy. They talked about boys' stuff, if you know what I mean and I just had to pretend I didn't hear them or just play innocent. Most of the time, I ride on with their jokes and I guess they completely forget that I am a woman. Fine, I am a medical student hence, no fuss. 

Below shows the lecture on cutaneous leishmaniasis with Dr. Henry Murray of Cornell University. Listening to the world's expert on the disease is another opportunity of a lifetime. 

I can't wait for this Internal Medicine rotation to end. I badly need some time off. :)

Note To Self

Repost from @BebanglovesRed. 

It starts with marrying the right person and ends with doing things that will make your mom proud. I shall find congruence in that. I promise you, Mom. :) 

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

I never thought there is such a thing as book trailer. Well, this is it. One of my favorite author's latest. I saw the book at Powerbooks earlier today. It's hardbound and kinda pricey so I thought I could wait for the paperback. :) But friends, it's not yet too late for my birthday gift! *wink*

Taft Avenue

I grew up in a healthy environment where people opt to walk from their homes to their offices or schools. It would only take us 5-10 minutes to reach our destinations. We don't have heavy traffic to blame for our tardiness because we live inside the Mindanao State University Main Campus. I have developed the love for walking out of necessity. Even after we purchased our family car, my father didn't send us to school on wheels unless there's a typhoon that inhibits us to trudge our way to school. Back then, my siblings and I would hope for a heavy rain either in the morning or in the afternoon so that our father would be left without a choice but to drive us to or from school. :) 

I used to walk with my friends. It was during those times that we discuss about our day, our sheer hopes and building our dreams. We were a bunch of teenagers who can leave a household flustered with our boisterous laughter and giggles as we pass our way from 4th street all the way to our homes. Since I live at the farthest street (8th), I was the last person to reach home. I was the only one among my girls who's left walking alone. I loved those solitary moments as I muse about the forces that create my world. As I pace towards home, I recapitulate the day and plan for the following day. 

Here in the metro, walking from my home to the hospital is like a punishment. Our building faces Taft Avenue so this should have my normal route towards PGH. I do not expect my fresh fragrance to be preserved when I pass by these:

This scene is not just a pain in the eyes but also an irritation to the nose!!! Mixed stench of dried urine, dirty canal and all possible human waste you can think of!!!

Ooopss! Ate caught me taking a shot at her! 

All kinds of pollution are present here. 

So there, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Philippines. 

Since I cannot do anything about the perennial problem our country have, first I must accept that I LIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES and second I need to find a way to avoid the situation. Thanks to the existence of UP Manila (Pedro Gil street) beside PGH. UP Campus has become my regular route towards the hospital. Calm, cool, less pollution. 

I regained my love for walking. I didn't really mind about my toned gastrocnemius. :) 

Conversations at the interns' call room can go like this:

Scene 1

Intern1: O kamusta na patient mo?

Intern 2: E4V1M1 (referring to Glasgow Coma Scale of 6, which means that the patient has spontaneous eye opening but no more verbal output or body movements)

Intern 3: Uy, siguraduhin mo yan ah! Dahil ang patay, E4V1M1 din! Diba? Yung mga namamatay na dilat ang mata?

Everybody laughs. 

Scene 2

Intern 1: Oh my God, nagto-toxic na mga patients namin! Nagmo-morb na sila! (morb stands for morbidity, either intubated or cardioverted)

Intern 2: Naku, i-mort niyo na yan lahat. Wag niyo nang paabutin sa duty namin bukas! (mort or mortality, means dead). 


Do not judge. There's nothing really as "ideal".