a.) gotten pregnant and delivered twins
b.) adopted a pair of twins, just 'cause
c.) decided I wanted to propagate
d. delivered my first pair of twins, without a hitch. :-)
(yes, of course it's D.)
:-) Now, before anything else, I'd like you to know that I had asked the mother's permission before posing with the little buggers. :-)
Anyway, it was a surprise delivery (i.e. she just came from out of nowhere), and there were many factors involved that I'm not at liberty to tell, but I'm just posting this picture to remember my first twin delivery, and to remind me to stress how important reproductive health and being aware of our rights and responsibilities as child-bearing women is to my patients.
I love delivering babies, no doubt about that, but at the back of my head, there is always this fear of the unknown, a realization that something could always go wrong, which is why I breathe a little prayer before starting for everything to go well. So far, I have been very lucky...my deliveries have gone off without a hitch.
I've been away for a while...and I've been busy, but I've been taking pictures all the time too.
I've become pretty much a wallflower the past week...just another silent commuter n the 7AM bus, on her way to work. (I missed you.:-D)My mind has been filled with thoughts upon random thoughts of what I would say should I see you again, but since I hardly have the time, this will have to do...
(Roadside periwinkles. March 2010)
The past week has been work-filled, and although the cases have become quite commonplace and "routine" , in one way or another, I always end up surprised at the new things that come up at sometime or another...
Like, for example, the way some people adore superheroes, they adore them too much and want to immortalize their idols in their kids' lives. I suppose this teen will not be having a hard time being remembered... as Darna. In all likelihood, she'll probably end up with a boyfriend named Ding. (Like the Kamikazee song goes, "Ang swerte nga naman ni Ding..." ?)
(Darna. March 2010)
...Or the time when I attempted to explain whether a patient had a seizure by painstakingly outlining the description in the vernacular, talking and demonstrating upward rolling eyeballs, and stiffened extremities to a couple from a remote barrio in the mountains who brought their child in. After all I had said, they asked me out straight, "Oh, you mean, a "convulsion", doctor? No, she didn't have one." (Gee thanks for telling me now, after all that, madam.. :-p)
(The Cow Bus. March 2010)
After a long tiring day (literally 24 hours of it) at work, I go home and rest a while and see what else I need to do. I am seriously contemplating getting another job, just so I won't have things so routine. By then, I suppose, I won't have so much time to devote to taking pictures of the regular event in the picture above this paragraph and the cows they seek to transport just because they interest me. :-)
Guess what, though, my Korean friend Yumi called and asked me out to dinner with her cousin.
Yumi and I go from way back, I met her when I was going around looking for a part-time summer job before going into Medical School. She was a college freshman then, and she needed help with her English, so we started hanging out for the summer and have been in touch since. :-)
(Juran, and I. Le Chalet, March 2010)
Her little cousin Juran wanted to learn English, so she enrolled at the one-year English course in Silliman University (where I did college), but wanted to get some tutoring on the side. I promised her I'd hang out with her, and hook her up with some of my cousin's friends (who did some tutoring on the side). I look pretty chunky here, but I hope that's only 'cause she's on the skinny side. :-p
(Korean Pink Pills. March 2010)
She told me she was feeling a bit "under the weather", and showed me some of the medications she was taking. I told her, "hey, I'm a doctor, maybe I could help you with that..." But when she flips it over, and I see this...
...and I had to say, "Ahaaa... ok, forget it." :-) Apparently my medical practice is only limited to what I can read and understand...Korean not being one of them. :-p
(Yumi and Jay. Korea. March 2010)
And yes, Yumi did tell me that she and Jay were getting married next year. He's her boyfriend, also Korean...but doesn't speak a word of it. LOL. I met "el sexy" back in September in Cebu when they were in the Philippines for a tour. He was a funny guy to hang out with.
But seriously now, before you start thinking that maybe all I've been doing is just to take picture of bees and flowers and cows...
(Bee on Mango flowers. March 2010)
Let me tell you that I have been active on my self-information drive regarding the coming elections. This week, one of the presidential candidates, Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro was in Dumaguete for a forum. I got wind of the event when Kuya Moe (Moses Atega) posted it on facebook. Having heard of Secretary Teodoro's reputation as a good speaker, I went over to the Negros Oriental Convention Centeras an objective voter who wants to make an informed choice. :-)
(Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro. Dumaguete City, March 2010)
The announcement said that he would be at the venue by 9AM for the forum, so when I got delayed (got there at 10AM) and saw him already in the aisles shaking hands with everybody (pressing the flesh)...I thought I had missed that speech.
As usual, I wanted to sit in front, so I could see the speech he'd make up close. :-) But as expected, all the seats in front were taken. Didn't matter. I could hear fine anyway.
Fr. Balongag, a family friend, did the opening prayer, and when I told Ma about it, she said it was highly likely that he was a Gibo supporter because the guy hardly has any time, he's always so busy, but he was there, doing the opening prayer, so that meant something positive.
The man had presence, I'll have to give him that. He was tall, distinguished, good-looking, and very confident. He always had a sure answer for every question thrown his way. He never faltered in his answers. In fact, there were even points where he'd go, "Let me clarify the question so we can better understand (or include more things in its scope)..." there's almost a palpable over-confidence to him, and something else that I can't quite put my finger on.
The people in the row behind me, clearly were Gibo supporters, because aside from the fact that they wore green shirts and accessories and big big stickers such as the ones in the picture above, they would also clap and yell out, "Yess!" everytime Gibo would answer any queries. LOL.
Although I was in mint green, it was coincidental, and sitting there I tried my best not to be carried away by the man's impressive stature and bearing.
I discreetly took this picture a few seconds after he shook my hand. He made a tour of the aisles, "pressing the flesh", i.e. a politician's strategy to get more voters [interaction] and give a bigger impact. Yet, i did notice that when he shook my hand, he didn't make eye contact. He just shook my hand, and then moved on to the next person, almost mechanically. I don't even remember the feel of his hand, or if he was goodlooking up close (i didn't care), because I was intently observing his body language for sincerity clues.
Well, he didn't score high one that for me, anyway, but I made notes of his speech and the points he was making, but i'll write about it another day. 'Cause for now, I have to get to bed. I have another 24 hours to work my ass of tomorrow at the hospital. :-)
Anyhoo...after checking out these candidates, it all seemed like a big wooing process. Every presidentiable is a suitor, hoping for that chance to be the mother country's "main man". What she really wants to know is,
"Straight up now tell me, do you really want to love me forever? Or are you just having fun..."
:-p
(Are you?)
(anyway, this is the Andrew Garcia video I'm talking about, from American idol. Check it out. I love this song! :-))
It's a bit dated, but I love this song...it's occasionally on "replay".
The vocalist has one of the saddest, neediest voices I've heard in a long time...so, edgy in that way. It's not really a love song, it's a search song, but in a God complex kind of way. :-)
It cracks him (the storyteller), and us (his listeners) up, whenever he jokes about how someone he knew got (and deserved) this award, for lack of anything else.
Now, up until yesterday, before I saw this…well, this “buffet”(or plethora, or cornucopia, haha) of award ribbons on the counter of one department store here, I had to laugh. There IS such an award, after all…
My father likes to poke fun at how, schools come up with the funniest little awards and labels for elementary school kids…especially in some public schools (if not all.)
The idea positively tickled… I figured that since it was March (graduation month here in the Philippines), stores would be selling all these ribbons again. They cost Php 3.50 apiece, which is pretty cheap for something so “coveted”. Students fight tooth and nail academically (or not really) just to get to go up on stage to have their proud parents pin these on them… It is a source of pride, even if you were only, “Most Neat and Clean”.
Everyone loves a winner. ;-)
They range from the simplest…
because you need props too for finishing, right? ;-)
To some awards that allow some benefit of the doubt. ;-) How does one gauge trustworthiness in a academic setting? Least cheating "citations?" Or was it probably because the most common recipients are the class treasurers?
Looking through the ribbons, I couldn’t help but think that I MAY want to give some of these out…
Ok, here’s a few…
This is a good one to ask for of a guy I’m going to be into. He should have a maths award. ‘Cause that would be like, hot. :-p But if he fills the other “criteria”, like…the list I mentioned in earlier blog entries, and has pink gums, then…hmm, I’d say, chuck it out the window. It wouldn’t matter.haha
I’d rather he’d have this "Most Loyal" award in his “collection”, though. Also known as the “Blinders Award”, this would be very very useful to ask for in a guy you’re dating. Personally, I’d like a guy who can make himself emotionally (and physically) unavailable (in "that" way) to any other female if he’s into me…it should be me and only me (because I’d grant him the same attention too.:-p). Blinders, because I’m referring to how horses that drive carriages have this thing on their heads which cover the sides of their heads so they’ll only focus on the road ahead. So they never go astray, and the driver never has any trouble controlling the ride. ;-)
Oh, I’d probably never get this one. I racked up points for being late passing paperwork in the last year of medical school, I even won an award for it, embarrassingly.in my life…and for any event, I’m almost always “just in the nick of time”.
I'm aware of this bad habit, yes and I know it’s bad…but the adrenaline rush of beating a deadline is quite an addiction for me.
Anyway, looking through the piles, I only saw one that really interested me…it was amusing.
How do the teachers decide who is “Best Reader”, then? By the number of times they made the librarian's bulletin board for "Bookworm of the Month"? The quantity of books they’ve read? Or if they can read the loudest? Or if they have the best diction when reading aloud? Haha… who knows?
Hmm…well, I’m a doctor, so, Best Reader…of People? Oh, I hope, I hope so…:-)
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Oohh...and props to Manny Pacquiao for winning! He was amazing! Clottey wasn't, though. Geez, it seemed like the whole time, he was just doing the turtle...keeping his hands to his face to shield from the blows. His coach even went, "Hey man, if you don't take chances, you're going home a loser..." A few million dollars richer, of course, but hey, a cowardly loser.
Oh, I love watching Manny fights...it's become a family thing over the years. Pop and I watch it with uncle dick whenever there's a match, and for this time, I treated pops to the showing at the Robinsons'. First it was just the three of us, then suddenly more joined in (Greggy, Kuya Wing, Manang Ja)...even Tita Clarie, my cool cool auntie, who just got in from Toronto. We piled in the car and headed out to the mall. We had a blast.:-)
To be perfectly honest, I felt a bit apprehensive during the opening round, and feared that Manny might lose to Clottey...(I always feel this way every time during round 1, you know, with sweaty palms-effect and all, too. :-D I needn't have feared, though. Manny had "too much talent, and too much speed" to be brought down. Ha! Take that! :-D
Last week proved to be a hubbub of activity at the hospital where I worked at; back-to-back meetings (for which I got props for traveling 2 hours to get to), general clean-ups, and heck, even manual reviews.
Naturally…
The PhilHealth team and Department of Health were paying a visit to hospitals and health establishments in the region. Now, this is an important visit, as it is an evaluation which determines accreditations for hospitals. Usually, it is a time a stressful time, especially for chiefs of hospital because they are under pressure to make sure that their institutions are following guidelines and keeping up with standards.
This week, the teams came on subsequent days…both of which I was at the hospital, on-duty. The teams had different concerns, PhilHealth was mostly focused on paperwork and the putting up of info posters on the walls, statistics, etc. The Department of Health’s checklist was more on the facilities and equipment the hospital had.
Now, I didn’t really expect us to get a high mark for the materials and equipment part, because it is common knowledge that hospitals and health care do not get the most shares in the national [apple] pie chart budget. They try to make do with what they have, our hospital included. The bureaucratic red tape does not help, too.
Getting Asked
I didn’t get to see any of the Philhealth team, although I was told that they were going around the OPD section, asking the nurses and some patients, questions. The nurses did pretty well, but the patient they asked was kind of irate because he said that he was waiting there since 8AM, but didn’t get seen until 9. (Another reason why we should put posters up to say that OPD consults don’t start until 9AM…LOL. Sometimes, people need to “know” certain things first, otherwise they get very emotional and start getting all antsy, which is totally unnecessary. Let me stress on Totally.)
Peeved
It is a peeve, actually, because it happens at the OPD on many occasions. Some patients would get irate at not being seen right away, when most of them, once you see them, say that they have been sick for the past 6 days but have only decided to come because their “home remedies (a.k.a. mumbo-jumbo herbal)” haven’t worked. And by these mumbo jumbo, I mean kerosene rubs, “bitters (decoctions of a plethora of leaves and whatnot”, and a lot of other stuff (including amulets worn at their waists) they were told were effective. Gee thanks.
(I am reminded of a patient who had his open fracture “massaged” by the local massage therapist (in our dialect, the hilot). Ugh.
In-patients have to be top priority, so in case anything happens (and unless the OPD patients aren’t emergency cases, but are stable and ambulatory) then they’re the ones who get my full attention first, as with all the other doctors.
I’ve digressed completely.
(But yes, honestly, these things happen occasionally, and they require a lot of patience. As a doctor, it is your role to give people options, and to help them decide which course of treatment is the best for them, but when you’re up against the local customs and traditional medicine, you’ll realize that their beliefs, and what their local albularyo (medicine man) says would take precedence.)
This is mostly because my target patient population because I work in a rural area and other hospitals are like maybe an hour away, so it is the closest they can get to. It is a daunting task, in that aspect, to be perfectly honest.
To try to change people’s minds about how they do things, and how to take care of themselves is no easy job, so you really have to find a compromise.
Where was I, again?
:-p
Checks/Evaluations Part II
Anyway, about the PhilHealth thing, it went ok. They felt we needed to put more health statistics posters up. Another doctor asked me if they asked me/interviewed me. I shook my head to say no, but I wouldn’t have minded. I never shirked away from interviews (I love them, actually. J), but what I don’t like is having to feel like I have to recite the hospital’s vision-mission statement, verbatim.
The Department of Health people came in when I was examining a patient in the outpatient department (OPD), she was quite friendly, but the first thing she did was whip out her checklist and ask if I had a Neuro hammer, a diagnostic set, etc etc, which I had in my medical bag, which I lug around (because it is chock full of things I might need when I’m examining a patient) with me. Heck, it even had a BMI calculator in it. :-p But that’s like, not very important, with regards to how they were evaluating the hospital, I know I made a good impression on her, but in the end, it’s all about how much effort the whole hospital puts in with their delivery of services.
These evaluations should be taken as what they should be, “checks”, and in no way are they personal. I’ve heard some employees grumble about how these people were just looking for flaws, or that if they weren’t examining hospitals, they were just clerks. I found this sour grape-ing utterly hilarious. It was beside the point, really. Their job was to see if people in hospitals were following guidelines, and not to get them fired, or lay them off. Of course they would be concerned (and would note down, and comment) if so and so manual isn’t found in the wards, when it should be, or if waste segregation wasn’t followed to the letter…you know, random things like that.
Although, I have to admit, one of the examining personnel wasn’t too impressive herself. She didn’t seem to know how a childproof bottle of paracetamol anti-pyretic worked. You know how they are, right? The cap seems loose, but to open it, you really have to press down before you twist… So anyway, she went, “Aha, so it’s not properly capped, and is still open!”
(wait for it, wait for it…)
Duh…
:-p
And so, all’s well that ends well. The bottom line is, everyone needs a “tune-up” once in a while. These evaluations should be taken for what they are…as a means to know our deficiencies and strong points, so we can work on them.
In a setting as delicate as health care…it is always important to stay abreast with standards.
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Ok, that was my two cents’ worth.
Did you miss me?
(It seems the longer I’m gone, the more long (winded) my entries seem to be.haha)
To illustrate a point, i got these props together to come with this picture. Some of them were borrowed, stolen, and collected, but I'm not telling which were what. :-p
I got to thinking about probably going into Obstetrics as a career choice, because the past several weeks, I found myself enjoying my Obstetrics work at the hospital. I delivered 4 babies in one tour and I enjoyed delivering babies immensely. It is a happy specialty, I told a friend once, because you get to deliver babies...AND contribute to their health while developing. (You can't get more hands-on than that.)
One of my distant cousins is an OB-GYN, and so far she is doing pretty well for herself. she is always busy...and oftentimes doesn't have a lot of time to spare. She is almost always busy, but does balance it well, though, so it's good.
She didn't say anything about recommending that I go into OB...but she did seem pretty surprised that I wanted to get into neuropsychiatry. Like she thought I was a weirdo or something. lol.
OB usually is so...practical and repetitive, whereas, Neuropsychiatry is so...three-dimensional, no contest there. (And, it almost always made perfect sense.)
And...also, just to insert a minor detail, Clinic hours were regular 8-5 (if without emergencies), so I'd have plenty of time for my 10 kids later.
RicAdeMus tagged me on day, with the "revised" honesty tag. Instead of 25, I only get to do 10...which should be easy. ;-) Anyway, how this works is...that you tell 10 details about yourself and then pass it on, tagging other people you want answers from. :-)
Ok, so hmm...let's give this a go:
1. I like order, and detail and nice sentences. :-)
2. I take my time when I want to, when I work, I really work...like, non-stop.
3. When I get angry (which is hardly ever and very rare), I usually start getting sarcastic.
4. A friend of mine (who's a blogger friend too) said that he's had me all figured out, in terms of what guys I go for. He said that they were "..tall, funny, athletic, left-handed, reads, smart, nice..." (I forgot the rest, it was a long list.)
5. I wrote a story when I was 8 about a guy named Pietro who got stuck in a Rip Van Winkle type of wormhole plot...and even stapled the pages together. My grade school crush read it, and he went, "Did you really write this?"
6. I miss my friends back in Iloilo and I would really love to see them again. (I was thinking of doing my residency training in Psychiatry there, but my gut instinct was boss, it said it still wasn't time to do so.)
7. I tend to overpack...and sometimes I think packing light is just a recipe for disaster. Everytime I go somewhere for a trip, i always need to be "ready for anything".
8. I would do probably most anything for family, and people I love.
9. Stupid things I've done quite a number of...but just enough to let me realize that I don't ever want to get into doing them again. :-p
10. When I'm in a conversation with someone...especially if its an interesting one, I like to stare at the details of their faces; their eyes, their hands, their lips, their mouths...or their voices and gestures, the timbre of their voices, the motions of their hands...even the way the light plays on their hair and features. I remember things better this way (I always sat in the front row in class. :-p)
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And...my tagging list will follow. :-p( i want to get them all in. ) Have a happy sunday!
"Coconut Oddity." Manjuyod, Oriental Negros, February 15, 2010.
David Bowie did "Space Oddity", right? For some reason, I could not think of any other word more fitting. :-) It's a terribly provincial photo, but what can I say, I pass these by when I ride the bus. :-)
Anyway, this is a coconut tree about 30 minutes from where I work, and they say that at one point lightning struck it, and after that, the tree just branched out and grew another full head of coconut fronds.
These are coconut trees, not "Palm" trees, by the way. haha. So not L.A., California. :-) (Or should I really be calling it a tree? ooh, it boggles...)
It reminds me of the pair of conjoined twins featured on Life Magazine many years back about a girl born with two heads...or was it two girls with one body? Nonetheless, they both had distinctive personalities, as with this tree, which bears fruit equally on from both "heads".
That I'm getting paid by the end of this week (yey!)
That I have my mother to rant (in three languages)to about anything at all, including stuff that bothers/annoys/irritates me
singing "Defying Gravity" from Glee/Wicked
Casey James. :-) (With his angel lips and hot guitar skillz.)
Freedom.
The feeling of being in-charge of my destiny.
working out. Even for just 30 minutes at a time.
Medscape.com :-p
push-up bras, and bright-colored bathing suits.
I don't like:
being disappointed
missing someone (definitely NOT the ex.) and not being able to do anything about it.
unrequited love (but hey,in a certain way,it makes for good writing) .
waking up late in the mornings.
if patients in labor come in in the middle of the night and tell that they haven't had any prenatal check-ups anywhere and not realize the risk
talking about a painful episode in the past, because it just makes me annoyed and angry, quite surprisingly, and because it is a waste of time and energy now that I think of it. I'd like to start fresh, please.
being a fool, intentional or not.
Rachel Bilson's character in Jumper ( so annoying.)
the fact that I even care about the above item. haha. :-p
I want you to know:
that we should all vote wisely in the coming elections, and not be swayed by political propaganda. Making the right choice comes with knowing all your options, and I do mean Know, as in know and be informed and not just dwell on hearsay.
I've planned...
to work out more often
to lessen carbs :-D
upgrade my CPU and printer
learn to drive a car
to get braces...?
take better pictures
be more patient (although this isn't exactly a plan...:-p)
come up with a better budget
take my cousins out to dinner next week.
...and to just be a better person, over-all.
To someone special:
To Pettie and Bermoy, my ex-housemates (and classmates in Med school, in Iloilo), who just got engaged..."Congratulations, here's a toast to M.F.E.O.!!" :-D
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Props to the ToothFairy, for coming up with this monthly game, Piece of Me. :-)
there is something about red roses that's so juicy.
The concept of red roses for lovers only...is just so overrated. Regular people enjoy them too.:-p Patient P, a kind, middle-aged lady left this at the ward the other day. Flowers brighten things up, any day.
Someone added tamarinds with the arrangement, and now they call it, "Sweet and Sour" flowers.
I was pounding rubberized pavement earlier tonight at the Sports Complex. It was dark and comfortably cooler, and there were the usual students and yuppies (older people like the mornings) and athletic types doing their "rounds".
Basically, everyone just goes round and round to have their Cardio fix, but it is, in a way, enjoyable. Running/walking is a very nice way to "commune" with oneself (and I've been doing a lot of that, lately), as well as to sweat it out. I especially like sweating it out, and feeling my heart race comfortably, feel my muscles start to unwind and stretch and just tingle with the strain of the activity.
I made a special playlist for when I'm running, because i like having fast beats for when i am running/walking. Listening to love songs just won't do, not that I'm a big fan of the genre (most of the time). Slow tempos often mean a slow, weaker pace...and it looks funny.
I've even taken to my cousin's Korean music (K-pop), because even if I don't understand their lyrics (ok, save for "baby", and some "crazy"), their beats are upbeat and the tempo is just perfect for my activity.
I see a lot of different people...and subconsciously, I try to figure them out while I'm jogging and passing them by. There're boyfriend and girlfriend types, who seem to be working on losing weight at the same time, athletic basketball player types who have the typical sheen of perspiration down their arms; short, stocky-ish runner type guys who have very short shorts and very muscular legs; bestfriend guy types who run together, student athletes who're obviously very young, have not grown out their "parts" yet, but run really fast...hmm, what else? Oh, teacher types who "coach" on the side, with their pupils dutifully imitating their moves; "sit-up" types (guys who i've never seen jog, but just do sit-ups and crunches on the sides; branded types (guys who have three-stripes, or Nike Swoosh logos all over their jogging outfits; quickie weight-loss types (you know who they are 'cause they're usually wrapped in windbreakers and jogging pants for maximum water loss).... and a bevy of other people.
Cute, goodlooking eye candy?? Sadly, there were none tonight. :-p
But that's okay, there a beautiful moon out earlier tonight...and for some reason, the moon was exceptionally bright and appeared twice as big as it usually is.
:-)
Jogging at the Oval always reminds me of my days in Medical School. I was into jogging then, and would often go whenever I could with a friend, or by myself (and yes, I was as big a "watcher" then as I am now.LOL). Physical activity is always always a good thing. I never did like inactivity. And besides, I just realized that we only have one body, and we need to take care of it as best we could.
(And oh, there's the summer season coming up, so we need to get ready for that too. LOL)
It was always about fresh air, sweat, and "feeling the burn".
(Note: Calories burned for jogging: 584, walking: 277...tennis: 584.)
I stopped by the tennis courts, which are really close to the Oval and saw a game where someone I knew from high school (when I was really playing regularly) was playing. <-- (he was really good, he even won a college Scholarship at UST to play. He's married now, though.)
I miss tennis too.
Not just the short shorts, and the drives...but the thrill of competition as well (which is why I have to work on my running skills.). :-s
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And that, was my last hurrah, before I said good night to one and all.
Have a good week, everyone, and...don't do anything I wouldn't do. ;-)
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