Video: Marry Your Daughter

 

I was in the Surgery Ward doing rounds on my delirium patient...I had already given medications and was writing orders down.

A surgery resident I just talked to about the recent referral, tall, with boyish good looks and a nice smile was milling about in the nurses' station, looking for a chart. Then this song comes on, and then he starts singing the chorus... so cute. He was absentmindedly doing it, I suppose, as he was looking around for charts all the while.

And then, he asked the nurses who were eating dinner on the side, "Hey, what song is this? Who sang it?"

(Nobody could tell him the answer.)

I was sitting at the back of the ward, on the table, writing out my notes. I had paused to look at him, so I remembered this scene, from a spectator's perspective... It was cute.

(He was a nice guy; tall, skin head 'do, great teeth, nice smile, lean. <-- my favorite. Most of all, he was nice enough to explain to me how the Total Mastectomy with TRAM flap went about. <-- major points.)

Gotta love 'em Surgery boys, especially those that sing. haha

Love,

S.

Video: Every Breath You Take

Got this video idea from a friend, it's become my current work song, while I prepare for my grand rounds. I love this song. It reminds me of good things.

The rain is continuously coming in sheets...and many people in Manila are in knee deep (or worse) water.

Here in the hospital, the grounds outside are still flooded, but they're starting to recede...there was no rain this morning...but it seems to be coming back again. Good thing we're all warm, safe and dry, and there's food, electricity and water. Good company to be had.

I don't want to be selfish...i'd love an extension, but you should see the people on tv...I hope this ends soon, for all of us.

I want to go home too, for my birthday. and I won't be able to, if this keeps going on.

A blessed day to all, Be safe, everyone.

Love,

S.

Stranded at the hospital. with the Hepe, and the First years (photo by: RG).

Note to self.

Young father and child in the waiting. July 2012. Ermita, Manila. 

"...one must exert all effort to make her work look effortless."

:-)

I hope so. With grand rounds coming up, I just want to be able to present something real and awesome, and not perfect.

Wish me luck.

Love,

S.

(note: from Jessica Zafra's Blog.)

Photos: Achoo88's grand rounds

Achoo had a rockin grand rounds presentation. 

Being prepared is half the battle won. :-)

 

wish me luck for next week. :-)

Love, 

S.

With Meemz and Mer. and oh, #puppydragon.

Photo: Baby C. comes to visit.

Baby C. comes for a visit.

(Where I work, there's never a day that goes by without a sense of fulfillment...somehow.)


Love,

S.

Looking.

Earlier today, I was walking in the mall with a friend to get to a dinner in a restaurant with a bunch of people after work (but it was still work-related somehow). I noticed a group of guys at a table look in our direction while we were talking to our table.

Me: (Later when we were seated) Hey man, do you know those people?

Friend: Which ones?

Me: Those guys on the front table...Friends of yours from school?

Friend: No, why?

Me: Well, they were looking at us when we came in. I thought they were looking at me, and then i thought maybe you knew them...

Friend: (smiles) No, they were looking at me, and thinking what a lucky guy I was, 'cause you were with me.

(Haha. high five, dude pare. :-))

yon ang linya.


:-)

Love,

S.

Photos: Everybody Loves Gen!

Gen, one of the my friends from medical school, the birthday girl, celebrates her birthday with dinner at Italianni's...and yummy cake from Theobroma!

Almost everyone was there, including "The Three Amigos", Vick, Tope and Chamie! :-D

Some of us girls; Gen, Kuai, moi and Jenai.

Gen slices her cake!

That vegetarian pizza was something else... well, she was on a diet, and the health kick was pretty obvious in the food we ordered. Love Italianni's! :-D

Floyd  does her souvenir photo for her birthday!

Phillip and Jerry...:-p

Now THIS is chocolate cake. Theobroma, thou art <3. :-)

The girls in dresses (per request of the birthday girl).

[One of the many] Faces of @flipadfoot.

Good conversations all around.

 

 

 

 

Tired, but definitely happy. :-)

 

:-) Happy birthday, Gen. May true love and the happiness it brings find its way to you... :-)

Photo: The Puppy Dragon

I was halfway through reading about the psychodynamics of Schizophrenia, when Trina burst in the third year room, where I was currently staying.

 “Why are you here?” she asked.

“Well, there’s a big table, the lighting is way better…and no one’s using this table.” I grinned.

(I have a thing about space…I need lots and lots of it.)

So anyway, I stuck the green highlighter in the book to mark the page and turned to her for an impromptu girl talk session…which lasted for a few minutes, but, as with all girl talk sessions, was full of useful insight (that I may or may not use, of course). J

We were talking about the upcoming tentative orals, the SCP (Social and Community Psychiatry) exam results, and well, boys.

Girls will be girls…the call room could pass for a dorm full of high school girls trading stories about love and other adventures, instead of being just a workplace for doctors. I don’t suppose it’s a far-fetched idea, as our business is talking, and it helps to “talk it out” and get debriefed every once in a while.

So anyway, I told her about me seeing this young doctor that I had a crush on last year because he was tall, with boyish good looks and had a thing for fountain pens (like me!). He was visiting his friend and former groupmate, who was also my co-resident, and so I got to “meet-and-greet” him for a few minutes before I headed back to work. *kilig* He was a nice guy, always smiling, always “bright and shiny”…just the way I remembered him last year. He was apparently, one of the smartest guys of his class, and underwent a special program in medical school. But other than that, he was just this tall, cute dude. I remembered sending Meemz a text message, saying that I just had the funniest case of the heebie-jeebies, grinning.

(Well, I got back to studying of course…no choice eh.)

She told me in the morning that he had felt the same, and that last year, he had been in a dilemma as to whether he should’ve given me a present or something. LOL… but he didn’t, and nothing happened because well, it wasn’t meant to be like that. And besides, I was pretty much in the teacher role, and he was my student, being the resident that I am.

So anyway, I thought nothing of it, and then I turned my full attention back to Trina, who was giving me hints and telling me I should try dating a guy who, “didn’t look good on paper”. She was giving me subtle hints (which weren’t so subtle, because she and I both knew who she was talking about, haha), and was telling me that I could give it a chance, this dating thing.

She said that he was a really nice guy (he is), and that he was going to treat me right (I’m sure). Haha. But I told her that I’d think about it, but I really wasn’t the type who could be coerced into doing something… I mean, if I wanted to do something, I would, but not otherwise, especially not, deciding who to date. But then again, my choices in men in the past have been less than stellar, so maybe one of these days, I just might try her suggestion…

(Some guys you like, some guys you like-like. You know what I mean?)

J

Bottomline is, if somebody really wanted me (and wanted to date me), they’d need to put in a little more effort. I’m too busy (or too dense) to be bothered…and I really don’t like guess work, or unanswered questions anymore.

I want to be swept off my feet. I want to be won.

…and I also want to pass this week’s oral exams.

So there. J

Love,

S.

P.S. I got this present from one of my good friends this morning. He handed it to me in a little baggie, as well as some goodies from his trip abroad over the weekend:

Me: “What do you think it is?”

Him: “It’s a puppy, it’s jade.”

Me: “Are you sure? I think it’s something else.” (turning it around in my fingers, liking the smooth sides)

Him: I think it’s a puppy dragon. J I wonder what sound it makes…

Me: (laughing, remembering the previous joke)

Him: Do you know what a dragon sounds like?

Me: Well, it goes something like…..(pause) Uhh, I’d rather not say....

Hehe. Anyway…it was fun. Now I better go back to doing my job. By the way, thanks to Sir Reggie for the insightful expressive psychotherapy earlier this morning, and the importance of discipline. #schoolnotes #withhonors

Photo: Early morning bookworms

The early morning bookworms. February 2012. Ermita, Manila

Sometimes, early in the morning, I purposely wander over to this roadside book vendor (a.k.a. "Alika-Book" to see if there were new titles that I would like. They're pretty cheap, and once or twice, I find a title that I can't seem to let go of, and then I buy it.

One morning, I chanced upon these two ladies who were also avid readers...and we launched into an impromptu book discussion, which was totally great. Instant learning from the street, I'd say.

:-)

The lady in the middle has a son who was also a doctor, and she liked the fact that I was interested in photography...and that my life wasn't solely revolving around medicine. :-)

 I bought a book at that time, too. Always a good memory attached to a buy whenever I get one.

Now these are nice surprises in the mornings. 

much love, 

S.

BonChon is Love.

My BonChon lunch at 2:30pm. so...darn. good. 

Before I ever tasted BonChon Chicken, I've always wondered what the fuss (and hype) was all about... and after I got my first bite, I was never the same again. :-p

:-)

Anyway, it's Chicken, twice fried, so it's crispier, and less greasy *sure*... There are three sauces to choose from, by my first and favorite choice would have to be, Spicy. I simply love the stuff! 

My first taste of it was with a friend, Stephen, who bought dinner that time. He asked what I wanted for dinner, and because I was so hungry and BonChon was the first store I saw, I immediately made a beeline to the place. No regrets. Over small talk about the upcoming delivery of his "Missus", the importance of investing in real estate, and about other life stuff, I devoured my order of spicy chicken wings. So super.

The next time I had it was when I was on-duty with Pearl, Lovelle and RG and we were wondering where to get our dinner. It was RG's first time to try BonChon chicken, and he made another RG-type hirit, where, he said that he wanted his first time to eat it, to be with someone special. And we were like, all hungry, so we basically ignored his comments and trooped on over to the nearest BonChon branch. Best dinner ever. Although Pearl and Lovelle couldn't take the spiciness of the chicken. Lovelle was in tears all throughout the meal. haha. <-- This type of chicken is absolutely perfect with rice, although on its own, it IS something else too. 

It is affordable, although I wouldn't recommend it as a daily meal. It's just too good. You just have to not have it all the time, so that when you're hungry again, you'll crave it so much, you won't ever think of any other food until you have it. :-) I was in a mall full of restaurants earlier this afternoon, and I'd passed Bonchon Chicken place and it was full of people, and I was like, "Nah, maybe next time." Yet, I kept thinking about its chicken, with the crunchy skin and the delightfully flavorful spicy chicken variety...and I ended up taking a seat and wolfing down my order. 

Bliss.

:-)

I'm seriously emotional about it too. haha. One time, when they were out for lunch while I was screening patients, RG, one of my coresidents asked me if I wanted to order with them. I ordered the usual (my favorite), two piece chicken; drumstick and thigh, hot and spicy, with rice... So, a couple of hours later, when I was all done (and all beat from having to interview 6 people in-depth about their problems), I went to the callroom and asked about my share/order. RG, with his poker face, comes up to me and says, "Sorry, Atep, we were in a rush, and all we got you were fries."

I could feel my face crumple, and my heart sink to the floor (being both tired and hungry, oh, and drained is the worst feeling in the world.)...and I felt like crying. I had expected to be able to eat well when i got back to the callroom...but, this??

A few seconds later, he grins and goes into their room and fetches the bag of precious BonChon chicken...and the rest of the world became dead to me temporarily as i happily devoured my order of BonChon.

More BonChon soon.

BonChon simply is, Love.

:-)

Love, 

S.

Daybreak

5:10am, Manila

Right now, on the horizon, the first crimson splashes of early morning sunlight are peeking, making a delightful little contrast to the twinkly city lights of the lower buildings in the distance. The last star of the night will be covered by the early morning smog clouds soon enough... Not that many bodies are stirring on the streets, but I can hear the faint buzzing of the early morning commuters anyway on the main street (Taft)...

I've always loved the mornings... at one point or two, I've whimsically thought that each one brought on a new page to write on. "The promise of a new day," according to one Paula Abdul song, so to speak.

:-) One by one, the lights in the distant house buildings are getting extinguished, and the pale salmon reflection on the Pasig river of the crimson sky will be no more, and the all-night stores will be have swept away the dirt of their porches after the long quiet night will be ready for business.

I am here, standing on my balcony, resting my chin on the ledge, thankful for the new day.

A new day, and a chance to do something good, is always a promise kept.

------

While lying on my stomach at the callroom after a bout of food poisoning yesterday, I was reading the first few chapters Ayn Rand's "The Art of Fiction", a series of lectures that she did for a small group of friends. She wrote about how the subconscious...and everything you've ever been through was important for writing...and how good writers should always have these to draw on for inspiration...

I haven't had that much time for writing these days, really, but I do admit I've had a pretty full plate these days... my "investments" into my subconscious have been in the forms of new sights, new feelings, new experiences, new patients that I have seen and helped in my own way...the belief in the promise of new beginnings.

Will write more about them later, of course, but for now, this should suffice...

I am happy. 

:-)

Love,

S.

Shakespeare in "Class"

My coresidents  Aleah and Joff and I attended the Master Classes IV activity at the University of the East yesterday. There were a series of really good lectures (something I don't regret attending because it was almost like a review of research and psychopharmacology).

We have exams on Friday...

Anyway, there was this segment that was particularly interesting...Dr. Cabuquit, a consultant from UE inserted this little ditty about mental illness in the times of Shakespeare. We all thought it was pretty amusing, and  then..

 

he wrote his own "response" to Shakespeare.

haha...such fun. Literature, and words. Ah, heaven.

and... Joff just plays with the iPad.

LOL.

What a moment.

Long live Shakespeare.

Love,

S.

Photo: with Dr. Abeleda, psychiatrist extraordinaire

Dr. Connie Abeleda was recently in town, and she gave a lecture one afternoon.

She had been a practicing psychiatrist for 20 years in the US...and she was connected with Mt. Sinai hospital Psychiatry..

:-)

I was a little late, having come from the OPD, so when I got there, I was a little embarrassed to find that there was only one seat left, near Joff and the others. I wanted to sit there, but then they told me that that seat had already been taken. Joff said, "there's a seat up front Atep, you can take that."

So I shrugged my shoulders and went and took the seat right next to her...

I had a lot of fun. She was a very interactive speaker.

---

I learned later that they had really planned to put me there in the first place (knowing my propensity for asking questions).

Bibo Kid strikes again.

Love,

S.

Photo: Micro-Reunion

One of my high school friends got promoted, and he invited us all to dinner at Italianni's, this really nice Italian restaurant at Greenbelt...

I arrived late, 'cause I had a thing at Quezon City, but I fully intended to be there, so there I was, just in time for dessert. :-)

 That's Herv, Gayle, TonTon and Twan. :-)

 (I think we spent 75% of the time laughing out loud.) :-)

 I got home at 1:30, they drove me to my place.

When I got to do some "Me" time on the balcony, I thought about how much dorky fun we had in high school, and that we will always had those fun blooper memories to laugh about. :-)

 Love,

 S.

 P.S. Guess what...we talked a lot about my line of work, i.e. "Hey, I have this friend..." and so on and so forth. :-D

Photo: Football Baby

This little dude wandered into our football game last night... He's a cutie...he even has his own skills ball! :-D :-) (he's a year and a half of football cuteness. And I thought the girl chasing him around was his big sister. My bad. She was his mom. haha. foot-in-mouth. *blush*) Love, S.

Black Ink Pasta...

is not for a romantic date. lol, unless of course, your date fancies black teeth and lips.

if you're out with medschool classmates, like I was last thursday, it is just the yummy thing to order.

was out with my med school friends... Smooch! Grin! (and no, i'm not dating currently at the moment, but if i were, i'd probably order Black Ink Pasta and see how the guy would react to charcoal smiles.) Fun night, all in all. Love, S.

Callroom "insight"

My junior duty partner and I were talking about life, love (unrequited and otherwise), psychiatry in general, and to sum it all up, in my own words...

you can't possibly understand another person's pain unless you've known some of your own.


It was the summary of it all. The reason why we become good psychiatrists is because we understand the human condition...and underneath all that symptomatology, mystified sometimes, there lies a person in pain, suffering.

Oh, and this was over KFC's fully-loaded meal...

Love,

S.

Photo: No regrets

No regrets. Pasay City, May 17, 2012. (Photo by'; Me)

No regrets.

That's how life should be lived.

:-) With smart choices, and with a big heart.

Love,

S.

Photo: Lasts and Firsts

38th Floor

Sunrise in the new one. :-) (May 19,2012)

Same great adventure...just moved to a new place. :-)

:-D

Love, 

S.

Photo: Tessie Tomas Salad

I would highly recommend the Tessie Tomas Salad from Chef's Quarter. - This is coming from someone who doesn't eat vegetables. much.