I AM (LEGEND) doctor

i am a member of pinoymd yahoogroups, and there has been a long email thread recently about the plight of doctors (salary, status, hirap ng buhay). I dont know if i met Carl during residency, but i sure can relate to him on the realities of training in that big hospital sa Taft Ave. Here's my response to his post.

and btw, this is not a will-smith-wannabe-post :-)

Dear Carl,

Wow, i wasnt able to read this the first time. It is a sad reality that not all of us are "Anak ng Diyos", people have the general notion that all Doctors are on the top tier of the society (financial-wise). And even if you want to tell them that we're no different from all the fresh graduates of the University, it's just hard to change such an established notion.

The truth is, having a diploma, additional two letters at the end of our name (and probably a few more post residency) a white coat and a stet hanging on our shoulders are not 100% ticket to success. We still have to work our way up and climb the long ladder to success.

The harsh reality of our economy not only affects the tambays in the kanto, the millions of mang pandoy and the countless indays. Doctors are not immune to experience the difficulties of establishing a practice.

On a positive note, we studied so many years to attain doctorhood. We met so many people along the way. All the prelims, midterms, removals, practicals, decuries and board exam made us logical people. So i'm sure all of us can pass this chapter of struggle in our career. In the end, its the benefit we contribute to the society that makes a mark to the lives of people we have touched and healed. One patient at a time.

Carl, hope you're all good in the new path you have chosen. Doctors are survivors. And to all of us, keep evolving, tandaan mo, hindi ka nag-iisa. Kudos Carl for this great contribution.

rheiboy17

its been a while

It's been a while.

I know i can give hundreds, make it thousands, of excuses why i suddenly put my blog into hiatus. oh well, if my blogpost can rant, he would probably cussed me for abandoning him.

if simon cowell can say his apologies before the anouncement of this season's American Idol, then I can pretty much say whatever i want (this is my post anyways). Sorry po, subukan kong magpost ng mas madalas.....

so what's up?

excuse #1 - briefly, i'm still in the wonderful world of corporate pharma but no longer in Global City Taguig (a.k.a. The Fort). I'm now in Makati Central Business District. Yup, am in a new company. And i thank all the people from company A for giving me all the necessary knowledge and skills to survive in this business. I definitely wouldn't be at Company B if not for the training and experience i got from Company A, i will be forever greatful.

excuse #2 - busy life. adjustment phase. some stuff to read. new therapeutic area. getting to know a lot of new faces. travel here and there. start anew. ilovemyjob.

excuse #3 - i cant think of any..... ah yeah, i'd spent a lot of time watching korean movies during weekends (Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy, The First Shop of Coffee Prince, A love Story in Harvard, Il Mare, Eraser In My Head, The Classic, Addicted, Sad Movie, and a lot more). Thanks to the very "accessible bangketa's" with the ever accomodating vendors selling "DVD, DVD, DVD"

excuse #4 - ..... i'll park for now. until my next blog, when? hmmmm.....

*wink

eyeitis?

my job entails a lot of computer usage.... come to think of it, most of the jobs now cant survive without this nasty, i mean handy gizmo. but too much exposure to the monitor really makes my eyes hurt. then the pain radiates upto the occipital area. geez headache, eye pain. my job is not physically demanding (hence the flabby abs - 6 packed pandesal rolled into one big bulge), but at the end of the day, i'm still blessed with such a nice job (unlike the one i saw at BW's post) though it's really tiresome.

uhgh, my table is a mess, my monitor is not helpin a bit.


let me hear some music....... ahhhhh, that's it. imagine i'm havin some quiet time away from the office, a vacation in a place such as this....


just imagine......

ok, back to work! a cup of tea will give me a quick fix!

diaspora of filipino MDs

this is an email i received from pinoyMD, it is quite long (like most of us, i have a short attention span) but it was really written from the heart. inspiring, touching, very true indeed. missmed97, Congratulations and I'm sure you'll be successful in NZ, dont forget to look back ok? Kudos!

(fyi - pinoyMD is a yahoogroup)


just want to share my story..medyo mahaba pero tyagaan nyo na lang..

i was already applying for nz/australia since 2005. i even paid an
agency a handsome amount just to find the fastest way out of the
country. some said apply lang daw sa internet makakaalis na. yeah
right! may mga kilala ako naka alis na, ako two years na nagaaply
ah...andito pa rin ako!! i was thinking... malas ba akong tao? di na
ba ako mahal ni Lord? ano ba?!

im married with one kid, im the bread winner in the family. im
making enough here but im so sawa na, i want to secure my family's
future and i know it wont be here. i had been a silent member of
pinoyz2nz since last year. some said i should do my EOI first so
that may fallback ako. actually wala na akong fallback, ito lang. so
i lodge my EOI july29 '06, was selected aug2 but the decision didnt
become sucessful coz kulang daw ako ng points after recomputation.
para akong pinagsakluban ng langit at lupa. God, hindi mo na ba ako
talaga mahal? i read here somewhere sa forum about an inspiring
story of a housewife who after many months/years of applying thru
the net got a job offer and was on her way to nz. i said to myself..
ang swerte naman nito. ito lagi ang pinanghahawakan ko na someday...
someday ako naman ang susulat dito at magkukwento.

after the failed EOI, i didnt reapply coz nawalan ako ng morale but
i didnt stop. everyday i just send my cv to companies. walang sawa,
sige lang ng sige. kahit saang site. ano bang mawawala sa akin? eh i
really have nothing to start with, ok lang na mapudpod daliri ko at
magkakalyo sa kaka apply. sometimes i will be sending 50
applications per day therefore 50 negative replies rin dumadating.
nakakadepress na rin syempre, there's a time i will be going home
from the computer shop 12 midnight walking in the dark.. (wala
kaming computer, malayo ang internet shop at wala akong car).. i
havent had dinner and i was crying kasi i spent my last money on the
net for so many hours and wala naman nangyayari. i was into self
pity. mega depressed. what else can i do? i was praying, thats all i
can do... i was asking God to help me, give me strength to go on
kasi.. baka di ko na makaya. everyday ganito ang scenario and i
didnt stop.. i just went on. i was remembering the inspiring story i
read, in one of her lines she said 'isa lang naman ang kailangang
positive reply, ok na'. i held on to that line.. oo nga naman, isa
lang...isa lang.

sept21'06, a mail came saying they got my application last july pero
ngayon lang daw sila nakareply. palitan ng mga mails, send ng
kailangan nilang requirements. i wasnt getting my hopes up kasi ayaw
ko madepressed big time. kailangan ko daw maregister sa medical
council of nz, the MCNZ (btw, im a doctor)etc etc. by nov29 they
sent me a job offer, miracle #1. syempre nataranta naman ako! sabi
ko naku baka ito na ito!! pero it is dependent on my acquisition of
medical registration. sabi nila sila na daw bhala, all i have to do
i wait (i havent heard anybody na binigyan ng medical registration
ng nz kasi may mga exam pa ito at mahirap ma approve)i dont know how
i got it, even my employer was surprised! i got the authorization fr
medical council jan9. miracle #2! so now i can apply na a visa
because this is a requirement. everything is happening so fast!
first things first, medicals muna. im working in a hospital and
made a preliminary xray on myself na normal ako (syempre i have to
be sure) the reading of our radiologist was a "suspicious density on
the upper lobe", another radiologist read it and it is a "granuloma"
daw! nataranta na naman ako! if i have any findings on my medicals
automatic my visa would be jeopardized! God, pls help, if you really
want me to be in nz, you will get me there! kahit na ganito i pushed
thru with medicals, it was released in a sealed envelope after
4days. i was so nervous coz i know may findings ang 1st personal
xray ko, i dont know if the official reading will be negative.
milagro na pag nagkataon. and it was! miracle #3

so i went on with completion of docs, may mga minor balakid like NBI
ko i have to go to carriedo pa coz i have the same name with a court
case pero sige lang, i went with the flow. so finally i submitted my
application for working visa jan22, 45-60 days daw ang waiting time.
naku, pano na im expected in nz by feb12, at marami daw nadedeny sa
working visa. first time i heard from the embassy jan26 confirming
my identity and documents. guess what? the embassy called again
today feb1 !! in just 7days, the visa officer is telling me she is
stamping my visa approved!! miracle #4. i was crying..tears of joy.
until now im crying as im typing this... as in hagulhol, with
matching sipon, grabe. truly after all those hardships, the long
wait, the struggle, the self pity, the desperation, the insanity..
He will never forsake you.

last obstacle, the booking. my flight is not yet confirmed for
feb12. nakakahiya man aminin, wala pa po akong pambili ng tiket,im
praying hard na sana.. sana lang.. may dumating na miracle #5. im
positive it will. i know with His help i firmly believe, He never
fails. diba!

to those who have no JO, EOI stage, waiting for ITA, wala pang
interview, whatever process you are in, wag mawalan ng pag asa. i
know how you feel. i've been there. mas malala pa nga.
always remember, when you think you're already at the very end of
the rope, just tighten that grip, pray ka lang.. pray hard ka lang.
at ika nga, nasa atin pa rin ang gawa.

sa mga tumulong po sa akin, sa mga walang sawang nagbibigay ng lakas
ng loob at payo, mga tips on how to's. you know who you are...
malaki po ang naitulong ng forum na ito upang maibsan ang mga agam
agam, katanungan, fears and doubts. sana dumami pa tayo and continue
to help each other. return the blessing to others. mabuhay tayong
lahat and see you in NZ!

good luck sa atin.
God bless us all!

MENTALLY STIMULATING AND EXHAUSTING

I told myself that this year, I will blog atleast once a day (along with my 2007 resolution of staying fit, jog 2-3x/week, healthy diet – which, as expected, I am unable to do). No particular topic, just write anything. But due to unforeseen circumstances – meetings, lectures, approvals and all – I basically parked blogging and indefinitely shut blogger world out.

This week is no exception. Anyone can make a book of complaints about everyday toxicities in life…. but that’s not me. I’m no saint either. I have come to a realization that its human nature to feel panicky as if the end of the world is near whenever there’s a deadline to beat. Its human nature to be “oscar the grouch” when things don’t turn out the way you expect it. Its human nature to say “I give up” when you’re sanity’s practically hanging by a thread. And I’m human.

But after all the complaints, morbid thoughts (is it suicidal tendencies?) and countless cussing, its human nature to say, “hey, I can do this.” Surprisingly, I did.

Ahhh, this is my life. This is my job. Mentally stimulating and at the same time, exhausting. Paradoxical indeed. I’m only human. We’re only human. And yes, I love my job and I’m facing the challenge!

see? blogging is therapeutic! i feel good!

netizen in distress

i have a deadline to beat. i was in front of the computer all night to finish some stuff and slept at the same time the sun was having his majestic entrace at this side of the planet.

12noon, my little rascals are jumpin all over me, askin me open the computer and play DISNEY! (sorry guys, give me a break, its weekend - kids rule and i allow them to use the net - weekdays is a no no). To my surprise (or dismay) i cant access the net! Imagine the reaction of my kids - the tantrums and all, no matter how well you can explain the situation to the kids, believe me it will not work! so i called the service provider - glitch again. taiwanquake really made an impact. i read in one daily's that their workin on it already - exploring the seabed and fixing the cables (reminds me of fix you by coldplay). fix it, fix it, please, please please.......

kids? you know how they are, after a while they will give up as if nothin happened. there they are - playing with their thorn, worn-out toys, incomplete train, robot without a head, etc etc etc. - easy to please (unlike you guys! OLD people you!)

ME? i have a deadline to beat. am now in a net cafe, sending my accomplished work-of-art to my boss. (extracharge though, sigh)

done.

bloggitis anyone?

i told myself that this year i will make anything-under-the-sun-that-my-mind-can-come-up blogpost everyday. blog-all-you-can, yah that was my initial plan...... until reality sets in.

everyday, i wake up early, eat breakfast, rush to the lrt station, squeeze myself in (together with 100,000 folks from all over the metro) ride a jeepney to the world famous EDSA and in less than hour (that is, if youre lucky) voila! am in the comforts of my office. turn on the aircon, set up the laptop, pray, launch microsoft outlook (pray again, hoping there's not many mails = work)then on with the job proper and so on and so forth......

before you know it, the day is over! during those hours, it always occur to me to post in my blogspot/blogpost friendster. "it can wait, after office hours, i will make one", "this is a good topic, i'd probably blog this later", "hmmm, nice pictures, i will post it in a while"

now i opened my blog, i cant believe that my last post was january 2! see, all planning, pumping creativity but no input - no action! the "later" fever.

i guess that's why im havin headaches, hyperthermic episodes, unexplained perspiration everytime i open the computer, reflex clicking of the favorites button to blogger and friendster. - all these, subtle manifestations of a rare form of communicable illness afflicting netizens with blog. BLOGGITIS! and the remedy - simple. write a blog and the symptoms will just go away.


ahhhhh, energized. now that's what i call quick relief. you havin bloggitis now?