Thursday, March 31, 2016

Sannga ba ang punta natin?

Well I had a very lengthy discussion with a very good friend, and this time, the topic is about "heaven and hell", which, I guess is a quite heavy topic for a casual conversation.

Paniwala nya kasi, there is no heaven, hell, or purgatory, while I think otherwise. He believes that we are placed here on earth and it is here where we should make our own heaven, doing what Jesus has made while He is here on earth, and we should all strive to live a good Christian life. That way, our stay here on earth becomes heaven.

More? »

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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Nothing is Impossible

After having a very long hiatus in writing, I decided to write a blogpost. (Lol, seriously) 

Updates.... I am not a third year student, close to graduating. I have been recently elected as the student council president. I was bombarded with what the third year of medicine can offer. And I am having that periodic intermittent loss-of-hope syndrome again and again. 

 I feel like I want to quit this course. Again. And again. And again. 

Whenever I see my friends' and classmates' posts, with them being able to go to vacation and enjoy the fruits of their labor, here I am, working my ass off, studying, and loading myself up with stresses which I could have avoided. 

 I wanted this. I am the one who pursued this course, and I am the one who filed by certificate of candicady. It was me who wanted to become a physician to help the needy. It was me who wanted to hone my leadership skills and serve the student body. I don't have anyone but myself to blame. Sometimes, I just wanted to give up.

But I realized, in the end, it is from whom you extract your strength from that matters. My friends, family, my team, and Jesus which, when I am really stressed and can't go on, is always present, though I sometimes fail to follow His example. Even though I am really unfair when it comes to Him, He is always there to lend me a helping hand - those bruised, bloody hands are whaticks me up when I stumble. It was those warm hands that makes my heart feel warm again. 

And as I was losing hope, I consulted the scriptures, and it gave me this wonderful message: 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." - Psalms 3:5 NASB

God is really great. All is well.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Figure1: The "Instagram" for Medical Professionals

Photo Credit: http://www.wheelessonline.com/images/bennf2.jpg
Do you recognize the image above? Or do you even have the idea of what disease is it?

That's the same for me, before I downloaded this so-called "Instagram for Medical Professionals."

Let me share a story...

It was the second year of my Doctor of Medicine degree when I came across the subject Pathology. Yeah, it came easy for the first few months, going through the basics, however, as it ran long, it became harder and harder. Lab time transformed from rest time to serious time as every slide becomes complicated. A professor is present, however, is not enough to cater all our explanations. I tried to hit the books, however, it gave me additional headaches.

I needed help.

It was then that I read an online article about the "Instagram" for medical professionals. It is called Figure1, which is built by medical professionals for the same, though it is widely open for those medical professional-wannabes as well as students.


Figure1, Photo-sharing App for Medical Professionals!

It showed me Pathology slides which I was not able to appreciate from the laboratory, as well as books. Those diseases which were not taught very well were well-explained. Even those topics concerning dentistry, which I think are important for our medical career are introduced. Rare diseases, which are not even mentioned in school are found there, shown from real patients (with confidentiality matters, of course.)

Real pathologists, internists, radiologists, medical students, nurses, medical technologists, etc., are interacting with me. It's like I am working in a hospital. It's like a meetup with people having the same "language" as me. It's like I found a new family.

I started telling friends, classmates, as well as family about Figure1, and have enjoyed the application ever since. Our knowledge about the diseases we are studying became more vast, and it really supplemented my medical studies.

It definitely is helpful.

And now, I would like to share these benefits with you, my dear readers. For medical professionals and students alike, this application can become helpful. It is available in the Android OS, as well as iOS. The application is highly safe, and is device-friendly. It does not require much resources, which is really nice.

You can download the Figure1 App here.


PS: And, if you're wondering what disease is shown in the X-ray film above, it's a case of Legg-Calves-Perthes disease, one of the rare cases available in Figure1!


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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

So this is how life goes..

You Only Live Once.

This is a statement that you might commonly hear everywhere. This cliché Has been used repeatedly that it has lost its real meaning. Well, based on my observations. Youngsters tend to do things which maybe dangerous, or overly pleasure-giving, and say YOLO! afterwards, as if what they did can really make life worth living.

Just today, I realized how fragile life is. How important it is to be cherished and to be enjoyed the right way. Let me tell you the story of Chicky (as named by my sister).

Day 1. May 9, 2015. Saturday
It was the start of the strong winds and rains Dodong has unleashed in our province. For an hour or two, torrential winds really blew up everything to our house - dust, dirt, garbage. As I was planning to go outside and meet friends, I waited for the rain to stop.

It stopped after two hours, and then left our house. As I came back, I heard it. This chick peeping, maybe asking for her mother. I saw it, still wet from the rains, in a box, with a flashlight focused on it, one foot still not working, one eye still closed. It just lay still, probably looking for its mother.

I asked my mom where they got Chicky. She said they saw it in our backyard after the rains. (Well, we do have a wall before our backyard, and it stands 6 feet. So Chicky really flew its way across - or better yet, was carried by the strong winds.)

I took Chicky in my hands, put some gentle pressure over it with both hands, to simulate a hen's way to keep her chicks warm. For a second, it stopped peeping, and felt it sleep.

Still looking for a heat source (we don't have a lamp), I tried improvising. I took our WiFi router, put some foil over it, and then put the router on a box. I placed Chicky, still immobile, over the router. It continued sleeping.

Well, I just prayed that Chicky will make it through the cold night.

Day 2, May 10, 2015, Sunday
As I went out of our room, I saw Chicky's box empty. As I rushed to the box, I heard some peeping. Chicky is on the floor! And she's able to walk and the other eye was open! I took Chicky on both hands, and thanked God for the blessing. And then, I put Chicky on her box.

We are set to go to our grandparents' house to celebrate Mother's Day. I can't bring Chicky along. The air conditioning might cause hypothermia. What I did is, I put the box below the table where it's at, took some water and cooked rice (the best I can give), and left the box open for ventilation. Took off.

Now as we arrived, I noticed that our grandparents are currently taking care of a hen! So sad we didn't bring Chicky along. I was looking for surrogates, since I really have no idea where it came from in our street.

Came home, and looking for a sign of Chicky. Yes, that peeping is still present! Again, prepared its pseudo-coop, and resigned for the night,

Day 3, May 11, 2015, Monday
Well Chicky is a strong chick. I was able to hear the peeping while still in my room. She's in her lair, unlike yesterday. Took her some food, water. And was ready for the day. My sister took her outside - saying that she needs the warmth. Took her out, then put her in shade after an hour or two of exposure. She shows promise to survive until I look for surrogates.

I tried looking for other houses which have hens, but still, negative. I really wonder where Chicky came from.

The night of Monday, Chicky has a weaker-than-normal peeping. I thought she was just tired for peeping the whole day. Hell, who wouldn't? I set up her lair again, and put her on top of the router. She moved, but the peeping is the main concern. It was weaker.

An hour later, the peeping stopped. My brother told me that Chicky stopped peeping, and was immobile. I immediately ran to her box and looked, her eyes closed, immobile, but still, breathing spontaneously. "She's sleeping.", I told myself.

I never thought it would be her last day.

Day 4, May 12, 2015, Tuesday
No peeping. No signs of Chicky. I saw her on her lair, immobile, and not breathing. I took her with my hands, and saw that she laid still, one eye open (possibly because of her position), with what I think is saliva dripping out of her beak.

Chicky has died.

Filled with sadness, I took Chicky to our backyard, our first encounter with her, dug a hole, and told Chicky that I am sorry for being a bad steward. I buried Chicky with a promise to be a better one to other animals.

LIFE may seem easy, as we can do everything with it, as well as our bodies, as we can do as we please. Little do we know that this life that we take for granted is a highly fragile one, and once the damage was made, there's no turning back. It's our choice if it will pass and be remembered, or be put into misery. 

Once life is already lost, we cannot say sorry to the Lord, the only life giver, for being a bad steward for our bodies and lives. A life is a gift from God, and what we must do with it is something that will make God proud of.

Rest in peace, Chicky.




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Thursday, May 07, 2015

Let me get things clear...

I am a Christian, under Roman Catholicism. Let me show you what we do and what I don't.

We believe in God, His son Jesus Christ, our saviour, and the Holy Spirit.

We do not worship wood, nor are we idolaters. We do worship the person being "portrayed" by the statue. We do not worship inanimate objects as portrayed by the event involving the Golden Bull. No.

We do revere Mary, the mother of God. She's not an "ordinary girl" imbued with a micro-sperm. We also revere saints, which are "role models" in our preparations for the kingdom of God.

I personally do not detract other Christian denominations - I do believe in mutual respect. I believe that as one big family, we should never let anyone down. We have the same goal, just different paths.

I am staying here in my religion not because I believe that we are superior, but this religion has provided me with different avenues to worship God.

And I belive that it is Jesus Christ which will judge us when the time comes.

I am a Christian. I am Catholic. We are all children of God, and all of us will be saved.

I am not posting this because I'm angry with what happened. Though I cannot just rest and watch while others detract me, my faith, and my church.

I rest my case.