Changing gears

I'll be working as a visiting company physician for the meantime. At least it's something to do during this break. I can still have my relatively low-stress vacation while at the same time keeping myself sharp by seeing and treating patients and hopefully earning a little on the side.

Pre-residency at UST ended a few days ago. Well, at least as far as the Neuropsych department is concerned. Do I regret having dropped out of pre-residency? Not really. I'm quite at peace with my decision. I guess one of the reasons is that I felt my life was spiraling out of control and I needed to pause and reflect a bit for a while. I've always wanted to pause a while and "smell the flowers" as they say. I believe that in rder to really be content with life, one should learn to appreciate the little things.. and now I have time to do just that. :) I also have a lot of cleaning up around the house to do. I promised my dad since way back durig pre-med that I would straighten out my room and toss out all the broken-down stuff gathering dust that I didn't need anyway.

My congratulations go out to my batchmates who have completed their respective pre-residency stints. It's a tough job, but you guys managed to pull through. And for the others who are still in the thick of things like the people in CGH-OB (Nats, Kathy, Gra, and Ivy), good luck! Kaya niyo yan!!

It's really a whole new ballgame after passing the boards. The doors just seemed to have burst wide open. Finally, you're free to do what you want, take whatever path you wish to take, and go where you want to go. Unlike clerkship where you're under pressure to pass the revalida so that you'd graduate and have internship with your batchmates, or to finish internship so you can take the boards with your friends, or to pass the boards along with your class, the "real" world is a totally different animal. Nobody cares whether you decide to train or not, whether you take the MLE and train abroad, or (heaven forbid) you decide to turn your back on Medicine permanently. Bottom line is that you're finally free of the herd, and you may roam as you please, knowing fully well that the choices you make are truly your own, not because of some pressure to conform with an established set of precepts and norms.

I've often told my interns and clerks (while I was still a pre-res) that the revalida (or passing med school) is for your parents, while passing the boards is for your own personal gain. Your parents went through a lot just to put you through Medical School, the least you could do for them is cough up a nice diploma which also entitles them bragging rights to having a son/daughter who became a doctor. ;)

BrainiaxMD's Fried Shrimp Dumpling (?), and other gustatory delights

Tried my hand at frying again the other day, and the results were less than satisfactory...

Fried Shrimp Dumpling/Kikiam (?) a.k.a. Diok-Pit-He

Ok, so maybe it's not an exact translation. I don't really know what it's called in English. Anyway, frying these things were a little tricky, as they had the bad tendency of falling apart when you least expected it. I wound up with half of them looking like hash because the wrapper holding them together disintegrated while frying. my mom says the oil must be really hot before I put them in, so I guess I need to wait a bit longer the next time..


We also decided to try out something different from the supermarket. Me and my bro are big cookie fans, so I decided it was time we upped the ante and tried something a bit "classier"...

Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Mmmm... COOKIE... =)

Since this is a foodie post, I might as well mention that I'm raving over the pandesal they have there at PAN DE AMERICANO!!! Sarap!!! A bit pricey at P5.50 apiece, but really well worth it... :D

BrainiaxMD's Butter-Fried Tanigue

Since I'm at home most of the time, I decided to make lunch for myself today. I wouldn't say that I'm great at it, but at least I can safely say that I can cook without burning the kitchen down.

BUTTER-FRIED TANIGUE

Isn't it a beauty? I admit that the presentation could have been a little bit better, but the darn fish fell apart on me as I was lifting it out of the frying pan. As for taste, I guess it was pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but it would probably be up to my mom's standards.

The recipe's pretty simple. Take 1 piece of Tanigue (I'm not too sure about the weight. We bought this baby from Cold Storage), 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, and about 1/6 of a stick of butter. Rub the salt and pepper into the fish, after which you apply the butter. Let it sit for about an hour to soak up the flavor, then fry in a pan. Toast one side till golden brown (around 5-6 minutes) then flip it over. Allow ample frying time for this side as well, then you're done! Its that simple! Makes around 3-4 servings. :)

I'll be sure to post about any other forays of the gastronomical kind. Heck, I might even start my own cookbook: "The Culinary Adventures of a Vacationing Physician"