Avatar

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy

At long last, I finally managed to scrape together the time to post this review! Watched this movie with the family during a Sunday when I was "from" duty. At first I was hesitant to watch, seeing as I was really tired and badly needed sleep, but the movie didn't disappoint AT ALL.. :D

See related video: http://brainiaxmd.multiply.com/video/item/43
I wont go into so much detail with the plot, but I hope I will do it some justice here..

The story kicks off with some guy named Jake leaving a dying Earth behind for some distant moon (Pandora) found in the Alpha Centauri system to be involved in a weird-ass "Avatar" program, wherein people hardwired themselves to genetically-engineered creatures made to resemble the indegenous sentient life-forms there on the planet, with the goal of winning the hearts and minds of the Na'vi populace and conducting extensive scientific research at the same time. As we all know, exploration and colonization is not all fun-and-games. Along with the research teams are a group of paramilitary marine-type forces which are tasked to secure the foothold on the strange new world, which would eventually serve as the antagonists in the movie. The world of Pandora is also home to a strange new (and very valuable) mineral called "Unobtanium" which is the main reason the "Corporation" came to Pandora in thew first place.

As the story progresses, Jake masters the use of his Avatar, and while on a routine scouting mission, gets separated from his group and encounters a wild jaguar-like creature called a Thanator. He eventually gets saved by a female Na'vi named Neytiri. She brings him to her tribe (the Omatikaya) and, to cut a long story short, eventually gets accepted as one of them. However, before Jake becomes totally immersed with the Na'vi and turns native, he agrees to spy for the military faction which are eying the "base tree" of the Omaticaya, seeing as it sits right smack on top of a huge deposit of Unobtanium. The humans eventually attack and overrun the great tree, much to the dismay of Jake and his fellow researchers. The tribe runs for the shelter of their Tree of Souls, kind of like a central hub for their culture and religion which allows them to interface with nature. Jake and the other Na'vi sympathizers are imprisoned for their betrayal, but are busted loose by a pilot named Trudy who is disgusted by the strong-arm tactics of the corporation. The renegades set up shop at a remote scientific outpost safely hidden from scanners due to intense magnetic interference in the area. Jake eventually manages to win back the natives' trust by taming Toruk, a badass dinosaur-like flying creature that a total on only 5 Na'vi have ever managed to tame. He eventually assembles the different Na'vi tribes together in a sort of "final stand" against the human marauders who have made it there objective to launch a preemptive strike on the Tree of Souls to force the locals to submit. With a little help from the mother godess Eywa, the Na'vi repel the invaders and eventually kick the humans off-planet.

Apart form the computer-generated visual spectacle that defined Avatar, I was really impressed by the depth of the culture created for the Na'vi people, especially the fact that they even created a whole new language just for the movie. The neural interface between the Na'vi and their animals/environment was pretty cool too. With a compelling storyline and all the right bells and whistles attached to it, Avatar was really well worth the money and time we spent in the cinema. Definitely a must-have for your home-video collection.

Under observation

I was feeling a little under the weather when I got up today to prepare to go to work. True enough, I kinda felt lightheaded as I entered the CR and had an episode or near-syncope after I got up from the loo. Hence I decided to forgo going to the hospital today, seeing as I wasn't really in tip-top shape (and I wasn't on duty anyway). Sigh.. I should really learn to take better care of myself...

Nakakapikon

I just had a misunderstanding with some of the staff here at the hospital.. Some people can be such big assess at times. I won't rattle off who did what or when, because it's not my style to make a big deal out of things like this. I usually just let things slide.. I guess it was just in the heat of the moment. You're tired, hungry, lacking sleep, feeling under-appreciated, overworked, underpaid, and just basically feeling like crap, then stuff like this has to happen.. sigh..

I was never one to get involved in arguments, with me being a pacifist most of the time. I guess a guy can only take so much before he reaches the boiling point and all hell breaks loose.. I want to return to the good old carefree days, where life was a whole lot simpler and the world was a lot less hostile. Oftentimes I wish I could just shut myself in a cocoon, safely undisturbed from all the madness in this world.

I guess all I want is a little bit of peace.. but sadly, this seems nowhere to be found along this long winding path that I have chosen to pursue.

Disconnecting

I have learned (slowly and via the hard way) that  being able to COMPLETELY disconnect yourself from your work is ABSOLUTELY necessary if you wish to save yourself from going insane or having a major breakdown..

I guess everyone has hang-ups about work, no matter what they do for a living. Unfortunately,  feel like I've drawn the shorter end of the stick, especially when I think of people with jobs that don't involve going on duty or having to stay in one place for more than 24 hours.. So to all you kids who want to take Medicine and become a doctor, REALLY think about it first. Man I'm tired already... I wsh I had more time to  myself.. 

I have decided..

.. that I shall be doing things a little differently tonight.

Whereas at around this time of the day, one would find me in front of this computer wasting my life away catching virtual mice or ghosts, managing a make-believe crackpot hospital, or going on ficticious quests with my merry band, I thought of doing something a bit more productive for a change..

Like I've said before, blogging is a thereapeutic thing for me. I guess writing in general allows me to immerse myself in my own thoughts without really giving a rat's ass about anything else that doesn't really seem to be of any import to me at the time. I've really missed this, just being able to let your innermost thoughts loose and all the while attempting a bit of sophistry so that the content will be palatable to any reader that happens to drop by and scan the pages. :P

I'm 2 1/3 months into my first year of residency. I'll be the first to admit that I had a REALLY rocky start, and thoughts of just walking away haunted my every waking moment, even moreso whenever I was on duty.. Good thing common sense took over, and with the prayers and help of my parents and loved ones, I was able to get back on my feet and soldier on.

The initial shock of the extreme responsibility seems to have worn off a little, and I find myself enjoying work a tiny bit more each day. Whereas (man, I'm starting to sound like a lawyer here :P) I used to cringe everytime one of the nurses would approach my with a referral, I'm now more confident since I'm now able to address their problems (most of the time).. I guess familiarity helped a little too, since the nurses I interact with on a daily basis already know me and vice versa, we're a little more relazed with dealing with one another.

The same is true for us residents. I remember thinking when I first started out that I don't really know these people whom I will be working with for the next three years. Add the fact that most of them came from another medical school, and I really felt like an outsider merely trying to fit in. Make no mistake, my batchmates are great, and I don't think any of them made me feel unwelcome in being part of the group. For the most part, it's still pretty much touch-and-go, but  I think we're already feeling each other out, getting to know each other's tendencies, quirks, and habits, and making the necessary adjustments for the good of all (at least, that's what I hope..). The seniors are ok as well. We're really fortunate that our seniors aren't like what the previous batches were before. I heard scuttlebutt that batches past were absolutely strict on their juniors, and that the cozy "family-like" atmosphere we presently enjoy was nowhere to be found during earlier years.. I'm really thankful that the seniors before (the third years during our pre-residency) made a pact to make Medicine a bit more "enjoyable" to everyone involved. I just hope we first years don't screw up that much so as to necessitate a return to the dreaded "older ways"..

Then there's the consultant staff. Can say much about them, and can't really complain either (for my sake :P), but suffice to say that I'm quite satisfied with what I see and hear around the hospital. Thanks to them, things are shaping up for a seemingly good three years (I hope!).

Wow, I just realized that I actually wrote that I was ENJOYING my job.. :P Reality check for all those hopeful doctors out there.. Residency is HARD, moreso if you're in one of the more toxic services like Internal Medicine or Pediatrics (and it depends on the institution as well, but IM takes that cake anytime, anywhere :P) You're asked to sacrifice a LOT, while seemingly getting so little in return (and I'm not just talking about the paltry salaries, or "honorariums" as they call it, that residents in the Philippines recieve).

One of my seniors (who happends to be a batchmate from MT) hit the nail on the head when she said that first year would be a roller-coaster ride of emotions, with you mood swinging to both ends of the pendulum in a matter of days, hours, or even a few minutes. You just have to find a way to shake youself when you get stuck in a rut and hope for better days. One must soldier on despite all the hits he or she takes, because one day (hopefully), all this shall come to pass..

My fiancee (who is also a medical resident at a different institution) said that her batchmates cope by counting down the days 'till October, when they will eventually have pre-residents of their own.. hehehe

Hopefully things would get better and better as the days go by. Experience really does teach a lot, far more than any book would ever do. Having friendly seniors who are willing to lend a hand when things get a little rough dosen't hurt either. Thanks po! :D I think I'm getting a little sharper as the year wears on, and hopefully I'll be better than ever come the much-awaited transition period in December.. :P

Ok, time to hit the books for now...