Tagalized

The application form has been submitted, along with all the other requirements. Now to take a well-deserved rest break by surfing the web from the comforts of the CGH pink room :P

I'm a bit nervous with the forthcoming pre-residency. The scuttlebutt is that there will be 7 of us, fighting for only 4 available slots. (there are supposed to be 5, but I hear there's one slot that's been reserved already.. ?). I don't know what to think. I guess I'm just going with the flow and see where the tide will take me.

Going back to the title for this post, what's the deal with all these local channels dubbing various cartoons in tagalog? I mean, it worked for those old school anime shows like "Dog of Flanders" or "Princess Sarah" which weren't really made in English to begin with, but to use it on the American-made cartoons like "Jimmy Neutron" or even "Transformers"? It makes things look so cheap.. Hindi talaga bagay... Kinda like those idiots coming out with tagalized versions of Flo Rida's "Low". I've got nothing against the Filipino language, and I support it's use, but please, use it in the proper venues! mean, Batibot was a really great show which heavily used the vernacular, and rightfully so since it was a Filipino program intended for the Philippine audience. I guess it just kinda turns me off when you have to "Filipinize" English technical terms just to make sure the show is fully dubbed. It just dosen't seem right when you force Optimus Prime to speak in old-school Tagalog, with bits of Taglish sprinkled in-between. Ugh...

Just my two cents..

Scramble!

I've been in UST and CGH for 3 days straight..

It's been utter madness, with everyone scrambling to complete their requirements for application to residency, which are due TOMORROW! (PGH had their deadline yesterday)

And to think that the results of the boards came out barely 5 days ago..

Finally, I was able to assure myself that my requirements would be complete and I'd be able to make the deadline tomorrow by 12nn. Talk about a close call..

The following day holds another surprise to the battle-weary newly licensed doctors. We will be having another examination (as if going through the boards wasn't enough already in such a short span of time). Shortly after that, interviews are going to be held.

As if life wasn't hectic enough so soon after the boards, I learned thatthe pre-residency period starts a couple of days after the oathtaking ceremonies!! Now this is what I call time pressure. Oh well, I guess it just goes with the territory...

Starting over

I'm here now at my favorite haunt within the hallowed halls of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the LRU. =)

Coming home never was so sweet. I'm waiting for my good buddy Dr. Johnny Ona. After we meet up, we'll be going to the Office of Graduate Medical Education to inquire about the requirements needed in the application for residency.. This is getting really wild.. I know its an often-used cliche on my blog lately, but man, I never ever dreamt that I would be in this situation that I presently am in today. It used to be nothing much of a vague afterthought. Something thought of only in passing due to all the fears and uncertainty associated with the long road towards that achievement of the said goal.

I do hope I'll be accepted into my program of choice. I know its gonna be awfully competitive this time around, given our batch's outrageous passing rate this year, but I know God will put me where I can serve Him best. After all, I wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for His plan.. =)

Last night my parents had their friends over for their regular cell group meeting. They were nice enough to hold a little celebration for my little achievement. Pizzas were ordered from Di' Marks, a pizza place with a branch located at nearby Wac Wack road.

This link leads to the ClicktheCity.com listing: http://guides.clickthecity.com/restaurants/PH/Mandaluyong/Di-Marks/loc/Mandaluyong-City

The pizza was just excellent!! I've never had pizza like that before (probably 'coz we're not much of pizza eaters anyway).

Remembering Amah..

My paternal grandmother, or Amah, as we fondly called her, passed away last August 8, 2008 at the age of 85. She died one day after her birthday, and one day before my board examinations..

Amah, I made it. I hope I made you proud.. Thank you for everything..

This one was for you...

Certified!!!

Praise God!!! :)

I now exhale a heavy sigh of relief...

I can't believe it. It's finally over.. All those sleepless nights and those endless hours spent sitting on my butt reading book after book..

Thank you Lord. You never left me at my hour of greatest need...

I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be in this situation right now. It all seems just.. surreal...

I'd like to thank everyone who supported me during this long arduous journey. And since this is my blog, I can thank whomever I want.. :P


First off, I'd like to once again thank the Lord for all the great things he has done. None of this would have been posible without Him..

Next would be my family, who put up with all the craziness I went through during the review. Thank you for supporting me and for providing what I needed to ensure a smooth review.

I'd like to thank...

My sweet inspiration. Thank you for being there always.

My seniors who encouraged me and humored my texts during those times when I was panicking. (Jep, Reg, Don, Doc Hen)

My friends who never stopped believing... (Georms, Vaw, Hannie, and my lawyer: Raveneffect :P)

My classmates who kept me sane through the pain. Especially my closest co-interns (Pat, Nats, Dan, Carla, Borj)

All the other people who were praying for our success. I thank you from the bottom of my heart..

And with that, a new chapter begins...

Waiting..

All the anxiety is killing me.

I'm 4 days removed from the last day of the board exams. Now we hold our collective breath for the outcome which would either leave us in tears, or shove us right back into the hospital.

I've always said that I'd try to ride out the wait by being as cool as possible, but last night I guess my patience ran dry.. With all the prayers and chain messages flying around through text, I was lead to believe that this would be "the day". So, I set up camp and sifted through the internet stating 11:45 in the evening hoping to catch an early glimpse of the results when they were just freshly posted. The joke was on me. No results, nothing. But now I'm sure that it's gonna be on tonight. You can't really take too long with a multiple choice examination that can be machine-checked. =P In the back of my mind, I imagine that i was in a situation called "borderline case", and the Board members were busy deliberating my fate, which is why the exam results are taking a bit too long for comfort..

Lets just see what happens in 24 hours..

Self study

Nakakaloko... Especially when you get around to thinking about it...

A year ago, I was just a nervous CGH intern starting on my first few days on the job. Everything was so alien, so unfamiliar.. The stuff you learned at med school and clerkship were of little help. This was the real thing, so much more real then clerkship, despite the fact that we were already dealing with real patients at the time.. It was such a big change for all of us because in clerkship you almost never worked alone. There was always somebody there to share the load or a senior nearby to lend a hand. Sure, we had residents during internship to refer to, but having moved up the proverbial "ladder of rank", more was expected of you and sometimes referring was an unacceptable option.

All those experiences.. the different procedures done at the wards, the different ORs I've assisted (ranging from the ridiculously simple to the absolutely fantastic), the infighting among interns, the MSA practices and the event itself, even the day-to-day interaction with the rest of the hospital staff, all left an impression upon me. This has been a good year, and it shall be remebered well..

Now here I am, reviewing for the boards, hoping to prolong the inevitable. I just hope and pray that a favorable outcome would be inevitable for me as well. =D

My seniors were dead on when they said that reviewing would be tedious and tiring, to say the least. Opportunities to procastinate abound, especially with an apparently endless amount of time.. But at least I'm finally settling into a solid study routine still relatively early on. Dr. Monty was right. You should spend the first few weeks of your review resting and generally doing all the stuff you missed during internship. You should also begin experimenting with how and where to study. Discover early on when is your most "productive" time of the day where you can soak up the most from your review sessions. He also said to shpp around for a comfortable chair, a table of the perfect height for you, and a lamp that would serve your purpose. I never got around to buying all these stuff because of space and budgetary constraints, but I have looked around the house for ideal places to study. Now that the NBA Finals are over (CELTICS RULE!!), I can safely say that I have a fine-tuned routine that should tide me over the next 1 1/2 months until the boards (man, how time flies!).