What can we do?

 I have been thinking a lot about how ordinary citizens can help each other out during this pandemic..

Being a healthcare worker, I fully advocate for continued distancing and the wearing of face coverings to help stem the tide of the disease, and though I still feel a need for lockdown measures, I am not naive to the fact that people are hungry and hurting, and that the economy really does need to be up and running if we are to avoid further catastrophe or devolution into anarchy.

Almost everyone has been tightening their belts throughout this crisis, and rightfully so, because it only makes sense to avoid unnecessary expenses during these times. The lockdown measures have forced a vast majority of establishments to close for months. As a result though, many business are shuttered for good, due to lack of income but continued costs (rent, utilities, consumables, etc). It saddens me to see many people being laid off, and beloved stores closing down..

Going back to the title of this post? What CAN we do? It is only logical that to get the economy going again, people don't just have to be selling stuff again, but people need to be buying stuff as well..

Those people who are fortunate enough to have a salary during this crisis may need to keep on spending (but not beyond your means obviously) in order to help the others stay afloat.

For example: Buy food from restos, who in turn would be able to pay their employees, as well as purchase from suppliers. These suppliers would then get income and be able to pay their employees as well. We need to pump life back into the economy so that everyone would be able to have spending power again.. I know that this is really easier said than done, but hey, you gotta start someplace, right?

People who apply for (undeserved) discounts should really stop doing that. I get those senior citizens who need the discount since they have retired and do not earn money anymore, or those ACTUAL PWDs whose impairments are impediments to getting a normal livelihood. But how about those FAKE PWDs who are perfectly healthy and functional who just paid off some guy at the city hall so that they can get their mocha frappes at a discount while hanging out at Starbucks? Or those millionaires with senior IDs (some of which are still not of age anyway) who VEHEMENTLY demand they get their discounts even though they really don't need it, and just want to get away with anything they could (typical greedy behavior wanting to take advantage of anything and everything)?

I am not telling the real seniors or PWDs to just give up their discounts, but for those who can afford it (myself included, as I have a physical impairment from childhood has resulted in some degree of permanent limitation to my locomotion), why don't we just scale back a little, until such time that everything is up and running again. A lot of people don't realize that the discount given to you is shouldered by the establishment you are purchasing from. I seriously doubt if the government fully compensates all of the 20% discounts that all these stores encounter. The cost needs to be shouldered by someone, and more often than not, it falls on the seller. 

In summary, I know that money is a little tight right now, but for those who are blessed to be still earning a living at present, help others out. I'm talking about propping up businesses by your purchases. There is a longer-lasting and more practical effect in keeping someone employed as opposed to just giving a one-time handout. Oh and if you can, avoid scrimping on essential services like haircuts. Tip a little more generously if you can afford it, especially since they have been out of work for a while. These people could use the money too. An example that comes to mind is going for the shampoo service after the haircut even though it seems a little pricey and not really necessary, as this gives the shop additional much-needed income.

I guess that's it. Be a little more generous, and don't be an asshole to others. We will all get through this together.

Rummaging through the stack

Finally having the time (and willingness to exert the effort), I presently find myself typing away in a futile attempt to play catch-up with everything left unpublished. As the title says, I find myself sifting through a ton of topics I wanted to post but never really got around to doing. Bursts of inspiration come from the most unfortunate of circumstances, like when I'm in the shower or on the road, where my computer is not at all accessible. In order to not let good ideas go to waste, I struggle to remember them all, but in the end the power of procrastination defeats me and all my efforts are for naught (since I end up forgetting everything). So please excuse me if this entry seems to be a bit too much of a hodgepodge for anyone's tastes.

*man, I must be getting really rusty.. my grammar and sentence construction sucks! :P

 As promised, I shall blog about the Med Mission I went to the other day..

The shirts were free! :D

I was fortunate enough to be invited by one of my former UST clerks to join a Medical and Surgical mission he organized for his church there in Naic, Cavite. Our group was composed of some of his medschool classmates who will be starting their respective post-graduate internships this coming May 1, along with several members of the UST-FMS  Phi Sigma Gamma fraternity and the Theta Lamba Phi sorority.

It was an overnight trip, with the mission team meeting up in front of the UST Paypark McDonald's at around 3pm. We were then taken to this place called E.M's Resort there in Cavite where we were billeted for the night. The place wasn't really much to look at, but at least the rooms were air-conditioned, and cable tv was available. We were advised to pack swimgear as there was a pool at the resort. Like the venue, it wasn't really much to look at, but was large enough for my needs. The pool suffers for want of lighting though, since the far end has no lamps. Man, it felt really great to be in the water again! :D

Our host, "kuya" Alvin made good on his promise of keeping us well-fed. We had a sumptuous dinner and had a few drinks before calling it a night. The former clerkies introduced me to a rather strange concoction I had not encountered before, composed of vodka, Del Monte Fit and Right, and Jungle Juice! :P

As usual, I had trouble sleeping in a different bed, and wound up getting only about a hour's worth of real shut eye (since I wasn't accustomed to sleeping on a couch). We needed to be ready by 7am the following morning for a whole day's worth of work. After a quick shower, I felt really refreshed as I breathed in the clean country air. :)

Medical..

I was told that we were expecting A LOT of patients to drop by, so I picked a spot an hunkered down for what would be one of the longest OPDs I have ever experienced. Initially, I was only one of 2 licensed physicians on hand (and I believe that I was the senior one at that), so I busied myself with the consults, not bothering with the circumcisions since the undergrad fratboys (and sorgirls) had that pretty much covered. 

...and Surgical.

After a long day's work (with plenty of food in between), I was told that the final tally was 250 OPD consults, and 200 circumcisions. Not bad for a ragtag bunch on incoming  interns, a former NeuroPsych resident, and some frat and sor people for reinforcement. ;)

I'll definitely miss this group of clerks 

After a short break back at the resort, we were finally on our way home. Travelling via Coastal road is not as fast as SLEX, but it gets the job done. Besides, I think it's the favored route for that particular destination. Not a bad way to spend Maundy Thursday, eh? :P

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I recently tried out the Angry Birds game to see what the fuss was all about. I thought it was really crazy the way people have gone cuckoo over it.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the addictiveness of the game. Despite only playing via the PC version, this slingshot action puzzle game can really suck you in, trying to destroy green-skinned pigs hiding amidst ramshackle structures using different angry avian creatures of varying firepower. :P

I look at this game with a grain of salt though, as I sadly remember the golden age of PC gaming way back when games were not played as casually as they are now.

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I was able to catch Alice and the Wonderland the other day on Star Movies, and I immediately fell in love with the quirky character of the White Queen played by Anne Hathaway.

She seems like such an enigma.. An isle of calm and simple strength amidst a tumultuous environment, all the while acting a little crazy and confused.. Oh, and she's quite the looker too. :P Props to Hathaway for her performance in this one. I had written her off to be typecast as the helpless goody two shoes character but this one really changed the playing field. Pardon my silly movie tastes, but I'd give her an award for this one, just because. :P

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I've also been playing catch-up with the Transformers series. Not being able to watch regularly as a kid left me with a sense of yearning, since I only caught a few snippets of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Now, I have been granted the wonderful opportunity to watch the entire classic series in full.

Awwwwwwwww Yeeeaaaaaaahh!!

I couldn't care less for the abomination that was Beast Wars. What kind of crap was that? Prime, an ape? I know sometimes the Transformers had organic looking forms like Ravage, Laszerbeak, the insecticons, Dinobots, etc, but that dosen't justify making an ugly-as-hell series which turned my childhood upside down. Heck, I never even bothered to watch a single minute of it. Just seeing it in commercials made me want to puke.

I think I'll get along very well with this guy. :P

Well, that didn't work..

Apparently, my previous attempt to revive my blogging streak failed miserably. So, I'm gonna inject another "shot in the arm" which would hopefully get things moving better this time around..

• Leaving for a med mission in a while. I was invited by my former clerks in UST (who are now interns btw. Congrats kids! :P) for an overnight stay at Cavite to help out at a clerk-organized parish based medical mission. I guess I need this to stay sharp and keep myself positive. Hopefully good things would follow..

• Speaking of missions, there's another one after Holy Week, the venue much farther off. Will probably bring a camera for that one. :P

• The NBA playoffs are now in full swing. The matchups are actually pretty good. This year has me rooting once again for the Celtics. I just wonder how they'll do for this run after trading away Perkins. They're up 2-0 against the Knicks though.

• Was finally able to take my sweet inspiration to see Serendra and the surrounding area. We sure can't afford to live there, but its definitely a nice place to visit. :P

• I finally decided to get on with my life and enrolled myself at a gym. 1st session was a laugh though, as I exerted myself too much and had an episode of near-syncope (although my brother contends that I really had passed out). Subsequent visits were much better though. :P

• Had the privilege of being treated to an overnight stay at Fontana there in Subic. The accomodations were pretty much the same as what I had seen when I visited a few years back, but I feel that the place had a bit more "sleazy" feel to it since it was taken over by a Chinese(?) casino company. I guess since the place had become more open to the public, it kinda lost its air of exclusivity

• Oh yeah, congratulations to all the graduates of batch 2011, Particularly to those kids from ADMU and the MDs of UST! (And of course the latest crop of Stallions to leave the stables. Luceat Lux!)

• I find myself a godfather for the second time over, although the child in question hasn't been baptized yet as she was just born a couple of weeks ago. :D

That's all for now. I PROMISE to write when I get back. I think this is something I really need to keep on doing in order to help myself heal.. ;)