A long long while..

*post was written a couple of weeks ago when I had the time to write, but no access to the web. So sad..

Ugh, internet is down at home, so I'm writing this entry with the hope of putting it up tomorrow before I begin work again in the hospital..

Since 2 months is really a long time to try and play catch up with a single blog entry, I'll try to avoid that entirely, thus making this entry another hodgepodge of various topics (both current and old) which I may have been too lazy to put down when I had my chances.

On the NBA Finals...

Today was the final game of the 2014 NBA Finals, where the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in a dominant fashion on their home floor 4 games to 1 in a best of seven series. Using their tried and tested team chemistry and their experience, the Spurs manhandled the Heat in retribution for their Finals loss one year ago. About a week ago, I chance upon a video floating around the internet which was a tribute to the Spurs and their firm adherence to the concept of "team" basketball. The video highlighted their dynamic team effort and their flawless execution. I was in awe of their incredible passing, never hesitant to make the extra pass to someone who was more open, superstar or not.

After this bitter defeat, I have read rumors stating that the Heat might get Carmelo Anthony as an addition to their already potent arsenal. A tall order if you ask me, since their much-vaunted "Big 3", along with other key role players, will become free agents come season's end. It gets tricky since you get very little wiggle room in terms of salary cap space if you wish to retain the Big 3 and add Melo to the mix. I'm not really a fan of manufactured teams which are engineered to win the season from day 1, and prefer those that matured over time to become contenders who truly deserved a championship. Some people would point out to me that the Big Three of Garnett-Pierce-Allen was a manufactured team, but consider this.. Allen and Garnett are players who at that time were already considered to be past their prime.. They were brought in to provide veteran support to the frustrated Paul Pierce in order to help win a championship. I guess nobody would dare say that the current Miami Big Three are already going over the hill, so there's really a big difference if we look at it that way..

I find myself rooting for the underdog in most instances, especially for those guys who have worked hard in the league for years but are still unable to get that one elusive ring.. I really feel for Barkley, Ewing, and Reggie Miller, three legends of the game who were unfortunate enough to be around during the time that there was a dynasty going on someplace else (Jordan, Olajuwon, etc) and were thus denied championships..

On introspection...

I found myself thinking a lot in the car lately as I drive to and from work. I used to be irritated by the dull silence of the car and would often bring a small radio along so I could play my audio of choice to get me pumped while I drove (since the original radio of the car was destroyed when tropical storm "Ondoy" came to town a few years back). People who really know me know that I have this strange habit of talking to myself. No, this is not crazy talk. It helps me pick my brain and allows me to take a look at things from a different point of view.. Its kind of like having a conversation with my own thoughts..if that were actually possible..

What was I ab;e to get from all of that? Well, I guess you could say that it has led to self improvement a number of times, with things often turning out much better than expected in their own little ways..

*the entry ends here, because I think sleep caught up with me. :D

Sick and tired of being angry..

Image source here

A quick look back at my blog reveals one prevailing theme.. I'm often really pissed at something or someone...

Although I may have found this therapeutic at times, I begin to wonder if this is no longer healthy for myself, my work, and the people around me.. [Not to mention my (limited) blog readership, who probably think by now that I'm a raving psycopath in person.] :(

I guess you could say that I've decided to turn over a new leaf.. I'll try to avoid all the focused anger and negativity that we already have enough of in the world today.. It's pretty sad when you think about it.  Life seemed a lot simpler and happier when one is younger. Problems were a lot easier to deal with, and relationships were a lot less complex.

But life goes on, as they say, and time waits for no one. As you get older, tasks get harder, and people become more difficult to deal with,

The idea of permanence suddenly becomes a farfetched notion as one realizes that nothing will ever remain static and that the only constant thing is change.

You've just been toasted!!

image source here

Several days ago, my good friend Emer got married, and I was once again given the honor of being best man, which meant that I had to give yet another speech! (Gee, thanks a lot dude!) :P

Luckily, I'm no stranger to the task, having put together a wedding toast once before for Regan and Shiela's wedding.

This toast may seem a bit similar to the original since I followed the same format and only made it A FEW HOURS before the wedding. :P

I knew posting the speech online would come in handy if ever I needed to make a toast again! Hehehe!

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Good evening everyone. On Mimi and Emer’s behalf, I would like to thank you for coming together to celebrate this special event with them. My name is Brian, and as one of Emerson’s closest friends, I have been given the special honor of speaking before you here today as the Best Man.

Before anything else, I would also like to thank the parents of the bride and groom for their generosity, to everybody who tirelessly worked to make all of this possible, to Mimi for generously taking my friend off our hands :P, and to Emer, for once again validating that among the guys, I am the best man! :P

No wedding toast would be complete without a peek back into the groom’s life when he was younger. Emerson has been my classmate in Xavier from the 1st to the 7th grade. During that span of time, we became very good friends as we put together a barkada of sorts that still congregates to this very day on our occasional Boys’ Night Out. As I can recall, Emer was always the clown of our group when we were kids. 
His pleasant demeanor and well-timed jokes often turned sour situations into barrels of laughter. He was a friend with whom you could talk to about basically everything under the sun, from cartoons to rubber shoes, to even secrets and insecurities

Family and loyalty were also his strong points, being a dutiful and loving son to his parents, a caring and protective ahia to his sisters, and an extremely reliable buddy to his peers. These character traits show you what kind of person he really is. Eventually, we grew up and went our separate ways in college and beyond, but have remained in close contact through the years, with the boys getting together whenever Emer was in town.

When Emerson told us that he was getting married, we naturally wanted to meet this woman of his dreams whom he has fallen head over heels for. I remember that night when the group was introduced to Mimi. She struck me as a very sincere and kindhearted lady with a wonderful sense of humor, who just seemed to “click” with Emer. We knew right then and there that they were perfect for each other. Fast forward a few months, and here we are..

Still, I’m not one to give any advice on marriage, now being the lone bachelor of the group :(, but I’ll reinterate what I may have said once before, that “any relationship, especially a marriage, is all about sacrifices and learning. It won't always be fun and games, but as long as you're willing to compromise for each other and take time to talk and figure each other out, you'll never go wrong.”

With that, I would like to invite everyone to stand up and join me in raising their glasses as we toast the newlyweds. To Emer and Mimi, I wish you guys all the best in a long and happy marriage, and may you have the grandest time of your lives while you’re at it! Cheers! :D

Seniorhood blues

4 months? Really? Man, 4 months is a long time to stagnate on a blog,

It's the tail-end of February, and I'm now knee-deep in my senior year as an IM resident at the hospital. The comic book saying "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility" is painfully evident as my batchmates and I have learned to embrace the jobs (and perks) of being the ones on top.

The transition period went by so fast.. One moment I was teaching the incoming sophomores how to efficiently man the ER, the next thing I knew, I was the highest ranking IM resident on duty during those sleepless toxic nights when I was already manning the ICU full-time.

The jump from second to third year was more difficult than I had imagined, although the transition from first to second (especially during OUR time) was one for the books. Due to the lack of manpower of our batch, taking on "senior responsibilities" proved more challenging than it is on paper. Good thing the juniors were up to the task of taking the reins.. Well, most of them anyway..

We find ourselves stuck with our not-so-favorite cow, a 43-year old morbidly obese and totally unhealthy case of severe sleep apnea and narcolepsy who is just too stubborn to quit but is also too hardheaded to be taught anything useful. Oh, and he's pretty bossy too, despite his juniors and batchmates being WAY ahead of him in terms of work standards, work ethic, and general fund of knowledge. He claims to wish to emulate his reknowed mother who happens to be a well-respected endocrinologist and thus shows great enthusiasm (?) for endocrinology and little else. I've got news for you, fat boy. Before your momma became the great Endo that she probably is (I have no idea who his mom is), she first had to make the cut as a competent internist!

Removing him will prove to be very difficult due to the circumstances of his entering our program, as he was ushered in by the powers-that-be. (There are times that I hate being a part of a political hospital). Last time I checked, he would flat-out be denied entry into any other normal reputable training program, as he is clearly not fit to undergo the rigors of Internal Medicine residency, in a toxic public hospital to boot! Ever since first year, he's been screwing up time after time. His tendency to fall asleep anywhere non-withstanding, he also already has a family and thus his priorities are a bit skewed.. He's unwilling to put in the extra time at the hospital to get stuff done because of various family excuses. He knew what he was getting into as an overaged resident with learning issues, and yet he expects special treatment. He's unwilling to make sacrifices for the greater good because he is too selfish  to care (or his brain is too hypoxic to comprehend). His screwups have resulted in forcing the chaiman to create new boneheaded policies which makes everybody else miserable. To top it all off, he thinks he's doing a great job!! Oh my goodness, such poor insight... No wonder our department is a laughing stock.. :(

I just hope this will not happen again (the acceptance of clear-cut incompetents), and that he won't mess things up by foolishly attempting to take the board exams immediately after graduation which he CLEARLY will have no hope of passing, as he will just mess up the passing rate of the department as a whole.

I initially planned to write this piece as a means to take stock of what happened in between, but wound up making another rant.. It just leaves you really drained sometimes..

Barbero ka naman eh!

I'm currently waiting for my turn here at the barbershop. Having a little bit of free time because of the change in.rotations, I've decided to make the most of it and get my monthly trim.

A part of me says that I should have gone straight home instead, since today is Game 2 of the UAAP Finals featuring DLSU vs UST, pitting both Teng brothers against each other for the very last time at the collegiate level, with Jeric graduating after the season.

With that being said, its just so remarkable how far Xavier basketball has gone since the days of the King Stallion Eric Yao who inspired a generation to aspire for hoops greatness, Blue and Gold style.

I'm still on the road to recovery after the heartache I went through a few months back, but I guess you could say things are going as well as they could, given the present circumstances. No, I'm still not attached, and no, the girl I was raving about wasn't really that into me. It's really been just a process of moving on, and not really expecting anything anymore..

As I prepare for what would (hopefully) be my senior and final year at the hospital,,I think I'm starting to feel a bit of optimism shine back in my life.. I guess training really does that to you. It saps you to your very core, and sometimes leaves you clawing around in despair. There were still moments of desolation, especially when the things start to get rough, but I managed to pull through (with a lot of help from the BIg Guy Upstairs). :D

Now I find myself at the beginning of transition month, with the juniors starting to have their first tastes of the ER while our seniors teach us the intricacies of manning the ICU. Its a lot more responsibility, I know, but I would prefer sitting and thinking rather than staying up manning the ER any day. :P

Oops, there's my barber! I'l leave things as is for now.

The Daily Grind

Sigh..

Just woke up.. and now I realize that I have to return to the daily grind of life..

The feeling mostly sucks.

Damn, why isn't there anything to look forward to anymore? Especially on duty days?

The only thing I do look forward to is the time when I'll be able to return to my bed when I am from duty..

Free Time?

They say that time is a precious commodity, and even moreso if taken within the context of residency training..

I find myself constantly walking a tightrope just to keep things in order. It is as though I'm constantly running to just keep barely ahead of a mountain of work following closely at my heels which may trample me lest I trip and fall..

At times, it really did.. This year has been a series of sprints and long runs, all in the name of "training" and requirements. I dunno if it's just me, but it's a feeling that leaves you sick to your stomach.. Being constantly on the go, looking over your shoulder, has already worn me down..

I remember just a few months back when I was starting my second year that I would have (relatively) good stamina to face the deluge of patients that would come pouring through the ER doors. Now as I stand on the verge of (hopefully) moving on to higher (and less physically demanding) things, I find myself constantly fatigued.. I don't know if it's because of more patients, more complex cases, or just age slowing me down..

Oh yeah, I would also like to thank all the wonderful people who took time out to remember my birthday a few weeks ago. especially my family, my bros, and my "minions". :D

Special thanks to brother for the coolest birthday gift ever!

I surely hope I can survive this "race" and get myself a much-needed breather..