it's only when we look back do we truly understand what we went through.
2023 was a tough year for me but it was also filled with a lot of good.
at the top of my head, here are a few things that happened.
in January 2023 was able to move one of my businesses to a much larger space on the third floor of our current building. this made it easier for me to do the second thing, which was to renovate another room on the same floor so that there was a connection between my two businesses. this gives a lot of room for my medical aesthetics practice.
in March 2023, i found out that i was going to be a father. what a challenge and a blessing it would be. we delayed the pregnancy test as much as we could since i wanted to be really sure that it wouldn't be the wrong call. but, yes. the baby was on the way. downloading. haha in the same month, i was also able to go to my first National Convention by the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM). i am a member after all. and the things i learned were so worth it. i had a chance to maybe mingle with some people there but i chose the rogue route. that way, i would be able to attend all the lectures i wanted without having to consider topics that may interest the others as a group. i find that learning could be best this way. there was one key moment there. a semi-retired physician who was probably in her early 80s. she said that despite having retired from Family Medicine, she would never give up Occupational Medicine. i loved the vigor she had for life. she also encouraged everyone to build up the field. may God bless her wherever she is. i remember she was from somewhere in Iloilo or within that area.
in April 2023, i was able to go to another convention, this time the National Convention by the Philippine College of Hospital Administrators (PCHA). one of our directors said it was a requirement to attend for my cohort to graduate. i reluctantly attended. not that i didn't want to. it just would have left a better feeling if it wasn't made mandatory. there i got to see my professors in the flesh but i didn't take pictures. seeing them in person was more than enough for me. long story short, my other cohorts graduated even if i knew they didn't attend. was i led on? i didn't like that part too much.
there were also two key moments there i go back to. there was a climate change activist who had sterling credentials. unfortunately there was no straight answer to my question. i just found it lacking. i asked if climate change could actually be prevented, and if not, why do we burn so much resources for it? she just said that we only had predictive models. it's a fancy way of saying we don't know. as a Christian though, i know things are just going to happen as it is written.
the second was when i talked about green financing. one of our directors probably liked the question because he said that if i ever wanted to build my own hospital, i should contact him so he could help me. it's a big thought but i am thankful for it.
in May 2023, one of my most loved dogs gave me a scare as she suddenly vomited blood. i thought it was something she ate because i gave her some chicken recently. i told Alec about it and good thing that he was able to bring her to the vet. she had to stay for a few days but i'm glad she was eventually discharged. they said she swallowed some plastic or something and was just trying to have her pass it out through food. i don't recall she ever did but i'll just give her the benefit of the doubt and be glad she is fine. having a dog confined is so stressful. it made me recall what i went through with dad.
speaking of dogs, we also adopted a new one. anak ni Skyler. we named him Chomper, just like the one from Land Before Time. and it was sad for me that we had to give Lizzy away to another friend of mine. i hope she's fine though because when i asked for an update recently, they said she was at her mother's place. i lift her up to God and ask she be protected.
it was a long time coming and it was funny up to some extent since we're both doctors. but Jec had another attack of hyperventilation. it brought back some memories when her friends rushed her to the emergency room many years ago. but now we're able to manage it at home.
i was also able to join as a research panelist for one of the medical schools here. it was a refreshing experience to have more to say. i realize that research is something that interests me and therefore i should write more.
this was also the first time in a long time that i woke up with a birthday song. thanks, Jec. :)
in June 2023, speaking of my business, i'm slowly transitioning my tattoo studio into a medical outfit by, yes, using medical outfits. we are now using scrubs! we're also trying to finalize the design of our third business that we are hopeful to take off. i also re-enrolled in Sparta so i could finish the Analytics Manager pathway. i ended up finishing 90% of the course except for the last few since i was focusing on my other skills as well. today, i have reenrolled but only in the chosen courses i have left. they gave me a PWD discount so it's much less than i would have normally paid.
in July 2023, it was my first time to travel abroad! go, Singapore! i love the place and it reminds me how much the Philippines could be so much better if only we had good leaders. but sadly, we only have leaders that are focused on optics. not so much on accomplishments. PRRD did a lot in his term and nobody will be able to come close to what he did as he steered us through COVID-19 as a country. but today, we're still not a Federal Philippines.
i was also able to finally get a research proposal approved but until now, i haven't moved too much on it. in time, i will be able to. i just have too much on my plate.
we also finally introduced Cham2 to the pack! he's currently doing great. even better. he's got some dominance concerns but he should be fine. he even got some of the girls pregnant! my goodness.
in August 2023, i was fortunate enough to invite the SPC clinic staff to go visit our studio and dental clinic. it was meant to be a benchmarking trip and they were able to get some insights on how we want the new clinic renovation to be.
in September, i was finally given membership in PAAAMMI. i'm thankful to my Consultant for guiding me through the process and for introducing me to the world of Aesthetic Medicine. there is less stress and more learning, even more family time here. but i still love Surgery. a few weeks later, i was also able to upskill with another learning center in Manila. it was great to widen my network with more than a few actual practitioners. the sad thing is that one of the models tried to take advantage of me. in short, the most expensive cases are often for free.
i also had one of the bigger challenges in my physician life. i was about to take an afternoon nap when i was informed that at least 10 students were having active fluid losses (vomiting and diarrhea). i felt there was something unusual about it so i had to rush to school. at the end of the day, we had about 50 students who needed our help. and thankfully, only a few had to be rushed to the hospital and they all eventually got discharged after a few days.
the funny thing about it was that it was one day before our official opening of the newly renovated clinic. another achievement for this year. how wonderfully the Lord makes all His plans work for everyone. imagine, if the renovation did not push through, our base hospital would have been overwhelmed with the 50 or more patients at the same time.
in October 2023, i was woken up by a loud crash and it turned out to be from a tree crashing down on the fence we built. this also signaled what would be one of my greatest challenges in my life.. the ones against family.
this month, we also welcomed Erick to the faculty! finally! great to have him.
in November 2023, we had problems with my maternal clan. i never thought we would get here but it wasn't a battle of our choosing. so i must go through with it. this will be a subject of another post.
it was also the first time for me to address a forum sponsored by the CES. it was on HIV, a topic i had to prepare a few hours earlier. it was a great experience because i was able to focus on the rise in cases not based on the person but by the behavior. this felt like a homerun to me.
i was also able to defend our research study for the school clinic. a big win for me personally since i have never done it before at that level.
i also received my Diplomate rank from the PCHA.
oh, by the way, my baby arrived!!!! and she's a girl. :)
in December 2023, not only was this the first Christmas we had with the baby, but it also signaled how the family dynamics was changing. again, the subject of another post. but i have also formed a huge part of my identity based on my family, but because of what happened and the things they did, maybe God allowed it to happen so i can focus on my baby.
either way, thank God for 2023. what a year it was.
