Resistance to a Cartel

today i come out to write.

two years seemed to have slipped away, just like that. a multitude of things had already occurred in my life and yet none were documented on this tiny space of mine on the internet.

so what have i come to write about?

its something which involves this.

piston

 the simple piston has its uses but it has been politically charged by groups from the left.

you see, the past three or four administrations repeatedly attempted to modernize the PUJs in the country and yet these relevant organizations have been rallying against it.

voicing out your opinion is okay but there comes a time when it becomes too much. the modern PUJs should have been rolling on the streets twenty years ago. but this has all been stopped because of the issues these groups keep pushing out.

are we afraid of change? shall we not aim to modernize and improve the safety of the riding transport? it has been too delayed. these groups should not be allowed to function like cartels, monopolizing a legitimate public service for self-interest.

yes, there should be a buffer to help those who cannot immediately afford this modernization. i believe that is what the government is doing when theyre opening up P2 billion worth of financial support to enable this change. there is more but the point is we cannot let minute self-raised issues affect the interest of the riding public.

stop giving this country a hard time. be the true heroes you say you are. represent the people. modernize the transport system. be part of that change, not get left behind.

The Loneliness of a Debater

to debate is to be lonely.

for the longest time, i have once again found myself struggling with scarcity in how to express my thoughts. scurrying through my newsfeed revealed a skeleton in my closet. it is lonely to be a debater.

of course and as expected, many a debater might find themselves arguing with my point but that is normal. id like to share how things have been for me as a debater.

when you are someone who knows how to debate, you often find yourself in the middle of an argument or conversation. it may just be a simple presentation of thoughts, a discourse or whatever event may have triggered the exchange, i dare say that debaters may find themselves lonely.

i say this because of the value of relationship. your relationship with other people is far more valuable than winning an argument. and when you are aware of this, it is hard to argue with people who dont know how to argue.

for so many times i have decided to just keep to myself just because i value these relationships. in a playful banter during a drinking session, a friends of mine were discussing their thoughts on politics. in a few seconds, there was a rich source of fallacies which would simply not stand in a proper debate.

argumentum ad hominem. argumentum ad passiones. argumentum ad populum. and so on.

people should be taught how to structure arguments with proper analysis in order to address issues and not the people saying them. this training should be initiated in childhood and carried out throughout the lifespan.

this is not one of my best entries.

The Caring and The Dying

i'm inspired to write this because of what has been happening to me the past few days. i'm quite alarmed with the fact that this week alone, two of my friends have passed away and i also found out that we already lost a few patients since coming into the rotation this month.

so i'd like to take time to share so you might consider how to treat someone who's already on the verge of death or in the process of dying.

give time. the dying person is someone who is doesn't want to be alone. yes, he might want some privacy every now and then but one of the worst things you can do to that person is make him feel lonely. no, it doesn't mean that we're required to never be any more than 12 inches away from him. rather, what this means is that the person must know that he is cared for, loved and supported. the challenge is to make him feel this way without suffocating him.

give consideration. we've all seen it before and it's not necessarily a bad thing. let me ask you; how does the average Filipino family express their love and concern for their patient? chances are you thought about feeding him. for the most part, this is true. nutrition is very important in the health care setting. but have we ever considered if the person really still wants to eat? it's been documented that among the dying, some have complained of being overfed. one patient even said that he wished his wife would stop stuffing the apple pie down his throat every chance she got. of course, the intentions are good. but it's better to ask the patient how he was instead. or more specifically, if he wanted to it. imagine, it would be hard to think of eating if you're in pain and finding it difficult to swallow, yes? we have tubes for that, too.

forever on replay.

give control. in most cases, a person who is dying has lost control of everything that is happening in his life. he is often left feeling bound to and responsible for everything -- especially the financial and emotional burden of his care. though there is little we can do about it, it's also good to know that it's still possible to give that person control. consider the little things. does the person want the light on or off? is he okay with the temperature of the room or does he want it warmer/cooler? would he prefer his own clothes instead of the hospital gown when he's not undergoing procedures? does he actually like to watch those pinoy movies on replay or nora aunor and her himala? on a more serious note, is there any legality or paperwork he would like done without being manipulated (provide privacy for that)? are there any things he would like taken care of when he moves on? what are his advanced directives? is there a time limit he wants before pulling the plug? these things matter to the dying. let them have this control. remember, little as they are, a little is always more than nothing.

give recognition. nobody wants to be stereotyped. a person would do almost anything just to avoid labels, would he? the same goes for the dying. how would you feel if we get remembered as 'bacterial pneumonia'? how about 'urinary tract infection'? or even worst, the 'immunocompromised'? as medical professionals, we are often guilty of remembering patients by their diseases or conditions. this is not exactly wrong but wouldn't it be better to remember our patients as real persons, too? i actually tried this today and invested more time with my patient. i discovered new things and i felt my personal growth happen. this really had a positive effect on my outlook and life. not to mention, his blood pressure also went down significantly to almost normal after our talk. yes, according to family medicine, healing happens when there is communication.

with all these things shared, i am well-aware that i'm just a newbie doctor. i'm not even done with internship, and let alone licensed! but still, i hope you take it in good consideration that aside from medicines, most of the healing takes place in a familiar environment and every person we come in contact with will always come off better or worse because of us. let's all choose to make everyone, and especially the dying, better about themselves.

the message here is to give. let us be the giving kind of people. and leave it up to God Almight to give back according to His sovereign will. 

Of Netizens, Keyboard Warriors and Armchair Generals

call them "netizens" if you find them agreeable. call them "keyboard warriors" if you don't.

it is hard to disprove that sans legal processes like a census or an election, these same opinions can and should always matter. the method or means of communicating a certain position on certain matters does not devalue someone's position.

let's consider the term "armchair generals". this is one of the more popular ways for someone to call another person out when there is a disagreement online. the accuser (or one who uses the term to describe the other) usually does so, in an effort to taunt the other. it's like saying the other person's only way of contributing to society as a whole is his words and can never back it up with action. 

personally, i find this approach sleazy, unfair and a symptom of someone who's basically given up winning an argument or discussion. in parallel, it's challenging a fistfight knowing you could not outargue a person.

definitely, not the smartest thing to type, no matter how your fists (or fingers for that matter) might say otherwise.

keyboard warriors accusing others of being keyboard warriors as well.

but again, "armchair generals". is there anything wrong with playing one's opinion up online? again, on the flipside, is there anything wrong with putting your opinion out offline, like a magazine or newspaper?

and dare i ask, "is there anything wrong, then, with the whole democratic election process since we decide and do vote upon an armchair?"

simply said, calling someone a keyboard warrior doesn't make you any less of one. so, get off your self-imposed pedestal.

my say is this; stop taking the weaker position of labeling people and start addressing their opinions head-on. though i cannot say for certain, if jose rizal were alive today, i'd consider him to be one of the greatest armchair generals. he would've undoubtedly taken advantage of the reach of social media in order to express his opinions.

In Pain There is Gratitude

there was a time in my life when pain had literally taken over every bit and aspect of my life. i never thought it would actually come to that, but it did. and i sincerely am glad it happened.

if you're the movie buff, then we may have something in common. there were a few movies in the past decade which i frequently dwelt into whenever i would have my pain bouts.

do you remember the saw series? yes, those were some pretty shocking films. to the average moviegoer, it would have been just blood and gore. but if you really consider the message, these movies really had two things going for them; gratitude and the value of pain.

it locks you in and there's pretty much no escape from there

so i recall myself waking up in the middle of the night more and more often because of the pain. i have experienced pain before but this was quite different.

the first time i had a laminectomy, it was in december, 2003. the pain started 3 months later after i screwed up carrying a heavy weight without the proper body mechanics. i paid for it dearly. 

the pain would also be like this. it would start from my back and radiate downwards where the pulses would end just before my right knee. it was like having the blunt end of a pen being driven into your skin and going down. couple that with your back suddenly getting tight and leave you unable to move and in another type of pain which i would describe as being crushed by your own muscles. in short, it was not pretty. the surgery pretty much fixed that.

the second time though, presented differently. i never thought my condition recurred since it had a different manifestation. the first one was relieved by the fetal position. the second was relieved by nsaids. so all the while, i thought it was a different condition. but i was eventually wrong.

the nsaids would lose efficacy and rather than strain my liver over higher and higher doses of medications, it was time to surgically deal with it. the pain would start as slow cramps which would eventually consume your whole leg and hip. just so we all have the same idea on this, consider the most painful cramps you had your whole life. multiply it by 7 months with 2 or 3 hours on nsaid-relief in between. by the way, i was also doing my internship then. this meant that despite not being able to walk or stand more than 30 seconds at a time, i was still doing my 36-hours shifts.

this is a scene from the saw series. i never thought i'd say this but whatever it was she felt, my leg also had a story to tell

the good thing though was that after 3 days of finding it too difficult to take care of myself and be absent for the same period from the hospital, i decided that it was time to go home. another adventure later, it was all over. i still do have some artifacts from the surgical experience but that's gonna be a topic for another post.

if there's any good that came out after my two whole ordeals of almost dying in the operating room, it's gratitude. i have since become even more thankful of and for the life i have. the pain has also taught me to focus on the present. that's because most people have no idea how long time seems to be when you're in constant pain and still working.

i have also read some pain websites about living with pain (yes, i went up to that point) and they all provided another interesting point to their readers. they said that pain was a "reminder that we were still alive".

do i have any regret from my entire experience of being in pain for the last 7 of 9 months? not much.

but if there's anything, it would be how i discovered some people never really believed me and thought i was faking it. even when i was in pain, unable to move, sighing and grimacing. 

at least now i know what kind of people they really are.

I'm Excited About Something

the next few months are going to be very exciting. i'm currently on duty as i write this but i can't help it. i'm just really excited. i know i appear to be detached or mostly sport a poker face but the truth is, things really run around in my head more than i would prefer.

so what am i so excited about?

well, i care a lot about the concept of holism. which directly means i was really affected when some of the people (i actually consider real friends, even more talented and gifted than me) had to take a few subjects again.

but think about it; in about 3 weeks' time, they're also gonna be putting on their junior intern uniforms! i can't wait to see how much they can offer the world. and.. i can now freely predict some of the things which i believe will happen to them in the near future.

basing on my experiences with our midyears (who are currently on their last rotation, yey!), they are going to be very dynamic. they'll know how to take charge when their colleagues will need them to. and they will endure the toughest times relatively unscathed. maybe even better.

they will also be more ready to teach, share and mentor.. be passionate with what they do as they pass along everything they know to the incoming junior interns come april 2015.

new batch served hot and fresh! tag-Php 5.50 lang!

(credit goes to potandprayer.blogspot.com for the image)

and how do i know this? it's quite simple, really. they were the ones who taught me.

because frankly..

skills-wise..

it was a midyear who taught me how to properly do the ECG again. it was a midyear who taught me how to finally do the digital rectal exam with full confidence. it was a midyear who taught me how to insert the IV line without double-guessing. it was a midyear who gave me the confidence to extract blood and get it right the first time.

personal growth-wise..

it was a midyear who imbibed the value of teamwork. it was a midyear who shared how things don't have to be harder than it is. it was a midyear who taught me the wisdom i needed to go on surviving junior internship.

so, in reality, i'll forever be grateful for what they have taught me. and nobody can ever take away their contribution to the "next generation".

i find these things plausible since they will be able to bring in more energy into our duties compared to us who (may have) already dwindled ours down. to add, i may have even arrived at a point wherein i'm starting to believe having midyears (read fresher peeps!) are necessary to ensure the integrity and order of the jobs we do and workload we freely bear.

in theory, the thought of having newer faces to work with will also generate variety into our work and duties. that alone would already re-energize this current batch of junior interns. 

that is, if we ascribe to the saying, "variety is the spice of life."

and we definitely need some spicing up as we surge past the halfway mark in our junior internship careers. after all, it's always nice to be working with your friends again.

in short, they will bring in more excitement. and when you bring in excitement into something or anything you do, that will always make you a winner.

now, that is something i need to learn again. who knows, maybe from them.

KUDOS!

The Naked Truth About "The Naked Truth"

it's been all around the news recently. the bench underwear fashion show has been drawing a lot of publicity; both good and bad.

still, people should just chill and stop overreacting. seriously, they do have the right to express how they feel, but assaulting my newsfeed with everything about it is just not nice.

so, people, just chill. it's a show.

a lot of people may dignify their stand and put themselves on the pedestal (as what is similar to the  phenomenon known as the white knight syndrome) by saying either:

1. i'm too numb - to even care about the plight of women

2. i'm too naive - to see how everything is always "deeper" and it's "repercussions" of "how society really thinks about women" blah blah blah

3. i'm brushing it off - well, i have every right to

like, come on.. can we just chill? it's true that some people may find some aspects of the show objectionable, it's not everything. huwag masyadong OA.

yes, i know. women get raped everyday. and if you didn't notice, guys get raped everyday, too. so it's not mutually exclusive. by any means, rape is never funny and should never be taken lightly. it's just that i think these people are overreacting. wag naman ganun.

it's just a show.

just to emphasize a little of my example of how i perceive their reactions to be, here are a few examples.

why so seeerrryyyyuuuuuusssss???? 

[in best joker voice possible]

normal person: i'm going to enjoy my sashimi tonight.

OA person: that fish may have been alive while it was being sliced! how cruel!

normal person: wow! a dolphin! i've never seen one before! they're so amazing! and they perform tricks, too!

OA person: they shouldn't be in captivity! think of all the hundreds of helpless dolphins mercilessly being slaughtered in scandinavia just for a stupid rite of passage!

normal person: let's get some petrol for the trip.

OA person: let's stop supporting petrol! it's destroying wildlife everywhere! and the oil leaks!

normal person: i think i'll choose starbucks instead of my 3-in-1 coffee today.

OA person: you're so elitist and discriminatory!

normal person: wow! it's very kinky sexy! that's just how a pinoy version of fifty shades of grey would be like!

OA person: that's rape! discrimination! women's rights! objectifying women! blah blah blah

so.. just relax. just saying