my life as a filipino-american, newly graduated family med physician

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Mariah

OK, I am one of those fans who think Mariah Carey has become a hootchie. Alright, I feel guilty for thinking that, but what happened to the class act of 10 years ago? VH-1 had a special on her where she claimed to have been suppressed by her former record label. She couldn't wear what she wanted and blah blah blah. I guess I can sympathize a tad.

She still has an amazing voice though. They showed her singing with Boyz to Men and Whitney Houston and I literally got chills down my arms. Their harmony is tight. (did I just use a slang term--I've probably got that from my 20 year old cousin.)

Speaking of Slang Terms . . .

I am so out of it. The last slang term I learned was:

"You'[re] all up in the Kool-aid, [but] you don't even know the fla-vuh!"

posted by dinah 6:52 PM

It's been raining



I just finished watching a couple get rescued from their van which had stalled in a low water crossing. Why are people so fearless? This couple drove their mini-van around a barrier (fine of 500$) and had to be rescued by firemen ($another $500 fine).

The rain makes me lazy, sleepy, and hungry. I'm actually drinking the caffe latte mix I bought the last time I was caught in a flood in Houston. It brings back memories . . .

posted by dinah 6:47 PM

Rat Race

If I were not married, there's is no doubt that my relatives or "well-meaning" friends would try to set me up with any single filipino guy that fell under their radar. There is a dearth of decent Filipino guys in South Texas so when one comes along, females devour him like a pack of wolves. Yes, there are some Filipino guys here, but not "decent"-- meaning a person with good hygeine, good morals, and a stable job.

Yesterday, two of my friends brought their 22 year-old cousin to our Bible Study. Without hesitation, my cousins asked him how old he was. Upon finding out that he was the exact same age as another female cousin, she said out loud," Ahh, you and are the same age . . ." You can imagine Girlie's embarrassment, but she took it in stride having been initiated into this tradition when she was 18.

Filipino guys have got to get their act together down here or at least there needs to be a wave of them coming in from somewhere else. If this doesn't happen then female Filipinos will just have to marry outside their race, like I did!

posted by dinah 7:06 PM

It's the weekend. Time to wash clothes.

I wonder one day if I'll ever be able to clean house like my mother does. I admire her love of cleaning. Sometimes when I'm washing the dishes, she'll tell me to move over so that she can finish them. She adds that washing the dishes gives her time to think--that before she knows it, she's done. Her penchant for domestic engineering does not stop there.

At 11pm, I'll sometimes find her mopping the floor. "I'm getting my exercise, " she'll say. I'll sit at the diningroom table talking about my day and watch her skinny arms push the mop across the floor. At other times, I watch her iron my dad's shirts or her own t-shirts. Who irons t-shirts?

When I cleaned my room as a teenager, my mother would inspect my job afterwards. Without a word, she'd re-vacuum making sure to leave neat linear marks on the carpet. She would reorganize, fold, wipe-down, and re-clean everything. She finds time to work on her garden, clean the pool, cook, and still work full-time in her 50s. I marvel at her energy and wish deep down that one day I'd be more like her.

posted by dinah 10:53 AM

Oil of Olay is now just Olay.

Today I finished my dermatology rotation. The most practical thing I learned is that Olay Complete is probably the best inexpensive suncreen on the market. It contains cinnamate AND zinc-cote which block both UVA and UVB light. Most suncreens only contain the former ingredient which is an "absorber" while zinc oxide (the stripe of sunblock down some people's noses) "reflects" UV light. Zinc-cote is a transparent form of the typical zinc oxide--so no stripe.

I'm all of a sudden a big advocate for sunscreen. I have seen too many blue-eyed, fair-skinned, veterans with basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis in the past month. These lesions are, for the most part, prevented by the use of protective clothing, wide-brimmed hats, and sunblock.

Take a look at your butt . . .or the underside of your forearm. This is what the skin on your face would look like if it hadn't been profusely bathing in the sun.

posted by dinah 7:08 PM

Things don't appear as they are

A dermatology resident asked me the other day what my ethnic background is. He said he was stumped so when I told him I was Filipino he asked me if both my parents were also Filipino. He thought I was a "mix" or perhaps American Indian. This reminded me of my days as a kid when I refused to have my hair braided so as not to look like an Indian. I hated how some kids, out of the blue, would ask me which tribe I was from. Sometimes, I'd play along and say I was from the Cherokee tribe, but really, at 8 years old, I was extremely offended (but I don't know why). I did not want to be associated with Indians and so during Thanksgiving plays, I chose the role of a Pilgrim.

For the most part, people can tell I'm Filipino. Those people usually tend to be people of other races. For some reason, other Filipinos do not think I'm Filipino. Like the derm resident, I must convince them that both my parents are full-fledged Filipinos from Luzon. I have been described as Indian (from India), Mexican, and Black. I have never, however, been mistaken for Chinese, Vietnamese, or Korean--except for when I was 5 or so and the only type of Asian that kids knew about were Chinese.

My nose is not tall like my brothers. Eyeglasses or goggles without the nosepads fall down to the tip of my nose. This is a typical Filipino trait, a DEAD give-away! As a child, my mother used to massage the bridge of my nose in hopes that it would grow like that of a Westerner. I hoped it would too, but then my brother would come along and push my nose down while screaming "Flat nose, flat nose!" For that, I blame him for the fact that my nose is not as tall as his.

Except for the occasional blemish, I'm now content with my appearance--although I still don't wear braids. My flat nose, high cheekbones, and bulging eyes allow me to blend easily with a lot of cultures. When I don a salvar at my husbands Indian church, I look Indian. In South Texas, I can easily pass for a Latina. In Malaysia and Indonesia, I could easily be mistaken for a native. In the future, my children will be asked their ethnicity. Surely as half Indian and half Filipino, they will stump people too.

posted by dinah 8:38 PM

My first fish

I caught this one at 2 am. We were desperate to catch something especially since we came back with nothing after our last lake trip. Fortunately, we caught 15 fish among the 3 of us.


Besides fishing at the coast, a bunch of us crossed the border to Mexico. I came back with RETIN-A for $7 ( a bargain compared to $35 in the states).

posted by dinah 9:03 PM

I just came back
from the coast. I caught my first fish, although small and most likely illegal. I also got to use my digital camera for the first time so I'll be posting pics more often.

posted by dinah 9:41 PM

Deep Thoughts

I had Communion last Sunday. At our church, we have it on the first Sunday of each month. Instead of wine, we have grape juice. Instead of bread, we have crackers. This is unlike the communion at the Catholic masses I used to attend as a child where the communal bread was baked fresh every Saturday night and the entire congregation shared a glass of wine. I remember how I thought eating this bread quelled my stomach aches and how I thought colds couldn't be spread by sharing in the "holy wine." While I have participated in this ceremony since my “first communion” as a Catholic, my thoughts on the matter have certainly changed.

I’m not Catholic now, but my reverence for this ceremony is still as strong, if not stronger than it was when I was ten. When I hold the elements symbolizing His body that was broken and His blood that was shed, I imagine the Cross and the Sacrifice. The moment I take part in this ceremony without shedding a tear is the day I realize I have become a callused Christian.

Three points made at yesterday’s sermon:

1. Some Christians think Noah’s wife is Joan of Arc
2. 50% of Christians don’t know what John 3:16 is or how to look it up in the Bible
3. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6

posted by dinah 8:08 PM

Names

Here are some names I think should be phased out:

1. Mildred
2. Eugene
3. Agnus
4. Melvin
5. Ronald

Gary adds:
Ethel
Hector
Erma / Irma
Flora
Gerald
Arthur
Malvin

posted by dinah 6:23 PM

NO tax

Texas's no tax weekend started yesterday. I'm sitting here still in clothes I slept in, wondering if I should brave the crowds and save eight cents on the dollar. May just called to inform me that there really was nothing at the nearest shopping center and to advise me that perhaps I shouldn't go. But still, the hope of finding something is calling me.

posted by dinah 2:54 PM

A treat of fiction

I finally finished reading Anil's Ghost, a book by Michael Ondaajte, author of The English Patient. Kind of a tiresome read at first. I had to force myself to read slower, taking in every written word so I wouldn't miss something. But I know I did. I haven't read a good piece of fiction in awhile, and since I'm pressed for time, I tried to finish this book as quickly as possible. "hmmm" is all I could say when I came to the last page so I'm now reading the review.

posted by dinah 2:42 PM

The sun is evil

It's amazing how large and invasive a lesion has to get before a person will get over their denial and visit the dermatologist. I saw vet (veteran) after vet with pre-malignant/malignant lesions scattered across their arms, face, head, and chest. One fair-skinned red-haired patient came in with a 1 inch, pre-auricular, cauliflowered lesion--probably malignant.

There's another thing about derm . . .the language is amazing. Our attending will pull up a slide of some gross looking growth on someone's face and the residents will come up with a string of enigmatic differential diagnoses. Spitz nevus. Alba igni. dermatographism. Even better ones too difficult for me to remember.

The thing about being a dermatologist is that it's a cush job. Normal hours, lots of money. BUT, you have to be at the top of your med school class to get a residency spot. There's only one spot per year at my school. Beautiful, rich, smart, cushy . . .

posted by dinah 8:13 PM