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

Current Blog
Old Blogs
myspace

Blogs to Note:
gary
tae
kerry
other Dr Blogs:
dr pooh
rand*amok
fam med notes
dr bradley

POWERED BY:
blogger



COMMENT?
sign my Guestbook
View My Guestbook

Monogamy

I'm more sad than shocked after reading an article from REDBOOK on why guys cheat. The article focused on four men--divorced, separated, and married--who cheated on their wives. From their responses, they made it seem that there's more men then we think who cheat and that there's almost nothing wives can do to prevent it. While most of the interviewees thought cheating was inevitable, one hopeful man said, "Infidelity is not inevitable, but I think fidelity is a gift you give to somebody that you have to work hard at continuing to give."

Is fidelity really something that is so hard to give? In my opinion, it's not a gift, it's a command and an oath we all committed to during our vows. Marriage is definitely work, but it seems people don't give enough credence to their vows in the first place. I believe my vows were said not just in front of my bridal party and parents, but also the God Almighty. That very fact is all the incentive I need to work on my marriage. People have lost their fear (respect) of God just as Moses' people did when God released them from Eguptian slavery. During their journey to the Promiseland, they forgot God and basically died off until the next generation became worthy enough to get to the Land of Canaan.

I'm sad to read in this article that infidelity is so common. God is probably more sad than I am.

posted by dinah 2:12 PM

I look like Velma from Scooby Doo

I've been wearing my glasses for two days now and don't feel like I've really been living or seeing the world as it really is. I'm supposed give my cornea some rest by not wearing contacts before my surgery. I have a month to go. I haven't worn my glasses for more than a day since I got contacts in the 8th grade so I'm not used to wearing these things for prolonged periods of time. It's such a drag putting on make-up and driving with blurry peripheral vision.

posted by dinah 11:20 PM

You know you're a good friend . . .

when you see a movie just because another friend (whose birthday it is may I add) wants to see it. So I saw CROSSROADS! I admit, I am a little fascinated by Britney b/c she's pretty, has good skin, a good figure, and like every other female, I wouldn't mind looking like her (mixed in with some Filipino of course).

The movie certainly lived up to its ONE and a half stars. I felt so embarrassed for Britney. This movie was obviously conjured up so that the little starlet could tell the world that "she's not a girl, not yet a woman." That's another thing. Every opportunity she could get, that girl was singing. In her room, in the car, in front of the piano, and during the grand finale. Come on already. If she really wanted to give acting a half-baked chance, she should have chosen a role where she didn't sing at all and one that allowed her to sacrifice a bit of her good looks. When pretty women make themselves look bad, like Halle Berry in Monster's Ball, they get nominated for awards. Figure it out.

Spanish

I've given up on really learning in my Spanish class, but I'm still going to go. Today, this guy who had only shown up to half of a class 2 weeks ago was there today. He was really rude to our teacher. I had asked him what line of work he does and what type of Spanish words he needs to know. He started barking off that he's an ear doctor and just needs to know stuff about the ear. I told him I wouldn't mind learning about that either. Then he told me curtly,"It doesn't matter anyway. I have nurses who can translate for me. You guys {he spoke to our spanish teacher then} have too many STUPID verbs. If there weren't so many STUPID verbs it would be easy." Luckily he left at the break.

posted by dinah 11:15 PM

LASIK

I know the E is on the eye chart, but I just can't see it. Yeah, my eyes are that bad. I've been wearing my prosthetic eye gear (glass/contacts) since the 3rd grade and it's about time I join the LASIK hype. I spent a few hours researching the net for good ophthalmologists today and then called about 20 optometrists for their recommendations. So far, I've narrowed my search to three docs, all who have the latest technology: LADARvision or VISEX. Supposedly, these lasers have tracking systems that detect eye movement during the procedure. In doing so, it will prevent aberrant cuts in the cornea. I'm willing to go for the goods, especially since I'm so BLIND!!!

posted by dinah 12:12 AM

The Risky Shift: when good kids make bad decisions because of the group

I learned that on Oprah today. The main topic being the social pressures kids endure while growing up. I found it interesting that kids nowadays are still the very same type of kids we were in the 80s. Social pressures still weigh much heavier than grades in the balance of importance. Hardly any junior high student can see beyond the next day.

Although I didn't make it my life's goal to be popular, I do remember always trying to fit in with the mainstream. At one time, my efforts came at the expense of another. There was this guy named Jacob who a lot of people made of b/c he was hairy. On Valentines, someone bought him a card with a big gorrilla on it and a lot of people, including myself signed it. The card, of course, wasn't well received. Man, I can't believe how stupid I was. It like one of those scenes from Flatliners where you wish you could relive the moment just so you could fix it.

I can only hope my kids have enough self-esteem to stick up for other people. I hope I remember to instill in them the true meaning of humility.

posted by dinah 12:05 AM

Out of character

YOu know those type of people in class who are louder than the rest and at times can be very annoying? I have become one of those--BUT only in this one instance! I've been taking a medical spanish conversation class in my spare time and have just come back from our third lesson. I'm a little disappointed b/c I don't think I'm getting my money's worth.

Last week, after having missed the first class the previous week b/c of my interviews, I found myself absolutely BORED to death. The teacher lectured the entire time and i was thinking to myself, "I thought this was supposed to be Conversational Spanish?" After the break, our class of 10 dwindled to 5. At the end of the class, realizing that if I was going to get my $98 worth I was going to have to do something so I blurted out, "Can I make a suggestion?" Normally, I'm one of those sit at the back and be quiet type of people, but in a class of 5, it's pretty difficult to do. I tried to be as humble sounding as possible, but I finally suggested that we be responsible to read around 4 chapters ahead of time before the next class. After all, we only had 4 classes left and we were only on chapter 2 of a book of 19 chapters! I figured, since this was an adult community education class, we'd all be mature enough to motivate ourselves to learn spanish since we were paying for it.

So . . . as for today's class. You'd think the pace would have speeded up a bit, but it didn't. We didn't even finish ch 3. Only 3 of us showed up today at first and then 2 others who had left early during last week's class showed up late. No one seemed to have read. As a matter of fact, we're still learning numbers and we're half way through with the class. I think I'm just going to have to learn on my own.

posted by dinah 11:17 PM

This side of the border

I went down to a border town this weekend with some other med students to volunteer in a free medical clinic. I had a wonderful experience teaching the lower levels (1st and 2nd years med students) how to perform pap smears and do history and physicals. It was amazing. I actually knew what I was doing and talking about. I have learned something in med school after all!

I am naive. I never knew squatter villages--like those in Manila--exist this side of the border. We visited a "colonia" this morning where people have built homes or parked their shanty RVs haphazardly amidst unwanted land. They don't pay taxes and have no regulations imposed on them such as building restrictions, plumbing or electricity requirements. With mangy, stray dogs roaming about, I felt like I was in Mexico.

posted by dinah 10:24 PM

I'm so glad to be home

Interviews are OVER! Time to coast . . .

I'm happy right now. I have nothing pending that I don't enjoy. I'm putting my energy into last minute planning for our church's valentines party and working on my church's webpage. One of our missionaries in the Philippines sent their newsletter on disk so that I could put it on the web. I'm always amazed at the progress they make at winning people to Christ despite the strong Muslim and animistic influences they've encountered there (Palawan).

SNOW

One of the highlights of my interviews was the off time I got last week. I got to see snow again while we were in the Grand Canyon. Robin and I walked the South Kaibe Trail and ate our lunch at Cedar Point over looking the vast canyon. It's amazing how a hike can make cheap meat sandwiches palatable. It was beautiful and could have been romantic, but we felt dorky wearing our glasses and black snow caps. Oh well.

The hike up got our hearts beating so that we didn't feel cold at all. It was just another reminder that we are out of shape. By the time we reached the road, a dense fog had covered the canyon so we couldn't see the view at all. We were lucky that we had come early and headed back to our hotel right after dark.

Speaking of out of shape

I think I'm getting GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease) or heartburn. Every so often when I lie down or lean over, I feel a transient pressure in my chest. I really hope I don't end up taking H2 blockers (Pepcid) or anything. Even though I'm in the medical field, I still don't like taking medicine. I think I'm going to have to pop some TUMS before I go to sleep though.

posted by dinah 11:28 PM