Tuesday, 16 June 2009

V for Vendetta

No. Actually. V for Vneck.



My previous batchmates are now wearing their glowing shiny Vnecks this year. Some sort of "award" maybe when they pass Patho and Pharma. and for most of them, it looks good. It gives them a sense of "respect" para sabihing, "Huy, third Year nako mehn. Hari na ng Med" (because as we all know, the Seniors are getting burned on the other building across the bridge for their Clerkship) In all fairness, for the girls most of them looked hot on it. except for some. hahaha. but mostly, the Vneck scored points to their hotness factor.




For some reason, I try to avoid seeing them. Seeing Austin, Moogie, Greg, and the rest, just keep me reminded that we faltered along away that made us less worthy of those new uniforms. That this collar that im wearing is supposed to be gone. I've been wearing this before-shiny-now-off-white uniform for 2 years now, for god's sake. But then again, I'm done self pitying, im done with that last year, there may be pain, but it doesn't reach threshold anymore... I guess all i can do is be proud of them that when we started as a class of 125 students, they are the 100 something that were left, and that's including irregs that fell from the upper batch. So I have no idea what the real number is.

Next year. Me and the Irreg team will be wearing that, too. We, too, will be proud of wearing those new shiny uniforms as we walk down the halls of ust medschool. It may be a year late, but still, we'll get to wear that. We'll get there. We'll all be there one way or another, like what I always say,  "In God's time. in God's freakin time"

Monday, 8 June 2009

Gusto kong maging doktor

(ang tagal ng download, kaya napapa-emo ako)

naalala niyo pa ba nung bata tayo, lahat ng tao gusto maging doctor? o kaya abugado? at yung mga taong nambubully sa ating gustong maging basketball player? o kaya presidente daw ng Pilipinas?

tapos habang lumalaki tayo (lalo na ako), nabubuksan tayo sa mga kung anu-anong posibilidad na mga pangarap?

'sino kaya ang nagdrawing ng cartoons na pinapanood ko?
wow, gusto ko na palang maging kartunista,

o kaya 'sinong gumawa nag sculpt ng Oblation?"
wow, gusto ko nang maging Sculptero (?)

o kaya 'anong ginagawa ng mga taga kanto ngayon?'
shet, gusto kong maging kantotero (oops)

pero, hindi nga. anong nangyari sa mga pangarap na maging doktor, abugado, at basketball player ng lahat ng tao sa Pilipinas? matapos nga silang madistract ng kung anu-anong Job Opportunities sa mundong ito, ang iba gusto nang maging astronaut, rockstar, at manny pacquiao.

So, Elementary palang, nangyari na ang una nating screening process... ang madistract sa ibang pangarap. Pero matigas ulo ko nun.Kahit mahilig ako magcomputer, favorite subect ang math... Gusto ko parin maging doktor.

Sa Highschool ko naman unang nasabing, "punyeta, ang hirap ng Science," actually elementary palang ay hirap na akong iclassify ang mga Go, Grow, at Glow foods, how much more kung sino dito ang Protein at Carbohydrates? siguro Fats, kaya ko identify. Ang hirap ng periodic table. Ang hirap nung orbitals. Ang hirap ng meiosis, mitosis, botany... basta agham, nahirapan ako. Pero hindi naman dun natinag ang pangarap ko. Kasi alam kong hindi lang palaka ang basehan ng anatomy, at hindi kailangang imemorize ang periodic table para lang makapagreseta. So far, the dream was still on.

trivia: ang lowest ever grade ko sa Highschool ay 78. sa Biology. Yung teacher lang ang gusto ko nun (the Goddess, Ms Cielo Pineda) ironically, BS Biology ang kinuha kong pre-med. Bata palang, masokista na ako.

Natanong palang ako ng dad ko nun, "bat ba gusto mong maging doctor?"
Ang sabi ko sa kanya, "Kasi nakita ko, andaming umaasa sayo kapag nagkakasakit sila. ikaw lagi yung tinatawagan, ikaw yung pinupuntahan. Yung iba walang pambayad, pero nakikita mo naman kung gano sila magpasalamat sa atin. sobra sobrang paggalang at kahit ano mangyari, andun yung utang na loob nila sa yo. E pano kung nawala ka na? sino nalang ang papalit dun? diba?"

Hindi ko alam na sa loob loob ng aking Daddy Bear ay tumataba ang puso niya sa sinabi ko. Ang hindi niya alam, pinabulaklak ko yun dahil ibibili daw niya ako ng Dunkin Donuts pag sinagot ko yung tanong niya. Hehe. Pero, syempre, totoo pa din yun.

So, natapos ang Highschool at ang "Road most travelled",ang pangarap na pinakagasgas na sa yearbook ng Elementary ay nabaliktad... panahon ko, lahat gustong maging nurse... basta sa klase namin, 8 nalang ata kaming nangarap mag doktor. Imagine, out of halos kalahati ng elementary kaming mga bata dati, naging walo nalang sa klase?

Biology na. Ngayong andito na ako sa med, masasabi kong napakadali pala ng biology. well, mahirap... pero, kumpara pala sa PT, mas pipiliin ko mag biology. At the same time, wala masyadong natutunan na pang med. kumbaga, pang pasa lang ng NMAT ang mga natutunan mong med related. the rest, pang National Geographic. Maganda, mahirap, pero, sorry, mejo mahirap ikabit ang Invertebrate Bio or Ecology or Cat Anatomy sa Med. :s

kaya... Fast Forward nalang... Medicine Proper.

tadan. First Day of UST Med, uupo ka sa umaga at ipagmamalaki ng paaralan ang sarili nila. "the BEST Medical School welcomes the BEST pre-med students in the country", may librang pakain, at ang Tour-de-Med , may isang doktor na humirit sa amin habang kumakain,

"I wish every day in Med School is just as easy as this, isn't it?"

Shet. English. Napangiti nalang ako at kinain ang pansit na kinakain ko. Oo nga, sana nga ganito kadali, pero alam naming lahat na pagkatapos ng araw na ito, lulunurin na kami sa kaalamang pangdoktor. Wala nang minor subjects (uhmm epid pala), at lahat related na sa human body, kung paano ito gumagana, bat ito nasisira, at paano ito ayusin. Wala nang Rizal Course at Trigonometry. Wala nang SCL at ETAR.

Ganito pala ang mundo na walang minors. Nakakaumay. Wala nang subject na ililihis ang atensyon mo sandali with the the Med stuff na nangyayari.

Mahirap ang Med. Maraming napapatanong kung bakit nila pinasok ang ganong propesyon. Pera? Kapangyarihan? Pinilit ng Magulang? Wala kang magawa sa buhay? Trip mo lang maglustay ng milyon ng magulang mo? Gusto mong maghiganti sa ex-girlfriend mo na dinump ka dahil sabi niya wala siyang future sayo?  Isa isang mawawala ang mga dahilang yun. Isa isa mo silang kukukwestyunin at ang karamihan buburahin sa listahan. Hararap ka sa impyerno ng Pharma, Physio, Patho. Meron palang isa ngang subject doon na pangalan palang, nalunod na ako: Otorhinolayngology. in short, ENT.  Di ko alam kung mahirap yun, wala pa kong ganung subject eh. Kakausapin mo ang sarili mo ng maraming ulit sa kalagitnaan ng mga gabing hindi matapos tapos: "Bakit ko ito ginagawa?"

Mawawala ang mga dahilang binanggit ko kanina. Pero merong isang dahilan na lalabas. Isang dahilang bunga ng init ng impyernong pinagdaanan mo... Kilala mo ba si Panday? kapag gagawa siya ng espada, iinitin niya ang bakal, hahatawin ng todo todo, babasain, at iiniting muli para mawala ang impurities ng bakal para maging ganap itong espada. Para din yang Med. idadaan ka sa init, hahatawin, at titinagin para maging matibay at mawala ang mga makamundo mong dahilan hanggang matira nalang ang pinaka purong dahilan na naririnig sa bawat Medschool Entrance interview: I want to be a doctor because I want to help humanity.

...

Oo nga naman... nalampasan ko nga naman ang di madistract para maging Computer Engineer para gumawa ng bagong Playstation nung elementary. Nalampasan ko ang Biology nung Highschool kahit ginapang ko yun. Nalampasan ko ang BS Bio, ang thesis, ang NMAT, at nandito na ako sa pangarap kong paaralan... Siguro naman, yun palang, maganda nang dahilan yun para masabi kong, "I still wanna do this because i want to help humanity" Oo, bumagsak man ako ng isang subject dati, pero given all the blessings I got, ang kapal naman ng mukha ng subect na yun para idrop ko ang pangarap ko.


Gusto kong maging doktor dahil gusto kong ayusin ang mata ni Shan. Ang Liver ni Daddy. Gusto kong ayusin ang puso ng mga pasyente ko, para sa bawat paggaling nila, maaalala ko ang lola ko, na kung sana pinanganak ako ng mas maaga, at naging doktor agad, kahit papano maaagapan ko sana yun. Gusto kong magtuli sa mga pinsan kong supot. Palakihin ang boobs ng mga crush ko nung bata ako. Isa ako sa mga unang makakahawak ng anak ni Pae, Shan, at Shen... malamang yung anak ko rin. Shet. Maiiyak ako pag nakita ko ang unang iyak ng anak ko. Sperm ko yun mehn. Kalahati ng chromosomes niya, sakin.

---

"Paglaki ko gusto kong maging doktor"

Napakadaling sabihin. Ang sarap pangarapin nung bata ka. Ang sarap isagot sa mga teachers mo, kahit na sa loob loob nila, "haay. isa nanamang batang nangangarap." Pero ngayon at nandito na kami.... at sa bawat na araw na palapit kami ng palapit sa aming pinapangarap na letrang M at D na nakakabit sa aming mga pangalan, alam naming marami pa kaming kakaining bigas. Marami pang gamot na kakabisaduhin, pasyenteng mamamatay, at kapeng iinumin. Mahirap. Magastos. Madugo. Pero kung kapalit nun ay magagawa mo, in your own special way, na gawing better place ang mundong ito... siguro naman masasabi kong worth it itong lahat.

Masarap yung feeling na nagtatatanong yung mga kamag-anak mo o kaibigan mo sayo kung anong gagawin nila sa sugat nilang hindi gumagaling, o sa pag-ihi nilang masakit, o sa premature ejaculation nila... Kahit na ang nasasagot ko so far sa kanila ay, "hindi ko pa alam eh :D" ... Tapos pag alam mo na ang sagot, magpapabayad ka na. Joke lang.

Kung papanoorin ko siguro ang sarili ko nung elementary na sinisigaw sa klase na, "Gusto ko pang maging doktor" (ala That's my Boy) Mapapailing nalang ako at matatawa... pero hindi ko siya pipigilan. dahil mula sa mga munting sigaw na iyon na hindi nagpatinag habang lumipas ang panahon, andito ako, at tinatahak ang daan para bigayang katuparan ang mga munting sigaw na iyon. Mag-iiba iba man ako ng dahilan, isa rin ang role na aging gagampanan... ang ultimate gasgas linya ng lahat ng doktor sa mundo:

To help humanity and make this freakin world a better place.






Pero ako, syempre, kasabay nun, gusto ko pa ring maging mayaman. :)

Sunday, 31 May 2009

Mother's Day Special

Masydo na bang late? this is supposed to be posted last MONTH since tagal na yung mother's day, nilagay ko sa draft tapos ngayon ko lang naungkat uli.


Quotes from my Mum:

"Hoy Karl, kung gumastos ka akala mo kung sino kang mayaman ah? Ako lang ang mayaman sa atin, hindi kayo"

------

"Akalain mo, ang laki laki mo nang tao nagkasya ka sa tiyan ko?!"

-----

Phone rings. "Ma, bakit po?"
Mommy, "Uhmm... di ko alam. Mamaya nalang"

------

Mom stares at me for a long time...
"Bat ang pangit mo na Karl? ano nang nangyari sayo?"

--------

"Pae? ilan ang guest limit sa debut mo? naku 250? pano ba yan, 200 palang dun, mga friends ko.. 50 nalang dapat friends mo ha?"

---------

gay nung debut ni pae, ginugupitan ako
gay: ang gwapo nitong panganay mo tita
mommy: ay yan si karl? sus. pangit pa yan, tignan mo yung mga sumunod sa kanya"

minutes later... shan nd shen arrives

mommy: o bakla, diba ang gwapo nung iba? wala lang yang si karl

(nice one, ma. hehe)

---------

(pag highschool friends ang pinag-uusapan)
Karl: "Ma, punta lang po ako kay JC, yung highschool friend ko"
Mommy: "ah yung gwapo? sige lang anak"
Karl: "naks, basta gwapo at maganda yung friend ko naaalala mo noh?"
Mommy: "hindi naman mga gwapo't magaganda yung mga naaalala ko... minsan natatandaan ko rin yung mga ibang friends mo na saksakan ng pangit. nalilimutan ko lang yung mga in-between. "

---------
mom (sa text): karl, nagbayad na ba ng downpayment si jessa para sa resort?
karl: di ko po alam. ikaw po may kilala dun, contact mo yun, kaya kaw na po magtanong syempre
mom: ay oo nga naman. katabi ko sya ngaun eh. hahahaha.

-----------


karl "waaaaaaaa. ang hirap ng Med maaaaaaaaaa!"
mom "ikaw kasi. to help humanity ha?! buti nga"

---------

karl: ma, magdorm na ako, para naman malaking ginhawa sa akin"
mom: HUWAG KANG MAGDORM!
karl: bat naman po?



mom: mamimiss kita



awwww. Happy Mother's Day Mommy Bear! :D

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

Hello, Pharma.

bago palang tayo nagkita, minahal na kita...

ngayon pa lang sasabihin ko na. mahalin mo rin ako. balita ko nga napakahirap mong mahalin pagka't napakataas daw ng iyong pride at blockbuster ka daw sa mortality last year. pero against all that, mamahalin kitang parang pagmamahal ni Vicky Belo kay Hayden (against all odds). Parang pagmamahal ko sa LOST at One Tree Hill at Survivor combined. Parang pagmamahal ni Jesus Christ sa sangkatauhan, (pero not to the point of death, syempre, pano ako magiging doctor kung patay na ako diba?)


Kakaenroll ko lang kanina... Lahat ng mga incoming second years lumabas ng Med building na may hawak na brown envelope. Akala ko kung anong raffle man yun or certificate ang binigay ("I passed Physio?"), yun pala... tadaaaaan! ang unang Buena Mano mo, ang appetizer mo, and 160 pesos mong panimula sa isang taong tiyak na magiging makulay... kulay dugo.

pagpasok ko ng Physio/Pharma department, sinalubong ako ni Mam Monet ng isang pagkalaki laking ngiti at sinabing, "karl! congrats! magpapharma ka na! o wag ka na dito dun ka na sa kabilang department"... , buong tapang kong tinawid ang kabilang ibayo ng department at tadaaaaan! ayan ang Diyosa ng Pharma...

*drumroll*

Dra. Llamas
.

syemre nandun din si Handouts Goddess na si Mam Bee, at grabe ang ngiti niya sakin, "Ayan, magpapharma ka na!" sabay kumanta ako ng "Bakit ngayon ka lang"... nagtawanan silang dalawa... Si Dra Llamas, biglang sinabi, o, irreg nanaman, tama nang Physio nalang ha? ngayon pa lang mag-aral ka na. may quiz tayo sa first day. why not? first day of classes may exam.

"naku mam, may outing ata ako nun"

"icancel mo na. icancel mo ang lahat para sa pharma."

"oo nga po, pharma major ako ngayon eh. buti magaan dahil wla nang micro and others"

sabay tawa. tumatawa lang kaming tatlo hanggang paalis ako. at sabay isa pang hirit ng word of wisdom ni Dra Llamas sakin:

"Sige lang, tumawa ka muna ngayon" with a grin on her face

Time stopped. And her words echoed many times inside. a cold wind passed by, and outside, it started to rain again, and all i can hear were the hisses of paper coming out of mam bee's lair. we all know what she means. She's not trying to scare me, she's just stating the cold truth...

That Pharma is going to be Epic. I've been warned by every Medical student who've been through it, some will be taking it again, some said goobye to UST Med just because of it. Even the gods of med said it's hard. Even the Residents say it's hard. Even the professors say it's hard. Maybe even God would say it is hard?

This is it. The battle of drugs, antibiotics, narcotics, analgesics, NSAIDS.
The battle of endless monday nights, of eternal thursday nights,
of prayers
and of faith,
and of willpower.

Hello to the Love of my Life
Hello, Pharmacology.

Let's do this.

(for non-med peeps, Pharma is believed to be the Hardest subject in UST Med. Has the worst mortality rate, even worse than Revalida.)

Monday, 18 May 2009

Our Little Princess

our little girl just celebrated her debut last saturday :)


and like what Dad said, no matter what happens, when she grows up and have a family of her own, she would always be our little princess. :)


i realized that the more than one year of planning for a 5 hour debut is, indeed, worth it. :) because we can see in her eyes that she really was happy. :) and we are too.

gatecrashers should be tortured to death. and i realized, when Pae said, "huwag mong uupakan yan kuya.", i immediately complied. (but i ran to the Misa and dwtl table to rant about it, haha)

i realized She has so many friends. and so many people love her aside from us. hahaha.

the four of us are all growing up. but then, we are all growing closer together, all growing up together. That there will always be a time where the 4 of us will sit by the sofa and laugh about how our life's going about. laugh about each other, and laugh about ourselves.

and DWTL has made us more close. after every weekend, while all of us are going home tired, we'd still talk about how the batch has been and how great He is. especially when someone dear to us is a candidate. ahem. kirk. ahem. :)

and again, we are, growing up. and growing old.  but like what a dwtl song says, "Together you and I will grow in love, walk through rough times hand in hand."

that with all the girls i know, she has the only right to shout at me. because i know she'd say sorry right after. :)


and yes, i'm drunk while doing this. haha. :) I love Pae. I love mi familia. I love mi Life. :D

Tuesday, 28 April 2009

Kambal sa Uma

jusmio. wala na bang maisip ang mga pinoy? Channel 2, ok lang ba kayo?

nakakasira ng araw. napakagandang pambungad sa umaga ko.

Sino ba naman ang maniniwala na ang kambal ay isang DAGA?!?! tapos yung other half  ang ganda ganda? sigurado ba kayongng iisang placenta lang ang pinagswimmingan nyo?

At sino ba namang artista ang papayag sa role na yun? Isa kang kalahating daga at kakambal mo ay si shaina? Euthanasia nalang mehn! Euthanasia!


Panginoon, patawarin mo sila, pagka't di nila alam ang kanilang ginagawa...




Una Kokey, tapos Bakekang, tapos ito? ano nang next?

"Ang nanay kong manananggal",  Starring Ruffa Guitierrez and Anabel Rama. Ruffa: "Mother why are you so ugly and you produced a goddess like me?"

"Ang syota kong kabayo",  starring Joross Gamboa pero may twist. pinagkakaguluhan siya nila Mariel Rodriquez, Toni Gonzaga at Bianca... Gaganapin yun sa loob ng PBB house.

"Ang basurera kong mahal na taga Outer space",  Sarah and John Lloyd. kayo na ang mag-imagine

"Kris Aquino at ang kanyang Illusions of Grandeur"  - all about her. 5 times a week, 1 hour a day. followed by.... " Kris Aquino and Baby James" Another 1 Hour. Pwede ring magsubscribe sa Kris Aquino 24 Hours

o remake ba ang gusto nyo? how about:

"Mara and Clara and the Cyborgs" since nag-asawa na si Mara at Clara sa tunay na buhay...well, tuloy pa rin ang buhay... every end ng episode nagsasampalan silang dalawa para matuwa ang lahat ng katulongs all around the world.

"Ang paghihiganti ni Valiente" - may lightsaber na siya. At may ewoks na alagad.


"Mula sa Puso: Celina's Revenge for the Nth time" -- remember? nasagasaan si Celina sa season finale ng Mula sa Puso? nabuhay siya nun mehn. At siya ay magbabalik na may prosthetic heart, knee, hands, pero lagi siyang nakashades para mukha pa ring kontrabida.



jusko naman. bat ganto ang mga palabas ngayon?

Wednesday, 15 April 2009

A Year Ago Today

A Year Ago...
The week of April 10, 2008.

If there is one week in Medschool that could singlehandedly determine your fate, it would be the week of remedial exams. Make or break. All or Nothing. Pass or Fail. No more second chances. It's the single exam that determines your stay in Med: Stay the same, stay longer, or goodblye. Last year, I took quite a lot. Passed most of it

... and on April 10, 2008, I found out that failed one: Physiology. 

This is where this story begins.



This blog was supposed to be written a year ago, just as that picture above was taken. It's just that i was too devastated to write the blog. A year ago I cannot wrap the reason behind the failure, how much more when i wrap it with words? I Failed an 8 Unit subject that will hold me back for a year. Ironic that Physiology is the only subject i PASSED during the first shift.

I dont want to relive the gory details. All I can tell and remember, is that, I locked myself inside the house for one whole week, spent 60% of the time sleeping, and the remaining percentage, I wished I was asleep. I forced myself to forget, but then again, i cannot forget that for it will get back to me sooner or later.

I didn't go to any outings that summer. except for one Laguna Escape. I didn't pursue any plans I had this summer. No advance readings or Gym memberships. No Plan. No Life. I just cultivated my thoughts on me, failing. me... failing. I was a failure.  i even considered the thought of quitting medschool that time. changing a career. or just, wished to die just to save me from the shame. i know. it's so emo. it's so me.

----


Come Physiology take 2.

They say love is sweeter the second time around. That's not true in Med. Because those ghosts of Signal Transduction, and Hormones, and Immunology haunted me again. Aby and Alay told me sila daw bahala sakin sa section nila. So kind of them. They made adapting to a new section become so easier. Section C 2012 has been great to us, they treated us as their own, and didn't marginalize us just because we are irregs. Thanks to them. Specially C5. Special mention to our buddies doon Sharon, Patacs, WINSTHTON, Nong, Iggy.. and of course, Aby and Alay. They made it a LOT easier for us. Love may not be sweeter the second time around, it wasnt that bitter either.


Fast Foward... Today.


I've always asked myself... What if I didnt fail that day? What if, im not 4, or 8, or 2 points short?  What if I passed last year's exams?... I probably would be struggling now, or preparing to wear a V-neck. My I haven't found myself yet.

This school year, because of the non-toxic sched, I became a part of Medisine, a lot of inumans, met a lot of friends, became closer to my siblings, bonded more with my parents and cousins became staff of UST DWTL 69 which put me perspectives right on track... And like what I've always said, I probably failed Physio last year so that It will make way to me to become R of USTDWTL70,hahaha. At DWTL 70, I relived my Days experience. And reminded me of the little wonders that i still have inside me. It reminded me of His plans. That little by little, I see the answers. All I have to do, is have faith, and believe. There is a plan. Basta Ikaw

Failures, are indeed not obstacles that we stumble upon. They are springboards for us to reach higher, and jump better.


---

So, as i was sitting there at the sand, under the orange-pinkish skies, and the waves, slightly pushing and pulling me. and as the sun unselfishly showers upon his final flecks of ultraviolet shade upon my toasted face, a smile has drawn upon my face for i realized something... this exact spot where I was sitting, was also the same spot that i chose to watch the sunset least year.

A year ago today,
I didnt believe in myself,
I didnt trust myself.
I was just full of pity and regrets.

But then again, somewhere along the way, I realized that maybe I was beating myself too much. I was punishing and becoming mad at myself more than what im supposed to be.

I realized That I'm too young to be bitter and suicidal.
That I'm too smart to quit med. (we all are smart :D )
That I can always be damn better than what i was, and am, and will ever be.

That life is too beautiful, to spend it in hatred. in regrets. in bitterness.

Because in reality,
                 I'm just beginning life.
                                I'm too young to give up on hope.
                                                 The best is yet to come.
                                                                        And We've only just begun +



And finally, I have forgiven myself...
for every stupid mistake I did in the past
that made me the strong person that i am today.

From a text message I received last year:

"The strongest people has the most problems,
the worst situations,
It is not because God wanted us to suffer.
It is because He, trusts us enough
that he knows, we can get through"