Another day in paradise

As another of toil winds down, we find ourselves in the start of another classday. We're still smiling so it can be presumed that the professor is not yet here hehehe

An unexpected blessing

The last couple of days have been an unexpected blessing as far as school is concerned. It's like a sem break in the middle of the semester. a chance to get caught up in the readings as well as to recover from life's traumas.

I know that among many of our people there has been suffering and calling the storms a blessing is more than a trifle crass but hey I'm a student and anything that gets me a few days to read in a relatively tension free environment is a blessing.

On another front, I have to say watching Bourne Ultimatum a few days ago with a few close friends have really been a boost to my semi-depressed self. There's nothing like a good action movie that gets me in the right frame of mind to continuing the war against academic doom. Jason Bourne Rocks!

Technology and society

The enemy most dangerous is the one whom you can't see.

This fact is true in love and in war. Hence America's defense establishment's fascination with anything stealth.

In truth, warfare has been changed a lot in the last 100 years due to technological developments as well as the increased capacity of the human race for atrocity. Since I'm far from qualified from commenting on either topic, I'll comment on both.

Technology, in and of itself is neither bad nor good. It is like a sword in ancient times, dependent upon the wielder's intent. So in reality, warfare in the last 100 years has changed a lot due to the human race's capacity for atrocity.

Now this statement will undoubtedly elicit a great reaction because many of us believe that we have evolved as a species.

But let's face it folks, the more things change, the more that they stay the same. In the olden days, we have men bashing other mens brains in with maces and axes. In these days we have the same men bashing in the homes of many communities with smart bombs and tank rounds. any difference except for the scale of the slaughter?

I say not really!

In the olden days, women and children are treated as property. These days, women and children are sold by their parents to prostitution rings and to men of scrupulous character. They birth them so that they may elevate their lot in life is the thinking in many third world and even up to first world societies. Is this any different from marrying someone for their dowries?

I think not!

So I say again, The more things change, the more they stay the same....

life's little surprises

I remember a song which said that in your youth, every little problem will feel like the world is ending. While life's real problems will jump out at you during some quiet tuesday.

Little did i know that I would experience this quite so quickly after hearing the song again after a few years.

In an ideal world, people will mind their own business. People will be tolerant and won't lash out at you just because you chose another over them. People won't jump to conclusions and impose their own value systems upon you.

Too bad this world is far from ideal. Take what happened to a friend of mine who started out this pessimistic anti marriage kinda guy and suddenly fell for a sweet girl who as God would have it fell for him as well. In an ideal world, people will be happy for them.

In this world, people would probably think that they would last only a short time, say stupid comments about how they look together, say that they're not right for each other and all that kind of pessimistic junk.

It's a good thing that despite their detractors, they continued to love each other. I say to all those a-holes out their that started doubting them "Nuts to you!"

payback

Everytime you feel a little safe, be very afraid.

This is the sentiment that i could get from my classmates in our class last tuesday. Everyone thought that being absent for the horribly long provision recitation was a good idea at the time. Little did we know that it would reopen the days of the inquisition.

Well what can I say but paybacks a bitch...

In the words of my professor...

Isn't it ironic that in the movies, professors are portrayed as kindly old men reaching out to give dollups of wisdom?

Whoever thought up that little stereotype obviolusly never had to undergo the vagaries of law school. In truth the professors are old men but I think they left the kindly part at home. This semester have introduced another batch of wonderful (i'm told that's how you'll describe them as soon as you finish their courses) old wise men intent on slamming wisdom down our collective throats. They are the best in their fields and as such they are even more forceful and knowledgeable in their slamming methodology.

So far I have learned that "you can remember my cursing or you can remember my lesson" (It's much more hair raising in Tagalog)

"I only give instructions once. Unless of course you're morons. So let me repeat..."

And the quest for truth, justice, and whatever goes on...

life or something like it...

well well!

I am pleasantly surprised that despite months of neglect, my blog site is still up and around.

Life is a strange mix of the weird and really annoying. Where sometimes doing the right thing is punished and doing the wrong thing is applauded. Take the example of the doctor who forsakes the life abroad only to be ridiculed as being stupid or the man who helps a roadside accident victim only to be arrested as the perpetrator.

Doesn't it make you just want to scream sometimes!

Recently, I had an occasion to read an article about why doctors are leaving the country for greener pastures abroad. It goes on to list the reasons that me and my friends have been talking about oh so many years ago while we were still in med school. While it's sad to see that the more that things change, the more they stay the same, it dawned on me that maybe the phenomenon of migration is more a problem of perspective than anything else.

Many of our professionals (not just medical mind you) see only the corruption and never ending strife that is ever prevalent in Philippine society. Coupled with the slap dash approach our government takes in addressing these issues, I say who can blame them for wanting to leave this "hell hole" of a country. This is further aggravated by the very small amount of money that they are able to earn which in turn gives rise to the daily battle with the household budget.

Let's face it. Who wants a life wherein day in day out you have to think about where your next meal is gonna come from or in the middle class perspective, where you're gonna get the money to pay off your credit card debt. I, for one, always dream of the day when I would have unlimited amount of money so that I could pursue my interests without regard for the vagaries of daily life.

But honestly, does this day ever really come? From the stories my parents used to tell me, it appears that the moment that you have gotten a respectable amount of money, you end craving more. And since our world is consumption driven, then we have just created a reality wherein we will never be happy. We will forever be looking for the elusive utopia which allows for unlimited consumption.

Therefore, the real hell is whereever we want it to be. Wouldn't it be ironic if the moment you get abroad and get the much dream about money that you're gonna make, you lose your spouse to infidelity or you realize that $80,000 a year only sounds like a lot if you're living in the hell hole of a country called the Philippines. Or that you make all this amount of cash by working 6 days a week only to never enjoy it coz you reserve Sundays for chores.

These statements though are not to discourage all those wonderful souls who wish to better their lot in life by moving out of this country. I just want to air out that other side of the argument that's often lost in the talk of how much I'm gonna earn once I'm over there. Coz, let's face it, the moment you get over there, you'll learn to live a life concommitant to your income and in the end, your friends in the hell hole might be living much more fulfilling lives than you.

Moments of obssession...

Have you ever watched a series of dvds to the wee hours of the morning instead of doing what you're supposed to be doing that evening?

Last night, I watched the third season of grey's anatomy for 6 straight hours. This after reading only a few pages of sales. Tonight I gotta finish this or I will never get to reading my sales finals.

It's a good thing this dvds didn't exist during med school. I would've died an academic death for sure.

The night of living dead

From duty...

To most nonmedical personnel, this is just two words with very little meaning when used together. At best, they think what I used to think when I was in 2nd year med school, that one just came from the hospital.

However, in the medical world, these two words evoke emotions that span the gamut of relief to downright rage. Relief that another 24 hours duty has passed and you didn't visit hell during that duty. Rage that your duty just keeps on going and going and going...despite being from duty status.

Last night was an example of a brief trip to hell. The duty started innocently enough during the morning hours with just the usual mix of nutcases and real ER cases. But once twilight came, the trip started. Patients started coming in ignoring the all important message of the surgeon general to not drink and drive.

The first case was a father, having his son as a passenger, crashing their scooter into a parked truck. And of course being the macho man that he was, he didn't wear his helmet. Once brought to the ER, he kept asking where he was. When I told him he was in the hospital and geve him the name of the municipality, he couldn't even remember the municipality despite his being a resident there. The sad part was that the guy escaping with a few lacerations while the entire arm of his son being covered with deep abrasions.

This was followed by another guy who decided to get on his motor bike despite being falling down drunk. The truly ironic part is that his brother who wasn't as drunk deciding to join him on his joy ride. Sadly, the joy ride ended in his hitting a guardrail on the bridge and him flying through the air to the mass of metal near the bridge. While this was happening, a lot of people came over not to help the poor sod but to rob him. Good thing a good samaritan tricycle driver decided to bring him and his brother to the ER. When they got there, parts of his brain were already oozing out of his skull fractures and he was already dead on arrival.

The brother on the other hand escaped with a few lacerations but had to be treated outside the ER because he didn't want to be in the room where his brother was pronounced.

This was followed by another drunken driver incident only this time it was the victim that was the patient. The poor guy just going to church when this trio of drunks decided to take the scooter out for a spin. End result, they slammed their beloved vehicle on the tricycle of the churchgoer rendering him unconscious and his wife badly shaken up. The only good thing about the whole thing is that both of them are alive although still under observation to see if any brain damage occurred.

Of course, in between these gruesome cases were still some of the usual ER cases like asthma and the like.

It is a a good thing that morning came and the night ended. From duty at last!

first blog of the new year

Hehehe!

I seemed to have forgotten that I had a blog. It's just been so busy lately that everything is going haywire. I thought that I was gonna have a less harried 2007 but it seems that it's more toxic than usual.

Well at least there's something being accomplished!

Happy New year Blog World!