AnneC.

Because we are still about 3 hours away from the new year, i'd save the happy new year greeting for later or perhaps tomorrow :p 2013 was a great year, reviewing my past blog entries make me really kilig with all the things i was able to experience (and that does not even include those that i fail to note in this blog!) :) And well, i started my 2013 with a year starter blog entry, that i think a year end blog is quite due :p In my first ever blog entry for 2013, I listed down words to serve as my reminders in facing year 2013 :) and in this last 2013 entry, id like to look back and well share how much these words had meant in this year that is soon to end :) Love Year 2013 was definitely full of love, for family, for friends and for that special person :") i am grateful for the chance to actually express love in every possible moment and receive loads in return :)  Patience and Understanding As i have written before, patience and understanding go hand in hand. And well, they ...

The warm fuzzy feeling given by the Christmas season gives me the urge to blog about well Christmas and our recently concluded stint at Pediatrics. I have always loved kids :) spending time with little ones makes me happy and the happiness of seeing kids happy is really priceless. Thus, many people thought I'd go into pedia and well I initially thought so too - from before entering medical school up to last year as a third year medical student. however, we all know that I enjoyed internal medicine way much. and the next rotations wherein we deal with some kids, made me really sad especially with how much I find lining kids and extracting blood from them extra difficult, and this really discouraged me into taking pediatrics as a field in the future. :| and then come our rotation in the Pediatrics ward. and it started to dawn on me why I don't think I'd ever have the heart to take care of sick kids, more than the difficult procedures. You see in the pediatrics rotation,...

I am almost two weeks late for this sort of required clerkship blog (that I keep for myself), since we are already halfway to the half of our month long rotation - pediatrics. You see, in medical school, we have the big four, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics and OB because they are rotations which we go to for a month (and even longer come internship!) On the other end of the spectrum is the 'small four', taken two weeks each for two months :) And that is what I shall write about - Ortho, Rehab, Ophtha and ORL. Undertaking these four rotations is kind of a breath of fresh air after internal medicine. It was the right balance of workload, rest and learning. well at least for me :) and although these four are called, the small four, I definitely had big big big big experiences with these rotations :) Ortho is basically physics and anatomy, two things I find difficult. but I definitely enjoyed my ER duty despite having an ankle sprain. and although i despise OR assist...

it may have been two days late, but it's not every year that we get to turn 25. :) and since one picture (even with multiple frames!) is not enough for me to be able to share all the things that I did to celebrate entering a quarter in my life, hence this blog :) and so let me share what I cannot share with just one picture :p Pre-birthday dinner with the family at Super Bowl, Robinson Manila super early birthday song, birthday noodles, birthday dumplings and birthday ice cream. yay! In my 25 years of existence, I have always appreciated the importance of family :) and even if they were not physically present on my very birthday, in my heart i know that we are always together. :) plus mama and papa gave me a very special gift, na sabi nga ni brother, 'jusko, 25 ka na, kung maka-yey ka para kang high school'. e bakit ba. hahaha. love you three :) THE MIND MUSEUM EXPERIENCE  From the time I learned about the mind museum at Taguig, I have always wanted to go and v...

It feels so weird being able to be home at 5 pm after two months. but cheers to being able to go home relatively early, and having the license to be a little bit lazy, I can actually write about the past 6 weeks of such tiring but definitely love and learning filled rotations - MICU, Neuro and IM *insert hearts here* and yes, our block is done with what is considered to be the rotation that most clerkies look forward to :) *throws confetti and plays party music* After my last three rotations, I now believe that there are different phases in every rotation, and that it was best elucidated in the last six weeks :) so indulge me as i share this wonderful (because it's my blog) realization :p Stage 1: Shifting dullness First days are always the worst, for me at least. No matter how much you try to prepare yourself with unlimited endorsements, first days are the days that make you want to go back to your previous rotation (case in point, today as my first day in Ortho, a...

and they say you dont say blog anymore. pero kebs. :p I miss writing :) It has been 53 days since the start of clerkship this June. 73, to include the 20 days of summer elective and well I am surprised that I have the energy to write and that I am not indulging myself to such sweet slumber which I often do lately with whatever free time I get (considering that I'm in post duty status and will be having duty again tonight). It's sad how my last entry was almost 4 months ago, saying good bye to ICC. So much has happened since then that it is quite anti-climactic to welcome clerkship since we've been in this routine for quite some time now. But I've always wanted to write and now that I am able to allow myself to open my laptop and let my thoughts flow, I guess it is never too late. So hello clerkship! We've been together for a few months and it was not easy. Although some would say that we have not reached the hard part yet, since the first three rotations that ...

Time indeed flies so fast. I can still remember my very first blog post as an ICC - a rant blog. and then there was the once a month blogs to after every rotation blogs. and now, it is done. I have officially said goodbye to third year in medical school - the happiest, and most benign year out of the five years of studying medicine. last year was one hell of a week, a two hundred comprehensive exam in a powerpoint presentation, five final examinations and a Grand OSCE station of 15 stations of testing all the clinical skills that we should have learned the past year. Each day was indeed a struggle, and I am just so happy that all of it are over :) finishing third year also means, welcoming fourth year this June also known as clerkship - what they say as the most physically tasking part of medical school. and for all these, I am really grateful and I feel really blessed :) Two more years, and I shall have that two letters affixed to my name. Yay!

The last time I felt this sad of being far from home was high school, when I would cry at the car on the way to Manila. Eventually, I learned to cope and adjust with being away from home. Until tonight. I've always had someone from home with me through the past 9 years. Be it my titas or cousins, my brother and even a yaya. There has always been someone from home to remind me of it. until a few weeks ago when our kasama sa bahay left for Mindoro because I can barely go home. And only today did i felt really sad about it. Add to it the fact that I was all alone here at the dorm. and things are really just crappy. i know ill be able to cope. i hope so.

We just finished rotating in the Rheumatology - Orthopedics - Rehabilitation departments in the hospital, which was quite challenging. and then here comes the benign days which should be used for reviewing for the finals exam, the compre and the much awaited and very famous grand osce. Seems not so long ago when we were cheering for the then LU5 students for their grand osce and when we were so annoyed by the comprehensive examination prepared for LU4. and now we are about to take those exams because in two months time we would be clerks who would be team players and not just 'saling pusa'. the thought of clerkship brings excitement and fear, but before allowing myself to day dream about the clerkship days to come, I must again start with my transes. last stretch for the school year! :)

I used to remember my showbiz dreams when I was younger and how as I grow older and became more mature, did I realize that such dreams are better left during your younger days. Then here comes the break :p I won the best supporting award in our play competition at school entitled Mediscene 2013.  I was surprised. And well I bet a lot of people were also surprised by how I did :p And I guess maybe, I actually did well :))  Cheers to dreams and reaching them, one way or another :p

As said, rafting and diving are two very special activities which deserve a separate entry. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, but since I don't have any pictures, here's a thousand plus words :p Rafting! It was my first time to try rafting and my rationale for doing this is because I know I wont be able to do it alone or with my family. And the best way to experience this is with friends :) It was a life changing experience. We flipped several times. but I only fell once, and that fall was, well, traumatic. It is actually hard to describe. Picture this. You see a big rock nearing your raft and the next thing you know, all of you fell. You cant open your eyes because there's water everywhere. You felt your left shoe was removed from your feet (thanks to the strong current underneath) and you can't concentrate on anything but the fact that you're 1700+ worth of shoes is losing its other pair. When you tried to concentrate, you are underwater and you...

Hello after Davao!:) the past week was epic. there are no other words to describe it. it was a lot of firsts - first rafting and diving and the first time to do a lot of things with a big group of people outside school. The first two firsts can be found on a separate entry because they were more special :p We were 20 medical students who went on a trip to Davao, to study the management of the laboratories and the hospitals as well. and we learned a lot, but the management knowledge, skills and attitudes that we got along the way was just a bonus. because what really mattered was the ultimate bonding experience that we had as one block :) Day 01 It was not my first time in Davao. but it was my first time to go there with friends. We were 19 friends on the plane, and so you can imagine how chaotic it was. but it was really fun :) We were welcomed by the Davao haciendero :p who welcomed us in their lovely house, and with a sumptuous meal cooked by his mother (and we can never be...

Love. playing four musical instruments and singing a song. buying gundam even if you dont know anything about it. a Jollibee breakfast. Sweet Corn from the 'cheap' grocery (haha). an unexpected purse. a cute note from students. chocolate cake. yummy cupcake. the little things. bestfriend. friends. blockmates. roomies. family ♥ using remaining hours of the day preparing for tomorrow's radio exam :p life is good, His love is greatest :) Thank you. Thank You :) happy Valentine's day everyone! :) --   this was my facebook status last February 14 :)  Yes, I spent the night studying for our exam last Friday. but that day meant so much than a dinner date that would have happened if we had no exam that night. song erase four, it has five musical instruments in it and a song done by only one person for his special someone. it was the kind of love that is pure and priceless. the effort and the thought was overwhelming. it was cheesy, yes but special. really special :) gu...

The eyes cannot see what the mind doesn't know. Our two week rotation on Radiology just finished. And it was a lot of learning experience for me. You see, I was actually considering being a Radiologist, since we do not have a radiologist in our province. And having a very vague future for myself ahead makes Radiology a very nice field. After this rotation, I've seen the perks of being on the said specialty, but I also noted how it would be very difficult. It was a benign rotation and probably a benign life ahead as well, but i am not yet sure if that is what I want to do for the rest of my life. You see, i am still in the phase of wanting to become the kind of doctor who can help people, who can get the satisfaction of being a doctor by being able to talk to them and assure them that I will try my best to help them be well. When my mom asked me what I find really interesting and what I want, all I can say was, 'Whatever rotation I am in is my interest.' which is ...

defined as an upleasant sensory and emotional experience. we just finished our anesthesia module last week and we are off to our last 4 modules, relatively last 2 months till the happy year called ICC will be over. thinking about the compre exam and the Grand OSCE give me chills. but this year is definitely the year where I learned the most, I just hope everything would get to stick when I would need it the most next year and the year after :) Last few days of the week I also experienced pain from muscle strain from severe work out leading to basically functional impairment. which led me to think how much I used to hate any form of physical activity. how I am the least physical person in our family and that it would really take a lot of effort and self discipline on my part to be able to join my parents and my brother in jogging. that it really amazes me how much I've changed and really valued exercise, since I can do it on my own without anyone asking me to do it. with tha...

I have not been a believer of murphy's law. Until last night. everything that can go wrong, actually went wrong. I'm just glad it's over. *sigh* on more happy news, derma is over and I learned a lot :) Next week we will start with anesth, and then radio (dun dun dun) which will eventually help in my decisions in later life. and then we'll have our management and ill be able to visit and see davao once again. and then there's ROR and elective and exams! and summer and clerkship. oh joy. :)

as quoted from John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. It's a lesson that is a good reminder whenever I'm feeling like being my spoiled brat self and a lesson I wish to share to people who keep on complaining about the "harshness' of life. In Filipino, sabi nga ni Bea Alonzo sa The Mistress, "Hindi lahat ng gusto mo, makukuha mo." I was having a difficult night last night, the stress of an upcoming event, the fear that it won't be as successful as what we hoped it would be and the annoying thought that some people have to be bugged about their responsibilities really gave me such bad mood. I just want Friday to be over. And with my state of mind last night, I opted to not blog for it will only reek of bitterness, anger and bad vibes. And today, after 2 movies, a good night sleep, 3 TV series episodes, a home-made lunch and my favorite Sunday merienda, I am ready to share my last week experience with our most recent module, ICC in ORL. ORL which m...

We just finished our ICC module in ophtha last week. and it was the first super benign module that we had since june. with the emphasis on super since ICC is really a benign year relatively. In this module, I learned a lot about the eye, not as much as what we were supposed to learn last year, but enough of what i need for my practice sooner or later. I also learned a lot about my eye. You see, I have ambylopia or what is commonly known as the lazy eye. the reason for my right eye being lazy is that my two eyes vary in their grades and my dominant left eye functioned well  thus dubbing my eye condition as anisometric ambylopia. I started using glasses when I was 3 years old, I remember always being at the ophthalmologist and fearing the snellen chart as I grow older. I have in my subconscious the words refract and prisms which may have been done to me during my early childhood years. I remember there was one time that I cannot read my exam test paper and I have to rely on my cl...