Tooth and ENT Doctor

I recently went back to Singapore for a 3-day work-related matter. Most of my free time there was spent walking around the business district of the city and doing so brought back the longing of permanently staying there for some time. I just so like the city, maybe because it seem so peaceful and orderly, and the people look decent and disciplined. These are the traits that are obviously lacking in our country that is probably why I am attracted to this land of Merlion. The ongoing political spectacle involving former president GMA makes me want to leave the country even more. I find it ridiculous and disappointing. It just highlights how our political and justice system have become so tainted and unbelievable. I don’t like the former president. Based on the issues she faced during her term, she doesn’t seem to be a trustworthy and honest politician and leader. Her credibility is far out. But I still recognize the fact that she was the country’s president for alm...

My becoming a parent is my biggest achievement so far. It's the best experience ever but it isn't as simple as it seems. Raising children can be very stressful and difficult, but for every hypertension episode or every cent spent, at the end of the day, a kiss and a hug from the little ones will make it all worth it. My daughters are 6 and 5 years old respectively. They are smart and beautiful beings who never fail to make me realize how blessed my life is. My wife who will forever be my bestfriend shares this happiness of having a wonderful family. Before becoming a father, my life centered on my needs and wants. When my daughters were born, I learned quickly that my needs have become secondary. Now, there remains to be only one choice when push comes to shove, my family. Marriage and being a parent made me choose to dedicate my life to God and to the lives that are now connected with mine. With the joys of parenthood come difficult situations too. Challenges are...

A letter of Paul Flanagan to his 2 children before he died from complications of skin cancer. I would like to tell these to my daughters too. Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners. Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course. Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience. Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed. Learn from your mistakes. You will...

There's an ongoing debate regarding the low salaries being given to physicians in the country. Some believe that it's an insult to the profession and it should not be tolerated. Others think that we really can't do much about it and it alll depends on anyone's circumstance whether to accept it or not. As I've always believed from the beginning, medicine is a calling and if anyone thinks he'll get wealthy by becoming a doctor, it is possible but often, it is not the case. More and more physicians realize this and the trend now is to find other ways to realize the dream of being financially satisfied. Some put up their own business like hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers, etc., while others dive into the corporate world and take advantage of the hefty pay that companies give to executives, just like the other professions. Only a few however would be blessed to get in or even put up with the stresses of business, but those who do end up achieving their fin...

It's been three months since I joined the company I am presently connected with. The workload started slow at first but it has since peaked up and I am now spending lesser time counting how many people pass by my work station daily. There have been wonderful opportunities also that came which I gladly and gratefully grabbed. I have met few good men and some 'not so good' ones. So far, I can say that the whole experience has been worth the risk of transferring from my previous employment. Talking about opportunities, my idol Francis Kong gave this wonderful illustration of seizing every opportunity that comes one's way. It is a good reminder of motivational living. A young man wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and said, "Son, go stand out in that field. I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, y...

The consequences of the unfortunate incident involving our house extended beyond the manageable hassle. We feel that my father in law felt so sad and depressed that he lost his appetite. This in turn led to electrolyte imbalance that triggered a kidney failure. We probably almost lost him, had it not for the prompt emergency management of the TMC nephrologists. He is out of the intensive care unit now although he might continue to undergo more hemodialysis. What happened to him may be a proof of the powerful effect of the brain centers on other organs of the body. It is a testimony that psychological disorders can trigger organ malfunctions as well. Dr Willem Kop, a nephrologist, said this about depression and kidney failure: "People with depressive symptoms have a higher risk of subsequent adverse kidney disease outcomes. The association with depression is stronger in patients who are otherwise healthy compared to those who had co-existing medical disorders such as diabetes ...

It has been almost 2 weeks since that life halting incident involving our house happened. I am glad that everything is settling down a bit now. We are slowly getting back on our life's journeys individually, and as a family. There are so much to learn about what happened but if there's one thing that is 20/20 clear, it is the old known fact not to store your wealth on this earth because it can be gone in a wink of an eye! It is better to invest on what matters after life because you can be sure that it will be there forever. The car accident I figured out in a month ago taught me that my life is not mine. The literal crumbling of our house 15 days after taught me that my possessions are not mine as well. Both are God's! Lessons well learned. Life challenges may be really so stressful and frustrating but they are God's way of teaching us the essence of living. We are thankful too that through it all, we have relatives and friends who were there to support a...

It is holy week! A good time to reflect on a lot of things, especially the recent events in my life. It has been a month since the last day with my previous company and I am still adjusting. I realized though that I made the right decision of leaving because I don't seem to miss a bit of the work there. I have grown so tired of the work-related stresses that it was no longer something that I enjoyed doing, rather, just a routine task and source of income. I miss the people I work with though and if there is one thing that pinches my heart a bit, it is the pain of leaving a bunch of great and wonderful people. It has been two weeks since the first day with my new job and I am still adjusting too. I was so eager to become part of a seemingly exciting industry and so far, I have yet to sink my teeth into something really new and delicious. I am still hopeful. It has been a week since the first time I experienced a car accident as a driver. Though unharmed, the incident m...

I finally received the last 'stamp' to my 'inevitable move" yesterday. It was a big relief and was truly liberating. It's like a rainbow to my eyes, an icing to my cake. Now that it's all set, the difficult process of transition begins. Letting go will be painful and adjusting to the change will be as challenging. Tears will definitely fall, a lot of questions will surely be tossed, and apprehensions will rise. But I am positive that all these will pass and sooner or later, the rough waters will be calm again. I have always said and I say it again, everything in life has a purpose. We who believe in God are on a wonderful journey with Him and we'll just have to expect the unexpected. Stop-overs may be short and sweet but that's just how it is planned out to be. We'll just have to enjoy and make the most of our stay! No doubt that I will miss the people and the place of my last sojourn, but I have peace that they too have life journe...

I catched an episode of the TV series “Friends” last night and while watching, memories of people I call ‘friends’ came rushing in. Then an interesting thought came. Are some of them really my friends? Or are they just people I had a ‘relationship’ with, be it working or social. Weren’t they just acquaintances? I realized that just because I interacted with several people closely before does not necessarily make them my friends, or me to them. It must have been just a ‘social relationship’ that we had, brought about by the circumstance. As we saw each other often, it might have appeared as ‘friendship’. But later on, when we parted, there’s really no extraordinary bond that will make us long for each other’s company or support, even across miles. They are my acquaintances. There are people that I know and have not seen for years. In spite of the time and distance, I have no doubt that we have that special ‘connection’ that will forever be there. They are my true friends. There are also...

If there's one word that I will never forget from my AGSB experience, it's "ganacity"! A word frequently mentioned by our FinMan professor. What does it mean? It's a combination of the tagalog word "gana" (appetite, zest) and the english suffix "city" which converts an adjective word into a noun. 'Ganacity' therefore refers to one's state of desire or interest in something. I am sharing this because I feel that my 'ganacity' for what I am doing now is spiralling down, and it is so difficult to reverse it back up or just to keep it at a maintained level. It is becoming a struggle on a day to day basis. I am hoping that night and day will alternate fast so that this battle will end soon.

My mind was preoccupied with the word 'ethics' these past few days. There are lot of things going on in the workplace and I was also asked of my opinion regarding an ongoing industrial controversy. It would seem that we can tell outright that an action is wrong or right. But really? If you're quick to judge, it may be easy, but if you're mind is one that immediately expands to look at the scenario in a bigger perspective, you might end up second guessing. The meaning of ethics has come a long way since the time of Adam and Eve. Blame it on philosophy and the science of logic, but there are now several sides to every point. Unlike the old testament days when an act was assessed in contrast only to the word of God, now, it seems like, other 'beings' have they say too and they are as important as what God said. And, everyone has their own interpretation of what God said. I do not want to judge and I am not willing to debate on this. I just think that...

With my Type A personality, finding a low-stress job may be impossible, or if ever I will find one, it will surely bore me to death. I have always been vocal that my present job is very stressful. Having to deal with a lot of people, from the ordinary to the most professional, a day will not pass by without a stressful situation. I don’t want to be perceived as a complainer, or someone who seem to be always battered by problems, but I just need to get these things off my chest as often as I can because it is my way of coping up with these stresses. I usually would like to start my day on a positive note, and by that, I don’t usually open my e-mail messages unless I have already said my morning prayer, taken my daily cup of coffee, made some small talks with my staff regarding anything but work, and reading some interesting articles in the web, mostly in yahoo. I am also a natural with regard to being organized and systematic in all that I do throughout the day. I plan menta...

The new year comes with a new look for the blog. It has been 3 years since I last changed the aura of this personal site and I think it's about time to do some cosmesis. I am choosing gray as a background because it is timeless, practical, and solid. A longstanding favorite suit color, gray can mix well with any color. I added black because it represents authority and power. It exudes strong emotions which sometimes I try to convey in some of my posts. It also adds some degree of sophistication.

It's the 10th of January and this is my first post for 2011. Time did not permit me much last year to update the blog regularly. I hope this year of the rabbit will be more kind. I expect new things this year and I am working on it. I will be turning 40 and it may be a cliche' but I would like my life to start anew. Now that I have seen and realized my true passions, I will devote my time pursuing them. It will entail painful separations and difficult adjustments but with faith and perseverance, I am positive that it will be a breeze. Family remains to be the number one priority. I hope and pray that a junior will come along this year. We will work on that. The girls are growing fast and I need to catch up with them. My wife is not getting any younger either so I need to maximize my time spent with her. Another grandchild is also about to be born reminding me that I have really come of age. There's no stopping it. By third quarter of the year, I will be finis...