You may be wondering why I haven’t posted a new article since that infamous day when I dislocated my knee…  Well, if you are wondering what happened, I underwent 10 sessions of physical rehabilitation and now I am able to flex and extend my left knee fully.  I still have problems walking up the stairs with my busted knee but I can get up one step at a time with my right leg domineering over the other…

But the real reason why I haven’t written anything is because I have been busy this last month preparing and finally taking the Philippine Medical Board exam.  Is it a big deal?  YES you innocent passerby, it is a BIG DEAL… I left my real home in the province to stay with my friend who is also a medical student.  The board exams were held for 4 days on 2 on a saturday and 2 on a sunday… Last Sunday was the last exam, and although it made me sigh in relief, the tension has not faded at all.  According to random people, the list of passers will be posted on National Newspapers and their online counterparts by tomorrow or Thursday.  I don’t even know if I could rejoice or kill myself by tomorrow.  I am literally hanging by a thread here.

I don’t know if it’s a sign of desperation, but we heard tons of superstitions before we took the test.  I decided to apply some of them.

1. Wear red underwear – I didn’t do this, but I did notice a lot of the interns wore red shirts while taking the exam.

2. When you finish the last exam don’t look back.  Just pass your paper and leave… And give a little kick at the door – This I DID do.

3. Break the pencil you used after the exam – Done!

4. My friend Dave had a different belief with the pencil.  He said that if he fails (which won’t happen!) he is gonna break it.  If he passes, he is gonna pass the pencil to somebody else – Good idea!  But I broke mine since it was the first superstition I heard.

I know, I know it may seem ridiculous, but hey, I can’t do anything about the exam anymore, the least I can do is do all those things and PRAY.  And pray we did as well.  The day after the exam, my co-board taker, Maan, her sister Macyl, and I, went on Vicita Iglesia, as advised by their mom.  We went to 7 different churches all over Manila!  Something I have never done in my entire life.  I am sure my mom is gonna be happy I did this.

San Agustin Church

our first stop

This church is found inside the old city of Intramuros.  If I am not mistaken, my high school class went on a field trip here once.  And my paternal grandparents had their golden anniversary here.  I really wanted to go inside but when we arrived the church was closed.  We said our silent prayers and went on our way.

Manila Cathedral

beautiful on the outside

marvelous inside

The Manila Cathedral is also found in Intramuros.  Fortunately we were able to go inside.  There were probably more foreigners going in and out of that place than Filipinos.  I felt like I was in a totally different country.

Binondo Church

Beauty amidst the hussle and bustle

the first candle lit

We weren’t able to find the place were we can light candles at Manila Cathedral, but we did find a place at Binondo Church… I pass by this church all the time when my mom and I go on our occasional Divisoria trips, but I have never been in there.  Now I can say that I have.

St. Anthony de Padua

in the narrow streets near Taft Avenue

We wanted to go to our church in De La Salle, but because it was a holiday, we didn’t keep our hopes up of getting in there.  Instead we went to this church.  Unfortunately it was also closed.  But there was a statue of Mary on the side were one of the vendors said that we can light a candle.  Instead of the usual red candles we found in Binondo, here in St. Anthony, they were selling candles with different colors, each signifying the kind of things we are wishing or praying for.  We each took a pink candle, which signified success.  Then we lit the other colors:

Red for Love

Blue for Health

Green for Business/Money matters

Yellow for Strong Spirituality

Purple for High Power

Orange for Attraction

see the different colored candles? all ours!

Church of Sto. Domingo

sto. domingo

more beautiful stained glass

Monastery of St. Claire

st. claire

This place has an odd tradition.  If you want the sisters to pray for you, the donation that they want for it is not money, but EGGS.  Right outside you will find vendors selling eggs by the dozen or half dozen.  We went to this church before the exams, and now we are back for our second trip.

fountain... give us hope!

We also threw some coins in the fountain and made a wish… Anything… anything to make us pass!!! ^_^

Jesuit Church in Ateneo de Manila

Ateneo, ateneo... whoaa...

Hahaha… they teased me a lot about this… Ateneo is, as they say, our RIVAL school.  Being a La Salle borne individual, I never thought that I would actually set foot in that place.  But hey come on, am I gonna let a little rivalry get in the way?  It’s not as if I was entering a non-Catholic church.  Plus, everybody knows that I am a green blooded person ^^ I played along with the teasing and pretended that I was burning as we were passing through the gates of Ateneo… hehehe… I know you’d do it if you were me ^^ This church is also called “the Spaceship” because… well… it looks like one!

holy water fountain

And that was the end of our trip.  The results of the exams haven’t come out yet, although some say that it’ll be out by TOMORROW! ^_^ I am scared, excited, and going crazy… With all that studying, and praying, I can confidently say that I have done my part.

Last night I arrived back here in Manila… Vacation-wise the stay in my province was great, but REVIEW-wise?  Awful.  I felt sleepy all the time, I didn’t work out for a whole week, and I might have even gained weight!  When I was there I would wake up at 10 in the morning.  Well, today, I woke up at 6 in the morning due to the voices of my roommates (Thanks guys!)  I may have to re-review my biochemistry on the later on… I have to follow my schedule and continue with Physiology no matter what.  Now that that’s decided, I’ll say my goodbye for now.

If any of you board reviewers are in Manila, gimme a txt message and let’s all have some coffee ok?  Take Care!

For all it’s worth, let me just say, that even though this feels like a daily slap on the head, preparing for the boards is both frightening and exciting at the same time.  I LOVE the DRAMA!  Everyday I ask myself stuff like, “Am I really preparing for the MOTHER of all exams?”  And I am not just preparing for the Philippine medical boards, mind you.  I am also planning to take the USMLE, the board exam for those wanting to practice in the United States.  Of course, right now I am just thinking of the Philippine boards which is nearer (August 2008 baby!).

I feel that I made the right decision to stay in my dorm because, it means I am nearer to all the necessary establishments like the mall, the gym, and the hospital that I worked in for internship.  It will also be easier for me to go to review sessions and graduation rehearsals.  Speaking of the gym, I have made a promise to myself that this period of decreased inactivity will also not affect my health in a bad way but in an awesome way.  I have proven time and again that daily exercise keeps my mind and body more alert hence more prepared to take in gallons of information from all the books I am reading.  I just have to remind myself that even though there are a LOT of fast food restaurants near my dorm I shall NOT enter them on a daily basis.

With this decision, I also realize the perks that I am missing by not staying at home.  First,  I don’t get to see my dad on a daily basis.  It’s bad enough that my mother and my siblings are all in the US.  But it makes me feel bad that I chose to stay in Manila even when I don’t have work.  Dad, if you are reading this, I hope you’re not too disappointed.  I tried to study in the house for a week and it just made me drowsier than ever.  The freshly prepared food is amazing, but it’s just not conducive for studying. I live in a damn resthouse!  I equate the house to vacation, and studying for the boards is no vacation.  Plus, my dad works everyday, and right now, I don’t think assisting him in his OR’s are gonna be helpful for the boards.  It’s just going to eat up my time.  But yeah, maybe after the graduation on the 18th of May I’ll pay a visit at our house for a few days.  But trust me, if you want me to get good grades AND lose weight, then I’m better off staying in the bustling city of Manila.

Gosh, if the coffee shop was right downstairs that would be the perfect place to study.  But with the free coffee and drinks at the gym?  I guess that could be a good place too.  Plus I also can equate the “break time” to the treadmill time.  Compare watching TV at home to watching TV at the gym while doing some brisk walking?  Better to be at the gym right?

So that’s one of my strategies in getting myself warmed up to study.

As for the driving lessons I am supposed to be having, I think I will save that one for after the philippine boards.  I know how to handle priorities ya know.

Iron man and the movie Speedracer is showing at the mall.  But I choose not to watch it alone.  No way.  So the theater isn’t making a move on me either.

Good luck to my fellow board takers!  Just remember that even if you are studying alone like me, you are not alone at all in this battle.  I am here to TOP this mother of all exams… That is the only way to guarantee our passing… Don’t just aim to pass but aim for the number one spot.

It’s kind of a late announcement, but I guess most of you guys know that my internship is finally OVER! Can you believe that one whole year has passed, and here I am still, blogging away, with full body intact. I can’t even believe that I gained a few pounds, which was the total opposite effect that I was going for in this internship. Even my make-up hours for OB and Pedia are done. So now I am supposed to be doing my reviews but I still haven’t formally started yet. Can’t a person have her long awaited vacation? I already went to my province for some quiet time, but I decided not to fully give up my dorm because I still want to go to the gym near it, and the internet here is ultimately better than the one we have at home. I’ll go back to my house when my review session in PGH is over and that’s gonna happen a month from now.

Isn’t it ironic that the annoying sounds of the basketball game combined with the drilling/construction work which happened for about 2 weeks or more stopped on the last day of my internship?

On the last day of internship, we held the annual “sunog”, which means “burn”… A few days before all interns submitted their votes on their most hated, most burnable people in all of PGH… I guess this is the only way we will ever get back on those professors, doctors, nurses, and staff, and even clerks, who made our lives more difficult than it should be. I was going to post the pictures of the people who were burned in this blog but I changed my mind because they might get more humiliated and there are limits to the embarassment people could incur. Their pictures would be posted on a big poster in the hospital itself anyway. I think they got all the people right, except for a resident who should not have been burned (I believe that she was only pressured by her seniors… oh well… )

The only thing I miss about internship is the interaction with people. Right now, the best interaction I get is with the Internet. I kinda wish that the new tenants of the dorm would come already just so I could talk to some other people. This is kind of a good environment for really reviewing and I plan to use it to the fullest. The earlier the boards are done the earlier my new life will begin.

Just this morning, my cousin called me to consult about his daughter’s cough, and all I could think of is, it has finally begun. I feel honored to be acknowledged by my clan as the new clan doctor, even if I don’t have my license yet. Just the fact that he called me means so much for a new doctor like me.

As I review my anatomy, I realized how relatively easier it is for me to take in the data compared to when I was in 1st year medical school. The experience I got from clerkship and internship are the reason I guess. I realize now how important each fact is to my practice… This realization is what will keep me determined to acquire that coveted surgery residency in the United States. I may not be the star scholar, I may not be the brightest of the bunch… But I know I have the determination. I guess that’s why I can relate to those cartoon heroes who are average but compensates by there zealousness.

For those of you who continue to support me, thank you very much. I will try my best, and not only aim to pass but aim for the highest spot. If you happen to pass by Taft Avenue, let’s have some coffee… ^_^