Living in the province with the freshest of everything is a blessing I enjoyed ever since I was young. And even animals that are rarely visible in the urban communities can be found in the provinces. And one of these is the firefly. As a child, fireflies are common sights at night. They would even be seen inside houses and people are used to seeing them. But not my children. They haven’t seen a single one ever since they were born though they grew up here in the province. I wonder why fireflies became rare. Are they also endangered? That was how it is until one night during a two-hour brownout (brownouts are so common here these days) when I chanced upon one firefly going in my direction. It was such a pretty sight especially that the entire neighborhood was in darkness. My kids were so delighted to see one. But in their excitement, they unintentionally shooed it away. It wandered into the darkness until we cannot see it anymore. We waited. But two hours had passed and the lights went on. The firefly never came back.

Picture from this site

It was a fine January afternoon and we were having our experiment in the lab. One of my female students ( lets call her Sally) approached me and asked me of what I think about a particular male professor (lets call him Dr. D). I told Sally that Dr. D is okay and I’m having no problems with him. Sally told me that she is. She said that Dr. D has been texting her, asking her to come to his clinic since the start of the second semester so that they can talk about her grade in his subject which according to him is very low and she is in danger of failure. Sally did not want to go. In fact she was afraid to go as she was hearing bad things about the professor. Some of her friends from the higher years even fell victims of the said doctor. What she wanted from me then was an advice on what she should do. I was shocked at that moment so I just told her to save the text messages in her cellphone. I told her that maybe we can tell the Dean but I was not sure how.

After a few days, I happen to come to school an hour earlier than my schedule. And coincidentally, I chanced upon students from the higher years hanging around outside their classrooms. There were seats outside and because the classroom where I’m suppose to enter was still close, I sat down and had a conversation with them. I kept on thinking about Sally and how I can help her bring it up to the Dean. But there was also the thought that everything was not true and Sally was just fooling me. And so I found that day an opportune time for me to ask around of what they think of Dr. D before I decide to go to the Dean’s office.

My encounter with the students proved positive of Sally’s accusations of Dr. D. They even mentioned several cases but omitting the names of those involved. These students passed Dr. D’s subject because they agreed to his dirty tactics. They were assured of passing grades whether they took the remedial exams or not.

Armed with the information I gathered from the students, I approached the Dean together with my husband. Aside from the goal of helping Sally solve her problem, our other concern was the thought that Dr. D might be using our names (we are in the same department) in collecting a large sum of money from foreign students in order to pass his subjects. There were rumors that he did this in the past. But I am not sure if it is really true. We don’t really have proof but the words of those involved. After telling the Dean all our concerns. We felt that our task in helping our student is over and we went on with our life as normal.

That was how far my participation in this case took me. But Dr. D took my actions negatively and he is saying things against me. He is eliciting the ire of the students by telling them that I repeated old test questions in their exams, an action which I openly admitted in front of the class. Why? Is repeating old test questions a crime? In fact, when my mother-in-law died sometime in July last year and my husband was not around to prepare test questions, Dr. D asked me to repeat my husband’s old test questions. And which I did. I was expecting Dr. D to prepare the test questions himself that’s why I told him two days in advance. And that was what he was supposed to have done being the chairman and a fellow at that.

Yes, one cannot please everybody. Even if you do good, it will still backfire on you. But at least I’m not guilty of anything.

When my kids came, my life definitely changed. My priorities turned from household chores to taking care of them though I still kept my work. I am lucky my clinic is in the first floor of our house. I can easily go up or down where I am needed. But I needed help from someone who could do all the rest of household work. I was not used to it at first and I would schedule doing the cleaning and some cooking on weekends.

While the kids were growing up, the lesser time I had for myself. Much more so when I started teaching in the College of Medicine. I needed to study and prepare for my lectures, prepare exams, check papers, and compute grades. Add to these my work as a physician, as tutor for my kids, and my work at home. I needed to delegate more of the little things that needed to be done at home. When before I would be cleaning and arranging my kids’ toys in the shelf so that I know where to find them when my kids look for them, my househelp do that for me now. And there are a lot more things that I could not do anymore because of lack of time. And I find myself saying “too many things to do in a day but with too little time” regularly. It’s good that I know how to prioritize that I am able to keep track of everything thus making things at home so manageable.

There is an e-mail forwarded to me by my husband. It is about setting priorities so that important things that matter in life are given more time. I like to share it with you in case you find difficulty finding time. Here it is:

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things – Family, Children, Health, Friends, and Favorite Passions.
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else –The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued,
‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So…
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

‘Take care of the golf balls first –
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
‘I’m glad you asked’.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

With the CME requirements temporarily removed for this year, I took the opportunity to take the exams. And so I did my best to prepare which took a lot of my time. I reviewed every night for five or six months. I did it also in between breaks in the clinic, breaks in the school while teaching, and when I am not tutoring my kids or doing some cooking. It was such a difficult preparation. And it was my best preparation ever. More than what I did years ago while preparing for the Physician board. The exams (both written and oral) were very comprehensive. I am still keeping my fingers crossed. But whether I made it or not, I just know I did my best!

The written exams came first. That was last year, December 2. There were 400 questions which we took for a total of six hours (if I am not mistaken). It was time limited so one is not allowed to slow down or to take a nap. Hehehe. Just reading the question twice will delay you for more than a minute because most questions are long enough to be a paragraph in a love story. Finishing the exam gave me more than just a headache.

The oral exam which I took last week, January 16 and 17, was quite okay. It would have been great without the jittery feeling that everybody feels in every oral examination. The nervousness makes everything that is in every examinee’s mind fly away. And I feel so absurd being watched by fellow doctors while I talk or do the task being asked of me. I just hope I did well inspite of the endless flow of perspiration while inside an air-conditioned room, the shaking of my knees that I felt would give way anytime during the oral exam, and the most unbearable of all was the heavy throbbing of my chest which I thought can be heard even by the person sitting directly opposite me. What an experience!

The only consolation I had during those exams was staying in a beautiful hotel – the Kimberly Hotel. It was my home during those days. It is located near UP-PGH and walking distance to Robinson’s Midtown. The people there were very accommodating and the food was very well priced.

So, now I’m back. I’ll see to it that I’ll post regularly. Thank you for understanding.

There was one time when I prescribed mefenamic acid suspension to a six-year-old. After sending off the patient, the mother came back telling me to compute again because the lady in the drug store told her that her child will die because of overdosage. I got furious of course. I told her to tell the lady to come to my clinic and I would gladly explain to her how dosages of medicines for children are computed. The mother refused to bring her. I wrote her a letter instead explaining how the dosage of the said medication is computed. I also explained to the mother in detail how I arrived in the dosage. I just don’t know if she followed the dosage written in the prescription. Well, I cannot blame her after hearing the comment from the drug store.

Just the other day, my son Ralph got sick. I asked my house helper to buy the medicine in Mercury drug. When the lady in the drug store (the new Mercury drug in Mangaldan, Pangasinan) read the prescription, she told my maid that there is overdosage. My maid commented that the parents of the boy who is going to drink the medicine are doctors, and that she doesn’t have to worry because the parents love their son too much to cause him into trouble. To make the story short, it turned out that the medicine written in the prescription was not available to them. She was making comments of overdosage because she wants to change the prescription to another drug which is available.

The drug I am referring to which I prescribed to my son was Cefixime. It used to be computed as 1-3mg/KBW/dose. But lately, recent studies show that there is a need to increase dosage to 8mg/KBW/dose. With Ralph, I only computed 5mg/KBW/dose. How could that lady in the Mercury drug say that there is overdosage?

The problem with pharmacists or ladies manning drug stores in general is that they only know the dosaging of medicines by basing it on the age of the patient. Please be informed, you people. There are only a set of medicines on which dosages can be based on the age of the child. These are called drugs with empirical dose. And these include cough and colds preparation ONLY. The rest are computed based on weight and the number of times they are given in a day.

So, if you have two 5-year-old boys. One is overweight meaning his weight is beyond the normal range of his age. The other boy cannot be given the same dosage as this overweight boy because that would mean overdosage.

I hope these people in the drug stores would stop commenting about overdosage. Know first the range of dosage of each kind of drug (that compels a lot of memorizing!), learn how to compute, ask the weight of the child and NOT the age, then comment if there really is overdosage. Doctors certainly know more of that aspect as we regularly attend updates and conventions regarding these things. It would be best if these people just do what is expected of them and stop acting as if they know everything and as if they are better off than doctors. And PLEASE stop changing prescriptions.

The other day, a pack of relief goods containing a kilo of rice, two packs of lucky meat beef mami, and a can of CDO beef meat loaf, was delivered to our doorstep. It was during a time when we had least expected it. Thanks to our mayor, Hon. Mojamito Libunao, who decided not to delegate the job to the baranggay captains. Otherwise, only those close to the kapitan del barrio will be receiving.

Take what happened to us a year ago when typhoon Cosme battered our town which left so many families homeless. It was in the news that every family was going to receive three pieces of galvanized iron. Did we receive anything? No! Only those close to our baranggay captain did. And each of them received more than three. Some six. Others twelve. And those who received too much ended up selling them. And the rest were used by the kapitan in extending his house. So very kind of him.

Anyway, let me thank everybody who helped in any way possible all the victims of typhoon Pepeng. I see relief goods continue to arrive also in nearby towns. In behalf of all these people at the receiving end, maraming salamat po.

From October 5 to 8, life was normal, kids were in school. On October 9, heavy rains started to pour in the morning. Still, there were classes that morning. I was getting apprehensive at that time because of the heavy downpour while my kids were still in school 18 kilometers away from home. Medical representatives I talked to were saying that the road going to Dagupan City was starting to get flooded. And the more I got uneasy because my kids’ school reiterated that regular classes were being conducted. By 12 NN that same day, my husband received a call that classes had been suspended and that the kids need to be fetched the soonest. Me and my husband acted immediately but since classes were suspended in all schools in the area, traffic delayed us. But we were just in time before floodwater started to rise.

On the afternoon on that same day, news spread that San Roque dam was going to open all its gates and release water. My husband immediately surfed the internet on what areas were going to be affected. And we concluded that San Fabian will be safe. But unfortunately, several dikes were not able to contain the rampaging water and they gave way. And San Fabian, our town, was among those greatly affected.

It was hair-raising to see and hear people in such a situation. Because there was no electricity at the height of the typhoon and our generator broke down, I had only known of the very vast damage in our town and nearby areas after the typhoon. In search of food and some necessities, my family and I was able to make rounds in nearby towns. My kids just could not believe that what they were seeing were possible.

Food was the main problem after the flood. Market stalls were close for days. They have nothing to sell because everything were destroyed by Pepeng’s wrath. Bread, biscuits, and cookies were very scarce. People get to argue on who gets it first.

The day after the typhoon even the malls were close, too. When Nepo mall reopened, people trooped there causing long lines again in the cashier. There were no meat, fish, and vegetables in the wet section. I was only able to buy the essentials. I am hoping that everything will go back to normal as soon as possible.

As soon as our stomach fills with solid food, contractions start which marks the start of digestion. Some of us, and that includes me, down it with water even with just a few tablespoons of food. It is just too difficult for me to continue eating without drinking water every now and then, allowing me to consume around three to five glassful of water during the entire mealtime. The end result is a bloated feeling with a heavy stomach which disappears only after two to three hours.

The practice is bad because it causes the protein in the food to be partially digested or not at all. The voluminous water intake prevents the pepsinogen to be converted to pepsin which is responsible for digestion of protein.

I am not saying that drinking water is entirely prohibited. Small sips are allowed. And drinking to the max is best for the digestive system only after two hours.

Now, some people cannot wait that long. So, to enhance or augment digestion, a tea or coffee will help after meals. Alcoholic drinks, wine, also help. That is the main reason why Italians down their food mostly with red wine or any alcoholic beverage.

After the first quarter grade was released in my kids’ school, many who used to be PHLs (Principal’s Honor List) did not make it. The lists from all the levels are conspicuously trimmed down to almost half. It is the result of giving quizzes (sometimes unannounced) in lieu of mid-quarter exams.

I had expected it. That’s why I advised my kids at the start of the school year to always study in advance. Teachers will be giving quizzes left and right. And it was true. For where can they be getting the grades without the usual mid-quarter exams?

It was a big shock to most students and parents, especially those who used to be PHLs. They planned to complain but I’m not sure whether they pushed it or not.

I was so relieved when Raymund, now in Grade VI, passed his Science subject where most of his classmates failed. There are just three of them (the two are girls). I am curious though how his teacher computed the grade without quizzes and just basing the grade with the 1st quarter exam. Inspite of his grade (87), he was even the highest.

The varsity team in school where Raymund was a member is greatly affected, too. Some of his teammates, around four of them, failed in Science. Thus disqualifying them from the next competition which is DepEd. The kids should really study and maintain passing grades in order to be able to join next competitions.

With regards to study habits, I find Raymund studying only every Sunday morning. With his hectic schedule (MTAP 3x a week, basketball practice 2x a week), he hardly finds the time to study at the end of the day except to make assignments. And because he travels at least an hour to and from school everyday, his time is really very limited. So I think focus is very important in studying together with a relaxed environment. Peace of mind, happy environment, family support are all important factors. But the most important factor that the student must have is DISCIPLINE.

Anyway, I was in the hospital a day before the date. My doctor said that since I came in early I might as well be operated on that day. But believe me, it was because of Mama Mary’s birthday (September 8), throngs of my doctor’s patients due that month came to ask her to be operated on that day so that their kid’s birthday will coincide with Mama Mary’s. So, I was moved to the following day which was September 9. Well, I didn’t mind. As long as I have a healthy baby. It was fine with me.

Now, that baby has grown into a very responsible and intelligent boy. Very handsome, too! Tall, dark, and handsome. Any woman could easily fall for him. But he is just eight years old and he is dreaming to become a doctor, too, someday. That is something very possible with the level of intelligence that he has. I just believe in his ability.

We gave him a new basketball ring as a present. It is a replacement of the old one which was destroyed by typhoon Cosme more than a year ago. Cheap as a birthday gift? Well, my son has simple pleasures and he was so happy with it. Maybe because he has almost everything he needs so that simple things are greatly appreciated by him. We celebrated his birthday with a special family dinner in a restaurant of his choice. I also cooked his favorite food at home.

Happy birthday, Ralph! I will always be your tutor forever. Stay as responsible and studious as you are now. I am so happy with your academic achievement. Keep it up!