Batoytoy in the City: Race to Durian Mountain

Doctors are competitive by nature. It is encoded in their genes and tagged in their neurons. It fuels their adrenalin enough not to clog their arteries. It is the consumption of freebies and giveaways that slowly turns them into an object. If there is a second installment of The Blob movie, I can recommend hundreds right away. Fortunately, most of my colleagues are health conscious due to the alarming morbidity and mortality affecting the younger generation. I encountered a 31 year old stroke patient last year. Imagine at the prime of your life, all of sudden half of your body goes limp. And you feel useless, depression sets in and you lose all the hope in your life. But that’s another story.

Where was I? Ah, yes, health. As the old saying goes: “Health is Wealth” Wealth because you can save money. Wealth because you manage to get thin, gets scouted and land on different ad agencies. Wealth because in the end you’ll be sleeping in a bed of currency. Seriously, as the modernization sets in and fast food is nearly everywhere, the chance of living a longer and fruitful life is nil. My colleagues in the workplace began their dieting ritual a month ago which involved intensive research, calorie checklist, detailed grocery shopping and grueling cooking session. Before, I use to see plastics of viand on our table during lunch time but lately all I see are see through containers of fish, vegetables and certain fruits. The harsh side of which is they never share because they are “calculated”. I repeat, calculated that the slightest piece missing will gain them entry to the underworld. Now, coupled with exercise, some of my co-residents have improved while others have gone under in their computation. Our 24 hour job requires a surge of glucose frequently or else our brains will march out of our bodies. I even wonder if forgetfulness became a side effect of their dieting. Exhibit A. Me: “Are you going to the christening of Maam M’s son?” Dr. M.: “Ay ngayon pala yon? Mag-rounds pa ako. Pwede text mo na lang ako baka makahabol ako sa reception.” Me: “You need to drink Gingko Biloba to the point of migraine. Sa Mars ang reception. Sa next pregnancy ka na lang ni Maam M umatend.” I am not going anywhere with this.

The point of this pointlessness. Last May 5, 2012, amidst our weary bodies we were all psyched up for our first ever Inter-hospital Residents games entitled: “Hungry Games: The Race to Durian Mountain.” As usual I was late because our cat, MJ, needed much attention or I will be scathe and end up in pieces. Participated by residents from DRH-Tagum, Ricardo Limso, Brokenshire Hospital, DMSF Hospital and the host, SPMC, the game was held at one of the beautiful parks in Davao, People’s Park. The goal is to surpass each obstacle as a team with the final pit stop located at the top of a mini museum. From wearing plastic cup hats, eating fresh mangoes minus the skin, placing water in a plastic bottle to a certain level with the use of a sponge, packing four distinctly different bodies under a breakable hoola hoop while walking over a bridge and swallowing a chocolate cake while solving a pictogram, our team finished fourth place. It was a loser moment that was evident in the photos. However, the friendly game was fun and solidified our friendship. It is a rare moment that residents from each hospital gather because of our unstable schedules. (For probable and would be partners, Doctors need someone who has an island of patience and a sea of understanding. Because of our unstable schedule, we sometimes become unstable.) In consolation, we received prices for our ATP’s used, calories burned and sweat produced and was complimented with an all you can eat breakfast. Thank you very much PHAREX for the support and sponsoring our first ever inter-hospital activity as well as to our aerodynamic President, Dr. Mic Harun. Until the next gathering!