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!
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| Family Medicine Residents with Pharex Team |
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| The Winning Team |
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| the ever wacky group |
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| beautiful ladies |
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| someone cannot accept the defeat |
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| RESTing membrane potential |
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| Parang wala lang |
