The Freudian Slip Of A Bacolodnon

I have to post this funny video of Rien and his schoolmates during one of their parlor games in their Christmas party a few weeks ago. My son is wearing a yellow striped shirt. It is his first time playing this game. During their foundation day, Rien had his first declamation in public. It was a hard piece to memorize but he pulled it through. Way to go, Rien!

Here are pictures of Candoni and what I have been doing lately in this mountainous municipality,right in the heartlands of Negros Island. More pics to come;my bluetooth is being possessed I need to exorcise it first. Merry Christmas everyone!

What is nice about Christmas is it gives an opportunity for old friends to come together and reminisce about the past and share about the present. I usually don't come to high school reunions and it is not usually deliberate. When I started med school, life has been rigid especially in the most recent 2 years of my med life that I could not muster the strength to come to a nocturnal reunion. I am a daywalker and a night-sleeper during med-days. That is if I am not On Duty, which in that case, I transform into a night crawler. Whether I am a vampire by night or a high-breed Lycan by day, the fact remains that time is precious for a med student/intern/resident, especially the time for sleep. But lately life is beginning to slow down a bit, giving me enough time to catch up for the lost opportunities. Last night I attended my high school's reunion at Mu Shu, a fine dining restaurant along Lacson Street. Not everyone in the batch can attend obviously. But a large number of old frie...

The third week in Candoni is a mixture of frivolity and toxicity. I have come to discover that the Monday and Tuesday groups of night duty are relatively benign compared to those other groups. Last Tuesday, we had our municipal Christmas party which already started late in the afternoon. It was a big event and the Health Department was in charge of the parlor games. With my enthusiastic midwives and energetic RSI at the helm of the games, the party was hilarious. The food was overflowing especially in my side of the table. The mayor joined our table because not only was it well lit but it was never running out of food. My midwives are the best cooks. Of course, we presented our own surprise number. A hurriedly-prepared Nativity Scene Musical with a Papaya Dance as our finale. During the middle of dinner, someone ran towards me and said, "Doc, may natiruhan. Ara subung sa rescue" (Doc, someone's been shot. They are at the Rescue Center now). I dropped my spoonful of bakare...

I am currently blogging from Kabankalan City, the nearest city to Candoni. The ride is an hour away from the mountains of Tablas valley, where Candoni is situated. It is a comforting sight to see some semblance of a highly urbanized area. In Candoni, I am surrounded by mountains. Heaps and heaps of mountains. There are a few rice fields and sugarcane plantations from time to time but the mountains never disappear. During one of my barangay visits, my tour guides pointed to me the locations of hidden caves and underground creeks meandering through the mountains. Candoni holds treasures close to her chest and most of which are yet to be discovered. And for the next two years, I am planning to trek these mountains, especially the caves. Call me Mountain Man after two years. So what am I doing here in Kabankalan at 8 in the morning blogging? AWOL? Nope. I am here to encash some checks for some medical equipments my unit is planning to purchase. I still have some budget left especially for ...

Life is slow in Candoni but the people are warmer than sunshine. I am beginning to memorize the name of my staff. So far, I have been close to all of them. Perhaps they have noticed my own leadership style in the office. During the last staff meeting, I told them that I am not the looking-over-the-shoulder type of boss. I am more results-oriented. If a staff performs well, then the results of her job will show it. So far, I have been studying my health indicators. I am planning to improve on them in my first year as DTTB in Candoni. As of Wednesday, I have already visited 3 barangays: Payawan, Haba and Gatuslao. Gatuslao is the farthest of the three. Of course, I always bring home plastics and plastics of bananas. I was promised by the midwife that in my next visit I will be served with wild boar's and deer's meat. Hmmmm.... I am fine with that just as long as it is not a spotted-deer's meat. So far I have already introduced a new format in the ITR (individual treatment rec...

I am currently in Bacolod writing this blog. Last Monday I arrived in Candoni at exactly 11:13 a.m. Yesterday, I left for home at around 3:00 p.m. I am writing this blog as proof that I am still alive and survived my first week in Candoni. I am beginning to fall in love with the people of Candoni. It has been awhile since they had a permanent doctor in their municipality. They have a visiting doctor based in Kabankalan, Dra. Neirva, and she only comes to Candoni 3x a week. Now, they have me there as someone permanent, always on call 24/7. I am glad that Dra. Nierva is also there. At least in some days I can focus more on the staff and other administrative matters. With me as their MHO, the staff had our first formal meeting yesterday. The agenda was the reporting of all accomplishments per barangay for the year 2007. I love my staff. They are the friendliest and warmest people. I have actually 2 rural health nurses, 1 nurse microscopist, 1 rural sanitation inspector, 3 volunteer or job...

This tells me that I should need to go out more often, especially in my own country. My Lakbayan grade is D! How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan ! Created by Eugene Villar . Do not be a stranger, bayen.

It is no surprise therefore that on the 3rd of December, the feast of St. Francis Xavier, I will be deployed to Candoni. St. Francis was a missionary. In my case, the mountains of Candoni will be my mission. Life is going to be tough in the mountains. But it is going to be a big change for me. I need not reiterate the opportunity that lies ahead, the opportunity to really make concrete changes in society. Starting from a small town like Candoni is a right step. Most of my batchmates were already deployed. I have made a list of things before I go to Candoni this Monday. At the end of 2 years, I will come back to this list and check. The Things I Am Worried About: 1. NPAs - peace and security. 2. The modest board and lodging - how modest? 3. the lonely nights away from family 4. dealing with the local government unit - how supportive are they? 5. water supply 6. transportation 7. electricity - how will i charge my "laptop"? 8. lack of supplies and equipments for my MHO 9. comm...