The Freudian Slip Of A Bacolodnon

As part of the requirements of my first year medical students for their Family Medicine course, I asked them to produce mini-films that would highlight the trajectory of illness. Each group was given a unique case and their tasked was to portray the various stages and phases a sick individual and his/her family would undergo. The value of knowing the trajectory of illness is that the family physician can be aware of the emotional and physical stresses of his/her patients and their families and that the family physician can plan out a regimen that is sensitive to the emotional, mental, social and physical needs of his/her patients. Below are the entries to the first Cinemedicine:( Warning: some scenes may be too risque and may require strict parental guidance. Viewer Discretion is advice .) Pamana Suso Baog Picture Frame Sigarilyo Akinse Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox ! Not seeing a widge...

During the socials night for the participants of the 3rd module of the Health Leaders For The Poor conducted by the Zuellig Family Foundation for leaders from the ARMM, we brought them to this place in Makati called Ziggurat. Located at Sunette Tower, Durban Street corner Makati Avenue, Ziggurat is a restaurant which serves Indian, Mediterranean, African and Middle Eastern cuisine. It is a small but cozy place which transports any customer into the Middle East or a Turkish bazaar where one sits on the cushioned floor and eats a like a princely Arab. The inside of the restaurant can occupy at the most 30 customers not including the small upper deck which can occupy an additional 10. One can choose to eat outside the terrace section of the restaurant but I strongly suggest eating inside for you to have the feel of a Middle eastern ambiance. It was unfortunate though that during our visit there, we didn't have any Turkish or Arab music playing in the background to complete the whol...

Last Saturday seemed to be a sinful day especially for someone who is on a regimen of reducing weight and staying fit. It was cakes day and it started at Calea's along Lacson street in Bacolod City when I met with the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines together with the SEAYLP - Philippines 2010 and some U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers. It was my first time to be in the new Calea which is right across L'Fisher Hotel. The place was packed with people, Negrenses and Bacolodnon's trying to satisfy their craving for sweets. During the "Russian roulette" of cakes, I happened to be given an Angel Cake, perhaps one the best Angel cakes I had. I usually prefer chocolate cakes but that Angel cake I had last Saturday in Calea was actually not bad at all. We talked about a lot of things over these sweet indulgences: from work to school and even to Lin-sanity. One light moment I had with the Ambassador was when he asked me what school I was affiliated and when I told them I w...

UPDATE: Pureza goes to Manila this May 31, 2012 at Powerplant Cinema 2 in Rockwell Center. For details on how to get tickets, contact 09272805888. Today is one historic day for local cinema in the Philippines. For the first time in Philippine cinema, a full-length documentary film on the struggling sugar industry of the island of Negros and how a piece of crystallized grain could affect a whole island of 2.7 million people. As described by the producers along with their trailer uploaded in youtube, Pureza "traces the history of the Negros sugar industry as it faces strife and discord in the advent of the 21st century." PUREZA The Story of Negros Sugar is currently showing at SM-Bacolod at these Cinema Hours: 12:00NN, 2:00PM, 4:00PM and tickets are available at P120.00 at Café Uma (709-9966) or contact 0932-3065277, 0917-3012878, 034-7086076. You can also follow PUREZA, The Story of Negros Sugar on Facebook. This is a documentary film every Negrense and Filipino must...

During our Leadership training in Northern Illinois University, the Philippine delegation to the Southeast Asian Youth Leadership Program (2010) was invited to perform a traditional dance during the Ethnotopia event. The group originally presented this dance during the opening ceremonies of the SEAYLP training. The dance is called "Tiklos" and is a Visayan dance. The Ethnotopia event is the second time the group was able to perform in front of a public audience. The third time was during the culminating activity when the group decided to teach the Tiklos dance to the other delegates and performed it together with their Thai, Indonesian and Burmese friends. During the ethnotopia event, the foster parents of the kids were actually invited to watch and of course, when it was the turn of the Philippines to dance, the kids were beaming with pride. The dance started out fine. After a brief introduction I gave about the dance, the students came out and started to perform, just ...

Improving Health Seeking Behaviors View more presentations from Bien Nillos . It is definitely a challenge on how to change behavior especially with the objective of promoting better health seeking behaviors. It is timely that this will also be my topic for my students this coming Saturday. So I am posting my powerpoint presentation here in preparation for my session with them. Be ready for Saturday, peeps. Also, I am posting the link to the Discussion Board where they would be discussing the case studies. To participate in the discussion board, you need to be a registered members. Since most students nowadays can spend time in the internet, then let the internet be another learning avenue for them. The link to the boards is here. Take note: you need to register in order to participate. Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox ! Not seeing a widget? ( More info )Like it.

What I loved about my experiences in Jamaica is the festive music. In almost every corner, there would be a group of drum beaters or musicians playing Jamaican music, from the subtle sounds of a guitar to the loud and playful music of the drums. And when the music would start to play, random Jamaicans would start dancing in the street. And I loved watching them dance and play their instruments. It made one want to dance as well. During my last day in Falmouth, Jamaica, I decided to take the day tour around the historic town to see more sights of Jamaica. I was even brave enough to venture out on my own right at the downtown of Falmouth to grab some lunch and some free wifi. I did not have enough time to visit some of the beaches in Jamaica but I was content in staying in the town proper where the sight and sounds of Jamaica would mingle to perfection. Rhaatid Jamaica, man. Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at ...

During our Global Health Course in Finland 2 years ago, we four Filipino Doctors enjoyed our experience so much that as our way of saying thank you to our hosts and co-delegates, we decided to come up with a video of the four of us dancing the anthem of every Filipino fan, "Pinoy Ako" We danced in Estonia, Sweden, Finland and even invited some of our friends to make a special appearance. Disclaimer: we are not professional dancers as the video itself will prove. Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox ! Not seeing a widget? ( More info )Like it.

It was my first time to go to Naga City, en route to a town called Ragay. It is a coastal town with some upland villages. We arrived in rainy Naga on a Tuesday via plane. We checked in at CBD Hotel which is strategically located in front of a bus terminal and some walking distance from SM City Naga. That evening, we had dinner with the Mayor and his wife at Molino Grill located in the food strip in Naga City. The following day we traveled to Ragay (about an hour of travel) with the Mayor and his wife. Upon arriving, we immediately headed to the SK Hall where the rest of the RHU staff were waiting for our training. After lunch, we headed to two barangays after visiting the Main Health Center of Ragay. It has a birthing center fully equipped with delivery tables, hospital beds and equipment. After a long day, we were brought to the house of the former mayor where we stayed for the night. We had dinner in the Mayor's house which is actually not far from the SK Hall. The foll...

While others choose Paris or any other European city to be a city of love, I think they have forgotten how our very own Luneta Park can be equally romantic as well. It is definitely historic and provides a nice place for couples to walk around and enjoy a moment, let's say a Valentine's Date. Luneta (which is also known as The Rizal Park) is a huge park and many would claim that it is one of the largest parks in Southeast Asia. It is where one can see the Rizal Monument, the marker which commemorates the site where the national hero Jose Rizal was executed in 1896. At the end of the park is the Quirino Grandstand and the nearby Manila Ocean Park. Of course, Manila Bay is not far away so if lovers would like to enjoy the famous Manila sunset, then they can find their way walking along Roxas Boulevard or settled in a cozy spot. There are a few things you can do while in Luneta Park besides taking a stroll. You can ride one of those horse-drawn carriages or calesa (which...

This week, I traveled for the first time to Samar to visit two towns: Calbiga and Motiong. From Tacloban, I crossed the San Juanico Bridge and traveled first to Calbiga where, together with the team from Zuellig Family Foundation, we conducted a field visit, a training for RHU staff and a mortality review in the afternoon. I was able to converse with the Doctor and the Mayor of the town. It is a lovely laid-back 4th class municipality, home to the world's second largest cathedral-type caves. Because of the uncooperative weather, they were not able to bring us to their town's best-kept natural wonders. I did promise myself that I should come back and really visit their caves and waterfalls. After an overnight stay in Catbalogan, I then headed to Motiong where the team did the same activities (except for the mortality review). Motiong is almost similar to Calbiga: mountainous with some coastal villages. There are many villages in the uplands, some of which are quite inac...

It was my first time to stay in Hotel Alejandro here in Tacloban, the capital city of Leyte. Leyte island is historical considering the role it played during the World War II. It was in Palo, Leyte when General Douglas McArthur fulfilled his promise of "I Shall Return". When the Americans finally landed in Leyte and were able to defeat the Japanese, Tacloban City became the temporary seat of government of the Philippines. President Sergio Osmena landed with Gen. McArthur that fateful day of October 1944. Hotel Alejandro was formerly the house owned by Dr. Alejandro Montejo which was later converted by his heirs into a museum. It has survived the troubled years of the Japanese Occupation and housed many refugees who returned to Tacloban after the war. What is very nice about the hotel is the prized collection of war memorabilias and pictures. It is like a museum inside a hotel or a hotel inside a museum. Pictures of the Liberation of Leyte, Japanese Occupation of Tacloba...

If you happen to visit Tacloban City in Leyte, one place to dine and enjoy fresh sea food is Ocho Seafood and Grill. It is located at Senator Enage Street, Brgy. 54, Tacloban City. During our stop over in Tacloban last Sunday night, the Mayor of Calbiga (Samar) treated us to buttered shrimps, grilled fish and shellfish at Ocho Seafood and Grill. It is a small place but it does not lose its coziness and comfort. Upon arriving inside the restaurant, you will be brought to the main counter where all the fresh seafood are displayed, where you can choose your dish from squid to shrimps to all kinds of fish, from seaweed to scallops. After choosing your dish, you will be given a number and then brought to your table where you will be asked for your order of drinks. The service is very satisfactory and the food tastes very good as well. The serve their food quick and the waitresses make sure that you have everything you need. If you are into seafood, Ocho Grill in Tacloban is de...

Right before 12 noon today, while I was huddling with barangay councilors and the Mayor of Cabilga in one of their barangays, I got a call from home in Bacolod City. My wife told me that a strong earthquake hit Bacolod City. I told them to stay safe and to watch the news about the earthquake. I was pretty sure that if it was a strong earthquake, aftershocks would follow. By her description, the quake was strong. My son even told me that he saw the water in our fish pond spilling out of the pool. When we got back to the Visitor Center in Calbiga, I found out that Cebu was also hit. I got another text message saying that the epicenter of the quake was somewhere between Negros Oriental and Cebu. On my way to Catbalogan, I got another text message at around 6pm when a strong aftershock jolted Bacolod. It was already in Catbalogan when I was able to watch the news about the quake. I will be going to Bacolod this Wednesday and I am hoping to get some news about the aftermath of the qua...

I miss Cozumel. I must admit that I have made Cozumel, Mexico my second home last year when I was working abroad. How can you not love Cozumel? The weather is warm, the food is cheap and the beaches are beautiful. Every week, the ship would dock in Cozumel and I would have barely 6 hours or so to enjoy my favorite quesadillas at Noname Bar, skype back home and even enjoy the sights at the beach. During the Tom Joyner cruise, we had a chance to stay overnight in Cozumel. So along with some of my friends, we decided to rent a jeep and drive around the island, beach-hoping. Every week, I would also do my grocery in Cozumel since it is cheaper than Wal-mart in Galveston, Texas. Right across the Mega-mart is a beach resort which most of the crew of the ships would hang out. It has free wifi and has a pool. For food, there are many options. There are at least two Filipino restaurants in Cozumel and two Chinese restaurants if you are into Asian food. Of course, Mexican dishes are ser...

Among the few cities I was lucky to have visited in Europe, Cartagena is one of those that I really liked. It's almost like you are walking on the borderline between the old and the new. The ship docked in Cartagena around early morning so I got off the ship and decided to walk around alone the city. I was also trying to find a decent cafe where I can grab a warm coffee for breakfast. I then found two of my Spanish friends already enjoying the sunshine of Cartagena. We decided to walk around and visit some of the places such as shops and parks. I then decided to go inside the museum and visit a Roman amphitheater excavated in Cartagena. Cartagena used to be occupied by the Romans (Carthage). The museum was filled with Roman artifacts. By around lunch time, I decided to take a break from walking and grab some pasta and soft drinks. The streets were already filling up with tourists. I was able to meet some of my friends who were also walking around the city trying to fi...