Cross Roads

I passed the board. Yey!

Now, what do I want in life?
Do I want to go into residency? And specialize? Specialize on what exactly?

Surgery takes too long a time.
My ideal would be OB, because cases are similar, it has a medical and surgical side. BUT, there are too much OBs out there.
I know I won't go into pedia... well, because... I hate computations? It's hard to get an accurate history from them? They are not simply "younger" adults.
I though about going to ENT because it has a medical and surgical side, too. According to a resident, I could train in Europe for 6-12 mos, and I would become a plastic surgeon! Wow! That's the specialty I want if ever I wanted surgery. But, just like ophtha, I need equipment to start my practice, and well, I didn't really find it easy to use such equipments. I also do not like studying the head part basically.
Since I am undecided, I thought about IM. After all, if all else fails, the point of whole medical school simply revolve around this, right? Also, most of I know would generally benefit from this, since most of my friends would be adults! And try ko lang, if after 3-4 yrs, I'm still undecided, at least I finished IM correct? Then it would be to pick another subspec such as endo or maybe the depressing hema-onco... Both diseases run in the family.

But what about Emergency Medicine? Positive points would be I would know how to treat an acute emergency wherever I go (but then again, all doctors should know this!), it's exciting that I think the years will fly by, and it has a surgical and medical field too. Negative points would be that after residency, what will I become? ER Med are usually associated with a hospital, or working abroad. ER Med is not that develop in the Philippines. I also read that if I want to earn money, ER Med would be good... Probably because it's a growing specialty in the Philippines, and maybe in the future, all hospitals will really be manned by ER Med...
But I also do not have regularly follow-up patients. (Except maybe if I was in the province practicing, and I have my own outpatient clinic.)

Anyway, I applied for ER Med in St Luke's and IM in Capitol.

But I'm not really sure.
Really? What I want is to work for a while. Or travel. Or both, such as work somewhere new.
That's why, I really want to pass this job interview and hope I could be a cruise MD!
Apparently, not everyone who submits their requirements are given interview opportunities!

So yeah, I think Cruise MD is my first choice.
Then, maybe I will take up my cousin with her offer for a moonlighting stint at Naga.
I don't know... And then, I haven't really thought... what if St Luke's or Capitol calls me?
Do I pick my moonlighting stint over them?
Well, if it's Cruise MD, I think I shall...
After all, I did promise to myself I will have my one year of rest, right? =)

1st Trip to Mindanao

CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon Outing
Aug 23-27, 2010 (same week ng application sa prc!)

Day 1: Arrived at CDO. Taxi to Balingoan Port. Sailed to Camiguin. Checked in at Enigmata. Sightseeing: Cold Springs (had lunch-afternoon snack-early dinner there), Sunset at Sunken Cemetery, Ardent Hot Springs.

Day 2: Continued sightseeing in Camiguin: Kabibe beach, Bura Soda Spring (lunch), old Church Ruins, Walkway, Katibawasan falls. Checked out. Back to Beloni port to sail Paras, straight to CDO port. Checked in at Budgetel. Dinner at Butcher's Best.

Day 3: CDO river trekking at Mapuwa with the water slide, 30-ft jump, and 60-ft rappel + bonus zipline (thanks to Loi's cousin Iggy). Cagayan river rafting in the afternoon + bonus rain (para hindi boring! hehe). Dinner at Lokal's, followed and meet more of Loi's cousin in Candy's.

Day 4: Went to Dahilayan, Bukidnon by hiring a taxi (after 1+ hr of haggling and getting loist). Zorbit at Forest Park. (Didn't do zipline anymore since we did it yesterday.) Del Monte Plantation. Lunch at er um, it starts with P (hehe). Art gallery in Xavier University to meet more of Loi's cousins. Dinner at Chamboi something (was featured in Lonely Planet!), dessert somewhere near Limketkai.

Day 5: Relax. Watch the parade (supposedly). Lunch at Steve's Chicken. Airport.

Sorry, forgot most of the names haha
Most of the pics are in Lulu's camera. Most of mine came from Kabibe beach in Camiguin and Mapawa Nature Park (dahil sa waterproof, kaso mid-way na lowbat), and Bukidnon (dahil naubusan ng camera si Loi).

CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon Outing (Part II)

Day 3: We had to make most of the day, because Rizza and Louie will be leaving tomorrow morning. We did CDO river trekking at Mapuwa with the water slide, 30-ft jump, and 60-ft rappel + bonus zipline (thanks to Loi's cousin Iggy) in the morning. Cagayan river rafting in the afternoon + bonus rain (para hindi boring! hehe). Dinner at Lokal's, followed and meet more of Loi's cousin in Candy's.

Day 4: Went to Dahilayan, Bukidnon by hiring a taxi (after 1+ hr of haggling and getting loist). Zorbit at Forest Park. (Didn't do zipline anymore since we did it yesterday.) Del Monte Plantation. Lunch at er um, it starts with P (hehe). Art gallery in Xavier University to meet more of Loi's cousins. Dinner at Chamboi something (was featured in Lonely Planet!), dessert somewhere near Limketkai.

Day 5: Relax. Watch the parade (supposedly). Lunch at Steve's Chicken. Airport.

CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon Outing (Part I)

CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon Outing
Aug 23-27, 2010 

(same week ng application sa prc!)

with the Katipuneros

at the airport (Terminal 3, I think?)

 Day 1: Took the first flight out from Terminal 3 (I think, it was the old Centenial Airport), and arrived at CDO. Since there were 5 of us, we just hired a taxi to Balingoan Port, which costs PhP500 I think. We reached roro just in time, and sailed to Camiguin. 

In Camiguin, we hired a mini-jeep there, and checked in at Enigmata. It was nice with lots of things to explore and have pictures taken. Unfortunately, we were lacking in time, so we have to go and do some sightseeing.

We went to Cold Springs (had lunch-afternoon snack-early dinner there). It was really cold! There were fishes below, but maybe my skin was thick, but I didn't really feel them biting me! Haha But then again, maybe they were just wary of any form of movement. The pool was about 5 feet deep, with the center getting deeper. There were some of us who don't know how to swim, and there are available rubber tubings for rent for PhP 50 for the whole stay.

 Then, we watched the sunset at Sunken Cemetery. Supposedly, the old church ruins and the station of the cross was on the way, but it was getting dark, so we were going to do that tomorrow instead.

panoramic view of sunken cemetery (ooh, we're at the side!)

Ardent Hot Springs was open until 10 or 11 PM, so we went there and it was nice. Since it was already cold, the hot spring was great. It was divided into several pools with the general "river" going through a lot of them. There were kids and people below, so we opted to stay in the highest pool with the "cleanest" part of the river, as well as have some privacy.

 

Day 2: We have to get up very, very early, so we could go to Kabibe beach. It's not on the usual tour itinerary of Camiguin, but Loi really wants to go. And I believe we could as well. I'm not a big fan of usual "tour itineraries" either. I believe in the road less travelled (I suddenly remembered my Sagada adventure...)
Anyway, Kabibe beach was cool and worth the wait and hassle with the negotiations with the driver from the previous day.

 

After spending the morning in Kabibe beach (I think we spent 3-4 hours there), we went to Bura Soda Spring (lunch). Entrance is about 20 pesos. Bura Soda Spring supposedly tastes like spring soda, and there's a fountain there, where you could taste it. And it does taste like spring water.

the rocks in the middle of the pool is where the bubbles come from

 We then went to visit old Church Ruins and Walkway, which we passed yesterday. A few photo-ops, then actually, we just went shopping at the Walkway. We don't have time to go up and explore anymore, since we have to leave by 4 pm for the ferry back to CDO, and we still have to visit Katibawasan falls.

At Katibawasan falls, we paid an entrance of about 20. We just took pictures of the waterfalls, but didn't bother for a swim anymore. We saw some natives eating this fried lumpia-like wrapper with some sauce (caramel, I think?), so we bought some and tried it out for ourselves.

So we checked out of Enigmata, unable to take pictures of the rest of the place. (Boo!) Back to Beloni port to sail Paras (I think it was 400/1-way for 2 hrs), straight to CDO port. Checked in at Budgetel. Dinner at Butcher's Best. The place was packed for a weekday, with most of them ordering sisig and BBQ.

waiting at Budgetel

Dinner at Butcher's Best (best-seller sisig and BBQ, I think?)

Whew! I think this is enough, to be continued on another day.

For more photos:
1st trip to Mindanao Multiply Album
Camiguin-CDO pics by Louie
Postboard Rewards/Adventure by Loi

Tuguegarao-Pagudpod Outing

Tuguegarao-Pagudpod Outing
August 16-18, 2010
(while awaiting board results para bumilis ang panahon)
D-mates with CP, Robert, PG, John Paul

Thanks PG for the pics!

Day 1: Arrived at Tugue. Callao Caves agad (masama si PG!). Night out at Kufon (thanks Robert).
Day 2: Breakfast on the road. Pagudpod, Ilocos Norte. River near the farm. Beach. (forgot the names, sorry!)
Day 3: Munisipyo (para sa empanada). Bangui Windmills. Watch tower. Grocery where we learned about the results of the boards! (Jumping up and down the aisle, while people where staring at us!)
Day 4: Ate the special pansit ng Tugue for lunch.

Super daming pics eh, kanya-kanyang post nalang if my gusto kayo haha