jun.anteola

Mahal ang bigas. Mahal ang gasolina. I still can’t get over the shock, the horror and the anger about the previous week’s tragedy at sea. Some issues at work remain unresolved…

Still, I can’t complain much.  The orthodontics training is halfway through. The old folks are enjoying their dream vacation. The “wayward” bro decided to go back to school, and has enrolled in his choice of study. The favorite nephew is a bundle of pleasant surprises and pride, day in and out. The sis-in-law’s niece/adopted little sister is unwell, but has a sure chance of recovering sooner…

Today I decided to reconcile with someone, and it’s overwhelming how this singular act seems to have opened for a flood of forgiveness over transgressions done by others too. I am at peace.

I won’t be this grateful hadn’t there been upsets and adversities earlier. And with the way things are right now, I am blessed, more than I have asked for.

Best Days  (Juice)

Am I happy - maybe not
But I never wanna lose what I got
I wouldn’t trade it for anything dear to my heart, oh no
You take the good times with the bad
How else would you know happy from sad
Sooner or later
Youre gonna have to finally look back
And you’ll look back and see
What happened in between
And you’ll appreciate
Each and every single day
*The pop of the cork
And the cling of the glasses
We toast to the future
And we drink to the past
It might not be easy
But nevertheless
These are the best days (of our lives)
Sometimes the weather can be rain
But one day it will be sunny again
Without the clouds of life
It’s just another sunny day
Repeat*
These are the times
That I will never forget
These are the best days (of our lives)
And you’ll look back and see
What happened in between
And you’ll appreciate
Each and every single day
Repeat*
It might not be easy
But nevertheless
These are the best days (of our lives)

Here’s part of the dialogue:

MD: Susan, I know for a lot of women the word menopause has negative connotations. They hear aging, brittle bones, loss of sexual desire…
Susan: Before you go any further, can I check those diplomas? I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines…

thanks to migs for the excerpt.

I am sure this episode of Desperate Housewives was alluding to the Nursing Boards brouhaha in the country, but to say it like the entire show (Meaning producers, writers, directors, and yes, actors(Teri Hatcher). And whoever has anything to do with it) means to undermine the capabilities of Filipino and Philippine-trained medical professionals is more revolting than Susan/Teri’s harassment by the idea of menopause.

Even for satire.

For a show with an international following, including desperate housewives in the Philippines and such who feel like they can actually empathize with the show’s femme fatales, I believe they have an obligation to take into account the cultural sensitivities of their audience. I’m not being balat sibuyas (onion-skinned; overly sensitive). As much as I can, I try to comprehend nuances of American culture, too. Or any foreign culture, for that matter. If only to survive watching what they convey as true and universal, and modern.

I am offended, because I learned my profession in the Philippines, and I refuse to be told that all my hard work and sacrifice amounts to nothing more than mediocre, if not questionable. Specially if these impressions come from those who fail to see from my end, or at least check, and don’t know what they are talking about. My textbooks came from the US of A, if saying so will be of help to the Desperate Housewives’ understanding.

I can’t even speak for the millions of Filipino medical workers in America and all over the world, whose professionalism and skill have made them prime catch. And what of the thousands of foreign students who come in droves to train in the Philippines?

So mind rephrasing what you have just said, Teri Hatcher?

Or you can say sorry.

Pahabol: I had this as a comment somewhere in Multiply, I’d like to repost here

i am just disappointed at some who easily dismiss the issue as something common and expected out of a comedy show, that it’s alright. some even argue that we deserve it, being biased ourselves. some find it OA and immature for reacting to a line taken out of context, that it was wrong to see it as a generalization by the show.

well, if one is only to read it as it is, ” some med school in the Philippines“, it does seem harmless, legit even. in the sense that it only alluded to “some” (such as perhaps the diploma mills). it also doesn’t hit us Filipinos as a race, referring only to medical schools. and because that line came from a distressed character.

HOWEVER, viewing and listening to the clip gives one another picture. the same line could take another meaning. and it did. i reviewed the clip several times, and that’s how it came across… it was a sweeping generalization about those trained in Philippine schools… Filipino or not, doctors, nurses, or any other allied health professions. even if it came from a distressed Susan.

Does it only happen to me, but it seems that when I look desperately for things, I can’t find them… only to recover them when I’m looking for something else, or nothing at all? I was deleting clutter on this computer and found stashed on drive D this article I thought I had lost when I unintentionally deleted several posts on my Live Writer. I wrote this late January, but for whatever it is worth, I’m reposting…

Every last Thursday of the month, my local dental society meets and since February is National Dental Health Month in the Philippines, focus was on activities for its kick off in a few days. This is the third year we are at it, and when previously we had only one week, we now have a whole month of observance. Whether this ploy really works remains to be seen over a long time. We need more than public awareness. There has to be working systems and sound policies which ensure that awareness translates into action. Only then can we say that we didn’t do it all in vain.

Pardon me for starting with a pessimistic note, but we Filipinos belong to the least healthy when it comes to our teeth (the whole mouth and associated structures, included), and I don’t see any improvement any time soon. I’d like to support my opinion with figures, but related data are rather outdated, if not limited. So I am basing them from observations as a private practitioner and from the occasional outreaches I am involved in. Continue reading this entry »

Yes, I’ll be silent on April 30. But will probably be for the rest of the week, too. It’s annual convention time and I’m off to Manila. Just when the thrill of rising stats is giving me impetus to write more and better (hopefully), I have to drop it. I am not sure if it’s possible for me to blog through my phone, let alone find time to do it.

Earlier I had no intention of going. Continue reading this entry »

“Circle, circle, dot, dot, now you have a cootie shot!”

A couple of lady friends literally dragged me into buying them each a pair of rubber thongs - cheap imitation of Havaianas. I couldn’t complain. A pair costs only P37.50 and because the request came from two trendy, label-conscious people who profess to shopping as a vocation and could actually afford the real thing, I was too happy to indulge.

But there’s a snag. They insisted that I buy for myself, too. Fine.

But jusnapaynepol! All had floral insoles! In bright, sunshiny yellow, Barbie pink, and scarlet that screams harlot! So they found for me a pair with black straps. Still floral insoles. And the sizes made it obvious that these were for daintier feet. The pair that fit me was a size 10, and I’m at least a size 6 at the men’s department.

“Do I really have to get them?” “Yes! Others have friendship bracelets, we have friendship sandals! Oooohhh… I can’t wait for the three of us to show these to the rest, on our next [dental society] meeting!”.

This followed by thrilled, NO, I’d say disturbing giggles.

Arrrrggghh… women.

“Circle, circle, square, square, now you have it everywhere…”

cartoon from this source.

This article is yet in the works… but I wanted to post pictures from yesterday’s (March 2) activity. Pictures tell more, anyway and I just might leave this post as is.

Click on the thumbnails for the rest of them.

cartoon taken from cheekies.com