"Captain Kirk: To Boldly Go… and Empty Your Hand."

 "Captain Kirk: To Boldly Go… and Empty Your Hand."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Star Trek spoilers are now among us.

It has been a long time coming, but we all knew this day would eventually arrive. Magic: The Gathering now has Star Trek cards to add to its already bewildering collection of card pools.

I wanted to steer clear of this crossover, but I couldn't help myself. After all, we're talking about Star Trek, and there are only so many times a Magic player can resist the temptation to peek at a new set.

So, the first card I want to discuss is the franchise's most famous captain: Captain James T. Kirk.

He's a three-mana red creature with an aggressive tilt. Which makes sense, because Kirk was aggressive in dealing with threats and equally aggressive in pursuing women on just about every planet he visited!

Jokes aside, Kirk is a Mythic Rare creature with a 2/2 body. That's not exactly the most imposing frame for a legendary captain. He can easily be taken out by a humble Shock, but at least he brings plenty of value to the table.

His ability also encourages you to empty your hand before he arrives. You'll want to play your lands, deploy your creatures, and cast whatever spells you can before dropping the legendary captain into the fray. The fewer cards you have left in hand, the more flexibility you get from his abilities.

Kirk has both an enter-the-battlefield trigger and an attack trigger, giving him a bit of that old-school Titan feel. Whenever Captain Kirk enters or attacks, you choose one of the following modes. If you have no cards in hand, you can choose one or more instead.

Discard a card, then draw a card.

Create a 1/1 red Officer creature token.

Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.

There's some interesting flexibility here.

The first ability is particularly useful when your hand is empty because it essentially reads, draw a card. You get to dig for another resource without having to give anything up.

The second option gives you a 1/1 Officer token. This is particularly useful if you don't have any creatures on the battlefield and need to establish a presence before your opponent starts applying pressure.

Finally, you can give your entire team +1/+0 until the end of the turn. If you're already ready to swing, that extra power might be enough to push an opponent into the red.

What's particularly nice is that Kirk doesn't have to attack immediately to provide value. Even if you can't send him into combat the turn he enters the battlefield, you still get to use his enter-the-battlefield ability. And once he starts attacking, he can continue generating value while helping your other creatures hit harder.

I can see him finding a home in Winota, Joiner of Forces decks, where Humans are constantly being put onto the battlefield. An additional Officer token can help build up your board, while the power boost can make an already threatening army even more dangerous.

Of course, I'm not entirely convinced that this is the best representation of Captain Kirk.

Mechanically, the card makes sense. He's aggressive, resourceful, and capable of rallying his crew to get the job done. The ability to choose between drawing cards, creating an Officer, and boosting your team gives him some welcome versatility.

But I can't help feeling that something is missing.

Kirk was more than an aggressive captain who charged into danger. He was a strategist, a risk-taker, a diplomat when necessary, and occasionally a man whose personal life seemed to require its own starship. His character had a depth that went beyond simply attacking and making sure his hand was empty.

Perhaps this is only one aspect of Kirk's character, and other cards in the Star Trek set will explore the rest. Still, for a Mythic Rare representing one of science fiction's most iconic captains, I was hoping for something that captured a little more of what made him special.

For now, Captain Kirk looks like a solid, aggressive card with a home in the right deck.

He can generate resources, build a crew, and help lead the charge.

Just don't expect him to survive a Shock.

After all, even the captain of the USS Enterprise has to worry about two points of damage.

"The Night One Person Brought BGC Traffic to a Standstill."

 "The Night One Person Brought BGC Traffic to a Standstill."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

It seemed like a typical night in McKinley West, BGC. As I approached the pedestrian crossing near my workplace, however, I was greeted by an unfamiliar sight.

A long line of cars had accumulated on the road, something I rarely see in this wide-open part of the city.

My first thought was that there had been an accident. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd seen one in the area. Then again, perhaps it was a car crash, which, while uncommon, seemed inevitable given the speed at which some drivers navigate these roads.

As it turned out, both guesses were wrong.

When I crossed the street, I finally saw what was causing the commotion. A lone individual stood in the middle of the road, barefoot, wearing loose jeans and a loose white top. From a distance, I couldn't even tell whether the person was a man or a woman. What was clear, however, was that this person was blocking traffic.

Cars honked. Some drivers managed to maneuver around the individual, but most of the traffic remained stuck. In response to the blaring horns and approaching vehicles, the person flailed their arms wildly at the oncoming cars.

It was a bizarre scene, and I couldn't help wondering what had led to it.

I don't know what was going through this person's mind or what circumstances had brought them to that particular spot on that particular night. One might speculate about a mental health crisis or substance use, but those would be nothing more than guesses. From what I witnessed, there was simply no way to know for certain.

And perhaps that uncertainty was the most unsettling part of the whole encounter. We often see something unusual happening in public and immediately try to come up with an explanation, even when we have very little information to work with.

All I knew was that one person had managed to bring traffic in McKinley West to a standstill.

As for me, I had somewhere to be, and standing around to figure out what was happening wasn't going to get me there any faster.

So I continued on my way, leaving the mystery behind me.

Whatever was happening in the middle of that road, I could only hope it would end safely for everyone involved.

"FHM Is Coming Back. But Does the Digital Age Still Need It?"

 

"FHM Is Coming Back. But Does the Digital Age Still Need It?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Ever since I saw the promotional ads announcing the relaunch of FHM, I have been asking myself a question: Will FHM still be relevant in a world where people have access to so much more than the magazine could ever offer in its heyday?

For nearly two decades, FHM was the premier men's magazine in the Philippines. It was part of a print-media era when magazines had an influence that is difficult to appreciate today. Then the digital age arrived and swallowed a huge chunk of the print-media industry.

FHM was one of the publications that eventually disappeared from the scene. Now, it appears to be making a comeback. And while nostalgia is a powerful thing, I cannot help wondering whether nostalgia alone is enough to bring it back to life.

Back in its heyday, FHM was a big deal. There was genuine excitement surrounding each issue, particularly when it featured a rising Filipina celebrity or model. It was a platform where aspiring stars could make an impression, and its pages featured personalities ranging from Katya to members of the Viva Hot Babes, the still-innocent-looking Angel Locsin, beauty queens, and actresses who became familiar faces in Philippine entertainment.

Being featured in FHM could be a career milestone. The magazine was not simply selling photographs; it was selling the excitement of discovering the next big thing.

But that was then.

The publication eventually seemed to recognize the writing on the wall as the internet began changing the way people consumed entertainment and lifestyle content. I am curious about what has changed since then to make a relaunch seem viable today. In my opinion, FHM is returning to an environment where its old formula faces challenges that did not exist when it was at the height of its popularity.

The Internet Has Changed the Game

FHM always tried to be more than a magazine featuring attractive women. It had lifestyle articles, humor, interviews, and other content designed to appeal to men. In its own way, it was trying to be a Pinoy version of Playboy, offering a little bit of everything alongside its most obvious attraction.

But lifestyle articles and humorous content are now a dime a dozen. You can find them on websites, social media pages, blogs, and countless other digital platforms.

So, if the editorial content is no longer exclusive, are the women on the cover still the main attraction?

That is where things get complicated.

Look at social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads. Attractive models, actresses, and influencers already share photographs and videos with their audiences, often for free. Some create content specifically for their followers, giving people a more direct connection to the personalities they admire.

And the choices are practically endless.

Whatever your particular taste, preference, or fascination might be, the internet can probably provide something that caters to it. You no longer have to wait for a magazine to arrive on newsstands, hope that your favorite personality appears in its pages, or pay for an entire issue just to see a handful of photographs.

The models themselves have also become their own publishers. They control their personal platforms, decide what to post, interact directly with their followers, and build their own brands without necessarily needing a traditional magazine to introduce them to the public.

Then there are subscription-based creator platforms such as OnlyFans, along with the enormous amount of adult content available online. These have further changed the landscape of content consumption, although they serve different audiences and operate under different business models.

In other words, FHM is not simply competing with other magazines anymore. It is competing with the entire internet.

And that is a much bigger challenge.

Can Nostalgia Still Sell a Magazine?

Of course, there is something to be said for the appeal of a physical magazine.

For those of us who remember the days when FHM was everywhere, seeing it return can bring back memories of a very different era. There was a certain excitement in buying a new issue, flipping through its pages, reading the interviews, and discovering who had made the cover.

A magazine was something tangible. It had a presence that a social media post did not necessarily possess.

That experience could still appeal to collectors, longtime readers, and people who appreciate print publications. A carefully curated magazine can offer a more deliberate experience than scrolling endlessly through an algorithm-driven feed.

But nostalgia has its limits.

The people who grew up with FHM are older now. Some might be happy to see it return, if only to revisit a familiar part of their youth. The bigger question is whether a new generation of readers will care enough to make it commercially sustainable.

Younger audiences have grown up with smartphones and instant access to digital content. They do not necessarily share the same relationship with print magazines that their predecessors had.

Why would they buy an issue when they can follow the model directly on Instagram or TikTok?

And if they want something more exclusive, there are already platforms offering subscription-based content.

What exactly is FHM offering that these alternatives cannot?

That is the question its relaunch needs to answer.

The Japanese Gravure Model: A Possible Clue?

One interesting comparison is Japan's gravure industry, which has maintained a presence in Japanese entertainment through magazines, photo collections, and other media.

The industry has its own conventions and audience, and it has continued to evolve alongside digital platforms. It demonstrates that printed photographs of models can still have a market even when similar content is available online.

Perhaps there is something FHM could learn from that model.

However, the comparison is not quite straightforward. Japan has its own entertainment culture, established conventions surrounding gravure idols, and an audience that has developed within that particular environment.

Would Filipino audiences respond in the same way?

I honestly do not know.

Filipino readers may still appreciate the physical magazine, the celebrity interviews, and the experience of owning a special issue featuring a favorite personality. But whether that interest can sustain a publication over the long term is another matter entirely.

The challenge is not merely to recreate what worked in the past. It is to understand why people would choose that experience today.

Even the Models Face a Different World

I have seen the promotional material featuring Vanessa Pena, whom FHM has chosen to lead its relaunch.

She is certainly pretty, and there is nothing wrong with choosing an attractive personality to introduce the magazine to a new audience.

But her presence also illustrates the problem FHM faces.

In the past, a magazine cover could be an event. Readers had to wait for the issue, and the publication controlled the presentation of its featured personality. Today, photographs can spread across social media almost instantly.

And with generative AI becoming increasingly accessible, digital images can be manipulated or generated at an astonishing pace. It is not difficult to imagine AI-generated versions of a model appearing online shortly after her official photographs are released.

Of course, an AI-generated image is not the same as an authentic photograph, and a real model's personality, interviews, and personal connection with her audience cannot simply be replicated by an image generator.

That distinction could actually become an advantage for FHM if it knows how to use it.

Instead of competing solely on photographs, the magazine could emphasize authentic access to its featured personalities, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes material, and stories that give readers a reason to care about the people on its covers.

But that would require a different approach from simply bringing back the old formula and hoping the audience follows.

So, What Is FHM's Place in the Digital Age?

I do not think it is impossible for FHM to make a successful comeback. There is still room for niche publications, premium print products, and brands that know how to build a loyal community.

But FHM needs to offer something more than a familiar name and attractive cover models.

It needs to establish what makes its content different, why its readers should pay for it, and how the magazine will connect with an audience that already has countless alternatives.

Perhaps the answer lies in combining print with digital content. Perhaps it could build a stronger editorial identity, create exclusive experiences around its featured personalities, or develop a community that values FHM as a brand rather than simply as a source of photographs.

Whatever direction it chooses, the magazine needs to recognize that the rules have changed.

The old FHM benefited from a time when access to these personalities and photographs was more limited. Today, access is abundant. Attention, however, is scarce.

And that may be the most important distinction of all.

FHM no longer has to convince people that its content is desirable. It has to convince them that its version of that content is worth paying for.

That is a much harder sell.

I am genuinely curious to see how this relaunch unfolds. Maybe FHM will find a niche that I have overlooked. Maybe there is still a substantial audience that misses the experience of owning a men's magazine, or perhaps the brand has plans that go well beyond the printed page.

For now, I am skeptical, but I am willing to be surprised.

After all, the question is not whether FHM was relevant in the past. It clearly was.

The question is whether a magazine that once helped define an era can find a place in a world that has moved on without it.

FHM is coming back. I just wonder whether the world it remembers is still there waiting for it.

"Nobody Saw That Coming? JYP’s Very Questionable Sana Ad"

 "Nobody Saw That Coming? JYP’s Very Questionable Sana Ad"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Twice, Sana has been in the news lately.

Well, to be fair, Sana is almost always in the news. She is, after all, one of the prettiest members of one of K-pop’s most popular girl groups. Getting attention is practically part of the job description.

But this time, the attention has nothing to do with a new song, a performance, or another moment of Sana being effortlessly charming.

Instead, we have a rather questionable Season’s Greetings advertisement from JYP Entertainment.

The picture shows Sana behind a glass window, apparently cleaning it. The problem? The white substance smeared across the glass creates an unfortunate visual association that is difficult to ignore.

There. I said it.

The image has an unmistakably suggestive implication, and it is not exactly the sort of thing one expects to see in an official promotional image featuring a K-pop idol. What might have been intended as an innocent concept has ended up looking considerably more inappropriate than whoever approved it probably anticipated.

Understandably, some fans are upset. Others may not be quite as offended but are still questioning the creative decision. And honestly, can you blame them? Intentional or otherwise, the image is in poor taste, especially when you consider that this is an official advertisement released by the company responsible for managing Sana's public image.

I can almost imagine the conversation in the creative department.

“Do you think anyone will notice that the white substance on the glass looks a little... questionable?”

“Nah. Nobody will interpret it that way.”

“People won't sexualize the image, right?”

“Of course not. It's just a window-cleaning concept!”

And then someone approved the final image, sent it out into the world, and apparently discovered that the internet has a rather vivid imagination.

Or perhaps the problem was not a lack of imagination but a lack of judgment.

Because when you are creating promotional material for a global K-pop audience, you have to consider more than what the image looks like to the people who designed it. You also have to consider how it might be interpreted by everyone else.

That is especially important when the artist involved is someone whose image and reputation the company is supposed to protect.

For shame, JYP Entertainment. Surely somebody could have looked at that picture one last time and asked whether this was really the concept you wanted to put out there.

Then again, this is the same company whose artists have performed songs like TT with choreography involving suggestive interactions with props, including guns and carrots. So perhaps I should not be entirely surprised that a seemingly innocent visual concept could end up inviting a very different interpretation.

Still, there is a difference between a deliberately playful performance and an official promotional image that leaves fans wondering what the creative team was thinking.

Sana herself is not the problem here. Neither is the fact that people noticed the double meaning. The real question is why nobody involved in the approval process seemed to anticipate how the image might be received.

Perhaps it was an innocent mistake. Perhaps the people behind the concept genuinely did not see what everyone else saw.

But if that is the case, I have one very simple suggestion for JYP Entertainment.

Before releasing the next Season's Greetings, maybe let someone outside the creative department look at the pictures first.

Preferably someone with an internet connection.

And perhaps someone who understands that once you put an image out into the world, you no longer get to control what everyone sees in it.

"Someone Needs to Stop Playing Plague Inc."

 "Someone Needs to Stop Playing Plague Inc."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

So, we have reports of pneumonic plague threats coming from Russia, chikungunya outbreaks in China, and Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

All I want to say is this: someone has been playing Plague Inc. a little too enthusiastically. They really need to stop now.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Plague Inc. challenges players to develop and spread a disease across the world until humanity struggles to contain it. It is an entertaining strategy game, at least when everything stays on your screen and nobody has to worry about catching anything.

Unfortunately, real life has a way of making even the most unsettling headlines feel a little too familiar.

There have been rumors and speculation about the pneumonic plague spreading beyond its reported quarantine zone in Russia. Given how quickly misinformation can circulate during an outbreak, it is difficult to separate legitimate concerns from sensational claims. Still, reports involving serious infectious diseases are bound to attract attention, especially in a world that has already experienced a global pandemic.

And after everything we went through in 2020, can anyone really blame people for being anxious?

Now, the plague is not a new disease, and effective antibiotics can treat plague infections when administered promptly. But pneumonic plague is a serious illness, and the possibility of an outbreak demands careful monitoring, transparent reporting, and a swift public-health response.

The more alarming claims involve speculation about a potentially weaponized strain escaping containment and spreading in the wild. If such claims were ever substantiated, the implications would be serious. A disease spreading beyond a controlled environment, particularly one capable of causing severe illness, would present a significant challenge to public-health authorities.

But that is an important distinction: the possibility of something happening is not proof that it has happened. We need credible evidence, not rumors, before concluding that a dangerous strain has escaped or that an outbreak is out of control.

Even so, the question is difficult to avoid: could we find ourselves facing another global shutdown like the one we experienced in 2020?

Honestly, I do not want to go back to those days.

I remember the isolation, the uncertainty, and the way an invisible threat changed nearly every aspect of daily life. We learned to stay apart from people we cared about, to worry about ordinary errands, and to wonder whether the world would ever return to normal.

I have no desire to experience a sequel.

And yet, when reports of dangerous infectious diseases begin circulating, it is understandable to wonder whether the world is prepared to respond before a localized outbreak becomes a much larger problem. International travel makes rapid communication and coordinated public-health action especially important. Borders alone are not a guarantee against disease, but neither does their remaining open automatically mean that an outbreak is out of control.

What we need is reliable information, effective surveillance, and decisive action when the evidence warrants it. We also need to resist the temptation to treat every alarming headline as confirmation of the worst possible scenario.

That is easier said than done, of course. Fear travels quickly, and rumors can spread even faster.

So, to whoever is supposedly sitting at a computer somewhere, gleefully unlocking new diseases in Plague Inc., I have a small request.

Please stop playing. Save your progress, shut down the computer, and find another hobby.

Some of us have already lived through one pandemic. We really do not need another expansion pack.

"A Law to Save Lives. A Public That Won’t Listen."

 "A Law to Save Lives. A Public That Won’t Listen."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I recently came across a reel asking whether I would support a law prohibiting motorcycles from passing between cars.

As a doctor and a fellow road traveler who has witnessed far too many preventable accidents, my answer would have to be yes.

I would support it.

Motorcycles and e-bikes weaving between vehicles, often with little regard for their own safety or that of others, have become a familiar sight on our roads. If you are driving a car or a truck in the middle lane and a motorcycle suddenly attempts to squeeze through the narrow space beside you, it can become an accident waiting to happen.

The danger is even greater when the vehicle involved is a bus or an elevated eighteen-wheeler. These massive vehicles have blind spots and limited visibility. A rider who attempts to pass through a space that leaves little room for error is taking a risk that could have devastating consequences.

I have seen riders thrown from their motorcycles and, in worse cases, crushed beneath these enormous vehicles. Sometimes, the drivers of the larger vehicles may not even realize what has happened.

These are not merely traffic inconveniences. These are lives at stake.

And the heartbreaking part is that some of these accidents could have been prevented.

Of course, I also recognize that passing a law does not automatically make our roads safer.

We can prohibit dangerous maneuvers, impose penalties, and establish rules designed to protect everyone. But if those rules are not properly enforced, what difference will they make?

There is a part of me that believes we will continue to see accidents even if such a law is passed. Not necessarily because the law itself is inadequate, but because some people treat road safety as an inconvenience rather than a responsibility.

For some, following the rules seems to depend on whether someone is watching.

If there are no cameras, they take their chances. If there are no traffic enforcers nearby, they ignore the rules. If they think they can squeeze through a gap without getting caught, they go ahead and do it.

Safety becomes something they comply with only when they have no other choice.

And that is the real problem.

We can pass laws, install cameras, deploy traffic enforcers, and impose penalties. All of these measures are necessary. But no system can place an enforcer beside every driver and rider, watching every decision they make.

At some point, people have to understand that road safety is not just about avoiding a ticket. It is about recognizing that every reckless decision can put another person's life at risk, including their own.

I have high hopes for a law that could help prevent these accidents. I hope it will be properly implemented and consistently enforced. I hope it will make riders think twice before attempting dangerous maneuvers between vehicles.

But I remain skeptical about the people the law is supposed to protect.

Because we can create rules to keep people safe, but we cannot make everyone care about their own safety.

And that is a frustrating reality for a doctor who has seen how much suffering a preventable accident can cause.

I have big hopes for this law. I just wish I had the same confidence in the people it is trying to save.

"Telepathy: I Know What You Have. You Know Nothing."

 

"Telepathy: I Know What You Have. You Know Nothing."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Telepathy can be a one-mana double-edged sword.

Imagine playing an Island and having this little enchantment land on your side of the battlefield.

Now imagine one of your opponents reading it and realizing exactly what this one-mana enchantment does.

Now imagine the collective groaning around the table.

Perfect.

Telepathy gives you the wonderfully unfair advantage of seeing all of your opponents' hands while they have absolutely no idea what you're holding in yours.

Normally, we play Magic with our cards face down. There are no secrets from the player holding them, but there are plenty of secrets from everyone else at the table.

Telepathy changes that.

Suddenly, everyone else's hand is basically an open book.

You know how many lands they have. You know which spells they can cast early. You know which threats they are saving for later. You know whether that player has the removal spell they have been quietly waiting for.

More importantly, you start getting a sense of what is going to happen before it actually happens.

And while you are getting all of this information, your opponents are still left wondering what exactly you have in your own hand.

Maybe you have a counterspell.

Maybe you have a board wipe.

Maybe you have the perfect answer to whatever they are about to do.

Or maybe you have six lands and absolutely nothing else.

They don't know.

You can bluff your way through an entire turn simply because Telepathy has already told you what everyone else is capable of doing.

Isn't it convenient when you know exactly how much countermagic the Blue player is holding?

Isn't it even better when you know exactly how much removal the Black player has?

Information is power in Magic, and Telepathy gives you information that your opponents simply don't get in return.

Of course, Telepathy is not necessarily the card that makes everyone angry.

It's merely the opening salvo.

Because if you are putting Telepathy into a deck that is also packed with stax pieces, resource denial, and other ways of making everyone else's game miserable, then congratulations: you have just announced to the entire table that things are about to get unpleasant.

Telepathy is the polite part.

It is the moment where you quietly look at everyone's hands and say:

“I know what you have.”

And then everyone else looks at you and realizes:

“Wait. We have no idea what you have.”

And that is probably when the real groaning begins.

"You Call It Privilege. I Call It Giving My Child a Fighting Chance."

 "You Call It Privilege. I Call It Giving My Child a Fighting Chance."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

There has been a lot of talk about nepotism, or what we Filipinos commonly call the padrino system.

People are angry that some individuals get ahead in life simply because they know the right people, carry certain surnames, or find themselves in circumstances that give them a head start. There is a growing frustration over how opportunities often seem to depend less on what you can do and more on who you know.

Many people think this is something only the ultra-rich can afford to do.

The truth, however, is that a vast majority of those who benefit from connections and introductions are not necessarily members of the wealthiest families. Many belong to the middle class. They are parents who went to certain schools, built professional networks, cultivated friendships, and established relationships that eventually became opportunities for their children.

Is life unfair? Yes.

Do people have advantages because of their surnames, the schools they attended, or the people they know? Absolutely.

Can talent and capability exist outside those surnames and school affiliations? Of course they can. Some of the most capable people in the world come from backgrounds that offer them none of these advantages.

But talent alone does not always open doors.

Sometimes, someone has to open the door for you. Sometimes, your surname gets your foot in the door. Sometimes, the school on your résumé earns you an interview that someone equally qualified might never receive.

That is the reality of the world we live in, whether we like it or not.

To be clear, I am against people receiving positions, opportunities, or rewards they do not deserve simply because of their connections. Competence matters. Merit matters. And giving someone an opportunity they are not qualified for can have consequences for everyone else.

But I also recognize that the padrino system is not something I can simply wish away. It existed long before I was born, and it will probably continue long after I am gone.

So, as a parent, what am I supposed to do with that knowledge?

My wife and I have taught our daughter that life is unfair. There will always be imbalances. Some people will start ahead of you, while others will have to work twice as hard just to reach the same starting line.

As cold as it might sound, you need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the people you compete against. You need to recognize the advantages they have, understand your own limitations, and learn to play to your strengths.

You cannot control every circumstance, but you can prepare yourself to deal with them.

And that brings me to our responsibility as parents.

Our job is to give our daughter the tools she needs to navigate the world. It is to provide her with an education, teach her the value of hard work, help her develop her abilities, and introduce her to people who might help her grow.

It is also to build the connections that could give her access to opportunities she might otherwise never encounter.

None of these things simply materialize out of thin air. They take time, effort, sacrifice, and years of building relationships. The opportunities we can offer our child are, in many ways, the result of the work we have done throughout our own lives.

We are not trying to guarantee her success. No parent can do that.

We are trying to give her a fighting chance.

And if we can open a door for her, why wouldn't we?

Of course, there is a difference between opening a door for your child and demanding that the world hand her everything she wants. There is a difference between introducing her to an opportunity and insisting that she be given a position regardless of her qualifications.

We can introduce her to the right people, but she must still prove herself. We can help her get an opportunity, but she must still do the work. We can give her the tools, but she must learn how to use them.

That is the distinction I hope people understand.

I do not believe my daughter is entitled to everything simply because she is our daughter. But I do believe that my wife and I have a responsibility to prepare her as best we can for the world she will inherit.

If that means using the connections we have worked hard to establish, then we will use them. If it means introducing her to people who can teach her something, then we will make those introductions. If it means helping her find opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach, then we will do our best to help her find them.

We are her parents. We want her to succeed.

So, to those who look at the advantages we try to provide our daughter and call them privilege, I have only this to say:

You call it privilege. I call it giving my child a fighting chance.

Because what you see as an advantage handed to her may represent years of work, sacrifice, and doors her parents had to fight to open.

And if we have managed to open a few doors for our only child, we will not apologize for wanting her to have the opportunity to walk through them.

She will still have to prove herself once she gets to the other side.

But at least she will have had the chance to get there.

“It Wasn’t About the Pokémon Cards: It Was About Chaewon Opening the Pack”

 “It Wasn’t About the Pokémon Cards: It Was About Chaewon Opening the Pack”

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

There has been a video circulating of LE SSERAFIM’s Chaewon opening a Pokémon card pack for a fan.

Interestingly, the clip has generated quite a bit of discussion because Chaewon herself appears to be, well, completely uninterested in the pack opening.

Some people have argued that the fan was forcing something on Chaewon and that perhaps the fan should have chosen something that would interest the idol more.

But honestly, that isn't what I saw.

What I saw was a fan who wanted Chaewon to open a pack of Pokémon cards for them.

Maybe that doesn't sound particularly significant to everyone else. But I can understand exactly why it might be meaningful to that fan.

Because sometimes, it isn't about the hobby.

It's about bringing two things you love into the same moment.

Here is an idol that I love, and here is this game or hobby that I love. Somehow, for a few minutes, those two worlds came together.

And that's enough.

Chaewon doesn't need to be a Pokémon enthusiast. She doesn't need to know the cards, understand the game, or even be particularly excited about opening the pack.

She was doing something that mattered to a fan.

And I completely understand that.

I do the same thing with my wife and my daughter.

There have been plenty of times when I ask Hanie or Aven to choose a Magic: The Gathering pack for me. Sometimes I even ask them to open it.

They don't necessarily care about the cards.

Most of the time, they really don't.

But they do it anyway.

Not because they suddenly became Magic players, but because they know that I care about it.

And sometimes that's what love looks like when you don't share someone's hobby.

You don't have to understand why they're excited.

You just participate for a little while because you know that it makes them happy.

I have no idea what that fan eventually pulled from that Pokémon pack. Maybe it was a great card. Maybe it wasn't.

But I do know one thing.

Those cards probably mean a little more to that person now.

Because Chaewon opened them.

And she didn't just open them privately. She opened them in front of cameras, and that moment now exists for that fan to remember.

For someone else, it was just an idol looking somewhat bored while opening a pack of Pokémon cards.

For that fan, it was probably something much more personal.

And I think that's the part people are missing.

It wasn't about the Pokémon.

It was about Chaewon opening the pack.

"Tam, the Possibility: The Multiverse’s Next Superfriends Commander."

"Tam, the Possibility: The Multiverse’s Next Superfriends Commander."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Tam, the inheritor of Jace's spark, is not exactly being hailed as the new queen of Planeswalker EDH.

And I can understand why.

At first glance, she appears to be a Simic creature with a rather unassuming 2/4 body. But Tam is much more than that. When it comes to Commander, she effectively gives you access to all five colors.

That alone opens up a ridiculous number of possibilities.

Atraxa, Praetors' Voice currently holds the distinction of having helmed an enormous number of Planeswalker decks, and she has long been one of the faces of the Superfriends archetype.

But Tam might change the way we approach it.

Especially because having access to Red Planeswalkers—or Planeswalkers with Red in their identity—opens up a whole new selection of characters and abilities that traditional Atraxa builds couldn't access.

Then there is Tam's discount.

She reduces the cost of your Planeswalkers by one generic mana, which might not sound spectacular at first.

But when you are playing a deck filled with Planeswalkers, that discount adds up quickly.

A lot of these cards are expensive.

If Tam is sitting there making each one a little cheaper, you can start deploying your Planeswalkers earlier and potentially get more of them onto the battlefield before your opponents have a chance to catch up.

But the ability that really makes me interested is the proliferate ability.

You pay all five colors of mana and proliferate X, where X is based on the number of different Planeswalker types you control.

And I think that is where Tam gets really interesting.

Because suddenly, we aren't just building a deck around Jace.

We're building a multiverse.

Tam encourages you to play a variety of Planeswalkers—different characters, different colors, different personalities—from across Magic's history.

And that feels appropriate for a commander whose entire identity revolves around possibility.

Tam can come down relatively early, then sit there while you deploy your Planeswalkers one by one.

Build your board.

Accumulate loyalty.

Proliferate.

And eventually start firing off ultimates before your opponents can figure out what just happened.

There is something particularly satisfying about the idea of having a table full of Planeswalkers, each one doing their own thing, while Tam quietly makes the entire operation more efficient.

Is Tam going to immediately dethrone Atraxa as the face of Superfriends?

Maybe not.

But I don't think she needs to.

She offers something different.

She gives us access to the entire color pie, rewards diversity among our Planeswalkers, and potentially turns a collection of individual characters into one enormous multiversal team.

Not a bad possibility.

Not bad at all.

"The Country That Exported Its People Is Running Out of People."

 "The Country That Exported Its People Is Running Out of People."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

There have been plenty of experts warning about population decline around the world. Yet many people still believe it could never really happen here in the Philippines.

After all, for decades, our country has been one of the world's biggest exporters of manpower.

Nurses. Seafarers. Engineers. Domestic helpers.

You name the profession, and there is a good chance the Philippines has provided someone to fill it somewhere around the world.

For generations, leaving the country to work abroad was almost a rite of passage.

It was also a great equalizer.

You could leave your family behind, endure the loneliness of being away from home, and hopefully provide them with a better life. The sacrifice was painful, but there was usually a promise attached to it: work hard enough overseas and you could give your family opportunities that might have been difficult to achieve in the Philippines.

But that promise is becoming harder to sustain.

Yes, you can still go abroad and earn more than you probably would at home.

But earning more does not necessarily mean achieving the kind of prosperity that overseas workers enjoyed in previous decades. The cost of living has risen everywhere. Fuel is more expensive. Housing is more expensive. Food is more expensive.

The paycheck may be bigger, but so are the expenses.

And something else is changing.

There is a growing percentage of young Filipinos who may simply not want to follow the traditional path.

Why spend years training to become a nurse, seafarer, engineer, or skilled worker, then leave your family and spend years working abroad when there are now other possibilities?

One viral TikTok video can sometimes bring in an amount of money that would have seemed impossible to earn from a day's work in the traditional economy.

Of course, some people will hit it big.

But most won't.

Virality has a very short attention span. Today's sensation can easily become tomorrow's forgotten account, replaced by the next viral video, the next creator, the next trend.

And yet, the traditional workforce is still here.

The jobs still need to be done.

And increasingly, we may find ourselves facing shortages—not necessarily because there are absolutely no people available, but because there are fewer people willing to take those jobs under the conditions being offered.

At the same time, young families are making different calculations.

Gone, or at least increasingly rare, are the days when having three, four, or even more children was considered normal for a family.

Many families today are choosing to have only one or two children.

It is not difficult to understand why.

The cost of raising a child has become enormous while wages, for many workers, have struggled to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

And so the demographic shift happens quietly.

One family at a time.

One fewer child here.

One delayed marriage there.

One young person deciding that working abroad is no longer worth the sacrifice.

One couple deciding that two children are enough.

Eventually, all those individual decisions become a national trend.

Perhaps that is the strange future we are moving toward: a country that spent decades building an economy around sending its people elsewhere may eventually find itself with fewer people willing to go.

The Philippines has long had an abundant supply of one of its most valuable resources—its people.

But people are not an infinite resource.

And when fewer young people are born, when families become smaller, and when traditional jobs become less attractive, the consequences do not arrive all at once.

They arrive slowly.

First as shortages.

Then as higher costs.

Then as industries struggling to find enough workers.

It is a world where problems abound and solutions often seem temporary.

And perhaps the biggest problem is that demographics do not change as quickly as policies do.

You cannot suddenly create a new generation when you realize you need one.

The country that spent decades sending its people out into the world may eventually have to confront a very different question:

What happens when there simply aren't enough people left to send?

"Today, I Wrote Anyway."

 "Today, I Wrote Anyway."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

It is funny how writing also requires a certain amount of momentum.

When you finally get the time to sit down, gather your thoughts, put them into words, and then edit everything into something worth publishing, it can feel like you have finally gotten the machine running.

But life has a funny way of getting in the way.

Ironically, while actually living life gives us plenty of material to write about, it can also disrupt the momentum needed to write about it.

That is why some writers develop a kind of muscle for it. They write and keep writing—day after day, week after week, year after year—until writing becomes less about inspiration and more about habit.

I used to think I had developed that muscle.

Until recently.

I have been procrastinating again.

A terrible sin when it comes to writing.

I had been trying to write at the beginning of my shifts, partly because I wanted to exercise my brain before I started seeing patients. It was a small routine that helped me feel like I had already accomplished something creative before the day got busy.

But lately, I have been tired.

And the patients have been arriving earlier.

And there have been a lot more of them.

It is the Ber Months, after all, and flu season has taken hold in certain offices. My quiet time before seeing patients has slowly disappeared.

And so, here I am, back to writing.

Not because I am particularly inspired.

Not because I suddenly have some brilliant idea that absolutely needs to be written.

I am writing this simply to prove to myself that I can still write when I don't feel like writing.

That perhaps the muscle is still there.

Maybe it just needed to be exercised again.

So this is today's exercise.

No grand revelation. No profound story.

Just words on a page.

And, apparently, that is enough.

So much writing for one day.

Today, I wrote anyway.

"Piracy: Because Your Mana Is My Mana"

"Piracy: Because Your Mana Is My Mana"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

When I build a deck, I don't normally ask myself the question:

“Just how annoying would this spell be?”

That isn't usually how I approach Magic.

Ever since I started playing, I rarely had a ready opponent sitting next to me. I didn't grow up with a friend in the same neighborhood who played Magic, an office mate who could suddenly say, “Hey, want to play a game?” or even a family member who understood why I was excited about a particular card.

I usually played by myself, calculating how much damage I could dish out by turn three and whether I could already make it lethal.

Satisfying?

Absolutely.

A little sad?

Maybe.

But I digress.

Because about as far away from that style of play as you can get is Piracy.

Piracy is an incredibly annoying two-mana sorcery that essentially looks at your opponent's mana and says:

“You don't mind if I use that, right?”

The spell lets you tap your opponents' lands for mana and use that mana to cast your own spells.

And honestly, I'm surprised they haven't made a Commander specifically built around this ability yet.

Then again, with the rate at which Wizards is churning out legendary creatures, I wouldn't be remotely surprised if we eventually get Piracy on legs.

Piracy basically looks at your mana capabilities, looks across the table at the green player who has been ramping like there's no tomorrow, and says:

“Hmmmm... let's use that too.”

And that's where the fun—and the annoyance—really begins.

Of course, Piracy is blue and costs two mana, and it is a sorcery. Your opponents aren't completely helpless. They can simply tap their lands in response, denying you the mana.

But even that can work in your favor.

Because if they tap their lands to prevent you from using them, you've still accomplished something important:

Their mana is now tapped.

And that can be the entire point.

Piracy can become the final piece of a game-winning combo, not necessarily because you need every drop of mana you steal, but because you can potentially leave the entire table without the ability to respond.

You cast Piracy.

They see what you're doing.

They panic.

They tap their lands so you can't use them.

And suddenly, everyone's mana is sitting there tapped while you proceed with whatever horrible plan you had prepared in the first place.

That is the kind of interaction I really appreciate in Magic.

The card doesn't merely give you resources. It creates a situation where your opponents have to make an uncomfortable decision:

Let me use your mana, or tap it yourself so I can't.

Either way, I may have gotten exactly what I wanted.

And hopefully, what I'm setting up is the coup de grâce for the entire table.

Because believe me when I say this:

You cast Piracy once, and you are putting a target on your back.

And sometimes, that's exactly what you wanted to do.

"When It Rains, It Pours: September’s Last-Minute Gifts."

 

"When It Rains, It Pours: September’s Last-Minute Gifts."

by 

Virgilio F. De Leon Jr., MD

I am not exactly sure what happened today.

I just thought that when it rains, it pours.

And as much as I have disliked the rains recently, this sudden outpouring of opportunities was something I simply could not pass up.

Today is September 30, 2026—the very last day of the month. I found myself thinking that perhaps everyone was suddenly rushing to fill positions for October, or maybe some of the opportunities I had been waiting for had finally made their way through a long list of applicants, schedules, and deliberations.

Whatever the reason, September apparently decided to end with a little drama.

After several misses, I finally secured a Viber interview. What surprised me even more was what they were offering: something that was actually at the level I felt I deserved, with a company I had worked with in the past.

And of all the companies in the country, it had to be that company.

This is now the third time an opportunity with them has come my way.

Sheer coincidence?

At this point, I am beginning to think otherwise.

My conclusion is that it must be Fate.

Of course, we will have to see where that road leads.

Then another recruiter, who apparently had been quite busy for some time, finally read my DM.

And lo and behold, she offered me several schedules that seemed almost like a natural extension of my current work. Even better, the clinics involved are barely three kilometers away from each other.

Again, another opportunity.

Again, another decision to ponder.

Then came an even bigger surprise.

I left my former PEME company after the pandemic, so I certainly did not expect to hear from them again. But apparently, they needed another physician for a school examination—and somehow, my name was mentioned.

Of course it was.

So now Saturday is booked.

And then, at 11:13 PM, almost at the very end of the day, another message appeared on my laptop.

The clinic I had previously worked with, which is only about eight minutes away from our house—

They needed me for tomorrow.

October 1.

Of course they did.

September apparently looked at my calendar, saw a few empty spaces, and decided:

Let's fix that.

Whatever cosmic alignment happened today, I just want to say how genuinely happy I am to be remembered and appreciated in this way.

There is something deeply reassuring about discovering that even after you have moved on from certain places, people still remember your work well enough to call you when they need someone.

Sometimes, an opportunity is more than just an opportunity.

Sometimes, it is a reminder that you mattered there.

That you did something right.

That the work you once did left enough of an impression for someone to remember your name months or years later.

And perhaps that is the most meaningful part of what happened today.

September has been a month of self-improvement and further self-discovery. There were plenty of moments when I wondered where everything was going, and more than a few moments when I simply had to keep moving forward without knowing exactly what would come next.

Then, on the final day of the month, everything suddenly came pouring in.

One opportunity.

Then another.

Then another.

And finally, one more at 11:13 PM.

Maybe it was coincidence.

Maybe it was timing.

Maybe it was Fate.

Whatever it was, I am grateful.

September did not exactly end quietly.

It ended by reminding me that sometimes, the things you have been waiting for do not arrive one at a time.

Sometimes, they arrive all at once.

Now that September has ended, I am fully awake for October.

The calendar has turned.

The rain may still come.

But apparently, so can the opportunities.

Onward.

"Maybe I’m a Comedian After All: The People Who Laughed at My Jokes."

"Maybe I’m a Comedian After All: The People Who Laughed at My Jokes."

by:

Virgilio F. De Leon Jr., MD

I have recently started compiling my jokes in the hope that I might finally go on an open mic sometime soon.

It has been a dream of mine to stand in front of people again and simply tell jokes.

Recently, I started practicing some of my material on my daughter, Aven, as we drove through Cavite from Tagaytay. The nightmarishly long route wasn't so bad because we got to bond again over stories, observations, and jokes.

Needless to say, some of my jokes were absolute hits.

Aven would giggle and snicker, and I would immediately file that reaction away as:

KEEP THIS ONE.

And then there were the jokes that completely bombed.

One time she basically gave me the equivalent of a professional comedy note:

“Aw, Dad. You can't tell that joke. People will totally feel for the guy in that joke.”

Honestly?

That was good feedback.

It meant the material might actually work if I tweaked it a little more. Make it tighter. Improve the transitions. Change the wording. Find the right moment to deliver the punchline.

The more I work on this, the more I realize that the art of making people laugh is scary serious.

Some people seem to have the talent naturally. They can make a room laugh almost as easily as breathing.

Others have to work at it.

I think I am somewhere in between—or perhaps still trying to figure out which one I am.

I am not even sure if all of my stories would translate well into stand-up comedy.

I can tell a story and get a polite smile.

Or I can keep piling on details, observations, and little quips until suddenly someone is almost collapsing on the floor laughing.

Those moments are probably one of my favorite highs as a person.

I can't really call myself a comedian yet.

I don't think I've earned the right to use that word.

But I have had moments.

Moments I remember.

Moments that still make me happy.

“Masakit na ang panga ko.”

“Masakit na ang tiyan ko. Tama na.”

Music to my ears.

I remember making my best friend laugh after he had an appendectomy in UST.

He was laughing so hard that he eventually looked at me and said:

“Brod, bubukas yung tahi ko.”

Precious.

Then there was the time I saw our usually dignified and composed pastors and pastoras practically falling out of their seats laughing at one of my Batangueño characters.

This was a Christian camp, of all places.

I am pretty sure they needed the laugh.

And honestly?

So did I.

Remarkable.

Then there is my ex-girlfriend, who eventually became my wife.

There was a time when she suddenly exhaled Sprite through her nose because I made a joke that made her laugh and choke at the same time.

Absolute treasure.

I married her partly because she used to laugh at all my jokes.

Now that I am experimenting with new material, she sometimes gives me that look and simply says:

“Ang corny.”

So naturally, I switch to the more violent jokes.

For some reason, those are the ones that make her smile.

Marriage is strange.

Then there is my Mom.

There was one time when she told me, quite directly, that this better be funny because she wasn't in the mood.

Needless to say, the joke bombed.

Completely.

But I remember the moment because my Mom is usually such a happy person, and I get to talk to her a lot when she finally sits still and isn't busy planning something for the family.

Even when the joke doesn't land, those moments are precious.

Then there is my Dad.

I think I have only heard my Dad genuinely guffaw once.

It was over a joke involving a bald man being introduced as a “Bokal Solo.”

I also remember him making a joke with me once.

He casually asked:

“Bakit yung mga girlfriend ng kapatid mo mukhang mga construction worker?”

And I almost banged my head against the gate because we were literally just standing there when he said it.

That was my Dad.

And sometimes I wonder how I ever managed to make that man laugh when he could apparently come up with lines like that himself.

Maybe that is the strange thing about comedy.

You never really know which joke is going to stay with someone.

You don't know which story will make them laugh until their stomach hurts.

You don't know which silly observation will become something they remember years later.

And maybe that is why I keep writing.

Not because I am ready to call myself a comedian.

Not yet.

But because I have experienced what it feels like to make someone laugh.

I have seen the smiles.

I have heard the snickers.

I have heard people say their jaw hurts.

I have heard someone laugh so hard that they worried about their stitches.

I have watched my wife nearly spray Sprite through her nose.

I have watched pastors and pastoras lose their composure.

I have made my daughter laugh in the middle of a ridiculously long drive.

And I have even managed, somehow, to make my Dad laugh.

Those moments are worth something.

Maybe one of these jokes I am writing will eventually make it onto a stage.

Maybe I'll stand in front of a room full of strangers, tell the joke, and hear absolutely nothing.

That is part of the risk.

Maybe the joke will bomb.

Maybe someone will stare at me.

Maybe I'll hear the dreaded silence that every aspiring comedian fears.

Or maybe, just maybe, somebody will laugh.

And perhaps that will be enough to make me want to tell another one.

So I will keep writing.

Keep tightening the stories.

Keep practicing the transitions.

Keep testing the punchlines on the people brave enough to sit through them.

And maybe, someday, I will finally earn the right to call myself a comedian.

Until then, I am perfectly happy being the guy who keeps trying to make people laugh.

Because when someone finally does laugh until their jaw hurts, their stomach hurts, or they nearly lose their Sprite through their nose—

well...

that's music to my ears.

Here is to that future.