"3 Things I have seen this week: PSA Kalookan Office Edition"

"3 Things I have seen this week: PSA Kalookan Office Edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

While it is no surprise that you will see long lines in government offices while you are securing paper work I cannot help but notice the misery that most of my countrymen face when they need their birth or marriage certificates. While you can now order these said papers online or over the phone those who cannot afford it would still need to line up early or suffer through the long lines that is the Philippine Statistic Authority. Here are 3 things that I have seen while I was in that long long line.

1) A frail and shaking Old woman was brought in the line so that her children could take advantage of the priority lane for Senior Citizens.

I really hope that they really needed those papers as I would never put my own mother out like that considering the old woman's state. It was heart breaking to see that these children will still bring her out like that.

2) A child with Cerebral Palsy being helped by a guard down the stairs of the steep PSA building.

I am thankful that the PSA will be moving to the new City hall by the end of the month. From what I saw that place is more spacious and less hazardous to those who want to get their papers. 

3) Frazzled guards overwhelmed by questions that they should not be answering.

Imagine being asked the same question day in and day out for 6 days a week for the whole year.And you could just imagine the annoyance that the guards at the PSA Kalookan branch have to go through in each of their shifts.

This despite the numerous instructions posted all over the place. This despite their patient answers to all of those inane questions that they should not even be answering.

All through out the day you see this swarming mass of humanity inching closer to windows and waiting in line for their turn. Like a never ending snake. Well , at least until 4pm where the last of those in line will be admitted and processed. And after this? Another day. The same old thing.

"Doc In , Doc Out:Cheek Numbness Edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out:Cheek Numbness Edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Di Masyadong Malinaw na Pasyente,

Natuwa ako nung nagendorse yung nurse ko kasi parang ito yung araw na sawang sawa na ako sa Ubo at Sipon at Pagtatae at Pagsusuka. Interesting ito. Numbness of both cheeks!(hopefully di butt cheeks ang sabi ko sa sarili ko). Kung ano ano na ang naiisip ko na gagawin. Nagiisip ako kung sensitive ka pa kaya sa light touch or heat or kung anong nerve ang naapektuhan sa iyo. Excited na akong magneuro exam!

Kaya laking disappointment nung unang tanong ko pa lang eh. Ano po ang nararamdaman niyo? Ang expected kung sagot eh , "Wala po doc." Instead ang sagot mo sa akin eh , "Parang yung cheeks ko po doc eh Nagkacrumple papuntang gitna ng ilong ko."

"Crumpling?" Eh di naman pala numb. May nararamdaman ka. Nung nasabi ko sa iyo ito nagiba ka na ng complaint. Kesyo nagpapalpitate ka at nahihirapang huminga. Kaya pinakabit ko sa iyo ang aming trusty pulse ox at pinakinggan ko ang iyong baga. Mas kalmado ka pa sa akin. At ang O2 sat mo eh puwede pang tumakbo takbo sa kung saan. 

Buti naman at ok ka pero sayang ang mga balak kong exams sa iyo.Pwe.

Disappointed,

Doc June

"Ensnaring Bridge Memories"

"Ensnaring Bridge Memories"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Reprinted ang Ensnaring Bridge bro!" My friend ST said in chat. 

"I had two of those since 8th Edition."

"Nice"

Ah the memories of my Ensnaring bridge. My wife who was then my girl friend was working as a cashier/manager in a Parlor in Megamall. I would often hang out with her.(despite where I should be which is in lectures for medical school) And on one of those days we had lunch and she told me that she would deposit some money in China Bank. She asked me to wait for her which was odd because even back then if she could bring me along she would bring me. So I found it odd but I was feeling a little lazy so I just waited.

So when she came back she beamed and handed me an 8th edition pack! I knew that her hands were always lucky when choosing packs and so I excitedly kissed her and ripped the booster pack and as I got to the rare I knew that it was an artifact. I was looking for a  creature back then being an aggro player so as I revealed the Ensnaring bridge my forehead furrowed a bit and started to read what this thing could do.

"Di ka yata masaya sa nakuha mong rare eh." My girlfriend now Wife said sweetly. "Pangit ba?"

At that point I have come to realize what a gem I had both in my wife and her sweetness and the card in my hand. I imagined burning my opponent with Instants and Sorceries and then they would not be able to attack me any more since I no longer had a hand! bwahahahaha

"Mahal kaya nito! 250 na kaya ito ngayon! Kaya pala walang nagpapakawala!"(of course nowadays it is worth 10x more than that.)

My Wife smiled.I knew I had a keeper.

"Helmet Girl Rising"

"Helmet Girl Rising"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

By this time she has probably had enough Internet bashing to last her a lifetime. From the reactions she gave to being apprehended with a helmet as Ulam holder to the fact that she is actually clueless as to what she has done wrong.

Helmet girl is a symptom of a greater disease in our society , it is easy to just say that she is the exception rather than the rule but one only has to drive around the metro for a couple of hours to see that this is not and will never be the case.

People who take traffic violations and offenses for granted because no one reacts to it or because they get away with it and then become angry when someone actually calls them out on it or penalizes them for their mistakes. 

"Matagal ko nang ginagawa yan eh wala namang sumisita." They would say and then complain that the world was conspiring against them. That they have the worst luck possible.

I have seen people on motorcycles being hit and dying because the rider tried to beat a red light and an 8 wheeler truck suddenly happened to appear. Surprise surprise there right?

People will take these rules for granted until something bad happens and when they do happen they will often point their fingers at everyone else except themselves.

"Matagal na akong nagpapark dito."

"Matagal na akong tumatawid dito."

"Matagal ko nang ginagamit na lalagyan ng ulam ang helmet ko."

They would keep on complaining and that is just sad since nothing will ever be resolved when the parties involved turn out to be idiots through and through.

"The Quarter approaches"

"The Quarter approaches"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Time flies when you are having fun." Someone once told me but then again time also flies when you are up to your neck in incomplete , ongoing and will take forever to finish tasks. And this is the case for me since the death of my Dad. It has been gathering one paper after another , one phone call to this person and that and the meetings that never seem to end. The truth is that ,

"Time flies even when you are not having fun."

I remember why I do the things that I do though ad it is to secure a legacy that my parents had left to us their children. My sister in particular needs to be taken cared of for the rest of her life and it is not really up to no one else but me. The burden is not light and like the One Ring no one else can carry it for me. Only in this case there is no Mount Doom to melt it. There is no Isle of rest for those little cuts that are killing you slowly in the inside. Only the endless things that come with this responsibility.

I am thankful for all the people who have been patient with me and helped me and gave me advise in these troubling times. For the people who have been more of a problem than help , you can just go to hell and say hello to your god there. He is sure to welcome you. And don't come back.

I digress though. This post is a thankful one. Though things are hard I know that there is an end to everything and there are things that one can do to keep one sane. As the quarter of the year approaches and things are still a long way off I am thankful for the things that have been finished and the things that are on the way.

Only thing to do now is to keep on trudging. Keep on working. Keep on keeping this fire in my heart burning. There will be an end to this. There will be an end.

"Caption this: Fleetswallower Edition!"

"Caption this: Fleet Swallower Edition!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Yup. Fleet swallower has been the topic of a Caption this post. This is my first one and probably not the last. Here are a couple of my takes on this giant fish.

"Guppy is that you?"

"I told you to take the left portal! The left portal!"

"This is going to hurt."

"Well I guess he wasn't such a small fry after all."

"I think I peed in my pants."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

"So it's either the consuming vortex or the consuming fish then?"

"That is a Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge fish!"

"Quick ask it for directions!"

"The playfulness of the local fishes suddenly turned deadly."

Well that is 10. How many captions did you come up with?

"Doc in,Doc out Espesyal Letter to patients:Pinauwi ni TL edition"

"Doc in,Doc out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Pinauwi ni TL edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Di Masyadong minamahal na patients,

Isa sa mga bagay na ayaw marining ng mga doctor na nagbabantay sa mga call centers ay ang mga katagang "pinapauwi po ako ni TL" pagpakapasok na pagkapasok pa lang ng pasyente sa loob ng clinic.

Ito ay dahil sa mga sumusunod na dahilan:

1) Ikaw ay desidido nang pauwiin ni TL. Kung ganito ang sitwasyon bakit mo pa kailangang bumaba ng clinic at makisama sa mahabang pila ng mga taong tunay na may sakit at di alam ang gagawin? Ang sagot ko lang palagi ay kung decided na po si TL na pauwiin ka eh di mo na kailangang dumaan ng clinic. Uwi ka na.

2) Kung di mo gustong marining ang assessment ng clinic at ang gusto mo eh basbas ng clinic para lang umuwi ka eh again si TL ang kausapin mo at wag ang mga nurses at doctor. Kung gusto mo naman na ma assess ka namin eh ok lang kasi yun ang mas gusto namin.

Gagawin kung malinaw para sa lahat. Di na po kailangan pumunta sa clinic kung sinabi na ni TL na gusto ka niyang pauwiin. Pero wag pong sasabihin na kailangan ng clinic pass or basbas ng clinic bago ka umuwi. Nasa paguusap niyo na po yan ng inyong TL.

Ngayon kung gusto mo namang magtrabaho at humingi ng tulong sa clinic tutulungan ka namin. Kung kailangan kang dalhin sa ER o pauwiin eh sasabihin namin sa iyo pagkatapos ka naming tingnan. 

Mas maganda siguro na sabihin mo na masama ang pakiramdam mo and we can take it from there.Ok? Wag yung sa bungad pa lang eh "Pinapauwi po ako ni TL."

O malinaw na ha. See you soon. Or not. Ok din. Whatever you decide.

Di masyadong nagmamahal,

Doc June