Are we meant to be?

I was out last night with some close friends from medical school for our monthly get-together and updates (a.k.a "chismisan sessions").

Our fun and insightful dinner conversations progressed from Piolo Pascual being spotted with Mark Bautista at Belo's Clinic, then the most likely follow-up topic was of course KC Concepcion's new show then showtime's finale episode that morning to K12 educational system implementation and finally PNoy's handsome and hunkylicious PSG hehe. Glad we didn't touch on the impeachment trial for I think it will seem like we are getting old indeed.
Then we talked about some friends we know from school, updates on who got married, who will get married and the likes.

And the story that gave inspiration to this blog was when we were talking about someone (let's just call that person "negatron" to protect his/her identity) who is so negative about starting full-time hospital work- complaining that there will be little or no time to do other things like friday dates, saturday booze and night out, lazy sunday afternoons etc.. I admit I felt that way too before and it is one of the major factors why I left, aside from the fact that I wasn't able to handle physical and emotional demands of being a doctor. Then my friend said, which I think is a very good way of looking at it- "negatron" must accept that being a doctor is the life. It is not as if you are erasing or depriving yourself of a component of life. It is really just a choice to commit to your passion.

What is your true passion? It is never too late to find out today. Ask yourself "What will bring me true happiness?" the one that will last until your days are over.

We only have one life to live, so why waste your time on things or people that only makes you sad. I guess it all boils down to making that one solid decision -to be truly happy. And that happiness depends on you, on how you define it.

And that, ladies and gentlemen is how you'll know if you and what you're doing or whoever you are with are simply.... meant to be.

CROCO-BOTS

Let’s roll!

I was out for a long, almost 5 days get-away in the beautiful island of Palawan where love of nature grows in you as days pass by. We visited the best tourist spots the place has to offer which includes Honda bay, crocodile farm, baker’s hill and the famous underground river. It is my second time to be there but it sure feels like the first.

In transit to crocodile farm, our tourist guide was psyching up the crowd by telling exciting stories about crocodile farm; what we must see and what to expect. He also mentioned that there are really a lot of crocodiles in Palawan just like in Manila (referring to the corrupt city officials). We all laughed and agreed that there is some truth to what he said. Thinking about it, I came to a conclusion that in reality, no matter where you are in the world there would be some people who are greedy; whether for money or for power. But the bigger question is will you become one of them?

As Gandhi would put it, “be the change you want to see in the world.” In my 5 days stay in Palawan, I have seen that most people living there dare to be the change! Their system is quite impressive when it comes to tourism. Everything is centralized. The rates are standardized. So that, everyone gets a fair chance to make a decent living thru tourism. They have transformed their local tourism into an experience worthy being called “world-class!”

I saw and felt their culture of sharing thru their actions. Our guide even shared his tip from us to the driver even if we directly handed him the money. These few small gestures speak volumes of what the people of Palawan are made of. They are “croco-bots” upholding truth in all their endeavors.

Every day we must all strive to transform to be a better version of ourselves. And I’ve seen this work in them. Through this, it is my hope that we can make our country better; one city, one province or one person at a time. I encourage you to take the path towards a better you.

“Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”- Optimus Prime

BIG RED BALLOON

Here’s another unforgettable jeepney ride story.

I was on my home from duty way back in 2002, when I saw this cute little boy with his mother and baby sister riding the same jeep as I was in. The mom had a lot of groceries on hand while also carrying her baby girl about 3-4 months old. The boy was around 4-5 years of age and had a big red balloon that his mother secured by tying it around his wrists. After just few minutes, the boy fell asleep.

When it’s about time to go down the vehicle, the mother had a hard time waking up him up that we got stalled for several minutes. Almost everyone, including myself, got involved that we all tried to wake him up. Some called him by his name, some tapped his little arms and others even tried to bribe him with candy. But every single attempt failed.

"Red Balloon" Gouache Paint on Paper

Then, a witty young man shouted “Bata! Yung lobo mo lumipad!” (Kid, your balloon flew!). The boy immediately woke up and was ready to run after his balloon. A sudden burst of laughter filled the entire jeep. Some passengers continued to talk about the incident and shared a few more laughs after they went down.

What happened to the boy is known as “The cocktail party effect/phenomenon”. It is described as the ability to focus one's listening attention on a single talker among a mixture of conversations and background noises, ignoring other conversations. There exists a type of audio filter in our brain that selects which among all the stimuli needs to be responded to. The selection depends on how important or relevant the information to the person is. In this case, we know that the balloon was really important to the kid. And that motivated him to pay attention.

So tell me, what is that one most important thing in your life now that you can never do without? If you know the answer then you are lucky enough to have that strong, compelling “why” to continue on with everything that is you’re doing. If not, I suggest you try to find out now.

What's your big red balloon?

JEEP

It is dubbed as the king of Philippine's major thoroughfares; the most accessible & widely-used mode of transportation. This piece of colorful and unique machinery has graced the pages of several travel books and magazines all over the world. It has gone beyond just a public transport system but an icon of culture, which brings a truly unique Philippine experience!

Every time I see one, I'm always reminded of a particular incident happened to me in the past. [insert melodramatic music here] It was 6:45 a.m. at the Central station of LRT. I was running late for my 7 am final exam on Microbiology. So I rushed towards the street where the jeeps were waiting. As soon as I sat down in an empty jeep, the driver immediately blazed through Lawton to Espana. Usually drivers wait for more passengers before going. But this time it was different.

True enough we made it just right on time. To show my appreciation to the driver, I intended to pay him more than the usual. But instead of accepting my payment, he insisted to give my change back. Since I was in a hurry I didn't bother to count them. Only to realize later in the afternoon that he even gave me student's discount.

For sure not all jeepney drivers would do the same but I was fortunate enough to have met at least one. This experience taught me that there are still a lot of people around us willing to help without expecting anything in return.

From merely an icon of culture made of metal to an icon of goodness made of people with a heart. That's how I feel whenever I see a jeep today. I know somehow, somewhere there are few more good people around waiting for that one opportunity to show it.

So tell me, when was the last time you helped someone in need?