want vs need

Things I WANT but don't NEED (right now)
1. Running shoes
There's a hole near the right toe of my current running shoes that almost lends credibility to my running efforts. Truth be told the hole is probably due more to poor shoe quality than the wear and tear of running. I think I'll postpone buying new shoes until I actually earn the mileage.









2. Earphones
The earphones that came with my iPod are almost 2 years old. More gray than white in color now it's exposed wirings have been taped over many times (with Micropore!). I can barely hear anything from the right earphone. I tend to compensate by increasing the volume which is probably bad for my left ear. I don't get to use them very often now since I have started running without music. However, I am looking forward to using them when I go on duty in the hospital. I'm over caffeinated and on an adrenalin high during my 24-hour hospital duties. When I do have to time for a nap I need to listen to soothing music that can lull me to sleep.

3. Laptop Sleeve
A nice laptop deserves a good laptop sleeve, one that allows me to just chuck the whole thing in my bag and not worry about damaging my laptop. My old sleeve is way too big for my (relatively) new laptop. It does not really offer that much protection. I need one that is light and fits like a glove.






4. ER Season 15 Box Set
Yes, DVDs of the full season 15. After going through season 1 to 14 since med school I'm determined to see the whole series to its end. I once considered going into Emergency Medicine but I decided I wanted more patient contact (and follow-up) than an ER stay of 24-48 hours can give.



5. Tree bookshelf
Just because it's so damn nice to look at. But I'll probably need a forest to shelve all of my books.

Tree Bookshelf from designer Shawn Soh.









Things I WANT and actually NEED
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine 17th ed

I have the 16th ed all highlighted, bookmarked and covered with notations. That's not to say I have read the entire 2 volumes. I still need to get the updated 17th ed though. I actually have the pdf of the new edition but there's nothing like the feel and smell of a new book to inspire me to study.



Yup, that's all I really need right now (and maybe a little less rain so I can run).

meant to travel

I was at National Bookstore checking the travel section when the guy next to me caught my attention.

"You love to travel, too?" he asked. I smiled brightly and said yes.

"I'm planning to go to Australia," he continued, as he reached out to the Lonely Planet guide to Australia.

"Australia. Wow. Is this for work or vacation?" It was my turn to ask.

"Oh, I don't work."

And with that I was hooked.

Here was a very confident 25-year old businessman who was also an avid traveler. He talked about studying in Europe, ordering a gelato in Milan, the cold weather in Beijing and feeding needy children in South Africa.

All I could do was smile and ham it up. He was talking about previous travels while all I had to share was future travel plans - going to China with friends in a couple of years and plans to apply to Australia for further training. My recent islandhopping escapades and travel to HK and Macau certainly was not up to par. Nevertheless, we still had an enjoyable chat and we ended up exchanging contact information for possible "collaborations" in the future. (As a physician he thought I would be interested in his new anti-aging business venture, while his feeding the needy crusade was what piqued my interest).

We discussed the merits of the different travel guides (Let's Go, LP, Rough Guide, etc) - the no-ads stand of LP, the very specific travel info in Let's Go (how to order a gelato, recent political/economic development). I suggested he read Bill Bryson's In A Sunburned Country before he left for Australia although it wasn't available in the bookstore at the moment. In the end he chose to get a Let's Go guide to Australia.

More small talk then goodbye, with a "maybe we'll see each other in Australia", a handshake and a smile.


A conversation with a fellow traveler always leaves me buoyant. It's almost like I've actually done some traveling when all I've had was an eye-opening chat. And to put icing on this travel bug's cake the new edition (May 2009) of Lonely Planet Philippines is out now. I was fortunate enough to purchase it at it's initial price of Php 809 on the same day they increased it to Php 1,009.

What do you know, I am blessed.

I was meant to travel.

back to work

I went on the trip alone. A colleague I usually go with had passed on work this month and was going home for a vacation.

I took an earlier trip. It was windy but the sea was flat and the sky was a clear blue. Another boat run almost parallel to the Baleno Otso before it veered a little to the left to head for Calapan. As the boat grew smaller in the distance I shifted in my seat and started reading.

"There is nothing nicer than doing nothing all day, then having a rest afterwards."

I agree. Take me away from the city any time. Take me away from the noise, the pollution, the congestion and anxiety. Give me space. Give me green trees and blue sky every day.

The boat docked at Abra in under two hours. I was lucky enough to get a ride on a passenger van that had gotten on the boat from Batangas.

I never get tired of the ride to the hospital. It is still a vision to see the clean green of rice paddies in the light of the setting sun. The coconuts frame the paddies in the distance. Only white cows and birds (egrets?) break the green sea.

Small towns always give me a warm and fuzzy feeling as I enter them. I always hope that this feeling of "home" is not replaced by a feeling of stalker creepiness. Small town people can be intrusive. They always know when somebody is new in town. In such a small place everyone knows what you've been up to.

After settling in and giving my dorm room a little clean-up I headed out to the hospital to chat up with the previous group of doctors. I had arrived just in time for a bon voyage party for two of them. After an unhealthy dinner of liempo and crispy pata we spent the rest of the night drinking and howling at each others videoke miscues.

I've never been much of a drinker. Occasions to drink don't come too often either. Recent R&R trips had me drinking more in a month than what I usually drink in a year.

At 2:30 in the morning I turned in earlier than the others. They would all be off in the morning while I was just going to start my work week. I made sure to hydrate and went straight to bed after I washed up.


I woke up early in the morning and run a 6k.



Reading:
Underwater To Get Out of the Rain: A Love Affair With The Sea (Trevor Norton)

drug for malaria loses potency

Ok. I admit I'm pretty slow on reading up on developments in molecular biology and medicine. There is just too much literature at times that I can't help but feel overwhelmed. I'm so glad I have friends who can point me in the right direction. (Thanks Cat!)

I wish I could do a lot of the pointing myself, too.

* * *

In the International Herald Tribune, a month-old article warns about the developing resistance to artemisinin-based drugs. Working in Mindoro has definitely opened my eyes to this disease. I appreciate any new information I can get about treatment and management.

Malaria patients in the intensive care ward of the provincial hospital
in Battambang, Cambodia.(Thomas Fuller/International Herald Tribune)

Spread of malaria feared as drug loses potency

The recent studies show that artemisinin-based drugs are becoming less effective in removing the parasite from the bloodstream. While a few years ago it took the drugs 48 hours to clear the bloodstream of parasites, it now can take 120 hours.

Although this has only been noted in Tasanh located near the Thai border of Cambodia, it certainly heralds things to come. Malaria must be eradicated, eliminated before drug resistance spreads.

Artemisinin-based drugs such as artemether are used to treat Plasmodium falciparum-confirmed malaria. Falciparum is one of four types of malaria and is endemic in the Philippines. It is unfortunate that it also happens to be the most virulent.

In the Philippines, artemether is commonly used in combination with lumefantrine. Drug combinations allow for faster treatment and may slow transmission of the disease. It may also decrease the rate of developing drug resistance.


Read on the evidence of Artemisinin-resistant malaria in the The New England Journal of Medicine. Other articles on malaria are also in the same issue of NEJM (Dec 11, 2008).

more distractions

Taking a peek at the list of books I've read so far (2009 Distractions on the side panel) I can't help but smile at the variety of the books. On any other day I would probably only read one out of the seven on the list (and that would be Douglas Coupland's JPod). Ever since I've tried reading different genres I find that I can pick up any book and just read. Reading may not always be as enjoyable as I would like. But I rest assured that after reading each book I've learned something new.

Having said that, the last batch of newly acquired books are a little up my alley this time.



China Syndrome:
The True Story of The 21st Century's First Great Epidemic
Karl Taro Greenfeld

Deep down I still want to be an epidemiologist. Plus, this hits closer to home than all the books on Ebola I've read.

From National Bookstore bargain bin - P200







The Principles of Running:
Practical Lessons from My First 100,000 Miles
Amby Burfoot

I do want to be a runner. But before I hit the ground running I would like to know more about what I'm getting myself into. I'm not as fit as I was a decade ago. I want to do running right and avoid injuries.

From Booksale - P 145







Piled Higher and Deeper: A Graduate Student Comic Strip Collection
Jorge Cham


The first of the grad student comic strip collection. It can be laugh-out-loud funny as it pokes fun at the trials and tribulations of being a grad student. At the same time it leaves you hopeful knowing that you are not alone :)

From Booksale - P70








The Poe Shadow
Matthew Pearl

His first book The Dante Club got me hooked. Although I was a bit disappointed at how it ended I'm willing to give Matthew Pearl another chance with The Poe Shadow.

National Bookstore - P150 (hardcover)

what to read

Somebody tell me what to read next. For this year I have started reading books I normally would not read.

I'm not the kind of person who would read on business/customer service,self-help or inspirational books. Either they never appealed to me (too cynical) or I never had need to read them before (I didn't think I was going to set up a business before). But lately I'm trying to figure out why other people read the books that they read. I'm trying to find out how all the supposed "words of wisdom" from these books make other people act like they do.

I need better people skills. Socializing has never been easy for me. When I'm tired at work I don't get crabby or cranky. I clam up. I may still be able to smile but I highly doubt that I sufficiently advise my patients when I'm tired. Maybe knowing a bit about why people behave like they do will help me develop into a better communicator. This would certainly be a plus for me as a physician and would also help me in running our group's small business.

I have more then a hundred books on my to-be-read pile but I can't figure out what to read next. Somebody tell me what to read :)



Currently reading: Baha'i Book of Prayers and Other Selected Writings