Life is always a choice between right or wrong, a selection between good or bad. Everyday of our lives, we are faced with the challenge to choose. Sad to say but many of us Filipinos rely heavily on fate as to the outcome of many decisions in our lives. I do not really know where we inherited this
"bahala na" attitude. This bad trait which seems to be inherent in our genes sometimes if not, most of the time lead us to horrendous decisions leading to unpleasant outcomes.
Like the typical Filipino I was always faced with the dilemma of choosing as well. My life is full of difficult decisions all of which contributed to what I am now and I reckon fate has something to do with it. But I have no regrets whatsoever because I believe that everybody must stand by his or her decision, whatever the outcome maybe, good or bad.
Honestly, becoming a Physician is not my first ambition. I really wanted to be an Architect, so I can design and build my own house. In fact, I already had a sketch of my dream house when I was in grade 6. I was drawing and sketching during our lecture hours especially when the subject matter bored me to death. My handwriting is not suited for a doctor as well, many are saying that I have a good penmanship which is very peculiar for a physician.
I was in second year high school when I had Acute Appendicitis, I was brought to our provincial hospital back then but unluckily I was also a victim of misdiagnosis and I ended up having peritonitis because my appendix already ruptured when the so called "surgeons" decided to operate on me.
Since that incident that almost took my life, I said to myself... I want to become a doctor, a good and competent one. So I took and finished a pre-medical course at the UST College of Science, I graduated in 1987 with a degree of B.S. Biology. I was a member of the 1991 batch of UST Medicine but because of my own recklessness and happy-go-lucky attitude (fate had nothing to do with this), my ass got kicked out of UST. I transfered to Fatima where I finished my Medical degree in 1993.
Like many of the new male doctors, I wanted to became a surgeon after passing the board exams. Back then, the competition was very very stiff, it was very hard to enter an accredited Surgical Residency Training program especially when you are being discriminated because you are a product of a controversial Med school. I will never forget how the former dean of UERM, an evil bald surgeon nicknamed Jo, maligned me during an interview because I was from Fatima. (I took the medical board exams a year after the controversy so you can just imagine how hard it is for us that time) So I ended up at working for almost two years at Mary Chiles General Hospital, Department of Surgery.
1996, the year my mother suffered a very bad case of cerebellar bleed, I wasn't able to go to work for more than two months, I had no choice but to resign from MCGH. I applied and was hired as a surgical resident in Bulacan Provincial Hospital beacuse its just a jeepney ride from our house. But because I came from a more "structured" surgical residency training I felt I was not getting the most out of the training in BPH due to lack of consultant surgeons, so I resigned.
Shortly after, I received a call from my buddy in Med school, Dr. Rhine Gozum, who was, back then, already a third year Paediatric resident at Delos Santos, saying that they need a Paediatric Pre-resident because somebody quitted. Hesitant, I applied for the position which eventually I got. I finished Paediatrics because of my
"palabra de honor." I promised Dr. Ferreria, then our department chairman that I will not leave the department even if a surgical residency position is offered to me.
The rest is history...
Coming to Australia is a different story. I might bore you when I start to write about it and you might start sketching and drawing there.
Fate sometimes decides for us, I know this should not be the case but what can we do? After all, like as what Forrest said, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you'll never know what you're gonna get."
image from apple.com
