Never old, always new (1): Beauty and Med-ness

As part of my New Year housekeeping chore, I’ve revamped the look of my writing nook. Ever notice how an airy room, with clean sheets, books properly stacked, study table cleared of debris is more conducive to living? That is the feel I’m trying to achieve here. Hopefully I can keep the entries coming from now on.

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But that doesn’t mean that mementos past will be discarded altogether and taken to the dumpster. Often, the past has a way of catching up on you, just when you needed to be caught, before you land with an earth-shattering thud from a 30,000-foot freefall.

Consider:

I had a good day yesterday.

I woke up feeling rested enough not to declare a personal holiday again.

I got to school early enough to prepare for my lecture to Year Level V students without feeling harassed.

I would like to believe that my lecture was engaging enough for my students not to notice that my fly was open.

Or maybe the students were polite enough not to mention anything.

I was walking around campus in my feeling-professorly outfit, fly now properly zipped when an onslaught of memories and products of wishful thinking began to unravel.

In one day, I saw classmates- from Abacan to Zamora- in various stages of residency-ness, duty-ness, trekking roads less traveled.

Enrico near BSLR
KF in front of Med Lib
Alvin near the parking lot in front of OBAS
Marie and then Migs in front of the PGH cafeteria
Toyang and then Erwin in front of Ward 5
Betchay and Grace Flores in Rob (then Betchay again outside the COME office then Grace again near Radio after which I was even able to give her a ride to Vermont)
Ging at the back of Ward 1
Maan in the PICU
Edhel in their callroom
Bonus: Dinner with Jen Abengana

Crazy seeing our erstwhile clerks and ICCs now 1st year residents and interns, respectively. Yesterday, the latter only had 94 days to go before they themselves say goodbye to the PGH.

Crazier meeting current YL5 students which already went through their ComMed rotation, greeting me as they passed by- Hi sir!- including the sister of Dyan. What a small world. Small, surreal world.

Interesting how just the sight of the back of a classmate, or her silhouette against a poorly lit PGH corridor are info enough to make you identify him or her. O- si Enrico yun ah! Ayun si Toyang o!

I would like to believe that God was generous enough to reward me with a good day- filled with the joy of seeing classmates even for just milliseconds- because I endured the quiet ridicule and hushed giggles from people due to going about my merry way for half a day with my fly open.

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On such good days, when all is calm and quiet in the campus, I can almost see Jorge, Ivan, D-Lo, Boq, Carlo and the rest of the basketball team sweating it out in the PGH basketball court…

With Fire on 405’s Under The Sea wafting in the air and Abner with Basti doing their gymnastic routines…

As Dave and Cynch cackle happily at the stone tables, Joolz studies for an exam weeeeeeeeeks away, Marge collects transcribed exam questions, and Dessi shoots transcriptions into the transbox…

With Johann and Doy, calling on hawk-worms and Fecal Smurr and Papa Smurr to come to life nearby…

Then come Hazy and Melchor HHWW into BSLR…

Who find Henri fixing the LCD…

Where Bambi, Marvin and I are making chismis with Jen A, Maan, Aia, Marga, Ampie, and Chands…

Outside, Jen R, Chester, Marie, Grace, Ken fail miserably to ignore the call of the tennis court…

Jay is tormented no end by Arvin and PJ…

While Lester and Darryl emerge from the library and are now on their way to the MSU…

Good old days…

Hope you guys get your own dose of such days as well. Well worth enduring open-fly days… Would gladly strut topless to have such days…

Then again THAT would spoil somebody else’s day, the sight of my shirtless torso hehe

You guys are missed. Terribly.