I need you

Take My Hand

Shawn McDonald

Take my hand to the promise land
And on You I want to stand
‘Cause I cannot do it all on my own
You're what I need and I need to be
Right by Your side ‘cause I cannot hide
Lord, I know that I need You

Without You I'm so alone
I am weak but You are strong
You pick me up when I'm falling down
And I am crying
Out to You inside of my heart
I need You, Lord, oh so, for the part
I want You to have my life, Jesus

I fall to my knees
And I'm begging You, please, oh, Lord
Won't You change me
Make me new from the inside out
I want to shout out Your name

 

I need you

I first heard this song at work and I never thought it was a gospel song until I listened closely to the lyrics. Now, whenever I feel low I listen to this song and it automatically lightens my load :) Enjoy...

My new stet

On the day I got my match result I was conversing with some of the doctors at work  and  casually mentioned that I have to buy a new stethoscope coz the rubber on the right ear piece of my old one got torn. And Dr. Gay said, "Don't you worry. We'll get you a new one." I was stunned and got teary-eyed. Not only did these guys write me outstanding recommendation letters  now they also want to buy me an awesome new gadget for my new job.

Today my new stethoscope came. I was so excited when they placed a gift-wrapped box on my lap.

It has my initials too ;)

Thanks Dr. Gay and Dr. Sukhani :)

Holy Week

Holy Week is here....

4 weeks ago I remember having a dilemma in deciding what to give up for lent. For the past 3 years I've always given up sweets and red meat. But this year I wanted to give up something that is part of my daily routine. I decided to give up RICE.

It wasn't hard at first but lately I've been counting the days to when lent would end. Is lent all about giving up "something"? I was completely missing the point. You don't need to give up anything for lent. Lent is all about remembering Jesus Christ's Passion. Was I more prayerful during lent? I mean I went to stations of the cross every Friday. My prayer life has increased but not necessarily because of lent but because of personal reasons.  So I guess I haven't really been commemorating Christ's Passion, have I?

Back in the Philippines Holy Week is a huge thing.  Filipinos do a whole lot of sacrificing during lent. Some would even go as far as re-enacting Christ's Passion from getting flogged, to carrying the cross, to being crucified. During Holy Thursday and Good Friday stores and other business establishments are closed. And these days are considered national holidays. Some establishments are even closed the whole week. Visita Iglesia commences on Holy Thursday evening and on Friday most parishes hold a procession. Then Easter Sunday comes where all rejoice and eat lechon.

I miss celebrating Holy Week Filipino style.

How to be a good intern...

Intern Survival Guide by Dr. Mary Yang

http://www.residencyworld.com/thread/31

My dorky glasses

2 weeks ago I had a nasty corneal ulcer on the nasal aspect of my right eye. I am a chronic contact lens wearer and no matter how hygienic I am I still manage to get recurrent eye infections/irritations for 10 years now.

So my eye doctor put me on Tobradex QID x 2 weeks then taper for the next 2 weeks and the worst part of all- no contact lens for a month or even two!

So now I'm stuck with my dorky glasses until then. Some people look great in them but not me. I look like a complete nerd and I just realized the frame is too wide for my face.  I know.... I have no fashion sense.

 Oh well....Can't wait to have LASIK done!

It's Here: Democrats Pass Sweeping Health-Care Reform - FOXBusiness.com

It's Here: Democrats Pass Sweeping Health-Care Reform - FOXBusiness.com

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Is it spring yet?!

I woke up yesterday morning and saw this. How depressing! But that didn't keep me from celebrating my match result last night.

Can't wait to wear flip flops!

Where did I match????

Last Thur I found out where I matched. It was not nerve-racking as Monday's result due to the fact that I liked all the programs in my list. It's all in God's hands now where He wants me to be in the next 3 years. My only goal is to be the best physician that I can be.

I was thrilled to learn that I matched at my #1 choice :) And the hospital is only 10 min away from home.

Thanks be to God....

The Last Step

I have one more exam to complete so I can get rid of the USMLEs: Step 3. This exam is 3x as harder as CK and consists of not 1 but 2 days! The good thing is that most programs don't require you to pass this exam before you start residency unless you need it for visa purposes. So since I have 3 more months before I start residency why not just get this exam out of the way?

First thing you need to do is go to FSMB to register. Still have to do this. You can choose any state you want to register at even if you won't be training in that state. Most IMGs choose CT because this state does not require post-training experiences.

My tactics:

1 month: USMLEWORLD MCQs
1 month: USMLEWORLD CCS
1/2 month: Master The Boards
Maybe: Kaplan CK Lecture Notes

Target exam date: First week of May

I have actually started my prep 2 weeks ago. I have 20% left of the MCQs....Let's see how I fare in the next 2 months :)

My Journal

Did I match????

At 12 noon EST the result of the match was released. Everybody at the forum was anxiously staring at the clock. I was not nervous until I woke up this morning and realized that in a few hours a new chapter in my life would soon begin. But what if I don't match???? My heart started pounding.

This morning was the longest day of my life! I would look at the clock every 5 minutes and swore that the hand only moved a line. I was losing my mind. I hate the suspense. I can't take it. I pretended to be busy at work yet people kept asking me when I would find out. Leave me alone! I'm nervous here....But of course I just gave them a smile and pretended to be cool. Yeah right! I was turning pale.

Then at precisely 11:50 I opened my email and there it was: From NRMP; Title: Did I Match?

YES!!!!!

I owe everything to God for without Him nothing would be possible. 

I decided to apply for the match late in the game with a pending CS score. And along my application process I had problems with my letters of recommendation. The letters where either lost in the mail or in the ERAS pile. Who knows. So I had to request the authors to write me another letter. In the meantime, 75% of the applicants have started receiving invitations for interviews while I was not even half way complete with my requirements. But with God's help I made it through. And no matter what the outcome would've been I am still thankful that I had the opportunity to be a player in the game and emerged a winner :)

Abandon

I've always been a control freak. I always have a plan for everything. But lately things have not been happening according to my plan. Some say that we are the captain of our ship, but there are instances in our lives that are simply beyond our control. I have learned the hard way. And now it's time to offer my hand to God and let Him lead the way.  Lord, I completely surrender myself to you.....

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

Charles de Foucald

COUNTDOWN

MATCHED!!!!

Follow the white rabbit....

Alice in Wonderland has always been my favorite Disney animation movie. I've probably watched it more than a dozen times.There's just something about the dreamy wonderland that gives me a whiff of nostalgia making me forget the aches and pains of the real world.

Lewis Carroll has created magical characters that actually remind me of real people I have encountered in my lifetime. Do I consider myself as an Alice then? Well, I'm not as persistent as she is in chasing that white rabbit down the hole. I think the first thing I would do is call for back-up! But I do have a habit of getting lost along my path, getting distracted by animated characters along the way who are either there to help me or sway me from my goal, and sometimes all I want to do is go home and be safe.



Everyone has a cheshire cat in their lives. Now who is yours? These guys can be your best friends, your protectors, confidantes, or even enemies. I've had them all.

What about the queen? Hmmmm.... I can think of a couple people. These women are power-driven, ruthless, deceitful and authoritative. "Off with their heads!!!!!"  I love this scene where Alice finally got to say what the queen deserves! Fast forward to 3:40.



I think my favorite character is the dormouse. All he does is sleep and eat jam! ;) Sometimes I'd like to do that all day....

And now Tim Burton has created a phenomenal version. The movie is actually a combination of Lewis' 2 books (Alice in wonderland and Through the looking glass). And of course having Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter play key roles in the movie just gives me all the more reason in the world to watch this film. Coming out on March 4th...Can't wait! Watch official trailer

Shrimps with Basil and Cilantro

My husband's new hobby is to teach me how to cook simple yet exotic dishes. He has been nagging that I have been serving him only instant meals, sandwiches and pizza and not the healthy meals that he thinks he deserves. Hey, I can cook. Just not those complicated dishes. Plus I have no time. I'm always running after the clock....or I'm just simply not interested. I do understand where he is coming from though. I need to learn how to cook healthier meals. Besides, we're planning to start a family soon. What am I going to feed my kids?!

Ok so we started cooking together on Sundays. I was the souz chef as he has more experienced than I am but it was a wonderful experience creating something sumptuous and spending quality time together. It proved to be a romantic project after all.

So, we made this incredible shrimp dish with basil and cilantro. I am not a huge fan of seafood but shrimps I can handle.

The ingredients:

1/2 Kilo shrimps

1 tbsp basil

1 cup cilantro

1 cup spring onions

2 cups of tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup of cooking wine

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tbsp cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Warm the oil in the pan then add the garlic until golden. Add the wine and let it reduce for 5 min

.Then drop the shrimps

Add the basil and spring onions

The tomatoes

Then the cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir for about 3-5 min and you're done!

The final product

 

After 5 min....

 

Have fun in the kitchen! ;)