April 2002 Vol. 2 Issue 7

An Internet Newsletter publication of the American Society of CIM Alumni, Inc.

THE ASOCIMAI OFFICERS:

Dominador Ong, M.D.
President
Maida Antigua, M.D.
Vice-President
Dolores Lao, M.D.
Treasurer
Epifania Aranas, M.D.
Secretary
Clem S. Estrera, Jr., M.D.
P. R. O.
Anita Avila, M.D.
Auditor

Board Members:

Horace Cabasares, M.D.
Perry, GA
Ramiro A. Cadag, M.D.
Kings Point, NY
Mike Espiritu, M.D.
Okeechobee, FL
Elie Gonzales, M.D.
Oswego, NY
Cecilio Delgra, M.D.
Charleston, WV
Rosario B. Gonzaga, M.D.
Cumberland, MD
Teresita Varona, M.D.
Oakbrook, IL

CME Chairperson:
Rise Faith E. Dajao, M.D.
Portsmouth, VA

BRAIN WAVES STAFF:

Editorial Board:

Maida Antigua, M.D.
Boston, MA
Horace Cabasares, M.D.
Perry, Georgia
Eli Estabaya, M.D.
Yuma, Arizona

Editor and Technical Adviser:
Clem S. Estrera, Jr., M.D.
Petersburg, VA

Staff Correspondents:
Roland Pasignajen, M.D.
New Jersey
Henry L. Yu, M.D.
Cebu City, Philippines
Ernesto Yu, M.D.
Buffalo, New York

Wilmo C. Orejola, M.D.
Pompton Plains, N J

Send news, articles, pictures, announcement, obituary, etc., to:clems3ra@rcn.com

Editor's Column


    "Marriage should be the last decision a man is allowed to make." - Anonymous

Wedding and Marriage

Personal Thoughts
     Groucho Marx said: "In Hollywood, brides keep the bouquets and throw away the groom." When Mickey Rooney was getting married for the eight time, the registrar asked: "Have you been married before, sir, and if so, to whom?"
    "What's this?" said Rooney, "A memory test?"

     In these days and age, divorces happen more often than burglaries and vehicular accidents combined. No wonder why many men and women hesitate to get married. But there is no journey more exciting than the wondrous adventure of a lifelong love. In marriage, however, each of the couple must understand that when they say, "I do," it means that they are committed for life. It's essential that the couple understand this commitment so that when a problem arises, they would look for a solution, not an escape. They've got to learn to separate themselves from their problems and think of preserving their relationship so they can shift their focus toward attacking the problem, not each other. Then they can learn to disagree without being disagreeable. And they can disapprove of each other's behavior but still love each other.

    Well, it really does look like I make married life or marriage relationship sounds like a piece of cake. Don't I? Actually, it's not that easy. In fact, it's tough, it's rough, and you have to put up with so much crap most of the way. There are times when it doesn't only question the purpose of your existence, it also challenges the core of your being. When the going gets tough, many couples, who don't take their commitment seriously and understand it well, end up being gripped with hopelessness, a feeling that the future will only be a miserable extension of the past. That's when they would think of a divorce or separation as a solution to their problem rather than what it really is, an escape from a lifetime commitment. Suffice it to say that love and marriage relationship, particularly when rocked by problems that the couple can't accept each other's solutions, can sometimes shatter their life and wreck dreams that should be left as dreams. As Carl Sandburg said: "Love is not easy. Love costs." Indeed it does, a lot more than long-stemmed roses, money and diamonds. It is measured out in steadiness, commitment, and unselfishness over the long haul - "till death do us part."

Personal Experience
    Many of us have probably fought with our wives or husbands like cats and dogs at least during the first few or several years of our married life. Some may even still be fighting. It took me more than ten years to realize and shift my focus toward understanding my own behavior rather than that of my wife's and children's before I've learned to develop my own ways of dealing with family disagreements and differences so I could live in peace. I finally was able to figure out that if I continue to be bothered by my wife's unhappiness, disappointments or frustrations with things that I don't even understand, then there would be two of us who would be unhappy instead of just one. So every time my wife would choose to fuss, complain or be unhappy with what I've done or haven't done, I'd tell myself that it has got nothing to do with me. It's her choice of attitude and behavior, not mine. She could then fuss all day or even a whole year for all she cares, it doesn't bother me one damn bit no more. We had probably disagreed on almost everything except perhaps in bed during the first more than ten years of living together.

     Then there are your in-laws you have to deal and put up with like they are parts of the wedding vow you took. It's like one of your obligations is to meet their expectations and make them happy. So I would remind myself every now and then that I'm not married to them. If they don't like me, or they are disappointed or unhappy with me, then tough luck! Somehow over the years, they have all been captivated by my wit, sense of humor and most of all, my charm. Just kidding. I guess if you treat everyone as equal and don't give a damn about anything else, you serve notice they either have to learn to like you or stay the hell out of your way.

Personal Opinion
    There are behaviors that have to be modified and beliefs changed or discarded if one wants to have peace of mind and harmony in the family. Many of us exhibit particular behaviors and cling to particular beliefs that keep us from getting precisely what we want out of life. To me, it doesn't make sense to keep clinging to certain beliefs mainly because you've learned or inherited them from your parents or grandparents. Perhaps many of us may still believe that when one is upset, we should calm her down by trying to reason with her. But it is futile to reason with anyone who is upset because her mind is closed or locked shut. You are better off going out to see a movie and give time for one's temper to cool off before trying to sort out a disagreement. But make sure you have a house key with you and you unlock at least one of the windows in case your wife locks the doors from the inside. Otherwise you'll be sleeping outside in your car. You can check in a hotel, but that might call for another trouble. I always have blanket and pillows in my pick-up truck for any eventuality.

    Then there is that irrational choice of rather be right than be happy, and what matters most is who is right than what is right. And if given the choice of being right and being kind, many would choose being right. To many people, not just married couple, being right is like an obsession. They would go to any length including insulting and hurting each other just to prove they are right. Many married couple are willing to fight, yell, scream and throw things at each other just to insist on being right like their life depends on it. It often gives you the impression that their idea of life's enjoyment and happiness is to struggle and suffer. Strange, isn't it? But it's life, or something like it.

Personal Comments on Bewildering Statistical Data
     There is a paradoxical statistical incidence rate of depression among married men and women. The incidence of depression among married men is a whole lot less than among single men. But the incidence of depression among married women is a whole lot more than among single women. Now let's think about this seriously because therapists are baffled. Is this fair to women to be subjected to a good chance of depression by being married as opposed to men? Are we, men, to say simply that we've got nothing to do with it, or it's not our fault? Particularly those of us with children, it's definitely not fair to our wives. Just think of the pregnancy difficulties, discomfort and inconveniences our wives have to undergo just to have our designer genes come to life. Then there is that exhausting and taxing job nursing and raising the children.

     Certainly, there are things that we, men, can do to help. Whether or not what we'll do would help lower the incidence of depression, we should at least try. And the least one can do is to strive for tolerance, not dominance, so he can learn to treat his wife with love, patience, kindness and understanding. Women, in general, or wives, in particular, when they have problems or disappointment in their job, they often don't want solution to their problem. What they need is a "shoulder to lean on" as the song goes, or a sympathetic ear so they can pour out their troubles and frustrations. Yet many men, or husbands in particular, would readily give their advice, opinion or brilliant solution even if it's not asked for, only to end up in a heated verbal exchange as they insist on arguing that their opinion or solution is the best. Like some diseases that don't need any treatment, there are problems that don't need any solution. Trying to solve them with brilliant solutions is like trying to treat flu with potent antibiotics.

     And when given the choice between being right and being kind, it's a lot wiser to always choose being kind. Believe me. It's a whole lot less taxing emotionally or less stressful for every one involved. For kindness has a way of making misundertanding evaporate. The choice of being right, on the other hand, particularly if it becomes a means of dominating, could become fraught with grudges and misgivings. It would cause more tension and headaches than jealousy would cause heartaches and sorrows in a lovers' quarrel. It would be easier to resolve a lovers' quarrel caused by jealousy than getting rid of grudges and misgivings caused by the argument of who is right. Finally, if you have to sleep outside in your car because of family dispute or disagreement, don't make so much fuss about it. Just enjoy the stars and the moon. You'll sleep a lot better.

     Women, too, must help themselves. Women, or wives in particular, have got to learn to control and curtail their irrational behaviors. Occasional emotional outburst and nagging are often tolerable to many husbands. But if these behaviors become more frequent and become more irritating or annoying, husbands may not be able to tolerate them long enough. Yet there are wives who would love to complain, blame, lecture and constantly tell their husbands what to do or what should have been done. And in times of conflict and disagreement, they would readily recall their husband's past or previous mistakes and remind him of such mistakes in such a way as to make him look dumb or feel small and stupid like challenging him on who's the smartest. Unwittingly, they nourish their ego at the expense of hurting their husband's feelings. Then there is the insensitive I-told-you-so tactic or strategy. This tactic or strategy can never settle dispute, correct mistake or solve problem because it offers and employs blame, not solution; aggravation, not correction; guilt, not hope and encouragement. Yet many wives, and even husbands too, use it frequently toward each other like it's a source of an orgasm or ejaculation.

    Not too many men have a long fuse or stretchable patience. And not too many men can maintain their rationality to act cool and calm when their patience snaps or breaks. There is a limit in what everyone of us can tolerate and like a personal space, we have to respect this limit and not violate it by stretching it any further. So women have got to learn to stop whatever they are saying or doing to their husbands in times of disagreements or disputes before their husbands' patience snaps or breaks, or they would be pushing their luck too far to be asking for a black eye. If wives keep pushing their luck to keep snapping or breaking their husbands' patience, they would ultimately make their husbands feel like they are being constantly pushed and shoved out of the relationship. Thus many of them would have to find comfort in some other woman's arms, not just to release their frustrations and disappointments, but also to nourish their ego and feel like a man not to be dictated and put down, but to be heard, listened to and understood like any other rational being.

     So both husband and wife have got to learn to compromise and cooperate rather than to perform lobotomy on each other, for the good of the family and the good of the marriage. They've also got to learn to apologize and forgive. Apology and forgiveness should not mean to reconcile by condoning one's action, but by having peace and understanding through focusing on solutions, not blames, and not taking things too personally in order to get the right perspective on what has really happened. Without peace and understanding, marriage relationship if it lasts, becomes nothing more than a life to endure, not enjoy; a condition to grouse, grouch or grumble, not an enlightenment to guide and make the married couple gyrate their way to an adventure of a lifelong love, harmony and companionship. Now here's a smart advice from someone:
       To keep a marriage brimming
      With love in the loving cup,
       When you are wrong, admit it
       And when you're right, shut up!

The Headache and Exhaustion
    Wedding is definitely a happy occasion, but the preparation could be exhausting. The anxiety, anticipation and excitement are often enough to make the bride and the groom and their parents and families take some sleeping pills until the day of the final ceremony when the bride and groom make their vows and the rice are thrown as they leave the church. Until now, I really don't have the foggiest notion of the significance of throwing rice. My son asked me one time: "Why not throw popcorns instead of rice? After all, this is America. Rice is in Asia." Wise ass. May be when he gets married one day, I'll have a big bag of popcorns ready to throw at him and his bride. Now let's have a couple of jokes before the wedding.

A Couple of Medicine
     During the wedding rehearsal, the groom took the minister to one side and said: "I'll give you 100 dollars if you change my wedding vows. When you reach the part where I promise to love, honor and obey and 'forsaking all others, be faithful for her forever,' I want you to leave that bit out." The minister duly accepted the 100 dollars.
     At the ceremony itself, the minister got to the groom's vows and said: "Will you promise to obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in the bed every morning, and swear that you will never look at another woman?"
     The groom was horrified. "I thought we had a deal," he hissed.
     "Yes," whispered the minister pressing the 100 dollars into the groom's hand. "But the bride made me a better offer."

     On their wedding night, a husband and wife slowly undressed and sat nervously at opposite ends of the bed. He was terrified of her discovering that he had appallingly smelly feet while she was dreading him finding out that she suffered from awful halitosis.
After a while, she finally plucked up the courage to move closer and lean over him. But before she could speak, he said: "I have a confession to make."
    "Me too," she said.
    "You don't have to tell me," he replied. "I know. You've eaten my socks."

The Weddings:

Escario - Drackakis Wedding

     Desiree Marie Salvador Escario, the only daughter of Dr. Mar Escario of the CIM Class 1967 and Tita Escario of the CVGHSN Class 1967 will take the vow of marriage with Kosta John Drackakis. The wedding will be on May 11, 2002 at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, Maryland. The reception will be at the Omni Sheraton.

Suson-Heaney Wedding

     Monica Suson, daughter of Dr. Eduardo Suson of the CIM Class 1964 and Linda Suson, will be married to Capt. Scott Heaney of the U.S. Marine Corps. The wedding will take place at the University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia on May 11, 2002.

Albo-Smith Wedding

     Clarissa Albo, daughter of Dr. Cecilio Albo of the CIM Class 1968 and Loretta Albo, will be married to Matt Smith, M.D. who will be doing his Orthopedic Surgery Residency in Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio in June 2002. The wedding will take place at the Sts. Philip and James Catholic Church in Baltimore, Maryland on May 11, 2002.    

     On behalf of the officers and board members of ASOCIMAI and the staff of CIM Brain Waves, here's a toast to the brides and the grooms:
     May your love be modern enough to survive the times
     And old-fashioned enough to last forever.
     And may you grow old on one pillow.

             - Clem

***************************

    Congratulations! to Regi Tobias, M.D. from UE and Carmelita Recio Tobias, M.D. from CIM Class 1969. They are the parents who are going to have a triple-whammy celebration shortly. Their three sons are about to graduate from the following:
    Derrick Recio Tobias, M.D. - graduating as Doctor of Medicine from the American University of the Carribbean on May 2002. He is going to have his residency training in Internal Medicine at the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA.
    Terrence Recio Tobias, M.D. - graduating as Doctor of Medicine from the St. Louis University School of Medicine on May 2002. He is going to have his residency training in Invasive Radiology at the Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.
    Jerome Douglas Recio Tobias - graduating as Magna cum Laude from the University of Kentucky School of Architecture on May 2002.

     Genevieve Marie Maquilan - the younger daughter of the proud parents, March and Marie Blanche Lim Maquilan, both of the CIM Class 1972, is the second Maquilan to enter Princeton University this fall, Class 2006. Her older sister, Melissa Anne Maquilan, Class 2004, will be a junior, majoring in Financial Engineering at the same university.

    Cleoanne Estrera-Etherington - the younger daughter of Clem Estrera of the CIM Class 1972 and Anabella Estrera of the SWU Class 1972, who is at present studying at the University of Bristol in Bristol, England, and who graduated with a major in Psychology from Kenyon University in Mount Vernon, Ohio and got married last year, has decided that instead of proceeding to take a PhD in Psychology, she will try her chance of becoming a physician in the future. She will enter Harvard University this fall of 2002 for an intensive two-year Post-Graduate Baccalaureate Pre-Med Program.

    CONGRATULATIONS! to all of you boys and girls and to your proud parents. Boys and girls, you definitely deserve more, but this is the least we can do. You did not just sit on your asses and wait to achieve or to get this far. You studied and worked hard. Just think of the many nights and the length of time every time you had to come face to face with your books and notes, and the number of midnight snacks you'd consumed to achieve what you just had. The pimples you had to put up with from lack of sleep and the breakfast you had missed or you had to eat in a hurry. For some of you, what you had gone through was tough and what you will go through may even be a lot tougher. But you've made it this far and you'll make it again. Don't ever let your parents tell you that they were smarter than you are. They were not. But you are. And don't you ever forget that! 

*************************

Mission to Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova a Success

- by Nancy Yap


     "Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth: that the only way to help yourself is to help others." - Elbert Hubbard

    Since 1981, the Association of Philippine Physicians in Ohio has been sending medical/surgical missions to the Philippines. This year was no different. Headed by Dr. Andy Yap, APPO President in 2001, and Dr. Art Basa, Mission Chairman 2001, the mission was going to Cebu. From January 21-25, 2002 APPO provided medical and surgical services in Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova. As usual, the year began with the solicitation of donations from members of the organization, hospitals and pharmaceuticals. Numerous golf fundraisers helped give the mission a more comfortable financial cushion and attention from People Magazine in August gave the mission a little extra publicity. Everything seemed to be going well. A team of approximately 40 doctors, nurses, and volunteers interested in working on the mission were making travel arrangements and sixty boxes were being packed and shipped to the Philippines, full of medicine, surgical supplies, and even computer equipment.

    After September 11, everything changed. All of a sudden the mission was in danger of being cancelled. Many of the missioners were worried about traveling outside of the United States and decided not to come to the Philippines. Dr. Yap was not going to let this hurdle prevent the mission from happening. With a few phone calls and the recommendations of several APPO doctors, volunteers from all over the United States and the Philippines came together to ensure the mission’s success. There were doctors from California, Wisconsin, Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, Kentucky, and all over Ohio including Cleveland, Lorain, Mansfield, Mt. Vernon, and Warren. Doctors from the two hospitals housing the mission, Seaman’s Hospital and Lapu-Lapu City Hospital, also offered their services. In the end, there were a total of 54 missioners from the United States and over 40 local doctors and nurses.

    The mission was structured so that the missioners would be in Cordova on the first day and the remaining four days would be spent primarily at Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital. With the help of the mayor of Cordova, the mission started off in a sport complex. There were thousands of people waiting there to receive medical attention. Ten tables were set up for medical consultations, three for pediatrics and three for minor surgery. There was also an area set up where prescriptions were filled. On that first day, one thousand medical cases were treated and thirty-three minor surgeries were done. The next four days were mainly at Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital, with a few major cases done at Seaman’s Hospital, owned by Dr. Oscar Oca. Overall, the missioners were able to see a total of 2795 medical patients and 234 surgical patients (145 minors, 51 majors, 38 cataracts) in their five days in Cebu.

    Everyday Lapu Lapu City provided lunches for the missioners, the Mactan Rotary Club provided transportation from Tambuli Beach Resort, where the missioners were staying, to the hospitals, and each night, different members of the local community would invite the missioners for dinner. The long days did not prevent the APPO missioners from having fun in the Philippines. The Mayor of Lapu-Lapu City sponsored a dinner dance party on the Phillipine Dream, a cruise ship anchored in Lapu-Lapu City and the Sitoy family invited the group to their home for the farewell dinner.

    In conjunction with medical services, APPO donated defibrillators, an electrosurgical cautery machine and accessories, a fetal monitor, a digital apparatus, a pulse oxymeter, a glucometer, an electric typewriter, a personal computer, surgical instruments, and medical and surgical supplies to Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital. These items have an estimated value of $25,000. Another $5000 worth of surgical and medical supplies were also donated to Seamen’s Hospital.

    The mission’s success depended on the hard work of everyone involved, both in the Philippines and in the United States. Everyone also realized that for many of the patients, this would be one of the few chances they would ever get to receive health care. On the last day, Dr. Sonia Bigelow had two thyroidectomy procedures left at 5:00pm. When she was asked if she wanted to cancel one, she replied, "I don’t have the heart to cancel the case. It is our last day. For the patient, there is no tomorrow. We will all be gone." That may have ended the mission in January, but next year, APPO will be back in the Philippines continuing to provide surgical and medical services for those in need. (Editor’s Note: Nancy Yap is a daughter of Andy and Celia Yap who are both medical doctors from Ohio. Andy graduated from Santo Thomas University, while Celia graduated from the University of the Philippines. Some of their colleagues in Ohio are from CIM. They are kind enough to ask their daughter to provide us the account of their recent medical-surgical mission. Nancy, you’re wonderful! Thanks a whole lot.)

Editor's Note: Mother Theresa once said: "Kindness is a language we all can speak. Even the deaf can hear it and the blind can see it." To the missioners, the most rewarding thing to do in life is to help make a difference in as many lives as they possibly can through kindness, compassion and charity. It takes individuals with a big and kind heart to understand the needs of the less fortunate ones and to be moved with compassion to fulfill an act of charity. With so little in the way of money and even less in the way of hope, let alone health, the less fortunate people in the Philippines, particularly in the province of Cebu, need all the help they can get. So for those of you who can and care to join with the mission the next time around, please do so, and contact Andy Yap and others if you have some question or want some information. They have their e-mail addresses below. Here they are:

ASSOCIATION OF PHILIPPINE PHYSICIANS IN OHIO
MEDICAL SURGICAL MISSION JANUARY 21-25, 2002
LAPU-LAPU DISTRICT HOSPITAL
LAPU-LAPU CITY

THE MEDICAL MISSION TEAM

CHAIRMAN:
Arturo S. BASA, MD, FACS

CO-CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT:
Sisenando YAP, MD

GENERAL SURGERY:
Manuel GARCIA, MD
Rolly BUAN, MD
Sisenando YAP, MD
celiayap@yahoo.com
Samuel Reyes, MD sreyes0820@msn.com
Ceferino CHENG, MD cefcheng@aol.com

PLASTIC SURGERY:
Philbert JONES, MD: pjonesIII@aol.com

OPTHALMOLOGY:
Caridad SANTOS, MD caringicasiano@aol.com

OBSTETRIC & GYNECOLOGY:
Emelita TORRES, M.D.
cstorresjr@aol.com

UROLOGY:
Ramon SUAREZ, MD urocenter@aol.com
Arturo S. BASA, MD
abasa204@earthlink.net

ANESTHESIOLOGY:
Edward SUICO, MD evsuico@centurytel.net
Lito BELARDO, MDbelcar@bright.net
Franscisco ESCARIO, MD
Sonia BIGELOW, MD

sacedabigelow@hotmail.com
Tess BOYLON, MD tgbmd@hotmail.com
Puring GUERRERO pguerreromd@hotmail.com

MEDICINE:
Lila GONZALES, MD
Rogelia MEDIDAS MD
Charles PATALINGHUG MD
Juanita CASTANEDA MD

JMCastanedamd@aol.com
Vivian SUICO, MD evsuico@centurytel.net
Nenita SUAREZ, MD

RADIOLOGY:
Celia YAP, MD celiayap@yahoo.com
Edward YU, MD yedenyu@yahoo.com

OTOLARYNGOLOGY:
Escarlito SEVILLA, MD litasevilla@hotmail.com

PEDIATRICIAN:
Deelian CHENG, MD cefcheng@aol.com
Rowena GARCIA, MD

RECOVERY ROOM:
Laena REYES, MD
Orpha BELARDO, MD
belcar@bright.net
Imelda YU, MDedenyu@hotmail.com

NURSES / PARAMEDICAL:
Denisa SARMIENTO, RN
dening121@yahoo.com
Fay PATALINGHUG, RN
Mary Ann JONES, RN
Josefina BASA, RN
Teresita MARASIGAN, RN
Lita SEVILLA
litasevilla@hotmail.com
Hercules SARMIENTO dening121@yahoo.com
Anne YAP to assist Caridad Santos MD

MEDICAL SUPPLIES:
Rosalinda DEJESUS, MD
Linda MATRIANO, MD
Villarosa SAY
efrvalencia@aol.com

SUPPORT:
Mark PICKARD mark.pickard.b@bayer.com
Michael GAYLOR
Rica BASA
Jeannie YAP
Tiffany YAP
Lorna TIU
Corazon ARCENAS
Alice MONTELANA, MT

***************************

The New Members

Dodong Seno, M.D. Class 1964
Vivien Seno, Class 1971
Carmelita Recio Tobias, M.D. Class 1969
Vilma Camomot Witten, M.D. Class 1972
Segundina Villamor A. Donaldo, M.D. Class 1972
Ann Marie David, M.D. Class 1975
Earl James Fitzgerald, M.D. Class 1977
Ophelia Baruiz-Maquiso, M.D. Class 1981
Araceli Baruiz-Castanares, M.D. Class 1985
Marie Estelle Sanciangco, M.D. Class 1985

Mario Ramas, M.D. Class 19
Fermin P. Tabasuarez, M.D. Class 1985
Glenn Veloso, M.D. Class 1985
Alta Grace Baruiz, M.D. Class 1986
Noel Flores, M.D. Class 1990
Maristela Baruiz, M.D. Class 1991
Marilyn Baruiz-Creel, M.D. Class 1975
Cleothe Baruiz-Washabaugh, M.D. Class 1978
Rosemarie Baruiz-Dellica, M.D. Class 1982
Richard V. Condor, M.D. Class 1994
Jun R. Chiong, M.D. Class 1994
Christine Pal Ferandos, M.D. Class 2000

 

    New members, welcome to our alumni e-mail community. We are happy to have you with us in this brave new world where most if not all of what you may need is at the tip of your fingers, and all you do is hold and roll a mouse any way you want and tap its left eye gently. Then voila! In just a matter of seconds, you read messages in your mail and send any message you want to any of your friends, classmates and colleagues anywhere in the world. Isn't that amazing?

    Although you may not have seen your classmates and colleagues for years and may not even recognize some of them for whatever reason when you meet them one day, but in this brave new world, what used to be so far away has seemed so near. And once you start reading CIM Brain Waves, you begin to feel their presence because they too are reading the same newsletter like you are. Despite the distance, you get the feeling of being closed and connected to them with some unseen or inexplicable thread. Yet if you want to snip and severe that connection or don't want to feel that closeness, simply stop reading Brain Waves. However, if you do that, we have to warn you that you'll soon be going back to your own loneliness, to your longing and missing your classmates and colleagues. You may even lose your ability to recall your pleasant memories with them, and to recollect the fun you used to have when you were together. Is that what you really want? And that's just a part of it.

     Here's the other part. Our newsletter is designed with intellectual calculation that every issue is varied, yet balanced, to contain not just an update of our association's activities with occasional news about our colleagues and their families, but also topics that could settle your nerves, sharpen your senses, brighten your imagination and widen your horizon. These topics contain philosophical and unconventional ideas that are so penetrating so that if your mind is frequently closed, they could help you make it frequently open. And if it's frequently opened already, they could help you broaden it. So you've got nothing to lose. It's like an offer you cannot refuse.

     The world has changed, and we, at Brain Waves, happen to believe that the old ways of thinking and dealing with life's complexities in its fast and furious pace no longer make sense. So every now and then, a mountain of complexities is being broken in our newsletter into molehills of simplicities to make it easy for you to relax, think and become insightful. As you read along, sooner rather than later, you may find yourself surprised to realize that you are actually acquiring the ability to deal with life's complex priorities in calm, cool and collected ways. You may ask, why are we doing all of these? Are we being paid? Not a single penny. Are we that crazy? Not hardly. Well, I guess that's just the way we are. We strongly believe in sharing our knowledge, philosophical ideas and opinions, not to make friends or influence anyone of you although it would definitely be a desirable unintended consequence, but to provide you with some kind of intellectual exercise that could re-invigorate your mind. You see, the mind is essentially like the voluntary muscles in our body. Lack of exercise can ultimately cause them to undergo atrophy.

     Furthermore, in doing what we are doing, we are hoping, not expecting, that it would help keep us all CIM alumni together in unity and harmony that happen to be the most difficult to achieve for any association. Unity and harmony would make it a little easier for us, officers and board members, to move our association a step further forward from the status quo. For, if it would not move forward, chances are, it would only fall backward. So if we simply find satisfaction with having the same old ways in doing the same old things, then we'll continue to achieve nothing more than the same old results. And we'll all be saddled with the same old shits, the same old frustrations and perhaps a mixture of the same old disappointments and some new ones. Certainly, you don't want that. Do you? We don't want it either.

     So find it out for yourself whether our newsletter makes any sense to you. Read a couple of issues and see what you think. Certainly, your positive comments are gratifying. But if you find it not to your satisfaction, let us know. We'll modify and improve and try to reach the best that would be good enough for you. You'd be surprised to know that we actually find comfort in discomfort from negative comments. Go ahead. Try us. And by the way, try at least, to come to our alumni reunion on July 10-14 in Washington, D.C. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. See for yourself and experience the exhilarating madness of having a close encounter of your own kind, the best kind, the CIM kind.

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    A wife insisted that her husband accompany her to church every Sunday. But for him it was an ordeal and he always had difficulty staying awake. She was aware of this and so one week she took along a hat pin with which to poke him every time he fell asleep.
     Five minutes into the service, just as the husband was dozing off, the preacher asked: "Who created the Universe?" The wife poked her husband with the hat pin and he yelled loudly: "My God!"
     A few minutes later, the husband's eyes were shutting again just as the preacher asked the flock: "And who died on the cross for you?" The wife gave a sharp poke with the hat pin and the husband shouted: "Jesus Christ!"
     Shortly afterwards the husband was asleep once more. The wife poked him with the hat pin just as the preacher asked: "And what did Eve say to Adam the second time she was pregnant?" The husband woke with a start, jumped to his feet and yelled: "By God, if you poke me with that thing one more time, I'm going to break it off!"

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     Three nuns died and went up to heaven, but before they were allowed to enter, St Peter told them they each had to answer a question.
     St. Peter turned to the first nun and said: "What were the names of the two people in the Garden of Eden?"
     "Adam and Eve," replied the nun.
     At that, the lights which surrounded the pearly gates began to flash. "You may enter," said St. Peter.
     Then he addressed the second nun. "What did Adam eat from the forbidden tree?"
     "An apple," replied the second nun.
     At that, the lights which surrounded the pearly gates flashed and the second nun was permitted to enter.
     Finally St. Peter turned to the third nun. "What was the first thing that Eve said to Adam?"
     The third nun looked puzzled. "Gosh, that's a hard one."
     And the lights around the pearly gates flashed.

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     St. Peter had gone on vacation, leaving God in charge of the heavenly gates. One day an engineer arrived at the gates but God, who wasn't used to procedures, took one look at him and said, "You're in the wrong place." Dejected, the engineer caught the escalator down to hell where he received a warm welcome from the devil. But after a week, the engineer decided that hell was too hot and uncomfortable so he arranged with the devil for a few improvements to be made.
     The engineer said: "How about if I fixed it for water to be piped in, air conditioning to be installed and a few swimming pools to be built?"
     "Sounds great," said the devil and within three weeks hell was transformed into a tropical paradise.
     Not long after God called the devil for one of their regular chats. "How's things down there," chortled God. "Pretty hot, huh?"
     "As a matter of fact, no," said the devil. "It's fantastic. We've got an engineer down here who has worked wonders. We've got air conditioning, swimming pools, the lot."
     "What!," boomed God. "That's a mistake, the engineer was supposed to be up here."
     "Too bad," said the devil, "we're keeping him."
     "That's what you think," stormed God. "I want that engineer. I'm going to sue."
     The devil gave a supremely confident smile and replied: "Yeah? Where are you going to get a lawyer?"

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BEYOND DARWIN


By Wilmo C. Orejola

Not so immutable is man, Darwin does theorize,
Casting doubts the origin of species from Paradise;
Anthropocentric hubris, descendants of gnats and worms,
Apotheosis ascending, from mere ignoble forms.

Not so immutable is man, so must his wisdom be,
As by default this life, this living planet man hold sway;
Paternalistic charge he takes, now far from worldly tame,
This atavism, this greed deny him deifying proclaim.

The fittest survive, perpetuate, the strong of genes endure,
The weak are weeded out, wild cards of nature do ensure;
Cruel balance man fails to grasp nature’s intent and foresight,
This undoing by man’s reckless know-how and wretched might.

Wisdom mutates beyond just knowing to praising one’s own,
Come next is copying himself a creation in clone;
What favors one negates another, this must he resolve,
Or make misfit of him in perfect world he wants evolve.

Evolution that took millions of years unwittingly fast track,
Folly and vanity bring him awful fears of self-destruct;
Create something from nothing he could not, unlike his God,
Evolved has man this superior race. Still flesh and blood.


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Riddle, Anyone?

    The answer to the puzzle of the previous issue of Brain Waves was an ugly duckling. Actually, it could also be a rabbit. The only thing against being a rabbit was the beck of the duck representing the ears of the rabbit. The ears are cut in different angle at their tips. Now for the riddle. Those of you who knew the answer already since I remember sending some of you this riddle via e-mail last year before our newsletter, please let others think for their answer. Here are the clues:
    1. It is greater than God.
    2. It is more evil than the devil.
    3. The rich want it.
    4. The poor don't want it.
    5. If you eat it, you'll die.
    What is it?

Vacation time soon. Drive Safely!

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