March 2002 Vol. 2 Issue 4
An Internet Newsletter publication of the American Society of CIM Alumni, Inc.
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March 2002 Vol. 2 Issue 4 |
An Internet Newsletter publication of the American Society of CIM Alumni, Inc. | |
THE ASOCIMAI OFFICERS: Dominador Ong, M.D. Board Members: Horace Cabasares, M.D. BRAIN WAVES STAFF: Editorial Board: Maida Antigua, M.D. Editor and Technical Adviser: Staff Correspondents: Send news, articles, pictures, announcement, obituary, etc., to:clems3ra@rcn.com | Editor's ColumnMOOD"All animals except man know that the ultimate purpose of life is to enjoy it." - Samuel Butler Sweet and Sour Mood Many experts believe that our response to events depends on our mood, because when our mood is sweet and upbeat, we seem to be nice to everyone and be able to handle anything, well, may be almost anything. But when our mood is sour, even the ringing of the phone can easily get into our nerves. A minor problem is enough to make us snap at the poor bastard who happens to irritate our already irritated nerves. Particularly when we are doing something in a hurry or are in the bathroom, we would scream at the top of our lungs to anyone to pick up the phone like it's a life-and-death call. Ironic, isn't it? We, doctors, of all people, do some delicate surgeries or baby deliveries with complete control and calmness, and yet, with a very minor problem such as phone ring, we lose it. As a Hindu proverb says, "Men trip not on mountains, they stumble on stones." Black and Blue Mood
Attitudes
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One of the attitudes that often creates conflict, resentment and anger resulting in sour mood, is the attitude of taking everything personally. It makes us defensive. All too often a minor difference of opinion is enough to hurt our feelings, prick our ego, sour our mood and our relationship with others. When our reasoning is resisted, it makes us feel like our being what we are or who we are, is being attacked. When our interpretation, plan or analysis seems so sound and logical, it's hard for us not to get upset and to understand why anyone would disagree or even question it. Then rather than showing some flexibility, we go to war with verbal exchange to excoriate each other. Instead of a meaningful discussion, we often end up with a meaningless argument.
Also, in taking everything personally, we become supersensitive and self-centered, and we only subject ourselves to unnecessary suffering as our feelings are hurt so easily. Unfortunately, we often allow our feelings to dictate our response, and thus we sometimes sulk and become resentful. As a result, the once wonderful relationship we used to have with others would simply fade away like the ending of a good movie as we start avoiding each other. Our line of reasoning may be clear to us and as valid as any, but we have to understand that it may not be the only possible means of achieving the desired ends. Of course, we have the right to present our plans, opinions and ideas. But others have the right to theirs as well.
So riding through life on bad attitudes is a lot like riding down the Interstate on bad tires. It's not only bumpy, but risky and dangerous. Any bump or rock in the road can cause a blow out like what happened to Ford Explorers and Firestone tires. At the very least, they can leave us stranded and frustrated. Because the journey through life is never smooth and easy, checking out our attitudes from time to time like checking out the tires of our car, makes a lot of sense. Doesn't it?
Age and Attitude
Written in one of the magazines several years ago is this: "Attitude is everything. Mae West lived into her eighties believing she was twenty, and it never occurred to her that her arithmetic was lousy."
All of us are growing old if not already are for the few of us. Now how do each of us feel about it, about growing old or aging? Many of us would probably just say, "Why think about it? Let it come!" Sometimes it's good to think about it to know what can be expected. It might help us continue to live our lives by active intent rather than by passive acceptance. Not only that we would be able to recognize problems easily; we would also be able to create solutions. Some of us probably fear the physical and mental limitations that often go along with growing old, while some may be anxious about lengthy illnesses and death. But for sure, many of us are looking forward to retirement, to being able to do what we've been dreaming of like traveling, taking another college or educational course, learning another profession, playing with our grandchildren, etc.
Growing old is not something we have control over, but our attitude toward it is something we do have control over. It has been said that age is not on the face, but in the mind. So if you're one of those who believe that at 65 or more years old, it means that life is over, then when you reach near that age, you'll probably start looking for a good rocking chair to sit on while waiting for the time "to kick the bucket." But if you believe that you can stay healthy, enjoy life and be happy all the way to a 100 or 120 years old, then you'll probably start an exercise program if you haven't yet, eat healthy food, watch your weight, keep your mood sweet and upbeat, start reading or learning new things, go and visit interesting places like the museum, etc. Which way you choose to see your life in the future depends on your attitude today. Are you looking forward to becoming eligible for Medicare, or for certain privileges of being a senior citizen? Do you think your mood would improve once you start getting discount on movie tickets, restaurants, etc. with your senior citizen's card? Just curious. - Clem
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BEWARE! -
PHONE SCAM!
A friend of mine received a telephone call the other night from an individual identifying himself as an AT & T Service technician who was conducting a test on telephone lines. This person stated that to complete the test, my friend should touch 9, 0, and the pound sign(#), and then hang up. Luckily, he got suspicious and refused. So yesterday, we contacted the telephone company and we were informed that by pushing 9,0,#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which will enable him to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number. We were further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails and prisons. We verified this information with UCB Telecom, Pacific Bell, MCI, Bell Atlantic, GTE, and Verizon. So Beware! DO NOT press 9,0.# for ANYONE! The GTE Security Department requested that we share this information with EVERYONE.
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ATTENTION!
Mountain bike nuts or enthusiasts! Gregorio Y. Larrazabal, Esq. in the Philippines is organizing a Mountain Bike Challenge No. 2 in Ormoc City, Leyte on April 7, 2002. This will be a great ride. So release the wild nuts within you and check out this web site by clicking on it: Mountain Bike Challenge No. 2 Ormoc City.
Tip before you ride: Make sure you have a good padding in your spandex or mountain bike short. Apply a moderate amount of Vaseline jelly to your "kigol" and around it so the area will not be chafed or excoriated as you go into long-distance bicycle ride. Otherwise you may have to walk like having a painful hemorrhoid for the next several days after the ride. I am a cyclist myself but I ride road bike, not mountain bike. The road bike is the sexy, slender and graceful kind of bike. It rides faster too. The mountain bike is the rough, rugged and muscular kind. It's good for any kind of roads. If you want to know more about cycling, contact Teddy Remandaban, M.D. of Class 1972. He's been riding both mountain and road bikes for several years. He also rides Tandem bike with his wife, Fe(Ping). They had been on to many Bike Tours in different countries like Italy, Greece and Germany. Teddy knows the what, where, when, how and probably everything there is to know about cycling. For those who are interested in biking in Virginia, check out this web site: www.bikevirginia.org
Wouldn't it be nice if for those of us who have the knowledge, expertise and information about some extracurricular activities, we share it with our fellow alumni, like the best places to go and visit during spring and summer, the best hiking trails for those who like hiking, the best mountain to climb for beginners, the best fishing hole for avid fishermen, the best golf tournament for non-professional golfers, and other outdoor activities. And perhaps to go along with them, the best night club to pick up women. Just kidding. So please share. They may only be little things to you, but they could mean a lot for others.
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DELAY!
There is some snag in the hotel contract signing for our July 2002 alumni reunion. We'll let you all know via e-mail once it's signed by both parties and the Grand Hyatt hotel is ready to accept your reservation at a certain discount rate.
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TECHNOLOGY
Remember the Timex watch's slogan? "It takes the licking, it keeps on ticking." But soon, just a wave of your Timex watch would be as good as cash. Middlebury-based Timex Corporation is developing a wristwatch that incorporates Speedpass technology, allowing the wearer to buy everything from gas at the pump to hamburger combo at McDonald's simply by waving an arm.
The Speedpass Timex watch is equipped with a radio frequency transponder that can be linked to a credit or debit card of your choice. In Chicago metropolitan area, customers already can instantly pay at 400 McDonald's restaurants, and so also at Exxon and Mobil gas stations nationwide.
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Early Departure
Leonardo "Fluke" Flores, M.D. of the class 1972, passed away last year. Below are our way of saying:" Goodbye, Fluke. We've missed you, and we'll miss you!"
FLUKE Remembered
by Marie Belen Rosales, M.D.(Fluke's younger sister)
After graduation in 1972, Fluke joined the Manila Central University Hospital in Caloocan City as a medical resident for three years. He served concurrently as Medical Officer for Ford Philippines in Alabang and Kodak Philippines in Mandaluyong. Upon completion of his medical residency in 1975, he got married to Concepcion Bunyi and started medical practice in Alabang and Las Pinas in Metro Manila.
However, the adventurous person that he was, he closed his clinic and joined the group of Filipino medical practitioners who went to Iran in 1977 where he stayed until the revolution that toppled the Iranian monarchy got in the way. He returned to the Philippines in 1979 and worked at Dr. Florentino Solon’s Nutrition Center of the Philippines as Medical Officer for the Vitamin A research.
He left the Nutrition Center of the Philippines in 1981 to re-open his medical clinic and start his medical practice in Alabang once again. He remained actively, successfully in practice until the time of his death.
His medical practice at his clinic was ordinary. What was extra-ordinary was the hours he kept. He maintained a regular 2-hours a day, 5 days a week schedule for 19 years at his clinic in Alabang. The rest of his waking hours were spent with the poor and the downtrodden, the homeless and the beggars in the streets of Manila and suburbs. Fluke was a regular fixture at the Light Railway Transit stations in Blumentritt and Quiapo where he set up a make-shift outpatient clinic providing medical care, free-of charge, to everyone needing it. Through help from his friends and from drug companies, he was able to provide his patients with medication. Admissions of his patients to hospitals were all done “Pro Bono”. THESE HE DID WITH GREAT PLEASURE AND WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN FROM HIS PATIENTS.
Fluke died a poor man, without the material trappings of a successful medical practitioner. But he was very, very rich in friends. This, we found out when he passed on.
During the five days that he was laid in state, the funeral chapel was always full of people. Dirty and unkempt, they came anyway, to pay their last respects to “DOC” as he was called. They did not bring bouquets of expensive flowers, but they brought strands and strands of sampaguita leis. One of them, Mang Bastian, brought a “hot bowl of porridge” (lugao), because Mang Bastian said that was all he could afford to pay Fluke each time Fluke gave him his medication.
There were other stories from his patients, different stories but all the same in text and content.
 | A Written Eulogy of a Friendby a Friend"Remember that death is not to be postponed. The hour of your appointment with the grave is undisclosed. Before you die, do good to your friend; reach out as far as you can to help him. Do not miss a day's enjoyment or forget your share of innocent pleasure ... Give and receive..." - Ecclesiastes 14:12-19 |  |
Mark Twain once said, "Life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time, all your weekends, and what do you get at the end of it? ……. Death, a great reward."
Fluke, as he preferred to be called, was a good friend who would help you when he could and never expected anything in return. Those of us, who were fortunate enough to be close to him, learned many things from him particularly of the way he carried himself in his daily life. While many of us are comfortable to show and share only our "brighter side" like our strengths, skills, and other things that we are proud of and happy with, Fluke never hesitated to share everything about himself including his "darker side" like his weaknesses and even his embarrassments. His life was open to everyone as though he was telling us, if not challenging us, to read and see if we could understand and perhaps learn something.
Fluke was not just an average or ordinary man. He was talented. He played guitar like it was an extension of his arm. He also played the piano that would make you wish there were a lady to dance with under a moonlight sky. He never ceased to amaze me. He had lots of brains, not to mention balls to tell you that he didn't like what you said, or what you said was not true about someone else. During our study together in a group, he would just read for less than an hour and then he would play his guitar, while we studied until our eyes turned red. And yet, after the test, he would get the highest score among us. I kept wondering what was his secret, but I did not ask him because I wanted to observe and learn it by myself. Then I finally realized that it was not how long or how many hours and how hard we studied, but how much we understood what we were studying. Fluke did not spend much time on topics he had a hard time understanding. Thus his brain was always receptive to what was being put in. And what was being put in, his brain retained.
I am one of the few who was not surprised when I heard that Fluke topped the October 1973 Philippine Medical Board Exam. It was just like him. He would simply waltz through an exam and walk away with the first prize or the highest score. It was like winning the fair maiden or the girl of your dream not with boldness, but with brilliance; with the brains, not with the heart. He would frustrate those who didn't know and understand him that well. He would make them gasp with incredulity.
To paraphrase a lyric of a song of one of my favorite classic song artists, Don McClean, although there are only three men that I have admired most - the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost - I had learned to admire Fluke. He made me do a lot of thinking. Fluke knew a lot more of what life is all about that many of us didn't even have the clue. He lived and enjoyed his life like every day was his last day. Yet he reached out to all his friends and never hesitated to offer and give favor even if not asked for. If there is such a thing as freedom in life, my friend, Fluke, definitely had it. He was worry-free and guilt-free. He lived the way he wanted to as long as he didn't hurt anyone, not the way others or anyone would want and tell him to. What others thought and said about him, he didn't give a damn. Fluke didn't allow any of the buts, ifs, and whens to handicap his own pursuit of enjoyment. He seemed to have realized earlier in life what Mark Twain had implied in the above quote. That no matter how we live our life, how much we struggle, or how clever we are to show our strengths, skill and achievements, and hide our weaknesses, shame and embarrassments, the end result, or the great reward is the same for every one of us, and that is - death.
Rest in peace, my friend.
Cle
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"Somewhere in the world there is defeat for everyone. Some are destroyed by defeat, and some made small and mean by victory. Greatness is in one who triumphs equally over defeat and victory." - John Steinbeck
"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." - Dan Stanford
"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." - Oprah Winfrey
"I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate …… to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." - Leo Rostein
"Death and life, failure and success, hunger and thirst, and many other things - these are the operation of our appointed lot …. But they cannot be allowed to disturb harmony." - Confucius*********************
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NOTE: For those who have been sending jokes, thanks so much. But I'm taking the privilege of choosing which jokes to publish. I choose the ones that I believe many of our fellow alumni haven't heard them yet. This note will not be repeated. So please understand that Brain Waves is grateful for your contribution of jokes in the past, the present and into the future.
A moro salesman in the Philippines was selling the picture of The Last Supper with full caption - Christ and his twelve apostles. The potential buyer noticed that instead of only a total of 13 persons in the picture, there were fourteen. Being a devoted Christian, the buyer was furious because to him, it was an insult to Christian religion particularly that the salesman who was selling the picture was a Muslim.
The Muslim confirmed and accepted the fact that there were fourteen persons. To keep the buyer from getting so mad, and without jeopardizing his credibility, he cursed: "Bo-ang kanang waiter! Ni-apil sa letrato!"
A boy went to visit his mother in the hospital and to see his new baby brother. While there, he slipped into an adjoining ward and started talking to a woman with her leg in traction.
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"Six weeks," she replied.
"Can I see your baby?"
"I haven't got a baby."
"Gee, you're slow. My mum's only been here two days but she's got one!"
"Johnny," scolded the small boy's mother, "your face is clean but how did you manage to get your hands so dirty?"
"Washing my face," replied Johnny.
A father spotted his four-year-old daughter out in the backyard brushing the family's dog teeth.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm brushing Bruno's teeth, " she replied. "But don't worry, I'll put your toothbrush back, like I always have."
Bored out of his mind, a small boy was playing up in church during the Sunday morning service. His constant chattering and whistling began to upset other worshippers. Finally his father lost patience and dragged him out of the church. On the way out, the boy called loudly to the congregation: "Pray for me!"
A boy wandered into a pet store and asked for a quarter's worth of birdseed. The store assistant smiled at this odd request and asked: "How many birds do you have?"
"None yet," said the boy, "but I'm hoping to grow some."
A little girl was attending a church service with her mother when she started to complain that she was feeling unwell.
"I think I need to throw up," said the girl.
"Well, go outside," said the mother, "and use the bushes by the front door of the church."
The little girl went off but was back less than a minute later.
"That was quick," said the mother. "Did you throw up?"
"Yes, but I didn't need to go outside," replied the little girl." I used a box near the door that says "For the sick".
A Scotsman on a visit to Chicago was attending his first baseball game. After a base hit, he heard the fans roaring "run, run." So when the next batter made a good hit, the Scotsman joined in the shout of "run, run."
Keen to show how quickly he had picked up the rules of the game, the Scotsman rose to his feet when the third batter slammed a hit and led the chorus of "run, run." The next batter held his swing at three and two, and as the umpired called a walk, the Scotsman stood up alone and yelled "run, run." As everybody around him began to snigger, the Scotsman sat down in embarrassment, totally confused.
The person in the next seat leaned over and explained: "He doesn't have to run, he's got four balls."
The Scotsman immediately stood up and shouted: "Walk with pride, man."*************************
 | WELCOME! |  |
Our CIM alumni e-mail community is definitely growing faster than we've ever dreamed of. But there are still many of our colleagues who have yet to be touched or thrilled by the prospect of being informed and updated of the whoop and warp and the jigs and jags of our association. Thus we still have a lot more reaching out and touching to do. Any help is greatly appreciated.
In the kingdom of our hearts and minds, all of us from CIM should be aware of the kind of stuff we are made of. Because we, from CIM, are simply different. Personally, we are easy to get along with, we are cheerful and friendly, and devoid of hostility and animosity. We rock with charity, roll with compassion, rattle with jokes, and roar with laughter and humor. We are sometimes lavish just to have some fun, but we don't go beyond the bounds of sanity to the borders of vanity.
Intellectually, we have brilliance without the arrogance. We are capable, and we are willing to batter, blister and bruise, but not booze our way to achieve. We make our own decision, measure ourselves by our own standard, and respect our own judgment. We are modest, in fact, too modest sometimes to the point of being naïve that we would rather pass and ignore than accept and enjoy the pleasure of sharing and showing our own achievements and those of our family or children. This is our weakness. All of us are entitled to be proud of who we are, what we are, and what we have achieved. Showing and sharing our achievements are not aggrandizing our talents and abilities, nor glamorizing our professional and personal lives. What we are doing is only trying to enjoy the pleasure of what we deserve. If we want to feel good about ourselves, we have to learn to honor our own achievements and those of our family or children, for they are our best contributions to society. They were not given to us. We earned them. And it's a mistake to think that by enjoying the pleasure we deserve, it is tantamount to inflating our ego or our pride. Keeping it to ourselves won't change the kind of person we are, neither would it make us feel good about ourselves.
A Russian proverb says: "We do not love people because they are beautiful but because they seem beautiful to us because we love them."
To us, ASOCIMAI officers and board members as well as the staff of Brain Waves, you're all beautiful and we love you. If you notice, while officers and members of other alumni associations are busy maneuvering themselves to position for power and prestige, we, from ASOCIMAI, are contented with simply trying to make a difference, and it is more than enough to stir us to action, not procrastination; to make us want results, not excuses. While others spend a lot of their time settling conflict that seems to sprout one after another, we, from ASOCIMAI, spend our time thinking and doing something to try to captivate, charm, cajole, fascinate, enrapture, entertain, enchant, or just make every one excited. While others consider what they are doing for their association as a sacrifice, we consider ours as a reward. It's because others look at what they have done for their association in terms of what they have lost, while we look at ours in terms of what we have gained. What we are doing for our association makes us think new thoughts, dares us new actions, and most of all, it makes us feel good about ourselves because we are doing something to feel good about. Also, we believe that happiness is not the result of getting everything we want, but of doing something worthwhile. So while others serve and suffer, we enlighten, inspire and enjoy. We love what we are doing because we love all of you. No kidding.
So if you're really proud and happy of being CIM alumni, then it's hard to imagine how you could resist from being an active member of our ASOCIMAI and from joining with us in our community. However, if you happen to be the exception, not the norms, who continue to nurture grudges, resentments and disappointments of years ago and thus prefer to isolate yourself from your colleagues and not want to be a part of our association and community, then may be now would be a good time to re-evaluate the kind of stuff you're made of. Having a continued unpleasant feeling toward our association or even if only toward some of its officers and members, it's hard to believe that the kind of stuff you're made of is not contaminated. We have no reason not to be certain that after an honest and sincere re-evaluation, you are going to seriously consider joining with us, your colleagues, in one big happy family. If somehow you have any doubt at all that our means of communication and information - our newsletter CIM Brain Waves - won't last long, let me assure you by saying this: "You ain't seen nothing yet!" So come, join with us! You'll be glad you did.
New members, welcome to our parlor. You can either be the spider or the fly. You choose. Good. You choose neither. Now welcome to our CIM alumni e-mail community. Allow us to assume that you join with us because you care about our association and certainly, our community. Being CIM alumni means something to you. You are one of those who, when asked by someone what medical school in the Philippines you graduated from, you would answer in an instant with pride and passion and without a bit of hesitation: "Cebu Institute of Medicine! or CIM!" You want to be updated on where we are and where we are heading. Don't worry. You'll know every move we'll make and every step we'll take. Just keep an eye on your e-mail at least every three weeks. We'll provide you, not just information, but inspiration, insight, entertainment and enlightenment. You don't have to agree with our intellectual and philosophical ideas or opinions. We provide them for you to ingest, digest and perhaps challenge, not change, the way you think, or provoke, not revoke, your thought and imagination. We are just hoping, not expecting, that they guide and inform, stimulate and soothe your mind.
Now how about sharing what's in your mind? Come on. Let loose and let go what's in your mind. Give yourself a break. Express your opinion whatever it is; share your knowledge and idea, and show your imagination. This is not an invitation to an ego trip. You and I know that we, from CIM, have an ego that doesn't need to take a trip. It is fully contented where it is. So give it a try. We, of Brain Waves are open-minded, and so with the officers and board members of ASOCIMAI. You'll be surprised to know that if nothing else, you and us can agree to disagree. So throw us your fast and curve balls, and we'll do our best to bat them. If we strike out, no hard feelings. But please don't let us just walk with four balls. With four balls, it's hard to "walk with pride, man."
THE NEW MEMBERS:
Diana S. Amores, M.D. Class 1963 | Rene P. Pena, M.D. Class 1965 |
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PLEASE NOTE: Those CIM alumni from outside the U.S. and Canada, especially the ones from far away countries like the Philippines, if you are coming to our alumni reunion in Washington, D.C. in July, once your trip is definite, please let us know. We want to publish your name in our newsletter so that your friends, fellow alumni and cousins will know about your coming. If they want to see you, our alumni reunion will be the best occasion for such meeting. We want you to have the opportunity to meet as many of your friends and fellow alumni as you can. I'm sure they will be excited to see you, and you will be thrilled to see many of them. We already know two alumni from the Philippines who are definitely coming, but we'll put their names and hopefully of some others, in the next issue of our newsletter.
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We Were Then...
 | A struggling resident physician 25 years ago, Ray Castillejo, M.D. of Class 1972 with his beautiful wife, Emma and their little one who doesn't seem too happy with the camera unless there is an ice cream afterward. This must have been summer time. Did you get the ice cream, Ray? Is that the Nova Hatchback you were driving? When we came to the U.S. a little more than 25 years ago, the first car most of us had, cost only a little more than $3,000. Now, that $3,000 is just enough for a good road bike. I bet Ray's pair of pants was still one of those he brought from the Philippines. Pssst....Ray! how many years before your pants started getting too tight in the waist? It's okay, Ray. You're not alone. Some of us didn't take long. It's part of life. Wider waist gives you more of yourself to love, admire and appreciate. |
We Are Now...
 |  | Alex Rodriguez, M.D. Class 1973 with wife, Elizabeth, daughter, Elizabeth Danzette Allbrandt, son, Alexander King and son-in-law, Roger Allbrandt. | Alex, a proud grandpa carrying his grandchildren, Ryan Parker and Georgia Kate. Ain't they heavy, grandpa? It has been said that the best and cheapest babysitters are the grandparents. Ain't that the truth? |
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Although not very many of them, you must have noticed that there are people who remain buoyant, enthusiastic, and optimistic even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. They seem to be always "whistling a happy tune" as though the sun is always shining and life is always good no matter what the situation is. They are calm, cool and collected when face with a major problem. They never run out of smiles like they have an abundant supply of them.