Franz Marie Cruz’s Diary

We finally have electricity back at Sentro after almost 3 whole months. The elevators are working again. We have airconditioning during the day. And they’re bringing out and installing new equipment. We got brand new slit lamps with applanation tonometer or monitors attached to each in almost every clinic, indirect ophthalmoscope each in the general clinic and treatment room, autorefractors in each of the three refraction clinics, projectors, and so many other equipment I have yet to get acquainted with. Kewl!
Spent the whole day yesterday refracting patients, and by afternoon I’ve lost my cool and patience. Majority of my patients yesterday were retina patients and they’re one of the more difficult patients to refract. I sometimes spend a quarter of an hour on an eye alone and I still couldn’t get them to read up to their pinhole VA. By 3pm, the other patients in line are naiinip na and are standing impatiently outside the refraction room and I could here one complaining “nauubos and araw mo dito”. I just had to bang the door close, (eyes rolling). But I couldn’t help but get amused-irritated with one patient who when I asked to read out the letters in front, would shout out each letter as if she was a contestant in ‘Wheel of Fortune”. “Deeee!” “Efff!!!”
I finally saw “Close To You”. I couldn’t at first believe I will be shelling out P120 for that. But then it’s money well-spent. It was a very entertaining movie, couldn’t decide who was cuter (Sam Milby or John Lloyd Cruz), plus good cinematography and beautiful locations where they shot the movie in the Philippines. Ang ganda talaga ng Bohol.
Grrrr. We really have made a mockery of the 1986 Edsa Revolution. First by doing a series of it over the years (Edsa I, II, etc.) and now PGMA has declared our country as a state of emergency and suspended all rallies at the day we should be celebrating peacefully the 20th anniversary of Edsa I. Sigh. Ano ba?

i need a pedicure. i’ve been neglecting my feet for far too long now.

i can’t wait for my new laptop.  i ordered and paid for an iBook last week.

last 6 days as a PL-orbit 1st year.  i am sure to miss some of the consultants, seeing and examining patients with either a proptosed eye or one with orbital wall fractures, doing Hertel’s, MRDs and probing.  but most of all i will definitely miss working with my 2nd year too, mich.  glau, here i come.

There are moments as solo PL-Orbit 1st year when i just want to drop everything i am doing and walk out the door, when there is not enough me to do everything all at the same time.  but there are also moments when i am happy examining patients at the OPD or at the wards. still can’t imagine myself setting up practice 5 years from now.  there are just so many young ophthalmologists in manila, i don’t think i’m ready for the "competition".  taking residency at Ophtha in PGH was just a dream, a vision i had as a clerk. 

i’ve 2 weddings to attend to next month.  the 1st one is of my cousin’s, Kuya Carlo. finally.  the second 1 will be the first wedding amongst my college friends, Maela.  i do hope my sched will permit me to join both festivities.