1. Exercise
- Stretch, yoga, walk, run! I am not getting any younger. I need to take better care of my body and my health, not only for my sake, but for the sake of my children.
2. More time with the kids
- More face-to-face time, not just over the phone when I’m away. or glancing over my shoulder as I busily type on my computer. Not just homework time. More fun times.
3. Patience
- Control temper. Hold my tongue. Keep my eyeballs from rolling.
4. Less whining
- I will refuse to complain about things that cannot be helped (as most things are). I will learn to actively find solutions to problems. I will pray more about my concerns.
5. Prayer and Scripture time
- Religiously. Every day.
6. Devotion to my spiritual masters
- Attend novena to St. Jude more regularly. Read and learn more about Saint Paul and Saint Therese of Lisieux
7. Time for interests
– Allot more time for things that I find enjoyable - crafts, reading, blogging/writing, guitar. And spend less time on the internet.
8. Generosity
- To be more generous with my time, talent, and treasure (especially to my mother, my sister, the whole family, and people in need).
9. Be proactive
- Become (more) proactive with regards to my practice/career. In the vernacular : “magsipag-sipag; hindi puro hiya”
10. Be a better wife and daughter.
- Be more loving, more tolerant, more appreciative, more grateful, and less talkative.
11. Sleep early, rise early.
- I am not a morning person by nature. Now that my schedule is more flexible, I have to take extra effort to rise early as the benefits are countless.
12. Study.
- Spend more time to actively read, learn, update myself and further my knowledge. For my sake and for the sake of my patients (and students). “It is not enough to do your best; you must first know what to do, and then do your best” – W. Edwards Deming
Most important of all: Smile. Thou shalt not stress.
“Let us strive to improve ourselves, for we cannot remain stationary; one either progresses or retrogrades.” – Mme. Du Deffand
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Indecision
You know what exhausts me the most? It’s not loads of work. It’s not traffic jams. It is INDECISION. Nothing can be more draining than mulling over a choice, especially if it entails choosing between good and good.
In my experience, it doesn’t have to be as life-changing as choosing one’s place of practice. Even mundane things such as which blouse to wear, or choosing whether I should go ahead with my errands today or tomorrow, never fail to zap me of my energy.
The thing becomes doubly hard when indecision is coupled with procrastination. Then it becomes much more of a burden. And guilt inevitably follows. And after I finally get to decide what to do, which to pick, or just to go ahead, jump in, and do whatever it is that needs to be done… the feeling of relief is so immense that I end up smacking myself on the forehead and saying, “So, it’s not that hard after all… silly me!”
In my experience, it doesn’t have to be as life-changing as choosing one’s place of practice. Even mundane things such as which blouse to wear, or choosing whether I should go ahead with my errands today or tomorrow, never fail to zap me of my energy.
The thing becomes doubly hard when indecision is coupled with procrastination. Then it becomes much more of a burden. And guilt inevitably follows. And after I finally get to decide what to do, which to pick, or just to go ahead, jump in, and do whatever it is that needs to be done… the feeling of relief is so immense that I end up smacking myself on the forehead and saying, “So, it’s not that hard after all… silly me!”
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Lessons From Our Daily Journal
Notes from my 2009 Our Daily Journey (before I finally put it away):
January 3
• Make a beaten pathway. Come to Me. Make it your practice to approach Me over and over again.
• Regardless of your situation, circumstances, or state of health, God is ready to work powerfully in you and through you.
January 6
• Attack problems, not people.
“You have heard that it has been said, ‘you must love your neighbor and hate those who hate you.’ But I tell you, love those who hate you. (Respect and give thanks to those who say bad things to you. Do good to those who hate you.) Pray for those who do bad things to you and who make it hard for you”.
- Matthew 5:43-44
• The secret of abundance is found not in what we have, but in what we enjoy (or are thankful for).
February 5
• Don’t pick fights.
• You can have the right convictions and be right on the issue, but your heart and your attitude can be wrong. There’s nothing uglier than someone with a right position but an arrogant attitude.
April 20
• Interruptions
• Although it is wise to plan, we need to be ready to accept God’s unexpected interruptions in our lives.
“For I know the plans I have for you… plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” – Jeremiah 29:11
• “You must remember that our God has all knowledge and all wisdom, and that, therefore, it is very possible He may guide you into paths wherein He knows great blessings are awaiting you, but which to the short-sighted human eyes around you seem sure to result in confusion and loss.” – Hannah Whitall Smith
April 29
• Get busy! You will know when you are using your gifts when you feel joy in your service, when others affirm your work, when your efforts bear fruit, and when you have energy for the task.
May 9
• Prayer to the soul is what exercise is to the body.
• The person who studies the Bible without praying will develop a good mind with a cold heart. The person who prays without knowing Scripture will consistently pray outside the will of God, for that is where His will is revealed.
May 13
• “Mourning may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning”. – Psalm 30:5
May 31
• Abundant Blessing
• Righteousness is shedding all of the things that make you miserable and embracing fully the path that God has laid out that leads to peace, joy, and fulfillment.
• If you are a loving, humble, giving person, filled with peace and joy, then you are one of the happiest people in the world indeed.
June 21
• What’s a stronghold? It’s something that consumes so much of our mental and emotional energy that abundant life is strangled – our callings remain unfulfilled and our lives are virtually ineffective.
• The goal of our warfare is to steal back our thought life and take it captive to Christ instead. (2 Cor 10:5)
July 9
• Commitment translates into faithfulness to Christ each moment of every day.
August 4
• Because we know God loves us, we are willing to accept His plan for us, even though that plan includes discipline and hard times.
November 30
• Life can be rushed… but you can slow it down. Remember – you set your own pace.
January 3
• Make a beaten pathway. Come to Me. Make it your practice to approach Me over and over again.
• Regardless of your situation, circumstances, or state of health, God is ready to work powerfully in you and through you.
January 6
• Attack problems, not people.
“You have heard that it has been said, ‘you must love your neighbor and hate those who hate you.’ But I tell you, love those who hate you. (Respect and give thanks to those who say bad things to you. Do good to those who hate you.) Pray for those who do bad things to you and who make it hard for you”.
- Matthew 5:43-44
• The secret of abundance is found not in what we have, but in what we enjoy (or are thankful for).
February 5
• Don’t pick fights.
• You can have the right convictions and be right on the issue, but your heart and your attitude can be wrong. There’s nothing uglier than someone with a right position but an arrogant attitude.
April 20
• Interruptions
• Although it is wise to plan, we need to be ready to accept God’s unexpected interruptions in our lives.
“For I know the plans I have for you… plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” – Jeremiah 29:11
• “You must remember that our God has all knowledge and all wisdom, and that, therefore, it is very possible He may guide you into paths wherein He knows great blessings are awaiting you, but which to the short-sighted human eyes around you seem sure to result in confusion and loss.” – Hannah Whitall Smith
April 29
• Get busy! You will know when you are using your gifts when you feel joy in your service, when others affirm your work, when your efforts bear fruit, and when you have energy for the task.
May 9
• Prayer to the soul is what exercise is to the body.
• The person who studies the Bible without praying will develop a good mind with a cold heart. The person who prays without knowing Scripture will consistently pray outside the will of God, for that is where His will is revealed.
May 13
• “Mourning may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning”. – Psalm 30:5
May 31
• Abundant Blessing
• Righteousness is shedding all of the things that make you miserable and embracing fully the path that God has laid out that leads to peace, joy, and fulfillment.
• If you are a loving, humble, giving person, filled with peace and joy, then you are one of the happiest people in the world indeed.
June 21
• What’s a stronghold? It’s something that consumes so much of our mental and emotional energy that abundant life is strangled – our callings remain unfulfilled and our lives are virtually ineffective.
• The goal of our warfare is to steal back our thought life and take it captive to Christ instead. (2 Cor 10:5)
July 9
• Commitment translates into faithfulness to Christ each moment of every day.
August 4
• Because we know God loves us, we are willing to accept His plan for us, even though that plan includes discipline and hard times.
November 30
• Life can be rushed… but you can slow it down. Remember – you set your own pace.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Year, New Hope
There’s something inspiring and truly refreshing about the New Year. It brings along hope for the future. It offers a fresh start.
Today, I am determined to leave behind past hurts and heartaches. I will move on and not let unfair treatment and abuse cause any more pain. Right now I pause and pray for one particular person. I forgive her, and then ask God to forgive me. I take this step. I continue to move on. Each step brings me closer to brighter days.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Past Tense
Lately, I’ve been having recurring dreams with themes centered on significant people in my past. I wonder why. Some were about these people having a great interest in sharing and living their lives with me. I, on the other hand, had an excuse for not being able to reciprocate such as being engaged to be married to someone else, or simply being uninterested.
After such dreams, I find myself spending the greater part of the day thinking about these people. How are they doing now? Are they living happy lives? Where are they?
When I allow myself to indulge in such thoughts, oftentimes I end up wondering about what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. What if I had the courage to show my feelings or, at least, show interest? What if I were able to conquer my self-consciousness and feelings of inferiority? What could have happened had I dared to make mistakes and risk breaking my heart in the process? Was the game of playing it safe worth it?
Such queries bear no answers and can be very tiring. Surely, these do not make positive contributions to my mental health. I stop. I take a deep breath. And I thank God for the great love that surrounds me every single day. I am grateful for such huge blessings too many to count.
After such dreams, I find myself spending the greater part of the day thinking about these people. How are they doing now? Are they living happy lives? Where are they?
When I allow myself to indulge in such thoughts, oftentimes I end up wondering about what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. What if I had the courage to show my feelings or, at least, show interest? What if I were able to conquer my self-consciousness and feelings of inferiority? What could have happened had I dared to make mistakes and risk breaking my heart in the process? Was the game of playing it safe worth it?
Such queries bear no answers and can be very tiring. Surely, these do not make positive contributions to my mental health. I stop. I take a deep breath. And I thank God for the great love that surrounds me every single day. I am grateful for such huge blessings too many to count.
Friday, December 11, 2009
On Beauty and Aging
In high school, I took pride in the fact that I was low-maintenance. All I needed was shampoo and bath soap and that was it. A classmate asked me what I was using to clean my face and I was happy to say, “Wala, tubig lang”. For a while, I tried hopping on the bandwagon and used Biore just like all the other girls in the dorm. But it left my skin feeling so dry and taut so I threw it out.
Since last year, I have begun adding more and more products to my daily regimen. Part of aging, I should say. Just a decade ago, I thought I would not allow myself to turn into one of those women who stared at the mirror and fretted over every line and freckle. Now that I’m a little past my mid-30’s, I find myself watching out for my crow’s feet… about to make its debut, inevitably.
Here is a quick rundown of the things I try (so hard) to use on a daily basis:
1. VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Face Cover (SPF30) – during residency, I had this co-resident who so diligently applied her Banana Boat Sunblock on her face every single morning. It didn’t matter if she had only an hour of sleep the night before or that she was about to start a 36-hour-duty with no chance whatsoever of being out in the sun. She put it on. And her skin looked great. Wish I’d started using sunblock sooner.
2. Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser – I use this to clean my face. At first, it didn’t feel like it was doing any actual cleaning because it was scentless and made no foam. But I noticed that I broke out less often when I tried to wash my face with it before going to bed (I know, I know).
3. Celeteque Facial Moisturizer – my skin always has been on the dry side. But I could never have the discipline to put on moisturizer, especially since I’ve spent the latter half of my life in aircon-less dorms that could be really humid sometimes. Again, I wish I had started this sooner. Better late than never!
4. The Body Shop Wise Woman Defensive Hand Cream (SPF15) – this was a very recent purchase; got wind of it from one of my favorite blogs. Though I was often mistaken to be younger than my actual age (a disadvantage in my profession: young = inexperienced), I look in the mirror and see that my hands are probably the oldest part of my body. All those years of washing with soaps and alcohols in the hospital have left my hands dry and wrinkly. This cream, true to its promise, “nourishes and softens” without the sticky, gooey feeling that other lotions have. Again, it’s a late discovery but I hope it will be “defensive” enough to do its job.
5. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream – I seldom use this on my face because it’s kinda thick and sticky. But it really does the job so I reserve it for days that are extra cool and dry and I make sure not to use it in the days before my period. (Yes, my skin changes with my cycle and yes, at my age, I still break out on the chin pre-menstrual).
6. Apollo Petroleum Jelly – for my lips. Two words: dry and chapped. Even my kids, unfortunately, seem to have inherited this from me. Poor things. But I’ve started teaching them how to use this and even my three-year-old comes to me sometimes to ask for her “jelly ace” for her lips.
Well, this sums it up. A friend of mine gave me Origins Eye Cream. I used it for a few days but found the process of gently applying/dabbing it on the "skin around the eyes" too tedious. And it smelled like the bark of a tree so I wasn't too crazy about it. Maybe I'll change my mind when the crow's feet starts to show :p
About make-up, I started putting it on just last month. My mother almost fell on her knees to thank God when, while malling, I asked her to come help find me blush-on and lipstick. I’m such a late bloomer. Anyway, it was more of a necessity than vanity because patients were always commenting that I looked so young and “nene”. Again, as a doctor… it’s not something to be flattered about. So I had to learn the tricks of making myself look a bit more “alive” and mature. The irony of it all.
Since last year, I have begun adding more and more products to my daily regimen. Part of aging, I should say. Just a decade ago, I thought I would not allow myself to turn into one of those women who stared at the mirror and fretted over every line and freckle. Now that I’m a little past my mid-30’s, I find myself watching out for my crow’s feet… about to make its debut, inevitably.
Here is a quick rundown of the things I try (so hard) to use on a daily basis:
1. VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Face Cover (SPF30) – during residency, I had this co-resident who so diligently applied her Banana Boat Sunblock on her face every single morning. It didn’t matter if she had only an hour of sleep the night before or that she was about to start a 36-hour-duty with no chance whatsoever of being out in the sun. She put it on. And her skin looked great. Wish I’d started using sunblock sooner.
2. Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser – I use this to clean my face. At first, it didn’t feel like it was doing any actual cleaning because it was scentless and made no foam. But I noticed that I broke out less often when I tried to wash my face with it before going to bed (I know, I know).
3. Celeteque Facial Moisturizer – my skin always has been on the dry side. But I could never have the discipline to put on moisturizer, especially since I’ve spent the latter half of my life in aircon-less dorms that could be really humid sometimes. Again, I wish I had started this sooner. Better late than never!
4. The Body Shop Wise Woman Defensive Hand Cream (SPF15) – this was a very recent purchase; got wind of it from one of my favorite blogs. Though I was often mistaken to be younger than my actual age (a disadvantage in my profession: young = inexperienced), I look in the mirror and see that my hands are probably the oldest part of my body. All those years of washing with soaps and alcohols in the hospital have left my hands dry and wrinkly. This cream, true to its promise, “nourishes and softens” without the sticky, gooey feeling that other lotions have. Again, it’s a late discovery but I hope it will be “defensive” enough to do its job.
5. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream – I seldom use this on my face because it’s kinda thick and sticky. But it really does the job so I reserve it for days that are extra cool and dry and I make sure not to use it in the days before my period. (Yes, my skin changes with my cycle and yes, at my age, I still break out on the chin pre-menstrual).
6. Apollo Petroleum Jelly – for my lips. Two words: dry and chapped. Even my kids, unfortunately, seem to have inherited this from me. Poor things. But I’ve started teaching them how to use this and even my three-year-old comes to me sometimes to ask for her “jelly ace” for her lips.
Well, this sums it up. A friend of mine gave me Origins Eye Cream. I used it for a few days but found the process of gently applying/dabbing it on the "skin around the eyes" too tedious. And it smelled like the bark of a tree so I wasn't too crazy about it. Maybe I'll change my mind when the crow's feet starts to show :p
About make-up, I started putting it on just last month. My mother almost fell on her knees to thank God when, while malling, I asked her to come help find me blush-on and lipstick. I’m such a late bloomer. Anyway, it was more of a necessity than vanity because patients were always commenting that I looked so young and “nene”. Again, as a doctor… it’s not something to be flattered about. So I had to learn the tricks of making myself look a bit more “alive” and mature. The irony of it all.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Finding the Happy in Things Big and Small
My career is off to a very slow crawl. Colleagues and mentors say I need to be patient and prepare myself to endure this for the next two years.
Despite this, I have to say I’m feeling quite happy. Sure, I do not have lots of money. But I do have work (with no boss, as my sister enviously points out) AND I have time for a few of my other interests… interests that add so much more to my life.
I have time to read books at a whim; my budget is the only (minor) constraint. There is a lot of opportunity to dabble in my first love – cross-stitching. Pockets of time are used for writing short notes such as these. And I am able to browse around bookstores and on my favorite websites at a leisurely pace. Another good thing: I never expected that driving, and all the stress that came along with it, could give me a pleasant sense of freedom. There was no need to rely all the time on hubby, which is great as he’s been very busy and his schedule is unpredictable (usually). My driving has made grocery shopping less of a chore. It, as pointed out by an aunt, has made my life more flexible.
I thank God for these small changes in my life. My family and I are truly blessed.
Despite this, I have to say I’m feeling quite happy. Sure, I do not have lots of money. But I do have work (with no boss, as my sister enviously points out) AND I have time for a few of my other interests… interests that add so much more to my life.
I have time to read books at a whim; my budget is the only (minor) constraint. There is a lot of opportunity to dabble in my first love – cross-stitching. Pockets of time are used for writing short notes such as these. And I am able to browse around bookstores and on my favorite websites at a leisurely pace. Another good thing: I never expected that driving, and all the stress that came along with it, could give me a pleasant sense of freedom. There was no need to rely all the time on hubby, which is great as he’s been very busy and his schedule is unpredictable (usually). My driving has made grocery shopping less of a chore. It, as pointed out by an aunt, has made my life more flexible.
I thank God for these small changes in my life. My family and I are truly blessed.
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