Best Buy

I know it's been long overdue, I should have written about this a long time ago but it's better late than never right?

So, 3 months ago, in our FGL in HongKong, it was a shopping rendezvous and the 4 days we stayed there wasn't really enough to cover all of HK's shopping districts (and a good thing too because I had already depleted most of my life's savings on this trip). But of all the things that we had bought, this one, a kaleidoscope, stands out as the best buy. Actually, I wasn't very sold out on this at first. I mean, I've had kaleidoscopes before when I was little. We can always buy one in good ol' Philippines. But Joy insisted we should all get one as it's the best one of the lot. In the end, I did bought one, except Esmot who wasn't really swayed (she bought Buddha's instead--LOL).

And the satisfaction was irreplaceable. Right after a tiring day of sight-seeing ang shopping,
there's no better bonding moment than sitting in the park and observing the city lights under the minute lens of the kaleidoscope, the quiet night ringing with our peals of laughter. Thanks girls!

Patient-Doctor 3: Case Presentation

Our exposure to this patient was first met with apprehension. Afterall, the patient has a potentially infectious disease eventhough she is undergoing treatment. But when I first saw Cathrina, I thought she is beautiful and it is unfortunate how she had acquired pulmonary tuberculosis. She was reserved around us, but became more sociable in our subsequent visit to her home.

In our first visit to their house, we interviewed the mother underneath a guava tree outside their door. It was near dusk and the house didn't have any electricity. Cat-Cat was playing with the neighborhood children, who are also her relatives. However, she shied away from us, so we contented with getting information from her mother about their family.

The family's sole breadwinner is the father, whom, unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to interview. He is a welder and doesn't have a permanent employer. He is constantly out of the house for work. With 4 children, his daily wage often is just enough to get the family through the next day. And the mother is strictly a housewife. It would have been better if she found ways to augment the family income, and improve their living condition.

On our second visit, we were able to observe inside their house, which consisted of a living room, one bedroom, where they all sleep beside each other, a kitchen and a small toilet. It was very pitiful to see, especially since it was raining hard that day and their roof, made of nipa had holes in it.

I'm not sure if they are contented with their way of life, or has simply accepted that they were not blessed financially. The children are also still young to help, although the eldest, being 15 years old, can already help out. They have a pitiful condition, but not one which they cannot overcome if they really want to.