Melbourne to Manila

Leave a comment

From My Recent Memorable Journey to Manila
Dr Albert Leung, Rheumatologist
Western Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
(written by an inspiring young colleague, via email. posted with permission)


Over NSW, Australia on route to Manila. No matter how much of a footprint we try to carve into the ground, nature has a way of showing us the far expanse she possesses as she hides behind the distant horizon.


On approach to Manila: the mountains soar to touch the sky yet it is the sea that wins her heart – uniting as one over the hazy glow of a gentle sunset.


Over Manila: the setting sun rays dance upon the distant clouds whilst the nearby cotton clouds lumbar over the city.


Manila’s skyscrapers throw up a mighty challenge towards the sky.


Over many eons the wind and water patiently sketches lines over the arid Australian landscape.

It is true that getting a birds eye view gives us a better appreciation of how beautiful this world is and our stewardship roles in looking after our home – our only home not only for us but also for our children and future generations to come.

Cheers, Alby 🙂

Professor Josef Smolen’s Visit to PGH

Leave a comment

Last August 27, the PGH Section of Rheumatology was fortunate to have a visit from the venerable Professor Josef Smolen. He conducted a small group open discussion with the fellows of the section and the section head, Dr Ester Penserga. Other consultants in attendance were Dr. Michael Tee, Dr Jose Paolo Lorenzo and Dr Heizel Manapat-Reyes.

There were various topics discussed, but the focus was on rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Smolen also talked about the use of CDAI/SDAI and their advantages over the DAS28.

It was good exposure for everyone in the group to hear from a very much accomplished rheumatologist. Professor Smolen is co-author of several books: Contemporary Targeted Therapies in Rheumatology, SLE: A Companion to Rheumatology, Rheumatology: 2 Volume Set, and a lot more.

And like the description of him in “The Rheumatologist“, working with the good professor was indeed, fun!

Dr Michael Tee Performs a “Smolen Joint Count”

Prof Smolen signs research papers

Prof Smolen with the Section of Rheumatology UP-PGH (Consultants, Fellows and Residents)

Prof Smolen with the Section of Rheumatology UP-PGH and Pfizer Team

Rheumatology Fellows 2013

Leave a comment

Angeline Therese D. Magbitang, MD

Ana Kristina G. Rubio, MD

Allan D. Corpuz, MD

Ana Teresa S. Hernandez, MD

Juneth Ria L. Hipe, MD

Kenneth D. Tee, MD

Spreading Ourselves Too Thin

4 Comments

Funny how some of the older people would say that life is so much easier for us, the younger ones, these days, while citing that with the current technology that we have, we have ready access to all the possible information we could ever desire or need. They fail to realize the irony of the matter. Because while it is true that knowledge has increased with the advancement of mobile technology and with the internet being as common as bread and butter even to the common people, the rush and flood of information also hits each one of us daily like a 50-foot wave. We are literally drowning in information that we could barely hit surface and catch our breaths.

A few years back, on waking up, people would grab their towels and toothbrush for early morning grooming, or get the morning paper with a warm cup of coffee to start the day. Nowadays, we all grab our smartphones or tablets first thing in the morning to check for messages, emails, news, the latest Facebook post or Tweet….the list could go on. And for some, this is done over and over through the day, right through the very last minute before they retire on their beds. As a result, from the time we open our eyes to greet the day, to the moment we close them to go to sleep, our minds are constantly bombarded information, relevant or garbage. I read about a recent study that showed that in the US, the average time a person spends in front of the computer is about 13 hours. This is almost the entire waking period for many of us. I am assuming that with the stronger mobile technology that we have, and with the internet literally at the palm of our hands, those hours have probably increased.

There are probably highly productive people who have mastered the internet and social media, and have not been entrapped by it. Many of them, have actually used technology to further their causes. But the majority of us are still “victims” of the information overload. The constant bombardment of information have caused our minds to whirl and rev madly like a muscle car trying to win a drag race. But unlike a drag race that ends within a few seconds, this one just continues to loop endlessly, dragging us down, causing us to be tired chronically. Our brains are not designed to be exposed to a constant barrage of information, no matter how good or intelligent we are. For a short period of time, we may be able to cope and keep on with our work, but the constant revving will eventually wear us down and break us. The most creative minds are those who have found a way to space out, and control the amount of information they process. These are the happy productive people who are not burned out and who maintain good and healthy relationships with everyone around them. And those who subject themselves to a barrage of information and constantly work 24/7 are those who “might still be productive” but are beginning to or are already burned out, and have hurt people around them.

Doctors, like me, are not immune to this. Despite being trained to process volumes of information, we still fall victims to wave after wave of information that we are exposed to these days. Our knowledge has increased with more access to journals and scientific papers, but the avalanche of medical information that our minds need to sift weighs heavily on us. Every day, each breakthrough and discovery is analogous to wave after wave that drowns us; the information comes in faster than our minds could actually process. We have created EBM, critical appraisal, and other techniques to handle this. Still, it is so much more difficult for a doctor now that it probably was for a doctor 10-20 years ago. The tougher restrictions on information processing and release have only made it tougher on each one of us also. And flitting from one social media to the next, while trying to learn new stuff, only makes the situation worse. It’s like drowning in Manila Bay, with all the garbage around. (For this reason, I have actually minimized my use of social media, restricting it to INTENTIONAL communication with distant friends and family and posting of photographs; this keeps me from compulsively checking the latest post or tweet.)

In the end, we have attained much information – in fact, a good breadth of information. But that didn’t necessarily make us more knowledgeable, creative or wise. Only more tired, and sometimes, more confused. Wisdom and creativity is going deep. It is attaining mastery and control. It is achieved not by volume but by focus. And it needs spaces of rest and reflection, time away from information, time away from the waves, time to keep dry, in between.

With so much information at our hands, to focus is a tall order. But it is the only way to avoid the trap of spreading ourselves too thinly…

Champions at Heart

Leave a comment

Heartbreaking day…

Today, experience was overcome by youth… Age fell to athleticism…

The Spurs fell after a valiant effort to a younger Heat team…

They fell fighting to the very end…with a lot of pride and a lot of fight. They pushed youth and talent to their limits and even almost snatched a victory, had it not been for late game defense lapses.

I feel for Tim And Manu. At the twilight of their careers, they deserve a better send-off. These are good guys, on and off the court. Especially Tim, who has been the franchise’s cornerstone, someone who elected to be loyal to the team, even to the point of taking less money, so that his small market team can afford to rebuild. He never sought the limelight, though he was always a real star at heart, playing consistent top level games day in and day out for the past 16years. He had the chance to leave for bigger money in 2000, yet he elected to stay, while the Spurs attempted to rebuild around him, not through buying free agents, but through painstaking player development and good scouting of potential draft picks.

For all these, and for his efforts in the NBA Finals, especially in the final 2 games where he led the team in scoring and rebounds, a championship would have been a fitting final stamp to his Hall of Fame career.

I’ve always been a loyal Spurs fan, from the time Duncan was drafted in 1997, actually even from the time of David Robinson. I admire their classiness, the way they play beautiful fundamental basketball, their consistency, the way the organization and the players are loyal to each other, their demeanor during games, where there isn’t much hype, chest pumping, courtside strutting, trash-talking, or arrogant behavior, and their commitment to real community service. They win the hard way, with the belief that winning is not supposed to be easy, hence they treat each opponent with utmost respect. They never swing elbows. They don’t complain about team mates or salaries. They don’t get coaches fired. They model humility and grace. As Max Lucado would say, “They were classy, not sassy.”

Because of these attributes, most people find them boring.

We think otherwise.

For the past 4 Championships, we, the Spurs fans have celebrated because of these things our team has stood for, all these years. The Spurs winning made us feel that one does not have to be “big” to win. One doesn’t have to be arrogant or demanding to be able to take the big stage. The Spurs showed that players don’t have to be cheap or dirty to be effective. All through the Tim Duncan years, they have followed David Robinson, who, “never felt a need to bring attention to himself, to shimmy after a good play or point to the crowd, as if to say, “Look at me. Aren’t I something special?“” For all those years, “goodness” won. Decency and humility won.
Everybody won.

The Spurs may have lost today. But i believe, they have won everyone’s respect. From their opponents, to their haters to the loyal fans. For me, devastating day as it is, that is somewhat a consolation.

As my pal and fellow long-time Spurs fan, Dan Hernandez said, we have loved the Spurs since Ginobili still had long hair, and past that. And we will always do. Win or lose, we believe in them. We will continue to watch them play, and stay on, even when they are on the losing end.

They may not have been crowned as champions today. But for an ever-loyal fan like me, they are, and will always be.

Mitch Albom’s “The Time Keeper”

3 Comments

I read Mitch Albom’s latest novel, “The Time Keeper” tonight. It was so good, so heart-wrenching that I read it from cover to cover starting at 11pm to 2 am. And I learned a lot of life lessons. I will write about them soon. For tonight’s entry, i would just like to say that I found myself re-evaluating the way I deal with things in my life. Many times I lose a sense of awe about events, moments with loved ones and friends because i am so busy counting time, thinking that I have so little of it to spare. And when I do so, i fail to savor the moment and get lost in numericals. The book exposed that in me and made me realize that for me to truly live, i would have to forget about keeping count and just enjoy each minute as God gives me.

It’s an excellent book. I highly recommend it.

The Most Important Five Percent

Leave a comment

If you and I are going to enjoy healing and rest at our very core, we must discover and discern the top 5% of life.

85% of what we do, anyone can do: checking e-mail, answering messages, attending meetings, reading the newspaper or journals and making simple decisions. These tasks do not require an elite expertise or specialized skill. Many of these tasks can be delegated to others so we can concentrate on what’s most important to the job we have been given to do.

10% of what we do, someone with a modicum of training should be able to accomplish. After all, if we were trained to do what we do, someone else of like capability could learn how to run the computer program, solve the problem, lead the meeting, or do the tasks that we do. With appropriate schooling and experience, someone else can perform a surgery, manage an engineering project or sell real estate. Certain aspects of these activities can be assigned to trained individuals.

But the 5% of what I do, only I can do. This is the most important 5% for me. I can’t delegate these initiatives to anyone else. I can’t hire someone else to take my place in any of these activities because they require that I’m there. This 5% will determine the validity of the other 95%. This is what I had to discover and make as the epicenter of my life.

My 5% may differ from yours, but the principle is transferable to everyone – married, single, widowed, old or young. It is true for those with children, empty nesters or young couples just starting out in life.

I had to rethink what was most important to me – what God had asked me to do – and how I would restructure my life to concentrate on these priorities in my final stretch. I had to think what my last 5% would include. What were the things that only I could do and, if neglected, would affect the rest of my life.

Here’s what I wrote down:

  1. An intimate walk with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
  2. A healthy relationship with my beloved
  3. An loving family that is close to God and close to one another
  4. A life of integrity
  5. A physically healthy body and a creative soul
  6. Time to enjoy life with family and friends

These 6 items require a daily investment of my time and heart. In fact, the condition of these 6 areas will, to a large extent, determine the state of my life. If these areas are compromised, the consequences will be felt in other areas. If this 5% fell into disrepair or neglect, my life would grind to a halt until these priorities were once again restored.

The crucial 5% is what God will one day hold you accountable for.  It will not necessarily be the 85% that will shape your future, or the 10% that will build your legacy. It may impress the world, it may burnish your resume, but it won’t impress God as much as that all-important 5%. Your choice of what is most important will shape your soul.

We won’t be held accountable for how much we have done but for how much we have done of what He has asked us to do.

[EXCERPT from The Divine Mentor, Wayne Cordeiro; 6 items mine]

 

Image