what is Retinal detachment?

I was pleased to see they had a neat theater there. It was noticeable how the acoustics were really designed to make the most out of a presenter’s voice. Even the whispering in the audience is well-projected! (sheesh.) So if you wanted to walk around, you could explore the space for style. The computers were stationed there already. There was a sleek monitor facing the presenter so he or she wouldn’t have to be in an awkward position to view his slides and at the same time face the audience. And what was cool was the adjustable lights via the monitor. You can adjust it yourself according to the dimness or brightness the theme of your powerpoint presentation requires. There is also a projector there. This is the one where you can put a paper on and draw or wave your hand and this is what will be seen on the big screen behind.

So what kind of presentation would have matched this setup? When I was preparing for the conference, I was worried about my powerpoint skills. I thought that mine will turn out to be too plain if I continue the way I have been doing my powerpoint presentations. So I put in a bit of effort to at least have a special background.

It turned out that the mantra of ‘keeping it simple’ was followed by almost everyone. My old style of presentations would have easily fit here. There weren’t fancy animations. There weren’t any complicated backgrounds. Many had their logos at the top or bottom and that’s it. The text is black and the background is white. Simple. Most of the more veteran speakers even had less than 20 slides.

There was a particular speaker who caught my attention though. He is a doctor of medicine probably in his 50’s or early 60’s. He walked to the front with all the confidence that mattered. He didn’t bring a powerpoint presentation with him. Instead, he had transparencies. That was fine in keeping with the black-text-white-background theme, I thought. Then he flashed his slides. Whoa. There were parts he crossed out in blue and words inserted below and above the printed phrases. The slide looked as if you printed some page for you to edit on paper. And the penmanship used to edit it wasn’t that neat as well. I closed my eyes. There were flashes of light. There were floaters. I opened my eyes. Yep, the edited page was still there. He said he had to make some modifications so that it will fit the theme of the session, e-Learning. What is so cool about the whole thing is that he was quite matter-of-factly in his way. Interesting. One day I’ll pull off something like this, too. Yep, that would have to be in an international conference, too. Hehe.My own mantra: Showmanship rules!
So much for fanciness now, I guess. No more flashes of light. No more floaters. Keep it simple is the lesson. You are the presentation.

what is a PET Scan?

I need a PET Scan NOW!!! Let’s see. Is there a new part of my brain that is going to light up?! Because I did it today. I was direction-smart today. Um… ok. I was better than the past two days.

O’ Connell was the grand destination. On my first day, I went past it. A nice old lady showed me how to get back. On my second day, the driver cued the stop on O’Connell so I hopped off the right street… at the wrong end. I had to walk the entire length to get near Trinity College. Today, I went off the bus where it is nearest to Trinity’s road. Wahaha. I have some sort of orientation already.

I had the same success going home, as well. The first time, I found myself at the other end of the road of my hotel (that road I couldn’t name as I am not yet quite sure what road it is) . The next day, I was a kilometer closer to the entrance of my hotel. Today, I hopped off exactly in front of the entrance to DCU. Yehey!!!

I am pronouncing myself a Dubliner today because of this success. Yeah right.

what is presbycusis?

Back in the Philippine General Hospital, I have had an affinity to geriatric patients. I just get too lucky to always pick them amongst the lot that lines up to be seen. And they do have a long lot of problems… and side stories… and shaking… and rambling… and shuffling… and pauses. Basically, they’ll eat your time. On one hand, I say with spite: I got another geria. I know by then, my efficiency is doomed. Yet, I just can’t stop the seeping compassion to take time to be there for them–healing in its purest sense. You know those delicate girls who suddenly fold at the site of a poor kitten in distress? That’s very much what my heart turns into with them… if I just uncover the impatient front. I can’t deny. They are special to me.

Here in Dublin, I chuckle quietly to myself as I get more and more exposed to the schema of my neighborhood as geriatrics land. Well, at least these are the people who I see hop on and off the bus near my hostel. Um… I meant shuffle and shake on and off the bus. They are a sight to behold. Irish oldies look more classically old. The men, in particular, have a leprechaunish touch with plump cheeks and brown curly beards or mustache often matched with darkly-framed glasses. They seem to be more laid back. They walk amongst the young in a busy street as if they are walking across a field of tulips amidst the crispy breeze. In contrast, the Filipino oldies seem to be toned with either poignant anxiety or a paradoxically quiet and helpless agony… with the air of musty oil blend amongst the men. What we are through colors are aging, I think. And here, it shows that tranquility about the Irish is probably the difference welfare makes. Hahaha. Or maybe, I just can see through and feel for the Filipino old and their struggles more that I tend to read more through the lines of their face.

Bah. Just the same. The old are old. And my affinity to them rings through even here. They are my bestfriends along O’ Connell Street, the main thoroughfare of Dublin. You see, I am a lost person and my poor sense of direction has literally brought me to places. I have a map… and a lot of guesswork to go with it… and a lot of asking about. I am alone and I have to be at least wary of the people who I ask. It’s enough that I am a bit wishywashy about my tourist look carrying around a map and hovering about for the street names. So I am picky about who to ask. My favorite targets… the geriatrics amongst the busy crowd. They are not in a hurry. They are less likely to muster force to hurt you. They just care and take more time to explain. They are the best navigators I must say.

I love oldies. I don’t know if they can hear me. They’re great to listen to, though.

what is UTI?

This is the story of Mercy, a Filipino caregiver in Ireland. She has worked here for 5 years now. She earns 400 euros a week. She feeds her family from here. And she hates it here.

I asked her if Dublin Zoo were any good. She said, “Ay naku. Hindi. Mas maganda pa ang Manila Zoo.” Shitness. That was scary. I was looking forward to going to the zoo. And shitness that it will be turning out to be worse than the sick, sloppy and emaciated elephants of Manila Zoo. And it has less attractions than Manila zoo’s collection of eagles, monkeys, and um… what else do we have there again? Sheesh.

She asks, “Nagagandahan ka dito?” I said yes. I said I love the bricks the houses are made of. I like the old structures. She doesn’t like it. She says, “mas maganda pa rin sa Asia.”

She goes on to say, “Ang babaduy nila dito. Yung mga nag-oopisina, parang sa mga magbubukid lang sa tin.” Hmn. Really?

An Irish tells me, medical practice here is good especially in the north when there was still a lot of violence there and the surgeons are great. Mercy says the medical doctors and dentists here are no good. And she says with bitterness that everything must be by appointment. Even if it were an emergency–“kahit mamatay ka na”, she says, you’d have to have an appointment. That is incredulous, I thought. And she claims back, “siguro yung talagang mamatay ka na yun talagang emergency, yun titingnan ka.” There. She’s just like the people who are squeamish and go to the ER and claim they have an emergency… but, really, they don’t. She goes on and says “Dati nga nung akala ko may appendix ako, 4 hours bago ako natingnan.” I was jumping at a diagnosis when she said, “masakit dito ko tapos namamanhid hanggang hita” That seemed acute in course. So I figured it was UTI. And she’s ok now. She didn’t die. I thought, at least we’re disposing such anxious patients faster in Ambu. No matter what other people say about how harsh the PGH brood is, I think that the Ambulatory care is doing well with their patch-it-now-let’s-resolve-it-somewhere-else deal. Most patients do go home in less than 2 hours. Mercy will be proud if she knew that.

Then I go on to talk about the nurses. She then snaps bitterly, “mayayabang yung mga yun dito. Mga isnabera”. Hay. How could anybody be so bitter about everything?!

I am insensitive. That shouldn’t be a question. Imagine leaving your family, being cramped in a rented 1200 euro-house with 5 other folks, taking day-offs just to spend them doing part-time job still, and opting to take a bus just so you wouldn’t pass by the stores and get sad that you have to scrimp and not buy anything you want. I asked her if she wanted to stay here for good. She laughed and said she won’t stay here for good. She’ll go back to her family. For a moment there, I thought I saw longing in her eyes. It is a hard life they live here and I hope she does have a good life. It is what she deserves. It is what the Filipino who shines through with the spirit of resilience deserves.

Mercy’s UTI reminds me so much of her life. Who has ever had urinary tract infection? It is the story of my people who walk the many cities of the world. You know the feeling of having to urinate every now and then? Sometimes it is even painful urinating. Sometimes you even have to wake up just to empty your bladder. That isn’t too comfortable. Yet you do take time to urinate. You fight against the stasis in your inner filters so that the bugs won’t thrive. And you will live through that uprising they put up with you. You drink more so as to feed the wells of your filters so that you urinate more. That gives you more discomfort. Yet, you go on. You just wish that this fighting will someday end and you are back to where you were before they bugged you. The Filipino diaspora is all about this thriving and fighting to make a life in the hopes of having good end. It is our story that I await a good end to.

Anyway, I’ve decided to still go to the Dublin Zoo. I’ve missed the Thai Zoo. I’ve lost my pictures of the Darwin Zoo. So there. I can’t miss this one even if it were worse than the Manila Zoo.