Joey M.D.

I am Tsinay.  While I am of pure Chinese blood, having 2 immigrants as parents, I am born and raised in the Philippines.  As such, I am neither fully Chinese nor fully Filipino.  I am fluent in Filipino, English and 2 Chinese dialects (Fukien and Mandarin).
I am a doctor, and I love what I do.  [...]

Congratulations!  You’ve finished your medical education and are well on your way to being the doctor you dreamed of.  You’re now looking at the world through rose colored glasses, where everything looks bright, shiny and new.  Enjoy this feeling!  It’s your achievement and you deserve it!
Do understand, however, that the world doesn’t hand you everything [...]

I know I’ve been remiss in updating this blog, even missed a few editions of The Blog Rounds. Worse, I was supposed to host one edition of the Blog Rounds last December but missed it completely. Arrggghhh!
Anyway, this is a “make-up” post for The Blog Rounds.
I’ll be frank, there are a lot of [...]

He’s not really one. The pics above were taken when he was much much younger, at less than 1 month. (He’s now 3 years old)
But he sure knows when and how to turn on the waterworks. Just last night, I was trying to put him to sleep and he didn’t want [...]

I’m now a few years shy of what is considered “middle age”…and I’m earning just enough for my needs.  This is a lot to be thankful for, but I realize that I should not earn “just enough” for me and my family.  I should also earn more so that I can eventually retire without having [...]

Population growth has always been  a problem of our country, and large family size are always problems for the parents who barely make enough to support their brood.  What could we do?
The most reliable way NOT to get pregnant is to practice abstinence.  That means if you do not want to get pregnant, just don’t [...]

In an unprecedented and controversial move, the UP College of Medicine (the state’s subsidized premier medical school) through its UPCM College Council, approved overwhelmingly the proposed Return Service Mechanism for its UPCM graduates during the council’s March 11, 2008 meeting. (See the details of this new UP Medicine Admission Policy here).
Truthfully, I did not [...]

The mother with dark circles around her eyes looking worriedly at her sick baby. The husband lovingly accompanying his obviously-about-to-give-birth wife. The daughter who sleeps night after night in her father’s sickroom.
For most Asians, including Filipinos, it is unthinkable for a sick person not to have a bantay during those moments. These [...]

When I was still in college, my professors have already warned us girls that we need to have a GWA of at least 2.0  more or less have a sure spot in UST Medicine. The guys, on the other hand, need only a GWA of 2.25.  (1.0 being the highest, 3.0 is just barely [...]

There are a lot of bloopers in shows featuring medical doctors. For doctors like us, such bloopers may be bordering on comedic. I’ve pointed some of these bloopers to my (non-doctor) brother and his response was that it was just a show, people won’t really remember the details of what the doctor did. [...]