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Man
simply cannot afford to be sick, especially older men
and women, because being sick is such an awful hassle
and having a lot of people you don’t even know telling
you what to do.
But the
sight of so many lovely faces clad in spotless white in
my hospital room has somehow driven away the gloom of
feeling helpless and so useless.
The good
thing about being sick is you can take things lying
down, be pampered by your family and your doctors, and
have the time to catch up on your reading.
****
Good
news for the pretty nurses here in the hospital: the
POEA reported that thousands of nurses who will be
graduating in 2010 will be needed in foreign hospitals,
particularly in
Hawaii.
This US state is experiencing a dwindling supply of
competent nurses and will be turning to the Philippines,
which supplies some 80 percent of foreign nurses to the
US.
No
doubt, many of the nurses here at the hospital will soon
be flying for destinations in the US and other parts of
the globe, bringing with them their sunny smiles, their
caring charm, and their innate efficiency and
friendliness.
Good
luck, dear girls, and carry our torch proudly and high!
****
Inside
an antiseptic hospital room you are surrounded by
lifesaving devices and gadgets, and thank the geniuses
who invented these God-given lifelines that give you
another chance to be a better person this time around.
And thank God for hospitals, otherwise we are left to
our own devices and the kindness of nature.
But what
is this about the country losing its hospitals, both
public and private, due to financial constraints and the
brain drain? This is serious and can lead to a critical
problem in general health care. From womb to tomb, we
are dependent on hospitals and medical professionals to
see us through the trying times.
We hope
that we can all, both government and private interests,
get our act together and address this looming crisis if
only to give future generations a better chance to live
a full and healthy life.
****
Sen.
Dick Gordon came out with a not-so-surprising
announcement the other day that he is offering himself
as a presidential wannabe come 2010.
Aligned
against two Manuels, a Richard seems to be an odd
adversary but he is honest enough to admit his ambition
to occupy the Chief Executive’s seat, adding that he is
running on a propeople platform and that everyone has a
“right to dream of being president.”
Don’t
forget that it is the early bird that gets the worm. On
the other hand, it is the early worm that gets eaten
first. Well, Dick can always take care of himself.
****
The
water reservoirs and the dams have diminished their
stocks and the watersheds are drying up. After a long
dry spell, the coming of a storm seems to be a welcome
bonanza because now people are praying for typhoons,
instead of cursing it.
Now a
typhoon is coming and coming in style—in a “Chedeng.”
No, it’s not on a Mercedes-Benz, it’s the name of the
typhoon—“Chedeng.” And before it is gone, we have
another one coming in and threatening us with more rain.
In the
Philippines, when it rains, it pours, and we can always
expect Mother Nature to overdo it. Get your raincoats
and umbrellas on standby, get ready for the floods, the
landslides the brownouts.
School
officials better ready those “no-classes” announcements
early and spare the children. We may need the rain but
we also have to pay the piper for it.
****
I woke
up early Monday and was greeted by a number of newspaper
headlines announcing the President’s support for this
writer, saying that Her Excellency is standing by her
justice secretary and brushed off speculations of my
replacement.
When one
finds himself in distress, it is the time when such
pronouncement of friendship, loyalty and support counts
most. It is a pronouncement of trust and confidence, of
endearment.
Thank
you, Madam President. |
