Surgeons do not cry

Arghh!!! I was like crazy last night reading a great bookmemoir about the life of a doctor and his working environment. Was crying and laughing and grinning like crazy.. =)

One fateful day, my hs batchmate sent a txt msg asking if i can check out this book in stores as he allegedly thought i was a "mall person" here in qc. As if! I am close to hating malls noh.. Im broke everytime i go out of malls. Eh kasi ang mahal na ng bilihin ngaun. If not for national bookstores (im allergic to fullybooked and powerhouse books- more expensive!) and some shopping lists for my survival, it's still far better to go to Circle watching butterflies (if there's still one) and people go biking. But he's kinda right, i do go to malls because there's no place to go to on weekends other than Circle and UPDiliman.

With all my indulgence, he even made me try to look for the book at UP Press. When he's decided, he wouldnt let you go that easy. I'd admit, i thought this pesky batchmate is pestering me. He gave me a little background about the book and convinced me that, well yeah, id be doing a saintly deed if i get that book for him as he is the aspiring to be a doctor here. Well i thought, maybe this book is really something so out of my busy schedule in the office i searched for the UP press contact no. in the morning and went to the UPbookstore in the afternoon after lunch. I repeat, im just doing him a favor. Dont give any color to that. The nerve of that man!

I texted him that the book is ready for pick up. I didnt bother him to pay me, he told me he's broke, he couldnt pay me right away, so there's no point in trying, insinuating and insulting. But i do insult him once in a while when i get a chance naman (hehe). With all his wiles via text, he once again convinced me to hand it to our common friend so he can pick it up easily. how demanding. But he thanked me anyway. You know naman me, when i do good things to other whether it's a boy or a girl, a companion or not, i feel good inside. it's just my nature. i can be teary-eyed after doing good deeds to other. It sometimes pesters me knowing im getting a bit emotional when i do it. but i love this thing about me anyway. im proud of it also.

But before i give it to him, i decided to read it per his suggestion. ANd i was not disappointed at all. Being a journal kindofa book it was, i enjoyed every part of it . i learned how pinas looked like in the eyes of doctors back then and even in the martial law regime, and his love and care for UPPGH, among others. I mean, i like memoirs of course.***

It was such an inspiring book. Though im not a medical student or aspiring to become one, it was written in a comprehensive way for the sake of those who might be allergic to medical lingo in general.

Im sure you'll like this too.

Check "Surgeons do not cry" by Ting Tiongco.


***I was reading a memoir book also a few months ago entitled "blue notebooks" set in 1800s. It is about a beautiful notorious courtesan who committed all the sins in the world (as she said it) except murder and robbery. But through her ups and downs, round and round, she finally saw the light. the time for change, it's harder of course to come out from a putrid mud once you are so dipped beneath it. But nothing is impossible with God, and so she changed. Not just an ordinary change. She worked in a missionary. She went to places of obscene and poverty-striken communities, to medical missions and health service. She even entered the nunnery. And died serving there. She confessed to a priest and as her last will asked favor from the priest to publish her diary/journals that she kept since her tender age. He kept his promise. The priest as stated in the book said that he published the book without the intention in mind to line her up as candidate for becoming a saint, but with all his reverence to Liane de Pougy's journey as a nun and a daughter of God, this is not impossible at all he said.