Grace, Eye MD

A couple of weeks back, I got a text message from Sam that said something like, "Honey, I am so sad. I had a patient who is a laundry woman and fell 2 steps on her back.Luckily, no bone was broken.  She earns Php2400 a month, and pays Php700 for rent in a squatters area near the riles.  She takes care of her 2 grandchildren, whose father is in jail.She has 8 other children who don’t support her. So she has a budget of Php57 a day to feed three people."  Sobrang nalungkot ako when I got this message from him, and I could feel his depression all the way here.  Pati ako, na-depress :(  So when I started reading the following message from him kanina, I was like, "Oh no, another depressing sob story about Sam’s patient."  It read: "I just saw the most kawawa traffic aide of the MMDA. His surname is Panti!" Nyahahahahaha! You gotta hand it to Sam!

My boss brought us for late lunch to a nice cozy restaurant called Upper Room along Bukit Timah (think Forbes Park, Singapore style). It served British food like steak and mushroom pie, etc.  What caught my eye in the menu was "Bangers and Mash".  What immediately came to mind was a grungy rock group complete with untidy long hair and the requisite electric guitar. When I read through the menu, it was apparently sausages served on top of mashed potatoes, with onion gravy and greens. I got the German Bratwurst and it was damned good! Bitin nga lang, kasi there were only two sausages.  But it was really good, and the potatoes and gravy were not your smooth, fastfood generic kind. It was lumpy and homemade, and very, very good!  Yum yum! Can’t wait to go back!

It’s finally September. It’s been 7 months since I got here, and the fact that it’s the BER months na, is quite comforting. Meaning, lapit na ang December and I’m going home for Christmas! Another much closer thing to look forward to is that Sam is coming home to me in a few weeks! His papers are being processed, so sana in four weeks, he’ll be here na! Buti nalang he’s coming here, otherwise, I really don’t know how to survive the rest of my training. Singapore is alright, but I’m downright miserable because other than the fact that I’m away from Sam, I’m away from my family.  Anyone who knows me well will understand why I’m so freaking miserable to be away from home.  Anyway, Wednesday na tomorrow, so it’s the middle of the week na, and soon, this week will end. Meaning, it’s getting closer and closer to the day that Sam will arrive.Yeheeeey! Pathetic as it may seem, that’s how I live my week. One day at a time, and somewhat relieved that I’m just too exhausted at the end of the day to really be too miserable (medyo miserable nalang.hehe!).  Can’t wait to see my baby monkey!