Before Going to War

Here i go again with my weird analogies. lol. I'm not actually going to any real war.



Yesterday, we had our orientation for the pre-residency program at the PGH depatment of surgery. From 51 original applicants, there were only 23 of us left. 8 more people would be cut off for there were only 15 slots available for residency. I don't know if I'll feel sad or relieved if I won't make the final cut. hehe. I have really mixed feelings about this. Dread. Anticipation. Fear. Excitement. Apprehension.

Our schedule seemd to be lifted form hell. Everyday, we have to report by 4 AM. If ever we can go home (which would be rarely), we can go home by 9PM to 10 PM. Now imagine how we have to report back by 4 AM. I'm assigned to the trauma section for the next 2 weeks, and since we'll be on call everytime, I doubt if I would be able to go home for 2 weeks. I doubt if i'll even get much sleep. An hour a day seems optimistic. I probably won't have time to take a bath either. lol. It was especially hot at the ER yesterday--- that's where I'll be most of the time. I could melt away and die. hehe. I just hope my seniors won't expect too much. Tomorrow, I would probably feel lost.

Since the oathtaking would take up my whole day today (because I'll sleep immediately afterwards), technically, yesterday was my last free day, the day before going to war. I finally cleaned up my room... I'd hate to leave it in such a mess. I finally kept those review books that were still scattered all around. Finally picked up my white blazer--- which had an odd fit... or maybe I'm just not used to wearing one. :) Checked my mail, emailed a few friends. Paid my bills. Took a nice long bath (hehe). Got a haircut, back to short hair again. And finally, I went to the gym for one final time (at least for a month).

On the way home, I decided to take the jeepney, which always puts me in a pensive mood. Bad idea. The traffic was moving so slowly, and it was hot inside--- an environment not condusive for deep thinking. Then as if the heat wasn't enough, out of the blue, a quarrel was brewing right before my eyes. I'm not sure if there were pertinent events that happened before I rode the jeepney, but from what I observed, the 2 snooty passengers seated across from me started it. The driver merely asked them where they rode the jeepney, and where they will be dropped off. The old lady gave her answer, but with a certain intonation and an added remark, which roughly translated to "any complaints?" The driver seemed pissed off, which I thought was understandable. He said he asked them nicely, he didn't deserve such an answer. A previous passenger didn't pay him enough fare, so he's asking each passenger those questions. I didn't mind though, i thought it was standard procedure. But the old lady remarked that they wouldn't shortchange him because they had a lot of money. wow! that's one snooty old lady. The driver answered back, then the old lady's daughter (or maybe grandchild) kept saying "shut up shut up". The old lady began talking in english also. Geez, what snobbery. When conversing with a local who obviously only knows the local dialect, answering in english is the sure fire way to show that you're better than him. Typical snobbery. Voices were getting louder, almost shouting. The lady then threatened to kill the driver if he won't shut up. She was even making certain actions, taunting the driver to try and hurt her, then she would kill him. Er--- O-kay. I wanted to tell her to shut up. If they fought, there was no way she and her daughter would survive. Naturally, the driver got pissed and almost reached for the woman, but his wife, who was seated beside him, stopped him. She then pleaded with the snooty passengers to stop it, thy were the ones who started the whole thing in the first place. They still continued taunting. The driver was getting something from his pocket, which looked like a pocket knife, but his wife stopped him. This was war alright, which could turn bloody. I thought I would be exposed to trauma 2 days early! After a few minutes everyone calmed down. But when the 2 snooty passengers were about to get off, the driver suddenly pressed his foot on the acceleration, so the two of them fell. This pissed them off. The old lady shouted curses, that the driver would die tonight. Her daughter lunged at the driver pulling his hair, and slapped his wife hard on the cheeks, which was uncalled for. The wife was trying to be mediator between them, for Christ's sake! I thought it was over since the jeepney moved forward--- I thought the driver would actually go down and stab the 2 women. We were again caught in a traffic jam a few meters forward, then from the distance, I saw three policemen approaching, accompanied by the 2 pissed off former passengers. You can hear them shouting from miles away. Such ingrating high pitched voices. The policemen apprehended the driver, and wanted him to go to the nearby jail with them, so he can explain his side of the story there. I believe the driver shouldn't have pressed his foot on the acceleration just when the 2 ladies were getting off--- those ladies could have been seriously injured after all, but the way the policemen talked to the driver, it was as if he was the only guilty party. If I was the driver, after spending all day in a hot jeepney, earning so little, not even enough to live decently... and then 2 snooty passeners showed up, flamboyantly showing that they're way above me--- I would've done something worse to those bitchy ladies. And my co-passengers seemed to agree with me. From what we saw, The two ladies started it, and they continually aggravated the situation. WHat was done to them was something they did deserve. One of my co-passengers tried explaining this to the police, but apparently they were not interested. We were in the old lady's neighborhood after all, their territory. I would safely assume that they will be found innocent, they will be INNOCENT victims ... and the jeepney driver will be found guilty as charged.

I didn't get a refund--- although I was still far from home, I chose to walk instead. Added exercise would be good for me. Besides, they need the spare change I gave them more than I do. What little money I gave could mean so much.

That seems to be the order in this world. When there is peace, naturally there will be war. When there is prosperity, there will definitely be poverty. When there is love, naturally there will be hate.

Many times I have wondered... is this part of God's plan? For every good, there is something bad, for every positive, there is a corresponding negative? Why?

Why can't we all just get along?