If there are two gadgets that I deemed very important for me, these are probably my digital camera, and my voice recorder. I know this is a lot more different than what other people might consider as their favorite gadget, like their mobile phones, but for me these gadgets are necessary for my job as a doctor.

Everyday I meet different kinds of patients with different diseases or illness. And in order for me to diagnose very well my clients’ signs and symptoms, I need to take pictures of wounds, lacerations, skin rashes, and other defects in the body. These photographs will aid me to determine the appearance of my client’s body part, and eventually come up to a conclusion of what kind of disease he or she is suffering. The voice recorder is also essential, especially when I am interviewing my patients regarding their medical history or the history of their current illness. It is helping me know the subjective signs and symptoms through the verbalization of my patients, like the pain they felt, or what they think about their present condition.

When I go home, I review the photographs, as well as the recorded dialogue between me and my patient. It is very helpful because I can make the exact diagnosis, especially that I face different kinds of clients everyday, and I do not have a chance to remember everything what they will be presenting to me of their illnesses. So this is why my digital camera and voice recorder are very necessary for my job as a doctor, and I will be holding for these stuffs as long as I am practicing my profession.

I have seen how my daughter, Karen, grow. In the past nineteen years, she has achieved a lot of things in school, and in her life as an athlete. She has turned to be the ideal daughter I desired for, even if his father and I weren’t so strict about her decisions in life.

We allowed her to experience the things she wanted to undergo. In fact, she indulged herself in alcoholic drinks, and became a smoker in some points of her life. We never scolded her, or grounded her for her acts, but we only spoke to her sincerely and asked her of what she felt about the things she has been doing. We listened carefully to her verbalizations. After she had spoken, we presented the advantages and disadvantages of alcoholic drinks and cigarettes. And then she promised to quit.

At present, she is living a life of decency, and with responsibility. I am proud of my daughter who wanted to be a doctor like me. I will be supporting her dreams to become a gynecologist. But before she head for a jumpstart on her career, I will be preparing a simple party for her twentieth birthday. No, it won’t include balloons, flowers, or even a tall birthday cake that every teenage girls would dream of. There will be no guests invited, not even her closest friends. It will only be between the three of us – her father, her, and me. That big day will be a celebration of how grateful Ralph and I of having a daughter like her, and that her existence in our life as a couple is a blessing. I know that it will be the best dinner birthday party we can give to our beloved daughter.

What does the end of the Christmas season means for me? Well, it is all about being back to work. Or is it? If you have decided to take the Hippocrates Oath, and enter the medical profession, you should accept for your self that your life would be busy for the rest of your days. I am a doctor, specifically I am a Cardiologist. I am also a woman, a wife to Ralph, and a mother to my daughter, Karen.

Every Christmas, I would go home late from my duty, especially when I have severe cases to face in the hospital. After a few hours, I would be back to attend to a different case. Worst, there are also times that I would show off in front of my family on the morning of Christmas day. But even though these would be an uncomfortable way to celebrate the Christmas season, I am happy that my husband and my daughter understood me a lot, and they would even give me presents with so much love on it.

When the holiday ends, or even before it ends, I would have several schedules for operation. Sometimes, I need to attend to an insertion of an aortic shunt for patients who have infracted heart conditions. Some other times, I need to have three schedules of cardiac bypass to perform. But then again, that is a doctor’s life. I have accepted it whole-heartedly. And for me, the holiday never ends, because I am saving a person’s life from peril, and it makes everyday a Christmas day.

I never liked cooking. That is the only place at our home that I have a hard time keeping up. I can play all day with Karen or talk to Ralph at any time that he prefers but when it comes to going to the kitchen and cook for them, I felt hat my knees are trembling.

I am not that bad of a cook. I can cook some nutritious meals for my family but there are only a few dishes that I really know. This is my trouble in the kitchen. I tend to be too picky with all of the ingredients and I make sure that what my family eats are healthy foods that are good for their health. But once in a while I treat them to pizza and other party foods so that they would not get tired of my cooking.

But I want to learn to cook other meals for them. They also deserve other types of meals and I know I should continue cooking for them if I want to make sure that they eat healthy foods. I try to read other recipe I found in books and read some tips in the Internet. Now, in my vacant hours, I try to study more on cooking so that my little trouble in the kitchen would be lessen and solved.

We are aware that we need the right foods so that our body would function the right way. We should stick with that and like me, you can start studying and adding the actual knowledge that you have so that we will all be healthy always.

A doctor’s life revolves around the twenty-four hours of the day; seven days a week. You do not know when you can rest your exhausted mind and body, and for how long. That is why, when I am considering for the perfect family getaway together with my husband Ralph, and my daughter, Karen, I would most certainly opt for an out-of-the -country experience.

The last time we went for a family trip was three years ago in Vietnam. We toured around Hanoi, and in several provinces in that country, such as in Nah Trang. I bought different Vietnamese delicacies, as well as, their famous costume, the Ao Dai. This year, my plans will again be in an Asian country, because I do love that part of the world. The number one destination currently in my list is Thailand, because I’ve heard great things about it.

There are different things I expect in that country, like their white sand beaches, the golden statues, and the spicy food. I also want to discover different creatures, and of course taste their famous dragon fruit. Furthermore, I want to witness the colorful Thai culture, especially their dances and music.

My husband is happy about my plans, even though he wanted to go somewhere in Europe, such as in France and Italy. But then again, I am the one who experiences a lot of stresses throughout the year, so I am the one whose wishes will be granted. I am also sure that my daughter will be happy about having a trip to Thailand, because she will again take many pictures of the sites for her scrapbook.