“Abide” in Baybayin Calligraphy
I haven’t done calligraphy for a while. I’ve been focusing on my academic medicine career and solidifying life as a husband and …
“First lived” Photo Series
On October 21, 2019 our first child was born. It’s been a week since his birth and my wife and I have …
“Attending” by Ronald Epstein, Mindfulness, & Prayer
I first heard of mindfulness during my residency training. As an Asian-American, doctor, and as a Christian, I was triply skeptic of …
Calligraphy, Love, and a Wedding
Baybayin calligraphy is such a beautiful script— ancient, under-appreciated, and relatively unknown even to Filipinos. Baybayin was used by ancient Tagalogs in …
Examining Princess Mononoke: Death, Medicine, and the Direct Address
What makes a person not waver in front of death? One of the best parts about movies, literature, and art in general …
Logographing the Moon
Buwan Many poems of indigenous Filipino tribes contain imagery of the moon. Below is a poem (ambahan) of the Hanunoo people from Antoon Postma’s Treasure …
Giving more than me
Some time ago, I had a patient who struggled with depression and anorexia— needing checkups, needing referrals, and needing medicines. With every …
The Flesh—Surrendered—Cancelled—
On August 24, 2014, Dr. Jerry Umanos, a Chicago pediatrician who worked at Lawndale and later continued to provide health care in Afghanistan, was …
My Bitter Pill
Steven Brill’s “Bitter Pill: Why medical bills are killing us” Bruised, stunned, winded, exhausted, frustrated. That is how I felt after reading …
Combining Typefaces
Combining more than two typefaces gives me headaches because I have no systematic method to find out what works and what doesn’t! …