Every day, physicians answer the call to heal. We spend countless hours in the emergency room, operating rooms, and patient wards, carrying the responsibility of caring for others through their most vulnerable moments.

Today was different.

Today, we stepped away from our usual: charts, and duty schedules. We traded the familiar sounds of monitors for laughter, conversations, and moments of quiet reflection. It was a day dedicated to healing the healers—a chance to pause, reconnect, and remember that behind every physician is a person who also needs rest, support, and renewal.

The demands of medicine often require us to give so much of ourselves. Yet to continue caring for others with compassion and excellence, we must also care for our own well-being. This day allowed us to unwind, recharge, and strengthen the bonds that unite us not only as colleagues, but as friends and fellow travelers in this challenging profession.

As we return to our patients and responsibilities, we do so with renewed energy, clearer minds, and grateful hearts. Because healing is not only for those we serve—it is also for those who serve.

Today was a reminder that taking time to rest is not stepping away from our mission; it is preparing ourselves to fulfill it even better.

November is no doubt the busiest month of the year for me. This month, I turned a year older and I'm happy with how I spent my day with friends and family. I felt loved by the people who matter to me, and that's all I need. I spent the day with Marigold, one of my closest friends since freshman year of college. We had late lunch in a newly-opened cafe near my house. I wrote a separate post about it in this page. 

Lately, I've been building a habit of making collages about my days. I don't have much to say in this blog post; life's been mundane lately, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but I did add in short captions. Enjoy.

Mamang turned a year older too. She celebrates her day every 24th of November. This year, I made a bouquet of red roses from ribbons- a little DIY I learned on TikTok. I was able to buy her a small cake in berry creme flavor from a local cakeshoppe in CDO. We celebrated her birthday a little late because we had to attend other events but we were able to suprise her and shoot photos.

One event we went to was my aunt's grandson's birthday. It was a kid's party but I enjoyed it very much. There were clowns who did a bubble show and a famous nurse who works partime as a magician. It was not my first time watching his magic show. We hired him in one of our graduation parties year ago. There were also special guests, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. My favorite part about the event was the fact that it was a group of people with different beliefs and that we got along pretty well. I like that about family. 

We celebrated my mom's birthday at Fat Chef, SM Northwing. It was a simple celebration. I ordered their famous streetfood served in a small ferris wheel. We had to finish early though, my little brother had to travel back home for classes the next day. 

Today, I went out for a study session. I had coffee at Fukuro, a Japanese-themed coffee shop near my place. It was a very productive afternoon while Hanie had her routine dialysis in the hospital. I was able to finish lectures on Microbiology and Parasitology. 

 Yesterday, I finished my 26th lap around the sun. I'm a year older and a lot wiser. Year 25 definitely changed me a lot and I'm loving the person I've become now. The past year was difficult and unkind to me but I'm making lemonade out of every lemon thrown. Going through difficult things make people grow wiser and I am proud and grateful to have gone through the most difficult year in my life (yet).

I didn't mean to make this post grim by talking about hardships but I've had my fair share the previous age year and I am proud of how I handled life's blues.