GR Jones, Osang and Myself: Birds of a Feather?
"I'm not GR!"(sic)
-- Starlet Angelica Jones' testimony to the Senate
Angelica, a.k.a. GR Jones, didn't quite complete the statement but for you rare ones not in the know, GRO stands for guest relations officer. However, in recent years and in the less reputable establishments in the Philippines it has become a euphemism for prostitution. Another common euphemistic phrase is "Kalapating mababa ang lipad" (trans: low-flying pigeon/dove) which also refers to a commercial sex worker or any individual who sells his or her dignity.
During our years in fellowship, Asela and I were quite pleased with our unofficial sources of income. Small clinics along the way home would pay at least P200 in exchange for a few minutes of your time to read x-rays. After the poverty stricken years of residency, P200 in your pocket meant that you had spending money for the following day and that you would not have to touch your salary. Just enough for gas and a meal or two. At the start of this year, we even progressed to clinics who would pay at least a thousand every visit.
A peso is better compared to nothing at all. So this must explain that while we were quite pleased with ourselves, one of the senior consultants was aghast at what we were earning. His description of us and our work? "Mga kalapating mababa ang lipad!" Needless to say we were shocked as well. How much was considered decent pay in our field? Oh, we knew what the upper limit was. We just didn't know how much we, as newcomers to the practice, should have been earning. Truth be told, we would have "suffered" our fate indefinitely. Alas the seeds of discontent had been sown. I did not and do not want to be labeled a "kalapati"!
What's an ornithophobe (literally and figuratively) to do?
Work, work, work. Collect and select. All those cliches that apply to looking for the best jobs and making them fit into your already jampacked schedule. That's what Asela and I did. Where job opportunities did not exist, we created them. We are now doing a quasi-Tour of Luzon by having hospitals in Pampanga, Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna. I feel we're better off thanks to that wake-up call but not in as great a place as we want to be especially knowing where we could be if we got lucky enough.
Last Friday, I earned a new title. DPSNM. Unfortunately, I earned a new nickname from my consultants as well. Curacha. From the 1998 Filipino movie whose title translates to "Curacha: A Woman Without Rest". Better than "kalapati" but I don't want to be Curacha either. Next time, I want to be called something a whole lot more reputable and nice-sounding and really deserve it. I hope that "next time" comes around real soon.
In the meantime, who wants to go driving around Luzon with me? Feathered passengers not accepted.
-- Starlet Angelica Jones' testimony to the Senate
Angelica, a.k.a. GR Jones, didn't quite complete the statement but for you rare ones not in the know, GRO stands for guest relations officer. However, in recent years and in the less reputable establishments in the Philippines it has become a euphemism for prostitution. Another common euphemistic phrase is "Kalapating mababa ang lipad" (trans: low-flying pigeon/dove) which also refers to a commercial sex worker or any individual who sells his or her dignity.
During our years in fellowship, Asela and I were quite pleased with our unofficial sources of income. Small clinics along the way home would pay at least P200 in exchange for a few minutes of your time to read x-rays. After the poverty stricken years of residency, P200 in your pocket meant that you had spending money for the following day and that you would not have to touch your salary. Just enough for gas and a meal or two. At the start of this year, we even progressed to clinics who would pay at least a thousand every visit.
A peso is better compared to nothing at all. So this must explain that while we were quite pleased with ourselves, one of the senior consultants was aghast at what we were earning. His description of us and our work? "Mga kalapating mababa ang lipad!" Needless to say we were shocked as well. How much was considered decent pay in our field? Oh, we knew what the upper limit was. We just didn't know how much we, as newcomers to the practice, should have been earning. Truth be told, we would have "suffered" our fate indefinitely. Alas the seeds of discontent had been sown. I did not and do not want to be labeled a "kalapati"!
What's an ornithophobe (literally and figuratively) to do?
Work, work, work. Collect and select. All those cliches that apply to looking for the best jobs and making them fit into your already jampacked schedule. That's what Asela and I did. Where job opportunities did not exist, we created them. We are now doing a quasi-Tour of Luzon by having hospitals in Pampanga, Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna. I feel we're better off thanks to that wake-up call but not in as great a place as we want to be especially knowing where we could be if we got lucky enough.
Last Friday, I earned a new title. DPSNM. Unfortunately, I earned a new nickname from my consultants as well. Curacha. From the 1998 Filipino movie whose title translates to "Curacha: A Woman Without Rest". Better than "kalapati" but I don't want to be Curacha either. Next time, I want to be called something a whole lot more reputable and nice-sounding and really deserve it. I hope that "next time" comes around real soon.
In the meantime, who wants to go driving around Luzon with me? Feathered passengers not accepted.