major major hostage fiasco

I'm sure everyone has heard of the hostage taking drama that took place last August 23 at Quirino Grandstand. Almost every news channel gave a blow-by-blow account of what transpired - the arrest of the hostage taker's brother, the driver escaping and saying everyone is dead, the assault team trying to take over the bus and failing miserably, bodies being carried out from the bus.

This is one of the time that I'm almost (keyword: almost) ashamed to be a Filipino. Granted, things like this had happened or could happen in other contries, I know, but when it happens in your own country, you go into a state of denial and say, "This can't be happening here." Or you think, "I thought this only happens in movies." And don't get me started on the media. Gawd.

Because of the disaster, Hongkong issued a travel ban to the Philippines. And according to my friend, California is closing its doors on Filipino nurses. Which country would be next?

Not so WOW Philippines now, ain't it?

But I believe we Filipinos will get through this, for Filipinos are a resilient bunch. Hell, we survived Ondoy, didn't we? And we have Venus Raj's victory from the Miss Universe 2010. She may not have won the crown, and she might have won it if only she didn't blew her chance during the Q&A portion, but you gotta admit, being in the top 5 is a great achievment itself. Congratulations to Miss Mexico.

The Philippines have a lot to offer - picturesque places, sparkling white sand beaches, authentic Filipino cuisine, lush greeneries, and more. I hope people look beyond the disaster and see the beauty of the Philippines. Don't judge the rest because of one man's act of cruelty. Filipinos are kind, warm, and generous. One man isn't going to change all that.

Despite everything, it's still the same WOW Philippines for me. ♥

Spiderman to the rescue!

Oh, and SWAT jokes are circulating right now.
SWAT means:

• Sorry, Wala Akong Training (Sorry, I don't have any training)
• Sugod, Wait, Atras, Takbo (Charge, Wait, Retreat, Run)
• Sana Wag Akong Tamaan (I hope I don't get hot)

I know it's no time to make jokes, but sometimes a little laughter goes a long way. So.. Cheer up. Life is good. =)

cats, now and forever. meow!

I'm such a huge fan of musicals - I watched a bunch of them, even the old ones like The Phantom of the Opera (my favorite!), My Fair Lady (Audrey Hepburn is ♥), Chicago (love the Cell Block Tango), Grease, and more. That's why, imagine my delight when my cousin told me we were gonna watch Cats! Aside from my love of musicals, I was also excited to see Lea Salonga perform as Grizabella (Pinoy pride!) She was awesome, by the way.

My ticket =)

CATS!

The Stage

The Cast =)

Mind you, we weren't to bring cameras, and picture taking isn't allowed. They said flash photography isn't allowed, but they never said anything about taking pictures without flash, so I took a few shots. Other people were doing the same thing, only they got caught and got reprimanded. Thank God I wasn't. LOL

For 4,000+ pesos, it was definitely worth it. The cast were great, the stage was artfully decorated, the lights were awesome, and the performance was legendary. I'm starting to sound like Barney from HIMYM with all my awesomes and legendary's. LOL

I'm going home on September 3, I already have my ticket, but I'm so glad I got to see Cats first!

already an RN, also a CCN =)

After two months of my Critical Care Course, I'm finally proud to say that aside from being a Registered Nurse, I'm now also a Critical Care Nurse. The whole course was stressful and tiring, but I definitely gained a lot of knowledge and skills. But the best part of it all was the people i was with - strangers at first who became good friends along the way. I am surely gonna miss each and everyone of my 68 classmates.

On another different note, I'm currently at a loss. Before, I was so sure of what I want to do with my life. Finish nursing, graduate, pass the board exam, and proceed to study medicine and become a great doctor one day. But that was all before my plans crumbled. So I decided to take it slow. Take a training or two, maybe even work for a while, clear my head. Then proceed to study med if I still feel like it. The thing is, taking the CCC was a big mistake (not that I regret it) because we were exposed to different ICUs, and I saw how nurses provide care to really, really sick people of all ages. And I find it very fulfilling, and humbled by what I saw. I have nothing against doctors, I give them my utmost respect, but it's the nurse who gives round-the-clock care to the patient. The doctor sees that patient for what, like 5 minutes? Then charges a huge amount for it. Not that all doctors are like that, I know, but still.

So therein lies my dilemma - be a nurse, or be a doctor? Oh, I forgot, I have a third one. I want a baby so bad.. Too bad my bf won't cooperate. LOL But serously, I feel like was born to be a mother, and didn't the Bible say that we should go forth and multiply? My bf doesn't want kids yet, he has his reasons - whatever - I wasn't listening coz I was too busy imagining twins (a boy and a girl) who are miniature Belle and Lex =P

Another jump to a different topic. I read that Krissy got a Globe postpaid plan. I've been dying to get one, too, but I don't want to change my digits, so I've been postponing it. Maybe I'll get one soon. =)

I've been missing home so bad, i miss my parents, and my dogs, too. That's why I'm so excited to be going back home to my province next month. I can't wait to see my parents, my friends, and my dogs! =)

done with case pres - finally!

After weeks of reading and breathing nothing else but Truncus Arteriosus and DiGeorge Syndrome, we finally got to present our case today. We were the third group to present (out of six), two more groups will present their cases tomorrow. Good thing our case was like, kinda rare.. I mean, come on, have you ever heard of DiGeorge? Even me and my groupmates never heard of it before, thus, the extensive reading. It was a lot of work, but I was am thankful we chose that case, for even the panel didn't have much questions for us. Either our case was well explained, or they just don't know what to ask since they never heard of Digeorge before. I'm hoping it was the former. They had a bunch of question about our NCPs, though. Mind your, our NCPs were good, but I guess they couldn't find fault with the rest of our manuscript so they decided to hit us in our weakest.

I don't mind, though. They could ask all the questions in the world for all I care - I'm just so effin' glad we're done - so glad that me and my groupmates went out right after the presentations. 8 of us went to Treehouse (2 went home coz they're both sick). I don't usually drink, especially not beer, so I got iced tea while they all chugged down bottles of San Mig Light. Amidst all the eating, drinking, smoking (not me!), forever friendships were developed. We never really got to bond often, and this is one of those days where we get together and just, you know, bond.

I really am gonna miss my Crit Classmates after this. :(

On a different note, I'm currently reading Jodi Picoult's Handle With Care, and I'm loving every page of it!