excited does not even begin to describe me

Only two more days of duty, then I'm off to my long awaited vacation. I could surely use the break. I've always known that being a nurse is hard work. Aside from dealing with patients with different kinds of diseases, we also get to deal with their significant others who are much, much more difficult to handle.

We're going to Beijing, out of the country this time. The last time my passport was used was when we went to Hongkong for my 18th birthday. God, that was such a long time ago. Last year was Palawan, and the year before that we went on a road trip that covered Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete and Antique. We hit the locals, finally time to do some international.

We travel, every year, with small trips in between if we have the time - and the budget to spare. In my 22 years of living, I've been out of the country four times - twice to Taiwan (I was around 8 the first time I went there), once to Singapore, and once to Hongkong. And although I've enjoyed my visits there, nothing compares to the pride I feel whenever we go to somewhere local. Seeing amazing places and awesome sights in my own country gives me this giddy feeling of pride and joy, and it never gets old. (I love the Philippines, so sue me.)

Anyway, as I've said, it's Beijing this time. I was a bit (only a bit) disappointed, though. We usually pick places famous for it's beaches or some sort for the summer, and I was looking forward to it. I miss swimming, snorkeling, jet skiing. This time of the year, I usually whip out my swimsuits and get tan (ok, not tan. I burn baby, burn!). But hey, a vacation is better than no vacation.

I'm thinking of packing tonight. I usually leave it during the last minute, but I've got duty tomorrow and on Saturday, and I leave early on Sunday. I suppose I could do it after duty, but I'm usually beat. When I come home from work, I just basically lie down and fall asleep right after, waking up during dinner, check my FB and my mail, then fall asleep again. That's how tired I am.

So, should I start packing or what? =)

recently read - april 2011

I may be busy, but I'm never busy for reading. And with my Kindle, I can read anytime, anywhere!

• Can't Stand The Heat (Louisa Edwards)
  
• On The Steamy Side (Louisa Edwards)
• The Sisterhood (Michael Palmer)
  
• Marley & Me (John Grogan)
  
• The Angel's Game (Carlos Ruiz Safon)
  
• Ice Cold (Tess Gerritsen)
  
• Fatal (Michael Palmer)
• I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (Ally Carter)
• Cross My Heart & Hope To Spy (Ally Carter)
• Private Pleasures (Bertrice Small)
• Forbidden Pleasures (Bertrice Small)
• Sudden Pleasures (Bertrice Small)
• Dangerous Pleasures (Bertrice Small)
• Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy (Leslie Langtry)
• Guns Will Keep Us Together (Leslie Langtry)
• Stand By Your Hitman (Leslie Langtry)
• Twenty Boy Summer (Sarah Ockler)
• Kindred in Death (JD Robb)
• Sprinkle With Murder (Jenn McKinlay)
• Buttercream Bump Off (Jenn McKinlay)
• Just The Sexiest Man Alive (Julie James)
• Practice Makes Perfect (Julie James)
• Something About You (Julie James)
• The Demigod Files (Rick Riordan)

after a long period of quietness..

..I'm back with a vengeance.

I haven't been posting much, obviously, mainly because I'm either tired (usually), or just plain lazy. I frequently surf the net when I come home after duties, but I don't really feel like writing, so.. No blogging in the meantime. If there's one condition between me and writing, it's that I write whenever I feel like it. When the mood strikes, the words just flow out of me. But if not, then zip. Nada.

So, I'm on my 5th month on my 6-month volunteer training. Ma'am Fe, our Chief Nurse, prefers to calls use trainees, rather than volunteers, because of the issue that hospitals are charging the volunteers for their services. And to clarify things, our hospital never asked us money, nor do we receive compensation for our services.

I'm now rotated at the NICU, or the Neonatal ICU, which used to be my 2nd favorite duty area when I was a student (the first was the DR, or Deliver Room, but that's another story for another blog), but now, I don't think I like it very much. Sure, the babies are all awesome and adorable, but I get to do more work now that I'm a nurse, and trust me, going around the hospital to give meds to the roomed in babies is no fun. Plus, it's too depressing to perform postmortem care on a baby.

I'm done rotating at the ER (Emergency Room), OPD (Out Patient Department), Orthopedic Ward, Surgical/Trauma Ward, OR (Operating Room) & PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit), Medical Ward, Isolation Ward, Philhealth Wards 1&2 (for patients with Philhealth). My last three areas would be Pediatric Ward, Obstetric Ward, and finally, DR (Delivery Room).

I'll be glad when it'll all be over. Frankly, I'm so damn tired, but in a good way. I never thought I'd like being a nurse. It's not something I'd like to do forever, but for the time being, I'm content. Happy. And in my book, that's all that matters. Hopefully, I'll get hired in July. There's no other hospital I'd like to work in. *fingers crossed*

And since this is my first blog in a long time, I'll put everything in one long post. =D

I went to Manila last April 27, and I came home right after the following day. just had to put in an appearance at the Chinese embassy, because I was applying for Visa. We're going to Beijing this May! Vaycay time, yey! China is not my ideal vacation spot, but I really wanna see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. I can't wait. I am in dire need of a vacation, and this is it!

We also got a new dog. The dog at the Sacred Heart Seminary had a litter of puppies, and Fr. Edgar gave one to us. He's a cute Mini Pinscher whom I suspect has ADHD. I dubbed him Rusty.

Isn't he adorable?

I searched Wikipedia for info on MinPins, and here's what came up that applies to my lil pup:

• Miniature Pinschers are prone to overeating and therefore should not be free fed. True, my dogs laps up whatever dog food I put in his bowl, and despite how small it is, you'd be amazed at how much food he can consume, kinda like me. LOL
• This breed has an insatiable curiosity. Rusty likes exploring every corner of our house. One time he sniffed our trash can and tried to get inside. Crazy dog.
• Miniature Pinschers enjoy having a collection of such toys, which they will hoard and spend much time in moving from one collecting place to another. I woke up one day to find one of my white duty shoes gone. Took a long time to find it. It was in his doggy bed.
• Miniature Pinschers are territorial, so they should be provided with their own place to rest and sleep. They prefer to sleep on soft objects as well as under soft objects, so a small blanket should be provided so they can nestle. I bought a small doggy bed for Rubeus before, but he preferred sleeping on the bed, so when Rusty came, I gave it to him instead. It's so nice seeing him sleep in his own bed with his head hanging on the side. Cute.
  
• Miniature Pinschers will jump onto beds and crawl under the covers. One time, my mattress got wet so I had it dried out under the sun. I had no choice but to sleep in a small folding bed. It was only about a foot high, so Rusty was able to jump on it with no problem. And no matter how many times I put him back to the floor, he'd just jump back up and sleep beside me. Which was sweet, but I was so worried that I'd squish him or something.
  

I think this is long enough. Oh, how I missed this. <3