an awesome august

This year's August was a great month for me - we finished our case pres with no major hitches, we all graduated our Crit Care after 2 months of didactics and clinical exposure, I finished my IV therapy cases and submitted it to ANSAP in just two days.. But what made August 2010 unforgettable was when I got to meet my awesome Sigaw Sisters in person, finally.

I met Krissy and Ate Cess last March, but this would be my first time I'm meeting Kaiye and Grace. Just like when I first met Krissy, I was a bit nervous before. I know we've been cyber friends for a really long time (almost 5 years, I think), and although we've shared correspondences over the world wide web and feel like we've known each other for centuries, I was still a little nervous on how we'd connect in person. But about 5 seconds into meeting them, all trace of nervousness were gone, and we're all chatting like we've known each other forever.

I waited for Krissy at National Bookstore (it's like our default meeting place), and we both waited for Grace. Then we walked around SM and did some window shopping. We ate lunch at Bigoli, and chatted while we waited for Kaiye. After, we walked across to Trinoma, and did more than window shopping. We shopped, for real. And finally, yogurt at White Hat - so yummy! After that, we walked around Trinoma and took pictures, then we got to meet Krissy's friends at Timezone, where Krissy did her version of Britney's Sometimes and Kaiye did a rendition of M2M's Don't Say You Love Me. Brings back memories of our teen years earlier years. We're all nineteen. LOL

It made me sad when we all had to part ways and say goodbye, but I'll forever cherish the memories I've shared with them the whole day. And I thank God for whatever willed me to sign-up to Sigaw's forum years ago, for it was there where I met the most awesome people there is, and who became good great friends. Too bad that when they stopped publishing the magazine, they had to delete the website too. But I'll be forever grateful to Seventeen, for without it and Sigaw, I wouldn't have met Krissy, Kaiye and Grace. =)

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!

RIP Baby T =(

In my last entry, I mentioned about our TGA case. Sadly, Baby T (i can't divulge the name for confidentiality and privacy purposes) died 1 day after being operated on. I got really sad that he didn't make it. =(

So anyway, we went to our second choice - an almost-two months old darling little girl with Congenital Heart Disease, Truncus Arteriosus Type I, and DiGeorge Syndrome. I fell in love with her in the two days that I rotated at PICU1. I kept talking to her, and hoping she'll make it. =)

The comparison between an normal heart

and a heart with truncus arteriosus

quickies

Just a quick update for my blog. I haven't had much time for blogging these days, I feel so bummed. I used to blog at least 8-10 times each month, now I'm just down to 2 or 3. Hmph.

Anyway, the didactic phase of our Crit Care is over - it's clinical exposure time. So far I've been exposed to the Medical ICU (MICU) and Surgical ICU (SICU). Both areas were awesome. But I prefer the SICU - it's less crowded and the staffs aren't as toxic as the ones in MICU so they got to entertain our questions more. Plus there we saw patients who were like Christmas trees with all their contraptions - chest tubes, Swan Ganz cath, mech vent, IV lines, femoral cath, A-line, etc. It's also where we've seen an A-line, a Swan Ganz, and a chest tube removed for the first time.

Today, we'll be at the PICU1 or the Pediatric ICU. PICU1 is for pay patients, and PICU2 is for the service ones. 3 of my case presentation groupmates already went there twice, not for exposure but to pick for a case for our case pres. We picked a 4-month old infant with Congenital Heart Disease, Dextroposition Transposition of Great Arteries, Patent Foramen Ovale, Ventricular Septal Defect. Sounds like a lot, right?

Anyway, I can't wait to go on duty. Most of my groupmates don't like PICU because they can't stand to see babies in mechanical ventilators, tracheostomies, and etc. Mind you, I hate seeing them that way too, and it almost broke my heart to see an infant with a trach, but I prefer caring for pediatrics.

I think babies are miracles and they deserve to be treated that way. =)

going all toxic

"Toxic" is a term most medical professionals (here in the Philippines, I don't know about other countries) use when we're bombarded with a huge workload, difficult patients, difficult patient's relatives, a patient with lots of complications, a very busy shift, etc. Students also use it if their clinical instructors give them a hard time, if they are assigned to patients hooked to a lot of contraptions, patients whose charts are filled with doctor's orders, or if they are busy with schoolwork.

In my case, I say my life is currently toxic, because I feel so tired all the time. My head's been bothering me for days, and I can't get as much sleep as I want. This critical care course is taking up all my time - it's like being back to school, only worse. We've got around 43 topics squeezed into a 3-week time frame. We have a midterm after 10 days, and a finals after the 3-week lecture. We have journal reading and case studies. Then a 4-week clinical exposure in different ICUs.

Add all that to my recurrent headache, I feel as though the world is slowly sucking the life out of me. I'm so freaking tired, and I can't even complain, because other people have it worse than me. I can't even go to the mall on weekdays (and TriNoma is so freaking near!) because even though we finish around 4, sometimes earlier, mostly later, the only thought I have as I slowly walk home (our apartment is only a 10-minute walk from PHC) is to curl up in bed and sleep. I don't even have much of an appetite, which is shockingly so not me. And I can't afford to lose any pounds since I don't have much to spare (no matter how much and how often I eat, I can't seem to gain weight).

I'm trying as hell to keep my eyes open while I scrounge the World Wide Web for another journal article (I need one more) but it's hard. Damn! Those people should stop being selfish and publish all those articles for free. I can't afford to pay for them, dammit!

I am so frustrated right now.

my HP addiction

I've been an avid Harry Potter fan ever since I picked up the first HP book 11 years ago. I always knew exactly when the next book is going to be release, and I always made sure I have the copy as soon as it is released - partly because I liked to brag that I already have the book while others are trying to get their own copies but can't coz it's all sold out, but mostly because I just couldn't wait another day without reading about Harry's next adventure. Even until now, I'd still read all the books in the HP series, and I never get tired of re-reading it no matter how many time I've read it before.

You can only imagine my delight when I found out that the first book is being made into a movie. I'm not a fan of books-turned-into-movies, because they end up murdering the whole context, but I was excited. I couldn't wait to see who would portray my favorite characters, how they'd turn the words into images. I felt that it'd be nice to see the characters come to life in the big screen instead of just in every reader's imagination.

And I must admit, they did a great job with all the HP books (except for the 7th, though, for it wasn't shown yet), although, in my own opinion, they could do a better job. I'm hoping the 7th movie won't be a disappointment, because I have high expectations, and I'm sure other HP fans do, too.

I'm patiently waiting for the first installment of the 7th book, because let's face it - what else can I do but wait? I'm glad for the sneak peak, though. The trailer got me even more excited, with the back of my neck tingling with anticipation.

Yes, I've been waiting for a long time. I want to see how it turns out in the big screen. I want to see the war between Harry and Lord Voldemort. I want to see Mrs. Weasley shouting "not my daughter, you bitch!" I wanna see little Snape and little Lily. I wanna see Dumbledore asking Snape "after all this time?" and Snape answering "yes" when they talked about Lily. I want to see more Harry-Ginny scenes (because I do like them both together).

There's a whole lot more, but mostly I want to see my favorite Death Eater again - the one and only Bellatrix Lestrange played by one of my favorite actresses of all time - Helena Bonham Carter.

Isn't she just disturbingly awesome?

My favorite Death Eater!

From kids.. (Look how adorable they are!)

To teens.

my legs are screaming for mercy

I woke up this morning feeling pretty awesome, since I had a good night's sleep and was able to wake up late (thanks to PNoy's inaguration, which was declared a national holiday, meaning no classes today). It's funny how whether you're an elementary, high school, college or a postgrad student, you still cheer when holidays are announced and your classes for that day are canceled.

I was supposed to go home to Cavite last night, but I opted to stay at the apartment. I like staying at Cavite better - I have my own room, homecooked meals, someone washes my clothes, DSL internet connection. The downside is, whenever we come back to QC, we come early. Meaning I have to drag my ass out of bed at 4 or 5 in the morning, depending on what time we leave - usually around 5 or 5:30 am.

I'm not a morning person, but I don't mind waking up early. It's just that, with a full day ahead, I prefer getting all the sleep I can get. Like last Monday, we left the house around 6 am, but I woke up at 5. Traffic was bad, so I wasn't able to stop by the apartment to catch some Zzzz's for a while. The whole afternoon, the words on the PowerPoint were floating in front of my eyes, and the lecturers' voices were almost lulling me to sleep. So is it any wonder that I prefer to stay here at the apartment with my crappy SmartBro connection just so I can get a decent sleep?

Anyway, back to my day.

Lex and I planned to meet up today since we haven't seen each other since he joined me, my cousin, nephews and a few family friends to Subic. I texted my friends with the hope that we could get together, but turns out they're all busy so it was just me and Lex.

We walked around TriNoma, then we decided to go to SM North. I wanted to go to Cyberzone. I absolutely love SM North's Cyberzone, it's the best. We ate a late lunch at Pizza Hut, where I ordered my favorite pizza - 5 Cheese with Mozerella stuffed crust. It's a cheezy goodness. We walked around after eating, and I ended up to what I call "the happiest place on earth" - the department store. I bought a new bag - couldn't resist. I'm weak, plus it was on sale, which added to my weakness. I was also going to buy the Ipanema Giselle Bundchen sandals I wanted, I was willing to overlook it's expensiveness (it's 1,590 pesos), but sadly, fate decided it wasn't for me. The size 5 was too fit, and the size 6 was too loose. We went back to TriNoma, where we walk aimlessly before going home.

It was nice to spend time with him again. ♥

I arrived at the apartment at half-past four. And around 5 pm, Tita Eilene and I walked to the Quezon Memorial Circle. It was my first time to pass by the underpass, and I can't believe how nice it was except for the crowd of people going to QCM, too). We walked around QCM, then we decided to exit the are. We never intended to stay for the street party, we just wanted to see the set up there. After satisfying our curiosity, we walked back home.

I had an amazing day, but I can't say the same for my legs and feet. My muscles are in agony. Too much walking in one day is not good.