my ER experience

Tomorrow's my last day of rotation at the emergency room (well, technically not, but I'm only there for half of saturday, so..). I wish I could stay in the ER forever. It was fun there, although tiring, plus the staff, even the doctors (mostly the surgeons) are great. And just when I'm finally well-adjusted to the things at ER, my rotation is over and I'm being shuffled out to the Out-Patient Department. Boo.

Of course, it's not all rainbows and butterflies. We have to deal with annoying significant others of patients, impatient one who can't seem to understand that when the doctor is at the operating room, the doctor can't just pack up and leave whenever we call them because we have a patient waiting at the ER. And don't get me started on the ones who think their cases are emergencies. God. You think they're bleeding to death they way they argue with us when we tell them to go to the OPD.

And while we do try our best to save all our patients, dying is sometimes inevitable. We lost 2 patients (on different days) while I was on duty. It's a sad thing, knowing full well that we all did what we could, and yet unable to help. Watching the family cry, not knowing how to offer comfort. I hope they are contented, and not in pain, wherever they are. God bless their souls.

I never thought i'd enjoy it this much. When I applied for my volunteer training, I was thinking that if I don't like being a nurse, I'd just get on with my Med plans (yes, I still think about it every now and then) and become a doctor. But here I am, 8 days on the job, and I'm loving it! It's really gratifying to hear our patients thank us, even though it's the doctors who treated them and all, because we are the ones they constantly see attending to them, even if we do scold them if they kept pestering us.

And well, I'm glad I became a nurse. ♥

my future starts today =)

So.. My first stint as a nurse volunteer trainee started today. We had our week-long orientation and re-evaluation (where I scored a whopping 97 out of 100, woohoo!) last week. We had our contracts signed, then we had a hospital tour (interesting only to those who never set foot at EVRMC before), and then we were oriented to our specific areas assigned.

I was assigned at ER until the 22nd of January, then at OPD for the rest of the month. Hopefully my schedule will be good. Too bad we're always on duty during the morning shift, unless they give us an afternoon/night shift, which will be highly unlikely.

6 months of pure service and no pay. Oh Lord, help me make it through this, and I know I can make it through anything.

Let's see if I still feel like this after 6 months =P

hump day

Today was my third day of orientation at EVRMC, where I'm applied as a nurse volunteer. So it's been three days of waking up early (we report to the hospital at 8), and being a night person, you can only imagine how big this sacrifice is.

We already took an exam prior to our orientation, but due to some who didn't take the exam seriously and got really, really low scores (i mean, come on, who doesn't know how to calculate dosages? That's like basic.), so they changed the requirements. Instead of having our contract signing last Dec. 22, 2010 and starting our orientation as accepted NVTs (nurse volunteer trainee), we are now supposed to attend the orientation first and be subjected to another evaluation. Sucks.

I am bitter, because I got a somewhat high mark. The highest got a score of 69 out of 80 items. I got 62, and I think I was the second or third highest (I'm not bragging; rather, I am justifying my right to be pissed because now I have to suffer through another exam, with the fear of failing).

Life is never fair.

I do hope I get in, and while volunteering, I'll also try to apply for a job order. I know I'll learn truckloads of stuff while there, and I know that when I make it through 6 months at EVRMC, I know I''l make it anywhere.

There goes my Med plans, right down the drain. Cheers to being a Nurse ♥

recently read - december 2010

And the list goes on. ♥

• A Dangerous Love (Swanlea Spinsters, Book 1) - Sabrina Jeffries
• A Notorious Love (Swanlea Spinsters, Book 2) - Sabrina Jeffries
• A Wallflower Christmas - Lisa Kleypas
• After the Abduction (Swanlea Spinsters, Book 3) - Sabrina Jeffries
• Beware a Scot's Revenge (School for Heiresses, Book 3) - Sabrina Jeffries
• Don't Bargain with the Devil (The School for Heiresses, Book 5) - Sabrina Jeffries
• Fanning The Flame - Kat Martin
• Heartless - Kat Martin
• In the Prince's Bed (Royal Brotherhood) - Sabrina Jeffries
• Kiss Me, Annabel (Essex Sisters, Book 2) - Eloisa James
• Let Sleeping Rogues Lie (School for Heiresses, Book 4) - Sabrina Jeffries
• Much Ado About You (Essex Sisters, Book 1) - Eloisa James
• Never Seduce a Scoundrel (The School for Heiresses, Book 1) - Sabrina Jeffries
• One Night With a Prince (Royal Brotherhood, Book 3) - Sabrina Jeffries
• Only a Duke Will Do (The School for Heiresses, Book 2) - Sabrina Jeffries
• Perfect Ten - Janice Maynard
• Pleasure for Pleasure (Essex Sisters, Book 4) - Eloisa James
• Prada and Prejudice - Mandy Hubbard
• Silk And Steel - Kat Martin
• The Dangerous Lord (Lord Trilogy, Book 3) - Sabrina Jeffries
• The Forbidden Lord (Lord Trilogy, Book 2) - Sabrina Jeffries
• The Pirate Lord (Lord Trilogy, Book 1) - Sabrina Jeffries
• The Taming of the Duke (Essex Sisters, Book 3) - Eloisa James
• To Beguile A Beast (The Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 3) - Elizabeth Hoyt
• To Desire a Devil (The Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 4) - Elizabeth Hoyt
• To Pleasure a Prince (Royal Brotherhood, Book 2) - Sabrina Jeffries
• To Seduce A Sinner (The Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 2) - Elizabeth Hoyt
• Wed Him Before You Bed Him (The School for Heiresses, Book 6) - Sabrina Jeffries
  

hello, 2011 =)

2010 was a good year for me. It has its ups and downs, but all in all, it was an awesome year.

It was the year when I passed the Nursing board exam, the year when the Bf and I got back together, when my Dad bought me an iPod Touch, when I first met Sigaw sisters Krissy and Ate Cess way back in March, and then met Kaiye and Grace later on with Krissy, when I first went to Palawan, when I trained and got my IV license, when I enrolled at PHC's Critical Care Course and met new people who eventually became friends, and the year when HP 7.1 was shown.

Of course, 2010 wasn't all butterflies and rainbows. There were moments when it felt like it was the lowest point of my life, such as the time when I felt like everyone save for my Mom is sabotaging my plans to study Medicine. It was during those days when I'd be crying on either my Mom or my Bf, wailing about how people in my family can't mind their own business and how unfair life can be.

But I got over it, and although there were times when I'd really resent my Aunt for all her meddling, I was finally able to let things go. It was mostly due to Crit, for it was then that I realized that I really enjoy being a nurse. And as cliched as this might sound, it also gives me simple pleasures to be able to help other people. Yes, it's a job and we get paid, but being paid does not lessen the service we give to others as nurses. Hello, nurses are all overworked and underpaid here in the Philippines, but there are still a number of us serving here, mainly because we live to serve.

My Mom stood by me in everything; she listened to my incessant rants, and comforted me when I thought everyone was against me. Of course, my Bf and my friends were all very understanding and helpful, and without them, I don't think I'd be able to get through all those things.

2010 was a blast, hopefully 2011 will be better.

Happy New Year everyone! 1.1.11 ♥

christmas shopping ^^

I love the Christmas season because it gives me a legitimate reason to shop. =)

Mom got me another pair of skinny jeans, so I now have four.

I'm a recent skinny jeans convert - I never liked them before.
But I like them now, coz it ends at my ankle, so when it rains, and I accidentally step on a puddles, my pants don't get wet. =)

I saw this on sale when I passed by Bum, they were half the price, so I got 3 shirt for myself.
I love Bum shirts =)

The Tom and Jerry tumbler is for my BF, since he is an avid T&J fan.
He's 22, and he still watches T&J. Kinda like me. =)
The Dora tumbler is for my little inaanak/niece Stephie.

Barbie backpack also for Stephie.
She loves Dora, Barbie,Disney's Princesses, and pink.
(For some reason, even after I rotated the pic, it goes back the same way when uploaded.)

Statement tees from Fun Tee for my nephews =)

And, last but not the least, kid's clothes for my inaanak/nephew Yance
and my dear friend Shyn's baby Alleena

getting into the spirit of the holiday season

I've always loved Christmas. I mean, what's not to love? ♥

I completed the 9-day Misa de Gallo for the fourth year running. I'm not a morning person, and being that, I usually go to sleep around 11 PM or later. So it is really a big sacrifice for me to get up at 3 AM to attend mass at 4. It is especially hard to focus on the homily with only two hours of sleep, but I managed to get by.

We don't usually feast on Christmas Eve, we save all the celebrations for New Year's Eve. But that doesn't mean we don't have to prepare a little bit of something. Spaghetti is always a must, and I also made cupcakes to go with it. I added food coloring to my cupcakes, I opted for the colors red, green and blue (very Christmasy, don't you think?) but my Mom told me nobody eats green and blue cupcakes, and she made me go with red only. Bummer.

Adding the red food coloring. Kinda looks like drops of blood, doesn't it?

(Sorry, I can't keep my morbid thoughts out.)

Up close.

Red muffins for Christmas!

Before

After

I've been craving for Mango Float for a long time, so I made those, too. Dad ate my mangoes, but good thing I hid several of them in the vegetable drawer in our refrigerator. =)

Anyway, I'm having an awesome Christmas. I hope you guys are, too!

Nothing is impossible with God.
And because God loves us, he even makes the impossible for us.
-Fr. Ric

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

flats ♥

I am not, and never will be, a high-heel person. I prefer flats to heels, as wearing heels makes me wobble and lose what little poise I have. I am not a graceful person, nor am I a girly girl, but I do wear heels when the occasion calls for it.

For my daily footwear, I'm usually in flip-flops (Ipanema & Havs), sneakers (I don't wear them as often as I used to), or in flats (ballet flats are ♥). I never did ballet, but I do love them ballet flats. So as I was doing some online shopping for my Mom, I did a little side shopping for me. And look what I got: Frollic Rollable Take-Away Shoes.

The box.

Coz that's how they roll.

My Footsie Rolls in Pewter ♥

he's just the sweetest ♥

Months ago, I hinted at told my guy that I wanted this Harry Potter charm bracelet for Christmas or my birthday (it was on my wishlist). He figured that it'll be hard to look for a store selling one like it, so he started his searched online. He found one in eBay, I think, but he wasn't inclined to buy it since it was an international listing. I was disappointed, but still I kept badgering him about it.

Any way, as weeks months passed, we both kinda forgot about it, until last Sunday, when I made my wishlist, and when my birthday finally came yesterday. I was texting with him, jokingly asking him if he got me my HP bracelet, but he just flat-out told me that he didn't. It was kinda disappointing, but seeing as how I never really expect gifts during my birthday (what sucks about having December as a birth month is that my birthday gifts are always mixed with my Christmas gifts, so I get one instead of two, boo), I never really minded. Then he told me he picked out something for me, just a teeny-tiny thing, but it sure did put a smile on my face.

Last night, he dropped by our house, and he gave me this small box. As is my habit, I started shaking the box to hear what's supposed to be inside, but strangely I couldn't hear anything. And imagine my surprise when I opened it and found out that there's absolutely nothing inside!

The empty box he handed me. =P

I was groaning from disappointment and was about to give him the verbal lashing I felt he deserved, when I noticed him grinning as he pulled something out from his pocket. I was squealing with glee when he handed me a charm bracelet. Mind you, the book covers weren't as clear as the one I saw on the internet, as mine has this brownish hue (from the varnish, maybe), but I didn't care. I never had plans on wearing them, I just wanted one for myself as a keepsake - sort of like a tribute to the years of adventures with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the others; and for the times when I would mark my calender for the release of the next HP book and/or movie.

For some reason, no matter how many times I tried rotating the picture, it comes out as this.

It's dark, and brownish, and the words aren't all that clear,
but it doesn't matter since the person who gave it to me is special.
And yeah, it's a cliche, but it's always the thought that counts. ♥

twenty-two blues

I turned 19 20 21 22 today. Somehow, I don't feel any different from when I turned 19. I'm still the same old me, albeit older and, hopefully, wiser.

I stopped celebrating my birthdays a long time ago. My parents used to throw parties every year when I was younger - a typical children's party with food, cakes, sweets, party hats, balloons, games and everything. Complete with a party bag for the visitors, especially the kids, to take home after. Sure they were so much fun, but as I grew older, I find that I preferred intimate gatherings with just close family and friends more.

Ever since I hit the twenty mark, I stop looking forward to my birthdays, because it just reminds me that I get younger older each year. But my dear friends always remembered (so sweet of them), so, I'm always stuck replying thank you's to them. It's not an awful task, though, no matter how much I complain. I love reading their birthday greetings, and I feel so blessed to have friends who always remembered my special day.

As of 9:11 AM today, my friend Philip sent the best greeting I ever received - "Ei Bels.. Happy 17th birthday! Can't wait for next year when you hit Sweet 16." It's just that - short, simple, and a joke, really. But it made me laugh so hard, I just loved it! ♥

This isn't gonna be the stress-free day that my friend Shyn wished for me, though, as I have an appointment with my OB later. Boo.

But it's only for the morning, so.. I' gonna enjoy the rest of my day! =)