Highlights of my 2011

5. Win a game.
Finally! After a year of waiting, the UBE GIRLS BB TEAM are in it to win it. I only played a game the whole sports fest. Luckily, we won. I only scored two points with a fade-away jumper but I was satisfied with it. I focused more on defensing and looking to help my team mates inside the court, I know for myself I'm not that good at shooting compared to others that's why I only take my chances when I know it's a high percentage shot. We defeated the freshmen with the score: 34-19.

My team fell short and we only landed third place. I still love my girls, we all did our best. Hopefully, next year, I'd have a chance to improve my skills more and in God's will, I also hope that our team will take home the crown for our final year. More of the pictures here

4. Good Grades.

I'm so thankful that my hard work paid off. It was clearly shown in my grades, please forgive me for being boastful, it's just that I'm so thankful that I finally achieved the improvement I'm waiting for, THANK GOD!

I can say it's a good mixture of faith, luck, and reward of studying harder. My grandmother (Owa) was so happy about the good news and also my uncle and tita who are responsible for my educational fees. I wish I could maintain my ascending GWA over the semesters. I need to strive harder and never lose focus I hope I can sustain this good momentum. A blog entry related to the whole sem experience here

3. A two-day escapade with my beloved High School Friends. April 30, 2011 and May 1, 2011

It was a bigtime treat by Palamara Camille's Mother, Tita Caren. My High School Friends didn't changed, except that some of them are now into smoking (Well, it's not a big deal for me but yeahh) and some really looked mature. We never ran out of stories and topics to share and talk about. That goes to show how much we missed one another's presence.

It took us about 2 hours to reach the destination, La Virgnia Resort. The resort offered a cozy place to relax and unwind. We started swimming after we had our lunch. Hunger was the only thing that makes us stop to swim and rest a bit. What I enjoyed most is the night swimming and view of the Metro in the resort during the night. City lights amuse my eyes, really. We eventually got tired of floating and swimming so we decided to take a good and quick shower to prepare for the dinner and of course, the drinking session! Tita Caren came and brought us Pizzas and chicken and desserts to make our tummies full before drowning ourselves to alcohol and stuff.

My friends and I had heart-to-heart talks while drinking, sharing of ghost stories like kids, exchanging our own student nurse experiences (most of us are taking up Nursing, that's why) and of course, having those laugh trips that makes the night prettier than ever.

The day after, we headed to Tagatay (Picnic Grove) then quickly travelled back to Manila and had our late lunch at Dampa in Pasay. Tita Caren shared words of wisdom and advice to all of us. I really admire her generosity, kindness and love for her daughter. I went back home with a smile with the memories of having the time to bond with my friends who were there for me since then.

2. Laguna Outing/Reunion with my relatives from my mother's side. (May 21, 2011 - May 22, 2011. Los Baños, Laguna)


I had my fair share of quality time with the persons I grew up with and whom I missed a lot. We're almost complete that day. Only few failed to come because of work and other personal reasons but it was still fun as ever! It was an event initiated by one of my uncles as part of his thanksgiving and at the same time grab the opportunity of having our summer getaway.


My cousins who are all (almost) the same age as mine enjoyed Night Swimming and games. Ate Cessa and I won the Pinoy Henyo Challenge, we had P500 each as our prize. Of course, an outing wouldn't be complete without delicioso foods! We're also blessed to have a bigtime treat of alcoholic beverages to make the night younger. Tons of Tanduay Ice, The Bar, San Mig Light, and last but not the least, Boracay Rum.

All of us (cousins and I) got drunk like a boss making the inner camera whores and frustrated singers in us be out and wild! Alcohol makes my confidence fly up high, enough for me to sing out loud and have my first 100 score in Videoke.

We partied 'til dawn and had the time to bond with each other after a long time. The day after sucks because of hangover but the good times to reminisce are enough to fill me in with amazing memories! Related Blog Entry Here

1. 18th Birthday. July 2011.
It's a perfect day and nothing's standing in my way. I had a simple celebration of my 18th birthday in our home. I enjoyed the day with my family, friends and loved ones. It's 2011. I want to keep it with austerity. Yes, being 18 as a girl turning into a woman is a milestone but you don't need to spend much for just a single day. I prefer saving the money instead of looking it pass by in just a day.


My lola prepared my favorite foods, Kare-kare, Carbonara, Sisig and all the yummy foods in my list. I already treated my friends few days beforehand. We watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in Robinson's Place Manila and went to G-Box to play a little. That's why my most of the guests in my birthday are my relatives. My cousins, bestbud and I had a mini-drinking session. We didn't drank to the extent of being thrown up because we all have our respective classes the day after.

My celebration over-all was a blast! It's just that I still feel a bit lonely 'cause I miss my Dad, Tito Edel and Lolo Bert but I know they're happy watching me from up above. I'm that kind of person, plain and practical so to speak. I'm thankful and full of gratitude that God continues to guide and shower me with blessings throughout the years. Time to mature and change for the better. Legal age! Oyes! Finally!! Related post here

Christmas 2011

Before sharing stories on how my Christmas this year with my family has been, I'd like to share my wonderful experience of Simbang Gabi. I failed to complete it all but I'm still glad I attended at least one, and that is the first day (12/16/2011) I woke up early with the excitement in me, there were no vacant seats for me and my lola so we stayed outside the church while hearing the mass. As expected, many people are there to witness the first of the 9 masses as part of preparing for the celebration most of Pinoys are looking forward to. Of course, after the mass is the awaited Puto Bumbong + Bibingka Special Take-out! Yummy Breakfast at a cold morning! :)

Let's fast forward on the events. Hours before the Noche Buena, we attended a mass at the nearest church in our home. We arrived at the church early so we would have our seats. There's still a lot of people, specially outside. The mass was fun and full of thoughts to ponder. Father (the priest) read a letter of one frequent church goer and his admirer, Tweetums (Perpetuita is her real name) I don't know if the letter is real or it was just made for the mass but nevertheless, it captured people's attention and lighten things up further in the mass.

After the mass, we then headed back home and prepared for Noche Buena. Then, the clock strikes Twelve! The awaited celebration starts! We prayed first, greet Him a Happy Birthday and started the cheat day for my diet! My lola prepared Asado, Pancit Canton, Kaldereta, Embutido, Arroz Valenciana and Leche Flan for the family. :) After all the eating and drinking (no, we didn't consumed any alcohol this day) we hit the sack for us to wake up early and prepare for the visitors (relatives, friends and MY INAANAKS that would come)

The day was filled with stories, joys and laughter shared. I also received some gifts and aguinaldos from my ninong and ninangs and tito and titas. Good way to fill up my wallet and closet! :P I really liked and I am thankful for all the presents. My favorites were my Slytherin shirt from bestbud and the chocolates from my kumare. :)

I ended the day with a simple prayer. Christmas 2011 is a simple yet fun celebration of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. He was born to save us. His special day is more than enough to make people happy and be a symbol to love one another.

Everyday Pasko

Of all the celebrations and events that come and go, for majority of the Filipinos, Christmas is the best time to unwind, have quality time with the family, exchange love and gifts with one another, and set aside problems even just for a day.

I just find it awkward and cliche, I mean, if we're really doing this because it is "Christmas" where then is the sincerity of showing goodness? Isn't it much sweeter and real if we could do this with initiative and not because the season demands so?

It's never bad to make friends with enemies, catch up with the people you have overlook, give gifts wholeheartedly, go to church to hear mass, correct your mistakes, stop being busy, enjoy the holidays and the list goes on. But why not make it a point to do this at least from time to time you REALLY WANT TO and not wait for the Yuletide season to act such?

365 days a year, it's never an excuse for you to have a day or two in a month to make your loved ones or other people feel special. The gift of giving comes from within, sharing joys and beautiful moments won't be a big deal. Christmas is indeed special but I guess He will be happier if He would see us loving one another even if it's not His Special Day. :)

Divisoria Getaway.

     I've been to Divisoria twice (Bonifacio Day & A beautiful Sunday 12/10/2011) this past few weeks. he main reason of going there is to find a dress that I would be using for the upcoming wedding of my very friendly Tita. I'm a boyish kind of person so I'm not really into those kinds of outfits. My tita and I just have that strong connection that's why I agreed to be one of her secondary sponsors.After so many years, it's like my first to be actually exploring the place. When I was young, we often go there but because I'm such a lazy kid, I prefer being left in the car and sleep or play along with my brick game or Tamagotchi (very useful boredom killers before the rise of PSPs and Cellphones)

     Having time to visit DV again was nice because it's the first time for Chippy (my digital camera) to be exposed to the streets where you can see inspiring subjects, and that is the people and the culture that surrounds the beautiful city of Manila.

    Of course! A day of going out wouldn't be complete without the my favorite hobby! Foodtrip/Eating Galore! :) Having lunch at that day wasn't easy. There's so many seats but they were occupied. We have to hunt as fast as we can before we'd be overtaken by others. Luckily, someone offered their seats because they're done eating. My grandma was the one left in our table while we're up to order some foods. The queue for the unli rice at Mang Inasal and to get a bucket of making-me-want-to-sin chicken of KFC were so long that we have to settle for other options.

     My grandma suggested that we order in Veggie-to-go, she had the idea from the Indonesian guy who seated beside her. So, having no choice, we tried it. In our surprise, the foods they offer were actually delicious! I bet vegetarians and those people who want to try new finds will love this stuff! They look like yummy meats but they were all veg/fish made. Amazing idea by the owner! One bad thing about them though is that they don't offer discounts for the senior citizens because they have this argument that their offers were already discounted. Yeah they're right, P79 for two viands and free gulaman isn't bad but not reasonable enough because there's a law for SC Discounts.

   
     Just beside VTG, was a cool noodle stop. They have this somewhat a cooking master chef showing his skills of making noodles in front of the customers.

     After giving our tummies a good reward we got back to business regarding the outfits we'd be wearing on the special day of my Tita. It was also inevitable for us to go shopping our personal wants. I bought two jackets and my bestbud bought me a cooling fan for my netbook. We enjoyed and seized the day that we already came home at around 9:00pm (we arrived at Divisoria at around 10:30am.)

     It was a great experience for me, my favorite pair of tsinepins and Chippy! I promise myself I'd be back soon to shop and shoot again. It could be tiring but it sure is worth every minute. :)

MetroDocs: First Rotation (3rdyr - 2ndsem)

We had our first duty for this semester at Metro Docs. It is located at Rizal. We stayed there for 4 days (Graveyard Shift). The hospital is not that big but it sure is clean and comfy (basing on the ambiance) and it’s really far from where I’m coming from (Makati) I need to transfer rides five times before reaching the destination. The place within the hospital’s vicinity is actually nice since it’s full of commercial establishments. We’re assigned in the ward and it’s nothing new for me. My groupmates are also retained (except for three, so they were replaced by new people that I also know) so there’s no hassle when it comes to working relationship.
Having the duty on the ward was not really my favorite because it’s like a never ending routine without that much of action compared to OR/DR cases. I’m still doing my job though, even if taking Vital Signs was boring, I have to because as what is stated.. it is VITAL and it’s my responsibility too.


First day
Muri (my group mate/sis/friend) shared duties for one patient. She would take the RR/Temp and I’d take the BP/PR. Our patient has been diagnosed with CAP (if I’m not mistaken) She’s 73 years old and has so many contraptions (IVF, ET, NGT) She can’t even talk and she looks so weak and pale. I was the one assigned by our Clinical Instructor for the first feeding (via Nasogastric Tube) it was my first time in the real setting and I find it fun. Our patient responses by just nodding her head and rasing her eyebrows whenever I ask her questions or whenever I knock at the door and tell her that I’d get her VS and whether it is Normal.
My groupmates and I had fun together we always talk about The Walking Dead, Zombies, Ghost stories, Movies and stuff, we’d also like to exchange jokes just for us to be kept awake.


Second Day

I’ve got the same patient in the second day but now, I’m by myself because there’s a lot of patient in the ward that day. I was the one responsible for taking her VS every hour. She seems to be recovering because she’s a lot energetic than she was in our first day and she seems happy. I, again was instructed to feed her and change her IVF, the usual things you do in the ward. At the last hour for taking VS, I said goodbye to her and her significant other watching her. We’ll not be seeing each other for a week and I’m also not certain by that time if she would still be there or if she would be discharged.


Third Day
Our group is starting to cram, again. I hate it because our sub-group never had those kind of experiences when it comes to deadlines and paper works requirements. Maybe it’s because our new leader doesn’t also know us all that well yet. I don’t know, I wish we could make this work our for the whole sem, because we have to. Aside from me, doing the AnaPhy for the case, I also started to edit the Initial Data Base and the other information needed in the Functional Health Patterns of our case. There’s just too much to revise and add on from what my other group mate has done.
I’ve got a new patient also this time. He’s a 2-year old kid and he’s situation is not that critical compared to my first patient. There’s a lot of drama this day because we’re all stressed on how to handle our time for there’s also an upcoming orientation 5 hours after our shift (WHAT IS SLEEP?!) But I can’t complain, I wanted this and I have to live with it no matter what.
Just an hour before we’re about to be allowed to go home, one of the patient had Cardiac Arrest. It’s just sad because who wants that kind of situation anyway? And I also received a news from one of the staff nurse that my previous patient (73 y/o) has died few days after our duty. Muri and I were really shocked because she seems to be recovering at the time we left.

Final Day
All of us (the group) are deprived from quality sleep. We all look like we’re pandas and zombies. I’m just thankful that it is the last day and we’re gonna have some deserved rest after. The afternoon before the shift, we had our orientation at PNPGH. It’s our group’s second time to be in there.
My patient this time was a young girl with DHF. She’s having fever still so we need to monitor her closely but because of case pres, we’re not that required to look after her (the staff nurses are the one’s doing the job for the shift) We presented our case and there’s a lot of correction to be made. The lack of supporting details especially the laboratory results and diagnostic examinations ruined it all. We should have planned it better. I wish we can bounce back and have a better requirement to pass the next rotation.
What I’ve learned about this rotation: TEAM WORK really matters. SLEEP is priceless for Nursing (as always and good time management can save you from toxicity. I wish we’d have a better performance next rotation. Oyeah!