Birthday Grants: Caleigh Madison Loafers

I turned 22 just recently. As I write this, I’m in Mov&May Perivolos, Santorini probing Galliano Versace and Tony Cohen muftis. To which, everything is happening in my dreams. Teehee!

Okay well, all these fashionable designer outfits and nomadic affairs have been serving my bucket list for years; all waiting to materialize. I find myself having what I call, “head trips” as I begin to envision my personal hankerings.

Especially now that I turned 22, I’m starting to reconsider the choices I have been making in the past. And eventually move to a healthier and more positive lifestyle. Where everything has to happen with my pilates and bikram yoga exercises, healthy options diet, daily scripture readings, and constant physical primps and pampering.

Saying all these things doesn’t exactly mean fighting the guilt of extravagance. At the end of the day, women reap desirable results to looking and feeling better when they start to take care of themselves in and out.

Having said enough, I feel extremely happy to get to win a Snake Skin Studded Loafers from Caleigh Madison’s giveaway. 

The loafers come in khaki with a snake skin texture and black edgy sequins. Inside is carefully tailored and comfortable to wear. 

Holy kamote I could never be so excited to give this pair of loafers a most-deserved wear!

Thank you Caleigh Madison! It’s a birthday wish granted!

A Gift from a Stranger

Strange things happen for some unexpected reasons. 

An old man in his 50's went towards me at the National Bookstore two days ago. He smiled coyly and asked me if I have ever read this book before [True Life in God]. 

He was unassuming. He looked professional in striped beige polo shirt tucked under a prim dungarees that most senior men wear. His ashen hair was far from empty though wrinkles turn up as he tried to open his mouth and explained to me how the book had amazingly "converted" his faith. That was the exact word he used. 

Those folds in his face however hinted me a contented man whose wisdom matured in the last 10 years. He gives me a quick look through the pages, which had me reassured is an action of a man who really knows what he is talking about. 

"To which Church do you belong sir, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I am a Roman Catholic" he said.

"I first came across this book in 1997 from a friend. It only stockpiled in my desk until six months later when I read it for the first time. Lord, why have I not read this book before? I muttered. This is a very good book. It is the type that will get you teary eyed-- perhaps out of guilt, or joy, or thankfulness. It feels like Jesus speaking straight to you. A real account".

"I can give this to you as a gift" he continues.

"No it's okay sir, thank you. I'll have it myself".

"No don't worry, I'll pay for it".

I took a sly smile. He went to the counter and paid for the book. The next thing I know was that I felt surprised. I was not sure if I made a seemly response. Tears (honestly) almost gathered in my bottom lids. It felt unusual but I did not think it was ever doubtful. 

"Why do you have to do this sir?" I asked.

"I just feel happy" he only puts it. 

His assuring smile greeted me for the last time. "Well thank you sir. God bless you" I replied and then he left.

Photo Credits:
google (dot) com (slash) images

Today I Turn 22 (And I Ain’t Getting Married)

Time flies. Today I celebrate my twenty-second year of life-- almost perturb but completely wonderful. I already have plans set on how I’d like things to go about this day. It's turning out however that throwing up a get-together is a bit impossible.

So I decide to be my laid-back self and make merry of this day with few of the most important persons in my life. Homemade brownies here, diavolos pizza and coffee smoothies there will all serve our craving tummies. Everybody knows birthday calories don't count. Snorts! I’d also like to put up some jazz music in the background. So it’s a little café sort of feel.

Mommy-ing and wifey-ing reads stockpiled in my desk in the past few weeks. It’s somehow funny when the mom gets to ask me perhaps for curiosity’s sake about why I have been reading those things in a while.

From kindles

To printed parenting finds

I don’t want to freak her out but there are times when I’d like to tell her I want to get married already with puns intended. Haha!

To online references

Well I’m 22, and of course I’m still far from marrying. I just realize how I could start gearing myself to live a more productive life in the future and make career decisions without interrupting the joy of being youth in the process.

Balancing my work as a nurse and a part-time blogger/writer is somehow difficult. However, I’m thinking of ways to keep the homeostasis.

Here are 3 “life at 20’s” realizations I’d like to share in my life blog catalog:

• 20’s are the best years for travel

Experts would even say traveling should take precedence over other things young adults spend their money for. Imagine how much there is to learn about the world when you begin this early.

• 20’s is never too late for a healthier lifestyle

Choosing the right food at equally right amount and toning up your body as early as possible will do you a big favor in the future. Wear and tear issues are inevitable but you can help prevent speeding them up.

• 20’s is the stage you have to learn that life is different outside school

Maximize everything you can learn from studying. Life will offer you way more serious challenges once you get out of the school premises. But keep your faith and understand your brain works. It will help you more than a dictionary would.

I’d like to thank God, my significant others, and all the people who’ve been part and will be part of another wonderful year in my life.

I’m thinking what’s blowing a candle next year when I’m 23 feels like? Teehee! Much love to you all J

(Un-) Cram Your Case Presentation in 6 Ways

Speaking engagements are still few of the hardest things to prepare for. At least for working professionals with a pink collar job who don’t seem to have a uniform work-time schedule.

               

Few words to all nursing students, case presentations don’t end when the schooling is over. For professional growth and well, for requirements’ sake, it carries forward even after getting a paying job. It’s a little awkward for me to use the phrase “paying job” though.

I have started a clinical job in nursing that doesn’t pay much. But yes, case presentations come in even higher level. The only distinction is that, I don’t get graded for my output this time around.

I together with a group of workmates was actually set to present a case study last 14^th of June. Plus that we work in different shifts, we still haven’t come up with a final case of a patient to present. That was supposedly what we had in line to look for from the time we started our job last November but didn’t. Because of course we are still wise to ways of procrastination. Teehee!

We lived through inconveniences of preparation-- including the inadequacy of time, lack of thoroughly decided options, and uhm, a meticulous supervisor whom we thought would give us flop sweats on the day of presentation.

Drafting, finalizing, brainstorming. Group mates from left to right: Gen, Lily, Mae, Myra

Having only 6 days left to work on our case, we cannot for anything best take the leisure of time or to have like nurses-meet-the-avengers sort of power.  

Here’s what we had to do:

Headstart

We get lesser time each day.  There’s nothing we can do otherwise so we firmly set our day 1 for obtaining consent from the attending physician, the patient and her family on the case presentation.

It really doesn’t need one with a dominant choleric type of personality to dictate what is to be done. It only takes one small act of leadership from anyone among the group to begin the work.

Wise Distribution

We arranged the second day for gathering all information as much as possible and assigning each member a task to work on.

While leadership and management styles work differently in each person or group, what is important is to recognize what will work best-- authoritative or lassie-faire especially when on cram.

Delegating, reading, researching (It's always good to combine printed and online references)

Planning

Third day served for planning out how we would want the case presentation to go about.

Whether you’re expecting for accolades or a fair output, there is no good presentation that happens without a single plan or goal of how you'd want it to turn out. Plan out, even for a little. Set a goal, no matter how small.

Inspiration

Day 4 made room for our first day of “The Making” process. Anyone familiar with nursing case presentations would know that it is usually started with a short introduction, and a touch of the patient’s comprehensive health history.

The comprehensive history is for the most part boring during presentations. It is mostly a mere narration of all the information about the patient. So we constructed something that would create a more comprehensible and captivating way of presenting it by coming up with a video reenactment in a documentary film-like format.

The video shoot locations

Like photography, video making is half shooting half editing. And we have encountered more than enough challenges-- who to act as the subject, when to do the video shoot, what editing software to use (and we would not recommend windows movie maker for its unstable file setup) and where to get the balance between work and sleep.

Shooting day. Straight from duty with barely enough sleep. From left to right: Gen, myself, Ariane

Find something that won’t only get you to where you want but will keep you there. Remind each other always of your goal and why no one should give up. It’s not in times like this that counting who has worked the hardest matters.

The production team

Editing and producing. From top then left to right: Ate Darl, Jan, myself, Ariane

Sacrifice

We tuned for finalizing our output and providing what each one had for suggestion on day 5. We gathered in a place that is favorable for our working (with available wall plug, wifi access which became two of our major problems in day 4, and good food, plus good music to set up the positive mood). 

At Trio Cafe'

Everyone has to make his own part of sacrifice by staying up late, passing up a day of rest for the benefit of the group.

Winston Churchill once said, “If you're going through hell, keep going” and that I think inclined us to continue what we started. Each should not give up no matter how impossible things might seem. Even sometimes that means not realizing everything that was planned so you still have to be flexible.

Trust

Finally came day 6, the judgment day should I call it. There was no turning back. The presentation pushed through in, pardon me for a little prate, positive way. Everyone was definitely proud of how it all came out.

The final preparation

Our case presentation was by the way about respiratory failure from acute demyelinating polyneuropathy. We had a refined idea of putting an emotional video for prayer which we took from youtube. Then said a courtesy to the Philippine National Anthem followed by a powerpoint presentation of the introduction, fitted with good visual theme and arrangement suitable for our audience.

Our case

On the Introduction: Justin

On  Anatomy & Physiology: co-red cross instructor, Ivy

On Pathophysiology: yours truly

On the nursing care plan: Alchie aka John Lloyd :)

On the discharge plan and prognosis: Ariane

Next was the creative video documentary film of the patient’s history, plus a moderate innovation in the format of the presentation that includes-- presenting the nursing care plan in a focused charting format, providing a consented and discrete photo of how our patient progressed from her condition.

The idea is to trust in the capabilities of all your group members. It has always been said that two heads are better than one.

Lastly, we didn’t forget to have fun!

The group

The candid shot. What's the sleeping all about?? :)

Celebrations!

Meal get together

Pardon me as well for including our idiosyncrasies and signature pose below:

The "in-love" smile

The "pogi" pose

The "nyora pose"

The feeler pose

             All the memories are worth keeping.

Postscript: The documentary film video mentioned in this post was not included for the patient's privacy. I would also like to personally extend my deepest gratitude to all my group mates and to you who reads this post. Smiles!

Photo Credits:
google (dot) com (slash) images- 1st photo

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Today I turned 21. One thing that gets me high on my birthday is when I start to hang in to whoever among my family, friends, special people, and acquaintances remembers to post a birthday greeting on my facebook wall,tsk! A preoccupation this is.

Suffice it to say, that is all I could ever be thankful of; letting in God’s best in love and mercy through other people. 

The more I get to receive their greetings, the more I get reminded of how my life has been glutted with inspiration by other people and how I ripened each time because of them.

Let alone myself understand that maturity (in mind) and wisdom (in heart) doesn’t necessarily come as we age, it comes as to how we have endured and bandy with the daily challenges of life. That’s why I’m determined to learn as my age upturns.

Really, my birthday is all about being grateful for everything that came about in the past 21 years. And I also hope to not just receive more blessings but be more of a blessing to others.

It's what my birthday has to mean to me l Image taken from quot.esarcade.com

These are all the many blessings I got from today,

Screen shots of the greetings of love and happiness from:

Fun Facts About Your Daily Life!

Can somebody help me clean!!!! l Image by Ron Leishman

This is a sublime and clever re-entry into blogging after all the seriousness in my previous posts. I for sure took you a little solemn-bound with all the ideas I have presented in the past few weeks. But this time, I want to share with you something more entertaining. Don’t you think we deserve some time to let loose?

My first two weeks back to hospital was never that easy even if going back there this time means that I’m no longer a student but a holder of the same license almost "everyone else"  has. The call out to find a steady employment in the hospital summons an even greater problem than just passing the licensure exam. 

Just this July, another set of thousands of nursing graduates battled with the five hundred questions of the Nursing Board Examinations.  Soon enough, thousands again will be joining the jobless crowd in the country.

Despite having the license to work in the hospital, having a sufficient experience would still count. And as a new kid on the block of the nursing profession, I feel the pressure to double my effort in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitude.

I am one of the “lucky” few who were accepted to work as volunteer in one of the level 4 hospitals here in the city. Before we were set out to the different areas of the hospital, batches of assorted policies were oriented to us. It was very demanding of our time yet helpful. 

There is one topic that reminded me that nursing isn’t limited to taking the vital signs, administering medications, and other clinical procedures but making certain that the hospital environment is conducive to every patient’s healing. I’m specifically talking of the Waste Management Program of the hospital where I’m in.  

Constituted in the program is the Infection Control.  The Infection Control Nurse of the hospital encouraged me personally when she presented the topic with humor but with so much sense. She said in her lecture that there are 8 fun facts about infection control:

Wanted Perfect Father

First of all, I would like to greet all the long time dads, new dads, and soon-to-be dads in the world a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.

Image taken from weheartit.com

Few days ago when NBA and the Lunar Eclipse were the trending topics on the twitter timeline, I caught site of a twitter hashtag hanging at the bottom of the top 10 trending topics that goes, #thatsmydad. I could only remember one thing about my dad that would suit the hashtag pretty well and I tweeted, “someone who plays guitar and sings me ballad #thatsmydad”. 

I don’t exactly know how other families would usually have a good time on father’s day. I for real grew up in a family where celebrating such occasions is so unlikely, at odds to what I typically hear from others where preparations are really done for their father say, a special dinner. 

“I love you”  is a not so familiar line inside the home. After my mother remained a plain housewife for few years, suddenly had to start a job in the city government. And my father, focused most of his time and attention on politics when he started serving as a Barangay Chairman in 1995. My brother was 9 years old then while I was 5. 

Apparently, politics became part of our daily life since then. It wasn’t until I also turned 9 that I mustered the courage to write him a letter for the father’s day (thanks to the 90’s educational TV series for reminding me of such a good conduct) because I thought it’s only on those kinds of occasion that I get the chance to thank him for all he’s done and to let him know that I love him. 

There were times when I would only see my letters for him run into the trash bin few days after. Though I’ve realized my father surely didn’t intend to throw my billet-doux. I remember my aunt even said, “Don’t be discouraged, you know your parents aren’t really fond of emotions popping off letters”. 

We all in the family hardly recognize feelings and thank each other. Endearments are taboo in that trying to open up something like it makes for a very awkward conversation. Though I know the Filipino culture where families are really valued (well I still hope despite of all the issues the country is facing now), father’s day is supposed to be a day when everybody, most importantly children have to give honor to their father and make him feel like he’s the greatest, the best and the most special dad there is. 

As children grow up, perspectives change and greeting dads on father’s day grow to be less and less of a priority. All the greetings if not forgotten just become perfunctory. Some start to move and have families of their own while others get too busy with their individual jobs. I don’t know how fathers really react to this. It is probably one of the hardest things a father or a parent for that matter could ever learn to do and accept as being parents, the stage of emancipation where one has to understand that his children are never his own . 

Waking Up to a Fluffy Eyes

Image taken from ps-iheartyou.tumblr.com

For once, I felt the need to clear everything that happened. I tossed and hang a left as I moved past the late night conversation. I sat down the stairs trying to sort it out. I suppose I made the right decision in laying the real score out in the open.

As I ponder every decision we make in life, especially when it’s a decision that has something to do with persons coming in and out our lives, demands a spit and image of attention we give to some of the other significant things in our life. When emotions are involved, things wouldn’t be way easier. There always has to be a consideration for all the consequences of our actions. We have to weigh them up and see what will serve better.

Decisions shouldn’t also depend solely on emotions because the latter do last and when it does, we eventually realize that we could’ve made a better judgement and decision. Let our emotions be part of our making for our decisions but the basis.

Things should be pondered upon fairly well before it’s laid out. It would be difficult though sometimes we have to take full maturity and responsibility in letting go of things that would only give a more negative effect to many or hold on to things that really matter to us. Now it takes much realization to do.

So today, 1:37 pm as I wake up, I find my eyes flocculent as I look in the mirror and am still contemplating. I only pray for God’s guidance that I could make the most-fitting judgment to all these things that are moving stealthily in my present life.








Image Credits:
ps-iheartyou.tumblr.com

Mad as Hell

“If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad.”

What writing is not l Image taken from quotestree.com

Writing is not writing in the interest of letting the people know “Hey, I got some good English here, and I bet I’m gonna kill you with my grammar”. It isn’t all about writing just to sound off that one is as astute as the Greek-god-of-intelligence is, sharp as a tack at certain things. Although being known for one’s writings and works is part of the big bonus that a writer’s going to get out of his efforts. In brief, it is never self-claimed. It takes scads a proof to say that one is positive a writer. But why am I saying all these things? 

I just thought, writing is in the same way not just for people whose names are found in prints; characters engraved in the best-sellers. It isn’t just about those people seen blatantly on screen. Writing is about self-expression. It is about sharing the ideas God has ever allowed one’s mind to think. It is a form of discovery with which one recalls things he thought he had already lost. Even the mere desire of scribbling one’s thoughts in paper is a surefire indication of someone’s ability to put the language of life and everything around it into words. It’s like a forerunner of the saying, “Not anyone can write, but a writer can come from anywhere”. And when you become one, you get a courteous feeling of being able to not just express but represent what other's are unable to say. 

For the swindle sheet, I myself get a little disappointed when words clog and papers go blank before me. Knowing that writing is an avenue for self-expression, it’s daunting just if I don’t get a remedy; and when I don’t I go mad as hell (tongue-in-cheek).  

Seriously, I really wish the goddess of words will lend a hand on this little writer’s block. Smiles!

Let the words flow freely l Image taken from weheartit.com

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.  ~Norbet Platt

Image Credits:
quotestree.com
weheartit.com

Forever Young

There's nothing more good than being young in mind and heart l 
Image taken from daytobeyou.com

I wanna be forever young! — If only life put up with this.

First, I’m turning 21 this year and am not getting any younger.

Physically, I may still be able to get along with activities that require so much strength but I pretty  sure that my endurance wouldn’t be as sound as a 4th grader could get. 

Emotionally, I cannot just let my tantrums and emotional constipation fly in the air because I’m no more 3 years old and the society expects me to act and deal with things the more mature way; which also means to say that I could no longer just decide on things impulsively and do whatever I want without keeping other people in mind. 

Mentally, I know I have to stretch my brain and understand things the higher level. That 10,000 minus 8,985 is not equals 1015 but finding a job (with pay) and searching for a sideline to get the money coming in for the family’s daily consumption and for a post-graduate study’s tuition. 

And spiritually, I need to realize that going to church every Sunday and memorizing some bible passages cannot help grow my sacred side but act on them.

Second, being young holds for so many opportunities to explore without hesitations of what the people around can say. A young mind and heart is yet spared of the world’s too much vanity. Innocence is professed. 

Lastly, I just miss the times when all I think about is what movie to watch the next day and get mad at the mom for not buying me the pink-dressed doll she promised since two weeks ago.

Photo Credits:

daytobeyou.com

Love Song

Photo by Jessica Allen

Listen to a song, it's from a heart that's bleeding strong now. Hear my heart, are you deaf of its yearning? I bet for all this time, it's time you should know something. Lately I've been keeping all my love, trying to hide everything I've felt, but to keep is not enough, this doesn't really make me tough. so I'd tell you... that I love you even if you love her too, it's just so hard to remain a friend, though I know it's where I'm still going to end. that i need you even if you need her too, a symphony of a broken heart, longing for a better start. A friend's love can grow, and now at least you know, you know that I love you. Listen to a song, it's from a heart that's bleeding strong, hear my heart go wrong, listen to a friend's first true love song. Yours Truly, The Black Anonymous A Guest Post from (About the Author): The Black Anonymous is a Filipino Registered Nurse working for one of the biggest hospitals in Cebu, Philippines.                                            He lives by the rules of basketball and the depths of Shakespeare. Authorship Disclosure: The contributor of this article shall be identified as The Black Anonymous,                                            who prefers to use his pen name. Contents of this article do not necessarily                                           imply that of the author [Syril Tañala], or the website [Pens n' Paper]. This is                                            written and posted with pure intentions to impart literary pieces online.

Image Credits:

I love music photo by Jessica Allen, blog.gigg.com