14 posts tagged “23”
Thank you for conversations out of the norm, for listening to me pour my heart out up to 4am, and for reassuring me without fail that all my thoughts are just.. thoughts. Nothing more.
This time last year was the best week ever, and although we didn't have that this time around because of work.. Today was possibly one of our best days.
...it's a little bit more than I can stand. Hee. So crazy about this song. Krystel shares this crazy hobbit obsession. Haha!
Baby, I'll wait for you. I'm ALWAYS waiting. I wonder when this will all finally end. Haha!
What's new? I decided to go to work while school's out. So that means, I'm working tomorrow. On Good Friday, nonetheless. What can I do? There's no such thing as a religious holiday in the place I work in. And besides, I'm saving for a Florida getaway when someone comes over. :) HAHAHA hindi naman halatang excited noh.
I'm so happy my sister and I are back in action. We kind of had a fight (don't AKS, long story), and didn't talk for a month. Can you believe it? It was painful though, I've to tell you. But yknow you can only ignore each other for so much time, especially when the person is your other half, best friend, and sister. A lot of people envy our relationship (not even being conceited, they tell us themselves), and it's exactly because what we have is extraordinarily special. We got each other's backs no matter what, even when other friends people try to break that bond. It's different. Friends can easily be replaced, but you only got one family. And they're the ones who'll be there when everything else collides.
What can I say? When you love someone, over time every wrong thing they did becomes irrelevant and easily forgotten. That's love. You take them back without any questions asked. As if nothing really happened.
Tini Lau, I'm glad nothing horrible had to happen to one another (like being stupid enough to get a tetanus shot, WURD.) before we patched things up. I've to thank my Smart cellphone though. I love you! Shopping (both for real and wishful-thinking), pigging out, getting broke, taking pictures, surfing Multiply albums (or ALBUM? Haha!), watching DVDs, and late night kulitans are so much more fun when it's with you. =] All other "friends" can go crazy around Myspace and take us off from their top friends, but yknow what? I DON'T CARE. 'Slong as I got ya. I gotcha maaa! <3
Since I haven't read as much books as I intended to this year, I tried to compensate. Key word is TRIED. I loaned three books on nursing, and that book above was the first book I read. (I'm only halfway done with Trauma Junkie. The next one's Nursing America) I have to admit that even though our professor is too flamboyant, our Trends of Nursing class really took me to the next level in my nursing career. For the past few semesters, it's only been school-hospital-school. Sometimes, in order to become a really good nurse you have to be out there in the community and experience firsthand what it is to be one. It's been fulfilling. Sure it's nothing like experiencing a woman give birth in the labor & delivery unit, but the experience is exhilarating when simple ordinary people from the community thank you for spending a minute or two talking to them about their high blood pressure, what to eat and how to cook their food, and what their "pills" really are. Little things.
Anyway, I've been meaning to write this long post on nursing days ago but I never got around to it. It's basically my mission to get people into nursing. I know it's cliche (especially in the Philippines), but Lord knows we don't need any more doctors or lawyers! (Haha, sorry guys.) I was actually telling the boyfriend during one of our conversations that at this point, I don't care as much as I used to if people did it for money/practicality/whatever. I honestly believe that people who don't have the passion for it won't be in it for the long haul. (Sorry, ang tamaan wag magalit.) I've seen friends drop out of nursing school. The desire for money is not enough (but good Lord, thank You for a profession that is fulfilling both emotionally and financially! HAHA) That alone doesn't make you stay in a profession like this. Let me tell you why. I've witnessed firsthand the ramifications of the nursing shortage when we go to clinicals. IT IS CRAZY. It's honestly not like nursing in the books. Yknow, the kind where the nurse actually has time to talk to the patient during her shift. Hell, she doesn't even have time to eat or pee. It is that crazy. And so all the more, I hope people get into nursing. And I hope each nurse doesn't shun people away from a profession that badly needs manpower.
I think as nurses and/or future nurses, we should all go out and tell the world. Become nurses just like how it's really supposed to be according to Nightingale, mah lady. Haha! Srsly, I hope we don't become nurses who simply go to work and go home without being out there. (Krystel, CULTURE na ba?) That's REAL nursing. Taking it out to the streets. Being a nurse even when you're not in your ugly nursing school uniform or your chic scrubs.
And as for you other people who haven't considered nursing, I hope you do. Haha, it entails a whole lot of sacrifice, but there's nothing more fulfilling than taking care of another person's needs before taking care of yours. This wasn't really meant to be a nursing recruitment post. I actually meant to say, PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES. Go to a doctor regularly. Get your annual physical check-ups. Watch what you eat. Exercise. (Me too.) Because if you take care of yourself, then that means lower prevalence of the horrible diseases/conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. And yknow what that means for us in the other end. Yep, less work. Yknow, no matter how superwoman we nurses look like.. We still have stomachs to fill when they're hungry, bladders that need to be emptied, backs that'll eventually weaken, and legs that'll abound with varicosities over time.
My boyfriend wrote me a surprise LJ entry for our first anniversary.
I cried. HAHAHA!
So finaaaaaaaally! My long delayed birthday package for Ian finally got to him. After 2 weeks. Hahaha! It's so easy to make my boyfriend happy. Candies and chocolates are enough to get him giddy.. Just like a little kid. I'm just glad he got it and liked everything. Although it was still not enough to make up for the absence, but oh well.. We'll work on that next time. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE! Enjoooooy everything. Don't get those Havaianas dirty, or else. (Hindi ka na cool.)
On to good news, I'm almost done with my second to the last semester in school. We had our performance exams last Monday, where we had to learn how to do 5 skills -- phlebotomy (drawing blood), starting an IV, inserting a Foley catheter (a tube down the genitals if the pt can't pee), tracheostomy care (cleaning an opening of the trachea through the neck), and nasopharyngeal suctioning (suctioning out mucus/secretions from the nose to the lungs. Uh, yeah. UNCOMFORTABLE).. But we pick one from a hat and only do that for the exam. I picked the easiest one, phlebotomy. The fake arm was malfunctioning during the test. No "blood" was coming out. But other than that, it went fine.
We finished all the lectures by Monday afternoon, and so we didn't have to come in today. It's just one more clinical day tomorrow. Which really isn't much. It's the last day, we won't be doing anything. Aside from presenting our certain skin diseases we want to report on and a few patient case studies. After that? Just a final next week!! And then we're on vacation.
Whoo, and then just ONE more semester before I finally graduate. This semester just flew by. Eeee, it's gonna be so quick next sem! Albeit hard. Four whole days in school or the hospital. Paperworks. Stress, but whoo it's the last sem!!! Everybody's been talking about what to do after school. It's just drawing near.
My grandparents are flying in from Manila for my pinning ceremony. I hope *someone* else does to. Hint hint! :)
You should know that it's hard to write a birthday entry when right now, we're really not talking properly. But negative vibes aside, I'll still make you one. Afterall, it's not everyday you turn 21. Not everyday that we spend your birthday the first time together (although not togetherTOGETHER). :)
Remember how some time last year I told you my prayers were finally answered? Truth is, those prayers were answered even before I uttered the words out loud on the day you were born. (Harhar cheesy :-*) Who would've thought that the guy who sat behind me all throughout 3rd year, with his infamous poker face, rarely talking to me even when I initiated the conversations would actually turn out to be my complement? :) More than anyone, you get my idiosyncratic thinking, my eccentric quirks, and well... my annoying temper tantrums. We're so much alike, yet so different in many ways.
I've so many things running in my mind right now, but I can't seem to put it all down coherently. I'm just glad that after everythiiiiing, and we both know what that is ;), I'm glad that finally it's you and me. Yes, the distance sucks and others can invalidate this but whatever.:-* Here's to your first birthday we spend together as Mr. and Mrs. Sungit HAHAHA! And the first and only birthday we'll be spending apart. Happy birthday, looove!
I know you hate the spotlight, but today and for always.. Both my eyes will always be on you. Even if you share your birthday with your kuya. :)
I love you, near or far always and forever. *KISSES ALL THE WAY TO MANILAAA*
PS. Let's eat your cake!!! My family's been so excited seeing you blow this cake. ;)
It's finally getting chilly. :)
The cold crisp wind blowing outside, the smell of Christmas lingering around the corner, Ingram's One Hundred Ways playing on my speakers, and the giddy feeling I still get with you after almost a year reminds me of our Nothing Big days.
Love.♥
Okay, 2 papers down. 3 more to go. Crunchtime crunchtime! I've been on the computer working since 9am, only getting out of the chair to pee or eat. I was already about to doze off at about 12pm, and I probably would if eating lunch and sleeping could be done simultaneously. I cannot afford sleep right now. Not even for an hour. :( My right arm was tingling in pain earlier from too much typing. I swear, I have carpal tunnel in the making.
And I really miss Ian who's gone for a veryveryvery (haha!) long 3-day vacation. :(
Oh, he just texted. Yay!
Hah, I can't believe! The last time I updated this was from my clinical day at the Nursery. Which was so long ago, it hurts. I wanna go back there! This is gonna be one massive picture post of nothing in particular really. Hahaha, I've a midterm tomorrow but heeeey.. It's best to relax before the big Dooms Day.
So what have we been doing in school lately?
We've been inserting IVs on fake patient hands. I know that in the Philippines, everyone got to stick another person and run IVs in, give IM medications to, even enemas. Hahaha! But the school's pretty much a stickler with these things, with all these HIV and Hepatitis B scares.
So we've got to stick to these fake patient hands with veins. And those veins actually have "blood" running through them. Kind of like the real thing really, minus the patient flinching in pain when you can't get that IV in. Oh when you puncture those "veins", blood does spurt out. Hahaha!
Those IV bags with the red fluid in the second picture holds the fake blood running through that hand model's veins. It's pretty amusing how the nursing lab technician actually makes it red in an attempt to make it look like blood.
Hahaha!
And we've also been inserting Foley catheters on male mannequins with vaginas. HAHAH! That I haven't done in clinical practice, I meant inserting Foleys. Not a male-looking patient with an unexpected genital. =))
We're finally done with Maternal-Child Nursing. And quite frankly, I wish we could've done a 12-week rotation here instead of a 6-week one. I reallyreallyreally enjoyed this rotation.
Postpartum is a whole lot of work. Although these patients are basically ambulatory and "normal" (meaning not really sick), there's a lot of things to do and look out for as well. Anytime within their "normal" recovering state, they can easily get a complication. A whole lot of teaching in this rotation, and the sad part is these mothers, especially those who just had their first babies, don't get enough time to be taught properly, reinforced, followed through, etc. because of the move for shorter hospital stays. Next to the nursery, this is really my favoriiite out of all the areas in OB nursing (prenatal, labor & delivery itself, and after the birth). All these new moms eager to learn something new about their baby. Even 35-year old moms who had 5 kids already were so eager to listen from someone like me, whose never had a baby. Hahaha! The best part is, you also get to carry the newborn when the mother has lunch or something.
Nursery nursery nursery. I can't reiterate myself more I absolutely loved it here. But I figured it can become too routinary, since all the "sick" babies go to the NICU. Speaking of the NICU, we got to look around and ohmy. I don't know if I can ever work in that area. It's too heartbreaking. :(
Labor & delivery was not as eventful coz I didn't get to see that much awaited normal vaginal delivery. How heartbreaking, I had to settle for a Youtube clip (which my boyfriend actually looked for HAHAHAHA!) I got to see a C-section though which was 'eventful' in itself, but I would've loved that normal delivery. I've seen a C-section already, and it was actually of mom "giving birth" to Gabe, which Dad videotaped. Hahaha! Antepartum is a TOTAL BORE. I don't ever wanna go back there. Nothing was going on. Not for me.
I actually miss all the other Filipinos from the other 'batches.' We don't really get to see them much anymore. :(
That Deal or No Deal picture was just totally... shameful. Even with kids and parents looking at us at the Toys R Us lobby, who cares? Hahaha! It actually slipped my mind that the American Deal or No Deal show doesn't have all these poses Kris Aquino does in Deal or No Deal in Manila. Hahaha! Those fake suitcases are actually cute. Dressing up as a Deal or No Deal girl for Halloween is actually possible with that. Haha!
The last picture's from last night. This time the skirts were planned. Unlike before, when we unknowingly met up and everyone was wearing the same color.
We watched The Lake House together some time last week. It was a total fluke. Boo, I was so disappointed. I've been wanting to watch it for the longest time and it wasn't what I expected. Oh well, we'll find another movie to watch soon. ;) It better be good next time. Haha!
So there, I'd have to skim through my notes all over again just to make sure I'm ready for tomorrow. :)
I swear, I've been meaning to update since last Thursday. Butbutbut I am SO swamped with readings I am not even kidding. Plus, those assessment tools/care plan papers really just take up so much time to make. By the time I'll have time to write about last Thursday, it will all be irrelevant. So, I'll try my best to immortalize that first OB clinical day real quick (because, what's new? I've readings to doooo.)
I got 2 patients last Thursday. One Spanish-speaking patient. And one first-time mom. The day went by so quick. It was actually the first time my clinical instructor asked me to go have lunch. As opposed to previous rotations when I'd be waiting for lunch. Wahahaha! There was a whole lot of teaching especially for the first-timer. I was surprised I actually knew a lot about infant care -- like how to change a diaper, how to burp the baby, etc. Haha, many thanks to that babysitting stint with Kyle from a year back. Teaching was so much harder with the Spanish patient. :( I had to make do with my broken Spanish phrases. The very little I knew. It was good that it was her 4th baby so she pretty much knew her way around. What else? I got to carry around babiiiies (whom I had to resist kissing and sniffing, because demmet they were so cute!), change diapers (srsly not as gross as the oldies' diapers. HAHA!), and feed babies among others. I got to do a CBC blood draw, even if we haven't really done the procedure in lab. The instructor practically guided me through right there. Bwahaha! During post-conference that day, I think I may have gotten on my instructor's good side when she commended me for an "excellent performance for the first day" THANK GOD! She wasn't so intimidating anymore.
I'm loooooooving every minutesecondnanosecond of this clinical rotation. I swear. It doesn't even seem to be like 'work' to me as Med-Surg or Psych was. I love iit. I think I may have found where I wanna be working. This Thursday, it's gonna be the nuuuuursery. EEEE! More babies to play with! Hahaha!
But then there's just too much reading. It'll probably lessen by two weeks or so. But that's too long. I need a new desk as well.
Oh and then Thursday couldn't have been any better, when I received a call from a cargo service saying I had a package from the Philippines. Little did I know that sneakysneaky Ian actually sent me....
Sneaky boyfriend conniving with my sister to send birthday gifts. They all fit perfectly and halaveet. I really do. Thanks, sweetiiiie! (Alam ko, pang Christmas at anniversary na to. WAHAHAHA!)
I could really make use of some fried chicken sushi rolls and taro milk teas right now. :( Too much stuff to do, so little tiiiime. Better stop LJ-ing.
I'll keep it simple. I've backslid, and I know myself that He's been getting to me several times -- the weekly Bible studies, books, online blogs, and other people. Sure, they got to me for a while.. But they were gone too after a while. I've been running away from it for several months already. I don't even remember the last time I prayed properly. Or the last time I really heard the Word.
Today, I got a big knock on the head. After our long conversation on the phone, Ian opened up about not praying lately and how he's been hating it. There started a litany of wake up calls, asking for forgiveness, thanking Him/each other, PTL's, and promises to work it out.
I might have fallen even more in love with Ian after today's conversation. He was pretty honest to tell me I've backslid. That I haven't been really going to Mass and praying as I often did before. That I've only been half-heartedly going to Bible studies. And that I desperately need to get my act together. No other guy would have done that with me.
Baby: tsk cmon hun dont go on forgetting about Him
Baby: He brought me here in the first place
Miko: i know sweetie
Miko: thanks for reminding me
Miko: no hun i think He was using you to speak to me today
Miko: do you remember pa before when i asked for signs abt you, and i got several from the Bible
Miko: haha i havent done that in a LOOOOOONG time
Baby: well thank God in that case
Baby: yeah i rememberrr
Baby: haaa babyyy cmon dont be just like all other girls i knowMiko: i'll pray for you later Bible study baba
Baby: haha
Baby: seee tsk that's bad hun
Baby: you go bible study but parang wala laaang
Miko: hahaha i know
Baby: time to get serious bebs
I'm convinced more than ever that he was given to me by Him. He is GB. :) I'm blessed beyond belief to have him and everything in my life right now. There's so many things to be thankful for, and so many things to set straight. All this a week before I turn 21.
I'm so happy right now, I could really burst. Haha, aaah I'm so thankful for everything. Time to get everything straight. No more bumming around with Him.
PTL. :)
