idle time makes too much room for too much thinking

I believe in the power of compensation. Better to bend than to break, yes? So when people cannot compensate because they’re too stubborn to bend to other people for the sake of compromising so that both sides win, I think it’s just sad. It’s sad to let pride get in the way, it’s sad to be too proud to even try to see how it is at the other side of the fence. Close minded people will never get their points through the other party because they don’t try to compromise, they just want their way ALL THE TIME. They don’t even TRY.

Sadly, it’s a pattern. This closemindedness and lack of the ability to compromise becomes a bad habit to break. It has a ripple effect. Again, PRIDE is the culprit. This type of people, in my opinion, will not be able to work well in a group or as a team because a stubborn leader is hard to follow when all he acknowledges is himself. All he listens to is himself. A true leader is one who picks up ideas from brainstrorming of the ENTIRE team. PRIDE is like rust that eats away the outside until the core gets eaten too. It’s just too bad because “no man is and island”. A pompous attitude might work in an island ala Castaway starring Tom Hanks but in the real world, we have to deal with people, we have to consider their thoughts, their opinions, their feelings too and not just our own. It like the way of the universe.

Bend a little, try it, it’s easier to manage.

of cookies and Pinoy Pride

Sem break is starting to get boring but I’m still enjoying the free time. I went back to the gym today and Alej bought me cookies! I finally found THE PERFECT COOKIES because I am a cookie monster. I mean, I LOVE COOKIES. I keep craving for the ones at Spiral because the shortbread cookies and those chocolate chip ones were just perfect cookies. I bought cookies before at Pricesmart because they looked yummy packaged with Christmas ribbons and stuff and I thought they were calling out for me. When I tasted them after I bought a jar, it tasted horrible…like they were on the shelf for so long. I think they were (old) Delifrance (stale) cookies. So when we bought a tall plastic cupful of assorted cookies from Sugarhouse, I wanted to do cartwheels because they were so good and they were really fresh! I felt guilty for doubting the girl who sold me the cookies from the Sugarhouse kiosk. My bad!

Anyway, if you’re not living in Manila (or in Philippines, in general) then you’re probably not aware of the Pinoy pop culture craze– there are Philippine flag t-shirts everywhere, the iconic three stars and a sun, the flag colors, anything about the Philippine flag you name it they got it. Pinoy pop culture is taking the public by storm…at least the younger generation. I think it’s cool because these products– t-shirts, necklaces, caps, bracelets, etc. are making their way abroad. I heard that Francis Magalona’s company who sells t-shirts with the Pinoy pop culture theme has made it’s way to the United States and it’s selling like hotcakes there, better than the sales they make here in the Philippines! My cousin Gino loved the Pinoy themed shirts and when he found out that Adidas made a limited edition Philippine flag jacket, he wanted one so bad. Alej wants one so bad too but they’re always out of stock. I heard you have to be on a list to get to the goodies and it costs so much too! But the other Pinoy pop culture merchandise like Team Manila t-shirts and accessories and other products are local buyers friendly because they’re affordable.

I think it’s great that nationalism is sinking in amongst the younger generation through the availability of these merchandise. Although they’re just t-shirt designs or whatnot, the sentiment is still there. For my brother-in-law, for example, who likes these Pinoy pop culture merchandise…he does not just like the stuff (t-shirts, accessories, etc. with the Philippine flag design), he feels a certain kind nationalism by wearing “PINOY PRIDE”. And it’s great especially when these products are making its way to Pinoys who live abroad like my Cousin Gino who feels very much Pinoy even if he’s already a U.S. Immigrant.

Anyway, I’ve babbled too much already. Now onto the photos!

He was (one of) the 3rd anniversary gift from Alej. He's cute and he eats a lot!

we found this at the mall today on the way to the gym. It's a good find! Alej got me one too.

This was Alej's main gift for our 3rd anniversary...matching two-tone gold rings with our names/date engraved inside. And no we're not engaged. Haha!

...because Alej has good taste.

And yes, WE ARE PROUD TO BE PINOY.

i am a nurse-to-be with a big heart

I’ve been to many hospital trips in my only twenty three years of life. I don’t know if it’s just a stroke of bad luck or I just have bad health. Either way, I’m taking steps to overcoming health risks that are threatening my body– I started going to the gym to keep me in tip-top shape and I’m going to try to stay away from too much sugar because that is a threat too. Oh yeah, salty food and fast food altogether but that is a struggle. A STRUGGLE, people!

All my hospital trips were horrible healthwise– I felt queasy, I felt weak, the last time I was rushed to the Emergency Room I forgot to bring my slippers I was only in socks, the horror! In my ratty old pajama, a tshirt, and a jacket, I was wheeled to the E.R. This was because I already got disoriented after my convulsion due to high fever so if you’re disoriented, how else would you think of getting proper clothes or shoes before heading out the door? I was scared that my hallucination might come back again. I had chills, I hallucinated, I threw up, and I fought Alej who comforted me as I was going through all these. One minute I had a fever, the other minute I was already in a state of panic.

I was hospitalized for five days because my kidneys were already on the way of getting damaged. But all throughout my stay at the hospital, pleasant nurses took care of me. They were always there with a smile and saw to it that I felt comfortable. Despite waking up in the wee hours of the morning to get my vital signs, they still managed to make it okay because they did it with utmost care and of course, again, WITH A SMILE! I thought about how I wanted to do that– to take care of people and somehow lessen their misery by providing comfort to those who needed it.

And now I’m on the way there. Never did I think that I’d have the guts to shift career paths and actually go for what my heart desires. Or maybe I’m just that much of a go-getter and I seek for passion. I want passion to be present in the career that I will be practicing for the rest of my life. I start clinicals on October 16 and I’m excited. There are a lot of horror stories about what to expect (mostly unpleasant scenarios like nasty bed sores, injuries, cleaning up, delivery room stories, etc.) but there are also pleasant stories as well like how rewarding it feels when you do health teaching to an elder woman and she says thank you for spending a few minutes of your time talking about regulating blood pressure and eating healthy…stuff like that.

I know at some point I’ll feel like I want to throw in the towel from overfatigue but that won’t stop me. I didn’t sacrifice two more years of my post-grad life to quit. I am a fighter and I will not just be a nurse, I will be a nurse with a heart because a nurse without a heart is not a nurse at all.

Am I excited? Hell, yeah! Am I scared? OF COURSE. But I’m also hopeful, hopeful of what there is in the future because this is a continous learning process and experience will be my best teacher.

Wish me luck!

party shmarty

I think I’ve been partying too much lately. Three days in a row. WOW. But it was really fun after not partying for so long. I went to Temple Bar at Greenbelt last night with Alej, his cousins, and his sister to check out the DJ for Angela’s debut. I didn’t think that Temple would be a bar for kids or it’s just that I’m getting older. I refer to college kids as “KIDS” now. Haha! What a laugh!

at Temple

San Miguel Oktoberfest Kick-Off party. We didn’t go for the beer, we went for 3rd Eye Blind. WOOHOOO! We got the best tickets–The golden ticket, it’s VIP and Tita Agnes (Alej’s mom) went with us too but they stayed in the VIP tent where there’s aircon while Alej and I went to the concert area.

Third Eye Blind! And the crowd went so wild. I LOVED LOVED LOVED their set! Everyone was just singing along to the songs it was just amazing.

* * *

Anyway, before Papa left I created a blog for him. Too bad he wants it to be private, though. I’d like to show off his writing skills because I got my writing from him. Awesome. He likes to post photos now too.

I also drove for ALONE for the first time yesterday. Alej had to pick up his car from the shop so I drove on the way there and when we picked up his car, we both drove in separate cars. I was supposed to go first but I trailed behind after his car had a few problems near Eastwood. And I give myself props on the back for driving all the way from Pasig to our house! I mean…we went through Quezon City Circle and Commonwealth. It’s hard to drive there. I realized that I’m no longer scared. Woohoo! Now I need to make a driving CD because yesterday I was lucky enough to hear my favorite songs on the radio. And since the CRV is set up to have really loud sounds, I loved every single minute of it.

It’s 3AM in the morning. I have to hit the sack now.

moving on

…to WordPress!

I’ve been with Blogger for ages but I think it’s time to move on (NUKS).

More organized entries ahead and more photos. Yey!