If The Sun Shines In Your Heart

People come into our lives either for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When we know which one it is, we will know what to do or expect from that person.

When someone is in our life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need we have expressed. They have come to assist us through a difficulty, to provide us with guidance and support, to aid us physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem God-send. And they are. They are there for the reason we need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on our part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end; some walk away, sometimes they die, and sometimes they act up and force us to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. And now it is time to move on.

Some people come into our lives for a SEASON, because our turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring us an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach us something we have never done. They usually give us an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach us lifetime lessons; things we must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Our job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what we have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of our lives. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

To all my friends: those for keeps and passing ones, THANK YOU for being a part of my life, whether you were for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

The sun shines in my heart, and it doesn't matter that it's raining outside.

You're A Diva

Sorry.

I don't mean to be a 'diva', but some days you wake up and you're Madonna.

McDonald's Love Ko 'To

Went to McDonald's earlier this afternoon as I was craving for a french man fries and a Big Mac. Hello obesity, hello atherosclerosis. McDonald's Hampstead is just 2 minutes walk from where I live and it is situated beside the underground station, just across is Starbucks.

The British guy behind the counter smiled and greeted me with the usual "Hi, how are you?" I smiled back and replied with my usual "I'm great, and you?" He took my order, entered it on the cash register, and I paid. He then prepared and placed my order inside a white bag and handed it to me with a (gulp) wink. And before I left, I checked if there were ketchups inside. There being none, I went back and asked for some, and it went this way:

Dentor: Hi, yes. Umm I'd like some ketchup please.

He: Sure. How many?

Dentor: Just two, please.

He: Okay, let's make it three. I-Love-You.

Dentor: ......................................................

I am quite aware that McDonald's slogan is about love, hence, Love ko 'to (Philippines), I'm loving it (United Kingdom, United States, Greece, etc.), C’est tout ce que j’aime (France), Me encanta todo eso (Spain), and so on, but saying I love you whilst giving ketchup? I almost had a stroke.

Haha.. Love na love ko 'to.

Thank You, Mae

I am so touched by my very very close friend, Mercedes Mae's comment for me in Friendster. I haven't got one that really moved me. And it says:

"...one day, all of us will get busy with our lives.. No more drinking sessions, Long hours of talks, or even SMS.. Some will get married, wont have time.. At such a day, you'll look outside your window and see the good old memories flash you by and you'll get a smile with a tear in your eye and thinking " i wish i could go back.."
.. i sent you this msg coz i want to thank you for the MEMORIES you leave in my life.. thanks for the Friendship.. (",) miss you den, tc always...and i am very Happy and Proud of you. Go den! Go Affam!"

If only I could turn back the hands of time, I would, not that I want to change anything, but to savor each precious moment while it lasts.

Thank you, Mae! You made not my day, not my week, but my entire month! Haha.

I miss my family and my friends.

Getting Lost. Getting There.

"London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. It is illimitable. It is Infinite London." --Peter Ackroyd, London: The Biography (2000)

I went around London alone today.

Usually I don’t go out alone, but the place is so romantic especially when you are alone, and as a friend puts it, “there’s more to London that what meets the eye,” and that I should “go out and enjoy while it’s still summer.”
So today I did. I braved to take the tube/train without asking for directions. Instinct tells you to trust yourself. I may hear voices telling me what to do or not to do, but fortunately (or unfortunately) I’m not hallucinating, haha.

I got off at Oxford Circus Underground and went to see the Oxford Circus, the Piccadilly Circus, the Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, Downing Street (the official residence of the Prime Minister of Great Britain), the London Eye, the Big Ben (or known as the Tower Clock) and the Houses of Parliament (or known as the Palace of Westminster), all by foot.

Click here to see photos.

I got lost actually. And if there’s one thing this experience taught me it would be to enjoy getting lost. The best time to be lost is in a foreign country. One will never learn to find the right way until he or she gets lost. And that, as I always put it, is a happy accident.

I met this charming 24-year old Thai girl who, like me, was waiting for the Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben to get lighted so she could take pictures. She approached me and asked me to take pictures of her with the Parliament and the Big Ben as her backdrop. She asked if I was Chinese, which obviously, am not. She’s the 4th person this week to ask if I was Chinese. Anyway, I told her I’m from the Philippines.

Tanee, her nickname (it's difficult to remember her name, let alone pronounce), is a Thai Airways flight attendant and on a stopover in London. She was friendly; we ended up taking pictures with the both of us as the Parliament and the Big Ben as our background. We exchanged e-mail addresses so next time she’d visit London maybe, just maybe, I could play tour guide and show her around, hehe.

I also met this French gentleman, and asked me to take pictures of him and the Parliament as his background. He requested that I pose with him. Haha..

These are London’s world-famous landmarks. The camera captured wonderful memories, but not my emotions and those of the people I met. We often see these in glossy postcards or photographs, but it’s quite different when one is able to see it, touch it.

Happy 50th Birthday Madonna

Happy 50th Birthday, Madonna.

You're half-century old now. Thank you for enriching our lives and making the world a much better place!

"Absolutely no regrets." --Madonna Veronica Louise Ciccone-Ritchie

Amen.

Happy Accidents: Ode to The Little Prince

As what I have said in my journal entry before this: good things come to those who wait. Indeed.

Things are now falling into place. I don't know. I'm just so out of words. Geesh, I'm always out of words lately. Or maybe what I'm feeling right now is just beyond the framework of words.
"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. (Ce qui embellit le désert, c'est qu'il cache un puits quelque part.)" --Antoine de Saint Exupéry (Le Petit Prince)

I hope I've found my well.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

Good things come to those who wait. That is why I'm keeping my fingers and legs crossed.

I hope nobody jinx it, whoever does I will slit his/her/its throat with a sharp dull rusty blade.

That's all.

Bad Timing and Poor Tastes

"Can I check those diplomas ‘coz I just want to make sure they’re not from some med school in the Philippines." Familiar? Of course, who could forget this line when Filipino healthcare providers were insulted like wild fire by Susan Mayer's (Teri Hatcher) character in the popular US TV show Desperate Housewives.

But then again, 3 Filipino surgeon/doctors and 1 OR nurse laughing at the patient while being operated on at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center to remove an object (cannister) from his rectum. What is that? Still uncontented, videos featuring the operation amid noisy laughter were posted on the Internet video-sharing site such as Youtube. What about the exam leakage in the June 2006 Nurses Licensure Examination by no less than the (gulp) 2 members of the Board Of Nursing (BON)?

Whatever happened to the Hippocratic Oath, made by these physicians? An oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of their medical profession. Or was it just hypocrite oath? Whatever happened to the nurse's adaptation of the Hippocratic Oath, known as Florence Nightingale's Pledge? What happened to their bio-medical ethics regarding justice, respect for human dignity, among others?

Pathetic.

Christmas In April

I'm so happy. Another Mariah moment.

It's like Christmas in April!

Taking Oath Realizations

If there are two things that the Oath-Taking Ceremony last 2 April had taught me, it would be: first, ask the organizers of such event what is the color or motif of the occasion so I won’t humiliate myself wearing the same color as the table covers, walls, etcetera. Unless you are committing social suicide, then by all means, go. BON Betty Merritt, is that you? Note BON Merritt's dress color and the table covers, walls.

BON Hon. Betty F. Merritt's "Oh, I Belong" Moments

And finally, to come on time so I’ll not miss the picture-taking moments. You know, pang-Friendster. Haha..

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Ad majorem Dei gloriam! I am so elated for passing the Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE) held last December 1 and 2, 2007. Actually, it's quite poignant as well that some of my friends weren't able to make it to the roll of successful examinees. This blog entry is for them.

Fr. Jet Villarin has said in his homily: "No matter what happens, you will never be broken. You are not alone and you will never be alone." And I couldn't agree more. Trite as it may sound, but indeed, no matter what happens-come-what-may, we still have our family, friends and our significant others who love us unconditionally. Remember that failure is only an event, not the person; failing to pass an exam or failing to achieve a goal wouldn't make us lesser than a human being.

For me, the board exam is only a gauge to measure what is inside our brain, but what is inside our hearts --that, they couldn't measure. So let not this event dampen your spirit, but may it yet serve as a challenge for you to claim the glory that you deserve. Fight on, I have faith in you.

Obesity: Root Of All Evil

I consulted the holy weighing scale in the bathroom and it revealed that I gained 1.3 lb. Fuck Blame the holidays! Or is it just water retention? Whatever it is, I'm still fat.

I, for one, believe in weighing scales as indicators of our daily successes and failures.

I swear, in the name of Karen Carpenter Keira Knightley Victoria Beckham Angelina Jolie: I'll stick to my banana/oatmeal/apple and tea diet and yoga.

In addition, being cold burns more calories. I promise to take cold showers, and sleep with the airconditioning unit in full blast.

Angelina Jolie, pray for us.

Haha..

Waiting Game

I am so dissapointed with the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board of Nursing (BON) why it'll take months for them to release the result for the December 2007 Nurses Licensure Examination.

Is it not that machines or computers are used for checking?

Room No. 123, Seat 17, Set A of the December 2007 Nurses Licensure Exam: My answer sheet.

During the last convention of the Philippine Nurses Association in October here in Cagayan de Oro City, BON Chair Carmencita M. Abaquin anounced that it will only take the PRC 2 weeks to release the result of the exam. If that is the case, then the result would be out on the 16th, 17th or 18th of December or anytime before Christmas. Then again I am reminded: I am in the Philippines. I am in the 3rd world.

Today is December 28, 2007 and I guess what some predicted, the result will be out on the 1st week of February.

I already had a bowlful of crushed ice and not even that could cheer me up.

Don't Make Me Have To Hurt You

I can now feel the tension and the anxiety as we approach near the end of the final coaching for the local nurse's licensure exam (NLE), and no one had better fucking piss me off today. I am not in the mood to deal with people being fucking morons anymore. Use a bit of common sense for once in your patheticlives people and don't get wound up in the small shit. Just because you think you know how something should be doesn't mean that's how it's going to be and you need to get the fuck over it now.

If you don't know what you're talking about or have no experience in that area, don't try to tell me that I'm doing something wrong just because you don't fucking like it.

You would think that I would feel better after that? I don't.

Don't make me have to slit your throat with a razor hurt you.

Anyway, bitch isn't worthy for all the frowns and what-have-yous. Ugh. Here's a picture during a break in the review.

With Therese and Joan

Celebrate Imperfection

Inner beauty is a joke. Hello, who would want a beautiful pancreas? Charming spleen anyone?

I realized beauty is fleeting. Beauty is pain.

But it also occured to me: we should not only accept our imperfections, but celebrate our flaws.

Awww...

Sweet Escape - Dentor's Dream Destinations

These are the places I might want to go.

First on the list is France. I don’t know why, but there is something about in French culture –France as a whole that I am so addict about. It is maybe because of movies like Audrey Hepburn’s to Sex and the City to The Devil Wears Prada, but whatever the reason may be, I simply cannot die without touching the Eiffel Tower.

I consider France as the center of gravity of all things nice: fashion, tourist spots, hotels, museums, cathedrals and churches, food, cafés, universities, among others. A French city, Paris, known most famous as the “city of lights” (la ville-lumière), is the most popular tourist destination in the world, according to Wikipedia.

Also in France is the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées (known in France as La plus belle avenue du monde or the most beautiful avenue in the world" –I agree). Next is Avenue Montaigne, which houses numerous houses of high fashion such as Dior, Chanel and Valentino, as well as jewellers, Bulgari, and other establishment such as the Plaza Athénée hotel. Also in the list is the Roman Catholic basilica and popular landmark in Paris, France –Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. How could one forget Palace of Versailles or Chateau of Versailles as the royal residence of King Louis XIV. Marie Antoinette, anyone? Oh the Gardens of Versailles.

Next is Italy. There is a scene in Audrey Hepburn’s the Roman Holiday where she got her hair trimmed short in a barbershop facing the famous Fountain of Trevi. I wish to do a traditional legend that if a visitor throws a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Bon Jovi’s music video, Thank You For Loving Me was shot around the vicinity of the Trevi Fountain as well.

Milan, Italy is also renowned as one of the world capitals of design and fashion. Prada is that chu?

Lastly, I might want to see the Colosseo in Rome and Parthenon in Greece. The Pyramids in Egypt, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.

Graduation

With Claudine, Olga, Mimi, Rikka, Riza and Imond

With Riza

Make me beautiful within that I may become an angel in the sickroom.

I finally graduated college with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

The past week has been a roller coaster of emotion: happy, sad, exciting and what-have-you. I'll be missing my clinical instructors who I considered to be epitome of nursing. I'll be missing my friends, enemies and classmates.

I am so humbled with the experciences, good and bad that I have met along the way. I owe everything to the Almighty, my family and my friends.

To all of you: Thank You!

Pinning Ceremony

With Mimi

March 19, 2007 -- 5 days away from Graduation is the Pinning ceremony.

They say that the Pinning Ceremony is considered like a graduation in the clinical area, whereas it is different and thus separated from the academic graduation. Or something.

Who cares.

I'm sooo fat.

Community Health Nursing

It's been quite sometime that I haven't updated this blog. I’ve been very busy with the clinical duty with Community Health Nursing (School Nursing, Community Nursing and Health Center) in Zone 4 Sta. Cruz Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

Don't bother finding it in the map. It's somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the third world. Haha..

Here are some of the pictures:

With Riza

I hate speaking in front, but when bad things come to worse, pout your lips.

It's your best weapon of choice, haha..

Don't worry, I don't bite. Hard.

Class Picture

The author's patient for the Family Case Study.

The requirements and the deadlines are killing me. But it’s been fun. Very.

I'm Sorry

I’m not interested in the negative things people have to say about me. I’m here for the duration, so get used to it.

Good or bad publicity, it's still publicity.

I know I’ve been a bitch lately. I’m sorry.

Quotations: Memoirs of a Geisha

"Adversity is like a strong wind --not just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be."

--Arthur C. Golden (Memoirs of a Geisha)

Awwww... I find the line moving. Actually I don't have a point here. Hahaha..

I just finished reading the book and watched the film though. Fabulousity!

Sin Nee Quay Lok!

Fact: In the Chinese lunar calendar, this year's Chinese New Year commences the year 4707. This is so because the Gregorian calendar of the west is 2,700 years late compared with that of the Chinese calendar system.

Amazing, isn't it?

I mean the fuck fact, not the tikoys.

I have 9 units French lesson in college, but the Dean told me to drop it. I promise to be dilligent in my Chinese lessons though.

Sin Nee Quay Lok!
Kiong Hi Huat Chay!

Not Guilty

Recently I got accused for allegedly spreading a sick rumor, when in fact I have no knowledge about the issue --at all. I felt malign, harassed, raped, persecuted.

Accusing me of spreading such rumor is like accusing me of getting a girl pregnant. And being that I am, I cannot tolerate such pain in the ass. It hurts me so much because I'm the kind of person who values trust. Trust, at least for me, is something that is very hard to earn; it takes quite a time to earn it, yet it only takes suspicion and not even proof to destroy it.

Now that they are convinced that I have no hand regarding the issue and that I have cleared my name, I'd like to say that I hold no grudges nor ill-feelings towards my frenemies. But next time, please double-check your source before acting impulsively, you might regret later. Oh well, let fucking bygones be bygones.

Let me, to emphasize my point, raise my middle finger.

So keep your enemies closer than your friends. Just kidding. You have no friends.