Thursday, January 29, 2009

LOLdad

We were talking about our most embarrassing moments and Dad just had to share his XD:

Dad: Eto yung pinakahindi ko makakalimutang parte ng buhay ko. (Let me tell you about the most unforgettable moment of my life.)

*pauses*

Uh..ano na kasi yun? (Er..what was that again?)

XD

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

RIP, John Updike :(

Source

NEW YORK – John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, prolific man of letters and erudite chronicler of sex, divorce and other adventures in the postwar prime of the American empire, died Tuesday at age 76.

Updike, best known for his four "Rabbit" novels, died of lung cancer at a hospice near his home in Beverly Farms, Mass., according to his longtime publisher, Alfred A. Knopf.

A literary writer who frequently appeared on best-seller lists, the tall, hawk-nosed Updike wrote novels, short stories, poems, criticism, the memoir "Self-Consciousness" and even a famous essay about baseball great Ted Williams.

He released more than 50 books in a career that started in the 1950s, winning virtually every literary prize, including two Pulitzers, for "Rabbit Is Rich" and "Rabbit at Rest," and two National Book Awards.

Although himself deprived of a Nobel, he did bestow it upon one of his fictional characters, Henry Bech, the womanizing, egotistical Jewish novelist who collected the literature prize in 1999.

His settings ranged from the court of "Hamlet" to postcolonial Africa, but his literary home was the American suburb, the great new territory of mid-century fiction.

Born in 1932, Updike spoke for millions of Depression-era readers raised by "penny-pinching parents," united by "the patriotic cohesion of World War II" and blessed by a "disproportionate share of the world's resources," the postwar, suburban boom of "idealistic careers and early marriages."

He captured, and sometimes embodied, a generation's confusion over the civil rights and women's movements, and opposition to the Vietnam War. Updike was called a misogynist, a racist and an apologist for the establishment.

On purely literary grounds, he was attacked by Norman Mailer as the kind of author appreciated by readers who knew nothing about writing. Last year, judges of Britain's Bad Sex in Fiction Prize voted Updike lifetime achievement honors.

But more often he was praised for his flowing, poetic writing style. Describing a man's interrupted quest to make love, Updike likened it "to a small angel to which all afternoon tiny lead weights are attached."

Nothing was too great or too small for Updike to poeticize. He might rhapsodize over the film projector's "chuckling whir" or look to the stars and observe that "the universe is perfectly transparent: we exist as flaws in ancient glass."

Author Joyce Carol Oates, a friend of Updike's, said there was a "luminosity in John's style that was just extraordinary. He also had a wonderful, warm, sympathetic sense of humor which people didn't always noticed.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Yes yes yo

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that by 2020, the U.S. nursing work force could be 800,000 nurses short of the number of nurses needed to serve the rapidly aging population. In the meantime, some employers rely on international nurse recruitment to fill the gap."

Reference:
Teddi Dineley Johnson (2008, November). New ethics code targets recruiters of foreign nurses to United States. The Nation's Health, 38(9), 23. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from ProQuest database.
(ba't may APA dito? XD)

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I have some stuff to share but I am so tired from reviewing for my Pathophysio exam so I'm just gonna leave with this "lesson of the day" which should be helpful for ALL students:

"Do not overstudy while cramming."


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That's all...vavush!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Tarsdee

The Nightingale Pledge

I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.

from: Professional Nursing: Concepts & Challenges by Chitty & Black


This morning, we watched a video about the history of nursing and the contributions nurses made for the society. It's very inspiring and motivating to know how important nurses are in the community, specifically in healthcare, and I'm glad and proud to have chosen to take this path. As my professor put it, nurses are the backbone of the medical institution. Without them, the institution would collapse.

It is also a relief knowing that the demand for nurses will continue to rise as baby boomers are nearing their retirement.

* * *

I didn't get the chance to watch Obama's inauguration live, but I did catch on the replays and read the news. And here's something which caught my attention: Sensitive Atheists want "So help me God" be removed from oath-takings.


K.

* * *

I have joined Nurses' Christian Fellowship. It is a student support group in our campus where everyone can provide and find--well--support, and encouragement. Not to mention the superb lunch they provided for us this afternoon. :]

Somehow, I think God does want me to be where I am. When I was failing all my classes at SLU, I felt I do not stand a chance against other students who were also aiming to get into the quota. I had my mind made up that if ever we do get to live in the US, I will change my course, determined never to get anything related to the medical field. But the moment I was asked what career path I want to take, nursing was the very first thing that came into my mind and next thing I knew, I was sitting in Carol's office, looking at the nursing pre-requisites I have to take. And here I am.

It's also puzzling how Yahoo! now keeps on including nursing as one of the featured best jobs to have, but when I was still taking my pre-reqs, I don't believe I've ever seen nursing headlined as such. Plus, when did I ever have the courage to join student orgs? I'm even planning to join a second org, the Student Nurses Association of SDSU. When did I ever get the courage to sit down beside a classmate I don't even know the name of and talk about random things? I never did all of that by myself even in the Philippines. I always needed someone to be with me.

This is the currently the most stressful part of my school life. Not even SLU gave me this much workload--and I was taking 27-29 units (I only have 12 units this sem) that time.

But--as Kelli Dunham put it--I can do this. That RN after my name is worth all the tears, blood, and sweat I can and will shed.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

First week

One week in nursing school and I'm already exhausted. I am enjoying all of my classes and my professors are all awesome. I also love our new classrooms--gotta love the chairs, they're all cushioned! But struggling to cram tons of information into my brain and walking from the school building to my car carrying a 10lb backpack and an additional 6lb bag are not easy especially right after a month of vacation where I slept for 10 hours or more every single day (or night).

I had all of my laboratory classes today and at NURS 265 (Health Intervention), we got to try on our gloves, gowns, and masks. The class was quite interesting because we got to work with the Sim (simulated?) Man. No, he's not a superhero. He's our mannequin (he's a he because his artificial genital is a penis) and he's probably the creepiest mannequin I've seen because he's breathing, and he's breathing LOUDLY and his chest was rising with every inhalation. Boy, I would hate to go into a dark room with him in there. He also has a pulse and a blood pressure and if I'm not mistaken, I think he can speak too. -_-"

I am currently reading Kelli Dunham's How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Nursing School. This is a very very helpful book for all nursing students. It basically aims to keep me motivated and sane (haha) as I surf through nursing school to get an RN at the end of my name.

We're going to be on a Health Fair at the School of Mines on February 26 and I'm really excited about this because I will get to wear my polo uniform (ang babaw mehn XD) and do BPs and stuff on people. Now I'm thinking what if he goes to our table and I have no choice but to do his VS? HAHA. I will die pare, as in. Anyway, I know that that is a when-pigs-fly thing so I'll just leave that up to my daydreams.

I still have 3 chapters to breeze though so ta-ta for now! :D

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Shenaniganz

Today is my last day of work at Shopko. I gave the notice to our manager last Monday. I thought about my decision for a long time. I weighed the reasons for me to stay and for me to leave. I love my job. I like talking to random people. Most of our customers have stories they like sharing and I'm always eager to listen. Most of them are appreciative of my job and are thankful for simple efforts such as putting their purchases in their carts for them. This job gave me courage to explore the opportunities available and thus served as a way for me to get involved in two volunteer activities where I gained a lot of interpersonal experiences essential to my chosen major. The only downside of my job is that it is physically exhausting, but that's nothing compared to what I achieved through it.

I chose to leave because of school. Now that I'm in the major, subjects will get a lot harder and I would need all the time in the world to get through those. I have tried working and studying in the last semester and my life nearly fell apart. I was frustrated with my grades, I did not get enough sleep and worse, my parents and I constantly fought. My aunt convinced me to take a break from work and I did. In two weeks, I was able to pull everything together again.

I was a little sad while I was leaving the establishment a while ago. Who can blame me? I have worked at Shopko for seven months. I was not even planning to work that long--I was just looking for something to do during the summer vacation when I decided to just continue what I have started.

I will miss my job... and my co-workers too, of course.Align Center
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Now let's lighten up a bit. I've been reading updates about my friends and high school classmates and I was informed that a number of the are running for honors. I am so proud of them. :D As for me, I'm running too... Running after a decent grade XD.

We will be having our orientation on the 14th of this month (this Wednesday :| ) AND I will be wearing my scrubs uniform. Wahahaha. Feel na feel talaga o.