PRC Adventure

Last Tuesday was a very stressful day for me. My classmates and I went to PRC for the filing. This was my first time to set foot in PRC. Getting there was already stressful as the traffic was terrible. Jeepneys move like snakes as they slither their way in those side streets. Not to mention the pedicabs that just pop out of nowhere! Haay...

So we got there around 2:30 p.m. and as we successfully parked our car (somewhere safe..hehe!), we proceeded to walk to PRC. As we got there. We still needed to have our forms and other documents notarized as part of the requirements. We had to pay 150 pesos for the notarized school documents and application forms. This I find weird because all the documents that we will be submitting are all certified by the school. Hmm... Anyway, after having all our documents ready, we proceeded inside the building. I have three words to describe what I saw: Divisoria in December. There were a lot of people and this was just outside the building. When we went in to find a shorter queue, there were more upstairs. I was beginning to think if the building could bear the weight of all the people in it. As we searched and searched for the shortest queue to have our papers processed, we found this room at the second floor where they can process everything. This was good news for us because for some, they would have to go to different queues just to get their metered stamp, the blue and white forms and the one for the payment. In that office at the second floor, they accept payment, they have the metered stamp and give out the blue and white forms. In short, combo meal slash package deal. Kulang na lang eh foot spa. Lol! We were even saying that we got the best queue and we might even end up getting the "license" too. Hahaha! How I wish!

So there at around 4:45 p.m., we were done. It was good that there were eight of us because we would each fall in line in a different queues and would switch places once done. Hehe! It was also good that we were told to go there after lunch because there were "less" students that time. Sa lagay nung pumasok kami eh less pa pala yun! Kaloka! What more if we went there in the morning. I heard from some of our classmates, that they were already there at 4:30 a.m. and was able to finish around 2:00 p.m. Yikes! I would've gone crazy if that was me!

What only made things bearable was the staff in PRC. They were all very helpful and courteous when approached. The only real thing that I disliked was the lack of organization and signs inside the building. You wouldn't know where to go first. We were even joking around saying that PRC made it that way so that the students would make sure that they pass the board so that they wouldn't have to go through with that again. Hahahaha!

All in all, it was an adventure again. I'm beginning to think that every time I go to any government office, it would be an "adventure". LOL!

Preboards

My head is still recuperating from all the cramming I've done for our Final exams last week. And FYI, that was last Sunday and Monday. Yes, you read that right, the first day of our Final exams was on a Sunday. Given that my mind is on autopilot in the morning (and especially on weekends), it was harder because I was on two opposing planes that day. One was my usual "lethargic" self while the other one was the "high on caffeine overload" self. Let us not forget that my tummy's butterflies had butterflies in them as well. So anyway, that day was a long one. The format of the exams were like the board exam. Three exams with 100 items each for Sunday and the remaining two exams also with 100 items each was for Monday. Imagine the pain I had on my neck from looking down on the test paper for 5 1/2 hours for all three tests. But it didn't stop there, I had to take the final exam that I missed during our Intensive lecture for Psych Nursing. So that's four exams all in all. On the latter exam, my mind wasn't functioning properly anymore (as if it were on the first three tests). The questions in the exam weren't helping either because most of them were very long statements since it's a Psych exam. At the end of Day 1, both my mind and body were drained.

When we got home at around 3:30 pm, I went straight to bed and woke up at 6:00 pm. Now this is the funny part, I got up in one of those irritating ways when I just bolted up from the bed and went to get my towel. You see, I thought it was the next day already and I was going to take a bath. Good thing I saw A sleeping on the couch and mom-in-law preparing dinner. If not, I would've gone straight to the bathroom and would come out feeling really stupid and annoyed. Lol.

Day 2 was a bit different. I was more calm now because after the discussions we've had with my other classmates, we've realized that the previous day's exams were really difficult. Well, let us not blame everything on the exams but partly to blame was myself who didn't really study hard. Who was I kidding thinking of jamming everything in my sluggish brain all that was taught in just a week and a half. Haha! Good luck with that!

Going back, as I have let go of my feelings of denial and accepted the fact that it was partly me to blame, I felt a bit of regret from not watching the second Eraserheads concert. I could have watched it and would still feel this awful after the exams. Hahaha! Oh well, at least I got to watch the first one.

So there, that was how my week was. It's a Friday and yet I can't get to say "TGIF" because I have review classes on weekends. Waaa! Kuracha, ang babaeng walang pahinga!

Long time no post!

My goodness! It's been a while since I've posted anything here. I'm surprised there are still people dropping their E-cards. Thanks!

So anyway, I'm still up studying for my midterm exam in Microbiology tomorrow. I don't know why but I can't concentrate on what I'm reading. That's why I'm posting this. LOL. Obviously!

What is up with these names of bacteria. Waaa! It's hard enough to say them but spelling them is worse. *sigh

I really hope the exam tomorrow would be in a multiple choice format and that there's no identification part. Otherwise, I would surely fail that part. Waaa again!

Well, I better get back to studying. I can't afford to fail in this exam. Wish me luck tomorrow! Yee-ha!

Oh and by the way, does anyone know when will the results for the local board exam come out? I heard it would be this February but when exactly?

Another 'oh', tomorrow is Friday the 13th. Yikes!!!

Driving

What Your Driving Says About You

You are high strung and easily worked up. You have a heck of a temper, and you're ready to fight anyone who ticks you off! You tend to go by what you feel - not by the facts at hand. As a result, you tend to make a lot of uninformed decisions. You are not a fair person in the least. Justice be damned - you get whatever you can for yourself. You can be a rather tense, grouchy person - but you try to maintain your dignity. You have mixed feelings about authority figures. You understand their place, but you believe their power needs to be in check. You are somewhat focused, but you are also a bit scatterbrained. Distractions can get you in trouble. You are a very responsible and conscientious person. You often consider the feelings and needs of others. Your ego is normally in check, but sometimes you get a bit egotistical. You tend to be a little self-important at times.

What Does Your Driving Say About You?

************************************************************************************

The description stated on this test clearly described the way I was driving this afternoon. I was in a rush to go to the bank to pay my cash advance. Traffic was already piling up and I still need to go home to change because I'm still wearing my duty uniform. I had a hospital duty this morning till two in the afternoon. The bank closes at 3:00 p.m. so imagine how stressed I was just so I can get to the bank on time.

It's true what they say when all the wrong things happen when you're in a hurry. That's exactly what happened. Every traffic light that I encounter, the red light was always flashed at me. There's also the "Sunday driver" as I call them when they're driving so slow yet they're in the fast lane. I unfortunately get stuck behind them whenever I switch lanes. Sheesh! How unlucky could I get you say? Well, there's more... I left my wallet when I was halfway to the bank so I had to go through all the stops and go back home to get it. I was speeding like crazy that I had to slow down because my boyfriend was already quiet and was holding tightly on the door handle while I was driving. Haha!

So there, I was surprised that this test: What Your Driving Says About You, clearly described how crazy and high-strung of a driver I was today. But I'm really not reckless. LOL.

National Center for Mental Health

I am still alive. I may have gone MIA for quite a long time but I'm still here and ready to share my experiences and the things I've learned in school and in our hospital duty.

The last memorable duty that I've had was in the National Center for Mental Health. We were assigned at the forensics pavilion. At first, I was really scared. My hands were all clammy and shaking when our clinical instructor announced who our patients would be for this rotation. With respect to the patient's privacy and confidentiality, I will not be mentioning our patients' names. So anyway, the longer we stayed there, the more comfortable I was talking to my patient. It was not as bad as I thought.

They're just like other individuals who got sick. As what our instructor told us, they are really not different from people who have hypertension, diabetes, etc that have maintenance drugs. It just so happens that the signs and symptoms are more evident as compared to other medical conditions.

Our four-day duty there made me realize a lot of things. The most important was that it made me feel grateful and made me realize that I should not be constantly whining. No matter how troubled I feel when it comes to my payday loans or deadlines that I have to meet, or even simple things like traffic, I know that I'm still lucky that my family and friends are all healthy.

June 2008 PRC Nursing Board Exam Results

The Nursing board exam results for June 2008 was released.

Here's a link to check the names of the board passers.

Congratulations to all who passed!!!

Youngest Mom

Watching someone give birth is one of the most indescribable experiences I've ever had in my entire life.

In high school and college, there were a couple of videos that we've watched in our Sex Ed. and Biology class. They were even in VHS format. LOL! Anyway, these videos were nothing compared to seeing a child being delivered in front of me.

The first hospital duty where I assisted in my first delivery was in a Lying-In center. These women are really something. Imagine going through labor and delivery without anesthesia? Not to mention even during episiotomy. The doctor would wait until the head is crowning and that is the time they perform the episiotomy. That way, the pregnant woman would not be able to feel the pain of getting cut.

The youngest patient during our hospital duty was an 18-year old girl. She looked so young and so afraid of what was happening. She was bleeding while she was being sutured. I cannot imagine how she felt.

Actually I know of some people that have given birth at the age of 16 but imagine my surprise when I found out that the youngest mother ever recorded was a five-year old girl from Peru. Yes, that was no typo error. The girl was five years old when she gave birth. Her name is Lina and she gave birth via caesarian section to a 2.7 kg baby boy. Don't believe me? Then read the rest of the story here.

An Idle Mind = Fewer Brain Cells

I am feeling sluggish today. It's probably because of the headache that I had since yesterday plus the fact that I slept at around 8:30 pm last night and woke up at 8:00 am today. So anyway, I was lounging on my bed and was literally staring blankly into space. Then it hit me! I was reminded by our professor about losing brain cells.

You know the saying: "An idle mind is the devil's workshop"? Well, now I know why there would be a workshop in your mind. It was in one of our lectures that we were told that whenever the brain is inactive for a minimum of 24 hours, the brain cells (approx. 50,000) die. So this means more space in our brain for the devil's workshop. Hahaha!

The professor told us that whenever we are feeling like this, we should at least turn on the radio or the television. Actually any kind of stimulation for the brain would do. Luckily, it would take 24 hours for the brain cells to die if left unstimulated. I hope an accumulation of "unstimulated time" would result to brain cell loss. Otherwise, if that were the case, I probably lost a lot already. Hahahahaha!

So remember boys and girls... When you feel like doing nothing and thinking about nothing, turn on your TV or your radio or mp3 players. Mahirap na! LOL!

Long locks or Bra Hooks?

Imagine a very handsome guy with his locks bouncing while he's strutting on the beach. His washboard abs gleaming from the freshly applied tanning oil but once your eyes move up to gaze on his well-chiseled face, you're heart stops and your jaw drops. You try to blink to check if you're just imagining things but it is still there. You see "man boobs". You say to yourself: "Nobody's really perfect."

The above scenario kept playing on my mind when we were discussing anti-hypertensive drugs in Pharmacology. We came across this drug called Minoxidil (generic name). The name sounded familiar but I've never taken anti-hypertensive drugs nor was I aware of anyone that I know of taking this kind of medication. Then our professor told us that Minoxidil wasn't just taken as an anti-hypertensive drug but it is also used to stimulate hair follicles for hair growth.

Minoxidil is more known here in the Philippines as Regroe (brand name). It is used by people who have alopecia AKA baldness or hair loss. The drug is applied topically. It gives hope to all the people who are bald that is NOT by choice. However, datapwat, subalit, it is said that there is a very unflattering side effect of the drug for the guys using it. According to our lecture, one of the side effects of Minoxidil is that it causes a condition called gynecomastia. This is a condition for males where there is an abnormal enlargement of the breasts sometimes causing secretion of milk. I know... WTH?!?! You might be thinking that it's okay to have bigger breasts but the problem is, it's not like those that you see in wrestlers or in body building contests. On the bright side though, according to my research online, it rarely happens when the breasts grow big that is normal to a female breast. So don't worry because you won't be like Pam Anderson or something. LOL!

Question is... Would you rather go bald OR have hair but have "man boobs"? TOINK!!! If I were you guys, I'd choose the former. Embrace your baldness. I think it's sexy! :-)

Pharma Finals

Last Friday, we had our final exams in Pharmacology. It was pretty hard. I had too much coffee to drink. My hands were shaking on the morning of the exam day. I was a nervous wreck! The slightest movement made me jump. The sight of our professor entering the classroom made me want to hurl. Luckily, there were a funny moments during our exam plus our professor said something funny that somehow helped me relax.

Funny moment: 10 minutes after we started answering the exam, the lights went out. The classroom was dark and it was filled first by shrieks and grunts from my classmates. There was one sound or voice that stood out and caught our attention. It was a guy classmate of ours, we don't know who because it was pitch black in the room, but all of us instantly laughed when he said in a soft voice (almost instantly when the lights went out): "Uuyy! Pakopya!" That was really funny. We're not sure if it was intentional or he didn't think his voice would be heard. Hahahaha!! Even our professor was laughing when the lights came back.

Funny remark: Our prof in Pharma isn't new to the game of cheating. There have been a lot of techniques to cheat. A lot of sign language, facial expressions and simple hand gestures have been invented just to give the answer to one's "cheatmate". As we were taking the exam, a few of my classmates, me included, started clearing our throats and almost a couple were doing their own "ahem". Our prof then said: " Hala,'ahem' ng 'ahem'. Alam ko na yan. Isang ahem, 'A'. Dalawang ahem, 'B'." Hahahahahaha!!!

If that didn't happen, I would have probably forgotten everything. Mental block was inevitable at my state before taking the exam. I am glad it's OVER.