Life Under Construction

Haloo, everybody!  Thanks for the greetings=) You guys got me smiling even with my so-bangag state today.  Just finished the deadly 2 of our finals exams… 2 more to go tomorrow.  Spending another night at Mama’s office to increase my focus & concentration.  Who knows?  I might actually make my CD a winner this time around… The subject has really been neglected.  If you wanna be on top, even the little ‘uns can’t go neglected;p    Haay, time to go to sleep… Love ya friends!  Just keep those greetings coming…. Naks, feeling DJ and star at the same time=) BTW, I’ve set the handa on Oct 25, Thu.  Friends - those I personally know of course - feel free to drop by at my place anytime from lunch to dinner.  I’m still looking for a place that rents videokes cheap.  But I’d rather not have the type with nudity.  GP ang celebration ko hindi pang-girlie bar;p  Sige na, mahaba-habang goodbye nanaman ito…

At the office…. call Fe when I get home.  Prepare for NICU duty at ValGen then roll - 7am to 3pm.  Go back home and rest then off to work 9pm-4am.  Don’t forget the requested longganisa;p  Team lunch itech. Mon AM sleep. 10/15 Mon PM - CRAM! Hehehe… there’s no other term that will really hit the heart as much right now.  I’m counting on caffeine and sugar rush to get me through 10/16-17 Finals.  Special thanks to Dra. Pasamba who’s been generous with the additional points. Nevermind that we still had to work for the extra projects;p  I wonder if Ma’am Leyden would also consider giving addl points - nevermind that I get into a coma during lecture.  Pasaway talagang estudyante=)  I’m gonna miss Ma’am Raq’s nonlectures — don’t worry we understand.  I wouldn’t be inspired to work either if I were in your shoes;p  Yun nga lang di namin alam ang coverage ng finals sa Psych… Knowing my luck, it’s also cover-to-cover. Sir/Ma’am Santos - I’ll miss the Clyde-Carl-Clark confusion.  Lost na si Clyde sa kanyang prinsesa.  Si Carl nahibang ng tuluyan kay Shanna.  Jeez, wala na kaming kapit kay Sir!  Tsk, tsk, Carl kasi eh.  Hay, 104 - can’t wait for it to end and that ax to fall.  Sana maganda ang finals para ligtas tayong lahat.  Tapos, 105 na!  Tapos, tapos… Sniff, sniff…  all that hard work…  I’m almost there;p

It’s early morning… Can’t sleep…. can’t study…  Arrgh… It’s blog time.  One more week and it’s finals week.  One more week and I turn a year older.  Truly a bane when your birthday is in one of the most stressful times of the schoolyear.  I’m still in denial. Cramming will probably have to wait till tomorrow after work.  Buti na lang holiday this Friday.  More time to study.  And yet I’m tempted to go to work since it IS a holiday.  What is 160% additional, right?  Who doesn’t need that?  I’m thinking of a sort-of celebration a week after finals so friends can come from all over the place.  My real friends know where I live so I’ll just send you messages when I’ve ironed it out.  Ang galing noh?  Short notice nanaman.  I really appreciate those who are able to make it despite the busy skeds and distance.  This time I’m inviting my groupmates all the way from the North;p  Kumusta naman ang friendship natin niyan?  Ahehehe… what a road test for friendship…  Will you make it to my sort-of party even if it’s on a weekday during business hours?  Nah, it isn’t really a test…  I’m very understanding if you tell me you can’t make it.  Can’t really feed everyone who’s invited.  Normally when I invite - only a quarter of the invitees can make it so I plan the amount of food around that=)  Of course it’s better if you’re part of that quarter this time around…  Nothing special.  Just my cooking and a rented videoke machine - I really find that fun.   Close chums going goofy over the most ridiculous songs really rocks hehehe…  Tsk, tsk, tsk…  Ito ang pinagkakaabalahan ko - ang birthday celebration kesa ang exams.  Yan ba ang tinatawag na uliran?  Far from it.  And to think I have a memory problem.  I really envy my good friend/groupmate Luisa.  Kahit nasulyapan lang ang lesson - nakadikit sa utak.  Me - I’m deteriorating;p  I have to go through it several times to get it stuck.  Then after the exams, I forget almost immediately.  Such a sad thing really…  Anyway, I’ve got to prepare for hospital orientation.  This time it’s ValGen.  We also have to go through a drug screening of sorts.  Arrgh, needles again.  What’s this?  The student nurse who hates administering and receiving injections.  Sige na, gotta run…

Back from Bataan - the Mariveles Mental Ward;p  Great relief that I wasn’t left behind hehehe… Spent 4.5 days there.  Very scenic the place was - just check out my multiply site - http://eise.multiply.com/ =)   All four groups that came were assigned to one room - yes, both sexes in there…  We even had one extra student who just happened to go with her boyfriend.  Haay, what is youth?  Anyway it was kinda fun kidding around with my groupmates 24/7.  Had trouble sleeping even though I brought romance pocketbooks… Tsk, tsk, tsk…  I should’ve brought nursing books - then I’d be down after reading one page hahaha… Got assigned as leader but forgot what was supposed to be done half of the time - jeez, that’s why I hate getting assigned as one=P Buti na lang nakakaalala ang mga groupmates ko  - what is ulyanin?!  Lemme tell you about my patient - since I really can’t divulge his identity, let’s hide him by the name of Taguro.  Yun kasi yung best friend nya;p  He was a bit tall - around 5′10.  He had these repetitive tongue movements you’d have to see to understand.  He answers questions with a monotonous voice when asked - even requested for Fudgee bar and hopia on their socialization day.  I was quite lucky having him.  Other students’ patients wouldn’t even talk.  At least I get a sentence or two out for every question asked.  He can sing along in song therapy even if a bit out of tune.  He prefers singing to dancing.  We had this pass-the-bottle game where you choose a consequence for getting stuck with the bottle and it’s always a client-student tandem.  From the start, he told me he’d rather sing ‘Pare Ko’.  In fairness, I’ve prepared him for it so that helped.  Wouldn’t want him to freeze later on…   When we went through dance therapy, I finally understood why he’d rather not dance.  The movements were uncoordinated and slow.  For a guy who used to be MVP back when he was a teenager, he’s having trouble following steps.  He must’ve gotten quite a hit…  What got him instituted?  A history of violence.  There was a case of homicide which was dismissed.   He was reported to have run riot inside his house damaging appliances.  He even strangled his own mother who was the one who finally brought him in.  And now won’t take him back reasoning that she doesn’t have enough money to support him even though he’s already behaved, improved a lot and even willing to work at the neighbor’s bakery.   It’s really sad seeing how our clients draw and talk about their families and their homes.  They don’t have to say it.  You just need to look at the drawings.  It’s quite surprising how some of them seem really ‘normal’.   There are some who are quite talented and intelligent.  It may have been abuse -  drugs, alcohol or rape…  I could only wonder how far you can stretch your brain to take trauma…   How did we prepare for meeting our clients?  We had a self-awareness session, which drove several of us to tears.  It was nice to let personal stresses out before dealing with clients - kinda cleared the air.  Made me really grateful that I’ve had quite a great life compared to others.  It can be boring at times but perhaps study and work would be the only things I could deal with right now.  Anyway I’m back here in Manila.  Finally got some rest in my own bed.  Watched the whole 3rd season of House in 3 days…. Man, I can’t wait for Season 4.  As usual, binitin ako sa ending….  Grey’s Anatomy’s Season 4 starts in a couple of days.  I’ll just wait for a dvd copy.  Really need to catch up on my studies.  It seems like I’ve gone through a vacation when it comes to reading nursing books which I’ve been able to do since the start of the sem… yep, i’ve been bitten by the sloth bug…  double time it is…  Work?  I’m not sure if I could raise my Kept% by 3%.  Now that’s gonna take a miracle.  Maybe, it’s really better luck next month…  Freeze or fight?  We’ll see… This Friday, Roj and I will both be 26=)  Kinda freaky isn’t it?  Well, this is as long as it gets…. I think I better give myself a rest… Ta-ta!

Yep, I’m officially a lola;p  Got my rest the other day and went to Ideal at Festi.  Turns out that both of my eyes had problems.  75-100 itech w/ matching astigmatism.  Kumusta naman?  I was relieved to hear that I’ll be getting a 50% discount on my glasses… I was choosing between the Dickies rectangular all plastic light weight glasses and  Theme’s  quirky  shaped glasses w/o  frames  but had the  metal  sides.   Doc Rica said the Theme glasses would be sturdier and the shape of the glasses were quite unique, but I thought the Dickies pair were safe, made me look well… younger;p Ahehe, what is vanity?  Anyway, Ma was going to pick up the tab so I let her decide.  We went with the Theme pair and multi-coated lens.  It looks okay, I guess… Getting teased is something to be expected especially from my bratty sis….  They said it will take a week for me to adjust - hopefully faster since I’ll be at Bataan by next week.  Haay, my right hand’s dead tired so I better finish this.  Why? I just finished my MS2 outline for finals - what an accomplishment hehehe…  1 night’s work.  Pwede na;p  Now off to packing.  I’ll be staying at the apartment.  Yep, I’m now a transient boarder at Luisa and Emilie’s place near school;p  This week is sure full of first times… Sige, gotta go=)

It was time for our annual checkup.  Regular VS.  Yes, yes, I’m 9lbs heavier than before=p Giving out blood has never been my thing… Mind over matter…  Buti na lang magaling yung medtech.  It wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.  Really ridiculous for a future nurse to be scared of needles.  No scary lumps. The doc with the sniffles gave out the regular advice— just needed to hear it from a pro.  Then, what do you know?  The ophtha was the only one who gave me unexpected news.  Apparently my right eye is going down.  Man, this news would have Faiye rolling…  I guess it might seem unfair that I’m as addicted to reading as she is and still not need glasses.  Lemme see, i think she’s been wearing glasses for 10 years already.  I’ve finally caught the bug that bit.  Left eye’s still good and is doing the compensating for rightie over here.  Kumusta naman ang 25-100 na grado?  Very big difference but the ophtha assured me that it can still be corrected and prescribed glasses.  No debate from this corner… I’ve been wondering how it would be to wear glasses since I was a kid thinking it was sometimes a pain being ridiculously healthy.  You know how you’d rather stay home sick and do what you want to do instead of being at school all the time.  That’s me as a kid- no gratitude for God-given health hehehe…  And then it hits me when I don’t need the extra cost but of course would choose health over my pocket.  Wow, something new — eyeglasses, cool;p  I got the multi-… whatever that was.  P1600 for the lenses and P2300 for the glasses.  The ophtha has great taste.  Very light pair and matched my big face and cheekbones.   I got back home and  Mama starts shrieking over the price.  Haay, naku…. so here I go cancelling first to check my options.  Sayang, four gives pa naman.  Ma says that’s probably why it costs so much.  Jeez, now I have to check Ideal for all these other options… What is katamaran?  Makatulog na nga muna… nakakapagod lang isipin;p

1/2 kilo beef, 1 kilo chicken giniling cooked in garlic, white onion and olive oil. Don’t forget the rosemary as AmRose suggested. Pepper and salt to taste. Leave for a few minutes.  Then put in the tomato spaghetti sauce (whatever flavor there is… it’s probably gonna be four cheeses again;p), stir in the olives, bell pepper and mushroom… the veggies are optional, of course, but I’m a people person — go figure…  Italian seasoning - as much as my nose can take=) Leave the sauce cooking over low fire for an hour or two.  I usually put in a bowl of shredded cheese.  The more the merrier… kumusta naman ang mga kidney stones?  Or a little red wine should do the trick. 
Another option would be seafood.  There’s your regular mix - lapu-lapu filleted, rings of squid, crab sticks, squid balls, shrimp (probably not for me) marinated in lemon (or vinegar) with salt and pepper to taste.  Fry in butter and garlic.  Set aside.  Cook regular white sauce.  I’m not sure if I should do the mushroom sauce thingy or just plain cream.  No milk please…  After white sauce is cooked, put in the seafood mix. I think it should be good to go after 5 minutes.  Herbs are optional.
Now this one is something I’ve missed back from my college days… Uh, yes, I’m back in college but the one way back so and so.   I believe it was dulong sauce - yep, those little fishies.    I think it was cooked in olive oil with just pepper and lemon to taste.  Pretty simple, huh?
The mind tends to dwell on the next recipe right after cooking… Well, it has been months since the last time I cooked spaghetti so forgive me for making stomachs grumble hehehehe….

Man, midterms sure bummed me out… Even with advance reading, it was still hard.  Iba na talaga ang ulyanin;p  Yesterday right after the exams, I went to Makati to have lunch with LM.  I was supposed to go home but went around with her - nevermind the alalay uniform…  Got to meet her officemates - Marie, Dempsey, DG, Brenda, Kay, Francis, Paolo, Ian, Hasam.  Suddenly the characters of her stories had faces…  So that was how work was for my sis.   Turns out that her work day ends also as a bummer.  A project was not turning out as planned.  I was thinking of going out to relax, but LM still had work for today so we just bought crabsticks to fry and watched the House series DVD Kiko her bf lent her.   Friends have recommended watching House.  In fairness, ibang-iba siya sa Grey’s Anatomy — kelan kaya magkakaroon ng Season 4?   Back to House, ang galing ng mga diagnosis and their examination of the symptoms.  I kinda like how rude House can get. Such a horrifying bedside manner;p  Not much of love stories here although they do have relationships unlike in Grey’s which is more on the surgeons’ relationships.  I find myself nodding to medical terms - some of them I just learned recently.  It would be nice to go back and make notes to research the disease again.  I so loved the series. I finished 11 episodes - only because the DVD hung on the 12th episode.  What is obsessive?  What can I say?  I don’t have much time to watch these things… Kaya kung nuod, nuod! Just slept the whole day - kasi naman puyat sa pag-aaral at lakad kahapon.  Did I mention I was given the wrong directions to go to Krispy Kreme at paikot-ikot ako while LM and her team where going thru discussions?  Ok lang naman I haven’t exercised that much in months;p Pero dedbol na ako pagkatapos ng lahat-lahat.  What is deep sleep?  So back to work tonight… Ooooww, yes we have to go back for the pay and friends. Nevermind that I’m gonna have to work harder for a stat that’s just slipped a few notches lower than acceptable— arrgh….

After weeks of simply reading and sleeping through my books, I’m down to panic mode.  Tomorrow’s the start of midterms - MS2, Psych & Skills Lab.  Then on Fri - Pedia & CD.  Why am I suddenly hoping for a typhoon to get into the country and cancel the darn exams?  Why am I even writing a blog when I should be poring over handouts and books?!  Just my way of decreasing anxiety or elevating the pressure factor.  Once a crammer, always a crammer;p  Naku umuulan na! Hehehe… Be careful what you wish for… You just might get it.  Tingnan natin.  In the meantime, panahon ng magbuklat muli ng libro, handout at … samplex? Ahehe…  Matira matibay sa lahat ng test takers!=)

Maggie couldn’t believe it. Jimmy jumped off the bus and started running in the direction of the rail transit.   Maggie followed suit and shouted, "Jimmy, come back here!"   

While running after Jimmy,  Maggie was questioning why she even bothered.  For some reason, she felt this compulsion to chase after him as if Jimmy had taken something from her or he just worried her for acting so strangely.  She tried retracing what happened on the bus.  They were just having a conversation.  She couldn’t even remember what it was…  Anyway, she kept on running and running but she wasn’t able to keep up.  Jimmy was already on the train.

Next scene.  Maggie was at the hospital working when she heard Jimmy had been admitted because of some serious illness.  Maybe it was caused by all that running in the first place.  Silly boy, Maggie thought to herself.  She visited him during her break and found him in deep thought lying down slightly pale with some bandages on him.  Jimmy sat up immediately upon seeing her.  Not bothering to ask how he got those bandages or what his illness was, she asked him, "Why did you run from me, Jimmy?"

Jimmy answered, "Maggie, I … I need your help."  He looked at her earnestly.  Damn it, I’ve always had a problem resisting his face, Maggie thought to herself.  Then she said, "What is it, Jimmy? What’s the problem?"

Jimmy relayed his story. Turns out that a distant relative had willed him a fortune, but to acquire it, he had to be married by the end of the month.   

What kind of clause is that?! This isn’t supposed to happen in real life.  It’s like that movie ‘The Bachelor’.  Maggie thought to herself.  This was definitely bizaare. Still she remained quiet willing Jimmy to finish his story.

Jimmy finished saying, "So you see, Maggie, you’ve got to help me."

Maggie sat down on the bed and asked, "Help you?  How?"

Jimmy moved closer to her and looked into her eyes saying, "What I’m asking is for us to…."

Maggie couldn’t believe what he was trying to say and stood up abruptly, "Jimmy! Are you kidding me?  The end of the month is next week!  There is no bloody freakin’ way that is going to happen.  And since when have you ever thought of me in that way?"

Jimmy tried appealing to her good nature, "Look, Maggie, my condition is serious.  I can’t burden my parents, my family of this… this thing I’m going through.  You know, I wouldn’t care less if I weren’t sick.  The money is going to help a lot.  Please, Maggie you’ve got to help me…"

Maggie sat down and looked at Jimmy quietly.  Then turned away thoughts racing through her head.  Is this it?   Is this how it’s supposed to happen?  Whatever happened to romance?  Bull, I have got to leave that to romance novels, she thought.  It would be a lie if she said that she didn’t feel anything more than friendship for this guy.  What to do?  Jump into marriage just to help out a bud I’ve been attracted to for ages.  She smiled wryly, God sure has a strange sense of humor. Please, somebody wake me up from this dream.

And so I did.