Alto in training

Well, choir's been pretty fun(-ny?) lately. Last week, ate Dianne shared some stories on her WYD Sydney experience... and she brought chockies along (that's my new term for chocolates)... tons and tons of them! the cute part of last week's session: kitty notes made by ate Nicole after solfeggio lessons (as we were having choir practice). ---> just visit my multiply acct. for more pics.... including those of the leftover chocolates and the wrappers of those we've managed to have eaten! :P




And this week, we're starting to practice for 08 Sept. And, tita asked me to learn the alto parts... cos we need more altos, especially if the niñas are singing along with us. wooohoo! so, it's a long weekend, given that monday's a holiday, and I'm gonna be spending the time studying the alto parts. joy! challenge! i mean, don't get me wrong, it's not my first time to be doing voicing, I've done so before during Simbanggabi slots, Christmas midnight mass and Easter Vigil mass... but it'll probably be my first time outside those events... haha... i don't know. not like i count it, ... but anyway, maybe it's more new tunes to "adapt" myself to.

Funny part of the night: i had my barok (sp??) moment.
Ate Queza: sino nagdala ng food?
me: I don't know...
Cheska: It just appeared from thin air.
me: yeah, probably... *poof*... FELLING from the sky...
(harhar)


And, going home, had an "adventure" with ate Dianne... haha. her gas tank was on "empty" na... so we had to go to the gasoline station... we passed the Elizalde route to Phase I (which was nearer the gas station) only to find out that they've closed the gates (and only at around 1020pm... tsktsktsk!)... so we had to turn to the clubhouse, taking the Aguirre route, passing Tropical Supermarket... taking a longer time. WHEW! buti nakaabot... and we (ok, I. dunno about ate Dianne) thought that the gas station was closed as it was completely dark! turns out, only a few lights were left on there, those of the open "stations". And it was there at the gas station that ate Dianne knew that I'm an addict... haha. I love the smell of gas, paint, ... rugby (she filled that part in) haha. weird daw. well, .... haha! :P

AMBUSH!

It's so sad that this is our last day @ the LPDH OR. All the nurses there have just been soooo kind ^_^ funny part of the day probably was where we ambushed Sir Neil (aka "Sir Happy" daw) for some photoshoot.... right in the LPDH caf. haha.

The challenge I've found amusing: Dr. Clyde asked us to name 4 (or 5 ba) nurses in the LPDH OR that we've come to know during our 6-day duty there. Hmmm.... kakatuwa! I had no problem doing so (a proof ata na ganun sila ka-friendly/-bait). So, lemme try to really enumerate all those whom I've come to know... in a way, siguro, it's a way of showing my gratitude to them na rin...

1. Ma'am Rachelle (shucks! di ako sanay... talagang "ate" pa kasi tawag ko hehe)
2. Sir Neil
3. Sir Aries
4. Sir Joel
5. Sir Chris
6. Sir Fort
7. Sir Bert
8. Sir Jack
9. Sir Francis
10. Ma'am Monet
11. Ma'am Jane
12. Ma'am Gina
13. Ma'am Cha

hmmm... 13. not bad. ung mga girls kasi, nakilala ko lang from reading their name tags... but didn't really get to talk to them much as the guys. kasi sila talaga ung mga nakakausap talaga namin at nasasalubong sa loob ng OR. :P

familiarity

Last week, at the OR, as I was to accompany Maricar in having her break, I saw a familiar face as we exited the OR itself, as we were placing on our lab gowns and changing our shoes. I recognized her to be someone from the choir. I immediately waved and she smiled back. I couldn't really remember her name at this point, I just recognized the face.

Yesterday, I saw that familiar face once again... INSIDE the OR this time. I was soooo shocked! I was probably staring! hehehe. At one time, I checked the board for her name: Rachelle. Yes, possible, Ate Rachelle. but hmmm, I don't really want to be all too sure. Yet, I didn't really have the nerve to go and approach her though I did try. hehe. I was just too shy and unsure of myself. So, upon arriving home, I immediately checked Friendster. and Yes, it was confirmed, it's her, from the ARCHCON.

Today, as she was just around (and as Dr. Clyde had already asked her earlier... haha, inunahan pa ako! cos I told him kasi that she looked familiar eh), I asked her.... and yeah, it's definitely her. wow! small world nanaman! how fun! it's nice to know na you know someone there. sayang lang at last week na namin ito in LPDH OR. tho, yeah, we'd have one more week here in the Finals, AM shift naman. Sana, I'd get to bump into her pa rin then. =)

OR week 2, day 1

Probably the most memorable day for me in the OR. Brainteaser day. haha.

Sir Aries invited me and tita Joy to join them in viewing the gastronomy (weird, i really think it's gastroscopy... but that's what was indicated on the board) being done on a patient. We hesitated, not knowing whether we'd be allowed by Dr. Clyde to do so. I so badly wanted to be in that room with them (Sir Aries, Sir Neil, and Sir Chris... and the patient of course). Good thing Sir Aries called us again and signaled us to enter the OR room 1. I couldn't help myself this time. pakapalan na ng mukha ito! hahaha. I went to Dr. Clyde who was still telling stories to our other groupmates and asked permission. At first I think he didn't want us to go in there but when he knew that tita Joy and I were being called (/invited) to view the procedure, he finally agreed. WOOHOO! We went back to the other room and signaled to Sir Aries that we were allowed to watch, so he and Sir Neil told us to go and enter the room. Natakot ako before entering as I heard one say na tatanung-tanungin kami ng isa diyan. oh no! haha. But h'yeah, I still went in. And, Yeah, I guess it was true somehow. We were interrogated in there but it wasn't anything about the case at all. We were given 3 questions to answer... and we needed to answer them all. According to Sir Chris (who's been throwing the questions), no one's gonna be allowed to leave the room until we answer his questions... *GULP* haha

QUESTION # 1: Bakit tinitignan ng babae kung malaki ang paa ng isang lalaki?
QUESTION # 2: Anong bagay ang sinusubo muna ng mga babae (o bakla) para lumambot at nang mapasok?
QUESTION # 3: *form an L with your thumb and forefinger* The tip of the thumb to the tip of the finger is used to measure what in males? it is the size of a male's _______?


hahaha! Think of the answers carefully as I'm not going to share them with you. :P

it's a girl! =)

I'm so shocked! I still can't believe how it felt in the battlefield yesterday when I got to do an actual baby delivery via NSD!

Currently, I'm on duty at the OR in LPDH, and I'm loving it! oh, the thought of just being in a place exclusive to healthcare professionals (I mean, not even patients' relatives are allowed to enter this realm, and yet, here we are)... plus, I just love seeing surgeries! I used to see these stuff only on tv documentaries, special videos from doctors whom I've got connections with, etc... but never have I seen an actual "live" operation happening right before my very eyes! And that's what's happening with the OR: surgery galore! woooo!

Unfortunately, I'm assigned to the 2pm-10pm shift so nothing much happens then as most ops occur in the morning shift but just yesterday, Maricar and I heard a woman was being prepped for NSD... I informed tita Joy, she and I asked our CI if we could observe. Our CI said: "observe? No. that's your case!" Wooohooo! alright! We informed Maricar and we waited for things to happen. We observed the woman in labor. As crowning happened, the nurses there called the client's OB (who so happens to be the tita of a friend of mine) to inform her that the patient is ready to give birth. Upon the doctor's arrival, she immediately asks us student nurses who wants to scrub in. She asked for one of us three. Maricar told me to go ahead and scrub in. I looked at tita Joy and told her to do it (as I'm not really into deliveries.ick.) But she told me I should do it. I signaled to her that she ought to take the case. Suddenly, our CI made the final decision and told me to go and be the one to scrub in. WHAT?! well, I couldn't say "no" now, it wouldn't seem proper. So, fine, I scrubbed in.

I thought the farthest I would go in this case would be to actually hand the various instruments the doctor would need but no,... things got farther, and farther, and farther. I was asked to clamp the cord (fine), then place another clamp on the cord (fine), then I was asked to actually cut the cord! (thinking this was the end, fine). All of a sudden, the doctor stood up and told me to take a sit in the chair she was seated in (uh-oh, this can't be good... but fine) and then she tells me to go ahead and deliver the placenta (WHAT?! so much for my first time!)! Anyway, shocking as it was, and panicky as I seemed to be, it was an overwhelming feeling to get to experience such thing. =)

missing my BCF friends

browsing through my photos on friendster (cos i had nothing to do), aside from being amazed at how obese i was back then,....memories flood my mind. and i say, i really do miss my friends, Bea and Carisse. They've been my "soul sisters" since i've stepped into college grounds in Sville. United by the bond of being the aspirers to the MD title i think, haha.

The sad thing now is that we don't get to interact at all anymore, apart maybe from hi-hello's. And if we do get to talk, things are way different. i don't know if it's just me, or even they notice but it does kinda get awkward. on my thinking, i'm guessing it's because we've been separated for such a long time (currently 4 semesters and 1 summer) and to think we've only been together for 1 semester. That may be one predisposing factor, another may be me getting to interact with other people. All this time that we've been placed apart, i thought the good thing about me being separated from them would mean me getting to actually have to socialize myself with other people and meet a new circle of friends. Well, that did happen as I joined my current clique now. That did have a bad side as well, as it turns out. That's because now that I've had new friends, I no longer bothered to have to look for Bea/Carisse during breaks to spend time with them. I was satisfied with my friends from within my class. Seems as if i took things for granted, huh. But that was because I knew that Bea, Carisse and I had this special bond that we would always stay friends no matter what all the way up till med school (which is now in our near future i suppose)... and i do intend to hold on to that "sisterhood", even tho it may not seem so at the moment. Now, it seems as though i don't know them any longer. :( it feels horrible.

But, hmmm... i don't know where I'm going with this post for all I know right now is that i miss them so much. I'm not sorry that i've gained new friends, it's just that i miss the "old" ones as well. we may have lost contact (or whatever you may call it) but i do know they're the ones I can count on through thick and thin , and we'll always be there for each other. I hope this is just a phase that we're going through, thanks to all the harsh things happening in the world we revolve in right now (which i'm totally dreading... I've long realized it was a mistake for me to be here, the nursing life is DEFINITELY not me at all).

joy

What a day. 8AM-4PM, I had my duty rotation at Tuloy Foundation. Thank God we were sent home early, and we got to convince our CI not to let us go back to school anymore for library work... well, i don't know if we really got to convince her, but hey, bottomline is, plans were changed. So, after, immediately headed to Festival (at about 230) for my appointment with Dra. Nubla at 6pm. It was a good thing Maricar was headed that way too, at least may kasabay ako.

So, the instant I arrived @ Festi, I changed out of my RLE uniform and into civilian attire, finished my lunch, and brushed my teeth in preparation for the appointment. I wasted my time window shopping. Got to meet up with my parents at 4. Admittingly, I was late for my appointment! I could not believe! I FEEL SO ASHAMED. The reason? my parents decided on eating before my appointment, so fine. 530. great. 15 minutes to eat since i wanted to be at healthway 15 mins before schedule (parang duty ba? haha). But the resto took 15mins before handing out our orders. fine. I'd just have to eat 5 mins, brush my teeth another 5 mins, and another 5 mins would be for proceeding to healthway. i did stay true to eating only 5 minutes, leaving my fries to my mom. but, the thing is, i like to take time brushing my teeth. so, h'yeah. i took 10 minutes to brush. so, i arrived at the clinic at about 6:05pm. I was hoping Dra. wasn't there yet but as I was registering, I asked my mom to ask if Dra. Nubla was there already. The girl at the counter made a phone call and after, informed us that she already was there, waiting for us. AAACK! I practically shrieked in panic. Mom told me to go ahead; she finished up registering for me. Dad knocked at the door (I was shy to do so), and h'yeah. She was there, prepared already. I FELT SO ASHAMED that I failed to ask if she's been there for some time na.


My lower braces could not be placed yet. She still had to move my upper set of teeth a bit more forward. So, she tightened them up again, really tight according to her... and she's so shocked that I could not feel anything at all. I could feel her tightening the braces but I couldn't feel the tightness AFTER the whole 'procedure'. She even asked me if I wanted to have her tighten it more pa, sabi ko okay lang, pwede. She took a look and said na sobra na talaga sikip niya, she couldn't believe it was nothing for me. haha tawa na lang siya. although, somehow it is scary. does that mean i'm actually masochistic... does that mean i love pain?! i like thinking i am quite like that but i never thought it would go that far as me not experiencing any pain/difficulty at all.... even that dentist who fixes my dental caries is shocked, saying that i've got a high tolerance for pain. So, bottomline, as Dra. Nubla said, ibig sabihin nun, pag-umaray daw ako, aray na daw talaga un... masakit na daw talaga. haha! =)


After my braces had been tightened, nahiya ako!!! cos fine, she did the usual physiotherapy massages... but aside from that, she actually gave me some neck/shoulder/back massages... or what she termed 'stretches' i think. still! nakakahiya.... pero, yeah, sarap ng feeling. I just felt awkward as she was doin the massages... kasi naman, imagine naman your doctor/your dentist giving you a massage. hala! haha.. so, again, awkward. plus the fact that I was late. it doesn't matter na 5 mins lang yan, or whatever... according to one of the ethico-moral maxims: A little more or less does not change the substance of an act. so late pa rin ako.. huhuhu. =(

But still, i'm overwhelmed with joy talaga that she (Dr. Nubla) is the one handling my case. i swear i can't get over the fact that i love her to death! she's really a nice person, sooobrang bait.

Personally, I've always felt ill-fated about DMDs (especially as confirmed by those two "nut head wackos", Dra. T and Dra C). But Dra. Nubla's an exception to that. You can't believe how much i look forward to our appointments. I don't know, there must be something different in her talaga... kind, friendly, intelligent (according to my mom, kasi as i see it she seems to remember every minute detail... and to think, di lang naman kasi ako ung patient niya, she's got a lot of other patients pa, so xempre... i was wondering how she could remember all her clients plus the minute details nga like what kind of 'elastic band' whtachamacallit i like.). I seem to have trusted her so easily from the very first time we met her, that very first consultation with her.

Haaay nako, till here na nga lang. it's soooo long na... plus, got some reports to prepare for.