happy....yet anxious

To breathe a sigh of relief. Oh, it feels so good. My day went along perfectly.

Ana Lec - got 2 recitation tickets. One was from defining the function of the rugae in the stomach and another for tracing the path of digestion. YAY! so happy, especially for the last one where I was able to trace the flow of food from the oral cavity to the anal canal (and I'm not talking about naming only the major organs). Even my prof seemed amazed cos everyone was just trying to get things together, memorizing it and stuff ... and I was already raising my hand, ready to answer... this was exactly right after discussion. My classmates even asked me to recite it again, slowly, so they could jot it down. Should've asked the teacher for another ticket for me having to enumerate it all over again. DARN! haha!

Ana Lab - had some quizzes on the Respiratory system. Pretty easy despite the fact that I didn't study at all (well, except for memorizing the pulmonary volumes and capacities and also the pathway of air). It was really hard to study cos of Jvix (ha! special mention ha! hehe)! He was (as usual) so talkative and i kept trying to shush him but he just keeps annoying me and telling me all sorts of stories. hmm... but anyway, thanks to him, at least I didn't have to strain my brain studying further when I didn't need any more information. Yes, luckily, aside from those I memorized, all were stuck knowledge (well, for me anyway).

After the quizzes, we had some activities. We decided to segregate our group. Kari, Ritchy, Gilbert, and Rao would do the experiments as Jvix, Mari, Ate Chris and I do the lab exercises. And what happened? haay, ayun. let's just say B.I. sina Jvix at Mari as nahawa ako sa mga kakulitan nila. ayun. haha. pero it was fun naman. At least the exercise is due on Monday pa. haha.


BREAK - the most awaited event. Lunch at Joan's place. Plan was that we would do the cooking. I don't know what happened, we got there and voila! lunch was already prepared. and oh man, sira ang mga diet namin! ang sarap ng food. Joan's mom prepared seafood pasta (so yum-yum) plus there were 2 huge boxes of pizza from Big Apple. Especially loved the seafood pizza. As for dessert, this type of kakanin was served and also, ice cream. BEN AND JERRY'S!!! (umm, tama ba?) super super yummy! there were 2 flavors: banana split... and I forgot the other one but it was banana too with nuts (i think) and DARK CHOCOLATE (my fave)! (halatang un lang kinain ko noh, ung dark chocolate lang. hehe)

PHC - wala lang, quiz lang. but started late eh (started at 4 instead of the usual 330). So as I was waiting for the time, I spotted Bea and Diana in the faculty room, talking with Sir Medina (Ana prof) so I stayed over with them muna. And sir mentioned to them how good I was... awww, sir. thank you! :) hehe. grabe! it was so fun. ang kulit ni sir!!! hehe. and Bea and Di too, they were keeping him for that long. Imagine. I spotted them at about 345? I had to go in at 4, for class, took the quiz, and when I went out, they were still there talking. Since I wasn't about to go home yet, I stayed with them na. We were just there until 530 and Bea still didn't want sir to go... awww. hehe. anyway...

My current anxiety: tomorrow's RLE... medication administration. ID, IM, Subcu. haay, good luck naman sa ret dem. *gulp*

Lessons

#1. Before you even rejoice in the thought of a long break from studies (due to class suspensions / holidays), THINK TWICE! There's gonna be a lot of making-up to do afterwards. Especially with our situation, midterms are up next week and we've missed a lot of classes in our Thursday-Friday sched (since most of the class suspensions fell on these days). So, unfortunately, this week, AnaLab time was used for Health Ethics. 'Twas such a shame, I love anatomy class. Apart from that, we won't experience going to school at 9 AM this week (our Th-F classes normally start at this time)... instead, we're going to have to make that time 8AM to make-up for our missed quizzes and lessons in Ethics. To think Wednesday's our RLE day, that must be...bleck.

NOTE: thankfully, though, today, we had a film showing for our Ethics class. We watched John Q and I found the story rather nice, and I especially liked the part where they did the heart transplant of the boy. =)

#2. ALWAYS, ALWAYS BRING YOUR BP APP. You never know when someone's going to ask you to take their BP.

What happened, yesterday during our RLE day was that we had our midterm exams then were given a 15min. break. I decided to go up to the 4th floor. All of a sudden, I was "ambushed" by my classmate. Turns out, some prof was asking her to take his BP and now, she goes and asks me to do it. I was calm about it, sure. After all, I like doing vital signs and I'm already so comfortable with it as I'm always the one taking my mom's BP. And sometimes, some relatives even ask me to take their BP as well. So, at that moment, I was thinking, 'yun lang pala eh... and I was wondering why my friend was like "natataranta" ... But after some time, I don't know what happened, I little by little got intimidated... maybe it was because here I was, in the faculty room of the Nursing department, about to take some prof's BP... or maybe it was because I didn't have my trustworthy BP app with me at that time and I was scared of using another one, which I may not have been accustomed to (I told my friend earlier that I didn't have my BP app with me and she said.. "meron ata siya eh."). Sure, I had my stet (in case the CIs wanted us to do assessment that day) but I left it in the Nursing Skills lab. I didn't want to go down and get it as I might disturb others who may still be taking the exam.

Conclusion (???):

So, does that actually mean that I literally have to bring my bp app (and probably other paraphernalia) everywhere? Even during my outside-school "travels" (a.k.a mga lakwatsa)? haha.

Before I forget:

Regarding my previous post (Quadriplegic Confusion), it's confirmed by another CI of ours. That situation is not possible. The term used for an amputee is different from that of a paralyzed man.

Quadriplegic Confusion

Quadriplegia is defined as the paralysis of both upper and lower extremities.

As one of the CIs was giving some scenario earlier, the following was mentioned regarding the patient's condition:
" ... a quadriplegic patient.... on top of all that, he is paralyzed on his left side..."

My Reaction (and the class as well): WHAT?!?!?!
Now that doesn't seem to make sense. Could it possibly be that he meant hemiplegia (for those who don't know, hemiplegia is defined as the paralysis of the body's half - either the right or left side). Classmates were confused. I was trying to think of the possibility that he (the CI) may just be simply mistaken.
Someone goes and asks what he means by quadriplegia, he answers: "the absence of the arms and limbs".
Another one goes and says: "I'm confused. So, are you saying that he has no arms & legs? (yes daw) You mean they (upper and lower extremities) had been amputated?". Suprisingly, the CI answers: "Yes, it had been amputated."
My Reaction: "oh, THAT is definitely NOT right." (of course, I only said it in my mind). It was at this point that I DEFINITELY had to voice out what I thought, saying:
"But sir, doesn't quadriplegia mean the paralysis of both the upper and lower extremities?"

The CI simply restates the patient's condition... "...quadriplegic... soon experienced a stroke, which is why he is now also paralyzed on his left side."
haay. hopeless. we were still in the middle of "debating" when some announcement gets in the way that classes were suspended. Surprisingly, we were all enjoying and didn't want to go home... but we had to.

After that, I thought to myself (even mentioned this to some friends). Fine. The patient's paralyzed, i still can't see why we can't make an occupied bed (which was one of the tasks to be completed). Secondly, let's forget the patient's paralyzed and take the worse scenario, he doesn't have any arms and legs! Yet, you expect us to get the pt. up & out of bed, and into the wheelchair (another one of the tasks). The pt. has no legs, he can't stand! Sure, you can probably carry the patient from bed to wheelchair... but still.

passing time

Okay, so earlier, my friend Diana asked me why I haven't been writing for a while. True. One reason probably would be that I didn't have time to update my blog much any longer. Second, (again, I'm blaming all the requirements placed upon us sophie BSNs) with all the requirements we have to do and with all the deadlines we have to meet, what thing of interest can I write about? Sure there's a lot of everyday laughs with friends and classmates but c'mon I really wouldn't want to write about every little deatil in my life now, would I?

So, now, I'm taking advantage of this time to post whatever random stuffs just enter my mind. I'm warning you, this may be really senseless but hey, I just kinda missed blogging, and I'm trying to make time pass quickly.

#1. We've had 2 class days suspended, and for the first time we had no RLE! yahoo! although, should I really be celebrating these facts? RLE is a very important subject for us and not that I hate it (it's actually one of my faves) but it's just the fact that I've got a lot of friends with numerous pending ret.dems already and here we are, having a new set awaiting us (assessment). Plus, we have this announced-only-hours-before quiz on the entire chapter 37! technically, I don't really study but I try to during this midterms cos I definitely am not happy with my prelim grades. Now, going back, the thing is that since RLE is an impt. subj. of ours, I've had friends tell me we may need to undergo Saturday class just to make up for it (oh no). As for our other subjects, we're pretty much "readying" ourselves for the anticipated heavy workload the profs are sending our way (argh.)

#2. 2 class days suspended due to the typhoon. went home an hour and a half earlier than normal today cos we didn't have IC class (possibly due to college night??? I don't know). Now, why do I feel damn exhausted.

#3. Wish everyday was Monday & Tuesday (and fine, Wednesday - will I be able to take it if this day was included? haha). I LOVE THESE DAYS. All our major subjects are crammed into these days. Sure, this may be our "busy days" (Thursdays and Fridays are our "sleepy days" as me and my friends call it) but these days keep our brains thinking. Besides, aside from the fact that our major subjects are my fave subjects, I really have fun during these days, 'specially during lab.

#4. GOOD THING: excited for tomorrow. I'm going out with friends. Can't believe I'm actually going to watch some cartoons (Ratatouille and Simpsons). And, can't believe I'm actually taking public transpo... which is why I asked Bea & Di that we go there together (since I'm on the way naman). I can ride a trike, I just don't know how to call a jeep (and ask it to stop when the trip is over) haha. It was the decision of both Bea and I to take public transpo since it's fun (plus adventurous)

#5. Should I get a Sun sim? The line is 300 bucks a month for 24 months x3 for 3 phones (for Bea, Carisse, and I). It ought to work out for the whole company. Carlann's already on Sun, Di has got a Sun sim as well ( questionable na lang kung gumagana pa)... so the three of us are the only ones left. the cons: $$$ the pros: unli calls, here we come!

A Simple Tribute

Last May 21, my maternal uncle passed away from heart attack at the age of 46... and just as I was "recovering" from the shock, some other unwanted incident happens.

Barely just about a week ago, my cousin chose to leave this world in which we live. She was the first in my generation. About a month after turning 29, Ana left all of us. The reasons will forever be just a mystery.

I was never really close to Ana as I only knew her during my childhood. I didn't get to grow up with her or her siblings (majority of whom are now in the US). But nevertheless, I felt so sad by her death & I wish so much that I knew her more.

Sadly, due to my classes, I couldn't fly to Cebu to see her for the last time but last night, I got to go to this tribute thing prepared by a few of her friends. From here, i got to know about her... she was an artist, a poet, a writer, a diver, a photographer, a teacher, a speech pathologist... AND, most of all,... I liked how they described her in this one slide which read: "for Ana, poet, seeker of light". All this time, I still have nothing to say but "sayang". It was hard to keep tears from falling especially when Patricia Evangelista (yes, a friend of Ana) was the one talking. Ana was such a smart and pretty girl (the prettiest among the siblings, in my opinion). She was even the best intern in her batch! For all her acomplishments, I look up to her and now try to consider her to be a motivator for me to do good in my studies.

To Ana, thanks for being a part of my life, I will remember you always.

A Taste of Australia

Where can you find a single serving of ice cream (a little more than a pint) that costs 800 bucks?? Go to Cold Rock, Australia... that's where!
My cuz & I went there the other day (30 April 2007, Monday) & we each ordered a regular sized tumbler. Much to our surprise, we ended up having to pay about php500 for the order (it was 400+!).
On the up side, I kinda did enjoy my order (kinda lang daw o!). I ordered a combination of Aussie Vanilla ice cream & Real Coffee ice cream (yeah, you can ask them to mix two ice creams, of your choice, together). As for my toppings, I got chewy choco brownies, choco chips, and maltesers... each topping costs php25. That's a whopping total of 75 bucks for toppings alone!
Yeah, but it was fun... having a photo galore in there! haha! No, I mean... I know it's not worth it to spend that much on ice cream alone but it's just a nice experience to get to try it at least once... it's something different. And, yeah, their ice cream collections are really imported... as well as for some toppings, there were quite a lot of chocolates/candies with packages I've never seen before.
So, what can I say bout the experience? Definitely worth it. I LOVE COLD ROCK!!! (haha, they probably ought to pay me for advertising their company!)

DL Frustrations

This was supposed to have been posted a week ago, when I got my class cards... but I had to stop myself from going online for personal reasons.

BSN 1, 1st sem
I managed to get a cumulative GPA of 92.30 (that's a 3.10, 4 being the highest) but I didn't get to be in the DL (dean's list) due to our English prof. She really gave low grades! I tell you, never in my life have I gotten lower than 92 for English, not once! And then she comes and I get an 83 for my prelims, an 85 for my midterms (consider the fact that I've alrerady been given +2 here), and a 91 for my finals! I think I've only managed to get that 91 because I managed to "fight" with her inside the classroom, correcting the wrong grammar she was teaching us! I don't remember what the excat statement was but I remember Bea correcting the prof first (as my seatmate, Fran & I were discussing her mistake). I didn't notice Bea was already speaking up but Fran pointed it out to me... so we were listening to the prof & Bea argue. Our prof just wouldn't give in to her mistake so Fran started to join in the argument. I didn't really want to argue so I let Fran and Bea do the talking themselves (we had the same point anyways). But still, his (Fran's) arguments were also not being considered by the teacher. It was 2 against 1 and she still wouldn't listen! It was then that I really began to lose my temper! I stood up for what was right! (hehe... dramatic). By the time I started to speak up, I remember everyone in class saying "uy, ma'am, si Femi na 'yan... si Femi na 'yan.." (thank you classmates for believing in my knowledge THAT much!Ü)... after about 5-10 mins. probably, the prof finally stopped to think of the thought of the sentence. And, she didn't want to admit she was wrong! We three were discussing among ourselves...what?... so we won?... we were right!... is she wrong?... The prof approached us when practically everyone had left the classroom & said in a whisper, "you were right." "WHAT???", I asked her (we really couldn't hear her with how soft she was talking)... I did kind of hear what she had said but I wanted her to say it loudly and accept her mistake. Sadly, she just repeated her statement in a soft tone... quite louder than before but still too soft to be heard well by us three.
Still, although I got a 91 for my finals in English, that's only an 86 for the average... we need (at least) a 2.5 (87) per subject (and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75) to be in the DL.


BSN 1, 2nd sem
I managed to get a cumulative GPA of 92... but sadly, Filipino got me this time. I got an 86 there. It's such a spoiler! I got 3's for all my other subjects and only 2.25 for Filipino! Although, there's nothing I can do to complain though. That's my normal grade actually for Fil, for my whole life! I never got line of 9's in Filipino (except last sem when I miraculously got a 94... although I think that's just because the teacher was just being kind on me). I just feel really bad that if I had only exerted a little more effort (I actually, literally failed Fil midterm exams with a 73), I probably would have gotten that much needed 1% and I would have been in the DL. Blame me and my hatred for studying.
All the rest of my grades are okay tho...my next lowest is 91 (English2 & SocioAnthro)... followed by a 92 (Biochem), then a 93 (Bio & Logic - happy to say I got a 97 for my finals in Logic), got a 94 in InfoTech, ... and my highest is a 97 for PE2 (Ballroom Dancing)... although I don't really value that THAT much cos it's just a minor subject with 2 units, tho I admit it does help pull up the cuGPA. I just wish that 97 was what I had gotten for Biochem cos I really ove that subject & besides, it's composed of 4 units! =)