My Venice

Once again, my world was flooded last Friday. Literally flooded! I went home from school and witnessed the streets of Jaro transformed into brown rivers. And yes, the jeepneys into gondolas! Amazing! I was apprehending to step down from the PUJ upon reaching my destination, I was worried that my immaculate black shiny shoes will get wet, or soak to say it right. So I walked toward my boarding house on feet. Wow, it felt like crossing Jordan. He he he... And my shoes? Inside my backpack.

When I opened the boarding house, what I beheld was such a spectacular site! The house was turned into a pool! The carpets, rags, and slippers were floating; and shit, same with my bed mattress, blankets, and pillows! Disaster. I should have chosen the upper deck of the bed a long time ago. It's too late... The damage had already been done. Curse the typhoon! Now where Am I gonna sleep? I asked myself. Bernard (my boardmate) was not around, he texted me later that he went home to Passi City. My landlady and her son on the other hand didn't come home. I think they already saw the situation prior to me and had decided to stay at the construction site of their future mansion. Who would bear to stay in such a swampish place anyway? So I decided to went home and I did.

I haven't yet returned to my boarding house since I left it flooded with the water coming from the overflowing river of Jaro. I just hope that the flood has already subside. Haaay... I have been in this situation many times before especially during rainy season. Iloilo City has evolved, it has become now my Venice. How I wish it to be as romantic as the latter but hell, it's not. It's messy!

The Vanishing Rice And The Claustrophobic Canister

The Philippines is having a shortage in the supply of rice lately. Well, that's what all the news in television and in papers say. The government is, as usual, trying to deny this by saying that there is an ample supply of the staple food we Filipinos considered as "manna". And the authorities are very desperate trying to seek for rice hoarders to be convicted. But despite of the assurance by the government that we will not be groveling on the ground because of hunger for two years, people are still panic buying. Becoming hoarders themselves without them knowing.

So why is the Philippines, an agricultural country and main producer of rice decades and decades ago, is now having this rice shortage crisis? Number one reason is that the government failed to focus more on the agricultural industry especially the needs of our farmers (e.g. accessible rural roads, good irrigation, low cost fertilizers, and proper incentives for our farmers), instead, it seems like they advocate more on the conversion of the country's agricultural lands into residential and commercial ones. Second, the research and production of good quality and high yielding variety of rice were not given emphasis by the government. The Filipinos have to suffer first from hunger before the authorities finally realized that they were very idle when it comes to the development of these genetically modified rice that will boost rice production. Filipinos have never yet outgrown procrastination. Now rice is slowly vanishing in our plates. Tsk tsk tsk.....




What's the best remedy for this problem since the cost of rice nowadays are soaring high? Nah, not cannibalism, we'll make Hannibal Lecter jobless. How about cutting our daily rice intake into half? Instead of having two cups of rice per meal, maybe we could lessen it down to one cup! Problem is, most of our fellowmen don't even have a half cup of rice to be cut down. This is how miserable the Philippine economy is! Tsk tsk tsk.....An archbishop suggested in a news report that Pinoys must find a way to fill their hunger by eating alternative carbo rich foods like root crops. He mentioned specifically cassava. My only question is, will the price of cassava stay the same if it will be in demand to consumers? Or will it soar high too? Can our body tolerate the accumulation of hydrocyanic acid after eating cassava for six months? Or we will end up with our mouths foaming? Hay, life in the Philippines is really challenging. Everyday I feel like I'm in the reality show called Survivor. The only difference is, no cameras around to glorify my struggles. Hu hu hu...


-oOo-



Everybody was shocked especially the people in the different medical fields and the authorities when the news about the "black suede scandal" broke out. Well, the scandal was actually about a homosexual who's rectum was inserted with a spray canister by a guy whom he had a one night stand. The subject resorted to a medical operation to remove the canister and while the procedure was done, some of the operating staff took a video of the operation. The removal of the canister was really seen on the video and aside from that, the yelling and howling of the staff were also heard upon the recovery of the canister. One member even opened it and sprayed it on the operating room. The said video was then uploaded into Youtube.com and became a video of the week!

I myself was really shocked upon seeing the video in my classmate's cellphone. It was, in my opinion, a total violation of the patient's right to privacy! My classmate, on the other hand said that the man deserved it because he was a pervert anyway. But I think the act must be exclusive to the man alone. I mean let his guilt, that is if he have one, bother him. The medical team who had done the operation has no right to publicly share the incidence. They totally stripped the man of his last ounce of dignity. What happened to the code of ethics of those doctors and nurses involved? Gone to the trash bin? Shame! I couldn't believe those people who swore to protect, cure, restore, and save lives had the capacity to do such inhuman things like that while the patient was unconcious! Shame again!

The latest news was that the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), due to the said incidence, is currently planning to add two new subjects in BS Nursing which will focus and give emphasis more on nursing ethics. So all it took was a canister to stuck up in someone else's rectum in order for our officials to be serious enough in honing our medical, nursing, and paramedical students to be professional enough someday in doing their job as curators of life. To that canister guy, a big thank you! Your as*, I mean, your experience serves as an eye opener. To the poor innocent canister, I couldn't imagine how you feel while you were inside. I can't blame you if you will develop claustrophobia someday. My sympathy.

To Carmen

The moment that my life sparked it happened within your womb. You carried me inside your body for nine months, nurturing my development as my body started to take shape and become complex. You bear all the hardships of conception and likewise the excruciating pain of delivery but despite of those, you told me later on that you could not explain the happiness of seeing your firstborn. It was indescribable joy you said, feeling my warmth with your hands as you cradle me with your arms.

You witnessed most of all the "firsts" in my life. My first cry, smile, and laugh. My first step, walk, and fall. My first tooth and my first word which was "nana". You were the first person to whom I showed my first perfect score in a test during my kindergarten year. Likewise you were the first one who saw my first zero score in a quiz during my schooling in grade 2 which I tried to conceal from you but you accidentally found it while tidying my school bag. You were also the first person to noticed my first pimple and then giggled that her son was already a soltero or a teenager. You were the first one to whom I confided my dreams and ambitions in life, of what I wanted to be. Same so with all my fears, disappointments, and frustrations. It was also you who first confronted me when the signs of depression manifested upon me and carried me through my recovery. You know that I can endlessly enumerate it all here, but all I really wanted to say was thank you for always being there for me.

The connection we have established is too strong that only death can break it. What is more wonderful is that you turned out not just a mother to me but a sister and a best friend as well. Thank you for bearing the perils, pains, and hardships of raising me and likewise my four younger brothers. You said it was a bliss, but we know that often times you were hurt especially when you took the responsibility alone of raising us when Tatay died and most of our kins deserted you. You are really a woman of strength and we your sons admire you greatly.

What I am now is mostly because of you. You are my driving force and my inspiration ever since I was a child. Thank you for making me and my brothers a better persons. We love you more than you have ever known. You are the wind beneath our wings and we thank God for having a wonderful mother like you. I and my brothers could not ask for more. HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY NANAY CARMEN!

-oOo-

Mama, mama you know I love you
Oh you know I love you
Mama, mama you're the queen of my heart
Your love is like
Tears from the stars
Mama, I just want you to know
Lovin' you is like food to my soul

- A Song For Mama
by Boyz II Men (1997)

And I Laugh Out Loud With My "Fake Laugh"

Summer classes have just started. Me and my new classmates were as usual (for the third time), assessing each other mentally. The rule of socialization: KNOW THY NEIGHBOR, BEFRIEND THE HARMLESS, AND IGNORE THE MENACE.

I think I don't need to describe my clinical instructor in Fundamentals of Nursing because I already did it in my last blog entry (refer to my previous blog entry in wildnurse.blogspot.com dated April 12, 2008). The only thing I guess I need to add is that she's the head of UI's Community Extension Service program. In fact, she was not around this morning to handle our class since she was too tired from their circumcision operation in several of the barangays in Batad, Iloilo. A noble act I must say, cutting foreskins and making those boys embraced manhood. I am not giggling here!

Because Ms. L, the name I call our C.I., was not around this morning, me, EJ, Jayson, and Leslie, spent the whole morning sitting at the corridor of the 3rd floor of Nursing building, chatting, joking, and kibitzing other people's lives. A very noble act I must say too in the sense that we occupied our idle time by entertaining ourselves with words instead of doing vandalism, taking prohibited drugs, or hold upping a nearby bank. Ha ha ha...

In our Nutrition subject, our teacher is a ghost. That is, we don't know if her existence is tangible and visible 'cause until now, no solid form of her has appeared in our midst. Boring...

Meanwhile, our Philippine History subject was like a club with a comic trying to make his audience laugh. The comic was none other than our Phil. History instructor, Mr.... I-forgot-his-name. His jokes were really corny and they really bored me to death. I felt like shooting him with a machine gun or rather with a bazooka while listening to his old, dull, uninteresting, gag.

Will someone please stop this guy and send us all home so that he will also stop waisting our time?!

But I was laughing out loud. Why? Because first, there was nothing interesting for me to do at that time so I tested myself if I could fake a sincere laugh and I think I did!

The winner for the best actor category goes to.....

Second, because I pitied him with all of his desperate efforts to entertain us all. Okay, a laugh or a "fake laugh" to be specific is not expensive anyway, so I gave some. Lastly, because I thought I was already crazy. Well, there is just a thin line between sanity and insanity anyway. Who knows, I am indeed?! And who knows if my history teacher and my classmates are in my league too? Ha ha ha...

Ciao!

Welcoming Summer, Enjoying Vacation

The heat is on..... and everyday, I am drenched in sweat! Haaay... Summer is here at last and vacation had just started last week after the final exams. Whew! Time to relax and take my mind off for a while from all matters concerning school. Enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy! Yes, that's what I will do in my 2 week vacation.

I actually welcomed summer just after my last final exam on the afternoon of March 17, 2008, in which the subject was Microbiology. I thought that I deserve to have some fun after the bloody, brain-stirring activity. So right on the spot, yours truly and my beloved classmates Maricar, Cory, Juvy, Ritz, and Bridgel decided to have a night swimming party at Nes and Tat's Beach Resort in Oton, Iloilo. So after changing our uniforms to beach suits and cooking chicken adobo and rice for our supper at the resort, we then headed to Nes and Tat's with nothing but excitement in our hearts, making us giggle and act like little children. We planned to stay there overnight so we also brought some drinks and chips. When we arrived at our destination, we then headed to the customer service counter for the fees. We paid 800 plus all in all, a very reasonable price. Then we settled our things at the cottage assigned to us and then we started to have FUUUUUUUUNNNN!!!!!

Happy summer and enjoy your vacation guys!

xoxo

(Note: The photos are posted below.)

The Computer Monitor

I'm giving myself a break from all these weird sounding names of microbes --- Toxoplasma gondii, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Giardia lamblia, Treponema pallidum, Vibrio cholerae, and etcetera and etcetera! (Etcetera and etcetera by the way is not a microbe... Ha ha ha) That is why right now, I'm here facing the monitor and rant about nonsense. This is my way of diverting my mind from too much stress. But I guess ranting is also stressful, don't you think? lol

Hmmm... Finals is finally here and the end of the semester is drawing at hand. I should be celebrating because it's vacation time but the sad fact is that I or we nursing students don't have a summer vacation because we have summer classes! Waaaah... This is tragic 'cause that means, NO REST AT ALL 'til fourth year. That is, if I will be able to proceed to fourth year 'cause the results of our Assessment for Nursing Potential, a test that will qualify us to proceed to third year, have not yet been released. So it's still 50-50. I'm really praying that I will be able to pass the exam. I have already invested a lot in this course, I don't want that all those sacrifices and hardships I had encountered will just go to waste. It will be a nightmare for me! I would rather choose NO REST AT ALL 'TIL FOURTH YEAR rather than FAIL. Haaay life!

Okay, I think I'll better go back now to my Microbiology book, the thought of FAILING suddenly gives me the drive to study hard. Naks! Hmmm... I never thought I could come up with such reflection by just staring at the computer screen for several minutes. I told you ranting in front of the monitor is a good diversion! Good night.

Troubled Words From An Imperfect Friend

People who do not know me well often have this impression of me as being quite, reserved, and "kind of serious" but to my close friends, they know that I am the opposite. They always describe me as childlike, candid, and playful which basing on my own "biased" observation is true. I love to be like a child always --- carefree, curious, bold, and adventurous. I think this is why they love me. They often have a fit of laughter every time I do my funny acts and have their eyes grow wide when I confess things I do that they find odd.

But my childlike nature has always been the cause of why sometimes I unintentionally hurt my friends' feelings. It really makes me sad to think that I didn't mean to cause any harm but the damage has already been done. And the worst is that they could not comprehend why I have done such thing to them when it is very clear that a child does commit stupid mistakes too. I AM JUST HUMAN --- very prone to flaw. They couldn't understand that I cannot please them always, that my limitations sometimes (or often) lead me to failures. I'm afraid that I have created a persona out of me that to them is always pleasing, always adoring, always loving, like a child that is. A friend that is almost perfect, which, I could never be and neither there is such a thing! I just hope that this is not what they expect from me 'cause I'm starting to get afraid. Afraid that I may lose the bond of friendship we carefully nurtured and protected together due to unfulfilled expectations. Friendship is what makes my life beautiful, one of the precious things that gives meaning to my existence and to lose it is like dying slowly. It's like a child losing his grip to the string of his favorite kite and let the thing soar to the endless sky until he loses sight of it forever...

Black Valentine With Me, Myself and I

February 14 is Valentine's Day but my close pals would rather call last Thursday as Maundy Thursday rather than Hearts' Day. Ha ha ha! Well I could relate to that 'cause I was also celebrating it minus a special someone. "Poor us, bingkongs!" a dear friend of mine exclaimed that day with a deep sigh. "Bingkong" by the way is a slang word in our local dialect which means "loveless". But despite of the fact that I am indeed loveless during that special day and until now, I never feel lonely at all. Maybe because I am contented with my life. I have a lot of wonderful people who loves me for what and who I am. My mother, my brothers, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my close friends, all these people give me the bliss and security of being loved. I could not ask for more!

My friends asked me lately why am I not into a relationship as of the moment? My replied was it's either I am evading Cupid's arrow or Cupid has forgotten to shoot me at all! Ha ha ha..... But seriously, my reason for not committing into a relationship lately because I found out that there is bliss in being single. You have all the time and freedom to do the things that you wanted to do without hesitation. Now, I am not afraid of responsibilities in a relationship because everything we do entails responsibilities anyway. It's just that if ever I'll plunge into a relationship, I want to make sure that it's for real this time and not just some sugar coated kind of infatuation that after the sweetness has gone, boredom and blandness follows. Maturity makes you want to scrutinize things indeed! He he he...

Black Valentine --- the Valentine's Day for the loveless. Well, I didn't mind at all if I had a Black Valentine's Day. I was celebrating it anyway with my three faithful companions: ME, MYSELF and I. We love each other like nobody has ever loved before and hey, we really enjoyed our dinner date together that day! Ha ha ha.....

Until next post. Belated Happy Hearts' Day guys!

Of "Lottophobia", Pinworms, Mumps, and Embalmers

Last last Saturday (that was February 09), I had the most mentally draining activity to date ---- I took my Assessment for Nursing Potential Examination. This exam is given to incoming third year students in our school (University of Iloilo) to test if we are qualified, have accumulated enough knowledge essential to the nursing profession, and if we really have the inclination for the said profession. The exam is composed of three parts: the achievement test, the aptitude test, and the assessment test.

The first part of the examination, the achievement test, is designed to measure the knowledge which is of great importance to nursing the student has acquired in his two years of learning. The content of the test includes subjects like Psychology, Math, Chemistry, Physics, General Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, and English. The second part, the aptitude test, is an IQ checker. It is composed of abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, and verbal reasoning and comprehension sub-tests. The last part, the assessment test, is a personality test that will help the Nursing Department of our school evaluate our inclination towards the nursing career if our attitude is really for the said profession. All these when summed together, made up a 350 items exam! And all these , you have to answer in a matter of 3 hours and 20 minutes! Whew!

I am no Einstein so my brain during that time was really squeezed and extracted to pulp! I almost had an epistaxis (nosebleed that is) especially when I reached the Math part which is mostly composed of College Algebra questions. I have a fear of numbers, I call it "lottophobia". Why the name? Well, simply because I always dread what numbers might come out every night during the lotto draw. I might not win. And up to now, I still don't.

Back on the topic, I am lucky I listened well to my teachers in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbilogy and Parasitology subjects. At least some information spilled out from their mouth came out in the test. Like, pinworms make us wiggle even if we have just one breakdancing in our perennial or anal area, and that severe mumps can lead to male sterility (which made me worry by the way 'cause I got two big humps on each side of my jaw when I was still in grade 3). There were some questions like, What disease is caused by a protozoa called Trypanosoma?, which I had doubt with my answers. Maybe these are the info my teachers spilled out during lectures when I was in my chair sleeping and drooling.

I have anxiety about the upcoming result of my ANP Exam. Will I pass or not? This is the daily thought inside my head that has now become a mantra....... and a torture. If I'll pass, a big THANK YOU to the BIG BOSS above! If not, tragedy! My dream of serving humanity (cheesy! cheesy!), and going to Europe will all crumble to dust. Well, come what may. Life is a gamble anyway. I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the better.......... and of course, prepare for the worst! An embalmer/funeral director would be a next good option ( I heard these people, the embalmers and funeral directors I mean, are having a good business lately since a lot of Filipinos are dying nowadays from crude overpricing, and cardiac arrest due to extreme rage on the hypocrisy of the people involved on the ZTE scandal ). Ha ha ha..... Ciao!

Welcome To My World

Mabuhay!!! Oppss, I am not a flight steward so don't assume that I am one ( I'd rather imagine myself as a pilot not of Boeing airplanes but of those battle starships seen in the Starwars movie. Ambitious!). I used the word mabuhay by the way as my opening salutation for no reason at all. It just popped out in my mind out of no where so there it goes.

This is my first post in this blog so I'll consider this as history in the making! Another milestone for humanity (applause!!!). Welcome to all of you who have just visited this anonymous blog. If you are suffering from insomnia then this blog is for you! Why? Because all of the entries here will 100% bore you to sleep! And worst, even to death. The usual topic here is myself. So does it mean I live a boring life? Exactly dumbhead! The rest of the topics? Just mere nonsense.

So there you go. I have already delivered my veeery short intro. I am Romerei and welcome to my world!

Ciao.